October 2013 - Fear and Confidence

Halloween.

Fright Night.

Being afraid keeps us safe, makes us hyper-alert, cautious.  Yet fear often undermines us, our intent, or embarrasses us. It's what we don't know or refuse to see or listen to that will undo all the best of intentions. Or so it seems. Confidence is knowing. Knowledge is power. Identify the fear and we can confront it, deal with it, and grow as a writer.

So, how about we compile a list of spooks -- writer's fears? As a writer what is your fear? Is it a spooky thing or a monster? Why is it your worst or nagging fear? Is it writer's block? Is it the embarrassment of writing up-close-and-personal about a character or a steamy sex scene? Is it a fear of being criticized, humiliated? Is it __________ (you fill in the blank).

Well, don't sit there, staring at this page. Put your hands onto that keyboard and post your fear-comment with a comment, or do a journal entry for yourself that need not be shared with anyone. But in doing that writing, maybe you'll discover your fear isn't the monster you think it is.

Oh, if you're wondering if I have a writing fear, well, yes, I do. My fear is that because no one leaves a comment on this blog, no one reads my posts. No one hears me. I am alone on the page. Then again, if the comment feature isn't working, would someone please report it to me by clicking here.

***This blog is updated the first of each month. NOVEMBER's topic will be Rewriting or Revising, are they the same?

HATE REVISING YOUR FICTION? Then enroll in "Revision Boot Camp" - an online workshop, January 13 to 31, 2014. Click here for details, fee, and registration information. Early-bird discount until January 1. Limited enrollment.  Act now!


@2013 by Catherine E. McLean  * www.CatherineEmclean.com
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September 2013 - Voice?

I often think that there's too much mystique associated with finding "a writing voice." After all, voice is more than style. By "style" I mean the way a writer uses words, diction, syntax, and rhythms of long and short sentences that makes their work distinctively different from any other writer's.

There's also the adage that a writer must write a million words to find their "voice." Isn't that a lot of wasted trial and error?

In reality, fiction works best when it keeps a reader turning pages, so it really doesn't matter what style or voice is used as long as the reader enjoys the narrative and keeps reading to "the end."

With the best of omniscient-narratives, the words on the page resonate within the reader's mind with a very distinctive "storyteller's voice," one that's worth listening to and which stands out from any other character's voice in the story.

In what's called "deep" Point of View and Viewpoint, the narrative is done by the character who is living the scene or story, and who is a story-person not a puppet-character being manipulated by an author. Character-narrative allows the reader to experience a roller coaster of emotions on an intimate level, up-close and personal, as the drama unfolds.

But here's the secret to writing "in a character-voice" and having that character's words and thoughts be different from every other character in a story: it's the author listening— truly listening—with an inner ear, to how that narrating character actually speaks and thinks with emotional relevance (i.e. feelings or with a highly opinionated mind-set). Thus the words reflect that character-narrator and not the omniscient-author.

Over the years of learning the many devices of writing good fiction, I've come to the conclusion that a loss of, or a lack of, a "voice" is more due to writers striving to write the way they were taught—which is omniscient reporting of events in a factual (unemotional) manner and following the strict rules of grammar, punctuation, and formal, literary writing.

Yes, initially that education enables people to communicate with each other, but such writing doesn't work for fiction. Why? Because readers need to hear the voice of the story's or scene's narrator, which allows emotions to resonate. Those words must also reflect a storyteller or story-person who has genuine feelings and believable opinions based on their education, upbringing, and world-view. In other words, it's not a reader looking at words on a page and reciting them in their own mind-voice.

So, as you read this essay, did you hear my distinctive voice, or your own?

More importantly, if you didn't hear my voice, why not?

And think about this: if you cannot discern one writer's voice from another's, it stands to reason that you likely cannot tell if your characters are real story people or puppets, right?


*** This blog is updated the first of each month. @2013 by Catherine E. McLean * www.CatherineEmclean.com

*** The topic for October 2013 is "Fear and Confidence."

****Want to continue to receive updates to this blog?  Then join me at Twitter -- https://twitter.com/#!/CatherineMcLea7  

- - - - Click here for the downloadable flyer for the January 13-31 "Revision Boot Camp"

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August 2013 - The Ending of a Story

As most writers know, stories have a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Yet what few writers realize is that there are four basic types of endings, which are:

1) the protagonist wins or succeeds in solving the story problem or dilemma
    **This is known as the "satisfying" ending. It's an ending most readers want. It's the type of ending that sells more books.

2) the protagonist loses or doesn't solve the story problem or dilemma
    **This is known as the "unsatisfying" ending. It's an ending most readers will dislike.

3) the protagonist neither wins nor loses, and the ending is neither satisfactory or unsatisfactory but inevitable.
    **With this type of story ending, the reader comes to understand that this is the only way this story could possibly end, so the reader is content.

4) the story ends in such a way (like GONE WITH THE WIND) whereby the reader can decide what the final ending might be.
    **This type of story ending frustrates some and delights others.

Yet, the worst ending – and one that should be avoided – is the "deus ex machina" ending. That's an ending where God, Fate, another character (other than the protagonist), saves the day or solves the story problem. Why must the protagonist solve the story problem/dilemma or confront the villain? Because a story is about ONE person's struggle – the protagonist's. No one else's. Yes, there can be other characters, but none rank higher or on an equal level with a protagonist.

