Keep It Suspended: Why Authenticity Keeps Readers With You by Heather Cuthbertson

The beauty of readers, among so many great qualities, is their ability to suspend disbelief. It’s automatic and they do it without question: “Okay, we’re in a Zombie Apocalypse, I can go with it.” In the author/reader relationship, the reader brings this to the table every time and if the author appreciates the value of his or her reader, then they will work to suspend the disbelief long after the first few pages. The longer the reader’s belief is suspended, the deeper they get into the story and the author/reader relationship blossoms from an initial courtship to a life-long marriage.

Maintaining that sense of disbelief is done through the use of authenticity, which includes using authentic details, dialogue, and characters. For instance, if you’re writing a piece about the Old West and your character says, “That was totally lame,” then you’ve just broken the spell. Do this in the first few pages and you’ve lost your reader completely. Do this after the first 100 pages and you “might” keep your reader, but you’ve made them skeptical of your authority as an author. On the flip side, if you maintain the authenticity throughout, you’ve got a believer for book after book.

Allow me to demonstrate the power of authenticity:

When I was fourteen or fifteen (not quite sure exactly when), I had this major, major crush on Eddie Furlong. I was obsessed. I would read every article that he was mentioned in, stared at the posters I had of him on my walls, and re-watched Terminator 2 and Pet Cemetery 2 over and over again (even though Pet Cemetery 2 actually was really horrible).

The only person I could fully convey my undying love for Eddie Furlong to was my friend, Sarah, who had to listen to my fanatical ramblings during countless phone calls, lunch breaks, notes passed in class, and sleepovers.

Finally, after much deliberation and consultation with Sarah, I decided to take my crush to the next level and write Eddie a letter. I fully expected a reply. I mean, why not? My letter was witty and articulate, I refrained from saying, “I love you, I love you, I LOVE YOU!” and, instead, I commented on his movies, I asked what he did when he wasn’t acting, if he had any hobbies, you know, the usual.

I sent the letter and waited, and then I waited some more, and then waited even longer until life was becoming unbearable. I didn’t understand what was taking so long and I couldn’t vent to Sarah because she was visiting her grandparents in California. I was alone in my panic and doubt.

Then one day, I checked the mailbox and there it was: a letter from Eddie Furlong.

Time slowed. The world stopped spinning. My heart sped up. It was like every cliché imaginable as I stared down at the letter addressed from the love of my life. I couldn’t even read it. I just held it as I walked up my massively long, uphill driveway. I was nervous about what he had to say, but excited to know what he had to say. Would it be bad? Would it be good? Maybe he gave me his phone number? If he did, would I have the guts to call? Would it be too soon to call tonight? All these thoughts sped around my mind like a maelstrom.

About halfway up the hill, I couldn’t take it anymore, and tore into the letter. I think I read the whole first page, past the “Ha, ha, ha’s, I totally got you, I had my grandpa address the letter, and my visit is going good, I went to Sea World,” literally still believing that it was Eddie Furlong writing that. I was confused and checked the envelope. It wasn’t until I reread the letter that the realization dawned on me, slowly and painfully: Sarah had just played me.

Here’s why it worked:
1) She knew I was obsessed with Eddie Furlong,
2) She knew I had been waiting on a letter from Eddie Furlong,
3) She had her grandpa address the letter from Eddie Furlong,
4) She knew that if it looked like guy’s writing, I’d believe it,
5) And I did.

To be honest, if she wanted to take it all the way, she could have had her grandpa write the letter and I would have believed it was Eddie Furlong the whole time. If she had done that letter after letter, I would have been so hooked that even if Sarah tried explaining she was behind the gag, I wouldn’t have believed it. My suspension of disbelief at that point would have been so suspended, it would have probably taken Eddie Furlong himself to say, “Uh, listen, those weren’t my letters, like, seriously …” to finally realize. And even then who knows.

That’s how authenticity leads to the continued suspension of disbelief by the reader, which will ultimately lead to the author/reader relationship going to the next level. When you go back to edit your manuscript, carefully scrutinize those details for their level of authenticity. Would you believe it if you were reading your own work? Does it feel real to you? Luckily, readers will give us that benefit of the doubt from the start, but it is our job to keep them in the story. If we can’t hold up our end of the bargain, then our reader will move on to someone who can, as in the case with my crush on Eddie Furlong. It never was the same after that. He never did write me back and if you’re reading this Eddie Furlong, I’m so over it.

Heather Cuthbertson is the Editor-in-Chief for Gold Man Review. To read more about Heather, go to http://www.goldmanpublishing. com/heatherCuthbertson.html

Look for me around town!

25th Annual Oregon Book Awards

25th Annual Oregon Book Awards

Monday, April 23rd at 7:30 p.m. at the Gerding Theater at the Armory in Portland (128 NW Eleventh Ave).

Join Literary Arts' annual celebration of the state's most accomplished published writers in the genres of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, young readers, and graphic literature.

