Gourmet Touches--Titles and Quotes

 

If you invite someone to dinner, you’re apt to add some special touches to the food and table décor. As a hostess, you try to make a dinner party special for your guests. Stories and articles deserve to be dressed up, too.

Let’s take a look at two items that add gourmet touches to a story—titles and quotes.

Titles

The title of a story, article, or book draws the reader’s attention. It gives the reader a reason to read. Have you ever gone to the fiction section of the library or a bookstore and scanned titles? A few cause you to stop and pull the volume from the shelf. Something in the words on the book's spine called out to you. Ever wonder why?

When you meet someone new, they make an impression of some kind. Sometimes it’s positive, and other times not. The title of a book or story also makes a first impression, and it either creates further interest or moves us to pass on by. So, it’s important to find a title that is creative or catchy in some respect. That doesn’t necessarily mean it should be outlandish. Some writers think an outlandish title will catch an editor’s eye, and it may. It might also make the editor pass it by in a hurry.

When Margaret Mitchell finished her epic Civil War novel, she played around with several titles. Among them were Tote The Weary Load, Milestones, and Not In Our Stars. Her final selection, Gone With The Wind, turned out to be perfect. In four little words, Ms. Mitchell let you know that her story dealt with loss and starting over.

The title can be taken from the meaning of the story, a comment made within the text, or a strong image the story projects. A proper name can serve as a title, too. If the book or story is a success, the name will live forever. Don’t we all know and love a boy and a book named Huckleberry Finn? The unusual first name piques interest.

A title should intrigue the reader, but it must also use the same tone as the story. After all, the title is an introduction or a preview of what is to come. If you write a story dealing with a tragic accident and death, you wouldn’t use a title laced with humor. On the other hand, when you write a humorous story, you want to reflect that, as well.

Some writers add the title last, and others begin with a working title. After the story is complete, the writer plays around with titles until the most satisfying one emerges. It’s the frosting on the cake, the dressing on the salad. It finishes the story.

Quotes 

Quotes are used within the text to support an argument or to illustrate a point being made. Articles that offer advice or are controversial will benefit from quotations. Showing the words of an expert in the field further enhances the argument being put forth.

A quotation is a reference to an authority and should be used when accuracy is essential. That authority should be named. Quoting someone, without giving them credit, verges on stealing their words. Beginning writers sometimes are not aware of this.

Quotes should be kept to a minimum. Quoting long, rambling paragraphs does not serve any real purpose other than adding to your word count.

There are two types of quotations—direct and indirect. A direct quotation uses the exact words, and an indirect quotation paraphrases the thought expressed by someone. Both should make reference to the person who originally made the statement. Take a look at the example below which shows a statement made by mystery author, Agatha Christie.

A. Direct Quote:  Agatha Christie says, “The best time for planning a book is while 

you’re doing the dishes.”

B. Indirect Quote:  Agatha Christie thinks a writer can plan new books while doing 

     mundane tasks like doing the dishes.

When using a quote, set it off by placing quotation marks at the beginning and end of the statement quoted. The final punctuation mark, whether a period, question mark, or exclamation mark, is placed inside the final set of quotation marks. (See sample above)

In closing, I would like to quote an English author, William Makepeace Thackery, who wrote: “There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes.”

 If you hope to pursue a successful place in the writing world, add these gourmet touches to your own thoughts as you write.

 

Meet Ken Goetz, Writer and Blogger

 

Ken Goetz and his granddaughter

I think you'll find today's post of interest. I've interviewed a fellow blogger whom I would like to introduce to you. His name is Ken Goetz, (also known as Dr. Kenneth Goetz) and he's quite an interesting fellow. After reading the interview, I hope you'll check out his blog.  www.https://writerken.com/.

Nancy:  What was your career path before you became a writer?

