Guest post: Emotional Truth by John Vorhaus

Today’s guest blog post, on the topic of the craft of writing, is brought to you by scriptwriter, non-fiction author and ‘sunshine noir’ mystery novelist (amongst many other skills) John Vorhaus.

Emotional Truth

Writers often find themselves confronted by the question, “What is emotional truth?” and the further question, “How do I put it on the page?” As someone who has taught and trained writers all over the world – and of course struggled with these questions myself – I find that writers go through predictable stages in their quest to convey authentic emotional meaning in their work.

At first, many writers have no idea that such a thing as emotional truth even exists. They are focused solely on making the plot work, making the jokes funny, or advancing the action from event to event. At this stage, there is little or no thought to a work’s deeper meaning or deeper human truth. Call this the “run and jump” phase of our writing careers, when all we can really see, and all we can adequately convey, are the mechanical aspects of the work; the mysteries of the human heart yet elude us.

As we mature as writers, we become aware that there’s such a thing as emotional truth, but we have no effective means of transmitting this information from brain to page. Our first efforts in this direction often seem awkward, stilted, and self-conscious. We might try to write, “I love you,” only to recoil in horror at the awful, stilted, clichéd obviousness of that thought. We hate or castigate ourselves for writing so artlessly about subjects so important. We haven’t yet made, at least to our satisfaction, the connection between simple human truths and meaningful, effective, evocative presentation on the page.

But we get better. We do. We grow and develop, deepen our awareness of the emotional truths we wish to convey, and also acquire strategies and tactics for doing so in a satisfying way. We discover tools like text and subtext, and bring our writing to the point where one character may say to another, “Would you like a cup of coffee?” and have it understood to mean, “I yearn for you to the bottom of my soul.” We become writers with sufficient insight to detect emotional truth and sufficient toolcraft to capture and preserve it in words. So we’re home and dry, right?

Maybe not. Maybe we’re still afraid.

In conveying emotional truth on the page, writers must make certain leaps of faith. Sooner or later we have to recognize that writing about emotional things will necessarily expose us to the very feelings we’re trying to express – feelings we might not be entirely comfortable with. To write successfully at this stage, we have to become okay with just feeling what we’re feeling. We also have to be ready to accept judgment from others – family and friends, other writers, the audience at large. We have to be ready to take a stand and say, “This! This is what I believe! This is how I think the human condition works!” That’s a big step. Some writers can’t make it – their story absolutely ends here. For fear of confronting their feelings and for fear of others’ opprobrium, they just never find their way to being honest on the page.

Those who do overcome their fear enter a state of maturity in relation to emotional truth: They know it’s out there; they desire to express it; they have the means to do so; and they are not afraid. This, as far as I’m concerned, is the ultimate goal of a writer’s life: To know the truth; to speak the truth; and to be not afraid.

So then we can think of a writer’s journey to emotional truth as a road toward deeper understanding, better toolcraft, and freedom from fear. It’s useful to stop and ponder from time to time where we are on this road. I myself am currently exactly here: I have a pretty good hand on interpersonal truth – how people are with one another – and now I’m trying to tackle philosophical truth and spiritual truth. I’m trying to convey my deepest beliefs without sounding like a dork or a preacher or both. It’s not easy, and I’m not entirely unafraid, for who wants to look like a preachy dork? But I’m soldiering on, because it’s my understanding that this is what living the writer’s life is really all about: going deeper; and having gone deeper, going deeper still.

 

Guest post: Self-publishing can be a great experience, but authors need to watch the details by Marianne Curtis (and giveaway)

Today’s guest blog post is brought to you by non-fiction author, poet and novelist Marianne Curtis.

Scroll down for details of Marianne’s rafflecopter.com giveaway. Marianne has also kindly offered to provide a free eBook to five people (at her discretion) commenting or leaving a question for her within the comment section below. So, do leave a comment or question for Marianne and I shall forward them on.

Self-publishing can be a great experience, but authors need to watch the details.

I find myself writing this post after receiving a book to review for my blog, Moondust and Madness. I’ve been excited to see this particular book, ever since I heard it was released. It was a self-published book by a local author, consisting of a collection of poetry and short stories about her life after escaping domestic violence. I was thrilled and very proud for her. It takes guts to share a story like that (I know).

