Is It An Introduction, a Foreword or a Preface?

When talking with a new client about her thoughts for a non-fiction book—bantering ideas about the best way to move forward—we came upon a method I’d not tried before: Write the Foreword First.  With her extensive notes in place and the belief that research will be minimal, she (and I) now needed to grab hold of the CORE of her story.  I translate this as the Concentrated, Organized Reflection of the Essence of what she wants to communicate to her readers.  Although this task was not as easy as we both expected, we now have a solid understanding of where we’re going.  This is exciting because she has her self-publishing plans already in place and we know this book will be in the hands of readers very soon!

For all authors, it is essential to understand this CORE of what they are writing or the book will traipse along so many rabbit trails readers will be lost.  So defining the difference between an Introduction, a Foreword and a Preface is extremely useful.

• An Introduction does exactly what the dictionary says: it gives an outline or overview of what to expect in the book.  The author writes this to inform the readers about what they will discover on the following pages.  Most every textbook and/or scholarly book will use this method, which I compare to an Index in prose form.
• A Foreword is usually written by someone other than the author; someone who has read the manuscript, supports the theme or thesis, and is happy to encourage readers to take us this book and READ IT.  Adding their “name” to the credibility of the contents is an excellent benefit to the author in the areas of respect and confidence as well as enhancing marketability.
• THE PREFACE, however, is my favorite form to use.  It is also the most personal.  The author has the opportunity—in these few paragraphs—to open the reader’s imagination to the heart of what they will find in the book.  It goes beyond the “telling” of details by using words that inspire the reader and lets them know that what is      written on these pages will benefit them in ways they did not expect.

Here are a few questions for authors to answer when creating one of these opening statements:

1. WHY does a reader pick up or consider buying a book in the first place?  They want to know, “WHAT will this book GIVE me?”  Textbook information?  Escape?  Emotional Support? Etc.
2. What is it about your book that “makes a difference” as compared to other books in the same genre and/or topic category?  Have you lived the experience?  Are you an expert in the field?
3. TALK to that one reader who will most benefit from what you’ve written.  Speak to what is happening in their lives.  Let them know that this material IS USEFUL and relevant to and for them at this very moment.

Remain keenly aware that the writing you do for these paragraphs is usually the third place a reader looks when making the purchase decision (the cover and back cover being first and second).  If this does not grab their attention, all the work you’ve put into the creation of this book will not find its way home with them.  Whoever your publishing team is, seek their expertise in making sure this Introduction, Foreword, or Preface is the best it can be!

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward.

PLANT THE SEED

Some years back, when I was writing copy for magazine ads, several of us copyeditors were brainstorming ideas and came up with that focus statement: Plant the Seed.  Since then, my writing career has developed in very exciting ways I never imagined.  This has led me to work with a team of writing and publishing professionals who actually encourage me to talk about the many roads I’ve followed in building my writing skills.  There are no two writers (uniquely gifted authors) who have the exact same development experiences, yet many of the skills and abilities that have brought us success can benefit others.

So it is that over the last few weeks I’ve briefly shared concepts of Flash-Writing (quick and creative concept discovery), Picture This (visual expressions of emotion), and Imagine That! (blood and bones details).  My thoughts today carry these ideas a step further into the development of your book—whether fiction or non-fiction.

Write TO your readers—your Audience.  Look upon your words—sentences, paragraphs, chapters—as if they are the stage upon which you are developing the seed/theme of your book.

1. Are your characters developed well enough to connect to the reader?  You can answer this by pulling the character OUT of the story and have that character write a letter to you.  Yes, step into the slippers and robe of your character and write a letter to yourself.  Listen to the heart of the letter—what the character would naturally be writing about to anyone—and decide if it “rings true.”  If so, you’ve done a good job of creating this character and/or developing the personae of the real person.  If not—if the letter comes across as single statement sentences, dry and lifeless—then you have some work to do.
2. Do you know—really know—the topic/theme of your book?  Have you written it out in one sentence (something that could be Tweeted)?  I’ve known several authors who thought they were writing a book about one main idea and ended up realizing that the essence of their story was much more than they anticipated.  We don’t have to develop this one-sentence “test” from the beginning, but by the time we’ve written a complete first draft we should pause and dig deeper into what we’ve written.
3. Do you have the social/cultural and environmental aspects accurately presented?  LOOK at the props upon your stage.  What are the characters wearing?  What type of money do they carry in their pockets?  What do they (and your readers) see outside their windows?  Again, get that first draft written, then go back and research the elements needed there.

By the time you’ve completed your second draft, most of the “seed planting” creative writing work will be done.  Then—set your manuscript aside—and think marketing.  If, indeed, you’ve written TO your readers, this will not be difficult.  You’ll know exactly who your audience is and the topic/message that needs to be highlighted.  However, if you’re a little intimidated by this element, talk to the folks on your self-publishing team and they can brainstorm with you—preparing to Plant the Seeds that will sell your book.

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward.

Imagine THAT!

I love a good mystery!  The eccentric sleuth who investigates; the endangered victim(s); the crime; the witnesses; and the release of clues—puzzle pieces that pop around in the reader’s imagination until they fit.  However, when an author adds the intricate details of forensic investigation to the mix the mystery becomes much more detailed and satisfying for most readers.

Some time ago I spoke with a group of avid Mystery Readers who met once a month to discuss the novel they’d selected.  They followed one simple rule—DO NOT read the last chapter (conclusion) until the next meeting when they would read The End together.  Each person wrote out their “professional opinion” on a 3×5 card, signed and dated it; these were collected in a basket as they arrived at their gathering place.  No matter who or how many reached the author’s selected culmination-of-clues, their enjoyment was made much richer by becoming the detective/investigator themselves.

The combination of clues—whether placed in dialogue or footprints or microscopic detail—opens the reader’s imagination.  So it is that the author must explore all avenues of investigation, allowing the words on the page to create an image in the reader’s mind.  For example is the cliché statement “Blood is thicker than water,” true?  That concept is used in many ways, but for the Mystery Writer the factual answer to this question is vital.  While an anatomy professor might tell us that 83% of blood is water, how can that “fact” be useful in story form?  What could an investigator learn from a victim’s blood that has only 50% water and higher elements of something else?  What might that something else be?

In 2010, an exhibition of the human body was brought to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  A German anatomist, Gunther von Hagens, had invented a technique called “plastination” that preserved elements of actual human anatomy (donated for his scientific research) with an exactness that shocked many viewers.  More than 37 million people around the world now know what a human body looks like beneath the skin.  And they are the Mystery Readers who will be reading your next book.

Are you prepared for their critique?  Do you have writing partners to review your manuscripts before they go to print?  There are many ghostwriters who love research and could offer their expertise.  Self-publishing teams of writers, editors and author representatives can guide and support the Mystery Author.  And there are other helpers, such as the International Thriller Writers organization, who offer mentor contacts—authors who have walked this trail and know how to avoid the pitfalls.

I applaud the Mystery Writers of today—each one finding their niche within the genre.  Some are comfortable with the “cozy” mystery; some will jump into the end of the pool and give us the full dose of well-researched and well-written scientific criminology.  May you all succeed and fear-not making the step to self-publish and set your stories FREE.

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward.