Time To Write

Three sentences for the past and three for the future

2011-12-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

New Years is the time for reflection and intention. Get your pencils out or have your fingers ready on the keyboard:

Can you sum up 2011 in three sentences?

Then write three sentences that sum up what you see for yourself in 2012.

If you're in one of my writing classes, bring your sentences to class if you'd like to share or comment here.

Oakland Anthology Book Launch Reception

2011-12-13T12:32:00.000-08:00

On December 9th, the Oakland Anthology Reception for "Tapestries" was an outstanding event. Great cake, in the shape and colors of the book, inspiring and creative readers, and a sense of a strong writing community.

I had the honor of being the Mistress of Ceremonies and since the speaker for "Writing Community" was unable to attend, I took his place. I always have a lot to say about the importance of Writing Community.

A memorable event and a terrific book.

Tapestries

2011-12-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

This year's Oakland Anthology is called "Tapestries". There are some available for purchase, $15, they make great gifts.

Contact Jennifer King, at the Downtown Oakland Senior Center, JKing@oaklandnet.com

Backstory Tip

2011-12-05T19:49:00.000-08:00

Robert McKee bases his advice on films but novelists can follow his tips as well. He states, regarding backstory, that novelists can free associate and "invade the thoughts and feelings of characters", which filmmakers cannot.

He says in bold type: "do not bring in a flashback until you have created in the audience the need and desire to know". It's good advice for novelists too even if we are able to do flashes of backstory in our characters' internalizations. The determination of how much past information to put into our story is easier if we keep McKee's advice in mind.

Kurt Vonnegut Quote

2011-12-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

I read this quote out of context but for me it applies to keeping tension on every page.

"We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down."

On second thought, it could be a writer's philosophy.

Happy flying.

Ralph Waldo Emerson quote

2011-11-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

Emerson said, "Love of beauty is Taste. The creation of beauty is Art."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

NaNoWriMo and more

2011-11-20T15:53:00.000-08:00

This year's NaNoWriMo novel is "Across the Lake", a continuation of Lilli's search for self while homeless on the streets of Oakland.

Meantime "Hada's Fog" is in the sixth and final draft.

Plus members of my Monday and Tuesday writing classes are contributing to a book dedicated to Nancy O'Connell and Grace Navalta that I hope to self-publish before February.

Distractions

2011-11-20T15:46:00.000-08:00

The illnesses and the passings of four dear people in three months caused a distraction filled with love and loss. Grace, Ron, Hedy, and Nancy, you are loved and missed.

Proust Quote

2011-08-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

- Marcel Proust

Kingsolver quote

2011-07-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

"What keeps me awake at the wheel is the thrill of trying something completely new with each book. I’m not a risk-taker in life, generally speaking, but as a writer I definitely choose the fast car, the impossible rock face, the free fall.”

— Barbara Kingsolver

Novels by Kingsolver:

"The Bean Trees", was published in 1988, her first novel and told the story of a young woman who leaves Kentucky for Arizona, adopting an abandoned child along the way; she wrote it at night while pregnant with her first child and struggling with insomnia.

"Animal Dreams" published in 1990, was followed by "Pigs in Heaven", the sequel to "The Bean Trees", in 1993.

"The Poisonwood Bible", published in 1998, is one of her best known works; it chronicles the lives of the wife and daughters of an Evangelical minister on a Christian mission in Africa. I highly recommend this one. It's long but worth it.

Her next novel, published in 2000, was "Prodigal Summer", set in southern Appalachia, and her most recent work, entitled "The Lacuna", was published in 2009.

Kingsolver is a master of character development and her settings are memorable.

Show and Tell---Chekhov

2011-06-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

In the Dublin writing class, I'm providing exercises for practice in showing, not telling. I found this quote by Anton Chekhov:

"Don't tell me the moon is shining: show me the glint of light on broken glass."

Nix Adverbs

2011-06-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

Although my WOW flash contest entry made it to the final 100 out of 300 submissions, it did not win. I received the critique I had ordered from them. A couple comma errors were indicated and an adverb. I thought I could leave one little adverb in a story of 710 words...big mistake.

In the critique, the editor said, “Fantastic job of not overloading this piece with adverbs.” Yet, she marked sadly as an error, which contributed to lowering my score.

If you are tempted to leave a couple of adverbs, or even one, in a contest entry or any submission for publication, remember my little sadly and ruthlessly delete. (Adverb alert!)

That and Which

2011-06-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a review of when to use which and when to use that:

That is used without a comma when the clause that follows is essential information. For example: The book that he wrote was burned by the angry group.

Which is used, with a comma, when the following clause is incidental (filler) information. For example: The book, which was bound in leather, stayed on the shelf unread.

Key words are essential and incidental when you determine the uses of that and which.

Adair Lara Advice

2011-05-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Award-winning author and writing coach Adair Lara talks about writing essays and memoirs in her book, Strip and Go Naked. One suggestion is that since the turning point is the goal, it should come at the end. If essayists begin with the turning point and work back they will realize the revelation and they’ll instinctively know where to start.

She states, "There are two kinds of writing: pieces that don’t work and pieces that don’t work yet. Let a piece marinate and come back to it." Lara says it like it is with, "If people can’t get over their dislike of revision, they aren’t writers."

A strong statement, but a correct one in my opinion. After five drafts of my novel, Hada's Fog, I'd like to ask Lara, when does revision stop? I have a feeling it never does.

Between the Lines

2011-05-20T19:21:00.001-07:00

My writing students and I have discussed back story blocks many times, yet those paragraphs of info dumps creep into many a good read and we either skip them or put the story down for later. Often, the later never comes. The story had a good plot, interesting characters, sensory setting, hooks and tension, but remains unread, too long on a shelf, and eventually ends up in the library's donation box.

The writer's job when editing, is to get out of the writer's head and look at what's written from the reader's viewpoint. Look at those blocks. Was all that telling necessary? Will those paragraphs move the story or stop it? Take them out. Cut and paste them into a note file. Sprinkle some of the lines in the story as you go along or to remember them might be all that's needed.

If the writer knows the details, the reader will be able to read between the lines.

Chris Baty of NaNoWriMo in Pleasanton on Saturday

2011-05-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

The Tri-Valley Chapter of the California Writers Club will have Chris Baty as the speaker for their May 21st meeting. I highly recommend attending (non-members are welcome). Here is a little background from their newsletter and notice the name of a successful author who wrote her first draft during National Novel Writing Month:

A resident of Berkeley, California, Chris is the founder of National Novel Writing Month and the Executive Director of its parent nonprofit, the Office of Letters and Light.

Chris started his novel writing project in July, 1999 with 21 participants in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2000, it was moved to November “to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather,” and an official website was launched. That year 140 participants signed up for the event, including several from other countries, and 21 completed the challenge. The following year, Baty expected similar numbers but 5,000 participants registered. In 2010, it was 200,000.

But does it work? Ask Sara Gruen, who wrote the first draft of her award-winning best-seller, Water for Elephants, during NaNoWriMo.

