Writing Goals - Shut Up or Share?

Howdy fellow writers! Thank you for all the lovely Christmas and New Year wishes on my last post - right back atcha'. I haven't blogged because I was up in Queensland for Christmas, staying with my dad (who has also been bitten by the writing-bug and is polishing his three manuscripts about a loveable rogue who drinks and plays too much but also happens to be a quick-witted soldier/spy/hero).

My New Year's resolution is to find more time to learn about the craft of writing/publishing and blog about it. Empty words? Resolutions can sometimes be, and Derek Sivers warns us if you have a goal you really want to achieve, keep it to yourself, because through the act of talking about it, your mind feels you've already achieved it. Then it slacks off.

I'm not so good at keeping things to myself and still remember his previous TED Talk telling us that whatever can be true means the opposite can also be true. So, making yourself accountable for your goals by broadcasting them can also help motivate (surely?).

Derek Sivers: Keep Your Goals to Yourself

But, the flip side:

For my next post (the first one for 2011!) I'll blog about my tactics to make sure I learn more about writing. But, I'll probably also blog about our new family member soon. Tim and Emily are on a road trip to Melbourne right now, and on the 2nd January they will pick up 'Pinkachu' our new Devon Rex kitten - I'm pretty darn excited!!!!! (usually I don't condone the overuse of '!' but this is a special occasion).

Pinkachu (yes, she is supposed to look like that)

Read More

Merry Christmas

Our family is enjoying Christmas up in Brisbane at my Dad's house. All the pressies are under the tree and the old bank account balance is groaning - must be alsmost Christmas now.

When I think of the presents I pick for loved ones, I'm reminded just how individual they all are. Even with my two daughters, so similar in some ways, one always prefers electronic gadgets and the other likes fluffy creatures to love. It's a good reminder to make sure our characters each have their own individual traits and desires.

Hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends this holiday season - pudding for everyone!

Read More

4 Links for Pushing Through Writer's Block

I know, I know, it's been a while.

NaNoWriMo was a struggle for me this year and I only just slipped in with my wordcount goal. I'm proud of the story I told, but think it will take more editing than any other novel I've written. How'd you go?

I'm not sure if other writers find this, but once I met my goal, I became blocked. I could not bring myself to try to write anything, not even my blog. I think my daughters were the same, they temporarily abandoned their Paper Dolls book reviews blog too. So what's the cure for writer's block? There's many suggestions, you can visit some of my earlier posts on the subject:

Flexing the Creative Muscle
Make it Happen
Writing Resources and Distractions
Conquering Writer's Block and Summoning Inspiration (an interview with K M Weiland)

But this time I decided to go with the old 'write anyway' trick. I didn't know if I had anything writerly to tell you all, but decided to blog anyway. And so, now I do have something to share. I'll have to push the girls to get onto their blog too, it's been lovely to receive messages from people asking when they will blog again.

We did have some family dramas, our Devon Rex, Freckles, passed away. She was only young but developed tumours in her lungs. We miss her racing down the hallway at night and trying to open the bedroom doors by turning the handles.

Read More

NaNoWriMo - The Mad Dash

So... how's it going? I've been lagging behind in my NaNoWriMo Novel, and have decided to do a mad dash to the finish line. Sorry Year 7 French student, reports may not get written this year, pets - no walkies, kids - feed yourselves, bills - the cheque will be in the mail next week, Tim - do I 'look' like I'm in the mood? (Okay, maybe the French reports still have to go out, but the rest can wait)

This week is for words, words and then some words. Fail is not an option. Of course, I wouldn't feel like I failed, even if I stopped now - I'd have almost 30,000 words for my supernatural thriller. My biggest problem, if this novel doesn't have the words 'The End' typed by the finish of NaNoWriMo, is Dec 1. Come that unofficial date, I know my brain will go into a self-induced coma and refuse to budge.

It's going to be a big week for my protagonist Dusty, she now knows who the killer is but has to discover his secret stash of drugs he intended smuggling, locate another dead body, save the remaining  coworkers from certain death, convince the good guy she's worth a go and learn the killer had a partner. 

Do you work better under pressure?

Read More

10 Motivators to Keep Writing for NaNoWriMo

I like to move it, movie it...

Well I told myself to slow down. My NaNo novel came to a bit of a halt last week. I just decided to give myself a day off, or maybe three, I'd reward myself with words later. Turns out, I'm a bit stingy with my rewards. This week I will have to work hard to push those numbers up again. I did get a few words in on Sunday, and I didn't let myself waste my time off.

To keep the flow and motivation of writing when I just can't get to the keyboard or pick up the flow of my story, I like to:

1. Write something else about my character in my notebook, like a diary entry. This can help me gain some insight to her deeper motivation.
2. Watch youtube clips and listen to podcasts on the craft of writing - there's so many good one's out there!
3. Watch a flick or shows in my genre - in my case it's mystery, so I sat through a few good episodes of Castle.
4. Go to the movies. You watch a creative story unfold and you're in a new environment, away from home.
5. Take walks. My imagination goes into overdrive when I walk the dog. It must be because I can't talk to anyone, my mouth shuts up and gives my brain a go.
6. Start recording my dreams, even the silly one.
7. READ. I read books on writing, and look for the element I'm struggling with, like dialogue or structure. I'll also read something similar to my writing style - I try to read things that are simple and don't take too much thinking.
8. Draw. I doodle, 'cause I'm not much of an artist, but drawing loosens my mind and lets me be creative.
9. Listen to Audio books. Sometimes I don't write because I'm exhausted or unwell, at these times I find it hard to read as well, so, I pop on a Charlaine Harris audio book and listen to the story unwind.
10. I listen to Relaxation and Meditation books on my iPhone right before bed.

