Five Tips for Aspiring Authors

While technology has doomed the traditional mortar and brick bookstore, self-publishing is burgeoning. Although vast publication options offer a dual bonus for the writer and the reader, weaving a story through the yarn of words remains an art. Sure, constructing that first novel is an arduous task and even if tears occasionally fill the page instead of ink, those who are passionate about it will keep at it.

Whether engaged in marketing communications or creative writing, cementing a connection with your targeted audience is critical. So if you’ve decided to take the creative page’s plunge, here are five tips to consider when embarking on the journey: 

1.  Stay True to Your Own Voice

Style and tone are inclusive of voice, however, voice is better explained by the example that two people who share an experience simultaneously will rarely recount in the same way. As a writer, I tend to tease with vivid details prior to serving the story’s meat. It’s important to me to whet the reader’s appetite continuously by saying things in an unexpected way. If I abandoned this storytelling style, my voice wouldn’t be consistent.          

2.  Aim for Originality

Give readers a new experience. Whether in movies or on the dramatic screen, story commonalities are a given. Spark interest by seasoning stories with different flavors or different twists and turns. Even with identical ingredients, what one chef prepares will never resemble another’s in presentation or taste. If too predictable or a rehash, the reader may hesitate to sink his teeth into what you’ve written.             

3. Develop Characters Carefully

Avoid character overload unless you’re prepared to give character development ample attention. Once I picked up a book where the opening chapters had so many characters that I quickly dismissed it. Ask yourself if some characters merit inclusion and whether your story would be equally impactful without their presence.  

4. Provoke Thought

I’m particularly fond of stories that make me think. Cram a book with TMI and it’s possible to turn the reader off or sacrifice his imagination. Create depth by stirring emotion’s pot through searing analogies. Add mystery to prompt the reader to wonder where the story is going next instead of giving a baseball game play-by play. Toss in the literary device of foreshadowing to unfold a story. After all, there’s no diehard rule that demands every story be told chronologically. 

5. Be Mindful of Word Choices

I’ll never forget the English teacher who gave this advice: When used properly, simple words are capable of creating a large impression. I’m not suggesting that you avoid big words but use them sparingly and keep in mind that no one wants to be held hostage by a dictionary.  

 

With “The Old and the Gutless” Cancelled, Here Comes the Book

Susan Lucci’s relocation from Pine Valley to Desperate Housewives’ Wisteria Lane might find favor with fans but Hollywood’s map remains dotted in dead ends. “All My Children” hit the defunct soap opera wall several months ago and the Dallas Mavericks have since put the NBA’s Lake Show, aka “The Old and the Gutless,” on cancellation blast.  It’s easy to attribute the 4-0 skid to Big D’s athletic superiority but that’s too simplistic. So, what’s really going on?

Here’s an explanation that’s slow to populate: Pau Gasol’s MIA status could’ve been sparked by a mental trip to Heartbreak Hotel since it’s rumored that Mrs. Kobe Bryant engineered the breakup of his engagement. On ESPN this morning, Gasol vehemently denied any trouble in paradise. Allegedly caught up in a torn between two lovers web, “Ron Ron” has been spotted tipping around town with Shin Shin, a singer of Chinese-Korean descent.  Now how Artestic is that?       

Whether Kobe was stuck in egomaniacal neutral or an overindulgence of Reality TV’s dish hampered play (E’s Khloe and Lamar, VH1’s Basketball Wives features Matt Barnes’ baby mama Gloria Govan), the brutish behavior of Artest, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum dry docked an already sinking ship.

On Mother’s Day, OG’s Odom and Bynum displayed such classlessness that Bynum’s mother (Odom’s mom is deceased) probably joined outgoing coach Phil Jackson in lowering a glass, filled to embarrassment’s brim. Fined $25K for removing his jersey on the court with total losses registering $700K via a five-game suspension, Bynum’s lesson is costly, or as Tamar Braxton would say, “Over the top dotcom.”  For some, the five-game suspension is merely a drop in the bad boy bucket.      

I bet someone’s pen is poised to pour the Lakers’ tea, and chances are, it won’t be Jackson.            

For more on the Lakers, see these links:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers-phil-jackson-20110510,0,6229314.story       

http://www.playerwives.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/ron-artests-girlfriendmistress-shin-shin-gao-xinxin/

http://www.playerwives.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/pau-gasols-girlfriend-silvia-lopez-castro/

Hip Hop Spins New Language

Beyond the braggadocio and lascivious lyrics, the Hip Hop genre deserves credit for launching new language. According to David Crystal, a British language writer, “all living languages change.”

Never static, the trajectory of language is catapulted by the adoption of new social norms. An article in today’s NYT defines social norms as the “often-unspoken rules of a group” that drive behavior and attitudes.             

Coined to connote the conspicuous consumption of ostentatious jewelry in the 90s, bling-bling remains my all-time favorite. Given its traction, bling-bling has since blown Cash Money’s hip hop coup in its travels to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.  

In citing the need for language change to accompany something invented, Crystal nails the origin of “crunk.”  ‘Lil Jon, the self-professed southern King of Crunk, spawned the hip hop classification, however, “crunk” is also the modern day equivalent to what Pop Papa Prince called crazy. Though fading from the fringes of cool, a Memphis-based marketing CEO tweeted this week: “BBQ gonna be crunk.”    

