Precision and Accuracy of Thought: Room for Creativity in Nonfiction

Covenant as Ethical Commonwealth

Educator, cultural observer and lecturer Perry Huesmann has authored Covenant as Ethical Commonwealth, published by Italian Paths of Culture Press, on the concept of covenant and the possibilities for trust in society. In this guest post, Perry discusses what went into the writing of the book and the process of publication.

AA: What is the background for the book?

Author Perry Huesmann

PH: The book is, in essence, the result of a master's thesis written and defended for a master's-level Christian studies program with the Faculty of Philosophy at the VU University of Amsterdam. The program was centered on an analysis of the philosophical underpinnings of Western culture and, especially, Enlightenment modernity. The book focuses on the foundation of trust in Western society. It looks at how the West has been heavily influenced by Enlightenment thinking, and the implications of that for the formation of trust in society when the individual is the anchoring point for universal values.

AA: What inspired you to select this particular topic?

PH: I was especially intrigued by the philosophical implications of the Enlightenment project as it relates to the place of the individual in society. The problem arises when the Cartesian trajectory of the individual as determiner and guarantor of reality takes root at a societal level. The implications are rather serious.

AA: What insights did you glean about the creative process while writing it?

PH: There are numerous writing styles, and some are appropriate for some projects and others are not. I would say that a work that is philosophical can tend to suffocate some aspects of creativity. While precision and accuracy of thought are highly important, there is room for creativity in how one organizes the material and presents it to the reader. I enjoy writing, and so attempted to write as if I were speaking to a group in front of me. This always helps me write in a way that is understandable and accessible.

AA: What did you learn about the publishing process, particularly as it relates to working with an international, print-on-demand publisher like Italian Paths of Culture Press?

PH: As is the case for all authors, the challenge is getting the word out about the book. Print-on-demand has advantages in cost-savings on the front end, but one must realize going in that marketing and distribution are clearly a large challenge. It is important to get exposure through book reviews, interviews, articles, etc., so that the book can be known. I think it is important to use all possible networking to help this process.

AA: Do you have another book planned?

PH: I am currently in a Ph.D. program with the same faculty, and my research essentially is looking at the philosophical framework for social relations in the 21st-century polis. What do we consider the polis today? Where does man meet, form and sustain social relations, and how are they characterized? The 20th century has been characterized by collectivism and individualism, and it seems we have no other alternatives. I am exploring one that is rooted in the Jewish concept of covenant.

AA: What would you do differently during the writing and/or publishing process the next time around?

PH: I think I would be a bit less technical in my style, and seek to be a bit more narrative. It renders the content more accessible and readable.

AA: Anything you'd like to add?

PH: Thank you for the opportunity to present the book, and if anyone is interested in reading it and interacting with it, I would enjoy that immensely. I am a strong believer in the need for humans to seek out others who have very different ideas, and be forced to understand them and respond to them in a respectful and mature way. This is central to our human experience, and enriching for our culture. I see this as central to the Judeo-Christian faith experience as well.

Perry Huesmann is an educator, a cultural observer and a lecturer who lives and works in greater Milan, Italy. He has worked as a corporate instructor of English, and holds a Master's degree in theology. He has a Master of Arts in science and society from the Free University of Amsterdam and is pursuing a Ph.D. there. To order the visit Italian Paths of Culture Press or Amazon, Covenant as Ethical Commonwealth.

Embracing Life: With "French" and "Bonjour" Author, Jamie Cat Callan

Author Jamie Callan at Cafe del Industrie

Engaging author, instructor and happiness expert Jamie Cat Callan was inspired by her French grandmother to return to France and discover the secret to joie de vivre — at any age. She shares those secrets in her latest book, Bonjour, Happiness!, which serves up the latest adventures of one woman on a quest to rediscover her ooh la la through all things French and some things not so French. Bonjour, Happiness! will be released on March 29 by Citadel, Kensington.

Submit a comment on your writing ooh la la to Word for Words. The winning selection receives an signed copy of Jamie's French Women Don't Sleep Alone.

AMA: You already lead a well-traveled, experiential life. What was the most influential lesson you learned while researching your prior book, French Women Don't Sleep Alone?

JCC: The French taught me how to let go of the sometimes debilitating idea of perfection.

AMA: That's a tough task in a demanding world. What's the secret?

JCC: I've learned the art of the French shrug! Rather than apologizing (something I used to do for a lot — often, for no real reason), I will now lift my shoulders, look heavenward, smile slightly, even mysteriously, and pronounce "c'est la vie!" This tiny gesture has truly changed my life. I believe I am a kinder and more forgiving person — to myself, to my friends, to my family and to the world at large.

AMA: Sounds like a great approach, especially to the writing life, and very French. How do they embrace life in general?

JCC: Things happen. We live. We learn. C'est la vie!

AMA: Living, learning and life — not a bad way to embrace Valentine's Day, and the rest of the year.

