Egos and Ethos

While in the supermarket freezer section today, I overheard a twenty-something’s conversation with a couple old enough to be his grandparents. In this season of college graduations, he was relating how lucky he was to have gone to work right after high school rather than continuing his education. Seems he had risen up the ranks from clerk to a relatively secure position on the management team, his current salary to rivaling any corporate middle manager. And unlike many of his friends who are now graduating college, he’s been spared the tuition debt and shaky job prospects. Since I’m in education, I listened a bit enviously, as I had spent a good portion of my income paying off college loans, as well as now witnessing firsthand what my students and former students are suffering through. But he had a valid point, as he’d made a good call four years ago, at the beginning of an economic downturn which seems to have longer legs than any NBA player. And knowing there’s just no good reason why it has lasted so long and even worse, how some thrived because of it, makes me even angrier than I can possibly vent on this page.

Here in New Jersey, especially in the northern towns closer to New York City, thousands of workers were affected and continue to be affected by layoffs in the banking and finance industries. As of April, the unemployment rate is a full percentage point above the national average at 9.1%, and even worse for the long-term unemployed and those just graduating. But JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon can still gamble away $2 billion, even after his company was bailed out in 2008 for $12 billion for their part in one of the worse financial meltdowns since The Great Depression. And he can still expect to garner deference from an Obama ”surrogate” like Cory Booker. Some would argue that as Newark, NJ’s mayor, a city right across the river from NYC, Booker, who has not only statewide but national aspirations, it’s only logical that he wouldn’t want to alienate the powerful financial sector. But as New York Times columnist, Paul Krugman, put in his editorial “Egos and Immorality” today: “… it has been especially sad to see some Democratic politicians with ties to Wall Street, like Newark’s mayor, Cory Booker, dutifully rise to the defense of their friends’ surprisingly fragile egos. As I said at the beginning, in a way Wall Street’s self-centered, self-absorbed behavior has been kind of funny. But while this behavior may be funny, it is also deeply immoral. Think about where we are right now, in the fifth year of a slump brought on by irresponsible bankers. The bankers themselves have been bailed out, but the rest of the nation continues to suffer terribly, with long-term unemployment still at levels not seen since the Great Depression, with a whole cohort of young Americans graduating into an abysmal job market.”

Yet the 1% wants more. With similarly dutiful surrogates like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell crying misleading talking points such as “crippling government regulations” and “job-killing taxes,” logic and common sense get lost in the din. The thing is, it’s not that anyone is stopping them from becoming billionaires, and it’s not that anyone’s jealous. And it’s not that anyone would care if they make a pot of money. It’s only when that pot of money is created by closing down a factory, raiding a pension fund or outsourcing overseas, and calling it “class warfare” when someone complains about it.

Look, we’re all Americans. We live in a democracy, and that means everyone gets a say in the government, not only those who can afford to buy a voice. It’s not true that every American’s driving force is to become a millionaire. Sure, it would be nice, but the most all really want is to be healthy, pay the bills, feed the family, send the kids to college, have a sense of security, retire with dignity. And to do that, most will need a decent-paying job. It’s not too much to ask. What’s a shame is we even have to.

Trudy

The Genre Cocktail: Shake, Stir and Cross

Over the weekend I read a pretty darn good manuscript for a friend of mine. It was one she was reworking, after having received a so-called “good rejection” from an editor. In case you’re not familiar with such rejections, that’s when the editor thinks the submission is good enough to warrant another look after some changes are made. Sometimes the changes are suggested, sometimes not, but most editors do include some illuminating commentary, and if you have to receive a rejection, they’re decidedly the best kind. This particular editor didn’t offer anything specific other than she’d like to see some more insight in the beginning, and perhaps something a bit incendiary a little farther along.  Well, not only did my friend comply–she did so in spades, injecting enough plot complications this no-longer sagging saga’s got more twists and turns than a whole bag of Twizzlers, and boy-oh-boy does it snap. But this reworking also leaves her with another wholly unintended consequence: she’s created a Genre Cocktail. Though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

