When is there too much detail and too much procedural information in your novel? When I teach composition and writing the research paper, I tell my wide-eyed students that the reader is a hungry cuss. That you cannot ever really feed the reader ENOUGH details, facts, figures, charts, information, story examples, and procedural items in the event that you wish to persuade or move someone to your side of an argument. That the writer’s job is no different from that of a prosecuting attorney—evidence atop evidence atop evidence. You want to win, pour on the evidence until it is coming out the reader’s pores. There’s a great deal to recommend this approach in a thesis paper say on How Microwaves Actually Work. But how true is it in writing fiction? At what point do you respect your reader to have gotten the point? There is the fear you fall into writing down to your reader, and readers of fiction are savvy and smart, and they “get it” with a few mere suggestive facts.
Some writers pour on the detail in describing a person, a place, or a thing. A character is given three pages of descript down to the type of toothpaste a character uses, while the story is at a standstill; or a place like a courtroom in a Grisham novel is given ten pages of description; or worse yet a boulder is described for twenty five pages by James Michener. Dean R. Koontz will devote paragraphs to tell you it is hot outside, but in doing so, he makes you and his character sweat and begin to pull off clothing, and that can be damned effective writing. But can you overdooooo the detail, the facts, the information, the evidence of heat in a scene? Does it do you well to exhaust the thesaurus for hot? In the right hands, yes, and for the right purpose yes, but there are scenes that are KILLED DEAD by overkill of details and procedures even in a police procedural novel, or the one-too-many autopsies in a medical examiner novel—especially when the procedure for the autopsy is followed faithfully for each autopsy, faithfully and laboriously and boringly. If your novel requires three or five or six autopsies, do we have to begin at the beginning of each autopsy? Do we need to see every detail, every cut? Can we agree that the reader, put through one procedure detail for detail, can extrapolate, can imagine, can move on from the end of a second autopsy? Or gather what is needed from a discussion after the slicing and dicing? And as for police procedure, not every detail of police work is inherently interesting, such as the forms needing to be filled out. In a nonfiction context, every detail might be requisite; in a fiction context no. Especially the most boring of police detail.
The worst thing I have ever witnessed in this regard did not come from a first time author, a newbie, a wannabe, or even a student in one of my comp classes, but from a professional author with many books to his credit. Said author breaks with the reader and all suspension of disbelief by placing a blank form straight out of the FBI inbox-outbox office supply. Yes a form that is filled out on a “profile” of an UNSUB or unsubstantiated suspect, a serial killer. The form in and of itself, on the page, blank and “staring the reader in the face” looks and reads about as interesting as an application for a library card, or something from the Department of Motor Vehicles. It jarred me right out of the book. Admittedly, this is an extreme form of what NOT to do in a police or FBI procedural. Much more interesting to have one’s character complaining about the form than to “reveal” the form on the page. In a novel, the appearance of a fill-in-the-blank form is a good way to KILL YOUR OWN SCENE.
The other area that kills a scene in the police procedural (or any suspense or mystery or thriller or crime novel) is making the procedure more important than the action or drama, more important than the characters, the setting, and the scene itself. If you sacrifice drama for dullness, you are going down the wrong path. In my Edge Series, I pay a lot more attention to police procedure and street-level law than I do in my FBI ME Instinct Series. In either case, I can’t sacrifice my dramatic moment, be it making an arrest or making an incision, to the demands of procedural detail. I have read ME novels wherein the first autopsy scene is merely duplicated, word for word, cut and paste to the next autopsy scene—once five times in the same book. This kills it for me.
Bottom line is, while you should study/research/know police procedure if you are writing a novel that hinges on procedure (a main character with such attention to detail that it defines him or her), it becomes way too easy to spend too much time on procedural details, and as with any info dump, the procedures can become focal points where you think you are doing right and good, hitting your mark, when in fact if you get lost in your research. Trust me, details in fiction are necessary but you can’t make the book about that; if you do, then the non-fictional elements of your story can and will take over to the degree a reader asks, “Why don’t I just read a nonfiction title on this? May as well. So when do you know to back off the heavy-handed procedure or hold back on the autopsy or whatever you’ve researched? Quick and dirty answer: When it gets boring, slows the story, stops the story; when you realize you’ve begun to leave out your main character(s) and they can’t be found in the scene because you’re now going on for paragraphs about procedures and forms and documentation and all that stuff that is needed in a thesis paper.
