Mary Martin, Ph.D.

The Outline: A Double-Edged Sword

I've been busy with several projects, including my daily blog, Animal Person, which unfortunately takes precedence. But I'm back on track and there's an issue important to two jobs I'm currently working on: a documentary and a book. The issue is that an outline can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

In documentary filmmaking and nonfiction book writing, you can begin working with what you want to say. Perhaps you already know what your topic and your thesis is. The outline process, then, is about listing evidence/research/details/statistics that explain your topic and support your thesis. Your work, then, is about finding that evidence and then writing it (or filming it) and editing it. And you end where you began: with your thesis that you've just proven or illustrated.

The problem with the outline is that, depending on who's using it, there might be a propensity to stick to the outline and thereby prevent other interesting information or angles from emerging, as the priority is sticking to the outline. This can easily result in a great product, but it can also result in a product that could have had more depth or character or complexity. It could have been far more intriguing.

There's an uncertainty and often an anxiety of flying without a net when you toss your outline completely or at least veer from it. But that's usually when things are beginning to get really interesting.

I won't say that disregarding your outline is something everyone can do and then create a different, better project in the end. But I do think it's something everyone should try, because the more you do it, the better you get at coping with the feelings of insecurity (and often terror) that accompany letting your story tell itself and not imposing yourself on it so much by directing its every twist and turn.

Please note that letting your story emerge always takes longer than deciding what your story is in advance (in my experience). And if you're hiring people to help you, it costs more if you're putting the decision making into the hands of editors (as then their job is technically development, as well). But it usually results in a richer end product, and that makes the uncertainty, the headaches and the extra expense worthwhile.

On Spacing After Closing Punctuation

I'm working on a manuscript for a person who has absolutely no reason to keep current on changes in style that have occurred since the advent of the computer. One of those changes is that there are no longer two spaces required after closing punctuation. In the days of the typewriter, the two spaces were actually necessary to improve readability. But with computer fonts, the space alloted for a, um space, is equivalent in width to that of an "m" (the widest letter), thereby making an extra space unnecessary.

Now, I recognize that the habit of putting two spaces after a period or question mark is a difficult one to break. Fortunately, one of the wonderful things about Microsoft Word (and probably other software), is that you can program it for one space after closing punctuation. Here's how (using Word 2008):

• Open a document, go to Tools and drop down to Spelling and Grammar. If there are no errors in the document, create one by, say, inserting "mmmm" anywhere. Now check Spelling and Grammar again.
• Click Options in the box that pops up, and another will pop up.
• Review the Spelling and Grammar options and make sure you agree with what has been chosen/checked.
• Click Settings . . .
• A new box appears called Grammar Settings. Double check what is already chosen under Grammar and style options.
• Then go to the Holy Grail below where you just were, under Require. The third item will say: Spaces required between sentences. Choose 1, click OK, and then click OK on the previous window, which will still be active.
• Fix the typo ("mmmm") and you're on your way!

Today's free advice is: Spend some time exploring the settings and the options available with Word. You might find shortcuts you didn't know existed as well as other helpful functions you've been doing by hand or avoiding because you didn't know they were possible.

Creating Your Own Book Intensive

The Book Intensive is my best-selling, yet most-expensive service. It's $3,000-$5,000 per day, and here's what happens:

• We start at about 9 am and end after dinner.
• We go for a walk in there somewhere or maybe do some yoga and/or meditate.
• And in between, I sit across from you and help you learn how to write your book (or article or chapter), sentence by sentence.

Now, if you don't want to do that, I can just either write your book for you or edit what you've written. But if you want to be the one to write your book, or you want to improve your writing, there's no substitute for having someone coach you in real time.

I'm in South Florida and I don't travel nearly as much as I used to. I used to have a huge carbon footprint, mostly from traveling, and I decided that was unacceptable. So there are fewer Book Intensives in my life these days. Maybe a total of 20 days over an entire year.

But who needs me?

You can create your own, do-it-yourself Book Intensive with a writing partner. If you each pick a project and swap days, you'll be providing one another with a service, cost free, that is likely to help you improve your writing.

And you don't even have to know all the rules and have perfect grammar because part of the process is looking up any questions that neither of you can answer. From usage to rules for reference notes to vocabulary (such as by enlisting the Visual Thesaurus), you learn together and become better at writing, editing and researching together. You challenge each other about your diction and syntax, and act as devil's advocate for each other.

