tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65773909140599512912024-03-12T17:24:55.341-07:00The Writing Bloga blog mostly about writing because I have other blogs for other things<br>Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-34194969241524199882018-03-26T06:36:00.002-07:002018-03-26T13:39:42.040-07:00Misplaced Any Modifiers Lately?First, please accept this disclaimer: I am not trying to criticize the writer of the book I describe below. That is why I am not including the title of the book or the author's name or even the characters' real names. I simply wish to make the point that this shouldn't be happening, and to encourage writers (and editors!) to take steps to prevent it. I suppose you could argue that "the average reader" won't notice or doesn't care. But some of us do notice and will care. And it's so easy to fix!<br />
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The mystery novel I'm currently reading is loaded with misplaced modifiers. It's distracting and causes me to stop in the middle of reading and think, "What?" <i>(Authors: You don't want to do that to your readers, do you?)</i><br />
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All four examples below occur in the first 300 pages (the first 1/8 of the book, if you like). To me, this constitutes more than an occasional misstep. It's a pattern, a habit. And no, it is not the writer's "style." Please.<br />
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Below each example, I have made a few notes and supplied a simple "fix" for the error.<br />
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(1) <i>"Twice her age, with two sons and a successful vasectomy, Mary was the closest thing he'd ever have to a daughter."</i><br />
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This was the first one I saw that stopped me in my tracks. It reads as if "Mary" has "two sons and a successful vasectomy." Major "what?!?!" factor.<br />
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<b><u>The Fix</u></b>: <b>He was twice her age, with two sons and a successful vasectomy. She was the closest thing he'd ever have to a daughter.</b><br />
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(2) <i>"Quiet and still in the dawn hours, she took twenty minutes to survey the center of town..."</i><br />
<br />
She may be "quiet and still" herself, but the sentence clearly intends to refer to the town. The reader has to think about it to get that, however.<br />
<br />
<b><u>The Fix</u>: The town was quiet and still in the dawn hours. She took twenty minutes to survey...</b><br />
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(3) <i>"An avid runner and study junkie, Bill knew Mary was either snaking through campus with headphones dangling from her ears or already at the library with her hair in a ponytail..."</i><br />
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This reads as if the male character is "an avid runner and study junkie," which (as it turns out) the reader knows he is not. The reference is to the female character, but you have to take a moment to figure that out.<br />
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<b><u>The Fix:</u> Bill knew that Mary was an avid runner and study junkie. She was either snaking through campus...</b><br />
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(4) <i>"Typically a morning jogger, the four-mile path along the beach in Miami was a common route she took a few times each week."</i><br />
<br />
The "four-mile path" apparently is "typically a morning jogger." Again, what?!?!<br />
<br />
<b><u>The Fix</u>: Typically a morning jogger, [female character name] took the four-mile path along the beach in Miami a few times a week.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
So stay safe out there, writers, and please please please don't misplace your modifiers!<br />
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Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-32640397651800238462015-03-13T06:19:00.000-07:002015-03-13T06:55:18.446-07:0010 Reasons Writers Should Learn Good Grammar<br />
I am pleased to welcome Ben Russel as a guest blogger here on The Writing Blog.<br />
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<b>10 Reasons Writers Should Learn Good Grammar</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>by Ben Russel </i></div>
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Among writers, there is a long-running debate over the importance of learning proper grammatical skills. In one camp (myself included here) are the writers who find it immensely important to know and use the policies of good grammar. Some writers, especially the avant-garde, rules-are-meant-to-be-broken type, reject the “conformist” standards of correct English in favor of purposefully erroneous prose. While I do agree that these styles of writing are fun and imaginatively innovative (and a writer in such styles may never feel compelled to exercise good grammar skills in his or her works), it is still a good idea for all writers to invest the time and effort in learning all the rules. Here are a few good reasons why.</div>
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1. <b>Learn the rules (so you can break them)</b><br />
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The most efficient and effective way to rebel against anything is to know what you’re rebelling against! If you want to be a true menace to literature and break the mold that the English language has forced upon your craft, then take the time to learn what those standards are. According to college paper writer at <a href="http://solidessay.com/">SolidEssay.com</a>, your arsenal of ground-breaking language will be stronger and have more of an impact on your readers when there is a method behind your madness instead of just careless, sloppy grammar.<br />
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2.<b> Have respect for your craft</b><br />
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As a master (or master-in-progress) of any skill or trade, you have to learn from the bottom up. Respecting the process of becoming a writer by building a foundation of rudimentary skills spells the difference between Jackson Pollock’s paintings and those of your four-year-old sister that look somewhat similar. Any true master of their craft would have enough respect for their chosen medium to learn the basics, and then develop their artistic individuality from there.<br />
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3. <b>Gain respect as a writer & taken seriously as an authority</b><br />
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I would assume any writer who produces works for others to read is hoping to gain respect for their writing. It’s a no-brainer that you should take great care in upholding the standards of whatever medium you choose to work in. You simply will not acquire respect as a writer if you are not aware of how to properly use your chosen language, as this is the only fundamental skill required of a proficient writer! A writer takes the time to learn spelling, punctuation, grammar, and style rules; if you’re not willing to do that, consider finding another way to disseminate your thoughts or creative juices. Furthermore, if your main concern is not the writing, but the topic or story therein, your credibility as an authority in your chosen field (or as a storyteller) will be tarnished by a blatant disregard for grammar rules. Showing ignorance in the very creative vehicle you’ve chosen to express your ideas is, well, ignorant.<br />
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4. <b>Your ideas will be communicated more clearly</b><br />
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Speaking of being an authority in your field, there is a very large margin of error in communicating your ideas if you are not aware of good grammar rules. We’ve all heard the humorous ‘Let’s eat Grandma!’ as opposed to ‘Let’s eat, Grandma!’ examples of serious grammar follies. This sort of seemingly trivial mistake can have dire consequences for your writing, including skewing your words to mean something terrible!<br />
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5. <b>People will actually want to read what you’ve written</b><br />
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Many writers (I, for one) don’t necessarily take into account their future audience when feverishly typing or putting pen to paper. But it serves a writer well to take into account who, if anyone, will honestly want to read their work! This is where competent grammar skills are most important for the fate of your creative endeavors: if your writing is extremely slipshod, with grammatical blunders and irritating punctuation faux pas, no one will want to read it. For some, they simply won’t be able to understand what you’re trying to say; for a grammar freak like me, I will lose interest in a piece that has one negligible comma missing. Don’t lose readers because you didn’t take the time to learn the most elementary grammar skills!<br />
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6. <b>Incompetent writers don’t stand a chance in publishing</b><br />
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In today’s cutthroat publishing world, even the most profound writers with a solid grasp on proper grammar are receiving rejection slips on a regular basis. Not adhering strictly to good standards of grammar will dismiss your submission or manuscript from any editor’s desk immediately. Don’t be fooled into thinking that an editor is sitting at a desk just waiting to take a red pen to your piece and offer you money for it; most editors don’t have time for even the diamonds in the rough, and will be abhorred by your negligence to clean up your grammar mistakes before sending off your work. Doing so could be a permanent mark on your reputation with a particular editor.<br />
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7. <b>Working with & saving money on an editor</b><br />
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If you ever decide to hire a professional editor to read your work (which every aspiring author should, regardless of their skill level in English), you are going to break the bank if she or he has to perform grammatical surgery on your novel. What’s more, some editors won’t even go that far—if it’s too much of a disaster, it would barely be recognizable as your writing when you got it back! Editors are not just there to do your dirty work for you—a good editor/writer relationship will include honest feedback and constructive criticism to polish your work to its maximum potential. If you aren’t knowledgeable about grammar enough to engage in this sort of conversation with your editor, you are not getting your money’s worth, and your writing is not reaping the benefits, either.<br />
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8. <b>Bend language to your whims</b><br />
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With a thorough comprehension of grammar rules, you can better use language as a tool to unlock the magnificent wonders of words. In my classical art training, I learned about the color palette. It was an arduous and rather boring process; I just wanted to start painting already! But when I did finally master color theory, I was amazed at how I could use these different tints and shades to harness my creative beast. Spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure are the same way in the context of writing: respect the medium, learn the rules, and then bend them to create your one-of-a-kind masterpiece.<br />
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9. <b>Break the cycle of poor grammar</b><br />
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Everywhere we look we see terrible grammar: advertisements, tabloids, social media, the text message you just got from your friend. As writers, we should uphold the standards of good grammar, even if we are the only ones in this day and age who think it’s important. You don’t have to stick to every rule in your writing; just learn good grammar for the sake of learning, which is another concept that is quickly dwindling in the digital age. Save the sacred nature of the English language, your chosen apparatus of expression, since the following is inevitably true…<br />
