Straight from the Mouth of Historical Novelist Joan Schweighardt

Open Letter to a Grammar Blunder Hunter (or, Speak for Yourself)

Dear “Book Blogger” Who Once Said Poor Grammar Hurt My Writing:

Most of the novels reviewers and bloggers are likely to be asked to critique will be written in third person. This means that someone outside the parameters of the story—presumably the author—is telling the story. A third-person narration in a novel might go something like this:

Frank came out of the hardware store and realized his car was gone. He’d seen some boys on his way in, but his only thought at the time was that it was Monday morning and those kids should have been in school. Now he wondered if they were the ones who stole his car. “Crap!” he cried. “Them kids musta done it! They musta!”

The reader knows two things right off the bat. One, Frank believes his car was stolen by some boys. And two, Frank’s grammar leaves something to be desired. Very few book reviewers or bloggers would make the mistake of attributing Frank’s bad grammar to the author because that grammar is in quotations. It is dialogue. The author is building character by showing us how Frank talks. 

The confusion for some book reviewers and bloggers begins when the novel is narrated not by the author but by someone who is actually in the story, which is to say, one of the characters. This is called first-person narration. What if Frank was telling his own story? Frank’s first-person narration might go something like this:

I went into the hardware store that morning to buy a new showerhead, because the wife was bellyaching the old one didn’t put out enough water. And I come out and find my car’s gone! I seen those darn kids off to the right just before I went into the store. Had to be them. Had to be.

You can see the attraction for the author to have Frank tell the story in his own words. The fact that he refers to his spouse as “the wife” speaks volumes in itself. And if we need further proof that Frank is imperfect, we have his “I seen them.” And there is a switch from past tense (I went) to present (I come) right in the middle of the paragraph too. This writing reeks of bad grammar, right?

Actually, no; Frank has poor grammar, true, and on top of that, he is flippant in the way he talks about his wife. But it would be a mistake for someone reviewing the book in which this paragraph appears to attribute the sin of bad grammar to the author as well. The author has simply given Frank permission to speak for himself. 

Here’s one more example of first-person narration to consider:

Well, when Tom and me got to the edge of the hilltop we looked away down into the village and could see three or four lights twinkling, where there was sick folks, maybe; and the stars over us was sparkling ever so fine.

Yes, there are grammatical errors here too, but that is only because Mark Twain is allowing his character Huck Finn to tell his own story. Huck lacks an education. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is necessarily full of grammatical blunders. The tradeoff is that by having Huck speak for himself, the author gets to “show” us exactly who Huck is, rather than describing Huck’s quirks for us. We’re right there with Huck, as close as a reader can get. 

Overzealous blunder hunters need only ask themselves who is narrating the book they plan to review or comment on. If it’s one of the characters, they can put down their red pens and relax and go with the flow—or read something else.  

Sincerely,

An author who frequently lets her characters speak for themselves

Joan Schweighardt is the author of River Aria (which is both a standalone novel and the third book in a trilogy), as well as other novels, nonfiction titles, and children’s books. She is also a freelance writer and ghostwriter. Visit her at her website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Straight from the Mouth of John Ford Clayton, Author of MANIPULATED

"Sometimes Things Don’t Go as Planned"

For close to 20 years I worked on creative teams in churches helping to write full-length dramas as well as 5-minute sketches. That process led to a nagging question that just wouldn’t go away; “I wonder if I could write a novel?” After doubts and procrastination, I finally decided to give it a go in January 2015. I worked full time during the day, so writing would be late in the evening and on weekends. I found writing difficult but rewarding. I was surprised to find that after two months I had written 75 pages.

In late February 2015 a death in the family put the writing on pause for a couple of months, but I resumed the process in May. Another 75 pages seemed to come more smoothly. I was feeling encouraged. The story was starting to take shape. But then my own personal story took an unexpected turn. I got to hear the three words no one wants to hear; “You have cancer.”

The cancer would involve surgery, a six-week recovery, and six months of chemo. After the usual range of emotions that a cancer diagnosis brings, I thought, at least this would give me more time to write. I was wrong. Cancer and chemo are physically and emotionally draining. I was surprised to find how much energy and focus it takes to write. As many times as I tried to sit in front of the keyboard, the words just would not come.

For those dealing with a cancer diagnosis or who have a loved one dealing with cancer, I wrote occasional Facebook posts to friends and family while I was going through the process. If you are interested in reading those posts they are here.

Surgery and chemo filled in the time from June 2015 to January 2016. After a few months of regaining my strength, my wife and I took a trip in April of 2016 to our usual spring destination, Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Although I hadn’t written in close to a year, my unfinished manuscript was always in the back of my mind. I had almost concluded that I was going to put aside what I had written and start something different. During the trip I asked my wife to read the 150 pages just to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake by starting something new. I can always count on my wife for honest feedback. After reading the partial draft she was insistent that I resume this book and finish it. Not only did she think it was a fun read, she wanted to know how it would end. Frankly, so did I. Her encouragement lit the spark to get busy writing again.

I dusted off my manuscript and starting the writing process again in May 2016. Long nights and weekends led to progress, doubt, more progress, and more doubt. I was motivated by a handful of friends who I had asked to read as I was writing. Once a week I’d send out the latest chapters I had finished. I still recall getting a text from a friend after a less-than-productive week. The text simply read “Finish your dang book!” On August 13, 2016 I e-mailed my friends with the subject “The End”. It contained the last few chapters of the book. Although it was the end of the book, it would be far from the end of the process.

