Judy Nickles's Blog, page 14
December 5, 2012
Ten Commandments for Writers
Disclaimer: Satire, not sacrilege, intended.
1. Thou shalt carry a notebook in thy pocket or purse. Thee never knoweth when a good idea for a story will presenteth itself.
2. Thou shalt doest careful research when writing about a subject thou knowest naught about or a time period in which thou hast not actually lived. (Thou canst not fool the savvy reader!)
3. Thou shalt write by the seat of thy pants if it workest well for thee--or planneth much or little--thou knowest how thou writest best.
4. Thou shalt not utter vain and foolish words like, "My muse hath deserted me" or "Yay, I am not inspired" or "Writers Block hath crept in to torment me." (Gettest over it.)
5. Thou shalt not write that with which thee is not comfortable but rather be true to thyself.
6. Thou shalt not fear hitting the delete key on that which is not working.
7. Thou shalt understand that a first draft stinketh.
8. Thou shalt not search vainly for 'voice'. Dost thou not speak in thine own voice? Dost it not follow that thee shalt write in the same?
9. Thou shalt takest all writing advice with a grain of salt--preferably two grains.
10. Thou shalt understand that rules are madest to be broken, not to stunt a writer's progress.
Keepth these commandments and findest joy in all thy writing undertakings!
1. Thou shalt carry a notebook in thy pocket or purse. Thee never knoweth when a good idea for a story will presenteth itself.
2. Thou shalt doest careful research when writing about a subject thou knowest naught about or a time period in which thou hast not actually lived. (Thou canst not fool the savvy reader!)
3. Thou shalt write by the seat of thy pants if it workest well for thee--or planneth much or little--thou knowest how thou writest best.
4. Thou shalt not utter vain and foolish words like, "My muse hath deserted me" or "Yay, I am not inspired" or "Writers Block hath crept in to torment me." (Gettest over it.)
5. Thou shalt not write that with which thee is not comfortable but rather be true to thyself.
6. Thou shalt not fear hitting the delete key on that which is not working.
7. Thou shalt understand that a first draft stinketh.
8. Thou shalt not search vainly for 'voice'. Dost thou not speak in thine own voice? Dost it not follow that thee shalt write in the same?
9. Thou shalt takest all writing advice with a grain of salt--preferably two grains.
10. Thou shalt understand that rules are madest to be broken, not to stunt a writer's progress.
Keepth these commandments and findest joy in all thy writing undertakings!
December 4, 2012
Writing is NOT a competition...
In the November-December issue of
The Writer,
Valerie O. Patterson has enumerated "10 Myths About the Writing Life". I want to focus on #8: It's a competition. NOT.
Sometime in the late summer-early fall, I backed off promoting my books. First of all, I wasn't sure the return on the time and effort spent at the computer was really worthwhile. Second, I realized that I simply wasn't part of the "in crowd"--that is, my books are cool to lukewarm and certainly not hot! My audience is smaller and more difficult to find, BUT it is no less important.
I'm venturing back into the world of promotion, this time slowly and selectively. Yesterday there were 56 views here at The Word Place--and 2 "hits" at my website. Lots of lookers, two takers. That's okay. When I track the number of blog views and the corresponding visits to my website, I know I'm doing something right. Not big, mind you, but right.
Here's another "10" for you: "10 Ways to Build Long-Lasting Traffic to Your Author Website or Blog".
And four more: "4 Online Haunts Where Your Readers Live"
Bottom line: I have something to say, and there are people who want to hear it, and I will find them. It's not a competition to be the most visible and/or sell the most books. It's about writing, because that's what I want to do.
(I'm still looking for 100 followers here at The Word Place--44 to go!)
Sometime in the late summer-early fall, I backed off promoting my books. First of all, I wasn't sure the return on the time and effort spent at the computer was really worthwhile. Second, I realized that I simply wasn't part of the "in crowd"--that is, my books are cool to lukewarm and certainly not hot! My audience is smaller and more difficult to find, BUT it is no less important.
I'm venturing back into the world of promotion, this time slowly and selectively. Yesterday there were 56 views here at The Word Place--and 2 "hits" at my website. Lots of lookers, two takers. That's okay. When I track the number of blog views and the corresponding visits to my website, I know I'm doing something right. Not big, mind you, but right.
