Importance

by MeSHaRi

Have you ever had an experience that changes your perspective? I did last week and I wanted to share it with you.

I’ve been so busy lately with family and church obligations that I’ve only had sporadic time for writing. But I decided to make a plan to outline and start a new project I’ve been eager about. I was starting on Wednesday and I was so excited.

I got up early (which is a miracle for me) and I was all ready to go by the time my kids left for school, then I got a call asking if I could help a friend because her 4 year old was in the hospital ICU.

This simple thing changed everything for me. I love to write, but there are things more important than writing. If we push off those important things like time with family and helping friends we lose a great opportunity to grow.

Writing is important to me. But sometimes it takes perspective to pull back on blogging, writing, reading, social media and forwarding our careers to do the things that really matter. I want to do what is TRULY important—nothing else really matters.

-Angie

Crafting Corner—Miracle

This isn’t so much of a crafting tip as it is a break through! Now if you all already know this humor me :)

Do you ever feel like your head is so full of words you just want to empty it? And wouldn’t it be nice to do it as fast as you could talk?

 

Who has used the app—Dragon Dictation? I’ve just discovered it. And it is a MIRACLE!

All you do is speak CLEARLY into your phone or computer and it types your words out and you can e-mail it to yourself. The first time I tried it I thought the app was broken, but it is important to talk SLOW and ENUNCIATE.

I will admit I felt like a fool sitting in the parking lot next to Starbucks (you do need an internet connection for it to work), but I “wrote” 800 words in 30 minutes last night. AMAZING (at least for a slow writer like me). I have to do a little tweaking, like adding punctuation, but it is still a break through.

So I want to know who else has tried it? Do you love it? Any other writing break throughs you want to tell me about?

-Angie

Won’t You Be My Neighbor—Leigh Covington

Hey bloggers! You are in such luck today. I have the spirited and feisty Leigh Covington! I love Leigh! She is one of the very first bloggers I met last May when I started blogging. She pretty much rocks!

Leigh: Awww! Ang, how is it that you always make my day? For real! Meeting you in the blogging world has been more than a treat! You're an awesome blogging friend and an inspiration. I love you!!! Oooh, wait, is that creepy? Don't worry - I don't mean it in a creepy way. tehehe. But I may or may not be watching through your window right now!

Angie: Alright then, test...What am I making for dinner?

Leigh: Uhhhh. Hot dogs? Or spaghetti. Definitely spaghetti!

Angie: Oh, so close! Lasagna! You must be able to smell the tomato sauce from the bushes :)

Leigh: LOL!

Angie: Okay, I have a great starter question for you, but it needs a little set up...

Leigh: Okay... hold on a sec. I need my sweater. My sunshine yellow one!

Ahh… that’s better. 

Angie:  I like your sweater! Very bright! I'm wearing my olive green one, so we clash a little, but I'm too lazy to change :)

Leigh: And I like your sweater. We’re so official looking, even if we do clash. I’m all for it. Let’s wear these to Storymakers, okay!

Angie: Such a great idea! Clashing sweater twins!

First question…Leigh Covington is your pen name. I know your real name because I've been following you for so long. And can I just say that it makes me feel special, like knowing that Clark Kent is Superman. I feel like I'm in on a great secret or something.

So getting to the question...Why did you decide to use a pen name and when people meet you in person do they call you Leigh? (I saw pictures of you at dinner with Shelly and the caption said "Leigh and me"-- it made me laugh).

Leigh:  You are totally special to know about my "secret identity." Obviously, anyone who followed me before knows about the change, but it's always fun to find someone who doesn't know. For instance, when we went to the Writers Dinner in SLC, I met Morgan Shamy for the first time. I always tell people they can call me "Abby." Morgan was blown away that Leigh wasn't my real name! It was awesome. I love it.

Honestly, I think having a secret identity is kind of fun. It's like I can be 100% me... uncensored!

