Category Editing topics

ISWG March Writing Question

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener 3 Comments

Hello again! I realize it’s been a loooong while, but that’s because I’ve been busy growing a business. I couldn’t let this question go unanswered, though. Have a look! 😉

March 1 question – Have you ever read a line in novel or a clever plot twist that caused you to have author envy?

How about an entire book or series?

Absolutely! In fact, I’m reading one now.

I’m reading Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff, the third book in the Nevernight series. I can say that the entire series has screwed up my insides and given me the greenies with envy.

But more importantly, it has inspired me and fed the individual fire within.

The story of Mia and her exploits is EPIC; there’s no other way to say it. But it’s the physical structural elements the author has employed that make my heart race.

Why? Because he breaks every ‘rule’ out there. All those little things within text that many say detract from the reading experience, well, they are there.

Such as:

  • Footnotes – yes! In a fiction text, there are footnotes, and they are brilliant. I love this as a technique to impart other stuff that information junkies like myself just have to know. And those that don’t want to know about the three kinds of sea drakes in the Sea of Sorrows don’t have to read them. Simple as that! But I warn you, you might miss the best joke on the page if you skip them…
  • Italics – I say “Use ’em, anytime you want to. Just be consistent.” And do use them for the things they should be used for as well, such as book titles and other works the style guides recommend them for. Consistency is the key here.
  • Other typefaces – YES!!! Why else do we have all these gorgeous fonts and letter forms if not to use them in printed works? Kristoff uses all small capitals for one of the characters. 😱 Imagine that? I did only find this out when I switched from the audiobook to the hardcover, however. But up until that point, the narrator was stellar at character voices. Seeing the text only made me love it more.
  • Creative word placement on the page – such as stringing words across a page to mimic stepping into a shadow in long strides. Love it! When I read that construction, I feel the shadows stretching to accommodate Mia as she steps; I see her jump and land soundlessly on the next word. It adds another level to the reading experience. What’s not to appreciate?
  • Taking the piss on himself and critics in the text – In the banter between two characters, the author raises the absurdity of footnotes in a fiction book, like “Who does that?” and the brutality of the ending of the second book. It is brutal; I was wrung out for an entire day after listening to it. First-class book hangover. But I love that he addresses the things he knew he would get slag for in a laugh-out-loud way. Why not? Rules, even implied ones, exist to be broken; that’s one of my mottos, but I’m also an Aquarius, and we live for such things.
Image by Peter Lomas from Pixabay

Expressing creativity takes many forms. I always encourage the authors I edit for to make the story and text work for itself and for them.

If you want to s p a c e out a word to illustrate how a character speaks or thinks, do it! I’m with you.

Italics for a character’s inner thoughts? Love it, I do this myself. The form of italics has a softer, inner thought feel to it, more secretive, more private.

Footnotes1 for extra info and cheek? Bring them on.

I hope to see more of this type of rebellion in writing. We are already creating pictures with words in the reader’s mind, why not create them on the page with the physical form of the words?

The only character I’m not as yet comfortable using in printed books is the interrobang (!?) because it is used in the texting universe. But I think it will become mainstream shortly; it is perfect for expressing that exclamation-question tone. And as we all know, language and writing constantly evolve with communication preferences and societal norms.

For now, I’m off to write inspired, however the words want to come out. How about you? Will you?

Reblog — Can Writers Still Be Readers? — Writer Unboxed

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

This is a topic that comes up often in conversation among writers, and more importantly, among editors. Many who say they do all three activities grouse about how one has ruined some of the others for them. Perhaps I’m in a minority, but I haven’t had this happen. Yet.

It may be that my brain works in a different way, one that segments and separates easier than someone else. I have high Input, Strategic, and Learner Gallup Strengths, information intake is my specialty. It stands to reason that sorting it would be also. I can file away that poignant metaphor or plot twist for later musing and not let it dampen the story or ruin it.

Either way, I find it a fascinating topic that is as individual as the person expressing it. Here’s another opinion from Writer Unboxed.

What do you think? Does writing and/or editing affect your reading?~

image by Paul Bence

All writers begin as readers, right? We fell in love with other people’s stories—where they could take us, what they could do—and then, one day, decided to make a story ourselves. 546 more words

Can Writers Still Be Readers? — Writer Unboxed

Reblog — Thinking Fiction: The Book as an Object — An American Editor

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

This topic caught my eye while I was scrolling. I enjoyed the discussion about the phases a manuscript goes through as it passes to different people on the publishing journey. We all believe our writing to be a part of us, but isn’t the idea that it becomes “real” only once someone else has read it a bit ironic? The section about the author-editor relationship and how an editor views a book is informative—something to be kept in mind when you send your work out. Well worth reading for writers and editors, enjoy!~

Carolyn Haley Writing a novel has often been likened to having a baby. The analogy is apt, in terms of gestation, obsession, pain, thrill, frustration, and all that goes with the long-term development of a new life. Less often discussed is what happens later in the process, when it’s time to push the fledgling out […]

Thinking Fiction: The Book as an Object — An American Editor

Reblog — 11 Techniques for Transforming Clichéd Phrasings — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

One of the editing tips I recently posted on my social media channels for Red Leaf Words Services had to do with rephrasing clichés in your own unique way when you want to use the basic idea. This post from the informative ladies at Writers Helping Writers shows you how to do just that. Your readers will thank you!~

One of the things that pumps me up the most when I’m reading a book is when the author phrases things in a way I’ve never seen before. It could be a familiar concept or image—red hair, an urban street, fear—but when it’s written differently, I’m able to visualize that thing in a new way,…

11 Techniques for Transforming Clichéd Phrasings — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Reblog — What We’ve Been Taught About Backstory . . . and Why It’s Wrong — Writer Unboxed

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

I couldn’t resist reblogging this article by my favorite writing craft author, Lisa Cron. Though it is a few years old now, the principles discussed are still relevant and foundational for writers of all levels. I hope you enjoy it.~

photo by R/DV/RS via Flickr Let’s talk about backstory. Last month in my post I wrote a lot about it, and when reading through the always insightful comments, it struck me that there is a bit of legitimate confusion, along with some deeply ingrained misconceptions, about backstory: what it is, its role when creating a […]

What We’ve Been Taught About Backstory . . . and Why It’s Wrong — Writer Unboxed

Reblog— What to Expect from an Editor — Writer Unboxed

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

I see this topic come up in conversation in online writing groups constantly. This Writer Unboxed episode provides a solid idea of what to expect from an editor and why we aren’t to be feared. Editors have a genuine desire to help authors improve their craft and see their creativity shine. Many of us are writers too, we understand the discomfort involved, and trust me, we don’t want to perpetuate it in someone else! ~

Letting other people—even those close to you—read your novel for the first time can be stressful. You’ll wonder if they’re going to judge you, if they’ll recognize themselves in there, or if you really want your mother to know that you know about these things. But after the first few times, you get used to…

What to Expect from an Editor — Writer Unboxed

One difference I would note is that where Mr. Dempsey talks about the notations and comments made in “…copy editing and proof reading” stages, at Quill & Orb Press those notations would be part of my line editing and copy editing services.

If you would like to learn more about Quill & Orb Press editing, please visit me here. Enjoy your day!~