Thursday, July 5, 2012
July -- Backstory Blues
Battling Backstory
Recently I read an award winning novel that was certainly interesting, but had one troubling flaw. At least to me.
The author shoved tons of backstory at me in the first chapter or two. Tons. The book began with the heroine going through routine chores in her prairie home. This gave the author plenty of space to tell us about how the heroine met her husband, where she was brought up, how her husband proposed to her, the trouble she had birthing her child, a miscarriage, and that her husband had mood swings that were getting progressively worse.
Nothing wrong with all of that information. We need to know about the characters to understand why they do what they do. However, backstory is best when it is revealed in thin slices -- like peeling an onion. If you tell me all this stuff about a character's past right when I first meet her or him, I'm not ready! I have just met this character! It's like meeting someone in a grocery store, exchanging a bit of small talk, and then the person launches into a sermon about her life up to this point. Do I want to hear this now? No!
Wait until I am emotionally invested in a character before you ladle on the backstory. Make me want to know . . . make me question . . . make me wait a little before you show me a glimpse of a scene in the character's past that will provide insight on why the character acted a certain way in a previous scene. Just because you have a wealth of information about the character, doesn't mean you have to tell your reader every tidbit of it. You might even know something about the character that you never have to reveal in the novel because it isn't necessary. It's important for you to know, but you don't have to share it with your readers because it doesn't add to the story.
Backstory can be boring if it is delivered too soon and glopped on like paint splatters. Readers will skip over it or glance through it because they are not emotionally engaged yet and are anticipating dialogue or action.
The main focus of a first chapter is not backstory. The main focus should be to answer this blazingly important question; Why is this day unlike any other?
Readers are looking for the answer to that question in the first chapter and you had better not delay it any later than the beginning of your second chapter, or you will lose a lot of your readers. If it appears that this day in the character's life is no different than the day before, then why are you writing about it and expecting me to read about it? I might as well read someone's diary.
So, go easy on the backstory. Let me get to know your main characters through their actions and dialogue before you give me snippets of information about how life formed them, shaped them, and led them to this moment in time.
But that's just me. I could be wrong.
What do you think?
Sunday, June 3, 2012
June Bugging
I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June. -- I.M. Montgomery
As writers, we invoke the characteristics of people we've known to give life to those we create. I have done this, and the people in my life never recognize themselves in my fiction. Funny, huh? Proof that we rarely view ourselves as others view us.
Inventing characters is one of the best parts of writing fiction. To dream up a cast of characters who will fit perfectly into a plot, who will drive it forward, and who will, hopefully, even live beyond it in the memories of readers -- that's the fun stuff of fiction.
I have placed a main character in a book before, and after a few chapters, fired her and dreamed up somebody else because the story wasn't working. The character wasn't saying what needed to be said and wasn't feeling what needed to be felt. I had to rethink, recreate, and recast for the betterment of the novel.
Sometimes the characters do things that are surprising and that have an impact on readers I hadn't anticipated. In "Cheyenne's Shadow," currently available on Amazon and for Amazon Kindle readers, the hero, Johnny Cheyenne, reads one of the heroine's favorite books. He marks his favorite passages with wildflowers, pressing them between the pages. When the heroine discovers them and reads the romantic passages, she falls more deeply in love with him.
Evidently, from the fan mail I have received about that book, the same thing happened for my readers! Almost every message and nearly every book reviewer mentioned this plot development, many of them confessing that it brought tears to their eyes.
I must confess, I never expected that reaction! I liked the scene and, naturally, I loved Johnny Cheyenne, but there were a couple of other scenes that I thought were stronger and more emotionally telling.
But what do I know? Just as we are often unable to see ourselves as others see us, we also can't always predict what novels or scenes in novels will strike deep chords within our readers. If we could, we would all be on the bestseller lists!
What I am grateful for is that readers find favorite scenes in my books and tell me about them. Apart from the fun of creating characters, having readers tell you why they loved those characters ranks way up there on the fun meter.
What friends or relatives have you borrowed from to create characters? Did you tell them? Did they recognize themselves? Were they bugged by it or flattered?
I would love to hear from you!
~Debby
Monday, May 7, 2012
May Musings
Let all thy joys be as the Month of May -- Frances Quarles
I'm not a morning person. Words generally do not fly from my fingertips until after noon. When forced, of course, I can string together some sentences. However, they will not be good sentences.
Writers who are morning people intrigue me. They rise before the sun, chirping like birds after their worms ... er, I mean, words. They love to talk about the quiet, the coolness of the hours before sunrise, and the joy of watching the first sunbeams strike the earth. Ah, bliss. You can hear it in their voices and see the proof of it in their feverish eyes.
