Craft of Writing: Learning to Say Goodbye by Nannette Croce

About a year ago staff member Wil Hough blogged The Art of Editorial Infanticide, where he noted that "Any word unable to justify its existence is best killed off—not only in poetry, but in essay and short story editing as well." Learning to excise ineffectual words is a valuable skill all writers should work toward. Less important, perhaps, in terms of actually improving your craft, but as important in terms of saving precious time and fragile egos, is learning to say goodbye to those ineffectual completed works from our portfolio—those poems, essays, short stories, and, yes, even novels, that aren't being published because—well, maybe they just aren't as good as we think.

We all have those pieces. We've worked them and re-worked them. Submitted and re-submitted, but we've clung to the main theme and the same characters, and, for some reason, no one else seems to find the great value in them that we do. Still, we keep trying because something—the story itself, our purpose in writing it, or simply having lived with it for so long, has caused a deep connection that, like a love affair gone bad, we just can't quite give up on.

A classic example is Norman McClean. For decades, McClean, a journalist and writing teacher, struggled with an epic novel about George Armstrong Custer. It was not until late in life, after his retirement, that he finally gave up on that novel and followed the old standard of "write what you know." The result was a short story collection set in his native Montana including the poetically written title story "A River Runs Through It," eventually produced into a successful movie by Robert Redford, and followed by the very successful (but posthumously published) creative nonfiction Young Men and Fire.

My own epiphany came with, thankfully, a short story and not an entire novel, but in the time I'd spent revising and submitting it—about four years—I could have written a couple of novels. I was inspired—more accurately, driven—to write it by my first trip to the Southwest. It dealt with Pueblo potters, collectors, colonialism, spirituality, and servitude, all connected (or so I thought) by the theme of feral dogs.

In those four years I'd shortened it and lengthened it, added characters and taken some out, and perfected the dialogue. Then, at a recent workshop, I had the opportunity for a one-on-one critique of my work by the workshop leader, a successful author in the literary genre. In addition to our workshop pieces we could include one work in progress. Of course I included my pueblo piece, and the verdict, in far more words and put as kindly as possible, was the equivalent of "fuggetaboutit."

Devastated, I obsessed on it all the way back to my room, totally overlooking the mostly positive comments he'd had about my newer work. But by the time I arrived I'd remembered something. When I'd first written that story, I hadn't liked it either. I'd told the story I wanted to tell but from the POV of a character I really didn't know. The result, as I'd explained to another writing friend, lacked heart. My instructor said "depth," but really it was the same thing. Over the years I'd convinced myself I'd fixed the fatal flaw, while in reality I'd fixed everything else but.

That's not to say you should regularly dump your work based on a single bad opinion, but when that opinion comes from someone you respect and who generally likes your work, it's time to weigh it seriously—especially when that opinion reflects something you've pretty much known all along, but couldn't accept.

Back at my room I clicked on that file and dragged it to the trash. Maybe someday I will attempt to tell that story again, but it requires a different POV, many fewer characters and a more unified theme. Until then, I'm glad I learned to say goodbye.


Nannette Croce is Co-Managing Editor of The Rose & Thorn. Her short story The Box of Cereal recently appeared in the Winter '07 issue of The Rose & Thorn. Another of her short stories, "The Foundations of Churchill," will appear in the inaugural issue of Sotto Voce this fall.

Getting Published: Like Waiting for Godot by Nannette Croce

The way some new writers approach getting published reminds me of the Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot. They insist on submitting to only the top-tier journals and end up waiting and waiting and waiting and never seeing their work in print.

New writers are aware, or at least they should be, when submitting to the "prestige" journals, that competition is fierce. You'll be up against the John Updikes and Alice Walkers who have learned a thing or two in their lifetimes including how to write damn good prose and poetry. You'll also be up against new writers who've graduated from the Iowa Writer's Workshop or attended Breadloaf or had one of those well-known writers as an instructor. However, you might also assume that, outside of these obvious advantages, the playing field remains fairly level. That is, editors read submissions as they come in and choose the best work to publish. All things being equal, sure, Annie Proulx wins out over Sally Unknown, but if Sally Unkown's piece arrives first, and it's really, really good, she has a pretty good chance of making it in.

Recently I had the opportunity to learn about a certain top-tier journal's acceptance process—which I think it's fair to assume is pretty representative. Call me naive, but, frankly, I was a little surprised at how tilted the playing field actually is. The process comprises three levels of readers and a piece can be rejected or advanced anywhere along the line. However, if the submission has an extra something going for it, say the writer has published with that journal before, or has a few prestigious credits, or is recommended by a known writer, etc., etc., that submission skips the slush pile and goes directly to the second level of readers. That may not sound like such a big advantage, but consider that, while that huge slush pile (because the pile of unknowns is always bigger than the pile of knowns) is being slogged through, the slots for the next issue are filling up.

I'm often surprised to learn how many writers still feel these elusive top tier credits are the only ones that really count. They're willing to go years and years writing for no one, rather than lowering their sights. That's not saying new writers should submit to publications that accept anything—though if simply having your work read is the goal, there's nothing wrong with that. However, there are many, many publications between the level of we-print-anything-we-get and the top tier, and many of those are online.

I can attest for the fact that The Rose & Thorn is selective. On the other hand, unlike the journal I describe above, we read and accept work as it arrives, and while credits are nice to know, they hold very little value in the selection process. In fact I myself have rejected many pieces by writers with a string of excellent print credits because the piece just wasn't a good fit for us.

Publishing online has several added advantages over print. Unless you can beat even longer odds and have your piece chosen for one of the award anthologies such as Pushcart or O. Henry or Best American, your work is likely to be read once and forgotten. It may live on in back issues, but how many people buy those? Online publications usually archive work, sometimes for several years, where it can be read and commented on with just a click of the mouse. (One of my pieces was re-discovered three years after the original publication and was linked to a someone's blog.) Also, by their very nature, online publications reach a wider audience. The Rose & Thorn is read by English speakers all over the world.

If you still prefer print, there are a number of mid-level and regional publications where new or emerging writers face less competition as well. Bottom line is good writers can get published but not necessarily in the top tier. So, if that's what you hold out for, you may end up "waiting for Godot."


Nannette Croce is Co-Managing Editor of The Rose & Thorn. Her short story The Box of Cereal recently appeared in the Winter '07 issue of The Rose & Thorn. Another of her short stories, The Foundations of Churchill, will appear in the inaugural issue of Sotto Voce this fall.

Writer for Hire by Andrea Middendorf

WMFH. No, it’s not some new computer shorthand like LOL, LMAO, or TTFN; that’s a whole other discussion. WMFH stands for "works made for hire," and it is a phrase that every would-be writer should be intimately familiar with. As defined by section 101 of the U.S. copyright law, a work made for hire is “a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment,” or “a work specially ordered or commissioned for use as a contribution to a collective work.” A collective work can be anything from a compilation to a translation to answer material for a test.

Confused yet?

An easy and classic way to think of WMFH is to look at a newspaper editorial. An editorial writer prepares the piece within the scope of his/her employment; essentially, it is the writer’s job. The writer may have prepared the editorial, but does not own it. The employing newspaper or magazine owns all rights to the editorial. That means the newspaper can publish and republish the editorial, or even re-sell it to another paper or magazine, without permission from the writer.