Is your story flowing or trickling? Do you keep pounding on, or step away?

Read More

NaNoWriMo - What's the Rush?

Slow down, enjoy the view.

Day 9 of NaNoWriMo - and hasn't the time been flying? My first week went well, with my little fingers flicking across the keyboard every spare moment I got. Then, I lost something - the spare moments. Not to worry, I made myself type some words before bed, even when I didn't feel like it.

My problem? In my rush, I've found I've also been rushing my story. I'm pushing my protagonist along in this supernatural mystery/thriller, saying 'come on, get to the next clue, this is NaNoWriMo you know, we don't have time to dawdle!' Dusty has reluctantly obliged (sometimes she shoots me dirty looks, because really, I think she can't be stuffed being the main character and wishes I'd given it to someone else - ungrateful little ....).  At not even the half way mark, we've had most of the murders (I might be able to squeeze one or two more in *evil chuckle*). Dusty has identified the bad guy and he is currently safely tied up, leaving her with the dreamy good guy.

My solution? Slow down. Tell Dusty to take her time, notice the scenery, maybe have a cuppa and think this thing through. Has she really got the bad guy tied up? What if she got that all wrong? That would leave her all alone (except for a couple more would-be victims) with... the killer. And the only guy who would defend her? Well, he's tied up now, so smart move there Dusty.

How's your novel going? Are you taking the time to breathe, to let your protagonist breathe?

Read More

NaNoWriMo Death = Words

Day 6 of NaNoWriMo and the plot thickens - or does it?

I went into this NaNo novel with a vague plot idea and premise, I'd have a palaeontologist with a mystical gift of seeing how a creature died when she touches its remains. All fine and good until she comes across a human body, that everyone else thinks died in an accident. She can't say she 'saw' the murder without sounding like a loon, so she'll have to prove it before becoming the next victim.

First few days went great. I knew where to start - in the action. I start with an explosion and my protagonist finding a body (okay, if you've read my posts you'll know I actually started with two characters discussing the weather for three pages, but I got there eventually). Great, Dusty now has to find some evidence to prove the victim's death was the result of foul-play. Then she got a little distracted by a handsome Italian volunteer and, well, let's just say the novel jumped an age audience.

So now what? I wasn't sure. I decided to let Dusty work it out and I just followed her around and wrote her choices. At first she was lame and hid in her tent. But eventually she started suspecting people and making a few bad choices allowing the killer free time to go... kill. I now have two dead bodies and two missing girls. I've added some flooded roads to stop anyone else from getting in or out of our site (plus, of course, someone tampered with the radio, so there's no contact out).

The body count has given me more things to write about, suspicions, theories, grief, fear, etc. So if you get stuck do you think you'll bump someone off? Or maybe throw in a romantic Italian guy?

I've got the family away this weekend, so, I'm trying to bump up my word count after missing a whole day yesterday (I'm a little snowed under planning these new French classes for my students - and trying to learn French to stay one lesson ahead of them). How's your NaNo going?

NaNo on!

Read More

Judging a NaNo Novel by its Cover

I'm not much of a graphic artist. My 12yr. old (Emily) had to show me how to use photoshop. But how could I resist trying to make a book cover for my NaNoWriMo novel? I know, 50,000 words to get in one month and I start procrastinating with pictures.

Do you try to make up covers for your novels?

I tried to do a few for Dog Show Detective and didn't end up satisfied with any. I think I'd go with a cartoon picture, but I can't mock that up because my drawing skills would result in a picture of a stick-dog. Here's what I came up with, using a photo of Emily and Schroeder playing the parts of Kitty and Spade:

Are you going to do a book cover for your NaNoWriMo novel? Put it up on your blog so we can all have a look - pleeease!

Read More

NaNoWriMo Life Prompts

Cartoon from InkyGirl.com

Day two of NaNoWriMo and all is well. I've passed the 5,000 word mark (10% of the way there!). My story is starting to take shape, I've not plotted it out thoroughly, I only know there is a murder and a reason and the 'who it is' might surprise me. You can buddy me at charmaineclancy.

I was worried I'd struggle with NaNoWriMo this year, because I've been working full-time as a substitute teacher, at the moment I'm an Art Teacher (it's such a beautifully creative environment, I feel inspired to write!). We've had a few issues at my school because the new French teacher was not getting a good response from the kids and has decided that subject is not for her, so, until we get a new French teacher, I will be taking those classes too. Great, except, I don't speak French. I've downloaded an audiobook and I'm cramming in the language so I can teach the kids (I only have to stay one lesson ahead).

