LET'S SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

 by Judy Ann Davis                                                

Hello Fall!

Someone said not to sweat the small stuff. But as a writer, I think we have an obligation to sweat the small stuff. I believe all the little things we do—from editing a chapter for the fifteenth time to standing at the kitchen sink and thinking to ourselves that a conversation we’ve already created won’t work for a particular character—is part of our desire to strive for excellence and perfection in our work. We owe it to our audience.

 Everyone is aware the ease of self-publishing has caused an explosion of poorly written fiction being dumped into the marketplace. We’ve all downloaded a digital book to our Kindle, Nook, phone, or tablet that was filled with bad grammar, misspellings, incorrect punctuation, and was horrendously embarrassing and painful to read.  And we’ve all hit the “remove from device” link and sent these books to a junkyard in cyberspace far, far away.

But recently, I’ve been amazed with the amount of poorly written copy coming from not only fiction writers, but also writers in newspapers and magazines and (oh, my) writers on the internet. Put aside the fact that they are not checking facts, more and more people are just content to spit out their opinion or construct lazy gibberish on websites and in comment boxes with little regard to how they are shredding the English language.

 “So what?” you ask. “Everyone makes mistakes, right?”

 Do you want your accountant to make a mistake by a few decimal points or a few hundred dollars? How about if your doctor wrote (heaven forbid) a prescription for the wrong drug—or maybe the right drug, but the wrong dosage? Or what if your lawyer sent out a letter on your behalf filled with spelling errors? Even better yet, your plumber decided the joint he connected and sealed in one of your drain pipes is just good enough. Would you be pleased with any of these behaviors?

I believe writers have the same obligation as any other worker in any other occupation. It’s time we take the time to strive for excellence as we string words together for our readers.

James Michener said, “I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” And that’s the secret of good writing. So, I am going to sweat the small stuff. I’m going to take the time to do the best job I can even if it I have to write and rewrite, and rewrite again and again—even if it takes longer than I planned or hoped.

 Now tell me, what bugs you as a writer reading the written word in print or digital? 

MY NEWEST RELEASE: COURTING BETSY  

A Historical Western Romantic Mystery!

COURTING BETSY – Ashmore Brothers Book 3  

 Kindle version and print now available on AMAZON:  https://www.amazon.com/Courting-Betsy-Ashmore-Brothers-Romantic-ebook/dp/B0CFSXKH6L/ 

SUMMER ON MY SWING: Pondering Answers

by Judy Ann Davis

“Hot July brings cooling showers, apricots and gillyflowers.” - Sara Coleridge

I admit as a writer I enjoy time alone to sit and think which is why I like July, why I like summer. My patio swing calls me to rest, enjoy the warm days or balmy nights, and ponder the world. It’s said curiosity is instrumental in driving our thought processes. It’s when I’m wrapped in that solitude when I ask questions which may or may not have answers: 

• Why can’t we see the wind? 
• How does the song sparrow learn its many different songs?
• Do woodpeckers get headaches? 
  
• What do northern squirrels think when they eat their first southern peanut from my bird feeder? Can they have an allergy to them? 
• Fireflies flash in patterns that are unique to each species. Have they ever learned another pattern like we learn second languages? 
• Why was the daisy chosen to be the flower plucked with the chant: He loves me, he loves me not?

 And my weird wondering brain chugs along…

Maybe in our attempt to explain things in nature, we need to accept there are mysteries which may never have explanations. As humans, we like explanations. We like plans. We like the predictable.

And, we like to ponder.

After all, isn’t that what creativity really is? The use of our imaginations or original ideas in the production of an artistic work?

So I leave you with this July wish: Take time to rest, relax, and contemplate the world around you. And if you get a bizarre or curious thought, drop it in the comment box below so we all can ponder the answer!

 

Visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE to see all my books.

 

DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING!

How do you keep a story interesting? Historical fiction is pretty straight forward. There might be a villain or a struggle to survive in a hostile environment. Science Fiction tends to be similar to a space western. Someone is always conquering galaxies. Then there is straight suspense. Murder, theft, mayhem. Seems like a lot to work with, but you have to keep your readers guessing.

A television series may keep the fans on edge by killing off favorite characters. Think Game of Thrones. I'm still upset over Ned Stark's violent demise. No, I didn't read the books. I tried but they are huge and the paperbacks have tiny, tiny print.

Unless you're actually writing a series of book, you don't have the time to develop beloved characters. I remember a well known romantic suspense author saying she upset some of her readers when a dog was badly injured.  No one gave her grief about the kid in danger, but don't hurt the dog.

An author walks a tight line by endangering a well known character. I suppose an author of a long running series might get tired of a character. Even Agatha Christie didn't care for Poirot. She was quoted as wondering why she ever "invented this detestable, bombastic, tiresome little creature?"

Ms. Christie did kill him off  eventually and an obituary was even printed in the New York Times. Since this was in 1974, I have no idea how her fans received this turn of events.

It's scary. You risk losing a reader if you've developed a fictional character and suddenly they are gone. Does this development make sense? Is it really necessary?  Does it take the protagonists in a different direction? Be ready to answer these questions and convince your readers you haven't lost your mind.