Adult Theme
Rights of passage, you stopped wetting the bed, your first two wheeled bike, your first passionate kiss, first sex, getting your drivers licence.
Yes, there are many rights of passage we look forward to. The question is, do these rights of passage have any real meaning today? Do we grow and mature from the experience? Or is it just another thing to brag about? There are still societies in the world where the Right of Passage is more than just another short lived thrill gathered along the way to becoming an adult.
Standing with nothing but a spear in the face of a charging lion is certainly a thrill. But it is also a real test, a test of courage and strength of character, beyond reading a book and ticking boxes on a sheet of paper to get a learners permit.
First sex is a big one. But admit it guys, your first sex was a frantic wank in the toilet. Hardly a character building experience was it. Then when you do manage to find the courage, or you and her are drunk enough, it happens.
Was there love, was there caring, or was the first thing you did was to call your mates to brag about it. Was there anything to brag about? After all how long did it take to get your rocks off? Now be honest, this is your first sex. How long? Sixty seconds? Ninety seconds? Hardly the worlds greatest lover, eh.
Do you really think your partner was thrilled with the performance? Do you really think she wrote six pages of poetry in her diary describing the raptures of ecstasy she experienced. I don’t think so.
Did the experience help you mature into a better person? Did you gain a meaningful insight into life and relationships?
Now I’m all for sex and I don’t want to stop you from having it. The point I’m trying to make is, that when it comes to sex, your perspective is important. Are you making love or just having sex? When you’re making love the most important person in the equation is the person you’re with. Their pleasure is everything. If you can’t live with the word “No” then you are in the wrong relationship. If you can’t face the lion you are not ready to be an adult. If it’s just sex then leave the money on the table when you leave.
Why am I harping on this theme?
Well, while there is a market for just about anything you can write, no matter how sick, depraved, misspelled, poorly punctuated or badly edited, by far the largest market (meaning readers) requires good editing practices.
Why? Because there is always some bad bastard like me who will point out your mistakes. Often in public.
Peter Tremayne is an accomplished writer with many books to his credit. So is Ursula Le Guin.
So why pick on them? That’s easy, I’m not. My point is that if it can happen to accomplished writers, then it can happen to you and, yes, me as well.
Why does it happen? Because we are human.
How can we stop it from happening? Edit your work, than get it edited again and expect it to be edited again.
Spelling and punctuation are the easy bits. After all, if you’re reading this then you probably have a spell checker. The punctuation - If in doubt, leave it out.
A word on spell check. I run English, American, Spanish, French and Latin dictionaries. Why? Because I can and they’re free.
The hardest part of editing is not being precious about your work. Yes, I know your writing perfect. It says exactly what you want it to.
The question is; Are you willing to bet your chances of being published on it?
I’m sorry, I just can’t help myself. Words are what we write for others to read.
Why do so many writers seem to deliberately set out to insult their readers intelligence?
For the moment let’s stay in 7th century Ireland. The story in question is “Act of Mercy” by Peter Tremayne.
* Map in front of book - Scale in miles
* Pg.2 - Length of ship given in metres (The metric system of measurement did not come into existence until the 1860s) Continued mixing of metric and imperial measurements throughout the book.
* Pg.9 - “The ship caught the tide.” - Surely the ship sailed on the tide, but the sail’s caught the wind.
* Pg.31 - The term “Head” denoting toilet dates from c.1748
* Pg.33 - “Missal” (a religious book) described as measuring fourteen by eleven mm. (approx. 3/8 of an inch by 5/8 of an inch) A very small book indeed
* Pg.33 - “Missals” as a religious books date from c.1330
* Pg.45 - “Pirate” for the author to describe these sea raiders as pirates is justified. For a character in the story to use the term is not. The term “Pirate” dates from around 1250
* Pg.54 - “Wedlock, Padlock” as used by one of the characters. Padlock c.1479
* Pg. 18. - Cabin described as being below deck. Pg.58 - Window described as looking out over the rail then the same window is looking out over the deck.
* Pg.77 -“For the first time since she had seen Cian again, Fidelma realised that his right hand hung loosely at his side and that he did everything with his left hand.” Pg.258 - “Cian sat back and folded his arms with an air of defiance.
I like Peter Tremayne’s stories. He spins a good tale.
He also tries my patience sorely.
How do you treat your readers?
My point is that you need to edit, and that editing is far more than just using the spell check. In this day and age publishers assume that you have had your work edited professionally.
Any editing required by a publisher is mostly to meet a house style guide.
If your work was not up to basic editing standards, it would be rejected out of hand.
The standard of editing is assessed on the first page of your work, if you’re lucky, most likely it will be assessed on the first paragraph.
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