Later

Birthdays: Alice B. Toklas, Larry Niven, Annie Dillard

Tips and Teasers: Your main character is caught outside in a blizzard. What does he do? Where does he find shelter? Or doesn’t he?

Thought for the day: "Justice to my readers compels me to admit that I write because I have nothing to do; justice to myself induces me to add that I will cease to write the moment I have nothing to say." - C.C. Colton

A Writer's Frustration

As I was editing my latest WIP last night, I was hit with a level of frustration I haven't had in a while. Not with the writing - that's going really well. But with the writing business. I started wondering why I was doing this to myself. Why was I wasting my time working on stories nobody wants to buy? Especially when I could be doing other things. I also enjoy sewing and crafts. I enjoy reading - a lot! I enjoy many other things that I haven't been doing as much since I became a "serious" writer.

What brought this on was my reading another book that is certainly not impressing me. If I was reading it for myself, I'd toss it in my "donate" pile, unfinished. But I don't have that luxury. I'm a first-line judge in a contest and I have to read this entry. It is a published book - published by one of the big boys in New York - and it makes me wonder why I can't get my foot in the door.

The characters are stereotypical. The plot is plodding. And remember my blog from yesterday? There are so many grammatical errors, I could write an entire book just on that alone. But it is a published book. The writer has an agent (you have to have one to get in this publisher's door). There must be something good in there somewhere for both an agent and an editor to want this book. Or is it just the name? This is a multi-published author - and in the past, I've enjoyed her books. But not this one.

But even if she wasn't a "name" - I've read other books of late that are just as bad, if not worse. I've heard the same from others too. The quality of work has taken a downturn. And it shows in sales numbers being down. So why do agents represent these books? Why do editors buy them? What makes them so much more worthy than my work?

I've won contests; gotten really good reviews on the two e-books I have out; gotten good feedback from "professional" writers who have looked at my stuff.

So why can't I get my foot in the door?

And why do I keep doing this to myself?

Because I can't *not* write. Even if I never sell another book, I will continue to write. I will continue to pursue my dream of holding an actual book in my hand with my name on the cover. I am a writer. It's what I do.

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Birthdays: William Randolph Hearst

Tips and Teasers: You get a call from an old friend you haven't seen or spoken with in years. The friend invites you to lunch at a posh restaurant, his(her) treat. When you get there, you find your friend is very different. How? What happened?

Thought for the day: "I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Proofreading Rant

Where have all the proofreaders gone? What about copy editors? And if you don't know what either of them are, then there is all the "proof" I need that there is no hope for grammarians.

On one of the lists I belong to, one writer was talking about all the mistakes she found in a book she was reading. Her comment started a discussion about copy editors and proofreaders. These are the people who supposedly know grammar, spelling, word usage and can pick up mistakes before something is published. A proofreader is someone who finds those mistakes everyone else missed before the work goes out to the public. I don't believe anyone hires proofreaders anymore. And in many cases, I don't think they use copy editors either.

But the blame doesn't belong completely on the publishers shoulders. It belongs to writers as well. In that list discussion, one woman complained that a reader had sent her a list of mistakes found in her published novel (one published by the big boys in New York). The writer went on to say that she didn't understand how so many mistakes got through - she'd put her manuscript through every editing program the computer had.

And therein lies the problem. Every editing program "the computer" had. I'm assuming she means spell check and grammar check. Please. Those programs will pick up the more glaring errors, but they will not pick up words that are spelled correctly but misused. In some cases, a grammar check will pick up a misuse, but if the person doing the correcting doesn't know the problem to begin with, they're not going to understand the misuse underlining.

For instance, several ones I ran into constantly when I was a copy editor:
they're/their/there - writers tend to especially mix up they're and their. They're is a contraction for 'they are' while 'their' is a possessive pronoun (It is their ball).

It's/Its - the first is a contraction for 'it is' (it's (it is) cold outside) while the second, again, is a possessive pronoun (the dog lost its bone)

Breathe/breath - one is a verb (breathe - sounds like reed) , the other is a noun(breath - sounds like death) - I can't breathe. I can't get my breath.

Others that are often mixed up: choose/chose, loose/lose, wine/whine, accept/except, etc.

There are many mixed up words that I could go into here, but I won't. This isn't a grammar lesson. But I do have a strong suggestion for all writers out there. Pick up a copy of Strunk and White's "Elements of Style" or any good grammar book and read it - and use it. Learn your craft.

Yes, we all make mistakes. None of us is infallible. But knowing what is right and wrong when you write will help keep writers from having to send us letters full of mistakes. I'd much rather get a letter telling me how much they loved my book than one telling me I goofed on page 109.

Wouldn't you?
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Birthdays: Harper Lee, Terry Pratchett

Tips and Teasers: Start a spreadsheet or ledger sheet, one for each manuscript you have, and track who it is sent to, when, how much it cost you to send, and what the response was.

Thought for the day: "I write plays for people who wouldn’t be seen dead in the theatre." - Barrie Keeffe

More to come

I'll write later when I have time - and something to say. :)

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Birthdays: Mary Wollstonecraft

Tips and Teasers: Finish this using sunshine, ice storm, valentine: The day I died…

Thought for the day: "You just can't beat the person who never gives up." - Babe Ruth

What keeps you reading on?

I was watching a DVD of the show "Angel" last night. I'm up to the fourth season. I never really watched the series when it was on, but on others recommendations, am finding it now. I enjoy the show for the most part (have some trouble with the gory parts).

One thing I find interesting is the way the writer's end each show. They don't end the show so much as give you a teaser for the next show. There's always some type of cliff hanger that forces you to watch the next one...and the next...and the next.