Historical novels can fall into the same trap, and science fiction for sure, for sure. When the history takes over or when the science takes over its then that the characters, like actors working a bad script, drop away. Picture this, Atlanta is burning at the hands of the Federal soldiers led by Sherman; the backdrop of fire looks like Hell itself, but silhouetted before and well in front of the fire and the fall of Atlanta is Brett and Scarlett holding forth, saving one another. Gone With The Wind is a love story first, a romance, and an historical second (backdrop to the romance is the history), and it is the job of the fictionalist to keep the two in place, no matter what devices you use to get your history or your science or your medicinal facts in. How many readers want to read in detail the war policy of the South, the war policy of the North in GWTW?
Which brings us to a final point about procedure(s) and how much attention we should give them in any sort of novel. When the procedure is interesting, even fascinating, we may well do the reader a justice to put the information before our readers. Say some point of history as told by one of the characters in the story, or a point of history in photography, a new science at the time, and how one man was a test case in copyright law for this new science. What is more boring than copyright law? But if it is an obsession and fascination for the character, it may be made fascinating. If it’s cool and interesting, go for it. Example two: I don’t care to see detail for detail how a military weapon is cleaned, but I might find it fascinating if the procedure is sifted through the mind of a man or woman who has an intimate relationship with the gun in question, and said character is what the scene is about and not the procedure itself. IF it is done in a boring method that drops out the guy with his five senses, we get a scene with a man who cleans his gun when I can simply be told that he’s expert at cleaning his gun. Don’t need to see detail for detail: vomiting or diarrhea, bathroom procedure for my hero or villain such as brushing of teeth, combing of hair (unless there’s a very good reason for it), walking in a girdle beneath a huge party dress down a flight of stairs while in high heels, giving a dog a bath, giving a parakeet a meal, changing kitty litter, coring an apple, and countless other brainless procedures.
Much of police procedure, even in a police procedural novel, can be alluded to, and a mere mention or suggestion is like a photograph—worth a thousand words—and is often far more gratifying than the play by play when dealing with dress codes in the department, or what is between the covers of the Illinois Penal Code. Determine what is too boring to detail and you stand a chance of not killing your own scene. Final admonition, don’t stop the action to describe a process. Do so amid the action, make it part of the action/drama. Just as in don’t stop the action/drama to describe a person (character), place (setting), or thing (object or process).
Hope this helps all those who were wondering when is too much tooodammmuchh.
Happy Writing,
Rob Walker
www.robertwalkerbooks.com
www.FictionWise.com
www.HarperCollins.com
www.Amazon.com\shorts
www.myspace.com\robertWWalkerbooks.com
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
SWAP PARTIES By Morgan Mandel
I love my husband. I lead a somewhat normal life. When I’m not working, I spend a lot of time writing, reading, watching TV and movies, going to garage and rummage sales, arts and craft fairs, neighborhood festivals. My biggest vices are playing penny slots and occasionally letting slip one of the naughty words the late George Carlin made famous.
So, why am I considering a swap party? Am I bored with the status quo?
Okay, before your jaws drop at the idea of my being one of those decadent suburban wives, I’ll let you in on a bit of news. Contrary to the old-fashioned notion of trading husbands and wives, today’s swap party is much different.
Swap parties these days are parties where people get together and swap items they don’t need or care for in exchange for items they really want. They’re kind of like interactive garage or rummage sales. The idea is to not only save money, but also to protect the environment by not cluttering up the landfills. It’s another way of going green, which is very popular lately.
As a lover of garage sales and an owner of a cluttered basement, I think swap parties are a great idea. I’m not sure if I’d like to run one myself, but I would love to go to one. Until I find one in my area, I just might try out one of those sites on the Internet for trading goods, such as http://freecycle.org or http://www.swapthing.com.
