May your weekend move along swimmingly.

The other day I found myself using swimmingly and thought that it might be a less known adverb. Then, ERiCa used it in one of her blog posts recently. Then, my daughter asked me what "swimmingly" meant. Apparently, it's said on Flushed Away. All of this in the last week or so. I know what it means, but it did get me thinking... where the heck did that word come from. I mean, "swimmingly" , it's an odd word to use as adverb - don't you think?

So, I did a little bit of investigation. I say little bit... because, well, it's Friday and I've been known to get easily distracted on a Friday afternoon. Without further delay, here is what I now know about the mysterious word.

Swimmingly: Great ease, progress, without difficulty or effort.

We can see that it uses swim. I figured that swim came before swimmingly. Yes, I have mad powers of deduction. Swim seems to come from the Middle English swimmen or Old English swimman (akin to Old High German). The dating that I could find places it before the 12th century.

Then I tried to see if I could find out when "swimmingly" may have entered our vocabulary. The only dating I could find mentioned the 1600's.

I found some references to it in classic literature.

Thanks to this inspiration, he got on swimmingly for a time, but gradually the work lost its charm, and he forgot to compose, while he sat musing, pen in hand, or roamed about the gay city to get some new ideas and refresh his mind, which seemed to be in a somewhat unsettled state that winter.
Little Women by Alcott, Louisa May

She had a turn for narrative, I for analysis; she liked to inform, I to question; so we got on swimmingly together, deriving much entertainment, if not much improvement, from our mutual intercourse.
Jane Eyre by Bronte, Charlotte

Fear is Fear is Fear

"let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts" - FDR's First Inaugural Address

I woke this morning with the anticipation of a day for writing. It has been months since I have worked on my WIP. I spent some time with the children, watched some cartoons with them and squeezed in some Lava Girl and Shark Boy action. I then sat down at my computer. Did I pull out my ms and refresh my memory? No, I checked email. Did I then jump into my saved files of research? No, I went to bloglines to check my feeds. Did I then pull out my posterboards with my timeline and character notes? No, I spent an hour reading through posts on Backspace.

I don't need to be a psychologist to recognize delay tactics. I think we writers are particularly gifted with finding creative ways to hide. And, that is precisely what I was doing. I was hiding. Why you ask? I'll tell you why. I'm afraid - afraid of myself. Afraid that what I think is creative, entertaining, and a fantastic plot line is actually weak and unworthy of continuation. Well, acknowledgement is the only true way to combat fear. I read my previous 50 pages, pulled out my posterboard and forced myself to get back into the groove. After 20 minutes the "force myself" attitude was gone. I was suddenly there, in the middle of the rainforest, listening to the sounds of the monkeys, birds and chittering insects. Unexpectedly, a new character decided to join the team. His name is Puchito, a Ka'apor Capuchin. He looks very similar to this, another Capuchin. He's a naughty little monkey, but I think he has a very important role to play.

I spent some time reviewing some pharmaceutical research I'm keeping tabs on... and updated some files on endangered species, I needed to make sure I had the right information as I describe them in my story. 1,200 nice clean fresh words, incorporating two new characters and providing some scientific information that will tie directly to the core plot later in the story. It's tough to write smart stuff sometimes.

I took a break and played some princess monopoly with the Pea Pie. I also walked my heir apparent through the directions of baking a lemon poppy seed bunt cake. While it was baking she said she would like to play in the front yard.

Ten minutes later when the buzzer went off I ventured outside to get her. Lo and behold, she was nowhere to be found. She did not respond to my yells. She was not at the neighbor's. She was not at her friend's house (three houses down the cul de sac from ours). As the panic was rising and I was preparing myself to call my husband (who is working) and the police. I hear her voice carried to me on the wind. I race to the end of the block and see her flying into a different neighbor's driveway. She had decided to grab her scooter and go on a ride with the neighbor boy.

First, I never let my children leave the cul de sac unless they have my permission - which they know. They can't even go inside the neighbor's house without permission. Second, my body was shaking from fear and relief. Not a good combination for me. I marched her inside where I called her father.

As I now sit here while she sits in her room, I realize. I experienced two completely different kinds of fear today. Both of them internal and yet completely different in nature. Both of them powerful. The fear of harm coming to my child is the most primal and overpowering fear I have ever experienced. Even if you only experience it for a moment. That moment feels endless. The other fear is tied intimately with my internal self, a portion of my soul, one might say.