This is why it is so important to read, and read thoroughly, any contract. Contracts are necessary evils in the writing business, but they can be mind-boggling with their difficult and archaic language. They are made that way--deliberately so--by publishers of all kinds. But we are writers, words are our milieu, our warm and fuzzy blanket, and we can carve our way through the labyrinthine depths and protect ourselves and our work.

"But no," you cry, "I’m just a writer. I must work on my craft! I can’t be bothered by all this legal mumbo jumbo."

If you want your work and your rights protected, you'd better be bothered by it. But never fear, there are many resources out there for the proverbial writer in the woods. The National Writers Union (NWU) is “the only labor union that represents freelance writers in all genres, formats, and media.” Their Web site, www.nwu.org, is a wonderful resource not only for any writer who has questions regarding contracts, but for information on any publisher that seems a little hinky. Besides alerting writers to the nefarious practice of unscrupulous publishers, the NWU also assists with contract advice, grievance assistance, a job hotline, and tons of other important help and advice.

The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) is another invaluable resource for writers, both new and seasoned. Their Web site, www.asja.org, also has numerous links, articles, and resources for the beleaguered author. While it is an organization for nonfiction writers, the ASJA is still an excellent resource for any writer looking for information.

They say that to be forewarned is to be forearmed, and knowledge is power, so don’t sell yourself short by skimming over that contract. Read it carefully, and if you need help deciphering all the legalese, know that there is help out there.

Resources:
www.copyright.gov --Works Made for Hire Under the 1976 Copyright Act
www.nwu.org --National Writers Union
www.asja.org --The American Society of Journalists and Authors


Andrea Middendorf, an editor for The Rose & Thorn Literary E-zine, lives in Minnesota, where she is currently working on her novel.

Self-defeat vs. Self-challenge by Sheri Whitlock

I was reading the personal blog of a writer the other day and was a bit surprised by one of the questions he asked. (Anyone who reads my posts here has probably noticed that I like questions a lot, though I'm usually asking them rather than answering them.) He asked how he would be able to compete in the market without any real training or education in literature or writing. I think what surprised me about it was that I hadn't thought to ask it of myself when I was feeling overwhelemed and defeated by the entire submission process. And here I thought I was the champion of self-defeat. It made me realize that all of us feel disheartened at one point or another and wonder if we really are wasting our time writing and that the way we deal with it is by questioning ourselves rather than the process. We often run the risk of defeating ourselves with this sort of thinking

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that education should have little to do with our value as writers. If we have a need to say something there is someone out there who is meant to read what write. Education can be be overrated sometimes. It's not always what we read in books and do in a classroom that teaches us. Frequently, the real education comes from simply living life. So what if you haven't paid someone to teach you how to write or to analyze what someone else has written. Does someone who uses a lot of big words make more sense when they speak than someone who speaks plainly and simply? Just because someone is trained to write doesn't make them better, all it means is that they took an opportunity and expanded their horizons. Not everyone can afford to expand their horizons like that, but that doesn't mean they can't say what they want to say and have it appreciated.

For anyone out there who might be asking the same question as this particular writer, please ask yourself instead what value you have as a person and whether you want to give up something important to you just because you think you aren't good enough to compete. Stop thinking of writing as a competetion you can't win. Your biggest competitor, then, is yourself, and competing against yourself only works if you're challenging yourself. Find ways to learn the things you think you should know. Libraries are free and many of them have reading and discussion groups. So do many local bookstores. There are tons of discussion groups online. There are many ways to gain the knowledge you think you lack, it's just a matter of find them.

No matter how frustrated and disenchanted you might become with the submission process, don't allow it to beat you down so badly you give up on something you want do. If you really want to do it, you'll find a way.


Sheri Whitlock is a published poet and essayist living in Scotland where the only true stereotype is that it is nearly always raining.

Part Three: Do You Need an Editor Now? by Kathryn Magendie

You’ve written your draft. You’ve polished it until it shined. You’ve had readers read and comment, and you’ve tweaked it again. Your manuscript is shiny and lovely. You are ready to query agents. You stop and think, “Should I get my novel professionally edited first?”

Here is where there is a bit of gray area. Whether you pay a professional editor (or a “book doctor") to help you refine your manuscript will be according to how comfortable you are with your final draft. It will depend on whether you feel good about not only grammar and punctuation (which, while having it perfect is not necessarily an issue, having it messy and unprofessional will be) and spelling, but consistency in voice and in point of view, whether those things the readers are “tracking” are resolved—did you tie up those “loose ends,” does the beginning entice and the ending satisfy? There are many things a good editor can do for your manuscript. It’s a tough world out there, the publishing industry is. For it is a business, and like any business, there is always competition. With competition, there is always someone else who wants to win. Yes, there are writers who can write a novel that is not a polished gem, and that writer can find an agent, and that agent can find an editor and then a publisher. However, it is my opinion one must have their manuscript clean and professional before beginning the query process.

So, am I saying to pay an editor? No. And I say this even though I edit novels as a freelance editor. Editing will add another layer of expense to your novel-writing budget. And face it: writers do not make much money from their writing, even after publishing a book. The hours you sweat over your manuscript are hours you are not paid for. Then, when the query process begins, there is the paper and ink to print (or the printing company, if you choose that route), the cost of postage and envelopes, the gas driving to and from the post office and/or printers. Professional editing can add substantially to that budget. And, as well, it is completely on the hope that once you spend the time and money, your manuscript will be picked up by an agent and then a publisher. Face it: it may not happen as quickly as you like (I will not say it will not happen, for I believe in never giving up) and months (years?) could go by without success.

Finding an editor to help you polish your manuscript should be a well-thought-out personal decision. However, if you know your manuscript needs help, help that you aren’t equipped to give it, then do your homework and find an editor you trust. There are editors (and book doctors) galore out there. Ask questions. See if they will look at a sample of your work before you both decide—and I say “both decide” because the editor must feel she is the right editor for you, as well. Find out what the editor’s fees are, and what those fees will cover. Make sure everything is up front so there is a complete understanding between the two of you—author and editor—of what you as the author needs and what the editor provides, and at what costs, how much time it will take, etc.

Whatever you decide, once you hold that Final Manuscript, the manuscript you feel is the best it can be, then you are ready to begin the query process. Whether you decide to query agents, go directly to publishers, small presses, or even if your goal is only to self-publish, you now have a manuscript you can be proud of.

Part Four... now what?

Kathryn Magendie is a writer and editor, and Senior Editor/Senior Newsletter Editor at The Rose & Thorn Literary Ezine. Kat’s essays, poetry, short stories, book reviews, interviews, photography, feature stories, restaurant reviews, interviews, and columns have been published in print and online publications. She has a successful blog, writes with three other Rose & Thorn writers in a year of gratitude blog (YOG), and as she has done here, participates in the Roses & Thorns blog. She has completed two novels and is at last in the query process.

Part Two: The First Draft is Written. Now What? by Kathryn Magendie

In Part One, “Writing the Novel to the End,” I wrote about working until you have the first draft of your novel. You are now done, right? Well, of course not. Unless your goal is to say at that party, “I have written a novel.” If that’s all you want, a feeling of accomplishment, then congratulations! Put the novel in a drawer and every now and then pull it out and pet it, hold it to your chest, show it to your friends from a distance (for, surely, since it is a first draft, you don’t want anyone to read your words…your baby…your life work in all its raw form). There is no law, or Rules of Being a Writer, that says one must publish what one has written; however, I happen to want my words to be read, and read by many. I’m crazy that way.

