Something to think about 🙂
-Jan R
Thursday Thoughts
Month: April 2023
Sentences – Short or Long?
Yes, I’m talking about sentences again! They do matter and are an excellent tool to regulate pacing. Do you want to take your reader on a stroll through the park or a heart stopping sprint through the woods?
Have you ever read a sentence and thought that it was way too long? The author lost you two commas ago, and now you have to go back and read the whole thing again to try and figure out what’s going on.
Or maybe you read a short sentence, followed by another short sentence, and another, and you’re thinking whoa, slow down.
There’s not a set rule for short or long. The sentence length you choose depends a lot on what you are trying to accomplish. There are good reasons for those long, lost me a long time ago sentences, and short, what just happened sentences. It’s up to you to decide when to use them, given the context of your writing.
What do short sentences do?
- Create tension-When an author starts using short sentences, it’s usually a sign that something is about to happen.—-The dog growled. His teeth flashed. Jake turned. It was too late.
- Call the attention of a reader to a significant detail—She walked past Central Park in Manhattan with her head held high. Gorgeous woman. Long blond hair. Blue eyes. Impeccable taste.
- Present sudden events-Out-of-the-blue actions that no one was expecting.—-We sat quietly enjoying our meal at the local fast-food restaurant. Boom! “What was that?” I turned to see people rushing toward the gas station up the street.
- Quicken the pace.
- Summarize the ideas presented in the long paragraph or sentence.
What do long sentences do?
- Develop tension-While the short sentence is imminent, culminating with the actual event being acted out, the long sentence adds to the suspense, hinting at a situation in the process of developing.
- Give vivid description-depicting a setting, love scene, or someone’s appearance.—Autumn came without special invitation coloring the trees in orange, yellow and red, whispering the cold in our ears and hiding the warm sun rays from our eyes.
- Slow down the pace to give your reader time to catch their breath.
- Investigates arguments, ideas, or facts thoroughly.
Although long sentences have the smell of the old-fashioned 19th-century romantic prose, the usage of the long sentence in modern creative writing has its place. When it comes to writing artistic literature, fairy tales, ghost stories, or mysteries, don’t underestimate the effects of short sentences.
Hope this didn’t confuse you too much. To sum it up, there’s a time and place for everything 🙂
-Jan R
Thursday Thoughts
Something to think about!
-Jan R
Build Your Platform
You’ve spent the last year or so writing your first novel. It may be a great story, but it takes more than a great premise to sell a book. Great stories with a significant number of structural and grammatical errors get tossed to the side every day. How’s your dialogue? Does it move your story forward or just sit like a rock slowing things down and encouraging the reader to skip it completely. What about your platform? Do you have one? Great manuscripts of first-time authors get pushed to the side every day because the aspiring author doesn’t have a solid platform.
I was rejected by a literary agent because of my lack of a solid platform. I spent years editing and rewriting major portions of my manuscript to address the issues mentioned above. I was confident with my work and looked forward to a request for the complete story. Well, what I got wasn’t a request but a rejection. The reason had nothing to do with my novel. I had focused so much of my attention on preparing it for publication, that I failed to do one of the most important things, build an audience of potential customers.
Is a platform really that important? Unfortunately, yes, especially for first time authors. The agent who rejected me apologized for not giving me better news, but said it was really hard to place new authors and especially those who did not have a solid platform. While she recommended that I send it to other agents, she also emphasized the importance of building a platform.
You may be an introvert, but the good news is building a platform it is a lot easier than you would think. Google ‘Building a platform’ and you’ll find all kinds of information. I would personally recommend looking into Michael Hyatt. He is an author, blogger, speaker, and a former chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, so he knows a little bit about what we are trying to accomplish here. I would also recommend his book ‘PLATFORM GET NOTICED IN A NOISY WORLD’. He provides all the information you need to get started, including websites that assist with the creation of your online presence.
I hope this helps someone out there on their quest to being published. I have to admit I was upset and discouraged after receiving the news from the literary agent. I just didn’t know. I could have been working on building my platform all along, while preparing my novel for publishing.
Maybe you’re not looking for an agent but self-publishing. You still have to have a platform. Who is your customer base?
Something to think about.
-Jan R
Thursday Thoughts
If you’ve been writing for a while, this photo is self-explanatory.
Something to think about!
-Jan R
That Dreaded Elevator Speech!
