Review of 100 Things Every Writer Needs to Know by Scott Edelstein

Although geared toward the novice writer, this small volume also contains a pleasantly surprising number of goodies for the more advanced scribe. Its 100 chapters—none, with the exception of a glossary of commonly used writing jargon, more than two or three pages—are short enough to digest a few minutes at a time. Edelstein’s gentle wit and friendly tone make the book a delight to read. His savvy about his craft is shared in a neighborly way, with none of the condescension sometimes found in writing manuals.

The chapters are divided into five sections. “Basic Wisdom” deals mostly with dispelling commonly held beliefs about the “musts and must nots” of writing well. Sections two and three, “The Writing Process” and “Building Your Writing Skills” won me over, especially the chapters on that age-old nemesis of all authors—writer’s block.

“Making Money from Your Writing” is, not surprisingly, the longest section in the book. Novices will no doubt find the material helpful, especially if they have yet to publish a work, but most experienced writers will probably discover that they are familiar with the majority of the information.

The closing segment, “The Writer’s Life,” is more a pep talk than anything else. Only fourteen chapters long, it discusses everything from dealing with rejection to rediscovering yourself through your writing. Overall, a very satisfying and enjoyable book.

Striking the Right Balance

First let me say that the germ of idea for the thoughts I will articulate today came from this post by Athol Dickson over on agent Rachelle Gardner's blog. In that post Mr. Dickson made the point that as writers we need to decide what we want to accomplish with our writing. Do we want to delight our readers? Do we want to write an excellently crafted piece? Or do we want to quickly slap something together, something that works but we don't want to spend a lot of time on? If you think of those as the points on a triangle with your piece falling somewhere in the middle of the triangle, where do you want your writing to land? While I agree with Mr. Dickson's 3 points I felt there were actually more than just those 3 points to consider, especially for Christian writing.

Each of us as writers has to decide for ourselves what we want to accomplish with our writing. You can't be all and do all. If there is one thing I learned a long time ago in life it is that you can't please everyone. No matter how hard you try. It just can't be done.

So I hope Mr. Dickson will not be offended if I expand on his analogy.

To the right is my very amature drawing of a Star of David. I left the three areas Mr. Dickson mentioned, because I felt they were all valid points. But I added Spiritual Message, Thought Provoking, and Inspiring.

Let's take a moment to talk about each of these points, so that you can decide what the right balance is for your body of work.

Entertaining: All writing should in some way be entertaining - yes, even nonfiction. If you don't entertain your readers you will lose them. However a piece about the dangers of nuclear power plants is going to be vastly less entertaining to most than your average humor column.

Spiritual Message: Obviously as Christians if you are writing something there is probably a spiritual message that you want to get across. How heavily you lean towards that point on the star, however, will be determined by what balance you want to strike.

Thought Provoking: In some ways thought provoking goes along with the spiritual message. But you can give a spiritual message without making your reader think about what they are reading. In my experience it is when I'm made to think for myself that I learn the most - not when I'm spoon-fed a message the author wants me to get.

Quickly Written: Let's face it, there are some things we write that we don't spend a whole lot of time on. What are you writing? How much time do you need to devote to it in order to make sure you have accomplished all you wanted to? If you are writing a book, you are going to spend a lot more time on it than if you are writing a blog post.

Inspiring: Again, some of you may be thinking that Thought Provoking and Inspiring are the same. But the difference I'd like to point out is that someone who is inspired will take action. Do you have an action you want your readers to take? Then inspire them!

Well Crafted: There is also a link between the amount of time we spend on a piece and the quality of the writing. The time we spend educating ourselves also affects the quality of our craft. How important is it to you that your piece be excellently crafted? If you get too technical with following grammar and writing rules your piece might just end up drier than a desert stone.

So, with these thougths in mind, where do you want your writing to fall? If something leans heavily toward the entertainment sector, it will by nature be further from the Inspiring and Thought Provoking sectors. That is not to say that a Thought Provoking piece can't be entertaining, but I hope you see the correlation that sometimes you have to give some things up to gain something else. Look at some things you've written recently. Where do you feel they fall in the Star of David shape? You can probably balance pretty fairly between about 3 of the points, but trying to incorporate any more than that, unless you are an excellent master of your craft, will probably make the piece feel bulky.

I'm sure there could be even more points - any thoughts on that?

Citing Unusual Sources

This is an edited piece from the PMLA--an out-dated, tongue-in-cheek site written by a group of curiously egotistical, but fun, college grads. They have performed a true service. One never knows when citing a restroom wall may be necessary:

Rest-Stop Restroom Graffiti

When citing rest-stop graffiti:

List the name of the rest area (if it has a name) in italics.
Name the state in which it was located.
Name the highway it abuts (with direction headed).
List the nearest mile marker.
List the date the graffitti was observed.

