The Google Searches of a Writer

When I first got the crazy idea to write a book a few years ago, I decided to Google, "How to write a novel." I was promptly introduced to Randy Ingermanson and the Snowflake Method.

 

Little did I know that was just the beginning of my profitable relationship with Google. We all have research needs as writers, and while Google doesn't always provide the most official answers to our burning questions, it's a great place to start.

 

Here's a sampling of Google searches from my writing journey thus far. 

 

1) Is a caveman the same as a Neanderthal? Inquiring minds want to know.

2) How deep is a casket buried? Just in case I get buried alive some day.

3) Tools at a lumberyard. Never hurts to learn a new skill.

4) What does a flooded basement smell like? I'm looking for a new scented candle.

5) What's a nickname for big ears? My son needs a nickname for the neighborhood bully.

6) How do the Amish heat their homes? My furnace is on the fritz.

7) Marathon training schedule. Just in case I get motivated to run more than a mile.

8) Drainage pipe codes. My hubby's got an outdoor project planned.

9) How long is an industrial dishwasher cycle? Looking to replace my residential one.

10) Commercial real estate license requirements. I need another career option in case this author thing doesn't work out.

 

What's your favorite research tool? Do you have any unique Google searches to share?

 

*This post originally published on Hoosier Ink December 13, 2010.

 **Search photo by Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Sarah Forgrave is a stay-at-home writer-mom who feels blessed to pursue her calling and passion. She writes contemporary romance for the inspirational market and is a regular contributor to the webzine Ungrind.

To learn more about Sarah, visit her personal blog at:
http://www.sarahforgrave.com/blog

What the FLY LADY taught me about writing...

Have you shined your sink today?

Are you dressed to lace-up shoes?

And what does this have to do with my writing anyway?

If you know what a "Room Rescue" or a "27 Fling Boogie" is, chances are you have visited Marla Cilley (AKA The Fly Lady)'s website. Perhaps you're like me and organization does not come naturally to you.

I'm here to share what FlyLady has taught me about the way I write and how to improve my writing. In hopes that some of these tips might help someone else. 

Go shine your sink.

OK, hold that Ajax and come back to the computer. I don't mean literally. But think about it.

FlyLady tells you to first shine your sink. This is the only step for the first day. 

She knows the POWER of ONE THING.

What's your one thing? What do you most need to add to your writing? Working on one area, keeping in mind it will never be perfect, can make such a difference whether its focusing on a single scene or a single aspect of your novel. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed (or at least I can) with all the improvement I would like to make in so many areas of my writing. We can get paralyzed there. So work on that one thing. One character. One scene. One page at a time. Then slowly add.

Its about "baby-stepping" and not "obsessing."

Getting dressed to  lace-up shoes.

When I first found the FlyLady website I hated the idea of wearing shoes inside all day. But it works (at least for me). The idea is that we move faster when we're wearing shoes.

Just as we get prepared for the day, are you preparing yourself for your writing time? I find when I just sit down I don't always do my best work. 

For me praying first and closing my eyes and spending a few minutes getting back into the scene are musts. They help me prepare for writing and actually help me to accomplish more, just as putting on your lace-up shoes motivates you to get your day started.

Harness the power of routines.

"Born Organized" people do this naturally. Others of us have to force it. What is the routine to your writing life? I discovered writing wouldn't just "happen", I needed to schedule it in my busy life. 

Is your writing at the best possible time? If you are scheduling your writing early in the morning, are you able to get enough sleep to write your best? If you write during an afternoon nap for your kiddos are you finding that time gets pushed off...or maybe you get irritated when they wake up as you barely start your scene?

Where do you write? Does this allow for the atmosphere you need to get your best writing done? I realize this isn't always possible, especially if you have young children in your home. But is there a way you can make your writing area feel like a retreat?

What do you do before and after your writing? Can you take a moment today to reflect on what is and isn't working in just today's writing?

Do you have a good routine to the rest of your day? I know if chaos seeps into my house or another part of my life, it has a tendency to slip into my writing life. 

