Martha Jeffers, our "Grammar Granny," presented a Grammar Minute at our June 2010 meeting on "in," "into," and "in to." See the PDF handout here.

June 2010
Intellectual Property (the contract)

Edward Livingston, with the support of Erica Loeffler, gave an excellent talk on the legalities of writing. Both are from The Livingston Firm in Naples and Fort Myers,

Notes taken by Becky Elam and Judy Loose (in addition to the handout) from the original presentation and the question and answer session that followed.

• Copyright protection for literary works.
• Anonymous work of work for hire (i.e. newspapers) – copyright is good for 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation which ever comes first vs. 70 years after author's death for individual copyright.
• News articles in a paper are usually copyrighted by the paper.
• When you work as an employee of a company, the company owns the copyrights. But, if you work for hire as an independent contractor, the copyright belongs to you unless otherwise specified. Who owns the copyright  should always be in writing.
• i.e. If you hire a website designer, the copyright for the website belongs to the designer, not the owner of the website.
• Written permission to quote any part of copyrighted material is required except in “Fair Use,” i.e. for education or for critique.
• Written permission is required to use another person’s photographs, artwork, lines from poetry, music or writing in your work.
• In medical photos, permission required of people in photos because of “HIPA” rights.
• To sing Happy Birthday without permission violates the copyright.
• Criticism is a matter of opinion, protected by the First Amendment.
• Copyrights are not enforceable if not registered. You can register your original work at www.copyright.gov, for a fee of $35. It’s easy and accepted.
• If someone steals your work and you go to court, if you haven’t registered the copyright you can’t collect legal fees.
• “Poor man’s” copyright is no longer valid.
• Poor man’s copyright was mailing a copy of your work to yourself marked as copyrighted.
• www.copyright.gov can be searched by title, author, or assigned.
• Submit your draft for copyright and publisher will resubmit the final copy.
• Copyright separate blogs.
• Copyright is not for an idea but for the expression of the idea.
• A cookbook can be copyrighted, but not the recipes.

• Publishing contracts and agreements.
• Don’t assign copyright to publisher, only the appropriate rights. Copyright should return to the author.
• You can buy back first rights from publisher if not published.
• Make sure that everything is defined in the contract to your satisfaction, i.e. net sales, auditing rights, who pays for what.
   
• Copyright and Trademark issues.
• You can’t protect the title of one book but with several related books you can Trademark the series, i.e. “For Dummies” books.
• You can trademark your pseudonym.
• You can trademark characters in a book for marketing.

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Idea Generation: From Concept to Query

October 2009

Speaker notes from Lucienne Diver, Literary Agent

Part I: The Concept

We’re going to start off here talking about idea generation.  First, every author is different.  There are things which will come naturally and things you have to work at.  For some, voice is a piece of cake.  The characters start talking in a writer’s head and the author needs to find things for these people to do.  For others, the plot comes first and peopling it with realistic characters or creating a fully-developed world is the difficult part.  Whatever you need to work at, it’s important to realize that for those things that are a struggle, it can be easy to default to a trope or a stereotype to get the less-than-fun part out of the way.  Understanding your strengths and weaknesses as a writer is vitally important to moving toward your ultimate goal: publication.
Let’s take character.  If you’re writing a mystery you might default to a divorced, alcoholic or recovering alcoholic, world-weary detective.  It’s been done and done.  Can you add your own unique twist?  Perhaps.  But it’s necessary to realize that the more something has been done the harder you have to work to make it your own.  It’s very important to avoid stereotypes and cardboard characters.  Your point of view characters are the lenses through which readers experience your story.  If the characters don’t live and breathe for us, neither will your tale, and you’ll have a difficult time engaging the reader. 
In fact, voice is often what takes a manuscript from something an agent or editor likes to something he or she loves and can champion.  Rapid-fire pacing, clever plotting, a unique and intriguing world are all important elements as well, but if I don’t care about the characters, the suspense is lost.

So, what makes a memorable character?