Example: "This you wouldn't believe! Call 555-3278." [The Ida C. Collins Memorial Rest Area, Wisconsin; Interstate 94 South (Mile Marker 218): May 14, 1997.]

Magic 8-Balls

When citing Magic 8-Balls:

List the question asked the Magic 8-Ball (in quotes).
Identify the location where you consulted the Magic 8-Ball.
List the manufacturer of the Magic 8-ball (in italics).
List the date that you consulted the Magic 8-Ball.

Example: "Reply Hazy, Try Again Later." ["Will I get tenured?" Oasis Tavern, 6907 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL: Tyco Toys, Inc., January 12, 1998.]

Alien Mind Transmissions

When citing telepathic transmissions from alien planets/spacecraft:

Name the aliens who sent the message (if known).
Identify the location of planet or craft.
Identify the location where transmission was received.
List the date the transmission was received.

Example: "Internal combustion vehicles are wasteful and evil. You must stand in the street and curse their drivers and occupants immediately." [The Elders of Antares 7; A Ship Orbiting Saturn; Corner of Lawrence Avenue and Broadway, Chicago, IL: July 5,1989.]

Tattoos

When citing tattoos or other body art/text:

List the part of the body on which the tattoo was seen.
Name the person sporting the tattoo (if known).
Identify the location where tattoo was observed (if known).
List the date the tattoo was observed (if known).

Example: "This End Up." [Left Buttock, Unidentified Male Dancer; The Loading Zone Bar, Halsted Street; Chicago, Il: January, 31 1998?]


Epithets Hollered Out Car Windows

When citing epithets hollered out car windows:

Describe the vehicle from which epithet emanated (approximations are acceptable in cases of great speed).
Identify the location where the incident occurred (see #1).
List the date incident occurred (see #1).

Example: "Hey Buddy, who the H*** taught you how to drive?" [Large Delivery-Type Truck, Near Main and Chicago Streets; Evanston, IL: March 5, 1999.]


(Magic 8-Ball Flickr photo by crash candy)

Three Authors, One Book

Today's post is from an author with a unique writing story. Sharon Bernash Smith, Linda Reinhardt and Rosanne Croft worked together to write the book Like a Bird Wanders (OakTara, 2008). I have enough trouble writing on my own! I can't imagine trying something like this with other writers. But Linda is here today to tell us how they went about accomplishing the task. Click the cover to read more about the book on Amazon.

Many people have asked us, “How on earth did the three of you write this book together?”

When Sharon first introduced the vision of our book, at writers group, it captivated me. She had found a picture of four ladies with “Dear Gracie” written on the back, at an antique store. The idea that popped into her mind was of a prodigal. After agreeing to the project we began to brainstorm.

The first thing we did was to take the vision, narrow it down, then figure out our target audience. Each of us had a prodigal in our life so our plan was to speak to their hearts.

In one of our initial meetings the main characters started to develop. And of course we moved from that point to developing a plot for the characters: Where are they going? Where do they end up? What would the time frame be?

Now it came down to brass tacks, working the plan. Constant communication was very important. Each meeting was filled with hours of conversation over different ideas, directions, and time goals. When the time was over it was pretty clear what we were responsible for writing.

When off on our own everything we talked and prayed about would mix with our personal imagination to make the characters come alive from each different perspective.

Then came what could’ve been difficult, but was obvious for us, since it was Sharon’s idea that started the whole project. She was chosen to be the leader and editor, in order to put all of the work together. As part of a team, ego has to be laid aside, the end result of the project is more important. Most writers have experienced those times of being exceptionally attached to a piece of work, but when brought to an audience, it needs to be well edited to be appreciated.

Probably, the hardest part at first was setting and COMPLETING deadlines. I was pregnant at the time, and our goal was to have the book completed before my daughter was born, didn’t happen. But, we did come to realize in order to get a project like this finished, we needed to meet once a week. Also, we had to bring work. After that decision we were able to complete the book at a much faster pace.


Many hours were spent together over tea, hashing out the lives of the characters in this book. But not only were Eva Jo, Nettie and our prodigal Gracie formed out of these deep conversations, but a lasting sister relationship was developed between the three of us. It was a wonderful experience working as a team, with the intent to serve God by sending a message to those who have stepped away. Come back, God loves you, forgive yourself and believe in His forgiveness that is for you. I hope you are truly blessed in reading “Like a Bird Wanders”.

A Christian View of the Arts

AC is excited to present a guest post by C. Maggie Woychik. We interviewed her once before and featured her devotional book, I Run to the Hills.
　
As believers we wish to compose and create with purpose. The question isn’t what we write as much as why we write it. In considering why we fashion either art or literature, theatre or music, it may help to ponder the following.

First, is our work essentially derivative or reflective?

