Archive for the ‘Editorial’ Category
4 Keys to Using Humor in Autobiography
May 11th, 2010 by Paul HawleyThe BelieversPress blog features Q & A sessions with the experts we work with, answering questions that you’ve asked. Have a question? Click the link in the sidebar to submit it!
Charles Humphreys asked
How much does humor come into play in writing a nonfiction semi-autobiography?
a) Be natural. Humor comes into play exactly to the extent that it’s natural to the writer. If it’s forced or contrived or a matter of elaborate metaphors or other cerebral explorations, you probably need to save the moment for some other passage.
b) Start with yourself. Humor is a dangerous commodity, though, because it always relies, no matter how slightly, on someone’s misfortune or foolishness. The safest avenue is to be funny at one’s own expense (let the mockery or gentle amusement be self-directed).
c) Aim at culture. However, there is every reason to direct all kinds of humorous observations in all directions. The culture of any time and place is a fit subject for lampooning and has ridiculous elements that cause conundrums and pratfalls. In fact, the most sacrosanct elements of (one’s own) culture may be the most fertile ground. If the observations or events are grounded in experience, so much the better (“Sorry you’re offended, but this is how it happened to me, and nobody should have to go through that”).
d) Tread lightly. As for limits, I would suggest only protecting the feelings of those you love and respect most, especially if they are advanced in years. This means only with extreme caution should you make fun of those most dear to your eldest elders and best-loved beloveds — to say nothing of sparing those figures themselves, or treating them with utmost gentleness. Unless, of course, you have cleared your intentions with them before the writing sees print and public distribution.
Humor does not have to amount to a joke every other line or knee-slappers twice per page. It can come up unexpectedly as a twist at the end of an anecdote, which will increase the emphasis and probably make it even funnier. Perhaps the best safeguard is a trusted friend or colleague who agrees to read critically and can give you unvarnished reactions to your writing to keep you on the strai(gh)t and narrow.
Write Nekkid
May 6th, 2010 by Mary DeMuthI’m reading one of those stark books (like Kite Runner) where the author writes pretty darned nekkid. What I mean by that is spare, harsh, in-your-face prose, the kind that evokes emotion and curiosity. The book? A recommendation by Mark Bertrand called The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. Hear some of his prose:
“For the most part they carried themselves with poise, a kind of dignity. Now and then, however, there were times of panic, when they squealed or wanted to squeal but couldn’t, when they twitched and made moaning sounds and covered their heads and said Dear Jesus and flopped around on the earth and fired their weapons blindly and cringed and sobbed and begged for the noise to stop and went wild and make stupid promises to themselves and to God and to their mothers and fathers, hoping not to die.” (p. 19).
Beautiful, ain’t it?
When I first started writing, I resembled young Anne of Green Gables (which my young daughter mispronounced and called Anne with Green Bagels). Full of pomp and circumstance, my writing flowered its way through sentences and paragraphs. Adjectives and adverbs were my trusted friends. But worse than that was a weird pompousness that came through, like I was touting my English major, thank you very much. It reminded me of that poetry you read and go “huh?” afterward. Great, effusive words strung together that had very little meaning.
I balked at editorial correction too, thinking myself high and mighty, a wielder of words.
But, as the years wore on, I realized great writing isn’t the stuff of prettification. It’s not full of bright lipstick and rouge. It’s natural, stark, raw. I started concocting sentences that evoked emotion, that kept rich in its description of place, but spare in its contrivance of human emotion.
Ew. Now I just read that last paragraph and it sounds a bit hoity toity. Maybe I’ll always have Anne and her green New York rolls lurking inside.
Even so, I want to write nekkid. To grab my reader and thrust her into the lives of my characters. I want my prose to serve the story, not detract from it. I think it’s working. To prove it, I’ll paste two snippets, one from my first novel (not published) and another from a newer novel (not published). See if you can tell the difference:
Sample one:
When Augusta finished washing the last jelly jar, the sun burst through the mist, and the lake water danced as it did every time the fog dissipated. To call its lifting a miracle might be an exaggeration, but she called it that anyway. Sometimes the house stayed shrouded until suppertime, other days it evaporated all at once. Sometimes it dissipated in tendrils, wild and inconsistent, leaving the valley resembling Grandma Ellsworth’s silvered hair. Today the retreating curtain of fog revealed the fields beyond the lake, their softness in stark contrast to the lake’s prismatic dance.
