tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22749870977564334912024-03-19T03:48:22.613-05:00All the World's Our PageThree Americans, two Australians, five writing journeysUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger548125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-42647178014401432142013-09-02T21:07:00.002-05:002013-09-02T21:09:45.731-05:00More Scrivener Love: Scrivener for WindowsToday we've got a special guest post at All the World's Our Page, by the lovely Sarah Meral.<br />
<br />
Sarah is a student, a <a href="http://community.compuserve.com/books">CompuServe</a> buddy, and an avid reader who's been of invaluable assistance to countless writers with her inquisitive mind and her insights for fiction. She's also a Windows user amongst a whole group of Mac people, and a Scrivener lover herself- which makes her the perfect person to write a post for us talking about <a href="http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php?platform=win">Scrivener for Windows</a>, from the perspective of someone who uses it for non-fiction writing.<br />
<br />
So, without further ado, I give you Sarah!<br />
<br />
<b>Introduction</b><br />
<br />
I started using the first ever beta version of Scrivener for Windows
after Claire's <a href="http://alltheworldsourpage.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/scrivener-love.html">blog post here</a>, and all her praise of the <a href="http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php">Scrivener for Mac</a> software.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.literatureandlatte.com/">Literature and Latte</a> had just started with the beta versions for Windows
then, so it was the perfect time to discover Scrivener. I could try it out for more
than the regular 30-days-trial, to see if I really liked it and if it was the
right program for my non-fiction writing.<br />
<br />
And of course did I like it, even if I learned fast that the beta
versions weren’t quite as great as the Scrivener Claire described <g>.
There were many features that Scrivener for Mac had which they hadn’t even
had time to think about for Windows, and some of these features are still missing.</g><br />
<br />
And since the operating systems have differences as well, some things
are done differently or are named differently in Windows as opposed to Mac.<br />
<br />
I'd like to give you an overview of these differences here, along with a demonstration of how
one can use it for non-fiction writing, because that's what I use Scrivener
for.<br />
<br />
You might notice in some of the screen shots that my Scrivener is
pretty colourful. I like working with colours, and in addition to that, the
colours help me to organise and keep track of all the files. <br />
<br />
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I use Scrivener mainly for writing notes on my law studies, and I need to
have them all separated into folders for different parts of the law. I connect
them through the Scrivener links, but in general they are separated.<br />
<br />
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<br />
And I'm sorry if some of the screen shots are a bit confusing with all
the German text :-), but now on to the descriptions themselves.<br />
<br />
<b>Starting a project </b><br />
<br />
The first beta versions of Scrivener for Windows didn't have templates yet,
so I started with a blank project.<br />
<br />
And through time, I learned that this is the best way for me anyway. I
tried out the non-fiction templates and even the fiction-templates but none of
them have quite the right settings for me.<br />
<br />
So even now with all the different templates, I start every new project
with the blank template and create my own settings or import them from previous
projects.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>How to import Word documents/ other documents into
Scrivener</b><br />
<br />
You can import existing documents or files into Scrivener, but
where in Scrivener you can import it depends on what kind of file it is.<br />
<br />
Every type of text document, including .rtf files or .doc/.docx files, can be imported
directly into the Draft folder.<br />
<br />
.pdf files or pictures can only be imported into the Research folder.<br />
<br />
To import the files, go up to File, and from there to Import, or hit
_ctrl+shift+j_. You can then choose the folder from where you want to
import, and the
file(s). Click Open to import the file(s).<br />
<br />
If your focus is on the Draft folder when you import files, the window
only shows the import supported files (see screen shot).<br />
<br />
When your focus is on the Research folder, all documents are shown in
the window.<br />
<br />
The imported files will show up in the binder as new documents. <br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>How to export out of Scrivener</b><br />
<br />
You can export your complete draft from Scrivener or just individual
documents.<br />
<br />
There are two ways to export individual documents out of Scrivener to
anywhere on your computer.<br />
<br />
<i>First way</i><br />
<br />
Click on File, and choose Save As there, or press _ctrl+shift+s_.
Scrivener opens a window where you can choose where you want to save that file
and in which format.<br />
<br />
Click Save when you have everything selected. <br />
<br />
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<i>Second way</i><br />
<i></i><br />
Click on File, and choose Export, then Files- or press _ctrl+shift+x_.<br />
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<br />
In my experience, sometimes it works better to choose the
second way. With some documents the formatting got weird after I used the "Save As" way, so I would recommend using the second way.<br />
<br />
<b>Back up things to Dropbox</b><br />
<br />
Nothing is more important than backing up your stuff. You can back up
your writing in two different ways.<br />
<br />
Here are the two ways for backing up to Dropbox:<br />
<br />
<i>First:</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- click File<br />
<br />
- choose Back Up<br />
<br />
- choose Back Up To<br />
<br />
- click Browse to
select your own Dropbox folder</blockquote>
and then click Okay.<br />
<br />
<i>Second:</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- click Tools, and
there choose Options (or press “f12”)<br />
<br />
- click on Backup in
the left column<br />
<br />
- select the options
you like and then choose your Dropbox folder<br />
<br />
- click first Apply
and then Okay.</blockquote>
<br />
<b>How to get Index cards with a picture </b><br />
<br />
When you view your documents on the card board or in the inspector, you can
have the cards show an image to reflect the document or a synopsis. <b><br />
</b><br />
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<br />
To change between these two views, open the Inspector (_ctrl+shift+I_
or click on the blue Inspector button in the right upper corner) and click on
the two arrows over another, and choose the image icon or the text field icon.<br />
<br />
If you select the image icon, you see the option "Drag an image here". <br />
<br />
You can now drag an image from anywhere on your Computer to there and it will
show as the image on the index card.<br />
<br />
<b>Editing comments and footnotes</b><br />
<br />
At the moment there is a little glitch in the Scrivener for Windows system, and the
editing of comments and footnotes is a bit more complicated than it should be.<br />
<br />
Normally one expects that for editing, you should just have to
click on the comment or footnote and you'll then be able edit it.<br />
<br />
But it doesn't work exactly like that right now.<br />
<br />
To edit a comment/ footnote, click once on the comment/ footnote in the
text or in the Inspector. Now you have moved the focus there. After this you
can double-click the comment/ footnote and get the cursor there to edit it. <br />
<br />
To leave the comment/ footnote, just press Esc, and you are back in
the text.<br />
<br />
<b>Missing things</b><br />
<b><br />
</b>The things that are still missing from the Scrivener for Windows but are
included in Scrivener for Mac are: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- The reading of text out loud through Scrivener<br />
<br />
- Automatic
snapshots (taken when you close the Project file to back it up in the Mac version)<br />
<br />
- To be able to open
research in pop-ups</blockquote>
Another thing that sadly isn't possible yet is setting different
languages/ dictionaries for different projects. If you write in different
languages in different projects, you have to change the dictionary every time. After
changing the dictionary, I suggest doing a restart, even if Scrivener doesn't prompt you to, because some times the change doesn't work or doesn't work completely. I
had it happen that my personal word list wasn't working, if I just changed the
dictionary without a restart afterwards.<br />
<br />
<b>Shortcuts and how to change them<br /> </b><br />
<b> </b>Here is a list of some shortcuts I use often and find very helpful.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- Move focus between the binder and editor: “shift+tab”<br />
<br />
- Add a new
document: “shift+n”<br />
<br />
- Add a new folder: “ctrl+shift+n”
<br />
<br />
- Move a document to
the trash: “shift+delete”<br />
<br />
- Scrivener manual: “f1”<br />
<br />
- Options: “f12”<br />
<br />
- Copy: “ctrl+c”<br />
<br />
- Paste: “ctrl+v”<br />
<br />
- Paste and match
style: “ctrl+shift+v”<br />
<br />
- Learn Spelling: “ctrl+g,
l“<br />
<br />
- Undo “ctrl+z“<br />
<br />
- Redo “ctrl+y"<br />
<br />
- Save “ctrl+s”<br />
<br />
- Lock/ unlock Editor:
“ctrl+shift+L”</blockquote>
What I like especially is that you can create your own shortcuts. You
can choose them in the options (“f12”) under “keyboard”. Select the shortcut
you want to change and at the bottom you see the key sequence. Just click in
the text field or the “X” behind it or on the “reset" button. Then press the
key sequence you'd like to have, and it will show in the text field. If the text is
red, this key sequence is already for another shortcut and you have to use
something else. If the text is black, you can click “apply”. When you are
finished with changing the shortcuts, just click “okay”.<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion</b><br />
<br />
Scrivener has made my student life much easier and much more organised.
