“3-Ups” Blog Hop/ Chain

I know, I know, I’m always whining about how I don’t have time to join in on any blog hops/chains/etc. and here I am starting one… but an idea struck me this morning and I cannot resist putting it into play! It’s called “3 Ups.” It’s an easy one. You’ll only have to visit one blog one time and you’ve done your part. It’s one that I feel will be good for the Blog-o-Sphere. I hope you’ll join me in helping out the community!

First, a little back history: When I was in high school we had a rule: if you said something bad or down about yourself and someone caught you doing it, you had to say three things you liked about yourself on the spot. We called it “3 Ups” and it was a rule that helped more than a few people gain a little self-esteem and open their eyes to the value that was (is) themselves. I love that rule and still employ it with people sometimes.

Here's where “3 Ups” comes in. Over the next week or two (depending on how much interest I get) I’d like to generate a list of people who want to participate. Once this list is at a good number we’ll get started. The way it will work is like this: each blogger will pick the blogger listed below them, visit his or her site, read a post or two, and then tell them three things they like about the person or his or her blog. Easy enough, right? And how good will you feel after making someone else’s day? I reckon pretty darn good.

The list will remain open, of course. Everyone is welcome to join at any time.

So, please, sign up in the comments section of my blog! I’d love to make this Pay it Forward style hop/chain a success and help make some bloggers realize just how amazing they are!

Oh—and if you’re following me and I’m not following back, please tell me. I’d like to extend the courtesy of joining you on your journey just as you’ve joined me on mine. As always, thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, and thanks for giving me someone to write to. Stay classy, Blog-o-Sphere!

Best,

 

—R

There is Nothing Wrong with You

I recently drove close to two hours to research a town that I wanted to set some scenes in. I drove around, visited some stores and had lunch at a diner where I talked with a local waitress. I thought this to be perfectly acceptable behavior. Just some routine homework, right? Something anyone would do, right?

I guess not.

My friend—a bowling fanatic—said, “I can’t believe you did that. You’re way beyond crazy.”

In return I asked him how many hours he spent out on the lanes perfecting his game.

Shut him up rather quickly with that one.

The truth is that we writers are a secular bunch. We’re quirky, aloof, sometimes precocious and quite often completely misunderstood. We do things that others might scoff at. We march to the beats of our own respective drums. Did you know that Arthur Miller holed himself up for six weeks while he wrote Death of a Salesman, limiting, as much as possible, all contact with the outside world?

To some, something like that is insane. To me, it’s akin to a baseball player spending all of his spare time striving for that next line drive, that next home run—only the baseball player has the home-field advantage over the writer: The baseball player is mainstream; he’s common place; he fills stadiums. Of course his behavior would be considered as being ‘dedicated’ instead of ‘disturbing.’

Nuts to that, I say.    

The baseball player and my friend are just as ‘insane’ as I am—insanely passionate, that is. Each of us wants to achieve our goals and be the best at what we love. We work hard to do so. Sometimes we do it quietly; sometimes we do it with pride. I see too many Authors doing it quietly. It’s a shame.

You aren’t alone, you know. There are tons of us out there who understand you, who can empathize with the details of you journey. If the Blog-o-Sphere has taught me anything over the past year and a half it’s that I am not singular, I am not alone and I certainly am not way beyond crazy. I’m a writer—a damned good one. And so are all of you.

Do not allow those who fail to understand you define you. Instead, surround yourself with those who do understand. Join a writing group or a forum—or both. Start your own blog and introduce yourself to the Sphere. Heck, shoot me an e-mail. I’ve been through hell and back on my journey. I’m pretty sure I’ll get what it is you’re getting at.

In summary, leave the people who make you feel wrong far behind. There are many, many of us who are dying to make you feel right.

This post is my belated entry for Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. On the first Wednesday of each month members of IWSG post their insecurities, their fears, or opt to cheer each other on. If you’re looking for people to understand you, the IWSG is your chance to find them. Stop by, sign up and see how far you are from alone.

As always, thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, and thanks for giving me someone to write to. I’ll be back next week with some long promised notes about plot & structure. In the meantime, stay classy, Blog-o-Sphere!

Best,

 

—R  

Win!

Characters who give up kill books. If you have a story in which the main character says, “OK, this is too hard, I’m going back to playing Mass Effect,” then you essentially have a twelve-world short story. Kudos if you can make that work. I once wrote a six-word short story: “Russian Roulette Club Needs New Russians.”