For those of you who want more, like, perhaps, publication, then your work is not done. It’s time for re-writes. The good news is, the first read-through and re-write can be fun: the material is still fresh and new. As you read, you are surprised all over again by your genius, “I wrote that? Wow, I’m good.” Also, knowing your characters, setting, point of view, plot, etc., from beginning to end gives you insights you didn’t have when writing that first draft. You can study the work from the advantage of seeing it as a whole. Even for those of you who write outlines, surely there was the occasional surprise along the way when you were deep into the guts of writing your draft?

In my first re-writes, I am concerned with things such as: do I have the character’s voice and point of view consistent, have I connected all my dots (readers “track” things while reading, so I want to make sure I follow through on those seemingly innocent things I’ve dropped that the reader will pick up and carry with them through the novel—I can’t leave them hanging in the wind!), does the story move at a pace I am happy with, is my dialogue natural (and “artificially natural” dialogue, not “real people” dialogue. For example, in real people dialogue, there may be lots of “Hey, how are you,” “I’m fine, but my gout's acting up,” “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Well, I’ve had this aching rumble in my stomach for weeks,” “Again? Um, well, er, could it be you need, um, fiber?” “Hmm, um, let’s see, I eat lots of carrots, does that count?” “I don’t know. I guess. But, last week Aunt Mabel tried, er, let’s see, yeah, she tried Metamucil,” “Oh, did it work? I thought about trying that. Saw the commercial for it, right after Law and Order, you know that episode with the guy who got shot and there was a brunette or something, I can’t really remember, anyway, there was this commercial with that music that gets on my nerves, and…” A bit much, right? Unless, maybe, you are writing a comic look at people who talk about their aches and bathroom habits. And those "ums" and "ers" can be bumpy and unnatural in dialogue. Artificially natural dialogue sounds natural, but is tweaked by you, the writer, to move the story at a pace to keep the reader happily and smoothly reading).

I like to do my first edits right onto my Word document. This allows me to fix or tweak anything on the spot. Then, when I am in the final stages, I print out my manuscript and read the entire novel on paper. I can’t explain why, but reading work on paper does make a difference in how I “see” things. Some say to read your work aloud. I can’t imagine reading an entire novel aloud (egads!); however, I suggest reading aloud those areas that feel unnatural or bumpy. It is up to the individual writer how many re-writes/edits are needed to polish a manuscript. The more practice you have at writing, the fewer intensive re-writes you may need.

So, you’ve written that first draft. You’ve gone through several re-writes. You’ve printed the manuscript and read it. You’ve tweaked and fiddled and polished. You feel as if the manuscript is the best you can get it. What now? Should you query that agent? Maybe, but not so fast (and again, there are always exceptions. I’ve had the exception myself…it’s a strange and funny and weird business, anything and everything can happen). There is another step that can help you refine your manuscript even more.

Find Readers. I don’t mean your spouse, your momma and daddy and best friend since high school (although, yes, they can read it and offer insights), but someone(s) you trust who you know will give you honest feedback, even if it hurts, even if it makes you cry with frustration, even if you get criticism that forces you to return to the manuscript and re-write again (augh!). A good honest objective reader is gold. Perhaps someone in your writer’s group can trade novels with you. Is there someone in your circle of acquaintances who loves to read and won’t mind telling you what they honestly think? I was lucky, for I had readers contact me asking if they could be readers and I only had to choose those I felt comfortable with, and another author and I traded our manuscripts to read and comment. Finding readers can be a bit delicate, but as long as you are prudent, you should be able to find someone(s) trusted who will be happy to help.

Alternatively, you can pay an editor to read and edit your manuscript; however, I will talk about editors in Part Three.


Kathryn Magendie is a writer and editor, and Senior Editor/Senior Newsletter Editor at The Rose & Thorn Literary Ezine. Kat’s essays, poetry, short stories, book reviews, interviews, and photography have been published in places such as, Western North Carolina Woman Magazine (also won first place in WNCW 2008 Short Story contest); Literal Latte, BoomerWomen. Our Stories; OCEAN Magazine; A Cup of Comfort for Writers; Moondance-Celebrating Creative Women; C/Oasis: Writing for the Connected World; The Rose & Thorn; Jubilee Anthology-Nichols State University (novel excerpt); Halfway Down the Stairs, Drollerie Press (short story coming soon); Lunch Hour Stories (coming July 2008); L'Intrigue, the Wild Magnolia of Literature; and feature stories, restaurant reviews, interviews, columns in various publications. She has a successful blog, writes with three other Rose & Thorn writers in a year of gratitude blog (YOG), and as she has done here, participates in the Roses & Thorns blog. She has completed two novels and is at last in the query process.

Part One: Writing Your Novel to The End by Kathryn Magendie

You have finished your novel. It’s a masterpiece. You’ll find an agent and the agent will find an editor and the editor will convince the publisher to publish it. The major bookstores line their shelves with it and your books sell out, the indie bookstores beg you to do author signings. Oprah calls—she’s read your book and wants to put it on her summer reading list and in fact has bought enough to put under the chairs of her audience for the next five shows. You are set. That’s what your wonderful imagination tells you when you write, “The End.”

Well, have you come to “The End?” If you have indeed written and completed a novel, I want you right now to take your right hand, lift it up and behind your shoulder, and give yourself a pat on the back. You have already accomplished something great and wonderful. If you doubt that, next time you are at a party, say, “I just wrote a novel,” and listen to how many people answer, “Oh! I have five novels in my head,” or, “I started a novel ten years ago, but I haven’t finished it.” The care and discipline and love, sweat, and frustration that comes from writing and then completing a novel is momentous—I want you to internalize this feeling of accomplishment, believe in its significance. Writing a novel to completion is one of the most frustratingly beautiful things you will ever do, but it is a commitment, and with all commitments, it requires discipline.

There are stories galore out there from published novel writers who tell the unpublished novel writer how they were published—listen to them and see what fits for you. The road to writing a novel, cleaning it up, getting it polished to within an inch of its life, and then querying agents or publishers is a long, hard haul. Sure, there are stories of writers who quickly write a novel, find an agent, and are published with a seemingly ease and speed that leaves most writers saying, “Wha? Huh?” I don’t want to go there right now, so we’ll leave those writers out of this equation. I’m talking to You—those of you who have written or are writing novels that take time, patience, and most frustrating of all, the re-writes.

Why don’t I start at the beginning? And, in a series of posts, take you through from “start to finish” (as Rachael Ray says, her hands doing that frenzied “here to there” thing) in the mad mad mad journey of “I’m writing a novel, Lord help me I must be crazy, shoot me now.” We begin, in Part One, in, well, in the beginning. You and your computer (and I am going to make the assumption here you will write onto your computer. If you prefer long-hand, just pretend thusly). Maybe you begin with an idea, a plot, a character, or a first line, an ending, an image—who cares? Just write. Sit at the computer and type a sentence. Then another. Then the rest. Until you actually sit down and write that first sentence, all you have is…nothing. You are the person at the party who says, “I have five novels in my head!” Once you begin a new work, this is not the time to self-edit. I repeat: No Self-Editing in the Early Stages of Writing. This is not the time to read back over a paragraph and say, “Oh, I suck! I must re-do this paragraph before I go on,” and you re-do that paragraph, then you still don’t like it so you scratch it and start over and you still aren’t happy so you write it again—and you see where I’m going? Next you know, days or weeks (don’t tell me months! I won’t hear of it) have passed by and you still have that one paragraph. Hit it while it’s hot, force yourself to ignore the words as they appear on the page, because, and this I can guarantee for at least 95% of you who are really serious about writing that novel, if you keep going without self-editing or without becoming obsessive about what you have written, if you write and just write, your subconscious mind will kick in gear, and out will come The Story. The Story will embed itself in your words, sentences, paragraphs, pages. Don’t stop writing until you are emptied, no matter how much you think the writing “sucks.” This is an important step—to get words on the page. Who cares if later you end up ripping out thousands of words? (And in another post I want to talk to you about just that—ripping out words). If you write 20,000 words and rip out 5,000, you still have 15,000 words!

