One evening last week I was reading a short story out loud, getting ready to present it at a writers’ meeting. Here are some reasons you should read your material out loud, before you submit it to editors or producers.

Reading out loud is the easiest way to determine if your sentences are a reasonable length. A rule of thumb is, if you need to take a breath while reading a sentence, you need to either add a comma, or make the sentence shorter. It’s better to vary the length of your sentences, so it will feel more natural to your readers. Sometimes your reply to a question will be lengthy, but at other times it will just be “yes,” or “no.” If a character in your story doesn’t not know how to reply to a statement, you can always write, “Hmmm,” as his or her response.

Can the reader pronounce the names you’ve given to locations or characters? This can be an issue for science fiction and fantasy writers, when they’re struggling to come up with unique names. If you read a name out loud and find it challenging to pronounce, then you should seriously consider changing it to something simpler. If your main character’s name is Irlzolriqil, it will be distracting.  Readers who spend too much time concentrating on how  pronounce a name or place, won’t enjoy reading you story.

Taking the time to read out loud, will also help you to find spelling errors, because the software you use, may not recognize the different contexts used with words. “Break,” and “brake,” are both spelled correctly. If the software detects misspelled words, it will only advise you of a problem, if either word was spelled “brek” or “brak.”

If you’re going to read out loud, a good resource is How to be Heard (2017) by Julian Treasure, which is available as either a book or audiobook. An excellent speaker to listen to is Les Brown; you can hear several examples of his passionate style on http://www.youtube.com. Another excellent, though less well known speaker, is Ashwin Ramani. You can find examples of his style in the Sermon Archives at http://www.cschurch.ca. Probably the best speaker I’ve ever heard, is science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer. You can find numerous examples of his speaking style on http://www.youtube.com.

Reading your stories out loud is an inexpensive way to improve your writing and will help you prepare for a successful writing career. And I want you to have a successful writing career, because the world needs to hear your voice, your passion.

Copyright © 2019 by J. Paul Cooper

I’ve been attending meetings of a local writing organization since February and I really appreciate their professional approach to critiquing material. You submit a short story or a portion of a novel-in-progress, and two members volunteer to critique the work for the next meeting. At the next meeting you read for up to ten minutes, and then the two volunteers give their impression of the material you’ve submitted to them. They are each given a few minutes to express their concerns, and then it’s opened up to the floor for other members to comment on what they’ve heard.

The critique considers both the material you’ve written, and how well you deliver the material. Since as a writer you may be asked to do public readings, this is an excellent opportunity to discover whether you speak too fast, you don’t speak loud enough, or you  slur your words. You might also discover (especially in science fiction and fantasy) that the names of your characters are very difficult to pronounce.

For the last meeting I submitted a portion of a science fiction novel, and naively assumed that the individuals critiquing the material would be impressed with my excellent writing. I was wrong. It was brutal. The individuals critiquing my material said there were distracting spelling and grammar errors, my action scenes were poorly structured, and I changed point-of-view too frequently.

Fortunately, that was exactly what I wanted to hear. I didn’t want anyone pulling punches to avoid hurting my feelings, I wanted the truth. If you’re serious about becoming a published author, you need to discover where your weaknesses are. Sending poorly written material to an agent or editor will result in a rejection, often with no explanation other than, “it’s not what we’re looking for at this time.”

You don’t need to worry about what other writers think about your material, because  you make the final decision. You should consider their opinions, but you are responsible for the end product. It can be very embarrassing to have other writers point out your mistakes, but that isn’t a bad thing. Whether it’s a story you’ve published online or a public reading, you have to accept criticism. Joining a group of writers and having them review your work is an excellent way to prepare for negative comments. If someone doesn’t like what you’ve written, just keep writing, you’ll eventually find readers who  appreciate your voice, your passion.

