Notes From The Front

Baby Stories

2011-09-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well, if any of you are still following my blog, I am humbled extremely, because I have been a Very Bad Blogger. :(

I do have an excuse, though. My baby arrived on July 6, in a wild crazy Hollywood-style delivery. He (yes, it's a boy!) also brought quite a surprise with him. If you'd like to find out the details, the birth story is here: http://misadventuresandmiscellany.blogspot.com/2011/07/baby-is-born.html and the story of the surprise is here: http://misadventuresandmiscellany.blogspot.com/2011/07/our-super-special-boy.html

I promise to try to find time to blog HERE again soon!

Sandbox Link: Harold Camping

2011-06-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone's laughing at Harold Camping, but has anyone considered this angle of the latest and greatest End of the World prophecy?

http://misadventuresandmiscellany.blogspot.com/2011/05/oh-irony.html

Stinky Feet: What You Can Learn From Your Character's Shoes

2011-06-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Have you stepped into your character's shoes lately? Have you literally jumped feet-first into an intimate, probably odiferous detail of your character's life?

No? Well, grab a clothespin and some clean socks and prepare to be amazed at how much you can learn from a pair of shoes.

Ready? Okay, open your character's closet and ease your feet into your character's shoes, the ones they wear every day. Are they too big? too small? Let's say you're a woman, size eight, and your character is a woman, size seven. Too small, but never mind, for this exercise they magically fit.

What kind of shoes are they? Flats or heels? (Flats.) Flip-slops, sneakers, or slides? (Elegant leather slides.) Interesting. Go deeper. Sink your feet into the soles. Are they new and stiff, or comfortably worn? (Stiff, hard, and so new they hurt.) So appearance matters to your character, at the expense of comfort.

Now take a peek around the closet. Are the other shoes similar? You're puzzled: all the other shoes are casual ones, well-worn and comfy. Why has your character suddenly started wearing something different?

Kick the left shoe off now, and raise it to your nose. Yes, go on! Ugh. Sulphur and onions! So she's got smelly feet. What's that white poof of powder? Baking soda. So she's aware of the odor enough to do something about it. Why? Does she work somewhere where the occasional whiff of Foot is not acceptable? Is she dating someone, and eager not to offend? Or is she simply very conscious of herself? Is this self-consciousness why she started wearing these shoes in the first place?

There's nail polish on the edge of the shoe. Glittery silver. An unusual color. What made her choose this?

You're curious now. Step out of the shoes, and wait, invisible, as your character comes into the room and steps into them herself. Now, with the magic power of an author, enter your character. Become her, as she stands in those shoes.

Feel how her heelbones crunch against the hard soles of the slides. She's tired and discouraged. Her heels are itchy from the pumice rub she just gave them in the shower. She scuffs one against the toe of her other foot. A flake of polish chips off her toenail. Angrily, she bends over to yank at the loose flap.

You sense someone made fun of the color. A boyfriend?

“Dear mother-in-law.” An angry grunt as the polish is removed. “I can't keep anything of my own, can I? Not even this.”

Wow! Were you expecting that? I wasn't. I thought she was dating, and eager to impress that Perfect Someone. Instead, she's making an abnormal effort to please her mother-in-law, of all people. Why is the older woman's opinion so important? What does that say about Ms. X's marriage? Something's strange here, and obviously, it's crucial to the character.

See how much you can learn from sticking your feet into someone else's shoes? You can do this with clothes too, but for me, shoes work best: both men and women tend to individualize more with shoes than clothing. This is probably the single best way I know for getting to the sole of your character (pardon the pun: couldn't resist) and finding out what makes them tick. It works fantastically for exploring a new character, but try it on your tried-and-true standbys, as well. If you don't know how it feels to stand in your character's shoes, then you don't know your character as well as you should. Maybe none of what you learn will ever fit into your Epic Work, but the details you learn will change how you see your characters, and will give them depth they never had before.

Just...make sure you have a clothespin. Some of the details you turn up might be a little - smelly?

New blog!

2011-05-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I've been debating about whether to make this blog personal as well as writing-themed. After poking it with a stick, hanging upside down to examine it from all angles, and running it through a chemical test, I decided the idea was a bad one.

Problem was, in between a new life in Florida, an ever-increasing snarky view of the world, and out-of-control pregnancy hormones, I still have a lot to say. So, I started a new blog, where I can randomize to my heart's content. (http://misadventuresandmiscellany.blogspot.com/) If you're interested in my rambles, go ahead and take a peek, but if you only stop by here to read about WRITING, then rejoice! This blog's word-themed purity is back. :)

Author Interview: Linda Yezak

2011-03-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's Author Interview time! Yay! Getting to share cool conversations with amazing and interesting people is my favorite part of blogging.

Today I get to interview Linda Yezak, who just published her first novel Give the Lady a Ride. Linda Yezak resides in the state of Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. She lives in the heart of a forest with her husband, three cats, four ducks, and a pond full of fish. Aside from being a member of Women Writing the West (WWW) and The Christian PEN, she is a proud member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Her debut novel, Give the Lady a Ride, was a finalist in the 2009 ACFW Genesis contest, and her work-in-progress, The Cat Lady's Secret, was a finalist in 2010. A self-described nut, she says, "I keep both feet candy-coated, because there's no telling when one or both will land in my mouth."

Candy flavor of choice? "Peppermint. Chocolate melts too fast."

Nina: Welcome to Notes From The Front, Linda! Tell us about yourself!

Linda: How I wish I could whip out some wonderful stories about how fascinating I am, but there isn’t much to tell. I’m a wife, step-mother, grandmother, with a degree in English and a grad certificate in paralegal studies, and now I’m a published author. Although I’m not physically capable of much anymore, I’m game for anything. I love fishing and hunting, canning and cooking, horses and cattle, needlework and baseball. My interests are eclectic. If I were younger, and away from all those who once told me not to, I’d add sky diver and barrel racer or show-horse jumper to the list. Oh well, c’est la vie!

Nina: Give the Lady a Ride is your first published novel. How does it feel to have a book in print?

Linda: Like a ride in a hot air balloon. In the weeks before the debut, I was scrambling to get everything prepped. Attach the flat balloon to the carrier basket, hook up the gas for the burner–or in writer’s terms, get my debut activities lined up, announcements printed and cyber-announcements posted, parties planned, guest pieces and interviews written.

The morning of the debut, I shot heat into the balloon in a glorious sunrise fire-up. Or for me, before sunrise. I was so excited I got up two hours before the sun even thought about climbing over the horizon.

As the day went on, my balloon sailed through the sky, fired by every encouraging comment and congratulatory remark.

And it’s still flying!

Nina: What is your favorite scene from Ride? What makes you like it?

Linda: There are so many it’s hard to choose, but I think my favorite comes near the end, and surprisingly doesn’t involve the hero, but one of the other ranch hands. Throughout the book, a character named “Frank” provides fatherly wisdom to the hero, Talon, about Patricia, but at the end, he shares his wisdom with Patricia too. I’m not going to reveal the scene here, but “cowboy logic” is the perfect term to explain what Frank has to say about Patricia’s ride!

The scene really revealed Frank’s character to me, and I just fell in love with him. I’m going to tell you a secret, because I’m not sure whether I’ll actually write a sequel to Ride, but I started one, and Frank is the hero of that book. I hope everyone comes to love him as much as I do, because if I do write the sequel, I’ll be presenting more of his cowboy logic. (Nina: Sequel about Frank? Oh yes yes!)

Nina: One of the hottest topics in Christian writing right now is how to weave faith into a novel without becoming preachy. I really like the practical down-to-earth cowboy faith you wove into Ride. Was it difficult to decide how much religion to put in the book?

Linda: Yes. Oh, yes. But I’ve never written anything that didn’t reflect my love for my Savior. Even in grad school, for my final grade in my criminal law class, I wrote about the Hebraic penal code (got an A too!).

Aside from worrying about how much religion to include, I also worried about religious views. I want to appeal to a broad audience, but Christians hold diverse beliefs on so many topics. Whether a new convert is sprinkled or submerged for baptism, whether dancing is allowed among the members, and so on. These topics can spark heated debates among the family of Christ.

With the folks in a cowboy church though, submerging is preferred and dancing is fine. Since my hero is a member of a such a church, I hope readers with different beliefs will forgive me if I’ve written things they don’t practice themselves.

Nina: Tell us about other projects you have simmering. Do you have a new novel on the drawing board?

Linda: Of course, I do! The Cat Lady’s Secret is about three quarters done, and I can’t wait until I can get back to it! I’m still working on the elevator pitch, but it goes something like this: Carrying a fish net as she walks around town, Millie is on a mission to catch and rescue feral cats. As she hunts, she learns of people's needs and wishes--and all these are fulfilled. But what will happen to the town's benefactor if the journalist dogging her trail reveals her identity?

Nina: Thanks so much for coming! As a wrap-up will you give us a teaser from the book?

Linda: Patricia felt her vertebrae jar each time she pounded on Tandy’s bare back. It took all her will power not to hold on with both hands . . . Cowgirl? She didn’t think so.

Questions, Questions!

2011-03-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

Spring comes. The snow melts. The birds sing. Rain is followed by the promise of sun. And my curiosity, tingled out of winter dormancy, is busy asking questions.

So! This blog post will be about YOU, not me. I’ll ask the questions, you’ll answer them. Then I’ll post again, this time with a compilation of your comments, and my own. Please spring right in, let your ideas scatter like rain, and your creativity bloom!

What season of the year are you most creative as a writer?

Do you generally find books, movies, or music to be more inspiring! (List examples!)

Is Absolute Quiet a must for you while writing, or do you work better with background noise?

Everyone has things they care about deeply, and much of the time, these fuel our writing, whether subtly or directly. What makes your heart leap and your blood boil – and have you put this into your creations?

What part of writing do you hate most? (everyone hates something!)

Name a few favorite words and/or phrases.

Would you say writing engages your mind or your body more?

There’s nothing in the world to compare with finding that perfect turn of word or phrase. Tell us about the latest one you found.

And finally – what project are you working on right now?

Favorite Fictional Romance?

2011-02-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

Assignment: Come up with a Valentine-themed blog post! Result: one author with a headache!

Don't get me wrong. I love romance in real life. But I'm not the biggest fan of romance writing. And usually, when I do like a novel with romance, it’s a dysfunctional romance that may or may not end well. Not appropriate for Valentine’s Day! However, my all-time favorite fictional romantic couple do get together. Most of you have read or at least heard of them: Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane.

I love Lord Peter and Harriet’s relationship. They originally meet with Harriet on trial for her life, accused of murdering her fiancée. Lord Peter sees her in court, is immediately attracted, and sets about proving her innocence, in the course of which he manages to fall in love with her.

Harriet, on the other hand, not only has sworn off any romantic relationships, but because Peter saves her life, her (very British) pride won’t allow her to care for Peter back. Thus begins a famous literary chase which spans several novels as Peter doggedly pursues Harriet (and the occasional criminal), eventually becoming successful in Gaudy Night.

I love Peter and Harriet’s relationship. Probably the most obvious reason is Sayer’s brilliant characterization. In Peter and Harriet she pairs two extremely intelligent, independent, proud and reserved people who on first glance are clashing opposites. Sayer also succeeds in creating two equally interesting characters. Contrary to most romantic stories, where if one character evaporated the story would flop, Peter and Harriet are equally fascinating.

Then there’s the dialogue and scenarios, which range from hysterically comedic to thoughtfully poignant. In scene after scene Harriet and Peter spar with subtle wit, making every interchange great fun to read.

And finally, there’s the romance. It’s not overt. It’s very British, very subtle. And yet Sayers manages to explore the ins and outs of every romantic relationship. She shows the darkness and the light that enters into any couple’s lives, and she challenges the conventions of typical romance. In short – her brilliance in literary romance is a constant inspiration. I’ll never be that good, but I’ll definitely try!

Who’s your favorite fictional romantic couple? Why do you like them?

Writing As Therapy?

2011-02-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

How many of you have used writing as a form of therapy?

My guess is 99% of you raised a hand and said "I". The use of writing as a means of channeling grief, depression, or other emotions is amazingly widespread. Most contemporary authors admit freely to using writing as therapy. A few bold ones manage to turn therapy into glossy-covered bestsellers, but for the most part, those scribbles stay buried in some obscure drawer or cached in a remote corner of cyberspace.

Authors are not the only ones who use writing for therapy. Ever since the ability to write became common, people who experience traumatic events often find solace by writing. Whether it be a war, natural disaster, or simply the death of a loved one, the result is the same. Ordinary people who have never written before pick up a pencil and begin.

The poems of the first and second World Wars have been a fascination of mine for years. Our written record of these wars is vast - some of the greatest writers of the century detailed every event as it happened. More intriguing to me, though, are the thousands of poems and short stories written by soldiers and their loved ones. Many are anonymous. Most were never intended for public view. Few are written according to good writing standards. Yet they're filled with humor, pathos, resignation, bravery...

All the histories written about the wars record what happened to people. The poems and stories record who those people were.

What is it about writing that helps people deal with grief, anger, and frustration? For myself, it allows me to see things clearly. When I'm upset my emotions tangle into a knotted mess that would traumatize a psychoanalyst. I can't understand myself! Always I end up with a chewed-off pen and a scrap of paper, scribbling down verse, scraps of ideas, fragments of sentences. I allow myself to spill over onto the paper, not holding anything back.

Hours later, relieved somewhat by the "public privacy" of expression on paper, I read through the jottings. And an odd thing happens. What made no sense in my mind gradually takes form before me. I can isolate the problem, figure out the cause, approximate a solution. Perhaps most valuable, I can perceive the melodrama. Being able to laugh at yourself does wonders for your sanity.

I'm sure not everyone feels this way about writing. The best part about it is that words, like people, can become anything. All I know is that if I ever get shipwrecked alone on a desert island, forget the coconut trees. I'll be hunting papyrus and a cuttlefish. :)

Best Novels Of 2010

2011-01-24T13:53:00.000-08:00

A recent perusal over my fiction shelves reminded me that I had not yet completed a "Best Novels Of The Year" list (a necessary deed once a year)! There's no time like the present. Unfortunately, I had shockingly little time to read this year, but in the time that I did have, I found some jewels. In no particular order...

Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery. Possibly the best book of the year. A beautiful YA story of a young Nazi taken in by an English country family during WWII, the novel filled my heart. The writing is marvelous, brief prose that evokes an amazing range of emotions, and the characters are fantastic. This will become a regular read.

The Empty Crown by Rosemary Edgehill. Actually three novels in one, The Empty Crown combines a snarky (and secretly lonely) New York librarian with an elf king on a mission who becomes stranded in New York. High fantasy with an active sense of humor. Anyone who loves books, history, or random facts will love this.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. This is technically a re-read, but I got so much out of it on the second go that it deserves to be listed. For anyone who (gasp) hasn't read it, it's... impossible to describe. Read it. Card's ability to tell stories of chilling despair, soaring hope, and unflinching truth through the eyes of children boggles my mind.

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper. I enjoyed all the books in this series, but this one stands alone. It takes the basic premise of any fantasy (an unwilling young hero on a quest) and turns in into a modern, dark, frightening story of good and evil, written by a master wordsmith. This is one of those YA novels that defies age limits.

Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. Another re-read, by my reaction to reading this was so dramatically different the second time that it needs to be listed. Sayers is a literary genius, and I believe this is one of her best. Here plot and character entwine perfectly. Although the mystery is central, the heart of the novel is the relationship between Harriet Vane and Lord Peter, and the surprises they discover inside themselves as they challenge evil. I discovered a few surprises inside myself while reading this one.

.....

I also discovered Agatha Christie and her brilliant, timeless studies of human character, all wrapped up in witty entertainment, and as usual, read Chesterton, both fiction and nonfiction. Reading Chesterton, I know, will be a part of every literary year for me. :)

Another novel I loved this year was Day Of Ashes by Kelsey Kline. It didn't make the list simply because it's author stubbornly refuses to complete and share it. She should be warned... dreadful things happen to such persons.

What are the best novels you read this year?

In Search of a Dream

2011-01-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Is the presence of longing inside a writer’s heart essential to writing fiction? Is the faint melancholia created by things we wish for, dream of, what puts the magic into make-believe?

Those questions have been prodding at my subconscious for some time now. The prod turned into a painful jolt when, after a summer of not writing fiction, I attempted my third NaNo in a row – and did not complete the required 50,000 words.

To tell the truth, I completed barely 5,000 words. I still don’t know quite what was wrong. I sat at the keyboard for hours. I allowed myself to leap between plots. I allowed myself to write endings before I wrote beginnings! But nothing worked. Words appeared on the screen, crafted strings of emotionless sentences, crisp-edged two-dimensional characters without character.

The spark wasn’t there.

At the time I attributed it to lack of time, to the stress of everyday life, to pregnancy hormones. Yet none of that ever affected my writing before… (okay, I haven’t been PREGNANT before, but you know)

Now I’m wondering if my life has become a little too full. Instead of a rather uneventful life that I spiced up by constantly spinning tales of adventure and romance, I started to live all those things I dreamed about. Now, I have a husband (who I’m very much in love with), a baby on the way (who is wanted very very much), multiple jobs, college, travel… I don’t have time to dream!

And is that the problem?

I pose the question to you all reading this. Has this happened to you? Do you think writers’ best work is influenced by what’s happening (or what’s not happening) in their lives? Or (as many great writers believe) should good fiction be utterly unconnected to circumstances in writers’ lives?

Share your thoughts, please! I’m eager to read them!

