Valerie Davisson's Blog, page 9
May 21, 2016
Through a Child’s Eyes
Most writers have Day Jobs, and I am no exception. I will retire next year, with 21 years of teaching under my belt, and although I’m looking forward to having the time to write full-time, I have not lost my passion for teaching. Being around 12-year olds reminds me to really see.
I love this time of year with the kids at school. Yes, it’s test-taking time, which we all hate, but it’s also our annual Independent Research Project time! With only a little refinement from me, the kids get to choose their own research question and present their findings creatively. Without guidance, kids are not sure where to start. Because of their limited life experience, they don’t know what questions to ask and can’t always see the numerous possibilities, so over a period of a few weeks, I throw things out there for them to consider. Just whatever comes up in the news or our daily lives.
Recently, on a trip to attend a family funeral up in Sacramento, I picked up a Discovery science magazine at the airport. I shared my own enthusiasm about the marvelous discoveries being made and how the world is just waiting for them to grow up and get out there – that not everything has been discovered and recorded – the world needs them and they need the world.
After sharing a few quotes from each article, kids were fighting over who got it first, and with it, the privilege of learning about CRISPR gene editing, Einstein’s thought experiments, or space travel. Love my 6th graders’ enthusiasm!
Some of their research question ideas so far:
What is Art? When did Art start?
What makes color? Have we discovered all the colors?
Will there ever be world peace?
Is Democracy the best form of government?
What is the healthiest vegetable to grow in our school garden? Is organic better?
How large a garden do you need to feed a family of 5?
What caused World War II?
What will school look like in 2050?
How do prosthetics work?
I firmly believe that in order to be a writer, you have to maintain that kind of enthusiasm about the world. So here’s my advice of the day:
Go Forth & See the World Through a Child’s Eyes!
May 13, 2016
Great Turnout!
In this session, which focused on Planning, fellow presenters, Joe, Greta and I, shared ideas on how to find time to write, back mapping to set realistic goals, and how to get a handle on your genre. Attendees were a great mix of ages, genders, occupations, and writing experience. Can’t wait for our next session!
Our goal in this series is simply to share information we’ve gleaned through experience, workshops, conferences, education, and research, and help new writers avoid the mistakes we made. We want to be the mentors we didn’t have when we started. None of us claim to be experts
If you’re in the area, the sessions are open – you can drop in anytime.
At our next session, June 8th, I’ll be covering character development and dialogue, Joe will take a look at non-fiction structures, and Greta will discuss plotting vs pantsing, pacing and conflict. Hope to see you there!
May 8, 2016
7 Essential Resources 4 Writers
Wanted to pass along a great resource from a former editor of Writers Digest, Maria Schneider:
7 Free Resources Every Writer Needs
The Web is abundant with free guides, resources and, of course, advice for writers. The fact is, there’s so much out there that it’s difficult to sift through the clutter to find what might actually be helpful.
So we’ve done the work for you. Here are several essential online resources that you will bookmark and turn to again and again in your writing career. And the very best part—they’re all free!
U.S. Copyright Office
This is the spot to quench your copyright concerns and even register your work for a copyright.
Merriam-Webster
This is the most reliable online dictionary and it’s also the house standard for many magazines and publishers. There’s also a handy thesaurus so you can find just the right word.
If you’re a little fuzzy on passive tense or your commas are out of control, check out
Agent Query
An indispensable free resource for finding a literary agent. They also offer a handy query tracker.
Duotrope’s digest
This site offers a searchable database of 2300 current poetry and fiction markets.
Elements of Style
The classic writing style guide by William Strunk, Jr. is now freely available online. Even if you studied it in college, read it again, you’ll take away something new that will refresh your writing.
Poets & Writers
The website of the venerable writing journal provides the most comprehensive guide to writing contests and grants.
If you know about more great, free online resources, please share with your fellow writers here in the comments section.
April 30, 2016
Writer’s Journal
Where do you try out your ideas? Authors don’t just start writing on Monday, and a few months later type The End! Long before they fire up the old computer, or pull out that yellow, lined pad to write Chapter One, and all along the way, they’re testing ideas, following a plot line to see if it logically works, doing the background work on weapons, chemicals, laws, or police procedure to see if what they want a character or murder weapon to do is possible.
“How can I get Anna back to base camp without having the forest fire reach her first?”
“Can I fit this character in?”
“Who should die and how?”
“Which character should my killer be?”
“Do I start with the murder, or build gradually?”
“Will the love interest stick around, or should I have them crash and burn?”
“What if….?”
Excel spreadsheets are a great what-if tool for financial managers. The equivalent for writers is usually a small notebook, journal or folder on their desktop. You need a place to try out your ideas. Nothing has to be in order. Nothing has to make sense…yet.
Keeping a writer’s journal is sort of like thinking out loud on paper. I love this messy, wonderfully creative place. It’s where I decide what to keep, what to throw out, and what research I need to do to answer my own questions. This is where my brain leap frogs around, discovering interesting side trips, sub plot lines, and cool, surprising details that will hopefully entertain readers.
What do these notes look like?
I cut my teeth on the first novel in the series, SHATTERED: Logan Book 1. I quickly became overwhelmed with the amount of information I was accumulating, so I created a Bookmark folder to throw links to websites that had information I know I would need later, but didn’t have time to write copious notes on now. Then I added a Folder to my desktop with Word files containing character backstories, murder weapon ideas, etc. Writing backstories is not only fun, but a great tool for creating intriguing characters with depth. I’ll write more about creating backstories for your characters in another post.
I created a master Excel spreadsheet to begin mapping out what each character was doing each day, particularly around the time of the murder, even though I won’t put what each character did in each chapter. Knowing where everyone was and what they were doing helps me to determine alibis, motive, and opportunity.
This spreadsheet became the backbone I would refer to and continue to build as I wrote the book. I’m a loose plotter – sort of organized, but willing to change the whole story if I discover a better angle as I write. I always throw a couple of pieces of paper and a pen in my purse or pocket – you never know when you’ll hear some great dialogue, or a snippet of an idea will come to you, or you’ll see a person at the restaurant you simply HAVE to turn into a character at some point.
One of my favorite authors from way back one, who is still in the game, generously shares some of her journal – hashing out of ideas as she wrote some of her books. Here’s the link for some of her notes on G is for Gumshoe: Sue Grafton’s Writing Journal.
