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Winter 2019
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1 MORGAN’S CORNER
HAPPY READING
Winter 2019
Thought for the Day
--Anne Frank
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This is the page where I always comment on any new features and articles that are par-
ticularly timely or informative. I also use the space to update readers on what might be going
on in my professional or personal life.
C
an you believe that it is 2019 al- tion, so I had to don the white nurse’s hat
ready? In some ways, it feels like and give him very strong antibiotics three
the Winter 2018 edition was just times a day for three weeks. So strong,
published. But, in other ways it has that I had to wear gloves and a mask to
been quite an eventful year. handle the pills. But—hooray—it worked.
We have added more regular fea- He wore
tures and contributors and as always our two different
readership continues to grow. So much kinds of PJs so
credit goes to those who always share the he didn’t have
link so that more and more readers are to wear the
aware of Writers Tricks of the Trade and cone of shame
to our wonderful contributors. while he was
Poor little Dylan the Dog, our As- healing. Jail-
sociate Editor, really had his challenges bird PJs that
this past year. say Canine
County Jail, Bone Thief, and holiday PJs
that say Ho, Ho, Ho. Besides that, it was
discovered that he has diabetes and now
has insulin injections twice a day.
Good patient that he is, I’m happy to
say Dylan the Dog is back at work as the
Associate Editor, maintaining his position
under my desk.
Two surgeries on his right back So many people liked the Facebook
leg—one to repair a torn ACL ligament posts about him in a dog’s voice, that Dyl-
and one to remove the implant because it an now has his own Facebook page. You
developed bacteria. It didn’t end there. can follow him at @DoggieDylan.
Even after the second surgery the infec- This is a personal word of advice to
tion came back more than once. Finally it anyone who has a pet. Vet bills are very
was discovered that he had a staph infec- expensive. Dylan’s topped $5,000 this
What makes the action in a book work. There are many misconcep-
tions, and that’s why I wanted to take a look at the concept of
flow—one of the things that makes you want to keep turning pages.
I
Digging up examples of past books I’ve
read, there was the example of a recent
n various forms, I’ve talked about this science fiction novel I read. The style was
before. Story flow. herky-jerky, frenetic pacing. The author
wrote in random thoughts, expected the
I read a lot. Okay, I’ve also talked reader to have read the previous two
about that a lot. At Disneyland, the most books, and buried the action, which was
inspiring place in the world, a lot of things admittedly relentless, within that jumbled
popped into my head, including the seeds mess. In a way, the pacing was steady, but
for this article. That spark of an idea came the writing distracted from that.
to roost when I’d finished the book I was I’ve read other novels where they
reading during that trip and started the would start slow, pick up at a frantic pace,
one which had 152 short chapters. That slow down, have a burst of action, then
made this thought come full circle back to nothing for a very long time. Finally,
what I’d read while stuck in the hospital. they’d end with a small burst of action.
Story flow. It can make or break your The chapters were very long, like thirty
story. pages or more, with no scenes.
First off, I’m not going to condemn To me, that’s as herky jerky as the sci-
every style I don’t like personally, but fi writer with the relentless pace.
then again, I am going to explain why I
SNAILS-PACE
think they’re a detriment to an easy and
enjoyable read. This is getting more into the literate
Being a writer is one thing. However, way of things. The pacing is almost non-
before we were writers, we were readers, existent as the author spends all their re-
true? I certainly hope we still are, because al-estate developing the characters. Plot is
that’s the whole reason for taking up this a side issue. The chapters are long, the
passion, to make something readable ei- paragraphs are very long and the narra-
ther for ourselves, or eventually for other tive tends to be rambling.
people. This is a word lover’s dream.
Why torture your readers? During a period of time when I was
stuck in the hospital, I read a murder-
serial killer story that moved at a snail’s-
HERKY-JERKY
Fred Rayworth found his passion for writing in 1995. He has been a regular contribu-
tor to Writers Tricks of the Trade for several years now, always offering sage advice, or his
own spin that may raise questions about techniques that have been the standard.
Fred has completed eleven full-length novels and is currently working on number
twelve. Genres include science fiction, icky bug (horror), adventure/thriller and fantasy.