Timothy Egan will host the ceremony. Timothy Egan is the author of several books, including "The Worst Hard Time," a history of the Dust Bowl, for which he won the National Book Award, and most recently, "The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America", which details the Great Fire of 1910 that burned about 3 million acres and helped shape the U.S. Forest Service.

Egan is also an online opinion columnist for The New York Times. In 2001, he won the Pulitzer Prize as part of a team of New York Times reporters who wrote the series How Race Is Lived in America. He has done special projects on the West and the decline of rural America, and he has followed the entire length of the Lewis and Clark Trail. He lives in Seattle.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST COLLEGE OF ART GRAPHIC LITERATURE AWARD
Judge:Matt Madden


Graham Annable of Portland The Book of Grickle (Dark Horse Comics)

Aidan Koch of Portland The Whale (Gaze Books)

Sarah Oleksyk of Portland Ivy (Oni Press)

Greg Rucka of Portland Stumptown (Oni Press)


Joe Sacco of Portland Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan Books)



KEN KESEY AWARD FOR FICTION
Judge: Phillip Lopate


Dan DeWeese of Portland You Don’t Love This Man (Harper Perennial)

Patrick DeWitt of Portland The Sisters Brothers (Ecco)

Brian Doyle of Portland Mink River (Oregon State University Press)

Matthew Stadler of Portland Chloe Jarren’s La Cucaracha (Publication Studio)

Vanessa Veselka of Portland Zazen (Red Lemonade)



STAFFORD/HALL AWARD FOR POETRY
Judge: Carl Phillips


Carl Adamshick of Portland Curses and Wishes (Louisiana State University Press)

Geri Doran of Eugene Sanderlings (Tupelo Press)

Emily Kendal Frey of Portland The Grief Performance (Cleveland State University Press)

Daniel Skach-Mills of Portland The Hut Beneath the Pine (Daniel Skach-Mills)

Ursula K. Le Guin of Portland and Roger Dorband of Astoria Out Here (Raven Studio)



FRANCES FULLER VICTOR AWARD FOR GENERAL NONFICTION
Judge: Jane Brox


Glenn Anthony May of Eugene Sonny Montes and Mexican American Activism in Oregon (Oregon State University Press)

Kenneth J. Ruoff of Portland Imperial Japan At Its Zenith: The Wartime Celebration of the Empire’s 2600th Anniversary (Cornell University Press)

Roger J. Porter of Portland Bureau of Missing Persons: Writing the Secret Lives of Fathers (Cornell University Press)



SARAH WINNEMUCCA AWARD FOR CREATIVE NONFICTION
Judge: Madeleine Blais


George Estreich of Corvallis The Shape of the Eye: Down Syndrome, Family, and the Stories We Inherit (Southern Methodist University Press)

Jennifer Lauck of Portland Found (Seal Press)

Sarahlee Lawrence of Portland River House (Tin House Books)

Marjorie Sandor of Corvallis The Late Interiors (Arcade Publishing)

Lidia Yuknavitch of Portland The Chronology of Water (Hawthorne Books)



ELOISE JARVIS MCGRAW AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Judge: Linda Sue Park


Nancy Coffelt of Portland Catch That Baby! (Simon & Schuster)

Judy Cox of Ontario Nora and the Texas Terror (Holiday House)

Eric A. Kimmel of Portland Medio Pollito (Marshall Cavendish)

Cynthia Rylant of Portland Brownie and Pearl Take a Dip (Simon & Schuster)

Graham Salisbury of Lake Oswego Calvin Coconut: Hero of Hawaii (Wendy Lamb Books)



LESLIE BRADSHAW AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE
Judge: Linda Sue Park


Heather Vogel Frederick of Portland Pies and Prejudice (Simon & Schuster)

April Henry of Portland Girl, Stolen (Henry Holt)

Lisa Schroeder of Beaverton The Day Before(Simon Pulse)

Jen Violi of Portland Putting Makeup on Dead People (Hyperion)

Emily Whitman of Portland Wildwing (Greenwillow Books)



OREGON LITERARY FELLOWSHIPS

Literary Arts is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2012 Oregon Literary Fellowships to writers and to publishers. The judges named eight writers and three publishers to receive grants of $2500.

Poetry
Rodger Moody of Eugene, The C.Hamilton Bailey Fellowship



Fiction
Larry Bingham of Portland, The Walt Morey Fellowship
Mark Allen Cunningham of Portland, The Leslie Bradshaw Fellowship
Zondie Zinke of Eugene



Literary Nonfiction
Apricot Irving of Portland, The Friends of the Lake Oswego Library William Stafford Fellowship



Drama
Brian Kettlerof Portland
Andrea Stolwitz of Portland, The Women Writers Fellowship



Young Readers Literature
Sabina I. Rascol of Portland, The Edna L. Holmes Fellowship in Young Readers Literature



PUBLISHERS

Basalt of La Grande
Burnside Review of Portland
Silverfish Review of Eugene

3 to 1

Those of us, who don’t live under a rock, know that the publishing industry is in a volatile state. With retail stores filing bankruptcy, decreased profits and royalties, and increased costs to consumers, one has to wonder if they will make it in the industry. To find the door, you have to have a great story, but to get in the door, you have to show professionalism and let the publisher know they can market you and your book.