I don't know what I would do without it.<br />
<br />
One thing I'd especially like to praise: the support you get from the
Literature and Latte team in the forum and through the email support. They are
so fast at finding solutions for your problems that you don't have to worry long;
sometimes no time at all.<br />
<br />
For example, I couldn’t open one of my projects the other day. It was
the big one in which I have all my studies. I went to the forum and posted a
message with the problem and everything I tried. <br />
Within a few hours I got the solution with a step-by-step explanation
how to do it. <br />
<br />
In addition to the fast help, I also learned to pay more attention
through this experience :-) The problem was that when I closed that specific
project the last time, I must have had a bunch of files opened in
Scrivenings (which is a way of opening several files at once,
and having them all together with separators in the editor). When I tried to open
that project the next time, Scrivener was trying to load all these files at
once, and that was too much and caused the freeze and shutdown.<br />
<br />
I've used the email support for other things before as well and have always got an answer in 24-48 hours. <br />
<br />
All the answers I got in the forum and through the email support were
never pre-formulated standard answers, but individual answers to my questions. <br />
<br />
I never experienced such great support anywhere else.<br />
<br />
Thank you Claire, for your help with this post
and to the rest of All the World's Our Page writers for letting me write the
guest post :-)<br />
<br />
Sarah Meral<br />
<br />
#<br />
<br />
And thank you very much, Sarah, for all your work on this- we really appreciate seeing the other side of the Scrivener world, and I'm sure your post will be a great help for many Windows users.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to ask Sarah any questions about Scrivener for Windows, she's a gun with the answers. You can ask in the comments below, or contact her on Twitter, where her handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/Sciley">@Sciley</a>.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-54447932746474584252013-08-01T08:19:00.000-05:002013-08-01T08:19:56.970-05:0011 Questions with Barbara Rogan<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bqtu9od_9Ko/UfpbWCm0kRI/AAAAAAAACD8/ypco0T5j_E0/s1600/bio_2_1949043100.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bqtu9od_9Ko/UfpbWCm0kRI/AAAAAAAACD8/ypco0T5j_E0/s1600/bio_2_1949043100.jpg" /></a>We're dusting off our cobwebs and coming out of hibernation to welcome a very special guest today- the lovely Barbara Rogan, author of the newly released <a href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Dangerous-Fiction-Mystery/dp/0670026506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375361513&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dangerous+fiction+rogan">A DANGEROUS FICTION</a>. <br />
<br />
<i>Jo
Donovan always manages to come out on top. From the backwoods of
Appalachia, she forged a hard path to life among the literati in New
York City. At thirty-five, she’s the widow of the renowned author Hugo
Donovan and the owner of one of the best literary agencies in town. Jo
is living the life she dreamed of but it’s all about to fall apart.<br /><br />
When a would-be client turns stalker, Jo is more angry than shaken
until her clients come under attack. Meanwhile, a biography of Hugo
Donovan is in the works and the author’s digging threatens to destroy
the foundations of Jo’s carefully constructed life. As the web of
suspicion grows wider and her stalker ups the ante, she’s persuaded by
her client and friend—FBI profiler-turned-bestselling-thriller writer—to
go to the police. There Jo finds herself face-to-face with an old
flame: the handsome Tommy Cullen, now NYPD detective.</i><br />
<br />
Early reviews have been absolutely glowing, describing A DANGEROUS FICTION as <a href="http://mysteryheel.blogspot.com.au/">outstanding</a>, <a href="http://lynne-booknotes.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/review-dangerous-fiction.html">smashing</a>, and, from the <i>New York Post</i>, <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/books/required_reading_nSeykNOQBF7kBRQSg1rZRO">required reading</a>. <br />
<b></b><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D7fClySZHvU/UfpbWU9zrKI/AAAAAAAACEA/_I_CHyP6iTM/s1600/DangerousFictionHC_jacket3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D7fClySZHvU/UfpbWU9zrKI/AAAAAAAACEA/_I_CHyP6iTM/s320/DangerousFictionHC_jacket3.png" width="218" /></a>Barbara herself is the author of eight novels, and has also
worked extensively in publishing. She started as an editor for a large
New York publisher. After moving to Israel, she was the founder and, for
12 years, director of the Barbara Rogan Literary Agency. During that
period, she served on the Board of Directors of the Jerusalem Book Fair.
<br />
<br />
After returning to the U.S., Barbara taught fiction writing at
Hofstra University and currently teaches for Writers Digest University
and in her own online school, <a href="http://www.nextlevelworkshop.com/index.php">Next Level Workshops</a>, where she also
offers editing services to fiction writers. She's a frequent lecturer on
both the business and craft of writing and teaches seminars and master
classes at writers' conferences.<br />
<br />
Barbara, like all of us here at ATWOP, is also a member at the <a href="http://community.compuserve.com/books">CompuServe Books and Writers Community</a>, and a staff member, giving freely and generously of her time to help other writers practice their craft. Barbara kindly agreed to answer our burning questions about her writing life, her career experience, and her novels, particularly A DANGEROUS FICTION, and, no surprise, she gave us some wonderful answers.<br />
<br />
So, Barbara- welcome to All the World's Our Page, and thanks for playing along!<br />
<br />
<i>A little from your life experience</i><br />
<br />
<b>1. We like to start at the
start around here. How did your love of words begin, and when did you
know you were going to be a writer?</b><br />
<br />
I actually remember when I
first thought that I wanted to be a writer. I was about nine, home from
school, sick, when I first read A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L’Engle. I
was always a great reader, but that book blew me away; and it came to
me then that that’s what I wanted to do when I grew up. <br />
<b><br />2. You've had many roles in the publishing industry- agent, editor, author
and teacher- which has been the most rewarding so far? Which has been
the most challenging?</b><br />
<br />
Agenting was the most fun. I got to travel
the world, meeting amazing people, and working with books—what could be
better? But writing is the most rewarding; it’s what I chose at crunch
time. It’s harder, but I enjoy it more than anything.<br />
<br />
<b>3. As a
teacher of writing, you must encounter a considerable amount of writing
that's waiting to be polished to perfection with a bit of extra
guidance. What's one of the most common mistakes you see in fledgling
novels? </b><br />
<br />
They are many and varied. But learning to write is not
unlike children learning to walk, in that everyone goes through the same
stages. Problems mastering POV and the many permutations of “Show,
don’t tell” are almost universal at the early stages of the writer’s
path.<br />
<b><br />4. Each of those roles must bring you into contact with
aspiring writers from all walks of life. If you could give one solid
piece of advice to those just starting out, what would it be?</b><br />
<br />
Take
the time to learn the craft. Take classes if possible, join critique
groups, study writers you admire to see how they do what they do. Write,
then revise as many times as it takes. Don’t rush into print just
because self-publishing is readily available. <br />
<br />
<i>A bit about your writing process</i><br />
<b><br />5.
We'd love to know about your writing routine. For example, do you write
every day? At a particular time, or anytime the mood grabs you? Are
there snacks involved? Do you crave quiet, or are you inspired by music?</b><br />
<br />
When
I’m actively writing, I try to work every day, 5 days a week. I’m slow
to get started; I read the NY Times and do the crossword puzzle, catch
up on email, blog comments and Twitter. Once I start working,
mid-morning, I don’t like interruptions except an occasional walk, which
the dog insists on. But I’ll work for 8 hours or so, then put it away.
Don’t listen to music—it distracts me from the voices in my head, unless
I tune it out, which sort of defeats the purpose of playing it.<br />
<br />
<b>6.
Do you fly by the seat of your pants when it comes to plot, either
hopping around within the story or writing along in a linear fashion, or
do you like to write by an outline? </b><br />
<br />
I plot out the story in as
much detail as I can, trusting that I’ll find ways to fill in the holes
along the way. Stories often change in the writing, which is when the
creative juices really flow, but I still rely on that road map to get me
through the foggy stretches. <br />
<br />
<b>7. How much of the story comes
together for you as you write the first draft, and how much of it really
shapes up during edits? Which part of the process do you enjoy the
most?</b><br />
<br />
Writing the first draft is pure creation; it’s where you
take chances and try things out. Some things work, some don’t, and with
time you get better at predicting. But it’s still important to have fun
with that first draft, secure in the knowledge that no one else is ever
going to see it. When I’m writing I wake up every morning eager to get
to work. <br />
<br />
Revising is what gives shape to that mass of material,
brings out theme (which for many writers doesn’t even present itself
until the book is written), sharpens the dialogue, and much more.
Revising’s where the art comes in, and the conscious mind has its
say--because a lot of what goes on during first drafts comes from a
deeper place. <br />
<br />
For me they’re both pleasurable processes, but the first is harder, because you’re creating something out of nothing.<br />
<br />
<i>All about your books</i><br />
<br />
<b>8. You've published a number of acclaimed novels over the years- do you have a personal favourite? </b><br />
<br />
Several.
I loved writing the new book, A DANGEROUS FICTION—it was really fun to
play with a first-person narrator. Among the earlier books my favorites
are CAFÉ NEVO, ROWING IN EDEN, A HEARTBEAT AWAY and SUSPICION, most of
which, I’m happy to say, have recently been reissued in ebook and
paperback formats.<br />
<br />
<b>9. Have you ever imagined any of your stories making it to the big screen? Which do you think would make the best film?</b><br />
<br />
I
have imagined it, because several of them have been optioned. Of all of
them, I think SUSPICION would be the one I’d most like to see on
screen, because I like the combination of mystery and ghost story.<br />
<br />
<b>10. Tell us all about your latest novel, A DANGEROUS FICTION. We're looking forward to it a great deal.</b><br />
It’s
the story of a literary agent named Jo Donovan, the young widow of the
great writer Hugo Donovan, almost as famous for his affairs as for his
novels. Jo’s charmed but hardwon life starts to fall apart when she’s
targeted by an obsessed writer whose book she rejected. Friends and
clients rally around; but as the attacks continue and escalate to
murder, she begins to suspect that the person responsible is someone
close to her, possibly among that very circle of protectors. At the same
time, she’s being assailed on another front. An insistent biographer
named Teddy Pendragon is determined to write her late husband’s
biography, and his prying undermines the edifice on which she’s built
her life, her marriage to Hugo. <br />
<br />
<b>11. What are you working on next?</b><br />
<br />
When
I finished A DANGEROUS FICTION, I found to my surprise that I wasn’t
finished with Jo Donovan, nor she with me. I’d created a character who
fascinated me and whose story was not yet fully told. My editor at
Viking agreed; so I’m working now on the next Jo Donovan mystery, and
planning at least one more after that. I’m also teaching writing
workshops on www.nextlevelworkshop.com.<br />
<br />
Thanks so much for having me on the blog, Claire.<br />
<br />
<br />
#<br />
<br />
And thanks again for joining us, Barbara! We loved your answers and learned even more than we already knew about you and your work, which was a great treat.<br />
<br />
You can <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/155726230/A-Dangerous-Fiction-By-Barbara-Rogan">read the first chapter of A DANGEROUS FICTION here</a> for free (bargain!), and then buy your own copy through any of the sellers linked there.<br />
<br />
Find Barbara at: <a href="http://www.barbararogan.com/">Her website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraRoganAuthor?fref=ts">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/RoganBarbara">Twitter</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-68582796668902165962013-03-08T01:50:00.002-06:002013-03-08T01:50:39.934-06:00A Mini-Milestone
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Hello! </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As we say in Australia, it’s been a long
time between drinks, hasn’t it? My apologies for my extended radio silence, but
since I last blogged I’ve been hard at work on my manuscript, Blood of the
Heart, revising and editing until, at the end of February, I reached a
milestone in my writing journey and finally, FINALLY, sent BOTH out to beta
readers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Exciting stuff! </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Oh, it’s very far from perfect; and far,
far from done … but that’s the point. It’s time to let it go, to let others
read it and tell me what’s working and what’s not, for I’m so page-blind I
truly cannot see the forest for the trees.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But I’m here, at a point I sometimes
doubted I’d see, and with a bit of time on my hands I’ve been mulling over what
I’ve learned since finishing my first draft in December 2009 (yes, <i>that</i></span><span lang="EN-US"> long ago.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Writing a first novel is like studying a
whole university degree.</b></span><span lang="EN-US"> Well, it was for me. I’ve
been on one heck of a learning curve since I typed my first tentative words
back in 2007. In fact, I’ve written and deleted enough words to fill close to
two whole books. Seriously! But I don’t regret a minute of the time it’s taken
me to write BOTH. Really, it couldn’t have happened any other way. Learning a
new craft or profession requires a period of intense learning; and the way I
always looked at it (to stop myself from feeling like a slow-poke failure) was
that if my law degree took me roughly six years to complete, learning to write
fiction would be no different. And so it was … </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Hello. My name is Rachel Walsh and I am
an Outliner. </b></span><span lang="EN-US">That I ever attempted to act upon my
urge to write fiction is thanks to Diana Gabaldon and the story she shared of
how she began writing. For those who don’t know the tale, in a nutshell, she
came up with a character, she started writing as scenes came to her - out of
chronological order, in chunks - and she didn’t stop. Boiled down to these
elements, I thought I might be able to give this writing caper a shot. So I
started …</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Suffice to say I’ve learned enough about myself
through writing BOTH to know my brain is not wired like Diana’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Wingdings;">:-)</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"> To keep from veering off into no-man’s land (and thus having to
delete thousands of precious words) this little black duck needs – NEEDS - an
outline to follow. But hey, some things in life you can only learn by trial and
error. And it was fun to work this out ... in a masochistic kind of way. Cough.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Thank God for square brackets.</b></span><span lang="EN-US"> Another tip from Diana Gabaldon - use square brackets as
place-holders when you get to a point in the writing where you need to go chase
down a fact or two. That way, you keep writing, keep it flowing, without
stopping to spend five hours pin-pointing a half-demolished street in 1864
Paris in which a character might have believably lived … yes, such are the
rabbit holes I’ve ventured down this week as I plug the gaps in my research.
