N. R. Williams, Fantasy Author

News Update

2012-01-27T10:22:00.001-07:00

I had intended to write a post for Romantic Friday Writer's today. However, yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and that took everything out of me. I had to walk so much that when I got home my lungs hurt so bad I had to take pain medication. My doctor is worried about it and increased my inhaler medication which makes me vomit. Oh the fun of being sick!

Yesterday, Siv Maria gave me a shout out. I got to meet Siv after I was first diagnosed with brontitis, before the killer cold set in. What a treat, so stop by Siv's and take a look. She lives in Norway.

When you're done with that, check out all the wonderful post at Romantic Friday Writer's. I love this challenge and can't wait to participate on a regular basis.
Nancy

Depression

2012-01-25T00:00:00.001-07:00

Hi all...no this is not a down post. I am curious about depression. When I get sick I get a double dose of it. I can't see the light through the open window, so to speak. Usually, I come around as my health improves even when my life isn't perfect. Hay, whose life is? So, does anyone else have this problem? How do you lift yourself up? Medication, either prescription or herbal can only do half the job and I'm not convinced therapist do more than collect money to nod their heads. So let me know in the comments. I am limited in my exercise until I can take a deep breath.

Nancy

The Writing Craft: What's Your Genre?

2012-01-23T00:00:00.002-07:00

Hi all, I think I'm back, let's keep our fingers crossed.

When I first began this series I asked all of you to let me know what you struggle with or wonder about. What is your burning question about the craft of writing. I received several questions and have answered all but one. So today folks, when you leave a comment please let me know what you would like to learn about.

Genre: Riva asked how a writer decides on genre. First let us answer the question, what is genre? When I first heard the term genre I was clueless and even though I am blonde, I've never been dumb. LOL. Okay, that was sad.

Genre is simply a word chosen by someone to label the type of stories that are written. In recent years we've seen the rise of sub-genres. For example, it is no longer just a cozy mystery, it's a paranormal cozy mystery which means there is either a ghost or other invented creature in the story that is not human such as a zombie or vampire or maybe an alien.

I write fantasy, both for children and also epic. Epic fantasy, (can also be high fantasy,) is a story that covers a long or short period of time in which the characters are generally on some kind of quest, usually thrust upon them. While there is a lot of actual historical information in my epic fantasy, it isn't a historical fantasy because I change history to fit my world, which isn't this world in any time period, but another world. My world is medieval with working modern bathrooms. Hay, a girl likes to be pampered. To learn I hope you read it.

One of Riva's comments was that she loved several types of writing. So, how do you, as an aspiring writer decide what genre to write in? I cannot answer that for you. What you should do is just write. As you write, the story and characters will guide you. Once you discover what you love then the rest is hard work. No, writing is never easy. Coming up with the stories maybe easy for you, but writing is work. It takes discipline, education, revision, and just plain stubborn will power. Fortunately for us, it is no longer as solitary as it once was. We are all just a click away and if you have a local writing organization near you, I highly recommend that you join.

If you need further help, I offer classes, just click on the Writing Craft picture on the right hand side to read more.

Don't for get those burning or smoldering questions.
Nancy

Answered:
Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.
Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump.
Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.
Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.

Still to come:
Mike Rushhoeft suggested a list of words to avoid. Good idea Mike.

New Doctor, new directions, thumbs up.

2012-01-17T00:00:00.005-07:00

As the title of this post states, new doctor and I am very pleased. She didn't take any thing for granted and kept quizzing me about the past. Bottom line, I had come up with some of the conclusions myself. It was great to have a doctor who listened, tested, and put together a solution that we can both work toward.

The problem is the place where I live. Bugs infest it and I think there is mold as well that has just been covered up with new paint and tile. Also, both my girls smoke and even though they do so outside, when they come in it's on their clothes.

Solution: Medication can help in part, but if I want to get better I must find a different place to live and the girls can't come unless they quit smoking. I hate that, but to be sure, they are both twenty something and its time to live without Mommie.

Not sure how long this will take. Money is tight. But I am motivated because playing face book games is fun but I really want a clear enough head so I can write.

See you around.
Nancy

Update on Life

2012-01-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone:

I am seeing a new doctor today. I am better but still have an infection.

My internet connection isn't the best. I was happily visiting and leaving comments when it wouldn't let me leave anymore comments. So I have been by just hidden from view.

I will do my best to put together a post for next week. Take care.
Nancy

Educational Blog Award Nominee

2012-01-11T11:34:00.003-07:00

eCollegeFinder has nominated my blog and my blog post on The Writing Craft for a Top Blogger Awards. eCollegeFinder began to award deserving blogs in early 2010. Their goal in hosting the awards is to enrich students while giving high-quality blogs the recognition they deserve. Award winners are listed on our site; you can view the awards we’ve given in the past at https://www.ecollegefinder.org/award-series.aspx.

To accept the nomination they have asked me to answer two questions:

How would you describe your blog to readers of our site?

I started this blog as a way to connect with other writers and readers and progressed to include not just information about my own writing but how to reach your personal goals as a writer. I love helping others and I have expanded this idea into a series of classes that you can read more about at my other blog. http://nrwilliamsthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/

·    What advice can you offer students aiming to improve their writing acumen?

      I am a fantasy author. So this question will be answered as a writer of fictional material. First and foremost there is no substitute for paying your dues. What do I mean by that? With the simplicity of self publishing through e-books on multiple sites, I have witnessed many would be authors publish their work before it was ready. I believe each writer has a unique voice and a story to tell, but you must invest the time to learn to write well. As with everything in life, there are rules. As an example I will use POV (point of view.) You can have one POV or many, but to change POV in the middle of a paragraph is confusing to a reader and will lead to frustration. I spent years honing my craft, attending conferences and workshops and I belong to an in person critique group. When I learned to control where and when I changed POV, I saw my writing improve by leaps and bounds. That is only one are of expertise. There are many.

      You may search many blogs and read many post all of them excellent and knowledgeable. But if you are new to fictional writing, I urge you to take classes, either from me or someone else. There are many online resources for this. If you are an aspiring writer, I hope you let me know in the comments and I will follow you to watch you progress.

      Happy Writing, Nancy

News Update

2012-01-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone:
I'm alive, but we ran out of internet time. My daughter is big on the facebook games and I started to help her get the stuff. But she spent too much time playing, partly because we weren't aware of our time allowance. I won't be able to blog or anything for two weeks.

For all my kind and thoughtful followers, thank you so much for your kind words and generous hearts. I love you all.

Doctor update: The guy is an idiot. He didn't believe me about the iron, he didn't believe me about the severity of my nose bleeds, and to top it off, he was rude. He will kill someone. That someone won't be me. I'm searching for someone new. Oh, he didn't give me any meds either.

Nancy

Helth Update

2011-12-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago when I went to the Doctor he put me on Iron. I told him that I almost hemorrhaged to death when my oldest was born and I was told that it was due to the Iron supplement they had me on. He seemed to think that was bogus. So, I started to take Iron. Last Thursday I had a nose bleed. Not just any nose bleed. It gushed out all over my clothes and the table where I was sitting. I stuck toilet paper up my nose and had to change it every minute for half an hour. All the blood and phelm went down my throat into my lungs. I had a nose bleed three times that day and three times the next. Christmas Eve I spent in terrible pain and had more nose bleeds. It took me a little bit to connect the dots and I stopped taking the Iron. Now I am sick again. But I don't have a killer cold so that is good. On top of that I cracked my tooth and it's painful to eat.

I was 100%. Writing again. Now I'm weak and spaced out.

Back to the Doctor I go.
Nancy

Mary Did You Know, Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T00:00:00.005-07:00

My favorite!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
Nancy

A re post from last year but just as great.

John Denver Aspen Glow & The Unpredictable Tale

2011-12-18T00:00:00.003-07:00

It's my birthday! Here is a re-post from last year and gift for all of you. Enjoy!

Now that you’ve enjoyed the music, here is the game that Emma and her Dad, Dominic de Mattos came up with called The Unpredictable Tale. If you visit their blogs you can read some of the stories that were generated from the game.

The Unpredictable Tale

Upon looking for some fun and inspiration today, I came up with a game for my dad (over at Writes of Passage) and me. It is a sort of literary exercise in itself, in which you have to write a short story depending on the rolling of a die! Hence the title 'The Unpredictable Tale' came up, and we got to trying it out. Before I post the result of my literary experiment, I'll explain the options that came up, and you can try out the game yourself if you like.

First die determines the basic role of the main character:
1] Spy/Detective
2] Fighter
3] Mage/Sorcerer
4] Child
5] Poor Person
6] Rich Person

Second decides the gender:
1-3] Male
4-6] Female

The third die shows the setting:
1] Forest
2] City
3] Cave
4] Desert
5] Mountains
6] Dungeon

And the fourth the time period:
1] Medieval
2] Futuristic
3] Victorian
4] Present Day
5] World Wars
6] Post Apocalyptic

At this stage you write the first paragraph, which needs to detail the information you have gained so far. It will describe the character and the setting. The first time we did this exercise dad and I decided to limit each paragraph to 100 words. This is great if you want a real challenge! The next stage in the process was to introduce a second character, by re-rolling the first two dice. You then have another paragraph to introduce the second character and make them meet your initial character.

The third paragraph occurs after you have rolled the die once more to determine 'What happens when...?
1] There is an Explosion
2] There is a Thunderstorm
3] A Weapon is Drawn
4] A Prophesy is Made
5] You Find an Object
6] You get Trapped

Lastly the fourth paragraph is the ending. Having a set ending is difficult, but it really challenges the imagination to think outside the box. Here are the options on the die:
1] Joy
2] Fate Confirmed
3] Defeat your Demons
4] Death
5] Love
6] Cliff Hanger!

I know I found this game, difficult and very informative! It was also great fun, and really pushed me to the limits of my creativity. I came up with two short stories that I'm really very proud of, firstly with a hundred word limit to each paragraph and secondly with no length limit. I hope you enjoy reading about, and maybe even playing my game, and check out my stories and my dad's stories when he gets round to posting them!

Thank you Dominic and Emma for letting me share this game with my followers.

P.S. Tomorrow, Guest Author Enid Wilson.

Have fun everyone.

Betty Boop ♫ Santa Baby, Wish List

2011-12-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

YouTube link

Santa Baby is one of my favorite songs. I don't think I would have liked it when I was young, but getting older has changed my attitude about a lot of over the top serious stuff. At least it was over the top for me.

So what is number one too much money on my Christmas wish list?

Dental Implants. $40,000 plus. I've out lived my Mom who had to have dentures at 40. I'll be 60 on Sunday. But my Mom had so much trouble with her dentures I would love to have the implants, my husband needs them too. So Santa Baby, pretty please let me win or make enough $$ to get the work done this coming year.

Another big one is a trip to Disney World for Thanksgiving 2012. My grandchildren will be 5 and how much fun would that be?

Okay...that is not all that naughty but it's what I want. My condo back would be great too.

So I guess I better get writing on my sequel to Treasures, half done. I also will soon have two Adventures of Newert children's books available. I'm waiting for the art on one, Newert and the Hump-A-Links and will soon add, Lost in a Closet with T-Rex. Watch for the announcements.

What's on your wish list?

The Writing Craft post will return in January.
Nancy

News and Announcements

2011-12-11T14:47:00.001-07:00

I am honored to have won the Romantic Friday Writers Featured Writer award this last week. Just click on the button at the side if you'd like to read those stories or scroll down a ways for the post a week ago Friday.

Health:
I am now on so many pills that I'm a walking pharmacy. But I am starting to feel better and I can walk five steps without falling down coughing. My new doctor is really good. I hope to be 100% after the holidays. I've lost a lot of writing time.

I'm having internet issues. Plus I really think I need to just take it easy for awhile. If I can I will visit you all and if this connection today allows me to I will re-post my favorite Christmas music. One week from today I will be an old lady, 60. Ugh! How did that happen?

I will be sorry to miss the next Romantic Friday Writers post but I will try to find a way to read everyone's post and leave a comment.

The Writing Craft will return in January 2012.

Merry Christmas, Happy all other holidays and have a wonderful New Year.
Nancy

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

2011-12-07T01:36:00.002-07:00

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. We post on the first Wednesday of the month. To join or to read other post go here.

Last month I shared my greatest insecurity. It has followed me throughout my life in everything I have attempted to do. To read it go here.

This month I will share how to overcome your insecurities. How I overcame mine and still must struggle against it to overcome every time I sit down to write.

Perseverance.

I first learned about perseverance when I was a child. Because I struggled to learn how to read due to being switched from my left hand to my right hand, the result of the whole learning system in schools which resulted in my mother teaching me to read using phonics. However, I was already in the 3rd grade. I faced a long and difficult journey. Libraries were not my favorite place. I didn't have a collection of books I couldn't wait to read. All because I couldn't read. Every night my mother read to me and at the top of the list was, The Little Engine That Could, byWatty Piper and Lauren Davis.

What is the message in this childrens book? It is perseverance. The Little Engine was smaller than the other engines and was entrusted with delivering toys to a town over a hill for the good little girls and boys. The hill was steep, and the Little Engine struggled up the hill. All during that struggle the engine said, "I think I can, I think I can." Once it reached the top of the hill the engine proclaimed, "I thought I could."

When I struggled with the sounds of words and then piecing them together my mother would say to me. "I think I can." By the 4th grade I was reading.

In 6th grade we studied the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. I learned that he had failed at everything he attempted to do in life until he found his passion. Abraham Lincoln suffered from depression. I suffer from depression. He overcame debilitating depression while he kept this country together. My depression is not as severe. St. John's wort seems to do the trick. I think I can overcome to write my stories.

Whether we have real people or fictional characters as our heroes, it is important to own what lessons are of value. Perseverance is one lesson that all of us can embrace and practice. So go out there and follow your dream.

I hope this is an encouragement to all of you.
Nancy

The Writing Craft: Show don't Tell

2011-12-05T00:00:00.002-07:00

First a little news. I believe that I have long term bronchitis which will require a machine. I am a little better, but it doesn't take much for me to lose ground. Unfortunately, this is an awful year. No money for Christmas or doctors. I don't know what to do. Pray I guess, but it seems mine aren't answered. However, I do prefer to look on the positive side and while things are terrible, they must get better. Life is a circle. We all go through hard times and good times and hopefully grow as a person.

Last week we discussed Description. If you have missed the Writing Craft post go here.

Show don't Tell is the next step and an important one. What does Show don't Tell mean? I know writers who stumble on this phrase. So I will take a little time here with you all.

Basically, Show means Experience. You want your readers to experience the events, the description, the fears and hopes of your point of view character. You may have more than one point of view character, but while you are writing in the characters head, the reader needs to be immersed in that character so that all things come to life through them. When you Tell the events of the story you're outside your characters point of view as a third party observering the action. There is a place for this, but a very small one.

Example:

Tell: Robert went into the kitchen. Bread baked. Things were strewn all over. His wife wasn't there. Where did she go?

Show: Robert was drawn to the kitchen by the smell of bread baking. Nothing was better than hot bread and melted butter. His stomach roared as the kitchen door swung shut. Piles of dirty dishes overflowed in the sink. His wife's favorite cookbook was open on the table. A cup of coffee had chilled beside it. Where was she? He turned, anxiety replaced his hunger pains and the loud beeping of the kitchen timer told him the bread was done.

This is short but it shows the difference. Often as we write, it is to tell, then as we rework the piece we change our telling into showing. The seasoned writer may be skilled enough to do that the first time. This scene is not complete; we are missing the 5 senses. I have smell and sight right now.

In the telling, you may choose to make Robert irritated with his wife. Maybe she does this all the time. Maybe she just went to the bathroom. But I have chosen to make his wife's disappearance a mystery. All writers can take a mundane, ordinary life scenario and create mystery, suspense or humor and fill it with tension.

To Tell: There is a place for telling. When you are writing your manuscript and you have 80,000 - 120,000 words it is acceptable to do a little telling. Other wise your story could easily become 90,000 - 130,000 words. When do you know to tell? When it isn't important for the tension or action to show the scene. In other words, you want 95% showing and 5% telling no matter what.

In today's market we are being told to make our stories shorter all the time. While this is the publisher's response to rising cost, it should not be your response to a well crafted story. Your reputation is on the line.
I hope this is a help to all of you. If you need more specific help, I am offering online classes, just email me at gillael@aol.com

Answered:
Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.
Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump.
Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.

Still to come:
Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.
Mike Rushhoeft suggested a list of words to avoid. Good idea Mike.

Let me know if there is something I can answer.
Nancy

#RomanticFridayWriters: Mistletoe

2011-12-02T00:00:00.002-07:00

I won featured writer this week. Thank you, thank you. Nancy

Romantic Friday Writers challenge no. 26 is a terrific way to improve your writing skills. We are currently submitting flash fiction twice a month. L'Aussie is our head guru. To read more entries or to join, go here.

Mistletoe:

Jane trudged through the snow drifts that covered the sidewalk. At one point, she was forced to step into the street. The chill of the night hadn't yet frozen the melting snow and her warn boot splashed through newly formed ice allowing the frozen water to seep in through the hole in her sole. Instantly, her toes turned numb. She gritted her teeth, readjusting the plastic grocery bags that cut into her bare hands. Her car was still in the parking lot, dead.

Tomorrow was her thirtieth birthday. It was also the one year anniversary of Tom's abandonment. He'd come home to their little house, packed his bags and left. No explanation. On Christmas morning he called from Florida to wish their three children Merry Christmas. He wasn't alone. She heard the woman in the background.

Thank God for her mother. Without her help the part-time job would be impossible. At least Tom paid the mortgage. But she still had the utilities and other expenses. Her parents provided clothing for her wild boys. Would they grow to be like Tom?

The glow from the neighbor's house made her smile. She barely knew Martin. Of course she exchanged pleasantries with him when they passed. He was a widower, a year and a half now. Last Christmas his home had been dark with grief. This year he had pulled off a cheerful letter to everyone he knew including Jane. In the summer he held neighborhood barbecues and filled his lawn with water games for the children. Martin had no children of his own. Now, gazing at the warm windows, Jane wanted to ring his bell and ask if she could warm up by his fire. But she didn't. Her children and mother waited at home.

Suddenly Martin's door burst open and out ran her three boys. "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy," they called. Jane dropped the groceries in the nearest snow bank and knelt to receive the hugs of her little ones. Martin stood in his door. "Come in," he yelled.

"How kind of you," Jane said, as she entered his home.

Christmas lights hung from the banister and over the mantel. A dinner encompassed his dining table where her parents sat waiting.

"I thought you might be hungry," he said.

In the course of the past year she had lost twenty pounds and all her clothes hung on her as if she were a clothes line. He took the groceries and put them in his refrigerator still in the plastic bags. They ate, roast beef, French bread, carrots and peas and for dessert apple pie. Jane hadn't felt so satisfied in a long time.

She busied herself to clear the table and found a moment alone in Martin's kitchen with him. "Thank you," she said. "You can't imagine how much this means to me."

He smiled. A young man still, she guessed him to be around 38.

"I know how difficult life has become for you."

A tear meandered along her cheek and Jane turned so he wouldn’t see. When the dishwasher was humming and all the left-overs put away, Jane followed Martin to the living room. There her parents waited, watching her three boys as they ran their toy cars over the carpet.

Martin stopped. "Look up," he said.

Mistletoe dangled from the over head light. Martin pulled her close and gave her a kiss that made her quiver like a high school girl.

"I'd like to spend more time with you," he whispered in her ear.

Jane could barely breathe. "Me too."

Word Count: 592 including title. I hope you enjoyed it.

Ty Johnson's blog book tour

2011-11-30T00:00:00.001-07:00

Fantasy author Ty Johnstons is wrapping up his blog tour for 2011 with us. Welcome Ty. His novels include City of Rogues, Bayne’s Climb and More than Kin, all of which are available for the Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/Ty-Johnston/e/B002MCBQRU/ ), the Nook (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/ty-johnston ) and online at Smashwords (http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/darkbow ). His latest novel, Ghosts of the Asylum, will be available for e-books on November 21. To find out more, follow him at his blog http://tyjohnston.blogspot.com/

As I’m traveling around the blogosphere promoting my new epic fantasy e-book, Ghosts of the Asylum, today I thought I’d interview one of my characters, an older fellow by the name of Midge Highwater. Admittedly, Midge is not the main character. In fact, he’s a minor character, but he is pivotal in his own way and he has the most insight of all my characters. What follows is the interview.

Ty Johnston: Hello, Midge.

Midge: Are we on a first-name basis or somethin’? That’s Mr. Highwater to the likes of youse.

Ty: Uh, well, I did create you. I thought that would put us on a friendly standing.

Midge: You thought wrong. But that ain’t no surprise, what with you being some high-falutin’ writer an' all. Think you know everything.

Ty: Well, I know everything within the worlds I create, which includes the one you’re in.

