D is for Description

Tags

intriguing plot, jot down, secondary character

“We think in generalities, but we live in detail” – Alfred North Whitehead

I suppose you could write a novel without description but I’m not sure how many readers would continue to read it to the end.  You might have the most intriguing plot and characters that seem lifelike but without description, it would feel like reading a grocery list, vital information but not very interesting.

 

Good description uses the senses, all of them. It helps ground the reader in the setting and done well, it can make them feel for the characters.  Be specific and it will pull the reader into the story and don’t settle for a word because it is the first one that came to you. If a sentence feels off, look at those descriptive words and see if you might find something that is more specific that can create an emotional connection.  We may not have all been to Laguna Beach but we have probably been to a beach or we’ve seen one on television or in movies. How did the sand feel under your feet, the sun beating down on your skin, the cold water lapping on the shore over your ankles? Can you smell the fishy smell off the ocean?  Lick your lips, do you taste the salt?  Use the descriptive words that are universal to the majority of readers. Being universal will hit the chord that makes the connection and will pull your reader into the story through to the end.

Description is like using salt and pepper, too much and it will ruin the story, just enough and it will enhance the flavor.

Keep your writing notebook handy. It’s not just for story ideas. Next time you’re out and about with a little time to spare, jot down a description of where you are. Describe the people and the setting. Pick out someone who might be an interesting character and describe them in detail. Next time you need a character, dig through your notebook. You may have already found the main character for your next book, or maybe a secondary character you never thought of.  Describe the sound of tires squealing, bickering adults, whiney children, the taste of the frozen yogurt at the mall, the smell of the wild flowers while on your morning walk. Get out and live life and mine it for your descriptions. “Connections”, the short story I had published came to me after I saw a homeless woman downtown.  She intrigued me and I started asking myself questions about how she came to be in that situation. The thing that stuck was the way she was dressed, in layers with her shopping bags at her feet. It was her feet that really bothered me, she wore sandals with white crew socks and her feet were green from the grass. I don’t know why but that really bothered me.  It bothered me enough to write about her.

With this long Memorial Day weekend, I hope you all are finding a little time to write and of course read.

Until next week,

Virginia

C is for Cliche

Tags

Cliché, Janet Fitch, Witch's Ladder, Writers Resources, Writing

“A cliché is like a coin that has been handled too much. Once language has been overly handled, it no longer leaves a clear imprint.” – Janet Fitch

We often think of words when we think of clichés but they are more than words or phrases, they can be plots, settings, situations, or characters. clichés are what usually pop up first because we’ve heard them so often, they are imprinted on our brains.

Revising will weed out these blunders. When you revise your own work or critique someone else’s make a point of looking for anything that has been overused.

Some suggestions when revising:

• Highlight clichés and then see how colorful your page is. Then tone it down.
• Read your work aloud, sometimes that makes it stand out more.
• The first choice may not be best, list more choices and choose one that doesn’t feel so stale.
• Don’t settle for common settings, situations, or word choices. Now is the time to look for something more unique.

We had a wonderful CIFW meeting this month and thanks to Tami for sharing her work for critique. I left motivated to come home and write. Anytime that happens, it is a good day.

I’ve been reading a couple of books the past few days. One fiction and the other writing reference. The novel is ‘The Witch’s Ladder‘ by Dana E. Donovan. It is the first in a series. I don’t usually buy self published books but after reading a few reviews decided to check it out.  I have to say, I think these are very well written. I have purchased two so far and unless something totally throws me out of the story, will probably buy them all.

The reference book I am reading is ‘Outlining Your Novel’ by K. M. Weiland. I really like her suggestions for outlining. She has a step by step approach that makes sense.

Now that life has gotten back to some semblance of order, I plan to get myself into a routine of writing. I met a woman this weekend who is married with two small children. She is working on her second book, and no one knows she is writing. She attended a meeting this weekend and told her husband she had a few errands to run. I think I know where she is coming from. It is hard to tell everyone what you are doing, cause what happens if it doesn’t go anywhere. I hope she continues to write and come to our meetings.  She inspired me, more than she knows.

Have a great week writing, and reading.

Virginia

 

B is for Backstory

Tags

Backstory, Book Writing, Donald Barthelme, Fiction

“A writer is a man who, embarking upon a task, does not know what to do.” – Donald Barthelme

If you have ever started a story and got stuck in that first act and couldn’t go on, maybe it’s because you never really understood what happened before the story starts. Knowing where to start can sometimes be confusing. Do we go back to the very beginning or do we jump in with the action. Most times you will start with the action but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know what happened to get the characters there. The key word is know. You need the information to put all the pieces together. You don’t necessarily need to share that information with the reader. At least not all of it. The important stuff can trickle in with the telling.

