Roland Yeomans's Blog, page 78
May 26, 2019
WHAT YOU SEE IN THE DARK_ Memorial Day Thoughts
"For myself and thousands of other veterans across this country, Memorial Day
is every day." – Air Force Captain Joshua Carroll
Hemingway with Col. Charles 'Buck' Lanham in Germany, 1944, during the fighting in Hürtgenwald, after which he became ill with pneumonia.“Death is the mother of beauty. Only the perishable can be beautiful, which is why we are unmoved by artificial flowers.”
― Wallace Stevens
No American writer is more associated with writing about war in the early 20th century than Ernest Hemingway.
He experienced it firsthand, wrote dispatches from innumerable frontlines, and used war as a backdrop for many of his most memorable works.
“Throw away the light, the definitions, and say what you see in the dark.”
― Wallace Stevens
Researchers come to the Hemingway archives at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
primarily to examine Ernest Hemingway's original manuscripts and his correspondence with family, friends, and fellow writers.
One object on display is far more consequential:
a piece of shrapnel from the battlefield where Hemingway was wounded during World War I.
Had the enemy mortar attack been more successful that fateful night, the world may never have known one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.
Conversely, had Hemingway not been injured in that attack, he not may have fallen in love with his Red Cross nurse,
a romance that served as the genesis of A Farewell to Arms, one of the century's most read war novels.
Hemingway kept the piece of shrapnel, along with a small handful of other "charms" including a ring set with a bullet fragment, in a small leather change purse.
Similarly he held his war experience close to his heart and demonstrated throughout his life
a keen interest in war and its effects on those who live through it.
War leaves no survivor untouched.
Data compiled from diaries and letters will affirm the presence of psychological disorders in soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
From this body of evidence,
it is clear that soldiers of the American Civil War did indeed suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological disorders.
Until the 20th century little was known about the emotional effects of war on soldiers
and it wasn't until soldiers were studied psychologically that we began to understand what had happened to them.
The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children. -William Havard
It was due to soldiers of the Vietnam war that the disorder was discovered, yet their symptoms had been synonymous with war veterans from hundreds of years before.
Veterans of war find it hard to be the same, emotionally, ever again.
Some may say that their inability to form close bonds with loved ones is due to the experience of near death and the fear that they will leave someone behind.
The emotional effects of war on soldiers very often hinders their future achievements too as they find it impossible to imagine or plan.
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
― G.K. Chesterton
Who are you remembering today? That’s the question for Memorial Day, the day set aside each spring to honor
the men and woman killed in our nation’s wars ...
Men and women who wanted
to see their loved ones again
But wanted them kept safe even more.
May 24, 2019
FATED TO JOURNEY_Part 2 of Writing Middle Grade Historical Fantasy
“I am fated to journey hand in hand with my strange heroes
to see the largeness of life,
to see it through the laughter that is clear to all
and
through the tears unseen and unknown by anyone.”
― Nikolai Gogol
Nailing Middle Grade Voice Is The Key
Remember that the Middle Grade Readers and the characters in the books they read have a limited world view.
That is both good and bad.
As by their short lives, they have thin back stories.
That also limits their perspectives and their grasp of the world around them.
Your Characters Will Not Over-Think A Problem.
They tend to go for the most direct solution without mulling too much over the consequences.
The middle grade years are all about self-discovery.
Finding your voice.
Expanding your world view.
Learning that adults aren’t always right and that they can make mistakes.
Knocking down pedestals and building your own foundation.
To a Middle Grade Character,
There’s turmoil and excitement and the chance to stretch your boundaries.
It’s a time to look inside yourself and see what makes you tick.
To figure out who you are and where you fit in.
No matter the era in which you choose to set your adventure,
Let the historical elements be the backdrop against which
your young protagonists live ordinary days until the extraordinary
propels them into a journey of self and external exploration.
It will be the sense of wonder and thesecret desire to be the protagonist that will keep your young reader glued to the pagesof your tale.
I HOPE THIS WILL HELP YOU IN SOME SMALL WAY TO WIN THIS CONTEST:
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/the-2019-annual-iwsg-anthology-contest.html
May 22, 2019
How To Write MIDDLE GRADE HISTORICAL FANTASY
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/the-2019-annual-iwsg-anthology-contest.htmlAre you entering this contest?
Writing Middle Grade Historical Fantasy is a bit of a challenge.
MAKE YOUR TALE FUN
See through a child's eyes.
