Six Things Every Writer Should Know

I have been working on and refining a brief handout on the most common writing errors see. Here is the latest version:

Six Things Every Writer Should Know

By James W. Kershner

1. Good writing is simple. Short, simple, clear sentences written in active voice are almost always better than long, complicated sentences.
2. Possessive pronouns, such as its, mine, yours, his, hers, theirs, and ours, do not have apostrophes; contractions do. Its is a possessive pronoun, meaning belonging to it; it’s is a contraction for it is. Their is a possessive pronoun meaning belonging to them; they’re is a contraction for they are. Your is a possessive pronoun meaning belonging to you. You’re is a contraction for you are.
3. Contrary to popular belief, commas do not signal a pause in a sentence. They have specific grammatical functions that can be learned. These include separating items in a series, separating two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, setting off words of direct address, setting off independent clauses from introductory phrases or clauses, and certain conventional uses.
4. Pronouns must agree with their antecedents (the words they stand for). Therefore the sentence. Each student must do their own work is incorrect. The plural pronoun their needs a plural antecedent, such as students. The correct version is: All students must do their own work.
5. The phrases a lot and all right are two-word phrases. Neither should be written as one word.
6. When a comma or period appears next to a closing quotation mark, the comma or period always goes inside the quote. In other words, the comma or period always goes before the closing quotation mark. For example:
   “I love you,” he said.   or
   I like the song “Yesterday,” don’t you?   or 
   He said, “Always put the period or comma inside the quotation marks.”

 

 

Nov. 30 evening check-in:

Writing: Yes I wrote this entry

Running: Yes, I ran on the treadmill this morning

Meditation: Yes, I did sitting meditation after my conference call with the tele-sangha of long-time practitioners.

Early to rise

I feel better when I run early in the morning. So I have gotten up early (5:15) in order to have a good breakfast (Joe's O's), write in my blog (herewith), and get to the gym by 7:20, so that I can still be in my office by 8:30 to get ready for my 9:30 class. So far, so good.

Of course I will be mighty tired by 9 p.m. this evening, when we finish up the drumming circle. But that will help me get a good night's sleep tonight in order to start all over early tomorrow morning. My buddy Len is in the drumming circle too. Last night (or early this morning) I had a dream that included Len. He and I were chest-deep in the water of a harbor. The bottom was an uneven surface of rocks and shellfish. We were discussing the color reproduction of a printed publication. I think it might have been a color newspaper page. The printer came along--also in the water--and Len and I were talking to him about how to make the color better, but he didn't seem to understand the four-color printing process newspapers use, in which the four colors or printing ink are cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow, and black. I couldn't understand how the printer himself didn't seem to understand what we were saying. All the time I was trying to tread water because the rough floor of the harbor hurt my feet. Clearly I was remembering my many years in thenewspaper business and mixing it with my new friendship with Len on the drumming circle and recent experiences swimming in the pond in front of my house and elsewhere on Cape Cod.

I find I do my best writing early in the morning. On sabbatical I plan to set up a regular routine that includes getting up early and writing early in the morning. I wonder if I should save running and meditating until later in the day so that I can get right to writing. On the other hand, meditating before writing is also a good practice. Perhaps I should rise, meditate, write, and then run.

A Mindful Nation

I was out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday and got out of my most beneficial routines. I did not write, meditate or run as much as I would like. I think I want to start keeping track of those activities in a more systematic way.

This afternoon I attended a wonderful talk by Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, author of A Mindful Nation. He advocates more mindfulness in education, health care, and society in general. He is especially effective because he is so down-to-earth. He looks like just what he is, a respectable congressman from Ohio. He said he played quarterback on his high school football team. It is wonderful to hear him advocating for more meditation and mindfulness.

