C. Lee McKenzie's Blog, page 89
July 10, 2011
Sunday Check In ROW80
I'm back #ROW80 and with one major goal and a few minor ones accomplished. My first draft is in very good shape, thanks to you and my three constant supporters. Susan Kay Quinn , Sheri Larson and Margo Berendsen.
I've edited that draft once and this week's goal is to do one more go through before shipping the ms off to my crit group. Wish me luck.
For those who want to join in Click here and sign up.
Also if you need a writing boost, don't miss joining the #WS4U group on facebook and Twitter.Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
I've edited that draft once and this week's goal is to do one more go through before shipping the ms off to my crit group. Wish me luck.
For those who want to join in Click here and sign up.
Also if you need a writing boost, don't miss joining the #WS4U group on facebook and Twitter.Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
July 7, 2011
May The Best Dog Win--An Interview with Dash!
I love picture books. I loved them when I was a child. I loved reading them to my children. I admit to reading them even when there are no children in the room. So today I'm really excited to have Kelly Ha . . . No. Sorry. Kelly couldn't be here today, but she sent a representative, her main dog, in fact. So here's Dash to give you a little preview of what you're going find when you open the cover of MAY THE BEST DOG WIN.
Ruff!
Oh wait, you guys are human. Sorry about that. I'm Dash. Mom's says I'm a Heinz 57. That means I'm a mixed breed dog. I'm also the star of May the Best Dog Win. Some lady named Kelly Hashway followed me around and wrote a book about me. I don't know why she just didn't help me out when Sweeper showed up. I guess she thought the story wouldn't be as good if I didn't fight off the Sweeper myself.
Oh well. I'm here to talk to you all about characters in picture books. (My author says picture books are the ones with the pictures. I guess that makes sense. You humans sometimes call things by strange names, but not this time.) So, I'm the main character--at least that's what my author said. Really I'm the good guy. But see I have this problem. The Sweeper showed up one day and now suddenly I'm not Mom's favorite anymore. Sweeper keeps stealing my time with Mom and he steals my leftover food scraps! Do you believe that? So I had to stick up for myself. My author says the main character has to find a way around his problem. I guess she means when I fought Sweeper in the toughest game of tug-of-war ever! It didn't end well. I don't like to talk about what happened. You'll have to read my book to find out for yourself. But let me warn you, it may make your eyes tear. I know mine did.
Okay, so enough about me. Let's talk about Sweeper. He's the bad guy. What did my author call him? The ant... no that's not right. Hang on, let me ask her. She speaks dog. Oh, the antagonist. What a funny word. You humans! Sweeper's nothing like an ant. He's huge! Anyway, Sweeper's the bad guy who comes in and tries to steal my Mom away from me. And he gets to do things that I'm not allowed to do. So he and I have to face off. My author says that's what happens in books. The good guy (me) and the bad guy (Sweeper) have some sort of fight to see who wins. Hmm, is that why she named the book May the Best Dog Win? Wait that means--oh, I'm not allowed to tell you how the book ends.
I hope you learned something. I heard it's hard to teach a human new tricks.
Ruff!
Be sure to stop by and say hello to DASH and KELLY HASHWAY at Freado and take a peek inside this great picture book. Amazon has it in stock now, so you're just a click away from making a wonderful purchase for your PB library. Dash and Kelly would love it if you followed them on Twitter @kellyhashway and stopped in to say hello or "Ruff" at their Website. Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
Ruff! Oh wait, you guys are human. Sorry about that. I'm Dash. Mom's says I'm a Heinz 57. That means I'm a mixed breed dog. I'm also the star of May the Best Dog Win. Some lady named Kelly Hashway followed me around and wrote a book about me. I don't know why she just didn't help me out when Sweeper showed up. I guess she thought the story wouldn't be as good if I didn't fight off the Sweeper myself.