Ken:  My path was bizarrely complicated, yet each zigzag along the way seemed logical at the time. (It

would take long pages to describe the circumstances responsible for each twist in my path, some

of them admittedly embarrassing, so I’ll just list some key stages along the way):

Pre-law student in small South Dakota college

Weather observer with U.S. Air Force in Germany

Pre-journalism student, then pre-medical student and economics major, University of Wisconsin

Medical student (two years) and graduate student, University of Wisconsin (earned PhD)

Faculty member (+ part-time med student), University of Kansas Medical Center (earned MD)

Medical intern, Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City

Head, Division of Experimental Medicine, Saint Luke’s Hospital (20 years)

Visiting Professor, University of Kuopio, Finland

Visiting Professor, University of Munich, Germany

Visiting Scientist, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Cologne, Germany

Retired Guy who writes

Nancy:  When did you start writing?

Ken: I became serious about writing while taking news writing courses at Wisconsin. Following that academic year, I worked two summers for a small daily newspaper, the first as a local reporter, the second as state editor.

Nancy:  What inspired you to become a writer?

Ken:  I wish I could give a concrete reason. Maybe it was because I recognized quite early that the

ability to convert my thoughts and ideas into written words that accurately described what was

going on in my head, although difficult to achieve, would be a tremendous asset in whatever

profession I chose.

Nancy:  You've written a memoir. What inspired you to delve into a big project like that?

Ken:  I was 13, with three younger siblings, when our mother died. Our father was killed in a car crash a few years later. My younger sister and brother have no memories of our mother and only few of our father. I wrote my childhood memoir to give them a clearer picture of our parents and of earlier family stresses.

Soon afterward, Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes burst upon the scene. I saw similarities between his memoir and my story, so I began searching for a publisher. Chicago Review Press and the University of Iowa press expressed interest, but ultimately both declined to publish it. So, I self-published the book as Bending the Twig. It sold a few thousand copies, generated excellent reviews, and, most impressive to me, generated hundreds of laudatory letters.

More recently, I came to realize that I had left significant information out of that memoir, so I recently revised and expanded the manuscript, increasing the word count from 58,000 to 78,000, and changing its working title. The revised manuscript is now under review by a major New York literary agency. No feedback as yet.

Nancy:  What else have you written?

Ken:  As a working physician-scientist, most of my output was published in scientific journals, with

nearly all of my papers written in typically dull, passive voice, the standard of academia. (But

occasionally, just for fun, I would throw in a zinger to break the mold.) Along the way, I wrote a

couple of popular pieces, one for the Kansas City Star about a doctor who voluntarily took a

lethal dose of the South American arrow poison, curare, and survived. That article was picked

up by the Associated Press and reprinted in major newspapers around the country. Last year, a

light personal essay of mine appeared in The Christian Science Monitor.

I also wrote a novel, The Colors of Medicine. That book was inspired by echoes from my

rebellious first year of medical school. While writing the novel, I felt some glee, even catharsis,

as I forced my protagonist to wade his way through the battered trail I had blazed in Madison.

The novel also was self-published and sold only a few hundred copies. Feedback indicated that

my characters were strong, even memorable, but my plot took a few uneven twists.

Nancy:  You have a blog. What prompted that?

Ken:  I don’t think I’ve told you this, but your blog was the inspiration for mine. When I discovered

Writer Granny's World, I was astonished by the quality and volume of your posts. I knew my

output would not begin to approach yours, but I thought maybe a grandfather could post a small

amount of what a grandmother was putting online so effectively. So, I did a bit of sleuthing about

how to set up a blog, and I jumped right in. Your readers can find my blog at www.https://writerken.com/.

Nancy: What kind of posts do you publish on your blog?

Ken: Unlike many other bloggers, I don’t focus on a single topic, so those who follow my blog never

know what to expect next. I see my posts as being somewhat akin to a weekly newspaper column,

one in which the columnist pens a piece on whatever interests him at the moment. Nothing is off

limits. Perhaps not surprisingly, I write about classic medical research, especially if I think the subject

is of general interest. For example, I’ve reported on the first man to catheterize the human heart

(a doctor who shoved a makeshift catheter into his own heart almost a hundred years ago). I’ve

also posted the story I mentioned above, the one about the man who voluntarily took a lethal

dose of South American arrow poison, and lived. Beyond that, health in general is another

common subject, especially when the topics lead to suggestions for maintaining our wellbeing.

