Writing Craftsmanship

Recently I heard author Tom Glenn speak about “The Forgotten Discipline: Fiction Craftsmanship” at the Carroll County Branch of the Maryland Writers’ Association.

Craftsmanship is seldom stressed in writing classes, he said. yet it may be key to getting published, Creativity is innate and probably can’t be learned, but craftsmanship can. People think, we all learned to write as children. What else is there to learn?

Professional writers know there is so much more to learn. This program focused on the mechanics of fiction—formatting, copy editing, wording/structure, and dialogue.

He quoted Ursula K. LeGuin: “How can a reader trust a writer who seems to be ignorant of the medium she works in?”

Tom Glenn is well versed in his craft. Besides his published books, he won several writing contests, published 16 short stories and interviews authors for the Washington Independent Review of Books.

His Vietnam novel-in-stories, Friendly Casualties and novel, No Accounts are available on Amazon.com. His newest novel, The Trion Syndrome, will be published by Apprentice House this year.

Although formatting can be dull it is important to let agents and editors see that you are serious about your business and can abide by their guidelines. Agents and editors are busy people and often discard a manuscript because of minor problems. It is important for your writing to stand out. Don’t give them any reason to discard it.

Some basic copy editing rules he discussed included using 12-point serifed point, a single space at the end of sentences and flush-left alignment of text. All make it easier to read your text.

Look for repeated words and beware of adverbs. Use italics to show internal thought. Under dialogue he recommended keeping conversations clipped and brisk.

When you finish your manuscript put it away to cool, possibly for several months. Run spell check at the end, even if you ran it periodically during the writing. Read your work aloud to check for hesitations and awkward phrasing. Also, make sure you vary sentence structure using simple, compound, and complex sentences and even non-sentences, such as short phrases. Non-sentences are especially useful in tense situations.

“Get someone who doesn’t love you to critique the manuscript,” he suggested. It doesn't help that Mom, Dad or your best friend thinks you are the world's best writer. Make sure it is ready for other eyes to view.

Besides being a writer, Tom Glenn also worked as an undercover agent, musician, linguist (seven languages), cryptologist, government executive, and caregiver for the dying. With a doctorate in public administration, he toured the country lecturing on leadership and was dean of the Management Department at the National Cryptologic School.

He is available for other presentations including:

“Healing Through Writing: Survival and Craft.” Tom Glenn joins poet Shirley J. Brewer to explore the dark world of trauma: PTSI (Post Traumatic Stress Injury), accidental death, murder, violence. Healing takes place when the writer faces the trauma and orders chaos through writing. The presentation offers techniques to address personal traumatic experiences through writing.

“Uncertain Origins: The Battle of Dak To,” a lecture with slides on one of the largest battles of the Vietnam War. Glenn was there on the ground collecting intelligence. He warned U.S. military commanders of the forthcoming attack and wasn’t believed.

“Bitter Memories: The Fall of Saigon,” a lecture with slides. A speaker of Vietnamese, Chinese, and French, Glenn spent thirteen years as a National Security Agency operative trundling between the U.S. and South Vietnam, working under cover with army and Marine units on the battlefield in the collection and exploitation of North Vietnamese communications.

Readings from his Vietnam novel-in-stories, Friendly Casualties. The book relates the effects of the Vietnam war on men and women, Vietnamese and American, soldiers and civilians. Some are destroyed; others survive, however imperfectly. All are friendly casualties.

Readings from his novel published by Apprentice House of Baltimore in spring, 2014, No-Accounts. A straight college professor volunteers to take care of a gay man dying of AIDS in Washington, D.C. in the mid-1980s. The caretaker promises to be with his patient at the moment of death without knowing what lies in the dying man’s past.

For more information check out Tom-Tells-Tales.org. If you’d like him to speak at a gathering, email him at tomglenn3@comcast.net

Prepare for Publication

Bethany House author Dani Pettrey spoke recently at the Carroll County Chapter,  Maryland Writer’s Association on “I Finished my Manuscript. What Now?”

Pettrey is the author of the Alaskan Courage series, which so far includes: Submerged, Shattered, Stranded, Silenced, and Submerged. She described her novels as inspirational, romantic suspense. They are about strong, determined women willing to face danger to right what is wrong.

Her books have been awarded the Daphne du Maurier award, two HOLT Medallions, a Christy Award nomination, two National Readers’ Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence, and Christian Retailing’s Best Award.

Dani Pettrey

She shared her experience along the road to publication, saying it was easier for her than for many writers. However, she wrote well, edited, studied her craft and was prepared when an opportunity was presented.

