My life as an author

I am an author. I have been writing since I was about seven years old. I wrote a few short stories and then got into writing this story that came to be known as An Involuntary King. Along with various other writings, I became published in 1991. That was when I wrote Loving the Goddess Within, which was published by Delphi Press. Many years later in 2008 I wrote, using ghost letters, An Involuntary King, a tale of Anglo-Saxon England. Soon after that I wrote the first version of Beloved Pilgrim. That version had a lesbian main character. Thereafter I became transgender, and after publishing Where My Love Lies Dreaming I decided it was high time I wrote Beloved Pilgrim as a transgender character novel. I wrote short stories for two anthologies, and finally I wrote A Fine Bromance for Harmony Ink Press.

Now to go on with the rest of the story. I was born with fundus flavimaculatas, a hereditary and congenital eye condition that causes one's central vision to deteriorate; that is my rods and cones do not work or even fully exist. I didn't know this until I was 25. In high school I started noticing problems with seeing what was written on the board. My father did not pay for us to go get glasses. It was when I was 25 years old and living in Iron Mountain, Michigan, that I went to an eye doctor and found out that I had a severe and permanent eye condition that he called Stargardt disease, a form of macular degeneration. I was told that my eyesight would continue to fail until I got to the point that I had simply overall poor vision. The last I checked my eyesight was 20 over 2400. Since that time I had a stroke when I was 60 years old, and part of the impact is that I now also have he me anoxia. That means that the vision being taken in by half my rods and cones is not making it through my optic nerve.

Since I learned at 25 that I am legally blind I have gained a number of devices that help me immeasurably. The department of services for the blind supplied me with a computer and magnifying and speaking software. I have some other devices, including a pebble that I don't use that often, and the da Vinci which reads aloud anything you put under it.

Now clearly since I have four or more novels I must've figured out how to use all these devices to their best advantage. The fact is, however, that since the he me anoxia began my eyesight has taken a turn very much for the worst. Every day I sit at my desk and use my adaptive equipment on my computer to write. The trouble is that now, and this has been going on for at least 6 to 12 months, I don't seem to be especially well served. I have added Dragon to my suite of helpers, trying to learn to dictate rather than to touch-type my manuscripts. At this point that is proving only mildly helpful.

What I want to do right now is describe the experience I have when I sit down to write. I come into my office and sit down and turn on the computer. When the adaptive software, ZoomText, opens I used to be able to get to work right away. Now since I can't see the screen very well, I don't really see the screen enough to read. For instance, I am looking at the previous paragraph that began "Now clearly," and I cannot read those words at all. In fact I just guessed that the first two words for the ones I said. If I notice and underline or other indication of poor spelling, I can't see what it says. If I have to read something that I listen to on my Kindle, I have to open Kindle for PC but I can't really read the print on the screen. It's patchy. This gets me very frustrated. Even if I can sit like I'm doing now and narrate what I want to say, I am not 100 percent sure that what I said made it onto the screen. Perhaps you as the reader can guess from any non sequiturs in what I'm writing.

The way I read what I've typed or spoken is I highlight the text, and then press Control-Alt-X to save it to the clipboard, then Control-Alt-C to make my computer read it aloud.  It takes less time than it sounds except that it is clearly more steps than a sighted person would need to take.

In addition I don't seem to have the technique I referred to as "christen mind." I am not even sure this sentence made any sense at all. I used to be able to imagine sequences from books I was writing that helped construct the narrative that doesn't seem as easy for me now, although that may just be that I am not wrapped up in any particular story. I have been trying to write during 2016, but a combination of my decreased vision and whatever is going on with my stroke-addled brain seems to leave me feeling unfocused. That is an unfortunate but accurate use of that word.

I am very frustrated. I am trying to convince myself that if I focus on work I will be able to sit down every day and write for at least three to four hours. I honestly don't know what it will take to get me to do it. I am distracted by e-mail, by Facebook, and buying games. I recently cut out some of my work, specifically writing book reviews, to force myself into filling the time with actual writing. Just now I suspect all I'm doing is keeping myself writing so I stay in the habit. I don't know if that will work. During the days I as often as not feel like taking a nap.

So what do I do? Is there anyone I could talk to or get help from? I am having a very frustrating time figuring out who that would be. I know that the organization I used to work for, Sight Connection, seems to be falling apart. I honestly don't think that they have anything at all to share with me. I thought about attending Department of Services for the Blind, but I am not sure they know what they're doing either. Given that I am nearly 65 years old, I doubt they would take me on as a client anyway. Their clients are there to be given skills so that they can get jobs. I don't know that they would take my having a job, being a novelist, very seriously, and I don't know if they'd have any clue what to do to help me.

I don't feel like I am at the end of my career. I know that I have the ideas for a number of novels in my head. I know that to be a viable novelist I have to write a lot more novels. It amazes me when I realize how many novels other people do while I am barely turning out one a year.

I know that Jim is frustrated with my progress. He is not critical of me per se, when he does try to give me advice, and I feel at a loss to be able to really take the advice. When I sit in front of the computer it just seems like I can't do what I used to be able to do. There must be some sort of solution, right? I can keep trying to explore it, but I don't even know where to look. My stroke-addled brain prevents me from really thinking it through properly. I don't know if I talk to anyone at rehab or to a doctor if I would get any help at all.

I sometimes think I should just accept retirement. The problem is that I don't know what I do with my time. Right now I'm wasting it. Would I be wasting it as I was trying to write book? I know if I could just get novellas out, I might be fine.

As I always say, onward and upward. So the solution still eludes me.