In writing classes I've taken and books I've read on writing, this technique is recommended for chapter endings. Always end on a cliff hanger, never with someone going to sleep. If you end at a point where the reader can put the book down, they will. But if you keep the suspense building, they'll have to keep reading.

I agree with this to a point. You do want to keep your reader reading, but you don't want to frustrate them by never giving them a down time either. With chapter endings this is a good thing, but with book endings, it's not. Yes, it forces the reader to buy the next book. It's a good marketing technique. But it is one I deplore. I hate a book that does not end and will often refuse to buy any more books by that author just because of that. If that means I don't know what happens, so be it.

But what about series, you ask. Books where there is a thread through them all, like Harry Potter? In each of the earlier books, he did not completely defeat his nemesis, but he did take care of the task for that book. He found the Sourcerer's Stone; he killed the basilisk and saved Ginny; he helped his godfather and the gryffin go free. In each one, he had a task and took care of that task. I've read other series where this does not happen. The single book task is not completed until several books later. These are the books that get thrown out and no more purchased.

I want an ending that satisfies me. That means tying up most of the loose ends. Yes, if it's a series, you can leave one or two hanging, but give me an ending that solves at least one problem - especially the problem put forth for that particular book.

Since I am just now working on my own first series, I will hopefully be able to take care of this. I know what not to do. And, hopefully, I'll be able to take care of it in my own way.
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Birthdays: Maud Hart Lovelace, David Hume, Bernard Malamud

Tips and Teasers: Write a short piece using as many clichés, metaphors and similes as you can.

Thought for the day: "Fiction writing is a 24-hour a day occupation. It lives inside you. It resides and grows and comes alive in your mind." – Terry Brooks

Minor Characters

In my "Thought for the Day" today, Elmore Leonard makes a statement about minor characters talking themselves into a major part. When I first read this some time ago, I understood exactly what he meant, but I wouldn't have until I wrote Akashan'te.

In my book, Akashan'te, I have a character named Betzal. He is a servant to the villain. When I first conceived him, he was supposed to be such a minor character that he didn't even have a name, or not a name of importance. But Betzal had other plans.

He wove himself in and around the story to the point where he is such a major character that the hero and heroine can't succeed with their quest without him. And yet, he's still very non-heroic. He's just a little man who is trying to survive the worst that life can throw at him. And he does.

The interesting thing is, of all the characters who people talk about, he is the one everyone loves the most. This minor character who decided he needed a bigger role turned out to be the best one of all.
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Birthdays: Walter dela Mare, Edward R. Murrow

Tips and Teasers: Create an alter-ego. What is his/her name? Sex? Physical attributes? Be specific and detailed.

Thought for the day: "The best kind of character is one who starts out in a minor role – sometimes without even having a name – and talks his way into the plot." – Elmore Leonard

Book Review

A few weeks ago I told you briefly about a book I was reading for review. The review has just been posted (www.wantzuponatime.com) so I am free to post it here also.
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"Queen of Broken Hearts" by Cassandra King is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It is poignant, uplifting, tear-jerking and insightful.

When I opened the book to the first page, my heart plummeted. First person point of view – not my favorite. And I'd just finished another review book in first person that I most definitely did not like. Not only was this one in first person, but present tense – a double whammy. To say I started reading with a negative attitude in place would be a truism.

Then the story took over and I forgot about the point of view. While the present tense did occasionally intrude, the story was so well written that I couldn't count that against it. Like "Steel Magnolias" or "Fried Green Tomatoes", this is a story of the deep South, but it touches on themes that affect us all.

The story is set in a small Alabama coastal town and centers around Clare, a therapist who's got her own problems. Clare, a widow, runs group sessions and retreats for women going through divorce. Her work is everything to her, even taking precedence over the two men who want her as more than just a friend. She can dish out advice, but when it comes to taking it herself, Clare has more than a few problems.

Full of quirky characters, "Queen of Broken Hearts" will make you laugh and cry, cheer and boo, but most of all, it will make you keep reading to the very end. The story has a touch of romance and all the angst you can handle as you get a peek at the lives of the inhabitants of Fairhope. This one is definitely a keeper.
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Birthdays: Daniel Defoe, Robert Penn Warren, Sue Grafton, Elizabeth Goudge

Tips and Teasers: Create a story about a lie you once told – or someone once told you.

Thought for the day: "You need not be famous to write something worth remembering, worth preserving, worth publishing." – Charles Champlin

More on Characters

I started working on a new character for a new book last night. A female protagonist (heroine). While I've been working on her background, conflicts (both internal and external) and physical attributes, I'm also looking for a name. For me, the character doesn't become real until I have a name for him or her. And it can't be just any name. I can't write the character with a John Doe type of name and then come back and change it. The name has to be right from the start. So, how do you go about picking a name?

For me, I start with baby naming books and web sites. I look for those names whose meanings have the attributes I'm looking for in my character. Although Mabel or Gertrude are perfectly good names, they don't usually fit the idea of a heroine. Sidekick, yes, but not the main character. That is, not unless there's a very good reason - using the name as a counterpoint to the personality. Like in the song "A Boy Named Sue", giving the main character an unusual or odd name could be something they have to fight against and overcome.

So how do I name a female lead who is a loner, strong and independent, but incredibly lonely. Someone who possibly has a physical handicap she wants to hide? Someone who controls a power that others fear, and yet need? The world is medieval so her name can't be a modernistic one either. She needs a strong name, yet one that has a gentle side.

The hero is a man of principles, but a dark past that he keeps hidden. He sees much and tries to help where he can, but his past haunts him. Will he step up when the need arises and help the woman? Or allow evil to take over, thus sealing his fate - and that of the world - forever? What is my dark hero's name?