It did not open to rave reviews.

I digress. Let’s get back to characters who give up. Here are some ways in which a failed character can murder a story:

Plot: Aristotle defines a plot as “the arrangement of the incidents.” It’s a series of things that happen that move the story forward. Why does a plot need to move a story forward? If it doesn’t then nothing happens. When nothing happens we close the book. I certainly don’t want to read a fifteen-hundred word story about a character who avoids adversity by sitting on his couch, eating chips. Unless you’re a Cape Cod Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper fanatic, I doubt you do, either. A character who gives up will never get to the next part of the story. Thus, there is no story. Book shut.

Connectivity: When we read books we tend to root for the characters and want them to succeed. It makes us feel good. It makes us feel like we can accomplish things, too. It marries us to the hero, the villain, the love interest and the poor, bumbling side-kick that gets swept up into a big old mess and comes out better for it. Giving up prevents us from making that connection. It prevents us from the great rush that accompanies wanting the character(s) to succeed. By giving up that connection is lost and the reader is likely left with a sense of despair—If the hero can’t do it, how can I?  Sure, there are novels where the hero, in the end, does fail. Nothing wrong with that. The important part is that she tried every step of the way, and thus kept us engaged and hopeful for her success.

Tension & Conflict: Two characters want to succeed, but only one can. (Think Thunder Dome: Two men enter, one man leaves.) Both working in opposing ways creates tension and tension is quite engaging. A story without conflict, a tale in which the hero walks down the sidewalk and attains victory, is stale. Again, not something many will want to read. But when these two forces clash and both attempt to overcome the other? Now that’s great stuff. Both characters should want to win. With each step, each piece of dialogue, each action, these characters should be working their hardest to come out on top.

Resolution: OK, so I guess the story about the guy who wanted to play Halo could be resolved by him turning the Xbox on and actually playing Mass Effect, but where’s the fun in that? I want bigger and better things for my character. I want to see my character defeat the dragon and save the princess. I want my character to pass that math test that’s in the way of their graduation. For better or for worse, I want my character’s story to be resolved. Can’t exactly do that if the story never began in the first place. I guess you could, but your end result would likely be a twelve-word short story.

Sometimes characters do give up—but here’s the important thing: they bounce back. Something occurs in the story that gets them back in the game. So yes, giving up can be OK—so long as it isn’t permanent.

Think about these things before your character gives up. Understand that you’re killing your story by killing his motivation. Give him reasons to win and give him the mindset of wanting to win. Or, let him give up…for a little while…then toss something into the story that steers him back on the road to winning.

As always, I hope this information proves helpful and, as always, thanks for reading, thanks for commenting and thanks for giving me someone to write to. Stay classy, Blog-o-Sphere!

Best,

 

—R

Puppies, Road Trips and Life Just Plain Getting in the Way

Well, it’s been another crazy week for me, so I apologize once again to all of my blogging buddies and friends. I’m sorry I haven’t been around to read and comment and respond to e-mails (I haven’t forgotten about you, Meesh & Krystal Jane!) Things DO look like they’re finally clearing up, though. I should be back to my same bat time and channel soon, and I ton of tips to share. In the meantime, I hope all is well in each of your spheres!

 So here’s one interesting thing that’s kept me busy this past week: Over the weekend I drove from Massachusetts to North Carolina to pick up the puppy I adopted! The woman from the rescue group wasn’t going to be able to drive him up until May 18^th, and I really wanted him, so I engaged in a marathon run over the weekend.

On Friday I left Hartford, CT at 1:00p.m., got stuck in NYC for three hours, and made it to Roanoke, VA for around 1:30a.m. I found a hotel in Roanoke and slept until around 5:30a.m., then got on the road again. After a trip to the Waffle House (my God, do I wish we had one up here!) I landed at the rescue shelter at 9:00a.m. and met the newest member of the Lee family!

Tugg Speedman—yes, I named my dog Tugg Speedman—and I played at the shelter for about an hour and then we were on our way back up north. We made it home at about 12:30a.m. When we landed it was off to bed for the both of us! I’m so happy that I made the trip. He’s an absolute love and it was completely worth the drive.

How does this relate to writing? I was inspired by the trip, that’s how! Everything about it—from the scenery, to the people I briefly met, to just plain getting away—provided me with new and exciting ideas. I felt fresh on the road, surrounded by new places, new experiences—so much so that I’m fairly confident that my iPhone is full up with voice recordings.

