Editing gets a bad name on the mean streets of the literary community. A lot of this negative reputation stems from younger writers who are eager to get their work out into the world and think the first draft is perfectly fine after a few minor tweaks. I have known many writers out there who think exactly this, and wonder why their work never gets published.

But editing is a lot more than just looking for typos, grammar mistakes, spelling mistakes, run-on sentences, etc. When I think of editing, I think of taking a short story (for example) and re-working it until the story presents a unified experience for the reader. In other words, the story achieves its desired effect.

The re-working of a manuscript means everything from totally cutting out sections of the story (probably the hardest part for me), adding in new sections when needed (this might be the hardest to do well), tweaking various sentences and paragraphs to avoid vagueness and making sure all the elements of fiction do their job.

Continue Reading

Don’t you just love Fridays? You have two full days of freedom ahead of you and the world is full of possibilities! Hopefully the weather where you live is going to be nice this weekend so you can get outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Driving home from work these last couple of days has been great because the weather has finally warmed up in the Midwest. I can finally open up the sun roof and roll down my windows and let the warm breeze blow through my thinning hair. And best of all, it’s still daylight when I get home!

Have a happy and safe weekend!

Continue Reading

A large part of being an English Major is doing peer reviews for various essays we had to write. Most professors would give us "guide sheet" to follow that gave a list of stuff to look for in the essay we were reading. There was always the usual; thesis statements, logical arguments, proper citation and of course grammar and spelling. But one thing I found in a lot of the essays I reviewed (and I’m certainly as guilty as anyone) is redundancy in the writing.

What is redundancy? A simple definition is that it’s words/phrases in writing that are extra and should be cut out. Here’s an example:

His doctor asked him the question again, "Where does it hurt?"

Can you guess the part of the above sentence that is redundant? I’ll give you a hint, notice the words "ask" and "question". Can you ask anything other than a question? Probably not. So this can be cleaned up:

Continue Reading

It’s hard to believe that it has been one year since the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. 32 people were killed, including the shooter himself. A few days after the shooting I wrote this post about the connection between real-world violence, and violence that can be found in literature.

Continue Reading

Everyone is a writer. This is a phrase I hear a lot these days. Usually the phrase refers to the idea, in the world of freelance writing, that because one can write words onto paper, he/she is a writer. Perhaps this is the reason that many freelancers are being taken advantage of by low wages (or none at all), and people who snub their noses at writers because the layman thinks that no one should have to pay for writing because it’s so easy. Nothing could be further from the truth.

But what about the world of fiction? There are many, many more wannabe writers than authors (those who have actually published a novel). Even those who do publish rarely make a lot of money from their fiction, and even fewer see the kind of success we associate with authors like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling.

Saturated Marketplace for Writers

Yet people are flocking to the "writing life" in droves. The result is editors and agents are being buried under manuscripts that will never see publication and are condemned to the slush pile. There is an entire cottage industry of helping would-be writers get published. Classes and seminars are held by agents/editors. Published authors can make a steady income selling books filled with tips about writing novels, finding an agent, publishing and everything else. The list goes on.

All of this begs the question: If the field of fiction writing is so crowded, and the chances of getting a book published so slim, are most of us just chasing an elusive dream? The question itself has a very negative implication; that we are wasting our time. But asking the question is important because it forces us to look at ourselves and ask "Is it really worth it?"

Continue Reading

I would have posted this on Beverly Cleary’s actual birthday (April 12) had I read this post earlier. Despite my lateness in my birthday wishes, I still feel it is appropriate to pay homage to an author that got me hooked on reading at a very early age.

Who can forget the innocent adventures of Ramona Quimby or the more mature Henry Huggins and his dog, Ribsy? I remember these characters more vividly than anything I ever watched on television when I was a kid and I can’t help but think they played a big role in developing my love for literature.

Continue Reading

This last week has gone by so fast that I feel like I barely blinked an eye. Cliches aside, the week really did go by fast and I can only say that I’m happy Friday is here. I am a little nervous about Saturday, though, because I have a dentist appointment to get my teeth cleaned. It shouldn’t be a big deal, but I always end up with more pain than I bargain for, even during a simple cleaning.

Other than that my weekend will be filled with a lot of reading, writing, and taking naps! While you’re thinking about your own weekend plans, check out these links from the blogosphere. And as always, have a safe and happy weekend!

Continue Reading

I don’t know what it is about writers and drinking, but if you gaze out over literary history you can find many writers who just can’t seem to get anything down onto paper unless they are seriously smashed. Back during my freshman year of college, I asked on of my literature professors about this strange phenomenon and he told me that the answer everyone likes to hear is that a writer with a drinking problem is seen as romantic (as seen by others and themselves). But the professor’s theory about the true reason why many writers drink so much, aside from having very addictive personalities, is that the have an uncontrollable desire to escape the reality of the everyday world. And when you strip drinking alcohol down to the skin, that’s all it is, the attempt to escape reality.

No matter what your theory is for why many writers drink, there are many famous authors who have taken up the bottle. One of my personal favorites is F. Scott Fitzgerald. He drank a lot, but unfortunately for him, didn’t hold his liquor very well. While intoxicated Fitzgerald would become unruly and sometimes even violent. He always made a fool out of himself and lost many good friends because of his drinking. Yet alcohol and cigarettes fueled his writing and he turned out some amazing work (I’m still a huge fan of The Great Gatsby (aff link)). I’m not about to say that his writing was great because of the alcohol, but it certainly didn’t appear to hurt.

Continue Reading

Well? Can you guess? According to a Reuters article posted on Yahoo!, the Bible is the favorite book among Americans. Given the deep Christian roots in this country, that really doesn’t surprise me. But what about second place, if you believe the poll that the article was based on, it’s "Gone With The Win". Personally, I have never read the latter and only sections of the former.

Getting back to the bible, however, it has implications that go far beyond religion. Many themes and archetypes of characters can be found in the bible. For example, when a character goes from greatness to almost nothing, it is generally alluding to the fall of man (think of Adam and Eve). Or when a character sacrifices him/herself in some way to save others (Jesus anyone?). The list can go on in the number of different ways the bible has influenced Western literature over the centuries.

Continue Reading

Spring is finally here! That means there is a rebirth, of sorts, as the trees, grass and other foilage come back to life. Even as I grudgingly get out of bed each morning to drag myself to my day job, I can here the birds outside chirping once again – something I haven’t heard in several months.

Much like Spring brings nature to life again, you can do the same with your writing. If you are like me, you probably spent the cold, dark winter reading a lot of books, but maybe not doing a lot of writing. So it’s time to clear out those cobwebs in your brain (a little Spring cleaning) and re-ignite your writing once more!

Here are 7 simple ways you can re-ignite your writing and bring some passion back to your literary ambitions.

Continue Reading