28
Jan
If you’re going to be a writer, you’ll need to get used to waiting. We wait to hear back on queries. We wait to hear back on partials. We wait to hear back on fulls. We wait to hear back from beta readers, agents, editors…
It’s all part of the process, I know, but it doesn’t get any easier–even when you know what’s coming is going to be good!
Thanks for waiting with me! 
6
Sep
Inspiration – Assignment #2
I love writing dialogue. In fact, it’s probably one of the things I do best. But there are still days I want to pull my hair out because everything my characters are saying seems trite or stilted. (Helpful hint: When your own characters’ conversations make you yawn, you have a problem.)
So, when I get stuck, how do I get those creative juices flowing again?
I listen.
One of the best ways to figure out how to write dialogue is to pay attention to how people talk–not just what they’re talking about, but also how they’re saying it. When you’re chatting with your co-workers, pay attention to how their style of conversation is a reflection of their various personalities. If you’re sitting in a coffee shop, listen to conversations going on around you–especially if those present represent a segment of the population about which you are writing (spoiled suburban teens, high-powered executives, firefighters on a coffee break, etc.). The more often you do this, the better you’ll get at writing dialogue that reflects your characters’ personalities and circumstances.
If you’re uncomfortable eavesdropping in a coffee shop or dissecting everything your friends say, try watching a few really well-made movies with snappy dialogue and make notes as you’re watching. A few of my favorites for aural voyeurism:
1) Gosford Park
2) Jaws
3) Orange County
4) Serenity
5) Tombstone
6) The Godfather
7) Steel Magnolias
8 ) Henry V (or really any fabulous adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s plays)
9) Fargo
10) Pretty much anything by comedy legends, Monty Python.
I read.
This seems like it should be a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many writers don’t bother reading much. I don’t know how someone trying to perfect his/her craft can get a feel for dialogue that works (or doesn’t) without reading what other people have written. There are certain writers who are masters at incorporating believable, engaging, and necessary conversations in their works.
Also, keep in mind that not everyone carries on a conversation in the same way. Some people are very direct and stay on topic; others live in Tangent Land. Do you have fave author whose dialogue leaves you in stitches or who seems to be able to show you everything you need to know about a character simply by how he talks to those around him? Next time you read this fave of yours, pay attention to how she pulls it off–you just might learn something!
I write.
Again, this should be a big “Duh,” but you’d be surprised…
When I was in grad school I didn’t have much time to write anything particularly long and involved (such as a novel), so instead I tried writing what I called “snippets.” Essentially, these were just short vignettes that told a story using nothing but dialogue. And I mean nothing–no speech tags, no narration, no description. The point was to use only what the characters were saying to tell the reader absolutely everything s/he needed to know about the characters, the setting, the action taking place–and to do so in a way that seemed naturally-occurring in the course of the conversation.
It’s harder than it seems, but it’s a great way to hone your craft.
So, here’s your assignment:
Write your own snippet of 3-5 pages that tells your readers everything they want to know about characters, setting, and the conflict between them. Then give it to a few beta readers and ask them to describe what’s happening in the snippet. If you’ve done well, they won’t even notice that dialogue is all that’s on the page. And if they aren’t able to sort it all out, get some feedback to figure out why. Revise the snippet incorporating any feedback you find valuable and give it to them again until they “get it.”
Good luck and happy writing!
25
Jul
Wow. Sorry, guys! Kinda dropped off the grid there for a while. Back in June my lovable little Moose crashed our server — or, more accurately, crashed into our server, thereby sending it tumbling and knocking something loose. Whatever it was ended up causing us all kinds of wacky tech problems.
Luckily, the HH (hunky geek that he is) finally was able to get things up and running again with minimal glitchiness. That being said, if you have any trouble with the website, definitely let me know!
Now that I’m able to get back in and do my thing, I promise to get busy on those additional posts on inspiration. I’ve got a couple of drafts brewing and hope to have those out soon!
In the meantime, just a couple of quick updates:
- Still shopping Red. Lots of interest (yay!) but no takers yet (damn).
- Just received a request to help judge a writing contest. Very excited to help out!
- Almost finished (finally) with first draft of my futuristic fantasy romance. I’ve departed from my normal writing routine with this one, editing the first draft a lot more as I go, so it’s taking longer than usual to write. But it’s been a blast and I’ll be anxious to see what my Beta readers think.
