The Brilliance of “Rebecca”

If you’ve never read the novel Rebecca, or if you haven’t read it lately, you may want to pick it up this holiday season, as a study in the strength of a character the reader never sees except through the eyes of others.

Penned by English author Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca was published in 1938 and became a bestseller that still remains in print. Starting with the ominous, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again,” du Maurier explores the chilling saga of the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter, whose name du Maurier never reveals. Yet, almost from the start we know de Winter’s first wife, Rebecca, for how can anyone, especially a second wife with no apparent self-identity, compete with the dead?

The story begins with the new Mrs. de Winter’s memory of that inaugural visit to the haunting estate of Manderley, a remote mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, and its equally haunted inhabitants. This is a first step also for the reader in understanding the power of a place and people remembered who are even more real because their significance reaches from the past into the present.

Thus, we find ourselves traveling with the second Mrs. de Winter, the husband she barely knows at the wheel, to an immense estate. There the new young bride is drawn into the life of her predecessor, the beautiful Rebecca, austere as the Cornish coast, dead but not forgotten, whose rooms remain untouched, whose clothes still hang ready. There also we find Rebecca's devoted servant—Mrs. Danvers—loyal and menacing.

Determined to make a place for herself in her new husband's world, the second Mrs. de Winter begins searching for the real fate of Rebecca amid the mysteries of Manderley, which reveals its secrets only at a great price. In Rebecca, the reader will find melodrama and drama at their finest, along with the potency of a story whose main character is seen through the eyes and enshrined memories of those who loved and hated her.

Types of Editors and Tips for Selecting Them

Have you reached the stage in your writing project where you think it’s time to hire an editor?

 

If so, then it’s helpful to know that editors fall into three basic categories: proofreaders, line or content editors, and development editors:

• Proofreaders check for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and punctuation, as well as sentence order and flow.
• Line or content editors check these qualities and read for content—whether the writing flows well and makes sense, and whether any major element is obviously missing.
• Development editors may do some proofreading and reading for content, but they focus mostly on the work as a whole and the major issues and subtleties therein—such as character development, plot, point of view and structure—with an eye toward positioning the work for publication.

To determine which type of editor is best for your project, ask yourself these questions:

• What is my budget for polishing the manuscript?
• Have I done as much as I can to complete the work?
• Do I suspect something fundamental may be missing or underdeveloped?

If your budget is tight and you’ve done significant revising, a good proofreader may be sufficient. If you’ve revised and polished the work but want to make sure it shines, a line or content editor may work fine. If your work is complex and/or you suspect an important element may be missing or underdeveloped, you may need a development editor. This is especially important because unless you fill the gaps, you may get glowing rejections that are still rejections.

 

Whether you opt for agent representation, independent publishing or going directly to a book printer, be prepared for the same considerations. Literary agents still get involved in editing on occasion or if they like your work will request an R&R, revise and resubmit. But no one has time to do the work the writer should do. Independent publishing and book printers also have editors available, usually for a separate charge, so you’ll still need to know what kind of editor to work with.

 

Regardless of the scenario you’re considering, it’s helpful to do a cost analysis of each option before selecting one. A good source for more information is Preditors andEditors.

Raising the Right Stakes: Where Writers Go Awry

High stakes, more interest

In the 2001, literary agent and writing guru Donald Maass penned the must-have reference tool Writing the Breakout Novel. In Chapter 3, Maass begins:  “If there is one single principal that is central to making any story more powerful, it’s simply this: Raise the stakes.” But how does a writer know which stakes to raise? Raise the wrong ones, and you wander down the garden path not knowing how to return.

To know which stakes to raise take this example. Let’s say your protagonist’s dog dies. If you write mysteries, suspense or thrillers, or if you want to layer your work, the dog dies under mysterious circumstances. You can up the stakes by making the dog a onetime Westminster Kennel Club winner. Sounds great, right? Not necessarily. This route likely requires a protagonist of a certain socioeconomic class and for you to learn a lot about Westminster. Since it’s a big event with a big name, this plot option takes the reader toward a situation instead of the character, and character-driven plots resonate more with readers.

