THE BEAUTY of WRITING SHORT STORIES

Telling a story is the most important responsibility a writer has to the craft. 

A writer is the medium between thoughts and the written word. It begins as a rumination percolating through the channels of the mind and morphs into a life-form all its own as it's put onto paper. 

Ninety-nine percent of those who dream of writing a novel never reach that goal. It's a daunting task but one that can be attained if approached methodically.  The best way to begin this journey if you're new to the writing world, is by writing short stories. There are five good reasons to follow this advice:

1. Drafting a short story forces us to choose words that tighten the script, propel the action, and get to the point without sacrificing substance. This magnifying glass highlights brilliance as well as flaws. Never fear standing in the light of either; one corrects, the other encourages.
2. It's less crushing for the ego to edit a few thousand words than to slog through a full manuscript. Learning from and correcting ingrained, sloppy behaviors in small increments fortifies new lessons learned and builds confidence. 
3. Even if you are a novice writer, follow standard manuscript formatting and Chicago style editing, if the goal is to publish a book. Agents and publishers are particular, so why not start with the formats the industry uses? 
4. Sometimes, a chosen topic runs dry in a few thousand words. It happens. That's the bad news. The good news is, by concentrating on writing a short story, you'll have completed something ready for publication with no angst because it's thirty thousand words shy of a novel.
5. If you have expertise in a particular field or love a particular topic, write a series of short stories. As the collection grows, the body of work will help you decide if it's worthy of becoming a book. 

How do you determine what to call your manuscript? The Writer's Circle describes classifications as follows: ARTICLE 300 - 700 words; SHORT STORY 1,000 - 7,500; NOVELLETTE 7,500 - 17,500; NOVELA 20,500 - 50,000; NOVEL 50,000 - 110,000; EPIC over 110,000.

I've discovered minimal variations in book length guidelines from one trusted source to another. None to the point that one is better than the other.  Basically, the information offered acts as a benchmark to keep a writer focused on the goal. Because the most important responsibility is for the writer to tell the story, these guidelines offer great flexibility. If the manuscript is over the word count for a particular project but the story feels complete . . . this is when the writer passes into the realm of serious editing and that's a topic for another post.

When collaborating with an agent, editor, or publisher, the perimeters may be determined according to their needs, so it's important to ask what they expect as far as word count. If this is a personal project or journal, challenge yourself to write under the guidelines of a short story to improve skills. 

Whatever your style or story, I wish you much success in your writing goals.

To learn more about award-winning author, Jo Ann V. Glim:

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FOOD PORN

Many writers dream of penning the next, great American novel and have reams of notes and half written chapters to prove it. There's another form of writing that can be very lucrative, if money's your motivation. It can raise your name to rock star status, if fame's your prod. 

 Placed prominently, what you write and the graphics shown with it will bring people through the doors of your store (sales); have customers clicking through the internet to find you (there's an app for that); and honestly? it's just plain fun to do.  It's called advertising.

I chose food as the vehicle for this post because there's such a stream of history to show the sensibilities and absurdities of a habit we follow every day throughout our lives. We've come a long way since the kitchen was an independent structure set away from the main house because it was such a dangerous place! In the mid 1800s, women wore floor-length dresses (with layers of petticoats) as they cooked over open hearths . . . a recipe for catastrophe. Many died or were severely burned because of it.

In the late 1800s when enclosed ranges fueled by wood, coal, or oil were introduced to the common kitchen, cooks still used their hands to measure ingredients. Family recipes were closely guarded secrets shared only with blood relatives and if coerced into sharing, often times, a key ingredient or spice was omitted. Ovens had no temperature gauge, a thermometer on the door (when tapped and holding steady) would tell it was time to start the cooking process.

A woman by the name of Fannie Merritt Farmer from the Boston Cooking School recognized a need to create a system of uniformity for measuring ingredients found in recipes. The first step in advertising: Find a need and offer a solution. Who knew for Farmer it would be measuring cups and spoons? It was an unconventional idea that met with great resistance, at first. She organized in-home parties to demonstrate this new way of cooking and sold her books on the subject. It caught on.

In the '20s, '30s, and '40s signage dotted the roadways and diners across our country. People began to recognize their favorite products by color and shape. Coke comes to mind.