There is so much advice for writers out there, she said, recommending that you only take advice that resonates with you. There is so much variety and so many voices.

After fine-tuning their manuscript, most writers should start looking for an agent. You can research agents online, through writing organizations and by reading the front of books. Look for agents who are interested in your genre. Do not send a book of erotica or adult horror.to an agent who specializes in children’s books.

Also, writers should not send samples of their writing to editors and agents at the same time. Most agents have access to publishers they think may be interested in your book. However, if you already sent it to an editor and it was rejected, they cannot go back to that editor.

She agrees with the advice that attending writing conferences is helpful, not only for learning, but for meeting agents and editors. She always took to conferences a “one sheet” with a synopsis of her story and a short bio. Also, be prepared to give an elevator pitch if asked. This is a very condensed version of you book, like a movie description.

You submission package should Include a query letter, synopsis, two links and sample chapters. It helps to have your polished book (not rough copy) read by critique partners or by a freelance editor or paid critiquer.

Membership in writing organizations can be helpful. Most organizations have a newsletter or blog, provide content that can be helpful in your genre, include contact industry details and provide other benefits.

Writing can be a lonely business. Learn to enjoy the process. It helps to keep an encouragement file and reward yourself periodically.

While waiting for replies from agents or editors, begin to write your next book.

Check her out at www.danipettrey.com or on Facebook.com/danipettrey.

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, My year of Magical Reading by Tina Sankovitch was one of those memorable reads, inspiring, motivating, heart breaking and life affirming. The unusual title first caught my attention, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop.

After the death of her older sister, she (I am not being disrespectful or too familiar, but it is easier to use a first name then the last or full name), she tries to run from her sadness, both literally and by filling her life so full, she could barely think. 

When the running didn’t help, she decided to read a book a day for a year, since a love of reading was something she shared with her sister.

For 365 days, she read, often until late at night. Often sitting in her comfortable old purple chair. All the books she read from 10/28/2008 to 10/28/2009 are listed at the end of the book. She also decided to review the books online and found  a new satisfaction in books by talking about them on her blog. She’s written 1001 book reviews.

Reading how much she enjoyed discussing these books with others, inspired me to include more book reviews or discussions in my blog. I don’t have a sister, but I am lucky to have a good friend who loves reading as much as I do and we recommend books to each other. Also, this sharing is a large part of the popularity of book clubs.

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair starts with a quote from Thomas A. Kempis, “Everywhere I have sought rest and not found it, except sitting in a corner by myself with a little book.”

Sankovitch feels she has to forgive herself for living while her sister was dead. I could understand with that since I lost my oldest brother years ago, but still weep for him, want to talk with him again.  Is guilt for not being there near the end of his life part of my unwillingness to let go of my grief? I was interested to see if the books she read helped her.

“Books were my time machine, my vehicles of recovery and reignited bliss from childhood and beyond,” she wrote. She felt connections to others reading the same book in different places and times.

Reading in my beige chair

During the year after my mother died, I read 146 books. I found them to be more therapeutic than watching mindless shows on television. Sometimes we just need to escape and there is always time for reading.

As Sankovitch wrote, “My year of magical reading was proving to be a fitting ending to my overwhelming sorrow and a solid beginning to the rest of my life.”

She found something meaningful in every book she read, both fiction and non-fiction. In mysteries, the sense of satisfaction is huge when a solution is found. We want our world to have order and mysteries often provide this. However, sometimes it is important to accept that there may be no real solution.

Some books we breeze through, but others have us searching for more. Sankovitch quoted author Elizabeth Maguire -  “Have you ever been heartbroken to finish a book? Has a writer kept whispering in your ear long after the last page is turned?” Yes. Some books we can't forget.

I enjoyed reading this book and loved the ending, “So many books waiting to be read, so much happiness to be found, so much wonder to be revealed.”

She had a new book published by Simon & Schuster in 2014, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Celebrating the Joys of Letterwriting. I think I’ll read that one soon. I have so many books on my “to read" list, but I still would welcome hearing about books that you enjoyed.

Check out more about her at www.readallday.org/blog

Pitching, Querying and Proposing

Award-winning editor Ally E. Machate recommended attending writing conferences and online events to make contacts in the publishing world, as well as for learning and meeting other writers, as she spoke on Pitching, Querying and Proposing.

Ally E. Machate

As well as attending conferences to learn and meet other writers, they offer a great way to make connections, she said, especially those with one-on- one meetings. This is a chance to sit down with an agent or editor. Later you can mention this meeting in a query letter, such as “I met you at…and you said…Here is...”

