Revisions, revisions!

In his book titled Plot, Ansen Dibell wrote, “Any story worth telling is worth revising.” That’s what I’m still doing… revising The Spanish Coin.

As I re-read every sentence, every word, I look for word repetition, unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, shifts in point-of-view, descriptions I’ve written and those I failed to include.

I’m bombarded by questions. Will my readers identify with the main character? Will they care what happens to her? Do I have too many characters? Are the sub-plots woven into the book as well as they could be? Will I ever get this published? Will people buy it?

A day in the life of a would-be author.

Editing my own work

After letting quilting and crocheting items to sell at Hickory Ridge Crafts on Etsy.com dominate my time lately, today I enjoyed getting back to editing my manuscript, The Spanish Coin. It’s been fun re-reading the fourth and fifth chapters, eliminating excess words, and searching for repetitive words. Since the book is primarily driven by dialog, I find it helpful to read it aloud. It has been several months since I last read those chapters, so I’m coming to it with fresh eyes.

Making changes in the dialog can be a little tricky when one is writing historical fiction. A character cannot say a word that was not in use at the time of the story or novel. The Spanish Coin takes place in 1771 in North and South Carolina, so I have to be careful not to use modern phrases. It goes beyond that, though, and I have relied upon a book by William Brohaugh titled English Through the Ages to keep me on the straight and narrow. Once in a while I’ve been surprised to learn that a word I thought was perfect for my character to say in conversation was not yet in common usage in the 18th century.

Using appropriate vernacular in writing historical fiction, trying to give just enough description, not using any word too often, and trying to get all the punctuation right…. Whew! I will forever be learning more about the craft of writing.

If writing were easy, it wouldn’ t be so rewarding!

I’m back!

When I wrote on Christmas Day that I was ending a chapter in my writing life, I didn’t realize that I would completely drift away from my writing blog. I must be the worst blogger in history. I have good intentions of doing better in the future, but I think I’ve said that before.

Author A.J. Mayhew (The Dry Grass of August) gave me some excellent constructive criticism in January. As a result, I am reviewing my Spanish Coin manuscript with a more critical and educated eye. I’m slowly tightening up the dialog and look for word repetition. At the same time, I’m looking at the landscape and physical space in the manuscript and striving to describe the setting so that my future readers can better visualize Nancy Richardson’s home and the lay of the land in the Waxhaws. It’s tedious work, but I do enjoy it when I can set aside a block of uninterrupted time.

I’m also working on a magazine article proposal about the effect the Civil War had on the Rocky River Presbyterian Church congregation. It’s hard to break in as a freelance writer, so wish me luck!

In February, the Rocky River Readers Book Club read Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton. I’d read the book in 2010 but enjoyed reading it again. It’s a compelling story that makes the reader have serious thoughts about our justice system.

Other books I’ve read this year are The Midwife of Venice, by Roberta Rich; Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin; The Shunning, by Beverly Lewis; The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap, by Wendy Welch; Fireflies in December, by Jennifer Erin Valent; and My Name is Mary Sutter, by Robin Oliveira. I recommend all of them to you. If you like historical fiction, My Name is Mary Sutter definitely needs to be on your reading list.

I just finished reading Fireflies in December on my Kindle and look forward to reading the sequels.

There are so many things I want to write about and read about, while sewing, quilting, and crocheting to put new items on Etsy to sell. HickoryRidgeCrafts is taking more of my time than writing lately. I’m struggling to strike a balance.

Ending a chapter

I’m ending a chapter in my writing life this week. On Christmas Eve, I received an e-mail informing me that as of December 30, 2012, Harrisburg Horizons weekly newspaper will cease publication. I have written a local history column for the paper every other week since its second issue in May of 2006. I have learned far more about the history of Cabarrus County’s Township #1 than I could have anticipated when I set out on this journey. I enjoyed doing most of the research and loved doing the writing. The little bit of income this freelancing job gave me was icing on the cake.

It is time to start a new chapter, or perhaps return to an unfinished chapter as a writer. The manuscript for The Spanish Coin, my first attempt at writing an historical novel, has been on the back burner far too long. It is time to look at it with fresh eyes and get it published. It is time to look at other avenues of writing and see where that road takes me.

As I count down to my birthday in January… one of those dreaded birthdays that ends in a “0,” it seems fitting to take stock of what I have and have not accomplished and step into the next chapter of my life with boldness and enthusiasm!

Did “fewer” get sucked into a black hole?

With the general election over, TV stations have returned to airing commercials for car dealerships and personal hygiene products. Most people welcome this after being subjected to non-stop political mud-slinging for weeks. It hasn’t been easy living in a “battleground” state.

I am glad for a respite from the political ads, but the reintroduction of the usual commercials brings one of my pet peeves back to the surface. Perhaps this stems from the fact that my mother was an English teacher. Maybe I am too sensitive about the misuse of the English language.

