Writing 101--Choices

Throughout our lives we make choices.

Some choices are easy ones, such as do I choose a healthy salad with dressing on the side or a sandwich that could feed a family of four.

But then there are other choices, and dilemmas, we must face in life and many of these choices involve the easy choice or the hard choice.

Have you ever noticed that the RIGHT choice is often the harder one?

The easy choice might seem good at the time, but it can lead one onto deep, dark paths that will only mire your soul in regrets.

While the hard choice might be difficult to stand firm over in the beginning, it becomes easier as time moves on. The hard choices temper and mold you as you grow and mature, to live life, giving you hidden strengths.

No matter what choices we make in life, it is within our character to be accountable for our choices, good or bad.

The same can be said for our story characters.

When writing a story it's our job to force our characters into various situations. It's how our characters make choices in the heat of the moment that reflects upon their character throughout the story.

And no matter what happens in the story, those choices your character makes will sit with them forever.

For example, in my current project, my character has one bullet in her gun that she can use. When she shoots the noise from the gun  will alert the bad guys to her position.

My character escapes along with a young girl. The girl falls behind. One bad guy catches up to her and will, 1) brutalize her for escaping, 2) rape her, and 3) torture her because she was the only one they caught, and more bad guys are on the way.

The question is, What does my character do?

Does she kill the potential rapist? He's evil. It would be justified. But this would leave the young girl in the hands of the bad guys who aren't far behind.

Or does she make the more difficult choice? Does she choose to kill the child? The innocent who had no power to change her destiny?

No matter the choice my character makes, she will have to ALWAYS live with the consequences of her actions, and this choice will color all the subsequent choices she makes in life.

Think about it.

Are you pushing your characters to make the hard choices? Or are they coasting through the story because you want them to live happily ever after? Only by emerging from the fire of change can your characters truly grow in your story.

Dem Bones . . . Gotta Have Dem Bones

No, not Halloween. It's done for the year.

I'm talking about the bones of a story. My good friend and writer, Meg Reid, and I were chatting the other day when I confessed that I had a hard time sitting down to write the next scene in my book, DRAGON DAYS OF SUMMER. It's a tough scene, an emotional one, where two of my characters witness a scene featuring a third character.

Have you ever been out and about and witness an explosion of anger? Even with people you don't even know? Or been in the room where two people are arguing, getting louder and louder.

I have. Not often, thank God. I'm one of those witnesses who curl into themselves, frozen in fear. Should I even say it? I'm the rabbit who freezes, and prays that the fox doesn't see me.

Just like me, they don't know how to react or what to do. They are frozen as they watch this scene unfold, just like many of us would be if we had to witness something similar.

It isn't a fun scene. We're talking drugs, poverty, abuse, threats and violence. The two characters who witness this scene finally realize how sheltered their life is and just how horrific this third character's life has been. An "Ah-Ha" moment, if you will.

I have to write this scene. It's pivotal to all the characters. And I don't want to because it's overwhelming, brimming with emotion. And I have a very difficult time writing emotion, especially something as tense as this situation is.

So Meg suggested that I simply write the skeleton of the story. Simple facts that would allow me to place the characters in their positions, like a stop-action type of movie. Write the scene as I watch it unfold in front of these characters, but don't worry about the emotional impact--yet.

That part of the story can be told during the second draft, AFTER the story is written.

In fact, this story is riddled with bold red comments that I've made when I've thought about how to deepen one section, or delete another scene and add something more pertinent to the character. Or characterization for one of the secondary characters that seemed to know stuff she shouldn't know, etc.

That emotion/characterization is the meat of the story to lay over the bones of the skeleton.

And guess what the third layer is?

The flesh, the skin that covers everything and ties it all together, the finishing touches, the grammar tweaks, the word choices, along with the pacing, etc.

This story has taken me a long time to write, but by following Meg's suggestions, I'm not as scared as I once was to tackle uncomfortable scenes.

Time to get another cup of joe and open up my document.

Later, Peeps!

How to Drive This Analytical Writer Crazy

I'll start by mentioning that I wasn't born with a pen in hand, writing as soon as I took a breath of air. So many authors claim to start out this way--tongue in cheek, I hope--but none the less, many writers have been writing in some form or another since they learned to write.

It seems as if they were born with a creative bent to their minds.

Creativity comes hard for me--and I'm sure many authors will react by saying that it isn't easy for them either, but they manage to overcome their obstacles.

Well, my writing passion has been hidden for years as my mind has more of an analytical edge to it versus a creative edge. I have always been fond of the sciences, which tend to be black, white, and even various shades of grey. I have a Bachelor's of SCIENCE degree in Medical Technology, in fact I was about three hours shy of getting a minor in CHEMISTRY.

See? There is nothing in that last paragraph that suggests ARTS or CREATIVITY. I love math and science. I love logical and linear thinking. I love everything that makes sense . . .

Writing and the arts is SUBJECTIVE, which means I might love something, but you might not like the same thing that I love. For example: I love reading Rick Riodan and J.K.Rowlings, I can't get my daughter to even crack open one of their books. She loved the Hunger Games and Divergent series, I don't care enough to even learn the author's names, much less read the books.

Subjective. See?

So how does a person with an analytical thought process get into the writing biz?

Beats the heck out of me, but for some odd reason I want to write and share my stories.

Here's the problem:

Analytical people want to find the elusive answer to the perfect story. There is no perfect story. We tend to forget that everyone has an opinion as we strive to perfect our product.

While writing is a creative endeavor, the basis of the writing process is an analytical one. You need to know the mechanics of grammar, sentence structure, character arcs, story arcs, chapter cliffhangers, what makes a reader keep on reading, blah, blah, blah.

But even various publishing houses have different 'styles'. Some houses will ALWAYS use the serial comma, while other publishing houses don't. I've also seen a distressing trend of not placing a comma in a statement that addresses an individual. For example: "Put a damn comma in there (comma) Margaret!" I don't know if it's writers being lazy or simply an oversight, but I really have an issue with this. Then again, I love commas. Commas are the little 'breathers' in a sentence as they give the reader a teeny-tiny break in a sentence.

Anyway, back to driving me crazy.

A few months ago, I mentioned that I finaled in RWA's Daphne contest. Actually, one nice aspect of this contest is that when you final, you do NOT get to see the first round judges scores or comments until after the winners are announced. So it wasn't until months later when I found out that I was placed fourth out of five finalists.

Okay. I'm good. And then I got my scores from the first round of judging. . . .

I have to admit that this is the part that usually tears me up as I wonder why certain aspects of the story didn't appeal to the judges.

Out of a possible 123 points, I got a 116, 119, 120 --excellent scores, good comments, and I totally understand why I was marked off in the relationship category since the hero wasn't even introduced--and then I had an 86. WTF?!

