Not Losing by Karen Fainges

Many characters can be defined by their motivations.

Sometimes it is not what they want that defines characters, but what they are not prepared to lose. Scarlett’s “I will never go hungry again” is a scene that will long be remembered as a powerful moment. She was motivated not by gain, but by the fear/avoidance of something.  So what motivations can you give your character that are based on avoiding the sense of loss rather than striving for a goal? There is a lot of overlap of course, and the motivations can be murky, but the distinction is important.

One scene from one of my own books surprised me as I wrote it. The distinction of not wanting to lose was paramount for just about all of them. So were they floundering, unsure of themselves? Not really, one character in particular is self-assured to the point of arrogance, but his main need was to show strength, not to lord it over others, but to be sure no one could ever lord it over him.

The growth of the anti-hero is part of this. People are growing aware that it is the frailties of the human condition that sometimes make them strong. The person that is terrified but saves the day anyway is a better read than the hero that never even thinks about the possibility of failure. Sometimes it can go too far and come out whiney, someone always bemoaning their fate or full of teenage anxiety. Done right though, the character that runs away to fight another day can fill your books with real interest.

Overcoming Writers Block by Heidi Thomas

You just can’t get there from here.”

How many times have you heard that direction-giving joke? But often that line describes a type of writer’s block. You’ve written up to a certain point. You know where you want to go up ahead. But what do you write in between? Personally, I have wasted hours, days, even weeks, trying to figure out what to write next, so I can get to that future scene I already have in my head.

But wait. Who says you have to write in a linear fashion? What if you write out of sequence? Aha! Now, you’ve given yourself permission to write the scene from your head and it flows wonderfully. Another Aha! Questions and solutions actually appear about how the character might have arrived here from there. You’re not stuck any more.

As a writing instructor once explained, to build a bridge, one first needs to erect a scaffold. It’s not a lot different in writing. You have several important scaffold scenes in your story or novel that have to take place (there will probably be more than one of each of these scenes in your book):

1.    The Introductory Scene where the reader meets your main character.

2.    A Meeting Scene, where the main character meets another character (maybe the love interest or maybe his nemesis) This is another form of Introductory Scene.

3.    A Conflict Scene where two characters battle it out, whether physically, verbally, or in a match of wits. Or where the character battles himself.

4.    A Realization Scene-the moment the character realizes something about herself that is a turning point. Or realizes her “enemy” is really her friend.

5.    A Resolution Scene, where a problem is resolved (not necessarily the main one, but a problem nonetheless).

6.    A Final Scene, which may or may not be your actual ending. An interesting exercise is to write a scene in which your main character(s) are old and looking back at what happened, what he/she/they learned, how they’ve changed, what they would’ve done differently, etc. That can give you an insight to “fill in the blanks.”

Another interesting exercise is to write a letter from your main character to yourself, as if this person has just learned you are writing a book about her, how she feels about that, any advice she might have for you, etc. This can be quite revealing. Sometimes you learn that you have a reluctant character, one who doesn’t want her story told. So you have to figure out how to win her over.

A recent article in The Writer magazine talked about writing out of order. The author made similar suggestions to the ones above, such as:

1.    Write a scene in which the main character enters a new place.

2.    Take a minor character you’ve introduced and write a scene where he/she appears later in the story.

3.    Choose a character other than the main character-someone you’d like to know more about, and write a monologue in which she explores or explains herself.

4.    Write a scene where your main character has a dream that advances the story.

5.    Make a list of at least five crucial scenes that you think will be important for the story/novel (see “scaffold scenes above.)

Any one or all of these scenes may or may not appear in your final draft, but they will help you keep writing and develop ideas.

Have fun, write on and defeat that Writer’s Block! (Now, I just have to take my own advice.)

Raised on a ranch in isolated eastern Montana, Heidi Thomas has had a penchant for reading and writing since she was a child. Armed with a degree in journalism from the University of Montana, she worked for the Daily Missoulian newspaper, and has had numerous magazine articles published.

