Inviting the reader into the story

cj Sez: Janet Fox’s excellent July 18 post on Jane Friedman’s blog site is a keeper for me. The author and book coach touches on how using elision in dialogue, internal monologue, sensory details, and rhetorical devices benefits the reader.

“To elide is to omit, or to leave out. And we need to know as much about 'leaving things out' of our stories as we do about the things we love to add.

  Why elision? Because the emotional connection that’s made between the writer and reader is strengthened by what the reader brings to the story—their experiences, dreams, hopes, and longings. When we let the reader fill in our intentionally left blanks, we invite them inside our imaginary worlds.”

  All I can say is “Yes!” to elision and deep point of view. Okay, readers, writers: What do you think? Click on the link... Gray Space: Making Room for the Reader

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On the news front . . . Two supermoons coming soon to a sky near you.

  What is a supermoon you ask? Supermoons are full moons that are brighter, bigger, and closer to the earth than the typical full moons.

  The first August supermoon rises on Tuesday, Aug 1. It’s called the “sturgeon moon,” because (according to the Old Farmers Almanac) the giant sturgeon fish found in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain “were most readily caught during this part of summer.”

  August’s second supermoon, called a “blue moon” because it’s the second full moon in the same month, will be even closer to the earth than the sturgeon moon—222,043 miles away vs. 222,159 miles. Whew! That’s gonna be a close one.

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  Speaking of blue moons, the Mobile Writers Guild anthology  HALLOWEEN PIECES includes my paranormal story, “Once in a Blue Moon” —about what can happen to a woman traveling alone when a blue moon falls “on Samhain, or Halloween, as you English call it.” The anthology is chock full of good reading in a variety of genres and is available now on Amazon (Kindle is currently $1.99).  

Buy now at:     http://bitly.ws/PxPF

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  Writers, if you have a book launch coming up and want to schedule a post on Lyrical Pens for your blog tour, drop me a note. (PG13, please.)

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  That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe summer…with lots of time for reading and writing.

cj

  THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are fast-paced, action/adventure stories with sassy banter and a smidgen of sweet romance. (Perfect diversions for those quick four-day weekend getaways—especially if it’s a stay-cation.)

  The books are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Little note: The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact:

https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  

  If she happens to be sold out, I also have a small stash. Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you any book(s) by any author of your choice.

➜ Follow me on . . .  

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

From the archives

 cj Sez: Did you know it doesn’t have to cost a dime to encourage an author?

  What follows are a few tips about how to show your support for writers, at a little or no cost, whether you’re a writer or a reader.

If you’re a writer and have your own blog, invite guest bloggers. Lyrical Pens does do that, though we haven’t been graced with a guest for a few weeks. (Read the invitations in the Lyrical Pens banner above and again below.) 

   When you have a guest scheduled on your blog, send out “Coming Attractions” promotions on other social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, et al. Be sure to give your guest blogger space to say something about their books.

  Be willing to give the author’s work a fair review. Be kind but be honest.

  If you know an author who just wants to just sit and talk, grab a chair and listen. Writing is a lonely occupation, and most other people don't understand.

  Encourage each other. Writing is not a competition; everyone can be successful.

  And here’s a little marketing tip: If you’re a yet-to-be-published writer and don’t have a business card, get one. Hand it out to agents, workshop instructors, fellow writers, wherever you have an opportunity to network. Get your name out there as early as possible (Facebook and blogs, too) so they can watch for your new release. Some variation of the one that follows is my suggestion:

Name  Jane Doe, Author

Writer of XXX (literary fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, YA, romance, whatever)

eMail address

website address

 

Now, if you’re a reader (and since writers are also readers, I guess this applies to everyone), here’s some easy tips for you . . .

 

“Like” and comment on authors' posts on their Facebook pages. Facebook's algorithms only show posts that FB thinks other members would like to see. That means the more likes and comments a post gets, the more people will see it.

 

Go to book signings, even if you can’t afford to buy the book at that time. Your attendance is ever so encouraging. I’ve been to book signings where the author and I were the only two people there. On the other hand, I was one of the authors at a local indie book store and because fans and friends showed up, the afternoon sped by and was fun—even though I didn’t sell a book.

  If you’ve got some good ideas on how best to encourage authors to keep writing, let me know. I’ll pass along the information and credit you as the source.

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News from the Killer Nashville conference: An announcement of the finalists for their 2023 Silver Falchion Awards.

“The judges have finally agreed! Here are the 2023 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards Finalists for Best Book of 2022. This year's winners will be announced at our Killer Nashville Awards Dinner on Saturday, August 19th at the Killer Nashville Awards Ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee.”

  Find out if an author you love to read is listed here:  https://www.killernashville.com/2023-silver-falchion-winners

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  Invitation: Writers, if you have a book launch coming up and want to schedule a post on Lyrical Pens for your blog tour, drop me a note. (PG13, please.)

