James R. Callan's Blog, page 3

To Be, Or Not to Be?

Recently, I was giving a talk on plotting. And when I came to the topic of sub-plots a lively discussion ensued.  Some felt any book that was called a novel had to have a subplot.  That was countered by some who felt that you should avoid sub-plots altogether. A few felt that subplots were there to beef up the word count. And others felt that was exactly why you should avoid subplots; they were a distraction from the main plot.

I called a halt and offered these guidelines for sub-plots.

It is a sub-plot. Therefore, it is sub (subordinate to, under, below, beneath) the main plot.  It is second fiddle. So on all levels, it must remain secondary.  It must not crowd the main plot for space or attention.

But, it is a plot.  Therefore, it needs the elements of a plot.  It must have a beginning, a middle, and an end.  It needs an arc.  It cannot coast along at the same level from start to finish.  And it is an important part of any plot, sub or main, that someone (or more than one) must change.  Keep in mind that person could be the reader. If you can change the attitude or mindset of the reader, that is a change, and much more difficult to achieve than changing a character in the book.

It must satisfy at least one of these two criteria.It must add to the reader’s understanding of the setting, the surroundings, the texture of the story. In my book Cleansed by Fire, the subplot involving a mysterious character close to the drug scene gives the reader a feel for the texture of the town, that is, the drug problem in the small town. Without my preaching about the problem, the Earl subplot makes it clear.It must give the reader a clearer understanding of one or more characters in the story, preferably the protagonist. A well-crafted subplot can allow the author to define the protagonist without “telling.”  It is an excellent vehicle for “showing” the reader the true nature of the protagonist without “telling.” Using the same example above, Earl allowed me to bring out a number of characteristics of the protagonist without “telling.”

So, in the example I have given, a subplot served two important jobs.

But what about the question: subplot or not. Subplots can improve a book. Subplots can help the author with two important areas: help define the texture of the story, and help the reader better understand certain characters – and in a way that works well for the author.

If you can use a subplot to accomplish one or both of the two conditions above, then by all means add a subplot.  If the subplot is used simply to bulk up the book, add words, get in something that you, the author, wants to say that is not necessary to the story, then leave it out.

I’d be happy to hear your comments about subplots, whether you agree with me or not, or would like to add another condition, or advantage, for having a sub-plot.  Thanks for reading this blog. It first appeared as my guest blog on Karin Beery’s site in the last half of September 2021.

jim

 

 

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Big Problem !

Something has attacked The Author’s Blog and deleted all blogs since the middle of May, 2021.  I’m trying to find and reinstall them, but so far, not much luck.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime, I’m working on a free course for writers – take a look.

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I’m making good progress on it – and already I’m able to put most of it into practice.  I’ll let you know when I finish it — if I can find the time to write.

And, if you have time, leave a comment on this course designed for creative writers.

jim

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Reality and Fiction

Today’s guest is J.R. Lindermuth.  He lives and writes in a house built by a man who rode with Buffalo Bill Cody. A retired newspaper editor,  he is now librarian of his county historical society where he assists patrons with genealogy and research. He has published 19 novels and two non-fiction regional histories. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and a past vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

So, you can see, he is a perfect person to tackle the dichotomy of fiction and reality.

Facts are important if you’re going to write fiction.

Isn’t that a contradiction, you might ask. Not at all. Fiction is a simulation of reality. If you incorrectly present something in fiction a reader knows to be a fact you may be called out for your error or even lose that reader.

When you’re writing a story you can rely on imagination and create a world to suit your purpose. That’s called fantasy. J.R.R. Tolkien did it to the delight of his readers. So does George R. R. Martin. If the reader understands that’s your intention, it will be accepted without question. While Martin’s work is replete with dragons and magick, it’s also solidly grounded in ‘realism’ through his employment of psychology in depicting his characters and knowledge of medieval society.

This attention to facts is even more important if you’re writing about an actual time and place. You can twist things a bit to suit your purpose–that’s called fiction–so long as your reader is willing to accept your diversion from fact. For instance, if you’re writing a western your reader will accept having a character ride a horse or even a mule. Expect a frown if you seat this same character on a unicorn; that would be fantasy.

