Category Archives: Cait Collins

Television Opportunities

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Outtakes 198

Television Opportunities

By Cait Collins

 

I am enjoying the History Channel’s presentation of Texas Rising. I truly appreciate the advancement of original programming on the cable networks. The major networks have positioned themselves to become real leaders in the entertainment industry. Major performers used to shy away from the “small screen” as they appeared to think accepting a television contract would destroy careers. Not so any more.

Last season Kevin Costner brought The Hatfields and McCoys to the History Channel. The production quality rivaled that of the major movie studios. An all-star cast, spectacular cinematography, top-notch writing, excellent marketing, and an attention to historic detail created hours of entertainment. Game of Thrones is one of the most popular series on TV. TNT has hits with Major Crimes, Rizzoli and Isles, Under the Dome, and Cold Justice. Suits will soon begin a new season on USA. Higher budget shows have resulted in more quality programming. The trend toward short seasons calls for more original shows. The new series have brought more viewers to the Cable channels and created a higher demand for good writers.

Actors may be talented, costumers and set designers creative, directors motivating, and producers quick to come up with cash, but without inventive writers, there is no program. The writer creates the characters and keeps them alive and vibrant by giving them new challenges and a stream of secondary characters to play off of. The settings are developed by the writer and have led to memorable locales. Cabot Cove, Maine; M*A*S*H’s O R’s and the Swamp, South Fork Ranch, and Walton’s’ Mountain can be found in the television atlas.

Screen and television scripts require special training and an understanding of basic production, but they are fun to write. They are also a great plotting tool for books and short stories which can be a second sales opportunity. And you don’t have to move to New York or California to get the necessary education. Check the catalogue for your local college or university to see what they offer in screenwriting and production techniques.

With this in mind, what is your idea for a new television series? Will you write a sitcom or a drama? What occupations will the characters have? What is the setting? Will they be wealthy or middle class? What are their flaws and what are their strengths? Happy writing.

It’s One of Those Days

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Outtakes 197

It’s One of Those Days

By Cait Collins

 

Have you ever had one of those days when every electronic device you touched just rebelled? Monday was just such a day. My computer at work was slow in booting up and I barely clocked in on time. Then one of the main systems decided to have the hic-ups. It would freeze, or decide not to work at all. My new cell phone sent an activation message, but it didn’t fully activate. I spent 20 minutes on the phone trying to correct the problem, but the tech’s system didn’t want to work. A now my Netbook wants to run marathons when I touch the scroll bar.

Needless to say, it ain’t been a good day for electronics.

Don’t get me wrong. I do appreciate the conveniences modern electronics afford. But the more parts, the more things to break or stop working. Sometimes I wish for my trusty IBM electric typewriter and correction strips. Then I remember how difficult corrections and changes were to make. How many trees did I kill retyping whole chapters in order to add or delete segments and paragraphs? Yes, computers, cell phones and tablets have their places. I just wish my six-year old nephew’s comfort with the devices wasn’t so intimidating.

Since I’m frustrated with everything electronic, I think it’s time to shut everything down and open a good book. A real book with a cover, pages, a spine and a back. I’ve never had a book freeze, shut down, or crash. It’s nice to have something to rely on.

Garage Sale

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Outtakes 196

Garage Sale

By Cait Collins

 

Spring is here and with it comes garage sale season. Last Saturday, the residential areas of Amarillo, Texas sported garage sale and estate sales. Some streets were a bit congested as cars lined both sides of the streets. That’s the negative aspect of the season. Truth is these events can be a great place to find bargains and inspiration.

Never pass up glassware and pottery displays. Many sellers do not realize they have valuable pieces of Depression glass or antique pottery. Certain brands and styles bring back memories. I’m editing a novel set in a small Texas town. The house described in the story hadn’t changed much since Grady and Lucille Walker moved in. So when I began describing Miss Lucille’s kitchen, I filled it with garage sale finds; like green Sandwich glass, Fiestaware, Franciscan china, McCoy cookie jars, and Fire King bowls and kitchen utensils.

Farm house tables and chairs, massive gas or wood burning stoves, Frigidaire refrigerators, pie cabinets, TV lamps, crystal candy dishes, porcelain elves, tri-fold mirrored vanities, and crocheted doilies helped me establish the old home.

I also look at jewelry. I’m floored at the value of vintage jewelry, but good pieces do sell. So you’re writing about a lady from the 1940’s and 50’s. How would you dress her? Would she wear a broach on her jacket? What colors would she wear? What about hats, gloves, and lace handkerchiefs? Check out an estate sale. You will find some gems.

