Writing 101: How to Write Objectively

If you're a writer, there are times when you have to learn how to leave your opinions out of what you're writing. Even fiction authors who largely focus on novels might be asked to write an article or blog post, and it's definitely a good idea to do so. Any piece of writing can help you promote yourself as an author and make more people aware of who you are. But if you can't write objectively, you may end up hurting your sales and your image instead. 

Shhhh...

Believe it or not, I'm very good at keeping certain opinions to myself. Sure, I've passionately talked about certain words and I'm very clear about grammar rules and how I feel about them...but you definitely can't tell me if I vote, if I'm religious or how I happen to feel about any issue outside of writing whatsoever. Authors have to learn how to write objectively not just in blog posts and articles, they've got to learn how to do it in social media and forum groups, too. There are lots of reasons you're going to have to write objectively. 

Do you know how? 

Writing Objectively

As an author, it's always a part of your job description to look at things from different perspectives. When you create certain scenarios and scenes in your books, some of them are bound to involve more than one person. You have to write for your main character and the entire supporting cast as well, and each one of them is bringing something different to your literary table. So you might be really great at expressing and imagining opinions, drawing conclusions and forming emotions.  

Having no opinion and no emotions is going to be a whole heck of a lot harder. But I feel strongly about most everything (I'll engage you in a 10-minute argument about closet doors any day of the week), and I've found ways to be objective just the same -- so I know you can, too. 

• Get opinions. Writing objectively isn't always about writing with no opinion whatsoever. More often, it's about showing all sides of a particular argument. You can try mental gymnastics, and use your author's creativity to put yourself in a dozen different pairs of shoes, and you should. But while you're at it you should also do some general research. See who else has written about your topic, and what they've said, and what opinions they've expressed. Reading what others have to say about a thing can really help you write objectively, because it can help you see something from many different sides. 
• Informative, not emotional. You have to learn how to be informative and not emotional when you're writing objectively. You're presenting something to readers, not expressing it. This in particular can be tricky for fiction authors, who are always so focused on painting complete scenes and putting emotion into every paragraph. You've got to turn all of that off. Think of each sentence as some new evidence you're putting out there. 
• Look at your adjectives. Re-read what you've written and find all the adjectives. In lots of objective writing, you don't need too many adjectives. It's not for you to say something is "small." Give me the dimensions, and I, as the reader, will decide that. Are you qualified to say that something is "beautiful?" Maybe I like pea green best of all -- is that your favorite color? Adjectives are really just traps in objective writing, because more often than not you should be presenting and not describing. 
• Don't engage. When it comes to social media, forums and other venues when objective writing isn't really practiced by anyone, you have to discipline yourself not to engage in certain conversations. Unless you are marketing books that are obviously religious or political, and obviously aligned with some faction therein, you will only be alienating readers by loudly shouting your opinion on these matters. When you're wearing your author persona, you are not a complete person. You're an objective, creative writing machine that turns out fantastic prose. Where you stand politically isn't any of my damned business, so don't make it my business. 

There are lots of reasons writers have to learn how to write objectively, and lots more reasons why that's incredibly difficult. Re-read your stuff to make sure you're looking at things from all sides, or no sides. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, and you are too -- but you shouldn't necessarily be sharing it everywhere. Let your characters have the opinions, and all the glory, and you just continue to do your thing behind the keyboard. When you're not in author mode, continue being whoever you already are, and keep opinions where they belong.

Writing 101: Dealing With Other Authors

Every kid has a dream, right? Mine was to be a writer, and I spent a lot of time imagining how it'd be. I would sit in some beautiful room somewhere, in front of a window overlooking an idyllic garden perhaps, quietly tapping away on my keyboard at rapid speeds. No one would ever bother me. I would complete my books and send them off to some huge publishers, who would turn the pages into a perfect book with a fabulous cover and all of that. Everyone would buy the books, and I would continue writing. Now, I am a writer...and I realize how foolish every bit of that imagery really is. 

