The Cuckleburr Times » Robert L. Bacon

Unconventional Writing Techniques – A Good or Bad Idea?

Robert L. Bacon — Sun, 29 May 2011 07:00:07 +0000

Writers are always trying to distinguish themselves to get noticed. And this is especially true for anyone who is vying to gain the attention of an agent or publisher. For this reason they often see unpublished drafts with all sorts of writing anomalies. The question is, does this help or hinder a writer’s chances?

Let’s Look at the Past

Anyone who read The Sound and The Fury for the first time had the displeasure of reading contractions both with and without apostrophes. This made a complicated story even more difficult to deal with. Considerable debate continues to rage over whether this was the result of shoddy work on the part of the publisher or Faulkner’s choice of style. Whatever the reason, this slowed down many readers until they got used to the technique.

Various writers have used the same style, and other than the word “can’t,” which can be a problem if the author then refers to someone speaking in cant, or “wont” if the writer wants this to mean “accustomed,” there aren’t too many issues with a “dont,” etc. Although I can see situations in which “Ill” could be a problem if the speaker wasn’t addressing a medical condition. With all the scenarios facing a writer trying to attract a publisher, is nuanced writing (if it can be called that) going to help?

Some Successful Writers Have Used the Em Dash Instead of Quotation Marks

Most notable of late was North Carolina professor Charles Frazier’s critically acclaimed Cold Mountain, which was also well-received by the general public. It required a few pages to get used to the style, but I think it’s fair to state that most people found the format not to be a problem. From our school days, we remember James Joyce also using the em dash, so it’s not that radical. But it takes a very skilled writer to use this technique, since this style doesn’t separate the interior monologue from the dialogue.

Instances are also available of authors who have written dialogue with em dashes and no interior monologue, requiring the syntax to convey the entire meaning of what was spoken. I can’t think of anything that would require greater skill, and I don’t suggest trying this except as an exercise to improve one’s ability at writing dialogue.

Another Technique Involves Apostrophes Rather Than Quotation Marks

I have many Graham Greene novels in my library, but have never liked his use of an apostrophe in place of a quotation mark. I don’t understand how this helps in any way from an artistic standpoint. However, Joseph Conrad, Bernard Malamud, Saul Bellow, Kingsley Amis, Ford Madox Ford and many others have used this same format for their novels. Again, I don’t know why, as it just complicates setting off dialogue that is universally delineated via standard quotation marks.

Then There Is the Italics

I don’t know of anyone else who has written an entire novel in italics, but honesty compels me to admit that I once did just that. It was placed inside a substantial bridge of material, and I thought it would work. The book was never published, and I have to think my idea didn’t help its prospects. The reality is that even a few pages of italics grate on the reader. This is often the complaint with stream-of-consciousness writing, and one of the major contentions many people have with The Sound and The Fury, since so much of the narrative is in italics. (Virginia Woolf solved the italics/stream-of-consciousness issue in To The Lighthouse by writing all of the novel in traditional script.)

So, Good or Bad Idea?

If someone stylistically has a Cold Mountain on his or her hip, by all means toss the dice. If a publisher likes the story, he or she might think an unconventional format may even help the work’s prospects with the public. But I honestly don’t see the advantage of trying something dramatically different. After you have six books and a bestseller or two under your belt, write in invisible ink if you so desire, but I think it’s best at the nascent stage to get the odds in one’s favor in every way possible. And this means presenting a manuscript that follows a structural and stylistic model that adheres to the accepted norm. I wrote an article on this subject, Eight Hints to Properly Format a Manuscript for an Agent or Publisher.

Robert L. Bacon is the Founder of The Perfect Write® . New Free Service for Serious Writers! The Perfect Write® is now providing a Free Manuscript Opening-Chapter Critique and Line Edit. Paste the first chapter of your manuscript (up to 5000 words) to theperfectwrite@aol.com (no attachments). In addition to the critique, The Perfect Write® will line edit, if applicable, up to the first three-pages of your double-spaced material also at no charge.

Also Free! Receive The Perfect Write Newsletters that feature articles on writing at a publishable level. Click here http://www.theperfectwrite.com and scroll to the bottom of The Perfect Write® Home Page for the simple two-step sign-up box.

The ISBN System Explained

Robert L. Bacon — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:47:54 +0000

One of the most confusing issues in all of publishing involves ISBN codes. How does a writer get an ISBN for a book? How much does one cost? What does the number mean? Does a book require a new ISBN if it’s reprinted? Are the numbers different in countries outside the States? The list goes on, but unfortunately seldom if ever are the most important questions asked. The purpose of this article is to explain how the ISBN works. I’ll also be providing several links along the way for verification and clarification purposes, but I think it’s important to explain the basics of the ISBN first.