Fear is Fear is Fear.

I don't know about you, but it's a freckle past a hair at my house and that means it's beer time.

Death by Times New Roman

I once had a creative writing teacher tell me:

Kill a character your reader knows and it's a tragedy,

Kill a character your reader doesn't and it's a mystery.

For whatever reason, it's something that has stuck in my mind. I was thinking about writing my novel this weekend, and I say thinking because that's pretty much as far as I got with it. My novel is an action piece and as such, several stranger characters have already died. Really, they should have heeded the warning signs.

Anyway, I'm quickly coming to the point in my novel when one or two of the primary characters must bite the dust. They must be torn to pieces (yup, literally).

I find killing stranger characters easy and surprisingly satisfying. Nothing is quite so stress-relieving as writing someone's death by the teeth of a crazed jungle creature. And if the helpless victim resembles the jerk at work - all the better to make things more realistic, eh?

It's the build up to killing them off that's causing some obstacles for me. I don't want to suddenly pay too much attention to the character, but I also don't want the death to catch the reader completely by surprise. It's that balance...

So, how do you cope with the death of your characters? Do you go with a slow build or more of the direct approach with suspense? Do you treat death more as a tragedy or more as a mystery?

The State of Literacy: Did you know?

TT 04/26/2007

Rashenbo's Edition #19

Millions of blogs take up space on the net and they come in all shapes and sizes. Truly, the blogosphere is a reflection of our diverse cultures and beliefs. Blogs that: are mom blogs, pet blogs, corporate, political, humorous, focused on a hobby, focused on making money, and everything else with a bag of chips. One thing they all share is the written word.

Each and every one of us not only has a familiarity, but a passion to write and read… even if the writing is just a joke, a review of a TV show, or a title on a photograph.

As long as there are humans, there will be conflict. Many of us are focused on the major situations prevalent in our news: Global Warming, War, Economic Instability, Crime, Violence, Natural Disasters, Anna Nicole Smith…

It’s easy to forget about the more basic problems that face our society, problems that affect each state, every country. Through our ability to learn, from our parents, and from those educators that showed us the way - we received a gift, reading and writing. Such a basic thing and our lives, our successes, even our futures are all based upon this skill.

- "The UN defines illiteracy as the inability to read and write a simple sentence in any language. In 2003, the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), conducted by the US Department of Education, found that fourteen percent of American adults scored at this “below basic” level in prose literacy in English. More than half of these persons did not have a high-school diploma or GED. 39 percent of persons at this level were Hispanic; 20 percent were black; and 37 percent were white." Source

- Our country ranks 49 out of 156 UN countries in literacy, 18 spots lower than where it was in 1950. Illiteracy costs the US more than $225 billion a year in productivity. 60% of all juvenile offenders have problems reading. Source

- "According to UNESCO, in the world today there are about 1 billion non-literate adults. Women represent 2/3rds of that 1 billion." Source

- "In 1998, the EFA 2000 Assessment measured progress and reported that, while some progress had been made in educating children, 113 million still remained out of school. The overall adult literacy rate had risen, but at least 875 million adults remained illiterate, 64% of them women." Source

- "To examine fourth-graders' views on reading for enjoyment, PIRLS 2001 created an index of Students' Attitudes Toward Reading (SATR). All of the participating G8 countries, with the exception of England, had greater percentages of fourth-graders with higher SATR scores than the United States." Source

- The CIA reports that the US has a 99% literacy rate. Source

- There have been minimal increases in the reading scale scores over the last 30 years. Source

- "In California, 85% of nonfiction books in school libraries were published 15 years ago." Source

- "Evidence shows that children who do not read by third grade often fail to catch up and are more likely to drop out of school, take drugs, or go to prison. So many nonreaders wind up in jail that Arizona officials have found they can use the rate of illiteracy to help calculate future prison needs." Source

- Utah claims to have the highest literacy rate in the nation. Source

Three simple ways you can help improve literacy:

- Read books, let people see you reading, and talk about them. Ask questions.

- Get involved in your library by volunteering your time to help local literacy programs.

- Encourage children to read for enjoyment and pleasure. Reading is fun. Share that. There is more to life than myspace, ipods, PSPs, and nickelodeon.

Now I have a question for you, take a moment and ponder, where would you be if you couldn’t write, let alone read, a sentence?