Multiple short horror stories made it to publication. When not writing, he can be found ei-
ther making something out of wood in his garage or out under a dark sky pursuing faint
fuzzy objects with his telescope. You can read his writing tips and other adventures at
www.fredrayworth.com
Take time out from all of the stressful news, and have a few laughs
W
ell gang, I had my first bikini protective leather jacket, the branch
wax the other day. Slow down, landed on my arm and embedded numer-
before you start spreading ous cactus spines in my left arm.
rumors—no I haven’t started I started the spine removal process
playing for the “other team,” nor was I with tweezers. That was like bailing out
“manscaping”. I was practicing emergency the Titanic with a shot glass. Then I re-
medical treatment. Yes, you read that cor- membered a television show I watched
rectly— emergency medical treatment. one night. It was about strange happen-
Out here is the Southwest we have an ings in hospital emergency rooms. A doc-
interesting variety of plants—Cacti—the tor was on duty with his staff of nurses.
plural of Cactus. They are very attractive The nurses were reading a magazine ad
from a distance. They are also a great about bikini waxing. They were teasing
crime prevention tool when planted un- the doctor about the process and the re-
der ground floor windows. When their sults, as well as the pained look on his
flowers bloom they are beautiful. They face.
are also zero maintenance here in the de- Shortly thereafter, a mother and fa-
sert. However, when they really start to ther brought their small daughter into the
grow some of them can grow like weeds. emergency room. The child had rolled
I was looking at my two cacti as they down a hill on the side of the road right
were growing towards my neighbor’s into a cactus patch. Her entire body was
walkway. I came to the assumption that if covered with cactus spines. The doctor
I didn’t trim them, they would soon over- tried removing them with tweezers, but
run the sidewalk to his backyard. quickly came to the same conclusion
In order to remedy the situation, I got about the Titanic and the shot glass.
out my trusty four dollar Wal-Mart ma- The child was in a great deal of pain
chete, and was merrily swinging away as and her condition was worsening. The
if I was Indiana Jones fighting my way doctor wanted to anesthetize her. The
through the jungle. Then I experienced parents, who had lost a child during sur-
something Indiana Jones didn’t. As one of gery, would not allow the child to be put
the cactus branches fell, it fell my way. under. The fear was real for them, but not
Since I wasn’t wearing Indy’s trusty and very proactive for the child. The doctor
Keith Bettinger is a retired Suffolk County (N.Y.) Police Officer. He’s been writing for law enforcement publica-
tions for more than 25 years and has received 18 awards for his articles, stories, poems, and books. He has a
Master’s Degree in Human Relations with a major in Clinical Counseling. During his career he received the de-
partment’s Bravery Medal, Silver Shield Award, Meritorious Police Service Award, Special Service Award, Profes-
sionalization Award, Department Recognition Award, five Headquarters commendations and six Precinct com-
mendations. He also was a field training officer and an instructor on Post Shooting Trauma and Critical Incidents.
Mike and Morgan explore the pitfalls of the English language, because so
many words are misused. From words that sound alike, to ones that al-
most sound alike—redundancies, oxymorons and words that don’t really
exist but are used every day. The list goes on, and we’re going to have fun
with them in every issue
NOTE FROM CAROLYN: This article is excerpted from some editing I did for a writer of exper-
imental fiction when I was on a Greater Los Angeles Writers Society panel. No matter what
genre you prefer, you can apply these suggestions to the chase, getaway, or high action scene
in your script or manuscript before you send it to an agent or publisher or, better still, while
you are writing the first draft.
S
ometimes even the most fascinat- 4. In the interest of a faster pace, try
ing, interesting and irresistible de- dropping into present tense and moving
tail can slow down the forward out of it when the run or danger is past. If
movement of your story. So as much you write the scene that way and wait a
as writers are told that detail is im- day or two before rereading it, by doing
portant, purge as much as you can from so, you’ll be able to honestly compare the
your action scenes and put it somewhere effects of the two and adjust the tense
else or dribble it into narrative in other change so it doesn’t feel obtrusive.
places in your manuscript. In the process, 5. If you are trying to achieve a truly
ask yourself if your reader really needs to heart-beating moment, consider using
know the color of the protagonist’s eyes. fragments. Even one-word fragments.
