Stop Word Abuse Now!

From the Sunday New York Times Editorial Section the following ("A Return To American Justice"): "Experience shows that federal courts are capable of handling high-profile terrorism trials without comprising legitimate secrets..."

It's obvious the word is intended to be "compromising". Typo? Editorial oversight? Or a clear case of WORD ABUSE!

Peak. Peek. Pique. Anyone. Any one. Everyone. Every one. A lot. Alot. All right. Alright. Rein. Rain. Reign. Threw. Through. Weather. Whether. Except. Accept. Led. Lead. Peace. Piece. Council. Counsel. Dual. Duel. Principle. Principal. Capital. Capitol. Cite. Site. Sight. Raise. Raze.

The list goes on and on. I must ask: What's up with the prevalence of writing errors concerning word use? It is not just about spelling, really (all right, it is in some cases like "a lot" and "all right" - that's more of a usage problem, too). It's about not knowing the difference between one word and another, when they mean utterly different things. I have to say that I'm flummoxed as to why a writer wouldn't be absolutely zealous about mastering vocabulary which is, essentially, their lone tool for storytelling and communication. I'm not even talking about the really weird words, the utterly unseen (scene/seen) examples that crop up only in academic texts or the classics (adds or adze - the latter being an ax-like tool, or all or awl - a pointed scriber); though airy and aerie do come up, now that I mention it!

I have certainly found myself typing the wrong word when in the throes of a creative fervor because my fingers type faster than my eyes read. And since spell check won't catch them and grammar check is a pain in my tush, if I'm not careful that "throes" might come out "throws". Imagine, if you will, an editor perusing your steamy love scene which reads: "while in the throws of orgasm she moaned" - What? You're not going for laughs there? (you're/your; its/it's - these being a couple of the grammatical faux pas that far too frequently rear their ugly heads).

Correct: "If everyone in the hot dog eating contest ate every one of their hot dogs, how do they know who won?"

Not so much: "If everyone in the hot dog eating contest ate everyone of their hot dogs, how do they know whom was the winner?"

Homonyms - words that sound alike, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. (Or almost sound alike in some cases.) Advice. Advise. Censure. Censor. Chose. Choose. Assure. Ensure. Insure. Clothes. Cloths. Emminent. Imminent. Alter. Altar. Band. Banned. Who's. Whose. Heel. Heal. And one of my favorites: Want and wont. (That crops up a lot in historical romances.)

I'm coming across these errors more and more as I read unpublished authors' work on blogs, posted excerpts (not excepts, as I've seen...), critique groups and in contests (and on some sad occasions, published work - what's up with those copy editors? In a published novel in the first paragraph I came across this: "She waved her hand imperviously at the waiter." I called the publisher - St. Martin's for full-disclosure - and reported the typo. My complaint was met with a fairly vague, "Oh" from the editorial assistant to whom I spoke). I wonder if these authors are making just typing errors (obviously understandable) that they subsequently don't catch (less understandable) - and which their CPs don't catch either - or if there is actually a growing population of people whose vocabulary skills are simply that piss poor? Is it because they don't read enough? I find that hard to believe, frankly, because the authors of romance that I know read voraciously. Don't focus? Perhaps it is simple carelessness. I hate to think it is a purely blatant lack of concern with the quality of work product.

Regardless, I mark up entries in contests, and I critique people's excerpts and constantly point out these errors. And if I, as a completely disinterested party, catch them, you can be sure editors and agents are catching them (with the possible exception of the above-referenced editorial assistant). And I would hazard a guess that there's nothing more apt to turn off an editor or agent than a submission filled with:

"I want everyone of you to line up for inspection."

or "As is my want, I tumbled the chit without a second thought."

or, "Hand me the reigns, Jeeves and I'll run the fox to ground."

"Are you alright?" (OK, this word, and alot are used so frequently - albeit incorrectly - that they are becoming accepted spellings and usages. I'm not happy about this. I don't see the value with rewarding sloppiness, vocabularily speaking, by allowing the words to become acceptable just to save everyone the trouble of figuring out the correct choice of spelling or usage. Let's raise the standards, not allow them to sink to the lowest common denominator, OK? (Or is that: Okay?)

I'm not going to go into the various other issues: Who, whom, therefore, therefor, flammable, inflammable, and heaven save me from a comma debate.

But tangentially, there is also that category unto itself - malapropisms.

The legacy of Richard Sheridan's Mrs. Malaprop, these are the wacky misrenderings of classic sayings that can stop a reader in her tracks when you spot the incongruous beast in the midst of a romance. "It's a doggy doggy world" was a favorite my Mother always remembered, quoted from a young neighbor many, many years ago. Dan Quayle, noted malaprop: "Republicans understand the importance of bondage between mother and child." And that other famous gent, Archie Bunker: "Thou shalt not bear falsies against thy neighbor." From The Sopranos: "There's no stigmata connected with going to a shrink." And while his words were not legitimate malaprops, there's the Master of Mangle himself, Yogi Berra - "It's deja vous all over again!" and "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded."