The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. I've written the first draft of four novels in the four years I've participated.

Take this opportunity to meet Chris who will inspire and entertain you. Oasis Grille,780 Main Street, Pleasanton, Saturday May 21st at noon.

Another View of Rewriting

2011-04-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

A quote from Author Peter Murphy:

"Rewriting is like scrubbing the basement floor with a toothbrush."

One of my writer friends who doesn't like to rewrite said that quote resonated because his basement has a dirt floor.

Rewriting

2011-04-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a quote from Arthur Polotnik:

"You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke."

Agent April Eberhardt

2011-04-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

April is enthusiastic when she hears about writers' projects.I had pitched my novel to her at the S.F. Writers Conference a couple of times. This year I attended one of her talks and found out that she has started her own agency.

website: www.aprileberhardt.com

email: april@aprileberhardt.com

She "specializes in high quality women's fiction: thoughtful, carefully crafted narratives by, for and about women." She understands both traditional and electronic marketplaces.

Check out her website and see if she might be a match for your work.

A Tribute to Stories, Writers, and Readers

2011-03-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

Anne Ayers Koch is working on an outstanding book, a book of reflections on stories. Here is a peek from the preface where she quotes Martin Tupper in "On Reading" in 1838: "A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever."

Anne ended the preface with "Here's to some good friends!"

I'll let you know when her book is published so you can revisit good friends and enjoy her writing.

Pleasanton Poetry, Prose, and Arts Festival

2011-03-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

Another year, another festival over. It was held at the Pleasanton Firehouse instead of the Pleasanton Senior Center.

David Alpaugh's workshop included his outstanding handouts. He encouraged writers to explore Duotrope's Digest, a free writers' resource listing over 3325 current Fiction and Poetry publications. It's an efficient way to search for markets. Find the list that fits for you, click on the detail button to find out which market is looking for what. Another plus is that Duotrope gives the payscale and the markets' average response times. It's easy to navigate, even for me.

There's a sign up for email notification of their updates.

Worth checking out.

First Sentence Quote

2011-03-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

Prose says it perfectly in one sentence what we take hours, days, weeks, months, and sometimes years to get right.

"Your first sentence should make a promise that the rest of the story will keep." - Francine Prose

Imagination

2011-03-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

Author Neale Donald Walsch emails daily inspirations and although today's is geared for a spiritual message, I think it works for writers too. "...that imagination is your greatest gift. Do not be afraid to use it."

Rats in the Walls of the Psyche

2011-03-09T22:06:00.000-08:00

At the the S.F. Writers Conference, Author Elizabeth Engstrom said that when she is writing a novel, characters and plots for short stories nag at her until she writes them. She calls these stories, “rats in the walls of her psyche”. At times she tells them to go away but at other times, she will write the story and submit it to publications that have printed her stories in the past. Engstrom likes to use the lull in her novel, that part in the middle she calls a wasteland, to take a break and write that short story. She's able to complete the first draft in twenty-four hours and that quiets the rat.

I’m reminded of the gray roof rat we recently sent on its way.

Books Agents Read

2011-03-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

During a workshop with a panel of agents at the S.F. Writers Conference, an attendee asked what they liked to read. April Eberhardt, among other agents, tossed out some titles they recently read or that were favorites: Banished, Still Alice, Shadow of the Wind, Three Cups of Tea, and Guilty Pleasure.

Are any of those books on your list?

The Importance of the Antagonist

2011-03-01T22:11:00.000-08:00

Author Elizabeth Engstrom says, “Your story is only as strong as your antagonist”.

Check yours out. Is he/she tough enough?

Dorothy Allison at the S.F. Writers Conference

2011-02-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina, gave the keynote speech at the conference. Here is an encouraging quote:

“They will say to you that publishing is dead. But after the Black Death comes the Renaissance. After everything changes, we go back to essentials. And this is what I believe is essential: We’re lonely. We’re scared. Some of us have insomnia. We get up in the night, and we walk back and forth. You can only watch television so long. PDX 90? Damned if I’m doin’ exercises in the night. Oprah? I already saw the show. No, no, no. I get up in the night, an’ I need a story. I need a book. I need somebody to invite me into a world they have imagined whole. Or stolen. I genuinely don’t care. Just take me there. Ride me on language. Charm me. Fascinate me. Scare me or excite me, but take me out of myself. We are lonely. We are scared. We need story. That does not change.”

At the end of her talk, Allison quoted Vladimir Nabokov: “I don’t write to change people. I don’t write to make a difference. I write to make that still, small sob in the spine.” Allison then said, “That is not about money. That is not about prices. That is about that immediate, intimate connection.” She paused and everyone waited, absorbed in what she had said and would say, “Let the culture, let the economics, run behind me. I know what I’m doin’. I write to make that still, small sob in the spine.”

She received a standing ovation.

San Francisco Writers Conference

2011-02-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

February 18-20, 2011 records another great writers conference. New information, new friends, new inspirations along with seeing old friends makes this annual event one I wouldn't miss.

This year's keynote speaker was Dorothy Allison whose books were recommended to me five years ago when I became a volunteer for this conference. After she spoke, everyone in the Mark Hopkins Hotel Dining Room gave her a standing ovation.

I work the registration desk on Friday and Saturday mornings. With my three helpers, we made sure all 320 attendees were welcomed. In the afternoons and on Sunday, I was free to go to the workshops. Although I had several presenters checked, I wasn't able to hear all of them. I missed Ransom Stephens and Teresa Leyung Ryan but had a chance to greet them with hugs in the halls. Ransom's "The God Patent" is one of my all time favorite books, and Teresa is an enthusiastic supporter of building your writer's platform.

Penny Warner, humorous as always, passed out clever bookmarks and colorful key chains with the picture of her latest cozy mystery book's cover: "How to Survive a Killer Seance", which is set in the Winchester Mystery House.

Future blogs will have tips I learned from other workshops. A conference is one of the best ways to mix with other writers and to meet published authors and agents.

Mark your calendars for February next year and see you there.

Time and Taxes

2011-02-13T08:03:00.001-08:00

Time seems to be elusive lately. I realized I haven't blogged since December and here it is February. I'm involved with several projects and soon Taxes will be added. With many people thinking about the IRS and money right now, I found this quote that might ease some frustration:

"The real capital you have is your own consciousness."

~ Dr. Pillai

Gratitude for my consciousness helps to put Taxes in a manageable chore box where I have faith in myself that I'll get them done...just not right now. That due date is a whole two months away.

Time is important to a writer...not only setting aside time to write, but also to use it creatively in writing a story. I remember a short story I read that had a strong sense of time passing during a late afternoon and evening. There was little action in the story, it was mostly the characters' intense conversation. But after all these years, when I think of that story, I can still feel a sense of the room darkening although it wasn't specifically stated. One of the ways I was aware that time was passing, is that the characters poured themselves several drinks during the course of the dialogue. We all know how long it takes to have a social drink and with the inclusion of at least three or four refills, the author showed me that it was getting late, the crisis was building, and I wondered if there would be a fight or a resolution to their philosophical differences. Time and tension go together.

A story around Taxes would be a tension filled story. Meeting the due date for a huge project often has unexpected interferences and hence, a story line.

Make friends with Time for more reasons than one.

Use Time to Add to Tension

2010-12-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

The passing of time can add depth and tension to short stories or novels. Writer Susan Breen, sites Raymond Carver's short story, "Cathedral" as an example. The reader knows as the afternoon turns to evening, the characters' interactions will lead to greater conflict.

Foreshadowing a future event with symbols adds another dimension. In my short story, "Leaving Jersey", Hada's afternoon shopping begins with light snowfall. We feel her cold fingers unlocking the car door to leave packages before continuing to the next store. When she runs into her friend and they hug, the snow from Geborah's coat collar melts on Hada's face. Her internal conflict is resisting a long visit to California. She doesn't want to leave New Jersey where she's lived all of her sixty-nine years. At the end of the chapter, she drives toward home in what is now a snow storm that covers her tracks as if they were never there. The implication is that she won't return from California and as time passes, her life in Jersey will no longer leave an imprint. "Leaving Jersey" is Chapter 12 in the novel. It's a foreshadowing scene but since it is symbolic, it doesn't reveal the end.

I didn't realize the significance of that chapter until I was in the third draft. I'm grateful to Susan Breen's comparison of short stories and novels, particularly how effective time can be used in each, for a deepening awareness to use in my writing.

Laurie McLean's eBook Symposium

2010-11-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 12th, my friend Jan and I attended this one day workshop that was filled with epublishing information. Overwhelming as it was, I felt inspired to surmount the learning curve and dive into one of the several links we were given. The speakers broadened my knowledge of the many opportunities available. Now I need to decide what to do first.

I think I will investigate how to submit to Untreed Reads. The author benefits seem to fit for me.

Check them out: www.untreedreads.com

My Second Place Contest Award

2010-10-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

The Redwood Writers Conference (a branch of the California Writers Club) granted me the second place award for my short story in their contest this year. What is unusual in this contest is that the judges give a comment on each of the stories that won. Here is what Judge Rebecca Lawton said about my "A Cup of Change":

"Full of conflict from the opening, "Change" takes more turns than a labyrinth. The author engages in story telling in a good, old-fashioned way: pulling us in, making us wonder, and resolving in the end without making it too "neat". Fabulous use of background images echoes the protagonist's journey. Fun, and a bit of snark."

It's not only interesting but encouraging to read someone else's review of my work.

This is my sixth contest award, the other five were first place and each experience has been different. This time, although second place, feels just as thrilling because of the review. Thank you, Judge Lawton.

Audrey Niffenegger

2010-10-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

One of my top ten favorite novels is Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife. I had hoped for a sequel, but forgot to check if she had written anything recently.

When I happened to spot her name on Her Fearful Symmetry at Borders last week, I was surprised that it isn't a sequel. It's about two sisters who move to their aunt's flat after she is deceased and it happens to border a cemetery. Normally I don't read "cemetery" kinds of stories, but I like Niffenegger's writing so much, that I trust it will be more than a spooky story.

Polish Your Fiction Class Starts Tomorrow

2010-10-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

At the Dublin Senior Center, I will be teaching a Polish Your Fiction Class for eight weeks on Monday mornings, 10:00 to 12:15. It will include fresh writing techniques and an easy, powerful way to polish your writing projects. The revision system takes the "ugh" out of editing and makes the process of revisions as much fun as writing the first draft. At the end of eight weeks, your work in progress will have increased clarity, cadence, and reader interest.

If you're interested come tomorrow and sign up: 7600 Amador Valley Blvd., Dublin CA 94568. 925-556-4511

I'm planning to do another eight weeks starting in January with new techniques and tips.

Hero Archetype

2010-09-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Carol Pearson, in her books about the hero within and the hero's journey, she states:

"Everyone who takes a journey is already a hero."

"The journey is fundamentally about metamorphosis."

Is the hero/heroine in your story embarking on a journey and heading for a metamorphosis?

Archetypes

2010-09-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

In Christopher Vogler's book, he quotes the motto over the door of Carl Jung's house:

"Summoned or not, the god will come."

Sometimes characters for our writing do the same thing...pop up, summoned or not.

First Through Third Draft Advice

2010-08-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

I have praised Ransom Stephen's website (http://www.ransomstephens.com/) before. This time I'd suggest you take a look at his notes on writing. I loved what he quoted about drafts since I am joyously revising the third draft of Hada now.

· Writing… [Tolstoy]
· 1. First draft, without contemplating the placement and perfect phrasing of thoughts
· 2. Second draft, editing out everything extraneous and allowing each thought its own proper place
· 3. Third draft, honing of language, turns of phrase

Anyone else doing a third draft?

Scribd

2010-07-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

I just finished Ransom Stephens "God Patent" that he put on Scribd and then it got picked up by a publisher. It is now in print form and an excellent read. I'm disappointed to be finished with it since I became attached to the characters and I'd like the plot to continue...all the ingredients we writers aim for and Ransom succeeded with them all.

You can read more about Ransom's book on my June 19th, 2009 post. Or go to his website: www.ransomstephens.com

Anyone else on Scribd? I'd like to know more about it.

East of Eden Writers Conference

2010-07-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

September 24th to 26th is the East of Eden Writers Conference in Salinas, California. I highly recommend going. There will be 48 workshops grouped into five tracks: General Fiction, Mystery, Nonfiction, Poetry, and the Business of Writing. I've marked my schedule to hear Penny Warner in the mystery and general fiction areas, Jana McBurney Lin's talk about scenes, Geri Spieler's Fact and Memory sounds great for nonfiction writing, and I won't miss Becky Levine who will tell everything anyone wants to know about critique groups.

Hope to see you there.

Checklist...a short one

2010-07-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

Check lists to use for revising scenes and chapters have helped me lately. I found an article in an old Writers Digest that Nancy Kress wrote. Her three "Cs" checklist is a short cut and easy to remember: "cause, climax and change". Cause is what motivates the character to want or do what he/she does.

Climax is when all the characters' motivations collide and to use Nancy's analogy: "your characters should be out in the storm, not safe inside". And, most importantly, don't rush it. You've built up to the climax so give it more than just a few paragraphs...create a power-filled scene. It's what you've promised the reader and hopefully you do it with a bit of surprise.

The last C is for Change. Make sure you show how each major character has changed...how the situation is different from the beginning of the novel. Help the reader have closure with all the characters that have lived in the world you built.

I'm at the change part of Hada now and this checklist reminded me to be sure I didn't leave any character up in the air or forgotten. About one more month and Hada goes into third revision, finally.

Back to my checklist and maybe to find some more changes I can add for the other members of Hada's family.

HOOKS in Mary Buckham's online class

2010-06-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

If you've never taken a writing on-line class with Mary Buckham at WritersU, I highly recommend it. In this two week class we're working on the first five pages only. For the first week, we've written and rewritten our first paragraph and a couple after that to increase our hooks so those editors/agents will keep reading long enough so we can get published and then the readers will keep reading.

Hooks sound so simple but I've spent many hours this week on three paragraphs--more time than I'd spend on revising three chapters of Hada.

I'm work-shopping the sequel to Hada that I wrote during the last NaNoWriMo. I must say, Mary's class has strengthened Lilli's character in just the three beginning paragraphs that I've pondered over this last week.

Another surprise for me: hooks not only hook, they deepen character!

Quote to Live Life Creativity

2010-06-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

My friend, Grace, sent this quote she found:

"Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself."

"The wilderness of your intuition"...YES!

Teacher/Pupil Quote

2010-05-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Creative activity could be described as a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.

- Arthur Koestler

Someone sent this quote to me today, and I have found it to be true, especially the last two years I've spent working on the second and third draft of my novel, Hada, and editing several of my short stories. I've been the pupil as I learned from books, on-line and on-land writing classes, and from experience. The experience part is when I feel the teacher within me guiding the pupil that is within me too.

How amazing it is to be alive on this plane.

Reading on Cement

2010-05-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

I've often wondered if I would like a Kindle or some such, and maybe I would. But I love the printed novel to hold in my hands.

Today in Berkeley, at nine thirty a.m., when I dropped Mitchell off at his office, I drove through the parking lot and there was a young woman, maybe in her thirties, dressed in jeans, a pull-over sweater, and a light scarf around her neck, sitting on the curb of the motorcycle parking spot (no motorcycle there). She was engrossed in a novel. At her side was a small bag from the Garden Bakery (downstairs from Mitchell's office) that she dipped into as she turned the pages, breaking off sweet tidbits to munch and to embellish her enjoyment of the book in her hands.

Somehow the scene wouldn't be the same with a Kindle.

Mermaid's Chair

2010-05-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

Sue Monk Kidd did it again. I thought The Secret Life of Bees was outstanding, now her latest book, The Mermaid Chair, has me glued to it. I have only 69 more pages to read and I'm in the middle of all the paperwork due for my ten teacher interns...I still have twelve more visits to their schools before the last week of May...but here I am carrying The Mermaid Chair around with me to read every chance I get.

As a reader, I am engrossed in the story...fabulous characters! And, reading as a writer, I'm marking all the copious and amazing metaphors and sensory details she writes. I've been addicted to Ann Patchett lately, but Sue Monk Kidd is strong competition for my attention in the few hours I have free to read every day.

Going back to Egret Island now...see you there.

Persistence Is A Good Word for Today or Any Day

2010-05-11T18:39:00.000-07:00

Calvin Coolidge said:

"Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

The Right Word

2010-05-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

In Janet Burroway's book Writing Fiction, I found another quote that made me think about the importance of my Hada revisions.

Mark Twain said: "The difference between the right word and the almost right word...is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

Let's go for the lightning.

DiFranco Quote

2010-05-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

One of my teacher interns has Ani DiFranco's quote as part of her email signature:

"You've got your whole life to do something, and that's not very long."

So let's do it!

Writer's Block...What's That?

2010-04-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

The other day I read this quote by Jack London: "You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."

I assume that means he had writer's block at times. I'm very grateful I haven't had it. I can think of so many things I want to write that I need another lifetime!

Once in a while, I have to admit, when a specific assignment for a non-fiction piece was due, I had inspiration, but the words kept hiding. I had to use a rake to find them in the bushes. But with fiction, my fingers can't type the paragraphs fast enough.

If you ever lack inspiration, let me know, and I'll send you a spark. Hopefully it will ignite and you won't need that club.

Presenting Metaphors plus at our Writing Class in Pleasanton

2010-04-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

On Tuesdays in Pleasanton, I'm teaching a writing class for dear writer friends of mine. Some of the members were in Nancy O'Connell's class and when she retired, we weren't pleased with the replacements. I wanted to keep as many members together as possible so several people joined me in meeting once a week to continue to read our work and learn new techniques.

Last week, under the influence of the workshops I attended at the Pleasanton Poetry, Prose, and Arts Festival, I presented the topic of Analogies, Twisted Cliches, Metaphors, and Similes.

One example I gave was Don Marquis' "Writing a book of poetry is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo." I love that!

Here's a short one from Robert B. Parke in "Widow's Walk": "The sinking feeling bottomed."

We talked about the ineffective mixed metaphor and the example from a 2007 issue of the Chicago Tribune: "So now what we are dealing with is the rubber meeting the road, and instead of biting the bullet on these issues, we just want to punt."

This coming Tuesday's topic is Sprinkling Backstory.

First Prize Award at Pleasanton Poetry, Prose and Arts

2010-04-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

My short story, "Fried Chicken Talks" won the first prize award in the Pleasanton Poetry, Prose, and Arts Festival this April. I won first prize last year too for "Leaving Jersey" and a second first place award for my non-fiction short story "The Principal's Principles". This year I didn't enter a non-fiction piece.

Submissions are anonymous. The judge this time was Richard Dry, a Las Positas College instructor, and I was happy to meet him Saturday at the festival. He signed his book, "Leaving", for me and we chatted about it. I appreciated the family tree he had in the front and how he hooked the reader to figure out who was speaking to the prisoners at Santa Rita that he wrote in a few chapters interspersed among the others. We don't find out until the end. The story spans several generations. I recommend it.

He said he chose my story because he felt he was there, in it, which he didn't feel in the other submissions.

The workshops were outstanding, especially those taught by Susan Wooldridge, Susan Browne, and Gerald Haslam. Save the date for next year, April 2-3.

Writing Conference this Weekend

2010-04-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Pleasanton Poetry, Prose and Arts Festival is this weekend April 17-18. You can register at the door: The Pleasanton Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Blvd., Pleasanton. Peruse the brochure at www.pleasantonarts.org. I went last year and enjoyed it (probably one reason is because I won the two first place awards in their contests). But more than that, the workshops are informative, Author Row is a great way to meet authors and to buy their books, and it's just a welcome weekend to mingle with fellow writers.

See you there.

Writer U On-line Class: Writing for Magazines

2010-03-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

Mary Buckham announced the upcoming on-line class called "Writing for Magazines" taught by Julie Rowe. It's April 5th to the 30th and only costs $30.

Topics covered in the class are why write for magazines, choosing the right ones, writing the query for the right editor, contracts, invoicing, creating your portfolio and more.

See you in class.

Writing Conferences

2010-02-20T13:01:00.000-08:00

Four days at the San Francisco Writers Conference left me with a need to process all the information for the next few days. But by Friday, I was back to revising my novel, Hada, incorporating as much as I could from what I had learned.

Highlights for me this year were workshops given by Ransom Stephens, Donald Maass, and Penny Warner. Ransom has a new book out, The God Patent, and Penny's new one is How To Host a Killer Party. I'm looking forward to reading both after the Ann Patchett marathon I've been on.

All of Patchett's books give the readers a new setting, new characters, and a new story that one thinks can't possibly be better than the last one. Again and again, she never disappoints. After Bel Canto, Run, and The Magician's Assistant, now I'm in the middle of her first novel, The Patron Saint of Liars. Then I'll come to the last one left to read, Taft. I'll miss her writing style, but I'm happy I have Ransom's and Penny's books to take me to their worlds.

The best decision I made in 2009 was to allow an hour or two a day to read fiction. When someone said writers need to read, they were absolutely right.

The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

2010-02-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

Sabine, the main character in Patchett's novel, muses about cities compared to her hometown, Los Angeles: "Los Angeles, she felt, was maligned because it was misunderstood. It was the beautiful girl you resented, the one who was born with straight teeth and good skin. The one with the natural social graces and family money who surprised you by dancing the Argentine tango at a wedding. While Iowa snuggled through the bitter knife of winter and New York folded in crime and the South remained backwards and divided, Los Angeles pushed her slender feet into the sand along the Pacific and took in the sun."

Wow!

Ann Patchett's Snow

2010-02-09T19:56:00.000-08:00

Ann Patchett's Bel Canto kept me glued to the pages until I finished it...a memorable read. The last few weeks I've enjoyed her Run. Very different characters, setting,and plot than Bel Canto. I'll comment on Run in another entry since I loaned it to Ariana who was attracted to the characters' names: Tip and Teddy.

I'm now reading Patchett's The Magician's Assistant a totally different story from the other two books, yet equally a page turner. Three hour reading sessions fly by. I feel I know Sabine and all the characters...I'll never forget them, just like I'll never forget Tip and Teddy.

Sabine is the Magician's assistant, and her story takes place in Los Angeles and Nebraska. Patchett compares those two settings in a way that puts you in whichever place she is talking about. Los Angeles, where it is never late, and Nebraska in winter when it's late as soon as the sun sets. In one scene, Sabine, who has lived in Los Angeles all her life, visits Nebraska for the first time, talking until after midnight to the sister of the man she loved. Patchett has Sabine realize "It was past being late. Even the snow had given up. There was no time like this in Los Agneles. It was never this late."

"Even the snow had given up." I lived in Wisconsin until I graduated from high school and I can feel the snow giving up.I know snow, but when Patchett uses it as a character in this novel, I've learned to appreciate snow in a new way. It enhances Sabine's story, it compliments the moods and actions of the main characters. Along with snow comes all the boots, puffy jackets, and the smell of scarves as the snow melts on them in the kitchen. Snow provides a depth of sensory experiences that refreshes us and digs us deeper into the story because it brings us right there in Dot's kitchen. Sabine doesn't know it yet, but snow is contributing to her healing. We know that on a feeling level, not because Patchett says so. She's just the master telling us a great story.

The Tipping Point Contest

2010-01-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

Since no one won my last contest, I'll make this one easier by telling you the name of the book...hopefully you will read the whole novel.

In The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield's Margaret says, "We had reached tipping point." Explain what she meant and on what page.

Please email me privately with the answer and if correct, you win a Writer's Basket full of helpful tools for a writer.

Books pass secret messages

2010-01-27T17:33:00.000-08:00

Diane Setterfield specialized in twentieth-century French literature, and she read and reread Gide many times for her PhD. The interviewer asked how Gide affected her writing.

Setterfield answered, that she recognizes Gidean cadence in some of her phrases as if to her ear her own writing is a translation of Gide. "Why does my mind persist in hearing the echo? The explanation that most appeals to me is that there are hidden underground networks by which books pass secret messages to each other, networks that we readers and writers can only be half conscious of".

Books communicating with each other? I love that idea!!!

Inner furniture in characters' minds

2010-01-27T17:19:00.000-08:00

In the back of The Thirteenth Tale, there's a conversation section with Diane Setterfield. The interviewer asks her what significance the titles of the nineteenth-century novels had that were sprinkled throughout the novel.

Setterfield answered, "...once the titles started coming, I made no effort to keep them out. They are there because they are part of the inner furniture of Margaret's and Miss Winter's minds..."

So, not only are we writing physical settings that could be characters in themselves, certainly Setterfield's houses in this tale are characters, but the inner minds of the characters now have a new depth to consider.

Storytelling

2010-01-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

In The Thirteenth Tale, Setterfield emphasizes her characters' storytelling skills. When Margaret asks Aurelius to tell her about how Mrs. Love found him, Margaret speaks about voice...the story telling voice. Margaret describes it as she listened:

"His face settled into passive neutrality, a sign that, in the way of all storytellers, he was disappearing to make way for the voice of the story itself." (page 233)

The "voice of the story itself", I appreciated that perspective, and made it a renewed goal as a writer to listen to the story's voice as it's being written.

The Thirteenth Tale

2010-01-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale has captivated me for the last couple of weeks. I had trouble doing my work since the book kept calling me back to read on. I finished it about a week ago and then I dived into Run by Bel Canto's author, Ann Patchett.

"Diane Setterfield is a former academic, specializing in twentieth-century French literature." (From the back flap of her book) That sentence sums up what is unique about her writing: classic, Gothic, yet present-century. She created two houses with characters I now know so well, I feel I could visit them anytime...and I do, when I think about her story. What a memorable read!

This rainy weather has provided a perfect time to make reading a priority. But I promise to pay more attention to blogging and tell you more about the great stories written by Diane and Ann.

2010 Is On It's Way

2009-12-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all!

My novel, Hada, will be published in 2010. At least one printed copy will be. Being a 50,000 word winner of NaNoWriMo last November qualifies me to have a free printed copy of my Nano novel. I have until July 1st to submit it to Createspace who has made the printing offer. That means I have to revise a chapter a week since I'm only halfway done with the second draft.

To have one copy of Hada in book form will be worth the work.

NaNoWriMo Ends Tonight For Another Year

2009-11-30T22:31:00.000-08:00

Well, my new novel, Lilli, met the NaNo goal of 50,000 words in this one month. Time to relax and finish it at a more realistic pace. For you Wrimos that made it, Congratulations! It truly is an accomplishment. For those of you who have done it in the past, you know what it's like. Anyone who hasn't done NaNo, it's worth it...all the pressure, the all consuming time factor, the fun, try it, I'll be you'll like it.

Lilli is at 50,000 but isn't done. Actually, 50,000 was at a turning point for Lilli so I'll continue writing fresh with it and continue revising Hada.

Good thing I like to write.

Kennel the Inner Editor

2009-11-09T07:35:00.000-08:00

This is my fourth year writing a 50,000 word novel with National Novel Writing Month. I missed last year's event because I was devoted to revising the previous year's novel, HADA.

LILLI is this year's sequel to HADA and to use a cliche, it's pouring out like slow molasses. Years past my fingers couldn't keep up with my muse and this year it's like a slow motion movie.

With the help of my fellow writers in this frenzy, I shall prevail. Leslie quoted the advice of Chris Baty, the founder of NaNo: Kennel that Inner Editor.

I did, but I think there was an escape reported.

National Novel Writing Month

2009-11-02T23:08:00.000-08:00

The frenzy has started and it's great fun. This is Day Two and I'm at 5,925 words out of the 50,000. Check it out even if you don't want to sign up to write. There's interesting tips on the home page and you might be tempted. It's free.
www.nanowrimo.org

Contest Clue

2009-10-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

Books are boats on the River of Time. Some volumes survive while others vanish.

Clue 1. This summary of a quote is from a best selling novel published this year.

Remember, I need the title, name, and the page number.

If you're reading this fast-paced novel, those words will jump out at you.

National Novel Writing Month Countdown

2009-10-25T23:21:00.000-07:00

November 1st is coming up soon. Are you ready to write a 50,000 word novel in a month? Sure you can.

I did it three years in a row and have been revising ever since.

You will amaze yourself. What creativity develops when you focus on reaching the magical 50,000 word marker will astound you! Meet new writer friends at the write-ins, check out people internationally who participate, feel the frenzy.

See you in a few days at the NaNoWriMo site. You can find me by my initials: JMK.

Turn Blog Posts into a Book

2009-10-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

From the Atlantic’s Daily Dish by Andrew Sullivan
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/04/books-and-blogs.htm

Books And Blogs

Finally, a way to make some money. And it's amazing what can be done:
65-year old Toshiko Fukuda of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, lost her husband to asbestos on April 17th last year. Her husband, Motoo, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2006, probably from the steel pipe factory he worked at. He got worker's comp, but the disease ultimately destroyed his lungs and left him with hallucinations for the remainder of his life. Shocked, the widowed Fukuda started sending text messages to her dead husband every time she thought of something she wanted to say to him. Things like: "I couldn't live if I didn't think you were still beside me. I can't live [without you]. I'm crying every day" and "I want to call you 'Otosan' to my heart's content. Why do you have to be inside such a small urn?" Every time she sent a message, the phone by his home shrine vibrated (she made sure it was always charged).
Now she's publishing a book with the loosely translated title Job Transfer to Heaven Without Family-I Wanted to Be With You Longer, a compilation of all her text messages from the past year that she hopes will educate the public about the dangers of asbestos.

Julaina's First Contest For You to Enter

2009-09-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

Books are boats on the River of Time. Some volumes survive while others vanish.

These sentences are a brief summary from a paragraph in a novel. Name the novel and the page number in the hardbound edition.

The first person to blog the answer here wins a writer's gift basket that includes a book, of course, and other "tools" writers can use.

There's no time limit on this contest. I'm patient. I'll wait for the winner's answer.

Page Turners

2009-09-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay and The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown are two page turners that have held my attention these last couple of weeks. I couldn't put them down long enough to blog!

Since I'm only half way through Dan Brown's fascinating book, I'm ready for the next chapter right now. Back to blogging after I finish the book.

Chapters Alternating Historical Times

2009-09-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

SARAH'S KEY by Tatiana De Rosnay takes place in Paris with alternating chapters in 1942 and 2006. The character in 2006 is researching the Paris Roundup of Jews in July 1942, and it looks like a character from that 1942 event might be a connection to someone she is close to in 2006. The book is a page turner. I find I'm reading it more than I'm working on my novel. Hmmm.

"A Frigidaire Song" by Carly Anne

2009-08-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

Carly Anne West wrote "A Frigidaire Song" for the S.F. Writers Conference Anthology that inspired a short story I'm writing for the West Oakland Anthology due October 1st. My story is called "Goldie, the Mirror".

I'm always interested in what motivates people to write what they write. Carly Anne's character writes letters to her Frigidaire, my character talks to a mirror. My character began as a dear friend of ours who passed away a year ago, but the character morphed into his own identity, not just our friend's.

Maybe we writers could compile a book on what inspired us in each of our writings. I'd buy it.

Peter's "Thirty-Five Across"

2009-08-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

In the S.F. Writers Conference Anthology I posted about last time, I forgot to mention an outstanding story, "Thirty-Five Across" by Peter Dudley. I'm not biased because he happens to be in the same writing groups that I am. It is my all time favorite short story by him.

I've previously posted about setting, especially with the novel about Locke, California. Peter's setting is not ominous like Locke, but he describes the cafe and the people who come in out of the rain and it puts me right there. I'm doing the cross word puzzle with the narrator and I hear his sighs. I feel the rain. Nice story to read on a hot day like today.

S.F.Writers Conference Anthology

2009-08-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

"Building Bridges from Writers to Readers", the 2009 anthology is filled with short stories, essays, and poetry. It's available for purchase from the conference co-founders, Agents Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen.

They invited those of us whose written work was printed in the anthology to their home in San Francisco on a very warm Sunday a couple of weeks ago. We writers were able to sign our work in each others' copies while we enjoyed wine and snacks provided by Elizabeth and Michael.

My entries were "The Bees' Nest", a short story about a mother and daughter and a poem, "Life Preserver in the Jungle" about a couple vacationing in Costa Rica.

The anthology was expertly edited by Vicki Weiland who was supportive, encouraging, and detailed. This edition is outstanding in the quality of the pieces.

The conference is held every year in February, on the weekend closest to Valentines Day. Hope to see you there.

Another word for grin

2009-08-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

Margie Lawson, in her on-line writing classes, encourages writers to be creative with body language, especially facial expressions. That's great, but how many new ways can we express grin? Thanks to Dictionary.com's Word for the day, here is a new one to add to our list:

Word of the Day for Wednesday, August 26, 2009
rictus \RIK-tuhs\, noun:

1. The gape of the mouth, as of birds.
2. A gaping grin or grimace.

A rictus of cruel malignity lit up greyly their old bony faces.
-- James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

His belly swelled grotesquely, his hands curled, his cheeks puffed out, his mouth contorted in a rictus of pain and astonishment.
-- Tony Horwitz, Confederates in the Attic

Then, as the sympathy and praise engulfed him, Hector would invariably roll over onto his back, legs in the air, his mouth twisted into an otherworldly rictus.
-- Bruce McCall, "Writers Who Were Really Dogs", New York Times, June 5, 1994.

Has anyone read "Writers Who Were Really Dogs"? Sounds interesting!!!

Time to Blog or to Edit, That is the Question

2009-08-20T00:14:00.000-07:00

No new post for over a month. I sigh and search for a creative thought. But I'm not too unhappy about it because I've almost reached the half way mark in final edits for my novel, HADA. That is, if there is such a thing as final edits. Maybe I should say that chapters in the first half of the novel have been critiqued at least two to three times by my great writing group members and I've diligently followed up with the edits to the point that I'm satisfied. Then it's onward to the next chapter.

I've come to the part of the novel that I haven't worked on for a year so I'm actually surprised at what I wrote. It's like reading my own novel. In one chapter I couldn't wait to see what Samuel would say next to convince his mother (Hada) that he was still perfect.

