The Wild Writers Launch Joint Web Site

October 7th, 2011

A few weeks ago, my critique group launched a joint web site/blog. Hosted by WordPress, it’s called The Wild Writers.

The Wild Writers

We did this for a number of reasons. First, our combined wisdom about writing is deeper than any one of us alone could claim. Committing to writing two blog posts over the course of several months is manageable for all our members.  And, hey, we have a lot to say about writing…and reading, of course!

Secondly, we wanted to spotlight the fabulous work our members are creating, and to build our audience by selling e-books and artwork through our member pages.

Last, we hope this will be one more  way to reach out to our readers, as well as other writers.

So please, take a look. We’re so proud! Anna-Maria Crum, writer and illustrator, is the Designer-in-Chief; Craig Banister, IT guy and writer, the Coding Guru; Denise Vega, writer, Temporary Coder and Catalog Layout Chief; Hilari Bell, writer, General Dogsbody, otherwise known as Slave Laborer.

Don’t forget to check out the Whiney Writer when you’re on the site. She’s our mascot. We’re very fond of her, because there’s a part of her in each of us. She’s the brain child of our own Anna-Maria Crum, who has written the Whiney Writer scripts and done all the animation.

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Sir John Soane’s Museum

September 17th, 2011

The first time we visited London, several years ago, we decided to check out this small museum. It was once the home of Sir John Soane, a great English architect. To be honest, at the time I wasn’t all that interested, but my husband thought it would be fun to see an actual home rather than another art museum.

My memory of that first visit was limited to the famous Hogarth paintings in Soane’s collection. The risqué ones, known collectively as A Rake’s Progress. When we were there the first time, I’m sure they were hanging on the walls for all to see.

Sir John Soane's Museum, London

Now they’re in the Picture Room, with one hundred or so other paintings. The walls are moveable, “hinged screens,” and only a small number of paintings are on view. At certain times, one of the guides opens up the screens to reveal the other paintings. A Rake’s Progress is not on view unless those screens are open. Apparently, this was the arrangement of the pictures at the time of Soane’s death.

This visit was very different from the earlier one. Although Sir John Soane was born before and lived beyond, his life spans the Regency. My interest was piqued, because I’d been doing research on that period.

Sir John Soane

The façade of the house reflects Sir John’s interest in Neo Classical design, with its simple, elegant geometric shapes. Collecting classical antiquities was at that time a popular hobby among those wealthy enough to do so; Sir John Soane undertook this at a level few could equal. The museum boasts a collection of antique marble fragments, collected in and around Rome; two Apulian vases from the fourth century; a female torso from a temple on the Acropolis (fifth century), and casts of many other statues of Greek or Roman origin.

One of the most impressive pieces in the museum is the sarcophagus of King Seti I (1303-1290 BC). It’s covered with hieroglyphics, which were “undeciphered” in Soane’s time. It’s now known that they tell the story of the soul’s passage to the underworld.

Sir John’s most famous building is the Bank of England, but he designed many other public buildings and private homes as part of his architectural practice.

Pitzhanger Manor, Sir John's summer home

In the final room on the tour, the Drawing Room, there’s a portrait of Sir John’s two sons. Sadly, his older son died young; and George, the younger one, led a debauched life and ridiculed his father’s work in a couple of newspaper articles. In the portrait, the brothers look like a couple of Regency “bucks,” carefree and cheerful, and one would never guess the unhappiness to come.

The museum has undertaken a project “…to restore, refurbish, and improve Sir John Soane’s Museum…” It’s called “Opening Up The Soane 2011-2014.” On the web site, you’ll find lots of information about the museum.

Much of the information in this post I learned on the tour of the home, from the very helpful wardens; and from the booklet, “Sir John Soane’s Museum London,” which I purchased on site.

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Research in England

July 11th, 2011

I just returned from a trip to England, where my husband and I walked on the Shropshire Way with a group of friends. Afterward, we visited several towns so I could get a firsthand look at architecture, artifacts, landscape, history, and anything else to help me create believable settings for my books. Here are some highlights:

TUTBURY CASTLE

North Tower

Situated in Derbyshire, it overlooks the River Dove. The first recorded history of the castle dates from 1071, when the Normans wanted to establish their authority across the midlands. It is best known as the place in which Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner on four separate occasions, which is why I wanted to see it. John of Gaunt, who became the Duke of Lancaster, is also associated with the castle. If you’ve read the much beloved novel, Katherine, by Anya Seton, you’ll recognize that name.