Two heads really are better than one when you want to become a better writer.

Get Thee a Writing Partner

Nothing provides motivation to write (or revise) better than a looming deadline when your publisher has already paid you your advance.

However, for those of you whose deadlines are looming only in their minds, the resulting motivation may be, shall we say, less urgently experienced.

Accountability is of course a blessing and a curse, but when you want to get something done, if you create a system for accountability you dramatically increase the probability that you'll get it done.

Why?

Because you'll be mortified if you don't.

A writing partner who is currently writing something is ideal, as you can set goals together and your processes might be similar. I recommend weekly goals for, say, 90 days. You should speak or e-mail once a week, and report what you have done to your partner and even give them something to read and comment on (it hurts, I know). This way, you have someone to talk to about your writing and your struggles, and that someone can even give you feedback if you want it (sometimes you won't. Instead, you'll simply want a congratulations for doing what you were supposed to do.).

Not everyone is surrounded by writers, however. Or maybe the writers you know aren't people you'd feel comfortable going on a 90-day journey with. If that's the case, who in your life--whom you trust and wouldn't mind speaking with once a week--is either working on a project or hasn't started a project they've always dreamed of (i.e., their "someday" never arrived). Ask that person if he wants to get down to business and explain how you can help each other with your goals by being accountable to each other.

Create a spreadsheet with deadlines, actions to take, goals to be reached, and even your feelings during the process, for the entire 90 days (or maybe just 30 days--whatever time period works best for both of you). Make two copies: one for you and one for your partner. Once a week, talk about what you've done and how you felt. A regular set of topics will likely emerge in your conversations, which will end up being like therapy: who is supportive of your work, who resents the time you spend on it, where you get your best work done, when you get your best work done, how you feel about being accountable.

You might revise your schedule based on how things go during the first week or two. Many people find they were unrealistic when they created the schedule, not factoring in all of the vicissitudes of daily life that keep them from their plans.

Finally, remember to give yourself something wonderful upon reaching your goal. Do something fun with your partner--celebrate your accomplishments!

And then set some new goals and begin again . . .

On Bill Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors

I just finished Bill Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors, which, like his other books, is entertaining and helpful.

Reading it like a regular book (as opposed to a dictionary) isn't what I'd recommend, as if you spent hours at a time with it you could easily retain very little. What you'd come away with is: If I ever have a question about usage or spelling, I should consult Bill's book first.

With each letter (it is a dictionary, remember), you'll learn things you didn't know, clarify things you were fuzzy on, and realize some things you would've bet your net worth on are incorrect. There are also words, names and places you never heard of, and when you're finished reading at least you can say you've been introduced to them.

Here are some of my favorites:

• admit to is nearly always wrong. You admit a misdeed; you do not admit to it (5).
• aggravate. Strictly, means to make a bad situation worse. If you walk on a broken leg, you may aggravate the injury. People can never be aggravates, only circumstances (7).
• bereft. To be bereft of something is not to lack it but to be dispossessed of it, to lose it. A spinster is not bereft of a husband, but a widow is. (The word is the past participle of bereave.) (37)
• center around. Center indicates a point, and a point cannot encircle anything. Make it "center on" or "revolve around" (64).
• different. Often used unnecessarily, as in "It is found in more than 250 different types of plants." In such constructions it can nearly always be deleted without loss (96).
• effete does not mean effeminate and weak, as it is often used. It means exhausted and barren. An effete poet is not necessarily foppish, but rather someone whose creative impulses are spent (108).
• gamy. Not -ey (135).
• high jinks ( two words) is the usual spelling, though some dictionaries also accept hijinks. The derivation is unknown, but it is not related (or to be confused with) jinx as in bad luck. The word can be used as either singular or plural (159).
• if and when. Almost always unnecessary. Choose one or the other (170).
• jamb. Not jam. A doorpost or similar (183).
• lacy. Not -ey (197).
• major, as in a "major initiative," "major embarrassment," "major undertaking," and so on, remains a severely overworked words, and this brings a kind of tofu quality to much writing, giving it bulk but little additional flavor. Nearly always it is worth the effort of trying to think of a more precise or expressive term (214).
• nauseous is an adjective describing something that causes nausea ("a nauseous substance"). To feel sick is to be nauseated (237).
• originally is often needlessly inserted into sentences where it conveys no additional information, as here: "The plans were originally drawn up as long ago as 1972" (Observer) (250).
• replete is not merely full but overfull, stuffed (291).
• schadenfreude. (Ger.) Deriving pleasure from the misfortunes of others; pronounced shah-den-froy-duh (302).
• thinking to oneself, as in "I thought to myself: 'We're lost,'" is always tautological; there is no one else to whom one can think. Delete "to myself." Similarly vacuous is "in my mind" in constructions like "I could picture in my mind where the offices had been" (331).
• vocal cords. Not chords. Vocal cords are so called because of their shape and structure, not because of their tonal qualities (354).

