Using the Grammar Check Chapter Summary Tool
Using the Grammar Check Chapter Summary Tool *Note: Jean Van Rensselar prepared this September 2, 2004, while a broadcast from the Republican National Convention played in the background.If you are using a windows word processing program (not sure about others), when you are finished doing the grammar check, a summary screen will pop up. It will let you know how many: words, characters, paragraphs, sentences, sentences per paragraph, words per sentence, characters per word, the percent of passive sentences, the reading ease score and the grade level. That's the easy part. Now you need to know what all this means. When I was writing my book, I made a chart using each one of those parameters as a heading on the horizontal axis. On the vertical axis, I listed the chapter numbers. When I finished the draft of each chapter, I filled in the information from the summary screen. It was very useful because, after I finished a couple of chapters, I could see if they deviated drastically from each other. If they did, I could go back and try to find out why (sometimes a good reason like one chapter contained a lot more research information than the others). But usually if the numbers vary widely from chapter to chapter, you need to wonder how consistent your style is. As far as the readability index goes, it's scaled from 0 to 100. I THINK 0 is the hardest and 100 is the easiest (it's been a while and I now have Windows XP which regrettably doesn't have a summary screen). The reading ease is completely based on the average number of syllables per word. One time I mentioned someone with the last name "Rothenburg" several times in a chapter and it threw the readability off -- but that's why you can't go on the parameters alone, you have to know why something's askew and decide whether it needs fixing. The grade level thing is self-explanatory. Most mainstream published work is in the sixth grade range. Last but not least, our little friend the passive sentence. The adage is that fiction should have 0 passive sentences. They always slow a story down, but sometimes you have to use one here and there, just be sure you know why it's there. Well-written non-fiction, on the other hand, can be 100% passive. Take a look at a technical manual, the writing is almost all passive, but that's also why technical manuals are so scintillating! The only good reasons for using a passive sentence are these:1) you don't know who performed the action -- "A glove was left on the lawn." 2) the action is much more important than the actor -- "Three million dollars was left on the sidewalk by the local librarian." 3) You want to deliberately hide the actor -- "The screen door was left open and all the bugs came in." If your passive sentence falls into one of these categories ignore grammar check. Well, that's it for the brief word processing lesson. I must go and watch the paragon of good grammar, George Bush, give his acceptance speech! - Jean Van Rensselar Second-and fourth Tuesday group Seven* books you should have on your writing bookshelf *Nine, really. You should have a superb dictionary. Nothing wrong with Webster’s, but consider Oxford American. Next, an equally superb thesaurus. I also have J.I. Rodale’s The Synonym Finder, Warner Books, 1986; 1,361 pages, from aback to zzz.
1. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King HarperCollins, 1994 Editing techniques from the pros A lot of successful published authors could learn from this book. It's written by two gifted editors who worked for major publishing houses and edited writers like Erica Jong and Sol Stein. I'm a professional writer (nonfiction)and writing teacher with a master's in language arts and I learned more about writing fiction from this text than any other source. It can't give you what you don't have in the way of ideas or talent, but it can make your writing better, guaranteed, and help you avoid the kinds of 'errors' (or weaknesses, shortcomings, and distractions where the author gets in the way of the story) that authors like Jane Smily, Le Carre, and Ruth Rendell DON'T make but that some popular writers I've really enjoyed (like Mary Higgins Clark and Ridley Pearson) DO sometimes make. Applying Browne and King's techniques has made my fiction so much stronger and given me answers to questions I've had for years about how to show character's emotions without 'telling,' how to handle attributions and 'beats,' and other points of craft that can be learned. This is a wonderfully written, succinct, even brilliant book from people who really know what they're talking about. If my novel gets published it will be in large part because of the editing and final polish I was able to give it after studying this book. -- a reader review taken from Barnes & Noble’s comments page
2. Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing by David Morrell Writer’s Digest Books, 2003 From the Publisher David Morrell, best-selling author of First Blood, The Brotherhood of the Rose, and The Fifth Profession, distills more than thirty years of writing and publishing experience into this single masterwork of advice and instruction. A rare and intriguing mix of memoir and writer's workshop, Lessons From a Lifetime of Writing pulls no punches -- Morrell shares everything he knows about writing a novel with honesty and wit. With unique insights that illuminate the craft and business of writing, he examines everything from motivation and focus to the building blocks of good fiction: plot, character, dialogue, description, and more. It's your chance to hear the truth about writing from an author who sits atop the best-seller mountain, providing the perspective you need to write successful fiction that sells.