Mutual Muses

The Mutual Muses potluck was fantastic. It is an annual event sponsored by the Cultural Center of Cape Cod. This evening there were lots of poets and artists together, sharing food and ideas. I believe the director, Lauren Wolk, said there were 26 of each. After a fun potluck supper, we had a blind, random exchange of works in sealed envelopes. I ended up with a photo of a sculpture by the well-known Cape artist Heather Blume. I had a lovely talk with Heather, and I am going to go see the original in the Cahoon Museum of Art in Cotuit, which is one of my favorite museums. I have until March to write a poem inspired by Heather's sculpture. And an artist came running up to me saying she loves my Beebe Woods poem. It was a fun evening. I can't wait to see teh end product in March.

"The Sessions"

Last night we went to see The Sessions, a wonderful independent film about a man in an iron long. Helen Hunt plays a sex surrogate in a performance that should win the Oscar. The particular showing I witnessed was especially dramatic. There is a climactic scene in which the character played by John Hawkes is all alone at home, lying in his iron lung listening to a baseball game when suddenly there is a power failure in his neighborhood. It not only stops the broadcast of the game but also the iron lung, without which he cannot survive long. At just that moment in the theater--the Cape Cinema in Dennis--the screen went black and all the lights in the theater went off. I thought it was the most dramatically shocking ending to a film I had ever seen. I expected to credits to begin to roll soon.

But, as it turned out, there was a brief power failure at the theater that just happened to coincide with the power failure in the film. Nobody in the theater knew what to make of it. After a few minutes people began talking about it. Finally someone from the management came out and apologized and said they would attempt to reset the digital computer and fast-forward it to the right place and show us the last 10 minutes of the film. It took 15 or 20 minutes to get the film going again, and then we saw the real ending, which was quite good, although it seemed a little conventional, compared with the previous "ending."

I think the film is very beautiful. It depicts kindness, compassion and love with great sensitivity. The subject is sex, and the film shows full frontal nudity, but it is done with such dignity and grace that it very tasteful.

Maashpee Poetry Group

Once a month a group of us (between six and fifteen, usually) gather to share and discuss poetry. This morning Christina Laurie has asked us each to being a six- to eight-line poem to share. I am looking forward to  the session.

Then on Monday, I have been invited to be a judge for the local competition of the national "Poetry Out Loud" recitation competition sponsored by the national Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. http://poetryoutloud.org/


And Monday evening is the annual pot-luck supper of Mutual Muses, where artists and poets form Cape Cod gather and do a random exchange of art and poetry which which to inspire each other. Every poet receives a photo of a piece of visual art, and then we have until next spring to write a poem inspired by the art. Meanwhile the visual artists will be creating artwork inspired by a poem. This will be my fourth year, and it has always been a wonderful experience.

So my focus is on poetry for the next few days, although that is not my primary field.  I suppose as long as I am focused on writing, it is all good.

The speed of soul

Everyone wants "more time." We say "there is not enough time." But--to state the obvious--there is no more or less time. Time is just a way to talk about what there is, We cannot expand or contract it. The only question is how do we use the time we have. We can choose to hurry through life, or we can choose to appreciate it mindfully.

 

My favorite singer and songwriter, Carrie Newcomer, just released a new album featuring the song, "The Speed of Soul." The lyrics are great poetry. Here is what she says about it: 

This song was inspired by Phillip Gulley’s essay The March of

Progress and a Native American saying, “You should never
travel further in a day than your soul can travel.” Just because
we can, doesn’t mean we should.

The Speed of Soul by Carrie Newcomer
 
I found her sleeping in a Kansas truck stop,
In the corner booth.
She'd been waiting there for months,
And that's the truth.
She looked at me with wary eyes,
She'd heard all my lies.
She was not surprised,
She just looked a me
And shook her head.

Chorus:
Come back, Come home.

I’m gathering the crumbs and stones.
Been traveling faster than my soul
Can go.

One subject line, one click away,
But at the end of the day,
I couldn't even say,
The things that I had done.
So I spent the morning sweeping floors.
I didn't want much more,
Then to do just one thing at a time,
And call it mine.

Chorus
 

Before songs were grooves and lines

And caught in jars like fireflies,
The only place a song was held
Soft and razor-sharp
Was in the heart.