The first thing I did was crack it open. Unfortunately, my next reaction was to gasp. I was confronted by page after page of white-space. There was writing at the top, nothing for the rest of the page, followed by several pages of stories, without a single indent. I was shocked it was actually justified. The writing was good – the layout was horrendous.

Before doing the review, I Googled her publisher. It was a well-known name in the business. I read page after page of mixed reviews; most were from authors complaining they did not get what they’d paid for. Being curious, I decided to investigate further. I was an author, I had manuscripts – let’s see what happens if I send one in.

I submitted my finished, self-published memoir Finding Gloria for their consideration. Within 48 hours I received an email saying the company wanted to publish it, and within another 48 hours, they were calling my home number. I got excited – briefly. Then reality hit – how many authors do not second-guess this stuff? Based on the twelve-page contract they sent me, I had to send them over $4,000 and they made a list of promises. I could get that money back, IF I sold over 1,000 copies. I have already sold over 30,000 copies after self-publishing. I was not confident they could do better. Yet, I was hopeful (like any author staring at an email from a ‘legit’ publishing company with an attached contract). The fact was I refused to pay $4,000 for someone else to do what I have already done – even though it meant a new marketing plan for a two-year-old book. Basically, it is a scam – NEVER pay a publisher for their services!!! If they ask you for money, RUN!

Back to this particular book ~ I am not one to give bad feedback; you never know if someone is going to take it badly. However, I feel horrible – this poor author was ripped off and I think that she should know. Using Createspace.com, through Amazon, she could have created the exact same book (with much better layout because obviously this company prints what you send them, and does not copy edit or address any layout issues) for about $2 a book. No need to invest $4,000 – which based on the little I know about her, must have been difficult for her to raise. Unfortunately, many readers are going to pick up this little paperback and put it back down; unless they are looking for an extra note pad (you could write another book within the blank pages).

 

Author Spotlight no.389 – mystery novelist and poet John J Hohn

Complementing my interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the three hundred and eighty-ninth, is of mystery novelist John J Hohn. If you would like to take part in an author spotlight, take a look at author-spotlights.

John J. Hohn is the author of Deadly Portfolio: A Killing in Hedge Funds, a five star mystery, 2011, As I Was Passing By, a collection of poems, 2000, and most recently Breached, sequel to Deadly Portfolio.

He contributes to various web sites dedicated to writing and publishing. His own website, www.jjhohn.com, features articles on a wide range of topics including book and drama reviews, autobiographical sketches, financial planning, and civil rights.

Born and raised in Yankton, South Dakota, USA, John graduated from St. John’s University in 1961 with a degree in English.

He is the father of four sons and a daughter, a stepfather to a son, and has resided in North Carolina since 1978.

He and his wife Melinda divide their time each year between their cottage in the village of Southport NC at the mouth of the Cape Fear River and a cabin near West Jefferson, NC.

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And now from the author himself:

 

Author Spotlight no.369 – novelist Jane Davis

Complementing my interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the three hundred and sixty-ninth, is of novelist Jane Davis. If you would like to take part in an author spotlight, take a look at author-spotlights.

Jane Davis lives in Carshalton, Surrey with her Formula 1 obsessed, star-gazing, beer-brewing partner, surrounded by growing piles of paperbacks, CDs and general chaos. She spent her twenties and the first part of her thirties chasing promotions, but when Jane achieved what he had set out to do, although the money was nice, she discovered that it was not what she had wanted after all. Seeking a creative outlet, she turned to writing fiction, but cites the disciplines learnt in the business world as what helps her finish a 120,000-word novel.

Her first, Half-truths and White Lies, won the Daily Mail First Novel Award and was described by Joanne Harris as ‘A story of secrets, lies, grief and, ultimately, redemption, charmingly handled by this very promising new writer.’ She was hailed by The Bookseller as ‘One to Watch.’ Four self-published novels followed: I Stopped Time, These Fragile Things, A Funeral for an Owl and An Unchoreographed Life. Of her writing, Compulsion Reads wrote, ‘Davis is a phenomenal writer, whose ability to create well rounded characters that are easy to relate to feels effortless.’ Jane’s favourite description of fiction is that it is ‘made-up truth.’