I've heard numerous malapropisms over the years. "He's really up a creek with a paddle." (which reminds me - creak and creek). "I don't know what I'd do if I were under your shoes!", "Boy, he's a real mover and a shaker-he doesn't let any hair grow under his feet." But I must bestow the ignominious first prize to: "Battle down the hatchets!"

A writer's world is a world of words. They will make you able to speak sublimely to your readers, or, if you aren't careful, instead have those poor souls stumbling awkwardly through your prose. I beg of you - check before you print! Consult a dictionary or thesaurus before you commit those precious and INCORRECT words to paper. Even go so far as to read the dictionary and study those words like the vital tool they are. Give yourself the absolute best chance to shine. Don't expect editors will find and fix your mistakes. Aim for perfection before you send them out to that editor or agent, who'll take one look and roll their eyes (notice I did not say 'role') and toss your submission into the "reject" pile.

Because the shock might just make you prostate ... WHOOPS, I meant, PROSTRATE with grief.

When The Play Can Be The Thing...

I had a fairly standard education. Elementary School, High School, College. I took a few classes at The New School for Social Reasearch as a non-matriculated student. Mostly, though, I've learned what I've learned as an adult through all the different jobs I've had, the experiences I've gone through, and in large part via my creative endeavors.

As an actress and singer, I read voraciously in the connected fields. Biographies of writers, composers, singers and actors. I read hundreds of plays, from the Greeks to Shakespeare to Sam Shepard and Wendy Wasserstein. I read theatre history and theare production books as well as acting instruction manuals, and voice technique books.

Now as a writer, I am reading everything from craft titles on individual aspects of creative writing, to motivational guidebooks, prompt books, marketing and sales and submission how-tos and of course, dozens of romances, mysteries, thrillers, paranormals, and the oodles of research books and material that I use for creating compelling and complex stories.

So it comes as no surprise that I have a wealth of extremely variant information at my disposal. As I like to say, I'd be great on Jeopardy but otherwise my knowledge and $2.00 will get me on the subway. I am always tickled, however, when I discover one area of knowledge able to invest another area of endeavor with a little something extra.

I have found to my delight that my work as an actress has been extremely useful, dare I say vital, in my work as a writer. For one thing I focus on creating dialogue and characters via the methods I learned in the theatre. Since dramatic literature - plays - have no exposition or narrative, nothing but dialogue or spoken words (be they monologues or what have you), it is a great method for studying the creation of dialogue that is important, and that moves the plot and conveys details about the story and the characters, with minimal narration or excessive expository description that can slow a story down or bog it down in unnecessary stuff.

I also build my written characters just as I built the characters I was performing. By creating histories for them, knowing their past, even when the details had nothing to do with the play. Because by giving my characters as much personal detail, as many characteristics, and motivations as I can, I find their responses far easier to come by. I know how they think and react and how their present lives are infused by their pasts. Studying various personality traits, characteristics, tics, phobias, and how past events have shaped them - how their childhoods form their adult actions and reactions. Why they are motivated to do something, or fearful of doing something else. Why they have a particular personality - withdrawn, solitary, independent or outgoing, loyal and gregarious. How they'll react to the hero or heroine - or the villain - of a piece, all of which makes writing the story greatly easier. I never have to stop and ponder, "what would they do..." because I've created their personalities and I KNOW what they will do. Be it in a disaster or in the bedroom.

It is rather a bit like a Dr. Frankenstein experience to create a living, breathing human being - at least on paper - but it can be thrilling and exhilarating when I come to a point in a story where I know exactly what, and why, my character is going to do. Which allows me to move the story forward and makes my characters' behavior immediate and real to the reader.

And of course, when I pass on helpful suggestions (and I do that a lot - I hope I'm not a pest, but I love to be able to make my past experiences and what I've learned as useful to as many as possible)it makes me feel the time spent on these past pursuits is that much more valuable.

So today, when I made a recommendation that my fellow writers study plays for the purpose of examining how to use dialogue to be efficient, to create distinct characters and to understand the way to move a plot and expose details without exposition and excessive narrative, it felt great. And it reminded me of my favorite plays (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire) and playwright (Tennesee Williams). Which brought me to remember an exquisite little 2-character play called TALK TO ME LIKE THE RAIN AND LET ME LISTEN, a bittersweet, poignant piece that exposes the man and woman's deepest yearnings. It brought me back and reminded me of the joys of that genre of literature and how well it works for me now, as a writer, to have experienced it.

And I am now reminded of one of the greatest character studies of all, one that was sent to me from England by a fellow actor friend. It is Anthony Sher's The Year of the King and covers his work on the character of Richard III - and how he morphed himself into the character for his acclaimed portrayal. It is an excrutiatingly in-depth look at how a character is built. And I've never forgotten it.