What would sweep today's Middle Grader away in a historical fantasy?
What adventures would the squire of King Arthur be propelled into?
Joan of Arc was a mere 15 when she began having her visions which birthed her legend.
But no matter your MC's plight, inject humor into the mix ...
AND PLEASE NO PREACHING.
PUPPY LOVE IS REAL TO THE PUPPY
Adults see kids as small with small problems. Not so. They, like we, want to be heard, to be understood, to be treated with respect.
Children want to be talked to not at, especially in the books they read.
SANDPAPER YOUR COURSE LANGUAGE
Mark Twain could get away with it with HUCKLEBERRY FINN
but he was writing for adults using a middle grader as protagonist.
DON'T BE AN IDIOM IDIOT
How many Spanish youngsters use "swell" or "golly" during the Spanish Inquisition?
The same number of young cabin boys aboard the British Fleet during the Napoleonic Wars.
That's how many.
Do your research. Fine out the common words used during the time period and locale of your story.
DON'T GIVE YOUR YOUNG READERS HISTORY INDIGESTION
Make your history fun and new and brief.
KNOW YOUR READER
During the middle grades, friends and school become more important
than home and family as kids try to figure out their place in the social structure.
In NANCY DREW, the parents all but disappeared from the pages.
No matter the time period or fantasy,
make your MC take the reins of the adventure in his or her own hands.
HOW DID I GET INTO THIS MESS?
If a character has no problem to solve, there is no point to the story.
The story plot consists of an urgent problem confronting your main character
and how he or she goes about solving it, against tremendous opposition.
But when you are a child that becomes extraordinarily difficult.
Danger, mystery, and suspense are the undercurrents
that will pull your young reader along the spinning of your tale.
THE CLIFF NOTES VERSION OF THE SECRETS TO MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY
Tight writing. Active and powerful verbs. A plot that’s cool and fast paced. Characters who are alive with authenticity. Dialogue that is true to the characters. A background rich with possibilities or mystery. Your own unique writing voice. Hints and clues that are woven into the fabric of the plot, and tell of past history and things yet to come
HAVE YOU DECIDED TO ENTER THIS CONTEST?
IF NOT, WHY NOT?
A CLUE TO MY OWN SUBMISSION
May 21, 2019
My New FAVORITE MOVIE
No, not ENDGAME.
Heresy, right?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RSGJVMG/
(Only $4.99 to rent on Amazon)It is a rare Indy gem from Portland
Take a chance on it.
You will be glad you did.
It is a thoughtful, witty prize winningIndie comedy about
family, gender roles, and the importance of accepting each other for who we really are
ZOE, future filmmaker
May 20, 2019
If the World Was Ending Tomorrow?
"If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
If today was your last day.
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day."
- IF TODAY WERE YOUR LAST DAY; Nickelback
If you close your eyes tonight and never re-opened them, what kind of last day would you have had?
The world will be gone. Time is set to be an echo. You have 24 hours left in which to exist.
It could happen. The funny thing about life is, trouble never comes from where you expect it.
You spend two months worried about interviewing for that big job promotion,
then on your way there, you die of a heart attack brought on my all that stress.
That's just the way it goes.
Super-volcanoes, a Verne-Shot (which combines the super-volcano scenario with an asteroid strike, fun, right?),
Gamma Ray Burst from our sun,
engineered diseases or something totally out of left field could end life as we know it.
But for you ... for me ... the world could end tomorrow.
Heart attack, mugger, or drunk driver. Any of those three could end your life suddenly.
"There is only one time that is important: NOW.
It is the most important because it is the only one over which we have any control."
- Leo Tolstoy
Appreciate your job if you can ...
If you just "Survive" your job, you are wasting 71% of your life. (5 out of the 7 days of the week.)
Forgive if you can ...
What someone did to hurt you was their fault. Carrying it with you for each day afterwards is all on you.
Focus on the NOW ...
The Past and the Future are illusions. NOW is the only reality.
If you grasp after ghosts, you, yourself, are not living. You are making of yourself a ghost.
Each moment matters for it may be our last.
Think of all the shooting, bombing, or air crash victims. They thought their lives would go on for years.
Appreciate what and who you have while you have it and them.
Here is Stephen King on my favorite novel of his, DUMA KEY
May 19, 2019
How To Make Your Book A PAGE TURNER
A book is a journey we do not have to take. We must be persuaded to do it.Usually it is the set-up that does that for us: a unique or intriguing situation.
