Marian Allen's Blog, page 389

As You Wish

Tomorrow, I’m going to THE PRINCESS BRIDE EXPERIENCE at The Alley Theater in Louisville, Kentucky! I can’t wait!!!!! What is The Princess Bride Experience? Follow that link to The Alley Theater and click on the poster (assuming it’s still up at the time you read this post) and read all about it.

If you don’t know The Princess Bride, I’m so so very very sorry. Go to The Princess Bride site and indulge yourself, or read the Wiki and inform yourself.

You can buy the book (which claims to be by S. Morgenstern but is really by William Goldman) in any of a number of formats, including audio, electronic, and Dead Tree.

But do yourself a favor and see the movie. “A classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil prince, a beautiful princess, and yes, some kissing.”

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: What movie/book interactive experience would ring your main character’s chimes?

MA

A Short But Whiffle-Nosed Friendship

Picture by Andrea Gilbey

Not so long ago, my friend Ginny Fleming internetduced me to her friend Andrea Gilbey, and Andrea internetduced me to “her boys,” fancy rats Humphrey and Dizzy. Humphrey was already failing, and died shortly after I “met” him, but I enjoyed stories of they boys’ hi-jinx and pictures of Dizzy, like the one above, up until yesterday.

Yesterday, Andrea announced that Dizzy, that snuggly, whiffle-nosed scamp, had also passed.

Rats, I’ve learned, only live for two or three years, which seems to make them an ideal short-term commitment. But here’s the catch: There’s no such thing as a short-term commitment. If you love, it doesn’t matter what the life expectancy is of the person or critter you love. I, who still mourn the passing of our goldfish and dojo loach, tell you this.

I only knew Dizzy for a few short months, but his passing leaves a hole in my heart. But, as is the way with loved people and critters, the hole is filled with the happiness of having had the chance to know him at all.

Thanks for sharing him with us, Andrea!

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character meets an animal they consider unattractive until closer acquaintance.

MA

The Joy of Cleaning

YES, I said cleaning, shut up. I got tired of Katya nagging me, so I started straightening the office today. I got one corner done, and BOY did I find some good stuff!

Besides several partially used notebooks, with some writing I had forgotten about in them, I found, among other things:

Unfortunate English: The Gloomy Truth Behind the Words You Use, by Bill Brohaugh. It “uncovers older meanings of words that are out of joint with almost everyone’s sense of propriety.” It tells me that “drat” is a contraction of “God rot you” and “muscles” comes from the Latin for “little mouse” because muscles rippling look like little mice crawling about under the skin. Ugh!

A set of PrintMaster CDs, which I used to use to make posters and greeting cards. I don’t know if it will run on Linux, but I plan to find out. I loved it, and I haven’t found anything for Linux that comes close.

The Winter 2007/8 issue of This England Quarterly. Heaven only knows where it came from, but it’s a delight, from “Garden Flowers of England” through “Let’s Preserve Our English Dialects” to “This England’s Country Calendar.”

I can’t wait to see what other treasures I’ll unearth!

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character cleans a mass of clutter and finds something unexpected.

MA

The Googly-Eyed #Vegan

*snort*

This is more in the series of, “Oh, poor vegans! What on earth can they EAT?”

Clockwise from the top, we have fresh kale boiled with potatoes, vegan margarine mixed with lime juice and smoked paprika, bi-color corn waiting for the margarine, and yellow tomatoes.

It was deLISH!

I’m posting today at Fatal Foodies on the subject of the vegan couscous salad I made for a family party recently. Also delish!

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Write a character who is sorry to see the summer end.

MA

Guest Post – Floyd Hyatt Explains How To Write A Book

Take it away, Mr. Hyatt:

~ * ~

Oh, that; sure, no problem.

How to write a book in less than a thousand words.

First, you need a story to tell.

Then consider:

1.) Whether the story is going to be character driven, or not.

The difference:

Character based stories revolve around decisions. Decisions that change lives, attitudes, and futures. Choices would be presented to the characters, and the responses to these choices comprise how the story progresses, and focus on what they mean to the characters growth, past, and the tales result. Currently, Character driven stories are the more sought for. That is, interest focuses on personal changes achieved, more than the solution of events. Events become prominently, just the levers of growth.

In non-character based stories, events buffet the characters like tsunamis, carry them along, focusing on how events change lives, how decisions alter events. Like the difference between the Great Man theory of history, and the Seminal Event theory of history. Most stories are a merger of these two, but overall, the focus is on one or the other. The key character change in an event driven story may simply be survival, but the war is won, the baby saved, whatever.

2.) The Point Of View of the story. Will you write it from the internal perspective of one character? Or, from the perspective of an outsider or agent, chronicling a tale? Will it follow several, or just one person’s movements, overall.

3.) Will you be looking at the topic historically, or in an as it happens manner? What do you see as the overall tense of your story? Bear it in mind, because you will be writing in it.

4.) The scene, time frame, characters, and conditions that the story starts with. Here, you start to assemble your story. The background and settings, the World build details, what hurdles it provides you characters, and some idea as to the event progression you want.