Jamie Cat Callan is also an expert in drawing out the writer's creative side with The Writer's Toolbox: Creative Games and Exercises for Inspiring the 'Write' Side of Your Brain.

 

The Value of Instant Coffee — and a Ruthless Critique

Well, maybe instant coffee isn't worth much (what's with that aftertaste anyway), but an unsparing critique is invaluable.

First, let's define "ruthless." For our purposes, it means momentarily putting pity aside to be honest, incisive, direct. But since text without context is pretext, we should also define "critique." I like Merriam-Webster's slant on this one: "the art of evaluating or analyzing works of art or literature" and "the scientific investigation of literary documents" regarding aspects like "origin, text, composition or history."

What I love about that definition is it takes into account that critique is both art and science, involves analysis, which means it takes time, and encompasses various aspects of a work, meaning it's not superficial. So, for our purposes, "critique" is a knowledgeable, well thought out, accurate and articulate assessment of a writer's work (not the writer). And I'd add that the most valuable critiques have the writer's best long-range interests at heart. Some observations hurt in the short run but are the difference between stuck in endless loop and progress in the long run.

There's another crucial aspect of the truly beneficial critique — it's usually delivered directly, face to face. In this way, the personal critique is a world away from a critique group, where mass opinion and a herd mentality can quickly warp even the soundest observation. Besides, it's a lot harder to slog through a ream of comments (and more demoralizing), than to bite the bullet and have a couple of people you care about, and who are qualified, read and comment on your work.

So, go on, have that cup of criticism — a spoonful of sugar, or agave nectar, will help it go down.

Conversation: Not Just for Talking Anymore

I could drone on about tweets versus talk, chat versus conversation, but you probably already get the point. What may not be obvious, though, especially if we opt for the sound bite version of life, is how much writers get from real conversation. It may feel like wasted time — or maybe more of a luxury — but for writers it's essential.

Just think what real conversation yields, especially with people you love spending time with, especially if they're other writers. Story ideas, inspiration for projects, new ways to collaborate, information from people with new skills and expertise, new contacts. Whether we agree or disagree — and disagreement, when done well, usually yields more than agreement — on the things we discuss, we usually come away from real conversations enriched and energized.

So indulge. That's what it's about — conversations about creativity. Have some!

Collaborative, Multigenre Writing Is King (and Queen)

Lately, we've been hearing more and more that multigenre writing isn't the taboo it used to be, an approach that may work even better in collaboration. This week we have a guest post from Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick, authors of the May McGoldrick historical novels and Jan Coffey thrillers.

Here's their take on what makes collaboration and multigenre writing work.

AMA: So, who are May McGoldrick and Jan Coffey?

N&J: May McGoldrick, a historical romance writer, is a diligent and industrious professional. Jan Coffey is a bit neurotic, because she writes suspense thrillers. To be honest, May and Jan are really both the same people. We (Nikoo and Jim) have been collaborating as May McGoldrick on historicals and as Jan Coffey on thrillers.

AMA: Tell us a bit about what it's like to write in more than one genre, as more than one character and with more than one author—phew, that's a lot of hats!

N&J: First of all, we should tell you that we started setting our early stories in the 16th-century period because we had some academic background in the time period. Write what you know, they told us. But writing historical novels as May McGoldrick, we’ve always tried to create new stories, new characters, and new problems for our heroines and heroes to overcome. To do that, we’ve pushed ourselves to stretch into areas where we have needed to learn new things. We have to admit that if we only wrote about what we knew, we never would have written about murderous lairds, or covens of Highland women, or cross-dressing artists, or children with physical handicaps, or promiscuous English queens! Those things are just not a part of everyday life in the McGoldrick household.

AMA: So, what's your secret to having such a broad range?

N&J: The solution for us is research, imagination and mind-set. While in the mind-set of the historical writer we read Britain magazine. Research is a seductively pleasurable pastime that takes us, mind and soul, out of our daily life—and away from the writing we should be accomplishing for that day. It places us smack dab in the world that we are researching.

AMA: How does this work when you're May McGoldrick?

N&J: When we are May McGoldrick, writing a historical set (for example) in 1760’s England, we read things like James Boswell’s London Journal of 1762-1763. As May, we study about the wool industry of the 1500s and watch the History Channel (actually, though, it doesn’t have to be the History Channel. Any show with ruins will do.) In planning and plotting out our stories, we do about 20% of our planning upfront and 80% of it as we write. In May’s stories, the writing tries to capture some of the texture of the historical period. As a result, her scenes are sometimes longer than those of her contemporary counterpart, who finds that short scenes keep the pace of a story rocketing along.

AMA: What happens after the first draft, when you want to really ground the story?

N&J: In revision, we find that we need to shift our gears a little, too. As May McGoldrick, we live by the Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary and their references to the dates that words came into use. For example, are you able to say that a character was “mesmerized” by another character. F.A. Mesmer, the early hypnotist, was not alive until the 18th century; it just won’t do to use the term in the 1500s.

For more about May McGoldrick, Jan Coffey, and Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick visit Jan Coffey.