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Writing Lesson 3.33 – Formatting Your Manuscript Like a Pro

Melinda Evaul — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:00:43 +0000

The following post appeared in

Randy Ingermanson’s Advanced Fiction Writing E-Zine

and it seemed very appropriate to re-post at contest entry time

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There aren’t any ironclad rules on how to format the manuscript of your novel.

However, there are good ideas and bad ideas. Whenever I teach at conferences, I see all kinds of bad ideas. Bad ideas are bad because they make things hard on the editor or the agent. Bad ideas make you look like an amateur.

In this article, I’ll explain some of the good ideas on formatting your manuscript.

Before I begin, I need to emphasize how critically important it is that you create and use a set of paragraph styles in your word processing software. To be specific here, I’ll assume you’re using Microsoft Word, which is the most common software.

To edit the standard set of styles in Microsoft Word, click the Format menu and then the “Style…” menu option. This brings up a dialog that lets you customize all the styles.

Most of the text in your novel should use the style “Normal” defined by Word. However, the default setting for the Normal style in Word is usually wrong for writing fiction, so you need to customize it as described below.

* Use a proportionally spaced font with a serif.

The issue is readability. A good font like Times Roman or Times New Roman is highly readable. Monospaced fonts like Courier feel old-fashioned and aren’t as easy to read. Sans serif fonts like Helvetica are even harder to read.

* Use 12 point type.

Again, it’s all about readability. Anything less than 12 point type is going to cause eyestrain for some editors and agents.

* Double-space the main body of your novel.

You do this by editing the Normal style so that the spacing between lines is 2. When you do this, the spacing between paragraphs is one blank line. You don’t want any more than that, so make sure the style doesn’t have extra space after paragraphs.

* Indent the first line of every paragraph half an inch.

You do this by editing the Normal paragraph style to make the first line indent half an inch. The WRONG way to do this is to type five spaces manually or type a tab character. The reason is that eventually a publisher will typeset your manuscript in Quark or InDesign, and if you’ve inserted spaces or tabs, they’ll have to undo that to make it right.

* Use one-inch margins on both sides and on the top and bottom.

These are standard in the US. If you’re using metric, a margin of 2.5 cm is almost the same as one inch.

* Use a footer on every page, with the page number centered horizontally.

Page numbers are a good idea, but they shouldn’t get in the way of reading. The best place to put them is at the bottom of the page, in the center.

You don’t need to preface the page number with the word “page”. Editors are pretty quick to figure out why there is a lone number at the bottom of each page.

* Use a header on every page with your last name flush to the right margin.

The usual reason for using a header is the alleged nightmare scenario where two paper manuscripts fall on the floor and the pages get all mixed up.

I’ve been assured by a world-famous editor that this has never happened in the entire history of the world, but for some reason, just about everybody fears that it will, so you’ll often see advice to put your full name and the title of your book in the header.

I have seen headers that contain the title, author’s name, address, email address, and phone number.

In my opinion, less is more here. When an editor is flipping through the pages, the last thing you want is for her eyes to get distracted by all that info in your header.

There’s a second reason I think putting your title in your header is a bad idea. The horrible truth is that your title probably isn’t nearly as good as you think it is. About 50% of all working titles get changed before publication. About 10% of all working titles reek like a rat.

The real nightmare scenario is to have a dreadful title in the header of every single page of your fantastic manuscript. Then every time your editor flips a page, she’s reminded of just how awful your title really is. Doubts begin to creep in about your sanity.

Don’t do that to yourself. Your last name is all you need in the header to identify your manuscript. Really.

That’s my opinion, anyway. Plenty of people disagree with me on this one.

* Begin the manuscript with a title page that has the title of the book centered on the page in a large type size.

I typically use 36 point type. Use your best judgment on what size looks good. It depends on how long the title is.

Beneath the title, you can put a subtitle centered in normal size. Usually, the subtitle is “A Novel.” You probably don’t need anything more clever than that. If you think you do, then talk to three writers with more experience than you have.

