When you are constantly going from one project to another, you’ll hear different wants and needs. If the writing projects you are viewing are more like novels and documentaries, you may hear some terms that you have never known at all. So, let’s hone your knowledge of literary terms you may run into from time to time.

Imagery

Imagery is an expression of images you would see in a literary work. But, it’s not merely mentioning how people look or how places look. It’s getting the reader involved in the scene. Certain scenes have significance to each of us as individuals and then there are scenes that carry similar significance to each reader.

For instance, most people would feel warm and comfortable if you were to talk about an autumn scene with the sun shining down on a yard full of fallen leaves. While most of us would welcome a description such as this, others might be distracted by their own experiences. A kid who was once homeless and had to sleep on park benches throughout the year would actually have a different reaction.

No matter what reaction a reader has to the imagery, the writer can’t be preoccupied. The art of meaningful imagery is all that matters. Create a picture with words and make it as descriptive as possible. How your readers receive your writing is their own issue.

Symbolism

Symbolism is a very close concept to imagery. In fact, symbolism can evoke images. And while those images mean the same things to certain people, they mean different things to different people. For instance, the swastika is a symbol of anti-Semitic sentiment to Jews. But, it’s a symbol of unity and power to neo-Nazis. The ironic fact is that the swastika was a symbol of peace before being adopted by Hitler.

That one symbol holds all that meaning. But, symbolism can be a bit more complex than that in literature. A bridge is a road built over a waterway or a deep valley, but in literature it can be a connection between people, families or communities. A pair of glasses is merely a looking device, but it can mean the ability to see in the future or see things more clearly than others. Anything can be given a greater meaning if the writer is masterful enough to bring the meaning into light.

Point of View

In each story, there is some kind of persona telling it. It is from that vantage point that point of view comes into play. There is of course a god-like persona who sees and knows all. Omniscient point of view knows the thoughts and actions of others. There is no limit in omniscient point of view.

But, a person who is telling one’s own story is talking in First Person point of view. A story told from a person’s own perspective is more informative on the main character in the story. The person knows why such actions were taken or such ideas were thought because they belonged to that person.

I might venture to say that most stories are told in Third Person. The Third Person perspective is one that stands at a distance and witnesses the story as it unveils. There might be some limit to thoughts, but often the Third Person perspective can see so much more than any character in the story.

You might ask, what about the Second Person point of view? It is a more difficult way of writing. The word “You” is used to describe the persona of the story. Some stories have actually accomplished it successfully. But, it’s a difficult concept. In other words, the reader is the subject of the story. So, think about that for a second and then figure how hard of a novel that would be to write.

There are plenty of literary terms. This is just a small sample of the kinds of concepts you would be expected to know if you ever decide to write on a professional level. From time to time, I’ll revisit this topic and talk more about other literary terms. But for now, start feeling more comfortable with doing research and learning certain terms for yourself. You can only make yourself a more qualified writer by understanding the terms your clients may use.

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There is a process to everything we do. When carpenters are ready to frame a house, they’ve already gone through important preparations. When a cook is in the kitchen, she’s already done her homework. Writing is the same as everything else.

Even though great writers might seem to skip a few steps or rearrange the order of steps when they are writing their masterpieces, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t done the preparations. Great writers are just so used to the steps that they’ve probably done a few of them in their heads.

When a writer begins to write a book without an outline, the organization of his book is in his head. I often do that when I know what I’m writing and I just want to get to it. Especially in this day and age where I have a computer and a word processor, the writing process is made so much easier.

Prewriting

Prewriting is the first step in any writing where the writer is trying to come up with ideas for what to write about. A good writer who is already familiar with the writing process might sit down in front of the computer and just start writing. I think of ideas all the time and when I’m ready to write, I’m ready to just roll with it.

But if you need to come up with ideas, there are plenty of ways. Do a little freewriting I wrote about in an earlier piece. Stimulate your brain with news or music. Look through your journals and pull something out that you’re interested in doing.

There is a great strategy that you can use: R.A.F.T. It stands for Role, Audience, Format, and Topic. If you think through these things, you’ll likely have your thoughts together by the time you’re finished. What is the role of your writing or what are you trying to accomplish with it? Audience is who are going to be reading it? Format is whether your writing is going to be an article, an essay, a book or whatever. Finally, you get to the Topic of your writing and you are ready to roll.

Writing

Of course, this is where the writing actually happens. But, a good writer might simply get started and work all the way through. Other writers might need to write an outline to organize their writing first. That’s actually not a bad idea.

Getting your thoughts organized helps actually save time. If you know exactly where you are going to go next with your thoughts, you can get there already. Sometimes after I’ve already started and I’ve had all my thoughts organized in my head, I can forget where I’m supposed to go with it. It takes a few minutes or even longer to get back on track. If I had an outline, I would know instantly.

