September Giveaway and more Point of View

What I'm reading: Eternal Pleasure, by Nina Bangs

First, thanks to Lorena for her post on Point of View -- and for triggering the idea for this month's "contest."

It's not a contest at all, but a giveaway. My first sale was a short-short story called, "Words" which began as an exercise in Point of View. Actually, it began as what was supposed to be a light-hearted story based on an experience I had with hubby while eating at our local Chinese restaurant. We always order hot and sour soup, and this time it was spicier than usual, and my eyes were watering. I asked hubby if my mascara was running. He said (believe it or not), "You're wearing mascara?" My response was, "Are we out of the house?" Now, at the time, we'd been married over 30 years, and had shared a bathroom for much of that.


However, when I started writing the scene, the character took over and it emerged as a much more 'literary' piece. It was very short—under 1000 words, and I thought I'd see if I liked it better from "her" point of view. It evolved into a he-says, she-says sort of piece, and the Wild Rose Press, which was just starting up at the time, offered a contract. Several years later, their format no longer accepts stories that short, and it's no longer available.

So, to commemorate that sale, I will offer a download of "Words" to anyone who buys any two of my short stories from The Wild Rose Press. Details are on my website, where you can look at each, and get a "Behind the Scenes" look at the story behind the story.

Keep Reading...

Point of View is near and dear to me, as it was my very first writing lesson after I tried my hand at a piece of fan fiction. Although I'd been an avid reader, I'd never paid a whole lot of attention beyond the obvious – 1st vs. 3rd. But my mentor soon pointed out some of the basics of what it means to stay in the head of a character, and I've been sensitive to it, both in my work and in the work of others since then. Shoddy POV now is a definite read-stopper for me. If I like the characters I'll stick with it. If the story's compelling enough, I'll stay with it. But I might not return to that author.

Yet, I'll bet most of the non-writer readers out there are as oblivious as I was to the mechanics. Still, how many times have you read a book that you just couldn't get into? It's quite likely the author didn't handle POV in a way that kept you in the characters' heads.

I've caught up with my 'non-wip' writing. I sent a copy of an older manuscript to my new editor, and will be looking forward to finalizing the contract details and seeing her take on my updates.

Also, I managed to get another manuscript plus synopsis put together so that it fell within the combined word count required for a contest. It's like going back to my pre-published days, but with a wrinkle. Normally, an agent or editor will ask for X number of pages or chapters, and a synopsis which may or may not have a page limit. My standard synopsis for my agent's guidelines for submission was about three single-spaced pages. But with a total word count, that long of a synopsis would mean severely limiting how many manuscript pages I could submit.

It became a balancing act, finding a page-turning point in the manuscript that came early enough to allow for a synopsis that still would meet all the judging criteria set forth in the score sheet. (At least I found the score sheet before I had to submit the entry!) And, since my writing style does not include thrusting hero and heroine together on page 1 (or even page 20), in order for the romance elements to be clear, I definitely needed more than a one-page synopsis. I'm satisfied that I did the best I could do. Now it's a waiting game.

Meanwhile, hubby and I drove up to St. Augustine Beach. He's got a 3-day meeting, the room is paid for, and I thought a change of scenery might rev up the writing engine, so I'm not home at my desk. I figure I can hole up in the hotel room and work out some of the back story I find I need now that I know who my villain is. I'm utilizing a charting technique that combines things I've gleaned from workshops given by Rhonda Pollero and Barbara Parker, where I can make sure I've got motives for a number of characters, thus keeping the mystery from being too obvious.

My next obstacle to overcome is how my bad guy will find and threaten the other characters, and how the cop will discover the critical clue that will have him charging to the rescue. Or will my other characters manage to get themselves out of the hot water I'll put them in?

The weather, typically Floridian, is conducive to staying indoors and working. Plus, this hotel has something I haven't seen in any other hotels—a lap desk. Not only that, but there's an electrical outlet right beside the bed. Now, if I can just avoid spending too many hours with the US Open, which is on one of the channels the hotel provides.

The hotel also has free wireless Internet, which means I can continue to post to the blog this week, so please keep coming back. I'll let you know how my writing escape is going. And Detective Hussey's post for Friday is already in the hopper.

Feeling Like an Author

What I'm reading: Tailspin, by Catherine Coulter

Saturday's presentation at the Maitland Library was a panel discussion of how the five authors on the panel got started in writing, and whether they would do it again, or will keep doing it.


Three of the other authors had one book published. I sat there with my four books and felt like a "real" author.


