Emilie Richards's Blog, page 29
June 16, 2020
Letting Go: Decluttering A Novel
Most of you know about Marie Kondo, the new tidying expert, bestselling author, star of Netflix’s hit show “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo,” and founder of KonMari Media, Inc.
Kondo is famous for teaching people to find the things in their lives that don’t spark joy, and then letting go of them.
Letting go.
If you read this blog regularly, you know that I spent many weeks in May and June “letting go” of much of my newest book. Since then I’ve read several novels by other authors, and judging by that, I’ve concluded that “letting go” of words we love must be one of the hardest parts of writing.
As a gardener, it’s difficult for me to sow too many seeds and then thin out the seedlings to give them a better chance at growing into thriving plants. But thinning seedlings is necessary, and so is thinning sentences, paragraphs and occasionally scenes and chapters.
So how do we know what should go and what should stay? I thought you might enjoy a quick look at the decisions novelists make.
For writers, cutting a novel begins with following Kondo’s advice.
The easiest part of shortening a novel is getting rid of any part of it that doesn’t “spark joy.” A careful read through sets the process in motion.
Clunky sentences? Eject them. Descriptions that go on forever? Cut or shorten them. Scenes that don’t move the book forward? If the information has to be shared with the reader, then condense the scene into a few sentences of narrative.
Does a reader really want to see everything a character sees on her walk home from work? Or does she only want to see the one thing that’s important to the plot? Maybe a headline on a newspaper, or a glimpse of an old lover, or the same guy who’s taken to watching her from his front steps every afternoon.
“Jennifer’s walk home was uneventful. Same vendor on the sidewalk, same line at Starbucks, same woman sweeping her stoop. Then she spotted the guy on the steps, the one who had been there yesterday and the day before, the one who watched her so intently she knew he could pass a quiz on every one of her faults and attributes.”
Or, of course, we could describe the vendor at length, where he’s from and what he sells, moving on to how much Jennifer loves Starbucks and wishes the line weren’t so long because she’d really love an iced white chocolate mocha, but she hates to wait in line because of it reminds her of summer camp, where they served instant mashed potatoes in the cafeteria. And we could finish with how many times she’s seen the woman sweep her stoop, what the woman wears, what she’s said to Jennifer in the past, and Jennifer’s feelings about stoop-sweeping in general.
And finally, the guy watching her.
Nothing about that scene, none of which has anything to do with what’s important in the story, would spark joy. It should be easy to eject.
But what if everything sparks joy? After all, the author wrote this, and every word lives close to her heart.
In the same way that every one of the twenty-five black T-shirts in your dresser might make you feel wealthy and secure, you probably wouldn’t miss twenty of them if they disappeared tomorrow. Twenty extra words in a sentence or paragraph are exactly that. Perhaps they spark joy, but for whom? Writing is about the reader as much as the writer. And while we may want to expound at length on our favorite topic, pretending it’s important dialogue and not a conversation that nobody would put up with in real life, we can’t do it. Because what good is a lecture nobody wants to listen to? What good is a scene that sparks joy in the author if nobody wants to read it?
So sparking joy isn’t always a great test for a writer unless we can remove ourselves far enough that we can imagine how much joy we’re sparking in our readers.
Nuts and bolts.
As I was cutting many thousands of words from my novel, I approached it this way. After a careful, thorough read through, I realized I had three scenes I could simply turn into a few paragraphs of narrative. Every scene should accomplish several things, and if it didn’t, I needed to get rid of it. So I started with those.
Once no big chunks were left to cut, I looked at little chunks. I had carefully marked them as I read. For instance, I loved attending the Epiphany celebration in Tarpon Springs in January, but I had included too much description–even though I had tried not to. So anything that slowed the pace of the scene was shortened in that round.
Next I looked for repetition. And yes, there was a lot of it. Remember I wrote this book over many months. I couldn’t always remember exactly what I’d written six months before. Still, I didn’t worry because this always happens and I knew I’d catch repetition on the read through.
Repetition also happens when we find a better way to say similar things as the book progresses. If we leave every mention in, we’re hitting our readers over the head, or worse, we’re assuming our readers are not as smart as they are. Readers don’t need constant reminders. They get the point the first time or sometimes the second–if something else in the story has changed. So during this stage, I find the best time and the best place for a particular point, and that’s what I leave in.
Finally, and not as hard as it sounds, I cut words. Do I need every word in a sentence? Short is better, and it doesn’t matter how brilliant I though a metaphor or descriptor was at the time, if it doesn’t really serve a purpose, out it goes.
I cut 30,000 words. (About 120 pages.) I’ve read books shorter than that. Will a one of those words be missed? Not by me. Everything in the book that sparked joy, once I considered my reader’s joy, too, is still there. The rest is like those twenty black T-shirts. They weren’t needed, and they only added clutter. The final product was worth the work.