How does Inspiration find you?

Writing is a mentally challenging hobby. Nothing stimulates the brain quite like creating an entire new world and people to interact with it. It is a dynamic field, of that, there can be no doubt.

As I sit here on this beautiful and sunny Monday morning. The energy of my mind is high and I feel my fingers twitching in response. Unfortunately, I need to work... but I did wonder, what is it that has me inspired today? Could it be the relaxing weekend? Perhaps the bright and sunny day?

Have you found any trends that seem to influence your creativity and inspiration? When is your creativity highest? First thing in the morning or late into the night?

I before E, except after C and sometimes Y.

There are a few executives at my organization, and on more than one occasion they've sent out emails with some poor spelling... and, the developers have some of the worst spelling I've come across. I'm product testing today and I noticed on the shipping pages they kept using "reciever" or "recieve" - Now. Receive happens to be one of the words that I will type incorrectly, but I always check it and ever since grade school the little rhyme: "I before E, except after C and sometimes Y" stays with me. I don't know when I learned it... but I don't think I'll ever forget it.

What are some that you remember and you use to help you?

I sent an email to the developer with that little rhyme and circled the misspellings. We'll just have to see if he responds. He's also the one who uses "availible". Every time I see it - I twitch a little. Is it really that hard to spell check?

Attack. Of.... the book review!!!

So... what's up with the sudden focus on book reviews?

Well, first of all, a writer - especially a developing one - should read frequently to help develop voice, style, structure, etc. Practice through example and all that.

Secondly, It's time for the Debut a Debut contest!!! I'm going to be reading and writing reviews! Not that I get any of the prizes... but Susan and I started this contest because we love to read and we especially love debut authors.

Check back later for a new book review!

Also, I'll be a guest blogger over on the Writer's Block today.

To Say Goodbye...

is very sad.
Any regular visitor of my site knows that I'm a little nutty about writing. I've always been a voracious reader. But, I've not always loved the act of writing. In fact, while I loved to read... I would shudder at the thought of an English class: commas, semicolons, subordinate clauses, diagrams, past present participles, adverbs, adjectives, find the metaphor, what's the simile here... blah, blah, blah. I hated it. Because I was smart and could read faster and comprehend more than my other classmates I always advanced and received high grades. But - grammar and mechanics did NOT come naturally to me. In fact, I still struggle with them and it's one of my weaknesses that I have to monitor while I'm working on a manuscript.

I hated English...
until my senior year of high school.
I was placed in AP English with Mrs. Noland. Curly short hair topped a cherubic face. Her dresses often made me think of the older gingham ones, and she always had a pin of some kind on her chest. From her tutelage I developed a passion for the written word. I didn't have to be an expert to enjoy it. English could be fun. Many times I felt the lightbulb brighten above my head. In my senior year I was convinced that my calling was in education. I wanted to be a high school English teacher - just like her.

One of my old classmates just emailed me. Mrs. Nolan lost a battle with cancer and passed away the day before yesterday. I have thought of her often over the years. She was the teacher that did not just teach my mind... she taught my soul.

I wanted to share part of a letter she wrote for me when I was applying to college. She wrote:

"...I realized that Erica was an excellent student of literature, an astute reader, and a very sensitive human being. She is excited about learning. She admired some authors we studied and gave profound reasons for the ones she did not like. She particularly respected those authors whose ideas supported the dignity of the human spirit. She is a tenacious student, who refines an idea until she is comfortable with it, not merely until it earns a grade...

Perhaps Erica's ability to lead and to work so well with people is an outgrowth of sincere compassion for others fostered by her own circumstances. Perhaps she is simply as gifted with people as with ideas and academics..."

That letter touched me. I graduated from high school in 1995 and I've kept her letter because it meant so much to me. I know that letter not only got me accepted into several colleges, but it also helped me score some great scholarships. :)

I never mastered the skill of poetry, so even though my heart wants to write a suitable verse of poetic form to properly due her justice... I just can't bring the words together. So let me borrow some from Robert Frost

Nothing Gold Can Stay
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

For all of the teachers who try to enrich the lives of our youth, thank you. You do make a difference...

13 items that tell me I'm a writer!

13. I am a passionate reader and I know that I could write as well as some of the books I read.

12. I'll be watching the news or reading an article and often one of my first thoughts is: "Would that be an interesting plot point in a novel?"