What does this have to do with NaNoWriMo? I was listening to my French tape while typing and decided to abruptly change a character's nationality to French. Secondary character Alisha is now Francine. So what do you do if you change your mind about something big in your novel?

Well, you DON'T go back and change it! Just type on as if Alisha were always Francine. I typed one line in capitals:

ALISHA IS NOW FRENCH AND LET'S CALL HER FRANCINE.

I'll find it in the edits and fix the inconsistencies.

So if you get stuck for ideas, just look around and steal the first thing you see! NaNo on!

Read More

NaNoWriMo Dynamic Beginnings

I've blogged many times about the importance of a good opening hook. You can see my post about strong beginnings in First Impression and Lasting Impact. So how did I begin my NaNoWriMo novel today?

With two characters discussing the weather. Yep. This went on for about three pages. It was utter rubbish.

But...

It doesn't matter. There's a good argument for writing weak beginnings and material to just be scrapped later; it's a first draft. I had a rough idea of my plot planned out, but I wasn't prepared to spend time working out exactly where the story should start. I got about six pages done today and I think my story will actually begin about page three (which was Chekov's exact prediction - write your story, then throw out the first three pages). Plus, I was sticking to my theory, if you can't think of anything to write... write anyway (I include this as a tip on writing when you're stuck in Thinking About Writing)

After a long bout of weather-chatting, today my protagonist was merrily digging away and discovered a... severed hand! Yuck enough for most, but for her, even more so. When she touches dead things, she gets a flash of how they died. Turns out the hand was not an accidental death by misadventure caught up in the land explosives clearing dirt. She was murdered.

Anywhoos, I was happy with my word count, I hit 2,634 and will probably get a few words down tonight before bed.  Did you start your novel today (I know we're all on different time zones)? How'd you go? Love it or Hate it?

Read More

NaNoWriMo Ready

The clock is ticking, NaNoWriMo begins... tomorrow morning!


Come join the madness, and friend me at NaNoWriMo here.

Last year I worked out my plot by starting with a brainstorming (also known as Clustering) session. This year I had my story prompt from a character exercise I did at the recent CYA Writer's Conference (you can see my post about it at Character to Plot Workshop).

Our family workshop (because, yes I make my whole family join in) was to write down our story premise (one sentence that sums up what your story is about), mine was: Psychic paleontologist tries to solve a murder after receiving a vision of the victim's death.

Then we wrote down, as a dot point, just ONE thing that could happen in our story, mine was:

• Dusty finds a body.

Then we passed our notebook around the table and, based on our premise and dot point, each person would add their own dot point of a plot idea that could happen in the story. This would work well with a critique group because you'd get lots of ideas. These are the ones I found in my notebook:

• A dig explosion goes off early, burying a volunteer - was it an accident or something more sinister?
• When Dusty accidentally touches the body she sees the killer has a cute little teddy bear.
• Dusty love jello.

Once we received our books back we went on to write as many plot ideas for our own story as we could. You just write ANYTHING that could happen in the story, small or significant. You do not have to use the suggestions given to you, but you're not allowed to cross them out either. All ideas are there to inspire.

The great thing about this approach is if you get 40 ideas and write out each one as a scene or chapter, you could easily reach your 50,000 words.

In last year's NaNoWriMo our family all included an evil Pomeranian puppy within our story, I look forward to seeing what quirky element or character we can share this year.

Read More

Forgetting Dreams

Image from http://www.kylemstone.com/paintings34.html

I've had a bit of a fascination about dreams lately and how they can be used for inspiration for plot ideas.

In 7 Tips for Keeping a Writer's Dream Diary, we talked about writing down your dreams because they're so hard to remember. I was curious. Why are they hard to remember? So... I did some research.

Do we all dream?

Seems to be a difference of opinion here. The Naked Scientist says we probably have more than four dreams each night. The one we remember is more likely the one we have as we come out of deep sleep towards waking.

But, Dreamsearch believes some people dream very little or maybe not at all. Although this site also says we are not sure if animals dream, and if you've ever owned a dog and seen them running, growling and wagging their tail in their sleep, you'll know better.

Why do we forget dreams?

The Naked Scientist tells us that dreams create short-term memories, and because we often don't consciously move those images to our long-term memory, we quickly forget them. This is why you are more likely to remember a dream if you are awakened during it.

Other theories included Freud's idea that dreams are our secret wishes and desires, so we decide to suppress them. That doesn't really work for me because there are plenty of dreams I wish I could have suppressed, but didn't.

And that because we move in our dreams through our imagination we are tying our memory to that kinetic memory, but when we wake we move our body physically (stretch, sit up or reach for the alarm) and this breaks the link between our dream state and physical state. This theory suggests lying very still upon waking, with your eyes still closed to recall your dream before moving your body.

I wonder if my pets remember their dreams?

Read More

Turning Dreams into Stories

 

I love this image I found at: www.josephinewall.co.uk/stairway.html 

In my last post, 7 Tips for Keeping a Writer's Dream Diary, I talked about ways to provoke, inspire and remember your dreams. But what if you have a big list of bizarre images, how does that help you create a story or add to your WIP?

