Visiting Old Friends, aka Characters

The Read ...

Characterization is a key to good writing.  Have you ever heard that before?  Well, today I offer two great examples of drawing in-depth characters.  James D. Doss and Karen Marie Moning.

Okay, the disclaimer.  I admit Daisy Perika, the nemesis and aunt of  James D. Doss' sleuth Charlie Moon, is one of my main ladies.  She's like the cantankerous part of myself that I've learned to rein in.  So, when I discovered an unread Doss novel in my to-read pile -- Shadow Man -- I felt like I won the lottery.

James D. Doss has mastered characterization.  More important, he does humorous characterization.  Both heroes, villains, and secondary characters all have a couple of major traits ... and then, Doss tosses in a couple of minor ones.  These are often snuck in as he makes a humorous or snide comments.  

For my writing, Doss gives me one of the best reasons I should be doing outlines of who my characters are, what they want, what's stopping them from accomplishing their goals ... and most important, how do they personally shoot their efforts in the foot, aka their faults.  The last two aren't necessarily the same.

So, the decision.  Do I outline ... or write by the seat of my pants? ...  I keep telling myself I should outline, but the results are skimpy at best when I try.

Web and Other Stuff ...

The season's over for jumping into ice covered water [since our natural ice skating rink melted.  But, if you care for a plunge into some cold water, take a peek at Brenda Hiatt's blog:  "Show Me the Money."  I dare you to dream about buying a mansion by the shore ... or in the mountains ... after you read it.

Last weekend, Karen Marie Moning blew my mind.  I've been lecturing myself that I need to have a more sharply delineate my characters so I don't do a bunch of backtracking when I get an new idea.  Moning's blog, "Notes on the Fever Series" gives a great outline about what went into creating the three main characters of her Fever series.  I hate it when people show me how/what I should be doing.  It's so much easier to glide through the process.

Then, Writer Beware had a link to The Literary Lab's [Michelle Davidson Argle] blog on lies experts tell wanna-be writers.  I really latched onto the theme bit since I can never figure out what a theme is.

Progress ...

Not much.  Things keep happening that I don't expect.  Like today, I had planned to attend the organizing meeting for a local critique group.  Planned to extend my writing time before I ate a quick lunch and went.  Problem.  My dumb printer wouldn't print.  So I wasted my extra writing time trying to figure out what's going on when the diagnostics couldn't tell me why it didn't print with the green light on.  --  The oracle thinks a new printer is in my future.

Am in the middle of the second chapter of Maren ...  One crisis will fill that chapter ... which means the former second chapter becomes chapter three which means the current chapter three which contains the major life changing point happens in chapters four/five.  At least I have that much outlined ... along with the characters who push the action along .  Yeah.  I have the rest of the book sort of outlined by thirds ... but it doesn't tell me much.

Then, last night I chopped my first chapter in two.  Now I'm aiming for 1500-2000 word chapters which is probably better for tween middle-grade anyway. In spite of all the worm-squirming, I feel like I'm making progress.

One nice thing that warmed the greedy cockles of my heart -- Spectra Magazine sent me money.  Maybe Night for the Gargoyles will be in the next issue?  ---  Now.  I have to apply myself and submit the book that developed from the short story.  [There Be Demons]

Trivia ...

I'm glad our front range winters are rather mild.  I can stand 20 below days ... if I can stay in and putter.  I even dredge up a little sympathy for those who get stuck outside and live further east.  
 

Finding Something to Read

The Read ...

Yeah.  I've been reading ... and putting the book down ... and reading ... and putting the book down.  Did I finish anything.  Well, yeah ... but the book I read puzzled the heck out of me.  What puzzled me more was the books I put down.  

I remember being an avid reader of Patricia Wentworth back in the day.  She had a British spinster sleuth in the Miss Marple vein.  She told a several good tales [it seemed from what I skimmed] about the vices of the gentry, but I couldn't get interested in them.  Maybe it was the amount of telling in the story line.  I'm guessing screen writing has had a greater influence on my reading than I thought.