Beneath the subtitle, put your name centered in normal size. If you use a pseudonym, use that here instead of your real name. If you have multiple authors, put each name on a separate line.

* Begin each piece of front matter on a separate page with a headline that tells what it is (Acknowledgments, Author’s Note, and Dedication are some of the most common pieces of front matter).

The headline should be in a larger font size than normal and it should be bold.

* Begin each chapter on a new page with a headline that says “Chapter __” and replace the blank with the number of the chapter.

I normally use a special style for this that has a few lines of white space above it, so that the chapter headline is a couple of inches down the page. I also add in a little extra white space below the chapter heading.

* At the beginning of each scene, you might optionally include a dateline or other information centered in italics at the top of each scene.

I like to put the name of the viewpoint character here. This is not standard, but I like doing it. It gives the reader an immediate cue on who she is for the next scene.

Editors have sometimes asked me if I really insist on doing this. I do. They’ve always been OK with that.

* Every time you have a break between scenes within a chapter, add some sort of visual cue.

You can add an extra blank line — that’s the minimal amount you should do. Many authors use a line with three asterisks centered horizontally. That works for me.

* You have no business using underlines or boldface anywhere in the text of your story.

This marks you out as an amateur.

* Using all-capital letters is also usually frowned on.

Yes, I know that J.K. Rowling did this a lot in the Harry Potter series. When you’re brilliant, you get a little extra license.

If you’re not J.K. Rowling, then I strongly suggest you don’t do this.

* Use italics sparingly.

The trend these days is to use italics less often. I can justify italics for short sections of interior monologue and for emphasized words and for foreign words.

* I am going to be cruel here and allow you a grand total of one semicolon for your entire working career as a novelist.

This is just my opinion. There are tens of thousands of amateur writers who disagree with me.

There are probably one or two professional editors and agents who also disagree with me, so I won’t insist that semicolons are on the same deadly level as underlining and boldface. But I have never seen a semicolon in a novel that couldn’t be replaced by a period.

That’s pretty much all the important things you need to know in order to format your novel.

Following these rules won’t make bad writing magically good.

Following these rules will protect good writing from what my mother used to call “the appearance of evil.”

Appearances matter.

If you don’t believe me, try going into that five-star restaurant while ignoring the sign that says, “No shirt, no shoes, no service.”

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Reprint Rights

Permission was graciously granted to use this article from Randy’s e-zine as long as we include the following 3-paragraph blurb with it (and we’re happy to, because we hope you’ll check out Randy’s site for yourself):

This article is reprinted by permission of the author.

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, “the Snowflake Guy,” publishes the free monthly Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 31,000 readers. If you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND have FUN doing it, visit http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

Download your free Special Report on Tiger Marketing and get a free 5-Day Course in How To Publish a Novel.

Writing Lesson 3.32 – Finding Your Voice

Lynn Dean — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:00:46 +0000

You know that game where a friend sneaks up behind you, covers your eyes, and says, “Guess who?” By the time they speak, the game is pointless because you know the sound of your friend’s voice.

Everyone has a characteristic voice.

This is as true when we write as it is when we speak or sing. Think of your favorite vocalist. When they sing, what vocal quality appeals to you? Whether you listen to Pavarotti, Rascal Flats, or Evanescence, voice says something about the tone–the soul, if you will–of their music.

When you write, your “voice”–your way of putting words together–is unique.

The illusive trick of writing is to learn to make your voice “sing”–to not only put words together, but to paint pictures with them. It’s a difficult quality to describe, but once you’ve encountered singing, you know it.

That may be one reason it’s so difficult to share our first works. Most writers are readers. We’ve read authors with voices. We’ve encountered singing. Then we read our own stories, and they don’t quite paint pictures and call out emotions like we envisioned. They just don’t sing…yet.

A great voice can be developed.