LUDLOW

Our walking trip ended in Ludlow, where Ludlow Castle dominates the landscape. The highlight for me was seeing a performance of Twelfth Night at the castle. To the left is a view of it as we approached on foot after a long day of walking (12.5 miles). I was so happy to see it!

IRONBRIDGE

Originally known as Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge is now home to ten different museums. It boasts the first cast iron bridge in the world. Primarily a recreation of the Victorian experience, Ironbridge also features the “Darby houses,” fine examples of Georgian architecture. Ironbridge would make a lovely setting for a novel!

Rosehill House, Ironbridge

HASLEMERE

After two buses and four train rides, we arrived in Haslemere, in Surrey. The high street is charming, though it’s tough to envision how it would have looked in the nineteenth century. There are several wonderful examples of half-timbered and tile-hung buildings, with the lush backdrop of the Surrey downs.

View from our B&B, Foxhill House, Haslemere

There’s a helpful article in the August issue of The Writer titled, “Use Your Camera As Your Notebook,” by Tanya Egan Gibson. I wish I’d read it before the trip. She gives some great tips about things to photograph you may not necessarily think of, such as the ground, the sky, and different kinds of light and shadow. She suggests photographing from multiple angles and perspectives.

During my visits to all these sites, I did take dozens of photographs. But I wish I’d thought about some of these less obvious views to capture while I was at it.

How do you use photographs to help with your writing?

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Kissing Shakespeare

May 19th, 2011

My debut novel…

KISSING SHAKESPEARE is scheduled for publication by Delacorte Press in 2012. This story of romance, intrigue, secret alliances—and a little bit of magic—is aimed at teen readers.

I’d like to thank my amazing agent, Steven Chudney, for the suggestions he made for strengthening the manuscript, and for believing in the story. I’m honored to be working with Francoise Bui as my editor at Delacorte.

I’ll be posting more about the story and its characters in the months to come.

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Outline or Seat-of-the-Pants?

May 6th, 2011

I’ve always considered myself a seat-of-the-pants writer rather than an outliner. Lately I’ve been wondering if there’s an in-between technique that can also work.

At the 2010 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, Carol Berg did a session on alternatives to outlining. She spoke of the “minimum you must know” before putting pen to paper:

Character(s) to care about

POV (Whose eyes are we looking through?)

Setting—time, place

What will be the moment when everything changes? (Catalyst)

I like to write the beginning of a new book knowing only those things, and with a tip of the hat to Nancy Kress, the primary throughline as well as the promise I’m making to the reader. (See her book, Beginnings, Middles, and Ends for more on these.)

Another piece of advice from Carol Berg that resonates with me: “Live the story with the characters.” Is it possible to do this if you’re following an outline?

What I’ve done with recent books is begin an outline at about Chapter Four, after I’ve got the story’s momentum going. The outline is rough, but helps me stay focused on the throughline and the major turning points. Doing this allows me to “live the story with the characters” while still having some guideposts along the way.

I stay a little ahead of the story with my outline, and as I write scenes, I go back and make adjustments to it as necessary. When I’m done with the book, the completed outline is a great help in revising, as I can read through it quickly and determine where to splice and dice.

This method works for me. What works for you? Are you a diehard outliner, seat-of-the-pantser, or somewhere in between, like me?

(FYI, Carol Berg was also on this year’s PPWC faculty. Her sessions included “What is this Thing Called Voice” and “Words, Words, Words.” Her talks are filled with astute observations about writing craft and many examples to illustrate her points.)

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Timeline of a Novel

April 19th, 2011

Getting the timeline of a novel right can be a real challenge, and I doubt I’m the only one who struggles with it.

At the beginning of a book, I resolve to keep track of the timeline as I’m writing. That works out pretty well for the first three or four chapters, before much time has elapsed and not too many scenes have been written. Before I’m even aware, however, phrases denoting passage of time creep in.  Phrases like, “a few days later,” “the following week,” “it rained off and on for several days,” etc., become problematic. Suddenly I’ve lost control.

What is a few days, exactly? Which day of the following week? And what the heck is “several?” Ultimately, of course, as the writer, it’s up to me to decide what these designations mean in my book.

And as soon as I begin revising—which for me happens early in the process—time can get even more off kilter. Adding or deleting scenes changes everything.

Timeline for Kissing Shakespeare

Many writers solve the problem by noting the day underneath the chapter number, or right after a time drop. I’ve noticed this more and more lately. I find, though, that when I’m really involved in a book I’m reading, I tend not to notice much about the passage of time. Provided the story is flowing along nicely, I assume the writer is staying on track.

