February. The month for lovers and poets, which can be one and the same and many
times are.
One of the most popular forms of romantic poetry is the sonnet. Perhaps it's a
coincidence, but a sonnet is a lyrical poem consisting of 14 lines. February 14?
What is a sonnet? Fourteen rhyming stanzas consisting of 10 syllables each. There are
multiple styles of sonnets; actually, the styles are representative of the rhyming scheme. English,
or Shakespearean, is the most popular form, but we shouldn't forget Petrarchan, also known as Italian,
sonnets.
The sonnet introduction of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a great example of octaves
and a sestet and give you a better understanding of the quatrains and their concept of themes. Much
of this will be explained later.
But let me start now with an explaination of rhyme which is the rhythm of poem. There are four
types of rhymes: masculine, feminine, triple and perfect. Masculine is where the final syllable of
the word or line is stressed (home, dome). Feminine rhymes consist of two consecutive syllables
and are alike in sound and the first syllable is accented (Burton, curtain). The more difficult
rhyme is the triple in which all three syllables are identical (tomato, potato). The perfect rhyme is
where the syllable is identical in sound, even if spelled differently (one, won or blue, blew).
Without further adieu, the beginning of Romeo and Juliet.
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage.
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Petrarchan form is made of an octave and a sestet, or eight lines and six lines. The octave
is composed of two quatrains, four line stanzas in a rhyming method of A B B A, A B B A. The
couplet is usually avoided in the Petrarchan sonnet.
Perhaps now would be a good time to define and describe couplets. A couplet is made up
to two successive lines of verse that form a single thought or unit. There is a closed couplet
which has a completed meaning and a fully functional grammatical structure within the two lines.
Of course, when the second line doesn't finish and needs to finish on the first line of the next
couplet to complete its meaning, then it's called an open couplet. If the first stanza or line
thought is extended to the next line, that is called an enjambment.
In Petrarchan sonnets, the octave consists of two quatrains. The first quatrain presents a
theme, the second quatrain expands on it. The sestet, usually broken into two sections, reflects on
the theme and then unify the close of the sonnet. As stated before, the quatrain rhymes line one
with line four while lines two and three rhyme. In the sestet, there are a few possibilities: C D E
C D E or C D C D C D or C D E D C E.
A good example of a Petrarchan sonnet would be Divina Commedia by Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow.
Oft have I seen at some cathedral door
A laborer, apusingin the dush and heat,
Lay down his burden, and with reverent feet
Enter, and cross himself, and on the floor
Kneel to repeat his paternoster o'er;
Far off the noises of the world retreat;
The loud vociferations of the street
Become an undistinguishable roar.
So, as I enter here from day to day,
And leave my burden at this minster gate,
Kneeling in payer, and not ashamed to pray,
The tumult of the time disconsolate
To inarticulate murmurs dies away,
While the eternal ages watch and wait.
The English sonnet is probably the better known style of sonnet with William
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This style differs from Petrarchan by having three quatrains,
each rhymed differently, with a final couplet to close. The rhyming scheme is: A B A B, C D C
D, E F E F, G G. It should be remembered even though the rhyming may differ from the
Petrarchan, the sonnet still follows the octave and sestet format with the first quatrain presenting
the theme, the next expanding on it. The subtle difference is in the sestet. The third quatrain
closes and the last two lines usually finalize the sonnet.
By reviewing the sonnet I quoted above that introduces the play, Romeo and Juliet, we
can now see the first quatrain tell us about the two families and the city. The second quatrain
expands the story with the children and their love for one another. The final quatrain explains the
end and the last two lines inform you, the reader or listener, what the players are doing.
And I conclude with William Shakespeare, the English Sonneteer, and his Sonnet XVIII.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest,
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
* * *
Robert Nailor is the author of
CELTIC FANTASY, a blend of today's reality with the fantasy folklore
of Ireland. Read Chapter One of his book in the Emporium's
Celtic Room.
Still Finding Treasures
An Interview with Literary Agent Evan Fogelman
by
Theresa Havens
After ten years in the business, literary agent Evan Fogelman is still excited by and passionate about his work.