Here's another "10" for you: "10 Ways to Build Long-Lasting Traffic to Your Author Website or Blog".
And four more: "4 Online Haunts Where Your Readers Live"
Bottom line: I have something to say, and there are people who want to hear it, and I will find them. It's not a competition to be the most visible and/or sell the most books. It's about writing, because that's what I want to do.
(I'm still looking for 100 followers here at The Word Place--44 to go!)
December 2, 2012
Character Interview: Nick Cameron
Character Interview: Nick
Cameron
The Showboat Affair
TWP: Yesterday we
spoke with Jean Kingston. Now her new love interest Nick Cameron has agreed to
weigh in.
NC: Love interest? I
know I’m older, but somehow that seems flippant to me. I love Jean. I’m in love
with her.
TWP: It’s apparent
she feels the same toward you. Tell us about yourself, Mr. Cameron.
NC: I’m an attorney.
My son Charlie is my partner. He’s married to Dixie,
the third member of the firm.
TWP: A family affair.
NC: You could say
that, although Charlie…well, Charlie is opposed to my relationship with Jean,
and I’m not sure why.
TWP: You lost your
first wife, I believe.
NC: Twenty years ago.
Charlie was eight. Sarah had seen me through law school, and we were finally
able to buy a house and start a family. Two years later, she was diagnosed with
an aggressive form of breast cancer.
TWP: A terrible
thing.
NC: She fought for
six years. I borrowed money to pay for the best treatment available until the
oncologist said it was no use. She died a few weeks later.
TWP: And you’ve been
alone since then?
NC: I was never
interested in another woman until I met Jean. She’s changed my life.
TWP: I understand her
daughter is opposed to the relationship also.
NC: I think Juliana
would be opposed to anything her mother did.
TWP: Do you know
Jean’s soon-to-be ex-husband?
NC: I’m acquainted
with him. He has a well-known investment firm in Houston. He’s…well, he doesn’t know what he’s
lost, but as far as I’m concerned, Jean is well out of that marriage. She put
up with his philandering for over thirty years.
TWP: So do the two of
you have plans to marry anytime soon?
NC: Her divorce won’t
be final for several months. And besides that, she’s finding herself for the
first time--at least, professionally. I want her to have every chance to make a
go of her business.
TWP: But you really
don’t want to wait on that.
NC: From a selfish
standpoint, no, I don’t, but she has the right to her independence. She’s
earned it.
TWP: She said the two
of you are getting away…taking a trip to Branson,
Missouri. I suggested the
showboat dinner cruise.
NC: Actually, I’d
already made plans for that. It’s a surprise for her. I’m going to…well, it’s a
surprise.
TWP: We wish you both
the best. Enjoy the trip, and be careful. She said you’d each had an incident
of physical danger recently.
NC: The police think
they’re related, but I’m not sure. But I am
sure we’ll be very careful. I don’t want to lose Jean…lose this chance at a new
life.
TWP: I’ll raise a
glass to a new, happy life for both of you!
To learn more about The Showboat Affair, visit my website
where you can view a video trailer and read the first chapter. The Showboat Affair is available in
print and as an eBook at The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.
November 30, 2012
Character Interview from The Showboat Affair
Character Interview: Jean
Kingston
The Showboat Affair
TWP: Welcome to The Word Place, Jean Kingston! Tell me a
little about yourself--before all this happened.
JK: There’s not
much to tell. My mother died when I was three, and my father remarried ten years
later. Nona was a lovely person and just what I needed in my life at the time.
I went to Stephens College in Missouri
on a scholarship and studied both fashion and interior design. I was doing an
internship when I met Rand Kingston. It’s a cliché to say he swept me off my
feet, but that’s what he did. Good looks, money, prominent family…it was all
too much to resist. The old saying, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure,” is apt
here.
TWP: It wasn’t a
good marriage then.
JK: Rand always had
a wandering eye. I knew almost from the beginning he was unfaithful to me, but
I stuck it out because I didn’t know how I’d make it on my own with our
daughter.
