Memoir: A Historical Backbone

(Note: This is a re-post, originally posted on October 3, 2011.)

October is National Family History month—a great time to think about ways to share your family stories.

Anne Bradstreet was the first woman to have her book published in the United States. And like Bradstreet, who documented the difficulties of being a Puritan wife and the hardships of life in colonial times, we each have a basic human desire to leave a piece of ourselves behind before we depart this world. We want others to know how we lived, our achievements, our tragedies, our lessons learned.

This desire can manifest itself through oral communication such as the family stories told to us by our parents and grandparents. Before my father passed away he began telling me stories of his childhood he had never shared, not because they were unusual or extraordinary, but simply because of his desire that they not be lost with his passing.

The desire can also manifest itself through tangible items such as the special rings, dishes, photos, recipes, cookbooks and other items passed down to us, as well as in a written form such as letters, diaries, and journals. Our family has been given detailed journals written by both my father-in-law and a distant cousin who were compelled to write about their experiences during WWII and share them with family.

It is that need to leave a part of our lives behind by sharing our experiences and memories—whether those experiences include overcoming tragic circumstances, healing from a tragic childhood, surviving the battle field, or simply sharing our optimism for life—that drives our desire to let others know.

There are several ways to share family stories, one of which is currently popular: writing a memoir.

As we can see from the books published today, memoirs are no longer only for past presidents and the famous. Readers have a hunger for the interesting stories of ordinary people. After publication of Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes in 1996, sales of memoirs spiked and before long, more memoirs were being sold to publishers than fiction.

If you plan to write a memoir, regardless of whether you intend it for mainstream publication, it can be a valuable gift for your family.

There doesn’t have to be a tragedy or an extraordinary event to write your family history. One of my favorite memoirs is Annie Dillard’s, An American Childhood, in which Dillard’s beautiful prose leads readers through her keen observations of the world around her as she grew up in Pittsburgh in the 1950s.

With today’s self-publishing print and digital options, it is easier than ever to document your history and share it with others. But although many memoirs are published today, there are still millions of pieces of family history that never make it to the press, yet are passed down from family to family to be reread and retold.

It seems to me that if history represents the body of human experience, these stories of ordinary people would be the backbone of that experience.

Story Structure: Internal vs. External

(Note: This a re-post from an April 18, 2011 entry.)

The Ospreys returned to their nest last week. At first I noticed only one. A few days later I saw the pair sitting atop the nesting platform, surveying their domain.

So, what’s their story?

When I saw the Ospreys had returned, I thought about the long journey they had made from their wintering grounds along the western coasts of Central and South America, to the nesting platform alongside the Pend Oreille River near our home in North Idaho. I also thought about the instinct that drives them to make such a remarkable journey.

I thought about these things because of a recent conversation I had with a writer friend. Over coffee, one of the topics we talked about was how well-written stories always contain two stories: an external story and an internal story.

As a writer, understanding how to bring out the internal story in my writing is something I have had to learn, and continue to study. Even though I feel the internal story was probably lurking somewhere in the things I wrote, I hadn’t learned to recognize it, define it, and focus on making it a more effective.

The external story is the tangible story. It is the action a character takes to fulfill the need of the internal story.

The internal story is the intangible, abstract story. It is a character’s yearning for something that comes from within. It reflects a basic human need, a desire, a belief, or inner turmoil in a character’s life. It comes from a need for love or respect, a yearning for adventure, the desire to right a wrong, or to fulfill certain long-term hopes and dreams. These internal goals are what drive characters to act.

Here are examples of the general internal need that drives the characters of three famous stories:

The Grapes of Wrath: Tom Joad is driven by the instinct to survive; the urgent need to protect his family during the Great Depression.

To Kill a Mockingbird: Atticus Finch is driven by the desire to fight social inequality.

The Old Man and the Sea: Santiago is driven by a desire to secure the honor and respect of the village fishermen.

Freelancer Mary Lynn Mercer writes the following in her article, Five Keys to Effective Internal Goals:

“Readers are interested in characters whose external goals, motivations, and conflicts move the plot, but they care about characters whose inner landscape is vibrantly developed. Internal goals, motivations, and conflicts weave together the foundation of larger-than-life characterizations--the kind of characters readers remember long after the story ends.

Whereas external goals are physical and photographable, internal goals are born of intangible, universal human needs. Some examples of human needs include: intimacy, acceptance, identity, mastery, security, fulfillment, survival, harmony, and integrity. Usually, one need dominates a character for his or her life. The selection process is a blend of motivations planted in the character's backstory and individual personality.”

And later…

“An internal goal is the dominant landmark on the inner landscape of a multidimensional character. Around it revolves the internal conflicts and motivations that make characters feel real and make readers care.”

So, what about the Osprey? If I were to write about them, their journey—year after year—would be the external story. The unbendable need for the pair to return to their nesting place, reestablish their bond and raise their young would be the internal story, driven by instinct. And, of course, there would need to be conflict, such as how the Ospreys would boot out the Canadian Goose I sometimes see in the nest before the Ospreys arrive.

With a little research, writers can find several writing-related books and blogs that cover this topic of internal and external plots. But here is a bare-bones definition: Wanting a candy bar is an internal story. Eating the candy bar is an external story. Yum.

Breaking up with the word can't.

Waiting in our car while my husband chatted with a Priest Lake business owner a couple of weeks ago, I began reading an essay by Richard Nelson from a book I had tucked into my bag before leaving home. Nelson’s writing quickly drew me in, enveloped me, yet, at the same time, gave me that sudden itch I sometimes get when reading at home—that itch to close the book and head to my computer with a mad desire to emulate and learn from what I have just read, thinking…THAT is how I want to write, THAT is how I want MY readers to feel.

