Category Archives: Writing

HEART

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HEART 

by Sharon Stevens

A mother and her young son came into our bookstore to price college textbooks. After they found what they were looking for we took a moment to discuss the high price of books, the terribly hot weather, the rising cost of fuel, groceries, school clothes, work clothes, play clothes, cost of living and just life in general. As they were leaving I invited them to rummage through the basket up front that I keep filled with trinkets of stickers, bubbles, necklaces, bracelets, bouncing balls, slinkys and other such odds and ends that find their way into my stash.

The mother declined but encouraged her son to go through and pick something out to take home. After stirring everything up with his fingers he reached in and chose a golden heart bracelet and shared it with his mom. But he didn’t just pass it on to her, he placed it against her chest and told her he chose it special for her because it reminded him of her heart. The look she shared with her son for this wonderful gift I will carry in MY heart forever. What a precious thought from a young man to his mom.

The dictionary definition of heart describes it as a “chambered muscular organ in vertebrates that pumps blood”. I understand that. You have to have a heart to survive. But I also recognize that heart transcends all definitions and connections. Thomas C. Foster mentions in his book “How to Read Literature Like A Professor” that a heart can have so many different meanings. His book reminds me to never look at a heart simply the same way again.

And if I had my druthers I would choose for my definition the verb tense that describes a heart as one that encourages. Even though it is not in general use it fits me to a capital H.

I watched the mother and son leave our store after just heartbeats in time. I wonder how many pulses were exchanged between the three of us not only in that lifespan, but how many hours that moment will sustain us for the future. Who knows.

It wasn’t until after they left that I realized the young man had placed the bracelet heart against the RIGHT side of his mother’s chest instead of the left.

No matter, his mother and I both knew which side her heart was on.

– Sharon Stevens

Click on the author page above to connect with Sharon.

Never Could

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Outtakes 95

 Never Could

By Cait Collins

There’s a sure way to end your writing career. It’s a simple phrase. We all use it and it is a killer. Not only does it hurt your progress as an author, it could have a profound impact on your life. Two words can end it all.

I can’t.

Are you one of those people who respond to a challenge with, “I can’t?” If so, you have sealed your fate. Can’t never did and never will. Maybe you will not succeed at everything, but beginning with a negative insures failure. So what if you don’t know how to write a romantic love scene. Why not try? Call on all your experiences. Remember how you felt when you kissed your spouse or significant other for the first time. Use your senses and write from the heart.

Will your effort be perfect? Maybe; maybe not. The point is you tried.

How Did You Do It?

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css-inspiration-for-writers-2How Did You Do It? 

By Rory C. Keel

This is the number one question I’m asked when others learn that my story, The Challenge, was published in the recent edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul:Inspiration for Writers. 

There is no magic button

In trying to answer this question, I realized there is no one specific thing that will get a story published. There is no switch to flip or button to push that makes it happen, nor did I have an acquaintance or inside contact at Chicken Soup.

However, hard work along with a few of the following things can improve your chance of success.

Journal

To keep me from getting writer’s block, I have made it a practice to write in a journal everyday. I jot down simple things like a quote, a thought or a remembrance of something in the past. Many times I express an emotion and try to explain in words how I feel. The words in a journal don’t have to be profound, hilarious or novel worthy, but write something, anything.

Over time your journal becomes a vault of story materials.

Study the publication

I believe a crucial step in getting published in any market, is to know the market. If you desire to be published in Chicken Soup, read it, study the stories and notice how they are written.

Submit, Submit, Submit

Watch for story call outs. Many publications announce the type of stories they are seeking to publish. This is where the journal comes in handy. You may have story material already waiting to be expanded, worked or polished.

Early in my writing at a writer’s conference, I remember a publisher who said, “Ninety-five percent of those who want to be published begin writing, but only five percent finish and submit.”

Remember

Finally, sometimes it’s a matter of having good work at the right place at the right time.

roryckeel.com

Fixin’ to Act Ugly – Using Slang and Dialects in Stories

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 Fixin’ to Act Ugly

By Natalie Bright

 

Using Slang and Dialects in Stories

A visitor from Florida pointed out that everyone is “fixin’ to” do something or go somewhere. I’d never noticed that the term was used that often in the Texas Panhandle.  However, I am conscious of a Southern habit of using “ugly” as a verb. My mother always said, “We don’t say ugly things.” or “Stop acting ugly.” I cringed the first time I repeated those exact words to my sons.