TWP: Are the two
of you close?
JK: No, Juliana was always her father’s daughter.
She still is, even married with a child of her own. She knew before I did that
he planned to ask for a divorce.
TWP: That must’ve been a shock.
JK: Not really, but it did make me angry.
TWP: How long were you married?
JK: Thirty-three years.
TWP: That’s a long time. It appears you’ve moved
on with your life though.
JK: Thanks to my former housekeeper Selina. She
wouldn’t let me sit around and feel sorry for myself. Then when she started her
own catering business and a brunch bistro, she gave me a chance to use my
design skills. It was a risk for her, but because of her faith in me, I’m
starting my own interior design business.
TWP: What about the new man in your life?
JK: Nick. Nick Cameron. What can I say? He’s
wonderful.
TWP: Everything that Rand Kingston isn’t?
JK: Like night and day. Of course, we’ve got
opposition: my daughter, his son. It’s
caused some problems between the two of us, but we’re trying to work them out.
And in a way, I’m part of the problem, too. For the first time in thirty years,
I’m on my own, and I like it. Besides, my divorce isn’t final yet, so we’ve got
some time.
TWP: There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your
independence.
JK: Nick’s been very understanding. His wife died
twenty years ago, so he’s had his fill of being on his own, but he’s willing to
wait on me.
TWP: Was his first marriage a good one?
JK: He and Sarah were devoted to each other. She
died too young--cancer. He understands what loving and being in love is all
about--and I’m learning.
TWP: I understand you’ve had a problem or two
unrelated to your grown children…
JK: Nick got mugged, and then someone broke into
my apartment and tried to assault me. The police think the two incidents are
related, but I’m not sure.
TWP: So what’s next for you and Nick?
JK: He thinks we need to get away from Houston for a while, so we’re going to Branson, Missouri.
TWP: I’ve been there. You’ll love it, especially
the dinner cruise on the showboat, the Branson
Belle.
JK: What a coincidence. Showboat is the first movie we watched together. I’ll mention it to
Nick.
TWP: Do that, and have a wonderful time, Jean.
Good luck--and thanks for dropping by The
Word Place.
To learn more about The Showboat Affair, visit my website
where you can view a video trailer and read the first chapter. The Showboat Affair is available in
print and as an eBook at The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.
November 29, 2012
Flash Fiction Five
From the November-December issue of The Writer, a great article on "Five Critical Traits for Flash Fiction". I'll admit I haven't written much in the short-short line. Frankly, I've felt overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to limit my innate wordiness and still tell a story. But Faith M. Boughan, a freelance writer, blogger, and assistant flash editor for Abyss & Apex Magazine cleared a few things up for me--and hopefully, for anyone else out there who doesn't venture into this area of writing.
She suggests five things to do--which should be obvious, but they weren't to me until she set them down. First of all, knowing one's audience is important. Many flash-fiction readers don't have time to read anything else and appreciate something they can enjoy quickly.
It follows that the plot must be smaller even than a short story, that the character list should be sparse, and that the focus should be on one happening. She also suggests paring down descriptions and letting the reader use his own imagination. Finally, she advises writers of flash fiction to make the setting less expansive: exciting things can happen in limited space.
She also lists, in a sidebar, a number of resources for writers thinking about trying flash-fiction. You'll find that and much more in the article on page 11 in the regular Writing Essentials feature.
What's been your experience with flash fiction?
She suggests five things to do--which should be obvious, but they weren't to me until she set them down. First of all, knowing one's audience is important. Many flash-fiction readers don't have time to read anything else and appreciate something they can enjoy quickly.
It follows that the plot must be smaller even than a short story, that the character list should be sparse, and that the focus should be on one happening. She also suggests paring down descriptions and letting the reader use his own imagination. Finally, she advises writers of flash fiction to make the setting less expansive: exciting things can happen in limited space.
She also lists, in a sidebar, a number of resources for writers thinking about trying flash-fiction. You'll find that and much more in the article on page 11 in the regular Writing Essentials feature.
What's been your experience with flash fiction?