And, in order to give a reader the most emotional enjoyment, the story must also have a climax where the protagonist will make a "do or die" decision. One that involves confronting the villainous villain, thwarting an enemy, sacrificing a long-held belief, changing a moral or core value, etc. In the climax, the protagonist not only faces the story problem (and wins, loses, or it's a draw), but  the story's ending is also the culmination of the protagonist's struggle with their own demons, which have been showcased by the plot.

So how does a writer avoid a deus ex machina ending? It's by understanding who the protagonist is down deep in the psyche, at the moral core, at the values of what that protagonist holds dear and why. Plot forces the protagonist to look at who and what they are and decide to risk or sacrifice a belief, a value, a moral, or their own life because the stakes are worth it. This is also a key to a story with a satisfying ending.

But here's a secret to having an ending that works for a story and for a reader: the ending is foreshadowed (often on a microscopic level) in the story's beginning. In other words, knowing the story's true beginning can help a writer find the ending. Likewise, knowing the ending can help pinpoint the story's true beginning.

****This blog is updated the first of the month.  @2013 by Catherine E. McLean * www.CatherineEmclean.com

**** September's topic: Voice
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July 2013 - Where do you get your story ideas from?

    When I was a fledgling writer, I attended a workshop at a Barnes & Nobles store where a multi-published author was speaking. From the audience came the question: "Where do you get your story ideas?" The author replied: "If you have to ask that question, you aren't a writer."
    That blunt reply not only silenced the audience but stunned me. Many times in the following years, I heard the question and the answer, albeit rephrased in various ways. Since I never had a problem with coming up with story ideas, it baffled me why so many people asked the question. It was also obvious to me that real writers, published writers, didn't have that problem.
    However, one day when I heard that question again, I had one of those "ah-ha" moments. I realized that the person asking that question–and all the others before her—had lost contact with their writing subconscious, their muse. That usually happens because life, earning a living and paying the bills, family obligations, and a slew of other things can take priority. Thus personal creativity is shoved aside. Now time allowed the opportunity to be creative, to write creatively, but the muse, having been shunned into silence and relegated to a deep dark closet, isn't cooperating.
    I also realized there was a solution. To become creative, or become more creative, means turning on the light of actively seeking "story sparkers"–that is, seeking and recognizing anything that piques curiosity or has a person saying "what if?"
    One caution—ideas can be found only if the conscious and subconscious minds are encouraged to view and actively look at material, or one's environment, with the thought of "could this lead to a story?" So what type of material is a candidate for such scrutiny and thoughts? Just about anything and everything from the daily newspaper to music credits. 
    Keep in mind that it's not usually the front page news that will wake curiosity. Often ideas come from the tiny article in the lower section of an inside page, one with a minimalist headline,  something like "Sheriff arrested." 
    Just by reading those words, "Sheriff arrested," weren't you curious about why the sheriff was arrested? Which means, if you want to be a creative writer or storyteller, you need to recognize when something arouses your curiosity. Then you can either use the facts or extrapolate something from those facts that will become a story. And, guess what, as a bonus you'll be writing about "what you know" (that's because it exits, it's real).   
    Names, too, can trigger curiosity, for instance, Dunwoody Allen. Who names a person Dunwoody? Well, that first name is a combination of the real names of Dunn and Woody. Allen is a real surname. That's right, no need to make up a name when one can be found while reading.
    For me, Dunwoody Allen had such a resonance and spark to it that I filed the name in my Bits & Pieces file (my cache of idea sparkers). Periodically, I go through the entries. Since it's a four inch ring-binder, stuffed full of pages of notes, I won't likely get to all of them in six lifetimes. However, once written, once entered into such a binder, the subconscious can happily work on piecing together a great tale.
    So, if you're struggling to become more creative, or to write more realism into your stories, isn't it time to stop wondering where other people get their story ideas? Isn't it time you took a closer look at the world around you? Isn't it time to become aware of the beauty and incongruity of everyday life and nature?
    Isn't it time you collected your own "story sparker" of things that make you stop and pause and ponder?


THIS "Writer's Cheat Sheet" BLOG IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH WITH A NEW TOPIC.  @2013 by Catherine E. McLean * www.CatherineEmclean.com
Coming August 2013 - A Story's Ending

***DON'T FORGET THE  Spring-Summer Giveaway
***ANNOUNCING:  "Revision Boot Camp" - an online workshop about revising your fiction, January 13 to 31, 2014  

June 2013 - The Lead, the Opening, the Hook?

It's estimated that in this day and age, you-the-writer have only eight seconds to catch a reader's attention with your story's opening. In other words, that opening must make the reader curious enough to read each word to get to the end of the sentence, then move on to the second sentence, and then the third sentence, and so on until the reader is engrossed and turning pages.

That’s also why what the writer wrote that triggered the story is not usually the beginning of the actual story for the reader. It’s been said that anywhere from one to six chapters or more often are words that the writer needed to write in order to understand the story that needed told.  Indeed, much of that pre-writing is back story, back history, setting details, and information to understand the setting, characters, and the plot.  It’s only after the first draft that the writer can look over everything and seek the “inciting incident”—that triggering element that actually starts the story rolling for the reader.

Once that inciting incident has been identified, the opening sentences can be examined and honed into a “hook” that leads into the opening paragraph, which leads to an opening page, which leads to an opening chapter which grabs the reader's imagination, interest, and curiosity–effectively hooking them into reading the rest of the story.