Ally worked with ex-Navy Commander Mark Divine, A SEAL for 20 years, to write The Way of the SEAL, a practical guide to defining and focusing on your goals and how to think like a SEAL.

Having worked in the publishing business for years, Ally was able to explain what your book goes through if it gets past the slush pile or gatekeepers, the decision makers.

For medium to large publishers, you need an agent, someone who knows the houses that publish your type of book. Search for agents who may be interested in your type of writing. Then find out what publishers they’ve sold to and what connections they have.

Lists of agents and editors are helpful, but they often use a generic email address. You may find a better source through networking with others. Find people who may be interested in your type of writing, with sources such as LinkedIn. Research magazines, literary journals and other online sites.

Try to learn a little about the agents or publications you are considering. Then you can write “I read your interview in …” or “I learned you were looking for a….”

Be sure to follow submission guidelines and make sure you get their name and gender correct. Propose one project at a time, although can mention if you have others.

She recommended giving the agent ammunition with a good synopsis. They can use it to sell your book and if they are successful, the publishing house can use it in audio pitches for their salespeople.

Do not send out queries if you are not quite finished your book. If they are interested and ask you to send a copy right away and you still need to finish writing and editing the story, you may lose this opportunity.

Ally and writer Mike Crowl

Ally explained that platform is industry language for anything that can be used to sell your book. This may include awards, publishing credits, a blog or social media column, credentials, ties to large organizations, or connections.  Planks are what you stand on to stand above the crowd.

Agents and editors will search your name, so it helps if you have a footprint online: a website, blog, Facebook or Twitter account. 

For fiction, authors should send a query letter and a synopsis. Fiction and memoir are treated the same. For non-fiction, a detailed book proposal is necessary. A proposal may be more than 20 pages of detail.

Start your query letter with some kind of hook, a personal connection or catchy plot line, she said. Next you want a description of the project. Think of this like writing marketing strategy or cover copy. Then tell who are you and why you are you proposing this book. Give them your credentials. By the end of your query, you want them to ask to see your complete work.

A synopsis is usually three to five pages double-spaced, a complete recap of your entire story – start to finish. Focus on main stuff. Give them a flavor of the book.

Novels are generally 60,000  to 80,000 words.  Non-fiction usually runs 50,000 to 70,000 words.

Ally is a bestselling book collaborator and expert publishing consultant. Since 1999, she has assisted, guided, and supported would-be authors on their publishing journey and takes pride in serving as their books' best ally. You can learn more about Ally at www.thewritersally.com and www.allymachate.com.

Remember:

If you don’t get that first book published it doesn’t mean you are not good, it just means you might not be good enough right now. Keep writing. Also, it is important to get to know your craft. This is a business.

CCMWA President Kerry Peresta
and Ally Machate

Take your business seriously.

This event was sponsored by the Carroll County Chapter of the Maryland Writers Association. For more information, check out www.marylandwriters.org or www.carrollcountymwa.org.

Write What You Know

I recently heard Dean Minnich speak about his life as a newspaper reporter, storyteller and author at the Carroll County Public Library. He also discussed his new book What Price Eden.

I am sure that through the years, he heard the writing advice, “write what you know.” However, Dean may have done that too well, as people keep telling him they know where his latest book takes place and recognize many of the people.

Although he protests that his book is fiction. It takes place in a fictional location with fictional people. But people identify with his characters, places and problems.

Dean wrote what he knew, but like most writers, he changed things. Buildings, businesses and people seem familiar because variations of them are here and in many American small towns. So are the problems. We can understand the problems and the emotions that surround them.

Dean was a journalist so it is not surprising that the town’s newspaper plays a large part in What Price Eden, as several people fight greed, corruption and murder to save unspoiled land and a family legacy.  

He worked for both the Hanover Evening Sun and the Carroll County Times, was a writer in the Navy and a freelance writer. He has published two books of his columns, three novels and a non-fiction book on the towns and villages of Carroll County, Maryland.

I worked with Dean many years ago at the Carroll County Edition of the Hanover Evening Sun. Then a daily community newspaper that had more than 80 percent of the county’s circulation.

Before becoming a reporter for the Hanover Evening Sun, I had written a “Man on the Street” column, a column about Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) and a few other articles for the Carroll County Times.

After moving to Mountain Maryland, I became a journalist again, writing for the area daily newspaper, the Cumberland Times-News, and winning several awards. I was thankful of the skills I had learned working with Dean, Al Starner, Gladys Wimert and Donna Boller.

