Jacqui Murray's Blog, page 153
March 24, 2014
12 Spring Cleaning Steps for Your Computer
Reblogged from my Tech column. If you’re wondering why your computer doesn’t work as well as it used to, try these 12 ideas:
It’s time for Spring Cleaning. Of your computer.
If you followed my suggestion over New Year’s, this will go faster than you expect, but still, plan to set aside a couple of hours. Grab a coffee or tea, get a comfortable chair. Put on your problem-solving hat, and get started:
Make sure your firewall is working. Windows comes with a built-in one. Maybe Mac does too. Leave it active. It’s under Control Panel-Administrative Tools. Sometimes, they turn off by themselves (I have no idea why). Check it to be sure it remains active.
Run Spybot or a similar antispyware program. Spybot is free, which is why I like it. I’ve had good luck with it. Download.com says this about Spybot: The program checks your system against a comprehensive database of adware and other system invaders. The Immunize feature blocks a plethora of uninvited Web-borne flotsam before it reaches your computer.
Keep your antivirus software active. If you’re paranoid like me, run an antivirus scan weekly to be sure nothing is missed.
Run Ad-aware once a week to keep malware and spyware off your computer. It has a stellar reputation and is still free to all (although there’s an upgrade you can pay for).
Sort through your My Documents files and get rid of those you don’t need anymore. That includes pictures, videos, faxes, all that stuff. It’s intimidating, like a file cabinet that hasn’t been opened in months–or years. Do it, though. You may not need the hard drive space, but you don’t need the computer fingering through unnecessary files every time it searches.
Back up all of your files to an external drive or cloud storage. If you have an automated system like Carbonite, skip this. If you don’t have one, consider getting one. They not only automatically back up your work, but they make it accessible from wherever you are–home, work, your accountants, the soccer field. If you use Windows, try their ‘backup’ program. It’s easy to find: Click the Start Button and search ‘backup’.
Empty the trash folder. Don’t even look in it. If you haven’t missed a file by now, it won’t be in there.
Learn to use that program you’ve been promising you would. Evernote is a great example. Use it (and you won’t be sorry) or delete the email from your best friend exhorting you to. Move on.
Go through your programs and delete the ones you no longer use. Here’s what you do:
go to Control Panel>Programs and Feature
Peruse the list and pick the programs you downloaded by mistake, meaning to use, or used to use and no longer do
uninstall
don’t look back
Update any software that needs it. I don’t mean BUY a newer version. I mean click the free update that’s been nagging at you (Adobe Reader and Windows, for example)
Clean the junk off of your desktop. Put it in folders or create a folder for ‘Working on’ or ‘Desktop Stuff’. Don’t know how to create a desktop folder? Here’s what you do:
Right click on the desktop and select ‘New>folder’
Clean up your Start Button. Remove shortkeys you no longer use (with a right click>delete). Add those that are now your daily go-to sites. How? Right-click>add to Start Menu.
That’s enough. I’ll have more for you during Fall Cleaning. Now take a break.
More on cleaning:
Tech Tip for Writers #44: Clean Your Computer Weekly
A Website That Cleans Your Computer for You
13 Tips To Speed Up Your Computer
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: tech tips for writers Tagged: computer maintenance, spring cleaning
March 19, 2014
Characteristics That Make Your Character Memorable
W
hen you’re building a character, you need to know the characteristics that make him the person your reader will get to know. It’s a lot more than physical–it’s what motivates his/her actions. What inspires him/her? What causes this character to be a good Samaritan or look the other way? That essence is what makes him/her interesting and memorable to your readers.
As I’m getting to know my character, I have a list of traits that I’ve noticed in other fictional characters that raised my emotional interest in that individual. Here are some of them:
Mahmeini’s men–this character hasn’t a name; s/he’s part of a group, like Joe’s Band, or Sarah’s knitting club. Homogenous.