What did I read?  C. S. Harris' When Gods Die which opens with Prinny [George the IV while his father was still alive] talking to and clutching a corpse.  The characterization was so sharply drawn, Harris drew me into her story of would-be revolutionaries capitalizing on the Napoleanic Wars, the main character/sleuth's discovery that his mother is still alive after he thought she'd died when he was a child, and other subplots that keep the action popping.  Harris really knows her Regency history, unlike a thousand other writers I can't name.  More interestingly, she gets her characters out of the drawing rooms and into the sewers ... literally. 

So why did this surprise me?  Well, I bought three books in the series on the basis of a review ... and put the first one on the to-trade pile without getting more than a couple chapters into the book.  Read the second that had been languishing at the bottom of the to-read pile.  Started to read the third, and it went on the trade pile.  There's a fourth where the MC solves a crime with the daughter of the MC's nemisis.  It looks intriguing, but I doubt if I'll go looking for it.  Stephanie Laurens did something vaguely similar in one of her later Cynster novels.  

Web and Other Stuff ...

A  Twitter link underlined one of the questions rotating in my mind.  What the heck should I blog about to interest people.  You might read Dawn Rae Miller's blog about:  you shouldn't be writing about writing.  Miller has some serious credentials on building platforms, so I think her opinion is worth thinking about.

If you've been pressed for time [like I have been], you might check out Brooke Favero over at The Writing Bug, the blog of the Northern Colorado Writers.  She's gleaned some good posts from the blogosphere from last week.

If you want a second opinion, you might also check out Patti Struble's blog, The Writer's Bump.  Patti offers her on take on the week in her Friday Mash-Up.

One last promotional thing:  N. R. Williams has been doing a blog book tour for her new fantasy book:  The Treasures of Carmelidrium.   You want an example of good promotion?  Go spend some time at Nancy's blog reading her posts and following her links.  She made me tired just twirling my mouse. 

Progress ...

The more I work, the behinder I get.  Or, at least it seems that way even though I finally figured out a framework and did the revision for another Renna's Tale.  Check it out.  It'll take you a lot less time to read it than it took me to figure out how to write it.

Had a 2000 word first chapter for Maren and was all set to jump into chapter two.  Only new ideas kept popping out of my brain.  Of course, I ended up making revisions as I inserted the new ideas into the text.  The chapter is now over 3,000 words long ... and I still have some scribbled notes for additions.
 

Trivia ...

Spent waaaaay too much time in nursing homes ... checking out the facilities.  At least, they let me out again. 

The Lure of One More Chapter

The Read ...

Loved Rebecca York's Day of the Dragon as it lured me to read one more chapter .. long after I should have gone to bed.  When your life's a time crunch, it's hard to do all you want to ... and that includes reading.  Seems the last two books I read were easy to put down.  Oh, they were interesting enough to pick up again.  But, when it came time to go to bed, I had no problems picking up a bookmark.

So, what was different about Day of the Dragon.  After all, I hadn't bought the previous book in the series even though I think I've read most of the books in the Marshall's [a family of werewolves who are fighting to form more supportive relationships with their women -- and a way to save their children from death when they reach the age to change.] world.  Well, the action begins at the begging with a couple of goons watching the arrival of the love interest/archeologist who might or might not have answers to the were-dragon main character's past.

The action picks up speed when the goons try to kidnap the archeologist, who strikes a magical chord in the "dragon's" soul [not unexpected a romantic suspense paranormal].  From there, the book takes on a cat-chasing-mouse-game with the dragon saving the archeologist from one danger, only to fall in the another deeper pit.  The real plot turn comes when, after the first villain is defeated, another more dangerous villain appears on the scene.  When a writer creates complex characters who are fighting to stay alive, you just gotta read another chapter.

Web and Other Stuff ...

 To pitch or not to pitch.  I'm going to the Northern Colorado Writers conference in March.  They've got my money.  I have no other choice, besides I want to go.  I'll be fun talking to my various friends and meeting new people who are interested in writing and understand how I spend much of my day.  But I'm wondering if I want to bust my behind revising one of my completed manuscripts to pitch.  For those of you who have something ready to pitch at whatever conference, you might look at agent Janet Reid's blog on the difference between a pitch and a query.

Most people do their pitches after they've written the book.  Can you guess I do it backwards?  I tried using the pitch to set the structure of my last WIP, and it worked for Voices of Ghost Creek (Kaffy Anne).  It's too early to see if it helps with Hidden in Plain Sight (Maren).  -- While a pitch is short, it also focuses on the main character's primary problem.  A useful tool in staying on track while letting your creative juices flow.

