Part II

Well, part II of "Betrayal in an Envelope" was posted earlier this week. For those of you who would like or care to take a look: http://pikerpress.com/article.php?aID=3439 I stated in a previous post that I would reveal the first draft ending to the story and explain (or try to) why I changed it. In my first effort Anne goes back to the store to talk with her friend, Stephanie, about the tragic news she had just learned about Wesley and about her husband. However, when I reworked the story and added in more detail about each character, Anne transformed into not only a grieving friend and wife, but also a vengeful woman who needed to right a wrong. How she does so even surprised me. And the fact that Stephanie is not who she appears to be added to the transformation. Of course, the final act by Anne, though shocking, just seemed a natural turn and conclusion to the plot. In any case, that is what I did with it.

And this to Brainsnorts: You had me utterly focused on the use of character names within the dialogue! I'm hoping it helped make Greta Allstein sound like the obnoxious, condescending person I intended her to be! But it was a good piece of advice. Thank you.

Back to Business

Okay, now it's time to get back to those ideas that help make us better writers... I recently talked our principal into letting me launch a writers' club at our high school. Why we never had one to begin with puzzles me. I thought one of those energetic members of the language arts staff would have put that on the agenda, but no. I began to think back on my high school experience and how much fun our writers' club had been. So, I thought, we have a school newspaper, but why not expand that to include a club where besides news articles, fiction stories, poetry, any type of creative product can be shared and showcased? In any case, we began a couple of weeks ago. A decent turnout, a combination of poetry writers and short story writers, various genres, a wonderful mix of talent. I am inspired by the enthusiasm and dedication of those so young. And I am hoping when they look back on high school, they will think fondly about their writers' club experience.

How about you? Do you or did you belong to a writers' club in high school? Do or did you benefit? Highlights? Please share your thoughts. And if you have any suggestions, suggest away!

Over the Dry Spell and Writing the Short Story

Excuse me while I am compelled to "toot my horn" and announce that the writing/publishing dry spell is now officially over. Part I of my mystery short, "Betrayal in an Envelope" made its debut today in the ezine, Piker Press. I must say that I felt nervous submitting it. Being the verbose writer that I am, I don't have much luck with short story writing. I mean, how to tell the story, say what needs to be said, and say it well in a few pages is a nail-biting undertaking for me. However, once submitted, I had a refreshing experience with a wonderful editor -- Sand Pilarski. She gave me constructive feedback to show me where I could improve those "fuzzy" moments and details of my story. In fact, everything she questioned was a "Wow! She's right." kind of moment. So, thank you, Sand Pilarski.

Pleasant surprises popped up as I reworked the story. I found new layers to the characters and a better understanding of how they should act and react. But the best surprise was the ending. I changed the main character's reaction to the events and, well, you will just have to read it! After the final segment, I will post again and explain the original ending, how it didn't work as well, and then see what you think. Until then..... check out part one:

http://www.pikerpress.com/index.php

Style and Sophistication in Writing

How to keep your writing sophisticated and have others label your work as professional depends on your style, i.e. what techniques you use to create. It goes without saying (but I will anyway) that certain ones work well, but often only in certain situations. Let's consider poetry. The use of flowery, descriptive words, metaphors, similes, etc. fit nicely here. However, take that language and put it in a crime novel and it would sound totally out of place. If you are the poet, but want to write mysteries, watch your language! So, if the guy with the gun, ready to murder his cheating wife is in the middle of a heated dialog, it would not be wise to describe how his angry eyes are like "shining, blue sapphire jewels". In fact, the frequent use of similes and metaphors tends to pull the story away from the events. Remember, you are here to tell a story, the plot must be developed, and you should not be taking any detours that make you forget where you are supposed to be. Other stylistic devices such as words in italics, exclamation points, words in parentheses, frequent use of -ly adverbs, these, too distract. And let's face it...writing with all those bells and whistles implies you are insecure and trying too hard. You don't need to shove your writing in the reader's face to get his attention. If you write a great story, attend to the events, that will attract readers. To study this further, take a look at some of your favorite authors' work, but don't focus so much on the story. Rather, study their styles of writing, pay close attention to how they phrase, the descriptive words they use, etc. Let me know if you find very many of those stylistic detractors. And I'd be curious to know your thoughts about this. As writers, how hard is it for you to avoid these mistakes?

