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Friday Wrap Up – September 28, 2018

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Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day and if you haven’t registered to vote then it will take only two minutes on their website!  Nonprofit Vote has specific information about voting in your state, so their is no excuse not to vote during the mid-term elections in November.   After another riveting and crazy week in politics from the United Nations General Assembly to Senate Confirmation hearings, I once again realized how important it is to vote for people that represent the values I find important.  Rock the Vote!

One of my favorite magazines is REAL SIMPLE . In the August 2018 issue I loved the humorous article, Live the Feline Way by Sarah Schmelling. Thanks, Sarah, for a good laugh and possible a new philosophy in my life!

I belong to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). A great organization that supports all children book writers (and illustrators) from picture books to young adult. This weekend the Florida Region’s 2018 Boot Camps will help us be the best we can be. Can’t wait to dive into my intensive workshop tomorrow!

I enjoyed Cathi’s Thursday post on the South Dakota Festival of Books and I especially loved the pumpkin picture she took. Not only did I get some good writing tips, but I also really want to visit a fall climate (it’s 6:45 am here and already 84 degrees … and that isn’t accounting for the humidity). But since I might not get as far north as South Dakota, I might have to settle for cooking some of the delicious looking recipes on TASTE OF HOME. I think I’ll turn on my fake fireplace and cook some of the Pumpkin Sausage Soup.

 

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Character Descriptions … Use Your Imagination

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I’ve recently found another unpaid creative outlet … I’m a producer on a short independent film! Check it out on its Indiegogo page:  Alligator in the Pool. It is low budget but professionally done, so I’m getting some excellent on the job training. Naturally, I am looking at the things from a writer perspective. One question I had is how are the written characters translated to film? I mean, it must be hard to cast the perfect person who fits the description of the main character written in the screenplay. In this case, the director wrote the story himself and seemed to be looking for actors in a specific age range that were able to interpret the relationship driven plot the way he envisioned it. He had no specific “look” that he wanted. Other films may require specific physical characteristics that the plot revolves around, which would make casting doubly hard.

When translating a beloved character from a book to the big screen, the filmmaker runs the risk of alienating an entire audience of readers. She must be true to the author’s description which can be extremely limiting. Fortunately, many bestselling authors, particularly in the mystery genre, do not go into much detail when describing the protagonist physically. David Baldacci pointed this out when I saw him speak at Sleuthfest 2017. His Memory Man character, Amos Decker was all about what was going on in his brain and physically we only really knew he was big (ex-Football player). The descriptions of his personality were so clear that I could picture him in my mind but my vision of him could be totally different than another reader’s. I am a believer in this way of writing a character descriptions in my own novel as well. I like to let the readers picture the character in a way that they can relate to. One may picture the feisty and beautiful best friend who stays calm in a crisis as a young Lucy Liu, while another might picture a young Julia Roberts. My future director may find an actor who looks like neither of them and still stay true to my description. And that’s just fine with me (more than just fine!) because that means my novel is being made into a movie. And I’ll never reveal that I actually picture her as a young …

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Sleuthfest 2019

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Sleuthfest 2019 registration has begun! As most of you know, Cathi and I met at Sleuthfest 2018, a limited-space mystery writer’s conference held in Boca Raton, Florida. We loved the intimate feel of this event that will be held March 14-17, 2019. Not only do you learn from a successful author faculty, you also get to interact with some top agents and editors in the publishing industry. There is even a forensic track for those of you that want to add authenticity to your fictional crimes. If this sounds like the conference for you then sign up now for an early bird discount. This also give you time to save up for the transportation and hotel … and to find a roommate. It is fun to have a fellow writer friend to divide and conquer with since it is impossible to attend all of the fantastic workshops. Sleuthfest is Friday-Sunday with Third-Degree Thursday as an add-on or stand-alone. There are discounts for early sign-ups and for students, librarians, and educators. You can also bring your significant other to the nighttime events, for only $50, after they have spent the day lounging at the pool or exploring the beaches and attractions in south Florida. They will love you for the winter getaway even if the dinner conversations about murder and mayhem makes their sunburned skin crawl.

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Friday, Sept. 14 Wrap Up – Because Writing is Only a Start to the Great Things in Life

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This week started out at a productivity low on Sunday by watching my Miami Dolphins play football. It was a 1:00 game so I thought that by 4:00 I could be getting ready for the work week. Maybe some grocery shopping and food prep, at least.  The good news is that we won! Unfortunately it took them 7 hours and 8 minutes to do it … the longest game in history. Check out the highlights and suffice it to say that I got little done afterwards.

The rest of the week has been consumed (besides work) with Florence … the beast of a Hurricane that has been barreling toward my friends and family in North Carolina. This time of year, I like to monitor the storms on the National Hurricane Center of NOAA for most accurate and up to date news.

