Reflections

It's been almost two months since I posted ... not because I didn't have things to talk about, but because of a distinct lack of time (due in part to family commitments, work, and a nasty viral bronchitis that's pretty much side-lined me for the past 3 weeks).  This has been quite the year, with some significant ups and some even more significant downs.  I'm glad to be moving forward, with all that the new year, and the promise of a new start, brings.

I have a lengthy list of blog posts to write and share, an even longer list of writing projects for 2014, and a bit more writing time this go around, so here's hoping for a more prolific (and consistent) writing year.

So here's to the year that was, and to the year that will be.  Happy New Year, everyone!

Small town living

I had another post almost set to go when inspiration struck.  In talking with @MattKruchakCBC  the other morning about suburban sprawl and moving to a small town, I couldn't explain in 140 characters why moving out of the city was one of the best decisions we've made.  So rather than finish the article I was working on, this essay on small town living got written.   

Small Town Living

When we moved from the city to a small town seven years ago, I don’t really think we knew what we were getting into.  Or, at least, I didn’t.  I grew up in a Vancouver suburb, so moving to Main St. in a small Saskatchewan town was a bit of a culture shock for me.  But I had the perception in my mind that we were making a change for the better, and I can say now that I wouldn’t move back to the city, not unless it became an absolute necessity.

What drew us originally to a rural town was the cost of housing, which was substantially lower than in the city.  We were able to afford a larger house, on a significantly larger piece of property, than we’d have been able to afford in the city at the time.  And we’re not tied to a big mortgage, which means that we’ve been able to go more places and do more things than we might otherwise have been able to do.

There’s a sense of community here that I had never experienced in any of the cities in which I’ve lived.  People know each other, and look out for each other.  The disconnect that some people experience—particularly larger cities—from family, from friends, and from neighbours just isn’t here in a small town.  We’re not “bowling alone,” to use Robert Putnam’s phrase, and there’s a depth to our social capital that I’ve never seen elsewhere.  To put it bluntly, we’re invested in our community, and invested in each other. 

That investment can certainly have its down sides.  Yes, there are disagreements, and long-standing feuds that newcomers will likely never understand—like why the Town and RM councils seem to have difficulty working together.  But we can’t all agree on everything.  And it’s difficult, at times, for this socially-liberal, fiscally conservative feminist to see things from others’ points of view.  On the plus side, I’m getting better at biting my tongue when saying something just won’t do much good, which is a valuable talent to develop.  And people do know everyone’s business, at least to an extent.  When we got a new cat, a stray kitten found not far from the ferry road, people across town knew within minutes.  Although that’s partly my “fault,” for posting on Facebook that we’d retrieved it.  But, in all honesty, the intimate details of our lives are still intimate, unless we’re inclined to share.

In light of sharing, the saying “it takes a village to raise a child” comes to mind.  Living in a small community has reinforced my belief in this concept.  In the early summer, there were packs of small boys running rampant through my yard, and if my boys disappeared, I had a pretty good idea of where they’d gone.  We know their hockey coaches, their Kindergarten teacher has visited our house, and they’re already beginning to contribute to volunteer activities within the community, this year helping to get toys sorted and cleaned for the Christmas Miracles initiative, along with delivering suppers to Mrs. Claus when she gets so busy she forgets to eat.  They have many wonderful, positive role models in their young lives, which is a blessing, to be sure.

We’re relative newcomers to this small town, which is close to celebrating its 105^th birthday.  We live in the “Newton house,” even though our last names not Newton, we won’t ever be part of the town’s inner circle because our grandparents weren’t community founders, but we’re still a contributing part of this small community.  We work to keep tradition alive, doing odd things like giving out wieners (!) at Hallowe’en, serving on various boards and committtees, and generally contributing to the community’s social capital.  We may not always agree with our neighbours, but we’ll always be here to lend a hand … and I think that spirit is one of the most important gifts we can give our children.   

And chaos ensues!

I've been meaning to post, and every time I've thought I might have a few moments, something's happened.  Whether it's one of the dogs absconding with the little green army men, the boys staging a full-scale Star Wars / Angry Birds / Skylanders battle in the living room, or the recent mouse invasion (which we so are not going to talk about), I just haven't seemed to have much time.  Add to that the boys' fall activities, which are almost all into full swing and, well, it's been busy.

No, let's rephrase that:  in reality, it's been a crazy few weeks around here, which isn't unusual, except that those weeks have included the publication of two major projects that have taken up most of my "spare" time over the past several months.

Wolves and the River of Stone

This month will see the publication of Eric R. Asher's next book, Wolves and the River of Stone, the second in the Vesik series.  If you enjoyed the first, you're in for a treat with this book ... with lots more of Damian, Foster (everyone's favourite fairy), and lots of action, along with the obligatory American Civil War references.  The cover reveal just took place (awesome, isn't it?), and the official book release is slated for October 22.  Oh, and before I forget, here's the back cover blurb:

Philip, Zola’s boyfriend from one hundred and fifty years ago, is not nearly as dead as we thought. I really wish he was. Not only has he kidnapped Zola, but he’s raising an army to scour humanity from the earth. Hopefully the local werewolf pack will help. What could possibly go wrong?

Wolf Willow Journal

In addition to the editing for Eric's latest book, we've been busy putting together the first issue of Fish Creek Press' literary journal, Wolf Willow Journal.  The issue was released online last night, and ebook versions were released earlier today.  We're certainly excited to see the work of so many talented authors between its pages, and under our imprint.  Here's to many, many more wonderful issues!

Revisions, and why we do them

It's that time of year again, where teachers and students get down to the business of learning.  As many of you know, I teach writing.  And part of writing, and of teaching writing, is revision.  I have a fairly short assignment that I'm doing with one of my classes, one for which I asked students to submit a draft last week so that I could go through and suggest changes.  Only about half the class sent drafts to me originally, then I had a few stragglers submit theirs after the initial ones were returned.  I still have yet to see about a quarter of the assignments.

After the first batch of suggestions and edits, I told students several times to re-submit their work so that I could go over it again.  Less than half of those who submitted have done this, but more are trickling in now that I've begun to hand those back.

Those that haven't submitted drafts by now are out of luck, as the assignment's due next week and I don't see them again until Tuesday.  Of those who've only submitted a first draft, several have asked why they'd need to submit again, considering, as they put it, "You've already corrected all the mistakes, so why bother?"  Then there's the third group, some of whom are horrified to receive a second edited / commented draft that seems to have more writing on it than the first.

I think I'm going to have to put a handout together on the stages of editing, explaining what instructors (and editors) are looking for in the various drafts of a document.

Personally, I like to do at least four sets of revisions.  The first set focuses on larger problems, the most significant of which are barriers to reader comprehension.  The second set focuses on logic, flow, and (for technical writing) accuracy of content.  The third set involves a closer look at document flow, and a first-pass detailed edit.  It's not until the fourth set of revisions that I'm looking to do a detailed copy edit ... and that's if we've managed to get to this stage, as sometimes I have to do two or three passes looking for and fixing barriers to comprehension.