Sample two:
“We can go up,” he said. “Let’s take the stairs.”
“Why not the elevator?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“Refresh my memory.”
“We kissed there once . . . in our pajamas.”
My memories hung on a broken charm bracelet. Some charms suffered from inefficient clasps, dropping along the streets of life, never to be returned. Some broke apart, like the tiny hind leg of a horse that’d never trot again. Some blackened thanks to time’s tarnish. Yet others remained pristine, happy silver clasped securely to the chain. This memory was like none of those. This was a forgotten charm, one so crammed in between broken and happy charms that I’d forgotten it. Rediscovered, its brilliance startled me.
***
How about you? Can you see transformation in your writing? Are you moving from flowery to nekkid? Or the other way? As you’ve matured, how has your prose altered? Are your stories simpler or more complex? I’m curious.
****
You can find Mary here, here and here.
Backstory: ask the right question!
April 21st, 2010 by Jeff GerkeThe BelieversPress blog features Q & A sessions with the experts we work with, answering questions that you’ve asked. Have a question? Click the link in the sidebar to submit it!
You asked:
I feel the urge to give a lot of backstory in the early chapters of my book. How can I keep readers interested as I fill them in on key details?
You’re asking the wrong question. This is like asking, “How can I keep people awake while I bore them?” The answer isn’t to distract them from the boring bits; the answer is to not bore them in the first place. The right question is, “How can I get my story moving without ever stopping the story to dump information on my reader?”
In polite conversation, we fill everyone in on the details. We want the listeners to not be confused when we mention certain subjects. We want them to understand the context and background in order to facilitate efficient communication. But in fiction, the rules are different. Strong fiction is less like a good teacher and more like a fascinating conversation you’ve come in on halfway through.
Books that start out with backstory (or any kind of “telling”) are like a boring lecturer giving a long, tedious lecture. The reader is leaning back in her chair, trying to stay awake while the author insists on telling her about things she doesn’t yet care about. Books that begin with showing, in which the reader finds clues and begins piecing together what’s happening and the reasons behind it, cause her to lean forward and engage. Which effect would you rather have on your reader?
Imagine a movie that started with 15 minutes of black screen while the narrator filled the audience in on the history of the characters and story world. No one would stand for it. Yet that’s what novelists do to their readers when they begin with backstory. Or imagine a movie that begins with action but then goes to black for several minutes at a time to let the narrator explain everything. The audience would shout, “Get on with the story!” and then march out and demand their money back. Don’t treat your reader that way. Get on with the story.
The irony of backstory is that, when you remove it, the reader “catches” enough information to understand the story anyway. When the author relaxes, having felt confident that she’s explained everything, she begins showing the story. Remove the obligatory explanation stuff and the showing that remains will be sufficient. You don’t need telling.
For a great example of showing without explanation, watch the first 30 minutes of WALL-E. With almost no words spoken–and without any boring information dumps–you understand a lot of what’s happened. But the filmmakers didn’t stop the narrative to explain anything.
Go, thou, and do likewise.
Keys to a Stand-Out Nonfiction Proposal
April 1st, 2010 by Barb LillandThe BelieversPress blog features Q & A sessions with the experts we work with, answering questions that you’ve asked. Have a question? Send it to info@believerspress.com and we’ll get you an answer!
You asked:
“I’ve written a nonfiction proposal. What can I do to stand out from the crowd?”
A unique benefit of writing nonfiction is that in most cases you need not write the entire manuscript before submitting a proposal to agents and publishers. However, keep in mind that writing the proposal may be just as difficult! A quality nonfiction proposal focuses on selling yourself and your idea. Like a successful advertisement, the nonfiction proposal should highlight your “product” in such as way as to leave a lasting impression on the reader.
There are numerous guidelines available that will walk you through the physical proposal (cover letter, summary, table of contents, etc.). If you need help with that step, here are a few links to help you get started: http://pages.prodigy.net/jimcypher/proposal.htm; http://www.ehow.com/how_2085531_write-non-fiction-book-proposal.html. (Editor’s note: Mary DeMuth has a great Nonfiction Book Proposal Tutorial eBook available for $25.)
