Introducing Your Characters
Authors often forget their manners when a new character enters the scene. The reader wants a brief introduction. We don’t need long, entangled descriptive paragraphs, just a little something to give us a quick visual. Here is an example: Samuel pulled up his breeches, which had a habit of slipping below his protruding belly. He hitched them high above his waistline, as if to give them plenty of sliding room. (The Doctor’s Lady, by Jody Hedlund) We all know someone who habitually pulls up his trousers and get an image in our mind of what the character looks like—an introduction. Here’s another example where the author introduces a new character, mirroring information about another: By the time Hart showed up, I’d finished my wine as well as the contents of the...
Read MoreEllipsis! … Do you really need it?
Using an ellipsis can be tricky. I’m not a fan of any type of punctuation that is used too much (think semi-colon or colon) but the ellipsis seems to be something I often must edit from a manuscript. The most common way authors use an ellipsis is to indicate that the speaker has paused or is searching for his thoughts. This works, but I often find that writers use the same thing over and over on the page until I think that if I see one more ellipsis…I just might throw the manuscript to the floor. I would recommend that you save your ellipses for important moments. Times when you really need or want to slow the dialogue down. I’d like to mention one more thing…. If your ellipsis ends your sentence, you need three dots and a period for a total of four dots. If...
Read MoreDo You Understand POV?
As an editor, I spend my days at a cluttered desk reading manuscripts. What is the most common problem I encounter with new and even some experienced writers? Point of view (POV) or more simply put, who is telling the story. I believe every writer (yes, even memoir writers) should have a basic understanding of point of view. Beginning writers often don’t put a thought into point of view. They just start writing. They further exacerbate the problem by jumping into the different character’s heads whenever they like. In one scene we are reading about the feelings of one character and in the next sentence, the reader is in someone else’s head reading about his feelings. I call this “head jumping” and if I scribble those two words on your manuscript, you’ll know you...
Read MoreEnter Two New Contests!
I love contests! Both of the listings below have FREE submissions with the chance of winning money or publication. The Great American Think-Off garners submissions from all over the United States! If your work is selected by the Lake Region Review, you will be able to show off your talents in a quality anthology. Please write something and submit. Put the dates on your calendar and get to work. The Great American Think-Off The deadline for submissions to the Great American Think-Off approaches. This year’s topic: “Which is more ethical: sticking to your principles or being willing to compromise?” How relevant is that? Write an essay of 750 words and win one of four $500 prizes. That’s sixty-six cents a word, better than the New Yorker....
Read More10 Million Links to Help Make Your Memoir Stand Out! (Part 2)
I know you have all been waiting for Part 2 of guest blogger Cindy Zelman’s post on “10 Million Links to Help Make Your Memoir Stand Out!” Drumroll…..Here it is! Don’t forget to “like” and sign up for Cindy’s blog. (P.S. Cindy has some great recommendations for memoirs you NEED to read.) A Memorist’s Voice Guest blogger Cindy Zelman on “10 Million Links to Help Make Your Memoir Stand Out! (Part 2)” Or, more simple advice for those new to memoir writing. Suggestion Number 3: Find your voice. You may know that the memoir market is glutted with terrifying and sad stories of sexual abuse, physical abuse, alcoholism, and drug addiction. Does that mean your own story on such topics won’t get the attention of an...
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