November 27, 2012
Starting and Starting Over Again
The copies I ordered of
A Very Kate Christmas
arrived today. It's a neat, compact little volume (5 stories) with a few minor technical glitches which I can fix with the next printing and which do not detract from the stories themselves. I plan to use the copies I ordered as Christmas "cards" for a few folks who I know will enjoy the book.
There is much to learn about indie publishing. I just finished reading (on Kindle) The Indie Author's Guide to the Universe by Jeff Bennington. When I spotted it, it was free but has now reverted to 99 cents. Take my word for it--if you're looking at indie publishing, it's a must-read. One of the tips he gives is to have a few print copies available, so that's what I was trying out with A Very Kate Christmas. It's a learning process.
Bennington's book is divided into four parts:
WHY INDIE?
TECHNICALITIES AND CRAFT
INDIE PUBLISHING
MAKING IT HAPPEN
He made me realize I am either going into business or just playing around at a hobby. It's my choice. So the first few months of 2013 will be focused on the former--and there's lots involved. I'll be blogging about each faltering step as I take it.
His book on indie publishing isn't the first I've read, but it probably should have been. The old saying about not putting the cart before the horse is apt. However, the following is a list of other books (all available on Kindle, some free, all reasonably priced) I've plowed through in the past six months or have downloaded but haven't yet read:
Get Up to Speed with Online Marketing (Jon Reed)
The Visual Guide to Kindle Formatting (Presented by 'everything indie'--website http://www.everything-indie.com)
The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing (Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier)
Get Connected: 101 Places to Promote Your Book Online (Compiled by G.E. Johnson)
The Beginners Guide to eBooks (Gary McLaren)
Building Your Book for Kindle (Amazon Kindle)
Newbie's Guide to Publishing (J.A. Konrath)
How to Get Your Book Reviewed (The Savvy Book Marketer/Dana Lynn Smith)
How to Sell More Books on Amazon (The Savvy Book Marketer/Dana Lynn Smith)
Smashwords Book Marketing Guide (Mark Coker)
Promote Your Book (Patricia Fry)
Virtual Book Tour Magic (The Savvy Book Marketer/Dana Lynn Smith)
How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months (John Locke)
Format Your eBook for Kindle in One Hour (Derek J. Canyon)
Publish on Amazon Kindle with Kindle Direct Publishing (Amazon Kindle)
How to Format Your eBook for Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and Everything Else (Paul Salvette)
Secrets to eBook Publishing Success (Mark Coker)
Lots to read and think about, huh? But even if you take only one idea away from every book, that's 17 ideas you didn't have before!
Feel free to add to the list.
There is much to learn about indie publishing. I just finished reading (on Kindle) The Indie Author's Guide to the Universe by Jeff Bennington. When I spotted it, it was free but has now reverted to 99 cents. Take my word for it--if you're looking at indie publishing, it's a must-read. One of the tips he gives is to have a few print copies available, so that's what I was trying out with A Very Kate Christmas. It's a learning process.
Bennington's book is divided into four parts:
WHY INDIE?
TECHNICALITIES AND CRAFT
INDIE PUBLISHING
MAKING IT HAPPEN
He made me realize I am either going into business or just playing around at a hobby. It's my choice. So the first few months of 2013 will be focused on the former--and there's lots involved. I'll be blogging about each faltering step as I take it.
His book on indie publishing isn't the first I've read, but it probably should have been. The old saying about not putting the cart before the horse is apt. However, the following is a list of other books (all available on Kindle, some free, all reasonably priced) I've plowed through in the past six months or have downloaded but haven't yet read:
Get Up to Speed with Online Marketing (Jon Reed)
The Visual Guide to Kindle Formatting (Presented by 'everything indie'--website http://www.everything-indie.com)
The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing (Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier)
Get Connected: 101 Places to Promote Your Book Online (Compiled by G.E. Johnson)
The Beginners Guide to eBooks (Gary McLaren)
Building Your Book for Kindle (Amazon Kindle)
Newbie's Guide to Publishing (J.A. Konrath)
How to Get Your Book Reviewed (The Savvy Book Marketer/Dana Lynn Smith)
How to Sell More Books on Amazon (The Savvy Book Marketer/Dana Lynn Smith)
Smashwords Book Marketing Guide (Mark Coker)
Promote Your Book (Patricia Fry)
Virtual Book Tour Magic (The Savvy Book Marketer/Dana Lynn Smith)
How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months (John Locke)
Format Your eBook for Kindle in One Hour (Derek J. Canyon)
Publish on Amazon Kindle with Kindle Direct Publishing (Amazon Kindle)
How to Format Your eBook for Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and Everything Else (Paul Salvette)
Secrets to eBook Publishing Success (Mark Coker)
Lots to read and think about, huh? But even if you take only one idea away from every book, that's 17 ideas you didn't have before!
Feel free to add to the list.
November 25, 2012
8 Ghost Stories and...
Ghost #1 - The Girl in the Mist: In the 1920s, when the Crescent Hotel was a girls' school, one of the students fell/jumped/was pushed from the fourth floor balcony. A postmortem revealed she was pregnant, a scandal for an unmarried young lady in those days. She's been "seen" at various times, the most recent being in a photograph of someone eating in Dr. Baker's Bistro. She appears in the window behind him and appears to be cradling the head of a baby. (I saw the photo.)
Ghost #2 - The Lady in White: Someone staying in a suite in the remodeled area once known as "The Pain Asylum" (see previous post) saw an upside-down figure reflected in the television screen (turned off) wearing a 1930s era slip or nightgown. Other guests have reported hearing the wheels of a gurney coming down the hall from that direction. (I saw this photo, too.)
Ghost #3 - Child: One of the nurses apparently brought her little girl, a child about 2, with her to work one day. The toddler fell over the railing into the stairwell and all the way to the first floor. Much 'activity' in this area has been reported. (I didn't see/hear any.)
Ghost #4 - Breckie: Breckie was the child of a professor at the girls' college. The family 'lived in', but Breckie, a delicate child because of a congenital intestinal malformation, wasn't allowed to go outside or play with other children. He has been 'heard' bouncing a ball on the third floor and saying, 'It's not fair!' A participant in a previous ghost tour, a teacher from Iowa, reported seeing a group of children running past her up the stairs and was asked by another child, "Which way did they go?" She said he ran up three or four steps and faded from view.
Ghost #5 - Dr. C. F. Ellis: The first physician employed by the girls' college has been seen in the elevator area across from his office.
Ghost #6 - Theodora: The petite office manager/administrator of the Cancer Curable Baker Hospital, has been seen by housekeeping staff outside the now closed-up door of the room where she lived. Room #428 is one of the three most haunted/most requested rooms in the hotel today. Theodora was a 'neatnik' and has been known to pick up towels dropped on the bathroom floor or even pack a guest's suitcase and set it in the corridor outside the door! When paranormal investigators (invited in by management) took a dinner break, they came back and found the door blocked by equipment they'd left behind.
Ghost #8 - Irish workman: Trying to attract the attention of a pretty girl below, this young man fell to his death during the construction of the hotel. Now guests in Room #218 report strange happenings in this area where he died.
The last stop on the Ghost Tour is the morgue where autopsies were performed on those unfortunates killed by the man in whom they'd placed their last hope. It's now a storeroom/workroom, but the accoutrements of its grisly history remain, including the 'cold storage' area for bodies. I won't relate what happened the night I took the tour, but you may well ask, did it make a believer out of me? Nope. But don't let that stop you from taking the tour--you'll enjoy every minute of it. I did.
~~~~~~~~~~
According to my stats, my blog received around 130 views yesterday and today--but no comments! The contest is still 'on' until this time tomorrow, so leave a quick comment at both posts to be entered in the drawing for a copy of A Very Kate Christmas.
Ghost #2 - The Lady in White: Someone staying in a suite in the remodeled area once known as "The Pain Asylum" (see previous post) saw an upside-down figure reflected in the television screen (turned off) wearing a 1930s era slip or nightgown. Other guests have reported hearing the wheels of a gurney coming down the hall from that direction. (I saw this photo, too.)
Ghost #3 - Child: One of the nurses apparently brought her little girl, a child about 2, with her to work one day. The toddler fell over the railing into the stairwell and all the way to the first floor. Much 'activity' in this area has been reported. (I didn't see/hear any.)
Ghost #4 - Breckie: Breckie was the child of a professor at the girls' college. The family 'lived in', but Breckie, a delicate child because of a congenital intestinal malformation, wasn't allowed to go outside or play with other children. He has been 'heard' bouncing a ball on the third floor and saying, 'It's not fair!' A participant in a previous ghost tour, a teacher from Iowa, reported seeing a group of children running past her up the stairs and was asked by another child, "Which way did they go?" She said he ran up three or four steps and faded from view.
Ghost #5 - Dr. C. F. Ellis: The first physician employed by the girls' college has been seen in the elevator area across from his office.
Ghost #6 - Theodora: The petite office manager/administrator of the Cancer Curable Baker Hospital, has been seen by housekeeping staff outside the now closed-up door of the room where she lived. Room #428 is one of the three most haunted/most requested rooms in the hotel today. Theodora was a 'neatnik' and has been known to pick up towels dropped on the bathroom floor or even pack a guest's suitcase and set it in the corridor outside the door! When paranormal investigators (invited in by management) took a dinner break, they came back and found the door blocked by equipment they'd left behind.
Ghost #8 - Irish workman: Trying to attract the attention of a pretty girl below, this young man fell to his death during the construction of the hotel. Now guests in Room #218 report strange happenings in this area where he died.
The last stop on the Ghost Tour is the morgue where autopsies were performed on those unfortunates killed by the man in whom they'd placed their last hope. It's now a storeroom/workroom, but the accoutrements of its grisly history remain, including the 'cold storage' area for bodies. I won't relate what happened the night I took the tour, but you may well ask, did it make a believer out of me? Nope. But don't let that stop you from taking the tour--you'll enjoy every minute of it. I did.
~~~~~~~~~~
According to my stats, my blog received around 130 views yesterday and today--but no comments! The contest is still 'on' until this time tomorrow, so leave a quick comment at both posts to be entered in the drawing for a copy of A Very Kate Christmas.
November 24, 2012
Story ideas from the road...help yourself!
Just returned from my annual fall get-away, roughly defined as "me-time" when I can do what I like when I like without constraints of large beasts and small persons, (not that I don't care about both!), meetings, appointments, and other necessary (often enjoyable) events that seem to crowd the calendar more and more.
This year I went to Eureka Springs AR. Click the link for information about this fascinating place, because this blog post is not a travelogue. Rather, I want to tell you about the 'haunted' Crescent Hotel and throw out some early Christmas candy in the form of story ideas. Please feel free to help yourself!
On Tuesday I hung out on the back porch, ensconced in a larger rocker, Kindle in hand, until it grew chilly. Then I walked up to the fourth floor (elevator down for repairs/replacement) and hung out at Dr. Baker's Bistro until time for the 8 o'clock Ghost Tour, where one may meet guests who checked in but never checked out!
The hotel gets its name from its location on a crescent-shaped ridge overlooking the town. The Cherokee culture includes the premise that flowing water is conducive to spirituality, and there are 68 named springs in Eureka Springs, plus Blue Spring 10 miles away.
The hotel was a grand place when it opened in 1886 and through the 'gay nineties', with stables for 100 horses, a pool, tennis courts, bowling alley, and an orchestra. The rich and famous stayed here to 'take the waters' until the development of of modern medical science pooh-poohed the belief in the healing waters of the springs.
Fr.om 1908 until the Depression era, it was a girls' college which doubled as a hotel during the summers. Then in 1937 came "Dr." Norman Baker, who bought the building and established the Cancer Curable Baker Hospital. His 'miracle treatment' consisted of injections of herbs and carbolic acid! Not a popular figure with those who recognized him for the charlatan he was, he had a well-protected office (bullet-proof glass) and kept weapons handy.
He had the doors of the patients' rooms removed so the staff could check on them during the night without disturbing them. Also to further minimize 'disturbance', he sealed off the wing of the building once used as accommodations for wealthy guests' servants and placed the terminal patients there. The steel doors masked the sounds of their suffering in the area which became known as "The Pain Asylum".
Well, fortunately, Baker was arrested in 1940, though he served a relatively short term in prison. But--immediately the records disappeared, so no one has any idea how many patients passed through the doors (and out again, often feet first) in four years.