I love the fact that one writer can inspire another to such a degree, that a writer’s carefully chosen words can make one want to jump up and begin working; can spur another writer to wonder—what words did the author use that brought about that specific emotion? How did the author place that particular phrase on the page to make it work so well? What came before it and what came after it that made it effective? How did the author end the paragraph? How did he transition into the next?

As writers we often study the work of others, a key element to understanding voice, style, tone, and how one constructs stories and articles. Mystery writers read mysteries. Memoirists read Memoirs. Poets read poetry. Freelancers read, well, everything. It all becomes part of the learning process, which brings to mind a comment I heard someone say on a television commercial the other day: “Education means breaking up with the word can’t.”

To me, that education includes self-education. It means tackling what you don’t know with a robust desire to know; to have a thirst for knowledge that drives you to look into all of the corners for what you need. It means reading, researching, connecting with other writers, and paying attention to the methods of those who came before you. Other writers make me want to write better. They motivate me with their knowledge and confidence, with their hard work and push to follow their dreams and to get their stories onto paper. I admire those who treat their writing not only as a business, but as a necessity.

In his book Writing Naturally, David Petersen expresses the idea that, yes, a formal education, writing workshops, and how-to publications can help you write better, but then adds:

“Yet the best any and all such external aids can do is to help you help yourself. What makes good writers isn't nearly so much teaching as it is learning...learning via reading, studying and dissecting the work of other writers, good and bad; learning by writing and revising and getting rejected and revising some more and weighing informed criticism and eventually getting published and never-ever fooling yourself into believing you know it all. These things, such self-directed educational struggles, adapted as a lifestyle, make good writers."

For me, breaking up with the word can’t means taking my education as a writer fully into my own hands, then learning what I need to learn on my own and from others in an effort to consistently and purposely improve my skills and advance my work.

But the hidden, unfortunate, part of such education is that most of those writers from whom we learn, like Nelson who made me want to leap out of my seat with enthusiasm, will never know the impact of their work on writers like myself who, in this case, quite simply, became inspired while waiting in a car near the forested shore of a North Idaho lake.

Kudos, Goodbye, Earth Day and Writing

It is Writing North Idaho's honor to send kudos to our own Jennifer Lamont Leo for winning first place for her recently completed novel in the Inland Empire Christian Writers Conference. Congratulations, Jenny! We are so proud of you.





Writing North Idaho is sad to say a fond goodbye to one of our own. Nancy Owens Barnes is leaving WNI as a regular contributor to pursue other adventures in her full life. She hasn't left us permanently as she will return as a guest writer  and occasional technical guru. Her insights into our craft of writing will be missed but all her previous posts are available by clicking on her name at the lower left sidebar. We have all learned from her posts.

We wish Nancy all the best adventures possible in her expanded life of writing, book promotions, travel, sailing on the  lake in her father's restored boat and spending time with family and friends.  Please visit her web sites nancyowensbarners.com and southtoalaska.com.  Thanks, Nancy, for many jobs well done!       

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Today, April 22, and every April 22 for 43 years, people around the world have celebrated Earth Day. It is estimated that this year approximately one billion people will participate in some act that shows our love of and respect for planet Earth. ("If you are talking about the Earth as a proper noun, as a planet or celestial body, then you can capitalize Earth and use no article (the): How far is Earth from the Sun? But it is also fine to leave it as lowercase and use the with earth if you are talking about it as the planet we live on: The earth rotates on its axis. It is ok to do the same with the sun and the moon. When you are talking about the ground or soil as a surface or stratum, then you must lowercase the word: The archaeologists excavated the earth at the site. The word earth is derived from Greek era. Here is something interesting - we never hear people say the Mercury, the Pluto - but we do say the Earth, the Moon. Using the definite article "the" in front of an uncapitalized [sic] "earth" has its roots in the worldview that we are separate from and fundamentally different.") [http://dictionary.reference.com/help/faq/language/s05.html]

It is globally considered a day to plant a tree, pick up roadside trash, beautify a park, or any number of other activities that inspire awareness and appreciation of the earth’s environment. Some interest groups have used Earth Day as a podium for their belief that there is unprecedented climate change happening world-wide and use April 22 as a tool to draw people to their agendas.

What does that mean to us as writers? If you are a poet, today is the day to write a poem about the view out your front window, the lake where you kayak, your neighbor’s flower garden or the clouds on a spring day. If you garden, why not think about adding a place in your yard where you can sit in the summer shade and write or edit? What better place to do the onerous job of editing than in nature’s beauty? It makes the task much more palatable. Use Earth Day as a writing prompt and compose a story that comes to mind. It could be set in the past, the present or the future.

English Point National Recreation Trail and Park is near my house. There is a five mile groomed trail that meanders through north Idaho national forest land.  Wooden benches are placed along various points. One of my favorites is a place that gives a magnificent view of Hayden Lake. I think that is how I will spend my day: a five mile hike with a long stop to view the blue lake, evergreen trees, nature and to write another post for this week.

Hayden Lake, Idaho, U.S.A.

An interesting story is how Hayden Lake got its name. During the late 1870s, the first homesteaders, a Mr. Strahorn (first name unrecorded) and three soldiers from Fort Sherman (downtown Coeur d'Alene, ID on Lake Coeur d'Alene, 7.5 miles south of Hayden Lake), Matt Hayden, John Hager, and John Hickey, settled in the area. Legend has it that Hayden and Hager, whose homestead was on this lake played a game of seven-up to determine who should name the lake. Hayden won the card game.

Celebrate Earth Day in your own way and enjoy what Earth has to offer!

Get Ready for Get Lit!

 Literature is the thought of thinking souls.

---Thomas Carlyle

For authors, journalists, poets, and writers of all sorts, as well as bookworms and anyone interested in literary works in its many forms, Spokane’s 15th annual Get Lit! literary festival begins Monday. 
 

Get Lit! Programs include a literary festival in the spring as well as educational outreach projects throughout the year, engaging members of the Inland Northwest community in a celebration of the written word and encouraging discussion of literature, at all age levels.