The ISBN is One of Many Codes

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. The definition of the ISBN is provided by isbn.org, but a simple explanation is: The ISBN code is a unique identifier for books that are intended to be sold commercially. The system was created in the U.K. in 1966 by W. H. Smith and called SBN or Standard Book Numbering. It was adopted in 1970 as the international standard ISO 2108. Another number, the ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is used for periodicals such as magazines.

Be Aware that Different Codes are in Use in Countries Outside the U.S.

The first issue to keep in mind is that many countries use their own ISBN system. For example, Canada uses the CISN format, which means Canadian ISBN Service System. Also, Amazon uses its own identifier, which the firm calls ASIN (however, the number follows the ISBN code). The second issue to be aware of is that the ISBN has no relationship whatsoever to the Library of Congress Control Number (which is free, by the way). I think anyone serious about becoming published in any medium would be prudent to click the Library of Congress link and spend the 15 or so minutes it will take to read through the FAQ’s.

Instances in Which a Writer Doesn’t Need an ISBN

It’s important to understand that if a writer has no intention of selling his or her book via a commercial setting, handing it off to a wholesaler, or is not planning on placing the book in a public library, there is no need to apply for an ISBN. But, if the author plans to sell the book through an outlet(s) of some sort, to answer the first question I posed, the ISBN may be purchased from only one official source provided by the U.S. government, and this is publisher R. R. Bowker, 630 Central Ave., New Providence, NJ 07974-1154. The company’s toll free phone number is 877-310-7333.

Yes, R. R. Bowker is the Only Official Government Purveyor for ISBN’s in the States

Now that I’ve clearly established Bowker as the originator of ISBN’s, what about the inordinate number of firms and individuals who resell the numbers? Here is where it really gets sticky, but let me begin with cost first. The cost of a single ISBN from Bowker is currently $125, while ten ISBN’s are sold to the public for $250 or $25 each. The first question is, why would anyone need more than one number? And the answer is, the person wouldn’t–unless the writer plans on having a book published in multiple mediums.

If the latter is the case, each format, such as an e-book, hardback, softcover, trade paperback (which is smaller than softcover), etc., requires a different ISBN to identify the particular medium for the book. Simply, one number applies to the hardback and another to the softcover, etc. But as long as nothing changes in a book in the original medium in which it is published, it can be reprinted ad infinitum under the same ISBN. But change any wording in the narrative, or the medium in which the book was originally published, and a new ISBN is required. Not rocket science, but we’re not even close to through with this.

A Barcode is Necessary for All Books Sold Commercially or Placed in a Library

The next issue is the need for a unique barcode number, and this must also be purchased from Bowker (I know, how convenient). A unique barcode number is necessary so the bookseller can identify the price point at which you want to sell your book. So the first rule is not to purchase a barcode until you determine what price you want your book to sell for. And since you might have an e-book priced at one price point and a softcover release at another, you would need a separate barcode for each; hence, again, the need for more than one identifier.

Barcodes don’t have the dramatic price drops that are commensurate with ISBN codes (more on this to come). A barcode is $25 each from 1 to 5, $23 if purchased in lots of 6 to 10, and $21 in any spread from 11 to 100. Again, since they involve price points, you will have to tell Bowker your retail pricing for each style book so everything can be keyed-in accordingly. While we’re still a long way from quantum physics, what comes next is a black hole that can reshape a writer’s universe–all the wrong way.

The Following Section May Be the Most Important Information a Writer Seeking Publication Will Ever Read

A great many publishers and individuals resell the ISBN’s, and it’s certainly appears advantageous for a writer to buy a single number for say $40 in lieu of $125. The problem is, who owns the legal right to the title the ISBN identifies if the author has not received a release from the company or person who sold the number? According to the staff at Bowker, and I pressed them on this issue several times to make certain of the consistency of what they were telling me, each year they are contacted by a multitude of writers who are justifiably distraught after they learn the rights to their book are really owned by the person or company that resold the ISBN to them!

I would think this is also a double-edged sword for the company or individual who is retaining the rights, especially if either is the publisher, since if the work is plagiarized, the publisher is always sued right along with the writer. So, unless the staff at Bowker is lying to me to protect their interests, I think it would behoove any writer to make certain a release is signed before getting an ISBN from anyone outside of Bowker. By the way, 100 ISBN’s are only $575 (according to what Mrs. Milsey taught me in the 4th grade, that’s $5.75 each), and 1000 are just $1000! It’s easy to see why buying in bulk and reselling the numbers at a 20 to 40 times markup has substantial street appeal.

The ISBN and Barcode Can Be Combined on One Format

To recap, if you’re going to sell your book outside your individual efforts, you will have to acquire an ISBN and a barcode number that can be affixed to each book (unless your publisher of course prints them somewhere on the book). And, again, as with changes or different formats that will require a separate ISBN, you will need a unique barcode for any price points that aren’t the same.