A tidbit of family history, that her grandmother rode steers in rodeos during the 1920s, spurred Heidi to write a novel based on that grandmother’s life.

Cowgirl Dreams is the first in a series about strong, independent Montana Women. http://www.HeidiMThomas.com

Complete Characters by Karen Fainges

Well rounded characters are one of the main features of a good book. So how do you create them? And how do you get them on the page without boring the reader with irrelevancies?

Ever received one of those emails that asks a ton of questions like steak or potatoes, first pet and favourite TV show? Filling one of those out as your characters is a great way to really get to know them. It allows you to really get into their history and feelings. As an author, knowing your character’s favourite colour is red is important. It says a lot about them. But does the reader need to know it? Well probably not.

The important thing is to add emotions to the mix.

Her last step heading for the interview, was to reach for her red jacket. The colour was her favourite and even if it didn’t really compliment her dark looks, it did bolster her confidence and she needed all the confidence bolstering she could get.

So we learn that she gets her confidence, not from how she looks, but from having things she likes close. The jacket is a talisman not an accessory. 

Adding emotions has its own problems. What if the reader really thinks appearance is important, especially for interviews? Will they keep reading or write the character off?

Here, I doubt the impact is that great but for other issues, like saying a quick prayer, kicking a dog away or swearing at a child, those will give very strong reactions. You might want the reader to hate or love this character. Subliminal clues help in this regard, but different people have different reactions. Don’t assume that they way you think is the way they do.

What is something that really turns you off characters?

When is it too much stress? by Karen Fainges

We all have very busy lives. Sometimes it gets a bit too much. So how do you tell when you have writer’s cramp or you are just too stressed out to write?

Everyone has different symptoms. The main thing is to become aware of yours. Do you start biting your nails, or scratch at skin irritations? Do you get cold sores or catch every sniffle going around? My husband worries every time I listen to a particular piece of music or watch a certain video. For some reason I return to them like a child’s comforting blanket without even being aware of it sometimes.

And sometimes, despite taking care of yourself, things happen that make it all too hard. When that happens – you have to take care of yourself. Make that doctor’s appointment or visit to a counsellor. Stress is a medical condition just like a cold or a broken leg. Just like those, sometimes you have to take medicine and healing takes time. Don’t discount it just because it is something you can’t see.

Now those empathic ones amongst you are thinking – ah, she has had to deal with stress. Yep, diagnosed with depression. And guilty of letting it go on way too long. Don’t let yourself drag on, get help. It is actually a really good feeling when you realise, ‘ hey  a lot of people feel like this’.

It is possible to stop feeling down and get back on your feet. It isn’t just a normal part of a busy life, but something you have to work at, just like keeping to a diet, or regular exercise. And then everything – including writing becomes easier.

Dropbox: Online storage by Jeanne St. James

It’s devastating to lose your hard work, whether it is one chapter or several manuscripts. As writers, we are always reminded by others (who have experienced that loss) to backup your data. For a long time, I was emailing myself my work and putting it on a second computer. BUT, I wanted something that would synchronize both computers, to make sure that I had the latest file (I frequently got confused which computer had the most recent file).

Then one day on Twitter (I love that site) someone mentioned Dropbox. My cyber-ears pricked up. A way to have online backup storage and a way to synchronize my laptop and my desktop for FREE? That’s for me!

Some of the benefits of using Dropbox (besides getting 2 GB of storage for free) are:

• You can publicly share files and photos.
• You can access your files from any computer with Internet access
• You can synchronize multiple computers automatically
• You can drag and drop files to Dropbox
• You can recover deleted or previous versions of files
• You can upgrade (for a fee) up to 50 GB of storage

Once you have Dropbox installed on your computer(s) and you connect to their server, Dropbox is just like any other folder on your computer. You simply drag and drop to move files around.  Any files or folders that are uploaded to Dropbox will immediately be synchronized within your account. Dropbox also keeps track of every change made to the contents of your storage and any changes are instantly updated to all computers linked to the account.