When you “run out of steam,” when the words stop and you feel stuck, then is the time to read back over what you’ve written—and if you run out of steam with just that first paragraph or page and truly can’t go on, then perhaps you are heading in a direction that isn’t working, try another approach, another character’s point of view, another time, place—you get the idea. Assuming you have a good chunk of writing once you feel emptied, I find that if I start at the beginning again and read what I’ve written, it will spur off another round of ideas and thoughts, and, more words. Another trick is to put the work aside, and either read another author’s writing, or write something unrelated—a poem, a short story, another novel (egads, yes I have done this craziness). This will distract you from the frustrated feeling of: “you just can’t think of anything and must have that awful writers’ block everyone talks about.” Well, I don’t believe in writers’ block. I believe there are always words. But, there are times when we have to pull away and see things from a distance.

(If you write “genre fiction” then this process may feel a bit different for you. Horror, thriller, romance, fantasy, genre writing has stronger, or more obvious, plot lines than “literary” or “character driven,” non-genre, work, and thus, maybe it makes more sense for you genre writers to have outlines, plotting out the story in a more efficient way—I can’t do this, but, it works for some writers. Do what feels natural for you. Do what works. Just write.)

So, you’ve thought of this character, idea, plot, image, opening sentence. You’ve sat down and began writing. You wrote a sentence, then two, then five, then five hundred, then five thousand. You’ve kept going without self-editing until nothing else will come. Then, you’ve distracted yourself in some way, and later came back to the work and it all seems fresh and happy again. You begin writing more words, and more more more, and presto chango madness abounds, the first draft is completed. Congratulations! Please, as I said earlier, stop and pat that back, give yourself kudos. Now, what next? What do you do after you have that first draft of your novel? Part Two of this series continues in another post…


Kathryn Magendie is a writer and editor, and Senior Editor/Senior Newsletter Editor at The Rose & Thorn Literary Ezine. Kat’s essays, poetry, short stories, book reviews, interviews, and photography have been published in places such as, Western North Carolina Woman Magazine (also won first place in WNCW 2008 Short Story contest); Literal Latte, BoomerWomen. Our Stories; OCEAN Magazine; A Cup of Comfort for Writers; Moondance-Celebrating Creative Women; C/Oasis: Writing for the Connected World; The Rose & Thorn; Jubilee Anthology-Nichols State University (novel excerpt); Halfway Down the Stairs, Drollerie Press (short story coming soon); Lunch Hour Stories (coming July 2008); L'Intrigue, the Wild Magnolia of Literature; and feature stories, restaurant reviews, interviews, columns in various publications. She has a successful blog, writes with three other Rose & Thorn writers in a year of gratitude blog (YOG), and as she has done here, participates in the Roses & Thorns blog. She has completed two novels and is at last in the query process.

Writing Classes: Are They Worth the Money? by Nannette Croce

It seems in the last decade or so the number of classes available to aspiring creative writers has exploded. They include enrichment courses offered by colleges and universities to non-matriculating students; adult night school classes; and innumerable online offerings. The prices vary widely. Online, for example, a class with Writer’s Village University might cost under $100, while a class with Gotham Writers’ Workshop runs closer to $400. College courses can cost even more.

How can a writer tell if the price of these courses is commensurate with the value, or if they need to take any classes at all?

To a large extent that will vary based on needs and expectations, but I've taken more than a few of these classes in my time, enough to give you some points to keep in mind when making your decision.

Don’t expect too much

Despite what they may advertise, no writing class can guarantee publication, and they won’t turn a rank amateur into a publishable writer. Don’t expect the equivalent of an MFA in six to ten weeks. Most simply focus on the basics like plot, tense, and POV. You may learn to avoid the verb “to be,” or to “show not tell,” but don’t expect to get into the nuances of sentence structure or word choice.

Ability of participants will vary widely

In non-selective classes—which most of these are—the abilities of participants will vary widely. Since most classes run on the workshop format, where participants share work and provide feedback, this can be a major factor in what you gain from the experience. Even when various levels of instruction are offered, if the only requirement is a prerequisite course, that’s no guarantee students were ready to move on to the next level. In the best scenario, at least some students’ work will inspire you to new levels. However, expect some participants who just want (usually undeserved) praise.

What is the instructor's role?

The instructor can, actually, make a world of difference no matter what the level of the participants. Some online classes set out a series of assignments but have no instructor at all or may have a facilitator who handles only technical issues. These classes can be helpful if you just want exercises to jump-start or improve your writing, but with no instructor, they have a tendency to disintegrate as students fall behind in assignments or drop out.

The best online classes provide feedback and regular “lecturing” from a competent instructor as well as—and this is rare online—certain demands on participants to get assignments in on time and make use of what they’ve learned. Some real-world and online classes may be run by well-published writers. This can certainly provide some valuable input and be worth a few extra dollars.

Online or Real-World

Nothing beats the convenience of online classes. You can attend in your pajamas, your instructor might live anywhere in the world, and while assignments have a deadline, you don’t usually need to be in a certain place at a certain time. On the other hand, while the level of instruction may vary in any class, you will never get, online, the one-on-one instruction or opportunity to ask specific questions about your work that you potentially receive in a real-world classroom.

Also, while that loosey-goosey quality of online makes for convenience, at least some students end up not taking it seriously, running late on assignments, and even dropping out, leaving you with only one or two other students or sometimes alone by then end of the class.

So, are writing classes worth the money?

In my experience, with non-selective programs you can probably learn just as much by reading a few good books and joining a writer’s group to get feedback. But sometimes the structure and discipline of a class can be valuable, not to mention the input of an enthusiastic instructor. Just don’t expect miracles and consider carefully before laying down a wad of money.


Nannette Croce is Co-Managing Editor of The Rose & Thorn and an official YOGer. Her work has appeared in various online and print publications including The Philadelphia Inquirer. For more information on her published work, visit her website.

Sleep is Overrated

I’ve not been sleeping a lot lately. It’s not really due to insomnia, late nights at a club, or crying babies at 3 a.m., but more so because of all the books that have come out the last month. Spring is traditionally a time of many new releases, and this year has been no different. A wide range of new books are now or will soon be on the market, and I believe that this is one of the most exciting springs for new books in a long time.

Stephenie Meyer had her first foray into the “adult” reading world with her novel The Host in early May. I picked up this book and could not put it down. Everything about it from the characters to the storyline to even the cover drew me in. I devoured this book in less than two days, staying up until after five in the morning one night. Fortunately, I didn’t have to work until 11 a.m., but still, my sleep deficit was growing.

I am lucky enough that in my day job at a bookstore we get advanced reading copies of novels, and I was a blessed Dean Koontz’s fan to receive an advanced copy of the fourth book in the Odd Thomas series, Odd Hours. For those not familiar with the series, Odd is a fry cook from Pico Mundo, California, and he leads a very interesting life, much to his dismay. Again, I had trouble putting this book down. My will power is non-existent when I have a good book in my hands. I’m weak, I admit it, but a person could have worse vices.