Look at the book shelves. If you are building a personal library, you could find some great out-of print volumes. Make sure the pages are not water stained. You don’t want to carry home mold or mildew. What was your favorite Little Golden Book? I looked for quite a while before I found a couple of my favorites. These little books were great readers and often used when my Dad would gather my sisters and I in the big arm chair for our bedtime story.

Items of interest to men could be old fishing gear, sporting equipment, woodworking equipment, or tools. Back in the day, men wore business attire, ties, dress shirts, and suits. So, you just might find the perfect suit for your hero or your villain.

Not all research requires hours spent in dusty stacks. While that is important, a morning or an afternoon exploring yard sales provides great exercise and a chance to look through older household goods, apparel, or accessories. The time spent examining an old bamboo fishing pole, or an old great coat may provide the spark the cements a character or a period of time. It’s well worth the effort

Garage Sale

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Outtakes 196

Garage Sale

By Cait Collins

 

Spring is here and with it comes garage sale season. Last Saturday, the residential areas of Amarillo, Texas sported garage sale and estate sales. Some streets were a bit congested as cars lined both sides of the streets. That’s the negative aspect of the season. Truth is these events can be a great place to find bargains and inspiration.

Never pass up glassware and pottery displays. Many sellers do not realize they have valuable pieces of Depression glass or antique pottery. Certain brands and styles bring back memories. I’m editing a novel set in a small Texas town. The house described in the story hadn’t changed much since Grady and Lucille Walker moved in. So when I began describing Miss Lucille’s kitchen, I filled it with garage sale finds; like green Sandwich glass, Fiestaware, Franciscan china, McCoy cookie jars, and Fire King bowls and kitchen utensils.

Farm house tables and chairs, massive gas or wood burning stoves, Frigidaire refrigerators, pie cabinets, TV lamps, crystal candy dishes, porcelain elves, tri-fold mirrored vanities, and crocheted doilies helped me establish the old home.

I also look at jewelry. I’m floored at the value of vintage jewelry, but good pieces do sell. So you’re writing about a lady from the 1940’s and 50’s. How would you dress her? Would she wear a broach on her jacket? What colors would she wear? What about hats, gloves, and lace handkerchiefs? Check out an estate sale. You will find some gems.

Look at the book shelves. If you are building a personal library, you could find some great out-of print volumes. Make sure the pages are not water stained. You don’t want to carry home mold or mildew. What was your favorite Little Golden Book? I looked for quite a while before I found a couple of my favorites. These little books were great readers and often used when my Dad would gather my sisters and I in the big arm chair for our bedtime story.

Items of interest to men could be old fishing gear, sporting equipment, woodworking equipment, or tools. Back in the day, men wore business attire, ties, dress shirts, and suits. So, you just might find the perfect suit for your hero or your villain.

Not all research requires hours spent in dusty stacks. While that is important, a morning or an afternoon exploring yard sales provides great exercise and a chance to look through older household goods, apparel, or accessories. The time spent examining an old bamboo fishing pole, or an old great coat may provide the spark the cements a character or a period of time. It’s well worth the effort

Same Song, Different Tune

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Outtakes 195

Same Song, Different Tune

By Cait Collins

 

Three boys grew up together. They were closer than brothers. When they entered college, they chose the same major, planned to graduate together, and work together. But on graduation night one walks the stage to get his degree. Ten years later, they are reunited. What happened to separate the boys? What brought them back together?

On the surface, there is nothing new to this story. It’s been told time and again, because there are a limited number of stories. Depending on the instructor and the text book used, we were taught there are between four and seven stories; man against man, man against nature, man against himself, and coming of age are the most common themes. Yet each retelling can be new and exciting. It all depends on the writer, his theme, his characters, and the circumstances around which he builds the story.

What if the first boy was badly injured in a car accident while on vacation? The head injury resulted in a memory loss. He wanders the country looking for home. The second boy is forced to drop out of college when his mom, a single parent, dies suddenly. He has two younger siblings that need a guardian, and so he moves home to care for them; The third continues his studies, graduates, gets his masters degree, and makes a name for himself in his chosen profession. A news bulletin changes all three lives.

I’m playing with this story line.