The villain is a man who believes he is doing what is best for his land. Yes, the way he goes about it is unprincipled and uncivilized, but to him, it will result in the ultimate good. Unfortunately, his ideals are deluded. He is driven by tragedy in his past and pursued by guilt and vengeance. He needs a strong name, yet one that can be overcome.

I'll let you know what names I come up with for my characters. Or you can give me your suggestions.
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Birthdays: Vladimir Nabokov, William Shakespeare

Tips and Teasers: You've been asked to create a character for your favorite TV show. What show is it? What kind of character would you create? Would s/he be a bad guy or a good guy? What would happen?

Thought for the day: "Rejections slips are living proof that I sent my work forth, that I am being read, that I am casting my lot. They help define me to my writing self." – Shelly Lowenkopf

Villains

We've talked about heroes and heroines, but in order for them to be heroic, they need something or someone to fight against. Thus, we have the villain (insert bad guy type music here).

So what makes a good villain? I had this discussion last night with son and daughter-in-law - who are both very intelligent, very creative (see www.zoidland.com) and have backgrounds in writing, so know what they are talking about. Anyway, we decided that the best villains are characters who believe they are doing something for the right reasons, but just in the wrong way. Yes, there are bad guys (or girls) who are just plain bad - greed and avarice take over and they do nasty things to get to the top and remain there. But a really good villain is someone who believes that what he or she is doing is the right thing.

Take for instance Lionel Luther on Smallville - he believes finding out what makes the "mutants" (those who have changed due to the meteor rocks) stronger or faster or different will help others. Yes, he goes about it in the wrong way, but he believes he is doing the right thing.

Now a purely evil villain was Angelus on the Buffy and Angel series. He was just out for blood - literally - and had no redeeming qualities, but Angel did. He had remorse and tried to atone for what his alter-ego did.

The Borg of Star Trek fame believed they were making the universe a better, more logical place by assimilating entire cultures. By making everyone the same, there would be no more problems. They had good intentions, but the wrong ideas.

So who do you think are good villains? Why?
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Birthdays: Charlotte Bronte, Thomas McMahon, Elaine May, Barbara Park

Tips and Teasers: In the best stories, the main character has to not only overcome the external problem, but internal problems as well. She should change as a person, grow and become better. Make a character chart with internal and external conflicts.

Thought for the day: "Writing is not about degrees or vocabulary or diagramming a sentence. It is simply about the desire to tell a story." - Fannie Flagg

Heroines

Yesterday I talked about heroes. Today, we'll look at the other side and discuss heroines. So what makes a good heroine? For me, she has to be someone who can take care of herself, and yet isn't above getting help when necessary.

Some characters I see as heroines include Jessica Alba's character in "Dark Angel". She was tough as nails, yet had a soft side. She helped those who were in trouble - especially when their trouble wasn't of their own making.

I also liked Willow in the Buffy series - I liked her more than Buffy. Yes, Buffy was the heroine. She had the might and the drive and the mission. Willow helped because she wanted to. She didn't have to - she wanted to. And she had flaws (dark Willow had definite issues).

Cordelia in the Angel series - again, she had something thrust upon her (the visions) that she didn't want, but she dealt with them and used them to help others.

Who are your favorite heroines?
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Birthdays: Marcus Aurelius

Tips and Teasers: This is National Look Alike Day and your character has a doppelganger – a body double – but this one is opposite in personality and creates havoc for him. How does the hero deal with him? Do they meet? What happens?

Thought for the day: "The trick is not in becoming a writer, it is staying a writer. Day after week after month after year." – Harlan Ellison

Favorite Heroes

I was reading another blog this morning - one where they asked who were your favorite heroes from books or other media (TV, movies, etc.). There were the usual postings - including mine - that include eye candy for women - Johnny Depp, Pierce Brosnan, etc. And that's good. But what makes a hero - beyond looks?

For me, the James Bond character is a good guy, but is he a hero? Yes, he always saves the day but he is an unrepentant womanizer. Okay, I know he got married and there is a valid reason for his jumping from bed to bed, but for me, that's not necessarily a good thing. But it does make him a good character - he's got major good qualities as well as some flaws.

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies - definitely good looking, but a hero? He's a bad guy with a good streak. He's got flaws - and plenty of them - but also quite a few redeeming qualities.

Harrison Ford as both Han Solo and Indiana Jones - hero or not? He helps save the day in the Star Wars movies and finds what he's looking for in the Jones movies. But with definite problems in both.

The character of Hiro in the "Heroes" TV series is a hero for me also. He's not leading man handsome, but he's got courage and determination. He is out to make the world a better place, but makes a lot of mistakes along the way.

In the Stargate-SG1 series, I liked all the men, but Daniel was my favorite. Not only good to look at, but his intelligence and compassion were huge. Yes, Jack was supposed to be the head, but I believe the writers made him too much of a joke at times - always playing the dumb, run in with guns blazing type. T'yuk was a good character, but, again, almost too stereotypical. Daniel was the character they could play with the most. He could, and did, use guns, but he preferred to think things out first.

In Star Trek, over the years, I'd lean towards Worf, Spock and Picard. There are many others, but these three stand out in my mind. Worf, just because he was an interesting character - a man from a violent culture who developed a softer side over time. Spock and Picard because of their intelligence and warrior abilities.

There are more, but I'll stop here with these . So what does make a hero? What makes a character appear larger than life? This goes back to my blog of a few days ago when I was trying to figure out good character development. These three characters are good guys - with bad streaks (or bad guys with good ones). They have flaws - they aren't perfect.


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Birthdays: Sarah Kemble Knight

Tips and Teasers: Who are your favorite heroes and why? What makes them special to you? What, beyond looks, makes them a hero?