Good for them, I say. Let me have the noon hour and those lovely hours after it. Even when I go fishing, my line doesn't get wet until eleven at the earliest. Other anglers shake their heads and show me the baskets of fish they have already caught by the time I get bait on my first hook. Yeah, yeah. By dusk, I will also have a basket of fish and a nice disposition.
What are you? Morning or night? Have you ever tried to switch? How did that experiment go? Any success?
When I worked for other people, I had to arrive at work early and begin work. I must admit that the work done by me before noon was along the lines of straightening my desk, drinking coffee, looking at e-mails, visiting the bathroom, and drinking more coffee. Finally, noon would make its appearance and I would hunch over my keyboard and let 'er fly. I would get as much or more written and accomplished than anyone else on staff -- and I did it between noon and 5 p.m. Oh, and I took a lunch break around 12:30!
I am a firm believer in doing things the easy way. Why make it more difficult? You like to write in the afternoon or the dark of night? Go for it! I'm also a big believer in progress over perfection -- especially for writers. It's more important to write as much as possible than to write perfect sentences. Spew out that first draft and then get out your editing pen to make it pretty and spell things correctly.
New Novella Alert!!!!!
My novella is available on Amazon Kindle now. It is titled "The Madcap and the Miser" and it is a quick, delightful read if I do say so myself. If you like sentimental romances with a touch of humor, check it out. It only costs a buck, I think -- and worth every penny! In fact, it's a steal, considering the hours I put into it.
So, go ahead. Buy it and read it and then check back here and let me know what you think.
Until then, may your May afternoons be lovely and productive!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
April Flowers
April -- the Angel of the Months. -- Vita Sackville-West
Who is your secret self? You must have at least one! The secret self is how you view yourself from the inside out. Sometimes inside I feel like a cross between the fabulously original Barbra Streisand and the worldly-wise Oprah Winfrey. Write a character description of your secret self. Would your secret self make a good protagonist? Maybe your secret self is often the protagonist in your novels and short stories.
This month why not . . .
*Take advantage of the weather and go for a walk. While you are picking them up and putting them down, make a mental list of your favorite five colors. When you get home, look in your closet to see how many items of clothing you have in those colors. If your favorite colors aren't in your wardrobe, why not? Are you saving them for your secret self to wear?
*Treat yourself this month to a trip to the flower shop. Breathe in the mixture of aromas and allow them to seep deeply into your consciousness. Later at home, try to describe the ones you recall most vividly. Jot down the descriptions and be as accurate as possible. Keep these notes. They could come in handy for a future scene in a book or a line of poetry.
*Do you love music? Does it punctuate your life? Make a list of your top five favorite songs. Can you think of a short story premise for each one? What phase of your life does each song represent?
*You've heard of "the feminine mystique." But do you know someone who exudes it? What does "feminine mystique" mean to you and why do you feel this person has it?
Most writers have many stories swimming in their brains -- so many they will never be able to write them all. However, getting down to the business of writing can sometimes scatter those ideas, leaving you with nothing but white noise between your ears. That's when it's good to try some of the creative exercises suggested in this blog. Once you latch onto something fun, your ideas will float to the surface again.
Trust in yourself. Your secret self.
Who is your secret self? You must have at least one! The secret self is how you view yourself from the inside out. Sometimes inside I feel like a cross between the fabulously original Barbra Streisand and the worldly-wise Oprah Winfrey. Write a character description of your secret self. Would your secret self make a good protagonist? Maybe your secret self is often the protagonist in your novels and short stories.
This month why not . . .
*Take advantage of the weather and go for a walk. While you are picking them up and putting them down, make a mental list of your favorite five colors. When you get home, look in your closet to see how many items of clothing you have in those colors. If your favorite colors aren't in your wardrobe, why not? Are you saving them for your secret self to wear?
*Treat yourself this month to a trip to the flower shop. Breathe in the mixture of aromas and allow them to seep deeply into your consciousness. Later at home, try to describe the ones you recall most vividly. Jot down the descriptions and be as accurate as possible. Keep these notes. They could come in handy for a future scene in a book or a line of poetry.
*Do you love music? Does it punctuate your life? Make a list of your top five favorite songs. Can you think of a short story premise for each one? What phase of your life does each song represent?
*You've heard of "the feminine mystique." But do you know someone who exudes it? What does "feminine mystique" mean to you and why do you feel this person has it?
Most writers have many stories swimming in their brains -- so many they will never be able to write them all. However, getting down to the business of writing can sometimes scatter those ideas, leaving you with nothing but white noise between your ears. That's when it's good to try some of the creative exercises suggested in this blog. Once you latch onto something fun, your ideas will float to the surface again.
Trust in yourself. Your secret self.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Guest Post!
Writing Nonfiction
By Peggy Fielding
Writing nonfiction, i.e., writing truth, is as much an art as writing fiction and, of course, nonfiction is certainly easier to sell.