(oh yes, and if anyone has suggestions for how to overcome a fiction dry spell…please do not refrain from suggesting!)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-28T13:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Sorry this is a bit late, but no at-home internet access does tend to prohibit one from posting on days when all libraries are closed! ;) And blah to Blackberry service which does not allow one to do anything IMPORTANT online, such as check school email, post on Blogger, or access useful weird trivia pages.

That aside... did everyone have a good day? I hope so! I did. It was funny... I wasn't sure if it would be, coming up to it. Job stress, finances, and the constant ups and downs of pregnancy had been turning Tanner and I into two cranky Scrooges. However, the wonder of Christmas prevailed. Two good friends came over Christmas Eve and we had a marvelous time doing proper Christmas-y things like decorating, making Christmas cookies (and then running around the neighborhood dropping them off) and trying to wrap last-minute gifts without the recipent peeking! All in all, it was one of the best Christmases I can remember.

Every Christmas I remember why I love this holiday so much. Despite the commercialism, despite the canned carols played in department stores and the focus on materialism, the spirit of Christ's birth is still alive and well. Kindness and joy do truly fill people's lives. It gives the world hope, does it not?

Anyway. Here's hoping everyone had a merry and blessed Christmas!

Thoughts On Being Two People At Once

2010-11-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

WARNING: This is a ramble. A senseless, hormone-ridden, spacy, unconnected ramble which most probably will not make sense to anyone besides myself (and probably not even myself after a few days). If that disturbs you, close the window now.

For all brave (aka crazy) people who kept reading...

I suppose I should start at the beginning (the last natural place) and announce my news.

I'm pregnant.

Yes, I know this is a fairly obvious result of getting married, and yes this is exactly what we hoped for, but shock and surprise still course through my body on a regular basis. I AM PREGNANT. In other words, there is another human being inside me. Two of us. I'm no longer one person, I'm two.

Confusing. Amazing. Bewildering.

I discovered I was pregnant a week and a half ago. The baby is due on the 25 of July (I think). I'd been feeling sick for a week, but simply assumed it was my period coming on - till I realized my period was almost two weeks late. I realized THAT fact at work, and ended up getting so excited I drove into town at 10 PM to get the test. After two positive results, I drove home to tell Daddy the news. Talk about special. Those first three days of wild, bubbly, insane excitement and happiness are going to be memories I can't wait to share with our baby.

Now, two weeks later, reality has kicked in. This is going to be a BIG JOB. Actually, it's just the start of a Big Job. Are we ready? Is any parent-to-be ever ready? Questions swirl through my head day and night: am I going to be a good mom? Is the baby going to be all right? Will I be able to be the loving mother I so desperately want to be?

Needless to say, we spend a lot of time praying.

I also spend time praying to survive two things. Morning sickness (which should be renamed All-Day-And-All-Night Sickness) and mood swings. Hormones have been driving me crazy. One minute, I'm calm and euphorically happy, the next I'm ready to kill someone. Unfortunately, that someone is usually Tanner, simply because he's the only person around. I alternate between feeling guilty and sorry for him, and plotting revenge when he gives me the Look. You know, the one that guys give women that says "Honey, I love you but please stay at least twenty feet away until you regain your sanity."

I would love, just love, to afflict him with female hormones for just twenty minutes. Just twenty minutes!

Maybe twenty minutes would be too mean. Ten? Five? It wouldn't take much!

The mood swings are by far the worst part, worse than the constant nausea and vertigo. I'm also tired all the time, and simple household chores are nearly impossible. I can't even cook for myself, as food preparation sends my stomach over the edge. Tanner is handling all this calmly and doesn't seem phazed by my sudden helplessness, but I HATE IT. I've always hated feeling vulnerable. I take independence far beyond where I should, so this is a bitter pill indeed. Humility lesson, perhaps?

I still don't "feel" pregnant. I feel different (usually sick!) but not pregnant. I know there's a child inside me, but I can't "feel" it yet, physically or emotionally. That's probably what I look forward to most: the day when I can physically FEEL this new life inside me!

Tanner, I think, is most looking forward to when I start to show. He keeps standing at a distance, squinting at my belly from all angles, hoping it will magically start to grow!

We spend a lot of time looking at photographs of unborn babies, imagining what our child looks like. Sometimes, we sit there for half an hour just looking at one photograph. Then, in unison, we look up at each other and smile. No words. The emotions inside us are too fragile at that moment to find voice.

Okay, well, I'm rambled out for now, plus I need to get to work. I've some writing news as well, but that'll be the subject of another post. If you managed to get through these paragraphs of insanity, I would love to hear your thoughts and input!

Oh, yes, and I'm thinking of starting to swing this blog over to some personal posts, as well as strictly writing posts. Thoughts? Good idea or bad?

Wedding Bells!

2010-11-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

No, I've not died. Nor fallen off the face of the earth, actually – though the attention I've given this blog over the past few months does make such a supposition likely.

Actually, two things have been occupying my time to such an extent that I haven't given much attention to anything else. Thing #1: college, specifically a technical college nestled in a beautiful swatch of country fifty miles from my house. I finally decided to try and make something profitable of my graphic hobby, and am going for graphic design. Juggling school and my usual proliferation of jobs has been quite a challenge.

Thing #2: (and this may come completely out of the blue for some people) a very special man named Tanner. We met early this spring at the restaurant where I work (which is an entire story in an of itself!) and started dating in early summer. On August 25, he asked me to marry him. A week later, upon receiving my “Yes” he gave me a shimmery ring promise.

And on October 24, 2010, we had a wedding!

So. Yes. Been a bit busy! Hopefully now I'll have more time to apply to blogging, writing, and so forth. I'm certainly going to try, as I've missed this whole writing life!

Not much is new on the writing front for me, as I've had writing on hold pretty much since I started college and began planning a wedding. I intend to start querying again and gradually get back into the swing of writing.

Whew! Just reading over this blog post leaves me feeling a bit breathless. Needless to say, it's been a summer full of surprises. I promise to return to this blog again soon (ie, not three months from now) to share more.

Murder By Pumpkin - Excerpt!

2010-07-21T13:35:00.001-07:00

Teaser time! Today's the day for a novel excerpt - this time, a snippet from my still-untitled parody of fairy tales and detective fiction. I started this novel a few months ago and haven't had much time to work on it: so far it's my "fun" project. I've never done a parody before, though I've a passion for reading them, and Leonie, with her snarky-yet-introverted personality, is completely unlike any character I've ever met. It's been brilliant fun!

Now, I'm thinking of taking it seriously...and wondering if it ought to be a serious project at all. Hence my casting the opening few pages up for review! What do YOU think? Want more?

***

Lady Leonie L'Amarr was having a very bad day.

That's how I'd begin it, if today were a novel and if I were writing it. Which of course I would be since nobody else does. But on re-read, that sentence doesn't begin to do today justice. I'd write:

Lady Leonie L'Amarr was having the most miserable, perfectly putrid, absolutely awful and completely contemptible day of her life.

There. That's more like it.

It has been the rottenest day ever. First, I was promoted. Some may rejoice and throw balls when they are promoted. I feel like jumping into a swamp. Because, you see, I was lady's maid to Her Highness Princess Albania Whitefrog, a youngish woman of few brains but amiable intent. Serving her required little work and no mental exertion. Besides, she frequently took long naps in the afternoon, which gave me time to kill off a few more dukes and duchesses before putting the kettle on for tea.

And today, this morning which promised to be full of sunshine, birdsong, and a tour of the torture chamber, proved to be miserable when I got the notice that I'd been promoted Up two Levels. I am now lady-in-waiting to Her Highness Princess Welberta Quillnose. Princess Welberta's amiable intent has not been in question since age three, when she pushed all three of her larger (also male) cousins into the well, and then dropped in her pet piranhas. She is, also, unfortunately for me and for her cousins, not dumb.

In fact, she is considered to be the most intelligent woman in the land. “Welberta doesn't miss anything” is the word whispered behind palm plants at the balls.

So here I am. The one person in the palace with a secret (well, the only important secret, the only one worth keeping) and I will be locked in mortal combat with Welberta the Clairvoyant Cousin-Killer.

Oh me.

The news about Welberta, however, was only the beginning to my shining day. The second bit of wonderment occurred when I opened my Box of Weapons and discovered that chapter 3 was quite as horrible as it had been when I'd shut it up in there the night before.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I should explain a few things first. If I am going to keep this diary...journal...book of events...or whatever it is, I should do it properly.

It would be a first.

So then. I am known (because it's my name) as Lady Leonie L'Amarr. I'm of common birth, with just that drop of royal-ish blood somewhere in my ancestry (not pedigree, I'm not royal enough for that) to allow me to serve those with more royal blood. Hence my existance as lady-in-waiting.

I celebrated (with a new bottle of ink and second-hand sheaf of paper) my twenty-third birthday five months ago. I like lizards and spiders and things that go bump in the night (usually royalty stumbling home from a ball) and I enjoy sunshine in moderation. Thunder is excellent at all times, and a good smashing hailstorm does wonders to wake up the world. I have a passion for poached eggs on toast and cannot bear snail soup. Which is another reason to be thankful for not being royal. I cannot bear porridge either, which is a reason to be thankful for not being common.

In matters of looks, I'm tallish, with sticky-out elbows and long toes. My fingers are long as well. I have long straight brown hair. In a book, I would have ginger-brown hair, or autumn-brown, or hair the color of leaves in a stream.

In reality, it's just brown.

My eyes are indecisive, much like me, and change from green to blue to brown on a whim. Some say it's with my moods, but since last time I looked in a mirror, carefully feeling cross, they were brown, and the time before, blue, I feel my orbital color is not a safe meter of my mental state.

My face is oval, with a chin that juts, and I have interesting cheekbones, one slightly dented from a run-in with a wall. Overall, my physical appearance is one to attract little attention, a tendency I cultivate. Invisible ladies-in-waiting get into less trouble.

And they have more time to write.

Which brings me to the purpose of this journal—diary—shall I just call it my List of Rants? I like that. Very well. The purpose of this List is (when not being a list of rants) for me to collect my thoughts on people, and cutlery, and life in general. The purpose of such a collection brings me back to my horrible day.

Because it was today I finally realized that I am going nowhere as a writer.

Confessions of a Nazi - Sympathetic Bad Guy?

2010-07-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Hello there! I'm doing another blog chain (yes, yes, we already covered the addiction problem last month) with AW members. This time, the fascinating topic is to show your antagonist in a sympathetic light. I LOVED the idea, but had quite a hard time figuring out how to do it. The problem, y'see, is I very rarely have an ANTAGONIST. Not the capital letters type. More often the antagonist is a situation; the person themselves; or the entire Nazi army. The few novels where I have a definite antagonist are mysteries. You don't expect me to reveal my carefully-hidden villain, do you? Well, it doesn't matter - I'm not going to. :)

And since it's a bit difficult to paint the entire German army (or Protectors, or CIA-gone-wrong, or Black Ops group) in a sympathetic light, I tried to find one specific antagonist. I found him (a Nazi captain) hulking and lurking his way through three chapters of A Fire Is Woken. He doesn't have a pronounced role, but readers have said he's chilling and completely evil, so I sat down with him this morning and we had a nice little chat about WHY he's evil.

Found out some interesting things! He didn't very much like talking to me (apparently there was some left-over resentment from WWII) but he agreed to write a letter to his wife explaining the situation, and it's that which I will present here. But before the letter, I'd like to post a short snippet from the novel, showing him in fine fettle as the evil villain.

Backstory for the snippet: Julie works as a secretary for the SOE (British secret service during WWII). Through a complicated series of events, she's now on an emergency mission in France with four other trained agents. A few hours previously, they've been captured by SS troops, and are being held in SS headquarters by aforementioned SS kapitan.

Iron scraped against iron. Light flashed down the stairs, bounced off the wet walls, glinted off the round helmets of the descending German soldiers. Their rifles banged against their shoulders as they dragged a formless shape down the stairs.

The cell door rattled open, and Trese's limp body slumped to the floor. In speechless horror, Julie watched as his head rolled sideways. Bloody bruises swelled his face out of shape; his mouth hung half-open over broken teeth. His shirt was ripped, and chunks of flesh stuck to bloody fiber.

A scream of horror built inside Julie, edging her vision with black. Oh God! Then, as Trese's body twitched and his eyes rolled open, she crawled forward. What do I do. What can I do.

Her hand reached out, slipped behind his head, lifted it off the floor, even as she ripped the sweater from around her shoulders and and put it beneath his head. Caught up in the desperation to help, somehow, anyhow, she forgot the Germans...

...until the cool tickle of a whip touched the back of her neck.

The kapitan's mouth pursed thoughtfully as he looked down at her. “This one,” he said in English, “this one will talk. Take her!”

The two Germans leaped forward. Their hands, sticky and wet from Trese's blood, closed around her arms, jerked her to her feet.

Time stopped. Unable to breathe past the terror, she stared around the cell, begging wordlessly for help she knew wasn't coming. Richards met her gaze for a split second, then he turned away and stared at his hands laced around his ankles. Bonvie didn't even look up.

Help me!

At her feet, Trése looked up through bleary eyes, and seemed to see what was happening. His mouth worked, as if he might be trying to speak, and then a bubble of saliva formed and deflated on his lips, and his head fell back.

This is it. In that moment Julie knew. She was completely alone and help wasn't coming.

The cold slick whip curled around her wrist. The cool blue gaze of the kapitan appraised her. For a split second, he seemed to hesitated. Emotion flickered through his eyes; his mouth twitched.

Let me go. Please let me go.

Then he smiled, and let the coil of whip slither from her wrist. "You will talk," he said again in English. "Oh yes. You will."

Inside Julie a scream began to build. I'm not ready to die. Oh God, I'm not ready to die.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now you (hopefully) have been creeped out, here's the letter he wrote to his wife the morning before.

To my wife Minna

You will never read this letter. I will destroy it the moment I finish it. I am a fool to write it at all. It is a weakness, an act of foolish desperation: a child throwing blocks at a wall. Unworthy of an officer of Germany. I do not say an officer of the Reich, for there is no worthiness there at all.

Our son is dead. You have received the telegram today, doubtless. You have read the high-minded words of his noble sacrifice, and the condolences and assurances of his painless, brave death in battle.

What you will never know is they are all a lie.

Our son did not die in battle. He did not die nobly. And he did die screaming in pain.

You have heard Hitler scoff of the secret agents Britain has sent to French soil, but what you have not heard is that they are a deadly weapon. These people are without honor, soul, or truth. It was to them that our son died. He was lured in by a girl, apparently from the local village, sympathetic to our cause. Our son, as you know, had a kind heart and the girl's pitiful story moved him. He went, finally, to “visit” her – and there was captured by her colleagues, enemy agents all.

The rest I pieced together only with guesswork...and by the hideout, which we found and captured. Too late. I found our son's body there. He had been tortured to death. He died screaming in pain. I saw him lying there, Minna, saw his blood and his broken body.

And yet I could have born that, but for the destruction of the weapons train the night after. The weapons shipment from the Homeland was the closest kept secret of the month. Only five officers knew of it in our sector. Myself, three others...and our son.

He died screaming in pain, Minna, screaming out the information they sought.

Our son did not die a hero, Minna. The enemy made him a coward, a traitor, and deserving of death.

I prayed once that this war would end, that Hitler's insanity would end, that our men would return to our great country to the arms of our loved ones. In the moment I looked down at the body of our son, my prayers ended. All I wish for now is to destroy every man, woman, and child who destroyed my son.

I will not rest until I have brought them down.

What do y'all think?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check out all these posts as well to see more interesting and unusual looks at the traditional Bad Guy!

CScottMorris: http://cscottmorrisbooks.com/ and direct link to his post

Aheïla: http://thewriteaholicblog.wordpress.com/ and direct link to her post

AuburnAssassin: http://clairegillian.wordpress.com/ and direct link to her post

DavidZahir: http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/ and direct link to his post

IrishAnnie: http://superpenpower.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post

Anarchicq: http://anarchicq.com/ and direct link to her post

Proach: http://everythinghistorical.wordpress.com/ and direct link to her post

devero: http://mysticcrossroads.wordpress.com/ and direct link to his post

hillaryjacques: http://www.hillaryjacques.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post

LadyMage: http://www.katherinegilraine.com/ and direct link to her post

M.R.J. Le Blanc: http://libraryofandunien.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post

Mariekeme: http://www.mariekenijkamp.com/ and direct link to her post

aimeelaine: http://www.aimeelaine.com/writing/blog and direct link to her post

Fokker Aeroplanbau: http://rightfarright.blogspot.com/

Irissel: http://irissel.blogspot.com/

Collectonian: http://collectonian.livejournal.com/

Amb The Creative: http://ambthecreative.blogspot.com/

defyalllogic: http://tavialewis.com/hyperbolicallyspeaking/

Alpha Echo: http://writersramblings81.blogspot.com/

cryaegm: http://enigmainklings.blogspot.com/

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes...

2010-07-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! Since the writing quotes I posted a while ago were so popular, I decided to do another post of more this month. Here they are, in no particular order or organization. Can't you tell what a tangled ferment of ideas my brain is always in? ;)

Out of the mouths of babes...

“The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer, and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work, and that writing didn't require any.” ~~ Russell Baker

“Writing well mean never having to say, 'I guess you had to be there.” ~~ Jeff Mallet

“Most writers regard the truth as their most valuable possession, and therefore are most economical in its use.” ~~ Mark Twain

“To be arrested for the power of your writing is the highest compliment a writer can be paid—if an unwelcome one.” ~~Ngugi wa Thiong'o

“A happy ending...a distribution at the last of prizes, pensions, husbands, wives, babies, millions, appended paragraphs, and cheerful remarks.” ~~Henry James

“I have always wanted to write in such a way that will make people think, 'Why, I've always thought that but never found the words for it.' ” ~~ Pamela Johnson

“There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.” ~~ Ernest Hemingway

“Writing is easy: all you do is sit staring at a blank piece of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” ~~Gene Fowler

“One writes to make a home for oneself, on paper, in time, and in other's minds.” ~~ Alfred Kazin

“When I say “work” I only mean writing. Everything else is just odd jobs.” ~~ Margaret Laurence

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In this batch of quotes I've picked three “Author's Choice” quotes to feature. I've been reading this a lot lately. This one always puts a wry smile on my face, because it fits quite perfectly with my struggle to remain true to writing while I could be making so much more MONEY for so little stress if I were to simply do a job like ordinary people!