If you should be interested in how the barcode is determined, since it also has a book’s category and other information embedded, Barcode Graphics Web site explains the process in detail and this is why I chose to highlight the firm in this section. Included in their definitions is the tidbit that the Bookland EAN symbol is the barcode of choice in the book industry throughout the world because it allows for the encodation of ISBN’s with the barcode on a single label.

This company’s price for 1000 of a single label with a both codes in a standard configuration is $27.75. So once a writer has the ISBN number, and a price point, a single label can be ordered. Just be aware that there are a gargantuan number of graphics outfits that can print labels, so it would behoove a writer to shop around, but I imagine $27.75 for 1000 labels is a pretty strong baseline.

The Release Should Be Issue Number One

Regardless of from whom anyone acquires an ISBN outside of Bowker, the single most important issue is that the writer have a release signed by someone who has the authority to do so (which is another issue, and a monster in its own right). My opinion, if anyone wants it, is that it’s probably better to go ahead with Bowker, buy ten ISBNs, get the exact number of barcodes that are needed initially, and be done with it (other than getting the labels printed in some manner if your work is not exclusively an e-book). And if someone accepts my quantity suggestions for each component, the total for everything for one e-book and one printed book that can be sold by a wholesaler, retailer, or placed in a library, looks like a price tag of around $325, give or take $10.

By the way, it would be easy to load up on Bowker because of the company’s obvious monopoly status, but in fairness, would it be conceivable to have a hundred different authorized outlets dispensing numbers? This seems like perhaps the only instance I can think of in which our government could’ve handled something internally–such as via a Library of Congress affiliate agency of some sort, especially since this is already being done with periodicals–and made money rather than turning it over to a private concern. But, as many have said before me and many more will say after, who knows?

Robert L. Bacon, Founder
The Perfect Write

New Free Service for Serious Writers! The Perfect Write® is now providing a Free Manuscript Opening-Chapter Critique and Line Edit. Paste the first chapter of your manuscript (up to 5000 words) to theperfectwrite@aol.com (no attachments). In addition to the critique, The Perfect Write® will line edit, if applicable, up to the first three-pages of your double-spaced material also at no charge.

How an Agent or Publisher Evaluates a Manuscript

Robert L. Bacon — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:47:34 +0000

I contacted Kay Elizabeth recently about several issues, one of which was my desire to provide an article with exclusive content for The Cuckleburr Times, and another was to make a formal offer to her readers via my editorial service, The Perfect Write®, of a free first-chapter (up to 5000 words) manuscript critique, along with a line edit of the first three pages (if applicable). Should this interest anyone, I’ll explain where to send your material at the end of this article.

I asked Kay for suggestions on a topic. She mentioned that–once authors submit material–the ensuing wait during the evaluation process can often be almost too much to bear, and writers might appreciate learning what agents and publishers consider when making a determination whether or not to accept a manuscript. I thought this was a great subject to write about, and I hope the information that follows will be of some benefit.

While there are Many Vagaries in the Publishing Industry, Certain Writing Elements are Scrutinized in Similar Ways

We all are aware of the standard disclaimer that accompanies any rejection. It states that this was the agent or publisher’s opinion and should be regarded as highly subjective. And while this is 100% true, there are certain areas that are not speculative, and these encompass the physical appearance of the text, proper grammar, prudent use of punctuation, fluency of the prose, and the perceived viability of the project from a marketing perspective. Here is an explanation of each element in the order I listed, but the chronology should not be construed as indicative of the level of importance of each.

Appearance

Yes, this counts. And in a big way. Every agent or publisher or editor I know demands double-spaced material. Most also prefer two spaces after a period (and colon). In addition to being easier on the eyes, double line-spacing enables room for annotations, while also providing the needed area to make revisions. On a peripheral subject, I prefer reading text on the printed page, and I also initially edit a manuscript by manually making changes to the hard copy. This means that I routinely print out the drafts that are E-mailed to me, and I can assure everyone that I’m not alone with respect to how I work.

Now a word about the double space after a period, which seems to confuse many people. The reason for this is the same as the double line-space, since it enables more white space to facilitate a revision should this involve punctuation or moving a clause from one location to another. What seems to make the double space at the end of a period hard for many to accept is because of the way finished material is printed. Final copy is not treated in the same manner as submission material. A book always has justified margins, for example, yet no one should ever submit a draft laid out this way, since added spaces after words indicate a typing error.

There are numerous other issues regarding manuscript submission appearance, and you can click this link if you’d like to read a detailed article I wrote on effective manuscript formatting. The final issue I want to cover in this subsection involves page numbering. It’s a must! Yet I cannot tell you how many drafts I receive that are unnumbered. If anyone should ignore everything I’ve written in this article about how a text should appear, or what I cover in the full article on manuscript formatting, please pay attention to the way to lay out a template in the top-left corner of a manuscript.

