D.D. Symms's Blog
December 2, 2014
In His Grip
Got a good start on In His Grip. Dalton Blake has made a big change. I'm looking forward to seeing where he goes.
November 19, 2014
What stirs in the character's thoughts
If you walk past someone on the street, do you ever wonder what thoughts are racing through their minds?
You could have a person shuffling along, looking worn by the years they have lived through, with a mind racing like a teenager.
Who knows?
I find the inner world fascinating and how it causes us to act.
You could have a person shuffling along, looking worn by the years they have lived through, with a mind racing like a teenager.
Who knows?
I find the inner world fascinating and how it causes us to act.
November 18, 2014
Skimming a Story's Opening
I love those free moments in a book store or library when I select a novel at random and skim the opening few pages.
What am I hoping to discover? Alot. How the author pulls us in -- or maybe doesn't pull us in. How thoughts illustrate action and get us to the point where we say, "wow, I've got to read this."
I want to discover the character and how the tension and conflict are presented. And in those few pages, I want to meet the character and have that feeling of "I can't wait to know more about you."
Yep, I love those free moments and treasure them when I can skim the opening of a story.
What am I hoping to discover? Alot. How the author pulls us in -- or maybe doesn't pull us in. How thoughts illustrate action and get us to the point where we say, "wow, I've got to read this."
I want to discover the character and how the tension and conflict are presented. And in those few pages, I want to meet the character and have that feeling of "I can't wait to know more about you."
Yep, I love those free moments and treasure them when I can skim the opening of a story.
May 29, 2014
The use of language ande details in Tree Change by Tea Cooper
I find myself attracted to the type of prose that Tea Cooper pens ... similar to the flow written by Anita Shreve. The imagery draws me in and yet the language is not "literary" to the point where a reader is lost.
It's like sitting on a grassy hill and watching the clouds float above. An example:
"...ever since she had stepped onto the sand and looked up at the Shack, she had opened a box of forgotten memories and the images had come flooding out in colors far brighter and more intense than she remembered.
"The high-pitched whistle of the kettle pierced the fog in her brain, and she grimaced as she tipped the boiling water over the tea bag, ignoring the water slopping over the edge of the mug and pooling on the bench."
How many details are too much in a story and what can be left out? Certainly, we don't need to know that water pooled on the bench and yet it fits in and completes the picture and the mood of what is happening at this point in the story.
I think it flows organically ... the best way for all stories to flow and the best way for authors of all styles to express themselves.Tree Change
It's like sitting on a grassy hill and watching the clouds float above. An example:
"...ever since she had stepped onto the sand and looked up at the Shack, she had opened a box of forgotten memories and the images had come flooding out in colors far brighter and more intense than she remembered.
"The high-pitched whistle of the kettle pierced the fog in her brain, and she grimaced as she tipped the boiling water over the tea bag, ignoring the water slopping over the edge of the mug and pooling on the bench."
How many details are too much in a story and what can be left out? Certainly, we don't need to know that water pooled on the bench and yet it fits in and completes the picture and the mood of what is happening at this point in the story.
I think it flows organically ... the best way for all stories to flow and the best way for authors of all styles to express themselves.Tree Change
October 27, 2013
The Long Tease of Bella Andre
Bella Andre's From This Moment On is remarkable the way she carries a romance with nothing happening between the characters for about 154 pages.
And I don't just mean there's no sex, which is fine. There's no plot, either. Yet she displays a discipline in maintaining the story even though there's little tension between the extraordinarily polite and handsome Marcus Sullivan and pop star Nicola.
Marcus really is an amazing guy. He takes Nicola home from a club and his intention is to have sex with her. Her intention is to have anonymous sex with a guy, too. He's 36 years old and yet he calls his mother and has Nicola speak with her to assure her that she will be safe.
She falls asleep on his lap the first time and he's polite enough to not touch her in any way and he makes sure she's comfortable.
When they finally do get to have sex for the first time, a mother with two small children and a fussy baby come out of the hotel elevator and Marcus is kind enough to hold the baby while the mother and the two children snap a picture with pop star Nicola.
Marcus is ever so careful to pay attention to all of Nicola's needs while the two have sex and he's careful to have her go slow even though she wants to go hard.
He's quite a guy and probably like one I would never write. Although, I can't say that's completely true.
From this Moment On is a light-hearted read.
What I found annoying in this story is the same trait I found annoying in a Karen Kingsbury novel. Bella Andre hits us over the head time and again with how kind and handsome Marcus is and how much of a pop star Nicola is. Karen Kingsbury, an inspirational author, did the same thing in her story with a Hollywood handsome leading man and kept repeating over and over how he was world famous over. It became annoying in its repetitive nature.
This lends a superficial nature to the characters and yet the prose is disciplined in its telling.