Too many times, I have my poor mom shaking her head wondering why I did this or said that. Now, she can blame it on Leigh Covington! *insert maniacal laugh*
But in a more serious manner, I didn't really love my name before. I mean I like "Abby" but my name just didn't flow. I love authors who have awesome names. But I couldn't think of any on my own so I did a contest. Then I picked out some of my favorites (which was horribly difficult, BTW) and I let people vote. It was so much fun and I liked letting my friends in on my secret.

Angie: LOL! So do you say, "Hi I'm Leigh, but you can call me Abby" ?

Leigh: Yes! I totally say that! So weird, right? It just comes out! I try to say, "Hi, I'm Leigh.  Uh... but you can call me Abby." *sigh* There's no escaping it. But I try to answer to both. I'm totally used to Leigh online, I'm just not used to hearing it in person. One day I will be! The other trouble is that half of the people are calling me Leigh and the other half are calling me "Abby". It gets confusing and people are bound to ask why they're calling me Abby. It's all pretty comical. Just another funny reason to have a pen name.

Angie: I have a fun little question for you. I'm going to give you five words and you are going to write down the first thing that comes to mind. Word association :) No cheating.

Cuba, Raisin, Yeti, Tension, Blacksmith...I gave you the first five words that came to me.

Leigh: Now you're getting tricky. I feel I might be lame on this. I wrote them all down first. Here are my answers...

Cuba—Travel

Rasin—California

Yeti—Scary

Tension—Ooooh

Blacksmith—Sexy

FYI—Afterward I had to actually look up a Yeti to make sure I knew what it was. I was right. Whew. That would have been embarrassing!

Angie: Good answers! My little sister had a question like this during pageant interview. They said Cuba and she said Bikini :) Too funny!

I love that you said Sexy for Blacksmith! I think it's the giant forearms pounding metal...or the leather pants...or the sweating...

Leigh: Darn it - now I have to take off my sweater. Do you have a fan? It's hot in here right? It's not just me?

Angie: It is hot! A blacksmith will do it every time ;) Maybe I should add one to my story.

Leigh:  I think we both need to add a blacksmith to our stories. Oh the possibilities!

*shakes head*  I’m sorry. Oh yes…the question.

Angie: *laughing* You are very close to finishing your MS, or maybe you are done now?!?! What I want to know is...What was the hardest thing about writing your story, and what was the easiest?

Leigh: I am practically done with my story. (Does that count?) I need to fine tune the ending. I think the end of a book is so important, I really don’t want to screw it up. I am currently revising my first few chapters and tweaking a few things in my other chapters. Then I will finish up the ending and get it out to some alphas. 

Can I say that this has all been hard? LOL. Honestly, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. Okay—I’m a lot of a perfectionist. Sometimes I look back through my chapters and can’t believe I’ve let anyone read it so far. But…I know they can help me improve it. I know they can see what I don’t see because it’s easy to be blind to your own writing. I want my story to have a delicate balance of plot, characters and action. I like detail, but you have to be careful not to overdo it. I like action and good pacing. And I want a killer ending. Honestly…is that too much to ask?

*sigh* Easy part? Writing. I just think writing is fun. I love to create new worlds and bring life to my characters. I love having a say over which way the story will go and what surprises lay around each corner.

Angie: Perfection is never to much to ask :) I loved your story! I feel so lucky you let me read the first few chapters. I agree that endings are SOOO important! I'm a fan of the cliffhanger, but I know that annoys some people. 

Leigh: I really enjoyed reading your story, so I wanted your opinion on mine. I'm glad you liked it, but prepare yourself. I'll be begging you to read more!!!

And I kind of like the cliffhanger too. I should say I DO like it, as long as most of the stuff is wrapped up. If you’re going to write a trilogy it’s almost impossible not to have a cliffhanger. There has to be something leading into the next book! That makes it so much more exciting!

Angie: It makes a world of difference if you can find someone who writes in a similar genre to you and have them critique your story.

