Monthly Archives: October 2011

ROW80 Check-in 10-19-2011

Posted on October 19, 2011 | 7 comments

Well, my first goal was to enter the 50-Word Summary Contest.  Due to the
Nature of the prize, that was my primary focus.  I am happy to say that I took a deep breath and entered.  Thanks to everyone who gave feedback.  Here was my final entry:

Darkness threatens the galaxy from within. Magellan Talbot, a poor miner’s son, is chosen by their Goddess to defeat it.  But a tragic accident erases Magellan’s memory.  If he can’t fight Darkness, it will smother the Goddess and the galaxy with her.  Magellan can prevail, if he could only remember.

Wish me luck!

Goal # 2 was to write a short story.  Unfortunately, I haven’t even started it.  I went off on another tangent, but that’s okay.  If you saw my post yesterday, I made a small change to my novel that had a significant change in the overall “effect”.  So my novel, I hope, actually has an ending now.  To me, this was HUGE.

I am mildly concerned about my short story though.  It was perfectly formed in my head while I was camping over the weekend.  I have the first paragraph scribbled into my journal.  My only hope is that I will still be in the right “emotional state” to write it when I finally get to it.  When you are out in the woods camping, your mind works differently than when you are stuck in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

I missed visiting fellow ROWers on Monday, but I made up for it on Tuesday by tripling my efforts.

Although I am not getting done what I originally hoped to do, I feel exhilarated about what I DID do.  Goals have to change, especially in a creative environment where you never know when Epiphany will hit you on the head with a hammer.  **That’s a Thor reference, for those of you who didn’t see  yesterday’s post.  🙂

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Thor: A review from a Writer’s Perspective

Posted on October 18, 2011 | 7 comments

I just watched the movie “Thor” with my husband and son.  My son was so excited.  We checked the “Mommy” reviews, and I decided it would be okay for my oldest son to watch (The younger ones probably could have watched it too.  It was no worse than cartoon violence in most cases, and no cursing, which I appreciate as a Mom.)

Anyway… I wasn’t expecting much.  I really don’t know the story of Thor all that well, and I was just bracing myself for another really bad re-done super hero movie.  Wow, was I in for a pleasant surprise.

Lately, after struggling with plot holes in my novel, I am reading novels and watching movies with a very critical eye.  I knew this was going to lead into the “Avengers” so I figured that it would be open-ended.  I also knew it was a re-telling.

Would they do a good job?  Would they leave it open-ended?  Would it have a concrete beginning, middle and end that left me satisfied that the story was over?  If they do, will I be screaming for more?

Yes, Yes, Yes, and definitely Yes. (Can I buy my tickets NOW?)

Now, if you are a Thor fan, you might have hated this movie.  Like I
said, I don’t know the original story… but looking at this as a stand-alone
story, I think it was great.  Throw this Old God into our world with no power, and have him interact with “normal people”.  Genius.    I have to admit I spit my drink laughing a few times.  There is one character, the Poly-Sci Major, who had me in stitches—and it was all very real… not forced humor… just natural and honest comments that you could relate too.  Great, simple dialog… That is what made it funny.

So, My lesson learned from Thor?  You can write a novel that’s the start of a series that has a CONCRETE ENDING, but that also has enough “open
holes” to suck you into the next installment in the series.  The story is over, but it is “just open enough” that it can start up again in the drop of a hat (or a rainbow bridge, in this case.)

I’ve figured out what is wrong in my novel, now.  And it took me all
but a few hours to fix.  Yes, there are sub-plots that intertwine and draw the story forward into the next book, but I hadn’t made clear the ONE POINT that was the major driver, that DOES CONCLUDE in the first novel.  It did conclude in my head all along, but now, after a little revamping, it does for the reader to.  I just had to elaborate on one point that I did not make clear .

Thanks, Thor, for swinging your hammer and hitting me in the head.
Sometimes you learn things from the most unlikely places.

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ROW 80 Check in 10-16-2011

Posted on October 16, 2011 | 8 comments

Had a great week.  I finished a 59 page beta read, gave him 199 comments and a 300 word synopsis of my thoughts.