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10. <b>The evolution of language is in writers’ hands</b><br />
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Who keeps the craft of writing relevant to each unfolding generation? Writers, of course! Literature, essays, poetry, and even nonfiction books have shaped the ideals of revolutions, subcultures, governments, and cultural phenomena. Alongside the ideas these books instill in their readers are the intrinsic nuances of linguistics woven through written works, holding those ideas together. A writer’s use of language is the driving force behind the inevitable evolution of a language, along with verbal communication, which is much more unruly. Preserve the beauty of the English language by devoting some time to learning good grammar; the future of writing and reading is dependent on it.<br />
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<b>Author bio:</b> Ben helps students with their admissions essays. One of his recent published articles is on <a href="http://www.solidessay.com/our-services/how-to-write-an-admissions-essay-for-nursing-school">how to write an admissions essay for nursing school</a>.<br />
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Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-32309057366808769722014-04-28T08:24:00.000-07:002014-04-28T08:24:12.365-07:00Making the Time to WriteI am pleased to welcome Nikolas Baron as a guest blogger today. Nick works for<b><a href="http://www.grammarly.com/"> _Grammarly_</a>, </b>an automated proofreader and "personal grammar coach." I have not personally used this program yet, but I encourage you to go check it out. To learn more about Nick, read the Bio below the article.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Making the Time to Write</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Nikolas Baron </div>
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<b>The Inspiration</b><br />
<br />
Recently I started reading <i>Time to Write: Professional Writers Reveal How to Fit Writing into Your Busy Life</i> by Kelly L. Stone, a book I think all writers should pick up. Whether you’re already writing full-time or you desperately want to start, this book can help get you on the right track.<br />
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I’ve already learned that you have to have “the burning desire” to write to keep yourself motivated and driven toward your goals. But you also have to realize that you’ll never have the time you think you will. There will never be a span of a few months where all of your activities require less time than normal. There will never be a time where you can sit for days writing while you’re working full-time, trying to clean your house, and finally organize all those bills. You have to take a chance, cut out some TV time, and get to work.<br />
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<b>The Reality</b><br />
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Making the time to write is hard. While you support your writing habit by working at a full-time job, or freelancing, or walking dogs, you must also get some work done. I’ve found that the life of a writer is consumed by all the ordinary tasks in addition to working extremely hard on improving and getting your writing done. I’m always on the lookout for tools, books, or advice that helps me write better, faster, or with more oomph.<br />
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In addition to the Stone book I mentioned above, I frequently like to use Grammarly to help me with my writing. Grammarly gives me the freedom to use it whenever and wherever I want, and it constantly looks for ways to improve my grammar, style, and word choice. I like that the proofreading tool can help me clean up my writing quickly and accurately. When I’m trying to push myself to spend more time writing, I sometimes have to take a step back and realize that writing is not necessarily putting pen to paper. Sometimes, it involves proofreading and editing.<br />
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The reality is that many online tools like Grammarly or books like Stone’s can help you save time in your day to allow you to have just a few extra precious minutes for writing. They can inspire you, motivate you, and remind you that writing is truly something you love and are willing to sacrifice for. Save time where you can and make sure that you always make time for one of your true loves, writing.<br />
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<b>The Goal</b><br />
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One of the best suggestions I’ve been given is to make a schedule. Making a schedule not only commits your time to writing but allows other members of your home to see when you will be locked away in your writing pit. It also gives your brain a time to know that at 3 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you’ll be writing. The familiarity and constantly keeping up with the schedule will put you in a habit that helps improve your writing while getting you to finally make time for it. You’ll find that it’s easier to start once you have an official time in place to meet every week with your computer, pen and paper, or typewriter.<br />
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The goal is to write more in general. You don’t have to be slaving away at ten pages a day as well as editing to feel successful. The goal is to make the time to fulfill your “burning desire” to write or read to help your writing or proofread. You don’t have to write every day but solidifying a time every week will force you to keep yourself honest and help you write more. If you want to be a successful writer, you have to be willing to take time out of your day, put down the mint chocolate chip, and write.<br />
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<b>Bio:</b><br />
<i>Nikolas Baron discovered his love for the written word in Elementary School, where he started spending his afternoons sprawled across the living room floor devouring one Marc Brown children’s novel after the other and writing short stories about daring pirate adventures. After acquiring some experience in various marketing, business development, and hiring roles at internet startups in a few different countries, he decided to re-unite his professional life with his childhood passions by joining Grammarly’s marketing team in San Francisco. He has the pleasure of being tasked with talking to writers, bloggers, teachers, and others about how they use Grammarly’s online proofreading application to improve their writing. His free time is spent biking, traveling, and reading.</i>Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-85347485154764949902014-02-25T09:04:00.003-08:002014-02-26T12:38:30.611-08:00I, Me, Mine?The title of this blog entry is the title of one of my favorite songs by George Harrison. It is also the title of Harrison's autobiography. The song refers to the ego in a Hindu context. However, that is not the subject of this blog entry. Deal with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD4_ZLP5NzdxHD0W0z5YiR8_nChKwY-G1kcBSbtmFRjHGtPuAZYsYwPPWZcEz0dVBMD61GYJ-R8N8UY8ANLfavA1oMMlIxrLF70-MxKYxDLXuNBLnYyvk-NCDr_gTTMimWHrYJ4why5k/s1600/I+me+mine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD4_ZLP5NzdxHD0W0z5YiR8_nChKwY-G1kcBSbtmFRjHGtPuAZYsYwPPWZcEz0dVBMD61GYJ-R8N8UY8ANLfavA1oMMlIxrLF70-MxKYxDLXuNBLnYyvk-NCDr_gTTMimWHrYJ4why5k/s1600/I+me+mine.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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My mini-rant today is about the incorrect use of the pronouns "I" and "me." By way of demonstration, consider these examples:<br />
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(1) Mary and I went to the store.<br />
(2) The audience gave Mary and I a standing ovation.<br />
(3) Mary and me went to the store.<br />
(4) The audience gave Mary and me a standing ovation.<br />
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Do you know which of these sentences are correct and which are incorrect?<br />
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I think the dilemma comes for most people because they grew up being corrected when they used "me" where "I" would have been correct. For some reason, children want to say things like, "Will Mike and me be able to go to the movie?" or "Sally and me want cake for dessert." Immediately, the adult in their life scolds them: "Mike and I", "Sally and I."<br />
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So we grow up thinking that using "I" instead of "me" is correct, educated, and desirable. This leads to statements like (2), above: "The audience gave Mary and I a standing ovation." This is incorrect. The correct way to say this is shown in (4): "The audience gave Mary and me a standing ovation."<br />
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One trick that has always worked for me is when you have a construction such as "Mary and I/me" simply remove "Mary and." In example (2) the sentence now reads "The audience gave I a standing ovation." You wouldn't say or write that, would you (at least I hope not)? Do the same with (3) and you have "Me went to the store." Um, no. That doesn't sound right, and it isn't right. <br />
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That's because we seem to be better at using "I" as the subject of a sentence, and "me" as an object of a verb or object of a preposition. We get confused when dealing with "Mary and I" or "Mary and me."<br />
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The next time you start to say or write, "Everything is working out great for Mary and I..." think for a second. Would you say, "Everything is working out great for I"? No, you wouldn't, because "for" is a preposition, and "I" is the subjective form of the pronoun. Therefore, "me" -- the objective form -- would be the correct form to use. That same rule applies when you throw Mary into the mix.<br />
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<b>And Happy Birthday to George Harrison, who would have been 71 years old today. You left us too soon. We miss you</b>.<br />
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<br />Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-41632542214786404492014-02-11T09:09:00.000-08:002014-02-11T12:02:43.076-08:00Publishing Options: Pros and ConsRecently a friend asked me if I could explain the "differences" between having a book published with a traditional publishing house and self-publishing that same book.<br />
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Having done both, I thought I would offer some very basic information that might be helpful to those who have no experience with either. I apologize if this seems over-simplified. Please feel free to leave comments!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzVLNCyCSUikuRN18rZ_fOm4QLmNAlmzZIi9kKBi_sSUX2B6uy6Qnt5JYRdGBQyG12RgZ_Lg14T0ar4qvL8StG4nv5Y_2blnd52xnj0FkDyPhXvPgQDrhIcjYt6bgs5WDW4ig30EpF5E/s1600/Big_Cat_double+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzVLNCyCSUikuRN18rZ_fOm4QLmNAlmzZIi9kKBi_sSUX2B6uy6Qnt5JYRdGBQyG12RgZ_Lg14T0ar4qvL8StG4nv5Y_2blnd52xnj0FkDyPhXvPgQDrhIcjYt6bgs5WDW4ig30EpF5E/s1600/Big_Cat_double+cover.jpg" height="194" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Little-Kitty-Scotti-Cohn/dp/160718124X/ref=sr_1_2_title_2_har?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392140185&sr=1-2&keywords=big+cat+cohn">Published by Sylvan Dell Publishing</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING</b><br />
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<b><i>Cons: </i></b><br />
(1) You have to get a publisher to accept your manuscript. This can take years. <br />
(2) Before acceptance, a publisher may require you to make changes to your manuscript that you are reluctant to make.<br />