Midge: Ursia? Ha! You don’t know the half of it. I could tell you tales --

Ty: You are a storyteller, after all.

Midge: (with a glare) Don’t interrupt me, again. I been retired a long time from soldierin’, but I still carry a sharp pocket knife that would love to carve me up some rump roast of writer.

Ty: (gulping) My sincerest apologies.

Midge: But yeah, I’m a storyteller. In facts, I’m the master of the Storytellers Guild in the city of Bond.

Ty: You mentioned soldiering, so does that mean you weren’t always a professional storyteller?

Midge: Truer words were never spoken, which is a miracle since they came out of an idiot like you. But yes, I’ve done lots of other things. I was a soldier for the republic’s army for a while, then I was a sailor for the longest time. Spent plenty of years along the rivers and out at sea. Even did a bit of bodyguard work here and there. Heck, I even spent a couple of years working as guard for Belgad the Liar hisself.

Ty: The famous underworld crime boss?

Midge: (glaring again) You mean the famous merchant and knight, don’t you?

Ty: Uh, yeah, sure.

Midge: That’s what I thought.

Ty: To get things back on subject, can you tell us a little about your role in the novel Ghosts of the Asylum?

Midge: I ain’t in it much. The writer was cheap, cut me down to two scenes, though I suppose my name gets bandied about a few other times.

Ty: What did you do in the novel?

Midge: Well, the first time I show up, it’s with that idiot Kron Darkbow.

Ty: The protagonist of the tale?

Midge: Yeah, that fool. He comes to me lookin’ for information about the guilds in Bond. He wants to know how they work. What are the rules and laws and such.

Ty: Sounds kind of boring, to be honest.

Midge: Don’t go cuttin’ down my work, boy. I’ve got an important scene. It provides Darkbow with information he needs against his enemies, and spurs some plans he’s got goin’ on. In my later scene, it’s me who breaks open a certain situation. I don’t say much, but what I do is important.

Ty: Can you tell us a little about the rest of the novel?

Midge: I suppose, but it don’t make me none happy. I coulda used more scenes. A character’s got to eat, after all, and here you writers are cuttin’ back --

Ty: What about the novel?

Midge: (puts hand in pocket) I just grabbed my knife, boy. You interrupt me again, and I swears I’ll cut you.

Ty: Sorry. Just trying to get to the point.

Midge: So you want to know about the rest of the goings-ons in the novel, eh? Well, there’s riots, fighting in the streets, assassination attempts, a woman gets her leg chopped off ... ya know, most of this is actually pretty sick stuff, if you asked me. What kind o’ person comes up with this garbage?

Ty: Uh, me.

Midge: Figures. You look the type. Anyway, this Kron Darkbow fellow is sort of the main person in the tale. After gettin’ himself into all kinds of trouble a year earlier, he’s tryin’ to settle down somewhat. But then a group of people decide he needs to be dead. And then there’s the riots going on, and Darkbow’s place is haunted.

Ty: His place?

Midge: Yep. It’s the Asylum. Used to be a real asylum until last year when it got flooded and a bunch of those crazy folks died there, along with a bunch o’ their guards. Musta been a hundred killed, at least. Then Darkbow comes along like some idiot and buys the place up. What does a man expect, buyin’ a place where a bunch of people died?

Ty: Anything else you’d like to add? I don’t want this interview to get too long.

Midge: So, you’re trying to cut me off?

Ty: I didn’t mean it like that.

Midge: Sure you didn’t. Hmm, well, I guess I should play the huckster and beg everyone reading this to go out and buy this e-book novel (whatever that is), Ghosts of the Asylum. I’ve got four hungry mouths to feed, after all.

Ty: Uh, no you don’t.

Midge: Who says?

Ty: I do, the guy who created you. You don’t have any kids. You’re not even married.

Midge: And who’s fault is that?

Ty: Uh, okay. Well, I’m signing off now before this gets ugly. If you enjoy epic fantasy, you might consider giving Ghosts of the Asylum a try, or one of my other novels. I hope you find something to enjoy in my writings. And please don’t hesitate to contact me through my blog (http://tyjohnston.blogspot.com/) to let me know you think. Enjoy!

Midge: Idiot.

Thank you Ty and Midge. That sounds like an amazing book. I'd be scared to stay at an asylum where hundreds of patients and guards died in a flood. For my readers, Ty said he'd stop by today so feel free to ask him questions and please give his book a try.
Nancy

The Writing Craft: Description

2011-11-28T00:00:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone. I'm still sick and pretty tired of it. But I will endeavor to post this week. On Wednesday Ty Johnson is stopping by for his blog book tour and I hope you all will come by. On Friday is Romantic Friday Writers which is a flash fiction story featuring a picture as inspiration and a story that includes romance.

Alex J. Cavanaugh asked about description. Specifically how to add enough description the first time through? There isn't a fix to this Alex. You have to train yourself to do it. Some people have too much description and others have flat and underdeveloped description. I will share my method and hopefully you all will be inspired.

I am a trained artist. Color is important to me. As a child I viewed the world differently than my family members. I saw beyond the tall grass and weeds to a world that hummed with life. I have lived in Nebraska, Colorado and Minnesota and when I was a child our family took month long road trips. I can tell you that each place has its own feel, its own hum, its own life oozing out of the corners to envelope those it touches.

As a child in Nebraska, my brother and sister and I ran wild at night with our friends catching fireflies. I saw magic in their glow. Later we moved to Colorado where the grass was spiky from lack of humidity and hurt my bare feet. The mountains spoke to my insignificance and I began to search for God. Found Him. In college I lived in several locals in Minnesota, land of ten thousand lakes. Autumns in Minnesota are vibrant and beautiful and the first frost left ice crystals like fairy dust all over the trees, houses and windows. I loved Minnesota.

With this background I can shut my eyes and imagine a world rich with color and life, with sweltering heat and freezing cold, with damp rain or wind that rattles the shades. I can smell the world around me. I can twirl in my imagination and see the buildings and people, smell the pigs or horses, flick away a fly. Perhaps I have an unfair advantage. But I am not a science fiction writer, as is Alex, and there is no way I could describe the intricate details of a machine that is critical to the plot.

What do I recommend for those of you who don't get all the description you need the first time though?

Slow down. When you do your research or you're out and about take notes, take pictures, write down or record in some fashion what you see, smell, and taste. What do you hear? What sensations are available to the touch? Then imagine one of your characters in that same place, what is different about it to them? What do they experience? With this type of discipline, you will develop the skills necessary to give your novels a rich backdrop that will cause the readers to get lost in your world and make it their own.

I hope that is a help to all of you. Let me know if there are any burning questions you would like answered.
To read previous Writing Craft post go here.

Answered:
Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.
Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump. I broke this up into several post.

Still to come:

Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.
Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.
Mike Rushhoeft suggested a list of words to avoid. Good idea Mike.

Need additional help? Email me for class information. gillael@aol.com
Nancy

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

YouTube link.

In case you don't know turkey is the number one meat served at Thanksgiving dinner. In this video, the wild turkey's have had enough. It's human on their dinner plate. Enjoy!

Relapse

2011-11-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hi all:
The bronchitis just won't quit. The doctor has put me on an inhaler and said it would be 10 days before I start to feel better. I sleep more than anything other than coughing. I can't keep any food down which makes me weak.

The Writing Craft will return next week.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.

Cheers,
Nancy

Writing Craft: Information Dump

2011-11-14T00:00:00.001-07:00

Greetings all. I am feeling better, but this bronchitis seems to have a high relapse issue since I've suffered three relapses so far. Ugh.

Today on the Writing Craft we are talking about the dreaded Information Dump. What is it? How do you prevent it?

As discussed in previous post too much information can take the form of back story. To read these post go here. However, Information Dump is really about learning way too much cool, boring or irrelevant stuff about the character's profession, talent, skill, town and so on. While you are conducting your research you've written everything down. You have taken notes and side notes and pictures. You collected a lot of Information. So now is the task of how much to include.

Hold your breath, I'm about to break your heart. Sorry in advance.

You only include enough to make the story believable. Now that translates to all of you completely differently. So I will illustrate.

In my epic fantasy, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, I had to research map making and the art of the survey. Okay, maybe not an art to some, but I bet it is to the professional surveyor. Luckily, my brother surveyed in college and I sent off an email to him. He sent back detailed information. Next I researched how long people have surveyed…think ancient Egypt though the Romans were masters. Then I had to look at the actual equipment that might have been used in medieval times. Needless to say, I had a lot of Information.
My first through eighth draft was so full of information that my critique group kept shaking their heads at me. I tooled back and it was still too much. So to let you see what actually turned up in Chapter two of my fantasy here is an excerpt.

Prince Healden has approached the mapmaker Newlyn to check on his progress:

Newlyn bent over his work, spreading the needle legs of the compass on the map that lay on the long table. As he worked, he referred to a small slate with measurements recorded in chalk. He dipped the quill into an ink bottle, and added the twisting line of a stream to the parchment. The giant redwoods that surrounded the meadow on three sides were indicated on the parchment by an outline bearing the name Northwode.

As you can see, very little of the act of making maps and survey equipment is in this paragraph. It is just enough to give flavor to the story. The needle legs of the compass, the measurements recorded in chalk, the quill pen and ink bottle. The reader will fill in the blanks. They will understand that there is an instrument being used without me telling them and a slate is a better term for this time period than a chalk board. Think of information as the seasoning in a fine dish. Most people don't use an entire garlic bulb in their spaghetti only one to five cloves according to taste. Too much salt spoils the recipe. Too much information spoils the story telling. The reader is dumped into engineering school or some other class room scenario. Your characters and your world didn't go with them. You risk your book being set aside never to be read again.

Does this help? If you need more specific help I do offer classes, just email me and we'll talk. gillael@aol.com

Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.
Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.
Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump.
Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.
Mike Rushhoeft suggested a list of words to avoid. Good idea Mike.

To add your topic just let me know what you struggle with or have questions about in the comments.
Nancy

Acute Bronchitis

2011-11-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

Acute Bronchitis

I have never really thought about any kind of lung disease. Sure, I've had colds. I suffer from sinusitis on a regular basis. I don't have asthma, allergies nor have I ever had pneumonia. I have never smoked a day in my life though I have been around people who did.

Bronchitis can occur with a cold. It is pretty much a normal part of the process. But acute bronchitis, let me tell you, the pain is out of this world. I have a high tolerance for pain and I gave this a nine. I couldn't catch my breath for about 20 hours. The pain wrapped around my left side and bruised my lungs. If you've ever had heartburn give this one a ten. I didn't know what was wrong.

So I came home from the hospital armed to the teeth with drugs and two children who were freaked out and two grandchildren who wanted to lay on my lap because they were scared. It's good to be loved. I could hardly sleep that night. It was so painful and every time I had to cough I thought I would die. Then, last weekend I came down with a killer cold. Just what I needed. I'm almost better but it has been a long haul. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday. We moved so it's a new doctor and new clinic.

And this is why I haven't been blogging much, answering my emails or coming by your blogs. My apologies. I hope to be better soon.

Cheers,
Nancy

The Writing Craft: Weave Back Story In

2011-11-07T00:00:00.001-07:00

Last week I talked about back story and indicated that it is a two part series or post. If you missed it go here. Now how to weave it into the story.

Flashbacks:

A flashback is when the character remembers something in his or her past. Or when they re-live it if they are troubled. It may be done in a dream segment. Or it may be that a sight or smell sends them back in their memory and you as the writer take advantage of this style to share what has happened in the characters past.
In my epic fantasy, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, I used this technique when Missie was exploring a cave. Her fears were beginning to suffocate her and just the smell alone sent her to a scary memory of an incident in her childhood. How far along was the story by then? chapter six.

Dialogue:

Another effective way to handle back story is through dialogue. However, this must be a natural discourse, not a lecture.

Example:

"I told you. I suffered terrible pain from my accident and as you know I had surgery. Now I am better but I am still struggling to learn to walk like a normal person and not like a duck."

What is wrong with that discourse? What is right about it?

The character is lecturing another character. "I told you."

The character is dumping information. "As you know."

If the other character already knows about the accident and the surgery then it isn't natural for your character to tell them about this again.

What is right? The use of humor.

Better:

"How are you feeling?"

"Better, not so much pain."

"To bad they didn't discover this injury when you had the accident. You could have sued for more money."

"Well, I'm just glad it's over now. I have to see a therapist though, so I don't walk like a duck."

This discourse is natural. One character is visiting the other and their discussion is in the present even though they mention her car accident which is in the past.

Next week we will cover the dreaded information dump.

Future post by request:

Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.

Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.

Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump.

Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.

Please let me know in the comments if you are struggling with a writing challenge and would like me to cover it.

Is this post helpful?
Nancy

Announcements & News

2011-11-04T00:00:00.003-06:00

Romantic Friday Writer's is on break so members can participate in NaNoWrMo. We will be back on Dec. 2, 2011 with a change. Our Romantic post will occur once a month instead of every Friday.

I'll be hosting Ty Johnson on his book tour Nov. 30, 2011. Hope to see you all on that day. Here is information regarding his ongoing blog book tour. Stop by and say hi, here.

Fantasy author Ty Johnston’s blog tour 2011 is running from November 1 through November 30. His novels include City of Rogues, Bayne’s Climb and More than Kin, all of which are available for the Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/Ty-Johnston/e/B002MCBQRU/ ), the Nook (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/ty-johnston ) and online at Smashwords (http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/darkbow ). His latest novel, Ghosts of the Asylum, will be available for e-books on November 21. To find out more, follow him at his blog http://tyjohnston.blogspot.com /

Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh is having a Catch Fire Blog Party for his book launch on Feb. 28, 2012. Very exciting Alex.

Come by on Monday for more post on the Writing Craft.

Have a great weekend all.

Nancy

Insecure Writer's Support Group

2011-11-02T00:00:00.002-06:00

Alex J. Cavanuagh is our host for the Insecure Writer's Support Group which post on the first Wednesday of the month. To read what other writers have said go here.

Last month I discovered the Insecure Writer's Support Group on Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog and decided to participate. At this stage in my writing career I am published via the e-format and I am also offering writing classes. Some of you may ask; what do you have to be insecure about?

I'm certain that a person never completely outgrows their insecurities. (Unless you are among the few people who don't have many insecurities in the first place.) This writer's support group is a way to share my own insecurities and hopefully encourage others. Just my cup of tea, to quote a great cliché. So, with no further delay here is the major insecurity of my life.

When I was a child, I was switched from my left hand to my right hand by my teacher. To compound this problem, the school system adopted the 'whole learning program,' the same year. If you aren't familiar with the 'whole learning program' it basically states if you read to a child enough they will learn to read. No more phonics, it confuses children. BIG MISTAKE! This program continued in the American public school system even when my own children were in elementary school. I think they are now offering both phonics and whole learning, since children learn differently.

When my siblings brought home their report cards every subject was an A. (For those of you who don't know, that is the best grade you can get.) When I brought home my report card it was all D's & F's except art class. That is the worst grade you can get. Fortunately my parents didn't punish me but they did have lengthy discussions about what was wrong with me. Many of those conversations I overheard.

By the time third grade came along the school had decided that I was brain damaged and should be institutionalized. (1950's mentality.) But that summer my mother had had me evaluated and learned that I had been left handed and switched. She told the school that no brain damaged child could draw as well as I did. Then she taught me phonics herself. In 4th grade I received my first ever 100% correct spelling test. I ran all the way home and jumped into my mother's arms.

So why does this translate into insecurity? Because it was openly discussed that there was something wrong with me. Because I never understood English Grammar and I still don't. Because my siblings were given an intelligence test and were told they were geniuses and I was not allowed to take that test. Because to this very day my family treats me as if I am stupid. No kidding.

There are moments of clarity that occur for me in my writing. When I finish a chapter or a short flash fiction piece and think; man I'm good. But it is short lived. I could receive 100 fabulous reviews on my book and it will always be the one terrible review that will eat at me. I'm pretty sure most writers are the same way with reviews. I would love to overcome this insecurity. It would mean less stomach upset. But I am human, and flawed. The best I can do is to acknowledge this insecurity and press on regardless of it. I love to write and I hope you all enjoy my writings.

For more insecure post go here.

Did this help you? Do you have a similar insecurity?
Nancy

The Writing Craft: Back Story

2011-10-31T00:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Halloween!

Last Monday I began a new series on the Writing Craft. I asked for your help so I could determine what questions you have and address them. Four of you asked me to discuss three topics. So each Monday I will talk about one of them or in the case one question it is really a two part answer.

The Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu asked about back story and too much information. This is two parts. While back story is information, technically an information dump is research that you have conducted in order to get that part of the story right. The two things can easily over lap.

Riya asked how do writers know which genre to write in. She reads all genres.

Alex J. Cavanaugh asked how he could add enough description the first time through.

Today I will address back story:

As a writer you must know your characters. That means you will know what happened to the character before the story began. It is a temptation to start the story and then spend time for the character to explain his or her past. Never do this. But how do I avoid it, you may ask? The best way for me to illustrate this is to give you an example.

Twenty-four years ago I was in a car accident. I split open my head and hit my knees on the dash. At the hospital they checked me out, sewed up my head and generally made sure I was okay to be released. No one took x-rays of my hips. Twenty years later I couldn't walk because of the injuries to my hips. One was pushed into my pelvis and no longer had any cartilage. The other had been doing double duty for twenty years. The agony was beyond anything I had ever experienced including childbirth.

Suppose I am your character struggling with this pain. The story begins twenty years after the accident. How much about the accident do you include? Nothing in the first three chapters. What, you say? You begin the story with the current struggle.

Examples:

3rd person

Nancy slipped on the wet kitchen floor and cried. Tears escaped her eyes, the pain in her hips nearly sent her to the floor, she fell against the counter top and braced herself. Dirty dishes were piled in the sink and she wouldn't be able to do them again. How she hated that. Her hunger was swallowed by the agony that shot fingers of pain throughout her hips. Unable to make the simplest meal she would starve until her husband got home from work. She grabbed the crutches from the floor were they had fallen and hobbled to the living room recliner. It took ten minutes what would have taken less than one.

1st person

I slipped. Pain drove me against the kitchen countertop. I wailed, unable to stop myself. Gulping for air, my arms shaking, I stared at the pile of dishes. I wouldn't be able to do them again. My hunger was swallowed by the shooting pain that enveloped my hip. Another week before my surgery. It seemed so long. For the first time in my life I feared it. I was aware that my age made me more vulnerable. Would I survive?

**

In both cases nothing about the accident was mentioned. We only know that she has a hip injury. The focus is a little different. There is tension because she can't help herself much. This actually happened to me but when it did my husband and daughter were home and could help. It is true that I starved all day until someone could cook for me. It is also true that I was afraid I might die in surgery. There is always a risk with anesthesia that increases with age. This story can take many turns. In it Nancy could die. Or her husband could leave her. Or some other tragedy might strike. How would she deal with that? Much later in a scene with family members or with the hospital staff you could introduce the news about the car accident via dialogue. But be careful. Whatever is said must be in the present and not with a then this happened or that happened type of reference. You can also disclose some of the information in a flashback.

I will cover this next week.

Does this make sense to you? Does it help? Do you need help with another aspect of writing?
Nancy

##RomanticFridayWriters: Haunting

2011-10-27T19:20:00.002-06:00

Romantic Friday Writers is a blogfest every Friday hosted by Francine Howarth and L'Aussie. For more wonderful and frightening stories head over and take a peek. Here!

**
Tad prowled the ambulance double checking the supplies. The 2011 Zombie Crawl in downtown Denver appeared innocent enough. So far, someone stubbed their toe.

Brad stuck his head out the window. "A woman is unconscious."

Tad jumped into the passenger seat and the ambulance crept along to avoid hitting any of the walking dead. The costumes were fun and several were over the top like the guy dressed up as the devil. They spotted the woman. Her friend was crouched beside her, cell phone in hand, gore and blood smeared on a crumpled shirt.

Tad jumped out of the vehicle and approached. "What happened?"

"Someone shoved her into the lamp pole."

Tad bent and took her pulse. Her all white makeup made it difficult to access her. Her mouth hung open with a nasty black glob that appeared to be decay. She moaned and opened sea-green eyes. No makeup there. Tad felt his heart flip once. He ignored it.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

She tried to sit and lost her balance.

"Easy, you've got a goose egg on your forehead that looks real enough." He probed it.

"Ouch."

"What is you name?" Tad began the usual questions.

"Veronica," she said.

"Where are you?"

"Denver."

"What year is it?"

"2011. You go'in to ask something interesting?"

"Sorry, I need to make sure you're okay. Come on." He helped her up and guided her to the ambulance. "I think an ice pack on the injury is wise." Tad grabbed a bag and began to squish it until it was icy cold. Then he put it on Veronica's injury.

"Ouch," she said and put her hand over his.