Don't worry if you think your dreams don't make sense, mine hardly ever do. To show you how I turn a dream sequence into a plot idea, I'll give you an example of a dream I had just a couple of nights ago. This is how I recorded the dream:

Black Tweety-bird, human size. Lives in it's own house.

For some reason it's essential to modern society, it performs some necessary function for our lifestyle and it's a machine.

It's lonely.

The people try to find it a match, they send them in boxes with barcodes.

The robot (it's changed now) scans the barcodes to get a probability percentage of happiness with the match.

Finds a reasonably high percent and chooses that box.

It's changed again and is a woman. The match is a man with his two kids, they move in.

The kids are thrilled but the man is not.

What the...?

After brainstorming the idea with my daughter, we came up with this story plot:

Woman with OCD, decides to find herself a partner because she's lonely. She can't stand the idea of taking her chances with strangers, so she joins a dating service. She's sold by the idea they will give her a percentage rating of compatibility with each match. She's a numbers girl (really, she sometimes has to recite increments of seven or count the number of parked cars she passes on a walk).

Let's call her Nancy. Nancy agrees to a date with a man she's never met or seen, because the lady who runs the agency (let's call her Jill) told her the compatibility was 98%. That's good odds.

But...

Jill has a loser brother called Chris, he gambles, drinks and picks up cheap women. Party-boy Chris thinks it will be easy to pray on desperate woman looking for dates through the agency. No way is Jill going to let him join. So... Chris steals the identity of one James Brown, accountant and prepares to turn up to meet his blind date - Nancy.

This couple has nothing in common. Chris is wild and unpredictable and Nancy is straight-laced and needs routine. She is not impressed by Chris, but believes in the numbers so much that she overlooks all his obvious faults.

Chris has never had to work so hard to win over a date, but he can not accept failure - womanising is the only thing he's been proud off. He has to pretend to be a bit more like she'd want, less drinking, less flirting. He even turns up for the job interview she helps arrange for him, and to his disappointment, he gets it. He finds Nancy's ways rubbing off a bit, he's started washing his hands three times before and after meals and has caught himself counting parked cars.

Nancy slowly starts to unwind. She's still OCD, but learns to have fun in spontaneous moments as well.

Finally it looks like Chris will get his night of passion with Nancy, but...

Jill finds out what her brother has done and rings Nancy to warn, just as Nancy was heading to the bedroom! Nancy storms out.

Chris is miserable. He can't even be bothered getting back into the drink and gambling.

Nancy dates the real James Brown, accountant. She discovers he would have indeed been perfect for her, but... that was before she met Chris, before she started to change.

Jill realises she's interrupted true love when she allows her brother to join the agency and runs his statistics to find his perfect match is Nancy. She arranges a secret blind date for them so the lovers will be  reunited. They find compatibility is not about being the same, but about creating a balance with differences.

I'm sure your dreams won't be any worse than a lonely giant-Tweety-bird, so see what plot ideas you can get from your dream notes.

Read More

7 Tips for Keeping a Writer's Dream Diary

As part of our NaNoWriMo preparations, we (the family writing group) are keeping diaries of our dreams. You have to be quick writing them down because dreams disappear quickly upon waking. Hmm, I wonder why that is - do you know? I'm sure there will be a fascinating scientific reason we don't keep those memories handy.

 

The idea is we can take the abstract dream ideas and brainstorm story plots. Do you record dreams? Here's some tips:

1. Make sure your paper and pen are right by your bedside, chances are you won't bother getting up in the night to find them.
2. If you can't see well enough to write immediately (my eyes are blurry for about an hour after waking), you can say the dream out loud to help solidify the memory.
3. Think about your WIP as you drift off to sleep. Talk to your characters, this might help you dream about them.
4. Don't try to write a sensible narrative of your dream, just scrible images and interactions as you remember them. They don't have to make sense, you can use them as writing prompts later.
5. Meditate before sleep to promote vivid dreams. I've posted about hypnosis for writing before in Stories from the Subconscious I use a hypnosis recording on my iPhone. You can also learn self-hypnosis. Try iTunes for plenty of free hypnosis podcasts.
6. Fall asleep listening to an audio book. I do this accidently sometimes and it always prompts weird dreams.
7. Reading fiction right before bed can get your brain in an imaginative mood.

Here's some recordings that I use:

Do you have any tips on encouraging vivid dreams?

Read More

8 Secrets to Success for Writers

I love Ted Talks, there are some brilliant minds sharing innovations, motivation and inspiration. I recently came across a fantastic 3 minute talk by Richard St. John, sharing the 8 secrets to success. These elements rang true to me for writers, so I wanted to share.