Sigh. I’m mighty glad I left all this until now, otherwise I’d still be at work
on chapter one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Immerse yourself in your genre.</b></span><span lang="EN-US"> I can’t recommend this highly enough. At one point I stopped
writing for a good six months while I did nothing but read and deconstruct book
after book of the type and style I was trying to emulate. I’m no master of
mystery and suspense after doing that, for sure, but I have a far better handle
on these genres than I did before.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Wallow in resources on the craft of
writing. </b></span><span lang="EN-US">Whether it be Donald Maass’ THE FIRE IN
FICTION or Robert McKee’s STORY, or the brilliant blogs of <a href="http://annerallen.blogspot.com.au/">Anne R. Allen</a> or<a href="https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/"> Roz Morris</a>, I’ve learned something new, or at the very least have come away
inspired, every time I’ve dipped into these resources. Do it. It’s good for you
and your brain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Beta readers are GOLD</b></span><span lang="EN-US">. Don’t ever be afraid to ask others to read your work, when you’re
ready for it. Having someone else cast their eyes over your work and give you
carefully considered feedback, positive and negative, is absolutely priceless.
And something for which you should be extremely grateful. I know I am.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So, what now? Well, while I’m waiting on
crits to come in, I’ve dipped my toe in the next book I want to write. Mainly
researching at the moment, but I’ve dashed out a few very rough scenes … and in
fact, I think I might even have the first sentence of Chapter One: </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>“The moment she was ushered into the
plush drawing room of the Countess of Marle, Lucinda Stone knew precisely which
of the assembled aristocratic guests was the thief.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Well, it’ll do, for now. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Wingdings;">:-)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rachel Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-31702025252981409742013-02-22T20:58:00.002-06:002013-02-22T20:58:28.662-06:00StuckI have a longer post coming about all the excellent sessions I attended at the 2013 Perth Writers Festival yesterday, but while it's fresh in my mind, I wanted to share a bit of advice on a commonly asked question that was put to literary giants Margaret Atwood and China Mieville at their excellent session on Wordsmithing. They were so much fun together, and they had so many excellent insights.<br />
<br />
A member of the audience asked the simple question- what do they do when they get stuck? <br /><br />Margaret Atwood's advice was first, try something different with what you're writing. Change point of view- first person, third person, even second person. Or change tense- present, past. Try to write the current scene from a different angle and see if that will jog you back into your work.<br />
<br />
If that fails, she has three go-to options:<br /><br />1. Go for a walk<br />
2. Have a sleep<br />
3. Do something repetitive and mindless, like ironing<br />
<br />
These are oft-repeated pieces of advice, because they work- stop worrying, stop overthinking, and rest your mind a little. When it's time to get back to writing, you'll benefit from greater clarity.<br />
<br />
China Mieville reckons that his 200 word theory has carried him through periods of being stuck- tell yourself you only have to write 200 words, or around two paragraphs, and they don't have to be good. In fact you can expect them to suck. Describe anything- even the wall you're looking at- for 200 words.<br />
<br />
Once you've done that, go away, and when you come back later- write another 200 words. Keep that up, and you'll either get yourself back on track, or at least keep your practice up for when the inspiration comes back.<br />
<br />
He also commented that more books don't get written because people don't put words on the page, than don't get out there because the writing isn't perfect. Get it on the page, and you can always revise it later. Margaret Atwood commented that only you will see what you write to start with, so what does it matter whether it's perfect or not?<br />
<br />
Keep on writing, and that's the only way to get where you're going.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-14223779755519661192013-02-01T22:29:00.000-06:002013-02-01T22:29:29.373-06:00AbundanceLong time, no see!<br />
<br />
The crew here at ATWOP are still slightly on hiatus, by which I mean, concentrating hard on all kinds of important work, like writing, revising and publishing novels, or raising future storytellers, or that sort of thing- and still a little short on time to do the blogging we'd like to do as well.<br />
<br />
We all hope to be more connected this year, and one of my aims is to spend a little more time both here and at my <a href="http://roadtowarandback.blogspot.com.au/">new blog for WWI research</a> and all things <i>Between the Lines</i>.<br />
<br />
So in that spirit, I'm moved to talk today about the theory of abundance. A good friend of mine was talking about this recently, and put it in my mind- she's a professional cake-and-sweet-treat maker, and she has the most enthusiastic and giving personality- just being around her makes you want to get up and work harder at being useful and positive. <br />
<br />
And that's where the theory of abundance comes into things, because she believes that connecting with like-minded people, and moreover, always giving freely of your enthusiasm and your creativity, does not take away your time or your energy. It has the opposite effect- it brings energy and creativity back to you, because for all you give, you receive these things in return.<br />
<br />
Since the start of 2013, I've already revised 30,000 words of <i>Between the Lines</i>. This is huge, for someone who hadn't touched her writing seriously in well over a year. I have a lot of demands on my time, but I am absolutely determined to finish this book this year and move on to the next stage, and my determination is carrying me through.<br />
<br />
With the need to focus hard on my writing, you'd think that reconnecting with the <a href="http://community.compuserve.com/books">Compuserve Books and Writers Forum</a>, plus <a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorclairegregory">Facebook</a>, plus blogging again, might not be a really advisable thing to do. After all, surely all that is going to take time and energy away from my main focus?<br />
<br />
But as ever, I've immediately discovered that abundance applies here, too. Not to Facebook, that's <a href="http://alltheworldsourpage.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/why-facebook-is-writing-devil.html">still the devil</a>. But to everything else- connecting with other writers. Sharing your work. Taking the time to read and comment on other peoples' work. Emailing writing buddies to talk shop. Telling the world what you're up to. All these things don't end up detracting, if you get the balance right- they end up adding fuel to the fire, revitalising creative energy and supporting your drive to get somewhere significant.<br />
<br />
I've been a Compuserve Forum member for seven years now, and in that time, the periods where I haven't written a thing- have coincided exactly with the periods during which I have *not* been an active member there. The times when I've been most productive are the times where I've been in the community, giving and receiving.<br />
<br />
It's tricky, though. There <i>is </i>a major balance you need to strike, and it's not all helpful. As much as Facebook and Twitter can connect you to the rest of the world, they can also distract you and suck your energy if you give them too much. And sharing your work is fantastic, especially if you get good feedback- but I've hit major problems before by letting opinions lead me down different paths, and, worst of all, by believing my own press- something you just can't do until you're proven, and you're not proven til you're holding your own book in your hands.<br />
<br />
So, more giving, in the aim of more receiving. And at all times, keeping my perspective. That's my underlying theme for 2013 as I drive on toward the finish line one more time.<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-46202120698031649552012-08-10T03:16:00.001-05:002012-08-10T03:18:09.213-05:00Inspiration, at Home and Abroad<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">In the continuing saga of me and my manuscript ...</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Well, I did finish my revisions … a little
over my deadline of May 31st but not by too much, and with good reasons for
running late (a revolving door of sick family members being one of them) so I’m
happy with that. Even better, I got everything done just in time to pack my
bags and head off for a vacation … to Paris.</div>
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Here's the proof.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kaFN4EDRiEA/UCTBBd31FbI/AAAAAAAAAYs/yaSqWhIkPoc/s1600/SAM_0295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kaFN4EDRiEA/UCTBBd31FbI/AAAAAAAAAYs/yaSqWhIkPoc/s320/SAM_0295.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">("Children? What children?")</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Ah, Paris. The city I’ve longed to visit
ever since I can remember and the setting of my book, no less. I spent my ten
days there pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, and have come back
with a ton of fodder for my book and with my batteries fully recharged for
another round of revisions. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And I mean revisions; not the wholesale
re-writing that the last few go-throughs of my manuscript has entailed, which
I’m mighty happy about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
chiseled away enough of the first (and second, and third and fourth ...) draft of my
manuscript and can now see the full shape of my story. It’s lumpy and bumpy and
in need of a good smoothing over and final polish, that’s for sure, but at
least I’m at the stage where I’m swapping the heavy duty mallet and chisel work
for the finer rasp and file business.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Anyways … rolling up my sleeves to get
stuck into my manuscript once again got me thinking about the things that help keep up our enthusiasm for projects that take a long time to come to
fruition. For it can start to seem all too hard and pointless, especially when
the creative well has run dry or that vinegar-lipped lady is on your shoulder sniping that your writing is crap. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">One thing that works for me it to step back
from the keyboard, to go out into the world and visit museums and art
galleries, take walks in the park, listen to music or catch a movie (or, cough,
go to Paris), all of which serve to clear my mind and top up my creative juices so that I come back to my writing with renewed drive and fresh perspective. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But when I don’t have the time or the
ability to do these things, my bookshelf is my best battery re-charger. I have
a handful of authors whose works I can dip into, just for a page or so, and I’m
guaranteed to come away awed and inspired. Their writing grabs me, reminds me
of what I’m aspiring to, and the swell of excitement and hope that I feel
compels me to get my butt back into my chair and write. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Not every writer does this for me, but a
few are guaranteed to. Writers such as Deanna Raybourne, Jo Bourne, C.S.