What you may not find on the web are the specific elements an editor and agent are hoping to see when they open up your proposal. In my years as an acquisitions editor, I saw my share of the good, the bad, and the don’t-even-open. Here are some insider tips on how to keep yours in the good—if not excellent—category. First step? Take off your writer’s hat and put on your marketing hat. Second step? Concentrate on including these three keys in your proposal:
1) Subject: You may have a great idea, but if it is not timely and unique, you may not have a book.
a) Your idea needs to be timely. Have there been frequent news articles written on this topic? Have you written a magazine or newspaper article on the subject? Is it a cultural shift, a hot social issue, a current felt-need among a specific age group, or a topic the church is just beginning to address? If so, include one or two news pieces (particularly any you have written) as examples of the timeliness of your topic.
b) Your book needs to be unique. Are there a number of bestselling books on this topic, but yours takes a distinctive approach that will allow it to stand out from the market? Does your personal experience or career give you special insight into this subject? If you were writing the back cover copy of your book, how would you sell this idea as a unique approach with specific take-away value for the reader?
2) Platform: Your qualifications and current audience are often what makes or breaks a book deal.
a) What are your qualifications for tackling this topic? I’m not referring to a degree from an elite college—nice, but it won’t get you a book deal. More crucial is what you are doing now to advance your ideas. Have you written a number of articles on this topic? Do you teach extensively on this (or a similar) subject in your workplace, church, or community? Do you have a website, a popular blog? In today’s market, publishers want an author who comes with a history of successful self-promotion—trust me, those are the writers who get a book deal.
b) What audience have you already gathered? If you maintain a website, how many hits has it received? Do you regularly blog on this topic? How many followers do you have? If you have written articles on the topic, what kind of response did the magazine receive following its publication? How many people typically attend your teaching seminars? Include specific numbers. Remember, if your book proposal entices the acquisitions editor, he or she then has to “sell” it to the editorial board. Make the editor’s job easy by including details about the platform you have already established.
3) Market: Your book’s category and competition are critical to its success.
a) Into what category will your book be shelved? You may feel your book is unique and better than other books in the marketplace, but the fact is your book will sit on the shelf alongside similar books. Know the specific category, do your homework, and don’t be afraid to address it in your proposal.
b) What competition will your book face? I’ve known authors who hoped that by not mentioning the competition, they could trick the editor into thinking the market was wide open on their topic. Not going to happen. Know the competition, and detail how your book is better. You may want to list the top three books in the category along with their sales numbers or bestseller standing. Remember, the editor may have acquired one of those successful titles: tell him or her why yours is exceptional, why it is a good follow-up in the wake of that other book, and/or why your book will appeal to a broader audience.
Beyond just selling a good idea, your book proposal needs to address the timeliness and uniqueness of the subject, your established platform, and the current temperature of the market. Touch on those three keys in your cover letter, and follow with more specific details on the ensuing pages. The result? A top-notch proposal guaranteed to stand out from the crowd.
7 More Mistakes to Avoid and Book Recommendations
March 10th, 2010 by Mary DeMuth
Here are my final seven mistakes to avoid. I hope this four-part series proved helpful as you strove to deepen and clean up your writing.
1. Mundane Prose. We don’t need to hear the mundane parts of a character’s day, or hear his mundane speech.
Example
John ate breakfast. He wiped his mouth, then slurped down some coffee. He put on his fedora, then slipped on his galoshes. He opened the front door, shut it, then opened the car door, heading to work.
John ate a quick breakfast, then headed to work.
2. MRU problems. Motivation Reaction Units (See Techniques of the Selling Writer, by Dwight V. Swain for a full explanation.) Please read this article: Writing the Perfect Scene.
3. Lack of emotional depth. In novel writing, we need to see the depth of a character’s inner landscape, which includes his/her emotional state. A reader needs to relate to the character. Some ways to create emotional depth: Shove the reader into the character’s head in the midst of a highly emotional/painful/surprising scene; show the character’s reaction to a dilemma; or show the character physically react to some disheartening news.
4. Word Choice. Sometimes a word isn’t the right one. If I write WC in the margin, it means you need to rethink the word you chose.
