by Bobbie Christmas
Q: A friend of mine is a male writer with a manuscript that has a female as the lead character in first person. He has repeatedly gotten rejections and comments that he has not developed her voice, and I concur that he hasn’t, although his plot structure seems good. Would a book doctor’s duties include rewriting all fifty of the chapters of the book to make the female character’s voice come to life? Would it be too much of a complete overhaul to delegate to a book doctor? It would seem that something that huge would fall under the description of co-authorship. Would using a book doctor, particularly a female, be appropriate in this circumstance?
A: Such a rewrite would be so involved as to require a coauthor or ghostwriter. Recasting and rewriting the voice of a narrative character requires much more work than a book doctor would or should handle. A professional book doctor makes suggestions for change but does not actually rewrite the content. A ghostwriter or coauthor—preferably a female—is called for in this case.
I am a book doctor as well as a ghostwriter, but not all book doctors are skilled in both areas. Your friend needs to check to see what he will get for his money. If the ghostwriter wants acknowledgment other than payment or if the coauthor wants a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the book, all those details must be in writing before the project begins.
When I ghostwrite I charge only a flat fee and don’t participate in the proceeds. I’ve rewritten books for authors and barely gotten a “thank you” in the acknowledgments, and I have rewritten books for authors who named me coauthor. I don’t care either way, but ghostwriters differ in their opinions. If your friend does not want to name a coauthor or share in the proceeds of the sale, he can use a ghostwriter who agrees to that arrangement.
No matter what the arrangement, though, a rewrite job is too encompassing for someone who is an editor but not a ghostwriter.
Q: What do you think of echo, alliteration, and rhyme in prose?
A: Echo, alliteration, and rhyme are techniques hailed in poetry but often spurned in prose. Let me explain.
Echo is another word for repetition, and repetition, while welcome in poetry, grows wearisome in prose. A little goes a long way.
Alliteration, the repetition of a similar sound (as in the two words “similar sound”), can be great in book titles and chapter titles. It can be an interesting addition to narrative when used sparingly. “Sparingly” is the key word.
As for rhyme, it’s best left out of prose. As if to back me up, Noah Lukeman, in The First Five Pages (A Fireside Book published by Simon & Schuster) says, “We need not mention rhymes in prose manuscripts, which should be avoided at all costs.”
Although an occasional poetic touch may enhance prose, like any enhancement, too much is too much. Readers of novels expect fiction, not poetry. Poetry may even offend some readers when it pops up in fiction. Many readers skip over poems, and if so, their purpose can be lost. Rhyme belongs in books of poetry. Leave it there.
Having said those things, however, I must acknowledge poet Vikram Seth, who wrote The Golden Gate, a novel completely in verse. Even the table of contents rhymed. I absolutely loved the book, but I knew it was a novel in verse when I bought it, and therein lies the difference between poetry and poetry inserted into prose.
Allow me to add my personal opinion and experience. In my fifty years in the publishing industry, I’ve rarely seen high-quality poetry inserted into manuscripts I’ve edited. Most writers are either good novelists or good poets, and few are both. I feel sad when I have to advise my clients that the poetry they’ve added to their novels detracts from, rather than adds to, their book.
Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style: Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more Ask the Book Doctor questions and answers at www.zebraeditor.com.
