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Last year, we shared some of our favorite holiday recipes and tricks to make the season easier on your and your wallet. This year, we are sharing our family traditions. Everyone celebrates in their own special way and the Children are no exception. Instigator I grew up far from my extended family so my parents, sister, brothers and I had to form our own holiday traditions. Those traditions have morphed and stretched as we’ve each grown up and started families of our own but at the core they remain the same. Everything we do is to share time together and experience the joy of the season. My husband comes from an artificial tree family. Now, there isn’t anything wrong with that unless you’ve grown up with a real tree. And I refuse to budge! Christmas isn’t Christmas without a real tree. Not just that though, it isn’t Christmas without a real tree that we’ve chosen and chopped down. It’s the hard work, the selection, smelling the pine and getting the sap on your hands that make it yours. I was in my teenage years when we stopped cutting down our own tree (picking a real one out of the lot at Lowe’s instead). I refused to speak to my parents for days after that fiasco. Yes, it is difficult to find a nice tree to cut down here and I’ve had to cave on several occasions to purchase a tree from a lot. But we always hunt for one first. I want my girls to have the same joy and excitement that I always did on the day the family loaded into the van to get our Christmas tree. It’s become a bit of a family joke because my husband and I can never agree on the tree. Each year I pick one that’s too big for our house. I do it on purpose so we can trim off the bottom (which is always straggly) to end up with the perfect tree. David simply sees that as money wasted on a foot of trunk and branches we’ll never use. One year, after reminding me of the foot he cut off the year before, he insisted on picking the tree. I agreed. It sounded reasonable. It was his turn. He has now had his tree picking privileges revoked. The darn thing didn’t even touch the ceiling! Even with our angel on top it was half a foot too short. I only get a tree in my house once a year. The thing should fill the space! At least now it’s always 3 to 1 when we take a family vote. I’m training the girls well. They understand the value of a nice, big tree. Playground Monitor Christmas just isn't Christmas without Mulled Cider. There's something about that smell -- apples and spices -- that brings home the fact that it's really Christmas. I usually start making it at Thanksgiving and there's a steady batch in my kitchen until at least New Years Day and maybe even longer. I drink it after coming in from the cold, while sitting by the fireplace reading, while I'm cooking, while we open gifts. I really don't need much of an excuse. COLONIAL MULLED CIDER 1 half-gallon natural apple cider In 3 quart saucepan, heat cider, allspice, cloves and cinnamon sticks to boiling. Strain hot cider into mugs and serve. Unpeeled, sliced oranges may also be added with spices. Makes 8 servings. Or to make it easy, get a tin of mulling spices and add to the cider. My favorite is from Williams-Sonoma. For a cheaper version, make Spiced Apple Juice. Add 3 sticks of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of whole cloves and 1/2 tablespoon of whole allspice to 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the spices and add the water to 2 quarts of unsweetened apple juice. Heat and serve. Smarty Pants Christmas Eve has always been a big deal with my mom and I – almost bigger than Christmas day itself. That night, we always had appetizers for dinner. My mom would fry crab Rangoon , we’d have cold, boiled shrimp, cheese, sausage and crackers from Hickory Farms, baklava and other goodies. Other must haves include fresh coconut, soft peppermint candies and Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider. (The coconut and peppermint are family traditions from when my mom was a kid. I can’t really explain them except it’s always fun to watch someone try to crack that darn coconut open outside in the freezing cold.) As a kid, drinking the sparkling cider out of a champagne flute was the best. Ruined me for real wine, actually. After the eating is done, we turn off all the overhead lights and listen to carols by the Christmas lights. We always got to open one gift (just one!) that night. My mom would usually set it up so I’d open the pajamas she bought. That way, we’d all have new PJs for Christmas morning and pictures. My grandmother is bad with the suspense and one year she talked us into opening one more gift, then another and another until they were all open. That year we’d had a real tree for the first time and it was dropping needles everywhere. Christmas morning, I woke up and there was no sign it was Christmas. All the packages were opened and gone, the tree was in the dumpster, and my mom had packed everything up in a cleaning frenzy. From then on, the one gift rule has stood firm. Problem Child We don’t have a lot of traditions in our family—at least not any considered unusual. Christmas Eve service (I used to go to the midnight service, although that changed after AC. We do the kiddie one instead.), opening one present on Christmas Eve, stuff like that. Since AC was born, we’ve tried to create some traditions for her that combine traditions from DG’s side of the family. We leave cookies and milk for Santa (American), along with a shot of whiskey to warm him up on his travels (Scottish). One tradition from my family that I’m passing along to AC is the yearly Christmas ornament. As a child, my mom bought me a special ornament each year. It always represented something from that year—an Ariel ornament the year I fell in love with the Little Mermaid movie (okay, so I was 19), a Nutcracker for the first year I performed with State of Alabama Ballet, things like that. Each year, those ornaments were mine to hang on the tree. I always looked forward to getting my ornament each year. When I got married and moved away, Mom brought out the Christmas decoration boxes and gave me my ornaments to take to my new home to decorate my Christmas tree. It was like having pieces of my childhood to take with me and revisit each year. We’re doing that for AC—but she’s getting a double dose. Mom gets her one, and so do I. Each year, AC gets to hang those ornaments any where on the tree she likes, and she’ll take them with her when she moves away.** Hopefully she'll have good memories to relive each time she decorates a tree, and she can share those memories with her child, the way I do with mine. **But I’m keeping the ones we made of AC’s hands when she was a baby… Angel One tradition we have started with my husband's family. Every year, when we're all together on Christmas Eve, we take an extended family photo (this includes 6 families, from the youngest at 3 to his great-grandmother). Everyone is dressed holiday-style and there's always a pretty background to be found. People often skip this because it can be a hassle and they don't think about how important it might be down the road. As I look back through our Christmas pictures, I can see when each of my children were born, how they've grown, and when new in-laws married into the family. Last year's picture is especially precious because it is the last one we have with my husband's grandfather, who passed away this spring. I love pictures, and I'm an avid scrapbooker. We've extended this same tradition to our immediate family, so now I can track how our family grows and changes. And remember it forever. Last, a special bonus tradition from one of the Mavens... Maven Linda It's a really silly thing. About ten years ago, pushed for time and needing something in the way of food, I stopped at Chick-Fil-A and got one of their large party platters of chicken nuggets. It was purely desperation that drove me. Of course, the platter of chicken nuggets was the first thing everyone went to, and the kids absolutely loved it. The following Christmas, not being a dummy, I got another platter of chicken nuggets, which was when my nephew solemnly told me that if you did something twice in a row that made it a tradition, and I had to provide chicken nuggets at Christmas from now on because it was now a Family Tradition. That's