Quirks:
Your characters should live and breathe for you. Part of what defines a person is his or her quirks. No one is without them. My hard-biting-est, snarkiest friend has a soft spot for Barbies and Hello Kitty. Some hard science fiction writers are technophobes. You get the idea. Real people are not stock characters whose every interest goes to define their type. We’re sometimes inconsistent, indecisive, cranky, human.

Voice:
As mentioned, your viewpoint character is the lens though which the reader sees the world. A lens can warp images, color them, magnify or diminish them. Voice should do the same. Descriptions will be filtered through a character’s unique perceptions and way of expressing him or herself. A character is truly unique if no one else in the world would put the same thing in quite that way. Not sure what I mean? Pick up a Kinky Friedman novel.  A narrator can be snarky, snide, perky, unreliable, matter-of-fact…there are as many adjectives as there are people.  The important thing is that just like real people, everyone has an agenda, a history and a particular way of speaking that should inform the narrative.

Emotional connection:
It’s not enough for your character to be real or cool. There are some real people I’m not all that fond of and some cool folks with whom I have no common ground. While it’s true that you can’t please all of the people all of the time, your best bet is to give us characters we can identify with and make the stakes personal enough so that we can’t stop turning the pages to find out what happens to them.

Background:
Remember that a person is shaped by his or her background and build your characters accordingly. A fully developed character won’t just be smarmy, wise-cracking, suspicious or timid without some history there. The reader doesn’t necessarily need to know all of it, but if you as a writer don’t, chances are you need to dig deeper.

Caveats:
Your characters should become so real that they surprise you, but you still have to wrest back the story from them if they get carried away. Becoming too enamored of dialogue or character bits can slow the forward momentum of the plot if you’re not careful, so it is important to maintain a balance.
Of course, the most important thing is to entertain. Grip the reader so that he or she absolutely has to come along for the ride. If that means your characters reach out from the page, grab us by the collar and sweep us along, so much the better.

Concept:
It’s probably true that there’s nothing absolutely new under the sun.  What makes a concept or book seem original to us is the way that the ideas are combined and voiced.  For example, a demon hunter might not be anything new, but a demon huntress covered in living tattoos that protect her by day and peel off to become separate demonic entities by night, each with their own agendas potentially at odds with their host’s is a unique idea and the high concept behind Marjorie M. Liu’s Hunter Kiss series.
We're looking for new and oooh.  We want something we haven't seen a million times before and something that will intrigue not only us, but marketing departments and book buyers.  Acquisitions are about more than a single agent or editor loving and championing your material.  Editors require second and often third reads to get others behind your work.  They need to run P&Ls (Profit and Loss statements) and present the work at meetings where it's decided whether offers can be made and for how much.  Work on tag lines – brief single phrase or sentence descriptions of your work that pack a wallop for query letters and pitches.  If your work can't be described in a juicy sound bite – not that we don't all know it’s more complex than that – it may not have a high concept or a clear enough hook for the market.

Plotting/pacing:

Plotting is what happens over the course of a book and pacing is how it happens exactly and at what speed.  You need a great story, of course, but telling it to us is completely different than catching us up in the action, which is what a well-paced novel will do.  We want to forget that we’re external to the story.  Our guts need to clench, our hearts need to race and we need to stay up way too late in the evening reading because we can’t stand not to know what happens next.  Remember that novels should have both internal and external conflict.  Even in a mystery, where the storyline might revolve around whodunit, there should be some reason that the resolution is personal to the protagonists.  Maybe they’re clearing their own names or those of loved ones.  Maybe the murderer is hitting too close to home.  Whatever it is, the story should be personal.  In a romance the main internal conflict will be whether the characters you’re rooting for will get together.  Beyond that, there are a legion of issues, internal and external, that might keep them apart.  This can be seen in the number of subgenres within romance – romantic suspense, paranormal, historical and erotic romance, etc.  External conflicts in any genre are also unlimited – there may be political plots, historical, societal or natural forces, investigations, magical mayhem….  Both external conflicts and internal conflicts should be strong and should escalate as the story goes on until it reaches a cataclysmic conclusion.  We should feel like things could go awry at any time and the idea should devastate us because we’ve come to care so much about the characters.  We should both anticipate the end because we’ll finally know how it all works out and dread it because the story will be over…at least until the next installment.

