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I just published my novel, which is told in the third person but through the point of view of one character. I consistently put all the MC's thoughts in italic to clarify them for the reader. I think it works.
Is it old school? Who makes up these rules?

From what I understand, if you put the MC's thoughts in italics, it is unnecessary to add, "he thought". If you do NOT use italics, then you include the tag.

I could be wrong.

You are not wrong. It is the correct style, and it brings clarity to the reader and power to the narrative.

These rules are reinvented, recreated by any writer striving to communicate with the reader. When we return to read our own efforts in the editing process, impact and clarity are utmost, and these rules present themselves organically as the rules of style we should follow. They equate to proper focus and accurate exposure in camera techniques.

Annetta's correct (as is Serracin). A couple more points
1. Whatever convention you choose, make sure you are consistent within the same story.
2. I regularly talk with a professional copy-editor who mentioned this topic recently. Her advice was to avoid anything that means significant blocks of text in italics. That also goes for scenes that show an entry from a diary or letter: don't do them all italics. Of course, that's only one opinion but that's how she earns her money, and I think it agrees with Serracin's point about clarity being the ultimate goal.

I noticed a recent mention of double-spacing. I've worked with some authors who put a space before hitting return/enter and starting a new paragraph. If you're making an eBook, that needs to be stripped out. If you don't then you will get random blank lines in the resulting eBook that look like scene breaks.

It's easy to strip out in Word. In search/replace there's a More | Special option for paragraph mark. So you want to FIND space + para mark and REPLACE with para mark. Do this repeatedly until Word shows no replacements made.

I have a question. I have a really hard time coming up with titles for my work. I slave away at a story for months at a time. I live, eat, and breathe it and then when it comes to a title, I am stuck. Does anyone have any tips to finding a great title for their work? What do you do? Do they just come to you?

Elle wrote: "I have a question. I have a really hard time coming up with titles for my work. I slave away at a story for months at a time. I live, eat, and breathe it and then when it comes to a title, I am stu..."

Titles bug me up, too. It's so frustrating. Sometimes what I do is free write for about ten minutes and brainstorm a list of words or phrases from the piece. Then I'll rearrange words until something pops out at me.

Or, I'll call my daughter and cry, throwing a neurotic writer hissy fit, and then we'll talk it out and come up with something. That's why she's in the will. Heh.

Annetta wrote: "Elle wrote: "I have a question. I have a really hard time coming up with titles for my work. I slave away at a story for months at a time. I live, eat, and breathe it and then when it comes to a ti..."

lol very helpful. I think I will try the first suggestion. Then when I have a daughter, I will wait 20 years and

Elle wrote: "I have a question. I have a really hard time coming up with titles for my work. I slave away at a story for months at a time. I live, eat, and breathe it and then when it comes to a title, I am stu..."

I've become (probably unnecessarily) subject to a self-imposed penchant for one-word titles. While Medusa was a logical choice, the book being based upon the Greek myth, Cipher still plagues me, causing me to second guess the choice. I guess, in the long run, angst is just part of the process, whether it surrounds picking the precise word you wish to use in a sentence so that it will convey the exact meaning you want, or selecting something as seemingly mundane as a title. Good luck!

Joyce wrote: "I forgot to ask. Isn't it correct to use italic if it's the character thinking to himself? I was taught that it was and have heard lately that it's old school thought. what is the correct way to..."

I use italics for thoughts - don't care if it IS old school! It helps the reader.

Leigh wrote: "...I, too, find the practice to be effective. I've read novels that do not use italics in such a manner, and at times, the passages are confusing. I wonder if others feel the same way....

ROFL Was that an inner thought??

Scott wrote: "...Is it old school? Who makes up these rules?

And who says we have to abide with those rules. WE are the creators! GODS of the written word!


just kidding! sorta

Elle wrote: "..lol very helpful. I think I will try the first suggestion. Then when I have a daughter, I will wait 20 years and ...."
ha
you don't have to wait! Do you have beta readers or just some close friends who love to read what you've written? Give them the first chapter and ask them what they think would be a good title FROM what you've written!

I find titles tricky. I'd always ask forums, friends and critique groups for their advice. Just did this with my debut novel. Interesting that I got a clear gender divide in my responses.

