When Characters go Rogue and Authors Cry - by Barbara Baker

 

My fingers hover over the keyboard as I try to carry on with Jillian’s story. But I’m stuck. How did that happen? I was positive I had a kickass opening; I love the new character and the new setting Jillian is in, but there’s no more energy. Nothing moves forward. What the hell? How is that possible with such a great start? 

My first writing mentor and dear friend, Ruth Walker, made a comment on my December blog (Books We Love Insider Blog: Butting Heads with a Character - by Barbara Baker) and I go back to read it:

Ugh! This darn writing life is not for the faint of heart, especially if you are a character-driven writer. I've been in your shoes. In fact, was damn-near wearing the same size a few weeks ago. It should have been easy with a fairly good outline and 'plan', but I was going in circles searching for writing energy. So I changed the plan, upended what I thought was going to happen and BINGO: rediscovered the energy. Now, that may not work for you, Barb, but sometimes even a small change -- a new, uncomfortable character showing up, or an unexpected -- even tragic -- change, for example -- that can be a golden ticket. Keep at it, my friend. You'll find what Jillian needs. And even if it hurts, she'll appreciate where you take her. Ruth Walker

Ruth Walker 

Dammit. She’s right. An insignificantly small part of me suspected that when I initially read her comment. But being a tiny bit stubborn, (easy folks), I refused to acknowledge her wisdom.

Darn you, Ruth. I'm mad at you for being right. I'm mad at myself for not realizing it sooner. I'm even mad at Jillian for not pulling her weight in the story. And yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds. So, I offer my apologies to Ruth and Jillian and I cut myself a bit of slack. 

At my first ever writer’s retreat, facilitated by Ruth Walker and Gwynn Scheltema, I learned a lot of stuff about writing stories. One of the ingredients to good writing is - shit has to happen. Ruth’s suggestions of – ‘an unexpected – even tragic event’ and ‘even if it hurts’ comments run amok in my head while I ponder making shit happen scenarios. 

 

And then it hit me. And it hurt so bad. I start to cry as the new scene unfolds in my head. The tragic event grows legs, and they're running. Fast. I type even faster to keep up with the idea and cry harder. The magic is happening. It makes me happy in such a sad way. Gosh, this writing gig is tough. As always, I am thankful there is red wine in the cupboard. 

Being a pantser, I don’t have a story board on my office wall. No yellow stickies to shift around to thicken plots or heighten tension. It often makes it tough to connect my scattered ideas into a cohesive storyline. And with this new development, a different type of juggling act has to happen to make all the pieces fit into the larger puzzle – the new story.

Book 4 is still a long way from the finish line, but it has a trajectory now and a ton of energy moving it forward which is what it was lacking. So, thank you Ruth. For the pain and patience and good advice. Write on. 

2024 Canadian Authors Jigsaw Puzzle can be purchased at: 

High-Quality Jigsaw Puzzles | TheOccurrence

  

Baker, Barbara - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)

bbaker.write@gmail.com

 

Readers' Pet Peeves by J. S. Marlo

 

Undeniable Trait

is available now!

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J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

I'm working on a new story, tentatively titled Misleading Truth. It's a mystery in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains amid the preparation of a wedding.

As I was browsing the Internet for original Pet Peeves, I stumbled on Readers' Pet Peeves. What annoys a reader the most when reading a book?

The list isn't in any particular order, but these are the pet peeves that appear the most often:

     - Two dimensional characters, like perfect men with no flaws who always make the right decision and save the day, or gorgeous women with no personalities.

     - Same description repeated multiple times throughout the book.

     - Long scenic descriptions that add nothing to story.

     - Cliché or predictable storylines.

     - Characters with similar names, or names that are hard to pronounce or remember.

     - Long paragraphs or substantial difference in length of paragraphs, like three very short paragraphs followed by an extra long one.

     - Cliffhanger at the end of a book. The annoyance intensifies if the next book isn't readily available.

     - Series in which books are not numbered.

     - Books of different sizes, especially if part of a series.

     - Misleading blurbs or blurbs with spoilers.

     - Bad editing, bad formatting, bad translation.

     - Small or uneven font size.

     - Poor book cover design.

     - Stickers on books.

     - And last but not least, readers don't like to be bothered when they read.

Personally, I cannot stand excessive and pointless profanity in books. I was once asked to review a book with a supposedly "strong" heroine. In the first chapter, she used the f*** word in almost every sentence that came out of her mouth. I don't know if it was the author's way to make her sound like a strong woman, but to me, she just sounded vulgar and rude. I stopped reading right there.

