Category: Writing

Observations on the writing life

Creating Characters

Creating believable characters takes a lot of work. There are so many resources to help a writer that choosing a method borders on a brain drain.

Still, I have to wonder: did Thomas Hardy know Tess of the D’Ubervilles’ astrological sign?

Did Charles Dickens plot Oliver Twist‘s archetype before he penned the novel?

I’m pretty sure Jane Austin didn’t read Elizabeth Bennet’s tarot cards before she wrote Pride and Prejudice.

And Charlotte Bronte certainly didn’t define Jane Eyre by her Enneagram type or her Myers-Briggs classification.

So why am I surrounded by books, decks of cards, and charts?

Planner Planning

Last year, I decided to resurrect my planner. Several parts of the restructuring worked out really well.

A friend of mine mentioned she was downloading free, printable planner pages. Doing something like this never occurred to me! I embraced the idea. And now that I’ve finally jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon, I have a lot more ideas from which to choose.

There are many sites offering a variety of options. The ones I seem to like best only come in 8.5 x 11 size. And quite a few of the sites are from professional housewives/mothers and from people who home school. While I like the looks of the pages, the content won’t work for me. Here’s an example of what I mean. Parts of this page are perfect. But making the bed isn’t on my to do list.

I wish I were graphically able to create my own. I’m just not that clever.

Here’s what I settled on.

goals planner

I think I’m going to love them.

Now I need to find something for blog planning.

Reviews

My local RWA chapter recently held a program on reviews. It was an insightful presentation and sparked passionate dialogue. Does one read reviews or ignore them? Are bad reviews are good thing? Does one respond to a review, good or bad?

Here’s my take on the topic. I love reviews, good or bad. It means someone read my book.

As far as I’m concerned a bad review lends legitimacy to the review process. If several reviewers find the same flaw in the book, then I need to seriously consider what they’re saying. I prefer to think of those types of reviews as constructive rather than bad. If a book has all four-or-five star reviews, I wonder if it’s not a stacked deck.

Never ever ever engage with a reviewer on a review site. It’s unprofessional. One of the newer, unpublished members of the chapter said, “But I would be thrilled that an author wanted to talk to me!”

My response: then friend me on Facebook. If you are my friend on Facebook, you will be my buddy. We will swap recipes, share stories about our children, and recommend books to each other. I love interacting with my readers . . . on Facebook. It’s casual, the way a friendship should be. But not on Goodreads and not on Amazon.

Do you write reviews for books you’ve read?

Work-In-Progress Wednesday: Julie Doherty

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Today I’m pleased to welcome author Julie Doherty.

MJ: The first full week of October is National Great Books Week. As a reader what do you consider three essential elements of a great book and why?

JD: Great books have the perfect balance of interesting characters, a fascinating plot, and superb writing. Great books also teach us something. They take us on a journey, let us slip into someone else’s skin, and allow us to lose ourselves in other realms when our real worlds are less than satisfying.

A book goes from great to sublime when it does all of this with lyrical sentences containing just enough detail for readers to envision the scene. Too much description spoils the journey for me. It’s a bit like someone sharing vacation photos. I’m interested at first, but the moment you start pointing out the details of every photo, I’m going to pray a fire alarm goes off.

MJ: If you didn’t write, what would be your creative outlet?

JD:  It definitely wouldn’t be dance. I have two left feet. I’ve been a singer, a calligrapher, and a canine artist.

MJ: Other than writing, what would be your dream job? Why?

JD: I experienced my dream job for exactly eight hours back in the nineties when the City of Harrisburg needed temporary help transcribing Civil War letters, some from a general to his wife. *fans self* I can’t describe how privileged I felt to touch those letters, let alone read their contents.

MJ: Describe your ideal/dream writing space.

JD:  A room with a locked door and no telephone within earshot.

MJ: What do you love most about your WIP hero?

JD: His determination to regain custody of his son. I also love that in spite of horrific emotional trauma, he has retained his sense of humor.

MJ: What do you least like about your WIP heroine?

JD: Her low self esteem. Who could blame her, though? I mean, her husband left her sitting in the fertility clinic while he was out impregnating a twenty-something airhead. It takes a while to recover from that.

MJ: What genre is your current WIP?

JD: Contemporary romance with elements of fantasy.

MJ: How did you come up with your hero and heroine’s names?

JD:  I chose names that fit their personalities.

MJ: How did you choose the setting for your current WIP?

JD:  Since my heroine (Ann McConnell) owns the farm where my second novel takes place (SCATTERED SEEDS, releasing today, woot!) I had to set my WIP in Pennsylvania. She unearths a gold torc there and embarks on a journey to Scotland to research its origins. Most of the story takes place on the Isle of Iona and around the Oban/Taynuilt area.

MJ: And can you share a bit of this WIP?

JD: I’m tentatively calling this one SCENT OF FOREVER.

With birds chattering in the trees above her, Ann stared at the footprint of her ancestors’ cabin. Time had reduced its log walls and roof to ruddy banks around a flagstone floor. Only the hearth and part of the chimney wall remained upright. The rest of it lay in a heap, just like the pieces of her life.

She would repair the chimney—starting today—but her dismantled world? That would take a different kind of mortar.

MJ: Love the title! I understand you have a book being released today.

JD: Yes, SCATTERED SEEDS is available through Amazon.

Scattered seeds Julie Doherty600x912

 

MJ: And how can readers stay current with you?

Social media links:

 

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Scent-Soul-Julie-Doherty-ebook/dp/B00SZ0SKUE

BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBuB3WC3FGU

GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/532434.Julie_Doherty

TWITTER:  http://twitter.com/SquareSails

FACEBOOK:  http://www.facebook.com/juliedohertywrites

WEBSITE: http://www.juliedoherty.com

MJ: Thanks again for joining me today, and good luck!

Motifs

When I was first learning how to build a website, I read a book on graphic design that said repeating certain motifs would make the site look sharper. The same advice also applies to business cards, newsletters, tri-folds, bookmarks, and other promotional material using graphics.

I started noticing I also used repetitive motifs when getting dressed in the morning–crystal earrings, crystals on my shirt, crystals on my sandals, or mimicking the pattern in my sweater with the shape of my earrings and brooches. This makes me look more pulled together.

While it’s easy for me see motifs in a visual design or a wardrobe, inserting a motif into my writing is a little more difficult. I find myself wanting to explain the symbolism instead of letting it flow into the reader’s subconscious.

In the book I just sold, daybreak plays an important role. I use the colors of sunrise as well as the “starting over” or “new beginning” aspect to further the romance. So now you know what to look for!