So what am I talking about? Okay, let me use her story as an example. She started out writing Romance, and the story has all the components: meet cute, solid conflict, steamy couplings, de rigueur happy conclusion. Though to keep it interesting, she tossed in a bit of suspense–a medical mystery, an employee theft, a woman on the run. But when the editor found it lacking, she heightened the stakes, adding a red herring, jaw-dropping duplicity, corporate espionage, and a breathless chase that leaves you guessing until the end. Three-quarters of the way through, when I got smacked by yet another twisty-turn, I was nearly certain I was no longer reading a Romance. Or was it a Romantic Suspense? No, it was more like a Thriller. Or howabout a Romantic/Suspense/Thriller? Not quite sure, I told myself as I kept flipping pages. What did it matter anyway? Whatever it was, it was good.

Should it matter? Or should whatever you write be able to be found under a keyword or a specific genre header? Usually it does–when you’re writing in a specific genre: Romance, Mystery, Thriller, SciFi, Fantasy. But these days you have Romantic Suspense, Historical Mystery, SciFi Thrillers and many more cocktails that are less easily identifiable. So how do you categorize them? Which search keyword do you use, under which header sign do you look? Do we create subgenres of subgenres? And moreover, how do we present such a work to the acquiring editor? By lumping together genres, do we confuse the issue–or do we clarify it? Especially if it’s so out there, we fear we may never be able to grab an editor’s eye and get an in.

Over the winter I visited a candy shop in Philadelphia that makes their own confections, one of which was a minor miracle called a salt caramel. The candy itself was a standard cube of buttery caramel dipped in dark chocolate, but centered on top was a delicate pinch of sea salt. In theory, such a combination shouldn’t work–separately, maybe–but together? And then I took a bit and ohhh…what exquisite fusion! the sweet playing off the salt, and visa versa. It shouldn’t work, but it did, as one taste flowed into the other, a mutual appreciation of each other’s attributes that ultimately produced magic. It can be the same with crossing genres, as within the story I read over the weekend, the twists and turns that heightened the stakes ultimately complicated the conflict, and that made surmounting the insurmountable so much more satisfying in the end. The trick, and this is where the execution can be dicey, is when you add Historical and Mystery elements to a Thriller, or Romance and Horror aspects to a SciFi and so on in any direction. Like salt to a caramel, they need to fuse all the elements together and advance the plot, or they’ll just seem gratuitous. And above all, don’t forget your core audience. If you’re mainly writing a Mystery, you’ll still need to have the case solved, or with a Romance, you’ll still need the happily-ever-after. The upside is if you integrate these other elements well, you’ll have the bonus effect of expanding into another genre, which of course, makes for more readers–and buyers–of your book.

In the end, with whatever genre, and however it’s achieved, it all comes down to writing a good story. And there isn’t an editor in the world who’d argue with–or reject–that.

Trudy

No joke, I’m pooped!

Today I just entered the final grades for the last of my classes and suddenly it’s SUMMER! Boy oh boy, and you know what THAT means–it’s VACATION TIME, and if I don’t ever need it! So I’m taking a quick one, just a week, so you won’t miss me too much, up into the hinterlands of New York’s Catskill Mountains. Plus if you happen to read my Facebook page, you’ll know that tomorrow’s a special day for someone, so I’ll be kind of busy indulging in all those things that I’m loathe to indulge in the rest of the year! Also, there’s the fact that as I write this my eyes are already drooping and the only thing that’s keeping me awake is all these exclamation points! So anyway, I’m off to read something that isn’t out of an anthology, drink something that doesn’t include caffeine, and breathe air that isn’t recirculated. And oh yeah, write something that doesn’t involve a red pen….