Elle wrote: "I have a question. I have a really hard time coming up with titles for my work. I slave away at a story for months at a time. I live, eat, and breathe it and then when it comes to a title, I am stu..."

Elle,
I don't know - they just jumped on me, my titles. They came hurtling at me through time and space. They chose me. I'm sorry - I know that's absolutely no help to you.
Paula

Paula wrote: "Elle wrote: "I have a question. I have a really hard time coming up with titles for my work. I slave away at a story for months at a time. I live, eat, and breathe it and then when it comes to a ti..."

lol, that is still good to hear. I kind of invision your titles like accessories. As if someone goes to complement you on your outfit and you have to say "Oh thanks that's just new title sparkling there"

Try this Elle,

What's the ONE THING your protagonist wants more than anything on the planet(or off planet if it's Scy-Fi).

Find ten different words that describe that thing.

One of those could be your title.

Paula wrote: "Try this Elle,

What's the ONE THING your protagonist wants more than anything on the planet(or off planet if it's Scy-Fi).

Find ten different words that describe that thing.

One of those could b..."

That's great! I am going to brainstorm on that today. Thank you!

As Paula demonstrates, some folks have a gift for titles, short phrases, ad copy, logos, corporate names, et al.

Don't sweat it. The cover image is usually far more important than a title.

My titles have come to me while I was writing. I sort of stop after I've written a word or phrase and go, "Hey, that pretty much sums it up!" Of course, I always add something afterward ( : A Novel of....) to give the prospective reader a little more insight to what's inside.

As far as the conversation about italics and inner thoughts, I think the it boils down to preference (as with so many other style choices in today's literature.) The key is to be consistent.

Elle wrote: "I have a question for authors:
As an author myself, I love to read but rarely get as much time as I would like. How often do you read in a week?"

I try and read once a day, rather it be a novel, or a short story, or a comic book. But I try and keep my mind lubricated with the written word. I work a full time job, so when I get home at night I jump on an hour or hour and a half, then I write for two hours and then instead of TV (there's noting on good any more) I read for an hour. Its hard sometimes and it can be a juggling act, but I try my best.

Elle wrote: "I have a question. I have a really hard time coming up with titles for my work. I slave away at a story for months at a time. I live, eat, and breathe it and then when it comes to a title, I am stu..."

Most of the time I have two things before I start writing. The title, in most cases the story builds around the title. It's not always true. It took me months to come up with the title for "In Memory Alone." In most cases however I have a title before the first word is written. As for the second thing, I always have an ending for what I'm writing, something I can build to.

Charles wrote: "Elle wrote: "I have a question. I have a really hard time coming up with titles for my work. I slave away at a story for months at a time. I live, eat, and breathe it and then when it comes to a ti..."

I love your titles.

Serracin wrote: "As Paula demonstrates, some folks have a gift for titles, short phrases, ad copy, logos, corporate names, et al.

Don't sweat it. The cover image is usually far more important than a title."

Cover Art means alot, Serracin. I agree with you.

Ginger wrote: "My titles have come to me while I was writing. I sort of stop after I've written a word or phrase and go, "Hey, that pretty much sums it up!" Of course, I always add something afterward ( : A Novel..."

Hey Ginger,
Nice to meet you.
I've thought about this question since I read it earlier - the one about the italics.

When an author uses italics I instinctively think it's the POV character thinking.

Paula

Annetta wrote: "From what I understand, if you put the MC's thoughts in italics, it is unnecessary to add, "he thought". If you do NOT use italics, then you include the tag.

I could be wrong."

That's the way I see it, Annetta.
Paula

Paula wrote: "Charles wrote: "Elle wrote: "I have a question. I have a really hard time coming up with titles for my work. I slave away at a story for months at a time. I live, eat, and breathe it and then when ..."

Thanks Paula!

Scott wrote: "I just published my novel, which is told in the third person but through the point of view of one character. I consistently put all the MC's thoughts in italic to clarify them for the reader. I thi..."

Hey Scott from Twitter!
Yes, I agree with you. I don't know if it's a rule? It just makes sense to me.
It's clear that way.

Paula

Nice to meet you, Paula.

About the italics and inner thoughts of POV character, me too. When I was writing, that's the way I felt it should go. I looked all over the internet to find a definitive answer and had no luck. Basically I thought to myself (imagine italics here!) "If it's good enough for Stephen King, it's certainly good enough for me!"

