Friday, December 14th, 2012 Give your character a deadline and you’ve got instant tension in a story. And without tension, you’ve got no story (or maybe no good story).
This works in real life, too.
Case in point: I gave myself a deadline of tonight to have all of my Christmas prep done: present buying, gift wrapping, house cleaning, card sending, etc. Talk about tension! And tonight’s a mad scramble: I’ve got about eight more presents to wrap and 30 Christmas cards to get out the door.
And I’ve come pretty close to my goal. But, alas, there’s one mail-order item that hasn’t arrived yet, and one more gift that hasn’t been bought.
Still: the next 10 days are going to be pretty relaxing around here. And that was my goal, to get it all done so that I could spend some actual time enjoying the holiday instead of making a mad dash in the weeks that lead up to it.
(You’ll want to give your character more dire consequences, however, if you want some real drama in your story. Kidnap his girlfriend and give him five hours to get the ransom money. Have a job hang in the balance, or a long-standing relationship, or a life.)
Here’s Your Prompt:
- Write a scene where your character is presented with some kind of deadline. Make the stakes high, and have your character really struggle to meet it. Don’t let the answer to the problem come from an outside resource.
- Write the “consequences” scene if your character doesn’t meet her deadline.
- Journalers: write about a deadline you made in the nick of time. Talk about what would have happened if you hadn’t have made the deadline.
- Write a poem about figurative deadlines…fall turning into winter, the end of a long life, a road that goes nowhere. Invoke the feeling of a deadline, but don’t use the word deadline.
Good luck!
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012  There’s a little writing game circling the ‘net for writers to discuss their works in progress. Pati Nagle introduced me to it. When you’re done here, you should go read Pati’s responses.
I hope you enjoy this peek!
Q: What is the working title of your book?
A: Titles are so hard for me to come up with! I struggle. So, like most of my WIPs, this one has no title.
Q: Where did the idea come from for the book?
A: I wanted to write a book about a character that people could relate to – so I started off with the idea that my main character must have some real problems (and Assumpta has more than her fair share – starting with how much she hates her name)!
I still wanted her to have an edge — this finding ability — in order to accomplish great things. I started writing about her problems first — pantsing the plot — and the rest of it just fell together as I wrote.
Q: What genre does your book fall under?
A:Urban fantasy, I think, with a tad of erotica thrown in for spice.
(Erotica: totally not planned. While I was writing, the muse torched the plot line and came up with a love triangle.)
Q: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
A: I pick Italian actress Cristiana Capotondi to play Assumpta. (Doesn’t she look lovely in the movie poster for la peggior settimana della mia vita (The Worst Week of My Life)?) Gerard Butler must play Jak. I think he’s just hunky enough to pull it off. Poor Greg is the third wheel in the love triangle. I’m waffling over actors for this role, but in a pinch I’d choose Matthew McConaughey. He’s almost attractive enough to get the job done, but not quite – just like Greg.
Q: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A: Nice Catholic girl takes on the devil — and wins — with a little help from a sexed-up fallen angel. (You know where that leads, right?)
Q: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
A: I’ve got a nibble from an interested press based on the rough draft. If the polished version meets the line’s criteria, I’d publish there in a heartbeat. If not, I’ll self-pub this, ’cause Jak’s too wonderful to keep locked away on my hard drive.
Q: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
A:The book took about a year to write in between full-time work and other writing obligations. (I also lost the manuscript at one point, and had to re-write some major scenes from memory. That set me back about 8 weeks between searching for the manuscript, re-writes and being in a writing funk.)
Q: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
A: Hard to say…maybe something along the lines of Stacia Kane, only not quite as dark.
Q: Who or What inspired you to write this book?
A: Inspiration played no part in this book’s conception. It was more of a challenge. I wanted to see if I could write something set in a “contemporary” setting and enjoy it as well.
Q: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
A: The main character, Assumpta, is a douser. She’s a self-described “finder of things,” and her method is the pendulum. The scenes where she uses one were sometimes difficult to write because the process is cumbersome, and I didn’t want readers feeling bored through them.
And now, here are some other writers playing this game:
Pati Nagle
Patricia Burroughs
Jeffrey A. Carver
Katharine Eliska “Cat” Kimbriel
Steven Harper Piziks
Deborah J. Ross
Edited to add:
Cindie Geddes
Beth Barany
If you want to join the game, answer the questions and then post a response in the comments. I’ll add your link in the body of the text as they come in.
Friday, December 7th, 2012  The setting in a story is the place and time the story occurs. Every story has one. It lends context to the tale.
The settings for different types of stories will be different, as will the approach to creating them. One thing to consider is the audience reading the book.