- Salivating to read the latest Lara Adrian novel. I bought it the day it came out but have been saving it as a reward for finishing my current project. Almost there!
Well, that’s about all for now. I’ll do my best not to be off-line for so long again!
31
May
Inspiration – Assignment #1
Walk among the dead.
No, I’m not talking about hanging out with your local zombies. I’m talking about taking a stroll through a cemetery–preferably one that’s old and full of history.
As you walk, read the names on the tombstones, the dates that defined their lives, the inscriptions of hope and faith that their loved ones carved in stone. The minute one of them really grabs hold of your imagination, start writing.
Write anything. Jot down your impressions in a 15 minute free writing session, write a poem, start a character sketch for a short story, write a back-story for the person buried at your feet. Just go with whatever form your creativity takes at that very moment. You might be surprised at the result.
Several years ago, I did this exercise in a secluded, nearly forgotten cemetery in rural Southern Indiana. I walked for probably half an hour before one of the tombstones really caught my attention. It was small and simple, a tiny marker for the grave of a six-month-old girl who had lived and died in the late 1800s.
So, what about this particular tombstone inspired me? Two things. The first was that the little girl shared the same unusual first name as my sister. Second was the inscription on the headstone, which I found utterly heartbreaking.
It was such a visceral reaction, I grabbed my notebook and let my thoughts and feelings flow. In the end, I captured my intense emotional response in a poem narrated from the mother’s point of view.
The poem was published a few months later.
So, go ahead and give it a try. Walk among the dead for a little while and see what they have to say. You never know where your stroll through the past could eventually lead.
Happy writing!
25
Apr
When people find out I’m a writer, one of the first questions that inevitably comes up is where I get all of the ideas for my stories.
Well, the truth is, I get inspiration from pretty much anywhere and everywhere–a news story, the lyrics of a song, a dream, a photograph, a snippet of dialogue between two people in front of me in line at the coffee shop, and–every now and then–from nowhere at all. I honestly don’t remember what was behind every single thing I’ve ever written, but there are a few AH-HA! moments that stand out in my memory for whatever reason, so I thought I’d share those with all of you.
1) My very first novel, way back when I was 14-years-old, was inspired by a series of dreams I had. And, as I recall, I was reading a lot of fantasy novels around then, which probably played a large part in what was on my mind. In particular, I remember two novels/series that were absolutely fabulous and had me hooked on the genre – The Oval Amulet by Lucy Cullyford Babbit and The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. I’m generally not all that into YA novels, but I would definitely read these again.
2) A short story I wrote in high school called “The Weed,” which won something-or-other in my creative writing class, came about because of a particularly awful dandelion infestation in our yard that was choking out all the little violet wildflowers I liked to pick and put in a tiny vase on my desk. I remember sitting at my desk looking out the window (instead of doing homework) and fuming about the dandelions, and the idea for the story hit me. When all was said and done, I ended up writing a very dark short story about a precocious little boy battling to save his mother from nefarious forces. The weed was a metaphor. I came across the story again recently and was more than a little shocked by how much the main character I created twenty years ago resembles my eldest son. Adding to the weirdness–they share the same first name. (For the record, that’s where the similarities end. 
)
3) A contemporary romance I’ve been working on on-and-off for several years now was inspired by a single line from a song that I really loved in college. I’ve written loads of scenes for this story, but it keeps wanting to morph into a romantic suspense. I’ve set it aside to return to at some later date when I figure out which way I want it to go.
4) My vampire-like-creature project — Well, I honestly don’t recall where this one came from. I’ve loved vampire movies and books and have since I was a kid, so this was probably just a culmination of decades of watching horror movies that frustrated me because they weren’t love stories. I was also reading a lot by Lara Adrian, J.R. Ward, Lynn Viehl, and Alexandra Ivy, which I’m sure played a role in what I ultimately decided to write. Once again, what I started out writing and what I ended up writing are vastly different.
5) My angels and demons project came about after I watched a documentary on the Black Death. Incidentally, the story has absolutely nothing to do with the plague (although it is mentioned).
6) Red is the result of my eldest son asking, “Hey, Mom, what if….?”
7) A ghost story I’ve been planning draws upon personal experiences. The plot is fictional; some of the incidents depicted are not.