“The fact that writers will go through so much to remain writers says something. It would be far easier (and nearly always more profitable) to become a real estate agent.” ~~ Maria Lenhart

The next one makes me chuckle and remember all the strange looks I get at work every day, when I get a story idea and stare blankly off into the distance, gabbling to invisible people. Oh the trials employers (and friends, and families, and boyfriends and girlfriends and dogs) of writers go through...

Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing.” ~~ Meg Chittenden

And the third is Truth. The more I watch and study people, the more I see how much they miss. Most people seem to have tunnel vision... they don't see the drama, pathos, and romance that fills the world around us. You don't have to travel to faraway lands or pay buckets of money to find adventure. It's right here in our backyard, just waiting for someone to be conscious that it's there. Writers usually manage to find it. :)

“I must write it all out at any cost. Writing is thinking.. It is more than living, for it is being conscious of living.” ~~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

The Discomfort Zone - Stepping Outside Your Box

2010-07-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

The Discomfort Zone.

I love the title for this blog chain. (Kudos to Victor Travison for the brilliant suggestion!) To me, it expresses perfectly the “edge” that all writers need to balance on to be really good. Writing is just like rock climbing or water skiing – you can't be satisfied with good enough. A rock climber who learns to scale the glacial deposit in his backyard isn't going to stop there: he'll head for the Grand Canyon next. A water skiier who learns to cut wake isn't going to stop: she'll grab a single ski and try that.

Writers are the same way – or at least we should be. Just like in sports, we need to push ourselves. Try something new. Dare the unknown.

And, like all new things, it's a little scary. A little uncomfortable. It's the Discomfort Zone.

I've been labeled as an adrenaline junkie, a risk-taker, and a crazy fool (in no particular order). I like risk. I like the element of fear, the uncertainty of the unknown, the tingle of adrenaline. I'm also a sucker for punishment. The result? I spend a heck of a lot of time in the Discomfort Zone. :)

Every time I get comfortable with writing one genre, or one style, or one character, I want to try something new. My launch pad for writing usually is historical with a slight literary slant: from there I ricochet off in all directions. A few of my “projects” are:

The Hanging Tree – historical/mystery. I wrote this two years ago and at the time it felt quite brave to combine a Western and a mystery. Now it's the norm... but it was my first excursion into the DZ.

SS-5 – historical/suspense. This is probably my single biggest jaunt into the DZ. It was my first suspense novel. The suspense wasn't scary – but writing the main character was! (for Myers-Brigg people, he was an ESTP and I am an INFJ. Scary.)

A Forbidden Homeland – fantasy/thriller. Almost-completed-but-not-quite, this second 2009 NaNo novel jumped WAY out of my comfort zone! First stab at fantasy (a genre I swore I'd never write – haha) and also first stab at thriller. It's a dark novel about a people driven to extinction, sheltering in the shadows of the City of their oppressors. And it's about the man who leads the final fight for freedom... and the woman of the enemy who is his only ally and most dangerous enemy. Oh yeah. Who says the Discomfort Zone isn't fun!

Stranger's Eyes – thriller. This is my latest project, and it's comparable to wing-walking for me. Not only is the novel told only from a male POV, but it's straight thriller, and it's contemporary. Rob is an ordinary guy; nine-to-five job, football on the weekends. The center of his life is his young wife, Kay. But when his wife appears to lose her mind and assassins are breaking down their door, Rob has to become anything but ordinary in a race to stop a black op takeover. At stake is the future of the USA – and Kay's life.

And if that isn't enough to prove I've won my Crazy Writer badge, I'm also dibbling with an as-yet-untitled novel, which is sort of a parody/satire of fairy tales and classic detective stories. Leonie is a maid-of-waiting in the castle of King Percival. Ordinary serving girl by day, at night she writes the murder mystery novels that are sweeping the kingdom. No one knows who writes them – but when the Prince hosts a ball and one of the guests turns up floating in the goldfish pond, the author is top on the kingdom's wanted list – and Leonie's little hobby turns quite literally into a matter of life and death. This one is incredibly fun to write and it's so different from anything I've ever written – it's been a blast. Once again proof that being in Discomfort can be fun. :)

And now I've run out of time and space and therefore shall stop. Your turn – tell me about your excursions into the Discomfort Zone! When you're done, don't forget to check out the other posts in this blog chain!

Ruth Rockafield -- July 1

Nina Rose -- July 4

Edward Lewis -- July 6

Tracy Kraus -- July 7

Kat Connolly -- July 8

Linda Yezak -- July 9

Lynn Mosher -- July 10

Nona King -- July 11

Victor Travison -- July 14

Janalyn Voigt -- July 15

Adam Collings -- July 17

Liberty Speidel -- July 19

Chris Solaas -- July 27

Suzanne Hartmann -- July 30

Candid Camera: A Look At Character

2010-06-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

I think I'm addicted to something. A new something, I mean. Blog chains, in general and particular. Here I am again taking part in an AW blog chain, topic of which endeavor is Character. Specifically, a scene which perfectly captures the essence of your character.

So last night I got out my “camera” and went hunting for a candid snapshot. After wandering through four of my novels and dozens of characters, I finally settled on this scene from my novel SS-5. (For those of you new to my blog, that's 2009's NaNo novel, my first excursion into YA, thriller, and suspense. Details here: http://frontnotes.blogspot.com/2009/10/historical-note-teenage-spies.html )

SS-5 is based on the true story of five Dutch teenagers (four boys and a girl) who, when the Nazis took control of Holland, banded together to fight back. At this point in the novel, the boys have been assimilated into the real Resistance, and are actively involved in deadly espionage. The pressure and danger is forcing them into a maturity far beyond their age, and it's ripping apart the bond of friendship between the five.

Affected most is Charlotte, who is forbidden to take part because of being female. She's forced to watch as her friends are destroyed, and is tormented by the ferocious need to take part in the fight.

The scene should be self-explanatory. Thoughts and critical feedback would be awesome!

*********

Charlotte sat in her room, drawing with fierce strokes the figure of a girl in armor. A girl, standing on a hill, armies sprawled shining out below her. She held up the flag of victory, and from open mouths all around poured grateful accolades. But there was no triumph in the girl's eyes, just a sort of sad relief.

Had Joan the Maid, centuries ago in France, wondered if she could ever succeed? In those days when everyone said she was mad, had she known that her cause was true?

Charlotte wondered.

After a moment, she laid down her pencil and pushed up the sleeve of her sweater to look at her watch. Piet had leaned toward her for a moment during dinner, whispered “Meeting tonight at six” and then turned back to his carrots before anyone saw.

Ten minutes yet before she had to leave.

She hadn't been in school today; she'd been with her mother, a few blocks away, with two terrified children huddled in a cellar. The Gestapo had broke down their door the night before, hauling their parents and older brother away. The two children, both girls younger than six, had huddled under their bed and managed to escape detection.

“Jews?” Charlotte had whispered when her mother told her.

“No.” Lorrie Skyyjer's face was grim. “The father had helped in printing and distributing pamphlets about the Allies' progress in the war. He was the man who brought paper, only that. But it was enough. Someone saw, reported, and the Gestapo came.”

A neighbor had found the children. They refused to come from under the bed, even when Charlotte and her mother came. They stared at something only they could see, and, arms twined together, refused to move.

Finally they had to be pulled out, separately since their combined weight was too much. Charlotte didn't think she'd ever forget their screams.

And here she sat, on her feather bed, in her warm house, wearing good, solid, even pretty clothes, with a full stomach. Safe. Secure. Out of danger.

While all around her people lost their lives fighting back.

Charlotte traced the figure on her easel with the tip of her pencil. “What would you do, Joan? What did you do? Did you sit safe at home and wait for your brothers, your best friends, to die?”

History proclaimed the answer.

And also the price Joan had paid.

Restless, Charlotte got up, pacing her room, until she gave it up, tugged a scarf over her flame of hair, and hurried out into the night.

The farmhouse was dark and empty, the barns likewise. The truck wasn't in the yard; obviously Farmer Smit, Jan and Piet hadn't arrived back yet.

She slipped through the darkness to the kiln, and swung the secret door open in the dark. From below she saw the flicker of candlelight. “Hello?”

“Charlotte?” She caught the owl-like glow of Jos's glasses. “Where is everyone?”

Charlotte's feet thudded down the earthen steps. “The boys aren't back yet. Isn't Hendrik here?”

“He's not coming.” Jos slid over on the rug, making a place for her to sit. “I've been here hours alone. I'm glad you're here.”

Startled, Charlotte glanced over to see if he was joking. But beneath his glasses, she saw not the twinkle of mischief, but the glitter of tears. “Jos. What's wrong?”

He shook his head. Nothing.

She turned him so he faced her. “Jos. What happened?”

His throat convulsed as he swallowed. “Remember the flour mill?” His voice was only a whisper. “The flour mill that was being converted into an munitions factory that we blew up?”

She nodded.

“I went along because I was small, and good with chemicals and fire. But Farmer Smit made sure no one knew my name or who I was. It was safer that way, he said. So I was the one who destroyed the mill, along with them.”

He paused. “The day before yesterday the Gestapo caught one of the people involved. They tortured him until he gave names. The Gestapo caught every one of the people involved in that mill, and twelve more who had nothing to do with it. Thirty people shot, Charlotte. Thirty people dead because of me.”

“Oh, Jos.” Emotion surged through Charlotte, smothering her. Jos took his glasses off, rubbing them with his handkerchief. In his eyes she saw the pain and the agony of guilt.

He's just twelve. Oh God, he's just a kid. He can't be responsible for thirty people's deaths.

Her hands twitched, ready to pull him into an embrace, hold him tight. Tell him it would be all right.

But somehow she knew it had gone beyond that.

“If only someone had known,” Jos said dully. “The first man they captured was in prison for a week before he talked. If someone had been inside, someone who could warn the others, then no one would have had to die.”

His words mingled in Charlotte's mind with words she'd heard Farmer Smit say.

“We need someone on the inside. Someone to find out what the Germans are going to do. But we can't ask anyone to risk their lives to that extent.”

And in that moment, Charlotte knew what she had to do.

Her mouth went dry, just thinking about it. Her father...everyone...

Bitter fear and sweet relief clashed in her mouth.

She knew what she had to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks so much for reading! If you liked this post, follow these links to read more excerpts by these talented bloggers!

LadyMage: http://www.katherinegilraine.com and direct link to her post

FreshHell: http://freshhell.wordpress.com/ and direct link to her post

Collectonian: http://collectonian.livejournal.com and direct link to her post

Aimee Laine: http://www.aimeelaine.com/writing/blog and direct link to her post

AuburnAssassin: http://clairegillian.wordpress.com/ and direct link to her post

Lyra Jean: http://lyratorres.wordpress.com/ and direct link to her post

Aheïla: http://thewriteaholicblog.wordpress.com/ and direct link to her post

ArcticFox: http://picaresqueblog.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post

Fokker Aeroplanbau: http://rightfarright.blogspot.com/ and direct link to his post

Alpha Echo: http://writersramblings81.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post

xcomplex: http://arielemerald.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post

CScottMorris: http://cscottmorrisbooks.com/ and direct link to his post

egoodlett: http://wordlarceny.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post

Lilain: http://abigailschmidt.blogspot.com/ and direct link to her post

defyalllogic: http://tavialewis.com/hyperbolicallyspeaking/ and direct link to her post

*RomanceWriter*: http://www.staceyespino.blogspot.com and direct link to her post

IrishAnnie: http://superpenpower.blogspot.com and direct link to her post

Anarchicq: http://anarchicq.com/

littlebear91: http://blog.littlebearz.com

hillaryjacques: www.hillaryjacques.blogspot.com

Proach: http://desstories.blogspot.com

Bobblehead: Reacting To Rejection

2010-06-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

Rejection.

It's an ugly word. Anger, sorrow, frustration, abandonment, loss, and discouragement are all conveyed by rejection. It's probably one of the most difficult things anyone can face.

And it's a non-stop part of a writer's life.

I've been getting a lot of rejections lately. In my personal life they've been coming thick and fast, but more importantly, I'm being rejected in my writing life.

This summer is the first time I'm actively pursuing publication. I've been playing around with it since 2007, but this year I've turned my hard-headed stubborn persistence to GetPublishedOrDieTrying. Two of my novels are sitting on editor's desks, waiting for the final verdict. The third (last year's NaNo novel SS-5) I've been sending out to agents since early April. I've probably sent it to close to 30 agents so far. Most have gotten back to me within a week with politely worded rejections, some form, some personal. I've gotten to the end of my list of “probabilities”. I'm mopping up the “possibilities” and, gritting my teeth, now moving into the “you've-got-to-be-crazy-to-think-they'll-accept-it” bracket.

Am I discouraged? You better believe it.

Am I giving up? Not on your life.

Writers are suckers for punishment. They have the toughest skins on the planet – it's a survival thing. I watched a kid playing with a bobblehead doll the other day, and suddenly the image of a writer came to mind: the kid's poking finger was the rejections, and the doll who (stupidly, stubbornly, without fail) bobbed back up to take more punishment was the writer. I ended up doubled over laughing, clutching my purse, making futile, laughter-limp gestures, to the consternation of store employees. (try to explain a metaphor like THAT to a Wal-Mart clerk)

So no, I'm not giving up. Neither are the multitude of fellow writers close to me who have been handed out some pretty crushing rejections these past few months. Yet a couple of them have come to me, exhausted and frustrated, wondering if there's really a good reason for pushing on. Maybe there's something wrong with the novel. Maybe it really sucks. Maybe it will never get published. I might as well not send it out anymore.

I wince every time I hear it, because it echoes my thoughts so perfectly. The truth, though, is that it's a terrible time for novelists. What with the economy and the growing commercialism of the publishing industry, it's incredibly hard for new writers to break in. But it's not a reason to give up. I've a few friends who consistently remind me that the right person for my novels is out there. I just have to find them.

And that's what it comes down to. Don't give up. Don't let the rejections stop you from sending out your novel (or short story, or poem, or article) again and again and again. If your work sits at home, buried in some dusty drawer or cobwebby corner of cyberspace, it's 100% sure that no one will accept it. If it's out there, knocking on doors, there's a chance.

So that's where I stand. I'm the bobble-head doll who, after getting hit with three rejections before breakfast, turns right around and sends out five new queries before lunch. It helps, in a bizarre way. Maybe it's all about faith. Maybe it's believing enough in your dreams and your writing to keep throwing it out there.

Whatever the case, I do have faith that sooner or later, it'll all be worth it and my manuscript will land on the right person's desk, at the right time of day, with the right weather outside and the right cup of coffee nearby and... you get the picture. :)

Don't give up. Don't get discouraged. Somewhere out there the right person (and the right desk, and the right time of day, etc) is waiting. You just have to find them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How do you deal with rejection? Share all the crazy ways you cope with this hard aspect of a writer's life. Have you gotten a particularly crushing rejection lately? Go ahead and vent. Or perhaps you've gotten some really good news! Share the encouragement!

The Write Note - Music and Writing

2010-05-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

There's no obvious connection between writing fiction and music. Writing is primarily mental, and making music engages the physical body as much as it does the brain. The connection...?

Any writer who's used music to help them write knows the answer. Because writing primarily engages the brain, it's a constant battle for writers to choose the right words to evoke sensual, physical reactions. Music, famous for its physical effect on people, helps writers “make music” with their words and create prose that explodes into life.

Listening to music, whether instrumentals (such as soundtracks – brilliant for writing!) or vocals, doesn't just set the mood and inspire, it actually can improve the prose by weaving in themes, threads, and subtle variations the writer couldn't achieve with silence.

Just the other day I discussed this with someone and they wanted to know how music could affect the writing itself. Certainly it could affect the writer, but how could the intangible essence of the music get into the words?

“Don't look at me,” I said, “I haven't a clue! All that I know is that it does.” Perhaps it has something to do with the subconscious. A psychologist could theorize, but as writers we don't need to know why music works for us, we just need to believe and let the music sing through our fingers into the words.

One of the most dramatic times music has affected my writing happened when my cowriter and I were editing our WWII novel A Fire Is Woken. I was working on the first romantic climax, the scene where the two main characters (FINALLY!!) admit they love each other. Sentimental, happy sigh kind of stuff was how the outline shaped the scene. A satisfying ending, a calm and happy oasis in a rather turbulent sea.

How boring! The first rule of good writing is keep the reader turning the pages! What a disaster to have the reader, halfway through the novel, put the book down with a satisfied smile thinking they'd reached the happily-ever-after?

No, of course that wouldn't do. But one week and a bout of pneumonia later, my aching head couldn't come up with a solution. Finally, I decided “Oh to heck with this, I'll just write it,” turned on some writing music and dove in. The scene played out as outlined. No conflict, no tension. I sighed, muttered, kicked by chair away from the keyboard and stared up at the ceiling in despair. And then... I realized this song was playing on repeat, tinkling, sunshine-y music. Romantic sweeps and trills of exultation. Just like the scene.

Then beneath the surface I heard the background: dull low notes, ebb and flow, almost reaching a crescendo, then sinking back below the surface, hidden but not gone.