11. I have more than 6 books on how to write and I always seem to pick up another one. Although, if you have less than half a dozen you are just a wannabe! *wink*

10. I have put my work in front of complete strangers and then asked them to tell me how bad it is.

9. I have started talking about a story idea and 10 minutes later realized that I was talking louder and faster as I became more passionate about the details of my story... and noticed the person listening to me had a glazed look of complete disinterest.

8. I have talked about make believe people as if they were "real" life friends and family members.

7. I have sat in front of my computer and spent hours working on a particular scene.

6. I've tried to learn and practice and learn and practice and learn and practice the craft of writing. So many hours that could have been spent on family time, house work, exercising, reading, and I do not regret my choice.

5. I write, therefore I am.

4. The stacks of plot ideas and character notes that surround me. - on my desk, in my file cabinet, in folders on my computer, in hard copy stacks placed in colored plastic sleeves.....

3. The fact that completing a novel is one of my life's goals. There are so many goals that I can have... and that is #1 for me.

2. I love writing. I love it. Love it. Love.

1. The voices in my head say so.

Monday's Writing Inspiration

The Flu


I have the flu. Yes, it sucks. My brain is a quivering glob of grey matter, the synapses are not firing. So, instead of writing something witty, informative or clever... I've decided to let you do it for me. Here you go, a writing prompt to get creative!

Write a 200 to 500 word post that matches one of the following ideas:

1. The REAL history of the Flu
2. A fabricated news release of the newest Flu strand and it's potential to kill, save, cure, mutate(or whatever strikes your fancy) the human, pet, fish, mammal(you get the idea) species
3. Someone just created the cure for the flu - how'd they do it
4. The steps and remedies someone might take to cure themself of the flu (make em up, search old wives tales, share the secrets of your Uncle Lu - whatever)

Post them in my comments, post it on your blog... whatever you like. If you participate, let me know. I'll link my favorites here for others to read.

Maybe the one I like the most will get a prize or something.

I'm going back to bed now!

Cheers.

Litsoup gives the lowdown on query letters

If you haven't been over to Litsoup in the last few days, Jenny has a great post that shares her advice on query letters. She's got all the detail over there, put here are the topics she touches on (with my comments under the topic):

1. Be professional
In every query advice article I read; in each book on writing; everywhere it seems - this topic is always touched upon. It has to be an issue if it's mentioned so many times - right? Is being professional in a query letter really that difficult for people to manage? Nut jobs and drama fiends aside, hmmm maybe there are just too many nut jobs and drama fiends. Maybe that's our problem. Perhaps we need a plan to weed them out somehow....

2. Space is at a premium
Again, to me this is a no-brainer. I think of this the same way I think about cover letters and resumes: keep it short and to the point. If I was applying for a job I'd make sure my creds match the job requirements and then tailor my cover letter accordingly. Most people know that a cover letter should only be one page (on occassion two - but never more) - same with the actual resume. Don't they teach some resume basics in high school these days?

3. Have a hook
This is where it starts getting difficult. Anyone who participated in Miss Snark's CoM knows how difficult it is to write a hook to grab an agent's eye (at least to her taste, anyway). But then again, the blurb on the back of a book is also a hook - one to grab a reader and it's completely subjective. To me, this is where it is critical to know your agent. No, I don't mean stalk him or her until you know what kind of toilet paper he buys and whether she eats twinkies or ding dongs. I mean to find out who they represent and what kind of books within the genre. The genres are still pretty darn big and ambiguous - not all romance are alike, not all horror are alike, etc. etc. The agent may say "I represent horror" - but what kind of horror? Stephen King kind? Does the agent have a strong anti-zombie streak? (Course, everyone knows zombies rock and we all love them! Go Max Brand!) There is nothing wrong with having a couple versions of a hook, just like you'd have several versions of a resume. Once you have the basis of a good hook - tailor the hook to the person reading it. You want them to like it enough to go to the next step and that's all that matters in the query.