Moral? Be spontaneous. Try something different. Taste a new food. Go someplace you’ve never been before (maybe not twelve hours from your house… a couple will do…) and, if you can, stop at a Waffle House along the way.

 

 

 

As always, thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, and thanks for giving me someone to write to. Stay classy, Blog-o-Sphere!

Best,

 

—R

Sometimes it’s Time to Tell

Great news! My short story, 7 Miles, is going to be published in an anthology! I’d like to thank Crack the Spine for sending me the e-mail that made my week. I’d also like to thank Orion-Mk3 from over at Absolute Write. The story to be published was written in response to one of his monthly blog post challenges. The anthology is also to be submitted to various 'best of' awards, including Houghton Mifflin. Here's hoping that it'll win a blue ribbon or two!

This week’s post surrounds the topic of showing—one that needs no introduction. Showing is better than telling is a phrase we are all familiar with, and it’s true—for the most part. There are times when telling is the better choice. After all, it can save time, multiply interest and shave a few unnecessary pounds off of your story.

Have you ever read a story that drags on and on because every single thing the protagonist does is chronicled? He goes from point A to point H, obsessively stopping at points B—G in the process. Sure, he needs points B—G to get him through his journey, but do we really need to see him progress through each point?

Here’s an example:

Point         Action

A                Hero’s sister is kidnapped. Hero decides to run off and save her.

B                Hero goes to his cabin and collects provisions for his journey.

C                Hero has lunch before he leaves.

D                Friend of Hero catches him at the door and says, “I’m going with you!”

E                Hero thanks Friend of Hero and the two make for the outskirts of town.

F                At the town’s gate, Hero and Friend of Hero are stopped by a

guard who won’t let them out because the field is ‘too dangerous.’

G                Hero smacks guard with his shield and the two run away.

H                Hero and Friend of Hero recap the day’s events as they walk through a field.

I closed the book at “Hero has lunch.” I do not need to see everything that happens to Hero—from him making his initial decision to him reaching the outside of town. It’s too much. This is a moment where it’s time to decide to tell.

If you feel that your work is creeping along too slowly, I encourage you to sit down with a chapter of your work and give it a good examination. What definitely needs to be seen in this story? What are the main elements that keep it moving along…aka, what should you not strip? In this instance, I’ll keep the following:

A                Hero’s sister is kidnapped (motive.) Hero decides to run off and save her (what propels the story forward.)

D                Friend of Hero catches him at the door and says, “I’m going with you!” (character introduction.)

H                Hero and friend of Hero recap the day’s events as they walk through a field (perfect way to summarize points B,C, E & F without slowing down pacing.)

So instead of showing everything the hero does, I’m essentially only going to show half and use dialogue, exposition or inner monologue to reveal the rest. Here is the beginning of a scene that abuts the one that introduces both the Hero’s motives and Friend of Hero:

“Man,” Friend of Hero said, catching his breath. “I can’t believe you hit the guard with your shield on the way out of town! You’re going to be in some serious trouble when we get back.”

“If we get back,” Hero reminded. “And he shouldn’t have tried to

stop us. I don’t care how dangerous the mayor thinks it is out

here, I have a sister to save.”

Friend of Hero took in several gracious breaths. The run out of town had taken a lot out of him. He would have to shape up if he was going to keep up with Hero. “Yeah, yeah. Always the hero, you. By the way, did you pack everything you need?”

Hero nodded. “Yeah. I had lunch back at the cabin, then grabbed some provisions and—more importantly—spare underpants.”

“Good call,” Friend of Hero replied. “One can never pack too many underpants.”

There. B, C, E & F have been sorted out in five short lines vs. five paragraphs per. This propels the story forward, cuts out all of that unnecessary fat and also provides opportunities for some interesting dialogue.  

Things you find essential often can be cut—and probably should be. Sit down with your outline and a sharpie, carefully review each scene, and ask yourself: “Is this really needed, or is it slowing my story down?” If the answer is the latter, consider finding a way to summarize the unnecessary areas in a way that will let the reader know what went on and—most important—won’t cause the reader to close the book. Dialogue is great for this and is my favorite method (then again, as you know, I’m a dailogoholic.) There are other ways to accomplish this, too. Try experimenting.

As always, I hope this information proves helpful to you on your writing journey, and—as always—thank you for reading, for commenting and for giving me someone to write to. Stay classy, Blog-o-Sphere!