I spent the next few weeks re-reading the manuscript and making many edits. I then sent the finished work to professional editors to perform their magic. Wow, did they ever make me wish I had listened more intently in high school and college English classes. When their work was done I could start the process of trying to find a publisher.

For those unfamiliar with the publishing process (I was) here’s a very quick primer. To approach a publisher an author must go through a literary agent. Literary agents screen manuscripts through a process called a query. Queries typically involve a short cover letter and the first one to three chapters of the manuscript. The odds of an unpublished author who’s not already well-known (e.g. an actor, musician, sports star) are lottery-esque. Nevertheless, I would try.

In October 2016 I sent out around 20 queries. I got nothing back…I mean literally NOTHING. Most agents have a response protocol something like, “If you haven’t heard back from us in eight weeks, assume we’re not interested.”

There are many stories about well-known authors who have dealt with literary rejections. A google search of “famous author literary rejections” will turn up names like J. K. Rowling, Ernest Hemmingway, George Orwell, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Stephen King, Dr. Seuss, and John Grisham. Rejections are part of every writer's publishing journey.  

After getting no feedback on my initial queries I was faced with three options; 1) give up, 2) try self-publishing, 3) try another round of queries. All three options were given very serious consideration. In early 2017 option 3 won out. In April-May 2017 I sent out around 25 more queries. I actually got two responses, both “no’s”. I was back to the three options again.

Our family moved in the summer of 2017, so several months were spent packing and unpacking. In September 2017 after we were (somewhat) settled into the new home, I decided to give self-publishing a try. After researching several options, self-publishing through CreateSpace, an Amazon company, won out. With the self-publish option the success of the book comes down to the author/reader relationship. It is up to me to write, market and connect with you, the readers. I look forward to developing that relationship and to hearing your feedback.

About the Author:

John Ford Clayton lives in Harriman, Tennessee with his wife Kara, and canine companions Lucy, Ginger and Clyde. He has two grown sons, Ben and Eli, and a daughter-in-law, Christina. He earned a BS in Finance from Murray State University and an MBA from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He is active in his East Tennessee community having served on the local boards of the Boys and Girls Club and a federal credit union, on church leadership and creative teams, and on a parks and recreation advisory committee. When he’s not writing he works as a project management consultant supporting Federal project teams. John is a huge fan of Disney parks and University of Kentucky basketball.

Connect with John Ford Clayton on the web:

www.johnfordclayton.com

www.facebook.com/johnfordclayton

www.twitter.com/johnfordclayton

Guest post by mystery author Verlin Darrow: "Do we all pester agents and publishers because we’ve got problems, or is it just me?"

Name: Verlin Darrow

Book Title: Blood and Wisdom

Website/Blog: www.verlindarrow.com 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/verlindarrow

Do we all pester agents and publishers because we’ve got problems, or is it just me?

At first, I was desperate for meaning. That’s what got me started. I began writing books in a campground outside Naples, Italy when I was nineteen. My waiting-for-my-potential-to-manifest girlfriend and I were trapped by a solid week of rain in an awful campground just outside the city limits. Whores burned tires on the contiguous sidewalk to attract customers. I was cranky, bored out of my mind and broke.

As a depressed young adult, fraught with existential angst and across the board over-thinking, I was never satisfied by life. I wasn’t in direct contact with the world, so I couldn’t be fed by it. When I created a manuscript, I introduced something into my experience that mattered to me—a new element that penetrated the layers of insulation I’d gathered around myself to stay safe.

However therapeutic, this era of writing was marked by a distinct lack of expertise. When I eventually began to build a skill set, I added in another motive—making money without having to work a regular job—you know, getting all sweaty, being bossed around, and having to keep regular hours. Not surprisingly, I failed to manage anything close to making a living writing.

Maybe, I thought, I could at least get validation that all my time and effort had produced something of value to someone else.  I worked hard at ignoring all expert advice, classes, etc and simply churned out manuscripts, eventually learning a bit of craft. Well, my mom liked the result. Somehow, that didn’t do the trick. A life of enticing agents and publishers was born.

It’s like a weird, unpleasant hobby, really. I queried over five hundred agents for one novel. Talk about a stubbornly held (grandiose) notion. Even that didn’t convince me I should move on. Why would it? My quest for recognition by a professional overrode all common sense. Really, the most challenging writing task in that era was keeping the neediness out of my submissions.

I let go of writing while I focused on avoiding work and trying to convince the world that it was fine if my unrealized potential remained unrealized. Then I became a psychotherapist so I could sit in a chair and talk/listen for a living. It turned out there was a bit more to it, but at least I didn’t have to deal with yet another rejection from someone one-up in publishing.

I came back to writing. I guess I needed someone to lash me to a mast (and shipmates were scarce.) But now I was older, more emotionally mature, and more willing to pay a few dues to gather skills.

Nonetheless, like a lot of writers, I still fought reality and reality won (sung to the tune of I Fought the Law and the Law Won.) I remained opinionated about my books in a manner that wasn’t always supported by hard evidence. Or soft evidence, for that matter.

Eventually, I had something to say, and the tools to say it. Then the early motives dropped away and Blood and Wisdom fell out of me. Where did all this attrition leave me? Back to square one. “Please represent me,” “please publish my book.”

Is the process less tortuous now? Absolutely. Getting published is a wonderful thing.

However lowly, crazy, or exemplary our motives might be, here’s my advice. Stick to it, regardless. Why not? Have you got something more meaningful to do? I don’t.