So, what can you do to help stick to reality when writing fiction? There are two tools that work well. One is called empathy. The other is research.

Empathy is vicariously experiencing the emotion, thought, or action of another person. This is a useful tool for a writer in many circumstances. However, it has its limits. Some characteristics are timeless. But if you live in the 21st century and you’re writing about the 19th century how can you be sure of depicting things accurately?

That’s where research comes in. No one has yet developed a time machine which would allow us to visit other periods and see what life was like then. We do have some good substitutes, though, which can provide an idea of what life was like in other periods.

Reading biographies, journals, histories and even fiction of the time can offer some insight. Even better choices for learning are newspapers and magazines of the period. Such journals reflect the character of the times in which they’re created; they show us what was important to people, their pastimes, their morals, their prejudices. They can give you everything you need to create believable characters of the time you’re writing about.

These valuable materials are available in collections at historical societies, in many libraries and even on line. Librarians are good at telling us where to find newspapers to suit our needs. Reading them is fun and sure to stimulate your imagination.

Such sources have been important to me in writing historical fiction. They were especially important in writing my latest, Twelve Days in the Territory, which is set in 1887 in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), an area I’ve never visited. I was especially pleased when my editor, a native of the state, praised my attention to detail and efforts to ‘get it right’ about the territory in those times.

Here’s a blurb for Twelve Days in the Territory:

Will Burrows, a mild-mannered school teacher, is the only man in town who volunteers to join Sheriff Gillette in pursuit of outlaws who have taken Martha Raker, the sheriff’s niece, hostage and fled into Indian Territory in the fall of 1887.

Gillette doubts Will’s suitability for the task, but the young man who has been courting Martha insists he must go. Yet even Will has doubts about his qualifications and harbors a secret which raises his fears of what they’ll face in the Territory.

Martha, a strong-willed young woman, will show courage and tenacity in the will to survive, confident in the belief she will not be abandoned by the man she loves or by her uncle.

All three will face trials the like of which they’ve never known before and they soon discover Crawford McKinney, the outlaw holding Martha is the least of their troubles.

……..

If this sounds as interesting to you as it does to me, you can take a closer look at

https://amzn.to/2RluAJ1

I can recommend it.

 

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Invitation to a Party . . .

One photograph.

An empty boat on the edge of the sea.

Why is it there?  How did it get there?

The sea has washed all footprints away.  Was anybody in the boat when it landed on the beach?

What stories could it tell?

Twelve writers, members of the Underground Authors, studied the picture. And each wrote the story that the picture, the boat, whispered to them.

The result is the anthology Beyond the Sea.

Friday, May 7 at 5:30 p.m. CDT, the group will host a virtual launch party on FaceBook.  All of the authors will be there, ready to answer questions, give “the story behind the story.”  And there will be prizes that those who attend will have a chance to win.

Try to join us for this virtual launch – and see what the boat whispered in our ears.  Click   https://bit.ly/3ams2AG   to see the event page.

Of course, if you can’t wait, the book is available right now on Amazon at  https://amzn.to/3sZ0O9W  in digital.  Paperback copies will be available at the launch.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Profits from Beyond the Sea will be donated to Team Rubicon, an organization that helps with disaster relief (a 501C3 recognized charity).

 

 

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Don’t Worry about those Bad Reviews

A friend of mine was disappointed, actually unhappy, with a review she got for one of her books.  I reminded her that all books that got many reviews would get some that were unflattering.  Where the Crawdads Sing has over 126,000 reviews. Over 107,000 of them are 5 stars.  And the average overall is 4.8 out of 5.0.  Yet, there were over a thousand reviews that rated it a mere 1 star.

“Disappointing.” Or “Too unrealistic to enjoy.”  And “ Most irritating book I’ve read in a long time!”

I’m sure Delia Owens didn’t stress about those.  Bad and inaccurate reviews have always been with us. So, let me give you a few other reviews that somehow missed the mark.  But none kept these writers from continuing to produce memorable works.

