Reading Report

November 28, 2006 Uncategorized

Multiple reads this week -

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

Perhaps a tad ambitious for someone who has yet to publish an entry novel, but aiming high is personal choice. The book is rich with concrete examples of what at least one A-list literary agent is looking for in a submission. Can you afford to ignore such worthy advice? I thought not.

Have you already written the next great American novel? Then you’ll want the workbook.

Taft, by Ann Pachett

A few years back I read Bel Canto and fell in love with Ms. Pachett’s elegant style and remarkable powers of observation. Taft is an earlier work and lacks the power that made Bel Canto riveting. Yet there’s charm in her excellent craft, the sharp clarity of a keen artist’s eye trained on subjects which failed to engage me. Perhaps you’ll have better luck.

The Sicilian Marriage, by Sandra Marton

Last year’s best Presents and still available – hurry!

Writing Life

November 27, 2006 Uncategorized

I’ve been reading, no this isn’t the book report, just an explanation. Last week I eyed the craft book TBR shelf (yes I know I have a book problem) and decided it was high time I got my money’s worth out of the how-to-write titles.

I started off with Writing the Breakout Novel, more about that tomorrow. Next came Techniques of the Selling Writer. It’s a trade paperback with fine print and lots of information. Mr. Swain makes a good case for eradicating the to be verbs from your writing. He is not alone in his opinion. The same excellent advice is dispensed in Elements of Style and Self-Editing For Fiction Writers. It’s a hard concept for me to absorb.

Action verbs and descriptive nouns are the order of the day. And yet, I’ve read stories full of active sentences and been worn out in the early chapters. A blend perhaps? Advice is all well and good, but no matter how excellent the advice the poor writer is still left with the daunting task of putting it into action.

Sample Saturday- Chapter Two – part five

November 25, 2006 Uncategorized

For those just joining the story – chapter one can be read in its entirety on the October 21st entry and the first part of chapter two on the October 28th entry, the next segments on November 4th,11th and 18th.

Bella redialed 911. The call was smoothly transferred back to the same operator.

“Good.” The woman’s voice soothed her once again. “You can hang up your land line now. I want you to leave the house and wait outside for the officers. Do you have a safe place to go?”

Up until five minutes ago, the house was a safe place.

“I’ll wait in my car,” she said.

Fortunately, she’d left her car unlocked. She peered into the backseat. No place was safe.
The car held no visible threats. After shutting and locking the door behind her, she tried not to think about how easily this small shelter could be invaded.

The night air grew cooler, but the temperature didn’t account for her shivers. Time crept forward and the absence of new danger slowly leached the tension from her body. The moon rose higher and her eyelids grew heavier.

A knock on the car window jerked Bella awake. She jumped bruising her thighs on the steering wheel. Fear cinched her chest so hard she couldn’t draw a new breath.

“Ma’am? Seattle Police.”

The band eased and Bella dragged in fresh air. Fumbling fingers found the door handle and she managed to climb out of the car. “You startled me.”

He extracted a notepad and pen. “Yes ma’am. Name please.”

Bella answered the officer’s questions for twenty minutes. Beyond explaining about the note inside her locked house, she had little memory of what he’d asked or what she’d answered.
Two other uniformed officers joined them.

“The house is clear. No sign of forced entry,” the woman police officer announced.

Bella trailed behind the police as they all trooped into her house.

The living room, which seemed so cozy when she’d come home from the reception, was now small and shabby. The worn sofa with the crocheted throw covering the frayed upholstery and the green vase of faded hydrangeas in the green vase looked sad and vulnerable.

Three officers took up more space than the room had. The woman stepped into the alcove separating the dining area. Her partner lingered next to the front door.

“As Officer Henley noted,” the first officer gestured toward the woman, “there’s no sign of forced entry. We’ve checked the premises and bagged the evidence. You’ll be assigned a case number tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Bella said.

He inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Sorry we can’t do more ma’am.” He closed his notebook, secured his pen and left.

Officer Henley’s partner held the door waiting for her.

“Change your locks,” Henley suggested murmured in passing.

There’s no sign of forced entry. That’s what the officer said. Meaning whoever left the note had either picked her lock or used a key. If he’d picked the lock, would he have taken the time to relock the door? The idea of a nutcase with a key to her house . . . much more disturbing. She rubbed chilled upper arms

Thoughts flew faster than her pacing feet with no more progress. She’d get the locks changed first thing tomorrow. Was there a locksmith who worked on Sunday? Bella got out the weighty yellow pages. The doorbell rang. The phonebook dropped from her icy fingers.