I hardly ever have the time to write. It's the last thing I add to the list and the first one I take off when things get dicey, the task I wish I could get to but rarely do. And some of the time I'm not writing and yet still fully engaged in the job of being a writer, I'm dealing with other authors other than myself. 

And if you're self-publishing, you're going to have to deal with them, too. 

Hey, There Are Other Writers Here

You're a member of the indie author community even before you self-publish your first book. Once you make a decision to self-publish, you're part of the group...and it's a huge group. You're going to need them right away, so that's a good thing.

• Reviews. Most all your early reviews are probably going to come from other authors if you're participating in the indie community. Review swaps can help you get your first reviews, and even if you don't swap you will find lots of indie authors who really want to review other self-published writers. Participate in forum groups (like the ones at Goodreads) to find them. 
• Networking. Indie authors share information with other indie authors. Participate in forums where you find useful links, and look for indie author blogs where writers share from their own experiences and provide resources. If you want more specific information, send a message to the author through social networking sites or through email addresses, if they're listed on the blogs themselves. 
• Supporting. Indie authors will support one of their own. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook, and they'll follow you back. What's more, they'll re-tweet and re-post your stuff when you're sending out links and information about your books. This is a great reason for keeping the indie author community on your side. 
• Opportunity. Speaking of indie author blogs, you'll be exposed to a world of opportunity when you participate in the indie author community. You may receive invitations to provide guest posts, join blog tours and participate in other special events that will help you promote yourself and your work. 

 Now, Deal With It

Any one of the reasons listed above is a compelling argument for participating in the indie author community, but in reality it's a whole lot easier said than done. Dealing with other authors in almost any capacity, especially indie authors, can be extremely trying...and there are times when you're going to need to marshal your strength in order to do it.

But a few tips can't hurt. 

• Reviewing Them

They'll be more inclined to review you if you're reviewing them, and it's always a good idea to read other self-published authors so you understand your own market. You want to know what your readers are reading, because they aren't reading your books alone. You may also be approached by other authors about doing a beta read, or looking over their work and giving them notes. Hang around in the community long enough, and you may end up giving out reviews.

And that's when things start to get dicey. You may be met with anger and unappealing behavior after giving a self-published author some well-meaning criticism. It's your job to stay professional and polite, and that's the beginning of the first thing you need to know.

• You're a professional. 

You're a self-published author. You're an indie. You are an entrepreneur, perhaps well on your way to full-time self-employment. That makes you a professional, and that makes your pen name a brand name, so at all times try to act like one -- especially when you're engaging other authors. Treat them with respect, politeness and some necessary distance at all times. They're not your best friends, nor are they your enemies. They are your colleagues, each and every one of them from Amanda Hocking to the Fifty Shades of Grey author to me, Jade. Think of them as business associates, and always remain polite to them even if they're lashing out at you in some way. We're all human, and writing is pretty emotional business. Outbursts are bound to happen, but you've always got time before hitting Send to take a deep breath and re-read whatever you've about to post/email/blog. Editing and reading is part of being a writer, right?

• Supporting them.

If you want to get support from the community, you should return the favor by supporting other self-published authors. Retweet, repost, share links, tell them things that you've figured out and don't be afraid to recommend their books if someone asks you about what you like to read. You should absolutely be reading other indie authors, and familiarize yourself with those who write in genres similar to your own. To be a part of the community, be a part of the community. Get it?

• Tolerating them.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by it all. I started following 7 groups on Goodreads, boards I picked with great care for well-thought reasons that were driven by logic. Now I'm a member of 30-something groups, at least, that quickly become overloaded with new posts in a matter of hours. I could pay an assistant a full-time wage to keep up with it. If I had an assistant. Or money for an assistant. The point is, there are so many self-published authors out there that you're going to get swamped. There might be times when you're receiving so many requests to do so much stuff, you want to swear off technology and swear at your ereader. I'm constantly reminding myself to focus on one thing at a time, instead of thinking about the long line of tasks awaiting me. I like to make a list, so I can check each item off one by one. It gives me a sense of accomplishment, and helps me stay focused on the particular thing I need to work on right now. Even if you have to comb through 30-something forum groups, it is doable if you avoid distractions.

