I can say that in six words or less!

          Engaging in a writing exercise recently on writing sentences challenged the author to take a simple three, four or five word sentence and revise it in fifteen words, then thirty and finally 100 words. Each draft had to include the original three to five word phrase. Adapted from a similar exercise in Stanley Fish’s book, How to Write a Sentence, the point was not simply to pad the sentence with the necessary number of words but to increase the meaning and content of the original phrase.

            This brings up several points of the craft. Most authors have heard the advice to write simply and cleanly. When does that rob the story of depth or color or imagination? In an essay in the New York Times, author Annie Dillard advised, “Write as if you were dying. At the same time, assume you write for an audience consisting solely of terminal patients…What would you begin writing if you knew you would die soon? What could you say to a dying person that would not enrage by its triviality?”

            Which sentence tells the reader more-“Hair lay in the sink” or “Andrew’s knuckles cracked raw from the bleach he used as he scrubbed the gleaming white porcelain bowl, frantic in his desperation to the remove any remnants of the shimmering golden ghosts, lingering reminders of her fragile presence, harbingers of his infidelity, clarions trumpeting his moral and masculine shortcomings, fine blonde threads knotted  into a noose of accusation he felt sure were a warning someone had seen the comely young woman arrive at his suite, saw his hands tighten around her delicate porcelain neck then witnessed his cold-hearted disposition of her lithe remains, a crime he felt flawless until he returned to his room and saw strands of her blonde hair lay in the sink.” It is an unfair comparison on the surface, but illustrates the point when do we decide when a sentence says too little and when does it show too much?

            Each author has to gauge for themselves to nature of their own sentences and what they want to communicate to a reader. Dillard explains it this way; “The sensation of writing a book is the sensation of spinning, blinded by love and daring. It is the sensation of a stunt pilot’s turning barrel rolls, or an inchworm’s blind rearing from a stem in search of a route. At its worst, it feels like alligator wrestling, at the level of a sentence.”

            Three sentences with just over fifty words, a perfect sentiment.

Caution-Meandering Plot Ahead

           I am having trouble getting a story off the ground; not an unusual thing for anyone who writes I know but I am not sure what to do. I have characters I like very much and an idea which won’t go away. I know what the second to last chapter will be and have written the ending but so far, about eight chapters into it, cannot seem to assemble the pieces into a place I feel will reach the conclusion.

            In searching for direction, I turned to a wonderful book of craft essays by accomplished authors from Tin House Books called The Writer’s Notebook. It was a gift from a dear friend, another fledgling in the tall grass of prose. Writer Rick Bass, in his essay When to Keep It Simple, addresses the choices a writer faces “when a story isn’t working as well as it could be-or when it isn’t working at all-.”

            Bass’ advice in this situation is wise and resembles the Winston Churchill mantra which is now a pop culture phenomenon “Keep Calm and Carry On.” Bass prescribes “stay calm and go back to basics, to try to show, in gestures, images and descriptions as simple as possible, what it is you’re trying to convey and not to try to do it all once, but break it down into pieces-when you have to.”

            So, today I am going to go back from beginning and simplify. Try to streamline the direction and hopefully move the characters into the path which will advance my plot. Easily said, surely not easily done but that’s the challenge of this art, isn’t it? 

Heroes

Oh we can beat them, forever and ever
Then we could be heroes, just for one day
                                                                     David Bowie

           With the upcoming release of the movie The Hunger Games based on the first of the trio of books by author Suzanne Collins there is a great deal of talk about heroes-or heroines as the case maybe. For the sake of brevity, I will call them all heroes.

            Comparisons of heroes-Hermione Granger, Bella Swan, Katniss Everdeen, among others-is frustrating to me. Some things are too obvious to be stated (like these three wildly popular book series featuring these strong female leads are all authored by women) and others much too different to stand comparison (a teenage wizard, a girl risking her life to love a vampire and a teen living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland).So don’t separate this unlikely trio of literary stars, but unite them under a banner of equity rather than inequality. 

            Hermione, Bella and Katniss offer strengths and weaknesses as female leads which are distinct to each character’s situation and circumstance.  Each is intelligent and thoughtful in their own way; all three risk their lives to defend those they love and all three are faced with life-changing decisions or events which they are unprepared for due to youthful inexperience. Mentally and physically each character is tormented and tortured and survives. This would be the one unifying quality for all three-they survive through their own inner strength and an acquired mental toughness. This should be what is taken away from the reading of the books in which each of these young women is featured. Each one makes mistakes, every one of them suffers, all three love, all three are victorious at some point due to their own wits and in the end they all survive.