8) The idea for a paranormal romantic comedy that was this close to being my next project back in February came to me while reading Greek mythology with Professor. In keeping with my pattern, by the time I actually sat down and plotted out the story and did all my preliminary character sketches, Greek mythology didn’t play into it at all.
9) An epic fantasy novel that I’ve been writing in fits and starts since my late teens was inspired by Orson Scott Card’s novel, Ender’s Game. My story has absolutely nothing in common with Ender’s Game except that the main character starts out as a little boy who ends up being part of something much bigger than he’d ever anticipated.
10) My current project, which happens to be a futuristic fantasy romance, came about when I read a scientific article about the future of space exploration. I briefly toyed with the idea of writing this one as a sci-fi (a genre I really enjoy), but I quickly realized I needed to stick with planet Earth, and (of course) ended up going in a totally different direction.
Well, there you have it–a little glimpse inside my head. The thing is, what inspires me might not inspire you, and vice versa. The most important thing to remember is that inspiration is all around you. You just have to be open to it.
All that being said, there are going to be times when it seems like the Inspiration Fairy has gone AWOL and is nowhere to be found. In my next couple of posts I’ll share some of my favorite exercises for dragging that good-for-nothing beyotch back kicking and screaming. Stay tuned!
5
Apr
When you mention “organized crime,” most people think of such well-known names as Al Capone, Bugsy Siegel, or Lucky Luciano. Or maybe “organized crime” calls to mind such iconic films as The Godfather, Goodfellas, and Casino. But what about pirates? Smuggling rings? Outlaw motorcycle gangs? In his book, Organized Crime: An Inside Guide to the World’s Most Successful Industry, Paul Lunde touches on all of these groups and then some.
If you’re curious at all about the history of organized crime, this is a great overview that hits on crime organizations all over the world, from ancient times to the present. I found it fascinating and something of an eye-opener when it comes to the complicated culture often involved in crime organizations. Whether you’re considering writing about the Triads or La Cosa Nostra, the Yakuza or Tammany Hall, this is a great little book to help you get started.
*Disclaimer: In accordance with FTC Guidelines for reviews and endorsements, you should assume that every book recommended on maurabishop.com was submitted by the author/publisher or purchased via an authorized retailer. We do not accept money or favors in exchange for a good review.
15
Mar
Many thanks to my friend Amy for nominating me for this blogging award! I’m glad there are some folks out there enjoying my tiny little corner of the blogosphere.
By accepting the award, I agreed to share seven things about me that you might not know. That didn’t seem like such a difficult task until I sat down and tried to think of seven factoids that might actually be interesting enough to share (and that wouldn’t in any way give out clues to passwords or security questions on accounts…).
Seeing as how this blog deals with reading, writing, romance, and all things paranormal, I figured I’d try to stick to those topics in some way or other. Here’s what I (finally!) came up with:
1) I published my first poem when I was 13. It was horrible. Truly. I only submitted it because I had to for an assignment in my 7th grade English class. Who knew it would actually be accepted? My dad kept that rotten poem posted in his cubicle at work for over twenty years. (Sweet, yes. But–ugh! Really? Of all the stuff I’ve written, you chose that poem, Dad?)
2) I’ve never read a “trashy” romance novel (you know–the ones with the really risque covers you see in the supermarket and pretend not to pick up and page through? Oh, come on, you know you do). I’m not sure why I haven’t ever read one–I’m certainly not opposed to them. Like every other type of romance novel, I’m sure there are some really fantastic ones out there that would be a lot of fun to read. I’m open to recommendations.
3) For every manuscript I mention writing, there are three that I’ve started and discarded. Sometimes an idea grabs me by the gut and won’t let go, but then I start writing and realize my head’s not in the right place for that particular story. When that happens, I shelf it to come back to later and move on to the next. The novel I’m working on at the moment was the fourth one I started in February. I’m 120 pages in and still loving it.
4) Confession time: I did not absolutely love everything I had to read as an English major in college and grad school. That big gust of wind you just felt was the collective gasp of English majors everywhere who mistakenly feel they have to pretend to be in raptures over every scrap of literature placed before them or they’ll be outed as frauds who don’t really know what they’re talking about. Here’s a newsflash, kids: Even the professors don’t always love what they’re making you read–and I guarantee you they don’t always know what they’re talking about.
5) Taking a page from real-life romance, I met my husband at a friend’s birthday party that both of us almost didn’t attend. Talk about fate, eh?