Oh well. I'm here to talk to you all about characters in picture books. (My author says picture books are the ones with the pictures. I guess that makes sense. You humans sometimes call things by strange names, but not this time.) So, I'm the main character--at least that's what my author said. Really I'm the good guy. But see I have this problem. The Sweeper showed up one day and now suddenly I'm not Mom's favorite anymore. Sweeper keeps stealing my time with Mom and he steals my leftover food scraps! Do you believe that? So I had to stick up for myself. My author says the main character has to find a way around his problem. I guess she means when I fought Sweeper in the toughest game of tug-of-war ever! It didn't end well. I don't like to talk about what happened. You'll have to read my book to find out for yourself. But let me warn you, it may make your eyes tear. I know mine did.
Okay, so enough about me. Let's talk about Sweeper. He's the bad guy. What did my author call him? The ant... no that's not right. Hang on, let me ask her. She speaks dog. Oh, the antagonist. What a funny word. You humans! Sweeper's nothing like an ant. He's huge! Anyway, Sweeper's the bad guy who comes in and tries to steal my Mom away from me. And he gets to do things that I'm not allowed to do. So he and I have to face off. My author says that's what happens in books. The good guy (me) and the bad guy (Sweeper) have some sort of fight to see who wins. Hmm, is that why she named the book May the Best Dog Win? Wait that means--oh, I'm not allowed to tell you how the book ends.
I hope you learned something. I heard it's hard to teach a human new tricks.
Ruff!
Be sure to stop by and say hello to DASH and KELLY HASHWAY at Freado and take a peek inside this great picture book. Amazon has it in stock now, so you're just a click away from making a wonderful purchase for your PB library. Dash and Kelly would love it if you followed them on Twitter @kellyhashway and stopped in to say hello or "Ruff" at their Website. Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
July 1, 2011
Guest Post by Cheryl Rainfield
How To Make Your Writing Gripping and Powerful by
Cheryl Rainfield, author of SCARS
When writing is powerful it grips readers, immerses them in the story and doesn't let them go until the end. But how do you do that?
Here is what I think helps:
-Write about something that matters deeply to you. Be passionate about the issues. Readers will sense your passion.
-Write your own truths and emotions into the fiction. This helps to make the writing stronger, make the events more real for your readers. Readers know when you're not being honest or you're not going deep enough, and truth strikes a chord in the reader.
-Give your characters depth and layers. Make sure they're not one-dimensional. When characters have depth, readers care about them more, and about what happens to those characters.
-Keep a thread of tension throughout the manuscript, ramping it up when you need to. Tension and conflict drive a story forward. Make sure that your story events all lead to the climax, otherwise it feels like a let down or a betrayal.
-Help the reader relate to your main character. Make your main character easy to identify with and empathize with (though your main character must also have flaws--people don't want to read about a perfect character, though they also don't usually want to read about a character who doesn't want to redeem themselves in some way).
-Draw on your own emotions to write. Don't hide from it. Emotions make a story feel more true, and are something readers can relate to, regardless of whether they've had that specific experience or not.
-Use specifics when you write. Bring in details (but not too many--make sure you sprinkle them throughout the action and dialogue so they don't stop the story flow). Specific details also help make the story world and events more real.
-Use all the senses--smell, touch, taste, hearing, and sight, to help the reader really be in your character and world.
And of course, get feedback on your writing. A good critique group is highly worthwhile.
Thank you, Cheryl, for sharing this with everyone. Here's Cheryl's Blog, so be sure to drop by and say hi.Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
June 30, 2011
In the Throes of Thursday--What I've Learned About Writing Novels_8
Setting can't take the back seat in your story. It's as important as the characters and the plot, and it can lend so much to both. When you're developing your story, pay attention to where it takes place, then use all of the sense to transform a room or a beach or wherever from a lifeless ho hum backdrop to a vibrant, integral part of your story.
Here are some examples of how that's done by some writers. Notice how many senses they employ to bring the setting to life.
From The Veldt, by Ray Bradbury
The nursery was silent. It was as empty as a glade at hot high noon . . . . Now, as George and Lydia Hadley stood in the center of the room, the walls began to purr and recede in crystalline distance, . . . .
