Rob Bignell's Blog, page 311

What does term 'in medias res' mean?

Q: While reading one of the self-published books about plotting a novel, I came across the term “in medias res” in the section on the book’s opening lines. What does this term mean?

The term is Latin for “in the middle,” and many editors and book critics would say that novels should dispense with the story’s background and start with the action already underway (or “in the middle” of the story). An excellent example of this is Homer’s “The Iliad,” which starts in the waning days of the Greek war with the Trojans rather than covering the 10-year siege before the final battle. This helps focus the story’s plot on a character resolving one significant central problem

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Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Detroit, Michigan, or a small town like Carefree, Arizona, I can provide that second eye.

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Five Great Quotations about Poetry

“All a poet can do is warn.” - Wilfred Owen

“I often think of a poem as a door that opens into a room where I want to go.” - Minnie Bruce Pratt

“And as imagination bodies forth the forms of things unknown, the poet's pen turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothings a local habitation and a name.” - William Shakespeare

“Poetry creates the myth, the prose writer draws its portrait.” - Jean-Paul Sartre

“You can’t write poetry on the computer.” -Quentin Tarantino

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Greensboro, North Carolina, or a small town like Weed, California, I can provide that second eye.

 

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Writing Inspirations: Let your writing time put your mind and body in a peaceful place

When we sit down to write, we psychically enter a sanctuary. This safe haven is our own personal space where we can say whatever is on our mind, where we can talk about what matters most to us, where we can imagine the kind of world that we would like to live.

Going to this safe haven – that is, undertaking the very act of writing – brings serenity.

Writing allows you to sweep out of your mind the clutter of daily worries and troubles. All that matters are the words on the page before you, the universe that your sentences and paragraphs have created. For a brief time at least, anxieties about paying bills, an ill loved one, and the politics of our workplace vanish, and you enjoy calm.

When writing, your creativity is like the soft glow of an inner candle, lighting the page with scenes and chapters. These tales and descriptions bring a peaceful order to the real world.

Writing heals you. Like a soothing salve or a scented candle, your sentences bring tranquility as you explore yourself and the emotional and metaphysical concerns that vex you, all in the safety of a story or a journal.

You leave each writing session physically relaxed and mentally untroubled. Writing has strengthened you.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Columbia, South Carolina, or a small town like Caulksvile, Arkansas, I can provide that second eye.

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Use Reddit to promote young adult male books

If your book’s primary readership is young adult males, you may want to consider using the social media site Reddit.

The site allows registered users to post short blurbs and then links about the news and entertainment world, as well as various other topics. Users then can vote a story “up or “down.”

According to a Google Ad Planner’s report, about 3 in 5 Reddit users are male. The median age of users is 18-29. If you write books about sports or pen science fiction, this is your core audience.

Registering is easy enough, as you simply select a user name, a password, and an email address. To post, you’ll need to write a headline, add some text (which can include links), and choose a “subreddit,” which is a category where your post will appear.

If you write a blog that centers on your book or its topic, posting the headline of your blog entry, it the first paragraph or two, and a link to the entry, works well on Reddit. You don’t want to post a blatant advertisement for your book but instead provide interesting information. Your blog no doubt includes a link for purchasing your book, and anyone who discovers you through your blog post can click that link and buy.

As with most social media, Reddit helps make readers aware of you and your blog. For example, I write hiking books. My blog discusses hiking and includes links to where my hiking books can be purchased. By getting those interested in hiking to my site via articles on how to buy a hiking boot, great trails in Yosemite National Park, and tips for lightening your backpack, those who find my information useful hopefully will return to the blog to read other articles and eventually purchase one of my books.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Miami, Florida, or a small town like Normal, Illinois, I can provide that second eye.

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Self-publishing tip: Give yourself an editor

Have your story critiqued by others – not by a spouse, parents, family members or close friends but by someone who writes, reads or edits for a living (Full disclosure here: I own and run such an editing service.). In addition, have just one or two readers/editors look it over; if you give it to too many people, you’ll likely receive conflicting advice that only will make revising more difficult, if not impossible.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Denver, Colorado, or a small town like Dewey Beach, Delaware, I can provide that second eye.