An idea started to tingle on the edge of my brain. I sat there for a second, held my breath, then flew back to the keyboard. My fingers couldn't fly fast enough as the scene played out in my mind.

The end result? The scene is romantic, and satisfying on the surface. But below the outward happiness, there's a strong undercurrent of trouble. The reader can feel the trouble ahead; not blatantly, but as a subtle shiver...they know there's a heck of a lot more book to come. The one comment we get consistantly about the scene is that the readers are unable to put it down. They can't wait to find out what happens next – because they know something will.

That never would have happened without music. The odd part is, I don't know where that piece comes from. It exists on my computer simply as “Track 01”. But somehow, in a mysterious way, that piece inspired and saturated me enough with its message that I was able to pass that mystery, that apprehension onto black and white, paper and ink.

Pretty amazing, huh?

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What are some instances music has drastically changed your writing? What sort of music inspires you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note: this post is part of AbsoluteWrite's May blog chain! Below are links to the other participants in this enticing endeavor!

Words From The Wise - Writing Quotes!

2010-05-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today, instead of an article on writing, I decided instead to do something fun and post some of my favorite writing quotes. (Oh all right, yes, it's a lazy cop-out, but it'll hopefully provoke a few chuckles, and that's just what the doctor ordered, eh?)

So here are a few of the writing quotes I have plastered over my notebooks and walls and in the margins of my REFUSED file. Enjoy!

“Most writers enjoy two periods of happiness—when a glorious idea comes to mind, and when a last page has been written and you haven't had time to know how much better it ought to be.” ~~ J. B. Priestly

“A writer lives in a state of astonishment.” ~~ William Sansom

“It's nervous work. The state that you need to write in is the state that others are paying large sums to get rid of.” ~~ Shirley Hazzard

“My books happen. They tend to blast in from nowhere, seize me by the throat, and howl 'Write me! Write me now!' But they rarely stand still long enough for me to see what and who they are, before they hurtle away again. And so I spend a lot of time running after them, like a thrown rider after an escaped horse, saying 'Wait for me! Wait for me!' and waving my notebook in the air.” ~~ Robin McKinley

“If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise. Attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it.” ~~ HG Wells

“I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.” ~~ Peter de Vries

“Sometimes I think my writing sounds like I walked out of the room and left the typewriter running.” ~~ Gene Fowler

“I can look at my books with pleasure from a distance. Four feet is close enough.” ~~ Jim Bishop

It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous. ~~Robert Benchley

“My stories run up and bite me on the leg—I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish the idea lets go and runs off.” ~~ Ray Bradbury

“There is no way that writers can be tamed and rendered civilized or even cured...the only solution known to science is to provide the patient with an isolation room where he can endure the acute stages in private and where food can be poked to him with a stick. If you disturb the patient at such time, he may break into tears or become violent.” ~~ Robert Heinlein

“A book is like a quarrel. One word leads to another, and may erupt in blood or print, irrevocably.” ~~ Will and Ariel Durant

“Computers will have to learn that when I quote from some old author who spelled differently from the machine, the wishes of the long-dead author will have to be respected, and the machine will have to mind its manners.” ~~ Robertson Davies

“Sir, perhaps the lack of literary inventiveness in modern opening lines is due to the effect of the word processor. When I ran the first line of Moby Dick through my spell-checker, it suggested changing it to 'Call me Fishmeal'.” ~~ Helen Grayson

"Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good." ~~ Anonymous

“I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.” ~~ Peter de Vries

When I'm not in the mood for laughing, I read these two quotes – they sum up beautifully the need for perseverance in writing, and the assurance that if you just keep WRITING, sooner or later you will achieve your dreams.

A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, because everything she does is golden. In my view, a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway. ~~ Junot Diaz

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.” ~~ Richard Bach

And for a final chuckle... :D

“Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was killed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman's name out of a satire then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest. Do you still want to a writer--and if so, why?” ~~ Bennett Cerf

So Much To Do – No Time At All!

2010-04-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I'm still alive! I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, relapsed into pneumonia, or run away to join the FBI. However, I've been feeling a bit Dorothy-ish – as if a tornado had whirled through my life, spun me off my feet, and dropped me in a whole new world.

Since the last post, I have (a) moved, (b) acquired – or will soon – a new job and (c) started a new novel. :D As well as a host of other things which have kept me in a permanent tailspin! What with two jobs, a possible publishing contract (at least one!) and actually sheltering in the same domicle as my best friend/co-writer, the summer's going to be mad. Beautifully mad, but crazy is crazy any way you slice it.

Writing stays at the top of my priority list, though, and in the next few weeks I'm going to post updates about my newest novels. I'm guessing my actual writing time is going to get cut down, but in a way that's a good thing: right now editing and stepping up the publishing endeavor is more important.

As for the writing itself – NaNo taught me how powerful writing a little bit, just a little bit, every day is. Those five hundred words per day add up. I think, as well, it's the physical act of writing, the concentration of your thoughts into words, that keeps you fresh. I know I'm never happy until I've written!

In matter of actual quantity - we'll see what happens as the days grow warmer... and in case anyone didn't notice, aren't we having a BEAUTIFUL SPRING?!?!

In the meantime – sorry for disappearing and please bear with me as I get back into a regular posting schedule! Next post will be a collection of the funniest, wisest, and most uplifting quotes on writing, so be sure to check back in a couple of days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What are you doing for the summer? Starting a new job? Heading out on vacation? How are you fitting your writing schedule around the warm weather, or is your typewriter tucked away in cotton till the leaves turn?

Write Your Synopsis - And Stay Sane!

2010-03-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

How hard can it be to summarize your novel in about 700 well-chosen words? Sounds simple, eh? But as anyone who's tried it knows, those 700 words can cause terrible grief, precipitate nervous breakdowns, hair loss, and murderous mood swings—and in some cases, take longer to write than the whole 100,000-word novel did!

If there is one thing the diverse writing world agrees on, it's that being captured by headhunters is preferable to writing a synopsis. Stephen King said the best thing about success was that he'd never have to write a synopsis again.

...since most of us are a ways from being the next Stephen King, what are some ways to dull the agony and turn out something that makes agents claw each others eyes out to get their hands on the book?

A method I recently discovered is the chapter summary: take each chapter of the novel and summarize it in one or two sentences. You'll end up with about 25-40 sentences, which may not make any sense, but it'll give you an idea of the novel's skeleton. The next step is to flesh out the skeleton. This method works well for plot-heavy novels, because it forces you to get down to the core ideas of your book.

Example: (from my novel SS-5)

(chapter 1) Birthday plans. Father leaves for the army. (chapter 2) Nazis invade. Holland surrenders. Father goes missing.

...and the final version...

It's May, 1940 and war rumbles across the European countryside, yet Jan Jonkheer believes it couldn't possibly touch the safety of neutral Holland. Jan's father, who has faced the truth and knows Hitler is coming, breaks his promise to stay with his family and joins Holland's army on the eve of his son's fourteenth birthday.

Jan, betrayed and angry, wakes on his birthday morning to the crash of bombs and the drums of war. Hitler's armies have invaded Holland. Within twenty-four hours, the tiny Dutch army is conquered and Jan knows he has lost his father forever.

Another method is to use the character outline. Select the three or four characters who drive the novel, and write a paragraph for each describing who they are at the beginning, what happens to make them change, and who they become at the end. Then take a couple of paragraphs to summarize how the characters interact, the conflict and the resolution, and you're done. The character outline works particularly well for literary novels and character-driven novels where the characters are central. Randy Ingersoll, creator of the Snowflake method of novelwriting, says agents/editors love character outlines.

Example: (from my novel Through A Rain Of Fire)

Flight Lieutenant Peter Standish is the best pilot in his squadron. He's engaged to a beautiful girl, and they've planned a wonderful future. Peter thinks he is unstoppable: until the day he goes down in flames. His body burned beyond recognition, his world in ashes, Peter Standish fights to find a reason to live.

Growing up in a sheltered, loving family, Julie Knight never knew how bad life could get. Abandoned for dead after a tragic train wreck, the seventeen-year-old hides in the shadows as her city is bombed to ruins. Locked behind the prison walls of a London orphanage, alone without friends or family, she struggles for hope of survival.

One more helpful tip is not to worry about word count. (Do that while writing the synopsis and your risk of insanity triples.) Use the chapter outline or the character sketch—or something else entirely—and just write. At the end, if you're short words, you can fill with description or added information. If you're too long, set it aside for a couple of days and then cut. It's amazing how many unnecessary words we use! (Look at this blog, for example...)

A final comforting thought is that, sooner or later, you won't have to write synopses anymore. You'll either be a bestselling author – or you'll have gone insane. :)

______________________________

Are you a super-synopsis-writer? What are some tricks you use? Have you ever tried the chapter outline or the character sketch?

It “Was” Horrible – and ways to make it better!

2010-03-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

It's a nasty word. It drives editors to distraction, causes agents to go into anaphylactic shock, and writing mentors to slosh red ink around like blood. From the moment we start to write, we hear “NEVER USE WAS!”

However, they rarely say why. And even rarer do they give advice on how to fix it! But the solution to “was-less” prose is actually quite simple. In this post, I'll give some pointers showing how to replace it!

First, though: Why is “was” wrong? Well, because it's passive. It's the quickie way of saying something, and it makes the writing sound lazy. “She was angry” is much less exciting than “Her teeth gritted and her fists bulged in her pockets.”

Despite the taboos, “was” is still a perfectly good word, and in some cases, it belongs. But chances are you use it too much, just like 99.9% of all writers. The good news is that it's surprisingly easy to get rid of!

Here are a few common “was” phrases I've seen. Below each, I've rewritten the sentence to get rid of “was.”

The floor was cold under his bare feet.
His bare toes curled against the cold floor.

She was too tired to keep her eyes open.
Exhaustion dizzied her and her eyes drooped shut.

The sun was warm on his face.
Rays of sunshine beat down, hot on his face.

The food was spicy.
Heat tingled through his mouth as he ate the food.

Notice how much more powerful and interesting the rewrites are than the original sentence? Grammatically, there's nothing at all wrong with the originals, but by replacing “was” with active verbs, the impact of the writing takes a giant leap for the better. It's a subtle trick, but it guarantees a better piece of writing—and it guarantees editors and agents won't react to your work like it was poison ivy!

It's actually simple to find replacements for “was,” especially on an edit. (I often let the word fall where it may when I'm churning out a scene, and go back and replace them later.) Try it yourself – go through your own writing and find seven or eight “was” sentences, and rewrite them using active verbs and sentence structure. Do it on a regular basis, and pretty soon it'll become second nature!

One warning – don't try to replace “was” in dialogue. Like it or not, we murder grammar when we talk, and if you try to make all dialogue perfect writing, it'll sound stilted.

And don't forget, there are some places that definitely merit a “was.” If you think you've got a place where the word works, go with it! Just like any other rule, this one can be broken successfully.
_________________________________________________

What are some of the strategies YOU employ to avoid using “was”?

Awards - Oh My!

2010-03-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

This lovely award was given to me by Elisabeth (elisabethscorner.blogspot.com) and I am (belately) accepting it with much thanks!!!

Now, this award apparently comes with a few rules. They are:

1. Tell you seven things you don't know about me

2. Name seven other blogs to receive this award

3. Leave a comment on the other blogs I have nominated letting them know that I have given them an award.

4. Thank the blog that gave you the award!

Seven things who doesn't know about me? ;) Seven things NO ONE knows about me is about seven things more than I want to share with the general world at large. But let's see what odd facts I can dig up.

1. I love Dorothy Sayers, and Lord Peter would be my favorite detective of all time - except Father Brown squeezed in for first.

2. My favorite food is spaghetti and I have been known to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

3. If I could have a magical talent I would want to be able to breathe underwater.

4. If I changed my name I'd be "Katherine".

5. I believe reading P.G. Wodehouse should be mandatory - to maintain a healthy level of insanity.

6. If I weren't a writer I'd be a trauma surgeon or a third-word paramedic.

7. All of the above information has been falsified, especially this paragraph. ;)

And now to spread this madness across the web.... I am presenting this award to:

Ruth

Becky

Mitzi

Kayla

Aisely

Nona

Blanche Rose

A Fire Is Woken - Officially DONE!

2010-03-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

Flight Lieutenant Peter Standish thinks he is unstoppable: until the day he goes down in flames. His body burned beyond recognition, his world in ashes, Peter Standish is alone; except for Julie Knight, a young woman shadowed by her own dark past. Together, they might find courage to face their futures, but suspicion and mistrust worm between them at every turn. When Julie sails into danger overseas as an SOE agent and Peter flies into the deadliest battles of his life at D-Day, their very survival depends on their ability to trust God and each other. Will they get a second chance at happiness?

That's the premise for our novel, A Fire Is Woken, which we've finally finished! Not by the deadline, sadly, because I came down with a nasty flu which turned into pneumonia, which is shockingly effective at keeping one from writing. However, Ruth did a fantastic job on her end, and the first day I could drag myself to the computer I wrapped up the few scenes I had left, and now IT IS DONE.

Whew!

It's been a little under a year and a half since we started writing A Fire Is Woken, and two years since its conception. Seems like forever and seems like yesterday. We've so much invested in these characters; they've been part of our lives for so long that suddenly things are a bit bleak without them. We'll revisit Peter and Julie briefly in bk 3, and again in the Korea novel, but truth be known, their story is told.

And we're not quite sure whether to host a party or have a good cry! :) But in celebration, today's blog post will be two exciting excerpts from the novel itself! Enjoy them!

******

May had come with a bright burst, Peter thought, as he walked from the dispersal hut to the main offices. Grass crushed beneath his flight boots and scattered wildflowers waved in a breeze.

Peter let the door slam behind him as he stepped inside, and knocked at the Group Captain's office.

“You wanted to talk to me, sir?”

Reeves glanced up. “Yes, sit down.”

Peter sat on the edge of the chair, leaning forward, elbows on knees. He waited while Reeves wrote, the only noise other than the coarse scratch of the Group Captain's pen the buzz of a bee on the windowpane.

Moments stretched long, and then Reeves set his pen down and pushed his chair back, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “You're heard of the invasion, I suppose.”

Peter looked at him keenly. “There's been talk of a European invasion for years, sir. Practically since the Blitz ended.”

Reeves nodded, standing up and walking to the window. Cigarette smoke drifted out the crack, a blue ghost on the spring breeze.

“It's real.”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “More than rumor, then.”

Reeves turned, his face serious. “There's not much I can say, and I've probably already said more than I should. But it's drawing near. The RAF will be expected to play a part, of course.

“I need many things, Standish, and most of them the RAF is giving me. New planes; new pilots...” He ground his cigarette out in the ash tray and sat down, fingers steepled. “There's one thing I need more than anything else, though. I need good leadership.”

“Sir?”

“The RAF wants me to send a whole wing. Most of them will be new pilots. I need someone who knows their stuff to lead them.” His blue-grey eyes sliced into Peter. “I want you to lead them. Through fire, through danger, to victory. I know you can do it. You're one of the old school. You've seen combat—perhaps more than any man should.”

He sighed and leaned back. “I'm offering you a promotion here, Standish, but it's under very strict terms. I need you to understand them.”

“I can't say as I understand at all, sir.” Peter shoved his feet against the floor.

“I'm going to ask you to go into combat, combat like you haven't seen since the Battle of Britain. And I'm asking you to go in with young men who know little to nothing of what they're doing. There's good Squadron Leaders; but the boys themselves...”

“They'll be green.” Peter understood.

Reeves nodded. “I'm asking you to do perhaps the most dangerous thing you've ever done. You don't have to accept it, of course.”

Peter sat back for the first time since he'd entered the office. Images flashed, faster than he could stop them. The old days when they were all invincible. The ones who never came home.

Broken formations.

Headstones, but no casket.

And more recent events. Writing the reports of the ones lost in the North Sea. MIAs over Germany. And the accident at the aerodrome—a kid, barely eighteen, dead.

Peter's breath thickened in his throat, and he stood up, walking to the window like Reeves had just minutes ago. His Spit sat perched in front of the hanger, and a lone mechanic crouched on the wing, wrench in hand, tuning up the delicate machine.

She's ready to fly.

Excitement boiled deep down in him.

And so am I.

His fingers ran along the wood of the windowsill, his mind racing away from the confines of the office, to a sky so blue that it made artists paints pale in comparison. Clouds; great piles of white hanging effortlessly above the cities and farms. The roar of the Spit's engine and the rattle of the machine guns. Black and white. Good and evil. Spits and Snappers. Fire and glory.

Conquering. Riding a red wave of victory across vast expanses of the sky.

To what?

Peace.

His hands clenched tight, muscles straining them into rocky fists.

For Will. For Mum.

For Dad.

He turned from the window. Reeves was sitting at the desk, writing again. The silence snapped, and the scritch of Reeves's pen and the chirp of song birds filled Peter's ears.

“I'll go.”

Reeves looked up sharply, and the weight of responsibility crashed down onto Peter's shoulders.

“You're sure?”

How sure am I? Peter didn't know. Sure enough that I'm not going to back out. I've got to do this.

How many times had he said he was going to go back? How many times had he boasted of settling Hitler himself?

And I have.

He'd flown against the might of Germany in the depths of night with no noise other than the roar of bombers, Spits, and bursting flak in his ears as he peered into the darkness, nerves stretched tight and and all his senses strained for any sign of danger. And he'd defied the German war machine as he flew high above the convoys in the North Sea with grey fog swirling and the sea rough beneath him.

But this was different.

This is it.

This was why he'd come back.

“I'm sure.” Peter locked eyes with Reeves. “I'm very sure.”