5. Wrong Word. Other times, you simply use the incorrect word. Consider:
Affect (a verb meaning “to influence”)
Effect (a noun meaning “result”—used as a verb when you mean “bring about” or “accomplish”)
Example: Lisle wanted to effect a change on her college campus so she smiled at every person she passed.
Correct: The effect of her perfume affected me for hours in the form of a splitting headache.
6. Nouns in Apposition. If the person you reference is one of a kind, you separate with commas. (Apposition means placed beside. The noun in apposition, called an appositive, identifies or explains the noun or pronoun that precedes it.)
Examples
Incorrect:
My wife Esther is the best cook on the planet. (Unless you live in biblical times or you’re a fugitive from Federal Agents, you have only one wife.)
Solved: My wife, Esther, is the best cook on the planet.
Correct: My friend Rebecca sent me a rather lengthy e-mail. (If Rebecca is one of many friends, this is correct. If she is the only friend, you need commas before /after her name.)
7. Avoid –ing. Overuse weighs down prose. When you finish a piece, search for “ing” and see how you’ve used—or misused—it.
Example
Awkward and wordy: Families were purchasing . . .
Correct: Families purchased . . .
Book Recommendations:
- Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss
- Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain
- The Complete Guide to Writing and Selling the Christian Novel by Penelope Stokes (the chapter on POV is worth it—the best way I’ve seen it presented.)
- The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
- Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King
- Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickam
- The Novelist’s Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes by Raymond Obstfeld
- On Writing by Stephen King
Writing the Perfect Scene
The #1 mystery for all authors-to-be
March 8th, 2010 by Brian MastEvery person who ever wanted to be an author had to first unravel the #1 mystery of book creation. That mystery is this: How do I actually write my book?
I had one author come to me with a cardboard box. Everything he found on his subject was in that box, and he’d been collecting pieces of information for years. But you know what, I was able to help him make a book out of what was inside that cardboard box!
Another author recorded herself in an interview setting, another had recorded his sermons, another had actually typed it out on a computer, and another handed me a 12” stack of notes. In each case, we had a book in a few short months.
Have you figured out the #1 mystery?
The answer to the “How do I actually write my book?” dilemma is easier than it may seem. The secret to unraveling the #1 mystery of book creation … is to force yourself to do whatever works for you.
This two-part formula of Force + Whatever Works For You works flawlessly, but you have to make it happen yourself.
Example #1: Let’s say Betty is one of those people who loves to type and can think while she pecks at the keyboard. Obviously, the answer for her is to sit down and write her book directly into her computer. However, her natural tendency is to be busy with other things, to be tired or distracted, or to find something else more exciting to do. Betty needs to apply FORCE to her ability and she’ll be done in no time.
Example #2: John, on the other hand, hates to write, can’t spell, and has a constant case of writer’s block. He’s stuck … but he loves to talk. The answer for him is to get a recorder, or a friend who will listen and record him, and to talk it out. Make an outline of points to cover, and then FORCE himself to talk through each point. From there, his book is ready to be transcribed, edited, and he’ll have his book.
Example #3: Mike, a pastor I worked with recently, was too busy to write a book, but he had recorded a 7-CD sermon series. I took those CDs, transcribed them, edited his text, and fed him his book, chapter by chapter. Within weeks, he was seeing his book take shape, and in a couple of months, his book was done.
Whatever you like to do, whatever works for you, THAT is the answer. Do NOT for a second try to force yourself to do what you do not want to do. You’ll never finish your book that way. Stop!
Instead, choose the approach you like, apply Force through your own discipline or accountability with a friend, and your book will appear in front of you!
And in so doing you will have solved the #1 mystery of book creation.
10 More Common New Writer Mistakes to Avoid
February 12th, 2010 by Mary DeMuthFor those of you who love lists, here’s another list of ten common mistakes I see writers make when they come through The Writing Spa. Check and see if you make these mistakes too. And if you do, choose to make 2010 the year you change the way you write.
1 Starting the story too late. When I wrote my first novel, it took me 90 pages to get to the inciting moment. I believed I needed to tell all the backstory first. Not true. When I rewrote the beginning, I cut the first 90 pages, rewrote the beginning to have the inciting moment first. Then, I shared both beginnings with a critique group and asked which one had more emotional impact. Everyone said the second one. Start your story when it starts.
2 Lack of passion. If you’re not wild about your subject, it shows. Write from your passion and your words will have punch.