Thought for the day: "Just keep the thing going any why you can." – Tennessee Williams

Surprising Progress - but still a lot to do

Yesterday I decided to work on an older manuscript I have finished but haven't really edited much yet. One thing it needs is an additional 20,000 words. At 53,000 words, it's rather short - definitely not my usual 100,000. To my surprise, I got through a hundred pages. I only added four, but I'm sure I'll add more in the coming chapters. I noted as I read along that the further I got into the manuscript, the more dialog and less description I had.

While this is not a bad thing, it's kind of like being at a tennis match or some kind of ball sport where the two people involved are perfectly matched. All you do is watch the ball (birdie, etc.) go back and forth, back and forth, with no real action to break up what is happening. I guess a better analogy would be to compare it to being in a room while eavesdropping on a conversation. You can hear everything, but have no idea what is really going on.

So I need to add action; give the characters something to do.

I doubt that I'll be able to get much done today as there is so much going on for me, but it will give me a day to think about things. I need to balance the dialog with action - and still give the reader something to enjoy.

Gee, this writing stuff is hard work! :)
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Birthdays: George Henry Lewes, Richard Harding Davis, Etheridge Knight

Tips and Teasers: There is a flood (or other disaster). You live alone and have no pets so there is nobody else to worry about but yourself. You have two valuable collections but only time enough to save one. Which one do you choose?

Thought for the day: "The last thing we decide about a book is what to put first." – Blaise Pascal

Doing Your Own Work (A Rant)

I am a huge advocate of doing your own research. When you have a question, definitely ask people - hopefully people who know what they're talking about - but also do your own work and look things up. Use the internet, use books, use whatever you need to. Collect the information, then make an informed choice or decision.

Where is all this leading and why? A peeve. I belong to a lot of writer-related lists. We all help each other out when we can - we give information on agents, editors, houses, research for background on a current work in progress, writing tips, etc. And it works great. But there are abusers - as there are everywhere.

Here's where the rant on the peeve comes in. One list I'm on has a woman who is constantly asking for addresses for agents, editors, houses, etc. Once in a while is okay, but this is a constant for her. The information is easily accessible on the web, she just won't do it. She claims she can't find anything on the computer. Several of us have tried to teach her how to access the information. We've given her exact URL's to plug in, we've guided her and helped her. I no longer do. And I've noticed others who have been on the list for some time are not doing so either. We will no longer enable her.

I know another writer who does not use a computer. That's fine. That is her choice. But I don't want to hear her complaints about how long it takes her to type a manuscript and make corrections. She has a computer available - she just refuses to use it.

These women are uncomfortable with technology - and I can understand that. The electronic age is advancing at an astounding rate and it is difficult to keep up with all the new stuff that is coming out everyday. But if you're going to be a writer, you should know about the basic tools of the trade - and they go beyond a pen and a piece of paper. Working on a computer puts the world at your fingertips. You can write, edit, revise all with simple key strokes. You can check out spelling or a thesaurus or dictionary. You can look up references on the web. Yes, it takes time to learn all this stuff, but it can be done.

As a counterpoint, I will speak about another woman - she took over the newsletter for our local writer's group from me. When she took it over, she was admittedly computer-illiterate. She's now had it for a little over a year and is doing a good job. Yes, it has been a challenge for her, but she is learning and I admire her courage for stretching beyond her comfort boundaries.

The point of this rant is (yes, I have one) is that we have so much available to us these days. We need to learn how to access it, evaluate it, and use it. Yes, ask questions. It is the only way to learn. But be willing to do some of the work yourself too. You'll find people much more willing to help you if you show that you put some effort into it yourself.
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Birthdays: Thornton Wilder, Cynthia Ozick

Tips and Teasers: Write a scene using words of only one syllable and short sentences, ala "See Spot run." But do it as a murder mystery.

Thought for the day: "The beginning of a novel is a time of awful torment, when you’re dealing with a lot of dead pieces and you have to wait and wait for some sort of animation." - Iris Murdoch

Lemonade

Here in the northeast of the US, it is a blustery day. Temps are in the low 40's with high winds (50 mph gusts) and blowing spits of snow and rain. Yuck.

So what am I going to do about it? Not much I can do. But I can curl up with a good book - mine or someone else's. I can put the time to good use. At least on a day like this, I don't mind sitting in my office typing away at my computer or curled up in a comfy chair with a cup of hot tea and a good read. Unlike a beautiful, balmy spring day that begs you to be outside in the sunshine.

So I guess this nasty weather is a good thing (in a way - trying to make lemonade here). Yes, there are a lot of bad things - floods, trees down, accidents - but there is good in there too.

And that's kind of what characters in a book should be like (didn't think I could bring this around to writing, did you?). A villain shouldn't be all bad. There should be a reason for his villainy, a spark of decency in there somewhere. A hero shouldn't be all good - he or she should have quirks that make them human. Let them lose their tempers, make mistakes. Almost nothing is all bad or all good - find the flaw in your character and capitalize on it.

Make the lemonade from the lemons.
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Birthdays: Kingsly Amis, Anatole France

Tips and Teasers: Writing is not supposed to be torture. Yes, there are days when it is difficult but if you are dreading it, then you may be writing the wrong thing. Try changing your point of view and have fun with it.

Thought for the day: "Edit, edit, edit. Scrape off the dirt so that the diamonds can shine. A lot of writing is knowing what to take away." Erica Jong

Nothing to do

My husband just left for work and asked me what I was going to work on this evening since I'd just finished my latest manuscript - or since I didn't have anything to do, was I going to goof off.

Yes, he's still alive.