Here, Bradbury lets us hear and feel the futuristic nursery, a hot high room that produces an eerie purr to create exactly the setting for a machine-controlled world about to overtake it's inhabitants.
From The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
Even after the Forest was shut off, one last gasp at sequestering the infection and containing the Mudo, the carousel kept turning, the coasters kept rumbling, the teacups kept spinning.
The true horror is the contrast between this carnival setting that we see and hear and the threat of the Mudo with their bite of death out there in the forest.
From The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Violet Abrose wandered away from the safety of her father as she listened to the harmony of sounds weaving delicately around her. The rustling of the leaves mingled gently with the restless calls of birds and the far-off rushing waters of the icy river that lay beyond the trees.
What's lovely about this setting is not only the appeal to the sense of sound and the feeling we get of the icy water out there unseen, but the use of alliteration inside the description: rustling, restless, rushing. That very poetic device pulls the reader into hearing and feeling where the character is and possible danger or horror that lurks.
Aren't there times when the smell of a place recalls vivid memories? Smell is a power sense to establish a setting.
From an untitled short story by C. Lee McKenzie
Like a cat in strange territory, he lifted his nose and sniffed the metallic scent of the bronze figures arranged around the chapel. The vase by the alter was filled with white lilies, their honeyed sweet scent almost masking the gloom.
I loved using metallic as a smell, especially when I got to contrast it with the scent of lilies. I think of churches and museum with these two smells mingling.
And then there's the sense of taste. It shouldn't be neglected. It's one of our very important senses. Here's how I used taste to describe a room in my short story.
The entry had welcomed them with warm, creamy yellows, and beyond where they stood in this middle room, was a leather cushioned den, its dark wood floors strewn with Turkish carpets. They paused in this room between, a room that was meant to be savored like a sorbet on the tongue between two fine courses--bland in beige, but perfect in contrast.
This was fun to use something a bit unexpected: comparing a neutral room to sorbet.
Send me more--either what you've written or something from a book that really established the setting and made the book zing.
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
Here are some examples of how that's done by some writers. Notice how many senses they employ to bring the setting to life.
From The Veldt, by Ray BradburyThe nursery was silent. It was as empty as a glade at hot high noon . . . . Now, as George and Lydia Hadley stood in the center of the room, the walls began to purr and recede in crystalline distance, . . . .
Here, Bradbury lets us hear and feel the futuristic nursery, a hot high room that produces an eerie purr to create exactly the setting for a machine-controlled world about to overtake it's inhabitants.
From The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
Even after the Forest was shut off, one last gasp at sequestering the infection and containing the Mudo, the carousel kept turning, the coasters kept rumbling, the teacups kept spinning.
The true horror is the contrast between this carnival setting that we see and hear and the threat of the Mudo with their bite of death out there in the forest.
From The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Violet Abrose wandered away from the safety of her father as she listened to the harmony of sounds weaving delicately around her. The rustling of the leaves mingled gently with the restless calls of birds and the far-off rushing waters of the icy river that lay beyond the trees.
What's lovely about this setting is not only the appeal to the sense of sound and the feeling we get of the icy water out there unseen, but the use of alliteration inside the description: rustling, restless, rushing. That very poetic device pulls the reader into hearing and feeling where the character is and possible danger or horror that lurks.
Aren't there times when the smell of a place recalls vivid memories? Smell is a power sense to establish a setting.
From an untitled short story by C. Lee McKenzie
Like a cat in strange territory, he lifted his nose and sniffed the metallic scent of the bronze figures arranged around the chapel. The vase by the alter was filled with white lilies, their honeyed sweet scent almost masking the gloom.
I loved using metallic as a smell, especially when I got to contrast it with the scent of lilies. I think of churches and museum with these two smells mingling.
And then there's the sense of taste. It shouldn't be neglected. It's one of our very important senses. Here's how I used taste to describe a room in my short story.
The entry had welcomed them with warm, creamy yellows, and beyond where they stood in this middle room, was a leather cushioned den, its dark wood floors strewn with Turkish carpets. They paused in this room between, a room that was meant to be savored like a sorbet on the tongue between two fine courses--bland in beige, but perfect in contrast.
This was fun to use something a bit unexpected: comparing a neutral room to sorbet.
Send me more--either what you've written or something from a book that really established the setting and made the book zing.
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
June 28, 2011
Wednesday Interview Special with Sarah Ockler & Links to Deborah Halverson!
SARAH OCKLER'S TWENTY BOY SUMMER arrived in 2009 and it's still hot--a perfect book for summer reading.So what's this delicious story about? Read on.
While on vacation in California, sixteen-year-old best girlfriends Anna and Frankie conspire to find a boy for Anna's first summer romance, but Anna harbors a painful secret that threatens their lighthearted plan and their friendship.
TWENTY BOY SUMMER was Sarah's a debut YA novel that explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.
Her 2010 release, Fixing Delilah. is a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.Let's find out about this author.
Sarah Ockler wrote and illustrated her first book at age six—an adaptation of Steven Spielberg's E.T. Still recovering from her own adolescence, Sarah now writes for young adults. After several years of wandering between New York City and Denver, she and her husband Alex now live in Upstate New York with lots of books and an ever-expanding collection of sea glass. Twenty Boy Summer is Sarah's first novel. Visit her online.
When she stopped by for a visit I had a chance to know more about Sarah. Here are some of the things we talked about.
I know we are influenced by the books we read, but how about those we read and then say, "Oh, I wish I'd written that one." Of all your favorite books, which one do you wish you had written?
Jellicoe Road, by Malina Marchetta. It was so complex and multi-layered, and in reading it I think I felt the entire range of human emotion. The characters stayed with me long after I closed the book, and I still think of them even now, wondering what happened after their time in that particular story and what their lives are like now. I would love to write a book that affects and lingers the way Jellicoe Road has with me.
I can't believe it! I just read that book last month and loved it. You've picked one lovely piece of writing, Sarah.
You say you still think about Marchetta's characters and wonder what they're doing now--after the story has ended. Fictional characters that have that kind of effect on a reader are testimony to truly talented writers. Is there another fictional character that resonates so strongly that you wish you could be them?
I think I'd like to be Sophie from Laura Resau's Red Glass. She's so shy and fearful of so many things -- including close relationships. But over the course of her journey in the book, she comes to love and trust and depend on other people. She also faces extremely dangerous and intense circumstances that force her to find her own strength and fight. I really like that aspect of her character. Sometimes, that's what it takes -- a real shake-up, life-changing experience to get us to look within and figure things out.
And all that good stuff aside, Sophie gets to take a road trip through Central America with Angel, a really cute boy who is super intense and mysterious and sweet and yeah, totally in love with her. :-)
Okay, now on to the really important insider information. After chocolate what do you eat to make the writer-block pain go away?
Home made guacamole and Smartfood white cheddar popcorn. And coffee, of course! I make it so strong that you almost have to chew it rather than drink it! :-)
Every writer who has appeared on The Write Game is a food junkie! I love it. Thanks for the interview.
Thanks, Lee!
This has been my pleasure,Sarah. Continued good luck on your books.
Visit Sarah at her Author Web Site
Be sure to buy TWENTY BOY SUMMER and FIXING DELILAH at your local Independent Bookstore OR Barnes & Noble
For another great interview check out Guest TeachingAuthor and Book Giveaway with Deborah Halverson by Carmela Martino.
.Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
Wednesday Special with Sarah Ockler
SARAH OCKLER'S TWENTY BOY SUMMER arrived in 2009 and it's still hot--a perfect book for summer reading.So what's this delicious story about? Read on.
While on vacation in California, sixteen-year-old best girlfriends Anna and Frankie conspire to find a boy for Anna's first summer romance, but Anna harbors a painful secret that threatens their lighthearted plan and their friendship.
TWENTY BOY SUMMER was Sarah's a debut YA novel that explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.
Her 2010 release, Fixing Delilah. is a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.Let's find out about this author.
