Romantic Friday Writers: Rock Candy

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

Plot: The Riddle

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

I'm back: Awards, Plot & More

I'm Back
Now that title is scary! You are either hearing someone speak who has an Austrian accent or the twilight zone music is playing in the back ground. I'm not from Austria so it must be the later.

I intended to only do a post on Plot. But while I've been gone, so many nice bloggers have done so many nice things that I will take you through all of that and then a very short, and hopefully thought provoking thing about plot. (Please note, all you aspiring authors, don't use the word thing in your manuscript or it will be a thing of the past. Oh, and don't use cliches either).

Terry Wright, a super nice guy, fellow member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and a self published author who just started an e-pub business, highlighted little me on his web page. Click here to view and while you're there, click home and take a look at all he's doing.

Jules, at Trying to Get Over the Rainbow created the heart below titled, Blogger = love. It's free to all who would like it in the hope that everyone who clicks on your follow button will grab the heart as well. Great idea, Jules.

ncywilliams.html

The Words Crafter at Rainy Day Wanderer gave me these two awards.

The Stylish Blogger Award and the Write Hard Award.
To accept the Stylish Blogger Award you should.
1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.
2. List seven things about yourself.
3. Pass it on to 15 new blogger friends.

I recently posted the Stylish Blogger award and gave it to 42 new followers. Since then, I have a few more new followers but I won't make the required number of people. I also did a character study about the seven things about me and if you missed it you can read it here. So I won't re-post that. Yes, I'm being lazy.

The Write Hard Award is for bloggers who inspire me. Let's see...that would be all of you. Just like The Word Crafter said. So all you wonderfully inspiring folks, please grab the Write Hard Award...and do write hard.

Thank you Terry, Jules and Word Crafter for all the wonderful things you do. I appreciate everyone one of you.

Here are my new blog followers:

Susan at Cheekyness

Michelle at The Innocent Flower

Sandra at Absolutely Narcissism

ggtwppjnl who doesn’t have a blog or web site that I could find, but I appreciate you any way ggt.

Jen at Widdershins and Skeleton Keys

Kristin at The Poe Family Blog

Check them out everyone.

Now for a little bit about Plot.

I bought a new book. The book's copyright page says 2003, so it is only new to me and maybe to you too.

Title: 20 Master Plots and how to build them by Ronald B. Tobias

Here is a teaser:
Story VS. Plot
Novelist E. M. Forster spent a lot of time thinking about writing. He tried to explain the difference between story and plot in his book Aspects of the Novel. "The king died and the queen died." Two events. A simple narration. This is story.

But if you connect the first movement (the death of the king) with the second movement (the death of the queen) and make one action the result of the other, we would have a plot. "The king died and then the gueen died of grief."

Add a touch of suspense: "The queen died and no one knew why until it was discovered that it was through grief at the death of the king."

Story, then, is a chronicle of events. The listener wants to know what comes next.

Plot is more than just a chronicle of events. The listener asks a different question: "Why does this happen?"

Story is a series of events strung like beads on a string. (This happened and then this happened and the...).

Plot is a chain of cause-and-effect relationships that constantly create a pattern of unified action and behavior. Plot involves the reader in the game of "Why?"

Quote from page 12 of; 20 Master Plots and how to build them.
Amazon link.

Next week: Master Plot 1; Quest.
By then I will have time to read the book and only quote a little.

Enjoy your day!
Nancy

Mondays Theme: The Edits Are Almost Done.

Hurray. I’ve completed chapters 1 – 36. I will head over to the printers today to print out the last installment my editor has scent. She only has thirteen chapters left to edit and send me. Fortunately, there are not an overwhelming number of changes.

Thank you for all your comments last Monday about the opening paragraph and which sentence was better. I picked one. If you’d like to read Chapter one of The Treasures of Carmelidrium, it’s located under pages. Just click the title and it will take you there.

Have a great Monday everybody. If you have any questions go ahead, ask.

Cool update: Late last night my editor sent me seven more chapters. So today I will print out 13 chapters. She has only 6 left.

Mondays Theme: Vote For Your Favorite First Paragraph.

As many of you know, I have been editing my ms like a crazy person. I think the first chapter has improved. I’ve rewritten it well over thirty times. Initially I changed the focus, then to my critique group in put, and so on. Now I have the final version thanks to my editor and critique group friends. While I worked on this last week, I thought it might be fun to share it. The first paragraph is vital to any story. Does it capture the imagination and make the reader want to continue? I know I sweat over this and I think most of my writing friends do as well. So here are two choices for the first paragraph.

1. Missie’s song swept high. She adjusted the beat into staccato notes that oscillated in her ear as a summer breeze through aspen leaves. The tone of her flute mimicked the meadow lark in clarity of pitch. In her mind she heard a wind chime and the flute tinkled the notes in response. Now she dropped the rhythm, and counted, one, two, and three…hold.

2. Missie’s song swept high, the staccato notes like a summer breeze through aspen leaves, the flute’s clarity as clear as a meadow lark. In her mind she heard a wind chime and the flute tinkled the notes in response. Now she dropped the rhythm, and counted, one, two, and three…hold.

Which is your favorite? Why? Is this enough to make you want to read more?

Thanks, NR

Mondays Theme: Edits

It’s Monday…at least in Colorado. On Saturday my strep throat returned. This time I got on medication immediately and I’m better already. For my right shoulder injury the Doctor put me on muscle relaxants. While visiting a few blogs, my eyes got crossed and I couldn’t comprehend what I was reading. So, long story…I couldn’t continue. Sorry.

Since that is the case, I am proud to announce that I’ve completed chapters 2 - 6. I’m still waiting on my updated Chapter 1 from my editor. I would have gotten another 6 to 10 chapters done if it weren’t for my medications. Oh well.

I can’t remember a more miserable fall health wise. It’s not my normal condition. I look forward to visiting all of you this week and I’m going to get started on my blogfest submissions. Take a peak at my side bar if you want to join the fun.