Friday, July 26, 2013

What's Your Slogan?


Slogan

The slogan for Hallmark Cards is,” When you Care Enough to send the Very Best.”
As a writer I’ve long believed that slogan needs only minor changes to apply to what I do.  “When I Care Enough about my Writing to Steal from the Very Best.”

I recently read The Dream of Scipio by Iaian Pears. It is a very good book. I recommend it highly along with his, An instance of the Finger Post, that may be the best historical mystery I have ever read. 
At the time I had been contemplating responding to a call for short stories in an upcoming anthology. I wanted to submit in part because I really like the editor.  I like getting published and I also like getting paid. However, after I read the description of what the editor wanted, I had no idea how to combine elements that seemed contradictory to me.

It happened that Delta Airlines unexpectedly provided me with a block of time, i.e., a five-hour wait in an airport with little to do during the delay.  My ninety-year old mother was with me. She was a trooper and a good sport throughout.  As I read through The Dream of Scipio at a leisurely pace between strolls through the concourse, I was able to enjoy the book, the author’s style and the author’s writing techniques. Had the flight left on time, I don’t know if I would have noticed the mechanics of the book.

I was able to suss out one approach Pears used fairly frequently that added to my enjoyment of the book.  In brief, the author wrote about what might have happened as well as what did happen. Later I tried to use it in my short story. It worked for about half a page, but it was not enough by itself to provide sufficient structure for an entire short story. As Stephen King has said, a story requires two or three moving parts.  One idea does not lead to a story.  In continuing to read The Dream of Scipio after my first attempt to structure my story, I also noticed variations of the method. They reminded me of a jazz musician playing riffs to vary the melody before returning to the underlying stream of music.  When I incorporated the variations, I was able to provide a skeleton for the short story that was not unduly repetitive but was structurally supportive of the theme of the work.
  
I certainly do not mean my short story uses everything Pears was able to employ in The Dream of Scipio. Pears’ novel goes back and forth in time. He writes beautifully about three protagonists living in different historical periods that never overlap.  Yet their lives are tied together in ways the characters do not realize. 

My story? We’ll have to wait to see if it gets accepted.

Do you have a personal writing slogan?

17 comments:

  1. I suppose, "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die" is out, even for a mystery writer.

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  2. Interesting blog, Warren. I'm trying to think of only one slogan. Maybe Look for new experiences to broaden your life. That's one of those things I do. Good luck on selling that story.

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  3. Maybe this is off topic, but I've noticed that some authors utilizing the third person POV lapse into omniscient voice, talking about the character as if there is a narrator, telling the reader about the character. These are mainstream published authors so I'm questioning my objection to the use of this technique. Am I being too critical?

    I've read two books recently that have very little descriptions of the main character. I liked that absence. I'm going back into my script and revising.

    If I had a slogan it would probably be "less is more."

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  4. Gayle, I think Johnny Cash had that one.

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  5. Gloria,

    Thanks for the good wishes.

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  6. I don't have a slogan. Then again, I'm not exactly a "brand" either.
    I agree with you about short stories. Just having an interesting character, for instance, doesn't equate to a story. Plot line is crucial as is setting.

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  7. Hmmm, I'm not sure I have a slogan as a writer. Maybe just, "Bon Appetit." ... I want readers to sink their teeth in and enjoy.

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  8. I don't know what my slogan would be, Warren. Maybe EB's "Less is more," but only after I've put in lots of "More is best." I like to pack a book with all the good stuff I can and then compress and cut until it shines. But I'm not a fan of minimalism.

    I guess I'd find the same problem with just about any slogan. Maybe mine is "I have to find my own way." ;-)

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  9. Great question (and insightful post). I have a "slogan" which is part of my brand and I attempt to always use vocabulary and phrasing in my promo, etc., that enhances it. As an author of erotic romance, my website "tag" and my slogan is: Feed Your Passion.

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  10. I enjoyed reading how you structured your story. Isn't the craft of writing interesting, intriguing, and taxing?

    A shout out to your mother. Two years ago I flew out to CA went to visit my 90 year old aunt for her b'day. I found she's a trooper too, and an avid reader.

    I have two slogans. I sometimes combine them.

    Writing literature that reads like pulp fiction.

    I like my bad guys really bad and my good guys smarter and better.

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  11. I like to think of Elmore Leonard: "Skip the boring parts."

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  12. Warren, my slogan is "Finally, a doctor whose writing you can read."

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  13. 'Making Murder Pay'

    It's aspirational....

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  14. Hi Warren, Maybe mine would be, Write what I like to read--something entertaining, funny and memorable.

    bobbi c.

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  15. By way of Mick Jagger:

    I can't always get what I want, but if I try, sometimes, I get what I need.

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  16. I have this taped on my printer: If you're a writer, you write.

    My personal slogan has to be: What a long, strange trip it's been.

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