Harris, Ariana Franklin, Thomas Harris, Sarah Waters, Louis Bayard, Imogen
Robertson, Geraldine Brooks, to name but a few.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">And all the ladies here at ATWOP, of
course.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I know some might find it a depressing
exercise to read polished, published work, then dive into the hot festering
messes they’re working on, but I don’t. They urge me on to do better, and to
ignore that vinegar-lipped bitch and write some more.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So tell me: whose work inspires you?</span></div>
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<br /></div>Rachel Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-17298927408600046142012-08-04T01:48:00.000-05:002012-08-04T01:50:45.284-05:00A Cast of Characters<br />
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<br />
<br />
Boulder Bay is a wild, untouched place. It's far from anything
remotely civilized, isolated by the sea and the mountains that circle
it. The only footprints you'll find in the sand are those of animals.
The only noises you'll hear are natural ones like the buzzing of fat,
furry bumblebees, the roar of the ocean breakers, and the melodies of
birds.<br />
<br />
I can only wonder what the locals think when we motor
in on our boat and camp at the mouth of a small, crystal-clear river. By
now some of them must remember us. I remember them, at any rate, and
with this, our third visit, the sight of familiar characters was like
greeting old friends.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZA3ZGsh_HZ0/UBy_NrjApDI/AAAAAAAAAO0/NBNv9GKg1AY/s1600/IMG_6401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZA3ZGsh_HZ0/UBy_NrjApDI/AAAAAAAAAO0/NBNv9GKg1AY/s320/IMG_6401.JPG" width="320" /></a>Even before we finished setting
up camp, it became clear that the neighborhood had had some changes. Our
campsite has a lean-to frame that we built to serve as a kitchen (with
the addition of a tarp it becomes sheltered). The bald eagles use the
frame as a perch, probably happy that these oddball people have left
them this seat with front-row views of the river in a land where trees
are scarce. We found numerous eagle feathers scattered in the kitchen.
"My eagles," I thought happily, "are still here." Not only were the
eagles still living near camp, they were busy raising an eaglet in a nest that was empty the year before.
<i>Thriving.</i><br />
<br />
What were not thriving were the little Sitka
deer. We found nothing but bones on the beach. Numerous skeletons, as if
the whole herd had died in that place. The darling fawns of last year
were now nothing more than smaller skeletons among the larger ones. It was a hard winter, with deep snows that pushed the herd from the hills to the beach where they eventually ran out of food to eat. I
mourned the lot of them, those graceful, big-eyed creatures who meant no
harm to anyone.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aXxQt5i4Ix0/UBy_ePcuk5I/AAAAAAAAAO8/PXqGT-tDLh8/s1600/IMG_6708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aXxQt5i4Ix0/UBy_ePcuk5I/AAAAAAAAAO8/PXqGT-tDLh8/s320/IMG_6708.JPG" width="320" /></a>But life goes on, and the happy evidence of that was the newest neighbors to move in - a family of river otters. It was such a joy to watch the four of them roll and tumble on the sand in a knot of silky fur and sleek bodies. Such fun! They lived in a small creek behind our camp and I think we probably trespassed on their property. But they didn't hold a grudge, apparently, and soon accepted us warily - enough to bring their pups down to the sea to go to otter-fishing-school, anyway.<br />
<br />
The biggest character on the block, the Kodiak brown bear, was still in residence too. We saw one bear on the beach and wisely turned back from a walk. Other than that one sighting, we saw nothing but footprints on an almost daily basis. There was a mother and cub who seemed to cross paths with us like ships in the night. They were there, but preferred to avoid us. The mother's prints told of a careful bear with long claws. The cub's small paw prints revealed a more playful nature. She took the shortcuts, wandered more, and just like a kid, walked through the mud while mother walked around it. <br />
<br />
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The family of foxes who live across the lagoon from our camp had wisely moved their den away from the eagle's nest. We didn't see the kits, as we had the year before, but we saw the parents often, as well as their kit from last year. She was now a lanky, curious thing who came to camp several times. I had a nice conversation with her at the fire one evening. She sat down not far from me, content to let me carry the conversation. Her eyes were golden, glittering with wonder and curiosity.<br />
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The only animal I've named is a harbor seal. Constance earned her name early because of her uncanny habit of popping up in the bay no matter where we were. We could walk miles down the beach and she'd greet us there. We'd come back to camp and she'd be there, too. Constant, like a shadow, watching with big wet eyes. I'd wave at her and yell, "Hello Constance!" My husband, who had a "crazy French girlfriend" named Constance, always said her name with a French accent. <br />
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Even my own characters came along. Nathan, Carrie, and Carl flitted in and out of Boulder Bay like the small brown birds that fluttered around our camp. Without the bright white pages of my wip, the three of them had a holiday of their own. Nate thought about being a hunting guide. He'd buy a boat and live on it, he said. He'd call it the Compass Rose.<br />
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Eventually it was time to leave our beloved Boulder Bay. We bid farewell to the creatures who kept us entertained, who kept us company, and who reminded me that there are stories being written every day by characters more real than the ones in my head.<br />
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<br />Susan Montgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-1338507181674328112012-07-29T04:36:00.001-05:002012-07-29T04:36:07.337-05:00Life is what happensI remember this particular phase from when my first child was born.<br />
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First, the brand new baby who sleeps 22 of every 24 hours. You're full of self-congratulation, remarking that you just knew you were going to have a natural-born sleeper from day one this time. People shake their heads knowingly and you tell them to stow it.<br />
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A few weeks later, the kid is growing, becoming more aware, doing more, and suddenly they're hungrier. They don't go to bed until 11pm, and then they wake at 2, 4, 6 for more food. You're tired, but you figure hey, if this is as bad as it gets, you can survive it until they start stretching that out a little. Soon, soon, they'll wake less. Sleep longer.<br />
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Oops, wait- this is definitely not as bad as it gets. They hit the 4 month sleep regression, Wonder Week, get in league with the devil, whatever, and all of a sudden they're in bed at 9, but they're also awake at 11, 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Surely they cannot be that hungry. Surely they do not like you <i>that much</i> that they have to see you that often through the night. They see you all day! Surely they'll sleep if you give them more milk, a pacifier, a shirt you've had stuffed in your bra for a week, a lovey, a musical seahorse, the right weight of blanket... <br />
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It just cannot get worse than this. You are no longer functioning like a normal human being. You put cornflakes in the fridge and milk in the cupboard. The only books you've read in five months are half a dozen baby sleep manuals, some of which may or may not have pages ripped out where you were paging through in clumsy desperation. You no longer own a single item of clothing that does not have milk, barf or pureed apple on it somewhere.<br />
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But of course it can get worse. Kid cannot sleep without you now. Kid wakes up every 45-60 minutes all.night.long. Kid is so super cheerful and adorable during the day that you reluctantly return your wicker basket to the shed instead of carting them off to a nunnery, and then you sigh and carry on picking up dropped toys, rubbing sore gums and singing silly songs.<br />
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Where does it go from here? Well, last time it went on until my daughter was 14 months old, and then she started sleeping through the night and hasn't stopped since. This time at least I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm also hoping that my son will get his act together long before that- he's got 8 more months to beat his sister to the sleeping-through milestone, and in the meantime I'm promising him that he'll be lauded, praised and held up as totally better than her every Christmas if he'll just close his freaking eyes and stay quiet all night long, right now. Tonight. It's never too early to start.<br />
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Unless you're a baby, apparently.<br />
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Am I writing at the moment? Ahaha. That there is the sound of my bitter laughter. Am I doing *anything* to progress toward getting back to it? The outward answer is no, I'm not. I'm not blogging, I'm not researching, I'm not reading, I'm not even <i>thinking, </i>unless you count trying valiantly to come up with an awesome answer when my toddler says such deep things as, "What does dying look like?" And, "Stephanie's little brother is a sister!"<br />
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But the inward answer is, yes, actually. It's one of those times in life where just living is the only step forward you can take, and just living- feeling the exhaustion, proudly watching your baby grow fat and healthy, nuzzling that soft baby fuzz day and night, being happy and sad and crazy- not only are they all steps toward the time when life gets back on track, but they feed into the soul of what you write when you get started again.<br />
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In the meantime, I hope to kickstart myself a little by trying to get back into blogging and research a little more- but do excuse me if I have a spare half hour and I use it to catch a nap instead!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-24594500382687871482012-07-23T06:54:00.001-05:002012-07-23T06:54:11.249-05:00Hello!<br />
It's been a while between posts, hasn't it?<br />
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A hiatus of sorts seems to have snuck up on us all, a combination of work, deadlines, the northern hemisphere summer, children home on vacation, children home sick with nasty bugs, conferencing, vacationing ... and yes, a bunch of writing is being done, too.<br />
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But fingers crossed we'll be back in operation soon; I might even have a post to whip out of my sleeve later this week. Hey, stranger things have happened! :-)<br />
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<br />Rachel Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-59799398953788452952012-05-27T22:35:00.000-05:002012-05-27T22:54:45.161-05:00Support<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xfXa2RwEnTI/T8Lm9aUnRpI/AAAAAAAABxk/K8SGCN3GQ90/s1600/DSC03095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>It's been a long few years writing this novel. If the book had been my baby, it'd be in high school right now. Scary thought. As Rachel has expressed before, there are times where I feel incredibly frustrated by the amount of time that has passed without me finishing this thing. At other times, I think about how much *life* I've lived concurrently, and how much I've learned, and I know that I've needed these years to be the writer I am now, and to be so much closer to the finish line.<br />
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In the meantime, there are some people in my life who just *get* how important writing is to me without ever expecting me to pick my game up or move onto something different, the way I might prod myself to do now and again. My blogmates and my wider circle of writing friends are at the forefront there.<br />
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There's also my husband, who is ever patient and always willing to listen to me yammer on. I have great friends out there, too, who always ask me how my writing is going or ask me about plot points or characters or events that I had no idea they knew.<br />
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But for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, one of my best friends surprised me with one of the most amazing presents anyone has *ever* given me, and I know that writers out there will be especially able to appreciate the awesomeness of this gift.<br />
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What is that? It's a hand-made World War I diary- blank, too, just ripe to be filled out by a certain fictional someone whose diary inspired the title of the novel, Between the Lines.<br />
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Inside, nicked from Pinterest, my blogs, the Compuserve Forum and independently researched, are photographs of the specific WWI locations and events that feature in my story, many of them turned into little postcards. It was especially amazing to me to discover, as I flicked through them, that every picture was exact to a location in the story- many locations and real events that I haven't yet pinned on Pinterest or mentioned elsewhere. I later confirmed with my friend that she had specifically hunted down snippets of writing scattered around the internet to get the right place names, and had researched those.<br />
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The attention to detail is such that a couple of the pictures show meticulously simulated water damage, just like you'd get if you sat in a muddy trench flipping through them :) There are some pictures of "home", too- exactly what I know my guys would keep with them. There's even one of Len's football team. When I first opened it, I got that it was a book, and I thought the pictures were cool, but I didn't get that it was *my* fictional diary, until I hit the letter folded up in the front flap.<br />