4. Themes are extraneous information too
Less is more and all that. I guess I combined my thoughts and stuck them all under 3. :)

5. Writing credits can be both good and bad.
Until the day that agents say, "YES, this writer is a blogger. Wow. That rocks. I've got to sign her up" - I'll be keeping my writing credits to a minimum. :)

6. Leave out the bacon.
Another reminder to keep the query on target and focused. No need to share your recent experience with athlete's foot or the time you went to New York and drove through Central Park. Unless, of course, either item is a pivotal plot piece or a focal point of your novel. Agents don't read your letter to get a new friend. They don't really want to know your personality type or what you like to do in your pajamas. All they care about is if you have something that interests them and they think they can sell. Perhaps the motive behind adding in personal tidbits and "blah blah" is because we think it makes us stand out, it makes us seem more like a person, and it lets the agent know who we are... but the sad fact is, they don't care who we are. At least not yet. If the writing is good and marketable to them, then they care.

I thought Jenny's points were good. I've certainly heard all the points before, but apparently writers seem to forget them enough that we need the constant reminders.

Preparing to write: your tools of research

I've been a little busy with life and the Debut a Debut contest. That means I've had limited time to focus on my novel. I'm about 10 chapters into it and now more than ever, the research of my novel is critical. At this point in my novel the characters are all in place and the plot is speeding up. It's time to begin that uphill climb to the climactic moments. I need technology, science, locale, culture and all the other tidbits that make my story feel "alive" to come together to create a tense, action-packed sequence of events. I want my reader to be in the jungle with my characters. I want the science behind the events to make sense and be believable. I won't bore you with all the research I've done (at least not yet)... but it got me thinking, how do you start researching your plot or characters?

What is your primary tool when you start researching?

• 
  Travel & culture guides


• 
  Reference (encyclopedia, etc)


• 
  The Internet


• 
  Local library


• 
  Interviews, personal accounts, diaries


• 
  Google


• 
  I can't tell you or you might steal my idea

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Interview with Tawny Taylor, author of erotic romance

There are many authors who struggle to get published in-print or in ebook. Tawny is an author that has success in both fields. While she's had a passion for writing for a long time, it's only been since 2001 that she's written with the goal of publication. She has more than a dozen titles at Ellora's Cave, a popular ebook publisher of romance novels and Sex and the Single Ghost may be at your local bookstore!

I recently had the opportunity to ask Tawny a little bit about her experiences.

Can you tell us about the type of stories you write?
I write contemporary, paranormal and futuristic erotic romances, some more similar to traditional romances and others much more erotic--containing light bondage and ménage a trois. My later work is darker and more erotic (in a general sense) than my earlier work.

You've recently had some great publishing news, so far, what will we see from Tawny in 2007?
Thanks! I’ve been concentrating on writing (rather than playing online), and luckily my muse has been cooperating. I don’t have release dates for any ebooks yet, but I expect the following titles to release sometime this year:

Twilight’s Possession 1: Burning Hunger (Vampire ménage erotica) Ellora’s Cave
Dirty Little Lies (Sensual Romantic Suspense) Samhain Publishing
Passion Unbound 1: Wild Nights (Shapeshifter ménage erotica) Changeling Press
Carpe Nocturne 1: Dressed to Kill (Vampire ménage erotica) Changeling Press
Carpe Nocturne 2: Kiss Me, Kill Me (Vampire ménage erotica) Changeling Press
Carpe Nocturne 3: If Looks Could Kill (Vampire ménage erotica) Changeling Press

In addition, Kensington will be re-releasing Sex and the Single Ghost in mass market paperback. Plus, I have two paperback releases this year: Master of Secret Desires in June (Pocket) and Real Vampires Don’t Drink O-Neg (Kensington) in September. Once I’ve finished up the contracted books above that aren’t written yet, I’d like to write another Animal Urges book for Ellora’s Cave, and perhaps the second Twilight’s Possession, but I don’t expect those to release until 2008.

How many publishers have you worked with?
Directly, four epublishers and one print (NY) press. Pocket purchased print subsidiary rights from Ellora’s Cave and therefore the deal went through Ellora’s Cave, not my agent.

There are some interesting debates on ebook publishing versus print publishing. As a writer who has both, what are your thoughts on the benefits of ebook publishing and the differences between the two?
I could go on and on about this topic, but in summary, both offer advantages and disadvantages. So many authors think they haven’t made it until they’ve seen their New York book deal, but frankly if you’re writing sexy romance (can’t speak for other genres), an author can make a tidy sum writing for epublishers. And they can do so without the aid of an agent. Epublishers release books quicker, can respond to changes in the market faster, and are more open to new and unproven authors and story concepts. Of course, the drawback is an author might never see her book in Walmarts, and she won’t get a $10k advance.

You are doing well with ebook publishing; what advice do you have for writers pursuing the ebook market?

A. Don’t expect to get published right away. Epublishers are becoming increasingly popular among romance authors, and their mountainous slush piles are growing larger as a result. It now takes anywhere from 2-6 months (or longer) to hear back on a submission. The more established and popular a publisher is, the longer the wait (in general).

B. Don’t expect epublishers to be less picky or demand less than a NY publisher in terms of quality. Many epublishers reject as much as 90-95% of the submissions they receive.

C. Make sure to purchase and read several books by a publisher before submitting. Look at the quality of the book, the editing, and the subject matter to determine whether a publisher is right for you. Also, consider how easy/difficult the purchasing system was for you to navigate, how professional the site appears, and how you were treated as a customer as you make your choice.

D. Be prepared to market, market, market. Epublishers release dozens of ebooks every month, a practice that is creating something of a glut in a limited market. To stand a chance of selling a reasonable quantity of books, you must be willing to pull up your sleeves and market your books online.

In general, what writing advice would you share with aspiring writers?
No matter what, keep reading fiction. Don’t stop, even if your newly-acquired inner-editor screams nonstop about every little nitpicky error it finds. Reading helps you develop your voice. And reading outside your genre can help you develop fresh story plots and concepts.

Your new vampire menage, Carpe Nocturne, sounds exciting. Can you tell us what we can expect from this series?
Actually, Carpe Nocturne isn’t so much a series as it is a serialized storyline about two vampires and their mate. The title is the name of the heroine’s bar, which happens to be frequented by patrons of the immortal kind--werewolves, vamps, etc. There is a killer who is running around slaughtering people, and Burke, one of her mates has been tried and convicted of one of the murders. He has escaped custody and is trying to catch the real killer to clear his name. The heroine’s other master is a detective with the immortal police force. Ironically, he’s trying to catch Burke. There’s lots of steamy sex, and lots of suspense. I’ve found I enjoy writing suspense stories.

You've got a great collection on Ellora's Cave - do you have a favorite title that you would recommend to a first time reader of your novels?
Thank you! If they’re a first time reader of erotic romance, and tend to read category, I’ll recommend Tempting Fate. It’s a little tamer and sort of eases a new reader into erotic romance. If they are fans of paranormal stories, and are comfortable reading erotic romance, I’d either recommend Light My Fire (dragons) or Mark of the Beast (bear shapeshifter).

What's the average time it takes you to write story?
That depends upon the subject matter, whether there’s a lot of research involved...and my muse. I’ve written a 60k word book in thirty days--20 pages a day. I’ve also taken almost two months to write a 50-page proposal-- 1 page a day (a Viking time travel currently under consideration at a NY house). Worlds that are entirely fictional are much easier to write about than worlds that are based on real life or history.

Is there a character you've created that just lingers with you more than others? If yes, which character and why?
Oh gosh, I fall in love with every hero I write about as I’m writing the stories. I couldn’t possibly pick one. Heroines--I adore Jane in my non-erotic book, About Monday. That one’s released under my other pseudonym, Sydney Laine Allan.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
That’s an easy one: Sandra Hill, MaryJanice Davidson, Gena Showalter, Katie MacAlister, Dan Brown and James Rollins.

Has blogging helped promote you as an author?
I like to think it has, but honestly, I couldn’t say. It’s pretty much impossible to measure the effect any sort of promotion has on sales. I learned to look at every marketing effort as an attempt to build name recognition. I pretty much take a shotgun approach--try a little bit of everything.

Check out Tawny's blog to get to know her more and if you're interested, pick up one of her novels. And, thank you Tawny for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us.

The Sound of Words

My days are filled with music, literally, I hate the quiet of being home alone. Every day I listen to my yahoo jukebox or my ipod. I have no - zip, zilch, nada - talent for music. But I am certainly an admirer of it.

Yes, I did catch the premier of Idol last night... but that's a whole other post. *Minnehopeless* grumble, grumble.

Anyway, one of the chapters in First Five Pages focuses on sound. All writers know (or should know) that a strong voice is important.

There is a sound to prose; writing is not just about getting a story across, but also-if not mainly-about how you get there. Prose can be technically correct but rhythmically unpleasant. This is one of the distinctions between writing in general and writing as an art form. We've all encountered the ill-sounding sentence, but it just "sounds" wrong. Indeed, what I label sound may also be thought of as 'rhythm'.

