The E's of Editing

Editing. Of course no-one submits their first draft, or their second, or probably even their third! So what happens in those stages of proofing and self-editing? What steps get you from the breathless-belt-it-out original to the exquisite polished piece of prose you send out into the wild? You’ve finished writing; you’ve walked away, moved on with life, then days later—or a week, a month, perhaps only the minutes it takes to have a cuppa—and you’re ready for a second look. So, where to start? 

ENTERTAIN YOURSELF

First, try to get a fresh perspective. I recommend printing it and moving away from the computer. Grab a coffee, tea, or cold drink. Relax. Get comfy in your favourite chair, go to another room, sit outside in the sun. Whatever it takes to help trick your brain into thinking you’ve never seen the piece before! For those who prefer to edit on screen, make it mobile if you can. Transfer it to your laptop or tablet, or at the very least switch your screen to reading mode. The point here is to make it look different and to distance yourself from the setting in which you wrote it. Otherwise it is all too easy for your brain to gloss over typos and automatically fill in any gaps. 

Once you’re sitting comfortably, read through your piece. Do not read as a writer, or even as an editor. Read as a reader. Try to forget that you know anything about the story. Does the story draw you in with an excellent beginning? Are you entertained? Enraptured? Read it out loud. Does the piece feel cadent or clumsy? Does it flow? Are there sections where it drags or the pace suddenly speeds up? Are transitions smooth? Are you satisfied with how the story progresses? Are the characters compelling? Once you’ve done this initial read through it’s time to pick up your pen for the second pass.

EXCISE EVIDENT ERRORS

Are there any evident errors? Pay attention to continuity. Did you describe a character of short stature only to have him, a few paragraphs later, reach easily for something on a top shelf? Has the setting inexplicably changed, or has Bob suddenly become Jack on page ten? Did his blue eyes turn brown? Be particularly vigilant if you made any global changes through your word processor’s ‘find/replace’ function. It’s all too easy to rely on it to catch everything; there could be an instance where the word you’re replacing is next to punctuation or another typo or extra space and it doesn’t get picked up. It’s surprising how inconsistencies can slip in and go unnoticed. The same goes for homophones (i.e. be, bee) which are not necessarily caught through spellchecking.

EXPAND OR ELIMINATE YOUR WAY TO EXCEPTIONAL EXPOSITION

Is your exposition exceptional? Is it concise and necessary, adding to the story rather than weighing it down? Are there any passages that require clarification? Keep exposition to a minimum and thread it into the story in a way that doesn’t detract from the action. Make sure it adds to the history or back story. Watch out for overwriting and don’t belabour your point; trust the reader to understand what you mean. Likewise, look out for underwriting and gaps in plot or essential information. Eliminate extra wording here but expand there. A fine balance is essential.

EXACTING EXPRESSION

Is the dialogue useful and relevant to the story? Does it reflect your characters’ personalities and goals? Does it contribute to establishing their relationships? Does it add to setting or ambience? No idle chit chat. Do you need all those dialogue tags? Does it flow naturally like a real conversation? 

ESSENTIAL EDITS

Gather your tools; a dictionary, a thesaurus to help replace repetitions, and any other reference books you find helpful for a final run through. A handy quick reference is the Oxford A-Z of Grammar & Punctuation by John Seely (OUP, 2009). Other useful references include New Hart’s Rules The Handbook of Style for Writers and Editors (OUP, 2005) and Butcher’s Copy-Editing by Judith Butcher et al. (Cambridge University Press, 2006). It is also advisable to have to hand any submission guidelines or your publisher’s style guide/list of house rules.
 

ENDURANCE
Go back to the computer. Make your changes. Run the spellchecker until the last red wiggly is expunged. (But first make sure that your word processor is set to the appropriate English language—UK/US/AUS/CA.) Then print, read, edit, repeat until finally, once completely satisfied and euphoric with what you've produced, you are ready to submit!

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This blog post was written in the spirit of the April 2014 A-Z Challenge whereby a post is written every day during the month of April (with the exception of Sunday). The theme of each post is meant to correspond with a letter of the alphabet in sequential order. Monday's post will be on F. For details and to visit the A-Z Challenge website, click here.

 

Day of the Dead

As our current callout aims to produce a collection of haunting histories written in the style of the nineteenth century ghost story authors, it seems appropriate to include a blog which focuses on the dead.

Whichever your viewpoint, October 31st appears to be a common day chosen for ancestor reverence from around the world, be it as Halloween, Samhain, Day of the dead or otherwise.

The 'Day of the dead' is one of the best known forms of ancestry reverence in the Western world and is a national holiday in Mexico. Similarly themed observances which may be celebrated on alternative dates occur around the world. Despite its name, day of the dead often involves up to three days of celebration and is derived from Aztec and indigenous observances. According to Frances Ann Day, the day of the dead celebrations commence on October 31 (All Hallows Eve) with the construction of altars to the deceased, often containing favourite foods and beverages alongside photographs or possessions, all designed to invite the spirits of the dead to return for a visit. This is followed by November 1st (All Saints Day) which is celebrated as the day when adult spirits return to visit the living, and finally November 2nd (All Souls Day) which is celebrated by families visiting the graves and tombs of their relatives. Alternatively, November 1st is chosen to honour deceased children and infants whilst November 2nd is taken for veneration of deceased adults. Veneration of the dead can take many forms, including sharing of anecdotes about the departed through to spending the night by the graves of their relatives. Some even write short poems, known as calaveras (skulls), about the dead. Common symbols of the holiday include decorative skulls, sweet breads and marigolds, a flower traditionally used to honour the dead.

