Are You Sabotaging Your Story?–Part 2

This second post deals with Passive Narration
by Catherine E. McLean

As I mentioned in part one (posted earlier today), two major factors turned me off finding an e-book to download: overuse of was and were and passive narration. So, let’s address passive narration, more specifically, the lack of clarity. After all, clarity is paramount if the reader is to stay immersed in a story world.

I’m sure you’ve been told countless times that a reader must never be taken out of the story world. Yet, most writers are not aware of how they sabotage their stories because they can’t recognize the passivity which dulls clarity.

Well, I know a simple way to check for one of the most prevailing aspects of passive “telling” narration. Want to try it yourself and see how you fare? If you do, go back and complete the “was” challenge mentioned in part one of today’s blog and also do the same exercise for “were.” Then take those hard copy, highlighted pages–corrected to include the additional wases and weres your computer found–and use a different color of highlighter. Look for ING ending words that IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW a was or were. Highlight those ING verb-phrases. Example: was going, was thinking, was feeling, were taking, were deciding.

Each coupling is a red flag waving in earnest that what’s written is likely a passive “telling” sentence that dulls clarity.

But first, count how many couplings you have and figure out the ratio. Again, such numbers give you a starting place so you can self-edit and reduce the number of occurrences. Your reader will appreciate that, and you’ll grow as a writer and, more importantly, as a storyteller.

Okay, you already knew from the peppering of your pages with was and were that you overused those two words, but now you can SEE, actually see, another aspect of their use–”telling.” Yep, telling instead of showing.

Active voice and active verbs “show” by causing an instant image to appear in the reader’s mind. One of my favorite passively narrated sentences is: Jack and Jill were going up the hill. Obviously this is omniscient “telling” by an invisible someone (the author) who is watching Jack and Jill go up that hill and “reporting” what’s happening.

Most writers will opt for the simplest switch-out and substitute the active verb “went” for “were going” but does “went” conjure a clear, instant image? No. So, what’s needed is a verb that paints a picture in the reader’s mind of how Jack and Jill went up that hill. How about: walked, trudged, or jogged? Each clarifies the image, however, a good storyteller will pick an image-provoking word that is the exact fit. Only as you can also see, those fixes are still omniscient “telling” that “reports” what’s happening (but at least there is clarity and more vivid imagery).

So, what happened when you checked your pages for WAS-INGs? Did you also find “was” or “were” coupled with another helping verb like was bitten, were captured, was delighted, were aghast, etc.? Such couplings are also indicators of passive narration because they provoke no vivid imagery. The phrases even border on verbosity. (Remember the adage: never use two words when one precise one will do.)

Are you up for another challenge? If so, with a different colored highlighter then what you used on the pages you already have, mark every verb and verb phrase that IS NOT ALREADY MARKED. How many of those verbs fail to create an instant and clear image for the reader?

Habits are hard to break and overuse of was, were, and those ING passive constructions will require effort. One way you can help yourself stop the abuse is to create your own “Red Flag Word” Cheat Sheet–a master list of what you need to check for when you self-edit. Once you have a master list, you copy it when you do a rewrite or revision. You systematically check for each item (one at a time because no one can catch everything all at once), then cross it off the list. Eventually, you’ll write fewer and fewer instances of “was,” “were,” and “was-ings.”

Please share your challenge findings and, if you have any questions, or want more clarification, let me know.

Catherine McLean
Craft enhances talent.

***Early Bird Special Rates will end soon–check www.pennwriters.org for information on my online workshop “Cause & Effect Sequences” running Feb.1 through March 9, 2012.
***MY WEBSITE: www.WritersCheatSheets.com
***Check out “The Sampler” (topic this month is “Pronoun Reference Culprit “It”) which is at my blog: http://writerscheatsheets.blogspot.com
***Join me at Linked-In: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/catherine-e-mclean/7/70b/372 or befriend me at Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002397950738
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Are You Sabotaging Your Story?

First of two posts
by Catherine E. McLean

The week after Christmas, I spent fifteen frustrating hours online searching for an e-book to download and test my CRUZ Tablet’s e-book reader function. Yes, I found plenty of e-books in four different genres that I like to read in. However, what I ended up downloading was Aesop’s Fables.

For the record, I never looked at any of the e-books’ prices, so that was not a factor. I just wanted a good read. So, as usual, I read the back-page blurbs or summaries. If that intrigued me, I read the first page. There might have been a good story to be read but, in virtually every instance, the author sabotaged their story with poor fiction and storytelling skills from the get-go.