Next question: I know that besides YA your write Picture Books. I love great picture books! When they are done well they can be brilliant storytelling. Do you have a favorite PB author? And why?

  

Leigh: Oh man! That's hard. There are so many fun picture books. One of my very favorites is Sandra Boynton. She writes for really young children, but her illustrations are darling, her prose is fun and she writes in rhyme. The stories are great and my kids love to read them over and over. And I like them enough so reading them over and over isn't a problem.

I have also grown to love Jane Yolen’s “dinosaur” books. She writes “How Dinosaurs Say Goodnight” and other dinosaur books. They are fabulous! So fun to read and great illustrations. They’re high on my “like” list these days.

Angie: I love both of those authors! Sandra Boynton is a favorite at my house as well. My 12 year old son likes to read But Not the Hippopotamus backwards, "hippopotamus the not but..." What a weirdo :) 

Have you ever read the Gossie books by Olivier Dunrea? The ink and watercolor pictures are priceless and they are sooo funny! Buy worthy!

Leigh: LOL! That is too funny about him reading it backwards! Ha! Now I have to try it. Kids come up with the best ideas.

I haven't read the Gossie books. Now I'm bummed. I wonder if I can find them at my B&N store? If not, I'm sure I can find them on Amazon and heaven knows I love making an amazon order!

Angie: They are so worth it especially for little ones (1-4 year olds). Gossie, Gossie and Gertie, and Ollie are my favorites!

I think it is about time for the pageant question. That snuck up on us fast! How about this one...What is one thing that symbolizes happiness for you?

Leigh: Oh man! That really did sneak up on us! I should warn you, I'd make a terrible pageant girl. I tend to ramble. So... with that warning, I'm going to start out with the color yellow. You know, the bright, sunshiney yellow, like the sweater that is hanging on my chair thanks to all that blacksmith talk? I love yellow. It is bright and happy and reminds me of the sun. I'm always happier in the warm and sunshine.

But happiness is more than that. To me, happiness is family. Happiness is friends. Happiness is the innocence and creativity of youth. Happiness is camping with my family and kissing my kids goodnight, or having my kids bring me soup when I’m sick. It’s different for all of us, but happiness is what truly envelopes your heart.

Whew. Did I pass? Feel free to lie and tell me I rocked it!

Angie: First off...I NEVER lie (except to my kids) and Second...You did rock!!! Solid 9.5 *clapping and a little whistling*  I LOVE your answer! Happiness is what envelopes our heart...can I quote you from now on?

And Third so funny... I would totally pick yellow as the color that reminds me of you :) And you know I have a thing for color.

Leigh: I'm blushing a little. I didn't blow it! I'm debating on a sigh of relief and a dance of giddiness! I don't know which one to do!

You can totally quote me. I’ll feel so cool! LOL. And that’s cool that yellow reminds you of me—although it might depend on my mood, hahaha. I’m like you. I think color is so much fun. You’ve made me love it even more after reading your book, and knowing how much you love symbolism. You’ve got to love that stuff!

Angie: Such a wonderful job Leigh a.k.a. Abby!

Leigh: Thanks for the opportunity to be your neighbor. Angie! I love theses interviews and it has been so fun to participate.

Angie: You are awesome! I love your bright happiness. You know someone is happy when you can feel it through the internet :)

Leigh: Dude! Now I need to use that quote! It's awesome! As are you!

Wasn’t “Leigh” great? Head over to her blog and tell her so.

-Angie

Won’t You Be My Neighbor—Chantele Sedgwick

Alrighty people do I have a surprise for you! The always kind, never grouchy, eternally helpful, superwoman ChanteleSedgwick is here today! Do you feel lucky? I do. So welcome Chantele...

Chantele: Wow! Thanks for the warm welcome! I totally wish I were superwoman! Ha ha!

