Because craft of fiction writing is often a big part of editing, I'm including this little Q&A column in The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor blog.  This column a la Ann Landers is a regular feature I run in my SharingwithWriters newsletter. And because metaphors can even be used by nonfiction writers (yes, they can!), this applies to everyone! (-:

Q&A a la Ann Landers

 

Metaphors and Your Novel's First Sentence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Question:

One of my readers contacted me and asked about using a series (several metaphors at once) of metaphors that were also foreshadowing as an opening paragraph for his novel.

 

Answer:

I've never seen anything--book or short story--open with a set of metaphors. As promising as they seem (including the foreshadowing aspect), it is my feeling that they're not enough of a hook for an opening paragraph. You may want to read Lisa Cron's section on openings in her book Wired for Story. (http://bitly.com/WiredforStroy).

 

The first sentence of any writing is absolutely vital. But for fiction it is part of that hook that makes readers want to want to know what is happening to a person--in order to get people (including contest judges) to continue reading. Metaphors can be overdone. Not to discourage original ideas, but usually metaphors must be truly integral to the story--so much so that the reader--who is caught up in the story--hardly notices they are there.

Of course, the idea is so unusual that if your name were Hemingway or Wolfe you might get away with it--even be praised for it. But the practical advice-in the early or even middle stages of a writing career--is to stay closer to the tried and true for what catches and keeps people reading. There is a reason these rules (I know most writers are not much for that word “rules.”) have worked for so long--have in fact--developed over the decades. That reason is: They work!

If you would like to subscribe to my SharingwithWriters newsletter to get regular tips on book marketing, editing, and lots of great articles from me and well-known authors like Penny Sansevieri (watch for the next issue), got to http://howtodoitfrugally.com. The subscription form is in the upper right page of most every page and you'll get a free e-book on wordtripps and style choices from me. Promise.
 

 

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

Wordtrippers: Where Authors Could Easily Go Astray

Well-known nonfiction editor and author Barbara McNichol shares a wordtripper from her extensive knowledge of the little devils. Thank you, Barbara!

By Barbara McNichol

This is an important editing tip for writers who use these terms often in everything from their media releases to their blogs and Web sites.

The difference between edition and issue—These nouns both refer to printed or published materials. While they’re often used interchangeably, they are different. An “issue” is one of a series of something, such as a periodical or a particular month of a magazine. It is often used in print media. An “edition” is a series of printings of the same publication issued at a different time. It is often differentiated by alterations or additions not found in the original and may be limited in number (such as a “collector’s edition”). It can also refer to a specific format, such as electronic, or leather-bound, or illustrated. “The book’s second edition corrected the allegation that the June 1966 issue of Collier libeled the author.”

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About Barbara McNichol

Barbara McNichol provides expert editing of articles, books, and book proposals for authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs. Over the past 19 years, she has placed more than 280 books on her editing “trophy shelf.” Barbara helps authors and businesspeople improve their writing through her monthly ezine Add Power to Your Pen. She has also created Word Trippers: The Ultimate Source for Choosing the Perfect Word When It Really Matters. This handy word choice guide is available at Amazon.com (print and Kindle). Contact Barbara directly at 520-615-7910 or editor@barbaramcnichol.com. Please visit www.BarbaraMcNichol.com or
her blog at www.nonfictionbookeditor.com or connect on Facebook, Twitter or Google +.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

Expand Vocabulary and Writing Skills in the Digital Age

Marcia Bacon is guest posting today.  I've been especially interested in a broader need for grammar and editing skills since more and more people are required to market on the Web and since our emigrant population has grown and become more of an issue. Marcia gives some common sense suggestions for improving skills that can make a difference in lives and careers.  I'd also like to suggest this book by Lance Johnson, especially the sections on accent reduction and simplified English grammar.

How to Expand Your Vocabulary and Writing Skills

By Marcia Bacon

Some people say that basic skills like utilizing proper grammar don't matter so much anymore. However, a growing faction says that they're more important than ever. Those in the latter group are generally correct, because it's really important to have a grasp of both proper grammar and vocabulary. Without these important tools, it's quite challenging to succeed in a whole host of fields. How can you expand your skills in vocabulary and writing in way that's both efficient and transferable? Read on to find out :)

Take a Course
If you really want to improve your writing and speaking skills, taking a class is highly advisable. Plenty of community colleges and four-year universities across the country offer an array of English languages. You might be able to audit the class if you are unable to pay for it. However, working toward a particular grade can also give you the extra motivation to succeed in the class, which will mean that you'll sharpen your skills.

Read More Books
Of course, if you want to see how professional writing comes to fruition, you should read more books. They don't necessarily have to be the most profound pieces of material that have ever graced the presence of the earth, but they should be substantial reads. That said, you need to pay attention to stylistic choices, so that you can emulate them. Don't just get lost in the plot. On top of that, you should also read more newspapers and/or magazines. The more you expose yourself to written material, the more you can learn new words and writing techniques yourself.