I have no idea of the reputation of these sites, but they’re among the first ones that came up when I Googled about free swapping.
You might ask, as you probably do when reading my blogs, what does any of this have to do with books and my being an author? Well, in a way I’m part of a swap party already. I offer books in exchange for reviews. Also, some of my best friends, relatives and acquaintances are already swapping my books amongst themselves and others, some even to the extent of carrying them along on vacation to different states and letting others read them poolside.
Of course, one of the biggest book swapping places is the public library, where patrons can check out books, and if they wish, donate others.
I try not to wince at the thought of all those royalties lost. Instead, I look at the positive side.
While swapping practices among an author’s relatives, friends and acquaintances or patrons taking advantage of the library system seem destructive for a career as an author, in fact the opposite is true. Word of mouth is still the best sales tool to get my brand out, and getting known is very important to me. The more buzz about my career and my books, TWO WRONGS and GIRL OF MY DREAMS, whatever the means, is good publicity and I welcome it.
So maybe one of these days I’ll participate in a modern swap party, but in the meantime until I can find one, I’ll settle for getting my books circulated and my name known.
Morgan Mandel
www.morganmandel.com
http://bookplace.ning.com
www.myspace.com/morganmandel
http://mysteryturtles.blogspot.com
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
www.juniorscave.com/morganmandel.html
So, why am I considering a swap party? Am I bored with the status quo?
Okay, before your jaws drop at the idea of my being one of those decadent suburban wives, I’ll let you in on a bit of news. Contrary to the old-fashioned notion of trading husbands and wives, today’s swap party is much different.
Swap parties these days are parties where people get together and swap items they don’t need or care for in exchange for items they really want. They’re kind of like interactive garage or rummage sales. The idea is to not only save money, but also to protect the environment by not cluttering up the landfills. It’s another way of going green, which is very popular lately.
As a lover of garage sales and an owner of a cluttered basement, I think swap parties are a great idea. I’m not sure if I’d like to run one myself, but I would love to go to one. Until I find one in my area, I just might try out one of those sites on the Internet for trading goods, such as http://freecycle.org or http://www.swapthing.com.
I have no idea of the reputation of these sites, but they’re among the first ones that came up when I Googled about free swapping.
You might ask, as you probably do when reading my blogs, what does any of this have to do with books and my being an author? Well, in a way I’m part of a swap party already. I offer books in exchange for reviews. Also, some of my best friends, relatives and acquaintances are already swapping my books amongst themselves and others, some even to the extent of carrying them along on vacation to different states and letting others read them poolside.
Of course, one of the biggest book swapping places is the public library, where patrons can check out books, and if they wish, donate others.
I try not to wince at the thought of all those royalties lost. Instead, I look at the positive side.
While swapping practices among an author’s relatives, friends and acquaintances or patrons taking advantage of the library system seem destructive for a career as an author, in fact the opposite is true. Word of mouth is still the best sales tool to get my brand out, and getting known is very important to me. The more buzz about my career and my books, TWO WRONGS and GIRL OF MY DREAMS, whatever the means, is good publicity and I welcome it.
So maybe one of these days I’ll participate in a modern swap party, but in the meantime until I can find one, I’ll settle for getting my books circulated and my name known.
Morgan Mandel
www.morganmandel.com
http://bookplace.ning.com
www.myspace.com/morganmandel
http://mysteryturtles.blogspot.com
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
www.juniorscave.com/morganmandel.html
Monday, July 14, 2008
Reality Show Hell
“So, what’s the problem?” he asked.
“Well,” I said, shifting on the couch, “frankly, I’m in Reality Show Hell.”
“And how’s that?” he asked, peering down at me.
“It started pretty innocently. The wife and daughters would be watching a show, while I’d be watching the game over in the Guy’s Room.”
“The Guy’s Room?”
“Yeah, Guy’s Room. You know, flat screen television, overstuffed chair, a bench seat from the original Comisky Park, beer, minor league baseball pennants and an Indianapolis Colt life-size replica helmet. A guy’s gotta have a Guy’s Room.”
“Nice.”
“Sure is. Anyway, during time-outs and half-time, I’d go over to see what they’re watching.”