Elizabeth Houck enjoying
What Price Eden

Dean mentioned that he received his education working on newspapers. I feel the same way. I loved learning new things, covering festivals, government, education, historic preservation, health initiatives, and even emergencies.

There was always something new to learn. I learned and I wanted to share that information with our readers. Having people tell me they enjoyed my article or learned about a program that helped them was rewarding. It was also wonderful to meet so many different people.

Recently, I have been experimenting with different types of writing. I finished a middle grade novel about several children trapped in a blizzard and am approximately two-thirds finished a novel about young people helping with historic preservation in their hometown.

As Dean said, It's fun to tell your own lies, to have things happen your way.

Let your imagination transform your ordinary world into an Eden or a moon base. I am still new at creating my own worlds and characters, but I find it fun and challenging.

I am writing what I know, but also changing it, making it exciting, and hopefully conveying information while telling an interesting story. I’ve even introduced a ghost into one story. Now I have never met a ghost; but “what if” I had a chance to meet an ancestor’s spirit.  How would I act? What would I do?  What would my characters do?

Writing what we know is important, but that doesn't mean we can't continue to learn more and have more information and experience to use in our stories.

Note to writers:

Dean Camlin as William Winchester and Dean Minnich

I was so excited after hearing Dean speak about his newest book, I went home, read it and started this blog. However, I knew he soon was to interview William Winchester, founder of Westminster, MD (portrayed by Dean Camlin) at another library presentation. So I decided to hold this and combine the two events. Then I let Christmas celebrations interfere and the urgency and enthusiasm for this blog dimmed slightly.

Although I decided to finish this blog, I am not conveying the enthusiasm I felt at these events. This is an example of why we need to write regularly, not put it off until we feel we will have more time or wait until inspiration strikes.

When we have a passion to communicate something, we need to go for it, right then, before much of what we want to say fades and may be lost forever.

An Extreme Novelist

Kathryn Johnson, an author of 40 published novels, started our writing year off with a bang at the January meeting of the Carroll County chapter of the Maryland Writers’ Association.

An instructor at The Writing Center in Bethesda, MD, she has her students sign a contract to complete the draft of a complete novel in eight weeks. She encourages them to write at least 90 minutes a day for six days a week. The purpose is to establish a routine. That hopefully will develop into a habit if practiced for at least eight to 10 weeks.

Kathryn Johnson and Kerry Peresta

The Rule of 10,000 shows that practice is more important than having a gift or talent. A study of violinists showed that those who practiced at least 10,000 hours at their craft were the ones who became the most successful. So keep practicing, keep trying to write better and you will get better.

Many people like to write in the morning, when their brain is clear. It is easier for the subconscious to engage before we get busy with other every day events, she told the writers and  writers-to-be at the meeting. Write whenever you can. Find your most creative time and use it.

If necessary, write in small bits, such as waiting at the doctor’s office, or when small children are asleep. Find areas that help you create, such as the library, coffee houses or quiet rooms in your home. Many people can’t write at home because there are too many distractions. You can portion your writing time throughout the day.

Writing your novel will be easier if you have a basic outline or plan. It helps you to keep things straight. You need a beginning, middle and end. You need to know your characters and the book genre.

Don’t worry about writing well in the beginning, just get the first draft of your novel down. If you start to edit your work, your controller will kick in (telling you that you are wasting time, cheating your family, not writing well, or that it is not important).

“Get the whole thing down,” she recommended. Don’t look back. You are only allowed to write forward. You can write notes on the rough manuscript of areas that need more work or keep a journal of additional ideas and details you want to add to the earlier parts of the novel. After you have completed the basic novel, then it is time for revision.

In a nutshell, the basic process is:

1                     preparation

2                     rough draft

3                     revision

Her most recent book is The Gentleman Poet.  Search for more information at her website: www.writebyyou.com.

writing prompts

The purpose of writing prompts - to encourage you to write.

They give you a chance to practice your writing skills.
They can get the creative juices flowing.
They offer a challenge.
They are fun.

Can you write something passable in a short amount of time on a specific subject? Let your imagination run free. No one else has to read it unless that is what you want.

Some dictionary definitions for prompt include: To move to action, to incite, to bring forth, and to be ready and quick to act as occasion demands.

A prompt is just a topic. It can be one word, a sentence or even a picture. You jot down ideas and then try to quickly write something from it.