This puzzled me, so I went back and looked at the book blurbs. I was astounded to find most were free downloads or less than $4.99 downloads. Then I discovered the books were e-published by the author, Smashwords, or the free e-publishing arm of Amazon or Barnes and Nobles. In other words, no one with real book-editing skills edited those e-books.

Okay, I did find one e-book that grabbed my attention, a PDF copy of the original 1968 book published by ROC. I also found other e-books by reputable print-publishers offering them in e-format. But guess what–all were copyrighted 2005 or earlier. I knew editors no longer edited but processed books for publication, however, I didn’t realize the scope of that effect on the quality of those e-books.

Now, I’ve heard agents, editors, and publishers say that 95% to 98% of the manuscripts they receive these days are unpublishable. Why is that? Because writing fiction is not as easy as it seems, especially in the computer age where just about everyone with a computer thinks they can write The Great American Novel.

The real issue I see is most peoples’ schooling involved learning the English language, grammar, and punctuation in order to communicate. That education did not emphasize fiction or how to become a storyteller.

So, what was the number one turn-off for me on those poor quality e-books I reviewed but didn’t buy? Actually, there were two: overuse of was/were and dull, passive narration.

Have you been thinking about being published or e-publishing? Want to prove to yourself that your story is better written then what I found in my search for an e-book? Well, I challenge you to take half an hour and do a simple test. All you have to do is print two (2) double-spaced pages of something you have written (that’s about 500 to 600 words depending on your font at 12 points). Next, take a highlighter and highlight every “was” you find. Count them. Keep that number handy. Now, turn the hard copy over so you don’t look at it.

Go to your computer and select those same pages (the same number of words you printed out as hard copy). Copy the text onto another document. Now, use your computer’s find feature and highlight feature to highlight all incidents of “was” on your screen. Count the instances. Now compare the total of the hard copy count to the computer count. How many did your eyes and mind miss? Correct the hard copy to agree with the computer count. In other words, find the ones you missed.

Next, set the hard copy pages side by side. This gives you a visual–you can actually SEE the overuse, the repetitions, the clusters.

If your pages were peppered with highlights, think about the sound of “was” (wuz). At some point, hearing “wuz” becomes a droning bee buzzing in the subconscious and conscious mind of the reader, eventually overpowering the story enjoyment until the reader quits reading.

Next, take the total number of wases and divide that number into the total number of words. Example: 528 words divided by 35 instances = 1 “was” every 15 words, which is equivalent to one in every sentence. (FYI: the 1 in 15 is an actual figure.) If you extrapolate 1 in 15 words to a 100,000 word novel, that’s 6,667 times was buzzes.

If you did this exercise, this challenge, please share your findings and conclusions. If you have any questions, or want more clarification, let me know.

Lastly, check back this afternoon for part two: passive narration.

Catherine McLean
Craft enhances talent.

***Early Bird Special Rates will end soon–check www.pennwriters.org for information on my online workshop “Cause & Effect Sequences” running Feb.1 through March 9, 2012.
***MY WEBSITE is www.WritersCheatSheets.com and do check “The Sampler” (topic this month is “Pronoun Reference Culprit “It”) which is at my blog: http://writerscheatsheets.blogspot.com
***I invite you to join me at Linked-In: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/catherine-e-mclean/7/70b/372 or befriend me at Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002397950738
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Social Networking For Writers

It’s not going to do you any good to write an amazing book if you aren’t going to do anything to promote it.

Writing is a solitary effort, right? But networking is a team sport all the way. When you emerge from your writing cave, shiny manuscript in hand, you should already have a plan on what you’re going to do with it. Hopefully, it’s not meant to sit in a drawer or in a computer file. You want that book out there, in the hands of hungry readers. That book was meant for the world.

And the world is not a solitary kind of place.

Odds are you aren’t a famous authority on a huge platform of wisdom and fame. You may be more like me—a working mom who is trying to turn a hobby into a second job. Everyone starts small and so should we. First-time queriers agonize over the lack of an impressive bio in their query letter but few realize that often a solid online presence is enough to let an agent know you mean business.

Ever Google yourself? You should. If an agent is thinking about reading more of your work, she’s definitely going to do it. You should, too. Your online presence may be one of your first impressions.

Of course, one way to build your online presence is to get published, but that starts the whole chicken or egg type of quandary. There’s a simpler way to start…and you are probably doing it already without realizing it.

It’s called social networking.

Networking is key to the success and survival of your book. But it’s a scary prospect for an emerging writer. You’ve written your first book, have no other publishing credits, don’t have an agent or an inside track with a best-selling author, and have absolutely no courage to attend a conference…you’re as good as anonymous. Who’s going to listen to another faceless writer?

Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to remain faceless. You don’t have to remain friendless, either.

