C. Lee McKenzie's Blog, page 94

YAmore or How Hot Can It Get in February?

Well, here goes. I'm entering That's YAmore Blogfest to have some fun this Valentine season. Shutting my eyes and thinking about steaming up the screen with something hot, but YA suitable. That's a challenge in itself, but to do it in 250 words adds a bit more difficulty. Love scenes are NOT my strongest suit, so cut me some slack when you read and comment here, okay?









Liz starts the movie and leans close. My side goes steamy from her heat. Below my belly button, tiny needles tattoo my skin, and I can't tell if it hurts or if it feels better than anything I've felt in my life.

 

I keep my eyes on the screen while Neo hacks away at his computer.

 

Liz pulls my hand around her shoulders, then rubs my palm with her thumbs. 


 

While Neo's figuring out what's real, what isn't, what's next, so am I.

 

She brushes her lips across my knuckles. I miss a scene; my heart misses a beat.

 

Neo hurtles off walls and into battle, a super human, and I'm thinking Neo wouldn't sit here, waiting for Liz to take charge. Neo would be the man.

 

"You like?" She asks.


 

I pull her around to face me, and plant a kiss almost where I planned but close enough to get her attention. 


 

Her mouth opens under mine, and now my lips heat up like the rest of me, and I've got tiny hearts pumping everywhere. I push harder and she falls back onto the couch with me kneeling over her.


 

"You're good, Hutch." She smiles up at me, and I kiss her again. 


 

I am good. Everything inside me says, "good to go" when she holds her hands against my chest.

 

"That's it."


 

"That's what?"


 

"I don't go all the way."


 

Those tiny hearts turn into satellites around the thudding planet that's ready to go nova in my chest.



From The Double Negative, WIP,  © C. Lee McKenzie

Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09

Hearts and Flowers

What better time of the year than Valentine's Day to give and receive gifts that show how much people mean to you? I've finished my workshop layout and have used several of the suggestions of friends who posted comments in response to my plea for help. Here's my linky Valentine to you all for those whose suggestions gave me exactly the kind of help I needed.





Lisa Gail Green, you are a sweetheart, indeed. 

I've added a very short bit about 

blending narration with dialog because of 

your idea















I also used Kelly Hashway's idea of having the kids act out the exchanges. I'm sure that will help to involve them much more than simply reading. It should make the workshop fun too.





Catherine Stein made a great contribution: ". . . conversation doesn't always follow. In other words, people often continue along their trajectory, their interests, and when they do that, they're not actually answering the line that went before them." I'll be sure to point this out as a difference between dialog and conversation.





Carin S. shared an interesting and creative way to engage the kids. I'm not sure I can use it at this workshop, but I'm definitely keeping it in mind for the future. Here's her idea: Have the kids go into a store or a mall and write down conversations verbatim, then return to the workshop and share what they overheard. I love it!







The Brain Lair is one of my favorite book review places and this blogger added another super tip.

If you can't take the kids outside or into a crowded store, use a UTube clip or make a quick Animoto video. 





















Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09

Back to Basics-Dialog ii

So in Back to Basics-Dialog 1 we pretty much said:

1. Dialog isn't conversation.2. It shouldn't have "echoes" like repeated names or phrases.3. It should make the reader curious.4. It should create or build conflict by revealing more than the characters actually say.



I thought that for the workshop I'm doing I'd take some samples of dialog, have kids read them aloud, and then ask them to talk about the short scenes, guiding the discussion with specific questions.

Here's one example:

"Wait up, Princess." When I look back Juan is jogging to catch up. I take out my keys and  hurry to my driver's door. "Late for something?" He's right behind me."I've got homework." I've already opened the door and scooted behind the wheel. "Sure. Just thought I'd tell you about Keith. See you tomorrow, Princess.""I'm not a — What about Keith?" (From: The Princess of Las Pulgas, 2010)

Questions: 

How does the girl feel about the boy? 

What do you think the boy says after the girl's last line of dialog? 

I might ask them to write that last line and then re-read the dialog with a partner. 

So how does this exercise strike you? Is there more I could do besides another dialog sample and discussion? I think I need to keep these exercises short, varied, and interactive since the kids are from 10 to 13. 









Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09

Small Pause

I'm taking a short break from my posts on Dialog to share something I haven't felt I should until now. My good friend and super critique partner, L.K. Madigan, is quite ill and undergoing chemotherapy.





I write about this only because she's gone public on her blog and the 2009 Debs have run a contest with the prizes being her books donated by our members. Since Lisa's illness is no longer private I won't be violating her confidence.





The Oregonian has nominated Lisa's Flash Burnout for the Oregonian Reader's Choice Award. I've already voted to help her win, and I'd like to ask my readers to at least consider her book when going here [ Oregonian  ] to cast your vote.





Thank you all.Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09

Back to Basics-Dialog I

I read a lot of manuscripts as part of my writing life. Some are stand outs; others beg for re-writing. Each time I come to a story I hope it will carry me into the world the author intended me to enter and keep me there, enthralled, entertained, totally involved until the climax. I love it when I slow my reading to savor those final pages, not wanting to leave the characters. That's good writing.





So what makes a story pull you in and keep you there? So many things: good narrative, excellent description and powerful dialog. Then there's pacing, style, the sound of the language you hear as you read. So much comes together to create those masterful stories.





Today a lot of focus is on dialog--the immediate scene that TV and films have conditioned us to enjoy rather than the slow meander of the author's narration or description. And yet, a lot of dialog misses the mark in manuscripts I read.





Since I've been asked to do some workshops for young readers this year, I've been going back to review what skilled writers and editors have to say about crafting dialog. This week I thought I'd start a short series of posts and share some of what I'm pulling together for those workshops.  





I'm going to start by having kids read different short exchanges aloud. Then I'm going to ask them to rate each one as boring or interesting. See what you think about these two exchanges.





What's the difference between them?





"Hi, Mervyn, how's it going?"

"Hi, Jake. It's great. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm great, Mervyn."

"Glad to hear it."





















"Hi, Mervyn, how's it going?"

"How do you think it's going?"

"What are you pissed at me for?"

"Right. Like you don't know."





The best answer is that the first exchange is conversation; the second is dialog. So why? 





Besides saying that the first exchange is  totally boring, let's be specific.





*It repeats names and words.

*It doesn't make us curious about who the character are or their   relationship to each other. In other words it doesn't develop character.

*It doesn't create any conflict--doesn't make us wonder what the story is behind the exchange--probably because there isn't one--no plot here. 





In the second exchange we immediately know Mervyn is angry and that Jake either doesn't know why or is playing dumb. As readers we want to know what's behind this anger, where the conflict stems from, where it might be headed. That means we'll keep reading. 





Next week I should have more to say about dialog. I hope you'll jump in and tell us what you know about this critical piece of the literary pie.















Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09

Learning On the Job

First, I have to say thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers who have featured or reviewed Princess of Las Pulgas. The links are there in my sidebar. I'll be adding more it seems because there are a lot of very busy book bloggers. Bless them!













































I've been busy since this book released and it's been great to talk to readers and meet booksellers. This week I met a great Children's Event Coordinator, Colleen Ross at Books Inc.  Here we at the signing. 









What I've found is that as a new author I may have a few people at my signings, but connecting with the booksellers is not only great because they love books, but, if they like your book, they are the people who can help you with your promotion. I've learned a few other things about appearances and I'm sure I'll be learning more, but I thought I'd share a few pointers I've picked up along the way.





*Go to your presentation (reading, book signing, workshop, discussion) on time and prepared.





*You don't have to do a song and dance for your audience, but think of ways to make your talk or exchange with the people interesting. Include them by having some questions of your own. "How many of you write?" "Does anyone here keep a journal?" 





*If other authors attend to support you, introduce them. They'll appreciate it and the readers will enjoy meeting other authors.





*Even if you have one person in attendance do your best at presenting your book and yourself. In one case I heard about, the one person who showed up at a friend's signing turned out to be a school superintendent who recommended the author's book in his district.





