From Out of the Ordinary to Extraordinary

From Jules Verne to Gene Roddenberry, from J.R.R. Tolkien to J.K. Rowling, readers have been enticed, engaged, and enthralled by science fiction and fantasy. The imaginary worlds, incredible beings, and exotic plots that fill these popular genres transport the reader from his everyday experience to a place where he can consider familiar ideas anew. Ironically, yesterday’s fiction has on occasion become today’s reality. And to its credit, some recent fantasy has made readers out of youngsters who previously had not opened the cover of any book they were not forced to read. Why? Harry Potter, et al., were definitely out of the ordinary.

What if you aren't a fantasy or science fiction writer, and you choose to set your story in the real world? Does this mean you are out of the game when it comes to "out of the ordinary"? Absolutely not!

For this discussion, I'd like to focus on self-published and independently published books. Reason: Among the hundreds of thousands of such books that are published annually, great books are the exception rather than the rule. When a great one does come along, it is indeed out of the ordinary. Why aren't more of our books as good? Review Kathryn Craft’s recent post entitled “That Book Was Edited?” You may be amazed at the reason(s).

We writers know that editing improves our manuscripts. We self-edit, self-edit, self-edit. We join critique groups where we interact with strong writers and powerful critiquers. And we may hope this is enough, because editors are expensive. True, and to be sure, self-edits and critique groups can contribute significantly to the quality of our work. But they do not replace a professional editor.

First, no writer can stand back and objectively judge his/her work. Not one of us has that ability because we are too close to our story. We know all the details that never made it onto the page. We know every little intricacy of each scene, all the background information that supports our position, the real purpose of our book. And while our critiquers may recognize the holes in our work, they may not know how to fix them.

Second, rarely should a critiquer venture into the world of grammar and punctuation, unless it is so blatantly bad that it would make a fourth grader cringe. That’s not the purpose of critiquing. It is, however, the job of a competent copy editor.

Third, we have an unwritten obligation to our fellow writers who choose independent or self-publishing. Writing is primarily a solitary profession. That doesn’t make it a selfish one. When we publish a book that has not been edited by a competent professional, we contribute to the shoddy reputation that hangs like a black cloud over self-publishing, and we reinforce the stigma that still accompanies the name “vanity press.”

The ranks of the self-published, unimpressive a few years ago, have burgeoned into a huge crowd. And with numbers comes power. We have the power to change the reputation of self-publishing. We have the power to become writers of note. We have the power to make our work out of the ordinary—then to take it from out of the ordinary to extraordinary.

How do you make your story out of the ordinary even if it isn't fantasy or science fiction?

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Linda Lane, editor of 4 award-winning books, works with writers and editors to bring credibility to independent and self-publishing. Her online workshops will be available mid-fall to offer serious writers and editors the opportunity to hone their skills and bring their work up to a standard that establishes independent and self-publishing as an honorable and professional industry.