What Are You Best At in Writing Novels?

by June Shaw

All of us have strengths in many areas of our lives and weaknesses in others. I'm so glad life works that way and gives us variety.

One of the areas where writers vary is their talent for creating stories.Some bring the most strength to creating characters. Others gloss over their characters and press on with their plots. Some others show their power to their voices that are unique. The best, of course, do an exceptional job with blending everything, making us really care for the people in their stories and pulling us along at an exciting pace with their plotting. They also have a writing voice we remember.

My main strength, I believe, is creating characters. The books I've always been drawn to make me care about the people in them. I love developing those who will live in my stories. Readers and reviewers often comment about my characters. For instance the main charcter in my mystery series, which Five Star published in hardcover and Untreed Reads will put on as e-books in July, August, and September, is Cealie Gunther. She's a spunky widow who wants to avoid her hunky ex-lover Gil Thurman so she can rediscover herself. But he opens Cajun restaurants wherever she travels -- and she is so bad at avoiding tempting dishes and men.

Lots of people say they love Cealie (and want Gil.) Some want Cealie in their families or as their best friends. She's fun and there's no telling what she'll say or do. That's what made her so much fun for me to be with her to see where she'll take me.

How about you? If you're a writer, what are your strengths? What area would you like to develop more?

www.juneshaw.com

Time to Read and Write More?

by June Shaw

Now that the holidays have come and stayed around and kept us busy running to every store we could think of --

And then we spent time wrapping our gifts and setting them out --

After taking tons of time to decorate the house --

And then we came up with menus and prepared special treats and prepared them for everyone.

Then our special days arrived. What cheer! What joy! What happiness with those we love (if we are fortunate enough to have them around.)

And after we took that day or three to recoup from doing all those fun things--

So we did them again --

In reverse.

We ran back to those stores to exchange or return most gifts we received --

And found more things on sale that we had to buy and find places for in our stuffed closets --

And we ate and we ate all those special treats we had made and others gave to us--

And then complained since our clothes got too tight. We needed to exercise. And put away all the holiday dishes until next time.

So we are less than two days into the new year. Did you get ready? Did you do it....

Have you gotten to start reading or writing new books? Both, I hope. Now please excuse me as I finally get totally in mine.

Hope 2013 is terrific for you!!! http://www.juneshaw.com

WRITING IN VARIOUS GENRES

WRITING IN VARIOUS GENRES By June Shaw Do you like for an author to stick to the same genre? Do you want that person’s books to all sound similar? Would you want that person’s voice to be unique? What about if you’re an author? Do you always stick to the same genres: mystery, romance, romantic suspense, historical romance, thriller—and maybe a children’s book thrown in for good measure? If you do change genres in which you write, how has that worked for you? I’d like to be an author who writes in the same genre and keeps a series going for many years like so many mystery authors do. But that’s not what’s happening. I’ve sold three books in a series of humorous mysteries and might like to pen others in that series, but have ideas for another cozy series and began writing for that one. And my mom died, and everyone insisted I tell her inspirational story, so I did. It’s called NORA 102 ½: A Lesson on Aging Well. Before I finished that one, my youngest granddaughter said she wanted to write a book with me, so together we created HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PET GHOST. Her adolescent sisters who’re avid readers, saw their little sister’s checks rolling in for her ipad; they asked to write a book with me, too. They really enjoyed HUNGER GAMES; so did I. We’re creating a story in that genre. Okay, so even if I say I want to write in only one area, I may be wrong. I’m enjoying every genre I enter. Creating a story and individuals who live through it appeals to me, it seems, no matter the genre. How about you?

Pantser or Plotter?

By June Shaw

If you write books, short stories, or plays, do you prefer to plot them or write them by the seat of your pants?

There is no right or wrong answer.

Authors do both, often depending on their preference or the stage of writing in which they find themselves. The genre in which they write sometimes makes a difference, too.

In a recent lively discussion between many published and unpublished writers and a popular literary agent, I heard unpublished writers mainly say they wrote without having a plan of where they were going. Most of the published writers, however, said they were pantsers when they first started writing, but then discovered writing a basic plot first helped most.

Our agent in attendance said romance writers were often pantsers but that mystery authors, whom she mainly represents, create a plot first.

One of my major deficiencies is organizing -- almost anything. I wish I didn't have that problem. But one friend I taught with does the opposite -- even her pantry is alphabetized. I'd like to keep parts of me and parts of her and fit about halfway between us with my home. And my writing.

I am plotting more with my novels now than I did when I first started with novels. It's a little easier for me as time passes.

What do you prefer? Sitting at the computer and dashing out words without knowing where you're going? Or having a plan ahead of time and fitting your creative words in their proper places?

Tried and True Plots

By Mark W. Danielson
Good versus evil, the underdog rises, the lost kid comes home. All are popular themes that are sure to win audiences. For lack of a better description, I’ll call them core plots. In movies, core plots are moneymakers. In writing, they usually mean a series. Romance and western writers rarely stray from their core formulas. Doing so ensures longevity, but it can also get boring and predictable.