Twitter:
Can’t deny that I have been pulled into the Twitterverse, kicking and screaming. Unlike regular space, Twitterspace is not a vacuum. It’s a human soup of news and interaction and connection. I also contribute to the Query Tracker blog and, thanks to dedicated readers like @PorterAnderson, the blog gets tweeted with links and quotes to readers who may not be aware of our site.

Once I tweeted (from @ashkrafton) a shoutout with the question: What’s your #networking magic bullet? I sent it out using Lazy Shout Out, a tool that helps me get a message out to all tweeps in a certain list. (Sounds like cheating but it’s just good social media management.)

Here are some of the answers:

@eslarke Just being active on sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads. I interact with others and take part in discussions.

@Bri_Clark I know my platform and it’s natural for me to utilize it. I’m the belle of boise.

@nancynaigle Friends like you are my #networking magic bullet I love meeting new people and gaining new perspectives!

@jim_devitt there is no magic bullet, you’ve got to be hitting on all cylinders, that and have a good book!

@wickedcoolflght …one of my best networking tools is @Paperbackdolls.

@heidirubymiller reciprocation and interaction

Guess what? They are all right. Read that last tweet again: reciprocation and interaction. You can’t network without putting some effort into it.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to follow each of the tweeps mentioned above. Once you do that, you can congratulate yourself for networking.

Shoutouts aren’t the only cool aspect of Twitter. You can retweet interesting tweets, too. I often pass on links to articles or inspirational quotes, anything I think my followers might find interesting. Sharing information is networking.

Facebook is another great way to network. Visit your friends’ pages and add friends from their lists. Worst thing they can do is not accept your request, right? Visit the sites of writers who write like you do and add from their friend list as well. Also, when responding to friend requests, click the link that allows you to see “all requests.” Often it opens up the friend requests to reveal a few of *their* friends. Add them, too. You’re building bridges to other people—and bridges form the structure of a network.

If you have an account, you already know it can be used to interact with friends, acquaintances, and peers, but don’t forget the other kinds of pages.

You can start an author page (mine is http://facebook.com/AshKraftonAuthor) and invite friends to “like” your page. (The invite link is on the right side.) There’s an opportunity to buy an ad but I feel the potential bill would be too costly for an emerging writer like myself.

You can also participate in groups and perhaps start one for your own writing. Make the group reader friendly and participate regularly. You’ll be networking in no time at all.

Blogging is a quick and easy way for us to express ourselves outside our formal writing. Originally designed to be journals, blogs (short for web log) quickly evolved into an effective means of sharing information to a variety of audiences.

Blogging platforms have evolved, as well, enabling us to connect with readers using friending and following functions. Blogger.com, WordPress, and Livejournal are three of the biggest blogging platforms and can get you up and blogging in no time. I love how the blogs, in turn, offer RSS feed capabilities as well as Facebook’s “Like” and Twitter’s “Tweet This” buttons for easy sharing.

You shouldn’t stop at writing a blog; you need to read them—and comment, too. When you comment, you have the opportunity to provide a direct link to your website or blog that other readers can follow. More readers, more friends, more connections.

Blog hops are a fun way to find new blogs that focus on your interests. I participated in the Coffin Hop Horror Web Tour (October 24-31, 2011) along with a bunch of great horror writers. Readers could view a huge clickable list of different blogs and hopped (okay, it’s a Halloween hop, so I guess readers lurched or staggered) from blog to blog. The bloggers offered prizes for commenters as well as showed off their writing chops.

What do writers get out of all of this? Exposure, of course. And exposure brings new readers and new connections to the other bloggers and all of it is (say it with me) networking.

According to an article from Author Marketing Experts , blog commenting doesn’t need to turn into a time suck. Set a goal to leave a certain number a week. You may be surprised to hear that certain number doesn’t need to astronomical, either—you can gain significant exposure by commenting on as few as three to five blogs per week. And set a time limit, too. I use a kitchen timer to limit how long I fool around network via blog comments.

Goodreads, anyone? You can link your blog to your Goodreads page and Tweet your reviews. My favorite part of Goodreads is the giveaway program. I held my first giveaway this summer; I offered an anthology from my publisher, Pink Narcissus Press, in August and every day I logged in just to see how many people entered. My giveaway ended up having several hundred entrants, which really had me chuffed. Even if only a small percent of them went back to check out the book, that’s still more traffic than the book had before the giveaway. Several of the entrants made friend connections to my profile, as well. And that, friends, is networking.

Of course, these websites are the basic, most popular ones, but there is no reason you can’t use them to your advantage. The “basics” are used by millions of people around the world—and that’s a pretty big potential audience.