***************

Julie turned in a slow circle, taking in the low, long hulks of hangars, the smaller, more habitable structure she guessed was a mess hall. Beyond the buildings, the sun bounced off the length of concrete, a grey slash stretching for what looked like miles in the green field.

Along the concrete and in the grass planes perched, their airscrews still, their noses pointed up at the empty sky.

“The planes,” she said. “Can you show me the planes?”

“How many do you want to see?” The tension slid from his face as he took her hand and they crossed the field. Grass stuck in the toes of her shoes, but she ignored it as they came up under the shadow of the nearest plane.

“It's...huge.” She squinted up at the wings, enormous over her head.

Peter chuckled. “This is a Spitfire, honey. Smallest fighter in the service. If you want big, you should see some of the bombers. They're over there, behind the hangars.”

“This is big enough, thank you.” Julie put out a tentative hand. “Can I touch it?”

“This is my bird. You can do anything you want.”

She held her breath, oddly nervous as she reached out. The body of the plane was surprisingly warm, and it gave beneath her touch. A shiver went through the entire plane and she stepped back hastily. “It feels alive!”

The twinkle in Peter's eye was backed by something deeper. “We like to think they are.”

Confidence grew and she ran her hand along the wing, stood on tiptoe to run a finger down the sharp edge of the airscrew. .

“How do you get in?”

“Like this.” Peter put a hand on the wing and vaulted up. Laughing, he hung down and reached for her hand. “Come on.”

She hesitated a minute, judging the distance. “What about my shoes?”

Peter glanced down at her heels, then at the canvas cover of the plane. “Ah, they won't hurt it.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, I meant they'll slip. But never mind—I'll just take them off.” Kicking the shoes aside, she grabbed Peter's wrists and wriggled clumsily up next to him.

He put an arm around her to steady her, and grinned into her eyes. “Not so bad?”

She rose cautiously to her feet, gripping with her bare toes. Beneath her, the plane shuddered like a bird about to fly. A wind swept through the grass and over the nose, catching her hair and blowing it behind her. The sense of freedom took her breath away.

Peter's hand tightened around hers, and she knew he felt the same thing. For the first time, a thread of understanding ran between them.

“I can see what you like about planes,” she said quietly.

“Oh, this is only the beginning.” He turned suddenly and held her gaze for an intense moment. “Wait...wait...I've got an idea. How'd you like to take a flight?”

Her mouth opened. “How?”

“That trainer.” Excitement ran across his face. “Only one person can fit in a Spit or a Hurri, but the trainers—they're set up for two people. Usually a student pilot, but the front man can fly the plane. I've got to fly one over to another airfield today. There's not a thing says you can't come along.”

For one moment, she hesitated. Against her will, the nightmares rose in front of her vision. She fought them back. Peter's gaze rested on her, and his yearning tugged at her heart.

He wanted to share with her. This was his world, and he wanted to share.

“All right,” she said, “but Peter, I don't know anything about this.”

A grin split his face. “You don't need to. Come on, I'll get you a coverall and we'll leave.”

Julie thought her heart was going to crawl right out her mouth. Rough canvas coveralls scraped her bare legs; her bunched-up skirt offering no protection. Straps across her chest and back bit into her flesh. Peter had shown her only two things when he'd settled her in the hard bucket seat; the ripcord on her parachute and the eject lever under her seat.

His eyes had twinkled. “If it were Monty flying this bird, you'd need 'em. But don't worry, I'm not so fond of nose dives into farm fields.”

She could only see the back of Peter's head now, as he adjusted a dial on the console in front of him, then made a few quick hand gestures to the ground crew standing outside the plane. They'd looked oddly at her, but apparently Peter's rank did hold weight, for they'd said nothing.

Peter twisted to look back at her. “I'm going to start her up. Hold your ears if you want—but it won't be so loud once we're up.” He held her gaze for a minute. “Ready?”

Her mouth was too dry to talk. She nodded.

He gave her a thumbs' up and turned back, waving. In front of the windscreen, the airscrew swirled to life.

A moment later the engines exploded into action; Julie gasped and shoved herself against the seat as a deafening roar filled the cockpit and vibrated every inch of the plane. She clenched her hands in her lap as Peter put a hand on the stick between his legs, and the plane started to move. From her seat, she couldn't see the ground, just the sky and the edge of the treeline, which blurred as the plane gathered speed. The roar filled her ears, pressed her chest till she couldn't get a breath.

And then it was gone. Air slipped between her surprised lips as the roar died away, the sensation of vibration, everything.

They were...flying.

Peter twisted around. “We're up.”

“I know!” She squirmed against the straps, pressed a face against the glass of the canopy. With startling speed the ground fell away beneath them, the huge hangars and buildings of the airfield becoming smaller than the miniatures in Johnny's toy. “The world looks...so strange from above!”

“Good strange?”

“Yes! It's...incredible!”

She caught the tail end of his smile as he turned back from flying. “Hold tight. I'll make a turn, you can see better when the plane's tilted.”

She suppressed a gasp when, easy as thought, the plane turned on its side. World and sky spun, the rules of horizon and distance mixing. The plane made a lazy loop, then swung to the other side and looped again.

Julie started smiling and couldn't stop. This is why Peter went back. This is what he lives for.

Oh Peter, I understand.

********************

Before closing, I want to give a shout-out of thanks to everyone who helped us finish this novel! Storytellers, as always you guys are THE BEST. For encouragement, feedback, and support—a million thanks.

And hey, Miss Ruth Rockafield, thank you for writing this novel with me! It's been the best of times.

Questions, Questions - Writing Quiz!

2010-02-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I had a lovely post written on synopses, but I seem to have misplaced the notebook I wrote it in. Ah well. Next week! In the meantime, here's a fun writer's quiz I picked up from Facebook. Take a break, fill it out, and post it on your own blog! Then give me a shout so I can look at your answers. :)

Enjoy!

Do you have a pen/pencil collection? How many of those are chewed?

I stash writing utensils in "safe" places and then forget where I stashed them. I don't chew pens—instead I break the clips off of them. ;)

Do you prefer handwriting or typing?

Typing. It's a time thing. Being a full-time writer with an extremely busy life doesn't leave room for slow handwriting.

How often do you get inspiration?

Dozens of times every day. In soapwater, in meaningless conversation, in the way a shadow moves. The problem is that 99% of the time the inspiration is not related to my WIP.

Do you get inspiration more in the early morning or late at night?

Late at night! It's almost impossible for me to write during the day. I come alive at night and my brain goes wild. All 100,000 words of NaNo were written at night.

Do certain movies/books/music inspire you?

Absolutely. I try to read, watch, and listen in all genres, so sometimes I'll get inspiration for my WWII historical drama from a modern comedy, or vice versa. Often I try to read/watch/listen to something very different from my WIP, just to get a new viewpoint.

How do you incorporate God into your stories?

Sometimes a great deal. Sometimes the characters actively search Him out. Other times it's more subtle; it depends on the story. My faith in God is the essential part of who I am so it always comes into my writing. Though often not how you'd expect!

Do you kill off your villains or make them repent?

Repent? Never! :) Seriously - they usually either die or escape to start new trouble next time.

Are the majority of your characters magical beings, humans, halflings, or something else?

Humans. I've done fantasy, but always with a realistic setting.

What genre of writing are you most comfortable in? If you were to step out of your comfort zone, what would you write?

Historical anything is my passion and my home ground. That said - I've now written fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, mystery, and I'm working on my first satire/parody. I've also written for YA and adult. Jack of all genres?

Do you work better alone or with someone else?

Hard question. Each is very different. Writing alone I have the independence to write exactly what I think. I can address issues deep in my soul. Writing together is incredibly fun and I believe the quality achieved is extremely high; also sometimes the novels go much deeper with two people.

Are your characters mostly Renegades, Peacekeepers or a mish-mash?

Renegades! I have written one Peacekeeper, but the majority are rebels. V. stressing sometimes, since they rebel against their author as well!

Are you a sucker for good grammar?

I'm a sucker for good writing. Some great novels break every grammar rule in the book. Write the best novel you can, and grammar will handle itself.

How is your handwriting?

Sharp. Angular. Small and very upright. Getting more messy!

How evil are your villains?

I try to write villains who are attractive in some ways. A mystery writer at heart, I believe the best and most chilling villains are the ones we can identify with in some way. That said - I've a few psychos planned who are thoroughly evil.

Are you long-winded or succinct?

I'd like to say succinct. Final draft definitely has to be succinct.

Do you have typical writer traits such as ink stains on your fingers or a pencil behind your ear?

Do notebooks in every pocket, bags under the eyes, and a glazed expression count?

Would someone walking past you on the street consider you normal?

Depends on whether they catch me gabbling and gesturing to thin air while envisioning the battle of Shiloh. Overall: probably not. Who wants to be?

Do you write mostly poetry, stories, novels or a mixture?

Mostly novels, though I've a fair collection of short stories. Poetry as well, but I write it just for me, not to be published.

Do your characters vary in accents, appearance and attitude or are they mostly the same?

They couldn't be more different. Er - except for the fact that lamentably many of my heroines are redheads. I seem to pick real redheads out of history. But attitude? My biggest challenge with every story is to make the characters completely new, completely different.

Do real people and/or places inspire your writing?

Without exception! Everything I write stems from real life. However - it's usually my wild, quirked interpretation of it. :)

What is your favorite character? Or do you choose to remain unbiased in case of a revolt?

My characters spend their lives revolting. One more wouldn't change much! And - all my characters are so different it's hard to say. Perhaps Jan from SS-5. My new MC in my parody, Leonie, is very fun too—snarky and sarcastic and a murder-mystery writer!

Do you talk to your characters? Do they talk back?

Constantly. Often aloud. All my characters become permanent residents of my head and offer useful (or not-so-useful) advice on everything I do.

Are you more comfortable with female or male main characters?

I'm comfortable with both, though I understand females more (obviously!).

Do you follow basic plot lines with new twists thrown in or do you depart from the norm all the time?

My favorite thing is to take a cliche and twist it so many times it's not recognizable any more!

Do you feel God has called you to be a writer/poet? Will you grasp the power of the pen?

I've grasped it already. It is the one call I hear most clearly, and I've leapt into a writing life with joy and abandon. I know I will always be a writer at heart.

BattleNotes - Where We're At!

2010-02-20T10:25:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I deal with the publishing angle of writing I feel a bit like a general on the battlefield. Stay up late planning strategy. Study the opponent until you know them down to how they like their verbs. Watch for the agent on the left flank who hates queries beginning with questions!

Ah well. There IS a reason for this blog's name. :) And as all you long-suffering readers know, every so often I leap off topic and tell you about how I'm faring in the fray. Here are 2010's first “notes from the front.”

On the publishing angle: December 2009 saw the completion of the final edit of Through A Rain Of Fire, the first novel in the WWII trilogy I'm writing with Ruth Rockafield. The edit has emerged more or less unscathed through critiques and 3AM perusals, and we're now sending it out. After much nail-chewing and hair-pulling, we've opted to switch from targeting agents to targeting presses. So far, we have four medium-sized presses where we would love to be accepted. We'll see what they think! Replies should start coming in within two weeks—we're nervous, but we're confident that we have a good story and it's on its way to finding a home.

On my own: I've gotten some excellent critiques on my YA historical, SS-5 (http://frontnotes.blogspot.com/2009/10/historical-note-teenage-spies.html) – many thanks to Kelsey, Kayla, Liberty, and all the folks on Storytellers, ChristianWriters, and FairyTaleNovels for their invaluable input. With their help, I've leaned back, gotten a good objective squint at the novel, and will spend the next few weeks on the necessary changes. Then off it goes to agents' desks (I will be targeting agents with this one). The positive feedback on this novel has been incredible – here's hoping the agents are as excited about it!

In writing news: Ruth and I have nearly completed A Fire Is Woken (bk2 in our trilogy)! Our goal is to finish by the twenty-eighth of February. We've a few thousand words to go, but for two NaNo vets, that shouldn't break a sweat. Once it's finished, we'll set it aside for a few weeks pre-edit, while we launch into writing the final novel, A Dwindling Fire. That'll keep us occupied for a few months.

I'm also working on a satirical murder mystery—but that's a subject for a new post. :)

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I'd just like to give a shoutout of thanks to all the folks on Storytellers, ChristianWriters, FairyTaleNovels, and my two writers' groups, who consistently support, encourage, and help me in my insane writer's life. You all are amazing. Thanks so much.

A Year Of Adventure: Interview on OYAN, part 2

2010-02-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

Hello peoples! Here are Kelsey, Ruth, and Kayla back again to complete part 2 of the interview.

Welcome to the blog, ladies!

10. Is OYAN specifically for beginning adventure novelists, or could experienced/published writers also benefit from it?

Kayla: I believe a published author can get just as much from OYAN as beginning novelists. As I said before, this is no ordinary writing course where “the bigger the words, the better the story” technique is used. This goes completely against the writing of today’s fiction.

Kelsey: Judging by some of what gets published nowadays, some published writers could benefit a great deal from it! But most truly good authors will probably already know what OYAN teaches, including when and how to break the rules.

Ruth: I think that everyone could, to a certain degree, benefit from OYAN. It makes you think in terms of what makes a good story, very seriously. He pushes your story to be better than anything you ever dreamed you could write.

11. Is there something unique to OYAN you've not seen in any other writing program?

Ruth: Oh yes. I love Mr. S's approach to writing. He sees it as an adventure, something that has policies and guidelines more than actual rules. Grammar and all that is really emphasized in all the other writing programs I've seen, even the ones that claim to focus on novel writing! But Mr. S teaches you what makes a great story instead of how to make excellent sentences. This is not to say that he won't come down hard on your sentences if you make a poor one and he critiques it during a webinar! But the focus is different!

Kelsey: As far as high school writing programs go, it's the only one I've found that concentrates on story instead of mechanics. I adore tearing apart literature and there's certainly a place for that, but OYAN teaches those same principles by offering practical, creative ways to apply them. (And now I officially sound like an advertisement, and the boring talking-head sort, to boot). Other writing programs have the same content in more complicated language, and emphasise the mechanical details of writing—don't use adverbs and "was", don't overexplain, avoid participle phrases—instead of the story as a whole and the less concrete elements of good fiction. OYAN does both.

Kayla: The main thing is, it’s interesting! How many writing courses out there actually help you, and get you very excited at the same time? Every lesson keeps you on the edge, you can’t wait to go on to the next! Second, Mr. Schwabauer is completely in tune to a beginning writer’s problems. He cares, and he encourages you to keep on going. He emphasizes thinking about your reader, how they will react to your story, and what will make them want to read it over again. He emphasizes meaning, theme, giving your hero something to learn, and he’s a Bible believing Christian.

12. Would OYAN help someone to be published?

Ruth: Hmm. Again I think it has more to do with the person who is writing than the program. But yes, I could see how the program could improve your chance at getting published!

Kelsey: It talks only a little about the publication process, as most students are a long way from being ready for publication. No grand talk of "with our curriculum, you'll write a bestseller!" But it helps in the sense that everything that improves one's writing is "helping them to be published" eventually.

13. How has your writing changed from doing OYAN?

Kelsey: OYAN forced me to plan ahead, and think through things I normally wouldn't. It takes you through a detailed outlining process that covers not only plot but also value changes, conflicting ideals, themes for each chapter, that sort of thing—the subtle ideas that stay under the surface, but make the story richer and deeper.

Ruth: The most drastic thing is probably my attitude more than anything else. It used to be that I'd get to a place and I'd get stuck. Now I get to that place and start to apply the things that I learned in OYAN and in working myself out of my 'stuck' I end up with a great scene that would otherwise never been realized.

Kayla: It has changed drastically. There were so many things I didn’t understand about writing. The main thing were the adverbs. I hadn’t realized it before, but adverbs don’t make your novel impressive, rather they bring it down. Passive voice was also a horrible splotch on my screen. When Mr. Schwabauer gave a list of words you should eliminate from your writing, I just couldn’t believe I could write a story without them. But I can, and I’m very grateful to him!

14. Have your applied OYAN techniques to other novels?

Kayla: Yes! And I plan to use them the rest of my writing career

Kelsey: I use the outlines for all of my stories now, to some extent—my workbook has notes for four or five plots scribbled in its margins, in different colours of ink—and reread relevant snatches of the book every so often. I also see elements of OYAN in every book I read now: symbols of dread, the four defining scenes, reversed and ironic ideals, the three types of stories, the mentor and how often he dies. (Whoever invented this adventure novel formula has it in for Mentors, I tell you.)

Ruth: So far, three. “Strike in the Dark” is a NaNo novel that I worked out through the workbook before November. The plot is great. The plot and the action is not lacking in the least. And it is the first really serious action/thriller I've ever written.

Then I again applied it during “NaNo” while writing a novel completely off the top of my head. “Mirror” takes the form of a treasure hunt, and each step was made up as I came to it. There were parts where I was as surprised as the characters! The OYAN technique was almost subconscious, but when I'd come to a place where I didn't know where to go I'd think about where OYAN would have you go...

And I even used it in my third NaNo novel, which is also a new genre for me—comedy/juvenile/adventure lit. Once again I subconsciously used OYAN. It was amazing.

15. On a score of one to ten, rate the OYAN experience.

Kelsey: 8.7.

Kayla: 10. No doubt about it. It’s hard at first, if you are like me and depend on the lessons to make you a better writer without giving an ounce of help to it yourself. I am very determined to be writer, but you have to do it yourself to become a good one.

Ruth: Ten. Entirely.

16. When you've completed this novel, will you do the program again?

Kelsey: I'm not going to go through and answer every question again, but I will definitely apply what I've learned, and keep the textbook and workbook within grabbing distance.

Ruth: At least once more.