Trudy

Why Marriage Equality is a No-Brainer (or at least it should be if you’re American)

This week President Barack Obama again made history. In his Wednesday interview with “Good Morning America”‘s Robin Roberts, he said,  “At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that, for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” A stunning announcement, surely, whether or not you believe he was somewhat goaded into it by Vice-President Joe Biden remarking on Sunday’s “Meet the Press” that he’s “comfortable” with Marriage Equality. Since then, Mr. Biden’s been taking a little heat from Obama staffers for no-doubt jumping the gun and/or deviating from the administration’s official position (Veeps tow the line, not toss it), and today, he even apologized. But surely that’s beside the point. For whatever reason, the POTUS felt he needed to come out (yes, I’m groaning) and clarify his position. And he did this knowing he’d alienate some of his African-American base, many of whom have strong religious objections to LGBT issues altogether. Even so, when you think about it, especially when you take into consideration Mr. Obama’s background in Constitutional Law, his eventual “evolution” in thinking was a natural segue, especially when you read this:

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

What is it? Why the “Equal Protection” clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. All–and I mean ALL–Americans are guaranteed coverage by all laws that cover ALL Americans (sorry for the redundancy, but trying to make a point). The 14th Amendment, enacted in 1868 as part of Reconstruction after the Civil War, was invoked to bring down the “Separate but Equal” doctrine which eventually led to the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education and the dismantling of segregation and Jim Crow. Many called into question States’ Rights, but Section 1. clearly states, No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States. No state. Which clearly makes all those state laws on the “sanctity of marriage” unconstitutional when held against the 14th Amendment. Which also proves to crystal clarity that LGBTs are being relegated to second-class citizenship when they’re denied marriage, and this issue sorely needs a Constitutional challenge.

Does this mean that if “Gay Marriage” was made legal that pastors and rabbis and priests and imams would be forced to marry LGBTs against their will? Absolutely not. Why? Because–and listen really close to this one–the legality of marriage has nothing to do with religion. Yes! This is really really really true! Think: what is one of the things you have to do when you are about to get married? You have to get a MARRIAGE LICENCE. This is because marriage involves a LEGAL procedure. Plenty of people get married every day at the courthouse or city park or on their Aunt Martha’s back porch without the benefit of clergy. So, and follow my thinking here…if marriage is a LEGAL contract and all Americans are guaranteed equal protection under the LAW, and the Constitution says that “No State shall make or enforce any LAW which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States…” then tell me, beside your own personal objections, why should Marriage Equality not be legal?

Trudy

Maurice Sendak 1928 – 2012 ~ We are all Wild Things, after all

Book Expo America NYC June 4 – 7

What is Book Expo America? Why just the biggest book and publishing event in North America! BEA is the book industry’s premier trade show, providing booksellers with the chance to preview publishers’ upcoming titles and discover new vendors, as well as take part in education and info sessions, author breakfasts and lunches, workshops, panels and too many booksignings to count. There are also many opportunities to network with booksellers from across the country and other industry professionals, such as authors, editors, literary agents and book buyers. All major publishers are represented, from Random House, Penguin, Grand Central, Simon & Schuster, McGraw-Hill, to Harlequin, HarperCollins, Little, Brown & Co, St. Martin’s Press, as well as digital, self-publishers, small and university presses and many more. BEA is at the Jacob Javits Center in the publishing capital of the world, New York City, with badge pricing for retailers, educators, published authors, librarians, book club facilitators, writers’ association members and more. Dates are from June 4th through the 7th. See you there!

Trudy

Rainy Days

Ever have one of those soggy, dreary days, where the world squeezes the energy out of you like spilt milk from a sponge? When your confidence lags as well as your stride, and the only thing that seems to jump your pulse is a large slab of trash food and a long squat in front of your favorite screen? I don’t know about you, but it’s one of those days here in my neck of the woods, rainy and cool, and utterly blah physically, metaphorically and otherwise, and as usual, I’m writing my heart on my sleeve. But why?

Because first off, a rainy day like this has nothing to do with the weather. A rainy day like this is more introspective, and I don’t think there’s a writer out there that doesn’t know what I mean. These are the days we wander and drift, question ourselves, grumble and growl. These are the days when nothing goes right, when we’re jealous and bitter, when we look back with “what ifs?, when everything pricks us and the whole world seems so much luckier. When a glance, a doffed remark, that song, sets us off. Why does this happen? Better yet, why does this happen to us?

