Tools

by Alton Gansky

Perhaps it began with a stick used to draw an image in the dirt. Some would date it back to cave drawings—early finger painting. Then came wood styluses used to press cuneiform in to wet clay. We can’t overlook mallet and chisel used to create hieroglyphics on the walls of ancient tombs and the occasional obelisk or stone column. Papyrus and paper led to pointed sticks dipped in ink and bird-feather quills. (Did you know we get our word “bible,” as in The Holy Bible, from Byblos, the name of a city on the Mediterranean where early paper was made from reeds?) Then in the middle of the sixteenth century the wood cased, graphite pencil was designed. Turns out, it was a durable invention. We still use them today. It is said that John Steinbeck would use as many as 60 pencils a day in his writing. East of Eden required the sacrifice of 300 pencils.

Of course we can’t forget fountain pens and their successor the ball point pen. Then there is the glorious typewriter which invaded the business and writing world in the late 1800s. (I collect typewriters. My oldest is from 1919 and was invented by a Canadian Methodist minister…but I digress.) The typewriter made literary creation faster and easier. Some would argue that faster is not better. Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough, most recently of The Wright Brothers fame, uses an old typewriter he bought secondhand in the 1960s because if slows him down. I use a computer because it speeds me up. (And again I digress.)

Then came computers and word processors. I wrote my master’s thesis on a designated word processor which was fantastic—back then. Now a decent smart phone can do more. There was desktop publishing that allowed anyone to make flyers, print ads, and even magazines. Books became e-books. Letters became e-mail. Phone calls became texting (don’t get me started).

All of this to say, writers have always made use of tools to do their work. There’s a lot of time and technology between using a stick to draw a picture in the dirt and self-publishing. For the most part, it has been revolutionary and I’m glad for it. That being said, I sometimes fear that writers can become so focused on the tools the use to write that they overlook the greatest tool they have: an imagination fueled brain.

Someone once asked me what kind of computer they needed to write a novel. I said all they needed to get started was paper and a box of pencils. James A. Michener did his work by hand and hired a typist. Erle Stanley Gardner of Perry Mason fame dictated his work to secretaries.

It is easy to get caught up in the tools at the expense of the idea and that is a tragedy. Yes, if we write on a computer, then we need to master the software we use, but the focus should be on the story, not the tool. Sure we love our tools. Such is true in many professions. I used to do a good deal of woodworking and no one loves their tools more than woodworkers. A woodworker might loan you a tool or two but reach for his chisels and you might pull back a bloody stump. Chefs are that way about their knives. Put a piece of paper in front of a writer, a real writer, then he or she will start creating. Pencils, pen, crayon, typewriter, computer keyboard, it doesn’t matter, but the story.

When a writer is in “the zone and the words flow like water” she will not let her attention drift to how nice a keyboard she’s using. The focus starts with story, stays with story, and ends with story. The tool that makes that happen is found in the tool chest between our ears.

Writers long to be influenced. Not controlled. What we like is to bathe frequently in the natural springs of imagination. Swim in the story of others, drink from the well of movies, plumb the depths of an ocean of ideas. In doing so, you find your own story rising to the surface of your mind. It will tell you what to do from there.

Be careful, however, about what you allow to influence you. We tend to be picky about what we eat. We need to be just as picky about what we let influence our craft. Listen to the best, read the best, study the best, then be the best.

Alton Gansky is a writer with so many ideas he trips over them in the night.

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Squeaky Clean Manuscripts ~ Sally J. Ling

Final Self-Editing

Sally J. Ling

Writers write. Editors edit. At least, that’s the way it used to be. Now, writers, whether fiction or non-fiction, have to be their own editor, and the task can be daunting to overwhelming. So what’s a writer to do? 

When I published my first five books with traditional publishers, the publishers had editors on staff. It was the editor who then went line by line through my manuscript to catch any grammatical errors, content issues, or problems with sentence structure.

Today, manuscripts are expected to be in ship shape when they reach the publisher’s or agent’s desk. That’s not an easy task for many of us. Most writers are more interested in telling a compelling story than worrying about the details. But times have changed. Now, writers have to do their own editing, or find someone else do it for them. Ah . . . there is the rub.

If you’re not interested in hiring someone to professionally edit your manuscript (though I highly recommend this even though it can run from a few hundred dollars into the thousands if you’re looking for both content and grammatical editing—who said being an author was inexpensive?), then perhaps these suggestions will help you do most of the final editing yourself, thereby limiting your financial exposure for a paid editor.

But . . . let me warn you, even with the most experienced editor, or the dozens of pairs of eyes that may review the manuscript before publishing, in most cases not all the errors will be caught. It is rare when I read a print or digital book that I don’t find a word left out, misspelled, used out of context, or even a duplicate paragraph. To minimize that happening to you, I offer the following final self-editing suggestions.

