WRITING WORKSHOP 4

One of several "Bad Grammar" photos posted to Facebook from Answers.com

I have encountered this particular error - misusing a possessive pronoun for a contraction (and vice versa) in all too many books I've edited. Just a reminder - "your" is possessive (your book, your name, etc.); "you're" is a contraction of "you are." Just as "their" is a possessive, and "they are" is a contraction - both mistakes I encountered just this morning while editing.

WRITING WORKSHOP 4 - PLOT

 When I ran a search on Amazon, I discovered they offer 1,059 books on the art of plotting. (And I admit I've never read even one of them!) But the number makes it clear how important plotting is to your book. And if you want detailed help, your only problem is plowing through all the possibilities to find the books that are right for you.  I will, however, in the short space available, attempt to hit a few highlights. My experience is based not only on writing close to thirty books but my long years as an editor of both fiction and non-fiction and as the judge of more than 400 RWA chapter contest entries. 

1.  Whether your plot is simple or complex, at least a hint of it should be apparent in the first chapters, Chapter 1, if possible. Example:  I once judged a contest entry which sounded like a classic category romance centered around a class reunion. But when I read the synopsis, it turned out the author intended it to be a complex romantic suspense. Yet there wasn't a hint of RS anywhere in the pages of the contest entry. This won't work with readers any more than it did with me. Know what genre you're writing and make sure the reader gets the genre he or she expected right up front.

2.  Sub-plots are okay in a long book, but don't stray into sidebars that don't advance your plot. Example:  cute dialogue that doesn't move the plot forward; secondary characters who push the hero and heroine off center stage.  People sitting around chatting, to no purpose, simply distract, slowing your book to a crawl.

3.  Avoid "too much plot." I've judged a number of contests where the entry read well, but the synopsis had enough plot for a 3-book series. Since "showing" a book takes up more room than "telling," a plot with a zillion twists and turns is likely to run out of room. J. K. Rowling may be able to get away with a 700-page book. The rest of us can't.

4.  Plots have "rhythm" - character introduction, personality development, action, introspection, romantic developments, action, introspection, the high point, the black moment, resolution.* Unlike, say, Vin Diesel's Fast and Furious movies, romance plots have to allow time for breathing, for getting inside the hero's and heroine's heads, time for romance to develop. And even action/adventure movies have their more quiet moments when the main characters get a chance to slow down (and maybe a wee bit more - what would James Bond be without his throng of women?)

*Under no circumstances take this sentence as a "plot arc." I do not believe in arcs or outlines set in steel. I am merely giving examples of how the rhythm of a book varies. (A terrible blow is all the more powerful for coming directly after a moment when everything seems to be going well.) 

5.  You can get away with almost any plot, no matter how outrageous, if you provide an explanation good enough to coax your readers into "suspended disbelief." Conversely, your book becomes a "wall-banger" when you toss in something incredible without taking the time to justify what happens.

6.  Amendment to #5. There are certain things you must not do, things that cannot be explained away. If you want to believe your readers are dumb enough not to care, well, that's your choice. But among the accepted no-no's are such things as the laws of British inheritance: you cannot have a bastard become a duke. You also cannot toss a murder into a book without providing strong motivation. Basically, you cannot avoid the laws of common sense without an adept set-up.

7.  Most authors plot on instinct - at least that's how I do it. They learn from the ebb and flow of the books they've read over the years. Some authors, like me, start with no more than a basic premise and build from there. Others need to meticulously plot out every chapter. No matter which method you prefer, remember that if you need help, there are all those 1,059 "How to Plot" books on Amazon.

~ * ~

  
Thanks for stopping by.

Grace
 
For Grace's website, listing all books as Blair Bancroft, click here.

For a brochure for Grace's editing service, Best Foot Forward, click here.  