I once knew a kid whose whole family teased him because he was “tone deaf.” I stood next to him in choir, and it was pretty awful. But you know what? He really loved to sing, so he got a guitar and learned to play it well. Whenever he tuned it, he learned how to listen for the right sounds. Then he applied the same techniques to his voice, and as time passed, he became quite a fine singer.

Don’t be discouraged! As award-winning writer Deborah Raney shares in this Novel Rocket post (2 May 2012), treat your love for writing with respect and find a safe place to practice singing! Here are some techniques that may help:

Exercises:

Read the works of successful authors and writers you admire.
When you come to a passage that “sings,” copy it. As you write or type the author’s words, analyze the way they use words to paint pictures (setting), action, dialogue, and emotion. Pay special attention to the way they time and balance these elements.
Set the copied work aside and recreate the scene using your own words.
Compare your scene to the passage you copied. Where were you most pleased with your writing? Where are the areas you feel need improvement? Compare and analyze that area specifically.

Like my friend and his guitar, “tune” your writing until you develop an ear for what works for you. Practice makes perfect!

AND…

Consider submitting a sample of your work to a safe place–NOVELWritingSite’s 3rd Student Writing Competition!

Five double-spaced pages ONLY please!
Begin your first page about 3″ down. Use Times New Roman font, 11 pitch font size. Allow 1″ margins.
Put your title, name, age, and literary genre in a header at the top of the page.
Use your title as the file name and save as a Rich Text File (.rtf)
Email the file as an attachment to: yoursbecausehis@gmail.com
In your email, please tell us a bit about how long you’ve been writing and what you hope to do with your project.

Submissions are open through May.

Because we each read and give encouraging feedback to each entrant, results will not be available until sometime in July.

Winning entries will receive books on the craft of writing.

Let the writing begin!

Writing Lesson 3.31 – Minimalist or Epic Writer?

Melinda Evaul — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:00:26 +0000

A February 3, 2012 blog post by Sharon K. Souza of Novel Matters caught my attention.

Souza said, “I tend to write novels with just a handful of characters, and only a few plot lines. I’m always impressed with complex novels and wish I could pull off that kind of writing, but my story worlds tend to be small and anything but epic. Maybe that’s because I so love to become emotionally intimate with my characters. I want to get inside their heads. Literally. I tend to write in first person, and especially love first person, present tense. In order to pull that off, there’s a lot of internal dialogue on my pages. I find that reflective of me, internal dialogue going on inside my head all the time. I’m sure that’s true of most writers.”

Internal dialogue with a focus on several important characters fills the pages of my novel “Grow Old With Me.” Souza labels herself as a minimalist writer. I’d say I lean in that direction. Minimalists focus on the inner workings of a few key characters. Learning what makes each one tick sets the stage for the novel.

Many beginning writers try to pen epic novels.

It’s a challenge for even seasoned writers to write this type of book. An epic novel can span multiple territories, have myriad characters, and deal with complex plot details that are difficult to communicate. Some writers have several story lines tumbling over each other. If that’s the case, don’t toss all the details in one book. I’ve seen some beginners who try to shove it all into a couple chapters. Spread the stories over a series if you are capable of such a vast vision. Give readers one or two characters to focus on at a time. Your work will be deeper and the reader will identify with the focus characters. As you progress in your craft, you may be able to delve into an epic setting where we need a character list and a map at the front of the book to keep up with all the players.

Exercise:

Take a close look at your plot plan. (I hope you at least have a rough outline of what you want to write.)
Are you trying to write an epic novel when a minimalist plot would be more satisfying?
Do you have too many plots or characters roaming around in your book?
Can you keep all the threads woven together to make an engaging and clear story for the reader?
Would your plot work better in several books to pull the reader into a deeper relationship with your characters?

Writing Lesson 3.30 – THAT Doesn’t Matter

Naomi Musch — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:00:26 +0000

When it comes to prose, some things matter. THAT often doesn’t.

For the past couple months I’ve been working on story rewrites. Thanks to a terrific editor, my novel The Black Rose should be all cleaned up and ready for release from Desert Breeze Publishing in July.

