Angela Ackerman's Blog: Writers Helping Writers, page 174

Repeat Gesturing: 3 Tips For Stronger Body Language

This past weekend I attended When Words Collide and gave my first official author presentation on Showing Emotion Through Nonverbal Communication (Body Language, Visceral Responses and Thoughts). The turnout was amazing--a full house. Every chair was taken and people had to stand along the wall or sit on the floor (and they did. Ahh! I love writers!)



I will admit to being nervous (really, really nervous). I may or may not have actually practiced the entire slideshow presentation in my car beforehand (sorry to those people packing up their car at the hotel--I know you thought a crazy lady had parked next to you, talking and gesturing to herself). But here's the deal, it was awesome. I loved presenting, and I love this topic of body language. It was a blast to be in a room full of writers who all struggled in this area, and to (hopefully) provide some good ideas on how to get past those emotion-showing struggles.



I also gave a workshop on Blogging and Platform as well, and moderated a panel for Self Promotion Do's and Don'ts which allowed me to work with some very savvy social media people. The organizers put on a fantastic event, and I recommend it to anyone living in Calgary and area. You can't beat the price either: $65 dollars for a three day event, including a bookstore filled with tables and tables of delicious stories to devour. The Emotion Thesaurus was there as well, and completely sold out!



The best part of the weekend, however? Meeting some of you! I ran into quite a few Musers, and what an honor. It's always such a treat to connect with people in the real world that you interact with online. So many of the writers  who visit us at The Bookshelf Muse live in the US, so it's so nice to also discover writers right in my own backyard here in Canada.



One of the thing I touched on in my presentation is repeat gesturing, and the techniques we can use to dig deeper and create unique, fresh description for emotion instead. I am thrilled to be at New York Times Best Selling Author Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog today, discussing these same tips! So if you missed the conference, swing on by and check them out...and meet my dog Sasha while you're at it!



Did I mention there's a copy of The Emotion Thesaurus up for grabs, too? See you there!

Authoress' Success Story Blog Tour

Who is that Masked er, Hatted woman?
Welcome to what will hopefully be the first of the Annual Authoress' Success Story blog tours! Those of us who have owed our publishing successes, at least in part, to the Miss Snark's First Victim contests and blog have decided to come together and help cross promote each other's work. Every day in the first two weeks of August, a different author will be posting an interview of one of our fellow Success Stories, so make sure to tune in to everyone's blogs (there's a list below the questions).



And now, I've got the great pleasure of interviewing Tara Dairman . Tara is a novelist, playwright, and recovering round-the-world traveler who now lives in Colorado. Her first middle-grade novel, The Delicious Double Life of Gladys Gatsby, will be published by Putnam/Penguin in 2014.



1) How did participating with MSFV blog get you where you are now?



In October 2011, I entered the first page of my novel into Authoress’s Secret Agent contest, where lurking agent Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency (EMLA) read it and invited me to query her. EMLA is usually closed to unsolicited queries, so I was ecstatic to get this “in”…and even more ecstatic when Joan requested the full manuscript the day after she received my query.



Then, that December, I was lucky enough to make it to the final round of the Baker’s Dozen Agent Auction at MSFV, which led to a few offers of representation. I let Joan know as soon as I had an offer, and when she offered herself a few days later, I knew that she was the perfect fit for me.



But before I even entered any contests, MSFV was extremely helpful in pushing me to get my opening pages into the best possible shape before querying. Reading through months of Secret Agent contests—seeing which entries grabbed me and which ones grabbed the agents, and why—was like taking a master class in how to entice a reader.



2) As a MG writer myself, I am so excited for your debut, The Delicious Double Life of Gladys Gatsby. Can you tell us about it?

Thank you, Angela!



Gladys Gatsby is an 11-year-old girl who loves to cook and dreams of one day becoming a restaurant critic for The New York Times—she just doesn’t expect for that to happen until she’s a lot older. But when an essay contest goes awry and Gladys’s entry ends up on a Times editor’s desk, she quickly finds herself contracted to review a fancy “dessert bistro” in Manhattan. Now, if she wants to meet her deadline, she has to find a way to get from the suburbs to the city without her fast-food-loving parents finding out what she’s up to or her editor finding out that she’s only in sixth grade. As you might expect, shenanigans ensue.



3) Is it true that your honeymoon lasted 2 years and that you traveled around the world? We need details! What was your favorite stop on this amazing tour? What prompted this amazing trip? Where would you go back to again if you could?



It’s true! Three weeks after we got married in 2009, my husband and I sold all of our possessions and embarked on a two-year, 74-country honeymoon. We backpacked through every country in South and Central America and about half the countries in Africa, followed by as much as we could cover of the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, China, Mongolia, and Eastern Europe. We rarely spent more than three days in the same place, so it was a real whirlwind!



It’s impossible to pick a favorite stop, but I will say that traveling in Africa was extremely rewarding since so few tourists make the effort to go there. Sleeping on a Saharan dune in Mauritania, kayaking on Lake Malawi, observing lemurs in Madagascar, and eating our way through Ethiopia are definitely some of my favorite memories. And Moshi, Tanzania will always hold a special place in my heart, since that’s where I finished writing my first draft of Gladys Gatsby. You can find many more trip highlights our travel blog, www.andyandtara.com.



As for what prompted the trip, it was pretty simple: We both love traveling and were tired of our jobs and the New York grind, so we took getting married as an excuse to completely shake up our lives. And I would love to go back to Argentina and China—both such huge countries with so many amazing things to see and do (and eat)!





4) Your main character, Gladys Gatsby, is a real foodie...would you consider yourself a foodie as well?



I hesitate to use the word foodie to describe myself, because except for very special occasions, I’m not really big on eating at fancy or trendy restaurants. Gladys definitely has fancier taste than I do. I guess that I’m more of a street foodie. =) And I do love to cook at home and try to replicate some of the amazing meals that I was served up at street stalls or in hole-in-the-wall restaurants around the world!



5) Of all the things you ate all over the world, what dish was your favorite? What did you eat that you wish you hadn’t, and if you could take Gladys with you on another round the world trip, which delicious morsel would she want to try out most?



Oh, gosh, such good questions! I’ll force myself just to choose one favorite dish and name soto ayam (click for a recipe!) an Indonesian chicken soup with rice noodles and coconut milk and lemongrass. Variations are made all over Indonesia, but the version we loved came from a stall near the shore in Carita, Java, where we were the only tourists in town trying to hire a boat to sail us out to the Krakatau volcano. It took the family running the stall about an hour to make us the soup, but it was so incredible that we came back the following night and ordered it again. And I’m thrilled to report that I’ve tinkered with a few recipes and now make a pretty good version at home!



There’s not much I ate that I wish I hadn’t—it was fun to experiment and try new foods like camel (not my favorite, though one-humped tasted better than two-humped) and hippo and donkey (both delicious!). In Sichuan, China, they’re fond of cooking with a pepper that numbs your mouth and kind of makes you feel like you may be having a stroke, so I guess I’d rather not repeat that experience.



If Gladys went traveling with me, she’d definitely want to eat her way through India, and I don’t blame her! Maybe we’d start in Mumbai, which has an amazing mix of street food and posh-but-affordable restaurants.



Thanks, Tara!

Tomorrow's post is at Tara’s interview of David Kazzie. See you there!



Visit the whole crew & discover their MSFV Success Stories:



David Kazzie @davidkazzie  *up tomorrow!

Leigh Talbert Moore @leightmoore

J.Anderson Coats @jandersoncoats

J.M. Frey @scifrey

Elissa Cruz @elissacruz

Amanda Sun @Amanda_Sun

Kristi Helvig @KristiHelvig

Leah Petersen @Leahpetersen

Monica Bustamante Wagner @Monica_BW

Emily Kokie @emkokie

Monica Goulet @MonicaGoulet

Peter Salomon @petersalomon

Sarah Brand @sarahbbrand

Angela Ackerman @angelaackerman & @writerthesaurus

Tara Dairman @TaraDairman

Character Trait Entry: Mysterious

Definition : difficult to understand or figure out; secretive




Causes : having something to hide; an aversion to intimacy that makes it impossible to open up to others; trust issues; a deliberate desire to mystify and attract; a manipulative nature; misunderstood shyness or uncertainty; being privy to information that must be withheld from others




Characters in Literature & Pop Culture: Rick Blaine (Casablanca), The Cullens (Twilight), Jason Bourne, Aragorn (drool)




Positives : Mysterious characters are interesting. Whether they know something they won't reveal or they only have an air of mystery about them, they make us curious. People gravitate toward them. In a story, mysterious characters are cause for infinite speculation and What ifs. Anytime you can hint at something but keep readers guessing, they'll be more inclined to keep reading. Mysterious characters are also a great vehicle for misdirection and red herrings. 




Negatives : Mysterious characters are aloof. They're often difficult to get to know on more than a surface level. If they're intentionally hiding information, they may mislead or lie to keep their secret. Mysterious characters are usually interesting because of what they're hiding; once the secret is revealed, friends, acquaintances, and readers may lose interest, so its important as the author to make sure there's more to your mysterious character than just the mystery.




Common Portrayals: The bad boy at school; magicians and wizards; spies; aliens and paranormals; foreigners




Clichés to Avoid: tall, dark, and mysterious; the stranger with the mysterious past; the mysterious person that people are inexplicably drawn to, against their common sense.




Twists on the Traditional Mysterious Character:   



For some reason, most mysterious characters are men. Create a mysterious woman (with something other than sexual intrigue behind her mystery) and you'll have something fresh and underrepresented in literature.
Mysterious characters tend to appear out of seemingly nowhere with this huge question mark about their past. How about an Average Joe that comes back from a trip or school break with a new air of mystery about him?
The typical mysterious character is gloomy, brooding, and dark. What about the secretive person who is an optimist, or terminally cheerful? 


Conflicting Characteristics to Make your Mysterious Character Unique or More Interesting: anxious, clumsy, naïve, happy, nosy, sweet, foolish



******



ALSO...

I'm at Twisted Minds and Dark Places today sharing Lessons Learned From Stephen King. Whether you're a fan or not, we can all learn something from The King. Stop by, and let me know if you agree :).

Three Guest Posts, Two Giveaways!

Happy Friday, everyone! Summer is quickly coming to an end, which seems impossible since it just began, like, yesterday. My oldest starts pre-school in two weeks, which freaks me out slightly. But I'll be all right. Probably.



#deepbreaths



In the meantime, I'm popping around today, hanging out with friends and talking writer stuff:














First, I'm visiting Thoughts at One in the Morning to talk about The Biggest Distractions that Keep Writers from Finishing.











Then I'm wandering down The Writing Lane, musing on my Top 5 Must-Have Emotions in a Story.











To end strong, I'm headed to an interview at Nicole Zoltack's, where I'll be discussing what I'm reading now, and which paranormal creature I'd most like to be. Any guesses?




And, because it's Friday and we feel the need to celebrate, two of these posts come with a GIVEAWAY! So if you're interested in scoring a copy of The Emotion Thesaurus or know someone who is, enter to win at one of the above blogs. Have a great Friday and a great weekend!

WRITING HERO: Kristen Lamb

For a long time now, Becca and I have wanted a way to acknowledge the people who have helped us develop into stronger writers and who add to the writing community as a whole. As a feature here at The Bookshelf Muse, I will give some well-deserved shout outs to those who really make an impact...people who truly are Writing Heroes.



It is my pleasure to announce this month's hero: KRISTEN LAMB.



I realize that for most of you, Kristen needs no introduction. Her passion for helping writers is legendary, her ability to navigate the expansive landscape of Social Media is unparallelled, and her vision for a better world for all Creatives is truly one-of-a-kind. Refreshingly honest, Kristen doesn't shy away from being the voice we all need to hear--the one that encourages us to be the very best version of ourselves.



Kristen's books, Are You There Blog? It's Me, Writer and We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media have helped thousands upon thousands of writers! Her blog is a treasure trove of wit and meaty wisdom about writing, social media and the publishing arena. She's also the creator of the #MyWANA hashtag on Twitter, which allows thousands of writers a way to engage, make friends and offer support in an otherwise vast and sometimes intimidating social network.  This year, her central support concept of We Are Not Alone transformed into WANA International and its sister social site WANA Tribe, which together have become a hub for all Creatives to learn, grow, collaborate and become empowered.





Francis the WANA Mascot
One thing I love about Kristen is that she thinks BIG. Not  big like The World's Biggest Bacon Explosion, or The World's Biggest Bacon Double Cheeseburger, although those are baconliciously awesome in their own right. No, Kristen studies the wide screen version of how people and technology meet, and instead of getting bogged down in doing what has always been done, she looks for the fork in the road that can take things to an alternative future--a better one. I've often called her a visionary, and I think this fits the bill. While others in Kristen's position might be content to simply focus on writers and how they can navigate the Indiana Jones' route to the holy publishing Grail, she also takes on the industry, supplying solutions to bring about big changes. I think that's pretty cool.



In truth, I could find another million reasons why Kristen is a heroic advocate for writers, but I think you get the point. If you see her at a conference, introduce yourself! If you are hungry for insight and new ideas, swing past her blog and check out her books. If you want to learn and grow and find a tribe, you'll discover that at WANA International. But most of all, find her doing what she does best on social networks--tweeting, FBing and Google plussing. You'll learn a lot, and have fun doing it.



Thank you Kristen, for being one of my WRITING HEROES. You inspire me!



To pay it forward, I will give a 1000-word critique to Kristen. She can then choose to keep it for herself or offer it as a giveaway on her blog! As a resident writing hero, she will also have a permanent link in our header.



So tell me Musers...do you know Kristen Lamb? Has she helped you or your writing in some way? Please tell us in the comments and help celebrate this amazing WRITING HERO! 



~   ~   ~   ~ ****PSST! Also, if you would like to find out more about how to show your character's HIDDEN EMOTION, come visit me at Strands of a Pattern!





 

Character Trait Entry: Kind

Definition:  the mindset of giving; inclination to offer help and lift another's spirit



Causes: Growing up in a loving home; having a strong sense of kinship with others; being the recipient of kindness; a feeling of wellness derived from giving; an appreciation and connectedness with the world and living things in it; having one's life shaped a moment of kindness at a crucial time in one's past



Characters in Literature: Diana Barry (Anne of Green Gables); Mr. & Mrs. Weasley (Harry Potter); Peeta (The Hunger Games); Juliette & Adam (Shatter Me)



Positives: When in a safe environment, Kind characters are genuine and forthright, and their giving nature and positive attitude draws people in. Observant and often great listeners, Kindlies type uses their intuitive sense and provides an uplifting word or act when another needs it most. Most kindhearted people see it as their duty to help when and where they can, even when it requires a sacrifice of some sort.



Negatives:  Kindlies know how to bestow acts of generosity, but often grow flustered or overly humble when kindness is returned to them. Because of their giving nature, their first instinct is to refuse the gift because they do not want to be a burden, or tell the other person it wasn't necessary. If they accept it, they feel compelled to 'repay' the kindness, which can leave the giver feeling less satisfied. They also commonly refuse help or don't let others know when they need it, denying others the chance to participate in kindness themselves and get the feel-good  rush that comes from giving. Sometimes a Kindly's act or gift has a sacrifice component attached to it, which can make the recipient feel guilty about taking it.



Common Portrayals: Grandparents, the elderly, nurses and heath care personnel, counselors, mothers, women



Cliches to Avoid:  The cookie-baking grandmother; kindness paired with 'demure & submissive'



Twists on the Traditional Kindly:

Kindness is a very likable trait, especially when it belongs to a male. Show us more kind, REALISTIC male characters (but don't go overboard as masculinity must always factor in). 
The most powerful kindness comes when the person giving it has every right and reason not to be kind. This requires strong characterization & character motivation to make it work, but when it does? Magic.
Kindness is often paired with 'soft' positive traits that are in a similar range (friendliness, generosity, caring, etc). What better way for kindness to stand out than by pulling some darker or discordant traits (such as the ones listed below?)
 Conflicting Characteristics to Make your Kindly Unique or More Interesting: Impulsive, Dishonest; Independent; Ambitious; Eccentric; Reckless; Wounded

Newest Olympic Sport: Pacing

I'm going to be brutally honest here. I like the Olympics. I totally do. If love comes from the heart, then like comes from somewhere else, and wherever that Very Important Receptacle is, I assure you that I am liking the Olympics with all of it.



I don't know why I'm not completely rabid about the whole thing. Maybe because it wasn't a huge deal at my house growing up. Maybe because my husband has claimed the TV for the next however-many weeks and has informed me that my DVR'd episodes of Project Runway will have to wait until the Olympic Wonderment is over. Regardless, I watch some of it with him, and when the less exciting events come on, I let my mind wander, and I've decided that Novel Writing should absolutely be an Olympic sport. And if you could break novel writing down into sub-categories, then pacing would be one of the toughest.



I'm at Lydia Kang's blog today, talking about pacing and offering some advice on how to keep it smooth and snappy. If you can tear yourselves away from the TV for five minutes, do come and check it out :).



Also, do you like free books? Of course you do! Did you know you can sign up for our occasional Newsletter and be eligible to win a book with each issue? Plus, there are writing articles, great links and other newsy items to explore. You can find our past issues HERE. The amazing Susan Kaye Quinn is offering a ecopy of her popular YA Dystopian Open Minds in the latest issue. We'll pick a winner next week, so if you sign up NOW...*wink* well, you get the idea.