Anne Shirley Ain't Got Nothin' on Me

Anne Shirley's impassioned pleas to be called Cordelia and her devotion to her "bosom friend" came back to me this past week as I reread the early letters my friend Laura and I wrote on behalf of our characters who were fated to become the main characters of my novel, An Involuntary King. I have been posting the few that still exist from the period of 1964 to 1967 on my new blog of the same name. True, I was 12 and Laura was 11 when we started this project together, but hoo doggy, we almost put Anne to shame! If the novels about Anne were almost impossible for me to read, these letters... well, see for yourself.


I find myself hoping no child psychologist ever comes across them... I would rather not know what they reveal. And the stories to come are no better.

It seems like my pre-adolescent mania was for tragic near death scenes, a king prone to comatose periods, rash acts like murdering the man who bedded one's wife by poisoning him at the feasting table, florid outpourings of love and regret. I have only one of the letters Laura wrote but in it she presents only a slightly less manic self-revelation. References in our letters to ones that are missing show her having the queen so crushed by the death of her infant conceived in rape that she takes a gallant young knight as a lover.. he whom the king would later poison and then exile himself for a year as punishment. he drawing above is from the same time as the stories and shows poor old Lawrence bed ridden as usual, facing and giving command of his armies to Elerde, the man who had put him in that bed of pain by bashing him in the head in a duel. It's complicated... there is a woman involved of course.

And I am not even going to mention the sorceress who enchanted the king and is found with him, dead.

More recently Laura and I reconnected. We have had occasion to talk about these letters and stories. She revealed to me that she was always longing for the sort of love found in the sort of songs sung by the trouveres. My situation was a little more complicated, or so I believe, as I had a preference for being the protective, strong hero rather than the dreamy heroine. Then why was Lawrence always injured or sick?? Don't ask me. I can't know.

Let me conclude by assuring you that I am a much more stable, mature and able writer now... no, really.

Novel Grammar Mistakes

I have been reading a lot of novels lately that, in spite of professional editing, reveal the most appalling grammar in the narratives.  I am not speaking of complex grammatical constructions but some of the simplest.. and dumbest.. mistakes around.  No one's perfect, least of all me.  But c'mon, you guys.. these are elementary.

Compound nouns and pronoun.mistakes

Which is correct?

Lady Angelique gave the news to Marie and me.

-or-

Lady Angelique gave the news to Marie and I.

The way to figure the answer is to remove "Marie and' and try it with just "I" or "me".   It's obvious now, right?    I bet you are saying, "You can't seriously mean to tell me you saw this done wrong in a novel!" Not just one!  The official rule is that "I" can only be the subject of a verb and "me" the object.  So while "Marie and I (subject of 'gave') gave the news to lady Angelique" is correct, it is "Lady Angelique gave the news to Marie and me (object of 'gave't)."

Then there is "lie" and "lay". 

Is it:

I can picture Clem laying in the tall prairie grass.

-or-

I can picture Clem lying in the tall prairie grass.

This is actually a sentence in the novel i am reading right now.  You would not believe how often i have seen it.  "To lie" is an intransitive verb.  That means it does not need to have an object.  Something or someone can simply "lie", such as in "Let sleeping dogs lie."  But "to lay" is transitive.  It needs a object.  You "lay" something on something else.  "I lay the book on the table."

You will be in company if you get these two wrong, but I refuse to say "good company".

The Joy of Editing

I always thought I would just hate editing. How dull! I read this book already!  Why do I have to read it again and again and so soon?

Much to my surprise, however, I actually quite enjoy it.   I wake up in the morning and think, "Oh good!  I am working on editing Chapter Nine today!"  I get to read a story I love about characters I love even more, and I get to make it better?!  Quelle joie!

Counterpoint: Dylans Story author Ruth Sims said somethg that made great sense.  First of all, she said that editing allows her to spend more time with her characters.  She loves them and wants to hang out with them some more.  I could understand that.  I refuse to estrange myself from my An Involuntary King ensemble, and I set up a blog so I could keep writing about them.  I know there are at least two sequels...

Something I said to Ruth made sense to her.  I told her I like editing because I like how I write!  She said, "Me too!" and complained about people who don't get it and insist she shouldn't praise her own writing.  She said that if you don't love your writing, you have no business putting it out there and expecting other people to read it.  I agree wholeheartedly.  It doesn't have to be Shakespeare.  If you enjoy it, others will.  Not everyone, but so what!  Not everyone likes the way I make scrambled eggs either.

Ruth and I appear to be in good company.  Truman Capote once said “Finishing a book is just like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it.”  

Today I did my nearly last edit on a chapter where it turned out I had to completely rewrite a big chunk of it.  It was glorious!

(Ruth Sims is also the author of The Phoenix.)

Those Pesky Speech Tags

If you use the search box above to find references on this blog to "speech tags" you will find at least one other post on the subject.   I have been thinking about this topic as I finish the first draft of my Crusades novel where I have had had numerous occasions to choose words other than say or ask.  I am glad to have the place to reiterate my point of view.

I don't understand the proscription for words other than "say" and "ask" that one finds in pronouncements meant for writers all over the Internet and beyond.  I have not yet been given a good reason why speech tags should be any less descriptive and suggestive than other parts of speech.  All anyone can tell me is that "editors don't like them."  One author friend says they stop her dead in her tracks as she is reading.  I don't know why.  It's just her druthers, I suppose.

The one that griped me the most when I was criticised for using it was "breathed", as I explain in my earlier post.  I was told by more than one person that there is either no verb "breathe", patently absurd, and that a person cannot breathe words.  That is also ridiculous.  One of the definitions of breathe is to utter.  Is one allowed to utter words?  I am not even sure one can utter anything else.

