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Naming names
. . . and the law |
Monday, 30 November 2009 |
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Filed
under:
writing tips |
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I strongly recommend to authors of tell-all, autobiographical books (or other books that refer to living people) that they seek a legal opinion before going to print. A good lawyer probably won’t have to read the book in its entirety, particularly if you provide a copy in which you have highlighted the instances where you name living people or organisations (e.g. individuals, bands, companies, clubs, government departments, etc) and where people may be identifiable. This process will reduce the time the lawyer needs to spend on your project and will, therefore, reduce the cost to you.
In most cases, you will need to make sure that you have the permission (in writing) of each person you actually identify, if you provide personal details about them. It depends entirely upon how much detail you are giving about the individual or group. If it is material that is already in the public arena, authors have been reasonably safe in the past—but given that the 'public arena' might now include spurious comments on nefarious websites, don't take risks.
A lawyer can help you with a watertight legal disclaimer, as well.
The legal aspect is probably the main reason we see so few autobiographies from younger people—if you’re 80, most of the characters in your book will probably no longer be in a position to sue the pants off you. And your grandmother won't still be alive to read the book and disinherit you for your wayward behaviour! |
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How to end a
chapter |
Monday, 2 November 2009 |
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Filed
under:
writing tips |
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Before sending your book to a market assessor or editor, I recommend that you go back through the book and look at how each chapter ends. Aim to make the conclusion of each chapter pithy and punchy, humorous, surprising, or full of pathos—anything but tedious! Don’t leave your reader feeling bored or frustrated, or with endings that simply trail off. After all, you want to lead your reader into another chapter.
Don’t be afraid to rework chapter endings. This may actually involve moving the contents of chapters around so that they end on a better note. Read the end paragraphs of each chapter in isolation. Do they make you want to read more, or do they make you want to go and put the kettle on?
If, after all this, you still feel that there is something wrong with a chapter ending, you should bring this to your editor’s attention. A good editor will be able to offer you a range of suggestions or solutions that you can rework to make your own. |
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"Insomnia"
© Meg Mackenzie 2009 |
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Correct Punctuation:
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how formal should I be? |
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Thursday,
29 October 2009 |
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Filed
under:
writing tips |
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Correct punctuation is really important,
even in a flow-of-consciousness style
book. When working on a literary project,
I suggest that you become great friends
with punctuation and grammar, as these
are the vehicles which ensure that your
reader takes your message on board.
Common errors include misuse of the
rules around apostrophes, particularly
around numbers and the word ‘it’.
Enormous run-on sentences will make the
reader almost pass out through lack of
breath, even when reading silently. The
continuous use of indices (parenthesis
or rounded brackets) and M-dashes (where
authors often use hyphens in error) in
the text can
be very distracting. Remember that
whenever you force a reader to re-read a
sentence, you are effectively alienating
the reader and breaking the flow of your
narrative. Many readers will simply
give up if this happens too often.
Good content is lost without correct and
consistent punctuation and grammar. Good
readers are also lost for want of good
grammar and punctuation. Remember, your
reader has a lot of things competing for
his or her attention, so you need to
make sure that you grab that attention
and keep hold of it for as long as
possible! |
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Who is your reader? |
Tuesday,
27 October 2009 |
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Filed
under:
writing tips |
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At any time during the planning or
writing of your book, have you sat down
and determined who your reader actually
is? I suggest that you get a picture of
your reader in your mind (think of who
you will be marketing this book to) and
reread it with the audience in mind so
that you can fix any anomalies.
If the author hasn’t really identified
his or her audience, it is not uncommon
to find that several parts of the book
may be aimed at very different
audiences. A good editor should identify
such problems, but a good editor will
also want to know a little about your
intended audience so that he or she can
ensure that your writing is suited to
your purpose.
It may help to imagine your reader in
quite some detail, in order to focus on
correctly targeting your writing. If you
give that reader a face (and even a
name!), if may assist with keeping you
on track.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking
that your audience is everyone who can
read. This will undoubtedly result in a
book that fails to attract anybody! |
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