Editing Tip # 39: Writing Your Memoir (part five)

Kathy Ide’s Editing Tips
© Kathy Ide, 2010

In this column, freelance author, editor, and speaker Kathy Ide shares tips on self-editing your manuscript.

~ Writing Your Memoir (part five) ~

The last few weeks I’ve been discussing some steps to creating a good memoir. Here are two more.

Step 6: Share

Once you’ve finished a solid draft, have two or more people you trust (including people who represent your “target audience”) read your manuscript and give you their honest impressions—both what they liked and what they think could be improved. Don’t tell them anything about the book ahead of time. Ask them to highlight sections they feel are powerful and sections they found confusing, boring, or unnecessary. After they’ve read the memoir, ask them to summarize what the story was about (without looking again at the manuscript). Be sure to thank your reviewers for their feedback and their time.

Consider these assessments/critiques as objectively as you can. If you disagree with one person’s opinion, ask someone else. If you get the same response from more than one reviewer, give it serious consideration. Carefully consider all feedback offered, but in each instance, give yourself the freedom to take it or leave it. After all, this is your story.

Consider finding, joining, or starting a critique group with others who are writing their memoirs (either in person or by e-mail). Giving and receiving feedback with like-minded people can sharpen your writing and self-editing skills. And it won’t cost you anything but time.

Step 7: Polish

Fine-tune your memoir by making sure all the nitty-gritty stuff (punctuation, usage, grammar, and spelling) is correct. A simple comma in the wrong place can change the meaning of a sentence. And mechanical errors will make you look like an amateur (to readers and publishers).

Review the nuts and bolts of punctuation and grammar for yourself. Consult The Chicago Manual of Style (the industry-standard reference for commercial book publishers in the US). Be sure to use the most recent edition. (The 15th is the current, but the 16th is scheduled for release August 1, 2010.)

If you can’t get a copy of The Chicago Manual of Style (or can’t find what you’re looking for in it, or can’t understand it when you do), you may wish to purchase my Polishing the PUGS: Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling Tips for Writers. It’s based on the rules in CMOS, but is organized in a more user-friendly fashion and written in easier-to-understand layman’s terms. (Available on my Web site, www.KathyIde.com.)

Look up every word you’re not 100% sure of the spelling for in the most recent edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (the industry standard for commercial book publishers in the US). Study the definition to make sure the word is what you meant in that context and that you’re using the correct spelling for that form of speech. Look up all hyphenated words and compound words. Do not rely on spell-check.

Ask a friend to proofread your manuscript to catch typos, inconsistencies, and other mistakes you may have overlooked.


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NOTE: It is an infringement of copyright law to reproduce this
publication, in part or in whole, without the express permission of the author. To request permission, please e-mail Kathy@KathyIde.com.

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AUTHOR BIO:
Kathy Ide has written books, articles, play and movie scripts, short stories, devotionals, and curriculum. Her books include Polishing the PUGS and Fiction and Truth. Kathy is a full-time freelance editor, offering a wide range of editorial services for authors and publishers. She also speaks at writers’ conferences across the country. She is the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (www.ChristianEditor.com). To find out more, please visit www.KathyIde.com.

Photographing Where You Live

BY SUZANNE WILLIAMS

You know you've been there. You picked up the latest issue of a photography magazine and an entire article was dedicated to some remote, fascinating location. You soon find yourself either (a) planning your next trip or (b) feeling really down-in-the-dumps because you "never go anywhere".

Looking at the same scenery day after day, we become visually jaded. The beauty of the world around us fades and is replaced by seemingly impossible-to-reach expanses of ocean or glorious mountain heights. So how can we re-fire our love for the landscape of home? And how can we best display it to those who've perhaps never been here?

Circle B Reserve, Lake Hancock, Winter Haven, Florida

1. Remember

In the second question, you find the first key. Remember that others have never been there. Where you live is just as unique to other people as their location is to you. With that thought in mind, ask yourself what in your area makes it stand out. It could be architecture, natural geology, or a particular historical event. Do some research. Pick a location, and go there.

2. Angle

When you visit, take photos from many spots. Do both close-ups and wide-angles. Include people in some and exclude people in others. Look for high camera angles or low camera angles. Different points of view seen together will in the end give your viewer a better feel for that location. And don't be afraid to imitate a well-known photograph for yourself.

Oak Hammock

3. Seasons

If your area is seasonal, plan out how you can over the course of time feature the seasons. I know here in Central Florida this is often a bigger challenge, especially in the winter months. Therefore, I look for decoration displays indicative of an upcoming holiday. I also pay attention to the more subtle changes in nature, the bare branches of certain trees or the early flush of spring. There is something special to where you live, you have only to step back and see it.

