Life has been crazy busy these last few weeks, with school winding down for my son and things picking up at work. We've been busy around the house celebrating Father's Day and birthdays and getting together with family and friends.
Needless to say, I am behind in where I want to be with my WIP. My CP's took a look at my new chapters this week and pointed out what I already knew-- while there is a lot of action, there is little dialogue in the first chapter (2 lines to be exact), which makes it harder to read. I also added some scenes for the sake of having them, not because the did anything to move the story along. So, it is back to the drawing board for my beginning again (I actually have a plan in mind-- Thanks Trisha for being my sounding board for it!)
So, with that in mind, I will be taking the next week or so off from blogging to write and spend time with my family. Have a great couple weeks!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Creating Character
Happy belated Father's Day to all the dad's out there. We had a great time yesterday with both of our father's (and mother's and a brother) stopping over for food and fun on the back deck. Hope you all had a great time. (We actually had two sunny days in a row!)
This week I was writing a scene in my WIP with a minor character who would only be in this one scene. I wrote the chapter, saved it, then started thinking about what I had written. It was very flat, and worse, I didn't know why my MC had chosen this person for the task they were fulfilling in the chapter. As I thought about the answer to my why, a back story began to unravel for this minor character, and I realized that was why the chapter was so flat.
How about you? Do you create back stories even for minor characters? Why or why not?
This week I was writing a scene in my WIP with a minor character who would only be in this one scene. I wrote the chapter, saved it, then started thinking about what I had written. It was very flat, and worse, I didn't know why my MC had chosen this person for the task they were fulfilling in the chapter. As I thought about the answer to my why, a back story began to unravel for this minor character, and I realized that was why the chapter was so flat.
How about you? Do you create back stories even for minor characters? Why or why not?
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Out With A . . .Riot??
Well, the hockey season is officially over now. Congratulations to the Boston Bruins for winning the Stanley Cup. While I was rooting for the Vancouver Canucks (they had never won the Stanley Cup before and Boston had), I must say I am quite disappointed in how their fans behaved after the loss.
Looting, rioting, and destroying property is not a way to show disappointment when your sports team loses a championship game. I understand the let down and disappointment that comes when your team is THAT close, but doesn't pull through, but how does committing these acts of vandalism make you feel better?
Here's hoping that next year, the losing team's city will accept the loss with grace and dignity, not a flagrant disrespect of the law.
Looting, rioting, and destroying property is not a way to show disappointment when your sports team loses a championship game. I understand the let down and disappointment that comes when your team is THAT close, but doesn't pull through, but how does committing these acts of vandalism make you feel better?
Here's hoping that next year, the losing team's city will accept the loss with grace and dignity, not a flagrant disrespect of the law.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Why?
I've been wondering lately why people write. Do they have a story trapped inside they just have to get out? Do they write for their own enjoyment of the story they are writing? Do they write to see their name in print when they go to the bookstore?
After some thought, I realized I write because I have found wonderful characters who want me to come and live in their world, if only for a few hours at a time. (Interestingly, this is what draws me to the books I read-- characters who can take me away to another world or place).
So, out of curiosity, why do you write?
Oh, and Graeme has a new website. It can be found here. There's a great post about the "Ordinary" in Extraordinary. Be sure to swing by and check it out-- I found it quite thought provoking!
After some thought, I realized I write because I have found wonderful characters who want me to come and live in their world, if only for a few hours at a time. (Interestingly, this is what draws me to the books I read-- characters who can take me away to another world or place).
So, out of curiosity, why do you write?
Oh, and Graeme has a new website. It can be found here. There's a great post about the "Ordinary" in Extraordinary. Be sure to swing by and check it out-- I found it quite thought provoking!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Congratulations!!!!
I love hockey. Fortunately for me, I live in an area that has an AHL team- The Binghamton Senators.
Tuesday night the Senators did something the other hockey teams from this area hadn't been able to do in 38 years. They won the Calder Cup, after winning 4 games to the Houston Aeros 2 in a best of 7 series.
We went to the parade for them last night. It was great seeing the support from all the locals and really cool to see the cup (very neat looking trophy).
So, Congratulations, B-Sens!!! And here's to a great season next year!
Tuesday night the Senators did something the other hockey teams from this area hadn't been able to do in 38 years. They won the Calder Cup, after winning 4 games to the Houston Aeros 2 in a best of 7 series.
We went to the parade for them last night. It was great seeing the support from all the locals and really cool to see the cup (very neat looking trophy).
So, Congratulations, B-Sens!!! And here's to a great season next year!
Monday, June 6, 2011
My Two Cents
This weekend I hopped on line to check on some things and found the internet (or at least my Twitter friends) ablaze with comments on THIS article from the WSJ. There were many wonderful comments on Twitter (you can find the at #yasaves)
As I haven't read the books (at least the newer ones) discussed in the article, I don't feel I can comment one way or the other on that part of the article. (I do know several of these books will be appearing on my TBR pile!) But I wanted to share some observations I had.
First, if you are going to comment on books (either good or bad), you really should read them first. I am not saying the author of this piece didn't read them-- I have no way of knowing if she did or didn't. However, I know from personal experience how easy it is to be self-righteous about your POV. See, when I was in college I wrote a paper about how violence in TV was bad for children, and encouraged them to behave violently. The two shows I wrote about were the Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-- shows I had never watched. Fast forward about 15 years to me and my 6 year-old son watching those very shows and me loving the lessons they taught. I happened to stumble across my college paper and laughed at how naive and biased I had been. Unless you have actually read/watched what you find "offensive" you really can't comment on it correctly. You are entitled to your opinion, but I will respect it more if you do your research.