Soul of a rogue
Philistine that he was
Personal courage that is admirable and daunting
Play to his ego. You can’t miss it. It’s a large feature
types with one finger
a debater
a man who manicures his nails
sometimes she heard all the words but nothing made sense
He heard nothing but the hissing sound of his brain overheating.
draped herself in lies like summer scarves
obsessed with Princess DI–clothing, articles, pillows, etc.
a Bill Gates-size checkbook and better hair than Trump
walks ducktoed
watches people while he’s doing something—like he cuts his meat and they’re fingering their earring
Small detail that spelled trouble–never made it out of high school, juvenile record for theft, failed the psychological tests for both the marines and the army. Robbed gas stations but didn’t get caught. Hung out with the Clan.
She was like a chameleon—took on the traits of those around her
Hardness quotient of his heart somewhere in the neighborhood of hot Jell-O
Dropping last three words of a sentence to a grumble
Buffalo area accent
Ss whistle when s/he speaks
sense of a big league baseball manager, ahead on the scoreboard but with the game about to be called on account of rain
LASD body-building champion in 2001
manages to read 2-3 books a week
Leg shook whenever he sat; he fidgeted
A phobia—needles, ladders, etc
larger-than-normal personal space bubble
eats M&Ms or Skittles by color
can’t use a pen without a top
can’t clean his/her house unless it’s dark out
can’t sleep in a messy room
nibbles at his/her fingers when excited
turns every statement into a question–i.e.
Clips his nails in front of people
sees everyone as a color–she’s pink
has to have even numbers for stuff–like a grade or the volume on his/her iPod
can’t stand wood in his/her mouth–like chopsticks, popsicles, etc.
calls males ‘son’, i.e., ‘Good job, son!’
Janice talked so much it was like drowning in a verbal Niagara Falls.
She ate two antacids, slugged down some water and ate two more
suffering of strangers, even family, never touched him. He was family-centered
morally bankrupt
didn’t seem to have any inner resources
whistles out of tune
whistles out of tune or the same three lines over and over
very rosy cheeks–almost rosacea
can’t eat vanilla cake with chocolate icing
eats toothpaste
walks on his/her toes
a phobia to something weird–like cracks on the sidewalk
his/her leg shakes every time they sit
rolls eyes up and to the right as they pontificate (or lecture, or just talk)
cheerleading—lean in, big smile, claps the person on the shoulder
Freethinking Euro-intellectual
Extreme pickiness: peeled back the lid of the yogurt and licked the yogurt from the top. Then placed the lid on a narrow counter, folding it into eighths. Licked both sides of the spoon after taking a bite of yogurt.
holds a golf club behind his neck with both hands
rolls eyes up to the right and makes wide hand movements just as he’s about to pontificate (Bill O’Reilly)
always has to have the office/room door closed
break a sandwich up into little pieces before eating it
loves good grammar
can’t write with a blue pen
has a postcard collection
can’t go anywhere without a bottle of water
Must eat lunch at exactly 11:30 (or noon, or whatever hour works for your novel)
smells the pages of a book, or people, or food before eating
moves her lips when reading
stuck his tongue out while he worked (thought)
wears boxers
yellowed teeth
forgets names for common items, ie, Jacuzzi, bread box
-sh comes out as an –s, like ‘negotiations
Flemy voice
Nibbled at a fingernail
Chiara always sang when she was happy.
Not book smart, but a solid core of morals
Scratches himself as he talks; constantly and intermittently
empties the toaster crumbs every Monday morning;
cleans the cutting wheel on the electric can opener once a week because it’s “the dirtiest quarter inch in your kitchen”;
visits a different card shop each day to read the greeting cards;
names his son Sharon, after the steel mill town in Pennsylvania;
tugs at one sleeve because that arm is slightly longer than the other;
telephones her son to remind him again how difficult his birth was for her;
stands on tiptoes in family photos to appear taller;
vacuums the attic.
Chuck Frye, former 2nd best surfer’
Tips of her ears turn scarlet, sure sign she’s mad
Rubbing his fingers against each other
Over-developed sense of spatial reasoning
Sees patterns
What do you use that paste a warning label across your characters’ foreheads–BEWARE: Will keep you awake at night!