Because every story is different, there will be variables with how a story opens, but are there specific openings to avoid? Sure there are, and here are my pick of five elements to avoid using:

1) Avoid descriptive openings about settings or scenery because by “painting sunsets” or painting the stage, nothing is actually happening. In other words, when no person is doing something important, there is no action, no drama, taking place.  The secret to an opening is to present the reader with an interesting protagonist to care about, one who is in an interesting setting, and one who has an interesting problem to contend with or a dilemma to solve.

Here is an example of a descriptive opening that fails: On the horizon, swiftly barreling down the valley between the high peaks, came black thunder clouds.  Pitchforks of lightning flashed from sky to ground but were replaced by a deluge of rain.  The creeks and gullies soon filled with water . . .

Some might say this omniscient, viewpointless opening sets "the story tone," one of threat, but it doesn't because no ONE person is affected by the storm nor is the storm seen from the POV-Viewpoint of any character with something at stake. Now, try this version:

Glancing at the horizon, Marsha watched the black thunderclouds swiftly barreling down the valley between the high peaks of Iron Ridge. Pitchforks of lightning flashed from sky to ground but were soon obscured with sheets of rain. She had the herbs that could break John’s fever, save his life, but could she make it to their cabin before the gullies flooded?  Five miles.  Only five miles away . . .


3) Avoid describing a character performing an ordinary activity by themselves. The key words here are: a) “ordinary” and b) “by themselves.” First, "mundane" activities include taking a shower, washing dishes, walking the dog, making a cup of tea or coffee.  Such routines are boring to readers.  And when a character is alone, there isn’t anything happening that is dramatic, and that tends to stop the story's forward movement.  Noe: This is not be confused with direct discourse or internalizations by a character/protagonist who is facing some dire decisions, or making a vital decision or action that gives them a goal for the next scene.


4) Avoid lengthy family or character history, back story, or flashbacks as an opening. 

In other words:  Don't tell everything all at once but when it is absolutely necessary for clarity and for the reader to understand at that point in the story. As I mentioned last month, the writer may need such information to write the story itself, but the reader doesn't.


5) Avoid using an attention-getting gimmick as a hook.

Often these are catchy-sounding one-liners.  This type of hook often stands on its own, but it may fail to reflect the tone or mood of the story that follows.  Here is an example: John killed two people and didn't think twice about pulling the trigger.  This is a great opening hook, an attention grabber and the reader wants to read on.  However, if this should be followed by back history like: With four brothers and a sister, he grew up in the little city of Mudville, Pennsylvania, where he had a normal Catholic upbringing . . .  Well, that back history is a letdown and boring—and tends to turn off a reader. 

As always, it will be in revising that the correct starting place for a story can be determined and work begun to rewrite an opening that will hook a reader into the rest of the story.


Next Month - July 2013 - Where do you get your ideas?

**** @2013 by Catherine E. McLean * www.CatherineEmclean.com

MAY 2013 - So you're writing your first novel? The Prologue Pitfall

Stories begin with an idea. That idea may be a plot premise or a character, a setting, some detail, or anything. However, the bottom line is that an idea spurs the imagination, intrigues, and has the story subconscious thinking and providing more story details.

Among those "ideas" is what a newbie writer considers a prologue. After all, that prologue contains the idea for the story, the idea behind the plot, or leads to defining the characters, right?
Not so right. Most of the data a newbie writes is so they, themselves, can understand the plot, the characters, the setting, (the story world), and more. However, only ten percent of that initial effort will end up in the story itself because the reader does not need all that detail. The reader needs only what is necessary to understand the story at that particular time in the story.

It's often said that the first three to six chapters a newbie writers is all back story and back history that should be ruthlessly axed so the story starts with an interesting character in an interesting setting, facing an interesting problem (dilemma, etc.). And yet, despite realizing where the story begins, nine times out of ten the newbie writer will hold onto that prologue and start their story with it. Well, here is the litmus test for whether to keep or delete that prologue: if anything in that prologue is repeated or included in the story itself, then that prologue is not needed. In other words, if there is any way at all to weave that prologue's elements into the story, do it and the reader will get a more worthwhile story.

But here's a secret: prologues work best for very complicated stories. I did research at two local libraries and discovered that most multi-published authors didn't use a prologue until they had written about six books. Why was that, I wondered. Well, further reading-research proved that the initial stories were simple plots. It was only when the author grew as a storyteller that there was a necessity for including a prologue, because without that prologue the reader would be absolutely clueless about some critical fact. In other words, nowhere else in the story could the crucial information be put but in a prologue.

**** BYLINE MAGAZINE published my original article on "The Purpose of Prologues" and it is available from Rimstone Concepts. This article also lists additional pitfalls, facts, and four other reasons a prologue might be included in a work of fiction. ****


THE SAMPLER IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH WITH A NEW TOPIC. *** @2013 by Catherine E. McLean * www.CatherineEmclean.com

Coming June 2013 - The Lead/Opening/Hook

***Special! Spring-Summer Giveaway 

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2013 - April - Are you a writer or a storyteller?

Sol Stein said a writer was someone who could not not write. Trouble is, a 2012 survey found 81% of people say they want to write a novel. Yet, what they don't know is that the secret to writing a good story is becoming a storyteller. A storyteller is not a writer who writes but a writer who is savvy about gaining and holding the attention of a reader so that reader is transported into a story world and remains transfixed until "the end."