The long and short of it is that multiple edits are needed, especially if you want to produce the best possible document, whether it's a technical report, a poem, or a novel.

Rejections

I'm in the process of making final selections for the upcoming issue of Wolf Willow Journal.  It's been an interesting process, and one that I'm really enjoying.  But I'm fast approaching the point at which I'm going to have to send out a bunch of rejections.  And I'll admit that there's good work that's been submitted that I likely won't accept because it just doesn't fit with where the issue is going.

I was reading a post on one of my Facebook groups yesterday, where an author was bemoaning the fact that she'd sent a particular piece out five times, and received five rejections.  She was ready to give up.  There were the usual "editors have no idea what they're doing" responses, and there were the "I had to submit 200+ times to get x published" responses.  I've had work accepted the first time I've sent it out, and I've got other work that's been submitted numerous times, to no avail.  That seems to be the way it goes, with publishing.

So, what next for the poor writer?  Perseverance and belief in yourself are one key.  Making sure to do thorough market research is another key.  Submitting the best work you possibly can is another, and one that I harp on again and again because, well, it's important.  But none of these guarantee publication.  That's up to us fickle editors, unless you choose to self-publish.  But do remember that a rejection isn't necessarily a critique or comment on your work ... sometimes, it's excellent, but it just doesn't fit.

Perception and misperception

I'll admit it.  I'm a bit of a grammar snob.  Okay, more than a bit, but seriously people, if the first impression you're going to make on someone is through the written word, would you mind proofreading what you're sending out before you hit ?  The source of my ire this evening is a tweet from a popular provider of literary services, a tweet that suffered from a case of plural/apostrophe confusion.  I'm sure they're nice people, but I certainly wouldn't want my work edited by someone who gear's up for things.  

Snarking aside, there's a reason people suggest time and time and time again that your cover letter--whether for a poem, short story, article, book, or whatever--should be perfect.  This is the very first impression that people have of you and your work.  And, perception being what it is, we tend not only to favour first impressions, but also to hang on to negative first impressions.  Not what you want to be doing, especially if your intention is publication.  

So while a typo might be an oversight, the resulting misperception on the part of the reader about your grammatical prowess (and thus your overall writing abilities) is going to be difficult to change.  Take the time to carefully proofread everything you send out, otherwise you might find yourself the victim of misperception.  

Thinking about writing

We're back home, with a mountain of stuff to unpack, after having spent seven weeks at the lake, with somewhat limited Internet access; hence the dearth of posts over the last few weeks.

I'd love to say that I wrote lots, every day, but it didn't happen.  I was too busy having fun and doing stuff with the kids, and while I didn't do a lot of actual writing, I did do a lot of thinking, which got me thinking about thinking about writing.  Convoluted, I know, but there's a point here, if only a small one.

Sometimes, it's the thought that counts the most, the time spent behind the scenes before we put pen to paper and begin writing.  It's all the daydreaming, pontificating, whatever-you-want-to-call-it that we do when a character or idea is born.  It might not be present on the page that particular day, but a few scribbled notes is usually sufficient for later, for remembrance.  It's time spent exploring ideas, options, and the minutiae of a character or idea, background work, if you will, for when that character of idea is brought to life.  And it doesn't always have to happen before, but I really do think that it needs to happen to add the depth, breadth, and real-ness that our characters and ideas need.

So while this brief post, written in the midst of a seeming sea of Rubbermaid tubs begging to be unpacked, might seem only tangentially related to editing, I'm a firm believer that putting the thought into characters and ideas before editing is something truly worth thinking about.  Off now to ponder my latest project while putting away a summer's worth of clothes, toys, and other detritus.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: Where the People Are

It's been a busy, busy summer so far, and I'm just beginning to reach the almost caught up stage, just in time for things to get busy again in a few weeks.  In the meantime, I've been doing a lot of reading and editing, during which one thing has stood out:  where the people are.  I don't mean missing characters, or where they are in relation to your setting.  What I mean is where they areas the action's happening.  

I've read a few books lately where characters seem to teleport into and out of scenes on a regular basis. You think you left so-and-so back in the restaurant, and suddenly they're in the thick of the action ... but where'd they come from?  Were they there all along, or did they just appear?  Readers need to know.

So, when it comes to self-editing, take a close look at each scene and/or chapter, and at the characters who appear in it.  Is it obvious that they were present all along, or are they lurking in the corners, doing their best wall-flower impressions, only to leap into the action when they're needed most?  Continuity is important, as it prevents readers from being pulled out of the story by awkwardness, and a little bit of attention to detail in instances like these can go a long, long way.

Suggestions for new writers: Read, read, and read some more.

I've spent some of the morning reading through submissions for the fall issue of Wolf Willow Journal, and am, in between virtual meetings, trying to get submissions for novels and poetry chapbooks ported to my iPad so I can read them (and make notes) while we spend Thursday and Friday travelling to our summer house.

I'm currently scarfing down lunch, with a chaser of scalding hot espresso, while weeding through a pile of submissions.  I'm also adding to my list, which I'll post later this summer, of things poets (and other writers) should not do, under any circumstances.  But I've gotten sidetracked, which is wont to happen when I'm multitasking, so I'll rein my thoughts back in and set them back on their proper course.

Probably the single most important thing I can suggest new(er) writers do is this:  READ.  And don't just read a little.  Read a lot, an awful lot, then go read some more.  Read within your genre, read outside of it.  Read the good, the bad, and the ugly.  You'll learn something from all of it.  Now, go read even more.  Yes, I probably sound like I'm standing on a soapbox, preaching.  I am.  For a reason.  Reading will help you improve your writing!

One of the reasons that I suggest this is that reading gives you a broad perspective on how other people choose and use words, and to what effect.  It's one thing for me to tell a fledgling writer to broaden his or her use of language.  It's quite another to send them delving through various genres of literature, to see what others have chosen to do with language.  I can tell a new writer that Milton's language is full of vivid imagery, but that same writer is far, far better off to actually go read Milton (including Paradise Lost) and make notes on the passages and phrases that really strike a chord.

Now ... go read a book (or five)!

Self-editing for fiction writers: Character sketches & character continuity

It's been a busy week around here as I'm winding up a couple of editing projects, getting some of my own writing organized, and getting ready for summer holidays.  Part of my organizing was creating extensive character sketches for one of my works in progress.

I haven't always been a big fan of character sketches.  After all, the sketch doesn't end up in the finished work, so there's part of me that looks at it and thinks it's a waste of time.  As an editor, however, I can say that these are one of the most valuable things you can write for your work.

Writing is, for many of us, an organic process.  Many fiction writers eschew outlines, and those who do use these find that sometimes characters develop minds of their own and go off in unexpected directions.  This is one place in the editing process that character sketches can really help.  If we know that we're dealing with a 100-year-old vampire, are we going to expect that same character, on a whim, to start behaving like a whiny teenager?  Likely not.  If we have a complete sketch of that character, we're going to have a far better idea, as writers and editors, of (1) how to identify when a character is behaving "out of character" and (2) how to fix that behaviour so it is in character.