Angie: You are superwoman! You can juggle babies, write books, and leap over laundry in a single bound! Okay, I'll stop embarrassing you :) 

First real question...It's really a double question...What is your favorite thing about yourself (don't be modest)? And what would you change about yourself if you could?

Chantele: So ... My favorite thing about myself? Oh, crap. Um ... I think my determination is one thing I like. If I want something bad enough, I won't give up. (I guess there comes a point when I should, but ... you know.) And something I'd change would be how critical I am about my writing. I'll never ever think I'm good enough, and I wish I could be more positive about it. :)

Angie: I think most people can't look at their own writing objectively. We either love it or hate it. I go back and forth too. Sometimes I think it's total crap and consider destroying it (but I don't). Have you ever done that?

Chantele: ALL the time. I don't really throw anything away though. I just move on to something else. Or let the "crap" settle for a while and then go back to it later and figure out what's wrong with it. It's usually not as bad as I thought it was. Surprisingly. But sometimes it's ten times WORSE than I thought it was! Ha ha. :)

Angie: Hehehe :) That is NEVER a good realization.

Next question...I know you will yell at me and tell me this is impossible to answer, but give it your best shot. What fiction book has taught you the most about writing? I will be a little lenient and let you pick one author if you must :)

Chantele: Oh, freak. Seriously? I really want to pick two. And they aren't really books, more of the authors that taught me the most. Sorry, I'm cheating. ;)

The first one, and you guys will roll your eyes at me for saying this, but the author who made me realize I could write while raising my kids, was Stephenie Meyer. I'm not saying she's the best writer, I just admire her for putting herself out there and making me realize I could do the same.

The other one is J.K. Rowling. She was able to create such an amazing world out of nothing. Reading her books are like magic. They pull you in, keep you there and it feels like you're part of Harry's world. It takes an AMAZING author to do that. I'm still in awe of her writing. And I can read her books again and again and again and still find new things in them.

There are so many things we can create as writers. A whole world of possibilities, which is what makes writing so much fun and rewarding. Hopefully that made sense... my pregnant brain isn't working lately

Angie: You are such a cheater...but I will let it slide. I love J.K. too! I can read anything she writes. I am also with you on Stephanie Meyer. I've had a few complaints about the last books, but I still love her. I never realized until reading her that you didn't need a writing degree to become a published author (I'm slow I know). I felt like an entire world opened up to me when I realized that.

Chantele: We were slow together, because I thought you needed a writing degree too! Ha ha. Great minds think alike. ;)

Angie: You said it! 

I'm feeling like a fun question...If you had to lose one of your five senses, which one would you pick and why?

Chantele: My sense of smell. I couldn't stand not hearing my kids sweet voices. Or seeing them. And I could do without smelling certain things. ;)

Angie: I think I could do without hearing my sweet children :) I have a VERY chatty seven year old!

Chantele: Ha! I already have selective hearing. ;)

Angie: What did you say? Ha! Me too :)

So you've had a big year already. You split with your agent, found a publisher who loves your books and now you are on your way to having a real live book in your hands. * Squeal* I'm so excited. Other than the time it has taken to get here, what has been the hardest thing and the easiest for  you?

Chantele: That's a tough question, but I think the hardest thing so far was splitting with my agent. I mean, I had an AGENT. There are so many writers who would have loved to be in my position. But it all came down to what was best for me and my books. It was really the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my writing journey. But, I don't regret it. Not one bit.

The easiest thing for me, has been not giving up. If that makes any sense. I want to be an author so bad and I've worked so hard to get this far. Surprisingly I haven't wanted to give up. Which is weird. Usually I give up on lots of stuff. LOL! But I knew writing was something I couldn't stop. I have too many stories in my head to throw it all away. It's a part of me now. And a part of me that I'm proud of. :)

And SQUEE for having a real live book in my hands! I still can't believe it.

Angie: It is so cool! How long have you been writing? And what made you start?