More posts on characters:
113 Ways to Characterize Your Protagonist
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, she’s working on a techno-thriller that should be ready this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: characters, descriptors, writers resources Tagged: characters, traits
March 17, 2014
10 Tips from Toxic Feedback
Toxic Feedback: Helping Writers Survive and Thrive
by Joni B. Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have to admit, when I heard Joni Cole had asked a writers group I’m involved with to review her book Toxic Feedback (University Press of New England, 2006)–an elemental discussion on how to give and take criticism, I jumped at it. I just finished the final edit of my current thriller ( is it ever really final in the writing world?), which meant I no longer had to submit to the well-intentioned-but-depressing opinions of my writer’s group Don’t get me wrong–I love these people. They spend a lot of time helping me get better. But OMG it’s painful! They don’t understand how to provide positive critiques–the type that motivate a writer to do better and not give up. Every time I’ve been the bulls eye of their reviews, I’ve come home swearing to never write again. There are two possible reasons: 1) the members don’t know how to critique, or 2) I don’t know how to accept criticism.
Or both. Who knows? Either way, when this opportunity showed up in my email box, I figured the Universe was talking to me.
Granted, I didn’t miss the conundrum of critiquing a book on criticism. What if I didn’t like Cole’s book? Could she accept my ‘toxic criticism’?
A little background on Joni Cole. She’s the creator of the popular series This Day and 2011 Pushcart Prize nominee, as well as a leader of fiction-writing workshops for over ten years. Within the first ten pages, I knew Cole understood me. I, like so many writers I know, am sensitive, easily-insulted, always with a brave front that is only skin deep, desperate for acceptance of my novel, sure that despite my nine published books, I am not any good and my naysayers have seen through my kingly trappings. When I get the writer’s blues, it’s more like the blacks. Cole provided armor against the toxic criticism of my well-intentioned friends. She shares information like:
only 14% of feedback is dead on (I am so relieved). The rest is from people who don’t know our genre or have a personal agenda that doesn’t include the success of our manuscript
most criticism isn’t as bad as it sounds. We at the receiving end of it merely think it’s a razor blade aimed at our jugular.
we are the boss of our story, not them. We decide if a character is shallow or a scene needs more sex or truth should be replaced with more exciting prose
Cole’s book is easy to read, with lots of anecdotal experiences from successful writers about their experiences with toxic feedback. She addresses the nightmare of a writer’s world with a light sense of humor and a depth of understanding that tells me she’s seen one too many flawed critiques. Of course she has. Cole’s writer’s workshops attempt to guide new authors not only in writing skills but how to handle the inevitable criticism that comes with the territory. Most of us equate ‘feedback’ with ‘criticism’. She explains the concept of feedback, defines it, discusses it from the viewpoint of those who give and those who receive, shares educated thoughts on its relevance in a writer’s ultimate success. She offers ways to tell writers if feedback is true (such as, is there a consensus of opinion on a particular point) and tips for processing it (resist the urge to explain your position; ignore feedback until you are ready for it). Cole has a folksy, friendly voice that makes me want to listen, like a friend who understands my concerns, my backstory. She reminds readers that ‘criticism’ is neutral. It isn’t always the bad stuff. As often (or more often–maybe as much as 3:1) it should be what the writer is doing correctly so they don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. She even provides guidance for taking criticism from your editor (you don’t have to capitulate) for those of us with editors who actually… edit.
In short, I liked everything about this book–except for one item: the cover. Skeletal hands slapped over a keyboard? Is that really the intent of her book? Cover notwithstanding, I strongly recommend this for everyone involved in a critique group, writing a book or leading a writer’s feedback group to be sure everyone approaches critiquing in a non-toxic manner.
How do you provide feedback to fellow writers? Here are ten tips:
“When you are writing, the Universe can leave you a message.”
“Feedback can help you polish your skills, hone your writerly instincts, and massage your words into shapely prose r poetry much faster than going it alone.”
“Feedback can also take the form of listening to a writer talk about his work.”
“Feedback can take the form of brainstorming.”
“Applying emotional intelligence is the key to detoxifying the feedback process.”
“…’the feedback sandwich’, which advises that when you are critiquing something …you will meet with more receptivity if you start with a positive comment and end with a positive comment.”
“Most people think positive feedback is when a reader says something nice about a writer’s story, and negative feedback is when the readers says something critical.”
“The next time you find yourself immediately feeling angry or defensive or despondent during a critique of yur work, as yourself the following question: Is it you… or is it them?”
“You are the boss of your own story.”