Well, okay, they just didn't get into the story which was reflected by the comments. I understand. Trust me, six months ago, I would have tried to find some way to 'fix' this and justify her comments. I would have tried to make everyone happy.

But in a creativity-type endeavor like writing, it just isn't going to happen. The judge might love reading paranormal stories, but she didn't love reading my story . . . but three other judges did like the story.

And then I went on vacation and didn't think about anything else other than having fun at Walt Disney World and Universal Florida. When I got home I had an email from the contest coordinator who had the final judge's comments.

Deep breath. I opened the email.

And their conflicting comments would have caused me to yank my hair out if I hadn't finally decided that the only real person I have to please is myself.

Agent's comments:

This is a fun story and the writing is solid. My concern is that the world-building is too complex and slows the story. The market has shifted away from stories with lots of world building.
Which echoed the concerns the low scoring judge wrote.

Editor's comments:

Great writing. However, it's a little confusing at times. Author could spend a little more time world-building, to make the story easier to follow. Nice voice!

They both seemed to like  my writing--Yahoo!  But . . . Less world-building? More world-building?

What's an analytical writer to do with this conflicting advice?? This is the stuff that totally drives me bonkers!

It's taken me fourteen years to get to this point, but I finally feel confident enough with my writing that I will simply do what works for MY STORY. And no, I won't add more world-building or remove world-building.

I'm doing what needs to be done to tell my story.

And that is how this analytical writer has decided to keep her sanity.

Later, Peeps!

It's All About Context

Earlier this month my hubby and I were at monster-sized garden center about 25 minutes from my house, out in the middle of the boondocks, when a young man approached me and said, "Hi, Margaret."

Stunned that anyone would a) recognize me, b) actually say hello, I simply said, "Oh, hi!" And slid away, wondering if I had a stalker that I didn't know about.

When I met back with the hubby I told him about his encounter, and he asked if it was someone from my old job at the hospital.

Hmm, it could be.

But I left nine years ago. People change in nine years. Plus they wear lab coats and scrubs. This young man was in jeans and a t-shirt wearing glasses. I had no clue who it could be as he didn't identify himself.

Or it could be one of the bikers I say hi to on my walks.

No clue because bikers wear skin-tight biker shorts and shirts along with a helmet, and sunglasses.

Or it could be someone in my Weight Watcher meeting . . .nah, it wasn't one of them.

So I had two people that it might be, but I still have no idea who this person was--because I didn't have context, an indicator as to who this person was or where I might know him from. This person saw me at a place I to go once or twice a year, but I had no idea where I knew him from since I saw him out of the context of how I knew this person.

The other side of the topic was when I saw a former neighbor at the grocery store. She had moved out of the neighborhood to a new build about a mile away.

This is how the conversation started:

ME: "Becky?"

Becky looks up from the bananas she just put in the cart. A slightly confused look on her face.

ME: "Hi! It's Margaret Golla."

Her face clears up as she puts the face to the name and we chit-chat for about fifteen minutes. If she hadn't recognized my name, I had a few other indicators in my arsenal: the name of the neighborhood, living diagonally across the street, etc.

I gave her context to figure out who the heck I was.

The same goes for writing.

You wondered where this blog was going, didn't you? See, I finally got around to the topic. 

As you might realize, I have judged many, many contest entries over the last 10+ years. And one of the biggest problems is either too much back story (95% of the time) about a character or too little. I don't care about a character's history, how they got into their predicament, or what they ate for dinner the previous night . . . unless it has to do with the timing of their death and who the possible suspects are.

As a reader, and a contest judge, I want to feel the character's emotions, or see their actions, that tell me who they are. But the character's actions HAVE to make sense to the reader.

For example:

Centuries ago I judged a historical contest entry. The heroine started to berate her husband about how he treated his Calvary horse--he was basically abusing the horse because the horse wasn't listening.

(FYI: as a former horseman, this is usually due to the rider giving the horse conflicting signals.)

Are you kidding me?

This story took place in the mid-1700's, what woman would actually yell at her commanding officer hubby, in front of his men, no less? It didn't make sense. And yes, I dinged her for it.

Through the message boards, I saw the contest entrant rip me a new one with the score I gave her. It wasn't a bad score, it simply wasn't enough for her to final in the contest, which pissed her off.

Anyhoo, I discovered after the fact that this author had deleted a section of the story that mentioned how she was raised: On a breeding farm that supplied Calvary horses.

This was much needed information that was callously deleted because it was "back story".

But then again, the reader had zero context as to why this character was acting so weird for that particular time period.

This could have been easily fixed in a bit of narrative when the heroine sees this abuse.

For example, something as simple as this. . . 

How dare he spur Sultan until his sides were bloody? She'd raised that horse from a foal, training him to respond to the most minute cues. Blah, blah, blah. . . 

That little bit was all this reader needed to figure out why she was 'acting out of character' for the time period. It would have answered a lot of questions.

Like . . . who the heck was that young man at the nursery place??

Later, Peeps?

Living the Dream -- a DARK short story

I woke up in at about 3:18 AM with two thoughts: George Clooney was just a regular kind of guy--remember, this was part of the dream, and this idea of Living the Dream.

It's dark. It isn't my usual sort of story, but I made myself remember key parts of it so I could write it for my blog today.

For writers out there who are scared of writing short. It's not hard. Every idea that enters your head doesn't have to be a novel. Sometimes, short gives the picture with the minimum of words. This story clocks in at 427 words. It has a beginning, middle and end. It has a character arc. It has motivation.

I could try to condense it, but I thought you could see my rough draft. I wrote it. I tweaked a few sentences. I read it again, and here it is. Enjoy!

Living the Dream

By

Margaret A. Golla

Life was good. I was living the dream.

Athletic, good-looking, and smart. Who could not love me, right? 

I blew through high school without having to open a book. When you are the star of the team, people do things for you. I simply took advantage of their motivation.

Was there anything wrong with that?

Girls flocked me like a rock star. I had my pick after every Friday night game and, though my mother would be ashamed of me, I took advantage of their desires. 

Universities courted me. The perks of being the star of the team came in small packages: steak dinners, weekend trips to any place I wanted to go, and the little red Corvette sitting in my driveway. Of course, they had to do some creative financing to cover up the bribes. 

What did I care? That’s their problem. I just simply enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

I picked a University far away. I didn’t need my parents or friends getting in the way of me living my dream. 

I worked hard, ate well, and was very good at my job on the team, but I wanted more. I wanted to be the star. The team wasn’t doing as well as everyone expected. And when the star of the team disappeared, Coach said he went back home because he was so disappointed at his failings. 