I informed him that I have five manuscripts awaiting my editorial touch, one I just started which means filling out my character charts, creating my world, etc., editors and agents to research and submit to, research to do, and if I get bored with all that, that toppling pile of to be read books filling my shelves.

A writer never has nothing to do. If she does, she's not doing something right. Even when we are idle, our subconscious brain is working on collecting tidbits for inclusion in a story somewhere - that quirky haircut on the checkout guy, the aroma coming from the local chocolate factor, the dark windows of the house down the street - yes, the one with all the "No Trespassing" signs and the overgrown lawn. Even when we do nothing, we are doing something.

So what am I going to do tonight? Not sure yet. I'll let you know tomorrow. Probably more editing. Or not. :)
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Birthdays: Henry Thomas, Leonardo da Vinci, Henry James

Tips and Teasers: This day is more important than just for having your taxes in. It’s also Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday. Write a scene with Mona Lisa as the main character.

Thought for the day: "Be not merely good. Be good for something." - Cicero

Characterization

I had an interesting talk with my eldest son and his wife yesterday. They are two of the most creative people I know and with their backgrounds in writing, literature and journalism, I trust them implicitly when it comes to writing.

So when they sit me down and say they might have an idea what's wrong with my books - I listen. Okay, it hurt a little - but I'm a realist. I *know* there's something wrong. I'm not Stephen King or J.K. Rawlings - so I listen. And, hopefully, I'll learn.

One thing they noted was that my characters don't seem real. There's not enough "umph" to them. I will admit, I do much better creating backgrounds and worlds than I do people, but I am trying. I'm learning and I'm improving. One thing I do is to create an entire background for my characters before I start. I have a chart I fill out that includes their physical characteristics, but also their likes, dislikes, family history, schooling, etc. - everything that makes a person a person. But I also need to work on their motivations and internal and external conflicts. One question my kids asked was "How would he react if someone cut him off in traffic?" I don't have those kinds of questions - my questions are surface ones. I need the deeper ones - the ones that show their emotions and reasons for why they are like they are.

So, I'm going to keep learning. I'm going to do some reading and study characterization and see what I can do to improve my characters.

And I'm going to keep listening to them because they know what they're talking about.
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Birthdays: James Cabell, Arnold Toynbee

Tips and Teasers: Don’t be your own worst enemy. Forget about “But first syndrome (I want to do this, but first I need to do this…but first, I need to do that…but first…). The mind can find five hundred different excuses that stop you from writing. Tell it to shut up and let you get to work.

Thought for the day: "Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go." – E.L. Doctorow

Searching for Words

My small writer's group met yesterday - what a hoot! I love getting together with them. We always have a great time and yesterday was even better as we edged one of our members over the hill for her 40th birthday. Hope you had fun, V.

In addition to the fun, we actually do talk about writing. One of the subjects yesterday was editing and the words we look for - mostly useless or overused words that can be replaced with stronger, more compelling words or phrases. Our very short list of ones we tend to overuse includes:

it (often used way too many times in a small area)
that (can be a useless word easily discarded, as in: can be a useless word *that is* easily...)
was/were (can indicate passive rather than active writing)
made (he made me laugh - I laughed)
feel/felt (can indicate telling rather than showing: she felt sad - sadness overwhelmed her)
sense (same as above: he sensed her sadness - her shoulder drooped and tears streaked her face)
a bit (one of my biggies: I'll be back in a bit - I'll be back shortly)
just (Like that, just can be a useless word: just as she stepped into the room - As she stepped into the room...)
Suddenly (watch overuse of this: Suddenly a shot rang out - A shot rang out)
Really (an adverb that is often used to modify a weak verb: the garbage smelled really bad - the garbage reeked)
Realized (this is similar to felt above)

Those are just a few of our issues. When I'm editing, I go through and do a search/replace on each word and have the program replace all the words with highlighted ones. That way, I can immediately see where the problems are. It makes the corrections go much faster.

Now if I could just find a program that keeps me from using them in the first place!
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Birthdays: Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Eudora Welty, Thomas Jefferson, Marguerite Henry

Tips and Teasers: How badly do you want to be a writer? If you want to be one, you have to make writing a priority. What are you willing to give up to be a writer?

Thought for the day: "80% of success is showing up." - Woody Allen

When To Say Enough

I have a manuscript I've been shipping around. It's been critiqued by my partners and had a full line edit done by an agent, who's boss then rejected it (that one really hurt). I've had people read over it and tell me to lose the first chapter - other say don't because it sets the story up - others say lose parts of it - others say don't. It's won contests and gotten good comments. It's at the point now where I don't want to do any more edits - no more. Either someone will see the beauty of this manuscript, or they won't. If they don't, that's okay. I still love the book.

When you've written "The End" on a manuscript, beginning writer's think the hard part is over. After all, they've written a book. This is a huge accomplishment and I applaud anyone who gets to this stage. But this is only the beginning of the work. Next comes the editing.

Some writers are naive enough to think an agent or editor will do all the editing for them. It doesn't matter if they can't spell, don't know the difference between they're/their/there, if their punctuation isn't correct - or even if their plot lines don't work out. They believe all they have to do is write a book and the publishers will come calling.

It's one reason why there are so many appalling self-published books out there. (Yes, there are also some horribly edited books put out by major publishers - but that's another day's writing.)

But when do you say enough? When do you stop tweaking? Stop changing this word or that line? When do you really say "The End"?

Good question. There comes a point when you just have to get it in your mind that you *are* done and send it out. I've reached that point with this manuscript. I've taken everyone's advice, re-written multiple times, tweaked and edited every chapter, line and word. It's time to let go and get on with other projects.