I hope you’ll think so, too.
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June 13, 2020
June 9, 2020
Writing and Jigsaw Puzzles
Last week I finished editing my new book and emailed it to my editor, who like so many others is working from home.For years, finishing a book meant buying paper, ink cartridges and giant padded envelopes, then spending several hours printing the complete manuscript. Finally I stood in line at the post office to say goodbye and safe journey. If a book was going to Canada, as they sometimes did, I had to fill out custom forms and plan for the extra weeks the manuscript might take to get there and still meet my deadline.
On Tuesday I simply pressed a key and off it went, although to be honest, it wasn’t as simple as all that. I decided to add a title page and to paginate it, and my Wordperfect and Word programs, ornery to begin with, began an old-fashioned duel. Emily (yes Emilie is edited by Emily) tells me she opened the manuscript to check, and it looks fine after my hours of tweaks. My fingers are still crossed.
Some books are more difficult than others.
From the beginning, this book wasn’t at all sure what it wanted to be. It finally took shape and I finished it well into quarantine. Of course, the silver lining was that by then, I had nothing else to distract me, although I still needed the occasional diversion for the occasional day off. So in addition to cooking interesting new dishes, feeding sourdough culture, ordering groceries from Instacart, reading twice as much as usual and sewing masks, I bought a jigsaw puzzle. Since no one was coming through our front door, Proman and I could assemble it at our leisure on our dining room table.
Have you tried to buy jigsaw puzzles since everyone dove into their burrows?
For a while, jigsaw puzzles were on a par with toilet paper, disinfectant wipes and yeast. Many that looked promising were out of stock. I finally settled on A is for Arson by TDC games, available from Amazon. A is for Arson is a mystery puzzle with a thousand pieces jumbled together in one box, for two separate puzzles with no photo of either. The puzzle also comes with a little story, and it’s the puzzler’s job to figure out what pieces belong to which puzzle, then assemble them separately and use the clues to solve the mystery.
Isn’t that clever? There are more puzzles in the series, although Proman says he will divorce me if I buy the next one. (It’s a good day in our house if even one piece snaps into place.)
I haven’t done many jigsaw puzzles as an adult, but putting this one together seems all too familiar. Writing is exactly like assembling a puzzle.
Every novel has a framework. We begin writing with strong ideas where a story is going. In a puzzle, the easiest pieces to find are the borders, and once assembled they provide the framework for the rest of the picture. In an interesting twist yesterday I realized that my puzzle framework had been wrong for weeks, and that I had to add pieces to accommodate the rest of the puzzle. That’s like writing, too. Sometimes we find that in order to make a story work, we have to add to and expand that framework. This was an analogy I could have done without, but so it goes.
(Yes, we’re still working on the same puzzle!)
Assembling similar puzzle pieces is the next step. Novelists do this, too. How do the ideas we began with mesh with the rest of our story? Whose problem is this and how does it connect to its neighbor? We manage to put five or six similar pieces together, but we still have to decide where they belong. Again, that’s exactly like a novel. This scene and that one go together, but will they be better here, at the beginning of the story, or further along? In both a book and a puzzle we can move them around until we hear that satisfying click.
At the end of a puzzle and a book, everything happens faster. We have fewer pieces and fewer places to put them. Of course if puzzle pieces aren’t where they should be, there’s no place to put remaining pieces. For the novelist the same thing happens. Just as we’re nearing the ending we realize that some of what’s come before–often something we’ve slaved over–just won’t work. In the editing phase of a novel, we delete and rearrange until we have the “picture” we wanted to create.
I found one notable difference between jigsaw puzzles and novels.
When I finished my latest, the book was much too long. I spent the last two weeks of my deadline cutting thousands of words, over 20,000 in fact. The book is tighter and better. Not a word will be missed. Hopefully A is for Arson won’t have any leftover pieces.
More about puzzles.
I’ve linked to A is for Arson above, just in case I’ve piqued your interest. Remember I’m an Amazon Associate and as such get a teensy kickback when you buy from my Amazon links. But the puzzle is probably available in other places, too. Right now I have two different puzzles sailing toward the U.S. shore on a slow boat from China.
I’m not worried about when they’ll arrive. Finishing Arson will take at least that long.
More about books.
As for another book? My next project is to issue a trilogy I wrote years ago both digitally and in print again. And hopefully after that an original anthology featuring beloved characters from my Shenandoah Album series. So stay tuned.
How about you? Are you a puzzler? Tell us some of your favorites.
