WikiLeaks and the Craft of Journalism

As Wikileaks continues to feed media outlets with thousands of classified US diplomatic cables, how serious is the threat by WikiLeaks to other media outlets? And how is WikiLeaks shaping the media industry? Is it the beginning of a new media form?

Novelist John Irving on the Writer's Craft

Becoming a Fiction Writer: A 10 Step Guide

Becoming a Fiction Writer: A 10 Step Guide
By Rob Parnell

The urge to write fiction seems God given for some, a learned skill for others.

One thing is certain—it requires practice and a particular mindset. But, if you’re a beginner, where do you start?

The following 10 tips will help kick-start your writing habit, whether you’re a complete novice, or perhaps a pro who has lost his or her way!

1. Step Away From the Car, Sir.

Slightly detach yourself from your surroundings. Stop participating and begin observing. In social situations, watch people, see how they act and—more importantly—interact.

Don’t pass judgment. Take it all in—and draw on it later when you write.

2. Look Harder, Homer

Stop and look around you. Consciously notice the buildings, what’s underfoot, overhead, and what’s right in front of you.

At home, look at something you take for granted. An iron, for instance. Find yours and study it.

3. Write Thinking Will Be Rewarded.

A simple technique. Your mother is making tea and you are chatting to her. Take a mental step back and describe the scene.

Similarly, when you’re outside, describe your environment as though you were writing it down.

4. What Reasons Do You Need?

Don’t wait for inspiration—just write!

Force yourself to write anything at all. A shopping list. An overheard conversation. Describe your bedroom.

It doesn’t matter how personal it is, or how trivial, just get it down!

5. Wakey Wakey!

Set your alarm clock for an hour earlier than normal.

When the alarm goes off, get up. Don’t dress, bathe or eat. Don’t even make coffee. Just stagger to your writing space and write the first thing that comes into your head for five minutes.

6. Oh, God—Not That!

Think of the most awful and embarrassing thing you’ve ever done - the more cringe-worthy the better. Now write about it. All of it, in all its gory, horrible detail.

Then hide it away for a year or so before you read it again!

7. Like Your Style, Baby.

Don’t limit yourself. Write poems, songs, dialogue, fact, fiction, even practice writing advertising copy or horoscopes.

Your expertise improves in all areas – an improvement in one area can reap benefits in another.

8. The Sincerest Form of Flattery

Take out a classic book from your bookcase. Copy out a paragraph. Think about the words as you write them. Don’t get intimidated!

9. Wanna See My Invention?

When you’re not writing, string together stories in your mind. Think of plots, characters, settings, dénouements.

Ask yourself what you should do next to improve your writing.

Develop this technique into a habit.

10. It’s a Goal!

When you start writing regularly, set yourself small goals. Anything from 200 words a day, or just a commitment to writing in your diary.

Later extend to finishing a short story, or an article or a poem. Perhaps one in a week.

The trick is to set goals you can achieve easily.

That way you’ll get the writing habit - and you won’t forget to enjoy it.

Rob Parnell is a prolific writer who’s published novels, short stories, and articles in the U.S., U.K., and Australia, and a teacher who’s conducted writing workshops, critique groups, and seminars.

Please visit Mr. Parnell’s Web site at:

http://easywaytowrite.com/

The Name of the Game: Naming Your Characters

The Name of the Game: Naming Your Characters
By Jeanne Lyet Gassman

What do Scarlett O’Hara and Holden Caulfield have in common? They are the names of memorable characters. It is your job as the writer, of course, to create a memorable character, but selecting the right name can aid the process. The trick is to give your characters names that are interesting and unusual without tagging them with a moniker that sounds silly or awkward. How do you do this? You can begin by thinking about the origin of names. All names—whether they are first names or surnames—are influenced by ethnicity, celebrity/popularity, ancestry, appearance, or occupation.

Surnames

In ancient times, people had no designated surnames. If there was a need to make a distinction, they were referred to by their occupation, their residence (or place of birth), or their relationship to another person or thing. For example, John the Baptist identifies John as a person who practiced a ritual immersion (baptism) for his followers. Mary Magdalene takes the surname of her hometown. Hebraic names, in particular, often created surnames from relationships. The word “bar” means “son of.” Hence, a name such as Jacob bar Jonah means literally “Jacob, son of Jonah.” This practice of using “son of” to identify a person later evolved into creating actual surnames that have been passed down over generations. “John’s son,” for instance, became the name, “Johnson,” a surname still in use today.

Surnames also show a strong ethnic influence. If you look in the phone book of any small town (an excellent resource, by the way), you will often see a preponderance of surnames indigenous to the area. I grew up in the southwestern United States, a place with a large population of Native Americans and Hispanics. The surnames of “Tsosie,” “Begay,” and “Padilla,” are common in my hometown. However, since they are primarily isolated to a specific region, they become memorable when used for a story with a broad reading audience. If you want to place your story in a particular locale, take a close look at the local residential pages to see what ethnic groups dominate the area.