My best suggestion, to improve character continuity and ensure that characters behave and react appropriately, is to make sure that you know what is appropriate for that character.  It might be as simple as creating a one-paragraph character sketch, describing the character from his/her own point of view.  Or it might be more complicated, involving a character "interview" using a tool such as the Proust Questionnaire or one of the many other character questionnaires available online.  Regardless, it's time well spent.  And anything that decreases editing time is a good thing, in my books!

Staying out of the slush pile: Cover / submission letter hints

I've been going through submissions to both Fish Creek Press and Wolf Willow Journal this morning in anticipation of doing a bit of reading over the weekend.  If you're like me, you've done a bit of reading about covering letters, synopses, and the like before submitting your work.  Or maybe you've ignored convention altogether.  Regardless, I'm quickly beginning to see why some work doesn't get read, and a lot of it has to do with covering letters.

Just like a job application, for many editors and presses, the cover letter (or email) is the first thing we read.  In a job application, the purpose of the cover letter is to get your resume read.  In publishing, there's little difference, because your cover letter's entire purpose is to get us to read the first page of your submission.  So please, put a bit of effort into it.

Personally, I don't particularly care what your publishing credentials are, what you've published, where it's been published.  These are nice to know, but because I'm an editor by trade, I'm not even as concerned with polish as some other editors and publishers might be.  What I am looking for, however, is a spark of *something* that I just can't define, that little *pop* that makes me want to know more about your character / topic / whatever.  Without that, a work falls flat and, as an editor, there's only so much I can do, which is why a slightly rough manuscript with verve has a far better chance, at least with me, than a perfectly polished one that's lifeless.

I'm digressing a bit, but it's because I'm passionate about books, about writing, and about stories, above all else.  So how does this help you write a cover letter?  Well, you'll need to make sure you've covered the basics (the who, what, why, etc.) of your submission.  Then edit your letter.  Please?  I received one the other day where the word "editors" hadn't even been spelled correctly.  Then give me a reason to keep reading.  Just as with a job application, I want to know what's in this for me as an editor, as a publisher, and most importantly as a reader.  Why should I read your manuscript?  What's there that I won't find anywhere else?   

Look at examples (and there's lots of those available), but make sure that yours is uniquely ... well ... yours.  Put some personality into it, and don't (heaven forbid) just copy and paste something from the Internet.  Editors do know when that happens.  Really.

Best of luck with your submissions!

Self-editing for writers: Don't edit while you write!

You've got an awesome idea, and have only to get it down on the page.  So you sit down, pen in hand (or fingers on keyboard) and you start writing.  Only you don't like the look of your first sentence, so you go back and revise it.  Then you look at the next two, which aren't stellar either, and revise them.  You write another sentence, then discover another error with your *first* sentence, so you go back and revise that, then an error leaps out from the sentence that you've just written, so you fix it.

STOP!  This kind of writing leads to two things:  a perfect first paragraph, page, chapter ... and nothing else because you haven't written anything else.  Too busy editing, you've forgotten about writing.

I know it's difficult.  We all want our writing to be perfect, but that doesn't mean it has to start out that way.  Words on a page (or series of pages) first, then revise and edit.  Please, please, don't edit while you write.  That way lies madness (and a heaping pile of unfinished manuscripts)!  So don't forget about your writing.  Do it first, and fix it later.  There'll be plenty of time for that when your manuscript is complete.

Introducing Wolf Willow Journal

It's been busy around here for the last month.  In addition to beta-reading for Tricia Ballad's Daughter of Oreveille, editing the sequel to Eric R. Asher's Days Gone Bad, and editing for Raymond Douglas Chong's latest book of poetry, I've had a few other things on the go.  And, surprise, surprise, these other things include more writing and editing.  ;-)

After more than a few minor delays (life happens, eh?), my publishing company's newest publication, Wolf Willow Journal, has its very own, brand new website and is now open for submissions for its Fall 2013 edition.  

Are you ready?

I'm inching toward the finishing touches on my spring project, which got delayed when the youngest broke his arm and needed a *lot* more care and attention than normal.

Things are slowly falling into place, and I hope to be able to make the official announcement by the middle of the month.  In the meantime, I'll admit that I'm getting excited to see this project come to fruition ... and am even more excited that there are still two more to come this year, as editing and publishing become a larger part of my writerly life.

Self-editing for fiction writers: Starting over

Have you ever had one of those moments, when a manuscript gets rejected for what seems to be the umpteenth time, with a short form letter, and you think:  but I *know* this is good?  I think most of us have, and if you haven't, you're pretty damned lucky ;-)  Yes, there are famous writers whose work was rejected many, many times before it was published, but there are also those who went back to the drawing board, redrafting their work time and time again.  And that's where I'm going to suggest that you start again, from scratch.

I have a couple of short stories floating around in the moment, both of which were finished at the last minute (yes, even I don't follow all of the rules all of the time), which did manage to get shelved for a few days before that final edit, but something about each doesn't quite sit right with me, even now.  The one has issues primarily with the final scene, so I'll revisit that one another day, but this week's major writing project is the revision of second of these two stories.

This second story's premise is sound, the plot line is good, but it doesn't quite strike home the way I'd like it to.  My solution?  Rewrite the whole thing, from scratch.  I've got my notes, there's no dithering around about what happens, but I need to tell this story in a different way.  I'll likely keep the perspective the same, telling things from the point of view of the protagonist, but there are other details that I think should change, and which will change, if I can keep myself from referring to the original draft.

It sounds a bit odd ... after all, you've already written the story, so why re-write it?  But it can and does work.  You may not keep the second draft, but you may find that there are elements of that second draft that, when pieced together with the original, make a much, much better whole.  Sometimes it's just a change in perspective, other times it's a change in tone, different details ... the myriad ways in which the human mind works.  So try it out.  See what happens.  You just might surprise yourself with the results.

Self-editing for poets: Kill your darlings

Okay, okay ... I know it's a cliche, but sometimes they're the best thing to use because they epitomize what you're talking about, so it makes sense to embrace them, at least once in a while.  I've been doing a lot of poetry editing of late, of both my work and my clients' work, and the one thing I'm really noticing, at least in my own, is that sometimes (okay, to be honest, it's most of the time) those lines that you think are just perfect ... they're the ones that have to go.

I'm not sure why this is, but sometimes I suspect that these lines are meant to be the behind the scenes essence of the poem, something that needs to be written, but which shouldn't remain on the page.  Sometimes, I'll write a poem that's darling-less, but not often.  Usually there are one or two (or more) lines that I look at and say to myself, "This, this is just perfect."  Then I cringe, knowing full well that those are the very lines I will likely need to cut.  It's amazing, too, the impact that these cuts will have.  Somehow, other lines and words that were good, but maybe a bit flat, spring to life.  Then, with a bit of pruning of the remaining lines, the poem shines just a bit more brightly.