The last panelist had been writing from age thirteen, but was still looking to break into print. Everyone agreed that persistence was vital. One addressed the fear of being able to 'do it again' in another book, although he had at least four more in his head, waiting to be written. I was extremely gratified when one of the members of the audience came up and told me how I'd given her hope when I said I didn't start writing until much later in life, and that there was no reason to think it was ever too late.

An aside – what I'm taking away from the panel was the fact that the other woman there writes standing up! She has her computer on her dresser, atop a stack of books so it's at the right height. There's character fodder everywhere.

Keep Reading...

Next: Yesterday morning, my Cerridwen editor sent me the final copy of my short story, The Other Side of the Page, that's going to be released in the near future (no official date yet) as a free read (they call them "Scintillating Samples") from Cerridwen Press. It's a total departure in that it's not really a story at all, but rather a tongue in cheek look at a writer's life.

This is the 'official' blurb:

Finding the perfect hero and heroine for a romance novel can turn a writer’s hair gray—that’s why I advertise for them. Interviewing characters can be exhausting, and getting them to stick to the plot? Well, it doesn’t always work that way. And then you find out they’re talking about you behind your back…

Meet Randy and Sarah, the hero and heroine of Finding Sarah and Hidden Fire, in a funny and illuminating look at what goes on behind the scenes of the romance writing process.

I'll be sure to shout out when it's available for download.

Another project has put my novel-writing on temporary hold. I have a chance to participate in a mystery anthology. Only trouble is, the story I submitted was only half as long as what they were looking for. Since the story doesn't lend itself to expansion, I offered to write another, related story. Which means I have to write it! This is as close to working under deadline on something other than edits as I've come yet in my writing career, and although I don't have a hard and fast date, ASAP is the working goal.

Short stories are entirely different from novels. You don't have room for much character development, sub-plots or a large supporting cast. I've got my protagonist—a Homicide Detective, already established in the first story. I've also got a secondary character, also introduced in that story.

Confession: The germ for this story showed up over drinks with Homicide Detective Mark Hussey. He mentioned things that set off red flags for homicide detectives, and one of them seemed a perfect starting point for a story.

So, Gordon, Megan and Justin, are patiently waiting in the wings – actually, Megan and Justin are in a posh hotel in Denver, and Gordon's still back in my fictional town of Mapleton, Colorado. Yesterday, I actually managed to write something for both projects, but I'm not sure I can sustain that. They're both mysteries, and I fear getting them mixed up, as I'm still learning who Gordon, Megan, and Justin are.

I admire those who can work effectively on more than one project. Robert B. Parker said he normally worked on one book in the morning, took a break, and worked on another in the afternoon. However, he's got to know his characters backward, forward, and inside out by now. (Not that I'm comparing my work to his!)

So, challenges for this new story:

Am I writing for word count, or am I writing the best, tightest possible story? Since I tend to write "long", it's important that I keep an eye on the temptation to use three words (or ten) when one will do, simply because I can watch the countdown on my spreadsheet approach my goal.

Should I write straight through, and then go back and cut? Or should I look at each day's production the next morning, and tighten as I go? Will I have the inner strength to cut, knowing it's pulling me farther from my goal?

Given that my name will be on the piece, I'm thinking I'll find that strength.

Tomorrow, my guest is Jacqueline Seewald, who's sharing her thoughts on how to get your work published. See you then.

Short Stories, Part 2

What I'm reading: Queen of Babble gets Hitched, by Meg Cabot

What I'm writing: Chapter 8

I thought I'd share the second page of my handout from the short story workshop, with more quotes about the craft. If you missed the first page, it was Friday's post. Any favorites?

"I have written a great many stories and I still don't know how to go about it except to write it and take my chances."
~John Steinbeck

“I'm a failed poet. Maybe every novelist wants to write poetry first, finds he can't and then tries the short story which is the most demanding form after poetry. And failing at that, only then does he take up novel writing.”
~ William Faulkner

"Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short”
~ Henry David Thoreau

"I'm sorry this letter is so long, but I did not have time to make it shorter."
~Blaise Pascal (often attributed to Mark Twain)

"I try to leave out the parts that people skip."
~Elmore Leonard

"Short stories are designed to deliver their impact in as few pages as possible. A tremendous amount is left out, and a good short story writer learns to include only the most essential information."
~Orson Scott Card

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
~Thomas Jefferson

"You learn by writing short stories. Keep writing short stories. The money's in novels, but writing short stories keeps your writing lean and pointed."
~Larry Niven

Short Stories

What I'm writing: Chapter 7, short story writing notes

Although I've published half a dozen short stories, I've never felt totally in control of the process. Having to sit down and figure out "how to write a short story" makes me wonder why I volunteered to be part of the panel in the first place. But it's been interesting looking at things in hindsight. I've got my handouts printed and ready to go. I'm almost done with my speaker notes which should help keep me on track. But, as far as how I write a short story--I have to quote one of my writer buddies who's always saying, "It's organic. You just know."