I admire Bella Andre for keeping the story simple – and simple is not easy to do. That truly is not a criticism. There's a discipline in her prose and it's deceptively simple.
It's just the sex is almost too clean and Marcus is some fabulous kind of guy who has phenomenal self control. Or maybe I'm just jealous.
And I don't just mean there's no sex, which is fine. There's no plot, either. Yet she displays a discipline in maintaining the story even though there's little tension between the extraordinarily polite and handsome Marcus Sullivan and pop star Nicola.
Marcus really is an amazing guy. He takes Nicola home from a club and his intention is to have sex with her. Her intention is to have anonymous sex with a guy, too. He's 36 years old and yet he calls his mother and has Nicola speak with her to assure her that she will be safe.
She falls asleep on his lap the first time and he's polite enough to not touch her in any way and he makes sure she's comfortable.
When they finally do get to have sex for the first time, a mother with two small children and a fussy baby come out of the hotel elevator and Marcus is kind enough to hold the baby while the mother and the two children snap a picture with pop star Nicola.
Marcus is ever so careful to pay attention to all of Nicola's needs while the two have sex and he's careful to have her go slow even though she wants to go hard.
He's quite a guy and probably like one I would never write. Although, I can't say that's completely true.
From this Moment On is a light-hearted read.
What I found annoying in this story is the same trait I found annoying in a Karen Kingsbury novel. Bella Andre hits us over the head time and again with how kind and handsome Marcus is and how much of a pop star Nicola is. Karen Kingsbury, an inspirational author, did the same thing in her story with a Hollywood handsome leading man and kept repeating over and over how he was world famous over. It became annoying in its repetitive nature.
This lends a superficial nature to the characters and yet the prose is disciplined in its telling.
I admire Bella Andre for keeping the story simple – and simple is not easy to do. That truly is not a criticism. There's a discipline in her prose and it's deceptively simple.
It's just the sex is almost too clean and Marcus is some fabulous kind of guy who has phenomenal self control. Or maybe I'm just jealous.
August 5, 2013
Navigating Cliches for the Writer
Writers, in striving to develop a unique character and story, must carefully navigate the sea of available cliches.
Pre-formed stereotypes are impossible to avoid yet place too many in a story and the truth of the characters wears thin and the story can become a lie.
I recently traveled to the San Juan Islands off Washington State and the bays were beautiful on Lopez Island. High tide and low tide offered different perspectives on the same view.
Low tide reveal more of the smaller rock outcroppings closer to shore, ones that could damage an otherwise smooth sailing experience.
Cliches are like this. A few can bring instant familiarity to a reader. Too many and the story sinks fast.
Do I have cliches in my novel Boarding? Perhaps. I do think, though, that I give as original a look as possible into the needs, wants, and desires of a fashion designer, a renowned model, and the bi-sexual lover of the model's manager.
Pre-formed stereotypes are impossible to avoid yet place too many in a story and the truth of the characters wears thin and the story can become a lie.
I recently traveled to the San Juan Islands off Washington State and the bays were beautiful on Lopez Island. High tide and low tide offered different perspectives on the same view.
Low tide reveal more of the smaller rock outcroppings closer to shore, ones that could damage an otherwise smooth sailing experience.
Cliches are like this. A few can bring instant familiarity to a reader. Too many and the story sinks fast.
Do I have cliches in my novel Boarding? Perhaps. I do think, though, that I give as original a look as possible into the needs, wants, and desires of a fashion designer, a renowned model, and the bi-sexual lover of the model's manager.
July 22, 2013
My Opening in Boarding, Part 1
Part of the fun I had writing Boarding was creating the opening.
I first wrote the short story Layover where Jessie meets a guy in Chicago's O'Hare Airport and spends the night with him and has a kinky time.
So for a year I thought "why in the world would she have done that?" Lol! And I knew she had been in New York earlier. I wondered, "why was she in New York?"
I kept imagining her sitting in an office, meeting with someone important. Who was this someone?
My initial paragraph had nothing compelling for me until I considered "aha, he's looking at her fashion portfolio.
"He can make her career or send her on her way in obscurity and she'd face a lecture from her boyfriend, pressuring her to end her fashion design dreams."
In my next post, I'll share the opening.
I first wrote the short story Layover where Jessie meets a guy in Chicago's O'Hare Airport and spends the night with him and has a kinky time.So for a year I thought "why in the world would she have done that?" Lol! And I knew she had been in New York earlier. I wondered, "why was she in New York?"
I kept imagining her sitting in an office, meeting with someone important. Who was this someone?
My initial paragraph had nothing compelling for me until I considered "aha, he's looking at her fashion portfolio.
"He can make her career or send her on her way in obscurity and she'd face a lecture from her boyfriend, pressuring her to end her fashion design dreams."
In my next post, I'll share the opening.
Finding a Compelling Opening in the Novel Boarding
Smash! Bang! Bust-'em-up action rarely appeals to me when I'm reading - or when I'm watching a movie.