And cross my fingers that someone somewhere will like this book enough to pick it up.
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Birthdays: Beverly Cleary, Tom Clancy, Scott F. Turow

Tips and Teasers: Write a scene about something you're doing - perhaps a walk you take. Write it both from your perspective as an adult, and from a child's perspective.

Thought for the day: "I find the greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving." Oliver Wendell Holmes

What I'm Reading

I'm fighting a nasty headache and have way too much to do today, so instead of writing, I thought I'd sit down with a good book and do some reading. It's not like I don't have anything to read - I've got over a hundred books in my to be read pile. And I know I've got more coming as the requests for reviews keep coming in.

So what am I reading? One I would never have picked up myself. But it is a review book, so... the nice thing is, I'm finding it rather enjoyable. The book is called "Queen of Broken Hearts". I'm not going to tell you any more right now because I haven't finished it yet and I do need to write that review - but it will probably be a favorable one. :)

Other books in my pile: Misty Simon's "Poison Ivy" series. I love her wry wit and the fact that her heroines are gorgeous runway models who do everything perfectly. They are real women whose arms jiggle and thighs rub, but they still have hot times and lots of adventures.

Megan Hart's books - the next one out from Harlequin Spice is called "Broken". It's not out yet, but will definitely be on my "buy" list.

I just finished Natalie Damschroder's "Indulgence" anthology. This collection of short stories had me sitting on the edge of my seat, laughing, holding my breath - and definitely fanning myself. If you like hot, hot, hot, try this one.

Other authors on my to be read shelf: Maureen Child, Linnea Sinclair, Gena Showalter, Sandra Hill, Rachel Lee, Judith McWilliams, Susan Krinard, Lindsay McKenna, Diane Setterfield, Paulo Coelho, Audrey Niffenegger

And that's just one shelf. I've got several more to go. Guess I'd better stop writing, and get to reading. I can't wait. :)

What are you reading?
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Birthdays:Glenway Wescott, Leo Rosten

Tips and Teasers: Be consistent. If your character has green eyes in chapter one, make sure they’re not blue in chapter ten (or give a very good and plausible reason for the change).

Thought for the day: "There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes." - William John Bennett

Teachers and Writing

On one of my lists, we are discussing literature and English teachers. Over the years, I've had many, but three stick out in my mind - two from high school, one from college. Of the two in high school, one remains in my mind because of her love of literature and her ability to pass that love onto others. With her, the books we "had" to read were not a chore, but became fun. We took scenes from Shakespeare and put them in modern day and acted them out. We took poetry and put it to music of our own choosing - or we wrote our own poetry and put it to music. We looked at writing as more than just words put to paper. With her, the stories came alive. Though I do not remember her name, I do remember her class.

The other two are forever in my memory for the opposite reason - because of their cynicism, their obvious hatred of having to earn their livings teaching. Their disdain and strict adherence to the so-called classics created classes of boredom and hatred of all things written. They had their favorite authors and shoved them down our throats until we choked. To this day, I cannot look at a work of Faulkner's without shuddering. Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" gives me nightmares. From them, I learned nothing. Thank goodness I had my love of reading and writing already deeply instilled in me because their classes would have turned me away from it forever.

To one, my everlasting gratitude. To the others, a raspberry and a hope that somewhere over the years they learned to enjoy a good book somewhere.
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Birthdays: Joseph Pulitzer, Clare Boothe Luce, Paul Theroux

Tips and Teasers: Write a letter of appreciation to a former teacher. If the teacher is still alive, send it.

Thought for the day: "I never know quite when I’m not writing." – James Thurber

Dream On

Had an interesting dream last night - all about fairies (the kind with wings) and elves and changlings. I believe it will be a short story, but not sure yet. I've made all my notes and will file them with the rest of my story ideas.

I love it when ideas come to me like that - in the middle of the night - or any time, really. That flash of inspiration - that aha! moment. And you write the idea down furiously so you don't forget it.

Freud would have a field day with my dreams. I never dream about falling or flying or appearing naked in front of a group. My dreams (or at least the ones I remember) are always about my stories or future stories - about fantasy creatures and plot lines. It is from my dreams that I get my best ideas.

In addition to the changling dream, I also had a middle of the night 'aha' moment where I figured out a problem I am having with my current WIP. I got an idea that will require a major rewrite of several scenes, but I believe it will make the story stronger by adding a deeper dimension to the overall work.

I can't wait to get to work on these ideas - but first, other responsibilities must be seen to. By tonight - when I have time to work - the ideas will have had time to simmer and should be ready to go.

Progress last night - 203 pages edited.
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Birthdays: Charles-Pierre Baudelaire, Paule Marshall

Tips and Teasers: While walking through a parking garage, you hear a thump coming from the trunk of a car. What do you do?

Thought for the day: "Writing fiction is ... an endless and always defeated effort to capture some quality of life without killing it." – Rose Wilder Lane

Editing Your Own Stuff

I spent last night working on edits of my bounty hunter book. My husband keeps asking me how it's going - and I keep telling him "very slowly".

And it is. This is the first time through. My way of looking at my work may be convoluted, but it works for me. I know there are specific words that I overuse, so the first thing I do is go through the ms and look for those words. I do a global highlight of each word in a different color and work through the ms. line by line, tweaking, changing, or not, depending on the sentence. Then I look for punctuation issues. Then I look for "ly" words - weak adverbs that can be changed to strong verbs. Then I go through it again and just read for continuity and understanding. Then plot points. On a 400 page ms., all this takes a lot of time.

But I know when I'm done, I'll have a much better manuscript. The last thing I do is send it off to my crit partners. Then I start plugging in their corrections - the ones I missed.

