Tutor Tuesday - Settings

Whether you are creating your own settings while writing fiction or analyzing settings while writing non-fiction, this story element is an extremely important part of the equation.

Let's look at non-fiction first. You have to analyze a story for an essay and you decide to look at the settings of your piece. Some stories have more pronounced settings than others. In some books, the setting is more of a subtle background, the stage on which the actors play, while in others, the setting is almost a character in and of itself.

Say you are asked to write a literary analysis of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Some questions you may want to consider when analyzing the setting of this book are:

* What is the time period? Would this story have worked better set in a different time?
* What is the location? Would the story have worked better elsewhere? Are several locations used in the story? Do they work? Would a specific scene have worked better in another setting? If all the scenes are set in the same location, would the story have worked better set in several different locations?
* What season is the story set in? If it is set in winter, would it be better set in summer? Does the season echo what is happening in the story? (example: Do the love scenes occur in the summer while the trial occurs in the winter, or vice versa?)
* What time of day is it when important events in the story take place? Do the sinister things happen at night while the happy things happen during the day? Why do you think this is?

While the setting may seem like a simple part of the story, it can actually have a huge impact on what is going on. The events detailed in The Scarlet Letter either wouldn't have happened or would have happened in a very different way with a very different outcome if the story had been set someplace like the farthest frontier outpost or an indian village or in the southern states...even during the same time period.

The setting of a story, not just the physical location but everything about it (time of day, season, outside (forest or beach) or inside (and what type of building if inside)) can greatly impact the success of a story. Thoroughly exploring this literary tool can be a great start to your literary analysis.

For fiction, you can ask yourself these same questions as you are creating your settings. Are you creating the best setting for your story? Would it work better somewhere or some time else? Are you giving enough detail for the reader to see the setting without going overboard?

This one can be important. In the first draft of my first novel I described my character pulling up to her home and spent 4 PAGES describing in minute detail every nook and cranny of the house. And I did that several times throughout the book. I was convinced if I didn't give the reader all that description, they wouldn't be able to see the location.

But you know, readers have great imaginations. Give them enough to get them grounded, to let them know what your world looks like, without drowning them in pages of description that they'll never read. I generally start skimming if there is more than a paragraph of description, no matter how beautifully written. Chances are, your readers will too :)

What is your opinion on settings? Do you like long, descriptive passages that describe every detail, or do you like to set things up in your own imagination? What is your favorite literary setting?

Tutor Tuesday - Beginnings

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One thing that is just as important in non-fiction as in fiction is a beginning. No matter what you are writing, whether it be a paper on the history of plumbing or a fast-paced thriller novel, you've got to get your beginning right.

Beginnings should introduce the topic at hand, let the reader know what they are about to read. Are you writing an essay on the history of donuts? You better have a thesis sentence in your opening paragraphs that lets the reader know that right up front. Or maybe you're writing a romantic suspense novel. Somewhere in that first chapter, the reader should what type of book they are reading. Meaning, that beginning needs to introduce both the romance and the suspense.

This doesn't mean you need to lay all your cards out on the table. For non-fiction, you usually are more open about what you are discussing, but even here you can hold back a little, give the reader a hint of what your arguments are, but save your big slamdunk winning evidence for the body of the essay or paper. (Though for non-fiction, you'll generally want to list your arguments from strongest to weakest instead of saving the best for last).

And for fiction, you can definitely keep a few surprises in store. But by the end of the first chapter, the reader should know what the main problem is, the issue the MC will be struggling with throughout the book, and by extension, they should know what type of book they are reading. For example, if by the end of the first chapter, the MC, who is a titled young lady who lives in Victorian England, has met a cute boy and seen a ghost, I have a pretty good idea it's going to be a paranormal historical with at least a hint of romance.

Beginnings can be difficult to nail and are something I always struggle with, especially in fiction. My first chapter NEVER ends up being my "real" first chapter. For non-fiction this isn't as much of an issue because you can, and should, come right out and say "this is what I'm discussing and here are my main arguments."