Grammar

Someone asked me recently how much material I need to read to determine if a person can write. Believe it or not, sometimes it only requires a sentence or two. I read this line recently: The arm was tortuously bent and in great pain. First, the writer meant to use the word torturously, since a meaning for tortuously is bent, and the tautology of bent “bent” is certainly not what the author had intended. Second, an arm itself cannot be in great pain. It’s the person who is in pain. But even if I’m nitpicking and an arm can in fact be torturously bent, this was followed by telling me again in the same short sentence that the arm was in great pain. A short while ago I had a writer thank me for expediently getting to his material. He meant expeditiously, as in quickly, or at least I hope he did, since expediently means to reach an end result by whatever means necessary.

In taking a look at a draft, every agent, publisher or editor knows that no matter how careful a writer might be, mistakes occur. So I’m not ragging on a typo, which everyone makes, and we all get so close to our work that even the most obvious rudimentary error can often elude us. Yet all of these issues become mute when it comes to the use of the wrong words, improperly modified antecedents, dangling or misplaced participles, sentence fragments, repetition, and choppy prose. And these are just some of the bugbears that can cause a manuscript to be rejected.

Punctuation

Readability should be job number one for any writer. And nothing can inhibit fluent prose more acutely than the overuse of various punctuation elements. For me, in fiction writing there are three basic troublemakers: the exclamation point, the parentheses, and the semi-colon.

Exclamation points should be used sparingly, very sparingly. Click this link for an article I wrote on exclamation points. And click this link for an article I wrote on why a parentheses should never be used in fiction. Semi-colons are a wonderful tool, but for mainstream fiction they too should be kept to a minimum. They tend to slow the pace, since the reader inherently has to consider the reason the semi-colon was inserted in the text. What I just wrote may make no sense, but read a sentence with a semi-colon and then ask yourself if it didn’t stop you to consider why it was utilized.

Simply stated, if an agent or publisher notices an abundance of exclamation points, semi-colons, or the use of a parentheses, this can signal a draft’s early grave.

Fluency of the Prose

I facilitate writer’s workshops sponsored by the local library system in the county in South Florida where I reside. And in my series overview I state that the purpose of my programs is to provide an understanding of what is required to write fluent prose at a level which would be appealing to a major royalty publisher.

The smoothness of a narrative is paramount if an agent or publisher is going to accept material. Should a draft read rough, it’s going to be put down, and the odds of it being resurrected are comparable with the numbers for getting hit by a meteorite.

The timeworn adage of reading material out loud is still the best way I know to determine the fluency of what we write. And to take this one step further, if a writer can get someone else to read a draft out loud the first time that person has seen the material, this is a fantastic way to get a true feeling for the fluency of the text. When the reader stumbles (and he or she will), make note of the problem areas–and revise them!

Viability of the Project

Here is perhaps the most difficult pill for any writer to swallow. A friend of mine who was published by a major imprint some years ago had a recent manuscript rejected because it was felt that it would be just another midlist work. Every publisher wants one thing: the next big book. For an author with an established readership that guarantees bankable numbers, this is not an issue, but for a previously unpublished writer, or someone like my friend who had been out of the mainstream for a while, this thinking presents serious problems.

Many other issues can affect a publisher’s decision, among them that one author’s plot might be too close to something recently published by the same house. Or the genre is not quite right. You can click this link for an article of mine that provides a detailed explanation on how important genre is to publishing decisions. In another critical area of contention, the publisher could feel that a book is just not a good platform, which means there might not be enough of a perceived market for a specific plot line. I can think of nothing more frustrating than writing a perfectly good story and having it rejected for any of the reasons I just cited, but these are factual examples of why some very fine manuscripts never make it into print.

There are Other Issues

This article is by no means inclusive of everything agents, publishers, and editors look at when evaluating a manuscript. All of the issues would result in a tome. And there are scores of books in print that discuss in much greater detail the various aspects of what I’ve truly just touched on. Two elements I didn’t cover in this piece were dialogue and dialogue punctuation. It would’ve made this article twice the size of what it is now.

But let me just mention that some publishers go right to the dialogue before reading the first line of exposition. If it’s good, they read on; if not, the draft is put down. And I get a lot of material with improperly punctuated dialogue. For a general overview of dialogue, a very good treatment can be found in the dialogue section of SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS, by Browne and King (I strongly suggest reading the “Easy Beats” subsection twice). And even though it’s a load in more ways than its sheer bulk, THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE is in my opinion the quintessential resource as a medium for illustrating how to punctuate dialogue.

