How You Tube Showed Me My Plotholes

Sadly, I was unable to attend LTUE this year. I know, I know. It’s free. I should be able to make my schedule accommodate such things, but such is life. However, some beautiful people made a video (5, 10 minute segments, actually) of Dan Wells‘ (author of I Am Not a Serial Killer and podcaster from Writing Excuses) story structure class. Then Dan Wells posted not only  the You Tube links but also his coinciding Power Point presentation.

Amazing. Simply amazing. Can I just say, I love these people for doing this, and Dan Wells is brilliant. Brilliant people. You should all check this out. Basically there are seven points to every plot: action, character, romance, betrayal. I used his seven point plotting system to plot my WIP (Work in Progress). When I did this I saw precisely where my plot fell down, stalled, ceased to exist even. It also quickly pointed out which genre I had written–not the one I thought. Now I know what is missing, where in the story it’s missing, and most importantly how to strengthen my plotlines to write the book I thought I was writing.

How Shards of Glass Are the Only Backstory I Need

When Anon critiqued my work, I discovered I had three chapters of backstory. Three! I knew I needed to ax those chapters, but I kept trying to rewrite my favorite scenes into later parts of the book. So frustrating, because if chunks of backstory don’t belong in the first three chapters guess what happens if you try to weave it in later? That’s right–the story comes  to a complete halt while I share this bit of backstory I’ve tried to rework as something that moves the plot forward, but it can’t–because it’s backstory.

Feeling as if this might be the book I have to put away and never touch again, I quit revising. But I didn’t quit searching for answers. At the end of April I came across a backstory series on Jordan McCollum’s website. She is an amazing blogger who packs her posts full of helpful info for writers. I’m in awe of the time and research she puts into each article. Back in March Margie Lawson wrote a guest post on Jordan’s blog.  The light of backstory understanding finally dawned when I read this:

Mark Sullivan (mystery/suspense/thriller writer) has a great plan for back story management.

He suggests writing down what you think the reader needs to know.

Grab a red pen – and go through your back story points and circle what the reader absolutely has to know.

Next, take those points you circled, that the reader absolutely needs to know, and picture them etched on a sheet of glass.Got it?

You’re imagining those points imprinted on a rectangle of glass. Imagine carrying that sheet of glass to a brick patio. Imagine standing on a brick patio, holding that sheet of glass.

YOU KNOW WHAT’S COMING!

Drop that sheet of glass.

Watch it shatter.

Imagine picking up one narrow shard of glass at a time – and slipping each sliver of back story in your first 100 pages. Repeat. You insert one sliver of back story in those first 100 pages, one piece of back story at a time.

That powerful image created quite an AHA! moment for me. Now I knew I had to throw out the first three chapters. No question.

How To Quit Spinning My Wheels and Write

I learned so much from Margie Lawson’s one guest post on Jordan McCollum’s site, I enrolled in her online Deep Editing class. Wow. It’s intense. The first five chapters of my WIP are in shreds.The class ends next week and I’m pitifully behind. However, I’ve discovered that I first need to rewrite with Dan Wells’ Seven Point Story Structure system, and then use Margie Lawson’s Deep Edits to make my manuscript shine.

Knowing what to do makes all the difference in motivation.

This award came from L.A. DeVaul. She’s committed herself to five years of yoga. Everyday. In her own unique and insightful way she’s blogging about her journey. She’s also a soon to be published author. Her novel Roxanne in La La Land (A love triangle between a man, a woman, and a dream.) comes out sometime this spring.

So the rules of this award are to list five fascinating things about myself, and pass the award on to five new blogs. Already I’m in trouble with the fascinating part. How ’bout I go for five perhaps not-so-fascinating-things,-but-things-about-me-nonetheless? Agreed? Agreed.

