Jacqui Murray's Blog, page 204
September 19, 2011
Writer's Tip #76: Use a Photo to Develop Characters, Setting
Great tips for soon-to-be great writers
When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can't quite put your finger on it, but you know you've done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer's tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make the adjustments.
This tip was brought to mind by one of my readers, Penny. My current WIP is so far from its beginnings that I'd forgotten it started with photos to draw character profiles and Google Earth images to create the setting details. But it did. I remember browsing through internet images of paleoanthropologists, staring in their eyes to see if they were Kali Delamagente or Zeke Rowe (my two main characters). Did they have her fragile spirit or his swash-buckling former SEAL-now-scientist persona? Once I found the right image, I read everything I could find about that sort of person and came up with a character that worked. Then, I pasted the pictures to the walls of my office so every time they were in scene, I'd see them, notice how they moved, remember how their head tilted in thought or their brows furrowed in confusion.
Settings were the same. To make them authentic, I searched out every location on Google Earth, then traveled the streets, the towns, the neighborhoods to get a sense of what my characters would experience. If Kali or Zeke walked from Columbia University to her apartment a couple of blocks away (he lives in an NSA safe house in Englewood), I walked it first to see what bodega they passed, how busy were the streets, what type of people visited local businesses. This way, I could add flavor, emotion to my scenes. A few times, I had to adjust the scene because Google Street View told me it couldn't have happened the way I'd written. Anyone with a wide audience knows they tell you all your mistakes, so the less that slip through, the better.
So this tip is a big one. Don't think you can skip visualizing your characters and settings. Take the time to find out about your story's fundamentals and then let your people and locations drive the story.
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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, an 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, setting, writers tips Tagged: characters, setting, writers tips
September 16, 2011
Book Review: Darkness My Old Friend
Darkness, My Old Friend: A Novel
by Lisa Unger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Note: This review written as part of my Amazon Vine Voice series
I recently had the pleasure of previewing an advanced copy of Darkness My Old Friend by Lisa Unger (Crown 2011). This is the first novel from Ms. Unger I have read and will not be my last. Ms. Unger has characters galore throughout the novel but cleverly weaves them together for a very exciting, although somewhat predictable ending. If one is looking for good beach reading material this will certainly qualify.
The story begins with a mother (this character is also an author of some renown) and her daughter moving from New York city to The Hollows, a small community (the author includes nice insights into the mother-daughter relationship. If you have a daughter, you might like these). This move is driven by mom's attempt to provide a more "normal" surrounding for her teenage daughter to grow up in. The daughter witnesses a man digging in the forest for no apparent reason, and the mystery and drama is on.
Enter Jones Cooper a retired cop who is currently acting as handyman and general all purpose good guy for the neighbors. A local psychic gets involved predicting terrible visions involving Mr. Cooper and a victim yet to be clearly identified. You'll have to read the book to see how these two plot elements intertwine with the daughter's experience.
The dialogue is excellent, intricately plotted and credible. I can easily see why Ms. Unger has such a enthusiastic following among mystery lovers. My only criticism is that the story construction overall bleeds into the line that separates mystery from literary fiction. There is a bit more discussion of emotions than I usually like in a mystery novel. This, though, is a preference likely unique to me and shouldn't interfere with anyone else's enjoyment of the book. In fact, you may find it more appealing for those types of scenes.
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: book reviews Tagged: book reviews, mysteries
September 13, 2011
Tech Tip for Writers #15: Save Early Save Often
Tech Tips for Soon-to-be Great Writers
Tech Tips for Writers is an (almost) weekly post on overcoming Tech Dread. I'll cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have shared. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I'll cover it in a future Tip.
Q: My computer is old and crashes sometimes. What's a good rule to follow so I don't lose my work?
A: Saving is easier than you think. I know, you're thinking it is easy, so what's the deal?
Do you save every ten minutes?
Have you ever lost your work because… it just disappeared. Maybe a power surge. Maybe you pressed the wrong button. Who knows, but hours worth of work evaporated.
Here's what you do.
Save the file wherever you normally save your work (My Documents, desktop, etc.)
Every ten minutes, push Ctrl S (hold Ctrl down while you push S). Then keep working.
It takes moments to insure your work is always saved.
Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I'll answer it within the next thirty days.
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 , 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: tech tips for writers Tagged: tech tips, writers tips
September 12, 2011
Writer's Tip #75: Break the Rules
Great tips for soon-to-be great writers
When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can't quite put your finger on it, but you know you've done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer's tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make the adjustments.
This tip is from Robert Masello, award-winning journalist, television writer, and bestselling author of many novels and nonfiction books like the Medusa Amulet and Vigil. It's #102 in his Kindle ebook, Robert's Rules of Writing: 101 Unconventional Lessons Every Writer Should Know (Writers Digest Books 2011). That's right. He's showing not telling. We writers understand that approach.
Here's what he says:
Rule 102. Break the Rules. The cover of the book says 101 Rules—and that's why I'm writing 102. Just to prove that rules are made for breaking. For example, for every writer who writes in the morning, there's one who writes only at night. For every writer who plows ahead, never looking back, there's one who agonizes over every word and cannot go forward without polishing every syllable that has come before. For every writer who works from an elaborate outline, there's one who flies by the seat of his pants.
For the 101 others, download the free Kindle ebook (though I don't know how long it'll be free) and enjoy!
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Questions you want answered? Leave a comment and I'll answer it within the next thirty days.
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: writers tips, writing Tagged: break the rules, writers tips
September 11, 2011
The Names–Tribute to 9/11
America's Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, wrote this poem a year after 9/11. God bless our nation, our victims and our survivors:
Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.