I shared this other little trick in an earlier post but I think it is worth sharing again, in case you missed it the first time. Determine the back story of each of your characters. Go back a month before the story starts with each character individually. What was the character’s goal, motivation, or conflict at that time? What was going on in their life? Determining that information for the secondary characters and antagonist and suspects or victims, depending on the genre of book you are writing can help you develop sub-plots.

I hope the past week has been a productive writing week. I have to admit I spent more time reading than writing. When life throws me a curve it’s easier for me to escape into a book than push myself to write. As some of you know, my brother passed away so I have been dealing with his loss. I also had a medical procedure at the end of the week. Everything turned out fine but these little personal detours seem to wreck havoc on my writing goals. It boots me out of a healthy writing mind set and it takes me a little while to climb back in the saddle and point that pony toward my book’s completion.

No matter what happens though, if I stay away from writing too long, I get that urge that won’t leave me alone until I sit down and put some words together.

If you live in the Des Moines area and are looking for a writing group, Central Iowa Fiction Writers meet the third Saturday of each month at the West Des Moines Community Center in Valley Junction at 10:00 AM.  If you have an interest in mystery writing or reading, Sisters-in-Crime Iowa meets the same day at Smokey Row Coffee Shop at 3:00 PM. Maybe I’ll see you there.

May this be a productive week for all of us. Look forward to seeing some of you Saturday.

P.S. Finished ‘Get Fluffy”. Now I gotta get it autographed.

Virginia

A is for Alliteration and Antagonist

Tags

Alliteration, Antagonist, Sue Grafton, William Safire

“Also, avoid all awkward or affected alliteration.” – William Safire, How Not to Write.

I apologize for not posting last week. I forgot and by the time I remembered, it was this week.

I thought it might be fun to use the alpha bet for my posts, kind of like Sue Grafton did with her mystery series. So this week my letter is A. I used the quote on alliteration because I thought it hit home exactly why more isn’t always better.

I didn’t really want to discuss alliteration. The A subject I wanted to talk about is antagonist. How is your antagonist behaving? Is he/she causing enough conflict in your story? I picked up a little trick from one of my writing books recently while working on my own story. It was suggested that to come up with enough disasters in your plot, you should keep track of the things that bring havoc to your own day. List everything, running late, spilling coffee, breaking a leg, getting a flat tire, missing the bus, whatever happens to make life a little more difficult for you. Then take those experiences and pull some out and expand them to a scenario you could use in your story. The final suggestion was to take a character and go back to a month before the story begins and make a list for them at that time of their life to help you build sub-plots. It was suggested you do this with all your major characters, including your antagonist.

That idea came from the book ‘Write Now-Mysteries’ by Sherry Ellis and Laurie Lamson. It has tips from authors that include exercises you can use for your own work.

Another little tip is – The Daily Writing Tips. Google it and then sign up for them to send you daily tips. They are great. I will share some of the lists in future posts.

Just remember this week is A for Antagonist.

Have a good week and get something written.

Virginia

Creating Character

Tags

Belinda Bauer, Frankenstein, Leigh Michaels, Midsomer Murders, Plot (narrative), Stephen King

“I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose.” Stephen King

No matter what genre you are writing, I think this is true. Mr. King may literally turn the monsters loose but I believe all writers, no matter what genre, need to torture the characters. Otherwise why would anyone want to continue reading.

I have read that character is half of what is needed for story. The other half is plot. Without both there is no story. A story may be character driven but without plot, there is no story. A plot driven novel may have characters that don’t change so much from book to book because they are often part of a series. Those characters are developed well but the reader may not find out everything about them in the first book. I do believe those characters reveal more slowly over a series.

Creating characters is fascinating. Whether they are completely fabricated or created piece by piece from real people, kind of like Frankenstein, the choice is up to you. How many of you have been tempted to model a victim or a villain after someone you are not so fond of? I know I have. Even with that seed of someone you know though, my characters tend to become their own people, so those real life templates get buried in the work. How do you create your characters? Do you start with a seed of an idea and write or do you spend time filling out background and bio information? Do you do personality tests on your characters? What is your secret to creating characters?

For more on character – don’t miss this week’s IRN meeting. Leigh Michaels will be speaking about ‘Character Secrets’. Don’t know about you but I can’t wait.