But once the book is picked up,
it will be the characters who will tug us along to find out what they will do and say next.
Do they make us laugh? Do they make us root for them?
As humans, we are driven to seek an understanding of others,
for in understanding them, we come close to understanding ourselves ...
and perhaps we will not feel quite so isolated, alone.
HOW TO ENGAGE THE READER
1.) EACH STEP MUST TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE
As I've said: each book is a journey. Characters, descriptions, or dialogue ... must move that journey along ...
or you are making the reader simply jog in place!
2.) TONY STARK ON A ROAD TRIP
Wouldn't he be a hoot on a road trip to anywhere? Your characters must entertain in some form or fashion
or your reader will opt for more enjoyable companions.
3.) WHERE IS THE DARTH VADER OF YOUR TRIP?
Success conceals; adversity reveals.
Is he looming like a storm cloud on the horizon?
Or is she sitting, smiling like the false friend she is, right beside your hero?
Does his motivation make sense to the reader or does he exist merely to be the Big Bad of your story?
Your reader should see that he/she is just one bad day away from becoming that person.
4.) WHERE IS THE TICKING BOMB?
Imagine a tense company board meeting:
the founder is being betrayed by his best friend in a hostile take-over.
He is bravely, intelligently fighting for his dream while the Judas is smugly smiling.
Unknown to them both, but known to the reader, a terrorist bomb is ticking beneath the table ...
right in plain sight should someone just bend down to pick up a fallen pen.
Tick ... Tick ... Tick.
Can you see all the various ways that could play out?
Your hero staggers out of the board room, having lost it all as his wife rushes into his arms ...
just as the bomb goes off, killing all those within the office.
The Judas in betraying his best friend ends up saving his life.
5.) WHERE IS THE WONDER, THE MAGIC?
It does not have to be literal magic but the wonder has to be there to draw your readers in and keep them.
SAME OLD, SAME OLD plots can become riveting if you spin them.
Robin Hood is the villain;
the sheriff is the valiant, misunderstood man of honor
trying to keep peace in order to prevent the King from ordering mass executions of the peasants.
A simple view out of a stagecoach window can become magical if your protagonist describes it so that the reader views it with new eyes.
My tagline to the front page of THE NOT-SO-INNOCENTS AT LARGE is
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in acquiring new eyes.”
– Samuel McCord
Hope this has helped in some small way, Roland
How To Make Your Book A PAGE TUURNER
A book is a journey we do not have to take. We must be persuaded to do it.Usually it is the set-up that does that for us: a unique or intriguing situation.
But once the book is picked up,
it will be the characters who will tug us along to find out what they will do and say next.
Do they make us laugh? Do they make us root for them?
As humans, we are driven to seek an understanding of others,
for in understanding them, we come close to understanding ourselves ...
and perhaps we will not feel quite so isolated, alone.
HOW TO ENGAGE THE READER
1.) EACH STEP MUST TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE
As I've said: each book is a journey. Characters, descriptions, or dialogue ... must move that journey along ...
or you are making the reader simply jog in place!
2.) TONY STARK ON A ROAD TRIP
Wouldn't he be a hoot on a road trip to anywhere? Your characters must entertain in some form or fashion
or your reader will opt for more enjoyable companions.
3.) WHERE IS THE DARTH VADER OF YOUR TRIP?
Success conceals; adversity reveals.
Is he looming like a storm cloud on the horizon?
Or is she sitting, smiling like the false friend she is, right beside your hero?
Does his motivation make sense to the reader or does he exist merely to be the Big Bad of your story?
Your reader should see that he/she is just one bad day away from becoming that person.
4.) WHERE IS THE TICKING BOMB?
Imagine a tense company board meeting:
the founder is being betrayed by his best friend in a hostile take-over.
He is bravely, intelligently fighting for his dream while the Judas is smugly smiling.
Unknown to them both, but known to the reader, a terrorist bomb is ticking beneath the table ...
right in plain sight should someone just bend down to pick up a fallen pen.
Tick ... Tick ... Tick.
Can you see all the various ways that could play out?
Your hero staggers out of the board room, having lost it all as his wife rushes into his arms ...
just as the bomb goes off, killing all those within the office.
The Judas in betraying his best friend ends up saving his life.
5.) WHERE IS THE WONDER, THE MAGIC?