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On the Personal News Front: The Mobile Writers Guild is on summer hiatus (no formal meetings) and a few of our members met at the Bluegill restaurant yesterday for our July Drink & Scrawl. Good time, good food, good camaraderie. And we were all extremely happy to be seated inside the restaurant when a heavy-duty, lightning-filled, fierce-winds storm suddenly roared across Mobile Bay. 

  An hour later, it was still storming on my way home. About 20 mph was top speed in some places because wind-blown rain was strafing the roads in thick sheets, the windshield wipers were having a hard time keeping up, and vehicles were having trouble staying in their water-covered lanes. Took me an hour to go less than 20 miles. That was a white-knuckle adventure, and I’m happy to report that my friends made it home slowly and safely.

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  That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe summer…with lots of time for reading!

cj

  THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are quick reads, chock full of adventure with sassy banter and a smidgen of sweet romance. (Perfect diversions for those quick four-day weekend getaways—especially if it’s a stay-cation.)

  The books are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

Little note: The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  If she happens to be sold out, I also have a small stash. Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you any book(s) by any author of your choice.

➜ Follow me on . . .  

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson 

➜Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

All about apostrophes

cj Sez: How to properly use an apostrophe in some plurals has always plagued me, especially when input from critique readers challenges what I've written.

  

  I usually get on the Internet and do a search to prove to myself that I’m right (almost always), so I decided I should go to THE source for writers, The Chicago Manual of Style. I recorded the proper usage in a handy-dandy Word document that I keep on my computer and thought I'd share my findings with you.

 

https://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo25956703.html

  A Google search for how to use apostrophes results in a long list of sources. The following excerpts are examples of questions asked by wordsmiths and the answers provided by a CMOS correspondent:

 

Plural Names

Q. My boyfriend and I are having a battle royal over the use of apostrophes in plural names. In his PhD dissertation he repeatedly refers to a family by the name of Wallace. When he refers to them in the plural, he insists that the correct form is “the Wallace’s,” which seems entirely incorrect to me. I hold that it should be “the Wallaces,” just like “the McDonalds” or “the McPartlands” or “the DeVitos.” He is backing up his position with the example “the G.I.s,” which he insists should be pluralized as “the G.I.’s.” Please help. This is ruining our dinner conversation!

A. Usually in such arguments, the woman is right. Yours is no exception. The plural of names of persons and other capitalized nouns is usually formed with the addition of s or es. An apostrophe is never used to form the plural of family names. Write “the Wallaces,” “the Joneses,” the “Jordans,” etc. See paragraph 7.8 of the sixteenth edition of CMOS for the full statement of the applicable rule. As for G.I., Chicago style is GI (no periods), the plural of which we write as GIs. See 10.4 and 7.14.

Possessives and Attributives

Q. When indicating possession of a word that ends in s, is it correct to repeat the s after using an apostrophe? For example, which is correct: “Dickens’ novel” or “Dickens’s novel”?

A. Either is correct, though we prefer the latter. Please consult 7.15–18 for a full discussion of the rules for forming the possessive of proper nouns. For a discussion of the alternative practice of simply adding an apostrophe to form the possessive of proper nouns ending in s, see paragraph 7.21.

Q. I have suddenly become an editor and am having trouble on a daily basis with the numeric use of decades. First, is “the 90s” or “the ’90s” correct? We often see the apostrophe omitted these days. Next, if a sentence contains the phrase, “Perhaps the 70s best director . . .” (meaning, the best director of that decade), “70s” is both plural and possessive. Should it be “70’s”? “70s’”? Other than reconstructing the sentence, what’s an editor to do?

A. Strictly speaking, ’90s, with the apostrophe, is correct.

The ’70s’ finest director was Martin Scorsese, particularly for his work on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Taxi Driver.

Note the apostrophes, both of them. You are always free to write “seventies’ finest.” Or, “The finest director of the ’70s was assuredly Francis Ford Coppola, for his work on the first two Godfather films and Apocalypse Now.”

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  cj Sez: By the by, the Seventeenth Edition of The Chicago Manual of Style is still available, and according to the Amazon.com blurb: “for more than one hundred years The Chicago Manual of Style has remained the definitive guide for anyone who works with words.” Notice it said "anyone." The resource is not just for authors. 

 

Hope you found a nugget in this post that you can use, and FYI, The Associated Press Stylebook used by journalists differs somewhat.

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Writers, if you have a book launch coming up and want to schedule a post on Lyrical Pens for your blog tour, drop me a note. (PG13, please.)

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     On the Personal News Front, I can claim a writing victory: I submitted a chapter from my re-activated and now re-themed WIP to a contest. More than any dollar award, what I really want is the professional critique that all entries are to receive. I need (am desperate for) someone other than a family member to give me feedback on this piece. Even so, bonus points for the family member who thought the MC was boring, and I will owe him a steak dinner should the entry garner some positive comments and direction. I finally like this version better than any of the previous iterations, and I hope someone else likes it too. Of course, the changes make even more work: Now I have to re-edit the re-edit I just finished of my “Untitled” manuscript because I’ve changed the plot . . . again.

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   That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe summer…with lots of time for rest, relaxation, and reading!

cj

   My books are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

Little note: The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  If she happens to be out, I also have a small stash. Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you any book(s) by any author of your choice.