This opportunity gave me a chance to be the star on the Homecoming Game. This game was pivotal. Win and our team got endorsements and money from the alums. Lose and we would have to run with the bulls. I didn’t know what that meant, but it couldn’t be too bad, right?

We lost. 

Running with the bulls was a little different than I expected. It should have been called running with the flying bots. The entire A squad was on the run. That was when I found out what happened to the previous star player. 

He’d fed us . . . literally. 

A bot cornered me in a dead end. Sweat sprung from every pore of my body when I realized this thing had my death written in its software. I’d failed and had to pay. The University took advantage of my dream, but when I didn’t deliver, well, let’s just say they cut their losses.

And I was their star loser. 

The bot lowered its sights for a good, clean head shot. It wouldn’t want to destroy the meat on my good-looking, athletic body, right?

I just wondered whose dream I would be feeding now. 

The End

It's a little "Soylent Green", isn't it? :-) 

Later, Peeps! 

Finding Writing Validation

Writing is a very solitary business.

We are alone with the voices in our head making up impossible situations to try to connect with a reader.

That connection is the 'gold' this writer seeks.

Oh, we might show our family and friends our stories, but that doesn't fill the void of having other writers confirm that we are on the right writing track.

For years, I've judged various romance contests, and when I find the submission that has that reader connection, I'm on top of the world. And I hope the other judges with this same entry feel the same way that I do.

But it doesn't always happen.

Most of the time, those stories have other issues that need to be fixed, which drops their score leaving them out of the finalists arena.

Every now and then, a writer has both the ability to use the English language AND the talent to write a story that reels the reader in.

Recently, I judged a story like that. RWA's Mystery & Suspense chapter, which is a HUGE online chapter, holds a contest called the Daphne, yes, named after Daphne du Maurier. The story I judged was a historical novel, but not a time period that I usually read. It was truly a wonderful story that I would love to read when it is published.

When I signed up to judge this contest, I had a vague thought about entering one of my elemental stories.

And in an almost final minutes of the contest being open, I decided to throw two of my elemental WIP's (Works in Progress) into the fray. The competition would be fierce and the entries in my category (paranormal) were capped at at 50.

Other than being one of the most prestigious contests, other than RWA's Golden Heart, this contest is big. One of the incentives in entering this contest, and category, was the final judge--editor Brenda Chin.

Now, I've entered contests over the years with different projects, and with one exception about ten years ago, I can never find three first round judges who feel the same way about my stories to score them high enough to final. This time I had to find FOUR first round judges.

The odds were against me.

Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call on Friday informing me that my contest entry, AIR BENEATH A DRAGON'S WINGS finaled in the Daphne.

Yay!

No, there was no screaming and hollering. Just a 'Yay"! from me.

I'm sure the contest coordinator wondered why I wasn't more excited . . . I left that for my wonderful friend and CP who has been there for me for many years--Meg Reid. 

Yes, she did scream and holler!

And I doubt if I would have had a coherent synopsis without the eleventh hour input from my friend, Cynthia D'Alba. 

Thank you both!

And now to buckle down and finish writing this story.

Though I have a few months, since the winners won't be announced until RWA's National Conference at the end of July, I want to finish this story.

I'm still very excited that this story--the first in a series of four--has gotten the recognition it deserves.

Later, Peeps!

Writing 101 -- Telling a Story vs. Storytelling

Yesterday I met my friend Margaret and we went on a long walk followed by a quick trip to Starbucks before we had to go our separate ways. We talked about numerous things, but eventually when we settled down with our coffees we talked books.

Margaret was telling me about an autobiography she was reading about a cowboy's life in the late 1880's to the 1920's. I don't think she told me the name of the book, but this cowboy was more than just your average cowboy. She loved the way he told the story: his descriptions and the dialect. She said she could just picture everything he talked about and could visualize him as he told his tale.

This is where I pipped in with one of my rare gems of wisdom. I said, 

"Because he storytelling and not just telling a story."

Yes, my friends, there is a difference, a big difference.

In my opinion, every writer should strive to become a storyteller because the base of every good story is all in how it is told. Our job is to use the right words to tell our tales, but it goes much deeper than that. We need to be like the spider that snares a reader, hopelessly snagging them in our sticky thread until they are unable to escape our storytelling web.

Ever read one of those books that you couldn't stop reading, and stayed up until two AM to finish reading it?

How about a book that you can remember the story and the characters for years after you return it to the library or pack it away?

Those writers are storytellers.

But a writer has to remember that not every book will garner the same response with every reader. The key is to get an emotional response no matter what.

Learning the craft of writing isn't just about grammar and punctuation, it's learning how to inject storytelling into your characters, plot, and dialogue.

If you've followed my blog long enough, you'll know that I like judging writing contests. I'm not looking to break someone down or steal their ideas, I want to be enchanted by a story. Sometimes it happens, but most times it doesn't. I was lucky with this last packet to get one that took my breath away, but I also had one entry from a new writer, and one entry that was technically 'perfect', but was perfectly forgettable. Seriously, one day after I read the submission, I couldn't for the life of me remember the title, the plot or the characters.

Some writers seem to hit it out of the ballpark their first time up to bat. They somehow manage to become 'overnight' superstars. What most of us don't realize is that they've been honing their craft for YEARS.

And then you have the writers who gritch and groan that their first book is "the book of their heart" and there will be no others.

Well, my friends, I have to say that EVERY book you write should be the book of your heart. If you don't enjoy writing a particular book, why do you think a reader would enjoy reading it? That isn't to say writers love their stories ALL the time, because sometimes we hate the characters, hate the plot, and hate editing the same darn thing for about the 25th time, but deep down we LOVE the story though it is taking us on an angst-driven ride.

So how do we become storytellers instead of simply telling a story?

That, my friends, is the answer you will have to figure out for yourselves.

There is no magic elixir, or one perfect answer, just like no two authors will write the same story in the same way. Finding the answer to this question is part of your writing story, not mine.

Gotta go, because I'm finding my urge to write again.

Later, Peeps!

Writing 101 : Critiquing vs. Judging

As I finish judging a packet of contest entries, I thought about the differences between being a contest judge and being in a critique group.

They are NOT the same thing.

Both groups can benefit the writer if the writer realizes what each group brings to the table.

The following is just my opinion on the topic-- 

Critique groups:

• offer support
• brainstorm
• meet on a regular basis
• gently point out story problems
• will correct your grammar
• will offer solutions to various story problems
• know your story inside and out
• offer sympathy when perceived bashing occurs from a contest judge 

Contest judges:

• MUST follow the criteria set by the contest 
• MUST score according to the the contest score sheets
• MUST give an educated opinion about what does or doesn't work with a submission
• have never seen your story before and must score on the story's merit, flaws and all. 
• must explain why a score of 3 (or less) out of 5 is given on any one judging criteria
• must score opening scene, plot/pacing, characterization, writing technique, conflict, dialogue/narrative technique, sub-genre criteria, and the one this judge hates the most--romantic relationship. Many times the romantic relationship isn't established in the minimal length of a contest entry. And, unless a synopsis is provided, can't give a good score on this element. Our judging hands are tied. 
• If we are judging a paranormal entry, then there had better be some paranormal elements. Remember, if you remove the paranormal aspect and the story falls apart, then it is a solid paranormal story. These points should be easy to get. 