So what if the dog is a rescue whose owner is devastated because his beloved pet was saved from near certain doom only to meet her end under the pet owner’s roof, or in the yard, or up the street? In the Westminster scenario, the theme might be personal greed. In the second, any number of options could work, and the stakes are actually higher because they’re more personal than professional.

So if you’re wondering which stakes to raise journal the options to see where each would take you. That way you avoid good writerly intentions that could otherwise go awry.

Is Your Story a Novel or a Short?

Café in Trento, Italy

When a writer has an idea for a story, one question is: How do I know if the story is a novel or a short? To answer this question, consider scope. For a novel, the landscape is broad and deep enough to sustain a longer work. The storyline has enough plot points, or main events. The main characters evolve or devolve sufficiently. For a novel, you need more words and time to accomplish these goals. Writers then ask: Can’t I do the same in a short story? Yes, but a short is like abstract art; all the elements of a great work are there, but you do more with less. One way to tell the category of your work is to write a plot treatment. If you find that each idea generates more, you likely have a novel. For the consummate short story writer, see the work of Nobel laureate Alice Munro.

For Writers of Dual Heritage: Explore the Experience of Returning

Readers with a dual heritage who know the pitfalls of returning to the place of one’s childhood and those who possess a love of eloquent story will find much of value in Alain Mabanckou’s The Lights of Pointe-Noire. A rich tapestry of past and present, Lights recounts Mabanckou’s return to his native Republic of the Congo where he visits the southeastern coastal town of his childhood.

See the full review at The Lights of Pointe-Noire: A Memoir. 

April Read of the Month: Review of “The Feathered Bone”

The Feathered Bone, by New York Times bestselling author Julie Cantrell, fuses poetic voice and unwavering honesty in a haunting tale of worst fears come true, best intentions gone horribly wrong, and a freedom that brings hope beyond this life.

Set in New Orleans and rural Louisiana in the years involving the region’s most devastating storm, The Feathered Bone, Cantrell’s third novel, hurls its own tempests into the lives of its characters …

For the full review, see April Read of the Month: The Feathered Bone.

Spring Connections for Writers

Don’t look now, but spring is just around the corner. Here is a fresh list of writers’ resources we hope will inspire you.

Call Me Ishmael: Do you have a beloved book and a story to go with it? If so, you might enjoy this delightful way to share both. Use the phone number on the website, and leave a voicemail about your book and its story. The stories are transcribed and shared weekly.

Hootsuite.com: This social media dashboard lets you manage multiple networks and profiles and measure results. Most plans are fee-based, but there is a free version. All allow you to measure your social media growth.

IngramSpark: IngramSpark is an online publishing tool that offers access to a vast distribution network for books and e-books. This is a fee-based service, but you can begin for free.

Internet Archive: This free library of millions of books, movies, software and music is especially useful for research and offers access to historical collections in digital format.

Literistic: Each month Literistic collects and emails submission deadlines for literary publications, contests and fellowships. The full service is fee-based, but the shortlist is free.

The Write Life: This site is one-stop shopping for the writer, with free articles, markets and news – and you can write for them, too.

Writers Write: Similar to The Write Life, this service offers free content for the writing community in the form of articles, markets and news.

Happy writing!

Story as Tapestry: Of Plot and Subplots

Most stories have the potential for more than one storyline or plot, and that can produce a rich tapestry as long as the threads are chosen well and woven properly.

A basic definition of plot is what happens in a story, or, more precisely, the main events. The bigger events, whose impact is usually on the main characters, form the main plot. The lesser events, whose impact is more on secondary characters, form the subplot, of which there may be more than one. When revising your story, one question to consider is: Does the subplot overshadow the plot?

If this is the case, the reason may lie in the strength, or lack thereof, of the main characters. If so, consider how to strengthen the main characters. If they’re right for the story as-is, look closer at the secondary characters. They may be more integral to the overall work than first appeared. If so, consider changing the balance of characters and storylines. Selecting new narrative threads can create an entirely new design.

Share your writing journey and queries on plot and subplot with Word for Words. Happy writing!