Phew! 1,750 words to write and I will be halfway through my new novel Monday's Child set shortly before the Battle of Waterloo.
I send chapters to when critique partners who offer constructive criticism and revise each chapter after I receive their feedback. This means that when I reach those magical words The End I have a novel which needs little dusting, polishing and revision.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
My New Novel
Labels:
Battle of Waterloo,
False Pretences,
Far Beyond Rubies paperback & e-book,
Monday's Child,
museituppublishing,
Rosemary Morris Historical Novelist,
Sunday's Child,
Tangled Love
Friday, November 29, 2013
Black Friday Special
All books at MuseItUp Publishing half off, including all three of mine. Check it out.
Black Friday Special
Black Friday Special
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Secondary Character Development by Chuck Bowie
Secondary
Character Development
Isn’t it splendid
when a wonderful protagonist comes along? He’s (in the case of my protagonist:
Sean Donovan) forty, fit and feisty. Sure, there are big gaps in his
conscience, but he’s working on it. Ditto for my female protagonist, Beth.
She’s attractive, fit and smart as a whip. There is nothing picaresque about
either one, so let’s write three hundred straight pages with these two
characters in every paragraph. Lots of ‘he said, she said.’ Wouldn’t that be
brilliant?
No.
We, as readers, want more. We want
to see what’s swirling around Sean and Beth. It’s like the old joke about the
narcissist: “Yes, I am great. But enough about me. Why don’t you
tell how brilliant I am?” We need to find out a bit about the people who stroll
into and out of Sean and Beth’s lives.
And it’s not just a plot
contrivance. We really can come to care about these secondary characters. In Three Wrongs, my character Sean needs
information, so he walks into the Canadian embassy in London. Over the course
of a page or two he has a chat with this vivacious Communications Officer, who
can flirt, withhold information and discretely share (sort of) restricted
information. That’s all we get from her for the remainder of the novel.
But we remember her.
We want to know more about Beth and
wish she hadn’t left us on Page 90. So it is very exciting when Beth
returns—now promoted to Female Protagonist—in Book 2: AMACAT. But in Book 1, Beth serves very important roles. As embassy
staff, she reveals information that pushes the plot along. She reminds Sean
that he’s a man, one who can have feelings and isn’t just a thief for hire,
he’s a guy. And she’s witty. We want to know more about her.
I present another secondary
character: Madeleine, who is Sean’s sister. Madeleine’s purpose is to bring out
much of Sean’s background: his youth, how he came to become a bad-ass, where
his unique skillset came from. And she’s funny and brings out some quirky
knowledge about the city of Montreal. Madeleine comes back in Book 2 as well,
but she remains a secondary character. We still need to invest in her. We still
want to learn more about her, discover if she can eventually find a
relationship worth keeping. We like her, so she can certainly come along for
the ride.
It’s said that, beginning with Page
One, the writer creates a world, using his or her rules to dictate how this
new, fresh world will spin. It will be a less-interesting world in the absence
of any one of plot, setting, exposition, dialogue, primary characters,
atmosphere and, yes, the development of secondary characters. The temptation,
if you have an awesome plot, might be to stint on dialogue. That would be a
mistake. Similarly, just because you have this amazing protagonist, that is no
reason to build stick figures and call them ‘secondary characters. No. Don’t
miss an opportunity to flesh them out.
I
once wrote a book where I introduced these two little girls, secondary
characters, on page 80. By the end of the novel, they had become primary
characters and I had to re-write the entire novel. It wouldn’t have happened if
I’d relegated them to rough sketches. As soon as I tried to catch more than a
glimpse of them, I began to see their value. To be sure, not all secondary
characters can or will become protagonists.
But
some do.
At
the end of the day, do every aspect of writing to the best of your ability. How
well you do that could spell the difference between a good novel and a great
one. It’s true about dialogue, and it’s true about each and every character you
introduce. You’re the writer. It’s your world, your rules. Make it a rule to bring
every character to life. They will thank you. So will the
reader.
- Chuck Bowie graduated from the University of New Brunswick in Canada with a Bachelor Degree in Science. He still lives in on the East Coast of Canada, a few hours north of Maine. Growing up as an air force brat, his writing is influenced by the study of human nature and how people behave, habits he picked up as his family moved nineteen times in his first twenty one years. Chuck loves food, wine, music and travel and all play a role in his work.