These are just a few examples of the different between a crit group and a judge. 

Contest judges are unpaid and under appreciated for the time and energy they use to score your submission. True, there are many judges out there who will simply put a number down and not comment, or will wait to the last minute to look at their entries and just throw scores out there. 

But there are contest judges who, to the best of their abilities, will try to give you feedback on your submission. 

Remember, we have never seen your story before, so we can give you our first impression. 

If we say that something doesn't make sense, it's because it doesn't. 

The contest judge doesn't know your story, or the back story of the main characters. We don't know all the versions of your story. We don't know anything, EXCEPT what you have submitted. If it doesn't make sense, or we are confused, then you failed in your ability to tell an engaging story. 

Don't go whining to your crit group about how mean and horrible this particular judge was. Instead, step away from your story and critically look at it from the judge's point of view. If you are scored low on some element, read the criteria for that element, and try to find out what was missing in your story.

Look at it this way: contest judges will give you input as to what is wrong with your story, while agents/editors will simply send you a form rejection.

It might not be the comments you want to hear, as we are not here to stroke your ego, to fix your grammar, or tell you how to fix your story. 

We simply comment on what we read.   

It's your job as a writer to write effectively. 

Later, Peeps!

Shadow Dreams

I'm plotting my next four stories. I have no choice because each story overlaps and interweaves within the other stories.

I might have mentioned this before . . . once or five times.

In other words, I'm staring, and walking, and thinking; and talking out loud to myself, and randomly blurting out words at inopportune times, and dreaming. And then I run to my random pieces of paper and scribble something down on the appropriate page.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

I woke up at 4 AM, with my hands twisted under my neck, supporting it (which was actually very comfortable). I was warm and toasty. And I had an amazing dream that could help point me the right direction on the Earth elemental plot problem I was having.

Except I couldn't remember the dream . . . at all. Nothing, nada, zip-a-rooni, not a clue.

And the dream gave me such a happy and glowing feeling.

I lay there or a minute or two and tried to remember. But it wasn't coming back to me. . .

Yet.

How many times have you been in a conversation and you can't recall a particular word, or name, or whatever? Then ten minutes later, you're driving away and blurt it out?

Yeah, like that.

The mind is a wonderful thing. I know my sub-conscience is working on the problem and sometimes the answer comes to a problem when we aren't focused on that particular issue.

So today I plan to figure out the theme of these stories. It will be a little difficult because they are their own story but have to link into this greater conspiracy theory issue. . . .

wait a second . . .

So THAT's what these stories are all about . . .

Time to go. I have to jot this down before I forget it!

Later, Peeps!

Shower Plotting

My poor kiddo --  all the public schools are closed due to the bitter cold and slick streets, but she goes to a private school and thus, must attend classes.

*Bwahahaha*

*cough, cough, ahem*

Bless her heart. Plus she has swim this afternoon even though the pool where she swims is in a closed public school.

Double Whammy!

I'm so glad the holidays are over.

It's not that I don't love my family and enjoy having them around, I do.

But it's because I thrive on routine. And one thing that is disrupted when everyone is home is routine.

I'm also one of those people who hit vacations hard (sightsee, rides, and a list a mile long of things to do) that I need to come home to relax. . . after all the laundry is caught up, of course.

Last year, I managed to waste my writing time by having no focus and dithering my time away.

This year, I don't want the same thing to happen. I have to make a plan for my days, but it has to be flexible.

For example:

Today is bitterly cold with some ice and snow still on the road and there's no way hubs will be driving his car in this weather, so . . .

1) I have to take the kiddo and the hubby to work.

Since it's so cold, I'll postpone my walk until I take my kiddo to swim this afternoon. I don't need to run any errands or have any standing appointments with my mom, so I'll . .

2) Take a quick shower--by then the hot water will be replenished--and think about the plots of my stories. Cleaning is also good to help get the juices flowing.

Though my judge shows are on, I'll fight the urge to watch them, which will give me time to figure out my 'sagging middle' of FIRE and give me a chance to figure out what happens to the other three stories. I know how they will end, but it's the journey along the way that isn't making sense!

Especially for EARTH. I have no idea what is happening with this story, except the beginning. I have no idea how it will intertwine with the other stories, or . . .

Nope. NOT A CLUE. Maybe I can find someone to brainstorm with before I have to pick my kiddo up from school.

Since I gained so much weight over the holidays (and before!) I doubt if I'll be eating much lunch. Cottage cheese and salads will be calling my name!

So that gives me, roughly . . .

3) 5 to 5.5 hours to figure out these darn plots!

Gotta put on my woolies to take the family to school.

Later, Peeps!

Learning to Plot

So a few days ago on Facebook, I mentioned one writing tip is to NOT do what I did to get to this point in my writing career.

Writing, like weight loss, is a journey. None of us have the same path to travel. Some writers have an easier path than others, whether it's due to talent, perseverance, or just simply good luck.

While other writers seem to hit their head on the wall every single time they type on the keyboard, stare at mountains of nonsense notes to try to write a cohesive story, or simply are too stubborn to look beyond our own inability to realize other writers might actually know what they are talking about.

I'm one of the latter group.

Over the years, I took classes, read books, belonged to clubs as I wrote my first few novels, but I never could find the magic. I had convinced myself that I was a pantser type of writer, in other words, I had a basic idea for a story outline, but I chose to let my characters direct my path, Which meant I learned about my characters while I was writing.

But after 13 years of writing this way, I knew I needed to shake things up a little. . . especially if I wanted to do justice to my Elemental stories.

This particular set of story lines touch upon the other novels in the series.

So I'm learning how to PLOT a story.

I found a really good website (I'll post the link later if it really works for me!), and I'm going to review what plot is all about.

I have four sheets of paper and a handful of colored pencils on my table to figure out how my stories cross. I could probably do this with my new fangled touch screen computer, but I'll opt for the old fashioned way for right now as I'd have to learn how to actually USE the computer tools.

But THE FIRE WITHIN has a short synopsis, which means that it's mostly plotted, but I'll need to add a few points along the way. I'll use that story as a guide for how I want these stories to touch upon the other ones.

Wish me luck! I know I'll need it!

Later, Peeps!

1,000th Blog Post

Wow! Who would have thought that I would write 1,000 blogs?