Chantele: I've been writing seriously since 2007 ... so about 5 years. I've had stories in my head for MUCH longer though. Since high school. I remember typing stories on my parents computer and making sure no one knew what I was doing. I don't know why I was embarrassed about it, but I was. I stopped writing for a while after that, but still had stories floating around.

After I had my second baby, I realized I needed to write them down. Seriously write instead of toy around with the idea. I had one particular character that wouldn't leave me alone, so I sat down and ended up writing  60,000 words in two months. It became my first YA novel. Which I still want to go back and re-write. Once I finished that one I started another one. And another. Now I'm on my 6th and still loving every minute of it. :)

Angie: Six! Wow! Sometimes I think it is easier to write one than to write more. Are you still a writer if you only write one?

Chantele: Of course! I think writing one book is a big accomplishment! Seriously. And each time I start a new book, I think, "There is no way I can write another book." But if you do it once, you can do it again. 

Angie: There is a moment when you think, "I can't duplicate that." But I think you are right. Tons of people say they are writing a book but never finish.

Alright, time for the pageant question :) Pretend you are on a stage with millions of people watching you (no pressure)...What is one thing the world would be better with more of? (You can't say reality T.V. or Vampire Diaries or chocolate ;)

Chantele: I was gonna pick chocolate, but that's a no go... Um ... I think one thing the world would be better with more of, is optimism. Everyone is so negative all the time. If we were all more optimistic, people would be happier more often. :) And there can never be a shortage of awesome books in the world, either. ;)

Angie: I give you a ten for that answer :) And a standing ovation! My hubby is excessively optimistic. I think I can count on both hands the times I've seen him really down.

And more great books? Yes please!!!

One last fast question...Will you give us all a little hint of what new book you are currently working on. Give us a premise or fun character detail or even better a hook sentence :)

Chantele: The new book I'm working on, is actually the sequel to my Fairy Tale book. So, I won't spoil any of that. ;) I'm also working on a YA sci fi (I think ... ) about a girl who's dad is the FBI director and uses her gift of hypnosis to put criminals away. She isn't sure if the criminals are innocent or not and has to decide who the bad guys really are. That's the best way I can explain it. Haha. :) 

Angie: I'm so excited for your first book and the sequel! And how cool does the FBI book sound? Awesomeness!!!

Thanks so much for answering my insane questions :) You were brilliant!!!

Chantele: Thanks SO much for having me, Angie!! You are the best!

Chantele is so much fun :) Everyone can check out Chantele’sbook on Goodreads. Thanks everybody for stopping by.

-Angie 

Fare thee well

What was the first book you read after you completed your novel? Do you remember? Was it a different reading experience for you?

I guess every reading experience is different, but the Hunger Games was my first read after I finished my own manuscript.

I was amazed at the new details that stood out to me. The POV. The present tense. The clever way Suzanne Collins weaves through passages of time - but always keeps us ever present. The unique, simple descriptions. The dialog staying true to every character. The internal dialog. Powerful action sequences and the nail biting moments of suspense (I guess that's pretty much the whole novel!).

It was amazing! A completely different experience than it would have been had I read it a year ago before I started this writing adventure.

I've learned so much about writing by -- well, writing. :) And of course blogging is a huge part of that. I've learned a lot from your posts and from my own posts and getting feedback from you. But unfortunately, I'm going to take a break for a while. There are a few demands outside the blogosphere that deserve more attention. And if I ever do get a moment to myself, I know I'll be working on my WIP.

The more involved I become in Blogging, the more time I want to dedicate to it. And I just can't squeeze more hours from the day.

I feel like my 'season' for blogging will circle back around and I'll definitely be riding that train! But for now, I'll wave goodbye to you all from the station and wish you the very best on your blogging adventures. Thank you for the help you've given me and I look forward to checking out your blogs from time to time!

It's been a Pleasure!

