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You can find my books at Books We Love
Prospecting doesn’t always mean
looking for gold. It can include looking for things that interest you, such as
things you collect on your adventures. Are you a collector? Do you look for
unique, strange, useful or ornamental things?
I collect rocks. Nothing really
huge, you understand, but certainly unique. Can you see the bird rock in this
picture of my collection? There is also one at the bottom with a white band
that goes completely around it. I call this my infinity rock. Notice the
fossils imbedded in yet another one?
I
visited Bar Harbor, Maine several years ago where the coast and shore lines are
very rocky so it’s a great place to collect rocks. That’s where I found out
about heart stones, of which there are two in my rock bowl. Heart stones have been formed by the forces of nature
into universal symbols of love. They’re not precious like diamonds or
rubies, but are still unique. A walk on the beach with any stones at all will
usually turn up one or two heart-shaped stones. (Keep in mind, as you can see
in the two I have, they may not be symmetrical; they may have cracks and
blemishes and be lopsided and imperfect, but they can be the best find on the
beach.)
When I left Maine, I was trying to put my
carry-on in the overhead compartment and a nice gentleman offered to help. As
he lifted it overhead, he asked, “What do you have in here, rocks?”
Well, actually… J
I also collect sea glass and bits of
pottery found along the shore. Sea glass doesn’t seem to tumble around the gulf
coast, but I’ve found pieces all along the Atlantic Ocean and my daughter even
found some in Ireland. These broken bottles and other glass are technically
ocean trash, but over time, the ocean has broken it up, tumbled it around and
spit it out as beautiful frosted pieces, often made into jewelry and used in
other pieces of art.
Prospecting and collecting doesn’t
always mean having physical objects to display in a jar, bowl or on a shelf. As
a writer, I am continually prospecting for new story ideas, names for my
characters and interesting sites for my settings. Ellie, in “Prospecting for
Love”, was in similar circumstances as she was taking photographs in the ghost
town of Peavine, Nevada, for a magazine photo essay. Unfortunately for her, she was abducted by two
ghosts and taken back in time to when Peavine was a thriving mining town.
This
time travel romance has plenty of humor as Ellie is a thoroughly 21st
century woman and finds it hard to cope without electricity and a microwave.
Reviews give it 5 stars – “Twists, turns, memorable characters and a ‘can’t put
down’ story are the trademarks that make Ms. Baldwin’s stories so wonderful.
Each character is so well drawn you feel like you know them.” (Love Romances
and More)
Take
a fun adventure into the past with “Prospecting for Love.”
Barbara
Baldwin
http://www.authorsden.com/barbarajbaldwin
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Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Prospecting and Collecting by Barbara Baldwin
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
I’m ‘paying forward’ Aaron Shepard’s article on ‘What
Makes a Good Story?’ Rita
What Makes a Good Story?
Tips for Young Authors - By Aaron Shepard
Copyright © 1998 Aaron Shepard. May be freely copied and
shared for any noncommercial purpose as long as no text is altered or omitted.
Good writers
often break rules—but they know they’re doing it! Here are some good rules to
know.
Theme
A theme is something important the story tries to tell
us—something that might help us in our own lives. Not every story has a theme,
but it’s best if it does.
Don’t get too preachy. Let the theme grow out of the
story, so readers feel they’ve learned it for themselves. You shouldn’t have to
say what the moral is.
Plot
Plot is most often about a conflict or struggle that the
main character goes through. The conflict can be with another character, or
with the way things are, or with something inside the character, like needs or
feelings.
The main character should win or lose at least partly on
their own, and not just be rescued by someone or something else. Most often,
the character learns or grows as they try to solve their problem. What the
character learns is the theme.
The conflict should get more and more tense or exciting.
The tension should reach a high point or “climax” near the end of the story,
then ease off.
The basic steps of a plot are: conflict begins, things go
right, things go WRONG, final victory (or defeat), and wrap-up. The right-wrong
steps can repeat.
A novel can have several conflicts, but a short story
should have only one.
Story Structure
At the beginning, jump right into the action. At the end,
wind up the story quickly.
Decide about writing the story either in “first person”
or in “third person.” Third-person pronouns are “he,” “she,” and “it”—so
writing in third person means telling a story as if it’s all about other
people. The first-person pronoun is “I”—so writing in first person means telling
a story as if it happened to you.
Even if you write in third person, try to tell the story
through the eyes of just one character—most likely the main character.
Don’t tell anything that the character wouldn’t know. This is called “point of
view.” If you must tell something else, create a whole separate section
with the point of view of another character.
Decide about writing either in “present tense” or in
“past tense.” Writing in past tense means writing as if the story already
happened. That is how most stories are written. Writing in present tense means
writing as if the story is happening right now. Stick to one tense or the
other!
Characters
Before you start writing, know your characters well.
Your main character should be someone readers can feel something
in common with, or at least care about.
You don’t have to describe a character completely. It’s
enough to say one or two things about how a character looks or moves or speaks.
A main character should have at least one flaw or
weakness. Perfect characters are not very interesting. They’re also harder to
feel something in common with or care about. And they don’t have anything to
learn. In the same way, there should be at least one thing good about a “bad
guy.”
Setting
Set your story in a place and time that will be
interesting or familiar.
Style and Tone
Use language that feels right for your story.
Wherever you can, use actions and speech to let readers
know what’s happening. Show, don’t tell.
Give speech in direct quotes like “Go away!” instead of
indirect quotes like “She told him to go away.”
You don’t have to write fancy to write well. It almost
never hurts to use simple words and simple sentences. That way, your writing is
easy to read and understand.
Always use the best possible word—the one that is closest
to your meaning, sounds best, and creates the clearest image. If you can’t
think of the right one, use a thesaurus.
Carefully check each word, phrase,
sentence, and paragraph. Is it the best you can write? Is it in the right
place? Do you need it at all? If not, take it out!
Monday, July 8, 2019
Sunday, July 7, 2019
My New 19th Century BFFs
Click here to purchase
Click here for Eileen O'Finlan's website
Click here for Eileen O'Finlan's website
|
Labels:
#Books We Love Blog,
#BWL Author Blog,
19th century,
Catharine Beecher,
domestic science,
Harriet Beecher Stowe,
housewife,
housework,
Lydia Maria Child,
Women

Saturday, July 6, 2019
Nova Scotia Ghosts
Ghost Stores – how true are they?
Although the stories of women are scarce, there is an unlimited supply of ghost stories for the Maritime Provinces. They comprise a collection of forerunners, apparitions, and other-worldly events. Forerunners foretell a death. They include:
- three knocks on the door with no one outside
- visions of a relative seen in the night
- ghostly figures following you on the road
- non-existent figures are seen in a rear-view mirror
- footsteps heard on the stairs with no one there
- footprints are seen on a floor where no one has walked
- the sound of a vehicle arriving but no one is there
Usually, forerunners are followed by the death of a family member or friend often before that person has reached a ripe old age.
For two real ghost stories of this generation, told to me by a reliable source, visit my blog on A Plethora of Ghosts
Stories of ghostly events and their outcomes are available in many books.
(The Books are linked to Amazon.ca if you would like the book.)
I've also shivered to the Ghost Stories of authors like Vernon Oickle.
Labels:
forerunners,
Ghost Stories,
South Shore apparitions
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