"I love it," he exclaims from behind his desk on the 7th floor of an office building overlooking the verdant beltway of Dallas' upper Greenville Avenue. "I'm not sure that I can articulate all the reasons why I love it, but the thing that has always stood out is that it's the crossroads of art and commerce." His piercing blue eyes gleam as he leans forward, warming to the subject. "I also like it because there is no manuscript that doesn't have some heart and soul of the author, and I find that captivating."
Cutting his teeth in the publishing business on true crime, Fogelman has since blazed new trails in the romance genre, helping to escalate advances for romance authors and forcing the industry to take romance writers more seriously. His clientele is now about 50% romance, with the remaining 50% split between other genres such as mainstream women's fiction, mystery, and many types of non-fiction. Fogelman, proving that the elusive literary agent is not quite so unapproachable as first-time authors have been led to believe, took time out of his busy schedule to talk with Gazette writer, Theresa Havens.
What does it take to get into the market today?
I think it's always taken a combination of two things. One is talent, and by that I don't mean the condescending quip of just write a good book and everything else will happen. I think that talent means understanding that what you do fits with the general goal of various publishing programs. The second thing is to understand how the business has changed in the last few years. There are effectively only 5 publishers of fiction-when you account for the folding of imprints into various multi-media conglomerates-left in Manhattan today. And by five, I mean of the 12 or 15 big-paying commercial publishers.
That seems so daunting to writers.
It is daunting, but statistically I don't think it's any more daunting than it has been in the past. I think if you were to add up the ratio of the number of people trying to get published with the number of outlets, it would probably equate with what it was a decade ago. It's always been difficult to get published and if were easy anybody could do it.
Is the picture as gloomy as we've been led to believe?
I don't think so. I mean there were 70,000 books published in this country last year-more than ever before.
Do you think that e-books are beneficial to authors?
If we negotiate the right contracts. I think the potential for money is beneficial because it's another revenue stream, another way to license the copyright and get money out of it. And I think it's a companion. I mean, having hours of television in our homes every night didn't stop people from going to the movies. Neither I think will having electronic books necessarily preclude the traditional retail setting where people want to feel the book in its paged form in their hands.
When you get a book that you really like, but you can't sell right off, how long will you stick with it?
I'll stick with it as long as the author has faith that we should stick with it. I sign every author and project not thinking it's going to be an easy sell but knowing that publishing is tumultuous. We may sell the book right away or it may be awhile. I sold one book recently that was rejected 31 times. And we went to large publishers and small publishers alike, and the person who ended up buying it was the second editor at a large publishing house who rejected it the first time. Now this is a manuscript without revisions or any substitute revisions.
How did that person get convinced the second time around?
The market had changed and persistence was part of it. Reading is subjective. This isn't what we like to talk about because it's maddenly frustrating, but it's true. I can read something today and not like it. Tomorrow I might.
How do you find new authors?
There are really three ways. Obviously, the best way I have is a recommendation from a published client that has read a certain manuscript and thinks it's great. The 2nd best way is through conferences because I think you can find out more looking at someone face to face, even if it's for only ten minutes and asking pertinent questions, than you can the query letter. And of course the third way-and it's tried and true and still works-is the query letter. But the query letter is for people basically who are throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing if it sticks. Every time I get a query letter it probably goes to 15 other agents-10, 5, 20-I don't know. I think that should be done. An author should take advantage of every opportunity that's presented to them. But from my experience, the other two methods I mentioned are statistically better bets for me.
Oh, and one thing that I do-the most successful way (it's the way I do business 50% of the time and probably why I'm profitable)-publishers tell me what they want, fiction or non-fiction, and then I go find a writer to write the proposal or part of the manuscript or the whole manuscript or whatever.
Do you actually discover new writers at these conferences?
Absolutely. I just discovered a fabulous author at the Romance Writer's of America conference, several, and I always do. People who attend conferences basically care about the submission guidelines and I'm not going to have to fool with messy stuff, so to speak.
How important is personality in the author-agent relationship?
I think it's important, because it rears its head, ugly or beautiful, somewhere down the line. You can have a fabulous book, and you sell it, but there are going to be rejections, rough spots, difficult decisions, career choices, and some type of conflict down the line-usually with the publisher-and you have to get some kind of read on a person's personality because these are things you're going to experience together. As an agent one has to be sensitive, too. No matter how you cut it or how fancy you make it sound, you're still an employee as an agent. I basically want to get along with my bosses. Now that doesn't mean I don't have strong opinions, but agents have made it sound like they're the bosses and that's not really the case. I mean there's a reason you get 90% and I get 10%.