Once your pitch interests someone, you have to send them a manuscript.  Publishers and agents may want to have submissions look a certain way.  But, do you know the generally formatting criteria?  C. A. Marshall, a freelance editor, gives writers pointers on How to Format Manuscripts.

Haven't been spending much time twittering or on the blogosphere.  I've been spending my time looking for YA/tween publishers, but can't raise much enthusiasm for the process [even though I should be marketing There Be Demons].  Why not query an agent?  --  I'm thinking my main attitude problem is bubbling to the surface.  I don't like to jump through other people's hoops.  Amusing myself creating stories about characters than interest me is another can of worms -- because you never know which way they'll wiggle even if you stay on track.

Progress ...

Have the action outlined for three chapters of Maren ... and came up with two villains I didn't know existed last year when I gave up.  The book that's working is the back story in the previous attempt.  Figure that one out.

Also trying to revise and post another installment of the post-Rebellion Half-Elven stories, a Renna's Tale.  Tentative title:  Pulling the Dragon's Tail.  You'll see how successful I am when I write the Monday Half-Elven blog.

Trivia ...

My growling corner is looking more and more attractive.

In the meantime,  I think I'll be only posting this blog once a week, close to the week-end.  For some reason, my "mind-flow" is changing back to mornings ... and I need that time to create ... rather than diddle my time away on the web.  --  There I said it.  I've tried seriously for a half year, but I just can't get very enthusiastic about social networking.  I've always been the type to have a few close friends rather than a million best friends.

Book Review: Odd Series Losing Steam?

The Read ...

Read Dean Koontz's Odd Hours after a short break from the series.  This time around, I found Odd's simple soul a little annoying ... even though the character isn't unrealistic in his thoughts on the world.  This time Odd's living on the southern California coast and uses his "magnetism" to stop the delivery of nuclear bombs to be detonated in the USA to create a "new world order".  The book wasn't badly constructed ... even had some interesting characters, but the whole feeling felt like watching a deus ex machina at work. 

The highlight of the book, for me, was the ghost of Frank Sinatra acting out as a poltergeist.  Usually, Odd's observations cause me to chuckle out loud often.  This time.  Just lip twitchings.  As such the book was a disappointment.

Web and Other Stuff ...

Am seriously considering how I might promoted my novelette, Taking Vengeance, when it's published.  One of the things on my list: running a contest (prize undetermined as yet) to have people retweet info about the trailer or some such thing.  Then, my thoughts got punctured if not shot down, by Rowena Cherry's blog on 1st Turning Point about "How to Run a Contest".   Yeah, there are differing state laws that apply to contests and sweepstakes.  Have you heard of any of bloggers falling a foul of such laws?  Or, does the insignificant value of the prize change the rules?  Guess it's another area where lawyers stick their noses in our lives.

More on being careful of contests.  Jane Smith gives us a long blog on how important reading the rules of a writing contest are over at "How Publishing Works".  In this case, the operator of the contest seems to gobble up the rights to all the submissions to the contest.  Others have mentioned not to enter the contest.  If you haven't heard of the First One Publishing contest yet, you might take a click over there. --  Writer's Beware also did a blog.  --- And the AW Water Cooler also has a long thread on its forums discussing the contest.  ----  I'm wondering how long the tempest will last.

Roni Loren came up with another super-useful blog -- on defining how "High Concept" works.   Since publishers and agents want high concept material since it supposedly sells lots, you might want to wander over to her blog. 

Progress ...

Actually, I felt like I was stuck up the to axles in mud.  Yeah.  I did get two ten page stories rewritten and submitted.  But.  And it's a big but.  I spent more time on writing less than 100 words for a trailer script for the Half-Elven story: Taking Vengeance.  Visit my Half-Elven blog if you'd like to see what I came up with.  --  At the moment, I'm feeling building a writer's platform is more work than writing/revising the blasted book.

Now, I have more productive things to concentrate on, like maybe Maren?  Then, I really should write a new free Half-Elven story or edit the mess I wrote last month.

Trivia ...

The grey cat has come up with another cutsie habit.  He wants to be twirled in an office chair.  This is in addition in taking rides on the Cardio Glider that lives in the basement.  Never thought I'd get exercise by amusing the cat.