So give it a try ... take those darlings and push them to the side, and see where your newly bereft poem takes you.  And if you can't quite bear to part with your darlings entirely, you can always save them for another day, another poem.  I have an entire section of my poetry journal that's devoted to poem-less darlings.  What I'll do with them?  No idea.  BuUt at least they're not entirely gone.  ;-)

Writing in circles

I actually had a bit of quiet writing time this morning, courtesy of a new Skylander the boys got yesterday.  I had some recent research sitting in an Evernote folder, my list of upcoming theme deadlines on my desk ... and a very blank page staring back at me.  It's times like this where I end up writing in circles, or so it seems, but those circles can certainly bear fruit, although not always in the way you expect them to.

The I'd chosen to work on this morning was, ironically, work.  I had an idea half formed in my head, one I'd been kicking around for a few days.  But once I put the character on the page, she just sat there like one of those chipboard figures.  Static, not moving, and very, very stock.

So, after a glare at the page, I poured another cup of coffee and sat down to write circles around her.  Questions emerged, like why she was stock, what things could I change about her, about the situation, about the story in general?  I wrote about work, about women's work, about perceptions of work, of differing valuations of work, of paid and unpaid labour, and many, many other things.  I didn't exactly get the short story I'd sat down to write written, but I did end up with a lot of material I'll be able to use for other projects.  I got to thinking about what I didn't like about her (she was too much of a wimp, no backbone) and what I didn't like about her husband (seemed to have been teleported into existence from the 1950s).  I've got a pretty good idea of where I'm going to take this story (and character) from here, and have some pretty extensive notes, but I'll come back to her later.

This kind of writing feels odd at first.  The easiest way to describe it is "brain dump," where every single thought that comes into your brain gets written onto the page.  No editing or censoring allowed.  You'll be amazed at the weird directions your mind goes, but when you go back through what you've written (which I don't recommend doing for a day or two), I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what's lurking there.

Self-editing for fiction writers: Character "voice" in dialogue

I sat down this morning, requisite cup of coffee in hand, to take a close look at a short story I'd written a few months back.  It's one of those stories, the ones that you know have a good character and good plot arc, but there's something a bit off that you can't quite put your finger on.  This particular piece has been workshopped twice, to a bevvy of wonderful comments, but the slight problem lingers, which irks me.

A close inspection now, after having shelved it for a few months, revealed a small, but significant problem:  the main character's voice wasn't appropriate in the dialogue.  She's in her early sixties, children grown and gone, a housewife (how I hate that term, but that's a story for another day) with little confidence in herself and her abilities, grew up in the late 50s, and is a consummate worrywart.

She doesn't say much, 28 words out of 727, and only two lines of dialogue, which was part of the problem.  Those two lines were significant, which had been my intention, but I hadn't looked closely enough at exactly what she was actually saying in those two lines.  And therein lay the problem.  She'd lost a bit of her lack of confidence (and for no apparent reason), her words displaying a surety about herself that she shouldn't have possessed (a surety I only caught when I went through and read the dialogue, and nothing else, aloud).  A few minor changes, along with the addition of a bit more nonverbal communication on her part, and I'm pretty sure the problem's solved.

Congruency and consistency across and within characters is important, so make sure, when editing, that your character's dialogue (and "voice") match the character you've constructed.  Also, because dialogue is meant to be spoken, it's a good idea to read it aloud.  If your character doesn't quite sound "in character," it's likely that they aren't.

Fixated on a theme

I’ve spent the last few days thinking about thresholds, in general, and luminal spaces, more specifically. I’ve made mind maps, jotted random thoughts on random scraps of paper, and spent a sleepless early morning contemplating the nature of metamorphosis, embarkment, and the last transformation of the human soul (courtesy of my recent foray into Chinese mythology and butterflies). I’ve even written a short story on the topic, as I edged around and toward what I really wanted to write about, as if by writing near it I could somehow move forward.

Why the struggle? I had a vague idea of what I wanted to write about, but wasn’t sure how to approach it, or even if I should (or could) approach it. Is it really my story to tell? Maybe, and maybe not. But if I don’t tell it, no one else will. The theme is stuck in my head, and for a good reason. I still have no idea exactly how I’m going to write about it, but I’m going to put pen to paper, and see what happens. At this point, I don’t even know what format or genre it’s going to take, but I do know that, for some reason, I need to write it. And that’s reason enough to, at least for me.  

Self-editing for fiction writers: Making description active

We've all read one of those books.  You know the kind.  The ones where the action is wonderful, the characters are complex, and you're hooked on the story.  There's just one problem:  the extensive descriptive passages that seem to have nothing to do with the story.

If you're like me, you spend a lot of time thinking about physical setting before you write.  I usually have a pretty clear idea in my head of what things look like, where they are, and how/why they're significant to my characters.  And I've been known, in first drafts, go just write a descriptive sequence, knowing that it'll have to be changed at a later date.  After all, readers will want to know what the setting looks like, at least to an extent, but I know that they're not going to want to read two pages of description of a character's apartment.     Your characters will need to interact with the setting, changing setting elements from active to passive.

That big, black leather couch under the window?  It shouldn't just sit there and do nothing.  It doesn't have to grow legs or do anything odd, but passive description can be wordy and awkward.  After all, it seems a bit weird to have Johnny come home, then say to himself, "Oh, there's my big, black leather couch under the window."  Instead, think of ways in which Johnny might interact with the couch.  Does he stub a toe on it as he goes past?  Does he fling his jacket onto it?  Shoo his cat off it?  Flop into it after a long day at work?  Any one of these changes the description from passive to active, and active's where it's at.

Passive description example

Johnny opened the door of his apartment and walked in.  There was a big, black leather couch under the window.  The silver blinds were drawn.  The coffee table was piled with newspapers and magazines.

Active description example

Johnny opened the door of his apartment and walked in.  He flung his leather jacket onto the couch under the window, then reached up to open the blinds, much to his cat's delight.  She hopped up onto the back of the black leather couch, surveying the outside world.  Johnny went to drop his keys on the coffee table, then thought better of it.  They just might get lost in the pile of newspapers and magazines.


Keep in mind, both of these are drafts, which I've deliberately left as such.  There's still a considerable amount of tweaking that needs to be done, even with the second example, but both should give you an idea of how to incorporate description more actively into your writing.

Self-editing for fiction writers: Point of view

I spent yesterday evening tinkering with a short story I'd been working on for a while.  Something about it wasn't quite working, and I just couldn't put my finger on it.  If you'd seen me, you might have thought me a bit bonkers, as I paced from one end of the house to the other, manuscript in hand, muttering to myself.

I didn't want to give up on the story, but I also didn't want to completely redraft the entire thing.  I took a close look at a few things, including scene structure and dialogue, but both of these worked.  What wasn't working, however, was the point of view from which the story was written.  There was a lot of action, but I'd originally written the story in third person, which is fairly common.  Shifting things around a bit, I changed it from third person to first person, using "I" and "me" throughout.  A bit more tweaking, and the story read much better.  I'm still not finished with it, but it's now far, far closer to seeing the light of day.

My self-editing advice, thus, for fiction writers is to take a close look at perspective, point of view, and narrative voice.

