An Honest Review

I recently agreed to participate with a group of authors who sought and reciprocated book reviews. Our goal - to support one another's efforts in getting attention for our published works.

Most of the books I've read and reviewed since have been a pleasurable and entertaining experience. However, I presently find myself in a predicament.

There is an author, who shall remain nameless, whose books I find raises flags of inconsistency. Oh, there's nothing wrong with the story-line and the author does an exceptional job with the plot and characters. If I were just a reader, I would thoroughly enjoy the experience.

My problem arises when every once in a while I come across a glitch that should have been caught by a competent editor. I don't fault the author because his/her job is to get the words down and in the right order. When a publishing house takes on a project, part of the process is putting the manuscript through the experienced hands of an editor or two. So how did these obvious errors in writing get past them?

To complicate matters, I'm familiar with the publisher this author used for those two novels. A handsome chunk of the author's money has been invested in the publishing of these books.

I cannot honestly write a favorable review (which is the whole point of my reading the books.) Do I just set the books aside? Or do I (gulp!) contact the author to share my concerns directly? If you were in this author's place, what would you choose that I do?

Our Antiquated Keyboards

Came across a curious bit of information browsing for a topic to write about today. In a way, it's connected to writing so I'll include it.

The question was asked: Why aren't typewriter or keyboard keys arranged in alphabetical order?

Well, it appears the early typewriters--the first practical one was built in 1867--did have their keys in more or less alphabetical fashion. This arrangement allowed typists to type so fast, the keys would jam up. To slow down the typists, the keys were rearranged into a diabolically difficult pattern.

With this changed arrangement, the left hand does about 57% of the typing, the right only 43%. The three weakest and least coordinated fingers, the two pinkies and the left ring finger, make far more than their share of strokes. Besides, to type most of the common words, one must move up and down between rows.

In 1936 someone named August Dvorak designed a keyboard where 70% of the typing is done on one row, 57% of done with the right hand, and the stronger fingers do more work.

So why are we still using the original arrangement? World War II came along and all manufacturing was devoted to wartime production. The U.S. Navy's order for two thousand of these typewriters with new-designed key placement was never filled. The novelty never caught on after the war.

A Moment of Being

Here's a writing exercise guaranteed to enrich your writing.

As described by Woolf, ‘moments of being’ are moments in which an individual experiences a sense of reality, in contrast to the states of ‘non‑being’ that dominate most of an individual’s conscious life, in which they are separated from reality by a protective covering. Moments of being could be a result of instances of shock, discovery or revelation.

 The idea is to slow down and to tune into my senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Turn off the phone; hide in the bathroom; do whatever’s necessary to become at one with my character which enables me to share the experience.

And for good measure, I add any details that fully capture this moment in time: temperature, touch of texture, sensations of comfort or discomfort, thoughts that arise in the midst of the moment experienced.

The goal  is to capture the essence of that moment and record it. The aim is to describe those moments as accurately as possible so the reader is also there, with the character, in that moment.

 Write it like a shopping list if you want to. Start anywhere and, at the end, tack on anything you want to add.

Invisible Writing

If I couldn’t publish, I would still write. I will be forever indebted to Julia Cameron for introducing me to the concept of ‘morning pages.’ It has become a combination journal/diary/planning book;  a way to gather the threads of my life and focus on daily happenings. I consider this my ‘invisible writing’...writing that is meant for my eyes only.

It is a special period in my day set aside with little routines. I always write at the desk in my bedroom. A scented candle flickers on the desk’s upper shelf. Cheap ball-point pens are stashed in a nearby drawer to prevent a halt in the writing when a pen runs dry. I finally settled on five-section spiral notebooks and even fill-in the blank divider page if I’m flowing.  

What I write to cover those lines that I do my 'two pages' every morning is never meant for publication. This is a private conversation with myself which enables me to clarify my thoughts and feelings. My ‘morning pages’ is the way I add concreteness to my abstract impressions and judge whether they are worth pursuing or not.

