I Feel Pithy Book Blog

Now that she has publicly admitted it, I can write about it here. If you have ever visited my 'links' page, you may have seen a listing for a site called "The Low Country Boil". It is run by someone who only wants to be know as gumboyaya. It was her name that made me read her site, and her hate for Halle Berry that made me keep reading.

It turns out that we lead very similar lives. She lives in Watkinsville (very close to Athens) and works for the Board of Regents. I live in Athens and work for the University of Georgia. I attended an all women's college and so did she. Then there is the afore mentioned dislike (or hatred if you want a stronger word) of Halle Berry.

We became "friends" online and through email and we IM each other. Before I started my blog here, I would send her things and told her that she could post them as long as she gave me proper credit. Turns out she didn't catch that last part and was posting things that I had written but was not listing me as the author of them. Of course that made it look as though she was writing the things that I had written. And while I completely understand the easiness of copy/paste/post, I was very offended by the use of my work without it being properly credited.

I didn't find out about this until my step father-in-law mentioned something about my other blog the Low Country Boil. I was kind of shocked because I didn't think she had used a lot of my stuff. But, I figured at least she would give me credit and maybe that was why he thought the blog was mine. So, I go and check and lo and behold there were things that I had written that were posted by her but made no mention of my name AT ALL.

Needless to say, that was an interesting IM session. Because she is a cool girl and I do still want to work with her (in other words she apologized profusely and agreed to make amends), we came to an agreement. She had to remove all of my postings except for the ones that she actually attributed to me. She also agreed to work as a major contributor and editor on another site I am working on (for free). To make a long story short, she had to remove a large amount of content and is now in the process of going through her archives and giving me credit.

The whole point of this is that I have learned a valuable lesson. As a professional writer (or an amateur one for that matter), you have to be on the constant look out for people using your work. So, as I prepare templates that I am offering for free, I am looking into every copyright law I can find and making sure that everything is spelled out clearly. When I offer these things, PLEASE take the time to read the license agreements on them. They are there for a reason. The effort of writing something down deserves recognition if nothing else. And, it is a very horrible feeling to come across something that you put time and effort into and to find that it does not credit you AT ALL.

That is the end of my soapbox. Keep watching my updates section for freebies. But make sure you read and follow the license agreement. And, keep checking her site, as she is so willing to apologize that I am getting a ton of free publicity from it (THANKS FOR ALL THE EMAILS).

I came across this article about writing and style. I thought it was pretty interesting and since I can repost it for free (as long as I give credit in accordance with his instructions) I thought I would share it with you. This is strictly a writer's information article. So, for those of you not interested in the mechanics of writing, check back later for my review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It will be posted shortly. And now on with the article.

Conditions of use: Editor: The following article is offered for free use in your ezine, print publication, or on your web site, as long as the content is not altered, and the copyright and author credit box at the end are also included. Notification of use would be appreciated.

WRITING WITHOUT STYLE

Style manuals are all well and good, and in fact, highly desirable for newspapers. The average reading level of newspaper readers is the sixth grade. Over the years it became imperative that newspaper writing be simple, consistent, and use basic punctuation, even when that violated some elementary rules. The end result has been that borderline idiots may now understand today's papers.

I feel that these manuals should not be taken as carved in stone for fiction writers. Imagine, if you will, someone dictating to Picasso, Dali, or the French impressionists which colors of paint they may use, which strokes, which perspective, etc. Unthinkable, yet there are many people who insist that fiction writers must abide by the (sometimes) arbitrary grammar and style rules in the popular style manuals.