Mr. Gatling made a Gatling gun
He said it would end war
For who could send some mothers son
Through such a door

But the bullets move at the speed of cold
Drones do as they’re told
And the men go home at night
And kiss the wife
And watch TV
And never see
All those souls untethered
Floating out to sea

Chorus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxecvvYs4uM
 

Writers Conferences

Another goal of my sabbatical is to attend--and perhaps teach at--two or three writers conferences. I do not yet know which ones I should pursue, or even how to go about it, but I will do that. I have enjoyed the Cape Cod Writers conference, so that should be one of them. I will try to find some more.
If anyone sees this and has some suggestions, I will be most grateful.

Point of View

A writer must be mindfully aware of point of view in writing, so that the reader doesn't have to.

This evening I had one of those moments teachers live for. A student in my Creative writing class was telling his classmates about a book he read, Elements of Fiction Writing: Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card.
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Fiction-Writing-Characters-Viewpoint/dp/0898799279
The student said that Card emphasizes how important it is to maintain a consistent point of view--whether it is third-person limited, or third-person omniscient--for example. Then the student said he had never thought about point of view in his writing until I had the class do a writing exercise in which they described the same scene from different points of view. I felt gratified both to hear that Orson Scott Card (a wonderful writer) reinforced the same message I give in my classes, and also that the student acknowledged that he learned form the classroom exercise.

The exercise was very simple. I handed out a one-page anecdote in which an incident in the classroom was described from the limited first-person point of view of the instructor, who was out in the hallway when an altercation erupted. Then I asked the student to describe the same events from the limited first-person point of view of one of the students in the class. Then I asked the students to describe the same scene from a limited third-person point of view in which the narrator describes what one person sees. Finally, I asked the students to describe the scene from an omniscient point of view.

I know I never understand something so well as when I teach it. Both my students and I learned a lot this evening.

Self-discipline

I am not a big believer in self-discipline. When I have achieved things that others might attribute to self-discipline, it has been through simply doing what brings me joy. Back in the 1980s I  had been  struggling to give up drugs and alcohol for years. I had been trying to do what I thought I should do, despite what I wanted to do. As long as those two impulses were both present, I would fail at my attempts at self-discipline. Trying to do what I do not want to do is nearly impossible for me. But once I realized that living a clean and sober life give me great joy, it was easy to to what gave me joy.

Increasing the amount of time I spend writing, meditating and running is in the same category. I am finding these activities give me great joy, so I am drawn to them. I think this is related to the old chestnut, "Do what you love, and the money will follow." When I do what I love, it comes naturally.

So this morning I am headed to the gym to run on the treadmill. I used to think it would be terrible drudgery, but now I realize it gives me great joy.

Yes I can

Yes I can achieve my goals. Yes I am achieving my goals. I have written I Just Want to Be Happy, and I will fine a publisher in 2013. I am writing The Elements of Academic Writing, and I will complete it in 2013. I have written three drafts of Wither the Revolution, and I will complete the final draft in 2013. I an starting Mindfulness of the Mass Media and will complete a first draft in 2013. I am a poet, and I will compile a collection of my best work in 2013.

I write, I mediate, and I run. I will continue to enjoy these activities more and more in the future, increasing my health and happiness. Life is good. I already have all the conditions I need for happiness in my life. The more I write, meditate and run, the happier I am.

From now until Dec. 21 I have to continue my job, which is to teach seven courses. that is a challenging and demanding job; it is also a job I love. I also have to advise the student newspaper, serve on committees and participate in a variety of college activities. I also lead the Cape Sangha, participate in church activities, co-lead the Mashpee Poetry Group, and do some volunteer activities, such as judging the Prime time Writing Contest this month.

In 39 days my sabbatical begins. My regular obligations at the college will end, and I will cut back on my other obligations, freeing myself to focus on my sabbatical goals. Yes I can achieve my goals. I will write every day. I will run and meditate every day, and I will be happy.

In the past I have wasted time wondering why I cannot do the things I want to do. I have asked people to help me with that problem. I ask them why it is that there are things I know I should do, want to do and ought to do but do not do. Now I know that the very act of asking that question is the problem itself. Wondering why I do not achieve goals ensures that I do not achieve goals. Delighting in the fact that I am achieving my goals ensures that I do achieve goals. It is not magical thinking or some miraculous trick. It is simply positive thinking, which is extremely helpful.

