Outtakes 152

Release 06-04-2014

Spirit

By Cait Collins

I love watching kids. There’s something so wonderful about their innocence. They believe and they dream. If you remind a child Santa Claus is watching, he behaves. Children accept the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, leprechauns. Elves, and Frosty the Snowman simply because a grown-up told them these creatures exist. And they dream big dreams for their lives. I listened to one little guy define his life’s ambition. He planned to be a doctor so he could make sick people well, and a policeman so he could put the bad guys in jail, and a teacher so he could give the school bullies homework. Oh, and he would do all three jobs at the same time. I have no doubt he will be successful.

Even though I love kids, I find them difficult to write. Maybe it’s because I have no children of my own. Whatever the reason, capturing their spirit and openness eludes me. The portrayals seem like empty balloons. So what’s the answer? I think it lies in being a kid again. Color eggs at Easter. Put a “tooth” under your pillow. Sit on Santa’s lap. As you do these things, try to remember how you felt when you believed. Accept that innocence is a good thing and wish you could drop your jaded attitudes. When you’ve immersed yourself in childlike pursuits and attitudes, then it is easier to craft the character.

By the way, Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny are real.

Outtakes 151

The Best Gift

By Cait Collins

Writers have the responsibility to instill the love of reading in our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and our children’s friends. Times may have changed with kids spending more time playing video games and watching television or movies, but reading will always be important.

Reading opens the doors of adventure for every reader. I have never been to England, Scotland or Ireland, but I’ve walked the moors, stood on the Dover Cliffs, and explored Westminster Abby. I have seen the lush green of Ireland’s hillsides and watched waves crash on the rocky coast. Does the Loch Ness Monster exist? I searched but never saw him. Thanks to my teachers and my parents, I’ve lived my adventures in books. Think how far your children will explore when they have a book in hand.

A reader can conquer the world. People who read have more employment opportunities. They advance faster in their careers. Children do better in school. They tend to want more education. They enjoy learning. If they can read, learn programming languages, and have a vivid imagination, they can create their own video games and movies.

So, why not turn off the TV, confiscate computers and cell phones. Gather the family on the sofa or in the middle of a bed, and spend a few minutes with a good book. Younger children still enjoy Little Golden Books. Let them pretend to be a puppy or a duck and hear the barks and quacks as the story unfolds. Middle Readers can learn about life during the westward expansion. Old Yeller is a great story. Little ladies become princesses. Trust me. They will begin to reach for a book instead of spending endless hours at the computer. In the end, they will thank you for those hours spent as a family reading a good book.

Outtakes 150

FNU LNU

By Cait Collins

One of the many things I love about my job is the opportunity to learn. I’ve picked up information that has helped me in my writing. Legal terms fascinate me. I mean who cannot be intrigued with a BLO, an APB John Doe warrants, No-Knock warrants, and UNSUBS. I recently added another term to my list, FNU LNU. Don’t laugh. It’s a real term. It means First Name Unknown, Last Name Unknown. It’s a very handy term for writers.

Have you ever had one of those characters that you just couldn’t name? No matter what you tried, the name just didn’t fit. And of course, the character wasn’t giving out any clues. You could have named him FNU LNU. This provides a good place holder, and when the person decides to reveal himself, a quick find/replace updates the manuscript.

We can take this a little further. I’ve seen writers obsess over the name of a town. They were so frustrated, they couldn’t continue with the story. Fret no more. Plug in CNU (City Name Unknown), TNU (Town/Township Name Unknown), or VNU (Village Name Unknown). Problem solved. Now write the story.

Of course we have CoNU (Country Name Unknown), ONU (Ocean Name Unknown), LNU (Lake Name Unknown), and the ever popular PNU (Parent Name Unknown). As you can see, overcoming the frustration of not knowing what to call a person, place or thing can be solved. Employing the FNU LNU technique frees writers to complete the story and deal with details in the editing process.

Okay, so this is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but there are opportunities to create your personal place holders and get on with the story. Never let the UNSUB, unknown subject, become a roadblock to your writing dream.