Neglected Thrillers

Blair's Lament

I have tried to come to terms with being "branded" as a Regency author, but sometimes it's downright frustrating. Yes, I love writing Regency-set stories, but I require variety in my writing challenges and I wish - really wish - I could find readers as devoted to my contemporary Mystery/Suspense/Thrillers as my Regency fans are to my books set in the Napoleonic era. 

So today I'm doing some blatant promo for my three Thrillers. One is set in the not-so-fictional town of Golden Beach, Florida, where I lived for twenty-five years. The second is set mostly in the Northeast, where I used to live, and the third is set in the Orlando area, where I now live. The books were written many years apart, yet, oddly enough, two of them feature amnesiac heroes. How that happened I really don't know.

Perhaps the problem with Thrillers is that most of my readers are looking more for romance than for action. And while all three books have strong romantic elements, the action dominates. Hmm - any guys out there willing to read books with a female heroine? [And yet my Regency Gothics (read Suspense) are outselling all my other books put together. Sigh. So who knows?]

In any event, I truly enjoyed writing the books featured below - both the research, which included 10,000 miles in the USSR back in the days of the Cold War (Limbo Man), and what seemed like endless volumes on Interpol, its history and its cases (Orange Blossoms & Mayhem). 

In addition, at the time I wrote Orange Blossoms, the fact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was digging up WWII explosive devices from the yards of expensive homes and an elementary school in my area was a near-daily topic on the local news. I was also receiving updates from the Corps in the mail - and even attended one "town meeting" on the various excavations - since my own house is situated on the outer fringes of the old Pine Castle Bombing Range near what is now Orlando International Airport! 

In contrast, research for Florida Wild was a breeze. Although I'm still gnashing my teeth that some entrepreneur decided to build a "London Eye"-type ride just off I-4, only months after I created one for my book. (Mine was out in the boonies, designed for a view of the "real" Florida, not what's called "the Tourist Corridor." FYI, the actual Orlando Eye is still under construction.) 

For Orlando-area residents, Florida Wild is almost totally set in Central Florida, while Limbo Man has two major scenes in Orlando, one the climactic "chase" scene.

So here they are - Blair's three thrillers. Orange Blossoms & Mayhem and Limbo Man are available from Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. Florida Wild, published by Ellora's Cave Blush, is available through EC and most online vendors.

Want to get married in a hot air balloon?  Have the bride step out of a Fabergé egg?  Just call Fantascapes, the Halliday family business (ironically based in a sleepy Florida resort and retirement community). Fantascapes is also the right number for hiking the Inca Trail*, a chalet in Switzerland, or a luxury journey to Angkor Wat.

Trouble in Fantasyland?  It’s Laine Halliday—well-dressed, well-toned, a sharpshooter in every sense of the word—to the rescue.  But are fantasy weddings and vacations for the pampered rich enough to satisfy her? 

Laine’s options expand when bullets fly after she meets a mystery man on the Inca Trail, and she begins to fear there may be more to that Fabergé egg project than meets the eye. Amid the color and frantic pace of a luxury business, Laine finds herself involved in Russian mob warfare and law enforcement activity that ranges from the local SWAT team to Interpol. Can a wedding planner from Golden Beach, Florida, survive an encounter with the mob and juggle the two men in her life, as well as her job with Fantascapes and an offer from Interpol? Never fear, Laine Halliday is the kind of heroine who may be able to do it all.



*Oddly enough, I may share responsibility (with Yale anthropologist Mike Coe) for starting the fad for hiking the Inca Trail. On a Yale tour "way back when," Mike and I found the trail high above Machu Picchu that the Incas used to enter the town from other villages along the trail. (As opposed to the present entrance which is from the base of the ancient site.) When we mentioned our find at dinner that night, I saw the travel agent who was accompanying us prick up his ears. And, sure enough, only a year later, he led the first expedition along the trail that rapidly became a worldwide hiking phenomenon.

I'm planning on a second book in this series, but so far it's taking a back seat to books that make me more money. The cousin of the Orange Blossoms heroine is, however, featured in Florida Wild, as is her oldest brother.
 

