MASTERS OF TIME
READY, SET, GO!
How does a writer know when their book is really finished? How many beta readers have critiqued your manuscript? How many substantive and copy edits have you fretted over? How many months did the manuscript sit untouched? However many, it's finally time to send out the dreaded query letters to literary agents. I had my query critiqued by a literary agent, so I'm confident it's a good one. She pointed out things that I hadn't noticed. She also helped me with my platform. I've set up a personal website, ready to go when my novel is finally published. She insisted that a writer, even an unpublished writer, must have a website and be active on social media. All done. Ready, set, go!
BOOK 1 of THE TRANSZENDENTS is polished, the query and synopsis as well. It's been a long process. The outline of the tetralogy has been sitting in a drawer for many years while I wrote other novels and short stories, and worked as a freelance editor. BOOK 2 is underway and the writing process will keep me busy while I wait to hear the fate of MASTERS OF TIME.
CELEBRATING JANE AUSTEN
On the two-hundredth anniversary of Jane Austen's death, I pay tribute to one of my favourite authors.
Pride and Prejudice was the second classic novel I read. Jane Eyre being the first during a rainy summer at the cottage in Muskoka when I was a young girl.
I am currently reading Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley. This is not a review of the biography, but I am enjoying all the wonderful descriptions of houses, means of travel, food and the people who surrounded and influenced Jane's writing.
Although she wrote from a young age, Jane Austen did not publish her work until later in her short life and she never made a fortune. Being a single woman, she had to rely on male relatives to act on her behalf. The sums of money she made from her published novels allowed her some freedom.
Chawton Cottage was owned by her brother, Edward. This was where Jane lived during the published phase of her life. Now that she was in her thirties and a successful author, she was allowed to travel without a chaperone to London to see her publisher.
It has often been said that Jane Austen lived a life without incident, but she was a keen observer of the times she lived in. Her legacy has grown since her death and will continue to survive for many more centuries.
I am currently reading Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley. This is not a review of the biography, but I am enjoying all the wonderful descriptions of houses, means of travel, food and the people who surrounded and influenced Jane's writing.
It has often been said that Jane Austen lived a life without incident, but she was a keen observer of the times she lived in. Her legacy has grown since her death and will continue to survive for many more centuries.
Valentine's Day Book List
In Honor of Valentine's Day
I'd like to pay tribute to a few of my favorite romance books. Romance novels were a big part of my life when I was much younger and I still remember many of the plots and characters. Scarlett O'Hara's headstrong disposition kept me riveted through Gone With the Wind's one thousand pages. The shy and humble unnamed heroine in Rebecca was closer to my personality, but I didn't appreciate her until my adult years. I preferred feisty heroines like Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth Bennet.
I especially love historical novels They transport me to other places and eras. The first classic romance I read at age twelve was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which was to be the catalyst to a genre that would sweep me away to foreign countries with castles and manor houses and brooding gentlemen, hidden secrets, family curses and sometimes insane wives locked in the attic.
I prefer happy endings, although some of the greatest love stories end tragically. I still have a second edition of Jane Eyre with yellowed pages and black leather binding, which I found in a secondhand bookshop many years ago. Unfortunately the text is underlined with pen (don't blame me) and it isn't worth much, but to read from this volume makes me believe I am part of C. Bronte's world.
The following list of great romance novels is not in order of preference
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Possession by A. S. Byatt
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
I know I've left a few romance novels off my list
Anything written by Georgette Heyer and Rosamund Pilcher deserve to be mentioned. I'm sure you've noticed that my list of great romance novels does not include books with vampires and werewolves. Please don't judge me. I really do love horror novels, but my list is for human lovers only.
Since my adolescent years I have held a fascination for Pre-Raphaelite artists and poets, probably because they represent Gothic romantic themes. Many of the titles on my list are Gothic novels that I never tire of reading. The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott is a poem so I left it off the list, but it's breathtaking.
Do you agree with my list? What is your favorite romance novel of all time? ♥
The Antagonist as the Main Character
The main character in the series I'm currently writing just happens to be an antihero who thinks he's the good guy. He has traits of a villain, but he is the central character in the novel. Of course, he's not all bad and he has a
good reason to mistrust others whom he believes want to steal something
important from him.
A sympathetic villain protagonist requires several traits that a writer must consider. He must be believable and adapt to changes, whether he wants to or not. His flaws come from a survival instinct and fear of discovery and he must have one or more endearing qualities. It's the consequences of discovery that motivates his vile actions. His secrets should be revealed gradually throughout the novel.
He doesn't necessarily need to dislike the people he betrays and he only kills when threatened. This does not apply to serial killers, but my antagonist isn't mentally unbalanced. A believable antagonist acts on his desires and is highly motivated by his fear of discovery. He must have a few sympathetic traits, such as loving animals. Birdman of Alcatraz fits into that category. Robert Franklin Stroud was convicted of manslaughter, but his love of birds helped him pass the time in prison.
Dr. Frankenstein's monster is probably the most misunderstood character. He's kind hearted and kills only when threatened. Even then, he feels remorse. Characters in the novel fear his frightening presence, but those who know him, fear for his safety.