Everything we say or do represents our personal brand. Your personal brand is how you differentiate and stand out from others. The cliché that first impressions are made in the first few seconds holds true, not just in the publishing industry, but everywhere. Your personal brand is synonymous with your reputation and with the explosion of the internet this is ever more important to remember. Since people respond to professionalism, attire, attitude, and facial expressions, then if you want to sale your book then you have to sell yourself.

When I was fourteen, I learned that presentation was the staple to getting treated with some type of legitimacy. Albeit young, I quickly realized that my hair was the most important aspect of my presentation. Even now, with my stained jeans and flannel, a perfectly groomed mane is at the foundation of first impressions. I sported my uncut head of hair, somewhere between Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain, long enough to be cool, but short enough not to be mistaken for a female from behind. During the start of my summer break from school, my hair started to become heavy, not with voluminous body, but dense, enough to make my neck ache from the extra stress.

The change felt like it happened overnight. Friends stopped by, but left quickly, saying they had to get somewhere important. My sister made faces when I would walk into a room she was in. Subtle changes in people’s behavior were deafening at that age. I started to wear more deodorant and changed my clothes more often. No matter what I did, the reaction to me remained the same and I suddenly became an outcast. Five days into the transformation my girlfriend stopped calling and sent a letter. It said: “I am moving to Texas.” Our parents were close friends, but this was the first time I had heard of this.

By day seven, it was clear I was in exile, tossed aside like a feral alley cat. My hair felt like it doubled in weight, and had a terrible oily shimmer. My parents began to constantly question if I was taking a shower. I somehow felt close to the oil soaked pelicans in the Prince William Sound.

In two weeks, I transformed from the cool kid, to the dirty kid. The elderly lady behind the counter in my small town squinted at me and acted like I was going to steal something. Even my family abraded me like I wasn’t good enough.

“Nicklas,” my mother yelled, “what is wrong with your hair? Are you showering?”

"Of course I am showering.”

Despite the loss of my friends and first girlfriend, my mother made me point out what shampoo I was using like I was a child.

“There, that yellow one,” I said. “The new one.”

“Nicklas.” My mom snatched the bottle and held it close to my face. “This is baby oil! Your sister uses it to shave her legs.”

It took nearly four days for my hair to return to normal and gradually my friends came back and I got a new girlfriend, but the baby oil had taught me that presentation was crucial to being taken seriously, which brings me back to branding in the publishing world. If you’re trying to break in, the brand you’re selling is yourself; it’s The Professional. Publishers want to know that you take the business of writing just as seriously as they do and the best way you can do that is treat any interaction with a publisher like you’re applying for a job. When you’re writing your cover letter, don’t use informal language like the editor is an old college buddy, but treat the cover letter like it’s accompanying your resume. Also, follow submission guidelines. Not following them is the equivalent of being 20 minutes late to a job interview and expecting to still be interviewed. Speaking of job interviews, if you get the opportunity to pitch a publisher in person, dress like you’re going to one (no faded jeans, no holes in your shirt, no looking like you just rolled out of bed). These things “do” matter.

As I found out first hand, impressions are everything.

Nicklas Roetto is the Production Editor at Gold Man Review. To read more about Nick, go to http://www.goldmanpublishing.com/nickroetto.html

THE Gold Man

We at Gold Man Review are not idolators. Yes, I know he is gold, and yes, he does have a rough but smooth beard that is untouchable yet alluring at the same time; and yes, he does remind me that I have to pick up some paper towels on the way home from work. But no, this does not make us idolators. Even though it would be an awesome trophy to keep in the backyard, so that I could put a fez on his golden locks when the cherry blossoms begin to flutter on a breeze. And on windy days I could strap an elastic string under his rugged jaw and tilt a propeller hat just right above his golden ears. But then again, that golden shimmer off his stomach in the morning could be a rude awakening...

No, we're not idolators, and, it would obviously be too much of a hassle to keep him as a trophy. So, instead, he is a golden beacon: an emblem for exploration, intelligence, and determination. He's our mascot. Why not? All that glitters is gold; and sometimes, as I look around, I can still see the afterimages from when his shining luster caught my gaze that one bright morning. And that's when I decided to not roll over and fall back asleep, but to awake and weave a dream in honor of that man.

Cheers!

The Moth is coming to Portland

Tue Feb 7

 

Portland, OR The Moth On The Road » Walk The Line: Stories of Balancing Acts.

 

Venue: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
1037 SW Broadway

Literary Arts presents The Moth Mainstage in Portland

Featuring stories by Lisa Lampanelli, Steve Osborne, hosted by Rudy Rush.
6:30pm Doors / 7:30pm Stories begin

www.themoth.org

Where to Submit????

Gold Man Review is officially open for submissions and the submissions are steadily rolling in (thank you!).

If you'd like to submit your work to Gold Man, please review the submission guidelines at www.goldmanpublishing.com and submit to http://goldmanpublishing.submishmash.com/submit.