It does not have to be literal magic but the wonder has to be there to draw your readers in and keep them.
SAME OLD, SAME OLD plots can become riveting if you spin them.
Robin Hood is the villain;
the sheriff is the valiant, misunderstood man of honor
trying to keep peace in order to prevent the King from ordering mass executions of the peasants.
A simple view out of a stagecoach window can become magical if your protagonist describes it so that the reader views it with new eyes.
My tagline to the front page of THE NOT-SO-INNOCENTS AT LARGE is
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in acquiring new eyes.”
– Samuel McCord
Hope this has helped in some small way, Roland
May 16, 2019
Why HEART is important in a story
I stayed away from the show RIZZOLI & ISLES
until earlier this year when I got a deal on Season 1.
The promo photos like the one above had led me to think
it was a police procedural made shallow by two plastic leads.
But the series had heart, humor, and compassion
I decided to try the series of bookson which the show was based.
The heart, friendship, and humor were not in the books.
The gory details of the murders weretoo dominant for me.
The books literally leftme cold.
The heart of the show was revealed in how it treated the suicide of
Lee Thompson Young who played Detective Frost.
The show dealt with Lee’s death in a way that was not just respectful to the actor
and the role that he had filled in the company of actors, but also to his character.
His desk remained empty except for the action figure he kept there for two seasons afterwards.
Lee's character Frost appeared in spirit in various episodes.
And the sense of his loss was an ongoing theme throughout the remaining four seasons.
If you haven't tried RIZOLLI & ISLES,give it a shot.
HAVE YOU EVER STUMBLED UPON A TV SERIES AND LOVED IT ONLY TO FIND IT HAD BEEN CANCELLED?
May 14, 2019
Surreal Noir: DARK HOLLYWOOD
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N75DRKCThe current series of historical fantasies I am writing is the DARK HOLLYWOOD CHRONICLES.
The current saga I'm working on spans the globe
from the fatal mission of an O.S.S. agent in Germany during the last days of WWII
to the UnAmerican Activities Committee witch-hunt in our capital
to the South China Seas and
a ghost ship littered with dead sailors with no wounds upon their bodies and then
to a Film Noir movie being shot on location in New Orleans,
centering upon a stage magician drawn into solving a series of mysterious murders
to prove himself innocent of them.
WORDS OF PRAISE FOR THE LAST PUBLISHED INSTALLMENT
TONJA DRECKER:
When I dove into this one, I wasn't really sure what to expect... but whatever it was, this story was much better.
The author creates a dark but beautiful and enticing atmosphere in the French Quarter.
The setting is placed on the first day of the Carnival in 1947, where reality, death and magic interplay and form a wondrous world.
Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte is portrayed with an exquisite, dark elegance as she leaves a trail of death in her wake. But that's only the beginning.
The characters are vivid with personalities so potent, they jump from the page—
some even taken from well known figures like Cesar Romero.
The mystery is twined and twisted. The addition of myth and magic add an alluring spice.
It's a wonderful concoction which pulls in and presents a show all of its own.
Add the well crafted wording and clever dialogue, and it's an intoxicating mix.
C. LEE McKENZIE:
Surreal enters Stage Left.
In Razor Valentine you enter 1947 during Carnival where the natural laws don’t exist and where death is a dark and dangerous beauty.
In this world, unlikely people struggle to live and love. Death is always imminent and confusion is queen.
Many characters return from previous stories to weave their way into this newest surreal adventure. And there are some new, but extraordinary characters based on real life celebrities of the 40s.
Yeomans captures their essence in this bizarre tale.
Caesar Romero comes to life as the suave, sophisticated actor he actually was on the Hollywood screen decades ago.
You can almost hear Jimmy Stewart drawl his way through the story, and the author pays him the respect he earned in real life during the war years.
As always, a lot of fresh and often humorous images lace the story and Yeomans does an elegant dance with the English language.
Something I always appreciate.
RONEL JANSE vAN VUUREN:
This book is filled with the odd twists and turns that I always imagine New Orleans to be –
the supernatural as normal as breathing.
I liked the intertwined history, mystery and the odd (and compelling) character that is Lucas.
And the author’s play with language is quite a treat!
The world building is intricate, the layers fascinating
and Irene is clearly insane (though, that is part of the fun) –
and no-one in this story can truly be sane with everything they encounter.
DAMIEN LARKIN:
The author skillfully pulls the reader into the story from the very start.
