A bit of show don't tell

cj Sez: Time for a couple of show-don’t-tell examples, and these are wonderfully wrought by a master. Take note of the beautiful switch from passive voice to action that carries the reader along with the story.

Tell: The house had a huge and beautiful front yard.

Show:  “The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walks and burning gardens—finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as through from the momentum of its run.”

(Can’t you just see that yard?)

Tell: The windows were open when I entered the room, the curtains flapping in a strong breeze that rattled the ornate picture frame on the wall.

Show:  “I must have stood for a few moments listening to the whip and snap of the curtains and the groan of a picture on the wall.”  

(You know from the whip and snap of the curtains that there is a sharp breeze coming through open windows.)

                        (Quotations from THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald.)

Do these two simple examples give you any ideas for your story? If you changed something, let me know how you did it, won’t you?

Now a word from our sponsor:  

   

In the six romantic stories that Crimson Romance bundled into a collection called More Than Friends, BFFs discover there's more to friendship than a few pats on the back and lending a shoulder to cry on when things get rough. Following is a blurb from one of the novels:

Sweet Texas Kiss: Gavin Cooper can't wrap his mind around why country music superstar Macy Young would end up inheriting his family home. Seeing his childhood memories handed over to the first woman to break his heart strings. Luckily, Macy can't sell the house for one year - plenty of time for him to find a way to get it back. Can a country star and a country veterinarian find a way to bury their animosity and rediscover their first love in the process?

The Amazon site says the sensuality level for the bundle is sensual. Fair warning on the advertising, my Choosing Carter is not.  

The More Than Friends bundle = six novels = hours of reading for 99 cents!  (And today, the Kindle version is 73 cents! Now there’s a great stocking stuffer for some lucky reader. Be sure to click the URL that follows to find this package, because there’s more than one bundle with that same name.     http://amzn.to/2dnqnLJ  

Stop back by Wednesday when Lyrical Pens hosts author Kristina Stanley who writes about a new app to help with rewrites.

Okay, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. And if you’re closing in on the end of NaNoWriMo, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

cj

cjpetterson@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle  /  Nook  /  Kobo   /  iTunes/iBook

Deadly Star --  Kindle  / Nook  / Kobo

Amazon Central Author Page:  http://amzn.to/1NIDKC0

How to cram 80,000+ words into a synopsis

cj Sez:  For all of my fellow authors who’ve undertaken the National Novel Writing Month challenge to write 50,000 words in thirty (30) days, remember, word by word gets the job done.

Keep On Keeping On !!!

   I’m feeling better than I was last weekend (thanks for asking). In fact, I’m feeling so much better, I’m starting on a synopsis for my work-in-progress. Since I don’t do a formal outline of my story (gasp), I tend to use the synopsis as a form of outline. Someone asked me once how I knew when I’d reached the end of my story if I didn’t know where it was going. The reason I don’t outline is because once I’ve gone through that whole process, I feel as if I’ve written the entire story. I need the excitement of finding out—as I write—what kind of trouble I can create for my characters then figure out how to get them out of it. I write until I’ve solved all the characters’ problems then I’m done. I am, however, beginning to see the advantages of outlining for this mystery I’m writing. I’m researching a few how-to-write sites which I hope will teach me to be less of a pantser, though I like to think of myself as a pathfinder.

   I’ve talked with writers who say they have absolutely no problem creating a synopsis. Not so me.

   As with learning how to outline/plot, I need a step-by-step, how-to, synopsis cheat-sheet and would love to find the one I safely filed away a few years ago. But I do remember some of the important rules. As I’ve said before, some rules are made to be broken, but first on the list is to know what they are. I would never advise a novice writer to break any rules when submitting a manuscript, especially if the instructions are spelled out on an agent’s or publisher’s website. And always, always use the agent/publisher instructions for font, page layout, and number of pages s/he expects.

   So here’s my synopsis outline:

* Write the synopsis in third person, present tense.  Since my stories are written in past tense, I need to keep that directive on a piece of paper taped to the monitor in front of me.

* Start with a hook (the character or the inciting incident) and reveal the story premise. I think of this as my “elevator pitch” . . . the twenty-five words or so words and the amount of time an author has to impress an agent if perchance they should get caught on the elevator together.

* Concentrate on the primary story line, the turning points, and their effects (internal and external) on the characters . . . and do this in the chronological order of the story.

* As for the characters, only include primary characters by name. Use all capital letters on the name the first time (s)he is introduced within the synopsis. Then be consistent with how the character is referred to in the rest of the document. For example, JOHN DOE might understandably become Johnny for the remainder of the synopsis if that's how he's referred to in the novel. Secondary characters can be described by what they do rather than by name . . . the sheriff, the teacher, the doctor.

