Does Size Really Matter?

Regarding the length of paragraphs--size, or perhaps better stated, length, is entirely up to the individual author. Many of us like to write the way we enjoy reading. Personally, I like short chapters, particularly when I know I don't have a huge block of time to read. I can get several chapters read and not have to stop in the middle of a scene.

How does a writer know when to end a chapter? There is no acceptable template to follow. I've seen books that have fifty or more pages to a chapter; I've also read books with a one-page chapter. It all depends on content and direction. Ending a chapter on a suspenseful note, causing the reader to wonder what happens next, is a great way to end. But to use that same tactic for each chapter is to overdue it and diminish the use of a great writing technique. Some chapters may be necessarily longer in length to resolve a conflict or create a back story, while others may be shorter to illustrate a point, or simply be informative for the reader.

On one discussion board, I heard a very cogent argument for short chapters. The participant explained his preference for short chapters by saying he compares long chapters to listening to a talkative person. The individual wants to tell you something, but rambles on until it all becomes boring and tiresome. Keep the reader in mind when you consider chapter length--it's up to you, the writer.

First Person Point of View

I write reviews for the New York Journal of Books, Two of the last three books I've reviewed were written in first person POV. They were good; the writer was able to get the reader inside the protagonist's head much better than if they had used third person.

But for the inexperienced writer, first person POV can be problematic, particularly because there is a tendency to bore the reader with too much narrative and the writer may ramble on causing too many dead spots. When first person POV works, the result is an exciting, thrilling read. When it doesn't, it becomes a major disappointment, even though the story itself may be unique or interesting.

For more on first person writing, check out this piece on Writers Digest: The Ins and Outs of First-Person POV.

Finished writing my review for Chosen by Chandra Hoffman, now on to my editor. http://ping.fm/bhUfL

Top 10 Writing Tips

I ran across Janet Fitch's blog in which she shares her wisdom about writing and enumerates the things that can improve anyone's writing. Janet is the author of "White Oleander" and "Paint it Black," and she teaches writing at USC. The list -- intended for fiction writers but good for many of us -- is reprinted in its entirety below, with Fitch's permission. Enjoy.

1. Write the sentence, not just the story

Long ago I got a rejection from the editor of the Santa Monica Review, Jim Krusoe. It said: “Good enough story, but what’s unique about your sentences?” That was the best advice I ever got. Learn to look at your sentences, play with them, make sure there’s music, lots of edges and corners to the sounds. Read your work aloud. Read poetry aloud and try to heighten in every way your sensitivity to the sound and rhythm and shape of sentences. The music of words. I like Dylan Thomas best for this–the Ballad of the Long-Legged Bait. I also like Sexton, Eliot, and Brodsky for the poets and Durrell and Les Plesko for prose. A terrific exercise is to take a paragraph of someone’s writing who has a really strong style, and using their structure, substitute your own words for theirs, and see how they achieved their effects.

2. Pick a better verb

Most people use twenty verbs to describe everything from a run in their stocking to the explosion of an atomic bomb. You know the ones: Was, did, had, made, went, looked… One-size-fits-all looks like crap on anyone. Sew yourself a custom made suit. Pick a better verb. Challenge all those verbs to really lift some weight for you.

3. Kill the cliché.

When you’re writing, anything you’ve ever heard or read before is a cliché. They can be combinations of words: Cold sweat. Fire-engine red, or phrases: on the same page, level playing field, or metaphors: big as a house. So quiet you could hear a pin drop. Sometimes things themselves are cliches: fuzzy dice, pink flamingo lawn ornaments, long blonde hair. Just keep asking yourself, “Honestly, have I ever seen this before?” Even if Shakespeare wrote it, or Virginia Woolf, it’s a cliché. You’re a writer and you have to invent it from scratch, all by yourself. That’s why writing is a lot of work, and demands unflinching honesty.

4. Variety is the key.

Most people write the same sentence over and over again. The same number of words–say, 8-10, or 10-12. The same sentence structure. Try to become stretchy–if you generally write 8 words, throw a 20 word sentence in there, and a few three-word shorties. If you’re generally a 20 word writer, make sure you throw in some threes, fivers and sevens, just to keep the reader from going cross eyed.

5. Explore sentences using dependent clauses.

A dependent clause (a sentence fragment set off by commas, dontcha know) helps you explore your story by moving you deeper into the sentence. It allows you to stop and think harder about what you’ve already written. Often the story you’re looking for is inside the sentence. The dependent clause helps you uncover it.

