Hit the right chord

     I came out of the journalism era in which we were taught to answer the five basic questions: Who, what, where, when and why. It wasn't long before I realized you could accomplish all of that and yet the reader could still say, "so what?" as in "who cares?" So, "so what?" is the question you never want your reader to ask. Put another way, it is the question you are obligated to answer in your writing so that it will never be asked.
     The great screenwriter, Nora Ephron ("When Harry Met Sally"), who died last week, put it this way: "You better make them care about what you think. It had better be quirky or perverse or thoughtful enough so that you hit some chord in them. Otherwise, it doesn't work. I mean, we've all read pieces where we thought, "Oh, who gives a damn?"

Finding the needle

     I hate to use a cliche in this space, so I'll just say that sometimes, research becomes like trying to find a needle in, well, you know what. I want to share a recent experience with you.
     I am writing a biography of an old ballplayer. The Baseball Hall of Fame provided me (for a price) with the player's clip file - every clipping they collected on him for 40 years. My job was to go through the clippings to find information that would be useful for my book. As a matter of professional ethics, if I use information from a clipping that isn't general information, I cite the source.
     I came across a clipping with fascinating information I wanted to use in my book. It was from a 1941 newspaper but the only indication of the name of the newspaper was at the top, by the page number, where it said "Citizen Observer." I had no idea what city that was in. There was an advertisement on the page for a car repair shop. I figured the shop was probably long gone but I decided to "Google" the address of the shop. Google provided me with the name of a different business but the address was in Utica, New York. Using Google again, I searched for the name of the newspaper in Utica, New York. Presto - The Utica Citizen Observer.
     I had my answer to where my newspaper clipping came from.
     Researchers enjoy small victories - and love to share them with captive audiences like you.   

The most important thing

     William Faulkner said there is something more important than talent to be an effective writer. He said, "The most important thing is insight, that is, to be curious, to wonder, to mull and to muse why it is that man does what he does. And if you have that, then I don't think talent makes much difference, whether you've got it or not."
     (Editor's note: Don't kid yourself. Talent helps.)

Oldies but goodies

We've been bringing you The Writing Life for a year now. Let's look back at some of the thoughts we've expressed, many of which need no further explanation.
1. A story is where people come to dream - and you are in charge of that dream.
2. Get beyond the tick-tock.
3. Make 'em glad, make 'em mad, make 'em sad.
4. Make 'em laugh, make 'em cry, make 'em wait.
5. Make new things familiar and familiar things new.
6. When in doubt, leave it out.
7. Never use a large word when a diminutive one will do.
8. Make every word tell.
9. Intend every word you write.
10. No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.
11. You must not come lightly to the blank page.
12. Experience the world through all of your senses.
13. Take the facts and give them vitality.
14. The power of the offering is the measure of its excellence.

Oh, those adjectives

     Adjectives cause more problems than they solve. Many beginning writers load their sentences with adjectives as if to prove they know how to write. Often, they prove just the opposite. Look at the following sentence. "The tall, slender man with reddish hair, a big nose, sideburns that were not even and a two-day growth of beard, sat on a green park bench that was splintery and needed painting and laid his small knapsack down next to him." Now lets get rid of the adjectives. "The man sat on a park bench and laid his knapsack down next to him." It's a simple sentence that sets the stage for the next sentence. And isn't that an important purpose of any sentence? I want to know where the man came from, where he is going and what's in the knapsack. The color of his hair is not important; worse, it is irrelevant. The late Martin Yoseloff, an author friend and mentor, used to complain about sentences that had "too much furniture." It was hard for the reader to walk through them.
I leave you with this sentence to ponder. "With long, flowing brown hair, twinkling blue eyes, a nose of perfect proportion, pouting lips and an hour-glass figure, Angela had looks that were beyond description."     

The lasting effect

"What lasts in the reader's mind is not the phrase but the effect the phrase created: laughter, tears, pain, joy. If the phrase is not affecting the reader, what's it doing there? Make it do its job or cut it out without mercy or remorse." -- Isaac Asimov

Back to basics

It's time to cover some basics of good writing habits that occur before you ever put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. It has to do with being comfortable and uninterrupted so you can focus. FIND A TIME OF DAY that works best for you. I'm an early morning person. I am much more alert and attentive at 5 in the morning than I am at 11 at night. Maybe noon works best for you. Whatever tine you choose, it is best to pick one when you are not likely to be disturbed by telephones or noisy kids or other distractions. FIND A PLACE that works for you. Make it a place where you're not only comfortable but where you're close to resources you might need, like books, magazines, a dictionary. IF YOU WORK BETTER with background music, make sure it is continuous so you don't have to stop and change it frequently and adjust the volume to your liking before you begin. IF YOU WANT FOOD OR BEVERAGE, get them before you sit down to work. And no Cheetos! If you have to ask why, you've never had Cheetos! PUT YOURSELF ON A SCHEDULE. Write for two hours a day. Or one hour. Or a half-hour. Whatever works. But remember, writing is a discipline and discipline takes structure and commitment.