Talk about interesting characters, just finished reading ‘Dark Side’, by Belinda Bauer. I want so much to tell you about this character but it would ruin the book. Just trust me that this is a worthy read, if you like mysteries. It has the feel of Midsomer Murders which is one of my favorite shows. An inspector that no one seems to like but who has moments where I actually did like him. The story is about a village in England where older women are being murdered. They are all burdens to their families so there is the possibility that it could be any of the family members who are doing it. Of course the killer is crazy but they can’t come up with solid clues. Officer Holly is the local police who bumbles his way trying to help. He too has a family member who has become a burden. His young wife has MS and now he spends most of his time worrying about her. Lots of twists and turns and a shocker ending. I did start figuring it out before the end but I still felt satisfied. This author has been added to my list of authors to watch.

Also my friends Sparkle Abbey’s second book in their Pampered Pet mysteries just came out the other day. ‘Get Fluffy’. Plan to get my copy very soon. If you haven’t read the first, ‘Desperate Housedogs’, you need to get moving.

See you Saturday and keep writing!

Virginia

Where Is This Story Going?

Tags

Alexandra Sokoloff, Ghost story, Unseen, Weight loss

I am struggling with my outline. To be honest I can’t even say I’ve made it to the outlining stage. I keep trying to come up with plausible plot points and when I think I’ve got it, something jumps out at me that doesn’t make sense. I hope to be able to start actually writing my first draft this week.

So far, I have my major character profiles completed and I am very close to having the plot points where I want them. I need them as guideposts to finish outlining the story. If I could nail the plot points I think I have enough scenes for the first act so plan to start writing and plotting the final acts as I go.

I worked on it most of the day today and think I am so close. Just a little more and it will be there. How do you start out your stories? Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? Do you know your characters or discover them as you go?

The other issue I constantly deal with is using my time wisely. I realized that I had to change something to make time to write. Getting home late wasn’t working. By the end of the day, I didn’t have enough energy to think about writing and too often found myself vegging out on the sofa after supper until time for bed. So I have committed to going to bed earlier and getting up at 5:00 to write. It gives me an hour and a half to myself before I have to start the day and I think I like it. The time change was a little difficult but I set my clocks back and went to bed early anyway. I will get this figured out so that by my next post I can start reporting word count for the first draft. It will happen.
What have I been reading? Alexandra Sokoloff‘s ‘Unseen’. And I’m liking it. So far it is a great ghost story. It has a good amount of creepy factor that and characters I care about .Love the premise. It kind of makes me think if Shirley Jackson’s stories. If you like a good ghost story, I highly recommend this one.

How is my weight loss going? Slowly but steadily in the right direction. So far 8 lbs. I have been wanting to snack a little more than I should and I didn’t work out much last week but I did buy a new Zumba CD for my Wii. Will be adding that to my routine this week.

Virginia

 

 

Weight Loss for Writers…

Tags

Calorie, diet, Eating, Health, Weight loss

Okay so I have been at this since February 5th and I feel like I am slowly going forward. It hasn’t been a straight path. Some weeks I do lose a couple pounds and just keep going but most weeks, I fluctuate. I think I have figured out why I fluctuate mid week.

I have Tuesdays off so meet my writer friend Sara for lunch and coffee. I try to watch what I eat and I do use my app to check for calories. I continue to make better choices but sometimes I am weak and give in to something I really shouldn’t…

Obviously my weekly meetings with Sara make it more difficult but I think life would be more unbearable if I had to hide away and not enjoy it a little. So it may take me longer but I will enjoy the journey so much more.

One of the things I do that I feel is essential is keeping a log of what I eat. No matter what I eat, I put it on my log. I own it. That way when I gain, I can trace it back to what I did that could have caused it. Without a record, I would have to resort to guessing.

I did read the Loseit book in the beginning. If you are thinking of doing this program, I would recommend reading it. It goes into more detail about everything. I also discovered another free program called Spark People. I will tell you more about it next week. The website is a little more complicated so not sure how far I will go with the online stuff there. I did, of course buy the book to read  and think I may get the most benefit from the book anyway. The Spark People program encompasses more than weight loss. It is supposed to help you achieve all of your goals.

Well enough for this week. I continue to lose slowly, even though today I am on one of those rebound days where I regained the pound I lost yesterday, I know it will come off again soon. I keep floating between 6-8 pounds so far but because I have so many more to lose, I’m not sweating it. I know it will come off now. I am feeling more confident with each day that I continue.