How is that accomplished? Again, the secret is realizing that there is a hidden structure to a story. It's like looking at an iceberg—10% is above the water's surface, 90% below. Which means that 90% holds up the beautiful, white, ice that bobs on the top of the ocean's waves.  In other words, in a well-told story,  the reader never sees the writer at work, never sees the underpinnings that support the tale.

To become a storyteller means diving into the art and craft of fiction writing and discovering what devices and techniques need to be employed to tell a story well. Trouble is, I've calculated there are 144 aspects to writing a novel. It's also a fact that those aspects cannot be learned overnight. However, the number one element of craft that has to be mastered first is Point of View (POV) and Viewpoint.  Although the "experts" will use the terms POV and Viewpoint synonymously, they are two separate elements. Here is my succinct and simple definitions:

    POINT OF VIEW is the story's narrator at work relating the story to the reader. POV answers the question: Through whose eyes is the story (or the scene) being observed? A story's narrator can be a character, the author, an omniscient "god" or "fly-on-the-wall," or a "storyteller persona."

    VIEWPOINT is how accurately the story's narrator observes the situation at hand and how they characteristically filter information and sensory perceptions, either consciously or unconsciously as they comment. In other words, the character/narrator's viewpoint is opinionated. That viewpoint may be subjective or objective, or it may fluctuate between the two extremes. It makes them open-minded or closed-minded, ethical or unethical, a coward or a hero. Then add to that all their biases and personal prejudices gathered over a lifetime. Those aspects color and taint their observations about people and that also affects how they deal with the situations they're in.

So, stop thinking about POV-Viewpoint as first person, second person, or third person. Start thinking in terms of whose voice does the reader hear narrating the story. That voice is the key to good
storytelling.

THE SAMPLER IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH WITH A NEW TOPIC. @2013 by Catherine E. McLean * www.CatherineEmclean.com

MAY 2013's topic - So you're writing your first novel? The Prologue Pitfall

*** ANNOUNCING:  BOOK TITLE GUIDE & CHEAT SHEET
FOR TITILLATING TITLES  (Or how to generate a great story title) is now available exclusively at Rimstone Concepts! 

***Special! Spring-Summer Giveaway 
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2013 - MARCH --- Clutter

"Writing improves in direct ratio to the number of things we can keep out of it that shouldn't be there." — William Zinsser, ON WRITING WELL

So, what shouldn't be in the writing? At the top of my list is unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. These two elements can be necessary, but most writers don't realize how frequently they use them and how they clutter a sentence and a story.

Particularly on the most-watched-for list (also known as your Cheat Sheet for Revision) should be words ending in LY. For example: an exceedingly small mouse. Remove "exceedingly" and you get: a small mouse.  Yet, in doing so, another problem is now revealed: the reader cannot "see" in their mind just how small that mouse is. So, for clarity, why not revise to:  a mouse the size of a matchbox? In other words, flagging LY words helps find areas where you can improve the story.

Okay, someone is saying you just added words!  Yes, I did.  I added effective words that painted a clearer picture in the reader's mind.  I've also adhered to the old adage of "show, don't tell."  (And LY words are the worst of the "telling" words that can be used.)

So, is your writing in need of AAR (Adjective-Adverb Rehabilitation)?  Here's a simple exercise to help you determine that. And, if you do this exercise, please leave me a comment about your statistics or conclusions.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take one short story or one chapter from your novel.

1) count the total number of words in the sample

2) Use your computer's search feature and type in the find box: ly (space). You need to put a space after the LY to prevent the machine from highlighting words like lying, etc. Count only the LY adjectives and adverbs (which means you can skip words like holy and holly, etc. from the count). Only seek out the adjectives and adverbs.

3) Divide the number of adjectives-adverbs into the number of words in the piece and what you get is the ratio of the average number of times the LY words appear. An actual example: 6083 word sample, 49 LY's, equals 1 LY every 125 words. That's not a bad ratio.

So, how many times do you clutter your words with LYs?   I'd love to know (and add them to my list of ratios).

THIS BLOG IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH WITH A NEW TOPIC.
@2013 by Catherine E. McLean * www.CatherineEmclean.com

CHECK BACK FOR April 2013'S - Storyteller vs Writer

FEBRUARY 2013 - SIMPLICITY

Circumlocution.
Ambiguity.
Pompousness.
Purple prose.
Roundaboutation . . .



I often wonder what would happen if every would-be writer stopped trying to grab the brass ring of becoming a famous author and was charged $10,000 for every word they set onto their monitor screens and $25,000 for every word they placed in an e-mail. Would that stop the mega-gazillions of words flooding "the cloud," the Internet, blogs, and people's e-mails?  Not to mention what arrives at editors' and agents' desks.  Such wishful thinking . . .

As I said last month, the secret of good writing is clarity and strength. The second secret of good writing is "simplicity."

Simplicity is taking the time to reread what was written and analyze each word, each piece of punctuation, and each sentence's structure. That's right— just stop the finger from hitting the save or send button and reread. Sounds so simple, doesn't it?

Fact is, few go back and reread what they wrote when it comes to blogs and e-mails. Fewer still will reread their story drafts slowly. That's likely due to familiarity with the story and the words, thus glitches and errors will go "unseen."