Best,

—R   

Some Nods from EPWN

First and foremost—a quick apology to all of my blogging buddies, writing friends and commenters for not commenting/responding to e-mails recently. This past week was Quarterly Budget Week, also known as Randi Lee’s Literal Death by Numbers Week. For those of you who have been reading my blog for some time, I’m sure you’ll remember me giving similar apologies every few months over the past year.

And dare to believe it, I’ve been blogging for more than a year! I’m bad at sticking with things, so I’m extra proud of sticking with this and remaining actively involved in the writing-blogging community. I thank those of you who’ve followed me from the beginning, who’ve joined me in my journey along the way, and who just recently heard my name. Thanks so much to my followers, to my commenters, and to all of my readers—In this world full of non-author friends and family, I simply love writing to people who understand.

Not the most insightful of posts, I know. I’m currently drumming up a post on plot & structure that isn’t quite ready yet, but should be up within the week. I’ll end here as I have to get back to number crunching. I hope you all have a wonderful week. I’ll be in touch soon. Stay classy, Blog-o-Sphere!

PS! I just adopted a dog! (Literally, I hit the donation button on the adoption agency’s website a minute ago!) Check the little baby out: http://www.adoptapet.com/pet/8719979-brattleboro-vermont-labrador-retriever-mix

Best,

—R  

IWSG April 2013: The Man on the Bus

 

It is time for my monthly contribution to Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The Group is a means of identifying with and connecting with fellow authors and bloggers. It promotes the supporting of our community members through the good and the bad. If you feel like no one understands you, if you simply need to vent, or if you’re feeling charitable and want to brighten someone’s day, I encourage you to join (or at least visit) the IWSG and reap the benefits of being involved.

Typically, the members of IWSG post their entries on the first Wednesday of every month. However, I will not be able to post tomorrow so I am getting a head start.

I will be perfectly honest with you now, because that is what the IWSG is all about. Since last month’s IWSG related post (you know, at the beginning of March,) I have written a total of 481 blog-unrelated words. I have queried a total of zero times and I have received no word from the three fulls I sent out. In summary, I’ve been completely out of touch with the writing world.

This could be for a number of reasons. My dog died, my truck broke down and I’m one calamity away from my life becoming a country music song…

…j/k.

What I realized yesterday, though, is that I have a slew of excuses as to why I haven’t written, and none of them are entirely valid. I’ve been hurting, yes, but I could have taken that pain and weaved it into short stories or poetry. I could have done a number of things with it, but I didn’t. Instead I allowed my creativity to wither. That’s on me. From now on I’m going to refrain from using excuses, sit down, and write my you-know-what off.

Changing my attitude has already been of great help in regaining my desire to write. I wrote 481 words yesterday and I am eager to write more. I’d like to share those 481 words with you now, because I am proud of them and they deserved to be shared—they’re projecting me out of this self-induced slump, after all. The following is the beginning of “The Man on the Bus.” It is the story that is propelling me forward.

The Man on the Bus

And then there’s Terrence—at least, I’d like to think he’s a Terrence. His real name’s probably more along the lines of Richard or Dave or some other popular New England name, but I don’t subscribe to popular. I subscribe to quirky and different because that’s how I suspect others see me and I don’t want to feel more alone here than I already do. Being the only one in your head is a sad place. I wouldn’t ask anyone to share similar quarters.

Let’s get back to why I call him Terrence, though. Mind you, it’s not that Terrence is a quirky name overall. I’m sure there are plenty of Terrences in the world who live perfectly normal lives. However, I don’t know too many Terrences around here so, to me, Terrence is nice and odd.

My bus reaches Something-Something Street at 4:47 every day. I take it to the whatever-it’s-called parking lot directly between the office and my house. Once there I drive my car the rest of the way home. During the time that I spend on the bus a number of regulars get on and off. They range from angry riff-raff with chips on their teenaged shoulders to grannies who count their bus fare out penny-by-penny to foreign women with their trash bags full of empty pop cans and their communal body odor. They all lend their own interesting brand to my ride home, but not one of them is as fantastical as Terrence. Allow me to tell you why.

 

That’s all I have so far. I plan on writing more and, after the editing of this rough draft of mine, submitting it to some publications. Perhaps my newfound inspiration will inspire you to do the same. I hope it does.

As always, thanks for visiting, thanks for commenting, and thanks for giving me someone to write to.

Best,

—R