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Yes, that's Kit's letter to Bill, giving him the happy news that she's having a baby, which he gets in the trenches just before breaking down completely and winding up as a mental patient. I can't even quite remember when I posted that here- a good long while ago, I'm sure. But that was the puzzle piece that put it all together for me and kind of made me cry a little bit.<br />
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Is that not the most thoughtful, brilliant present ever? Thank you again, Ricki :)<br />
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What's the most supportive and wonderful thing someone has done for you to show they believe in your writing?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-85451004618609825762012-05-09T03:33:00.001-05:002012-05-09T05:02:55.991-05:00Calling in from revision land …<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span>Hey all! As predicted, revisions are keeping me busy,
busy, busy. Lots of tightening of scenes and some big fat tranches of wholesale re-writing have ensued since last I blogged ... and I *think* I’m on track to make my May 31<sup>st</sup> deadline, but boy, it’ll be tight. </div>
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<span lang="EN-US">And if all this busy scribbling is not clue enough that I’m deep into revisions, the fact I suddenly have the urge to clean - me, for whom even the mere thought of housework sends a cold chill snaking down my spine - completely confirms it. And I'm not talking about wanting to do a quick tidy up here and there; no, what
I find myself itching, positively <i>itching</i>, to do, is to clean every single window of the house inside and out. Even the six, second story windows! </span>As we are about to head into winter
and its attendent window-dirtying weather, this urge of mine is particularly
insane. And smells suspiciously like procrastination to me. I will not cave. I will not!</div>
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On the whole, I'm pleased with how this round of revisions is shaping up. I've even had a few of those magical days where I was right in the "zone": you know, where your plot twists excite the pants off you, and your dialogue is snappy and your descriptions are rare gems of perfection and the words flow effortlessly from your
finger tips … which had me pondering (OK, bemoaning) why these days don't happen more often. Why can't writing be like this all the time? Life would be so much easier. </div>
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And then I thought about that some more, and now I'm not so certain. </div>
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Imagine being that switched on, all the time? The mental and physical drain
of it! You'd be a wrung out mess within a week, I'm sure. And without the many (many many) crappy writing days we endure, how on earth would we ever recognise - and be so grateful
for - the good ones when they finally come round?</div>
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It makes you think, doesn't it?</div>
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Anyways, enough of my ponderings. I'd best get my nose back to the grindstone ... and speaking of noses, I'll leave you with this interesting little video - all about what makes old books smell the way they do. Mmm, I really love that smell. I wonder if anyone's bottled it ....</div>
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Until next time!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aUaInTfrDnA" width="560"></iframe></div>Rachel Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-76272006647219568052012-05-07T06:47:00.002-05:002012-05-08T20:11:17.711-05:00ANZAC Day 2012As any of you will recall,<a href="http://alltheworldsourpage.blogspot.com/2011/04/at-going-down-of-sun-and-in-morning.html"> I began a tradition of remembrance last year on ANZAC Day</a>, the day when Australia stops to remember fallen soldiers from all conflicts. My plan was to pick a random name off a First World War memorial each year, and research the story behind the name as a way of remembering the sacrifices made by those who served.<br />
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This year, I happened to be visiting the area where my WWI novel Between the Lines is set on ANZAC Day. Oddly appropriate! I chose a name off the local war memorial, and researched the life and death of one Private James Dreghorn.<br />
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You can read it <a href="http://roadtowarandback.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/james-dreghorn.html">here at my new WWI research blog The Road to War and Back</a>.<br />
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Lest we forget.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-3046672550731734112012-05-04T13:06:00.000-05:002014-09-23T08:54:46.024-05:00Temporarily Lost<span style="font-size: small;">I know I’m in Act II because my loosely drawn plot says so. But why am I so darn lost here? Like any good traveler who loses her way, I pull over and consult the map. I can see the spot I’m at, I just can’t see any farther. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Why am I lost? Why am I temporarily direction-challenged? Do I make a right or a left at the next scene? Do I continue straight ahead or back up? The only thing I know for certain is that I can’t stay here. In Act II. Forever. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">There’s only one thing to do in a situation like this: I asked for directions. I called on my blog-sisters and each of them answered my plaintive wail for help with brilliant insight. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here’s what I learned when you’re lost in the middle of your work-in-progress, when the scenes you’re stuck in give you fits:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">1. Keep the Big Picture in mind. Step back a pace and look at the overarching story. Do the troublesome scenes fit the big picture? You’re essentially putting together a puzzle made of scenes and each scene has its place. If the scene doesn’t complete the picture, it doesn’t belong there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">2. Do the scenes drive the story forward, or put it in a tailspin? There’s a reason you’re stuck and perhaps the scene isn’t working because intrinsically you know it’s off-track. You’re off the highway and bumping down a rabbit trail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">3. Do the scenes compliment the tone and “feel” of the rest of the story? Do they fit, or do they stand out radically from the others? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">4. Focus on one message or theme. What is the point of your story? How does it effect the hero and those around him? Do the scenes help or hinder that theme?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I have a clearer picture of where I’m going now. It was actually a blessing to be temporarily lost. I needed to pause and get my bearings and now I can set off again with confidence. The best thing about getting lost, however, was knowing I could count on my blog-sisters to keep me pointed True North. Thanks ladies. </span></div>
Susan Montgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-84306364524045059182012-04-30T09:37:00.000-05:002012-04-30T09:37:47.304-05:00Home<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIlz1igBTM4/SB7gh3kNjvI/AAAAAAAAAJA/55FLMb_pvTY/s1600/Koolanooka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The concept of home lies right at the heart of my war novel. One brother wants nothing more than to leave their home and get away from life as he knows it. The other wants nothing more than to stay. But for both of them, once the First World War arrives and changes things, home turns out to be as much about people as place.<br />
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Home for me has always been a nebulous thing. I was an oil industry brat, raised in a number of different countries around the world. We made an international move on average every two years until I was in high school. I hold passports for two different countries- one I didn't live in until I was 7 years old, the other I didn't even get to visit until I was the grand old age of 22. Because I was often the new kid, I was often asked where I came from. I had a standard answer that summed it all up for me and reflected my lack of an anchor point- "All over the place."<br />
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From the time I started high school to the time I got married 12 years later, I lived in one city. But that city still never felt like home to me. It wasn't until we chose to move to the country after our marriage that I finally found a sense of my own place for the first time. It came from the choice we made to be there- the first time in either of our lives that we'd made that choice for ourselves instead of following family.<br />
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Our daughter was born there, and we'll never lose our connection to that place. But as she grew, we began to realise that following family wasn't just about the places you go. It's about being close enough that your child has her own toothbrush at Grandma's house, or close enough that when you're sick as a dog, your best friend can drive around the corner to drop you off some soup. We moved back to our original city, bought our first house, and though I've never been struck by the same lightning bolt of belonging that I felt in our country home, I've slowly come to realise that this place is probably as close to home as I'll ever find.<br />
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Not just because I'm here, but because I've *been* here all these years, and so have so many of the people I care about. I've graduated high school and university, met the love of my life, married, and now my son has been born here. I've left here and returned a thousand times for work and travel. I've seen it change- I remember it as it was 20 years ago, and I can tell you what's different now. I'm a part of this city, and it is undeniably a part of me. The axis of my life right here, and my world revolves around it.<br />
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When I started travelling around the rest of this enormous state for work, I was as unprepared as your average city girl for the impact places would have on me. With time, another area worked itself into my brain and wouldn't let go- the place that is the inspiration for the town of Stonehaven, and Edenvale and Golden Valley farms.<br />
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This is not my place. But it is home to my characters. In one form or another, I've spent a part of every single day of the last six years in that place, even though I haven't physically been there in all that time.<br />
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Last week we got an unexpected chance to travel up there and visit. I was kind of nervous that it wouldn't be all I remembered, and it wasn't- because it's not Stonehaven. But it is within Stonehaven, and the sense of place I felt was for the town of my story. It was wonderful to go home, to Bill, Len and Kit's home. They are the opposite to me- people who have always known their place. But like me, they all struggle to accept it at times. Writing this novel has definitely been a way for me to explore my own feelings about place and identity.<br />
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So, what makes home, home, for you?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-41420449036381151002012-04-18T05:40:00.000-05:002012-04-18T05:40:10.641-05:00Playing With the Big Boys<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US">Hi All.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Yes, it lives, it breathes! LOL, ah, I’ve
been scarce about these parts, I know, and whilst I’d love to say that’s going
to change, I’m afraid I’m going to be even more scarce for a wee bit longer.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">See, I’ve decided that I need to step up
and play with the big boys. For real.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I’ve been writing my novel for mumblemumble
years now and it’s starting to drive me batty – the length of time it’s taken
me to get where I am (a combination of draft three or four of the manuscript),
and the book itself. Yes, I know I’ve blogged before about how patience with
one’s progress is a good thing, and how a great deal of the lengthiness of my
book writing quest is down to me climbing a very steep learning curve. And I
still believe these things. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">However, I’ve come to realize that for me,
with the busyness of my life as a wonderfully convenient excuse, it’d be so
very easy to sit back and let another mumblemumble years slip by without any
further progress made with my book, or with my dream of writing for a career. And I don’t know whether I’ve hit that dreaded midlife crisis, but lately I’ve been
thinking that while I love being known as someone’s wife and three someones’
mother, it would be so very, very satisfying to do something, and to be known
for something, that I did just for me. </span>And I know, in the very marrow of my bones,
that writing is that thing.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Anyway. Long story<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- and lots of navel gazing on my part –
short, I’ve decided that to get where I want to be I have to man up and write
like I’m already a career writer. Yeah, I’ve said that before, too, and have
done so, to an extent - I write just about every day, I set goals and I’ve definitely got
the neuroses and anxieties down pat - but I also too quickly and too easily
allow my writing to take a back seat to everything else. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">No more. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So the house will be going to even worse rack and ruin; the kids will not die from catching the bus home instead of riding in the car, or from eating the odd dinner of toast and fish fingers. And I also have a couple of deadlines. They’re