3 Overuse of had. When recounting something in the past, use “had” once, then keep the rest in straight past tense. Otherwise, you’ll clutter up your prose, make it gunky.
4 Too many modifiers. Use a better noun instead of a weak one that needs an adjective. Use a stronger verb instead of one that leans on an adverb for help.
5 Misplaced modifier: An adjectival (modifies a noun) or adverbial (modifies a verb) placed in an awkward spot—usually far from the word or phrase it modifies.
Misplaced: I learned how to tie-dye t-shirts on the radio.
Correct: I heard on the radio how to tie-dye t-shirts.
6 Punctuation and Formatting Errors:
- Punctuation within quotes. This is a proper ellipses: . . . (dot space, dot space, dot space)
- Use an em dash in a sentence: Bob ran his business to the ground—right after he alienated his wife and children.
To create the elusive, continuous-line, em dash: Type as usual, but when you want to make the em dash, type two hyphens in a row and simply continue typing the next word. As soon as you hit the “space” key after you complete that next word, the computer automatically turns the two hyphens into the correctly formatted “em dash.” (The funny thing is, the computer can’t NOT do this action automatically.)
Incorrect (but the “old” method on a manual typewriter): I left my favorite baking dish–a wedding present from Aunt Jackie–at the church potluck dinner yesterday evening.
Incorrect (a symbol, actually an “en” dash): I left my favorite baking dish – a wedding present from Aunt Jackie – at the church potluck dinner yesterday evening.
Correct: I left my favorite baking dish—a wedding present from Aunt Jackie—at the church potluck dinner yesterday evening.
- Don’t use ALL CAPS.
- When writing a title, italicize it, don’t underline.
- Don’t hit enter twice when you start a new paragraph.
- It’s no longer five spaces when you indent; use the Tab key instead.
- 11 or 12 point font, preferably Times New Roman.
- One inch margins all around.
- Use exclamation points sparingly. You don’t want to be the writer who cried Wolf!
7 Pronoun/Antecedent Problems. Be sure your pronouns agree with the words they’re replacing. A writer makes a mistake when her pronouns don’t match.
8 No Parallel Structure. When listing things in a series, be sure the structure of the first words in each series are parallel.
Example: The cat dodged the ball, ate a mouse, and is sleeping now.
Correct: The cat dodged the ball, ate a mouse, then fell asleep.
9 Dangling Participles. When you have a participle (-ing word) followed by a comma as a phrase (dependent clause), the word following the comma should be the one the phrase modifies. Example: Crashing outside, I jumped when I heard the thunder. Crashing outside, the thunder made me jump.
10 Purple Speaker Tags. When you attribute dialog to someone, refrain from using purple speaker tags. Said works best most of the time. Or creating the dialog with beats (sentences of action) works better, too.
Example: “Herb, you irritate me!” she exclaimed vehemently.
Solved: She stomped her tiny feet. “Herb, you irritate me!”
10 Common Writing Mistakes: Do you pass the test?
December 21st, 2009 by Mary DeMuthIn my adventures in publishing and helping new authors get published, I’ve found ten common mistakes authors should avoid. Look through this list. How many do you do? How many have you nixed? Keep this by your manuscript (fiction or nonfiction) as a handy way to self-edit your work.
1. Negatives: The mind takes 48% longer to process a negation. Eliminating no, not, don’t, and can’t will clean up your writing.
Example: He didn’t know.
He was clueless.
Example: The sun didn’t shine.
The clouds covered the sun.
2. Repeated words: Often new writers will repeat words within paragraphs or subsequent pages. Be particularly aware of pet words (your own personal overused words). Every author will have different words, but a careful reading of your draft will turn them up. Some oft-overused words include: since, just, still, might, manage, began, started, really.
3. Adverb Adoration: Adverbs strengthen weak verbs. Why not write with strong verbs instead?
Example: She walked lazily down the path.
She ambled down the path.
Heidi wrote her sentences quickly. (Wrote is not a weak verb, but now that it’s modified, quickly weakens it.) Instead: When her hand touched the pen, it sped ink across the page in a blur. (See how you can transform a sentence from something mundane to something visual? How tweaking your verbs, making them stronger, helps you to show instead of tell?)