If you are just starting the weight loss journey, my tip for this week is to keep a food log. It makes you think about what you are eating and it keeps you honest.

Until next week,

Virginia

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Do You Write Alone or With Others?

Tags

Colorado Kid, Lisa Jackson, New Orleans, Shiver, Supernatural, Witchcraft

Last November, I proposed meeting once a month with another writer friend to write, critique, brainstorm, and generally keep both of us moving forward. My friend is Kerry F. and we decided to wait until after the holidays. Since we both are members of a local RWA chapter that meets the 3rd Saturday of the month, we decided to meet on the first Saturday of each month. We were both excited and then we had to deal with bad weather both January and February. We live a distance away from each other so meet half-way in West Des Moines.  Today we finally got to get together.

We’d had a chance to share our work by email so are now familiar with what we are writing. Today we had a chance to sit how it was going to fit. I think we are a great fit. We met to work out details of our stories that were hanging us up and I had the opportunity to iron out some issues I was having with my Act I.

We discussed what we are looking for and we seem to be on the same page. We both want someone to obviously help critique our work but also brainstorm with when we get stuck or something doesn’t seem to be working. We want someone to motivate us to keep going and someone we feel is sincerely interested in helping us get further into this business of writing.

We plan to open our monthly meeting up to other members of our IRN group who need the support we feel we can give. When it was time to split up and drive home, I felt good about the time we spent today. I left with a better vision of how my story needs to be told and couldn’t wait to get home and start writing.  We are both writing about similar topics, witches, ghosts, and a bit of the paranormal but in totally different situations. She is working on a historical series based around a manor house from the past and each generation of family living there into the future. I am working on a story about witches also, or at least a group of women accused of witchcraft and how those accusations affect a community in a contemporary setting.

Kerry is a talented writer and I feel honored to get to work with her. Will keep you posted as we travel along this adventure in writing.
Do  you write alone, are do you write with a buddy?

What have I been reading?  Finished Lisa Jackson‘s ‘Shiver‘. An interesting thriller set in New Orleans before the flood. It is centered around a tragedy that happened at an asylum and the aftermath that followed. The heroine’s mother fell out of a bedroom window and died in front of her family. Originally it was thought to be connected to her state of mind and she probably committed suicide but as the years passed, it didn’t add up and eventually a series of murders all came back to that tragic incident. Kept me guessing right up until the reveal. Will hopefully look for more from this series if I ever get through my mountain of to be read books.

Also finished reading Stephan King’s “Colorado Kid‘, a novella that the television series ‘Haven’, is based on. It was an interesting read but not what I expected from King. I enjoyed the story but think it could have been extended into something longer and obviously someone else thought so, with the aforementioned series. I watch ‘Haven’, ‘Supernatural‘, and pretty much anything with a paranormal theme to help me develop my current work. I would like my current story to be a series so like seeing how others approach similar subjects thinking I will see something similar to what I am trying to do. So far, not so much. That’s good though. I feel like maybe I can write about similar subjects with a fresh approach. Since I can’t seem to find what I want to read, it gives me more initiative to write it for myself.

Until next time,

Virginia

Weight Loss so far…

Tags

Calorie, Fitness, Goal, Health, Muscle, Physical exercise, Shopping, Weight loss

I continue to push forward with the Loseit program. Today was a struggle. No matter what I did, I was hungry. I probably ate too much today and will pay for it tomorrow. My loss continues to be pretty steady, usually at least a pound a week or more. It seems like when I stall at the same weight for a few days, if I keep doing what I am supposed to, I’ll see a day when I drop two pounds. Seems like it is inching along but if I want to see real results, I know I can’t quit.

I have tried to adapt the changes to my lifestyle. I like to workout but sometimes after a hard day at work, I really would like to veg out. When I really feel that way, I sometimes veg out. I refuse to beat myself up to the point where it’s a real battle because then I know I will lose.

One of my tricks is forced exercise. I park further away so I have to walk further. I haven’t gotten to the point that I will take the stairs up all the time, but I will take them down. I really get into housework and try to work up a sweat. It may not be a fancy form of exercise but if I’m sweating, I’m moving and that’s all it takes. When the weather is bad and I feel like walking, I will go to the mall. Yes I like to shop, but I make myself wait until after I’ve walked. I try not to miss working out two days in a row. I think I have to keep the momentum of at least every other day.

I am not perfect and never will be. I’m human and I will have days that I cheat and eat a little chocolate or skip a workout but as long as I keep my eye on the long term goal and get back onto the program the next day, I know it will all workout.