As writers, the question is how much regional slang is too much in a novel? And if we use such terms, will our stories seem dated or be offensive to future generations? Granted there are many noteworthy books with regional dialects or patterns of speech to aide characterization. When it’s done well, it really enhances the tale. What about your work in progress? Will the words you write today stand the test of time?

The Wonders of Wilbur

In answer to this question, I consider the classics in children’s literature. The ever popular story about a pig named Wilbur in CHARLOTTE’S WEB by E. B. White was first published in 1952. In fact, the first paragraph is still used today for character development studies in writing courses.  And now with three films and a video game to it’s credit, the story continues to appeal to new generations of kids. School Library Journal named it as one of the “Top 100 Chapter Books” of all time in a 2012 poll. As an adult reader, I’m come to appreciate this book even more.

Consider the Classics

I’m reading my way through the Newberry Winners list and these stories are amazing. I recently finished the 1968 winner, FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER.  The thought of two kids running away from home and hiding in a museum still peaks the imagination, even in today’s world. I find myself going back to these classics to carefully study the dialogue, plot structure and characterization. What makes them so magical?

In mainstream fiction, dialogue referencing “calling a cell” or “tattooed hunk” makes me wonder if that is the best choice of words. And exclamations of “Jesus Christ” or “Oh, God” just makes me cringe.

What I ‘d like to do in this blog post is keep gushing over the amazing award winning books in children’s literature, but I’ll stop here and encourage you to discover the stories from your childhood.  Used book stores are filled to the rafters with such titles, and some of the older classics are FREE as eBooks. Even though kid lit may not be the genre you normally read, take a minute to ponder how a story about a pig and a spider continues to entertain readers after 60 years.

What are some of your favorite characterizations using patterns of speech with slang or specific dialects?

Happy spring and happy writing!

www.nataliebright.com

CP #11 – Part One

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A Pinch of Rodeo

By Joe R. Nichols

CP #11 – Part One 

Today’s bucking bulls are mostly the product of two bloodlines. If you’ve ever watched a Professional Bull Riders event, or the National Finals Rodeo, the bovine athletes you saw were likely the off-spring from just two gene pools.

From the west coast, Oscar, owned by Rodeo Stock Contractors. His descendants, beginning with Oscars’ Velvet, have proven themselves as a great linage.

The other line of breeding came from Tom Harlan of Kellerville, Texas. Charlie Plumber of Sayre, Oklahoma made these genetics famous, putting on rodeos beginning in the 1960’s, and his bulls were notorious. I would like to tell you about my favorite, number 11.

None of these bulls were very big, but 11 was smaller than the average. His brown color came from his mother, a Jersey milk cow. He had small horns that turned straight up, giving him the appearance of the devil, and some folks might swear that he was.

This bull was cat quick, and had murder in his heart. He could get from point A to point B, faster than imaginable. He defied laws of physics. Many a time, cowboys thought they were a safe distance from him, to find themselves underneath him the next instant. It was like science fiction. No way should he have been able to cover that amount of ground, in that amount of time. He was a freak. His other unique characteristic, was his thinking and reaction ability. With his speed, savvy, determination, and killer attitude, no one ever got away from him. He hooked everyone I ever saw get on him, and several that didn’t know better than to get out of the arena. I didn’t feel safe unless I was in the car with the doors locked. This was a scary bull.

My hauling buddy, Richard, drew the bull at Hardtner, Kansas. He said, “I’ve got it figured out how to get away from him.”

I couldn’t wait to hear his plan, as most of his ideas were way out of bounds.

He explained, “Instead of bailing off in time with his jump, I’m going to wait until he’s at his highest peak, and then just step off directly to the ground. That way, he’ll be up in the air, and I’ll already be on the ground running.”

I was impressed. “You know, that might just work.”