still the first thing everyone heads for when they come in the kitchen at Christmas. From the Playground, we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. May you share the days with your family and friends enjoying old traditions and building new ones. Battling the Grammar Gremlins, Lesson 10: Verbs, Verbs, Verbs “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, I don’t think the Grammar Gremlins actually kill people, but they can certainly wreak havoc on my sanity. A flurry of discussions on various loops and interesting statements made in the anonymity of the Internet have heated my blood and released my battle cry once again. Let’s go back into the grammar breach and discuss the wonderful world of verbs—tenses, voice (yep, here comes the lecture on those passives), and mood. TENSE: Tenses indicate the time of an action in relation to the time of speaking or writing about that action. (Passive, therefore is not a tense—it’s a voice, and we’ll get to that in a minute.) Our tenses are present, past, and future, and each tense has a simple, perfect, and progressive form. Simple present means the action occurs at the time of speaking or regularly occurs. Simple past is used for actions completed, and simple future means the action will occur later. Simple Present: I walk to the store. Easy enough. Next, we have the perfect. Formed by using a form of have plus the past participle, it expresses an action that was or will be completed at the time of another action. Present Perfect: I have walked to the store every day of my life to get groceries. The progressive form describes an action in progress. It’s formed by using a form of be followed by the present participle (the –ing form of the verb). Present Progressive: I am walking daily to help me lose weight. You can also have Perfect Progressives: Present Perfect Progressive: I have been walking as part of my weight loss plan. I provide you with this lecture on tenses because our fear of the “passive” has sent writers scrambling to remove any and all forms of to be from their sentences, claiming the presence of the word was somehow makes the sentence passive. Not so. Tense is tense—you can chart it on a timeline to show exactly when an action began or ended. It has nothing to with being active or passive, and you can’t go changing the past perfect or past progressive to something else just to get rid of the horrible was. Doing so changes the when of the sentence, and that’s just not right. ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE: When we start looking at active and passive, we’re actually looking at who the actor is in relation to the action of a sentence. Active: Fido caught the Frisbee. The subject of the sentence, Fido, is responsible for the action of the sentence, caught. Passive: The Frisbee was caught by Fido. Here, the subject of the sentence, the Frisbee, isn’t doing anything. It’s not responsible for the action in the sentence. It’s being acted upon, instead of being the actor. It does not matter what the verb in the sentence is; passive voice only applies when the subject of the sentence is not the actor of the sentence. So, the sentence I was walking to the store is not passive—even though there’s a “was” in there. The subject of the sentence, I, is doing the action, was walking. Rule of thumb is to always use the active, unless you have a specific purpose for using the passive. Passive sentences get boring because no one is actually doing anything—all the action is done to them, and that’s just no fun at all. The structure of passive voice also adds words to your sentences, and wordy sentences are often dull. Use the passive when you want to emphasize the receiver of the action: The Cherokee Tribe was forced from its homelands. In this sentence, we’re focused the Cherokee Tribe. I would assume what follows would also focus on the Cherokees, not on the people who forced them off their land. If that’s where the focus should be, then using the passive is correct here. Passive is also a handy voice to have when you want to avoid blame: The dishes didn’t get washed versus I didn’t wash the dishes. In the first sentence, no one is to blame. In the second, it’s my fault the dishes are still dirty. I don’t want the blame, so I’ll take the first sentence, even if it is passive. ACTIVE VERBS: Strong verbs carry action. Weak verbs do not. All forms of to be (be, am, is, are, were, was, being, been), are considered weak because they do not carry action. They don’t do anything; they just are. That does not make them bad, nor does that make them passive voice. Van Gogh was an artist. There’s nothing wrong with this sentence, nor is it passive. There’s just no action in it. Yes, you could rewrite it as “Van Gogh painted,” but does that still carry the same meaning as the example?Nope. If the subject is linked to the noun that simply renames it or describes its state of being, you need to use a form of be. However, if you can replace a weak verb with a strong one, do so. Be verb: A power surge was responsible for frying my hard drive. Passive: My hard drive was fried by a power surge. Active: A power surge fried my hard drive. I think we’d all agree that the active sentence here is best. Fewer words, more action, straight to the point. Strong verbs will do wonders for your prose, but please don’t go crazy. It’s very annoying to have characters in books mosey, meander, trot, skitter, lope, or even pirouette across the room, when all the character really needs to do is “walk.” While some active verbs are more colorful than others (like skitter and lope), sometimes the less showy, yet perfectly strong and serviceable, verb (like walk) will do nicely. MOOD: Did you know that English is moody? Yep. Unlike you and me, though, English only has three moods, and only one of them is actually tricky. The indicative mood is used for facts, opinions, and questions. The imperative is for orders or advice, and the subjunctive expresses wishes, requests, or conditions contrary to fact. Indicative and imperative are easy; you use those moods all the time and never even think about it (and that’s as it should be). The subjunctive is the one most likely to trip you up. Thankfully, there are only four situations that use the subjunctive and only two rules to remember when forming it. The subjunctive is usually the same verb form as used in the normal (indicative) mood, except: 1) Present-tense verbs do not change form to agree in number and person of the subject. Subjunctive uses the base form of the verb with all subjects. (To find the base form, strip the to from the infinitive: to be = be, to drive = drive.) It is important that Kim be (not “is) on time for her flight. We request that she enter (not “enters”) only one manuscript in the contest. 2) While all other past tense verbs use regular ol’ past tense (knew, painted), there is only one form of be used in past tense subjunctive: were (never was): If I were you, I’d call your mother and ask. I wish he were able to come. When to use the subjunctive: Contrary-to-fact clauses beginning with if: If I were President, health care reform would be my top priority. You’re not the President; the sentence is expressing a condition that does not exist. Contrary-to-fact clauses expressing a wish: Formal English requires the subjunctive in wish situations. I wish I were published. You will see the informal I wish I was published, but it’s not actually correct. In that clauses following the verbs ask, insist, recommend, request, and suggest. Because the situation has not yet become reality, use the subjunctive. I insist that my students be on time for class. I recommend that Sally enter the manuscript in several contests. In certain set expressions: The subjunctive mood was once more widely used in English, and we have leftover expressions handed down to us in the subjunctive: be that as it may, as it were, come rain or shine, far be it from me, etc. An excellent site on everything verbs can be found at: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/verbs.htm. They have quizzes, too. Go on; test yourself! Until a new battle arises, I leave you to it. You can handle these verbs from here. This article first appeared in the May issue of The Heart Monitor, the newsletter for Heart of Dixie, RWA Chapter 51 as part of a series. It may not be reproduced without permission of the author. The First Sale Paradox June 5, 2007, at about six PM I received that wonderful, exhilarating and scary phone call. I sold my first book to Harlequin Blaze. After fifteen minutes on the phone with my editor, I hung up and promptly starting making phone calls of my own. You would think that in this moment I’ve worked almost five years for, all I would experience was excitement. But you’d be wrong. I felt guilty. Guilty that I was experiencing this moment but some of my closest friends - the people I wanted to share that moment with the most - weren’t. While there was no doubt they were happy for me, I knew there was the distinct possibility that they were also sad for themselves. They’d been working just as hard as I had without that final payoff. The five of us, all friends from our website – www.writingplayground.com - and our local RWA chapter, tackled the problem by discussing that possibility before it ever happened. We even pulled in multi-published friends and our own playground counselor to seek advice. (You can view Counselor Shelley’s article on jealousy at http://writingplayground.com/clinicarchive.html#green) The number one thing we were told was that guilt and envy were natural emotions and we shouldn’t hide them, deny we felt them, or pretend that others in our group didn’t feel them. But there’s an important distinction here. Notice I said envy, not jealousy. While the two words might sound very similar, they really aren’t. Envy is wishing you had what someone else had. That’s easy. My friends wish they had a first sale. The thing is I wish they had one too. Jealousy is desiring to take something from someone else so that you can have it. That would be my friends wishing I hadn’t gotten that phone call so that they could have. The problem with this logic is that publishing is not a zero sum game. There are plenty of opportunities out there for everyone. So we sat down and discussed the situation. We each talked about what we expected to experience both if we were the one to receive that first call and if we weren’t. Don’t get me wrong, putting everything out in the open didn’t lessen the emotions I did feel – like guilt – but I think it did lessen the impact that emotion had on our friendship. It allowed us all to be honest with each other. If one of my friends had answered the phone that night and said, “I’m so excited for you, Kira, but can I call you tomorrow?” I would have understood. If the roles had been reversed, I certainly might have felt the same way. And that’s key. Not only was I able to identify with their point of view, but I was also willing to accept their reaction as understandable and valid. I didn’t expect them to disregard their emotions simply because I was excited and happy. There were months when it could have been any one of us receiving that first phone call. And I have no doubt that I won’t be on this side of the fence by myself for very long. And maybe, in the end, that is what truly helped us all through the situation. I’ve surrounded myself with intelligent, talented, business-savvy women, all of whom will experience a first sale moment of their own. Ultimately, like most anything in life worth having, keeping our friendship stable required a bit of work, honesty and understanding - challenges we were all willing to take on. Because in the end, the friends you want with you on the rest of the crazy publishing journey are the ones willing to put in that hard work, appreciate the honesty, and reciprocate the understanding. Kira Sinclair, ecstatic about her debut book with Harlequin Blaze, plans to spend the next months rooting for her friends to receive that first call too. This side of the fence is lonely and they all deserve that heart-pounding moment. Nationals 2007: The Post Game Show Romance Writers of America held its National Conference in Dallas, Texas, this year. The Playfriends loaded their gear and flew across country for this exciting event. Unfortunately, we couldn't take all our readers with us, so for those of you who either didn't get to go or missed parts of it, we've brought a few of the workshops to you. Each of us wrote an overview of one of our favorite workshops from this year, so we could pass along a few of the outstanding pearls of wisdom we received. (Not to mention that rewriting it might make it stick into our brains a little better...) So here's some post-conference analysis of those things we (might have) learned. Developing the Romance in Your Romance Novel
Then show scenes that depict and develop these discoveries.
Both should add to the conflict of the story and eventually help build the PAYOFF -
SPEAK OUT: HOW TO TEACH AN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC WORKSHOP Taught by the co-author of The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines, this workshop is a must for anyone considering giving a workshop to any group. Ms. Cowden outlines every aspect and detail of the workshop process to help insure success. In the first segment, Getting Started, she has you list your reasons for giving the workshop and identify your target audience. The second segment, Choosing a Topic, again has you list your target audiences and then list workshops that would interest each. Next she gives a step-by-step guide for planning a presentation beginning with choosing the topic and listing everything you’d want to tell about it. Then you put the items in order. Next you divide your allotted time into time slots OR you divide your topic into major points and outline what you will cover in your talk. Allow time for an introduction and wrap-up as well as time for questions if necessary. Think you don’t have any topics to present? If you are a writer, you can talk about yourself and your book. Draw on your personal experiences both in your writing life and your day job to enhance your knowledge base. The time allotted for the workshop will determine just how much information you can present. You may just have to hit the high spots, or you might be able to go into more detail. Don’t forget your visual aids either. A handout appropriate to the presentation gets your name into people’s hands and keeps it there. And finally, once you have your presentation developed, you must market it. Investigate your prospects, which may range from RWA groups to ladies who lunch. This information is useful for not only spoken presentations but online workshops as well. My hour was well spent in Ms. Cowden’s workshop. His Brain/Her Brain The reason why Mars and Venus end up misunderstanding each other really is physiological. We are hardwired differently. Eileen’s workshop covered a lot of material in a short amount of time, and I’d love to have had another hour just to discuss some of her conclusions. She goes into the differences in the skill sets needed to be either a “food gatherer” versus a “nest-protector,” but it’s too much to go into here. Instead, I’ll just share a few fun facts to keep in mind about your hero and heroine. Non-verbal skills: 60-80% of conversation is non-verbal signals. 20-30% are voice sounds. Only 7% are words. Men only hear words, therefore men are missing out on a great deal of the conversation. “Don’t take that tone with me” doesn’t mean much to them because they don’t pick up on the voice sounds and tones as easily. Silence: Men problem-solve silently. Women talk though a problem to solve it. Therefore, men don’t see silence as punishment—they think you’re being quiet because you’re thinking about something. According to Eileen, it takes 9 minutes of stony silence for a man to realize that a woman is giving him the silent treatment. Lying: Men don’t necessarily lie more than women; they just get caught more. (It’s the whole “non-verbal” thing. Women are quicker to pick up on the non-verbal clues that someone is lying than men are.) Sight: Women have better peripheral vision than men—almost 180 degrees. This is why men get busted more often for checking out some other woman. Men have to turn their heads to see—women don’t. Also, the cones in the eyes that allow us to see color are attached to the X chromosome. Men really don’t understand the difference between mauve and purple. Pain: Men won’t feel pain while they’re focused on a task (Like getting a cut while playing a sport). However, their pain