Alison Stanley's Blog, page 8

News

Hi all,

I’ve had a lot of family events on lately, as well as internet issues, so haven’t been able to blog, or write, as much as I’d like.

I am getting closer to finishing my second book. I am hoping to be able to release it before Christmas. If you’d be interested in being a beta reader, please contact me at  secondchancesnovel@gmail.com. I’m looking for people who enjoy reading contemporary Christian romance books to provide some feedback on what I have written, eg holes in the plot, character development, grammatical errors.

In preparation for the release of my next book, ‘Second Chances – a Novella’ is currently available for free as an e-book on Smashwords. You can download it to any device or to your computer. I’d love if you would leave a review and let other readers know what you thought.

Take care,

Alison

Judge me not

I recently attended the funeral of my much-loved grandmother. As we remembered her life, it was obvious that she’d had a huge impact on everyone she met. To grandma, people were important.

Of the many nice things that were said about her, the one that stood out to me was this quote - “she wanted to know everything about everyone… not to judge, but to empathise.”

I found that really inspiring, and also humbling. Being judgemental is not a characteristic many people would want to own up to. But, I’ll admit it – there are times when I judge others. I could say that it is human nature to compare ourselves to others as a way of measuring our success, our attractiveness, our virtue, or our worth, but that is just a cop-out. Judging others is vile and I hate that I do it.

John 3:17 says ‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him’. It is interesting that when Jesus was on earth, he spent time with people who were known to be ’sinners’ – tax collectors, prostitutes, evil-doers. However, it was not the ‘sinners’ he judged, but it was the religious leaders he rebuked for their hypocrisy.

Here is what the apostle Paul says about judgement in Romans 1:2. ‘You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things’.

So how do I rid myself of this tendency to judge?

I think the antidote to judgmentalism is love. If I focus on loving people, there will be no room for judgement. Of course, it is only God’s grace that can change my heart, but I am willing.

I want to leave a legacy like that of my grandmother, who will be remembered for how she loved. What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Lesson 2 – Said-bookisms (Amateur Writing Mistakes)

Welcome to lesson 2 in my blog series on common amateur writing mistakes. The topic I am focusing on today is ‘Said-bookisms’.

What is it?

‘Said-bookisms’ is when a writer tries to use every word under the sun to avoid having to use the dialogue tags ’he said’ or ’she said.’

I’ve illustrated this in the example below (see italics)…

“Let me check in the fridge,” Cynthia muttered. She opened the door and scrutinised the contents, still unsure where the strange smell was emanating from.

“Maybe it’s the cheese,” Rose queried.

“I think it’s the milk,” Cynthia stated.

“I only bought the milk yesterday,” Rose exclaimed.

Why is it so bad?

I am afraid I am guilty of this amateur writing misdemeanour. I mean, won’t readers get bored if they keep seeing the word ‘said’ all through my book?

Well, surprisingly no. From what I have read on the topic it is commonly understood that readers will skip over words like ‘he said’, ‘she said’, ‘he asked’, ‘she asked’.

Said-bookisms like he simmered, she snarled, he whimpered on the other hand will actually distract a reader’s attention from the dialogue and interrupt the flow of the scene.

What can you do about it?

A good writer will be able to make the dialogue speak for itself without the need for said-bookisms.

For example, look at the three sentences below…

BEFORE - ”I wish you didn’t do that,” Roger shouted angrily.

AFTER - ”I wish you didn’t do that.” Roger stormed off in a rage.

OR - “I wish you didn’t do that,” said Roger, his eyes glaring.

In the first sentence I have used a said-bookism to try to show the reader what Roger is feeling.

In the second sentence I have been able to avoid dialogue tagging altogether by inserting an action.

In the third sentence I have used the word ‘said’, but I have added a description that shows the reader a glimpse of the character’s feelings.

Said-bookisms are not completely taboo, but use them sparingly to avoid your work coming across as amateurish.

Here are some links to other websites & blogs that are really helpful if you want to learn more about the topic.

http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/said.shtml

http://www.writesf.com/08_Lesson_05_Perils.html

http://users.wirefire.com/tritt/tip4.html

Stay tuned for some more amateur writing mistakes to avoid.

Love story

I love a good love story.

It’s a pretty simple formula really - boy meets girl, something gets in the way, boy ends up with girl. You might recognise this formula behind some of the familiar fairy tales.

Cinderella meets the handsome prince; her stepmother and step sisters get in the way; the prince finds her and they live happily ever after.

Snow White meets the handsome prince; her evil stepmother tries to kill her; the prince wakes her from death with a kiss and they live happily ever after.