At times I venture into more controversial opinion pieces, such as my take on the origin of

Covid-19, the costs of higher education, and Washington politics, the latter written from the

viewpoint of a Jack Kennedy Democrat, my solid personal anchor that has not wobbled since the

1960s. But, during that time the political spectrum has shifted decidedly leftward, so, with no

movement of my own, I now find myself surprisingly aligned a bit to the right of today’s political

middle. I also occasionally dip into literature, sports, travel, and whatnot. 

Finally, Nancy, I sincerely thank you for taking time to interview me and introduce me to your readers. Your blog has inspired me, and so many others.

Nancy:  It's been a pleasure to learn more about you. I've found your blog posts full of variety and most interesting. 

Loyalty Seems to Be Missing Lately

 All the things I read in the newspapers and hear on tv lately are disturbing. One more thing that bothers me is that there doesn't seem to be the loyalty and respect for others as much anymore. Some time ago, I wrote a personal essay about my dad and how I learned about loyalty of several kinds. It placed in a contest and was included in an anthology published by Women's Memoirs. I'm running it today in hopes that it might make others give consideration to what loyalty means. Respect is a big part of loyalty. 

Driving With Dad

During my growing-up years, my dad drove a 1936 Plymouth, moved on to a 40’s model Buick and then a 50’s era Chrysler that was his pride and joy. Every one of those vehicles was a used car, but Dad burst with pride over each one. He kept them washed and waxed, made sure the engine hummed, and brushed and vacuumed the upholstered seats regularly.

I learned many life lessons during conversations in those cars, usually when Dad and I drove somewhere without my mother and brothers. Both of us sitting in the front seat of the car, we bumped along the brick street in front of our apartment building, our words quaking as we passed over each new brick the tires hit. Finally, we’d come to a paved street, and our voices resounded normally again. An innocent remark from me as we rode along brought forth long orations from Dad on more than one occasion. 

My dad was a short, skinny guy, but his inner strength and street smarts created a powerful person. He steered with one hand and gestured to me with the other, citing one example after another to prove a point.

 In my childhood years, I considered his words as nothing but lectures. Never content to say a little about a subject, he’d begin with the important part of the lesson and continue on and on until I effectively tuned him out. My own silent rebellion. I must have had a mental file folder in which I saved those little lectures, for bits and pieces float through my mind even now, nearly 70 years later. They’ve helped to make me the strong person I am today.

 Dad grew up in the Depression years. He lost his father at the age of fourteen and dropped out of high school to search for work. He supported his mother and himself with one scrounged-up job after another, finally settling in permanently at International Harvester Co. when he turned eighteen. They hired him as a truck driver, and Dad moved on through the ranks of the parts department in a distribution center and finally to the General Office in downtown Chicago where he worked with men who, unlike himself, held college degrees. He supervised a department of men and women until his retirement, and never was a man more loyal to an employer than he.

As an adult, my dad’s words revisited me when I attended college, taught school, married, and became a mother. One of the things we often talked about in those old cars was loyalty. “Loyalty,” Dad told me, “will reap benefits beyond your wildest dreams.”  He repeatedly instructed me and my brothers to be loyal to our family, to our employer, and to our friends. Mixed within the admonition to show loyalty was respect and integrity as well as fidelity, subheadings for his favorite topic.

As a child and especially in my teen years, I resented Dad’s lectures and did my best to ignore them. In my young adult years, Dad often grasped an opportunity to repeat those lectures. The same stories, the same words, the same lesson, and I’d think ‘oh no, not again.’ How many times could I listen to what International Harvester Co. did for him? That his loyalty to them was returned a thousand-fold over the years. And didn’t I already know that his loyalty to his best friend resulted in a lifelong friendship?