Correct me if I am wrong, but fiction is supposed to be expressive, supposed to give the reader a full sense of the setting, situation, personalities and emotions in a given scene.  We do this through narrative, but there is also an artistry to fiction writing.  We don't just tell, and in fact we are enjoined to show, not tell, from Balzac to the present.  You show through expressing attributes for different people, places, events, and so forth.  Nouns have attributes, but they can be expressed through an adjective or through a noun that includes the attribute.  So a man can be a blond man, a man with blond hair but he can also be a blond.

I don't see why an action cannot be the same.  I can say someone said something in such a way as to reveal relief, or I can say it with the choice of verb.  When I write that someone breathed what he said, I intend to convey a manner in which he said something, and imply that relief is the reason.

"Thank God that's over," he breathed.

Why is this less effective than, say,

"Thank God that's over," he said with relief.

My choice is as expressive, if not more so, it shows, not tells, and it's more succinct.  So why is it not a better choice?

I have not heard what sounds like a valid answer yet.  Could it be that the rule is simply someone's whim that has been accepted as gospel truth?   It wouldn't be the first time that "experts" claimed both knowledge and the right to limit something others do based on that specious knowledge.  Aristotle himself claimed that women had fewer teeth than men, and that this proved we are inferior.  Well, then, 'nuff said... huh?  Looked in a woman's mouth lately?  We also have fewer testicles.  What does that tell you?

Another point I would make is that we are also advised not to over-use adverbs.  The reason seems to be that the writing gets murky with too many of them. OK, I will buy that.  And I assert that using more descriptive speech tags is a great way to reduce the use of adverbs and adverbial phrases.  See my example above.

Perhaps your own motivation is to get editors to accept your writing.  If in fact editors are so married to "say" and "ask" then I suppose the proscription is good advice.  At the risk of sounding pompous, I have to ask, who's the writer here?  The artist?  The world I draw in my novels is my own creation.  I know how my characters express themselves.  I expect to be the arbiter of how I compose the narrative.  If that means no one will ever publish my books, well then, there are other resources.

In sum, I believe the rule about speech tags is arbitrary and probably exists for inexpressible reasons.  Of course, one can get carried away, but that is bad writing and nothing more.  It does not rely on a list of do's and don'ts put forth by some, um, expert.
I want to thank Blogger, by the way, for re-enabling spellcheck on the composition screen.  Lord knows I needed it.

Thoughts on First Person Narrative

About a year or so ago I heard from several different sources that publishers of historical fiction want first person female, preferably royal, novels. If they can be Tudors, so much the better. I also heard that first-person female is all the rage with historical romance. I did some unscientific surveying to find out if, as I had been told, women don't like to read first person male, the results basically being that no one really gives a damn one way or the other.

I spent some time agonizing over whether the novel I am writing now needed to be turned into first person. It certainly offered an intimacy and a look into the main character, a woman who goes to crusade disguised as a man. I quickly discovered that first person has its own limitations. Primarily, it requires that the narrator either be present for all events described or be told about them. Frankly, this gets tiresome. In one novel I read recently the fact that the two narrators were isolated from most of the action meant that dozens of messengers had to run back and forth to court or visitors needed to be up on the latest doings. It gets awkward. It turned into a textbook case of telling, not showing, quite literally.

I have read many first person novels over the years. I have come to some conclusions about using the technique that authors, agents, editors and readers all might want to consider, especially editors at publishing houses. To pull off first person narrative, these elements must be in place:

The use of first person must offer more than just storytelling. One novel I read used this style skillfully to reveal the character's unreliability as a reporter not only about his surroundings but also his own motivation. This lent a level of interest and insight into the novel.
The author must be fully acquainted with his/her narrating character and be able to speak in his/her voice consistently. The novel I read with two narrators failed to reveal that much about either character, nor to make their voices distinct from each other.
The narrating character must have a good reason to know everything going on. One novel I read required that narrator was an obsessive eavesdropper, a fact that actually resulted in comments from readers about her busybody activities. So much sneaking around, listening at keyholes, hiding in the shrubbery, and so forth, made the character less believable.
I have read two first person narrative novels where I came to the conclusion that the authors themselves had limited depth of experience and understanding. I suppose the authors could have intended to portray the characters this way, but I don't think so in these cases. The result was shallowness not only of plot but of character. In one case I drew the conclusion that the author had been popular in high school and saw the world in that light, though her character should have had quite different experiences.
A mystery can be quite suitable for first person, as one steps into the detective's persona and therefore has exactly the same clues. One Elizabethan era sleuth series has a female narrator who is consistent in voice, totally convincing, and fun to read. Through her one has the opportunity to try to solve the crime, having no more or less to go on than the sleuth.

In general I prefer third person and its capacity for dramatizing the actions of more than one person and event. I decided to stick with third person in my work in progress primarily because of scenes, like one where Raymond of Toulouse is icily treated by the Emperor sometime before my protagonist has even returned to Constantinople, which cannot have been experienced by a single narrator.

Think about novels you have read that would have been ruined if written in first person. I immediately thought of Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. It is absolutely vital that Lymond himself be all but unfathomable. You need to watch him and draw your own conclusions. Your confusion and impatience are part of the magic of the reading. First person would simply either give too much away or make for a lousy uninteresting novel.

First person when it is done well and for good reason can be excellent. A good reason may be insight into the narrator, portraying a unique personality, or, like a mystery, a way to control access of information to the reader. Unless you have that good reason, first person is in danger of producing a shallow novel, little more than gossipy discourse in costume.

Perhaps publishers married to this cant about first person female, if they exist, should consider whether any given novel, author or character really is better served by the first person narrative approach.