1. The recipe section of this blog is struggling.

2. So is the running section.

3. There’s a good reason for that.

4. I’m pregnant.

5. For the twelfth time.

Food is beginning to taste better. Maybe I’ll be able to photograph it again. When my energy comes back. Running on the other hand …

Five new blogs for you all to check out:

1. Krista Lynne Jensen This lady I’ve got to meet someday. It’s fun to hear her ever changing playlist.

2.  Chasing Dreams You’ll find a lot of writers commenting here and info about the publishing journey.

3. Preschool by Stormie Yeah, this isn’t a blog. L. A. might have to revoke my award. It’s a fantastic resource for parents who do preschool for their own children and professional educators alike.

4. Cool Running Yes, I know. This isn’t a blog either, but it has fun forums and people. It’s where I found the Couch to 5K program that started me on my running obsession journey. I’ve done a few virtual races with other runners on this site and learned a lot.

5. Writing Excuses This is a blog format. These 15 minute writing podcasts are how I get my Monday morning breakfast dishes done. The comments are fun and informative, too.

Now you know more about me than you really needed  to know on a Monday. Sorry about that.

Over the last two weeks an anonymous soul took pity on my emerging writing skills. Anon dissected my writing sample and offered up invaluable expertise for which I’m very grateful. Anon criticized my dialogue this way.

“It needs to be natural. This is not natural:

‘We like to entertain, and it’s nice to have formal place settings.’

This is more natural:

‘Parties. You know. We like to have people over.’ Sean reached for two large boxes in the back of the Escalade.”

You will all likely agree that Anon’s rendering flows better, sounds better. This is not the first time I’ve received this criticism. However, it’s the first time the critiquer’s example sounded better to me than my own. Previously, I considered the advice and kept an ear out only to discover that I write my dialogue the way my mom. sisters and I talk when we’re together. I decided my dialogue was perfectly normal and continued on my way until Anon. Now I’m rethinking. It’s difficult for a formal speaking person like me to do these revisions, but I’m determined to make my manuscript better.

Last week my daughter typed and posted rules for the girls’ room. Here is rule number eight from her sign: Do not rummage through our possessions. Perhaps formal diction runs in the genes.

Your Cell Phone? None
Your Hair? Dry
Your Mother? Conversationalist
Your Father? Hard-Working
Your Favorite Food? Lasagna
Your Dream Last Night? Convoluted
Your Favorite Drink? Grape Juice
Your Dream/Goal? Joy
What Room Are You In? Dining Room
Your Hobby? Sewing
Your Fear? Laziness
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Published
Where Were You Last Night? Grandma’s
Something That You Aren’t? Quitter
Muffins? Honey-Wheat
Wish List Item? Boat
Where Did You Grow Up? Logan, UT
Last Thing You Did? Laundry
What Are You Wearing? Fleece
Your TV? On
Your Pets? Outside
Friends? Increasing
Your Life? Full
Your Mood? Sleepy
Missing Someone? No
Vehicle? Suburban
Something You Aren’t Wearing? Shoes
Your Favorite Store? None
Your Favorite Color? Red
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? Yesterday
Last Time You Cried? January
Your Best Friend? Nate
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Bed
Facebook? Yes
Favorite Place To Eat? Chef’s Table

I pass this award to:
Jennifer because I love hanging out at her blog. Visit Wordseed to see the entry that launched her into the finals for the Joy-ography Scholarship. Then vote for her here. Just type Jennifer in the comments field.

There is an Over the Top award that went with this. Grab it if you like! You deserve it!

Early Tuesday morning the power went out here for about an hour. My computer never regained consciousness. My miracle-working husband took it apart and reconnected it to his computer and recovered most of my files, but none of the children’s. Like my son’s iMovie History Fair project that was ready to be burned to a DVD for his presentation on Thursday. Did I mention I was due to go out of town to a conference with my husband on Wednesday morning?

It was a little crazy around here Tuesday night as my son and husband worked to reconsruct a project in a few hours that took two weeks to build. It helped that my son had scanned all his pictures onto my husband’s laptop and done the original voice recording of his narrative paper on the laptop as well. So he only had to search the web for all the remaining photos.

I had even had my son type his process paper on my account because I was too lazy to log out one night and told him just to hurry and type it. Sometimes my laziness pays off. Rarely, but sometimes.

So that, coupled with accompanying my husband to his conference, is why I’ve ignored my blog this week. I promise to do better next week.

But here’s the really great news! I started work on a new book while I was away. Talk about exciting. And I made a discovery. I am a  romance writer who likes a dash of suspense to keep things interesting. There. I’ve said it. I was trying so hard to write a different genre this time around and I was frozen at the keyboard. I’ve brainstormed lists of story ideas that I couldn’t flesh out for a whole book until now. It came to me one day while hauling laundry downstairs. My favorite story idea needed some romance to get me going. And now I’m going. Yea!

AND THE WINNER IS………

#6 Chas Hathaway eating Yogananny Pancakes on Christmas Morning.

Hey–I don’t even have to mail it–we both win.

(special thanks to Random.org)

Stolen Christmas

What happens when you’re so poor you have to steal your Christmas presents? Have you ever taken a punch in the face as your Christmas gift to the girl you love? Or saved Christmas while hunting were-weevils?

These award-winning Christmas stories are the best of the best from the LDS Publisher Christmas Story Contests. From Christmases past, to present, to future; from sweet and inspirational, to zany and delightful-there’s a story for everyone in this eclectic collection.

There are seventeen stories to celebrate the season. One of the authors is M. Gray who has actually visited my site a couple of times and left comments. She has a YA book coming out in 2010. (You can see all the authors by clicking here.)

To be entered in the drawing to win this book, answer the following question in the comments:

What is your favorite Christmas morning breakfast?

(Winners will be drawn Wednesday night after 8 PM Mountain Time.)

Some districts wanted a little essay, others a portfolio. One wanted a video of me teaching. Getting ready to submit to about five different publishers feels a little like that era of my life. One publisher wants a chapter by chapter synopsis, another wants a summary synopsis. Some have a questionnaire for me to fill out. A couple want the first three chapters, and others want the whole manuscript. One publisher specifies sending a query letter, another a cover letter. I’m left to determine the difference. Still another requests a marketing plan. That’s was giving me an ulcer at the moment because I know all publishers will eventually request this of me if they like my work.

So I turn to you. How do I format a marketing plan? How detailed should I be? What types of things do you think publishers are looking for in a marketing plan?

While you all think on that I have a bigger problem. I’ve got to revise a scene from, “How stupid do you think the reader is? That whole exchange is based on author convenience!” to “Wow! I can really feel the emotion there. I can totally believe that’s happening.”

So I best git ta workin’!

Mostly I stand in awe of these ladies like my mom, mother in-law, and Karen who put their families first. The characters in Karen’s book Uncut Diamonds demonstrate this commitment to family. No matter the hardships they face, Marcie and Shawn determine to get through it together. They may be frustrated with finances or long work hours to the point of arguing, but are never selfish enough to let it destroy family relationships.

Kate: How long have you lived in Utah?

Karen: We moved here in 1990, almost 20 years!

Kate: What is your favorite place that you’ve lived and why?

Karen: I loved living in northern California. We were there just under five years, and the whole time it felt like vacation. Well, at least for me and the kids. My husband was working pretty hard, but my kids and I loved it–we spent a lot of time at the beach, at parks, at malls, driving to Watsonville for fresh fruits and vegetables, driving to Monterey and Santa Cruz– and just enjoying the California lifestyle.

Kate: My Mom is from northern California–so it was our vacation. What are the most challenging aspects of being a mother of ten children?

Karen: My challenges varied at the time, depending–financial, schoolwork, time constraints, fighting among siblings, noise level in the household, and my own inadequacies. Like any family, there is no end to the challenges. In a large one, everything is multiplied, enlarged and expanded. Including the blessings and the joy.

Kate: I kinda expected to see sleep deprived in there. What is most rewarding about raising a large family?

Karen: The fact that we are like a community among ourselves. There’s such a bond of shared affection, talents, interests, and a feeling of specialness that we are “the Gowens.” I suppose it is prideful, but we can’t help it. The kids have all had friends who want to be adopted into “the Gowens.”

Kate: That prideful feeling of belonging  to the best family is something I was searching for in a husband. I was always proud to be a Hoth growing up and I wanted that for my children. I found it with my in-laws. You’re right, it is a sense of community. What things are you passionate about?

