Emilie Richards's Blog, page 81

Sunday Inspiration: Famous Failures

I wish I could have shown this video about famous failures to my kids when they were growing up, though it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at this whatever age you are and about once a month.

No matter how talented and smart and beautiful and charming you are, life has a way of putting in your path one obstacle after another, some small and easily managed and others that seem as big as a mountain.

Failure is not the inability to get through an obstacle; it’s giving up because we are afraid we won’t make it.

As J.K. Rowling put it, “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might has well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.”

So celebrate your successes, but celebrate your failures as well because they are your path to success and happiness.

How have you failed lately? Can you pat yourself on the back for trying?

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The Writing Process 2015: Point of View Means Us or Them

If you’re new to The Writing Process 2015, these posts are a chance to share my journey through my latest novel, starting right at ground zero. Today let’s talk point of view.

What a busy book week. While I have created and considered a number of scenes for When We Were Sisters–the writing of which I’m sharing with you this year–I have yet to put together anything resembling an official outline. I did informally group the opening scenes, and now I’ve written about a hundred pages. I’ll discuss editing at some point, so here I’ll just say that in my humble opinion these are good pages, because while changes will still be made, perhaps even big changes, I’m satisfied enough to move forward.

So far I love writing this novel. A big part of the reason for this love affair? I decided before I typed the opening sentence that I was going to write this novel in first person point of view.

If you are familiar with my series, the Ministry is Murder mysteries starring  minister’s wife sleuth Aggie Sloan-Wilcox, then you’ve read my only other work in first person point of view. If you are familiar with all my women’s fiction (and romance) you’re familiar with my third person work. What’s the difference?

Let’s consider two samples, each which describes a character or characters in two novels you’ve yet to see.

The first is from The Color of Light, which comes out this August.

They were finally gone. The woman Ana and the man Ethan. Shiloh hadn’t paid much attention to last names, considering that the best she had hoped for was that these strangers wouldn’t call the police. She hadn’t expected that she would need to remember anything about them.

Ana was pretty, with hair so dark it might even be black, and blue eyes so pale they were kind of startling. The man Ethan was older, but Shiloh wasn’t good at guessing peoples’ ages. His hair was turning gray, and Ana’s wasn’t–at least she wasn’t letting it–but he had a kind face, that was easy to look at. He and Ana weren’t married. Neither wore wedding rings.

The second is from When We Were Sisters, which is slated to be out in June of 2016.

I’m not sure how a genuine nice guy makes it in this business. Donny looks like a high school chemistry teacher, a little too preoccupied to remember to get his hair cut regularly or clean his glasses. He’s nice to look at, brown hair and eyes, even features, but he never makes an effort to be more. He runs and lifts weights, so he’s buff and strong but by no means a body builder. Unless he’s in high level negotiations or in danger of being photographed with me, his uniform is faded concert T-shirts and discount store jeans.

The casual facade fades when he’s concentrating on contract concessions or higher royalties. Still everyone likes Donny. And me? I would trust him with my life, and do.

I know you see the difference. In the first example we aren’t actually in Shiloh’s head. We’re watching her as she thinks about Ana and Ethan, and while we’re privy to some of her thoughts, we still watch her at a distance.

In the second example, we are directly in the thoughts of a character named Cecilia. But we don’t know her name from this snippet, because Cecilia thinks of herself as “I.” Just as I wouldn’t tell my husband: “Emilie is going to the store.” I say instead: “I’m going to the store.” I’m talking about myself. Cecilia is doing the same.

An interesting and completely unrelated fact? People with autism often distance themselves this way–as do young children–and refer to themselves by name or “she” or “he.” The concept of I, me, myself, we, us, isn’t as easy as we might think.

Point of view is simply the way an author chooses to let the narrator tell the tale and the audience experience it. Readers often prefer one particular way and so do novelists. Perhaps it’s the novelty this time, but I love being right in the heads of my three major characters, and loved it just as much in my mysteries.

I think you’ll love it, too.

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Sunday Inspiration: Be Kind Whenever Possible

How will we practice kindness today?

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Do You Know the Real Emilie Richards?

I’m having so much fun working on my latest book. In fact I’m having so much fun writing actual chapters that I decided not to stop the flow this week to create another blog post.

Luckily for me, my publisher did a short interview that they’ve just put up on line and along the way asked some quirky questions–how do YOU feel about life on other planets, Emilie Richards? Plus, as a bonus, they featured the story of Nemo’s rescue with some adorable beagle photos. Okay, all beagle photos are adorable. If you don’t believe me check out my beagle Pinterest board right here.

So instead of posting, I’m sending you directly to that interview and story instead. I hope you enjoy them both.

You’ll find the interview here.

You’ll find the story of Nemo’s rescue here.

And you’ll find Emilie Richards happily writing her book until next week. Same time, same station. . . And I guess that dates me, right?