Free Opening Chapter Critique and Three-Page Line Edit

As I stated in the opening, The Perfect Write® is expanding its service to authors by providing a free critique of a manuscript’s opening chapter (up to 5000 words) and, if applicable, a free line-edit of the first three pages. The material should be double spaced, with the pages numbered, and everything must be pasted to the body of an E-mail (no attachments will be opened) and sent to theperfectwrite@aol.com.

I’ll let each of you know about lead time when I see how much material I receive and where your material fits in the queue. I do all the work myself and I thankfully have a backlog of paying clients, so I ask that everyone be a little patient. I will get to you.

Also, if anyone would like to receive my free Newsletter from The Perfect Write® that focuses on writing prose at a publishable level, it is sent every-other-Tuesday, and you can subscribe by clicking this link, which will take you to the home page of my web site at theperfectwrite.com. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and fill out the simple two-step sign-up form. You will be sent an opt-in link, and when you click it, or paste it to your address bar and click enter, this completes the process.

Article by Robert L. Bacon.

Query Letter Writing Fact and Fiction

Robert L. Bacon — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:21:26 +0000

Fact: Query Letter Writing is an Art Form.

Make no mistake about it, writing queries that produce results is a craft.

Fact: A Query Should Not be Written Like a Synopsis.

I devoted an entire article to this, yet writers who have read the article continue to send me sample queries that ignore this premise. Yes, there are exceptions. There are exceptions to everything in publishing. But if an author wants to entice an agent to stand up and take notice, as I said in the prior article, sell the sizzle and not the steak. Pure and simple, a query for fiction is best written if it mirrors liner notes.

Fact: A Writer has to Know the Genre in which the Work is Written.

If the author doesn’t know the genre in which his or her work is written, any bona fide editor can explain it. A writer who doesn’t take the time to figure this out has virtually no chance. Genre identification is paramount. And while critique groups, etc., are a wonderful sounding board, they are historically populated by amateurs, and as such not the place to learn about genre specificity in today’s complicated and ever-changing market.

Fact: Structurally, a Query can be Designed like a Short Theme.

Yes, a simple but effective way to structure a query is like a theme. Begin with a core thought that highlights two or three critical plot elements. Justify these issues in the next paragraph, then close the letter with the thrust of the thesis: Why Readers Will Gravitate to the Story. Personal credentials if they pertain directly to the work can be added in a final brief sentence or two, along with a statement of appreciation for the agent’s or publisher’s time.

Fiction: Copying the Words of Phrases from a Successful Query will Assure another Query’s Success.

Nothing could be further from the truth. A query should define the voice and strength of the writer and the project. An experienced agent or publisher can pick up the nuances of a writer’s style. Counterfeiting doesn’t work

Fiction: Query Letters Should Never Contain Questions.

This farce has been bandied about for some time and is ridiculous. No one likes a query that reads like a movie opening: In a world…followed by a “what if” scenario. But there is nothing at all problematic about asking an agent or publisher to consider a novel’s most poignant issue or issues. And if some agent has written to the contrary, so be it. Hundreds of other agents, and all of those I know and work with, think differently.

Fiction: A query Should Fill as Much of the Page as Possible.

It’s quality not quantity that matters. A query with 500 words jammed on a page is not going to be perceived to be any better than 300 words that clearly and concisely reflect the writer’s skill and the “hot points” about the story he or she has written. An overwritten query can plant the thought that the novel is also structured in the same manner.

What can distort this last remark are the bloated query examples posted by some writers whose work has been accepted for publication. But when a query turns into a synopsis, which is almost always the tendency in longer efforts, it’s generally a quick reach by the agent or publisher for the SASE or the rejection template on the computer file.

Fiction: If my Query Doesn’t Work the First Time, I can Write another One Later to the Same Agent for the Same Book.

Agents keep records. At least many of the good ones I know do. And, universally, as I’ve experienced it, agents never want to see a query about the same material a second time any more than they will consider a manuscript they’ve previously rejected. So it is imperative to get it right the first time.

A final thought: A poor query will never get a book in front of an agent; however, a great query can influence an agent to look at a novel that might require a touch up. And critical feedback can often be gleaned from an agent. For anyone not using a professional editor (curses), I cannot think of a better way to receive professional advice without having to pay for it. However, most authors would be way ahead of the game if they sought professional direction to assure a quality query before bombarding a highly selective marketplace with less than sterling requests to review material.

Robert L. Bacon, Founder

The Perfect Write®

FREE! ReceiveThe Perfect Write® NEWSLETTERS that feature articles on writing and editing, along with tips for having your manuscript published by a major royalty publisher. Visit the lower section of our Home Page at http://www.theperfectwrite.com for simple two-step sign-up instructions.