The dog gnawed the bone maliciously. (This sentence would be better off without the adverb.) Or instead: The dog attacked the bone like prey.
He hardly noticed the scar criss-crossing her cheek. (This isn’t too bad, but by eliminating the “hardly noticed,” you can make a more visual sentence.) Instead: He held her eyes, never once glancing at the scar criss-crossing her face. In that moment, she fell in love with him.
You will find a revolution in your writing when you kill your adverbs, I promise.
And yet, when you use adverbs, keep them near the verb: Instead of Take the garbage out. Take out the garbage.
4. Split Infinitives: No more “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” To go boldly is the correct usage.
5. Wimpy Voice: Be assertive when you write. Instead of “I’d like to thank you,” just thank the reader.
6. Misused Colons: Use after an independent clause to introduce a list.
Example: He toted several items to the curb: a rug, four kittens, his spouse, and an old racecar track.
7. Voicing Problems: Each character must have his/her own distinctive voice. They must not sound alike.
8. Lack of Details: Your writing will be richer if you stick to details rather than vagaries. Instead of: He ate lunch. He ate Copper River salmon with a dill reduction sauce.
9. Flabby Prose. We writers are in love with words, so much so that we tend to flaunt our use of them early in our careers. (I was guilty of this.) Strong nouns and strong verbs make a great impact. Adding extraneous adverbs and adjectives willy-nilly weakens the structure. Don’t try to fluff up your writing to impress people. Tell it like it is. Don’t believe me? Read The Kite Runner. Hosseini’s sentences are stark, full of detail, and have amazing emotive impact.
10. Same sentence structure over and over again. He had. He did. He saw. N-V. N-V. N-V. Spice it up a bit. Add a gerund or two. Start with a prepositional phrase. And vary sentence length. You don’t want staccato prose, nor do you want insanely long sentences that lose the reader.
Bethany Press Launches BelieversPress to Give Author’s Faith a Voice
November 2nd, 2009 by Nick CiskeFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Publishing Model for Authors:
Bethany Press Launches BelieversPress to Give Author’s Faith a Voice
Bloomington, MN – Authors face an enormous challenge; a one in thousands chance of getting their manuscript published by major Christian publishers. Until now, the industry has only offered authors royalty and self-publishing models. Rejected authors are often left to fend for themselves. Some talented authors will give up. Others will try to solo-navigate the shifting currents of self/subsidy publishing and find themselves limited by the one-size-fits-all approach of these services.
BelieversPress, a new venture just launched by Bethany Press, offers multiple publishing tracks for authors where they control the process.
1. Royalty Publishing
In collaboration with ECPA, BelieversPress critiques and edits author proposals prior to posting on the ChristianManuscriptSubmissions.com website enabling agents and publishers to sort and filter for high quality submissions. Each of these proposals features a BelieversPress badge.
2. Independent Publishing
At BelieversPress, professional authors who pursue independent publishing can now access
- Coaching and editorial services from Jeff Gerke, (longtime editor for the CBA industry, former editor at NavPress) and Barb Lilland Editorial Services (former senior editor, Bethany House Publishing)
- Cover design from The DesignWorks Group and Dugan Design Group
- Publicity services from B&B Media (clients include Charles Stanley, John C. Maxwell, Chuck Swindoll, Tim LaHaye, Melody Carlson, Bruce Wilkinson)
- Marketing tools from Heinlein Publishing Services (Publishing Professional, 20+ Years: including executive positions with United Methodist Publishing House, Thomas Nelson, and Word Publishing)
- Printing from Bethany Press (producer of almost 30% of the best-selling Christian paperbacks)
- Sales and distribution through STL Distribution (the largest exclusively Christian distributor in North America).
Authors interested in submitting to agents and small publishers can receive mentoring, editorial, and proposal evaluation from D.C. Jacobson (Don Jacobson’s group, former President of Multnomah Publishers) and The Writing Spa (Mary DeMuth) at BelieversPress.
BelieversPress counsels authors that if they cannot sell their books via platforms such as speaking, established ministries, or direct to readers through venues such as blogging, the internet, articles, etc. then they should not self-publish.
Agents and publishers can offer their authors a trustworthy team to help them to publish both their out-of-print books and unpublished manuscripts, further building their readership with the ability to sell directly through the author’s website, the BelieversPress E-store, and to the trade through STL Distribution. Or, they can refer authors needing mentoring and further development to trusted professionals who can help them hone their skill and platform before re-submitting.