Also, also, Angela recently blogged about Showing Emotion In Dialogue-heavy Scenes, so if you need some body language tips, especially when your characters are trying to HIDE what they are feeling, do check it out!



Hope everyone has an awesome weekend. Please let us know what's new with you in the comments, and what you're doing this summer!

An Emotion Workshop and an Interview with the Both of Us

So it's Monday. Monday's are, by and large, the suck. But we've got good news for you, Musers. Today, Steena Holmes is hosting an Emotion Workshop at her blog!











She's enlisted victims volunteers from among her loyal followers to post their emotional scenes, and today and tomorrow, we'll be critiquing them, using The Emotion Thesaurus. We'd love for you to stop by.



Also for your eavesdropping pleasure, both Angela and I are being interviewed today at Literary Rambles. This is a treat for us, since we're normally dividing and conquering in the guest posting arena.







So if you've got the time, come and visit with us, and hopefully your Monday will be looking up :).

Character Trait: Serious

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, by C. E. Brock (1895)




Definition : having a thoughtful or subdued manner




Causes : being more inclined to internal thought than external expression; an underdeveloped sense of humor; a strong sense of duty to others; being forced to grow up too early and become responsible at an early age; the belief that any kind of fun is vanity; a compulsion to strictly adhere to the rules; the need to always be on one's guard




Characters in Literature: Mr. Darcy, Peter Hatcher (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing), Michael Corleone (The Godfather), Katniss Everdeen




Positives : Serious characters are usually very dependable. You can count on them to do what they say they'll do, and you can ask them to take care of jobs others may be unwilling to do. Because serious characters are often highly introspective, they can be very intelligent or have incredible knowledge about specific subjects. This can be a very helpful resource for the hero.




Negatives : Because they don't joke around or take part in frivolous activities, serious characters can be pretty boring. Their lack of interest in popular culture can make them seem rather out-of-it, and their unusual social responses may make others feel awkward. Humor is highly valued in our society, so those who don't appreciate it can be misunderstood and mis-labeled as condescending, shy, stuck-up, or socially backward.




Common Portrayals: cyborgs, robots, and other non-humans; CEOs; mathematicians and scientists; religious characters




Cliches to Avoid:  the teenager/young adult forced to care for younger siblings and put his own life on hold; the cruel, hyper-religious person who condemns others for their frivolous choices; the serious character who's incapable of getting the simplest joke




Twists on the Traditional Serious Character:  




Serious characters are so often BORING. Give them additional traits to make them interesting or empathetic (see below)
The archetypal sidekick is almost always comedian to the main character's straight man. Switch it up and create a serious sidekick and see what humor can come from that situation.
Give your serious character a new reason for being that way. Maybe it's her way of rebelling against society or expressing individuality. Whatever the reason, make sure it makes sense and you lay the foundation so it's believable to the reader.






Conflicting Characteristics to Make your Serious Character Unique or More Interesting: adventurous, loving, charming, hyper, impulsive, wicked, talented

Swoonworthy Characters, Pre-Apocalyptic Reading, and More

We're in desperate straits, people. DESPERATE STRAITS.



Due to my aversion to being sued for using permission-restricted images, I tried REALLY HARD to find the perfect public domain pics for today's post. No dice. So I decided to make my own. Prepare yourselves, people. It's not pretty. If you have small children, you may want to cover their eyes.



AHEM.



I had so much fun visiting blogs and friends a few weeks ago that I decided to do it again. And, you know, a visit can mean a lot of different things. Because I want no confusion on this issue, these are NOT the kinds of visits I'm talking about:







No ghostly visitations of any kind






Just...No


Pathetic, right? It's for this reason that I've decided to download add a bunch of my own pics to the WANA Commons group at Flickr. We writers have to stick together, so if you're committed to doing the right thing when it comes to web images, check out these resources Angela shared on Monday, and consider sharing some of your pictures at Flickr. The more images we have to choose from, the less hand-drawn monstrosities we'll have to endure.



In the meantime, come visit some writerly friends with me and join us in talking about writerly subjects like...



Conflict vs. Tension, with Teralyn Rose Pilgrim at A Writer's Journey

Tension Building Tips, Rowling Style, with Kathleen Doyle at Writing, Reading, and Life

Top 5 Swoonworthy Male Characters in YA, with Gail Krause at The Storyteller's Scroll

Books I'd Read Before the Apocalypse, with Vicki Essex at Writing, Romance, Laughter, Life