First Wednesday, Month 7!
Me: “I’m back physically, but mentally I’m still enjoying an Aegean swim.”
Muse (AKA The Nag): “Did you say Aegean? I thought you were going to the Ionian.”
Me: “Well, you see there was a change in plan. It’s called ‘life takes a left instead of a right,’ so there were different boats and different crews and, therefore, a different sea.”
The Muse (AKA The Nag): “Are you sure you’re not losing it?”
Me: “Somewhat sure. Listen, fella, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Here’s a picture of me pretending to write when, in fact, I’m waiting for the anchor to drop so I can jump into the water. To be very honest, I wrote not one word.”
Thanks for the picture, Jason!
The Muse (AKA The Nag): “And you call yourself a writer.”
Me: “I like the title. And who could resist jumping into this?
And, of course, after a swim I was busy eating and talking and eating some more. There may have been wine involved.
The Muse (AKA The Nag): “Ah ha! Just as I suspected. I’m stuck here minding the estate, and you’re off swimming in some exotic sea and getting snockered during the day!”
Me: “Not ‘snockered‘ just…happy.”
The Muse (AKA The Nag) turns away in a sulk.
Me: I did some work while I was gone. Look! Double Negative was in the top ten books listed in this wiki: Stunning YA Books That Chronicle The Tough Realities Of Growing Up.
The Muse (AKA The Nag) shrugs. No eye contact.
Me: I’m in too good a mood to let you rile me, so go ahead and pout and let me get on with this first Wednesday post.”
In this brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh, each month the IWSG announce a question that members can answer in their posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
July 3 question: What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?
Remember, the question is optional!
The awesome co-hosts for the July 3 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!
I’d like to say that there’s nothing of me in the people I create, but I suppose a writer can’t avoid creating a cast that is nothing like them. So when I thought about the question, I had to admit there are bits of me that I recognize in some of my characters.
I’ve been known to be stubborn–I’d prefer to call it determined–and that trait pops up in several characters. If Shawna Stone (Sliding on the Edge) hadn’t been hugely stubborn, she wouldn’t have survived. I threw a lot at Ms. Stone in this story, and she finally fought her way through all of it.
My fears peek out at me when I think about Carlie Simon (The Princess of Las Pulgas) and she withdraws into herself when those fears become very big–my usual strategy. When I’m really scared, I disappear until I get all of that under control.
Like Cleo Brown (Sudden Secrets) I can carry around a lot of guilt about mistakes, and I used to run like she does to escape, but these days I’ve turned to hiking and yoga to help me out.
So in short, these are the traits I’ve written into some of my characters, and I’m sure I’m not alone. Can’t wait to see what others have answered this month.
There are some really good July bargains from Dancing Lemur Press.Some restrictions apply. Free swag with all direct orders. See the SITE for details.
Thirty writers entered the June WEP! Go read some and see what you think. There were many that deserve applause. But here are the stars according to the judges: Pat Hatt, Elephant’s Child , Toi There were so many great stories that I’m sure it was a difficult choice.
Quote of the Month: Compliments of The Muse (AKA The Nag) “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” Seth Godin, entrepreneur, author, speaker.