I have a number of questions to deal with. What is the profession the boys planned to pursue? They need names. I’ll start out with Tom, Dick, and Harry. The characters will tell me who they really are. Who is the antagonist? I need three, maybe four major settings. What are their social backgrounds? Do they all have brothers and sisters? What secondary character will enter the story? Am I writing a novel or a novella? Is my work a mystery or closer to mainstream?

The process of creating a new work is both exciting and frustrating. There will be days when I am prolific and days when I struggle to write one paragraph. At this point I know one thing. Three boys, now men, will reunite. But will their reunion by joyous or a heartbreak? Truth is, I don’t know; however, they will tell me. The men will guide the story. I look forward to the adventure.

 

 

Things to Write About

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Outtakes 194

Things to Write About

By Cait Collins

 

The San Francisco Writers’ Grotto has done it again. I’ve enjoyed their first release 642 Things to Write About. The pages are full of ideas to spark a writer’s creative juices. The ideas are unique. For example, “Write two prayers for your character: one to be said in private, one to be said in public”. Or, “study a stranger. Go home and write a tragedy about his or her mother”. Or maybe write about “a tree from the point of view of one of its leaves”. Sounds interesting doesn’t it? I can assure you there are plenty of ideas in this journal to jump start the imagination. They also released 642 Things to Write About Young Writer’s Edition designed to inspire our younger aspiring authors.

If you think 642 ideas is impressive, the Grotto has another volume; 712 More Things to Write About. Yes, 712 more ideas. Try this. “What were you thinking the first time you made out with someone?” Then there is “Write about a time in your life when you narrowly escaped some terrible fate –but change the ending, and write as if the terrible thing actually happened.” And now “Write five messages from the Ouija board”. And if you are still not convinced everything is fair game, I challenge you to “Write for 10 minutes without stopping about everything that stops you from writing”.

Sometimes we may believe the muse has left us. Our minds are so clouded with what went wrong at work, your child needs braces and your dental insurance will pay less than half the cost, and the social function you’d rather skip. We allow our concerns to block our creativity. But these journals give so much inspiration. They are treasures for our tired, stressed minds. I do recommend them. Just think one short exercise may be the start of a short story, an article, or a novel.

Education

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Outtakes 193

Education

By Cait Collins

 

I believe in the power of an education. Statistics indicate the person who has a strong academic background, has a better chance of getting a good job and working his way to the top. Writers are continually educating themselves. There’s so much to learn about basics such as grammar, word usage, style, writing business letters, record keeping, tax reporting, and so on. But being a writer requires us to know a little about many subjects. Learning doesn’t all come from books.

Experiencing history, archeology, wildlife, sports and more, allows us to have a new perspective when putting a story together. Now, I’m not careless adventurer. I know my limits and will not take unnecessary risks. That said its fun to try new things.

My husband and I took a trip to Denver, Colorado. We were driving the back roads when we found a little place where you could pan for gold. There were a couple of prospectors who taught the art of panning. I never realized just how heavy a small pan of water and scoops of dirt could be; especially when you’re washing the layers of sediment from the pan. But I learned not only how to find gold dust; I also experienced a bit of what old time miners went through.

You ever heard someone say they’d have to take a gun or maybe a prized possession from his cold, dead hands? Well, I know what they mean. I’ve experienced my hands frozen from hours of dipping a pan in the frigid mountain waters. My fingers cramped around the edges of the pan and would not release. Although I’d only worked a couple or so hours, muscles and joints in my neck and arms screamed from the strain of handling the heavy pan. Mining is real work often with little reward. No matter the pain and exhaustion, you just know the next pan will be pay dirt. I wasn’t ready to leave when my husband suggested it was time to go. I wanted to keep panning; keep looking for a weighable nugget. Reality, a few flakes of gold and small bits of jade and garnets rest in my small bottle. I may not be the best miner, but I know the thrill of seeing the gold glimmer through the course, black sand. I’ve experienced the setbacks and downside of the job.

I am now in a better position to write a miner’s story

Mining is not the only opportunity to learn by doing. Living history days at forts, museums, or historical sites open our eyes to what used to be. Try fly fishing in a mountain stream, camping cowboy style, or being an assistant to a chuck wagon cook. The possibilities are limitless

I would never suggest putting the books away. They are needed to provide back ground information and basic knowledge of the subject. Then we translate what the brain knows to actually performing a task or living the life style, and then we write about the experience.