threshold is lower than a woman’s. Space: Men have better spatial sense than women (ask a man where North is and they can usually tell you. Most women have my response: “Do I look like a compass?”). This spatial sense also makes them better at parallel parking. And the neatest thing I learned? When resting, 90% of a woman’s brain is still active. For men, only 30% of their brain is active when they are resting. So the next time you ask your man, “What are you thinking about?” and he answers, “Nothing,” you’ll know he’s telling the truth. <grin> From Identity to Essence: Love Stories and Transformation Several of the Playfriends attended Mr. Hauge’s workshop. All of us agree there were several light bulb moments throughout. I’m going to hit the highlights here as there’s no way I can condense the pages and pages of notes I took. If you’re interested in learning more I absolutely recommend Mr. Hauge’s book, DVD lecture, or purchasing the RWA tape of this session. There are three major elements to any story, character, desire and conflict. Character is, of course, your protagonist. Desire drives the story forward. Conflict prevents them from that desire and creates emotion. Creating an emotional experience for the reader should be the ultimate goal for every writer. One of the most important elements to building a great character is to make them empathetic for the reader. There are 5 key ways to create that empathy.
Mr. Hauge suggests you use no less than 2 of these elements immediately within the opening scenes of the story to establish a strong sense of connection with your main character(s). Once that empathy is established you can then begin to show the reader their flaws. Ask yourself these questions:
Before story the character was wounded. Out of that wound grew a belief and the fear of experiencing wound again. They have created an identity that protects them from that fear. Character arc is the journey from living fully in one’s identity to living fully in one’s essence. Conflict is the tug of war between essence and identity. Character builds an identity to keep them safe. The only way it works is if the character believes the identity is who they truly are. If the story and conflict are set up correctly the only way to achieve the goal is through the death of their identity (the death of the façade they’ve convinced themselves is truth). Their choice then becomes stay stuck and be safe or go after what they want and be terrified, risk it all. There are four primary categories of character
The character development throughout your story should follow this timeline:
Overcoming Discouragement I'm usually the one attending the touchy feely workshops. Not that I don't love craft, but I need all the help I can get coping with this crazy writing obsession, or maybe I should say publishing obsession. Brenda has been through some really tough times, both past and present, and has learned to deal with the challenges in her life in a positive way. (Being a pessimist myself, I totally admire that!) She reminded us that the challenges don't end—not when you are published or hit the bestseller lists. Just take a deep breath and commit yourself to being in this crazy business for the long haul. There will always be another dream to catch. When you are unpublished, you dream of being published. Once you are published, you dream of publishing again. Get a few books under your belt, you start aiming for building readership and breaking records. Publishing (personally, not the actual business) is a process. To keep yourself sane along the journey, you have to remember why you are fighting. "We can make our own luck and success--we just have to believe in it." Here are a few positive mental coping skills Brenda suggested:
Habitual positive thinking is very important! If you think you'll wait to be happy until you have no more problems, then good luck! It will never happen. The key to happiness and productivity is where your focus lies. You must retrain your brain. Here are a few habits for successful positive thinking Brenda suggested:
Remember, dreaming big is easy, but the hard work it takes to reach your goal is tough. The mental game is just as important for staying power. These workshops were presented at RWA National Conference in Dallas, TX, July 2007. Audio copies can be purchased online through the RWA National website. SECONDARY CHARACTERS : Their Use and Importance By Karen Rose Smith I've always written secondary characters into my plot lines and fortunately my editors have never dissuaded me from using them. My books are emotional and stretch beyond the two main characters who are in love to their friends, families and other important people in their lives. Although I deal with hope, love, happily-ever-after--a few muscles and great eyes where the hero is concerned--I attempt to keep my characters real. Real people have backgrounds that have formed who they are. Usually those backgrounds arise from the family they were born into...or the lack of family they experienced growing up. If I can cut a secondary character from my story, that character doesn't serve a purpose and possibly doesn't belong. I ask myself several questions. How does this character advance my plot? What qualities does this character contrast with or mirror in my hero or heroine? Does this character create conflict or add to resolution? Will my readers understand my hero's or heroine's motivation or flaws because of their interaction with this character? I enjoy writing about children, teenagers and pets, and they're never just window dressing. Children bring out character traits in adults that the hero or heroine might never see without their presence--compassion, protectiveness, unselfishness. They can also release laughter that the hero or heroine has been held inside too long. Teenagers can cause a main character to reveal wayward tendencies, rebelliousness and stubbornness he or she has managed to corral over the years, yet peeks through when the hero or heroine is stressed or pushed to the wall. As an animal lover, I give pets in my books personalities and consider them secondary characters, too! If a woman or man is caring with a pet, chances are he or she will have empathy with children. There are times when a writer can use a secondary character powerfully without that character making an appearance in the book. In The Bracelet, a fellow soldier who served with the hero and experienced the war situation with him had an important part to play. His interview with a reporter started the story ball rolling. His presence at the scene on the day of the event was a reminder to the hero that someone else had witnessed his actions and reactions. Both men experienced guilt and regrets, but this friend does not say a word in the novel, except through the hero's dialogue and introspection. Still, he makes an impact on the story line without being present. When a sister, brother, wife, husband or child dies and the main character can't move past grief, that invisible secondary character can direct the course of the hero or heroine's life, as well as the plot line. Actions and reactions to memories of the loved one color what the main character does, says, and feels. Letting go of the past often means letting go of the very person the hero or heroine loved most. Guilt, regret and missing are intense emotions your characters can feel because of the absence of a loved one. This absent presence can impact a plot line. If a writer can intertwine secondary characters with the main characters, as well as weave their stories in and out of the plot line, they will be essential, multi-dimensional and worthy of the title "secondary characters." Emotion: It’s a Complex Thing. Emotion. It’s that elusive thing that gives our writing heart and our characters soul. Have you ever read a book that you just couldn’t put down? One that drew you in and consumed your thoughts until you could finally finish it? And when it was over you were disappointed that you couldn’t live vicariously through the characters anymore? That’s emotion. When the characters are larger than life, have true emotional depth, then we believe in them. We empathize with their trials and tribulations. We root for them and we want more. It’s the emotional roller coaster that gives us the euphoric high when the story is done and