This time Tad couldn't ignore the sparks that filtered under his skin and made his entire right side flaming hot. Veronica's sea green eyes engaged his own brown ones.

"You’re an ambulance guy?"

"Paramedic," he said.

"Right, never thought you'd like a mess like me did ya?"

"You're not a mess. You’re a zombie."

"Right…and you're handsome. Any plans for the near future."

"I'd like to have you for dinner in the usual sense of the term."

"Dinner it is. I better clean up first thought."

Tad kissed her, sweet and hungry he wanted more. Veronica giggled when he pulled back.

"I gored you," she said.

Tad used a towel from the ambulance to wipe black makeup from his face. "Anytime, sweet heart."

Word count 400

I was inspired by the 2011 Zombie Crawl in downtown Denver that is held every year as a food drive to benefit local charities. I hope you liked the story and will take a peek at the crawl.

YouTube Link

A Haunting Story...come join the fun!

2011-10-26T06:48:00.000-06:00

Haunting - your invitation to write a 400-word story or poem this Friday 28.

Romantic Friday Writers, a weekly on-going blogfest run by L'Aussie and Francine Howarth, has an open challenge to everyone to write a 400-word story or poem on the theme Haunting for Friday 28 October. Well, er, that might just have something to do with Halloween?

What haunts you? Do you have a story or poem in the paranormal genre you could share, do ghosts or zombies inhabit your universe? Or do you have a character who is just plain haunted by what has happened in the past? Release your creative juices and pen a tasty banquet for the feast on Friday. Just remember to have an element of romance present in some form...

How do you enter your story?

Click here to go to the Romantic Friday Writers' website
Submit your direct story link to the linky (linky is now up here!)
Tweet using #RFWer to tell the twitterverse you've posted (optional) or post on facebook etc...
Find some time over the Halloween weekend to read other stories. What better way to spend the weekend while you suck on trick or treat candies?
If you're a member, your story is automatically up for Featured Writer, Runner Up or an Encouragement Award. If you're not a member, you're welcome to join - it's free! Remember, you don't have to be a member to post this week or any week!

Please join us! We'll have fun!

Happy Writing!

Spread the word! You're welcome to copy/paste this post to your blog! Tweet, facebook it too!

Re-post by request from Denise (L'Aussie). It's fun and rewarding and will challenge your writing skills. Give it a try. This week, blood, gore and creepy critters are on the venue.

Nancy

New Series on the Writing Craft:

2011-10-24T07:55:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween! Well, almost...next Monday.

Is it in the cards that I begin a new writing series? Or is it just plain spooky? LOL

Whatever the case may be we start something new today that I will call The Writing Craft. You may notice I have a new blog called the same thing, N. R. Williams, The Writing Craft. So here we go.

I am going to need your help. Yes I am. We all struggle with various aspects of writing. After more than 18 years I've learned a lot. In those 18 years I've attended writer's conferences and workshops as well as being the moderator of a critique group. It's time to share a little information.

So what do you struggle with? What lessons can I share?

Here is a partial list of things:
Voice
Back story
Too much Information
Show don't Tell
POV
Description
Dialogue
1st person/3rd person
Genre

Or something else entirely?

I will answer your questions, one at a time, in as much as a single post will allow. For hands on training with a more in-depth challenge and critique, go to N. R. Williams, The Writing Craft and sign up for classes via e-mail.

Cheers,
Nancy

#RomanticFridayWriters: Whispers

2011-10-20T00:00:00.002-06:00

Romantic Friday Wrtiers is hosted by Francine Howarth and L'Aussie. This is a writing challenge that will fine tune your abilities. Every Friday there is an opportunity to participate in the challenge with a romantic flash fiction piece between 300 and 400 words. Not to worry though, you can skip a Friday if you need to and you can post early or any time over the weekend. Please hop on by, Romantic Friday Writers to read the other creative post and or to join. It's worth it.

This challenge is called: Whispers:

Small towns. Elizabeth watched several women line up for an available cashier. None came to her register. They leaned close, covered their mouths and whispered while looking at her. Whispers. They followed her, ever since she left Fred. Fred, his money, his name. Fred and his wandering eye and clenched fist that she could still feel a year later.

Small towns.

Elizabeth turned to stare the opposite way. She'd put in a transfer request to a store in Denver. That would be far enough. It was time to check in with her manager.

"Spp…" someone whispered behind her.

Elisabeth rubbed the moisture from her hands and turned, expecting one of the women. Instead the strong scent of motor oil reeked from the young man's jacket. The name over the pocket was Tim.

"Are you open?" He referred to her checkout line.

"Yes."

"How come no one is in line? The rest have three or more ladies waiting."

"They aren't ladies."

"I beg your pardon?"

He looked as confused as Elizabeth was irritated. She smiled.

"That's better," he said.

He had steak, potatoes and broccoli. No surprise there. She checked his finger for a wedding ring. There wasn't one. Fred didn't wear his either. For five years he left it on top of his chest of drawers.

"Aren't you---"

"Elizabeth." She didn't provide her last name. Fred's last name until she could legally change it. The divorce was final two months ago.

"Elizabeth," he lowered his voice to a whisper. "I sure would like to grab a cup of Joe with you."

"Coffee," she said. Numb, could she ever feel for another man? "I'm off at five."

"Great, I'll pick you up here?"

"No!" Too quickly she rejected that idea. "I'll meet you at Starbucks. Seven okay?"

Elizabeth pushed open the door to Starbucks dressed in blue jeans and a red sweater that hugged her waist. Tim stood. His dark hair hung low over his ears and his brown eyes crinkled slightly when he smiled.

"For you," he said and thrust a spiky cactus at her. "If I ever get out of hand you can poke me with it."

Elizabeth smiled and took the potted plant. She came close enough to smell the Ivory soap he had bathed with.

"You are so different," she said.

"Glad you like it," his whispered breath tingled her ear.

Whispers.

Word count: 397 includes the title.

Critique only misspelled words or punctuation. Thanks.

Need a little help? I'm offering affordable writing classes. N. R. Williams, The Writing Craft.

Nancy

Plot: Ascension and Descension

2011-10-17T00:00:00.002-06:00

This post concludes my study of plot. If you wish to reexamine any of the plot post you can find the links at the bottom of my blog under plot. One thing that we have learned overall is that a plot drives your story like a road map. The plot defines if the driver is action, event, or any number of things or if the driver is the character, better known as character driven. For the two plots, ascension and descension we will study characters. In these plots it is your job to introduce your character and allow the reader to know them before the events of the plot kick in to either make them heroes or villains.

Ascension and descension are opposites in every way. Ascension introduces a character that is either deformed in some way yet ordinary on the inside or is ordinary and will make extra ordinary choices by the end of the book. Think about a monster, visually gross on the outside, someone we wouldn't want to get to know, someone that is certainly stereo typed yet when the reader, through the eyes of another character, gets to know this person realizes that; hay, this is a wonderful person. Think, The Elephant Man by Sir Frederick Treves, or The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo and others. For an example of the ordinary character we can study, The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy. I must confess that I haven't read this story so I am going on Tobias description entirely. I am so impressed however, that I plan to make this a must read. We meet Ivan at his funeral and learn that he is an ordinary man through the dialogue of the other characters who are not so sympathetic to Ivan. Again, I haven't read this. What draws me to this story is that he is ordinary. My favorite characters are as real as I can make them plus whatever talent or circumstance I can devise to make them great. Psychology is a good place to start when developing characters.

In descension we have the ordinary character usually who is faced with an extraordinary event that changes him or her for the worse. Once again, you must introduce us to the character so we see them before the event. Often times the event is greed, like winning the lottery or coming into some money. It may be that the character spends a lifetime in a job or marriage and becomes disillusioned to the point of doing the wrong thing. Money and power are the greatest forces of corruption that we know of. Most of these stories have one or both at the center of your characters downfall.

In both plots you are dealing with human psychology and it is all the more important for you to have a goal for your characters and a message that you want to drive home. How does the character respond to the forces around him or her.

As with all other plots there are three acts.
1. We meet the character before the big change.
2. We experience the change with the character. It may be immediate or gradual.
3. Your character overcomes or is overcome by his or her flaw.

In both cases, what is the purpose of the story? What do you as a writer want to say about life? Can we control our fate to create a better future or does greed, power, wealth get the better of us?

In both these plots, your character is the central focus. All other characters are drawn into the plot by him and react to circumstances because of him. For better or worse, give the reader a strong, forceful character. Even the ordinary man cannot remain so under these two plots.

For a further study of this plot and others I recommend, 20 Master Plots and how to build them by Ronald B. Tobias. It is a great read, as I have taken from this book for all these post.

Next week I will start a new series based on the things we should all learn about writing. If you need further help, I am offering classes for just $25.00. Each class will study various writing techniques plus a critique of your work. Go to my other blog, The Writing Craft to learn more.

I hope you all enjoyed this series.
Nancy

#RomanticFridayWriters: First Love

2011-10-14T00:00:00.001-06:00

Romantic Friday Writers is hosted by Francine Howarth and L'Aussie. To join us or to read more wonderful post go here.

Today's challenge is: First Love

Winona ran to the bathroom, her make-up bag tucked under her arm. With haste she scrubbed her face, glared at the black-head on her nose and applied concealer before spreading the foundation over all. Last she highlighted her blue eyes with mascara. God, why didn't she wake up sooner? She threw on a sweater and slipped into her tennis shoes before running out the door to catch the bus. Would Alex be on board? She hoped so.

The edge of her finger tips felt ice cold in the autumn breeze. A cascade of golden leaves blew all around her and she felt them stick to her dark hair. Yanking one out she boarded the bus and caught her breath. There, in the back row was Alex. A smile tugged at her mouth. An obnoxious ring sounded in her ear.

"Sit already," the bus driver admonished.

Winona moved; eyes locked on Alex's. Patricia stuck her leg out and Winona stumbled, catching herself in an awkward fall and landed in Ryan's lap.

"Hay babe, you finally noticed," Ryan said, his aftershave left a tangy tickle on her nose.

Alex laughed. A weight settled over her mind and heart. Inspiration wasn't Winona's usual skill, but in an insane move she gazed at Ryan's chocolate eyes and said. "Yes." Then she planted a kiss full on his lips. The laughter around her died. An unexpected thrill stung her heart. She opened her eyes to see warmth spread over Ryan's face. He kissed her back and held her so tight she moaned. A moment later she sat on the seat with Ryan and his hand held hers. Gone was all thought of Alex. Why hadn't she ever noticed Ryan before this? She would never forget him after his kiss. A giddy sensation filled her and when they arrived at school, they walked hand in hand to their first class.

Word count 314

First Love isn't my forte; I hope I did it justice and that you all enjoyed it.

Friday is insane for me with a lot of errands. If I don't see you today I'll be by tomorrow.

Do you need help with your writing? I'm offering affordable classes online. Go to The Writing Craft to learn more.

Nancy

Plot: Wretched Excess

2011-10-10T00:00:00.001-06:00

What do you think of when you see this title, Wretched Excess? For me I think of over eating. I have a weight problem and things translate into that for me rapidly. But I don't over eat. I tend to eat the wrong thing. Too many carbohydrates. My body says…ooh, I get to store more food. But I digress. Wretched Excess in the form of a plot is when the normal character is pushed by circumstance to act in a manor that isn't socially acceptable or when the abnormal character does the same thing.

Let's start with the normal. It shouldn't be too much of a stretch in today's economy to imagine the couple who has fallen on hard times. After years in a good job one or both lose their job, then their home and are thrust on the street to stand in line at a homeless shelter or to live in unfavorable conditions. In this dire situation one or both begin to live outside what is acceptable behavior in society.

This has actually happened to me. Though my husband is gainfully employed he makes half his previous income and we have lost our home. As a result, I live in a two bedroom apartment instead of a home paid for by years of mortgage payments. So far, I haven't reached the level of wretched excess, but I can imagine it with depth and detail because of my own experience.

Of course, this may be any number of situations. Our examples for this post is Shakespeare's plays, Othello, King Lear, Hamlet and Macbeth. In each play the protagonist is driven to break the rules of society. It's been years since I read King Lear and Macbeth, but I remember well that both Othello and Hamlet were driven 'mad' by their situations.

On a more modern note, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, 'Dick and Jane Have Fun.' Perhaps I have lost some of you. And maybe I liked it because our home was in jeopardy when I saw it. Here is a movie where the protagonist loses his job because the CEO is a crook and Dick is an unknowing fall guy. To make matters worse, he had encouraged his wife to leave her job. This leads into a job search for Dick that is less then productive and totally embarrassing. Meanwhile Jane is desperate to keep the truth from the neighbors. After many embarrassing moments they start to rob stores and banks' making ridiculous what is a serious offense in society. At one store they force the staff to make them a coffee at gun point. In the end, they save the day for all the ex-employees and to avoid a spoiler in case you haven't seen the movie I will not tell you how.

The point of this little excursion into a modern movie is that you as a writer do not have to cast this plot, Wretched Excess, into tragedy but you can make it a comedy. It is up to you. Just remember, good writing starts with believable characters. Whatever the catalyst for your plot is, it must be believable.

Act 1:
We see our characters in a normal setting. The event strikes a blow that will begin to change who and what they are.

Act 2:
There is a gradual loss of control for your character. The reader witnesses his or her spiral out of control. Don't hide your characters struggles. You want the reader to have sympathy for the character no matter his crimes. The villain however, is another matter. The villain must be bad with no redeeming qualities or at least very few. The villain in the movie, 'Dick and Jane have fun,' is the CEO who is rich and flaunts it while his ex-employees suffer the consequence of his actions.

Act 3:
This begins at the point where the character loses control and spirals downward breaking the rules of society. At the end you almost always have, murder or mayhem, or on a lighter note, the protagonist pulls it together for a spectacular finish that leaves the reader cheering.

Now for the question. In my current whip, the secondary plot is Wretched Excess. Because it is the secondary plot, the protagonist doesn't lose control but must save others as the villain intends to destroy many of them.

Next week the plot will be Ascension & Descension. My spell check doesn't like the spelling of descension, but that is how it is spelled in the book, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias. Next week's plot is also the last one.

Do you plan to use, Wretched Excess in any plot form?

Nancy

Do you need help with your writing? I'm offering affordable classes so come by and let me know what burning questions you have about your writing at The Writing Craft.

(This is post 300).

Romantic Friday Writers: Rock Candy

2011-10-07T00:00:00.001-06:00

Here is my entry for the Romantic Friday Writers challenge hosted by Francine Howarth and L'Aussie each Friday. This is a fun challenge with a winner every week. There are no prizes, just recognition. If you write, you may want to join and let your writing skills be tested.

When I saw Rock Candy, I envisioned the confection common to The Rocky Mountain region known by the same name and made to appear as rocks. I guess Rock Candy can also mean rock n' roll bands and groupies. I hope no one will mind if I take my story from the sunny seaside and crazy fans to the Colorado high country. Enjoy!

**

Jessica finished her display with clustered candies made to look like rocks along the river banks of Colorado. In five minutes her dream, her café, would open. It featured two cappuccino machines, hot cocoa, pastries and a variety of candies. A fabulous chocolate sculpture of a child took center stage. Red paint decorated the doors while black and white checker board tiles lined the floor. Small tables and chairs gave potential customers a place to sit and enjoy Jessica's treats. Would anyone come?

She'd worked hard, finishing her degree in the culinary arts while struggling to raise a four year old daughter alone. Her ex-boyfriend was currently in jail for domestic abuse. Those memories intruded. For a moment Jessica felt the bruises that had marred her beauty and still scared her heart.

Smoothing her hands along the pristine pink apron she opened her store for business. Phillip, her partner for a year in school entered. Tall and handsome, blond curls wrapped around his ears. She hadn't heard from him since graduation four months ago. Even with the strong scents of coffee and chocolate he was close enough for her to breathe in his after shave.

He smiled. "You did it Jess, what a fantastic place."

"Thanks."

"I lost your number," he said.

Jessica moved behind the counter. "Really? I didn't know you had it."

"Sure you did. I pestered you for two months before you gave it to me."

"Why did you lose it then?"

"Fate."

What a stupid thing to say to her. "Coffee? Hot Cocoa?"

"Jess."

His voice went through her. The tears at the back of her eyes drizzled down and she had to turn away.

"If I hadn't lost your number, I never would have realized how dependent my heart was on seeing you, hearing your voice, tasting your creations."

The radio station began to play Celine Deon singing 'My Heart Will Go On.' Phillip reached for her hand and Jessica realized he had come around the counter and stood beside her. In a graceful move he pulled her close and began to dance before the pastries. She was certain her heart would leap out of her chest and join his when he pressed his lips against hers.

"Marry me?" Phillip said when his kiss ended.

A crowd of customers had entered and they broke into applause.

Her smile answered for her.

Word count: 396 (I had to cut 100 words, ugh.)

To read more Romantic Friday Writers challenge post go here.

Nancy

The Writing Craft

2011-10-05T00:00:00.002-06:00

Greetings all my friends and visitors.

Over the course of a year I have offered suggestions on how to improve your writing. By the end of October, my plot post will conclude. Since many of you have asked so many varying questions about writing I have decided to offer affordable classes. Just $25.00 a month. I'm still working on the classes. So please let me know in the comments here and at my new blog dedicated to The Writing Craft.

See you there.

Just found Alex's Insecure Writing Group...so I've joined and will share more on that next month.
Nancy
(source)

Plot: Discovery

2011-10-03T00:00:00.002-06:00

Human nature. We as a group of mammals are distinct in that we struggle to learn who and what we are. The plot today, discovery, is about this struggle. Because of that it is a character driven plot at its heart as well as an important plot.

This plot differs from Maturation because it is about the process of discovery. In maturation, we have a character that grows up into themselves. In discovery, we have a character that learns who they are.

Many children's books, young adult, are based on this plot. Young people more than adults are constantly asking the questions about who they are, what is their purpose, why this or that. As adult writers, are greatest struggle with a plot such as discovery is the temptation to preach. Make sure you tell your story through your character to avoid such an outcome.

Character driven: Your task as a writer is to make that world and the people in it so real that the reader can bridge the fantasy or words with the reality of belief. Ronald B. Tobias, 20 Master Plots and how to build them.

Act 1:
Establish who your character is but don't spend much time on this. Get to the catalyst quickly. Flashbacks are an important tool in this plot. But don't give us a hundred pages at one sitting or you risk losing the reader. Yes, there are some gifted writers who can do this, but if you are new to the craft, avoid lengthy flashbacks or back story.

Act 2:
The middle of any plot can get bogged down. In this plot, discovery, it is important to delve into your character's personality. Who are they? What is the struggle, the challenge? What is the character flaw that puts them into the current situation? What must they learn? In Death of a Salesman, by Bowman. (The book not the play). The character learns that he led an incomplete life because he never loved anyone or married. What ever the revelation is for your character, it must be BIG. Don't make it trivial. If your character is a peacekeeper, don't give this revelation after a family argument. It must be bigger than that. Avoid melodrama.

Act 3:
Your character begins to fully understand what and who they are. In Death of a Salesman, the character understands what he has lost and learns to appreciate the love of a young couple who has given him shelter. He understands that he is dying. If your character is a peacekeeper as I mentioned above, they must understand the nature of their true calling and its cost.

While I was reading the section in Tobias book, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, about this plot, discovery. I couldn't help but think about Harry Potter. In the first chapter of the first book how much time did J. K. Rowling spend in Harry's past? Zero. We are presented with an infant who is delivered to relatives and left on the doorstep in a wicker basket by some rather odd people. Two wizards and a giant. We learn about Harry's past in flashbacks handled with the use of dialogue and visions. Harry is a baby. He doesn't remember his past until a vision reveals bits and pieces of it over the course of seven books. Masterful.

Over many years of learning the craft of writing I have attended conferences and workshops and in all of them I have heard the advice that states, no back-story in the first three chapters. This is excellent advice and I follow it, but…what I have learned after reading many books by talented authors is that this is a base guide that occasionally must be broken. How you break it is crucial. There is no substitute for excellent writing. If you are new to the craft, don't despair, the act of writing will develop the necessary skills you need to move forward. I am developing a line of classes to help if anyone is interested and will announce it soon.

Next week the plot is: Wretched Excess

Are you plotting a book with discovery as the main plot?

Nancy

Romantic Friday Writers: Fearful Heart

2011-09-30T00:00:00.003-06:00

Romantic Friday Writers is hosted by Francine Howarth and L'Aussie. To read their entries and others or to join this fun and rewarding writing exercise please visit, Romantic Friday Writers.

Fearful Heart:

Rosemary sensed his attention before she turned her head to look. The restaurant was filled for the noon hour with business men and women all wanting a quick meal. She was no exception. The crowd around the salad bar prevented her from seeing the booths just past it so she examined the further corner. There, blue jeans and black cowboy hat that rested on the table was Benjamin. How long had it been? Three, maybe five years since he married Amber. Rosemary had moved to the city after that. What was he doing here?