Maybe because as writers, we’re just more intuitive, always on the lookout for cues and clues, and so much more in tune with our own inner barometer, not to mention our own unique set of demons and bugaboos. It’s one thing to be turned down for a job; it’s quite another to be turned down and told you suck. Okay, maybe not in those exact words. More than likely, in a way not any more original than the 200 other writers that got the same rejection. Or how about after three rewrites, your critique partners still don’t get your latest chapter, or the scene that’s still going nowhere two days into it, or the editor that finally gets back to your after having your ms. for six months, only to say she’ll pass. Or the three contests you entered which failed even to get you an honorable mention, but succeeded in getting $100 out of you. Or the family member, the friend, the coworker, the guy across the bar that asks, complete with puzzled look, why you keep doing what you’re doing when after five years you still haven’t made any money? Which leaves you asking yourself–yeah, why?

You find yourself crying in the shower or on the way to work. You donate all your writing how-to guides and manuals to the local high school book fair. You skip the next month’s writers’ group. Your writing chocolates loses its free pass and eats up The Points. You toss out the legal pad you used to take to the beach. You ignore Word and go straight to Facebook. You put the dictionary on the bookshelf. You find a hidden message in Lady Gaga. You watch Glee.

You have peanut better and jelly and the ENTERTAINMENT crawl on CNN for lunch, and afterwards, you peek through the blinds as the two studly guys hammer in the poles for the neighbor’s new fence. Congratulations! You’re officially pathetic!

But then again, life does have a funny way of turning on you sometime. Sometime, and you don’t even know why, you put derriere in chair and slap a couple of sentences together that add up to a great scene, that makes for a page-turning chapter that bundled altogether, makes for one great book, then two, then maybe even three. You keep writing because you just don’t know what else to do (as Glee and Lady Gaga aren’t doing it for you anymore), so you build on what you have left and finally find someone who believes in you so much she can’t wait to tell everyone. Then out there someone believes her enough to take a chance, then lo and behold you check your email and damn if there isn’t a contract in it.

And that’s when you realize just how valuable these Rainy Days actually are. You look out your window and it’s sunny and clean outside now. You’ve made it through; you’re ready for more. Bring it on.

Trudy

Lusty Heroes and Spunky Heroines, or No Boring Characters Ever!

Who is this: …a pale, skinny young woman who had hair as short as a fuse, and a pierced nose and eyebrows. She had a wasp tattoo about two centimeters on her neck, a tattooed loop around the bicep of her left arm, another loop around her left ankle, a chinese symbol on her hip and a rose on her left calf. On those occasions when she had been wearing a tank top, a dragon tattoo can be seen on her left shoulder blade.

This one I’m giving to you: Sam Spade’s jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting V under the more flexible V of his mouth. His nostrils curved back to make another, smaller, V. His yellow-gray eyes were horizontal. The V motif was picked up again by thickish brows rising outward from twin creases above a hooked nose, and his pale brown hair grew down–from high flat temples–in a point on his forehead. He looked rather pleasantly like a blond satan.

Or this: Just because Laura Rider had no children didn’t mean her husband was a homosexual, but the people of Hartley, Wisconsin, believed he was, and no babies seemed to them proof. They also could tell by his heavy-lidded eyes that were sweetly tapered, his thick dark lashes, his corkscrew curls, his skinny legs and the springy walk, and the fact that he often looked dreamily off in thought, as if he were trying to see over the rainbow.

And lastly, there’s this: It takes a moment to register just what he’s asking. Because as he lifts the cup to the spout, I’m struck by the way his arms move, muscular, fluid arms seeming way out of place amid the fussy confines of that counter. Arms like those scream to be lifting more than Mocha Javas; they need to be ripping trees out by the roots.

If you haven’t guessed, the first one is Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, next Sam Spade from Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon, Charlie Rider from Laura Rider’s Masterpiece by Jane Hamilton, and Roark Carmelli from…from…er, some inconsequential book by someone equally inconsequential and whose name escapes me at the moment. In any event, what we’ve seen here are some clear physical insights to the main characters of their respective books. From those bits of first impression we could glean that, a) Salanader’s tastes tend to run to the avant-garde, b) Sam Spade’s numerous ‘V’ attributes no doubt much make his name eponymous, c) Charlie Rider’s one pretty man, and d) Roark Carmelli’s creator is undoubtedly a literary genius.