But it can still be difficult to get that opening exactly right. In fact, while in line edits with my soon-to-be-published book on writing essays and term papers, my editor and I ended up adding a whole new first chapter...because there was important information my readers need that I had buried in the middle of the book instead of showcasing right from the start.

So take your time on your beginnings. The beginning is what hooks your reader, no matter what genre you may be writing. It's worth it to get it right.

How do you do with beginnings? Are they easy for you, or do you, (like me), spend more time on them than the rest of the book put together? :)

WIP Wednesday and a Little Poetry

Well, now that the non-fiction is safely in the hands of my editor, I've been focusing on my fiction life. Apparently, I've been spending too much time on the non-fiction, because once I opened that fiction door, a whole mess of chaos flooded through.

I am currently working on two new novels, one a YA historical and one a YA fantasy (I think...it starts in the past, ends up in the present, but contains some magic, which is usually the deciding factor for me when it comes to paranormal vs fantasy).

I am also revising my last novel, finally. And just for kicks, have been working here and there on a novel in verse (written entirely in sestinas and villanelles). And believe it or not, I'm actually managing to make good progress on all four projects.

I have no doubt about my abilities to keep this up - I'm going to have to focus on just one (maybe two) projects at some point. But for the moment, I'm having a fiction blast.

I thought I'd post one of the sestinas from the verse novel. (A sestina is a 39 line poem that repeats the same six ending words in a particular pattern. You'll notice every line in this poem ends with the words: hands, touch, blood, breathe, his, you - in a specific order. The last three lines each contain two of the six words).

For those of you who have been with me a while, this novel is based on the sestina I posted a long while ago about the group of men who are wolves during the day and men at night. This is a continuation of that story. (Click HERE to read the first poem)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He holds my face so tenderly, in hands
that had just killed. For me. Fingers gently touch
my cheeks. His lips kiss away my tears, my blood.
“Breathe,” his whispers. His lips brush mine. “Just breathe.”
I shudder, my breath escaping at his
command. “For you,” I sigh, “only for you.”

Howls fill the night air. “They can’t find you
with me. Go!” He freezes, his eyes on our hands,
clasped between pounding hearts. The horror on his
face mirrors that on my own. One last touch,
A quick caress. He wavers. “Go,” I breathe.
He steps back, back, raised hand stained with dark blood.

Mine, his, theirs. His pained howl rips through my blood,
burning his image on my soul. “For you,”
I whisper again, unwilling to breathe,
unable to stop. They’ll come for me, hands
grasping, to return me to our master’s hands.
“Go!” I plead. One last look and he runs, his

tortured fury echoing through me, his
pain my own. They come, see me bathed in blood.
“Who did this?” they ask. I shrink from their touch.
Gently they lift me, murmuring “Let us help you.”
I swallow my protests, settle into their furred hands.
They don’t suspect. He’s gone…and I can’t breathe.

They carry me through dark forests. I breathe,
praying they are distracted and miss his
scent on me. We reach the entrance. Their hands
quickly roll aside the stone door. My blood
drips, drips to the floor. “What happened to you?”
they ask again. I wince with every touch.

I bite my lip, wanting only his touch.
Cleaned up, many wounds left open to breathe,
they wait for answers. “Who did this to you?”
Impatiently now. Then they turn and his
face comes into view, already healed, blood
gone. “Jarek,” they say, bowing. Jaw clenched, hands

fisted, hands aching like mine for one touch.
“Who spills your blood?” he growls. I don’t dare breathe.
Face cold, closed, his anger burns. I say, “You.”

Blog Chain - Multitasking All The Way!!

Back on the blog chain. We have several new members joining us so I'd like to give a huge welcome to Amanda Bonilla, Sarah Bromley, Shaun David Hutchinson, Rebecca Knight, and Bonny Anderson. We are so excited to have you guys with us!!

This round's topic was chosen by our wonderful Terri. She wanted to know:

Do you focus on one project at a time, or do you have many irons in the fire at any given moment?

Bonny answered this question before me and Shaun is up next so be sure to visit their blogs to hear their take on this question.