Benjamin tipped his head to acknowledge her. Rosemary turned her back. She felt the color leave her face, her eyes blurred momentarily as the memory of his parting kiss lingered. The ache in her heart was physical. She had never wanted to see him again. Apparently 500 hundred miles wasn't far enough.

She stood abruptly and threw down the money to pay for her meal. Before she reached the door he stopped her.

"You’re a sight for sore eyes," Benjamin said.

"And you still rely on clichés to express your feelings." She moved around him and he raised his arm to block her escape.

"We need to talk."

He smelled of green grass and wild flowers. She longed for the open country.

"I have nothing to say to you. Kindly move your arm."

He grasped her elbow and escorted her outside where the sun and heat beat against the cement and the air was filled with exhaust fumes.

"How is your wife?" Rosemary asked more to put distance between them and not because she cared. Amber had been her high school nemesis.

"I didn't come to talk about Amber," Benjamin said.

"So like a man. Look up the old flame and have an affair. I'm not interested."

"Now who is speaking in clichés?" he asked.

Rosemary knew her heart wouldn't survive another long term romance with Benjamin. Hell, she hadn't even dated any of the men who had expressed an interest. There was nothing for her here. She needed to go.

"What do you want Benjamin?"

"You. I want you. I want a second chance. Amber moved to Florida. Ranching wasn't her thing, but you---"

"You made your choice. Why should I be second? Every morning I'd wonder where your heart is."

"Rosemary."

"Good bye Benjamin." She marched off and didn't look back.

Word count 398. I hope you enjoyed my selection.

Plot: Sacrifice

2011-09-26T00:00:00.002-06:00

Had to change it up, it's Indian Summer!

In the beginning, written stories that involved sacrifice meant that some one or some thing was sacrificed for the gods, or for the Hebrew God. Blood must be shed. Today, sacrifice might mean that a person offers something important to them for an ideal and not for a god. Sometimes this includes their life but it isn't a requirement.

As a writer, it is important to study your characters personality. Establish their background and belief system so the reader understands what it takes for them to set aside their beliefs to make the sacrifice that is required. Or maybe, it is their belief that causes them to make a sacrifice. The price for this is usually deep and personal cost. Does this sacrifice or lack of sacrifice make your character a hero or does it shame them, discredit them. What price do they pay?

Case study:
High Noon starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. He is a moral man who can't allow a killer into town even though he has already turned in the sheriff's badge and plans to relocate with his new bride, Grace Kelly. She is a Quaker and hates violence but will put aside her beliefs and take up arms to save her husband. In the movie, we don't have time to visit the internal struggles of the characters for their decisions. In a book, you as the author must detail the internal struggles to satisfy the reader.

Casablanca starring Hunphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Bogart's character appears as a callous man but in a flashback we learn that he suffers from a broken heart and loves Bergman's character. Ultimately, he sacrifices his own safety for hers.

In both examples I have taken a quick look. As writers we need to delve into the depths of our characters. For this plot the setting must be small. One location is best. In High Noon it was the town and railway station. In Casablanca it is the lounge that Bogart's character owns. By limiting the setting, you create more tension.

Act 1
Meet the characters. Are they selfish or do they have an intense belief system that they must follow?

Act 2
Your character is confronted by a moral challenge. The events of the story challenge them and force them to make a decision. Do they follow their code or do the turn their back and why? If your character is selfish then you must establish why they would reach out and help someone. Remember, people are driven by their own beliefs and so should your characters be.

Act 3
How does this sacrifice affect your character and the characters around them? The strongest sacrifice comes at a great personal cost.

This is truly an overview. All the plots that I have featured deserve more study before you select one and start to write. My daughter asked me about plots today as I was preparing this post. Our family tends to do fun things on the spur of the moment. I told her that as a writer, we may decide on a trip but we'd better take a road map so we won't get lost. That is what a plot is. A map with many roads. Choose one but don't worry if you need to change directions to make the middle a little more exciting. That is called a plot twist or a secondary plot.

Next Monday the plot will be: Discovery

Are you working sacrifice into your current manuscript or a future one?

Nancy

I'm back!

2011-09-21T13:39:00.001-06:00

Finally...

We have a great internet provider.

Source

I'm looking forward to visiting you all.

Nancy

Classify Social Status Issues

2011-09-07T12:01:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone
It seems I won't be able to blog until I replace the internet provider. I'm broke at the moment since we moved and that was costly. I anticipate sometime next week. Currently, I can't go to anyone elses blog and I can't leave comments on my own blog half the time.

Alex J. Cavanaugh asked me:

Where would you classify social status issues? (Or something to that effect?)

I'm not sure what you mean Alex. If you are talking about morality in America, it is in a sad state. I believe the Ten Commandments should be taught in school. Children need to connect to their conscious and know right from wrong. The schools focus is on self esteem more than any other moral or ethical issue. Self esteem is important, but so is morality. Do we really want the 'bully' to feel good about themselves regardless of their behavior? Do we want children to rise to the challenge of learning and achieve their best or to feel good about themselves no matter their personal effort in school? Feeling good about yourself is a reward. While depression is a serious issue, let us not confuse it with self esteem. There are many and varied reasons for depression. A chemical imbalance in the body, being the target of bullies, a learning disability, problems at home, etc.

For the atheist out there who want no religion taught in school I have a few opinions. Did you know that the public school system, the first of its kind, was established in America so that the people would be able to read the Bible? I ask you, when you curse, who's name do you take in vain? I bet it isn't your Senators name, I bet it is Jesus. If you don't believe in Jesus or in God, why do you do that? It is because all people have a sense that there is something more out there, even you.

For all the Scientist out there. I believe that science will and is proving the existence of God every day. I don't doubt for one moment that when God spoke the universe into existence it sounded a lot like a Big Bang. There is no missing link. Man is unique in many ways and capable of great things.

Are you an Alien enthusiast who believes that alien's are the reason man is who he is? Let me say this, I do not doubt that there are aliens. The universe is vast. But that doesn't mean that aliens came to earth and monkeyed around with our DNA. It doesn't mean that the ancient people established multiple 'gods' because of the visitors from beyond. Maybe they did, but to say in an all inclusive way that this is the Only reason is naive. I think it is more likely that there was an imaginative writer who told stories and made things up. I do that all the time and I have never seen or been abducted by an alien. It doesn't stretch the imagination very far to then figure out that a few power hungry individuals saw a way to control and manipulate the mass population by exploiting the belief in multiple 'gods.'

I'll stop here...I probably went too far. I have no idea if this is the answer Alex wanted. I hope no one was offended. You are entitled to your beliefs as am I. I will not belittle you personally for any of your beliefs.

I hope to see you next week.
Nancy

Plot: Forbidden Love

2011-09-04T23:07:00.001-06:00

Plot: Forbidden Love

Hurray! I'm back. We're moved. My Mom is doing well. I have story ideas from two months of packing and moving and not getting to write. But…I am having trouble with the internet connection. It won't let me visit any of you. Please be patient, I haven't forgotten you and I am working to fix the problem.

Monday's theme, plot.

Today we are talking about Forbidden Love. This is the tragic romance. As many of you might have guessed, forbidden love and other love plots may be interwoven into any book as a sub-plot. It isn't necessary for you to think this is just romance, though romance certainly uses all these plot devises.

What is forbidden love? Today we live in a society much more tolerant of forbidden love and equally less tolerant of what the ancient people thought about forbidden love. For example, many ancient societies tolerated adultery more than our society. Personally, I think that is a great achievement that we are less tolerant, especially for women. Time past, a man could do anything he wanted but a woman couldn't. Although, Ancient Rome and Greece encouraged multiple partners and homosexual love for both men and women. And, the Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs married their own siblings to keep the kingship in the family. Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating for anyone to break a personal moral code. We are talking writing and crafting a story to be compelling and to deal with issues that may not be the writer's personal experience. Yes, in this case friends, write what you don't know. LOL

On with the plot.

There are several types of forbidden love.

Adultery:
You're married with another partner.

Incest:
You have a thing for your sister or brother, mother or father, and you act one it.

Homosexual love:
Men with men and women with women.

May - December romances:
Either sex is retirement age or older and the other is just out of their teens. Of course, it isn't necessarily that extreme. I'd say a good twenty to thirty year gap between the two is traditional.

In every example you don't necessarily have bedroom scenes. Sex isn't the only component.

Ask yourself this:
What is it that drives my character into the arms of the antagonist or minor character in forbidden love?

This is about tension, psychology, inner turmoil, what the partners give to one another, or don't give. The characters should learn something about themselves and the world. In each case, 99% of stories written about forbidden love end in tragedy. One or more of the characters die or are injured to the point of disability.

Act 1:
Establish your characters and introduce the future lovers to each other. What is it that draws them to one another? What society taboo are they about to break.

Act 2:
We enter the reason for each other, the heart of their interest. All is well. By the end or act 2, something happens to drive a wedge between the two. Either the world begins to interfere, their families and friends, or something with each of them or one of them affects the relationship.

Act 3:
One or both die or are permanently disabled by someone or something. Society has stepped in or a spouse. Something is preventing their relationship from continuing. Of course, you can break this rule and write a happy ending instead.

There are many stories out there about forbidden love. Oedipus, who ended up killing his own father who was king and marrying his own mother who is queen because it was prophesied he would and the king had sent him away as a child. Romeo and Juliet and similar stories. Their families are feuding. Quasimodo and Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Adultery; we have, Madame Bovary who seeks love outside her marriage. The Scarlet Letter and Anna Karenina to name just a few. Death in Venice is the tragic end of an older man who loves a young boy. Harold and Maude is an example of May - December love where the woman is older than the man. A real life example is Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. Ask yourself this, will this love end in tragedy? Probably not unless you are into children. Ashton will never have his own unless they elect a donor Mom.

I could go on, but I am sure you're well aware of the boss and secretary scenario and the unfortunate student/teacher affair that seems to pop up yearly in the news.

Next week we will explore the plot: Sacrifice.

To read more about this and any other master plot pick up the book, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias.

Are you writing about forbidden love or do you plan to add this tension packed plot idea to a future work?

Nancy

September...I'm back

2011-09-01T11:49:00.000-06:00

September...looks nothing like this in Colorado. But I am ready for fall and cooler weather.

I'm back...though I am limited. We have wireless internet and my poor computer doesn't have the WiFi programming yet. So, as soon as I can buy the program we will save so much money on the internet. It is already a $50 savings since I had one system and my daughter had another.

Monday I will continue the plot post with, Forbidden Love. Even if you don't write romance, a plot that is based on love is important as a secondary plot. What has more tension and conflict than love?

I'm not going to be able to make the rounds today, but before Monday I hope to stop by and say "hi," to many of you.

Nancy

Cancer

2011-08-15T21:38:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone.

We are moved and I just got on the internet tonight since my computer was packed away. Sad news awaited me. My mother has stage 3 colon cancer and had surgery. No one called me...

I will call her tomorrow. She is recovering from surgery. Your prayers are appreciated.
Nancy

News, good and bad.

2011-08-02T08:38:00.000-06:00

Oh, so sorry. I lost my internet connection over the weekend. I hope I didn't scare anyone.

Update on my move.

We were supposed to close the end of July. That didn't happen. However we have found a small two bedroom apartment that will allow us to consolidate and eliminate our debt over the next couple years. I was worried about this for a long time, but now I know there will be a roof over our heads.

The bad news is that we must move quickly and there is still work to do. I hope to be back before September but to be honest I'm not sure if that will happen. I am sure that you will see me in September and I will finish the plot post. There are five or six more.

After that I will start a new writing series called, Book-Working 101. I will answer general writing questions for all of you and go into some examples and explanations about must dos to make your work exceptional. If you would like something answered let me know in the comments. This will not be an English grammar post, there are plenty of resources for that.

I hope I haven't disappointed anyone too much.

See you soon.
Nancy

Guest Author Wendy S. Marcus

2011-07-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today it is my pleasures to introduce Wendy S. Marcus. She brought me back to the blog world early so that should tell you something. One lucky commenter will win a free book, plus who can't use some business sense in the game of publishing. Take it away Wendy.

Getting Noticed – Without Donning a Red Feather Boa or Scenting Your Manuscript
By: Wendy S. Marcus

Hi Nancy!
Thank you for hosting me on the 26th stop of my blog tour to promote my debut Harlequin Medical Romance, WHEN ONE NIGHT ISN’T ENOUGH. Today I’ve decided to chat about getting noticed – without donning a red feather boa or scenting your manuscript.

There are tens of thousands of writers seeking publication. For those of you who choose to go the traditional route, how can you get an agent/editor to read your manuscript ahead of the hundreds of others on their waiting-to-be-read list?

First, and foremost, you need to write and complete a quality, full-length manuscript. Yes, I said full-length. With a beginning, a middle and an end. Why? So you know you can do it. And so the agent/editor knows you can do it. I once read on a blog how a writer ran into an editor at a conference and pitched an idea for a book. The editor loved it and requested the partial. The writer sent in the first three chapters. The editor bought it. The writer cashed her advance check. And couldn’t finish the story. She missed her deadline and had to return to money.

Okay, you have your completed manuscript. It’s been spellchecked, critiqued, and beta-read. It’s ready. You’re ready. Now what?

You could get a list of publishers/agents/editors and blanket the publishing countryside with your submissions. Maybe even use one of those submission services to broaden your reach while decreasing your effort. I wouldn’t recommend it.

First, I once attended a seminar where an agent talked about submission services. Their e-mails all arrived in her inbox looking the same. She could pick them out immediately. And she deleted every one without reading it.

Second, don’t waste your efforts tallying up all the submissions you’ve sent out. Quality is much more important that quantity. Take the time to do your research. Focus in on the agents/editors who are looking for submissions in the genre/subgenre your manuscript falls into. Maybe focus in on new agents/editors who are looking to build their author lists.

Personalize each submission cover letter. Add something from the agent/editor’s website. Find out what authors they work with. If there’s a particular author you love, whose work you think yours resembles, mention it. Have you met the agent/editor or seen them speak at a conference? Mention it. Do you follow their blog? Was there a specific post that resonated with you? Mention it.

Now. How to get the attention of an agent/editor the untraditional way.

1)    Once you’ve identified your top 10-20 agents/editors, visit their websites daily to see what’s new. Subscribe to their blogs. Follow them on Twitter. Did you know some agents/editors run random pitch sessions on their blogs? It’s a way to bring your work to their attention without having to risk landing in the slush pile and a way to bring your name to their attention.

2)    Find out what writing contests your agents/editors are judging and enter your work. And even if you don’t win, always send off a thank you note to your judges. I once read on a blog where a published author judged an entry in a contest and absolutely loved it. Since the entries were kept confidential she didn’t know who wrote it. She was shocked when the entry didn’t place. She’d hoped the entrant would send her a thank you note with her contact info. so she could forward the information on to her editor. The entrant never sent a thank you note. Opportunity lost.

3)    Find out what conferences your agents/editors are attending throughout the year and see if any are close enough for you to attend. This is money well spent, folks! Sign up for an appointment to pitch if they’re taking pitches. Or look for the opportunity to chat with them. Do not be hard sell. (I think we’ve all heard the story of the wannabe author who followed an editor into the ladies room.) This is not the way to go. But chatting about how much you enjoyed their seminar, or how lovely their necklace is, or even how much you enjoyed the food at lunch will open up a dialogue between you. Here’s a link to a post by Angela James, Executive Editor of Carina Press, on how to start a conversation with an editor at a conference
http://nicemommy-evileditor.com/blog/2011/05/03/how-to-start-a-conversation-with-an-editor-at-a-conference/ Maybe as things are winding up, you can throw in, “Would it be okay if I sent you my manuscript about….?” Now you have an opening for your submission cover letter.

4)    Visit publisher websites to see what they’re looking for. Many will put a call out for submissions for upcoming anthologies or lines where submissions may be lacking.

5)    If you write romance, become a member of the eHarlequin and/or Mills and Boon communities. Both offer excellent resources and opportunities for new writers.

6)    Remain open to possibilities other than what you first envisioned. Let me explain. When I wrote WHEN ONE NIGHT ISN’T ENOUGH, I had targeted Harlequin Superromance. But one day while perusing the Internet, (a favorite past time of mine) I stumbled upon an announcement for a pitch contest for Harlequin Medical Romance. Even though I was a nurse, I’d never considered writing for medical romance. I didn’t know much about the line, and wasn’t familiar with the Mills and Boon branch of Harlequin. But never one to pass up an opportunity, since my hero and heroine were doctor and nurse, I slaved over my two paragraph entry, was one of five winners, got assigned an editor, worked at revisions for six longs months, and finally sold in October 2010!

7) Think outside the box. Here’s a link to a post where NYT Bestselling Author, Carly Phillips discusses her big break: http://www.carlyphillips.com/diarypg1/ Carly identified an opportunity, got creative, and got herself catapulted to NYT bestseller!

I hope you found this information helpful and that you’ll take a few minutes to check out an excerpt from WHEN ONE NIGHT ISN’T ENOUGH here: http://wendysmarcus.com/books/

To learn more about me, or read an excerpt from my second book, ONCE A GOOD GIRL, please visit my website: http://WendySMarcus.com

Or visit me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Wendy-S-Marcus-Author-Page/184507031577429

Or Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/WendySMarcus

Or Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4823224.Wendy_S_Marcus

And if you’d like to purchase WHEN ONE LIFE ISN’T ENOUGH, it’s available here:

Amazon U.S.: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_14?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=wendy+s+marcus&sprefix=wendy+s+marcus

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flirting-Society-Doctor-Enough-Medical/dp/0263885925/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308233911&sr=1-1

Mills and Boon Aus: http://www.millsandboon.com.au/product.asp?productid=4371&dest=%2Fcategory%2Easp%3Fbookcategoryid%3D27%26page%3D1

Harlequin:
http://www.eharlequin.com

So what do you think? Did you find this information helpful? What else have you tried to catch an agents/editors attention? Did it work? Also, if you have any questions about medical romance I’m happy to answer them. One lucky commenter will win the 2in1 edition of my book which includes a complete novel by author Janice Lynn.

A contest...very cool. I enjoyed having you as my guest Wendy. Nancy

I'll be back on Monday, July 25 with guest author Wendy S. Marcus

2011-07-20T13:43:00.000-06:00

Surprise, I'll be back early. This coming Monday, July 25, 2011 with author Wendy S. Marcus as my guest talking about the art of getting noticed by agents and publishers. I know you won't want to miss it.

See you then.
Nancy

Blogger Awards & News

2011-07-11T00:00:00.002-06:00

I was given the creative blogger award by the wonderful Nutshell. Her blog is great and I hope you will all go visit her. There are no rules, that's my kind of award. So if you are reading this blog, guess what, you get the creative blogger award too. If you are new to following me, you get the award also. If you have a blog or website, you get the blog award as well. Just consider yourself creative already and take the award.

We are moving and once again we don't know when, but I have a ton of stuff I need to get rid of as well as another couple tons I need to box up. That plus my writing is suffering. I will not be blogging until August and then I may not be able to keep any kind of set schedule. I will however continue my plot series beginning, Monday, August 1, 2011. From time to time I will try to visit everyone. Enjoy the month of July and all the hot weather or the cold depending on where you're at.
Cheers,
Nancy

Romantic Friday Writers: Forgiven

2011-07-08T00:00:00.001-06:00

Romantic Friday Writers: Forgiven

Romantic Friday Writers if the brain child of L'Aussie and Francine Howarth. It is a blogfest of the highest order followed by RWA. Each week a different theme is presented and you can take up the gauntlet or pass if life has made you too busy. You do not have to join RWA, but it might be a good idea. I haven't done that yet for financial reasons. There is a link that you can follow at the end of my post.

Today the theme for Romantic Friday Writers is Forgiven. We are to write our character having a change of heart or direction in 400 words or less.

**

Lauren knew the truth. It settled in her stomach like rotten meat seasoned liberally with the salt of her lies and the pepper of her falsehood. How could she bring herself to tell Randall? He had been so kind to her. His love had worked like sunscreen to shield her from the UV rays of her memory. But…alas she knew she must face the painful decision she had regretted for the last decade. How would he respond? Randall, who had asked her to marry him, who wanted children.

Oh she loved him. She wanted to marry him and have those children. Yes and yes, but...if she waited to tell him, she might enjoy a few more happy years. God knew she needed happiness, complete with Randall's embrace.

Why had she been so foolish as a teenager? Her mother had warned her, but…she went to the party and got into the car. The crash that took the lives of her friends had left her alive but only partially. She broke her pelvis and lost the child she carried. Then came the discovery of her cancer and the doctors removed her uterus. She would never bare Randall's child. He would never forgive her.

Randall stood in her door. Casual attire, blue jeans and plaid shirt. His dark hair made those blue eyes more intense.

