Evergreen Writing
By
Vie Herlocker
Evergreen: Relevant and Fresh
Blogs
and articles are considered evergreen when they:
- are not tied to a particular time and
- remain relevant to the reader over an extended period.
But
what if you are writing a nonfiction book—or a memoir? By writing evergreen,
you can keep your book relevant over time—and drive readers to purchase it long
after it’s published. Years before the web became a platform for writers, one
of my mentors, Cec Murphey, taught me a simple secret for making dated
information evergreen: use description that will continue to be true, no matter
when the text is read.
Let’s
look at these three examples of dated text I found in books I’ve edited—and the
simple fixes:
- In a book about the Boy Scout Oath and Law, which released the year of BSA’s one-hundredth anniversary, the author made several references to one hundred years ago. But that reference would be outdated the second year the book was out. By simply changing those one-hundred-year references to the actual date, 1910, that Baden Powell started Boy Scouts in America, the content moved from dated to evergreen.
- In a memoir, an author had this sentence on his back cover draft: “Twenty-five years ago, Chris Harvey paused from studying for final exams to talk to his college housemate. Gunshots interrupted their conversation…” Well, Chris is still selling his book as he speaks to groups about being shot in the head and instantly blinded for life. But the “twenty-five years ago” referred to 1980, not twenty-five years subtracted from the current year. By simply adding the year, “In 1980, Chris Harvey…” we move to evergreen.
- In another manuscript, the author beautifully related a God-lesson from a nature walk. The draft referred to “when I took my walk yesterday.” While this was an accurate statement when she wrote it, by simply rewording, “One day as I walked,” the material moves to evergreen.
Are
there ever situations appropriate to include a current time or age in a book? Possibly,
but often you’ll see a qualifier, like “at the time I am writing this…” Instead,
an evergreen writer might state “when Johnnie was six” rather than, “my
six-year-old.”
Happy
writing! Have you seen anything in books that dates them? I’d love to read your
examples in the comments.
(Photos courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Stuart Miles, and nunawwoofy.)
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Vie Herlocker is associate editor for Surry Living Magazine, Mt. Airy, NC. Her experience includes editing for a small, traditional Christian publisher and reviewing for Blue Ink Reviews. She is a member of Christian Editor Connection, Christian PEN, ACFW, ACW, and WordWeavers.
Great information, Vie! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteGood things to think about! I would like to make sure my writing stays evergreen!
ReplyDeleteHi, Lisa! So good to see you here. I love your poetry and artwork--and always find them relevant! Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Vie
DeleteHi, Lisa! Thanks for reading the blog and for commenting. I love your poetry and accompanying artwork. I do believe your words will be relevant for years to come!
DeleteGreat ideas Vie. I have been taking the AWAI courses for about a year now. I should have just hung out with you!!
ReplyDeleteDear "Unknown,"
DeleteHurray for taking the AWAI courses! I believe that learning is a lifelong endeavor, and I take courses whenever I can. And my Amazon bill will attest to my love of learning more about writing and editing through all the books available. Even with all those other opportunities, I hope you'll still hang out with me and allow me to learn from you too!