Falklore: Happy New Year

My column in early December covered reading sources that would be of great assistance to aspiring writers. They were novels and instruction books by some of today's top writers, several of whom are right here at SterlingHouse.

The last sentence in the second to last paragraph of that column read, "Publishers love clean manuscripts." The person who would benefit most from that, I found, was me. I thought I did pretty good, grammar wise, editing my novel, Sitting Duck which is now available. The novel before that, The Pen Pal Murders, must have gone to my head, because editors at SterlingHouse who worked on the new manuscript must have used up a gallon of red ink. I am really embarrassed as I go over the manuscript. I read and edit what I write at least three or four times, and sometimes more.

My English professor in college claimed she had never seen a person make so many comma faults. Well, at least I was number one at something. I actually learned to improve on grammar while working as a news reporter. I also suffered a lot of harsh criticisms from my editor with words like: "Where in the hell did you ever learn to write?" The SterlingHouse editors, bless their souls, are less harsh, so I'll remember them in my will. They get all my debts.

I think I just got careless with this most recent manuscript. I had so much fun writing it that I forgot one of the most important things - caring about good grammar. Then I thought, "if I didn't have a foot in the door, my most recent manuscript would have been tossed in no time flat." The importance of good grammar and spelling is something we all should think seriously about. I know I will from now on. I have to convince Cindy - that dear, dear woman - that I'm really not that bad, and I will also try my best to keep Megan Davidson from pulling any more hair out.

As I typed this article, I began to think about those other two possible sources for improvement. One was in New York for construction and the other on the west coast. But I've changed my mind.

If you are a senior who hasn't been in a classroom for years, I think you should still utilize the book and text sources I wrote about before going further. Go back two issues and look in your library for the instructional books I suggested. If you need the titles, send me an email at james@jamesfalk.net. I will mail you a copy of the article. All you have to do is concentrate and remember what you read. Evidently, I didn't, so guess what I'm now reading.

Have a happy reading and writing New Year.

Questions/Comments? Contact Jim at james@jamesfalk.net, or visit www.jamesfalk.net.

James Falk, as a teen-ager, used to dream of being a big-time racketeer. Fortunately, his dream didn't come true. A 10th grade dropout, he finished highschool after four years in the Marines and went on to earn a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Communications.