3. On Writing, a Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King Simon & Schuster, 2001 Publisher's Weekly "No one ever asks [popular novelists] about the language," Amy Tan once opined to King. Here's the uber-popular novelist's response to that unasked question a three-part book whose parts don't hang together much better than those of the Frankenstein monster, but which, like the monster, exerts a potent fascination and embodies important lessons and truths. The book divides into memoir, writing class, memoir. Many readers will turn immediately to the final part, which deals with King's accident last year and its aftermath. This material is tightly controlled, as good and as true as anything King has written, an astonishing blend of anger, awe and black humor. Of Bryan Smith (who drove the van that crushed King) watching the horribly wounded writer, King writes, "Like his face, his voice is cheery, only mildly interested. He could be watching all this on TV...." King's fight for life, and then for the writing life, rivets attention and inflames admiration as does the love he expresses throughout for his wife, novelist Tabitha. The earlier section of memoir, which covers in episodic fashion the formation of King the Writer, is equally absorbing. Of particular note are a youthful encounter with a babysitter that armchair psychologists will seize upon to explain King's penchant for horror, and King's experiences as a sports reporter for the Lisbon, Maine, Weekly Express, where he learned and here passes on critical advice about writing tight. King's writing class 101, which occupies the chewy center of the book, provides valuable advice to novice scribes--although other than King's voice, idiosyncratic and flush with authority, much of what's here can be found in scores of other writing manuals. What's notable is what isn't here: King's express aim is to avoid "bullshit," and he manages to pare what the aspiring writer needs to know from idea to execution to sale to a few simple considerations and rules. For illustration, he draws upon his own work and that of others to show what's good prose and what's not, naming names (good dialogue: Elmore Leonard; bad dialogue: John Katzenbach). He offers some exercises as well. The real importance of this congenial, ramshackle book, however, lies neither in its autobiography nor in its pedagogy, but in its triumphant vindication of the popular writer, including the genre author, as a writer. King refuses to draw, and makes a strong case for the abolition of, the usual critical lines between Carver and Chandler, Greene and Grisham, DeLillo and Dickens. Given the intelligence and common sense of his approach, perhaps his books' many readers will join him in that refusal. 500,000 first printing. From the Publisher Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it -- fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.
4. Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass Writer’s Digest Books, 2002 From The Critics Library Journal In today's world, an author who doesn't produce a breakout novel risks getting lost in the midlist of the publishing world. Maass, the author of 17 novels who now works as a literary agent representing such distinguished writers as Anne Perry and James Patterson, knows firsthand what makes a novel rise above its category in the already saturated book market. Using his own clients as case studies, Maass defines the most crucial elements of a breakout novel a powerful sense of time and place, larger-than-life characters, a high degree of tension, good subplots, and universal themes and shows the reader how to use these elements efficiently to write a novel that will generate interest and have the potential to hit the best sellers lists. Each section ends with checklists for review. Recommended for all public libraries serving communities with struggling writers. Lisa J. Cihlar, Monroe P.L., WI Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information. From the Publisher Maybe you're a first-time novelist looking for practical guidance. Maybe you've already been published, but your latest effort is stuck in mid-list limbo. Whatever the case may be, author and literary agent Donald Maass can show you how to take your prose to the next level and write a breakout novel -- one that rises out of obscurity and hits the best-seller lists. Maass details the elements that all breakout novels share -- regardless of genre -- then shows you writing techniques that can make your own books stand out and succeed in a crowded marketplace.