Also For authors, The Perfect Write® is now providing FREE QUERY LETTER REVIEW AND ANALYSIS. Visit our Sample Letters Page at http://theperfectwrite.com/sample-letters/ for examples of Successful Query Letters, and E-mail your query to theperfectwrite@aol.com (no attachments).

Writing a Publishable Novel – The Art of Tying up Story Threads

Robert L. Bacon — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:05:14 +0000

Story Threads can be a Huge Problem if Not Resolved, and even Some of the Most Respected Writers are Not Sacrosanct

A thread is a plot element, nothing more, nothing less, but a problem for authors if they do not reconcile their threads for the reader. The obvious rationale for an exception is to purposely leave the plot point unresolved to engender interest in reading a sequel to the story. But when the aforementioned is not relevant, the problem can be excruciating for the reader. And some of the most respected writers in literary history have been derelict by not tying up their threads acceptably.

One of the Most Flagrant Examples of Not Tying up a Thread is in INDEPENDENCE DAY

In Richard Ford’s INDEPENDENCE DAY, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1996, he provides great detail in describing the circumstances surrounding the brutal murder of a real estate agent. Then, later in the novel, he brings up her death once more, heightening the reader’s enthusiasm for an answer to who did it. But the thread is never developed and the culprit not identified. The murder therefore has no relevance to the story line, and by not providing a “reveal,” an awkward hole is left, although apparently not egregious enough for the Pulitzer committee to find fault.

WAR AND PEACE and THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE were also Not Immune to Dangling Threads

I call this lack of resolution a dangling thread, and a wonderful bad example (ugh, I know) can be read in the two novels cited in this subtitle.

Anatol is a profound early character in WAR AND PEACE (he’s the guy who ties Pierre to the bear, should anyone have forgotten). Tolstoy relates much later in the tale that Anatol lost a leg in battle, but there is not one single mention of him in any other section of the book.

In THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE, Captain Vye is a fabulous character for which a rich fabric is knitted by Hardy. But after Eustacia meets her end, there is no further reference to Vye–and his feelings–thus leaving the story and the reader with a huge void.

Can there be a Happy Medium?

Perhaps an expedient way to view threads is via Dos Passos’ USA. Eventually he had to leave some threads to their own devices or he’d have been writing ad infinitum because of the type of historical chronicle the story happened to be. However, USA demonstrates in abundant terms how threads can be expanded to reach a satisfactory conclusion in the mind of the reader–yet sans “finality” in each and every scenario.

Shouldn’t the Writer be Cut some Slack

Some can argue, and most justifiably, that it’s not a literary transgression to defer providing a detailed chronology for the life of every character in a book the size of WAR AND PEACE. This is certainly not disputable, but it does beg reconciliation by the author when, in my opinion, a character is prominent enough to drive a significant segment of a story. This is my contention in the Tolstoy example, and for me it’s even more acute in Hardy’s work because the captain is such a viable character in so much of the narrative.

It could be nothing more than an issue of degree, but if readers were to parse stories they didn’t enjoy, there might be a legitimate question as to how often their disappointment was due to dangling threads.

Robert L. Bacon, Founder

The Perfect Write®

FREE! ReceiveThe Perfect Write® NEWSLETTERS that feature articles on writing and editing, along with tips for having your manuscript published by a major royalty publisher. Visit the lower section of our Home Page at http://www.theperfectwrite.com for simple two-step sign-up instructions.

I Write the Perfect Novel – Why Can’t I Get it Published?

Robert L. Bacon — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:24:25 +0000

There are abundant bear traps along the way that even writers who are old hands at accepting the vagaries of the publishing industry are having difficulty navigating in the current literary marketplace. Here are several issues–some old, some new–to consider.

Pitching a Book to the Wrong Agent or Publisher is Problem #1

Genre specificity plagues a lot of authors. It’s important to recognize that a hard-boiled detective mystery with a lot of torrid love scenes is not classified as Romance. If a writer is having difficulty pinning down the genre for a specific work, a friendly library staff member might be a wonderful resource (please don’t expect this person to read the entire draft). Only after the genre is identified can a writer adequately source the industry for suitable agents or publishers.

Agent or Publisher Bias can Knock a Work out of the Saddle

I recently presented material to a well-known independent publisher, only to be told that their firm did not handle anything dealing with Russians or the Mafia, something that was not mentioned in their already abundant submission guidelines. As luck would have it, a significant character in my narrative was a member of the Russian Mafia.

Of course this could be modified, but the point is that any writer can be blindsided by a bias against anything from Lithuanian folk dancers to fly fishermen from Montana. Keep in mind this is a quirky business, and it’s not always the writer. And it seems that once something is found to be deficient, the agent or publisher tends to turn up the power of the already very intense microscope.