Test Prep BooksNo matter what age you are, you might be able to utilize some test prep books that are generally designed for high school and college students. Let's consider an SAT prep book. When students take the SAT, they need to sharpen their verbal and writing skills for sure. Therefore, you can use these books to teach yourself at home. Give yourself a practice test to see how you do before hand, then once you've completed the knowledge, test again to see if you've learned anything. Before you know it, you might be speaking and writing more fluidly than ever before. You should also consider working with your own children on some of these questions, so that you can both enhance your knowledge base.

Working with Tutors
Perhaps working with a tutor is the answer that is right for you. You could hire someone who has a degree in English or Linguistics, and you could also look for a person who has an educational background. These individuals will know the best methods to help you to learn. Perhaps you have a particular college professor who really inspired you and really helped you out in the class. You might wan to ask this person if he or she has any recommendations for tutors or books that you could use to learn at home. Many communities are home to tutoring centers that assist eager learners with these endeavors as well.

Many different fields require that you have a solid grasp of writing and vocabulary. If you don't, you're unable to communicate properly. Can you think of many fields where communication skills don' matter at all? It is unlikely that you can, and really, in our ever-growing digital world, it's become more important than ever, especially considering that so many simply brush it off.

Marcia Bacon writes about education. Her recent work is a Career Guide for People with Master's Degrees.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo .

Selling Books: Blurbs Prove the Power of Words...

...but only if they're great blurbs!

My best results for blurbs for all genres--poetry to how-to nonfiction books--has been from what some call fan letters but I just call communication with my readers. People seem to be more effusive when they are writing e-mail or letters they have no idea might be reprinted. The idea of words being published seems to make people's prose stiff and less readable or memorable!

I copy and paste the part I'd like to use as a blurb back to them and ask permission. Then I ask how they'd prefer to be credited.  The last part of that question is important because it lets them know that providing the quote can help their exposure to the public, too. (-:

The downside to this method is that one doesn't get fan mail until after one is published, so it must be supplemented with the tried-and-true method of asking folks upfront to collect enough blurbs needed for the book's cover, and for the pre-publish media kit.

OK. If this seems familiar to you, I admit I cribbed the idea from my own Frugal Book Promoter (http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo). But the question came up in a communication from Independent Book Publishers Association so I thought I'd share my take on it. And if you need help with getting blurbs pre-publiciation, you'll want to read the chapter on query letters in The Frugal Editor and turn to the appendix for examples of different kinds of query letters. (http://budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor).

 

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

OMG! Trouble Ahead for Students Who Text Well But Lose Writing Skills

From a recent edition of my SharingwithWriters newsletter where I feature editing tips, publishing news, book marketing ideas and articles, too.  If you'd like me to subscribe you just put that coveted word (SUBSCRIBE) in the subject line and send an e-mail to HoJoNews@aol.com. I'll do it for you. (-:

 

Grammar News: It seems as if texting is ruining kids’ grammar skills. According to a Pennsylvania State study, kids are learning a new language.

 

The bad news is that the language the kids are learning is texting. So, OMG! This worries me a lot because  the grammar skills of most adults are not as good as they should be. What if they deteriorate?

 

We could argue that our language is changing just as it always has. English in motion! But maybe we should also be concerned if we want our kids to pass their SATs They may fail because the study says these same students are unable to “code switch,” a term used by linguists to mean that they can easily figure out and adjust to the old-fashioned way of spelling something or wording it.

 

So, if we sit by blindly, they'll get poor scores on SATs, and they'll also have poor writing skills for their Freshman classes and for the communication required by their first jobs.

 

Some more news—good or bad depending on your viewpoint. Fewer universities are relying on SAT scores as heavily as they once did.

 

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo .

Don't Emulate TV Reporters and Anchors--At Least Not This Way!

Another editing tips from my SharingwithWriters newsletter, just part of my ongoing attack on cliches and wordiness. 

Avoid the b-o-o-o-ring repetitive phrases that politicians and TV media use ad infinitum in your writing. I’m thinking of phrases like “boots on the ground.” I’d really like some plain old English like “We don’t plan to send troops to Mali.”

Those who don't want to miss a single editing, craft, or marketing tips may subscribe to the newsletter at http://howtodoitfrugally.com and get a little e-booklet on tricky homonyms and style choices. It's available in paperback at http://budurl.com/wordtripperspb .
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

The Onion Weighs In on Style Choice

From my newsletter that covers marketing and career building for writers--and, of course, that includes editing:

In the News:  Those of you who might think I overdo my mini rants about the difference between style choices and grammar rules a la The Frugal Editor (http://budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor) and Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips (http://budurl.com/WordtrippersPB) need to see this essay from the Onion. At least satire isn't dead or didn't get killed. http://www.theonion.com/articles/4-copy-editors-killed-in-ongoing-ap-style-chicago,30806/

 

To subscribe to my SharingwithWriters newsletter and receive a free e-copy of my booklet of word trippers, go to http://howtodoitfrugally.com. The sign-up window is in the upper right corner of most every page.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

Quotation Marks Pairing with Other Punctuation. Duhh.