In the 1950s, with the advent of home television sets and the predominance of radio and print ads, "branding" became popular. Who remembers mama hanging from the window yelling it was dinner time . . . on Wednesday? Who remembers refrigerators sold by Westinghouse? Advertising found a need and a solution and we wanted whatever was being sold.

By the '60s music rocked the world, literally. Advertising was edgy and raw for the younger consumer and filled with questions, such as: 'huh?' from the over-thirty group. But everyone could agree on T-H-E Golden Arches . . . even if they didn't understand some guy named Andy painting soup cans. However, both became household words, McDonalds and Andy Warhol. They found their niche and marketed it.

From the '70s until now, things once again changed in cooking. The microwave oven, convection cooking, processors, and juicers were introduced and all made our lives easier and healthier. Graphics, logos, and one word messages ruled the advertising world for these products.

Now . . . we have you.tube, the internet, facebook, pinterest and a host of other outlets that not only show beautiful examples of prepared food but how to make it. Someone coined the phrase "food porn." Not quite my image of food but I bet this phrase will have a long shelf-life.

If you have a talent for turning a phrase; writing an impactful message in 60 seconds or less; or taking photographs or video that speaks volumes; you may be a jingle writer at heart. Something to think about.

To learn more about award-winning author, Jo Ann V. Glim:

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Go Placidly Amidst the Noise of Christmas . . .

Every year after Christmas Eve dinner and before we unwrapped presents from the family, Grandpa read the story in Luke about the birth of Christ. This old man with chiseled features from years of manual labor; hands gnarled from sculpting in wood and steel became himself filled with wonderment. The image of him holding the Bible with such tenderness made me imagine him cradling the holy infant in his hands as well as his heart. At that moment, I understood how this child who changed the world could bring the rich and powerful, the poor and needy, the young, the old, the strong and frail to their knees.

There is nothing selfish or haughty or hateful or cynical in the message of Christmas and when hearts do become burdened by flicks of id (produced and scattered by a godless society), individually, we silently yearn for the peace that comes from love. The message of Christmas is an invitation delivered in the form of a child. What is more needy or trusting than a baby? What fills the human heart with more unconditional love than a head-bobbing snuggle from a newborn? Humanity, now more than ever, needs this type of intimacy.

Christmas, if we let it, brings nourishment to strengthen the soul and humble the spirit. With that thought in mind, I wish you and your loved ones a very, MERRY CHRISTMAS

To all the men and women serving our country, to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one during this holiday season, to those who are searching for meaning in their lives, to those suffering from addictions, and to all my friends, family and loved ones, I wish you all peace, love, safety, and the blessings of Christmas throughout the new year.

IMPORTANT - I received this notice and wanted to pass it on to you. I am so grateful to have you as a friend and hope you feel the same. There are changes coming and the following notice will explain what they are. I hope you'll take the time to update so we will still be friends in the new year.

An update on Google Friend Connect

16 hours ago by A Googler

In 2011, we announced the retirement of Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger sites. We made an exception for Blogger to give readers an easy way to follow blogs using a variety of accounts. Yet over time, we’ve seen that most people sign into Friend Connect with a Google Account. So, in an effort to streamline, in the next few weeks we’ll be making some changes that will eventually require readers to have a Google Account to sign into Friend Connect and follow blogs.

As part of this plan, starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.

We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Google Account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow.

We know how important followers are to all bloggers, but we believe this change will improve the experience for both you and your readers.

Posted by Michael Goddard, Software Engineer

THE BIG PICTURE

Pictures, renderings, graphs, charts, all increase interest in a book, however, there are subtle choices an author can make to enhance the project. Much of it has to do with personal style. These choices add to the polished look of a product. For example:

• POSITIONING:
• Arrange pictures on a page with the subjects looking toward the gutter (in-seam) or looking at an object blocking the edge of the page. Otherwise, the subject looks as though it's trying to escape.
• When taking new pictures for the book, think of the light source as though the reader is looking through an open window (referring to the open pages of the book). Study a table near a window (filled with food, a lamp or vase). Where is the light source at different times during the day? How do the shadows fall? Which is more pleasing to your eye? Does one portray the message and theme of the project better?  
• Try different techniques. Set a mood with a large block of color behind the picture. Use a soft focus. Add unexpected elements. Whatever you choose, make sure it adds to the story and doesn't over power the page.
• Unless it's a picture book, visuals are there to compliment the writing. Place a photo on a page by itself, cluster them around a theme or timeline, or add at the end of the book as a photo diary. Let your imagination and creativity blossom. 
• B&W or COLOR or BOTH
• There is something very dramatic and edgy about a photo taken in current times and developed in B&W or (with the help of special settings on some cameras)  highlighting one color, for example: a red rose with a B&W backdrop.
• Older photos are a challenge. Some are washed out or scratched from age. My suggestion is to handle as little as possible. Take a picture of the picture or take it to a professional for restoration. There is beauty in the markings on a photo if writing a memoir, especially if there's a family memory attached.
• Use different tones to establish a timeline or age of a photo. Sepia for the 1800s, B&W before 1945 and color for modern.
• IDENTIFICATION 
• If you're submitting an article to a magazine or news source, or working with a publisher, check their specifications and follow them . . . exactly.
• The most widely used formats in identifying photographs are:
• PEOPLE                            LOCATION
• (l-r) seated: add names  Subject: animal/plant/person
• first row: add names       Location: park, museum, etc
• standing: add names      Where: city/state/country
• Photo credit                    Photo credit
• Double check the spelling of all names.

Finally, open your rough-cut copy of the finished book and quickly flip-fan the pages. This quick, overview of all the pages will help you see the color balance of the pictures. Is one more intense than another? The goal is to balance. This is something that can be easily corrected in the printing process.

Whatever your style or story, I wish you much success in your writing career.

BUY ONCE - GIFT TWICE

We're happy to announce that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of "Begotten With Love" supports the A.C.M.E. Scholarship fund. This fund helps students whose education is in financial jeopardy due to the death of a sibling or parent. If you're looking for a present for the reader in your life and want to help another, visit our website www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com

To learn more about award-winning author, Jo Ann V. Glim:

VISIT: www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com

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AVAILABLE ON: Amazon.com/author/joannglim

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SETTING THE SCENE

MACRO EDITING - Part 3 in a 5 Part Series

It doesn't take a chapter or even a paragraph to write the perfect scene opener. 'It was a dark and stormy night,' comes to mind. All the senses are heightened and the reader is hooked. But then 1830 English novelist Edward Buler-Lytton (in his novel Paul Clifford) continued the sentence. It was a dark and stormy night: the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals . . . (and the sentence didn't stop there). In fact, there are now contests dedicated to writing the longest and most convoluted sentence possible; not quite the tact an aspiring novelist wants to emulate. 


The goal as a writer is to convey a story that transports the reader from their world into ours with enough dialogue, narrative, and description to guide them on that journey. It's our goal to foster their imagination so they identify with the story and characters . . . but how much is too much?

When reading your manuscript on this go-around of macro-edits, stop and think. If you're thoughts become:

DISTRACTED   Is it because the description is too long? If a wandering mind happens to you, it will surely happen for the reader. 

• Try shorter sentences or blending descriptions into the dialogue. For example: Little Red Riding Hood said as she ran through the woods to her grandmother's house. 
• Intersperse scene descriptions throughout the chapter instead of writing a litany at the beginning. 
• Think like a camera. Movie scripts begin with an establishing shot. Who could forget the space ship in the opening scene from Star Wars? The most popular beginning is either a panoramic or extreme close-up.  These set the tone for a movie and can do the same for a book.

CONFUSED      When we become too familiar with a topic, town, or personality, it's easy to omit information because we think everyone is viewing it from the same base.

• If the story line falters or the scene feels vague, you may have more explaining to do. Read the script out loud. What you hear sounds totally different than what you see on the printed page. If your tongue takes you down a new path, continue the thought. Write it down. We talked about searching for musicality when writing in the post, "Music in Words." This is one way to find it. 
• A scene description is "visual" dialogue that may:
• enhance emotion, 
• reveal a plot twist, 
• move the story forward.

SKEPTICAL  A story is not an essay or thesis. There are times that proper English may slow the action or discredit a character's personality. Part of setting a scene is being true to the cast that makes your story real.