“Okay, and then what?”
“You know, I’m trying to be the Modern Husband and Father, and get all involved in what they’re doing and everything.”
“Admirable. It’s nice that this age has spawned the advent of fathers taking an interest in their families.”
I squirmed a bit on the sofa, sliding a bit on the slick leather.
“Uh, yeah, I guess,” I answered. One of my belt loops hooked on one of the sofa’s buttons. I tried to pry it off without him noticing.
“So the problem?” he prompted.
“I dunno, I’d sit down, start watching the show with them. You know,” I said, looking back at him, “I’m really not sure I can talk about this.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything that you don’t want to. Although you will have to face your fears in order to overcome them.”
I shot him a quick glance. Crazy quack. What the hell was I doing here?
“Uh, that’s not it, really...” I faltered.
“Then what is it?”
I took a deep breath.
“Well, I’d get hooked on what they were watching, sometimes...” Actually, what I was hooked to was the button on the couch. And it was coming loose.
“Yes?”
“Oh, sorry. Anyway, sometimes I’d get sucked into what they were watching, and I’d, uh, forget about the game.”
“You’d forget about the game?” He sounded upset.
“Uh, yeah, I guess.”
“So what kind of shows would they be watching?”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you. It’s all reality show stuff.”
“Reality show?”
“Yeah, it started innocently enough. You know, stuff like American Idol.”
“Oh, yeah,” he gushed. “Do you remember Clay Aiken?”
“You know Clay Aiken?” I asked. Shocked, I twisted in the couch, and felt the couch button pop off.
“Well, uh-hem, I, uh, know the name,” he said, refusing to meet my eyes. “I, uh, treat many women patients, too.”
“Oh.” I settled back down, parking my butt to hide where the button had popped off.
“Then what?”
“Anyway, I started watching Survivor. Then I got sucked into The Osbournes, and My Big, Fat Obnoxious Fiancé. It wasn’t long before I was watching more reality shows than ESPN!!”
He was quiet for a few moments.
I counted a few ceiling tiles.
After a few more moments, I finally turned around.
He was gone!
There was an open door in the back, and carefully I crept up to it and peered in.
To my shock, I saw him covertly watching, (gasp), My Hypocritical Hippocratic Oath-taking Doctor.
When I left, I didn’t bother telling him about the busted button. For what he gets paid, he can replace it himself.
Norm
The Adventures of Guy … written by a guy (probably)
The Next Adventures of Guy … more wackiness
The Heat of the Moment
Fang Face (coming in 2009)
Saturday, July 12, 2008
A Cafe in Paris by Margot Justes
It is summer, and many tourists will flock to Paris. There are no bad times in which to visit this magnificent city, but summer seems to be the season of choice.
To avoid the tourist crush, I prefer anytime but summer; to be able to capture and breathe the sensations of this captivating city in relative peace.
The cafes are a lifestyle, slow, easy…relaxing; the continuous rush of the life glides by, while you sit in a café and enjoy that marvelous cup.
Visit the famous Café De La Paix, sit down-you might even be sitting down in the same spot as Chopin, maybe even Sand-they were among the many writers, artists, musicians who frequented the spot. Sit, enjoy and pay homage to a time long gone by-yet, it’s still there. That is the magic…
The Champs Elyssee, a must for any tourist, many cafes from which to chose-but, there is a new kid on the block; Nespresso has arrived -a 10,00 square feet ‘boutique’. I have yet to see it, rest assured I will - as I said it is brand new, just opened this June-oddly enough the time of my launch of A Hotel in Paris. Coincidence, I think not…
That particular touch of coffee nirvana you can have right in your own home, the machine is available to purchase from Williams Sonoma or go directly to www.nespresso.com
The coffee is excellent, the crema sublime, and it is easy to use. My greatest joy when I sit down to write or anytime I have a few moments, is to have a good cup of coffee, in fact many cups of coffee. Great coffee, solitude and writing…pure heaven.
Till next Saturday,
Margot Justes
A Hotel in Paris
Art brought her to Paris, then a stranger’s death changes her life.