She started toward the door. The mantle clock began to chime, two AM. Who rang the bell in the middle of the night? A polite stalker?

The edges of her vision blurred and she realized she was holding her breath again. Expelling the used air with a whoosh, she drug in a gulp of air and took a step closer to the door. She leaned toward the viewer, hesitated. Thumps on the door made her jump back.

“Who is it?” she croaked, with her voice catching on something tight in her throat.

Writing Craft

November 24, 2006 Uncategorized

Yesterday while basting, simmering and mashing I occurred to me I never wind up with the story beginning I start with. Plotting, synopsis, characters biographies while all useful story telling tools have not conquered my need to include way too much set up. Sadly, the awareness that the story needs to start five, ten, fifteen pages later than it does is not obvious until the story has progressed.

On the plus side, now days I recognize the opening is wrong all by myself. When I first started writing, the thought that the reader didn’t need all that background never crossed my mind. Including too much back story is a common inexperienced writer mistake. Many craft books and articles warn of this pitfall. So why is it that I continue to have to learn the hard way? I wish it weren’t true. But it is. Reading good advice, taking classes and attending helpful workshops only succeeds in teaching me when I’ve made enough mistakes to be willing to learn.

Objectivity, like judgement is darn hard to come by when the work in question is only slightly less dear than your first born.

On the chance you learn more painlessly that I, here’s what helps me gain precious objectivity:

reading aloud – helps most with puncuation, awkward phrasing, dialogue

color coding – different hues for dialogue, action, description, internalization and emotion great graphic of what’s missing

letting the story rest – until the first euphoria of creativity has passed and I’m willing to read the story with cold eyes

Reading Report – Relentless

November 21, 2006 Uncategorized

Harlequin Blaze – Relentless by Jo Leigh

Relentless is the second installment in a new mini-series from Jo Leigh. If you enjoy romantic suspense then scroll down and click. If you missed book one, Closer, order that too. There’s more coming. The only complaint I have is the books are entirely too short. Perhaps someday Ms. Leigh will find time to write a longer story to entertain her fans.

Writing Life

November 20, 2006 Uncategorized

This morning, on a whim I checked the sidebar links – two of them didn’t work. I have no idea why – the code looked fine. Eyeing the html symbol by symbol revealed nothing. Eventually I reentered both links – they look exactly the same but now they work.

If you understand why – good for you. I don’t and it’s a good example of the why-should-I-blog syndrome. Nephele Tempest wrote about it the other day over on Romancing the Blog. She mentioned that if you aren’t up to perky blogging several times a week you’re better off without one. Perhaps a group blog is right for you. I disagree. I check my favorite blogs once a week if there’s nothing new I check again the following week. – Am I the only patient blog fan?

Blogging is time consuming, as is blog reading – but it gives me lots in return. New perspectives, market news, buzz and a feeling of community.

Sample Saturday- Chapter Two – part four

November 18, 2006 Uncategorized

For those just joining the story – chapter one can be read in its entirety on the October 21st entry and the first part of chapter two on the October 28th entry, the next segments on November 4th and Novewmber 11th

Bella let out the breath she’d been holding. Carl pulled away from the reception with the decorum of a deacon leading a processional. Miraculously, the clubhouse disappeared behind them with no sign of Derrick.

Irrational disappointment settled like a wet winter coat over Bella’s shoulders.

Ten minutes later, with minimal directions from her, Carl and Mimi dropped Bella at her front door. They sat like two comfortable bumps in the sedan waiting for her as she fished out the spare key from under the first step. She let herself in and then flashed the porch light to signal she was safe.

Inside the house, Bella leaned against the front door. She was where she wanted to be – home alone. She patted the doorframe with its notches Nana carved to record her height on each birthday. She loved the small house. She loved the shop. She loved her tidy life. She pressed a finger to her lips – shushing an unnamed longing for more.

Her stomach rumbled – an audible reminder she’d missed two meals. The refrigerator held a pitiful selection. There were half a dozen low fat yogurts. She scooped up the blended peach in front and snagged a spoon. So tired she almost missed the paper fluttering to the floor.
Bella picked up the note from where it had landed in front of her dyed-to-match peach sandals. Her hand shook so much it was hard to read.

The whoredom of a woman may be known in her haughty looks and eyelids. If thy daughter be shameless, keep her in straitly, lest she abuse herself through overmuch liberty.