“I am sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just do not know how to use the English language.”
—San Francisco Examiner, rejection letter to Kipling (1889)

“Shakespeare’s name, you may depend on it, will go down. He has no invention as to stories, none whatever.” —Lord Byron (1814)

“Ralph Waldo Emerson [is] a hoary-headed and toothless baboon.”—Thomas Carlyle, Collected Works (1871)

“A huge dose of hyperbolical slang, maudlin sentimentalism and tragic-comic bubble and squeak.” —William Harrison Ainsworth, New Monthly Magazine, review of Moby Dick by Herman Melville (1851)

“A gross trifling with every fine word.”—Springfield Republican, review of Huckleberry Finn (1884)

“We fancy that any child might be more puzzled than enchanted by this stiff, silly, overwrought story.” —Children’s Books’ review of Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carrol (1865)

“The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the ‘curiosity’ level.” —The Diary of Anne Frank

“It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA.”—Animal Farm by George Orwell

So, read your reviews, good or bad, and see what resonated with your readers. And perhaps the “bad” reviews can either make you laugh or suggest a way to improve your writing.  But don’t let the unfavorable reviews cause you to feel bad about your writing. Even if they are all bad, use them as a learning tool.

Please feel encouraged to add your comments about reviews. Do you read your reviews? How do bad reviews affect you?

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An Interview with Maggie DeLuca

Today, I’m interviewing Maggie DeLuca, Father Frank’s sister.

JIM:       Hi, Maggie. First, just to get everything in order, are you Father Frank’s younger sister or older sister?

MAGGIE     Thank you for that question. I am his older sister.  Of course, sometimes I act like his kid sister.

JIM:       Okay, an older sister, but young at heart.

MAGGIE     You got it.

JIM:       But, sometimes you, ah, … well, as Father Frank says, let your mouth take control.

MAGGIE     (laughs) Yes, he does say that. And that my mouth precedes my brain. But, I’m an upfront person. I let you know who I am, what I do, what’s on my mind. He thinks I should be more private.

JIM:       But it does get you in trouble sometimes; at least, that’s what I’ve heard.

MAGGIE     True. But I probably would have gotten in that trouble anyway, so why wait? Let’s get this show on the road.

JIM:       The last time, or at least the last one I’ve heard about, had to do with the murder of that best selling writer, Rod Granet. That was pretty serious.

MAGGIE     It was. And I have to admit, I regretted some of the things I said, and the people that heard it.

JIM:       Got the sheriff on your case, right? He arrested you and I understand, he truly wanted to convict you.

MAGGIE     That is true. And to be perfectly honest, I was scared. I told Frank he had to get busy and find the real killer.

JIM:       But the sheriff told him if he investigated, he’d throw him in jail. Didn’t that worry you?

MAGGIE     Not as much as a murder conviction worried me. The sheriff wasn’t looking for anybody else. I mean, Rod was dead. The sheriff wanted someone in jail. And he was only looking at me.

JIM:       In the end, Father Frank did come through for you, right?

MAGGIE     He did. But between you and me – do not tell Frank this – I don’t think I’d be here today if it weren’t for that Texas Ranger, Dick Richards.

JIM:       He and Father Frank seemed to work well together.

MAGGIE     Yeah. Richards was smart enough to know what a great asset Frank is. He gets a bunch of pieces of information that don’t look like they go together. And Frank finds the way they fit, and what they mean.

JIM:       Okay. You aren’t going to jail. What’s your next adventure?

MAGGIE     Actually, two adventures. First, I’m going to finish a book I’m writing. And Rod won’t be here to steal this one. I now know I can be a USA Today best seller. I’ve earned an Austin B award for best plot, even though it had Granet’s name on it. So, this is going to be a great book.

JIM:       Sounds like an important goal.

MAGGIE     No, the important goal, and adventure is a new baby. In five months, I’ll be a Mom! That’s even better than being a USA Today best seller. (Maggie gets up.) Got to run. Doctor wants to check out the baby, and the mom.