The Little Mermaid meets the prince; her fins and missing voice and the other woman get in the way (sorry, I only know the Disney version); the prince kisses her and they live happily ever after.

I think the problem with many fairy tales and romance stories (whether it be movie or book) is that they sell the idea that meeting the right guy and falling in love equates to lifelong happiness, but this is rarely the case.

I’m sure there are probably rare examples out there of couples who have never said a bad word to each other and have butterflies in their stomach every time they see each other, but from what I’ve seen, this is the exception rather than the rule.

I believe that love is more than a feeling you have for someone. Of course, it is important to have feelings, but love is much deeper than that. 1 Corinthians 13 says that ’Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails’.

What I see when I read these verses is that love isn’t just something that ‘happens’ to you. Love is an action. It is a choice every day to love the other person, even if they don’t deserve it sometimes.

I’m a terrible gardener. I buy plants and then I kill them. I don’t mean to, but I forget to water them and they wither and die. Relationships based just on feelings are a bit like the dead pot plants sitting by my front door. I start with the best intentions, but once the water dries out, the plants wither and die. In contrast, relationships based on true love (like that described in 1 Corinthians) will thrive and blossom because they have an endless supply of sustenance.

So, while I do love a good love story, I also know that love takes a lot of care and nurturing to become the kind of love that lasts a lifetime.

Lesson 1 – Head-hopping (Amateur Writing Mistakes)

Welcome to lesson 1 in my blog series on common amateur writing mistakes. This lesson I am focusing on the problem of ‘Head-hopping’.

What is it? Head-hopping is when an author is writing from the viewpoint of one character and then writes from the viewpoint of another without a clear break to indicate to the reader that he or she is doing so. Here is an example…

***

Sarah picked up the apple and noticed the small round bite mark in the juicy flesh. “Amy. Have you been getting into the pantry again?”

She followed the sound of giggling and noticed the shape of her small daughter concealed behind the curtain.

Amy heard her mother’s footsteps approaching and focused on staying as still as she could, wondering if she could blame her brother for the apple.

***

Why is it bad?

You can see in the example above that I wrote about the scene from both Sarah and Amy’s viewpoints. In a short passage like this, it’s not too hard for the reader to work out who the viewpoint character is, but if it happens all the way through a book, it can confuse readers and lessen their enjoyment of the story.

It can also lead to a lack of connectedness between the reader and the main viewpoint character/s, and for me, being able to connect with characters is what makes the difference between a ‘good’ book and a ‘memorable’ book.

Head-hopping can result in a tendency to ‘tell’ rather than ‘show’ what is happening in the scene. The author is telling me what the character is thinking rather than showing me through the things they say, their actions and expressions. If the viewpoint flicks around and I know what the characters are thinking all the time, there is no mystery, there are no surprises and there is no reason to keep turning the pages.

What can I do to fix it?

I was writing a romantic scene for my new novel and found myself head-hopping. I sought some advice from a more experienced writer who told me to focus on using dialogue, body language, behaviours and actions to show what other characters are thinking or feeling.

Here is my passage – before and after.

BEFORE (spot the head-hopping)…

“What am I doing?” she thought, and stepped back out of the embrace.

“I can’t do this Zac… I can’t…” Alana’s frustration gave way to tears. Not wanting Zac to see her cry, she ran up the stairs and shut herself in her bedroom.

Zac stood there stunned. It wasn’t the first time Alana had run away from him. He remembered back to that time in high school when they had their first fight and she had run home in tears. Back then he had felt terrible about what he’d said, but this time he was clueless as to what he had done to upset her. There was something going on with her and he would get to the bottom of it, even if he had to wait outside her door all night.

***

AFTER (no more head-hopping)

“What am I doing?” her inner voice alerted.

“I can’t do this Zac… I can’t…” Alana stepped back from him abruptly.

“What is it Alana? I thought you felt the same way that…” She could hear the hurt and confusion in his voice.

Her frustration gave way to tears and she turned and ran up the stairs, not wanting him to see her cry. She pulled her bedroom door closed behind her. As she stood, her back pressed against the door, she heard his footsteps on the stairs and down the hallway. They paused outside her room and there was a gentle knock on the door.

“Alana. You need to tell me what’s wrong.”

“GO AWAY!”

She heard his deep sigh from the other side of the door. “NO! Alana, I’m not going anywhere. We need to talk and I’ll wait outside your bedroom all night if I have to.”

***

Do you like the AFTER version better? I think it is a lot more dynamic and allows me to build more conflict into the scene.

Where can I find out more?