Available on amazon.com
www.mjustes.com
To avoid the tourist crush, I prefer anytime but summer; to be able to capture and breathe the sensations of this captivating city in relative peace.
The cafes are a lifestyle, slow, easy…relaxing; the continuous rush of the life glides by, while you sit in a café and enjoy that marvelous cup.
Visit the famous Café De La Paix, sit down-you might even be sitting down in the same spot as Chopin, maybe even Sand-they were among the many writers, artists, musicians who frequented the spot. Sit, enjoy and pay homage to a time long gone by-yet, it’s still there. That is the magic…
The Champs Elyssee, a must for any tourist, many cafes from which to chose-but, there is a new kid on the block; Nespresso has arrived -a 10,00 square feet ‘boutique’. I have yet to see it, rest assured I will - as I said it is brand new, just opened this June-oddly enough the time of my launch of A Hotel in Paris. Coincidence, I think not…
That particular touch of coffee nirvana you can have right in your own home, the machine is available to purchase from Williams Sonoma or go directly to www.nespresso.com
The coffee is excellent, the crema sublime, and it is easy to use. My greatest joy when I sit down to write or anytime I have a few moments, is to have a good cup of coffee, in fact many cups of coffee. Great coffee, solitude and writing…pure heaven.
Till next Saturday,
Margot Justes
A Hotel in Paris
Art brought her to Paris, then a stranger’s death changes her life.
Available on amazon.com
www.mjustes.com
Friday, July 11, 2008
EDITING SERVICES & BOOK DOCS (omit: THAT ARE) WORTH YOUR DIME by Robert W. Walker
How do you know you’re talking to someone who can truly help you with your query letter, your synopsis, your outline, and your apostrophes?—someone who knows the difference between an outline and a synopsis, for instance. How do you know if you are dealing with a professional book doctor and not a mere butcher? How can you negotiate a good, safe deal with a developmental editor? Or a proofreader? And what’s the difference between the two? And is there wiggle room for negotiation?
First off, determine if the person you are working with will do your outline, synopsis, and first chapters or first 30 pages at a cut rate in order to SEE if he or she and you can work together on a complete project. This “introductory rate” is how I get to know the nature of the project and how the client-writer gets to know my capabilities and how much I can contribute to his/her manuscript.
Going into a “partnership” with a proofreader is one thing, a developmental editor or book doctor capable of helping you with copyediting as well is quite another. We don’t hear the term book doctor much anymore (sorry if I sound like Andy Rooney here). I suspect few people use the term book doctor nowadays because so many so-called “book doctors” turned out to be charlatans simply out to fleece the so easily charmed writer. The term developmental editor is applied to a person who is willing and able to go beyond mere proofing for grammatical, spelling, usage, errors—same as book doctor; one who takes the next major step to provide you with answers to structure, beginnings, endings, middle-ground slumps, and the larger issues of logic, sequence of events, setting, muscling up setting and character, where to turn a telling paragraph into one of dialogue and action, and so much more. Therefore, know what you are paying for up front. You should not be paying “developmental editing” prices for a “proofreading” of your work. Your sister the English teacher could proofread your work at no charge.
Ask the question of your prospective editor: “Does your fee of 1.50 per page include developmental editing, or are we talking proofreading only?” Or: “Does your 2.00 per page include legitimate doctoring of the script? Wherein the ‘good doctor’ actually point out various shortcomings in the script? And do you provide solutions to the serious problems that might be keeping the book from being published?”
A developmental going-over will clearly mark the pattern errors in your writing—the one, two, or three most serious errors (sins) you are making and making repeatedly. And if you can be shown this in the introductory package, you may then decide to do a complete rewrite on your own and so you don’t—at this time—need any editor, proofreader or developmental doctor. You can learn a great deal by having a truly good developmental editor go over those first thirty pages.
A developmental editor or doc does not rewrite your book, but he or she may suggest whole rewrites of whole scenes from a fat, unappetizing “block” of telling information to redo as a three-way conversation. He or she will indicate where you don’t want to use a passive construction (passive verb), which might require a total rewrite of a sentence. A paragraph riddled with the word WAS may not be apparent to you, but it will be to an editor, agent, or your book doctor. A developmental editor may point out that you have begun your book in the wrong place! That the true opening should be the second or even the third scene or chapter for that matter. I once urged one of my clients to start on page 70 and “fill in” what has happened before that as quick flash-thoughts from the main character. The real action began on page 70. I have advised others to cut whole chapters that added nothing of substance to the novel. At the same time, issues of format might come up along with too many commas in the wrong places, or too little use of commas.
So to be brief and to the point, to improve your dialogue get thee to a developmental editor. To get the mechanics right—commas, semi-colons, full colons, etc—get yourself a proofreader who should be charging a lot less. To get the benefit of both grammatical correctness and developmental or structural correctness, logic, sequence, dialogue, setting, characterization, voice, etc—be sure to ask if the service is for “developmental” editing and “proofreading”. Most developmental editors worth their salt do both for the price they charge.
Is it worth your dime? Absolutely if you are working with a real pro and one who works with you on a timely basis. You can learn about said doc or developmental or proof editor by negotiating a deal for the first thirty pages or your ancillary material—query letter, outline, synopsis and a chapter. You find out early on with little commitment of time or money on both sides whether or not the two of you are compatible and capable of working on a long-term project.
I do editing on the side, and I have had clients whose novels are not novels but treatises on how the author has categorically proven the existence of God. I had one novel that lacked ACTION of any sort as its main character was SO rooted in ITS setting; it was 300 pages from the point of view of a Bonsai tree, a tree that, for me, lacked character as well. These are clients some twenty years ago, so I’m not too fearful of being sued here for my comments. I have been an editor and professor of creative writing now for forty years.
I am currently editing a retired chemistry professor and engineer, whose textbook on how the universe and mankind came into being explores the relationship between the two. I just finished two wonderfully wrought mystery novels, one from a Chicago lawyer, a legal thriller, and I can definitely say that I so much more enjoy doing developmental editing on a suspense thriller or mystery novel than any other sort of project, but I also do my very best for all of my clients. All of them appreciate the “introductory” plan of sending me their first three chapters or 30 pages at the lower rate of a dollar and a half per page before THEY decide and I decide if we can work together or not at the price of two dollars per page thereafter.
The Knife Services, if you or a loved one is in need of a serious developmental editor, can be got to via my website at: www.robertWalkerbooks.com
Happy Writing All,
Rob Walker
www.HarperCollins.com
www.Echelonpress.com
www.FictionWise.com
First off, determine if the person you are working with will do your outline, synopsis, and first chapters or first 30 pages at a cut rate in order to SEE if he or she and you can work together on a complete project. This “introductory rate” is how I get to know the nature of the project and how the client-writer gets to know my capabilities and how much I can contribute to his/her manuscript.
Going into a “partnership” with a proofreader is one thing, a developmental editor or book doctor capable of helping you with copyediting as well is quite another. We don’t hear the term book doctor much anymore (sorry if I sound like Andy Rooney here). I suspect few people use the term book doctor nowadays because so many so-called “book doctors” turned out to be charlatans simply out to fleece the so easily charmed writer. The term developmental editor is applied to a person who is willing and able to go beyond mere proofing for grammatical, spelling, usage, errors—same as book doctor; one who takes the next major step to provide you with answers to structure, beginnings, endings, middle-ground slumps, and the larger issues of logic, sequence of events, setting, muscling up setting and character, where to turn a telling paragraph into one of dialogue and action, and so much more. Therefore, know what you are paying for up front. You should not be paying “developmental editing” prices for a “proofreading” of your work. Your sister the English teacher could proofread your work at no charge.
Ask the question of your prospective editor: “Does your fee of 1.50 per page include developmental editing, or are we talking proofreading only?” Or: “Does your 2.00 per page include legitimate doctoring of the script? Wherein the ‘good doctor’ actually point out various shortcomings in the script? And do you provide solutions to the serious problems that might be keeping the book from being published?”
A developmental going-over will clearly mark the pattern errors in your writing—the one, two, or three most serious errors (sins) you are making and making repeatedly. And if you can be shown this in the introductory package, you may then decide to do a complete rewrite on your own and so you don’t—at this time—need any editor, proofreader or developmental doctor. You can learn a great deal by having a truly good developmental editor go over those first thirty pages.
A developmental editor or doc does not rewrite your book, but he or she may suggest whole rewrites of whole scenes from a fat, unappetizing “block” of telling information to redo as a three-way conversation. He or she will indicate where you don’t want to use a passive construction (passive verb), which might require a total rewrite of a sentence. A paragraph riddled with the word WAS may not be apparent to you, but it will be to an editor, agent, or your book doctor. A developmental editor may point out that you have begun your book in the wrong place! That the true opening should be the second or even the third scene or chapter for that matter. I once urged one of my clients to start on page 70 and “fill in” what has happened before that as quick flash-thoughts from the main character. The real action began on page 70. I have advised others to cut whole chapters that added nothing of substance to the novel. At the same time, issues of format might come up along with too many commas in the wrong places, or too little use of commas.
So to be brief and to the point, to improve your dialogue get thee to a developmental editor. To get the mechanics right—commas, semi-colons, full colons, etc—get yourself a proofreader who should be charging a lot less. To get the benefit of both grammatical correctness and developmental or structural correctness, logic, sequence, dialogue, setting, characterization, voice, etc—be sure to ask if the service is for “developmental” editing and “proofreading”. Most developmental editors worth their salt do both for the price they charge.
Is it worth your dime? Absolutely if you are working with a real pro and one who works with you on a timely basis. You can learn about said doc or developmental or proof editor by negotiating a deal for the first thirty pages or your ancillary material—query letter, outline, synopsis and a chapter. You find out early on with little commitment of time or money on both sides whether or not the two of you are compatible and capable of working on a long-term project.
I do editing on the side, and I have had clients whose novels are not novels but treatises on how the author has categorically proven the existence of God. I had one novel that lacked ACTION of any sort as its main character was SO rooted in ITS setting; it was 300 pages from the point of view of a Bonsai tree, a tree that, for me, lacked character as well. These are clients some twenty years ago, so I’m not too fearful of being sued here for my comments. I have been an editor and professor of creative writing now for forty years.
I am currently editing a retired chemistry professor and engineer, whose textbook on how the universe and mankind came into being explores the relationship between the two. I just finished two wonderfully wrought mystery novels, one from a Chicago lawyer, a legal thriller, and I can definitely say that I so much more enjoy doing developmental editing on a suspense thriller or mystery novel than any other sort of project, but I also do my very best for all of my clients. All of them appreciate the “introductory” plan of sending me their first three chapters or 30 pages at the lower rate of a dollar and a half per page before THEY decide and I decide if we can work together or not at the price of two dollars per page thereafter.
The Knife Services, if you or a loved one is in need of a serious developmental editor, can be got to via my website at: www.robertWalkerbooks.com
Happy Writing All,
Rob Walker
www.HarperCollins.com
www.Echelonpress.com
www.FictionWise.com
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Visit My New Website! by DL Larson
My new website is up and running. Please come visit at www.DLLARSON.com. Browse a bit and be sure to leave me a message. Do a review of one of my books. Or go to Amazon.com and see the 5 star ratings for each of my books: Memories Trail, and Promises To Keep. Feel free to add a review there as well.
Thank you, THANK YOU to my webmaster Amber Larson! She's done a fabulous job and I'm very happy she took the time to help me out!!!!!!!!! She's added a photo album to my webpage, something I've been meaning to do. We have lots more pictures, maybe someday I'll display some action shots and you can see first hand how quirky, er - silly my family is.
So please spread the word about my webpage. Visit, visit, visit! Buy a book, Heck buy a couple! It's back to staining and varnishing windows of my daughter's almost finished new house... I'll be sure to update you on that progress soon. It's quite like revisions. Always something left undone or needing fixing!
Til next time ~
DL Larson
PS: our kittens are still napping on my flowerpots, cute! Not so adorable is the fact they are now using my gravel driveway as a potty. Ick!!!! My first attempt at deterring this has been to feed them further and further from the house, they are after all destined to be barn cats. So far this doesn't seem to phase them. Tip-toeing through the gravel in sandals no less has become a challenge. You cat lovers out there - please send me some ideas on how to fix this unsavory problem. My hubby is not pleased his manly gravel is being used in such an undignified way. And I do believe my flowerpots may be destined for the barn as well. Bring help fast!! Please!
Thank you, THANK YOU to my webmaster Amber Larson! She's done a fabulous job and I'm very happy she took the time to help me out!!!!!!!!! She's added a photo album to my webpage, something I've been meaning to do. We have lots more pictures, maybe someday I'll display some action shots and you can see first hand how quirky, er - silly my family is.
So please spread the word about my webpage. Visit, visit, visit! Buy a book, Heck buy a couple! It's back to staining and varnishing windows of my daughter's almost finished new house... I'll be sure to update you on that progress soon. It's quite like revisions. Always something left undone or needing fixing!
Til next time ~
DL Larson
PS: our kittens are still napping on my flowerpots, cute! Not so adorable is the fact they are now using my gravel driveway as a potty. Ick!!!! My first attempt at deterring this has been to feed them further and further from the house, they are after all destined to be barn cats. So far this doesn't seem to phase them. Tip-toeing through the gravel in sandals no less has become a challenge. You cat lovers out there - please send me some ideas on how to fix this unsavory problem. My hubby is not pleased his manly gravel is being used in such an undignified way. And I do believe my flowerpots may be destined for the barn as well. Bring help fast!! Please!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
FESTIVAL FUN By Morgan Mandel
Photo Right Above: Romantic Suspense Author, Margot Justes, Young Adult Author, June Sproat. In the back - Morgan Mandel, Mystery and Romantic Comedy Author.This year for the local Festival, myself, along with two fellow Acme Authors Link bloggers, Margot Justes and June Sproat, decided to try something different. I knew from past years of attending the five-day Frontier Days Festival in Arlington Heights that it’s a popular happening. Marketplace, where the arts and crafters reside on Saturday and Sunday, is one of the many events which pulls in a huge crowd.
With high hopes we set up our designated spot. We assembled the canopy lent to us by Debra St. John, another Acme Authors Link blogger, set up the card tables and chairs, arranged our books and promotional material and hoped for the best.
Would people come to our booth? If so, would an arts and crafts crowd have any interest in reading? I have to say we were pleasantly surprised. Our group, which we called Area Authors, held up well to the surrounding competition.
Right from the start on Saturday, the busiest of the two days, peopled stopped by, checked out the books, turned them over, looked at the blurbs and the first pages as readers are apt to do.
I was totally unprepared and terrifically happy when one lady mentioned she’d read my first book, Two Wrongs, at the library and came back to find more. Fortunately, Girl of My Dreams had been published by then and she could read it as well. That wasn’t enough. When she saw me, she decided to buy autographed copies of both books for her friend.
For those who said they used the library or had run out of money at the other booths, we made sure to offer bookmarks so they wouldn't forget us and would know where to order.
Invariably, we asked the question, “Do you like to read?” Many times we got the response, “Yes, but I don’t have enough time.”
Sadly, too many people have given up reading in favor of TV, movies and other pastimes which don’t require much effort or thought.
On Sunday, a gentleman representing the opposite side of the spectrum stopped by to visit, mentioning his library consisted of 1,000 books. Now it’s one thousand and one, since I sold Two Wrongs to him!
Another person said, “I’ve never heard of you,” to all of us, which made me even more determined to get my brand out to the public.
Then there was the guy who stepped up to our booth, picked up Two Wrongs and bought it without even looking at it. I didn’t complain. It was gratifying to see that my first book, is still doing as well as the new release, though it’s been out longer.
All in all, I recommend going the Festival route and will sign up for this one again. It was a fun, gratifying, hot and tiring day, but well worth it!
Morgan Mandel
www.morganmandel.com
www.myspace.com/morganmandel
http://bookplace.ning.com
http://mysteryturtles.blogspot.com
www.juniorscave.com/morganmandel.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)