In the meantime, my new story is percolating - notes are being jotted down - research is being done. The excitement of starting a new book is what keeps you going when you're bogged down by the tedium of finishing the previous one.

I can't wait to get this one done so I can work on the next one. It's going to be great! ;)
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Birthdays: Barbara Kinsolver, Buddha, John Fante, Seymour Hersh

Tips and Teasers: Don’t let your characters play Hamlet and give long, windy speeches.

Thought for the day: "Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson after." - Anon.

Writing Groups

I just got back from my regular monthly meeting of my writer's group. What a hoot. Yes, we are all writers and are there to talk about writing - we do have serious discussions. But we also have fun. It's a time when we talk about the ups and downs of writing and publishing; about the hoops you have to jump through to get your foot in the door.

Today, we had a panel discussion about the differences between publishing with a small press, e-pub, micropress, and a large house. Even though I was one of the panelists (e-publication), I found the discussion enlightening. One of my friends had graduated from e-publication to a large romance publisher and her experiences are interesting.

One thing we all had in common was the dreaded editorial deadlines. In her case, she was not given any notice on when her edits were coming. They showed up on her doorstep the day before she left for vacation - and she had one week to get them done and back in. For me, the edits took a week, but for the final line edits, I was given 48 hours notice that it was coming, then 24 hours to complete it and send it back. The publisher has since expanded that to 72 hours - mostly because emergencies do happen and sometimes, it's not possible to get things back that fast.

One other panelist was just accepted by a medium-sized publisher who publishes only hardbacks for the library industry. Unfortunately for her, their guidelines on what is allowable as far as touching goes in their romance line is extremely strict. It it's more than a chaste kiss, the scene is cut.

We all lamented about the amount of time and money we had to put in for promoting our books. Some of the pubs don't even send out review copies. Fortunately for me, Cerridwen Press does and I am most grateful. The bottom line is, writing the book is just a small part of this business. You have to be ready to get the edits done on their timeline, take care of author bios, cover art suggestions (for those pubs where you have input), take care of promotions - all while getting your next book written.

While it is an enormous amount of work and can be expensive, depending on what you do, I for one am extremely happy that my books got published and that they are selling.

Overall, we had a lively, interesting discussion and I hope some of our other members came away with an idea of what is necessary to get a book out there. For those of you not there yet, hang in there and don't quit trying. All the work really is worth it when you can point at a book or a CD and say "That's my book!"
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Birthdays: William Wordsworth, Gabriela Mistral, Donald Barthelme

Tips and Teasers: What is one thing from your past that would completely embarrass you in the eyes of your friends and/or family?

Thought for the day: "In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength, but by perseverance." - H. Jackson Brown.

Reality

We did the calculations. Nobody writes 1476 pages a day. Or even 133 pages a day. The best that any one of us has done is around 40 pages - and then she was so wiped out, she didn't write the next day.

Then the one that suggested we count words instead of pages. In that case, the five of us have 664,692 words so far this year. That's only manuscripts - it doesn't include our blogging or e-mails or other things we write.

Not bad at all. In fact, I think it's great. It's only April and we're already more than a quarter of a way to our goal of 2,000,000 words.

On my side, I've been adding to my notes for my new WIP and working on edits of my other stories, getting them ready to submit. I continue to reap rejections, though, for my Blood Harp story. It is an incredible story - the best I've written - I've had at least one agent do a complete line edit of it (then he passed away so that fell through). It is the story of my heart. I know it will sell somewhere- I just need to find the right person to connect with.

Of course, maybe it's not my story, but my query letters. I have a terrible time writing them as well as synopses. But all I can do is keep trying.

That's all anyone can do.

In the meantime, I'll keep working, keep improving, keep adding to the word count total.
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Birthdays: Lowell Thomas

Tips and Teasers: When was the last time you laughed hard? Or cried harder? What happened to make that moment so emotional? Write this as a scene, focusing on the emotions you want your reader to feel.

Thought for the day: "Today’s preparation determines tomorrow’s achievement." - Robert Schuller

Counting Pages

My small group of writer friends and I have set ourselves a challenge. We've gotten an estimate of how many pages we've already done this year and are going to combine them and see how close we can get to two million pages this year.

Two million pages. Wow. Let's see, there are five of us so that computes to four hundred thousand each. There are 271 days left in the year so that's 1476 pages a day. Yeah, right.

Maybe we can expand it to include our larger writer's group. There are approximately thirty of us (I think a few more, but I'm not sure at this moment). But that still makes it 133 pages a day for each of us with no time off.

Okay, we may have to either expand this to include editing pages or more people, or cut the goal in half. But we are going to see what we can do.

It is an interesting challenge.
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Birthdays: Robert Bloch, Hugo Claus, Arthur Halley

Tips and Teasers: In China, Ching Ming is a day when people visit the graves of their ancestors. Take a trip to a cemetery – the older, the better – and note dates, ages, names epitaphs if any. Pick one – or several – and come up with reasons why they died.

Thought for the day: "Writing ought either to be the manufacture of stories for which there is a market demand—a business as safe and commendable as making soap or breakfast foods—or it should be an art, which is always a search for something for which there is no market demand, something new and untried, where the values are intrinsic and have nothing to do with standardized values." – Willa Cather

New Stories

I swore Sunday night when I wrote "The End" on my celestial bounty hunter story that I was going to take the week off. That I wasn't going to write. That I needed the break from writing.

Hah. So much for those plans. As I was sitting in front of the TV last night, vegging out by watching "House" - an idea came to me - and it had absolutely nothing to do with the show. ;) This is an idea that's been percolating for a couple of months but I haven't had the time to do more than jot down a note or two and stick in my "possibilities" file.