(3) After publication, the publisher keeps a percentage of the money earn on your book.<br />
(4) If you receive an advance against royalties and your book does not earn back that amount of money, a publisher might require you to pay that money back to them.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVnF0Z6MTp-oHk-aU7V1PjSgpYmc-TnBU4DGhmOUmi3nIOq8bdAxTmHo1pbVACLW0k80LZR_O22CYCSOURkKjovnQCOcOBEbcMIQMXr1yaEQcoifH64f47SQbeOK42OF93j3COmXxIsQ/s1600/MTP+New.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVnF0Z6MTp-oHk-aU7V1PjSgpYmc-TnBU4DGhmOUmi3nIOq8bdAxTmHo1pbVACLW0k80LZR_O22CYCSOURkKjovnQCOcOBEbcMIQMXr1yaEQcoifH64f47SQbeOK42OF93j3COmXxIsQ/s1600/MTP+New.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Petticoats-Remarkable-Carolina/dp/0762764457/ref=sr_1_2_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392140148&sr=1-2&keywords=more+than+petticoats+cohn">Published by Globe Pequot Press</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i>Pros:</i></b><br />
(1) The publishing house distributes and markets your book to a much wider audience than you could do yourself. A big publisher might also pay your way to events and arrange paid appearances for you.<br />
(2) When your manuscript is accepted, you typically get an advance against royalties (ranging from as little as $500 to as much as $10,000 for one book).<br />
(3) Your book benefits from professional editing provided by the publishing house.<br />
(4) If your book requires illustrations, the publisher hires an illustrator, choosing from a huge number of qualified artists.<br />
(5) Once your book has earned back its advance, you continue to earn royalties (usually 10% and up, depending on how many copies the book sells).<br />
(6) Being published by a traditional publisher gets your book into libraries, schools, and other places that do not accept self-published books. There is a certain "level of respect" that comes with being traditionally published. Your book has been vetted by professionals. A publisher has put money behind it. This matters to many consumers, especially schools and libraries.<br />
<br />
<b>SELF-PUBLISHING</b><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wordsworth-Dragon-Scotti-Cohn/dp/1492339350/ref=sr_1_4_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392140097&sr=1-4&keywords=scotti+cohn"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT026W1cXRwHWArokKez7Yr9pmingr2fiIHoFOswjuay430P1PwxJJ1x4WxKSiE-VJXtWOWQEmjcY-ogAN9v8uOFUvFzuhOOqk9jwS8lQ-me4kvPkWesUB1ETGZcLcCx5qdm7GKT9GsQc/s1600/Production+WWATD+Cover.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wordsworth-Dragon-Scotti-Cohn/dp/1492339350/ref=sr_1_4_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392140097&sr=1-4&keywords=scotti+cohn">Self-Published by Scotti Cohn and Christina Wald</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><b>Cons:</b></i><br />
(1) You pay to have the book published. This can be quite expensive, especially if you also elect to hire an illustrator, editor, or proofreader.<br />
(2) If your book requires illustrations, you either have to do them yourself or get someone else to do them. This could be expensive, depending on what you decide to do.<br />
(3) You market and distribute the book as best you can, at your own expense. If you decide to take your book to an event, you may have to pay vendor fees and, of course, cover your own expenses.<br />
(4) You may have trouble getting your book into libraries, schools, and other places that do not accept self-published books. This reduces your reading base, which can impact sales.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Pros:</i></b><br />
(1) You can publish your book as soon as you are ready to publish it. No submission process.<br />
(2) You have complete control over what goes into the book and how it is presented.<br />
(3) You get to keep most (if not all) of the proceeds from sales.<br />
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I put this together pretty quickly, but I think I covered the most important aspects of the topic. However, I welcome any thoughts and comments from blog readers!<br />
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Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-28844148566713025142014-01-15T06:52:00.000-08:002014-01-15T06:55:37.088-08:00The Sentence Fragment ThingOkay, yes, I am ranting about sentence fragments AGAIN, just like I did back <strong>_</strong><a href="http://scotticohn.blogspot.com/2013/07/about-those-sentence-fragments.html"><strong>in July</strong></a><strong>_</strong>. Clearly the author of the self-published novel I am currently reading missed that blog post. What? You say he never saw it because he is one of the millions who never read this blog? Oh. I see.<br />
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But you are reading this right now, so while I've got you, I'm going to take another opportunity to air my point of view.<br />
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In July, I posted links to several sites where you could read about sentence fragments. Here they are:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/620/1/">Purdue Owl Online Writing Lab</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/fragment.htm">The Sentence Fragment</a></li>
<li><a href="http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/fragments-and-run-ons/">UNC Writing Center</a></li>
</ul>
As I mentioned in July, I believe sentence fragments can be effective tools in a piece of writing, for example, when the writer wants to emphasize or dramatize something. The sentence fragment acts like a "punch line" in a joke. The reader instinctively notices it because "it's not right" (not a complete sentence), and the message hits home.<br />
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Another reason a writer might deliberately use sentence fragments is to build tension. <br />
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All of this refers to narrative, not dialogue or character thoughts. We all speak and think in sentence fragments. I have no problem with that.<br />
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Let's get back to the narrative part of a piece. A sentence needs to have two things: a subject and a predicate. The subject is usually a noun (with or without modifers). The predicate needs to include a verb in its basic form: past, present, or future. The sentence also needs to express a complete thought.<br />
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The bottom line here is that a sentence fragment cannot stand alone. To the ear, it *sounds* like it is unfinished, like something more is needed to complete the statement. For example, here is a sentence fragment: <em>birds flying south for the winter</em>. This could be the title of a painting, no problem. However, it is not a sentence. To make it a sentence, you could write "Birds fly south for the winter" or "Birds are flying south for the winter" or "Birds were flying south for the winter" or "Birds flew south for the winter." You could also write "He saw birds flying south for the winter." But <em>birds flying south for the winter</em> cannot stand alone as a sentence. It is a sentence fragment.<br />
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I do not consider myself some kind of grammar "purist." I simply think authors should realize the effects their wording choices have on readers. There may come a time when sentence fragments are so commonly used in writing that nobody notices any longer. I don't think that time has arrived yet.<br />
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Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-3055372609294931582013-10-21T10:47:00.002-07:002013-10-26T05:08:41.165-07:00Present? Past? Make up your mind!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"With one hand she takes the ice cream cone, and with the other, she grabbed her purse."</i></span></span></b></div>
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What's wrong with this sentence?</div>
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If you say, "nothing," then I have a feeling you are not going to get the point of this blog post. If you say "present and past tense are both used in the same sentence for no apparent reason" -- BINGO! You got it.</div>
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"Take" is present tense; "grabbed" is past tense. I suppose it is possible that I am the only reader in the world who is confused/bothered/annoyed by this, but I doubt it. Even if you don't know the names of all the tenses and their uses in English, the above sentence very likely interrupts the flow for you, causing you to mentally stumble.</div>
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As a writer, you don't want your readers to stumble. If you are writing fiction, you don't want to interrupt the flow of your story or pull the reader out of the mood you're trying to create. Although there may be individuals who don't notice tense changes, you are really limiting your potential fan base if you play fast and loose with tense.</div>
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I am currently reading a sample from a self-published novel in which the writer jumps back and forth from present to past tense within scenes, within paragraphs, and even within sentences. I have whiplash by the time I get to the bottom of a page. There is a very good chance that I will not keep reading this book even though the story line and characters are compelling. It just isn't worth being jerked around like that.</div>
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There are reasons for using present tense and reasons for using past tense. In order to decide which is best for a particular piece you are writing, you can try both. But in the final product, please be consistent. Choose one and stick with it.<br />
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Oh -- and as Linda points out below in her Comment -- that second comma needs to go. I am usually much better these days about not overusing commas, but sometimes old habits are hard to break! </div>
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Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-88771095708803192532013-07-27T11:39:00.000-07:002013-07-27T11:58:17.405-07:00About Those Sentence Fragments.I am reading a novel by a best selling, agented, traditionally published author who shall remain nameless. This book -- along with two others I have read by this author -- has enough goofs to make me wonder whether a proofreader or copy editor ever went through it. Specifically, I am seeing too many instances where a sentence contains a word that doesn't belong there, possibly due to the author (or editor?) changing the way the sentence was phrased and forgetting to delete a word from the previous construction.<br />
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What bugs me even more about this author is the overuse of sentence fragments in the narrative sections of the book. Not sure what a sentence fragment is? Consult these web pages:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/620/1/">Purdue Owl Online Writing Lab</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/fragment.htm">The Sentence Fragment</a></li>
<li><a href="http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/fragments-and-run-ons/">UNC Writing Center</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
A strict grammarian might insist that one should NEVER use a sentence fragment in professional writing. In my opinion, this is a rule that can and should occasionally be broken <u><i><b>as long as the writer is doing it deliberately to achieve a specific effect and as long as it is not done too often in a single piece of writing</b></i>.</u><br />
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Ah ha. There we are. In the novel I am reading, the author clearly has the "chops" (if you will) to break rules as she sees fit. Unfortunately, by using so many sentence fragments, she destroys any effect she might have been trying to achieve with them. Her prose comes across as choppy. The frequent fragments are almost certain to distract educated readers from the fascinating story, compelling characters, and anything else the book has going for it.<br />