4. Time of Day

The lighting at certain times of day can be a definitive factor. The sunset on canyon walls adds additional colors to the stones. The placement of a statue at noontime might create particular patterns of light between buildings. Be sure to use the shadows to your advantage. Shadows can indicate distance or height, or even exaggerate it.

Fallen Oaks

5. Information

Lastly, include location information in an online gallery, especially if there is history involved. This will give a better foundation for your photographs. However, keep the words short. Learn how to paraphrase or refer to a link when a longer explanation is needed. Too many words can be distracting and cause people to lose interest.

I am always trying to display to others how beautiful it is here. Most often, people think of Florida as sand, beaches, and sea shells. Yet for me, as a resident of this county from birth, Florida is slash pines, live oaks, and sabal palmettoes. It is ponds, whose dark waters provide sustenance to multiple species of herons, egrets, ibis, or storks, and of course, the ever present alligator. I desire to present the beauty of this place to others, so that even if they never have an opportunity to visit here in person, through my photographs they might feel like they did.

*If you have an online gallery, that displays your area, leave a link in the comments section. I am always willing to travel to your locale via the internet.

Sabal Palms

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Suzanne Williams Photography
Florida, USA

Suzanne Williams is a native Floridian, wife, and mother, with a penchant for spelling anything, who happens to love photography.

Murder on the Victory Train

Reviewed by Phee Paradise

Stars in the Night
By Cara Putnam

There’s plenty of romance in Stars in the Night, but not from long walks on late evenings. The stars are movie stars and the main character is reluctant to acknowledge the romance. Audra Shaeffer is intent on finding her sister’s murderer. The search takes her on a train ride with a bunch of Hollywood stars who are touring the country to sell war bonds during the second World War. Although she doesn’t know it, Audra is beautiful enough to catch the stars’ attention, and one of them, Robert Garfield, gets hers.

The romance and the mystery of the murder develop side by side. Although Audra is attracted to Robert, she doesn’t know if she can trust him. He does all he can to reassure her and help her in her search for the killer. Since most of the story takes place on a train, they are thrown together, like it or not. Robert is thrilled with the opportunity, although Audra tries to keep her distance.

Robert is an interesting character. Although a recognized star, he is on the Hollywood B list and currently without a contract. He is a strong Christian and tries to avoid the typical Hollywood lifestyle, although he had allowed the studio to tell him whom to marry. The result was a painful divorce that he didn’t seek.

Audra, on the other hand, confused me. She is also a strong Christian and her faith is beyond question. But, while she is described as a strong woman, her actions present her as weak and emotionally driven. She is an attorney who has fought for acceptance in a male world, but she constantly doubts herself and her abilities. She believes she should always be in control, and blames herself for not taking care of her sister, but most of her decisions lack common sense. It felt to me like Putnam told the readers who she wanted Audra to be, but showed us a different person.

The murder mystery part of the book was well developed and the story was peppered with clues, but not enough to solve the mystery. For a little while I thought the solution would have no relevance to the clues, but I was proved wrong. In the end the mystery is solved, the romance is resolved and the future looks bright.

What more could you ask from your light reading?

Pros: Well developed plot and characters with an underlying strong Christian message. A good mystery with just the right touch of romance.

Cons: The motivations of the protagonist are not consistent with the author’s depiction of her character.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Stars In The Night Summerside Press (July 1, 2010)

by Cara Putman



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Word From Cara:

I graduated from high school at sixteen, college at 20, and completed my law degree when I was 27.

My writing journey started in 2005 when I decided to write my first novel. Now I have eleven books published with more on the way.

People say I've accomplished a lot and that I must have life by the proverbial tail. Hardly! I grew up as a home schooled kid when home schoolers were misunderstood and oddities.

I struggle with balancing my writing and law career, plus being a good mom and wife.

I often fear people won't like my books.

I've walked through the deep pain of miscarriage.

Really, I'm just like you – I don't have it all together and have gone through tough times. But in His strength, I've discovered a strength I never knew I had. A strength I want you to discover, too.

In the end I'm just an ordinary mom who has seen God do some wonderful things as I've been obedient to step into the calling He's led me into.

Stars in the Night Background

Stars in the Night was an idea that had begun to percolate in my mind. I’d written two World War II series and was actively looking for my next setting. My husband, a huge World War II history buff, and I were kicking ideas around, and I’d decided Hollywood was probably the next place for me. I’d gone to the library and gotten a stack of research books when I got the call. An editor I knew but had never worked with wanted to know if I might be interested in a new line they were starting. As we talked, I got so excited. And then she emailed me their guidelines, which listed that Hollywood was a location they were interested in setting books.