You can also create your own surnames by combining everyday words with an appropriate prefix or suffix. The name, “Chiselton” could be an excellent choice for the last name of a con man since “chisel” is a slang term for “to cheat.” A good thesaurus is an excellent resource for creating surnames that sound real. Just be careful that you don’t choose the obvious, such as “Barman” for a pub owner.

First Names

Although first names are often influenced by ethnic origin, they are also inspired by the person’s appearance or by popularity. Many first names (and nicknames) refer to a person’s appearance or character. The name, “Alan,” comes from the Celtic, meaning “handsome.” Nicknames such as “Red” and “Akako” (Japanese for red) could both refer to the color of a character’s hair. The Puritans were particularly fond of giving their children names of virtues they felt they should possess. “Silence” and “Temperance” were popular for girls, while “Justice” and “Proper” were favorites for boys.

Almost every generation has had trendy first names that have waxed and waned over the years. My grandmother was named “Frances,” with the nickname of “Fanny,” a once-popular name that now has the slangy connotation of referring to a person’s backside. In the 1930s, thousands of little girls were named “Shirley” after Shirley Temple. Today, you will rarely find that name in the classroom. The 1960s saw a rise in popularity of “John” and “Jacqueline” after President Kennedy and his wife. In the 1980s, there was a swing back to Biblical names for both boys and girls. The obituaries are a great resource for first names and can provide insight into what was popular during a particular generation.

Initials

The use of initials can be a useful substitute for a first name if you want your character to seem powerful or mysterious. For example, if you have a female private eye, the name “T. J. Roberts” sounds much more forceful than “Teresa Joan Roberts.” If your character is a powerful politician or a corporate magnate, the use of initials could indicate that he’s so important people don’t need to know his first name; his initials are good enough. The famous J.P. Morgan is a perfect example of this. Finally, some authors feel that the use of initials imparts an air of mystery to a character. If this is your goal, you may want to keep the reader guessing by never revealing what the initials stand for.

Naming Don’ts

Don’t combine first and last names that rhyme or sound alike. Most readers find this annoying. Example: Jack Stack.

Don’t give your characters names that are impossible to pronounce. This is often a common problem in fantasy or science fiction when an author decides to be clever and give a character a name without any vowels. Example: Grrwkd. The reader spends the rest of the story choking on the word.

Don’t use a person’s real name! If you find a last name you like, use a different first name and vice versa. Never, ever, use the name of a real person, as you open yourself up to charges of libel and/or defamation of character. It’s also a violation of privacy.

Don’t use similar first or last names for different characters. Three characters with the names of Jack, Jacques, and John become confusing for the reader.
Don’t switch back and forth between a character’s first name and last name. If the character goes by his last name, then be consistent and use the last name every time he’s mentioned.

Don’t make first and last names of equal length. If you have a short first name for your character, give her a longer last name. Mix things up a little.

Don’t give your character a full name with initials that spell out an embarrassing word. Georgia Alice Garrison may be a lovely name for a Southern belle, but G.A.G. is not quite so attractive.

Resources for Names

Residential pages of phone books
Obituaries
Baby naming books
Names from spam email (You will find some interesting combinations here; just don’t open the spam!)

Who’s Who in the Bible (Reader’s Digest Books)

http://www.babynameworld.com
(contains the first names for boys and girls for countries from around the world)

http://www.behindthename.com/
(This site has a wonderful random name generator that can help you brainstorm some very creative combinations.)

http://www.ellisislandimmigrants.org/index.htm
(Over 22 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island from 1892 to 1954. The databases at this site have records on almost all of them.)

http://www.last-name.net
(an excellent resource for surnames and their origins)

So, before you label your character with any Tom, Dick, or Harry, stop and think about who he is. Where does he come from? What does she do? What does he look like? What kind of image do you, the author, want to project for your character?

Happy writing!

Jeanne Lyet Gassman is an award-winning writer whose fiction and nonfiction has been published in numerous magazines, newsletters, and anthologies. The recipient of artistic grants from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Creative Capital Foundation, she is currently studying for her MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Phoenix and teaches writing workshops and classes in the metro area.

Visit Ms. Gassman at her website:

http://www.jeannelyetgassman.com

Or her blog:

http://jeannelyetgassman.blogspot.com

A Word about Words

Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.).

Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you? Just as importantly, using the correct word can better convey the nuance you desire. As Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

Solution vs. Solve

Wrong: We need to solution this problem in a hurry.
Right: We need to solve this problem in a hurry.
Right: We need a solution to this problem in a hurry.

Solution is a noun, yet I’ve heard it (mis)used as a verb. But we already have a perfectly good verb to use: solve. Please don’t solution anything!

Conversated vs. Conversed

Wrong: We conversated about that very subject.
Right: We conversed about that very subject.

