Short Stories Can Kick Some Ass Too!

One of my visitors, Rinda Elliott (aka The Write Snark: http://relliott4.wordpress.com/), brought up the issue of voice, which is an ongoing issue for even the most fluent writers. I sent out a few e-mails to find some answers, and received one that I thought was brilliant.

This author told me that when she is feelilng like her voice is becoming cloudy, she will write no less than five short stories, usually based on characters from the novel she is working on. She said the beauty with writing short stories (four to ten pages in length) is there is no room for "fluff." It is, "make one good point, and make it quick. This will reinforce your voice, especially if you are staying consistent from story to story. If not, find the spots where it drifts and write them again, paying attention to consistency."

Thanks to M. for the tip, and if any of you write a short story or five, please post them here. (I promise not to add any critique.)

The Revitalized Editor

Back from a great weekend of hiking and c-c-c-c-c-c-c-camping (yes, it was freakin' cold). The sun was shining except for a brief period when it snowed. That almost sent me home early. Thank goodness I remembered the Jack.

The lake was beautiful, and I spent some time reflecting on the new year. I still think this year is going to be a fabulous one, and creative muses are going to be working overtime. By the way, that stick is not up my ass...just an optical illusion.

Finished MS...Oh, Yes.

Just finished a manuscript that has been a challenge for me. Thus, I am taking off for the weekend to recharge. I truly love this part of the gig...finishing something and being proud of my work. The ms is brilliant, and I think it will be a breakout story for this author. It feels good to be a part of that.

I'm angry at Oprah, so don't think I'm all happy and jumping around. I watch her show about three times a year, and I fucking swear she interrupts her guests WAY too much. She comes from here in Nashville, and folks who know her say...well, she interrupts her guests WAY too much.

But I will not be thinking of her this weekend, nor editing, nor writing (that's bullshit), nor how damn cold it is outside today. At least the sun is shining. I think I will go east, into the warmth.

Have a great weekend, and if you are staying home to work, blessings of productivity to you.

-Doc

Some More Word Usage For Ya

Here's the next post in my word usage series. Again, these are taken directly from my style sheets, and are words I come across almost every day.

1. Basis. Its meaning is foundation, and is used too much. Try rewording: "On a personal basis, I find this offensive" to "Personally, I find this offensive" or on a daily basis to daily.

2. Between; among; amid. Between for one-to-one relationships: "Between me and my mother." Among is for undefined relationships: "Evil among the children." Amid is used with mass nouns: "Amid the desire for peace." Try not to use amongst or amidst.

3. Bi; semi. bi means "two" as in: "The magazine comes bimonthly" (every two months). Semi means "half" as in: "They are having the second semiannual sale" (twice a year).

4. Bring; take. Don't be fooled by this common mistake. If the action is towards your character, use bring: "Johnny, bring your car over so I can look at it." If the action is away, use take: "Johnny, take your car to the shop for Hal to look at."

5. But. But can start a contrasting sentence, though many writers disagree. It is preferred to however: "But only those who have seen the ghost believe it is real."

Short one today. More to come. Go be productive.

Work Hard Today

I have a full plate today, as I am sure many of y'all do. I hope you have a productive day, and write something spectacular. Even if it's just a sentence or two. Write something that makes you proud of yourself.

More bloggin' fun tomorrow (if I get this ms done!).

Keep Your Novel Out of the Toilet

I just received a couple of books from a friend of mine in the biz. She is in the "real world" of publishing, and we have had some hefty debates regarding authors who self-publish versus the traditional route of submitting for a publishing contract. She will send me self-published (or vanity press) books she comes across to support her argument that most self-published books are total crap.

Though I don’t agree with her position (after all, ninety percent of my business is editing for independent authors), after I read the stuff she sends me I immediately send back an e-mail saying, “touché.” It becomes clear after just a few chapters that these authors are totally inexperienced and probably did not use an editor either (shame on you!).

