Category Archives: On Writing

I am in the Crump Theatre, historic 1800s theatre in downtown Columbus, Indiana. My vendor table is set up right by the bathroom, advertising my Traylor Writing Services Center editing service.  So, I literally catch visitors coming and going. I have many give aways and workshop sign-up options for my visitors. As I sit here listening to speakers and waiting on interested passersby, I think about the days I sat behind a desk charting in patient charts.  I would begin by documenting the orientation of my patient to person, place and time. In writing, I demonstrate the ordinary life, time and place of the main character of the story.  In nursing documentation you must chart the patient’s physical characteristics and head to toe account of health or injury. In writing, the author must offer an account of the physical characteristics unique to the character. The relationship between writing a book and nursing documentation are not so far removed that a likeness cannot be found.

All writing requires showing the reader an image through words. Nursing is very visual and requires the ability to recognize the normal from the unusual in a patient’s health and well-being. A nurse should be able to relay that information through accurate and detailed documentation so other healthcare providers can follow up on changes and recognize any unwanted patient illnesses. Writing a book requires no less detailed documentation of character description, scene, or setting.  The only real difference in writing for nursing versus a book would be that nursing documentation requires strict adherence to facts with little flourish of descriptive adjectives for artful flow.

Listening to the learned speakers of the conference as they wrap-up their monologues and people drift down the halls, I have the urge to document the swagger of each character into a journal. Creating a written image of the day, and of the people.

I have been in school taking classes for the better part of my life. First, in secretarial school; second, in nursing; and now, as a senior (in more ways than one) taking my last four classes to complete a Bachelors Degree in English Literature. College in my forties has been quite a struggle as my mind does not work as fast as it used to. However, I have found that analyzing text and comprehension of complex text has become much easier for me than it was twenty years ago. I have also been spending my not so excess funds on going to writing workshops and conferences in Indiana and surrounding states. I have come to the conclusion that the money is very well spent.  I have never walked away from any conference without some new insights or skills related to writing as a career.  Networking with other writers, bending the ear of publishers, and asking questions of experienced editors, has given me more –real world- useable information than I have received in college.

Don’t misunderstand that I exclude a college education from importance in developing skills as a writer and editor. On the contrary, the student will get out of college as much as they are willing to invest of themselves into it.  The student must be willing to listen, ask questions, and be present physically and mentally in the subject they wish to study long term. This includes joining clubs related to subject and even volunteering. The truth is that the student has to expand what they learn outside of the required classes in order to succeed in a career based on their academic subject.

While academia has its flaws of requiring unrelated subject matter to pad the requirements and raise the cost of student education, it also serves an important purpose.  If you can survive and succeed the rigors of a four-year college education and learn patience and communication skills along the way, you will more than likely have much more of a chance at success in life than those who chose to walk-away before holding the degree in hand.

The great thing about writing conferences and workshops for writers is that they do not require a long term commitment. These activities only celebrate and enhance the skills you seek to master. However, just like school, you will get out of it what you put into it.  If your attitude is such that you already know the information so you don’t need to hear it again, then you will gain nothing from the workshop even if a few facts spoken might offer a new and profound perception to old information.  So, taking any schooling or workshops may offer a writer not only a new perspective on your chosen career, but also can offer you a fresh perception on living.

There continues to be confusion with some students of writing of how to begin their books.  First, the “novel” is usually a work of fiction. It usually is not preceded by a “preface,” but is often preceded by a “foreword” or “prologue.”

The Foreword:  It sells the book to the reader, explains what the reader might gain from the work, and is often written by a critic or another author.  You often see forewords in republished older works, written by current authors or scholars.

The Preface:  It describes how the book came about.  Written by the author, it demonstrates credibility.  It may describe source information and may give credit to those assisting in the creation of the book.

The Introduction:  It gives a chronicle of  the content of the book, structure, or references used in compiling of the book.  It may also contain acknowledgements. This is usually less formal content than a preface.

The Prologue:  It is most often used in fiction work to present a dramatic scene or event with a main character involved.  It is sometimes used as a “hook” to encourage readers.

There are no hard and fast rules to follow as an author. However, publishers and agents tend to lean toward standards set forth by successful authors.  The above definitions have been compiled from research of creditable authors, writing services, and college academics.  (Purdue Owl, Harvard University Writing Theories, IUPUI Writing Center)

I have been struggling with writing complete stories lately. It seems my creative non-fiction has been a struggle, so I am going to switch back to writing fiction for a while.  The struggle seems to be that release of information necessary in order to tell the truth without causing harm to yourself or to others. How much of your own truth can you tell without causing ripples within the family and friends? Not that I have any skeletons in the closet that need hiding, but every family has those scenarios that are left behind to heal over.  Divorces, marriages, abortions, adoptions, suicide, criminal activity, addiction problems, parenting problems, financial problems; every family has these difficulties. Some of these life challenges are embarrassing to families, some are not so much.  However, when a person has overcome obstacles and challenges to come out stronger, the story can encourage others that the struggles they face can be overcome.

Fiction is much easier because it hides the truth within fictional characters and allows the freedoms of creativity and structure of characters, place and time like no non-fiction story can accomplish. Structure and form are still important, but can be stretched and changed to meet the imagination of the writer.  I have been reading Kurt Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury lately.  This might be why my non-fiction has been difficult to write. My mind tends to follow the same thought patterns of what I am reading.  When I read auto-biographies and other non-fiction, I tend to lean toward journal writing and self-discovery in my writing.  If other writers have struggled with switching between genres, please comment from your experiences.

Tomorrow, I will read poetry and pen a sonnet or so.

I decided to post this information because of my experiences involving editing and writing novels. When hired exclusively for editing, I  explain that editing is not the same as copywriting.

A copywriter may be hired to improve the content or actually create content for an article, website, or project. The copywriter rarely gets as much credit for creative processes as the editor on a project. The copywriter may also be responsible for correction of the grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors in the work.

Editing, especially extensive editing, requires a knowledge of appropriate structure, syntax, and style of writing appropriate for the audience being addressed by the author’s work.  The editor makes suggestions of clarification concerning words, statements, or verb agreements and consistency of style to the author.  Basic corrections of grammar and punctuation are identified. The author then makes changes as suggested and returns the work to the editor for another review. This process may take several revisions in order to produce a professional finished literary work. In some cases, an editor may have discussed with the author their willingness to have punctuation, grammar, and word choice changes done by the editor during the first reading. If this is the case, make sure as the editor or the author that those terms are clear.

In the end, it is the author’s words that should stand out in the finished product. It should not be modified to fit the literal voice of the editor.  The author should be willing to decline any changes made by the editor in order to preserve the intended message of the work.  Just know that at the larger publishing houses, the author may lose the battle of revision to the editor if they wish to have their books published by that house. Read your contracts carefully and make all terms of any job clear before you proceed as the author or the editor.

Sometimes when we walk with out heads buried in our life we miss what is going on right above our heads.