You don’t have to be a Wizard of SEO or a nationally-known keynote speaker. Successful networking begins at your fingertips with a click of the mouse or a Tweet of an idea. Give your book the biggest chance to succeed by reaching out to new readers, one step at a time.

Networking really is that easy.

Bio: Ash Krafton is a speculative fiction writer whose work has appeared in journals such as Absent Willow Review, Expanded Horizons, and Silver Blade. Ms. Krafton resides in the heart of the Pennsylvania coal region, where she keeps the book jacket for “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” in a frame over her desk. Visit the Spec Fic Chick website at www.ashkrafton.com for updates on the release of her debut novel, Bleeding Hearts, forthcoming in 2012 through Pink Narcissus Press.

This article first appeared on The Query Tracker Blog.

The Writer’s Portable Brain: Keeping an Idea Notebook

I was a pharmacy intern in the early nineties, long before the digital age bloomed. My kids still can’t believe an age of paper resources ever existed (apart from dinosaurs, at least.) But yes, kids, once upon a time, people went to college without iPads or netbooks. We just had to memorize entire textbooks because it wasn’t convenient to carry around forty-five pounds of knowledge.

Trouble with being an intern was, well, being an intern. We were students who didn’t know everything because memorizing entire textbooks was a very difficult feat. I mean, a brain can only hold so much. So, we spent fortunes on pocket-sized manuals and stuffed our white coats with them and prayed that the question that got fired at us during hospital rounds would be one that had an answer in one of those books.

We also carried little notebooks inside which had clips and notes and other sorts of valuable information. Every time we heard or read something useful, we’d tuck it away in the notebook. Those little books became known as our portable brains.

A few decades later, I barely think about those stacks of textbooks and pocket references. I’m comfortable in my practice and, thanks to innumerable digital resources, I can easily look up anything I don’t know. One thing I never gave up, however, was my portable brain.

It just has different wrinkles in it, these days.

My portable brain no longer contains pharmaceutical nuggets or body surface area calculation shortcuts. It’s become somewhat more eclectic…and a lot more fun.

The Writer’s Portable Brain

One thing is still true today: my brain can only hold so much. I’ve got kids’ band practices, dentist appointments, and work issues clogging up my grey matter. (And I thought I had it bad in college. Oh, to be a kid again.)

While I am inextricably connected to my smartphone, I’m rarely seen without a notebook–much to my tech genius-husband’s chagrin. I’m the Analog Kid to his Digital Man. I like paper: the touch of it, the feel of it, the smell of it.

My notebook holds more than just words, those hastily scribbled lines that come to me when I’m on the way to work. It’s got song lyrics and photographs. Web links and museum tickets. I think it may even contain a playlist for every story I ever started. Every time I come across something inspirational or relevant, it goes into the portable brain.

After all, I never know when my muse will need a boost.

Random Access Memory

We write what we know–but we can’t know everything. That’s discouraging, to pharmacy students and writers alike. A portable brain can give us the confidence we need. There are answers in there, ones we might need in a pinch.

As the months went by in my internships, I refined the contents of my portable brain. I learned to organize it for fast reference. I removed bits that I’d memorized and ditched things that weren’t as critical as I’d originally thought. It became a lean, mean, knowledge machine.

My current PB is so much different. It’s a right brain-left brain thing, I guess.

The notebook isn’t divided into neat sections, photos in one spot and poetry lines in another. It’s a lot more linear. One thought leads to another, and that stream of thoughts is reflected in the way my pages look. It makes sense to no one but me.

And that’s okay. Every brain is different—and our portable brains are as individual as our organic ones. There is no single right way to keep a portable brain. We have the freedom to create it in our own style. After all, our muses want to have comfortable digs, don’t they?

For me, inspiration may be born in an architectural pattern or a grassy patch or a scattering of beads in a bowl. A photograph, easily captured with my ever-present phone, catches the muse and traps her—mine for future tapping. Analog Kid that I am, I like to print those photos and tuck them away inside the PB.

Sometimes, a song sets me off on a tangent. A line or two, tucked away in the brain, accompanies the thought I’d stumbled across. I can go back to the muse when I have time.

Most often, though, the notebook is there for moments I can’t write. It’s true that writers do most of our work without writing down a single word. Stories brew in our minds while we are busy doing other things—washing laundry, driving the kids to school, getting our day jobs done. We never really stop writing. There’s always a plot we’re following. A flash of dialog that works itself out. And sometimes, our computers are nowhere to be seen. Can you bear to lose those words forever?

I can’t. Portable brain to the rescue.

Paper or Plastic?