What is one small change you can make today to impact your writing life? 

Julia enjoys writing women's fiction whenever she can find a chair free of smushed peanut butter sandwiches and lego blocks. She is a wife and homeschooling mama of two littles. She also enjoys reading and reviewing books for The Title Trakk, a Christian review site.

Stuff Those Envelopes!

My fellow writers, readers, and Alley Cats, will be the first to preview the Dicken Christmas card!

I was so thankful the weather was nice on Thanksgiving day, because that was when I planned to take shots of the kids in our new yard. We were blessed with a fabulous fall this year!
As I sat and organized my addresses, requested more via email, deleted some, figured out who was getting a 5x7 of the kids along with their card...etc. I couldn't help but feel frustrated and overwhelmed with my poor attempt at being organized.

I am not Type A (period)

The frustration was released magically when I started stuffing the envelopes. I just crammed the cards in them even though I had a pile of unfinished addresses since I was waiting to hear from those friends and family members. I began to add to my pile of ready-to-stamp envelopes, and the “unedited” ones were less intimidating.

Isn't this how writing is? Whether you're trying to get those words out for that first draft (I am sure many NaNoWriMo participants are wincing at that statement...it was a long month, huh?), or struggling through edits...Doesn't it sometimes feel great to just stop the struggle, and tie up loose ends elsewhere?

• If you are working on completing a draft and are stuck, just get away from that scene or chapter, and start writing a scene that is stuck in your head, desperate to get out. Who knows, you might just discover a brilliant turn of events for your character that will fix that sagging scene you were working on.

• If you are trying to get through edits, and are feeling discouraged...step away. Take a break. Enter a contest. Work on another idea for a bit. Find something to COMPLETE (maybe a good read?) and feel rejuvenated.

• And if you are trying to cram 100 Christmas cards in the mail by Christmas, and just don't have it together...cram 25...today, then a few the next. This might drive some of you crazy...I am thinking Plotsters more than Pantsters? But get SOMETHING accomplished, you'll feel so much better. ;)

I hope you have a very MERRY Christmas, and remember, all the stuff is just that, STUFF. Most importantly, there is a little baby in the manger who wants to be your best friend...nothing else compares to that!
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 Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across cultures. She is an ACFW member and CEO of a family of six.

What's Up the Street For Next Week?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Any decorating tips or traditions in your family?
Do you color things up with the traditional red and green or gold and white?
Or do you take a different approach?
I've heard the 'in' colors this Christmas are purple and teal. :-)

I've even heard of a woman who decorated her tree in cheetah.

Hmm....

So, how will the Alley Cats decorate the Alley this week?

Well, it's going to be a big surprise- like Christmas presents ;-)

I'll give you a hint:
It's going to be about writing!

In the meantime, here are a few things you can check out:
1. For the special writer in your life, here are a few fun gift ideas -
2. Or the top 25 books for writers here
3. To read my first article on Christian Fiction Online Magazine (can you tell I'm excited!) go here.

Hope to have you come by for a visit.
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Pictures courtesy of
http://realestateyak.com/2009/11/30/do-you-decorate-your-house-for-christmas-if-its-listed-for-sale/
http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/tag/christmas-decorations/

A Four Letter Word: Edit

I'm loving this new journey I'm on,
this ride called "publication."
I'm learning a ton, and having fun,
Except for this one measly con.

Editing while uncontracted,
is oh so not very facted
You think you're smart, when an adverb does part,
But just you wait until the contract is enacted.

Your manuscript will be sliced,
As well as fully diced,
Overhaul this, and delete this kiss,
You'll discover your work's fully liced.

But oh author, do not despair,
These errors you can repair,
Keep on going, all the while knowing,
With the world, your book you'll soon share.

Remember, do you really desire
your book to be thrown in the fire
when a reader reads, and finally concedes,
that your book needs editing dire.

So chin up, oh you writer,
Grab a coke, or some cider
Snip it here, and never fear,
because inside you is a fighter.

In the end, you'll be happy,
that you deleted the line that was sappy,
when a delighted fan, maybe named Stan,
says your book is far from nappy.

Give your editor a hug
They'll probably be smug
because your book and its great hook
Is being used for more than squashing a bug.

*****

If you haven't noticed... I'm editing my first contracted book, under my first deadline.

You'll also notice that I write fiction, NOT poetry. The above tells you exactly why, and it's not because poetry doesn't sell.

It's because I stink at it.

I hope you enjoyed my fumbling attempt, and happy editing everyone!

*****

Discussion: How long do you usually take to edit your novels? Do you use critique partners, paid editors? Are you prepared for the thought of DEADLINES and professional editors once you're contracted????

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and a contemporary romance author. She recognizes that life can be frustrating and just plain not fun sometimes, but believes that laughter and smiles can make the not-so-fun a little better! She blogs about the amazing things God has been doing and her journey as a busy momma of 4 and caregiver to a daughter with a rare congenital heart defect at http://reflectionsbykrista.blogspot.com. She is also a contributor at www.wordservewatercooler.com. She is represented by the fab agent, Rachelle Gardner, and her debut novel, Sandwich, With a Side of Romance, releases in September 2012.

Understanding Point of View (POV)

Credit

Point of View (POV) can be one of the harder aspects of fiction to understand, and also a trickier concept to explain. It’s just below, on the complexity scale of “show-don’t-tell” (and whoever invented that little rule ought to be spanked)

One of the most common difficulties to understanding POV is in the explaining of it. Because while we must be in the head of one character and can only know their thoughts and emotions, we must also be in the body of the scene and take into consideration the surrounding cast members emotions as well. Especially the head of the last character we were in. If we have a corresponding scene where we break and go from one character to the other, the previous character cannot become a cardboard cutout and we must continue to play their emotions.

But this new character we are inside must not know what the first character is thinking.

It’s a lot less complicated than it looks.

 Think of POV this way: you are facing your best friend. Can you hear her thoughts? Can you see what she is thinking? Can you feel her emotions?

No.

What can you do? You can observe. Are her arms crossed? Is her brow furrowed? Is she pacing? Wringing her hands, but still smiling? Does she nod when she shouldn’t nod to what you are saying?

Body language is a POV master’s best friend. While you are in the head of one character you can only rely on how—or how not—observant they are. What vibes is your second character sending into the scene that makes a difference in how your POV character sees the moment?

Another way to look at POV is to imagine blinders. There is a reason they put blinders on a horse pulling a buggy or carriage—especially when that horse must pull their vehicle down the road. It’s so they cannot see the incoming traffic and be spooked.

When we are “driving” our characters through the scenes, think about what they can and cannot see. They cannot see what is behind them. They cannot see into the future. They can only see where they are pointed.

Within POV you have varied degrees of options to play with. The most restricting being 1^st person POV.  1^st person does not allow you to be in the head of any other character expect the main one—“I”. Through this character you then have to compensate for all the senses, the emotions and a great deal of action and body language to SHOW how the rest of the cast perceives your main character in that situation.  (I just knew that tricky show-don’t-tell rule was going to slip in there somewhere)

3^rd person POV is the most commonly used, because you can access other heads during the story. Rule #1 you MUST break the scene visually on the page. Either with a two paragraph break or a symbol such as: *** or ~ ~ ~ or ###

Something that shouts WATCH, I’M CHANGING THE GAME. Readers do not like to tricked or jerked around.

When changing “heads” in the middle of a scene, not only should you put some symbol, but also make it clear which character’s head you have entered. Either by having them perform some action, saying their name or possibly repeating the very last phrase of the previous character’s thoughts/actions. Warning: this last method will be very old very fast if used too often. I personally suggest only once per book.

Short example:

John rubbed the back of his neck and a growl tickled the back of his throat. Couldn’t she see how a mess he was making of this? That he was trying and why couldn’t she cut him just a bit of release from that chock chain she tied around his neck? He’d shout ‘halleluiah’ when she finally got it.

