Favorite Literary & Writing Quotes

In the future, I will be including my favorite literary and writing quotes in this blog. For all 19 quotes to date, see "Older Posts" on my Facebook wall. For the most recent quotes, see Writing Words...Notes & Quotes for Authors on Writing, Editing & the Literary Life.

Inspiration for Book Authors

In my business, HelpingYouGetPublished.com, most of my author clients come to me with completed first drafts of their books. We then focus on polishing each manuscript and taking it to successful publication.

At the heart of the publishing endeavor are ideas that once clamored to be turned into words on pages. But as every book author knows, starting to write and carrying on to the end present no small challenge. Here is a link to 25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer, compiled by Jocelyn K. Glei. Whether you are struggling with the beginning of your first book or in the throes of your umpteenth, these insights will inspire and re-inspire you to forge ahead.

All about Book Editing

Anyone who writes a book and gets it conventionally published will encounter at least one editor, and typically two or more, during the production phase of getting published. Such editors may be working in-house or as freelancers contracted by the publishing house. Whether working in-house or freelance, book editors employed by publishers have varying levels of authority and perform different tasks--everything from acquiring manuscripts and providing creative input on the work to doing line-by-line copyediting and proofreading to ensure that the published books are as correct and editorially consistent as possible. Authors who are prepared for the different kinds of editing they will encounter are the ones most likely to go through production without undue stress.

The popularity of self-publishing has created a further demand for freelance book editors who are employed directly by the authors themselves. The boom in self-publishing has led to some productive and rewarding collaborations between authors and editors. Many other authors, however, have ended up disappointed by editors who are unqualified for book editing and whose fees are out of proportion to the services they are able to provide. It is therefore important for self-publishing authors to learn about the functions and desirable qualifications of freelance editors in general before they hire any particular ones for themselves.

This autumn, the main Helping You Get Published website features an article, "Meet Your Destiny," that will introduce conventionally publishing authors to the kinds of editors they are likely to encounter. Two other articles and a video will provide self-publishing book authors with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions when hiring freelance editors.

Click here for the "all about editing" feature articles and video...

Latest from HelpingYouGetPublished.com

Autumn 2011 update at HelpingYouGetPublished.com with new features, books, editorial services, and resources for writing and publishing... http://www.helpingyougetpublished.com/new.html

Point of View Pointers for Fiction Writers

The more that I assess fiction, the more I am convinced that point of view (POV) is at the heart of successfully managing some of the most crucial stylistic and structural elements of the narrative. There have been a lot of books written on POV. Some claim that there are something like 30 or so possible POVs. Others say there are only three that count—which is the model from which I work. The three are:

1—Pure character POV—that is, narrative in the first person.
2—Pure omniscient POV—that is, narrative in a third-person voice that comes from the author hovering somewhere above or behind the action—and seeing, hearing, knowing, and recording all that’s going on.
3—Omniscient/character hybrid POV—that is, the use of a third-person omniscient voice only to the extent of setting a scene or quickly providing some information and leading readers into the head and body of a character who then speaks, and thinks for him/herself.

Many authors choose #3 because it is flexible, allowing the reader to see and respond to events through the character, while the author can still convey information that serves the plot, but which is not yet known to the character. The pitfall is when the author slips from one POV to another without developing any sufficiently for reader engagement. For example, what if you were reading a romance novel and came to a scene like this:

Judith looked into his eyes. Yes, she thought, this is the man for me. Randolph looked back at her and felt his defences collapsing. His pulse quickened as he stepped toward her.

So what's wrong with this? The answer is: POV slippage. The scene begins in Judith's head and rapidly switches into Randolph's. Carry on like this and, rather than a coherent scene that engages the reader and helps sell your manuscript, you end up with POV ping-pong and a mishandled scene that will be a red flag to any agent or acquiring edtior that you are not in control of your story.

Rule of thumb to solve the problem: Use one character POV per scene.

Book Blast from the Past...

Some of the items on the list described below are recent but most, for me, are a trip down literary memory lane.

50 Most Influential Books of the Last 50 (or so) Years 

In compiling the books on this list, the editors at SuperScholar have tried to provide a window into the culture of the last 50 years. Ideally, if you read every book on this list, you will know how we got to where we are today. Not all the books on this list are “great.” The criterion for inclusion... http://www.superscholar.org/features/50-most-influential-books-last-50-years/