For the purposes of this article, I’m going to assume you have a solid story line, dialogue is clear, point of view is appropriate, and you’re simply looking to catch any final problems. I’ve found that reading my manuscript in a variety of different formats makes the story look different (even when I’m sick to death of it!), and the problems often stand out, many times, glaringly so. Also, reading your manuscript on a different device—say a tablet rather than a desk or lap top computer—allows you to see errors as well.

So . . . here are my suggestions for that final self-edit:

1. Read your manuscript on your computer. Make corrections.
2. Put it away for a few weeks (This helps you see the story in a fresh light.)
3. Print it out. Re-read it. Make corrections.
4. Read it out loud to someone. Make corrections. (This is a great way to find glaring issues, such as duplicate or misplaced paragraphs, unrealistic dialogue, or content that doesn’t make sense. You’ll also be getting feedback as you go.)
5. Make a pdf. Re-read it. Make corrections. (I realize that you are re-reading the same story just in different formats, but you will be surprised how many errors you will find just switching to a different format.)
6. Send to “readers.” (These are a handful of people who will give you an honest opinion and who can catch additional typos and story glitches.)
7. Send to an editor. (This needs to be someone experienced, not a friend, unless this friend is also a professional editor. Steps 1-6 will help you cut down on the time it will take for this step and the expense.)
8. Upload your book as a print book or e-book. Re-read in printed proof copy or digital format. Make corrections. (You can skip step 8 if you’re sending directly to an agent or publisher.)
9. Publish or send to agent/publisher.

I realize final edits can be a time consuming process (yes, it does take weeks). But better to take the time up front to edit it in these formats than to have readers turn up their noses at your story because of too many grammatical or content problems. Nothing kills book sales quicker than poor reviews.

Here’s wishing you much success with your self-editing. I’d love to hear about your experience using these techniques, and if you have other suggestions, please let me hear about them as well. You may contact me at info@sallyjling.com.

Note: For those who write fiction, a great book to read before you get to my final editing suggestions is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. This book gives proven techniques to help writers turn their manuscripts into published works of fiction. I’ve found it extremely helpful.

Sally J. Ling, Florida’s History Detective, is an author, speaker, and historian. She writes historical fiction and nonfiction and specializes in little known stories of Florida history. As a special correspondent, Sally wrote for the Sun Sentinel newspaper for four years and was a contributing journalist for Boca Raton, Gold Coast, Delray Beach, Boca Life, Jupiterand Palm Beacher magazines.

Based upon excerpts from her book Run the Rum In, Sally appeared in two TV documentaries-- “Gangsters” - the National Geographic Channel, and “Prohibition and the South Florida Connection” - WLRN, Miami. She served as associate producer on the latter production. She has been a guest on South Florida PBS TV and radio stations, guest presenter at the Lifelong Learning Society at Florida Atlantic University and Future Authors of America, and guest speaker at numerous historical societies, libraries, organizations, and schools.  Sally lives with her husband, Chuck, and her cat, Kitty, and splits her time between Deerfield Beach, Florida, and Wolf Laurel, North Carolina.

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Why Writers Should Use Pinterest

by Michelle Griep

I was a Pinterest rebel. Friends and family members raved about the site, sending me countless invitations. I ignored them all, mostly because I really didn’t understand it. What was the point? I didn’t have a bulletin board growing up, why have a virtual one now?

But the You’ve-Got-To-Join-Pinterest crowd just wouldn’t let up. So, in a moment of complete I’ll-Show-You angst, I joined to prove everyone was wrong. I’d show the entire world that Pinterest is a colossal waste of time.

Wow. What an idiot.

Turns out this site is popular for a reason…it’s totally addicting! Hold on. Before you squawk about how you can’t even find enough time to do laundry let alone add pinning on your To Do list, listen up. Pinterest is an absolutely essential tool, especially for a writer.

Top 3 Writerly Ways to Use Pinterest

Ideas

Characters. Settings. Pinterest is a wealth of inspiration. Pictures really do paint a thousand words, so next time you’re struggling to meet your word count goal for the day, perusing a few hero or heroine boards just might prod your sluggish plot into action.

Marketing

Pinnable artwork using quotes from your novel are a great way to generate interest in your book. Oh, you’re not a graphic designer? No worries. There are plenty of free sites to make your own cyber-posters. Poster My Wall is fantastic, as is Photofunia.

Collaboration

If you’ve got beta readers or critique buddies, you can create a board for your story that they can have access to. Working together, you can spit shine your manuscript. Example: My fellow author, Kelly Klepfer, and I are in the midst of deciding what our characters look like for a book we’re co-authoring. We pin pictures, trying to hone our characters to a fine sheen. Currently we’re trying to figure out what our detective should look like. Here’s the board.

Think of Pinterest as a monkey wrench. It’s just one more tool to craft your Great American Novel. But don’t take my word for it. Go ahead. Prove me wrong.

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas...professionally, however, for the past 10 years. 

Her recent release is A HEART DECEIVED, a gothic regency put out by David C. Cook (June 2013). 

If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, you can find her at www.michellegriep.com or www.writerofftheleash.blogspot.com or feel free to stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

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