BelieversPress authors can:
- Engage an elite team of the best talent in Christian publishing to take their manuscript from good to great!
- Benefit from experienced professionals in marketing, publicity, and sales who help them get their message heard
- Connect with authors who have traveled the path before them
- Take control of your publishing future – there are no packages and no royalty schemes
- Bring unpublished titles and out-of-print books to their readers
- Print with the company that produces 30% of Christian best-sellers
- Make a difference – a portion of their dollars are used to fund ministry
Contact BelieversPress:
6820 West 115th Street • Bloomington, MN 55438
(800) 341-4192 • www.believerspress.com • info@believerspress.com
Common Mistakes to Avoid
November 2nd, 2009 by Mary DeMuthIn my role at The Writing Spa, I read a lot of manuscripts, helping writers take their writing to the next level. Invariably, I see common mistakes new writers make. So for my next several posts, I’ll be highlighting these mistakes. Fix these issues in your writing and you’ll start to impress editors. Fail to do so and you’ll languish in the mediocre. I know if you’re reading this, you don’t want to be mediocre. So dare to be teachable!
Period spacing: Only one space after a period. To fix, go to Edit, then Find and Replace. In the Find box, hit the space bar twice. In the Replace box, hit the space bar once. Then click Replace All. Voila! Your whole document is correctly formatted. Curious why this is? I posted about the whole exciting story here.
Joining two independent clauses: When you have two independent clauses (two clauses that can stand on their own), there are several ways to join them. Many authors struggle to do this correctly.
Here are the ways:
John ate the hamburger. He wiped his mouth. (You can join by not joining—simply putting a period between the two clauses.)
John ate the hamburger, and he wiped his mouth. (comma plus conjunction)
John ate the hamburger; he wiped his mouth. (The correct use for a semicolon).
Head Hopping: When you’re writing a fiction scene, it should be solidly in one person’s point of view. If you shift into someone else’s head in the midst of a scene (without a scene break), you are head hopping. Solutions: Make a scene break where you shifted. Or delete the passage from the other person’s POV (point of view), or rewrite it so it’s in the scene-character’s point of view.
Example: Heloise knew Jake didn’t like her. She could see his sneer from across the room.
Jake took a long drink of Coke, then spit it back into his cup. He thought of giving it to Heloise just so she’d know how much he hated the sight of her.
We are in both heads in this scene. Here’s a rewrite in one POV:
Heloise could see Jake didn’t like her. His sneer said it all. She watched him gulp down his Coke, spit it back in, then raise his eyebrows in that maddening way. He pointed to her, then the cup. As if she’d ever drink his dregs.
Telling. The old adage, “Show, don’t tell” applies here. It’s insulting to the reader when you explain everything to him/her. Instead of telling us someone’s anger, show us.
Telling: Bob was angry.
Showing: Bob threw the cat across the room, hitting Hilda in the face with the poor animal.
Clichés. A cliché is a word or phrase you commonly hear in everyday speech, or read often. Here is a listing: http://clichesite.com/alpha_list.asp?which=lett+1
Example: Barnabus Brickby paraded around town, high and mighty as all get out, eating fried pies like a horse.
Solved: Barnabus Brickby flaunted his new suit on the town’s streets, gorging himself on fried pies while his nose pointed heavenward.
Passive voice: In passive voice, the subject receives the action rather than performing the action. Passive usually carries this form: “to be” + “verb-ed.” Microsoft Word usually catches passive constructions by underlining them in squiggly green.
Example: Passive: The spider was bludgeoned by Martha.
Active: Martha bludgeoned the spider.
Weak verbs: Verbs should make up 10% of your writing. Nix forms of “to be.” Run a “search” on be, is, are, am, was, were, being. Eliminate was+participle (ing word). I was running to school. I ran to school. Even better: I sprinted to school.
There are many more issues, but we’ll save those for a later post. The single biggest mistake I see is weak, wimpy verbs. Was. Is. Were. Seem. When you’re trying to break the habit, strive for 1 or 2 per page. They’re not evil verbs, but they weaken your writing. Learning to replace them with beefy verbs will revolutionize your prose.
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