JIM:       And she was gone in a second. I think she’s gotten a bad rap. It isn’t that her mouth is so fast. She’s fast about everything. But it was a pleasure visiting with her. And I’m glad I got to share it with you.

“From the first sentence, it captures your attention and carries you on an intriguing mystery-solving adventure.” From a review by Sharon S.

“I’ve read so many mysteries/suspense stories that all sound alike. A Plot for Murder is very distinctively and enjoyably different.” R. Bruner, Amazon review.

Rod Granet, award-winning novelist and womanizer, is the main speaker at a writers conference. But after the opening session and in front of a crowd, Maggie DeLuca, Father Frank’s sister, accuses Granet of stealing her story and says he will pay.

That night, Granet is killed.

The sheriff quickly zeros in on Maggie and she is hauled off in handcuffs. When Father Frank comes to her aid, the sheriff threatens him with jail if he interferes.

A Texas Ranger is assigned to the investigation. He sees Father Frank as a valuable asset. Even as the sheriff continues to harass Father Frank and interrogate Maggie, the Ranger pushes Father Frank to get more involved, telling him the sheriff considers Maggie his only  suspect. Father Frank is faced not only with his sister being the prime suspect in a murder case, but also threatening letters, a rifle shot through his car as he drives across a bridge, and the sheriff’s promise to put him in jail if he investigates the murder.

Can Father Frank stay out of jail and alive, and find the real killer?

If you’d like to order a copy of A Plot for Murder: Murder at the Writers Conference, use this link which will offer you a choice of formats and retailers.    https:books2read.com/u/mYAW2P

 

 

 

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Right Brain, Left Brain

In the summer of 2020, I had a major medical problem.  This is not a complaint.  Everything came out okay – eventually.  I was in the hospital for a month.  This included three surgeries, ten day in ICU, and four day when I was “unresponsive.”

After the month in the hospital, I spent the better part of the next month in bed.

But after those two months, I was at least beginning to think about a “more normal” life. My brain was functioning.

Sort of.

Prior to entering the hospital, I had A Plot for Murder almost finished and was looking forward to a fall release.  With the book nearly finished, that was still a possibility. But a strange situation occurred.

We had planned to remodel the kitchen, and I began to draw up plans.  Of course these went through several iterations as we refined what we wanted, and what would fit into the overall space available. Part of this had to deal with retrieving some “lost space” where the builder had left small areas empty behind walls.  We got the blueprints and decided to utilize some of those little bits. When combined with the space currently in use, this allows us greater freedom in our design.

All of this went along easily.

But, when I sat at the computer to work on finishing the novel, nothing happened. I could put down words, sentences. But I was having trouble concluding the book.  My imagination was gone.  And the words I put down, now at a critical part of the book, were flat. There was no feeling in them, no imagination, no rhythm in the sentences.

This situation continued for over a month.  Good work on drawing plans for the kitchen. Uninspiring words for the novel.

And then one day, I wrote a paragraph I liked. Over the next week, the way to handle the ending began to come into view. Paragraphs began to fit together. The ending worked well.

Sometime later, I realized what was happening. My left brain had come back to life first. My right brain lagged behind. Strange. My hospitalization had nothing to do with the brain. No head injury.

But it certainly appeared as if the left brain woke up and started to work faster than the right brain.

Perhaps there is a message here.

jim

https: books2read.com/u/mYAW2P

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The Elevator Pitch

Today, we have a guest post from a talented, award winning writer, Elaine Faber. She has a number of mysteries published, including a four-book series centered around a cat who can actually solve crimes, and a three book series set during World War II.  She’s multi-published in magazines and over twenty anthologies. But today she’s telling us a little about her latest mystery, The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain.  It weaves together mysteries about a secret government installation, a missing sister who may have amnesia, drug sales to teenagers, and sightings a illusive woman in a flowing green dress with a mountain lion, who just might be the legendary Native American Spirit Women.

And as you can see below, Elaine has an excellent sense of humor. You can expect to see some of that in this delightful book. And this book has a great cover that sells!

