Living in Syndication

Before I continue with my personal editorial guidelines, a few pieces of news. First, thanks to popular demand (about two people) I've dug out my Twitter account. It's R_Crew. Maybe I'll even say some things on ocassion. Who knows what the future will bring?

Second, I attended my first pre-sales meeting at a major publisher the other day. Apart from one book which made me physically ill, the lineup was really, really great. Consequently, I could feel myself aging as I sat there. The imprint which was the focus of the meeting is all non-fiction. It was largely history and Poli-Sci. I mean, I always loved the stuff but I've never read commercial NF, really. That was something I associated with old men like my father, uncles and old family friends. So now I'm cranky, stooped and interested in NF? Hell. What have I become? Next time I get a haircut I'll probably ask them to trim the hair growing out of my ears.

So, on with my editing guidelines.

4) Show, don't tell. The old writer's rule is a rule for editors as well, in two different ways. First, getting writers to follow the rule when they lapse (as will happen even to the best writers on ocassion) and secondly, when offering suggestions for style or theme, tie it to specific parts of the manuscript. "This might be stronger if..." or "I think you're rushing this..." Saying "Dude, your pacing is shit." may be true, but give a few examples of where it speeds up or slows down that threw you.

5) I loves me some details. There is a fine line to walk detail wise. As I've pointed out time and again, my battle cry is more or less "Use it or lose it." I'm in favor of cutting pretty much anything unecessary. But the right details go a long, long way. Personally, I'm fond of things that are disturbing and visceral. Stuff that sounds totally crazy but hits you so directly and without apology that you find yourself totally unable to question the authenticity. For an example of how to do this, read Tim O'Brien. Any O'Brien will do. The Things They Carried might do it best. The abbreviated course is the chapter "How to Tell a True War Story." I don't think I've ever met anyone who actually liked O'Brien, at least not initially. But I think every Lit professor and editor I've ever mentioned him to swoons at the name. He's pretty much the holy grail of this style of writing. This is not reccomended reading. This is required reading far as I'm concerned. You can check out an early and inferior version of the story here, but I highly reccomend getting the book. It's a better investment by far for writers and editors alike than any how-to manual I've ever seen. If you don't like war stories, that's okay. It's not a war story. It's a love story. It's a ghost story. It's any story at all. O'Brien 4evar!

6)Non-standard dialogue tags are the devil's work. Seriously. Nine times out of ten, "ask" or "said" is all that you really need. And for shit's sake, do not say "asked quizically" or "spat angrily" or any such nonsense. Do not tell me the character was being sarcastic. Show me. For the questions, uplifted eyebrows. Cocked heads. Etc. Sarcasm is a flowing piece of the tone and not something you can conjure up when needed and banish when it's unwanted. As for spat angrily, it's simply redundant. Either make spat your tag (and be careful not to overuse) or simply use said and then show anger. Clenched fists. Raised voice. A deep frown. A flash in the eyes. You know. Showing. Setting a scene. Painting a picture. You may not be a sculptor, but goddamnit, writing is an art and it's the only art I know of where your biggest fans and biggest critics get to give feedback during the initial creation, so we've all got a responsobility to keep on our toes. This sort of amateur bullshit does not fly, gentle readers. It's about as aerodynamic as canned cranberry sauce. It does not strike me. It does not cut. It sort of giggles and blurbles.

Remember, gentle readers that good literature is like a punch in the stomach. It leaves a mark.

Next time: some format and style advice for graphic novelists.