I hope you'll follow the links to get some background on the history of this fascinating, still imposing old structure (again a hotel) and will come back again tomorrow when I spin you the tales of not one but 5 'residents' who never left--and also tell you about the three most 'haunted'--and most requested rooms in the hotel.
Disclaimer: I am not into 'the paranormal', but I love a good 'ghost story'.
CONTEST OPPORTUNITY:
Leave a comment on this blog and the one tomorrow--specifically about a story idea that has 'rattled your cage'--and be entered in a drawing for a copy of A Very Kate Christmas .
This year I went to Eureka Springs AR. Click the link for information about this fascinating place, because this blog post is not a travelogue. Rather, I want to tell you about the 'haunted' Crescent Hotel and throw out some early Christmas candy in the form of story ideas. Please feel free to help yourself!
On Tuesday I hung out on the back porch, ensconced in a larger rocker, Kindle in hand, until it grew chilly. Then I walked up to the fourth floor (elevator down for repairs/replacement) and hung out at Dr. Baker's Bistro until time for the 8 o'clock Ghost Tour, where one may meet guests who checked in but never checked out!
The hotel gets its name from its location on a crescent-shaped ridge overlooking the town. The Cherokee culture includes the premise that flowing water is conducive to spirituality, and there are 68 named springs in Eureka Springs, plus Blue Spring 10 miles away.
The hotel was a grand place when it opened in 1886 and through the 'gay nineties', with stables for 100 horses, a pool, tennis courts, bowling alley, and an orchestra. The rich and famous stayed here to 'take the waters' until the development of of modern medical science pooh-poohed the belief in the healing waters of the springs.
Fr.om 1908 until the Depression era, it was a girls' college which doubled as a hotel during the summers. Then in 1937 came "Dr." Norman Baker, who bought the building and established the Cancer Curable Baker Hospital. His 'miracle treatment' consisted of injections of herbs and carbolic acid! Not a popular figure with those who recognized him for the charlatan he was, he had a well-protected office (bullet-proof glass) and kept weapons handy.
He had the doors of the patients' rooms removed so the staff could check on them during the night without disturbing them. Also to further minimize 'disturbance', he sealed off the wing of the building once used as accommodations for wealthy guests' servants and placed the terminal patients there. The steel doors masked the sounds of their suffering in the area which became known as "The Pain Asylum".
Well, fortunately, Baker was arrested in 1940, though he served a relatively short term in prison. But--immediately the records disappeared, so no one has any idea how many patients passed through the doors (and out again, often feet first) in four years.
I hope you'll follow the links to get some background on the history of this fascinating, still imposing old structure (again a hotel) and will come back again tomorrow when I spin you the tales of not one but 5 'residents' who never left--and also tell you about the three most 'haunted'--and most requested rooms in the hotel.
Disclaimer: I am not into 'the paranormal', but I love a good 'ghost story'.
CONTEST OPPORTUNITY:
Leave a comment on this blog and the one tomorrow--specifically about a story idea that has 'rattled your cage'--and be entered in a drawing for a copy of A Very Kate Christmas .
November 22, 2012
Dropping Out
Er...um...I suppose it's official: I'm a NaNoWriMo drop-out! Sigh. I was ready for November. The idea sparkled. Appropriate character names, including a lecherous villain, graced the planning page. A rough plot lurked in the wings. (I'm a pantser so I don't have every scene set in stone.) I'd created a cover and posted a brief blurb.
Then it began.At 12:01 AM on November 1, my eager fingers descended to the keyboard and began to type. Things plunged downhill from there. As I blog, I have 24,453 words written--surely 24,453 of the worst words I've ever written in my life. Whereas before, I always approached each day's word quota with eagerness and enthusiasm, this year I dreaded even opening the document!
Then I took an unauthorized break and organized A Very Kate Christmas, a volume of five stories I loved writing and which are, I say with appropriate pride, pretty darn good. One of them even won the Editor's Choice Award in a 2008 contest, saw publication in an anthology, and brought me a three-figure check. (See previous blog for details,)
After that, the train of disillusionment picked up speed as it rattled down the steep grade to...the decision to drop out. A little guilt crept in, and I thought, "Well, maybe I'll make it..." But then I took off for my annual fall get-away and left the guilt at home.