“[feedback]…cifmrs something you already knew on a gut level.”
“Generally speaking, the rougher the draft, the fewer the variables you throw at the writer at once.”
More posts on writing:
14 Things Writers Do Before 8am
Can You Mix Genres in Your Writing?
5 Ways to Write Like Your Hair’s on Fire
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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: book reviews, writing Tagged: book reviews, books, critiques, feedback, joni cole
March 14, 2014
14 Things Writers Do Before 8am
This is inspired by Jennifer Cohen over at Forbes who wrote a wonderful article on “5 Things Super Successful People Do Before 8am” (few of which I did, though I can claim #5). She includes chores like exercise, eat a healthy breakfast, map out the day–all great ideas, but not pithy enough for the average writer I know.
Here’s my list, gathered from chatting with friends (and a few efriends) about their daily ToDo list:
solve the problems of the world
wash Superman (or woman) cape
figure out the equivalent of sticking twenty people in a phone booth–i.e., get kids ready and off to school with packed lunches and completed homework, arrange household repairs, get the dog sorted, talk significant other down from an emotional cliff, figure out how to make coffee by pouring hot water through yesterday’s grounds (forgot to buy coffee), and find your child’s lost iPad which must be brought to school every day now that class has a 1:1 initiative
consult with muse on the next Great American Novel
invent clever phrases like “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” (though Winston Churchill has already come up with that one. Bollocks)
invent clever humor like,”If b******* were oil, you’d be OPEC”.
invent clever similes, like “Like a violin in a marching band”.
move everything that wasn’t accomplished yesterday to today’s To Do list, which is most everything because there were a few emergencies that blew up what should have been a highly-productive yesterday
reread the books about how anyone can write a best-seller.
find the overlap between ‘common’ and ‘sense’
figure out how many writers it takes to screw in a lightbulb
find life’s undo key
answer all Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus queries with friendly, pithy responses
take a nap
What do you do before 8am?
More writerly humor:
Do You Really Want to Try to Earn a Living as a Writer?
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: humor, writing Tagged: humor, writing
March 12, 2014
How Characters Show Emotion Part III
Emotion, as much as any other part of a story, must be shown, not told. How much more effective is it to say
What do you see in this face? Photo credit: Nemo
He clenched is fists until his fingernails dug painfully into his palms
rather than
He was so angry, he saw red.
I’ve collected a list of actions characters display and participate in to communicate emotion. Many are culled from other author’s writings–how they effectively communicated the emotion (effective for me, anyway) and others from books on body language. They’re in both the character’s POV and that of one who is watching. They help me make sure my character’s body language is in sync with what they’re feeling.
Note: This is updated from an earlier publication to reflect more amazing insights from authors I read.
This article covers Emotions O-Z. For Emotions A-O:
Emotions A-F are here
Emotions G-O are here
Obstinacy
mouth firmly closed, lowering brow, slight frown
Pain
grunted as he shifted, trying to keep his ankles from paining him
in the thick soup of his brain
did her ragged little insults result even in a flesh wound?
didn’t so much regain consciousness as he began sensing pain
Power/confidence
Wears power as comfortably as a pair of mucklucks
Fear had found its way into his proud chest, into the cast of his eyes and the set of his ruined jaw
Electricity radiated like the hum of a power plant
He was in the presence of a formidable individual
Approaching the hum of a high-voltage transformer
The cold look of a trained operative
Power player
Quiet authority
Emotional rebar
Adrenaline hangover
Pride
Handed it over with the pride of a dog delivering a very slobbery bone
Sadness Seen in…
bowing postures of the body wall
in the cry face and lip-pout
in gazing-down
in a slumped (i.e., flexed-forward) posture of the shoulders
in the audible sigh.
drooping eyelids
flaccid muscles
hanging head
contracted chest
lowered lips, cheeks, and jaw (“all sink downwards from their own weight”)
raised inner-ends of the eyebrows and remaining motionless and passive Anatomy
In acute sadness, muscles of the throat constrict, repeated swallowing occurs, the eyes close
Facial signs include frowning eyebrows mouth pouted or compressed
Shame
a blush especially low down the body does the blush extend
Strength
one-armed push-up
rolled out, dropped to the carpet, did a few push-ups, a few sit-ups, picked up two twenty-five pound dumbbells and did a hundred curls with each arm.