Kayla: Of course! I’m already making plans!

17. Is there anyone you'd not recommend to do the program?

Ruth: No. I mean that. I have brothers that absolutely hate writing and I would say they would benefit more from this program than they would from twelfth grade English! I think that supplementing this curriculum for one year would be one of the greatest things that could be done in our 'school system'.

Kayla: Writers who think a spare dollar is worth more than a well written novel.

18. What is the biggest lesson you've learned from OYAN?

Kelsey: One of my favourite things is Schwabauer's treatment of Christianity and how it relates to story. The chapters about truth in fiction, and how the basic structure of most stories inherently goes against postmodernism, and how even symbols in literature rely to a certain degree on absolutes, are so astute and accurate. I'd never thought about any of it before—but it all makes so much sense.

Kayla: Your reader comes first. Always. But to impact your reader, you must have a good novel to impact him with.

Ruth: I've learned what makes a good story. What is awesome about some books. What makes your hair stand on end. What makes you want to read more. Understanding stories is going to dramatically help me! I think that if I pursue writing as a career OYAN will have affected the outcome of my success more than anything else.

Thanks Mr. S. :)

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Ladies--thank you so much for visiting and sharing all this great information. I hope to get you all back someday soon!

For anyone who's further interested in OYAN, go ahead and check out the official website at http://www.oneyearnovel.com/. Also, Ruth runs a whole blog dedicated to her journey through the program. Check it out at http://pursuingtheheroicquest.blogspot.com/

A Year Of Adventure: Interview on OYAN!

2010-02-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

Today will be the first part of a 2-pt interview on a unique writing program called One Year Adventure Novel. These three extremely talented writers happen to be doing the program themselves, and took time out to talk about it!

Welcome, Kelsey, Ruth, and Kayla!

1. What exactly is One Year Adventure Novel (OYAN)?

Ruth: OYAN is a high school English course. It was designed and written by Daniel Schwabauer. It includes a workbook, a textbook, DVD teachings for each lesson, a copy of “Prisoner of Zenda” by Anthony Hope, and a teacher's guide. With the curriculum also comes access to the OYAN forums and webinars which are conducted live by the Schwabauers.

Kayla: It is a writing course by Daniel Schwabauer, designed to help teach students how to write the epic adventure of their dreams and FINISH IT, all in one school year! Mr. Schwabauer designed it to help people outline their novel and write it all, beginning to end.

2. How did you find about about OYAN, and what made you decide to do it?

Kelsey: I first heard about it from Kayla. Shortly after that some other friends decided to go through the curriculum for school. We had a sort of writing group going on for a while, but that has since met its demise—it was all very tragic. Anyway, I decided to do it because the hoards of people who sung its praises succeeded in convincing me. Now I have happily joined their number. (What? Adverbs are allowed in blog posts, aren't they?)

Ruth: I first heard about it from two friends who were doing it. Then a sample DVD of the course was being passed around at the Writer's Group that I attend. I borrowed the sample DVD and watched it. That was pretty much it. I was hooked, and I wanted to do it.

Kayla: We learned about it through a homeschool newsletter spring 2008, I believe. I didn’t hesitate. I wanted to do it very much! I wanted anything that would teach me to write, and this seemed liked just what I wanted!

3. Are there any basic skills/knowledge you need to have before beginning the program?

Ruth: No. The course teaches you how to write. Not dry essays, but stories. Novels. Tales. Mr. S has the most amazing understanding of storytelling and I'm always thrilled by the excitement of understanding stories through the light of OYAN. While I've written novels before, I know that other people enjoy it as well. There have been many non-writers who have gotten lots of good out of it.

Kelsey: Reading, writing, the basics. But like any writing program, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it—the more you've read, the more you know of human nature, the better use you can make of the curriculum.

4. In general, are you glad you're doing/have done OYAN?

Kelsey: Absolutely!

Ruth: Oh, amazingly so. I am nowhere near all the way through the course, but I've already gotten scads of good out of it. The things I'm learning in OYAN saved the novels I wrote for NaNo this year! All of a sudden it's like a light bulb has come on and I understand adventure stories.

Kayla: Yes. This course isn’t cliche, and certainly goes against the grain of modern writing. Be prepared to stand out! That’s what the course is all about.

5. What does a day of OYAN involve?

Ruth: I guess that depends entirely upon how much you want to do in a day! For me, I usually do OYAN every other day; usually watching a lesson on the DVD and then working through the lesson in the workbook.

Kelsey: Supposedly it involves watching the video lesson then filling out the worksheet (if you haven't finished your planning) or writing part of your chapter (if you have), but my method is rather—er—flexible.

Kayla: To begin with, you watch the first lesson on the first DVD, taught by Mr. Schwabauer, then read the same lesson in the text book. Then, work in the workbook. Sometimes Mr. Schwabauer adds an excerpt from a book such as Huckleberry Finn for you to read at the end of a lesson in the textbook, and he assigns you a chapter in Prisoner of Zenda.

6. Tell us about your novel! (Title, synopsis, and anything else you want to share!)

Kelsey: My book is called Day of Ashes, and it's set in London in 1941. Bombs fall, things burn, that sort of thing. It can't make up its mind whether to be mystery/suspense or a character-driven historical fiction pseudo-drama piece, but since it's failing at suspense it probably leans toward the latter.

Ruth: Well, I've never been one for writing fantasy adventure, but both my NaNo novel (“Mirror”) and my OYAN novel (“Courage Enough”) have been of that genre. Goes to show that Mr. S has made a big breakthrough here!

Basically my novel is about a young prince that has been hidden away for years by an evil lord. So long that he does not know his identity, until an twist of fate (and a bit of help from an party that I refuse to name) causes him to remember. The novel then follows the fight to overthrow the evil Lord Drankor and the prince's quest to regain his rightful throne despite his fear.

Kayla: It’s called “My Soldier Boys”. When Germany invades France, in WWII, Marie Dumont helps her father and older brother organize resistance. They are quite successful in wrecking havoc upon the Germans. But in one tragic incident, Marie’s father is killed. She blames herself for her father’s death, and refuses to have anything more to do with resistance. But, in the bitter winter of 1944, Marie must find her brother and escape Hitler’s reign of terror before all is finished. Then she meets American soldiers holding secret documents who also need her help. If she agrees to aid them, what would be her fate then?

7. Have you done anything different with your OYAN novel that you wouldn't otherwise have done?

Kelsey: My stories tend to flounder halfway through because I can't get my characters out of the disasters I create, so both the chapter-by-chapter and book-as-a-whole outlines were most helpful. I think I'm slowly leaving the dark side of seat-of-the-pants writing (a shocking development—what is the world coming to?).

Ruth: Many things. I've had to do my character different. Really think out my plot. Add betrayal. Add danger. Add intrigue. Add a potential bad ending. Make it worse...and worse...and worse. Push it to the very edge.

8. What is the best part about OYAN?

Ruth: The way Mr. S works you through the whole process. He holds you to certain standards and makes you think about what makes a really great story. WHAT keeps you reading. WHAT keeps you turning the pages. WHAT makes you really LOVE the story. And then he turns around and asks you to use it. The result is something that I think few of us could produce on our own.

Kelsey: Nina, you are cruel.

Kayla: The best part is being able to apply the lessons to your writing and actually do it right! I’m just beginning to understand OYAN principles, and its just dawning on me that they aren’t that hard. You see them EVERYWHERE! In the things you read, watch in movies, on television, perhaps even in your own life story! They are what make writing wonderful!

9. What is the worst part about OYAN?

Kelsey: It's not nearly as in-depth as I'd like. That's understandable considering the intended audience, but I'd love to see what Daniel Schwabauer could do with a followup for OYAN, or a curriculum for adults. Also, I'm not a fan of the video lessons. This is partly because I don't learn so well that way, but most of the information the DVDs contain is also in the textbook, and it's much quicker and easier to flip through the book if you have a question. Having only the text would make it a heck of a lot cheaper too!

Ruth: Maybe all the rules. You have to put this in and have to put that in. You have to write it from first person (which my main character does not like at all. He keeps on trying to kick me out of his head). If there was to be one thing that I'm not very fond of, that would be it.

Kayla: Thinking up things to happen in your novel. Oh, it’s easy to think of scenes for the Inciting Incident, Embracing Destiny, and all that. But the in between is the hardest.

Ruth, Kayla, and Kelsey: thanks for coming! I look forward to seeing you all next week with the part 2 of the interview. :)

Making It Worse!

2010-01-25T14:34:00.000-08:00

Have you ever read a book that was fantastic most of the way through, but the end just felt flat?

Chances are, you have. And chances are, the reason had to do with the climax. The story may be wonderful, but if they solve the climax before it climaxes, it's a letdown. Face it, we like characters to face unconquerable odds, impossible choices. We want to see how they'll take absolute defeat and turn it into incredible victory.

When everything is as bad as it can get, that's when we want the good guys to come blazing their way in and save the day...in the nickiest nick of time.

You never forget those books.

So what's with the bad climaxes? In most cases I read, the characters solve the problems too quickly. You just start getting excited when POOF, it's all over and everybody lives happily ever after. And you sit there and go “Hey! What about...”

MIW is the way to avoid this. It's quite simple. Take your climax and check it out from all angles. Look at the opposition. What's standing between your character and victory? When you know what the main problem is, make it worse. Make it as bad as it could be. Then make it worse again.

Result: a never-to-be-forgotten climax!

My favorite illustration of this is Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King. Think about the climax. Frodo and Sam are dodging Nazgul and lava on the slopes of Mount Doom. Gandalf, Aragorn & Co are marching to certain death. The Shadow of Sauron is falling everywhere. Everything you care about is dying. And the world is ending. Bad as it can get, right?

Oh, but then Frodo decides to keep the Ring. And instantly it's so much worse than you ever dreamed! There is no way you'll ever forget that climax.

The thing I've just discovered is that MIW doesn't just apply to thriller/action/suspense/mystery. It works just as well for romance, and even straight literary. You can make emotional situations worse, or moral quandaries. Whatever you use it for, it's guaranteed to ratchet up the stakes and make readers care. Just remember, if you have a climax that feels flat, figure out what the opposition is, and make it as bad as it can get. Then make it worse.

You may get hate mail from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Characters, but your readers will love you.

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I'd love to hear what you think on this! Have you used MIW? Tell me about it!

Two Heads Are Better! - A Look At Co-Writing

2010-01-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

For two and a half years now I've co-written with Ruth Rockafield. I'm a co-author and proud of it! Just last week someone asked me once again what it's like to share a story. Many people wonder if it would even be possible for share something as intimate as a piece of writing.

Since this question keeps popping up, I decided to address it in the form of an interview. I took the most commonly asked questions and answered them!

Enjoy!

Why did you decide to co-write? It was rather spontaneous. We started out writing a single short novel about a British nurse and an RAF pilot, which spun into a longer novel, which spun into a trilogy, which is now spawning loosely connected other novels!

Our approach to co-writing is to each take a MC. In the first two books of our Wings of Fire series, Ruth writes the RAF pilot, Peter Standish, and I write a set of sisters, Liz and Julie Knight. The neat part is that the characters take on real depth. Ruth and I are very different people, and the characters as a result are also very different! Feedback tells us the resulting depth of character is unusual and appealing.

Do you approach writing differently? Very much so! Ruth is the dreamer, the idea-spawner. She gets all the brilliant brainstorms. I tend to follow along after her weaving the stray electricity into actual words. I'm the one who structures the story, builds an outline, figures out the details. Ruth breathes the life into it! She also is the one who is never discouraged, and always positive – which is wonderful for me.

Can readers tell which of you wrote which parts? No. Since both of us edit each other's sections, the writing styles blend. For fun, we've had friends try to guess which of us wrote which parts – they never are sure!

Do you ever have conflict over where you want the story to go? Not really. We're grand friends, which spills over into our writing; but we forestall collisions by outlining. For about six months before starting a novel, we talk it over constantly. By the time we're ready to write, we know exactly where we want it to go.

What is the best thing about co-writing? The energy. When writing alone, I'm often tired or discouraged, but that never happens when we write together. If one of us is stuck, we just holler for help! The excitement of working through the story together is the best part. Ruth will come up with a good idea, I'll add something else, which gives her another idea, which gives me another one – and so on! Our absolute favorite scenes have emerged through this rapid-fire ping-pong style of brainstorming.

What is the worst thing about co-writing? I love most of it. But I will say – the responsibility is sometimes overwhelming. Knowing any wrong decisions I make will also affect Ruth is scary. Also, we have occasionally had different goals for publication, which have been rocky to work through when one of us felt very strongly about something. Thankfully, on those occasions, God has stepped in and solved the problems for us!

Both of you write alone as well. How is that different from co-writing? Both of us wrote separately for years before beginning to cowrite, and sometimes we just need to tell a story of our own. Sometimes, the freedom to make all the choices without consulting anyone else is refreshing. Other times, for me, it's not as much fun! But we usually get involved in each other's separate works as well – if only to share advice, feedback, and support. Sometimes I feel that Ruth gives me so much support on my separate projects that she should really be listed as a co-author!

Do you plan to always write together? I hope so! We have quite a few projects planned already. We intend to finish our Wings Of Fire trilogy with A Dwindling Fire, the story of a Luftwaffe pilot who returns to Germany in 1945 as a British agent, and the Frenchwoman searching for her sister in the ruins of Nazi concentration camps.

Then we're outlining two other novels. One, Enemy In Our Midst, takes place during the Civil War, with Ruth writing a Confederate calvary captain, and myself writing an passionate abolitionist Union spy. The other, Shadow Of A Whirlwind, takes place in in New Orleans during the War of 1812. Ruth writes a dashing, mysterious aristocrat-by-day, pirate-by-night, and I write a woman whose past is hunting her down in the shadows of war.

And finally – Ruth has succeeded in talked me into writing a novel about the Korean War. Loosely connected to Wings Of Fire, it will be the story of an RAF pilot who, after an empty life of war and adventure, is searching for a place to belong. Little does he know he's about to become responsible for a very pretty missionary with twenty adopted Korean children – the enemy is closing in and his life will never be the same.

As you can see, we're very busy!

What advice would you give to people trying co-writing for the first time? Make sure you're compatible. If you aren't friends, chances are the experience will be upsetting. The “discussion” period, where you talk about your vision of the story, really helps to know where you both want to go. Also, make sure you both are passionate about the story! Writing about something only one of you is interested in could be miserable.

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Have you tried co-writing? Are you about to? Do you like or dislike co-written novels? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Eye Candy For Writers!

2009-12-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Christmas (and just because) I'm sharing these web badges I made with all of you! Use them for avatars, blog awards, sigs, or whatever you like! Credit is nice but not necessary.

Enjoy!!

Christmas Musings

2009-12-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

This is going to be an Utterly Pointless Post: a result of far too much time spent hanging snowflakes, decorating trees, sewing and constructing Christmas presents...in short, all the bustle and hustle of the season! Profound Thoughts On Writing have been put aside till after!

So...in between all the business, I've found time to read A Christmas Carol again. It's sort of a tradition of mine to read the story and watch the (old edition) movie around Christmas.
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This year, I've come back to many old childhood reading favorites and found much of the magic I remember has sadly gone. Approaching Christmas, I wondered if that would be the case with “A Christmas Carol”. Silly me – a story that's been so beloved for so long will never lose a single spark of its magic!

I was fortunate enough to catch an old radio broadcast of the story as well, from 1939 with Orson Welles narrating; I listened to it while working, and started wondering just what makes this story so special. Why does it survive? What about it touches people's hearts, generation after generation?

I'm not quite sure. ;) For me, though, I think I love the story for its quirkiness, its oddball comedy, and most of all for the theme of redemption. The more I write and read, the more I realize I'm drawn to that theme. Redemption in a Christian sense, of course, but also just plain redemption – the opportunity to redeem yourself, to change your life for the better. And Dickens' story is all about redemption. The message of the story is that it's never too late. No matter how bad your life has been, there's always a chance for a better future.
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Which, of course, is the promise of Christmas.
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And now...unwrapped gifts are looking accusingly from me to the wrapping paper and ribbons so I will close. Merry Christmas, everyone!

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Oh yes, and make sure to come back right after Christmas, because I'll be posting some special Christmas presents! :) If you want to know what, come back next week!

Guest Post: A New Life Form?

2009-12-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

Today my talented sister and fellow writer, Mitzi, has consented to pop over here and share this hysterical short essay she wrote! To tell what it's about is to give it away. :) But I hope you all enjoy it!

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Science has made a remarkable discovery. A new life-form. Cold-blooded, and completely without emotions, this creature bears startling physical resemblances to Humans. Their natural habitat is what they call an 'office'. A room, cluttered by stacks and piles of paper, envelopes marked URGENT, phones ringing. They spend most of their time seated in chairs with wheels, which they shoot back and forth from the desk while speaking in calm tones over the telephone.

Their favorite tool is a large pen, their favorite color red, their favorite word REJECTED. Preferably all together. They have mastered the art of speech, and spend their free time memorizing the Dictionary of Insulting Long Words.

They have made extensive studies of smiling... the more teeth, the better. Their most common heard phrase is “I'm sorry, BUT....” in slow tones, laced with the occasional mention of “agents” or “a little editing”. They keep printers going at all times, and computer files open at Reject Letter.

Science fears for the extinction of this species – not from natural disaster, but from their most common predator, an ancient and savage breed called Writers or Authors. But most of this new life-form has already taken protective measures and hired Large, Well-Muscled Humans with Guns. This is called Protection.

We are seeing a long happy future for this new species, for every year there are more Writers and more Books and Envelopes.... just waiting for the Mark of the Red Pen.

Oh, did I forget to mention? Scientists are calling them Publishers.