--Sara

Really? But you’re a writer…

Writers are a talented bunch of people, there is no denying this. I’m a writer and I’m surprised at all the things I should be good at—but I’m so NOT.

When people hear about my weaknesses I swear they are thinking—Really? But you’re a writer. So here is a brief list of a few of my shortcomings.

Spelling—I suck at spelling. I try and try, but the spelling part of my brain must be filled with something else (probably the plots from Law and Order). I’m seriously thinking of getting NECESSARY tattooed on my arm. That bugger kills me every time.

 Words with Friends—I should be good at that stinking game! But I’m not. My husband slaughters me. I think it's because I would rather play a cool word like zygote for 19 points instead of a boring word like qi for a billion. Sometimes I resort to cheating (don’t tell my husband), but I don’t feel too bad because he still beats me.

Education—I think people assume that writers will have a English or Creative Writing degrees. I have neither. In fact I don’t have a degree at all (shh, don’t tell the agents). I’m planning on going back to school. Maybe I will go when my oldest goes. He would love that :)

Eye sight—Okay this one is a stretch, but you have to see to be a writer. Hours spent in front of the computer and with my nose in a book have messed up my eyesight. I just got glasses. My 6 year old thinks I look like a geek.

So what about you? What skill do you lack? Tell me so I won’t feel so lame.

-Angie

Hey I'm over at the lovely Tara Tyler's blog today doing an interview and guest post about How To Be A Good Critique Partner. So if you have time come check it out.

Kidney Stones, a Witch and Hauntings

When Angie told me about her Kidney Stones, I immediately thought of my sister, the Good Witch of the North. She has helped dozens of my family members with kidney stones and other health issues, so I thought, why not? Her real name is Colleen, but about 15 years ago, she decided to become a homeopathic doctor and ever since, we’ve lovingly called her the Good Witch of the North. I offered my sister’s prescription to Angie: A six-pack of Coca-Cola, Prickley Ash, Pineapple Juice and a pound of asparagus. Angie has opted for traditional medicine. Go figure! So while my sister’s knowledge is not of much help, I have agreed to take on Angie’s posts this week while she goes through this ordeal. My wishes to Angie for a speedy recovery!

For those of you who don’t know me, I am Angie’s critique partner, Sara Bulla. I usually post on Tuesdays, though I’ve never formally introduced myself to the blog. I thought I’d do so now.

You already know my sister, the Good Witch of the North, and there are ten other siblings besides me. I am the youngest of this groovy crew pictured above. My mom is still living, but my sweet Dad passed away just over a year ago. My Dad always believed I could be a writer. From reading my stories and plays in high school, to sliding clippings about a poetry or short story contest under my nose every once in a while, he was always my number one supporter.

My brother joked at his funeral that he fully expected my dad to ‘haunt us’ from the other side if we weren’t recycling, weeding our gardens, voting responsibly or building up our food storage (all important issues for him!). Well, I believe my dad has haunted me in a way. Last spring, I felt for the first time in a long time, that I needed to pick up my pen and start writing again. Being a mom has been my ‘career’ and still is, but in the months after my Dad’s passing, I just felt this added urgency and excitement to jump back in and try out my talents and love of Writing.

I promise that I won’t dedicate this entire week to my personal drivel, but I did want to salute my Dad and thank him for being the angel on my shoulder while I give this endeavor a go. J

I am the mother of four amazing kids, three girls and one boy. I’m so blessed. As for my writing background, other than a few scattered honors and awards in high school, most of my writing has been off the radar and done for the sheer pleasure of it. I now hope to expand any literary talent that I naturally possess and try to transition from writer to published author. I appreciate the help I’ve received from Angie and other supporters of the blog. I love reading through many of your posts and learning about what rock-star writers you all are. It’s a pleasure to rub shoulders with you in the blog-o-sphere!

--Sara

What do you notice?

This topic has been on my mind for a while. Have you ever noticed that most writers have the super power of—noticing :) I read books and think, “Wow, I never noticed that, but it’s SO true!”