This was one of the best bull rides I’ve ever witnessed. 11 could only be described as “electric”, and Richard never budged. Just as he planned, he jerked the tail of his rope, and waited until the bull reached the full height of his leap. Richard dismounted, not spending any hang time in the air. He was only a few feet from mother earth when ole number 11 blew his theory. The brown bull, high in the air, wasn’t going to allow this well plotted exit to be successful. He contorted his body, changing his direction, and reached out with a front hoof. He literally pawed my friend in the back, sending him face down in the dirt. Those little moon horns started at Richards boots, and peeled his hat off at the other end, not missing one inch between.

Richard had a grimace on his face as he left the arena. He had a hole in his shirt, a raspberry in the middle of his back, his hat was bent, his mustache filled with dirt. I shook my head, “So much for that idea.”

“Well, it looked good on paper,” he said.

Filet Mignon

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Filet Mignon 

By Nandy Ekle

In the bible Jesus tells a story about a rich man who fares sumptuously every day.

Several years ago my husband and I bought a side of beef to feed our children and any visitors who happened to grace our home. Our beef came in the form of roasts, hamburger meat and steaks. We ate steak and ate steak and ate steak until I finally thought if I ate one more bite of steak I would be sick. That’s when I thought about the story from the bible about the rich man who fared sumptuously.

The thought of the bible story has come back to me recently because of my reading list. My favorite author has numerous books published, a lot of which I have read, some of which I have not. The ones I’ve read instantly become my some of my favorite stories of all time. Suddenly it seems that every book I have, audio, virtual or paper, is by him, and I love them all. In fact he has two new books coming out this year that make me feel like a starving person with a blank check walking into a restaurant.

But the other day I looked at my stack of books waiting to be read and thought, “I’m tired of steak. I need different flavor.” So I’ve been shopping for new authors. This is sometimes a difficult thing to do, but can turn up some surprising finds.

Once I discovered a book written by a British author. It was her first novel and was so amazing that it pole-vaulted to the top of my favorites list. To this day, I don’t think she has another book out, but if she did, I would be first in line for it.

Writers write, but writers also read. And sometimes what we read inspires what we write. Add some variety to your reading diet and new ideas and styles will pop up all around you.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

ECHT

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ECHT

Sharon Stevens

 

Today at our bookstore we had a gentleman visiting from Minnesota. His daughter had graduated from WTAMU on Saturday. He had been in several times in the past and bought books by local authors. As he was making his purchase he remarked that he and his daughter had discussed how genuine the people of the panhandle were, and how comfortable and welcoming we all were.

Genuine…what a wonderful word!  So descriptive, so simple, so eloquent, so meaningful. Very few words in the English language can fit this description.

I looked up all the dictionary words pertaining to genuine and found the definition wasn’t very old although I found the Hindu/Urdu/Sanskrit word “pukka” which first known use was in 1776. Bona fide and certifiable were the synonyms related. You can imagine which one of these words my husband connected to me. But that’s another story.

As writers we need to have genuine characters. No matter the genre we should be consistent with our thoughts. Even though they may stray into deep chasms of a dark direction they still need to be true to themselves. Serial killers, and psychopaths have a life, a story, a family. Their sick minds still envelope a beating heart. Christian and spiritual writers also need to follow a genuine path.

Please be genuine in your writing Give your characters life, but don’t betray their true philosophy. Their stories beg to be written, but with the truth they can believe in.

The dictionary definition of genuine is long and varied, and I quote…not spurious or counterfeit, authentic, real, free from hypocrisy or dishonesty, sincere, not pretending, possessing the claimed character, quality or origin, free from pretense, affectation, being of pure or original stock. Australia and New Zealand have another word for this, DINKUM, now that’s a word for you.

Dinkum…echt…genuine. We should never let our writing get lost as long as we follow the same path our characters would walk.

What’s In a Name?

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What’s In a Name?

By Cait Collins

 

Do you love your name? Does it fit your personality? My given name, Barbara, comes from the Latin meaning stranger or foreigner. Some books use the term barbarian. Stranger, maybe. I’m shy and tend to make friends slowly. However, barbarian indicates wild and untamed. Definitely not me. I am asked why I took Cait for a pen name. Simple. The name is Irish meaning pure. My mother’s family is Irish. The meaning of the name fits me. Pure in heart, pure mind, you get the idea. It’s me. So, did my parents make a mistake with my name? No. They liked Barbara Ann, it was popular in the 1950’s, and they chose it for me. I doubt they knew the meaning of Barbara. But even if they did know, it would not have changed their choice.

Prospective parents place great importance on selecting a name for the baby. They make lists, consider religious or cultural significances, think about inherited names, and popularity before selecting a name for their newborn. If moms and dads make name lists and whittle down the choices to find that perfect name, shouldn’t a writer put equal thought into naming his characters? After all, the author is like a parent giving life to the characters and the work.

Authors have varying methods for selecting a character’s name. Sometimes it just comes to you. For example, I have a character named Macon Georgia. That name had no rhyme or reason until an inebriated Macon explained. “My daddy didn’t have much imagination when it came to naming his children. I was born in Macon, Georgia. I have a baby brother named Mobile Alabama.” I also used Houston and Austin for brothers in an early novel. The heroine quipped, “Don’t tell me. You have another brother named Dallas.” “Actually,” Houston stated, “Dallas is my sister.” I don’t try to analyze name inspiration like this. If the character is shouting “I am…” who am I to argue? Sometimes the fictional entity just might know best.

More research may be required when writing a period piece. What names were common to the time period? Were there regional variations or spellings of the proposed name? Was the name used at the time in question? There are good books to help with name research. I use THE VERY BEST BABY NAME BOOK in the whole wide world by Bruce Lansky for some of my research. The book contains little known facts, stereotypes, positive and negative perceptions of names for both boys and girls, popular names for different countries, gender neutrals, and name selection worksheets. It defines the country of origin and the meaning. Unfortunately, the historical age is not provided. That’s where search engines come into play. Do not neglect this step. A name not associated with the times or the setting could destroy chances for publication.

Even minor characters need to be named. If he is known only as Joe’s friend, one could assume the person has no real value to the story. He’s just thrown in to fill space from point A to point B in the scene. Even if he makes only one appearance in the work, give some consideration in choosing the name. If he’s gentle, compassionate, and concerned, Luke might be a better choice than Bubba.

So what is in a name? The rose’s fragrance may be sweet, but if we call it gardenia, that’s a whole different scent. Names help define characteristics, explain why a character behaves in a certain way. A character might fail if he cannot live up to granddad’s name. Choosing names for characters is an important step in developing the story. A boy named Sue just might be the spice that flavors the novel.

“Ands and Buts”

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“Ands and Buts”

 By Rory C. Keel

 

Recently I decided to do some rewriting and corrections on my novel. Wow, it’s amazing how much better I write today than months ago when I started the book.

I remember the first day I started. I was confident in my story plot, characters and setting and remained confident every day as I move the story forward. Then I read the beginning; my confidence had covered a multitude of mistakes.

Making corrections is no easy task either. One day you change the “ands” into “buts”: then on the next day after re-reading the corrections again you change the “buts” back into “ands.”

The problem is that you’re confident about the corrections on both days.

Hello Editor!

State of Being

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State of Being

 

The ‘state of being’ verbs. The ‘be’ verbs. Basic grade school grammar which you probably memorized to pass the test. For writers, they are murder on your story.

The ‘be’ verbs are passive. To fully engage the reader, your writing must be active.

One of the best tips I learned at a conference is to search and highlight was in your manuscript. It’s easy to use was, as you’re dashing through that difficult first draft. Go ahead. Put a was in there, however you must go back and replace as many of them as you can with active verbs. Ramp up the imagery and heighten the action by using active verbs. In grade school, my sons learned a list of spicy words. We should all write more vividly, and spicier.

Instead of: She was running.  Make a list of other words to replace the verb run, such as: amble, bound, canter, dart, dash, escape, gallop, jog, scamper, scuttle. Each active word gives you a little different visual as opposed to “run”.

How many spicy words can you think of to replace jump?

Learn the B verbs:

be, being, been, was, just, very, to be, had to

Over the next few posts I’ll be blogging about basic grammar and story craft.  Until next week…

Thanks for following us at Wordsmith Six!

nataliebright.com