Fast forward to 2010 and what has emerged in frequent rotation is the word “convo,” an abbreviation for conversation. Although the word has yet to meet a Merriam-Webster page, Trey Songz’ “Say Ahh” prompted my introduction: “I got a table waiting, what you think about a convo? If you like it baby, we can take it to the condo.”  Earlier, that same marketing executive blared "social" amplifies convos…” in Twitterdom.  

Repetition is contagious and ahh, how language continues to transcend the demographic from which it was derived.  

Sources: http://www.vocabulary.com/articles/dogeared/2829/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704436004576298962165925364.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_6

Barkley’s Black Eye on Sports Broadcasting

Before steroid and sex scandals and the overrun of legal infractions, I was a ride or die sports fan. Thanks to my Dad, I’m still basking in the glory of having seen my first and only Super Bowl. But since that particular sports spectacular, the myriad of athletic impurities have altered my pledge of allegiance. Nevertheless, whether NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA or NCAA, when the championship bells ring, I’m there.

But this isn’t about me; it’s about the pained observations of a former journalist. I was scholastically trained to report the news utilizing a strong command of the English language.  However, whenever there’s a media mockery, I can’t help but cringe.

Having watched the latest NBA playoffs, the hardwood court action has taken a backseat to the color commentary. “Commentainers” like Charles Barkley have suddenly ascended in the commentator ranks. It’s bad enough that the no-ringed retired NBA player slammed New York Knicks Coach Mike D’Antoni’s head on the chomping block based on opinion rather than fact. But when he barked “you better ax somebody,” I’m sure every English teacher who noted his spelling error wanted to howl.

At that moment, Charles’ celebrity nosedived to “celebitty” for his small-minded faux pas. If he can spell D-E-F-E-N-S-E in the T-Mobile ad, certainly he can spell A-S-K correctly. Please spare us the ebonic references, Barkley. Instead of laughing with you, many are laughing at you and frankly, there’s no humor in ignorance.       

Liposuction Your Writing

Between bursts of brevity in texts and Tweets, there’s a whole lot of bloviating going on in certain circles. Chances are, you, too, have encountered your fair share of Bettys and Bobs who write or speak verbosely. Writing or speaking in a long-winded fashion is exactly what bloviating means. Communicators who fit this mold would likely label Twitter’s 140-character limitation dysfunctional.  

What a pain to trudge through the jungle of excessive words, especially when fewer will do. Fat extraction in writing often yields the same message originally intended when properly applied.      

If you think the bloviating Bettys and Bobs are bad, those prone to sesquipedalian tendencies also fall short of communicating crisply. Multi-syllabic, that’s for sure, the word “sesquipedalian” characterizes people who rely on long words to showcase their communications IQ.

No one wants to hold a dictionary hostage for interpretation so as a favorite English teacher once advised, “a nickel word is sometimes more effective than one equivalent to a quarter.”

To conquer the communications game, always adhere to a clear and concise writing style and know your targeted audience.          

If the writing doctor has ordered liposuction, read these tips: http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2011/04/11/do-you-make-your-english-teacher-cringe/

See how the federal government has gotten its plain writing act together: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ274/pdf/PLAW-111publ274.pdf

_____is the New Black is Old

Following Cathie Black’s high-speed exit from her NYC education post, someone tweeted “Looking forward to all ‘the _______ is the New Black’ headlines when they pick a new schools chancellor.” Ugh, that I least looked forward to and voila, there it was plastered as predicted on NYC’s NBC Website.

Let me tell you why the snowclone, “X is the New Black,” produces a scowl. According to Language Log, a snowclone is defined as a neologism used to describe a type of formula-based cliche which uses an old idiom in a new context.

“Gray is the New Black,” was coined by Tom Wolff as a fashion distinction to note new neutrals in the 1980’s. Some 30 years later, its life cycle shows no signs of collapse, whether in headlines, billboards or books: “Gay is the New Black”, “GOP is the New Black,” Bitch is the New Black,” or “Bitter is the New Black.”

Sure, “paint a picture, tell a story” is a good rule of thumb for strategic communications. But “X is the New Black” has run its course like a tread-thinned tire. I think a freshly painted canvas commands more than a remixed story. Plus, isn’t it enough that music and fashion are king and queen of the cyclical crowns? Just saying. What do you say?

Texts in Typo City

Ten years ago, the question, “how many people text?” would’ve rung validity’s bell. Today, it’s more like who doesn’t. If you’re a bystander in the texting explosion, I’m ok if you’re ok with your cellphone troglodyte status. According to a 2010 Pew Research Center report, adult texting ran amuck “over the past nine months from 65% of adults sending and receiving texts in September 2009 to 72% texting in May 2010.”

Truly, we are technologically OOC (out of control) and with those numbers, I suspect the grammatical errors produced by fumbled fingers have also climbed. Perfect in our imperfections, we all make mistakes, however, some more than others, I might add.

Given our newfound affinity for phonetic spelling and texting shorthand, the inclusion of a disclaimer I received via text is priceless: “This transmittal was sent from a handheld device. Please excuse any misspelled or abbreviated words, or other typographical errors.” Shouldn’t every cellphone come prepackaged with this?  

  

Source: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1716/adults-cell-phones-text-messages