"Before we go out I must tell you something." Lauren bit her lower lip.

He kissed her cheek. She let him in and they sat on her sofa. Nerves made her palms moist and she rung her fingers like a terrycloth.

"What is it?" His beloved voice spoke those words and filtered through her defenses.

"I…" how could she say it? "I can't marry you."

"What…why?"

"You deserve better."

"You're kidding, right?

She shook her head. In her imagination she saw him grow angry and storm out of the house. If he did, Lauren would never have to tell him the truth. But he didn't. Instead he reached for her hand.

"I know you love me."

It was over. "I can't have children."

"What?" His confusion was like ice crystals shredding her love.

Oh God, she knew she must. She knew it was impossible to bury the truth along with her lost child, her lost innocence, her missing body part, so she told him.

"Come here you," Randall said. "You are my love. I am completed by you."

Word count: 400

I had to edit this one a lot to cut it back to 400. One of the good things about this weekly challenge is learning how to pack a punch in less words. I hope you enjoyed my submission. To read the other 'Forgiven' offerings go here.

Nancy

Giveaway: Blogs on a mission.

2011-07-07T00:00:00.002-06:00

Meagan Spooner is having a fabulous book giveaway. Go to her blog to check it out.

Alexia has a 200 follower giveaway.

Need a good laugh? Go check this out. Plot Device.

Guest Author Betsy Dornbusch

2011-07-06T00:00:00.005-06:00

Greetings everyone. It's my pleasure to introduce the fabulous Betsy Dornbsuch as she kicks off her blog book tour for the release of her book, Lost Prince. Betsy has been a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers here in Colorado for 6 years and served as hospitality chair, Vice President and is now the website liaison. She is also one of the founding editors for Electric Spec, a free online magazine. If you have time please check Electric Spec out. I know they ask for submissions regularly.

Now I will hand over my blog to Betsy.

Writing Space Opera

Betsy Dornbusch

Star Wars (the original) is my favorite film, hands down. Jump into the Way Back Machine with me for a sec: I was the weird, geeky kid at school who obsessed over Star Wars. The Force, the dog fights in space, the “destiny” themes, the lightsabers and mentors, the princess and the smuggler…sigh. I saw it in the theater seventeen times that summer and fall. When I had the opportunity a few years later to see Mark Hamill on the stage in Amadeus and he smiled at me, my heart stopped. He’d had the reconstructive surgery from that car accident, but all I could think of was him and his lightsaber. I still have my original R2D2, the first of my collection of robots. So when my publisher put out a call for SF erotica, I knew I wanted to try my hand at it.

Space opera is about people, first and foremost, but the backdrop is enormous and their struggles require massive scale. I cribbed rebellion from Star Wars (diplomatically referred to as “paying homage”) but that’s where the similarities end. I wanted an astronomically mismatched couple carrying around smugglers’ holds full of emotional baggage, so I put them on opposite sides in the war and fast forwarded two years after Prince Aric’s homeworld has been destroyed by the Coalition. He’s on the run, alone, determined to take revenge on the man who betrayed them to the Coaliton. Katriel is AWOL after losing her husband in the battle over Aric’s world. The complications run deeper than that, of course – I can’t leave anything well enough alone. But together, they launch a rebellion against an empire that controls the lucrative Salt Road, which spans five galaxies and countless oppressed species. And I hope, in the process, Aric and Katriel take the reader along on a fun ride.

Visit Sex Scenes at Starbucks to find out more about LOST PRINCE and the author: http://betsydornbusch.com

Buy the book at http://whiskeycreekpress.com

The only thing that’s kept Alaric, the so-called Lost Prince of Calixte, from giving into his grief over his beloved homeworld is the thought of revenge against the man who betrayed his people. But he couldn’t be more wrong about Haydn, who actually saved two thousand Calixten soldiers from certain death and secreted them on an inhospitable planet. There, they’ve launched a fledgling rebellion against the Coalition that rules six galaxies, including the lucrative Salt Road. They only need their prince to lead them.

Alaric needs a pilot to get him to his soldiers, someone too desperate to betray him. Katriel, a hotshot deserter pilot enslaved to Haydn by debt, is perfect for the job. But neither Katriel nor Alaric realize how the battle over Calixte binds them closer than blood, and when they find out, their collision will send shockwaves through the universe.

Excerpt

LOST PRICE

Salt Road Saga Book 1

Chapter 1

It wasn’t going to be easy achieving a meeting with Haydn Albrecht, the Salt Road Devil. Haydn was a busy man, even busier than when Alaric had known him as a child; anyone could see that. Pilots and customers had kept his inner office door sliding open since Alaric had arrived at sun-up on the hot, smoky planet called Pyrrcor, and the day was winding down to Final Meal.

Despite having sat for a long, long while, Alaric kept his back straight and his knees apart, prepared to stand at any moment. His sweaty hands rested on his knees, but well away from the weapon strapped to his thigh. Even so, Haydn’s exosentient secretary kept pointing its eyestalks in his direction. Alaric knew he looked more nervous as time went on, felt the anxiety crease his forehead and weigh on his shoulders. But the physical stress was no great hardship. He’d been trained since childhood to guard himself well, and such habits died hard when one bore a bounty exceeding a standard-year’s officer’s pay in the Junta.

Central Coalition Command, Alaric reminded himself. Loyalists to the military Coalition didn’t use derogatory language when speaking about their stratocratic government, especially when they sat in the middle of their galactic empire. After two standard-years on the run, Alaric knew better than to even think like a rebel.

He blamed his mental slip on the proximity of Haydn, though he’d barely caught a glance of the man through the door that slid soundlessly open and shut to admit Haydn’s many business appointments.

As the last visitor departed the outer chamber, Alaric leaned back and silently sighed. Haydn would no doubt slip out the side door, get away somehow, like he had during the Coalition’s attack on their homeworld. The bloody traitor. Alaric should have told the secretary he was a prospective Salt Run pilot. That might have gotten him into the inner sanctum sooner. Or he should have sussed out where Haydn lived and cornered him there…

The door to Haydn’s office slid open. All three of the secretary’s eyestalks turned that way. Alaric blinked at the figure in the doorway.

Haydn looked much the same—his greyed, clipped hair, barrel chest, and fighter’s stance all betraying his years of service in the military on Calixte. He’d changed his eye color from the heliotrope of the royal family, but he hadn’t fixed the scars on his face. It revealed nothing.

Haydn twitched his chin toward the exosentient, who tapped a question on its desk with its smallest pincer. It didn’t use the translator. Likely there was no need. Haydn had always had a knack for languages.

“Of course, let him in. Did you not hear the man? He is an old…friend.”

Another string of tapping.

“No, you’re finished.” Haydn turned back to his office and left the door open behind him. “Go home.”

“You may enter, sir,” the secretary said through its translator.

The metallic voice spoke in cadence to the secretary’s tapping, sounding almost like street faire drumming in the markets back home. Alaric had to remind himself there were no markets, no home at all any more. Calixte was a desolate landscape of bones and ruined sand, scraped free of life by the Acid Wind wielded by the Coalition.

Alaric bowed his head politely as the secretary moved from behind its desk toward the outer door on its backwards joints. Then he followed Haydn into his office. The door slid shut behind him and Alaric had to fight the urge to look back. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was stuck like a cockrat in a cage. But he’d been brought up to face his fears and his enemies with his back straight, so he removed his eyeshades and stared hard at Haydn.

Haydn leaned back against a large metal table with multiple tablet inserts, legs crossed. Face still set and hard, he gripped the edge of the table on either side of his hips with white fingers. He didn’t appear armed, but that meant nothing.

“Sir,” Alaric said, and drew his weapon.

That was all. What else did one say to one’s former armsmaster, a man who’d been a favored bastard uncle and a general in the King’s Army, but who’d disappeared into the ether when the fighting got tough? This meeting had only one of two outcomes, and Alaric certainly planned on coming out alive.

Betsy's other books include: Quenched and Quencher, through Ainsley publishers. Also, a soon to be released urban fantasy series this coming January, 2012. Sentinel: Archive of Fire.

Betsy will be here throughout the day to answer your questions. So don't be shy, ask her anything.

Nancy

Denver City & County Building Fireworks at Civic Center Park 7/3/2010

2011-07-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

YouTube link

You know I have to share fireworks! This is the Denver City & County Building in downtown Denver, Colorado, USA. I have never been to this fireworks display personally, we attend a closer to home event.

Here's a true story for you all.
My ancestor's came over the "pond" on the Mayflower...in other words, we were among the first boat people to land in America. During the Revolutionary War, one of my ancestors was a farmer in New England. His last name was Harvey. When he heard about Benedict Arnold betraying the new government and joining the English troops he said. "I don't know. I can say he was a good general when I fought with him."

There you have it, a little family history.

Romantic Friday Writers: Liar

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

Romantic Friday Writers is the brain child of L'Aussie and Francine Howarth. It is a blogfest of the highest order followed by RWA. Each week a different theme is presented and you can take up the gauntlet or pass if life has made you too busy. You do not have to join RWA, but it might be a good idea. I haven't done that yet for financial reasons. There is a link that you can follow at the end of my post.

The theme for today is liar.

I paced while my husband sat at the table watching. Our teenage children had been caught with cigarettes.

"I can't believe this. We raised our children in a smoke free home. Who is buying them cigarettes?"

"I don't know," he said.

"Your mother died at 59 because of smoking."

He said nothing.

"My grandmother lived to be 104…and a half!" I threw my hands in the air. "Do you know what that means?"

"No."

"I will out live my children. We must stop them. We must stop them before they become addicted to cigarettes."

A year has passed. I a fumed more than once at my husband. We have tried to locate the neighbor who was providing not just our children with cigarettes, but the entire neighborhood. I couldn't understand why any parent would do this. My girls were 13 and 15 respectively. I had isolated one neighbor and sent her a letter effectively preventing any more free handouts. But the cigarettes kept coming. I'd also lost my job, making money and my emotions on an equal stressful layer of worry. Who could be providing the cigarettes?

I put my last $5.00 on the computer keyboard. I needed a couple things from the store. I went to change and when I came back the money was gone and so was my husband. As soon as he got home I confronted him.

"Did you take my $5.00?"

"No."

The girls looked from me to him.

"I needed that. We are out of milk and eggs."

"I didn't take it."

I lost it. The stress was too much. It would be more than a week before he got paid again. "That was my last $5.00!"

He ignored me and went to watch T.V. I ran my hands through my hair and mumbled as I worked on my computer. I'd recently started selling a few things online at one of those auction houses trying to bring in more money. The atmosphere in the house was tense. My youngest daughter approached.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I gave the $5.00 to dad to buy us cigarettes."

"What?"

"He's been buying us cigarettes all year."

I thought someone had punched me in the stomach. I doubled over. My heart bled out. Was this what it felt like when someone cheated on you?

"You? You are the one buying them cigarettes?"

392 words. To read the other great entries for this week or to join Romantic Writers Fridays go here.

Hump Day Improvisation

2011-06-29T04:52:00.000-06:00

Good morning everyone. No picture today, I keep getting error messages. So let's use our imagination.

Your character is writing something. A letter, a grocery list, a to do list. Is it a dear John letter, a I miss you letter, or a list of some kind. Perhaps she is the reporter of the gossip column. Anything goes. Make sure we are in the characters head and feeling the reason for the letter. What internal conflict accompanies this?

For those who are new to my blog, write something in the comment section. Even if your not a "writer," you can still participate.
Nancy

Plot: Transformation

2011-06-27T00:00:00.001-06:00

We continue our exploration of plots with transformation. This is a character driven plot. What does that mean? It means that as the writer you need to understand your character. His weaknesses, his strengths, his fears, and his desires. It means that you must be able to effectively let the reader see this character and experience those character traits and it means that you need to know what will happen to the character to change him.

Transformation is related to metamorphosis. If you missed the discussion on metamorphosis you can go here to read it. Metamorphosis is how the character changes literally to become something else. Think in terms of a human becoming some type of other creature from vampire to werewolf and more. Or maybe the character is an animal to begin with that becomes human.

Transformation is about the human character and what happens that causes a person to grow. Examples of catalysis that you might use are:

A comfortable childhood and how the lessons of adulthood change this person.
War…need I say more?

The search for identity. I remember as a teenager asking many questions along this line of thought, trying to discover who I really was and what I should do with my life. This underlying reason may take your character into the dark places of his mind.

The character that is forced to deal with the dramatic moments in life; divorce, death, job loss to name a few.

These are all intense moments in a characters life. But, you need not have such a dramatic crisis; you may choose a simpler event. Your character may have low self esteem and the event that changes them may be the attention of another character, real or imagined.

The list of examples is long:
The Last Picture Show, by Larry McMurtry
The Paper Chase, by John Jay Osborn
Indian Camp, by Ernest Hemingway
The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane
Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Kramer vs. Kramer, by Avery Corman
Pygmalion better known as, My Fair Lady, by George Bernard Shaw (The play didn't have a happy ending).

Act 1:
The incident that begins the change in the protagonist life. Remember, we need to know who your character is emotionally.

Act 2:
We see the full effects of the inciting incident of the first act. How does this event change the character? How do they feel? What do they think about it? What is the internal process the character is going through?

Act 3:
You're not done. There is yet another incident that defines the result of the character's transformation. Now we see the lessons that your character has learned, has experienced and how this has changed him. This process allows your character growth.

Oh yes, this can be a sub-plot just like all plots can be.

There you have it. Do you have a character in your WIP that is undergoing transformation? If not, do you have a favorite transformation based book? What is it?

Based on information found in: 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias. You can find this book in most book stores or on Amazon. I highly recommend it.

Next Monday is July 4, a rather big deal in the USA. I will not be blogging that day. I'll be back on Wednesday, July 6 next week too. This week I will have a post on Wednesday and Friday.
Nancy

Thank you everyone

2011-06-25T11:41:00.000-06:00

Picture source

Thank you everyone for helping with contacting Amazon about The Magic of Windlier Woods. (I want them to offer Magic for free.) They haven't done anything yet but I think they will. Also, to all who re-posted their reviews of The Treasures of Carmelidrium, thank you, thank you. Amazon did away with the reviews when I up-loaded the corrected version. My new formatting professional did a wonderful job and the table of contents, (chapter titles), are linked directly to the chapter. How cool is that? You can hire her at a very reasonable rate, see my side bar for Tigers Author Services.

Enjoy your box of chocolates. There something for everyone.
Nancy

Need your help, please.

2011-06-23T08:41:00.001-06:00

I wrote The Magic of Windlier Woods based off a story I invented and used to tell my children when they were small. My idea in publishing this book was to introduce readers to me and my style of writing. Amazon however has refused to offer this book for free, which defeats the purpose. I have emailed them about this and given them the link to smashwords were it is available for free but they still won't offer my book for free.

Recently a blogger friend shared with me that if enough people tell Amazon that this book is offered elsewhere for free that they will also offer it for free. It's going to take more than one or two of you. So would you mind helping me out?

Just click the link below to go to the Amazon's site. Scroll down to Product Details and hit the button that says: Tell us about a lower price. You will need one of the links below.

Amazon

Link for Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54868

Link for Barnes & Nobles: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Magic-of-Windlier-Woods/N-R-Williams/e/2940011283161/

One link is all you need. Thank you everyone, I appreciate it.

P.S. If you can like me and agree with the tags as well, I'd appreciate that too. I'll have a virtual box of chocolates for you.
Nancy

P.S. Make sure you click on The Magic of Windlier Woods which is linked above on Amazon's site and not on The Treasures of Carmelidrium.

Hump Day Improvisation

2011-06-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

Snakes...love em' or hate em.' It's a snakes tale for this Hump Day Improvisation!

Picture source:

Late last night my daughter came home and her son came running in to my office. I was in the middle of reading something and editing. Plus I was tired so I had my hands up on my face and didn't see what he was holding. I turned and there in my face was a cobra. "Oh my God," I cried. He gave me a four year old sad face that I didn't appreciate his new toy. I wondered if my heart was still in my body. So that inspired this challenge.

Your character is confronted with a snake, real or toy or even imagined. Does he love em? Does he hate em? Oh yeah, he can be a she. Leave a comment describing his or her reaction and don't forget to tell us what kind of snake is occupying your sentence.

No pressure, if your new to my blog you can leave a comment too and if you don't think you're a writer give it a try. You never know what kind of creativity lurks within you.

Cheers,
Nancy

Plot: Underdog

2011-06-20T00:34:00.000-06:00

Now I'm feeling my age! Every time I think 'underdog,' I see a cartoon dog flying. But regardless of our past, there is a plot that is based on the idea that the protagonist isn't equal in strength, power, wealth, or any number of things you can think of, with the antagonist. Did I lose you? Let's just say, the antagonist has the upper hand in more ways than one.

Your underdog character is the average person in type. That means the reader can relate to him. In real life, many of us have experienced some kind of overwhelming obstacle. It may be a health issue, or a disagreement with a parent, sibling, teacher, anyone in your life. They have the upper hand, something they can use to control the circumstances. It could be a job that is changing rapidly, or a requirement that you are morally opposed to. Regardless of the challenge, the obstacle, the issue, you feel that there is nothing you can do. This is one character trait of the underdog. Put that character in harms way.

In, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, Tobias uses the fairy tale Cinderella as the example to illustrate the underdog plot. He mentions Disney's version but believes the Grimm story titled, Aschenputtel, is a better example since the step-sisters are also beautiful but lack Cinderella's moral convictions. Rather than repeat what Tobias said I will use another Cinderella story, my favorite, the movie 'Ever After,' by Andy Tennant and starring Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston and Dougray Scott. We won't quiver over the details that this film has a medieval servant who is totally Americanized and way too independent for her time. It was a charming tale and one we, or I, would like to believe was possible. In this movie there are no fairy godmothers or magic birds, no dancing rats or North American pumpkins.

Cinderella does suffer at the hand of a step-mother who is driven by jealousy more than by rank, though she uses her title to justify what she is doing. Cinderella has one excessively spoiled step-sister and one who has sympathy to spare. She is clearly the underdog, made into a servant with attitude. She hasn't lost her compassion for those around her and because of this she is driven to rescue a servant sold into slavery by the king, by dressing up as a lady of the court. All dressed up with servant shoes on, she meets the prince and tries to hide from him. But like any good man, he pursues the one who isn't interested in him. (In my epic fantasy, my prince does the same thing with my heroine; I wrote it before this movie came out.) But that sub-plot isn’t new to me or to the movie. It's based on reality.

Act 1:
We meet our hero when his life is normal just before the protagonist enters or is made into a protagonist by events that take place. Within a paragraph or page or by the end of the first chapter events go down hill rapidly for our hero. The antagonist has the upper hand and things don't look too promising.

Act 2:
The hero moves into a position of strength. The tide has changed for the better and he has the upper hand. In 'Ever After,' Drew Barrymore is secretly dating the prince, Dougray Scott. They are sneaking around just like American teenagers. She speaks her mind and he thinks it's great. She feels empowered by his affection and attention. After all, he's the prince and heir to the throne of France.

In the underdog plot, act 2 is developed in 3 stages: In the movie, 'Ever After:'

A). Prince and peasant meet. He likes her and it's obvious which is great for her self esteem. She begins to move toward a stronger position.

B). She receives support from the other serving staff at her father's estate.

C). They get lost and are surprised by gypsies. Drew saves the prince's life and then they befriend the gypsies and share a kiss. It's getting hot!

Act 3:
This brings the rivals into an equal competition with each other.

In 'Ever After,' the spoiled step-sister wants to wear Cinderella's mother's wedding dress and shoes to the ball. Cinderella loses it and punches the step-sister in the face. She goes flying over the bed and later throws Cinderella's beloved book in the fire.

Cinderella gets caught with spoiled step-sisters lovely gown sneaking back into the estate after her clandestine meeting with the prince. She is punished and locked up. (Leonardo da Vinci saves her).

Cinderella attends the ball in her mother's wedding dress and is exposed as a servant by jealous step-mother and spoiled step-sister. This is the 'black moment.' She is rejected by the prince and later sold into slavery by her step-mother.

Cinderella wins her freedom and leaves the estate of her capture only to discover that the prince has had a change of heart.

The rivalry is over. When wicked step-mother and spoiled step-sister arrive at the palace they learn that Cinderella has got her man. The king makes them servants at Cinderella's request. The underdog has won and we are all cheering. Hurray!

For a more in-depth look at this plot, please read 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias, available through Amazon or your local retailer.

Next week: Master plot, Transformation.

Do you have an underdog in your current manuscript or do you have an all time favorite underdog?

Romantic Friday Writers: Up, up and away

2011-06-17T00:00:00.002-06:00

Romantic Friday Writers if the brain child of L'Aussie and Francine Howarth. It is a blogfest of the highest order followed by RWA. Each week a different theme is presented and you can take up the gauntlet or pass if life has made you too busy. You do not have to join RWA, but it might be a good idea. I haven't done that yet for financial reasons. There is a link that you can follow at the end of my post.