There seems to be another confusing trend afoot. Don't worry. I'm not going to nag you about their using italics for internal thought. I gave you the whys and wherefores in The Frugal Editor-- http://budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor -- and mentioned it several times since then. Enough is enough already!

 

This is a punctuation fiasco that aims at taking one of America's simplest punctuation rules (style choices) and making pudding of them. You're sure to see folks putting a period or a comma after a closing quotation mark if you haven't seen it already.

 

June Casagrande, author of Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies ( http://budurl.com/grammarsnobs ) urges you not to be taken in by it.  I think the trend may be picking up steam with more and more people reading books published in the UK or by UK authors. We, unfortunately, think that what they do has to be more correct--or classier--than what we do. After all, they do have a few hundred years on us in terms of the European aspect of our culture.

 

But our most prestigious publishers have for years followed the general guideline of putting your punctuation (except for colons and semicolons) inside the closing quotation marks. Let's band together and foil the grammar conspirators (or snobs!).

 

What is right for the English may only be ostentatious for Americans. Our punctuation is supposed to be a reading aid, not stick out like a hammered thumb.

 

 

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo .

One Of Harvey Stanbrough's Seven Writerly Sins

I collect editing tips as I edit others' work, but also as I read the ideas of other editors. I often put these ideas in my SharingwithWriters newsletter which is available with a free e-book on wordtrippers at http://howtodoitfrugally.com and sometimes here as well. Here's a recent entry on annoying use of the verb "gave."

I am reading Harvey Stanbrough's Seven Writerly Sins and in it he mentions a writing style that isn't exactly wrong, just wordy, a bit annoying, and an odd use of the verb "gave."

Stanbrough uses this example; "I gave a quick look at Nick Campbell, and he gave me a subtle nod for me to continue." He suggests, "I glanced at Nick Campbell and he nodded, indicating that I should continue," or just "I glanced a Nick Campbell and he nodded."

I prefer the latter because I try to avoid "ing" constructions, because they tend contribute to odd constructions and wordiness, too.

Stanbrough points out that the word "give" is "most often a transitive verb, meaning you actually give (or hand or grant) something to someone." You can see how an affectation like  the one in his example could be a problem if it's not used very, very judiciously.

By the way, Harvey gives this Seven Writerly Sins booklet away to those who subscribe to his newsletter or follow his other free services. Lean more at http://harveystanbrough.com.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

Something Borrowed, Something British: A Mini Rant on Pretentiousness

Something Borrowed, Something British

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Alex Williams of The New York Times thinks America Is on a slippery slope to sounding like the Brits.

Though my daughter loves the language spouted by her mentor at UCLA and I have been amused  by some idioms and colloquialisms I've run into over the decades (like "ladder" for a "run" in one's nylons), I can't say I've much noticed.

As proof of this dangerous tendency to copy language that's not understood by any but Americans immersed in our language from the Brits (or worse!, language that shouldn't be adopted), Alex cites:

·        Daniel Gross, an American journalist, who calls Mitt Romney a "bumbling toff."

·        American sci-fi author John Calzi who calls the iPad "a lovely piece of kit.

·        And the use of "fortnight," which I never consider British other than that almost all of the "American" language came from those islands over there near the English Channel.

Williams, in fact, blames New Yorkers for most of these Britishisms and then proceeds to use a whole lot of them—tongue-in-cheek in the British fashion, I'm supposing. They include relatively obnoxious ones like "crikey." But words like "flat" for apartment and "mobile" for cell phone and "holiday" for vacation are hardly new. A "flat" was a "flat" when I lived in New York in something like…oh, forget it. You don't need to know. And though rarely used these ways, we have used "mobile" for "cell phone" and "holiday" for a little vacation for at least a few decades. There are some advantages to being old. It's easy for us to place things in their appropriate decade.

Williams quotes one American editor of the Oxford Dictionary as saying using Britishisms are only "suitable" when there is no American English equivalent, like the word "'twee" for stuff that smacks of Britishness like Laura Ashley dresses. He cautions against using it on the way to the "loo," because he thinks that is "just being pretentious."

Crikey, I'm thinking. Does one have to use a word that most Americans couldn't interpret before being considered "pretentious?" And isn't it awfully British to consider one darn fun word "suitable" when another is just plain "annoying."

I've been speaking English so long I can't be anything but grateful that we "borrowed" it or that they "lent" it to us back in the early days of Plymouth and Jamestown. Besides,I think "'twee" sounds very Alice-in-Wonderlandish. And I'm wondering where we'd be—how much poorer Disney would be—if we hadn't borrowed that masterpiece along with Peter Pan and Alice's literary cousins.

I think most Americans would say, "the cat has been out of the bag for some time and it's way too late to coax it back in."

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of The Frugal Editor (http://budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor) and Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy (http://budurl.com/WordtrippersPB ). Learn more about her fiction, poetry, and HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers and retailers at http://HowToDoItFrugally.com. Reprints are available by sending an e-mail for permission to HoJoNews (at) AOL (dot) com.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-: