L.M. Nelson's Blog, page 32

The Writing Lesson

Everything about this is beautiful.

Nesie's Place

Harry Roseland “The Writing Lesson” c.1900 Harry Herman Roseland (c.1867-1950) American genre painter.

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Author Confessions Round 23

I have not killed enemies in any of my books…yet.  It’s only a matter of time before I do [image error]though. I have killed off fiends and family members of my MC, which was difficult to do, but needed to be done to help the character grow.

I’m going to tackle completely different genres once the Scrubs series is complete. Crime fiction and fantasy lead themselves well to killing enemies. I’m sure a few good guys will go down in the process too.

Diminutive Linguistic Expression

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Saw this and had to share. 

10 Life Quotes from Authors

Inspiring words from inspiring people.

Carrie Pulkinen

I put together a list of some of my favorite life quotes from various authors. Feel free to share if you find any that resonate with you!

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Author Confessions Round 22

[image error] In Center Stage, my main male character, Roger Zellers, falls in love with Lauren Hanson, a woman ten years younger than he is. Throughout their relationship, he struggles to gain the trust of  Dr. Hanson (Lauren’s father). One of my favorite scenes is a bonding moment the two of them share, which makes them both realize that they have much more in common than they thought they did.  Knowing Dr. Hanson enjoys fishing, Roger invites him to spend the day on the lake tossing in lines. Roger starts off the morning by bringing him a cup of coffee, something Dr. Hanson dearly loves. Then, once Dr. Hanon sees and admires his sports car, Roger hands him the keys and lets him drive. The cruise to the lake, discussing various things, at which time Roger reveals something to Dr. Hanson that he hadn’t even told Lauren.

“Lauren’s lucky she has such supportive and loving parents. Not everyone can say that,” Roger said. “My mother is very supportive of me, as is Gary, but unfortunately I never knew my biological father.”

“Really? Why is that?”

Roger proceeded to explain, “My father was Lieutenant Andrew Zellers, United States Air Force. He was a test pilot. One day during a routine test flight, the engine of his plane malfunctioned.  He was unable to recover from it and his plane went down. Killed him on impact.  My mother was six months pregnant with me at the time, so I never knew my father.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s alright,” Roger claimed. “Gary’s a good man. My mother met him when I was young, and they married when I was eight years old. He’s the only father I’ve ever known.”

“It’s good to have someone like that in your life who was willing to take on being a father figure for you.”

Roger agreed. “Yes. I’m very grateful.”

When they returned to New York City, Dr. Hanson acknowledges, in his own subtle way, his newly gained trust in Roger.

Before they went their separate ways, Dr. Hanson shook Roger’s hand. “I had a great time today. Thank you, Roger.”

“Any time, Sir. Thank you for listening to the story about my father.”

“I feel honored that you shared it with me,” he replied. “Thank you also for looking after Lauren. I feel a lot safer knowing she has you here.”

All those months of working to gain Dr. Hanson’s trust finally paid off. “It’s my pleasure, Sir.”

Author Confessions Round 21

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I never originally intended to publish any of my work. I simply wrote for myself as a way to express my thoughts and unwind. It took a lot of encouragement from a dear friend and several family members to finally get me to bite the bullet and publish. The only thing I hope to accomplish through this is to let my characters be heard. If I can touch a few readers along the way, that would be icing on the cake.

Author Confessions Round 20

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I do occasionally ask family members or friends for input about my books, but writing is something I do alone. As a member of  a local writer’s group, we meet monthly and have many opportunities throughout the year to attend write-ins or retreats, but I don’t like writing with other people. I prefer to run solo.

Author Confessions Round 19

[image error] Exposure. Plain and simple.

Throwing myself out there is difficult. I’m an introvert who is uncomfortable in social situations. I don’t always show it, but when I get home after being around people, I need several hours to myself to destress and unwind. As an author, you have to interact with people and make connections. This has always been a challenge for me.

Releasing my books to the general population is nerve wracking and scary. I’ve always been an overachiever and am super critical of myself. I’ll never be satisfied with my work. I ALWAYS find something wrong with it no matter how many times I read over it. My characters speak to me, and I tell their stories. But these stories won’t please every reader. In fact, I can almost guarantee there are haters out there. Some people just don’t get the way my brain works. Others will totally relate to my work and enjoy the stories I write.

I don’t write to please the masses. To me that’s not what writing is all about. I write for myself, to tell my character’s story. Hopefully, I’ll gain a few readers along the way, readers who understand the way I think and relate to these characters in my head.

Author Confessions Round 18

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I have several quotes from my WIP that I like, but this one sums up Nathan’s experience with medical school pretty well. The quote is powerful, but has significant meaning for Nathan because his father says it to him.

“People will constantly question your reliability and expertise as a physician. If you think for one second that every single patient or family member or fellow physician is going to trust your medical judgment and rely on your word, you are gravely mistaken. That is not the way medicine works. Cases are not always easy, patients are not always cooperative, and quite frankly you are not always going to know the answers. I am helping you see the cold, hard reality of what this profession encompasses. I’ll be damned if I’m going to fluff this up for you and let you take the easy way out. You are smarter and more capable than that, and I could not, on my good conscience, send you down the easy path and allow you to settle for mere mediocrity. So don’t hand me this poor Nathan crap. Grow some balls, be a damn doctor, and deal with it.”

Author Confessions Round 17

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All books need characters the reader can relate to, characters who are believable, characters I either want to root for or smack in the head with the book. As I’ve said multiple times now, I’m all about character. To me, characters make or break a story. Characters in books must have unique personalities and speak in their own voice. There is nothing I hate more than picking up a book and seeing the same characters I see in every other book. Or worse yet, all the characters speak the same way or have the same mannerisms and I can’t tell one from the other. People in this world are unique. We all have our own beliefs, unique personalities, and individual likes and dislikes. Characters in books should be the same way. They should be real. They should hop off the page and speak to the reader. Even good fantasy or sci-fi characters have characteristics of people I might run into on the street. They’re relatable, believable, and each is an individual. That’s what character is all about.