All thought of sleep disappeared. Her heart thumped into double time. Ice trickled down her spine. The assumption of being safe at home, which she’d relied on more than she ever realized, shattered. Her life shredded by holy words used as weapons of personal destruction.

“What’s the nature of your emergency?” The calm voice of the 911 operator soothed the blunt edges of her fear.

“Someone left a note in on top of my yogurt, but the house was locked.” Saying it out loud made it sound like a harmless prank. She prayed the operator wouldn’t laugh.

“Please confirm your name and address for me ma’am.”

Again, the normalcy of the woman’s voice helped calm her. “Isabella Williams 4540 California Lane SW.”

“Thank you. Now tell me about this note – what did it say?”

“Just a minute, I have it here.” Bella read off the words that made her throat close.

“Do you know who left the note?”

“No. It’s on plain white paper, generic computer printing.”

“Have there been any other notes?”

“Yes, this is the third.” Bella’s voice sank along with her stomach.

“Did you report the others?”

The woman’s tone was neutral, but she still felt guilty. “No, I thought –”

“Is there any sign of forced entry?”

“No . . . nothing.”

“Have you checked the house?”

“Checked the house?” Bella echoed feeling stupid.

“Yes, have you checked the house?”

“Noooo.” Checked the house for what?

“Do you have a cell phone available?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I want you to call me on the cell phone right now. Don’t hang up. We’ll keep both lines open.”

Bella redialed 911. The call was smoothly transferred back to the same operator.

“Good.” The woman’s voice soothed her again. “You can hang up your land line now. I want you to leave the house and wait outside for the officers. Do you have a safe place to go?”

Up until five minutes ago, the house was her safe place.

Writing Craft

November 16, 2006 Uncategorized

Considering today’s topic, which is something I’ve been studying and applying with mixed results, it occurs to me that what I need to do is write more and blog less.

For the near future I will post on Saturdays with the next installment of Seduction in Seattle and on Tuesdays, if I’ve read anything worthy of comment.

Back to writing.

Reading Report

November 14, 2006 Uncategorized

A Presents Binge – what can I say? Sometimes I crave dark chocolate truffles. A delicious assortment of international flavor delights.

A Virgin For The Taking, by Trish Morey Harlequin Presents – Aussie style and delightful imagery it is. Magical exotic settings provide a delectable backdrop for passionate romance. Do you need more? Allow me to introduce your hero:

His unyielding stance was imbued with antagonism, from his unshaven jaw and short finger-combed dark hair to his designer black jeans and hand-crafted leather boots planted on the floor like they owned it. Even the contrasting white shirt failed to soften the impression, instead only emphasizing his olive skin and dark features. He wore power like a birthright.

Of course at the center is the requisite melting romance as power yields to the power of love.

The Sicilian’s Christmas Bride by Sandra Marton – Set in the Big Apple, New York is there a better location for an opulent Christmas story? The lights, the throngs of shoppers, glittering balls and sparkling champagne in the city that never sleeps. The hero – of course. He’s dark, an avenging angel who believes the heroine betrayed him, he’s cruel, he’s cold, yet he burns for her and she’s hiding a secret not even he imagines she’d be wicked enough to keep from him . . .

A lovely stocking stuffer for your favorite Presents addict, but don’t you deserve a treat too?

Million-Dollar Love-Child by Sarah Morgan A Brazilian Billionaire as handsome and sexy as he is ruthless and two dazzling international settings for the price of one the story starts in Rio and moves to London via private jet. This is an Uncut Presents, which means extra steamy love scenes for those who like their chocolate with a hint of spice. The hero is masterful and traditional matched with a heroine who borders on the unconvincing edge between terror and passion. Ms. Morgan gives good motivation for her fear, yet I would’ve preferred her more challenging outside of the bedroom. Still a tasty treat for the Latin lover fan club.

Writing Life

Uncategorized

Most of today’s leisure hours were devoted to polishing a synopsis written yesterday. It’s only a couple of pages, why does it take so long? Telling the super-condensed version of a story is tough. It needs to make the inner conflict sharp (still not sure the current version does that well enough). It needs to give enough of the exterior plot that the editor is confident you can tell an engaging story. It needs to draw compelling miniatures of your characters. In addition to these primary goals, the synopsis should fairly quiver with the correct tone for the line and showcase your voice. Anyone who thinks it’s easy to write these simple summaries obviously hasn’t written any.

Speaking of new experiences, recently I bumped into a newbie in private forum. Oh my – the exuberance, the innocence and the complete mess. I remember being there. Ignorance was bliss. Unfortunately it accomplishes nothing to move one’s publishing career forward.