Chris Baty of NaNoWriMo once told me that he likes editing as much as writing the first draft. I do too.

A character with louche behavior

2009-07-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Today's dictionary word is louche. Do you have a character that you could describe with this word?

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Word of the day, word trivia, unusual words, and more!

louche \LOOSH\, adjective:

Of questionable taste or morality; disreputable or indecent; dubious; shady.

You've got to keep yourself free of any suggestion of louche behavior.
-- Anthony West
A man in a bar, utterly average, though there is something louche about him, something sly.
-- Andrew Holleran, In September, the Light Changes
Danny would be sipping a mai tai or a whiskey sour in some louche West End club.
-- Will Self, Tough, Tough Toys for Tough, Tough Boys

Dialogue Boulders

2009-07-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

Margie Lawson teaches terrific on-line writing classes: www.margielawson.com. In her Empowering Characters' Emotions classes, she talks about dialogue boulders. What are they?

Dialogue boulders are when one character's dialogue goes on for a long paragraph or continues for half a page or more. Long dialogue and/or when it turns into a monologue, disengages the reader. Margie tells us to think WHITE SPACE. Have the other characters respond several times, either with a few words, or with body movements that show how they feel about what the character is saying.

Another tip is to read all your dialogue aloud. Scrutinize every word. Do you really need the character to say all of it? How does what is being said move the story along?

If it doesn't, take some of it out. Make a note to yourself to check for those blocks of words on a page, break them up, create some white spaces. Give the reader a book they can't put down.

Fragrance in your stories

2009-06-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

On a recently purchased box of Pacifica Avalon Juniper Soap, I read,

"Much like music, fragrance is a beautiful connection between cultures, experiences, and memories. It has the ability to place us in the moment or bring back the past".

In the box of essence oils I have, Juniper is not one of my favorites, but when I smelled this bar, another scent took over Juniper. It sent me back to my mom's kitchen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the freshly cut grapefruit that waited for me on the table many mornings. I read the other side of the soap box label, and sure enough, it is a blend of juniper and grapefruit oils.

Fragrance in our writing is very important and I reminded myself to include it more often.

Yesterday, when I polished Chapter Nine of my novel, Hada,I used the sense of smell: "Neither one spoke as they prepared for bed. Hada, in her nightgown, her face washed and rose-fragranced moisturizer applied, sat on the bed and gave her feet a rub with Balsam Fir ointment."

I've put a post-a-note by my computer that says, "Use scents". Now I have to go back through the eight chapters I thought were polished, to find the perfect places to name some fragrances that add to the characters' experiences, as well as the readers'.

Ransom

2009-06-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

Ransom Stephens’ e-book is available at www.TheGodPatent.com for those of you who would like to experience e-books. As Ransom says, his book is “on its way to becoming the first debut novel to emerge from the new paradigm of publishing”.

The God Patent is not in print yet because “it has to succeed as an e-book to ever become a book as we know them”. Checkout the process since we might need to publish our writings in a similar manner in the not too distant future.

Ransom describes his novel as “the story of a laid-off, deadbeat-dad engineer trying to rebuild his life who gets caught between science and religion in a battle over the origin of the universe and the existence of the soul”.

I met Ransom at the San Francisco Writers Conference several years ago and participated in Litquake when he was involved in organizing it. Ransom’s contact is

Ransom W. Stephens, Ph.D.
Writer*Physicist*Public Speaker
www.ransomstephens.com

His website is one of the best in layout, color, and class. It would be worth your time to check out both links.

Transitions

2009-06-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

Have you started a new novel and it has you hooked, but you find yourself not REALLY reading and "getting" the wonderful nuances or the "aha" of how the author captures your attention? The characters are new and the writer's voice is new. You like the book, but you haven't quite settled into it yet?

Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan has been that way for me. As I mentioned, I love the setting: Locke, CA...the setting was the main hook...what a town! But now, on page 93, I know the characters well, I care about them, and the writing...wow...I want to go back to page 1 and reread what I missed. Shawna deepens the characters for us using many writing techniques I have recently learned and discipline myself to look for in the midst of an intriguing plot...such as internalization with metaphors that blend instead of popping you out of the flow, the descriptions of the several characters' faces as their once normal world changes...they have glimpses that life will never be the same because of the three new-comers to their town.

As a reader, I feel their emotions and wonder how the changes will make or break them. As a writer, I admire Shawna for her subtle, yet dynamite skill as a writer. Her voice is and will be memorable. And when I'm finished with her book, I will have to settle into a new setting, a new author's voice, new characters or maybe I'll go back to another author I'm already familiar with: Lisa See and her new book Shanghai Girls. The transition will be easier.

Tergiversation Can Make One A proponent of Redundancy

2009-06-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't subscribe to Dictionary.com, I thought you would like today's word:

Word of the Day for Monday, June 8, 2009
tergiversation \tuhr-jiv-uhr-SAY-shuhn\, noun:

1. The act of practicing evasion or of being deliberately ambiguous.
2. The act of abandoning a party or cause.

No doubt if I worked on it, I could evolve some kind of double-talk that would get around the offensive phrase, and make the, to me, face-saving implication; but to hell with that, I have too much respect for the English language, and for your understanding of it, to go in for tergiversation and weasely circumlocution.

-- Richard Gillman, "Standing Up to Ezra Pound", New York Times, August 25, 1991

Like most writers, I have always championed thrift . . . . Not long ago, however, I experienced an extraordinary tergiversation. Now I'm an ally of excess, a proponent of redundancy.

-- Michael Norman, "When an Author's Words Are Sold by the Pound", New York Times, September 15, 1991

Dialogue

2009-06-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

Checking not only what is said in dialogue but how it is said (without using adverbs) is what I'm working on now with Hada.

To deepen the characters with more body movements during dialogue and writing about the pitch, tone, speed, quality, and volume in a fresh way is a challenge...I think it is the hardest part of writing.

What happened to Locke, CA?

2009-06-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've been to Locke (near the Sacramento River) several times over the years so when I found Shawna Yang Ryan's book Water Ghosts, I bought it because I've been fascinated by the history of the place (a Chinese farming town). In preparation for this post, I wanted to let you know the location of Locke, but I couldn't find it on Google maps. Actually, because Locke is filled with atmosphere that speaks to another realm, I wouldn't be surprised if it really doesn't exist.

Anyway, that is another topic. What I like about Water Ghosts is the ethereal (in a gloomy way) setting ...perfect for the story and exactly how I remember the town. Her story takes place in 1928, but it seems the same today...a place caught in the past.

The powerful feeling or mood that envelops me with each sentence I read, reminds me that setting is important in writing. Since I'm on page 30,I don't know if she makes setting an acutal character, but the town is more than a background for the characters, it permeates the reader's senses making it as alive as any character.

If you read it, let me know what you think/feel about the setting.