My friend’s biggest beef is that an author will send her a self-published “novel” as some sort of testimony that he or she knows what they’re doing. Like somehow having an actual pressed book puts him or her into the big leagues, and my friend should offer the author a contract immediately.

It really does make me sad in that the amount of money a person will spend to have a book manufactured is alarming. These authors will have to sell a ton of books off of their websites, through their blogs, or out of the trunks of their cars just to break even. It makes me ill when I look at the prices (and stealing of publishing rights) some of these publishing houses charge.

I am all for independent literature. Of any kind. There are some legitimate print-on-demand companies out there that charge reasonable prices for an author to print a book. But the point my friend and I do agree on is this: TAKE THE TIME TO MAKE YOUR MANUSCRIPT PERFECT! And I mean perfect. Draft, draft, and re-draft. Then find a good editor (like me!) who will go through your ms and make you do another draft. Listen to your editor’s advice. You may not like it, but chances are he or she is right. It’s not about robbing your story from you…it’s about making it readable to the largest audience possible. That’s how you will sell books, my friend.

The thing that will kill the independent literature movement is the continuation of work flooding into the market that is just shit. Like when your toilet gets backed up—because someone tried to flush a book down it—talk about a mess. The authors who have taken the time to make their writing shine can’t get to the market because of the backup of material that has no business being out there. Get what I’m saying? Think about your fellow authors as allies, not competition. The more quality independent writing that becomes available, the better the opportunities will be for everyone.

I have spoken with my friend a few times about starting our own publishing company. She likes the idea, and knows there are enough independent editors out there like me who can help create some awesome stuff. But from where she is sitting, she can see the time is still not right. There are just not enough hours in the day to pick through the crap in order to find the diamonds.

Don’t be lazy, writers. Take the time to make every word count. Take advice when it is given, and stop being so damn defensive. Find an editor, and build a working relationship with him or her. And for the love of (your deity here), don’t self-publish until you know your stuff is as good as anything on the bookstore best-seller shelf. And that doesn’t mean taking the word of your family or friends (unless they’re in the biz, of course).

Best of luck, and go write something wonderful.

Some Word Usage For Ya...

All righty, then. I am going to begin a little series on word usage, which is an issue I come across often with my editing. I will keep this going with new words regularily, so keep checking back. Don't forget--this is based on the house style I employ. Your publisher may wish you to use their house style, which you should always do.

1. About or approximately. Try to use about. Approximately is usually for the sciences, such as: "Approximately fifteen expressions can be identified from the equation."

2. Adequate; sufficient; enough. Adequate when referring to the suitability of something in a specific situation: "He gave an adequate response to the question." Sufficient when referring to an amount: "He provided sufficient information" or "There is sufficient wine for the party." Enough modifies mass nouns: "there is enough air to breath" or count nouns: "There are enough nails to finish the project."

3. Affect or effect. Usually a verb, affect means to influence or have an effect on: "Her argument affected his decision." Effect is usually a noun and refers to an outcome or result: "Her argument had no effect." Effect can also function as a verb meaning to produce or make happen: "She wanted to effect a change in his decision."

4.All right is two words, not alright.

5. Anxious means "worried, distressed." Do not use it to say eager, which means "having keen desire or longing."

6. Anywhere or any place. Anywhere is general: "Those kids could be anywhere." Any place is more focused when you mean "any location": "They looked for any place to hide." Don't use anyplace.

7. As far as. Too many words. Compare as far as love is concerned, we all want it with as for love, we all want it.

8. As to. Only at the beginning of a sentence: "As to the letter, he knew exactly where it came from." Other wise use about: "He gave an answer about where the letter came from."

9. As yet or as of yet. Too formal and redundant: "She has not arrived as of yet." Try yet, still, or so far: "She still has not arrived" or "She has not arrived yet."

10. Awhile or a while. Chicago Manual of Style, fifteenth edition says: "The one-word version is adverbial {let's stop here awhile}. The two-word version is a noun phrase that follows the preposition for or in {she worked for a while before beginning graduate studies}."

I hope this helps. More to come.