Today the theme for Romantic Friday Writers is up, up and away. We are to write our character having a change of heart or direction in 400 words or less. This doesn’t mean a balloon ride in Kansas or a trip to the moon, just life changing with a romantic undercurrent or over current depending on your point view.

I present for your enjoyment an excerpt from my book, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, chapter 26. I had to tweak it to make it less than 400 words. It comes in at 399 words.

For those who don't know, Missie is a modern American flutist who has been thrust through a portal to an alternate medieval world.

**

Thoughts of Healden clouded Missie’s mind and her lower lip began to tremble.

“My Lady, are you crying?”

Missie’s pent up frustration unleashed a torrent of emotions. She covered her face with both hands and sobbed.

“What’s wrong with me?”

Vevina came around the chair, knelt and gave her a handkerchief. Missie wiped her eyes and noisily blew her nose. Then she studied Vevina’s freckled face.

“One minute I’m fine, the next I’m in tears. I love this place and I hate it. I want to be with…Healden.” Her voice broke. “And at the same time…”

Vevina took her hands. “You are in love, my Lady.”

“In love?” The words choked from Missie as if forced by an excess of air.

“Everyone can see it but you. When his highness is near, you glow. And the way he looks at you—”

Missie pulled her hands away and cupped them in her lap to quell the tremors that made them shake.

“But…how can I be in love? We aren’t from the same world?”

“You speak as if you’re different creatures and not human.”

“The king hates me. He doesn’t speak to me and when he does, he’s always gruff.”

“The king loves you. He spent hours at your side while you were ill. He cares for you, my Lady, as a king over a favored subject.”

Missie searched the girl’s face. “But, what about my home…my family?”

“Does not a woman leave her home when she meets the man she loves?”

“But, you can always visit.” The tears spilled over Missie’s cheeks and she wiped her eyes with a clean cloth.

“My Lady, I have a cousin who loved a man from the south of Gil-Lael. She married him and moved away.
We have not seen her since.”

“But…”

“You believe that you will return home someday.”

“Yes.”

Vevina stood, moved behind Missie to brush her hair. “My Lady, you already know that some have arrived from different lands and places, as you did.”

Missie watched Vevina’s reflection in the mirror, her tiny brows pulled together as she worked.

“About seventy-five years ago, a man came to Terrel. It is said he had a great talent, but no one remembers what he could do. He traveled everywhere looking for a door back to his land. In the end, he died having wasted his life, in pursuit of the impossible.”

I hope you enjoyed that. (399 words).

To read the other great entries or to join and write your own romantic post go here.

Nancy

P.S. Catie at Hidden Passions Book Review is giving away over 40 books. She is a wonderful lady and good blogging friend. Go check it out. Link.

Featured Writer!

2011-06-16T00:00:00.001-06:00

Me...little old me. I am the Featured Writer for my Romantic Friday Writers post on June 10, 2011. I was up against some pretty stiff competition. I am dancing around singing, "Oh yeah, oh yeah."

Romantic Friday Writers is the brain child of L'Aussie and Francine Howarth. If you'd like to join us and write a romantic post on Fridays please follow the link here. You don't have to write every Friday, just read the rules. You can also just follow that link to connect with all the other writers and their post.

To read my winning entry, go here.

Cheers!
Nancy

Hump Day Improvisation

2011-06-15T00:00:00.001-06:00

If you're here for the first time, hump day improvisation is a fun post to test your imagination. You don't have to be a writer to participate. Below is a picture and a challenge.

Picture source:

Your character has reached a door. Does s/he go through, hesitate, turn away? Show us in a few sentences what they do and if they go through, what do they find.

My sentences will appear in the comments later tonight.

Have fun,
Nancy

Blogger Awards

2011-06-14T00:00:00.005-06:00

The Yard Bard has given me the Stylish blogger award. Yea...thank you so much Yard. For this award you have to share a bunch of stuff and pass it on to who ever you want. I think the first time I got this award it was seven friends along with seven things about me.

We are moving and finally have a set date plus I'm writing the sequel to my epic fantasy. So I'm not going to repeat what I've already said. Instead, you can read my comments here.

As for my friends, bare with me please, if you've never gotten this award and you want it grab it, it's yours.

Cheers,
Nancy

Plot: Love, part two

2011-06-13T00:00:00.003-06:00

Last week in part one of Love, the plot; we looked at sentimentality and sentiment. Today we are going to look at happy and unhappy endings. Any romance author will tell you that happily ever after is a must in this genre. The readers expect it and the publishers require it. But not all romance novels are happy.

Let's take a look at some happy endings. Hollywood loves happy endings. When I think of romance I think of When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, While You Where Sleeping and many more. These movies are all about when boy meets girl, throw in some silly obstacles, and overcome them to create a fabulous marriage, at least we assume they get married. In When Harry Met Sally, he drove her nuts and vice versa. It wasn't until they each had been deeply hurt that they discovered the things in each other that were positive and supportive. In Sleepless in Seattle it was the distance from each other. In While You Where Sleeping it was the false engagement to one brother while the two characters struggled to understand their feelings. You could also qualify that as a lie.

I love happy endings too. Life can be fraught with loneliness, disappointment, despair and many other negative things. It is so cheerful to go to a movie, relax, have a laugh and remember when love touched your heart.

However, some stories have tragic endings. I brought up Romeo and Juliet last week. Both committed suicide when they were unable to figure out how to be together. In real life, there are stories of how married couples or college sweethearts fall out of love with each other. Perhaps the obstacles in life destroyed their love instead of bringing them closer together. Perhaps one of the characters has an obsessive personality and is abusive. The world is filled with tragic endings. All you need for inspiration is the latest newspaper. Horror films sometimes delve into this sort of relationship or a Suspense Novel might do so. There's a list of films that come to mind for this group too, like Psycho, Virginia Wolf, and many more.

Regardless of which love story you want to tell, a good plot is developed in 3 acts.

Act 1:
We are introduced to two main characters that either meet for the first time or have known each other. They may have been married for years, especially in the sad love story. It is important that you avoid clichés here. It is so easy to rely on a cliché since the love story is as old as man.

Act 2:
The lovers split. Something happens to drive them apart either by design or by the loss of love. One character may go off to a new location for a job or school. A villain may interfere by kidnapping one of the characters or presenting a challenge that the character is drawn into. Perhaps an accident occurs that either cripples one of the characters or causes their death. In the case of love lost, it is the on going story of why the characters no longer love each other and may even hate each other.

Act 3:
The lovers are reunited in the happy ending and in the unhappy ending they have completed the split. If the lovers have overcome an obstacle to be together, then you must demonstrate that their love is stronger than before. If they have made the final split then you must show how that split has affected the lovers. Did one of them die, or did they divorce. Is one of them going to declare, "Free at last…?"

To recap:
The love plot is a character driven plot. You will either write it with a sentiment or sentimentality view. The first is more original than the last which relies on well established types. 90% of love stories have a happy ending. If this is for the romance genre a happy ending is required by both the publishers and the readers. About 10% of love stories are written about how the characters fell out of love with each other, which can take a very dark twist.

There you have it. Next week the master plot is, Underdog. No, we are not talking about a cartoon character. LOL

For more on this plot and others please read, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias, available from your local retailer or at an online store. Or click on the link to Amazon's site and get it there.

Are you writing a love story? What type of story is it? Do you love to read love stories? Which type is your favorite?

(Winner of one of Edie Ramer's books if L. Diane Wolf. Congratulations Diane.)

Have a good week.
Nancy

Romantic Friday Writers: Forgotten

2011-06-10T00:00:00.005-06:00

Featured writer winner. Thank you, thank you. Nancy

Romantic Friday Writers is a blog fest every Friday. The creative genius behind this is L'Aussie and Francine Howarth. You can click on the link at the end of my story to check out all the other great writers participating in this fun event or join and add your talents to the blog fest. There is a winner (the prize is recognition). If you are a member of RWA then they are following this too but you don't have to be.

Today's challenge is 'Forgotten' in 400 words or less. Forgotten implies back story. A no, no in writing. Let's see if I can meet the challenge.

Forgotten:

I've lived my life as a bull charging forward, head down, anger my support. I have no regrets. I achieved my goals while stepping on a few toes. What are toes to a bull?

Oh, you think you know better? I have children to support. It's not my fault that I needed to feed and clothe them on my own. I refuse to even think of the reason for this. I have slapped on my business attire like a soldier in the field of battle. No looking back, the enemy is straight ahead.

What you say, a soldier relies on others? So does a business woman. Yes, I have many at my back. Fulfilling the orders I promised our clients. I took care of them. I complied with all the Federal rules. Many have been with me from the beginning.

Did I thank them? They got a paycheck. They had a Christmas bonus. We held holiday parties. What more thanks could I give?

I refuse to cry. Don't even ask. I refuse to shed tears. Even now, holding the notice that you died. Who were you to me? You promised to love me, to cherish me, to hold our marriage as a treasure. I believed you. We had three children together. Don't you know how much they missed their father? One day you were gone. A note mailed to me a week later. "I've had enough," you said. Enough? What is enough? You missed all the moments that a father should prize.

At night now I dream. I dream of your black hair and the stubble from your beard that tickled me when we kissed. I remember the spicy cologne you preferred. My heart soared in your embrace. I loved you beyond words. We waited until you had your law degree before we had children. Don't you remember how we held our son when he was born and then the twin girls three years later? They were only six months old when you left. Six months!

I am tortured by the memory of our love making. I never tired of you. Why did you tire of me? Am I free to remarry? I have always been free. I don't trust any man. I must deal with men every working day. I have experienced their lies. I have watched their betrayals. No, I will never forgive you.

Word count: 397

Just so you know. This is not my life. I'm still married with grand kids. I hope you enjoyed it. To read more Romantic Friday Writers post go here.

Guest Author Edie Ramer: Promotion.

2011-06-08T00:00:00.004-06:00

Today we have a special guest, the wonderful and talented Edie Ramer. Edie is going to talk about promotion for all of us published authors and that include the Indie author taking advantage of the e-publishing boom. I hope you will stay here and take some notes from Edie.

Nancy, thank you so much for inviting me to your place. You wanted me to talk about promo, and it’s an important subject for all authors, indie or legacy. I’ve been part of a popular group blog, Magical Musings, for several years. Last summer, we added other writers and changed the focus to readers instead of just writers. This was a month before I put out my first book, but I knew then that I wanted to reach readers, not just other writers, and my co-bloggers agreed.

Reaching readers is my number one goal. I have a lot of wonderful writer friends, and I did say yes to each one who offered to have me on their blog. But I don’t seek them out. Instead, right from the beginning, I searched for reviewers. Most of the big review sites like Fresh Fiction don’t review self-published books, but many wonderful book bloggers will review your book if they like the sound of it.

Here’s a Book Blogger Directory, but when I put out my first book last August, I didn’t know there were book bloggers. A friend, Lori Brighton, had recently self-published a paranormal romance, and so had her critique partner, H.P. Mallory (who quickly became a bestseller; Lori is doing very well, too). I looked at their reviews on Amazon, then I emailed the ones that were by reviewers, said I was a friend of Lori’s (or H.P’s, who I knew by then), and would they look at CATTITUDE.

I got a large percentage of acceptances because of 3 reasons: Many reviewers seem to like cats. My book has a great cover. My blurb, which I always include, is great.

But though I was getting mostly all 5 star reviews and a few 4 star, I wasn’t catapulted into bestsellerdom. Far from it. Part of the reason was that one book wasn’t enough. H.P Mallory had two books up right away. People loved one, then bought the second one. She priced one at 99 cents, as did Amanda Hocking. When Amanda self-published, she had quite a few books she put up quickly.

I had other books written, but I wanted to revise and make them better. My second book was DEAD PEOPLE, my American Title V final book, the first book in my Haunted Hearts series. It had been considered by two legacy publishers (one had gone around to all the editors), so it was in pretty good shape. But I know I made it much better in the revision, which I finally uploaded in November.

That and Christmas sales helped. From December through April, my sales more than doubled every month. In February I put up my third book, DRAGON BLUES, the first book in my Dragon series. To help sell it, I lowered the price of DEAD PEOPLE to 99 cents. Shortly after that, DEAD PEOPLE was featured on DailyCheapReads, which catapulted it into the top 10 of Kindle’s Ghosts and the Gothic categories.

This blog by Phoenix Sullivan will tell you why the category you choose is important. I wish there were “dragon” and “cat” categories (and why aren’t there?), but I’m lucky there’s a Ghost category. In Amazon, I flirt off and on with top 100s of a few categories for CATTITUDE and DRAGON BLUES. But being in the top 10 is more effective.

About two months ago, I got the brilliant idea of adding excerpts from my other books at the end of each book. I also added links, so they can be easily bought. At the time, I was mostly selling DEAD PEOPLE, which was still 99 cents. After I added the excerpts and links, my sales went up on my two $2.99 books. I need to sell more than six 99-cent books to make as much money as one $2.99 book, so that made a big difference to my bottom line.

Other writers are on the Kindleboards, but I don’t have time for them. I’m on Twitter and Facebook, but I’m not a frequent commenter. I don’t have time to do it all. Other successful indie writers might have a different strategy, but what’s most important to me is to write that next book.

So, here’s the summary of my promo:

· Great covers, great blurbs, and hopefully great books

· Contacting reviewers/book bloggers

· Experiment with prices (I’m keeping DEAD PEOPLE at 99 cents for as long as it keeps me in the top 10 of the category)

· DailyCheapReads

· Category choices

· More books = more money (write the next book!)

In November, between Amazon and Barnes & Noble, I sold 38 books. In April, I sold 2327 books. So if you’re not selling a lot of books right now, don’t give up!

Any questions? I’ll answer almost anything.

Edie Ramer

http://www.facebook.com/edieramer.author

http://twitter.com/#!/edieramer

Thank you so much Edie. I know I am going to follow Edie's advice.

Edie is giving away one of her books to a lucky commenter. Your choice, how cool is that? So have at it and leave a comment. She'll be stopping by today to answer any questions you may have.
Nancy

Edie Ramer Talks Promotion

2011-06-07T10:35:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone:

Get excited. Edie Ramer will be here tomorrow to talk about promoting your books.

I hope you will come by. Her post is excellent.
Nancy

Plot: Love, part one.

2011-06-06T00:00:00.002-06:00

Today we are talking about love. I am not a romance writer though I do have romance in my epic fantasy. I also contribute to Romantic Friday Writers and below this post is my offering for that blogfest if you are curious. Love is tricky. You may think it is simple. However there are many kinds of love stories, which makes it universal and interesting.

When I started reading the master plot for love, I thought. How am I going to handle this in just a short post? I was worried and then I realized that this plot needed a part one and a part two.

Romance novels, just like mystery and many others have a formula which publishers want writers to follow. One of the key elements is a happy ending. But there are love stories that don't have a happy ending. Romeo and Juliet come to mind as does Love Story. I saw the movie and cried too. But regardless of a happy or unhappy ending there is one fact for the plot about love. It is a character driven plot. It doesn't matter if the characters are on the moon or in the middle of the ocean on earth; the back drop is secondary to the characters.

The second most important aspect of a love plot is to use sentiment or sentimentality. When I first read this I thought, say what? So to clarify for you a little more I am going to include a quote here.

Romance novels depend on sentimentality; a love story that tries to be unique depends on sentiment. What is the difference? The difference has to do with honest emotion vs. prepackaged emotion. A sincere work - a work of sentiment - generates its own power; a sentimental work borrows feelings from stock. -Ronald B. Tobias, 20 Master Plots and how to build them.

Now you may ask, what on earth does that mean? I know I did, but at the same time I understood. I just needed a little clarification. Tobias uses two poems to do this.

Sue's Got a Baby, by Edgar Guest:

Sue's got a baby now, an' she
Is like her mother used to be;
Her face seems prettier, an' her ways
More settled like. In these few days
She's changed completely, an' her smile
Has taken on the mother-style.
Her voice is sweeter, an' her words
Are clear as is the song of birds.
She still is Sue, but not the same-
She's different since the baby came

To My Daughter, by Stephen Spencer

Bright clasp of her whole hand around my finger,
My daughter, as we walk together now.
All my life I’ll feel a ring invisibly
Circle this bone with shining: when she is grown
Far from today as her eyes are far already.

Can you tell the difference? The first poem assumes that we are familiar with having a baby and because of this we know what the character is experiencing. The second one allows the reader to experience the joy of having a daughter in the moment with the character. Both are delightful poems. The goals of the writer are different. The first is sentimentality, the second is sentiment. The first is formula fiction; the second is a unique study of the characters emotion. Both talk about a character. One is third person, the other is first person.

Next week: Part 2, Master Plot, Love, will look at happy and unhappy endings.

For more on this plot and others please read, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias, available from your local retailer or at an online store. Or click on the link to Amazon's site and get it there.

Are you writing a romance novel? If not, are you including romance in your novel? Or if you are a reader, do you prefer happy or unhappy endings?

Nancy

Romantic Friday Writers: I remember...

2011-06-02T14:34:00.004-06:00

I remember…

I took the alabaster vase which you had carved, from the shelf. Browns, blues, and yellow on a muted white back drop, swirled in the alabaster stone like thoughts in random chaos, beautiful to behold and tragic to experience, the vase held my tears. Tears that you collected with each heartbreak. Tears of joy mingled to blend the two emotions.

I poured them together into the pool of life and there you were, gazing back at me. The memory of your finger tips as a summer breeze through my hair. Your voice of encouragement, never harsh, always truthful, I treasured. Each phrase of your utterance like a verse of poetry, lingers in my heart. My soul is lifted by your presence.

"I have failed you my love."

"How so?" I hear you say.

"Too many things took your place. Too many drove me from your side."

"Than come back." I saw you beckon, arms wide, your gentle smile sliced through my hesitation. New tears formed in my eye. Be still, my heart, my soul, yet how could I return? Fear kept me a prisoner.

My body grows old but not because of you. All that I desired has slipped from me. All the possessions burned away. I am alone. My memories return to you, to the pool, to the alabaster vase and I reach for it again.

A memory slips from within. A song, so beautiful. Desire strikes a balance and I raise my voice to join the chorus. Within the message is clear. "Come back to me." Why did I hesitate?

Death kissed me this morning. I gazed out the window and saw my road. Too many forks. I had hesitated with each turn. But it didn't matter, I knew that now. I saw you at each corner; you turned to follow me when I should have followed you. What is life unless it is to embrace what is dear to us? You are dear to me. Why did it take so long for me to see?

I hope you enjoyed that. (340 words).
Nancy

To read more great stories or join the Romantic Friday Writers, created by L'Aussie and Francine Howarth, go here.

Tag Your It!

2011-06-02T00:00:00.002-06:00

Yes, I've been tagged. Not by one generous and wonderful blogger friend but by three. Not just one type of tag meme but two. So it's time to pass along the tag love to all of you. I know I haven't been around much, and I apologize. We are in the middle of selling the house and are constantly being told one thing or another. It really zaps my creativity because I don't know which end is up. I like security.

Back to the tag love:

Summer Ross at My Inner Fairy and Francine Howarth at Romancing the Blog each gave me the first tag meme. The same week, David Powers King at David Powers King gave me the 2nd tag meme. Thanks you three, I am honored.

Tag love is a little different then other blog awards. It is all about silly or interesting questions and passing along the tag to others you pick from among your followers. I have a little trouble though, since almost everyone I know has already received these tags. I did my best though.

Let the question session begin:

Do you think you're hot?
I know I'm hot when I have to turn on the air conditioner. Otherwise, I tend to be cold.

Upload a picture or wall paper you are using at the moment.
Many of you are wondering about my art. For reasons I stated above, I haven't gotten much done in that department, but I did get this picture completed. I am so not happy with it and will play some more. Copyright 2011

When was the last time you ate chicken meat?
Chicken is my favorite meat. I had it for dinner tonight as I write this. Did you know that if you choose grilled chicken and no french fries at a fast food restaurant you will lose weight? I lost 31 pounds last year.

The Song(s) you listened to recently?
John Denver's, Sunshine. My grandson loves that song and can sing the chorus.

What were you thinking as you were doing this?
I pictured my grandson twirling around as he sang Sunshine. When my granddaughter is here for a visit she sings it too. They are the same age, just two months apart.

Do you have nicknames? What are they?
Growing up I was Nan. Now I'm Wifee' pooh. My grandchildren call me Meme.

Tag eight Blogger friends.

1. Nas Dean at Nas Dean

2. Tiger 85 who is my daughter at Tiger on my Bookshelf.

3. Kay Theodoratus at Fiction Lessons from my Reading.

4.Joanne DeMaio at Whole Latte Life

5. Jules at Trying to Get Over the Rainbow.

6. Denise at L'Aussie Writing.

7. Margo Benson at Margo Benson

8. Tony Benson at Fireide Park.

Who's listed as number one?
Nas Dean does a mighty fine job interviewing writers. A service all my writer friends should appreciate.