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Of course, there are readers who won't even notice. I understand that. Maybe this author (and/or her editor/publisher) is fine with appealing to that audience alone. However, those readers who do notice are likely to be turned off.<br />
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<b>My advice to writers</b>: Don't join the Frequent Fragments Club!<br />
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<b>An important exception:</b> Dialogue. A whole lot of people speak in sentence fragments. It sounds and is natural. In fact, you can make a character stand out by having him or her speak only in complete sentences!Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-77323737510894517252013-06-14T07:29:00.000-07:002013-06-15T04:35:47.631-07:00Back to Square One: A Shape PoemThere's nothing like working (make that <i>playing</i>) with children to spark one's creativity. I am currently doing creative writing "enrichment" activities with two home-schooled children. Our focus right now is on poetry. We've been talking about shape poems (or "concrete poems" as they are also called). I have always enjoyed writing poems that have to fit a certain form or "shape" of one kind or another, and so I offer this little gem for your amusement. It's called <b>Back to Square One</b>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxj5bq-LbGi8OoxPrHfkmZ7VnYTRigM3MMMxNNWH4sfma8oIs9mfouenMj5KmbebiVksYq5ze34U-t1YaONTcCzS-jP4__BTRpGBStanFMWq8LEtop4W1C5AC7TuN7K_BP2tkcX-53Jk0/s1600/Back+to+Square+One.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxj5bq-LbGi8OoxPrHfkmZ7VnYTRigM3MMMxNNWH4sfma8oIs9mfouenMj5KmbebiVksYq5ze34U-t1YaONTcCzS-jP4__BTRpGBStanFMWq8LEtop4W1C5AC7TuN7K_BP2tkcX-53Jk0/s400/Back+to+Square+One.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Back to Square One" by Scotti Cohn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I tried to walk to France today</div>
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I turned a corner along the way</div>
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I ambled and rambled and hippety-hopped</div>
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I hurried and scurried and bippety-bopped</div>
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I turned another corner then</div>
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And walked until I don't know when</div>
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I turned again and what a shock:</div>
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I'd only gone around the block!</div>
Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-17174274546378485072013-04-22T06:36:00.000-07:002013-04-22T06:51:15.439-07:00Who? Whom? With Whom? Who With?Lately I have been seeing a construction that really bugs me. It involves the use of "whom" and ending a sentence with the preposition "with."<br />
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Example: "Whom should we sit with?"<br />
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(1) I am well aware that language rules have changed since I was taught not to end a sentence with a preposition. It is now acceptable to do so whenever you want. This helps us avoid such peculiar constructions as those provided by <b><a href="http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/ending-sentences-with-prepositions">Oxford Dictionaries</a></b>. The statement above would become "With whom should we sit?" Oddly, that sounds better to me than "Whom should we sit with?"<br />
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(2) I am very well educated in the use of "who" vs "whom." In the above example, "whom" is correct.<br />
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So, why does this construction bother me so much? I think maybe it is such an awkward blend of "correct" and "formerly incorrect" usage. I liken it to wearing a tuxedo jacket and shirt (<i>whom</i>) with hiking shorts ("<i>with</i>" at the end of the sentence). <br />
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The fact is, "<i>Whom should we sit with?</i>" is correct usage.<br />
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<b>My final answer</b>: I will be quite pleased when we stop using "whom" altogether. It sounds stilted and people struggle way too much with trying to choose between "whom" and "who."<br />
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There. I feel much better. Now, whom should I have lunch with? (sigh)<br />
<br />Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-67251192099084941342012-07-18T19:53:00.001-07:002012-07-18T19:53:45.782-07:00INTERVIEW WITH HELEN HOWELL, Author of JUMPING AT SHADOWS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4kVEFddYj5QVEsAV-UzwmU6MUpmVP0_bOfl5Tc37QKFsz1-Tl8cHvxvrVCAUyjrumrnsCsTpE6VmC1piTPcyUzIlipTW1N8JpesSIq0hj4BS0P0rkMmbfCzCWCrrtcrs8GbYi2C5zb4/s1600/Jumping+at+Shadows+cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4kVEFddYj5QVEsAV-UzwmU6MUpmVP0_bOfl5Tc37QKFsz1-Tl8cHvxvrVCAUyjrumrnsCsTpE6VmC1piTPcyUzIlipTW1N8JpesSIq0hj4BS0P0rkMmbfCzCWCrrtcrs8GbYi2C5zb4/s200/Jumping+at+Shadows+cover.jpeg" width="123" /></a></div>
Helen Howell has been a cyber-friend of mine for many years now. We first *met* in a forum unrelated to writing, but one day Helen shared with me a draft of a fantasy she was working on. I fell in love with the story and Helen's way of telling it, and I have been privileged to follow <i><b>Jumping At Shadows</b></i> through drafts and revisions and, ultimately, to publication. <br /><br />The highly versatile Helen also writes deep, dark noir and horror fiction for adults. As a Stephen King fan, I love that aspect of her work as well.<br /><br />You can purchase <b><i>Jumping At Shadows</i></b> here: <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/204743">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/204743</a><br />
<br />More of Helen’s wondrous works can be found here: <a href="http://helen-scribbles.com%20/">http://helen-scribbles.com </a><br />
<br />Her works of flash fiction are also available here: <a href="http://www.fridayflash.org/">www.fridayflash.org</a><br /><br />And now, without further delay, The Writing Blog is delighted to share this interview with Helen Howell!<br /><br /><b>The Writing Blog</b>: Would you please tell my readers a little about yourself -- where you're from, where you live, hobbies, and so forth?<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgna8M9P5Kl36uSIh5-E9M2gLVDBYcvkenpjgiLpUSy36OftXqe17STo8R8VL3jk8kxD8sahYKrYZnD8OEX6O1XPDyR3_IQsYB_ty0mOc2-ADhVMWcYRmlhn6qXfs2CYB2kovEXg8W2mzk/s1600/Helen+&+Hat.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgna8M9P5Kl36uSIh5-E9M2gLVDBYcvkenpjgiLpUSy36OftXqe17STo8R8VL3jk8kxD8sahYKrYZnD8OEX6O1XPDyR3_IQsYB_ty0mOc2-ADhVMWcYRmlhn6qXfs2CYB2kovEXg8W2mzk/s200/Helen+&+Hat.jpeg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helen Howell<br />
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<b>Helen Howell:</b> I hail from England and was born in the County Town of Essex (which recently, I believe has been made a city), where I lived until I was 31. Then my husband, son, and I immigrated to Australia, where I have now lived for the last 30 years. Two cats share our home, although I think they think we share theirs. I loved to go out walking and to spend time in my garden and when I am not writing you can find me reading, knitting or beading.<br /><br /><b>TWB</b>: Sounds lovely! When did you start writing? What prompted you to begin?<br /><br /><b>HH</b>: I started writing about four years ago. I've always loved to do creative things ever since I was little, starting with ballet. When I was a teenager I used to amuse my fellow typists in the typing pool by writing funny poems. Later in life I took up watercolour painting and continued with that creative path for around 18 years. But after that time I lost interest in exhibiting paintings and needed another outlet. I'd always wanted to write a story, but I really didn't think I could. Then one day I found a site on the internet called Let's Write and they said write about anything and do it every day. So that very day four years ago, I went for a walk and came home and wrote a small piece about it. I showed this to an author friend who was so encouraging, that I didn't look back.<br /><br /><b>TWB</b>: It takes a lot of determination to complete a novel, with or without encouragement from others! For those who might be considering a journey similar to yours, can you give us a summary of the stages you went through with <b><i>Jumping At Shadows</i></b>, from the time you first had the idea to publication?<br /><br /><b>HH</b>: Since I started writing <b><i>Jumping At Shadows</i></b> up to its publication, 4 years have gone past - you could say I took my time. <br /><br />I woke one morning with just the title in my head and an idea about a girl who sees shadows. The story I first envisaged turned into a very different one when I started to plot it out.<br /><br />I did a plot outline, just so that I had a sense of direction and didn't get lost. However around quarter way in, I found the plot wasn't going to work. What next? I sat down with my son, Theo, and had a brainstorming session to come up with a new direction.<br /><br />Each chapter I wrote I did an outline for first, just bare bones, which I fleshed out as I wrote. During the project, I did take time out at regular intervals to write short stories and flash fiction. I found this helped me not to get bogged down and to come back to the project with fresh eyes. The only drawback to doing this was that the first draft took me around 12 months to write and came in just over 60,000 words. I had my novel.<br /><br />I let it sit for a while, then I started editing with the help of a friend who cast her eyes over each chapter and made suggestions. Also a writers group I belonged to made suggestions too. Now it was time to take out chunks of the story that didn't enhance or were not required to the plot. Very hard thing to do, but necessary.<br /><br />The manuscript had around three edits before I sent it out to a beta reader. He sent it back with some more suggestions and the round of edits started again. Then it went out to two more beta readers for comments. When it came back, I implemented their comments and suggestions and finally it went to one more person for a finale copy edit - so Jumping At Shadows had around six edits in all. Now it was ready to be published.<br /><br />When I write, I tend to just get the idea down on the page, then I go back later and edit out all the superfluous words, to make it tighter and smoother. If I hadn't taken frequent breaks to write short stories and flash fiction, I could have probably cut the initial draft's time down to six months, but there is no escaping the edit stage/s if you want a polished piece of writing.<br /><br /><b>TWB</b>: I love the names you use in this book. How did you come up with the names for your characters? What about the names of the people, places, and things in the fantasy world you created?<br /><br /><b>HH</b>: My main character, Belle, was a derivative of my Aunt Bella's name. I loved the name Bella, but somehow Belle seemed to suit the character better. The planet, Janella, I got from a house name I saw on one of my walks. It was spelt differently but sounded the same. As for Madgar, Istar, Tranthulus and Dracmee, I have no idea how I came up with those, just my fertile imagination I guess. I've never found it really hard to invent names and things, so I am lucky that way. The Moon bird was easy. I just thought of a big turkey with colourful feathers. This is what I love about writing fiction. You are free to invent all sorts of worlds, people, places and objects - there is no limit to one's imagination.<br /><br /><b>TWB</b>: As a child, were you more like Rosy or more like Belle? Both? Neither? In what way(s)?<br /><br /><b>HH</b>: I think more like Rosy. Rosy is a bit of a tomboy and not too afraid to try something new. She can stand up for herself and likes an adventure. I loved to do new things when I was a child and I was up for climbing trees etc. or playing rounders with the boys in the street, so I guess I had a little bit of that tomboy in me.<br /><br /><b>TWB</b>: What were your favorite books when you were about 10 years old?<br /><br /><b>HH</b>: One book really stands out and I still love it today: Lewis Carroll's <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>. Such an imagination, such a wonderful world he created with really cool characters.<br /><br /><b>TWB</b>: That's a favorite of mine, too. Do you have any advice for people who want to become published writers?<br /><br /><b>HH</b>: If you want to write, you need to read. Read books in those genres that you like to write in. The more you read and write the better you will become. Remember that most people do not write a good first draft. It is the editing that comes after that turns your work into something worthwhile.<br /><br /><b>TWB</b>: So true! Anything else you would like to say?<br /><br /><b>HH</b>: Only thank you for inviting me over and it's been a pleasure.<br /><br /><b>TWB</b>: The pleasure is mine!<br /><br />Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-25227079327384422802012-05-08T14:51:00.000-07:002012-05-08T14:51:45.823-07:00Critique THIS!I recently joined a writers critique group with four other members of <a href="http://www.scbwicarolinas.org/">SCBWI-C </a>(the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators - Carolinas). The group is specifically for writers working on picture books and/or books for a middle grade (MG) audience.<br />
