When It’s Time to Move On by Virginia Smith

Virginia Smith

At last month’s critique group meeting we read a chapter by a gal who’s been revising her first novel for a couple of years. The first man to give feedback asked, “Haven’t we seen this chapter before?” The writer replied, “A couple of times, but it was rejected again and I need to know what’s wrong so I can fix it.” He smiled rather benignly and told her, “You’ve polished it so much I need sunglasses to read it.”

We all laughed, but as we went around the circle (passing an egg timer to the next speaker in true Lord of the Flies fashion), I knew exactly how the author felt. I’ve been there. Why wasn’t my story good enough? Did passive verbs still lurk in the narrative, hidden from me but flashing like ugly beacons to a seasoned editor’s eye? What could I do to make it better?

Before my first publication I wrote a novel that was dear to my heart, and I wanted so badly for that story to become my first published book. I agonized over every sentence, rejoiced over positive comments from friends, family, and critique partners, went through countless revisions, and produced draft after draft, each better than the last. But the book went the rounds of the publishers and collected a stack of rejection letters. Finally a trusted friend told me, “Lay it down. It’s time to move on.”

That was the best advice I’d ever received. Regretfully—a little fearfully—I laid my baby aside and moved on to another story. That second story was Just As I Am, the one that launched my publishing career. As I wrote I discovered a couple of things about myself. First, I was a much better first draft writer than before. Apparently I’d learned a few things over the years. Next, my second story took on a sparkle the first one lacked. I think all that polishing had dulled the life right out of it. I needed a fresh start, with new characters and renewed energy.

Most importantly, I learned that nothing ever goes to waste in the Lord’s economy. If we dedicate our efforts to Him, He will use everything for His purpose eventually. That truth was made clear to me just this month, with the release of my twenty-second novel. Guess which book it is? Yep. The Days of Noah was written years before Just As I Am. God taught me a few things in the course of writing twenty-one books, so this time when I pulled out my polishing cloth I was able to restore the original shine and beauty of the story. I can’t tell you how awesome it feels to finally hold this beautiful baby in my hands.

What advice did I give to my critique buddy when the egg timer passed to me? “This is beautiful, but it’s time to move on. How about writing something new?” I can’t wait to see what she brings to the next meeting.

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About the Author

Days of Noah
by Virginia Smith

About Virginia Smith
Virginia Smith is the bestselling author of over twenty novels and more than fifty articles and short stories. An avid reader with eclectic tastes in fiction, Ginny writes in a variety of styles, from lighthearted relationship stories to breath-snatching suspense. She is the recipient of two Holt Medallion Awards of Merit (A Daughter’s Legacy in 2011, and Dangerous Impostor in 2013.) Visit her on the web at www.virginiasmith.org and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ginny.p.smith.

The Days of Noah
Belief in the One God is dangerous in Cainlan, a city founded on the worship of the god Cain. But when the daughter of a pagan priestess meets the son of a religious fanatic she is drawn to Shem’s caring manner and deep faith. Eliana believes his assertion that the One God will wipe the earth clean of the corruption that fills it, especially when she discovers a terrifying secret known only to those high in the government’s ruling council. Though desperate to escape her destiny, Eliana’s life has been preordained. Not even Shem’s God can rescue her from the fate for which she was born – becoming the next high priestess to Cain.

Links to Purchase:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1937671119/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1937671119&linkCode=as2&tag=nexstecri-20

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-days-of-noah-virginia-smith/1116477261?ean=9781937671112

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-days-of-noah-1

Potholes and Detours by Virginia Smith

Last month, author Virginia Smith joined us on Writer’s Journey Wednesday and talked about her three-step revision process. She joins us this Fortifying Friday to share experiences on her journey to publication. Get out your pen and paper!

Potholes and Detours

My twenty-year road to publication was long, and twisty, and full of potholes and detours. I collected an astounding pile of 143 rejection letters before receiving the contract for my first novel. Many times a rejection would hit me like a brick through the windshield, and all I wanted to do was abandon the road and find another, one that was easier to travel.

Now that I’ve got a few books under my belt, I can see something that was hard to understand at the time – nothing that happened to me on that winding road has gone to waste. Every experience served a purpose, even the ones that seemed to be complete detours on the road to publication. All our life experiences combine to mature us as people, and mature people can become mature writers.

My corporate job gave some terrific experiences that have showed up in my books. I once worked with a man in Florida who trained people to test computer software. He’d say, “If a programmer tells you he programmed the computer to do this, don’t believe him. Test it. Don’t take anybody’s word for it. You can believe your mother – but check her.” That always made me laugh. Several years later in Murder by Mushroom, I wrote a police detective who was teaching a younger officer to interrogate witnesses. He said, “You can believe your mother – but check her.” When my former co-worker read that book, he was delighted. He emailed me, absolutely tickled. “I’m in your book!”