As important as detail is, some is better 6. Commas can slow the pace. Some-
left to the imagination of the reader. I can times you must follow grammar rules for
imagine where eye color might be very commas for clarity. Often that comma
important, but—on average—it probably slows things down for the reader. Does
isn’t necessary. Here are some quick sug- the comma indicate a pause where the
gestions: reader wouldn’t normally pause or does it
1. Remove some of the detail entirely. reinforce a natural pause. Does it really
Double check. Make it meets the test! help with clarity. Would you achieve this
2. Use stronger verbs—especially clarity better if you made your long sen-
verbs of movement. tence into short ones. This is a style
3. Use shorter sentences. By doing so, choice you get to make. You are looking
the rhythm could emulate a fast-beating for the times readers will never notice a
heart and the pulse of danger. Note that comma is absent. You may choose to dis-
clauses slow copy as surely as passive card some of them.
voice (or tense).
C
ollusion, a word heard almost Ghosting. “So somebody doesn’t want
every day on TV news and spot- to talk with you. Get over it. No need to
ted in print stories, made it to the bring the paranormal into the equation.”
list Yeet, as in vigorously throw or toss.
"We need to collude on getting rid of “If I hear one more ‘yeet,’ I might just
this word,” yelled the wordsmiths. yeet myself out a window.”
Others making the banished list —
Litigate. “Originally meant to take a
with word collectors’ comments:
claim or dispute to a law court now ap-
Wheelhouse, as in area of expertise. propriated by politicians and journalists
“It’s an awkward word to use in the 21st for any matter of controversy in the pub-
century. Most people have never seen a lic sphere.”
wheelhouse.”
Grapple. “People who struggle with
In the books, as in finished or con- ideas and issues now grapple with them.”
cluded. “It seems everyone’s holiday par-
Eschew. “Nobody ever actually says
ty is in the books and it’s all there for
this word out loud, they just write it for
friends to view on social media.”
filler.”
Wrap my head around. “Impossible
to do and makes no sense.” Crusty. “This has become a popular
insult. It’s disgusting and sounds weird.
Platform. “People use it as an ex-
Make the madness stop.”
cuse to rant. Facebook, Instagram, Twit-
ter have become platforms.” Optics. “The trendy way to say ‘ap-
pearance’.”
OTUS family of acronyms such as
POTUS, FLOTUS, SCOTUS. “Overused useless Legally drunk. ”People who are tick-
word for the President, First Lady, Su- eted for drunk driving are actually ‘illegal-
preme Court.” ly drunk,’ and we should say so.”
WTT: Now there's a big leap! WTT: How long did the ecstasy last?
MD: Not as big as it might sound. Like I MD: Not long. The moment after I accept-
say, I'd been spending half my time out ed the offer, I realized I had no promo-
there already, so the move just cut down tional mechanism to complement my
on the traveling expenses and allowed me novel. So I made the decision to quit pok-
to play every day. Plus, I had moved my er and concentrate on writing.
Mom, who had developed Alzheimer's
Disease, into an assisted living facility out WTT: Just like that?
there, so I could see her every day. My
house was less than ¼ mile from where MD: Just like that. I never returned to the
she was living. I spent a lot of time with Bellagio. Instead, I started a series of Key
her right up till her passing in May of West noir novels. Needless to say, I was
2009. fired up by receiving the offer, so the
books just poured out of me. I finished
WTT: So how did the poker go? three novels inside of five months.
MD: Very well, actually. During my four WTT: Were they all released by your
years in Las Vegas (2006-10), playing vir- publisher?
tually every day, I never had a losing year.
Which is pretty good, when you realize MD: No. I was not at all thrilled with their
that only 10% of all poker players are efforts. Turns out they were a very small
“The larger crimes are apt to be the simpler, for the bigger the crime, the more obvious,
as a rule, is the motive.”
― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
2019
Feb 13-17 San Miguel Writers Conference, San Miguel de Allende MX
Jun 20-22 North American Historical Novel Society Conference, Oxon Hill, MD
Evan Jacobs is a software developer living in Seattle, WA. He builds web and mobile applications and especially
enjoys creating tools that help people personalize their digital experiences. In May of 2011, he built the first ver-
sion of this service to enable authors and readers to interact through digital books. It was originally called
Kindlegraph before he changed the name to Authorgraph in November 2012. Authorgraph makes it possible for
authors to sign e-books for their readers. Really!