6. Use the landscape.

Always tell us where we are. And don’t just tell us where something is, make it pay off. Use description of landscape to help you establish the emotional tone of the scene. Keep notes of how other authors establish mood and foreshadow events by describing the world around the character. Look at the openings of Fitzgerald stories, and Graham Greene, they’re great at this.

7. Smarten up your protagonist.

Your protagonist is your reader’s portal into the story. The more observant he or she can be, the more vivid will be the world you’re creating. They don’t have to be super-educated, they just have to be mentally active. Keep them looking, thinking, wondering, remembering.

8. Learn to write dialogue.

This involves more than I can discuss here, but do it. Read the writers of great prose dialogue–people like Robert Stone and Joan Didion. Compression, saying as little as possible, making everything carry much more than is actually said. Conflict. Dialogue as part of an ongoing world, not just voices in a dark room. Never say the obvious. Skip the meet and greet.

9. Write in scenes.

What is a scene? a) A scene starts and ends in one place at one time (the Aristotelian unities of time and place–this stuff goes waaaayyyy back). b) A scene starts in one place emotionally and ends in another place emotionally. Starts angry, ends embarrassed. Starts lovestruck, ends disgusted. c) Something happens in a scene, whereby the character cannot go back to the way things were before. Make sure to finish a scene before you go on to the next. Make something happen.

10. Torture your protagonist.

The writer is both a sadist and a masochist. We create people we love, and then we torture them. The more we love them, and the more cleverly we torture them along the lines of their greatest vulnerability and fear, the better the story. Sometimes we try to protect them from getting booboos that are too big. Don’t. This is your protagonist, not your kid.

American Short Fiction

For those of you who like to write stories, there's a place on the web where you can both read and submit fictional stories. It's called American Short Fiction, and it allows you to submit your story for the paltry sum of two dollars. The site also holds contests for its followers. Check it out; it's another way to become published and get your work in front of others.

Borders Finally In

Borders announced that it has finally entered into the e-book market, by launching its own electronic book store. Although it has taken them some time to join others in capitalizing on what's being referred to as the future of publishing, Borders says its aim is to capture 17% of the industry. Read the entire story here: http://tiny.cc/xv9k4 The store, at http://ebooks.borders.com, has more than 1.5 million titles and thousands of free ones, and will feature various formats suitable for a variety of eReaders.

Check out my Author Page on Amazon. http://tiny.cc/ds3vg

Query Letters, The Worst Mistakes

Drawing from my recent attendance at a writers conference, I took some notes from a publisher who related some of the most egregious mistakes committed when submitting query letters:

• The salutation reads, "Dear Sir," when the publisher is a woman.




• Crazy, non-traditional fonts, all caps, and underlining.




• Getting personal is big. If you've met them or spoken on the phone with them, remind them of that.




• It's okay to say, "I've written about a social issue," etc.




• Stay within the publisher's genre.




• Be professional.




• Have a clear, concise summary of what the book is about--don't ramble.




• Include the genre and word count. If you're not certain, check out books similar to yours at the book store--don't tell them yours doesn't fit into any established genre.




• If a manuscript is requested by mail, don't over-tape the box--it annoys publishers.

Warriors In High Heels, Part II--check it out http://tiny.cc/54wrb

Two New Book Reviews

I just completed two book reviews for the New York Journal of Books, find them here: http://tiny.cc/jlwds. If you enjoy reading thrillers, both books will fill that desire. They're Watching by Greg Hurwitz, and Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.

Creating Suspense

Your novel doesn't have to be a thriller to incorporate suspense, it can be any genre. But including suspense in your writing ramps up the readers' interest. That begs the question: How do I create suspense? I attended a writers conference a couple of weeks ago in which this element was discussed on at least two panels. On one of those panels, Simon Wood, a well-known author, provided some simple guidelines.

Give the reader a lofty viewpoint. Provide your audience with both points of view: protagonist and antagonist.

Use time constraints. Time should favor the bad guy, while the clock works against the protagonist.

Consequences or high stakes. Some dire consequence must be the outcome, one that will devastate the hero.

Creating dilemmas. Constant challenges laid down in front of the hero, causing him to make tough decisions and costing time to solve.

Unpredictability. The protagonist should be unable to solve every problem he faces.

These are some of the elements that go into the mix of creating a story with suspense. And, if you're able to pull it off, using first person POV will allow your reader to get inside the heads of your hero and bad guy.