Of course, not everyone is as attached to hard copy as I am. Smartphones make it easier than ever to serve as our portable brains. You may already have the start of a splendid portable brain in your hand right now. Use it. Develop it. Fill it with muse food, everything you come across that may stimulate your writing later on.
A digital portable brain can easily bookmark websites and hold photo galleries. You can connect with Google Docs or Skydrive and tap your forebrain into them.

I use those things, too. But my sentimental attachment to papery things means my notebook still holds a place in my tech case.

Maybe one day I’ll open a Portable Brain Tea House, where writers can meet for Darjeeling and cookies and a chance to swap notebooks, just for a chance to share and show off our muses. Kind of like scrapbooking for brains.

They are scrapbooks of a sort; they are tiny chronicles of a writer’s journey, the paths our minds wander when left to their leisure. Like any scrapbook, they should be filled with the places our muses would most like to visit again.

We can all use an extra brain once in a while. A portable brain may be the solution—and, at least this one, you don’t have to keep in a jar. Bonus right there.

Speculative fiction writer Ash Krafton resides in the heart of the Pennsylvania coal region, where she keeps the book jacket for “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” in a frame over her desk (because of its sheer awesomeness.) Visit the Spec Fic Website at www.ashkrafton.com for updates on the release of her debut novel, Bleeding Hearts: Book One of the Demimonde, forthcoming in 2012 through Pink Narcissus Press.

This article first appeared on The Query Tracker Blog.

The Coffin Hop Horror Web Tour (October 24-31, 2011)

Attention horror-writing Pennwriters! It’s time for a web tour!

The Coffin Hop is an excellent way to promote your work, to gain traffic to your website or blog, and also to meet more horror/spooky fiction authors to network a bit.

The Coffin Hop site will be the “base site” and from there visitors can “hop” from website or blog to visit the various authors’ sites who are participating during the week of October 24-31, 2011.

During that week the participating authors should have either a blog post or something on their blog or website that’s in the Halloween/Horror spirit and that somehow promotes their work in the genre, along with a contest for visitors (you could give out halloween treats, digital copies of your books, name a character after your winner, email previews of an upcoming project, send out an autographed copy of one of your books, perhaps? All up to you, Hoppers!).

The only set requirements for your blog entry are that you include the GORY DETAILS listed below, as well as a link back to the “base site” (http://www.coffinhop.blogspot.com/). You will also need to comply with the prize disbursement guidelines listed.

Your Coffin Hop-specific blog or website does not need to be live on your site until 10/24/2011, when the hop starts, but you’re encouraged to register now. Registration for the Coffin Hop will close at the end of the day 10/23/2011.

Starting the 15th of October we would also encourage all involved authors to begin to heavily promote the Coffin Hop in whatever ways possible – Facebook it, tweet the bejeezus out of it, put it on your front page and dare everyone you know to hit all of the sites on the list. Remember – the more traffic any one of us gets, the more traffic we’re all likely to get. That is why it is so very important to prominently display the link to this site, where we host the link list.

Now go forth and hop those coffins!

(Post this – in full – in your Coffin Hop blog post)

THE GORY DETAILS:
1) HAVE A SPOOKY FUN TIME!
2) INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND SPREAD THE WORD!
3) THIS TOUR STARTS: Monday, October 24, 2011 at Midnight (PST)
THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, October 31, 2011 at Midnight (PST)
Winners will be drawn and posted November 1, 2011
4) MEET AND MINGLE WITH THE AUTHORS! EXPERIENCE A NEW DESTINATION AT EVERY STOP! PARTICIPATE IN EVERY SITE’S CONTEST AND BE ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN MULTIPLE PRIZES! EVERY BLOG VISITED IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WIN!
5) PARTICIPATION AT ALL SITES IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. THE MORE SITES YOU HOP, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES.
6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE A SPOOKY FUN TIME?

***Authors have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this tour is subject to these rules***

The Art of Poetic Space

Before I was an active writer, I was a reader with a passion for fantasy art. I discovered Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series when I was in college and embarked on my own version of fangirl geekdom.

Fast forward a decade or two and you’ll still find me at the comic conventions. There is something wonderful about a comic book—it’s not just reading with pictures. It’s a story with art—and the two are inextricably connected.

Comics intrigue me because of their brevity—so much story and action packed into tiny frames. One has to really get into the story to fully appreciate the nuances of each angle, each line, each visual. Eventually, I came across the work of Charles Vess, who illustrated my favorite issue of Sandman.

I met him at the Baltimore Comic Con in August, where he spoke about the concept of poetic space.

