A Rainbow of Connections

So… I have decided to do my first series of blog posts. It will be a three part discussion on emotional connections with characters. Here is a brief outline:

• Part 1: A Rainbow of Connections
• Part 2: Reader/Character vs. Writer/Character
• Part 3: Building the Emotional Bridge

WARNING: The following may contain spoilers. If you have not read a book I mention, you may want to skip over that section.

Before I was a writer, I was a reader. To me the two most important things about a book are the characters and the story. I am willing to look over a lot of short comings if I like one or both of these elements.

My favorite characters are the ones that I make some kind of connection with. But there is not just one kind of connection – there is a whole rainbow full of them.

Blue: The Sympathetic Connection

When I have a Sympathetic Connection with a character – it means that I identify with either their experiences or their emotions. For example: Harry in The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley is kidnapped and torn away from the world she knows and must learn to live in a new world. I moved a lot growing up and know what that feels like. I made a connection with Harry because I have experienced the same emotions she was feeling.

Indigo: The Empathetic Connection

Empathetic Connections are related to Sympathetic Connections. Except with an Empathetic connection I can understand the situation or feelings of the character but do not directly identify with them. Catherine in The Meeting Place by T. Davis Bunn and Janette Oke loses her daughter. I do not have children – but I can imagine what kind of pain she must be going through.
Another example, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – Katniss makes a decision at the end of the book. I don’t necessarily agree with the decision she makes. But I understand it because I understand Katniss and what she has been through.

Orange: The Friendship Connection

Sometimes when I am reading a book, I start to feel a sense of friendship towards the character. Two of my favorite characters in Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling are Ron and Hermione. I like Ron and Hermione because they are the kind of people I would hang out with in really life. In fact, I have actually had friends that are very much like Ron and Hermione (especially).

Tangerine: The Endearment Connection

Slightly different from the Friendship Connection is the Endearment Connection. For me this is when a character is endearing to me. Sometimes it is almost a motherly concern for the character. But usually it is somewhere between friendship and affection. Case in point Dobby from .

Purple: The Hero Connection

We look up to heroes. We honor and admire them. When I make a Hero Connection to a character it means I am routing for them to win. I want their quest to be a success, to see them win the battle. I want them to prevail at all costs. I often become very loyal to such characters – and even when presented with supposed evidence of their guilt or evil – I give them the benefit of the doubt.
For me, Aragorn from Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien is just such a character for me. I see his potential to be a leader and a good king. So I want his efforts to be successful.

Black: The Villian Connection.

So far all of the connections I have talked about so far have been geared towards the protagonist. Now I would like to touch on two connections that we can make with the villains of the story. The first is – The Villian Connection. This kind of connection is made when I truly loath a villain. I find myself using another example from Harry Potter: Umbridge. *shudder*
I hated Umbridge so much I was tempted to not read the scenes of the book in which she was present. Or not read the book at all. That is how much I hated Umbridge.

Red: The Rogue Connection

When I like a character that I should not like, because he is evil or bad, that is a Rogue Connection. For example, when I read The Peasant Queen by Cheri Chesley I liked King Gregory. I felt sorry for him and really wanted to see him change his ways and become a better person. Of course he was the antagonist so we are not supposed to like him.

The moral of this story is that there are many different kinds of emotional connections and that each one has its purpose. In the next part of this series I will share my thoughts on the Reader/Character connection vs. the Writer/Character connection.

Going into my Hermit Hole and a Blog Award

I can feel a bout of hermit-itice coming on. When I was growing up my mom called it getting "peopled out" - it is a introvert thing. So just to give you fair warning I may be flying under the radar for the next couple of weeks. If I seem unresponsive to your blogs or comments, or absent from twitter, it is not because I don't love you. It is because I am in my Hermit Hole.

But before I disappear into my hole...I want to pass on a blog award. WilyBCool has given me the Versatile Blogger Award. Yea!

Here are the rules:

Thank the person who nominated you. Tell 7 things about yourself so that your readers may learn more about you and nominate 15 other newly discovered bloggers and let them know you nominated them.

7 Things About Me

My apologies if these are repeats.