I don't know about you, but I'm fairly good at eliminating excess verbiage when writing (because I usually edit), but when I read Bryson's book, I realize that my speech is a disaster!

What is "Voice?"

I've written a book about my experiences with animals who have died shortly after they've met my acquaintance. After over 100 animal deaths, and about the same number of animals who didn't die after meeting me, I came to certain conclusions about the place of animals in our lives. These conclusions are far from what mainstream Americans believe, and I understand that my book is a tough sell and needs someone with a unique set of traits to champion it.

One of those traits, unfortunately, is an appreciation of the macabre and a sense of humor and irony. And those come through in the "voice" of the book, which two agents have told me they found, shall we say, not to their liking.

Now, I can easily write something in a different voice, but I am a bit dark and twisted by nature. Furthermore, what the world doesn't need is another sweet book about a person whose relationship with a dog or cat makes them realize that there just might be something more to nonhumans than instincts and reflexes.

Voice is very subjective, and though there are many criticisms that you shouldn't take seriously, voice isn't one of them. Your voice is the personality--the person--behind the writing. And when someone doesn't like the voice of your writing they're sort of saying they don't like you--the way you present yourself in your work.

If you're a journalist, voice should be something no one notices, as you're reporting and your personality shouldn't be noticeable. But if you provide commentary--think Andy Rooney--people will react to what you say, but they might react more to how you say it. Your diction, syntax, tone, inflection and pauses tell your listener a lot about you and how you see the world. And the same is true of your writing.

If an agent or publisher doesn't like the voice of your work, it shouldn't be entirely surprising as you should choose agents and publishers wisely, based on whether they have appreciated writing or topics similar to yours in the past. If your work has a distinctive voice that you know isn't for everyone, here's my advice: Your topic is secondary to voice when you're searching for agents and publishers (unless you change the voice, which I can do with a rewrite of about a month, and it will be far more acceptable for most people, but that's not the book I want to write). For instance, though it's important to find someone who wants to read about animals, it's more important to find someone who appreciates quirky or dark voices.

What's the most distinguishing quality of your book? Is it the topic, the genre, the voice? Whatever it is, find someone who appreciates that quality, and assuming your writing is great, the rest should fall into place eventually.

What Are You Waiting For? Write!

I've received several e-mails (you can reach me at mary@marymartin.net) from people who know, deep down, that they are writers, but who haven't tried to write anything (for publication or otherwise), and haven't tried to get a job that involves writing.

I have nothing to say other than: What are you waiting for? Do you need permission? And if so, from whom? Is some person in your life supposed to acknowledge your writer-ness, after which time you'll find it acceptable to write? Do you feel like if your job involves writing that doesn't make you a real writer (I suffered from that one for years)? Is it that the sheer quantity of writers in the world is so intimidating that you can't possibly imagine anything good coming of you beginning to write (when there are already millions of writers)?

First, let me say that you're not writing for anyone else, unless your job is to write. And if you are actually getting paid to write, you should consider yourself lucky because for every job you do and get paid for, there are writers who would agree to do the same job without pay, just for the experience.

If you are writing for yourself, you aren't in competition with anyone else. It doesn't matter how many romance novelists there are. If what's screaming to get out of you is a romance novel, What are you waiting for? Write!

An exercise I'm fond of doing with my clients is The Excuse List. List all of the reasons you haven't begun (or finished) writing whatever it is you want to write. Then, play devil's advocate with yourself and address each of your excuses. I promise you, it will be very easy to debunk all of the myths you've created for yourself that allow you to not pursue what you say you want to pursue.