• Reading them.

I used to love Patricia Cornwell books. You know, Kay Scarpetta? Anyway, I devoured them. She couldn't write them fast enough for me. Then one day I got to talking about books with an acquaintance, and without a bit of prompting she roundly disparaged Cornwell right in front of me. She said the books ought not to have been published, and went on to impugn Pat's writing with colorful language. I was stunned, affronted, shocked.

All readers don't respond to all writers the same way, and you're going to find lots of indie authors to whom you don't respond when you read their work. You might end up reading and reviewing an indie book that quite literally makes you miserable, or one so filled with errors it brings you to tears. They're out there, guys. I know where they're at, and you'll find them, too.

You might hate them, for that. You might hate them for those errors. You might, like me, go to the very brink of insanity because of repeated formatting issues (justification, justification, justification). You might hate yourself for agreeing to read something that turns out to be not worth reading beyond the first page. Everyone has hated a book produced by a major publishing house, too. I've found errors in mass-market paperbacks that could curl your eyelashes.

You might think to yourself, I'm not like them. I don't belong with them. I've seen, and been offended by, flowery forum posts that say pretty much this. There's a stigma associated with self-published authors, and believe me if you read enough of them you'll know why it's there. But there are fantastic indies out there, too, the discovered and the un-discovered who are just waiting for their words to catch fire (and they will). I've found them as well. Like every single other kind of author, self-published authors all have their own writing strengths and weaknesses, and you're going to love some and hate some. Do not become guilty of grouping them together the way the media and the numbers-crunchers do.

All books are books, and all authors are authors. They all write the same way, don't they? They've got the same standard keyboard as you, and me, and every other self-published author. They're on the same social media sites. They've got the same plot problems, and they roll their eyes the same way when it's time to start editing. They just have a few more people around them and a few more dedicated readers, that's all. The main thing you ought to know about being an author? You have to extend some professional respect to all other authors...and that's the best, and only, way you should be dealing with them.

Jade, Behind the Words

Why did I become a writer? What's my greatest weakness? And if I could live anywhere, where would I go? Get these answers -- and a whole lot more -- in my newest author interview!

Writing 101: It's and Its

The difference between its and it's is as tiny as a single apostrophe, and yet the punctuation is fraught with so much meaning. The words are said the same way, they're pretty much spelled the same way and they appear in just about every book. But writers still get them mixed up all the time. 

Apostrophes, No Rules Edition

There's a reason that its and it's are confusing, and one culprit is to blame: the apostrophe. Sure it looks benign, inviting even, but when it comes to its and it's the apostrophe breaks all of its own rules. 

Oftentimes, the apostrophe shows up to give possession to something. If I buy a purse, that purse is Jade's. But apostrophes serve a different function in it's: they represent a missing i. And when it comes to possession in it? There's no apostrophe at all. 

Confusing, right?

It's

It's actually means it is or it has. It is a pretty common expression, but it is sounds a little formal in some narration and dialogue so many writers change it is and it has to it's. The apostrophe is there to represent the letters which aren't being spoken. 

Its

Looking at the word its is enough to make you fearful. It looks like the plural of it, and suggests that its are going to start leaping out at you from everywhere. But its is a word that's unique unto itself in that it breaks a grammar rule simply by existing. See, its is actually the possessive of an object's ownership. There's no apostrophe, and that's why its is so very dreadful.

Think of its as the neutral version of his and hers. It gives possession, ownership, to any object (or animal or person) that has no known gender. A few examples: 

She balanced the pencil to stand on its own tip.

