Writing Process

Don’t Dangle

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Oct 26, 2022 in Editing, Grammar, Writing Tips | 0 comments

Will we ever know what became of all the mannequins?

An editor complimented me this week by saying I was the first author she had ever known to fix a dangling participle rather than introduce one. I’m proud.

A dangling participle sounds like some finicky grammar tidbit only a fusspot would worry about, but it’s actually quite simple. It’s all about getting a descriptive phrase (the participle) next to the noun it modifies. If it’s closer to a different noun, it “dangles”–i.e. it’s not securely attached to the right noun.

Like this:

The site of the infamous Mannequin Massacre, Algernon had always been fascinated by Lord Lingleberry’s Tower.

The participle (“the site of the infamous Mannequin Massacre”) appears to describe Algernon rather than Lord Lingleberry’s Tower. It dangles.

Algernon had always been fascinated by Lord Lingleberry’s Tower, the site of the infamous Mannequin Massacre.

Now the participle is securely next to the noun it describes. No more dangling.

Affect and Effect and Why We Hate Them

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Jan 7, 2022 in Grammar | 0 comments

I think this is everybody’s least favorite grammar conundrum–affect or effect?

Granted, it’s annoying…but for the moment there is still a distinction between the two and you’ll look like a super cool style maven if you can remember it.

Here’s the trick:

“Affect” with the A is always a verb (with one exception*) and it always means “change” or “alter.” If you can swap the word in question with “alter,” the one you are after is “affect.” LIKE THIS: “The magical spell affected Eloise in startling new ways, such as her taste for munching on raw mice.”

“Effect” with an E can be a noun, which “affect” cannot. If the word in question is a noun, you want “effect.” LIKE THIS: “The effect of the magical spell was quite noticeable at dinner parties.”

“Effect” with an E can also, alas, be a verb, meaning “to bring about or cause.” LIKE THIS: “Will the magical spell effect a rupture between Eloise and her beloved Antonio?” But please note that this verb cannot be replaced with the verb “alter.” It is therefore “effect” with the E.

So your first question, when confronted with the affect/effect conundrum, is: noun or verb? If it’s a noun, it’s easy: effect. If it’s a verb, can it be replaced with “alter“? If so, “affect.” If not, “effect” again.

* The exception: “affect” is used by psychologists as a noun to mean “appearance or demeanor.” This is something you can ignore unless you are a psychologist.

* Also an exception: “Affect” can also mean “choose to wear or do in a pretentious and silly manner.” LIKE THIS: “Antonio affected a dashing hat with a feather to draw Eloise’s attention.” This is rare and can generally be ignored. If you’re using “affect” like this you presumably know what you’re doing.

Writer’s Group

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Sep 17, 2021 in Writing Process, Writing Tips | 0 comments

Three writers, infinite support

Just back from a meeting with my writer’s group; I’m so happy for our vaccinated selves to be able to get together in person once again.

For a while there, I wasn’t a big fan of writer’s groups. I’d read something early on, I think it might have been from Fay Weldon, along the lines of “One day your editor will say yes or no and that’s the only opinion of your writing that you need.”

Officially, I was wrong. Although it did take me a few tries to find the right group, I’ve got to say that the benefits are huge. Among them:

• People to talk you out of your imposter syndrome.
• Accountability—you’ve got to write something for the meeting!
• People who adore your characters almost as much as you do.
• People who are not afraid to tell you straight up when your writing is getting boring or confusing.
• An excuse to buy a fancy coffee and a nice sandwich and a cookie.

My tips for a writer’s group that works:

• Find people who are about at the same level, professionally speaking. It can be discouraging if you’re still trying to sell your first book and somebody else is moaning about their agent or their reviews.
• Meet outside your house. Writers all spend too much time at home anyway, and nobody should be stressing about their writing AND about cleaning or setting out snacks.
• Pick a nice coffeeshop with big tables and not too much noise. (Our favorite coffeeshop did not survive the pandemic, alas, and we are still casting around for the best replacement.)
• Find nice people. The writing world is full of rejection, bad reviews, and a lot of indifference. If you can find a few people who’ll are genuinely pleased and excited to read what you write—don’t pass it up.

Rejections

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Jun 25, 2021 in Writing Process | 0 comments

Low-cost rejection therapy

A part of every writer’s life, for sure. And there’s a half-myth, half-truth that they get easier with time and experience.

Well, in some ways they do. One thing that working as both an editor and a writer has taught me is that one editor’s “no” is not a verdict on the quality of the manuscript. One editor’s “no” doesn’t preclude another editor’s “yes.” And some manuscripts just don’t hit the market at the right time, even though they are reasonably good in themselves. It’s a combination of skill and timing and luck each time, and if the luck isn’t there–well, it just isn’t.

But every now and then there comes a rejection that really stings–of a book I particularly love, at a moment when I particularly need an injection of hope. A writer’s career is built on hope, after all–you write a book (or at least work up a proposal), putting time and energy and skill and love into it, and then you hope it will spark the right kind of response from someone and they’ll want to pay you some money for it. (Truly a terrible business model.) Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

Then it’s time for long walks, hugging the pets, sweet tea, and patience. The sting wears off eventually, and it’s back to work on the next book, sending hope out into the universe, crossing your fingers that you’ll get some back.