It’s amazing no matter how many times I re-read and scrutinize my work, there is always something I miss which the sharp-eyed editor catches, or a weakness which I have to address reveals itself. Thanks to my editor, I’ve come to discover my penchant for the word “that”. And that, my friends, is not okay.

“That” slips easily into our prose as one of the most common “weasel words”. We’ve talked a bit about weasel words on this blog before, but I thought in the instance of this word, it would be best for me to show you what the fuss is all about.

Here are ten sentences — some dialogue — taken directly from various places in my manuscript prior to edits. Notice the pervasive use of “that” in each sentence.

Would some subtle nuance reveal that she wasn’t Cori?

She’d told Evie that she was going to Clara’s house.

What if he did suspect that she wasn’t Cori?

“I’m so thankful that you have room for us.”

“I know Gray’s sorry that he couldn’t be around more to help you out.”

Who was to say that these fellows were having fun?

“It might surprise you to know that I’m a chaplain.”

Suddenly, like now, she’d realize that other people existed, and her eyes would momentarily lose their faraway look.

Perhaps it was Cori’s fault that Jesi had grown distant.

“I suppose Jesi told you that I was upset last night.”

Now try reading them again. This time — after noting my editor’s marks — I’ve left that out of each sentence.

Would some subtle nuance reveal she wasn’t Cori?

She’d told Evie she was going to Clara’s house.

What if he did suspect she wasn’t Cori?

“I’m so thankful you have room for us.”

“I know Gray’s sorry he couldn’t be around more to help you out.”

Who was to say these fellows were having fun?

“It might surprise you to know I’m a chaplain.”

Suddenly, like now, she’d realize other people existed, and her eyes would momentarily lose their faraway look.

Perhaps it was Cori’s fault Jesi had grown distant.

“I suppose Jesi told you I was upset last night.”

Removing “that” didn’t change the meaning or readability of the sentences. In fact, removing “that” made the reading tighter, cleaner. “That” still has its place, but often it just wants to slip in without our noticing, and take up word count space that it shouldn’t.

Exercise

Do a word search for “that” in your manuscript. If you’re using Microsoft Word, just hit “find” in the upper right hand corner. Type in “that” and every instance of the word will be highlighted. You can keep hitting the “next” button to search through and see where “that” can be deleted.

Clean up your story by wiping untidy “that” out wherever you can.

Writing Lesson 3.29 – Will an Agent Want You?

Melinda Evaul — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:00:26 +0000

In the current publishing climate it’s very hard to find an agent or a publisher who will represent you. In a blog from Books and Such on Feb 28, 2012 Rachel Kent made an interesting statement we should all heed.

I’m focusing on one item from her list. Rachel states, “Today I’m going to cover some red flags that would potentially cause me not to represent a writer either because the person isn’t ready yet for an agent or has shown that he or she isn’t a good fit for me. The writer… 2) Isn’t careful online. Be very careful what you tweet, blog and post on Facebook. Making fun of others, gossiping, or posting links that could be offensive are big turnoffs. I won’t want to represent someone who doesn’t think carefully before posting online.”

We all think we’re careful about what we say online. Is that honestly true?

I’m going to take a close look at my pages to determine how others might view what I post in a blog or on a social media site. Join me as we examine our posts carefully. With Facebook’s new timeline those items will always be around for the world to see. In fact, everything we post online will follow us forever.

Is that picture or video we posted conveying an image or message a future publisher might want to see?

Are we showing proper behavior and attitudes in the posts we make or items we follow? If we are Christian writers, this is a particularly important aspect of our social media interaction.

Do we write words of wisdom or demonstrate poor judgment with word choices?

Think before you post and comment. It could have a huge impact on your future in writing or another job field. The internet is our mirror. Does it reflect a winning image?

Writing Lesson 3.28_A Writer’s Biggest Job

Naomi Musch — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:33:28 +0000

A few days ago someone on Facebook said,

“Write to be pleasing, but never to please.”