Outtakes 149

Writing Heritage

By Cait Collins

I received a telephone call from my dad’s youngest brother on Monday to let me know my Uncle Bob had passed away. We talked for over an hour about the family and the good times we’d had over the years. Then he asked me how my writing was going. I told him about my projects, and he said, “I want to buy a copy of your book when it’s published.” I have no contract, but my uncle is confident my book will sell. He has no idea how much that confidence means to me.

Uncle Gene told me, “Your dad was a very talented writer. I often wondered how far he could go if he’d been able to get a college degree.” I agreed Dad had talent. I’ve read some of his writings. They are the beautiful words of a simple man. His short story about his father’s death and having to grow up and support his mother and youngest brother touched me deeply.

I do believe we received some writing genes from Dad. My Number 3 Sister is a talented poet and writer. She has taken ideas for special events and created fun poetry. She has also written memorials for friends and family that never fail to bring tears. Sister Number 6 would take her Bible stories and turn them into poetry. The kids loved them. Sister Number 5 writes professional presentations, and she can really help with that all important resume.

Dad never allowed us to just get by when writing. He read book reports and corrected our grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If we failed to properly represent the book, we had to rewrite the report. I guess you could say Dad was my first critique partner. He made me do my best.

As I am writing this Outtake, I realize the best way to honor my father’s gift is to share his legacy with others. And when I’m asked to judge a contest or critique a story, I will not allow the writer to slide by. My critiques will be honest, but professionally given.

And for my uncle who is so proud of his big brother, I’m going to make copies of some of Dad’s stories and send them to Uncle Gene. I know he will treasure the words.

Outtakes 148

The Run-On Sentence

By Cait Collins

Have you ever listened to a person talk on and on and on without ever saying anything?

After a while, it like the Charlie Brown animated programs where adults are saying, “Awanah, Awanah, Awanah.” Or to put it in more modern terms, “Yada, yada, yada.” Needless to say, we don’t truly enjoy the conversation. The interminable chat is akin to reading a run-on sentence in a book or story. Which would lead one to believe all run-on sentences should be avoided at all costs.

Not necessarily true. The never-ending sentence just might be a way to edit a particularly weak section of your current work. Take another look at the troubled portion of your novel. Now rewrite it as one long sentence. No punctuation. No editing. Instead of periods, commas, semi-colons,or quotation marks, use connecting words such as and, and so, but, then, then so, which means, neither, nor, either, or and so forth. Do not stop writing. Completely retell the section in one sentence. Expand the sentence outward, adding details and new thoughts.

Now read your sentence adding the punctuation. Check your verbs. Are they active or passive? Count the verbs. Underline the active verbs and circle the passive. What is your ratio of active to passive? What have you added to the sentence that was not in the original piece? Are the additions valuable to the telling of the story? Check what you have neglected to include in the sentence. Will the story stand well without the omissions or do you need to add some of the information to the rewrite? Has the section improved by using this exercise?

Normally free writing produces better work. Without the internal editor interfering with the creative process, we write with the heart and soul instead of with technical tools. This is just one tool the writer has to improve his work. Just remember the unedited sentence cannot remain in your story.

Outtakes 147

Brain Dead
By Cait Collins

There are just some days that kill every brain cell in your head. I’ve spent the last two days doing prep work. In other words I sort the correspondence requests that come into our work list. My favorite expression has been, “Whaaaaat?” In other words who wrote this and what were they thinking? I love my job and the various aspects of the position, but I haven’t written a letter in two days.

The letter writing and researching are my favorite parts of the job. Digging for what happened, why it happened and then preparing the response are a pleasure. Sometimes its like working a puzzle, and then there are the days when every request is simple and done in a few minutes. The length of time required to assist the client is not important. Helping the client and making him happy is the real purpose of the job.

Pleasing our readers is much the same as responding to a client request. We take the time to research, plot, plan, write, edit, and polish until we produce a story, a novel, a press release, or a marketing plan that meets the needs of the reader. Knowing that we’ve done our jobs well is a reward in its self. But the financial rewards and recognitions don’t hurt at all.