So now I’m going to get down the practicality of playing with ideas and concepts, tossing out the old and hopefully coming up with the new.

A few years ago one of my authors talked about comedy being a combination of disparate elements with the idea that it’s the surprise of their combination that makes us laugh.  I realized that it’s true not only for comedy, but for unique fiction as well.  Think of all the mash-ups you’re currently seeing – Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Little Women and Werewolves, Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.  These seem original because they’re such surprising combinations and we want to see how the authors can possibly pull them off.

So, we’re going to play around a little here with idea generation by dividing into groups of three.  I’ll come around with some bags from which you’ll draw three disparate elements that I want you to combine into a story.  The trick is, of course, threefold:

1. I’ve tried to choose words with more than one possible meaning, and I want you to think outside the box.  For example, if you choose the word “Boot” you might think the kind you wear on your feet, but if you work a little harder, you might think of Italy or the truck of a car in the UK.  I want you to go as far afield as you can.  Think outside the box.  If any of you have ever played I, Spy you’ll know that “pin” can mean the kind you wear on a lapel, a hair pin, straight pin, safety pin….  Many possible meanings.

1. Combine those elements in a unique way: If you come up with boot and murder, for example, your first thought might be that a boot washes ashore with the leg still inside.  Yes, I watch way too much CSI.  I want you to throw out your first three impulses.  These will be your defaults, the things your mind initially falls on because they’re common, comfortable, natural.  If you can call them instantly to mind, so can everyone else.  We’re going for original.

1. Have fun!  Let your imaginations run wild.

[Here we pause for selecting words and brainstorming ideas.]

Part II: The Query

Query: What we’re looking for: an idea that intrigues us in a genre we represent by a writer we think we can work with.

1st paragraph: Something like “I’ve written a fantasy novel of 100,000 words entitled LUCK IN THE SHADOWS.”

2nd Paragraph: summary – hit the high points, main characters, internal and external conflict.  Think of it like back cover copy.

3rd paragraphs: credits or other relevant information.  For example, do you have a platform?  Maybe you write for a magazine or have some other claim to fame or connections that can be used to promote your work.  Let us know.  Our decision will be based primarily on how much we love the work, but you've first got to get us to request it.  Then we'll have to consider not only whether we like it and think it can sell, but whether we think it will stand out in the marketplace and that we can really build your career.  Knowing that you've got a leg up on building an audience can be very helpful.

Or maybe you have contest wins and previous credits.  We have to fall in love with the work itself, of course, but knowing that you've placed first or second in a contest we really respect can get your foot in the door, maybe even get your work requested by the contest judge(s).  It appeals to agents because a) it indicates that this is a quality work that's worth considering and has received a level of editorial feedback already and b) it gives us fodder for our own pitches to editors down the line should we decide to represent you.  Likewise with credits.  Already we know that you're writing publishable work, so the question will be, "Is it for us?"

4th paragraph: I look forward to hearing from you.