I could sort of go with that in the sense that we shouldn’t form our words only to give people what they want to hear. But how does one write to be pleasing? I’ve also heard two other seemingly contradictory maxims:

“Write what is true to your heart,”

and

“Keep your audience in mind.”

So what is it? What is the true job, the biggest job of writers? What does it mean to write a novel or a short story that is pleasing?

Well-known author and blogger Randy Ingermanson, the self-proclaimed mad professor of fiction writing and creator of a plotting device called The Snowflake Method, also coined the phrase and idea that

“A writer’s primary job is to create a Powerful, Emotional Experience.”

Think about this. What makes a story stay with you for days and days, or possibly even years? It’s the emotional experience it evoked in you. You cared about the characters to such a degree that you pined for the situation they found themselves in — and that was some situation!

Your characters must exhibit deep inner desires and goals, something that drives them forward. They can’t just be bumbling along into a conflict that makes no sense. For some reason, their story goals have led them into their current nightmare.

And that situation– the plot — has to be built with the same care. It’s like climbing steep steps twisting up a mountain to a dark castle at the top. Each step must be more precarious than the last, more dangerous, more fraught with emotional entanglement for the reader. That castle at the top? That’s the black moment — the horrible thing that looms above (think the witch’s castle in The Wizard of Oz) which must be reached and conquered.

You know, speaking of Dorothy, we wouldn’t have cared one whit about her or enjoyed the emotional experience evoked in that story if we didn’t understand her earlier conflicts at home in Kansas, if we didn’t see her driven forward by a goal, if each step of the way didn’t bring greater peril.

Exercise:

Put your character’s name at the top of a blank page. Below it under the heading of Goals, list the lifelong goals and story goals of your character. Include if those goals change along the way.
Under another heading, Motivation, make a list of what is pushing her toward her goals, and make them both inner and outer pushes. Emotional pushes, and physical pushes.
These first two lists will flesh out your character, giving her dimension and reality.
Under a third heading, Conflict, tell what things are keeping her from her goals. What emotional, mental things prevent her from reaching her goals? What physical things? This list will enhance your plot.
Think of how can you add to these lists so that readers will form an emotional attachment, and you’ll give them a Powerful Emotional Experience!

For further study, visit Randy Ingermanson’s site, Advanced Fiction Writing, and see the post, On Those Pesky Powerful Emotional Experiences.

Writing Lesson 3.27_Am I a Writer?

Naomi Musch — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:00:01 +0000

Ever wonder when you’ve really become a writer? If you’re a young person still in school, you might be saying to people, “I want to become a writer when I grow up.” If you’re a little bit older and you’re working your way toward publication, you might tell them, “I like to write, and I hope to be published someday.” If you are much older, and still hoping for that email or phone call telling you that you’re about to be published you might shrug and say to friends, “I write. Still waiting for the big moment though.”

Fact is, it’s sometimes hard to tell someone I am a writer when we haven’t yet arrived — arriving being that magical moment we’ve gotten attached to in our minds about what a “real” writer is. Our ideas about that are often skewed.

It used to be when people asked me what I did, I wasn’t comfortable telling them I’m a writer even after I’d sold my first article. I remember my pastor’s wife cheering for me, telling me how exciting it was to tell folks she knew a writer. I would shake my head and say, “Not really.” For some reason I had this notion that I wouldn’t be a real writer until I was either making my main income by writing or I was published by a renowned publishing house.

I know differently now.

When I was ten years old, God helped me discover my passion to write. I wrote stories, poems, journal entries, and eventually journalism feature stories for my school paper. I won two scholarships based on writing (journalism) and 2^nd place for feature writing in my state.

Even though I was too naïve to believe I was a writer, I WAS A WRITER! But not based on those spare awards.

I was a writer because it was the ambition, the yearning, the thing God planted inside me to be.

Do you love to write? Do you want to be better at it? So do I. I will never stop learning more about writing craft. I am published now. But I’m a little writer in the sea of writers out there. I work a day job. Writing provides me very little in the way of income, but it fills up the bank account of my desire and talent for being what God designed me to be.