When you are writing, it’s fine to make corrections. I do it all the time. But, there is an actual step in the process where you correct your grammar and spelling errors. I like to correct myself as I’m going so that there are fewer errors later to correct. But, you can simply write and then correct it all later.

Revising

There are two steps in the writing process where you make changes. Revision is when you look at your writing and try to make it better. It has nothing to do with spelling and grammar. Although, you might catch a few errors in this step.

Revising takes place after you’ve put your writing up for a few days or even weeks. It’s directly proportionate to the size of the document. If you’ve written an article, you can put it up for a few days and then come back to it. If you’ve written a novel, you should probably put it up for a few weeks at the very least.

When you look through it, read it out loud and rearrange any parts that were awkward to read. Then, look for parts of your writing that need to be more informative. Look for places where you can add descriptors and bring your writing more to life. Then, move on to the next step.

Editing

Editing is the step where you correct your grammar mistakes. A computer word processor attempts to make this step easier. When you see red lines under words, you know they are spelled wrong. But, it’s limited. There are words that exist that aren’t in your word processor’s dictionary. Simply go to the Merriam and Webster online dictionary to get ideas of how to spell.

Also, homonyms are technically spelling errors. Homonyms are words that are pronounced the same, but have different meanings. Like the three words they’re, there and their, these are three different words that people get confused from time to time. They won’t come up as spelling errors. So, you have to pay attention to little details like this.

Grammar errors are a little more difficult to find. The green lines in a word processor attempt to help you see your own grammar errors. But, this is limited as well. In fact, sometimes it’s just wrong. It might tell you that you have a fragment when you have a noun and a verb in the sentence. A word processor is also not good at picking out such things as misplaced modifiers, misplaced words that change the entire meaning of a sentence.

“I served hamburgers to the men on paper plates.”

Where the men on paper plates?

I served the men hamburgers on paper plates.”

Now, it makes sense.

There are resources online that you can refer to get help on correcting your grammar errors. Most colleges have a resource of common grammar errors like the Capital Community College.

Publishing

The final step is actually getting your work out there. If your project was an assignment, this part is easy. Just give it to your teacher or your boss. If your project was something you came up with yourself, publishing can get a little more difficult. Find the magazine that wants your article or the publisher that wants your book. Finding an agent to help is actually advisable. Sometimes finding an agent is just as difficult as finding a publisher. But once you have one, your days of finding a publisher that fits your work and presenting your material are over. That’s what the agent is supposed to be doing.

The writing process isn’t very difficult and a good writer can move through the steps smoothly without a second thought. Out of habit, we just get better and better. The steps come naturally just like cooking is to a cook. But, a novice should get familiar with the steps and follow through with each one until writing becomes second nature.

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DMOZ is The Open Directory Project and it is the largest, human-edited directory on the web today.

So what?

Well actually, it is quite a big deal as DMOZ represents a considerable opportunity to gain exposure for yourself on the web and in commercial writing circles. DMOZ is in fact, staffed by a huge number of volunteers situated around the globe and offering their services as “experts” in whatever field you can name. Many of these volunteers receive ediotorial status, that is, they are considered to be trustworthy and knowledgable enough about their chosen field that they are allowed to become part of the editing resource for the directory. Incidentally, this human component is what differentiates a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo! from a directory; directories rely on humans to analyse, evaluate and give weight to content whereas a search engine uses an algorithm.

So what’s in it for me?

For very little effort on your part, you can become an editor quite easily. There is considerable kudos to be gained by becoming a DMOZ editor and you’ll also gain some valuable experience working with other community minded web geeks. DMOZ is especially good at mentoring those with less experience and bringing them on by providing opportunities on very small editing and web projects under the supervision of more experienced hands.

Be warned this is addictive once you get started, and all you really need is an interest in a particular area and a computer. There is a lengthy application process and demand for editor spots is huge so pay attention to what they are looking for. In particular, consider what DMOZ has to say on applying and take it to heart:

“Do you have any tips on filling out the “become and editor” application?

There is no magic formula for creating the perfect application. Your application will be reviewed on a number of unique factors relative to the category in which you applied. In general, applicants should take care to apply to a small, underdeveloped category at first. Generally, applicants who apply for too broad of a category are asked to narrow their focus, and apply for a lower level category.

We view the application as an indication of how you will edit. A thoughtful, well-written application that is free of hype has a far greater chance of getting accepted than one that is sloppy, poorly-written, and full of promotional, subjective language. Finally, be truthful about your affiliations with any Web sites. Webmasters, site owners, and friends and relatives of webmasters and site owners are free to join. However, you should be up front and honest about these affiliations.”

