Advice From a Prolific Author

Hi all. Yeah, I know that it's been two years. Can't say that I've been reading any indie, hence no new reviews here. From time to time though, I grow curious about some of the authors that I've reviewed here and wonder what they're up to. Most get waylaid by life and their writing endeavors are stuck in the proverbial muck. I can't recall why, but I was curious about Scott Rhine today.

Scott was one of our most prolific submitters—I think he's up to two dozen books. While I didn't review anywhere near the number of submissions we got from him, I did read and review four of them. I wanted to know if he ever finished the series that I'd been reading here, so I took a spin over to his blog to find out. It took a while to find, but sure enough, he did.

I snooped around some more and stumbled across a post from two years ago entitled "5 Years in the Writing Business—Revised Advice." It really is a must read for all indie authors. Scott shares his experiences with book sales, ads, tags, series vs. standalone books, giveaways, and much more. No matter what you write, it's worth checking out just to see if he's already tried out your marketing ideas. See what's worked for him and what hasn't, then see where it fits into your plans.

\_/
DED

Ellipsis Tirade

el·lip·sis – noun \i-ˈlip-səs, e-\

1. a : the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete;  b : a sudden leap from one topic to another
2. : marks or a mark (as …) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause

The above definition is taken from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

Since I’ve begun to read indie author works, I’ve noticed that writers seem to be in love with these three little dots. So much so that they misuse them all the time. At first, I thought it was just one book or author but after ten plus books where 75% of them misuse the ellipsis, I feel the need to step in.

The main use of an ellipsis is to shorten a quotation or to show a trailing off in speech. Here is an example of each. For the quotation, let’s take a simple quote from Cicero:

Original – “A friend is, as it were, a second self.”

Ellipsisfied – “A friend is... a second self.”

Notice that is replaces an unnecessary portion of the quote. The addition of the ellipsis does not change the meaning of the quote. Now let’s use it to show a trailing off in speech or thought in dialogue.

“Fiddlesticks! Where did I leave those darn... ?”

But what about using an ellipsis to build tension? Even though it seems to be a widely used (and accepted) practice to use the ellipsis this way, I cannot find any book/site on writing styles that states that it should be used this way. But I’m not going to fight against the stream here. Language and grammar are ever changing creatures.

I tend to agree with the Writing Forward Blog which states:

“We can also use an ellipsis to indicate a pause or unfinished thought. At the end of a sentence, an ellipsis represents trailing off into silence. Using an ellipsis to represent a pause can get a writer into trouble.

We tend to pause a lot in speech. Pauses give us a moment to collect our thoughts or add emphasis to what we’re saying. But in writing, a page peppered with ellipses wreaks havoc on the eyes. The same applies to unfinished thoughts.

A lazy writer might use ellipses to indicate, “and so on,” or “et cetera.” In text messaging and social media, many people use ellipses where they believe the reader will implicitly understand what would be stated next. In professional-grade writing, we finish our thoughts, so ellipses used for this purpose should be rare.

However, when we are writing dialogue, an ellipsis can come in handy, especially if we want to show a character’s speech trailing off. Keep in mind, though, that ellipses, like exclamation points, should be used with caution and only when truly needed for emphasis. As a general rule, don’t use it unless you must.”

PLEASE, AUTHORS!  I BEG OF YOU! When writing your novels, use ellipses sparingly! Also remember that ending a chapter in an ellipsis is redundant. The tension builder is already there. A well written story already has me thinking, “Oh! I so need to read the next chapter to find out what happens to [insert character here]!”

Here are three great resources for using ellipses:

1. Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
2. Capital Community College’s Grammar Page (with handy drop down menu)
3. Writing Forward’s Ellipsis Page

</end rant>

This post originally appeared over at The Bookworm's Fancy.

The Meteoric Rise of Simon Burchwood by Scott Semegran

This funny picaresque novel features the insight-challenged Simon Burchwood, off on a quest for fame and fortune as a great writer, making his journey from Texas to a reading of his début novel at the flagship Barnes and Noble store in New York City by way of Montgomery AL, where his boyhood friend Jason signs on as his Sancho Panza. Simon is a fine example of a “you spot it, you got it” personality type, exceedingly critical of everyone he meets, tilting at windmills that have his own name painted on them. Semegran manages a first-person narrative that is simultaneously derogatory, clueless, and energetic. Simon is constantly launching into little asides, some of which make one want to scream “TMI!” His meanderings will remind birders of the song of the house finch, which emits a long trail of descending, insistent-sounding notes, finishing with a querulous, whiny three-note ascending and descending phrase at the end; Simon's songs always end with the assertion “It's true!” He's a stingy tipper to boot; this is tolerated somewhat better in Montgomery than in NYC.

The action picks up substantially during his time in Montgomery, where he runs into old acquaintances and revives his assorted petty grudges against them that had been dormant for years, refreshing his relationships with people as what I think folks nowadays call their “frenemy.” He disparages Jason's slovenly lifestyle and makes fun of his old car, calling it a “turd-on-wheels.” The reader will tightly grip an imaginary steering wheel while Simon, often half in the bag, rides around the dark Alabama streets in Jason's other car, his father's lovingly restored 1967 Mustang.

As Simon readies for the New York leg of his trip, the cracks in Jason's marriage become visible to him, and, at Simon's insistence, Jason comes along for the ride, even though he has declared to Simon that “Everything was fine until you came into town. That's when everything started to fall apart.”

The New York segment is played for slightly more broad comedy, a two-hicks-in-the-big-city farce. The two men arrange with a sleazy bellman to stage a “practice” reading of Simon's book (always referred to in caps: “THE RISE AND FALL OF A TITAN,” based on the illegal shenanigans of Simon's detested boss), inviting off-duty hotel employees and sending up a keg. Simon clutches and manages to read the first paragraph only; then the drinking and partying begin. Our hero does manage a few moments of empathy, both in dealing with Jason and with a menacing breakfast chef. Does this suggest that, all other evidence aside, his book may be good? Is he capable of change, or will he remain a legend in his own mind?

The writing is very clever. The only problem I had was with Semegran's usage of “low and behold,” instead of “lo and behold,” and a few typos. Read this book, and feel yourself clutching the wheel of the Mustang as Simon careens through the streets and reaching for your wallet as he prepares to dole out another miserly tip.

Visit his website. Buy the book!

Conflict, tension, and suspense

Conflict is composed of an action and reaction struggle between the protagonist and the antagonist, with each action and each reaction taking place on a higher level of intensity, creating escalation. The struggle is also responsible for the uncertainty of the ultimate outcome, and uncertainty creates tension. Because struggle is comprised of reversals, no matter how bad things seem to get for the protagonist, hope remains that he will yet prevail, and the presence of hope maintains the uncertainty of the ultimate outcome. Without the possibility of reversals, once the antagonist would appear to triumph, hope would be lost for the protagonist and the story would be over. As long as the protagonist has a hope of reversing the triumphs of the antagonist, and as long as the antagonist can do the same to the protagonist's victories, there is uncertainty and tension. Uncertainty must be maintained as long as logically possible otherwise there will be no tension and the reader will lose interest. Tension rises as the struggle escalates but the outcome remains uncertain. Conflict is responsible for escalation of the action as well as for uncertainty and tension. Conflict also creates suspense.

Conflict is caused by some event that suggests a possible disaster. In order to avoid the disaster, the protagonist acts, and comes in conflict with forces that wish to make the disaster happen. The ultimate outcome, however, because of the conflict, is uncertain or suspended. As long as the outcome is uncertain, suspense is maintained. As long as the conflict is unresolved, its outcome remains suspended.