Dad died over twenty years ago, but the lessons he taught through words and example live on. The words I naively thought I had tuned out so long ago come back to me at the strangest moments. When I see examples of others’ loyalty, Dad’s words drift through my mind, and I wish I might thank him now for what he taught me all those years. I tried to be loyal to my employer, my family, and my friends exactly as he’d said while we drove all around Chicago in his treasured cars. And he was so right. I’ve reaped the benefits in the form of good working relationships, a wonderful family life, and the joy of many warm friendships.

He didn’t have a college degree, but he knew the values to instill in his children, and he worked hard to ensure we learned the meaning of loyalty. The little lectures in the car and sometimes at the dining room table were re-enforced by the way he led his own life. I listened and observed, quite often subconsciously, and applied what I learned throughout my own life. Thanks a million, Dad. 

A Writing Exercise Using Color

 

C O L O R

We promote showing over telling, emphasize it, in fact. It's a lot easier to tell (or report) than it is to show what a character does or feels or what is occurring. Today's post should help you try to show more than tell. It's a bit of a challenge. I've done a sample of the exercise. Give it a try. You might even find the beginning of a new story or essay. 

I want you to choose a color.  Don’t make it tough for yourself, skip chartreuse and go with green.  Got that color in mind?  Okay, now I want you to write a scene that reflects that color.  What do I mean by that?   Well, take red. How about a man chopping brush at the edge of a forest fire with flame and glowing embers all around, maybe at twilight. Or think of an avalanche of cut-paper Valentine hearts as a surprise for someone’s sweetie.  A cold, sweating stone tomb on a misty day (gray, anyone?).  See what I mean?  

The thing is that you cannot mention the name of the color in this exercise. Show your reader what the color is without naming it. A challenge? Perhaps--but one with benefits. 

My sample exercise is below. The color I chose is 'purple'. You have a rainbow to choose from. Try the exercise using a different hue each time. Note that other colors are named, but not the one you are attempting to 'show'.

PURPLE: (285 words)

The heavy velvet cloak on the bed appeared to glow, its deep shade overpowering the white coverlet it lay upon. Elizabeth ran her hand over the soft fabric. “It reminds me of the grapes grown in the vineyards beyond the castle walls. So deep and rich, they call out for any passerby to pluck them off the vine and taste, the juice running down his chin.” Her silvery laughter echoed off the stone walls as she swept the rich-colored cloak from the bed. 

“Milady, please, it’s time to go. Let me help you with the cloak.”

Elizabeth released the garment when the servant girl grasped it. “Allright, let’s put it on and be on our way. But be careful with the cloak. It cost a king’s ransom!”

“And why wouldn’t it, Milady? Look at the gold threads around the collar and all across the hem, woven in and out to make a design that looks magical. The whole thing reminds me of ripe plums hanging low on those little ornamental trees in the courtyard.”

“Really? I’d not thought about that, but you’re right. Grapes. Plums. But neither of those has the depth of this fabric, nor the softness. My hand reaches out of its own accord, needing to touch it again and again. "Hurry Hester, put it on so I can look in the mirror.”

Elizabeth gathered the cloak close when Hester placed it on her shoulders. She gazed into the long mirror and gasped. “Look Hester, the cloak matches my eyes. Never did I think of them as glorious a color as this, but perhaps it is only a reflection.” She bent close to the mirror and studied herself, eyes opened wide. 

Experiences Help You Write the Personal Essay

Forget what hurt you in the past, But never forget what it taught you!

The quote for today is a great springboard for writing a personal essay. A personal essay is a piece of nonfiction writing that shares a personal experience and shows what the writer learned or illustrates a universal truth. Think about it. Your many life experiences leave the personal essay menu wide open. 

