Song of Life

With all of the attention I pay to prose, I find every once in a while I need to keep my hand in and stay in touch with my roots and write a poem or two. Here's one I wrote called "Song of Life," as summer turns into fall and youth gives way to-- ahem-- experience:


This tree it stands amid the breeze
Which gives its head a gentle tease
The same soft fingers, brush my face
Across the field that leaves do chase

And spin and swirl a merry turn
While summer’s sun on shoulders burn
For none know when or where or why
The docile clime will pass us by

When greens and softer shades of blue
Give way to autumn’s cooler hues
While nature’s pallet paints a scene
As branches decked with leaves grow lean

The breeze that once on gentle feet
Becomes the gust foretelling sleet
Soft-felt fingers, upon my face
Now scratch and burn on winds that chase

And there below the field now bare
The snowflakes fly without a care
As winter takes the stage again
The Song of Life a new refrain

For now though life is warm and bright
The winter’s care a distant sight
The leaves that cling upon my tree
In sunlight dappled they will be

© Ray Cattie

Time and Space

Time and space, normally important things in our everyday life, of course, are actually even more important in writing.

When you finish a work, no matter whether that work is academic, creative, or whatever, it is important to put time and space between you and that work before you go into the content/mechanical editing phases of your work.

I recommend you put the work in a drawer and walk away, both mentally and physically. Start another work, read a book, go on vacation. Do anything but think about the work you just finished.

Your next step, the content edit (what you said) is all about objectivity. If you were to go right from writing into your content edit, you would be far too close (too subjective) to do an adequate job.

So, you put it away- the longer the work, the more time you need. When you come back to it, you will have a fresher eye with which to begin your first edits with.

Same goes for the next step: the mechanical edit (how you said it). Put your work away after the content edit, gain the time and space you need for an adequate eye to do the job that needs to be done.

With time and space you will gain the critical, objective perspective- the necessary perspective you need to edit your work!

© Ray Cattie

A Father's Day Post

Five Minutes of Yesterday's Time

When I regard those days that have gone their way, I try to think of something cunning to say. I cannot clear my thoughts for my pining—they clamber as the fading memories do through waning. It’s not that there is a bad thought there in retrospect—no—rather said that somber recollection makes it go all the faster, as the years streak past me in a veil of tears. And so I’d like to sit and think of all the things I’d put to ink (remembering makes the times fade slowly, but to languish in the past so fitly): it makes my vision blur with sadness, to sit and think of all the gladness, to trade a thousand future days of mine, gladly, for five minutes of yesterday’s time.

© Ray Cattie

Congratulations Royals!

Congratulations to the Royals class of 2007! You did us proud today! As you step forward to claim your future, don't forget your past-- don't forget where you came from, and what it took to get to where you are now. And always remember-- we're proud of you and your accomplishments!

Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
New-made friendships, like new wine,
Age will mellow and refine.
Friendships that have stood the test
Time and change - are surely best;
Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray,
Friendship never knows decay.
For 'mid old friends, tried and true,
Once more we our youth renew.
But old friends, alas! may die,
New friends must their place supply.
Cherish friendship in your breast
New is good, but old is best;
Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
(New Friends and Old Friends© Joseph Parry)

© Ray Cattie

Query Letter

One of the toughest things a writer must do is the query letter. The query letter is your introduction of yourself and your work to either a publisher, an editor, or an agent. Like most things in writing, especially the business side of it, there is a formula. Following is a formula I've put together from many sources, including my own experiences:

Your Name
Address 1
Address 2
Home Phone
Email
Web Precsence
John Smith
123 Main Street
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
(610) 555-1212
jsmith62@yahoo.com
www.johnsmithbooks.com

Date
Sunday, June 3, 2007

Editor/Agent's Name,
Editor/Agent's Title
Agency or House
Address 1
Address 2
Mr Michal Thomas,
Associate Agent
Write-Well Agency
123 Main Street, Ste. 3
New York, NY 10011

Never just use Dear Editor or To Whom It May Concern-- if you don't have a contact name, try to get it:
Dear Mr. Thomas:

To start off, say what you want, then give the name, type, and length of the manuscript you are offering them for either representation or publication. Send them what they ask to see-- do not send anything they don't ask for, you will only annoy and hurt your case. If you want your sample material back, be sure to send the appropriate postage; if not, a stamped business envelope is fine:
I am seeking representation by the Big Literary Agency for my Arthurian fantasy novel, Ard Righ, complete at 97,000 words. For your consideration, I am enclosing (or attaching if email) a synopsis, three sample chapters, and a SASE to facilitate your reply (please recycle the sample materials).

Next, tell them about your story. This is a sales pitch, so hook 'em here if you can. Remember, the entire query should be no more than one page long:
I have always been drawn to the legends of King Arthur. Precisely, I have always been interested in the truth surrounding the legends of King Arthur: Did he exist? Who was he? Where did he come from? Was there a Merlin? A Guinevere? A Lancelot? An Excalibur? A round table? Ard Righ bridges the gap between the legend and the reality, starting with the ending of the Roman occupation of Briton, and the leaders who arose from the power vacuum that the Romans left behind. Ard Righ weaves the real with the unreal to create a world that might have been.