What if your topic was “night writers.” Would you write a memoir about how you do most of your creative writing at night, after everyone else is in bed? Maybe you could create a story where the revolutionaries met at night to write and print information to distribute the next day. Could what they write lead to the overthrow of a dictator or just land them in prison? Is the pen really mightier than the sword? It is your story and it can go where you want it to go.

Prompts can help a writer get past writer’s block by trying different approaches. Instead of just staring at a blank page, a prompt can get you writing.

It is beneficial to write just for fun, to experiment, to see things from a different viewpoint, before returning to your main project. This is less stressful writing.

Many writing magazines provide prompts for their readers. There are entire books written about the value of prompts to ignite the creative process. You also can find sites that offer prompts online.

Writers are pushed to practice, practice, practice. Prompts give you a chance to do just that.

In our writing group, we can share our prompts and receive feedback on what we have written and also see what others wrote. It is interesting to see the different writing topics and styles that come from people using the same prompt.

You might even take the same idea and rewrite it with different characters or set it in a different time period. Sometimes you might expand your short prompt piece into something longer.

I save most of my prompts and sometimes review them for possible story ideas for future writing.

Whether you use prompts to spur creativity, kick-start a writing project, win a contest, or just to have fun, prompts are a writer’s friend.

So here we go. The following prompt was suggested for one of our recent critique group meetings.

The prompt: 

You wake up one morning to find that you are your five-year-old self, with your parents again, with all of the memories and experiences of your current life. Write this scene and express the emotion and frustration your character undergoes as you internally try to sort this out. 

My story using that prompt: 

It was Christmas morning. I was five years old. My brothers were pulling me out of bed, wanting to go downstairs and see what Santa had brought us. I threw on my slippers and raced down the steps with them.

“Mom and Dad get up. It’s Christmas. Santa’s been here.”

We reached for our stockings, which were hung on the banister. We could go through them while we waited for our parents. Jacks and yoyos, candy and fruit, a new comb and a sock? You never knew what Santa would put in your stocking. It was a fun way to wait until Dad came out to turn on the tree.

We could open one present while Mom fixed coffee, then she and Dad watched us open the rest, one at a time. Torn wrapping paper began to pile up around us. I didn’t take time to play with one thing before I was opening another. Finally, the gifts were open and I looked around to decide where to start.

Suddenly I realized everything seemed so immature. I’d feel silly playing with silly putty and did I really want to be a cowboy, with a red felt hat and plastic gun? Something  didn’t feel right. I looked at Mom and Dad, my brothers and then looked at myself in the hall mirror. Yes, I was five, but something was wrong.

I didn’t feel like five. I felt at least five times older than that. Wasn’t I just thinking last night of going to work today to finish the Bromberg contract?  Thinking that Christmas just wasn’t fun anymore. The magic was gone.

Now it was here again, at least for the rest of the family, and for me at least for a little while. But now I was thinking like an adult again, even if I didn’t look it. How was I going to get out of this mess?

They wouldn’t let a five year old into the office. How would I get there? Would Dad take me? He probably didn’t even know how to get to New York, much less where Clark and Patrick, Inc. was located.  He probably would think I was just playing being an adult.

Suddenly I began to perspire and sat back horrified. How long would I be stuck here? True, no one was waiting for this 25-year-old workaholic, but how long could I pretend to be five?

“Are you okay Billy?” Dad asked, moving over to ruffle my hair. I looked up at him and smiled.

“I’ll fix some pancakes for breakfast,” Mom said, giving each of us a hug before going into the 

kitchen. “Just play with your toys until I call you.”

“I guess Santa thought you were all good,” Dad joked. “He must not have been paying much attention.”

“Can we go sledding after breakfast?” Danny asked. “There’s plenty of snow. We’ll show Billy how to steer his new sled.”

“Sure,” he said, but I was no longer listening. I had forgotten how good it felt to do things with my brothers. I still received letters from them, sometimes with pictures of young nieces and nephews, but I hadn’t been home since graduating college and had never invited any of them to my apartment.

I had forgotten what love and security meant  since leaving my family in the cold mountains of West Virginia for the excitement of New York City. I had moved on and up, no longer embarrassed by my coal mining father nor store clerk mother. But I hadn’t realized how lonely life could be, even surrounded by millions of people.

Just last week I was wishing I could turn back the clock to when life seemed full of possibilities. Had that happened? Was this just a dream or part of a Christmas miracle?

“Pancakes are on the table. Come and get them,” Mom called.

 Rushing to the kitchen with my brothers, I decided to forget the Bromberg contract and just enjoy some of Mom’s hotcakes and homemade jam.