5.) The conclusions to reach, both from the perspective of what happens to the characters, and overall, how things will end plot-wise. Don’t forget your poor little sub-arc characters, the mini-heroes and important minions. Especially, remember your primary antagonist needs love too. Cut, did he/she not bleed? Are his/her motivations not as fine as thine, if not your own?

Also, changing or not changing, is something important to detail, not just for the heroic leads, but for a reasonable selection of your cast. Readers have peripheral vision, and unlike moles, don’t just want to tunnel on to a set conclusion. Adequate sub-plots help enrich a novel-length story. May even provide the text that makes a difference between having a saggy center in it, and a successful write throughout.

6.) Outlining: Now you are ready to sketch in the plot of your story, referring to where it starts, what the main character is missing and where it ends, where the need is fulfilled. There is nothing more damaging to story writing, than to have decided some attitude, or perspective of a character will be reached in a story, then failing to achieve it, so note it. There will need to be near misses, or try/fails along the way. Usually it is best if the fails are due to the lack of realizing a needed Key. (more on that later) You should have, oh, at least two try/fails. The closer the hero comes, only to fail, the better. This is true whether the goal is The Big Wedding, Winning The War, Climbing Mount Everest, or Finishing That Story (heh). Keep frosty, and on target. Try to envision where key events are going to happen, where sub-plots should peak. Somewhere in the center is a good place for a few of the Keys to turn. Keys are the revelations a character or characters experience, that take them from powerlessness to the road to success, from despair to hope, from data gathering to realization of THE PATH to success, from misunderstanding to inner growth, belief, or resolve. The crisis may still be before them, but the strength to succeed, the skills to compete, are achieved. Someone once pointed out the moment in StarWars where Luke Skywalker hears an inner voice saying “The power is in YOU, Luke.” This was a major key. The hero recognizes he/she now has what is needed to succeed. Then lightly structure the stories crescendo. (try/succeed)

7.) Other considerations: Functions that keep readers interested, such as a good hook, or starting scene, that is actually important to the story plot. Stories usually don’t start at the beginning. They plop the reader down in the middle of something exciting or curious, and see to it the reader is encouraged to want to know the who why when and where of the situation. Be prepared to consider as you outline, that a good section should end raising enough curiosity in a reader to want to read the next, and find out what happened to that wrapper, character, gunshot, photograph, etc. Beyond that, prepare to show it happening. The story won’t be a dry explanation of what happens or happened, like the outline is. It shows it occurring. It is demonstrated in movement, color, smell, feelings, and pratfalls, couched in dialog, description, action. It is, in short, a play. Keeping a list of players near-by, that tells what they look like, how excitable they are, what agendas they have, who they like, dislike, how they speak, and move, will save you back checking your story all the time for consistency, but if your memory is eidetic, great. Be a little sneaky. You write to the purpose of entertaining the reader, involving the reader, perhaps even frustrating the reader a little bit. Maybe not everyone wins that the reader is lead to root for. That’s called drama, it injects emotion. Provide the reader an experience. You are not writing a journal, you are providing an entertainment. Go get em, tiger.

~ * ~

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: Well? What are you waiting for? You heard the man: Go get em, tiger!

MA

 

#SampleSunday Summer of SAGE Week 4

The Summer of SAGE continues. Yesterday, I signed oh so many copies to be sent out to the lovely folks who pledged at the appropriate amount to the SAGE Kickstarter campaign. So, if you’ve been waiting for your signed copies, they’re on the way!

Today, let’s look inside the heart and mind of Devona, the scribe. Her husband, Darcy, has left her alone to mourn the death by fever of their little girl in order to run an errand for someone Devona didn’t see.

Elsie

The Fall of Onagros, Book 1 of SAGE

by Marian Allen

The sun wasn’t fully risen when a cart rattled up to the door.

Darcy came in, carrying something wrapped in his cloak. He bolted the door one-handed. He brought the bundle to her.

It was a child – a living child – a little girl of Elsie’s age. Devona heard Darcy say that she must ask no questions. He said that the wanderings of the Way had brought this child to them. Devona could not accept Elsie’s death? Here was a meaning for it. Here was a chance to save a life in place of a life that had been lost. Darcy said that they must bury their own baby – bury her in the dirt – with no ceremony and in secret. He said that they must call this child “Elsie” and keep her out of sight for a week or two. He spoke of a promotion which would involve a move to another District, where this child would be accepted as their own.

Devona heard, and translated the story into one she could believe. Not that she doubted the sincerity of Darcy’s plea, nor that she rejected it, but she knew Darcy as a man who could always find noble motives for looking after himself. Darcy, Devona told herself, had agreed to foster another man’s child. A Thane’s, perhaps – someone in power. Darcy would do such a thing only for someone in power, never for a friend. She supposed the mother had died. The someone at the door had come to claim the District Roll-Keeper’s official help in keeping the child from the baby farm. This promotion and transfer was his payment, or a way to bring the child closer to the father who wasn’t yet willing to claim her.