Though I am a long way from my final goal, I can say, I feel better and I am noticing my jeans feeling a little bit looser.

Until next time…

Virginia

Baby Steps…

Tags

Alexandra Sokoloff, Downton Abbey, Hollywood, Lee Child, Weight loss, Writing

I find that as I get older it takes me longer to do things, with work and my other activities it cuts into my actual writing time. Because of some health concerns, I have had to look at losing weight and getting more fit. I have made getting fit a priority whether I wanted to or not. I am working on finding a balance between fitness and writing that will enable me to succeed at both. I have learned to say no to some foods and I am learning to say no to things that are keeping me from my writing goals.

Here are some of the things I do that feed my desire to write:

 

• I belong to a couple different writers’ groups and have for a while. I think meeting regularly with writers gives me the outlet I need to want to continue. I watch their success and it feeds my desire to succeed. Two of our members, who write as a team, had their first book published, ‘Desperate Housedogs’. It is the first of four that they sold and the second will be coming out some time soon. It is titled ‘Get Fluffy’. You need to check them out.

 

• I am critiquing with another member of IRN and that has helped feed my desire to write. My critique partner Kelly writes so well, it truly is a pleasure to read her stuff. The story I am currently reading has been chosen as a finalist in a writing contest from an RWA chapter in Texas. I am looking forward to seeing her win.

 

• The one thing I am doing as part of Iowa Romance Authors is a weekly post to the members to motivate and encourage. It is just a small piece and doesn’t take long. I do well with deadlines so this is a good fit. I know they expect it from me and I hate disappointing people. Now if I could only get that attitude with my own writing.

 

• I have a 40 minute commute daily for work and have been listening to the Craft CD’s from RWA as I drive. If you have ever been thinking about joining the organization, these alone are worth it.  This week I listened to Suzanne Brockman and Lee Child do a workshop. They discussed how to draw both male and female readers. Sounded like Lee had a good time with the mostly female audience, he had some great ideas. It was really entertaining. Another one was with Alexandra Sokoloff. She is a Hollywood screenwriter turned novelist. She had some great suggestions for the planning process.

 

A few things I have given up:

 

• Last year I served on the Iowa Romance Novelist’s board as Treasurer and Secretary of the local Sister’s in Crime chapter. Granted it wasn’t real time consuming but it was two more items on my ever growing to do list. I decided to step back from board activities this year to focus more on my own work.

 

• I use rewards for my weight loss. When I reach 5, 10, 15, 20 pounds lost, I plan to reward myself. I am doing the same thing with writing. Television is a reward. I will not watch garbage just to avoid writing. I am not a saint; there are some shows I really love. Have not become a fan of Downton Abbey yet but I might down the road. There are so many bad shows on television I have turned to Netflix. I order the DVD’s and then I can watch exactly what I want to watch, when I want to watch it. That is the trick. That little DVD can sit there forever until I’ve written what I need to write for the day. Then I can reward myself with an episode of ‘Supernatural’, ‘Haven’, or whatever older series I’m currently trying to catch up on.

 

• Books – I confess, I am a bibliophile, I love books. I use them as rewards for both weight loss and writing. I save buying them until I have earned them.

 

I admit I get discouraged because I wish I had longer periods of time to sit down and actually write but in reality I don’t. I have to learn to be happy with the 10-20 minutes at a time I get most days and just push forward instead of thinking it’s not worth the effort. Anything in the right direction should be worth it.

 

Writing is more than sitting down typing words. Even when I am not actually writing, I am usually thinking about the story as I go about my everyday business. That can pull me into the story when I do find the time.

 

I have continued to work out the details of my story and characters and though it’s not exactly the story I thought it was with the first scene that came to me, I think it’s a better story for having taken the time to let everything percolate. It’s like digging for stuff in the sand at the beach, most of the time you will get someone else’s smashed pop can or cigarette butt but occasionally you find a sea shell or a sand dollar, or if you’re lucky the diamond ring someone lost 50 years ago. I think I’ve let it stew long enough. This is the week that I will get back to my novel. I just have to have guts enough to write a crappy first draft to get it done.

 

I keep working toward my weight loss goals and feel I’ve met with some success. My goal is 1.5 lbs. a week. So far I am down 6 in 4 weeks. They may be baby steps but they are in the right direction. I will use that attitude toward my writing goal.  Baby steps can get me to The End.

What keeps you motivated to write when you can’t sit down for long periods of time each day?

Virginia

 

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