I recently watched Real Steel, the first CGI movie I’ve seen in a while, and walked away feeling so-so. Compared to The Help, The Debt, Moneyball, Dolphin’s Tale, and Midnight in Paris, Real Steel melted like butter. Still, it’s been a box office smash and its audience has given it high approval ratings because it’s a feel-good movie about a comeback kid. Unfortunately, we’ve seen this plot before. Pair Rocky and The Little Engine That Could and you’re on the right track. (Pun intended.)

Mystery writers cannot get away with wowing readers with on-screen trickery, though. Their readers demand fresh plots with fun twists. The writers for Castle set the bar on how to do this well. Readers should be turning pages thinking, “Wow, I didn’t see that one coming.” If they manage to figure out the plot one third of the way into the story, then the author has failed.

Every mystery author wants their readers to think they know the plot and then Bam! take them in another direction. How you do that depends upon your writing style, but it all has to make sense so it’s believable. Learning to do this well is the real mystery in writing.

It may not hit you that your story isn’t unique until someone else reads it for the first time. Call these readers The Grim Reaper’s helpers. (Others call them editors.) Because murder can come in so many forms, it is difficult not to duplicate. For example, one day my daughter called me up with a great murder plot – use an icicle to kill someone. That way there would be no prints or means of tracing the murder weapon back to you. I told her it was a great idea except it had been done before and went on to explain its limitations. But what the heck, we had a good laugh over what had come to her in a dream. (Just to be clear, my daughter has no aspiration of murdering anyone.) The point here is the cause of death isn’t as important as the story behind the death. Why did the killer commit the act? What steps did they take to conceal their act? What ultimately led to their getting caught? The answers to these questions must be unique in every mystery. So dig a little deeper and make sure you don’t fall into the tired and true category. It may take a little longer, but your audience will thank you for your effort.

A Powerful Image

By Mark W. Danielson

This isn’t my photo. I borrowed it from a Facebook friend. I’m posting it here because of the powerful images it provokes. Better than the best prose, this picture speaks volumes because it captures our hearts. Why is that? Is it because of the eagle, the cemetery, or both? Let’s start with the eagle.

More than a symbol of the United States, the American Bald Eagle is perhaps the most majestic bird in existence. A master of air and fierce hunter, one cannot help being in awe. We normally see this bird soaring or attacking with its talons out. Perhaps this is why it is so heartbreaking to see it perched atop a tombstone in a veterans’ cemetery.

Even without the eagle, this cemetery photo is chilling as we imagine the young faces of those buried in the endless rows. Futures denied and future generations lost because of war. In the background, the mist and low sun forge a solitary setting. Add the perched eagle and eyes start to well.

What makes this photo especially interesting is how the eagle hides the veteran’s religious affiliation. Without realizing it, this bird demonstrated that people of all denominations die in the name of the sword, but in the end, dead is dead – at least in our dimension. No political rhetoric or medal can change that for these veterans, but even death cannot strip them of the honor. This is what these cemeteries are for -- to pay homage and honor their memories.

If I was teaching a writing class, I would ask my students to write a short story about this photo. No doubt some would share tales of their loved ones while others might debate politics. Certainly whatever stories they share would be extremely personal and touching. I would than ask them to write a brief description of this this photo. Some may pronounce it the bite of approaching winter while others may pray for eternal peace for those who died for their country. But since I am not a professor of creative writing, I am opening this up to our blog readers. What, exactly, do you see in this photo, and can you describe it in a sentence or two? The challenge is yours.

Brewing a Controversy

One paragraph in Bill Kirton's post the other day really resonated with me. It went like this:

"I’m wary of creative writing courses. I’m sure there are some brilliant ones, but there are also plenty which indoctrinate their graduates into parroting stuff about shifting points of view, not starting paragraphs with ‘And…’ and all sorts of other things that have little to do with creativity."

I've never taken a course in creative writing, so that part didn't concern me. What did was the part about parroting stuff about shifting points of view, etc. I admit I'm not much of an editor. I read from the viewpoint of a reader. I was a copyreader on a newspaper at one time, so I notice grammar and spelling. But if the story is well told and interesting, so that I can easily understand what's happening, that's a good enough brew for me.

Switching points of view is only a problem to me if it's unclear whose head I'm in. If I'm getting the thoughts of one guy now and another a couple of paragraphs later, I'm getting more into the characters and have no problem following the story.

Reading over some early manuscripts from my fiction writing career, ones that were accepted by agents and got favorable comments from editors (though no sale for one reason or another), I noticed I had yet to be indoctrinated on the blasphemy of point-of-view switching. Yet is was obvious who was speaking and thinking.

Bill's mention of starting a paragraph with "And" is one of many other such non-no's that I disregard. I think where we notice such things is in a story that has a lot of other faults, including protagonists we don't care for, wordiness, lack of a cohesive plot, etc. Some authors user words in a way that makes the writing sing like a ballad. Those are a treat to read. But if the story is competently written and intriguing, I'm just as happy with it.

Okay, let the purists throw me in the witch's cauldron. It wouldn't be the first brew I've ever spoiled (or should I say spoilt?).

Visit me at Mystery Mania