• Contract words where possible. 
• Avoid cliche's . . . unless you are clever enough to form an original. 
• Add a little spice to the 'script, y'all. The operative word is little. 

Whatever your style or story, I wish you much success in your writing career.

To learn more about award-winning author, Jo Ann V. Glim:

VISIT: www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com

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AVAILABLE ON: Amazon.com/author/joannglim

BOOK TRAILER on YouTube

MUSIC in WORDS

MACRO EDITING - Part 2 in a 5 Part Series

Poets and songwriters seem gifted with sensing the melody in words. With the stroke of a pen, they infuse our senses with emotion. We're willingly captivated by the masters. However, the rest of the writing pool (myself included) sometimes struggle with untangling descant chords in even simple sentences!

These thoughts roiled through my mind as I began formulating this post.  A quick bite of lunch and a listen to one of my favorite Sunday radio programs, Radio Lab hosted by Jad Abumerad on NPR, then down to it.  The topic of his show focused on: Music - Language - Touch. Right in line with this week's post!

Even though the guests talked about the spoken word, their theories brilliantly applied to the written word as well. They've documented the fact that speech has four tones universal in all languages. As  Stanford University Director of Infant Studies Professor Ann Fernald discovered, speech follows four tonal patterns: happy (with a rise in voice); command (short and to the point); comfort (the awww factor); and warning (call to attention). It doesn't matter which language, the patterns match perfectly in all of them.

Which brings me to this week's Macro Moment in editing the manuscript: listen for the music in the character's conversations. Are the tonal patterns similar? Stilted? Lax? Believable? Mix it up! Facial expressions and body gestures change temperament. Act it out as you read aloud. Let this round of editing bring you closer to the heart of the characters and the message of the story.

Building a dynamic and plausible narrative is a balancing act. What we compose sets the tone for the scene; gives the characters personality; moves the story forward; and imposes the will and style of the author (think of the famous staccato pattern of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer). Whatever your style or story, I wish you much success in your writing career.

Listen to an archived copy at www.RadioLab.org. Professor Diana Deutsch, Psychologist at the University of California - San Diego studies the affects of language and musicality. Stanford Professor Ann Fernald, Director of Infant Studies discovered four distinct tones in which we communicate.


"Begotten With Love" Kindle eBook sale ends this Sunday. To order a copy today, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IOOLUWQ 

To learn more about award-winning author, Jo Ann V. Glim:

VISIT: www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com

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AVAILABLE ON: Amazon.com/author/joannglim

BOOK TRAILER on YouTube

The 5 LAYERS of MACRO EDITING - #1

Best selling author James Patterson sums it up when he tells writers . . . 'just write.' I have gladly joined the chorus

Let the Story Flow!

Published, unpublished or newbie, what difference does it make if we (as aspiring novelists) spend months working on an outline, developing characters with charms and flaws and/or scouting for locations, if the story isn't fully told? The difference is . . . your skills as a writer are on display. Your commitment to professionalism is tucked on every page. Even journalists who fly by the tips of their ink-stained fingers create a beginning, middle and end to the copy they write.

One of my first editors (RIP, Jerry) when I worked at the Bahamas News Bureau in Chicago would tell the staff, "Editing is not sleuthing for misspelled words or correcting grammar. That should come as second nature."

Which brings me to this point: of the two editing styles, which format do we use, Associated Press or Chicago?  Most of us were schooled using one form while our aspirations depend on the other. Knowing which style you need upfront can save hours of edit time. For example, one style uses two spaces between sentences, the other only one. If you're editing a 65,000 word manuscript with the wrong editing style (or no style at all), you're in for one looooooong edit session.

Google offers a number of resources from which to find the answers to your editing dilemma. As the adage goes, the longest distance between two points is the short cut.  So, take time to edit, rewrite, ponder and edit, again. The ones who persevere are the ones with a better chance to enter the one percent club of published authors. DON'T GIVE UP! I wish you much success on your writing journey.

October is Family History Month. What do you know about your heritage? Your family's journey to America? Their trials and triumphs? Leave your family the best gift of all . . . knowledge. 

To learn more about award-winning author, Jo Ann V. Glim:

VISIT: www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com

LIKE: on Facebook 

AVAILABLE ON: Amazon.com/author/joannglim

BOOK TRAILER on YouTube