The dream sequences are done, and I did a scan through and  loved the way they fit into the novel… Unfortunately, I now have 118,000  words (18,000 to cut rather than 17,000)

I didn’t even open my web design software this week.  I got too caught up in preparing contest  entries and blogging.

Row 80 is a bit of a stress point in my life.  I feel like I need to try to visit as many people  as I can who are participating… but that takes up a lot of my time.  Need to find balance.

Goals for this week:

1.  Write a short  story that I came up with over the weekend while I was camping

2.  Decide if my  novel actually ends or not (I though it did, but now that might be in question)

3.  Finish my  summary.

4.  Visit and comment  on two or three other Row80 participants a night.  It’s not realistic to visit you all.  Most likely, if you stop by here, I’ll return the favor.

5.  Enter the 50 word  synopsis contest

6.  Enter the  “Gasp” contest at Brenda Drake’s site on Thursday.

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Posted in Row 80

Help! What’s my bad-guy’s name?

Posted on October 14, 2011 | 12 comments

I need some input.  My Bad-guy’s name is “Darkness”.  It didn’t really start out that way.  Darkness was just something to be afraid of, and then he developed into a person, and the name stuck.  I know “Darkness” has been used before.  Do you think it’s cliché?

I’ve also been playing with the name “Malice”  What do you think?

I’m entering the 50-word synopsis contest in a few days.  These are the two versions I came up with, depending on the name.

Darkness has descended upon the galaxy. Magellan Talbot, a poor miner’s son, has been chosen by their Goddess to defeat it. There’s one problem…. a tragic accident has erased Magellan’s memory. If he doesn’t regain it in time, evil will prevail. His task is simple, if he could only remember.
.
or
.
Malice threatens the galaxy from within. Magellan Talbot, a poor miner’s son, has been chosen by the Goddess to defeat it. There’s one problem…. a tragic accident has erased Magellan’s memory. If he doesn’t regain it in time, evil will prevail. His task is simple, if he could only remember.
.
So, which one do you think sounds better?

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Posted in Senseless Ranting, Writing Contests

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Lesson Ten from a Manuscript Red Line: Girls Rule and Boys Drool

Posted on October 13, 2011 | 14 comments

For an intro into where these tips are coming from, please see my post: A Full Manuscript Rejection, or a Gold Mine?

Let me start out by stating… if your novel has a female protagonist… I HATE YOU.

Well, not really, but I’m jealous.  You don’t have to worry about a side-kick, because your Girl-Power is already there.  UGH!  This is annoying.

My BP and I actually had this conversation months ago.  We talked about how annoying it is that publishers all seem to want strong female characters only.  Well, at the same time, they are complaining that boys don’t read.  Go figure.

Both my BP and I have male MCs (main characters).  My BP at least already had a female side kick, but they actually asked her to beef her up and make her one of the main voice characters.  She’s working now on making her a more dynamic character.  I guess this is a good thing.  I like her.  She’s a tough cookie, but do we always have to have a girl?

Now, I am a girl, and I happen to like to read books about boys.  Boys tend to be stronger, and I don’t have to worry about annoying sappy emotional crap most of the time.  I’m wondering if more boys actually would read if there was a wider variety of decent novels out there that didn’t force-feed them GIRLS just so the novels would be marketable to a female audience as well.  Maybe publishers are shooting themselves in the foot by not letting girl-free novels into the shelves?  I guess we will never know.

Yeah, I have to admit that Meagan has gotten more and more page-time in my novel, but I’m trying hard not to let her take over.  I’m trying to have her be there, with her own ominous annoying girly agenda, without spoiling the overall plot line.  Meagan is a princess and is trying to find a loophole that will let her marry Magellan, a commoner.  This actually works in nicely, because it makes the villain (her brother) more and more angry and homicidal every time he sees them together.

Hopefully I don’t have to make her too much more integral than she already is.  I want to be published, but I want the story to be intact when I’m done as well.  The story is definitely about a confused boy with no memory that has to save the galaxy… It’s not a love story.

