Listen to Your Characters

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Outtakes 205

Listen to Your Characters

by Cait Collins

 

Some folks think I’m crazy when I tell them that I talk to my characters and they answer me. Truth is I’m quite sane. I get some of my best ideas just carrying on a conversation with a character in my story. It goes something like this.

“So, Chad, you’ve found a new girlfriend. What’s she like? Who are her people? What does she do? What’s her name?”

Chad responds. “Well, she’s cute. Not heart-stopping beautiful, but cute. And she’s funny. She tells the best jokes. Have you heard the one about…?” Okay, you’re not in the mood for jokes. She’s a teacher. High school English. Beth. Her name is Beth. My girl’s a great educator. Beth teaches some of the old stuff like conjugating verbs and diagramming sentences.

‘Her folks died in an auto accident and Beth raised her sister, Amy. The kid graduates in the spring and plans to study law at Harvard. I guess you want to know how Amy can go to Harvard when her guardian is a school teacher. Well, the folks were pretty well off. They set up trust funds for the girls, but Beth is as frugal as her Scots ancestors. Anyway, we’re planning a trip to the Highlands after Amy graduates.”

In a short conversation, I’ve learned the girl friend’s name, she has a good sense of humor, her ancestors are from Scotland, her occupation, and future plans. But I didn’t ask where everyone lived.

“I bet you don’t know how to find the Old North Church. The one of Paul Revere fame. One if by land; two if by sea. After her folks died, the girls moved here, to Denver. It’s got to be real strange to wake up with the mountains instead of the ocean.”

As you can see, my conversations with Chad garnered useful information. And it’s better than talking to myself.

 

Nouns

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Nouns

 By Rory C. Keel

Let’s be specific. That’s what nouns do; they name the person place or thing in our writing.

Nouns might be a brother, mother or dad; school, city or park; or a dog, hammer or computer.

A noun can also name an idea, concept or personality trait such as time, friendship or courage.

Types of Nouns include:

  1. Common Noun – A general type of person, Place or thing.
  2. Proper Noun – Names a particular person or specific thing.
  3. Singular Noun – Names only one person or thing.
  4. Plural Noun – names two or more persons or things.
  5. Collective Noun – names groups: team, choir, jury.
  6. Concrete Noun – names something that can be seen, heard, touched, tasted or smelled.
  7. Abstract noun – names concepts or ideas.

The noun helps the reader to see what you write by forming a picture in their mind.

Roryckeel.com

THE BIG WHY

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THE BIG WHY

By Natalie Bright

When I added fiction writing to my job related and freelance work about 12 years ago, I had envisioned becoming a romance writer. My goals were to sign with an agent and attend the Romance Writers of America conference every year.  As a member of two critique groups, one which is all romance writers, it stands to reason that I’d be a natural at creating these kind of stories. Easy peasy.

Wrong.

The stories in my head are not of the romantic nature.

The characters that interrupt my dreams are young people, most often from the past. More specifically in the old West. Not only have I spent many, many sleepless nights wondering about these characters and their adventures, I’ve also asked myself, WHY am I doing this? I remember being fascinated with history, the Oregon Trail, and the old West at an early age, but I never imagined I’d be crafting historical novels. I’ve since walked many a mile on the dirt road behind my house, staring into the setting sun, trying to channel a 15-year old Comanche brave. Why this character haunts my head is a mystery.

This summer, my entire mindset has changed regarding my writing journey.

WWA is the West

I attended the Western Writers of America convention in Lubbock, Texas. This is a diverse group, with songwriters, poets, historians, museum archivists, writers of nonfiction and fiction, editors, agents, musicians, and newbies and veteran authors.

As a first-time attendee and new member I didn’t expect to know anyone there, and then a very nice lady from Utah introduced herself and said, “I’ll be your mentor.” (Thank you Rachelle “Rocky” Gibbons, SPUR Award finalist of Big Buckaroo & Moose the Cow Dog.)

Educational Panels and Much More

While there, I listened to a panel of New York City authors share facts about The Alamo that I’d never heard before. Songwriters and talented musicians shared their original music every night in the Roundup Room. A panel on writing about the Comanche Nation included great-grandsons of the great chief Quanah Parker!

At a table over a plate of Texas Bar-B-Que, I listened to the daughter of Don Coldsmith tell how her father gave up a successful medical career as a family practice physician to write stories set in the west. His first book came from the discovery of a valuable bit in an antique bin in Oklahoma, which he bought for a dollar. He penned 40 novels which involved a whole series covering centuries of history. She told us about his writing process and about how he never missed a WWA convention.

The Why Doesn’t Matter

Here’s what I learned during this amazing week: these people don’t worry about the WHY.