1. If I lived in the Star Trek universe I would go into engineering. Although yellow/gold isn't really my color :)
2. My very first idea for a book involved 14 children that were ship wrecked on a remote island and had to defend it from pirates. Very The Swiss Family Robinson-esk. P.S. This was when I was 6.
3. The first story I ever wrote (and completed) was about a mouse that was framed for stealing and sent to a special colony for thieves. It was called Rose among Thieves and I still have a copy of it.
4. One year for Halloween I dressed up as a college student (I think I was in HS at the time). I wore sweat pants and held a mug with a sign that said - 'Will work for Tuition' - taped on it.
5. Another year for Halloween I was a Game Boy Fanatic. I used an old shirt to give me a second set of arms, put one of those Game Boy gum containers in the hands and carried around my real Game Boy.
6. I never believed in Santa. Growing up I always knew my dad was Santa. So that song I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause was always funny to me.
7. My favorite time of year are the holidays!

Winners!

And I am going to pass this lovely award onto the following fantastic bloggers:

1. Cassie Mae at Reading Writing and Lovin' It
2. M.E. at Breaking Fantasy
3. Maggie at Bramble Spice
4. Elizabeth at Elizabeth Varadan's Fourth Wish
5. Abby at Something to Write About
6. Ashley at Ashley Nixon
7. Cassandra at Bookish Bird
8. Stephen at Nikon Sniper
9. Melissa at Have You Heard
10. Christine at Christen Rains - Writer
11. Peaches at Conceive Writing
12. Ellie at Ellie Great
13. Jessie at Living a Life of Truth
14. Lola at Sharp Pen/Dull Sword
15. Lillie at Lillie McFerrin Writes

Hitting a Moving Target

So.... I shifted my goals around again. Sometimes that can be an issue - but I still feel like I am acomplishing things and moving forward. So for now - I am okay with trying to hit a moving target :)
Here is an update on how I am doing on my goals.
Writing: Three of Ivory, a fantasy series

• I got stuck trying to come up with names for my secondary characters. In my writers group we talked about not getting stuck on little things. So I moved on. I plan to fill in details for these characters as I go.
• I have written one characterization scene for one of my MCs. Then got stuck - after talking with my critique group and doing some thinking on the way into work today - I have worked out the block and am on track to finish them by the 4th.
• I have already finished the chapter by chapter/scene by scene outline for the first book. Way ahead of schedule! I allowed more room for flexibility with this outline because I wanted to see how it worked for me.
• I haven't started my first draft yet - but I am on track to have it started by the 14th of November. Yea!

Editing: Shadowed Stones, a fantasy novel

• So far I have been able to keep up with the critique notes for all my crit partners.
• I still want to wait until all my crit partners are done reading it before I do my final edit. However, I did go through and do some mass edits because I did not like having hang over my head.
• I re-wrote my query letter (thanks to some great advice from Mindy) and plan to do one more revision. I also need an outline which is what I am going to focus on getting done next.
• Still a little nervous about taking the plunge into the query process - but I am starting to feel more confident.
  

Reading:

• I finished reading Destruction from Twins and posted my critique on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
• I am about half way through The Black Cauldron.

For next month I have decided to read books on the writing craft. I have a few candidates - but haven't nailed down which ones yet.
Other:

• I have actually been doing pretty good with my critique pages. I am often over my goal - which is a great feeling. I thought about adjusting the goal but I don't want to make myself feel any more overwhelmed then I already do.

So - the moral of the story is - even if your goals shift midstream (alot) you can still make progress and be successful. Have you ever had to shift your goals?

The Mighty Pen #18

The Mighty Pen flash fiction contest is a just for fun writing contest (inspired by my wonderful husband). I post the beginning of a story – and you post an end! I will choose a winner and several honorable mentions. The contest is open until Sunday night and the winner is announce on Monday where I feature them on my blog. Check out past winners on the tab above.

Note: This is a family friendly blog – so please keep it PG rated. Thanks!

Today I am going to take a line from one of my favorite movies.

The Beginning

"You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means."

More Flash Fiction

Last week J.A. Bennett left me three words - and I have been so scatterbrained I haven't got to it until now. So here is my flash fiction piece using her three words Carnival Lunch Robots. (Oh and don't forget to check out the official post for today.)

Flash Fiction

Tommy ran ahead of Rana. "Wait!" she called to him.


Tommy spun around, a wide smile on his face. "Cotten Canny!" he said, jumping up and down.


Rana caught up with him and took his hand. "I will get you some cotton candy if you eat all your lunch and promise not to run away again."


He looked down and shuffled his feet. "Otay."


Rana smiled. "What kind of carnival food would you like for lunch?"


"Hot dog!" he cried.