So, now I have a great idea for a tortured hero and all I need is the story to go with him! Hmm. Something about an unjustly accused royal with a penchant for another man's wife?

Eureka!

The Lusty Month of May!

There's a great song in the most romantic of classic musicals, CAMELOT, that extols the virtues of Spring as it impacts the romantic nature of men and women. "The Lusty Month of May" was great fun to sing when, as a Junior at Carle Place High School, I portrayed Guinevere in our Spring musical production.

I'll never forget how my overly romantic and melodramatic self became a walking, talking romantic fool. I was performing with a boy who had become my very first "ex" the Christmas immediately before. My Lancelot was a friend, with whom I "rehearsed" by practicing our kissing. But most romantic of all was the budding relationship that began during that show, with the fella who still reigns supreme in my heart as "the one that got away".

Umpteen years later, jaded with adulthood and cynical about the state of love in this cold, cruel REAL world, I find myself frequently reliving those youthful years because that is the sensation I strive for in writing my romance stories. The one that I think nearly every human has felt. That first heart-pounding, stammering, overwhelming experience of meeting someone's eyes across a room and feeling your entire soul swell with possibility.

I think that many (if not most) romance authors would agree - love in real life is NOT like it is in books - all those heart-warming acknowledgements to husbands and lovers notwithstanding. We're not the romantic heroes and heroines of our books - the larger than life people who always get a HEA, that happily ever after that everyone trodding the everyday path in this weary world would love to be guaranteeed.

But that is what makes a great romance so wonderful. Because it is something that takes us back, reminds us, of that swell of love, that indescribable sensation that is both physical and mental that utterly absorbs our every waking thought and emotion (and some sleeping ones, too). The giddy joy that is almost painful, the unbearable anticipation, the thrilling expectation, the sing-out-loud-at-the-top-of-your-lungs feeling that is unmatched by any other in the world.

Writing romance means that you have to be able to capture, and package, that emotion (and find the words to describe the indescribable) no matter what your life is like. Whether you are in a wonderful, nurturing relationship, or living a solitary existence with only your BFF - Fluffy the Cat. Despite work travails, personal responsibility, health problems, the onset of age and the day-to-day unpleasantness that no one is immune from, we must write great love stories where true love triumphs against all odds. Be they heroic adventures, supernatural couplings, or the madcap whirl of a contemporary category romance. They must have heroes that remind us of the love of our life. And heroines in whose shoes - and negliges - we can imagine ourselves. (Don't tell me readers don't imagine themselves to be the heroines of their favorite novels, just don't!).

Romance novelists, like any other author of fiction, face the usual problems of craft, writer's block, coming up with ideas, finding the time to write, business issues and fear of success.

But unlike other writers, we romance writers have our very own, singular problem. Bringing that sense of romance and love to all of our readers. Sweeping them into a world where love will conquer all. No matter what a reader's life is like, convincing them of the power of love. Whether they are a septugenarian in Saskatchewan or a twenty-something in Tulsa. A widow in Wasilla, a happily married Mom in Mackinaw or a spinster in San Francisco. That beating of the heart that pounds in your ears. That sigh of yearning and the secret smile. The touch, the tingle, the dreams and the desires. That is what our writing must generate. We want to leave our readers leaning back wearing that mysterious expression that says yes, they, too, have felt the pangs and the power of a love as great as any that has ever been.

And believe me. That AIN'T easy!

Got Romance?

No matter what I write, it's got at least a dollop of romance. Usually a lot more than a dollop. Whether it is a World War II historical espionage novel or an erotic urban vampire paranormal story, from a soupcon of sensual detail to banging-the-headboard hot sex, there's also, always, romance. Love, if you will. Obsession, lust, desire, call it what you will - but you'll find love in one of its many permutations in my writing.

So I've redesigned my blog site to reflect the basic fact that everyone I write is romantic. Even if it isn't romance. Not exactly hearts and flowers, but more in keeping with me!

There's always a woman looking for and finding love. Sometimes it is with the Prince after she's kissed the lot of frogs. Often it is a devastatingly gorgeous Alpha male who may need to be convinced just how right Ms. Right can be. On occasion, it might even be two (or more) devastatingly gorgeous Alpha males (don't you just love menage?) dancing attendance upon my Mademoiselle. But no matter the heat level, her heart is always engaged. Whether it is a kiss on the hand or a super-hot flogging, she loves the man who does her so good.

Of course I write outside the "romance genre" box - a happily-ever-after ending may be blatant, or it may only be hinted at. My heroines may have relationships before they meet the hero - or maybe they'll have one in between when the hero is out of her life. And she may not meet the dude of her destiny until further along in her story. But a heroine needs a hero (or two) so rest assured he'll be there. Even when it is a genre-bending story with elements of love.

But now it's time to get back to my creative drawing board and whip up a little love-fest! Get my heroine of the moment - an empath with intimacy issues - into the arms of her hero-to-be (a NYC Vampire with trouble on his hands).

So if you'll excuse me ..... Love Awaits!