What Leads to Success:

1. Passion - I've blogged about this before in Z is for Zen, If you don't love what you do, find something else you do love doing. You should write to fill yourself with joy and satisfaction. Write because you must.
2. Work - All things of value in life come with great effort. Be prepared to put in the hours and send out the queries and rewrite your novel for the hundredth time. Don't whip up a first draft and assume other people will edit it for you.
3. Good - Skill is a basic ingredient to success. How do you get good at writing? Learn from the experienced, read to expose yourself to good writing and... practice, practice, practice. 
4. Focus - Tune your energy and attention to the task at hand. Sometimes this may require switching off the internet and other distractions. You're here to write, so write.
5. Push - Keep going, despite every hurdle. The only way to guarantee you won't make it, is to stop now. Push yourself physically and mentally. Met your word quota for the day? Double it!
6. Serve - To become successful at anything you can not be only meeting your own needs. Serve others, in writing this means write for your reader, not for yourself. You think that scene is just perfect, but your beta readers all tell you it's just backstory and confuses the flow of the narrative? You know what you have to do.
7. Ideas - Keep your imagination active. Always have your notebook (or your notes app on your iPhone) and record interesting dialogue, story plots that come to mind and anything that inspires. Journal and record your dreams.
8. Persist - When you hit that first rejection this will be the hardest element to hold onto. If you are truly passionate about writing you won't give up. Keep trying, keep sending stories out there. Keep getting better.

Click below to see this motivational talk by Richard St Johns:

Read More

Formula for Creativity

A little bit rude, but...

Still think there's no set formula for creativity? See how these boys have figured out the secret to writing hit songs. BE WARNED - Aussie boys using course language, not suitable for children at all! (but very entertaining and clever):

Read More

Plot Ideas from Headlines

This political news reads like a tragic romantic comedy

NaNoWriMo is fast approaching, the month where crazy writers try to get 50,000 words on paper in just 4 weeks. As I've roped my whole family into attempting NaNoWriMo, we've been holding family writing workshops. Last night we brainstormed story ideas from news headlines.

I got this idea from Writing Excuses, they have the best podcasts on all aspects of writing fiction, so check them out.

These were some of the headlines we dug  up to use:

• Road Rage: 9 ways to get your self-killed
• Spy Anna Chapman at U.S.-Russia Rocket Launch
• Dead Fish Tell Evolutionary Tales
• Is Your Dog Pessimistic?
• Building Rome on a Cloudless Day
• New planet 'like earth', say astronomers
• Teens die in horror road crash
• Frozen in Icy Tomb - Arctic gives-up the secrets of Russia's lost adventurer
• Child Bride Set Free

On our browser homepage I found some more today:

• Violent Games Pose Threat to Young Boys
• Cancer-causing Chemicals Found in Wells
• Pig Hunter Wins New Zealand's Biggest Lotto Prize

We brainstormed around the table on each heading and came up with different story ideas. One example was:

Anna Chapman is not a human spy, but a computer chip in the Russian rocket. This launch is meant to be a test launch. BUT... The USA agenda has for some time been to start a war with a small oil-rich country, but their biggest fear is Russia will side against them, and they don't want to risk nuclear war. So... the chip in the rocket is designed to have the rocket 'accidentally' target that small country, sparking a war between the target and Russia, so that America can step in and back Russia up. This would make sure they were Allies. Only one down-and-out internet geek (let's call him 'Mike O'Sopht') unravels this conspiracy and the world now depends on his actions. 

Okay, this example is why I don't write political thrillers. But you get the idea, you take the headline and see which story ideas it prompts for you. How about you, can you come up with some new story ideas from these headlines?

Read More

5 Key Objectives of Dialogue

The online course on writing for children that I'm taking included a module on dialogue. This is an area of weakness for me. I'm not a big talker and as a result, neither are my characters.

According to Nancy Lamb in The Writer's Guide to Crafting Stories for Children, good dialogue should achieve the following:

1. Reveal Character - your character's personality will show if they speak casually or stiffly.
2. Create an Authentic Voice - you know you've captured your characters' voices perfectly when they can carry on a conversation without identity tags (Peter said, Sheila pointed out). Catch phrases can help.
3. Avoid Trendy Slang - but surely you want to capture the current lingo of teens so they will relate? Truth is, it will quickly date your novel, teen talk evolves at such a rate that by the time your book is published and release it will seem  like you are are out of touch or a 'try-hard' (which is probably an outdated term by now).
4. Be Distinctive - you might have a group of teen girls all from the same small town, but if they all speak to similarly, your reader will get confused between them. Make all your characters individual.
5. Create action - instead of creating long expositions, break up dialogue with action in the dialogue tags. Have a character speak wringing their hands, or pacing up and down.

I've added this book to my library and am really loving it. It outlines all aspects of writing children's stories in a simple, accessible language.

Our assignment for the course was to submit a piece showing dialogue of a main character meeting someone for the first time. I'll share my example, but it did lack one key element... actual dialogue.

Justin trudged down the steps to the subway. Sleep, lots of sleep. Except his olds will probably wake him and be on his case about staying out late, wasting his life, whatever. As if he hadn’t had a crap enough night already. Sally ditched him for that muscle jerk. 5 weeks of relationship obviously meant nothing to her.

“Big night?”

Justin looked to his left to see a woman in a suit with jet-black hair.

“Saw you at Mulligan’s earlier didn’t I? Kate Simons,” The woman said.

The lights of the train came in from the right. Justin shifted from one foot to the other. Was he being picked up?

“Justin,” he said, not sure if he should offer his hand.