I also got my hot little hands on an advanced copy of Lauren Weisberger’s upcoming novel Chasing Harry Winston. For anyone who loves Sex and the City, this new novel from the author of The Devil Wears Prada is a delightful romp that leaves the reader wanting more of these delightful characters.

By now, my sleep deficit is so great that only a week’s vacation on a sunny isle will rectify the situation. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Who needs sleep when there are stories out there to be read? And this summer only promises more delightful treats for the avid reader who thinks that sleep is overrated.


Andrea Middendorf lives in Minnesota, where when she isn't reading everything she can get her hands on, is working on her novel.

Literary Fiction: Does Best-Selling Mean Selling Out? by Nannette Croce

Maybe I’m crazy, but I thought it was every writer’s dream to publish a best-seller. According to this review of Marisa de los Santos’ new novel, Belong to Me, some think that best-selling means selling out when it comes to literary fiction.

One is reminded of the Jonathan Franzen-Oprah Winfrey fracas a few years back. In that case, names like Toni Morrison notwithstanding, Franzen felt a certain ambivalence toward the Oprah stamp of approval. In the case of De los Santos and Jennifer Weiner, there are, apparently, certain themes “serious” writers should not touch.

All the while so-called Literary Fiction, both novels and short story collections, wither on the shelves, while Popular Fiction is so-called for a reason. But there are other differences as well.

Whopping good tales like The Da Vinci Code often get by with clunky, sometimes even amateurish, prose. On the other hand, Literary writers will labor over every word but seem to eschew action and thrills as something beneath them. There are exceptions, of course, but on the whole both sides seem to become more and more entrenched in their respective styles.

For my part, I find bad prose every bit as excruciating as a dull plot and have tossed aside many a page-turner because I found the style just plain boring. However, with most of the reading public, plot wins out over prose every time. So does that mean the majority of readers don’t appreciate good writing?

Charles Dickens wrote the nineteenth-century equivalent of soap operas. His readers required his serialized stories to end with neatly tied up interconnected plots and characters. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about the rich and famous. Hemingway often wrote about gangsters and bootleggers. All of them had at least some best-sellers. Does that diminish them as writers?

I don’t think the issue is so much that the general public doesn’t appreciate good writing as that they appreciate a good story more. That doesn’t mean they can’t have both unless literary writers continue to assume that best-selling means selling out.


Nannette Croce is Co-Managing Editor of The Rose & Thorn and an official YOGer. Her work has appeared in various online and print publications including The Philadelphia Inquirer. For more information on her published work, visit her website

A Precious and Fragile Thing

If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.
--Noam Chomsky

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
--Voltaire

I was casting about for a topic to write on this week, and pretty much came up with zip until I read a Publishers Weekly article discussing a press conference in New York where PEN announced its intent to petition the Chinese government to release thirty-nine writers who have been imprisoned for exercising their right to write and speak freely. It got me thinking about how lucky we Americans are to be living in a country where we don’t have to worry about going to jail for speaking our mind, and also just how fragile such freedom really is.

The First Amendment states,

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The writers of the Bill of Rights did quite an amazing and rare thing, a precious thing. Something that many of us probably take for granted, and ensuring that free speech stays free isn’t as easy as slapping a law down on paper and considering it job done. It is something that must be constantly and vigilantly defended. The free speech clause of the first amendment has been challenged several times--just look at the number of books various groups and/or people have tried to censor or ban, or at certain parts of American and other history where voices were drowned out or extinguished.

We can owe a lot to a Harvard law professor named Zechariah Chafee, Jr., who defended a person’s right to speak their mind without the fear of governmental retaliation, even in wartime, especially in wartime, because he believed that people needed to hear both sides of the argument, not just what a government wishes them to know. In his article entitled Freedom of Speech (1920), Chafee states, “One of the most important purposes of society and government is the discovery and spread of truth on subjects of general concern. This is possible only through absolutely unlimited discussion.” Chafee does put a caveat to free speech in that speech should be free “unless it is clearly liable to cause direct and dangerous interference with the conduct of the war.”

The thirty-nine imprisoned Chinese writers were doing no more than exercising what most free and democratic societies offer their citizens: the right to freely express themselves and their opinions. It is not the business of any government to be “Thought Police.”

There are two excellent novels that display the dangers of totalitarianism and the suppression of free thought: George Orwell’s 1984 and a newcomer to the field, Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44. 1984 takes place in a fictional world made up entirely from Orwell’s mind, but that does not make the premise any less frightening. Child 44 takes place in 1950s Stalinist Russia and follows the quest of one man who tries to prove that a serial killer exists in a society that refuses to admit that a serial killer can exist in its perfect society. Both novels, while vastly different, capture what it is like to live under a suffocating government, and each conveys the idea that freedom is a precious and fragile thing.


Andrea Middendorf lives and work in Minnesota... and the answer is 42.

The Power of Imagery by Cathy Biribauer

I once received an email from a woman who had read a story I had published online. Nothing unusual about that, except the woman was blind. She hadn't read my story, but listened to it, thanks either to someone who read it to her, or a wonderful computer program for the sight-impaired.

It was the first time I'd received such feedback from a reader, and to my relief, she was very kind. It thrilled me to hear that the piece "shot images" through her mind, to know that the words I had written were being heard as well as read. It reminded me of an important rule in writing: for prose or poetry to be rewarding to a reader (or listener!), among other things, it must have a visual impact; it must be a feast for the mind's eye. It's all about effective imagery.
E. Annie Proulx is a master of imagery. Here is a descriptive passage from the first chapter of Postcards, when the main character, Loyal, has just abandoned the family farm:

"The sun was going down, the October afternoon collapsing into evening. The fence posts on the margins of the fields glinted like burnished pins, the thick light plated his face with a coppery mask.
Grass eddied around his knees, the purple awns burst, scattering a hail of seeds. Far below he saw the house varnished with orange light, balanced against the grove of cottonwoods, like a scene etched on a metal plate."

A striking picture is painted for the reader through carefully chosen metaphor and descriptive language. Here Proulx uses color (copper, orange, purple) and simile ("like burnished pins"; "like a scene etched on a metal plate"), and weaves a metallic thread through it (the pins, the coppery mask, the metal plate), creating a cold and remote, yet sensuous and rich, feeling. And though the image of a scene on a metal plate is static, there is movement (collapsing, eddying, scattering) within it.

Michael Ondaatje is also brilliant in his use of imagery. The following is a passage from In the Skin of a Lion, the title itself a great image. Here the main character, Patrick, remembers a scene from his youth of Finnish ice-skaters:

"There were about ten men skating, part of a game. One chased the others and as soon as someone was touched he became the chaser. Each man held in one hand a sheaf of cattails and the tops of these were on fire. This is what lit the ice and had blinked through the trees. They raced, swerved, fell and rolled on the ice to avoid each other but never let go of their rushes. When they collided sparks fell onto the ice and onto their dark clothes...Patrick was transfixed. Skating the river at night, each of them moving like a wedge into the blackness magically revealing the grey bushes of the shore...a tree branch reached out, its hand frozen on the ice, and one of them skated under it, crouching—cattails held behind him like a flaming rooster tail."