Monday holiday

I can see why I requested a sabbatical. It is hard to get much writing done with so many other things to do. I have a lot of papers to grade for the seven classes I am teaching. Of course I did very little writing or grading today. I mostly chatted with good friends. It was a very enjoyable day, but now I have to devote several hours this evening to grading. That's OK; I love my job.

The weather today was beautiful: 60 degrees and sunny. It was like a little taste of summer in late fall. I am glad I was outside for part of it. The rain returns tomorrow.

Veterans Day 11/11

Uh oh, I haven't done any writing today. Too tired now. I know I do my best writing in the morning. On the sabbatical, I should establish a schedule of writing early in the morning.
I did meditate quite a bit, and I went for a five-mile walk, so I feel good about that. For me a perfect day would include writing, running, and meditating. Church and the Sangha were both very good, so I am a happy man. I have all the conditions necessary for happiness.
Veterans Day is set on Nov. 11, because of the historic Armistice on that date in 1918, but state employees also get tomorrow off to make up for the holiday falling on a Sunday. I need to grade papers tomorrow.

UMass Boston students show creativity in six-word story contest

UMass Boston students show creativity in six-word story contest

Saturday night writes

I have added to my sabbatical goals the idea of getting my poetry organized. Perhaps I can put them all in one place and select the few that are ready for prime time. Setting goals like that is eaasier than achieving them. So much of life is taken up with what I did today -- laundry, cleaning, going to the dump, post office and bank, and cleaning the car.
When I do get to writing I hope to focus on what is intersteing to other people--universal human themes, and interesting characters that change.
The Boston Globe had a fascinating story about a six-word short story contest at UMass Boston. Linking to it is difficult, but if you search for "six-word short story contest," you will probably find it.
OK, I seem to have posted it above by following their rules. Enjoy!

Mindfulness of television

One of my sabbatical book projects of Mindfulness of the Mass Media. As part of that I am writing questions to consider about each of the media. All suggestions are welcome!

1. Mindfulness and television sound like opposites. Television is often associated with mindless diversion. For what purpose do you watch television?
2. In the second half of the twentieth century, television was the dominant entertainment medium for most North Americans and Europeans. In the twenty-first century, many people say the Internet has begun to take over that position. Where do you get most of your entertainment?
3. Television was the primary source of news for many Americans in the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, with newspapers close behind. In recent years, the Internet has begun to take over that role. Where do you get your news?
4. Television networks that broadcast over the airwaves must follow the regulations of the Federal Communications Commission and operate in the public interest. Cable networks, however, have much more freedom and First Amendment protection. Have you noticed any difference between cable networks and broadcast networks?
5. Most television programming is financed by advertising. Public broadcasting is not. Have you noticed any difference between the commercial and non-commercial programs?
6. Many bars and restaurants have television sets positioned so that patrons can watch TV while patronizing the establishments. How does this affect your experience in such establishments?
7. Some people say the behavior of people on television shows affects what is considered normal behavior in our society. Do you think television programming affects cultural norms?
8. Many major historic events--such as the Kennedy Assassination, the Challenger Explosion, the 9/11 tragedy, and Hurricane Katrina--were brought into the homes of millions of Americans by television. Do you remember witnessing a historic event on television?
9. Television can be a power educational tool. From Sesame Street to the National Geographic channel, people are exposed to large amounts of educational material on television. What have you learned from television?

Nor'easter

A powerful Nor'easter moved into the Northeast yesterday, and is still raging this morning. We lost power for a few hours last night. I have a sliding glass door facing a pond. The tops of the trees between my house and the pond are all swaying wildly. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us that when we are carried away by emotions--such as grief for me this week--we can look at the example of the trees. Although their upper branches are carried away by the winds, their trunks remain solid and well rooted. If we return to our own trunks, breathe deeply, and find our inner calm, we can weather any storm. 

