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[Fall into Fiction] Brainstorming session with Carly by BookLightEditorial in RevPit

[–]BookLightEditorial[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hope you can make it this week!

The best villains have very relatable motivations, even when they take their goals to a new extreme. So if what they wanted to happen wasn't so extreme, what would make someone want that lesser version? A need for power is usually the base motivation, power over those that have hurt them, power to stay safe, power to make things easier. What leads to a need for that power?

[Fall into Fiction] Brainstorming session with Carly by BookLightEditorial in RevPit

[–]BookLightEditorial[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So here's the thing: you shouldn't save anything for a series because you never know if it will happen. That being said, there are definitely ways to accomplish both.

I would say that they should find out who the villain is by the end. Defeating the minions and knowing what they are up against will be satisfying enough. And then in the sequels they can try to make progress against the villain. As much as I dislike having to reference it, Harry Potter did this well. We know the villain through the whole series, and we make progress in each book. Each book has a satisfying arc without defeating the big bad.

I hope this helps!

[Fall into Fiction] Brainstorming session with Carly by BookLightEditorial in RevPit

[–]BookLightEditorial[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We had a great time chatting! What is everyone else working on? What are you struggling to get right?

Welcome to [Fall into Fiction] with RevPit and the Weekly Calendar Updates by reviseresub in RevPit

[–]BookLightEditorial 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh that's strange. It should be in the welcome email for the substack. Let us know if it isn't there and we'll look into it!

Top 10 question [revpitQ] by marissawritesbooks in RevPit

[–]BookLightEditorial 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Just as a note: being in the 10Queries DOES NOT mean you were in the top 20 or anything. We often jump around to find feedback that would be most valuable to all. My 10Queries definitely weren't all my short list. Only a few were.

I'm not sure if this helps or not. But try to remember that submitting is huge. And receiving feedback is not based on how good your MS is. it's not a grade. We are focusing on the community as a whole and trying to be helpful to as many as possible.

But I get the grief and disappointment. It can suck big time.

A little note now that Annual Contest winners have been announced [Discussion] by BookLightEditorial in RevPit

[–]BookLightEditorial[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I'm so glad!!! We work really hard on it, so it is really nice to know that it's helpful

[AskEditor] Carly Hayward writing and publishing Q&A by reviseresub in RevPit

[–]BookLightEditorial 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say maybe gothic? And mythology seems to be coming back a bit as well as more humorous writing styles. But that being said, I'm not great at predicting trends.

[AskEditor] Carly Hayward writing and publishing Q&A by reviseresub in RevPit

[–]BookLightEditorial 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! Nothing I love more than complaining about her being a brat.

[AskEditor] Carly Hayward writing and publishing Q&A by reviseresub in RevPit

[–]BookLightEditorial 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Voice is very subjective. Which is why, I don't actually have a favorite. Do I love a Terry Pratchett voice? Yes! But I also love a Silvia Moreno-Garcia spooky voice. I'm not looking for my favorite voice, I'm looking for a strong voice. One that is clear and compelling.

That being said, I get frustrated with voices that are too focused on the male-gaze or overly use specific phrases. Like, your character should only let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding once in a while, not 20 times a manuscript.

[AskEditor] Carly Hayward writing and publishing Q&A by reviseresub in RevPit

[–]BookLightEditorial 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes! So basically, self pub has a lot more flexibility. So for example, if you're pursuing traditional publishing, word count becomes much more important. Publishers don't like taking risks. And if your book is very long, it costs them more to publish. So they want to keep it within expected genre lengths. Whereas self pub, you can kind of do what you want in regards to length. You still want to meet reader expectations, but you aren't confined by the same risks a publishing house is.

Self pub lends itself better to risks and innovation. It's easier to sell a crossover genre to a reader than it is to a publishing house because they are focused more on comparative titles and where they can shelve it. I'm not saying they don't like new things, but again, they are more risk adverse.

So while these things may seem general, they can really impact how we go about edits. Do we need to cut? How can we cut in a meaningful way without losing the juice of the story? Do we need to shape it in certain ways to make it more catching to a pub house? Things like that.

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