Archive for the ‘Editorial’ Category
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: http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/scene.php.
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
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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.
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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!”
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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.
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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
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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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Avoiding Commonly Misused Words in Your Writing
September 18th, 2009 by Nick CiskeBrian Clark at CopyBlogger compiled a list of 27 commonly misused words and how to use them correctly.
Poor grammar and misused words are one of the main criticisms of amateurishly published books. With this list, some diligence, and the help of a good editor, you can stand out from the crowd of poorly written/edited books in the market.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. ~Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
It may be inconceivable for you to misuse a word, but a quick look around the web reveals plenty of people doing it. And it’s all too easy when we hear or see others use words incorrectly and parrot them without knowing it’s wrong.
So let’s take a look at 27 commonly misused words. Some are common mistakes that can cost you when trying to keep a reader’s attention. Others are more obscure and just interesting to know.
Adverse / Averse
Adverse means unfavorable. Averse means reluctant.
Afterwards
Afterwards is wrong in American English. It’s afterward.
Complement / Compliment
I see this one all the time. Complement is something that adds to or supplements something else. Compliment is something nice someone says about you.
Criteria
Criteria is plural, and the singular form is criterion. If someone tells you they have only one criteria, you can quickly interject and offer that it be they get a clue.
Farther / Further
Farther is talking about a physical distance.
“How much farther is Disney World, Daddy?”
Further is talking about an extension of time or degree.
“Take your business further by reading Copyblogger.”
Read the rest of the article here: The Inigo Montoya Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words
The Inigo Montoya Guide to
27 Commonly Misused Words
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Riverrun Both Ways
August 20th, 2009 by Paul Hawley“From everyone who has been given much, much will be required.”
“Much is required from those to whom much is given.”
“Great gifts mean great responsibilities.”
Looks almost like an editing exercise, right? Actually, you’ll no doubt recognize part of Luke 12:48. Those three statements are a sampler of three basic translation approaches: formal equivalence (NASB), dynamic equivalence (NLT), and paraphrase (MSG).
To get to my own point, however, it’s three ways to phrase one golden rule when it comes to other people’s prose: As an editor, I’ve been given the opportunity to contribute, so I’d better do so with fitting respect and even fear.
Those of you who know my work will agree that (when it comes to editing, at least) I believe in overcommunication. I leave notes in the hope that every suggestion will make sense. I want my thinking to be plain to the writer. I try to anticipate questions, both from the writer and future readers, and touch up what is before me with their needs in mind.
I hope I approach every project not just as a piece of work to slog through but as an educational opportunity. I don’t say teaching opportunity because it nearly always amounts first to a learning opportunity for me. I resist the urge to explain, but there are times when a compact note is really a mini-lecture on some fine point. (The broader points I leave for an attached letter to the author.) Long note or short, the overcommunication urge works against brevity but drives me to get the most out of the fewest words.
The principle has a flip side, however, on which I think we rarely reflect. Risking immodesty, it amounts to my saying to the writer, “Now that I’ve given this back to you, bleeding red ink, with notes stuck all over it, bristling with questions, I’ve made your job a good bit harder right now.” To flip the point in my second paragraph: As a writer, I’ve been given a truckload of suggestions and feedback, so I need to consider it all carefully if I’m to improve this piece of writing.
And not just this piece of writing, I may hope. An author may have procured editorial services at a price and is entitled to expect quality input as a result. Beyond that transaction, my hope is that a writer will emerge from our interaction
• better able to anticipate questions and concerns raised by the piece,
• more sensitive to how ideas are organized through a paragraph or down a page,
• with a sharper eye for an unclear antecedent or loose modifier or possible double meaning,
• with more facility at varying sentence length and structure to manage pace,
• with a more sensitive touch on the point-of-view pedal for closing in and easing back from the details or characters of a narrative,
and so on.
In short: I am here to provide editorial services, but the way I see it, a key part of my job is to enable writers to better edit their own material and to understand and take the greatest advantage of what I do. If an author rises to the challenge, then the next time we work together, the writer will bring more to the process — and have a whole new level of work to do once my work is done.
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Fabrication and the Truth
July 14th, 2009 by Paul HawleyTelling lies for fun and profit . . .
The lie that tells the truth . . .
These are the titles of two well-known writing guides. They are riffing off an axiom of the writing enterprise, especially pertaining to fiction: that the lie told artfully is more true to life than the truth told blankly, frankly, superficially, “factually.”
Much has been made of how the subconscious works for writers and how they can tailor their efforts in ways that maximize the “downtime” input of that part of the mind. We learn to stuff a rough draft until it’s as full as we can make it, then put it away for a week or three so as to be fresh when we look at it again to trim and shape it. Same principle applies to editing a draft or reworking or rewriting it: Put it away and come back when the piece has fermented a while – or, that is, when we’ve fermented a while, after a period of time off (consciously) during which the mind has (unconsciously) continued to work on the material.
A lot of thinking may be available on how the subconscious functions as the source of fictional material and how to feed and exercise the imagination. Not that much on the subject has crossed my path. I’ve read and written enough to have a good idea how the process works, and once in a while I run across a writer whose experience and knowledge gives me more insight on it. Victoria Nelson’s On Writer’s Block and Robert Olen Butler’s From Where You Dream are fine examples.
The recent Alone With All That Could Happen by David Jauss (Cincinatti: Writer’s Digest Books, 2008) purports to be an unconventional reassessment of several aspects of writing, especially fiction writing. I stop short of a recommendation, because I’m not done reading the book; on the other hand, the first three of his seven essays are enormously helpful. I’ll follow up later on the question whether I’d suggest it as a resource and for whom.