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Hahaha! Thanks so much for visiting, Mitzi! Love you!

For those of you who enjoyed Mitzi's post, she blogs about scriptwriting at: http://annoyed-director.blogspot.com/

NaNo Quiz - What did YOU think of NaNo?

2009-12-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

Hello peoples! Last year I started the tradition of filling out this quiz, filing it away, and taking it out to look at next year just before doing NaNo! It's a wonderful way to preserve the memories of each year's sprint for 50k.

This year, I'm sharing my impressions of NaNo with you all! If you like the quiz, feel free to copy it and take it yourself! File it away, or put it on your own blog – and if you blog about it, let me know! I'd love to read what you thought of NaNo this year!

Enjoy!

1. Was 2009 your first NaNo? No, I did NaNo 2008 as well!

2. How did you find out about NaNo? Last year, my co-author told me about this mad scheme to write 50,000 words during a month. Sounded insane, but I decided to give it a try!

3. What made you decide to do NaNo this year? Last year was such an incredible learning and growing experience as a writer; I'd planned to do NaNo 2009 since December 1 '08. :D

4. Did you come into NaNo very prepared (outline, synopsis) or did you choose to wing it? My first novel, SS-5 was very structured. I had a detailed outline, character sketches, etc. My second novel, A Forbidden Homeland, I winged. I had no outline, no character sketches, and not much idea where I was going!

5. What was your original goal for the month? Somewhere around 85,000 words. Midway that changed to hitting the big 100!

6. Did you make your goal? Yes! Final word count was 102,095

7. Did you learn anything through doing NaNo? This year reinforced my belief in outlines and synopses. They are so important, and if you take the time to sketch your story out, a very readable first draft is completely possibly, even at NaNo-speed. This year, I also learned an incredible amount about character development.

8. Give your novel/s title and a one-line synopsis. SS-5: Jolted out of a self-centered, drifting childhood by the Nazi invasion, fourteen-year old Jan forms and leads a group of young people called the SS-5 to defend Holland against the Gestapo. Homeland: A Resistance leader and a woman of the enemy Protectors make a last desperate stand to regain their forbidden homeland.

9. What will you do with your novel now? Well, I'm already editing SS-5; I'd like to start sending it out to agents by 2010. Homeland isn't finished. I'll probably take a break from it for a while, do some outlining, and take up writing it again later.

10. What was your daily word goal? In the neighborhood of 2,500 – 3,000 words.

11. What was your highest day's word count? 7,494, which was 2,000 more than I'd ever written in one day! That was the night I finished my SS-5 novel...

12. Did you write any time you could, or did you have a more structured, set time for writing? In the beginning I wrote constantly; while doing dishes and scrubbing floors, in the middle of work...during cooking. About halfway through the second week, that tapered off to writing pretty much at night. I'd try to think the story through all day, and then start writing about 8 PM and just keep writing until I'd made my word goal.

13. Will you apply NaNo techniques to writing in general? Oh yes. I learned about outlining from last year's NaNo, and this year has reminded me of how important daily writing is. It doesn't really matter how much you write every day – it's just important that you do write.

14. What was the best thing about doing NaNo 2009? Finishing SS-5, being happy with it. Learning to write two extremely difficult characters. Also, doing it with my friends, and watching my sister do it for the first time!

15. What was the worst thing about doing NaNo 2009? Probably writing Homeland without an outline. It was extremely frustrating. Also, the first week of NaNo was extremely difficult, because I totally didn't understand my MC in SS-5. I felt I was ruining a story, and it wasn't even mine to ruin. Thankfully, God and my co-author stepped in and saved the day by helping me to see Jan the way he really is!

16. Best advice to someone planning NaNo for the first time? Having an outline is an awfully good way to start. But most of all, be sure you want to do it, and then just have the most fun you can. NaNo is all about adrenaline and challenges, crazy hope and following your dreams. Run with it!

17. Will you do NaNo next year? You bet your life. ;)

NaNo Winner? Come Here!

2009-12-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

The first of December, I woke up unsure whether to celebrate or cry. NANO WAS OVER! Ended up doing a bit of both. Then I decided to make some NaNo eye candy! Here are the results! I would love to know what you think.

Please feel free to save and use any of these as avatars, web badges, blog decoration, etc! If you decide to use one, please let me know - a comment here is fine. Credit is nice if that's possible, but not required.

So here they are. Some are traditional....

And I even did some Western and horse-theme ones!

Enjoy them! You amazing people deserve a little candy!

Lovely Gift!

2009-11-30T15:19:00.000-08:00

I have just been given this lovely blog award by two lovely people: Elisabeth and Hannah! Thank you so much, peoples!

So let's see, the rules! Here they are:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Copy the award.
3. Post it on your blog.
4. Tell your readers 7 things they didn't know about you.
5. Link 7 bloggers as recipients.
6. Notify winners of award with a comment on their blog.
7. Keep being awesome.

Seven things you don't know about me. Are there seven things that aren't known about me that I'd really want to splash across the web? Hmm.

1. For the first twelve years of my life I hated writing with a passion, and had to be forced with blood sweat and tears to write a 300 word report. Now I write 100,000 words in 30 days. (The moral of this story is: never think yourself safe from the writer's infection.)

2. I have read Lord Of The Rings and Douglass' The Robe over fifteen times.

3. One of my biggest dreams is to visit Normandy in June, walk along the beaches and remember my uncle and all the people who fought and died for freedom at D-Day.

4. I have nightmares about my teeth falling out. Don't laugh. It's gruesome.

5. If I weren't a writer I'd be a paramedic or a trauma surgeon.

6. I used to be absolutely terrified of the basement, to the point where I'd get sick if I had to go down alone at night.

7. I'm a CIA agent.

(Okay, well, the last one isn't true, but no one said I had to think up true things!)

I’m sending it to six (sorry, couldn't manage seven!) people:
Ruth
Aisely
Natalie
Linda
Mitzi
Becky

The "Write" Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I picked up Laura Hillenbrand's New York Times bestseller, Seabiscuit. Instantly I was captivated: not only by the incredible story, but by the wry wit and sheer beauty of Hillenbrand's writing. Delighted at finding a new author, I researched her to see if she'd written anything else.

That's when I discovered Hillenbrand suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The disease attacked her when she was a student in college, and rapidly got out of control. On good days, she could live a fairly normal life: on bad days, she couldn't get out of bed as violent nausea and vertigo ripped at her body. She wrote Seabiscuit in between the attacks, but immediately after the book went to press, the disease worsened. Her life crystallized into surviving each day, she lost the ability to do things most of us take for granted. Most of all, she lost the ability to write, as the disease made it impossible for her to formulate her thoughts.

As far as I know, she's still unable to write. There's no cure for CFS.

Hillenbrand's story sobered me and has been uppermost in my mind for the last few months. I realized how often I complain about my writing. Nothing is ever good enough. Why did I ever become a writer in the first place? I'm terrible at action, my characters stink, the dialogue is horrible... etc.

But if I lost the ability to write, I'd give anything in the world to get it back. Forget the luxury of whining about details. Because, truth be told, the gift of writing is the most precious thing in my life besides my belief in God.

This realization convicted me. Now, I'm going to try to be more thankful. Don't get me wrong - I'm not going to stop working to improve! If anything, I'll try harder! But in the meantime I'm going to be grateful for what I've got. After all, God gave me this gift of writing. He must have known what He was doing. :)

And right now I'm going to rejoice in words, in this incredible gift He's given me, because I can write. Not always well, not always with merit. But I can do it.

Thanks be to God!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, everyone!

Into The Wardrobe

2009-11-20T14:36:00.001-08:00

Well, folks, I'm doing it - I'm finally writing fantasy! My historical novel SS-5 completed, I'm winging it through NaNo and plunging into my second novel, A Forbidden Homeland, which just happens to be my first foray into speculative fiction!

(Yeah, right, I know, compound the problem. Write a new genre and do it during NaNo. Nothing like taking on a challenge!)

The seed for this novel was a dream. Shaky ground at best, but it stuck with me for five years, racketing around and collecting bits of plot, characters, dialogue. Eventually I gave up, took the idea out, and gave it some serious attention, which led to an outline, which led...ahem...to where I am, on the brink of writing speculative!

The plot is based on the British subjugation of Ireland, and originally was going to be historical fiction. But gradually I realized the characters had a different story to tell. I'm not fully diving into the wilder aspects of speculative - there's no magic, no swords, no elves or dwarfs or unicorns. No laser guns, light sabers, or sonic screwdrivers. The characters drive the plot, in a world which is much like ours...but not quite. Ironically, since the roots are based in history, the story has taken on chilling aspects of our modern world; it's become, to me, a possible look at the future. Primitive evil hidden under the fine surface of advanced civilization.

Excited, am I? You bet! But also apprehensive. Worldbuilding is crazy hard! I don't see how speculative writers do this all the time!

On the brink of walking through the wardrobe, I'm nervous. Scared. Absolutely terrified! I must be INSANE to do this!

And I’m lovin’ it!!

Fact Into Fiction: Novelizing SS-5

2009-11-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm three-fourths of the way through my SS-5 novel! (If you're new and don't know what that is, check out this post: http://frontnotes.blogspot.com/2009/10/historical-note-teenage-spies.html) Today I'm going to post some of the original diary, and then an excerpt of the novel, showing how I'm turning the fact into fiction.

Here is the diary entry:

MAY 10, 1940

Mother awoke me this morning. One look at her serious face, and I knew that something was wrong. She kissed me and said, “Happy Birthday," but it was so unlike my mother, who is a very jolly person. This morning it was all very sad.

I could now hear distant thuds. "What is it?" I asked.

“The Germans have invaded Holland. I pray for Father, and for our poor country."

I washed and dressed very quickly, and went down into the street. Everybody had a different story to tell. Schiphol airport was on fire, but some soldiers--they were fifth columnists in Dutch uniforms, I learned later--said that we were doing well and beating back the Germans.

And here is the same scene as I've novelized it.

Jan woke again to the dim blue light before dawn. He lay, gazing at the just-visible ceiling, wondering where and why he was. Till he remembered, and lay for a minute longer, thinking of the day before.

It was when he turned over and pulled the covers tight that he sensed it; the sense of something wrong. He could almost smell it, feel it; heavy and prickling like a rough wool blanket.

But not warm.

Dad...

Fumbling back the covers, he scrambled out of bed, grabbed for his slippers, scared without knowing why.

Soft footsteps tapped outside the door. The knob turned, and his mother entered. He couldn't see her face in the shadows, but he smelled the faint scent of coffee as she came toward him, put her arms around him, kissed his cheek. “Happy birthday, Jan.”

She hadn't held him like that since he was eight years old. Then her touch had been all he needed to drive away the nightmare.

Now it only made him more afraid.

He pushed her gently away, noticing with a shock that he was taller than she. “Mum. What's wrong?”

“I'm sorry.” He heard the wobbly smile in her voice. “I don't think we can have your party.”

“Mum. What is it?”

Her whisper shivered through the air. “The Germans have invaded. Crossed the border and are coming into the country. Our army is fighting them...” He heard her swallow. “Come on, sweetheart. I—I made pancakes for your birthday...”

Only half-hearing her words, he yanked open his wardrobe, wriggled into trousers, pulled a shirt over his head. Shirttails untucked, he leaped barefoot down the stairs, shoved his feet into damp boots, and grabbed for a coat.

Outside, red fingers of dawn reached up over the city to the east, lighting the streets with an odd pink glow. Standing on the doorstep, Jan saw his neighbors coming out of their houses, clustering together, or just staring toward the east, as if the red dawn was the fires of invasion.

Slowly, dreamlike, Jan stepped into the street, letting himself get caught up in the surge of people. Snippets of conversation ebbed and flowed around him like paper shreds in a breeze.

“It can't be an invasion, there must be some mistake...”

“...we're neutral, Hitler knew that!”

“I said it all along, I did, never trust a Hun...”

Sharp voices cut through the clamor, and the thud of nail-shod boots on cobblestones echoed as a group of soldiers in uniform turned the corner.

“Attention! Please give us your attention!” The leader, tall and blond, lifted his arm. “There is no need to panic! Do not believe any rumors. Holland will never surrender! Hitler will soon see this and leave. You can help best by remaining in your homes and not panicking. Do not panic.”

“My dad,” Jan thought, then realized he'd said it aloud. “My dad's fighting, he's fighting at the front, can you tell me, is he all right?”

His words were swept away in the clamor as fifty people jabbered their own questions at the soldiers. Jan elbowed his way through the crowd, trying to get closer...Dad's got to be all right. Of course he is. He's Dad. It can't be so bad, anyway, not if there's soldiers still here...but the crush of people pressed him out, and after a moment he gave up, as the soldiers' grey and blue uniforms started to disappear around the corner of the street.

Everything seemed to become quiet, to fade into the distance, as Jan turned a slow circle in the middle of the street. Was everyone here, standing in the streets, waiting for news? The Verdeers, wealthy and superior, had the biggest house on the block—but no stork on the roof—and didn't mingle much, but they were out too, Mr. Verdeer in the middle of the street, wearing evening jacket with pajama bottoms. Mrs. Verdeer was coming back from following the soldiers, a silk shawl clutched around her shoulders, apprehension lining her face.

On the stoop opposite Jan's house friendly, witty Hans Lambert crouched with his camera, photographing the scene. For one moment he lifted his eye from the camera's shutter, and Jan saw fear on his face too.

“John!” From next door their newlywed neighbor stumbled out, her hair straggled out of curlers. “My John's in the army! Has anyone heard anything?”

Kindly Mrs. Smit pushed out of the crowd, putting an arm around the trembling young woman. “Hush now, it's all right. You heard the soldiers. John will be all right, dear. He'll be all right.”

All right...all right...all right...

Dizzily, Jan kept turning, his eyes searching automatically for the flag above the government buildings. He saw it every day on his way to school. How many times had he taken it for granted?

Then he saw it, flapping slowly in the early morning breeze.

Still flying.

“Well, of course it would be.” In the sudden relief he became disgusted with himself for panicking. “It isn't like they've exactly reached the palace yet!”

That couldn't happen, obviously.

Of course not!

..............................................................................

In that scene I was able to follow very closely what the diary said. The scene is expanded, but most of the details (information about the neighbors, the government building, some of the dialogue) I gleaned from other entries.

But not all the scenes are that simple. This project is proving to be an incredible challenge! There are so many places where Jan hints or mentions something in passing, and when I research it I realize it's a major event in the war. Filling in the gaps is one of the biggest problems, since sometimes the diary isn't clear as to what happened.

Creating a good piece of fiction, while remaining true to the events and characters, is like nothing I've ever done before. It's difficult and extremely scary. But I'm hanging on because this story needs to be told and it won't let me go!

Interview with K.M Weiland

2009-11-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

Today I get to interview one of the most talented writers I know, K. M. Weiland! She runs writing blogs, manages a critique service with two other writers, and has published two novels, including her brand-new release, Behold the Dawn.

Thanks for coming! Could you tell a little about yourself?

Well, to paraphrase Anne Shirley, it would probably be a lot more interesting if I made it up! I live in western Nebraska, just shy of the Wyoming border, on an acreage with probably the densest tree population in the state—which really isn’t saying all that much. I work for a local church ministry and spend the rest of my day obsessing over imaginary worlds and characters and the finer points of plot and grammar. I have a black Lab named Crazy Bob and a fluctuating number of cats (three at the moment).

What is Behold The Dawn about?

Behold the Dawn is set in the Middle Ages, in the midst of the Third Crusade—probably the most well-known of all the Crusades (think Robin Hood and King Richard). It’s the story of Marcus Annan, a rogue knight who’s trying to escape his past in the gore and glory of the tourneys—the hugely popular and hugely lethal gladiatorial battles that preceded the more familiar jousting tournaments. On the field of a tourney in Italy, he’s accosted by a mysterious monk called the Baptist, who knows things of Annan’s past that only a few could possibly know. This meeting drives Annan to the war in the Holy Land, where he is captured by Saracens and promises an old friend to see his widow to safety in a French convent. But between the unexpected relationship that blossoms between Annan and the English countess and the enemies who dog them at every turn, he’s forced at last to stop running and turn to face his past—and the God he thought had abandoned him years ago.

Who's your favorite character? Why?

It should be hard to pick, since I really love all of these characters. But Annan definitely has a special place in my heart. He’s my favorite of all the characters I’ve ever written. I love his bluff, gruff, sometimes brutal exterior, juxtaposed against the depth of his compassion and his inherent integrity.

Do you have a favorite scene?

There’s hardly a scene I don’t like—which is unusual! But I do have two scenes in particular that still give me chills when I read them. But I can’t tell you what either of them are without giving away plot twists!

Did you put any real people in Behold The Dawn?

King Richard the Lion-Heart makes an appearance in one scene, as well as Blondin, his favorite minstrel, although Blondin remains unnamed. Annan himself was inspired by William Marshal, “the greatest knight who ever lived,” who was a famous tourneyer and, eventually, an English statesman.

What inspired you to write this story?

I happened to pick up a children’s storybook about William Marshall. The melees—the huge mock battles of the tourneys—and the Crusades immediately grabbed my attention. I’ve always loved the Middle Ages, so it was hardly a stretch for me to decide to write a story based in the period.

Have you always been interested in the Crusades?

Yes, although my association with them, up until I started researching Behold the Dawn, was almost entirely based upon the Robin Hood legends, which, of course, refer to the Crusades only in passing. But the Crusades’ presence as the most significant battles of the early Middle Ages have always held an interest for me. Once I started researching them, the Third Crusade in particular, I couldn’t get enough!

Both of your books are historical. Is that your favorite genre?