FBI Special Agent Vee Frost does not care for Homeland Security's list of job qualifications when they ask to borrow her services. "An experienced agent with a proven track record" is good. "Fluent in Russian" hints of an assignment which is close to her heart. But "Attractive female, under thirty-five" sends up red flags. Obviously DHS is asking for services above and beyond the call of duty. But a loan to Homeland Security would look great on her resumé, and it sounds as if they really need her . . .

But when Vee agrees to turn on the charm for Sergei Tokarev, an amnesiac Russian arms dealer with an agenda as hidden as the contents of his past, she never anticipates a chase after two nuclear bombs that will have her hopping around the world from from Connecticut to Colorado, New Jersey, Florida, Siberia, and Iran.And no matter how strong a bond she and Sergei forge, it seems doubtful either will live long enough for a happy ending.

Cass Wilder is looking for excitement, both on the job and in her personal life—a wish that is more than fulfilled when she saves a child at a theme park and is plunged into international intrigue, her sole companion a man whose motives might be questionable.

When Michael Dillon, a here-today, gone-tomorrow government agent, is forced to turn to a fledgling PI for help in a chase that takes them deep into the Florida backwoods, he not only regains his kidnapped sister, but loses his heart.

~ * ~

 
Thanks for stopping by.

Grace
 
For Grace's website, listing all books as Blair Bancroft, click here.

For a brochure for Grace's editing service, Best Foot Forward, click here.  

WRITING WORKSHOP 3

Sunset, Branford, CT - shared by Dan on Facebook. (Branford was my home for many happy years. My children grew up there.)

That's Branford Harbor, with Long Island Sound in the background. The sun is setting in the direction of New York City, c. 80 miles away.

My Christmas begonia - I must have remembered to fertilize it!

WRITING WORKSHOP, Part 3

 The Hook.
Many years ago, when we still communicated by snail mail, I recall writing to the person heading an RWA contest, asking plaintively, "What's a hook?" (One of the items listed on the chapter's Score Sheet). She was kind enough to reply in depth, a favor I have never forgotten. And the incident points up how important it is for authors to share their knowledge with others. Such a simple thing, a hook. But I needed to know what it was, and someone took the time to explain it. I later joined that chapter and was taught about contest judging by the very same gracious lady, who is gone now. Her chapter has honored her by naming their contest in her memory.

A recent discussion on one of my author loops also pointed up how important it is that published authors share their hard-earned knowledge with unpubs, and that we do not get up on our high horse and ignore, or "look down" on, those who are still struggling with the basics. So here is my definition of a hook. And, yes, hooks are an essential part of writing your book.

Hook: the last line in a chapter that keeps readers turning the page. The sentence that "leaves readers hanging" in the grand tradition of the heroine tied to the railroad tracks, the announcement of a surprise pregnancy, a bad guy with a gun trained at the hero's head." 

In the past a good hook was most emphasized for the end of Chapter 3, as that was the end of the traditional submission package. More recently, a hook is encouraged for as many chapters as possible, beginning with Chapter 1.

Example 1:  
Way back in 1998, when I submitted Tarleton's Wife to RWA's Golden Heart contest, I still had no idea what a hook was. Yet by some miracle my entry ended with a great hook. (Which I had written instinctively, without knowing what I was writing had a name.) And, yes, Tarleton's Wife won the Golden Heart that year, and I strongly suspect that great hook had something to do with it.

Example 2:
From Dark Light, a Futuristic by Jayne Castle 
Background: On a planet somewhat similar to earth, a young female reporter has been writing articles criticizing a very powerful organization called "The Guild." She has finally gotten an interview with the Guild Boss, who surprises her by admitting to some problems in his organization. Near the end of Chapter 1 he further surprises her by suggesting they work together to eliminate the problems. And then . . .

     He watched her with a steady, unwavering look. "I'm dead serious."
     It was the word dead that aroused all her new journalistic instincts. Okay, maybe he was serious.
     "This would be a Guild story?" she asked warily. "What, exactly, do I have to do to get this hot exclusive?"
     "Marry me."