For instance, the setting for a story taking place in modern Washington, DC might include a description of the Lincoln Memorial, the terrible traffic, diesel fumes from buses, protesters on the corner, etc. It might include some details on the weather: the oppressive heat of a July sun baking all that marble or the sleet of a November rain. And that’s it: just enough detail to ground the reader to location and atmosphere. He’ll fill in the rest with his own imagination.
A period romance might include the description of a brownstone townhouse in England, gas lamps on the sidewalk (if you’re in the rich part of town) or ragamuffin children (on the poor side of town). It will usually infer the economic status of the heroine, and some background, so we know how she got to this place and time. And, it might include a description of the historical events taking place, so that the reader gets an idea of the main character’s thoughts and motives. This description might go on for several paragraphs, because this audience enjoys rich detail.
Science Fiction readers will want explicit details on science, mechanics, atmosphere, politics, etc. But you don’t want to include detail, for detail’s sake. For instance, while you’re setting the scene, if you have machine that creates breathable atmosphere on a planet formerly known for its deadly gases, you don’t need to explain how that works…unless one of your characters is knowledgeable about it, or questions how it works, AND that information is crucial to the story.
If specific details aren’t important, but you point them out, you’ll either a) bore the reader, or b) leave him wondering why you included the detail. You don’t want that bouncing around in the reader’s head when she should be enjoying the story.
Also, a good rule of thumb when setting the scene is to include details related to the five senses. So, describe:
- what is seen
- what is heard
- what is felt (or touched)
- what is smelled, and,
- what is tasted
The hard part is writing the scene without making it sound like a checklist, like this:
The chaotic barnyard was filled it with animals. I could hear the cows mooing, the chickens squawking, and in the background somewhere, an old hound dog. The dirt was hard-packed beneath my feet, and I could feel every pebble through my shoe. Someone hadn’t mucked out the barn in ages. I could smell the dung all the way across the pasture. The wind kicked up, blowing dust in my face. I could taste the corn feed Farmer Brown just strew for the hens.
Terrible!
Here’s Your Prompt:
Here are a few suggested locations and time periods, choose one and write the scene.
- A junior high school in the US, mid-1970s.
- Modern day in a Scottish castle.
- A 1950s traveling carnival.
- A rock ‘n’ roll concert during the holidays, and the singer is late.
- Thanksgiving Dinner – the week before Thanksgiving.
- A fictional planet, during a civil war.
- The coast of any continent, 1800s, during a powerful storm.
- Today, in your home town.
- England, during the middle ages, in a small cottage
- Santa’s workshop, in July.
- Alice’s Wonderland – only set the scene of somewhere Alice didn’t go.
If none of these strike your fancy, choose your own time and place.
Good luck!
Friday, November 30th, 2012  Toys.
It’s that time of the year, right?
(But I drafted this prompt back in April, when I contemplated the purchase of a new toy…so that time of year? Not working here.)
I never did buy that toy: not enough bang for the buck. And the new version isn’t scheduled to ship until at least January. No toys under my Christmas Tree this year.
How about yours?
Here’s Your Prompt:
- Write a scene from a play or novel where a toy plays an integral role. It could cause an argument between characters, be bestowed as a gift, be stolen. Anything, so long as it’s crucial to the plot.
- Write a free-verse poem about a toy. Or, write a poem where the first word of each line starts with one letter in the name of your favorite toy. (So, if your fav toy is the xylophone, the first line of your poem starts with a word starting with X, the next line starts with a word starting with Y, etc.).
- The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and stanch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new,
And the soldier was passing fair;
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.
~ Little Boy Blue, by Eugene Field
- Design a toy you’d like to own. (This toy can be mechanical, electronic or old fashioned wood and springs. It’s your toy, you design it!)
- Write an essay about your favorite childhood toy. Or, write an essay about your favorite current toy (your car, your laptop, your iPod…all these qualify).
- Leaving the things that are real behind
Leaving the things that you love from mind
All of the things that you learned from fears
Nothing is left for the years
~ Aerosmith, Toys in the Attic
Good luck!
Tuesday, November 27th, 2012  If you’ve been holding off reading Hellebore and Rue because it’s not available electronically, now’s your chance.
My story, “Sky Lit Bargains” — a tale of woman foot soldier in Brittany who goes off to battle a wyvern — is included in the volume.
From the back cover copy:
“The essence of fantasy is magic and the folklore of women has often dwelt on the innumerable powers they possess. Magic that heals, magic that destroys, magic that saves their community.”
It was a winner of a Best Lesbian Science Fiction Award at the Rainbow Book Awards and is on the ALA’s Over the Rainbow list of recommended titles for 2011.
You can find it at at AllRomanceebooks, Amazon, Wizard’s Tower and other outlets where Lethe Press titles are sold. It’s still available in print as well.