A Manuscript can Suffer from the New Rock Band Syndrome

A manuscript can be deemed to be too close to other material. Or too far removed so that it doesn’t fit with anything else. Related to the way bands sound, I’m told these are standard rebukes in the recording industry. In the publishing business, either comment also follows with a rejection. My personal experience is that it would be easier to climb Mt. Everest than to persuade an agent or publisher to accept material for which they have a predisposition toward one or the other reasons for rejection that I just stated.

What if you Write the Perfect Manuscript, but It’s Really Not so Perfect After All?

This is the bitterest pill to swallow. If a partial or full manuscript is rejected numerous times, it is obviously necessary to take stock of the situation. Many writers contact a professional for assistance well after sourcing scores of agents and numerous publishers. There are only so many agents and publishers for any genre. And, unfortunately, agents and publishers inherently do not want to see work after they have previously rejected the material.

It is critical to have a manuscript polished to its highest sheen possible before submitting it. Quite often there are issues that are not apparent to the early-stage author which can be easily remedied, but when unchecked can send an otherwise solid body of work to the slush pile.

Robert L. Bacon, Founder

The Perfect Write®

Enjoy that? You can read more of Robert’s articles at The Cuckleburr Times right here.

Writing a Novel – Beware When Action Does Not Create Plot Movement

Robert L. Bacon — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:01:13 +0000

One of the most serious issues facing many writers is the ability to maintain the action throughout the narrative. Unfortunately, the mere creation of a dramatic occurrence does not guarantee plot movement.

The literary critic for The Palm Beach Post, Scott Eyman, has written many outstanding books on the legends of the cinema. In an article he wrote some years ago pertaining to a trend in film making that was conceived to sustain an audience’s attention span, he stated, “Action has become confused with movement.” I was so taken by what I felt was an exceptionally acute and accurate comment, I asked for and received his permission to cite his line, since I am of the opinion this issue applies equally to crafting a novel.

There is a Time When you may have to Kill your Babies

In writing, a glaring fault occurs when an otherwise perfectly good scene has nothing to do with the plot. And what happens when the story has evolved from that plot element–to the state of rendering the scene superfluous or no longer pertinent to the story–but the writer doesn’t want to lose the scene? As harsh as it sounds, to paraphrase Faulkner, this is the time the writer may have to kill his or her babies. But not many who write their gems want to do it. And not without a battle of intestinal tumult that often reaches epic proportions.

Whether Exposition or Dialogue, Lateral Movement is Equally Deadly to Advancing the Plot

No aspect of a narrative is immune, and to imply the problem is found more in exposition than dialogue would likely be inaccurate, but flat scenes seem easier to identify in the latter. Stagnant dialogue while dining, for example, although much less dramatic, is not dissimilar in its end result for a moviegoer who experiences a fight scene or an explosion or a car chase that is ridiculously positioned or overused as a plot point. In leaving the theater and asking why a particular scene was in the movie, there is no difference should a reader say that a passage of exposition or a rift of dialogue had nothing to do with the story line of a novel.

Writers of Books Don’t have the Luxury Filmmakers Possess

But movie makers have an advantage, since their medium is visual. A lot can be remedied in a couple of minutes and a few scene changes. A novel requires much more time to regain the reader’s confidence after a lull in the narrative. And it requires much less effort to put down a flawed book that might take another eight hours to read than to hang around the theater for a half hour until the movie ends.

It is Impractical to Write around an Ineffective Scene

It sounds simple, but this is the whole magilla: For anyone desiring publication by a quality royalty publisher, all of the words have to be focused toward the goal of advancing the plot. If not, revise or cut them. It is impossible to write the plot around rhetoric in its original context, no matter how brilliant it might be, if it does not move the story forward. When a writer accepts this, the task of transitioning prose becomes easier (sometimes exponentially so) and the overall narrative, with the rarest of exceptions, more effective.

Robert L. Bacon, Founder

The Perfect Write®

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Finding an Agent For Your Novel – How a Query Letter Differs From a Synopsis

Robert L. Bacon — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:52:03 +0000

Query Letter Writing – a Daunting Dilemma

Some years ago, to add to a discussion I was encouraging related to the nuances of query letter writing, a woman who had just received a contract for her first novel–and with Simon & Schuster no less–wrote me to lament how arduous she had found the task of crafting her missive to appeal to agents. She admitted that she considered the query more difficult than writing the actual work, and had spent over a year on her letter. For discretion’s sake, I won’t reveal the name of the author, but many people would recognize this now well-known Ph.D., and her breakthrough novel.

The Synopsis-Syndrome

I chuckled at her comment, not out of derision, but from empathy, since I have often felt the same way about my own queries. While I haven’t spent a year on a letter to attract an agent, at times I wish I had. One of the problems is that I have often found my query turning into a synopsis. And in parsing the query letters of others, the synopsis syndrome, as I call it, seems to be the most chronic malady that inhibits the presentations (sic, queries).