There are certain rudimentary dictates we must all follow, otherwise our writing would be chaotic. However, fiction writers should, more than any other writers, be allowed enough freedom of expression to create a style that is special to them. In other words, a style that is peculiar (in the correct meaning of that word.) In the editing process of my book, TALES FROM THE WRECKTORY, I had an incident with the editor (He won, I lost.) over the use of the word, "tenebraephobic." (Tenebrae is the service used during Christian Holy Week, and the Latin word, "tenebrae" means shadows, hence darkness.) I wanted to use it to convey a particular kind of fear of the dark. Now, there is more than one word for this condition: nyctophobia and lygophobia, to name two. The individual I was writing about was afraid to be alone in an old, multistory, rambling house in the dead of night. I ask you, which word conveys the impression I wanted to create: one of the two clinical names I mention, or the one which speaks of fear of shadows?

The editor objected to my "tenebraephobic" because he said there was no such word, that I had made it up, and, of course, he was right. There wasn't and I had. Damn it all, if a fiction writer is not allowed to coin a word, who is? Political speech writers? Computer nerds? Or, as we see happen every day, the intelligentsia who, through ignorance or sloppiness, take a perfectly good word or phrase, misuse it, and give it a whole new meaning. Others follow the bad example and it suddenly jumps up the ranks in today's parlance. "Impact" is a perfect example of that.

The same editor then pointed out that most people would not know the meaning of the word, "tenebrae." My answer to that was: "Then, let them look it up. If they want simple words that won't strain their poor brains, they should stick to newspapers (or television) for their entertainment. Fiction should do more than entertain; it should also broaden the mind."

Another editor (I quickly changed this one) tried to correct my grammar and spelling in dialogues. Now, to me, dialogue is sacrosanct. Apart from obvious typos, no one fools around with it. Words in dialogue are, after all, not my words, not the editor's words. They belong to the character speaking. You wouldn't say, "Just between you and I" but one of your characters certainly would. You'd die rather than say, "Me and my friend did..." Would one of your characters? You betcha.

Years ago, I was responsible for training several would-be writers for an international corporation. It was hoped that what they wrote would convince those who read it to buy our products and services. These young writers soon became sick of hearing me say, "We don't write the way we speak, any more than we speak the way we write. Writing is a visual medium; speaking is an audible medium." I convinced them (I think) to throw away the style manuals (or at least leave them on the shelf most of the time), and concentrate on what was important: getting a message across, a message that was brief, succinct, and easy to read.

When it comes to the final showdown, who wins, editors or you, the writer? That's an easy one. Editors. Certainly you have the right to take your work elsewhere. My rule on this is quite simple. If I have any doubt whatsoever of the suitability of what I wrote, I don't mind giving in, especially to an editor who is usually cooperative. Such an editor deserves my cooperation. On the other hand, if I believe I could not go on living with myself by abandoning my precious words, I'll insist it stay as written and accept the consequences. Quod scripsi, scripsi.

The test of fiction writing is not whether it conforms to any style manual, but whether or not it works for you, the writer. Unless your words move you to laugh or cry (preferably both), it isn't likely to affect anyone else. How do you make your words work? The formula is simple, although not easy. You must make your words flow as though they were about to run off the page. The nonfiction writer must be careful that all facts are correct, make sure the writing conforms to the publication for which it is written, and for the intended audience. You, as a fiction writer must do the very same, but only as a starting point. You must go on become a poet, a word-painter, a strummer on people's emotions. The person who originally said one picture is worth a thousand words had it all backwards. A thousand words can conjure up as many pictures, as many emotions as there are people who read them.

As a writer of fiction, you need only keep one eye on your style, and only an occasional eye on the rules set down, but you must at all times keep both eyes wide open and directed towards that which you hope to pursue, and by that I mean pursue that noblest of trades: the writer who leads others to far-off lands in this world and in other worlds; the trade of Dickens or Tolstoy; of Bradbury or Poe, of Cartland or Hemingway; and above all, the trade of ________(please insert your name here.)

copyright 2003 Joseph E. Wright

Joseph E. Wright is the author of Tales from the Wrecktory (http://www.metropolisink.com}, The Bodies Out Back and The Remigrants (both published by http://www.booksunbound.com). His writing has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

About the Author

Joseph E. Wright was born and wemt to school in New England and later moved to Philadelphia. He considers Philly his home town.