Friday, November 23rd, 2012 Did you get up at 4 a.m. for all the door busters?
I didn’t. I’m not a Black Friday shopper. (Actually, I’m not a shopper at all. You won’t catch me in a Mall or Discount Store unless I absolutely have to be there. I can’t remember the last time I was at the Mall…)
Here are some of the 2012 Newspaper and Internet News headlines for Black Friday:
‘Gang fight’ at Black Friday sale…
Man Punched in Face Pulls Gun On Line-Cutting Shopper…
Shots fired outside WALMART…
Shoppers smash through door at URBAN OUTFITTERS…
Customers run over in parking lot…
Woman busted after throwing merchandise…
Thousands storm VICTORIA’S SECRET…
VIDEO: Insane battle over phones…
Shoplifter tries to mace security guards…
Men Steal Boy’s Shopping Bag Outside BED, BATH & BEYOND…
For me, these are the most compelling reasons for not shopping on Black Friday.
Anyone reconsidering for next year?
Here’s Your Prompt
- Write about a character who gets hurt while shopping on Black Friday. Or, write about a character who was standing next to someone who got seriously hurt (or killed!) on Black Friday. (Does this character’s feelings about shopping change? What about life in general?)
- Write the scene of Black Friday Mayhem™ from a bystander’s point of view.
- If you journal, write about some of your Black Friday experiences. If you don’t shop on Black Friday, write about some other memorable shopping event.
If Black Friday isn’t your cup of tea either…
- Write a character sketch or short poem about something associated with the color black: witches, funeral processions, black ice on the highway, black and white keys on the piano, the Black Death (Bubonic plague), black licorice, black squares on a checkerboard, etc.
- Write about “black thoughts:” being depressed or depression in general.
- Write about bad luck: being under a black cloud.
Good Luck!
Thursday, November 22nd, 2012
Wishing everyone a wonderful day today!
Friday, November 16th, 2012  We recently purchased a new wood stove at the House of Awesome™.
It’s a classy cast-iron affair with a glass window to look through while the fire burns and a fan on the back if we want to heat the place up like a sauna.
Needless to say, we’ve been playing with fire for the last week or so. Lots of fun.
Here’s Your Prompt:
Good luck!
Monday, November 12th, 2012 Re-posted from a few years ago on my blog. Still, a heart-felt thanks to all men and women, past and present, who have served in the U.S. Military.
Your hard work, service, and dedication are neither forgotten, nor overlooked.
My family has a strong history of military service: grandfathers on both my mother’s and father’s side of the family and more uncles than I can count have served. Some have given their lives in service, some have dedicated their lives to serving.
Pictured is my great-uncle, Walter J. Rakowski. He held the rank of Staff Sergeant and served as an Ordnance Officer (ammunition) up until the time he died in service. He served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
I often wonder, not just on days of remembrance, what life would have been like had they not made the choice to enlist. I know it wouldn’t be as good as it is.
To all U.S. Military personnel: Thank You.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Web site, History of Veteran’s Day:
The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:
Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and
Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and
Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.
 Rest In Peace, Uncle Walter. Rest In Peace all who have served our country and are no longer with us.
Friday, November 9th, 2012  On November 9, 1989 the Berlin wall came down – figuratively. Officials opened it and allowed citizens to travel from East Berlin to West Berlin.
It wasn’t until a day later when citizens rushed to the wall and started breaking it down and chipping off pieces for souvenirs. In the weeks that followed — though the walls were still guarded in many places — it finally toppled.
During its existence, officials did permit some travel from East to West — with the necessary permits — and usually to anyone but those trapped behind the wall. Some families were cut off from contact for decades. East Germans who worked in West Germany immediately lost the jobs they could no longer travel to. The erected wall cut railway stations in half, closing stations and orphaning lines. Economic outcome grew dim.
Here’s Your Prompt
- Imagine your local government erects a wall in the middle of your home town, separating you from friends, family and employment. What happens? Write a journal entry, poem or essay about the event.
- As above, only interview friends and family for their reaction. Write a fictitious news story detailing the event.
- The same scenario as the first item, only the event happens to a character in one of your short stories or novels. Write the scene for your main character when all these liberties have been taken away. Or, write the scene for the villain who made the decision to build the wall.
- Walls are often used as metaphors for something else. What walls are you surrounded by? What wall is your character surrounded by? Write about these walls.
- Along the same line, why do people build walls around themselves? What can this lead to? Imagine how a the main character in your book has built a wall around himself. How can this back story cause conflict in the story you’re writing? Write a scene where the character acknowledges those walls. Does she tear them down, or keep them up? How does this move your story? Write it.
- Write a poem about a metaphoric wall.
Good Luck!
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Photo Credit: The National Archives
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Writers - Maryland Writer's Assn.
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