Another life circumstance that ended up in my books was one of my bosses. He was the most controlling, micro-managing individual I’d ever met, and working for him was incredibly frustrating. When I wrote Third Time’s a Charm, the third book in the Sister-to-Sister Series, the lead character has a boss whose behavior is very similar. I was able to write that book from an extremely personal perspective, and it brought the character’s struggles to life.

So I’ve learned that everything along the road in the journey of life – every pothole and detour and sightseeing opportunity – can serve a purpose in my writing. I’m comforted by the fact that the Lord knows exactly where I am on the road, and sometimes I can even hear Him whisper, “Grab your pen and take notes. We’re going to use this someday.”




Virginia Smith is the author of more than a dozen Christian novels and over fifty articles and short stories. An avid reader with eclectic tastes in fiction, Ginny writes fiction in a variety of styles, from lighthearted relationship stories to breath-snatching suspense. Her newest book, A Daughter’s Legacy, is a romance novel set in a zoo. Ginny says the research was a lot of fun, even if she did have to clean up after a lot of animals. Which, she says, wasn’t all that different from her job in the corporate world.

Learn more about Ginny and her books at
http://www.virginiasmith.org/
or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ginny.p.smith

The Three-Step Revision Process by Virginia Smith

Welcome to another Writer’s Journey Wednesday. (Dawn here.) Some writers love laying down the first draft of their manuscript. Others, like me, can’t wait to get past that step and move on to editing. Regardless, most of us need to rework the original - and possibly more than once. Today author Virginia Smith shares her three-step revision process. Enjoy these helpful tips!

The Three-Step Revision Process

When a writer types The End on a manuscript, the job isn’t finished yet. Writing the book is only the first step. Some say it’s the easiest step. Before my story is ready to make its debut to an adoring public (or to an editor, which is absolutely not the same thing!), it must be polished until every word shines. I’ve developed a three-step revision process to help me make my story the best it can be.


Step One: Search and Destroy

My first pass through the manuscript is to identify specific words that cause my writing to appear weak. These are words I know to stay away from, but that creep in anyway. To perform this step, I use Word’s Find function and search for:

• Adverbs - search for “ly”
• Common passive words – “was” and “were”
• Vague pronoun it - search for “ it” (space-i-t) to eliminate hits on words like spirit
• Personal pet words – mine are “just,” “breathed,” and “gasped”
• Unnecessary words – for instance, “that” and sentences beginning with “Well,”

The process can be tedious, but when I finish, my style is smoother and my writing much stronger.


Step Two: Technique and Structure

After letting the story ‘rest’ for a while, I read the manuscript on the computer and make changes as I go along. As I read, I look at specific techniques and skills, such as:

• Beats and dialogue tags
• Character descriptions
• Sensory detail
• POV Lapses
• Smoothly delivered backstory

At the end of every scene and chapter, I pause to evaluate the following:

• Is the placement of this scene logical?
• Does the ending compel the reader to keep reading?
• What purpose does this scene or chapter serve in the overall plot?

At the end of the book, I ask myself:

• Did I answer all the questions introduced along the way?
• Do all the subplots connect to and support the main plot?
• Is the ending satisfying?


Step Three: Reader Appeal

For my final pass through the manuscript, I work with a printed copy. I can spot different problems in print than on a computer monitor, so I grab a pencil, find a quiet corner and read the book aloud. This helps me:

• Eliminate awkward phrasing
• Identify clumsy or repetitive sentence structure
• Focus on every word instead of glossing over familiar-sounding sections

I don’t stop to rewrite. When I come across something that makes me stumble, I circle it and jot a quick note in the margin to address later. The purpose of this step is to read the book from beginning to end, so I can more easily evaluate the overall reader experience.


The three-step revision process takes time that I must allow for when considering my publisher’s deadlines, but I’ve learned that the amount of time I devote to revising pays off in terms of a stronger story and a cleaner manuscript.




Virginia Smith is the author of more than a dozen Christian novels and over fifty articles and short stories. An avid reader with eclectic tastes in fiction, Ginny writes fiction in a variety of styles, from lighthearted relationship stories to breath-snatching suspense. She and her husband divide their time between Kentucky and Utah, and escape as often as they can for “research trips” (or so she says) to scuba dive in the warm waters of the Caribbean.

Learn more about Ginny and her books at http://www.virginiasmith.org/
or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ginny.p.smith