Sarah Ockler wrote and illustrated her first book at age six—an adaptation of Steven Spielberg's E.T. Still recovering from her own adolescence, Sarah now writes for young adults. After several years of wandering between New York City and Denver, she and her husband Alex now live in Upstate New York with lots of books and an ever-expanding collection of sea glass. Twenty Boy Summer is Sarah's first novel. Visit her online.
When she stopped by for a visit I had a chance to know more about Sarah. Here are some of the things we talked about.
I know we are influenced by the books we read, but how about those we read and then say, "Oh, I wish I'd written that one." Of all your favorite books, which one do you wish you had written?
Jellicoe Road, by Malina Marchetta. It was so complex and multi-layered, and in reading it I think I felt the entire range of human emotion. The characters stayed with me long after I closed the book, and I still think of them even now, wondering what happened after their time in that particular story and what their lives are like now. I would love to write a book that affects and lingers the way Jellicoe Road has with me.
I can't believe it! I just read that book last month and loved it. You've picked one lovely piece of writing, Sarah.
You say you still think about Marchetta's characters and wonder what they're doing now--after the story has ended. Fictional characters that have that kind of effect on a reader are testimony to truly talented writers. Is there another fictional character that resonates so strongly that you wish you could be them?
I think I'd like to be Sophie from Laura Resau's Red Glass. She's so shy and fearful of so many things -- including close relationships. But over the course of her journey in the book, she comes to love and trust and depend on other people. She also faces extremely dangerous and intense circumstances that force her to find her own strength and fight. I really like that aspect of her character. Sometimes, that's what it takes -- a real shake-up, life-changing experience to get us to look within and figure things out.
And all that good stuff aside, Sophie gets to take a road trip through Central America with Angel, a really cute boy who is super intense and mysterious and sweet and yeah, totally in love with her. :-)
Okay, now on to the really important insider information. After chocolate what do you eat to make the writer-block pain go away?
Home made guacamole and Smartfood white cheddar popcorn. And coffee, of course! I make it so strong that you almost have to chew it rather than drink it! :-)
Every writer who has appeared on The Write Game is a food junkie! I love it. Thanks for the interview.
Thanks, Lee!
This has been my pleasure,Sarah. Continued good luck on your books.
Visit Sarah at her Author Web Site
Be sure to buy TWENTY BOY SUMMER and FIXING DELILAH at your local Independent Bookstore OR Barnes & Noble
.Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
June 27, 2011
Monday Miscellany
Big news: If I seal myself inside my writing cave most of today and all day tomorrow I just might make my FIRST DRAFT on my WIP goal. Wish me luck ROW80 people. Give me a push fellow YALitChat writing buddies. Sheri Larson, Susan Kaye Quinn and Margo Berendsen.
Here's a new book to look for WRITING YOUNG ADULT FICTION FOR DUMMIES by Deborah Halverson hits stores July 5.From JUNE 29-JULY 5 on her Writers' Advice website DearEditor.com, she's featuring daily "Free First Chapter Critique" giveaways, free downloads, excerpts from the book, and profiles of the 13 amazing authors, editors, and agents who so generously contributed sidebars to the book (M.T. Anderson, Karen Cushman, Jane Yolen, Jennifer Donnelly, to name a few). As a grand finale, she's giving away a "Free Full Manuscript Edit" on the final day of the launch.
Don't miss this. It's a great opportunity to win, win, win!
Don't miss my Throes of Thursday--What I've Learned About Writing Novels, 8. I'll be going into more detail about Setting. Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
June 24, 2011
In the Throes of Thursday--What I've Learned About Writing Novels_7
So I usually take care of these miscellany on Monday, but I totally undid my system this week because of my jaunt to Amsterdam, so I have to take care of some business before moving on to my usual Thursday post.
ROW80 here I come. By next Wednesday I will have the first completed draft of this WIP. Cross my heart. I'd cross my fingers too, but I need them to type.