The blurb on the back of my latest mystery, “The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountainbriefly outlines the storyline. ‘While the government plans to build a secret facility, housing tract, and big box store that will easily put the local merchants out of business, someone is selling drugs to the teenagers on the nearby Native American reservation…

  In addition, the frequent  sightings of a mysterious woman in a flowing green dress accompanied by a mountain lion has Deputy Sheriff Nate Darling wondering if she is his missing sister, out of her mind and running with a mountain lion, or is she the legendary Native American Spirit Woman sent to help the troubled town?”

As an author, I always hold out hope for the chance to catch the attention of the big publishing house, but these days, agents are only interested in working with someone famous or possessing a platform of 10,000. We, of lesser fame and fortune must resort to Indie Publishing and self-promotion. Beyond writing a compelling plot and interesting dialogue, we must master the skills of publicist, bookkeeper, full time blogger, cover artist, and skilled orator, always keeping an eye open for opportunities to sell a book we happen to have handy in a large canvas bag.

I’ve become passably competent at most of the above skills, but I recently learned of another talent to master…In the off chance that I should run into that elusive literary agent on an elevator, or sipping a Carmel Macchiato at Starbucks, I must have memorized what is called in the publishing world, an “elevator pitch.” Once I have the agent’s momentary attention, I must deliver a compelling ‘hook,” and within sixty seconds, convince him everyone from a Texas cowboy to a New York stockbroker will buy my book with his last green dollar, and that it will become a Best Seller.

I have practiced my ‘elevator pitch’ in front of a three-way mirror and perfected where to smile, when to pause for special effect, and when to use hand motions to emphasize the final sentence.

Unfortunately, I fear if I should ever be fortunate enough to find myself on that much discussed elevator, in spite of good intentions and hours of practice, I expect the conversation would more likely go something like this.

“Uh… You’re that Random House guy, right! Wait. Let me push this button and stop the elevator. I never thought… I have some notes here somewhere. Where is that paper? Well, never mind. I wrote a book, see? You’re not going anywhere special, right? About that book I wrote… You’re gonna love it. It’s called The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain. Do you like cats? There’s a mountain lion. That’s a cat, right? This lady goes missing in an accident and then there’s a mountain lion and a Native American spirit woman shows up. So, about this cat…see….

****

The Spirit Woman of Lockleer Mountain is available at Amazon in e-book for $3.99.  http://tinyurl.com/y7rp7f3x

Elaine Faber is a member of Sisters in Crime, Cat Writers Association, and Northern California Publishers and Authors. Her short stories have appeared in national magazines.  Please leave a comment.  Click on “Leave a Reply” just below. We will respond.  Thanks.

 

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Great Advice

Recently, I received a clipping that really caught my eye.  It not only made perfect sense, but was aligned with my own feelings.  Now, I know it talks about Christmas gifts.  But the idea works for all gift-giving occasions, and Valentine’s Day is close by.  In fact, it works when there is no occasion – just a time to give something nice to a friend.  But, enough of an introduction.  Here it is.  I’ll let you read it and judge it yourself.  If you have trouble reading this, I’ll retype it below. This came to me through various routes, so I cannot give credit to the author. But I’m sure the author will be happy to see it passed to others.  And writers should most certainly take it to heart.  I’d be happy to hear your thoughts on this so leave a comment by clicking on the bubble at the top.  And thanks for visiting the author’s blog.

Here it is in perhaps more readable type.

Books remain the ultimate gift: easy to wrap, available in such a multifarious array that there’s truly something for everyone and, best of all, a desperately needed break from screens in the age of TikTok and Zoom. A book does not beep at you, spy on you, sell you out to marketers, interrupt with breaking news, suck you into a doomscrolling vortex, cease to function in a nor’easter, flood your eyes with melatonin-suppressing blue light or otherwise interrupt your already troubled sleep. That’s why my best beloveds are all getting books for Christmas. Who wouldn’t want such benefits for the people they love best in all the world?