The Dropbox web interface also remembers all the changes you make to your files and allows you to restore to any previous versions of the file. You can even undelete files you may have accidentally (or not-so-accidentally) erased.

If desired, every individual folder can be shared with other people and the people you allow access to that shared folder can add, edit, and delete the contents inside but can’t access anything outside of that specific folder. In terms of writers, this file sharing system is perfect for critique partners to access each other’s works, or for writers who collaborate on manuscripts.

You are also able to share files with non-Dropbox users by using a public folder, which is made accessible by a hyperlink. This gives writers the option of making their excerpts, blurbs, and other information on their upcoming releases available to potential readers.

I keep all of my manuscripts and “works in progress” in separate folders like I would on my computer. It’s easy and organized. I love it. So get rid of the flash drives and stop emailing your files. Give Dropbox a try!

You can try Dropbox at http://www.getdropbox.com/

Jeanne St. James is an erotic romance author who loves to write about an Alpha male. Especially one in uniform: cops, Feds, or even football players! She resides in south central Pennsylvania near Hershey chocolate and the Amish. Her hot and steamy contemporary romances can include a male/female, a menage (male/male/female) or male/male relationship. It depends on what’s floating her boat at the moment. She has two releases in Fall of 2009: a m/f contemporary, Banged Up, with Liquid Silver Books (September 21st) and a m/m/f menage, Double Dare, with Loose Id (November).

You can find her on the web at www.jeannestjames.com. Also, come friend her on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Check out her blog for her upcoming events and great guest authors.

The Hook by Meg Benjamin

I’ve just started reading Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series, at least in part because of Bones (and if you’re a fan of the show, you might be interested in how different the book version of Temperance is). Now there are times in Reichs’ books where I find myself thinking, “Do I really need to know all this stuff about blood spatters?” Which is to say that Reichs, a real-life forensic anthropologist, sometimes goes into more technical detail than a casual reader like me might want to find out. But I always keep reading, and in fact I have a very tough time putting a Reichs novel down. Why? Because Reichs is an absolute master at the chapter hook.

Here’s a typical one from Reichs’ Grave Secrets; it’s the end of Chapter 3:

I stood.

“Seven A.M.?”

“Seven A.M.”

It was to be one of the worst days of my life.

Now imagine you’re reading this book at bedtime, using it to sort of get your brain ready for sleep. You figure you’ll put the book down when you get to the next stopping place—the end of a chapter, for example. Could you really do that after reading the chapter end I just quoted? I guess it depends on how tired you are, but chances are you’d keep reading for just a few more paragraphs into the next chapter, hoping Reichs would put you out of your misery and tell you what she’s referring to. She doesn’t, of course. Usually, you have to read several more pages (and sometimes an entire chapter or two) to find out what she’s talking about—and by then you’ll probably have encountered yet another hook or two.

That’s the whole idea behind a hook. Like a trout, you’re caught on the author’s line. There’s no way you can just turn around and swim away. Unless, of course, the hook is too weak or non-existent. No trout will stick around if all you’ve got on the line is a rubber band (one writing expert once advised never ending a chapter with a character going to sleep, even though that’s what would logically happen at that point in the story—classic rubber band).

But I’d argue you can also go too far in the other direction. A nineteenth century author can get by with saying, “Had I but known Snideley’s true character, I might have avoided all the horrible things that happened to me in the ensuing days.” But those of us writing in the present really can’t do that. It’s too much elbow in the ribs, and it’s more likely to make me roll my eyes than to keep me reading. The hook has to give readers enough foreshadowing to intrigue them, but not so much as to annoy them.

You can also have hooks within chapters, of course, particularly if you have different sections in different points of view. You drop a hook at the end of one character’s section, then move on to a different character. With any luck the reader will stick around to see what happened to character one after going through character two’s experiences. I did this in Venus in Blue Jeans when my heroine was attacked in her bookstore and I immediately switched to the point of view of the hero, who had no idea what was going on but was concerned about how preoccupied the heroine had been at breakfast. Your hope is always that the reader will be willing to stick with Cal, waiting to see if and when he’ll find out what’s happened to Docia, rather than paging ahead to see the rest of the Docia scenes. As a reader, I’ll usually go with it unless I’m really worried that a character has been killed off. Then I may page forward to see if he/she shows up again later (and “paging forward” takes on a whole new meaning on my e-book reader).

Hooks are tough to do, and they sometimes deserve a whole separate revision read, so that you can see how well they’re working in each chapter. I’d also argue that you don’t need or want a hook at the end of every chapter—that smacks a little too much of manipulation. But few authors can get by with no hooks at all. Without them, those readers may just flutter away upstream to a more attractive pond.

So what do you think? What authors are really good at keeping you hooked from one chapter to the next? And how do they do it?

Meg Benjamin writes contemporary romances set in the Texas hill country.   Wedding Bell Blues, the second book in my Konigsburg series, will be released by Samhain Publishing on July 21.

Motivation by Karen Fainges

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Motivation is a topic close to my heart at the moment. I have 1000 things to get done and things are getting lost in the muddle.

So what do you do when it is getting all too much?  My first reaction is to let the housekeeping slide. This is probably not a “good thing” as I have fairly severe dust allergies, but as my mother says, if there is enough of it, the weight holds it down and away from your nose. Problem solved  until the dust bunnies create a civilization and start communicating with the unwashed dishes.

The main thing is to find what is really important in your life and focus on that. Easier said than done. One way is to list all the areas in your life and then draw two columns. In the first, score them from 10 to 1 on how much you want more of that item. In the next column, how much you want less of that item. For example, at the moment, I wouldn’t say no to more money, but it really isn’t a priority – call it 6. However, I really don’t want much less. We are comfortable where we are – so score it a 9 for a total of 15. On the other hand, I really don’t want any more responsibility right now – score 3, and I would gladly take less – score 9. That gives a score of 12.

The important thing about the two columns is that if I was only ranking things on how important they are to me, money and responsibility doesn’t even rate a mention. They are still a major factor in my decision making.

So once you have your list, then what?

Start pruning. Get rid of those things with low scores, remove some of the clutter from your life. And remember, this is your list. No one is looking over your shoulder. Your conscience might be saying letters to Grandma are important, but really, it’s not a motivator for you. Then concentrate on getting one thing done for your top three each day.

Rejection by Maryann Miller

I had one of those rare experiences recently that only happen to a writer once or twice in a lifetime.

A rejection that didn’t hurt.

 I was talking to an editor who had to turn down an idea I have for a book, but he was so nice about it, it was hard for me to remember he was saying “no.” That was such a pleasant change from the rejections that would send me reeling…

 “How dare they not LOVE my book?”

 “My life is ruined.”

 “It’s a conspiracy. I know it is.”

 Sounds a little paranoid, I know, but for a long time the only thing I had to attest to my credibility as a writer was my basic insecurity.

 Writers are insecure for a lot of reasons. Some of us were born that way, but for others it’s accumulated over the years like a fringe unbenefit.

 Not only do we have to deal with the possibility and reality of rejection on a continuing basis, we also have to work in a professional vacuum. We don’t get to discuss the latest Idol reject at the water cooler, or get some direct feedback on the day to day ac­complishments of our job. Nobody here to pat me on the back except my cat, and he’d rather sleep in front of my monitor.

 Sometimes this isolation is so intense, I feel like I’m in the middle of a desert, and one kind word about my work can be as refreshing as a drop of nectar.

 This morning I got a whole six pack of refreshment. Not only did this editor give me one kind word, he gave me another, and another, until my head was practically swimm­ing in nectar.

 We all know that we write because we think we have something to say, hopefully, something important and meaningful. Even when we get discouraged, we seem to still be drawn to the keyboard, if the cat will let us,  to impart some other words of wisdom or finely crafted prose.