Meanwhile, in the highest tradition of blogging, I’ll shamelessly borrow some sharp statements from Jauss’s first chapter, “Autobiographobia” (AU-to-bi-OG-ra-PHObia works for me; Chekhov coined the word). These statements, located on pages 5-12, themselves abundantly quote other writers. If you find what follows valuable to stimulate thought, reward reflection, or strengthen the flow of words, please let me know. For ease of digestion, I’m discarding both Jauss’s paragraphing and all ellipses. I prefer to lay out these excerpts as aphorisms, long or short, the way I mark or copy them and mull them over.
Perhaps the most repeated advice in the history of creative writing workshops is “Write what you know.” For writers who have a talent for negotiating between the demands of facts and the demands of the imagination, this may be valid advice. But for most of us, I believe, writing what we know can only result in nonfiction, whether thickly or thinly disguised.
This is why Graham Greene suggested that a good memory was incompatible with good fiction writing: “All good novelists have bad memories,” he said. As Robert Olen Butler explains, “What you remember comes out as journalism. What you forget goes into the compost of the imagination.”
Grace Paley got it exactly right when she said, “You write from what you know but you write into what you don’t know.” You can’t avoid what you know – it’s who you are, after all – but if you’re trying to write into what you don’t know, you’ll discover things about yourself that you didn’t know. In short, you’ll discover your secret life, and so will your readers.
Here’s the paradox: Just as you reveal your secret life when you imagine others’, you reveal others’ secret lives when you reveal your own. As Donald Hall once remarked, literature “starts by being personal but the deeper we go inside the more we become everybody.” Everybody, c’est moi. And c’est vous.
Reading Chekhov and Shakespeare, and others like them, we inhabit their essential selves and dream their dreams along with them.
Oscar Wilde once said, “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell the truth.” Lionel Trilling seconds that opinion, saying “disguise is not concealment” but revelation, for “the more a writer takes pains with his work to remove it from the personal and subjective, the more – and not the less – he will express his true unconscious.”
Even if we know our secret selves (and that’s a big if), it’s almost impossible to draw our true faces for our readers merely by reporting what seems to be the “truth.” Instead, like Shakespeare, like Chekhov, we have to imagine we are someone else, we have to wear a mask; in short, we have to lie. For a lie is nothing more, nor less, than the means to make a secret public while still keeping it secret.
Writing about the secret life is not, then, a matter of revealing actual secrets but of distorting and altering them, consciously or unconsciously, so they tell a larger kind of truth. If you simply reveal a secret, at the very least, you will be false to the primary characteristic of the secret, which is that it is secret.
A secret that remains buried under the oppressive weight of silence increases in significance and value, the way carbon buried under the weight of the earth turns into a diamond. To reveal this “diamond” factually is to return it to carbon, but to reveal it in a way that conceals it – in other words, to tell a lie about it – allows the secret to retain the luster that silence has given it.
As this suggests, a lie is a form of silence, for it is a refusal to reveal the secret. But, as Wilde suggests, a lie tells the truth all the more fully and honestly by refusing to tell it. Or, as Emily Dickinson would put it, it tells the truth but tells it slant.
The secret cannot be kept and it must be kept. The only way to satisfy both demands, the only way the secret can cross over without being recognized, is to don the disguise of a lie.
Literature has its origin in secrets that the author feels compelled both to reveal and to conceal. In other words, secrets, and the secret life, generate literature.
Finally, one more that relates to the emotional power of strong fiction:
If Dickinson and Cavafy and writers like them had revealed their secret selves nakedly, we would not feel their inner lives so much as know them, and feeling is a deeper, more vital form of knowing.
I hope all fiction writers will find these thoughts as energizing as I do. It refreshes me to find such reflections expounded at length. They encourage me to let my imagination make up fiction that reveals a human truth and connects with the hidden truth in readers.
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Sally Stuart on the responsibility of self-publishing
June 30th, 2009 by Nick CiskeThe vision behind BelieversPress is to provide the tools to help Christians publish books that are equivalent to those of royalty publishers.
From the award winning designers (who also design for large royalty publishers) to printing by Bethany Press (who prints about 30% of the best-selling Christian paperbacks*), to experienced editors (who edit books for major authors) — everything at BelieversPress is designed to help you publish the best possible book.
I ran across this quote from the Advanced Christian Writer column by Sally Stuart (author of the Christian Writers’ Market Guide) that sums it up well:
In the past, I have talked about the change of attitude toward self-published or print-on-demand books within the Christian publishing industry … While it is true
these options are making it possible for more writers to get their books published, that opportunity also brings with it a responsibility to maintain an appropriate level of
professionalism.Although the stigma attached to self-published books is blurring, it is still true that in order for such a book to get equal attention it must also maintain the highest quality of workmanship. For that reason, you must make every effort to produce a product that is equivalent to a royalty-published book.
Doing so means you must pay someone to design an appropriate cover; use quality paper and a reputable printer; and especially pay a well-qualified editor to do a thorough, line-by-line editing of the manuscript. To take shortcuts in any of these areas will lessen your chances of being noticed—and your book bought—once you get to the marketplace.
Ultimately it may also mean that you need to take a realistic look at your project and determine first if you have enough experience and credits to justify producing a book at this point—and then to be sure there is a place and need for it in the market at this time.
* Based on the ECPA best-seller list
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A good book, in the language of the book-sellers, is a salable one; in that of the curious, a scarce one; in that of men of sense, a useful and instructive one.
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