Say something about number 5.
Jules at Trying to Get Over the Rainbow makes me smile all the time with her 'Just So You Know,' post. She lives in the heart of tornado country USA, so please keep her in your prayers.

How did you get to know number 3?
I don't honestly remember how I got to know Kay, but I'm sure glad I did. She writes fantasy, so we are kindred spirits. I recently learned she lives in Colorado too, so we are going to get together one of these days.

How about number 4?
Joanne is the Queen of short but inspiring post. Every time I stop by she has a picture and a post related to writing that is incredibly imaginative.

Leave a message for number 6.
Denise, my L'Aussie friend. I think I'll move down there one day or at least visit. I am amazed by your blogging talents.

Leave a lovey-dovey message for number 2.
Tiger 85, my sweet daughter. I am proud of you and so amazed by all your talents. Life has a special place prepared that only you can fill.

Do number 7 and number 8 have any similarities?
Margo and Tony Benson are married. He is her Mr. B. and I am seriously jealous of their happiness. You two rock!

Tag #2.
David Powers King at David Powers King gave me this tag meme. More fun questions.

1: If you could go back in time and re-live a moment, what would it be?

When I was little, I was switched from my left hand to my right hand by a teacher. This made learning very difficult. My mother taught me to read using phonics. But school remained a challenge. The greatest thrill I can remember was when I received 100% on a spelling test. I ran all the way home, 4 blocks. When I got home I yelled "Mommy, I got an A." and jumped in her arms for a hug. The thrill of that small accomplishment has always stayed with me.

2: If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

I noticed that a lot of folks side stepped this question so I won't do that. I think if I could go back in time, I would tell myself to be more brave. I missed some fun events because of fear. No idea why I spent my childhood afraid. I don't believe in past lives so I have no one to blame for it.

3: What movie/TV character do you most resemble in personality?

I don't resemble anyone that I am aware of. I'd like to have Meg Ryan's attitude though.

4: If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would it be?

No one, though I might create a character some day that does this to another character. I am afraid of heights, so I am sure I wouldn't personally go near any cliffs.

5: Name one habit that you want to change in yourself.

Procrastination. I can get in a fickle over a negative critique. Though I've learned that setting a story aside sometimes is the best for me to figure out what to do. So maybe procrastination is a good thing?

6: Describe yourself in one word.

Dunno!

7: Describe the person who named you in this meme in one word.

Awesome!

8: Why do you blog? Answer in one sentence.

I began to blog to reach out to other writers and readers and now I'm hooked because of all the great friends I've made.

9: Name three people to send this meme to and inform them.

Pass. I already named eight above. If you have already gotten these tags you can pass as well, I understand. If you are not named and want one or both of these meme tags, then take them.

Happy Thursday, Nancy

Hump Day Improvisation

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

Hump Day Improvisation: If you are visiting for the first time, on Wednesday's I hold a hump day improvisation session. Don't worry, there are no fees to participate. It's all in good fun.

Below is a lovely picture which I select and then ask you to create a scene with a character in one, two or more sentences. Here's the picture and the link.

Your character has stumbled upon this lake by chance or by design. Write a few sentences to let us know what your character thinks about the lake. Are they delighted? Scared? Tired from a long drive? Wondering what the awful smell is? You decide. I want to feel what your character is feeling.

I will post my sentences in the comments after 6 p.m. Mountain Daylight Savings Time, USA.

Enjoy!
Nancy

Plot: Maturation

2011-05-30T00:00:00.000-06:00

Can you say young adult? Yes, this plot is at the heart of the young adult novel. It isn't limited to this genre classification, many plots feature some type of growth or change, but to mature implies growing up.

As with the previous plots this is three acts, but you must start by introducing the normal in your characters world, which may not be healthy. Think, Harry Potter. What parent or adoptive parent would make a child sleep in a cubby hole under a stairwell and not allow that child into their normal family life? Your character doesn't have to live in a healthy environment, but they still must be immature, their goals not yet defined. With this introduction, the reader can see what your characters moral state is, how does he think and act? Your character doesn't need to be perfect. In fact, most young adults have not developed the strength of character adults are modeled after. Right from wrong choices can be confused with emotions and motivations. Harry Potter didn't know he had magical powers and put his cousin in a snake display at the zoo releasing the snake that slithered away. We laughed and easily forgave him. However, if Harry had been 31 instead of 11, we may have viewed this scene differently, applying adult morals to Harry's behavior. Thus the reader understands your character before he undergoes change.

Act 1:
Now comes the catalyst, the event that you throw at your character which will change who they are. (I feel a little like Dr. Phil there. LOL). In Harry Potter, he receives an invitation to attend Hogwarts in person by Hagrid. Harry has a choice. Stay with the Dursley's or go to a wizarding school, alone, without knowing anything about wizards. This must have been scary, it must have shaken his belief system. But staying with the Dursley's would be worse. In your story, the catalyst may be a bad thing. It could be a death in the family, divorce, loss of a best friend who moved away. Magic in your story may not be a plot point but your ability to capture the emotions and confusion of your character in a believable way.

Act 2:
The choice for Harry was easy, he went to school. But in many young adult novels the character resists change. They don't want to grow up and leave the security of their home and family. This change and the characters attitude toward that change will depend on the overall goal of your plot. For Harry, it must have felt like a breath of fresh air, but for a child who is losing his parents in a divorce the feelings would be confusion, blame and acting out in a rebellious way. Even so, Harry doesn't conform to the rules at his new school. He breaks the rules all the time and learns early on that the wizard who killed his parents wants to kill him too. Most of us would want to hide if faced with this threat, but Harry is a hero and hiding doesn't occur to him.

The lessons in act 2 come at a price that is either tangible or intangible.

Quote: He may lose his sense of confidence or self-worth; he may lose all his earthly possessions. He has moved from a world that was safe to a world that is unpredictable and perhaps even hostile. -Ronald B/ Tobias, 20 Master Plots and how to build them.

In Harry Potter, the wizarding world is both wonderful and dangerous. It is certainly unpredictable but also delightful. He has made enemies on his first day and true friends as well. While the Dursley's didn't give Harry Potter the love he longed for, at least his life wasn't threatened by an evil wizard. (That he was aware of anyway).

As the author, you must test your characters and his beliefs. Does he rise to the challenge or fail?

Act 3:
How has your character changed? Have they grown? The point of most young adult novels is to have the character accept the challenge and grow up. We aren't talking Peter Pan here, oh no. Most maturation plots have a positive outcome. In Harry Potter, he faces the wizard who murdered his parents, alone. He has changed to the point that he is able to resist the temptation and lies that are offered to him and protect the object that the evil wizard wants to get. Harry wins the day. (I won't say more in case you didn't read the book or see the movie). The change in Harry is real and not just a false pretense. The change in your character must also be real.

In your story you may choose to live one day in the character's life or years. You may write a short story or a series that spans one or more life times. You may write about the nitty gritty here and now or about the ancient past, the near future or a fantastical realm. Regardless of the story type, the maturation plot makes your protagonist grow from a child into a more mature child or an adult.

Next week the master plot is, Love.

For more on the maturation plot please read, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias, available from your local retailer or at an online store. Or click on the link to Amazon's site and get it there.

Do you have a young adult plot in your future?

(Happy Memorial Day)
Nancy

4 Stars for The Treasures of Carmelidrium

2011-05-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

4 Stars...Realm of Magic, Realm of Love, May 26, 2011

Lyn Horner "Lyn" (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The Treasures of Carmelidrium (The Chronicles of Gil-Lael) (Kindle Edition)

The Treasures of Carmelidrium by N.R. Williams is an action-packed fantasy adventure. Gil-Lael, the world Ms. Williams has created, teems with princes, elves, unicorns and a nasty horde of beasts called symberveen. When gifted flutist Michelle (Missy) Kersten crashes her Jeep Wrangler through a portal to this alien world, she doesn't realize what's happened at first. The landscape resembles her native Colorado, and even though the handsome man who greets her wears a costume straight out of the Middle Ages, well, surely there must be a logical explanation. Maybe he and his companions are making a movie. Only there are no cameras or any other modern equipment in sight. All she sees are men who look at her as if she's some weird being from another world. Which, of course, she is.

Within a short time Missy meets a unicorn with magical powers and a band of loathsome, bear-like creatures who attempt to kidnap her. She learns these symberveen possess a devastating ability to invade human minds with horrible visions, and being clawed by one of the beasts often spells death. About this time the lovely young lady figures out she's not in Colorado anymore. Her abrupt loss of family, friends and a promising musical career hits her hard. All she wants to do is get back home. But how?

Missy finds a balm for her troubled heart in the arms of Healden, Prince of Gil-Lael. He's kind and protective, and he's definitely not hard to look at. Through numerous dangers and surprising developments, Missy fights her growing attachment to the handsome prince. Staying with him would mean never seeing her beloved family again. She faces impossible choices that don't only involve herself and Healden, but all of Gil-Lael. For Missy wasn't brought there merely to find romance; she must fulfill a prophesy. If she fails in her appointed task, the world she has grown to love will fall into the hands of a vicious, mind-altering fiend who wants to control everything, including Missy and her magical flute.

The only critical comment I can make about this book is that it's a bit long. I found myself distracted at times, especially through the first half. Condensing it somewhat would pick up the pace. Aside from that, this is a wonderful tale that carried me to a fantastic world I hope to revisit in N.R. Williams' next book.

Lyn Horner, author of Darlin' Druid (Texas Druids)

Thank you Lyn, Nancy

Romantic Friday Writers will return next week

2011-05-27T00:00:00.000-06:00

Sorry to disappoint everyone. I have a number of personal things which can't wait. I won't be back or able to blog much until Monday. My plot series will continue on Monday as usual. Hope to see you then.

Cheers,
Nancy

Sorry

2011-05-26T00:00:00.001-06:00

I got tagged by three bloggers and I intended to pass along the tags but I'm wasted. I spent the day with my daughter at the dentist. You'd think I was the one having my tooth pulled. So next Thursday, June 2, I will post the tag love I promise.
Nancy

Hump Day Improvisation

2011-05-25T00:00:00.001-06:00

If you are new to my blog then you don't know about Hump Day Improvisation. I post a picture and give you a few writing prompts. I hope you'll stick around and participate.

Picture link:

Birds! Your character either studies birds, runs a bird habitat, hunts them or watches the birds. Write a few sentences letting us know what kind of activity your character does with birds and how that makes them feel. You can write about any type of bird you like. My sentences will arrive after 6 pm Mountain Daylight Savings Time, USA.

Above all...have fun!

Nancy

Plot: Metamorphosis

2011-05-23T00:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday everyone, today's plot is metamorphosis. This is a character plot and while I studied metamorphosis I learned something I didn't realize before. The metamorph character is the protagonist and the antagonist is his or her prisoner or victim. I assumed the opposite, but then, I haven't really thought about this plot other than enjoying the fairy tales based on it. Think, Beauty and the Beast, The Frog Prince, along with urban fantasy such as Vampires, Wolfmen and others, oh my.

The metamorphosis plot is about change and while we have some type of beast as shown above, the problems and solutions are human, just as with the traditional, in the here and now, plots.

Most of the time the metamorphosis is a beast because of a curse: A witch cursed a prince and he became a beast or frog. A man was bitten and made into a vampire or werewolf. In nearly every case, the protagonist is waiting for the antagonist who may not realize their role in this plot. The antagonist in each of these cases happens to be female, but can also be a male character. She is either forced to be with the protagonist or is enticed and drawn to the metamorph.
The cure that the metamorph character longs for is love. When the antagonist loves the beast he is cured and restored to his human form. The cure is salvation by love.

Act 1:
Meet the beast. In this act we are introduced to the protagonist already in his or her metamorph state. We don't know why he or she is a beast, but we see them as they are and often like the antagonist in the story, we are repelled by them. Not only do they look beastly according to whatever nature you as the writer have decided for them, but they have some disgustingly beastly behaviors. They hunt animals and eat raw meat. They drink your blood, or howl at the moon. Maybe they eat spiders, yuck. So the curse of the metamorph is not just in their physical appearance but also in their behavior.

Enter the antagonist. Your beast has been waiting for this character. Now that they have met, the story is propelled forward by action and reaction to one another. By the end of the first act, the antagonist is disgusted by the sight, smell, habits of the metamorph. This character would rather be somewhere else and will fight internally or literally to be free, unless they are hypnotized by something the metamorph does.

Act 2:
Pile on the complications and show us how these two characters feel. In this act, the antagonist wants to escape and this desire will motivate the antagonist at every turn. The protagonist beast will either capture the antagonist again or be successful at preventing his departure.

Act 3:
The terms of the release have reached a climax. Does she kiss the frog? Declare her love? Murder the beast in order to release him or her from their curse because of love? In Beauty and the Beast, he is transformed back into a prince, in Dracula, he is dead with a stake through the heart.

In today's ever changing genre game, this plot is played with and incorporated into many others. Perhaps Dracula bathes in sunscreen so he can go outside during the day. Maybe the wolfman uses hot wax. Okay…I'm going over board with that one. I am currently developing a metamorph character but I am starting with her transformation so it isn't strictly a metamorph plot. In this series, my character will get to try on many roles while experiencing her new life as a woman. Like Dracula, she lives forever. Unlike Dracula, she prefers nuts and berries to anyone's blood. You may also be happy to know that there are no sparkles involved.

I know, I know…sad humor.

For more on the metamorphosis plot please read, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias, available from your local retailer or at an online store. Or click on the link to Amazon's site and get it there.

Next week the master plot will be, Transformation.
Are you working on a Metamorphosis plot or have you written one?

Nancy

Romantic Friday Writers: Excerpt from The Treasures of Carmelidrium

2011-05-20T00:00:00.003-06:00

Romantic Friday Writers: Hosted by Francine and L'Aussie.

Today's theme: Lost.

For your enjoyment here is an excerpt from my epic fantasy, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, chapter twenty-two, The Spring Festival Dance. In case you have heard me talk about my heroine Missie, that is her nickname, her given name is Michelle. She is a modern American University student and gifted flutist. Prince Healden is heir to the throne of Gil-Lael. His name is pronounced with a silent 'a' like Heath.

Healden frowned, stood, and stared at Michelle in disbelief. Not again! The ache of need swept through him. He loved her beyond raison d'être.Michelle stepped farther away and he knew she already second-guessed their passion. Why would she not yield?

“If I go home,” Michelle began. “My heart will be ripped from me, and yet…how can I hurt my family?”

Healden shut his eyes and folded his fingers around the ring. He’d heard this complaint from her repeatedly for the past three months.

“How can you ignore the passion you have just demonstrated and refuse our love?” Healden’s voice rose with his anger. “Your kisses betray the truth. I know you love me.”

Michelle began to tremble; her bare shoulders shook while tears fell along her cheeks. Healden ignored this show of emotion. Hadn’t he shown her every restraint, every care? Did she expect a rational answer?

“Can’t you understand how hard it is?” Michelle’s voice choked.

“Damn you, woman, you drive me insane with desire. You eat at our table, occupy my home, and entice me with your body. What game do you play?”

Michelle gasped.

Healden continued. “You have pledged your love with your kisses if not with your voice. Have you not seen the women who would marry me if I asked? Every one of them! Yet you hold me in your hand and squeeze my love between your fingers and deny my vow.” His voice grew louder.

The tears ran unchecked down Michelle’s cheeks now. Healden watched her wipe them away with the heel of her gloved hand, but didn’t offer his kerchief. He opened his palm and held forth the ring. “I ask it again, marry me.”

“Healden,” her voice a whisper, “I cannot.”

Healden shut his eyes, folded his hand over the ring again and bent his head. Oh cruel game, Healden thought.

He gazed at her dispassionately and denied his ardent love. “I waste my time with you!” Then he cast the ring away into the dark, turned, and left her.

This came in at 339 words. The Treasures of Carmelidrium is an e-book available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobels, iBookstore and Smashwords.com Links are on the left hand side.

To Edit or Not? That's the Question.

2011-05-19T00:00:00.004-06:00

I have cut back on my posting, but today I have some news and want to share it. But first a little true story about me. Yeah, me. Who else would I know so well?

When I was a little girl I had a dream. In it I was just like a kite, able to float above the world, my home, and see everything. My family was in the yard, holding the kite string and calling to me. "Nancy, come down, come down, don't fly away."

Picture link

I've realized that this dream is prophetic. My family held me back. I was the artist, they were all about education, science, everyday practicality stuff. While I am not opposed to any of those things, and I value them all, and believe that they are necessary and worthy. But to be defined by science, told I couldn't make a living with my art was a negative influence.

So you have a book, you want to see it published, your friends and family members tell you it's wonderful. You know in your heart it is wonderful. The publishing houses and or agents have all turned you down. Others are making it Big with e-books. Money is tight. You can't afford an editor. Does this sound familiar? I've been there with the added benefit of critique partners, not just friends and family.

What to do? How do you stretch your wings and fly.?

You must decide what to do and here is a link that might help. If you don't want to read the whole thing just read what she says about editing. Then realize, there are editors who will work with you financially. Mine does. If lightening hits your kite, you'll want to be prepared.

Cheers,
Nancy

Hump Day Improvisation

2011-05-18T07:03:00.001-06:00

Greetings all. Sorry this is late, I was babysitting my grandson all day yesterday and by the time I was releaved I was exhausted.

Hump Day Improvisation is when I post a picture and give you an idea of what you should write. In the comments, write one or two sentences or more if you like.

Today, your character has recieved bad news. Either job loss, divorce, or death in the family. Perhaps she has been kicked out of her home and will be homeless. Whatever you decide. Make sure you write what she feels about this loss.

I look forward to reading everyone's post. My sentences will magically appear in the comments after 6 pm Rocky Mountain Time Daylight Savings Time USA.

Nancy

Plot: Temptation

2011-05-16T00:00:00.001-06:00

Today we are skipping ahead in the book, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, to master plot; temptation. The underdog plot is recommended for later following the love plot. So, as per suggestion we are discussing temptation. I hope no one is disappointed.

Quote: To be tempted is to be induced or persuaded to do something that is either unwise, wrong or immoral. Happily or unhappily, depending on your point of view, life presents daily opportunities for us to be stupid, wrong and immoral. Ronald B. Tobias, 20 Master Plots and how to build them.

Act 1:
We are tempted. This means as a writer you must show the nature of the temptation, either small or huge, and you must show the character's reaction to the temptation. Here is the place for waffling. Back and forth thoughts on what to do. The bigger the temptation the more the character will be at odds with it.

Temptation is not the decision to water one's house plants. It is more like killing someone else's garden or a single tree that upsets the character and having them think about how to do this, fight the urge to do it, ask will I be caught, how to hide the evidence, so on and so forth. The character must rationalize their behavior following their acting on the temptation. After yielding to temptation, your character may deny internally and to others what they have done.

In our battle against temptation we often become obsessed by the thing we want. So too does your character. Show this obsession. In my epic fantasy, my antagonist, Renwyk, is driven by temptation and makes incredibly stupid decisions to prove he has a handle on things. He is obsessive in his jealousy of Prince Healden and wants everything he believes the prince has. Once Renwyk meets my protagonist, Missie, he becomes obsessed with her as well. This is one of many subplots, the main plot of my epic fantasy, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, is a quest plot. (To read about the quest plot and all other plots that I have already covered click on Plots under my previous post link at the bottom of this blog).

Act 2:
Quote: The effects of the temptation in the first dramatic phase reverberate through the second dramatic phase. (Act 2). The protagonist tries to deal with the effects of her behavior, but as is typical of moral stories, the more she tries to wriggle free from the burden of her sin, the more it oppresses her. Finally it reaches the point at which it is no longer bearable. Ronald B. Tobias, 20 Master Plots and how to build them.

Act 3:
The result of the temptation is forced open and the internal conflicts are resolved either for good (repentance) or for bad (insanity, imprisonment or death). Is your character sorry they poisoned the tree or hired someone to cut it down while the neighbor was on vacation? How did they atone for that? Did they buy the neighbor a new tree? Or did they begin to poison other trees and gardens until they were arrested and either sent to jail or locked away in a mental institution? Perhaps they took their own life by drinking the poison.

Quote: The temptation plot isn't about action as much as it's about character. It is an examination of motives, needs and impulse. The action supports the development of character, and as such, it's a plot of the mind rather than of the body. Ronald B. Tobias, 20 Master Plots and how to build them.

For an even further in-depth look at temptation and other plots purchase the book, 20 Master Plots and how to build them by Ronald B. Tobias from your local retailer or an online store. Or click on the link to Amazon's site and get it there.

Next week: Metamorphosis.

Are you planning a temptation plot or have you written one?

