No lie: why we misuse lay

Dear Editor-on-call:

I always have trouble with lay and lie. I've heard that people lie and objects lay but it always sounds odd to me to say,"I'm lying here" instead of "I'm laying here." What is the correct usage?

Yours truly,
Don't want to lie
(aka Sherrie of Write About Now)

Dear No lie,

The mnemonic (memory-helper) you mentioned is correct. Only a chicken, dinosaur or other oviparous creature should ever say "I'm laying here."

Except in the sense of producing eggs, lay is always a transitive verb. That means it is the sort of action that always happens TO something (its object). It behaves more like other "regular" verbs, taking an -ed sounding ending (though spelled differently).

The basic pattern: lay, laid, had/have laid

Here are some examples, with the verb in italics and the object highlighted:

Present: Lay that here!
He lays down the law.
Present participle: We are laying all rejects on this pile.
Past: Jo laid her dry cleaning on the counter.
Past participle: The Duke had laid all choices before him.
Future: Xan will lay your order out in the morning

Gerund: Laying carpet is hard work.

Lie, on the other hand, is intransitive. It's a simple action the subject does. Period. But it's not so simple tense-wise. It's annoyingly irregular with a past tense that trips us up: lay! Argh.

Basic pattern: lie, lay, had/have lain

Present: Lie still!
Lulu lies on the hammock.
Present participle: I am lying in bed, reading.
Past: Hector lay there, dreaming of victory.
Past participle: The tiger had lain in wait.

Future: Dad will lie down when his shift ends.

Gerund: Lying around is relaxing.

I think another reason for your discomfort is that fact that this perfectly good verb has a homonym (sound alike) that means "to tell a falsehood." And who wants that taint to one's honest rest? Well, anyone who isn't a chicken.

We usually overcome that confusion by adding place markers like "lie down" or "lying on the couch" to distinguish reclining from speaking falsehood.

To summarize:
Use lay when moving objects. Its tenses are regular, if strangely spelled.
Use lie when the actor is moving him/herself. Its tenses are irregular.

How do you keep lay and lie straight in your mind? Any tips to add?

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It's my party and I'll...

blog gushy nonsense if I want to! Because I'm another year older today and feeling thankful for so many things:

~I get to send acceptance letters at work, spreading happiness to smart, underappreciated English profs and grad students of the world.

~My kidlit critique group gave me amazing encouragement on my novel last night, and great ideas for a final polish.

~A character lookalike was on the train this AM. Quality watching done. Check.

~I'm getting a new bike from my hubby! Makes me feel like a giddy kid. :-)

~Greetings on facebook reminded me what amazing friends and family I have.

~I got big hugs from my daughter this morning. A few years ago, she was the anti-snuggle kid who would hit you if you tried to comfort her when she was hurt. This feels HUGE! :-)

~Prepping to teach a co-ed bunch of high schoolers at youth group has me SO excited. The group this year is incredibly engaged, full of questions and eager to learn.

~People actually read and comment on this blog. I'm still amazed that you all keep visiting.

What gives you an attitude of gratitude?

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Writing compelling characters

Today I'm participating in Elena's blog hop, in which a bunch of us share our take on a particular topic. I think the biggest challenge of today's topic was, for me, not trying to cover too much. If you click on my topic label "characterization" over on the right, you'll see this aspect of writing is one I blog about frequently--nearly 30 posts to date! But I'll do my best to be a little big-picture, a little detailed.

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The most compelling characters seem to have a life outside the confines of your story. They're not like those animatronic beings on Disney World rides that are switched on and come to life only when there's an audience to observe them.

Giving a character that life might entail developing backstory. But more importantly, it involves giving every character things to do, places to be, relationships, worries, plans and goals that engage them during the "here and now" of your story. Much of that present life may take place offstage (or "off page"). But it should leave traces--evidence apparent in the details you sprinkle in.

Those details might support what we already know about a character. A nice guy might show up late for a formal date with wheel grease on his knees. And we know he's the type to stop and change someone's tire, even if it's inconvenient.

The details might play against type. She's a tough girl from the 'hood, but that strange indentation under her chin...well, it looks like the mark of hours of practicing violin.

When details play enough against type, you can end up making a powerful social commentary. Think of Rowling's Dolores Umbridge, the sadistic bureaucrat who takes over Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Her office is decorated with pink and lace and collector's plates depicting frolicking kittens. It's absolutely chilling, because Rowling has deftly shown you the heart of evil--one that perpetuates wrong in the quest for building a comfy utopia.

How you work in those details could take a volume to explore. But I'll give some broad-strokes ideas, followed by examples.

