More Writer's Block Stuff - Using Music As a Breakthrough

With a title like that, you can see how much I use the word "stuff," eh? ;-)  And why I named my blog the way I did.  (It was actually part of a challenge to my husband, altho he's a slacker as far as blogs are concerned; YouTube is more his speed, while I'm ::meh:: about YouTube.)

Anyway, found this post through Konrath's blog (in the comments section), and then further looking through the writer's posts.

Generating Plot Ideas Using Mechanical Devices

For me, I've got a ton of plot ideas.  My problems are finding the time to write them all, and not knowing if those ideas are worth pursuing (is it worth it for me to "waste" my time?).

So what if you don't have any ideas?  I could lend you a few ;-), but they might not be to your liking (i.e., they suck, in your mind, and you might be right).  But then, that's not using the creative side of your brain, is it?

I bring this up only because of the STUPENDOUS!!  SUPERB!!  UNBELIEVABLE!! ideas writers have come up with to help them out of this particular quagmire.

Query Letter Links

Building on yesterday's post about me throwing my query letter up on the Water Cooler (when the time comes), I thought I'd list some links to query letters that I've found interesting and possibly useful.

And, yes, I'll probably use some of these myself. Why not? :-)
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An Old Water Cooler Thread

This is a thread that got quite a few people excited for a while, in that it's unconventional. If you've been getting nothing but rejects, this might be a ticket to consider.

A Query to Rachel Vater, Fantasy Agent

This post is something Rachel posted on her livejournal blog back in 2006. It's from a writer named Caitlin Kitteridge...and, yes, Rachel took her on as a client.

Since this is one that got an agent to take on a client, I feel it's a definite look-see (especially if you write urban fantasy).

Lynn Flewelling Query

Another query letter that got a writer an agent. Let's face it: Ms. Flewelling is well known within fantasy circles. This query letter was for her first book, Luck in the Shadows (an excellent book). For some strange reason, I haven't reviewed it as yet, but I'll fix that soon :-). She gives her reasons for including (or not including) certain things, and it might just be useful enough to get your juices flowing.

Agent Noah Lukeman

This page has a link to an ebook by this agent, How to Write a Great Query Letter. There's a separate link if you're outside of the U.S. (it's to an Amazon short, but it is free).

Feel free to leave links to query letter how-to's.

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Writing and Publishers - With All of the Consolidations...

Random House and other big publishers have been consolidating like crazy, downsizing, shuffling people around (those that are left, anyway). No doubt some of the mid-sized publishers are probably doing the same thing.

However...

Uncle Jim has it right in this thread in the Bewares and Backgrounds forum at the Water Cooler.

What he says is:

"Do not pay to be published.

"Real publishers cost you nothing. They pay you. (And not just a measly dollar, in case you run into PublishAmerica.)

"Here's what to do:
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"Go to a bookstore. Find books on the shelf that are similar to yours.

"Write down the publishers' names.

"Get those publishers' guidelines. Follow the guidelines to the letter.

"If the publisher says you need an agent:

"Find the names of agents who have sold books like yours. By "sold" I mean they have books on the shelves in bookstores that you've seen with your own eyes. Get their guidelines and follow them to the letter.

"While all this is happening, write a new, different, and better book."

It's not easy, but it's best to be prepared. Start with the agents, if they pass, get out your list (you do have a list of agents and publishers, right?) of all sizes of publishers that take unagented mss.

Before You Contact Publishers Directly

But it's not just good enough to list a bunch of publishers. Make sure those publishers take your genre (same goes for agents, naturally). Make sure those publishers are actual publishers (unlike PublishAmerica, which is a printer - and a pretty lousy one at that).

If they take and print everything that comes their way - they're a vanity press. Real publishers - big, small, and everything in between - are selective about which books they'll publish. They're not getting any dough from you, so they have to be picky - they want to make money as much as you do! :-)

Background Checks

This is the most important step. Before you send out your Novel of the Ages or your query letter, research publishers and agents. There are plenty of fly-by-nighters, willing to fleece you out of your life savings (or close to it), there are the clueless (who really do want to help writers, but haven't a clue as to how to market, get distribution, etc.), and then there are the legit ones.

Do your homework! If you eventually decide to go the POD technology route, at least do it with your eyes open. Know that your novel will hardly sell any copies, unless you're a complete marketing whiz (few writers are).

In Summary

So, after the steps Uncle Jim talked about above, do your research by:

1. Getting a list together of all the legit agents and publishers.

2. Making sure they take your genre.

3. Making sure they're not bottom feeders/clueless.

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Okay, NOW I can say Happy New Year!

Hope your writing is getting on well.

Check this out - 10 months ago, I decided to answer someone on Yahoo Answers - and just recently got an email that my answer won out.

But I'm a bit embarassed. Either I didn't check my spelling (and I even advise the poster to do so), or somehow between emailing it off to the Answers people and those people posting it, but there are some typos, plus some words are missing.

However, what I said there I think is pretty good advice - even though I do plug this site (hey, why not?).

You can check it out here.

Update: Whoops, here's another Yahoo Answers that I answered, this time to a young writer, and, again, from 10 months ago. Weird, but cool.

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Some Thoughts - And Maybe a Tweak For Story Ideas?

Lucasfilms (the production arm owned by George Lucas, he of American Graffiti and Star Wars fame) puts out these nifty, short documentaries which air on History Channel. I just finished watching one earlier this morning (they're part of History's Cable in the Classroom, which last, I think, from 5:30am to 7:00am), and it was all wrapped up in about 30 minutes.

Mata Hari - Not Who You Think

I think most people have heard of Mata Hari, the female spy from World War I. I suspect that many (including me) don't know much about her background, just that she was an alluring spy that lost her life by firing squad.

"Mata Hari" is (if I remember correctly) a Malaysian term that means something like, "early dawn." (It's not always easy to remember these things this early in the morning, lol.) This ties in, though, with Mata Hari's early life.

She was born with the first name of Margereta (Dutch, I believe). In the space of one year, her father's business went bankrupt, he abandoned the family, and her mother died. Still quite young, she apparently got by on her wits and her beauty. She eventually saw an ad in the paper for a gentleman asking for a young lady to take as his wife.

She accepted, got married, had two kids. Her husband was in the army, and they moved to the Dutch East Indies. This is where Mata Hari came up with her name, from the natives who lived there, their sinuous dances...

Mata Hari soon became bored with her routine, but not before another tragedy struck her: One of her children died.

One thing led to another; her husband and she soon divorced. She moved to Paris.

The Dancer

But of course she needed to survive, somehow. She wasn't married anymore, so she started on a PR campaign, during which she came up with the Mata Hari moniker. She sent her picture to the newspapers, writing up the copy, and soon she was a scantily-clad dancer, often donning bellydancer-type gear, with plenty of veils, and plenty of exposed flesh.

She became a rich dude's mistress during what became known as La Belle Epoque. Thus, she was able to live in the lap of luxury, which was all she really wanted (do you get the feeling that she really, really liked men? ;-)).

And Then Came the Spying Bit

But how she got entwined into spying was, well, she certainly didn't do it for ideology. She did it because some dudes offered her a ton of money. She was a double agent, but neither side knew, at least for a time. She was first approached by the Germans, who offered her 20,000 francs. Later, she was offered a million frances (would I kid?) by the French.

When the French suffered a number of defeats during World War I, I think the government was looking for a scapegoat. Yup, you guessed it. There are still transcripts available that give out with all the info I've outline above.

Fascinating stuff, and like I said, all wrapped up in 30 minutes. I also watched an interesting documentary on Puccini, how his operas were groundbreaking, in that they weren't about aristocratic people (La Boehme means "The Bohemians") but about everyday people.

And that's your history lesson for today. :-)

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Work Backwards

This is a writing technique that might work for you, especially if you're in the beginning stages of a story.

Start With the Ending

I've been writing/editing/whatever Yesterday's Gone for a number of years now, and I think I'm finally getting to the endgame. (Taken with a grain of salt, as I've said the same thing for...many years now. ;-))

Anyway, I read a suggestion somewhere that sometimes knowing the ending and working your way back to the beginning gets the juices flowing.

But, you wonder, how might it help me, the Person Who Already Has the Ending and Needs a Spark to Get Back Into Writing Again?

Well...this particular idea might not spark a damn thing, but you never know.

It Might Make You Rethink a Thing or Ten

Ugh, you're thinking, rethinking means editing again. Yeah, I know, brother, do I know! If I didn't like the characters of my current WIP, I think I would've trashed it a long time ago. I also think the story is worth telling.

I decided to try a workback from the ending, and almost immediately came up with another idea to make the ending (and what comes just before it) a tad more interesting (Rita had better keep on her toes!). I also rethought certain parts I'd last inserted and realized they were boring and didn't really do anything good for the story. Cut, cut, cut! (Although I haven't gotten to that point, as yet.)

An Example (Sort of)

Let's say you want to write a murder mystery. You start with the ending, where the murderer is uncovered. Maybe before that your heroine is smooshed in the fact with a pie with a stick of dynamite in it. (I figure if cartoons can have a plethora of TNT without any good reason, so can I.) Before that, the heroine is running through the spooky mansion, trying to get away from someone she thinks is coming after her with a knife (psst - no, no, Ms. Heroine; it's D-Y-N-A-M-I-T-ETM).

I think you get the idea. This might just open up a portion of your brain and tweak it in such a way that leads to some really great ideas. (But skip the dynamite stuff above; I have trademarked that idea, as you can see by the little "TM" above). :-))


With me, I usually have the ending all figured out in addition to the beginning; it's the stuff in between that makes me want to pull out my hair. ;-)

It's basic, but it just might be the trick that helps you get your story written - or rewritten.

Love and kisses.

~Nancy Beck

Writing Excuses

I was over on The Book Swede's blog (one of many very good fantasy & SF review sites/blogs) and noticed he had a post on writing advice.

My eyes fell on one of his website/blogger/forum suggestions - Writing Excuses. It's a podcast, but don't worry about having an MP3 player: You can click on the little right arrow within the post.

Sound quality is quite good - even on this old fart of a work computer. :-) The first podcast I semi-listened to was one of their regular (free!) ones - Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard. It's their take on overcoming writers' block.

And Who Are "They"?

Glad you asked. ;-)

It's a threesome:

• Brandon Sanderson - He wrote the Mistborn fantasy series. I haven't read it as yet, but it looks and sounds interesting. Meh. So many books to possibly read, so little time (and money, at the moment, lol.)

• Harold Taylor - A cartoonist. I'm not up on his stuff, but a cartoonist, as far as I know, has deadlines just like any novelist does.

• Dan Wells - A horror novelist. Horror isn't my cup of tea, and the loading of his - and the others' bios - were taking forever to load (stupid computer), so I clicked the stop button.

Sounds, though, as if they'd be quite able to offer all sorts of advice, considering they're pubbed authors (I wonder if Mr. Taylor has any graphic novels pubbed? Just wonderin'...).

Might be worth a look around, especially if you have trouble (like me) getting your butt in the chair and typing away, or any other problems you might have with your writing.

I love finding a new writing resource, and this looks like it might be a good one.

~Nancy Beck

Complicate Your Main Character's Life

I am so psyched about my WIP!

I finished up Chapter 8 yesterday, although I went at it originally thinking that I'd have to cut and paste stuff from another chapter (Chapter 13).

Thank goodness for inspiration!

Instead, I created another scene which dovetails nicely (although a thing or two might be cut in the next revision) into the First Major Problem for the MC.

What I First Envisioned

This idea didn't occur to me in the first draft. (Hell, no.) And I knew that something was missing; there just wasn't enough justification for the MC (Rita) to hang around. I mean, if she found her birth mother right off, why would she need to?

Complications

So I need to come up with some complications, some things that get in Rita's way.

First, I decided there was no way she was going to know that this other woman positively was her birth mother; she'd have to do some sniffing around for proof.

Second, I thought about the goddess (a real wise ass, heh) who brought her back in time: She could easily have pointed out Rita's birth mother. But what kind of complication is that? Since she's a minor goddess, she'd have some limitations (there's another one, but that's for later in the story). One is that she can scent out the birth mother like a bloodhound but she can't pinpoint the woman.

Why? Because the Head God or Head Goddess made it that way. (Sounds like a cop-out, but I don't think it is.) Besides, the goddess likes the idea of human beings having to do some work; like your own mom did when she said to clean your room or finish your homework before hanging with your BFF. ;-)

Third, something has to happen to the birth mother to take her away from Rita. This is where the dovetailing I mentioned above comes in. This leads to other complications, which now forces Rita to stay and sweat it out.

And, boy, the major complication that happens afterwards is a real doozy.

What Helped Me

Besides my own whacked imagination ;-), Donald Maas', Writing the Breakout Novel, helped me immensely, especially coming up with the First Major Complication.

Just recently, while I was in the shower, I had another inspiration; this follows on from the First Major Complication, and it's going to go into the middle of the book. It's a major plot point that propels the action forward, plus it makes sense considering World War II is going on and hysteria has set in (the West Coast was a hot bed of hysteria, especially in the early days of the war).

In Summary

Want to propel your story forward? Think of things that will complicate your MC's life. It can be a physical thing - how to get across the Atlantic Ocean to her beloved when she has no money - or it can be a mental thing - she hasn't been taught to read so she can't improve her life.

Whatever it is, throw as many complications in front of your MC as you possibly can as long as they make sense within the story (or else you'll have a lot of 'splainin' to do - and a lot of readers might not want to stick around for such a 'splainin').

And if you're stuck for ideas, I can heartily recommend Writing the Breakout Novel. Although it's written more for the midlist author, I found it a great resource for my own writing - and I'm not a midlist author. :-)

Good writing!

~Nancy Beck

Redundant Expressions

I was just over on the Daily Writing Tips blog, checking out some of their older posts, and came upon one about redundant expressions.

You know 'em, and probably cringe when you find 'em in the revision stage:

• free gift
• reiterate again
• green-colored car
  

(Daily Writing Tips had something similar to the last one in my bulleted list, and I'll admit that my first thought was, "Huh?" That was soon followed by "D'oh!" My further response: More caffeine dumped down my gullet. :-))

What Works and What Doesn't

One of the ideas when you're writing is to choose the correct words; usually, the fewer the better. This is hard to do until you get in the groove of writing every day. Then, over time, word choices will become easier, as you get a feel for what works and what doesn't.

Redundant expressions, like "army soldier," are of the "not-works" type, in case you hadn't figured that out ;-).

Slashing and Burning In the Revision Stage

In the creative stage, the first draft stage, I think you should just go for it; let the typos and other mistakes fly. The important thing is to get the basic story down, even if you've outlined it first.

The revision stage is when you allow the inner critic into the mix. You know, it's that PITA voice that says stuff like, "There should be a comma here," or "This scene really doesn't work," or "Give this guy a name already, will ya?" I don't think you should allow it free reign because then it might stifle your enthusiasm for the story (this is something that's happened to me; oh brother, has it ever!), but allow it in enough so that it can catch stuff like these types of expressions.

I remember going back to a story months, sometimes years, later and finding stuff that made me flinch, including these expressions (which are called pleonasm); jeez, did I really write that?

Um. Yeah.

In Summary

So try to eliminate "navy sailor" and other types of these expressions wherever you can. If you don't feel you've caught them all, have a writer friend look over your story; sometimes fresh eyes can pick up stuff that you can't.

~Nancy Beck

Easter...and An Interesting Offer

Well, The Mom is already here, and The Oldest Brother is on his way over a little bit later, so Easter has begun.

I have to admit that I haven't been doing too much in the writing department, especially this week (surrounded by two bosses with colds, plus a dude who coughs every five minutes or so), I've felt a bit rundown.

Which Leads Me to...

Liz, at the Real Joined Up Writing blog (you can click on it in the Blog Roll), sent me an email with a very good offer. The idea is to write 100 words per day, by having bloggers post if they've reached their target my having a sort of group pep rally (or flog whipping, if you don't live up to the bargain, heh ;-)).

I have to admit, I'm tempted to join, once Liz has the group blog thingie up. One of the toughest things to do for anyone working on a novel is to keep writing; keeping the juices flowing, keeping yourself in the groove, can help you become a better writer, as you can then look at things and say to yourself, "Hmm, that really should go in Chapter 4...That needs to be deleted..."

That sort of thing, among other things. :-) It's like a painter painting every day; once he's done enough landscapes or whatever it is he/she paints, he/she begins to select the correct colors to use and the right techniques to put across what it is someone gazing at the painting should get out of it.

And my guess is that a painter can paint faster, because he/she has more confidence.

I believe that confidence for the writer begats better word choices, a more critical eye (in the revision stages), and more creativity.

I'll post more information as soon as I receive more.

Thanks to Liz for coming up with a good idea...that I just might have to take her up on! :-)

Why I Finally Saw the Light On Some of My Writing Prejudices

That goes for reading, too.

I think every writer - published or not - has a writing prejudice. It could be against an entire genre - romance or fantasy, for example - or it could be just against a certain group of writers (more on that in a moment).

My Epiphany

When I speak of a group of writers, I'm not talking about racial groups or anything like that. What I'm talking about are writers who write for shared universes or shared worlds.

Think Star Trek and its various iterations.

And, I just happen to be talking specifically about one such writer who wrote in the Star Trek universe.

This writer wrote on either a writers' board or somewhere; unfortunately, I can't remember where I read this nor the writer's name, except that this oerson was definitely male.

Once I went whole hog into the writing gig, one of my main, smug assumptions was that anyone who wrote for something like Star Trek couldn't be a writer worth his or her salt.

The Eye-Opening Post

This writer's post open my eyes, big time.

We're talking about 2-3 years ago. What this guy wrote impressed me no end, and completely changed my mind about those writing in an already-established world.

Think about it. We, as writers, get to create the story and characters - and the world those character inhabit.

Writers in a shared universe don't have that luxury. They have to remember on-going characters' names. They have to remember situations that came before. They have to remember whether a character would or wouldn't do certain things, considering that character's past. Certain "logics" of the world are already supplied, and the writer can't deviate from those logics. (This comes into play if you have a series, certainly; but you, the writer, still get to make it up for Book One.)

Tough Stuff

Those were some of the things this particular writer pointed out - and I had to give it some serious thought.

I felt he was right, and I was wrong.

Remembering all that stuff and coming up with a story that the publisher/whoever can live with, is tough, in my mind. At least with characters and situations I've come up with - they're my creations. Although this might be "easy" money in a sense - the characters and the world is already there for ya - I don't feel it's easy to come up with a coherent story. Yet, writers are regularly signed up for these sorts of gigs all the time, and they can be quite popular. (I can only think of the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises, but I'm sure there are others.)

So I slowly changed my smugness into respect. It was hard for me to do, but I had to be honest with myself, especially after I let the idea roll around in my head for a while.

Then There's the Entire Genre Bit

This one is as old as the hills. The literary people don't like the fantasy or SF genres because it's "not really writing" or it's "not based on the real world."

Or there's the thriller crowd (or fill in whatever genre you want) who thinks romances are all "bodice rippers."

Eek!! Enough of that stuff. Did I have my prejudices against reading certain genres? Damn right! Yup, had a thing against romances, had a thing against literary, yadda, yadda, yadda.

So what did I do, once I got past that bit of snobbery?

I decided to start reading some romances.

Now, I have read one, The Smoke Thief, that had fantasy elements in it, and I thought it was a Very Good Read. I have two other ones that have fantasy elements in them, but I've only read a couple of chapters of one; haven't yet started the other one.

But I didn't want to just read those types of romances: I wanted to read other types, just to see if I'd like them. So I picked up an historical one, this one set at sea for the most part (I'm such a water person, you wouldn't believe!); the first half of it was quite fun, with the heroine dressing up as a boy, but eventually being found out (yeah, I know, it's one of the usual tropes of romance). Even though it sounds like the same-old, same-old, it was still a lot of fun to read.

Once they landed, not so much.

Especially as she still loved him after he kidnapped her.

But I wanted to read books with unusual twists - HEA (Happily Ever After) is fine with me, I mean, duh, that's what to expect in most romances, ya know? :-) So I picked up a couple more, after reading some reviews of them.

And, Your Point?

My point is, even as writers, we have to keep on guard about our prejudices. It really helps, I think, for us to read in other genres from time to time. (Ask me about my Stephanie Plum mysteries obsession. I triple-dog dare ya! ;-)) I think it helps us to grow as writers, giving us insights into certain things that we can incorporate in our own stories.

Or we might even come to like that particular genre.

Or we might just like that particular writer's books.

My take on it is to keep your mind open to new things. I dispensed with the idea of there shouldn't be such-and-such genre by rethinking it as: If there's a whole bunch of people clamoring to read it, why not write it?

If that's what interests you, that is.

So keep your mind open. You never know what might wiggle in - and for the better of you and your writing!

~Nancy Beck

And I Thought I Was the Only One

I thought I was the only who visibly shuddered when punctuation is used incorrectly.

Apparently, though, I'm not.

This article, Celebrating the Semicolon in a Most Unlikely Location, is about a New York City subway placard that gets it right as far as semicolons are concerned. The man who wrote the public service blurb thought someone was complaining when his supervisor told him a reporter was inquiring about who was responsible for the semicolon.

Others have commented on, and applauded, Mr. Neches for his correct usage.

Imagine that. :-)

~Nancy Beck

Is That Why I React the Way I Do to My Double?

Well, I've never actually seen someone that I thought was my doppelganger.

Then again, I've had to deal with my hubby's delusions (no, seriously; he truly believed a lotta stuff, including truly believing he saw celebrities and political figures around town, plus he also truly believed one alternative recording artist had several bots around, just waiting for him to find them).

So, writtenwyrdd's post on this syndrome, called Delusional Misidentification Syndrome, piqued my interest in two different ways. One way is noted above.

The Second Way - And, Yes, It's Related to Writing

When anyone decides to write fantasy in any of its many genres, we generally write about beings, etc., that are figments of our imagination or are taken out of myth: Think vampires, think gods and goddesses of different cultures.

For instance, in my current WIP, I have a minor Roman goddess transporting the MC back in time to the 1940s. The MC wants to find her birth mother, and, as a goof, decides to petition this minor goddess, since everything else she's tried hasn't helped.

Of course, the goddess helps her. But how does she react to the goddess?

Since she's in her old bedroom in her adoptive mother's house, there's no one except her to react to the strange goings-on. And she freaks, naturally; who the hell wouldn't, especially when she opens up the bedroom door and something (not the goddess herself) is not quite right out in the hallway... ;-)

The twist I have is that another character sees the goddess in the flesh. The MC figures she's going to get that character - that the other character is going to faint dead away.

Except, the other character doesn't.

Which makes the MC almost faint.

There's another story there, but I ain't tellin' it. Might turn into a prequel of sorts (if I can just get the damn story in the shape I want it to be in).

But I digress.

So What's This Syndrome All About?

I'll writtenwyrdd describe it briefly:

The nifty thing about DMS is that describes a bunch of monoschematic delusions, which is to say, that they think one thing is changed in the delusion and otherwise reality is pretty much normal.

I have a fantasy tales from around the world book at home, and at least one of the stories is the old chestnut about a woman giving birth to a perfectly-normal baby only to look again in the morning or whenever and see that it looks differently.

Ah, yes, the changeling.

The story I'm thinking of is from Ireland; the basic idea is that sometime during the night or day someone that the mother pissed off in faery (or wherever) decides to get back at her by taking away her newborn and replacing it with a changeling (looks similar to the human babe but not exactly).

Something excellent that must be considered by fantasists. Because, let's say a vampire pops up in front of a cop on the street: How is that cop going to react? How is the MC going to react? Others can react in different ways, too, depending on their backstory (as noted in my own example).

~Nancy Beck

Why You and I Should Be Ticked Off At This "Advice"

I have a publishing credit from a few years ago (a short story), and I haven't yet cracked the publishing world on the novel end of things. (All in due time. :-))

I subscribe to a feed for the Daily Writing Tips blog, and the blogger's post about a certain published author's "advice" left me a bit ticked. Not the blogger; she couldn't believe what this author said.

The Author's "Advice"?

So what the heck did this author say, making it sound like some sort of rule?

That you, the writer, should only write in the Point of View (POV) of your gender, and that you should only write a POV character with your own past experiences.

To which I respond: Bullshit.

To Write or Not To Write In Your Own Gender

A few months back, I came up with an idea for a story set in a town not far from where I live. Just for the heck of it, and since I had never tried it before, I wrote from a male perspective.

I revised the first chapter a couple times, curious as to what people thought of it. I submitted it to Evil Editor's blog, received a really funny continuation, and it ended up in EE's first Novel Deviations book (OF COURSE I bought it :-)). Anyway, if I remember correctly, there were 2 comments that said it sounded as if the male MC sounded more like a female. Heh. :-) Made me grin and realize I had a lot to work on. I've since put that aside, but I'll continue to experiment with male POVs just because can, nyah, nyah, nyah!

Guess what? That's a personal thing with me. I would never, ever offer that as writing advice. And it's obvious why: Plenty of authors have written POV characters that weren't in their own gender. And have done well with it. J. K. Rowling immediately comes to mind, as I'm sure other writers will come to mind, too. (A recent author, who writes mysteries, is J. A. Konrath, a man writing as a woman. On his site, he readily admits to getting advice from his wife and mother, and knows that if he gets something wrong, he'll get whacked for it. :-))

So...don't be afraid, if you're a woman, to write as a male, and vice versa. Maybe it'll suck, but maybe it'll be brilliant. Who knows until you've tried? :-)

Me? That's something I have to work on!

As For Using Only Your Past Experiences?

More horse hockey.

If by past experiences, this particular author means work and personal experiences (bringing up kids, working as a brain surgeon, bungee jumping off the Eiffel Tower, etc.), again, I feel this is something particular to her, and not a rule or guideline.

For instance, in my current WIP, I have a POV from a woman who has 4 kids (I don't have any) and from a woman's POV character who works as an editor at a small publishing house (this part is set in 1940s, BTW).

Now, according to this woman, I CAN'T write about a mother and her kids because I don't have any. Baloney. I remember how my mother treated me (and it's specifically between this woman and just one of her kids, a daughter), plus I have an imagination and can imagine how this woman would feel in certain situations (especially when the woman is tricked into leaving her daughter...)

As for the other...there's a writers' website I've frequented where I feel I've received quite an education about the publishing world. True, it's about the publishing world as it exists today, but I can't imagine it's too far away from the 1940s (huge discounts for bookstores and the agenting thing notwithstanding). Besides, the people running the publisher have no idea what they're doing, the woman-POV character doesn't what to be editing the types of books she wants to edit, etc. And any ineptness feeds well into the storyline.

The other part of the storyline, setting most of it in the 1940s, is because I have an insatiable interest in the 1940s. Setting in and near Hollywood during that time is also near and dear to my heart: I have the movie studio books to prove it (and have read through them hundreds of times over the years).

Do Want You Want...and Do It Well

The thing to remember is to write characters that are believable, whether they tie in to your past experiences or not. Maybe you've come up with a character that has a profession or passion for something that suddently piques your interest. So who's stopping you from writing about that person, whether it's a he or a she?

Yourself, of course. And you shouldn't let it, just because some multi-pubbed author has problems with it. That's her problem, her business.

Persist, have fun with it! Don't let someone else's problem become your problem.

~Nancy Beck

Tuesday Morning - Finish the Sentence #1

I've been getting into the idea of writing prompts and the like as a way to kind of kick start my writing. It's amazing to me how your brain can get into writing mode when actively participating in these things.

So I've decided to start a Tuesday morning thingie and designate it as Finish the Sentence morning. I'll probably resort to lines out of older books at some point, but I thought I'd try extricating something out of my own brain first.

Herewith is the 1st sentence you can try to finish (or not ;-)):

Billy ran out into the snowstorm with only his T-shirt, jeans, and a scarf on because...

The idea here is to scribble down the first thing that comes to your mind, and see where it takes you. From my own slightly mildewed brain:

Billy ran out into the snowstorm with only his T-shirt, jeans, and a scarf on because his mother was only two steps behind him, swinging an axe. What the hell's gotten into her? Billy thought, as he skidded and slipped down the sidewalk. Already his fingers had trouble bending in, and his feet felt as if he'd stepped into an ice cube bath.

Stopping, though, wasn't an option.

Not exactly the greatest, but that's not the point. Will this help you unstick your brain in some way? Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but at least you'll be getting in some sort of writing today, eh? ;-)

Tune in next week...same Bat channel...same Bat station. (Can you tell I loved all those goofy 60s shows like Batman, The Addams Family, and The Munsters?)

See ya soon! :-)

~Nancy Beck

This May Be More of a Freelance Idea, But...

...it is writing related, and even if you're not going to monetize your blog in any way or offer any services...it's an interesting idea.

When I originally set up this blog 2 years ago this August (can't believe it's been that long!), all I had in mind was the idea of goading myself to write and maybe the occasional writing tip or technique.

This post on the Pro Blogger blog (from 2006...still getting hits 2 years later!) has a nice little template focusing on altering your About Me or Profile page.

The idea is to to let people know who you are, your expertise and the problems or goals it addresses (especially good for freelancers and business owners), and how to contact you.

It wasn't until I'd been blogging for a number of months when an online writer friend clued me in that there was no way to contact me on my blog (!!). Simple stuff, but something I'd overlooked.

Getting back to the profile page...my thought on this is that you can make it as personal or as formal as you think it should be. And to get you thinking what you want to offer to the online world - again, even if it's just a word a day or just how you're toughing it out by writing Your Great Novel - I think is a great idea.

I have to admit that my original profile was just kind of slapped together (I figure that's what most people have done!); just a basic, "yadda, yadda, yadda, dis is my day job."

I'll probably tweak it from time to time, as certain things may fall by the wayside; only time will tell. But I've got the new one plugged in now, and although it's not perfect, I think it's serving it's purpose much better.

For now. :-)

~Nancy Beck

Conflict

I saw this post on the Daily Writing Tips blog. In fact, I've just joined her RSS feed. She has another part of the blog with Word of the Day stuff, which is right up my alley, too. :-)

Back to the Post

Anyway, the post talked about a specific Sol Stein book, one I hadn't seen or read, How to Grow a Novel. (Sounds intriguing, huh?) Mr. Stein has this to say about conflict in your novel (that is, is it necessary):

Yes, conflict was and is a necessity, it is the essence of dramatic action. The engine of fiction is somebody wanting something and going out to get it. And if you let him get it right away, you’re killing the story…Without…opposition, fiction is a vehicle without an engine.

I know a lot of you are probably saying: Duh. ;-) But really, how many times have you written a scene in your first draft (hopefully it's just in your first draft and not the final one! :-)) that is just dull/dried out/blah? Or have you seen the same when critting a portion of someone's novel?

Too many times. Writing something like that in the first draft is fine; the idea is write it down fast, eschewing whether it makes sense or not, then revise/cut.

The idea to keep in mind is that you want readers to keep reading...to turn the page, and keep turning the pages until they've finished your novel.

Remember to put up as many roadblocks between your main character getting whatever he or she wants, or the conflict will dry up too soon; if it does happen rather quickly, you might want to consider making your story into a short story instead. Or coming up with those roadblocks and hindrances, no matter how outlandish they might first seem. (Always give in to your creativity with that first draft; tell your inner critic to take a vacation for a while.)