Don’t think for one moment that the return is a one-way transaction in terms of you giving up your time.  DMOZ has an absolute stack of resources that you are provided access to as an editor.  As I have slowly, but surely become part web-geek myself over time and as DMOZ is a web-based creature, the tools and resources provided are better than any early Christmas pressie.  On the writing front, there are also a wealth of editing resources and guidelines, plus you are part of a process that is reviewed as submissions are pushed through the directory pipeline.   The biggest return for you is the experience that is t be gained from actually doing the job.

Once again, adding something to your resume or project bids is worth the effort required.  You can be a poor, hungry, brilliant writer or you can be a well-fed, not so poor, brilliant writer; the only thing that will differentiate the two is the value you are thought to be able to add to commissioning editors and project providers.  DMOZ gives a web seal of approval that is universally acknowledged.

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I read The Fight by Norman Mailer in 1993, and quickly followed up with The Naked and the Dead and Deer Park.

I was hooked on his work from there on and moved on to other works of his and his peers, particularly Truman Capote and Tom Wolfe.

It was announced a little over an hour ago that Norman Mailer had died, aged 84.

I don’t feel anything personal for Norman, I never met him and never knew him so a feeling of loss is not something I can claim. However, as a practical example of how writing can reach out and touch someone, I can say I feel saddened that someone who wrote so eloquently and passionately on real topics of interest has indeed passed on.

Norman Kingsley Mailer, was born in New Jersey on 31 January, 1923 to Jewish parents. His father was a South African accountant and his mother ran a nursing agency and through the depths of The Depression, Norman had instilled within him a need to excel.

At 16, Norman was accepted to Harvard to study the then embryonic subject of aeronautics. He became interested in writing while at Harvard and this was intended as his path until World war 2 intervened and he was drafted , serving in the Phillippines.

After the war he enrolled at the Sorbonne and in 1948 published The Naked and the Dead, a book that described his war experiences and was to make him famous and establish him as a writer.

Norman Mailer is recognised as the principal proponent of the genre known as New Journalism and was an innovator of creative non-fiction. Much of modern reportage has its origins in New Journalism.

Mailer examined many facets of American life and politics including the Vietnam War, sex, politics, the McCarthyism hysteria, and violence. Mailer also was an activist who was not afraid to step onto platforms that were deeply unpopular, including running for Mayor of New York on a seccessionist platform (Rudy Guiliani take note) as well as campaigning (successfully) for parole for a convicted murderer.

Mailer also demonstrates that a writer need not confine themselves to lofty matters requiring weighty consideration in an Ivory Tower. Readers of my age group will remember Starsky and Hutch in the 1970’s and Mailer also produced a camp classic, Tough Guys Don’t Dance with Ryan O’Neal in the lead and based upon Mailer’s novel of the same name.

Mailer had six wives, and eight children from them plus an adopted child and resided for most of his life on Cape Cod, Massachussetts.

He died today, Saturday 10th November 2007 in New York City as a result of kidney failure following lung surgery complications.

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I first encountered writers block when I had to deliver a set of twenty 300 word reviews on 2007 model cars sold in America. The word count was not large though I’m no car buff so a little research was in order.

It struck me just how similar car reviews were and it made no difference if the reviews were of different makes and models. There is not a lot you can write about changes from the Aston Martin DB7 to the Cherokee Jeep to the Smart car! Don’t take my word for it, take a look yourself at car reviews and you will see that they are all extremely similar.

Unless you are actually going to take a car out for a spin, you are well and truly stuck with using reviews and writings that already exists for the model. Embellishment is superfluous as you’ll only be embellishing someone else’s embellishment in turn.

My principal asked me how the work was going and I responded “It’s like eating cardboard!” - I really had a problem getting 300 words out for each of the twenty models that I’d been given. I’m a fairly self-disciplined kind of chap and stayed stuck to the keyboard trying to concentrate and get the work bashed out. Honestly, it drove me to distraction and took an age to complete.

Fortunately for me, I rarely come across instances like this. On the rare occasions that it happens I sit back, get up and go for a walk, do the shopping or chase my girlfriend around the house and see if she’ll let me catch her. Anything in fact, than sit there and try to work through this barrier like a runner runs through the pain barrier.

My take on writers block is that it originates in my own mind and not from the subject matter. There is simply no mileage in blaming the topic, so the only variable that is left is yourself. I haven’t tested this hypothesis yet as I’ve not had a car review to write since, but I certainly have come across other topics that have caused my brain to freeze with the numb banality of it all.

Another tool for tackling writers block is to use a writing template which has already been covered in a previous post. Templates remove the need for your brain to be engaged if you just wish to be something of a keybashing automaton. The result may not be very pretty but it will be better than what otherwise remains a blank page on the screen with a deadline approaching.

Find more Writing Tips at Supaproofread

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