• Whose perspective are you telling the story from?  Does it work?  Might another character's perspective work better?
• What point of view are you using to tell the story?  If it's first, try third.  If third, try using first. 
• Look at your narrative voice, too.  If you're using third person objective, perhaps try using third person subjective or third person omniscient.

Self-editing for fiction writers: Editing practice

Editing is one of those things that's really hard to teach.  You kind of have to learn by *doing* more than anything.  An ear for language, a good understanding of grammar, and general nit-picky-ness help, too.

I've been dabbling in drabble of late, primarily because I don't seem to have a lot of uninterrupted time in which to write.  I have several longer projects on the go, but was looking for something I could finish in one to two sittings, so I'd at least have *something* done.

Writing drabble is an excellent way to practice your editing skills.  Why?  If you're like me, your first draft (and your second, and your third, and your fourth) will be way over the 100-word limit.  To get your story down to 100 words, you have to look at each and every single word.  Does it belong?  What does it do?  Can one word work where you've got several?  How much can you cut and still keep the essence of the story?  What is the essence of the story, anyway?

More interesting, at least to the grammar geek in me, is that writing in such a short form forces you to interact, on a very intimate level, with the words on the page, and with their underlying structure and function.  You end up engaging with your work so closely that you'll learn a lot about how you write and the types of things (whether literary conventions, words, or phrases) that frequently occur within your writing.  Regardless, I think it's an excellent exercise to expand your editing horizons.  Telling a story in 100 words, exactly, is harder than it looks.

Apparently, I'm technologically challenged

It's coming up on the end of spring grant writing season, which means I've been *very* busy over the last several weeks.  Believe it or not, I had posts scheduled for each week ... but apparently I can't count or something, as I somehow managed to schedule everything for 2014, not 2013.  *sigh*

On another note, I'm currently fighting with my computer, a bare two months old, which has decided it needs to use 87% of its available RAM every time I turn it on.  I'm busy tweaking, but am getting rather irritated with the whole thing.

My point, here, is that I've been sucked into the technology vortex once again.  Don't get me wrong, as I love the tools that technology gives writers, but I sometimes think we spend too much time fussing with the tools, and not enough time writing. 

So this afternoon, while my computer's chewing away at a complete system scan and defrag, I'll be taking a pad of yellow legal paper, an HB pencil, a sharpener, and a good eraser outside with me so I can do some writing the old fashioned way. 

I'll sort through my scheduled posts tomorrow, but for the moment I'm off to do some writing. 

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: A Clear Second Look

If you're like me, you've heard this advice  time and time again.  Once you've finished a piece of writing, you need to set it aside for a while so you can take a clear second look at it.  This is excellent advice, advice I often give to my clients and students ... but it's advice that writers often don't follow (myself included).

My house is crazy-busy most days, and writing time is something I grab where I can during the week.  Weekends are a bit better, but between the laundry, baking, and general household chores that need to be done, I still don't get as much writing time in as I'd like.  This leads to a very time-starved kind of writing, where I'm scrambling to meet deadlines.

I start out with the best of intentions, but sometimes life just interferes.  This week, for example, my writing time has been limited because the youngest (of the broken arm) isn't cleared for outside activities until at least April 23rd, which means no afternoon daycare until at least then.  And without afternoon daycare, and with an increasingly stir-crazy four-year-old, I can honestly say I'm not getting much of anything done unless it's late at night after everything else is done.  Everything I've written this weekend (including this blog post) has depended on my clear second look hack.  Let's take a look, shall we?

A clear second look for the time-starved writer

If I know I'm going to have to edit almost in medias res, I do everything I can to have one writing session first thing in the morning (that's 5:30 around here ... ugh) and another after supper.  This leaves me close to 12 hours between writing sessions.  I'm not going to catch as much as I would if I had days or weeks to put my project aside and then come back to it, but I think I do a fairly good job following this method, and I think you'll be amazed at what you find, even using this time-crunched technique.

1. Split your writing / editing time into two sessions, with at least four hours between chunks.
2. Go do something that's not writing-related in the time between sessions.
3. When you're ready to edit, here's what you're going to do:
1. Print your project off and grab a highlighter or two. (I usually use two colours, one for errors and one for flow.)
2. Read your project aloud (to yourself, the dog, the cat, your imaginary friend ... doesn't matter who.  Just do it.  No cheating!)
4. As you're reading:
1. Highlight any grammatical, spelling, capitalization, and technical style errors.
2. Highlight any passages where flow is off.  These are places where transitions between sentences, ideas, and paragraphs don't quite work, and where characters might be doing one thing, then suddenly veer off in another direction.  
5. Take your marked copy back to the computer and make the necessary changes and revisions.  
6. Repeat the reading aloud process (steps 3 & 4) once more.
7. Cross your fingers that you've caught everything.  ;-)
8. Submit!

"Cornered" short story published today!

My short-short-short story (a form otherwise known as "drabble") titled "Cornered" was published today at The Were-Traveller!  This is the one I was griping about a while back ... I was stuck at 102 words and needed to cut two, managed to cut one, then spent an hour (!) tinkering with it to get that last word cut.  Thankfully, it's now found a good home, in esteemed company ... there's some awesome work available in this edition.  Go check it out!  You know you want to!*

_____
*Yes, I realize I've used my monthly allotment of exclamation points in one blog post.  Sometimes, you've just got to use more than one.

Monday Author Website: Rachel King

Today's site isn't exactly what I expect of an author site, and reminds me of the work of several of the mixed media artists that I have the privilege to "play" with on occasion.  But this site can certainly hold its own, even amongst stiff competition.

Rachel King, New Zealand Author

I stumbled across Rachel King's website while looking for something else, but it intrigued me enough that I stayed to take a look around.  I like the layout and the arranged randomness of the home page, which includes images relevant to her novels, a text box with a brief "Latest News" section, and the list of links to her work, about page, and blog.  

The pages within her site all carry over from the same theme, and their simplicity makes it easy for the reader to navigate through.  I especially like the sidebars for each novel (Magpie Hall is my example, here).  The cover image for the novel sits atop four icons that link to separate links:  (1) about the book; (2) background; (3) reviews; (4) buy the book.  The simplicity is striking in an age of cluttered pages, and the originality of the icons really helps her site stand apart.  

I was certainly intrigued enough by her design to click through to her books, despite the fact that I was somewhat crunched for time.  So I'm recommending three things:  go take a look at her site, then check out her books and her blog.  I've ordered a copy of Magpie Hall, which I'll be adding to my summer reading pile.

Self-editing for fiction writers

     "It is wrong.  You should not do that," Jack says.  His arms are crossed grumpily across his frumpy suit.

     There's little question that editing, whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it for you, is integral to the writing process.  But if you're like many writers, you enjoy the process of writing, but aren't so fond of editing, especially if it's your own work.  I'll confess that I struggle with self-editing, even though I work as a professional editor. 

     So arm yourself with these five strategies for revision to amp up your writing, and tackle the persnickety problem of self-editing.

Shelve it

You've heard it before, but if you're like me and often working to a deadline, you might wonder if it's really worth putting your project away (for a few days, a few weeks, even a few months) before you take out your editing pen.  Trust me, it's worth it.  Even if you only have a few hours, put it aside, go do something else, and come back to it later. 