Outtakes 145

Pitch Perfect

By Cait Collins

I love to write, but I thoroughly dislike writing query letters. While not my favorite activity, I understand the importance of a good pitch letter. Not only does the correspondence present your work to the editor or agent, writing the perfect pitch will help you with the verbal promotion of the work.

A good query letter begins with your ability to state the theme of your work. Every story has a theme. Sometimes it is obvious, but in other instances the writer has to dig to find the point of his story. For example the theme of my story How Do You Like Me Now, is “Revenge may be satisfying, but justice is better.” With that in mind, it’s easy to open the query with a solid hook. Yes, lead the letter with an attention grabber and worry about your biography later.

A pitch letter should be as well thought out and crafted as your novel or story. Do not take shortcuts here. If the query is weak, the agent or editor might assume the work is also poorly constructed. Avoid using clichés. Make sure your verbs are strong, action verbs. This eliminates the need for adverbs. I’ve heard writing instructors preach on adverbs as enemies instead of friends. A good verb can save you precious words when facing a limited word count.

Here are a few other tips that have helped me.

1. Know your characters and their relationships. Use the understanding to introduce the protagonist and the antagonist in short paragraphs.
2. Use present tense.
3. Keep the letter to less than one page. Too much information is not necessarily good. In a verbal pitch, you may have ten seconds to get an agent’s attention. Apply the same standard to the query.
4. Do your research. You don’t want to be the erotica writer who pitched to an inspirational agent. Be sure you have the editor’s full name and the correct spelling. Be sure he represents your genre. Make sure you follow the agency’s submission guidelines.
5. Do not include your photograph, your cute kitty’s picture, or submit the letter on bright colored paper. Use only Times New Roman 12pt type. The margins should be one inch all around, on one side, and printed on a good quality, white bond paper.
6. Your information should be at the end of the pitch. Keep it simple. If you are a first time writer, don’t publicize the fact. Instead, promote your successes. If the novel won an award in a contest, say so. Your self-published first book garnered respectable success. Say so. Just don’t over advertise yourself.
7. Promote your platform. Agents and Editors need to know if you have a website, are on Facebook or Twitter. While you may have multiple, promotion sources remember you still need time to write. Don’t over burden yourself with social media
8. Thank the agent or editor for his time. It may take eight to twelve weeks to get a response, so be patient. Bugging the agent for an update every few days may do more harm than good.
9. Be yourself, but be professional.

Paying attention to details will help ensure your letter will be well received and could get you one step closer to a publication contract. Good luck. I’ll be looking for your name in the stacks.

Outtakes 144

In the Dark

By Cait Collins

I wake with a start. Something’s off. I can’t put my finger on what’s different. My fingers brush the lamp switch. Light will help. I won’t be so unsettled. But nothing happens. Maybe the bulb is burned out. There are no lights on in the apartment. Even my LED night light is dark. The television is off, but itt was on when I went to bed. This can’t be good.

I stumble to the closet and grab my battery powered lantern. Flipping the switch, I’m surrounded by a white glow. No longer do I stub my toes on furniture or bump into walls. This baby gives off enough light so that I can at least navigate and find my clothes. Maybe I can even match my shoes.

It’s 4:30 AM. Much too early to head for work. So what can I do? I can’t make breakfast or coffee. With no television and insufficient light for reading, I can only sit in the dark and wait. And think. What happened to the electricity? We didn’t have a storm. No sirens break the silence, so an auto accident could not be the culprit. Maybe one of the neighborhood kids threw the main breaker. Or maybe there’s an axe murderer just waiting for me to walk out the door. Then there’s the possibility an alien ship landed in the parking lot and the energy from their space ship knocked out the electricity. Who knows what happened?

Hey, I could write a story about this. The heroine, a police detective, wakes to utter darkness. Harsh breathing disturbs the silence. “Please help me.” And then…?