Kurt Vonnegut had some interesting things to say about short stories in his collection, Bagombo Snuff Box. And who am I to argue with a master?

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things -- reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

Hurricane Breeze and the Male POV in romance

What I'm reading: Being Randy by Ashlyn Chase; If Not for You by J.L. Wilson

Quick post -- I'm still in Colorado Springs. I had some 'grownup' talk time with two fellow authors this morning - Lise Fuller who writes for Cerridwen Press, and Beth Groundwater who writes for Five Star. A little shop talk was inspirational, and to keep things moving in the writing direction, I got a release date of February 20th for my Wild Rose Press short story, Hurricane Breeze.

Hurricane Breeze started as a 'palate cleanser' after finishing my Dalton & Miri book, the spin-off of When Danger Calls. WDC was still far too fresh to edit objectively, but after a few days the writing itch was back. Being relatively lazy, my first search was through old files to see if there was any inspiration.

As I've mentioned before, I used to hang at iVillage, where a short story group had weekly writing prompts. One was to use the word "curmudgeon" in a short story.

For the story to have a chance with The Wild Rose Press, however, it had to be a romance. Since my exercise featured a reclusive, up-tight novelist dealing with his elderly neighbor (the curmudgeon of the story), there wasn't much of that.

Still, it was worth thinking about how to work a woman into the story. Since I had the framework of my male protagonist, I needed an acceptable (meaning totally opposite) female character.

With the help of my crit group, we brainstormed the 'what if's that make a story. By the time we finished, I had the major plot points worked out. In a short story, there aren't that many of them! The surprise for me as I went back and started writing was that the male protagonist insisted on being the sole POV character in the story. While Tiffany was a catalyst, she never insisted on taking center stage.

Time for a quick happy dance

I'm almost out the door for the airport --just enough time to happy dance that The Wild Rose Press has offered a contract for my short story. It will be my 6th story published with them. I'm excited because it was the story written solely from the male POV. We'll see what kind of edits they'll ask for.

Palate Cleansers, Brainstorming and Plotting

What I'm reading: Split Second, by David Baldacci. Also finished 2 quick reads: Fresh Disasters, by Stuart Woods, and The 6th Target, by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro.

What I'm writing - a new, as yet untitled short story that's getting longer and longer.

I finished my Dalton & Miri novel and have set it aside so I can revise it more objectively. After about 3 days, the writing itch came back, but I wasn't sure where to begin. Too many choices. A sequel to one of my other novels? If so, which one.?

I browsed my old writing exercise folders and came across a short exercise assignment: "Use the word curmudgeon in an under 2000 word story. I looked it over, along with notes from my old critique group and wondered if/how I could turn it into something to submit to The Wild Rose Press, which meant it had to be a romance. Since the story was about a reclusive author dealing with his curmudgeonly old man neighbor, the possibilities weren't promising. But, it was worth thinking about how to work a woman into the story. Since I had the framework of my male protagonist, I needed an acceptable (meaning totally opposite) female character.

On Saturday, my local crit group met. We do our basic critiques for writing glitches electronically, so our face to face meetings are for brainstorming. Thanks to our back-and-forth 'what if?' discussions, tossing all sorts of possibilities on the table, by the time we finished, I had the major plot points worked out. In a short story, there aren't that many of them!

I realize that this is also the way I plot a novel, but in a novel, I have about 100,000 words to work through everything, so I do this over and over throughout the book. For a short story, it's kind of 'one stop plotting.'

Another thing I found as I started writing was that this story, my male protagonist insists on being the sole POV character. I've written most of my short stories from a single POV, but always the female. I'm going to have to get my husband to read this one all the way through--not just the sexy stuff.

I'm having a lot of fun, and since this is a contemporary, traditional romance, not a mystery or suspense, there's not nearly as much work as far as setting up a mystery/crime and dealing with all the clues, red herrings and other twists the genre requires.

The only 'drawback' to having the story virtually plotted out in its entirety is that since I know what's going to happen, I've lost some of the excitement of discovery and have to spend more time getting from point A to point B and less deciding what point B actually is. I let the characters guide me, but unlike a novel-length work, I have to keep cutting them off. There just isn't time to show their entire life history on the page, even though they insist on telling all sorts of pesky childhood details.

My goal is to have this finished before I leave town on Monday.