5. Stein On Writing by Sol Stein St. Martin’s Press, 1999 From The Critics Publisher's Weekly In this stimulating guide, a veteran novelist (The Magician), editor (Stein & Day) and teacher offers a banquet of savvy advice. Unlike Anne Lamott et al., Stein aims not to help his readers wrestle with writerly anguish; rather, he gets on the page, citing examples from writers famous and fledgling, closely analyzing first sentences, creation of character, plotting and dialogue (use ``speech markers'' to differentiate among characters). Stein concentrates more on fiction-point of view and the creation of love scenes-but his advice on such issues as self-editing and choosing a title applies also to nonfiction. A section on nonfiction contains worthy remarks about adapting fictional techniques (suspense, visual particularity, etc.) but is too brief to be a full guide to journalistic writing or producing an account of a historic event. From the Publisher Your future as a writer is in your hands. Whether you are a newcomer or an accomplished professional, a novelist, story writer, or a writer of nonfiction, you will find in this book a wealth of immediately useful guidance not available anywhere else. As Sol Stein, renowned editor, author, and instructor, explains, "This is not a book of theory. It is a book of useable solutions - how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good, how to create interesting writing in the first place." You will find one of the great unspoken secrets of craftsmanship in Chapter 5, called "Markers: The Key to Swift Characterization." In Chapter 7, Stein reveals for the first time in print the wonderful system for creating instant conflict developed in the Playwrights Group of the Actors Studio, of which he was a founder. In "Secrets of Good Dialogue," the premier teacher of dialogue gives you the instantly useable techniques that not only make verbal exchanges exciting but that move the story forward immediately. You won't have to struggle with flashbacks or background material after you've read Chapter 14, which shows you how to bring background into the foreground. Writers of both fiction and nonfiction will relish the amphetamines for speeding up pace, and the many ways to liposuction flab, as well as how to tap originality and recognize what successful titles have in common. You'll discover literary values that enhance writing, providing depth and resonance. You'll bless the day you read Chapters 32 and 33 and discover why revising by starting at page one can be a serious mistake, and how to revise without growing cold on your manuscript. In the pages of this book, nonfiction writers will find a passport to the new revolution in journalism and a guide to using the techniques of fiction to enhance nonfiction. Fresh, useful, informative, and fun to read and reread, Stein on Writing is a book you will mark up, dog-ear, and cherish.
6. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss Gotham, 2004 Publisher's Weekly Who would have thought a book about punctuation could cause such a sensation? Certainly not its modest if indignant author, who began her surprise hit motivated by "horror" and "despair" at the current state of British usage: ungrammatical signs ("BOB,S PETS"), headlines ("DEAD SONS PHOTOS MAY BE RELEASED") and band names ("Hear'Say") drove journalist and novelist Truss absolutely batty. But this spirited and wittily instructional little volume, which was a U.K. #1 bestseller, is not a grammar book, Truss insists; like a self-help volume, it "gives you permission to love punctuation." Her approach falls between the descriptive and prescriptive schools of grammar study, but is closer, perhaps, to the latter. (A self-professed "stickler," Truss recommends that anyone putting an apostrophe in a possessive "its"-as in "the dog chewed it's bone"-should be struck by lightning and chopped to bits.) Employing a chatty tone that ranges from pleasant rant to gentle lecture to bemused dismay, Truss dissects common errors that grammar mavens have long deplored (often, as she readily points out, in isolation) and makes elegant arguments for increased attention to punctuation correctness: "without it there is no reliable way of communicating meaning." Interspersing her lessons with bits of history (the apostrophe dates from the 16th century; the first semicolon appeared in 1494) and plenty of wit, Truss serves up delightful, unabashedly strict and sometimes snobby little book, with cheery Britishisms ("Lawks-a-mussy!") dotting pages that express a more international righteous indignation. Agent, George Lucas. (On sale Apr. 13) Forecast: With 600,000 copies of the Profile Books edition in print (up from an original print run of 15,000 in November 2003), it's obvious that Truss's book has struck a nerve. Her volume may not reach such dizzying heights here-perhaps in part due to timing (there can't be Christmas runs in April)-but it'll make a lot of Stateside sticklers very, very happy. From the Publisher In 2002 Lynne Truss presented Cutting a Dash, a well-received BBC Radio 4 series about punctuation, which led to the writing of Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The book became a runaway success in the UK, hitting number one on the bestseller lists and prompting extraordinary headlines such as Grammar Book Tops Bestseller List (BBC News). With more than 500,000 copies of her book in print in her native England, Lynne Truss is ready to rally the troops on this side of the pond with her rousing cry, Sticklers unite! Through sloppy usage and low standards on the Internet, in e-mail, and now text messages, we have made proper punctuation an endangered species. In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Lynne Truss dares to say, in her delightfully urbane, witty and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. If there are only pedants left who care, then so be it. This is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From George Orwell shunning the semicolon, to New Yorker editor Harold Ross's epic arguments with James Thurber over commas, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with.
7. Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White Pearson Education, 1999 From Barnes & Noble’s Editors A fundamental resource for writers, editors, and students since 1959, the slim volume known simply as "Strunk and White" distills the combined wisdom of Cornell University English professor William Strunk Jr. and legendary New Yorker writer E. B. White. Though there are other books on the market that delve more deeply into matters of grammar and style, this is the best single source for anyone who desires a pithy, lively guide to the essentials of effective writing. In prose that is itself a paragon of clarity, the authors indicate how to apply the basic principles of grammar and punctuation, how to properly construct a sentence and a paragraph, how to use words and expressions in their proper form and context, and how to avoid the mistakes and mannerisms that make for turgid, pretentious, or simply unintelligible writing. Even professionals who have achieved expertise in the art of written communication will want The Elements of Style nearby at all times for support and inspiration. From the Publisher You know the authors' names. You recognize the title. You've probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. The revisions to the new edition are purposely kept minimal in order to retain the book's unique tone, wit, and charm. A new Glossary of the grammatical terms used in the book provides a convenient reference for readers. The discussion of pronoun use is revised to reflect the contemporary concern with sexist language. In addition, there are numerous slight revisions in the book itself which implement this advice. A new Foreword by Charles Osgood reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was first offered. This book has conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use the fourth edition of "the little book" to make a big impact with writing. Notes on the business of querying agents and publishers From Ben LeRoy, editor-in-chief, Bleak House Books, Madison, WI 12-15-04 We at Bleak House Books receive somewhere between 15-30 query letters per week. Some of these are from unpublished authors and some are from well-known New York literary agents. I also talk with editors at other publishing houses (small publishers, medium-size houses, Random House, etc.), and inevitably conversations get to the horror stories about submissions. The James Russell people are right. You must follow the rules. The problem? The rules are different at each house. Of course, there are some guidelines that are standard that you should pretty much follow every time you submit something. But the frustrating part, as a writer, is in the smaller details and variances between publishers/agents. Personally, I don’t care what kind of stamp a writer uses. Some days I open the mail. Some days my interns open the mail. I’ve never looked at stamps, and after taking a quick survey in my office, I’ve learned that neither do my interns. I’ve never heard anybody else mention it being a factor, but now I am determined to find out -- I’ll ask around, see what I can find. [*Ben referred to the following from James Russell Publishing: If you are not sending "professionally presented" queries you are wasting your time. . . . Did you know your query letter will be "set aside" for weeks if you fail to use a "business-type" postage stamp? If you use postage stamps with flowers, Elvis, or other comical characters the publisher and agent knows right away, "This is an amateur submission, put it into the someday file!" Use postage stamps businesses use; the simple American flag stamp! When your query arrives, the mail sorter sees the "business stamp" and places the mail into the "in-box." Letters with fancy colorful stationary envelopes with postage stamps of flowers, etc., are tossed into another file -- the file you don't want to be in!] One hard truth that I have found is that editors and agents are looking for reasons to throw away submissions and queries. It isn’t because anybody is mean or wants to be a jerk. It simply becomes a matter of time and doing things efficiently. As soon as I find a typo, an instance of criminally bad grammar, or poor phrasing, I do reject the query (provided an SASE is provided, if not, the materials just gets thrown away). I read an article a few years back in Writer’s Digest or one of the other magazines that said something to the effect of, "Don’t include an SASE. If an editor sees that your work has merit, he or she will request it anyway and pay for the stamp." That may work somewhere else, I’m sure it has in the past, but it doesn’t work here. At least it hasn’t yet. It usually leads to the materials being thrown away. The point I am trying to illustrate is that it seems like everybody wants to be an expert on the matter of submitting materials to editors and agents (and, perhaps now I am part of the guilty fraternity, and my soapbox is dangerously close to being kicked over), but it’s a subjective business, and inherently flawed because of it. Here are some suggestions that I would feel safe in putting forward:
(1) Do not use colored paper that you hope will stand out. Stick to whites, naturals, and creams. As soon as I get a query on pink paper, it gets thrown away without being read. (And yes, it has happened.) Also, use black ink. This, of course, is probably obvious to you because you’re smart. But I have received yellow ink on pink paper, green ink on white paper, and other eye-burning combinations that I had no interest in reading. By resorting to gimmicky tricks, you’re cheapening the value of your work. Love your baby.