of my own making but I’m going to pretend like they’re not. And those deadlines
are (1) I must have this draft of my book finished by 31<sup>st</sup> May, and
(2) I must have this book to an agent-querying level of completeness by 1<sup>st</sup>
November 2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not “would like to”
or “am aiming to”, but I MUST , as in “I’ll have a fire-breathing editor
screaming down the phone accusing me of breach of contract if I don’t”, kind of
“must”.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">And with this in mind, I’m going on a
blogging hiatus until the end of May. I may pop in, if things are going well;
if not, then I wish the best of luck to one and all, and I’ll see you on the
other side!</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Rachel Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-11922531519046418032012-04-10T16:08:00.003-05:002012-04-10T16:31:52.400-05:00Seven TimesI know I have been scarce as of late. You're probably wondering who the heck I am, actually -- it's been that long. I apologize for that. To say life has been throwing me some hurdles over the past few months would be putting it mildly. In short, it's been absolutely one of the most difficult periods of my life. I've been hanging on by the skin of my teeth at times, and yeah... I'm hopeful that I'm approaching the downward slope. I need the sweet relief of racing down the other side of this mountain, if you know what I mean. :) <br /><br />All that said, the one saving grace in all of this mess has been watching the progress of BTPM--knowing it's out in the world, knowing people are reading it, enjoying it (not in all cases, mind). It's been sort of the one shining light in the rest of the muck. LOL. That said, I feel compelled to blog about what an absolutely terrifying experience this is... because like it or not, I've promised book 2 by the end of May. And I'm FREAKED out that I'm not going to get it right. And nothing...NOTHING...brought home that fear more than what I experienced this morning...<br /><br />So, for whatever reason, BTPM just isn't doing well on Amazon...while, amazingly enough, it's really starting to take off at Barnes & Noble. I have no real explanation for this--just conjecture. Maybe there are simply more books on Amazon, and I'm getting lost among them... ??? NO CLUE. But, the fact remains that while I continue to climb the ranks on B&N, I see very few sales on Amazon. In fact, for every book I sell on Amazon, I probably sell 15+ on B&N. Hey, I'll take it. <br /><br />That said, my ranking at B&N is literally jumping by leaps and bounds. The neurotic that I am, I've been keeping anxious tabs on it every morning. This morning, I logged in, per my usual....and saw I had a new review. As I don't have very many, I always perk up at that. It's nice...blah blah blah. And then I see that someone who had previously reviewed it has edited their review to say something along the lines of:<br /><br />"I have read this book 7 times. Please hurry up and write book 2."<br /><br />!!!!!!!<br /><br />What???<br /><br />Seven times??? <br /><br />Someone has read my book SEVEN times??<br /><br />Folks, I don't think <em>I've </em>read my book seven times. (Okay, it's probably been many more times than that...but you get my meaning.)<br /><br />I will tell you what my reaction to this was. First, TOTAL gut shot. My stomach relocated to my toes. I have to make book 2 just as good--if not better--than BTPM. And HOW THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO THAT?!?! Quite simply, I can't. I doomed to fail. Book 2 is going to suck!!!!<br /><br />So yeah, I had my little moment of panic...and then I cried. From complete happiness.<br /><br />Someone loves my book enough to read the dang thing 7 times. HOLY HELL.<br /><br />That being said -- I honestly don't mean to gush over these things, but I can't seem to help myself -- the sophmore freak-out is definitely a tangible thing. I'm scared out of my mind that I'm going to let readers down with a book that doesn't live up to the first. Whether or not people like my writing, I always want to improve on what I've done before. And WALKING IN SHADOW has been a challenge--it's pushing me in some really fantastic ways, but it's also making me take greater risks. What if I fail? What if it the suckiest suck ever to hit "the shelves?" <br /><br />I keep telling myself to keep my eyes on my own paper--to just keep pushing through--but it's definitely scary to think I COULD legitimately fail. I know I'm not a great success story--hell, most people wouldn't have the first clue who I am or what book it is that I wrote (most of my friends don't even know), but for some readers, it's the friggin' beesknees. I don't want to let those readers down.<br /><br />I sure as heck don't want to let myself or my characters or my story down. <br /><br />*deep breaths*<br /><br />Hope all of you are doing well!Jennifer Hendrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01239194419535919631noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-85545811320817560662012-04-08T05:34:00.007-05:002012-04-08T07:05:35.085-05:00Creating your own pop cultureI recently discovered a seriously awesome blog inspired by Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series of novels- <a href="http://outlanderkitchen.com/">Outlander Kitchen</a>, in which fan (and chef) Theresa creates dishes inspired by the books she loves.<br /><br />I can't even tell you how many ways I love this idea. The Outlander novels are full of fascinating details of life across numerous countries in the 18th century (and the 20th, for that matter), including vivid descriptions of the foods of the time. What's particularly engaging is that (like every other detail in Diana's books) the food is always intimately linked to the characters and their situations. That's what makes it stick in your mind- and that's exactly what Outlander Kitchen harnesses.<br /><br />Go have a look- the blogger starts each post with a snippet from the books where the food is mentioned, then follows it up with fascinating research, anecdotes about the background to the food or the hunt to perfect it, and ultimately something concrete- a recipe, and gorgeous pictures that bring to life the foods we readers have wondered about for years.<br /><br />And you know, I think this is the way of things for the future- value-adding for novels. Every day I see more and more authors popping up on sites like Tumblr and Pinterest, where they can add a third dimension to the way they express their stories. Starting blogs that cover the mechanics of writing and the specifics of the story, but also spin fascinating tales about the stories behind the stories. Having linked Facebook pages to allow further interaction and even more different modes of expression.<br /><br />I must say, I love it. I love what it brings to the experience of reading, to see the world of the stories through the author's eyes in a more visual way. And I think it does great things for an author's "brand" to be accessible in many different ways, and to show enthusiasm for the things about which they write. It strikes me as very savvy marketing to get into these platforms now that the internet is revolving around new ways in social media.<br /><br />Several authors from this blog have additional places where you can experience more of their stories through their eyes, so for your interest, an incomplete list:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kristencallihan.com/index.html">Kristen's website here</a> contains plenty of fascinating detail about the gothic world of <span style="font-style: italic;">Firelight, Moonglow </span>and<span style="font-style: italic;"> Winterblaze</span>, including an awesome webzine and romance trading cards.<br /><br />Kristen is also pinning fabulous story details to <a href="http://pinterest.com/writerkristen/">Pinterest</a>,<br /><br />As is <a href="http://pinterest.com/rachelwalsh71/?fb_action_ids=3145438708447&fb_action_types=pinterestapp%3Afollow&fb_source=other_multiline">Rachel, here,</a> sharing intriguing details of the 19th century Paris and Victorian London settings that are brought to life in <span style="font-style: italic;">Blood of the Heart</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://pinterest.com/beartrackz/">And Susan, too</a>, picking out the best of the Napa Valley, and the Vietnam era, from her novel <span style="font-style: italic;">Requiem for a Warrior</span>.<br /><br />I think I'll join Pinterest myself soon, but in the meantime I've been working on a new blog called <a href="http://roadtowarandback.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/introduction.html">The Road to War and Back</a> to share the stories of WWI soldiers like <a href="http://alltheworldsourpage.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/sweetheart-mine-world-is-weary.html">Tom Lockyer</a> and the <a href="http://alltheworldsourpage.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/at-going-down-of-sun-and-in-morning.html">Bleakley brothers</a>, following real-life newspapers, records and photographs from the era of my novel <span style="font-style: italic;">Between the Lines</span> to unravel the myriad experiences of Australians in the First World War. Stay tuned for new stories there in the next couple of weeks.<br /><br />How about you? Are you using these new ways in social media to extend the way you share your story? And are you enjoying them as a reader? Any favourites you'd like to share?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-88929289615953875742012-04-06T01:03:00.003-05:002012-04-06T01:13:02.002-05:00Double NegativeAin't no two ways about it, sweetheart, this film is a cleverly disguised English grammar lesson.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XUfB8hng2bo" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>Susan Montgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-49190099060984584962012-03-28T06:24:00.000-05:002012-03-28T06:27:44.510-05:00The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas - Review<br />
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In 2011 Elizabeth Loupas gave us her debut novel, The Second
Duchess, a book I thoroughly enjoyed (my “20 Questions With Elizabeth Loupas”
interview is <a href="http://alltheworldsourpage.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/20-questions-with-elizabeth-loupas.html">here</a>). I’ve been eagerly awaiting her second offering ever since
and it finally arrived last week when I was lucky enough to receive a review
copy of The Flower Reader; and after consuming the book in just two days, I can
safely say The Flower Reader is well worth the wait.</div>
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Set during the early reign of Mary, queen of Scots (newly
returned from France to rule upon the death of her mother, Mary of Guise, queen
regent of Scotland) The Flower Reader is a sweeping tale of murder, mystery and
the web of conspiracy that ensnares its heroine, a young Scots noblewoman named
Rinette Leslie.</div>
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On her deathbed, Mary of Guise entrusts Rinette with a
silver casket, asking her to keep it and its contents hidden until it can be
placed in the hands of her daughter, the new queen. Rinette, a passionate,
headstrong young woman, is known to have the ancient gift of divining the
future through the art of floromancy, and thus manages to smuggle the casket’s
secrets from the dead queen’s chambers hidden beneath the flowers she uses in
her mystical craft.</div>
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As the new queen makes her way to Scotland, the
treacherously divided Scottish nobility jostle for power; Rinette, heiress to
the Granmuir estates, finds herself a pawn fought over by male protectors eager
to gain control of her inheritance and she only narrowly escapes a forced marriage,
instead marrying Alexander Gordon, the golden youth she has loved since she was
a child. When Mary finally arrives at court Rinette is determined to meet her and hand
over the silver casket to fulfill her promise to the old queen, then return to
peacefully live out her days with Alexander at her beloved Granmuir.</div>
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But Mary refuses Rinette’s initial request for an audience;
chagrined and forced to bide her time, Rinette decides to hide the casket. But
before she can ever deliver it to Mary, murder most foul turns Rinette’s life
upside down and she finds herself alone, threatened, and with her knowledge of
the casket’s whereabouts her only guarantee of safety. For the casket is
rumoured to contain predictions by none other than Nostradamus, plus the
darkest secrets of every Scots nobleman, meticulously gathered by the old queen
for her daughter; powerful weapons indeed, sought by both Mary and the Scots
lords, and the ruthless agents of the many royal houses of Europe who to seek
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Murder and conspiracy abound, and assassins lurk round every
corner as Rinette navigates the maze of lies and deception that is the Scots
court, trying to separate friend from foe in her quest to use the silver casket
to ensure her own safety and that of her family. </div>
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This is an exciting, fast paced read. I found myself holding my breath
for Rinette through much of the book, for whenever it seemed things could not
get any worse for her, they do … especially in the shape of one Rannoch
Hamilton. I won’t give anything away here, but I think I may have found my new
favourite villain; he very successfully made my skin crawl!</div>
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But Rinette is no damsel in distress. She is level headed
and able to quite adeptly extricate herself from many a tight spot. And she is
also a romantic. Her first relationship with Alexander is tarnished by a
betrayal, and the great question is whether she will let herself love again
when the chance is offered by Nicolas de Clerac, the man who repeatedly saves
her and in whom she comes to trust. The trouble is, Nico is also enmeshed in
the many plots to wrest the silver casket from Rinette, and has secrets he
cannot reveal to her.</div>
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Mary, queen of Scots, is delightfully drawn in this tale, too:
sexy, beguiling, a woman at the height of her powers with just a glimpse of
Lord Darnley and the chaos his influence over the queen will ultimately bring.