The Be-All and End-All of Tips for Fiction Writers

We are lucky to be able to offer you these fifteen tips for writing fiction from such literary luminaries as Steve N. King, Agatha Crispie, Bertrand Cornwall, Ben Follett and Anne Morrow Berghlind.

1. Never start a novel with a word beginning with a vowel.
2. It is important to create at least one character who has a foreign accent, and that his or her dialogue reflects it.
3. When formulating plot, remember that writing is like juggling - the more balls you have in the air, the better you look.
4. A comma is a writer’s best friend. Or maybe dogs come first, then commas. No, commas; definitely commas.
5. A dictionary is the writer's best friend. All the words are there - all you have to do is get them in the right order. Wait a minute, I thought comma’s were a writer’s best friend!
6. Men should never write first person female narratives. It is a subtle form of cross-dressing. Unless of course the author is a cross-dresser.
7. Never use the word "said." Characters may laugh, wink, grin, or anything else but never, under any circumstances, should they "say" anything.
8. The first sentence of a book is the most important. If a reader is not hooked right away, there is a 73% probability they will close the book after finishing that sentence and return the book for a full refund. There is a 90% chance that the prior sentence is completely made up.
9. It is all right to use adverbs but only those that do not end with –ly.
10. Avoid paragraphs with seven sentences each made up of seven seven-letter words. This instantly invokes an Old Gypsy Curse. Unless, of course, the author is an Old Gypsy.
11. Don't start with a character regaining consciousness after a car accident. Agents don't like it.
12. If you want to write historical fiction, it’s a lot easier to write about a person or event no one knows a thing about.
13. Write your last chapter first, your first chapter fifth, your middle chapter at the end, and for your third draft, read them in that order.
14. To make sure readers know your plot is exciting, be sure to end every sentence with an exclamation point.
15. Never believe any writer tips articles published on April Fool’s Day. Come to think of it, never believe any writer tips articles. They are all written by people without any imagination.

Now that we’ve set that record straight, I would like to thank the people who helped brainstorm this list:

Michael S. Katz, author of Shalom on the Range
Rob Parnell, writing expert and instructor, Easy Way to Write
Janet Elaine Smith, with whom you can travel to Venezuela and back .
Ruth Sims, author of The Phoenix
Friar Jak, military strategist par excellence
Dianne Salerni, author of the upcoming We Hear the Dead
Jim Tedford, a man of infinite jest and most excellent fancy

Online Courses for Writers from Ed2Go

Ed2Go.com provides online courses for a wide variety of personal enrichment, computer skills dev elopment, languages, and career development, including writin and publishing.  I have taken a few courses through them and enjoyed both the classes and the ease with which I can take them.  They tend to be a couplemonths long, with lessons posted twice a week and all aspects available online on the class's website.  The courses appear to be $US99 each, well worth it for the value you receive.  My own courses have been through Cascadia Community College in Bothell, Washington State, but I did not have to register formally at the college.  You can search participating schools for one in your area though in my experience the students seem to come from all over.

The classes consist of five-chapter lessons, assignments, quizzes, resources and a discussion area, all online.  You have access at all times to the instructor via the site.  The courses I have taken have been well organized.  You move at your own pace within the timeframe of the course.  New courses are starting about once a month, so you never have to wait very long.

Here are the courses related to creative writing that they offer.

Advanced Fiction Writing

Beginning Writer's Workshop

Breaking Into Sitcom Writing

Creating K-12 Learning Materials

Demystifying Forensic Science: A Writer's Guide

Grammar Refresher

Introduction to Internet Writing Markets

Introduction to Journaling

Mystery Writing

Pleasures of Poetry

Romance Writing Secrets

The Craft of Magazine Writing

Travel Writing

Write and Publish Your Nonfiction Book

Write Like a Pro

Write Your Life Story

Writeriffic 2: Advanced Creativity Training for Writers

Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers

Writing for Children

Writer's Guides

A Writer's Guide to Descriptive Settings

Research Methods for Writers

The Keys to Effective Editing

Writing for ESL

The only one of the above that I myself took is the Mystery Writing class.  I did not care for this one, but I won't say you would not get more out of it than I did.  The courses I have taken were web development related, and I am taking a drawing class next month!

Ed2Go.com  did not approach me to write this.. in fact they don't know I am.  I know many of you would like to take writing classes of one type or another but don't want to have to pay through the nose and have to travel or attend classroom courses.  I long for the days of ZDnet but alas, they are no more.  This school seems to be a perfectlty good replacement.

NaNo is Mega!

ou've been listening to me fret about just not getting into anything I was writing, watched me take one step after another to get myself revved up.

It is Day 14 of National Novel Writing Month and I just topped 40,000 words! The goal is 50k, which I will hit early this week. The novel itself is only about half done. I have to say that the whole thing felt right from the first sentence. If NaNoWriMo is supposed to get you to put words on a screen, it's working.

Just for the record, it's the story of a woman who dons her late twin bbrother's armor and sets out to join the disastrous Crusade of 1101. Just to be different my MC is German, not English, and there is not a single Irish character anywhere. It's a lesbian love story, a very sweet one at that, but my fans can count on my usual earthy style.

Why a lesbian story? It''s more interesting, that's why. And Elisabeth gives me a female character to write about who is more active, more adventuresome, and just plain more to my liking. My husband pointed out to me with the last book that none of the main characters I wrote were women. Of course, the queen is, but to be candid, I don't much like her. I invented Leofwen to try to make a woman character more to my liking. But her book is yet to be finished. Elisabeth, traveling as Elias, fits the bill.

I am having fun ridiculing people like Odo of Burgundy and Stephen of Blois (the other one), showing the pilgrim knights, they weren't called crusaders yet, for their more likely motivations, adventure, plunder, romanticism, and wanting the "get out of Hell free" card the Pope handed out. I am enjoying contrasting the groups who befriend Our Hero(ine), three high minded but clay footed knights and a band of mercenaries who while scoundrels are the more honorable. And I plan to solve the mystery of whatever happened to Ida of Austria.

I self published my first novel, but I have my eye on finding a publisher for this novel. An ebook publisher, which suits me since that means I will be able to read the thing too.

More than anything, I am astounded at how well this has gone. I think it was just what I needed. I find myself sitting down to scribble a few paragraphs in the next scene, a technique I use to get myself started the next day, and slapping out 1,000 words. I am confident that my writer's block or whatever it was is over. I can't wait to get back to Kerrick and Alehouse Tales!

So, NanoWriMo folks, old buddies, old pals, a great big THANK YOU for the impetus and inspiration to get what I needed back. The endorphens are spilling all over the damned place.

Plot Bunnies

I learned a new word today that only a novelist could really appreciate. Well, maybe a short story writer, too.

plotbunnies

Plotbunnies. Oh how I know about those! One of the most puzzling, most incomprehensible questions I have ever been asked as a writer is "But how do you come up with ideas to write about?"

How do I not come up with ideas?

Plot ideas are like harpies or mosquitoes or pesky musical earworms or other plaguing things. Plotbunnies can be very dangerous, even lethal. You are going along merrily with the execution of some terrific story idea and BAM! another one. A more intriguing one. One you just can't wait to pursue.

Sweep them under the bed as you will.. it's no use.

Wait! I just remembered! I can drag out a plotbunny for NaNoWriMo!

OK, OK, OK.... phew.

Trying to Focus: Not Just for Eyesight Any More

You'd think I'd be used to having trouble focusing. Since the part of my eyes that is missing is the part that focuses, that is. But my eyes aren't to blame for once.

OK, now I'm jazzed. I got my "issues" with my paranormal mystery dealt with, and I am ready to go. So why amn't I going??? I wrote Chapter 1 and half of Chapter 2... I know what happens next. Sheesh.

I have had my tendency to overcommit pointed out to me recently... with good cause. The trouble is that all these tools I can use on the Internet are like the Sears Christmas toy catalog was to me as a kid. The difference is, Daddy can't say no to anything any more.

Don't get me wrong, I love all this anal stuff, like creating blog lists, book lists, answering idiotic questions on Yahoo Answers, having my fictional characters tell ghost stories at the Cheers bar on Ghostletters, reading, writing reviews, looking up dates in history, writing about waycool women of history, uploading Celtic music to me radio station... (Well, I would hardly call of those anal.) That's the problem.. My life is just too much fun.

I thought maybe if I blogged about this I would get with the program. NOT. It's just another way to do something easier than writing a novel.

OK, confession over, Mia Farrow, Mia Farrow, Mia maxima Farrow.

Off to write now.. Maybe not. My butt hurts from sitting in my desk chair too long.

Sigh.

What Is the Opposite of "Modesty"?

Why is it that when I went online to find quotes that question the absolute virtue of modesty I found little, even from Oscar Wilde? And why, when I sought the opposite of "modesty" what I found was "Pride", "vanity" and "arrogance"? Why are quotes about pride always negative? If it's such a terrible thing, why do we use it to denote self-respect of an entire group, such as Black Pride and Gay Pride?

I love this line from Whitman: "I celebrate myself, I sing myself!" And why the hell not? If there is anything I can't stand it's all this modesty among authors. I heard from an author friend the other day telling me that she had won an honor, much to her surprise. Now I read the novel she is being patted on the back for. I understand completely why she is being recognized. It is a terrific novel, and I enjoyed it immensely.

She's not the only author who has told me that my words of praise are "kind". Kind has nothing to do with it. What does is appreciation, respect, and intelligent discernment.

Having written a book many years ago about women and self esteem, I'm not really all that surprised, but I am still quite saddened. This plague of modesty is not just a female ill, but we have raised it to a fine art. For some reason we think a sense of accomplishment, pride in our talent and work, is a dishonorable thing. We should fold our hands, blush and keep our eyes down.

But isn't this an insult to everyone who reads our work, enjoys it, admires it, and tells us so? When my friend tells me I am being kind, is she not implying that I have no freaking idea what I am talking about?

First, I want to hear the author say, "Thanks, I am so glad you feel that way."

Then I want to hear her feeling good about what she achieved. Otherwise why did she do it? As my husband says in his inimitable way, "If it's not good, then why is she wasting everyone's time with it?"

The fact is that all of us are talented. Some are more so than others, but frankly I don't see this as a competition. We should be celebrating ourselves, singing ourselves. Accepting praise with candid pleasure.

You know what? I am sharp as a tack. I write very well and have some skills that are well above average. I'm also wildly resourceful. I love to help people and am virtually tireless. So are many other people. Others still have many other qualities. Yes, they do, and if any of them tell me saying so is kind, I will start screaming.

Celebrate yourself, sing yourself... damn it.

"Say it loud! 'I'm a terrific writer and I'm proud!'"

Authors: What You Didn't Understand About "No"

By Rob Parnel

Reprinted with permission from The Easy Way To Write.

Many writers tell me the scariest thing they have to do is submit their work to publishers, magazine editors and agents.

This is understandable.

You may have poured your heart and soul into a piece of writing. You may have spent a very long time working on it - so much so that it feels like a part of you is somehow exposed.

You fear criticism at best, ridicule at worst.

Placing your work in an envelope can bring on palpitations and an overwhelming sense of panic.

Writers ask me if this ever goes away.

The short answer is no.

It doesn't matter how long you've been writing, or how many times you submit material or show your work to others, there's always a nagging trepidation associated with the experience.

It's akin to first night nerves. Actors, not matter how accomplished, still feel it just before the curtain rises.

Musicians and singers still feel it, just before the song begins.

Even great speakers - gurus - feel it, as they walk out to face the audience.

It's natural, to be expected, indeed, welcomed.

Nervousness is good because it means you're concerned about your art. If you had no fear, no thought that you could ever do any wrong, you wouldn't care so much about your work.

If you had little self consciousness, you'd most likely stop writing and think, Ah well, that'll do. Who cares if they don't like it?

And I think that would come across in your writing.

Don't Fear Rejection
Rejection is not to be feared. Criticism is not to be feared - quite the contrary. If you've stimulated a reaction, even if it's bad, that's good. Because that's what you want.

The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.

The last thing you want is for your writing to be ignored.

But we can't all be fabulous, especially when we're starting out, and the people we send our MSS to know that. And sometimes it's impossible to know how our writing will work for others until we show it to them.

You need to develop an inner confidence - not so much in your writing style or your use of the right words - but in the ideas you're presenting which, after all, is usually what publishers are interested in and looking for.

Writing can almost always be improved by editing, re-shaping and reworking. And you should always strive to improve the way you express yourself.

But there comes a time when you need to let go - and receive feedback. There comes a time when the actor must play the role for the audience or the singer must sing her song. Just like any performer, writers must reveal their skill to the world.

And, gasp, be judged.

And this is where the source of fear is located - in the judgment of others. I suspect sometimes we'd rather not know if we're on the wrong track - or whether our belief in our own talent is misguided.

Rest Easy, Be Kind to Yourself

Let's take a look at the reality of showing your work to others.

1. There are millions of writers out there, you're just one.

2. Rejection is only very rarely personal.

3. If you don't get out there, someone else will.

4. The world needs writers, that's a fact.

5. You've got to be in it to win it.

Confidence in yourself, even if it's misplaced, is essential to success. Because without self confidence, you'll always hide your light - and your work - under a bushel, to coin a phrase from the Bible. (What is a bushel anyway? Do they sell them at K-Mart?)

Even though the jitters may persist - even for JK Rowling, who still receives her fair share of criticism - you have to overcome the fear - and submit your work anyway. It's the only way to get ahead.

It's also the only way to get over the initial nervousness - and discover for yourself the reality of being a 'real' writer.

There will always be hurdles and setbacks. Writers have more than their fair share of those. But it's the ones who keep coming back that take away the prizes.

Be Humble and Accept Criticism

As I said, sometimes the only way to experience the reality of being a writer is to deliberately put yourself out there - and step into the firing line.

You may be criticized - but actually not nearly as much as you'd expect. But even if you are, it's all good.

Criticism is feedback. And acting on criticism is helping you grow and learn as a writer. It's making you better and stronger. It's giving you the tools to keep coming back and proving, with each word, that you know what you're doing, have a right to do it, and will keep doing it until your vision of the world is recognized as valid and well expressed.

Don't fear the fear. Embrace it.

Don't fear rejection, it's to be expected, even welcomed.

Because each rejection means you're one step closer.

And with each step your confidence will grow.

Till next time,

Keep Writing!

Rob@easywaytowrite.com
Your Success is My Concern
http://easywaytowrite.com

How I Do It: One Author's Approach

Guest post by Brandy Purdy, author of The Confession of Piers Gaveston and The Boleyn Wife, due out from Kensington in early 2010. For more information, see www.brandypurdy.com.

s an author, I am often asked, “how do you do it?” a question, I have heard, most frequently asked of magicians also. The explanation is not quite so simple as how a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat or saws a lady in half. Even I don’t fully understand how I do it. I have never taken a writing class or read a how-to book. The knowledge just seems to be a part of me, perhaps something I imbibed or absorbed through years of voracious reading without even realizing it.

When I settle on a subject to write about I do research, I take notes. I always keep notebooks close to me so I can write down ideas, whether they come to me in bed after I have turned out the light to try to sleep or when I’m in the bath. Perhaps because I have been a fan of classic films since I was a little girl, my books, and the ideas that later make up the scenes, chapters, and dialogue, come to me like snippets of film playing on a movie projector inside my mind. The quality and length of these clips vary. Sometimes it is like watching a film without my glasses on, I hear the sound, but the images are all a blur, then it is my job as a novelist to bring them into focus and sharp clarity, Other times the picture is clear but the sound is garbled or scanty. And sometimes the whole thing is a bloody confounded mess like an old silent film on decayed nitrate film-stock desperately in need of restoration. And it is my job to make sense of it all, to put all the clips, which come to me entirely out of sequence and in random order, in the proper chronology, to bring the picture into focus and as sharp as possible clarity, and to make sure all the dialogue is audible and at as perfect as possible pitch. When these scenes pop into my head, the projector is running, and I have to grab a pen and strive to write down as much as possible of what I am hearing or seeing.

To give an example, imagine being shown a snippet of Gone With The Wind then being asked to write down every little thing you remember, what was said, how it was said, what emotions the characters conveyed, the costumes, hairstyles, the setting. As a novelist, it is my job to put the pictures I see in my head into words, to make a novel out of the movie in my mind. When the book is written and I can read it through and watch the whole movie as I read then I know I have it.

Every writer is different, but that is the best explanation I can give of how I do it.