Where was Sally? Maybe she realised she’d made a mistake. Maybe she was sorry. Justin pulled his phone from his coat pocket. No missed calls. He shoved it back in.

The train slowed as it pulled in.

Kate Simons was now standing right in front of Justin and placed her hands on his shoulders.

Stuff Sally. Justin smiled at Kate.

The doors opened. Kate roughly shoved Justin back away from the doors and spun around.

“Hey!” Justin said as two big guys stepped out of the carriage. All three ignored him.

“Simons,” Number one big guy said.

Number two big guy opened his jacket to give Kate a glimpse of his gun.

“Wha?” Justin stepped back in confusion. Before he could work out what was going on, Kate leapt forward and punched number one big guy right in the throat. He gasped and gurgled while Kate swept around and kicked number two big guy’s feet from under him. She elbowed his thick skull as he went down.

“Wha?” Justin said.

Two more big guys came down the steps with their guns pointed.

“Justin down!” Kate said.

“Wha?” Justin started, but with the first bullet whizzing by him, he dove to the ground.

Kate dove down too, but only to grab the gun from the holster of number two big guy and spin to shoot both men. They tumbled down the stairs.

The train doors closed.

A whole group of big guys with guns started down the stairs.

“Crap!” Justin said. He jumped up and ran to the train doors. They wouldn’t open!

Justin looked around panicked as the train pulled away from him. As Kate and the new big guys exchanged fire, Justin said, “This is a bad idea.” With a lack of options, he sprang onto the back of the train, clinging to the window washer.

He held his hand out, “Kate!”

She turned and winked, but made no effort to join him.

Justin watched as Kate cheerfully waved to him while shooting it out with the new big guys. Dumbfounded, Justin waved back. The train turned the bend and she was out of sight.

Justin breathed. Then, a buzz in his pocket. Sally? Justin reached for his phone, only, it wasn’t his? He looked at the screen.

Justin, We need to meet up. Simons.

How do you handle dialogue?

Read More

First 250 Words Blogfest

During a happy blog hopping session, I came across this neat blogfest: Post the first 250 words to your WIP. You'll find the links to lots of WIP beginnings at Elle Strauss. This was meant to be posted yesterday, but I couldn't help giving it a go too :-)

Chapter One of Dog Show Detective:

Spade danced around Kitty’s feet, his enthusiasm showing he sensed a great adventure ahead. But then again, Spade sensed great adventures everyday.

Kitty wiped her palms on her crisp navy skirt for the third time, then she adjusted her black velvet headband for the fifth time.

“Quit fidgeting Kitty, you’ll be fine.” Mrs Walker looked up from her copy of ‘Dog Show World’.

Around Kitty’s ankles the black and silver dog jumped, turned and jiggled his behind.

“Maybe I should take Spade for a walk.”

Spade yapped enthusiastically and his short tail wiggled even faster.

Mrs Walker folded her magazine, placed it beside her fold-out chair and reached for Spade’s leash. “Good idea, a walk might calm you both down.”

Another mention of the word ‘walk’ did nothing to calm Spade. “Rup, rupt!”

Kitty furrowed her young brow. “He better calm down before the Junior Handlers comp. I’m not taking him in the ring like this.”

After snapping the leash to Spade’s collar, Mrs Walker pulled a brush out of her bag.

“Mum, I’ll brush him after our walk.”

“This is not Spade’s brush, it’s yours. You’ve fiddled with your hair so much you’ve mussed it all up, now turn around.” Mrs Walker started to rake the brush through Kitty’s straight, but tousled, honey hair.

“Mum, I can do it!” Kitty hoped none of the other juniors would spot her getting her hair brushed by her mother.

 The chapter goes on to have Kitty find a small lost dog on her walk which sets off the mystery - but perhaps I should be starting with the finding...  do you think I need a stronger opening hook? Will you be posting your opening? 

Read More

Conquering Writer's Block and Summoning Inspiration

I'm very excited today! Why? Because I'm hosting my first-ever author interview! Featured today, we have K. M. Weiland, author of the recently released Conquering Writer's Block and Summoning Inspiration.

When did you first feel like a ‘real’ writer?

In some ways, that’s a trick question! I came to published writing through the back door, so for most of my writing life, publication wasn’t the sought-after validation it is for most writers. I wrote because I loved it and was reasonably proficient at it, and that was always good enough for me. But when I did decide to pursue publication, I suddenly entered a brand new world of trepidation, frustration, and insecurity. Mostly, it’s an up-and-down roller coaster, even now that I have two books published. If I had to put a date on my validation as a writer, it would probably be the publication of my second novel Behold the Dawn (http://www.kmweiland.com/books_BTD.php) and its overwhelmingly encouraging reception by readers.

What, for you, is the hardest part of writing a novel?

The beginning, no bones about it. Even though I’m an in-depth outliner and always know what’s supposed to happen at every step of the story, the first fifty pages are murder to write. I have enough perfectionist blood in my veins that I have to get it right before moving on, and as most authors know, beginnings are always tough to get right, if only because they are so important.

How long has it taken you to produce a finished novel?