I definitely agree with the above. I've read some good stories that unfortunately were just too weak in voice. The story was good enough for me to finish, but it lacked that extra umpf that made me want to run out and buy every book by that author - something I've done more than once.

Later in the chapter the author, Noah Lukeman, says the most common manifestations are sentence structure, echoes, alliteration, and resonance. Of those, awkward sentences probably drive me the craziest. I like to think I have a good ear for the sound of words, and bad structure sticks out like a big red flag.

What do you think? Do you notice the voice or sound of words when you read? How important is the "flow" of a story to you?

Literary Escort: Interesting or Frustrating?

I was reading the February issue of Writers Digest and read the article in the back cover, Confessions of a Literary Escort. As much thinking as I do, I had never thought about someone being a professional escort for authors. Apparently, they are hired by the publisher to pick up and escort clients.

The article is written by Wendy Werris and she says:

"The givens of being an author escort include a fueled-up, immaculate car and ample provisions including bottled water, Lifesavers, trail mix, a lint brush and Advil. The rest of the job is based on instinct, flexibility, wardrobe and a sense of humor."

She describes how when she picks up an author she dresses to match the nature of the book. Apparently this type of career requires a strong ability for multitasking. Including on the spot therapy for panic attacks and anger (She's not inferring something is she?) and then she compares herself to a concierge, "Like a concierge, I employ my inner Zagat to divine clients' gastronomical whims and am prepared for side trips to cosmetics counter, bank or doctor. When the British novelist Tony Parsons came down with a bad case of hives, I whisked him to my internist's office."

One point she makes very clear is that she is not a chauffeur. Having never thought about a literary escort before I turned to the oracle of bloggers... Google.

I found an article in Publishers Weekly about literary escorts. Then I found some rather naughty interviews* that tend to be more on the "escort" side of the fence - iffn ya know what I mean.

So, would a literary escort be a career that you would find interesting or would you find it frustrating?

Personally, this sounds way too much like a temporary personal assistant. I've tried doing that before and I don't like it. It might be interesting for a day or two, but I think it would NOT be a good career choice for me!

I vote frustrating!

*The link goes to a site with mature language. You've been warned.

The average sales volume to make the best seller list...

Sounds like an easy question, right?

I realized the other day that I have no idea what kind of sales volume it takes for a book to hit a best seller list. I thought I'd just do a few searches and get at least a general or average figure - no dice though. I can't seem to find an answer. Do any of you know?

I did find some interesting bits of information though:

In 2005, Christine Feehan's Dark Secret, Nora Robert's Northern Lights, Anne Coulter's Blowout, and Amanda Quick's Wait Until Midnight all had between 500,000 and 2 million copies in print.

In 2006, Nora Robert's two books of her new trilogy, Dance of the Gods and Valley of Silence each had a first print of 2.5 million copies each.

In 2006, Publisher's Weekly looked at Jane Friedman's nine-year history with HarperCollins. In that timeframe she increased HC from $737 million to 1.32 billion with profit increase from 12 million to 167 million. - That's a significant profit growth.

Getting to know your character. #1 Results

Yesterday I made a post on a character prompt.

As promised, here are the thoughts on each character response:

Strengths:

Courage: Manifesting courage is consistent with a character who takes pride in standing up and in not failing himself or, alternatively, with a socialized character who falls into step with the norms of society, which includes acting a certain way in emergencies.

Presence of Mind: Manifesting presence of mind is consistent with a character who is a natural leader in emergencies, knows useful skills like first aid and CPR, and can be expected to think through - and then make - any hard choices that may confront her.

Resolve: Manifesting resolve is consistent with a character who has persevered through a lifetime of hard knocks and who has the self-awareness to recognize that in any situation, even the roughest, how she will react is in her control.

Calmness: Manifesting calmness is consistent with a phlegmatic character with a low heart rate, slow movements, and a calculating nature who likes to think before he acts and prefers quiet to bustle.

Self Control: Manifesting self-control is consistent with a character who has learned to manage anxiety through strictness and who knows how to ration scarce resources, denies herself treats, and is likely a fan of corporal punishment and of children being seen but not heard.

Weaknesses

Self-Pity: Manifesting self-pity is consistent with a self-indulgent, pampered character who is likely to whine, blame others, love material things, and lack empahy.

