Editorial Tip of the Week: Don't Let Summaries Make You Tense

Picture this. We're in Boston. It's a hot, muggy night, and all you want is a frothy brew to quench your thirst. You sit down at your favorite bar (pronounced bahr please), take in a Red Sox game, and meet a nice, recently graduated English major. Now here's a problem. What to discuss with someone you just met who has spent the last four years studying literature? Why the largest, most impressive book you've read of course!

So, you pull it out. Your crowning achievement. "I've read A Tale of Two Cities you know."

Now, inevitably, this nice English major may expect more information. She may even ask you summarize! Ack! What to do? What to include? Are those darn Yankees winning? Most importantly, what tense to use?

Glad you asked.

When summarizing a drama, you should always use the present tense. For a poem, story, or novel, it is advisable to stick to the present as well. If you do so, it is much more likely your listener will remain engaged. Remember, there is a Red Sox game on. However, Strunk and White's The Elements of Style notes, "you may use the past if it seems more natural to do so." Don't be concerned when you come across an antecedent action when using the present tense. In this case, simply express such action using the perfect; "if in the past, by the past perfect."

Above all else, stick to your guns (and your tenses). If you've begun your summary in the present tense, stay with it! After all, "shifting from one tense to another gives the appearance of uncertainty and irresolution." We can't have that, now can we? Dickens is not for the faint of heart!

This may come in especially handy if that nice English major asks for a critical essay on your favorite book. Hey, you never know. However, Strunk and White warn not to fall into summary too often. Instead, consider using evidence that adds to an "orderly discussion."

You could also just go back to watching the game. Apparently, Jacoby Ellsbury is quite a hunk, and that is hard to compete with.

Spotlighted Literary Events

Date: August 30th
In case you missed it the first time around, Burnside Review's second Oregon all-star reading will feature Henry Carlile, Zanni Schauffler, B.T. Shaw, Susan Denning, Henry Hughes, Monica Drake, Erin Ergenbright, Kevin Sampell, Stephanie Lenox, Maxine Scates, Patricia Staton, Carlos Reyes, Chrys Tobey, Endi Hartigen and Andrew Michael Roberts.
When: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Where: RomToms, 600 E. Burnside, Portland, OR.
Cost: Free! Come ready to hear the cream of the Oregon crop!

Date: September 3rd
Celebrate Reading Frenzy's 15th anniversary with fifteen staff alumni who are creating a Show & Tell style exhibition of their recent artistic exploits! Attendees will enjoy features from "visual arts, literary creations, music, radio, and possibly film!" While there, enjoy free beer provided by the Eugene, Oregon brewery, Ninkasi. Sip on a Radiant Summer Ale and enjoy the creativity of the last days of summer!
When: TBA
Where: 921 SW Oak St., Portland, OR
Cost: Free!
For more information visit Reading Frenzy's website.

Date: September 3rd
Rhythmic Rhyme wants to keep poetry alive at Joanna's Soul Cafe and Jazz Club. Enjoy the famous Buchanan's sweet potato pie and be prepared to be pulled up on stage to participate in all the poetry fun! If you enjoy yourself, make it a tradition! The event goes on every Thursday night!
When: 8 PM
Where: 2514 E Cherry St, Seattle, WA
Cost: Free! Bring your poetry and your appetite!

Photo Story Prompt: Flowers for You

Write whatever comes to you--short or long, fiction or truth.


We'd love to see what you come up with! Post your story in a comment below, or e-mail it to photostory@indigoediting.com.

Feel free to comment on each other's stories and just generally enjoy the process of playing with the written word and the world it creates.

Happy writing!

Photo: "Flowers for You" by AD-Passion

Editorial Tip of the Week: Laughing Heartily, Running Swiftly, and Other Adverbial Pitfalls

Ah, the adverb; one of the many things in life that can be so good, yet so wrong. "It's so useful!" you might protest, when looking over your latest piece of fiction. Of course it is. Tacking on "ly" conveniently does all the descriptive work for you. All your character, let's call him Bryce, needs to do is "wink seductively" and we know there's a hot make out scene coming. What does that really tell us about him (save his participation in one of the cheesiest facial expressions known to humankind)? Wouldn't it be more interesting if your description of Bryce's attempt to flag down a female was a little, well, quirky? What if he attempted a slow, exaggerated wink while fingering the rim of his whiskey glass? Now, he may still be a cheeseball, but at least he's got a signature drink! If Bond taught us anything, it's that every man hoping to exude any sort of appeal needs one of those. Maybe as he slides his finger along the rim of the glass he becomes so absorbed in gazing at his new, um, beloved, he tips the glass over onto his new pink shirt (Don't hate too much, his mother picked it out). Now you have intrigue and a little disaster for our protagonist. See how much we gained when we took out the adverb and tried to imagine a little more? Think what you, the writer, can do with that.

Since this is feeling a bit preachy, let's take a brief moment to visit our Chicago Manual of Style. Hold on while I grab it from its hallowed place of reverence.

Ahem.

"An adverb is a word that qualifies, limits, describes, or modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. An adverb may also qualify a preposition, conjunction, or a clause."

Now I know what you're thinking, and I admit it's true. The adverb can be quite helpful, but it can also be a swift push onto the slippery slope of telling instead of showing.

Finally, as the title of this week's post exemplifies, the adverb can also foster redundancy. You don't need to tell us your character is laughing heartily. Do you want to get across just how darn funny your character finds life? Envision something interesting and show, show, show! There are loads of embarrassing things people do on a day to day basis, don't let the adverb take away those moments from you!

Remember, just because JK Rowling uses it doesn't mean it's gold. Create an imaginary world filled with unforgettable characters that turns into a multi-million-dollar franchise and then come talk to me.

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