Consistency is really the most important thing. If you use italics, use them all the way through and do not use quotation marks or the tag, "S/he thought". The use of italics for thoughts is the standard set by the Chicago Manual of Style, but you'll see writers do it different ways.

The other school of thought is large chunks of italics are difficult for the reader to get through, so it's best to keep italics to a minimum if possible.

As for titles, what the MC wants more than anything is good, but then, all books would be titled "Love," "Freedom," "Justice," or "Food." What the MC is, deep down, works. "Red Mojo Mama" does that, as does Joyce's "Dubliners." My books title is the central mystery: "The Bones of the Earth." What are they? the MC must find the answer.

I have a question.

I was wondering how many of you out there, have a writing coach or an editor? I am speaking mostly to the people who self-publish. I have an article on my blog about the benefits of having a writing coach, and I have gotten a lot of mixed responses from people about whether they think you need one or not. Here is the article



What do you think? Do you have one? Do you want one?

I am a self-published author, and I indeed have an editor; two, actually.

I've working in publishing for a long, long time, but one of the first things I learned was that no author can effectively edit his/her own work. You just don't catch all the errors. And even a quick look at a book that has not had a second set of eyes will show many spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors.

But they're not the main reason for editing. Every author also needs a critical look at the concepts of the book. If it's fiction, they need someone to give feedback on plot and characterization, to point out cliches and logical flaws. And most of all, to point out where the text makes no sense.

I champion the independent author - I am one. And there are some excellent independently published books on the market. Unfortunately, there are also many that have not been edited, and that only hurts the reputation of all.

Scott wrote: "I am a self-published author, and I indeed have an editor; two, actually.

I've working in publishing for a long, long time, but one of the first things I learned was that no author can effective..."

I feel the exact same way. I have an editor and several "Readers." I don't know how I would do it with ought them. It is true that the people who don't get their work polished, looks bad on the rest of us. I have had a lot of people say they can't afford it, and I do understand that, on the one hand, but on the other hand, I think, then your not ready to publish. That is like saying, " I am a painter, but for now I use crayons because I can't afford oil." It is expensive, but its a necessary evil.

I work as an editor specializing in new authors and I love it. In my own reading for pleasure, it makes me crazy the amount of fascinating, amazing premises in indie work totally ruined because there has been no investment in editing. And it *is* an investment, just like the cover art and the formatting.

It's early days yet in the revolution, and a learning curve to conquer. Exciting times to be a reader, a writer, AND an editor. :)

C.S. Splitter wrote: "One space or two?

I recently read an article that stated that using double spaces after periods ending sentences was an archaic practice left over from type writer days.

Really?

Splitter"

Actually, it's an archaic practice designed to make it easier for people to read copy. It's only archaic because fewer people read. In an EBook world or POD world, it's far easier for people to read a double spaced book. Professionals such as TV and radio newsreaders ALWAYS double space for ease of reading their copy.

Single spacing in printed books serves a single major reason-it takes less paper to print a book and thus save money for the publisher.

I totally agree that an author must: 1. get their works edited 2. Get their work properly formatted by someone who knows what they are doing. I just spent a week trying to "format" one of my books and couldn't even get close to what I wanted. Well, live and learn.

Alice wrote: "I totally agree that an author must: 1. get their works edited 2. Get their work properly formatted by someone who knows what they are doing. I just spent a week trying to "format" one of my books ..."

The formatting drives me crazy, Alice. I was never so close as to ripping out every single hair on my head than I was when formatting. Not so much the eversion, but the print version.

Still, I think it's good for every author to at least attempt the process just to see what it's like.

Anneta. Can I suggest you visit Lulu.com or Createspace and download one of their free Word templates. It's avialble for all popular book formats and is pre-formated for print. One simply pastes text in and there it is -ready for print. Small changes can then be made easly.
It will save your hair!
Regards Davidrory

C.S. Splitter wrote: "One space or two?

I recently read an article that stated that using double spaces after periods ending sentences was an archaic practice left over from type writer days.

Really?