Part of what makes these particularly excellent examples of imagery is the incorporation of contradictory elements: light and dark, fire and ice, stillness and movement. The effect is startling and memorable. Let your imagination fly, visualize an image that is powerful to you, search for the perfect metaphor, remember the five senses, and choose your words with pinpoint accuracy. The impact an image will have on a reader starts with the impact of that image on the writer.

Cathy Biribauer is an Assistant Editor at The Rose & Thorn.

What Editors Want by Nannette Croce

What editors want. Wouldn’t you like to know? Wouldn’t we all?

Not only because many of us at The Rose & Thorn are also writers who submit our own work, but because it would be nice if in our guidelines, we could simply list five or ten qualifications that, if met by every submitter, would guarantee acceptance. Believe me, it wouldn’t just simplify your job, it would simplify ours, too. Fewer submissions to read through. No more multiple readings. No soliciting opinions from other editors, and no painful rejections of pieces that were “oh so close,” wishing we could explain why. Instead, rejections would include a check list and submitters could easily see where they went wrong.

Too bad we can’t boil it down that easily.

Of course, there are criteria that apply across the board. Some have been mentioned in other posts.

We want clean copy. If there is still anyone out there laboring under the delusion that her work is so exceptional editors will overlook pages full of misspellings and bad grammar, get over yourself. It ain’t gonna happen. We’re editors, not proofreaders.

We expect a certain level of “sophistication” in your writing that says you read as well as write and you’ve checked out a couple of books or magazines to learn about craft. Things like lazy adverbs in your dialog tags—she said gleefully, sleepily, dejectedly—and any tag other than “said” unless absolutely necessary, shout amateur. Sentence lengths should vary and you should avoid the overuse of the verb “to be.” As in “Mary was wearing a green shirt” instead of “Mary wore a green shirt.”

So far, so good. We’ve just eliminated at least 75% of the submissions we receive, and at the risk of sounding harsh, those rejections don’t bother me because most of those submitters either haven’t taken time to perfect their craft or haven’t bothered to honestly compare their work to what we publish in our zine.

But it would be cruel to imply that all you need do is study up and follow the rules. Following the “rules” of the craft no more guarantees a great piece of writing than perfect color and perspective guarantees a great painting. It requires something else besides craft. It requires what I call the “wow” factor.

So what is this “wow” factor?

I can’t really explain it. And therein lies the problem.

All I can tell you is, there are times when I finish a story or essay (I don’t handle poetry, but I’d bet it applies) and quite literally say, “wow.” I don’t have to send you searching through several issues to find those stories. Check our Award Nominations. This year’s nominating process for Best of the Net, Best of the Web, Pushcart, and recently Million Writers and the Micro awards, was the easiest I remember. The same titles came up time after time. These stories had the “wow” factor. They stuck in our minds for months after they appeared in the zine, and, believe me, we read and edit lots of stories.

As a publication that prides itself on providing a venue for new and emerging writers as well as the more established, we often accept pieces that may not have quite reached the “wow” point but can get there with a little help. In fact, often it’s the less experienced writers who wow us the most. With no reputation to maintain, new writers can be fearless.

What makes it tougher is that the definition of quality doesn’t apply across the board. What wows us at The Rose & Thorn might bring instant rejection at The Colorado Review. That’s where reading several issues comes in. But know what to look for. Many writers make the mistake of looking for similarities in plot or characters. No publication wants the same story over and over with different names and locations. What you are looking for is style. For example, read some issues of the New Yorker and you’ll notice that they don’t put much emphasis on endings. The stories they publish tend to fade out like an old '60s Motown song. The stories we publish tend to have solid endings, not apocalyptic, but with a good finishing sentence or paragraph.

So, what do editors want? You tell me. That’s not sarcasm. I read so many different works, it’s hard to put it into words. You, the writer, tell me what I want every time you “wow” me.


Nannette Croce is Co-Managing Editor of The Rose & Thorn and an official YOGer. Her work has appeared in various online and print publications including The Philadelphia Inquirer. For more information on her published work, visit her website

Genres:The Over-Classification of Literature by Nannette Croce

In the beginning, bookstores were divided into Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction. The nonfiction might be subdivided into History or Biography. The fiction might include separate sections for Mystery, and maybe Science Fiction or Westerns. And Poetry was Poetry.

Your best bet, if you were looking for something specific, was to have the title of the book or the author’s name. Otherwise, you browsed, flipped through a few pages, and decided what you wanted to buy based on plot, style, or whatever caught your fancy.

Now we have mega-booksellers, either bricks and mortar or online, and the over-classification of literature into ever-more-minute genres. It started with Romance, Horror, Fantasy, Chick Lit (a name mercifully upgraded to Women’s Lit), and Thriller. Now those have subdivided into Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance, Political Fiction, Political Thriller, Paranormal Thriller, Spy Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Legal Thriller and . . . [pause for breath] Literary Fiction, which its practitioners might describe as “none of the above” or even “above the above.”

While it may sound counterintuitive, the problem, I think, with this over-classification of literature is not that it complicates, but that it oversimplifies.

Our current culture seems bent on putting everything into neat little boxes. Are you Conservative or Liberal? Do you live in a Red State or a Blue State? Are you for the war in Iraq or against it?

How many writers are told by agents that they have a good novel, but it just doesn’t “fit” anywhere? In a recent review of Jennifer Weiner’s new novel Certain Girls in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Jane Smiley wonders why “. . . Weiner herself has given up seeking a wider audience, and so given up developing her fictional premises from lots of different perspectives.”

My guess is, having established herself as a bestselling author for women with Good in Bed and The Guy Not Taken, Weiner’s agent/publisher is not likely to greet her cross-genre submission with a "Hallelujah."

The more minute the genres, the easier the sales tracking and the better to know how to stock the shelves. But what about all the fine work being written that we will never see? Or the work that won’t be read by a wider audience because it’s packaged for women or men or sits in a part of the store you rarely frequent?

One category I didn’t mention is Classics. Basically, Classics are books of lasting quality written before these minute genres were invented. One classic author, Jane Austen, might be published today, but her novels would definitely be sold as Women’s Lit with cover art no man would be caught dead with. And what about, say, the Brontë sisters? Wuthering Heights is too dark for Women’s Lit, and it can’t be Romance because the guy and gal don’t get together. Jane Eyre ends up well, but there’s that niggling thing about the wife in the attic (horror? thriller?), and some deep thinking on Jane’s part—Psychological Thriller?

Where would you put most of the classics genres-wise? Moby Dick? The Great Gatsby? Dickens’s work?

In my capacity as Book Reviews Editor for The Rose & Thorn I am receiving more and more promotions from small, independent publishers. These aren’t the same as self-publishing or vanity presses, but they are less expensive to produce because they are usually POD or e-books. Also, the author does much of the promotion—still not ideal for writers who would rather spend their time writing—but at least it’s out there.

If you like what you read in one of our reviews, please consider buying the book.

Acceptance of more non-genre-specific books opens doors, not only for writers, but also for readers. I’ve been put into enough boxes. I don’t need to be boxed into my reading preferences.


Nannette Croce is Co-Managing Editor of The Rose & Thorn and an official YOGer. Her work has appeared in various online and print publications including The Philadelphia Inquirer. For more information on her published work, visit her website.

6 P's of Networking by Angie Ledbetter

With my teaching job, rearing three busy teens, freelancing, working on writing projects, facilitating a writer's group, and volunteering at school and in the community, my time and brain cells are stretched thin. But there is a way busy writers can maximize writing productivity through networking.