He brushed the leaves off its face to reveal the neglected watch.

Maybe the money wandered off on its own. 

Knowing the Difference

It's not easy to tell when to use its and it's, so double-check them every time. Know what the sentence means, and read its and it's as it is and it has to see if they make sense. Remember that you're really using two words every time you put the apostrophe into it's, and just one word when no apostrophe is there. 

Books on Film: Freaky Friday

I was lucky enough to discover the book version of Freaky Friday first. It was in my school library, and the title seemed interesting enough. Little did I know that through the years, I would eventually become exhausted with what's become one of the most over-used plot devices in the whole of fiction writing. But when I first read the book, it was brand-new and unique. I think that's how author Mary Rodgers intended it.

The Book

Freaky Friday was published in 1972, and adapted into film almost immediately. The story quickly caught on with young readers. They probably identified with Annabelle Andrews, like I did. Annabelle wakes one Friday morning after arguing with her mother, and discovers she now is her mother -- at least, she's in her mother's body instead of in her own.

Freaky indeed. Now, Annabelle has to run the house and take care of her brother Ben, whom she calls Ape Face. As it turns out, being a homemaker is one adventure after the next, and Annabelle really has no idea what her mother does all day to keep everything running smoothly. She ends up getting aid in the form of Boris, a neighborhood boy with whom she's secretly in love. Instead of being in her own awkward teenage body, with teeth covered in braces, she's in her mother's gorgeous body and Boris is more than willing to hang around. She doesn't tell him who she really is, of course.

It's not Annabelle's intention to spy, but through no fault of her own she does obtain surprising information as the day wears on. As it turns out, Ben actually adores Annabelle and craves her friendship. She also learns that Boris's real name is Morris; he just has such terrible congestion he can hardly be understood.

Meanwhile, Annabelle has no idea where her own body is. She's got little time to think about this problem, however, as the house is practically falling down around her ears. But she can't help but think about the argument she had with her mother, and realizes that it was by Ellen's doing that their bodies mysteriously switched. 

And the bodies switch back again. When Annabelle finds herself back in her body, the braces are gone and her hair and clothes are different. Mrs. Andrews has been quite busy! But both have a new understanding and respect for each other after the switch, and the mother-daughter relationship is much closer. 

It's a great little read, so don't let my summary keep you from reading it. But even if you haven't, you're probably pretty familiar with the story. After all, Disney's turned it into a movie three times.

The Film

The very first film adaptation of Freaky Friday was written by the book's author and helped propel one Hollywood leading lady into lasting fame. It was made in 1976 with Barbara Harris as Mrs. Andrews and a young Jodie Foster as Annabelle. Foster made two other films that year, and won the most notice and acclaim for Taxi Driver, but did get a Golden Globe nod for her turn as Annabelle Andrews.

Rodgers greatly expanded upon her own story to create the film. This time, mother Ellen Andrews was a protagonist along with Annabelle, and watchers get to see how she's faring in the wilds of High School while Annabelle is struggling with the responsibilities of running a household. Annabelle was also given a talent for waterskiing, and set the stage for the two to have a comical switch while Ellen-as-Annabelle is trying not to break her neck while hanging onto the back of a boat. 

In this version of the story, viewers actually get to see the switch happen. Barbara Harris is fantastic in her role of Annabella-as-Ellen, and Foster is equally exceptional acting like a grown, married lady while in the midst of a bunch of lackadaisical teenagers.

This time, we see Ellen-as-Annabelle leaving school to go to her "father's" office, where she asks for his credit card and intimidates the heck out of his young, attractive secretary. The movie ends with an allusion that Mr. Andrews and Ben, the younger brother, might be on the brink of switching places themselves.