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Jane describes her journey in self-publishing…

 

Author Spotlight no.344 – Kenna McKinnon

Complementing my interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the three hundred and forty-fourth, is of young adult/MG, sci-fi/fantasy, poetry, short stories, mystery, nonfiction author, poet and interviewee Kenna McKinnon. If you would like to take part in an author spotlight, take a look at author-spotlights.

Kenna McKinnon is a Canadian freelance writer and self-employed medical transcriptionist, occasional runner, volunteer, sporadic student of hatha yoga, karate and kickboxing, and frequent walker.

She lives in a high rise bachelor suite in the trendy neighborhood of Oliver in the City of Edmonton.

Her most memorable years were spent at the University of Alberta, where she amazingly graduated with a degree in Anthropology (1975).

She has lived successfully with schizophrenia for many years and is now a senior woman, member of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta and the Canadian Authors Association.

She had three wonderful children and three grandsons.

Kenna is the author of SpaceHive, a middle grade sci-fi / fantasy novel traditionally published by Imajin Books; The Insanity Machine, a self-published memoir with co-author Austin Mardon, PhD, CM, including the latest research available at the time of writing; and DISCOVERY – A Collection of Poetry, all released in 2012.

Her books are available in eBook and paperback worldwide on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and selected bookstores and public libraries.

Kenna’s newest MG/YA novel, BIGFOOT BOY: Lost on Earth, was released on November 18th 2013 by Mockingbird Lane Press, a traditional small press and is available via Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk etc.

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And now from the author herself:

 

Author Spotlight no.340 – Lou Honderich

Complementing my interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the three hundred and forty-first, is of children’s author Lou Honderich. If you would like to take part in an author spotlight, take a look at author-spotlights.

Lou Honderich is a former teacher and life-long horsewoman. During her teaching career she taught Kindergarten, first grade and elementary PE. Her hearing loss as an adult led her to the deaf community, sign language, and a new direction in teaching. She began to work with deaf and hard-of-hearing students in self-contained classrooms, mainstream situations, in summer camps and therapeutic horseback riding programs.

Lou and her husband live on a small farm in northwest Arkansas with their horses, dogs, cats and chickens.  They have five children and seven grandchildren.  Lou Honderich continues to enjoy riding as well as writing, and is currently at work on her next book.

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And now from the author herself:

 

Author Spotlight no.337 – Jim Sellers

Complementing my interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the three hundred and thirty-seventh, is of multi-genre author and interviewee Jim Sellers. If you would like to take part in an author spotlight, take a look at author-spotlights.

Jim Sellers is the author of the newly released YA book “Jacky the Brave”. Although he had written works in most genres, he was surprised and happy to see his first publishing success was in YA. His writing in that genre is based mostly on events in his own life with some inspiration from friends and other family members. “Jacky the Brave” is just such a collection of his experiences.

Born in Edmonton in north-west Canada, Jim spent a lot of time reading and imagining exciting adventures as a kid. That was the favourite pastime of boys who didn’t play hockey and lived before the age of video games. Like most writers, he has been creating stories since his teen years and found the pen and paper to be a regular companion on long trips and quiet days. He also doubted that any of his work would be published – it seemed unlikely after watching other writers he knew trying so hard. So he set his sights on film and TV. During his 20 years in that business he learned the process of writing screenplays for drama and documentaries as well as advertising and corporate communications before retiring from that industry. For the last 10 years he has been working in communications management for non-profits groups and universities.

He continued to write screenplays as show pilots or spec film scripts, most ending up in the rejection files. It was after he decided to get his Bachelor’s degree (at 50) that he learned to appreciate the sheer joy and freedom of writing fiction. It was this appreciation for fictional writing that caused him to re-evaluate all the abandoned stories he had filed away and all the adventures he had logged in his notes. In 2004, he made a project of writing a series of YA stories based on his previous writing. Each of these stories (4 in all) received different levels of interest from publishers and agents, with results ranging from boilerplate rejections to requests for full manuscripts (followed eventually by rejections). During this time he established a variety of websites about writing, posted his short stories and wrote a serial novel.

After repeated rewrites and editing, his first Young Adult novel was accepted for publication in 2013. He is working on a sequel for the book, a short story collection and a novel.

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And now from the author himself: