 For Authors: December 07, 2010 Issue [#4121] |
  For Authors
This week: Walking in a Writer's Wonderland Edited by: Cubby  
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Hello, everyone! Welcome to this edition of the For Authors newsletter.  This week's topic is focused on writing during the winter season, but first off, I'd like to share a few quotes with you. Enjoy!
Quotes:
Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
~Anne Bradstreet
I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.
~Andrew Wyeth
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Walking in a Writer's Wonderland
Winter holidays are a magical time for dreams, thrills, and wonder. This time of year brings reflection, new hope, and inspiration.
Ideas ring: are you listening?
Running wild, they are glisteining.
Lots of insight--
Be happy to write,
Walking in a writer's wonderland.
Perhaps it's time to look around and discover something new to write about. Listen to enthusiastic conversations. Stay in wonderment with all your senses.
Put away all your old words
And replace all the cold words.
They'll sing a new song
As you write along,
Walking in a writer's wonderland.
Build up your plot. Take 'pretend' to another level.
In your mind, you can build a story
And pretend your character is real.
He might ask another,
"What's your worry?"
And she'll explain exactly how she feels.
Don't be afraid to allow your characters to dream. They have plans, just like we do in the real world.
Feel around, and conspire,
And your dreams will inspire
To write unafraid,
The plans you have made,
Walking in a writer's wonderland.
Have fun with your ideas and characters. And remember, even the nicest characters get knocked down now and then.
Let imagination knock your wall down,
Pretending it's a world all your own.
You'll have lots of fun but maybe fall down,
Just pick yourself back up; you're not alone.
Your writing should never become cold and lax. Pick up the pace. Play around with it and have fun.
When you write, it may not seem too thrilling.
Take a chance, be playful, if you're willing.
Don't be like wax-- Melt and relax,
Walking in a writer's wonderland.
~Vicki Reinhardt
Open your senses... Free your mind... And walk the walk... in a writer's wonderland!
Happy Holidays!
May you have an inspiring week and an exceptionally inspiring winter!
Keep on Writing!
 Cubby ") |
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~FEEDBACK~
Fi 
Question: What causes your palms to sweat or your heart to race?
My Reply: Climbing rather vertical cliffs in wet, clingy togs while the waves crash violently onto sharp rocks a long way down and an evil undercurrent sucks and pulls anything in the water hundreds of miles out to sea.
~ Gulp! Oh, my! That's a good one!
Free_Rip
Interesting question. At first my mind jumped to things that I'm scared of, or certain situations. But after thinking on it a bit, I realized that what really makes me get into a book enough to get 'my heart to race' is what the author has done in the past. As in, is this an author (or book) where characters you don't expect to die do anyway - and don't come back? One where life-altering events happen and actually do heavily alter the characters in bad ways?
If I know that the characters are going to come out of it alive, stronger for the experience and having learnt something it's not that fun - the mystery makes the tension. Having them sometimes fail (badly and with finality, not as part of a bigger win) makes the sucesses mean so much more!
~ That seems to be popular now. But I still like the old-fashioned storyline where the main character becomes a better person in the end and all my questions are answered, lol!  I do, however, totally understand what you are saying. I think it's a matter of preference to some, but there's also so much competition out there, not only with books, but TV. An author needs to stand out, and perhaps the not so happy endings with the unanswered questions is something readers will remember and ponder about afterwards. And what a great book discussion it would make!
billwilcox
What causes my hands to sweat?
I tell ya, it's those dang latex gloves. I wear 'em when I work in the yard, and they really make my hands sweat.
~ Sounds like a mystery in the making! 
LJPC - the tortoise
Hi Cubby!
Excellent NL, as always. Keeping the tension high in a novel more important than it used to be. Modern life leads people to demand instant gratification. A novel has to compete against TV shows, movies, and sports events. Every line must have a purpose and propel the narrative forward. Thanks for the great advice!
-- Laura
~ You are so right! 
atwhatcost
What causes your palms to sweat or your heart to race? A letter on Saturday from the state tax office telling me I owe 10 years of business taxes for my business that closed 11 years ago. I'm still sweating and still making phone calls.
~ OMG! How awful! 
BIG BAD WOLF Feeling Thankful 
One thing that would get my heart racing would be the time slipping away.
~ That's something I've been thinking a lot about lately!
Doug Rainbow
A writer can escalate conflict by timing the disclosure of the outcome carefully. The outcome of the "big conflict" normally appears as the climax, near the end of the story. Smaller conflicts, with outcomes that suggest alternative resolutions of the "big conflict" can appear throughout the narrative. Often a smaller conflict, with ominous resolution, appears near the beginning.
~ Yes! Weaving those little conflicts in, layers the storyline and makes the reader want to keep turning those pages!
Shannon 
"People don't walk away from a fight, they stick around to see who wins." That is so true! Excellent point.
~ Thank you! I like that quote, too.
Happy Spring
Thanks for your newsletter this month. You have me convinced and ready to send my short stories out once again to publishers. I realize that rejections are not the end of the world and to keep on writing, unless of course, I'm the greatest author of all times!
Thanks,
"Inker"
~ Good for you! You are on the right track!
Starr* Rathburn
Hi, thanks for an interesting newsletter. I enjoyed reading it. I agree with you on: Always use body language and weather to help create more tension.
This is something I need to remind myself to do more often.
You asked, "What causes your palms to sweat or your heart to race?"
Answer: Every time my teen leaves the house! Now that she's driving, I worry even more. My heart pounds just thinking that she's out there in the world. But we can't protect them forever, can we?
~ It's amazing, isn't it? Let me warn you, the anxiety never totally leaves-- Watching my grandchildren being born was extremely tense! I worried about this and that, the baby, my daughter, but in the end... It was well worth it. Good luck with the driving! It'll all work out. But hey, you could use that in a story, right? 
katherinerose
Cubby, your newsletter are always a pleasure to read. You make them easy to read and I always learn something new. Thank you.
~ You are so welcome! And a big thank you back atcha!
Ere
Thanks, this is some excellent advice. I'm guilty as charged with the 'love of words/descriptions' and I worry sometimes, that what you said about getting in my own way might be true. I'm currently editing/expanding the item to a novel, so a couple of questions: How do you go about creating a 'relatable' protagonist? And, if you do really like your descriptions, how do you know if you're doing too much with them in the story?
~ Thank you! As far as a relatable protagonist goes-- Use traits of your own, or quirks you notice in others. Step inside your character's shoes and look through his or her eyes. You could also look up personality types and try to get a feel for whichever type you are going after. As far as your descriptions go, have someone else read them and be honest with you about them. A critique group would be good, I'm sure.
Steve adding writing to ntbk.
The thing that makes my palm sweaty is waiting for hours on end while your wife is being operated on to replace a pacemaker. What was supposed to be 3 hours, turns into 5, then 7, and by the time you hear your name called, you're in the bathroom and no one else comes out to try again. I was on pins and needles before I finally found out they were keeping her overnight!
True story.
~ That must have been horrible for you! I'm so sorry you had to go through that.
FullMetalCrystal 
Hmm sounds interesting. :) But the one thing I hate doing- settings. >.< It seems so clear in my mind but when I try to type it out, it comes out stupid sounding! XP
~ You aren't alone. Do you think every setting you've ever read just popped out all perfect-like? Think again. Writing is hard work. Don't give up on anything that comes out sounding stupid. You'll get it right. And who knows-- maybe someday settings will become easier for you. And you could use this whole hate of settings, in a future story-- a character who is a writer and hates doing settings. You know what it feels likes, so incorporate that into your story.
Jason Clayton
"Which creates more tension here Your protagonist on top of a tall building during a storm, or sitting under a shade tree on a sunny day?"
To be perfectly honest, I don't like this question. Tension depends, not on the setting, but almost entirely upon what he's doing, what he's expecting, etc. Look at Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. One of the creepiest scenes in film history featured a woman sitting in a playground. The setting wasn't tense, but the flock of crows slowly gathering behind her to slaughter the schoolchildren was pretty flippin nerve-racking.
~ I didn't mean for the question to be taken too deeply, just more of a simple example. But you are absolutely right about taking a relaxed scene such as the woman in 'The Birds' and creating tension from it. I'll never, ever forget that movie as long as I live! Along with the scene from 'Psycho'... Thanks for sharing!
V_Gurl NaNoWriMo
I am in the middle of NaNoWriMo, and I would really like to get my novel published. What should I do when I think it's ready? Where do I send it, what do I do with it? I know how to protect my work from copying, but who should I send it to? (BTW, IDK if this makes a difference, but it's a SciFi novel about aliens)
~ NaNo writing is to get you into the habit of writing everyday without constantly editing. It gets your creative juices flowing without worrying about your grammar, spelling, and punctuation, among other things. After your novel is written, it's time to edit and polish. Have other people read it for content. Take it to a writing group for critiquing. Listen to what others have to say about it. That doesn't mean you have to change anything, but listen anyway. And then either buy a copy of 2011 Writer's Market, or go to your local library and borrow one. You also might browse through the SciFi books at the library or bookstore and write down the publishers' names. Then look them up in Writer's Market for more detailed information. You could also look SciFi titles up on Amazon.com and see who publishes them.
bookgraham
Yet another brilliant WDC newsletter. The quality of newsletters on this site never fails to amaze me.
All the points you raise here apply to my novel.
Each time I edit it I find more fat to remove, or I find sections that need fattening - tension and storyline skimped upon due to lack of detail. The latest gripe I have with my chapters is 'author intrusion'. As I tend to write in present tense I often find myself using character thought or bringing up some past event to overcome this.
Other than a chapter of my novel I'm afraid I have no item to offer you. Sorry.
~ Thank you! Sounds like you're serious about your work.
 Thank you all for the wonderful feedback!
As always...
Have a wonderful week!
AND KEEP ON WRITING!!!
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