Only God could have known ahead of time. But because I followed His prompting I was ready to run with an idea. Stars in the Night is the result.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Hollywood 1942. When attorney Audra Schaeffer's sister disappears, Audra flies to Hollywood to find her.

Any day Audra might have been flattered by the friendly overtures of Robert Garfield, a real-life movie star. But on the flight from Indianapolis to Hollywood, Audra can think of little else than finding her missing sister. When Audra arrives in the city of glitz and glamour, and stars, and learns her rising starlet sister has been murdered, all thoughts of romance fly away.

Determined to bring the killer to justice, Audra takes a job with the second Hollywood Victory Caravan.

Together with Robert Garfield and other stars, she crisscrosses the southern United States in a campaign to sell war bonds. When two other women are found dead on the train, Audra knows the deaths are tied to that of her sister.

Could the killer be the man with whom she's falling in love?

To read an excerpt of Chapter 1 of Stars In The Night, click HERE.



Contest: Lots of opportunities to win and great prizes, and the grand prize contains some of Cara's favorite classic movies as well as all of her WWII novels: Launch Contest!

Series on Freelance Article Writing

What is an Article by Debbie Roome
Welcome to our new series on article writing. Over the next few weeks we’ll look at the basics of article writing, how to market your work and what pitfalls to avoid.

Define an Article
Articles are nonfictional and come in many shapes, forms and sizes. They are generally an independent part of a larger publication.

What Kind of Articles can I Write
The word article encompasses a whole range of writing. Here are some possibilities to look at:
· How-to-articles give step by step instructions to help readers accomplish a certain task. This can include things such as unblocking a drain, baking the perfect chocolate cake or painting a wooden fence

· Self-help articles focus on specific areas. For example they may lay out the steps to overcoming addictions or clearing up a skin problem. They are similar to how-to-articles but the tone is more personal

· Reviews are articles that discuss books, movies, theatre and restaurants and look at the strengths, weaknesses and entertainment value of these

· Interview articles are normally based on a conversation with a celebrity or a person with experience or qualifications in a certain area. These may be on a serious topic such as global warming or may be about the person and their lifestyle and achievements

· Inspirational articles are those that inspire people to change their lifestyles and habits and help them see the positive side of every situation. They may include anecdotes about people who have achieved the extraordinary

· Humorous articles are just that. The writer takes a situation and writes about it in a way that causes the reader to laugh

· News articles are the basis of newspapers and are aimed at answering the questions of who, what, when, where and why

Come back next week to find out how to put an article together.

Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Visit her at Debbie Roome or read some of her work at Suite 101 , Take Root and Write and Faithwriters.

How Not to Face High School

Reviewed by Phee Paradise

Perfectly Dateless
by Kristin Billerbeck

Perfectly Dateless is a 21st century print version of an ‘80s teen movie. It has all the insecurities, self loathing, and cliques located firmly within the horrors of high school. I suppose it might be an entertaining book for a teenage girl who is experiencing it all, but it was a little too extreme for me. I hated high school, but I don’t remember it being that bad.

Daisy Crispin, entering her senior year after being nobody for the past three, is determined to attend her prom. Being a perfectionist, she starts a journal to keep track of her progress. On top being way outside the popular crowd, she has strict parents who won’t let her date and insist she wear homemade clothes. Things do not look promising.

The book is full of long entries in her prom journal, which I found unnecessary for the story. Daisy narrates her life in first person, present tense, so we get a ringside seat to her emotions and thoughts. She is a typical, self-absorbed teen, and Billerbeck did a great job of presenting the world through her eyes. I tried to see the adult reasoning behind Daisy’s parents, but all I saw was their weird and strict decisions. I agreed with Daisy that they totally didn’t get her. But I did see her rebellious attitude, and didn’t like it. That made it hard to empathize with her problems.

But there are some interesting plot twists to the story and the journal turns out to be a symbol of Daisy’s declaration of independence. It doesn’t work out the way she planned and even her parents turn out to be much more understanding than she expected. But she manages to grow up without too much damage. There is a lesson in the book about trust and obedience, so I wouldn’t mind my teenager reading it.

Pros: It captures the current world of teens from a – slightly – Christian perspective and offers some insight into how not to be a teen.

Cons: It’s definitely targeted to teenage girls and doesn’t have much to offer any other readers.