Similarly, Samhain, is a Gaelic festival celebrated from sunset on October 31st until sunset November 1st. As Samhain was viewed as a liminal time when spirits could more easily enter the world of the living, the souls of the dead were thought to revisit their homes. To entice the dead to join in celebrations, places would be set for them alongside the living at the tables of feasts. A similar example of 'dining with the dead' is illustrated by  catacombs in Malta which contain carved dining benches located around subterranean tombs which have been proposed as locations where the living could dine with the dead.

An alternative form of ancestor reverence is demonstrated in Hallstatt Austria. Famous for salt mines, Hallstatt is also famous for its beinhaus (bone house) which dates to the twelfth century. The beinhaus contains over 1200 skulls, many of which have been elaborately painted for decoration. Due to space limitations in the village for internment of the deceased, graves were opened 10-15 years following burial and the skulls were removed, cleaned and reverentially placed in the beinhaus to venerate the dead.

Similarly, ancestry reverence and belief in ghosts is common in Chinese culture and beliefs. Even Confucius is reported to have said, 'Respect ghosts and gods, but keep away from them'(1). According to the Chinese calender, the seventh lunar month is the ghost month, during which the gate of hell remains open allowing suffering spirits to return to visit their families on earth. The highlight of the ghost month is the Chung-Yuan Festival, also known as the hungry ghost festival, which occurs mid-month. During this festival, food is prepared as a treat for spirits and homeless ghosts and water lanterns are lit to welcome spirits to our world to join in the feast. In 2014, the ghost month will commence July 27th and finish on the 24th of August. Elders list behaviors which are discouraged during this month as they are thought to ill-advised. Note, the hungry ghost festival is separate from the Qingming and Chung Yeung festivals (occurring in Spring and Fall respectively), during which living descendants pay homage to their deceased relatives.

Whatever your beliefs, ancestor reverence and suitable respect for the dead may serve you well and appease the spirits. 

1.  "Chinese Ghost Culture". Ministry of Culture, P.R.China. Retrieved 23 Mar 2014.

Further reading:

Chinese ghost month taboo

The Chinese ghost month

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This blog post was written in the spirit of the April 2014 A-Z Challenge whereby a post is written every day during the month of April (with the exception of Sunday). The theme of each post is meant to correspond with a letter of the alphabet in sequential order. Tomorrow's post will be on E. For details and to visit the A-Z Challenge website, click here.

Cracking Characterisation

The driving force behind any great fiction is a cast of captivating characters. Good characters strengthen and seamlessly contribute to a story’s plot and setting as they interact according to individual competencies and challenges. The best characters are memorable and complex. They strike a chord and, whether their role is to be charming or cruel, they must capture the reader’s compassion. Empathy is key. A reader does not have to like a character but they do need to either identify with, or at least understand, them.  Even characters whose actions are unsavoury it helps for the reader to have an idea of how and why they are the way they are. Characters also need to be believable. Like real people they are multifaceted and have unique histories and vulnerabilities that shape who they are. It is these internal workings which lead a character to think, speak and act in a certain way. Internal conflict can be reflective in dialogue. As the story progresses characters react and grow through their response and the story further develops as a consequence of their actions and growth. Consistency between internal conflict and action is key; however, characters should not become too predictable and should be capable of change and thus, surprise. So, just how does a writer craft such compelling characters?

 

Before putting pen to paper, or fingers to keypad, it is essential for the writer to know their characters inside and out. Consider what their core conflicts may be. What are their ambitions? What do they want in life? What do they need? What is motivating them within the story? How is their world view and judgement of others reflective of what has previously happened to them? How might this change? 

It is useful to start with a few character sketches. Some may want to start with the basics such as gender, age, mannerisms and a few physical traits, just enough to get a brief visual before moving on to what they do. What are their credentials? What work do they do? What are their hobbies? Examine each character in detail. Consider upbringing and social class. What led them to their current circumstance? What are their fears, sorrows and failures? What causes them to feel guilt, or shame? Are they harbouring a secret? What are their vulnerabilities? What are their strengths and capabilities? Imagine a conversation with your character. Write out a list of questions that will help you get to know them. Question their motives, their behaviour.  Look for clues in details. Where do they live? What type of things do they surround themselves with? What objects do they carry in their hand bag or pocket, and why? What do such details say about them as a person?

Only with an in-depth knowledge of who their characters are and a sound understanding of how they function, can a writer create a vibrant cast of personalities that capture attention and live-on in reader memory.