The film was a big commercial success, and both the leading ladies were nominated for awards...so Disney decided to do it again in 1995. This time, Freaky Friday was a made-for-TV movie starring Shelley Long as Ellen Andrews and Gaby Hoffmann as Annabelle. This time, the switch between them is actually explained -- a pair of magical amulets causes it all to happen. Lots of changes were made in this version. Annabelle is now a diver, Ellen isn't even married and Bill is her boyfriend, not her long-time husband and Annabelle's father. Boris/Morris is reduced to a cameo character, and Annabelle's love interest is now a guy named Luke. The dynamics of her life at school are greatly expanded upon. This time, the cast includes a principal, teachers, and the school's Queen Bee.

In 2003, the story changed again. And again, Disney did the changing. This time, Freaky Friday starred Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman and Jamie Lee Curtis as her mom. An enchanted Chinese fortune cookie causes the switch this time, because that's not stupid at all. Anna is now into rock-n-roll, and she's given a little brother again (Harry, played by Ryan Malgarini). She's in a rock band, and her mother (now named Tess) completely disapproves. Dad/husband died three years ago, and the family is still trying to adjust. Anna is also failing English and has a terrible time getting along with her mother. Tess has a wedding rehearsal occurring the same night Anna wants to go to a band audition, and it starts a huge argument while they're at the Chinese restaurant. A magic fortune cookie later, and the stage is set for a freaky Friday.

After making the requisite attempt to switch their bodies back immediately, the two are forced to carry on in each other's bodies and lives. Tess finds out why Anna is getting bad grades in English and confronts the teacher in front of everyone, thus taking care of the problem. Meanwhile, Anna has to try and fake her way through work. Tess goes on to give Anna a makeover before the two go back to the Chinese restaurant together. The two learn more about each other, Tess discovers how important the band is to her daughter, blah, blah, blah, they switch back. By this point, Freaky Friday doesn't look anything like the original book.

What Got Adapted? 

In the original movie version, Annabelle continues to narrate the story in Jodie Foster's voice. This is because the book is told from her point of view, and the film maintains that flavor. The movie actually takes watchers into Ellen's day as Annabelle, something we didn't get to see in the book, and it's a nice addition. We learn that Annabelle plays field hockey, marches in the band, has a ton of friends and even water skis.

Annabelle-as-Ellen loses control quite a bit more in the movie. In the book, she manages to hold it together until the very end. In the movie, she ends up firing the maid and causing one calamity after the next.

Body-swap stories are turned into books and movies all the time, but it wasn't Rodgers who started the trend. The book Freaky Friday is quite similar to the 1882 book Vice Versa: A Lesson to Fathers. In this story, a father and son switch bodies. A magic stone causes the switch, and as the story goes they end up with a deeper understanding of one another.

The best film adaptation of Freaky Friday is the original, and this is the only one written by the book's author. It actually does what film adaptations should do: it expands on the original story, and gives readers even more. That's why the 1976 version of the story is a can't-miss adaptation, and a great representation of its inspiration.

From the Trenches: Too Talented to Print

Do you automatically conjure up an image of the authors you like? I used to love imagining what the authors behind the words looked like; then I discovered paperbacks, which commonly find a way to plaster a bio picture on a glossy cover somewhere. Everyone has some vision of what authors look like, and what the are like: dramatic, wordy creatures who sit hunched over a keyboard pouring out flowery words all day. The vision is almost never the same as the reality. Sometimes, when the reality doesn't fit that vision writers just can't get published.

In the Victorian Era, three women had to pretend to be men before anyone would pay any attention to their words. Today, millions have read at least one of their books -- which are always printed with their real names.

Creative Spirit

Literature was always a big part of the Bronte household, but tragedy would leave its mark as well. The family had six children in all, but their mother and the two oldest sisters would die young. This left Charlotte, Anne, Emily and their beloved bother -- who painted the picture of them above. He used to be in the painting, but later took himself out. They loved poetry and novels, and read the magazines their father subscribed to regularly. As children, they wrote stories on matchbook-sized papers and stitched them together with thread to create books.