Writing Forsoothly... When Is It Too Much?

My two submissions so far in a writing practice group have resulted in some minor culture shock for me.

The critiques I have gotten have mentioned discomfort with my tendency to write in what they see as an archaic cadence, not just in terms of word choice (e.g.. wicket, porteress, wonted) but what they characterized as assumptions about the reader. I sat up and took notice! Not only do I write like that all the time, sometimes even in my daily life, but I immerse myself in reading mostly historical novels set in the Middle Ages.

I wonder if I have programmed myself to think and write "forsoothly", as one reenactment group calls it. The bect question is, does it matter? Would readers unfamiliar with and possibly uncomfortable with such prose read my books anyway? Is there a plus to writing this way, making it part of setting the scene?

I am calling on other historical novelists to register your opinions on any or all of the following questions:

1. Does an archaic tone to a novel's narrative or dialogue help or hurt it?
2. What is too much when it comes to archaic usage?
3. Someone I know finds you can be too modern as well, using expressions like "I'm just not into him." What do you think?
4. Since any novel that takes place before the Tudor era in England and in any other place where English was not the language is essentially a translation, does it really matter what words an author chooses?
5. I am well known for pointing out that just because a particular word was not recorded does not mean it was not in use in the time about which one is writing, my example being "pitcher". But other writers point to words like "masochism" and "sadism" that came from the names of specific people who were not born yet definitely is outside the reasonable. My question here is why the author can't just write "self destructive" and "deliberately cruel"? Your opinion?

Please click on Comments below to chime in on the topic.

My thanks, gentle reader! (See?)

TOMORROW- Come back and play with some forsoothly translations.

Your Choice: Historical Fiction or Fictional History?

s an author, have you chosen - or would you choose - to write fiction about real historical figures or purely fictional characters in a historical setting? Or do you portray historical figures within a story that is mostly fiction about fictional characters? Why did you make that choice?

As a reader, do you have a preference? Why?

Please share your answer in the Comments.

I am fascinated with everyday people's lives, so although my first is about a king and a queen, they are figments of my friend's and my imaginations. I intend to pursue completely fictional characters in historical settings in most if not all of my future novels. I am more interested in how average people interacted in these intriguing times. And I must admit I prefer novels that at most drag historical figures through like props or preferably offer me the more obscure. Just personal preference.

So let's hear from you!

When the Magic Just Ain't There

have been working with many aspects of a new novel and sharing my thoughts and ideas with you here on Booking the Middle Ages for a couple months at least. As you know it has been a rocky road, and I think I know why now, thanks to a comment my husband made this weekend. he told me that he noticed how happy I was while I was working on An Involuntary King, and how of late I seem more discouraged and dissatisfied I am most of the time now. he is right. The joy in writing has become a chore.

Does this mean I only have one book in me or only one set of characters? I don't think so. Other writers have told me to relax and not force it, the spark of joy will come along in its own time. My Capricorn nature makes me grumble, "But what about all that research I did? I don't want to throw it away." But nothing like research is ever thrown away! It's still there, waiting to be useful, or at least enriching my life with its content.

I've been thinking about writing and the ton of ideas that jump into focus constantly for me. I have decided to play with as many or all I want for a time and see which radiates joy or at the very least is fun as heck. Here are some of the projects I have bouncing around in my brain.

1. Death in East Wellow and the other plots I have come up with starring Kerrick Trevelyan and taking place in Anglo Saxon Winchester in the late tenth century. This is the book that has been stymieing me, but it need not go away... just gestate for a while.

2. Random Acts first draft is all but done, a Napoleonic era erotic romance with the main characters a man named Jack Random. I have wanted to write something erotic about a fellow named Jack Random since I was in college.. and all I will say is that it should be obvious I am not old enough to have been in college during the Victorian period...

3. I would love to write more about my characters from An Involuntary King. I could write a sequel about "what happened next" or turn my attention to other characters. I could take Elerde into his attempt to get into a battle so fierce he could not survive. I could write the origin stories of Shannon and Rory. I could even write about O'Donnell and MacDhui and how they met and how they became involved.

4. I am starting a Fantasy Writing class by Rob Parnell and using a character I have played with on Ghostletters. She is a spubky Seattle police officer who finds herself able to turn into a lioness. This modern fantasy would fit right in with the current popularity of books in that genre.

5. Apparently the one subgenre of historical fiction that is doing well is young adult. I could try my hand at that, taking people and events from the middle ages and putting late teen characters into the middle of them.

6. Erastes passed on a call for submissions for short novels some time ago, which I decided to let pass me by, but have since thought about and found a fascination with. It was supposed to be a story of gay people in the military, and my plot involved two men, one English and one French, who come together at the Battle of Waterloo.

So what shall I do? How about everything? It took me 35 years to get An Involuntary King into novel form. Why stress about another few months for the second book?

And besides the above I have some ideas I won't share, because they are so good you will steal them! ;)

How Far Is Too Far?

I had another one of those discussions about historical accuracy in historical fiction with Jim Tedford the other day. He is on the side of remembering that a novel is fiction and if people choose to believe everything you wrote is fact then they are the fools, not the author. He concedes that it is nice if the author includes an author's note that says which bits were true, but he does not even require that. And he is making more and more sense.

If you asked him, he would tell you what he thinks. He would say fiction is fiction. What is different about historical fiction? Why does Braveheart get your knickers into such a twist?" I sputter this reason and that and ultimately find myself expressing my personal druthers rather than any sound and definitive argument.

So here are some examples of making free with history that I want you to look at and choose any that you think go too far. Let us know in the comments section below. Tell us why that one is not OK but the others are. There is no foregone conclusion. We want to hear what you have to say. These are, by the way, all real books.