The 2013 Get Lit! Festival takes place from April 8 through April 14, hosting over forty regional, national, and international authors in Spokane who represent a wide range of genres including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Fiction and nonfiction writers attending will include Joyce Carol Oates, Kim Barnes, Jess Walter, Christopher Mcdougall, David Shields, and many others. Authors will speak and perform readings at a variety of venues such as the Bing Crosby Theater, Gonzaga Univeristy, Aunties Bookstore, and several other places around Spokane.

The festival week will also include writing workshops which will be held on Saturday, April 13 at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park in Spokane. Registration is underway and space is limited to 20 people per session. 

Workshops include sessions on editing and revision, a novel workshop, poetry, crafting evocative prose, voice, etc.  The workshops also include a free workshop for kids (8+ yrs.) and a free teen poetry slam workshop.

Click HERE for the Get Lit! calendar of events.

 

Have Fun and Get Lit!

 

 

James Herriot: A Gift to Generations

Not long ago I purchased a book containing three of James Herriot’s classics. Even though I have long known of the popularity of Herriot’s work and had once taken a photo of Herriot’s former veterinary office when I was on a visit to England with my mother, I had never read his stories.

As soon as I began reading his work, I was delighted at his gentle conversational style, his humor, and the images he creates of the characters and quaint English countryside where he worked so many years as a veterinarian.

The classics were, of course, All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, and All Things Wise and Wonderful. The titles were inspired by the first lines of a children’s hymn and poem written by Cecil F. Alexander in 1848 titled, Maker of Heaven and Earth:

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful:

The Lord God made them all.

Born James Alfred Wight (commonly referred to as Alf Wight), Wight adopted his first pet at age twelve, an Irish Setter. The bond he formed with his dog led to his interest in veterinary medicine. He graduated from the Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939 and moved to Thisk in Yorkshire County, England in the early 1940s where he settled down, married, and began practicing veterinarian medicine.

Although the veterinarian had literary ambitions early on, he didn't begin writing seriously until the age of fifty with the encouragement of his wife. Because self-promotion for doctors and veterinarians was frowned upon in England at that time, Wight adopted the pen name, James Herriot, and wrote his books on a portable typewriter in front of the television in the evenings.

Wight's former Veterinary Surgery Clinic

Herriott released several writing collections in England. In the United States, his New York publisher combined these writings into volumes. Herriot’s first two books were combined and released as All Creatures Great and Small in 1972. This volume made the name James Herriot famous. Subsequently, All Things Bright and Beautiful was published in 1974, and All Things Wise and Wonderful in 1977.

His son Jim Wight, who was also a veterinarian and partnered with his father in later years, writes in the Introduction to the volume of classics I mentioned above:

James Herriot was a gifted writer, with the ability, through the use of simple words used in the right context, to convey to the reader his love of the countryside and his job as a country veterinarian. He was a great observer of human nature.

Wight passed away in 1995 at the age of seventy-eight at his home in Thirlby, near Thisk, Yorkshire. His tales of his veterinary practice and life in the English countryside have delighted generations of readers, and will continue to do so for generations to come.

Whenever you feel the desire for uplifting stories, read or reread some of James Herriot's wonderful work.

A Guest Post from G. T. Rees

G. T. Rees and son at Stevens Lake, Sawtooth Wilderness

Today I am pleased to share a guest post from writer, Gabe Rees. Rees' work has won multiple awards from the Idaho Writer’s League and been published in Idaho Magazine and Predator Xtreme. You can find his story, Killer GPS: A Conspiracy Theory, in the February issue of Idaho Magazine. His most recent story titled Silvers & Sleep Apnea will be published in Fish Alaska Magazine later this year. Rees is also working on a new novel that should be coming out this summer.

An avid hunter and fisherman, Gabe considers himself lucky to live in northern Idaho with his wife and two children, where he feels he’ll never run out of wild places to explore. He has been captivated by the outdoors and everything wild since his earliest memory and hopes to convey that joy to others through his humorous outdoor adventure stories.

Below, Rees shares some of his thoughts about writing, followed by his essay titled Not So Little Blue.

Join me in welcoming Gabe as a Writing North Idaho guest.

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I attempted to get a bit more serious with my writing five years ago. I started out with no critique or writer’s group and wrote a young adult fantasy novel. I then proceeded to share my outstanding work with everyone I knew and was somewhat disappointed when I didn’t get the glowing praise I thought my baby was due. So what did I do? I wrote another one. I think the second novel was better, but in reality, they both stunk.

I don’t know about you, but both of my children were beautiful babies---I’m talking real children here. Now, I’ve seen a lot of ugly babies, but I’ve never met a parent that thought their baby was ugly. It’s kind of like that with writing. The difference being that you can work on your baby. You can take it from something that readers wrinkle up their noses at and make it into something adored and loved.

The big turning point for me was joining the Idaho Writer’s League. I know that people learn in different ways, but I have to actually work on a thing for a while. Practice, practice, and practice some more until I end up pretty good at whatever it is I’m doing. Either that, or lose interest, get frustrated and quit, etc. You get the idea. Besides, we can’t be good at everything and life is a process of deciding what you want to invest your time into, what you can just skim by on, and what you don’t want to mess with.

Putting in the time, practicing, and getting input from other writers, over time, made me into a passable writer. Eventually, I began having some success with outdoor-themed short stories that I put my own humorous stamp on. There are a lot of components that go into successful writing and if you want to write for an audience, pretty up that ugly baby. I would say that a support and feedback group like IWL is essential. Keep working at it, develop the ability to accept criticism, and you will become successful in your writing.

Not So Little Blue

 By G. T. Rees

I was about six, or so, when my dad brought home a baby great blue heron. I still remember my dad coming in through the front door shouting excitedly, “hey kids, look at what I’ve got.” My brother and I stared down into the cardboard box he set on the floor at a gangly, sharp-beaked, greyish fluffy thing. It looked up at us and let out a tremendous squawk for such a little body, sending my brother and me tumbling away in alarm.

