Sammi Carter's Blog, page 4
January 13, 2011
The 30-Day Book Meme: Day 6
Day 06 - Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time
Is it just me, or does this feel like we're repeating ourselves? It's been way too many years since I read several Nancy Drew mysteries in a row, so it's hard to talk about which book from that series might qualify as my favorite. I can remember a little thrill of danger whenever I looked at the picture of Nancy Drew inside the moving van in The Secret of the Old Clock, and something about The Mystery of Larkspur Lane has always drawn me to that book. But I also loved The Hidden Staircase and The Message in the Hollow Oak and The Clue in the Diary. And let's not forget The Mystery at Lilac Inn.
I could fudge a little and pick an Agatha Christie novel, but I run into the same trouble there. I mean, first I'd have to decide whether I liked Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot better, and how do you make a choice like that? Okay, I may lean a little toward Miss Marple in general, but Hercule was so delightfully flawed in his utter perfection, he's hard to resist.
So do I move instead to my favorite book of all time? How do I pick that?
So many books hold special places in my heart.
I have the best memories of going to the library with my mom the summer she realized I was too grown up for kids books. We wandered through the stacks while she showed me books she'd read and loved, and I read and loved almost all of them myself. Since then, I've read Edna Ferber's Giant several times, and I'm still fascinated by the book. I think it may qualify as my favorite of the books my mom helped me choose at the library that day and certainly ranks right up there near the top of my list. But is it my very favorite book of all time?
If I chose the book I've read the most in my lifetime, I'd have to say it's Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Yes, I know it's a horribly insulting depiction of African-Americans and paints an unrealistically rosy picture of the lives they lived, and for that I truly do apologize for including this book on my list. But my love affair with it exists in spite of all that. I've never considered GWTW a romance, and still don't. But I do consider it a fascinating character study in self-delusion on several levels. Scarlett O'Hara was a deeply flawed character whose reality didn't even come close to matching anyone else's and I go back to Gone with the Wind as a prime example of how to write an unreliable narrator and make her sympathetic enough to keep readers connected.
And besides, I thought Clark Gable was hot. Even if he was dead long before I ever saw the movie or read the book.
And what about Penmarric and Cashelmara by Susan Howatch? Or Rosamunde Pilcher's The Shell Seekers? Or Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse? That book was recommended to me several years ago by Mrs. Wilson, my youngest daughter's 6th grade teacher. It's a poem cycle that reads like a novel. The language is sparse but beautiful, and Hesse wrings emotion from me with every line. Every time I read it, I'm amazed by what she accomplishes with so few words.
I don't know. I can't choose. In fact, I could probably add several more books to this list if I had the time.
What about you? What's your favorite book in your favorite series? Or do you have a favorite book of all time? I'd love to hear about yours.
Is it just me, or does this feel like we're repeating ourselves? It's been way too many years since I read several Nancy Drew mysteries in a row, so it's hard to talk about which book from that series might qualify as my favorite. I can remember a little thrill of danger whenever I looked at the picture of Nancy Drew inside the moving van in The Secret of the Old Clock, and something about The Mystery of Larkspur Lane has always drawn me to that book. But I also loved The Hidden Staircase and The Message in the Hollow Oak and The Clue in the Diary. And let's not forget The Mystery at Lilac Inn.
I could fudge a little and pick an Agatha Christie novel, but I run into the same trouble there. I mean, first I'd have to decide whether I liked Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot better, and how do you make a choice like that? Okay, I may lean a little toward Miss Marple in general, but Hercule was so delightfully flawed in his utter perfection, he's hard to resist.
So do I move instead to my favorite book of all time? How do I pick that? So many books hold special places in my heart.
I have the best memories of going to the library with my mom the summer she realized I was too grown up for kids books. We wandered through the stacks while she showed me books she'd read and loved, and I read and loved almost all of them myself. Since then, I've read Edna Ferber's Giant several times, and I'm still fascinated by the book. I think it may qualify as my favorite of the books my mom helped me choose at the library that day and certainly ranks right up there near the top of my list. But is it my very favorite book of all time?
If I chose the book I've read the most in my lifetime, I'd have to say it's Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Yes, I know it's a horribly insulting depiction of African-Americans and paints an unrealistically rosy picture of the lives they lived, and for that I truly do apologize for including this book on my list. But my love affair with it exists in spite of all that. I've never considered GWTW a romance, and still don't. But I do consider it a fascinating character study in self-delusion on several levels. Scarlett O'Hara was a deeply flawed character whose reality didn't even come close to matching anyone else's and I go back to Gone with the Wind as a prime example of how to write an unreliable narrator and make her sympathetic enough to keep readers connected. And besides, I thought Clark Gable was hot. Even if he was dead long before I ever saw the movie or read the book.
And what about Penmarric and Cashelmara by Susan Howatch? Or Rosamunde Pilcher's The Shell Seekers? Or Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse? That book was recommended to me several years ago by Mrs. Wilson, my youngest daughter's 6th grade teacher. It's a poem cycle that reads like a novel. The language is sparse but beautiful, and Hesse wrings emotion from me with every line. Every time I read it, I'm amazed by what she accomplishes with so few words. I don't know. I can't choose. In fact, I could probably add several more books to this list if I had the time.
What about you? What's your favorite book in your favorite series? Or do you have a favorite book of all time? I'd love to hear about yours.
January 12, 2011
The 30-Day Book Meme: Day 5
A Book or Series you Hate:
Seriously? Hate? Um....my answer to this one has to be N/A. I don't hate any books or series. Sure, there are some I don't particularly enjoy reading, but like I said before, anything that gets people reading is okay by me. I applaud the author, the publisher, and the readers, even if I don't particularly enjoy the books. My reading tastes are pretty broad. I like just about everything if it's done well.
I have abandoned a few series over the years, usually because I think the author has gotten lazy or because I think they've compromised the integrity of the series, or because the main character has simply become too unlikeable for me to spend time in his/her head. I've read a few books that have made me seriously consider abandoning a series that I've previously enjoyed, but I usually give the author another chance or two because I know that life sometimes gets in the way of your ability to turn out a page-turner. Trying to write your next funny cozy mystery after your father has died, for example, isn't easy. So it takes two or three seriously mediocre books for me to bail on an author.
I've also picked up a lot of books that I simply can't get through for one reason or another. Simplistic writing. Such weak motivation propelling the character through the book that I can't relate. Too much telling (wa-a-a-a-ay too much telling). No conflict. I recently read a book that fell into this last category by an author whose books I usually love. The main character strolled through the entire mystery anticipating trouble, but only occasionally encountering anything to throw her off her path. Nobody refused to talk to her. Nobody tried to get her to stop investigating. Nobody created any trouble for her at all until around pg 200. She just kept running into people and thinking about that person's history until I felt my eyes roll back in my head. I didn't care what happened but I kept reading because, like I said, I've loved the author's books in the past, but it wasn't my favorite book on her shelf, by any means.
But hate? Nope. It just doesn't apply. How about you? Which series or books are your least favorite?
Seriously? Hate? Um....my answer to this one has to be N/A. I don't hate any books or series. Sure, there are some I don't particularly enjoy reading, but like I said before, anything that gets people reading is okay by me. I applaud the author, the publisher, and the readers, even if I don't particularly enjoy the books. My reading tastes are pretty broad. I like just about everything if it's done well.
I have abandoned a few series over the years, usually because I think the author has gotten lazy or because I think they've compromised the integrity of the series, or because the main character has simply become too unlikeable for me to spend time in his/her head. I've read a few books that have made me seriously consider abandoning a series that I've previously enjoyed, but I usually give the author another chance or two because I know that life sometimes gets in the way of your ability to turn out a page-turner. Trying to write your next funny cozy mystery after your father has died, for example, isn't easy. So it takes two or three seriously mediocre books for me to bail on an author.
I've also picked up a lot of books that I simply can't get through for one reason or another. Simplistic writing. Such weak motivation propelling the character through the book that I can't relate. Too much telling (wa-a-a-a-ay too much telling). No conflict. I recently read a book that fell into this last category by an author whose books I usually love. The main character strolled through the entire mystery anticipating trouble, but only occasionally encountering anything to throw her off her path. Nobody refused to talk to her. Nobody tried to get her to stop investigating. Nobody created any trouble for her at all until around pg 200. She just kept running into people and thinking about that person's history until I felt my eyes roll back in my head. I didn't care what happened but I kept reading because, like I said, I've loved the author's books in the past, but it wasn't my favorite book on her shelf, by any means.
But hate? Nope. It just doesn't apply. How about you? Which series or books are your least favorite?
January 11, 2011
The 30-Day Book Meme: Day 4
Today's question is a tough one:
Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever
Seriously? Ever? How does a person decide that?
I think I have to say the Nancy Drew series. No other series of books has had such an impact on me ... ever. They were the books that helped me realize that I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be Carolyn Keene and write Nancy Drew mysteries when I grew up. Of course, I later found out -- much to my dismay -- that Carolyn Keene didn't actually exist, which was about as devastating as being told that Santa ... well, you know.
I might have been 9 or 10 when my mother enrolled my sister and me in a Nancy Drew book club. What bliss! What joy! Every few weeks a package would arrive containing two brand new, delicious adventures. Sandra took one and I took the other, and then we'd switch. I can still remember the smell of the pages, the feel of that glossy cover under my fingers. I can even see the typeface in my memory.
At some point in my childhood, my mother sold my beloved Nancy Drew books so she could buy the Hardy Brothers books for my brother. Which I understand logically. But Gordon never really liked the books. I can't even remember seeing him read them. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. I do know that he didn't love them the way I loved my Nancy Drews. I'm not bitter about it. Much. I understand that a mother's gotta do what a mother's gotta do. But still.
A few years ago, my daughters bought me the first 10 books in the Nancy Drew series so I could start building my collection again. I keep them in a place of honor, and every once in a while I pick one up and turn back the clock to a simpler time. A time when I could truly lose myself in a book without thoughts of characterization, motivation, plot and conflict. A time when I could lie in the grass and dream about being one of the characters. (Loved Nancy, but George was my favorite.)
I guess it wasn't such a hard decision after all.
What about you? What's your favorite book or series ever? I'd love to know.
Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever
Seriously? Ever? How does a person decide that?
I think I have to say the Nancy Drew series. No other series of books has had such an impact on me ... ever. They were the books that helped me realize that I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be Carolyn Keene and write Nancy Drew mysteries when I grew up. Of course, I later found out -- much to my dismay -- that Carolyn Keene didn't actually exist, which was about as devastating as being told that Santa ... well, you know. I might have been 9 or 10 when my mother enrolled my sister and me in a Nancy Drew book club. What bliss! What joy! Every few weeks a package would arrive containing two brand new, delicious adventures. Sandra took one and I took the other, and then we'd switch. I can still remember the smell of the pages, the feel of that glossy cover under my fingers. I can even see the typeface in my memory.
At some point in my childhood, my mother sold my beloved Nancy Drew books so she could buy the Hardy Brothers books for my brother. Which I understand logically. But Gordon never really liked the books. I can't even remember seeing him read them. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. I do know that he didn't love them the way I loved my Nancy Drews. I'm not bitter about it. Much. I understand that a mother's gotta do what a mother's gotta do. But still.
A few years ago, my daughters bought me the first 10 books in the Nancy Drew series so I could start building my collection again. I keep them in a place of honor, and every once in a while I pick one up and turn back the clock to a simpler time. A time when I could truly lose myself in a book without thoughts of characterization, motivation, plot and conflict. A time when I could lie in the grass and dream about being one of the characters. (Loved Nancy, but George was my favorite.)
I guess it wasn't such a hard decision after all.
What about you? What's your favorite book or series ever? I'd love to know.
January 10, 2011
The 30-Day Book Meme: Day 3
Day 03 - The best book you've read in the last 12 months:
It's a toss-up for me, really. My first instinct was to say THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett but since that was the answer to the previous question, I don't want to be boring.
I'm going with Lorna Landvik's ANGRY HOUSEWIVES EATING BON BONS for this one. Yeah, I just read it in 2010. I'm slow. What can I say?
Any woman who has ever been through the fire and found herself supported by a group of women friends is going to love this book. Women who haven't yet found that group of friends will either read it wistfully, wishing they had friends like these, or they'll toss it aside, believing these friends are nothing but a fairy tale. For those who think friendships like these don't really exist, I hope you find out someday soon that they do.
The whole way through this book, I thought of my three closest friends and all the mountains and valleys we've struggled through together over the years. I thank God for them, for their friendship and their patience. I love that they know everything about me -- and they like me anyway. That's what friendship's all about.
It's a toss-up for me, really. My first instinct was to say THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett but since that was the answer to the previous question, I don't want to be boring. I'm going with Lorna Landvik's ANGRY HOUSEWIVES EATING BON BONS for this one. Yeah, I just read it in 2010. I'm slow. What can I say?
Any woman who has ever been through the fire and found herself supported by a group of women friends is going to love this book. Women who haven't yet found that group of friends will either read it wistfully, wishing they had friends like these, or they'll toss it aside, believing these friends are nothing but a fairy tale. For those who think friendships like these don't really exist, I hope you find out someday soon that they do.
The whole way through this book, I thought of my three closest friends and all the mountains and valleys we've struggled through together over the years. I thank God for them, for their friendship and their patience. I love that they know everything about me -- and they like me anyway. That's what friendship's all about.
January 8, 2011
The 30-Day Book Meme: Day 2
Day 02 - A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about.
Hmmmmm. Guess I can't cheat and say "mine" again, can I? I think I'm going to have to go with the best book I've read in a while:
Stockett's voice is pure and clear and true to the people she's writing about. I recently moved from the West, where I've lived my entire life, to the South, where my dad was born. In Stockett's characters, I heard whispers of my grandmother's voice along with the voices of new friends and neighbors. Her cadence was spot-on. The narrative was crisp and easy to read, and the story was compelling and kept me eagerly coming back for more. Stockett writes about a touchy topic with humor and compassion. And yeah, I know a lot of people are talking about this book already -- but like I said, it's the best book I've read in a while.
Hmmmmm. Guess I can't cheat and say "mine" again, can I? I think I'm going to have to go with the best book I've read in a while:
Stockett's voice is pure and clear and true to the people she's writing about. I recently moved from the West, where I've lived my entire life, to the South, where my dad was born. In Stockett's characters, I heard whispers of my grandmother's voice along with the voices of new friends and neighbors. Her cadence was spot-on. The narrative was crisp and easy to read, and the story was compelling and kept me eagerly coming back for more. Stockett writes about a touchy topic with humor and compassion. And yeah, I know a lot of people are talking about this book already -- but like I said, it's the best book I've read in a while.
January 5, 2011
The 30-Day Book Meme: Day 1
I stumbled across this book meme somewhere a few months ago and thought it might be interesting to try. Thirty days, thirty questions. I may not hit it every single day, but I'm going to try! The first question is:
A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
A book series I wish had gone on longer? Hmmm. Mine! Duh!
A book series I wish would just freaking end already? Well, shoot! That's not as easy to answer as you might think. There are series I don't particularly like. A few of them, in fact. I'm not all that fond of cats who solve murders, for example, but do I want the series to freaking end already? No!
If readers like the books and they're willing to buy the books and the author earns his or her royalties for all the hard work they did (and believe me, writing a book is just plain hard work!) and people are reading, then I don't care what the book is about, or what it's like, or how it's written, or whether or not I want it on my personal TBR stack. I salute the books, the author, and the readers. And I sincerely hope the series will go on forever. Because I have a secret weapon I use on books I don't like. I don't read them. I read something else instead and I don't waste my passion or my creative energy on getting upset over someone else's choice of reading material.
Ergo, cats can go around solving murders for another millinium or two and it won't bother me a bit.
A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
A book series I wish had gone on longer? Hmmm. Mine! Duh!
A book series I wish would just freaking end already? Well, shoot! That's not as easy to answer as you might think. There are series I don't particularly like. A few of them, in fact. I'm not all that fond of cats who solve murders, for example, but do I want the series to freaking end already? No!
If readers like the books and they're willing to buy the books and the author earns his or her royalties for all the hard work they did (and believe me, writing a book is just plain hard work!) and people are reading, then I don't care what the book is about, or what it's like, or how it's written, or whether or not I want it on my personal TBR stack. I salute the books, the author, and the readers. And I sincerely hope the series will go on forever. Because I have a secret weapon I use on books I don't like. I don't read them. I read something else instead and I don't waste my passion or my creative energy on getting upset over someone else's choice of reading material.
Ergo, cats can go around solving murders for another millinium or two and it won't bother me a bit.
January 3, 2011
Thinking About Voice
I spend a lot of time thinking a lot about the craft of writing. If you're going to teach other writers about the craft, you have to think about it. A lot. Lately, the subject of voice has been in the front of my mind. Specifically, what is "Voice," and why is it so important?
Simply put, voice is you. It's your unique way of speaking, of thinking, of communicating. It's your background, where you live, and how you feel. It's what you know and what you think. Voice is made up of dialect and word choices, but it's so much more. It's your unique view of the world.
Voice is important because unless you find and embrace the way of communicating with the world that is uniquely yours, you may have a hard time inviting readers into the worlds you create, whether in fiction or non-fiction, short story or novel.
We know, of course, that physical voice is the way we know who's speaking when we pick up the phone, or overhear a couple of friends talking. But your soul's voice is deeper than that. As a writer, our voices are also made up of what we believe is important, what we find funny, how we view and judge others and our philosophies about life in general.
That philosophy of life is where our creative voices begin to differ. That's what makes Jerry Seinfeld different from Jerry Lewis. What sets the comedian Gallagher apart as he smashes watermelons while dishing on the world in general and stupid people in particular. It's what made Larry the Cable Guy famous and what helped Oprah soar to heights most of us can't even imagine.
Compassion for the less fortunate made Red Skelton unique. Mister Rogers had a far different voice from Bozo the Clown. Listen to the Beatles music and you'll hear how they went from just another long-haired boy band to adult men with deep observations to make about the world, and their views of the world set them apart from songwriters everywhere.
Even within the Beatles, you can tell the difference between a John Lennon song and one written by Paul McCartney. If you know classical music, you'll know there's a very big difference between Beethoven and Mozart, between Mozart and Chopin, between Chopin and Brahms.
That's voice.
Disney has voice. You know what you're getting when you go to a Disney movie, and you know a Disney movie when you see one, even without the mouse ears to clue you in.
Quentin Tarantino has voice. Spike Lee has voice. Norah Ephron has voice. Ron Howard has voice. If you see a movie with any of these names on it, you know what you're in for. The projects aren't identical. No one would have any trouble telling the difference between Splash!, Cocoon, Far and Away, and Apollo 13, but there are similarities in all those movies—and those similarities are voice.
Likewise, Jennifer Cruisie has voice. Susan Elizabeth Phillips has voice. Curtiss Ann Matlock has voice. Anne Tyler has voice. Victoria Holt had voice. Suzanne Brockman has voice. Deborah Smith has voice. Taylor Caldwell had voice. James Michener had voice. Whether or not you like what they do, you always know what you're getting when you pick up one of their books.
But that's not true of everyone out there writing books today. If you spend much time judging contests within the romance world, you'll know that many, many hopeful authors are opting for a "safe" voice in an effort to break in with that first sale.
A few years ago, I judged over 70 contest entries within a very short period of time. Before long, I started to realize that nearly every entry sounded almost exactly like the one before it, and almost exactly like the one that came after it. Those contest entries were so homogenized, it was almost impossible to tell them apart. None of them made a positive impression on me as I read and, in fact, the only detail I remember from that whole pile of entries was that a frightening number of authors had even chosen the same basic plot setup to write about that year. In fact, the only thing that kept me from thinking that they'd all been written by the same person was the occasional use of a different font or header format.
In our rush to get published and do things "right," some of us are losing the very thing that makes us unique, but it's that unique voice that might land the publishing contract we're so anxious to get.
There was nothing wrong with those contest entries. The writing in all of them was pretty good and technically correct in almost every aspect—but "pretty good" writing doesn't win publishing contracts, although it might win contests because, after all, someone has to be awarded first place, even if every entry is mediocre.
Voice goes deeper than word choice and sentence structure. Voice is life philosophy. You don't pick up a Janet Evanovich book or one by Donna Andrews if you're not in the mood to laugh. You know that even when they're tackling serious subject matter, they'll treat it with humor.
Their outlooks on life are light and somewhat irreverent, and they write about people who live their lives with the same outlooks. Voice is why one screenwriter gets us smiling while we watch a movie about dying wives and heart transplants, but the next guy sends us out of the theater feeling raw and empty.
Voice is not generic. It is always, always, always unique. That means that if your work sounds like the work produced by the person sitting next to you, you probably haven't found your voice yet.
This is getting kind of long, so I'll stop here for today. Check back for more on Thursday!
Simply put, voice is you. It's your unique way of speaking, of thinking, of communicating. It's your background, where you live, and how you feel. It's what you know and what you think. Voice is made up of dialect and word choices, but it's so much more. It's your unique view of the world.
Voice is important because unless you find and embrace the way of communicating with the world that is uniquely yours, you may have a hard time inviting readers into the worlds you create, whether in fiction or non-fiction, short story or novel.
We know, of course, that physical voice is the way we know who's speaking when we pick up the phone, or overhear a couple of friends talking. But your soul's voice is deeper than that. As a writer, our voices are also made up of what we believe is important, what we find funny, how we view and judge others and our philosophies about life in general.
That philosophy of life is where our creative voices begin to differ. That's what makes Jerry Seinfeld different from Jerry Lewis. What sets the comedian Gallagher apart as he smashes watermelons while dishing on the world in general and stupid people in particular. It's what made Larry the Cable Guy famous and what helped Oprah soar to heights most of us can't even imagine.
Compassion for the less fortunate made Red Skelton unique. Mister Rogers had a far different voice from Bozo the Clown. Listen to the Beatles music and you'll hear how they went from just another long-haired boy band to adult men with deep observations to make about the world, and their views of the world set them apart from songwriters everywhere.
Even within the Beatles, you can tell the difference between a John Lennon song and one written by Paul McCartney. If you know classical music, you'll know there's a very big difference between Beethoven and Mozart, between Mozart and Chopin, between Chopin and Brahms.
That's voice.
Disney has voice. You know what you're getting when you go to a Disney movie, and you know a Disney movie when you see one, even without the mouse ears to clue you in.
Quentin Tarantino has voice. Spike Lee has voice. Norah Ephron has voice. Ron Howard has voice. If you see a movie with any of these names on it, you know what you're in for. The projects aren't identical. No one would have any trouble telling the difference between Splash!, Cocoon, Far and Away, and Apollo 13, but there are similarities in all those movies—and those similarities are voice.
Likewise, Jennifer Cruisie has voice. Susan Elizabeth Phillips has voice. Curtiss Ann Matlock has voice. Anne Tyler has voice. Victoria Holt had voice. Suzanne Brockman has voice. Deborah Smith has voice. Taylor Caldwell had voice. James Michener had voice. Whether or not you like what they do, you always know what you're getting when you pick up one of their books.
But that's not true of everyone out there writing books today. If you spend much time judging contests within the romance world, you'll know that many, many hopeful authors are opting for a "safe" voice in an effort to break in with that first sale.
A few years ago, I judged over 70 contest entries within a very short period of time. Before long, I started to realize that nearly every entry sounded almost exactly like the one before it, and almost exactly like the one that came after it. Those contest entries were so homogenized, it was almost impossible to tell them apart. None of them made a positive impression on me as I read and, in fact, the only detail I remember from that whole pile of entries was that a frightening number of authors had even chosen the same basic plot setup to write about that year. In fact, the only thing that kept me from thinking that they'd all been written by the same person was the occasional use of a different font or header format.
In our rush to get published and do things "right," some of us are losing the very thing that makes us unique, but it's that unique voice that might land the publishing contract we're so anxious to get.
There was nothing wrong with those contest entries. The writing in all of them was pretty good and technically correct in almost every aspect—but "pretty good" writing doesn't win publishing contracts, although it might win contests because, after all, someone has to be awarded first place, even if every entry is mediocre.
Voice goes deeper than word choice and sentence structure. Voice is life philosophy. You don't pick up a Janet Evanovich book or one by Donna Andrews if you're not in the mood to laugh. You know that even when they're tackling serious subject matter, they'll treat it with humor.
Their outlooks on life are light and somewhat irreverent, and they write about people who live their lives with the same outlooks. Voice is why one screenwriter gets us smiling while we watch a movie about dying wives and heart transplants, but the next guy sends us out of the theater feeling raw and empty.
Voice is not generic. It is always, always, always unique. That means that if your work sounds like the work produced by the person sitting next to you, you probably haven't found your voice yet.
This is getting kind of long, so I'll stop here for today. Check back for more on Thursday!
December 22, 2010
Writing Powerhouse Scenes
Just a quick heads' up for those who are interested! My alter-ego will ll be teaching a workshop on Writing Powerhouse Scenes at Savvy Authors in January.
Today's market requires that writers keep scenes immediate so readers can be "in the moment" with the characters in your book. Yet writing scenes that happen in the moment is often difficult to do. Too often, we end up with scenes in which there's a delay between the action and the page, or with scenes in which the author resorts to "telling" to explain what just happened.
In this workshop we'll talk about enhancing scene structure using its basic elements of goal, conflict and disaster in various ways that will keep the reader on the same page as the characters all the way through. The discussions and personalized feedback on your own work-in-progress will help you build powerhouse scenes that never leave the reader (or the editor) feeling left out -- even for a second!
WHEN: Jan 3, 2011 - Jan 31, 2011
COST: $15 for Premium Members$25 for Basic Members
For more information or to register, click here to visit Savvy Authors
Today's market requires that writers keep scenes immediate so readers can be "in the moment" with the characters in your book. Yet writing scenes that happen in the moment is often difficult to do. Too often, we end up with scenes in which there's a delay between the action and the page, or with scenes in which the author resorts to "telling" to explain what just happened.
In this workshop we'll talk about enhancing scene structure using its basic elements of goal, conflict and disaster in various ways that will keep the reader on the same page as the characters all the way through. The discussions and personalized feedback on your own work-in-progress will help you build powerhouse scenes that never leave the reader (or the editor) feeling left out -- even for a second!
WHEN: Jan 3, 2011 - Jan 31, 2011
COST: $15 for Premium Members$25 for Basic Members
For more information or to register, click here to visit Savvy Authors
November 22, 2010
Talking about Conflict
My alter-ego is blogging about conflict at The Rockville 8 today. Stop by and say hello if you have a minute! http://bit.ly/c1PTQc
November 9, 2010
New Writing Booklet for Download -- and a Drawing to Boot!
Dancing On Coals Online Workshops
The Booklet: Dancing on Coals workshop, Mastering Scene and Sequel.
You've heard about scene and sequel, and the idea of using it makes sense—but can you use scene and sequel and still maintain the fluid style of writing you prefer? Will using scene and sequel box you in, or can you still fly by the seat of your pants? Learn how to use scene and sequel to create powerful scenes while maintaining your own artistic integrity.
The Drawing: Purchase any workshop booklet on the Dancing on Coals website and we'll enter your name in a drawing for a free copy of "In and Out: Putting Characters in Conflict" coming in December. Your name will be entered once for each booklet you purchase. Please enter the code "conflict1210" in the "instructions to buyer" field as you check out through PayPal.
Visit Dancing on Coals Online Workshops to purchase booklets or for more information ... and good luck!
The Booklet: Dancing on Coals workshop, Mastering Scene and Sequel.
You've heard about scene and sequel, and the idea of using it makes sense—but can you use scene and sequel and still maintain the fluid style of writing you prefer? Will using scene and sequel box you in, or can you still fly by the seat of your pants? Learn how to use scene and sequel to create powerful scenes while maintaining your own artistic integrity.
The Drawing: Purchase any workshop booklet on the Dancing on Coals website and we'll enter your name in a drawing for a free copy of "In and Out: Putting Characters in Conflict" coming in December. Your name will be entered once for each booklet you purchase. Please enter the code "conflict1210" in the "instructions to buyer" field as you check out through PayPal.
Visit Dancing on Coals Online Workshops to purchase booklets or for more information ... and good luck!
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