But last night, the character decided she needed me to tell her story. So I started jotting more notes. I didn't get much more than a couple of pages mostly because I had a blinding headache and was dead tired, but I did get enough that I'll be able to work on her today.

Wheeeee! I have a new story to write. It's a paranormal (of course), set on another world, medieval in setting, with a touch of romance. I can't wait to see how it turns out.
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April 4

Birthdays: Margarite Duras, Remy de Gourmont, Maya Angelou

Tips and Teasers: Some evening, light a single candle and turn off all other lights. How are your surroundings different? Imagine this is all you have for lighting. What would be different for you? Why?

Thought for the day: "I always write a good first line, but I have trouble in writing the others." -Moliere [Jean Baptiste Poquelin]

Buying Books

I got two books yesterday that I ordered. They are by one of my best friends so I would have bought them anyway, even if I didn't enjoy them. But I do. They are funny and sexy and have a touch of mystery in them and they are relatively short. Everything you need in a quick, fun read. Oh, but if you're looking for model perfect heroine's who have it all, don't go here. The main character has angst, is overweight - and knows it. The characters are as real as your next door neighbor. Check out Misty Simon for some fun. Her wit and sense of wry humor will keep you chuckling while the mystery keeps you guessing. (www.mistysimon.com)

So that's two more books to add to my "to be read" (TBR) pile. The pile is growing. I probably have over a hundred books there right now, but I keep buying books and adding to it. No, it's not an obsession - not quite. I just like books. Some people collect coins, other collect knick-knacks, I even know a couple of people who do nothing but collect dust. My thing is books. I love them. I love to read them (well, most of them), I love to see them there on my shelves. When I pick up one that I've read before, it's like visiting with an old friend. Sure, you know everything there is to know about the friend, but you still like him/her and go there anyway. And I like finding new friends.

Plus my computer is heavily weighted with e-books. Some of which I print out, others I download to my PDA or burn to a disk. Some of my favorite authors are going the e-book route, as I did. It is becoming more and more popular and common and e-book readers and PDAs make reading them even easier and more convenient.

Gee, I've got an extra five minutes - think I'll go see what I can read.... or buy to read.... ;)
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April 3

Birthdays: Washington Irving, John Burroughs, Jane Goodall

Tips and Teasers: April is a month of changes – from winter to spring, dark to light, cold to warm. What changes do you need to make to be a better writer? How can you make them?

Thought for the day: "The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." – Henry Ward Beecher

Rewriting

I finished my story last night - all 383 pages of it. One of my friends noted that I had done 57 pages yesterday and was amazed.

Oops. I neglected to say it was mostly re-writing and not new stuff. I had these scenes, cobbled together from other stories I'd written and scrapped a long time ago. And they were exactly what I wanted for this story. So I took the scenes, reworked them to fit this story and, voila, a whole bunch of pages done with half the work.

Now I don't know if they'll be any good or not. Right now, I refuse to look at this story for a while. I need time away from it. But last night, they worked - and actually worked better than the new stuff I wrote earlier in the book. At least *I* think they did. ;)

Early on in my writing career, someone had told me to never throw anything away. Since I'm a bit of a pack rat, the advice wasn't hard to follow - even though she was specifically talking about cutting scenes from my writing. When you cut something, save it. You might be able to use it somewhere else. And that's what I did. And it worked.

Something to keep in mind when you're editing and rewriting. Go ahead and cut, but don't destroy. Who knows when that snippet might come in handy?
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April 2

Birthdays: Heinrich Hoffman, Hans Christian Andersen, Emile Zola, Giacome Casanova

Tips and Teasers: The first week of April is National Library week. Start a list of books you’ve read. Include author, title and a brief blurb. Did you like it? Why or why not? Be specific. “It’s boring” or “Great read” won’t cut it.

Thought for the day: "Anybody can write a three-volume novel. It merely requires a complete ignorance of both life and literature." - Oscar Wilde

The Power of Words

Many times, we as authors forget the power our words have. Especially fiction writers. We sit in our offices or at little cafes and coffee shops and work out our stories, never realizing what we write may have the power to change lives.

This was brought home to me this week - not from a story I wrote, but from an e-mail - specifically, an e-mail of complaint. For the last two weeks, when I picked up our Sunday paper from the porch and removed the plastic wrapper, I was hit with a aroma of perfume. While not unpleasant, you have to understand that I am allergic to perfumes. They cause me to have trouble breathing and give me a migraine-like headache. We had to throw the papers out without even reading them because some store decided to put a perfume sniffer into their insert.

So I wrote a letter of complaint to the paper telling them what had happened and that if it continued, I would have to cancel my subscription. I expected some platitudes. What I didn't expect was a personal call from the advertising department as they tried to track down who was putting the perfume inserts in their ads. Through a process of elimination, we figured out it was one of two stores and both were called by the paper and the culprit tracked down. I received an apology and assurances that my paper would be "clean" from now on. And I received a letter from the store doing the inserts informing me of the dates they would do this again and an apology for my inconvenience.

While I do not approve of their practice of inserting perfume samples - there are a lot more people out there like me who are sensitive to these things - I do applaud their attempt to alleviate the problem.

All this because I wrote one little letter of complaint. Our words do have importance. They resonate with others. They have the power to change things - even if it's only getting a reactive sample out of one paper. It is an action caused by my words.


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Progress last night - 57 pages

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April 1

Birthdays: Edgar Wallace, Edmond Rostand, Augusta Baker, Anne McCaffrey, Samuel Ray Delany

Tips and Teasers: This is April Fool’s Day. Why is it called this? In your current work in progress, would your character be the one playing the jokes – or be the butt of them? Why?

Thought for the day: "Enjoy the little things. One day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things." - Robert Brault