Lyn Alexander

wow

2011-12-23T13:23:00.000-08:00

Wow. In my present search for a publisher I have been so upset by the cryptic rudeness of publishers and agents alike, as if they view the writer as some inferior form of lower life. Form-letters of rejection are, to me, welcome. At least they let me know. Most do not even favour the writer with a response. Some do not even deign to answer a simple email question. Never mind how busy they are, it only takes a moment to hit the return button.

And yet, in communicating with several writers in several parts of this continent, I begin to see that perhaps we bring it on ourselves.

One writer has been working at an outline (novel not even started) for weeks, giving all sorts of ‘reasons’ for not finishing. As I see it, the primary reason for her excuses is that she likes to talk about writing, but probably never will write.

Another says that her time commuting to work (two trains and a bus each way) makes it impossible for her to find time to write. Hmmm. How about during the commute?

Another finds that family concerns force her to put it off and put it off. Family concerns. Meaning grandkids. Birthday parties, trips to the zoo, day care. Again... Not really a writer.

I say it again, a writer is one who cannot NOT write.

It is no wonder that agents and publishers can’t be bothered with writers. It is too much trouble to find the real writers in all this forest of wannabes

That pesky padding

2011-12-21T15:50:00.001-08:00

According to my internet friend, Roger Carrier, when he finishes a manuscript, the first edit he performs is to track down pesky little words that we as writers never notice, but which only add empty padding. As Roger tells me,

"A search of your novel can be horrifying. The author of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" used “coffee” almost a hundred times! Did critics notice? Yes!"

Roger says, "Search for caps, lowercase, and general forms (“like” rather than “liked”) to pick up all forms):

Like (a great offender)

Suppose

I guess

Yeah

Yes

Well

Now

Almost

Sure

Surely

Don’t worry

When

Just

Good

Later

Afterward

However

Okay

Nevertheless

Thanks

Laugh

Smile

Merely

Only (a great offender!)

Besides

Whether (do not use in place of “if”)

Obvious (If it’s obvious, why say it?)

Simply

Easily

Quickly

(Note “ly” words: Adverbs are often lazy substitutes for strong verbs)

Now here are a few that I, Lyn, use indescriminately and must check for in that first line-edit:

Just.

Merely

Only.

Almost – (unless it pins the meaning of the sentence)

Really.

Actually.

Personally.

Know that ‘loan’ is the noun and ‘lend' is the verb.

Know that ‘whether’ does not mean ‘if’, it always implies whether or not...

And finally, because publishers and agents no longer want double spaces after a period, I type in a double space in the 'find' box, and a single space in the 'replace' box, just in case I forgot somewhere, I hit the 'replace all', and let 'er whirl.

And dear Roger ~

I may also use 'coffee' too often. My protagonist, The English General, drinks a lot of coffee.

Sex in Fiction

2011-05-25T03:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm a romantic.
I firmly believe that sexual awakening goes together with a spiritual awakening, in life as in fiction. If you remember your first time, do you recall how for days afterward you wandered around in a smiling daze wondering if people noticed the difference in you? The glow? There is something hugely spiritual about a genuinely intense, intimate, loving sexual exchange ~ and in fiction it must be put to good use.

To Like, or Not to Like

2011-05-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

That rotten little word "LIKE".
1    Like in ~ Tell it like it is.
2   Or ~ The minute we met I felt like we were meant for each other.
3   Or ~ It happened just like I said it would.
4    Or ~ You look like you've lost your best friend.

NO, NO, NO, NO, and NO.

If this is the way you've been using this little word, look it up in your Chicago Manual of Style. Or your Strunk & White.

Let's go back.
1     As in ~ Tell it the way it is. (I know, I know, let's not be too stuffy here)
2     The minute we met I felt as if we were meant for each other.
3     It happened just as I said it would.
4     You look as if you've lost your best friend.

BUT.
1. I felt like a princess. (How did I feel?)
2.   He ran like a duck.(How did he run?)
3. She looks like my mother. (How did she look?)

So, like it or not, if you've been misusing 'like', put your cursor into the 'find' box, search out every instance in your manuscript where you have misused this little word ~ and fix it.
Unless, of course, you've deliberately used it in a colloquial sense, e.g. "Tell it like it is".

Journaling

2011-05-03T10:12:00.001-07:00

I am not into journaling. You read everywhere that if a writer keeps a journal of daily life it will become invaluable for his fiction at a later time.

This doesn't work for me. I can't keep a diary for more than a week at a time. I simply cannot record real conversations I hear that day. Conversation is not dialogue. Conversation is dull, repetitive, and you can never catch the flavour on paper. When I write fiction, all this stuff comes out of my memories at random, here there and everywhere. A journal compartmentalizes memories, limits you to what is written, and makes you flip pages when you should be writing. I can sit and stare out the window instead.

But I do keep two writing journals. Both of them are faux-leather-bound books of lined blank paper. Also important is a really nice-writing pen that you keep attached to the book so it’s there when you need it. And I think it’s important that the journal itself is of decent quality so that you will respect it, use it gladly, lovingly, and don’t lose it.

1. My “To-Do” journal. This beloved book sits on my bedside table. You know how it goes. In the middle of the night your churning mind is keeping you wide awake with the next scene of your novel, and it’s SO good you just know you will remember it in the morning. Surprise. With that journal of empty pages at your bedside, you turn on the light, write it down, turn off the light, and peacefully fall asleep at last, knowing that the idea is safely recorded. In the morning, there it is. What a way to start a writing day.

I do all my reading at night in bed, so this journal also collects my notes from research pertinent to the writing at hand, and in the morning, there it is.

2. My “Done” journal. This late-comer (I only thought of it a month ago) sits beside my computer. At the end of a writing day I fill in where I am in the manuscript, what I plan for tomorrow, how many words I wrote today, how many total words are in the ms., and how tough or easy it was. It keeps track of my progress. Then I can look back and say, “Hey! Look where I broke out of that writer’s block!” I can also use it to boast honestly to my friends.

what is happiness?

2011-04-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

This may be a simple-minded approach, but I do like things simple. Here is my definition of happiness. Have a goal. Work toward your goal. When you reach the goal, have another. A writer's goal is easy ~ a piece of writing. My goal is to finish my present manuscript. Before I started this novel, my goal had been to finish the last one. When I finish this novel, I have three others to work on, either to start or to revise.
My friends, happiness is not reaching the goal, but reaching FOR it.

writer's block?

2011-04-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

There are three hundred and sixty-five days in the year. If you write only one page a day, that is more than enough for the average novel.
A page a day keeps the block at bay