the characters have come out triumphant. Most of the time it isn’t the characters we wish we could continue with, it’s the emotional gratification that we’ve experienced through them – in the safety of our homes, without being chased by kidnappers or risking our own hearts. So how do you capture that magic in your own writing? It’s simple, be honest and dig deep. Emotional integrity is one of the most important things you can offer a reader. You must understand the way a specific emotion feels in order to portray it effectively. I’m not suggesting that without experiencing something tragic - like losing a child - you can’t portray the emotional depth involved. What I am saying is that in order to effectively convey the feelings of loss, grief, pain, anger, or even guilt that might go along with such a horrific experience, you must be able to empathize with each emotion. Pulling from our own personal experiences helps to isolate each emotion and remind us what it felt like, what we thought, how we moved, how our body reacted. It’s a common technique in acting. Draw from a personal experience to achieve the emotion that you want and then channel it into the scene. As an amateur actress in a previous life, I’ve found the technique to be helpful, even cathartic. I’ve often turned my anger and frustration from dealing with my six and three year olds into frantic writing sessions. I pinpoint a scene where the emotions I’m feeling are needed and channel all my negative energy onto the page instead of at my family. Each and every time I’ve come away from the process with not only a scene I’m proud of but a sense of calm – and living children. J It seems like a fairly easy process, right? Need guilt in your story? Pull up a memory from your childhood where you stole a piece of candy and then couldn’t eat it because you felt so terrible. Transfer emotions to paper and voila, guilty hero appears. Unfortunately, there’s nothing about the process of pulling from personal experiences that’s easy. In fact, because you’re delving into your own emotional memories - memories you may have tried to forget - it can be very difficult. In order for the process to work, you must be honest with yourself about the memory and the way you experienced it. If you aren’t, the picture that appears on paper won’t be accurate and authentic. The reader will know. However, honestly conveying an emotion through character thoughts, actions and dialogue isn’t enough. In order to achieve that moment where the reader sighs as they close the back cover, you must go one step further. Unfortunately, I’ve often felt that was a step I continually missed. After taking a class by Alicia Rasley, that final puzzle piece fell into place and the step became crystal clear. If you ever have the opportunity to take her emotion class I highly recommend it! Alicia boils emotion down to one miniscule – and often overlooked – idea: Emotion isn’t just about what your characters feel. More importantly, it’s about what your readers feel. Think about that for a moment, because until I read her first lesson, I’d never considered emotion that way. Yes, conveying your character’s emotion is important. But it’s more important to identify the emotion you want your reader to feel. Doing that allows you to figure out what scenes, plot points, and turning points need to happen (and in what order) so that your reader’s emotional experience is so intense that her heart pounds right along with your heroine’s. However, there is something to keep in mind...strong emotion can be almost like a cliff. You can lead the reader to that emotional edge. You can push them over...or you can induce them into taking the plunge themselves, to jump with your character into the empathy of feeling and experiencing that moment together. Alicia sums this idea up in one concise statement, “If your character cries then your reader doesn’t have to.” In other words, allow your reader to plunge off the cliff instead of watching your character fall and she’ll exponentially experience the drop. Isn’t that manipulative? Absolutely! And there’s nothing wrong with that. Our job as writers is to provide an experience for our readers - the best, most intense, emotionally grabbing experience they can get. Why? Because they deserve it. And because you want them coming back to you again and again for that same emotional roller coaster and the sigh at the end. Kira Sinclair is eagerly awaiting the release of her first Blaze title sometime in 2009. While she waits, she’s using all the emotions from making that first sale and channeling them into her next book. Visit her at www.writingplayground.com and share your thoughts on writing with emotion. Budgeting for National:
The Smart Way to Save Money for Dallas Duh nah, Duh nah... It's coming. Can everyone hear the Jaws theme music? I know I can. RWA National Conference is a paramount event for me in the years I'm able to attend, one I spend months and months preparing for...and I'm not just talking about polishing a manuscript. As we all know, National Conference can cost a pretty penny. Besides the registration fee and hotel expenses, there's travel and food, not to mention incidentals like clothes, food, tips, food, tapes, books.... Did I mention food? Not only do I spend months preparing my books for Nationals, I have to spend up to six months (sometimes more) preparing my family's budget too. I know some of you are also watching the bottom line, so I wanted to pass along some tried and true tips for budgeting your money for Dallas, or any other National Conference you choose to attend. Saving for San Francisco will start as soon as I get home in July. Travel Yes, I'll have to drive those two hours. Like I said, saving money isn't always about convenience. If a relative or friend isn't available to drive you there and pick you up, see if there is someone nearby who will let you park your car at her house. Maybe a friend or a chaptermate. Then arrange for a taxi to and from her house to the airport. Total, this will be a lot cheaper than leaving your car in extended parking for five or more days. Another way to think outside your city in looking for helping hands is to consider a friend or relative who might be halfway between your destinations. Can your spouse drive you an hour to someone's house, who can then drive you the rest of the way to the airport? Not convenient, but worth considering and a lot less work on the other individuals involved. When pricing tickets, most people check out major airline sites and places like Expedia and Travelocity. Don't forget that these sites don't list regional airlines. For instance, Southwest is not included on the popular travel pricing sites, but I've flown on them before and know they have good prices. I waited until they started booking for July, then found myself a round trip, non-stop flight. Remember that $360 I mentioned? I knocked my airfare down to $112, tax and various fees included. Hotel Accommodations Staying in the conference hotel is convenient and allows you to be in the center of the action, but remember there are other hotels in the area that might offer cheaper rates. The Hyatt Regency Dallas is attached to a train station. Search along the train line for another hotel. Then you can travel to and from the Hyatt for about $2.50 per day by boarding the train. Investigate to see if this is a safe, financially sound option for you. Food Pack your luggage with items you could use for a light lunch or midday snack. Peanut butter travels easily, especially if you purchase a small jar or the now widely available individual containers. A variety of crackers can be packed in small baggies instead of the boxes to save space. The market now provides a wide variety of nutritional bars that make eating on the go that much easier. My personal choices are the Snicker's Multi-grain Marathon bar (like eating a candy bar with fiber and protein) or one of the many flavors of Luna bars. Bring bags of microwave popcorn. They lay flat in your suitcase and pop up easily in the microwave available in the small coffee house of the hotel (according to a Hyatt representative). Refrigerators are available upon request in the rooms for $10, $25 maximum charge. You may either call ahead for these or request one at check-in. Don't forget to drop a few napkins and plastic