I sure as heck didn't.

When I started this blog, I had named it "Fantasy Crapshoot" for not so obvious reasons. At the time I was writing THE LEPRECHAUN CONNECTION and it was a crapshoot as to whether or not I could get an agent/editor interested in my writing.

I was unsuccessful.

I'm still unsuccessful in that regard, but I have survived many years blogging when many of my fellow authors have quit a long, long time ago. For, you see, blogging takes creative energy and many writers felt that blogging sucked them dry leaving them but a bitter husk as they tried to make money with their real job of -- WRITING.

FIRST BLOG POST:  April 29, 2008

Page View All Time History: 92,868
I can't say how many of these 'views' are spam or real views, but there it is.

Most Popular Blog Post : Tips and Tricks Universal Studios Florida -- 606 page views. Written on 8/2/2013

The most popular top four posts after Tips and Tricks:

Dogfish Shark Dissection, cont. 5/12/11---- 341 views
Special Guest--Cynthia D'Alba--First Dates--Heaven or Hell  2/20/2012 ---- 297 views
Polar Bear Poop -- the recipe  1/10/2011 ----194 views
GAK! No Clue What to Post!  2/4/2009 ----164 views

The search engine listed the most is Google, followed by Vampirestat.com (NO idea what this is!), followed by Facebook.

The United States gives me the biggest audience hits, followed by China, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, France, Ukraine, Sweden, Canada and the Netherlands.

Again, I have no idea if these are real hits versus spam hits. It makes me feel better to think of them as real hits, so I will. . . Don't Burst my Fantasy Bubble!

Periodically, I'll get a couple of hits from South America, India or Africa. But I've also had hits from Mauritania (Yes, I had to look it up), and the Faroe Islands (ditto on the look up!), along with various other countries.

Over the years, I've offered my views about writing under the tab titled Writing 101. But I don't post very often under the writing header as I feel there are many other writers out there with far better credentials to do the job! I do have numerous blog posts about setting goals, which I need to review before this year is over!

I've shared my weight loss struggles under my Weighty Wednesday posts. And from various feedback I've received, these posts have the most impact with my readers. I might be outlining my personal struggles, but I seem to hit the right note with those other people out there facing their own food demons.

I've posted numerous recipes under Foodie Friday posts. Please browse the recipes. I started this section of the blog when my husband pointed out that if I died tomorrow, he wouldn't know how to make a particular recipe! Plus these are for my daughter to take with her when she flies the coop.

I've made tabs for my books.

Tabs for my crocheting efforts.

Tabs for my donations to Brenda Novak's For the Cure

I've made numerous blogging mistakes, but then again, I never really planned to have much of a following. I figured I was just talking to myself when I'd share my thoughts and feelings about numerous topics.

AND I've also been told that I share far too much!

Will I blog in 2014?
 

Of course! I might end up repeating myself, but sometimes repetition helps with the ability to retain the knowledge. I know I tend to repeat myself on my Weighty Wednesday blogs because I need to remind myself to stick to the basics!
 

Christmas is almost upon us. My daughter has finals this next week and then she'll be home until the New Year, so my blogging will be sporadic at best, unless we get snowed in again like we did a couple of years ago!
 

I'll work on my Goals list if you promise to work on your list for the new year.
 

Remember, these aren't resolutions, which can be broken, but goals in which we strive to attain.
 

Yes, it's all semantics, but sometimes looking at something from a different direction will open your eyes to the possibilities!
 

I want to thank everyone who has visited my blog. I hope I've been informative and kept you entertained at the same time. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to click on the Contact Me tab.

I've blathered on long enough about this 1000 BLOG! So I'll bid you farewell for now!

Later, Peeps!

Parenting 101 or the Use of Subtext

I'm titling this blog Parenting 101 because I'm sure every parent out there has had a similar experience with their own brood.

While the term subtext might be more of a 'writerly' type of word, most people use it in their everyday encounters . . . they just don't realize that they are using it.

For example:

This bit of conversation went down in our house after church and brunch just this last Sunday . . .

Dad: "R you might want to make your bed."

Kidlet: "Okay." As she plots down on the sofa to play games on her phone.

Mom (Me): "You might want to go upstairs and make your bed now."

Kidlet: "Why?"

Me: "Your dad just told you to."

Kidlet: "No, he didn't."

Me: "Yes, he did. It's in the subtext. He wasn't mildly suggesting that you should eventually make your bed. He was inferring that you get your behind upstairs and make it NOW."

Kidlet: "Oh." She puts her phone up and goes upstairs.

Of course, when I was taking the laundry upstairs to fold, I discovered the kidlet lying in bed . . .

You may insert your own typical conversation with your own child at this point of the story.

So, the next time you eavesdrop on a conversation observe the way words are said and the body language of the people involved.

It provides great amusement while you are waiting in line at the grocery store or the DMV.

Later, Peeps!

Change of Heart

After almost a year of not writing anything other than blogs and a couple of picture books, I think I'm ready to start writing middle grade stories again.

A couple of things brought about my change of heart.

1) I don't usually look at the reviews my books get on Amazon. For one thing, I usually don't get reviews, so I don't chase them. I don't write reviews of books that I read, so I don't really expect to receive any. Plus, if a story is 'meh', you don't write a review, do you? People only write them if they have a strong opinion about it.

Personally, when I look at reviews (on any item, not just books) I tend to look at the 1-3 stars because they seem the most honest to me. As it's recently been exposed on various news programs, many 5 star ratings have been fabricated, some of the lower stars have been too, if someone has an agenda to trash everything in a certain genre. But that's beside the point. When I look at ratings, I'll lean toward reading the 3 star ones.

A few times a year, I might look at my books on Amazon to see if there is a different number after the book rating stars. Well, I have a couple of new reviews. This is the review that shook me out of my ennui.

FROM WHOM THE BELL TROLLS:   

3 STARS 
No Ending October 1, 2013

By jen1154

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

 

This was a good book but the ending was not complete and what does the words 'The End' mean? Is it the end of this book or 'The End' cause if this was The End nothing was resolved. This book was published in 2012 and we are now in Oct of 2013 and I am not sure if another book is coming out or not. This could be a great series if I only knew when the next book comes out. Otherwise, don't bother to buy the book cause it really just ends but doesn't tie up anything - you are left hanging wondering what happens next.

 

Actually, there is an ending, but there is also lots of unresolved issues. Let's just say the heroine doesn't die, but it doesn't mean others aren't in jeopardy.  

 

2) My daughter actually read my books. She's my target audience, so it hurt deeply that she didn't want to read them. But about a year ago, I gave up on my daughter actually reading my books. I finally figured out that these books just didn't interest her. So I gave up on the thought of any sort of feedback.