For a Successful Fiction Query Letter, Size does not Matter

A writer desires to tell as much as possible about the story of which he or she is so passionate, and is often influenced by an industry success story in which someone has crammed a massive amount of text onto a single page, even to the point of reducing font size to make the narrative fit. Unfortunately, in trying to mirror this, the end result for most is invariably a synopsis and not a presentation of the subtle plot and character elements that reflect the writer’s skill and which sets the work apart–and what will influence an agent to request the manuscript.

Think of a Query Letter as an Advertisement, and Sell the Sizzle and Not the Steak

An agent of mine once railed at me about a poor query I had sent him for a later novel because it told too much of the individual aspects of the story and not about the work as a whole. He said to write the query as if I was designing the liner notes for the novel. I found this to be some of the best advice I have ever received. As a comparison, if one wants to be successful in sales, one of the time-worn truisms is to “sell the sizzle and not the steak.” It might be suggested to apply the same axiom to writing a query letter. This can be like grasping Showing versus Telling the first time around (or the tenth), but it has to be understood if a query is going to work.

Write a Query from the Gut, not the Heart

It might help to think of your work in visceral terms; meaning, what are the hard-hitting aspects of your story from an overall perspective. This will take your thinking beyond the brick and mortar. And remember, most of all, you are wanting to provide the agent with just enough knowledge of your work (and ability) to create interest. If you can do this succinctly and with skill, would it not be logical that the agent might assume that your novel is written at the same level? Should you review queries that have garnered agent representation, please notice how little is told about the actual stories, but how much the successful letters reflect the authors’ competence for writing quality prose.

Robert L. Bacon, Founder

The Perfect Write®

Four Authors of Classical Contemporary Literature Defined the Craft of Writing Perfect Prose

Robert L. Bacon — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:57:41 +0000

From academicians to book critics to lay readers, each is often eager to recommend a list of authors who will provide aspiring writers with a sound foundation from which to build. Any suggestions should be revered, and it would be ridiculous for one person to state that her/his idea of quality prose is better than another’s.

However, there are four aspects of the craft of writing that many who understand literature would argue have never been better addressed: Steinbeck’s perfection with dialogue, Faulkner’s depth of characterization, Hemingway’s precise narrative, and Fitzgerald’s palpable creation of mood.

One of the quickest ways to appreciate John Steinbeck’s brilliance in the realm of dialogue is to read Tortilla Flat, The Winter of Our Discontent, and Of Mice and Men. Accents are often hard to maintain in a novel without eventually grating on the reader, yet Steinbeck’s last line of dialogue in Tortilla Flat is as fresh as his first.The Winter of Our Discontent provides a perfect medium for demonstrating his range. And it is then a simple step to Of Mice and Men to gain an understanding of Steinbeck’s genius in the art of writing divergent dialogue at an extraordinary level.

The mere mention of William Faulkner can cause many to quail. But a lot of Faulkner aficionados, of which I am included in this group, feel he is unchallenged in the realm of characterization. (As an aside, if his work is broken down to the length of his clauses, it is often much easier to appreciate his talent.) Many erudite souls recommend Absalom, Absalom as an ideal example of why Faulkner rules the world of characterization, and one needs to read only the first paragraph in the initial chapter to realize the reason for this praise. Another suggestion is that serious writers read The Sound and The Fury. The characterization of Dilsey the maid is, in itself, a masterpiece.

Hemingway’s art is an example of elevating a single element of writing to such a high level that the weaker aspects of (his) prose can be ignored. With simple words his narratives were so powerful and his depictions so poignant that he is credited with creating a unique style. An efficient way to experience his skill is to read The Old Man and The Sea. What is often overlooked about Hemingway’s crisp, concise style is the quality of pitch his technique enables. His passages of perfect pitch, in themselves, can be important to analyze by anyone desiring to become a better writer.

Mood like voice is one of those magical areas that is easy to recognize but impossible for a great many people to define. But whatever mood happens to be, it can be experienced in the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. In The Great Gatsby, This Side of Paradise, and Tender is the Night, there is an unmistakable mood that is so sentient the reader can easily (and pleasantly) become enveloped by it. A leading example is the opening paragraph in Tender is the Night, which sets the mood for the entirety of a story as well as any novel that comes to mind for many learned readers. Whatever Fitzgerald’s voice was, he found it. And whatever mood is, he created it with exceptional flair.

There are numerous other writing elements, and subcategories of each, that anyone serious about becoming a novelist must consider. But for those who desire an understanding of what many regard as the four pillars necessary for developing a proficiency in writing quality prose, especially if the interest is to be published by a major royalty publisher, it is difficult to argue against venturing into the oeuvres of Steinbeck, Faulkner, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald.

Robert L. Bacon, Founder