Author: Ann Aubrey Hanson

Excellence in Writing

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I just finished two books over the weekend: Greg Hurwitz’s Crimewriter and Brett Battles’ The Cleaner. Both were gripping and, most importantly, well written. Too often, I find good stories that are poorly written. This seems to be especially common now that publish-on-demand (POD) is so easily available.

I won’t name names, but there are books being sold today that would likely not have seen the light of day had it not been for POD. One of the first giveaways to bad writing for me can be found in most of these books….the self-description by the narrator. These are typically so bad, so “I’ve got to tell them what this character looks like,” that I want to throw the book across the room. Of course, POD authors are not the only ones who are lame at this. Take Dan Brown’s description of Robert Langdon in Angels and Demons. That almost got me to throw the book, but I was laughing so hard I simply dropped it. Pathetic. The guy tells a fun story but he is not a good writer!

That’s the difference with Hurwitz and Battles. Both write extremely well. I was a bit put off by the beginning of Hurwitz’s book. In fact, I put it down for a couple of months before getting back to it. It was a case of “look how well I write,” for me at least. I was too aware of him patting himself on his own back, admiring his description of Los Angeles. I’m glad I worked past that though, because it was an excellent book once I read further. Great story idea and well plotted.

I was hooked on Battles’ book from the first moment: the Cleaner, who goes and cleans up crime scenes for “the Office.” Unique idea and tightly plotted and written.

Both of these authors represent excellence in writing as far as I am concerned. I devoured both books and looked up for more, sateless. Next, however, must be Laurie R. King’s latest book, God of the Hives, and Meg Gardiner’s latest, Liar’s Lullaby. Held off reading King’s book, making myself savor the wait. Now is the time. And as soon as Gardiner’s book arrives, all else must wait.

In Awe

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I am in awe of Anthony Horowitz. This man writes some of the most varied and interesting works, from a teenage spy (Alex Rider) to a historical drama (“Foyle’s War”) to modern murder mysteries (“Midsomer Murders”). But it’s not just the variety, it’s what he includes in each of these. It’s the side stories that make me marvel.

For example, in the latest “Foyle’s War,” which, if you haven’t watched them, I highly recommend you add them to your must-see list, the story is about a young man accused of treason during WWII. All well and good, but he is accused of treason for having joined other British soldiers who accepted Hitler’s offer to get out of a prison camp, don the German uniform, and fight against the Russians in the British Free Corps.

There isn’t a great deal said about the British Free Corps, but that is Horowitz’s way. He whets the appetite and it is up to us to read more, to do the research that he has done but which he chooses only to allude to in his story. This isn’t the first time he has done this to me, either. I am forever researching something after I watch one of his shows. That’s what I love about his writing.

Now I am researching the Special Operations Executive and the women spies of WWII. That started because of something Horowitz mentioned about cryptography in one of the shows, which led me to the first digital telephone, used during WWII between Whitehall and the Pentagon, which then led me to the SOE.

My style is to write about what I know. Horowitz’s style is to leak a little about what he knows and then drive us to further research.

If you don’t know his work, I highly recommend him. He has written several children’s books (Alex Rider mysteries among them, written for a woefully under-represented age group), about 50 novels, and numerous television shows. But I warn you, you can’t just read his work and walk away. He WILL challenge you to read more.

The People You Meet

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I had an amazing interview with a liturgical artist yesterday, George Hoelzeman. I’d introduced myself to him via email a month ago and arranged to interview him for an article for Via Lucis Press, and what an interview. George is an amazing font of knowledge. He can talk knowledgeably about almost any topic for minutes on end, and leave you wanting more.

We spoke about sacred space and about mankind’s search for beauty, about the theology of light and the transformational power of light, and about how a church should call a person to a physical encounter with Christ. All of this is hard to comprehend in this rational society in which we live, but for the people of the Middle Ages, this encounter with Christ would have been physical, sensual, and natural. They understood the physical aspect of faith and religion, and built their churches accordingly.

George and I spoke for almost an hour and a half and eventually I had to end the call because  too much was swirling in my head. I asked if he would be willing to speak again later, after I’d written the first article. He graciously agreed and I look forward to our next encounter.

An amazing artist, a Renaissance thinker, and a nice fellow from Arkansas. I would never have met him on the street, but through the delight that is my chosen career, I had the opportunity to speak with him in an interview. Such are the perks of being a freelance writer.

Long-Term Clients

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Back in 2007, I was asked by a client to help edit her Masters in Nursing paper. At the time she contacted me, Maria typed on the computer as though using a typewriter, with a carriage return at the end of each line of text. Fixing that alone took a great deal of time, but it was necessary before I could even get to editing the meat of her paper.