This is where you show who you are, first with any previous writing credits (if you have none, that's fine--don't say anything), next with any relevant experiences you might have:
I have previously published short stories, editorial pieces, and poetry in the small market press. Currently, I am working on Ard Righ's sequel, The Kingdom of Summer. There is also another (complete) book in this series entitled In the Shadow of the Grail.

As well as being a freelance writer, I teach Composition and Creative Writing at both the high school and the college levels. I have a Master’s degree in English and Language Arts

Finally, ask them for what you want, and don't forget the thank you and the contact info:
Might I send you the complete manuscript for your consideration? I can be reached at any of the above contact information at any time. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,



John Smith

Encl. (or attach. if email)

© Ray Cattie

Conflict

The normal connotation of the word conflict is a disagreement, a fight, or generally any negative interaction. Within fiction, however, conflict is much more broadly defined to mean any interaction that forwards the plot and moves the storyline forward.

There are two major types of conflict: internal conflict, and external conflict. Within these two broad types there are four subtypes:
1. man versus self
2. man versus man
3. man versus society
4. man versus nature/supernature (the use of the term supernature is intentional, as the term supernatural tends to make one immediately think of UFOs or vampires or any number of otherworldly definitions; while supernature can refer to these, in this context it means anything above or outside of what we consider to be normal natural phenomenon (and remember, the supernatural of today is likely to be considered the natural of tomorrow; a prime example of that would be the phenomenon of lightning).

The first subtype of conflict, and our one example of internal conflict, is man versus self. This is demonstrated whenever a character has, for example, a doubt, a feeling of anger, a decision to make, or perhaps a particularly salient memory to ponder. In essence, if it’s in the character’s head, it’s man versus self.

The second subtype of conflict, and our first example of external conflict, is man versus man. Here we are tempted to infer a negative connotation. While it can be negative, it is in essence any interaction between one character and another. For example, a man talks to his wife over breakfast, a coach instructs his players before a big game, an executive has a meeting with a subordinate, or two kids fight in a schoolyard. All instances of man versus man.

Our third subtype of conflict, and our second example of external conflict, is man versus society. This conflict is between a character and the society defined within the context of the story. So, a woman runs a stop sign, a gang of thieves robs a bank, a group of revolutionaries plots the overthrow of a government, or perhaps a boy wears a shirt that is in violation of his school’s dress code. In other words, whenever a character or group of characters does something having to do with or against a given society, it’s an instance of man versus society.

The fourth and final subtype of conflict, and our third example of external conflict, is man versus nature/supernature (I won’t belabor the point of the usage of the term supernature, refer to the explanation above). This conflict might be shown by a man who forgets his umbrella and gets caught in a rainstorm, a UFO landing on the lawn of the municipal building, a small town in upstate Pennsylvania being overrun with a plague of killer groundhogs, a woman skidding off the road in a snowstorm and becoming stranded, or a ghost appearing before three terrified children in the neighborhood haunted house. Anything involving the natural world or something above or beyond the natural world is an instance of man versus nature/supernature.

Of course, conflict is generally considered significant only if it furthers the plot, advances the storyline, or otherwise plays a significant factor in the outcome of the story. That's not to say that a writer can't have insignificant conflicts, but generally speaking instances of insignificant conflict are usually left to the back story or, as referred to in the world of film, to the cutting room floor.

© Ray Cattie

The Six Elements of Plot

I thought I would take a moment and mention a sixth element to the traditional Five Elements of Plot. I find as a reader and as a writer, in modern literature, there is a sixth element of plot that any writer who has tried to sell their work is aware of, but a lot of people who teach writing (from what I have seen) might not be aware of. As we all know, the traditional Five Elements of Plot are as follows:

• The Exposition
• The Rising Action
• The Climax
• The Falling Action
• The Resolution

Writers today are competing for the attention (and let's face it the dollars!) of the general reading pubic against such things as video games, television, video, cellular technology, etc. You get the idea. We have to do anything we can to command the attention and get the people to read our work! Consequently, more and more, there is an element of plot that we as writers are very much aware of, but that others might not be so much aware of. It comes right before the Exposition. I have named it the Inciting Climactic Event (or the ICE for short). It's widely known throught the business as "The Hook." Basically, it's a little piece of the climax taken from the high point of the story and transplanted to the beginning of the story, for the sole purpose of "hooking" the reader's attention and (hopefully) drawing them into your story, enough so that they will carry your book from the shelf to the cash register.

So, my mofidied Elements of Plot for "modern" literature are as follows:

• The Inciting Climactic Event
• The Expostion
• The Rising Action
• The Climax
• The Falling Action
• The Resolution

An example: perhaps you have written a novel about a serial killer. Normally, a story stars out with the Exposition; the author begins laying the groundwork for the characters, the setting, and the coming conflicts. With a hook, the author would take a piece of the climax--in this case, perhaps one of the murders--and transplant it to the beginning of the story. The traditional "bell curve" of the five elements of plot would essentially remaing the same, except that when the hook is placed, the curve starts out at a high point instead of the tradtitional low-to-rising expositional curve.

Theoretically, this "hook" serves to "grab" the reader, drawing them into your story immediately and, hopefully, selling your work!

© Ray Cattie

Hello!

Thanks for your support for my first novel, ARD RIGH: THE SWORD ON THE STONE!

For more information about me or my work, please contact my agent: Pamela Trayser, Phenomenon Books, agent@phenomenonbooks.com