6) No romance is without its adventures, and HH and I seem to be doubly “blessed” in this regard. I was briefly kidnapped while we were honeymooning in Mexico (long story), so to make up for that debacle, we decided to spend our first wedding anniversary in Chicago–one of my very favorite cities and a much safer destination.
Or so we thought.
When we arrived at our hotel, we found it surrounded by ATF agents. As luck would have it, there was an international conference that weekend and numerous foreign dignitaries were staying at our hotel, thus making our “safe” vacation spot a prime target for terrorists. While we were sitting in our car waiting for our turn to be searched for bombs, my husband turns to me and says, “I had normal vacations before I married you.”
It’s true. Poor guy. At least it’s never boring!
7) Zombies seriously freak me out. So do clowns. Zombie clowns are right out. The zombie clown crawling under the bathroom stall in Zombieland nearly sent me over the back of the couch. Fortunately, it was a brief appearance and I was able to watch the rest of the movie (which is freakin’ hilarious, y’all).
Well, there you have it, a few facts about me. Hope they weren’t too terribly boring! Thanks again for stopping in and sharing my adventures (and misadventures, as the case may be).
16
Jan
A few months back, I offered a couple of suggestions to another author for ways she could ramp up the action in her novel by sharing a few techniques that tend to work well for me. But I figured I’d fall back to my home turf to go into more detail because, I mean, really — is there anything tackier than going on and on about a topic on someone else’s blog? So, below are a few tips I’ve gathered along the way (some through trial and error and others from feedback received from other authors) that I use when I need to crank things up a bit.
Tip 1: Keep it tight.
I blame my literary background for my struggle with this one. Seeing as how I spent the vast majority of my two degrees in literature focusing on the Neoclassic, Romantic, and Victorian eras, it would have been surprising to come out of it without a penchant for complex sentences loaded with clauses. So it was no surprise when the first feedback I received suggested I cut out unnecessary adverbs and break up lengthy sentences to liven things up. Although the advice was very kindly worded, the message was clear: Save the flowery crap for the love scenes.
Point taken.
Sometimes just replacing a wordy description of physical action with a single powerful verb can really ramp up the energy of a sentence. One approach that seems to work pretty well for me is to write the scene then go back the next day with “fresh eyes” and cut the word count by around 10-20%. This exercise forces me to tighten up the narration and dialogue so that the scene has a lot more punch.
Tip 2: Set it up.
Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a fight scene to launch into a detailed description of the setting. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s easy to get in the middle of writing a scene and suddenly realize you need a massive boulder for your hero to dive behind for cover. However, if you’ve set the scene adequately before the action breaks out, your readers will make informed assumptions about what’s in the room/street/desert, etc., and you won’t bog down the action with too much description.
Tip 3: Shut up and fight.
Monologuing has its place, but if it’s only there because you don’t know how else to fill the page, ditch it. STAT. Ditto for prolonged internal ruminations. If there’s a big reveal of some sort during the scene, let the character have an initial reaction–a short exclamation or burst of internal dialogue, maybe, that lets the reader know something big just happened–but leave the musing for later. It makes sense that your heroine would pick up on something crucial in the thick of things, so she should react in some way, but she probably wouldn’t be waxing philosophical while she’s trying to take out the bad guy.
Tip 4: Step back and regroup.
Sometimes the words just won’t come. When I have moments like these, I get the creative juices flowing again by trying to find a visual representation of the kind of scene I want to write so that I can get a feel for the physical action I need to describe. For me, this usually involves putting on a movie, but it could be watching a boxing match, a cage fight, a martial arts competition, etc. Whatever works. For example, if I need to get a feel for a kick-ass sword fight, I’ll put on Rob Roy with Liam Neeson or Equilibrium with Christian Bale. Having a visual helps me get a feel for the heft of the weapon, the way a person’s muscles bunch with each movement, the distinctive sound of clashing swords, the glint of light on polished steel… You get the idea.
Tip 5: Learn from the Masters.
One of the best ways to figure out how to write successful action scenes is to read examples of successful action scenes. We all have authors whose work we admire — pick one or two of these folks and read/reread some of their most rockin’ action scenes to get a feel for how it’s done. When I need to recharge my action batteries, I grab a copy of something by Lara Adrian, J.R. Ward, Lisa Jackson, or Jim Butcher. Each of these authors gets my pulse racing!