Set against the stunning backdrop of the Carnival, the darkness and mystery ooze from every word.
The well-crafted characters race against time to stop a string of murders, despite danger lingering around every corner.
The action is surprising and fast paced,
and the author skillfully weaves the scenes in between with breath-taking attention to detail and a dark sense of humour.
Twists and turns keep the reader guessing where the story will lead them, even casting suspicion on the motives and loyalties of the characters themselves.
Razor Valentine is an ideal read for anyone interested in Paranormal Mysteries/Thrillers.
The author has a stunning command of the written word that will not fail to entertain.
After reading this story, I look forward to diving into more of Mr. Yeomans' works.
THE PRIOR CHAPTER IN THE SERIES
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KQ8XMJRImagine a Noir Supernatural Mystery set in New Orleans as if Charles Dickens and Raymond Chandler had teamed to write it.
Sureal Noir: DARK HOLLYWOOD
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N75DRKCThe current series of historical fantasies I am writing is the DARK HOLLYWOOD CHRONICLES.
The current saga I'm working on spans the globe
from the fatal mission of an O.S.S. agent in Germany during the last days of WWII
to the UnAmerican Activities Committee witch-hunt in our capital
to the South China Seas and
a ghost ship littered with dead sailors with no wounds upon their bodies and then
to a Film Noir movie being shot on location in New Orleans,
centering upon a stage magician drawn into solving a series of mysterious murders
to prove himself innocent of them.
WORDS OF PRAISE FOR THE LAST PUBLISHED INSTALLMENT
TONJA DRECKER:
When I dove into this one, I wasn't really sure what to expect... but whatever it was, this story was much better.
The author creates a dark but beautiful and enticing atmosphere in the French Quarter.
The setting is placed on the first day of the Carnival in 1947, where reality, death and magic interplay and form a wondrous world.
Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte is portrayed with an exquisite, dark elegance as she leaves a trail of death in her wake. But that's only the beginning.
The characters are vivid with personalities so potent, they jump from the page—
some even taken from well known figures like Cesar Romero.
The mystery is twined and twisted. The addition of myth and magic add an alluring spice.
It's a wonderful concoction which pulls in and presents a show all of its own.
Add the well crafted wording and clever dialogue, and it's an intoxicating mix.
C. LEE McKENZIE:
Surreal enters Stage Left.
In Razor Valentine you enter 1947 during Carnival where the natural laws don’t exist and where death is a dark and dangerous beauty.
In this world, unlikely people struggle to live and love. Death is always imminent and confusion is queen.
Many characters return from previous stories to weave their way into this newest surreal adventure. And there are some new, but extraordinary characters based on real life celebrities of the 40s.
Yeomans captures their essence in this bizarre tale.
Caesar Romero comes to life as the suave, sophisticated actor he actually was on the Hollywood screen decades ago.
You can almost hear Jimmy Stewart drawl his way through the story, and the author pays him the respect he earned in real life during the war years.
As always, a lot of fresh and often humorous images lace the story and Yeomans does an elegant dance with the English language.
Something I always appreciate.
RONEL JANSE vAN VUUREN:
This book is filled with the odd twists and turns that I always imagine New Orleans to be –
the supernatural as normal as breathing.
I liked the intertwined history, mystery and the odd (and compelling) character that is Lucas.
And the author’s play with language is quite a treat!
The world building is intricate, the layers fascinating
and Irene is clearly insane (though, that is part of the fun) –
and no-one in this story can truly be sane with everything they encounter.
DAMIEN LARKIN:
The author skillfully pulls the reader into the story from the very start.
Set against the stunning backdrop of the Carnival, the darkness and mystery ooze from every word.
The well-crafted characters race against time to stop a string of murders, despite danger lingering around every corner.
The action is surprising and fast paced,
and the author skillfully weaves the scenes in between with breath-taking attention to detail and a dark sense of humour.
Twists and turns keep the reader guessing where the story will lead them, even casting suspicion on the motives and loyalties of the characters themselves.
Razor Valentine is an ideal read for anyone interested in Paranormal Mysteries/Thrillers.
The author has a stunning command of the written word that will not fail to entertain.
After reading this story, I look forward to diving into more of Mr. Yeomans' works.
THE PRIOR CHAPTER IN THE SERIES
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KQ8XMJRImagine a Noir Supernatural Mystery set in New Orleans as if Charles Dickens and Raymond Chandler had teamed to write it.
