Karin Beery, NAIWE’s Fiction Expert

We wanted to get to know Karin Beery (NAIWE’s Fiction Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some thoughts she shared with us.

Why do writers get caught in a telling cycle?

It depends on which type of telling you’re referring to, as there are two types, which I refer to as “big” telling and “little” telling. Big telling refers to info dumps — -any time an author stops the story to explain something, usually back story. In most of those cases, I don’t think the authors trust themselves or their readers: they don’t trust themselves to weave the details into the story and they don’t trust their readers to notice and remember those details. Little telling is often a case of rushing. It’s faster (and easier) to write she was beautiful than to describe her through the point-of-view character’s eyes.

 

Do you recommend that writers develop characters before writing the scenes?

It depends on the writer. If the writer is okay making revisions to the story, it’s okay to draft scenes before knowing all the details about a character (I’m a better editor than writer, so I rewrite a lot). If you don’t want to make a lot of revisions to the story, it’s crucial to understand as much as possible about a character before writing. In either case, having a basic knowledge of characters is a must.

 

Would you suggest writers work with developmental editors to help fix mistakes?

Again, it depends on the writer and their goals. If writers are in a rush to finish a story and submit it, developmental editors can speed up the process, as it takes years to develop fiction-writing skills. I do recommend developmental editors to new writers who aren’t getting any responses to their query letters–a good editor can help them spot any plot/character issues that might be turning away agents and publishers.

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Take your self-editing skills to the next level.

• Have you eliminated all the telling?
• Are the characters complex?
• Is every scene necessary?

Most authors will answer “yes!” to these questions. But then editors and readers tell them the descriptions don’t engage them, the characters are stereotypical, and the story dragged.

How do you fix it? By training your writer’s brain to read with an editor’s eye and by recruiting some outside help. In this workshop, we’ll look at common mistakes novelists make, then learn how to identify and fix them.

You can join in this conversation on January 13 at 7:00 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on improving your self-editing skills. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Nonmembers can join for $30. Register today!

 

Karin Beery is an award-winning author and editor with experience in traditional and self-publishing, freelance editing, and editing for publishers. She is an active member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Christian Authors Network, and the Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network. Karin’s specialty is substantive fiction editing with an emphasis in romance and women’s fiction.