Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 109

Grasping Tentacles of DOOOOOM

There's a stage in writing when I'm too busy writing, and thinking about the specifics of the novel, to think about the task of writing itself. Of course I am thinking about writing. I have to be, because I'm doing it. By the time I reach the point I'm describing, I'm writing intuitively, and I feel like I'm using so many skills at once that I can't describe what I'm doing except with bizarre

Purposeful, Habitual, and Gratuitous

"As early as 1959 or '60, I'd noticed that there was something terribly wrong with the female characters in most novels I was reading. Most of the writers (men and women) tended to conceive of their male characters as combinations of purposeful actions, habitual actions, and gratuitous actions. A female character, in contrast, would be all gratuitous action if it was a "good woman," with no

Fun with Plot Generators

I'm on my way back from Arisia today, so I thought I'd post something fun. Recently, I went on an internet search for plot generators. Here are some of the most intriguing scenarios that popped up for me.These came from Archetype Writing."The story starts when your protagonist opens the closet to find clothes that aren't his/hers. Another character is an alchemist who believes your protagonist

Louise Glück, "Parable of Flight"

Parable of FlightA flock of birds leaving the side of the mountain.Black against the spring evening, bronze in early summer,rising over blank lake water.Why is the young man disturbed suddenly,his attention slipping from his companion?His heart is no longer wholly divided; he's trying to thinkhow to say this compassionately.Now we hear the voices of others, moving through the librarytoward the

The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover Excerpt - Animals

#Perhaps an hour later, Camille heard hooves approaching, a horse at a gallop. She ran to the doorway, bridle in one hand and cleaning cloth in the other, determined to see. From a distance it was clear there was no danger; Henri rode Rhubarb, bareback, jumping him over a small bush here and some plant clippings there, letting the stallion burn off some of his energy. Camille found herself

Arisia 2010

I'm at Arisia this weekend. Here's my schedule:Saturday, 11:30 am, Paul Revere BBroad Universe Reading90 minutesSaturday, 2:00 pm, Crispus Attucks"Jack the Ripper and the Historical Character"Katherine Crighton (mod.), Victoria Janssen, Gardner Dozois, Susan Casper, Sarah ClemensSaturday, 10:00 pm, Paul Revere B"The History of Fandom"Victoria Janssen (mod.), Don Sakers, Marlin May, A. Joseph

For Further Reading

This is a Post of Pimping. I really enjoy these blogs, to the point that I'm excited when there's a new post, and think some of you might like them, too.Racy Romance Reviews. Great thoughtful reviews, and some wonderful discussions of romance novels from an ethics point of view.Promantica. "After nearly a half-century of reading romances, I thought I'd write about them." And she does it

Werewolves in WWI? Why Not?

This post was written for Harlequin's Paranormal Romance Blog.For The Moonlight Mistress, I combined a historical novel with paranormal elements. As you probably know already if you read this blog regularly, the book is set during the early days of World War One, and begins with a romance between Lucilla, an English chemist and nurse, and Pascal, a French scientist. They're trapped in Germany

Tell Not Show

One of the main pieces of writing advice I've received over the years is "show not tell."It's good advice. It can remind you that it's easier for a reader to form mental pictures of characters whom they've seen in action. Action scenes are usually more compelling to read than long explanations. If a reader's interpreting actions, they're usually more involved in the story than when they're

Guest at Paranormal Romantics

I'm a guest over at Paranormal Romantics today, talking about "Choosing Your Paranormal Creature."