Images and Words

I’m not surprised to hear such a term coming from this artist. You know the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words?” His pictures actually are: entire volumes have the power to spring from a single illustrated page.

Vess said poetic space leaves room for the reader to fill in the details and participate in the experience. When asked how much poetic space an artist should use, he replied: “As much as possible!”

As a writer, I was intrigued by his notions of poetic space and, with it in mind, I examined my style of writing. Did it exist in my work? Should it exist in my work? After all, writing is not drawing. A painting may invoke emotion and meditation but a book—well, a reader would only know what we told them.

However, there’s a point where enough is enough, already. Endless lines of description begin to sound more like a shopping list. Yeah, you get a picture, but is it fun reading? Meh. Not really.

Poetic Space Equals Wiggle Room

The balancing point is a thin line. Trouble is, everyone places that line differently.

I’m a contest junkie. I can honestly say my first pages have been read, shred, scoured, devoured, chewed up, spit out, praised, razed and a slew of other critiquing verbs by at least a hundred different judges. They all had individual ideas of how much—or how little—description my opening pages should have.

We’ve heard it time and time again—action should predominate those early pages. Hook the reader. Draw them in. Backstory and narrative summary can come later. Or…can it?

My story has a first person point of view so it’s not like the narrator is going to spend a ton of time talking about her own appearance in the first pages. Yet, I had more than a handful of people wanting for more—I can’t count all the times I got “I don’t even know what she looks like.”

However, I got far more compliments on the intrigue and the hook. If the contest only gave the first few pages, I can let the crits slid.
Why? Because of poetic space.

If someone is only going to read the first five pages, their minds can fill in those missing details, if they need to. The rest of the story has plenty of space to flush out those details later.

If, on the other hand, those first five pages don’t have anything else to grab onto, all the poetic space in the world won’t redeem them. There’s the balance: poetic space is a tool to be used along with every other device writers use to create our stories.

Engaging the Reader

Vess’s remarks backed up a small conversation I had with my editor, Rose Mambert of Pink Narcissus Press We were discussing some cover sketches and she said she didn’t have a clear idea of what the protagonist looked like but knew the hero looked nothing like the sketches.

The part about my main character concerned me. Did I need to go back and revise?

“No,” Rose said. “A physical description of Sophie is not so important. Readers will fill in all those missing details, anyway. Though if there’s a picture of her on the cover, that will probably stick in the readers’ mind, so we do want it to match up with how you envision her.”

Whew. Poetic space to the rescue.

In a splendid interview, Vess spoke more on the topic of poetic space in his discussion of artist Frantisek Kupka. He said there’s a trend in fantasy art to show every detail, and light the subject in such a way that it eliminates all the mysterious shadows. No room left for the reader’s interpretation.

Poetic Space Enhances Our Stories

As writers, we, too, need to incorporate those mysterious shadows into our characters. If you lay everything out on the line in high definition perfection, then there is no subtle nuance to develop later. No place for a telling quirk. No room for a surprising flaw.

That would be an affront to our writers’ sensibilities. It’s our need to peer into the shadows and come up with our own interpretations that makes us writers in the first place. We look into the vague and the subtle and we pull a story out of it.

Out of the poetic space.

It’s a service, as well, according to Vess. When we have to supply our own imagination to fill in that poetic space, we train ourselves to continue the story. We become more proficient in telling the stories running through our brains.

We develop our creative senses. We become better writers.

So. Poetic space. Who knows? It just might be our redemption.

Ash Krafton’s work has appeared in several journals, including Niteblade, Absent Willow Review, Red Penny Papers, and Silver Blade. Visit the Spec Fic Website for updates on the upcoming release of her first novel BLEEDING HEARTS: Book One of the Demimonde, forthcoming through Pink Narcissus Press in early 2012.

This article first appeared on The Query Tracker Blog.

Katie McVay, Area 6 Member Spotlight

Katie McVay hails from Pottstown, PA and writes Commercial Fiction.

When did you begin writing with the intent to be published? Right out of college. I had a brand new English degree and I spit out my first novel in three months. I just knew I was going to tear up the publishing world with this work of pure genius. Little did I know the book sucked, and that I was way too young, inexperienced, and ill-equipped to be published. It’s taken a long time, but fourteen years later, I finally feel comfortable calling myself a writer. And I’m ready to be published.

Why, what sparked the author inside you to finally write? I took a few years off from writing after that first novel to study the craft of writing, and to see if I thought I had what it takes to be a writer. The time away was painful, but necessary in order for me to mature, learn and grow. Then about a year ago I finished my second novel, thought it was publishable, and let some people read it. They really liked it and thought it could sell. That’s the moment when I told myself that I could make a go as a writer, that in fact, I couldn’t be anything BUT a writer. What’s that Isaac Asimov quote? “I write for the same reason I breathe: because if I didn’t I would die.” Or something like that. That’s me.