Here are some links to other blogs and websites that provide some information and advice on this pesky problem.

Stay tuned for more amateur writing mistakes!

http://theeditorsblog.net/2011/09/10/head-hopping-gives-readers-whiplash/

http://jamigold.com/2011/01/why-is-head-hopping-bad/

http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/headhop.shtml

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My writing journey – one year on

It was just over one year ago… It was a rare evening when my daughters were in bed early and I felt like doing something creative. I posted this status update on Facebook and that night I began penning my first novel (well, I actually typed it, but ‘penning’ sounds more poetic). I loved being able to bring characters to life on a page, to create conflicts for them to overcome and to see them learn a lot along the way.

My first novel was an experiment. My initial thoughts were ‘Can I actually do this?’ and as the story went on I began thinking ‘Am I able to finish this?’ As I got to the end of my novel and began to think about self-publishing, I wondered ’Is this a book people will want to read?’ It seems that some people did want to read it after all

I’ve had positive feedback from a lot of people so far, including some helpful and constructive advice. I set about honing my skills, scanning the web for advice, devouring other people’s books – researching their use of dialogue and the way they built their characters. I studied a few on-line writing courses and used all these hints and tips to shape my next story.

The last year has been one of joy – the thrill of finishing my first novel (or novella to be technically correct), the excitement of my first review, meeting other writers online and learning more about the craft. There have been challenges too. I’ve had to deal with my heightened insecurities in putting myself out there. Finding time to write has been a challenge, particularly considering how tired I feel at the end of the day after being at work or being with my kids. Hopefully my perseverance will be worth it and God will use my writing to touch the lives of my readers.

How have you grown as a writer over the last year? What have been the highlights and lowlights?

I’d love to hear from you – feel free to post a comment below.

Over the coming weeks, I look forward to sharing with you some of the writing lessons I’ve learned over the past year.

Until next time,

Alison

Interview with Lynn Sly – author of Hillary’s Angel

One of the things I love about being part of the writing community now is meeting other writers from different places across the globe.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Lynn Sly from South Africa. Lynn has recently published her book ‘Hillary’s Angel’.

****

Me: What made you decide to become a writer?

Lynn: I never “decided” to be a writer. I’ve always written, since I was a little girl. But I’m first and foremost a reader. Reading is what I live for. I studied journalism at university and worked for several newspapers (briefly) before settling down with a house journal and then moving on to editing for educational institutions and setting up my freelance business. It’s only now that my children are independent that I have been able to think about getting my books published.

Me: I like that you think of yourself first and foremost as a reader. I guess that is pretty important when it comes to writing books - you need to write what readers want to read. Where does inspiration for your writing come from?

Lynn: It sounds corny I guess, but my inspiration is people and animals I meet. And great stories. On occasion when I’ve been asked to write about subjects I know nothing about, I read, read and read until I find something that inspires me — a story of courage maybe, a whimsical anecdote, or a personality I can “fall in love with”. Also on the subject of inspiration, about once a quarter, I put together a publication called the “Mustard Seed” for my church, and I maintain it “writes itself”. Can you relate to that? Sometimes things just “come” to us and all we have to do is pass them on. Simple as that.

Me: I love the sound of that. There have been a couple of times for me when inspiration has hit and my fingers have typed away without even thinking much about what I’m writing. It’s as if I’m just a channel through which the words make it on to the page. Okay, here’s another question for you – Who has been your favourite character and why?

Lynn: That is a difficult one! In fiction I’d have to start with AA Milne’s Piglet, because he epitomizes bravery. But if we’re talking about reality, I have to admit becoming obsessed with most of the characters/people I write about. I think my true heroes are “ordinary” people you meet everyday who overcome incredible obstacles. But when I have disappointments, it’s also comforting to remember that Christ never wrote a single word.

Me: You have released a Kindle e-book recently – “Hillary’s Angel”. In a couple of sentences, can you tell me what your book is about?

Lynn:Ok, here goes — Hillary’s husband unexpectedly recruits an unusual young man as an assistant on their farm. Although Raphael seems to present the answer to her prayers, is he really the angel she believes him to be? This novel is about children who are “different” – the ones who don’t make their developmental milestones on time, or ever. It’s also about morality and being a woman in South Africa. It’s about dilemmas and confusion and love – not just romantic love. It’s about uncertainty and ambivalence. And angels. Despite its themes of hope and resilience, this book is only recommended for the brave.

Me: Thanks for your time Lyn. It’s been a pleasure getting to know more about you and reading your book.

****

If you enjoyed this interview and would like to purchase Hillary’s Angel - click here to go to the Amazon store.