Beth Camp's Blog, page 79
February 3, 2013
ROW80 Check-in and shades of gray . . .
It's not always easy getting reader feed-back. We know that. Today's 'bon mot' came clear from the east coast with a suggestion I should read that 50 Shades of Gray book (classified as erotic porn) to add 'more emotion' to my characters.
Haven't read it. Don't intend to. Not my storyline. The person had read an old version of a story I'm working on. Intellectually, I know not every reader will
Haven't read it. Don't intend to. Not my storyline. The person had read an old version of a story I'm working on. Intellectually, I know not every reader will
January 30, 2013
Wearing someone else's shoes . . . and ROW80
We'll be on the road for all of March, no set itinerary, just driving down from Spokane to Tucson, meandering, all the 'things' we need in the car, camping in a tent when we wish or sleeping over in a hotel. Somehow that appeals to me, that letting go of daily routine (sotto voice "and obligation"), stepping away from structure, and embracing the daily surprise that warmer weather will bring. I
January 28, 2013
Running late with ROW80 Check-in. . .
I feel a little like Alice down a rat hole. We're hanging out this week with a centenarian, a delightful lady with stories of the 1930s oil fields to share. Internet here works but not with my computer. I'm writing every morning, but then switch to the 'big' computer in the den for internet. So here's my ROW80 check-in:
Sunday's January 28th ROW80 progress this week:
Writing: Wrote 5 out of 7
Sunday's January 28th ROW80 progress this week:
Writing: Wrote 5 out of 7
January 25, 2013
More about Mathinna
I wrote about Mathinna's history last April. This evocative painting of her by Thomas Bock calls me back again and again, and so today I put the unveiling of this portrait in my story, Years of Stone, set in Tasmania in 1842.
But writing is never so simple. Sometimes there are surprises.
Right now I'm revising Years of Stone, rereading and revising, and yet feeling like progress is very slow.
But writing is never so simple. Sometimes there are surprises.
Right now I'm revising Years of Stone, rereading and revising, and yet feeling like progress is very slow.
January 22, 2013
Winter thoughts and ROW80 . . .
January brings
freezing fog this morning,
ice on the street slick and glassy.
Little nameless winter birds cluster
at the bird feeder,
as if the seeds will keep them warm.
Even the trees turn white
and still, each leafless branch,
each pine needle, frost-coated.
Like house plants, we are still alive,
My African violets yet bloom in winter.
ROW80 CHECK-IN: Skipped Sunday's ROW80
freezing fog this morning,
ice on the street slick and glassy.
Little nameless winter birds cluster
at the bird feeder,
as if the seeds will keep them warm.
Even the trees turn white
and still, each leafless branch,
each pine needle, frost-coated.
Like house plants, we are still alive,
My African violets yet bloom in winter.
ROW80 CHECK-IN: Skipped Sunday's ROW80
January 16, 2013
WEDS ROW80 Check in . . . and possums
Tasmanian Brushtail Possum
One of my characters in Years of Stone carries around a possum. I thought I knew what this small animal looked like, most likely something like a raccoon, though I was uncertain why anyone would want one for a pet.
Then I found there's a big difference between an opossum in North America and a possum in Tasmania.
In Tasmania, the possum is cuddly, somewhat chubby,
One of my characters in Years of Stone carries around a possum. I thought I knew what this small animal looked like, most likely something like a raccoon, though I was uncertain why anyone would want one for a pet.
Then I found there's a big difference between an opossum in North America and a possum in Tasmania.
In Tasmania, the possum is cuddly, somewhat chubby,
January 13, 2013
ROW80 Sunday Check-in
This month's Writer's Digest has an interesting article by Donald Maass, "Failure to Launch" (Feb 2013). He's telling writers that great fiction will sell, and he itemizes what specifically we should check to ensure we are writing enthralling fiction.
What drew me into the article, though, was my personal history with Agent Maass. Back in the day when I subbed my first novel, Mothers Don't Die,
What drew me into the article, though, was my personal history with Agent Maass. Back in the day when I subbed my first novel, Mothers Don't Die,
January 12, 2013
Writers: Do you back up your work daily?
I had my laptop stolen once while crossing the border between Chile and Peru. I well remember that sick feeling of horror, even though I had backups online and on a flashdrive (kept separately from my computer). There I stood in the bus station, trying to explain to a police officer in my somewhat fluent Spanish how important that computer was. I did lose photographs and a daily journal with
January 10, 2013
Writing Tip: Setting and Truthiness . . .
Suppose you are writing a story set in a locale you've never visited. Is it a failure of imagination that you can't quite visualize the scene?
For writers of historical fiction, creating a sense of time and place are crucial in building story. So, in the quest for 'truthiness', a term coined by Steven Colbert, what writers call verisimilitude (actually 'truthiness' is not quite what writers use
For writers of historical fiction, creating a sense of time and place are crucial in building story. So, in the quest for 'truthiness', a term coined by Steven Colbert, what writers call verisimilitude (actually 'truthiness' is not quite what writers use
January 9, 2013
ROW80 Update . . .
ROW80 (A Round of Words in 80 Days) begins officially with Monday and Wednesday posts, January 7 through March 20. We have set goals and now will climb the hill of accountability every week. On this last Monday, one ROW80 writer cleverly separated 'writing about goals' from 'writing about writing', so that's what I will try to do with today focusing on goals.
Writing: I would like to finish
Writing: I would like to finish