Indeed, Loupas effortlessly brings to life the intrigues and machinations of
Mary’s court, and evokes the period wonderfully with her rich depictions of
court masques, weddings and balls. I also enjoyed the floromancy element to the
story, and found the floral imagery quite beautiful.</div>
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The suspense builds steadily, the stakes climb forever
higher until finally this clever murder mystery ends with a very satisfying
conclusion. Go forth and buy this book – I highly recommend it!</div>
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<br /></div>Rachel Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-32605347593241906062012-03-22T19:42:00.005-05:002012-03-22T20:51:37.835-05:00Beg, Borrow & Steal<div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;">We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary. <span style="font-style: italic;">- Booker T. Washington<br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 40px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s320/990214-621.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722895809555775042" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Viewed freely, the English language is the accretion and g</span><span style="font-size:100%;">rowth of every dialect, race, and range of time, and is both the free and compacted composition of all. <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />- Walt Whitman<br /><br /><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 40px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s320/990214-621.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722895809555775042" border="0" /></a></span><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Writing in English is the most ingenious torture ever devised for sins committed in previous lives. The English reading public explains<br />the reason why. <span style="font-style: italic;">- James Joyce<br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 40px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s320/990214-621.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722895809555775042" border="0" /></a></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education - sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street.<span style="font-style: italic;"> - E. B. White<br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 40px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s320/990214-621.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722895809555775042" border="0" /></a></span></span></blockquote></div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;"><br />If you're reading this, chances are pretty good that you speak (or at least read) English, a complicated, convoluted, wildly expressive language. The following short video, The History of the English Language, is a clever illustration of how it got that way.<br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/H3r9bOkYW9s" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 40px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s320/990214-621.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722895809555775042" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span>More fun quotes about our beloved English language:<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /> </span>“If the English language made any sense, lackadaisical would have something to do with a shortage of flowers.”<span style="font-style: italic;">- Doug Larson<br /></span><br /> “If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur.”<span style="font-style: italic;">- Doug Larson<br /><br /> </span>“Lymph, v.: to walk with a lisp.”<span style="font-style: italic;"> - A Washington Post reader<br /><br /> </span>“I like the word ‘indolence.’ It makes my laziness seem classy.”<span style="font-style: italic;"> - Bern Williams<br /><br /> </span>“The quantity of consonants in the English language is constant. If omitted in one place, they turn up in another. When a Bostonian ‘pahks’ his ‘cah,’ the lost ‘r’s migrate southwest, causing a Texan to ‘warsh’ his car and invest in ‘erl wells.’” <span style="font-style: italic;">- Author Unknown<br /><br /> </span>“‘I am’ is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that ‘I do’ is the longest sentence?”<span style="font-style: italic;"> - George Carlin<br /></span><br /> “In my sentences I go where no man has gone before… I am a boon to the English language.” <span style="font-style: italic;">- George W. Bush<br /></span><br /> “Introducing ‘Lite’ – The new way to spell ‘Light’, but with twenty percent fewer letters.” <span style="font-style: italic;">- Jerry Seinfeld<br /></span><br /> “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” <span style="font-style: italic;">- George Bernard Shaw<br /><br /> </span>“Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing.” <span style="font-style: italic;">- Robert Benchley<br /></span><br /> “When I read some of the rules for speaking and writing the English language correctly, I think any fool can make a rule, and every fool will mind it.” <span style="font-style: italic;">- Henry David Thoreau<br /></span><br /> “I speak two languages: Body and English.”<span style="font-style: italic;"> - Mae West</span><blockquote style="font-family: georgia;"><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s1600/990214-621.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 70px; height: 40px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8JyAKN_po4/T2vPauckvkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/01KYv_DNX6U/s320/990214-621.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722895809555775042" border="0" /></a></span></span></p><p><br /></p> </blockquote><br style="font-family: georgia;">Susan Montgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-83575109825750198052012-03-16T02:21:00.007-05:002014-09-23T08:56:07.104-05:00Steal Like An Artist<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">I like <a href="http://alltheworldsourpage.blogspot.com/">Sophie’s</a> carefree creativity. It’s as refreshing as it is amusing. But is it completely original? Much as I love the little bunny, I’m going out on a limb here when I say, no. Bear with me and follow the logic.<br /><br />Children are natural mimics. They have to be - it’s the way they learn most new skills. They don’t just hatch and begin to use a spoon, or speak fluently, or ride a bike. They copy, they imprint, they absorb, and then they make these skills their own. Sophie’s wonderful sense of story is most likely an amalgamation of all the countless stories Claire has read to her, of the funny songs maybe her daddy has sung to her, and yes, to a great extent it's due to her incomplete understanding of how things really work. She has a foundation to base her fantastical, whimsical, yarns on. She didn’t pull the ideas from thin air.<br /><br />Pablo Picasso once said, “Good artists copy and great artists steal.” His friend, Igor Stravinsky, said much the same: “A good composer does not imitate, he steals.” Two men with the same sentiment — two great creative minds who understood that creativity started with a kernel that might not have been wholly original with the creator.<br /><br />There’s a fine line between inspiration and imitation. One is acceptable, one is not. One is considered inventive, the other infringement. What makes Sophie’s stories inventive is that she has taken an idea - say the story of the Three Bears - and made it her own by putting them in diving suits & air tanks and giving them a picnic in a coral reef. Pure genius! But the Three Bears? She’s seen those furry critters before, hasn’t she?<br /><br />Writer and artist <a href="http://www.austinkleon.com/steal/">Austin Kleon</a> wrote a book called “</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%; font-style: italic;">Steal Like An Artist</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">.” Seems contradictory, dirty, wrong, doesn’t it? We don't steal ideas, we're much more noble than that. Kleon makes his case, and I think it’s a good one. His argument goes something like this:<br /><br />Good Theft will honor the original idea, while Bad Theft only degrades it.<br /><br />Good Theft makes a study of it, understands the bones of it. Bad Theft only skims the surface and has no real understanding.<br /><br />Good Theft steals from many. Bad Theft steals from one.<br /><br />Good Theft gives credit where credit is due. Bad Theft plagiarizes, claims credit.<br /><br />Good Theft transforms the original into something wholly new, perhaps better. Bad Theft only imitates poorly, shallowly.<br /><br />Good Theft is “a remix” of the old and the new, a blending of ideas. Bad Theft is a “rip off.”<br /><br />I don’t particularly like the word “theft” here. It’s a negative word. But I understand what Kleon is getting at. We all get our inspiration from somewhere, or something, or someone. We’re not living in a vacuum. In fact, it’s quite the opposite in this age of lightening-fast exchange of ideas. We can’t help but be influenced by the things we see, hear and read. That influence can be used in powerfully creative ways, or it can be misused miserably.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/09/23/steven-johnson-where-good-ideas-come-from/">Steven Johnson</a>, author of </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%; font-style: italic;">Where Good Ideas Come From,</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"> says that “Chance favors the connected mind.” Successful creativity is the direct result of being connected to those sources that inspire and drive you, that challenge you, that feed your intellect. (Remember Kleon's "Good theft steals from many?") For Johnson, creativity is the result of many sources, over time, coming together to create lightening.<br /><br />Sophie hasn’t got all the connections we adults have. But she has the raw, unfiltered imagination to use what connections she’s been given. If a 3 year-old can do it, then we can too. Go ahead. Steal like an artist. Or a preschooler.</span></span>Susan Montgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-83539092177242531342012-03-12T07:16:00.007-05:002016-01-30T23:51:22.140-06:00A delicate balanceI was sorting through photos on the family iPad yesterday, rolling my eyes a little at how long it took me to get through and delete the 40 duplicates of each Photo Booth picture my three-year-old daughter takes. If it looks good once, you've just gotta keep snapping it, over and over and over. Oh my.<br />
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In the process, I found myself smiling (as I often do) at her creativity. The imagination at three is just so unfettered. Everything is so new. Ideas are happening in that little head for the Very First Time EVER. It's a pretty remarkable time in your life, to suddenly understand that YOU can create and invent and control. Why wouldn't you go nuts with the crazy self-portraits and the inventive colouring schemes?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cigDkyjeZQI/T13vGIOeTzI/AAAAAAAABtE/0EyclzhucrQ/s1600/IMG_0051.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718989990396841778" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cigDkyjeZQI/T13vGIOeTzI/AAAAAAAABtE/0EyclzhucrQ/s320/IMG_0051.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
It got me thinking about the way I try to control my own creativity. If my daughter and I are playing our Play School game together and it's my turn, I'll produce something neat, tidy and orderly. It tells a story, and I know exactly what story I want it to tell. I don't want unexpected extras, I don't want stuff that doesn't fit. I set out to say what I want to say, and when I'm done I edit it further. Below you can see my excellent story about the fateful day two jellyfish went out for a swim, and happened across two hungry sharks. It's an award-winner in the making, I assure you. Very heart-rending stuff (click on any of the below pics to appreciate the full majesty).<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GtNGX5m5KiY/T13vGLXPVWI/AAAAAAAABs0/CIvaGdhOZFw/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718989991238915426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GtNGX5m5KiY/T13vGLXPVWI/AAAAAAAABs0/CIvaGdhOZFw/s320/IMG_0031.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
My daughter, on the other hand, isn't interested in neat and orderly. She wants chaos. She wants three Big Teds and a random fish. She wants so many guys in the story that you literally can't move one without moving another.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ddZTkl2clDw/T13vGofUmSI/AAAAAAAABtQ/Ht1DxzC_N60/s1600/Picture%2B6.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718989999057443106" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ddZTkl2clDw/T13vGofUmSI/AAAAAAAABtQ/Ht1DxzC_N60/s320/Picture%2B6.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 117px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
She wants a bright red cake covered in spiders, or a snappy green and brown number with ladybugs, several keeling-over bridegrooms and a few rubber ducks (you really want to enlarge that green cake- it's a corker).<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mDCxOxfDm8s/T13vHOZKXoI/AAAAAAAABtc/4qH7OzON5aQ/s1600/Picture%2B7.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718990009232154242" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mDCxOxfDm8s/T13vHOZKXoI/AAAAAAAABtc/4qH7OzON5aQ/s320/Picture%2B7.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 212px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Why? She doesn't know until she gets there, but the fun for her is in the process. Whereas the fun for *me* is in seeing my ideas take shape in a meaningful way.<br />
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And you know, we're both right in the way we approach things for our respective stages of life, and particularly as far as my writing is concerned. I think you need to have a delicate balance between unfettered, joyful creativity, and careful consideration when you sit down to write a novel. You want times when you can throw it all to the wind and just see what happens, but at the same time you need a certain level of self-editing at all stages of the process, or else you end up with forty of the same picture and no idea what that second boat is doing there (I would have known before I put it there, if it were me- she'd be excited to see what her imagination suggested after the fact).<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32VwUuJFlnE/T13vwr9IfNI/AAAAAAAABto/oDgGrm6_raI/s1600/IMG_0179.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718990721542290642" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32VwUuJFlnE/T13vwr9IfNI/AAAAAAAABto/oDgGrm6_raI/s320/IMG_0179.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
I find it fascinating to see the differences between us, but also how much enjoyment we each get out of our stage of the creative process.<br />
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So, for me, I think it's a combination of letting your inner three-year-old run wild, and consolidating all you've learned over the many years.<br />
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By the way, if you like the look of the Play School application, it's brilliant for creative kids, and it's absolutely free. They get to make their own pictures by dragging in different characters and props, then they can make and voice movies out of the same stuff. Find it <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/abcforkids/sites/playschool/about/apps/">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-36393494276774840872012-03-09T00:30:00.004-06:002014-09-23T08:59:03.498-05:00Complete Armor for Horse and Man<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-snfUhMBQ_uo/T1mkEiZbZWI/AAAAAAAAANg/82GXzUxF74E/s1600/43740x-075.jpg"></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">I’m a sucker for flawed heroes. Give me a man with a tortured past, a dark secret, hidden pain, a rebellious streak, or an all-consuming desire for revenge. Give me a bastard, an anti-hero, a bad boy. Oh yeah.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br face="georgia" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">Don’t get me wrong, I still want my heroes to be likable. Even a bad boy bastard has to have some redeeming qualities like humor, courage, tenderness, and a moral code. He needs a belief in something and maybe a bit of hope, too.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br face="georgia" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">A dark hero, by nature, is a complex creature. Something drives him; he’s bad, yet does the right thing. A dark hero has many layers if drawn correctly by his creator.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br face="georgia" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">These layers are what fascinate me. In </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%; font-style: italic;">Bullies, Bastards & Bitches</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">, Jessica Page Morrell gives a sort of hierarchy of traits that all characters have. She notes that if character-building is done well, readers will still be learning about a character right up to the last page. Her hierarchy of traits are:</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br face="georgia" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">Primary Traits</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"> are the foundation of the character, his personality, his disposition and approach to life.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br face="georgia" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">Secondary Traits</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"> are mannerisms, tastes, tags, habits, that support the Primary Traits.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br face="georgia" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">Counter/Contrasting Traits</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"> are a character’s deepest layer, the place where he’s most vulnerable.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br face="georgia" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">Just like the armored knight, a hero has his outer armor that is readily recognized. In the case of the Bad Boy Hero his armor is made of those behaviors that give him his reputation. It’s not easy to get beyond his armor, but to persist is to see his vulnerabilities and to understand why he acts the way he does. </span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br face="georgia" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">To craft a character with layers - with those primary, secondary and contrasting traits - is to create a complicated, yet believable person. Everyone has armor, everyone’s been hurt, or experienced some kind of trouble, heartache, or upheaval. </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%; font-style: italic;">Everyone.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br face="georgia" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">You may not be crafting a Bad Boy or a Bitch. But I’m curious… does your character wear armor? Does he have layers of traits much like those that Morrell talks about? What does your character’s deepest layer look like?</span>Susan Montgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-87079421658849663482012-03-07T04:11:00.000-06:002012-03-07T04:11:03.490-06:00Walking That Line<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Wuwbrk3jB8/T1ctKvWKHBI/AAAAAAAAAYE/v8mva5ugdH8/s1600/RED+MIRROR+SHOES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Wuwbrk3jB8/T1ctKvWKHBI/AAAAAAAAAYE/v8mva5ugdH8/s320/RED+MIRROR+SHOES.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are so many things about this writing gig that
fascinate me, none more so than the psychological games we writers play in
order to get the job done.</div>
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Games such as the little rituals we go through in order to
psyche ourselves up when we sit down to write. We ALL do this. Some of us light
candles and offer up a quiet prayer. Others slip into a comfortable pair of
pyjamas, or kick off the shoes to write bare-footed, or hermetically seal the
house so the only sound is that of perfect silence … the list of these
rituals is as endless as the quirks of humanity.</div>
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Of course, if it ever came down to it, we really could write
without doing those things. With a gun pointed to our heads, we really could.
But without that adrenalin rush of fear to get us going every day (and let’s
face it, how draining would that be) these rituals are necessary. They make
the whole segue from real life into the writing so much easier. </div>
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But that’s how you get the writing done on a micro, day to day, level.
When you look at how writers manage to slog through the long haul of writing and revising a
whole book over endless weeks and months and years – well, that’s where the mind
games get really interesting.</div>
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Basically, the only way any of us can do it - and I mean successfully do it - is by
learning how to walk the line. </div>
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There’s a certain level of self-belief - shall we say,
arrogance - that a writer must possess in order to finish a book. Belief in the
brilliance of your story, and your ability to pull it off. Allowing yourself to
revel in the exquisite excitement of creating your fabulous characters and
their jaw-dropping tales. This is vital. This is what pulls you along and keeps
you going for the length of a novel and you’d be a fool not to hook yourself up
and mainline the stuff. </div>
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But the arrogance needs to be tempered with a dose of
realism. The sparkly rhinestone stilettos of “OMG this is the best frigging
book ever!” need to be swapped and balanced with the sensible lace up shoes of
objectivity. Otherwise you may find you get to the end of that long, long journey of writing a novel only to find that while you had a blast, all you’ve got to show
for it is a bunion on your big toe and a manuscript of unsalvageable dreck. </div>
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Conversely, if all you ever wear is your orthopaedic flats, you'll be so busy scrutinising and agonising over every single word that you'll never get your book done. Ever.</div>
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You have to learn to walk that line.</div>
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Oh, it’s hard. With me, I tend to wear the sensible brown
shoes a little too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to
remember to toss them to the back of the cupboard and break out the sequined
heels from time to time; for as the saying goes, if you don’t back yourself,
then who else will?</div>
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These days I’m mostly getting that balance
right. In fact, I’m finding I switch between the two mindsets as I write. It's
sort of like driving at two different speeds at the same time – actually, it’s
kind of schizophrenic - but hey, it works.</div>
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But that’s just me. Which shoes do you wear more than you should? How do you walk the line?</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rachel Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-601762242719380932012-02-24T18:02:00.004-06:002012-02-24T18:30:02.442-06:00The Power of Story in Fifteen MinutesThe animated short film “<span style="font-style: italic;">The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore</span>” is a delight to watch and deserves its Oscar nod as one of this year's animated short films. The film's creators call it "an allegory about the curative powers of books." I call it enchanting, inspiring, creatively brilliant.<br /><br />The story follows the adventures of a simple man swept away to a magical land where books are more than old tomes on a shelf. It’s a charming little film and surprisingly touching. It left me a little bit breathless, a little bit sad, and whole lot happy.<br /><br />Breathless, because of the beauty and simplicity of the story.<br /><br />Sad, because stories end.<br /><br />Happy, because I think I’ve found the same magical kingdom that Morris stumbles into. If you’re a reader, you’ll understand this with your heart. If you’re a writer, you’ll understand this with your soul.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Adzywe9xeIU" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>Susan Montgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.com3