Devona held the child, feeling her warmth, listening to her breathing, watching the fluttering of her eyelashes. Filled with such bitter cynicism toward her husband, Devona felt only gratitude toward the little girl in her arms.

Elsie had gone to the heart of the Way; she was at peace, but her mother was not. Elsie’s flight to freedom had left Devona’s heart distended with emotions too deep and mixed to be ranged and given names. This child was not Elsie, but she was so much the dearer for taking Elsie’s place in a world of chill and disappointments, while Elsie escaped to the safety of untouchable death.

The love and care and guidance Devona would have given the child she had borne, she would give ungrudgingly to the child she now cradled. That and more, in recognition that she held her in trust from another woman, also now at peace.

~ * ~

Buy links and links to further excerpts are on the sidebar of this blog.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: What would your main character do with an unexpected child?

MA

#Caturday The Writer At Work

Katya Graymalkin here.

Mom is away today. She’s up in Madison, Indiana, at That Book Place, selling and signing books with the Southern Indiana Writers Group.

Meanwhile, I’m here pounding the keys alone. I ought to clean up this office a little. It’s a mess! I don’t think Mom ever puts anything away, she just adds to the stacks. I try to help, but every time I knock something over, she just picks it up and puts it back on the stack. Maybe if she came home and found everything on the floor, she’d get the message.

Do you see what I mean? How is a cat supposed to get any work done in a mess like this?

I suppose I shouldn’t get too irritable with her. She didn’t say a word, the last time her computer stopped working and she found out it was because the fans were totally clogged with cat hair.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR CATS: You knock something off of somewhere.

KG

My Major Award – FRAGILE

I often enter book giveaways, and it’s astounding how often I win! Naturally, this makes me very happy.

My most recent win was CROSS-STITCH BEFORE DYING: AN EMBROIDERY MYSTERY by Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent), one of my fellow posters at Fatal Foodies. You should all buy the book! It gots a dog in it!

It also involves “a Bollywood-style production.” and I do love me some Bollywood style. If you don’t know what that means, watch this send-up by the guys and gals of The Guild, which I also recommend.

You’re welcome.

So ANYWAY, I emailed Gayle my snail mail address so she could send me my major award, and we exchanged some Christmas Story references, naturally.

When the book arrived, it was accompanied by this, which I hate to insult the book by saying this was even better than getting the book, but it IS the most totally awesome Major Award anybody ever unexpectedly sent me:

THAT is indescribably beautiful!

Finally, for something completely different, spend a few hours at Philosophy Bro, where you’ll learn more about philosophy and sanity than you ever thought possible. Philosophy AND sanity! Both! Many, many thinks thanks to Michael Williams for pointing me to the site.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character wins an award that is far different than what the character expects.

MA

Why I Love Living Here

Out in the country, I mean.

The other day, Charlie and I were sitting out on the back porch, and I saw something going hop, hop hop in the grass by the tree. Here is the tree, with the grass wherein the something was hopping.

I went over to check it out, thinking it was a small toad, since that’s how it was hopping.

It was some kind of mammal. CUTEST! CRITTER! EVER!

I haven’t been able to find out what it was. It had beensy ears. It was round as a butterball, as Mom says. It looked like a reddish-brown mouse head with feet and a long, skinny, bare tail. Mom said I should draw a picture of it, since I didn’t have my camera with me. So here is a picture.

actual size

I got down near it and looked at it for quite a while. Then it stopped being scared of me and hopped away down the hill toward the woods.

Personally, I think it was some kind of imaginary critter than Jen Christopherson invented to make me happy.

Thank you, Jenna!

UPDATE 12:35PM – Friend Becky Coleman pointed me to this Purdue University publication on Indiana Mammals and I found two critters that looked and sounded like bits of mine:

It was shaped like this Bog Lemmingbut it had feet and a tail and movements like this Meadow Jumping Mouse.Maybe it was a Bog Jumping Meadow Mouming.‘Cause this is pretty much what it looked like.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character sees something improbable and nobody believes it.

MA

#6WSC Growth

Write a tiny little story in only six words (not counting the title).

Growth

Everything starts small — a seed becomes a plant, an egg becomes an ostrich, a look becomes a quarrel, a slight becomes a war.

The most wonderful things, the most terrible things, the most powerful things, the most vulnerable things — all begin small and grow. Or they might begin big and grow smaller, which is a very funny thing to say, when you think about it!

Here’s a Six Word Story by Ernest Hemingway.

Such an impact and unseen images in only six words…

Publish your Six Word Story on your own website/blog and paste the link to that post in a comment to this one here.

Here’s mine:

Growth

Beautiful and crippling, like my wife.

I will post a new Six Word Story Challenge every other week on Wednesday – so the next one will be on September 4. On alternating Wednesdays you can visit my dear Sister from overseas’ website Marion Driessen for her story challenges.

I’m posting today at The Write Type on the subject of cartbeforethehorseification.

MA