➜ Follow me on . . .  

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

From the archives . . .

cj Sez: June 22, 2009  

  That was the date I clicked “publish” on my first Lyrical Pens post. Fourteen-years ago. Wow.

As if

  You can click on the date to read my amateur effort, not that I now consider myself a pro by any stretch of the imagination. My first (and only) encouraging commenter for that post was Joyce Scarbrough ( https://www.facebook.com/joycescarbroughbooks/ ) … Thank you, Joyce.

  Lyrical Pens was created as a marketing tool for three, unpublished, writing/critique-group buddies (Mahala Church, Tracy Hurley, and me) who wanted to “get our names out there.” Mahala and Tracy had just co-founded the Mobile Writers’ Guild, and I had joined them as a charter member and Secretary…or maybe that was Treasurer (faulty memory). Go-getter Tracy worked through the technical part of building the perfect website. Sadly, Tracy died in 2010—way too young—and Mahala and I carried on. Today, where once there were three bloggers, there is now one. Mahala retired from the site in 2016.

  After fourteen years, I think I have enough blogging experience to offer two observations for new bloggers:

  First one comes with a caveat: “To thine own self be true.” 

  That is to say, identify your goal for the blog and write your posts with that in mind.

  Do you want to share tidbits of personal data as a way to grow your relationship with fans and readers? Do you want to share professional writing info to appeal to fellow authors? Maybe it’s a combination of both, which is where Lyrical Pens sits, although it does lean more toward the professional writing information.

  Second: A blog is a great (and cheap) way to market your works and build an author brand. And if/when you're published, link your posts to your author Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, et al. Be sure to embed buy links and book trailers. 

  Did you notice I wrote “author Facebook page?” I have two FB pages, one for personal notes and one for author stuff. The cover page is different for each site. Your personal social media followers aren’t there for sales pitches. They want to share conversations with the person behind the writerly persona. Keep the advertising low-key on your personal, and possibly private, site. A new book notice or a sale reminder is fine, but heavy slugs of “Buy My Book” advertising in every post just might drive away some of your new Friends. Some of your old friends, too.

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  My life-time motto/goal is to “learn something new every day,” and the learning continues. Today’s new something is the word “hypertufa.” I knew what it was, but I didn’t know the correct word for it. How cool is that!

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  That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe summer…with lots of time for reading!

cj

   My books are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Little note: The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  If she happens to be out, I also have a small stash. Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you any book(s) by any author of your choice.

➜ Follow me on . . .  

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

I was a secret agent

cj Sez:  I spent the last few weeks pretending to be a secret literary agent, tasked with critiquing an author’s submission into a slush pile. The goal of a critique is to be truthful and objective yet encouraging. It’s a painfully difficult job. The angst my comments have most likely caused that writerly soul makes me feel bad. It also put me in mind of how I react when my work is critiqued.

  Critiques are a must for serious writers. Despite our best intentions, we can’t judge/proofread/edit our own words, at least not thoroughly or objectively. We’re way too close to our manuscripts. We read past things because we “thought” them, because obviously the reader will know what we mean, even if the words actually aren’t on the page or are wrong. Objective critique partners find missing words, poorly constructed sentences, punctuation errors, missing story threads, plot holes, and all those other etceteras that the subjective writer misses.

  A big plus of critique groups is that members  generally have different strengths and areas of expertise. One might be a whiz at line editing. Another might offer insights into story structure. Still another may be great at recognizing plot holes. Or character flaws. Or the dreaded middle-of-the-book sag.

  There is yet another type of critiquer who can be incredibly helpful. That’s the one who isn’t so technical but points out the things that elicit their visceral reactions. What they laughed at, what they got scared of for the character, where they cried, got lost, what they did or didn’t “get” or where they were tempted to skim over paragraphs or pages. That kind of emotional information is invaluable. These are the comments that point the writer to where s/he’s succeeding or where s/he’s failing to communicate the desired story. These comments can represent the similar reaction of the writer’s intended audience—the reader who will pick up the book off the library shelf or (and I can only hope) the reader who will buy the book.

  This is a piece of advice I use often. Caveat: I believe writers should consider all the comments as if they were values on a bell curve. The comments that are similar (and bunch up like a hump in the middle) need another look. The outliers on either end of the curve (the one or two strange or subjective comments) can probably be disregarded, after due consideration, of course.

  The bell curve works for me, even the negative comments—though they sometimes get my goat before I discard them. I've learned that writers have to keep an open mind and be thick-skinned in order to keep writing.

  What kind of critiquer am I? I want to be fair and honest and make sure I intersperse negatives with positives. I’d love to hear how you deal with the personalities and critiques you’ve encountered.

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God Bless the U.S.A. on its 247th birthday.

  Wishing you and yours a happy and safe July 4 Independence Day celebration. 

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  That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe summer…with lots of time for reading!

cj

  My books are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

Little note: The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  If she happens to be out, I also have a small stash. Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you any book(s) by any author of your choice.

➜ Follow me on . . .  

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6