Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 99

Dialogue Tricks

This post was originally written for Lauren Dane's Writerly Wednesday.The first time I tried to write a novel (the one I started over and over and over again), I workshopped it with a very small group of friends. One wrote journalistic nonfiction, one was writing, essentially, memoir, and one was a published poet and writer of mainstream literary fiction. As you can imagine, I learned all sorts

What Does the Reader Need To Know?

Research is fun. Fun. Fun.However, research for the writer's sake isn't always needed for the reader's sake. I get questions about this a lot.The writer may need to know the mechanics of a specific task. For example, in 1901 in New Jersey, where does ice come from? How often does the ice man deliver? What does the heroine do with the ice after it's brought to her house? The reader, however,

Top 5 Violent Hot Space Opera Babes

And now for something completely different.Sometimes, you just need to watch some women blow things up.Today I'm going to recommend some violent and also hot space opera babes. Traditionally, these are done as top fives, so that's what I did.1. Princess Leia, Star Wars. Like, duh. I think she was the hottest in her bounty hunter costume in Return of the Jedi. Quote: "I don't know where you

"Nation, Race, and Empire," George Robb

British Culture and the First World War by George Robb. Chapter One, "Nation, Race, and Empire"During WWI, "Nationalism attempted to focus conflict outward--against a German foe inevitably constructed as a degenerate, barbaric 'throwback'...As successful as such ideas were in garnering support for the war effort, they created problems of their own since 'the nation,' as defined, clearly could not

Geoffrey Dearmer, "The Turkish Trench Dog"

The Turkish Trench DogNight held me as I crawled and scrambled nearThe Turkish lines. Above, the mocking starsSilvered the curving parapet, and clearCloud-latticed beams o'erflecked the land with bars;I, crouching, lay betweenTense-listening armies peering through the night,Twin giants bound by tentacles unseen.Here in dim-shadowed lightI saw him, as a sudden movement turnedHis eyes towards me,

Siegfried Sassoon, "Reconciliation"

ReconciliationWhen you are standing at your hero's grave,Or near some homeless village where he died,Remember, through your heart's rekindling pride,The German soldiers who were loyal and brave.Men fought like brutes; and hideous things were done; And you have nourished hatred, harsh and blind.But in that Golgotha perhaps you'll findThe mothers of the men who killed your son.--Siegfried Sassoon,

Researching WWI Uniforms - Linkgasm #5

Even if you don't have a library of World War One books, there are a number of useful websites that provide information about uniforms in that era. Here are some of the ones I've found useful.The Sutlers Stores produces replica uniforms for museum display and docent use. Note the "grayback" shirt which I mentioned in The Moonlight Mistress.Reenactor.net has a WWI section. It's not only useful

You Make Your Own Luck

A fellow Romance Diva recently told the story of her first sale, which resulted from a series of events at an RWA Conference - not random events, not entirely. She had taken actions that led to those "random" events. The lesson I took away from her story was that it's better to make your own luck.What do I mean by that? I mean that not every path (in this case, to publication) is the same.

Elements Critique

A writer friend once commented that sometimes she needed a critique on plot and sometimes she needed a critique on character. And I think she was absolutely right.Characters make plot, of course. And plot affects character, giving them things to do and things to which they must react. Plot and character have synergy. Sometimes, though, one of them is working better than the other.A physical

Writing Emotion

This post is more questions than answers.I've been thinking about what makes some fiction so much more satisfying to read than other fiction, aside from factors such as story elements one loves, a well-constructed plot, and elegant prose style. At bottom, I think emotional resonance is the most important element. Some characters, some stories, reach deeper inside me as a reader than others, and