However, when a reader gets confused, loses track of what's happening to whom, or misinterprets the passage (because of missing words, punctuation pitfalls, etc.), that reader is likely to become frustrated and negatively emotional (angry). Of course, the person the reader blames (and rightfully so) is none other then the person that strung those words together—the writer.

I can't stress enough that readers are not mind-readers. Readers only have the words on the page to go by. Clarity of thought and logic are no accidents. Simplifying for understanding means a writer must switch hats from "creativity" to "editor." Analyzing every word, every sentence, every paragraph also means adopting the KISS mantra of "keep it simple stupid."

So, the question is: Are you willing to take time to simplify your next blog or e-mail entry, or that drafted chapter, or your story manuscript to become a better writer, a more professional writer? If not, why not?

THE SAMPLER IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH WITH A NEW TOPIC. @2013 by Catherine E. McLean * www.CatherineEmclean.com

Coming in MARCH 2013: "Clutter"
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Interested in having a "Revision is a Process" Cheat Sheet?  Click Here.

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January 2013 - On Writing Well–what does that mean?

    "Good writing has an aliveness that keeps the reader reading from one paragraph to the next, and it's not a question of gimmicks . . . It's a question of using the English language in a way that will achieve the greatest clarity and strength." --William Zinsser/ON WRITING WELL

So, exactly what keeps a reader reading from one paragraph to the next? What is clarity? What is strength?  To be sure, these things have to do with writing an understandable sentence, but for that sentence to be understandable, it must, first of all, have clarity. Take a look at these two sentences:

    1) The door chimed as she entered the shop.

       2)  As she pushed the shop's door open, it grazed the bell-chimes mounted on the lintel.
   
    Which one of the above instantly provided you with an image in your mind? Answer: #2. Oh, you didn't see anything wrong with #1? Let's look at #1.
    First, the door is chiming. Doors are usually very solid items, so how could it make a sound other than to creak on its hinges? Logically, something else triggered the chime sound, right? But what? The reader is clueless. The reader did not instantly visualize how the "door chimed."
    Secondly, the cause-effect is reversed. How do I know this?  Because of the "red flag" warning word, which is "as." Nine times out of ten when "as" appears in a clause at the end of a sentence, that sentence has a reversed cause-effect sequence. What this means is that the person reading the sentence is forced for an instant to stop and adjust "the movie in their mind" so the passage makes logical sense. After all, isn't it logical that a woman would enter a shop through a door and then a chime might go off announcing the door's opening?
    Let's look at what happened in sentence #2: the cause-effect was logical and straightforward so, with clarity, the reader visualized what actually took place. No stopping or exiting the story world (not even for a nanosecond) and thus the strength in sentence #2 keeps the reader reading.
    If you've looked at your work and found such "as"-reversed sentences, I'm inviting you to share one of your originals here and your revision to it in order to help others "see" what happened. And, if you want to ask me to comment, I'll give feedback (either here or privately). Just use use the comment feature below. This offer is good only for the month of January 2013.
   
THE SAMPLER IS UPDATED THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH WITH A NEW TOPIC.
@2013 by Catherine E. McLean * www.CatherineEmclean.com

FEBRUARY 2013's topic will be: "Simplicity"

December 2012 - Widows & Orphans

  
  "Prefer the standard to the offbeat." Strunk & White

    There are two references to "widow and orphans" and these are:

#1 any page where from one to six words takes up a line no matter where it falls on the page (usually the end of a paragraph).

#2 the "keep together" feature of a document that, when on, prevents one line, or partial line, from appearing at the top of a page all by itself.

    A prime example of #1 is the opening paragraph sentence above.

Technically the experts consider widows and orphans as the first line of only a few words that is at the top of a page, thus there would be the odd look of extra white space. Since space is money in any publication, the line with one to six words is wasted. So came into being the "hold together" default feature of word processing programs that keeps widows and orphan words with their paragraphs. That means a page may have less than a 1" bottom margin or an extra blank line making for a 1" plus bottom margin.
    As a writer of fiction, you want to turn off your widows/orphan default feature because book publishers need to know actual lines in use and they don't want "extra" blank lines on any page.
    But here's the thing: spotting a widow or orphaned line is a godsend for tightening prose and gaining extra lines to use elsewhere in a story. Say you find you have three orphan words at the end of a paragraph just setting on a line by themselves. When you look at the paragraph it belongs to, you'll notice the ragged right margin has a lot of white spaces. Now, look at the line with the biggest white space and see if you can:

a) go to the line and swap out a shorter word for a big word, like "infinitesimal" becomes "tiny"

or

b) look for prepositional phrases, clauses, or repetitions of had, that, there, etc. and revise to eliminate them

The upshot is that when the computer resets the paragraph, those orphaned words will vanish.

Here's something else to consider: when I judge contest entries, I often find the last page has only a few lines, or a few paragraphs. Any end-of-chapter page that is not half full is a prime candidate for a widows-orphans check. Based on my own experience, there are enough widows-orphans lines that a writer could gain a page of text (often more). So, if a novel has 28 chapters, that's 28 pages that could be better used and that's 7,000 to 9,268 words that could improve the story. Then again, if an editor says to cut and tighten, well, one way is to look for those widows and orphans and get rid of them.

So, it bears thinking about adding a note to your revision to-do list and look for widows and orphan lines as well as the last page of a chapter for "orphaned" paragraphs. You do have a revision "cheat sheet," don't you?