What should the author expect from you?
A solid plan in terms of those three areas I've mentioned so often: publishing programs, business management, and career development. I don't think you can just go twisting into the wind and see which way it blows. You've got to have some kind of a plan going in. You've got to have first choice for publisher: You've got to have a first choice for an editor. You've got to have, if you're a new writer, a grip on the notion that very little is going to be done with you in terms of publicity and marketing support by the publisher. How can we get the most out of it? What can we do with no money? It doesn't cost you necessarily any money to try to get local media interviews. It costs you relatively little to take your local book reps out to lunch once in awhile. It costs relatively little if you're already on the net to make sure that your presence there is easily searched and identifiable. Those things, while not dramatic in any one endeavor, can add up over time.
And the other thing I think agents should bring to the table is some sort of back-up plan. It doesn't have to be immediate, but publishing has all kinds of unforeseen elements. Publishers fold. I personally think that every author needs two publishers until he or she gets to the top of the list and we can get you 6 or 7 figures every time.
How do you know if you've gotten a good agent?
My advice to new authors is to always start with the AAR list, then go to Jeff Herman's book or some good guide book like that and reduce that number to those whose sensibilities seem in accordance with what you're doing, and that's your final submission list to agencies.
Are agents and editors really looking for something unique and different, or are they looking for the last bestseller, e.g. Bridges of Madison County?
I don't think the real answer is the one that's been given. By the time you can identify a trend in the entertainment business it's probably too late to capitalize on it. The books that you see on the shelves today are the purchasing trend today in terms of the market, but they're not necessarily the acquisition trends because the acquisition trends of today will not be on the shelves for 6 months, a year, 18 months, 24 months. I'm much more concerned with what' in-house because that's what's going to be on the shelves in the future.
Are we looking for the next best seller or just something unique and different? I don't think I can answer that. I don't think that anyone can tell you when something unique and different is going to be a best seller or when it's going to be rejected. If you can answer that question for me, I have a job for you. I don't know. I don't think I'm ever going to know. A lot of us in the agenting community and the editorial community like to pretend we know because it sounds good, but we don't. You can't imagine the bestsellers that I've rejected and the ones that other agents have rejected which I ended up selling. In a way I'm glad I don't know because a little surprise is good for business.
* * *
Theresa Havens is an award-winning author from Dallas, Texas. Her third novel, BrainChild, is a face-paced novel of intrigue and suspense.
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Advice and Consent
by
Lucile Davis
Jennifer and her cup of tea were both steaming. The atrium was cool, green, and alive with singing birds, but Jennifer was hot. It wasn’t the temperature. It was her temper. He might as well have patted me on the head and said "run along, little girl." And when did his wife become a homemaker? She wouldn’t even know how to read a recipe, much less follow the instructions.
"He’s been after me about that recipe for months. I wonder what he’s up to?"
"No good, no doubt, Miss Jenny."
Jennifer hadn’t realized she’d said anything out loud, but she was glad to hear Harley’s voice.
"Harley, am I glad you’re here. Pull up your dump truck, I gotta load."
"Uh, oh -- sounds serious."
"This time, Harley, I think it is. You remember I told you how my boss, Mr. Belcher, just raved over my green/lime tea last summer. I took a jug of it to the company picnic, and Mr. Belcher has been asking for the recipe ever since. He says his wife wants it, Harley, but she’s not the domestic type. And, he as good as ordered me to have the recipe on his desk by the end of the day. What’s up? What do you think, Harley?
"Not sure, Miss Jen, but to hazard a guess, I’d have to have a sip of the tea."
"Oh, easily handled. I’ve got plenty in my thermos. I’ll get a carry-out cup from the coffee shop for you."
"Sit tight, Jenny, I’ll get it."
Jenny watched Harley disappear behind an ornamental bush. She was so glad he was on duty. He tended the gardens in some of the buildings in the area. He always seemed to be in her building around lunch. She liked talking with him. He was one of the few people she knew in the city with any sense. He’d helped her see her way out of her muddled relationship with Greg. He helped her find a way to neutralize Marge, the office gossip. And, he’d given her some good advice about managing her money. She hoped he had enough money to manage as well for himself. She had no idea what indoor gardeners made, but he was working in a real high-rent part of town.