(2) Stay away from bragging. Occasionally, we’ll get a query letter from an author who assures us his book is a guaranteed New York Times bestseller because it will "appeal to every reader." Sure, it’s a nice thought, but it’s unrealistic. What it tells me is that the author has no real understanding of how the publishing industry works. I don’t want to work with that person. He’s the kind of guy who also is going to expect a $100,000 advance. Until P.T. Barnum sends something in, I’m personally staying away from anybody making grand claims and predictions.
(3) Be succinct. You should be able to explain what your book is about in one or two sentences (as a writer, this is one thing that frustrates me because I find it really hard), and then provide a brief summary, a short list of fans of book X and book Y who also may like my book, a history of any writing credits you have (some people really care about this, personally, I’m not too hung up on previous publishing credits), and a very brief summary of who you are (and if it’s a non-fiction project, why you’re qualified to write it). Don’t ramble on about how ingenious your characters are, how clever the plot twists are, or how much your mother, father, brother, sister, or best friend loved the book. Unless those people are going to buy a few thousand copies, we have to discount them as being biased judges. I personally don’t care if a query letter spills over onto a second page, but just make sure the info in it is necessary.
(4) Research the publisher you are submitting to. In talking to other publishers and agents, one of the biggest pet peeves that people have is getting submissions that have nothing to do with the type of material they represent or publish. I know that sometimes the shotgun approach seems like it is best, you’re maximizing your chances by sending out a thousand letters, but it’s not. It’s a waste of your time and money, and on top of that, you’re cheapening your work again. If you love your book, you’ll want it to be published by somebody who knows what they are doing with it. You owe it to yourself. Adhere to a publisher’s submission guidelines if they provide them. I know it may take a bit longer, but nobody ever said this was going to be easy. For instance, Johnny Appleseed may tell you to start sending E-mail queries, but I’ll tell you right now, Bleak House Books says "no email queries" and I mean it. I delete them without reading them. In an age of rampant spam, crippling viruses and worms, I don’t, and I encourage other people not to open email from people you don’t know. An unknown author falls into that category. Technology helps us move quicker, and we want an instant answer regarding our projects, but patience is invaluable. It’s not like an SASE takes two months to arrive once a decision has been made.
(5) Edit. Edit. Edit. If you love your book the way you tell people you do, and if you really think that it’s worth being published, then please make sure it has been edited. Rough drafts that have been combed over for typos don’t count. Some books require multiple drafts. One of our authors, John Galligan, recently submitted his novel The Blood Knot to us so we can get advance review copies made. It is his 7th complete draft. He has written the book, torn it apart, started over, and finished it 7 times. John also is a college writing professor and a perfectionist working on his third novel. If he’s doing that much work with the credentials he has, it says something about what an author needs to do to be seen and heard in the marketplace. Does this mean that you have to write 10 drafts? No, absolutely not. Authors work differently. But you better make sure that you’ve made it the best possible book you can make it. You owe it to yourself and you owe it to your book.
Okay, I’ve gone on a bit longer than I had anticipated, and I’m sure I’ve rambled a bit, but if I can leave you with one thing, it’s this: Publishing is a two-way street. Publishers and agents need authors as much as authors need publishers and agents. The industry survives on new books, and publishers and agents are on a constant search for the next big thing AND for mid-list authors who will make money for the house. It isn’t easy. You probably aren’t going to get rich. Neither are we. But it’s a labor of love. We enjoy reading a good story as much as you enjoy writing it. Don’t get discouraged by rejections. Listen to constructive criticism (the group is a great source of this). Study and keep working at it. Go to writer’s conferences.
|
|||
|
|