As for me, well, if you’ve read my blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m one of those “many irons in the fire” type girls. I will get on a roll sometimes, with one project or another, and focus specifically on one thing for a few days, weeks, or even months at a time. But for the last several months at least I’ve had at least two projects going on at all times; my YA Urban Fantasy, and my non-fiction book.

Because fiction and non-fiction belong in such completely different worlds, switching back and forth presents no problems for me. What I’m working on at any given moment is mostly dictated by my children. I don’t need to concentrate as much with my non-fiction. It comes much easier. So I be on the computer working on it while my kids are running around screaming and climbing all over me. If I’m going to work on fiction while the kids are awake, I write by hand. They don’t bug me as much and I can follow them from room to room (or outside) scribbling away while they play.

It is also nice to have more than one project going because if I get stuck on one, I switch to the other. Focusing my mind on something different usually frees it up and the answer for whatever had me stuck very often comes to me while working on something else.

If I’m stuck on everything, I either do research for a project or I take a break from novels and textbooks and write a children’s picture book. I love doing these. I can do them quickly and they are so much fun to do. My kids and I will often write them together, so it’s something writing related that I can do and still include them, and at the end of the day, I’ve got a completed creative project…whether it’s my main project or not.

I don’t know if I could have two projects of the same genre going at the same time. Probably not…I have enough trouble staying in the right character’s voice at any given time without mixing in more than one main character. I definitely have ideas for several same-genre projects going on at the same time. This is where that research comes in – if I’m stuck on one thing, I’ll research either info I need for a current project, or something that will go straight in my idea file.

Having more than one project is actually kind of relaxing for me. I know I always have something to work on. If I finish something or get stuck on something, I know there is always something else I can work on. That way, none of my time is wasted because no matter what I’m doing, it is accomplishing something, be it for current or future projects.

How does your writing process work?

Quote of the Day:

It’s like making a movie: All sorts of accidental things will happen after you’ve set up the cameras. So you get lucky. Something will happen at the edge of the set and perhaps you start to go with that; you get some footage of that. You come into it accidentally. You set the story in motion, and as you’re watching this thing begin, all these opportunities will show up. ~Kurt Vonnegut

For my first novel, I wrote in order (with a few exceptions). I started as close to the beginning as I could and worked forward. For my second novel, I just wrote as the scenes took me. I started somewhere in the middle, wrote forward and backward and sideways. If I got stuck, I moved on to another scene. Then I filled in the holes. It worked really well for me.

My mother thought my writing process was both interesting, funny, and totally confusing. I brought her my notebooks on our recent visit so I could show her how the book started out. She was amazed I could write like that. Yet, I know many authors who skip around.

I also know quite a few that outline their books. This isn’t something I’ve ever been able to do. Even when I try, things turn out differently anyways, so there really isn’t a point to it in my mind. For me at least.

However, my new project (brand spanking new, not much more than an idea right now) is one that, due to the nature of it, I will have to outline. And it’s torture for me. I know there will be some additions that won’t be outlined, but for the most part, I simply HAVE to know what will be going in the book. I need to know what each chapter will contain, in detail, or this project is never going to work.

I don’t want to say that this has taken the enjoyment out of it for me, because it hasn’t. This project is sort of a mix between fiction and non-fiction, so the preliminary research and outlining is necessary, interesting, and fun in it’s own way. But it isn’t the type of free “let-the-muse-take-me-where-it-will” kind of writing I usually immerse myself in. Once I start writing, I hope that part will come, but for now, it feels more like work than fun.

While I think this project will suck me in just as much as any other I’ve done, *sigh* I just don’t like the outlining which I actually find sort of funny. In real life, I’m a list type person. I go shopping, I have a list. We go on a trip, I make a list of what we need to do before we go, what needs to be packed, etc. My non-fiction book, I have my Table of Contents in front of me at all times and check off the chapters as they are completed.

But fiction…that is the one area of my life that ISN’T planned out ahead. I have the idea, of course, the basic storyline, characters, plot twists…but I like to fly by the seat of my pants and let things just happen. So it’s weird to try and enforce a structure where there previously hasn’t been one. I’m sort of interested to see how I handle this ;-D

How about everyone else? How do you write? Do you outline? Just let your fingers fly and see what they come up with? If you write different genres, do you handle them differently?

Blog Chain - Swimming in the Emotion Ocean

The incredible Christine picked the topic for this round on the Blog Chain, so please be sure to check out her starting post. And I’m first up….eep! Christine wants to know:

How do you add emotional depth to your stories? How to do know when you have enough emotional content? And how to you keep it authentic?

This is another of those elements where I hope I accomplish what I set out to achieve…but I’m never quite sure until my betas get back to me.

How do I add the emotional depth and keep it authentic?

I try to infuse my own experiences into my characters reactions. I’ve had loved ones die. I’ve been dumped. I’ve done the dumping. I’ve been thrilled, lonely, scared, ecstatic, terrified, in love, in hate….I’ve run a very large gamut of emotions in my twisted little life, and I try to add those emotions into my stories. I want to make my readers feel how I felt in certain situations. If my character is watching her love die, I want my reader to be sobbing in their easy chairs as they read about it.

If I come across an emotion that I haven’t experienced, I do a little research. Movies are great for this, for me anyways. Because I tend to be extremely (and perhaps overly) empathetic. I’m the chick bawling at the Hallmark commercial. But, while this can often be an embarrassing problem, when it comes to writing it is incredibly helpful. Because I can use the overactive imagination I was blessed (cursed?) with and put myself in the situation I am watching.

Maybe the emotions I come up with aren’t how I would really feel in certain situations. But that doesn’t make them any less real. I think as long as the emotions you are weaving into your books are real, and if they are backed by believable motivations, even if they are strange for the situation, they can be authentic.

Honestly, I just try to put myself in my character’s shoes. My character is holding her dying lover in her arms…how is that going to make her feel? Is she a tough character who never lets her emotions show? Will this wrench them out of her? To what degree? Will she hold it all in? How can I show that? Show the pain in her eyes, describe her shaking shoulders and trembling breath as the tears pour down her face and she screams her lover’s name? Maybe. If that works for the particular situation.

How do you know when you’ve got enough? Well, this is another instance where betas and crit partners can really help. Because there is a fine line between deeply emotional and overly cheesy. While it can be very subjective, if all of my critters are telling me to tone it down, I listen. I also let the scene sit for a while, and if it still gets me to that emotional place after a fresh read, it’s good. If I read it and my mind is wandering or I start thinking “Eh…getting a little cheese-tastic” then I need to amp it up or tone it down, as the situation calls for.

Adding that emotional layer can be tricky and it’s something I always struggle with and second-guess myself over. Which is why I thank my lucky stars for very talented critique partners who can help steer me in the right direction when I start wandering all over the map :)

Elana is next up on the chain (and it’s her last one so don’t miss it!!!) so be sure to head to her blog next for her take on this!

WIP Wednesday

Quote of the Day:

I always figured that every word that managed to squeeze itself from my pen had to be immortal. Turns out they're all disposable. What a relief.
~Tom Howe

Well I had an awesome week this week. First up, my YA Urban Fantasy WiP - I have completed through chapter 18, so I only have 3 chapters left. Very exciting. I have been letting my mother and sister read it as I get the chapters done, and they have been harassing me by phone and email whenever I slow down. Great motivation for getting done, and very encouraging - I at least have 2 fans that don't think it sucks :D

And on to the big non-fiction news:


I am very pleased to report that I have signed with Krista Goering, who will represent my non-fiction book, From Papers to Poetry. I spoke with her the other day and she was just wonderful. She is interested in taking a look at my fiction projects also, so I may just win the jackpot and have one agent rep everything I do. But in either case, I am very excited to have her as my non-fiction agent :) Now I just have to get the manuscript finished LOL

Blog Chain: Research - Keeping Your Story Straight

Quote of the Day:

Fiction is the truth inside the lie.
~Stephen King

I love this quote - it is so true. Yes, fiction is make-believe...it is an author spinning a tale, sometimes based on real life, set in real settings, centered around real circumstances, but ultimately a story. But I think most writers try to put as much truth in their "lies" as possible. I make sure my stories are as accurate as possible. Yes, they may be about nagging ghosts or 5000 year old gods, but dangit, those supernatural beings are going to be as realistic and accurate as possible! If my character has to go to the bathroom, I make sure toilets were in use at the time, and if not I make sure I point out she's on a chamberpot.

Why do I do this? Because nothing pulls me out of a story faster than reading something I know to be historically inaccurate. Maybe it's because (before I switched and got my master's in English) I got a degree in history and I worked very hard for many years to get my historical facts straight, so it drives me nuts when something is blatantly WRONG.

Here's an example: I love the movie Braveheart...it's touching, incredible, epic...but so historically inaccurate that most of the time all I'm thinking about when watching it is "That princess was a baby when William Wallace was alive!" or "They didn't wear kilts back then" or "Whatever...that prince lived for YEARS and ruled with hardly a peep from his wife (who by all accounts got along with him just fine for a couple decades until he got nasty and she overthrew his butt)..." Sorry, I digress ;-D

In any case, the last thing I want is for this to happen when people are reading my books. So I do my best to make them as accurate as possible.

Which brings me to our Blog Chain topic for this round. Since today is my turn on the Blog Chain, our regularly scheduled WIP Wednesday will be moved to tomorrow…that gives me an extra day to get something done anyways :D

But for today, Kat picked our excellent topic, and Christine gave an excellent response before me. Elana is up next so be sure to head her way next!

Kat wants to know:

How do you do research for your settings, your story and your characters' quirks? What interesting tidbits about yourself and the world you live in have you learned along the way?

*sigh* I love this topic :D I love to research, most of the time. Even for me it can get tedious. But mostly, I really enjoy it. In fact, as I said before, I got my bachelor’s degree in history – which meant I spent a lot of time researching things. But even for a history major, I was on the unusual side.

Believe it or not, a lot of historians don’t like to research (according to one of my professors anyways). Oh, they like to discover new things and when it’s their specialized topic, of course they enjoy it. But when it comes to hanging out in the library for days and weeks and months at a time, that is the type of research that most people don’t like. And that I love :D It’s amazing the interesting stuff you can find when you are on the hunt for that perfect tidbit for you story.

How do I research?

Well, I always start the easy way, with Google and Ask.com and any other search engine I can find. I have two small children. There is no way I can spend all day at the library anymore. But there is a lot of information you can find online. There are even many books online that you can search through. Or, you can usually at least look through the index or table of contents (Amazon is very useful for this). Then, if I need to get a book, I can request it from my library.

Online groups are a great source of information also. I once needed info on a certain type of gun that was used in 1600s England, and I found a wonderful site run by pirate aficionados – they had pictures of real guns, replicas, and a wealth of information on how they were used. And these people are usually extremely friendly and very willing to share their knowledge on their chosen subject. So never hesitate to ask.

A few things I’ve researched in the past for my stories, settings, and characters:

If toilets were commonly used in 1850s England

• If trains were a main form of transportation then

• What kinds of flowers bloom in Jan in England (a very nice lady from a horticultural society sent me a whole spreadsheet on this!)

• If a 100 year old body/skeleton would still have any hair

• Different aspects of Egyptian gods and goddesses

• Daily life in ancient Egypt (and all other things Egyptian, though I knew some of this anyways)

• I always research at least a few of my character names…I like them to mean something

• Junior boxing leagues

• Weather patterns

• A certain lake in NV that will remain nameless for the moment :D

And many, many other things…..

I don’t know if I’ve discovered anything about myself while researching. I always discover tons of interesting tidbits about the world as I’m looking up info (no, 100 yr old skeletons will generally not have hair still, and toilets where not yet commonly used in 1850s but there are a surprising number of beautiful flowers that bloom in winter in Jan) :) And I have actually discovered that I don’t always like research. Sometimes, especially if the info I’m after is really well hidden and hard to find, I get a bit impatient with it. I want to get back to my story instead of spending time hunting. But for the most part, I just enjoy discovering fun new things….and I usually pick up a few ideas for new stories along the way as well :D

Head over to Elana’s blog tomorrow for her response!