In the Moment Description by Christine Duncan

A while back a writing friend told me that she kept notebooks of description ready to plop into the story of the moment. Whenever a detail struck her, for instance, the way, say feeling the heat of the sidewalk through her shoes as she walked somewhere on a hot July day, she would write it down. Then when a story needed some description about July, she would look up her notebooks and use it.

I thought at the time, that it was kind of silly. Afterall, we all know how hot July is. I can write about July in midwinter, no problem. But it’s Halloween today, and I have been struck by a couple of things that I tend to forget when it’s not Halloween. Little kids pushing all the buttons on the scary figures in Target, then running back to stand by their mothers as they watch the witch or Vampire cackle, and the way little girls seem to dance with heads held high, when they feel pretty in their princess costumes. And the teenage boys, acting all macho, and not dressing up anymore, but still wanting to go out on Halloween–but maybe not to any houses where someone might know them. Oh yeah, and the way the attic is so dark, lit only by a single bulb in the middle and the costumes always seem to be in the back away from the bulb and the dusty smell and cold feel of a mask that has been left up there for a year or two.

Anyway, you get the picture. I think organizing description like this, even on a computer could be difficult but I’m going to try it. Just to see if it adds something or gets something started with my writing.

Description by Christine Duncan

Having not yet found a writing book to help get me jump started (still open to ideas on books, folks) I have lately started to work on my description. First off, let me say, since I’m not very visual, that I usually have to go back and add description. But how a character feels about his/her surroundings can be a method of revealing character and I don’t want to miss any opportunities to do that. Yet description can feel so–clunky and obvious. I find myself annoyed with books that tell me So and So didn’t notice the way something looked. If the character didn’t notice it, and I’m in the character’s head, then I can’t see it either. Or am I just being picky here?
All of which is just my way of saying that lately, I have been trying to get into my character’s head by describing the things around her without using the obvious. If she is going up a stair in the battered women’s shelter where she works, I might describe the way she avoids the place where the carpet is unraveling so it won’t catch the heels of her boots, and have her make a mental note to take a sponge to the hand prints around the rail.
The truth of the matter is, that most of us are so focused on the chores we have to get through, or the places we are already late to, that we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about our surroundings. So it makes sense to filter description, not only through the character but through their actions. Anyway, that’s what I’m trying right now.
What trick are you using to jump start your writing?

Dumbing It Down by Christine Duncan

It happened again just today. I was reading the paper (yeah, I know–old school) and I became annoyed–not about the subject of the  article I was reading which was on the still miserable housing market, but on the way the article was written–as though it was necessary to explain the housing market to idiots. I don’t believe readers are idiots.

The writer, who will remain nameless here, for obvious reasons, felt it necessary to explain everything from economic ups and downs to giving a definition of the phrase negative reinforcement.

Good writers write what they have to say so clearly that the reader doesn’t need a dictionary or someone to explain to him.  Let me give you a for instance, in most of science fiction a new world is introduced with new plants, new creatures and new idioms.  When was the last time you saw a dictionary included?

What does this have to do with you, the writer reading this?  Simply put, I believe that the current trend to treat people as though they can’t possible understand what you have to say unless you “bring it down to their level” may be the reason so many folks tell us they don’t read anymore.  Why bother when all they’re going to get is a pat on the head and the implication that they’re too dumb to follow?

Maybe readers aren’t all that dumb.

End of rant.  Have a good week folks.

Moving forward

For me, if I open my laptop to find a wrapped up scene or chapter, I can flounder around for a little while unit I get back onto my train of thought (pardon the train pun).  So, I like to finish mid scene (I did that this morning as my train pulled into my destination) so that when I start again this afternoon my brain has a “oh, that’s right….” moment and I’ll be up and running again.

I also have a list of highlighted dot points at the bottom of my manuscript which are a combination of ideas and reminders.  The reminders are there to prompt me about what needs to happen in the story -  loose ends if you like.   I add to these reminders and ideas all the time when I’m writing and I review and update them regularly.   If I’m on a roll I get an idea about a previous chapter, I’ll do a quick key word search, highlight the chunk of text I want to revisit and then pop back down to where I was.  That way I don’t lose the flow but I’ve made a note of what I want to revisit.

When I’m not in front of my computer, I’ll make a note in my mobile phone, write something on a piece of paper (although these tend to get lost) or, in the case of last night when I was in bed, I promise myself that I’ll remember in the morning (this is the most risky of my methods but it worked today).

All in all though, I try to keep (or at least transfer) all my notes into my manuscript and leave myself halfway through a scene.   That seems to work well for me.

New Year goals

I wish I could say I’m publising this a day late because I want to make sure my New Year goals post is timely (it’s NYE here in Sydney).  Truth is, I lost track of the days and forgot to do it yesterday.  The luxury of holidays…

So over the last week and a bit, I’ve noticed that i’ve been processing all that’s happened this year.  It’s been a pretty challenging one for me personally and I think it’s important to acknowledge that.   I’m hoping that after tonight’s blue moon, I’ll feel a little more able to let go of 2009 and all its challenges. 

Jenny Henkins (on behalf of a Yahoo writing group) e-mailed some ideas for letting go of 2009 and starting 2010 with purpose.  