It may not be PC now to bring home a wild animal but when I was a kid, there were no wildlife rescue centers. So, our house was often the unofficial wildlife rehabilitation center in our little town. This was not the first, or last, injured or abandoned animal that my dad – the forever amateur naturalist – brought home, but it was one of the more interesting ones.

A year or so before, my dad had taken up a new hobby- hang gliding. Not too far from where we lived, there were rolling hills along the edge of a great man-made lake that provided perfect conditions for a novice hang glider. My dad’s excursions were often large affairs that included the entire family and curious friends interested in learning the sport. Mostly, I remember the awkward crashes- that and sliding down the gentle grassy hills on sheets or cardboard. We must have been ahead of our time because even then we were recycling, using spent boxes from the grocery store for our fun. It’s probably not what recycling proponents had in mind, but we sure liked it.

One day, my dad was out hang gliding, without the entourage, and he saw a turkey vulture land on a heron nest and take off with a squirming chick. Fortunately for the chick, it was well fed and after a hundred-yards or so, the vulture fluttered towards the ground and dropped its heavy prey. My dad rushed over and retrieved the chick. The nest was high up an old snag, bare of branches for a good twenty feet up. There was no way to return the chick, and so he brought it home to us.

We fed the chick cat food and named it Blue. Original, I know, but what do you expect from a six and four year old. In no time at all, Blue was taller than me and began taking great delight in tormenting my brother and me. My brother and I shared a room in our small two bedroom house. We had to go down a long hallway (at least it seemed long at six) to get to the living room and kitchen. Right at the end of the hallway was a reclining chair and it was there that Blue always made his ambush. I would creep down the darkened hallway, trying to be as absolutely quiet as I could so that Blue wouldn’t hear. It never worked. Without fail, I would reach the end of the hallway and Blue would spring out from behind the chair, wings flapping, beak agape, squawking his head off. And without fail, I would scream in terror and surprise.

Blue never hurt us. I don’t think it was in his nature and he was actually quite a good playmate when he wasn’t bushwhacking us. He would follow us around the yard continuously and tolerate our attempts to teach him tricks, as long as there was a little cat food for bribery. Blue also served as quite a status symbol for me with my neighborhood friends. “Bet I’ve got a better pet than you,” I can still remember myself saying on many occasions.

That fall, Blue was fully grown with beautiful dusky-blue feathers and flying quite well. It was a sad day when my dad took Blue to some ponds a few miles from our home and let him loose there. A family we knew lived in a small cabin by one of the ponds and they told us for several years that Blue would come up to their porch every day and steal their cat’s food. I guess he never lost the taste.

My grandfather later got a job running our town’s small community water system, of which the ponds were part, and I spent many a day fishing for bluegill and small mouthed bass there. I always looked for Blue. I was fishing off the end of a little dock one day, I was probably eight, when a magnificent blue heron alighted on the shore, not twenty feet away from me. The bird cocked its head and squawked at me, then went about his business of hunting for small fish and frogs among the lily pads. I was sure it was Blue and I sat there for over an hour just watching the bird before it flew off over the trees.

I was a truly fortunate kid. I don’t know many kids who get to interact with nature on such an intimate level. Our society becomes ever more modernized and the natural world and its creatures become more a thing of story than actual life for most people. I can’t help but think how much better off most of us would be if we could sit quietly and just watch a great blue heron. There are some real lessons there; nature isn’t always pretty or nice, but it is always amazing, just like Blue.

_______________________

For more information about Gabe, be sure and visit his website at authorgtrees.com.


 

The End: Leaving Your Reader

When I couldn’t sleep the other night I turned on the television and caught the last 30 minutes or so of the 1939 movie version of Victor Hugo’s novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, with Maureen O’Hara and Charles Laughton. I have seen the movie many times over the years and have always loved the final words of Quasimodo at the end of the movie when he looks at the stone statues of Notre Dame surrounding him and says with tears in his eyes, “If only I could have been made of stone like thee.”

Even though those are Hollywood’s final words and not the final words in Hugo’s novel, it got me to thinking about the importance of the final sentences and paragraphs in books—that point at which the reader has completed your story and returns to her own world.

Here are the final sentences of Hugo’s novel in which, after Quasimodo’s mysterious disappearance, skeletons were discovered in a cavern:

The other, which held this one in a close embrace, was the skeleton of a man. It was noticed that his spinal column was crooked, his head seated on his shoulder blades, and that one leg was shorter than the other. Moreover, there was no fracture of the vertebrae at the nape of the neck, and it was evident that he had not been hanged. Hence, the man to whom it had belonged had come thither and had died there. When they tried to detach the skeleton which he held in his embrace, he fell to dust.

As writers we often talk about the importance of well-written first sentences in books, that those beginning words should draw the reader into the book and keep them reading. Less often do we talk about the importance of the last sentences.  Although I don’t recall where, I remember reading that the last word in a sentence should be the strongest word in that sentence, that the last sentence in a paragraph should be the strongest sentence in that paragraph, and that the last paragraph in a chapter should be the strongest paragraph in that chapter, and so on until the end of the book.

Whether a novel, memoir, short story, or article, we hope to leave the reader with a resolution, an idea, or a feeling of some sort. We may want to leave the reader with a twist that will get them anxious for the next book in the series, or a poignant, uplifting moment that will ring in the readers’ heads for days. Some closing sentences mirror the beginning paragraph of the story, others offer a metaphor for the story or character, or imply the theme of the entire work.

To remind us of the importance of endings and give us some creative food for thought, here are a few last sentences from books on my bookshelf.


     "An' they chased him 'n' never could catch him 'cause they didn't know what he looked like, an' Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn't done any of those things . . . Atticus, he was real nice . . ."
     His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me.
     "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them."
     He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.

          Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known." 

          Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities 

Up the road, in his shack, the old man was sleeping again. He was still sleeping on his face and the boy was sitting by him watching him. The old man was dreaming about the lions.

          Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

 Stein has aged greatly of late. He feels it himself, and says often that he is "preparing to leave all this; preparing to leave . . . " while he waves his hand sadly at his butterflies. 

          Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.  

          F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 

When the long winter nights come on and the wolves follow their meat into the lower valleys, he may be seen running at the head of the pack through the pale moonlight or glimmering borealis, leaping gigantic above his fellows, his great throat a-bellow as he sings a song of the younger world, which is the song of the pack.  

          Jack London, The Call of the Wild

 I stand on the deck with the Wireless Officer looking at the lights of America twinkling. He says, My God, that was a lovely night, Frank. Isn't this a great country altogether?

          Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes


While a good beginning gains your reader’s initial interest in your story, a good ending can make your story resonate in a reader’s memory long after the book is closed.

Dress for the Climate and Warm Up to Your Readers: Tips for Self Publishers

These adorable Shetland ponies, standing on a cold, windswept shore in Scotland, were recently dressed in sweaters and photographed as part of an effort by Scotland’s tourism board to entice visitors to their country. What may prove to be an effective marketing campaign to tout Scotland’s organic knits and genteel farming communities, the idea of dressing for the climate applies to many areas, including writing and publishing.

The climate of writing and publishing has changed dramatically in the last few years, with more books being published today than ever. According to Bowker, traditional print book output grew six percent in 2011, and that publishing mainstay and largest genre, Fiction, turned around a multi-year decline with a 13 percent increase—a growth spurt driven almost exclusively by a strong self-publishing market. According to Kelly Gallagher, Vide-President of Bowker Market Research:

“Transformation of our industry has brought on a time of rich innovation in the publishing models we now have today. What was once relegated to the outskirts of our industry—and even took on demeaning names like ‘vanity press’ is now not only a viable alternative but what is driving the title growth of our industry today. From that standpoint, self-publishing is a true legitimate power to be reckoned with. Coupled with the explosive growth of e-books and digital content – these two forces are moving the industry in dramatic ways.” 

In other words, there is more competition than ever to get your work read and enjoyed by others. If you have contracted with a publisher and they own the print and electronic rights to your book, even if you give input, they will have the final say about how your book appears to readers. But if you are an independent self publisher and have retained your rights, you are the one in charge of catching the eye of your reader. And to do this, the same way you would want to dress up for a new job interview, you will want to take care to “dress up” your book to have its best possible chance in the current publishing climate.

You can’t put a sweater on your manuscript and click a cute photo (well, maybe you can), but you can focus on a few key elements to make your work as attractive as possible to potential readers.

Write a Compelling Story

This, of course, is the “biggie” and goes without saying, but many times when we think we have written the very best story we can write, there is still plenty of room for improvement. When you are ready, give your manuscript to a few trusted readers who you feel will give you clear, constructive feedback. Also, at some point, have a professional editor go through it to help you pin down the structure and conceptual soft spots. Find an editor that fits within your budget and use them to full advantage. Consider editing as a long-term investment in your book.

Formatting the Manuscript

For your print version, format your book as if it were formatted by the slickest New York Publishing house. Include a complete Table of Contents and front matter. Use headers and footers in the chapters and sections. Leave plenty of white space for the reader and use an easy to read typeface. Begin each chapter on its own odd-numbered page so that the beginnings are always facing the reader. A good way to decide on your format is to find a book that you feel has a layout you would like to see in your own book and use that as an example. Just about any format you find can be done using Microsoft Word.

For your ebook version, you won’t be able to use the headers, footers, and page numbers because ebooks consist of free-flowing text. But if you use photographs in your ebook, because of the now-prevalent color ereaders, always use color photographs in the ebook version if you have the choice. Also, a linked table of contents in your ebook makes it easy for the reader to maneuver back and forth through your book. Otherwise, it can seem cumbersome to the reader.

A well-formatted book creates a slick, professional look to your book, and caters to your reader. They will appreciate it, even if they don’t realize it. A poorly formatted book will likely be noticed by the reader.

Create an Enticing Book Title

One thing that can draw a reader to your book is the title. The title should relate in some way to your story, and hopefully, provide a hook for the potential reader/buyer. Make a list of titles you think may work for your book. Look at bestseller lists and try to think why those titles work. Try out titles on your friends and family to get their reaction. But in the end, your title must work for you, your book, and for the reader. Coming up with a good title that will entice your reader can be fun, and difficult.

Create a Pickable and Clickable Cover

The first thing a potential reader will notice about a book besides the title is the book’s cover. If they see it on a bookstore shelf, you want them to pick it up. If they see it on an online bookstore webpage, you want them to click on it. The cover gives the reader her first impression of the book, and as the author, you want it to be a positive impression.

If you are an independent self-publisher, you are in charge of your cover. You can do it yourself using design software, or if you are not inclined to tackle it yourself, there are many book cover designers you can find for reasonable prices with a little searching. Whichever way you go, create a cover for your book that entices the reader to reach for it, either by hand or by mouse.

Promote 

Put together a promotion plan before your book is published and revise it as needed as you go. These days, it is easier to promote your book online by building yourself a platform that includes social media, websites and blogs, and promotional tools that are made available through online booksellers, such as Amazon’s free promotions, which will help with your book’s visibility and sales. Get into the habit of consistently promoting your work in some way. Try to do at least one thing a day that will help promote your work.


Even with consistent reading and research, it’s difficult to keep up with today’s fast-changing marketplace, but focusing on these key elements for your book, will help your book compete in its best light as the climate continues to change.