Writing, the act of writing itself, is an endeavor that satisfies something deep within. I've come to realize that through the act of putting words on paper, I can make sense of my world. It sorts out jumbled thoughts and helps me consider in a very direct manner those feelings and convictions I feel deeply. The ‘morning pages’ is a special writing that I try to practice every day that is just for me. It is my ‘invisible writing.’

I Dig Researching

Researching for accuracy is one of my favorite writing-related activities. Whatever time setting I place the characters of the novel I'm developing, I strive to incorporate tidbits that reveal the environment and culture of that period.

For a present work-in-progress I needed to learn more about the 'homefront of WWII' - how did our country being involved in a war affect those at home and what activities were they involved in as their part of the effort?

One of the cliches of WWII is Rosie the Riveter. Looking behind the scene, so to speak, I discovered Rosie was an actual person. Let me quote what I learned:

Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984), a Hollywood leading man, traveled to the Willow Run aircraft plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to make a promotional film encouraging the sale of war bonds. One of the women employed at the factory, Rose Will Monroe (1920-97), was a riveter involved in the construction of B-24 and B-29 bombers. Monroe, a real-life Rosie the Riveter, was recruited to appear in Pidgeon’s film.

It just so happens that I also write a weekly blog for Venture Galleries.com about interesting cities I've come across, their origin and history. The week of January 6th I featured the city of Ypsilanti, Michigan. If you're interested in learning more about this fascinating place, you can read more at: http://venturegalleries.com/blog/historic-america-happened-ypsilanti/

Juggling the Writing Hats

No one ever told me when I first began to write how many different hats I'd be required to assume. I'm still trying to decide if I'm a writer or an author. Can anyone tell me what exactly is the distinction? I know once you have published a fiction book you are allowed to call yourself an author.

I started my career by writing nonfiction---articles for magazines, devotions, even published a newsletter for a period. At the time I always referred to myself as a writer.

But with the publication of a novel, a memoir, and a collection of short stories, the number of hats I've collect increased dramatically. In this day and age, with the publishing industry undergoing such tremendous changes, a published author of fiction has to learn to wear so many different hats, especially if you plunge into the self-publishing arena.

I've had to learn to be a researcher, an editor, a proof-reader, a book cover designer...all before the book even takes on life. Once you've got a completed book, the hats multiply. Then you need to become a publicist, a promoter, a public speaker, and a marketer. And that doesn't begin to include the skills you ought to acquire if you plan to use social media to help sell your book.

Let's face it...this writing obsession automatically opens the door to a lifetime of learning and acquiring new skills. That's not such a bad thing, is it?

A few years back I gathered articles of mine that had been published in The Writers' Journal magazine and others I'd written for some writers organizations' newsletters and compiled them into a book I entitled Some Write Thoughts. My intent, hopefully, was that by sharing what I'd learned and experienced in my twenty-five years of writing it would in some way smooth the path for others journeying this road. It's available on Amazon in both paper and Kindle format:  http://www.amazon.com/Some-Write-Thoughts-Gay-Ingram/dp/1461167078/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

If you've been bitten by the writing bug, you might glean a few gems from my book.

Writing Short & Twitter

       @ + #

There are dozens of Twitter accounts for websites that publish only 140-character stories. Some of the most notable are @OneFortyFiction, @seedpodpub, @sixwordstories, @twitterfiction, @7×20, and trapezemag.

All, unfortunately, are unpaid markets. But if you just wanting to see your words on the internet highway, consider the above.

If your tastes run towards non-fiction, rather than fictional tales, consider adding #cnftweet. Each day, @CreativeNonfiction selects one tweet with this hashtag to retweet, and these tweets are then eligible to be included in upcoming issues of the magazine, or in their newsletter.

@Nanoism is a paying Twitter fiction market, which publishes three times a week and pays between $1.50 and $1 for stories: not bad, given the brevity of the form. Serialized Twitter fiction is paid out at a higher rate.

In short: keep on writing, and keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to grow your fan base. Depending on where you choose to publish your stories, your work may be exposed to thousands of people. In addition, there are often contests being held on Twitter by various publishers where you can win cash and prizes with your well-written, 140-character stories.