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Just FYI - This is not my first critique group. <br />
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Already the question has been raised (okay, I raised it): How do you decide what to do with the comments, suggestions, evaluations, and criticisms you receive from group members about your manuscript?<br />
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Oh, I know all the pat answers, such as "Take what makes sense to you and ignore the rest" or "If more than two people say the same thing, take it seriously."<br />
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It seems to me that those answers are a bit simplistic.<br />
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I shall now provide a set of succinct, brilliant instructions on how to sift through all the advice you receive from critique group members to arrive at those pearls of wisdom that will lead you to create the book you always dreamed you could write. After all, this is a WRITING BLOG and I AM A WRITER.<br />
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Hold on a second while I . . .<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="80" id="il_fi" src="http://www.piano.christrup.net/PIANO/FORUM/rofl.gif" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 30px; padding-top: 8px;" width="80" /></div>
Sorry. You see, there's no way I can create those brilliant instructions. I truly don't know what to do with the feedback I receive.<br />
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Oh, sure, some of it is easy. Typos, grammatical errors, tense shifts, word choices -- I can deal with that sort of thing. <br />
<br />I'm talking about the other stuff. If you are a writer and you have had your work critiqued, you know what I mean.<br />
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So what do you do? How do you do? (Fine, thanks, and you?)<br />
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I want some answers, people. And I want them NOW!Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-43723542317528395992012-05-01T19:29:00.000-07:002012-05-01T19:29:29.054-07:00Advice vs AdviseYes, friends, it's time for another installment of <b>Spelling Errors That Drive Me Crazy!</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">ADVICE vs ADVISE</span></div>
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<b>Noun: guidance</b> / <b>Verb: to recommend</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">See how that works?</span></div>
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<b>He ADVISED me not to give him any ADVICE.</b></div>
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<b>Take my ADVICE. Please.</b></div>
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<b>How can I ADVISE you if you won't let me give you any ADVICE?</b></div>
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<div style="color: #3d85c6; text-align: center;">
<b>She asked me to ADVISE her concerning the ADVICE she received from her sister.</b></div>Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-26793171537286640732012-04-23T12:04:00.003-07:002012-04-23T12:10:19.319-07:00LOOSE vs LOSEOh my goodness, look at the time! It's April, and my last post is dated September. That's when I took my Mom to the doctor to discuss having esophageal dilatation. She had it done, but is having problems again, so we went to the doctor today to discuss having it done again.<br />
<br />
Take a moment to ponder possible connections between my mother having esophageal dilatation and me posting on a writing blog. Comment if you dare.<br />
<br />
TODAY, I am going to start something I like to call "<b style="color: #38761d;">Spelling Errors That Drive Me Crazy!</b>"<br />
<br />
For example -- <span style="color: #38761d;">confusing the word </span><i style="color: #38761d;"><b>lose </b></i><span style="color: #38761d;">with the word </span><i style="color: #38761d;"><b>loose</b></i>. The following is my attempt to clarify the difference, while being funny to help you remember.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Turn me loose, you loser!" she cried. "How dare you call me a loose cannon? That chair leg was already loose, so lose the attitude before I lose my temper and you lose a few teeth!" </span></blockquote>
<b>Familiar Sayings That Might Help</b>:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Loose </b>Lips Sink Ships</li>
<li>a <b>loose </b>interpretation </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>You Snooze, You <b>Lose</b></li>
<li>Use It or<b> Lose </b>It<b> </b></li>
</ul>
<br />
There. Got it? Super!Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-78740012045364781692011-10-05T08:57:00.000-07:002011-10-05T08:57:49.212-07:00It's What's Up Front that Counts!Just passing this along to my writer friends. Some great advice and food for thought in this article.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2011/10/victoria-mixon-bang/">Writers: How to Open With a Bang!</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Victoria Mixon</div>Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-92122225451668189112011-09-14T07:39:00.000-07:002011-09-14T07:39:45.870-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qyeBHAqwlU3pBQByZwfpRFbuuyn9cfd4IvyYpecO3pxpItcMyzL5exZSgOWIqkJpXeqCT6nj8G8uXcRTZcRyc963PD_nuCX05cO4JhbwL6WOrSvtwT70EsTDKGGlVHH0eQ0hNEYv-bA/s1600/OWH_Award_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qyeBHAqwlU3pBQByZwfpRFbuuyn9cfd4IvyYpecO3pxpItcMyzL5exZSgOWIqkJpXeqCT6nj8G8uXcRTZcRyc963PD_nuCX05cO4JhbwL6WOrSvtwT70EsTDKGGlVHH0eQ0hNEYv-bA/s200/OWH_Award_400.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Read about the inspiration for <a href="http://onewolfhowls.blogspot.com/">One Wolf Howls</a> and follow Jenny Alexander's suggestions for bringing your own dreams to life! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://jenalexanderbooks.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/guest-spot-the-dream-that-sparked-the-book/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Writing in the House of Dreams</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-75772693731373927652011-09-12T14:56:00.000-07:002011-09-12T14:56:02.596-07:00When We Was Fab<br />
Okay, I totally stole the title of this blog post from a song written by George Harrison and Jeff Lynne. However, you can't copyright a song title, so I can use it without fear of reprisal. But why would I? I'm glad you asked.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmf4itF2-Qu48r_V69baxcsnb21UzkshAK0mqSvKJVirfgQSNOjvuUODiMEZghs9SvQRrJB5M6ZRAsJ_QFKLKI8px5Xi4BLoo3rq_Bnq05UvBrd4XyRJSe_tWjfW3Ah97TbX7sGjDFSo8/s1600/Beatles1962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmf4itF2-Qu48r_V69baxcsnb21UzkshAK0mqSvKJVirfgQSNOjvuUODiMEZghs9SvQRrJB5M6ZRAsJ_QFKLKI8px5Xi4BLoo3rq_Bnq05UvBrd4XyRJSe_tWjfW3Ah97TbX7sGjDFSo8/s200/Beatles1962.jpg" width="157" /></a></div>
First of all, George was arguably my favorite Beatle. I say arguably because Ringo was my first fave, but as I learned more about the group, I switched to John, and eventually I settled on George. Paul wasn't in the running because he was "the cute Beatle" and all the girls liked him, so I figured I wouldn't bother.<br />
<br />
Second, the phrase "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_We_Was_Fab">When We Was Fab</a>" could just as easily refer to my friends, my brother, and me back in the day -- let's say 1965-1969. We was so fab, we appeared in a collection of roughly 20 excruciatingly long stories that also featured ... wait for it ... John, George, Paul, and Ringo!<br />
<br />
Egads. Who would come up with such an idiotic idea as writing a bunch of stories starring The Beatles, my friends, my brother, and me? As John Lennon would say, "<a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1964/10/22/yeah-yeah-pby-all-the-rules/">You Might Well Arsk</a>." (Naturally, I have a copy of "You Might Well Arsk." Here are a couple of my favorite lines: "Why did Harrassed MacMillion go golphing mit Bob Hobe? You might well arsk. Why did Priceless Margarine unt Bony armstrove give Jamaika away?")<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyoUViw_dcgZ9S1daFujAdM8lB1hCcoW_JO6Ep7Qr1COC8uT_IVZ_tZgnm6G0yrqmdfkbWkSh7i4Rev1wczY9keeCVkmW6SoqYvQOABVOcX-w1kX5mzPbIgK1V3yzHpFyh2TD0OtGdWI/s1600/underwood5small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyoUViw_dcgZ9S1daFujAdM8lB1hCcoW_JO6Ep7Qr1COC8uT_IVZ_tZgnm6G0yrqmdfkbWkSh7i4Rev1wczY9keeCVkmW6SoqYvQOABVOcX-w1kX5mzPbIgK1V3yzHpFyh2TD0OtGdWI/s200/underwood5small.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Way back in those oh-so-fab days, I was a writing machine. I wrote poetry, stories, novels, songs. . . and "The Scotti Stories." I don't know what possessed me to start writing them, but I remember reading the first paragraph of the first one to my brother, and I remember him laughing. Apparently that was all the encouragement I needed. I sat at my parents' Underwood typewriter day after day and tap-tap-tapped my way into the hearts and minds of . . . um. . . my best friends and maybe my brother.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODoMEqKIoo4h_39dLCfUrCrefR57W_bHUtbslZedVdtb1kx4YL8J7TwzSY_f8p13HFlbJ8f9bhC3DjuzHRKpK5LxSnhrA-efSE_LJABktWUTdJrK2wWPAU267BdAYPhvNz8zeObygMI0/s1600/welcome_to_springfield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODoMEqKIoo4h_39dLCfUrCrefR57W_bHUtbslZedVdtb1kx4YL8J7TwzSY_f8p13HFlbJ8f9bhC3DjuzHRKpK5LxSnhrA-efSE_LJABktWUTdJrK2wWPAU267BdAYPhvNz8zeObygMI0/s200/welcome_to_springfield.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
So, without further ado, here is the now-famous (or not) opening paragraph for the work of art titled "Springfield Marks the Spot" (I was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, in case you're wondering).<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>SPRINGFIELD MARKS THE SPOT</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Scotti</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
circa 1965</div>
<blockquote>
"Paul McCartney started to lay out another hand of solitaire that quiet Sunday afternoon and then stopped short. Gathering up the cards, he lay them neatly on the hotel desk. After all, he reasoned, there must be something better to do. He glanced out the window and at once retracted the thought, for before him, the streets of Springfield, Illinois, appeared to have passed away long ago. Sure, there were cars and pedestrians merging about, but otherwise. . . Paul wrinkled his nose in disgust. What a place!"</blockquote>