Are you a writer? Do you sit down and write and don’t just talk about it? Put yourself in a chair and get words down. Release your heart. And the next time someone asks you about what you do or who you are, among the list of things let them know, “Oh, and I’m a writer.”

Exercise:

Pray about your desire to write. Ask God to open up a vein of ink that will help you be the writer He wants you to be.
Write often. Write whatever is on your heart. Journal. Try different types of writing, from journaling to poetry, short story to novel.
Study writing craft using books, magazines, blogs, critique, and by reading good writing.
Practice telling your friends and family, “I am a writer.”

Writing Lesson 3.26 – Writing with WORLD

Melinda Evaul — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:00:07 +0000

Our family subscribes to a magazine called WORLD. It leans toward a conservative viewpoint in reporting world affairs, books, music, and movies. In the Feb. 11, 2012 edition there is an article called “Be Specific.” In this article Marvin Olasky says, “Eighty percent of good writing is rewriting, but rewriting in a middle-school or high-school setting means that a teacher must read a first draft and make comments, then read a second draft and make more comments, and on it goes.”

In my opinion, this can happen in a homeschool setting but seldom occurs in public or private systems. Teachers simply don’t have the time to devote this much attention to each student. We have our annual website contest but can dispense only minor comments about a few pages of one submission. Daily lessons are up to the student and the teacher.

In an attempt to improve the writing skills of today’s students, the WORLD News Group has developed a writing curriculum for homeschools and schools. Olasky says, “…Write with WORLD requires students to think and make choices, not just follow a formula…”

Intrigued by the concept, I thought it might be wise to pass this along to our followers.

To read the magazine article and peruse the curriculum follow this link. (http://www.learnwithworld.com/writewithworld/)

I’m not endorsing this curriculum nor am I suggesting it’s the answer to teaching writing. Since my recent post focused on the need to edit and rewrite it caught my attention. This may be a valuable tool for the education package of a budding writer.

A Note and an “Amen” from Lynn:

After judging some outstanding research papers my co-op students produced, one college professor expressed surprise that so many of my students wrote exceptionally well and asked about my teaching methods.

I told him that each student produced a first rough draft by the deadline and had one week to turn in a polished copy after receiving their edits. After I graded their first polished copy, they had the option of accepting that grade or taking another stab at perfection. One student turned in NINE revised copies before she felt she had mastered the research paper assignment to her satisfaction.

“You mean you just give them unlimited chances to get it right?” he asked. By his expression, I gathered he considered this next door to cheating.

I explained to him that in homeschooling, the goal is always mastery through one-on-one tutoring. Teaching, to me, is about “tossing” in such a way that the “ball” can be caught. “When students sign up for my class, I assume it is because they do not know how to write and would like to learn to write proficiently,” I told him. “What credit is it to me if I give them one shot and pronounce them ignorant? That’s why they’re here–to become informed! As long as they’re willing to work, I’m willing to work with them.”

Light dawned, and he admitted that this was a practical perspective.

Writing effectively requires an amazingly complex set of skills. Bringing those together takes time, but everyone can improve their ability to communicate. Take time to encourage your students and build their confidence!

Writing Lesson 3.25 – Your First Hundred Words

Melinda Evaul — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:00:54 +0000

I recently read about a contest where writers could send a portion of their work to an agent. One person would receive a request for the full manuscript. Nice offer! The rules allowed each writer to send the first 100 words of their book. Yes, you read that right. One hundred words, plus or minus a few to complete a sentence. We’re talking about one or two paragraphs. The contest winner would have no guarantee the agent would decide to represent them after seeing their full manuscript.

Competition is stiff in the writing world. Agents and publishers require top quality.

My 100 word cut off is at the end of the previous sentence. No room for errors or a boring start. I’m glad this blog post isn’t the deciding point on an agent’s interest in my manuscript!