"Okay, hot dog it is."


Tommy threw his arms around her legs. "Robots make to bestest nannys." he said.

Three Words #18

One of my favorite writing games is something I call three words. I post three words and encourage you to write a flash fiction piece containing those three words. If you would like to challenge me – post three words for me and next week I will post a piece of flash fiction using your words. Enjoy!

Three Words

• Blow
• Rod
• Angle

Flash Fiction

Using the three words: Red, Shelf, and Bond (from last week)

Red sand tainted the wind and stung my eyes. Carefully I leaned over, trying to see what lay below the shelf of rock I sat on. It was no use. All I could see was swirling streams of red sand. I leaned back and closed my eyes. When my eyelids did not provide enough protection I threw my arm over them. Trying to ignore the relentless howling of the wind, I dug deep within myself. I searched for the glowing string that was my bond to Myrin. I had to find him, had to call him to me. It was my only chance.

Prompt Tuesday #18

Every Tuesday I post a writing prompt and my response. It gives me a chance to exercise my writing muscles outside of my WIP, and hopefully inspire you to write. So enjoy my flash fiction piece and post your own in the comments!

Prompt

Source: CreativeWritingPrompts.com

#187 - Create a story, poem or any piece based on this metaphor: a minute of failure

Response

One Minute of Failure
A Poem by Krista
One minute of failure
is all it takes.
One minute to ruin
everything.

One minute to end
all hopes and dreams.
One minute to end
everything.

One minute alone
will shape your life.
One minute will determine
everything.

One minute of failure
is all it takes.
One minute of choice is
everything.

Oh my gosh! I totally forgot!

Okay, so I feel terrible! I totally forgot to announce The Mighty Pen winner yesterday! So I am going to make up for it.

Don't forget to check out my other post today about using The Color Code for characterization.

And the winner is....

Jessie

Check out the original post.

Jesse is a new follower (welcome!) who has a great blog over at living a life of truth. I am a new follwer to her blog and am still getting to know it. But I already enjoy reading her posts. I suggest you hop over and check it out!

Honorable Mentions:

• WilyBCool: Most Emotionally Charged

The Color Code for Characters

Have you ever read the book The Color Code by Taylor Hartman, Ph.D.? It is a great book about identifying your personality, and the personalities of those around you. It is a great way to learn about yourself and how to deal with others.

It is also a great characterization tool. I give each of my characters a core and secondary Color and - BAM - I instantly have their personality firmly on my mind. It only takes two words:

Red Yellow

To me those two words invoke a complete picture of a person's behavior, drives and complexities.

Of course that is not the end. I go on to do more. But then when I am writing I keep falling back to my characters Color.

I highly recommend using The Color Code to help when building your characters. Or - if you have another favorite personality classification method - use it.

How about you? How do you define the personality of your characters?

What are your thoughts on Point of View?

I have been thinking a lot lately about point of view. I started out writing another tirade post about point of view and how important it is to keep consistent.... blah blah blah. And then I decided I did not feel like ranting.

Instead I am going to briefly mention my thoughts on point of view, and ask for yours in return. Here it goes.

I prefer to write in third person, limited - past tense. It is also my favorite to read. I don't really like third person omniscient. I get confused. And in my experience it is really hard to get it right.

I am not opposed to first person. It is very compelling when used correctly.

And in general I don't like present tense because it makes my head hurt trying to read it. And it is kind of hard to visualize some times. Although, I recently read The Hourglass Door - the prologue of which is in present tense. I loved the prologue, but I am glad that the rest of the book was not in present tense.

What are your thoughts on point of view?

Pride Goeth Before the Fall

Okay, so I did not totally fail this week. But after the high from last week - I feel a little down about my progress. But please let me explain. Instead of focusing on writing last weekend I played around with blog templates. I finally decided that my pet project was taking too much time so I gave up on that and moved on. I promise to post about what I learned about blog templates though. As soon as I have time to collect my thoughts.

Now, on to my goals:

TOI -

• Minor Characters Identified and Characters Sheets filled out for them by Oct. 21st - I have the minor characters identified but I don't have their sheets filled out yet. In my writers group last night I learned that I should not get hung up on the minor details. So I am going to try one more time to name the minor characters - and then move on. I can fill out their sheets later.
• Characterization scene for each MC written (and critiqued?) by Nov. 4th - Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
• Detailed outline for first book by Nov. 11th - I have a rough outline of the series - and a slightly less than rough outline for the first book. And I got a start on a chapter-by-chapter outline already. So I am still on track for this.
• Begin writing first draft by Nov. 1th. - Wow! I am so close to this. Not sure if I am still on track or not. Here is hoping :)

Shadowed Stones editing notes - Yep - I fell behind again. But I plan to catch up this weekend. I have a critique group meeting next Thursday - so I need to get on it.

Reading:

• Re-read one book every month. Than review it on Goodreads. - I haven't started reading for this yet. But it is going in my backpack for the ride to work tomorrow.
• Read one new (to me) book ever month. Review on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes and Nobel. - I finished reading Destruction from Twins. But I haven't reviewed it yet. I will give you a sneak peak - I had a hard time getting through this book. There was potential and the fictional world was intriguing. But... well let's just say I am trying to find a way to say I did not like it - without being rude. I may only review it on Goodreads.

Review/Critique 10 paged a week. - I slacked on critiquing this week. I thought maybe I could get credit for doing extra last week :) But again my critique group is meeting on Thursday so this will be a focus for this weekend too.

Not an awe inspiring report I know. But I am not completely stalled - which is an improvement.

Now I have a question for you. What is your biggest block to writing? Is it finding time, come up with ideas? What keeps you from putting your pen to paper?

The Mighty Pen #17

The Mighty Pen flash fiction contest is a just for fun writing contest (inspired by my wonderful husband). I post the beginning of a story – and you post an end! I will choose a winner and several honorable mentions. The contest is open until Sunday night and the winner is announce on Monday where I feature them on my blog. Check out past winners on the tab above.

Note: This is a family friendly blog – so please keep it PG rated. Thanks!

My good bloggerly friend CherylAnne Ham has a similar contest on her blog. So when you are done here, hope over and check out her Flashtastic contest.

The Beginning

With a flourish she threw the powder into the bowl and muttered under her breath....

Three Words #17

One of my favorite writing games is something I call three words. I post three words and encourage you to write a flash fiction piece containing those three words. If you would like to challenge me – post three words for me and next week I will post a piece of flash fiction using your words. Enjoy!

Three Words

• Red
• Shelf
• Bond

Flash Fiction

Using the three words: Egret, Grace and Revelry (from WilyBCool) Confession: I had to look up egret :)

White wings spread, feathers quiver in the wind. The egret, a bright contrast to the dark water of the lake, took flight. Its voice echoed through the night.

Mylana watched the bird, its feathers glistening in the moonlight.

"Such a graceful beast." Said a deep voice from behind her. Mylana turned to find Dorrin standing behind her.

"You find my hiding place." She smiled at him, then turned back to the lake.

"Why would you want to hide?" He came to stand next to her. "I thought all this revelry was for you." He swept his arm to encompass the party that was going on behind her.

Mylana shook her head. "No. I am fallen from grace. That is all for my sister, Anala."

Dorrin was quiet for a long time. "Do you have regrets?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I could never regret a decision that came from my heart."

Prompt Tuesday #17

Every Tuesday I post a writing prompt and my response. It gives me a chance to exercise my writing muscles outside of my WIP, and hopefully inspire you to write. So enjoy my flash fiction piece and post your own in the comments!

Prompt

Source: CreativeWritingPrompts.com

#326 - Use this plot in your story: fired from her job after getting the wrong number

Response

I read over my termination notice again. I had gotten the wrong number. How could that be. I had double, even triple checked. The computer said the number was 467-2-1-9. I was sure of it. So when the government official asked me for the override code for the self destruct that is what I told him. 467-2-1-9. Is it my fault that when he entered the incorrect code which resulted in the destruction of 200 Million dollar deep space probe? No.

It was Jake's fault. I told Jake not to create such a complicated algorithm to generate the rotating override code. I told him we had to be able to hand check it to be sure. With the time delay in signal transmission we only had one chance. Then boom. But no. He had to be so clever. 'Computers are never wrong.' He said. Well thanks a lot Jake. Now because the computer that calculated the code rounds up, and the computer that accepts the code rounds down. I am out of a job. And the project has to start all over. Ten years wasted. Thanks a lot Jake.

About RSS Feeds

My local writing groups president, Terron James asked me about RSS feeds and how they can be used on our blogs and sites. So I did a little research and came up with a few thoughts.