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June 6, 2020
May 30, 2020
Sunday Inspiration: Everyone is grieving
“Every single human being you pass by today is fighting to find peace and to push back fear; to get through their daily tasks without breaking down in front of the bananas or in the carpool line or at the post office…
“Everyone is grieving and worried and fearful, and yet none of them wear the signs, none of them have labels, and none of them come with written warnings reading, I’M STRUGGLING. BE KIND TO ME.
“And since they don’t, it’s up to you and me to look more closely and more deeply at everyone around us: at work or at the gas station or in the produce section, and to never assume they aren’t all just hanging by a thread. Because most people are hanging by a thread—and our simple kindness can be that thread.”
–from Stuff That Needs To Be Said by John Pavlovitz
These words were written before the Pandemic turned our world upside down, but they are so relevant today. The quote is also in John Pavlovitz’s new book. May we keep reminding ourselves to be kind, to be compassionate, to be gentle with each other, even though our own pain and grief makes it’s so hard to do so.
The usual reminder. I’m an Amazon Associate, so if you click on an Amazon link on any of my blog posts, I may receive a wee royalty. I am, however, a huge fan of all bookstores everywhere. Amazon’s the one that has linking down to a science.
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May 23, 2020
Sunday Inspiration: Remember
Do you remember?
Memorial Day is taking the time to remember.
To remember all those in uniform who have sacrificed so generously and courageously for our country.
To remember the families — the partners, children, and others — who spent so much time separated from their loved ones, who waited and waited for the joyous return without knowing if there would be one, and especially for those who suffered a loss, leaving a painful gap that could never be filled.
To remember my father who fought on the front lines in Europe during World War II and came home victorious but wounded in spirit.
To remember those spread across our planet doing their best to serve our country and others, some in danger, others far from home and family, all sacrificing for a nation desperate for peace but reluctantly ready for war.
On this Memorial Day, let’s take a few moments to remember and give thanks for courage and sacrifice and love.
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May 20, 2020
Gone Writing
Well, the sign’s not exactly right. I’ve “gone writing.”
I finally finished my latest book, at least the first draft. Now I’m at the cutting (drastically) stage. Since it’s due very soon, that’s where all my energy is going. So while I wish I were fishing, or at least sitting quietly on a riverbank surrounded by wildflowers, I’m hard at work. Southern Exposure will return soon.
Meantime, stay safe, stay inside, and stay sane.
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May 16, 2020
Sunday Inspiration: A Prayer For Dark Times
I recently received the official word that there will be no nine-week season of music, lectures, classes, workshops, worship, dance, friendships, and recreational activities at our beloved Chautauqua Institution this summer. Instead, as with so many other activities these days, there will be online programs.
The news was not unexpected, but sad just the same. We have been spending parts of or entire summers there for over 25 years now, and to us it is sacred ground.
Perhaps, if all goes well, we’ll be able to spend a few weeks at our Chautauqua cottage later in the summer to be with friends — at a safe distance — and to walk beside the beautiful lake. This loss is small compared to so many others, but it is a loss nonetheless.
Chautauqua publishes a prayer from our “interfaith family” each week. The prayer below is from a frequent speaker at Chautauqua and good friend of many there, Sister Joan Chittister, a Benedictine Sister of Erie. You will find more inspiration at her website, including a copy of this prayer to print.
I hope it will give you some solace as it has for me.
Prayer from Chautauqua’s Interfaith Family
Prayer for a Pandemic
God of light
and God of mystery,
give us the faith to see you
in the grey dimness
of this time.
Give us the heart to hear,
in the silence of the sick,
the call to care for those
in pain.
Give us the courage
to find you
where you do not now
appear to be.
Give us the trust it takes
to make our way
through this uncertainty,
this fear,
this seemingly irredeemable sense of limitless loss
to the recognition
of the relentless hope
that each seasonal cycle
of life
confirms in us.
You who made all things
for our good and our growth
show us, too, now
the power of darkness
so that we might see newly—
beyond the ephemeral—
to what are really
the gloriously important things
in life.
Amen
—Sr. Joan Chittister
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May 13, 2020
Kylie Logan and The Scent of Murder
Today I am so pleased to welcome my good friend Kylie Logan/Casey Daniels.I’ve enjoyed sharing books by friends for the past three weeks. Now is the best possible time to find new authors to enjoy–or new books by authors you already love. Kylie is one of my brainstorming buddies, but our friendship goes so far back I swear at the beginning we were discussing dinosaurs not cadaver dogs.
Today I’m celebrating the release of the second book in Kylie’s new series, the Jazz Ramsey Mysteries. Book One: The Scent of Murder was released last May and Book Two: The Secret of Bones, was released last week.
Booklist from the American Library Association had this to say: “Recommended for cozy readers who like some mysteries a bit darker as well as suspense fans who want something more traditional.”