 ~ * ~

Since the next section of the Writing Workshop is Plot, which is long and complicated, I'll stick with just the Hook for this week. But I invite you to go back through the Archives of Mosaic Moments and check out any writing & editing hints you might have missed. Or some of the photo essays, just for fun of it. Now that we're moving into 2015, I'll be posting another Index shortly.

Thanks for stopping by.

Grace
 

For Grace's website, listing all books as Blair Bancroft, click here.

For a brochure for Grace's editing service, Best Foot Forward, click here.  

 
 

 

Photo Essay for the Holidays

Whatever holiday you celebrate during this winter season, I hope your days are happy and that 2015 roars in with better health, better weather, and a better outlook for a safe and happy new year. (I suspect I'm not the only one happy to boot 2014 out the door!)

This week, Mosaic Moments is presenting a double photo essay for the holidays: the launch of Orion, our hope for the next great step in space exploration, and holiday photos from the Festival of Trees at the Orlando Museum of Art. 

I'd also like to mention that although Scrooge still lives in some hearts, this year there seems to be a rise in the number of Secret Angels roaming our land. More tales of people paying for other people's meals in restaurants and drive-thrus. And most recently, an amazing surge of anonymous donors paying off huge sums for people who bought Christmas presents on Lay-away. The amounts reported on the TV news range from $10,000 to $65,000, the incidents occurring all over the country. (And the TV reporters seeming to love every moment of filming moms with tears rolling down their cheeks.) And then there are all those people who rushed out and bought extra toys to make up for a shortfall this week in our local Toys for Tots program. (The demand was higher this year & the shelves already empty.)

So take heart - the world has not yet imploded, the spirit of Christmas still lives. (Though I fear we've all had our doubts, this year more than most.) 

THE LAUNCH OF ORION

ORION - the first baby step in the road of manned flight to Mars. All photos are screen shots from Orlando's Channel 9 live presentation of the lift-off. No "live" from my driveway this time, as there was heavy cloud cover between here and the coast.

Comparison of rockets - Orion piggy-backed on a Delta IV

Orion & gantries at 7:00 a.m.

Ready . . .

Set . . .

GO!

The test appeared to be a success, with the unmanned Orion circling the earth four times, as planned, before splashing down in the Pacific right where our ships hovered, waiting to pick it up. Launch was Dec. 5, 2014, at 7:05 a.m. Orion returned to the Kennedy Space Center this Thursday, after being trucked back across the country.

FESTIVAL OF TREES - The Orlando Museum of Art

The grandchildren's favorites - Gingerbread Creations 

Classic Gingerbread House

 

The family favorite - a pirate ship

Florida Gingerbread?

I didn't ask that darling to pose. Really!

One of several gorgeous tablesettings being raffled for this annual fundraising event

How about a wreath that's a bit different?

Or maybe this one? I believe that price tag reads a mere $425!

Trimmed with Toys

Christmas Tree Re-think

Do you think the bulldozer migrated from the Toy Tree? I suspect a practical joker somewhere about.

Soloists with the Citrus Singers, who were performing at the Museum

Carolers at the Museum

Three remarkable Menorahs

Hmm - a tree wearing a headdress

Merry Christmas!

And farewell to another wonderful afternoon at the Festival of Trees at the Orlando Museum of Art. 

~ * ~

Thanks for stopping by.

Grace
 

For Grace's website, listing all books as Blair Bancroft, click here.

For a brochure for Grace's editing service, Best Foot Forward, click here.  

 

WRITING WORKSHOP 2

While the family was having dinner at my house last night, my daughter put on a Christmas CD she and her girls made two years ago, with her husband doing the technical work. Suddenly inspired with the idea of posting her solo of "Ave Maria" to Facebook, she went home at about 10:00 p.m. and by 12:30 a.m. she had created this very special Christmas treat - "Ave Maria," accompanied by a succession of glorious sunsets (plus a sunrise, a moonrise & a rainbow). To view, click here.  
 