Two hardest words for Zeke to say were ‘I quit’
Leaned back in his chair, shrewd eyes fixed on Jonathan
He went face to face around the room.
Stress
Difficulty making decisions.
Angry outbursts.
Forgetfulness.
Low energy level.
Constant worrying.
Propensity for mistakes.
Thoughts about death or suicide.
Trouble getting along with others.
Withdrawing from others.
Hiding from responsibilities.
Carelessness
I find it difficult to concentrate because of distracting thoughts.
I worry about things that don’t matter.
I feel jittery.
I get diarrhea.
I imagine terrifying scenes.
I cannot keep anxiety-provoking pictures and images out of my mind.
My stomach gets tense.
I pace up and down nervously.
I am bothered by unimportant thoughts running through my mind.
I become immobilized.
I feel I am losing out on things because I cannot make decisions fast enough.
I perspire.
I cannot stop thinking worrisome thoughts.
Become irritable when you have to wait in line or get caught in a traffic jam?
Eat, drink, or smoke in an attempt to relax and/or relieve tension?
Worry about your work or other deadlines at night and/or on weekends?
Wake up in the night thinking about all the things you must do the next day?
Feel impatient at the slowness with which many events take place?
Find yourself short of time to complete everything that needs to take place?
Become upset because things have not gone your way
Tend to lose your temper and get irritable?
Wake up in the night and have a hard time getting back to sleep?
Drive over the speed limit?
Interrupt people while they are talking or complete their sentences for them?
Forget about appointments and/or lose objects
signs of stress: My heart beats faster.
symptoms of stress such as tension, pain in the neck or shoulders, or headaches
Tension
Frowning
Twitching
Eyelids Breathing rapid
Breathing irregular
Mouth tight
Swallowing
Be aware of nervous gestures: If someone brushes their hair back with their fingers, their thoughts conflict with yours. If someone is biting their lip, they are anticipating something.
Trust
The wider the gesture, the closer someone is to you, the warmer his opinions of you
Watch head position. tilted heads are trying to convince you of their honesty
Check their arms. The worst thing that you can do to people with crossed arms is to challenge them in one way or another. This annoys them. If someone rests their arms behind their neck, they are open to what is being discussed.
Lowered eyebrows and squinted eyes illustrate an attempt at understanding. It’s usually skeptical.
Forced smiles only involve the muscles around the mouth
Unhappy
She was into a sobbing, shaking, nose-running, chest-heaving, gasping-for-breath, flat-out-crying fit
Recalled him with a shudder
She felt a lump in her throat and a tightening knot in her stomach
Wasn’t enough warm milk and Ambien in the world to let me sleep
Weakness
His legs buckled, and he fell to the ground
Wealth
the oppressive reek of excess
Worry
Twilier drew her right arm across her belly, rested her left elbow on it, and began chewing a thumb cuticle that already looked raw
Can you add to this list? How do you convey emotion in your characters?
178 Ways to Describe Women’s Clothing
Funny One Liners I’ve Read in Books
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: characters, descriptors, writers resources Tagged: body language, characterization, characters, emotions
March 10, 2014
10 Tips from Janet Burroway
Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft
by Janet Burroway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Janet Burroway is quite an accomplished author. She wrote eight novels, plays, poetry, essays, texts for dance, and children’s books and recently received the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award for Writing
Her seminal book, Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (Longman 2003), is the most widely used creative writing text in America. It is also one of the first writing how-to books I ever bought as part of the first writing class I ever took, at a community college years ago. I devoured the book, surprised there were so many rules and guidelines that informed what I’d thought would be more journaling than genius. By the end of the class, I knew exactly how much I didn’t know, but at least I had this book to unscramble my brain.
A note before proceeding: I used the sixth edition–she’s up to the ninth. Some things may have changed and at some point, I will decide to invest the almost $100 to update. But not yet.
Janet Burroway is detailed, specific, with examples of good and bad, as well as exercises to develop a writer’s craft. It includes chapters on the process (do what works for you–I like that sort of freedom, where whatever I do is right as long as I do it), showing and telling, characterization, setting, atmosphere, POV, metaphors and similar (and allegory and symbolic choices), theme and revision. Burroway’s book is over 400 pages and she uses each one wisely.