EVALUATE:
What were your GOALS for 2009?

Writing goal was to land and editor/publisher.

Personal goal was to secure a new job.

 

What did you accomplish in 2009?

Secured a new job (dream job in fact).

Edited novel.

 

What did you attempt but didn’t work out so well?

Unable to secure an editor/publisher for non-fiction MS.

 

What changes do you need to make?

Continue editing fiction, start querying on that.  Take another look at the non-fiction – might need to change the tone.

DETERMINE:
What are your writing goals for 2010?

Finish the fiction MS and non-fiction text to a level where they are HOT and sell themselves.

Start writing my (crime) novel.

Select an overall target goal for the year.

Secure a publishing deal for either or both works.

What steps do you need to take to accomplish these goals on a daily, weekly, monthly basis?

Daily:  Keep editing and be open to new ideas.  Keep striving for greatness in my writing.

Weekly:  Researching and create a list of target editors/publishers for the work.

Monthly: Send out queries and keep sending them out.

How about you?  What has 2009 brought and what are you looking to achieve in 2010?

 

Brainstorming

Sometimes I’m a bit uptight about getting things ‘right’.  This uptightness strangles my creativity.  There is a simple solution.  Brainstorming.

Mind you, I can easily transfer my rigid thinking to brainstorming but I’m slowly learning to catch myself and let go.

So yesterday, I finished editing my novel.  The edit was successful in that I’m loving the story as it stands but it’s now about 20,000 words short.  What to do?  Brainstorm new endings of course.

Here is a list of my brainstorms of possible endings.  They appear in the same order they came out, note how ridiculous and short the first couple are…an indicator of a good brainstorm session in my opinon.

Emily could jump off a bridge

Emily could get pregnant

Chantal could lose her mind

Eduardo might get called away

They might meet up in Los Angeles, go to Jan’s and then Emily gets pregnant

They could meet up in New York, go to the Jay Leno show and Eduardo proposed on TV

They could meet up in San Diego, go to a ball game and Eduardo proposes.  Emily says no, they go their separate ways and then meet up in Sydney and get back together. 

Of course, I’ve not included the actual ending that i’m going with – that would be telling.

 

 

An Aha Moment

My second book (Safe House), is out in electronic version and about to come out in print, so in between promotion for that book, blogging here, and trying to write a new book, (see Narelle’s post on Writing Projects) I’m trying to spruce up book three (Safe Reunion) of the series to send out. I took the manuscript to critique as I wrote it and edited it like crazy so it should have been easy. The manuscript was fun, and light.  But it was only okay.  I didn’t love it.

So back in July, I entered the secret agent contest on Miss Snark’s first victim to see what other entrants and the agent would say about the first 250 words. (If you missed this contest, don’t blame me, I wrote about it here–but check out the blog, she may have more.)
It was a great help because the agent said this:”I wish we could have a little more of the narrator–I feel like I have a baseline on Patty but not Kaye.”

Hold on  a sec!  Say what?  I had violated a rule that I’ve known about for years.  I had failed to put down what Kaye, my heroine wanted–needed. Robert Olen Butler calls it yearning in “From Where You Dream, The Process of Writing Fiction.”  Dwight Swain and Jack Bickham (“Scene and Structure”) call it goal. What does the hero really want? What does the bad guy/antagonist want? It’s essential for the reader to know that if we want the reader to root for the home team. And I hadn’t put that in.

Naturally, I revised immediately–and I’m looking over the rest of the manuscript to make sure it remains in the forefront of every scene. I’m known in my critique groups for looking for just this thing.  Just a small statement of the long term (book) goal, helps get the book started. A statement in every scene about the short term desire (“All I really want,” said Rose as she trudged through the desert, “is to get out of this blasted sun.”) Wow! And I forgot.  I definitely am putting this one as number one on my “things to check when you do the final edit” list.

So what is on your list of things to check when you revise your final draft? What do you say in critique so often that all of your critique members KNOW you will thump them on it, if they forget?  Tell all here!

One Writer’s Book Shelf

Writing is an ongoing thing—we keep learning and there are so many rules—like the Rule of Three. I want to share three of my favorite books on writing craft.

Scene and Structure by Jack Bickham. Bickham is the author of The Apple Dumpling Gang among many other books so he knows what he is doing. And he can teach it. In fact, he did teach creative writing at Oklahoma University for years. This book is put out by Writer’s Digest Books. I keep re-reading the thing because I keep getting something more out of it every time. I really believe the information about scene and sequel is the key to pace in any book Read this book.

Techniques of a Selling Writer by Dwight Swain You can’t mention Bickham without mentioning Swain because Swain taught Bickham. This book is worth reading just for the stuff about motivation reaction units (stimulus-response). Give it a try and see how much more smoothly your writing will read.

Self Editing for Writers by Renni Browne and David King This book is the best. It helps you take the first draft and make it polished. It is immensely readable so you won’t feel as though you’re punishing yourself going through it and it has just plain common sense. I let somebody borrow this book a while back and she never returned it. Moral of the story, little children friends, (Okay, there is an Americanism I’m not sure my blog mates will recognize) is never lend out a book you’d hate to lose.

Writers read too. I know I do. Tell me your favorite books.