Recommendation

2009-05-27T22:32:00.000-07:00

Mary Buckham teaches on-line writing classes but if you prefer reading a book, here it is! She and Dianna Love have written Break Into Fiction, 11 Steps to Building a Story that Sells.. I received it from Amazon today and I look forward to reading it.

The testimonial on the front cover states that this book "determines whether your book will bring a check or a rejection slip". The Table of Contents has two chapter titles that have hooked me: "Power Openings: Grab Them by the Throat" and "Dialogue: It's More Than Talking Heads".

Pacing's Part in Plot

2009-05-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

We all know what the plot of the story is and we know we should pay attention to the pacing, but sometimes pacing isn't our focus or how to pace optimally isn't clear.

What helped me to keep pacing's part in plot on my mind is to think of the story as a road trip or an adventure. I read something like that somewhere and recently in my rewrite of Hada ,I've been searching for the most effective way to pace her story. Anyway, getting back to the trip idea...

Plot is the road map of our story, and pacing is the characters' movement on that road.

If the characters get bogged down in a back story ditch or a too-long-dialogue bump or a description boulder on the highway, readers might put the book down and might not pick it up again.

To keep those pages turning, we can lead the reader up hills, through the forest, and all the way to Grandmother's house with good pacing.

Take a look at your work-in-progress (WIP) and think about pacing. What makes pacing successful?

Learn a word a day

2009-05-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

Dictionary.com will send you a new word a day or a week or for as often as you want via email. Great way for a writer to increase vocabulary for "fresh" writing. Here is a sample:

bombinate \BOM-buh-nayt\, intransitive verb:

To buzz; to hum; to drone.

Sometimes the computer bombinates way into the night, stops for a bit of rest, then resumes its hum at the early hours of the morning.
-- Cheryl Glenn and Robert J. Connors, New St. Martins Guide to Teaching Writing

Prompt

2009-05-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

On Mother's Day, I made a pot of Good Earth tea and the message on the string tab said, "If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies." Hmm...could be a good writing prompt.

Book Signing

2009-05-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

Friday night a member of my critique group and I went to a book signing at Rakestraw Books in Danville. Ellen Gelles talked about and read from her new book, Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage.

What was most astounding to me was that Ellen has researched and written about Abigail Adams for thirty years. She read all the letters Abigail and John wrote to each other when he was abroad for a long time during their marriage. Ellen wrote three books about Abigail with different women's issues focused in each one. Can you imagine thirty years?

Rewrites

2009-05-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

After editing up to Chapter 14 of my novel, Hada, I'm back to polishing the first three chapters. Donald Maass's book (actually, it is a workbook), Writing the Breakout Novel, is packed full of information and gave me new ideas to rework Hada from the beginning. This is my second year of editing Hada and I still discover new ways to deepen the chapters.

Chris Baty of NaNoWriMo fame, says he enjoys editing just as much as creating the first draft. I do too.

Did you know that Author Dean Koontz averages forty reviews/revisions per page?
I'm not counting.

Writing Groups

2009-05-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

At the Salinas Writers Conference last August, I won a free critique for the first three chapters of my novel, Hada, from Becky Levine, who is a free lance editor. She has a book out now that is called The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide. In an excerpt I read from her book, she compares building members for a writing group to cooking and adding spices. If you aren't careful about adding personalities into the critique recipe, you could have a spice that is too bitter or two sweet and it is hard to remove a spice already put into a dish.

The writing group I'm in had that problem not too long ago. It was a very difficult situation because the person did not have the experience in writing as we were led to believe. In the future we decided to interview a person and ask them for a writing sample. Agreement by all present members must be unanimous to include a new member.

Becky has many suggestions and as far as I know her book on critique groups is one of a kind right now. If you are interested in building a critique group or adding to one you are already in, I think her book would be worth buying.

Writing prompt

2009-04-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Reading "Speed of Light" by Elizabeth Rosner has inspired me to write back-story in a different way...she's a master at it. Here is a prompt that helps me make decisions about what is important in the past, not only in writing, but in real life too:

When the past demands attention.....

Einstein Quote

2009-04-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

This week I am on the evaluation board for teacher interns presenting portfolios to qualify for their teaching credentials. They have been in Project Pipeline's program for two years (General Ed) or three years (Special Ed). Five out of my 13 interns are graduating this year.

One of the general ed. young women who presented yesterday had a philosophy of education that was astoundingly comprehensive for a new teacher. She wrapped her presentation around the following Albert Einstein quote that I think can be an inspiration to us all:

"The important thing in life is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." Albert Einstein

Wishing you all a week filled with exciting curiosity.

POV Changes

2009-04-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

The Speed of Light by Elizabeth Rosner has an interesting way for using three points of view within each chapter. I was a little concerned that my novel, Hada, had alternating viewpoints...Hada's in one chapter, then the next her husband, Lev's, then the next chapter, Hada's again and so on throughout the book. What Rosner does is changes fonts and leaves double spaces when she changes points of view within the chapters. It really works...very well!

Her book is worth reading, not only for studying how she accomplishes this way of showing the three main characters' viewpoints, but it is an excellent story...character driven and unusual personalities that keep you turning those pages.

I discovered her book when I went to her workshop at the Pleasanton Poetry, Prose, and Arts Festival earlier this month. The topic was "Writing Deeper". If you hear of her doing another one in the future somewhere, I recommend going.

The Tree

2009-04-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

Spring Reunion Poem

2009-04-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

In honor of Poetry month (and inspired by Peter's blog), I wrote a poem. We planted a vegetable garden on Sunday at our new house (we've been here since November '08). We had not seen this tree in all its glory before. I'll try to take a picture of it for my next post. J9 I could use your photography expertise.

Spring Reunion

The white-blossomed tree,
With quarter-sized branches
Delicately reaches,
And touches,
My balcony.

Over the railing,
My branch-sized arm stretches—
Meets the white umbrella
Of faces—
Strokes a flower.

The canopy shimmers,
With its smiling delight,
Sunshine beams warmth and life,
Sustaining
Our connection.

trademarked 4/15/09

Open Mic Night in Pleasanton

2009-04-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

Me and My Friends Restaurant at 4713 First Street, Pleasanton, will have an open mic night on April 30th at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be music and complimentary coffee and cookies while you listen to poetry and prose readings.

If you want to read some of your writings for 2 to 3 minutes, please call to reserve your time. It sounds like fun.

Check out Nancy Drew Clues to Creative Writing

2009-04-13T23:39:00.000-07:00

I highly recommend "Nancy Drew's Handbook" by Penny Warner. It not only is a handy book to have, but it makes a great gift! Check out Penny's blog to read "Nancy Drew's Clues to Creative Writing". As you all know, Nancy is one smart girl! (And it's fun to read the quotes from Nancy Drew books included with each rule.)

Winning

2009-04-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

I felt honored to receive a first place award for my fiction short story, "Leaving Jersey" and first place award for my non-fiction story, "The Principal's Principles" at the Pleasanton Poetry, Prose, and Arts Festival in April.

Photo

2009-04-13T23:10:00.001-07:00