Specimen 1 - The author changes an events sequence in history to make the story flow better. She has a relatively minor event occur earlier than it really did.

Specimen 2 - The author sets the novel in a real time with some authentic historical figures as minor characters, but the kingdom the story takes place in is fictional and the main characters fictional.

Specimen 3 - The author uses real historical figures but has two who never could have met do so and fall in love and have a child whom history records as the woman's husband's chi9ld.

Specimen 4 - The author embellishes on a real relationship that we do not however know much about, making an ambiguous one into a great romance.

Specimen 5 - In a series, the author puts his hero into numerous historical events and makes him responsible for all the pivbotsl deeds that were done by real people.

Specimen 6 - An author brings technologies into a story that did not exist in that time and place.

Specimen 7 - An author applies quite modern behavior to a character living in the 12th century.

Feel free to mention books you think have these characteristics or to mention more.

Writing the Modern Thriller Course

OK, just replace the gun with a seaxa.

I decided that before I go on to write the rest of the mystery I am working on I needed to learn more about constructing one. Karen Brees, a colleague on the Historical Novel Society Yahoogroup, highly recommended Rob Parnell's Easy Way to Write Workshops, in particular "Writing the modern Thriller", the closest thing to a mystery writing class. I looked over the workshop information and decided it fit my needs.*

I plan to post my exercvises here, though of course I shan't share the contents of lessons as that would be Wrong, Unfair to Mr. Parnell, and a Violation of Copyright in the bargain.

Parnell offers a free newsletter with tips, lessons, and other treats. Just go to his site and sign up.

Lesson 1 - Three key Characters

The Hero

Race - Irish

Appearance – Small in stature, thin, red curly hair, blue eyes

Dress – Early Irish Celtic dress, kilt, shirt, bare legs and sandals, colorful as befits a bard

Age – early 30s

Occupation – out of work bard

Marital status - unmarried

Three key characters traits

Accepts others for themselves and assumes others do the same with him.
Masterful harper and singer.
Fond of women of all types, ages, sizes, classes, and not just for sex.

Two major characters flaws

Refuses to recognize distinctions in rank and class.
Can have a quick temper.

Three habits – drinking too much,

A party animal.
Inclined to fidget.
Short attention span at times.

Name

Séannon ui Cuíl / Shannon O’Quill

Plus you might like to invent a one-line personal
'mission statement' for each of the three characters.

I travel through the lands bringing beauty and pleasure to all I meet.

The Trusted Friend

Race - Irish

Appearance – Very tall, long legs that make him clumsy, dark red hair, and a sunlit smile, muscular upper torso

Dress – early Irish Celtic at first, later Saxon era armor

Age – early 30s

Occupation – Former soldier, turned storyteller and now temporarily member of guard

Marital status - unmarried

Three key characters traits

Devoted to hero
Gentle.
Courageous.

Two major characters flaws

Tends to sacrifice too much for others.
Too single-minded

Three habits

Looks to hero for guidance in all situations.
Clumsy when under stress.
Gravitates to children and animals.

Name

Ruairi Magh Donnaighi – Rory MacDonohue

Plus you might like to invent a one-line personal
'mission statement' for each of the three characters.

I am the companion of a great bard who spreads beauty throughout the land, and shall steadfastly support him in all he does.

The Villain

NOTE - This is a SPOILER. Do not rread on if you don't wabnt to know whodunit until you read the book.

Race - Saxon

Appearance – Medium tall, gray haired, black piercing eyes, rigid

Dress – Priest’s cassock

Age – early 50s

Occupation - priest

Marital status - unmarried

Three key characters traits

Absolute devotion to his religion.
Judgmental.
Willing to do anything he thinks is necessary

Two major characters flaws

Violent.
Suspicious.

Three habits

Draws himself up to his full height and stares you down.
Scratches a spot on the back of his hand absently until it bleeds.
Inserts himself without invitation.

Name + Father Wulfstan

Plus you might like to invent a one-line personal
'mission statement' for each of the three characters.

I shall destroy all corruption and evil doing in this sinful world.

* (Just in case you look around for a mystery writing class and discover Steve Alcorn's, I already took that one and did not find it terribly helpful. It did not address construction of the mystery itself, and further Mr. Alcorn made some major factual faux pas in his lessons. You certainly should decide for yourself.)

The Hazards of Clever Metaphors

The novel I am reading now has several instances of quite clever metaphors. By choosing a poetic phrase the author lends atmonsphere in a way that makes the observant reader sigh with satisfaction.

For instance, "his mood was gray as the ashes of a burned out house". This is not one the author actually used, but it has a feel of her better metaphors. A gray mood is dour enough but to evoke a burned house layers on even more somberness.

The trouble is that it is possible that an author will try this once too often. That is the case in the book I am reading. I had to stop and puzzle when she said of a character that "his confidence was shredding like cabbage". Huh? Cabbage doesn't shred. It is quite firm and taut in fact. You have to act on the cabbage in a specific way to make it become shredded. You cannot even pick up a cabbage and shred it, not without a knife. So if the young man's confidence is in shreds, I want to know who did it and with what knife.

Maybe another reader will accept the metaphor, a simile in this case, and read on. I find one aspect of having become a novelist is that this sort of thing stops me dead. It has to, as reading and editing my own work requires that I stop at every proverbial red light.. or flag.

If it makes other authors feel better about some of their own fractured metaphors I will tell you the author of this novel is a terrific writer, loved and honored far and wide. I have no desire to mock her for her self-shredding cabbages, but it makes me somehow less severe with my own feet of clay.