Yes, I’m bringing it up again. If you don’t have that elevator speech, you need to start thinking about it. Just because your plans don’t include a writer’s conference in the near future, doesn’t mean you don’t need one. I definitely don’t want you to fall into the same trap I did. Very embarrassing 🙂
I attended a work conference with my husband several years ago. It was a great getaway for me and a chance to focus on my novel without the distractions of home. Needless to say, I was enjoying myself and making some significant progress.
The last day of the conference, I was asked to join my husband and some of his colleagues for supper. I was surrounded by men talking shop, so all I had to do was smile and display exemplary dining skills, or so I thought.
About halfway through the meal, one of the men looked over at me and said, “Your husband told us what you do during the day while he is at the conference. We would love to hear a little more about your book. What’s it about?”
Well, I froze. My mind went totally blank. It was all I could do to control my suddenly out-of-whack emotions, as I turned to face this man who had the audacity to ask me such a question.
I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t have an Elevator Speech. I didn’t think I needed one. My novel was complete, but it wasn’t ready for prime time. I was totally incoherent and presented a jumbled mess.
I have that Elevator Speech now. I felt foolish and was totally caught off guard by men who were only trying to include me in the conversation. You never know when you’ll come across someone who’ll ask you what your book is about.
I’ll be prepared the next time. Plus, it will give me practice for when I do attend that writing conference, or get the opportunity to speak to an agent/author I just happen to run into at the airport.
Some things to keep in mind :
- Remember when you are crafting your speech, you are talking to another human being.
- You only have 30-60 seconds. Don’t try to tell them the entire story.
- Content is as important as delivery. It doesn’t matter if it’s well delivered if it’s boring and uninspiring. Make them want to hear more!
- If you are attending a conference, you don’t want to accost agents/editors-wait for an invite or an appropriate opening. They know why you are there. Introduce yourself. Engage in small talk, they will usually ask.
- Practice, practice, practice. You don’t want to memorize every word and sound like a robot or like you’re reading a teleprompter, but you do want your Elevator Speech to flow and be cohesive. You want it to sound natural.
- Always be prepared and show passion.
If you haven’t prepared your speech, you need to start working on it. It’s just a matter of time. Somebody is going to ask.
-Jan R
Thursday Thoughts
Something to think about 🙂
Jan R
Grammar Is a Must – But Forget That English Teacher Writing!
This is by far one of my favorite posts. I have revisited it several times over the years. With new subscribers and writers joining my blog, I thought this would be a good time to bring it back. Humor me 🙂
I wasn’t an English major, but I never had an issue with stringing words together and making a coherent, easy to read sentence. I know most of the rules, but I also know those rules are meant to be broken, especially if you are writing fiction.
The purpose of English Teacher grammar is to understand how to create sanitized, standardized, easy to understand, impersonal, inoffensive writing. If you’re looking for a job writing pamphlets for the government, instructional manuals, or news reports, then that’s the way to go.
These rules aren’t meant for fiction. That does not mean your story shouldn’t be grammatically and structurally sound. We are talking about styles here, not mechanics.
Fiction writing is nonstandardized, complex, personal, and occasionally offensive. It is the best way to reach into your readers head and show him your words. In order to bring your voice to life and get your world on the page, you need to say goodbye to English Teacher writing.
Fiction Writing Vs. English Teacher Writing
Fiction Writing fits the world of the book, the mouths of the characters, and the writer who wrote it.
English Teacher Writing incorporates a specific, caricatured, extreme form of writing without regard to the story’s world, characters, or even the writer and what he or she is like.
Fiction Writing changes with the situation.
English Teacher Writing is unchanged.
Fiction Writing does not look to impress, its sole purpose is to present the story.
English Teacher Writing is self-conscious, self-important, and looks and feels forced and out right silly at times.
Fiction Writing is not always pretty, but it always fits the circumstances, characters, and story.
English Teacher Writing is always pretty and always smooth, but rarely fits anything.
Example:
Fiction Writing
“Get away! Don’t touch me! Leave me alone!” The girl in the alley curled into a tighter ball, her scarred, skinny arms pulling her knees up against her chest, her eyes white-rimmed, her hair wild.
English Teacher Writing
“Get away from me! Don’t lay a hand on me! Leave me alone!” The girl in the alley, already in a fetal position, pulled her knees tighter to her chest. She wore an expression of dazed panic and radiated the signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Something to think about 🙂
-Jan R
Writing your first novel-Things you should know 