Each writing process chapter includes valuable pieces:
core discussion based on Burroway’s experience and expertise, as well as lots of quotes and ideas specific to the chapter topic from successful writers
one or more essay-sort of article from a renowned author on the same subject (usually a few pages)
suggestions for discussion–appropriate for a writing class or workshop
writing exercises–both individual and collaborative
Here are ten Big Ideas I got from this book:
“Julie Alvarez [an accomplished writer] begins the day by reading first poetry, then prose, by her favorite writers ‘to remind me of the quality of writing I am aiming for’ (love this idea. I’ve adopted it.)
“Any discipline or indulgence that actually helps nudge you into a position facing the page is acceptable” (Burroway includes journaling, freewriting, clustering, more)
“‘Almost all good stories are sad because it is the human struggle that engages us readers and listeners the most’ (from Robert Morgan)”–and here I am, always looking for the happy ending.
This is how she explains the difference between plot and story: “A ‘story’ is a series of events recorded in their chronological order. A ‘plot’ is a series of events deliberately arranged so as to reveal their dramatic, thematic, and emotional significance.”
“Specific, definite, concrete, particular details–these are the life of fiction.”
“…almost every occurrence of such phrases as ‘she noticed’ and ‘she saw’ be suppressed in favor of direct presentation of the thing seen.” (Burroway quotes John Gardner in “The Art of Fiction”)
“In prose, on the whole, the rhythm is all right if it isn’t clearly wrong.”
“Though critics often praise literature for exhibiting characteristics of the individual, the typical, and the universal all at the same time, I don’t think this is of much use to the practicing writer.” (Burroway is discussing the difficulty of creating unique characters readers haven’t met before who also possess characteristics readers universally relate to.)
“Like fiction itself, human dialogue attempts to marry logic to emotion.”
“The idea that is proposed, supposed, or speculated about in a fiction may be simple, and idealistic, like the notion in Cinderella that the good and beautiful will triumph. Or it may be profound and unprovable, like the theme in Oedipus Rex that man cannot escape his destiny but may be ennobled in the attempt. Or it may be deliberately paradoxical and offer no guidelines that can be used in life, as in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, where the heroine, in order to adhere to her principles, must follow advice given on principles less sound than her own.”
“…coherence in the world [an author] creates is constituted of two concepts he holds, which may be in conflict: one is his world view, his sense of the way the world is; and the other is his sense of morality, the way the world ought to be.” Burroway quotes Rust Hills)
That’s just poking the camel’s nose under the tent. Wait till you read the entire book.
There is a 7th and 8th edition out with lots of new material. If you’re buying this for the first time, I’d recommend you buy the most recent version. Janet seems to get an update out every few years.
More tips from writers:
A Bunch of Tips from Jeff Goins (Who’s He?)
21 Tips About Writing From Twitter
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: book reviews, editing, writers, writers resources, writing Tagged: book reviews, fiction, Janet Burroway, writers, writers resources, writing
March 6, 2014
Book Review: Oxford Essential Dictionary of Difficult Words
The Oxford Essential Dictionary of Difficult Words
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is a wonder if your style of writing is a bit on the intellectual side or if you want an Anthony Hopkins type of character, ala Silence of the Lambs–educated, professorial, cerebral. Their dialogue and interior monologue must include words that are well-selected, pithy, yet meaningful in their spot. They become the signature of that person and the reader recognizes the character’s appearance on a scene by their speaking style. If that’s not your normal speaking style (as it isn’t for most of us), it can be tricky, but not impossible thanks to this book.
In my case, I love words. I keep a list of my five hundred favorite words (like abecederian and apocryphal). I enjoy finding that one word to replace ten others–
dew point
heuristic
curmudgeon
…or the exact word to fit a circumstance
diaphoretic
heterodox
palindrome
When I bought this book, I curled up in bed and read it before going to sleep. The beauty of well-selected words is calming. So many of them flow off the tongue as though they should always have been there, in my mind.
xenophobic
obfuscate
bibliophile
perspicacity
Oxford Essential Dictionary of Difficult Words also has common words that we-all have likely forgotten–
objective
pantomime
raffish
spurious
When I read these, I scratched my head. They aren’t difficult, but–then it struck me–when was the last time I used them?