My bestselling books have always been nonfiction, particularly my book, THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO WRITING & SELLING MAGAZINE ARTICLES, which has made a ton of money for my publisher.
The idea of writing another book which sells as well seems impossible but I have to grin and remind myself of what one of my former students once proclaimed for me, “Writing is hard!”
Of course she was right. I just have to remind myself that all writing is difficult but indeed, writing nonfiction is much easier all around, at least for me.
Quit dilly dallying, I tell myself. Writing nonfiction is way easier than any other kind of writing which I might indulge in. “Go for it, girl!”
I just have to begin with a few ideas for manuscript preparation in a 40,000 to 100,000 word book, ready for typing and mailing. See, I’m still a dinosaur -- write the book on a tablet, then on a computer. But I send it to an editor via the U.S. postal service.
First I must answer my question as to where ideas for nonfiction books can be found.
Here’s a short list comprised for my students, and yes, I use it myself:
1. Newspapers/TV/Magazines.
2. Bodies of knowledge which you and family or friends already have.
3. Your own unusual experiences.
4. Working with an expert (you write, he/she expounds.)
5. Research on the computer or in the library.
6. Sometimes strangers can come up with good ideas but be careful. Everybody thinks he/she can make a book from his/her life, if only someone else would just write it down and market it.
Now,call me if you think you have a better idea.
Love to all of my cyber friends,
Peggy Fielding
Author of PARADISE FOUND from Zebra/Kensington Books
And
SCOUNDREL’S BARGAIN from Diva, AWOC Publishing
By Peggy Fielding
Writing nonfiction, i.e., writing truth, is as much an art as writing fiction and, of course, nonfiction is certainly easier to sell.
My bestselling books have always been nonfiction, particularly my book, THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO WRITING & SELLING MAGAZINE ARTICLES, which has made a ton of money for my publisher.
The idea of writing another book which sells as well seems impossible but I have to grin and remind myself of what one of my former students once proclaimed for me, “Writing is hard!”
Of course she was right. I just have to remind myself that all writing is difficult but indeed, writing nonfiction is much easier all around, at least for me.
Quit dilly dallying, I tell myself. Writing nonfiction is way easier than any other kind of writing which I might indulge in. “Go for it, girl!”
I just have to begin with a few ideas for manuscript preparation in a 40,000 to 100,000 word book, ready for typing and mailing. See, I’m still a dinosaur -- write the book on a tablet, then on a computer. But I send it to an editor via the U.S. postal service.
First I must answer my question as to where ideas for nonfiction books can be found.
Here’s a short list comprised for my students, and yes, I use it myself:
1. Newspapers/TV/Magazines.
2. Bodies of knowledge which you and family or friends already have.
3. Your own unusual experiences.
4. Working with an expert (you write, he/she expounds.)
5. Research on the computer or in the library.
6. Sometimes strangers can come up with good ideas but be careful. Everybody thinks he/she can make a book from his/her life, if only someone else would just write it down and market it.
Now,call me if you think you have a better idea.
Love to all of my cyber friends,
Peggy Fielding
Author of PARADISE FOUND from Zebra/Kensington Books
And
SCOUNDREL’S BARGAIN from Diva, AWOC Publishing
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Marching Through March
It is the first mild day of March.
Each minute sweeter than before . . .
There is a blessing in the air.
--William Wordsworth
March winds are double-edged, bearing the heaviness of winter along with the brightness of spring. March sometimes makes us want to huddle indoors and sometimes makes us want stand in the sunshine and dream of kites. It is a cusp month, balancing between winter and spring, making us wonder if one has gone or if the other has finally come.
Embrace the teetering days of March. Choose one or all of these activities to still the inner turmoil of life and listen closely to the writer in you.
*Create a database with names of publishing houses and editors.
*Set aside a calendar or daybook to record your writing information -- who's who, where something was sent, when something was requested, etc.
*Write a limerick to honor St. Patrick's Day.
*Write a letter to one of your favorite living authors. Tell the author why you love what he/she writes and quote a couple of your favorite lines or paragraphs from one of his/her books.
*Read a novel by an author you've never read before and write a review of it for an online site such as Amazon.
*Buy a book of poetry. It will do your heart good.
Challenge yourself. Go deep and write a few paragraphs about one of these issues:
The dream of being a writer is different from the reality of it. If I knew then what I know now, these are the things I would do differently.
If I could only write about one period in history, this is what I would choose and why.
If I could only write in one point of view (male or female) this is the one I would choose and why.
Now....go fly a kite!
Each minute sweeter than before . . .
There is a blessing in the air.
--William Wordsworth
March winds are double-edged, bearing the heaviness of winter along with the brightness of spring. March sometimes makes us want to huddle indoors and sometimes makes us want stand in the sunshine and dream of kites. It is a cusp month, balancing between winter and spring, making us wonder if one has gone or if the other has finally come.