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Sunday Inspiration: Questions To Ask Before Giving Up

Have you ever come that close to just giving up? Or perhaps you have given up at some point in your life.

Many people do. It’s a terrible feeling.

You can get so deep into the hole of depression that you can’t see any way out.

I came across this list recently that can be helpful and even life-saving for people who are depressed. Many of the suggestions are very practical and others just common sense, but when you’re in that hole it’s hard to remember what you need to do. Take a look and tell me what you think.  Feel free to pass it on as well. Just be sure to credit the source at the bottom.

Everything Is Awful and I’m Not Okay: Questions to Ask Before Giving Up

Are you hydrated?  If not, have a glass of water.

Have you eaten in the past three hours?  If not, get some food — something with protein, not just simple carbs.  Perhaps some nuts or hummus?

Have you showered in the past day?  If not, take a shower right now.

If daytime: are you dressed?  If not, put on clean clothes that aren’t pajamas.  Give yourself permission to wear something special, whether it’s a funny t-shirt or a pretty dress.

If nighttime: are you sleepy and fatigued but resisting going to sleep?  Put on pajamas, make yourself cozy in bed with a teddy bear and the sound of falling rain, and close your eyes for fifteen minutes — no electronic screens allowed.  If you’re still awake after that, you can get up again; no pressure.

Have you stretched your legs in the past day?  If not, do so right now.  If you don’t have the spoons for a run or trip to the gym, just walk around the block, then keep walking as long as you please.  If the weather’s crap, drive to a big box store (e.g. Target) and go on a brisk walk through the aisles you normally skip.

Have you said something nice to someone in the past day?  Do so, whether online or in person.  Make it genuine; wait until you see something really wonderful about someone, and tell them about it.

Have you moved your body to music in the past day?  If not, do so — jog for the length of an EDM song at your favorite BPM, or just dance around the room for the length of an upbeat song.

Have you cuddled a living being in the past two days?  If not, do so.  Don’t be afraid to ask for hugs from friends or friends’ pets.  Most of them will enjoy the cuddles too; you’re not imposing on them.

Do you feel ineffective?  Pause right now and get something small completed, whether it’s responding to an e-mail, loading up the dishwasher, or packing your gym bag for your next trip.  Good job!

Do you feel unattractive?  Take a selfie.  Your friends will remind you how great you look, and you’ll fight society’s restrictions on what beauty can look like.

Do you feel paralyzed by indecision?  Give yourself ten minutes to sit back and figure out a game plan for the day.  If a particular decision or problem is still being a roadblock, simply set it aside for now, and pick something else that seems doable.  Right now, the important part is to break through that stasis, even if it means doing something trivial.

Have you seen a therapist in the past few days?  If not, hang on until your next therapy visit and talk through things then.

Have you been over-exerting yourself lately — physically, emotionally, socially, or intellectually?  That can take a toll that lingers for days. Give yourself a break in that area, whether it’s physical rest, taking time alone, or relaxing with some silly entertainment.

Have you changed any of your medications in the past couple of weeks, including skipped doses or a change in generic prescription brand?  That may be screwing with your head.  Give things a few days, then talk to your doctor if it doesn’t settle down.

Have you waited a week?  Sometimes our perception of life is skewed, and we can’t even tell that we’re not thinking clearly, and there’s no obvious external cause.  It happens.  Keep yourself going for a full week, whatever it takes, and see if you still feel the same way then.

You’ve made it this far, and you will make it through.  You are stronger than you think.

from Eponis.tumblr.com

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The Writing Process 2015: Timelines

If you’re new to The Writing Process 2015, these posts are a chance to share my journey through my latest novel, starting right at ground zero.

I keep a calendar as I write. Not one where I can mark off how many pages I’ve written. For me that feels too much like a race to the finish line and writing becomes about output not quality.

No, my calendar is a timeline showing when events occur in the story and in what chapter the events occur. The calendar begins on the first day of my novel and continues through to the last. I happen to keep mine on Microsoft Outlook, because that’s where my personal calendar also lives. I go back to the year takes place when I create the new calendar, so all dates, weekends and holidays, are accurate. On the day a chapter takes place I note chapter number and a few words of desciption. For instance: Sept.7, 2012: CHs1-2 River: Davis picks up Lottie; Jan burns down house.

Remember that book? No River Too Wide?The first and second chapters take place on the same day. If  a chapter takes place over several days or longer, I can note that, too, by making it a multi-day event.

Because No River Too Wide is part of a series, I used the same calendar for all four of the novels. That way if I needed to allude to something that had happened in a previous book, I could zip backwards and see when it had occurred. I was much less likely to make a mistake with the ongoing timeline of all the novels.

I’ve only just begun to write When We Were Sisters. I’ll create a calendar for this book, too, but before I could even begin one, I needed a timeline for each of the three major characters and their pasts.