There's always next year. Then again, maybe not. I have enough to work on without creating a new novel requiring editing, revising, proofing, etc. I'm venturing into indie publishing this coming year (A Very Kate Christmas is a trial run/test, and I still have to get it up as an ebook), and I think that's going to take up all my time and more.
Meanwhile, judging by the stats, an average of 15 people view The Word Place, everyday. Sometimes it goes to 25 or even more. So here's a request (plea?): if you don't already follow this blog, please take a second to click on the 'follow' button and help me reach my goal of 100 followers. Thanks in advance!
And, if you're in the market for a stocking stuffer, white elephant gift, limited-price exchange present, etc., go here and consider purchasing A Very Kate Christmas. You can't beat five stories for $5, and it ships in 3-5 days.
PS: Happy Thanksgiving!
Then it began.At 12:01 AM on November 1, my eager fingers descended to the keyboard and began to type. Things plunged downhill from there. As I blog, I have 24,453 words written--surely 24,453 of the worst words I've ever written in my life. Whereas before, I always approached each day's word quota with eagerness and enthusiasm, this year I dreaded even opening the document!
Then I took an unauthorized break and organized A Very Kate Christmas, a volume of five stories I loved writing and which are, I say with appropriate pride, pretty darn good. One of them even won the Editor's Choice Award in a 2008 contest, saw publication in an anthology, and brought me a three-figure check. (See previous blog for details,)
After that, the train of disillusionment picked up speed as it rattled down the steep grade to...the decision to drop out. A little guilt crept in, and I thought, "Well, maybe I'll make it..." But then I took off for my annual fall get-away and left the guilt at home.
There's always next year. Then again, maybe not. I have enough to work on without creating a new novel requiring editing, revising, proofing, etc. I'm venturing into indie publishing this coming year (A Very Kate Christmas is a trial run/test, and I still have to get it up as an ebook), and I think that's going to take up all my time and more.
Meanwhile, judging by the stats, an average of 15 people view The Word Place, everyday. Sometimes it goes to 25 or even more. So here's a request (plea?): if you don't already follow this blog, please take a second to click on the 'follow' button and help me reach my goal of 100 followers. Thanks in advance!
And, if you're in the market for a stocking stuffer, white elephant gift, limited-price exchange present, etc., go here and consider purchasing A Very Kate Christmas. You can't beat five stories for $5, and it ships in 3-5 days.
PS: Happy Thanksgiving!
November 18, 2012
Time Out for a New Project!
All right, so this is why I haven't been hitting the keyboard for NaNoWriMo:
Just before Christmas 1881, a passing
hand hears a baby crying in a deserted
lineshack on a ranch in the Texas
Panhandle. Stuffing her inside his coat to
protect her from the bitter cold, he rides
to Jericho where she is placed in the
local orphanage. On Christmas Eve, Dan
and Olivia Forrester, an older couple
married only six months, see her and
know she is meant to be their daughter.
"The Christ Child brought you," they
remind her each year in December. And
as Kate grows up, she learns the lessons
the Babe in the Manger came into the
world to share.
Here are five stories for $5--a perfect stocking stuffer or hostess gift or just a treat for yourself! (Not a children's book)
Share my venture into Indie Publishing with A Very Kate Christmas.
Just before Christmas 1881, a passing
hand hears a baby crying in a deserted
lineshack on a ranch in the Texas
Panhandle. Stuffing her inside his coat to
protect her from the bitter cold, he rides
to Jericho where she is placed in the
local orphanage. On Christmas Eve, Dan
and Olivia Forrester, an older couple
married only six months, see her and
know she is meant to be their daughter.
"The Christ Child brought you," they
remind her each year in December. And
as Kate grows up, she learns the lessons
the Babe in the Manger came into the
world to share.
Here are five stories for $5--a perfect stocking stuffer or hostess gift or just a treat for yourself! (Not a children's book)
Share my venture into Indie Publishing with A Very Kate Christmas.
Judy Nickles's Blog
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