II. SUBMISSIONS, continued

b) Craft and Critiques

Voice is often touted as a desirable element in fiction, yet it’s difficult to pinpoint (“I know it when I see it”). What does voice mean to you? How can it help create and define a character?

Voice is the thing that makes a book a transporting experience, the thing that immerses you in the world or the point of view of a particular character. Your voice can be florid or taut, but it must above all feel natural, assured. When it is those things, the reader is transported.

Often, “voice” is an ease and seeming effortlessness to storytelling that makes the narrator appear utterly vivid and real. There is also a consistency to voice, so that whatever its properties, the voice of a manuscript carries throughout the entire work without flagging or veering off course. Voice is one of the manuscript’s most important principles and aspects of appeal.

Sarah Dessen says, “I never start a book until I have the first scene, last scene, climactic scene and first line all in my head.” Cheryl Klein’s Second Sight references arcs (such as climax) within each scene. What tip or exercise do you suggest for making scenes emotionally satisfying?

I am very, very tough on plot. Every scene must accomplish something, must move the action forward, must show us something we haven’t seen before or show it to us in a new way. Never write simply for the beauty of the words. Certainly, your words should be beautiful, but they must have purpose. That’s my tip—look at each scene, and even each line, and ask yourself, “What does this accomplish?”

Our workshop enrollees critique peers’ full novels. However, many writers are experienced only in critiquing excerpts. What helps you keep track of everything in a novel?

I don’t need to keep notes. It all lives right up here. *taps head* But if you have trouble keeping track, certainly you can make a bible for your novel—a separate document that describes each character in detail, and set pieces, so you don’t forget the little details.

How and when does a synopsis prove useful to you?

If I am loving-loving the voice, a synopsis helps me cut to the chase and say, yes, I’m on board with this book, let’s acquire.

What kinds of craft flaws do you commonly see in otherwise well-written manuscripts?

Lack of a thesis—the clear sense that you are leading the reader to a particular moment that will give us insight or enlightenment, or even an amazing insight into your characters.

Please tell us about your approach to revisions in an accepted manuscript—one for which you’ve provided an editorial letter and/or invitation to re-submit.

When this has happened, I’ve re-read the manuscript to see if the author has addressed my concerns. I don’t necessarily want him or her to address them in a particular way, with certain words I may have suggested, but I want to see that the author has understood the plot problem or character problem I’m flagging. And if the author corrects that problem in a way that surprises me, or that is better than what I’ve suggested, so much the better. 

How would you describe your working relationship with your authors?

Fun! Cordial! Collaborative!

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