*****                                                                                          

When would he finally get it that all she wanted was in his best interest? Sally crossed her arms

Do you see how immediately we realize we are no longer in “John’s” head, but now firmly in Sally’s? Once you have established the POV shift, do not keep rehashing the same emotions from her POV. Keep the scene moving. We understand their tension and emotions, now we need to see forward action.

In recap:

A POV character cannot ever see what is going on except what is directly in front of him or her.

A POV character cannot hear, see, feel and directly understand the true emotions of the second characters in the scene with them.

A POV character must have the most to lose within the scene for the moment to hold the truest potential for conflict.

What do you struggle with the most when it comes to POV? Let’s diagnose the problem.

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Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She lives in rural Eastern Oregon in a town more densely populated with cows than people.

Mentored: Answers to our Show Don't Tell Questions with Randy Ingermanson

I have had many question about the topic  Show Don't Tell. It's a complicated subject.


Seems to me Show Don't Tell rules make hiking up Mt. Everest look like a stroll on the beach.

Sometimes I feel like no matter how much I edit, I can't fully weed out the "tells." Ah--am I doomed to failure?


Recently the "Show Don't Tell" topic poked it's ugly head up in a loop discussion. Randy Ingermanson chimed in his great insights sprinkled with a dash of humor. I wrote Randy and asked if I could share those comments with you. He said yes:)

Randy Ingermanson thoughts on Show Don't Tell: 

Randy, there's a lot of information available on the topic of Show Don't Tell. I'm overwhelmed with all the rules.

There are absolutely no "rules" about "showing versus telling" (or anything else in fiction writing). The "rules" you are referring to are actually "rules of thumb". "Rules of thumb" differ from "rules" in the same way that good abs differ from corsets.

The whole purpose of writing fiction is to give your target audience a Powerful Emotional Experience. All rules of thumb are intended to suggest ways that you could improve things when a given scene fails to deliver on that pesky Powerful Emotional Experience.

Please remember that if you are delivering a sufficiently powerful set of emotions to your reader, then you don't need to fix your scene. So don't even think about the rules of thumb unless your scene is actually broken.

But I've been taught "Showing" is always better than "Telling".

This is not true. Showing is generally better during the exciting parts of your character's life, but showing is absolutely the worst thing you can do during the boring parts of your character's life. I'm sure you can tell the difference.

Yes, but won't "Telling" or info dumps guarantee a manuscript's rejection in today's publishing field ? --let's leave out authors of days gone by who had pages and pages of info dumps published.

Info dumps at the start of your story will definitely do this, because info dumps are boring. Telling the exciting parts of your story will also get you tossed. You should be showing the exciting parts of your story and telling the unexciting parts. This is obvious enough that I won't bother to try to explain why.

OK, but I've heard in classes and read in books that "Telling" is a sign of weakness and muddies the story with information the reader doesn't need.  

Poorly done telling shows poor craftsmanship. Excellently done telling shows excellent craftsmanship. You can see any number of examples of well done telling in most literary novels. For some wretched examples of telling, go to any critique group on the planet and ask to read the work of the newest member of the group.

Whether you show or tell, if you do it well, it's like magic. Whenever you attempt a magic trick, there's an enormous difference between doing it well and doing it badly. If you disbelieve me, then don't try that trick with sawing your mother in half.

When you sit down to write, forget every rule you ever heard of. Just write. When you go to edit, don't fix what ain't broke; do use the rules of thumb to help you fix what is broke.


Randy Ingermanson
Publisher, Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine
http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/blog

Thanks, Randy!




Have you been bogged down with the Show Don't Tell rules? Please share your thoughts and/or tips.


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Image by: Freedigitalphotos.net

This blog post by Mary Vee

Mary lives in Montana with her husband and loves to hear from her three college kids. She writes Christian young adult fiction (pirate tales, missionary and Bible adventure stories).

She thinks of writing as: Stepping into Someone Else's World.

To learn more about Mary, visit her blog http://www.mimaryvee.blogspot.com/