What is an RSS Feed?
An RSS feed is basically something that you can subscribe to and get updates from. Here is how it works. A person is surfing the web and finds a website or a blog that they really enjoy and want to keep up with. Instead of having to remember to go back to the website regularly to check for updates the person can subscribe to the RSS feed (assuming the site or blog has one). The person then sees instant updates from the site or blog in their favorite RSS feed reader (i.e. Google Reader). Giving your readers the option of subscribing to an RSS will help them stay more active in following your site or blog.

Also, providing an RSS feed broadens your audience of followers. Not everyone has the appropriate account to use the various following methods. And some do not like receiving updates through email.

How do I set up an RSS feed?
If you have a blog – chances are it is already an RSS feed. And there is probably a widget for adding a button to your blog. Here are instructions if you use blogger (new interface):

1. Open your blog and select ‘Layout’
2. Click one of the ‘Add Gadget’ links in the area you want the widget to appear.
3. Choose ‘Basics’ and scroll down the ‘Subscription Links’
4. Click the plus button, give it a title, and click ‘Save.’

I am sure that there are similar ways to add it to other blog platforms.

Adding an RSS feed to your website is a little more involved. First do a search for an ‘rss feed generator’ and pick one out you like. Once you have set up a feed for your site – you will need to have a link to that feed that allows the user to subscribe to it. I have never done this - but I am sure a google search would produce some excellent resources.

Other uses of RSS feeds
Another way to use RSS feeds on your blog or website is to embed a related RSS feed. My blog, for example is about writing. I could find another site that talks about writing – say for instance one that talks about what is going on in publishing. If I embed that RSS feed into my blog – then users could see the updates from those feeds when they visit my site. The benefit of using a feed is that it makes you site appear to be updated more often.

This is also simple for most blogging platforms. Just add a widget (the ‘Feed’ widget on Blogger) to your blog or site that pulls from the RSS feed. Again, I have never added an RSS feed to a website.

Other Tools
You can also use third party tools to find out how many people subscribe to your rss feed – such as Feedburner. This can help you see how many people you are reaching with your feed.

The Mighty, Mighty Pen of...

From now on I will be posting the winner of The Mighty Pen award on Sundays, and posting random things on Mondays. So this weeks winner of The Mighty Pen award is...

Sarah Pearson

Sarah is an awesome bloggerly friend of mine. I love her blog Empty White Pages. And, had I not been too busy with life to do the Pay It Forward Blog fest, she would have been one of my recommendations. So if haven't already - check out her blog.

The Yu-Gi-Oh Effect

In last Saturdays post I mentioned a discussion I was going to save... and I could not save it any longer. In that post I called it something like Pulling Something out of a Hat in the Eleventh Hour. Here I would like to call it something more simple - The Yu-Gi-Oh Effect.

For those of you who do not know, Yu-Gi-Oh is one of those japanimation cartoons. I am not too familiar with it. But the basic premise is they go around playing this card game (complete with holographics - very cool). It is a great kids show, however in every episode there is a scene that goes something like this:

Opponent: Ah ha! I have just played this incredibly powerful card which you could not possibly defeat.
Yu-Gi-Oh: (Draws a card and smiles). Ah ha! I have just drawn a card that you have never heard of - but has the ability to perfectly counter act your card. It just so happens to be in my deck - never mind that I have had the same deck all season and you have never seen it before. And it just so happens to be on the top of the deck for me to draw. What a coincidence.

So what is wrong with this? No foundation. Totally pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I read a post a while ago that called this something else. But it has slipped my mind. Basically the post said that you can't set up this terrible situation - and then have other worldly being swoop down and save the day - without laying the ground work.

Here is another example of things gone wrong. Harry Potter. Near the end, Harry's opponent's wand won't work against him because he disarmed someone who disarmed someone. Anyway, I got confused. I remember thinking - that is not how it was in the previous six books. Where did that come from? I should mention that since reading the book, I have talked to others - and they assure me that it was a special case for that one wand. But come on. Harry can't win a duel of his own accord? It has to fall back to that?

Let me give you two examples of surprise endings that properly set up the surprise so that you don't feel cheated. These are from film.

First, The Others. WARNING: SKIP DOWN TO THE LINE THAT SAYS: "Second, Flight Plan" IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS MOVIE. All through the movie we get this idea that the house is haunted. But we know that the servants who mysteriously appeared are dead. And that her husband is dead and some how shows up. So, in the big reveal at the end when we find out that they in fact are the ghosts. We go.... "Oh, yeah!".... not.... "Huh?"