A couple days ago, I attended a zoom meeting with other writers. The host for the evening had us write about an argument we'd had with someone at some time in our life. The second part was to write the same story, or experience, from the other person's viewpoint. There might have been some guesswork in this part of the exercise. The third thing we did was to add sensory details, which made our writing more powerful. It was a good exercise, and it got me to thinking about writing the personal essay and the anonymous quote above. After all, if we argue with someone, there is going to be hurt involved. 

We hope that in whatever difficult times we've faced in life, we did learn something. Perhaps about ourselves and about other people. The quote also tells us to forget what hurt us in the past, but that's not always easy to do. Those hurts, big or little, tend to stay in our minds. Writing about them helps us understand the situation, helps us to move on, and helps us to add to our writing portfolio. I believe that writing about a hurtful situation can be a step in the healing process. 

It might also give some insight to those who read what we've written. The reader might be able to relate a similar experience to the one you've written about. 

It's not merely a report. This happened, then that happened, then this happened. You want to show the reader what you experienced and how it affected you, as well as what you learned. Remember that showing vs telling is always preferable. Adding sensory details brings your experience to life, so do spend some time adding those details.

Do you have to finish the personal essay with a paragraph that begins with...'I learned that....'? No, you do not. Of course, you can, but it's not mandatory. You can show the lesson without actually naming it or specifically saying I learned...

You might try the exercise I mentioned about recreating an argument you had with someone, in the three steps noted above. There are all kinds of arguments people have. Some are life turning while others are rather insignificant in the overall scheme of things.  

The Importance of Titles

What Shall I Call It?

Over and over, I hear writers say something like 'This is a working title. I can't think of anything better.' In my online critique group, I see multiple comments along the line of 'I don't like the title. Can you help find a better one?'  I also note those who critique sometimes saying they didn't think the title fit well, and perhaps suggesting a few others for the writer to consider.

It seems that most writers have trouble when it comes to selecting a title for an article, story, essay, poem or book they've spent hours working on. The title should be easy. Right? Not really. Everything you've put into the body of what you've written has to come through in your title in a mere smattering of words.

It's a no- brainer that a good title hooks the reader. It also suggests a mood or tone. It can startle a browser into looking farther. The title sometimes asks a question that can only be answered by reading farther. Curiosity might be aroused by those few words that top the whole piece of writing. Some titles depend on attention-getting words. Right now, the word terrorist is probably going to make you stop and take a second look.

Some writers like to use alliteration for the name of their story. It works especially well with stories for kids. Maybe something like Bumpy Bear's Beautiful Bridge would make a child giggle and want to look into the book. It works with adult titles, too. Maybe Bill Brown's Bummer Beach Babe. Every word doesn't have to begin with the same letter, but several should.

A title can also inform the browser that there is specific information to be gained here. Climate Change: Pros and Cons lets you know exactly what the topic is.

If all else fails, a writer can lift a significant line of dialogue or a phrase from the text to top the story. Readers enjoy seeing that bit of dialogue or phrase when they reach it within the text. It's an Aha! moment.

You can also promise the reader something via your title. Jane, The Time Traveler does that. The reader knows that the story is about a girl or woman who travels back in time (or ahead to the future).

Is there any set rule to when you write the title? Definitely not. Write it when you think of it! It might be the very first words you put on the blank screen, or it could come to you halfway through the story. And even more likely is that the title is the very last thing you write, and it could be long after the story itself is finished if you wrestle with finding the best one.

So, why do we struggle with titles? Mostly because we know how important they are. It's your one chance to hook that browser that you want to draw in as a reader.

Some writers come up with a title quickly and go with it. Others make lists of titles and eliminate them one by one. Of the two, I prefer the second method. If you hit on one and go with it right away, you might be missing out on a better title. It's also possible that the first one ends up being the best one.

As an exercise on selecting titles, go to your local library or bookstore and spend some time browsing through titles of books. Note the ones that speak to you. Consider why those titles caught your eye more than others. What appeals most--longer or shorter titles?

For something that entails only a few words, titles are of great importance. Pick a good one!