During the course of the story, Paul and the other Beatles encounter my character (Scotti), my brother's character (Robert), and characters representing several of my closest friends (Carole Lynne, Patience -- you know who you are). Mishaps and mayhem are the order of the day, especially when Scotti's Uncle Gerald (not his real name... Come to think of it, he was totally fictional. . . I think) cranks up a remarkable invention called the Speedier Than Alka-Seltzer Machine (STAM). Finally everyone arrives at the last paragraph, much the worse for wear:<br />
<blockquote>
"Paul McCartney shuffled the deck of cards that still lay on the desk and dealt out a hand of solitaire. Perhaps, he thought, he could make believe it all hadn't happened..."</blockquote>
The best thing about "The Scotti Stories" is that I didn't have to explain or defend them or convince an editor to publish them. It was the Sixties. WE WAS FAB. That is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. (Oh, be quiet, John Keats, your stuff is in the public domain.)<br />
<br />
If I ever become famous, these stories may very well sell on eBay for a small fortune. I could give you a really good deal on them now, before that happens. Just let me know if you're interested.<br />
<br />
Oh, and by the way, I was so fab in 1968 that I went to England with my family, where I literally ran into Paul McCartney. Click <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/oz/rainbow1/Beatles.html">HERE </a>to see the proof.<br />
Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-56275866051008356062011-09-08T08:15:00.000-07:002011-09-08T08:55:32.281-07:00The *Other* Writing World<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I just came across an article that everyone who is considering self-publishing their work should read: <a href="http://www.locusmag.com/Perspectives/2011/09/cory-doctorow-why-should-anyone-care/">Cory Doctorow: Why Should Anyone Care? </a></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As you can probably tell from the title of the article, Doctorow wants us to understand that if you are a self-published author, your main job (once the book is in its final form) is to convince potential readers and sellers that they should *care* about your book -- care enough to buy it, to stock it, to tell others about it.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Granted, authors published by traditional, mainstream publishers also carry some of the responsibility for *convincing people to care.* </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSfteL15uca040ns6MTJ11fLXqK-Yn26fXk3NGqbTo78bIQMoDfFOQLmJzm5ffrLPNQb_9I0gOTGU6ivMAJ38vLPiaZgDhsWYoTzI-bO7aGV014yvVV9FmDHlqWOkyfNHxJlKpKzKKmQ/s1600/BN_Launch4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSfteL15uca040ns6MTJ11fLXqK-Yn26fXk3NGqbTo78bIQMoDfFOQLmJzm5ffrLPNQb_9I0gOTGU6ivMAJ38vLPiaZgDhsWYoTzI-bO7aGV014yvVV9FmDHlqWOkyfNHxJlKpKzKKmQ/s320/BN_Launch4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One Wolf Howls Book Launch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />My two children's picture books -- <a href="http://onewolfhowls.blogspot.com/">One Wolf Howls</a> and <a href="http://bigcatlittlekitty.blogspot.com/">Big Cat, Little Kitty</a> -- are not self-published. They are published by <a href="http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/">Sylvan Dell</a>, a small, relatively young publishing house. When you sign with a small publishing house you quickly discover that you need to assume as much of the salesman's role as you possibly can. Small publishers do not have the staff to run about proclaiming the wonders of your book, pushing it at book sellers across the country (world), and splashing it across the pages of major magazines and newspapers. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you are published by a major publishing house, you have more people working on your book's behalf. However, unless your book is *high on their list* you're still not going to be able to spend your days sitting quietly at your desk creating your next masterpiece. You're going to be *out there* convincing people to care.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Unfortunately, as Doctorow points out in his article, not many writers are extroverted social butterflies who love nothing better than to schmooze and meet and greet and sell sell sell. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRId4Mb_L9dmK_P8ieEMEWxU6GMUXA5KazVeN8vqmD0XcTLXYSQsBvCMTd8Ym23k9VUyc9Y0HSyk6DLNef7t8MGBAsa40V01pcVeFZdcKVFWMpIHvrtVwF5sMagZgy9zi8N67j-LSHsA/s1600/bigcatlaunch9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRId4Mb_L9dmK_P8ieEMEWxU6GMUXA5KazVeN8vqmD0XcTLXYSQsBvCMTd8Ym23k9VUyc9Y0HSyk6DLNef7t8MGBAsa40V01pcVeFZdcKVFWMpIHvrtVwF5sMagZgy9zi8N67j-LSHsA/s320/bigcatlaunch9.JPG" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Cat, Little Kitty Book Launch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After doing several signings at bookstores I realized that unless you are already famous, you can't sit at your table and expect people to come up to you. You can post large signs about who you are and what you're doing there, but they will walk right by you. They might smile or nod, but very few will actually come over and talk to you. No, you have to get up and approach people, book in hand, and convince them to care.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was on my high school debate team, I acted in high school and college theater productions, and I have performed music before an audience on many occasions. I don't shrink from public contact. But the thought of trying to convince someone to buy what I'm selling quite frankly leaves me cold. I don't like it when people try to sell me things. It follows that I would not want to be the person doing the selling. However. . .</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My thinking right now is this: If you love to write, then please write. Write, revise, learn, and immerse yourself in the writing world. Share your work with friends and other writers. Get all those great ideas on paper. I have lived in that particular *writing world* most of my life. But if you hope to share your work with large numbers of people and make money at it, you're going to have to enter a different writing world: a world ruled by personality, promotion, and pizzazz. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNNEt6cf7_8Nu2wI__7BbFRoTMAnnaYN2Kw_8XzAd9H2Q1CwGPP3wDOiwjTzxRgcGCV_OpZyZHrAluJJFMcts-u18dKw3TvB81y-wltRqMbkRX4SLL_BNUmAjusFbhlo3UT7-G5h_-aI/s1600/P1080193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNNEt6cf7_8Nu2wI__7BbFRoTMAnnaYN2Kw_8XzAd9H2Q1CwGPP3wDOiwjTzxRgcGCV_OpZyZHrAluJJFMcts-u18dKw3TvB81y-wltRqMbkRX4SLL_BNUmAjusFbhlo3UT7-G5h_-aI/s200/P1080193.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I suppose it's possible that you could be *discovered* while sitting quietly at your desk, and rise to great fame without effort. You could also win the lottery. The odds are about the same.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Now, let me tell you which of my books would be perfect for you...</span><br />
<br />Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-21588200471713678682011-09-05T12:33:00.000-07:002011-09-05T12:33:20.185-07:00<br />
Today I'm taking a moment to invite all of you to check out my (relatively) new blog/website:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://wordsworthdragon.blogspot.com/">Wordsworth and the Dragon</a></span></b></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wordsworthdragon.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGGxiiFPVxIFWELvELdm_oBYBtL8iIZATVR38ygdiLlRAk_xa7e5wLKYugZkSSGlqkTGQIafnxTCvNHDLfA8eTI1nzY3IefkKFG8k81KttsvAF8Ji30ZzLOU6vH9ALgk4M30euGcnHV4/s400/wordsworth_banner_short_smaller.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banner Design by Christina Wald</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Like many writers, I have a number of manuscripts that I have submitted to all the publishers and agents I can find, without receiving an acceptance. The reasons for rejection are seldom spelled out or even expressed in any terms at all.<br />
<br />
During the submission process for my chapter book <b>Wordsworth and the Dragon</b>, a few editors did request a "full" based on the first three chapters. One editor hung onto the whole manuscript for almost two years (as I continued to submit it elsewhere). She loved Wordsworth, but her publishing company was in the process of "changing direction" and she was eventually laid off. One agent I contacted also loved Wordsworth -- until she found out I had already sent it around to a bunch of publishers. She immediately lost interest.<br />
<br />
I did some research on self-publishing and decided I wanted to take that route with <b>Wordsworth and the Dragon</b>. My enthusiasm for the project increased tenfold a few months ago when illustrator Christina Wald offered to do some illustrations for the book. There will be a cover illustration and probably one illustration per chapter.<br />
<br />
My web site <b><a href="http://wordsworthdragon.blogspot.com/">Wordsworth and the Dragon</a> </b>offers an opportunity for children and adults to witness a chapter book in the making. Christina is providing preliminary sketches, and I am posting chapters from the book, one at a time, with discussion questions. Several educators have expressed interest in having their students follow along, and I hope to start hearing from them soon.<br />
<br />
I hope you'll join us on this publishing adventure! (And yes, I have already started on a sequel!)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-86090994923016221862011-09-01T06:39:00.000-07:002011-09-01T06:58:43.183-07:00Are You Under-Stressed?Dear Readers,<br />
<br />
I came across this marvelous article that I thought many of you might find interesting: <a href="http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2011/08/18-ways-to-get-more-readers-for-your-author-blog/">19 Ways to Get More Readers for Your Author Blog</a><br />
<br />
When I saw #4 on this list, I perked right up: "Do something different."<br />
<br />
What follows may not be what those folks meant, but I already had it ready to post today, so I retro-fitted it to match their list. (What?)<br />
<br />
It's a quiz that I crafted many years ago. I guarantee that it's every bit as useful now as it was then. Leave a comment and let us know your score!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Are You Under-Stressed?</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Quiz</span></b></div><br />
Studies have shown that many people in our society today are under-stressed; that is, they do not receive enough stress in their day-to-day lives. Such a condition can render a person incapable of dealing with emergency situations when they arise. In fact, the under-stressed person may not even recognize a real emergency when he or she sees one! To determine whether you undergo sufficient stress in your life, take the following simple multiple-choice quiz.<br />
<br />
<b>(1) Awakening in the middle of the night, you think you hear a burglar in the house. You fumble for the phone. Intending to press 9-1-1, you accidentally press the keys you programmed as a shortcut to your Great Aunt Harriet's number. When Great Aunt Harriet answers, you:</b><br />
<br />
(a) Tell her to bring the squad car around the back.<br />
(b) Reply, "Sorry, I have the wrong number," hang up, and scream loudly to frighten the intruder away.<br />
(c) Ask Great Aunt Harriet how much the china hutch she gave you weighs and how long she thinks it would take one or two men to carry it outside in the dark.<br />
(d) Inquire after Great Uncle Mortrud's lumbago and promise to visit them when you are finished going over details of the theft with your insurance company.<br />
<br />