As they matured, their writings (and their binding methods) became more polished. Charlotte, the most ambitious of the bunch, wrote to poet laureate Robert Southey to introduce him to her poetry. He wasn't very impressed, and she waited months to get a lukewarm reply. He was far too important a man, you see, to be bothered by a woman.

And maybe at that point, a lesser woman would have given up. She gave it her best shot. But Charlotte Bronte was far from finished. After discovering a notebook of her sister Emily's poetry, she began to put together a bold new plan: a joint project featuring writing from herself, Emily and Anne. They each picked their best poems, 19 from Charlotte and 21 from each other other two.

Only this time, they would use male names. The sisters decided to keep their relationship -- an their initials -- and transformed themselves into three brothers instead, and so the Brontes became the Bells. Using the names Currer, Ellis and Acton they submitted their poems as a collection and became published through a small company in 1846.

Three copies of the book were sold. One of those buyers, however, admired the work so much he wrote to the publisher to request the autographs of the authors. This is the only known document containing all three pen names.

It was little enough encouragement, but it was all the sisters needed. Each went about writing her own novel, and about a year later three great books were created.

Anne Bronte created Agnes Grey, a novel about a young governess. Her simple style of prose has been lauded as "perfect," and her insights on wealth and class-based society are still studied and discussed today. She wrote the book largely from her own experience as a working governess, and title character Agnes has a background and family life similar to Anne's own. It became popular shortly after publication. Anne Bronte continue to write and penned The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, regarded by many as one of the first feminist novels. Anne ran out of time before she managed to write another novel; her brief life ended at age 29.

Charlotte Bronte created a book that's considered classic today: Jane Eyre. Jane is a strong character who falls in love with the master of a grand house. The book is told in a first-person narrative which follows Jane through much of her life. Charlotte sent the book out with the two written by her sisters, receiving multiple rejections and dismissals. Finally she managed to get a deal where the three books would circulate through certain libraries. Jane Eyre quickly became a bestseller. It was an instant success, and it propelled Charlotte into the career she'd so wanted. Charlotte abandoned her pen name and became a well-known literary figure. She continued to write as a famous novelist, and finished two more full-length books before she died at age 38.

Emily Bronte was not famous in her own time, nor was her novel very well-regarded. Unlike her sisters, who wrote from their own experiences and created singular central characters, Emily was inspired by an old, desolate-looking house near her own country home. Also unlike her sisters, Emily never worked as a governess and wasn't too keen on publishing her novel. Emily was quiet and shy by nature, even around visitors to the family home. She didn't travel with Charlotte and Anne when they went to persuade publishers to buy the three novels, and her novel won immediate criticism. Some even condemned the book, which became quite controversial.

She became ill shortly after the book's 1847 release while attending her brother's funeral in the fall of 1848. By the time the year 1849 rolled around, Emily Bronte was gone at age 30. She never knew that her one novel, Wuthering Heights, became the most celebrated of all the Bronte works, or that I would write about her book some fifteen decades later.

Emily Bronte was one of many one-hit wonders in the literary world, and to this day one of the most well-known. Read this amazing post about other one-hit wonders. Sometimes, you don't need to write a dozen great books. Just one will do.

The Bronte sisters wrote in the trenches of fiction when the world said they shouldn't. They had to pretend to be men to find voices, and only after they'd already proven themselves was it safe to reveal their true identities. The somewhat tragic tale of the Bronte sisters is beautifully told in the movie Devotion, which I love, starring Olivia de Havilland as Charlotte Bronte. Watch it!

Writing 101: Then and Than

It's just one little letter, but it gets confused all the time. Change the a in than, and you've created then -- and then, you've got grammar problems. Knowing the difference between then and than is essential to good writing, because the two are as different as night and day. The trouble is, you can't change day to night with a single letter...but a wrong then can totally destroy all your good writing work.