Picky, picky? Not so. Here’s why.

A timeline of the past is important if:

Characters lives have intersected before the novel begins.
Historical events feature in the story, even peripherally.
Age matters to the story, i.e. if a character is 35 and the author inadvertently has her graduating from high school 12 years ago, an explanation will be needed.

If you’ve been reading along, you’ll remember that I decided to write autobiographies of the three major characters. These biographies are long  and involved. When I finished I combed through them, made notes of ages and events and formed a timeline for each one. And guess what. Even though I had been ultra careful, going back and forth between biographies to be sure I coordinated as I wrote, I had still made significant mistakes.

For instance I needed a disaster of some import to occur during the year two of the characters meet. I did research and decided on Hurricane Georges in Haiti. It was perfect for my purposes if not at all perfect for the poor people of Haiti.

Only, by the time I put all the dates in order for each character, figured out their ages at the time according to birthdates, graduations, etc. I realized I was two years off. I really needed a disaster for 2001. You can imagine what leapt to mind. The destruction of the World Trade Center and the mutilation of the Pentagon happened that September. I don’t want to write about either in this novel. So back I went, adjusting dates and doing more research until I found something else that would work.

Would my readers catch the error if I’d just used Hurricane Georges instead? Would they care enough to research the event, do the math, figure out ages and dates and put all this together? Because it’s quite likely that this event and the reason it’s important will only be mentioned in thoughts or conversation in the present, not even shown.

The problem is I would know, and I would care. And beyond that, we have the domino theory. One mistake creates countless others. And countless mistakes mean countless revisions.

My timelines are up on my newly installed bulletin board above my desk as well as in computer files. Next I’ll begin my calendar for the novel in progress.

Yes, it has been picky, picky, but if I’ve done this well, I won’t have to revise because I was careless. I’ve already made my mistakes, cleaned them up and set the book on the right path. It doesn’t feel picky.

It feels like a picky job well done.

 

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Sunday Inspiration: Happy Easter!

“I would like to believe when I die that I have given myself away like a tree that sows seed every spring and never counts the loss, because it is not loss, it is adding to future life. It is the tree’s way of being. Strongly rooted perhaps, but spilling out its treasure on the wind.” – May Sarton

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When Is It Time For A Change?

Two years ago I started playing Mah Jongg when a neighbor offered to teach a small group of us. My week was filled with writing, but I thought it was time for a change. Maybe trying something new would jump start new ideas.

I kicked myself numerous times after I said I would give the group a try. I didn’t have time to learn or play. I didn’t need another hobby. But having said yes. . .

I got hooked by Mah Jongg almost immediately. I play weekly now and love it. Mah Jongg is just challenging enough to keep me on my toes but not as challenging as say, bridge, where casual conversation around the card table is frowned upon. We chat, snack, and go home a few quarters richer or poorer. The women in my group are now good friends. What’s not to love about this?

This week was a big one for Mah Jongg players in the U.S. because the National Mah Jongg league just mailed out our new card. Mahjong is played with 144 tiles and four players, and each year the league changes the hands we need to win. This year there are 51 possible hands, some of them quite different from the hands we played last year.  My group played the new card yesterday for the first time, and chaos ruled. But so did excitement. New possibilities. New ways to win. It was indeed time for a change.

Does that sound familiar in your life? Have you ever gotten used to something that suddenly disappeared? Of course you have, because that’s how life works for everybody, whether we try desperately to hold on to the old or not. After the shock was over, did you find that whatever replaced your former comfort zone energized you in new ways?

Not only the Mah Jongg card has changed in my life. I’m starting a new novel, and I plan to write it in a different way. It’s a stand alone story, not one of a series, and suddenly the sky is the limit on what I can do. Some mornings I wake up and wish the “limit” was a wee bit closer, maybe just as high as my roof.

Change is a little scary, isn’t it?

Last night I saw a wonderful film,  Woman in Gold, starring Helen Mirren. While not every critic agrees, I found the movie mesmerizing because it’s based on the true tale of Maria Altmann, a woman in her eighties, who learns that the Austrian government has at last agreed to consider returning some of the art work stolen from Jews by the Nazis during World War Two.

Maria, with the help of a young lawyer, a grandson of famed composer Arnold Schoenberg, sets out to regain ownership of Gustav Klimt’s painting of her aunt, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, also known as Woman in Gold because hey, Bloch-Bauer is clearly a Jewish name, and the Nazis certainly didn’t want that association.

I won’t tell you more except to say that Maria, in her eighties, is not too old to realize it’s time for a change in her own life. She is still valiant enough, morally strong enough, to try to bring one about despite her terrifying past. Her young attorney realizes it’s time for a change, too, and risks his career and financial stability to help her.

