Ginger Simpson's Blog, page 76

DON’T LET CLICHÉS BE THE DEATH OF YOU BY RITA KARNOPP

A cliché is a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.
One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
In the days when movable type was used, a plate was made for regularly used expressions. Cliché was a French word used as the name of this printing plate.  Cliché today refers to a phrase that has been used so often it becomes ordinary, dull, and even unexceptional - just like the old printing plates which clichés got its name. Let’s look at some clichés that just won’t die:In the nick of time or time will tell.Here’s one we use without thinking - lost track of time.Fit as a fiddle. As old as the hills.Opposites attract – you wouldn’t think of this as being a cliché .. but it is!All is fair in love and war.All’s well that ends well.A matter of time.Without a care in the world.Rushed for time or a waste of time.In a jiffy.Every cloud has a silver lining.What goes around comes around.Scared out of my wits.Haste makes waste.How about dead as a doornail or how many have used take the tiger by the tail? Then there is lasted an eternity.I say, the writing on the wall and time heals all wounds, all the time – how about you?Even a comment like, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade, is a cliché.I know …. I say them, too!  We are a society of clichés! Let’s take this a step further.  Did you know Clichés are often idioms?  The Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - provided the following information:
An idiom is a combination of words that has a figurative meaning owing to its common usage. An idiom's figurative meaning is separate from the literal meaning.  There are thousands of idioms and they occur frequently in all languages. There are estimated to be at least twenty-five thousand idiomatic expressions in the English language.
The following sentences contain idioms. The fixed words constituting the idiom in each case are bolded: ·         She is pulling my leg.·         When will you drop them a line? ·         You should keep an eye out for that. ·         I can't keep my head above water. ·         It's raining cats and dogs. ·         Oh no! You spilled the beans! ·         Why are you feeling blue? ·         That jacket costs an arm and a leg.  Each of the word combinations in bold has at least two meanings: a literal meaning and a figurative meaning. Such expressions that are typical for a language can appear as words, combinations of words, phrases, entire clauses, and entire sentences. Idiomatic expressions in the form of entire sentences are called proverbs if they refer to a universal truth.·         The devil is in the details.·         The early bird catches the worm.·         Break a leg.·         Waste not, want not.Idioms are figurative phrases with an indirect or implied meaning.  It’s not to be taken literally. This causes confusion when translating idioms to another language because the true or implied meaning isn’t easily understood by people in different cultures.
Some idioms are transparent.  Much of their meaning does get through if they are taken (or translated) literally. ·         For example, lay one's cards on the table meaning to reveal previously unknown intentions, or to reveal a secret.
·         Transparency is a matter of degree; spill the beans (to let secret information become known) ·         and leave no stone unturned (to do everything possible in order to achieve or find something) are not entirely literally interpretable, but only involve a slight metaphorical broadening.

Thursday let’s talk about another category of idioms.

Labor Day Facts by Steve Odland

[image error][image error][image error][image error][image error]1 comments, 0 called-out Comment Now Follow CommentsFollowing Comments Unfollow Comments [image error]Labor Day now is a federal holiday and most Government offices, schools, and, businesses are closed. Here are 10 Labor Day Facts.Labor Day in Canada began in 1872 in Toronto but quickly made its way south to the U.S. Originally it began as a significant demonstration demanding rights for workers.
The firstU.S. Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New YorkCity, planned by the Central Labor Union. The Labor Day parade of about 10,000 workers took unpaid leave and marched from City Hall past Union Square uptown to 42nd street, and ended in Wendel’s Elm Park at 92nd Street and 9th Avenue for a concert, speeches, and a picnic.
Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a holiday in 1887.
On June 28, 1894, Congress passed an actmaking the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
What are we celebrating? The contributions and achievements of the 155million men and women who are in the U.S. workforce.
In the late 1800s the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks to eke out a basic living. Children as young as 5-6 years old worked in factories and mines.
The year in which the 8-hour day was firmly established was 1916 with the passage of the Adamson Act. This was the first federal law regulating hours of workers in private companies.
Traditionally people did not wear white or seersucker clothes after Labor Day as it unofficially marked the end of summer.
The football season starts on or around Labor Day and many teams play their first game of the year during Labor Day weekend.
Labor Day is viewed as the unofficial last day of vacation before the start of the new school year (and mourned by students all over). Stated differently, it is the Back-to-School kickoff (cheered by parents all over!).

Hi-jacked from an article by Steve Odland, Contributed 8/29/2012.

Friday Freebits with Ginger Simpson #frifreebits #blogshare

It's Friday and time for another six paragraphs from Discovery , my short story collection.  There's nothing like a short story to fill the time in the doctor or dentist's office, and you can quite often finish and feel satisfied that you can move on to the next when you have a chance.  I love short stories, and I hope you enjoy the offering today.

Hurricane Warning
"Who in the world would be out in this weather?" Linda mumbled.  On her way to find out, she stubbed her toe on the leg of the coffee table and groaned.  The pain intense,she stumbled on into the foyer.
She turned the doorknob and the wind's force caught the door and heaved it inward. The blast blew her off balance, but she steadied herself and used her weight to keep the oak portal partially closed to the blowing rain.  Someone in a yellow parka huddled on her doorstep.
"May I help you?"  she asked, whisking a wayward hair away from her mouth, her tone unwelcoming.
A face materialized from beneath the slicker.  Masculine eyes, dark as onyx peered at her.  "I was wondering the same."
He swept back his hood, allowing his ebony hair to dance in the blustery current.  His square jaw and tanned face softened with a smile.  "I'm your neighbor from down the street.  I thought perhaps I might be of assistance  My sister, Marcie, tells me you live alone.  If this storm notches itself up a bit, we're in for a turbulent night."
Against warning bells about strangers, she sought escape from the elements.  She knew his sister...maybe, the name rang vaguely familiar.  "Please,come in."  Linda gestured but kept a tight grip on the door to keep it from slamming into the wall.  Her heart thudded.  Would her murder top the evening news? She could see the headline now, "Stupid woman opens door to stranger during storm."
So...will the handsome strange murder her, or has he really come to help?  Linda didn't expect a Hurricane in her new home, but she didn't expect a caller in the midst of a storm, either.  Want more?   Discovery is available on my amazon page.
I know you're thirsting for more great reads, so hop on over to the links below and see what grabs your attention.  Don't forget to leave a comment.  We love when we know you've visited.
Tricia McGill
Juliet Waldron
Taryn Raye
Kathy Fischer-Brown
Rhobin Lee Courtright
Margaret Tanner

CHARACTERS ~ BE ALL YOU CAN BE CON’T. ~ BY RITA KARNOPP

Have you considered the power and failure of a group of three or more?  Don’t forget there’s a reason we generally think ‘two is company and three’s a crowd.’  But this kind of triangle can work to your advantage . . . two best female friend now fall in love with Alex, the third member of their group.  Relationships can get complicated and the more complex, the more interesting.  Think about it, people act differently in a group and that can be good as far as being safe, and it can be bad when it turns into the ‘mob mentality.’
Remember one thing about groups and that is relationships and alliances shift, depending on incidents, accidents, and situations.  It’s important to be careful not to over defend, vindicate, or rationalize relationships.
Keep in mind that in every good person there is a bit of evil.  In every mature, savvy adult there is a bit of a child.  In hatred there might be a spark of love.  Consider creating a character with a delicate soul, and make him agonize and grieve an injustice that would push anyone over the edge.  Your reader is hooked.
Opposites attract – but also cause conflict.  Give your characters opportunities to experience perilous situations, make the scene, relationships, and outcome all believable.  Don’t let your heroine get stabbed twenty times and then have her show up scenes later . . . barely hurt . . . falling into the hero’s arms.  She might get stabbed once and be able to survive – as long as she wasn’t stabbed in the heart.  Believability and strong characters will grab your reader every time.
No two characters are the same because we all lead different lives, with different experiences, and with different sensitivities and reactions.  If you spend time learning about your character’s relationships – you’ll find yourself creating some of the most developed characters ever.  Expose what they’re made of – and the reader will care.
If you’d like to read a great book that shows  how to create strong characters, craft believable dialogue & get the attention of agents read The Writer’s Little Helper the Big Fiction Advice from a Little BookThere is nothing little about the dynamic fiction-writing advice inside The Writer's Little Helper. With big ideas, time-saving tips, and revision-made-easy charts, James V. Smith, Jr. offers effective guidance in short, easily checklists, Q&As, and practical tools.This book gives you everything you need to:Create great charactersMaintain a compelling paceCraft believable dialogueExpand your creativityRevise your work to perfectionAttract agent's and editor's attentionAnd much, much more!
The unique format of the book allows you to read from start to finish or to focus just on areas where your fiction needs work. With valuable and surprising tips on every page, The Writer's Little Helper is sure to become your biggest fiction writing aid.

A Page Straight From Rudy Thomas - #apagestraightfrom

Journeys byRudy Thomas
“Home is not necessarily where you belong,” Cry said, “but where you were born, the faces you first saw around you, and the place where you only cry when you are hurt, physically or emotionally.
Tell me a story, Alyx. Tell me your story.”
“My father owned a farm in Kentucky,” she began. “It joined my
grandfather’s farm and our house fronted the Green River. My mother was a slave; bought at auction. Her father was white. Her mother had a white father. All my grandmothers going back to 1733 or 1734
when there were slave uprisings in Jamaica—four, maybe five generations back had white fathers.”
“That would have to make you white, then…”
“It makes me a slave,” she said. “Five, six, or seven generations back or maybe even before that, my mother said I had a grandmother’s family and they were found living east of the Shannon river when Cromwell invaded Ireland. His quest was for the Irish Revolutionaries and their families who dared oppose the British. The English had seized Jamaica to set up British plantations. The punishment for my family’s crime, living where they pleased, was either death or slavery for
women in the West Indies and death, banishment, or imprisonment in New Zealand or Australia for the men. I don’t know the woman’s name, but she was Irish. The masters on their island, English plantations made white Irish female servants like her sleep with a black to get pregnant or marry one so she and her children would become black Irish slaves.
He looked at Alyx. Even in the dress they had given her at the slave market before the sale that never happened because Nathan Bedford Forrest bought every slave, horse and mule, she was beautiful. Guilt flooded through him again like a river out of its banks. He could not imagine how she must feel knowing she was neither black nor white—knowing she had no possessions of her own except the dagger…




Journeys is a novel about a young man who goes to Nashville before the Civil War to buy a horse for his father. It is also a story about the horse and a young slave woman. The young man, Cry, gets recruited by General George Thomas. As a member of General Thomas' intelligence network, Cry gives the reader an accurate, historical account of one of the most successful Generals of that conflict.

 Amazon.Buy Link

CHARACTERS ~ BE ALL YOU CAN BE ~ BY RITA KARNOPP

A lame plot will kill your story every time.  There’s something even more threatening that will kill your story before the reader ever gets a chance to grasp the plot . . . dead characters.  Yep . . . they may be talking and walking – but if they aren’t exciting, demanding, flawed, emotional, physical, and even devious, your reader won’t waste their time.
While plot is important, good characters can make or break your book. The bottom line is our characters must be realistic and believable.  Even if your plot is a bit wavering – good characters will carry the story through every time.  Readers care about characters they believe in, pull for, sympathize or empathize with.  The interaction between your characters, relationships, and their challenges together or against each other create energetic, active and dynamic stories. 
There are endless categories of relationships you can use in your book.  For example; romance, siblings, best friends, child/parent, human/God, employee/boss, caregiver/receiver, aggressor/victim, and on and on . . .
It’s all about relationships and what goes wrong/right with them.  Steer clear of the cliché relationships; boss and secretary, father and his precious daughter, housewife and her handsome neighbor, etc.  Today’s characters are sharp, savvy, vocal, adventurous, competitive, jealous, vindictive, controlling, etc.
A clever tool to use when developing your characters is introspection.  It’s a self-examination or analysis, a sort of reflection or soul-searching that reveals so much about your character.  How?  Have your character ask, “Why do I hate him so much?  How can I get past this jealousy?  Why am I so attracted to him?  These questions motivate your character as the story develops.
If you’re writing about a woman who doesn’t trust men – what happened to create this wariness?  What torments, sufferings, and anguishes did she go through and how is she handling it?
Character flaws or strength can be the catalyst of your story.  Remember, flaws are good – no one is perfect.  Does your character fight for the land of his ancestors and maybe lose his temper whenever oil company representatives show up in town?  Consider giving your character flaws that can be fatal.  Maybe the oil representative is innocent of swindling land, and is now facing your character’s fury . . . will he kill a guiltless man?
Have you considered the intensity of your story comes from the responses, sentiments, reactions, views, sympathies, and even love the character might have for or against one another?  We associate with these reactions and that’s what makes us care about the characters in a story.  We might identify with their love and maybe even their hate.
I read once, “Let your characters gossip among themselves.”  Now that’s some great advice and a super way to get to know your character and those around him.
We feel a strong connection for a character who is willing to sacrifice everything for another.  This character will keep you pulling for him, because we admire such a trait.

Let’s talk more about writing better characters Thursday.

INCITE YOUR STORY BY RITA KARNOPP

Most writers will actually laugh when they talk about writing their first novel.  Hmmm . . . I’m no exception.  I think I created every sin possible in that first book.  It’s the only book I haven’t dusted off and rewritten to sell.  You know- now that I think about it, I really should do that.
Why do published writers laugh about their first book?  It’s the learning curve!  Compare the experience to the first time you rode a bike . . . you fell off more times than you stayed on.  Thing is, we are always learning ways to improve our writing (or we should be). 
You’re not the only one with problems.  Your characters should face one quandary, predicament, and dilemma after another, each gaining momentum and heading toward the climaxing end.  What you’ll find is the deeper into the story you write, the more you’re getting to know your character’s desires, fears, dreams, and even secrets.  You’re excited, invested, and even proud of yourself.
You’re moving forward in great strides – then suddenly your characters take a break . . . the story slows . . . you flounder as to what’s going to happen next.  Your characters were headed in the right direction with such urgency and they knew exactly what they wanted to accomplish.  Where did they go?  The main plot driving the story is suddenly looking more like a subplot.  How could this happen?  Come on characters – speak to me!
Suddenly you question whether or not you’ve got what it takes to be a writer.  The self-doubts creep in . . . and panic grips you.  Maybe you decide you don’t’ need the stress and your life would be so much easier if you just stopped putting yourself through this.  No matter what anyone says – you’re convinced it’s time to hang up your writer’s hat.
Yep, we all hit this stage – some of us more than once.  My husband is usually the one who snaps me out of it.  He asks, “Would you be happy if you never wrote another word?  Would the stories just stop coming to you?  I’ll tell you right now, you’re always in a better mood when you’re writing.”
Hmm, he’s right.  I could no sooner stop the ideas coming to me – than I could stop air from coming into my lungs.  You should know times like this happen to writers.  You’re not alone – so just relax and take a breather (the rest of the afternoon or evening).
Remind yourself – your work-in-progress is just a draft.  Keep writing – but don’t stop.  Your story will quickly pick up speed and take off.  I always stop and think my story through overnight – like a movie – it seems my mind works through the stall and usually the next day I’m back to writing with fervor. 
If you still can’t seem to incite your story – think about what intrigued you to begin this book.  Review your notes.  Ask yourself, “What am I missing that has silenced my characters?”  There is a reason your story is stalling – you just have to figure out what.  Read your story from start to finish (where you stopped) . . . that just might be enough to ignite the action and get your fingers moving.  If not, then be honest and ask, “What is missing?”  Maybe your character(s) are telling you you’ve missed a key scene – then can’t go on until you’ve given them the motive they need to continue.
You can’t force this – you must excite yourself and then your characters.  Maybe the story is ready for a real shocker . . . something you nor your characters expected.  Like what?  Well, how about your character is struck with snow blindness in the middle of the Beartooth Mountains.  Maybe your heroine is ready to walk down the aisle and receives a phone call from the fiancé she thought was dead.  Maybe your neighbor’s dog comes running onto your porch and drops a human hand at your feet.
Ask yourself, “What can possibly go wrong in my character’s life – that will literally set the story on fire.”  You want your story charged with intensity.  The strange thing here is once that happens, you the writer will equally be stimulated.  Your characters are suddenly charging forward and you can’t type fast enough. 

Friday Freebits with Ginger Simpson #frifreebits #blogshare

Its Friday and time for six paragraphs from Discovery, my short story collection.  I hope you enjoy the ones I've chosen to share with you:

Masked Love
"You want me to what?"  Olivia Wilson stared at Doctor Ray.  The paper on the examining table crinkled with her shocked movement.
"A  lot of people wear one and eventually get used to it."
"But what if I don't want to?"  She eyed the contraption he dangled in the air that looked like something he'd snatched from a scuba diver.
"If you'll recall, when you agreed to the overnight study, we discussed sleep apnea which I suspected caused your constant fatigue, and the tests prove me right.  People who suffer from the disorder often stop breathing for ten seconds or longer during sleep.  The problem can be mild to severe, based on the number of times each hour you fail to take a breath or how often your lungs don't get enough air  This may happen from five to fifty times an hour and can be fatal.  Your results fall within these parameters."
"You mean I could die?  She swallowed hard.
"Possibly, unless you use the CPAP machine and wear this mask.  He extended his arm.  "Here, try it on"

So....what will be the outcome of this opening scene?  Will Olivia wear the mask?  Why is she so worried?  If you want to know, you can find Discovery on my amazon page.
Now, link with my friends and see what they have to share today.
Jamie Hill
Tricia McGill
Juliet Waldron
Taryn Raye
Kathy Fischer-Brown
Rhobin Lee Courtright
Margaret Tanner

GET STARTED & KEEP WRITING BY RITA KARNOPP

We all want to finish that book – or we wouldn’t be reading articles on writing – I get it.  But there’s always that insecurity that nags at us – can I really write a book, and if I do will anyone want to buy it?
No one can really answer that question until you just do it.  Finish that book, rewrite, have it edited and then sent your baby out in the world.  That’s the only way you’re going to know for sure – right?
So many people have written a book because the one they were reading disappointed them to the point they believed they ‘could do better.’  Whatever motivates you – hang on to it!  Let it drive you to writing the best book you can. 
But, here comes some hard truth.  It’s not all that easy. Once you’re sitting in front of that blank, white screen – reality hits.  There’s more to writing than one could imagine.
You might consider studying the art of writing – come on – I’m serious.  Do you think a dancer gets out on the stage without watching successful dancers, going to dance lessons, and practice …practice…practice?
Do you believe you’ve studied the craft and are ready to start typing?  Well, develop your story plot; give it a tentative beginning, middle, and end.  You’ll never create a well-thought out plot if you don’t do a little planning.  Know you can give your characters license to change things as the story unfolds, but a bit of guidance along the way will give you a great first draft. 
Don’t polish it as you go – don’t second-guess yourself -  right now you want to get that story down on paper, type to the finish as fast as you can.  If you get stuck, that’s okay.  You might ask yourself; ‘What would I do –if I was in this predicament?’  
You might do what I do.  I go to bed and let it workout while I sleep.  Yep, I go to bed and think about my story.  I run it through my mind like a movie.  It may sound strange, but when I sit back down at my desk to write – my fingers fly across the keyboard.  My characters have worked out the problem and have thought of more interesting challenges to face.
Keep your chapters about the same length.  I find my pacing is around fifteen pages per chapter – you’ll find your own pacing the more books you write.  Keep in mind when you end a chapter, it should prompt the reader to keep reading.  You don’t want them to put the book down – even for a night.  End those chapters with cliffhangers and keep them reading.
Whatever you do, treat your writing time with the same respect as you do your full-time job.  You’re in charge of what you do in a day, right?  You’ll never finish your book unless you set goals and stick to them.  Keep writing – and I promise you’ll be soon typing ‘the end.’ 


The self-gratification you’ll feel - will be like nothing you’ve ever experienced.  You did it!  Celebrate . . . then start the rewrites!

A Page Straight From D.G. Driver - #apagestraightfrom

Cry of the Sea byD.G. DriverThey must be surfers, was all I could think as I ran toward the three squirming bodies. Who else would be in the water this early in the morning? But even for surfers, this was pretty early. They’d have to have been surfing in the dark. That didn’t make any sense. Were they crazy? I knew some surfers at school, and they were definitely nuts sometimes, but surfing before the sun rose seemed extreme even for them.Well, crazy or not, they didn’t deserve to be caught in an oil slick. I crashed down to my knees beside the bodies and dropped my gear. I started to reach out my hand to tap them and see if they were all right without even stopping to get a good look at them. But before I touched any of them, my arm recoiled back to my side."Dad!" I screamed. "Oh my God! Dad!"My dad rushed up behind me. "Are they alive?" he asked, trying to catch his breath."I… I…"Words didn’t come. I couldn’t formulate a thought. I was too startled. These three figures lying in the sand in front of me weren’t surfers at all.They weren’t even people.From their facial features and upper torsos, they looked kind of like women, but all three of them had silver-colored skin. They were bald, with strange ridges marking their skulls. None of them seemed to have ears, only holes in the sides of their heads. No nose was visible, not even a bone or nostrils filled that space between their eyes and mouths. Although their mouths seemed to be moving, they were actually breathing through what looked like gills in their necks.And if that wasn’t weird enough, instead of legs, their upper torsos stretched out into long, scale-covered, silver fishtails. If I had to say what these things stranded in front of me, splattered with oil, appeared to be, I’d say mermaids. And no, they didn’t look like they’d start singing songs or granting me wishes. They looked a little bit scary—but fragile too. Most of all, they looked like they were going to die, and no handsome prince was there to kiss them and keep them from turning into sea foam."June," my dad whispered. "Do you think they’re real?""Yes," I whispered back. "Strange but very real.""You don’t think they’re costumes?" he suggested. "Maybe some costume party on a yacht last night—they fell off."Sometimes my dad’s brain worked even more off-kilter than mine. I shook my head. "Those are not costumes, Dad."Those beings lying there in the sand were not wearing anything that was cut or stitched together. What I saw wasn’t material. It wasn’t a lycra suit like on Catwoman, nor was it some kind of make-up like that chick from X-Men. Make-up would’ve been washed away.
What I saw was real skin. Or some kind of skin, if skin could be silver. And those were real scales, not some kind of pointy sequins. I’d been around enough fish to know the difference. Besides, if these were a couple drunk, rich women in costumes, they’d be dead already. I knew these creatures weren’t dead, because the one closest to me suddenly opened its eyes and focused them right at me.Buy Link