Because of the publication of my paranormal-fantasy-romance e-book Karma and Mayhem and Jewels of the Sky, a fantasy/sci-fi adventure (a.k.a. my Women's Starscape Fiction), Rimstone Concepts, will be publishing some of my "Cheat Sheets." Currently available for download are: "10 Types of Writers" and "Revision 'Cheat Sheets'–the Overview Process."

If you'd like notification of other Cheat Sheet titles, etc. becoming available, join me at Twitter (which is also where I announce my book releases, public appearances, workshops, guest blogging, interviews, and blog updates, etc.).



Wishing you Happy Holidays and a great New Year!
 
 

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November 2012 - Colons and Semicolons

"Drop ornate punctuation and work toward simplicity." -John Long WRITERS LITTLE BOOK OF WISDOM

    My research has proven that there is a definitive line between those that use semicolons and colons and those that don't. That line separates informal genre fiction writing and literary fiction writing. Yes, every genre has a literary arm in which the level of writing is high enough and the readership is such that it warrants use of colons and semicolons. However, most of the fiction in the marketplace is aimed at ordinary folks which means avoiding use of colons and semicolons because:

1) colons and semicolons are formal, mechanical pieces of punctuation better utilized in business communications and literary and scientific works. Of all the punctuation marks, the colon and semicolon are the most misunderstood and misused and the novice writer, especially, should avoid them or learn or relearn to use them properly.

2) 99% of people do not think or speak in semicolons or colons.   Thus actual dialogue, both spoken and internalizations (thoughts), will not include colons or semicolons. Of course, there will be a rare exception for the highly educated mind or a particularity of personality. However, most story people are "ordinary" people which must appeal to the majority of "ordinary" readers.

3) it was pointed out to me a few months ago by a reader that when they saw the semicolon, they were reminded of an emoticon, that the author was winking back at them. This shocked me because a writer of genre fiction knows the worst thing to have happen is a reader stopping as they read a story. Yet, the winking semicolon is a reality because of the use of semicolons in everyday e-mails.

    What does all this mean?  It means that a writer, and more importantly a storyteller,  has to first know who their reader is and then decide what guideline to use about the semicolon or colon appearing in their own work. If the decision is to write informal genre fiction, then the dash is the substitution of choice for both the colon and semicolon.  The other choice is to rewrite and use simpler sentence structures. After all, dialogue must mimic real speech, not duplicate it and to that end the "rules" of punctuation and grammar don't necessarily apply.  If they are strictly applied, the dialogue becomes stilted and unrealistic to the reader's inner ear.

   As always, adding a check for colons and semicolons is a good idea when revising so consider adding them to your revision check list.  You do have one, don't you?

Stop in next month for Widows and Orphans. 

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October 2012 - Dashes

"When you begin to think about what exactly you're trying to say, you become a writer." --Theodore A.  Rees Cheney, GETTING THE WORDS RIGHT

    If ellipses means to trail off (see September's THE SAMPLER), dashes flag "an abrupt switch or change." Sort of the yin and yang of dialogue, which includes both the spoken words or internalizations (thoughts) of characters.
    Like all punctuation marks, a dash has a "sound of silence" (a certain length of pause) that a reader "hears" as they read and which helps a reader understand what's going on.
    Let's look at common ways dashes are effective in dialogue passages and fiction:

    1) The dash sets aside, like: 

You know him–he's the guy who does the car commercials on TV–the one with three wives.

 Now compare this to:  You know him, he's the guy who does the car commercials on TV, the one with three wives. 

Or: You know him–he's the guy who does the car commercials on TV, the one with three wives. 

All are correct–but did you hear the difference in the delivery? There is a difference. A difference that results from the punctuation. (And if you didn't hear the differences?  Well take the time to start really listening to how your characters speak–and listen to how real people talk. Or even close your eyes while watching TV and listen to your favorite characters speak.)

    2) A dash can "show" stammering, hesitation, faltering by setting a string of words together like: I–I lost it. Or:  I–I–  I lost it.

    3) The dash can show an abrupt switch of thought: He loves me–he loves me not! Compare this to: He loves me, he loves me not. Or: He loves me. He loves me not.

    4) The dash also is used to show an abrupt interruption or cutting off, especially in spoken dialogue between two characters, like:

    "You can't be serious, my boss would never—"
    "Engage in an affair? Jeez, you're so naive!"
   
    5) A dash often inserts vital information or adds an explanation for clarification: She killed him–shot him six times.

    Keep in mind that a dash creates emphatic separation of words. It has a special forcefulness and should be used only when a deliberate effect is needed. Likely the most dash useage will be when a character is under stress, duress, or terrified. And dashes will be more prevalent with first-person and the deepest of third person narrative then any omniscient style of POV and Viewpoint.
    When is a good time to make a pass through a manuscript for dash use or misuse? When it's time to make the last pass for punctuation. You do have a "cheat sheet" for revising your fiction, don't you? If your list of "punctuation to check for" doesn't include the dash, make it so.

Stop back on November 1 for a few words on Colons and semicolons.