But beyond what physical descriptions tell us about the characters, what can you do to make them alive and breathing, especially considering some modern schools of thought decry physical descriptions at all? Let’s take a look at this Checklist on Creating Characters, taken from David Starkey’s Creative Writing – Four Genres in Brief textbook (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009):

1. Do you know your main characters and their desires well? You should have a strong sense of who your characters are, where they live, where they’ve been, and the driving forces that make them act. They should know what they want and what they’re prepared to do to get it.

2. Does your story show us only the essential aspect of your characters? While it’s important that you know your characters thoroughly, you will be revealing only a tiny sliver of that info on the page. Show your characters being themselves, only more so. Whatever conflict they are involved in  should bring out a heightened sense of who they really are.

3. Is your description of each character appropriate to, and necessary for, that character’s function in the story? You, the author, should always have a clear mental picture of your characters, but you should ask yourself if a complete physical, psychological, ethical, etc., description is really necessary for all characters. Unless some physical or emotional aspect of your character is necessary to the storyline, leave it out.

4. Are the characters’ names appropriate? Obviously Sam Spade’s was, but are yours? Try not to have too many Sams, Steves, Saras or Susies, as so many of the same letter can be confusing. And if that 1840s character from the remotest region of cloistered China is named O’Brien, you better have a reason why.

5. Should that character be named at all?  He’s a doorman the protagonist breezes past on the way out. Who cares. Unless, of course, later on he comes after him with a shotgun.

6. Are your main characters different at the end of the story than they were in the beginning? The most convincing fictional characters are both consistent and surprising. Reread the opening and concluding sections of your story. Do you see a difference in how your protagonist began and how he or she ends up? If there’s no growth–or considerable decline–then you have a static character, and your readers will feel cheated.

7. And at the end, will they leave your readers wanting more? Essential if you want to continue your story in a series. Like breadcrumbs through the woods, leave a trail of intriguing tidbits about the characters you’d like your readers to follow into the next book. And the next, and the next, and beyond.

Trudy

Every writer needs a Third Eye, Part Deux – As in, pray tell–who?

A fellow writer wrote to me today, asking my most sagacious advice now that her second novel is nearing completion. She figures having one book under her belt and another on the way gives her more street cred as a serious writer, so it’s time to explore taking on a professional editor. She asked what my thoughts were on how to go about finding one.

I’ve never doubted the value of a good editor. Every writer, no matter if just starting out or well-seasoned, needs one, if only to point out the things our mind’s eye overlooks, as I said in Part Un on this subject. Ultimately, when you ink that big, fat publisher’s contract (that’s me, shooting for the top of the heap always), you’ll hook up with someone who’ll not only point out your hits and near-misses, but as a valued partner will draw out the best of the artist within you. And that’s why trust between the two of you is so important, because if you can’t value an editor’s judgment and impartiality, then you’ll never believe that their criticism or advice or whatever you want to call it is only adding, and never detracting, from the quality of your work. But how do you go about finding someone to stand in as editor in the meantime?

First there’s the number one biggest decision you have to make: should you pay for a professional editing service? This can be a tough one. Primarily, there’s the financial consideration, as it could put a dent in the pocketbook, although that all depends what kind of service you’re looking for. There’s line editing, where someone proficient in grammar, punctuation and syntax will literally go over every word, or there’s those that deal with the creative aspect, analyzing your plot, characterization and style. Or there’s a combination of the two which would ultimately be the most concise. Ideally, you should choose an editing service by those who’ve either been in the publishing business or academia, and preferably has been well vetted or recommended by someone you know. As far as pricing goes, expect to pay anywhere from $2 – $5 a page and upwards, more if you’re asking for additional services. Check through reputable outlets, such as the Literary Marketplace (at the library or through subscription), Writers Market or Preditors and Editors. NEVER pay a so-called “literary agent” for editing services. Reputable agents make their money through commissions, and outside of some select office services, shouldn’t ever charge a client.

But what if an editing service is beyond your price range? Or what if you’re still in the writing stage, and you’re looking for someone to guide you through the process? There’re several other routes you can go, starting with a beta reader, someone you can trust to give you an honest appraisal. So how do you go about finding one?