To sum up, here’s a few C’s of characterisation to remember:

• Compelling and complex
• Core conflict and contradiction
• Create compassion for the charming and  the cruel
• Consistent yet capable of change
• Characters’ credentials, capabilities and clues

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This blog post was written in the spirit of the April 2014 A-Z Challenge whereby a post is written every day during the month of April (with the exception of Sunday). The theme of each post is meant to correspond with a letter of the alphabet in sequential order. Tomorrow's post will be on D. For details and to visit the A-Z Challenge website, click here.

Brief Blurb on the Baneful Banshee

Irish mythology offers a rich source for supernatural beings including pixies, leprechauns, fairies and, of course, banshees. The term banshee is derived from the Gaelic 'bean-sidhe' and is loosely translated as 'woman of the fairy mounds'. Banshees are thought to be otherworldly messengers who bring omens of death. They were initially believed to be tied with the five main families of Ireland, although this limitation extended with the progression of time. Typically described as young female figures, banshees are also thought to be capable of assuming any alternative animal form which is associated with witchcraft. Crucially, it is not the observation of a banshee which presents the danger but the banshee's baneful cry as they call home the souls of those for whom death waits.

Given his Irish roots, it is hardly surprising to find a tale of the banshee in the writings of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. So if you're feeling brave, 'The White Cat of Drumgunniol' proves faithful to the legend of the banshee and is a brilliant read!

Should inspiration strike and a bold idea beckons, a blood-curdling banshee account could prove most suitable for our current callout for Tales of Mystery, Suspense and Terror!

Websites links for further reading:

Spirits of Legend and Fantasy: Banshees

Searching For Ireland's Banshee

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This blog post was written in the spirit of the April 2014 A-Z Challenge whereby a post is written every day during the month of April (with the exception of Sunday). The theme of each post is meant to correspond with a letter of the alphabet in sequential order. Tomorrow's post will be on C. For details and to visit the A-Z Challenge website, click here.

Ambience and Artful Apostrophe

Intricately linked to setting, ambience draws in and prepares the reader for the story to come. Also known as mood or tone, it develops surroundings and characters and engages the senses. What can the protagonist see, feel, hear, smell and taste? In writing about the supernatural the sixth sense is often pulled in to play. Mention intuition, an odd coldness, a shiver up the spine and the mood is set. An unsettled feeling warns the reader to sit up and pay attention as something isn’t quite right. Ambience in a short story may be more difficult to accomplish than in a novel as time is minimal and brevity a must. On the other hand, once set, it may be somewhat easier to maintain the tone of a short story.

A number of tools are at the writer’s disposal for creating ambience. Dialogue, exposition, figurative language, specific events, a sense of place (an abandoned house, the churchyard, a desolate road), the use of light, weather (fog, a storm), time of day (twilight, closing time somewhere, the dead of night, midnight, the witching hour) can all imbue a story with an immediate mood. 

Consider the opening to The Tractate Middoth by M R James whereby a man visits a library at closing time. In a rush to secure a book, he requests the aid of a clerk. These first few facts instantly conjure up an image that any reader, bookworm or student can relate to. (Personally, it made me think of University of London’s Senate House library, particularly the sixth floor history stacks!) The scene is set. Near closing the time, the bells rung, the study carrels deserted, the lighting dim, the stacks desolate, and the dusty smell of old books somehow more potent in the dark vacant aisles than in the bright light of day. The reader is put on edge; the clerk must go back upstairs, alone. Something is going to happen. Atmosphere aptly created, the reader is drawn in, and so they read on.

Detailed descriptions can also create a particular feel to a ghost story but words need to remain concise to be effective. A few well-placed dark and foreboding references can cast just the right ominous pall over a tale. Likewise, the use of figurative language such as personification (shadows dancing, wind whispering, walls watching) or onomatopoeia (a rustle, a hiss, a murmur, a creaking door, a roaring fire) add further dimensions to mood. 

Character action and dialogue can also help shape ambience. Consider here the effect that apostrophe may have—and by this I do not mean that pesky piece of punctuation that has given rise to many a rant about possession, omission and greengrocer's foibles! No, I am referring to the other apostrophe. From the Greek (ἀποστροφή) meaning 'to turn away', this rhetorical apostrophe denotes the digression or breaking away from the audience/readers/other characters in order to address an absent third party, be they a person, quality or inanimate object. This device uses the vocative case and is often introduced by exclamations such as ‘O’ or ‘Ah!’ It may be used to address someone who isn’t there, the deceased, a spirit, the Heavens, Fate, Fortune, God or gods or something more abstract. Useful in providing insight into the thoughts and emotions of a character, it would be interesting to see this device used in some of the short story submissions to Tales of Mystery, Suspense and Terror Anthology! I would think it could nicely lend itself to the madness of a character or to a desperate tone of terror.

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This blog post was written in the spirit of the April 2014 A-Z Challenge whereby a post is written every day during the month of April (with the exception of Sunday). The theme of each post is meant to correspond with a letter of the alphabet in sequential order. Tomorrow's post will be on B. For details and to visit the A-Z Challenge website, click here.