Jazz Ramsey trains and handles cadaver dogs. That’s right, the dogs who help law enforcement find the missing dead. I thought it would be fun to talk about Kylie’s own dogs a little, along with some of the research she’s done and finally, the colorful, historical neighborhood of Tremont in Cleveland, OH, where the mysteries are set.
I know you’re a dog lover, especially of Airedales. How many Airedales have you had and do you have stories to tell about any of them?
Yes, big Airedale lover. Don’t ask me why! They are smart, and they can also be stubborn. But oh, how I love them! Over the years, we’ve had four. Hoover was our first, a giant of a guy who ate everything in sight including a door and rocks. Ernie came along next, the most laid back Airedale on the planet! What a sweetie he was. At the same time we had him, we had the opportunity to foster a senior Airedale. Her name was Casey, she was 13, and her owner simply didn’t want her anymore, was going to have her put down. Of course we couldn’t let that happen. She was quiet, she was sweet and lived with us for a year and a half.
Now we have Eliot. What can I say? He’s either the most loving dog we’ve ever had, or the neediest. Loves to cuddle. Loves to sit and be patted. He’s a show dog and automatically, people think that must mean he’s well-behaved. Not! He’s a show dog because physically, he’s the perfect Airedale. That does not change his trouble-makin’ heart. He’s enthusiastic about everything he does, whether it’s eating my library card, jumping on my lap when I least expect it, or body slamming his sister, Lucy (a shaggy white creature of questionable parentage who is way, way bigger than he is).
You’ve accompanied cadaver dog trainers into the field. What are the hardest parts of their job, do you think?
I am overwhelmed by the dedication of these people! They are constantly learning, constantly training. They’re tested and certified, and the standards are exacting. And they’re volunteers! I admire them no end.
How much training does a dog need before he’s any help at a crime scene? And does training continue?
The dogs are trained from puppies. They have to not only learn the scent of human decomposition, they have to be able to distinguish it from the scent of other animals. The last thing a handler needs when looking for the deceased is to have a dog that keeps finding dead raccoons or rabbits! Training starts slow, sometimes with something like a tennis ball that’s stored with the “bait” (sometimes an actual human body part, sometimes a chemical scent). As the dog plays with the toy, he comes to associate its scent with the scent his trainer wants him to find. And this is play for the dogs. They learn that if they do their job and do it well, they’re rewarded with play time and their favorite toy.
What piqued your interest in cadaver dogs and led to the series? Did you consider becoming a handler yourself?
We belong to an Airedale club. No surprise there, right? A few years ago, we had an HRD (Human Remains Detection) dog trainer speak at one of our meetings. That’s when I got interested and knew I wanted to write about these amazing people and their dogs. As for me becoming a handler? See above, I simply don’t have the dedication or the energy! Would Eliot or Lucy love it? Yes, I think they both would. The group we’ve trained with goes out every single Sunday morning, rain or shine, snow or blistering heat. I am, in fact, too lazy for that!
What kind of dogs are best for this work? Our beagle had the nose but not the attention span.
That’s the trick, finding a dog with just the right combination of interest and talent. And the dog can be any breed. The dog needs to be taught ground scenting techniques (for when dead cells fall to the earth) as well air scenting. They have to be hardy enough to work over all terrain and in all weather. They have to be loyal enough to their handlers to obey (that might leave Eliot out right there!), but they also have to be smart enough to work on their own and make their own decisions. And yes, attention span has a lot to do with it. Some handlers won’t even start training their dogs until the dog is two years old. Until then, they say the attention span is just not there.
The books are set in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, OH. I’ve been there so I know how historical some of the churches are. What are your favorite things to see there?
Tremont is an amazing area of town. Originally settled by New England farmers, it is an area of town that borders Cleveland’s industrial heartland. Eventually it became the home of the thousands of immigrants who came to work in the city’s factories. And yes, there are a lot of churches! That’s because the Poles had their own church where the spoke their own language. The Greeks had the same. And the Russians. And the Hungarians. That’s one of the things that makes the neighborhood so unique. It really was a melting pot. I love the history of the neighborhood and yes, those incredible churches. I think there are 38 of them in a two-square-mile area. These days Tremont is also home to the great Cleveland food scene, and a center for galleries and boutiques.
Many thanks to Kylie for taking the time to answer my questions. It’s always a pleasure to help my readers find great books. And equally a pleasure to interview a friend.
For buy links visit Kylie’s publisher’s website.
The usual reminder. I’m an Amazon Associate, so if you click on an Amazon link on any of my blog posts, I may receive a wee royalty. I am, however, a huge fan of all bookstores everywhere. Amazon’s the one that has linking down to a science.
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