 

And then, when she was supposed to be studying for four major exams, she comes to my desk and says, "A Twinkie, Mom? Really?" It took me a second to realize that she had started reading the first chapter of FOR WHOM THE BELL TROLLS. I smiled and told her to get back to studying.

 

That night when kissing her goodnight, she told me that she needed to find out what happens next. . . and if the guy from the dungeon was her love interest.

 

Uh . . . I couldn't even remember the character's name, so I gave her a vague, "I don't know, honey, what do you think happens?"

 

"You have got to write the next story, Mom! I have to know what happens."

 

At this point, I'm torn. The child was supposed to be studying for FOUR big tests, and yet, I was excited that she was excited about my story.

 

*weighing the consequences with my hands*

 

Scold her for not studying. Or happy that she was reading and not vegetating in front of the TV.

 

3) Writing is hard. Oh, you hear that all the time. And it is hard, but what no one tells you is how emotionally tough it is, at least it is for me. About a month ago, I finally figured out why.

 

Here's the dealio: I'm a very analytical thinker. I worked in a laboratory for over twenty-three years. I had to think logically about situations, machine issues, and other things while working with patient samples. As an employee, you get evaluated on your work ethic, which translated into a numerical number equaling a raise. You also found out the areas where you needed to work a little harder and the areas in which you excelled. This evaluation is given to you by your boss. You knew in black and white if you were doing well or not.

 

I was very successful in this environment.

 

When you are a writer, NO ONE evaluates you. NO ONE praises your efforts. NO ONE gives you any positive reinforcement. I'm talking in the industry here, not your critique partners. Not your best friend. Not your mentor.

 

The negativity gets to you after awhile.

 

It's like being a stay-at-home mom. No one praises you for your clean house, your ability to juggle numerous tasks in a day, or your ability to fold a square fitted sheet.

 

No, all they do is complain about dinner not being on the table on time, or the t-shirt that gets stuck in the red load of laundry, or toys strewn all over the house because you couldn't train the dog to put her toys in the basket.

 

No wonder some women go bonkers with volunteerism, or OCD about their house, or start drinking . . .

 

Anyone can learn to write. It really isn't that hard. You just need a decent grasp of the language, a plot and the ability to string words together to make a story interesting. Different skills are involved to write different types of stories.

 

For example: writing a 100-word flash fiction story takes a certain talent to condense and use words to the best of their ability, while a 100,000-word novel involves using other skills as a writer, or to write a newspaper article, or a non-fiction piece of work, or a picture book.

 

BUT the emotionally draining part of the process are the rejections, whether from agents, editors, or even people who got a 'freebie' book and didn't bother to give it a rating.

 

The lack of input to 'fix' a story is mentally draining . . . for those of us with the analytical mindset.

 

You can't 'fix' things that are wrong because it isn't that the story is wrong, but that it isn't 'right' for the current industry.

 

Does that make sense?

 

I think those who are comfortable with their creative side first don't suffer the same doubts as those of us whose creativity comes second.

 

I don't know. I'll have to ask my friend, Jody. She's always been creative. She's always stood by her work. She's always been smart enough not to sell herself or her product short.

 

Well, long story short. I've started writing again. .. or thinking about writing. Sometimes the actual process is tough even when you have the beginning of a story written and a synopsis ready to go.

 

I do.

 

But sitting down and cranking out the words is simply a work ethic that I've lost touch with.

 

I've been meaning to finish GNOME WITHOUT A HOME and then I'll edit what I have on DRAGON. Hopefully, I'll actually sit and write in the near future.

 

But for now, I have to take a walk, and then run errands ALL DAY.

 

Yep, that stay-at-home mom part is busy today.

 

Later, Peeps!

 

 

 

Writers See Things a Little Differently

Though I write about a bunch of different things on this blog, I still think of myself as a writer, not just a spewer of random information (even if it seems to be the case most of the time).

I don't write about the topic of writing because there are far too many other bloggers (NYT times authors, agents, editors) out there who do a better job at it than I would.

But, every now and then, I'll write a little blog about writers.

This is one of them.

The sneaky thing about writers is that they look just like anyone and everyone--yes, you could find them on People of WalMart, because we have to get groceries, too. Remember, sitting at one's computer will cause butticus expandicus unless one actively tries to fix the wide butt problem. Many times, writers will have a crazed look in their eyes as they forget to brush their hair and wander into WalMart in their jammies as they look for toilet paper because they are frantically writing on deadline.

The movie Romancing the Stone did a totally fun job of portraying a romance writer. This is still one of my favorite movies. . . In fact, I haven't seen it in awhile, I need to watch it while I dip about 100 more pieces of caramel today.

So being a writer is basically being undercover. We blend into the masses. We watch everything and anything. We are ghosts who most people wouldn't recognize even if we struck up a conversations with you. We aren't movie stars trying to stay out of the view of the paparazzi. Shoot, they don't care about writers--we already look frumpy, they wouldn't sell photos of a frumpy writer looking even frumpier than usual!

Writers are the people who eaves drop on conversations or who make up stories for people they watch walking in the mall.

Writers tend to see life a little differently than the average person.

And since I write fantasy, I look at everything a little differently. On my evening walks behind the school where my daughter has swim practice, I snapped these pictures. The light was just right the first time I walked past these trees, but when I took the pictures the light had changed just enough for them to lose some of their magic.

 

This tree has a couple of different 'faces' in it. 

The gnarled roots looked like a gnome could find a home in them.

 

As I mentioned by the time I walked the track (10 minutes) and came back to take this picture, the true magic was gone. The first glance out of the corner of my eye in this second photo, it actually looked like a gnome was blending into the knees of the tree roots.

 

This tree was the inspiration for GNOME WITHOUT A HOME picture book.

 

See?

 

Didn't you wonder where writers get their ideas?

 

The real answer is everywhere. All it takes is a curious mind and a 'What if?' question.

 

Later, Peeps!

Publishers Sell Directly

The other day I was chatting with my lawyer friend/swim mom, Margaret. I don't know how the topic came up, but she talking about the publishing business and wondered why publishing houses don't do more to sell directly from their web presence.

Her comment was that publishers would do better to change their publishing model to generate search engine activity toward selling their books on their site.

Good point. I agree. I think publishing houses would agree, but I honestly think they don't know where to start with this problem. There are millions of books out there.

Amazon, as we all know, is usually the first or second hit when you Google a book title.

I just tried it with one of my titles. Yep, Amazon. My blog link was around the sixth hit.

Publishers would do better to sell directly to the consumer, because they wouldn't have to pay the middle man (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc). They could keep a smaller stock of books vs. warehouses full of books to ship to all the brick and mortar stores. Plus with the advent of electronic publishing, they could offer eBooks more easily. All they have to do is format those books for each of those particular electronic devices.