Happy Reading & Stay Warm! 

J. S. 

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Meet Buster Parker by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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All in the Furry Family, Book 2 in the Cat Tales series was just released on February 1st. Many of readers' favorite characters from All the Furs and Feathers are back, but there are also some new ones. I'd like to introduce you to one of the most important new characters, Buster Parker.

Buster is Smokey and Autumn Amelia's new neighbor. He's a white cat with large black spots.  His face is white on his mouth and cheeks and in a wide line that narrows as it goes up. The black fur starts at his eyes and goes back to the top of his head and ears. There is a black triangle from his nose to his mouth that Autumn Amelia finds simply adorable. In fact, his markings remind her of a miniature cow. Also adorable, according to Autumn. Could part of her attraction be that Autumn, who fantasizes about being a pirate, found out he owns a boat on Niptucket Island? Well, she liked him before she knew that, but it sure doesn't hurt. Fortunately, Buster likes Autumn Amelia, too. Before long a romance between the two cats begins to brew. 

In the following excerpt from All in the Furry Family, Autumn and Smokey have gone out for a walk when they see a moving van in the driveway of a house that has just sold and the new owner standing in the driveway. They decide to introduce themselves. Autumn, a locally renowned chef whose reputation is spreading far and wide, wants to welcome him to the neighborhood by making a meal for him.

From All in the Furry Family:

"I'd like to make dinner for you and your family. How many will I be cooking for?"

Buster's eyes widen. "That's awfully nice of you, but it's just me. I figured I'd grab a bite somewhere."

"Oh," says Autumn. "How about lunch? I can drop it off when I leave for work."

"Don't go to any trouble."

"It's no trouble," she says.

"Autumn is a chef," Smokey interjects. "She runs Mama Cat's Kitchen at Oneness Park in Faunaburg. Have you heard of it?"

Buster's eyes grow wider. "You're that Autumn Amelia?"

Later, as they walk back home, Smokey and Autumn discuss their new neighbor.

From All in the Furry Family:

"He's very handsome," says Autumn Amelia.

"You think so?" asks Smokey, unable to keep the teasing from her voice.

"Don't you?"

"I suppose. I think he liked you."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw how he looked at you. He probably can't wait for you to drop off that sandwich."

"It's the sandwich he's interested in, not me."

"Well, you are that Autumn Amelia, after all. I still think he's interested in you."

Autumn and Buster have many adventures in All in the Furry Family as they begin dating and continue getting to know each other.

Buster's character is based on my neighbor's cat of the same name. Here he is enjoying a Christmas gift from my own Autumn Amelia:

Buster Parker is just one of several new characters that I can't wait for readers to meet. Next month, I'll introduce Louisa, a great blue heron, and her friend, Vivian, a flamingo visiting her from Palm Ray.

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BACKSTORY: Anecdotes from a writer’s desk by Debra Loughead

 

                                                      

Loughead, Debra - BWL Publishing Inc.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how story ideas are generated. And how frequently the inciting incident in a novel revolves around a particular inanimate object.

The ‘inciting incident’ in a novel is the event that sets the story in motion. It’s the first instant that initially hooks the reader and keeps them turning the pages. The event that forces the protagonist’s ordinary life to suddenly veer off track into the realm of the extraordinary, setting in motion a series of challenges that the main character could never have anticipated. And quite often, the mysterious object that is about to alter the trajectory of someone’s life is discovered early in the opening chapters.

I’ve been reflecting on some of the many famous and classical stories with an object woven into the fabric of the narrative. Often these objects are imbued with magical properties. The iconic novel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, a young adult Bildungsroman by Ann Brashares is a perfect example of the object as plot device in literature. Four girls, best friends since forever, discover a pair of old jeans that quite curiously fits each of them perfectly well in spite of the fact that they’re all different shapes and sizes. Over the course of a single summer, the girls each have a chance to wear the possibly magical pants, resulting in journeys of growth and life-altering experiences for all of them. 

Of course, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis is another example of an object at the heart of the story. During wartime London, four siblings are evacuated for their safety to a home in the English countryside. While exploring the peculiar old house, the youngest girl stumbles upon a magical wardrobe in a spare bedroom. This leads to a whole new world and countless adventures for all of the children over the course of the entire Chronicles of Narnia seven-book series.