WWA members endlessly research the subjects they love. WWA members write about the people and the places that burns a hole in their gutt. My guess is WWA members would pen those stories, songs and poems whether anyone read them or not. A writer writes. From this day forward, I’ll strive to write the very best story I can and leave the why for somebody else to worry about.

WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICA NEEDS YOU!

If you’re a fan of history, cowboys, horses, and anything relating to the American West, close to 600 WWA members share your enthusiasm. You will LOVE this group. Check them out at www.westernwriters.org.

Perhaps I’ll meet you June 2016 at the WWA Convention in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Whatever haunts your dreams, stop questioning the why and write on!

Nataliebright.com

Dear Apostrophe

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Dear Apostrophe

By Nandy Ekle

Time for another lesson in the world of language – sort of.

We know and understand the rules of the apostrophe. (1) denotes ownership (you’re), (2) indicates missing letters (don’t), (3) stresses dialect (goin’), or (4) indicates emphasis within a word (resume’).

This week I learned about a different kind of apostrophe (shout out to a high school English teacher friend of mine J ).

A literary apostrophe is when the speaker, or narrator, detaches from reality and addresses an imaginary character. This tool has been used as a poetic device to illustrate the nature of emotions. It also helps the reader develop a fresh, creative perspective.

One of the rules is that the object is usually not present with the speaker/narrator. A woman goes to work early in the morning. She sits at her desk and yawns. “Dear bed, I’m sorry we had to break up this morning. I’ll see you again this evening.”

Another example would be something like, “Oh, Friday, we look forward to you all week long, but you really are the hardest day of the week.”

You could even do something like this: “Okay, Muse. Zap me with words.”

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

 

 

 

Poetry

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Poetry

by Adam Huddleston

Before I began earnestly attempting to hone my craft through flash fiction, short story, and novel creation, I wrote a fair amount of poetry. Most of it was the sticky, sappy stuff relegated to the realm of love poems to my significant other. A few were decent; not good, but decent. It was the writing of poetry that opened up the creative channels in my brain needed for creating more complex works and I highly recommend all writers trying their hand at it from time to time. Why?

First of all, writing poetry forces us to examine the depth of the world around us. Poems are full of the color, love, hate, and beauty that make up our lives. It is a generous heart, open to criticism and examination that lets the world in to see its feelings.

Another reason to place poetry in your portfolio is that it exercises some of the mental muscles we don’t often use (just try finding a good rhyme for “elbow”). The poet must constantly be working to make sure the flow of the words is lyrical, otherwise it is just prose.

Finally, the process of writing poetry is fun. You can make your poem serious, loving, scary (I’m looking at you, Poe), or funny. It gives a nice change of pace to those of us struggling to churn out a longer work.

Happy writing!

Stressed Out

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Outtake 204

Stressed Out

by Cait Collins

 

I recently purchased an adult coloring book. I thought getting out crayons and colored pencils would relax me. Instead I stressed over everything. Was I using the right shade of brown? Did I have to conform to standard colors of red, black, white or blue for a lighthouse Maybe the flowers did look like magnolias, but can I get away with coloring them a light shade of lavender? But the ultimate question became, “Why am I doing this?”

I began to realize I often have the same issues with my writing. I have allowed the details, my perfectionist attitude, and other peoples’ opinions to rob me of the joy of writing my story. I have come to the conclusion that sometimes the single word is not nearly as rewarding as a good manuscript. When I obsess over a word or a setting, I lose the spirit of the work. The story becomes stale and tired. But when I relax, when I allow the creative process to rule, the pace is corrected, and the story flows better. Instead of closing the mind to possibilities, thoughts are freed and the words flow.

A relaxed approach to writing does not mean the proper words are unimportant. The opposite is true. A word, a name, or a place has great value, but working with an open mind permits a more omniscient view of the whole work. And like the pages of my coloring book, the details and the shading can be applied in the editing process. And when the mind is not occupied with minute details, the joy of the creation shines through out the story. The pace is right and the emotions genuine.

Am I going to give up my coloring book? Absolutely not. Instead, I plan to color like a kid, paying no attention to whether I stay inside the lines or the tree has red leaves instead of green ones. I’m going to color my way. And I will write my way.

 

Comma, Comma, Comma, Comma, Comma Chameleon

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Comma, Comma, Comma, Comma, Comma Chameleon

By Rory C. Keel

For me the correct place for using a comma seems as elusive as a chameleon. Hidden somewhere between subordinate clauses, independent clauses and coordinating conjunctions, the comma hangs out waiting for a slight pause.

Here are five basic rules to help in using a comma.

  1. Never place a comma between a subject and its verb or between a verb and its object.
  2. When a subordinate clause introduces an independent clause, separate the two with a comma.
  3. Don’t use a comma to separate the clauses when a subordinate clause follows an independent clause.
  4. Use a comma before the appropriate coordinating conjunction to join two related sentences.
  5. When in doubt, leave it out.

Remembering these basic rules will help you put them where they belong and leave them out where they don’t.

 Roryckeel.com

THE BIG WHY

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THE BIG WHY

By Natalie Bright

When I added fiction writing to my job related and freelance work about 12 years ago, I had envisioned becoming a romance writer. My goals were to sign with an agent and attend the Romance Writers of America conference every year.  As a member of two critique groups, one which is all romance writers, it stands to reason that I’d be a natural at creating these kind of stories. Easy peasy.

Wrong.

The stories in my head are not of the romantic nature.

The characters that interrupt my dreams are young people, most often from the past. More specifically in the old West. Not only have I spent many, many sleepless nights wondering about these characters and their adventures, I’ve also asked myself, WHY am I doing this? I remember being fascinated with history, the Oregon Trail, and the old West at an early age, but I never imagined I’d be crafting historical novels. I’ve since walked many a mile on the dirt road behind my house, staring into the setting sun, trying to channel a 15-year old Comanche brave. Why this character haunts my head is a mystery.

This summer, my entire mindset has changed regarding my writing journey.

WWA is the West

I attended the Western Writers of America convention in Lubbock, Texas. This is a diverse group, with songwriters, poets, historians, museum archivists, writers of nonfiction and fiction, editors, agents, musicians, and newbies and veteran authors.

As a first-time attendee and new member I didn’t expect to know anyone there, and then a very nice lady from Utah introduced herself and said, “I’ll be your mentor.” (Thank you Rachelle “Rocky” Gibbons, SPUR Award finalist of Big Buckaroo & Moose the Cow Dog.)

Educational Panels and Much More

While there, I listened to a panel of New York City authors share facts about The Alamo that I’d never heard before. Songwriters and talented musicians shared their original music every night in the Roundup Room. A panel on writing about the Comanche Nation included great-grandsons of the great chief Quanah Parker!

At a table over a plate of Texas Bar-B-Que, I listened to the daughter of Don Coldsmith tell how her father gave up a successful medical career as a family practice physician to write stories set in the west. His first book came from the discovery of a valuable bit in an antique bin in Oklahoma, which he bought for a dollar. He penned 40 novels which involved a whole series covering centuries of history. She told us about his writing process and about how he never missed a WWA convention.

The Why Doesn’t Matter

Here’s what I learned during this amazing week: these people don’t worry about the WHY.

WWA members endlessly research the subjects they love. WWA members write about the people and the places that burns a hole in their gutt. My guess is WWA members would pen those stories, songs and poems whether anyone read them or not. A writer writes. From this day forward, I’ll strive to write the very best story I can and leave the why for somebody else to worry about.

WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICA NEEDS YOU!

If you’re a fan of history, cowboys, horses, and anything relating to the American West, close to 600 WWA members share your enthusiasm. You will LOVE this group. Check them out at www.westernwriters.org.

Perhaps I’ll meet you June 2016 at the WWA Convention in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Whatever haunts your dreams, stop questioning the why and write on!

Nataliebright.com

Wedge of Writing

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A Delicious Torture

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

A Delicious Torture

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I crave the pain.  Nothing can compare to this torture—the sweetness, the aching and the longing.  And I must have more, more, more.

I’m talking about the torture of the bookstore.  Inside the glass doors, among the page laden shelves, the torturer calls me.  It waits to dazzle my senses, blind me with colorful beauty and hypnotize me with the perfume of printed paper.  My fingers itch to touch and caress every single tome.  Even my hearing is involved.  The quietness of the store itself makes it possible to hear the books whisper their stories.

I look across the shelf at the bright colors and catchy titles whose sole purpose is to violently capture the attention of shoppers wandering through the aisles.  There have been times that I’ve seen, from the corner of my eye, a book move on the shelf and turn to watch me pass as if praying that I will pick it up. They beg to tell me their stories.  As I witness such extreme measures, how can I resist? Before I know what has happened, I have the book in my hands.

Then my fingers and ears twitch anxiously as my eyes search the cover.  How does it present itself?  What does the artwork say to me?  I measure the heft of the book and the warmth of the cover.  Does it appreciate my touch?  Turning the book over I examine the back and read whatever words are speaking to me.  Finally I open the pages to see the print and smell the feelings in the book—even adventure has a smell.

The torture of this exciting process is making a choice.  How I wish that I could take the entire store home with me.  There are about twenty books that I am seriously considering.  Which of these children, which of these little darlings is the most worthy? Aahh – the torture of deciding on one book from the entire store.

Wait a minute—here’s a shelf I haven’t seen.

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

Nandy Ekle