Indie authors do it. Why can't publishers?

As much as I love going into Barnes and Noble, there's a dirty little secret concerning bookstores and publishers. Bookstores can 'render' the books (rip off the covers to return covers to publisher for a full refund). The books are supposed to be destroyed, but it doesn't always happen. If, as a consumer, you purchase a coverless book, you are cheating the author out of their money--the only one making money on the deal is the dude selling them out of the back of his car.

Those little pop-up cardboard things that have the newest and greatest? Yeah, that's publisher money paying for it. Also, have you noticed that some books are faced out, while others are spine out--publisher money. And this doesn't include warehousing and distribution.

If Amazon can do POD (print on demand) publishing, why can't the publishers?

With the event of electronic publishing, it's not like they have to typeset each page. Oh, then they could warehouse a smaller quantity of books, and print a new run when they get low. Instead of paying trucks to distribute to all the brick and mortar bookstores, now they can send the book directly to the consumer.

Think of the profit margin!

Then they don't have to pay for returns. And it's not like that comes out of their pocket, the returns come out of the AUTHOR'S POCKET. When an author gets an 'advance', it's full term is called Advance Against Returns. Authors have to 'earn out' their advance before they ever see any royalties. And if you think every author is getting rich with their advances, then you are only seeing the < 1% of the writer population that is getting serious advances. Most authors make between $4000-6000 per book, or less depending on the publisher and book genre, especially when they are starting out, and those monies are usually divided into chunks--acceptance of contract, acceptance of manuscript, and when published. And all these terms can be sticky depending on the slipperiness of the publishing contract!

There are so many angles to look at this, but instead of offering a gazillion bucks for some loser to write a book about their time on a reality show, maybe they should spend more monies in house to update their on line presence, their accounting system (trust me, this is U-G-L-Y!) and paying their editors/authors a decent salary so they can actually live off what they make.

 Well, I opened a bigger can of worms than I intended to with this blog post, so I'll stop right here.

Later, Peeps!

Wheat Among the Chaff

This last week I read three books in about as many days. I haven't read that much in a long, long time and it felt so good to immerse myself into a story again, to get lost in another reality.

The books were three of Janet Chapman's Highlander books, Midnight Bay trilogy. They had time travel, magic, romance and above all beefy Highlanders! What a combination!

As I read, I wondered why I haven't sat down and enjoyed a story in such a very long time. Usually I have a goal of reading 50 books in a year. I think I'm up to 28 books now, including children's books. Most of the time I come close to that number, but this year, I've put down almost half of the books that I've picked up to read. 

Why?

When I looked at my Kindle and the unread books, I realized most of them had been freebie downloads. This isn't to say that all freebies are bad, they aren't. They are a great way to discover a new-to-you author, and many of the authors offering freebies are established authors who are making their backlist available to readers.

--though a few of these authors have total 'clunkers' that publishers loved, but I really disliked the MC character, or I figured out the plot before the MC, or whatever.

But there are also millions of writers who are publishing their work without the benefit of honest critique and good editing. Even those who do have a good editing system in place are still facing the daunting challenge of being discovered by a reader.

This is the case of the wheat grain among the chaff. 

There is so much chaff available, how does one find the quality books you want to read? Plus, it doesn't help that everyone's grain of wheat is different.

Personally, with the advent of e-readers, I have found it harder to find authors. Oh, Amazon tries to help with suggestions, but what if you want something new and different?

If I hadn't been wandering the bookshelves of the local brick and mortar store, I would never have discovered Jim Butcher, or Jayne Castle (Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz), or Ann McCaffrey, etc. And I certainly doubt they would have been suggested to me, because at the time I was reading something totally different than what these author's write.

I don't have any answers to this problem. And I imagine publishers have been struggling with this problem for decades.

If you do go online and look up, let's say a picture book, Amazon will have a few 'suggestions', 'hot deals', and a list on the left of popular series books. But how many PB authors are lost in the muddle using this method?

Hundreds of Thousands.

Picture books aren't really money-makers for anyone involved unless a particular series takes off, and libraries can only buy so many PB's, which leaves publishers wondering how to gain the publicity of a new author.

Again, I don't have any answers.

When I heard about Amanda Hocking's YA, "Switched" being offered for free soon after she made a million dollar deal and before it was taken down from Amazon, I snatched it up.

And didn't like it.  I couldn't get past the first few pages.

I also snatched up the first 19 chapters of James Patterson's, Alex Cross, RUN.

And didn't really care for it, either.

And Hugh Howey's, WOOL. . . well, you get the picture.

These three examples are runaway best sellers. Two of them were indie-pubbed, before being picked up by NY publishing houses.

And I didn't care for any of them.

So how do you find new authors to read?

Well, the one that I fall back on is . . . wandering around brick-and-mortar bookstore.

Or word-of-mouth.

Or simply rolling the dice and seeing what number I hit.

Yeah, finding a new author is like a crapshoot. Sometimes you hit the jackpot . . .

and sometimes, you 'crap' out.

It's tough on both ends of the scale, as a writer as well as a reader.

I wished I had some answers . . . though I do think writing the best book possible, amping up the adventure, and careful editing along with an awesome cover can't hurt.

But it's still getting the word out about the book.

• Reviews can only do so much--I never buy a book based on a review, though I won't buy one based on one.
• Blog posts only reach so many people unless someone shares the blog--resulting in 'word-of-mouth' sharing. 
• Facebook/Twitter/Google + will only reach your fan base, but how many of them actually see or even read your posts. Many times people only care about their posts, and won't bother to read or share anyone else's posts.

As I have no final thoughts about this situation, I'll just leave it to you to figure out the answer to this problem.

I'm open to suggestions.

Later, Peeps!

Books for Boys

Ever since I started writing children's books and joined SCBWI in 2008, I've been hearing/reading the editors and agents lament that they want boy books.

Well, here's the interesting part--so do teachers and librarians. This last week I talked to my sister, who has a double Master's degree and works as a teacher and librarian at a military base in Germany, about this issue. She gave me an earful about the topic.

But, you wonder, aren't there a ton of boy-centric children's books out there?

For example: Mary Pope Osborn (Magic Treehouse), Henry and Mudge books, J. K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, R. L. Stine, Lemony Snicket, Eoin Coulter, Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants), Jeff Kinney (Wimpy Kid) etc.

Yes, but we have some problems with these books. 

1. Many of these are middle grade books (Rowling, Riordan, Snicket, Kinney, Coulter), which means there are no pictures, text heavy, longer chapters, etc. This book is aimed at the confident reader, who could be 8-14 years old
2. The younger crowd (5-7 years)might read Henry and Mudge, but aren't ready to read the middle grade books.
3. Captain Underpants might be big with boys, but not with teachers. They aren't fond of the overly illustrated pages and 'potty' language in which giggling ensues from reading about noises that come out of various orifices.
4. If the kid doesn't read or like horror, R. L. Stine is out.