Often, when we're up to our eyeballs in a project, we miss things because we've been working so closely with the material.  Some of these will be little things, like double words, protagonists who start off with blue eyes and have green by the end of the story, and characters who don't talk or behave quite true to their established character, not to mention plot gaps, things we may have forgotten to write, and other odd happenings.  Setting a work aside allows us to gain perspective and to look at it with fresh eyes.  And you'll catch far more awkwardness and mistakes than you would if you hadn't given the work time to percolate. 

Be a reader, not a writer

It's true:  writers think differently than readers.  When you're editing, make sure that you're thinking like a reader.  Don't forget to think about your particular breed of reader and why they read.  You want hook them, keep them reading long past the time they'd intended to stop.  So think about the things that draw readers in and keep them interested.  What might your readers think?  How might they feel?  How might they react to your character?  To the plot?  To the setting?

Do a close read and edit

     Oftentimes, writers skim through when they edit.  After all, they know their own work, they know who did it and how, and they know how the story ends.  While skimming is tempting, don't succumb to the temptation.  A close, line-by-line edit can be a powerful tool, and can help you to catch things that don't quite work, things that are easily missed if you're skimming to edit.  Break your work down into manageable chunks, whether by scene, by chapter, by section, or by stanza to make line-by-line editing more manageable.  Editing like this requires focus and time, but it's well worth the payoff:  a more cohesive and better-flowing product. 

 Read it aloud

     This sounds rather silly, and I know that people often look at me as if I'm a bit batty when I suggest it, but it really does work.  If you're uncomfortable reading aloud to yourself, read to someone else (or, even better, have them read it to you).  If all else fails, your dog/cat/fish can be a captive audience, and they really won't care if your writing falls flat. 

For some reason, we can "hear" some errors that we have difficulty seeing on the page, which is why reading aloud works so well.  We'll catch awkward turns of phrase, sentences that are too lengthy, and descriptive sequences that seem to go on without end.  So take the time to read it aloud, and make sure that you're truly listening when you do.

Read, lots

In my experience, writers who read a lot write better than writers who don't.  When reading others' work, take a look at what works, and what doesn't.  If a particular passage really strikes a chord with you, take the time to write it out, long-hand with a pen on paper, to get a feeling for how it was written.  When you come across something you really like, as a reader, take a look at it as a writer, focusing on the elements that went into it, and how those elements connect with the reader.  Read as much as you can, from a variety of sources, not just within your own genre.  After all, the more you read, the better your writing will get. 

Conclusion

There are many, many other suggestions out there--a quick Google search for "how to self-edit" results in 275 000 hits--but editing, whether you do it yourself or not, has a significant impact on your final product.  Just take a look at how a fairly minor edit changes our initial example.

"It's just wrong," said Jack, his grumpiness evident as he crossed his arms tight against the frumpy suit he'd insisted on wearing.  "You shouldn't do it."

It's still not perfect, but it's a far cry from the stilted original.  A closer edit, taking into account the five suggestions we've looked at, would help it even more.  So shelve your work, read others' writing, then return to your work, read it aloud as a reader (not a writer), and do a close edit.  See how a little perspective, and some elbow grease, can change something drab and mundane into the kind of prose (or poetry) that jumps off the page, grabs your reader by the throat, and drags them kicking and screaming into your fictional world.  

Monday Author Website: Caroline Tiger

In my aimless surfing, looking for good author websites, I've discovered a few interesting things.

First, there are a lot of "5 Elements Your Author Site Needs" pages out there, all with varying suggestions, and many without a real idea of the function / purpose of an author site.  In my technical writing classes, I repeat time after time:  know your audience and your purpose.  If you haven't identified these, you're going to waste a lot of time writing copy that's not going to get read or used the way you intended it to be read or used.

Second, there's not a lot of what I'd call "real" information out there for authors on website building.  Yes, authors know that they need to follow the rules of web design and the rules for writing copy for the web.  But no one really addresses the extra elements that author sites need and, if they do, they don't go into enough detail for my liking.  I want to know more, damn it!

Thirdly, and call me nit-picky if you will, there's often no rationale behind why element or concept x should be included in your site.  Personally, I want to know why something should be there, especially if I'm spending time and money to add it!

Anyway, enough blathering, and on to today's site.

Caroline Tiger's Web Site

This simple, easy-to-navigate site provides the reader with connections to Caroline's latest book and articles, gives a brief overview of who she is and what she does, and links to her three blogs.  At first glance I like the site, and can see why it ended up on one of the lists of "good author websites" I surfed through last week.

The layout is easily scanned, the links across the top of the page are simple and clear, and the page is not overly lengthy.  No scrolling is required on either my desktop computer or my iPad in vertical orientation, and only minimal scrolling is required on the iPad on horizontal orientation.

The information is clear and concise, and her "About" section gives an information-packed overview of who she is and what she does (and has done).

A closer look, however, reveals a few problems, none insurmountable, but a bit off-putting, just the same.  While I like the set-up of the home page (brief about section, recent book and blurb, and recent articles), the most problematic for me are the artifacts in the Welcome text, which can easily be edited out.  In addition, the font size shows up quite small on every computer/monitor/smartphone/tablet combination I've tried ... it doesn't seem like a big thing, but even little problems or irritants to a potential audience can result in that audience moving on to another site.

That being said, I quite like her "Books" section.  It's easy to see what she's written, there's an informative little blurb for the top three books, and she's included a small image of the cover.  I also like the mouse-over text for each image, which begins "Read more about book x."  I'd like to see the same type of blurb for the books in the "Other Books" section on this page, and I'd also like to know which of the books listed is the referent text for the Financial Post's comment, as this isn't information that's listed anywhere.

My only other quibble with Caroline's site is that it doesn't appear to have been updated recently, and neither have her blogs, which might make a reader move on to another site, if it seems that nothing much is happening at the moment.

Regardless, I like this site, and it's drawn me in enough that I'd probably go looking for her books the next time I'm in the library.

Monday Author Website: All Things From My Brain

This post is first in a series on author websites.  I''m interested in what works for readers, what keeps them interested in an author (and that author's works), and how authors can use their websites to attract and keep a diverse and lively audience.

All Things From My Brain

I found science fiction author Patrick Hester's blog (and website) while, ironically, looking for information on how to prevent Scrivener from doing odd formatting things when I cut and paste text from elsewhere into it.  I didn't find what I was looking for, but I did find a number of good tips for using Scrivener, so I'll be sure to be returning.  

The addition of useful information (on whatever topic is relevant) is excellent, especially if it's updated frequently.  Patrick's Scrivener Quick Tips are a regular feature on his site, so I'll be sure to revisit Patrick's site for further tips.  And revisiting is certainly something that we want to see ... I've lost track of the number of cool sites that I visit once and never return to, either because they're static or because there's nothing there to draw me in and keep me returning.  

Of more interest, however, than Patrick's Scrivener Quick Tips, is the Writing Progress sidebar that Patrick has placed on the right-hand side of his blog, underneath the usual authorly stuff (Follow Me, links to his latest books, and an Other Stuff I've Written section).  