Splitter"

Yes and no. The reality is that two spaces before the start of a sentence provide a visual assist to separating the thoughts from one sentence to another. It's rather like indenting the first line of a new paragraph or adding an extra space before lines in a new paragraph. Hope that helps. However, some texting systems, such as this one on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, then automatically cut the spaces down to one. This entire entry was typed with two spaces before sentences but the software cuts it to a single space. That's what happens when a software geek develops a website for writers. :-)

Shawn wrote: "Elle wrote: "I have a question for authors:
As an author myself, I love to read but rarely get as much time as I would like. How often do you read in a week?"

I rarely get to read much any more. I..."

Shawn, good luck, I remember doing big shows for six days, two of prep followed by four exhibiting. Awful on the legs.

David Rory wrote: "Anneta. Can I suggest you visit Lulu.com or Createspace and download one of their free Word templates. It's avialble for all popular book formats and is pre-formated for print. One simply pastes te..."

Thanks, David. When I published my collection that option was not available, and with Athena's Promise I wasn't at all familiar with the templates. Definitely checking them out the next time -- thanks!

Alice and Annetta:

Are you using styles in your manuscript? If not, that is likely the primary source of your frustration. Secondly, are you trying to format without a guide? It has been my experience that many of us self-pubbed authors try to format without actually knowing what the rules are to begin with. There are many print practices that do not translate into HTML or which are possible in HTML but are erased when converting to ebooks.

Thirdly, what is the nature of the book you are trying to format? A novel, a manual, poetry? Indented paragraphs or block paragraphs? Each has its own rules. And there are certain irritating quirks in, for example, Kindle whereby it automatically indents the first line of every paragraph. You can override this and it is easy to do so, but you need to know this quirk exists so you know how to fix it, that the first line indent wasn't something you did wrong but a limitation of the software.

As for print, are you trying to do your book layout in Word? That is likely the problem. It's possible to do print layout in Word but it's not the ideal program because print layout requires finessing of word and line spacing to make it look good and this is easier and faster to do in a proper graphic design program like InDesign. Sometimes it's easier to contract things out.

After I published my first novel, Baby Jane, I began doing experiments to see what was and was not possible with the basic ebook formats. I ended up writing a book on self-publishing that includes a chapter on formatting for ebooks and recipes for achieving specific effects such as block paragraphs. You don't have to learn code, you just have to be able to follow directions. And at $10 for the ebook or $20 for the print, it will save you hundreds in formatting fees or hours of your time.

M.A. wrote: "Alice and Annetta:

Are you using styles in your manuscript? If not, that is likely the primary source of your frustration. Secondly, are you trying to format without a guide? It has been my experi..."

Hi M.A.,

Thanks for your detailed reply. The first book I published was a collection of flash fiction, and after picking at it for way too much time, I hired a great formatter for the formatting. I firmly believe every author needs to go through each and every process in putting a book together if they're going to self-publish. It's the only way you'll learn where you're strong and can handle things for yourself and where you need help. In formatting, I needed help and for Not Nice, I got it.

For Athena's Promise, I really wanted to put it together myself with help from a guide and a couple of close partners-in-crime. While I'm not 100% happy with the print outcome, I am satisfied and learned a lot from the process. I totally agree that sometimes it's easier to contract things out to people who know a lot more than you do and it's money well-spent. For instance, I can do basic covers but I'm certainly not a professional.

I think you should know how the process works, but if you can't come up with professional results doing it yourself, it's a good idea to hire someone who can. That's just my opinion.

Elle,
Re: writing coaches and editors
I used a writing coach while rewriting my memoir prior to publication. It was expensive, time consuming, humbling, and invaluable. I learned so much! For one thing it is only through having a dispassionate (and hopefully knowledgeable) reader review your manuscript that you can discover things that make perfect sense to you—missing details are in your head after all—but aren’t there for the reader.
In addition to the writing coach’s input, I also used a professional copy editor which also revealed quite a few things I would not have wanted in a final version!
We owe it to our readers to provide the best we can.
Carol

Carol:
I'm encouraged by your comments. I'm curious, though, as to what you consider "expensive." As a professional editor what I have discovered is that most other writers either do not want to pay or cannot afford to pay for professional editing. I was constantly asked to do freebies. Eventually I gave up and went corporate. I've started editing again for other indie authors (and I lowered my rates for the recession) but I wonder how many writers are really willing to pay for a professional edit.