Sign and done

Query dos and don’ts:
-The query letter is basically an introduction to the writer; the synopsis is the introduction to the story.
-The query should tell the agent/editor something about you, perhaps by what authority you write about the things you do. For example, if you’re writing medical suspense, perhaps you or someone close to you is a doctor or nurse.  This would be important to note because it goes to your credibility. 
-It should be written by the writer (not your secretary, mother, best friend, fictional protagonist, etc.).
-This is an agent/editor’s first introduction to your work.  Do not rush it through the door without careful proofreading.  Standard mistakes often seen: typos, mistaking the agent/editor’s name or sex (a Mr. instead of a Ms.), mixing up letters and envelopes so that one agent/editor receives a letter meant for another.  Do what research you can to target the right person at each agency or publishing house.
-For hardcopy submissions, always include a self-addressed stamped envelope (stamped, no meter strips) for the response even if you don’t want the material returned.  In case the SASE gets separated from the query, your address and manuscript title should be included in your cover letter.  Your name and the title should appear on each page of a manuscript or synopsis. 
-This may seem obvious, but make sure you've put enough postage on your submission that it actually gets to its destination.  When I took hardcopy submissions, I received at least four a week with postage due.  The agency won't pay your postage.  Also, if you want delivery confirmation, pay for it.  Don't call or e-mail the agent to ask whether your query is among the 200-300 they received that month.
-Arrogance is a turn off.  Do not suppose that your first novel will break all sales records and become a blockbuster movie.  While this does happen on occasion, it is rare and an agent/editor does not want to take on someone they suspect will have unrealistic expectations and thus be difficult to work with.
-Do not use an unreadable font because you think it is interesting and different.  Everyone in the field has troublesome eyesight due to squinting at so much small type.  The more work the professional has to do, the greater the chance that your work will be put aside.
-Synopses may be single-spaced, but manuscripts should be unbound, double-spaced, 12 point type and printed on only one side of a page.  The manuscript title and author’s last name should appear at the top of each page.  All pages should be numbered.  (Note: be sure that the length of your manuscript is appropriate for the genre in which you’re writing.)
-Allow humor to show through, but don’t try to get too cutesy with your queries.  [You may laugh, but I know editors who have received plastic fish (plural) and other oddities from aspiring writers who thought that this would be a unique way to approach editors.]
-Do not put down other writers of your genre.  Remember that the agents you’re approaching should love the genre in which you write and will only be offended by disparaging comments about your peers.  By the same token, you should not put down other professionals who have declined your work or include previous rejection letters, no matter how complimentary they were.
-It’s not a good idea to query on many books at one time.  While you may want to let an agent/editor know that you’ve got more than one novel in you, it’s best to choose one book on which to focus.  While many successful writers were first published several manuscripts down the line, it will not give the best impression. 
-Do not send a letter encouraging an agent or editor to go visit a website to read your submission.  We have too many queries awaiting our attention to go looking for work.
-Don’t try to rush the agent/editor along with a line like “I look forward to your speedy response.”  Rejection takes much less time than a careful read.

Query Etiquette:
-Do mention if it's a simultaneous submission.   At the query letter stage this is expected, but at the partial or full manuscript stage, the status should definitely be disclosed.  It's good manners and can hurt your chances with an agent if we find out later what we should have known up front.  In addition, if you sign with an agent, do the other agents looking at your work the courtesy of letting them know right away so they don't spend their limited time reading something that's no longer available.
-If an agent or editor spends significant time commenting on your work, give him or her the courtesy of a first look at the revision should you decide to revise. 
In Closing:
-All this aside, remember that an agent is looking for good material.  One of the most exciting things about our job is finding new talent.  The above aren't meant to be discouraging but simply to give you the best chance of standing out in the right way.
Our submission address: submissions@knightagency.net
Links mentioned at the end of the talk:
SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) Author Beware site: http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/

Preditors and Editors: http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/

Association of Author’s Representatives: http://www.aaronline.org/

Publishers Marketplace: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/

Media Bistro: http://www.mediabistro.com/ (There are specific blogs within Media Bistro I find especially interesting, like GalleyCat, but you can sign up for a summary of the industry blogs, which will arrive daily.)

Shelf Awareness: http://www.shelf-awareness.com/

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November Lessons

Linnea Sinclair said, "It was my pleasure! I had a blast."

Her four handouts are attached as PDF sheets. Character Goals, Using Dialogue Tags and Prune your prose.

October Lessons

Character Development - Summary

By Mariteres Huber Mike Hopp

Michelle Weston an enthusiastic author spoke on Saturday, October 19.

She spoke of how to develop characters for writing. She spoke of flat characters-with no real sustance, and round characters with personality, and drive. For the audience to relate to the main character; they need bones, muscles, and skin.  Bones are developed by personality types. Four basic types include:

First type is the dominant-leader oriented, driven to achieve outgoing and extraverted. The drive and strength of the dominant is control, success, and goal-orientation. Weaknesses include: not seeing other persons needs, strong willed, not flexible, cannot see details, and doesn't listen. Type of job this character may have: CEO, or vice president.