First and foremost, I hope for safety for all of them and minimal property damage. I’m encouraged that the winds have gone down a little but also know that it is all relative. I have seen the destruction first hand that even a Category One storm can do. All you can do is be smart, prepare, and ride it out.

I won’t go into the necessary preparation, like boarding up and stocking up, since I’m hoping that has already been down. What is going on now for most of those people in the path is the house-bound waiting. Or as my kids liked to call it … game time.

Check out Kid Spot for 12 classic card games that can be played by candlelight even if the power goes out … which it probably will! And because even kids can play them they will work even if you have broken out the cocktails.

Speaking of which, in addition to plenty of water, you probably stocked the liquor cabinet … if you were smart. Here’s Recipe Girl’s version of the famous Hurricane Cocktail, just in case.

If you are lucky enough to keep electricity and cable throughout, then try a binge watch of some show you have heard about. Last year, during Irma, I evacuated inland to a friend’s house. We binged on Game Of Thrones which was perfect while we remained safe in her little fortress of a house safe from the howling winds and rain outside the shutters.

Fortunately all the hurricanes I have lived through have not caused major flooding in the aftermath and I am hoping that doesn’t happen with Florence either.  For those of you like me, in areas with exterior damage and loss of power but where everyone is okay, then I encourage you to embrace the sense of community that follows a massive event. Once it is safe to get outside and assess the damage, connect with the neighbors you barely knew.  After a day of cleaning up the debris followed by mass grilling of everything  that is thawing from the freezer (check out Real Simple’s how-to), it’s surprising how many life long friends you can make. And maybe one with a generator will let you sit in front of his fan for a while.

 

 

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Goal Oriented: Hanging in There

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I recently blogged about being stuck on a hamster wheel, where forward progress seems, if not impossible, then darn hard. Life is messy and sometimes not designed to be easy. I do want to move forward in my writing career, so I’ve been looking at successful and busy friends for motivation and inspiration.  Here is my conclusion…

Sorry, I have no idea. Each of my friends has different responsibilities and priorities and all approach them differently. Somehow, they get the job done, splendidly in my opinion. However, if you talked to them most would say they aren’t doing anything extraordinary. They have doubts and naysayers (family members are the best in that role) just like all of us. They also have a support system they know they can fall back on if needed (ironically, family members can also be good at that). Priorities and goals play a big role in their success and both can change and fluctuate daily, but long term often remain steady. They can be moving along when they get hit with one of life’s bombs, and instead of giving up they fall back on their support system, readjust their daily priorities and find a way to get back to working on the long-term goal. They ignore, or actively try to, any judgmental people crossing their paths. They know what they want … and they have an idea on how to get it.

Now that I’ve written this down, aside from mental health issues that need to be addressed by a therapist or psychiatrist, I think for me it is a matter of clearly defining my goals and to stop procrastinating. So, after this blog is finished (number 1 today), I will take the time to clearly write down my big goals in life then come up with a plan on how to get them. Cathi has talked about resources for this in her blog, Off Track. I’ve already done this in my head, but I need to commit them to paper. That way I can refer to them when I find that I’m spending too much time spinning my wheels on something that is not propelling me toward my goal. It is so easy to think that spending hours deciding where to hang the artwork in my new place is a priority in getting my life in order. If I look at the big picture, I would just hang them and be done with it! I have more important things to do, like make this website more user friendly and marketable (a step toward a long-term goal). Stay tuned for Game of Books’ new look, if my new found, goal-oriented approach takes hold. Naysayers be damned!

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Plot for Comfort

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It’s a rainy day and a holiday so I just want to curl up with a cup of tea and watch a Hallmark movie. They are like the macaroni and cheese of the movie world … comfort food. I have heard that there is a plot formula to these movies, right down to the minute when the main character faces the turning point crisis. I’m not sure if it is spelled out to the screenwriters, a hard and fast rule, but it is what the viewers want and expect. I mean, the cheese might be different, bacon bits slipped in, or the pasta could be whole wheat, but the combination of pasta and gooey cheese works every time.

It turns out that formulas can also work in books, sort of. Cathi and I are mystery writers so most of our classes have talked about writing in this genre. Mysteries and thrillers are often the most popular (check the New York Times Best Seller List) and I think it is partly because readers know they will usually be fast paced with a satisfying climax somewhere near the end.  A multitude of authors conduct workshops that talk about the plotting and pacing of a novel. They describe their methods for writing a well-crafted mystery with different graphics such as plot wheels, plot clocks, flow charts, and bell curves which can often be broken down to similar components. This is not to say every book is the same … the variations in character, location, clues, crimes, etc. can be endless. A successful writer also has a unique voice that distinguishes her international espionage novel from the other guy’s foreign spy book. But as a writer, I take comfort in knowing that once I get down the mechanics of sentence structure, find my voice, and reach into my creative vault … then I just need to make sure the story structure follows the plot and pacing plan from one of my workshops. Easy peasy.

On future blogs I hope to break down some of my favorite methods from my favorite authors. It will just be a brief taste … then you can seek out their workshops at future conferences and events for the real deal. Since it is still raining, and I’ve finished my blog, I think I will go put on the tea kettle and switch on my fake fireplace and settle in for some comfort tv.

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Friday Wrap Up – Because writing is only a start to great things in life…

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The much anticipated finale episode of Sharp Objects aired on Sunday night. It is a HBO limited series based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name. Haunting, suspenseful, and creepily beautiful to watch, I couldn’t get enough of this series and the incredible cast of actors! I want my novel done the same way (hear that Connor McVay, screenwriter and director extraordinaire). I recommend it and will not spoil the twisty ending that left me wanting more … maybe another season?!?

I was nominated on Facebook for the 10 Day Movie Challenge. This means that every day for 10 days I must select an image from a film that has impacted me in some way, present it without explanation, and nominate somebody to take the challenge. It’s fun challenge for you movie buffs out there.

Here are my first two pictures:

Day 1: Sound of Music (1965) Dir. Robert Wise, DP Ted McCord

Day 2: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Dir. Steven Spielberg, DP Vilmos Zsigmond

Every weekday I listen to the podcast put on by the New York Times called The Daily. While I’m exercising or driving, it gives me a little in depth coverage of a current topic in the news by the reporter or reporters that covered the story. With the way the news jumps out at us every day, I crave getting an objective look at the facts behind the sensationalism on a lot of the media outlets.

Zucchini noodles, or zoodles as they are affectionately called, are my current favorite substitute for processed carbs. They are so tasty and versatile. Here is a website, Wholesome Yum, that gives a lot of guidance on how to make zoodles. I have never tried the oven method like Maya describes here … but I will. Yummy!

Finally, I went to a book signing for the release of Jonathan Rosen’s new middle grade novel, From Sunset Till Sunrise. It is the sequel to his first book, The Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies. Both of these books are hilarious and spooky at the same time. I first met Jonathan when he was on a panel of new authors and he is as humorous in person as his writing. And you know how much Cathi and I like to laugh! These books are great as gifts for any 8-12 year olds that you know … or maybe just to read yourself.

 

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Research for a Novel: Where’s the Fun in That?

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Research is a word most people don’t associate with fiction writers. With my science background, I’ve heard it a lot since it is the heart of what a scientist does. But I am sure there are writers out there who ran from any college class that had the word research anywhere on the syllabus. “I use my imagination and follow the rules of grammar. What else do I need to know?” The funny thing is, I must have agreed with them back then. When I was a science student, I steered away from humanities classes that required long essays based on compiling all sorts of facts from history or philosophy. That wasn’t fun writing of the imagination. It was based on reading research. I like the get your nails dirty, plug your nose, safety goggle type of research. And guess what? I get to do that as a fiction writer!

Even though a good story starts from a creative mind, many writers still do a lot of research for accuracy. You don’t want to lose your reader because your story isn’t plausible. Especially in mysteries, readers scrutinize everything while searching for clues. And when you mess up a fact that leads them down the wrong path to who done it, and they realize it’s because you haven’t done your research, well let’s just say that books are more aerodynamic than you think.

A lot of this quest for accuracy can be done online, surfing the net. Wonderful for many writers who prefer the comfort of research from their desk. And I have spent many a day, hopping from one site to the next, trying to find which weapon would work best or what time the sun set on a particular day. I do, however, still like to do field research. Anytime I can experience, for a short time at least, what one of my characters does, I feel so much more comfortable while I’m writing. I’ve done a police ride-along and spent a day on a fishing charter … all in the name of research. Another amazing experience, which Cathi talked about in her last blog, was the Writers’ Police Academy. We got to feel what our characters might feel in different adrenaline-fueled scenarios. This conference was so encompassing that I have a multitude of ideas for future characters. And I even got to sweat a little while I trained for force on force against armed suspects (that’s me geared up in the picture).

I highly recommend going out and getting a multi-dimensional look at your characters’ lives, especially if you are a young writer. Depending on your budget you can either find free programs in your community, a professional who wouldn’t mind you shadowing them, or travel to a learning experience like the WPA. Your characters (and readers) will thank you. You might even find you like research!

 

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Running But Getting Nowhere

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Warning: Today’s blog will be as disjointed as my life right now. As I talked about last time, I really want to get into a writing routine and find my groove. Alas, life is conspiring against me or if I’m being truly honest, I’m my own worst enemy.

First, let me paint a picture of me running on my own hamster wheel. In the wee hours of the morning, when I should be getting needed sleep, my brain start going over scenes for my work in progress. But I don’t get up and write it … I toss and turn until a more reasonable hour. Then I groggily realize that I really need to unpack a couple more boxes from my move last month if I want to find the perfect coffee mug to embody my super writer attitude. Several hours later I finally find the mug just where it should be, in the last place I looked, only to discover that I have no cream for my coffee. Just a quick run to the store for that and a few needed food items takes a few more hours. But, hey, a girl’s got to eat! By now the afternoon sinking spell takes hold so I decide to read a little bit of my latest book for research and have that cup of coffee. Then the phone start ringing with the newest family crisis, which reminds me about some appointments I need to make and bills I need to pay. Then I need to empty a few more boxes to find the needed paperwork to get that done. Soon it is after five and too late to call the offices, but I have found a new, more ergonomic location on the desk for my printer. Exhausted, I stop for the day after making barely a dent in my list and never getting my early morning musings typed up. I try to make it up late enough so that tomorrow doesn’t spin into a repeat of today.

This morning started much the same way, but I decided to stir things up a bit. I went for a walk then thought I would take the time to look at the links that Cathi talked about in her blog, 5 Great Newsletters.  She always gives such inspiring advice and that is just what I was looking for. I went to the first newsletter, Sunday Smatterings, then jumped to the first article sited, The Calm of Everything as it Should Be. Well isn’t that ironic, I thought. Here I am thinking my distraction was getting my house in order, when this might be exactly what I need! Continuing on Sunday Smatterings, I see a reference for tips from Reddit. I had been wondering about Reddit (I know I’m behind the times) so I decided to research and then get an account. I’ve got to say, I love this site and easily got sucked into losing a few more hours of my day. It has questions and comments about all different subjects and well … check it out yourself. Suffice it to say that I may have found a new hamster wheel, but at least this got me on the computer. Which led me to writing this blog. The key word here is writing. Now I can go back to putting everything where it should be, and making those appointments, and chatting with my kids, and making a new list … and, eventually, finding my groove.

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Finding Your Writing Groove

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I never met a writer who wasn’t a little insecure in their work. At least that is what they say but like the supermodel who says she can’t stand her thighs, I have my doubts. When authors I admire say they won’t let anyone read their work until they have gone through and edited it fifty times, I think they can’t be serious. But a part of me loves it. It justifies my own insecurities as not because I’m awful at writing but because everyone is nervous to present their creation to the world.

It is for this reason that I’m constantly searching for reassurance and guidance that I’m doing things right. I must preface this with what every successful author tries to impart at their workshops, writing is individual and what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another. This doesn’t stop me from trying to find the perfect formula. I’m not talking about plot or story structure – that is for another several blogs – I’m talking about the actual process of sitting down and writing and editing for x amount of hours/words/pages at y time of day. It’s like searching for the holy grail of the writing groove. I keep gathering data but really it comes down to what fits my own personal lifestyle and personality.

I have been in the writing zone before, so I know it is possible. But I’m not sure my way was sustainable. I need to find the balance that the authors who consistently produce books seem to have. That’s why I love to hear how they do it and get ideas for myself. Personally, I can say that my all-in approach that I used to finish writing my book was wonderful but as a single woman with family responsibilities, I can’t just ignore the real world every day. Many of you have “day jobs” that pay the bills, so your writing time revolves around that. Whatever your constraints, all the experts (by that I mean published authors) say you should do something toward your writing every day. It can be small goals like edit a page before you go to bed when you have little time. On the dream days of big goals, it can be something like writing a couple thousand words.

For me, goals are a must and scheduling works best. I set aside the time for writing and insist on no interruptions of any kind. I will allow a stretch and message check every 1.5 to 2 hours and warn my family (who are used to me being on call all the time) that I am at work. I may not be an air traffic controller where life depends on my concentration, but my main character might disagree, so I will treat her with respect (plus I’m easily distracted). As far as my goals are concerned, I like to read over and lightly edit what I did the previous day then move on to the new adventures. Sometimes, if I have an idea that has been bouncing around my head ready to get to page, I jump right in and skip the editing. I’m also a morning person so I try to schedule my writing time for early in the day. Let me stop right here and tell you that this is the routine I’ve used in the past and it worked for me but if I hear of a way that sounds better, it will change. I’m a work in progress!

As my blog writing scheduled time is about up, I will end this with a wish for each of you to find your own personal writing groove. Also to suggest you follow Game Of Books, if you aren’t already, so you can get email notifications of all our blogs, quotes and interviews with newly published authors.

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