To converse is to talk informally. Conversate (back-formed from conversation) is a slang version of the verb converse.

Climatic vs. Climactic

Wrong: The climatic scene was intense.
Right: The climactic scene was intense.

Climatic (verb) is to climate (noun) as climactic is to climax.

Pseudo questions

Wrong: I wonder why she did that?
Right: I wonder why she did that.

Sometimes a sentence seems like it should be a question even though it isn’t. In the above example, the word why suggests a question, but in fact the sentence is a statement. Had it been written “Why did she do that?” it would be a question.

Emulate vs. Simulate

Wrong: We’re attempting to emulate emotions in a robot.
Right: We’re attempting to simulate emotions in a robot.

To emulate is to attempt to equal or exceed. If you emulate someone you are trying to be like him or her. On the other hand, if you simulate something you are creating a likeness, assuming the appearance, or copying. A person might simulate, or feign, interest. One way to think of the difference is that emulation is real, while simulation is fake.

Nevermind vs. Never mind

Wrong: Nevermind about that.
Right: Never mind about that.

Nevermind is a noun that means attention, notice, or heed (as in “Pay him no nevermind.”). It can also mean business or affair. (“It’s no nevermind of yours.”) Never mind, however, is an idiom that means “don’t worry” or “it’s of no concern.”

Carat vs. Caret vs. Karat

Wrong: I bought my fiancé a 2 caret diamond ring.
Wrong: This bracelet is made of 14 carat gold.
Right: My necklace is 14 karat gold, with diamonds totaling 2 carats.

It’s easy to get the various spellings confused, as similar as they are. A carat is a measure of weight used for gemstones, totaling 200 milligrams. In the U.S. and Canada, karat is a measure of the fineness, or purity, of gold, with 24 carats being 100% pure. (In some countries, it’s spelled carat.) Of course, at that purity, it’s too soft to be practical as jewelry, hence the more common, sturdier, and less expensive 10K, 14K, and 18K fineness. Silver, copper, and other metals are added not only for strength, but to create different colors as well (such as white gold and red or rose gold). A caret (^) is nothing more than a special symbol used in editing to indicate where something is to be inserted. It’s not as valuable as a carat or karat (except, perhaps, to an editor).

Pompous grass vs. Pampas grass

Wrong: That bush over there? That’s pompous grass.
Right: That bush over there? That’s pampas grass.

Pampas grass, or Cortaderia selloana, is a tall, reedlike, ornamental grass, native to South America. Because it’s pronounced like pompous (POM-pus), it’s easy to understand the misspelling.

Over run vs. Overrun

Wrong: The cabin was over run with rats.
Right: The cabin was overrun with rats.

Overrun, when used as a verb, means to invade, swarm over in great numbers, overwhelm (as an army), exceed (as in a budget or allotted time), or overflow (as a river bank). When used as a noun, overrun can mean a surplus (an overrun of 500 copies) or the amount exceeded (as in a cost overrun). Over run is simply an error.

Revenge vs. Avenge

Wrong: Cough, cough. Promise me you’ll revenge my death!
Right: Cough, cough. Promise me you’ll avenge my death!

The verb avenge refers to doling out punishment as an act of justice or retribution. Revenge, when used as a verb, suggests doing harm or inflicting pain in retaliation for real or imagined wrongs. (The noun revenge refers to an act of revenge.) To avenge is to seek justice; to revenge is to “get even.”

If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.

Poet Diana Garcia on Writing Poetry

A Word about Words

Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.).

Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you? Just as importantly, using the correct word can better convey the nuance you desire. As Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

Forego vs. Forgo

Wrong: I decided to forego meat for Lent.
Right: I decided to forgo meat for Lent.

To forgo something is to abstain from, renounce, or do without. Forego means to precede (literally, to go before).

Afterward vs. Afterword

Wrong: He ended his book with an Afterward.
Right: He ended his book with an Afterword.

Afterward means at a later time, or subsequently, while an afterword is a concluding section of a book or treatise, or a closing statement.

Vane vs. Vain vs. Vein

Right: They accidentally uncovered a rich vein of coal.
Right: The rocket engine uses control vanes for steering.
Right: You’re so vain I don’t know how you get that big head of yours through the barn door.

These words are all too often confused. A vane is a blade or plate affixed to a rotating cylinder or drum, as in a pump, turbine, or weather vane. A vein is one part of the system of branching blood vessels in the body, or a defined stratum of ore in a mine, streaks running through wood or marble, and so on. And of course, someone who is overly concerned with his or her appearance may be referred to as vain. It can also mean ineffective, as in “Her efforts were in vain,” or irreverent: “She took God’s name in vain.”

Standard

Wrong: This computer comes with standard DVD.
Right: This computer comes standard with DVD.
Right: This computer comes with DVD standard.