<b>(2) Your son's soccer coach calls, telling you that you need to provide all refreshments for the end-of-the-season cookout (the team will reimburse you for your expenses, of course). The cookout is day after tomorrow. Your commitments for the week already include helping your daughter with her science project, tilling your mother's garden, working overtime at the office, and visiting eight shut-ins for your church. You tell the coach:</b><br />
<br />
(a) @*%&#)(*@_&#$*(#<br />
(b) "No problem. How about radishes and half a pot of day-old coffee?"<br />
(c) "I would be delighted" -- chuckling to yourself over the fact that neither you nor the food will appear at the cookout. That'll fix 'em.<br />
(d) "Excuse me... [click click click] ... I think we have a bad connection... [click click click]... Can you hear me? [FAKE STATIC] [LOUD BUZZ -- followed by yanking cord out of wall and leaving it out for three days].<br />
<br />
<b>(3) Your boss has written a letter to an important client. You feel sure the client's name has been misspelled, but your boss insists you are wrong and tells you to mail the letter. The client calls, complaining that his name was misspelled. You hear your boss blaming "my crazy assistant." You:</b><br />
<br />
(a) Quickly reprint all your boss's rolodex cards, deliberately misspelling every name and/or changing one digit in each phone number.<br />
(b) Order a commemorative plaque for Boss of the Year (at company expense) -- misspelling your boss's name.<br />
(c) Immediately prepare your letter of resignation (misspelling your name), stick a flaming arrow through it, and shoot it into your boss's office.<br />
(d) Laugh silently to yourself for the rest of the day because you actually are crazy and it's a relief to have it acknowledged by someone in authority.<br />
<br />
<b>(4) You have been awakened at least once every night for the past week by your neighbor's barking dogs. The dogs (German Shepherds) also bark continually while you mow your lawn or work in your garden. Since you own a Bassett Hound (who barks when disturbed but settles down quickly), you try to be tolerant. However, the police have just called to inform you that your neighbor has filed a complaint about your dog's barking. You:</b><br />
<br />
(a) Make midnight phone calls to your neighbor, panting and whining pitifully when he answers.<br />
(b) Contact your neighbor and attempt to make peace, explaining that you have just acquired three Great Danes trained to leap the fence and jump on top of your neighbor's Porsche whenever they hear a German Shepherd bark.<br />
(c) Invite your neighbor to a backyard barbecue, smiling sinisterly when he expresses concern that his dogs have been missing all day.<br />
(d) Sit down with the German Shepherds over a bowl of kibble and sauerkraut and discuss the situation with them, emphasizing their responsibility to their close acquaintances and society as a whole.<br />
<br />
<b>(5) You have ten minutes to drive across town to the technical college you attend twice a week. A test is being given and if you are late, you will receive an automatic "F". As you pull onto Murphy Street, you find yourself in the right-hand lane behind a car going two miles an hour. The driver sticks his arm out his window, motioning you to come around. Since cars are zooming steadily by in the left-hand lane at 45 miles per hour, this does not seem like a viable option to you. The traffic does not decrease. The car ahead of you does not speed up. You:</b><br />
<br />
(a) Flip on the loudspeaker connected to your radio and imitate a siren, hoping the driver will pull over.<br />
(b) Get on your cell and call your best friend, who readily agrees to impersonate you at the exam (the friend strongly resembles you, lives a block from the school, and took the same class last year).<br />
(c) Take a sharp right into a parking lot, zip through the lot and out the other side, running over two little old ladies and a kid on a bike before arriving in the middle of a major intersection, whereupon your authority is disrespected by a tractor-trailer with faulty brakes.<br />
(d) Turn your car radio to the station that plays heavy metal, turn up the volume, roll up your windows, light a cigarette, close your eyes, and go to sleep.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>SCORING</b></div><br />
(1)<br />
(a) 3 pts<br />
(b) 1 pt<br />
(c) 7 pts<br />
(d) 5 pts<br />
<br />
(2)<br />
(a) 1 pt.<br />
(b) 5 pts<br />
(c) 7 pts<br />
(d) 3 pts<br />
<br />
(3)<br />
(a) 3 pts<br />
(b) 5 pts<br />
(c) 1 pt<br />
(d) 7 pts<br />
<br />
(4)<br />
(a) 3 pts<br />
(b) 5 pts<br />
(c) 1 pt<br />
(d) 7pts<br />
<br />
(5)<br />
(a) 5 pts<br />
(b) 7 pts<br />
(c) 3 pts<br />
(d) 1 pt<br />
<br />
<b>TOTAL YOUR SCORE:</b><br />
<br />
<b>35 points</b>: You are definitely too calm and collected. There's nowhere near enough stress in your life. It is imperative that you begin drinking more coffee and soft drinks, start smoking, increase your work hours, decrease your salary, and -- above all -- START WORRYING as much as possible. If necessary, send for our complete "THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT" list, a comprehensive aid for people suffering from your condition.<br />
<br />
<b>25-35 points</b>: Not bad, but you still exhibit some dangerous symptoms of peace-of-mind. Refer to instructions above.<br />
<br />
<b>10-25 points</b>: Normal<br />
<br />
<b>5-10 points</b>: Maybe a little too stressed. Take a chill pill, okay?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">*~* HAVE A NICE DAY *~*</span></b></div><br />
P.S. I scored a 2 on this quiz. Not possible, you say? Are you calling me a liar? Would you like to settle this outside?<br />
<br />
<br />
Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-29203087703761761222011-08-29T07:27:00.000-07:002011-08-29T11:46:59.857-07:00Bad Romance? Bad Medicine? Bad Poetry?I know you've heard this saying:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Laugh, and the world laughs with you.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Weep, and you weep alone.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Did you know that these words are the beginning of a poem called "Solitude" by <a href="http://ellawheelerwilcox.wwwhubs.com/">Ella Wheeler Wilcox</a>? The poem was published in 1883. Here is the complete first stanza of that poem:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Laugh, and the world laughs with you;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Weep, and you weep alone.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>But has trouble enough of its own.</i></div><br />
The reason I bring this up is because I just finished reading a novel based on the life of Ella Wheeler Wilcox: <b><i>Ella Moon</i> by Ed Ifkovic</b> (Waubesa Press, the quality fiction imprint of Badger Books Inc.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnhvVgVP0aeMgkLpAIQ5DnIX-Faec76i70-3bpesRJNoqI52f8ao0FHEG18X8JJgHyByaYaDuzc3HgQ0eAEtgCnV3Ji01Ua3OqnvAeQAC5ZdM5WKMyL5df-S9bryW4YD4LXgeGjMfWWQ/s1600/ellamoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnhvVgVP0aeMgkLpAIQ5DnIX-Faec76i70-3bpesRJNoqI52f8ao0FHEG18X8JJgHyByaYaDuzc3HgQ0eAEtgCnV3Ji01Ua3OqnvAeQAC5ZdM5WKMyL5df-S9bryW4YD4LXgeGjMfWWQ/s1600/ellamoon.jpg" /></a></div>I found this book while I was on my way home from a vacation recently. It was shelved with others at a Country Inn and Suites motel, where they often have collections of books that guests can borrow -- with the idea that we will return them (or some other book of our choice) to the next Country Inn and Suites motel we visit. I was almost done with the book I was reading at the time, and thought I might need another book to get me home.<br />
<br />
The book jacket blurb drew me in:<br />
<blockquote><i>She was one of the Victorian world's most popular poets. Her life was a tapistry [sic] of color and melodrama, an epic of rags to riches. This fictionalized account chronicles both the glittering heights of Ella Wheeler Wilcox's life and the nagging fears that accompanied her vast and cherished success.</i></blockquote>Ifkovic notes that <i>Ella Moon</i> "is not literary biography: it is how I imagine her. . . In the process I wanted to find a different EWW, the one who existed outside her verse -- the one I carry in my mind."<br />
<br />
Much of what is included in the novel comes from Mrs. Wilcox's autobiography: <i>The Worlds and I </i>(1919). Here is a link to a pdf file of that autobiography (available from Google books): <a href="http://scotti.cohn.tripod.com/The_worlds_and_I.pdf">http://scotti.cohn.tripod.com/The_worlds_and_I.pdf</a><br />
<br />
I found the story of this woman's life and career utterly fascinating. Born in poverty on a farm in Wisconsin, she became a published poet at age 14 -- primarily because she simply refused to stop sending her work to publishers. To say that she was persistent would be an understatement. She was driven. By the age of 16 or 17, she was basically supporting her family on earnings from her poetry. The nickname "Ella Moon" was given to her by her father, who thought that he saw her pointing at the moon when she was a child. Ella corrected him, saying she was pointing toward Milwaukee, where she hoped to find fame and recognition, a beautiful life far removed from the farm.<br />
<br />
I was captivated by the complex nature of Ella's relationship with her parents and siblings, her views of life, and her evolution from a Wisconsin farm girl to a famous poet known all over the world. I was mesmerized by her efforts to communicate with her deceased husband -- successful by her account -- and her journey to France during World War I, which she undertook because he told her to do it in messages delivered by her ouija board.<br />
<br />
As for her poetry, it is quite overwrought in most cases (by modern standards, and even by the standards of her day). Yet there is value in exploring her choice of words, the structure of her verses, and the subject matter she covers. When I read her poetry, I feel transported back to my teenage years, when I used poetry as a way to express the depths of heart and soul. Melodramatic? Yes. Predictable rhythm and rhyme? Yes. But I have to ask, if Ella Wheeler Wilcox's poetry is so "bad" -- why does so much of it resonate, touch, delight, and inspire?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>The summer is just in its grandest prime,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The earth is green and the skies are blue;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>But where is the lilt of the olden time,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>When life was a melody set to rhyme,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And dreams were so real they all seemed true?</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox</div><div><br />
</div>Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-89322617034321022062011-08-27T07:57:00.000-07:002011-08-27T08:22:00.299-07:00Rebirth of the Blog!Okay, okay, I'm supposed to be a writer (I've written 10 published books after all), and that means I'm supposed to do this blog thing. But I honestly don't know what to blog about. For a time, I tried to do this as a "<b>Writing Tips, Tricks, and Tactics</b>" blog because I was told that would generate followers. Except there is one problem: I don't have any tips, tricks, or tactics for you. Lots of other writers have those -- all over the internet. Everywhere. Just Google it. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">This blog is going to have to be something other than that.</span></b></div><br />