Writing in the Dark: Learning from Others

On Wednesday I had a speaking engagement with the Idaho Writers League (IWL) in Coeur d’Alene. I had set my alarm for 5:00 am and as soon as my alarm went off and I flipped back the covers to get out of bed, our power went out. Luckily I had printed out the audience handouts and my notes the previous day, but for the next couple of hours I stumbled around our dark house getting ready to head out for my presentation with only the flashlight app on my iphone to guide me.

That’s how it is sometimes. We fumble around and make do until the light shows us the way. This is true in many facets of life, including in our writing life. As beginners we often stumble around in a dark new world full of unknowns, looking for guidance not from an iphone app, but from those who have come before us and left a trail of experience for us to follow. We read books written by authors we admire and try to emulate their writing style, we read books written in genres in which we want to write, we read how-to book after how-to book to learn as much as we can about the craft of writing, all serving to broaden our knowledge base and begin shining a light on our own path towards becoming the writer we hope to become.

I was reminded when talking at the IWL meeting this week what a wonderful way the writers in these groups support each other in their work, experiences, and growth as writers. They are, in broad terms, on the same path. Their energy, excitement and eagerness to learn inspire me. Writers groups are a great way to connect with other writers in your area. If you’ve never attended a writers group, try one out by attending a meeting. You will find friendly faces, new writing contacts, acceptance, encouragement and guidance.

The Coeur d’Alene chapter of the IWL meets the second Wednesday and the third Thursday of each month. For details of meeting places, scheduled events, and membership, visit their website: Idaho Writers League - Coeur d'Alene Chapter. You may also contact the current President of the Coeur d’Alene chapter, Faye Higbee at mdnf.higbee@gmail.com.

Another high-energy, active group in the north Idaho area is the Spokane Authors and Self-Publishers group, which meets the first Thursday of each month in Spokane. For details of meeting places, scheduled events, and membership, visit their website: Spokane Authors and Self Publishers. For additional information, contact Dave McChesney at daveeva@comcast.net.

You can find information on more local writing groups listed in the right-hand sidebar of this blog.

Connect with your fellow writers and let them and their experiences help light your path, and you theirs.

Cater to Your Reader: Create a Linked Table of Contents in Your E-book

To add to the enjoyment of your reader, consider including a linked table of contents in your e-book. Not only does it enhance the professional look of your work, it gives the reader ease of navigation around your book.

Although a linked table of contents is more necessary for nonfiction, it is also useful in fiction, especially if you have descriptive chapter headings. If a reader “leaves” your book for a few days, even though an e-reader device normally opens to the last page read, the reader may want to review areas of the book she has previously read. A linked table of contents allows a reader to click on any chapter heading in the contents list and go directly to that chapter. It also allows them to click on any chapter heading within the narrative and return to the Table of Contents. With a linked table of contents the reader can easily maneuver through your book without having to go page by page. 

For manuscripts created in Microsoft Word, Word has a tool to automatically create a linked table of contents within your document. However, it has not worked smoothly for me. As a matter of fact, some e-book publishers recommend against using Word’s automatic feature because it can cause issues when converting the file into e-book format. I have tried the automatic feature and it looked fine until the file was processed into an e-book, then some of the links no longer worked. I had to revise and re-upload my e-book file three times before I figured out that the manual links work best.

So, hoping to save other e-bookers the same frustrations, I have put together the following step-by-step method for creating a manual linked table of contents in your e-book. Several of these tips originated from the Smashwords publishing guide, and others came from bits and pieces of information I have learned from other e-book publishers, which I have written in the way that makes the most sense to me. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Create Your Contents List

If you haven’t already done so, type your Table of Contents list into your book’s manuscript file near the front of the book, listing the sections and chapter headings that you want to be bookmarked and linked in your book. For demonstration purposes, I’m going to use the following sample list:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Epilogue

Step 2: Create Bookmarks for Items to be Linked

Once your contents list is in place, begin going through your manuscript and bookmarking each item that is in your contents list. Using the example above, you would first go to the Prologue. When you reach the beginning of the prologue section, highlight the heading, Prologue. Then, on the Microsoft Word tabs at the top of the page, select Insert, then Bookmark.

When you click on the Bookmark button, you will be prompted for the bookmark name.

Hint: You will make it easier on yourself later in the process if you name the bookmark exactly as the chapter heading, as one word with no spaces. For example, if you are bookmarking a chapter titled Chapter One, name the bookmark ChapterOne. Or if your chapter is titled On the Road Again, name the bookmark OntheRoadAgain.

Once you name your bookmark, click Add, then go to the next chapter heading (Chapter One, Chapter Two, Epilogue, etc.) in your manuscript and bookmark it. Continue until all of the items that are listed in your table of contents are bookmarked within your manuscript.

Step 3: Create a Bookmark for your Contents Page

Return to your contents list at the front of the book. Highlight the heading for your contents, such as Table of Contents, or Contents, or whatever you call your contents list. As you did in Step 2, click Insert, Bookmark, and label this bookmark accordingly.

Step 4: Create Hyperlinks to Bookmarked Items

You now need to create hyperlinks to the items you just bookmarked so that a reader can click on a chapter heading in your contents list and be taken directly to that chapter in the book. In the contents list highlight the first item below the contents heading; in this case, Prologue, from our example above. Then, on the Microsoft Word tabs at the top of the page, select Insert, then Hyperlink.

When the Hyperlink menu comes up, click on the Place in This Document button on the left-hand side of the menu. (See below.) You should now see the bookmarks you made earlier listed in the main menu window. Now select Prologue and click OK. Repeat this process for each item in the Contents list.

 Step 5: Link back to the Table of Contents

To allow your readers to return to your Table of Contents from within your book, move through your manuscript and return to each bookmarked chapter heading. Highlight the heading, select Insert, Hyperlink, and Place in This Document on the menu. From the list of bookmarks showing in the main window of the menu, select your Table of Contents bookmark. Do this for every bookmarked heading through your manuscript, selecting the Table of Contents bookmark each time.