This is another case where the position of the word within the sentence can alter the meaning of the sentence. In the first example, it is unclear whether the use of standard is meant to distinguish it from an enhanced form of DVD drive (such as DVD-RW), or if it merely means that a DVD drive is built into the computer. The other two examples are clearer (although specifying DVD-ROM vs. DVD-RW, DVD+RW, or DVD-RAM would be clearer yet).

Tow the line vs. Toe the line

Wrong: You’d better tow the line, mister, if you know what’s good for you!
Right: You’d better toe the line, mister, if you know what’s good for you!

To toe the line is to follow the rules precisely, without deviation, as in putting one foot ahead of the other, along a painted stripe. The expression can also be used similarly to putting one’s nose to the grindstone or shoulder to the wheel, meaning to take responsibility and work hard. Tow the line is simply a misspelling of this expression.

Dual vs. Duel

Wrong: Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a dual.
Right: Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

Dual means consisting of two, or having a twofold nature. (A dual overhead cam engine.) A duel is a ritualized form of combat, often to the death, fought according to an agreed-upon code of conduct. More generally, it can also refer to any contest between two individuals.

Wont vs. Want

Wrong: I took an afternoon stroll, as I’m want to do.
Right: I took an afternoon stroll, as I’m wont to do.

If you want something, it’s a desire, need, or craving. On the other hand, wont (used as a noun or a verb) means something you are accustomed to doing, a habit or practice. You may occasionally want to take an afternoon stroll, but if you do it on a regular basis, then it’s a wont. (Don’t confuse wont with won’t, a contraction of will not. Wont is pronounced the same as want, hence the confusion.)

Friend(ed) vs. Befriend(ed)

Wrong: She was the new girl in school, so I friended her.
Right: She was the new girl in school, so I befriended her.

To befriend (verb) someone is to become his or her friend (noun) or act as a friend to someone. Unfortunately, social networking websites, such as MySpace and Facebook, have popularized the phrases “Friend me” and “I friended him/her,” such that these expressions are being used in everyday conversation as well. My dictionary does list one definition of friend as a verb, meaning to befriend, but describes this use as “rare.” Thus, it’s best to use befriend as the verb in a sentence and save friend for the noun.

Duffle vs. Duffel

Right: I threw my camping gear in a duffle bag.
Right: I threw my camping gear in a duffel bag.

The duffel bag, a cylindrical bag made of a thick-napped cloth or canvas, is named for the town of Duffel in Belgium, where the cloth was first made. However, today both spellings of the word are considered correct. So spell it however you prefer, but be consistent in which spelling you use. Don’t mix-and-match.

Drier vs. Dryer

Right: After the storm, I was drier than you were.
Right: I threw my damp clothes in the dryer.
Right: I threw my damp clothes in the drier.

Drier means more dry. Dryer most often refers to a machine used to dry clothing. But both spellings are interchangeable. So feel free to spell the machine whichever way you prefer.

If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.

Kurt Andersen on the Struggle of Writing

Lisa Witter: A New Approach to Writing

My Writing Habits in 10 Parts

My Writing Habits in 10 Parts
By Michael P. Geffner

1) I love writing outside. Can't stand being shackled to my desk. Write mostly at 24-hour cafes in downtown Manhattan.

2) I love writing after midnight. My best work has mostly come between 2-4 am. Who knows what it is that stirs me those hours. And frankly, who cares? The fact, is, I know this about myself and it works for me.

3) I love reading something great - sections of books or long magazine articles - before sititing down to write. My favorite for this exercise is Gay Talese's Fame and Obscurity. Awesome and timeless. Really gets my creative juices flowing.

4) I love having my lead paragraphs fully polished and ready to go before writing any other parts of the story. Without those first four, five graphs to guide me, I'm completely lost. So I often kill myself to get this done.

5) I love reading vocabulary books before I write. By doing this, I almost always discover a great word that perfectly fits my story.

6) I love having my cup of French Roast coffee, piping hot and luscious smelling, right there at my left hand. My drug of choice. My friend. My security blanket. Without it, I can't function.

7) I love taking breaks, even take a short walk, when I'm stuck for the next graph. This is far better than hitting my head with a hammer or suffering a nervous breakdown.

8) I love writing three hours a days, but that's it. It's not within my DNA to go longer. I'm incredibly jealous of those that can write all day.

9) I love thinking about my stories in the shower. Some of my best work has come that way. Sometimes, I'll lose track of time doing this, to where the bathtub nearly flows over.

10) I love waking up in the middle of the night, struck by an idea for my story. Sometimes, I'm disciplined enough to write the idea down on a piece of paper; sometimes, I'm not. Sometimes, I remember the idea; sometimes I don't. Sometimes, the idea is pure genius; sometimes, sadly, it's utter crap.