Writers notice everything. I don’t know of any other job that requires such great powers of observation. Maybe a spy—maybe. Or a mom—for sure.

Here are a few things I notice:

People: I watch people. I want to see how they interact with each other. I love to see their quirks and habits. What motivates them and how can I show that motivation through their actions?

Settings: Whether it is outside or inside, buildings or nature, events or quiet moments—I notice it. What is it that makes a haunted house creepy? How can I use those same principles to make a hospital or grocery store just as creepy.

Language: I notice the funny things people say. I notice the unusual words they use. But most of all, I notice what language says about them and how they view the world.

I’m sure there are more, but these are the three I notice myself noticing :)

What about you? AWhat do you notice? Tell me. I’m dying to know.

-Angie 

What is success—really?

Not a picture of me :)

My kids and I have been sick for a week, so if I’ve been a little absent from the blog-o-shere, I’m sorry.

NaNoWriMo kicked my butt. I ended with 22, 039—which is good, but obviously short of my goal. I keep telling myself that it is 22K more than I had in October, but somehow it still feels like a failure.

I’m a bit of an overachiever, so less than perfect is never good enough. And I always make the mistake of doing too much at once.

Last month I—

• Remodeled my bathroom
• Started a new diet and exercise program (and lost 10 lbs)
• Wrote 22k
• Was sick for a week.
• Had sick kids for a week.
• Hosted Thanksgiving at my house.
• Read 5 books
• Did hours of house work
• Finished all my Christmas shopping

I look at this list and in my mind I know I accomplished tons, but why does it feel like I failed?

AUGGH!!! Am I crazy? Someone help. I’m going to lie down...I'm still kind of sick.

-Angie

Instinct vs. Analysis

So you’re writing along. Everything is going great and then…BAM! Your story hits a snag! What do you do?

Do you analyse the problem, or do you act on instinct to fix it?

Myself—I’m an analyzer. I analyze when I write. I analyze when I read. I love to see how stories work. Why they work. I also love to find problems in books and see how I would fix them if it were my story. Why doesn’t the pacing work? Why does it?What is wrong with the characterization? How do you handle a flashback?

But there is a part of me that wished I was more of an instinctual writer. You know the kind of people who can “sense” problems. They can also “feel” the pacing and “discern” plot holes. It’s kind of like a super power. Super Writer to the rescue!

So what about you? Are you an instinctual writer or an analytical one?

-Angie

Mid-Point Reversal

It’s mid-point through NaNoWriMo. How is the writing going? Great I hope!

I thought the middle was the perfect place to talk about the mid-point reversal. It is what keeps your middle from sagging.

The mid-point reversal should be just that a reversal. A reversal of your characters luck. A reversal of your reader’s expectations. A reversal that shocks us.  A reversal that changes the direction of your story. A reversal that reveals a secret.

Don’t know where to start? Ask yourself a few questions?

• What is the worst thing that could happen?
• Is there a secret that could throw us?
• What could happen to make your antag give up?
• How could the antag get the upper hand?
• What is something your protag needs to know to win in the end?
• Is there a twist to send the story in a new direction? 

In my first MS the mid-point reversal is actually positive. My characters get help in an unexpected place. And that surprise is what changes the course of the story. So it doesn’t need to be negative—just twisty. 

Famous mid-point reversals (well semi famous):

• Pride and Prejudice—Darcy proposing to Elizabeth.
• The Hunger Games—Katniss finding out she and Peeta can team up in the hunger games.
• Twilight—Edward confesses his feeling for Bella.
• The Sorcerer’s Stone—Harry finds out Voldemort is looking for the Sorcerer’s Stone.  

Notice how in each of these examples the reversal changes the trajectory of the story.

 

Good luck with your middle, and happy NaNoWriMo!

 

-Angie

Why should I care?