I quite like the idea of showing progress.  I've seen it used elsewhere, but think that it works particularly well for authors as it gives readers, waiting with bated breath for the next installment my their favourite author(s), an idea of how things are progressing, what to expect in the upcoming months, and when they might expect to see excerpts and complete works.  In some ways, it may even help keep us writers on track, knowing that we've got those numbers out there for readers to see.  

I like the graphical representation, rather than a list of dates, as it gives readers an at-a-glance view of what's coming next.  As a fan of authors who sometimes take a very long time to write (Jean M. Auel, Diana Gabaldon, and George R. R. Martin, just to name a few), I'd love to see this because then I'd know to expect something this year, or next, or even the year after.

Gim Suey Chong: Our Quiet Man

Raymond Douglas Chong, author of Orchid Flower Love Poetry, has just had a short historical piece posted at the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation's website.  The piece, published on the Immigrant Voices page, is titled Gim Suey Chong:  Our Quiet Man.

Written by Raymond and his brother Michael George Chong, this short piece briefly describes the life of their father, Gim Suey Chong, a fourth-generation "sojourner to Gold Mountain, America."   

Take a few minutes to read about the trials, tribulations, and successes of this intrepid man!

Feast or Famine

The title of this blog is just so true ... sometimes Mommy writes, and sometimes she doesn't.  The last few weeks have been a good example of both.  I got a lot of writing (well, more like editing, but revising and rewriting does count, in my book) done while we were on vacation in Surprise, AZ.  When I came home, a day-and-a-half before the rest of the family so I could teach my Monday morning class, I was feeling energized and looking forward to a full afternoon and evening with the house to myself before I had to pick everyone up at the airport.

Then disaster struck, and back to Arizona I went, travelling while our youngest son was in surgery to fix a badly broken arm.  We dealt with the hospital, prescriptions, travel plans to return home, and took care of my poor little man, who was a real trooper through the whole ordeal.  We got home (on a direct Phoenix-Saskatoon flight!), my mom came to stay for a week, and we thought the worst was over.  Then when we went for his one-week x-ray and checkup, the unthinkable had happened:  the pins and the bone fragment had moved, and they were going to have to do surgery a second time.

We're now a week out from that second surgery, they're happy with where things are (even though the alignment isn't quite perfect, but that would've required a much more risky and complicated open reduction, rather than the closed reduction that was performed twice), and the cast should be off and the pins out next week.

So, did I do any writing?  Ha ... not a jot.  I haven't even made it to the gym, used the treadmill at home, or even done any yoga.  But things are beginning to return to normal, and I think my brain is starting to shift out of mommy-emergency mode into normal-mommy mode, so I'm hoping the next several weeks will be more productive ;-)  I've got a backlog of editing that I'm just beginning to get a handle on, and the fact that we still have feet upon feet of snow is keeping me from procrastinating in the garden.  The launch date for my next project is fast approaching, so I do have a bit of writing to do there ... and, surprisingly, writing non-fiction on a tight deadline isn't a problem at all.

Self-editing: what do writers need to know?

I've been working on a number of rather disparate projects over the last several weeks, which is beginning to make me feel a bit scattered.

That being said, one of my topics certainly is related to each of these projects, and that's the topic of self-editing.  It's something even I'm not overly fond of doing, but it's definitely something that needs to be done.  Sometimes it's relatively easy, and sometimes it's an horrendous uphill slog in the middle of a raging prairie blizzard.  Regardless, it's something I have to do, even if it requires a minimum of an afternoon and two (!) complete pots of tea.

I've been reading a bit, of late, on this obviously popular topic--a quick Google search for "self-editing" results in 31 600 000 hits.  Understandably, Browne and King's Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is on my list of things to read, despite critiques that damn it with faint praise.  We'll see what I think when I'm through it.

So the question is:  what do writers really need for advice, as a checklist, as a toolkit, when it comes to self-editing?  Help with line-by-line editing is certainly on that list, as are dealing with plot and characterization.  What about self-editing poetry? What else should be there?  What else would help you, as a writer?  I'm curious.

Artistic integrity

I had an interesting Facebook conversation last night with author Eric R. Asher about artistic integrity.  It's an intriguing topic, one that has made me run screaming for the metaphorical hills on more than one occasion.

There are times I think "artistic integrity" is over-rated, times that usually occur when someone, for example, decides to single-handedly reinvent every single one of the grammatical and stylistic rules of the English language, then gets perturbed when I suggest that they might want to make their prose (and it's usually prose, rather than poetry) a bit more accessible to their audience.  This usually results in a conversation in which that someone pulls out the "artistic integrity" card and says, "I'm an artist, I can do what I want" (complete with obligatory comma splice).

That being said, I think that "artistic integrity" is important, most of the time.  However, it takes a certain amount of experience and talent to recognize when you're using true artistic integrity, and when you're doing the former.

As Eric said, it's a fine line between the two.  And I agree.  There's certainly something to be said for not following the rules (regardless of your artistic medium), but I think that, in order to do so, you have to be able to prove that you can totally rock the rules first.  And I think that's where the problem lies, when artists decide that they don't need to know the rules at all.

In writing, especially prose, the rules matter a fair bit.  And, I'll agree, rules are made to be broken, but I think that you need to understand the rules and why they're there before you go about breaking them willy-nilly.  If I can't make heads or tails of what someone's written, I'll likely seriously question their use of "artistic integrity."

The luxury of a quiet afternoon

I have the luxury of a quiet afternoon at the moment, and intend to take full advantage of it.  The boys are having quiet time in their room, D’s gone off to the gym, to get groceries, and then to attend a board meeting, and even the dogs are being lazy.  I’m in the midst of a mountain of laundry (thanks to lice, blech!, and the youngest’s wet bed from last night), have buns rising as I type, and have been back and forth with an editing client, trying to arrange a meeting.  This is the most focused, and least distracted, I’ve been in a while. 

When I read articles about making writing fit into our busy lives, I see the almost inevitable suggestion that we lock ourselves away somewhere, ignore everything else, and write.  I’d love to do that, but I can say, as a busy, working mom to two boys, it just doesn’t work.  If I ignore the laundry today, I’ll end up paying later this week when I still have laundry to do that should’ve been done on the weekend.  There are certain things that make our house function, and I’ve come to the conclusion that those are the things that absolutely must get done, even if it means interrupting my writing time.  I likely have about two-and-a-half hours this afternoon, but I’ve scheduled that around the things I know need to be done. 

I have two blog posts to write, a scene from my novel to finish, a writing prompt to respond to, and a handful of poems that need to be edited.  I don’t have an exact schedule, but I do know that I’ve got 35 minutes from the time I put the laundry on until it’ll beep at me, so I’m aiming to get my blog posts written and scheduled during that time.  Then I’ll print off the writing prompt so I can think about it while I’m folding the laundry so that, when I’m done folding, I can sit down and write in the 25 or so minutes I’ll have left before I need to address the laundry again.  The next load of laundry is sheets, which require less folding, so I’ll have about 30 minutes afterwards, during which I’ll work on the novel scene.  I keep this process up, scheduling around things, until my time’s up, or until I get interrupted by the boys, whichever comes first. 