If I were a famous writer, people would follow this blog just to see what I'm doing, how I'm doing it, why I'm doing it, and so forth. As you may have noticed, <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>I am not famous</b>.</span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLey7y2qJUVaDkI0NHygepMQI0-El9U5AUnZT1KzPOZcmDCZQn4E7mjDCYi8emOtfl86oHBwns-K9ixUoIkorxJV2pHbGiom0Qh2lld3GaaXmQraQx7riYVkcaGYelIYPkMTRTSdf5m9o/s1600/not+famous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLey7y2qJUVaDkI0NHygepMQI0-El9U5AUnZT1KzPOZcmDCZQn4E7mjDCYi8emOtfl86oHBwns-K9ixUoIkorxJV2pHbGiom0Qh2lld3GaaXmQraQx7riYVkcaGYelIYPkMTRTSdf5m9o/s320/not+famous.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhohXlHJIzxpI4klYeTrcPXnN0Q71ZzlBBVsWhT3nkil9Imp_RuM9fyJR45Q9dIinS_cefHj2S-IC1pIJWJrSVSfpsQ_BK5DZ2XucCdBMO-3-qMgPq4XfqH_jmx6cx0KosGQXPiwHH68/s1600/notfamous2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhohXlHJIzxpI4klYeTrcPXnN0Q71ZzlBBVsWhT3nkil9Imp_RuM9fyJR45Q9dIinS_cefHj2S-IC1pIJWJrSVSfpsQ_BK5DZ2XucCdBMO-3-qMgPq4XfqH_jmx6cx0KosGQXPiwHH68/s320/notfamous2.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So I may post samples of my writing here -- old or new -- and I may share links to other sites that I think are worthwhile for writers to see. This blog, as noted above, will be "<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">mostly about writing because I have other blogs for other things</span></b>."</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: blue; color: white; font-size: large;">Follow this blog.</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: blue; color: white; font-size: large;">If you dare. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">#amwriting</span></b></div><br />
<b><br />
</b>Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-26083020087159661922011-03-12T15:12:00.000-08:002011-03-12T15:14:33.994-08:00Why Do You Write?As writers, we get up close and personal with a lot of rules, a lot of DON'Ts, words to avoid, parts of speech to avoid, and so forth. We are told that our work is more likely to be rejected by editors and agents if we violate the "rules."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OrjHG9B8n9cc8Voo6WuZSzvj4z6OVtePzAysmcyXvT0uzoS1XzxOu1RDAurZZp1rAzjfpcANvK7bQmfnF54KKu_70EgREcbOvRo4_ALcPmqafKr69ObHon1xToz9gUnjz0_258zyrj8/s1600/LAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OrjHG9B8n9cc8Voo6WuZSzvj4z6OVtePzAysmcyXvT0uzoS1XzxOu1RDAurZZp1rAzjfpcANvK7bQmfnF54KKu_70EgREcbOvRo4_ALcPmqafKr69ObHon1xToz9gUnjz0_258zyrj8/s200/LAL.jpg" width="189" /></a></div>I just finished reading about 75 entries in a competition called <a href="http://www.lettersaboutliterature.org/">Letters About Literature</a>. For this competition, students in grades 4 through 12 are given the following instructions:<br />
<blockquote>"Select a fiction or nonfiction book, a short story, poem, essay or speech (sorry, no song lyrics) you have read and about which you have strong feelings. Explore those feelings and why you reacted the way you did during or after reading the author’s work. . . Write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work affected you."</blockquote>In this blog entry I am going to share a little bit from various letters to various authors. My purpose is to show my fellow writers what matters most to the young people reading their work. Not one letter thanked an author for using active voice instead of passive. Nobody said he was inspired by the minimal use of adverbs. Not a single student wrote "Thank you for showing, not telling."<br />
<br />
Here is what some of the letters said:<br />
<blockquote>This book... made me feel more comfortable about myself, that maybe there really isn't anything wrong with me. It also showed me that a world where I can be accepted does exist.</blockquote><blockquote><i>Your book taught me that some people will forever be a part of us.</i></blockquote><blockquote>This book made me want to help the young teenagers that get bullied many times throughout their life.</blockquote><blockquote><i>Your poem has pushed me to become the best person I can be, not becoming someone else.</i></blockquote><blockquote>I was searching in those books for a real explanation of my emotions and fears. I at least wanted someone who understood how I felt, so confused.</blockquote><blockquote><i>I will shoot for the stars and beyond because you've taught me no matter how rough things get you can achieve anything.</i></blockquote><blockquote>Reading your book has changed my viewpoint of the world. It's as if someone has lifted a great storm cloud away from my eyes, and now I can see.</blockquote><blockquote><i>I now know that I need to cherish my childhood. I realize that having intuitiveness and a great imagination is very important in life, and that I don't have to let myself be judged.</i></blockquote><blockquote>Your book has given me an immense appreciation for human emotions, teaching me how we need to accept all of it in order to be truly happy, instead of selecting what we choose to feel.</blockquote>One could argue that these books would not have had such an impact on readers if the author had written largely in passive voice, used a lot of adverbs, and relied primarily on "telling" rather than "showing." That may be the case. I don't recommend rejecting "the rules" out of hand. But it seems obvious to me from reading these Letters About Literature that young people bond with characters who reach out and touch them and stories that stay with them long after they close the book.<br />
<br />
Mechanics and techniques have their place, but only when we write from the heart does our work have the potential to change lives for the better.Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-11101082626076605632010-09-05T09:48:00.000-07:002010-09-05T10:20:43.397-07:00The Alfred Owle Experience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVU6OzpDnqNvp_LIPyS8gHOhPxbrjiOfZiGNeT13hslUQO2ofSjwG3pp5-gmXNU3I5KzRYgBB9iHPnjBijsNd2bnSXywISur_wWgGEAYjUL3VfakctAQ9DYHM2op6rJoUgp8nsfkhUx4/s1600/alfred_owl3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVU6OzpDnqNvp_LIPyS8gHOhPxbrjiOfZiGNeT13hslUQO2ofSjwG3pp5-gmXNU3I5KzRYgBB9iHPnjBijsNd2bnSXywISur_wWgGEAYjUL3VfakctAQ9DYHM2op6rJoUgp8nsfkhUx4/s320/alfred_owl3.jpg" /></a></div>Time for a little cross-blog promotion! Many of you know that I have been making jewelry and selling it on <a href="http://stores.ebay.com/Jewelry-by-Scotti?_rdc=1">eBay </a>and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/scotticohn">Etsy</a>. I have a blog called <a href="http://jewelrybyscotti.blogspot.com/">Jewelry by Scotti</a>. One of my latest pieces of homemade jewelry is the Alfred Owl Necklace (at left).<br />
<br />
What does this have to do with writing? Prepare to be amazed (or bored or troubled).<br />
<br />
"Alfred Owl" is a name that came from a distant time in my youth. My father took my brother and me to a professional baseball game in St. Louis. It was an exciting experience for us (we were fairly young, maybe ages 10 and 13?) We actually got to see Willie Mays play.<br />
<br />
Anyway, all during the game, we kept hearing a vendor shout what sounded to us like: "Get your Alfred Owl buttons right here!" We kept looking at each other. Alfred Owl buttons? What's that? It became a joke between us. We never did find out what the vendor was really saying. There was no baseball player or anyone named Alfred Owl. <br />
<br />
As a teenager, I wrote a long, very strange poem called "The Alfred Owle Experience." I am sharing it below. In those days, I just loved to play with words and plunk them down in the midst of things without worrying about how much sense they made together. <br />
<br />
Many of my poems contained a "secret message." In this case, just take the first letter of the third word in each line (before you get to "All these are The Experience"). If you read the first letter of the third word in each line from top to bottom, you will see the message. <br />
<br />
<div style="color: #674ea7; text-align: center;"><b>The Alfred Owle Experience</b><br />
<br />
To be tangible -- in an imaginary, theoretical existence.<br />
To be hollow -- where once there endured the pulsation of life.<br />
To be eternal -- and part of an expansion that wavers but never runs its course.<br />
<br />
To be wistful -- sighing at the futility of another endeavor.<br />
To be obdurate -- belligerent in defense of total injustice.<br />
To be romantic -- sentimental and genial, but only at twilight.<br />
To be destined -- and yet without comprehension of a goal.<br />
<br />
To be impoverished -- lacking even a sympathetic glance from an itinerant breeze.<br />
To be sagacious -- aware of all eventualities except extinction.<br />
<br />
To be loyal -- but betrayed by the subconscious dream.<br />
To be obscure -- yet master of every indigo, emerald, amethyst, scarlet hue of the rainbow.<br />
To be valiant -- even before the sedulous derision of acute grief.<br />
To be enchanted -- possessed by a laughing leprechan of cognac.<br />
<br />
All these are The Experience. The Now. The Creation.<br />
<br />
But who<br />
<br />
Is Alfred Owle?</div><br />
Do you see the "secret message"? If you read the first letter of the third word in each line from top to bottom, you will see: <b>the word is love.</b> (This was the 1960s after all.)Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577390914059951291.post-91894758204399712552010-08-14T11:29:00.000-07:002010-08-14T14:39:20.528-07:00Written Any Good Letters Lately?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixet2K_BCcBMA6jEOLk6SJHm2-LiKlgxq1P_7q4ymRqlFXwh_KN5s_LOsrvENhePuaCGroVIOoDtM1BJ697zSXIpnxNTa4hkgyOojEmYcy2TITnfMmSJ1y1fiWABo5dafuTEpCreGZH8k/s1600/pg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixet2K_BCcBMA6jEOLk6SJHm2-LiKlgxq1P_7q4ymRqlFXwh_KN5s_LOsrvENhePuaCGroVIOoDtM1BJ697zSXIpnxNTa4hkgyOojEmYcy2TITnfMmSJ1y1fiWABo5dafuTEpCreGZH8k/s320/pg1.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>I just finished reading <i><a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/guernsey/">The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</a></i> by Mary Ann Shaffer. It's a marvelous book that beautifully blends the light and humorous with the dark and sobering. It's written in the form of letters being sent back and forth between the various characters in the novel. In this way, the author gives us various points of view and perspectives as we follow the story of Juliet, a writer from London who falls in love with the island of Guernsey and its inhabitants shortly after World War II.<br />
<br />
Reading <i>The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</i> made me want to write a novel made up of correspondence between characters. However, although it appears deceptively simple, the letter-writing format (like the diary format) can be difficult to execute well. I remember reading <i>The Screwtape Letters</i> by C.S. Lewis way back in my youth and thinking I'd like to use that format for something. I ended up placing letters from a character periodically throughout a novel I was working on, but never actually finished that book.<br />
<br />
Authors can have many different reasons for choosing the format their book takes. With my children's picture books, one key choice I have to make is whether to write the text in rhyme, blank-verse poetry, or prose. My first picture book, <i>One Wolf Howls,</i> basically wrote itself in rhyme. It flowed very naturally from the beginning.<br />
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My second picture book -- <i>Big Cat, Little Kitty</i> (Sylvan Dell Publishing, spring 2011) -- started out as blank-verse poetry. Editor Donna German liked it, but said she thought it might work better written in prose. I was willing to give that a try and quickly found out that she was right. The prose version evolved from the blank-verse stanzas I had written, and both Donna and I were very pleased with the result.<br />
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I am now working on a third picture book, and it *feels* like it needs to be in prose.<br />
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<b>So -- fellow writers -- how and when do you decide what form your book will take? Have you tried writing a fictional diary or series of letters between characters? What other forms have you tried? Stream of consciousness perhaps?<br />
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What comes most naturally for you? </b>Scotti Cohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03550034108886104840noreply@blogger.com4