Tag: grammar

I Fell Down A Rabbit Hole

Well, I haven’t posted in a long time, and the simple reason is I fell down a hole, but it wasn’t a rabbit hole. I knew for a long time I needed to take editing and all that comes with it much more seriously, and so these past few months I have been revisiting previously published books and taking a much closer look at them.

This is where the adventure begins.

As I have mentioned in the past, I have used editors to correct and work on any issues in my novels, but these haven’t always been positive. I have frequently paid for so-called professional editing services, only to find out they leave as many issues as they find. Many of them, it is clear, have no qualifications in editing and no experience, and are simply making money fraudulently.

Fingers burned.

I am pleased to say I have come across one or two excellent editors, and I think the best of my books have benefitted from their attention. Sadly, even the best editors miss things.

This is where my latest journey has led me.

I took much greater time to line edit my work, and to use every means possible to ensure not only that I find as many problems as possible, but that I learn a great deal more about writing than I ever did.

This, of course, won’t make me perfect, but then it is a journey. I have learned that it isn’t ninety percent of a good novel being the story and ten percent the quality of the writing. A good book is a polished mix of them both, and that is what I have focused on addressing: rebalancing my attention to grammar, spelling, repetition, and the building blocks of a great book.

I hope this shines through in my works from past and in the future. Time, and reviews, will tell.

I just wanted to add this to show what I have been doing. My latest full length dog adventure is still in the making, and is half complete. Once again, I will get to it, hard at work, pressing out those words and building more fun and meaningful adventures. So, watch this space.

 

David.

Sign Up For My Newsletter To See When New Books And Stories Are Released.

(I do not spam, and only send the occasional newsletter)

Contact Me Any time Right Here:

Email: djcowdall@gmx.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/djcowdall/
https://twitter.com/djcowdall
https://www.facebook.com/DJCowdall
www.davidcowdall.com

What is more important, the story or the prose?

It would be easy to immediately say that the story is much more important than anything else, because a novel or short story without an actual story, or plot, is nothing but a passage of words. The reality for many people is very different. There are genres of fiction such as Slipstream, which has few boundaries to define what it means or stands for. Those who enjoy traditional fiction may read some of these pieces and struggle to not only understand them, but also enjoy them. Often within these pieces are words or phrases which catch the eye, and resonate a deeper meaning, where the end result of what a story might be is less important than how it is actually written. Here the matter of communication stands out, like a whisper in the night, speaking to us in a way in which many have become immune to hearing, or feeling.

Beyond something like Slipstream are novels which are expressly and expansively written, soaking every sentence in words and descriptions which help to being the scene alive. One such story is called The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, by Angela Carter. The way in which she describes every single thing is rich and full, using every word possible to express every moment of the tale.

Some find it annoying, unable to get past the language to enjoy the story, but others (such as myself) find it accompanies the piece beautifully, as if the words weave a tapestry, stringing it altogether in a unique and fascinating blend.

Even a book such as The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger could be said to be similar, as if the author has poured out every single thought into an endless array of words, clawing at trying to convey her feelings throughout the novel, as if a free flow of words might somehow impart as much emotion to the reader as she might have felt when writing it.

It is a difficult balance, for sure, as a writer. I have heard some say J.K Rowling isn’t a very good writer, because her words and sentences are poorly written, but then this would surely miss the entire point of the Harry Potter books, in that the story and the worlds they create are everything. Does a book have to be written with perfect grammar and spelling, and with the guile and wit of Dickens for it to have any merit?

Truthfully, only the reader can decide this. Some find an awkwardness of grammar or syntax make it impossible to enjoy a novel or story, and that has to be respected, but it cannot be the end of it, because often a truly superb story will override this, and ensure proper enjoyment for the reader, no matter what the story’s limitations in how it is written.

What of those who somehow manage to marry it all perfectly, a wonderful story, superbly written, without a deluge of prose? Perhaps they would be the Mark Twains of the literary world, and rightly recognized for it. If so, perhaps it is something we might all strive for.

Email: djcowdall@gmx.co.uk
DJ Cowdall on Twitter
Facebook Pages of DJ Cowdall
DJ Cowdall on Goodreads

Sign Up For My Newsletter To See When New Books And Stories Are Released.

Can you judge a book by its cover?

As I am in the process of launching a new book, it got me to thinking about covers, naturally.

With The Dog Under The Bed I actually used my own dog as the cover model, partly because he was very cheap to work with, as in some biscuits and a pat on the back and he was happy, but also because it saved costs for royalties. Some covers don’t need much more than this to stand out, but some genres are difficult to pin down, and their covers are many and varied.

It reminded me of some recent covers I had seen on Instagram, for paperbacks and hardback books. Not only were there very colourful, but they were embossed, and the nature of them stood out so much I was very much intrigued to find out more about them.

It also made me thing of other books I have read in the past, and what drew me to them. I thought of Clive Barker’s Weaveworld, and how that cover suggested something interesting within. As it turned out, the cover very much matched my expectations for the read ahead, and it left me with an indelible impression that has lasted to this day. Not only of the cover, but of what I read. So it shows how an impressive cover, as long as it somehow depicts what might lie ahead, can really enhance a book, and draw us to something worth reading.

So I would think in some ways, yes you can judge a book by its cover. Perhaps the better quality of the cover and its artwork, then perhaps the better the quality of the book.

If only that were always true.

I intend to put this to the test with my new book, as I have commissioned a very high quality cover, and hopefully I can match expectations with what I have written.

We will see.

—

Email: djcowdall@gmx.co.uk
https://twitter.com/djcowdall
https://www.facebook.com/DJCowdall
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15502553.D_J_Cowdall

The differences between US and UK spelling and grammar, plus new book

For my new book I decided to employ a professional editor to fully copy edit my book. Some things stood out for me:

Firstly, as much as I edit my books, and am very careful about it, I’m only human, and of course there were things I overlooked, one or two mistakes. They happen, but with my new editor’s aid I believe we have ironed out all spelling errors, continuity errors and such. This should make the reading experience much better.

Secondly, I must admit to being shocked at the amount of words spelt very differently in the US compared to the UK. I made the mistake of thinking it was only a few words, and not so important. How wrong was I?!
Other things such as standing and stood, being said differently, and plurals and singular, the differences are so many. Clearly editing for a different market are important. lesson learned.

One thing about doing things so much more professionally is it adds to the time before publication. Thankfully I am at the end of it all now, and my new book should be launched within the next week or so.

The genre is quite a departure for me, dealing with family and emotional issues, which are complex and subtle. Writing something like this can be emotional for the writer too, but I feel if I am experiencing an emotional connection with the events in the novel, and how they effect the characters, then hopefully that will feed through to the readers. Time will tell.

Of course, the work never stops, and my next project is going to be the final part of The Dog Under The Bed. It will be simply subtitled: What Happened Next, and concludes it all.

I have been very pleasantly shocked and surprised at the reaction to the first book, at the time of writing this it has 148 reviews on amazon, and a huge amount of ratings on Goodreads too. Clearly it is a much loved book, and worthy of a good conclusion.
I can say the final chapter will be very loving, full of fun and humour, and a wonderful way to send Arthur off to his new home, with his new family.

Roll on next week, when I begin writing it, I can’t wait!

Email: djcowdall@gmx.co.uk
https://twitter.com/djcowdall
https://www.facebook.com/DJCowdall
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15502553.D_J_Cowdall