Difficult Wednesday

The death of my mother-in-law is bringing up many profound emotions for me. I called her "Mom" becasue she was like a mother to me. Although the death was expected, it was still very hard to take.  My own mother was not much like a mother, and all those emotions are coming up too.

Maybe I will be able to express some of these feelings in writing soon, but not now. It is too hard.

Deep sorrow

Vera Frye died today at the age of 94. I called her "Mom" because she was like a mother to me (even though she was actually my mother-in-law.) Her nine grandchildren, including my sons, Ben and Brandon, called her "Grandma," and loved her deeply. her many nieces and nephews and their children lovingly called her "Auntie Vee."

I will always treasure the kind and generous way she helped us raise our sons durinmg the many years she lived with us. When we brought her along on a cross-country camping trip, she was definitely the best campur in the van, always packing up her sleeping bag and being ready to go before the rest of us. I will miss her.

Interfaith service

Tonight I took part in an interfaith prayer service on the eve of the presidential election. It was held at St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church--which is an unusual venue for an interfaith gathering. I thught it was beautiful. We had Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, Unitarian, Unity, and Bahai speakers. Nobody promoted any religion or any political candidate or cause. We just spoke of those unicersal truths that unite us all.

Writing is the most important thing for me to do at this stage in my life. I really feel called to devote myself to my writing. I do not have a lot of time while I am still teaching full-time, but I can still find some time to do some writing. It is very important.

Tomorrow's writers today

The Cape Cod Writers Center http://capecodwriterscenter.org/  has invited me to lead a workshop for young writers today (Saturday). Spoiler alert--I make three main points:

• Good writing is simple.
• Reading and writing go together.
• To be a writer you must practice writing.

The students are between 12 and 17, which is quite a range. I also did this last March, and it was lots of fun. The students are very engaged and dedicated. It is an honor to work with them.

"Write a little every day"

It is Friday morning, and I had a delightful birthday yesterday. I received warm wishes from many dear friends. I am fortunate to have a job I love.
As for my sabbatical plans, I am wondering about whether to focus on one book at a time, or keep them all in mind and work on whichever moves me. On one hand, publishing I Just Want to Be Happy is my first priority, today I plan to write a page of Mindfulness of the Mass Media. My students are studying the history of motion pictures, and I want to give them some suggestions to make them more mindful of films. For example:

1. Films are older than radio, television and the Internet. The style, format, themes, structure and subjects of the later media have been influenced by those in film. Have you noticed that?
2. Some of the most popular television shows of the 21st century have extended story arcs and dramatic structures that borrow heavily from theatrical films. Examples include 24, Mad Med and Breaking Bad, Do you watch any of those television shows?
3. Watching a film in a theater and watching a film at home are different experiences. Which do you prefer and why?
4. The earliest films lacked color and sound. Have you ever watched and enjoyed such a film? How is it different from contemporary films?
5. Prior to the 1960s, almost all major motion pictures avoided nudity, profanity and excessive explicit violence. Particularly since the 1980s, many of the most popular films have included all three. Do you find those elements add to or detract from your appreciation of films?
6. Do you have favorite films, favorite actors, or favorite directors? What are the qualities that make those your favorites?
7. New 21st-century technology makes it possible for almost anyone to create a film (or at least a short digital video). Have you ever created such a video? Did it change your appreciation of the art of creating motion pictures?
8. There are many types of film, including documentary films, educational films, promotional films, pornographic films, travelogues, animated films for children, and animated films for adults. The most popular, of course, are mainstream feature films. Among those, major genres include action, adventure, comedy, drama, epics, historical, horror, musicals and dance, science fiction, war, and western. Do you tend to select one or two of these categories? Have you occasionally watched other types? 

"When I'm 64"

Today is my 64th birthday. I feel about 18 or 20. That was my age when I first heard the Beatles song, when 64 sounded like such a long way off. I am very fortunate that I am healthy, vigorous, active and creative. During my 64th year (I suppose it is actually my 65th year coming up) I will do a lot of writing and make major progress on four books I hope to publish. As Isaac Dennisen wrote, "I will write a little every day, without hope and without despair."
Here is a nice version by Julian Lennon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyv3PJs-KBw