Confront all of your excuses and, next to each one, write the objection to your excuse that makes it look ludicrous (that's how it usually happens). No one else is watching. Be honest with yourself and put all of your excuses to rest, once and for all (or at least for today). Finally, ask yourself: Am I able to devote 20 minutes to writing today? No? How about 10? Whatever number you come up with, write for that period of time, today. Then tomorrow write for that period of time, as well. If you can't, ask yourself why not? Repeating The Excuse List exercise will take at least a couple of minutes. Wouldn't you rather use that time to write?

What Are You Waiting For? Write!

On the Importance of Publisher's Weekly

Publisher's Weekly (PW) has many benefits and one significant drawback--the cost. A one-year subscription to the magazine in print is $239.99, and a one-year subscription to the virtual edition is $180.00. If your business is writing, you'll get special offers that will save you some money, but no matter how you look at it, this is not an inexpensive venture.

There is a lot of great material online for no cost, however I recommend the purchasing the virtual edition (who needs to recycle another magazine, plus you save nearly $60!) because PW has so many useful features that you'll be shocked you ever lived without it.

What's so great about it, and is there anyone who won't benefit from it?

I'll deal with the second part first. There are probably people for whom it is less necessary, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that they wouldn't benefit. People who are going to write what they're going to write and don't care about what's actually going on in the industry will find it less helpful. However, even if no one can persuade you to alter your focus, give up on your idea, or make it fiction rather than memoir, you can still benefit from PW, and here's why (i.e., here's the answer to the first part) . . .

If you're a writer, publishing is your industry and it behooves you to keep abreast of its ever-changing landscape. PW tells you who is coming and going, as well as what companies are merging or going out of business. It tells you what books are coming out and who the agents are (and that could be your cue to write an agent if your book is similar to one listed). It devotes entire issues to mysteries, romance, health, and many other topics and genres. It reviews books (that's where the coveted "starred review" can be seen) and has author interviews.

Because there's so much useful information online, here's what I suggest before purchasing any kind of subscription: Spend some time on the site, and also purchase a copy of the magazine. Determine which sections are helpful to you and which aren't and whether you can get everything you need online. If you're in the business of writing, you always need to weigh how much something will cost against its advantages and disadvantages. This particular purchase, similar to a subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary, is one that requires deliberation.

On Creative Ways to Find Funding

When you're looking for potential funders, one way is to search for organizations or agencies with a mission that is similar to yours and visit their websites. Usually, their biggest funders will be listed somewhere on the site, and might even have logos of the funders that you can click on and go directly to (it's unlikely, but possible). When you visit the sites of the funders, you want to go to the page that lists what their giving parameters are and make sure your project is a good fit. Sometimes, there's a personal relationship or some other non-traditional factor that allowed the funder to go outside its parameters to fund an initiative. In other words, just because a funder gave to an organization similar to yours, doesn't mean the mission of your organization is technically within the guidelines, and you'd be wasting your time applying.

If following the leads of individual foundations doesn't pan out, be sure to check out any corporate affiliations. Though you might not have the exact same corporation in your area, if another organization forged a successful relationship with, say, a construction company, perhaps you should explore how a local construction company might be a good fit for you.

Similarly, if a community foundation or United Way funds an organization similar to yours, perhaps you should explore your own community foundation and United Way.

Google (and other search engines) as well as Charity Navigator can help you locate organizations that have a mission similar to yours.

Some of My Favorite Writing Books

Whether writing is a hobby, a passion or a career for you, it would behoove you to read about writing. I was recently asked to list some of my favorite books about writing, grammar, punctuation and style. Without further ado . . .

• Lapsing Into a Comma and The Elephants of Style by Bill Walsh (who has a great blog at TheSlot.com.
• The First Five Pages and A Dash of Style by Noah Lukeman.
• Woe is I by Patricia T. Conner (who has some great grammar myths here).
• On Writing Well by William Zinsser.
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss.

The dominant theme in most of these book is that they're funny, and I like to laugh. There's a decent amount of overlap in the material, but considering repetition is the mother of mastery, the overlap can't hurt and is likely to help.