For more about beautiful words, check out these posts:
10 Tips Plus One More About Beautiful Words
103 Most Beautiful Words? You Decide
Ten Favorite Geek Words–Part I
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: book reviews, geeks, words, writers resources Tagged: beautiful words, bibliophile, Dictionary, essential words, neologism, Word, words
March 4, 2014
#IWSG–My Writing Style Doesn’t Work
This post is for Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group (click the link for details on what that means and how to join. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up to the challenge that are worth checking out like Kate and Rebecca who inspired me to begin). The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words of encouragement for fellow writers.
This month’s insecurity: What if my style of writing just doesn’t work for the genre I selected?
I have been writing for about 17 years. I started as a fiction writer (had no idea what my genre was), took some classes. Got excited about writing as a craft. I thought it was something I could be passionate about for a lifetime so I wrote a novel. It wasn’t well received. That didn’t stop me. I kept writing and submitting and filing. Write. Submit. File rejection letters. Repeat. Being a smart person, I figured out this wasn’t going to pay the bills so I started writing tech-in-education articles, books, stuff. That worked well. I seemed to have found a good balance of layspeak and tech for lots of people.
But I kept writing fiction, now focused on thrillers. Still I write. Submit. Get rejected. Repeat.
I’m starting to wonder if my writing style doesn’t work for fiction. I’m organized, almost methodical. I like approaches like the Marshall Plan that tells me how many scenes my characters should be part of (not to say I follow it all the time. I like being a rebel). I create my draft in Excel so I can add rows, ideas with alacrity, then convert everything to Word. I probably have all the required pieces of a novel, but I wonder if I’ve organized out the passion. Emotion. Little surprises that just happen and make readers come back.
Don’t get me wrong–I’ve had some success. A first place in a writing competition. Quarter finals in ABNA. I even had an agent for a while… That’s another story. People I respect swear it’s the Universe being quirky, not me being hopeless. I’ve tried quitting, but I’m back at it within weeks, like an addict. I know people who quit smoking and their rough period starts when they quit and continues till they die. Is that what being a reformed writer would be–”Hello, my name is Jacqui and it’s been ten days since I edited my novel…” I get the shakes thinking of that.
Still I wonder. If I self-pub will anyone read? Will I be among those ‘Indie authors who embarrass the profession’? Yikes–I’m depressing myself.
How do you handle this sort of worry?
More IWSG articles:
Am I good enough? Does it matter?–#IWSG
Fear of Saying Dumb Things Scares Me to Death
#IWSG–The World is Changing–Can I keep up
Will I Find Employment if I’m an Older Job Hunter?
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: writers, writing Tagged: iwsg, opinion, writers
March 2, 2014
13 Tips from Bob Mayer’s Novel Writer’s Toolkit
The Novel Writer’s Toolkit: A Guide to Writing Novels and Getting Published
by Bob Mayer
Bob Mayer is a pretty impressive guy. He’s a West Point grad, former Green Beret, NYT Best Selling author of umpteen books (fiction and non-fiction), owner of Cool Gus Publishing, author’s coach, blogger, speaker/consultant, and a lot more stuff there’s just not room to include. The Swiss Army Knife of writing. He seems to do it all, and well.
No surprise The Novel Writer’s Toolkit (Writers Digest Books 2003) is a great start for anyone writing a novel. Mayer includes topics on characteristics of a writer, tools for day-to-day writing (a bit trite, though i enjoy the atmosphere of writing so it was fun to read), what to write, preparation for writing, elements of the story (narrative structure, plot, pacing, etc.), technique (characters, POV, dialogue, setting, subplots). His final chapters on the business end of writing include the submission (process, rejections, agents), your business and the future (ebooks).
The book includes helpful sample outlines, sample cover letter and synopsis–something not usually found in self-help writing books. He also has a nice sample story grid and plot line.
Overall, he covers the mechanics of writing in less than 135 pages and the business parts in less than seventy. That makes it a quick read, and enjoyable as it doesn’t linger anywhere too long to be boring.
