Tag: Communication

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What’s Your Chosen Writing Genre?

Three days ago, I said “I’ll talk about Documentary Historical Fiction another time.” Well, this is the time.

The online Britannica defines historical novel as a novel that has as its setting a period of history that attempts to convey the spirit, manners, and social conditions of a past age with realistic detail and fidelity to historical fact. The definition is good, but that is rarely what we find.

That presents a problem for truly historical fiction writers because readers may not know whether our writing is credible or not. Allow me to introduce Dr. Maier.

Dr. Paul L. Maier (https://www.paulmaier.com) is the Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University and a much-published author of both scholarly and popular works. 

Relating to his works of historical fiction, Dr. Maier said in the preface of The Flames of Rome, “I have not tampered with known facts in retelling it – unlike almost all historical novelist – nor invented characters that could never match the kind who actually lived in this area…. But here as elsewhere in ancient history, yawning gaps in the original sources prevent any telling of the full story. I have tried to fill these in by devising a genre which I call the “documentary novel,” resorting to fiction for such connective material as well as dramatization, dialogue, and sub-plot to flesh out the story and bring its characters to life.”

Every person Dr. Maier named was a real person, but every character he created received no name in his books. Unless noted in the appendix otherwise, every event he described was actual. He constructed “history” only where there was no evidence for an event, but he remained true to life in that time frame.

I’m adding documentary historical fiction to my favorite genre list. That will help me to …

Write Creatively.

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What Are Your Preferred Genres?

Bible, science, and history have been my chosen genres for the past 45 years. However, within the past 3 years I adopted Creative Nonfiction, and am considering Documentary Historical Fiction.

The shortest definition of Creative Nonfiction is: a true story well told. Best selling author, mentor, and instructor Lee Gutkind said, “I am often asked: ‘What is creative nonfiction?’ Memoir, for example, personal essay, biography, narrative history, and long form narrative reportage may all fit under the creative nonfiction umbrella. Writers who write creative nonfiction are very different in voice, orientation and purpose. But what they have in common is that they are, in one way or the other, writing true stories that provide information about a variety of subjects, enriched by relevant thoughtful ideas, personal insight, and intimacies about life and the world we live in. And this scope and variety is exactly what makes creative nonfiction significant and, these days, so incredibly popular.”

Creative nonfiction involves descriptive narrative, but we need to be careful not to overdo the verbosity. However, this genre – used correctly – vies for first place with fiction for popularity. Look up Lee Gutkind and learn more.

‘ll talk about Documentary Historical Fiction another time. In the mean time …

Write Creatively.

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You Might Want to Know …

One of our readers recently emailed us with a few questions. I want to share the primary question with you because it seems that many people don’t know this bit of info.

“Can changes be made to my book after it’s published? And if so, how do we go about it?”

The first answer is “Yes. We can modify anything we publish.” Working with us, P&L Publishing and Literary Services, the author never loses ownership of his or her work. Therefore, the author can ask for changes any time … even many years later.

The second answer is also easy. Just send us a document listing what you want to modify, and we’ll make the changes. But please note: we cannot change anything we did not publish.

There most likely will be a fee involved, and the fee will depend on the nature and complexity of the changes.

One of the benefits working with P&L is that we try to make things easy for our authors. When you call, you will talk with a live, breathing, friendly person. Have a great week, and …

Write Creatively.

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We are Products of our Decisions

A week ago, a young man, John, affirmed that we (all humans) are products of our environment, and wanted to know my thoughts about it. Before I commented, I wanted to make sure that I understood what he said, and what he meant. I wanted to understand his position before I attempted to help him understand mine. (That’s an application of Stephen Covey’s Principle #5 in his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I encourage you to read the book.)

After John reiterated his statement and affirmed is belief in it, our discussion proceeded. About 20 minutes later, our conversation ended on friendly terms, and John had changed his mind. He now understands that we are not products of our environments, but products of our decisions. The result of every decision we make is another “building block” in the foundation of our lives. So, make your decisions wisely, and please apply that bit of wisdom to all areas of your life.

But since our topics in these blogs are about writing and publishing, apply it here, too. Decide to be proactive in your writing endeavors. If you want to become an author, or if you are an author and want to get that next book published, you will need to overcome the ever-present hinderances and establish your plan to get it done.

Be gentle and considerate with family and friends as you help them understand your needs in completing your project. And as you proceed …

Write Creatively.

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Are You Loquacious?

As a 10-year-old, I was having a difficult time explaining something to my dad. When I finished, he said, “Well, you certainly are loquacious.”

Later in life I learned that some writers are loquacious, but we often use the term verbose – using unnecessary words, filler material that does not help the story. Some time ago, I read a book and told my wife, “This author didn’t have much to say, and he spent a long time proving it.”

Writers – including myself – should not waste potential reader’s time with verbosity.