When Harley returned, Jennifer poured a cup, then watched him sip it. There was a swift intake of air, then he grinned.
"Well, it is my considered opinion, and this is from a non-tea drinker, you got yourself a real hummer here."
"Could you translate that?"
"This stuff is delicious enough to turn a six-pack-a-day man into a tea sipper."
Jennifer laughed and watched Harley do the same. When her laughter trailed off to an occasional giggle, she thanked Harley for his testimony and asked: "Will you be my spokesman when I market it?"
"I believe that is a good idea," he responded.
The tone of his voice made Jennifer look at him. Harley’s face was dead-pan serious.
"I think you should market it. I think that’s what Mr. Belcher is planning to do. If you give him the recipe, you are probably giving away your right to it. I’m no lawyer, but I think if you hand over the recipe, with no strings, no contract, he can do what he wants with it. Wouldn’t it be hard for you to prove the recipe is originally yours?"
"No, all the people at the company picnic knew it was my recipe. Everyone was raving over it." Jennifer stopped to listen to her own words -- "all the people at the company." All those people who depend on Mr. Belcher to sign their pay checks were not going to take her side in a legal battle. She sighed. "Oh, I see your point."
She sipped her tea and stared out the window. Growing up in the Midwest, she’d dreamed of a career in marketing, life in the Big Apple, and a penthouse life-style. Well here she was, and it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She’d lived in the city for seven years and still felt like a stranger. She could count her friends on half-a-handful of fingers.
"Miss Jenny, you said you had a load. Was the demand for the tea recipe all there was to your ‘mean red’ morning?"
Jenny shook her head, partly to answer Harley, partly to clear the cobwebs.
"No, a client groped me while I was trying to make a presentation, then told my boss I insulted him."
"Jenny? Why do you stay here?"
Harley had a knack for getting to the heart of the problem.
"I don’t know Harley. If you’d asked me yesterday, I probably would have had a good answer. What time is it?"
"Nearly, two o’clock, Miss Jenny."
"Yikes, too long at lunch. Gotta go." She gathered up her thermos and lunch remains and headed for the elevator. Without a conscious thought to do so, she turned back to Harley.
"Could you meet me after work, please? I don’t think I’ve dropped nearly enough garbage to feel light enough to get home."
"I’ll be here, but Jenny, give yourself a break and don’t stay late."
Jennifer smiled. She'd been thinking the same thing.
* * * * *
It was later than she intended, but it had taken her longer than she'd thought it would to clean out her office. The atrium was dark. Harley had probably already gone home. Oh well, she did feel a little better. In fact she felt as if a huge stone had been lifted off her chest. Her breathing was easier, her step lighter, but underlying it all was a feeling of guilt.
"I’m out of a job, but I feel better."
"Great!"
"Harley -- you waited." Jennifer put down the box she was carrying and threw herself into his arms. "I’m sorry to be so forward, but I need a hug."
"One big hummer coming up, Jenny girl."
Before the hug was over, Jenny was crying.
"What’s the matter? I thought you were glad to be unemployed?"
"I am. I guess it’s just a release of tension." Still locked in his arms, she looked up at him. Through tear-blurred eyes she could see a hint of tears form in his. "Harley, you’re the best friend I have. Thanks for waiting for me. Besides not wanting to go home to an empty apartment, I need help getting these boxes into a cab. Can I put you out just a little more to help me get this stuff home?"
"Sure, Jen."
As they loaded boxes into a cab, Jennifer wondered how Harley had become her best friend.
"Harley, when did we first meet?"
"I wondered when you’d get around to asking. You don’t remember because I was in a suit at the time. I was one of the first clients you presented a proposal to after you joined the firm."
"What company?"
"Hansen Environmental Enterprises. Do you remember the presentation?"
"Yes, I thought it was dorky. You wanted a way into the business here in the city, which required a face-to-face presentation, but all Belcher wanted you to do was take out TV ads."
"Right you are, Jenny girl. Do you remember what you suggested?"
"Uh, didn’t I suggest you work the territory for a few years and... that’s what you’ve done! Good for you. Has it worked?"