- His writing will often draw upon elements of these experiences to round out his characters and plotlines. Chuck is involved in the world of music, supporting local musicians, occasionally playing with them and always celebrating their successes. Because he enjoys venting as much as the next fellow, Chuck will at times share his thoughts with a brief essay, some of which can be found on his website. http://chuckbowie.ca
- He is working through the second novel in the suspense-thriller series: Donovan: Thief For Hire. It is titled AMACAT, an acronym for the three elements of the plot.
- Chuck is married, with two adult musician sons. He and his wife Lois live in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
- EMAIL WEBSITE
Scene Revision by Katie L. Carroll
Scene
Revision
By Katie L. Carroll, author of Elixir Bound (MuseItUp
Publishing, ISBN 978-1-77127-140-0)
I’m excited to share some tips about scene revision. To
be honest with you, I think my writing group is sick and tired of me writing
comments on their manuscripts like “What is the purpose of this scene?” and “I
think this scene serves the same purpose as another scene in the story.” The
truth is I’m a plot-orientated writer, so notes about scenes come naturally to
me.
When revising for plot, I find a manageable approach is
to look at the story scene by scene. The basic definition of a scene is an
event—or a series of closely related events—that takes places in the same place
and time. Each scene will have its own mini story arc (with rising action and a
small climax) that contributes to the greater story arc.
Once you have a good draft of your story, you’ll want to
evaluate each scene. Some writers find it helpful to write out a very basic
description of all scenes as they appear in the book. You might try using one
sticky note per scene, so you can move them around if you want (or you can use
one of those fancy computer programs that moves the scenes around for you).
In addition to a basic description, I like to add how to
scene contributes to the greater story. You want every scene to do one of two
things: move the plot forward or help developing a character. It’s okay if a
scene does both these things, and many should do both these things.
Most often a scene that moves plot forward will come in
the form of bad stuff happening and your characters reacting to the bad stuff
(note that the way your characters react will almost always contribute to
character development as well). As you want each scene to build, you want the
greater story arc to build as well, so you’ll probably start with the smaller
bad stuff and work up to the worst bad stuff.
But you don’t want to just have scene after scene of bad
stuff happening because that can actually bore your readers after awhile. You
need to have some balance. Character building scenes are great for a break.
Maybe there’s a quiet moment (or an exciting moment) between two characters
that reveals an important characteristic about one of them, or even better reveals
something about both characters.
A good example of a character building scene that doesn’t
necessarily contribute to plot is the troll scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry and Ron unknowingly
lock a troll in the girl’s bathroom with Hermione. Then all three of them work
together to defeat the troll. When Professor McGonagall catches them, Hermione
lies to keep Harry and Ron from getting in trouble. The plot of the book would
easily remain intact without this scene, but it’s important because this is the
moment where Hermione goes from annoying classmate to friend with the boys.
Now that you’ve got your list of scenes, jot a note about
how each moves the plot forward or what character trait it develops (or both if
applicable). And here comes the hard part. I know, you’re saying, “Wait! All
that evaluating of the scenes wasn’t the hard part!” Nope, the hard part is
being brutally honest about each scene.
If you have a scene that doesn’t move the plot forward or
contribute to character development, it should be cut or rewritten to
contribute one of these points. Also, if you have two scenes (or three or more)
that contribute the same thing, you need to cut all but one of the scenes or
somehow combine them.
One exception to this is if a scene is what I like to
call a topper. A topper scene may have a very similar purpose as another scene,
but it takes that to a whole new level. I’ll use a scene from my book Elixir Bound to demonstrate this point. The
climax consists of Katora, the main character, deciding whether or not she will
become guardian of a secret healing Elixir. Once she makes the decision (no
spoilers here!), the next thing that happens tests Katora in her decision. She
almost has to decide all over again whether or not to stick with her original
decision. So there’s not too much new information being revealed, but more of a
solidification of her choice.
Now I’m off to go bug my critique partners about their
own scenes! Good luck in revising yours!
About
the Author
Katie began writing after her 16-year-old sister
unexpectedly passed away. Writing was a way to help her sister live on in the
pages of a story. Her debut YA fantasy Elixir Bound is about Katora Kase who must decide if she will become guardian of a secret healing
Elixir and bind herself to its magic. It is available from the MuseItUp
bookstore, Amazon,
Barnes
and Noble, and other ebook retailers. Her picture book app The
Bedtime Knight released earlier this month from MeeGenius. For more about
Katie, check out her website www.katielcarroll.com.
A Writer’s Confidence by Bruce Jenvey
A Writer’s Confidence
Or,
“But I Never Drove An Ambulance In The
War…”
By Bruce Jenvey
I
was still enjoying the first blush of success after the release of “Angela’s
Coven” when I faced the crisis of writer
turned author. I’d been a
professional writer for over 30 years in the worlds of advertising and
journalism. But I’d always heard that while a writer writes what he needs, a true author writes what he’s lived. Supposedly, you can’t write a proper
novel until your life has been sufficiently enriched by the adventures, joys
and disappointments needed to make you worthy. Whenever this thought came to
mind, I was filled with images of Jack London and the Alaskan Gold Rush,
Hemmingway driving his ambulance on the Italian front, and even Ian Fleming
outwitting Nazi spies across Europe. Me… I was just a hometown boy from rural
Michigan who had never really done anything truly important or terribly
adventurous. Because of this, I feared I had already tapped out the limited
experiences I had to draw upon. What if “Angela’s Coven” was the only novel I
had in me?
So,
in the midst of dealing with the “I never drove an ambulance in the war, blues,”
my wife and I went back to the small Michigan farming community where I had
spent my earliest years. It was the weekend of their annual Syrup Festival and
I hadn’t been here in fifty years. While time had moved forward, things were
still very much the same. The Main Street had been closed off and converted
into a carnival midway with events and displays scheduled all over town.
There
was a craft show at what was once the elementary school I had attended through
third grade. Despite some structural changes, I found my old classrooms quite
easily. I opened the teacher’s closet in what had been Mrs. Kelsey’s room where
she stored the construction paper, safety scissors and those large jars of
white paste. There were still hangers inside where she hung her coat each
morning and I swore I could still smell her perfume.
At
the end of the hall, I found the room where I had attended Kindergarten. While
now used only for storage, I could still see the bright young faces that shared
their time here with me, the paper bunnies we all cut out and colored at Easter
and how I had folded mine up and put it in my shirt pocket… not particularly proud
of my effort.
In
town, a walk down Main Street led us past the familiar store fronts and the historic
Opera House. I remembered it being used for roller skating every Friday night.
At least it was in the very early 1960s.
Right
next to the Opera House, stood the house we had lived in all those years ago, a
well-maintained but remarkably unchanged duplex. I paused to snap a couple
pictures and when we crossed the street for a closer look, we were approached
by the current owner.
To
my complete surprise, once I explained our interest, she immediately invited us
in for a tour. Now, the old house had been divided into not two, but three
apartments and while we could not get access to the main floor unit, the
upstairs, where we had all slept, was vacant and ready for us to revisit. We
entered through the back and climbed the stairs, the same stairs I had climbed
every day as a small child. What had been our hallway and storage area was now
a makeshift living room. What had been my parent’s room was now a kitchen
though I could clearly see where their bed had fit in the far corner. I recalled
the Christmas my brother had set the alarm for five AM and how my father
groaned that we were actually up and demanding he make good on his promise of
early presents that year. That made me think of the fresh scent of pine needles
and the sparkle of the hand-hung tinsel in the living room downstairs. The tree
always stood against the far wall, between the fish tank and the GE consol
black and white TV… every year.
We
then moved into the front room of this upstairs apartment. This was our bedroom,
my brother and me, and although it now had plush carpeting and freshly painted
paneling, I could still see the floral print wallpaper over the plaster and
lathe construction. It was somehow, remarkably the same and simply being in
that room brought back a flood of vivid memories. I remembered my father
telling us bedtime stories in this very room. He made up the best stories and no other kids in the
world got to hear them but us. I remembered the excited, sleepless nights we
spent here before family trips and vacations. I remembered where our toy box
sat at the foot of one of the beds with its broken hinge on the lid. The entire
box was covered with a pleated, blue plastic skirting, stapled into the thin
plywood. Inside, we could see the bare, faded grain and the shallow knots as we
rummaged for whatever might strike the imagination of a small boy that day…
perhaps a puppet, or a cap gun, or in my case, anything with wheels.
The
room still had the same double-hung windows with low sills. On more than one
rainy afternoon, I sat here on this floor, next to the closet and watched the
rain drops through this very window. In my imagination, they looked much like a
parade of toy soldiers marching their way down Main Street. And then, I was
back into the book I cradled in my lap… most always, something by Dr. Seuss and
most likely, Horton Hears A Who.
Standing
in this very room, where I had not been for a full fifty years, I felt the “I
never drove an ambulance in the war, blues” fade away. They were replaced by
the rich childhood memories that were all around me. At that moment I realized,
it didn’t matter what you had lived
nearly as much as how you had lived
it! Authors do indeed draw on the
rich experiences in their lives and relive pieces of those memories in the
stories and novels they share. The goal of any author is to strike a chord within their reader. To find a common
ground that communicates more than just the mere words the writer inside has pieced together. It has to be rich enough to
smell and taste, and meaningful enough to be etched upon the reader’s memory. I
didn’t need to worry about driving ambulances on the Italian Front, not when I
had watched rain drops march down Main Street with Horton in my lap and a
folded-up Easter bunny in my shirt pocket. And this was just one window, in one
room, in a lifetime of memories I could still see, feel, and smell like they
were only yesterday.
That’s
when I knew what an author really
does. An author makes the reader feel
everything he has ever felt, and allows them to find the same within
themselves.
###
Bruce Jenvey was raised in rural Michigan in a family of school teachers. After a
career in advertising and magazine publishing, he has now ventured into the
world of fiction with his series about the Cabbottown Witches. His first novel,
Angela’s Coven (October, 2011) has
met with high praise and various award nominations. The second book in the
series is, The Great Northern Coven.
He is now working on the third.
@brucejenvey #covenbooks
©
2013 by Bruce Jenvey
Publishing Markets and Resources for Young Writers by Mindy Hardwick
As a children’s writer, one of the
biggest questions I receive from young writers is: “Where can I publish my
story or poem?” The first thing I tell a young writer is they should seek out
publications and markets which are geared toward young writers. There are
plenty of magazines, ezines, and contests which are seeking young writers.
These markets are not even open to adult writers who write for children!
The following is a listing of some of
the markets and resources available for young writers:
Publishing Markets
and Resources for Young Writers
Magazines and
Websites Which Publish Young Writers
Stories for Children
http://storiesforchildren.tripod.com/ is a
free e-zine for children ages 3 to 12 .
ZUZU
http://www.zuzu.org/write.html
offers young writers opportunities to
write stories about mystery pictures, and submit poetry and photography.
Launch Pad
http://www.launchpadmag.com
an e-zine for young writers and readers
ages 6 to 12 which is published two times a month beginning in January 2008.
Cicada
CICADA's stories and poems are written by outstanding adult authors and by teens themselves. CICADA also sponsors "The Slam," an online writing forum for young writers who want the world to see what they can do with words. For ages 14 and up.
Creative Kids
Creative Kids
magazine is the nation's largest magazine by and for kids. The magazine bursts
with games, stories, and opinions all by and for kids ages 8-14.
Frodo’s Notebook
Frodo's Notebook is
always looking for well-crafted poems, creative essays, and short stories by
teens age 13-19 from all around the world."
Never Ending Tale
Great site for
linking on to stories that are created every day by other young writers.
New Moon
Fiction, poetry, artwork, letters, science experiments, cartoons and articles about the lives of girls and women around the globe edited by and for girls ages 8-14.
Skipping Stones
Now in its eighteenth
year, Skipping Stones publishes bimonthly during the school year. We accept art
and original writings in every language and from all ages. We invite you to
participate in this exciting project with your submissions, subscriptions,
suggestions and support.
Stone Soup
Published bimonthly,
this international English-language literary magazine publishes stories, poems,
book reviews, and art by young people through age 13.
Teen Ink
A place to submit for
teens
Teen Voices
If you’re under 18,
you can submit your writing, your art, your Web site, or a description of your
monthly activism project for publication in Teen Voices.
The
Writer’s Slate
The Writers' Slate
publishes original poetry and prose from students enrolled in kindergarten
through twelfth grade. It also publishes pedagogical or creative writing by
teachers. Three issues per year are published on-line with one devoted to
publishing winners of the writing contests."
Websites About Writing for Teens
Hope Clark Funds for Writers—Kidwriter
Sign
up for this e-newsletter and have it delivered two times a month to your email.
Lists all kinds of contests, markets, and publishing opportunities for teens.
Essay Writing
Writing help for
essays and ideas—Good for older teens
National Write a Novel in a Month
http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/ywp
(NanoWrimo For Young Writers)
http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/camp-nanowrimo
(Camp NanoWrimo)
November is National Writing Novel month. Sign up here to write a novel in a month. Post your progress on the website. Be sure to sign up for the young people’s site.
NoodleTools
A listing for young
writers including everything from markets to websites about writing. One of
Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites in 2008.
Poem-A-Day
A poem a day for high
school students
The Scriptorium
Go to young writers
link and find many great ideas and tips and conversations about teen writing.
Teen Lit:
Writing, links,
discussion boards, this site has it all!
Young Writer’s
Society
An on-line chat board
just for young writers. A Writer’s Digest 101 Best Website in 2008.
Book List for Strong Female Characters
This
site lists over 40 titles of books with strong female characters. There are also interviews with authors.
Book List of Newbery and Caldecott Medal Winners
A
wonderful resource for listing books that have won the Newbery and Caldecott
awards through the years. Students might access this site when looking for
challenging books.
**A
special note: If you are looking for information on other children’s book
awards, go to www.mindyhardwick.wordpress.com
and there is a list for of the many, many children’s book awards and listings.
The Children’s Literature Web Guide
Web site includes
links to authors on the Web and resources for book ideas
Guys Read
A great website about
books for boys!
Richie’s Picks
Looking
for something to read? This is the place to look!
Teen Reads:
Young adult authors
talk about their books, along with book reviews of current YA books.
Other Helpful Websites
Scholastic Art and Writing
Enter the Scholastic
Writing awards offered once a year. Entries are due in early January.
Applications can be found at this website in the fall.
The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
http://www.scbwi.org (National SCBWI Website)
An organization for children’s writers that offers monthly meetings on the craft of writing, selling your writing, and publication. Writers are editors are usually the speakers. In the spring, SCBWI hosts a conference. They do award one student scholarship. Check out their website in February for more information
Helpful Books About
The Craft of Writing and Publishing
- A Teen’s Guide to Getting Published. Jessica Dunn and Danielle Dunn. Prufrock Press, 2006.
The book was
originally published by two sisters when they were fifteen and ten years later
has been updated to include on-line journals and blogs. The book also includes
a list of mainstream publishers who are open to teen submissions along with
information about copyrights.
- The Young Writer’s Guide to Getting Published . Kathy Henderson. Writer’s Digest Books, 2001.
The book is a
fantastic resource for young writers and includes listings for magazines and
contest opportunities. Young writers will want to use the internet in correlation
with this book as some of the information may not be current and updated
information will be posted on the websites given for each listing. Young
writers will also learn how to format submissions in this book.
- Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market 2012. Alice Pope. Writer’s Digest Books, 2012.
This book is
published every year and although directed at the adult who writes for children
many of the interviews with published children’s writers and editors will be
helpful. Young writers will also find a section which lists contests and
opportunities specifically for them.
- Spilling Ink: A Young Writers Handbook. Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. Roaring Brook Press, 2010.
A great writing craft
book for young writers. Includes writing exercises and examples. Ages 8-14
- Writing Magic. Gail Carson Levine, Harper Collins, 2006.
A writing craft book
for young readers by award winning author, Gail Carson Levine. Ages 8-12
Mindy Hardwick enjoys writing for children and teens. Her most recent book, WEAVING MAGIC,
is a young adult romance available from MuseItUp Publishing. Mindy is included
on the Washington State Arts Commission Teaching Artist Roster. She is a
frequent school and library presenter, and offers Skype visits to classes and
libraries. Mindy loves to hear from
readers and you can find out more about her at:
www.mindyhardwick.com (Website)
www.facebook.com/weavingmagic
(Facebook)
@mindyhardwick
(Twitter)
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