The second type is perfectionist. This type of character is creative, musicial, artistic, strength from being alone. The drive is excellence, being right, moral, intense, organized and rule-oriented.  The weakness is critical of self and others, reliance on rules, not flexible, thinks only one way, impatient.  Possible careers for perfectionist may be accountants, stockbrokers, musicians and writers.

Third type of personality is life of the party. The drive of this person is people-oriented, high extraverted, people pleasers, fun, friendly, and observant of others. The weakness of this personality is bending to fit in, chamelion, fun over work, introverted. 

The fourth personality is diplomatic. The drive of the diplomat include: peace, security, team work, consistancy and patience. Weakness is a tendency toward laziness, lack of drive, passive, hates conflict, and a weak will. Possible careers: senators, lawyers and politicians.  Michelle suggested that dominate verses diplomat, and perfectionist verses life of the party. "A great story has a great conflict." said Michelle.

For each character in her books, Michelle develops their personalities first then uses Dog Tests for more depth in each.  Alpha-leader, Gamma-loner, Beta-followers and Omegas-the runt are the four types of dogs in a pack. 

The next consideration is muscle for the character. Muscle includes, past, their reaction to it, accomplishments, set backs, passion, pet peeves, habits, temperament, emotional expressions of joy, anger, and the amount of control of emotions, dialect, and rhythms and types of speech.

The skin is what the reader sees on the outside of the character. This includes: appearance-hair and eye color, beautiful, ugly, clothing type (tidy or unkept), walk, weight, hair length, and type of shoes.  The second part of skin is the character's action. The action can include reaction to being angry, intensity, self controlled or not. A rule of thumb is audience limitations. How the author displays the character thoughts is very important. Good verses evil, judgemental or not, objective, or battle driven. It is best to let the action of the character reveal his thoughts, unless the character like a woman is better developed through sharing her thoughts. Interplay between characters is also important.  Words define the character. "How they speak, think, talk, slur, form an opinion adds to the skin." said Michelle. Prejudice of the character how they think of themselves and others, reasons for this are essential as well. The fifth is other people's perception in the book of the main character. "Who likes him/her, hates him/her. Enemies verses heros." said Michelle.  Cliche's must be avoided. For example have a female, wheel-chaired, nuclear scientist in the plot.

Lastly have the main character sympathethic to the reader. Develop high and low counterpoints of the relationships and plots for interesting reading.

RECOMMENDED READING:

1. FORGET REAL LIFE: Characters cannot do the things that we do, such as eat, drink, sleep or take a bath.
Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun

2. FLOW CAN TURN GOOD INTO GREAT: Jaws, The Mummy, The Usual Suspects, White Oleander by Janet Fitch, PD James. None of these aspired to be the Great American story, but I think they are truly great for one reason: there is not one moment that your attention wanders.
PD James: Shroud for a Nightingale

3. SETTING THE PACE BEGINS WITH THE FIRST WORD. Backstory belongs later, as stated by Donald Maas. Beginnings are hard.
Donald Mass: Writing the Breakout Novel
Jeffrey Deaver: The Bone Collector

4. ANYTHING THAT APPLIES TO FICTION APPLIES TO NONFICTION. You will have to pay even more attention to your pace when you can’t make up a dramatic event when the narrative calls for it. You will have to open each chapter with a surprising statement or line of dialogue, and ending each chapter with a bang, a cliffhanger or some other stunning remark.
Ann Rule: And Never Let Her Go

5. LESS IS MORE: How much description do you really need?
Lawrence Block: Telling Lies for Fun and Profit

6. IT’S ABOUT TIME: Use flashbacks sparingly, and no gaps of weeks or months unless absolutely necessary. Every time time lags in the book, it’s going to lag in the reader’s mind.
What not to do: James Patterson: Along Came A Spider
What to do if you want to span generations: Stuart Woods: Chiefs

7. NEVER REPEAT YOURSELF. Just because one character has to recap recent events for another character does not mean you make your readers listen to it again. Do not tell them things they already know.
What not to do: James Patterson: Cat and Mouse
Jeffrey Deaver: The Stone Monkey