I’m not suggesting that we limit our words. What I am hinting at is to make our words meaningful. It isn’t the multiplicity of words that carry the story; the story is in the content of the words. We need to cut out the chaff, the fluff, the filler material, and let the readers feed on the meat. That takes time and planning.

Mark Twain understood it and said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

President Woodrow Wilson addressed this subject in 31 words when he was asked to give an impromptu, short talk. “If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; If fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.”

Don’t be loquacious … I mean, verbose. Make every word count. And be sure to …

Write Creatively.

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Happy March 1st

Well, what do you know? Today is special for several reasons. Among the many reasons, it is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, Baby Sleep Day, National ‘Dadgum That’s Good’ Day, National Speech and Education Day, and Share a Smile Day.

Oh yes, it also marks the anniversary of when the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation.

Hmmmmm …. Did I mention that it’s also National Horse Protection Day? Forgive me for the oversight.

I suppose I’ve taken up too much of your day, so I better sign off. Have a great March 1st, share a smile with someone, and …

Write Creatively.

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Write for a Win-Win

When was the last time you heard someone say, “That’s a Win-Win?” That doesn’t work in baseball, football, basketball, and all the other sports. For a team to win, the other team has to lose, and for some reason people don’t like losing.

Okay, you know that. But how does win-win apply to writing? I’m glad you asked.

The answer is based on understanding. Author, speaker, and mentor Stephen R. Covey said in Habit #5 in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.” Learning to actively understand someone else and his/her point of view is mandatory to effectively communicate our thoughts.

That’s why we must know our target audience. We need to understand their interests, goals, needs, etc. If we understand them, our writing can appeal to them. They will enjoy our writing and we will sell more books. That is a Win-Win.

So invest the time necessary to establish and understand your target audience. You must write YOUR story in a manner that THEY understand and appreciate it.

That is the writers’ Win-Win. So make sure you …

Write Creatively

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A Reminder about the Special Offer

P&L Publishing and Literary Services is offering a $100 discount as a Valentine’s Day special.

If you are writing a book – or are ready to publish one – contact us on our “Get In Touch” or contact page and tell us you read this blog. You’ll be surprised at how little it costs and how quickly we can publish your book. Contact us on or before Leap Day (February 29, 2024) to receive this offer.

This little guy is effectively communicating with its friend. In like manner, share this blog with your friends. They might be glad you did.

Write Creatively

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Don’t Give Up

About 90-95% of people who begin the journey of becoming authors give up. Why? Admittedly over-simplified, here are several issues to consider.

Traditional publishers have stringent regulations for manuscripts they will accept, and have tough rules the authors must agree to. It can take a year to publish the book, and the requirements are daunting for many people. Also, authors lose rights to their books.

With about 11,000 new titles published daily, traditional publishers seldom consider projects if they don’t foresee significant profits in the near future.

Independent publishers (commonly called Indies) are basically traditional publishers but are not part of a large corporation.

Vanity publishers often charge multi-thousands of dollars, and the author can lose control of the project to them, too. With so many thousands of Vanity companies, it is not possible to give an overall report.

Considering all the above and much more, the following are four basic reasons P&L Publishing and Literary Services was created: Definitive information about publishing is hard to get. Prices are too high. Waiting many months to finish the job is too long. Many companies won’t communicate by phone, and it’s difficult to resolve some issues by email.

Therefore, P&L was formed to give an excellent product at a much lower price, and is a lot faster than other companies. We also know that writers are more comfortable and feel more secure if they can talk with the people who publish their books. We explain the process by phone and/or email, we spell out the fees up front, and our clients enter the publishing agreement with most questions answered.

You have a story to share with family, the church, and the world, and we want you to be successful. Contact us and we’ll assist you on your writing journey. Don’t give up. And as you write your manuscript …

Write Creatively

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Is it Time to Write?

What are your passions? What flows through your mind every week, if not every day? What do you wish people knew? What would you tell others if you had an audience? By writing a book, you have an opportunity to impact hundreds . . . maybe thousands . . . of lives. Writing and publishing is your escalator to the world. But how do you even get started?

P&L Publishing & Literary Services was created in 2019 for four basic reasons.

  1. Definitive information about publishing is hard to get.
  2. Prices are too high.
  3. Many companies won’t communicate by phone, and it’s
    difficult to resolve some issues by email.
  4. Waiting many months to finish the job is too long.

Therefore, P&L was formed to give an excellent product at a lower price and is a lot faster than other companies. We also know that writers are more comfortable and feel more secure if they can talk with the people who publish their books. We are available by phone, text, and email. We explain the process and spell out the fees up front, and our clients enter the publishing agreement with most questions answered.

Allow us to join you on your journey of fulfilling your dream: publishing your story or message. We’re here to help.

Visit us at: https://plpubandlit.org/

Write Creatively