Note: for some reason this didn't stay posted during October so I'm reposting it - Catherine

September 2012 - Ellipses

    "Just because your notebook or computer screen will accept anything doesn't mean your readers will." --Paul Raymond Martin, GETTING PUBLISHED

    Reading is more than looking at a word and hearing the sound of it in your mind. Writing to be understood, to share an idea, or to create an image relies on how the words are strung together in sentences and, in particular, on the use of punctuation. It's said that punctuation marks are the road signs that help the reader perceive, understand, and make sense of what is written.
    One of the most misunderstood and misused punctuation marks is the ellipses—those three dots that are especially useful in dialogue (and dialogue includes both the spoken word and internalizations, which are actual thoughts of a character.
    Obviously peppering a page with ellipses is to be avoided because their effect is diminished or their effect is to make a character seem unbelievable. However, what's vital to remember is this: ellipses in genre fiction means only one thing, to trail off.
    In other words, when a character is talking or thinking or doing the narrating, their sentences or thoughts will likely, at certain points, dribble down to nothing, thus that "voice" the reader hears in their mind will trail off and that's the right place to insert an ellipses.
    One other way the ellipses is helpful in fiction writing is to "show" a character's timidity or shyness. Some of the young heroines of author Barbara Cortland were effectively portrayed because of the use of ellipses.
    Another way to think of the use of ellipses is to remember the ellipses, like all punctuation marks, has a specific "pause of silence" which a reader employs in order to comprehend the meaning and emotional aspect of a sentence or sentence fragment. For example, the following punctuation marks change the way the word is "heard" and the meaning (thus showing):

Stop—
Stop.
Stop!
Stop ...

    To make dialogue passages sound more realistic means making one pass during the manuscript's final polishing stage to verify that all ellipses being used actually do mean "to trail off." Your readers will appreciate that. So, add an ellipses check onto your revision to do list–you do have a revision "cheat sheet," don't you?

Stop back on October 1 for a few words on Dashes.

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August 2012 - Big and small

    "A stereotype is to characterization what a cliche is to description."

          -- Gary Provost GETTING THE WORDS RIGHT 

What's wrong with this picture: The big dog bit the little dog?

Right--you cannot visualize, cannot picture, how big or how small or even what kind of "dog" this writer is talking about.Now try this: The Great Dane nipped the tip of the Basset Hound's tail.

Let's face it, in the heat of drafting a lot of words are grabbed, especially words like:

big
enormous
giant
gigantic
huge
large
little
minuscule
short
small
tall
tiny

It is in revising that such words should be hunted down and the sentence revised so that there is imagery for the reader to grasp. In other words, seek nouns and verbs, ones that instantly provide a picture in a reader's mind. For example: It's not a little house, it's a log cabin or a bungalow or an igloo built for two. It's not a large car, it's a stretch limousine. It's not a dog, it's a Doberman.

Of course, sometimes it helps (and adds variety) to use a metaphor or simile, add a comparison, or even use opposites. The result means the reader won't stop to have to puzzle out what the writer actually meant. After all, readers are not mind readers. They only have the words on a page to go by.  So, to make your writing vivid, considering adding the above word list to your revision Cheat Sheet. You do have a check list for revising, don't you?

Stop back on September 1 for a few words on Ellipses.

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July 2012 -- AND and BUT

    "Fluid, easy wording keeps attention on the story, not the writing.--John Long WRITERS LITTLE BOOK OF WISDOM

      One of the first writing no-nos drilled into a writer is to avoid starting sentences with "and" and "but." The second is to stop peppering a page or having "crops of" (i.e., clusters of) "and" and "but." Why? Because repetitions like these drone in a reader's mind and, after a while, on a subconscious level, keep a reader from enjoying the story.
    In drafting the first copy of a story, "and" is particularly used in by the "stream of story consciousness" and "writing by the seat of your pants" writer. This makes for sentences and clause being strung together into what's called a LS--a Long Sentence--or a RO--a Run On sentence. Thus in revision, it's  necessary to look at any sentence that takes up two full lines. Consider this: if a sentence is considered 20 words, two lines in Times New Roman, 12 point font, can run anywhere from 24 to as high as 39 words or more. Long sentences are devilishly awkward to understand because they contain too many elements (clauses and prepositional phrases) as well as too many ideas.
    As to the use of "but," the word has it's place now and then as a conjunction. However, if that conjunction joins two very long sentences, the whole may become overly complicated and require a reader to stop and reread to make sense of what's going on.  As most writers know, nothing a writer does should stop a reader from enjoying the tale.
    Since clarity is also paramount for a reader staying engrossed in the story, it's a wise storyteller who does a pass through their work for "and" and one for "but" and minimize their use. So, add "and" and "but" to your revision cheat sheet. You do have a check list for revising, don't you?
    The blog topic for August 1 will be a few words on Big and small.

Catherine
KARMA AND MAYHEM, a paranormal fantasy romance to be published soon by Soul Mate Publishing -  http://www.karmaandmayhem.blogspot.com

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June 2012 - Had is a Handicap

    "The most useful skill a wrier can acquire is the ability to edit one's work ruthlessly. --Paul Raymond Martin, GETTING PUBLISHED

While browsing Wikipedia, I came across:

1) Had is an alternative for Hadit, the Thelemic version of an Egyptian god.

2) HAD is the abbreviation for Hole Accumulation Diode, a technique for reducing electronic noise.

3) Had is the abbreviation for technology blog hackaday (usually written as HaD

Who knew? However, these oddities aside, for a writer and storyteller "had" is a verb, the simple past tense and past participle of the word "have."

Although had seems like such a little word, an inconsequential word, one to be skimmed over, failure to understand its impact on the reader leads many writers astray. And as useful as had can be when working with past tense, the danger is, of course, overuse either as unintentional "crops of" (repeated in a short space of paragraphs) or "peppering a page or pages."