Networking with others is an easy, fun way to increase sells and click with like-minded people who understand the craziness of trying to juggle writing with everything else going on in their lives.

I know the principles of networking work because I've been part of co-authored book ventures, facilitated several writing groups, written a humor/advice column with my twin sister, and am currently blogging with three fabulous women on the benefits of gratitude. Each of these ventures has been fun, but best of all, they have led me to writing relationships with others.

By joining live and/or cyber groups and subscribing to e-zines, we increase our exposure to the job market and to fellow writers. Exchanging submission callouts and opportunities is another benefit of group membership.

Following are the 6 P's which help me stay on track with writing:


Patience - The bad news first. Our personal writing Rome won't be built in a day, or even a year, so be prepared for lots of hard work and a heavy dose of patience while paying writing dues. There's a reason patience is a virtue. It's hard as hell to have it, hold onto it, and to trust in it. But it will yield results.


Persistence - We've heard the inspirational quotes; now it's time to believe them.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." ~ Calvin Coolidge

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." ~ Thomas Edison


Partnerships - Here's a personal quote: "Nothing worth doing is done alone." Never underestimate the power of your partnerships.

Prayer (or if you prefer, Positive Thinking) - Prayer power has been my most reliable weapon in the battle to get published. I've grabbed opportunities offered to me; I've cleaned houses (flexible and good cash) and gotten regular column gigs and private investigation jobs. All these I juggled with freelancing for a decent paycheck.


Playing the Field - Diversify your goals. Write your novel, but keep your writing fresh by trying your hand at articles, short stories, poetry, or flash fiction. Think about working for start-up publications. Who knows where these avenues will lead? By playing the writing field, you increase your chances of catching an editor's eye. You build your clip file. You gain experience. And again, you build your network. Are there contests you might enter? So what if you don't win? You have a finished product to edit and submit elsewhere. I'm a deadline-pressure-in-order-to-get-moving kind of writer, so contest deadlines help me produce.


Perception - See things differently, look outside conventions and boxes. To increase your writing and publishing scores, be different. Look for opportunities others overlook. If you see a publication's ad for an article writer and it's full of typos or bad grammar, offer your editing services. Think of creative ways to advertise your services. Partner up with others to decrease advertising expenses.

Don't forget to plant your seeds wisely and to tend to them afterward. Always thank those who've helped you along the writing road, and be sure to lend a hand to others when you can. Little kindnesses are appreciated; they come back to you in multiples, and they leave your name with a good connotation in others' minds.


Angie Ledbetter is a freelance writer, author, and sometime poet. When not wrangling her three teens or teaching school, she works on various writing projects, including a fiction novel. She enjoys being part of The Rose & Thorn.

A Different Kind of Hero by Andrea Middendorf

Okay. So, my last blog pretty much established me as an Austen-freak. That’s fine. Yes, there is a part of me that wonders if heroes like Mr. Darcy and Edward Ferrars haven’t colored my view of an ideal man, but if all heroes were like Mr. Darcy, the world would be a pretty boring place, wouldn’t it? As much as I’m drawn to those heroes, I’m always open to a different kind of hero as well. Perhaps even more so, for a different kind of hero tends to have a fascinating and intriguing story, and that, my dears, is the point of it all, is it not?

The world is filled with many different kinds of heroes, and not all of them come with a white horse and sword. Indeed no, sometimes it is a black horse and an ice pick.

Several authors have drawn such characters, much to my enjoyment. Death as a character is probably not much thought of when first creating a cast of characters, but Markus Zusak does so in his The Book Thief. Set in Germany during World War II, the story is told from the viewpoint of Death. By choosing Death as the lead, Zusak exposes the reader to wartime Germany and its horrors more fully and lends the story a much different viewpoint than if he were to have chosen his heroine, Liesel, to tell the story.

And then there is Dexter Morgan. True, Jeff Lindsay’s creation is not what most people would consider the stereotypical image of a hero. After all, Dexter is a serial killer, but he only kills bad people, so that must be a redeemable trait, yes? What I like about Dexter, besides his diabolical wit and humor, is that he is such a likable and original character, despite his nasty hobby.

Veering from the written word to the big screen for a moment, I feel that I must also mention Danny Ocean of Ocean’s Eleven, and Charlie Croker from The Italian Job. Both men are thieves, but what spectacular thieves they are. Handsome, charming, and witty, they are very compelling heroes of their respective stories. And I would be remiss if I did not mention Cary Grant’s portrayal of John Robie (The Cat) in Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. Having cast off his dastardly ways, Grant as Robie seeks to redeem his newly found good name after a series of thefts are perpetrated and the local authorities suspect him of falling back on old habits . . . naturally. What’s an honest guy to do?!

Then there is the king hero of the anti-heroes: Emily Brontë’s Heathcliff. He is one hero that I personally love to hate; Heathcliff is a rude, domineering, hateful man, but he is also one of the more compelling characters in fiction. Heathcliff presents a very different kind of hero, perhaps not a loveable one, but definitely a fascinating one. In Wuthering Heights, Brontë breaks the mold of what a hero is considered to be and proves that one doesn’t necessarily have to like the hero in order to admire him.

I do have a partiality to flawed characters. As I stated earlier, they tend to lead to interesting stories, and we’re all looking for interesting stories.

Andrea Middendorf lives in Minnesota and has read Pride and Prejudice at least once a year since her teens.

In Praise of the Grey Hats by Jason Fryer

Heroes and heroines have always been intrinsic elements of mythology and folklore. From Perseus to Superman, heroes exemplify everything that is good and pure in the human heart. Their moral examples serve as inspirations for us to better ourselves and to do the right thing.

Classical heroes have evolved very little over the ages and can still be found in most stories and movies today. In some cases, they even wear a white hat to signify their wholesomeness, courage, and strength, whereas the villains wear black hats to emphasize their evil and dishonest natures. And as we all know, the White Hats always defeat the Black Hats, no matter the odds. Heroes never waver in their convictions or shirk their duties, even in the face of adversity or obvious defeat. Their stories are glorious, remarkable, inspirational . . .

. . . and, in truth, completely and utterly dull.

Perhaps it is a sign of the times, or maybe it’s because I have matured (relatively speaking) over the years, but I now find most classical hero stories to be hackneyed and dreadfully tedious. The blonde, square-jawed protagonists of yore (and now) just don’t inspire me as they once did; their heroic triumphs no longer ring true. As a result, I’ve become more demanding of fantasy fiction and the characters portrayed within. Despite the fantastical nature of the stories, I want the characters to be ‘real,’ to be people I can identify with.

In the real world, heroes and villains don’t wear white and black hats. Much of the time, you can’t even tell them apart. They have desires, doubts, flaws, and fears that define them and their actions. It is through adversity that a person’s true nature reveals itself. Some people become heroes, others villains. Even the concepts of good and evil are highly ambiguous; there is no clean-cut differential between right and wrong. Questionable actions might in fact serve the greater good.

Such troubling concepts do not exist in the world of the classical hero. They comb their perfect hair, brush their shiny white teeth, don their glittering armor, and then ride out to kill the dragon and marry the princess. They never show fear or uncertainty, as they are utterly confident in their righteousness. They are immune to threats or bribery or temptation. And they always win.

I am more interested in a protagonist who overcomes self-doubt to do the right thing. This inner conflict is far more heroic and inspiring than any classical hero-quest. I can empathize more deeply with a flawed character than any shining bastion of goodness and light. If they can rise to the call, then perhaps so could I, if placed in the same situation. Even if they tried and failed, at the very least they didn’t give in.

