Tag: writing

Summer Memories in April

On By dotluvs2writeIn blogging, Fiction Writing, Inspirational2 Comments

love of books pic

Last November 2017, I entered three writing contests FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, and was selected one of twelve finalists in one of them.  I am very excited and proud to have one of my short stories published in Scribes Valley Publishing’s anthology.  I can’t wait to see my story in their anthology! It comes out next month. Here’s the link to their website that shows the cover of the book in which my story will be printed, and the list of twelve winners. I, a newbie, am among seasoned, professional writers! What an honor!

 

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Why Do You Write?

On By dotluvs2writeIn blogging, Fiction Writing, Past Life Activities10 Comments

writing in notebook a story

We authors have a variety of reasons why we create and write stories.  Perhaps the reasons have changed over the years.  Did you start writing stories at an early age?  If so, your reasons for writing them then may be different than now.  Did you want to be an author when you grew up?  I did, but the reality of a one percent chance of getting published and my parents telling me I couldn’t sustain or support myself when I was out on my own pretty much shelved that aspiration.  I then decided to attend business college because I typed very well and graduated with an administrative assistant degree in 1991.  A typing position had worked fine for me in my early twenties.  I didn’t hate my jobs, but I also wasn’t thrilled or totally invested in them.  They mattered for paying the bills.

Getting back to why we authors write, I think my reason when I started writing at age twelve was because I enjoyed immersing myself in the make believe world of my characters.  It was a pleasant escape.  It wasn’t until after the long nearly eighteen-year hiatus from writing and going back to college in 2014 that I thought of doing this seriously and full time.  Instead of writing only for myself and a couple of friends, I desired everyone who was interested in my genre, writing style, and storylines to read them.  Thankfully, with four classes left until I graduate from university and all the techniques and mechanics of writing I’ve been learning have not hampered my joy of writing.  Producing a story is more difficult because of what I’ve learned it takes to write a good story, but that difficulty is not something overwhelming or unachievable.

As I continue to wait to hear back from the publisher on whether they’ll want to see my whole manuscript or reject it, I know that no matter what, I want to share my works with everyone.  I believe God gave me this ability to create stories, and with this gift, I am to share it with all.

What are your reasons for writing?  Share your thoughts below.

 

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Centering on Character

On By dotluvs2writeIn blogging, Fiction Writing, Writing Techniques9 Comments

woman writing in notebook

On Tuesday, March 13, I submitted the synopsis and first three chapters of my novel, Passage of Promise, to a publisher for which I felt my genre and style of writing would be a good fit.  According to their website’s submission guidelines, I should hear something within one to two weeks.  So I am in the nervous and excited waiting mode.  I also realize rejection is a normal and somewhat expected outcome in the process of submitting your manuscript to publishers/editors/agents, but I will deal with that at that time.

Meanwhile, I’ve delved back into my work in progress the past three days, and it feels good to be back in the lives of my characters, watching what they do, how they handle situations, and learning how to make them more developed.

Speaking of characters, what makes them interesting?  Are there several components that connect you to the characters?  Perhaps you relate to one of them, and the challenges they have mirror your own.  Is it that they are well-crafted, three-dimensional, and real to you?  Maybe you like one of the characters because they’re broken, clumsy, and endearing that way?

Well, for me, those elements are part of what I like about characters in the books I read.  I especially like characters with quirky personalities and unusual habits.  This particular trait is what I’d like to incorporate into my characters in my stories.

Do you need a lot of physical details describing how the characters look, or are a few basic features with maybe one unusual one sufficient?  It’s the latter for me.  I suppose the detailed descriptions depend upon the genre in which you read.

Characters drive the plot/storyline, and because of this, they are very important.  Through the fiction and creative writing workshops of my university courses, I’ve learned this vital fact, and carving out a well-defined and well-developed character takes practice.  For some authors, it’s not too difficult, but for others, it is quite a challenge.  I’m somewhere between not too difficult and a little bit of a challenge.  When I first started writing in my teen years, my characters were pretty much one or two-dimensional and lacked depth.  I’d like to think I’ve gotten a bit better since picking up writing again in 2014.

Therefore, in creating characters, you might want to:

  1. Have them possess quirky personalities with perhaps some type of pesky habit.
  2. Give ’em flaws.  Nobody can relate to someone who’s perfect inside and out.
  3. Produce words that come from their mouths that are natural, realistic, and perhaps echo a dialect in the area in which they live.
  4. Make sure each character is distinct to a certain degree.  If you can get to the epic point of writing dialogue with no tags and the reader knows the people speaking because of the way they talk, their language, and voice, you’re a star!
  5. Describe their looks with enough detail to give the reader at least a general idea of the appearance of the character, unless you’re writing in a genre like Romance where it seems that the more detail there is, the better.

These recommendations came from my memory through studying material and books I’ve read for my classes.  I hope they are helpful to my fellow writers as they have been for me.  It takes some practice, some work to create believable and relatable characters, but we can do it! Happy writing!

 

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