A few more novels and short stories that immediately come to mind: The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Monkey’s Paw, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Gift of the Magi, The Lord of the Rings, several Harry Potter books. You get the picture, and I’m sure you can think of countless others in any and every genre. In each of these cases, an inanimate object just happens to set the story in motion (and so many of them just happen come to a terrifying conclusion!)

Which leads me to my own body of work, as well as Happenstance, my latest novel. Back in 2009 and 2011, two of my short reluctant readers novels were published by Orca Books. In The Snowball Effect, hurling a snowball off a bridge on a snowy winter night results in serious consequences for young Dylan. And in Struck, a teenaged Claire gets caught in a rainstorm, opens a discarded umbrella she finds in a trash can, gets struck by lightning, then returns to her home to find that her circumstances are suddenly changing. Another middle-grade historical novel, Bright Shining Moment, from Second Story Press, centres on a dime that young Aline steals from her mother’s purse so she can contribute to a charity box at her school. That seemingly innocuous incident sets a whole series of circumstance into motion that might never have happened if not for the theft of that one thin dime.

I’d always wanted to explore the concept of an object triggering a series of linked events in longer form, and this is how I came to write my new YA novel from BWL, Happenstance. Telling the story of a lost-and-found moonstone ring from the perspectives of two young adults, Tara and Sophie, in two different voices was a gratifying challenge, one which I’d never attempted before. Each of the girls comes with her own unique backstory and her own set of experiences and struggles, friends and family, personality traits that affect her decisions, and her own intense soul searching as she begins her coming-of-age journey over the course of the novel. And it all starts with that sparkling ring. That object of everyone’s desire, or so it seems. The one that may or may not be endowed with magical properties. A ring that seemingly alters the course of two teenagers’ lives. Or maybe it was all just a matter of happenstance.

If you can recommend any object-based novels that held you spellbound as you eagerly turned the pages, please feel free to share them! Thanks!

 

Time: Screw the Bastard by Byron Fry

 

Fry, Byron - BWL Publishing Inc.

 For details and purchase information click here

Time: Screw the Bastard

 

 

   As a species, humans are nothing if not overly preoccupied with age. Some of us buy into the latest gadget, product or fad being lauded as a savior against the inevitable; some of us handle it in healthier, more active and natural ways. But at some level or other, we all have that nagging clock loudly reverberating around the back of our theater. It alters the performance of everyday goings on up in our attic, as it counts down the seconds before the arrival of what Eliot called The Eternal Footman.

     This has long been on my mind, even as a young man, not because I'm obsessed or unhealthy or overly morbid, but because I've spent my adult life in the Southern California entertainment industry. It's is an oddly surreal culture, in that we're conditioned to think that we have to be ageless. And I guess if somebody meets with the right level of success, they are--to the zeitgeist at any rate, in the same way that they're quickly forgotten if they don't achieve that success--but if we get visibly old, especially women, the phone tends to stop ringing. So hereabouts at least, it's not a baseless concern. And most of us are smart enough to know how stupid that is, and resent the vapid aesthetic that devalues the most experienced sector of the creative workforce. And of course, the entertainment industry isn't the only culture on Earth where this errant thinking holds sway.

     I'm a staunch functionalist at heart, so it's not actually as big a thing to me as it is to many around me. As I see it, those who would be concerned about age--as opposed to caring about what someone brings to the table professionally, or as a human--don't have the right mindset to work with me professionally or to be on my cloud, anyway.

     But whether viewed from inside or outside the plastic capsule of Hollywood, this stigma about getting older is a bad path: it makes us compare ourselves to who we used to be. And this focuses our energy 180 degrees in the wrong direction.

     I had an illuminating conversation with a good buddy one night when I was living in Mammoth Lakes, and the subject turned to this. My promo headshot was dated and I needed a new one, but I was concerned about not looking as young as I had used to. I'll never forget he said:

     "Ah, no, my man...that's not how it works, here's how aging works: It's not that you're older than you were yesterday. It's that you're younger than you'll be tomorrow."

     This simple sentence rocked me back on my heels, and has been my guiding tenet about the aging process ever since. Thus I herein impart it unto you, in hopes that it has the same effect on your efforts and life as it does on mine, namely:

     Get out and do it now. Do everything you can, every day, with whatever you've got. Pursue your time, don't be chased by it. The life you live--this incredible, mind-boggling thing that is existence as a living, thinking organism--will be fuller, and more fun. You can trust the Eternal Footman to be here on his own time.

     Until then, screw the bastard...and screw father time, too.