A few novels with the antagonist as the main character are, Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, the musical, Wicked, by Winnie Holzman, and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. All of these characters have a few good traits and a few manage to mend their evil ways.
When I was a child, one of my favorite characters was The Grinch, created by Dr. Seuss. Cold and Heartless, The Grinch doesn't want anyone to be happy and spends all of his time sabotaging the sunny community of Whoville. Of course, he mends his evil ways by the end of the story.
Creating a villain protagonist allows the writer to use other characters to oppose him.
Just remember that the protagonist must strike a cord of sympathy with the reader and become an anti-hero of sorts.
As an experiment, spend twenty minutes writing a villain protagonist. Who is he or she? Why did he become evil? Is he a hopeless cause or can he be redeemed?
CURES FOR A SAGGY MIDDLE
I find the middle of a story is the most difficult part to write. The beginning introduces the characters and their problems and the ending ties everything together, but middles can get saggy or worse, boring. By the middle of a novel, the characters should be all introduced, the setting fixed and the goal established.
The middle of a novel is where a major setback hinders the protagonist's efforts. Just as with real people, characters should grow and learn. Too many characters can weigh a novel down. Conversations where characters know the answers are a lazy method of explaining information.
Every scene needs tension or conflict. It must raise a question or advance the protagonist towards a goal. If a scene doesn't advance the plot or deepen characterization, it's just filler.
Open each scene with a hook and end it with a dilemma. Cliffhanger endings are a page-turner. Stretch tension by slowing a scene down. Use setting to increase tension. Suppose your main character is fishing in a small boat that runs out of fuel. Add a thunderstorm and you've escalated the tension.
Don't forget to use emotional and physical tension such as anger, fear, jealousy, illness or injury.
Raise the stakes by putting the protagonist in the middle of a conflict where he/she must make a difficult decision that goes against their nature.
Here are a few tricks to writing a more creative scene:
Tell things out of order. This could include a flashback or simply moving time back and forth to show what each character is doing.
Let the reader know what is going to happen before the main character finds out. For example, someone expecting a huge inheritance buys an expensive item, but the next scene shows the lawyer reviewing a will that disinherits the protagonist.
End the scene in the middle of a dilemma, disaster or introduce an unexpected development.
Now for the fun part--pull out an old manuscript and review a couple of scenes, using some of the tips listed above.
Let's make a pact to keep saggy middles out of our writing.
My Writing Corner
Writing isn't easy. The only people who think writing is easy haven't actually sat in front of their word processor or a blank piece of paper. I have friends who say they're going to write a novel--they have the perfect story to tell. I smile and encourage them, knowing it will never happen. At the very least, writing takes discipline, time, energy and a creative mind.
It's taken me years to figure out that there is a right time and a place to write, and forcing myself to write during other times or in other places doesn't work.
I need a cozy spot to write, which happens to be my home office.
It's a small room on the second floor of our house, painted Wedgwood
blue. Some of my favorite things are kept there, among them, a large
print of Monet's water lilies, an antique French rug that I carried home
from the Antique Market in Toronto twenty-five years ago on the subway, incense burners, stones, candles and feathers I've collected over the years and a marble urn
containing my father's ashes. I like to think he's encouraging me now as he
did when he was alive. Of course there are several book shelves and a comfortable wing-back chair for reading. The best time for me to write is in the afternoon at my desk under a window overlooking the backyard. I love the sound of birds singing in the trees, but I will only get off my chair to admire the blue jays and cardinals. I'll write for a few hours, make supper, walk the dog and settle down in the guest room beside the office. With the TV on, I'll plot out the next scene of my novel on paper with a pen or pencil. The next morning, first thing, I'll sit down at the desk and review the chapter I wrote the day before. Editing seems to work best for me early in the morning and it puts me back in the writing groove.
I get more writing done when I stick with this format. I like to write a fairly decent first draft. Other writers brag that they write 20 pages a day and can finish a first-draft in a month, but I'd rather write 4 to 6 pages that require minimal revisions, than 10 to 20 pages slapped down in an undecipherable mess that will take me just as long to revise.
The next time you find yourself writing something that flows effortlessly, make a note of the time and place. It might just be the best time and place for you to write.
As for blogging, I prefer late Sunday afternoons, while the dog and hubby nap in the living room. I'll tiptoe upstairs with a glass of wine and a plate of grapes and cheese and type my feelings and thoughts to people who understand the art of writing.
Where is your favorite place to write?
THE DARK DAYS OF WINTER
Despite the weather, it's my daily custom to feed birds and squirrels from a box, hanging on the branch of a birch tree and, occasionally, I am rewarded by the call of a bluejay or cardinal. My home office window overlooks the backyard and the small wildlife offerings help brighten the loneliness of a writer's life.
I believe it's important during the cold months of the year to create a serene space where my creative juices are able to flow and not freeze like the landscape outside my window. I keep cherished knickknacks close by and my pens are stored in a blue china mug on my desk. A framed Monet print of water lilies and a vision board, showcasing cards and photographs of people and places I love, share one wall, while the other walls are hidden behind white bookshelves crammed with favorite tomes that have all been read several times.
My writing room is constantly changing to accommodate new favorite items that give me pleasure and help inspire the inner writer in me.
What are some of the things that inspire your writing?
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