So what risks are you taking this week? Is it time for a change? Even a little one, like my new Mah Jongg card? Are you poised on the side of the pool ready to dive in?

Will you still be standing there tomorrow?

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Sunday Inspiration: How To Be A Friend

I’m turning today’s Sunday Inspiration over to my husband, who has the following to say–and is clearly used to saying important things on Sundays after 40 years in ministry:

Friendship is a theme of many, if not all, of Emilie’s books. The Goddess series, which is the latest, is about a group of women who learn what real friendship means. So I’ve been thinking a lot about how to be a friend, as clearly she has, too.

My life is blessed with good friends who can sing the song in my heart back to me when I have forgotten the words. We recently went on a cruise with three other couples, and we had such a wonderful time talking and eating and playing that now we’re planning our next one.  I have friends I play tennis with and others I dine with and others I enjoy sitting with to chat about subjects small and large.

To be a friend is not just fun and games; it takes work and intentionality. I believe we need to be able to do three things well.

First of all, and most important, we have to listen, not only to the words of the other person but to what he or she is saying between the words. All of us know people who are eager to tell us all about their lives rather than take the time to listen to what we have to say. But a true friend ask questions that gently penetrate our hearts. A friend will listen, quietly, patiently. What greater gift can we be given than to have someone who loves us so much he or she will listen to our greatest joys and deepest sorrows?

Second, a friend will speak from the heart with no pretenses, no fears, no games. She or he will speak the truth with love, not wanting to hurt us but also knowing that we need to hear what is sometimes hard to hear. She will take in our pain and let it be hers. And he will use words and hugs to heal us.

Lastly, a friend will bring joy into our lives by being who she/he is with no apologies. She will laugh at our jokes, even though they may not be that funny. And he will celebrate our successes with gusto and pride.

I am so grateful for friends. How about you?

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The Writing Process 2015: The Secret Lives of Characters

If you’re new to The Writing Process 2015, these posts are a chance to share my journey through my latest novel, starting right at ground zero.

So now you know the title of the novel I’m working on. When We Were Sisters. And yes, I’m happy with it. But the title subtly changed my ideas for the novel, as titles always do. When I originally conceived the story as Life After Love, the basics were the same, but the relationship between one of the two female characters, Robin, and her husband Kris, seemed most important. Now the title makes it clear that the story between the two women is every bit, if not more, important.

This is a perfect example of why I always need my title up front. For me–and not necessarily for every other author–title becomes a catalyst.

So the proposal’s been accepted. I now have a title. I’ve done some significant research, and I do more every day. (Ask me about the history of the two St. Wenceslas churches in Cleveland, OH, an extremely minor point that nevertheless fascinated me this week.)

Before I can move on, though, I need so much more. I know the arc of the story, and the most dramatic moments. I have settled on settings. I know a little about my character’s professions.

What I don’t know is enough about who they are inside and out.

This week and last I began to delve into the secret lives of characters. When I first started my writing career I created a social history, much as I might have when I worked in a mental health center, my first career. Later I began to write the history as a biography. Later still I realized what I really needed was to hear my character’s voice, how he or she expressed feelings, unusual ways she or he might speak. So I began to write autobiographies instead. These days my characters speak for themselves. They tell me all the little things I didn’t know, in their own words, and as they speak I learn what really matters to them and why.

I began with Robin, because in my heart she’s the most pivotal character. I knew how she would react in certain situations, but I didn’t know why. So I started right at the beginning.

“Cecilia was the first to call me Robin. The day we met I was ten and wearing a red hand-me-down sweater. She insisted that with my pale brown hair and red breast I looked just like one.“

Forty-five pages later, I brought Robin’s life up to the beginning of the novel.

“Cecilia was calling, and when I exploded she listened and reminded me I had options. Of course she was right, always the big sister helping me solve the problems of my life.”

Forty-five pages you will never see–at least not most of it. But you will find everything I learned threaded throughout the novel.

As I worked on this I told myself I was obsessing, that I would never need this detail or that, but, of course, I will. Because this is the panorama of Robin’s life. The reasons she acts the way she does, her fears and joys, the moments that made her the woman she is. Along the way I decided where she grew up, who took care of her, how she did in school. Does it matter? Absolutely. Because much of this novel is about the past, and why not figure out those details and moments now so that when I begin to write I won’t have to stop and figure them out? I know the names of her family members, the parts of school she loved and those she didn’t, the way she coped with the difficult moments in her past. Best of all I know how she met both Cecilia and Kris, and why she loves them both.

I’m working on Kris’s autobiography now. It will be somewhat shorter since lots of his story and Robin’s is the same, although his feelings about it won’t be. Then I’ll start on Cecilia’s autobiography. I have no idea how long that one will take. Cecilia? Well, she’s a woman with a lot to say.

Am I wasting my time? I don’t think so, but in June of 2016, you will be able to judge.

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