Then

Most of the time, then is an adverb or a noun. It means at that time or even next, which are two pretty unrelated sentiments. This is why the word is confusing. I might say Well, that was back then and clearly I'm referring to some past time, and things have now changed. But it's also correct if I say We dated for awhile, then I learned he was a jerk, which would still have the same meaning if I type next instead of then -- in this case, it's used to refer to the future past (truly the worst tense in the whole of the written word).

But sometimes, then is an adjective, a descriptive word. When used in this fashion, then means being or existing. Written as an adjective, then is commonly paired with a dash. Here's an example: He started a business back in the 90s. Bill Clinton, the then-president, had what he considered a favorable tax policy. See what I mean? I'm using then to describe something about Clinton, so it's an adjective. Another example: Davy, her then-boyfriend, glared angrily at Steve, a known flirt.

Then is also used idiomatically. You can use it to mean on the other hand. Example: Then again, I'd just as soon have pizza for dinner instead of tacos. When used with the word there, it's a common expression: She pulled out a spoon, ready to start tasting her choices then and there. It just means right in that moment. 

When then first appeared around 900 AD, it was spelled thanne. Maybe that's where all this then/than confusion comes from in the first place.

Than

Than, on the other hand, is a conjunction. This just means it's a linking word, and most commonly used to link adjectives and adverbs to each other. Than means otherwise; it's used to introduce an alternative. I'd rather have pizza than tacos. This one is prettier than the other one. I like that carpeting better than Jody's.

Like then, than first appeared in the English language around 900 AD as a variant of then...but today, the two are distinctly separate.

Telling Them Apart

Until the 18th century, then and than were actually interchangeable. That's no longer the case. If you put a then where a than ought to be, you're going to confuse readers and look like you don't know what you're doing. How are you supposed to tell them apart? There are a few ways to go about it.

Remember that then essentially means next. If I want to write about grammar, then I better research it first! You're describing something that happens next. Then is conditional; it can't really stand alone. If I type Then I'm going to walk without a proper frame of reference, you have no idea what's going on. Then needs something else to happen first, then it can introduce option 2 or the next event.

Than, on the other hand, appears only when something is being compared to something else. I liked this movie better than Avatar. Two things are being mentioned and contrasted or compared, that's the function of than.

The two words are spelled almost exactly alike, and when spoken aloud they sound quite similar. Once, they were essentially the same word. It's very, very easy to confuse then and than. The easiest way to double-check yourself is to use a synonym. Then is a synonym for therefore. Replace all your thens with therefores. If sentences stop making sense, see if they look any better with the word than instead.

Writing 101: Is Gotten Good Grammar?

The word gotten just sounds wrong to me sometimes, yet it always comes out of me naturally. I noticed it earlier when I was writing an email to someone; I typed out that I had gotten something, then quickly backspaced and put in the more majestic received instead. Then I realized, I don't actually know if gotten is good grammar or not. It sounds like slang and somehow seems wrong when I see it on my screen, but it still has its place in the English language. In fact, I've quite recently learned all about it. 

Have Got

Gotten is a past tense form of the verb to get. Get just means have, hold, receive. It can also be used to mean to experience ("I got sick"). The past tense form of get is got; the past participle of got is gotten. A past participle is a word that's used with had, have or has. 

Therefore, it's perfectly acceptable to use gotten if it's being used with its companion word. I have gotten sick before. ...Unless, of course, you're in Britain. 

They stopped using gotten when Queen Victoria was still ruling England, and that was a long time ago (pre-Civil War). But people in the States never did stop using it, so it's still proper English if you're on that side of the world.

That said, I still don't like the word. Gotten can just about always be replaced with prettier words like obtained or acquired, which look much lovelier on the page. In dialogue, however, gotten may sound more natural to your inner reading voice. If gotten seems to make the text flow just the right way, type it on in there -- because yes, it's proper English and when used the right way it's perfectly good grammar.