Copyright © 2018 by J. Paul Cooper

Your cat lies napping on the cat tree, basking in the afternoon sun. At first it may appear like a Normal Rockwell painting, but perhaps it’s more like a non-fiction book by Robert Greene.
It’s the classic image of a Senator in ancient Rome; with the snap of his fingers servants rush to him, feeding him grapes, offering him wine. The feline reclines comfortably in her cat bed, and as she utters “Meow,” her servants run to her side, bringing her a favourite treat.                                                                                                      Senators in ancient Rome were always aware of the threat of conspiracies, closely watching each other’s actions for clues of machinations. One cat rests on a sofa in the living room, when another feline enters. The cat on the sofa tracks the other cat with laser sharp focus, taking notice of who she shares her affections with.
Roman senators had to instinctively know when it was best to listen and observe, and when it was time to make their presence known, inviting praise. At times a cat will enter unnoticed and watch silently from a corner of the room. At other times, however, a feline will announce her arrival with a loud “Meow.” The plebeians compete for her attention, begging her to take a seat next to them, praising her unequalled beauty, bribing her with treats. With a swish of her tail, she dismisses them as unworthy of her affection, and leaves the room.
Two senators greet each other with pleasantries on the streets of Rome, masking the their true motives. In the afternoon two cats pass each other peacefully, but during the long hours of the night, the silence is shattered by the loud hisses of an altercation, as they vie for dominance.
The wealthy citizens of ancient Rome are also remembered for holding drunken orgies. It’s New Year’s Eve, and you’ve just given kitty some catnip to enjoy the festivities…. The intoxicated feline rolls around the floor uttering incoherent meows, in a display of unbridled debauchery.
It might appear that you and your cat are friends sharing a loving relationship, but are you truly equal? When was the last time a cat flushed the toilet for you? Forget to scoop the litter box and your cat will warn you with loud meows, and then defecate on the floor in protest. You fill the cat’s water dish, but when has the cat ever poured a glass of wine for you? When the cat turns her nose up at something she’s doesn’t like, what do you do? The next time you’re at the grocery store you won’t buy just any brand of cat food, you’ll buy her favourite brand.
After enduring a terrifying dream, Julius Caesar’s wife warned him to stay away from the Senate on the morning of March 15, 44 BC. Ignoring her advice, he went anyway and died from multiple stab wounds, inflicted by Senators who had sworn their fealty to him. The cat sits on your lap and starts kneading you with her claws. You think it’s a sign of affection from a loyal companion, but perhaps those claws represent daggers, and it’s really a warning, “Remember the Ides of March, and don’t forget to buy more catnip.”

Copyright © 2018 by J. Paul Cooper

Leonardo DiCaprio’s talent seems limitless; he portrayed a street artist in Titanic, an agent invading dreams in Inception, a suave, mysterious millionaire in The Great Gatsby and a brash, greedy business tycoon in The Wolf of Wall Street. I’m looking forward to two movies in development that will require him to play real-life characters who were complete opposites; one a national hero, the other the most hated man in the United States.

The Black Hand is adapted from Stephan Talty’s book and concerns the battle between a criminal organization, the Black Hand, and a New York detective, known as the “Italian Sherlock Holmes.” The Black Hand was terrorizing new Italian immigrants, kidnapping children, stabbing victims and blowing up the businesses of those who refused to pay their extortion demands. Joseph Petrosino, who DiCaprio is going to portray, became a national hero for his fearless determination to confront and destroy the Black Hand.

The Devil in the White City is based on Erik Larson’s book and concerns the lives of two men during a turning point in American history. As architect Daniel Burnham was designing and organizing The World’s Columbian Exposition that opened in Chicago in 1893, serial killer H.H. Holmes opened a hotel nearby and used it to harvest victims. DiCaprio is going to portray H.H. Holmes, who was distinguished by the chameleonlike ability to switch between a charming personality that deceived people into trusting him completely, and a cold hearted killer who enjoyed the suffering of his victims.

What makes these stories so interesting is that the two men lived in the same time period as American history transitioned from the 19th to 20th centuries. It will be interesting to watch how cinematic magic recreates the era and how Leonardo DiCaprio portrays such divergent characters.