Mishaps And Misdemeanors

This month we’re posting about our pet peeves here at the Blood-Red Pencil. Previously I’ve shared some of the craft issues I see repeatedly in some published books that bother me as a reader, and I like to think of them as a mishap. Those same craft issues also bother me as an editor, especially if I'm working with a new client who decides that just because they see it in already published books that must mean it’s okay.

It's not okay. We owe it to readers to give them our best, and our best doesn't include weak or ordinary writing. In a second or third draft of a story we can take an ordinary turn of phrase and make it extraordinary.

Here are just a few little things that could be changed to improve a narrative. They're ones that jar me every time I read them in a novel and prompt me to consciously pay attention to avoid them while writing:

Shrugging shoulders. Very few of us ever shrug anything other than a shoulder, so why not just write "shrugged." Or if there is a need to write more than that, you could say shrugged dramatically, or use a different adverb that gives the reader a more specific image.

Nodding heads. We don’t often nod a knee. And while on the topic of heads and what they do, when wanting a character to show an affirmative or negative response to a question, they can simply nod or shake their head. No need to attach the “yes” or “no” - just in case a reader isn’t astute enough to know what the gesture means. Most readers are quite astute.

Thinking to oneself. Um, if we're thinking, it is to ourselves. Nobody else is privy to those thoughts until we speak them aloud. By the way, the proper way to write a thought in a story is to italicize it and put the verbs in present tense. Example: Oh my God. Is this for real? And don't make the mistake of adding, she thought.

All of those mishaps are little things for sure, but still worth changing to show readers that we are getting better and better at this craft of writing.

In addition to those mistakes that bother me, a lack of professional behavior among some young, new writers has become a pet peeve. Not criminal behavior for sure, but certainly cringe-worthy. In the past couple of years, some writers have been sharing on social media, especially Twitter, specifics about how much money they make and how many books were sold. Sometimes they post that daily.

I have no idea what purpose that kind of sharing serves; other than getting their name out on Twitter even more. Or perhaps the intent is to suggest that since five people bought the book that day, maybe whoever reads the tweet should hop over to Amazon and click that "buy" button.

Perhaps that strategy works. I don't know because I don't visit Amazon to get the book and check out that author's sales ranking while I'm there.

Another thing that's being posted on Twitter with growing frequency is an author lamenting that they've had no book sales that day, or that week, and the Tweet ends with a plea such as, "Can you help a poor author out?"

Maybe I'm old, well, actually there's no maybe about that, but I am trying really hard not to become a curmudgeon in my golden years. So I sigh a lot and refrain from throwing things at my monitor.

Sometimes I tell myself, "Maryann, just get over it. This is a new age. A new era of publishing and the old constraints have been thrown off." But then a new Tweet pops up and I'm ready to start tossing things.

Not that eager young authors have always acted with courtesy and restraint when out in public. Once, when I was giving a talk at a writers' conference on filmmaking and screenwriting, a writer came up to me after the talk to ask if I'd consider her script for my fledgling production company. I explained that we, my partner and I, were not at the point of taking on an outside project as we were neck-deep in getting ours off the ground.

We parted, and I headed toward the ladies room and someone came into the stall next to mine. Then a large brown envelope came sliding under the divider. "Just in case you change your mind," the woman said. I nudged the script back without a word.

That type of eagerness is understandable, and we've all had moments, I'm sure, when the enthusiasm for our work threatened to spill out of us, tempting us to commit a professional faux pas. I did that once early in my career and learned a lesson that has served me well ever since.

We can effectively use social media to announce new releases, good news about an award or a positive review, but that is different from some of the Tweets out there. We have to remember that stepping into social media is akin to going to a party or gathering of friends at a restaurant or club. One does not arrive with an armful of books to sell. Likewise, we shouldn't hop over to social media just to sell. It's a place to build relationships and if sales come from that, great, but don't make it the prime focus. More about that in a post from last May.

Another area where professionalism has been tossed out the window has to do with reviews and how contentious some of the reactions to reviews has become. Eons ago, when I wrote reviews for print newspapers, there was a barrier between the author and me as the reviewer. That barrier was the book editor, and, for the most part, authors did not challenge, or go on a rant about a negative review. They were just happy to have a mention of their book going to thousands of potential readers.

Authors who did choose to make a negative response didn't make it to me the reviewer. The letter was sent to the newspaper where it landed on the book editor's desk, and he or she just trashed it, or read it and then trashed it. I was seldom privy to any of that and, quite frankly, didn't want to be.

Now, huge debates and arguments can erupt on social media between authors and readers who have left a negative review of a book. That kind of behavior diminishes everyone in the writing business.

If you care to share your thoughts on the topics here, please do in the comments.

Maryann Miller is a novelist, editor, and sometimes an actress. She has written a number of mysteries, including the critically-acclaimed Seasons Mystery Series that debuted with Open Season. Information about her books and her editing rates is available on her website. When not writing, Maryann likes to take her dog for a walk, work jigsaw puzzles, color, and quilt.