Writing is both an art and a skill. Most writers consider themselves
storytellers, emphasizing the art of writing rather than the skill. As the author of a single published novel, Away from the Spotlight, I do not
profess to be an expert in the “art” of writing. However, as an attorney and business
consultant for a number of years, I do profess to be an expert in the “skill”
of writing.
Voice of the Narrator
In the business context, a writer
communicates more than content alone.
The writer is communicating additional subtext that includes his or her
level of intelligence, education, personality and style, and how much attention
to detail he or she has. This also is
true of fiction writing in that the narrator of a story, whether the author or
a character, is communicating these same things.
I wrote Away
from the Spotlight in first-person narrative style from the point of view
of a twenty-four year-old law student from California. Consequently, the voice of the narrator
needed to sound relatively young; use idioms appropriate for the narrator’s sex,
age, nationality and location; and sound as articulate as would be expected of
a law student.
Realism
As a writer, research is almost always
necessary. If a writer uses real people,
places and/or things, enough research is necessary to ensure accuracy. This also includes research to ensure that
the voice of the narrator is correct if he or she is someone other than the
author. If a writer uses strictly
fictional people, places and/or things, research still may be necessary to
ensure a realistic portrayal, particularly when based upon a real person, place
and/or thing.
Consistency
If a writer details a complex series of
events or often references past events, an outline or timeline is helpful to
prevent mistakes. This outline or
timeline can be prepared beforehand, while writing, or afterward to check for
consistency.
Form – Grammar, Punctuation and E-Publishing
Format
The appropriate amount of time and
attention should be given to the form of the novel. In the business context, sloppy grammar and
editing can cause a reader to lose the
message while focusing on the errors in form or fail to trust the message due
to a perceived lack of attention to detail.
In the context of fiction writing, obvious mistakes pull the reader out
of the story while he or she considers the issue in the writing itself. If the mistakes are too frequent, the writer
runs the risk that the reader may stop reading the story entirely.
All writers should reacquaint themselves
with the rules of grammar and punctuation.
Improper grammar is fine when it comes to internal thoughts and dialogue
because people don’t necessarily think or speak in complete,
grammatically-correct English. However,
the grammar should be correct in the narrative.
As an example, the phrase, “between you and I,” is not correct; the correct phrase is “between you and me.”
Whether or not to use the incorrect version of that phrase depends upon
whether using incorrect grammar is appropriate for the speaker. With respect to punctuation, a common issue
is the use of commas. For example,
commas are required when a sentence is commenced with “also,” “however,” and “nevertheless.” As another example, commas belong on the
inside of quotes (see the previous sentence for examples).
On a final note regarding form, even if the
writer does not personally format the novel for e-publishing, the writer should
check to ensure it is properly formatted to the extent possible. Note, however, that some issues are difficult,
if not impossible, to fix. In some
versions of Away from the Spotlight, such
as on the Kindle app on my iPad, my copyright page is perfectly centered. On my Kindle Fire, however, the first line is
left-justified. It drives me crazy, but
I can’t seem to fix it.
Avoid Unnecessary Criticism
While the advice noted above is common-sense,
a writer often can become so focused on the story itself that considerations of
form and structure are not given their due.
If the advice is taken to heart, however, a writer may never have to
suffer the critique, “It’s a good story, but . . .”
 |
| Tamara Carlisle |
Guest post by Tamara Carlisle. Tamara Carlisle
is a former attorney and business consultant.
Away from the Spotlight is her first published work of fiction. She currently is working on two additional
novels: one is about love in the music
industry and the other is a work of paranormal fiction. Tamara currently resides in the San Francisco
Bay Area with her British husband and daughter.
For further information, go to http://www.tamaracarlisle.com.
Library
Thing:
http://www.librarything.com/author/carlisletamara
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tamara_Carlisle
Tamara will be awarding two $25 Amazon GCs to randomly drawn commenters during the tour, so I encourage you to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/08/virtual-book-tour-away-from-spotlight.html
11 Comments
Thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome :)
DeleteAn informative post thank you. I do like learning about the craft of writing.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I can not tell you how important good grammar is to me when I am reading. When I read some very badly written story, I simply put it down without finishing it.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Editing is a must.
DeleteThank you, Jo and Writers and Authors, for having me today! I look forward to checking in on the comments throughout the day. Thank you, Marybelle and MomJane for checking in this morning. Glad the post was of interest. For all my talk about the form of writing, I am on my computer typing this because I cannot, for the life of me, type anything on my phone or Kindle Fire without a typo either because my nails cause problems or thanks to the "quick fix" functionality. (I apologize in advance if I embarrass myself in this regard today.)
ReplyDeleteSee, I did it already - and even on a computer! (There should be a comma after MomJane.) It's 7 a.m. and I haven't had my Red Bull yet.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jo and Writers and Authors, for hosting me today! Thank you, Marybelle and MomJane, for joining us today.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Tamara. All the best for the rest of your tour.
DeleteVery useful outline of things that are important to remember. I see so many needless typos in ebooks lately, and it's so distracting!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(dot)com
Congratulations to Mary P. and Shannon R. for winning the Amazon $25 gift cards! I appreciate everyone who joined me on my tour. Please stay in touch on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads!
ReplyDeleteI love to hear from you. So feel free to comment, but keep in mind the basics of blog etiquette — no spam, no profanity, no slander, etc.
Thanks for being an active part of the Writers and Authors community.