utensils into your bag for use in your hotel room. You are going to need to save your money for drinks. There are soft drink machines located on every floor, but you can't save money going to a nearby grocery store. The closest option is a CVS pharmacy that is eight blocks away. That would be fine if you have time to trek over there. Otherwise, you'll be buying more of your liquids. While packing items is nice, taking along all that food is simply a waste of space unless you actually eat it. So plan ahead. Decide how many times you can afford to eat out and those times you'll need to invite those new friends up to your room instead. Any of these options will provide you with an alternative to a pricey meal, or a small snack in mid-afternoon or before the dessert reception. You are avoiding long lines in the limited hotel restaurants and saving money at the same time. Not to mention that eating your bring-alongs will leave more space to take home books! Stock up at breakfast instead of just grabbing something small to tide you over until lunch time. Make the most out of Saturday's lunch. The welcome reception last year was more than enough food to count as a meal if you arrived early. Save your eating money for "events," such as dinner with your online writing friends or drinks at the bar with a new acquaintance. That's fine, you say, but I've got to eat out sometime. Just eat smart. Buy an appetizer. Split an entree with a friend. They are often more food than one person can eat anyway and we don't have take-home options. Have a snack, then join friends for a drink instead of a meal. Go out to lunch with your writing group instead of dinner to take advantage of cheaper prices. The rail makes reaching the West End district, about six blocks away, convenient and opens up your eating options beyond just the hotel restaurants. A representative of the hotel also mentioned that there is a Subway restaurant three to four blocks away and a McDonald's six blocks away. It isn't a crime to join people late for dinner (with appropriate notice) and only have a drink or dessert. Lots of people move in and out of events at conferences because of the many appointments, meetings, and workshops. Clothes Start shopping early. Don't wait until the last minute to see if you can lose another five pounds. The best sales are when the winter clothes are on clearance. It may be July, but you'll be inside an air conditioned hotel. One important item you'll find is dress pants. I purchased mine for $10 each, a price that allowed me to get more than one pair. Consider shopping your local upscale consignment shops. I did this for my formal last year. I found a gorgeous black beaded dress that in the stores new would have cost over $200. I paid $50. Guess what? Consignment shops also have clearance. When winter ends, they discount clothing to make room for spring items. They also do the same after prom season. Consider that when it comes time to shop for a formal for the RITA/Golden Heart ceremony. If you don't have the proper clothing, you might have a friend who can loan you some business clothes. You don't have to be her exact size. Her pants might not fit you, because you are two feet smaller than her, but you might fit some tops. Borrowing some shirts could cut your clothing expenses in half. Saving Money Ahead Take on a Small Job Between Now and National. Just ten dollars each week would add up to over a hundred dollars between April and July. And most people, especially those who understand your goals, are more than happy to help out. What mother do you know, if she can afford it, wouldn't love for someone to offer to keep her kids rather than her having to hunt someone down? And I'm not just saying this. I've cleaned a friend's house every week for almost a year to pay for an upcoming trip to Scotland (that's how bad I wanted to go!). Count on Birthday Gifts. Save Spare Change Now that I've overwhelmed you with all my dos and don'ts, consider one last tip. When you do spend money in Dallas, keep your receipts! You can save even more when you get home by claiming it on your taxes. Christian Fiction—It’s Inspirational By Debby Giusti The Christian market is growing and that’s good news for writers. Sales of Christian books continue to increase with figures ranging from 6% a year presented by the Book Industry Study Group to the more conservative, yet still impressive rate of 2.3% as reported by Ipsos BookTrends. Twenty years ago the inspirational market was dominated by sweet romances and prairie historicals. But in 1986, Crossway Books published THIS PRESENT DARKNESS, by Frank Peretti. His story about a reporter and pastor who uncover a New Age plot to take over the world stayed on the bestseller lists for ten years and sold more than 2.5 million copes in 14 different languages. Often called the Christian Stephen King, Peretti’s chilling tale of spiritual warfare opened publishers’ eyes to the vast number of readers hungering for a wider selection of Christian titles. Nearly a decade later, the phenomenal success of the LEFT BEHIND series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, drove home the point that the Christian market was lucrative and could attract cross-over readers from the secular side of publishing, as well. The 12 volume series has sold over 60 million copies and established publisher Tyndale House as the largest private Christian publisher in the country. In addition, the success of the series opened distribution of Christian titles to the big box stores such as WalMart and Costco, leading to increased exposure and more sales. The Christy Awards, which recognizes excellence in Christian fiction, defines the genre as “a category of stories written by novelists whose Christian worldview is woven into the fabric of the plot and character development.” They add, “ . . . this grouping of novels is as comprehensive and as varied in age, interest, and spiritual depth as its readership.” Today’s Christian heroes and heroines deal with real life issues. They’re not goody-goodies but normal people facing sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles. They have made and may continue to make mistakes but are trying to work through their problems and change their lives for the better. Never preachy, the faith element is one of many facets woven into these multi-dimensional characters. Whether their relationship with the Lord is strong or fledgling or perhaps even unexplored at the beginning of the novel, by the end of the story, the hero and heroine recognize their need for God. In the Christian romance, sex is kept sacred within marriage and the bedroom door is always closed. That doesn’t mean the characters lack sensuality or aren’t physically attracted to each other. The key is to think love instead of lust with the direction of the desire focused on feelings rather than external body parts. Today more than 20 houses publish Christian fiction for this growing market. The broad spectrum of titles explores life issues through the eyes of compelling characters caught in gripping conflict. Whether suspense, romance, mystery, chick lit, women’s fiction or men’s adventure, the Christian market offers a story for every reader--and that’s inspirational. Debby Giusti’s first book, Nowhere to Hide, is an April 2007 release from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Watch for Debby’s guest appearance on the Playground blog on April 25th. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:
Evaluating Internet Sources The internet is the greatest innovation for researchers since the index card. It’s also the greatest cesspool of misinformation ever created. The truth IS out there, though. Finding it among the flotsam and jetsam of the web is the tough part. Remember—ANYONE can put ANYTHING up on the web. Unlike most print sources, the web has no oversight or editorial guidelines, so you have to do your homework in order to be sure you find reliable, reputable sources. Let’s assume that Google has kicked back a long list of reasonable-sounding sites from your key word search. How can you figure out which ones to use? BIG MYTH: You can decide whether or not a web site is reliable based on its extension. DECIDE THE RELEVANCE and WEIGHT OF THE INFORMATION NEEDEDDon’t waste time (or energy) on sites that are more or less than you need.