Second, Flight Plan. WARNING: SKIP DOWN TO THE LINE THAT SAYS: "Spoilers Over" IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS MOVIE. We see her daughter at the beginning of the movie. We think she is really there. But then other characters start revealing things and we start to wonder. Through out the whole movie we see both sides of the coin. Then, leading up to the end - the truth is all laid out for us. A surprise twist of an ending - but it does not leave the viewer feeling cheated.

Spoilers Over

Now. I am proud to announce that this post does not mention any other discussion. Not to say that I won't bring more up. It just might be a while. So enjoy the respite from my ranting.

Have you read a book or seen a movie that handles the twist at the end really well? Or really bad?

Sweet Success

I am so excited to report on my goals today. Why? Because I totally rocked them this week! And I owe it all to my wonderful husband who go me up early on Saturday. I was able to get so much done that day! And the organization and good mood lasted the whole week. So this is all thanks to him.

Okay, here it goes:
TOI

• Finish character sheets for my MCs by Oct. 14th. Got this done on Saturday!
• Rough outline of series complete by Oct. 21st. Done!
• Outline of Book 1 finished by Nov. 4th. Rough outline done - so that is good enough for me!

Shadowed Stones

• Stay caught up on critique notes and changes. This is going good for this week!
• When all critiques are in: do 1 final edit. Still waiting for beta readers to finish. I am patient.
• While doing the final edit compile an outline. Waiting.
• Get submission material critiqued. Waiting.
• Take the plunge. Waiting.

Reading

• Re-read one book every month. Than review it on Good Reads. Haven't started this one yet, but have it picked out.
• Read one new (to me) book ever month. Review on Good Reads, Amazon, and Barnes and Nobel. I am half way through Destruction From Twins.

Other

• Review/Critique 10 paged a week. Did more like 30 this week. Yea!

Okay - So the only goals that need to be updated are my goals for TOI. So here are my new goals:

• Minor Characters Identified and Characters Sheets filled out for them by Oct. 21st
• Characterization scene for each MC written (and critiqued?) by Nov. 4th
• Detailed outline for first book by Nov. 11th
• Begin writing first draft by Nov. 12tth

How are your projects going? Did you have a week of success? Or are you struggling?

The Mighty Pen #16

The Mighty Pen flash fiction contest is a just for fun writing contest (inspired by my wonderful husband). I post the beginning of a story – and you post an end! I will choose a winner and several honorable mentions. The contest is open until Sunday night and the winner is announce on Monday where I feature them on my blog. Check out past winners on the tab above.

Note: This is a family friendly blog – so please keep it PG rated. Thanks!

My good bloggerly friend CherylAnne Ham has a similar contest on her blog. So when you are done here, hope over and check out her Flashtastic contest.

The Beginning

A howl like none he had ever heard before pierced the night. Looking up from the flames of his camp fire he looked into the darkness beyond and saw...

Three Words #16

One of my favorite writing games is something I call three words. I post three words and encourage you to write a flash fiction piece containing those three words. If you would like to challenge me – post three words for me and next week I will post a piece of flash fiction using your words. Enjoy!

Three Words

• Door
• Stem
• Breeze

Flash Fiction

Using the three words: Sun, Ice, and Hand (from last week)

The sun, a hazy ball of yellow and orange, lifted itself above the horizon. I plunged my hand into the bowl sitting on the table next to me. My fingers found only a single ice cube and small puddle of cold water. I took the ice in my hand and rubbed it along my next, relishing in the chills it send through me. With the sun up the heat would become increasingly intolerable. Our only hope would be to fix the power generators – and thus the climate controls in the building – before we all cooked to death.

Prompt Tuesday #16

Every Tuesday I post a writing prompt and my response. It gives me a chance to exercise my writing muscles outside of my WIP, and hopefully inspire you to write. So enjoy my flash fiction piece and post your own in the comments!

Prompt

Source: CreativeWritingPrompt.com

#342 - Create a story or poem based on this metaphor: a flourish of hate

Response

She raised the crystal vase in her hand.

"Ami, don't!"

She did not listen to me. With a flourish of hate, she swung her arm down. The crystal shattered against the marble floor. Ami spun around to face me.

"Bring him to me!"

"Mistress, you banished him. He is not here."

She came to stand over me where I knelt. "Bring him to me." She said in a deathly whisper.

"Yes, Mistress."