Poet Billy Collins on the Writing Craft

A Word about Words

Don’t let these commonly misused/misspelled words and phrases trip you up
By Mark Terence Chapman

Here are some more words and phrases that are commonly misused or misspelled. A conscientious writer should use these correctly. More importantly, using these words/phrases correctly will reduce the odds of your writing being rejected by an editor due to excessive errors. (Editors don’t want to waste time on pieces that require an inordinate amount of their time to clean up.) Even if you write only business reports and emails, you still wouldn’t want people chuckling over your misuse of the English language, would you?

Just as importantly, using the correct word can better convey the nuance you desire. As Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

Pour(ed) vs. Pore(d)

Wrong: He poured over the manual for hours.
Right: He pored over the manual for hours.

To pour over is to spill a liquid or loose particles onto something. To pore over is to read or study intently or with a steady gaze, or to meditate over something.

Fort vs. Forte

Wrong: Singing is not my fort.
Right: Singing is not my forte.

A forte (FOR-tay) is someone’s strong point, something at which he or she excels. It is often mispronounced fort, which leads to the misspelling.

Gape(ed) vs. Gap(ped)

Wrong: His jacket gaped open.
Right: His jacket gapped open.

To gape is to open wide, as with an open mouth. In this context, to gap is to come open or to show a gap.

On route vs. En route

Wrong: Don’t worry. The ambulance is on route.
Right: Don’t worry. The ambulance is en route.

The French phrase en route (pronounced ahn-ROOT) means on the way or along the way. Because of the French pronunciation, it is often misspelled as on route. (The Anglicized pronunciation en-ROOT is also correct.)

Solicit vs. Elicit

Wrong: I’ve tried to solicit a reply, to no avail.
Right: I’ve tried to elicit a reply, to no avail.

To elicit is to draw out, bring forth, evoke, or provoke a response. To solicit is to entreat, invite, request, or petition, as well as to offer sex for money.

Effective vs. Efficient

Right: We acquired the merchandise in an effective manner.
Right: We acquired the merchandise in an efficient manner.
Right: We acquired the merchandise effectively and efficiently.

Each of the above examples could be correct, depending on the nuance you are trying to convey. Effective means adequate to the task of accomplishing one’s goal—making a sale, or winning a battle, for example. On the other hand, efficient means performing or functioning in the best possible manner and with the least amount of waste.

Whereas an army might be effective at winning a battle, it might do so at the cost of thousands of troops. Another army might be equally effective, but more efficient at winning the same battle, by sending a small strike force behind enemy lines to capture the opposing general, with few—if any—losses.

Appraise vs. Apprise(d)

Wrong: Keep me appraised.
Right: Keep me apprised.

Appraise means to assess the value of an asset or to estimate the quality or importance of something. Apprise means to inform, advise, or give notice to.

Past vs. Passed

Wrong: The passed is the passed.
Right: The past is the past.

Past means earlier. It’s used to describe the passage of time. Passed is the past-tense of pass, which has a number of meanings, including to go by (pass a truck on the highway), skip or ignore (pass through the town without stopping), endure (thus passed a thoroughly unpleasant hour), complete successfully (pass a test), transfer or transmit (pass it on, pass the ball), etc.

Premium vs. Premiere

Wrong: This is our Premium offering.
Right: This is our Premiere offering.

Premium, in this context, means of exceptional quality or greater value than others of its sort. But it can also mean greater cost. (“Quality comes at a premium.”) That’s probably not the message the advertiser wished to convey in the first example. Therefore, the second one is probably better. Premiere means initial, principal, or leading. So, in the above, example, it means top-of-the-line or best.

Metaphor vs. Analogy vs. Simile

Right: The play was a metaphor for life.
Right: The internal combustion engine is a good analogy for how the human heart works.
Right: An apt simile is this: His home-made helicopter flew like a lead balloon.

A metaphor is something that represents or symbolizes something else figuratively. An analogy compares the similarities of two things. A simile, on the other hand, compares the dissimilarities of two things. The comparison usually is introduced with words such as like or as. These three terms are confused so often—especially metaphor and analogy—that it’s important to understand their differences and how they should be used.

If you’ve ever been confused about any of these words or phrases, tack this column to the wall by your desk. It’ll help you avoid similar errors in the future.

Mark Terence Chapman writes in various genres: He’s a poet, short story writer, novelist, humorist, and even a nonfiction writer tackling computer topics and nanotechnology. To find out more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his Web site at: http://tesserene.com Click here or his blog at: http://tesserene.blogspot.com.Click here

The New Yorker Editor David Remnick on Writing

Writing: A Love-Hate Story

Writing: A Love-Hate Story
By Michael P. Geffner

I used to think that I was the only writer in the world who hated writing as much as I loved it, who would invent new forms of procrastination just to keep from doing it, who would curl into fetal positions at the thought of an impending deadline, who would go into a cold sweat trying to figure out how to start the thing. I’ve since come to understand that there’s not a writer alive who doesn’t feel like I do. That as much as they revel in the process, they suffer just the same.