Embrace the teetering days of March. Choose one or all of these activities to still the inner turmoil of life and listen closely to the writer in you.
*Create a database with names of publishing houses and editors.
*Set aside a calendar or daybook to record your writing information -- who's who, where something was sent, when something was requested, etc.
*Write a limerick to honor St. Patrick's Day.
*Write a letter to one of your favorite living authors. Tell the author why you love what he/she writes and quote a couple of your favorite lines or paragraphs from one of his/her books.
*Read a novel by an author you've never read before and write a review of it for an online site such as Amazon.
*Buy a book of poetry. It will do your heart good.
Challenge yourself. Go deep and write a few paragraphs about one of these issues:
The dream of being a writer is different from the reality of it. If I knew then what I know now, these are the things I would do differently.
If I could only write about one period in history, this is what I would choose and why.
If I could only write in one point of view (male or female) this is the one I would choose and why.
Now....go fly a kite!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Guest Post!
Writer's Block!
By Jackie King
“Writer’s Block: When your imaginary friends won’t come out and play with you.”
I laughed at this post on FaceBook; then I frowned. Something wasn’t quite right, but I was in a bad mood, and therefore perhaps, a poor judge.
Finishing my second Grace Cassidy mystery seemed impossible, and I was at that point where I’d decided the book was unsalvageable. The plot wouldn’t come together, the characters seemed wooden, and each keystroke was forced. I’m not ever going to be able to write another book, I thought. Despair swept through me.
Then some small voice from deep inside said (my belief is this whisper comes from God), “Buck up, pour some glue in the chair and sit down. You’ve been here before.”
These were true words and I knew it. I also knew the reason I was in such angst, panic and immobility was because I’d let other things get in the way of my writing every day. My imaginary friends had become sulky and now were refusing to come out to play. (Light bulb moment!)
I resolved then and there, that whether my writing went well or felt like slogging through almost-set concrete, I’d show up to play with these friends, come hell or high water. (Okie speak.)
This resolution meant I had to learn to say two words, “Wait” and “No.” Both are hard for me, since I’m a natural born people-pleaser, but I’m learning. And guess what? The next book in my Bed & Breakfast Inn-sitter series is coming together! Oh the miracle of creative thought.
So I revised the lead quote:
“Writer’s Block: When you don’t show up to play with your imaginary friends and they get even by refusing to speak.” (Or is that Writer’ Lazy Butt?)
Hugs,
Jackie King
Author of The Inconvenient Corpse
http://amzn.to/gMv7CH Link to Amazon Kindle
http://bit.ly/fovbLR Link to B&N Nook
Jackie King is a pal of mine and an excellent author and hard worker. She knows what it takes to grind out page after page until a novel is born. If you aren't already a fan of hers, please do yourself a favor and buy one of her books. You will be delighted!
By Jackie King
“Writer’s Block: When your imaginary friends won’t come out and play with you.”
I laughed at this post on FaceBook; then I frowned. Something wasn’t quite right, but I was in a bad mood, and therefore perhaps, a poor judge.
Finishing my second Grace Cassidy mystery seemed impossible, and I was at that point where I’d decided the book was unsalvageable. The plot wouldn’t come together, the characters seemed wooden, and each keystroke was forced. I’m not ever going to be able to write another book, I thought. Despair swept through me.
Then some small voice from deep inside said (my belief is this whisper comes from God), “Buck up, pour some glue in the chair and sit down. You’ve been here before.”
These were true words and I knew it. I also knew the reason I was in such angst, panic and immobility was because I’d let other things get in the way of my writing every day. My imaginary friends had become sulky and now were refusing to come out to play. (Light bulb moment!)
I resolved then and there, that whether my writing went well or felt like slogging through almost-set concrete, I’d show up to play with these friends, come hell or high water. (Okie speak.)
This resolution meant I had to learn to say two words, “Wait” and “No.” Both are hard for me, since I’m a natural born people-pleaser, but I’m learning. And guess what? The next book in my Bed & Breakfast Inn-sitter series is coming together! Oh the miracle of creative thought.
So I revised the lead quote:
“Writer’s Block: When you don’t show up to play with your imaginary friends and they get even by refusing to speak.” (Or is that Writer’ Lazy Butt?)
Hugs,
Jackie King
Author of The Inconvenient Corpse
http://amzn.to/gMv7CH Link to Amazon Kindle
http://bit.ly/fovbLR Link to B&N Nook
Jackie King is a pal of mine and an excellent author and hard worker. She knows what it takes to grind out page after page until a novel is born. If you aren't already a fan of hers, please do yourself a favor and buy one of her books. You will be delighted!
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