What completed/published works do you have or what are you currently working on? Describe them. I’m about to self-publish my first novel, THE CITY OF LOST SECRETS. It’s about a novelist and a biblical scholar that team up to solve the mystery of the Talpiot tomb, a burial cave inJerusalemthat is rumored to be the lost tomb of Jesus. It’s a women’s fiction / thriller hybrid, or The DaVinci Code for chicks, if you will.

 Are you involved in any critique groups, classes, or other writing communities? Any personal experiences from them you’d like to share? Places/events you’d like other members from Area 6 to know about. N/A

What inspires your writing? What breathes life into your work? Everyday things—and usually mundane things—inspire my writing. For instance, sitting around the Philly airport waiting for a flight inspired my recent short story, THE DEPARTMENT OF LOST AND FOUND, about a bored young woman who works for a regional airport and the decision she must make when a stranger offers her the promise of a new, happier life. And I love putting ordinary people into extraordinary situations. That really gets my juices flowing.

What is a genre that you would more than likely never tackle, why? Romance. I’m not overly sentimental, and Romance novels never really did it for me. But I certainly respect Romance readers, and of course Romance writers as well; I imagine it’s not easy making a popular genre feel fresh and new. 

What is a normal day like for you, tell us how you get all that writing in? I work a 9-5 job, so usually during the day I keep a notebook handy just in case ideas strike me. I do most of my writing at night and on weekends.

Where do you do most of your writing. A special place in your home, at a park, etc.? If I’m editing, I usually plop my laptop on my lap in the living room, plug in my earphones, crank some Beethoven CDs and I’m off and running. If I’m writing, I need a less trafficked area, so I sit at the desk in one of our spare bedrooms, plug in my earphones, and crank the Beethoven. Both places are near a window, and I raise the shade for inspiration. For some reason, staring at a wall doesn’t help me get to that writerly place.

What stage of publication are you in; first draft, editing, querying, etc.? How has that experience been? Right now, I’m about to self-publish the second novel I wrote. It’s been grueling doing all the work myself—editing, cover design, manuscript formatting, etc. But it certainly was an education, and being my own boss throughout the process was nice.

What is next for you? Starting the sequel to THE CITY OF LOST SECRETS.

You are a sandwich, describe yourself on a menu. Chunky peanut butter and creamy grape jelly sandwiched between two pieces of soft, white bread. Straightforward and simple—that’s the kind of gal I am.

If you could be a superhero, what would your name and power be? Super Best-Seller Girl. I would wave my wand at everyone I came in contact with and they’d instantly run out to buy my books!

Please let us know where we can find you online. I keep a blog at http://katiemcvay.blogspot.com. Follow me on Twitter @ktmcvay. I’m on Facebook too, somewhere. Search for my name and you’ll find my fan page.

PROMOTIONAL BASICS: Getting The Word Out, When Your Words Come Out, 8-1-2011

Pennwriters Inc. brings you…

INSTRUCTOR: Babs Mountjoy
DATE: August 1 – September 2, 2011

REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/PennwritersCourse201108
(LIMITED CLASS SIZE. Enroll now.)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Congratulations! Your book or project has just been published. Now comes thereal work: making sure your audience can find your book, purchase it, enjoy itand share it with others, bringing you fame and fortune! Most publishers want to hear about your platform, which includes a website, blog, or other publicity method to sell and promote your product or book across the world.

The internet and social media are great methods to share your news and can go a long way toward reaching your potential audience. This online course will teach you the basics of publicity and marketing, some old tricks and some new tricks, to make your new release a real success.

* 4 most important things to include when developing a website
* Discover a variety of ways to get your work noticed online and offline
* Blog tours: how to get one started and why they’re a great way to spread your name
* Freebies and giveaways to attract readers and followers
* Setting up personal appearances and book signings (Have a program in mind, not just a chair behind a table)

FREE BONUS: A list of 50 sites where writers can submit their books for review.

Get better website and book sales results from proven promotion methods! LIMITED CLASS SIZE. Enroll now.

REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/PennwritersCourse201108

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Barbara “Babs” Mountjoy has been writing ever since she was a little girl, unable to control the urge of stories that wanted to percolate through her fingers into the keyboard. Or back then, onto the old Royal typewriter (before the TRS-80 even! Wow!). She’s been a published writer for over 35 years, spent seven years as a news reporter and editor in South Florida, and has contributed stories to two CUP OF COMFORT volumes. Her non-fiction book 101 LITTLE INSTRUCTIONS FOR SURVIVING YOUR DIVORCE was published by Impact Publishers in 1999, and her first novel, THE ELF QUEEN (under the pen name Lyndi Alexander) came out in 2010. THE ELF QUEEN is the first of the Clan Elves of the Bitterroot series, with THE ELF CHILD coming out in 2011 and THE ELF MAGE to be released in 2012. Her romantic suspense novel DELIVERANCE will be released by the Wild Rose Press in 2011, and her women’s fiction book SECOND CHANCES comes out from Zumaya Publications in 2012. She blogs about autism, writing and life at http://awalkabout.wordpress.com, and continues to write tech articles and TV reviews at Firefox News online. For more information on Babs Mountjoy or this course, email her at bmountjoy@zoominternet.net.

* Subscribe to our Online Courses announcement list for email on our latest workshops http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PennwritersOnlineCourses

Online Critique Group is Live!

 Well, it’s taken some time but the Area 6 Online Critique Group is live. Since many of us cannot meet in person and Area 6 is so large, we found this any easier way to exchange work, ideas, and hone in on our craft.

It’s part of our Yahoo Area 6 Group(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Penns_Area_6/). You must be a member of Pennwriters to join the loop. If you are not yet a member please contact Pennwriters @ http://www.pennwriters.org/.

Examples of a scene and it’s critique are in the folders section. There is also a folder on the Rules of the group. Information and links to the group will permanently be listed in the Critique Section of this blog, you can find it on the right over there.

Pennwriters Area 6 Online Critique Rules

We are all here to learn and grow in our craft. We are here to establish relationships as writers and exchange information. No harsh language, extremely negative feedback, or arguing will NOT be tolerated.  You can choose the work you’d like to review, one close to your genre, one that piqued your interest, or something completely different from what you write, but know that it is expected that you reciprocate the critique within a reasonable time period.

1. Post up to one scene or chapter of your work at a time (following standard manuscript guidelines).

2. Be sure to label the file correctly. The title, genre, and your name.

3. Feedback is provided with the best intent. Three positive aspects and three areas of focus for revision.  Focus on the positive and how to improve the piece.

4. If your work is being reviewed, keep an open mind. Don’t respond to the feedback initially. Let it settle, take in all comments equally. If something has offended you email the moderator. It is not to be discussed on the loop. Doing so will result in the dismissal of the group. However, use the group loop to spark conversation about how to critique, something you’d like help working on, etc.

5. Use the examples in the files as a format for Standard MS formatting and how to implement your feedback. You can list your feedback only or go further and make track changes and comments in more detail. The choice is yours. The type of critique you give will more than likely be the type you receive back.

6. Have fun and hone your craft!

7. Any questions, email Charli using the contact page here.

Also, this online group is a way for us to meet online but you can always arrange to meet up in person as well. I am hoping this sparks such dialogue and on evenings or weekend afternoons we can get together and chat throughout Area 6.

Head on over to the group now and get started, post something, introduce yourself. I look forward to reading your work and getting to know you better through your prose.

Charli Mac

Hello!

My fellow Area 6ers, it has been a while since I’ve posted. For the past few months I’ve shrugged my Area 6 Rep duties. I’m surprised there wasn’t a coup, a rebellion, an ousting if you will. Thank you for not inciting a riot and taking to the streets, it was very kind of you all.

Now that I am back in action, let’s get down to business.

1. The Pennwriters Conference was a wonderful success, so I hear. Kudos to all those involved with organizing.

2. We have many new members to Area 6 and Pennwriters, welcome to you all!

3. Many Area 6ers have expressed interest in meeting up and sharing work. We can meet up once a month and alternate locations to accommodate all our members. Area 6 covers the entire City of Philadelphia, its outlying suburbs and beyond. We can have a traveling monthly meet-up but we can and should expand the use of the Area 6 Yahoo Group. Many of us cannot meet in person but we can connect on this new thing called the interwebz. Please, sign up for the Area 6 Yahoo group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Penns_Area_6/. There we can exchange ideas, make arrangements for meet-ups, have workshops, and even exchange our work.

4. Please email me personally at charli555@comcast.net with all your current contact information. I want to create a thorough database of our members. If you have a website and would like to be listed on our blog, please send me that information as well.

5. If you’d like to guest post on our blog, please let me know. This is OUR blog, not  mine. Aren’t you tired of hearing only my voice???

6. I’d like to start a 6er Spotlight where YOU get to showcase who YOU are on our blog. We can do this monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly depending on the interest.

7. If I’ve left any items out you’d like to discuss, comment here.