Too Many Irons

     Heard the ole expression "too many irons in the fire?" Well I am living it first hand.  I try to blog on Fridays and it has been many, many Fridays ago, since I have written anything. UGH! 

We have just added an 8 week old puppy to our family.  His name is Jesse and he is a Shih Tzu.  He is so lovable and sweet (when he isn't chewing on you!) and is settling in very nicely.  The cats love him when he isn't trying to bite their tails off.  I have to take him out to potty about every hour during the night so when he naps during the day .....I DO TOO!! 

I have been very behind in my writing: my novel and blogging.  I am starting to get back to some sort of normalcy around here. 

I am attending a workshop on fiction writing this Tuesday for free at my local library, so I am very excited about that.  I think next Friday I will blog about what I learned during the workshop and share it with all my writer friends. :)

So stay tuned next Friday for some writing tips! :)
Blessings, Pamela

Feeling overwhelmed :(

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with writing a novel.  Will it all come together?  Do I have enough description of scenes?  Enough Dialogue?  Are my characters interesting enough?
     Some days I approach the keyboard of my computer with total confidence.  I CAN do this...this is something that I love to do.  I have read enough books, that I should know how it's done.  My family is very supportive.
     Then there are the days where I drag myself to the computer and I feel so inadequate.  My self esteem is at an all time low.  I feel there is no way that I will be good enough...after all this is a very competitive business.  No one will want to read my book. 
     Today is one of those days where I am overwhelmed.  I am spending each day writing my manuscript and several hours devoted to learning the craft.  Will I ever make it??? 
     Don't get me wrong ....I LOVE writing and even learning the craft of writing, but I want to be a published writer...that is my goal.  But then again, isn't that every writers goal?  I don't write because I want to be famous....actually that is the part that is least appealing to me.  I hate the thought of being on national television promoting my book.  I see myself as a very private author...who just enjoys the art of WRITING!  I do realize that book signings and promotions are part of the package of being an author, but that is not why I want to be successful.
     I have a real passion to write books that are very clean.  I know that in this day and time I need to  clarify what I mean by clean.  Clean= no profanity and no explicit scenes (if you know what I mean).  I become so frustrated with all the wonderful authors out there that write beautifully (and who I use to read, before the Lord convicted me to set higher standards of what I should allow my eyes to take in) but they have incorporated so much profanity and graphic scenes that it ruins the story.
     Don't authors realize that if they cleaned up their books that they could sell more of them.  There are Christians out there that have set high standards and refuse to read such books.  Could it be that they are feeling pressure from the publishers to put certain things in to sell the book?  I don't know the answers but my plan (Lord willing) is to write top quality suspense novels that you can read without worrying about what is in it.  My goal is to write in the secular market, and hopefully have an impact on other authors to "clean" up the books that are being published.
     I have not decided exactly how my suspense will play out as far as being a Cozy, Mystery, or Thriller type book.  I am very interested in forensics and murders and how crimes are solved so my books would not be suitable for children.
    I do picture my books having humor in them as a balance with the suspense....I do not like gory, novels that are on the "dark" side....my books will be "edge of your seat" with some funny stuff thrown in here and there.
    Well I guess I have rambled on enough.....now back to writing. :)
   

Are You Making a Scene?

The past couple of days I have been reviewing my first three chapters. I have learned if I read them aloud to myself I can better determine if the story flows or not. I wrote an outline of how I want my scenes to evolve, but I am having a hard time picturing the scene. I need to put details in so that the reader feels as though he is in the scene himself. Those little touches that make it "real."
When I write a scene I try to picture it, like a scene in a movie. I play the scene in my mind like a movie reel moving forward. What is happening, where are the characters and what do they see, smell, feel, taste.
If you are having trouble with scenes in your story, I would like to recommend the book Make A Scene by Jordan E. Rosenfeld. His book is very clear and precise and easy to understand. I love the way he breaks down the elements that make up a scene. Instead of looking like a scene as being a single thing, think of it as many elements working together.
Here are the basic elements that make up a scene:
Interesting and layered characters that have undergone some type of change since the beginning of the story.
Pov for each scene. (from whose eyes will you view the scene).
Action that takes place in real time.
Dialogue that is memorable and necessary for the scene.
New plot information that moves the story forward.
Testing of your characters through conflict and drama, revealing their personalities.
Using many senses to describe the physical setting, causing your reader to be drawn into the scene.
Exposition and summary in small amounts only.
I realize that what makes a scene a scene is action but well-balanced scenes include a little bit of everything above.


Happy writing!

What about the "P" word?

This morning I was reading the book Fiction Writer's Brainstormer by James V. Smith on Plagiarism.  I never knew before reading this, exactly what constituted Plagiarism. 

Plagiarism is presenting another's writings as one's own.

So how can you borrow from these great writers without adding footnotes to your novel?  Well James V. Smith says to read. Take notes and lots of notes.  I about fell out of my chair when he wrote that he reads with a pen in his hand.  That is EXACTLY what I do!! 

I thought to myself ....well Pam you even act like a writer and you didn't even know it...so you must BE a writer..ha.

Since I have been on this Novel Journey I can't read a book now without a pen...I mean you never know when you will need to underline some great line or write some notes in the book.  (Make sure the book you are writing in is yours and NOT someone elses).

You should never copy a large section without giving credit.  You can however, take something out of a sentence and tweak it to serve your purpose.

Hugs ;)

Learning from the experts

One of the best ways to learn how to write a great novel is to study the books that other authors have written.  I love suspense/mysteries and naturally that is what I want to write.  All the books say to write what you like to read, which makes a lot of sense. 
     Brandilyn Collins is a very talented Christian writer.  I love reading her books.  They are suspenseful and keep you on the edge of your seat...that is why her books are called "seat belt suspense." She is also very good with character development.  I decided to critique her book Violet Dawn, to see how the book was structured.
     The first thing I did was read the book from cover to cover, and write the POV (Point of View) at the top of each chapter.  I was reading this book at the same time that I was learning about "Story Threads."  Story Threads are different stories that are taking place in addition to the main story plot....this is what will help to keep your story interesting as well as give depth to your story.
      So on the computer I would type chapter one and titled it Main Story Thread (because this was the main theme of the book).  Then the second chapter switched scenes to another character and what was happening during the same time as chapter one....so this was Story Thread Two....then in Chapter Three the scene switches back to Story Thread One.  Chapter Four adds a new character and what is happening with her so that becomes Story Thread Three.  I did this at every chapter until I reached the end. 
     Then I color coded each story thread a different color and printed it out.  I was able to see the weave of the different story threads all through the book ....since I am a visual person this really helped me see how this is done.  In this book Brandilyn has Six Story Threads!  If you are a visual person this might help you too.
     This also showed me that at every chapter she would switch scenes and some of those chapter would end in cliff hangers and you would just HAVE to keep reading.  Each character that she introduced was dealing with their own issues which really gave her characters depth.
     She also uses background in a very cleaver way, but that is for another post.  By keeping her chapters short, she is able to switch scenes smoothly. 
     If you like a good Christian Suspense please check out Brandily Collins. You can visit her blog at http://www.forensicsandfaith.blogspot.com/ check out her books they are very, very, good.  I pray that someday I will be that good.  Lord willing. 
     Well better get back to my own writing.
 Blessings and hugs!

Wanna write a novel?

I started my writing journey about a year ago.  I decided to teach myself the art of writing fiction.  I love to read a good suspense novel....you know, the kind that keeps you turning the page at all hours of the night.  My desire is to write clean mystery/suspense novels that are hard to put down.  I thought that as much as I read, it would be a piece of cake to write a novel.  I was totally wrong.  The last year has taught me that there is a lot to learn.  But, I believe that if you have the passion and desire to write, you have already won half the battle. 
     Here is a list of my favorite books on how to write fiction. 1. Don't Murder Your Mystery by Chris Roerden  2. Getting into Character by Brandilyn Collins  3. Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell  4. First Draft in 30 Days by Karen Wiesner  5. Stein on Writing by Sol Stein  6. Self Editing for Fiction Writers   7. Dialogue by Gloria Kempton  8. Description by Monica Wood  9. Beginnings, Middles and Ends by Nancy Kress  10. Conflict, Action and Suspense by William Noble  11. Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass.   Study these books and you will be on your way to writing your bestseller.

This is a picture of me working on my manuscript at a friends mountain cabin in North Carolina.  It was very peaceful and relaxing.  Here I am learning about using description in a story.

God Bless!