It is vital to capture the reader’s attention on that first page. When you begin reading a dull book are you inclined to continue reading? How far do you read before you toss the book under your bed and never retrieve it? I’d guess you might give it a chapter or even two chapters if the subject matter had a bit of interest.

Exercise:

Take a look at the first 100 words of several favorite books. Would you ask for a complete manuscript based on what you read? What captured your interest in those words? Why did you want to continue reading?

Check the first page of your manuscript. Does it have the pizzazz to grab the reader’s attention?

Have several critique partners look at your first page. Ask them if they would continue to read the rest of the first chapter, or the whole book based on the opening impression?

Edit, polish, and practice the writing craft until your words pull the reader into your story world from the beginning until the end.

The annual contest on this site is a good place to get feedback about your writing. We allow you to send 5 pages. That’s a generous offer compared to 100 words. We assume you’re here to learn and grow as a writer. Even published writers continue to study and learn from the advice of fellow authors. Each contributor to this site probably has several partners who suggest improvements, deletions, or revisions, to our “manuscripts in progress.” So don’t be shy. Polish those pages and make us want to read the rest of your book. We’ll give you a deadline for the contest entry soon.

Writing Lesson 3.24 – The Curse of the Thirty-Pound Sword

shannonmcnear — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:00:54 +0000

You see it all the time in stories … the hero has a sword so awesomely big (hey, he got those muscles somewhere, didn’t he?) that the heroine can barely lift it. I even wrote one such sword into my own story …

“If you are Lady of this kingdom, then I would be your most loyal subject. Please accept my sword as a token of my devotion.”

Though she intended to reproach him, her voice quivered when she spoke. “This is not a thing to treat lightly, Kolin Penwelle.”

“I do not offer it lightly,” he replied softly.

She slanted a glance at Brenna, who stood stunned—but at the Princess’ look, Brenna nodded shortly and whispered, “Accept it, my lady.”

Very hesitantly then, Cymalyn reached out to slip her hand around the hilt. The weapon was too heavy for her, however; and as soon as Kolin released the blade it fell point down against the cobbles with a dull clang. Abashed, she put out the other hand as well; but with all her strength, she could only raise the sword a few inches. Obviously, she would not be able to duplicate the acceptance maneuver she had seen her father perform so many times …

And then one day it occurred to me, maybe I should do some reading up on swords. I realized that I even had a main character who was a bladesmith, but I’d never done a lick of research on what that actually entailed. I knew of course that he needed a forge, an anvil, and a hammer. (I grew up with horses and was always fascinated by the shoeing process … that had to translate at least in part, didn’t it?) But what else could I be missing?

To be fair, this was in the days before the Internet, and research would have meant trotting down to my local library and asking a real live person to help me find a book on metalsmithing … to the likely accompaniment of raised eyebrows and questions on why a Midwestern girl needed that kind of information. So … I kept putting it off.

Then came adulthood, and the Internet, and with it some measure of bravery, I guess. I started researching. In the process I discovered that the average sword—longsword that is, and that’s what they’re properly called, not a broadsword (the only blade properly called a broadsword is this basket-hilted Scottish thing … go look it up)—is actually only two to three pounds.

Yep, that’s it. Three pounds. The longest of German and Scots longswords might weigh five to six pounds, but none of those are beyond the ability of the average woman—or child—to pick up and lug around.

Well, there went my dramatic scene of the princess almost dropping the sword of her marauder cousin who’s trying to swear fealty to her. Bwaaahahahahaha! I did manage to find a way around it.

Oh, and I also found it would take my bladesmith more than a day or two to craft a dagger fit for royalty.

So what’s my point in all this? (Pun intended.)

Don’t be afraid to do your research.

Sure, I’ve had to change whole story ideas when I found out that facts didn’t support them, but making a reasonable effort to get your facts straight challenges you to be a better writer. And—it’s fun! I don’t remember history or science or anything else in my school years being half as fun as chasing down the odd and obscure in sword lore.

Just go easy, however, on the next writer you meet who seems to think that the really big swords all weigh thirty pounds …