by Bobbie Christmas
Q: I’m publishing a book of rebuses. Should I use a pen name or my own name? I know some authors use another name when they switch genres, so readers don’t become confused. Your thoughts are appreciated.
A: I love to hear when writers of one style turn to another, as in the case of your writing word puzzles. The switch to a totally different genre does sometimes trigger the wish for a pseudonym, but the choice is yours.
Readers don’t easily get confused. They can tell the difference between a work of fiction and one of nonfiction. Even if you wrote in various fiction genres, such as romance, thriller, mystery, and science fiction, each book cover explains what the book is about. How would it bewilder readers?\
Personally, I love my name, and the only reason I’d use a pseudonym is if I wrote something in which I took no pride. Omar Sharif did not change his name when he shifted from acting to screenwriting to writing about bridge; he took advantage of his popularity.
At a book signing once I sat beside a fellow author who admitted she wrote in so many genres and had so many pseudonyms that she sometimes forgot who she was supposed to be on a particular day at a specific event. Gatherings of authors became a nightmare to her, because of her various names. At general book signings where authors were invited as a group, she brought five or six books with various pseudonyms, and no one knew who she was. Guess who was confused. Not readers; the author was the confused one.
No rule applies to using pseudonyms. The choice is a personal one. Before you decide to use a pseudonym, though, think of the pros and cons. The only pro I see is that it gives authors anonymity, if necessary. The cons are too numerous to appeal to me.
Q: Is there software available to start writing my book? Are typewriters still the standard? Should I use a computer? What program should I use, Word? Should I write by hand? I am serious about getting started and want to get your recommendation.
A: I’m glad to hear you’re serious about getting started. All writers started somewhere, and now is your time. You may have a lot to learn, but you can’t learn until you start. As for writing down the words, typewriters are history. If you still have one, throw yours away. Publishers want to receive books electronically, which means you will use a computer and a program such as Microsoft Word, which has become the standard in the publishing industry. If you use a Mac computer, the Pages program is also acceptable.
Some folks, though, feel limited by typing or are unable to type. Some believe something is lost between the mind and the written word unless they write in longhand first and later type the second draft using a computer. Each method has its benefits and drawbacks, so only you can choose what is right for you.
If you choose to use a computer—most writers do, today—stick to using either Word or Pages. Both programs allow you to move things around, insert, delete, check spelling, and even check grammar, although you still need to know grammar, because these programs are not human. They may sometimes ask you if you have the right word when you do have the right word, for example, but you’d do well to check to be sure.
Word and Pages are also compatible with the most popular book-design programs, which becomes essential when it’s time to send the file to a printer or publisher.
The following information may help you decide which method of creation is right for you.
Benefits of Using a Computer
- It’s speedy. Most people type faster than they can write.
- Moving things around is simple, without retyping.
- You can check for typos and errors in spelling and grammar.
- You can look up alternate words in an electronic thesaurus.
- When you’re finished, the file is ready to send to an editor for editing and/or send to a printer or publisher.
Drawbacks of Using a Computer
- Some people sense that they lose the connection between the brain and hand and therefore do not feel as creative.
- The writer must be able to type, preferably by touch rather than the hunt-and-peck method.
- The writer must have access to a computer and a Word or Pages program.
Handwriting Benefits
- Many people experience a closer connection with the words when their thoughts flow from the brain, down the arm, and into the hand.
- The slower process inspires deeper prethinking and better organization.
- Typing from a handwritten manuscript gives the writer a built-in second draft, a chance to revise and improve the handwritten version. Caution: Some writers may think their first draft on a computer is a finished draft, which is never true.
Handwriting Drawbacks
- No known publisher today will accept a handwritten manuscript.
- Getting the manuscripts typed adds an extra step to the process and perhaps an extra expense too, if you cannot type it yourself.
- If writers pay someone else to do the typing, they lose the benefit of tweaking the manuscript another time while they type it themselves.
- Paying someone else to type it adds time, expense, and a chance for errors to be added in.
- Handwriting takes time; it’s tedious; it can be daunting and stop a writer from finishing.
- If intending to pay someone else to type the manuscript, the writer must be even more precise with the handwriting, so that others can read it. Even more time is spent with the technical aspect of writing legibly.
Getting the words down is only one step. Do not forget the important step of educating yourself. Successful writers didn’t write bestsellers the first time they sat down and typed a first draft. They studied the craft of writing and all its aspects. Just as Olympic ice skaters must practice for years first, so do writers. Often their first books are practice, and their second and future books might be good enough to sell.
Don’t let the study of writing get in the way of writing, though. While you write, study all the aspects and elements of writing, such as style, pace, and voice, so that you learn and grow. If you write fiction you must learn what makes a good plot, how to create believable characters, and more. You will need to know how to format a manuscript too.
Don’t let anything stop you from writing. You can learn all the aspects of writing while you continue to write. When you finish your first draft, you can go back and apply what you learned to your second, third, and fourth drafts, until you know your book is ready to go to market.
An expensive but extremely beneficial way to improve a book and learn much more about writing is to pay a professional editor to edit and evaluate your book. A good editor can show you how to improve your own writing style even more.
Most importantly, sit down and write, however and whatever you decide to write. You can’t sell ideas; you have to write them into poems, stories, articles, or books before you can sell them.
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.