Therein lies its one shortfall if you’re a veteran writer looking for help on characteristics giving you trouble: Nothing is very detailed. For example, there aren’t specifics on creating good dialogue or narrative. Full Disclosure: He has an update out called Novel Writer’s Toolkit: From Idea to Best-Seller (Cool Gus Publishing 2013) which I haven’t read so it may fix my ‘shortfall’.
Nevertheless, it is one of the books I keep on-hand, behind my writing desk on my floor-to-ceiling shelves, as reference on how to perform my art to its best. Here are thirteen take-aways that have made a difference in my writing:
Tool One: Yourself [refreshing to hear this. So many times, the power of the individual is forgotten in the success of writing. I love that Mayer includes Me.]
“Simple perseverance counts for a lot…” [Good to know since that's a resource most authors have plenty of]
“…be willing to continuously learn from any source to improve your writing.”
He offers four addendum to Mark Twain’s ‘Write what you know’–I like this acceptance of the reality that writers constantly write what they DON’T know. It’s their voice, research, storytelling skills that make it work more than intimate knowledge.
“If you can’t [write down the original idea of your book in one sentence], then you need to backtrack through your thought processes to find it…”
“Try to write like a reader, rather than a writer.” Are you hooked as a reader? Is it suspenseful enough?
“Most novice writers want formulas and rules… Unfortunately writing is never [that] easy…”
“When a person has trouble writing action scenes, I immediately look to see if the author is handling perspective well. When dialogue drags, I check point of view.”
“Perspective is your voice as a writer.”
“…most writers don’t knock the reader’s socks off with their opening two chapters.”
“…point of view is the number one type problem for most writers.” [I argue about this all the time with writers. I'm amazed good authors think you can head hop and not confuse readers. Then again, I've seen it done effectively by NYT best sellers.]
“If you want the reader to understand a battle scene, omniscient point of view is a good choice… But if you want the reader to see how one specific character is responding to the danger of combat, …stick with third person from the character’s point of view.”
“The most important aspect of rewriting is to be honest.”
Has anyone read his update? I’d love to hear your thoughts on that.
More how-to-write reviews:
Book Review: Self-editing for Fiction Writers
Book Review: Writing the Breakout Novel
Book Review: How to Write a D*** Good Novel
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: book reviews, editing, writers, writers resources, writing Tagged: editing, publishing
February 27, 2014
Book Review: Crimes of Memory
Crimes of Memory
by L.J. Sellers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If Crimes of Memory (Thomas & Mercer 2013) is your first L.J. Sellers’ Detective Jackson mystery, be patient. I’ve read all nine books in this series (see my review on Rules of Crime) and it took me a bit to get used to the unique introspective style of this thoughtful detective. He is clever, intelligent, and caring, not necessarily in that order when he’s fighting crime. In his world, his life is as important as the crime he’s fighting. By that I mean he cares how his job–the long hours, the lawless people, even the mental anguish it puts him through–affects those he loves. In many series, authors deal with that by destroying any semblance of a personal life their heroes have (read Alex Berenson’s latest John Wells thriller, The Counterfeit Agent–you’ll see what I mean). In this series, Sellers actually tries to mesh job and personal in a workable formula.
In Crimes of Memory, Detective Jackson struggles with several seemingly disparate crimes (a body stuffed in a storage container, a bomb explosion at a factory) in the aftermath of his ex-wife’s death, his daughter’s grief, and his personal struggle with ‘is it all worth it’. Even as his own life seems headed for a breakdown, he can’t stop himself from following the clues, making connections, and ultimately solving the crime. Since this is a series, there is no real ending to the story, just a sense that there’s a light in the darkness that might not be an attack helicopter.
If this were my first Detective Jackson book, I might rate this a three or four star book, wishing Jackson was more like other lawmen heroes–hard-bitten, jaded, cynical, driven to protect the world. But there are a lot of great books that deliver that character. Here, I get change, an unusual character, a peak into how a family life can mesh successfully (if rockily) with saving the world. That’s worth five stars and a recommendation to read the entire series.
More mystery book reviews:
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. In her free time, she is editor of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a techno-thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.
Filed under: book reviews Tagged: detective series, mysteries