The following is a 10-point list of what I love and hate about what we all can’t stop doing, no matter how much it hurts sometimes:

What I love

1) The freedom of expression, letting my thoughts burst forth unimpeded, and, on that rare occasion, finding that glorious flow, as if I were, to borrow a line from the movie Amadeus, taking dictation from God.

2) Researching for hours and hours and hours before finally unearthing that singularly wonderful fact that changes everything.

3) Polishing, altering things again and again, if not spending an hour doing nothing more than inverting just two words. Absolute joy!

4) Interviewing people who have been interviewed countless times but getting them to say something different, shocking, if not profound. The thought of it gives me goose bumps.

5) Finding the different word that stretches the reader's mind. Makes my day.

6) Entertaining readers with my unique style. I admit it: I'm a ham and I pride myself on having an instantly recognizable style.

7) Becoming known for my work, both inside and outside the business, and establishing a solid reputation.

8) Seeing a new story in print for the first time and just staring at it with pride. Nothing like it. After 30 years of being a professional writer, this never gets old for me.

9) Receiving feedback/letters/etc. that tells me that my story moved them in some way, made them laugh or cry or think or re-think, etc. It’s why we all do it, right?

10) Getting paid for doing what I love. Excuse the cliché, but you can't beat that with a stick.

What I hate

1) The dread of coming up with that first line. Facing that blank screen/page trying to fill that god-awful emptiness with something compelling. OMG! The cold sweat of it.

2) Deadlines. Although without them, I wonder if I'd ever finish anything. A necessary evil, I guess—at least for me.

3) Editors who don't understand my genius. Such idiots! LOL

4) Rejection of any kind, including requests that I rewrite things. Ruins my day.

5) Waiting to hear back from editors after you've submitted something. It's the proverbial dying a thousand deaths.

6) Horrible editing that compels me to cringe when I read the story in print, if not to make an angry call to the guilty party screaming words I cannot mention here.

7) Hate mail. But it comes with the territory. I’ve learned to deal with it.

8) Fighting for the right word/words and not finding it/them. Nothing drives me crazier.

9) Thinking about the story so much, it makes sleep all but impossible.

10) Writing badly. Nothing depresses me more.

There you have it. I’d love to hear yours. In fact, send them to me (at mgeffy@gmail.com) and I’ll publish them on this blog.

Richard Price on Writer's Block

Layering the Prose

Layering the Prose
By Will Greenway

Layers are the answer.

They solve the issues of prose that is appealing to the ear, efficient, and evocative.

Take each paragraph of the work and give it the following evaluation: What is its purpose? Does it fulfill that objective? What elements or aspects are being developed and do they progress? The most key, can it be done in fewer words?

How do you make fewer words accomplish more work?

The trick is to think of the prose more like a director directing a movie. You can give a flat description of something—which is much like aiming a camera straight at something and taking a snapshot. The alternative is to focus on a character moving through the area. The second approach does three things at once: it describes an area, introduces a character, and introduces some kind of activity into the narrative.

If you consider every scene in this way, you can combine multiple objectives into each paragraph—or each sentence with careful crafting.

Descriptions and inner narrative are the areas that most often suffer from word bloat.

Concentrate—distill the essence into a concise picture. Use characters, action, thought, and dialogue together to convey a picture. Visuals alone don't do a scene justice. Using sensory appeal (smells, feelings, internal registers) and few sparse coordinating details is far more effective at conveying a sense of place and “being there.”

Close character viewpoint, and internal registers are two mechanisms for focusing your prose in a powerful way. The declarative form of third person limited point-of-view is both active and evocative. Omniscient viewpoints wander: They have a tendency to concern themselves with superfluous detail.

If we are close in a character, we are concerned with what the protagonist is concerned with. If your story is structured right, something in the world is challenging that person, and that person's attention is on meeting that challenge. If authors concentrate their energy on the narrative conflict there is little that can go wrong.

Remember the hook. It is a source of inertia. Make it prevalent in everything you do. This is a simple mechanism. At the beginning, offer up an evocative image (or the promise of one), deliver on it, and then (at the tail) promise a new one. Keep your promises and you'll keep your readers. Energy will be sustained and the work will be strong throughout.

What about back-story? Don’t worry. Just cut it. Pair the story down to its purest most energetic form in the early drafts. As you tighten and refine, you can add foreshadowing and back-story elements if in retrospect they appear to be needed.

Give your writing the punch and polish it deserves.

Edit.

Rewrite.

Distill.

Focus.

Will Greenway, of Spring Valley, California, has written five novels, more than a dozen short stories, and a slew of articles on both the craft of writing and the writing lifestyle (used as source material in four university writing programs).

Writers at Work: Toni Morrison

Source: The Paris Review, 1993

Interviewer: You have said that you begin to write before dawn. Did this habit begin for practical reasons, or was the early morning an especially fruitful time for you?