So here's the thing as this writer sees it--

When young children start to read, they will read the picture books their parents read to them. Then they advance to early readers like Henry and Mudge.

The next step is chapter books, which are around 4,000-6,000 words, short chapters, some illustrations, lots of white space. This level of reading is targeted to the 5-8 year old--Magic Treehouse fills this gap nicely. But Magic Treehouse is only one series of books that boys would read. There are co-protagonists, brother and sister, who take the kids on an adventure.

Girls have a variety of books in this level of reading, Junie B and Fancy Nancy are the first to leap to mind without even thinking about it. Though I must admit that my daughter wasn't interested in either of these books. She liked the Magic Treehouse books, especially the fact-tracking ones, where she learned about the ocean, earthquakes, etc.

So if a boy can't get into the Magic Treehouse books, then there is no "bridge" book for them to become readers able to attack the longer and more intense middle grade books.

Then there becomes an issue of virtually zero YA books for boys, but at this age and reading level, many boys will start reading Sci-Fi, mysteries, thrillers, etc. as they are to the level of handling adult genre novels, and many of the YA books are thinly veiled romances.

After putting all these facts together, plus my interpretation, the "boy" books editors, agents, and teachers are wanting are 'bridging' chapter books.

• between 4,000-6,000 words--Magic Treehouse book, Dinosaurs Before Dark was right around 5,000 words
• short chapters 400-600 words--at this age, kids are exited to tell mom that, "I read three chapters today!" Encourage this.
• protagonist must be male, but co-protagonists are fine as long as the girl is more gender neutral.
• lots of white space--don't make it paragraph heavy
• every chapter MUST have a cliffhanger to encourage advancing to the next chapter
• Do NOT have a cliffhanger ending. Each book must have a final resolution.
• targeting a slightly younger crowd, 6-8 years old

So with this in mind, I thought I'd give a try to writing a boy chapter book, using Rory Leafhopper from my Goblin's Apprentice series. I just started it. I know how it starts and how it ends, but I have no idea of the adventures in between.

Actually writing this length won't be that tough as A MAZE OF MONSTER MIX-UPS, LOST LEPRECHAUN LOOT, and SUGAR PLUM DISASTER are all around this length, even though each chapter slightly longer, coming in around 800 words.

I just have to figure out what kind of messes Rory will be getting into!

Later, Peeps!

No Clue how to Write a Picture book

While I was walking yesterday, I started thinking--yes, I know this process usually gets me into trouble--about Piper.

Piper is a faerie who is featured on the cover of The Fast and the FAERIEous, as an older version than the one I want to write about. . . in a picture book. . . . sort of, or maybe an early reader, or a chapter book, or . . . see my problem?

Here's my sitch. Years ago I wrote quite a few stories about Peter the naughty little fly. Well, I don't have a clue how to go about writing a picture book. Oh, I know some of the basics--32 pages, the art is 50% of the story so descriptors aren't needed, less than 500 words (but can go as high as 1000), and keep the language and sentence structure are simpler.

But what makes one cute anecdotal story publishable, while another is not? That is the question.

After a quick search on the Internet, I found one author who wrote her story, but then she showed the finished published story. This gave me a back-to-back comparison as to what made one story better than the other.

Of course, at this time my daughter kicked me off the computer and I didn't bother to save the author's name, so I'll have to search the Internet again to find her webpage.

But that's okay. That's part of the editing process.

When my walk was over, I jotted a couple of pages of notes down. I have the motivation and adventure, but I don't have a good conclusion.

Right now, all I need to concentrate on is putting the story onto paper . . . er, type it in the computer. Once there, I can tweak and play with it all I want . . . saving the various versions.

That's the one nice thing about writing short stories. They are easier to handle and manipulate, BUT you have to write very, very tight, choosing the best words for the story.

That's what I need right now. More focus to my writing.

But you know what's sad?

I think this one little picture book story already has too many things going on.

*sigh*

Later, Peeps!

Wow--Talk about a Whack-a-doodle!

There is a reason for the term, stranger than fiction.

As a writer, you can't come up with these sorts of characters and get away with it. Nobody would believe them, but life pukes out some total whackadoodles sometimes.

In case you didn't realize it, I'm talking about Brandon Hantz from Survivor.

I'm not here to talk about the show, strategies, politics, or any of that stuff. I'm going to talk about characterization.

Think about it. Throw a bunch of people from every walk of life on to an island, dangle a million dollars in front of them, add in starvation, various challenges and temperamental weather, and film the results.

True characteristics will eventually come out--Brandon's real personality emerged to the detriment of his teammates.

It took a few seasons of Survivor before I even started watching it. I just wasn't interested, and then I discovered Jeff Probst's blue eyes and dimples--and yes, I've started watching his talk show when I'm able. I can oogle. He's married now--and his wife is totally hot, too. They make a very striking couple.

Jeff Probst

Anyhoo, back to Survivor. Brandon was obviously off his medication. That young man is seriously unstable. Every time he picked up the machete, it scared me. I wouldn't put it past him to hurt someone in the heat of the moment. He was a mess in his first Survivor, but this time instead of 'demonizing' some young woman, he butted heads with Phillip--another whackadoodle, but a subtle one.

I hope they fly him away from "the Ranch" (where voted off Survivors go to enjoy a little R & R, namely food, drink, and a real cot in a tent) for some psychological help. He needs someone in his corner. And when he comes back to the finale show and says it was just an 'act' . . . yeah, right. That young man has a screw loose, so don't believe him.

As a writer, when you develop characters, they have a backstory--things in their life that made them who they are. In other words, baggage, everyone has baggage, even younger characters. If you have a beautiful person with loads of money and things are peachy, then there had better be some depth to the character that would make a person want to continue watching or reading about them.

With Brandon, he's what they call 'good television'. I wouldn't call it that, but basically, you never knew what he would do next, which made people tune in to see what happened, i.e. a train wreck or a car accident on the freeway.

To tell you the truth, the favorites side will be a little more boring because he's gone. Maybe some other characters will step up--not on the diabolical side of things, but to actually let their personalities come out. Many of them are boring, simply a backdrop for the antics of Brandon and Phillip.

Anyhoo, if you are a writer and you want to develop a character--people watch--on TV, at the mall, or a coffee shop. Watch how they interact with others and develop your own backstory for them. Every character has a backstory, even the secondary characters and the walk-on characters. Their backstory is told in the way they act and relate to other characters.

It's not that hard to write. You just have to place yourself in their shoes for a little while.

Later, Peeps!