Physical traits
~Peculiar calluses on his hands from rowing crew
~Terrible haircut from her kid sister who's attending beauty school
~Incongruous tattoos
~Signs of past injury like limping and scars

Actions
~Hand placed always on his beeper, as if expecting an emergency at the hospital
~Fiddling with a charm bracelet that seems to tell a story
~Humming music from a peculiar venue -- hymns, show tunes, Wiggles songs

Objects
~Powdered sugar traces on the dieter's sweater
~Moth-eaten woman's coat still hanging in the bachelor's closet
~McDonald's uniform stuffed in the bottom of her locker
~Collection of knickknacks from around the world

The best sort of details to include are ones that hint at a character's values, passions, commitments and priorities. That, to me, makes a fictional being more than a cardboard cutout taking up space--it makes him have a life that means something.

What are some of your favorite characters who seem to have a life outside the novel? What resonates with you about these concepts of "life outside" and "life that means something"?

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202 Cool Winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered my Too, oh too cool contest in honor of reaching a blogging milestone of 202 followers. You all posed fantastic "ask-the-editor" questions as part of your entries that I'll continue tackling over the coming weeks.

Now, onto what your really came here for: the winners announcement.

Prize A,
the Staples gift card, goes to

Shannon O'Donnell

Prize B,
the Harry-Potter inspired "expecto patronem" tote, goes to

Lola Sharp

Prize C,
the grab-bag of writerly goodies goes to

Kelly Lyman

Ladies, please send your postal addresses to me at laurels (dot) leaves (at) gmail (dot) com.

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks again, followers, for giving me a reason to celebrate.

What good thing, big or small, makes you want to celebrate this week?

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Bad beginnings: the teaspoon problem

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," said Hermione nastily, picking up her quill again.
--J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (chap 21)

That line almost always makes me laugh out loud. But recently it also kicked me in the teeth.

I've been trying to figure out what isn't quite working in my story opening, and this idea of "emotional range" was a wallop to the incisors.

I realized that by my second scene, my protagonist was already deeply entrenched in her dislike of another character. And yet, by story's end these two will reconcile. But how would my reader even want that to happen? I've given no space for the possibility that my protagonist desires reconciliation. By starting at the wrong place emotionally, I'd left no room to grow beyond simply intensifying that one emotion. In other words, I'd given her the emotional range of a teaspoon.

For conflict to work well in a story, it needs space to escalate over chapters. This might mean rethinking the emotional starting place for your protagonist. In my case, my protagonist needs to start out motivated to have a good relationship, only to have her desire thwarted. Now I have the emotional pulse needed to carry the story forward, and more potential for escalation. I've added range for her emotions to follow a larger arc:

desire for closeness > confusion and worry > hurt > frustration > anger > rage > explosion > despair > surrender > renewal.

See how starting at anger would cut my emotional arc in half?

Anyone else ever tackle this problem in a manuscript? What worked for you to widen the emotional range and stretch out the arc?

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Time is running out to enter my Too, oh too cool prize drawing!

Click HERE to enter today!

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Three chances to win!

My too, oh too cool prize drawing, in celebration of reaching a 202 follower milestone, is still open for entries. I'm offering three separate prizes to three lucky winners.

All you have to do is comment on THIS post. Simple!
(If you choose to earn bonus entries by tweeting, etc., that's up to you, but not required)

I've extended the deadline to Wednesday, September 22.

Don't miss out! Enter today!

And thank you, loyal followers, for making blogging a fun, encouraging experience. You guys rock!

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Tempting titles

Dear Editor-on-call:

What should I look for when choosing a title for a work?

Sincerely,
Untitled

(aka Lana at Lana Phillips's blog)

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Dear Untitled:

In a word? Flavor. Your working title (always think of it as such, because publishers frequently retitle works) should hint at the reading experience your book will provide.

So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow, er, your genre and approach. Look at titles in the section where you believe your book would be shelved, especially ones that take an approach similar to yours (in terms of tone and pace and level of seriousness). What naming conventions do you notice? One evocative noun? Verb phrases? Soft, shivery alliteration? Obscure literary references? Zany mash-ups? Treat that convention like a poetic form and challenge yourself to brainstorm a dozen possibilities that reflect your content but fit the form.

Once you've done that, run your favorites past LOTS of people--those who've seen your manuscript and those who haven't. Especially get the opinion of folks in your target audience. Tell them your logline, or your one paragraph summary, and ask which potential title sounds like it matches best.

Some opinions will be more useful than others. If votes seem split, go with your gut.


What do you think, readers? How did you go about choosing a working title? What are some of your favorite book titles that express flavor well?

Ask me an editing question and you could win a too, oh too cool prize! Click HERE for details.

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