No, Authorgraph.com is not affiliated with No, it is a separate document. This allows
Amazon except that Authorgraph.com a reader to create a "collection" where
does earn an affiliate fee for any books they can keep all of their Authorgraphs
purchased from Amazon.com after click- together.
ing on one of the Amazon links on DO THE READER NEED TO HAVE A KINDLE
Authorgraph.com. VERSION OF MY BOOK TO SIGN UP FOR
ASIN stands for "Amazon Standard Identi- Yes. Paperback, hardcover, and audio ver-
fication Number." It is 10 characters long sions of books aren't accepted.
and may include both numbers and let- DOES AN AUTHORGRAPH USE MY REAL SIG-
ters. NATURE OR DOES IT JUST PRINT MY NAME IN A
SCRIPT FONT?
HOW DO I FIND THE ASIN FOR MY BOOK?
One of the most distinctive features of
The ASIN for your book is right after 'dp'
Authorgraph.com is the ability to actually
in the URL of your book on Amazon.com.
draw your signature. This signing takes
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061977969.
place completely in the browser window
Let us say that’s the URL for your book. Then
the ASIN is 0061977969. It is also listed using a mouse (or your finger if you use a
on the details part of the Amazon page. tablet). However, there is also a default
option that allows authors to print their
EPISODE 1 EPISODE 2
RIVET YOUR READER CREATING DYNAMIC DIALOGUE
GUEST: Mike Dennis
EPISODE 3 EPISODE 4
WRITING WITH A PARTNER HOLIDAY THEMED BOOKS & STORIES
GUEST: Phyllice Bradner
EPISODE 5 EPISODE 6
HOW TO PROMOTE FRUGALLY TURN LIFE EXPERIENCES INTO A
GUEST: Carolyn Howard Johnson COMPELLING MEMOIR
GUEST: Jon D’Amore
EPISODE 7 EPISODE 8
THE IMPORTANCE OF WRITERS RIVET YOUR READER-REBROADCAST
GROUPS AND CONFERENCES
GUEST: Tony Todaro
EPISODE 9 EPISODE 10
EDIT YOUR WAY TO PUBLICATION FROM IDEA TO BOOK
GUEST: Cindy Davis GUEST: Darrah Whitaker
EPISODE 11 EPISODE 12
EXPERIENCES AND EMOTIONS F IS FOR FACTS
EPISODE 13 EPISODE 14
MARKETING YOUR SELF PUBLISHED USING CHARACTER’S PROFESSIONS
BOOK IN UNUSUAL WAYS
GUEST: Jon D’Amore
EPISODE 15 EPISODE 16
DON'T GET STUCK IN A WHO IS YOUR IDEAL FIRST READER?
WRITER'S RUT
Charlotte Wheeler suspected that sab- was given to another WASP to deliver.
otage was happening at the Grumman Her name was Brenda McPhee and she
plant. She was able to figure out the never made it to her destination. Her
faulty hinges for the Avenger's bomb bay plane disappeared.
doors were being randomly replaced for
the good hinges, by someone who had ac- Many years later Annie, who is Char-
cess to the plant. Charlotte and her bud- lotte's great grand-daughter, finds out
dies checked all the planes and prevented that the plane has been found and there
the faulty parts from being switched. was a letter inside that was written by
They did their best to stop the saboteur, Charlotte. Through further research and
things got rough and Charlotte was at- the help of her boyfriend Ty, Annie de-
tacked one night while she was waiting to cides to solve the mystery of the downed
catch him in the act. plane and who the saboteur was.