And here's a special boost to my ROW80 writing buds Sheri Larson, Susan Kaye Quinn, Margo Berendsen They are cranking out the good prose and should get some kind of award for all their hard work.
***Now, what in the heck have I learned about writing novels that I haven't already shared? HA! This series could continue forever on this blog because I've learned so much and I continue to learn daily, hourly, each minute. . . Okay, that's enough.
I've learned how important setting is to the tone, the character development, the plot, the whole darned story. I don't mean you have to write pages of "description," and make the reader plod through that to get to the story. I mean you have to carefully choose the place where the action happens, where the people live and interact. You have to let the reader see the characters interact with the settings they inhabit.
So first, nailing the setting without slowing the pace.
Let's say you are writing a story about a girl who is very privileged and then suddenly has almost nothing. That would be my second book, The Princess of Las Pulgas. Sorry, I know this is kind of a shameless plug, but it's a story I know pretty well and in which setting plays an important role.
Here's something about Channing. The rich side of town. I needed to make this town especially attractive because when my MC leaves, I wanted it to be wrenching. But how much description did I need? Here's one bit about her home and another about her high school.
I point toward the two-story house across the street, home for as long as I can remember. The wide path winds to the main entrance, and the leaded glass panels in the door glow from the entry lights Mom leaves on until we're all home. Inside, the vaulted ceilings cast soft shadows in the living room and at the back, I see someone, probably Mom, in the kitchen.
Heading into the cafeteria, I spot Nicolas in the Bistro section.
Is that enough? Did I capture the Channing house and the high school by letting the character see those places? For the school, I thought Bistro was all I needed to establish Channing's cafeteria as upscale. Also I didn't really use description here; I let the character move inside the setting and reveal it from her pov. Was I right?
Now for the contrast. Here's the Las Pulgas apartment and high school.
An hour later we're inside the Las Pulgas apartment, but I'm seeing, catacombs. The dark rooms with a narrow connecting hall remind me of pictures in a National Geographic article about the early Christian burials under Rome. When I open the door to my room I expect to find bones stacked inside crevices.
He gazes at the chain link fence that separates school property from the sidewalk.
Again, there isn't much in description, but I chose what I thought would capture the feeling of a school without a lot of donated time and money. What do you think? Enough to let the reader "see" the setting?
I think adding significant details like vaulted ceilings, Bistro for Channing, then chain link fence and catacombs for Las Pulgas brought the setting to life without hitting the reader over the head. Of course, I love beautifully written description. I have a tendency to indulge myself once in a while and try to capture the place my characters live in.
And now for nailing the setting with a bit more prose and a hint of what's to come in the story. This is from The Mermaid's Mirror, by my friend, L.K. Madigan.
Lena made her way down to the edge of the water, where the sand was rippled from having been under water a few hours ago. The tide was out but she could feel the urgency of the sea . . . soon the tide would sweep back in and cover the sand where she stood. The waves pounded as if hungry for the shore.
If you know the story, Madigan did a great job in making the sea almost a character. It wants Lena. Lena wants it, but she doesn't yet know why.
The key points I've picked up about the setting are these:
*Don't forget you have 5 senses and use them when developing your setting. See it, feel it, smell it, taste it, hear it. (Next week I'm going to focus on how to use all of your senses in developing the setting.)*Have your characters interact in their setting. Don't rely on simply describing where they are.*Make your setting special--a place that's like no other. A lot of that is done by making a vivid impression with the details you choose. It's not a small room, it's claustrophobic; it's not cold, it's an icy tomb.
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
ROW80 here I come. By next Wednesday I will have the first completed draft of this WIP. Cross my heart. I'd cross my fingers too, but I need them to type.
And here's a special boost to my ROW80 writing buds Sheri Larson, Susan Kaye Quinn, Margo Berendsen They are cranking out the good prose and should get some kind of award for all their hard work.
***Now, what in the heck have I learned about writing novels that I haven't already shared? HA! This series could continue forever on this blog because I've learned so much and I continue to learn daily, hourly, each minute. . . Okay, that's enough.