Step 6: Test Your Links

After completing Step 5, all of the headings in your contents list, as well as the chapter and section headings that you bookmarked in the manuscript, should appear blue and underlined.

Test your links by clicking (ctrl-click in Word 2007) on the chapter headings in your contents list to make sure they take you to the corresponding chapter heading within in the book. In turn, clicking on a chapter heading within in the book should take you back to the contents list at the front of the book.

If any are not working, check and revise.

DONE!

(Well, almost.)

Step 7: E-reader Internal Links

Now that you have created a hyperlinked table of contents for your e-book, there are two more small items you should consider doing.

Many e-readers have menus that allow a reader to go directly to an e-book’s table of contents, and to go directly to the beginning of the book where the reader can skip the front matter and begin reading. This is an internal function of some e-readers and you can make sure this option works correctly in your e-book by bookmarking those two places with the two codes the e-reading devices recognize:  toc (for the “go to the table of contents” function) and start (for the “go to the beginning of the book” function).

To do this, go into your manuscript and place your cursor just before your Table of Contents heading. (Don’t highlight the heading because you are only going to bookmark a single point.) Then go to Insert, Bookmark, name the bookmark toc, and click Add. For the "go to the beginning of the book" bookmark, go to where you would want a reader to begin reading if they skipped the front matter. This might be a prologue, the first chapter, etc. Go to that spot and, as before, place the cursor where you want the reader to begin, go to Insert, Bookmark, name the bookmark start, and click Add.

That’s it. The file conversion process should pick up on those two bookmarks and give your reader additional maneuverability within your e-book.

DONE!

I’ve found that, although it takes extra time, linking the table of contents with your chapter headings in your manuscript manually results in error-free links once your book is converted to e-book format and published.

Plus, having a functional, linked table of contents will make your readers happy.

Trailers: Not Just for Movies Anymore

Lots of authors and publishers now create video trailers for their books. As movie trailers do for movies, these book trailers also serve as promotional tools. They are meant to inform potential readers and encourage them to buy and read the authors’ books. As a short video file, it can be placed on an author’s website, a blog, bookseller sites, and other venues in which the author/publisher wishes.

There are plenty of businesses that will create book trailers for authors, but costs can vary greatly depending on the complexity and length of the video. You can, however, do the work yourself with a couple of computer programs and a few hours of your time.

Basically, all I did for my book trailer was create a slideshow using text and still images, added music to the slideshow, then ran the slideshow through a program that converted it into a mp4 video file. It took me several hours and several drafts before I was satisfied with the finished product, but that is partly because I enjoy tinkering with such things, and because I was learning as I was going.

The Trailer Slideshow:
For the slideshow I used Microsoft PowerPoint because the program was already available on my computer. If you have a Windows based machine with Microsoft Office programs, PowerPoint may also be on your computer. If not, other slideshow programs are available that will work for your trailer.

Images:
Many of the images in my book trailer are personal images, but I also found photos through the NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) site, which are free to use as long as you give NOAA credit. I also purchased a few photos from the Bigstock Photos website, which cost $1 to $3 each. Several websites offer free clip art and photo stock, but make sure your anti-virus software is up to date before going to sites you are not familiar with.

Text:
The text in my trailer consists of text boxes placed on a slide in the slideshow program.

Music:
In my trailer I used royalty-free music. You can search the web to find royalty-free music that is made for this type of use. One example of a royalty-free music site can be found at: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/

Video Converter:
Once my slideshow was complete, I ran the file through a program called the Moyea PPT to Video Converter that turned the PowerPoint file into a mp4 movie file. The program can be found at: http://moyea-ppt-to-video-converter.en.softonic.com/

You Tube:
When your video file is done, post it on You Tube. From there, it is easy to embed the video file on a website, blog, your Author Page on Amazon, and other places, plus your trailer gets views from You Tube visitors.

As examples of book trailers, I have included four below. The first is the trailer I made for my book, South to Alaska, which is nonfiction. I have also included trailers for a historical fiction book, a fiction book, and a children’s book by other authors. Although I’m not sure of what process was used to create the other three trailers, they also appear to have been made using still images and blocks of text, so nothing too fancy here that can’t be done with a slideshow and video converter.

If you are interested in creating a book trailer, go to You Tube and key in "book trailer" to see more examples.

Enjoy!

Nonfiction

Historical Fiction

  

Fiction

  

Children

 

I hope this is helpful to some of you who may be considering creating a book trailer as a promotional tool. Having a trailer for your book is useful and fun...and you can do it yourself with a couple of simple programs, plus some time and effort.

Have you thought about making a trailer for your book?

Exclamation Mark: Its Use and Abuse!

In an ebook titled Write Good or Die, edited by thriller author Scott Nicholson, was an article written by Nicholson titled Seven Bad Habits of Highly Unsuccessful Writers. In the article Nicholson, who had worked as a freelance editor and journalist for several years, reminded writers of a handful of minor problems that can "sap the vitality out of an otherwise compelling story." These included proper comma usage, point of view confusion, too many useless mannerisms, the use of adverbs, and the importance of clarity when using "he said" and "she said" in dialogue.

He also mentioned the overuse of exclamation marks in writing. Nicholson advises writers to “hoard your exclamation points and only dole them out when necessary.” He further states that dependence on them indicates a lack of power in your action sentences.

I personally haven’t noticed the overuse of exclamation marks in my general reading, but I have noticed that they seem to be prolific in online writing, emails, and text messages. There are even websites and blogs that discuss the overuse of exclamation points. One site titled Excessive Exclamation!! shows, as an example, a shot of a Carl’s Jr. receipt on which is printed:

Please let us know how we did!!!