Morrison: Writing before dawn began as a necessity—I had small children when I first began to write and I needed to use the time before they said, Mama—and that was always around five in the morning. Many years later, after I stopped working at Random House, I just stayed at home for a couple of years. I discovered things about myself I had never thought about before. At first I didn't know when I wanted to eat, because I had always eaten when it was lunchtime or dinnertime or breakfast time. Work and the children had driven all of my habits... I didn't know the weekday sounds of my own house; it all made me feel a little giddy.

I was involved in writing Beloved at that time—this was in 1983—and eventually I realized that I was clearer-headed, more confident and generally more intelligent in the morning. The habit of getting up early, which I had formed when the children were young, now became my choice. I am not very bright or very witty or very inventive after the sun goes down.

Recently I was talking to a writer who described something she did whenever she moved to her writing table. I don't remember exactly what the gesture was—there is something on her desk that she touches before she hits the computer keyboard—but we began to talk about little rituals that one goes through before beginning to write. I, at first, thought I didn't have a ritual, but then I remembered that I always get up and make a cup of coffee and watch the light come. And she said, “Well, that's a ritual.” And I realized that for me this ritual comprises my preparation to enter a space I can only call non-secular... Writers all devise ways to approach that place where they expect to make the contact, where they become the conduit, or where they engage in this mysterious process. For me, light is the signal in the transaction. It's not being in the light, it's being there before it arrives. It enables me, in some sense.

I tell my students one of the most important things they need to know is when they are at their best, creatively. They need to ask themselves: What does the ideal room look like? Is there music? Is there silence? Is there chaos outside or is there serenity outside? What do I need in order to release my imagination?

Interviewer: What about your writing routine?

Morrison: I have an ideal writing routine that I've never experienced, which is to have, say, nine uninterrupted days when I wouldn't have to leave the house or take phone calls. And to have the space—a space where I have huge tables. I end up with this much space [she indicates a small square spot on her desk] everywhere I am, and I can't beat my way out of it. I am reminded of that tiny desk that Emily Dickinson wrote on and I chuckle when I think, Sweet thing, there she was. But that is all any of us have: just this small space and no matter what the filing system or how often you clear it out—life, documents, letters, requests, invitations, invoices just keep going back in. I am not able to write regularly. I have never been able to do that—mostly because I have always had a nine-to-five job. I had to write either in between those hours, hurriedly, or spend a lot of weekend and predawn time.

Interviewer: Could you write after work?

Morrison: That was difficult. I've tried to overcome not having orderly spaces by substituting compulsion for discipline, so that when something is urgently there, urgently seen or understood, or the metaphor was powerful enough, then I would move everything aside and write for sustained periods of time. I'm talking to you about getting the first draft.

Interviewer: You have to do it straight through?

Morrison: I do. I don't think it's a law.

Interviewer: Could you write on the bottom of a shoe while riding on a train like Robert Frost? Could you write on an airplane?

Morrison: Sometimes something that I was having some trouble with falls into place, a word sequence, say, so I've written on scraps on paper, in hotels on hotel stationary, in automobiles. If it arrives you know. If you know it really has come, then you have to put it down.

Interviewer: What is the physical act of writing like for you?

Morrison: I write with a pencil.

Interviewer: Would you ever work on a computer?

Morrison: Oh, I do that also, but that is so much later when everything is put together. I type that into a computer and then I begin to revise. But everything I write for the first time is written with a pencil, maybe a ballpoint if I don't have a pencil. I'm not picky, but my preference is for yellow legal pads and a nice No. 2 pencil.

Interviewer: Dixon Ticonderoga No. 2 soft?

Morrison: Exactly. I remember once trying to use a tape recorder, but it doesn’t work.

Interviewer: Did you actually dictate a story into the machine?

Morrison: Not the whole thing, but just a bit. For instance, when two or three sentences seemed to fall into place, I thought I would carry a tape recorder in the car, particularly when I was working at Random House going back and forth every day. It occurred to me that I could just record it. It was a disaster. I don't trust my writing that is not written, although I work very hard in subsequent revisions to remove the writerly-ness from it, to give it a combination of lyrical, standard, and colloquial language. To pull all these things together into something that I think is much more alive and representative. But I don't trust something that occurs to me and then is spoken and transferred immediately to the page.

Interviewer: Do you ever read your work out loud while you are working on it?

Morrison: Not until it's published. I don't trust a performance. I could get a response that might make me think it was successful when it wasn't at all. The difficulty for me in writing—among the difficulties—is to write language that can work quietly on a page for a reader who doesn't hear anything. Now for that, one has to work very carefully with what is in between the words. What is not said. Which is measure, which is rhythm, and so on. So, it is what you don't write that frequently gives what you do write its power.

Interviewer: How many times would you say you have to write a paragraph over to reach this standard?

Morrison: Well, those that need reworking I do as long as I can. I mean, I've revised six times, seven times, thirteen times. But there's a line between revision and fretting, just working it to death. It is important to know when you are fretting it; when you are fretting it because it is not working, it needs to be scrapped.