 But if that was all there was to it, we wouldn’t care if our words ever saw print. And I have yet to meet a writer who didn’t care. It’s good to want to say all those nice things, but the whole process would undeniably be meaningless if no one was ever going to read what we write. 

The added bonus comes when someone reads the work and thinks it’s good. Or bet­ter yet, great, wonder­ful, fantastic and ter­rific. 

Family members don’t count since they may be more than a lit­tle prejudiced, especial­ly if they think dinner may hang in the balance.

 

Maryann Miller
www.maryannwrites.com

 

A diverse writer of columns, feature stores, short fiction, novels, screenplays and stage plays, Maryann Miller has won numerous awards including being a  semi-finalist at the Sundance Institute for her screenplay, A Question Of Honor.  Her work has appeared in regional and national publications, and the Rosen Publishing Group in New York  published her non-fiction books for teens, including the award-winning Coping with Weapons and Violence  In School and On Your Streets. A novel, One Small Victory, was released from Five Star in June 2008. Play It Again, Sam is a July release from Uncial Press as an e-book. Other experience includes extensive work as a PR consultant, a script doctor, and an editor.  She is currently the Managing Editor of WinnsboroToday.com, an online community magazine. She has been writing all her life and plans to die at her computer.

 

15 Favourites by Karen Fainges

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Recently I was asked by a friend to list my 15 favourite books – ones that stuck with me. I found it harder than I thought. My husband was no help, saying “Tell them Adhesives that work by V Elcro”.

Once I had hit him with a cushion, I stopped to think, what does make a book stick with me? For me, it is one of two things, passion or the ability to make me stop and rethink. If a book has both, it goes on my top 15 list.

One of my favourite authors I am rereading at the moment is Tamora Pierce.  Her Tortall series of books is supposedly for children and although my daughter loves her too, I find myself reading the ink of the page (or the pixels off the screen seeing I read ebooks). She makes me laugh, cry and sit back with shock. She examines people’s motivations without ever getting bogged down. Like a Chinese painting, she portrays incredible scenes with a few slight strokes.

It is the simplicity I like, allowing us to look through the eyes of her characters without judging or noticebly guiding the reader. When writing, I often find myself dropping into preaching mode when trying to make a point. I immediately delete that passage, only to find myself doing it again as soon as I relax. Caring passionately about something is important, but preaching about it is like trying to shoe a fish, frustrates both you and the fish and it’s ultimately pointless.

Actions speak louder than words. Tamora’s characters gently show the consequences of evil actions,  mine tend to just rip the evil guy’s head off. Still it takes all sorts. Which way do you prefer?

In your PJ’s by Karen Fainges

Destiny Sets - read the first chapter free online

Reading Christine’s post started me thinking. One of the best things I ever did for my writing was get a PDA or personal digital assissant. Most people call them smart phones now, they are like a mini computer you hold in your hand. It is the old “keep a notebook beside the bed” hint that writiers seem to give out in interviews all the time.

Having a PDA meant I always had a notepad to scribble quick notes to myself, and if my hands were covered in soil (which they never are, I kill plastic plants),  I could leave myself a voice message rather than having to type. My PDA goes everywhere with me, and I can jot down quick prompts to myself all day, so when I am finally in front of the keyboard, I can get them down. Even at night I might roll over and scribble down a quick note about a dream. It is strange how many thoughts dump into your brain at the end of the day.

It doesn’t always work.  I was looking at a prompt the other day, scratching my head and going “what was I thinking”. Even that seems to help though to get the creative juices flowing. It is strange how it works, but it does work for me. And the weirdest thing, having voice seems to work even more than written notes. I can add the emotion I was feeling at the time, maybe hum a quick piece of music that gave me ideas, even take a quick photo of something that made sense at the time.

Electronic doohickeys aren’t for everyone – still you can find most of these features on your mobile phone now, even the cheap ones. And if you can’t work it, give it to a 6 year old to teach you how. They are whizzes and have no fear, thay will just hit buttons until they figure it out. There is a lesson to be learnt there somewhere. Carpe diem or maybe, seize the buttons.