Feel free to comment. Actually, not just “free to”, but “encouraged to.”  Thanks for visiting.

jim

“From the first sentence, it captures your attention and carries you on an intriguing mystery-solving adventure.” Review by S.S.

“If you like a mystery with an engaging case of characters, a gripping plot and plenty of twists to keep you guessing, you’ll want to add this one to your reading list.” Goodreads review by JRL

It is available on Amazon, Baker and Taylor, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo and other fine booksellers. In digital and paperback editions. Here are some links:

Amazon:                     https://amzn.to/3ixercQ

Barnes & Noble     https://bit.ly/35HNDBy

Apple Books          https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1547362776

Kobo                      https://bit.ly/3smw0AR

 

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An Interview with a Crime-solving Priest

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Father Frank DeLuca, the protagonist of the Father Frank Mysteries.  He’s a very interesting person, who just happens to solve crimes. The timing is good, since the third of his mystery-solving books is up for pre-ordering.  So, let’s put some questions to him.

JC:        How are things going at Prince of Peace church in Pine Tree?

FF:         Quite well.  Most of the parishioners are healthy, both physically and spiritually. And with the bequest Syd Cranzler left us, we are planning some new programs for all the youth in Pine Tree.

JC:         You mentioned Syd Cranzler. I understand you got quite involved in actually identifying the killer. How did that happen?

FF:         Mostly luck. The police chief felt like Syd had committed suicide and closed the case.  I couldn’t believe Syd would do that. So, I had to find enough evidence to get the police to reopen the case. But, the police really solved it.

JC:         Not what I heard. I understand you really provided the evidence to catch the murderer and also to convict –“

FF:         Woah. Don’t go any farther down that line. How about our youth choir? Have you heard them?

JC:         I have and I was truly impressed – not only with their singing, but also with the money they’ve raised for various causes outside your parish.

FF:         Yes. In fact, that was their mission from the beginning: to sing and help others. I’m very proud of them.

JC:         And they got started to help those who had lost a church to arson.

FF:         Correct. Three Baptist churches were burned, leaving many people without their church. The kids wanted to do something to help them. As I said, I am very proud of them and what they’ve done.

JC:         You were instrumental in solving the arsons and putting a stop to them.

FF:         Well, I was there when the police caught the arsonist.

JC:         I heard you identified the arsonist and led the police to stop another church from being burned.

FF:        Would have been better if I’d done it sooner, and saved some churches.

JC:         So, this year, you helped the Texas Rangers tie up a case.

FF:         Again, they did the real work. I was very impressed with Lieutenant Dick Richards. I believe the Rangers really are the elite of investigative organizations. And Richards is an exceptional person.

JC:         Okay, I can see we aren’t going to get much here on Father Frank, the crime solving priest.

FF:         My real job is helping people with their spiritual life.

JC:         But yet, you get involved in crimes – or rather solving crimes.

FF:         Thanks for changing that. I certainly try not to get involved in crimes at all. But sometimes one can’t sit on the sideline. One has to be ready to come off the bench and try to find the solution. With the arsons, churches were being destroyed. I couldn’t sit on my hands and do nothing. And Syd’s family needed some closure. It couldn’t be left that he committed suicide, when he didn’t.

JC:         And the murder at the writers conference?

FF:         My sister was the sheriff’s prime suspect. In fact, he wasn’t looking for any other suspects. I had to do whatever I could. If he wasn’t looking for suspects, I had to.

JC:         So, you’ve become a crime-solving priest.

FF:         (Father Frank laughed.) No, no. I’m just a parish priest. But if I can help people, I think that fits within the role of a cleric. And right now, that means I have a couple coming in for counseling. So I must end this.  Thanks for your interest in Prince of Peace Church. Go talk to the Popsters – that’s the youth choir. They’ll show you what charity really is. You’ll be surprised what those youths say and do.

JC:         And there he goes.  Folks, having talked with the police and Lieutenant Richards, Father Frank really is a great sleuth.  Callan has chronicled some of the priest’s crime solving in the Father Frank Mystery Series of books.  Check them out.

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