I’m really not a fan of the distinction “genre.” Necessary as it may be for commercial purposes, I dislike having to pigeonhole either my reading or writing choices. I read very eclectically, in all genres. But I do have a predisposition to books that fall into the historical, speculative, and literary genres. And almost all of my own stories are either historical, speculative, or a combination of the two. So, the short answer is, yes.

You must have researched extensively for Behold The Dawn. Did you complete research before you began writing, or did the research and writing processes merge?

I outline my stories first, so that I have a good idea of what questions I’ll need to be asking during research. Then I set aside several months specifically for pouring over the mountain of books I’ve gathered on the subject.

What was the best moment while writing this book? What was the worst?

There were a lot of good moments, but the one that definitely sticks in my mind is the huge energy high I got after acing a tough scene. I went around smiling and dancing for two days! As for the worst… the beginning of the book was difficult, both because beginnings are always difficult for me and because I was dealing with some things in my own life that had me questioning whether I was even supposed to be writing.

How long did it take to write the book, from conception to the final draft?

I don’t remember when I initially got the idea for the story, but from the time I began sketching my preliminary ideas in a notebook to the final proof was just over five years.

Did you use any new writing techniques?

Actually, I did. I solidified many of my writing methods during this story. I started outlining intensively before writing the actual story. I set up a filing system for my research, so that I could easily find pertinent facts. And I started what I call the “fifty-page edit,” which has me editing the entire manuscript every fifty pages—something which helps keep me grounded in the big picture of the story.

Was it difficult writing about settings and events that you couldn't experience first-hand?

Not really. Isn’t that more or less the whole point of fiction writing and reading? I have no interest in writing what I already know about. I want to experience new places and people through my writing—not just rehash my own life. However, I’m also a firm advocate of writing what you know. That’s why research is so important, particularly for historical novelists.

Do you think you'll ever return to the setting and characters for a sequel?

I doubt it. It breaks my heart not to be able to return to these wonderful characters. But their story is finished. I’ve never been fond of sequels or series. I like stories to be self-contained. The arc of a story is best delivered in one installment.

What new projects are you working on?

I have several projects in the works. I have a completed fantasy, Dreamers Come (about a man who discovers that his dreams are really memories of another world) waiting for another round of edits. I also just started outlining my next project, a historical novel called The Deepest Breath about the passion, betrayal, and vengeance that dog two men and the woman they both love through the trenches of World War I, corruption in colonial Kenya, and the criminal underbelly of London. And I’m also working on a fun co-writing project that asks, “What if Robin Hood met Sleeping Beauty?”

What's your best advice for aspiring authors?

Don’t worry too much about “the rules.” It’s easy to get caught up in the dos and do nots, but as helpful as many of these “rules” are, ultimately you have to remember that they’re only guidelines. They’re certainly very helpful guidelines—guidelines that will probably help you invaluably if you hope to be published. But they’re not hammered-in-solid-granite laws. Writing is an art. And art, by its very definition, is a form of expression that must ultimately be free of something as confining as rules.

Thanks so much for coming!

***********************************
Behold The Dawn

The sins of a bishop.
The vengeance of a monk.
The secrets of a knight.

About the Author: K.M. Weiland (http://www.kmweiland.com/) writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in the sandhills of western Nebraska. She is the author of A Man Called Outlaw (http://www.amazon.com/Man-Called-Outlaw-K-Weiland/dp/0978924606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253051593&sr=8-1) and the recently released Behold the Dawn (http://www.amazon.com/Behold-Dawn-K-M-Weiland/dp/0978924614/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254172766&sr=8-2). She blogs at Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors (http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com) and AuthorCulture (http://authorculture.blogspot.com).

Pages From Jan's Diary

2009-10-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

After all the interest shown in the SS-5 story, I've decided to post excerpts from the actual diary for you all to read! As my writing journey continues, I may also post excerpts from the novel, showing how I'm taking the diary and converting it to fiction... but for the present we'll stick with fact! Here are the first four entries in Jan Jonkheer's diary.

(if you like this idea and want to read more of the diary, let me know and I'll post more!)

MAY 9, 1940

This is the first diary I have ever had, and I am itching to write in it. It also has a lock and key.
Tomorrow is my birthday, and it is a present from my parents. It was given to me yesterday, because my father, who is a doctor, was called up to join the army. But I am sure that this mobilization is another false alarm, because Hitler has promised faithfully not to invade Holland. So we expect Father to get leave to spend my birthday as we planned it.

I will be fourteen tomorrow, and my four best school friends, Piet and Charlotte, the "carrot twins," because of their fiery hair, and Hendrik and Jos are joining Father, Mother, and me.

We live in a suburb of Amsterdam. We will begin my birthday celebration with a tour of the city by boat, gliding through the famous grachten [canals]. (This is really to please Charlotte.)

Then we will go to the Rijksmuseum, which is our National Gallery. It makes me proud to be Dutch, when I look at the paintings by Frans Hals, San Steen, Vermeer, and especially Rembrandt. I am going to buy a copy of his best-known work The Night Watch. Then we will have lunch at Zandvoort aan Zee. I like this seaside resort.

In the evening we are going to Haarlem, because there is to be an organ recital in Saint Bavo Church. We are all fond of music, and I love this organ, which is one of the most famous in the world. It has three keyboards, sixty-eight registers, and five thousand pipes. It was built in 1738, and my father tells me that Mozart and Handel played on it. It must have been wonderful to hear the playing of such famous musicians, and I get a tremendous feeling of peace and happiness whenever I hear it.

The weatherman says it is going to be fine tomorrow. Hurray!

*********************************************

MAY 10

Mother awoke me this morning. One look at her serious face, and I knew that something was wrong. She kissed me and said, “Happy Birthday," but it was so unlike my mother, who is a very jolly person. This morning it was all very sad.

I could now hear distant thuds. "What is it?" I asked.

“The Germans have invaded Holland. I pray for Father, and for our poor country."

I washed and dressed very quickly, and went down into the street. Everybody had a different story to tell. Schiphol airport was on fire, but some soldiers - they were fifth columnists in Dutch uniforms, I learned later - said that we were doing well and beating back the Germans.

*********************************************

MAY 11 , 12, 13

These have been chaotic days. The Queen has moved from her house Hrris ten Bosch into the palace in the center of The Hague. No news about Father. We are worried.

*********************************************

MAY 14

We leave been told that the Queen has decided to leave the country. A British destroyer took her to England yesterday, where she has been joined by her Cabinet.

For a moment it looked like desertion, but, as my mother explained to me, the struggle against Hitler will be carried on from there, and from here, I hope.

Still no news about Father.

Fictional Families

2009-10-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I discovered my characters are all orphans. That discovery led to some uneasy speculations about Freudian significance...until a writing mentor noticed the same thing and gave me an explanation. Apparently, most fictitious characters are orphans. Speculation on why ranges from engaging the reader's sympathies to necessary freedoms. But one of the biggest reason is: it's hard to make a realistic fictional family.

Someone once said "A family is the most complex civilization" and I believe that. In my new novel SS-5, for the first time I have two main characters with families. It's weird how difficult it is to realistically replicate the workings of a large family, particularly if the familes aren't central to the plot. Because in fiction, just like in real life, families take over. They dominate. I'm getting so interested in my family I'm losing track of the story!

I suddenly understand the attraction of the orphanage.

Seriously, though, some things I've found helpful in family-building are 1) twisting cliches till they're fresh ideas - sibling rivalry is fascinating if you freshen it up, 2) give each family member a history and story of their own - my MC's father is a WWI vet, her sister's boyfriend is a POW, her mother smuggles Jewish children from the Nazis, 3) use enough tension to make the family realistic.

And then I just have to keep all that lovely information in the background, a vivid setting without strangling the rest of the story. Lovely. Such a simple task.

Orphans are definitely easier.

Historical Note: Teenage Spies!

2009-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

When the Nazis invaded Holland in 1940, they announced that the Dutch had meekly accepted their fate, and life went on quietly. But under the surface, civilians rose up to fight for freedom with everything they had. Very few had any military or espionage training, but they became one of the most effective Resistances during the Second World War. Corrie Ten Boom may be the best known of these resistance fighters, but stories like hers are found everywhere; they only need to be told.

I stumbled across such a story a year ago, when I picked up an obscure book about WWII which included a diary kept by a teenage boy who fought in the Resistance. Together with four of his schoolfriends, he founded a secret group called SS5 to fight back against the Germans. With no adult support whatsoever, the five young people (Jan, Piet, Charlotte, Hendrik, and Jos) struck back at the German overlords.

At first it was small things, clever ways for civilians to show support for the exiled Dutch government; switching street signs so German convoys ended up in canals; carrying messages from forbidden radios.

Then a local farmer, who also happened to be a major part of the Resistance, recruited them. Overnight, they started smuggling food, exploding German warehouses, and convoying Jews and others at risk to safety. Charlotte went to work at the Nazi headquarters, spying for the entire Resistance. They weren't allowed to tell their parents, and they were responsible for the lives of thousands of people. Every day they expected betrayal; they could trust no one.

The journal is painful reading, as you sense the pain of these five young people, who end up losing friends and family. They are constantly placed in horrible moral quandries, as they have to choose between equally ghastly possibilites. Yet, it's incredibly powerful as the children mature and gradually understand what's really important in life.

My current WIP is the novelization of Jan' diary. I'm honored and a more than a little afraid to tell this story. It's by far the most difficult I've ever done: not only because it's true, but because the emotions and conflicts are overwhelming. But as usual, the lure of a challenge is proving too strong! I only hope the novel holds the qualities of the diary itself!

NaNo Survival Tips!

2009-10-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Only two weeks until NaNo! I'm scrambling to get all the last-minute details ready. As usual, there's a tinge of panic (am I SURE I want to do this? do I really want to increase my chances of heart failure?) but on the whole, I'm amazed at how much better prepared I am this year than last. Chalk it up to learning the hard way.

Anyway, I've had some people ask for suggestions on how to do NaNo. Upon perusing my writing journal and scribbled notes from last November, I've put together a sort of Survival Guide for anyone doing NaNo! Here are a few ways to smooth your passage through the stormy November seas.

Have an OUTLINE. Truly. Even if you never use one. It can be as rough as character sketches and a general plotline; or as detailed as a 60-page scene-by-scene outline with full character development. Whichever works for you is best.

Plan Your Goal. Figure out what you want to do this NaNo. If you're simply shooting for 50,000, that's easy, but if you plan to write more than that, your daily word count will need to go up.

Know Your Word Count. Based on your goal for November, figure out exactly how many words you need to write each day to make it. Then, check your calendar. If you think you'll be able to write every day, then simply divide your word count goal by 30, and plan to write that number of words per day. But if you think there'll be a day you can't write (Thanksgiving will throw the best of us) subtract that day and figure accordingly.

This plan of action should get you nicely set up. What I always do, once I've got my goal and daily word count worked up, is to make a table of how many words I need to write each day, and then, as November progresses, how many I managed to write.

Here's an example from last year:

Nov. 1: Words Written: 2,383 Extra Words: 716

Nov. 2: Words Written: 3,205 Extra Words: 1,538

Nov. 3: Words Written: 2,085 Extra Words: 418

Nov. 4: Words Written: 3,669 Extra Words: 2,002

Nov. 5: Words Written: 1,984 Extra Words: 317

Nov. 6: Words Written: 4,025 Extra Words: 2,358

Nov. 7: Words Written: 2,103 Extra Words: 436

Total Words For First Week: 19,478 Total Extra Words: 7,809

This was based on my 50,000 word goal. I continued to keep this table throughout November, and it was incredibly helpful, both as motivation (beat last week's word count!) and as a way to tell me how on track I was.

Finally, make sure writing becomes your absolute first priority during November. Write before eating, before sleeping, before reading or watching TV, before doing anything that is not absolutely necessary to maintain life. (You will note I don't consider eating or sleeping necessary.) That way, you'll be sure to make your word count. There were a couple of disastrous days last year where I put off writing, thinking I'd have plenty of time later...and then ended up not having any time at all!
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Disclaimer: I'm definitely not an expert on NaNo--the views above are simply what helped me last year and what I'm following this year. If you want to read a book by a true NaNo expert (and laugh yourself to death along the way) read Lazette Gilford's book NaNo For The New And The Insane, a free download on the NaNo site.

Stop, Smell, Listen: Sensory Description!

2009-10-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

Well, my recent editing binge has got me focused on learning the craft. I'm studying pacing, plot flow, and something which I believe draws the line between ordinary writing and extraordinary writer: sensory description. The absolute best writers know how to envelope a reader in a full sensory experience, simply through words. That's pretty amazing.

It's also quite tricky. But I believe there's some easy ways to improve sensory description in our writing! One quick way I've discovered works like this: go through your work and find all the places where you describe things only with visuals. Then see if you can take the same description and portray it using the other senses. For instance, take the example of fresh-baked bread.

Visual: The golden loaves contrasted vividly with the fresh parsley and mint leaves in the basket.

Sensory (touch): The warmth of the fresh bread seeped through the cool wicker gaps of the basket.

Sensory (smell): Warm yeasty-gold fragrance of the bread mingled with the sharp spice of the mint and parsley.

You then have three options for description for the exact same scene. Taste and hearing didn't come into that particular example, but it would be possible to incorporate them by describing the rustle of the herbs against the crusty loaves, or the flavors on the tongue. I find that smell and taste often go together, and can be used interchangeably. Saying someone "tasted" instead of "smelled" often puts a surprising, appealing twist to things.

Using this technique, I've been going through my writing and incorporating all of the senses into description. The loveliness of this "find and replace" method is that it doesn't add word count, yet it vastly improves your WIP!

Now, time to take a walk in the rain and experience it with all my senses...

Rainy Days and Mondays

2009-09-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've had a week of cold, rainy days that all seem like Mondays. Spiced with broken refridgerators, fritzed washing machines, job interviews, school applications, two (active, unruly) boys to tutor, car-shopping, and the usual stuff at home.

Oh, did I forget completely rehauling a novel? And running out of chocolate?

I've had quite a week.

Thanks to a recent impulse to publish (yes, I get them once in a while) I've been tearing apart my Western, The Hanging Tree. Getting it ready to send out is proving to be incredibly challenging, not least because I have to cut 20,000 words and deciding which of my darlings to annihilate does give one the occasional pain. And it's scary to realize how much I don't know.

Currently, I'm halfway through and am convinced that if I ever see this story again it'll be way too soon.

However, I realize there is a silver lining: Three months ago, the mss of The Hanging Tree was as good as I could get it. Now, I can see flaws, cracks, and the occasional gaping hole. That means I've learned things in three months! I've improved. I've become a better writer.

Which is great.

But I still think I need chocolate. :)

The Only Editor Who Matters

2009-09-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Recently I had a "crisis moment" -- a point (caused by a very upsetting job search and a number of writing rejections) where I felt I couldn't go on. I was a failure anyway, so what was the point?

That night, my dad and I sat down together and he told me, "Nina, it doesn't matter to God what you do for a living. He doesn't care if you pick geraniums for the rest of your life. All that matters to Him is whether you do it with Him in your heart."

That set me back, made me think. I realized it's true. When we die, God isn't going to ask us whether we were successful in business. He doesn't care if we are rich or poor, famous or unknown.

When I die, He's not going to ask me if I made the New York Times Bestsellers List. He's not going to care if I am widely-published, moderately published, or not published at all.

What He's going to ask me is "Did you write with Me in your heart?"

How amazing is that. God's expectations of us are so unbelievably low. And so incredibly high.

....

Don't get me wrong: this insight didn't solve my problems. I still struggle every day with a sense of worth, wondering if this is where I'm really supposed to be. But when the darkness starts to close in and I don't know where to turn, I hear that shining voice of whispered thunder: "Am I in your heart?"

And then I remember Who I'm truly writing for.

Constructive Insanity: National Novel Writing Month!

2009-09-22T09:35:00.001-07:00

NaNoWriMo.

For those who are wondering what on earth that is (like me last September) here's a link that sums it up: http://www.nanowrimo.com/

As I'm warming up for this year's NaNo, I'm struck again by how many people think NaNo is silly scribbling by a bunch of people who only think they're writers. At best, a waste of time.

I'll admit it--I thought the same thing last September! Why was time and energy, quality and sanity, cramming 50,000 words into a measly 3o days?

But I did try it, and found to my surprise that it is indeed possible to write 50,000 words in a month! And it's a library full of fun. And one of the best 101 writing courses out there.

First, as is so often stated, the need to write shuts up that Evil Editor (not the blunt-but-helpful little guy but the wizened vulture with a sharpened pencil for poking). Which, if you're inclined to perfection, might just save your mind. (So, perhaps, the only way to save your sanity to is lose it for 30 days...)

Second, whether you make 50,000 or not (see paragraph 5) you will have written. A lot. You'll have something to show, something to tear and rip and edit, something to terrorize the relatives with at Christmas. Whatever you end up with, it's worth it.

And it's fun! There's something theraputic about going insane in tandem with several million people around the globe.

Personally, I can't wait for November.

Confessions of a Self-Confessed Blogger

2009-09-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I've done it. Ascended (degenerated??) into the world of blogging. So far, it looks like fun!

I just want to state a few things quickly. First, the title of this blog is drawn (mostly) from my fascination with WWII.

Also, though, I believe all writers are front-line soldiers in the crazy world of writing and publishing! The generals in this battle make the New York Times Bestseller list, but that doesn't mean that each of us aren't fighting just as hard. (My current rank: Private.)

And as Christian writers, we are soldiers for Christ and our writing battle has a double meaning.

That said--on to the world of the blog!

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I would like to thank all the people who helped me set this up, especially Alyosha and Kayla and all the folks on ChristianWriters for taking so much time to give me a hand! Many thanks, people!