* Very important is to show the complete narrative arc for the primary character. How (s)he felt at the beginning of the manuscript and how the character is changed by the end of the story. FACT: You must include the denouement in your synopsis.

* Write in active voice. Use strong verbs and words that show emotions, motivations, conflict, and tension.

* Don’t go into lengthy descriptions and backstory in a synopsis. Unless a character’s physical description or age is pertinent to one of the story threads, keep focused on the nitty-gritty of the main story line.

* The synopsis should be written in the same tone (voice) as the novel. If the novel is lighthearted, the synopsis should be also.  

* It looks soooo simple, doesn’t it? One, two, three and done.  Ha!

   Just like every other writer who’s typed THE END on the last page of their novel, I’ll be trying to cram thousands of words and hundreds of pages of manuscript into a concise document that is sometimes restricted to maybe four or five pages. Though I have read that some peak at eighteen pages, depending on who’s asking for the synopsis.

   Do you have any helpful hints on writing a synopsis? I’d certainly appreciate hearing about them.

  And do stop by on Wednesday when guest author Judy Penz Sheluk offers some thoughts on gremlins—those editing bugaboos we all encounter.

Okay, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and PLEASE VOTE ON TUESDAY.

cj

PS: Here’s another reminder for a great gift idea to make your holiday gifting $$ go further: Set aside a buck (less than the cost of a cup of coffee or a glass of tea) and buy “More Than Friends,” a bundle of six novels offered by Crimson Romance on Amazon. For 99 cents, you can buy hours and hours of reading enjoyment for yourself, a BFF, or a grab-bag party gift. Check it out at…   http://amzn.to/2dnqnLJ

cjpetterson@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

Amazon Central Author Page:  http://amzn.to/1NIDKC0

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle  /  Nook  /  Kobo   /  iTunes/iBook

Deadly Star --  Kindle  / Nook  / Kobo

One Word at a Time

cj Sez: For all you writers who are looking at the 50,000 word commitment of November’s National Novel Writing Month, I offer up Anne Lamott's words in her national best-seller how-to book Bird by Bird, Some Instructions on Writing and Life wrote:

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy.  Just take it bird by bird.'"

That’s some of the best advice ever for writers . . . take it one word at a time, one paragraph at a time, one chapter at a time, until you’ve (surprise!) reached the end.

You won’t always feel like writing, not every day, and some days, what appears on the page will look like pure crap to you. The thing to remember is, you should expect that your first effort is ALWAYS a crappy draft. The goal is to write down the nuggets of your story. On blank paper or on a blank computer screen. Doesn’t make any difference if the spelling is correct, or the grammar, or the format. You can fix all that later.

Many people I know have an idea for a story. They read a book and say, “I could do that. If I had the time.”

If you really, really (notice there are two “really’s” here) want to write, You. Will. Make. Time. Aren’t a morning person? Write at night. Too pooped at night? Write before the rest of your family gets up. The important thing is to make a habit of writing: same time every day. If you’re also working a full-time job, no problem. I always found that when I was super busy at work, I was more efficient with my time at home. (Doesn’t work now that I’m retired…sigh.)

Do your story research one day and write the next. If you try to integrate the two, you’ll surely find yourself down an interesting but time-consuming rabbit hole and having not written one word of your novel. That also means No Facebook, No eMail, No Instagram, and No Twitter. They have No Place in your writing time. They’re for personal time or marketing your book.

Writing a novel takes dedication and discipline. Think of it as a commitment, a job (or another job) that you go to every day. Set up a place and establish an hour or two or more for just for that purpose. Let your family know you’re not to be interrupted when you’re at work . . . just as it would be if you worked at a job away from the house. Set a realistic daily goal for your writing. Maybe it’s five pages or a chapter or “x” number of words a day. Whatever it is that you know you can accomplish if you stay disciplined. The result will be that you can also set a deadline for completion, that exciting ultimate goal: The End. And the novel won’t linger on for years and years (mine have been known to do).

Just to make sure your writing is not all work and no play, when you achieve one of your interim goals, reward yourself. Take a break. Take a walk in the park, a trip to a coffee shop, a visit to a library or book store. Take time to feel good about those little successes and re-energize. If you find your fingers frozen on the keyboard, DON’T even THINK the words “writer’s block.” They get imbedded in your brain—not a good thing. When you get stuck, pick up a book and read. You’ll find a cue that sends you on your way again.

After all that preaching to the choir, I have to admit I won’t be joining this year’s challenge. I committed in September to a U of Iowa online women writers’ course, and each week we are challenged to write 1000-2000 words. I’ll be busy on the short story I’m doing for this week’s assignment. But, I’ll be cheering for you.

You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

PS: If you’re like me and get paid once a month, there’s only two more paydays until Christmas, so here’s a great gift idea to make your money go further: Set aside a buck (less than the cost of a cup of coffee or a glass of tea) and buy “More Than Friends,” a bundle of six novels offered by Crimson Romance on Amazon. For 99 cents, you can buy hours and hours of reading enjoyment for yourself, a BFF, or a grab-bag party gift. Check it out at…   http://amzn.to/2dnqnLJ

cjpetterson@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

Amazon Central Author Page:  http://amzn.to/1NIDKC0

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle  /  Nook  /  Kobo   /  iTunes/iBook

Deadly Star --  Kindle  / Nook  / Kobo

Silver Falchion winners, Veterans Day

cj Sez: The Killer Nashville International Conference was an amazing weekend of workshops and presentations. My fellow panelists on the Writing Romantic Suspense panel were awesome. Congratulations to the Silver Falchion Winners:

Best Attending Author:  Palmetto Poison – C. Hope Clark

Best Novel:

Romantic Suspense: Truth Be Told – Hank Phillippi Ryan

Cozy/Traditional: Hunting Shadows – Charles Todd

Historical: Death on Blackheath – Anne Perry

Private Detective/Police Procedural: Field of Prey – John Sandford

Speculative: Fear City – F. Paul Wilson

Literary Suspense: The Day She Died – Catriona McPherson

Political Thriller/Adventure: I am Pilgrim – Terry Hayes

Crime Thriller: In the Blood – Lisa Unger

Best First Novel:

Cozy/Traditional/Historical: The Life We Bury – Allen Eskens

Literary Suspense: The Weight of Blood – Laura McHugh

Mystery/Thriller: The Black Hour – Lori Rader-Day

Best Children’s Picture Book: An Armadillo in Paris – Julie Kraulis

Best Children’s Chapter Book: The Haunted Library – Dori Hillestad Butler, Illustrated by Aurore Damant

Best Middle Grade: Still Life (The Books of Elsewhere, Book #5) – Jacqueline West

Best Young Adult: Grunge Gods and Graveyards – Kimberly G. Giarratano

Best Nonfiction: Mainstream Crime Reference: 400 Things Cops Know – Adam Plantinga

Best Single-Author Collection: Seeing Red: From the Case Files of Detective James T. Kirkland – Terry Odell

Best Multi-Author Anthology: In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon – Edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger

Best Long-form Novelty Fiction/Poetry/Graphic/Experimental: The Undertaking of Lily Chen – Danica Novgorodoff (Graphic Novel)

Best Nonfiction: Memoir/Biography: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War – Karen Abbott

Best Nonfiction: Academic: The Figure of the Detective: A Literary History and Analysis – Charles Brownson

Best Nonfiction: True Crime: The Skeleton Crew: How Amateur Sleuths Are Solving America’s Coldest Cases – Deborah Halber

Veterans Day is November 11. Originally known as Armistice Day, it began as a day to remember the end of World War I. Germany signed an armistice with the Allies that signaled the end of the war at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. President Woodrow Wilson declared the day a holiday in 1919, and it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. 

I send my grateful Thank You to all who have served and are serving in our United States military. To the men and women risk life and limb as they are sent into harm’s way to protect our American freedoms, I pray the Lord will watch over you and bring you safely home. SALUTE !!

From my Facebook page.

NaNoWriMo writers, are you plugging along? Stay with it! When the challenge ends at midnight November 30, you'll have the draft of a brilliant new novel.

You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I'll try to do the same. 

cj

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle / Nook /  Kobo  /  iTunes/iBook

Deadly Star --  Kindle  / Nook  / Kobo

Fall must-have: Tall leather boots from . . .

cj Sez: Oops. Wrong headline, but here I am, in a state of flux, trying to get ready for winter. I’m somewhere between the beginning of fall (the autumn equinox occurred Sept. 23) and the end of daylight savings time (if you’re on it, it ends November 1). I feel as if I’m on a slippery slope to the end of the year. Think about it. Right this minute, stores have displays for a generic harvest season, as well as for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and an increasing number of cultural holidays (including my personal favorite, Christmas).

If you’re a writer who likes a challenge, here’s something to do in the waning sunlight hours: The beginning of NaNoWriMo is November 1. The National Novel Writing Month.  Writing 50,000 words in one month. Let’s see, “30 days hath September, April, June, and November.” That means you’d have to write an average of (just a minute, calculations going on) 1,667 words per day. Whew!

If you’re going to take the challenge (I’ll only admit to “thinking” about it), now is the time to pre-plot … you probably should have already started the process. Deciding to take the NaNoWriMo challenge is one of those times where it isn’t a good idea to jump right in and begin writing. In order to accomplish 50,000 words in thirty days, you will definitely need some pre-planning.

From my Facebook page

You’ll need a basic idea of how you want the action to progress. Especially important to speedwriting is to know something about your story arc, your characters’ development, and what their emotional arcs will be. Attention-getting beginnings, strong middles, satisfying endings don’t just happen (especially the strong middles).

Granted, a final NaNoWriMo story will wind up as a fast first draft. However, the plus side of all that plotting and planning is not only will you have a better chance of completing the NaNoWriMo challenge, but it’s also a good bet that you’ll need a lot fewer rewrites to make that first draft into a viable, saleable novel.

If you’re not in a support group (get your encouragement and motivation there), there are multiple sources of helpful forums and advice online. There is even an official organization: http://nanowrimo.org/

So, what are you waiting for? Put pen to paper or fingers to keys and get started on developing those plots. There are only 13 days left until Nov. 1.

And now that I think about it, since I get paid monthly, I have only two more paydays until Christmas. Aarrgh!

Okay, I’ll leave you to your work. You-all guys keep on keeping on; I'll try to do the same; and remember, I’m rooting for you!

cj

cjpetterson@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle  /  Nook  /  Kobo   /  iTunes/iBook

Deadly Star --  Kindle  / Nook  / Kobo

PS: On Friday, grandson competed in/finished the Alabama Spartan Super Race in Saraland ...8+ Miles, 24+ Obstacles. Yay Jeff!

PPS Stocking Stuffer Hint No. 1:   

Stocking Stuffer Hint No. 2: 

Fall must-have: Tall leather boots from . . .

cj Sez: Oops. Wrong headline, but here I am, in a state of flux. I’m somewhere between the beginning of fall (the autumnal equinox occurred Sept. 23) and the end of daylight savings time (if you’re on it, it ends Nov. 2). I feel like I'm on a downward slide to the end of the year. Happy HalloThanksMasYear! Think about it. Right now, many stores have displays up for the generic harvest time and fall colors as well as for every one of those holidays.

Now, if you’re a writer who likes a challenge, here’s another event to anticipate and celebrate: The beginning of NaNoWriMo . . . November. The National Novel Writing Month. A challenge to write fifty thousand words, as in 50,000, in one month. Let’s see, “30 days hath September, April, June, and November.” That means you'd need to write an average of (just a minute, calculations going on) 1,666.67 words per day to reach 50,000 in 30 days. Whew!

If you’re going to take the challenge (I’ll only admit to “thinking” about it), now is the time to pre-plot, if you haven’t already started the process. Deciding to accept the NaNoWriMo challenge is one of those times when it isn’t a good idea to jump right in and begin writing. In order to accomplish 50,000 words in thirty days, you will definitely need some pre-planning. You’ll need a basic idea of how you want the action to progress. Also important to this speedwriting contest, you should know something about the development of your characters, what their emotional arcs will be.

Granted, the final NaNoWriMo story will wind up as a fast, first draft of a new novel. However, the plus side of all that pre-plot/pre-plan work is not only will you have a better chance of completing the NaNoWriMo challenge, but it’s also a good bet that you’ll need a lot fewer rewrites to make that first draft into a viable, saleable novel.

If you’re not in a support group (they are very good for encouragement and motivation), there are multiple sources of helpful forums and advice online. There is even an official organization: nanowrimo.org

Note: NaNoWriMo is not a competition. Well, maybe it is in a way, except you won't be competing against anyone but your self-discipline.

So, what are you waiting for? Put pen to paper or fingers to keys and get started on developing those plots. There are only 26 days left until Nov. 1. And now that I think about it, since I get paid monthly, I have only two more paydays until Christmas. Aarrgh!

Okay, I’ll leave you to your work. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I'll try to do the same. Remember, I’m rooting for you!

cj

PS: I absolutely have to thank Hope Clark for her great blog on conferencing. I learned something new!
And the cartoon is from my Facebook page.

Mississippi Gulf Coast anthology

cj Sez:

Writing as Marilyn Johnston, I have an essay about Dauphin Island, AL, in THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST AND NEIGHBORING SITES anthology. The anthology presents twenty-five essays by local authors (with photographs) about favorite tourist spots along the Gulf Coast region.

A book signing is scheduled in the Biloxi (MS) Visitors Center on Beach Road on December 1, 2013, from 2 to 4 p.m. I'd love to see you there.

Books are available beginning Dec 2013.

Okay, back to the writing desk. Are there any writers in the audience doing the National Novel Writing Month challenge? NaNoWriMo is not on my schedule this year  . . . maybe next year. I'm in the midst of two WIPs, and they are in different genres so my mind is too cluttered to attempt NaNoWriMo. 

Mechanical housekeeping note: I've been complaining for a month that my space bar on my PC had started to fail. All my words were running together more than usual. Son was going to order a new keyboard or gift me with his old one, but I decided I'd try to fix it myself. Aha! Success!  The keyboard now sometimes works perfectly, even if the letters on the keys have all been rubbed off. All I had to do was clean out the grape jelly. (sigh)

You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I'll try to do the same. 

cj