Charlotte Wheeler was a WASP during As with all of the Annie Tillery Myster-
WWII. She not only helped build the ies, this one kept my interest. It not only
planes, she also flew them to their desti- had some history, it also had a great mys-
nation where they were turned over to tery and of course a ghost. Looking for-
the fighting pilots. She was scheduled to ward to reading the next in this series.
fly one of the bombers out but noticed a
problem with the bomb bay doors. While
she went to check on something the plane
This is a new year. But are you stuck in a rut doing the same old things you have al-
ways done? Habit can be your worst enemy, so make a resolution to try some new
things. Back when I was an interior designer, my partner and I entered into a project
with another designer. She had standard treatments she did for every job, never trying
anything different. When we asked why she kept repeating herself, she answered,
“What else?”
EXERCISE
Actually make a list of things you do by rote or routes you take without thinking. Then make a
list of things you can do that will broaden your horizons by just trying something new.
I
don’t remember how old I was when that need wouldn’t even come until col-
first started writing. Honestly, I can’t lege.
remember a time when I wasn’t. I I was always on the search for words.
have always called myself a strategic That’s one of the many reasons I remem-
writer. Part of that, I’m sure has to do ber feeling safest when my teachers
with the fact that I’m learning disabled, forced us to write in a journal for ten
could never speak as quickly as the other minutes a day in class. No grades, just us
children in the class. writing about whatever we wanted.
The other reason I’m sure had some- One day I was Dear Abby, the next I
thing to do with my Epilepsy. The very was a screenwriter. As a girl, I was ex-
hours I was supposed to be awake, I felt tremely lucky. I had many people in my
like a zombie. One of the aspects that I life who helped me realize what “story-
always loved about writing was that I telling” was. My mother, the actress, my
could be whoever I wanted. I wasn’t the aunt, the film editor, my father the story-
“girl who had no country.” teller in our family, all showed me differ-
As a girl growing up in a small town of ent ways of “writing”. I’m not sure that it
less than 40,000, I ended up founding and ever entered my consciousness, since this
being the princess of the disabled posse. was the family I grew up in. I simply
The reason I was qualified was that I was thought “Oh, this is how everyone learns
minimally disabled. I was born with cere- about writing.” Obviously, I didn’t know
bral palsy—ok, everyone, close your eyes. how wrong I was until I entered college.
Imagine that you can only use your left It was clear that my thinking, at least
hand when typing. You have no aid from to me, was always “just a little bit outside
your right hand, because it’s in a fist. the box.” That probably has something to
That’s exactly the way I’ve typed for do with the fact that I’m learning disa-
my entire life. Being a Generation X-er, bled; so could never organize my
Erika Abbott is a native of Manhattan, raised in Montclair, New Jersey. She has been recognized
by Beyond Baroque as one of the up and coming poets in Southern California, and obtained her
BA in Literature from the University of Judaism.
Erika Abbott
Recipient of 2016 Bookvana.com Award for PORGY'S REVENGE
amazon.com/author.erikaabbott
Anyone in our industry from authors to editors to publishers often let out a little groan when watching
how Hollywood depicts book publishing. It may have been all limos and assistants and first class hotel
accommodations for a book tour set up by the publisher’s publicist years ago, but for most that isn’t the
current situation.
Of course, that doesn’t make for a glamorous depiction of our chosen field on the big or small (TV)
screen, so pile on the schmaltz, the mansions and the staff. Some “A-Listers” still enjoy that life but for
most of us that isn’t the case at all.
Recently I came across a New York Times essay by Sloane Crosley on just that topic entitled How Hol-
lywood Gets the Publishing Industry Wrong
Here are a few excerpts and if you want to read the full article, go to
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/01/books/review/hollywood-publishing-industry-younger.html
HOW A PUBLISHING HOUSE IS DEPICTED IN THE desk from “the London lit fair,” which
SERIES “YOUNGER” absolutely no one calls it. As the seasons
unfurl, the nonsense piles up: Someone
“In the charming series “Younger,”
from publicity asks what “PEN” stands
Miriam Shor plays Diana Trout, the
for; editors have publicists; publishing
head of marketing at a boutique publish-
houses sell books to other publishing
ing house. Diana has an award on her
Packed with tips, techniques and tricks--every chapter has something you can use imme-
diately-- all written in lively, entertaining prose. Bibliography cites books for in depth cov-
erage of specific topics.
For technique, general information, reference and inspiration on those days when writers
bloc strikes, Writers Tricks of the Trade is a valuable addition to any aspiring or published
writer's bookshelf.