The second red-flag danger is the "apostrophe D" dilemma. Does an "apostrophe D" mean: had or would? (I'd, He'd, She'd, They'd, etc.). Most people will read it as "had" so, if there will be any doubt--and for clarity's sake--write out "would" and the reader never has to be jarred out of the story to go back and translate.

Of course, had is especially useful when dropping into a bonafide flashback. However, once in the flashback, the idea is to stop peppering the segment with hads and make the flashback run as if it were a scene happening in the now. Then, when it's time, transition out of the flashback with a couple of hads and return to the present story world.

Lastly, there are passivity issues with using had because had is often accompanied by "been."  Such constructions as "had been gone" or "had been seen" should be double checked to see if one good, vivid, image provoking verb might work better or if the sentence needs to be recast.

Of course, a writer cannot eliminate every instance of had or had been but cutting down the frequency helps the reader continue reading (and they won't notice a writer at work). So, place "had" and "apostrophe D" on your revision cheat sheet so you do one pass for them. You do have a revision checklist, right?

Stop by July 1 for a look at "And and But."

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The Sampler - May 2012

To Paragraph or Not to Paragraph

    "A paragraph indentation cues the reader to pause and take a deep breath."  --WRITERS LITTLE BOOK OF WISDOM


Wall-to-wall words is a grey wall that turns readers off.  A manuscript page with four or fewer paragraphs is bordering on wall-to-wall words and so each paragraph should be looked at to see if too many "topics" or "ideas" or "actions" were run together.  Paragraphing is also used to achieve a balance and to control the story's pace.  Both result in the easy flow and enjoyment of reading a story.  Paragraphs also open up a page to white space.  That paragraph-generated white space is an important mechanical device to use judiciously and for effect.

However, an easier way for a writer to understand when to paragraph boils down to thinking of paragraphing like this: The reader is in a theater seat watching the story play out on a stage. Onto that stage comes Character A. The reader is fascinated by Character A and keeps their attention on Character A while he handles props, moves about, thinks, breathes, and speaks.

Now Character B comes on stage to interact with Character A. The instant that Character B entered, the reader immediately switches their attention to what Character B is doing and saying. When Character A replies or reacts to Character B, the reader must switch their attention back to Character A.   In other words, if you're writing genre fiction (not mainstream or literary) every switch of the reader's attention means a new paragraph.

Such switching also applies to a noise or other stage business happening either on stage (like a phone ringing) or a car backfiring on the street outside.  In a nutshell, any worthwhile distraction that the reader must pay attention to gets paragraphed.  For example:

    Marsha grabbed the revolver from under her purse.  She pointed the weapon at John. "Don't make me use this."
    John growled low in his throat and glared at Marsha. "You won't shoot me, I'm your husband!"

    The doorbell chimed.

It's not: 

    Marsha grabbed the revolver off the counter top.
    "Don't make me use this."
    John growled low in his throat.
    He glared at Marsha.
  "You won't shoot me, I'm your husband!" The doorbell chimed.

Another type of paragraphing is the "transition." That is, it's a word, phrase, or as many words as is necessary to alert the reader to a change of location or the passing of time, like: 

             Meanwhile back at the warehouse, Tom cursed his luck.
Or--
          Two hours later, Tom's plane landed at LAX.

What seem to confuse a lot of writers is paragraphing dialogue. Whenever possible, dialogue remains with the focal character who the reader is supposed to be paying attention to.  For example:

    Marsha glanced at the gun she'd laid her purse over. Then she looked at her husband and the hard expression in his eyes frightened her.  He was not about to leave. In as calm and controlled voice she could muster, she said, "Just leave, John.  I don't want any trouble."

Not--

  Marsha glanced at the gun she'd laid her purse over.

  Then she looked at her husband and the hard expression in his eyes frightened her.  

  He was not about to leave. 

  In as calm and controlled voice she could muster, she said, "Just leave, John.  I don't want any trouble."

Lastly, paragraphing helps set the story's pace--short paragraphs increase pace, long ones slow it down.  Short paragraphs with short sentences really speed up the read.  Long sentences in long paragraphs really slows the read to a crawl. Such paragraphs also govern if the material will be formal or informal (i.e., usually literary equals long paragraphs and genre equals short paragraphs). 

As Theodore Rees Cheney said in GETTING THE WORDS RIGHT: A paragraph, for example, might be unified in its subject, scope, tone, style, point of view, character, scene, and tense, but unless all the logical connections between sentences within a paragraph and all the logical connections between paragraphs are clear, the total piece is not coherent.

Cheney also said that no one knows the proper length for a paragraph . . . no one can give any very helpful guidelines for the length of an "average" paragraph.  This is so very true.  Unfortunately, paragraphing is something learned by trial and error and figuring out what works and what doesn't work for the individual style of narration being used and the story being written.  Yet, the more knowledge a writer has, the more educated choices they can make. So, on your revision "cheat sheet" make a note to look at your paragraphing.

And do stop back to this blog on June 1 for The Sampler's: "Had is a Handicap."


Catherine E. McLean
KARMA AND MAYHEM, a paranormal-fantasy-romance from www.soulmatepublishing.com will be published late this summer.   Http://karmaandmayhem.blogspot.com or go to my home web page 
Guest blogging May 1, 2012 on the NINE TYPES OF WRITERS a Strands of Pattern