Does it emerge, in our estimation, solely from our personal genius, our own inspiration, i.e., does it derive from a purely human base? Or is it reflective – does it mirror something or Someone larger than ourselves, something outside our limited understanding and ability to influence?

Next, do we value what we do for its own sake or for a higher cause?

Art for art’s sake is an acceptable worldly pursuit, but we’ve been chosen for a higher calling. As we fully embrace the truth of that higher calling, our desires morph from self-glory to God-glory. We begin to cut and mold and fashion with not only an unjaded aim, but with fresh inspiration. We bring a more intense beauty, a fuller truth, a greater understanding to our designs because of that which we value.

Finally, we ask ourselves "Is it good?" rather than "Is it mine?"*

We look beyond our natural self interests and seek excellence in our contributions to the entirety of Christian thought, to our collective societal history, because we know Him, love Him and seek to bring Him the honor He so richly deserves. We intertwine goodness and truth into our every brush stroke, our every word, our songs and our drama.

C. S. Lewis concluded through observation: "...it is not hard to argue that all the greatest poems have been made by men who valued something else much more than poetry...."**

And that "something else" wasn’t necessarily always a religious concept, but something outside of the thing itself, in this case a poem. The poem was a means to an end, not an end in itself. Our creativity should likewise produce not simply derivative works that reflect self and are of value primarily to the "arts", but creations that reveal the higher life we’ve been called to, creations rife with goodness.

* Idea taken from C.S. Lewis
**C.S. Lewis, Christianity and Literature

Ever Heard the Expression "Thick as a Brick?" ~ Bricklayer's Accident Report

Dear Sir,


I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Section 3 of the accident report form. I put "Poor planning" as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation, and I trust the following details will be sufficient.

I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six-story building. When I completed my work, I found I had some bricks left over, which, when weighed later, were found to be slightly in excess of 500 lbs.

Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which was attached to the side of the building on the sixth floor.

Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the bricks.

You will note in Section 11 of the accident report form that I weigh 135 lbs. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel, which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explains the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collarbone, as listed in Section 3 of the accident report form.

Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of the excruciating pain I was now beginning to experience.

At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, that barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you again to my weight.

As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent, down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up.

This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and severe lacerations of my legs and lower body. Here my luck began to change slightly.

The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked.

I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope and I lay there watching the empty barrel begin its journey back down onto me. This explains the two broken legs.

I hope this answers your inquiry."

Resource Roundup for October

We’ve decided to add a new feature to our monthly regulars. In the last week of each month, we’ll be bringing you a roundup of all the useful online resources we’ve run across during the month. Enjoy!

Word Processors:

1. yWriter: Perfect for outliners! Click here for a video tutorial.

2. OpenOffice Writer: Free open source and fully compatible alternative to Microsoft Word.

3. NeoOffice: Full-featured set of office applications (including word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation programs) for Mac OS X.

4. TiddlyWiki: A single html file which has all the characteristics of a wiki - including all of the content, the functionality (including editing, saving, tagging, and searching), and the style sheet.

5. Scribus: A powerful software that helps you create great looking documents of all kinds.

6. RoughDraft: Freeware word processor for Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, and XP suitable for general use, but its features are specifically designed for creative writing: novels, short stories, articles, plays, and screenplays.

7. AbiWord: Free word processing program similar to Microsoft Word and suitable for a wide variety of word processing tasks.

8. Kword: Part of the open source office suite KOffice, KWord can act like any commercial DTP tool and even typesetting product.

9. Bean: Small, easy-to-use word processor (or more precisely, a rich text editor), designed to make writing convenient, efficient, and comfortable.

10. WordIt: Powerful word processor that is more reliable than Microsoft Word and smaller in size than Word or OpenOffice, with features such as a powerful real-time spell check system.

Reference

1. JaLingo: Free OS independent dictionary application.

2. StarDict: Cross-platform and international dictionary software.

3. GNU Aspell: Can either be used as a library or as an independent spell checker.

4. WBOSS: Web-based spell-check script (Web Based Open Source Spell Checker) designed to work with any text input form on any web page.

5. WordWeb: One-click English thesaurus and dictionary for Windows that can look up words in almost any program.

6. GNU Style and Diction: Analyzes surface characteristics of a document, including sentence length and other readability measures.

7. Graviax: Grammar checker.

Organization

1. Research Assistant: Free multi-platform open source project for researchers to ease their work in classification of any kind of information.

2. Sonar: Submission tracker that tells you which market has each story, whether a story has been sold or rejected, and which stories are gathering dust instead of earning their keep.

3. Celtx: Valuable tool for writing screenplays or other formatted stories.

4. EverNote: Saves your ideas, things you see, and things you like, then allows you to access them on any computer or device.

5. Writer Beware Blogs!: Shines a light into the dark corners of the shadow-world of literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls.