Cynthia Chapman Willis's Blog, page 9

The Through-line Train

Have you read or heard about the through-line? Dictionary.com defines it as "a theme or idea that runs from the beginning to the end of a book, film, etc."

Up until recently, I hadn't heard of this through-line, so I did some research. It seems that the through-line is used a lot by those involved with screenwriting and movie making. The through-line of a script is the journey from the beginning of the story to the end. It is the main premise that pulls the story through all of the obstacles that the protagonist faces along the way. The driving force of the plot. Think of a train leaving point A and traveling to point Z. It may stop along the trip, but it doesn't derail if all goes well. The main character or protagonist on this train journeys through the story. The driving force of the story is always clear. Kind of a cool image, don't you think? This is helpful for someone like me who has a tendency to get off track and wander (dare I say ramble?) at times when I'm writing.

I'm betting that considering the through-line will keep me more focused as I write and as I read. How about you?

Reading Versus Listening

A few days ago, I was with a three other authors answering questions about books and writing at a local bookstore. Big fun, of course. I love hearing the variety of different answers and opinions. Anyway, a teacher in the audience asked each of us to share what we were reading. Many of the authors admitted to listening to books rather than reading them. Wow, I thought, what am I missing? The truth is, I can't get into audio books. Believe me, I've tried. For me, there is something engaging about holding a book or an e-reader and letting my eyes scan the text. I zone out when listening to a book. I guess I can't get into a story unless my eyes are playing along with my brain, but it would be great if I could lose myself in a novel while driving or exercising or doing some chore that insists on getting done, or after a long day of staring at a computer screen.

How about you? Do you ever listen to books? What are your thoughts and opinions on audio books. Do you ever prefer listening to a story rather than reading it? Do tell. : )

Snip-Snip Here, Snip-Snip There

Worn out, but satisfied with the latest manuscript, I sent it to my agent, happily a guy who critiques the work of his clients. As I handed this package to the USPS clerk, I took comfort in the fact that I couldn't think of anything more that I could do with this story. The time had come for Mr Agent's review.

That day I made an appointment to get my hair trimmed. As with the novel, there was not much else I could do with my mane. In my obsession to get the work in progress done, I'd put off a hair appointment for too long.

Two weeks later, I return home with my hair cut to an email from my agent. Hurray and phew, he gave the novel his seal of approval, but he suggested that I do a bit of trimming.

At first I wondered What to cut? and What if I lobe off too much? Funny, these were the same thoughts I had about my hair. As with my locks, though, I realized that cutting was a necessity, not an option. So, I sharpened my tools and opened up the novel file. I started to read, I started to snip. And snip. A light trim here, surgery there. By the time I finished, my novel had lost weight. It gained flow and body. Sort of like my hair after it had been hacked. That's when I realized that although cutting can sometimes be scary, it is often necessary.

What do you think?

Random Bits of Information

I have a bunch of random stuff to share with you today.

First of all, a big CONGRATULATIONS to Sabrina! She has won a copy of Moon Over Manifest by commenting on last week's blog post. Hurray! I love giving away books. Thank you, everyone, for all the great comments, as always.

Next, I want to share a great place to have bookmarks made. I've had a horrible time finding a vendor to create and print the kind of bookmarks I envisioned for Dog Gone and Buck Fever. I'll just say that I kept getting sort of lackluster designs and less than impressive quality for ridiculous amounts of funds. I ran into huge headaches trying to order online, as well. Recently, another author in Kidlit Authors Club recommended Iconix.biz (http://iconix.biz/ ). Kelley at Iconix was amazing, the process was easy, and I have new, beautiful bookmarks on the way for an impressive price. I am beyond thrilled and ever so grateful. If you ever need bookmarks designed and printed, consider contacting Kelley at Iconix.biz.

In other news, if you happen to be in the Philadelphia area this coming weekend (April 9th and 10th), some of the authors from the KidLit Authors Club (http://www.kidlitauthorsclub.com/ ) will be at Big Blue Marble Books for the Mt. Airy Kids' Literary Festival. I'll be there on Saturday

morning (11 A.M.), reading from Buck Fever and signing books.

Next week some of the gang from the KidLit Authors Club (including me) will be at the Springfield, N.J. Barnes and Noble Educator Event on Tuesday afternoon and then at the Paramus, N.J. Barnes and Noble Educator Event on Wednesday afternoon. Lots of fun, I promise.

Last but not least, some of us will be at the Clark Public Library in Clark, N.J. at 2 P.M. on Sunday, April 17th. Again, if you're in the area, stop by! We'll be reading from our books, giving away goodies, and generally sharing the love of reading and writing. It is beyond wonderful to be able to promote with such talented and genuinely nice authors.

Okay, that's all for now. Tell me, what's going on with you?

Pay It Forward

I'm guessing that you've heard the expression pay it forward. It's used to describe a good deed that is repaid by doing a good deed for another or others. I love this warm and fuzzy concept.

Last week a friend passed on his copy of MOON OVER MANIFEST to me. This novel, by Clare Vanderpool, won the Newbery Award Medal this year. Since this surprise gift made my day, I've decided to pay it forward. If you leave a comment on my blog in the next week, I'll put your name into a hat or basket or something. Next Wednesday morning, April 6th, I'll pull out a name and that lucky winner will receive MOON OVER MANIFEST. Pay it forward, baby.

Also, many thanks to J.L. Campbell (http://thecharacterdepot.blogspot.com/)

for the One Lovely Blog Award. So nice! However, I'm supposed to pass the award to fifteen other bloggers that I've newly discovered. Yikes! I've discovered a few awesome blogs lately, but honestly, it's been hard to find time to newly discover anything, much less fifteen other blogs. The work in progress is almost done, but has been pretty demanding and I've also been working on another novel. Plus promoting Dog Gone and Buck Fever. All good things, but time flies by. So, if you know of a great blog for me to check out, I'd be forever grateful to hear about it. In the meanwhile, check out J.L. Campbell's blog. Paying it forward!
Thanks for stopping by. Happy reading and writing and paying it forward. ; )

Casting Call

It's probably not a shocker that the best selling Hunger Games books are going to be made into movies. Last week it was announced that Jennifer Lawrence has been cast to play Katniss. Here's the link for more scoop on this:

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/jennifer-lawrence-gets-lead-role-hunger-games-25482

Do you ever consider the actor or actress who might play one of the characters in something you have written or are writing? Do you ever think about a favorite character from a book you are reading and wonder who could portray him or her? It's kind of tricky, isn't it? Every reader, it seems to me, gets to know a character in his or her own way. No matter how detailed the character description, I picture her in a way that may or may not be exactly the way you picture this character. This applies to appearance as well as personality, I think. So, it's interesting when Hollywood puts a face to a perception.

I should admit, too, that once I see the movie version of The Hunger Games, the Katniss in my head will probably be trumped by Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal. And Jennifer Lawrence may be Katniss forever more. Sort of like when I see Daniel Radcliffe interviewed and think Wow, Harry Potter is staring in another play on Broadway.

Thoughts?

Sympathetic Characters

What makes a character sympathetic? This question sometimes stops me, makes me scratch my head and mutter to myself. I understand that an unsympathetic character is one that I, as a reader or a writer, can't fully relate to. But why? That's the kicker. Is a character less than sympathetic because I don't have anything in common with him? Or maybe I don't have enough information about him--about his emotional state or his circumstances.

I once wrote about a character that was prone to good deeds. Too many good deeds. Hanging out with him made me feel like I was gagging on a sugar cube. This character didn't survive the first draft of that particular novel. Sympathetic characters, it seems to me, should be like the rest of us--flawed, plagued by weaknesses, and prone to bone-headed moves. On hindsight, I bet that if I'd developed the reasons why Mr. Good Deeds behaved as he did, I would have liked him better. If he had a few bad habits or quirks, he'd have been more interesting. Understanding how a character is struggling emotionally as well as physically makes me care more about him. I become sympathetic.

What do you think? What makes a character sympathetic?

Laughing Out Loud

Laughter is good medicine, don't you think? I love humor in writing and in life. I'm reading my first David Sedaris book. Hilarious! So, what makes good humor? I did a bit of light research to see what I might find. Here are a few interesting and kind of fun tidbits that I stumbled upon.

Apparently words with the k sound are supposed to be especially funny. I'm not sure I get this. Does this make a Cadillac funnier than a Ford? Or, a cat more hilarious than an ostrich? I call the ostrich the winner in that comparison. Also, words with the g sound are said to be giggle worthy. When I think of guacamole and goggles, or eating guacamole while wearing goggles, this sort of works. So, are characters with names that begin with k or g more funny? I'm not convinced.

I also read about a technique for adding humor to metaphors or other comparisons. When crafting a comparison, try to add an outrageous or funny element. So, when writing about a group of little kids, I might write: Trying to get kindergarteners into a classroom is like trying to. . . Here I am supposed to list the most outrageous and funny options that I can think of, such as: herd cats, run a marathon in clogs, organize circus clowns. Did anyone notice I that used the k sound in these examples?

Finally, statistics show that most people laugh at everyday stories more than scripted jokes. Usually because these stories are exaggerated. Ah, exaggeration. This I understand.

Your turn: Any thoughts on what makes great humor? Feel free to exaggerate.

While Driving Along . . .

First up, some bulletin board news:

This coming Sunday, March 6th, I will be joining some of the wonderful authors that are a part of the KidLit Authors Club at The Well Read Bookstore in Hawthorne, N.J. Here are a couple links:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Well-Read-New-Used-Books/150332944979004?v=wall&filter=1

and

http://www.thewellreadbookstore.com/?page=shop/index&CLSN_3857=129900935338573e0eebeba9293883a3

We'll be there from 1 PM until 4 PM reading from our books and giving away goodies. If you happen to be in the area, we'd love to see you!

* * *

I've been visiting lots of bookstores since joining the wonderful gang of the Kidlit Authors Club. More visits means more time in the car. This means time listening to great music while mulling over my work. I am convinced that writers never stop writing and working on their stories, even without laptops, pencils, or pens. So, on Sunday, while driving to Well Read Books, I'll be thinking over my latest novel. An everyday event during my trip might even lead to a novel event. This has happened before.

Not too long ago, while I was driving along, a van pulled out in front of me and cut me off. Okay, fine. This is part of the driving life in New Jersey. A driver cutting off another driver is about as common as peanut butter. It's also one of those experiences that usually elicits a reaction, if not a variety of reactions. I started asking What if…? What if a driver cut off became so infuriated that he or she chased down the offending car and beat the living snot out of the guy who did the cutting? Or, what if the two cars ended up in a wild chase? What might complicate this chase? How could it become crazy tense? My mind started crafting all sorts of reactions and outcomes to this common (at least in NJ), everyday incident. I kept upping the stakes. Each scenario provided a different menu of character traits with any number of reasons for each character's reactions. All because I kept asking What if? And here's the best part: I ended up using one of these scenes in my latest work in progress. I really should thank that guy who cut me off and nearly nailed my beautiful car… And then again, maybe not.

Do you ever ask What if? and let your imagination loose?

For My Eyes Only

Isn't it wonderful to snuggle up with a great book? More and more, though, I have been finding that I don't just read to escape into a story, I read to find out what else I can learn about the craft of writing as well as what makes a book buzz-worthy, award-worthy, best-seller worthy.

Recently, I've kicked up my analysis a notch or two by writing reviews for my eyes only about books that I've read. At first I did this just to help me sort my thoughts, but I've found that in writing these reviews, I end up giving the novels that I've read a lot more thought. Kind of cool, right?

I'd love to tell you that I have a format for these reviews, but I don't. After all, they are for my eyes only. Free writing is allowed and encouraged. However, I usually begin by asking myself what I found intriguing about the premise of a story. What pulled me to the book? The jacket copy? The cover? Reviews? The buzz? A recommendation? And how did the novel reading experience pay off compare to whatever pulled me to read it?

Some times I'll explore why I couldn't put a book down. Would I have been able to drop it if the house caught on fire or the sky started falling? If not, this deserves further exploration. What makes a novel this good?

I love cliff-hangers and plot twists, so I'll often note these and why they work (or don't) for me. How did the placement of these affect the novel?

What about voice? Give me a great voice and I'll follow a character anywhere. So, I'll sometimes explore what I liked or loved about a great voice in a novel.

I also love the way some authors tap into amazing details. It makes sense, then, that I'd write about these and how they affected the plot, characters, and setting.

Also, I'll often jot down examples of incredible writing that makes me blink and catch my breath. This is sort of like collecting diamonds.

As you can probably imagine, my little reviews often turn into rants that go off in crazy directions, but they always offer insights. And, sort of surprisingly, writing willy-nilly about a novel after reading it, to revisit it and pick it apart, has turned out to be really fun.

Do you ever write about what you've read in a for your eyes only way? I'd love to know. ; )