Here there be words…words that might have made ye raise yer brow and scratch yer arse….er, I mean yer head, at some point while perusing an author’s site or a writing group (man was I lost when I decided, I’z gonna be a writer…like everyone else).
ARC=Advanced Reader/Reading Copy. Publishers and sometimes authors themselves will send out these advanced copies of soon to be published works as a PR effort to spread the word, either in print or some kind of electronic form. They’re sent to professional reviewers and sometimes reader reviewers. It is possible for these to be released prior to final edits, and so may contain some material not in the final published work as well as spelling mistakes and other grammatical errors.
CP=Critique Partner. Most writers tend to have a small group of friends/other writers that read their work in order to help improve it through opinions and helpful advice. In turn, they read the other’s work and provide the same courtesy.
MS=Manuscript, some may use this interchangeably with WIP (see below) or used to refer to a work ready for submission to a publisher.
Panster=a writer that forgoes plotting ahead of time, before beginning a WIP, in favor of writing “by the seat of their pants”.
Plotster=obviously the opposite of panster; a writer that prefers to plot out a book before writing it. This is not to say that anything is laid in stone or cannot change, they simply prefer a bit more structure before commencing with the writing.
Purple Prose=just see this entry on Wikipedia. It’s far more informative than my mere one view could ever be.
POV=Point of View. Most fiction tends to be either 1st person POV, told from one characters perceptions/actions, (I went to the market to buy roast beef.) or 3rd POV, told from multiple character perceptions/actions (She went to the market and cried all the way home.).
SASE=Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. Editors will usually require this if you mail them a full or partial manuscript so that they can send it back if necessary. Authors may request one if a fan asks for free promotional gifts like bookmarks or signed bookplates.
Show vs. Tell= No, that wasn’t an invite for Show and Tell, the grade school episodes…although you know, that’s not such a bad idea. If you’re an experienced reader at all, on some level, you’ve probable run across the annoying paragraph where the language has become stilted and uninteresting; the author has probably told instead of shown, not allowing us to “see” what’s going on, and it’s almost like you, the reader, are getting a monotonous lecture on the happenings of the book. Telling is boring and wallbanger-inducing. Showing is beautiful, flowing and imaginative. But really, there are cases where the twain do meet and work well together. After all, too much showing and it kind of becomes too flowery and oh my gawd, is that zombie really spouting some purple prose lovey dovey shite? After a while it became clear to me that a good writer will make judicious use of both telling and showing.
To read more on this (and trust me, these folk ’splain it much mo better), try out Ilona Andrews’s article or Maria V. Snyder’s website post. Or just Google the phrase Show vs. Tell and you’ll get a plethora of good tips.
WIP= Work in Progress; a writer’s current writing project.