We finished the project and her paper was accepted, and we ended our client relationship on excellent terms. Two years later, who appears again but Maria, with Doctoral proposal in hand (figuratively speaking, since we have never actually met face to face). By this time, fortunately, she had learned the fundamentals of computers and I could jump right in to the editing. There was a great deal of give and take on this project, as is to be expected when dealing with mentors and a review board, and the dissertation was finally accepted. Again, we parted on excellent terms.

Earlier this year, Maria approached me for help in turning her dissertation into a professional healthcare workbook. The result had to be a different animal from her dissertation, more user friendly and beneficial to the user. We worked long and hard on the conversion and she is close to publishing it now, after a few more tweaks.

I have been delighted to work with Maria for these projects and realize that client relationships don’t always end once a single project is completed. Good clients return, if I’ve done my job well.

Here is Maria’s testimony, written after this last project edit:

“It is with great pleasure that I recommend Ann Aubrey Hanson as an editor. I have worked with Ann since 2007 as she edited several of my scholarly papers. This includes my final Masters in Nursing Project and, most recently, my Doctorate level papers and Capstone book project. Ann has always displayed a high degree of integrity, responsibility, and accessibility in helping me to accomplish my objectives. She provides thorough feedback and is organized and sensitive when providing suggestions for changes in my research papers to enhance their quality. Ann is a wonderful editor. I am happy to give her my wholehearted endorsement.”
Maria Rodriguez, RN, MSN, CNS-BC

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

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Yesterday, I finished editing a dissertation into a book for Dr. Saba Soomekh of Loyola Marymount University. She had asked me to help her edit her Ph.D. dissertation into a book, which SUNY has already opted to publish.

It was an extremely interesting project, concerning three generations of Iranian Jewish women who have immigrated to Los Angeles. Fascinating reading, which was a good thing, since I had to read it, and very carefully, six or seven times. But I completed the project with time to spare and Saba was delighted with my work. In fact, she wrote a testimonial to my editing, which I shall now share here.

“I cannot thank Ann Aubrey Hanson enough for all her help in editing and proofreading my manuscript. Ann took my 400-page Ph.D. dissertation and helped me turn it into a 300-page book which will be published by SUNY Press. She read my manuscript a number of times, paying attention to grammar, syntax, and content. My manuscript had a glossary of foreign words that I had defined. Ann, of course, found words in my manuscript that I myself did not realize I had missed. That shows her wonderful attention to detail. Plus, she finished editing my manuscript two weeks before the deadline I gave her. She is an excellent editor and she is incredibly efficient and professional. I wholeheartedly recommend her to everyone!”  Dr. Saba Soomekh, Theological Studies Department, Loyola Marymount University

High praise indeed and I am delighted that she was pleased with my work. This is what makes my job so entertaining and enlightening.

Express Yourself, and Sell

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In this new age of publishing, whether an author is published by a publishing house or goes the route of print-on-demand self-publishing, the author will be responsible for a great deal of the marketing of each new book. Authors must blog, tweet, chat on FaceBook, and travel to conferences and street corners to sell their books.

But here’s a neat new twist that just occurred in London. Crime thriller writer Meg Gardiner was dashing to catch the Tube when she happened to glance at a poster on the tunnel wall and discovered that the poster was advertising her latest book. She hadn’t even known that the poster was in the works! Of course, dignified and collected as ever, she skidded to a stop and had her husband preserve the moment. Be proud! That’s your book!

Now that is a great way to market a book. Think of the millions of people who ride mass transit every day in the world’s metropolitan centers. Ride and stare out windows vacantly, hoping for something to distract their minds from the routine and mundane.

Ta-da! How about a book ad! We’ve grown accustomed to seeing movie posters, but book posters! What a great idea!

Now, how to turn that into self-marketing? That’s the challenge.

With new publishing horizons come new opportunities to market. Use the Internet, Twitter, YouTube, and perhaps even posters. It’s a brave new world for those who have the courage to seek new horizons.

Vile Villains Cancel Class

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Archvillain Snidely Whiplash

Well, my Vile, Evil Villains class at UCSD Extension was scheduled to begin today, but it was canceled, due to a dearth of students. I was afraid it was too soon to offer it again, and this time as a five-week course (versus three-week last July). So, it’s been postponed until the Winter session. My next classes begin in July: writing memorable characters and overcoming writer’s block. In the fall, I will teach my Writing with the Senses class again. That was a big hit last year.

It’s too bad the Villain class was postponed. I’ve been developing some great new exercises for developing evil villains and the heroes who will oppose them. I got a lot of great insight from Christopher Booker’s tome “The Seven Basic Plots.” If you’re a writer, you have to get this book. It’s joined Sol Stein’s “On Writing” as one of my favorite resources.

But no effort is ever wasted, so I can use much of what I’ve been developing in my Character class.

Meanwhile, I continue with my Memoir Writing workshops every Wednesday. My current students are on their four series of workshops. Some great writing resulting, and, as to be expected, some much-needed therapy. Writing heals.

Hey, that’s a great idea for a new course! Think I’ll go pitch it right now!