I have come to the conclusion this year that the word “fewer” was hijacked from the English language while I wasn’t looking. The use of mouthwash no longer results in fewer germs; it results in less germs. The regular use of toothpaste no longer results in fewer cavities; it results in less cavities. I cringe at these commercials.

Another sore point with me was highlighted last night when I took an online survey about a product that a company is considering offering. I wanted to run out of the room screaming when one of the questions asked me to rate the product as “extremely unique,” “very unique,” “somewhat unique,” “slightly unique,” or “not at all unique.” Something is either unique or not unique; there are not varying degrees of uniqueness.

And don’t get me started on the misuse of “lie” and “lay.” One lies down. One lays something down.

Before I come across as superior to others when it comes to speaking or writing, I admit that I make many mistakes. The words “effect” and “affect” always trip me up. If I don’t have a dictionary handy when I want to write either of those words, I simply substitute another word. Punctuation is my weakest link, and I strive to improve. It is my nature to see the speck in another person’s eye while I overlook the log in my own.

I just hope I never say, “most unique,” “less cavities,” or tell my dog to “lay down.” (Oh no. Does that period go before or after the quotation mark? I just looked up the rule and was reminded that in America we put the period inside the quotation marks, but the British place it outside the quotation marks when the period is not part of the quote.)

another book recommendation

Thanks to my sister giving me an early Christmas present, I finally have a Kindle. The first book I downloaded was Bonds of Courage. Written by Sandy Hill, it is a wonderful work of historical fiction set in Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. The author draws on an intriguing piece of her family’s history and weaves a suspenseful story of war, kidnapping, and the desperate measures people will take in order to save those they love.

Reading good historical fiction like Bonds of Courage inspires me to turn my efforts back to getting the manuscript I’m calling The Spanish Coin published. Maybe 2013 will see that happen. In the meantime, though, I’m transcribing the handwritten Cabarrus County Board of Education Minutes from microfilm. I look forward to writing more newspaper columns about our schools when that research is completed.

While you’re waiting for my historical novel to be published, I highly recommend Bonds of Courage, by Sandy Hill, and I hope she will bless us with a sequel.

Hearing published authors inspires me

A few weeks ago the Rocky River Readers Book Club had the privilege of having Amy Clipston as our guest speaker. Amy writes Christian Fiction and has found a niche in writing about the Amish. If you get a chance, check out her books.

Sunday night the Rocky River Readers’ guest speaker was Anna Jean Mayhew. The Dry Grass of August, her first novel, was published in 2011 to rave reviews. It follows a 14-year-old white girl in Charlotte in 1954 as she learns first-hand how blacks are treated as second-class citizens. Anna Jean (who writes under the pen name A.J. Mayhew), is working on her second novel. I can’t wait to read it!

Who would have thought a little community book club meeting at a church in a semi-rural area would attract two published authors in one year?

What I’m reading

My reading interests run the gamut from suspense to historical fiction to nonfiction. I almost always have more than one book that I’m reading all the time. My current books are Bones to Ashes, by Kathy Reichs, and Half the Sky, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

Half the Sky is not easy to read. I find myself re-reading some sentences or paragraphs because the information is so difficult to take in.

I highly recommend Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide to everyone. Be prepared to be shocked and challenged.

Another book I recommend is The Dry Grass of August, by A.J. Mayhew. She is speaking at Rocky River Presbyterian Church tomorrow night to the Rocky River Readers Book Club at 7 p.m. The public is invited. If you live near Harrisburg/Concord, please come out. It’s not often that we have the opportunity to hear a published author speak and address our questions.

Getting back to research

For those of you who follow my local history column in Harrisburg Horizons newspaper every other week, my article was omitted last Sunday. It should be in the paper on October 7.

I neglected research for my local history column for a few weeks while I spent time making items to sell on Saturday, October 6 at the Harvest Fest at Harrisburg United Methodist Church. This is my first craft fair, so I’m eager to see how it goes. Variety is the spice of life, so I have enjoyed this recent diversion.

Monday will find me concentrating on my local history research and putting my fingers to the keyboard. Reading microfilmed records is tedious but full of surprises. I must psyche myself up to do more of that this winter.

Writing the newspaper column since May of 2006 has been a blessing to me, and I’m thrilled when people tell me how much they enjoy and look forward to my articles. I have enjoyed writing my “Did You Know?” column more than any other job I’ve ever had.

I plan to start blogging a couple of times a week to let you know what I’m working on and what I’m reading. Stay tuned.

A Time for Reflection

Late September is always a time for reflection for me. If my mother were alive, we would celebrate her 100th birthday on Sunday. Ironically, this weekend is also the 35th “anniversary” of my father’s death.

It was not until Daddy’s death that I really gained an appreciation for my family’s history. Genealogy has become an on-again, off-again lifelong hobby. It is rewarding and frustrating. It is never finished, so it is an interest one can enjoy at any age.

As I remember my wonderful parents this weekend, I will again realize how fortunate I was to have them. They shaped my life and my thinking in so many ways and gave me a happy and secure childhood. It is only with age that I have become aware that many children do not have that kind of experience.

I am truly blessed!