Cowardice: Manifesting cowardice is consistent with a secretive, grandiose character who feels both frightened and superior, and whose approach to danger is to hide and to let other inferior, disposable human beings do the dirty work and take the risks.

Lack of resolve: Manifesting lack of resolve is consistent with a blustery character who appears self-confident and can talk a good game but who is more anxious and frightened than she appears and who consequently falters in crunch time.

Mental confusion: Manifesting mental confusion is consistent with a character who lacks real autonomy and independence, who likely thinks of himself as dumb, silly or addled, and who leaves the decision-making process to others - like a mate or parents - while internally criticizing those decisions.

High anxiety: Manifesting high anxiety is consistent with a generally anxious character whose anxiety escalates in emergencies, reaching phobic proportions, and culminating in panic and hysteria.

Getting to know your character. #1

While I'm reading the First Five Pages, I'm also flipping through another book I picked up recently: What would your character do? It's a neat little book that has some good advice on building a character and then it presents many scenarios and answers... little character prompts really. I thought I'd share a prompt with you and see how your character responds.

A MOMENT OF HIGH DRAMA

Out of the blue, your character is confronted by a moment of high drama. Depending on the nature of your character and your novel, choose one of the following dramatic moments: (1) caught in a major earthquake; (2) unjustly arrested for murder; (3) tailing the kidnapper of a child; or (4) watching a loved one die unexpectedly.

Get the incident clearly in mind. What was your character doing before the moment of high drama commenced? What was she feeling? Picture the drama unfolding: the building beginning to shake, your character feeling the handcuffs going on, your character noticing a man snatching a child, your character hearing the loved one's death rattle. Once you have the incident clearly in mind, proceed to the following questions.

***************

1. What strength of character does your character manifest in this moment?

A) Courage?
B) Presence of Mind?
C) Resolve?
D) Calmness?
E) Self-control?

2. What weakness of character does your character manifest in this moment?

A) Self-pity?
B) Cowardice
C) Lack of resolve?
D) Mental confusion?
E) High Anxiety?

Think about your character. Pick a characteristic for each question. Tune in tomorrow. I'll list the descriptions of the different traits as detailed in the book.

Grammar Flammar! Poetic Silliness

Oh, woe is me or is it I?

Here I sit, while I brood.
Crap, my writing, just isn’t good.

The easiest to use are nouns!
Like Bob and John and Mary Sue,
but what about those pesky pros?
Like he and they and she and it,
I tell you, I just can’t keep them straight.

The comma, well, it’s just hell.
Where it belongs – I can never tell.
I stick one here and stick one there.
As a reader, I’m sure that you don’t care.

The run-ons last long enough for tea.
Those fragments, well, they add some Joie de Vie.

Diagram a sentence?
Pfft, that’s just a nuisance.

Voice, tone, style - really, these don’t matter.
What’s that, you want to make a wager?

Fine, I’ll make a proclamation!
If not in print, I’ll be like Meika and go for self-publication!

Those agents, editors and English teachers –
Why they are all just uptight.

I’ve decided. My prose, well, it’s all just right!

Ok, I admit it. My skills at poetry rank a 0 on a 0-10 meter! However, I read You Think Grammar is the Amish Word for Your Mom's Mom and what can I say.... inspiration struck. I'm sure you're all glad I'm not an aspiring poet though!

I really planned on thinking about writing an entry for the Creative Carnival on Write Stuff. But two problems are keeping me from doing it... 1) My muse just isn't giving me a very creative angle for it and 2) I'm supposed to be working right now! :D

Writing in the news.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review had an article, Novel writing not for the faint of heart, authors say.

I'll allow you a moment to say, "well duh".

The article is pretty interesting and has some good comments on writing.

Some tidbits from the article:

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, there were 172,000 books published in the United States in 2005. Only in the United Kingdom, where 206,000 books were released, were people more intent on putting their ideas into print. And that's not counting the thousands of books that never see the light of day and those that are self-published.

"When people tell me they want to write a book, I tell them 'good luck,'" says Michael Connelly, the author of the crime novels "The Narrows," "Blood Work" and the recently released "Echo Park." "The road to publication is hard and full of obstacles."

So, how to even begin with such a daunting task ahead? Connelly advises any would-be writers to first be good readers.

"They must know the best work out there if they are hoping to join the ranks of published authors," he says, noting that finding an established literary agent, especially one that represents new writers, also is a must.

Then, a writer must remain true to his or her vision.