*Invite your friends, of course, and start a mailing list for signings, so you can evite or direct email readers to future events.





*If you can include other authors in your signing, do. Having two or three presentations often creates more interest and gathers more people. 





*When possible, offer to do a short workshop as part of your signing. 





*Above all enjoy the time you spend with your readers. I think I was enjoying something here. Probably something someone said that made me laugh. 





Here are some friends after the signing. We turned this event into a great party and reunion. That made the evening very special.

 







None of what I've written is new, but sometimes it helps to see a list of suggestions from someone who's learning on the job. I'm sure I'll learn more as I go along and when I do, I'll share.



Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09

Home Again

What is it about the sound, the smell, the taste of home, that softens the heart and pulls memories into the present as if those times had never passed. I've traveled a lot and for long periods of time, but even a short four days and only a few hundred miles make home more of a haven than a shelter.



And I don't care how beautiful the place I've visited is, my place is even better. It's not as cultured. It doesn't offer the perfect climate. It isn't where tourists pay to visit. But it's where my heart resides. It's where I fit. It's a part of me and I of it. Yet, it takes leaving once in a while to remind me of how wonderful my spot on the planet really is.





But I have to admit San Diego is a beautiful city on the Pacific. I spent one day at ALA but the rest of my time revisiting a place I used to live. Here's the artist's center in Balboa Park. Walking across the colored tiles was like a trip through Wonderland. 



I couldn't miss the world famous zoo either. Not many cages here and they do so much conservation of endangered species.  One of my favorites was this guy. Right after I snapped this picture he decided he'd had enough of us peering at him and turned his back. I think my photo was the last straw. After all he was trying to eat lunch.

Here's my two headed camel photo.  

These were temporary buildings built in 1915 and were saved when people recognized how beautiful the  Moorish architecture was. Walking through these corridors I felt as if I were at the Alhambra in Spain.







There was whimsy along the way too.



And even some philosophy. I loved this. 





Please take this thought from Edmund Burke and leave a few words for others to think about and enjoy.Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09

On Being Published

I just had my second book published. My second book! Good grief, as Charlie B. would say. How great is that? Pretty great, I'd answer. It's something that I never thought I'd do, yet it happened. The first time it was so exciting, kind of like a first kiss. What could be more perfect? The second time is still darned good. I don't think I'll ever take for granted that I'm published--that I have an ISBN recorded in this world of books. I am grateful. I am hooked. I want more and I plan to get more.



One thing you get to do when you write books is meet other people who write them too. Here's a bit of ALA in San Diego where I signed with another writer, Selene Castrovilla. 



Kami Garcia, Cindy Pon, Carrie Ryan, Cheri Williams dropped by our booth to say hello, so that made the experience even more exciting. I love that I know writers. They are special. Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09

My First Grateful Post of 2011

There's something special about a forest after the rain. The clouds even sense it and dip into the tree tops, trailing gentle white fingers through the needles. 



I couldn't resist going outside when I saw this through my window. I pulled myself away from my computer and a story that keeps wanting to be written and walked a bit. It's always a wonderful surprise to find that I when I step out my door I'm immediately in a place that offers so much: chilled air to freshen my face, a canyon filled with redwoods to make my writer-eyes relax, a creek that plays like lovely music along my path. 



I returned to my computer and a new chapter came as if I'd already written it. The truth is that the fresh air and the forest  and the creek next to the path wrote that chapter. I was only the secretary.





This is my first grateful post of the year. There will be more because I have so much to be grateful for.



And you? What are you grateful for, readers? We're a diverse lot, so it would be wonderful to know what gives you joy and what you appreciate most. If you write, where do you gather your inspiration?



 Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09

My First Post in 2011

Ah, a beginning. I love beginnings. They offer up such hope. There are no boundaries at the start--no errors, no omissions, no regrets. It's the most wonderful time. So here we are day one of 2011 and I'm full of hope.



"Ready am I to go, and my eagerness with sails full set awaits the wind."The Prophet, Kahilil Gibran









May all of you set sail with the wind and find your safe harbor or your adventure--whatever you seek.





Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09