Occasionally I scratch my head and say, “Huh?” All that happened in just one day? Or “Wow! Has a whole week gone by?” In the first instance, I’d say the writer has crammed too much action into one day; in the second, not enough.

If the timeline is really out of control, and making me crazy, I stop writing and begin going through the book page by page to list all my days/dates and make sure they match the action in the book. Here’s a quote from Chris Roerden’s book Don’t Murder Your Mystery:

For your own guidance, always make a calendar of the events taking place in your novel so that all times of day and days of the week make internal sense…When you revise your manuscript, double-check that every entry on your calendar has an actual counterpart in the story, and vice versa. Without such a guide, your use of time can make readers crazy.

Roerden’s book is an excellent guide to revising, no matter what genre you’re writing in. She has a new version of the book called Don’t Sabotage Your Submission, which she states on her web site is for all genres.

Most of the time I wait until I’ve finished a manuscript to make sure the calendar of my book makes sense. Because I’m a revise-as-you-go writer, this works best for me.

What works for you? How do you handle the timeline of a novel?

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Writing Scenes Out of Sequence

April 1st, 2011

I’d never done it before—written out of chronological order—except during revision. But after a discussion at Critique Group a few years back, I decided to give it a try.  Kissing Shakespeare was my work-in-progress at the time, so I wrote dozens of scenes as they sprang to mind, slotting them in later. And yes, I did write lots of scenes that never made it into the final version, but overall, I figured the extra writing helped me delve deeper into my characters and story.

In her session, “From Here to There: Alternatives to Outlining,” presented at last year’s Pikes Peak Writers Conference, Carol Berg advised us to “plan critical scenes first.”  Think about it. While the story is rolling around in your subconscious, isn’t it the critical, or pivotal, scenes you’re thinking about? So why not write one or more of them? Like the rest of the manuscript, these scenes will evolve, so where’s the harm in writing them as they occur to you?

Sometimes there’s a scene you know you have to make room for, but you’re not sure where, exactly, it fits. But that scene needs to happen. I occasionally find myself paralyzed by this—the not knowing. I find if I write the scene as a separate entity, its location in the story usually becomes obvious. For some reason, the pressure is less when you’re not worrying about the work as a whole.

As I see it, then, there are three ways writing scenes out of sequence works: 1) Pivotal scenes may be written as they come to mind, without worrying where they’ll fit until later; 2) Other, less significant, scenes may be written separately and slotted in as needed, again without the pressure–at that point–of where they belong; 3) And of course, in revising your manuscript. During revision, you may be just as likely to remove a few, though.

Here are links to a few articles/blog posts various authors have to say on the subject:

http://lizfenwick.blogspot.com/2007/03/do-you-write-out-of-sequence.html

http://beckylevine.com/2009/01/05/scenes-writing-in-sequence-ornot/

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=58773998221

Everyone’s writing process is different. What works best for you?

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Present vs. Past Tense

March 10th, 2011

When novels written in present tense first began to appear, I thought sure it was a fad. A trend that would disappear as quickly as it had sprung into being, when sane readers and writers everywhere would agree on how annoying it was.

Wrong. It hasn’t disappeared; in fact, it’s caught on and stuck. People have strong opinions about it, with those who dislike it usually speaking the loudest. Philip Hensher weighed in on verb tense use after the 2010 Booker Prize short list was announced last fall. Three of the shortlisted books were written in present tense. Mr. Hensher took—or should I say takes—strong exception to the practice, calling it “modish,” and in historical fiction, becoming “cliche.”

Philip Pullman also entered the fray. His piece in the Guardian is thoughtful and measured. If your current WIP is in present tense, you might want to see what he has to say.

None of the writing craft books in my collection even mentions verb tense, at least, not as a subject in the index. However, the internet, as you might expect, didn’t disappoint.

Use of the present tense is widespread in YA fiction. Revolution (Jennifer Donnelly), The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Carrie Ryan), By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead (Julie Anne Peters), The Indigo Notebook (Laura Resau), and The Hunger Games Trilogy (Suzanne Collins) are just a few of the titles I found on my bookshelves which are written this way.

And two of the most exciting and creative adult books of the last two years, Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel) and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (David Mitchell) are both in present tense.

After reading dozens of books in the present tense, I began to understand the rationale for using it, and I no longer found it so distracting. It brings immediacy to the writing. It makes the story more compelling, as if it’s happening right now, and I can see why teens like it. I decided to experiment with it in my own writing, with mixed results. It’s not as easy as it looks.