Karen: Besides my family–the Gospel, definitely. I love the Gospel and I love the Church. Being a convert, I remember what it was like not having this in my life. After family and church, it would be books, writing, and food. I also love to knit. I am passionate about yarn. And about my pond. I have a plan to write a book of essays on pond life called “The Sunburned Fish and Other Adventures of Backyard Pond Life.” That will probably come after “House of Diamonds.” It’s in outline stage.

Kate: You definitely have to post pictures of this pond! That sounds like a fun book. Do these interests influence your writing?

Karen: Most definitely, especially family. I don’t think I can write anything that doesn’t express my philosophy or make statements about what I feel about family. Not necessarily my family, but the concept of family in general. That is what both my books were about really–home and family–and how with effort they can survive all kinds of threats and challenges.

Kate:  Did you read the intro to this interview before you answered? That was the take home message I got from reading your books. What’s your writing schedule like? Can you give us a visual picture of where, when, and how you write?

Karen: I sit in a comfortable chair. I write outlines and summaries on my laptop, with scenes thrown in here and there. Then I print those up, and write the first draft in longhand. The second draft is written on my laptop “copied” from the longhand version, with a lot of revision going on at the time. From then on, I revise from the computer, occasionally writing scenes on paper with pen.

Kate: Wow, longhand. What do you consider your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

Karen: I’d say my strength is my ability to edit my work. I can set it aside for awhile, come back and see it freshly and know just what needs fixing. I’m not in love with my own writing. I am willing to “kill my darlings,” as they say. Also, I love to delve deep into a character and make that character like a real person. One of the greatest compliments anyone can give me is when they talk to me about Marcie or Shawn like they are real people. “Marcie this or Marcie that.” “Marcie and Shawn–” I love that, because then I know I created the characters to be real to a reader.

A weakness is that I am not plot-driven in my writing, and this is a disadvantage because many readers today enjoy a strong plot. I plan on being more plot-driven in my next one.

Kate: What is your favorite part of writing?

Karen: People. Making characters into real people. Taking things that are of interest to me in actual people and putting them in characters here and there. When the characters start to take shape, I get very excited and have a hard time stopping.

Kate: In your book Uncut Diamonds, the main character, Marcie relies on knowledge that her ancestors survived hardships and so can she. Is this a theme present in your own life?

Karen: Yes, because my Grandmother Julia Marker (the Grandmother Wilson in Uncut Diamonds) used to tell me stories about her growing up days on the Nebraska prairie. Her wonderful stories became ingrained in me. She told about the hardships as well as the fun times, and it was all very real in my mind.

Kate: In the introduction to your book Farm Girl you state, “Farm Girl is written by me as folklore collector rather than by me as author.” Can you explain how writing as a folklore collector is different from your writing as a fiction author?

Karen: I used my mother’s voice for that, not my voice as an author. I recorded her stories, and then I organized and edited them to make a cohesive narrative that people might enjoy reading. It isn’t accurately folklore, because when collecting folklore, the collector is not supposed to change or edit or organize. I have to admit to being a bit creative with that.

Kate: That’s really interesting because my parents each wrote their family histories and gave them to us (their children) for Christmas one year. Reading Farm Girl was so similar to reading my parents’ histories because the memories were often grouped by themes and not always in chronological order. How would you recommend others go about collecting the folklore of their families?

Karen: I am glad you said “collecting” because that’s what it involves. Farm Girl is like a collection, because it includes the stories of my mother’s and grandmother’s lives, and also the photographs my grandmother took as an amateur photographer, very unusual in a farm wife of the 1920′s who had no formal education.

I prefer typing rather than taping, because I can type really fast and there is no tape recorder to add interference. Then later, after the session, the collector can go back and organize the stories. I would suggest the sessions involve as few people as possible, to avoid distractions and interruptions. And they need to be long enough to allow the subject to delve into their memories and get talking, but not so long to tire him out. Often, when tired, the subject will say, “Well, that’s all I can remember.” And later, at another session, more will come.

Kate: Thanks for visiting today and sharing your thoughts.