I just watched a movie that should have been amazing but it just wasn’t. This is what it had going for it:

• Period drama
• Death
• Vengeance
• Romeo and Juliet-esk family troubles
• Gorgeous actors
• Scheming
• War
• Lies
• LOVE

Sounds great right? So what went wrong? The story failed to make me connect with the characters. I could tell that they tried, but here is where the story failed.

Hot is not connection: Sometimes I think writers believe if someone is good looking everyone will like them. This isn’t true. I may melt a little, but unless you give me something more I just won’t care.

Little to no background: I knew NOTHING about the heroine in this story—and neither did the hero. When he confesses his undying love for her, I kept exepexting her to ask him, “But, why do you love me?” Because she was pretty? Boring!

Conflict doesn’t make me care: It sounds so cold hearted, but it’s true—conflict is only interesting if I’m interested in the people who are stuck in the conflict. You can’t throw people into a civil war and call it good.

Too many characters: This movie kept adding in more and more characters that I was supposed to care about. This problem is that with each new addition, time is taken away from the others and I just end up with a whole group of boring people.

I want to care about the characters. I want to cry with them. I want to bleed with them. I want them to win.

What about you? What keeps you from connecting with characters?

-Angie


Side Note: The talented Chantele Sedgwick interviewed me on her blog today. I think I may have made a fool of myself. Come check it out and laugh at me :)

Telling Words—Part One

I struggle with editing. I have to turn off my creative brain and turn on my critical brain. But I am getting better at it. Editing my own MS and beta reading for friends has helped me learn what to look for.


So in the spirit of NaNoReviMo, which a lot of my friends are doing...this post is for you :)

I want to show and NOT tell! It’s a goal of mine and I would love to get better at it. As I edit I make lists of words or phrases that tend to give me problem. Here are 5 of the worst (at least for me):

Was

I hate this word. Sometimes its use is unavoidable, but usually we can rework it.

She was astonished. This is an obvious tell. When I come across this in my MS, I try and substitute “was” for a stronger verb and add in a little action.

She swallowed her surprise and worked to keep her face impassive. Not perfect, but you get the idea.

Seemed

This word almost always implies telling. It is usually an observation from outside POV.

He seemed angered by the news. I’m telling here. Let’s show instead.

The vein in his neck throbbed as he glared at the woman standing in front of him. “You aren’t serious?” his voice growled. A little description + a little dialogue = SHOWING.

Seemed is a huge culprit that I see in telling. Kim Karras at—Confessions of a Bibliophile wrote and excellent post on this recently.

Felt

Felt is a crutch word. We use it when we are being lazy.

She felt sick at the thought of the problem. Boo—terrible, right?

“We won’t make it in time.” The worry curdled in her stomach, and she fought the urge to vomit. When you show and not tell, you can feel how your character feels.

Realized

Sometimes realized is okay. But when it is used to explain how a character came to a conclusion—it’s telling.

He stepped on the soggy carpet and realized the toilet had over flowed again. There are two problems here. First you are telling us the carpet is soggy before the MC realizes it. Second you are telling us what he realized.

He stepped into the room and the carpet squelched under his feet. What the…? He stared at his soggy socks. Really…the toilet’s over flowed again? I bolded the internalization so you can see it. Show the MC reacting to his environment and show his actual realization.

Noticed or Could See

By default everything your character describes is something she sees. You rarely need to tell us this.

She could see the sun breaking the horizon. Instead of this show us what she sees.

The sun broke the horizon, spilling golden light on the treetops. Because your MC is the POV they don’t even need to be the subject. This tell is easy to fix.

I have other words on my “Telling” List. After NaNoWriMo is over I will post more—just in time for edits :)

-Angie  


Side note: On Monday Agent Vickie Motter held a mini contest for writing advice on her blog, so I left her a comment. I'm always full of random "writerly" thoughts, and I won :) How fun is that? Check it out here. My advice: Twists aren't just for the end of the story. Use them from the beginning so readers never know what to expect.