Nancy

Ms. Tiger

2011-05-14T16:28:00.001-06:00

YouTube link

My daughter's advertisement. Very cool isn't it. And her services are affordable everyone!
Nancy

Celtic Women- Fairies

2011-05-13T12:15:00.000-06:00

YouTube link

Since I had trouble with blogger last night as I'm sure all of you did, here is something to replace my planned post. Enjoy!

Nancy

Hump Day Improvisation: with A. J. Walker

2011-05-11T00:00:00.002-06:00

A. J. Walker is on a blog book tour and has lent his goblin Kip to join in our Hump Day Improvisation fun. Thanks A. J.

Hello! I’m Kip Itxaron, a goblin who’s seen far too much of the world. I’m the heroine of Roots Run Deep, a fantasy novel published by Double Dragon. I used to be a reformed thief, a lousy gambler, and a mediocre sorceress before I ended up liberating my people. That didn’t improve my ability at magic, though, or my luck at gambling. You can find out more about me and my book at my author’s blog.

Today I’m doing the Hump Day Improv while Nancy takes a day off. Humans are lazy. That’s why they make us do all the menial work. Want me to clean your toilet once this is done, Nancy? Yeah, I thought you did.

Take a look at this 16^th century painting by Giuseppe Arcimboldo called The Librarian. The painter was famous for doing portraits of people made from fruit, fish, the four elements, and in this case books. Imagine a character meeting this fellow for the first time and write his or her reaction. Let your imagination run wild. I ended up falling for a pasty-faced human with no tusks, so if you can make this a “love at first sight” situation I’ll be doubly impressed!

I’ll give my own contribution after a few of yours are up. Have fun!

You can't get more fun than this everyone. So write your sentences and then visit A. J. Walker. I'll just relax and enjoy my clean bathroom.

Nancy

Plot: Rivalry

2011-05-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today we continue our plot series with rivalry.

Quote: What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? No question captures the spirit of a plot better than this one. -Ronald B. Tobias, 20 Master Plots and how to build them.

We all know competitors in one form or another. We may be a competitor. Our society admires this trait especially in sports and politics. I must confess nothing turns me off more than a sibling or associate trying to prove they are better than me. I think a persons worth is defined by their moral standard, not just by their accomplishments or wealth. This however, is real life. The rivalry we are discussing today is in our stories.

What is rivalry?

A rival is a person who disputes the prominence or superiority of another. -Ronald B. Tobias, 20 Master Plots and how to build them.

Once again you have three acts. The first act is setting the scene. The protagonist and antagonist are nearly equals in abilities. They will have some quirks to make them unique. They know each other. Often they have competitive natures, but not always. Some famous rivalries include:
1. A man and animal: Moby Dick, by Herman Melville
2. God and Satan: Paradise Lost, by Milton.
3. Two men who are polar opposites: The Odd Couple.
4. A man and a woman in a classic love triangle: Jules and Jim by Francois Truffaut.

I could go on. I'm sure you can add some books or movies to the list.

No back story in the rivalry. The conflict should start in the opening scene. Remember, these two characters are rivals, competitors, challenging each other on a personal level. It's always a good idea to ask yourself when developing characters: "What's at stake?" What matters to these two characters? Does one want a clean house while the other wants to relax and watch football while drinking a beer? Does one want to prove they can shoot a gun with better precision than the other? Does one want the death of the other at any cost?

In act one; the antagonist gets the upper hand. Think Ben Hur and how he became a slave by a Roman who was his childhood friend. Act two; the protagonist is elevated once again so that these two characters are equal. The antagonist is aware of this, which brings added tension. Act three; they meet and one of them wins the day.

Some of you have noticed that many of these plots are included in books that seem to have different plots for the major story. That is true. I think the best books have strong, three dimensional characters along with plots that are woven together for the purpose of tension, action, goals, etc.

Once again, the book, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias, is a much more in depth study of this plot. I strongly recommend that you invest in it. I know I have learned a lot just by reading the different plots for these Monday post.

(Just so you know Colorado State Law passed a taxation measure for online sales. Amazon doesn't allow anyone in Colorado to earn money with book promotions. Therefore, my recommendation of this book is not monetarily motivated).

Next week, the master plot is: Underdog.

Are you going to write a rivalry plot?

Nancy

The Answer is:

2011-05-06T21:22:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I posted a blog award. I was supposed to tell you seven things about myself but my brain quick working after five things, and they weren't too original at that. So I asked you all to ask me some questions about me that you would like to know.

Joanne at Whole Latte Life asked... If you didn't have writing as a passion, what would your next passion be?
Good question Joanne. My answer is three fold. Art...I majored in art and have recently started working on my skills. As you can imagine. If you don't practice you grow rusty, but you never forget, just like riding a bike. I will share some of my art soon.

Picture link

The next half of this answer is flowers. I wanted to be a florist for awhile and dabbled in silk flowers. I had a garden that my neighbors enjoyed despite the fact that I had heat stroke when I was young. The other half of this answer is that I love nature, especially forest and animals along with flowers.

Picture link

Jules at Trying To Get Over The Rainbow asked: I want to know what the Queen carries in that handbag?

Picture link

Now this is tough. I didn't see the queen's handbag. But wait. Jules didn't actually ask about a specific queen though our mind went to the royal wedding. So since I am not limited I am going to say that Queen Genevieve carried pepper spray to annoy all those royal magicians who weren't half as good as Merlin. I may have annoyed her with my spelling of her name as well.

There you have it. I hope you enjoy the answer to the creative questions my lovely blogging friends, Joanne and Jules asked.

Have a good day.
Nancy

Blogger Awards

2011-05-06T03:43:00.000-06:00

Susan Oloier at Memoirs of a Writer gave me this yummy award. The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award. I hope you'll head over and say "hi!"

I've gotten this award before, but that doesn't make it any less delicious. Thank you Susan.

Rules:
1. Link back to the person who gave you the award. That would be Susan.
2. List seven things about yourself.
3. Give this award to 15 new followers.

Now folks, I really appreciate you. I want you all to take this award. So I hope you all do and I hope you forgive me for not looking up 15 people. My life is insane right now. So take it, please.

The seven things about me.
1. I blog...oh yeah, you know that.
2. I write...oh, you might have figured that one out too.
3. I am an artist. What? You didn't know that? Well, I am working on some pictures that I will share soon. One will be a book cover for my novella.
4. I have a sarcastic sense of humor.
5. I'm stumped, it's not even 4 a.m. here and my brain just shut down. I had less than two hours of sleep. So for the next two things, what would you all like to know? I'll answer your questions in a follow up post tomorrow.

Cheers,
Nancy

Hump Day Improvisation

2011-05-04T00:00:00.002-06:00

Hump Day Improvisation is back by popular demand. What is it? Notice the picture below. Create in one or two sentences a character who either loves this castle and the color or hates it and write the sentences in the comments. I will stop by and read them of course, and around 6 pm mountain standard time USA. I will share my sentences in the comments.

No worries, just have fun!

Cheers,
Nancy

An award, and other news.

2011-05-03T00:00:00.006-06:00

I am a proud mom. My daughter has started her own business helping writers who want to use her services to create a book cover, book trailer or to format their work for kindle and smashwords. But that isn't the only reason that I'm proud of her. Look at this beautiful picture that she took with my Droid phone and turned into a blog award. This is a nearby park that I took the children to when they were small. Do you see the mountains in the background? It's early spring so no leaves on the trees yet. She will be posting even more wonderful pictures so stop by either of her blogs to take a look.

Need I say more?

Like all blog awards there are rules:
1. Link back to the person who gave you the award. Tiger85 at Tiger On My Bookshelf.
2. Tell us your favorite thing about blogging.
3. Give Tiger's Delightful Blogger Award to three friends.

My favorite thing about blogging is all my wonderful new friends. I treasure each of you. (This might become a cliche, but it is heartfelt).

1. Holly Ruggiero...Holly is a wonderful and talented blogger who creates fabulous works of art that you can purchase. In addition, her blog tackles unusual pieces that makes my writing research so much easier. Think, colors and gemstones and what the old tales say about them.
2.Michael Di Gesu at In time.... Michael is a romantic who aspires to ya fiction. I have watched his writing improve over the course of about six months since I first met him. He is a great friend who will bend over backwards to encourage and help whenever he can.
3.Siv Maria at Been there, done that. Siv is a new friend with a great sense of humor. She's an American married to a Norweigian guy and lives somewhere in that chilly country. If you haven't met Siv, your missing out.

So my friends, here's a little bit of sunny Colorado to brighten your blogs.

(Tiger is also selling these photos, check out the link at the top right).

I also want to thank all my new followers. Welcome.

Last, my thoughts on the A - Z Challenge. I purposely posted mostly short YouTube fun, facts and songs to help those who were tired of reading get a break. I hope you all enjoyed it. I signed up for this challenge in February and never dreamed that my life would become so busy. I struggled to make it to the blogs that I did and felt bad I couldn't do more. So my experience was mixed. Do I think this is a fun challenge? Yes.

That said, I probably won't participate again. It's not to be rude. I currently have two books available online and request for more in the series which surprised me with the short story. I also have a novella with my critique partners which will also be a series. In addition, I am working on some art to share with you all and to sell or giveaway, including the book cover for my novella. My time has become limited. With that in mind, I am cutting my blogging schedule to three days, Monday, Wednesday and Friday with an occasional post for news up dates. I am adding a notify me by email button if you'd like to learn when I have a new release. No spam I promise. I will spend an hour or two everyday, except weekends, visiting all of you. The blogging community is the best writer's group I have ever belonged too.

Cheers,
Nancy

Plot: The Riddle

2011-05-02T00:00:00.004-06:00

The A - Z Challenge is over. Congratulations to everyone who made it through. Today is the first Monday in May and the Plot Series is back. We will celebrate by show casing the riddle. The following quote is in the book and is so well spoken that it bears repeating.

The mystery story is really two stories in one: the story of what happened and the story of what appeared to happen. -Mary Roberts Rinehart.

In that quote is the first clue. Okay…I'm not so great with clues and that's why I'm not a mystery writer. Maybe someday I'll tackle this difficult plot but rest assured it will be hidden in a fantasy.

Quote: A riddle is a deliberately enigmatic or ambiguous question. -Ronald B. Tobias, 20 Master Plots and how to build them.

The Riddle plot has been with us since ancient times. It is a part of many fairy tales (in simple form); it dates back to ancient Greece like so many plots. The most famous riddle is: the Sphinx asks Oedipus. "What has one voice and walks on four legs in the morning, on two at midday, and on three legs in the evening?" the Sphinx asks. If you get it wrong the Sphinx will eat you. That's great motivation. Of course Oedipus gets it right and becomes king after the Sphinx falls into depression and commits suicide. The answer is: "A man, who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two feet when grown, and leans on a cane when aged."

In this plot, the mind is challenged not the body. The more difficult the riddle the more the reader is tested.

Edgar Allen Poe is credited with the first short story and the first modern mystery which features a detective to solve a crime in; The Purloined Letter.

So, you want to be a mystery writer? Your challenge is to incorporate numerous clues woven into the fabric of your story. They must hint at the identity of the killer, the how, where and why to the crime. The answer is there for the reader to pull out, hidden in plain sight. Readers today want a challenge. I think this type of writing must be more and more difficult as science advances. At the same time, as writers, we can manipulate all those scientific break thoughts to leave legitimate clues and red herrings. If Sherlock Holmes were alive today, he could dust for fingerprints, photograph bloody foot prints, run DNA samples through a computer, so on and so forth. If it is the little old lady who lives next door to Sherlock, she could challenge his logic and confuse him in order to mislead or be the one who solves the crime. Exciting stuff.

Like so many plots, the riddle comes in three phases:
1. There's a murder.
2. There's an investigation with lots of clues and scary adventure.
3. The killer is identified and may or may not be caught, killed, imprisoned…fill in the blank. It's your book not mine.

In the end, your story must satisfy the reader. They must feel challenged and then rewarded by your conclusion. There's nothing worse than having an ending that is obvious in a mystery. Are you up to the challenge?

Next week our master plot is: Rivalry

For more plots and a much deeper overview of each plot you can purchase; 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias. It is worth your money. Amazon link.

Nancy

Z is for Zebra

2011-04-29T19:28:00.002-06:00

YouTube link The Zebra

What better Z word is there? I love zebra's. In fact I love almost all animals except for those smelling critters you find all over America. But we're not talking about them today. Zebra's are cool.

This ends the A - Z Challenge. My blogging schedule will change a little due to my writing schedule. My plot series continues on Monday, May 2, 2011. I hope to see you all then.

Cheers,
Nancy

Y is for YouTube

2011-04-29T08:33:00.001-06:00

YouTube link The Royal Wedding (1923)

Y is for YouTube.

Why did I choose YouTube for my Y word. Because I've used them for almost every post. Because this technology is fun and now we can create Book Trailers. So I went over and searched and what do you know? I found another royal wedding on this royal wedding day. This is William's great grandparents who thought they would get to live a relatively quiet life. But George ended up being King during WWII.

No sound on this one. Tomorrow is the last day of the challenge. I hope you enjoy my Y pick.

Nancy

X is for X-ray

2011-04-28T00:00:00.002-06:00

I know, it's totally lame. How many of you said...x what can I find for x except x-ray? So I searched for a picture and I got the usual x-ray shots and then I got this one.

Picture link.

Immediately I was reminded of my characters. They appear in my head, usually wearing skin and clothes, and say. "Who am I?" "What's my name?" "Where do I live?"

It's my job to let them know. Rarely do they come in the complete package.

So how do your characters stack up?
Nancy

W is for Williams, not me my daughter.

2011-04-27T08:22:00.001-06:00

YouTube link

Hello all. It was a late night so I'm running late today.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that my daughter has decided to offer her talents as author services. Her rates are very affordable. After she helped me up load The Magic of Windlier Woods and then created this wonderful book trailer we started talking and she decided that she could help all the authors who would like help. She can also do book covers. How cool is that!

Please head over and have a look around at Tiger Author Services & Book Trailers.

Thank you, I'll make everyone's blog today. I couldn't get around yesterday.
Nancy

V is for Violin, Sad Violin

2011-04-26T01:00:00.000-06:00

YouTube link

U is for Unforgettable. Natalie & Nat King Cole - Unforgettable (1992 The Unforgettable Concert )

2011-04-25T00:00:00.001-06:00

YouTube link

When I was little, my parents had Nat King Cole's album. I loved his songs and his voice. For those who don't know, Nat died way to young from lung cancer. He was a chain smoker. When Natalie Cole came out with this dual, I loved it immediately.

Next week my plot series will continue. If you are trying to figure out which plot your using or which one you want to use check this series out. Previous plot post can be found under plot. Next week's master plot is: The Riddle

If you missed the book trailer that my daughter did for my new ya fantasy short story it's below. Please check it out and head to YouTube to like it. Thanks.

Have a good day.
Nancy

T is for Trailer, book trailer: Magic of Windlier Woods

2011-04-23T00:00:00.002-06:00

YouTube link.

Guess who made my book trailer? My daughter...so cool. More good news. She is going to start offering some services including one to make book trailers at an affordable rate. Her blog is, Tigeronmybookshelf.

The Magic of Windlier Woods is now available. I'm still working with Amazon to make it free, but it's only .99 so we'll see. It's free at smashwords and both links are on the left hand side.

Yeah!

Please go to YouTube and click on the like. I appreciate it.

In other news, my interview at Laurie's blog is still up. Go here if you have time.

Have a great day!
Nancy

S is for String Bridge book trailer.wmv

2011-04-22T00:00:00.004-06:00

YouTube link.

Jessica Bell at The Alliterative Allomorph Has a book trailer out for her up coming November 2011 release, String Bridge.

You can also visit the web page for String Bridge

I have an interview at Laurie's blog, if you have time please stop by.

Happy blogging.
Nancy

R is for Review

2011-04-21T00:00:00.004-06:00

I have the privilege of having many wonderful reviews. I love them all. But I have to say that this review surprised me because I totally forgot Becky was reading my book. She touched my heart as did so many others.

Becky's review

Feb 18, 11

status: Read in February, 2011

The Treasures of Carmelidrium is an amazing work of fiction by writer R. N. Williams. It expertly blends adventure, romance and magic with the wonders of music together to produce a truly breathtaking story. It is a gem of a book to rival even the most popular fantasy writers!
The characters are expertly portrayed and hurl you into their world with enthusiasm. The heroine Michelle, or Missie, is everything she should be and more, as well as the hero being instantly likeable and their story not at all nauseating! Music plays a large part of this story and is amazingly woven into the plot and expertly written so you can almost hear it yourself.
The story itself hurls you into a world of Princes, Princesses, Lords, Ladies, evildoers and war. The climax of the story is expertly reached; leaving you wishing the end would not come because then you would have to stop reading! Throughout, the Treasures of Carmelidrium had me laughing, crying and bouncing up and down in my seat anxiously awaiting whatever happened next. There are hardly any words that properly describe how I feel about this book...I was left speechless and anxiously await the next stage of the story!
N. R. Williams now joins my list of all time favourite authors with her book The Treasures of Carmelidrium taking pride of place. I highly recommend that if you haven't yet read The Treasures of Carmelidrium that you do so as soon as possible because you cannot begin to fathom what you are missing out on!!

A talented flutist is yanked from our world and thrown into a world that resembles Middle Ages France. Her music is the only thing that can save a Kingdom in desperate need. Along the way she finds the thing that is missing from her music...true happiness. Thus begins the amazing epic which will have you on the edge of your seat. A true page turner, I have not read its equal for a long time!

For more excellent reviews see the pages above this post and below my banner that says: Reviews 4 Treasures.

But wait...it's late on Wednesday night and my short story is just up today and already I have a review by the wonderful Nicole MacDonald at Damsel in a Dirty Dress.

Here's the review that she gave 5 stars:
A gorgeous wee childrens story, April 20, 2011

Nicole MacDonald (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The Magic of Windlier Wood (Kindle Edition)

This is one of those story's that instantly makes you nostalgic for the fun, imaginative stories you read yourself as a child. It had very vivid descriptions and the main character is just adorable with his stubborn, determined objective. The open ending, I hope, suggests at more to follow as I'd love to see more of Newert the Erbit.
I'd recommend this to those looking for a simple and sweet bedtime story for kids and if my niece and nephew are anything to go by they should love it. Could easily appeal to ages 4-10 (and even me *lol* as a 29yr bedtime reader).

If you'll have time, Laurie posted an interview with me here.

Have a great day.

Nancy

Q is for Quidditch:

2011-04-20T00:00:00.006-06:00

YouTube link
Harry Potter:Quidditch

Now Quidditch is a game I could get into. As long as I don't have to ride the broom. I mean, ouch! The first year they didn't have any seats on those brooms. Imagine being a cheerleader for Quidditch. Not only would you have to learn how to cheer properly, but you'd better be good at ducking in case a blunger decided to hit you off the top of someone's shoulder. Anyway, seriously folks, J. K. Rowling came up with an amazing game. Here's to all those daring wizarding students.

Now for more fun. It's Hump Day and on Hump Day we do an Improvisation. So, have at it. In one or two sentences show us your character having fun with Quidditch.

I'll post my sentences later today.
Nancy

P stands for Peter, Paul and...Peter Paul and Mary I Dig Rock and Roll Music

2011-04-19T01:00:00.002-06:00

YouTube link

O is for Ocean Journey

2011-04-18T00:00:00.001-06:00

Yes folks, their is a huge aquarium in Denver, Colorado the mile high city. I'm sure these fish have never been this high before. Shhh...don't tell them, they are all under water.

My daughter, her four year old son, his father and I...or should I have started with I? I had a teacher drill it into us that the I was last and forever since I have done that even though I am now told it is wrong. Anyway, we went to Ocean Journey a couple weeks ago.

There was a time when my children were little that someone, I think my sister, let them watch Jaws. Everyday I had to reassure them that there were no sharks in Colorado. Not anymore, take a look at this guy. Do you know what he is staring at? My daughter. For a very long time. Did someone ring the dinner bell? He continued to stare at her until all the people there began to notice and remark on it. We hated to disappoint him but we moved right along.

One of the attractions are Bengal Tigers. No good, I spotted a paw way up high, they were sleeping.

Here is another picture:

Someone once shared that they had a job as a Mermaid when they were young. I don't remember who that was, but I can assure you that this skill is still practiced here in Denver. We didn't catch the show but they have a mermaid swimming with the sharks and...wait for it....you can sign up and swim with them too. After the above incident with that shark, I don't think I will.

One last picture.

I hope you enjoyed Ocean Journey. Now some other news. Laurie has posted an interview with me, myself and I. See...the I is last again. I hope you will head over and read a little bit about my book, The Treasures of Carmelidrium. My short story, The Magic of Windlier Woods, will be available soon. See the awesome book covers on either side of this post. Happy Monday all.
Nancy