A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze,
And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,
I started with A, with Ackerman, as it happened,
Then Baxter and Calabro,
Davis and Eberling, names falling into place
As droplets fell through the dark.
Names printed on the ceiling of the night.
Names slipping around a watery bend.
Twenty-six willows on the banks of a stream.
In the morning, I walked out barefoot
Among thousands of flowers
Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
And each had a name —
Fiori inscribed on a yellow petal
Then Gonzalez and Han, Ishikawa and Jenkins.
Names written in the air
And stitched into the cloth of the day.
A name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
Monogram on a torn shirt,
I see you spelled out on storefront windows
And on the bright unfurled awnings of this city.
I say the syllables as I turn a corner —
Kelly and Lee,
Medina, Nardella, and O'Connor.
When I peer into the woods,
I see a thick tangle where letters are hidden
As in a puzzle concocted for children.
Parker and Quigley in the twigs of an ash,
Rizzo, Schubert, Torres, and Upton,
Secrets in the boughs of an ancient maple.
Names written in the pale sky.
Names rising in the updraft amid buildings.
Names silent in stone
Or cried out behind a door.
Names blown over the earth and out to sea.
In the evening — weakening light, the last swallows.
A boy on a lake lifts his oars.
A woman by a window puts a match to a candle,
And the names are outlined on the rose clouds —
Vanacore and Wallace,
(let X stand, if it can, for the ones unfound)
Then Young and Ziminsky, the final jolt of Z.
Names etched on the head of a pin.
One name spanning a bridge, another undergoing a tunnel.
A blue name needled into the skin.
Names of citizens, workers, mothers and fathers,
The bright-eyed daughter, the quick son.
Alphabet of names in a green field.
Names in the small tracks of birds.
Names lifted from a hat
Or balanced on the tip of the tongue.
Names wheeled into the dim warehouse of memory.
So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the heart.
Filed under: writing
September 9, 2011
Characteristics That Make Your Character Memorable
When 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
What makes your characters different?
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
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
September 8, 2011
Read My Latest 'Innovate My School' Article
It's called Twenty techie problems every student can fix. There are also some other wonderful posts 
about tech and school and how to keep up from international experts. Check it out.
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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, an 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: authors, tech tips for writers Tagged: inquiry, problem-solving, tech problems, tech tips
September 7, 2011
Book Review: Act of Deceit
Act of Deceit: A Harlan Donnally Novel
by Steven Gore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Note: This review is part of my Amazon Vine Voice series
The third thriller for new author Steven Gore and first starring the character he hopes to build a series around, Act of Deceit (Harper 2011) introduces Harlan Donnally, ex-star detective and current bored mountain man. His backstory is he retired from police work at the top of his game, intending to devote himself to becoming one with the earth and getting to know his wife in the rural Northern California community of Mt. Shasta.
Until his sometime buddy and ex-fellow detective (a man whose wit is as quick as his attitude is sour) convinces him to 'consult' on the gory beheading of a bride on her wedding day. The circumstances are heinous, the people involved disturbing, and the clues few. After much mental scrabbling, he accepts and finds a welcome diversion from his day job of hoeing and raking and planting. As he deftly pieces together what appear to be unrelated, even meaningless, clues, he uncovers a wave of murders, all centered around a school for sexually-challenged teens. The closer he gets to unraveling who did it, the stranger the case becomes, and the more personal, until it threatens to ruin his marriage, his reputation and his peace of mind.
Unlike many thrillers, this one spends a good bit of time explaining and developing Harlan Donnally's emotional life with his difficult wife–too much if you're a lover of the thriller's fast-moving story construction as I am (I'll read literary fiction sometime after college math books and Hog-Raising for Dummies). In fact, the plot bogs down often as Gore delves into Donnally's mental and emotional struggles to resolve his wife's disdain for pretty much everything about her husband. But, since this is the first book in the series, this sort of character development is necessary even if it's painful. In fact, because of Gore's facility in this area, it took no more than a few early paragraphs to hook me on Harlan Donnally, find characteristics I could relate to, care that his marriage was struggling, and marvel at his wife's persuasive powers in convincing him to move to a mountain homestead despite his disinterest in that sort of back-to-basics lifestyle.
And that begets my only criticism of the book: I don't believe Gore provides a solid-enough argument for why Donnally threatens his tenuous marriage for the self-absorbed narcissistic people involved in this crime. There are many points in the book where Donnally could reasonably have stopped the investigation, called it complete, yet he continues, driven by some internal demons that are alluded to but poorly defined. Because Gore does a masterful job of building the plot and interleaving pieces, that's good enough to keep me reading.
By the time I finished the book (the first half took a few days, the last half took, oh, no time at all), I had a good understanding of the man who is Harlan Donnally, what drives him, and why he is worthy of many more stories. In fact, I give Gore a rousing round of raucous applause and I'm eager for Donnally's next caper.
If you're reading this, Steven Gore, would you mind sending me your first two books so I can read–er, review–them also.
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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, an 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: book reviews, thrillers Tagged: book review, gore, novels, thrillers
September 6, 2011
Tech Tip for Writer's #17: Don't Know the Date? No Problem
As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I'll share one of those with you. They're always brief and always focused. Enjoy!
Q: I don't know why, but I never remember the date. Unfortunately, I have to type it often at school/work/home. Is there a shortcut for people like me?
A: Who does remember the date? No problem. Just push Shift Alt D. That puts the current date into any Word document (use Ctrl ; in Excel).
Be aware: This shortkey updates the date every time you open the document. For example, you might use it and the date shows as April 21, 2010. When you re-open the same document five days later, it'll read April 26, 2010. So, if you want the date to memorialize the document, skip the keyboard shortcut.
Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I'll answer it within the next thirty days.
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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: tech tips for writers Tagged: tech tips