Interviewer: Do you ever go back over what has been published and wish you had fretted more over something?

Morrison: A lot. Everything.

Odd Video on Writing Popular Fiction

A Conversation with Ray Bradbury

Scene vs. Summary or: It’s Time for Show and Tell

Scene vs. Summary or: It’s Time for Show and Tell
By Jeanne Lyet Gassman

Every beginning fiction writer is advised to “show, don’t tell.” But what does this really mean? I can remember attending a writer’s conference early in my career, listening to a renowned author repeat this adage as the most important thing every writer should know. Of course, I thought, nodding sagely, that makes perfect sense.

Then I left the conference wondering, How do you do it?

Scene vs. summary. Personally, I think the words “show” and “tell” are a bit too abstract for most beginning writers to grasp. I’ve heard many writers swear that they were “showing” when, in fact, they were doing the exact opposite. Perhaps the terms “scene” and “summary” would be more helpful in understanding the difference.

Summary. Let’s begin with the concept of summary (telling).

Suppose you have a friend who attended a very exciting party. On Monday morning, he tells you that Tom drank too much and embarrassed his wife, Jane. He complains to you about the waiters, saying that they acted snooty. Your friend laughs about Rick’s funny stories but can’t remember the details of them. In essence, he is summarizing (telling) the events at the party. Since you didn’t go to the party, you didn’t see what Tom did to embarrass his wife. You didn’t experience the waiters ignoring people’s drink orders. You didn’t hear any of Rick’s jokes. Your job as the writer is to bring the reader to the party. How do you do this? You write scenes rather than summary.

Scene. A scene can be as short as a single paragraph or as long as several pages. It should contain at least two of the following elements:

Direct action
Dialogue
Internal monologue
Narration

Of these, narration is the least dynamic component of fiction. When a writer depends too much on narration, he risks falling into the trap of summarizing (telling) rather than creating active scenes (showing). Narration either sets the scene or functions as a transition for time or place. As a transition in time, your narration might look something like this: “It took Sarah three hours to clean all of the blood from the carpet.” This is an example of transition in setting: “Peter left his grandmother’s house and returned to work.”

Note that I have not listed description as an important component of a scene. When description isn’t incorporated into action, dialogue, or thought, it becomes static, presenting itself as the deadly “telling” creature. For example: “She wore a red woolen scarf.” (telling/summary) Compare this to the more active: “Wrapping her red woolen scarf snugly around her neck, she braved the stinging wind.” (showing/scene)

From summary to scene. To view the scene vs. summary process in action, let’s take a look at two examples of the same event. The first version is summary (telling):

“Judith was furious when Richard asked for a divorce after almost fourteen years of marriage.”

Now, let’s convert that to a scene (showing):

“Richard was still blabbing on and on about ‘spending some time apart’ and the need to ‘find himself,’ but Judith had stopped listening long ago. She found herself staring at his teeth. They were ugly teeth really, big and flat like a beaver’s teeth, and the handlebar mustache he had grown last year only accentuated their hideous shape. Richard truly had the mouth of a nasty rodent. How had she missed such an important detail in almost fourteen years of marriage? She looked down at her hands, aware that she had shredded her paper napkin into small bits of confetti. She wondered if her fingernails could accomplish that same result on Richard’s pasty cheek.”

Do you see the difference? We know exactly how Judith feels without ever once telling the reader that she’s angry. Some writers mistakenly worry that showing creates wordiness, but a fully realized scene will always contain more words than simple narration. And a scene with action, dialogue, and emotion is much more compelling than a summary.

Just for fun this time, I will close this with a homework challenge. The following is the summary of a scene that appears in the novel, The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan. See if you can find the scene it summarizes. (Hint: The scene appears in the chapter called: “JING-MEI WOO: Best Quality.”)

“After dinner, I helped my mother clear and wash the dishes. I tried to compliment her on the dinner, but she dismissed my compliment. I guess Chinese mothers are like that. I asked her why she didn’t eat her crab, and she insisted that the crab was spoiled. She told me she knew the crab was bad before she cooked it. I asked her what she would have done if someone else at dinner had chosen the spoiled crab, but she didn’t seem concerned. She smiled and said that she knew I was the only other person at the dinner who would have picked the bad crab because everyone else wants the best quality for himself.”

Happy writing! And don’t forget to invite your readers to the party!

Jeanne Lyet Gassman is an award-winning writer whose fiction and nonfiction has been published in numerous magazines, newsletters, and anthologies. The recipient of artistic grants from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Creative Capital Foundation, she is currently studying for her MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Phoenix and teaches writing workshops and classes in the metro area.

Visit Ms. Gassman at her Web site:

http://www.jeannelyetgassman.com
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Or her blog:

http://jeannelyetgassman.blogspot.com
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