M.A.:
I wanted my book to be as good as I could make it so I paid for professional editing as part of a package that included cover design and layout for the paperback edition. I can't say what portion went to the editor, but I'm sure it was the going rate for the area where I live.
I have so much respect for professional editors. You are worth your weight in gold!

M.A. and others. I agree a good editor is needed and worth what ever one can afford to pay. The fact remains - for many who go Indi, pro fees are out of their reach. I was very fortunate to find someone good I could afford but that search took three years!
Most pros I simply could not afford. I have ten novels needing work and that would have cost me a staggering amount of money.
It's a dilema ok.
davidrory

David. That's no excuse for a beginning writer to publish a work that's less than the best they can produce. In fact, this past week I saw a quote on PW by a college professor speaking of EPublishing who said: just because they can publish a book doesn't mean they should.
An exceedingly high percentage of first time "authors" just aren't. They aren't ready to publish based on a lack of skill in story creation, spelling, punctuation or overall knowledge of what constitutes a book. Yet they're the very ones who are most voiciferous about their "right" to glut the market with trash; the very same trash that threatens the EBook market. When a reader spends money for the second or third time and gets an abysmally written end product, they decide not to bother anymore and quickly revert to well-branded authors and print books. At that point, not very far away, "Doom" will be written on the walls leading to EPublishing. That's my take after 45 years in various aspects of the publishing business.

I wanted an editor for my first novel. I needed one. I received some great input from someone not quite an editor, which helped me chop and prune, move and reduce, tighten and file down and polish. And then I had a need to make that new work better and better until I could say I liked it and was confident in it.

I also remember a writing teacher I had in college (He had published two novels). I was lucky enough to watch and read up close how his editor guided him to do what I had been guided to do with my book. The editing process for him, however, was at the highest level. He was a known writer with several books published, and his editor was the numero uno editor of the literary world in the sixties. My teacher had been seduced in a subtle way to cut down his novel and make the changes that brought it to where the publisher wanted. I don't think it made the novel better. I think it was made acceptable, but no longer a potentially great novel. He had written a potentially great work, but it was reduced in wrong ways. It had become a business decision, not a literary one.

I think a professional editor can misdirect as easily as direct your work. I am sure of the creative process. It doesn't include outside advice.

I know that some famous writers develop relationships with editors. If you write seriously, that is, you create literary fiction, you need input and feedback. Serious literary works probably should have a serious editor.

If you write to entertain, you need to develop some editing skills and insights for yourself.

Consider this. If it was a short story, would you need help? Then for sure, get some help. But if you have the confidence to write and polish your own short stories, then march on and trust your own insight with your novels.

Will a book be better because someone else reshapes it? Then, you haven't written well enough on your own.

You can't learn much if someone holds your hand. Master the process. Ultimately, do you want to tell your story and all the parts you created, or can it be cut out. If it must stay, then make it better.

If I had excess money, I'd get several editors and see where they took the same work. Now that would be interesting, wouldn't it?

The way I look at this issue is the book is mine and I can get it into shape for readers. Editing from a pro would be nice, if it was just grammar and punctuation and formatting. Take the drudgery away.

I work on editing about one and a half times per hour of creating. It is five times more painful. But, I see it as the writing process. (Leonard Cohen would spend a year or more on one song or poem.)

Interestingly, I always know the sections that I wrote fast, flabby, unfocused and weak. When I come to them again, I begin the editing, over and over and over. But, I felt it in my stomach all along from the getgo. We sometimes write it knowing that we'll see it later and fix it. Often, 'delete' is the fix. Or, moving sections, even entire chapters. ('cut and paste', we thank thee).

The flow is important. I believe writer's block strikes writers who dwell on getting it right, perfecting it, and worrying by dwelling on quality while marching toward completion of the work. Write. Write and write. And later, you will go to those weak places and edit or delete or move them.

Photographers, painters, dancers, musicians, composers, and designers don't have "editors". They have parameters, and they have standards; they have no external assist in their core creations. They find the ways and means of refining and polishing those creations.

I think a writer can do it alone. It has been that way for centuries--Maxwell Perkins notwithstanding. (Perkins was in the very serious literary world).

But this is just one opinion. It isn't dogma, so don't feel what you do or need is wrong or less in any way.

If I had a collaborating editor or nurturing reader, I would be a better writer, no doubt. Meanwhile, I am fine with my own self-direction.