Thank you, Craig Johnson

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Outtakes 192

Thank you, Craig Johnson

By Cait Collins

 

I met Craig Johnson, author of the Longmire mysteries, when he spoke in Amarillo a couple of years ago. I truly enjoyed listening to his journey as a writer. I’ve known writers who would speak for little money, but he was the first to say he’d meet with a group for a case of Rainier beer. Of course he was kidding, but he got a good laugh at the offer.

After reading my first Longmire novel, The Cold Dish, I was hooked. I’ve read a number of the books and keep looking for the ones I’ve missed. This brings me to a find when I was roaming the bookstore shelves recently. Mr. Johnson has written a wonderful novella.

The Spirit of Steamboat has me captivated. I allow myself 30 minutes each morning to read before going to work. I have come close to clocking in late the last two mornings because I hate to put the book down. Think A Christmas Carol, a Christmas storm, a decrepit B-25 World War II airplane, a Doolittle’s Raiders vet, a helicopter crash survivor, Walt Longmire, and a Christmas guest, and you have the makings of a what-will-happen-next holiday story.

The novella presents a different side of the writer’s talent. I am enjoying this read as much as I have loved his mysteries. I’m looking forward to reading Wait For Signs, a collection of Longmire short stories.

Silly Strings

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Outtakes 191

 

Silly Strings

by Cait Collins

 

A couple of days ago, I made my annual trek to the dollar store to stock up on cans of silly string. It has become a tradition for both kids and adults to engage in a canned-string fight after our family Easter egg hunt. I enjoy the event. We can go through a hundred cans of string in a matter of minutes, and when all the cans are empty, we leave behind a lawn bathed in all the colors of the rainbow.

Using colors in our writing helps to create the setting. And with so many hues, why do we seem to get stuck with blue, red, green, and yellow. Why not experiment with different shades of basic colors? Visualize the hues listed below and if you choose, add others to the list.

Blues: pacific, cornflower, sky, indigo, midnight, outer space, cadet, periwinkle, robin’s egg, aquamarine, cobalt

Greens: inchworm, sea, pine, jungle, granny smith apple, olive, forest, spring, asparagus, emerald

Pinks: carnation, salmon, blush

Oranges: apricot, macaroni and cheese, peach, melon, burnt

Purples: violet, mauve, orchid, lavender, wisteria, magenta, plum, amethyst

Grays: timber wolf, thundercloud, smoke

Browns: sepia, tan, beige, tumbleweed, burnt sienna, mahogany, bittersweet, chestnut, beaver

Yellows: goldenrod, dandelion, almond, citrine

Reds: scarlet, brick, wild strawberry, beet, ruby

Blacks: ebony, onyx, shadow

Whites: sea salt, marshmallow, snow, ivory, antique

With these colors in mind, describe an English garden, a field of wild flowers, a thunder storm; a mountain top view, a sunset, an ocean view at sunrise, the woods in autumn, a romantic get-away, or a murder .scene. Be specific in your descriptions. Let your color choices set the mood. Let the scenes “bake” for a while before reading them. And when you do read your descriptions, can you see them?

Happy coloring.

Adding and Subtracting

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Outtakes 190

Adding and Subtracting

by Cait Collins

 

As a writer, I try to get the most bang for the buck with my stories. For example, can I turn a novel into a screenplay? Or could I rework a short story into a novel? No matter what I decide to do, I run into roadblocks, tar pits, and briar patches. Truthfully, I can’t decide if it’s easier to expand a work, or cut it back. Here’s what I’ve learned.

I had a novella. I really liked what I had written. The characters were multi-dimensional and interesting. Secondary characters added spice to the story. I had a good setting with my small Texas town. Above all, I liked my storyline. A rich man tries to destroy a young woman and her family because he can. Now the lady is back and out for justice. I ran the idea by an agent and he replied, “I can’t sell this as a novella, but you have enough plot twists to make it a novel.”

Okay, I could do a novel. All I needed was another 300 pages and I had to write the additional material while maintaining the integrity of the story. Well, I wrote it; 550 pages of carefully plotted revenge. Now it’s too long and I have to cut about 150 pages; which means I will have to delete scenes I really like.

On the other hand, I have a short story that is too long for a call for submissions. But how do I cut it back to 350-400 words without destroying the emotional impact of the piece?

At some point, a writer realizes part of the craft is either adding scenes or subtracting words. We balance the plot while increasing dialogue or deleting adjectives and adverbs. And sometimes we just can’t make the math work, so we scrap the revisions and start over. I guess I never realized how important mathematics would be for professional writers.