Building the Platform

In the past, we've discussed the importance of building an author's platform, getting your name and work out there. It can be a chore at times, posting on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. During the writers conference last week in Vegas, I discovered a tool that allows you to post to all these sites simultaneously. The website is: http://ping.fm/ It's a free service that makes updating your social networks a snap. I've begun using it; it's a time-saver--give it a try.

Grandson Colin scored again in hockey--I missed it--I'm in NY :-(

Thriller or Mystery?

I just spent three days in Vegas at the Public Safety Writers Convention. It was a great opportunity to meet with fellow authors and columnists from around the country. I also appeared on two panels, one of which had four of us discussing the difference between a thriller and a mystery. One of the panelists was best-selling author, Simon Wood, whose new novel, Terminated, has just released.

We all agreed that the basic difference between the two is simply this: a mystery begins with the crime or main event happening immediately, and what follows is the effort to solve it. The thriller, on the other hand, is structured in such a manner so that there is an ever-increasing crescendo of action that culminates at the end with the big event or crime. It's somewhat akin to a roller coaster ride, with highs and lows, but nonetheless, the climax comes at the end.

I was thoroughly pleased with the conference. I learned several things that I'm sure will enhance my writing in the future. One thing which was reinforced for me was the importance of a critique group. I am thankful for our own Riverside Writers group that meets at Borders. Thanks to all who have helped me in the past. I'll be sharing some other topics from the conference in future posts.

Grandson Colin's hockey team won today; he scored! Great Fathers Day gift.

It Is A Learning Experience

Getting a book published is a journey. Some may experience a longer trip than others, but all who travel the publishing road will have many things in common. I came across a good article on the topic in which Alan Orloff describes: 7 Things I've Learned So Far. Take a look at it, it's worth reading whether or not you're published. Items two and six, rang true or me. Number two talks about getting help from critique groups, editors, etc, while item six reinforces what I've learned: other writers are extremely generous in helping new authors with time and advice on a myriad of subjects that will help the newbies reach their goal of becoming published.

The Importance of Reading

Do you want to become a good writer? If the answer is yes, then it's important that you become a good reader first. Whenever I appear on an authors' panel, or speak to a group about writing, I stress the importance of reading. This simple pleasure is an invaluable tool that allows a writer to learn the many skills needed to write, whether it be fiction or non-fiction.

The key to learning from reading is to read with a critical eye--try to discover the techniques the author uses to get the reader involved in the story. How does he develop his characters, what point of view does he use to draw the reader in, and does he use language that makes the story credible and believable? Look for these teaching points when you begin your next book. Here's a link to an excellent post on the same topic: Book Publishing News.

Top Ten Ways NOT To Improve Your Writing

I came across an excellent posting by Jodi Wisenhunt about the top ten ways NOT to improve your writing. Since it's such a complete and concise list, I'd like to share it with those of you who follow my blog. Here's the link: Aim For Perfection Editing.

My favorite on the list (and also a pet peeve) is number seven:

7) Use cute little "catch phrases" and be sure to place quotation marks around them so the reader "gets" it.

Read the list to see if you find yourself involved with any of the "no-no's."

My thanks to Ms. Wisenhunt.

Hooking A Reader

If you're like most of us who shop for books, the first thing you do is open the book to the first chapter and read the first sentence. More often than not the first few sentences or paragraphs will serve to aid your decision to buy the book or not. That means your opening sentence is probably the most important one in your book. It has to "hook" the reader, drawing him in with excitement, or perhaps shock, wanting the reader to know more about the story.

As an example, I offer the first paragraph of my second novel, Gripped By Fear:

It was done. He stood and fastened his pants, then became one with the darkness as he slipped out the door and into the alley. This time of night welcomed only demons and devils. It was good, but not nearly enough. He would need more . . . soon.

For more on the importance of your first sentence, read this post: On Writing: A Tate Publishing Blog.

You Are Your Own Best Publicist

I'm at the doctor's office this morning, reading my Kindle as I await my turn to be seen. A woman is leaving and sees me, she asks, "Is that a Kindle?" I reply that it is, and a conversation ensues in which we discuss e-readers (she has a Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader).

Being always prepared, I hand her one of my bookmarks which contains information about both my novels. I tell her that it's available on Kindle and other readers; she is interested and reveals that she manages the B & N in Alexandria. A few moments later we agree to arrange a book signing.

The bottom line of this chance meeting? No one can market you, better than you. Always be prepared to sell yourself and your work.