I've learned how important setting is to the tone, the character development, the plot, the whole darned story. I don't mean you have to write pages of "description," and make the reader plod through that to get to the story. I mean you have to carefully choose the place where the action happens, where the people live and interact. You have to let the reader see the characters interact with the settings they inhabit.
So first, nailing the setting without slowing the pace.
Let's say you are writing a story about a girl who is very privileged and then suddenly has almost nothing. That would be my second book, The Princess of Las Pulgas. Sorry, I know this is kind of a shameless plug, but it's a story I know pretty well and in which setting plays an important role.
Here's something about Channing. The rich side of town. I needed to make this town especially attractive because when my MC leaves, I wanted it to be wrenching. But how much description did I need? Here's one bit about her home and another about her high school.
I point toward the two-story house across the street, home for as long as I can remember. The wide path winds to the main entrance, and the leaded glass panels in the door glow from the entry lights Mom leaves on until we're all home. Inside, the vaulted ceilings cast soft shadows in the living room and at the back, I see someone, probably Mom, in the kitchen. Heading into the cafeteria, I spot Nicolas in the Bistro section.
Is that enough? Did I capture the Channing house and the high school by letting the character see those places? For the school, I thought Bistro was all I needed to establish Channing's cafeteria as upscale. Also I didn't really use description here; I let the character move inside the setting and reveal it from her pov. Was I right?
Now for the contrast. Here's the Las Pulgas apartment and high school.
An hour later we're inside the Las Pulgas apartment, but I'm seeing, catacombs. The dark rooms with a narrow connecting hall remind me of pictures in a National Geographic article about the early Christian burials under Rome. When I open the door to my room I expect to find bones stacked inside crevices.
He gazes at the chain link fence that separates school property from the sidewalk.Again, there isn't much in description, but I chose what I thought would capture the feeling of a school without a lot of donated time and money. What do you think? Enough to let the reader "see" the setting?
I think adding significant details like vaulted ceilings, Bistro for Channing, then chain link fence and catacombs for Las Pulgas brought the setting to life without hitting the reader over the head. Of course, I love beautifully written description. I have a tendency to indulge myself once in a while and try to capture the place my characters live in.
And now for nailing the setting with a bit more prose and a hint of what's to come in the story. This is from The Mermaid's Mirror, by my friend, L.K. Madigan.
Lena made her way down to the edge of the water, where the sand was rippled from having been under water a few hours ago. The tide was out but she could feel the urgency of the sea . . . soon the tide would sweep back in and cover the sand where she stood. The waves pounded as if hungry for the shore.If you know the story, Madigan did a great job in making the sea almost a character. It wants Lena. Lena wants it, but she doesn't yet know why.
The key points I've picked up about the setting are these:
*Don't forget you have 5 senses and use them when developing your setting. See it, feel it, smell it, taste it, hear it. (Next week I'm going to focus on how to use all of your senses in developing the setting.)*Have your characters interact in their setting. Don't rely on simply describing where they are.*Make your setting special--a place that's like no other. A lot of that is done by making a vivid impression with the details you choose. It's not a small room, it's claustrophobic; it's not cold, it's an icy tomb.
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
June 22, 2011
Wednesday Special
I don't usually blog on Wednesdays, but today I have some special news that I have to share. Twenty-five 2009 Debs have banded together to produce an anthology of super fine Young Adult short stories and here's the cover. Tell me what you think. And then be sure to have your Kindle at the ready for this great eBook when it's available.
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
June 20, 2011
Monday Miscellany--Kicking off Summer
I kicked off summer with a quick trip to Amsterdam. I needed a break. Amsterdam needed another tourist.
Besides inhaling great quantities of "legal" marijuana as I passed the Seed Stores, I made all the tourist stops I could. I walked most of the city, enjoying the canals and the beauty of a culture that doesn't believe in tearing down it's cultural heritage to make room for progress. Look at the angle on these houses--a death defying tilt that made me move slightly faster as their shadow fell over me.
