Welcome to The VERB!

Feng shui (fung-shway), which literally translates to wind-water in English, is the Chinese art of creating harmonious surroundings that enhance the balance of yin and yang.

Now I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, but I do claim to be sensitive to my surroundings. For instance, when it's cold and rainy outside, I don't get much writing done because I'm too busy trying to hibernate like a bear. If my office needs vacuuming and dusting and tidying up, or I have a long fat cat stretched across my keyboard, I feel these things have to be corrected before I can concentrate on the manuscript before me.

So adhering to this whole harmony and balance theory, I decided to rearrange my office. I moved my hutch desk, organized the cables and cords behind it. (A royal pain.) I moved my printer, scanner, filing cabinets, shelves and... well, by the time I finished, I couldn't tell if my yin and yang were balanced, but I did feel much more aware of my surroundings. And that's when it hit me: there's a lot of stimulation going on in here!

I work on a PC and a laptop. This allows me access to two CD-ROM drives, and the ability to play DVDs and/or CDs on both. Simultaneously. I don't do that, mind you, but I can. I also have a TV in here, which is turned on all of the time but muted half of the time, a MP3 player and a phone.

Aside from my books, the only item I have that counterbalances all this visual and audio input is my quiet, unassuming Zen garden. It sits to my right, and whenever I have creative questions, whether with my manuscript or a client's, I find answers just by raking the sand. And it occurred to me the other day, while in the stillness of my pondering, that I'm not the only one suffering from stimulation overload.

We can't hear ourselves think. And its effect is showing up in our stories: a struggle with originality.

I'm not talking about plagiarism. Most writers aren't even aware they've borrowed from another until it's pointed out to them. But when a reader, after perusing the first few chapters of a manuscript, is instantly able to guess which movies and books have influenced the author—there's a problem. And that's why literary agents and editors, who are inundated with stories highly reminiscent of the latest bestselling book that becomes the latest blockbuster film, reject these manuscripts with the dreaded D word: Derivative.

It's true that folks such as Tolkien, Rowling, Puzo and Spielberg cast huge shadows. But it's imperative that once the author begins to submit his work, he has purged himself of their world and moved on to projects that derive from him. These are the stories the writing industry yearns to publish.

So... a few tips to consider when building that great story:

Tolstoy once wrote, "In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you."

I bet he had a Zen garden.

Elizabeth Guy
Editor

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This issue 
was published 
under the musical 
influence of...




The Civil War
soundtrack