I want to be in the character's head and sense the tension, excitement, or fear.
My challenge in the opening of Boarding was capturing Jessie Carter's nervousness while a powerful man eyed her portfolio.
All she wanted was for him to say yes or no—to accept or reject her fashion concepts. Jessie fantasized about gripping his collar and running her nose against his tan face and chiseled jaw.
She would whisper how much she admired his wide shoulders and sturdy neck and if he would say something, then he could do anything to her he damn well pleased.
That way she could retreat back to the hotel to take a nap, a warm bath, and enjoy the remainder of her Tuesday afternoon.
Ugh. Using sex just to get something was repulsive and only added to the stress.
She crossed one denim-clad leg over the other to keep from sliding along the vinyl upholstery and into a heap
on the floor.
Boarding, Book 1 The Jessie Carter Fashion Series
The context is Jessie had just arrived from London on a turbulent British Airways flight and she was still settling.
If you'd like to sample the novel, I will send the first 3 chapters for free. Email me at ddsymms@yahoo.com.
I want to be in the character's head and sense the tension, excitement, or fear.
My challenge in the opening of Boarding was capturing Jessie Carter's nervousness while a powerful man eyed her portfolio.
All she wanted was for him to say yes or no—to accept or reject her fashion concepts. Jessie fantasized about gripping his collar and running her nose against his tan face and chiseled jaw.
She would whisper how much she admired his wide shoulders and sturdy neck and if he would say something, then he could do anything to her he damn well pleased.
That way she could retreat back to the hotel to take a nap, a warm bath, and enjoy the remainder of her Tuesday afternoon.
Ugh. Using sex just to get something was repulsive and only added to the stress.
She crossed one denim-clad leg over the other to keep from sliding along the vinyl upholstery and into a heap
on the floor.
Boarding, Book 1 The Jessie Carter Fashion Series
The context is Jessie had just arrived from London on a turbulent British Airways flight and she was still settling.
If you'd like to sample the novel, I will send the first 3 chapters for free. Email me at ddsymms@yahoo.com.
July 21, 2013
Compelling Openings in Fiction
I've been paying close attention to the openings of novels lately and I find something compelling occurring right away.
This could be an action, tension with the unknown, or a decision that upsets the character.
An opening that intrigued me was The Firm by John Grisham. I read it – and will go back to re-read—as to why it had tension despite what could have been mind-numbing details.
His novel The Associate begins with the hero, Kyle, struggling as a basketball coach in a recreational league. An unidentified man walks in.
This is from the 8th paragraph: "After the agent/cop leaned against the bleachers, he cast a long suspicious look at the Red Knights' bench, and his eyes seemed to settle on Coach Kyle."
This is from 2nd paragraph of Liz Carlyle's Tempted All Night. "Desperation—and a rash, reckless idea—had driven her from the house, and despite the chill, Phaedra had left Mayfair without a hat."
Leslie Gould, author of Adoring Addie, gets right into it. "My parents were positive I'd met my future husband. They expected me to marry Philip Eichler, the bishop's son. And soon."
What openings of stories have you especially liked?
Which ones have gripped you and why and which ones did not catch you?
To summarize, the opening has to show something is at stake for the character.
This could be an action, tension with the unknown, or a decision that upsets the character.
An opening that intrigued me was The Firm by John Grisham. I read it – and will go back to re-read—as to why it had tension despite what could have been mind-numbing details.
His novel The Associate begins with the hero, Kyle, struggling as a basketball coach in a recreational league. An unidentified man walks in.
This is from the 8th paragraph: "After the agent/cop leaned against the bleachers, he cast a long suspicious look at the Red Knights' bench, and his eyes seemed to settle on Coach Kyle."
This is from 2nd paragraph of Liz Carlyle's Tempted All Night. "Desperation—and a rash, reckless idea—had driven her from the house, and despite the chill, Phaedra had left Mayfair without a hat."
Leslie Gould, author of Adoring Addie, gets right into it. "My parents were positive I'd met my future husband. They expected me to marry Philip Eichler, the bishop's son. And soon."
What openings of stories have you especially liked?
Which ones have gripped you and why and which ones did not catch you?
To summarize, the opening has to show something is at stake for the character.
July 18, 2013
Why Boarding Appeals to Me
My just released novel Boarding appeals to me because the heroine, Jessie Carter, has a respect for other people and though she admires a model Jessie is not star struck.
Boarding takes place in New York and includes celebrities but it's not about celebrities. Every one is a real person.
Yeah, there's a bit o' sex throughout and we see Jessie get tired of romancing her boyfriend and instead use sex to begin taking charge of her destiny.
Boarding is a step forward for me and I hope you enjoy reading it.
I'm already hard at work on the life of Jessie five years later in Arrival - the next stage of her career and relationships.
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