"Better than you’re wildest dreams. I’ve made contact with most of the decorators, interior designers, and significant architects in the city. I’m ready to go back to my greenhouse in Georgia and supply all the big-city designers with my finest ornamental greenery and environmental design expertise. In fact, I was planning to be back there by the first of the year, but. . ."
"But what, Harley?"
"I was waiting for you."
"For me?"
"Jenny, I have a staff of gardeners to work the indoor gardens I’ve designed. I only work three buildings here, the ones you’re in most of the time. I thought you were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen, then you opened your mouth. You’re not only pretty, your smart. Smart is what I need in a wife and partner. Jenny girl, bring that delicious tea recipe and come with me to Georgia as Mrs. Hansen and marketing director for Hansen Environmental."
Jennifer felt stunned. Sitting beside him in the cab, she looked into eyes that were moist again and a face that was full of apprehension and hope.
The cab driver interrupted the moment. "Lady, you better answer him soon or this cab ride will cost you both a small fortune."
Jennifer laughed. How could she turn down her best friend?
"Harley, the answer is yes. Now help me get this stuff upstairs, then we’ll work out the details of our immediate escape from New York."
"Wait! Before you get out, let me give you this." Harley dug in his coat pocket and pulled out a heart-shaped ring box.
Jenny looked at the marquis solitaire, then stared at Harley.
"How did you know I’d say yes?"
"I’ve been listening to your ups and downs for five years. I thought I knew how you’d react. I’ve always thought of you as someone with good sense. I figured if I presented my case well enough, you’d favor me with a yes. Beside, we’ve been handing each other advice for several years. We’re a good team. Two people with such good advice to give should be wise enough to consent to wed, don’t ya think?"
Jennifer smiled. "I consent."
* * *
Lucile Davis is the author of 15 children's nonfiction books, 10 of them
published in 1998. Her books are published through Capstone Press and
Grolier's Children's Press. A feature writer, she is currently the Home
Editor for Fort Worth, Texas magazine. In addition to her writing, she is a
frequent presenter at writer's conferences and workshops. She teaches
Writing for Children through Texas Christian University's Extended Education
and is an instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature.
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New from 23 HOUSE
SPIRITS OF BLUE AND GRAY:
GHOST STORIES OF THE CIVIL WAR
In 1999, authors were invited to participate in a short story contest with the theme
of Civil War ghosts. The winners, along with a few special guests, have put together an
anthology of haunting tales.
Join two privates on a dark trek through the lonely forests at Chancellorsville.
Ride with a modern-day traveler who discovers a strange hospital near Bull Run. Sit beside a
dying soldier as he makes a ghoulish choice on a Waynesborough battlefield. This chilling
ebook will take you across that misty line into the ghostly vestiges of the Civil War!
The contributing authors are: Mary Benton, Tim Copeland, L.L. Davis, James
Gardiner, Pat Haley, Ronald Wayne Jones, Sue Fulton-Lothrop, Robert Nailor, Elyse Salpeter,
Tammie Schmid-Thompson, Denise Vitola, and Mitchel Whitington.
An ebook on CD ROM, ISBN 0-9669-7052-7
All profits from the sale of this book are donated to UNICEF.
Visit 23 House
The Emporium Path
Calling Romance Writers!
Since February is the month of love, how about doing some writing for a
paying market with a romantic twist? The Passion Nook is an online store
for purchasing personalized, romantic stories for your loved one. Passion
Nook needs stories, and pays authors on the following scale: $50 for Short
Stories (2000-3500 words), $25 for Feature Shorts (300 to 1200 words), and
$25 for Romantic Travel Features.
Exact writer's guidelines and submission procedures can be found at the
Passion Nook website, http://www.passionnook.com/.
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The Emporium Watch
When the staff of The Emporium Gazette learn of a contest, we'll
post that information for you.
When YOU locate a contest, let US know and then we can let our
readership know.
Salivan Short Story Writing Contest
Ending 2/28
http://tor-pw1.netcom.ca/~salivan/pages/contests_f.htm
Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
Ending 4/15
http://www.best.com/~sbr/
A Real Kid Is...
Note: for kids -- see guidelines!
Ending 4/01
http://www.realkids.com/contest.shtml
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