As a general rule, a novel—from outline to publication—takes me three to four years. I usually plan a year for brainstorming, outlining, and researching; a year for writing; and another year or two for editing. I’m much more interested in spending the time to perfect a story, rather than churning one out every year.

Do you have a writing style or genre?

Technically, I write historical and speculative fiction, but most of my stories seem to fall into what I laughingly call the “blood and thunder” genre. All of my published stories have centered around a war (land wars in A Man Called Outlaw (http://www.kmweiland.com/books_AMCO.php), the Third Crusade in Behold the Dawn, a fictional conflict in my upcoming fantasy Dreamers (http://www.kmweiland.com/WIPs.php#dreamers), and World War I in my work-in-progress The Deepest Breath (http://www.kmweiland.com/WIPs.php#deepest). They’re usually stories of good vs. evil, with lots of swashbuckling and a little romance thrown in.

What inspired you to write Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration?

Over the last several years, I’ve been sharing writing tips and essays about the writing life on my blog Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors (http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com). Posts on inspiration and fighting writer’s block have always been some of my most popular posts. It’s ironic, really: Here we are, a bunch of people who discovered this whole writing business because one day we woke up inspired with an idea for a story—and yet consistent inspiration is something most of us struggle with on almost a daily basis. I wanted to put together a presentation that shared some of my own tricks for encouraging inspiration. Thanks to the Wordplay podcast, I already had some experience with audio productions and thought it would be an interesting adventure to create a CD that would be accessible and helpful to others.

Who would benefit from Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration?

If you’ve ever sat down at your computer and stared at the cursor—or avoided sitting down at the computer so you didn’t have to look at that infernal blank page—then you will probably relate to what I discuss in the CD. Basically, Conquering Writer’s Block is aimed at writers who want to nurture a creative lifestyle, prevent writer’s block from ever attacking, and learn how to ward it off when it does appear.

Can you download it to your iPod?

Absolutely! You can either purchase the hardcopy (http://www.kmweiland.com/books_CWBASI.php) or download the tracks (http://www.kmweiland.com/store.php#conquering).

Could you share one pearl of wisdom from your current Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration?

On my blog, I often talk about how “variety is the spice of fiction.” That applies to how writers approach their craft just as much as the words and techniques they put on the page. Some of us (myself included) thrive on routine and schedules. But the muse is a free-spirited critter, and changing up our routine a little can sometimes works wonders in boosting creativity. Find a new writing spot—under a tree, at a café, in the backseat of the car. If you write on the computer, try writing longhand. If you always listen to Mozart when writing, try something radically different such as metal or bluegrass. Adding a little change to our routines can shake our snoozing creativity awake, even if we eventually decide to go back to the old habits.

What have you read lately that you simply must recommend?

Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn is the first fiction book in ages that I’ve awarded a five-star rating. It was lip-smackingly good: great characters, great setting, great premise. I loved it. At the moment, I’m just finishing up Margaret Atwood’s The Robber Bride, and I’m blown away by the depth and power of her writing. The woman is a genius. She not only gave me a great story, she inspired me to greater heights in my own writing.

I hope you've enjoyed this interview with K M Weiland! I know I've learned a lot, and am eagerly awaiting my CD from Amazon to put on my handy-dandy iPod (I can't download MP3s from Amazon because I'm in Australia), I'll blog about the CD once I've heard all the great advice. If you'd like to know more about this author, you could visit her blog:

K.M. Weiland writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in the sandhills of western Nebraska. She enjoys mentoring other authors through her writing tips, editing services, workshops, and her recently released instructional CD Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration.

Read More

Kate Forsyth - Writing for Children

At the recent CYA Writers Conference, Kate Forsyth provided so much insight and advice in her talk, I could have used a whole week with her to absorb it all.

Kate writes for children and adults and is well known for her fantasy work such as The Gypsy Crown.

The advice Kate offered that resonated with me the most was about writing specifically for children:

Writing for children is often harder than writing for adults.

• Children are less forgiving. Adults might read past a dragging chapter in hopes the story pace will return. Children will easily abandon a book mid-story if it does not meet their expectations.
• Novels and novellas for children do not have room for sloppy writing. Every word must work as hard as it can, no unnecessary words or sentences.
• Adults read for many reasons - to keep abreast of literary trends, to learn or understand and to enjoy. Kids read for pleasure. That's it.

What do children want in their stories?

• Distinct characters. Would you recognise your character in a crowd if you were on the bus with them? You would if they were Peter Pan, Harry Potter, Pippy Longstocking or Huck Finn.
• Suspense and surprise - secret enemies can help build these elements.
• Action! Begin with drama, activity, danger or movement.
• A protagonist at least 12 months older than themselves. Kids read up, they don't usually like reading about younger kids.
• Emotional engagement. Kids want to CARE if something happens to the main character or their friends.

Like to know more about Kate Forsyth? Check out her website, it's filled with great information for fans and writers:

http://www.kateforsyth.com.au/

Stay tuned! On the 14th I will be featuring an interview with writer K.M. Weiland about her new release:

Conquering Writers Block and Summoning Inspiration. To find out more about K.M. Weiland, visit her blog: Wordplay

Read More

NaNoWriMo Fever!