Some of the most memorable heroes in literature are flawed and yet outshine their more ‘noble’ counterparts nonetheless. Lancelot, for example, continues to be a far more intriguing character than King Arthur because he gives into a forbidden love and falls from grace, only to rise again. Had he not faltered, had he not succumbed, Lancelot would be little more than a hollow hero-figure, rather than the living, breathing character he is.

Call me jaded, call me cynical, but I don’t believe in the classical hero any more. I simply can’t accept these faultless paragons of good and righteousness. For me, Batman will always be better than Superman, and Hector will always outshine Achilles. I want some balance to my heroes. I want them to have warts and fears and ugliness inside. But mostly, I want them to be true to themselves, no matter what. I want them to wear the grey hat.

Because the truth is there are no classical heroes, only people that act heroically.

And it is their stories I want to read.


Canadian-born, Jason Fryer never thought he’d end up becoming a Texan, but fate is funny that way. Although a writer at heart, he also enjoys eating. As such, he has worn many hats over the last few years, including security guard, test subject, editorial assistant, and donut maker. Most recently, he has become the grant coordinator for a cell biology department of a major Texas University. A freelance writer for over fourteen years, Jason has been published in a variety of magazines, journals, and textbooks. At the moment, he is finishing his second novel and hopes to have it ready for publication sometime next year. He also serves as the Content Producer for the Rose & Thorn newsletter.

Austenphiles Unite! by Andrea Middendorf

It is a truth universally accepted that Austenphiles needn’t go far to find material of their favorite author to devour. Whether a bookstore, a video store, or the internet, the world abounds with Jane Austen books and movies, as well as take-offs on Jane Austen books and movies, not to mention websites devoted entirely to everything that is Jane Austen.

What is it exactly about Jane Austen and her books that draws so many fans? Is it the English countryside where her stories reside? The feisty characters she paints? Or is it the enduring stories she tells that, even to this day, resonate within her readers? Whether or not one likes Jane Austen and her works, an aspiring writer could only hope and dream to be as popular and lasting as Jane Austen.

Think about it: Austen’s first book, Sense and Sensibility, was first published in 1811, her second, Pride and Prejudice, in 1813, and both novels persist to this day not only in their original form, but also on the screen as well as in several adaptations and take-offs. That’s nearly two hundred years of sustainability, and her momentum continues.

Jane Austen isn’t without her critics, both from her own time and today, but that doesn’t stop her fans, among them Virginia Woolf and Sir Walter Scott--the latter of whom said about Austen, "That young lady has a talent for describing the involvements of feelings and characters of ordinary life, which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with.”

Then there’s me, who owns three different copies of Pride and Prejudice, two of which are in a volume set. And yes, I do own both the infamous Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice and the recent Keira Knightley adaptation. Call it a sickness or an addiction; I can’t seem to help myself. I can take heart in the fact that there are others out there like me. If I have a message to all those Austen fans out there, it is this: you are not alone, and you are in good company.

If you are curious about some of the Jane Austen websites out there, here are a few of my favorites:

Austenprose -- A very extensive, very in depth celebration of Jane Austen’s writings
Jane Austen Addict -- Take the quiz to see if you’re an addict!
The Jane Austen Society of North America


Andrea Middendorf lives in Minnesota and has read Pride and Prejudice at least once a year since her teens.

A Very Important Question by Sheri Whitlock

It's about half past two in the morning and I'm sitting at my computer with a cup of tea and a bag of chocolate-covered coffee beans. Not only am I worried about caffeine intake at such a late hour, I'm also mulling over a very serious question which was asked of me earlier today. The question was put forward bluntly and there was no way to avoid answering it, even it meant waiting until I had a proper answer. What was the question? A truly simple one. Don't you feel that your writing should be a bit more 'polished' than it is at the moment if you intend to present a proper representation of who you are?

What an insult! Is my work not good enough? Should I pretend to be something other than I am in a vain attempt to please others? Do I not present myself properly in the opinion of this very forward person? Who is this person who dares to ask such a rude question, anyway? Would you believe it was me? Well, unfortunately, it was. My only defense is that I obviously like to torture myself and do quite a good job of it, if I do say so myself.

Forgetting that I have found another way to insult myself, let's get back to that question . . .

Should my writing be more polished? In my opinion, it is a double-edged sword. I want to answer yes, but feel like that would be a betrayal of myself. At the same time I want to answer no, because my writing is a direct reflection of who I am as a person. So what's the answer? See how this works? Each question I ask myself leads to another question which leads to yet another question, and so on. I run myself in circles and never find any solution to end my turmoil. I could drive myself insane, and may, just in the hope that insanity might offer a bit of relief.

I can't do that. I have to find a way to work through this and come up with a compromise that both sides of my brain can live with. I do feel that I could spend a bit more time refining certain aspects of my writing, but often choose not to. Why? (Look!! Another question!) Because if I spend too much time looking over my own shoulder I begin second-guessing myself and end up doing just what I'm doing now. I've found from past experiences that if I fuss and worry over refining what I've written I run the risk of altering it to the point that it reflects nothing at all. It becomes bland and pretentious. Not only that, it seems to be disembodied and has nothing to offer anyone, including myself.

Granted, I can be long winded and 'chatty' when I write and sometimes feel that I'm too familiar with my intended reader. Not everyone wants a stranger coming over and sitting on their park bench uninvited and then boring them with details they don't want to hear. Not much could be more irritating than that, unless it's maybe that you pick up a book, story, or whatever and are bored to tears because what you expected to be exciting and informative is dull and dry and offers nothing to capture your attention or your imagination.

So, it's a Catch 22, right? (Yet another question, she says with a sigh.) No matter what, I'm going to be dissatisfied with the way I answer this question. Incorrect! I just need to find some middle ground. So, where is the middle? (Those darned questions just keep coming!)

Here's the way I see it . . .

If you go for a walk on the beach and you pick up a stone and you put it in your pocket, you do it for a reason. That reason is generally that you liked the color or the shape of that stone. If you then take that stone and polish it, you end up with something you can display, something that looks pretty on a shelf or a table. It serves a purpose, but that purpose is only to be pretty. The only thing that stone will ever do is catch an admiring glance or get a quick rub when the dusting is done. It might be held once in a while to help recall that walk on the beach when it was found, but not very often because it's been lost in the hustle and bustle of Life. The worst of it is, that stone will never go back to the beach it called home ever again. If, by some strange twist of fate, it did find itself there, it would no longer fit in. It would be different and stand out like a sore thumb.

On the other hand, if you leave that stone on the beach, its appearance will be changed naturally. The wind will blow sand across it, causing it to wear. The water will wash over it, also causing it to wear. The same with the wind and the other stones around it. Those other stones will be rubbed in return and slowly, over time, they will all change. It’s a group effort and a group change that cascades all along the beach until every stone there is affected. Even the stones beneath the water will feel the effects, and be changed. No one may notice these changes, but they will be there just the same.

Looking at it this way changes the question entirely. Do I want to be polished by Life or do I want to polish my life? (Hopefully this will be the last question.) I honestly think I would rather be polished by Life. It’s the natural course of things. Sure, I may end up with out that glassy finish, and have more than a few deep scars, but I would have earned them honestly, not forced them to come about. I may rub extra hard against a few of those other stones I find myself resting against, or even allow the wind to push me closer to the water to smooth away some of those rougher edges, just so I can say I played a role