Two Announcments

First the winner of The Mighty Pen award...

WilyBCool

WillBCool's entry was very touching. I loved it!

WillBCool has a very thoughtful, uplifting blog over at Let go of the Past, live Today and Create Tomorrow. So swing by and check it out.

My second announcement is - I am going to change up my blog post order starting next Monday. Monday's will now be my random thoughts about writing and stuff. I will announce the winner of the Mighty Pen on Sunday. Everything else will remain the same.

What Turns Me Off

In Monday's Post, I mentioned a discussion for another day. Well today is another day. Today I would like to touch on what turns me off of a writer.

There are two very sever examples of me being turned off from an author.

First, Isaac Asimov. Fantasy is my favorite genre to write. But when it comes to reading (and watching for that matter) - I love science fiction just as much. When I was younger I was reading everything I could get my hands on. But unfortunately not all Science Fiction (and Fantasy) novels are clean. So I searched high and low for a clean author. I found Isaac Asimov. His stories were captivating, well written, and sparked my imagination. Until I got three chapters into one of his books and had to put it aside. A blush burning my 12 year old cheeks. I won't go into details but it was not good. It took me years to pick up an Asimov book again - and I am still a little leery of reading his works.

Second, Robing McKinley. Sadly she is the author of two of my favorite books (The Blue Sword and Beauty). But I have not been reading any of her recent work. Why? Because of that vampire book she wrote a few years ago. My roommate and I were reading it aloud to each other. And well we had to stop. Ick. I still read books by her - but I am not going to rush out and buy a book just because she wrote it.

So here is a quick list of things that turn me off:

• Explicit Scenes: To give you a reference - the forth book in the Twilight series. Too explicit. Don't call me sheltered, or a prude, or a goody-goody. I just don't like reading that kind of stuff.
• Too Much Mushy: I don't mean romance or love story. I mean kissy-kissy stuff. I hate to pick on Twilight
- but the first book was too mushy for me.
• Pulling Something Out of a Hate in the Eleventh Hour: Here is another discussion for us to have! But I will save it. To give you an idea of what I mean - remember the end of Harry Potter? The whole wand thing? I was like....'What the? Where did that come from.' - I totally felt cheated.
• Treating Me Like a Puppet: This is not a book example, but that is okay. Lost. You know that show. I started watching it about a year ago. Loved the first season. Did not make it through the second season. Why? Because every episode was a series of events designed to force the viewer to feel a specific emotion. I am a rational, intelligent human being. Lay the facts and events at my feet and let me decide how to feel about it.

Okay, that felt good. I did not mean to rant though. I just want to let everyone know that you should be careful when doing something that may turn your readers off. Readers are loyal. But not that loyal.

Have you ever been turned of an author?

Shifting Goals

So I have decided to revise my goals. Mainly because I have desided to postpone sending SS to publishers. So here is my plan/goals for SS:

1. Stay caught up on critique notes and changes.
2. When all critiques are in: do 1 final edit.
3. While doing the final edit compile an outline.
4. Get submission material critiqued.
5. Take the plunge.

I have also been doing a lot of beta reading and critiquing. So I decided to make a goal for that.

1. Review/Critique 10 paged a week.

And here are my revised reading goals.

1. Re-read one book every month. Than review it on Good Reads.
2. Read one new (to me) book ever month. Review on Good Reads, Amazon, and Barnes and Nobel.

And last but not least: My goals for my WIP - TOI.

1. Finish character sheets for my MCs by Oct. 14th.
2. Rough outline of series complete by Oct. 21st.
3. Outline of Book 1 finished by Nov. 4th.

That's it. Those are my new and improved goals. I have also updated my status indicators and the My Goals tab.

I have two questions. 1. What are your goals? 2. Would you like to see a tab that lists books I recommend?

The Mighty Pen #15

The Mighty Pen flash fiction contest is a just for fun writing contest (inspired by my wonderful husband). I post the beginning of a story – and you post an end! I will choose a winner and several honorable mentions. The contest is open until Sunday night and the winner is announce on Monday where I feature them on my blog. Check out past winners on the tab above.

Note: This is a family friendly blog – so please keep it PG rated. Thanks!

My good bloggerly friend CherylAnne Ham has a similar contest on her blog. So when you are done here, hope over and check out her Flashtastic contest.

The Beginning

Red. Yellow. Blue. Pink. The colors swirled around and around. Red. Yellow. Blue. Pink.