Secondly, I found it rather ironic that the author of the article used previously banned books to support her view that these new books are not things teens should be reading. In fact, I have found that the more you make a book controversial, the more people want to read it, just to see what the controversy is about.
Thirdly, there are too many people already telling us how to live our lives and what are children should and shouldn't do. Children have parents for a reason, and if I think my son is old enough to read a book with "dark" content, or play a realistic war game, that is my decision, not yours.
One other thing. I find it really hard to believe there were no other books than Vampire or issue books at Barnes and Noble. What about GRACELING? or Frank Beddor's LOOKING GLASS WARS series? Those were ones I thought of immediately.
Agent Bree Ogden mentioned in a tweet about going from reading RL Stine to Ayn Rand, and it made me think of my reading progress as a teen. For my sixteenth birthday (IIRC) my mom bought me a subscription to Harlequin. Not something most people would do, but she knew I could handle the content. And that is what I think this entire debate comes down to. Knowing your children, and knowing what they can handle in reading/games/life in general.
What do you think?
As I haven't read the books (at least the newer ones) discussed in the article, I don't feel I can comment one way or the other on that part of the article. (I do know several of these books will be appearing on my TBR pile!) But I wanted to share some observations I had.
First, if you are going to comment on books (either good or bad), you really should read them first. I am not saying the author of this piece didn't read them-- I have no way of knowing if she did or didn't. However, I know from personal experience how easy it is to be self-righteous about your POV. See, when I was in college I wrote a paper about how violence in TV was bad for children, and encouraged them to behave violently. The two shows I wrote about were the Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-- shows I had never watched. Fast forward about 15 years to me and my 6 year-old son watching those very shows and me loving the lessons they taught. I happened to stumble across my college paper and laughed at how naive and biased I had been. Unless you have actually read/watched what you find "offensive" you really can't comment on it correctly. You are entitled to your opinion, but I will respect it more if you do your research.
Secondly, I found it rather ironic that the author of the article used previously banned books to support her view that these new books are not things teens should be reading. In fact, I have found that the more you make a book controversial, the more people want to read it, just to see what the controversy is about.
Thirdly, there are too many people already telling us how to live our lives and what are children should and shouldn't do. Children have parents for a reason, and if I think my son is old enough to read a book with "dark" content, or play a realistic war game, that is my decision, not yours.
One other thing. I find it really hard to believe there were no other books than Vampire or issue books at Barnes and Noble. What about GRACELING? or Frank Beddor's LOOKING GLASS WARS series? Those were ones I thought of immediately.
Agent Bree Ogden mentioned in a tweet about going from reading RL Stine to Ayn Rand, and it made me think of my reading progress as a teen. For my sixteenth birthday (IIRC) my mom bought me a subscription to Harlequin. Not something most people would do, but she knew I could handle the content. And that is what I think this entire debate comes down to. Knowing your children, and knowing what they can handle in reading/games/life in general.
What do you think?
Friday, June 3, 2011
What's Your Fortune?
I love Chinese food. Even more I love Fortune Cookies. I have my own ritual for eating them, and recently discovered my husband and friends are quite different than mine.
I was told by a friend, growing up, that you break open the cookie, read the fortune, and if it is a good one, you eat the cookie. Yow never eat a cookie with a bad fortune. My husband and one of our friends break open the cookie, eat half, then read the fortune and finish the cookie.
Of course we read the fortunes to ourselves and then share out loud. My husband usually starts with, "Sorry, wrong cookie." Sometimes we think the fortunes went to the wrong people, as they fit others in the group so much better.
Last week my friend got a fortune I loved. "Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."
I have to admit- my first thought was Darth Vadar, then I realized this was a great quote for authors. We need to watch our characters, for we form their destiny. If we make a character do something out of character, (without a good reason) it can cause problems in our story.
What advice have you taken from fortune cookies?
I was told by a friend, growing up, that you break open the cookie, read the fortune, and if it is a good one, you eat the cookie. Yow never eat a cookie with a bad fortune. My husband and one of our friends break open the cookie, eat half, then read the fortune and finish the cookie.
Of course we read the fortunes to ourselves and then share out loud. My husband usually starts with, "Sorry, wrong cookie." Sometimes we think the fortunes went to the wrong people, as they fit others in the group so much better.
Last week my friend got a fortune I loved. "Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."
I have to admit- my first thought was Darth Vadar, then I realized this was a great quote for authors. We need to watch our characters, for we form their destiny. If we make a character do something out of character, (without a good reason) it can cause problems in our story.
What advice have you taken from fortune cookies?
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Happy June!!!!
Hopefully all of you made it through the storms last week with little/no problems. We had heavy rains, high winds, and tornado threats here, but fortunately no damage. Power was out to several people in our area over the weekend, but as far as I know most of it has been restored by now.
We had a great cookout with family and friends on the new deck Monday (finally the weather cooperated!!!) It was so nice to have the area to entertain on.
I'm getting to the end of my re-writes for my WIP, and catching up on some reading. My son and I are reading through the Percy Jackson series (we're on THE TITAN'S CURSE), and I am reading JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW. What titles are you reading or is in your TBR pile???
We had a great cookout with family and friends on the new deck Monday (finally the weather cooperated!!!) It was so nice to have the area to entertain on.
I'm getting to the end of my re-writes for my WIP, and catching up on some reading. My son and I are reading through the Percy Jackson series (we're on THE TITAN'S CURSE), and I am reading JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW. What titles are you reading or is in your TBR pile???
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