I’ve come to believe that (1) if you’re going to use it, have a darn good reason why it works for the story you’re telling; (2) read it out loud to make sure it doesn’t sound like stage directions; and (3) check and double check it to assure all the verb usage is correct. Using past tense is so much more natural, it’s easy to slip back into it and not even notice.

One other caution. It’s really confusing, once you’ve written in present tense, to change to past. For some reason, none of the verb tenses seem right, or maybe I should say, sound right. This effect wears off eventually, but I don’t think it’s just me. I’ve heard other writers say the same thing.

How do you feel about present tense vs. past tense? Do you notice it as a reader? Do you use it as a writer?

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Pride and Prejudice Trivia

February 18th, 2011

Someone in my JASNA group recommended The Annotated Pride and Prejudice, by David M. Shapard, a few years ago. I promptly ordered it, but apart from using it to check a fact every so often,  it’s languished on a bookcase ever since. I decided to read it during my stay in Florida.
So, for my fellow Janeites, here are some P&P tidbits, trivia, and fascinating facts I’ve come across while reading this detailed analysis of my all-time favorite book. My apologies to David M. Shapard if I misinterpreted anything.

Longbourn is, in fact, the name of the village in which the Bennets live, not the name of their house. Although, it seems that often they are speaking of their home when they use the term.
The true extent of Mr. Bennet’s irresponsible, and sometimes even cruel nature, became apparent to me as never before. We know he calls his daughters “silly,” publicly denounces Mary for her piano playing at the Netherfield Ball, and cavalierly tells Elizabeth that all girls like to be “crossed in love a little now and then.” But Elizabeth is the only daughter equipped to handle the sarcasm. When Mr. B. is off trying to find Lydia and Wickham, he can scarcely be bothered to pen a few lines to the family, and only responds to Mr. Gardiner’s important missive at Elizabeth and Jane’s urging.

The revered 1995 version of P&P, as well as the 2005 movie, portray Mr. Bennet as a lovable curmudgeon. I think my view of him had been skewed by watching these so many times!
Mary, of all the sisters, is on scene or even mentioned, very little. There’s an interesting discussion about this online during a Q&A session with the annotator/editor, David Shapard.

I was much more aware of Wickham’s indiscretions when he first meets Elizabeth, and of her eager willingness to believe all he says because of her attraction to him and her dislike of Mr. Darcy.

Elizabeth’s lowest point in the novel: when, all within a brief span, Charlotte accepts Mr. Collins, Mr. Bingley deserts Netherfield and Jane, and Wickham turns his attentions to Miss King and her newly inherited fortune.
Mr. Darcy’s distracted manner, right after Elizabeth tells hm about Lydia and Wickham, was due to the fact that he was already planning what his role might be in recovering her.
Mr. Darcy, did, in fact, wish for a marriage between Mr. Bingley and his sister Georgiana.

I learned the official meaning of  livings, tithes and preferments; what is meant by “picturesque;” all about fenders and fire screens, lodges, paddocks, landscaping, and so much more. Of course, many of these are things I’d drawn conclusions about long ago, but it was good to have a more detailed, historically accurate explanation.

What have you learned on a close reading of Pride and Prejudice? Share your knowledge, please!

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Working Holiday

February 4th, 2011

Isn’t that an oxymoron?

I’m in St. Augustine for a month. Since it’s a high of -3 in Denver today, I’m feeling pretty good about that right now. But how does one stick to a work routine in a new place with the surf pounding just outside the window?

Although there are new and unique distractions, they are actually fewer than the ones at home. No meetings, no coffee or lunch dates, no volunteer gigs, no friends over for dinner. And I’ve come up with a system that seems to be working.

First, I set up a workspace, with my MacBook, reference books, spirals, and folders, close at hand. Once I claimed my own place, I felt more in work mode.

I brought a large number of books, notebooks, and folders with me and shipped more. Even if I don’t use all of it, I feel better knowing it’s here if I need it.

I’ve tried to maintain some kind of routine. In the morning, I do research and reading related to my current project. After breakfast, I sit down at the computer and outline, work on characterization, or write.

After lunch I take time off to walk on the beach, then I work a bit longer. This afternoon it’s my blog, but other days it’s more research, reading, or writing.

The question for me at the end of this stay will be: Would it be better to take a real vacation for a few weeks? Get away from work, period?  Is that a more effective way of refilling the well than this part-work-part-vacation experience?

Are you able to work away from home and your usual work setting? How have you managed? What are your secrets?

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