It's the most, wonderful time of the year....

Last year I discovered NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for the first time and became immediately obsessed with writing 50,000 words in one month. I'll be Nanoing again this year and fingers crossed I'll get a whole novel written in November.

There's no cheating allowed - which means in October I can't write a word towards my story, but I can start plotting and planning. My novel idea for this year:

Digging up Death

Dusty Fields is a palaeontologist student who has the gift of seeing how creatures died when she touches their remains. Handy for work, but something she keeps a secret from a judgemental world. Dusty avoids all but prehistoric death, until she comes across a colleague's body at her dig site and must help an infuriatingly dense detective solve the crime without revealing her 'gift'.

I've got the whole family joining in. Last year Matilda and Emily both wrote novellas (kids get to choose the wordcount they will aim for). This year we're trying to entice Tim to join in too. All through October our family has little workshops, this week we're focusing on plotting and story ideas.

Using John and Caitlin Mathews StoryWorld cards, we experimented with coming up with new story ideas. This pack of cards includes many fantasy and traditional fairytale characters, objects and settings along with a book to show different ways they could be used.

Our aim was to deal out two character cards, one object and one setting. Then we each came up with different ideas. You could also use tarot cards or print up archetype characters and draw them out of a hat to do this.

I can also use these cards in the classroom for creative writing, they are so beautiful the kids just love them. Here's a sample:

There were some pretty interesting ideas, including a murder mystery in fairyland! You can buddy me at NaNoWriMo and see what the month of crazy brings.

Read More

My Top 8 Posts on Character Building

I've been focused on characters lately, so thought I would share my posts on building characters, here are my top 8:

1. James Baldwin and Character Who-ness - Forget about what your characters are, find out 'who' they are. What makes them special?
2. Building Characters with Jung - If you like a more formulaic approach to creating characters, check out Jung's archetypes. There's so many combinations, you can create a unique character with purpose.
3. M is the Motive - The key to a good story is to find out what your character desires and what's stopping them from getting it.
4. Lousy Characters Rule - Allens lollies tagged the line 'Why do we always like the snakes best?', and it's true, we love a bit of bad boy in our good guy.
5. Character Profiles - Questionnaire for your character (free print out)
6. Prue Mason - Character to Plot Workshop - If the cap fits... how to get into the 'shoes' of your character.
7. Creating Character Flaws - Don't make your character perfect at everything unless you're planning on dropping a piano on their head early in the story.
8. Character Voice - Let your character come up with their own description.

Read More

Character Voice

Can you hear your character's voice?

This week in my writing course through Sydney Writers' Centre, we further explored character and voice. 

The main point about your main character is they must be someone we like reading about. Your main character will need depth, they can not only exist in reaction to one situation. One way of building your character to a fully formed personality is to fill in a checklist. 

You should include physical descriptions, beliefs/attitudes to the world around them, personality, background, hopes, relationships, pets and environment. It is also handy to know what your character's skills are and what they are really bad at, or afraid of (these can be used in your plot as obstacles and solutions).

By knowing your character well before writing you are more likely to have a consistent character that the readers can believe in.

Our assignment was to have our character write their own autobiography as 'getting to know you' class homework. There were some fantastic responses. It's a great exercise because once you start, it's interesting to see how your characters will describe themselves very differently to the way you would. There may even be important information they choose to conceal. 

Here was my submission (even though I can already see things I'd like to change!):

Who am I? Harry Conner. I’m 13. I live in Warracknabeal, but you would know that Miss, because you live here too. What sort of things do I like to do? You might think there’s not much to do in a country town like this, after coming down from Sydney, but there's a swimming pool (I prefer the river - we’ve got a great rope swing) and a cinema (‘The Thin Man’ is showing if you like mysteries, I do).

I’ve got my mum’s red hair and I follow Essendon, like she does. We didn’t make it into the grand final last year but I think 1939 will be the year for us! You might find it funny but my father doesn’t like football (or anything fun). You probably already know that he’s the sergeant of police here in town. He is so different from my mum, she would have laughed at the prank me and the boys pulled last Saturday, but Dad got mad as a cut snake! See Brian, Duncan, Weedy and me were taking pot shots at chickens with my slingshot, when I had this idea. Old Mr Harrison’s funeral was on, so we snuck into the church beforehand and put this chicken in the casket with him. You should’ve seen Father Barry’s face when he heard scratching noises coming from the coffin!

We live in town, a few of my mates live out on properties like my granddad does, he’s the president of the club at the racetrack. He says I have his charm. Dad and him don’t get on real well.

My best friend is Clancy, my dog. When he was a pup he belonged to Mr Mulligan, but then Mr Mulligan shot his brains out when he lost his job at the silo (maybe he didn’t realise the Great Depression’s over Miss?). Now he’s my dog and he’s great, even if the oldies in town look at him as if he’s cursed (not Smithy at the butchery, he’s always got bones for Clancy).

My goal? I’m going to become a detective, like Sam Spade, and then I’ll find out what happened to Mum when she didn’t come back from the supermarket two years ago. I will, and I’ll bring her home.

Read More