Are You a Graphomaniac?

First of all....Happy New Year to everyone. Obviously, one of my resolutions wasn't to post regularly to my blog...heh hmmm..... Lots going on, etc., etc.... Okay, on to the topic of my choice. Do you suffer from graphomania? I'm not talking about the purely medical definition here, where one writes continuous strings of words that when read, well, are just plain old nonsense. This refers to the layman's description. Do you have the compulsion to write -- constantly, obsessively, passionately -- someone insanely driven, and it's as if you can't get enough?

I thought about this for a brief minute, trying to decide on my own habits, and came up with a "no". I decided this based on the fact that I can go weeks without moving forward on a project or delving into a new idea for one. Oh, I will think about doing it, but just don't. Then there will be times when I am in overdrive, blathering on and on in the written word, as if some spell has taken possession of my hand and won't let me stop writing! Rather like the girl in the children's story about the dancing slippers -- only with hands, not feet, of course :-). But I'm not the one to claim writing takes up almost every waking moment of my day. That said, it brought me to another thought.

How many authors, especially great ones, past and present, could be labeled as graphomaniacs? It's an interesting question, I think. What is your opinion? And do you consider yourself afflicted with graphomania? Let's hear your thoughts.

Happy or sappy? Create a Chain of Thought....

Okay, so I admit it...I get sappy during the holidays. Then again, so do many others. On that note, I decided to post a chain of thought poem, and of course it would be about the holiday season. Then I thought it would be fun if I invited all to create their own little gems, add to the, ah, well...you know...sappiness! Serious, funny, satirical, whatever you wish...have fun with it, and even if you are in a bah-humbugger mood, who knows, maybe it will bring you a little... you got it...holiday cheer :)

So here's my contribution:

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes…
Wishes, let’s hope for health and happiness in the New Year.
Year, it flies by, so grab hold of each memory and hope.
Hope, we need it, we should cherish it, and want all to have some.
Some, if everyone could give even a little cheer to all…
All, all around us we would find a season to be merry.
Merry, here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Yeah...I know....really, really, sappy! But I'm loving it!

Outlining...Preparing for Your Project

Thanks to a previous comment I began to think about outlining. When I've used it, has it been an effective tool? The answer, of course, is yes. But it still prompts the question....does it work for everyone? Is it a necessary stage of the writing process? Well....there are differing camps of thought on the subject. I myself use an outline when writing my novels. And it's interesting that in each of the three cases, so far, the process has been the same: stage one - starting out with a general idea of where the story should end; stage two - after writing the first couple of chapters and getting to know my characters, sketch out a basic outline (not too detailed); and stage three - when I get far enough into the story, make the outline more detailed, filling in the blanks so to speak..... and at that point, I'm off and running at breakneck speed. It's exhilarating, by the way. Of course, if a character somewhere along the way has the urge to "break off in another direction" rather than going by way of my plot outline....that's okay, too.

So, when I happened to be directed to a certain author's site and found his description of outlining to be similar, well, I felt....validated, I guess. Maybe that's odd, but it is how I felt. In any case, check out the blog postings he's written (there are several on the topic) and see what you think about outlining.

By the way, I recall watching a television program where a guest author (can't remember the name) confessed he has no clue as to how his book will end as he's writing. He claims that his writing is fresh and spontaneous that way. It seems to work for him, so... if I may quote a popular agent and blogger (Nathan Bransford)..."if it works, it works...."

Check out the site: http://jeffabbott.com/blog/writing/