8. ACTION DOESN’T HAVE TO COME WITH LIGHTS, CAMERAS, CAR CRASHES AND EXPLOSIONS. Keeping the book moving doesn’t mean a constant barrage of noise and chaos.
Peter Abrahams: The Tutor
Elizabeth George: Write Away

9. THE DIE HARD RULE: Just keep going. Otherwise known as pacing is like paint—it can cover a multitude of sins.
Robert Ludlum: The Matarese Circle

10. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL: You have to do what’s right for you.
Takes place in one night: David Morell: Creepers
Takes place in one week: Scott Smith: The Ruins
Takes place in one generation: Dan Simmons: The Terror

PRESENTOR:

Elizabeth Becka/ Lisa Black                                                   www.elizabethbecka.com
PO Box 151090
Cape Coral, FL 33993                                                                        www.lisa-black.com

Carol Mahler
P.O. Box 1644, Nocatee, FL 34268
863-491-0286 -- Carolm@strato.net

“The Devil’s in the Details”
A Talk for the Gulf Coast Writers Association
10:20 a.m., September 20, 2008, Zion Luther Church, Fort Myers
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cather, Willa. "On the Art of Fiction." Willa Cather: Stories, Poems, and Other Writings. NY: Library of America, 1992, 939-40.

The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary: Complete Text, Reproduced
Micrographically. 2 volumes. London: Oxford University Press, 1971

Douglas, Marjory Stoneman. "To a Buzzard Swinging in Silence." Florida in Poetry. Edited by Jane Anderson Jones and Maurice O'Sullivan. Sarasota: Pineapple Press, 1995, 230.

Fussell, Paul. Poetic Meter and Poetic Form. Rev. ed. NY: Random House, 1979.

Hugo, Richard. The Triggering Town: Lectures and Essays on Poetry and Writing. NY: Norton,1979.

Meinke, Peter. "The Cranes." Unheard Music: Stories. TN: Jefferson Press, 2007, 213-16.

Melville, Herman. Moby Dick: or, the Whale. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1952.

Nelson, Gil. The Trees of Florida: A Reference and Field Guide. Sarasota: Pineapple Press, 1994.

Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan. "A Plumb Clare Conscience" and "Jessamine Springs." Short Stories by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Edited by Rodger L. Tarr. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1994, 124-30; 320-25.

Robson, Lucia St. Clair. Light a Distant Fire. NY: Ballantine Books, 1988.

Williams, Tennessee. Tennessee Williams: Four Plays. NY: Penguin Group, 1976.

T-Time

Let's look at a few words that begin with the letter "T." The secret to getting it right every time is memory. Read
the following rules a few times; let them sink into your brain.

The Associated Press Stylebook, 2007

Grammar Minute

Restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses

A restrictive clause limits or restricts the number of the word (noun) it is modifying.  A sentence usually becomes untrue or absurd when you omit a restrictive clause.  Because a restrictive clause is essential to the meaning of a sentence, DO NOT set it off with commas.

Examples:

People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
The girl sitting in the front row is a secretary.
The books that I own are all paperbacks.
Visitors who stay too long are not welcome.

A nonrestrictive clause merely adds a fact that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Because a nonrestrictive clause is an “extra” that may be omitted set IT off with commas.

Examples:

My birthday, which is on Christmas, receives very little attention.
Uncle Joe, who lives in Bedford, knows everyone in town.
The audience, which had at first been indifferent, became more and more interested.
James Greene, our foreman, was a kindly man.

Test yourself by correctly inserting or not inserting commas where required.  Note: one of these is a trick question and could be either restrictive or nonrestrictive (which one).

1.         The Dover which is in England is quite unlike the Dover which is in Delaware.

2.         The suit a blue one laying there on my bed has had long wear.                                

3.         The woman sitting on my left was my younger sister’s mother-in-law.                    

4.         Mr. Wetherby who pretends to be poor is really very rich.                                       

5.         Rich people who pretend to be poor disgust me.                                                      

6.         Mr. Crump sold his land which was unprofitable.                                                     

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