Amsterdam's built on a bog and some of the houses date from the 1500's. They may tilt, but they're still there on wooden pilings that were rammed into the sand and peat centuries ago.
The biggest danger for a tourist is to step into a bike lane by accident. Amsterdam has over 400, 000 registered bikes; that's more than half the population of the city.
Rembrandt and Van Gogh museums take your breath away--at least they did mine. In their relatively short lives these artists gave the world some of the finest paintings it will ever have.
Below is just a glimpse of the Rijksmuseum. It's under construction right now, so only a part is open. And just as well. It's huge, with over a million pieces art and other objects under the roof.
It's a vibrant city with liberal attitudes brushing up against conservative, traditions of church.
Below, left: I loved this sign ( the blue letters across the top) in English on the right and Dutch on the left. It reads, "Jesus Loves You. The building stands at the beginning of Amsterdam's famous Red Light District. Off to the left, you can see the two spires of the Church of St. Nicholas. It summed up the city for me.
I stumbled onto a ribbon cutting for a new bar and waited to see what all the excitement was about. A carriage arrived with this fine person who sang, then cut the ribbon and entered as the first customer.
I made notes about all kinds of things: my feelings being inside the Ann Frank House, listening to the bell tower chime out the hour and thinking that these were the same bells Ann heard while she hid with her family from the Nazis, watching the canal boats float by with passengers from all over the world, standing in front of sunflowers that Van Gogh had loved and brought to life on canvass. So much to feel and so much to remember.
As we head into summer, I'm starting a new Monday Miscellany (MM) and In the Throes of Thursday (TT) series that I hope you'll like. I've invited several authors to stop in and share their MM and TT. Cheryl Rainfield, LM Preston, Jo Ramsey are a few. Hope you'll stop in and say to them when their posts go up. Happy Summer! Also on Thursday of this week I have a surprise. Stop in and tell me what you think.Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
Besides inhaling great quantities of "legal" marijuana as I passed the Seed Stores, I made all the tourist stops I could. I walked most of the city, enjoying the canals and the beauty of a culture that doesn't believe in tearing down it's cultural heritage to make room for progress. Look at the angle on these houses--a death defying tilt that made me move slightly faster as their shadow fell over me.
Amsterdam's built on a bog and some of the houses date from the 1500's. They may tilt, but they're still there on wooden pilings that were rammed into the sand and peat centuries ago.
The biggest danger for a tourist is to step into a bike lane by accident. Amsterdam has over 400, 000 registered bikes; that's more than half the population of the city.Rembrandt and Van Gogh museums take your breath away--at least they did mine. In their relatively short lives these artists gave the world some of the finest paintings it will ever have.
Below is just a glimpse of the Rijksmuseum. It's under construction right now, so only a part is open. And just as well. It's huge, with over a million pieces art and other objects under the roof.
It's a vibrant city with liberal attitudes brushing up against conservative, traditions of church.Below, left: I loved this sign ( the blue letters across the top) in English on the right and Dutch on the left. It reads, "Jesus Loves You. The building stands at the beginning of Amsterdam's famous Red Light District. Off to the left, you can see the two spires of the Church of St. Nicholas. It summed up the city for me.
I stumbled onto a ribbon cutting for a new bar and waited to see what all the excitement was about. A carriage arrived with this fine person who sang, then cut the ribbon and entered as the first customer.
I made notes about all kinds of things: my feelings being inside the Ann Frank House, listening to the bell tower chime out the hour and thinking that these were the same bells Ann heard while she hid with her family from the Nazis, watching the canal boats float by with passengers from all over the world, standing in front of sunflowers that Van Gogh had loved and brought to life on canvass. So much to feel and so much to remember.
As we head into summer, I'm starting a new Monday Miscellany (MM) and In the Throes of Thursday (TT) series that I hope you'll like. I've invited several authors to stop in and share their MM and TT. Cheryl Rainfield, LM Preston, Jo Ramsey are a few. Hope you'll stop in and say to them when their posts go up. Happy Summer! Also on Thursday of this week I have a surprise. Stop in and tell me what you think.Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