KNOW HOW YOUR SEARCH ENGINE LISTS SPONSORED LINKSAll commercial search engines have a list of “paid” links. The owners of those sites pay search engines to list them in a featured or top spot when certain key words are entered into the search field. These may not be the most reputable of sites—they just have an advertising budget. Learn how your search engine of choice lists those sponsored links on your results page. THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN EVALUATING A SITE: Consider the authority and reputation of the source.
Consider the credentials of experts, authors, or sponsoring agencies
Consider the bias of a source
(This is a major consideration. Some sites make it easy to see the bias: www.godhatesfags.com —an actual web site—has a very clear ideology listed in its URL. How objective do you think that information is? Would you trust the statistics there? On the other hand, sometimes you have to think about and search for the bias: www.whitehouse.gov is the official web site for the White House. What are the chances that unflattering information about the President—however true it may be—will appear there?) Consider the timeliness and stability of the source
Consider how well a source presents key information
Consider commercial intrusions into a source
(Adapted from Bookmarks: A Guide to Research and Writing. Longman: 2000) WHO YOU CAN TRUST
*With both of the above, you must still consider what their bias may be in relation to the information.
WHEN YOU DO FIND A GOOD SOURCEBookmark the site. You may need to go back and re-check something later. Print out what you think you will need. (Be sure the complete URL shows on the document so that you can revisit if necessary). Note your date of access. That way, you’ll know if things change and your information goes out of date. Also helpful for cross-checking facts or looking for archived data from about the same time. Be careful of clicking “off-site”. When following hyperlinks, you will sometimes end up off the original site (that you have just spent time evaluating). Many sites will also include links to other sites that provide more or similar items of interest. Most good sources will link to other good sources, but stuff slips through. (Even worse is the “link-off-a-link-off-a-link syndrome.”) Evaluate each web site’s content individually. Go to the horse’s mouth. You may see the same name referenced over and over again. There’s a good chance that person is the leading expert in the field. See if that person has his/her own web site. Search for articles written by that person. If you find phone numbers or email address for some of the experts, don’t be afraid to contact them directly. Healthy skepticism is your friend, but you don’t have to cross the line into complete paranoia. You don’t have to put every web site under the microscope, and you don’t have to track down every author’s resume—just be smart and don’t blindly accept any old web site that pops up as “the truth.” Decide what’s important, and then make sure that you’ve found a good source for that information. Happy Researching!! This article first appeared in the June 2005 issue of Magic Moments, and may not be reproduced without permission of the author. Hidden Treasure-Historical Truth :
What is Love, Valentine? To be loved is the eternal desire of the soul. Love dominates shadow. It is the ultimate journey from mortality into the eternal realm. As Novalis, a Romantic German poet, once said, “Love was not made for this world.” Yet, we long for it as deeply as we dare. To know love is to know peace, happiness, and security from birth. To be deprived of it is to experience immense sorrow.
Research & The Paranormal Historical by Colleen Gleason I’ve been asked many times about whether I research before writing my historical novels, or as I go. The short answer is: I research as I go. But that's partly because I've been writing, reading, and watching historical fiction for a long time. So, I already have at least a sense of the era. I know the basics about what the people wear, how they travel about, what conveniences they have and don't have, etc., so when I sit down to write a book set in the past, I have enough information just to be dangerous. But the fun part comes as I'm writing, because that's when things start to happen. Usually, I have the bare bones of a plot, but not the details. And the details, in my opinion, are what make a book. And the details are what I research when I'm in the process of writing. When I have to make decisions--about what someone is wearing in particular, about where a certain house or building is located, about what they might eat at a ball or fete, about a political event that's happening--that's when I do the research for that particular thing. I stop writing and start searching. I think this works partly because it keeps the whole process from being so intimidating. I don't have to know everything before I start! You can't eat the elephant all in one bite, as one of my bosses used to say--and that's a great mantra for historical research. For example, in Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera (my August release under the name Colette Gale), I didn't have the best sense of 1887 Paris. I had enough to start off (I'd read the book, seen the movie), but I didn't have the details. So when I had Christine and Raoul take a drive through Paris, I had to find out what it might have looked like, and what they might have seen. I was able to answer this question by using three tactics: 1. Googled "Paris 1887" and got lots of stuff Paintings particular were helpful to me, because I'm a visual person, and seeing a picture of Paris with the Eiffel Tower just being built gave me an image to work from. And reading fiction written (and set) during the time in question is really valuable. I can hear how people speak, what words they use, and often get little details that I wouldn't have found otherwise. So it was fun for me to learn, through this research, that in 1887, the Eiffel Tower was just being built and the Parisians hated it. They thought it was a monstrosity. And so I found a way to include that little tidbit in the book. And that brings me to another serendipity about research, and why I do it as I go: it's the gems I find. The little nuggets of detail or information I'm not looking for, but I find accidentally. If I did all the research up front, I may not find these pretty little things. Here's another example: I'm currently writing the third Gardella Vampire Chronicles book, which opens in Rome. I had to decide where a particular church that is important to the Venators (the vampire hunters) is located. I guess I didn't really have to exactly identify where the church was, but I wanted to. It gives me a better sense of place, too. So I spent about three hours, literally, poring over a book about Rome and then validating my decision to locate the church of Santo Quirinus in what is called the Borgo. When I started researching the Borgo, I found a lot of interesting information about that area; details that I included in the setting: that the umbrella makers were relegated to this quarter because the