It is my considered opinion you should never pick someone in your inner circle. Whether partner, sibling, parent or BFF, you can’t really expect them to be completely impartial. First off, whether good or ill, they come with a built-in bias, either not wanting to hurt your delicate feelings, or bent on getting you back for ruining that pair of Ferragamos you borrowed for Bitsy’s garden party. Best to seek out local writers, through the town library, local Barnes & Noble, or the best option, a local chapter of a national writing association. Think Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, etc., many of which have online chapters. In my own home state of New Jersey, there’s Liberty States Fiction Writers, where, after every meeting, there are roundtables where writers can bring samples of their work to be critiqued by published authors.

Writing associations also give you the advantage of networking with other authors of varying experience, and unlike family member and friends, fellow writers understand the creative process and know what to look for in a work. Each association usually has several small critique groups that either get together outside meetings or swap work online. Also not to be overlooked are Writers Conferences, where the networking capabilities are copious and invaluable, usually offering workshops and panels in an educational and social setting. Finally, if you’re looking to upgrade your own editing skills, you might try your county community college where there are likely credit or non-credit classes on creative writing. At community colleges you can get both academic and peer review on your work, as well as gain insights on craft and technique. 

In the end, whether you choose a professional editor, critique group or beta reader, never doubt your own intrinsic editing abilities. You are, and always will be, the best arbiter of your own work, and as you gain more experience, you’ll develop an inner flow and logic to your writing which will tell you what sounds best. The trick is to find a balance and never let your ego get in the way, as all criticism is about the work and only the work. And if it is ever about you, well dahling, you have my express permission to ignore it.

Trudy

Garden State Gorgeous

I’m from New Jersey.

There. I said it. Not ashamed of it, quite proud of it, a Jersey Girl born and bred. There’s many wonderful things about this state, we have mountains and cities and 127 miles of beautiful beaches, a wilderness in the midst of a megalopolis called The Pine Barrens. Our state mammal is the horse, our state fruit is the blueberry, and our (un)official state song is “Born to Run.” We have the densest population of any state (8 million), the poorest city (Camden), and we battle with Connecticutover who’s the richest. As populated as we are, we haven’t our own major TV station (even miniscule Delawarehas PBS channel 12), and the channels we get are either from Philadelphia or New York - whom we get no respect from. The New York Giants play in the New Jersey Meadowlands, but they still say they’re from New York. Our biggest crops are asparagus, cranberries, tomatoes (ah…sublime) and peaches, but the best thing we seem to grow in Jersey are some truly spectacular men, just to name a few…

Jon Bon Jovi, Sayreville - How many of you had him as your high school crush?

Peter Dinklage, Morristown – Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones is indeed, larger than life.

Michael Douglas, New Brunswick - Home of Johnson & Johnson, Rutgers University and one supremely sexy voice.

Ed Harris, Englewood - Never a tighter John Glenn in that spacesuit. 

Ice-T, Newark – what would hip-hop be without him.

Ray Liotta, Newark – Who wants to know just how good a fellow he is?

Jack Nicholson, Neptune – A legend. Enough said.

Derek Jeter, Pequannock – Who doesn’t love a man in uniform?

Shaquille O’Neal, Newark- Ditto, ditto.

Michael Pitt, West Orange– Jimmy Darmody of Boardwalk Empire. R.I.P, Jimmy, onto bigger and better things, Michael.

Dennis Rodman, Trenton – Yay! My hometown boy!

Paul Rudd, Passaic - Those eyes – those eyes!

Bruce Springsteen, Long Branch– Raised in Freehold, mellowed by the Jersey Shore.

John Travolta, Englewood- Who ever looked better in a white suit?

Martin Truex, Mayetta - This race car driver burns up the track in more ways than one.

BONUS!! – The Jonas Brothers, Wyckoff- (????) I guess you’ll have to ask your daughters about this one.

HALL OF FAME – Frank Sinatra, Hoboken- Ask your mother or your grandmother, as some things never go out of time.

Smooches!

Trudy