            Don’t spend time picking apart the characters by pitting them against one another. Join them in a trifecta for the strength of heart and compassion they all exhibit. There are too few female characters who gain the spotlight to divide and conquer them amongst ourselves. Spotlight each for their unique abilities and attitudes, draw them together and celebrate so that there will be even more literary heroines like Hermione, Katniss and Bella. 

(Self) Publish or Perish

            Had the opportunity to attend a very interesting presentation by literary agent April Eberhardt this weekend discussing the pros and cons of self-publishing. One of her most interesting points was those who choose to self publish must raise the bar in all aspects of the endeavor in order for the industry of self publishing to gain credibility.

            Eberhardt sounds like a dream agent-worrying about the best interests of the author’s she represents and presenting all options open to them once they have a manuscript worth publishing. She said she does not push her clients in one direction or the other, but she does try to make sure they understand the differences and frustrations inherent in traditional publishing, e-publishing and self publishing. Eberhardt is planning to launch a self-publishing imprint specializing in works by women authors

            Expense and formatting appearing to be the two biggest challenges for those who choose to self-publish, although services exist to help the newbie author navigate these obstacles. As with all undertaking, Eberhardt said there is definitely risk without a guarantee of reward in self-publishing; but it is an avenue through which an author can get their book into the hands of readers more quickly and self publishing currently affords the author the most personal control over the design and marketing of their book. The world of self-publishing needs to be infused with high quality products, both in writing and design, so the process begins to be taken seriously and viewed as a viable, respectable option. 

Voice and words

            School hasn’t started yet, which gives me time to write another 2012 post!  In trying to find and define my writer’s voice I believe my inner Regency era heroine is wrestling for dominance with my inner Steampunk  Princess Wannabe. Of course, they are both often bested by my Baby Boomer reality and at any given moment I am not sure who has control of the keyboard.

            I am looking forward to the start of a freelance writing class this term and an internship editing written materials about medieval art objects in the Portland State Library special collections. There are one or two other opportunities I am hoping I can provide links for in the next two weeks or so. A writer/friend said the other day Portland is a great place to be for an aspiring writer right now and she was so right!

            Same said wonderfully intelligent writer/friend gave me Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words a Year desk calendar to provide daily fodder for my writer’s brain. What is my favorite word of the first six days of 2012? Poppinjay: a strutting supercilious person!  Coming in a close second is omnium-gatherum: a miscellaneous collection, as of things or persons! 

Resolution

        It is almost impossible to believe it is January 1, 2012. My posts have been so random I feel almost ashamed to post any resolutions. I will pay more attention to you this year, dear Blog! You will not be ignored any longer. I will post, link, and gadget through the New Year! My other heartfelt commitments for the New Year follow and I wish all a peaceful, successful and prosperous 2012 in whatever personal form it may take. 

In 2012 I resolve:

To write every day even if it is only a snippet of dialogue or a suggestion of a definition!

To read more than what is simply required so I am not run over by the train of academic brain atrophy!

To learn about my craft as a writer by practice, training and observation!

To risk by entering contests, submitting articles, writing more book reviews, exposing To Signify to more readers, to do whatever it takes to be able to say truthfully yes, I am a WRITER!

To challenge myself to introduce Patience and her sister Prudence and the dark and otherworldly William St. Gray to anyone in the reading public willing to meet them!

To grow no matter what the defeat or obstacle!

To love it all; the pain, the joy, the sorrow, the humor of every single part of every day as it adds to the experience of who I am and the power it brings to the writer I want to be!

I owe so much to a very special, very small group of people I love for their support and belief in my ability to do this; I thank you for 2011 and cannot wait to share what’s ahead in 2012!

Direction(less)

Reluctant to unwrap my hands from the steaming cuppa they were clenching; gray, misty, cold in Portland this afternoon which is not unusual except the cold feels as if it has changed from a brisk Fall crispness to the hint of a bone chilling Winter waiting just around the next sunrise. I have been struggling with both direction and directionless intent in my writing this week. Its presenting itself in writing papers academically as well as everything of a fiction nature. The direction is there, somewhere, hiding in the recesses of my increasing befuddled mind but its so difficult to put it into words on a paper or screen. Even worse, when the words finally present themselves they go either no where or everywhere. Isn't there a road map somewhere? The short story class I am taking has been reading Raymond Carver. His dialogue is effortless and organic; as a reader you are a silent participant in the conversations taking place. From the biographical reading, it is clear he worked very hard to achieve this easy, natural voice. But, its also clear he had a natural gift which he coaxed and nurtured. His stories are not complicated and the characters he creates are people we have all known. I wonder if he ever felt he had words he could not direct to the end he wanted to achieve?Well, at least I have words that want to go somewhere, I guess as opposed to having no words looking for a road map. Direction and directionless; a curse and gift all at the same.