Joe grew up addicted to the British cozies of Christie and Sayres and the American counterparts of Queen and Stout. He was a fan of the film noir of Hammett and Chandler.

His first published novel, Memorandum of a Murder (Manor Books) confirmed his determination to become a writer. A short story of his appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

While writing, Joe had to make a living, which he did in many ways. One period of his life, he lived in a dark, rambling, nineteenth century rectory in downtown Philadelphia. It inspired his Tales from the Wrecktory (MetropolisInk) which appeared last year.

Somewhat different from the whodunit style of novel, Joe's The Remigrants, the story of those who return from the dead, is currently in the editorial stage.

The Bodies Out Back is the first in a completed trilogy starring Pat Montgomary and Phillis Toner. The next two, The Maris Cove Murders and Aisle of the Dead should be published this coming year.

Joe and his life partner spend most of the year in sunny Florida.

glpjew@excite.com

Having been plagiarized myself, I found this website to be really interesting and helpful. And, if you want to be entertained, the writer has a public humiliation list of people who have plagiarized him and the excuses they gave. The list is actually called the Copycat Hall of Shame and it is a brilliant idea.

Overall, the site is an excellent writer's resource. I found the author of the site to be really friendly and willing to answer most questions through email. Don't take my word for it, see for yourself.

When I first moved to Athens, I was really at loose ends. I moved here on a whim because I liked the town but I didn't have a job in place or a place to live. I stayed with friends while searching for a job. Meanwhile, what little money I had was depleting rapidly.

I had begun to give up on myself. I was losing faith that I could even find a job to pay the bills let alone carve out a space to write. One of the friends I was staying with loaned me a book by Anne Lamott called Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Having previously read Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, I was already familiar with Lamott and found her writings to be truly inspirational. For a long time my reading Bird by Bird and landing the job I really wanted were intertwined in my mind.

A week ago, I was talking to my husband about how difficult it is to get back to writing anything when I had gone so long without doing it. His only suggestion was that I find some inspiration to just dive right in again. It was his use of the word inspiration that reminded me of the book. I checked it out of the library and began to read. And once again, I could see clearly how I had lost my way and my focus. And while I can't say that I have been on a real writing roll, I have been more focused and practicing everyday.

Bird by Bird is part writing manual, part inspirational motivator, and part autobiography. Lamott starts with a story of her childhood. Her brother had procrastinated on an assignment about birds. With the report due the next day and her brother sitting frozen at the table with stacks of books and research he was near tears. Their father sat down beside him and said "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird." This is the first real instruction that Anne has for her students and it should stay in the back of their minds as they work toward their writing goal.

The book is loaded with helpful advice to help writers get started or move forward. Advice like working with short assignments and banging out that "shitty first draft" are the backgrounds for helping a struggling writer develop their characters and plots.

While the advice is very simple, Lamott warns us about the truly difficult and complicated work that awaits an aspiring writer. The beauty of the book is being able to see the craft involved in creating it through the information she has provided. Most important, Lamott is funny. Her humor infuses every aspect of the book even when the subject matter becomes sad and almost painful. She never flinches away from telling us how difficult and sometimes just plain degrading a writer's life can be. All the while, she repeats like a mantra that all you can do is work. All you can do is take it bird by bird.

What I love about this book is that its like sitting in a writing class where there is only me and the teacher. Her voice is clear and empathetic. She understand the need to simply write to get it out even if no one ever sees it. She is patient and full of humor. She understands the grand fantasies about what it will be like to be a writer and she wants to make sure that I know that the fantasy never lives up to the reality but I should keep working anyway.

Anyone who has ever been interested in writing should read this book. She provides the necessary pieces for crafting a work along with all the practical advice you could ever need to get started and work all the way through. But the truest piece of advice that she could ever give is in the title. Just take it bird by bird.