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No childish matter: middle age vs. middle-age

While the exact years that one enters middle age is uncertain, the spelling is very definite.

Middle age, a noun that means someone is about 40 to 65 years old, is two words (like ice cream) with no hyphen. For example: At the end of middle age, most people’s children have left home.

When using the word as an adjective – such as middle-aged – the hyphen appears, though. For example: Los Angeles has many middle-aged singles bars.

And with that, we can retire the issue of spelling of these two words for good.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Albuquerque, New Mexico, or a small town like Mud Butte, South Dakota, I can provide that second eye.

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Is bad writing space cramping your creativity?

The human body really isn’t meant to perform for hours on end some of the tasks that our modern writing and office equipment demand of it.

All too often, our necks cramp from looking at computer screens at slanted angles, our eyes burn from staring too long at the fixed distance of a computer monitor, and our fingers turn numb from the strain of our wrists performing repetitive motions. If you’ve spent all day working in an office under such conditions, the last thing your body wants to do once you’re home at night or for the weekend is to keep it up by writing.

Take some time to explore ergonomics issues and see if you can modify your writing space so you can get back to working on that book.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Austin, Texas, or a small town like Bald Knob, Arkansas, I can provide that second eye.

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Show rather than tell the backstory

Among the major errors some novice writers make is waiting to tell readers a story. Those writers begin their tale with lots of background information, such as the main character’s personality, where that character lives, what she does for a job, who are the members of her family, and so on. They believe that readers need to know this information before the story can be told.

Rather than give readers backstory, though, writers ought to launch their plot with the story’s very first line and keep it soaring. The backstory can be weaved into the plot by mentioning and inferring it through dramatic action.

So, rather than write…:

Kathy was the one who held everything and everyone down. Be it a few dollars on their rent, a ride to the grocery store, a kind or a harsh word (whichever the situation called for) – if you meant something to her, she always had your back. She shot straight from the hip at all times, and for that reason, she earned the one thing she cared about most, her respect.

...instead do something like this:

Kathy opened the refrigerator door, wondered where she'd place yet another casserole brought by those paying respect to David. Then she grinned; for the first time in her life, she didn't have to think about how her family was going to eat. She did have half a mind to tell the fifth neighbor who brought some tuna and noodle concoction what to go do with it, but Latrice was just being kind, so she accepted the warm Corningware dish with a smile. If Latrice made another snide remark about David Jr.'s haircut, though, Kathy knew right where she was going to stick that casserole.

The second passage infers that Kathy is “the one that held everything and everyone down” and that she always has “a kind or a harsh word (whichever the situation called for).” This is all done in the context of Kathy handling the funeral for her husband, who apparently is young, which we learn through her decision to defend “David Jr.’s haircut”.

In short, the second passage shows rather than tells. A character’s backstory invariably in exposition (or “telling”), and that’s poisonous to a story.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like San Antonio, Texas, or a small town like Toad Suck, Arkansas, I can provide that second eye.

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Editing client publishes first paranormal novel

A recent editing client of mine, Carlton Page, has published his first novel, “The Two Seeds.” The book tells the twin tales of X and Y, each of whom inexplicably has been given incredible, supernatural powers…and each of whom heads down opposite paths in their use of it. Ultimately, their roads lead back to one another, as they engage in a final battle that threatens to destroy all that exists. The paranormal thriller, with a spiritual message, is available for purchase online.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Little Rock, Arkansas, or a small town like No Name, Colorado, I can provide that second eye.

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Five Great Quotations about Plot

“Tell the readers a story! Because without a story, you are merely using words to prove you can string them together in logical sentences.” - Anne McCaffrey

“I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly.” - Edgar Rice Burroughs

“Anecdotes don't make good stories. Generally I dig down underneath them so far that the story that finally comes out is not what people thought their anecdotes were about.” - Alice Munro

“I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose.” - Stephen King

“Don’t give [the audience] four; give them two plus two.” - Andrew Stanton

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like Greenville, South Carolina, or a small town like Cocklebiddy, Washington, I can provide that second eye.

 

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