Don’t get me wrong.  There are certainly things I can ignore.  If you saw my desk right now, you’d wonder how I got any work done at all as it looks like a stratified cross-section of an archeological dig, complete with the last three weeks’ worth of detritus and papers.  It can wait, and so can the lunch dishes, which I’ll address while I’m tending to supper.  In the meantime, I’m writing, distractions and all.

The dreaded work/life balance

There was a seminar at work this past Thursday on work/life balance.  I didn't go.  I was too busy trying to manage said work/life balance.

I'm beginning to think that this fabled work/life balance is, at least for my real job, an unobtainable fallacy.  It seems that, no matter how hard I try, I can't make it work, and it's not because I'm being inflexible.  It's because, even though my job is somewhat flexible, it's not flexible enough, and part of that is due to the oddities of the organization for which I work.

I made the deliberate decision, two years ago, to reduce my teaching load and go on job share, something that I'm thankful my employer offers.  However, I find it appalling that I'm teaching as much on a half-time load as some of my colleagues in other departments (which shall not be named) are on full-time loads.  This disparity is a significant part of what's causing my work/life balance issues.  I'm not complaining, as I love what I do, but I find it funny, in a twisted way, that my institution is advocating work/life balance when it's making it extremely difficult for some of us to achieve that balance.

That's why I'm doing more writing, more editing, and more coaching.  I have plans, some big, and some small.  I want to teach on my own terms, and write on my own terms, and my goal is to eventually achieve work/life balance, outside of my real job.

I could set small, smart goals (and, don't get me wrong, I'm doing this), but I'm focusing on what's become a pair of big hairy audacious goals (which I'll admit need to be edited and tweaked a bit):  (1) to expand my editing business to the point that I can walk away from my real job, and (2) to join the ranks of Canadian publishers in the realm of science fiction and fantasy.

The months to come will see the birth of two online literary journals.  Early 2014 will see the publication of an edited anthology of short stories, theme and submission deadline to be announced in April.  Another edited anthology will follow in late 2014, and things will continue to grow from there.

Book Release: Days Gone Bad

A huge shout-out this evening to Eric Asher, one of my clients, whose first book was released into the wild today.  Check out Days Gone Bad, the first novel in the Damian Vesik series, now available at Amazon and Smashwords.  Print copy coming soon!

Judging a book by its cover

There was a discussion on one of my writing lists a few weeks back about book covers and whether or not, as independent authors, we should spend any money on them.  I've heard of authors who've said they won't spend any money on a cover because their books are going to retail for under $1, and of authors who spend considerable time, effort, and money to get just the right cover for their book.

Personally, considering that I've even been known to pick wine by its label (take a look at Blasted Church, which does an excellent job of creating unique and eye-catching labels), I think that cover design is integral to actually selling your book.

A quick Google search for the phrase "why spend money on a book cover" turns up 35 700 000 hits because covers do matter.  They're the first thing that I look at when I am looking for a book, whether print or digital, and a poor cover means that I may well not even pick the book up to read the back cover or the first page.  After all, I read a lot of books, but I'm busy, and I'm not going to bother picking up a book with a poorly designed cover because, at least in my experience, that also means that there are going to be problems with the book's text, as well.

Anyway, don't just take my word for it.  Do some research on book covers.  Whether you read Joel Friedlander's Why You Should Judge a Book By Its Cover, or an article from Psychology Today on why the visual cortex matters so much for marketing decisions, do some reading--please!  And save up for that cover art/design.

Please, please, please won't you edit?

I've been reading a fair number of independent and self-published novels of late, primarily as research to see the type of market into which several of my clients are venturing.  What strikes me again and again is the lack of editing, even standard copy-editing (which most people refer to by the misnomer of 'proofreading').  It's really, really hard to take a work seriously when you're looking at substantial errors, errors that could so easily have been fixed.

So I'm extolling the virtues of my own profession, to an extent, when I plead with authors seeking to self-publish, please, please have someone edit your work.  There's nothing worse, in my eyes, than picking up a promising book and getting no further than the first page before you see a typo or a simple grammatical mistake.  So please, please, please ... get your book edited before you send it off into the world.  Trade favours with another writer, if you can't afford an editor, but please have someone (and not just your mother's sister's boyfriend's best friend who reads a lot) edit your book.  (I'll climb off my soapbox now, lol).

More client news: The art of the poet

There's a nice profile and discussion of my client, Raymond Chong, in this month's issue of Sushi and Sake.

This is further publicity for his recent book, Orchid Flower Love Poetry:  Amorous Moods of Sensuous Passion, and gives a bit more background on both Raymond and his recent project.

Busy-ness!

It's been a rather busy week around here as I plan for another year of writing and editing.  With a bit more time this year, I'm doing a bit more, which brings with it having to plan and schedule my writing and editing a bit more than I had been.

I'm working with several new editing clients this year, as I shift my focus away from tutoring and toward editing fiction and poetry.  This brings new challenges, and new scheduling difficulties, but also a more constant workload (and source of income).  I'm looking forward to what the new year brings, and am working toward publishing more, myself, this year ... which means dealing with the pile of unfinished manuscripts languishing on my computer. 

This morning, between the usual weekend chores and the boys' Skylander-ing, I managed to polish and submit one piece.  I have a revised draft of another to sit on overnight, then edit again.  I've been selecting potential markets with deadlines to force myself to actually submit.  So far it seems to be working, so wish me luck!

A literary journey through poetry

One of my editing clients, Raymond Chong, has an article in today's Star Phoenix in which he discusses his writing of his latest book of poems, Orchid Flower Love Poetry:  Amorous Moods of Sensuous Passion.

The article, A literary journey through poetry, is available here, and reveals some of the thought process behind Chong's unique perspective on love.

Book Review: Eddystone Light

Amelia Smith
Eddystone Light
Smashwords, 2012
24 975 words. $2.99
9781301748426

Amelia Smith's novella, Eddystone Light, begins with a conversation in which Jack's father implores him to “marry a land girl. A nice land-girl.” And thus the reader gains insight into Jack's life, his connections to the sea, and his desire for “respectability” above all else. But respectability doesn't come easily to Jack. Not quite part his Aunt Ermintrude's respectable land-society, Jack isn't entirely comfortable at the lighthouse with his father, either. Caught between two worlds, Jack must ultimately decide which one he wants to be part of, a decision that doesn't come lightly.

As the novel begins, Jack promises, if only to appease his father, to marry a “nice land-girl.”  But he also discovers more about his mother, about whom he knows very little. From there, the reader follows Jack through a series of adventures (or perhaps misadventures) as he learns more about his mother and her people. Along the way, Jack begins to realize the true depth of his relationship with the sea.

Smith's novella provides an interesting perspective on and expansion of an early 20th century folk song. It is an enjoyable afternoon's read, complete with several interesting and somewhat quirky characters.  

Eddystone Light is available at:

• Smashwords 
• Amazon