But, yes, conflict is the essence of a novel. Without that, it's just so much dead wood (and that goes for e-books as well as dead-tree books! :-))

~Nancy Beck

Jumping Heads

I just finished critting the first chapter of someone's novel, and it was a tough slog. Not because it didn't have its exciting moments; it did. Not because the opening sentence was a fairly good start; it was.

The author, though, insisted on jumping from one point of view to another - sometimes within the same paragraph!

I know, I know: Larry McMurtry did that in Lonesome Dove. Or so I'm told, as I haven't read the book.

I'm not a fan of it, Mr. McMurtry notwithstanding.

Why? It confuses the heck out of me, that's why. Whose thoughts am I supposed to be getting into? Who am I rooting for or hissing at? To me, if there's a great big jumble in one paragraph, I'm not going to stick around and sort it out (especially if I still don't understand after reading said paragraph 2 or 3 times).

Let Me Know When You Make the Switch

The one WIP I have has 2 different points of view, so I'm obviously not opposed to multiple viewpoint stories. All I ask is that you let me know ahead of time when you switch from one character to another.

'Kay?

Just set 'em off with 3 asterisks (***) or with a pound sign (#), and I'll be happy. Well, at least with knowing that I'm about to embark on another character and his or her thoughts.

About Different Viewpoint Characters

That's not the only thing to think about. In the excerpt I critted, there were 3 different viewpoints. That, in and of itself, is fine. I read Elizabeth Bear's first trilogy which, if I remember correctly, had 3 (or was it 4?) viewpoint characters.

But they were carefully delineated, with one in the form of short diary entries, another in present tense, etc. It was fairly easy to follow, but it took me a while to get used to present tense; after finally reading a short story that worked extremely well in present tense (a lovely story out of Realms of Fantasy magazine), I went back to the opening book of that trilogy - and that part clicked. It turned out to be quite and intense and dark first book. (Alas, too dark for me at the moment. I still have to finish the other 2 books, but I'll get to them at some point.)

Anyway, I made the suggestion to limit this author's particular story to 2 viewpoints, which, interestingly enough, included not only a man's viewpoint, but a dog's viewpoint. I'm a dog lover, so I was hooked. :-)

I think it's something all fiction writers have to keep in mind: How best do I let this story unfold? One viewpoint? Two or more viewpoints? Through which characters' eyes should this story unfold?

And, sometimes, even the right POV (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) is a big question.

But that's a question for another post. :-)

~Nancy Beck

A Pen That Writes Your Novel For You?

Well...not really. (Thought I'd just bust chops, for a moment. :-))

Go to Leapfrog's website (here, as a matter of fact), and you'll see something called a FLY Fusion Pentop Computer.

From Leapfrog's website:

When you write with the FLY Fusion™ Pentop Computer on FLY™ Paper, everything is automatically captured and digitized. You can then upload it to your PC and convert to text. Touch your pentop computer to FLY Paper, and you can quiz yourself on history, get help with a quadratic equation, or even play your favorite MP3. And when you're ready for new software, simply connect to your PC again to purchase and download custom homework and gaming applications directly to your FLY Fusion Pentop Computer.

I don't know what the price tag is, but I imagine, since it has some sort of computer components in it (i.e., tech stuff), it probably isn't cheap.

It actually looks kind of cool; I love getting a trying out unusual things, pens included. I have one right now, from a travel fair here at work last year. It's not much, but it has this neato airplane thingy on it (it does say Virgin Atlantic on it, so that's no surprise).

A Cool Pen I Had Well Before the Techie Stuff Showed Up

I remember a pen I had growing up, and I thought it was really neat. Still do. Wish I still had it. Anyway, blue and white were entwined on the pen's surface so that the white parts looked like clouds and the blue parts looked like blue sky.

What was really cool about it was a moveable rocket on it. (This was in the 1970s, so all sorts of space-age, NASA-type stuff was in.) I turned the pen upside down, the rocket thingy would slide down the pen; obviously, it would move in the opposite direction when I turned it right-side-up again.

Yeah, I know: It's amazing what keeps people enthralled, lol.

But Getting Back to the Computerized Pen...

Besides the price (which, again, I don't know about, but am guessing it's expensive), the other downside is having to buy special paper. This is akin to buying an inkjet printer, which is fairly cheap nowadays, but having to pay through your teeth for the ink cartridges. I could see it becoming an expensive operation to have to buy special paper (and the blurb on the website says you MUST use the special paper in order to write with the pen).

So...will this catch on? My gut tells me it won't, but what do I know?

Interesting, though.

~Nancy