In his article,Nicholson advises:

Adding a bit of visual oomph or dialogue tag is a better choice: "‘Look out,’ he shouted, diving for cover as bullets zinged overhead." The word "shouted" does the work of the exclamation point, though if you are in the book’s climax or a particularly brisk and intense scene, then one or two can do the work of unnecessary words, too. In this case, I’d let "Look out!" slide, assuming exclamation points weren’t already hopping all over the page like drunk celebrities begging for tabloid coverage. Anyone using two or more exclamation points together will not only be rejected but taken out and shot!!!

His point about exclamation marks reminded me of an old Seinfield episode I saw years ago when Elaine, who worked as an editor for a New York publishing house, purposely peppered her boyfriend’s manuscript with exclamation marks because she was upset with him. This got her in trouble with her publisher boss. For fun, below is a short clip of the episode:

You can find Nicholson's entire article here.

While contemplating the use of exclamation marks, remember to check out our Events page for writing-related happenings in the coming weeks.

Have a wonderful weekend.



Scott Nicholson is the author of 10 thrillers, including the Bram Stoker finalist The Red Church, Drummer Boy, Disintegration, and The Skull Ring. He’s published over 60 stories in seven countries, as well as numerous writing articles, five screenplays, several comic books, and magazine features. He’s won three North Carolina Press Association Awards as a newspaper reporter and also has a freelance manuscript editing business, in addition to hosting pop-culture shows and an annual paranormal conference. More information at www.hauntedcomputer.com.

New Reading Series: America’s Civil War

What do you know about America’s Civil War (1861-1865)? We all probably remember the basics from studying about the war in school—that the “war between the states” was one of the deadliest wars in American history and that it resulted in the abolishment of slavery and prevented the succession of several southern states.

But for those interested in knowing more about the Civil War, the Coeur d’Alene Public Library is beginning a reading/discussion series, “Making Sense of the American Civil War”, which will examine the impact of the war on American culture and history.

The series, presented in partnership with the Idaho Humanities Council, includes a five-meeting, scholar-led reading/discussion program beginning tomorrow, November 8, and continuing through December 20. The five two-hour book discussions are scheduled for five Thursday evenings, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., on Nov. 8, 15, 29, Dec. 13, and 20 in the library Community Room. The program is based on three books:

“March,” by Geraldine Brooks, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel which tells its story through the voices of characters from another novel, “Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott.

“America’s War,” edited by historian Edward L. Ayers, is mostly a collection of writings by people who had to decide for themselves before and during the war where justice, honor, duty, and loyalty lay, including selections writ-ten by Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Henry David Thoreau, and many others.

“Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam,” by historian James McPherson, explores the battle in the fall of 1862 that changed the course of the Civil War.

 The program is free but only 20 copies of each of the three books to be used in the series are available. Participants who are reading the books are asked to commit to attending all sessions in the series.

Scholars who will lecture and facilitate discussions include University of Idaho History Professor and Dean of Letters Arts and Social Sciences Dr. Katherine Aiken, North Idaho College History Professor James Jewell, and Boise State University Andrus Center for Public Policy Director Dr. David Adler.

The discussions will be open to the public.

To sign up for the series or for more information contact David Townsend, Library Communications Coordinator, at 208-769- 2315 Ext. 426 or by e-mail at dtown-send@cdalibrary.org.

Enjoy!

Ghostwriting: A Book for Writers

Tomorrow is Election Day, the day set aside for presidential elections by Congress in 1845 when they made election years divisible by four and designated Election Day as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Election Day provides a guaranteed right for every United States citizen to cast their vote for their choice for President. Exercise your right to have your say.

Of course, along with politics, politicians and political campaigns, comes a flurry of speeches and other forms of communication from the candidates, including books, many of which are written by ghost writers. According to the President Profiles website, few Presidents have written their own speeches and books, stating that, “Understandably, being able to write well is not an ordinary requirement in a chief executive.” Apparently the most accomplished penman among all the presidents was Theodore Roosevelt, who earned substantial royalties for his works of history.

But ghostwriting opportunities go far beyond writing speeches and books for politicians. Ghostwriters are used by business professionals, celebrities, and anyone who has something they would like to write but does not want to write it themselves. It is an avenue for writers that has grown in recent years with the popularity of memoir. According to www.seo-writer.com, the most popular type of writing people seek ghostwriters for are biographies/memoirs and business manuscripts. But ghostwriters are also used for articles, online website writing, reports, screenplays, self-help manuscripts, and just about any type of writing.

Ghostwriting (Writing Handbooks)

I recently finished a book titled Ghostwriting by Andrew Crofts, one book in the Writing Handbooks series published by A & C Black Publishers Limited of London. Crofts is an English ghostwriter whose many subjects have topped bestseller charts in the United Kingdom and other countries, and is considered one of Britain’s most successful ghostwriters.

In Ghostwriting Crofts explains that being a ghostwriter is a fascinating way to live if you are someone who enjoys trying out new and different lives, and who is comfortable being a spectator for much of the time. He clearly presents the ins and outs of becoming a ghostwriter, not only giving answers as to why one might want to become a ghostwriter, but also explaining why one might not want to become a ghostwriter.

www.andrewcrofts.com

 He explains that ghosting gives writers access to stories they may otherwise never come across, provides valuable writing experience, allows writers to get on with other work while others take care of the promotional work, etc. On the other hand, he explains that a writer who prefers voicing their own opinions too much might find difficulty in listening to other people’s opinions and writing about them, or a writer may be shy and uncomfortable spending such a concentrated amount of time with their subjects, as well as other potential conflicts that might arise from things such as preoccupation, ego, ethics, etc..

Crofts further gives advice on how to get started as a ghostwriter, on how to get paid, on contracts, on agents, on producing a synopsis for your project, on research and working with your client, and more.

People hire ghostwriters for a variety of reasons: they believe they don’t have the ability to write it themselves, they don’t have the time to write it themselves, they need a broader perspective, and a variety of other reasons. If you have an interest in becoming a ghost writer, Ghostwriting provides important and useful guidance.

Ghostwriting (Writing Handbooks)