wet silk they used smelled so bad, that rosary makers lived in the Borgo, and I even found a painting of the area. Another question that I’m asked a lot in regards to research, since I write paranormal historicals, is whether the world-building in a non-contemporary time period is more difficult than in a modern one. I don't think that paranormal world-building in a historical setting is any more difficult than it is in contemporary settings. In fact, in some ways it might be easier. It's a lot of fun to take a historical fact and twist it to fit my world-building. A perfect example occurs in Rises the Night. I introduce John Polidori, who is the author of The Vampyre (the first book that really portrayed vampires as aristocratic, mysterious creatures that lived amid Society). My research taught me that John Polidori died in 1820, which is the year in which my book is set. How convenient is that? I also learned that there was some mystery surrounding his death. Hmmm. Some said he died from poison. Others said he died in an accident. I decided that he died from a totally different reason--related to the world I've built--and made that an event in my book. So, to sum up, let me just say that for me, as far as research goes, once I have the basic idea of the time period, the research is just for little details. But the little details (hopefully) are what give the book its flavor and color and authenticity, and paint the picture. I don't use everything I learn. I don't describe my characters' dress every time they come on the scene, or every single carriage or room. I give enough to paint a wide swath, with a few well-placed details, and that usually works to give a good flavor of setting without bogging the book down. Colleen Gleason’s The Rest Falls Away is a January 2007 release from Signet Books. More information on Colleen and her books can be found at http://www.colleengleason.com/ This article appears on the Playground with permission from the author and may not be reproduced elsewhere without her consent. Reviewed by Alexandra Frost ATF Agent Conner Hawk has a problem. Several actually. The first is a load of missing rifles from ATF storage under his watch. The second is a sting what goes horribly awry and confirms his worst suspicions about an inside job. When the third problem crops up and he’s fingered as the crooked insider responsible, he has no choice but to take his fourth problem – the sexy and uptight Abby Wells - as hostage until he can uncover the truth. Agent Abby Wells is no stranger to the dangers of her job. Nearly being killed has forced her to take a second look at her life and give up work as a field agent. Recently reassigned to her new post as a computer technician supporting Hawk, she knows the type of guy he is – cocky, dangerous and too sexy for his (or her) own good. What she didn’t expect was for him to be a traitor and a kidnapper. As she’s forced to follow him on his journey to find the truth, she must decide who she really trusts. Shadow Hawk is a perfect blend of romance and fast-paced romantic suspense with characters you’ll root for. Reviewed by Angel I actually had trouble finding a book to review this month. I wanted to recommend a good, spooky or scary read for Halloween, but couldn't find any in my stash that weren't in the middle of a series. Tangled Up in You by Rachel Gibson Reviewed by Instigator From the gorgeous cover to the fantastic story inside, Tangled up in You is a wonderful read. Rachel Gibson is a master at sexy banter and making me fall in love with her men. From the moment Maddie Dupree walks into Mick Hennessy’s life sparks fly and my body hummed. The Rookie by Jennifer LaBrecque I’ll admit it up front: I’m not a NASCAR fan. And, yes, I’ve given it a try. My stepfather was a big NASCAR fan, and he took me to the races in Daytona and Talladega. I even did “Dinner with the Drivers” one night. So, I’m right there with the heroine, Maddie, when she says, “It’s noisy and they drive really fast around a track for a long time.” I am, however, a fan of Jennifer LaBrecque, and the weight of that caused me to pick up her September release for the NASCAR series, The Rookie. And I loved it. Maddie is rich but unspoiled and is the perfect foil for down-home hero Tucker. The plot, while it revolves around racing, doesn’t require a deep love or understanding of the sport in order to pull the reader in. The characters do all the pulling in nicely. They are well-rounded and well-written with quirks and flaws and depth to make them genuinely likable. Jennifer has done her homework too, and there’s enough NASCAR reality to satisfy the true fans (remember, I’ve been around NASCAR enough to know she’s not just skimming by), but not so much that it overwhelms the characters or non-NASCAR fan readers. Fans of Jennifer’s Blaze books will be in for a bit of a surprise at The Rookie’s PG-13 rating. The sexual tension is certainly there, yet the hot-hot-hot scenes Jennifer does so well take place behind the bedroom door (darn). Never fear though, the attraction between the characters is so strong you can feel it, and the kisses are hot enough to assure you there won’t be any compatibility problems with those two—even if you do have to let your own imagination (instead of Jennifer’s) take you there. The Rookie may not turn non-NASCAR fans in to race fanatics, but it will certainly make you a fan of Jennifer LaBrecque. Take your victory lap, Jennifer. The Raintree Trilogy - Reviewed by Marilyn Puett Raintree: Inferno by Linda Howard Dante Raintree owns the Inferno hotel and casino in Reno. When he suspects Lorna Clay of cheating, he has her brought to his office and recognizes that she has powers too. He quickly realizes she’s never mastered their use and that can be both beneficial and dangerous. Dante is also the Dranir – or king – of the Raintree clan and he first suspects that Lorna is Ansara. When the Inferno erupts in fire, he keeps her close through the use of his powers because he doesn’t trust her, and in the ensuing days he learns more about her and himself as well. Linda Howard had the task of setting up the entire Raintree mythos and starting the action, which will be continued in the two following books, Raintree: Haunted and Raintree: Sanctuary. With a typical Linda Howard alpha hero, a complex heroine and an intriguing touch of the paranormal, Raintree: Inferno was a book I couldn’t put down until the last argh-inducing page. The action in all three books occurs simultaneously, so you may want to wait until the third book is out and read them at one time. Or you can be a glutton for punishment like me and read them as they come out and wait anxiously for the next installment. Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones Hope has a strange feeling about Gideon. She’s not sure if he’s a crooked cop, but there are many signs that point in that direction. Soon she’s having other strange feelings FOR Gideon, but her past history keeps her from getting too close to anyone. Gideon feels the attraction too, but because Raintree gifts are passed on offspring, he won’t put himself in a position to have children. He knows how difficul |