Black.

Three Words #15

One of my favorite writing games is something I call three words. I post three words and encourage you to write a flash fiction piece containing those three words. If you would like to challenge me – post three words for me and next week I will post a piece of flash fiction using your words. Enjoy!

Three Words

• Sun
• Ice
• Hand

Flash Fiction

Using the three words: Chime, Rope, and Teapot (from last week)

Annaleys ran her hand throw the chimes as she walked along the balcony. The soft sound of cascading notes followed in her wake.

“Come.” Mylla called to her. “Sit.”

Annaleys sighed and came to sit across for her governess. Mylla smiled and picked up the teapot and poured some into Annaleys’ cup.

“Why so pensive?” Mylla asked.

Annaleys lifted the cup to her mouth and sipped at the warm liquid. Returning the cup to its saucer she fingered the thin rope tied around her wrist.

Mylla smiled at her knowingly. “He’ll come back. They say the war will be over any day.”

Prompt Tuesday #15

Every Tuesday I post a writing prompt and my response. It gives me a chance to exercise my writing muscles outside of my WIP, and hopefully inspire you to write. So enjoy my flash fiction piece and post your own in the comments!

Prompt

Source: CreativeWritingPrompts.com

#288 - Use this cliché anywhere in your story: off like a shot

Response

I took of like a shot. Running with all my might. I could see my goal ahead. Before long, my side started to hurt. I pressed my hand into the cramp. I had to keep going. One more step. One more step. I could see the archway up ahead. I could make it. One more step. I passed through the archway and the world around me dissolved. I was safe.

My Thoughts on First Lines

Okay, so there is a lot of talk on the blogosphere about grabbing people with the first line. (Okay, don't hate me for what I am going to say in this post - and remember I am not a professional. These are just my thoughts.)

I don't know what the big deal is.

I have never read a book because the first line grabbed my attention. In fact, of all the books I have read (even the ones I read over and over again), I cannot remember the first line of a single one.

So how do I choose what to read? Simple:

1. The Author: If I have read their work before and liked it - I will pick up pretty much anything else they have written. Until I get turned off from them - but that is a discussion for another day.
2. The Cover: Okay, this is not to say that the cover has to be to die for. But if the cover tells a bit of the story and I am interested - then I will most likely pick it up. Case in point: The Blue Sword is one of my favorite books ever. The cover of the copy I first read had a picture of a girl dressed in Arabian type garb - on a horse with no reigns - and brandishing a blue glowing sword. I picked it up and took it home and read it.
3. The Blurb: The blurb on the back of the book gives me a snap shot of the story. This is probably the biggest thing that draws me into reading a book. The blurb does not need to be masterfully written. It just has to present the story in a way that would make me want to read it. I would read a book with a blurb like: This orphan boy who takes care of a seer pig, chase her into the woods and ends up on an adventure to save the pig - and the entire land - from a bad guy. (The Book of Three if you were wondering.)
4. Suggestions: If someone I know and trust (their taste in books) - suggests a book to me. I will read it.

In fact, if I want to sample the writers style before reading a book - I don't open to the first page. I open the the middle and read two paragraphs. Then flip closer to the end a read a few more. But not the first page. (Shocking, I know!)

Just like I don't get pulled into a book by the first line - the first page and the first chapter don't determine whether or not I keep reading. Okay - if a book is really bad I will stop reading. But those kind of books are few and far between. I actually give a book to about a third to half way through before I write it off. Why?

Because a story is more than just one line, or one page, or one chapter. Its the whole story. It is the whole book and sometimes multiple books. For me what makes a book good or bad, or great is the story. So I will endure slow passages, bad dialog, and so forth - as long as I like the story.

So what I am trying to say is... don't spend months or weeks getting the first line, or the first page, or the first chapter just right. Yes, make it good, but then move on. Think of all the books you have read - do you remember the beginning... or the end? For me it is the end. Always the end. Focus more on the complete story.

Now I am not saying this will help your book sell. I am saying this will help your book stick in the heart of your readers. This will make them come back over and over. I have read The Blue Sword five times. Yep, five. And I plan to read it several more times in my life. That is the kind of book I want to write. What is the first line? I don't remember. What was the first chapter about? I vaguely remember. But everything from about half way through to the end I remember in vivid detail.

This is the kind of book I want to write.

Okay - I get that this is probably controversial - so what are your thoughts on first lines? And what helps you decide whether or not to read a book