Well, there you have it–the top five techniques that work for me. If you were to ask another writer, she’d no doubt offer you a few tips of her own. There are a few standard rules to live by, like keeping sentences tight and hard-hitting, but the rest is about finding your action groove and figuring out what works best for your own creative process. Most importantly, have fun with it! Action scenes can be a blast once you really get going.
4
Jan
Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of ads for workshops and webinars on building suspense and creating tension in a scene. I can certainly understand why this topic would be in such high demand–creating suspense isn’t easy! And although I’m still honing my skill in this area as well, I thought I’d share a couple of tricks I’ve learned that work pretty well for me.
Whenever I’m struggling with a suspense scene, I think back to the film class I took as an undergrad. In order to illustrate how a successful scene is more than just the action on screen, we had to watch several suspenseful scenes from such iconic films as Psycho, Jaws, and Friday the 13th, and then watch them again without the sound. And let me tell you, the infamous shower scene in Psycho isn’t nearly as chilling without the music and sound effects.
The same thing can be said about a written scene. The action itself might be flawlessly written, but if there’s nothing else to give it texture, it’s going to fall flat.
When I have a scene that just isn’t working for me, I refer back to the silent shower scene assignment and ask myself what’s missing in my own scene. Obviously, I can’t add a musical score to manipulate my readers’ responses, but I can describe the sound of the floorboards creaking behind the protagonist, the sudden chill that causes the hair on the back of her neck to rise, the heaviness in the air when she suddenly realizes she’s not alone, the bitter taste in her mouth as she tries to swallow her panic, the shadowy movement she sees out of the corner of her eye, the thundering of her pulse in her own ears.
Just like creating suspense on film, it’s all about incorporating the senses and capturing what your character sees, hears, smells, tastes. When this is done well, your readers are no longer just casual observers. Suddenly, they can relate to what your character is experiencing. Odds are good they’ve never crept through the dark, dank halls of a deserted insane asylum with something evil lurking deep within the shadows, but I guarantee they’ve been afraid and know how it feels. Remind them of that as they’re reading, and their hearts will start pounding just as hard and fast as your protagonist’s.
Now, all that being said, here’s an assignment for you (if you’re up to it):
1) Pick a particularly suspenseful scene from one of your favorite novels–just make sure it’s a book you own and not the library’s copy!
2) Underline, highlight, and scribble in the margins, marking all the words and phrases that elicit strong responses. (If you don’t want to mark up a book, jot everything down on a separate piece of paper. Your call.) Essentially, the point is to dissect the scene and get a good look at its guts.
3) When you’re satisfied that you’ve identified everything that got your blood pumping, read the scene again omitting everything you’ve marked. I guarantee you’ll feel the difference.
4) Now, take what you’ve learned and apply it to your own work.
I hope you find this exercise useful! If any of you give it a try, let me know how it works out for you. And check back soon for another tip. In the meantime–happy writing!
3
Dec
While several of my friends were participating in the NaNoWriMo challenge last month, I didn’t do jack.
Okay, well, that’s not completely true. I spent the first couple of weeks working on some more edits to Red (check back in January for more on that) and then started editing a previous project that needs to have about 100 pages hacked out of it. I managed to get about three chapters into that project–which I decided to take an entirely new direction–and completely stalled out.
I ran out of steam.
After having written four complete novels over the last couple of years, I simply needed to recharge a bit. So I took a break.
I spent some time getting my house ready for the holidays by cleaning out clothes and toys to take to various charities around town, I moved furniture, caught up on some of my favorite TV shows that were bogging down our DVR, read a Lara Adrian novel I’d been saving until I could sit down and savor every word, and generally vegged out for a couple of weeks.
It felt great!
Of course, even though I wasn’t actively writing (or rewriting) anything, my mind was still churning with ideas and dialogue and plot twists. I did my best to jot things down as they came to me, sure, but I wasn’t sitting in front my laptop pounding out a 1,000 words per day, and so guilt is starting to set in.
I feel like such a slacker!
Unfortunately, with the holidays just around the corner, I’ll probably spend most of December doing much of the same–simply because to try to stick to a daily goal in December is just setting myself up for frustration. But come January, I fully intend to immerse myself in my projects once again and maybe even start on my next novel.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a few episodes of Ghost Hunters and Supernatural that are calling my name…