WRITING WORKSHOP, Part 2

So after doing your initial research, what comes next ?

Title. 
Give your book a title, even if you change it later. It's good psychology - having that title up there at the top of the page makes your effort seem more real. You're actually writing a book, not fooling around.

Names.
Before you begin, name your major characters. Hero, heroine, and at least the secondary characters in the first few chapters. It also helps to make a note of their physical descriptions and their relationship to the other characters. I personally make a formal typed Character List, scribbling in new names as I go along until it gets so messy I'm forced to type up a new clean list! Sometimes, instead of putting brief notes about physical and personality descriptions in the Character List, I type up a separate sheet for these. Attention to details like this avoids a character having dark eyes ion page 10 and blue eyes on page 250!

You might also consider making a few notes on your hero's and heroine's backgrounds - father, mother, sisters, brothers (uncles, aunts, cousins, if pertinent). If any of these people appear in the story, name them. The purpose? To fix the who, what, where, when & why of your main characters in your head, plus you won't get hung up in the middle of writing, looking for a name.

Okay, there you are, staring at the screen with no more than a Title, a page number, and a few names. What now?

 Openings.
Take your time with that first sentence. I often don't start a book until I have that first sentence firmly in mind. Also take your time with the rest of the first paragraph and the first page. This is where you capture the attention of an agent or editor, and eventually your readers.

I have judged 400+ writing contests over the last fifteen years or so and, believe me, I can always tell if an author knows what he/she is doing by the end of the first page. As an example: I often download four or five books at a time to my Kindle, and by the time I get ready to read the last one, I have totally forgotten why I chose it. Usually I recognize a favorite author, but on this occasion, I simply stared, frowning at the Index. Neither title nor author rang a bell, and the author was a male. Now it's not that I don't have some favorite male authors, but they're "old friends," and this one certainly wasn't one of them. So I simply punched the "Select" button and started reading.

By the end of the first three paragraphs, I had no doubt this book was something special. I flipped back to the Index and glared at it once again. Why had I chosen The Cuckoo's Calling? And who on earth was Robert Galbraith? And finally it came to me. I was reading J. K. Rowling's first adult mystery. And, believe me, the book lived up to what I saw in those first few paragraphs. So I'm telling you, frankly, it may be true a book is judged by its cover, but it is also judged by its opening paragraphs.

Quick aside: I should add that in her second mystery, The Silkworm, J. K. Rowling skewers indie authors (in a perfectly straight-faced manner) as she includes atrocious grammatical and spelling errors in the indie author's blog). And who can blame her? It's her way of saying what I've been saying on this blog since 2011. If you want anyone to take you seriously, you have to get the mechanics of your profession right!

Below are three of my favorite examples of opening lines or paragraphs:

From Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Philips:

"It wasn't every day a guy saw a headless beaver marching down the side of a road, not even in Dean Robillard's larger-than-life world."

From The Third Circle by Jane Ann Krentz:

"The heavily shadowed gallery of the museum was filled with many strange and disturbing artifacts. None of the antiquities, however, was as shocking as the woman lying in a dark pool of blood on the cold marble floor."

From Soulless by Gail Carriger:

"Miss Alexia Tarabotti was not enjoying her evening. Private balls were never more than middling amusements for spinsters, and Miss Tarabotti was not the kind of spinster who could garner even that much pleasure from the event. To put the pudding in the puff: she had retreated to the library, her favorite sanctuary in any house, only to happen upon an unexpected vampire."

~ * ~

 A lot more to go in the Writing Workshop, but perhaps not until after Christmas. Hopefully, something holiday-ish for next week, if I ever get around to downloading my pics from the Orlando Museum of Art's Festival of Trees.

Thanks for stopping by.

Grace
 

For Grace's website, listing all books as Blair Bancroft, click here.

For a brochure for Grace's editing service, Best Foot Forward, click here.