Anyway… the point of this all is that publishers are still looking for a strong female presence in works that they are supporting.  They simply don’t believe there is enough of a male market of readers out there to support a strictly male protagonist.  They said they realized that a writer should not focus on writing to the market only, but it is something that publishers must consider.

Ugh.

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Row 80 Check in 10-12-2011

Posted on October 12, 2011 | 18 comments

Wow, it’s already time for a ROW 80 check in.

Well, I’ve been overdoing it, to be honest.  I’ve gone to bed exhausted every night.  Blogging has taken a lot of my time, as well as contest
entries.

Good news:  My “Can you make us GASP” contest entry scared my kid so much that he couldn’t go to sleep.  He ended up in bed with his brother.  I guess it was good.  I hope a grown-up reader can appreciate how I just scarred my son for life.  Tee Hee.  I have to give him the next few pages so he knows what happens and can sleep again.

I’ve worked hard on my 50 word synopsis, with some great help from one of my beta partners who is way better at these than I am.  I think I have something.  I will be posting both these on my blog for everyone else to wack away at shortly.

I’ve managed to keep with my blog schedule.  Hopefully I will be able to get another “Manuscript Red-Line blog up this week with all the other stuff going on.

I’m half way through my beta read, although I have to admit I didn’t get to in today.  (Sorry, J)

Great news!  I did a scan through of my novel for flow… checking to make sure the new scene elements scattered throughout work, and I am THRILLED.  I think they bring the whole novel together…

and check this off the list— THE DREAM SEQUENCES ARE DONE!!!! Yay for me!

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Posted in Row 80

Lesson Nine from a Manuscript Red Line: Written Any Good (Bad) Cliché’s lately?

Posted on October 11, 2011 | 6 comments

For an intro into where these tips are coming from, please see my post: A Full Manuscript Rejection, or a Gold Mine?

I found this photograph on Wikipedia with the definition of Cliché.  It’s pretty old, and the copy right is outdated.

You can tell, even with how old this cartoon is, that if they were making fun of some clichés this long ago, what would they think now?

I must admit, I am guilty myself of using the last one.  Now that I see it in a picture, I have to giggle.  Sometimes, I think you need to have something drawn to see the “funny” in it… Like tossing your head in the air.

The publisher who redlined the Gold Mine Manuscript marked “in a split Second”, “Looked her in the eye”, “Laid low” and “in all shapes and sizes” as  clichés.   They also said that eyes don’t meet, but gazes can meet.  (Can you picture two people’s eyes actually meeting?  Now that I have that visual, I stop every time I start typing it.)

There are a lot more that are common, that we probably aren’t even aware we are using.  For me, now that I think of it… My characters always drop their eyes.  I guess I can change that to “lowered their gaze” since they aren’t actually dropping their eyeballs out of their heads.

I’ll also mention that they weren’t crazy about colloquial expressions either, as they thought they wouldn’t be understood by everyone, so use those sparingly as well.

Write on!

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Posted in Gold Mine Manuscript

Calling All Fantasy Writers! – Awesome Contest!

Posted on October 10, 2011 | 8 comments

This is a contest you HAVE to check out.  If you don’t write Fantasy, check it out anyway, new Genres will be coming up according to Lisa L. Regan

You need to have a completed novel to join, and all you need to enter is your 50 Word Pitch.

This is not a cheezy prize…  The three finalists will be picked by an agent.  The finalists will need to send in a synopsis and the Full Manuscript.  She will choose one for a FULL READ and a possible contract with Sullivan Maxx Literary Agency.

Spruce up those pitches!  You have until October 17th!

http://lisalregan.blogspot.com/2011/10/fantasy-novel-hook-for-your-book.html

8 Comments

Posted in Writing Contests

Row 80 Goals

Posted on October 9, 2011 | 14 comments

I’ve just jumped on board with Row 80.  It’s a site set up to help you achieve your writing goals, and it takes into account that different writers have different amounts of time to deal with.  They don’t TELL YOU that you have to write a novel in a month… which to me is just crazy.  Not with grade-school kids, a husband, and a full-time job.

So, here’s the deal.

I am going to write a one-hour per day Monday through Friday.  This week’s goal is to complete the dream sequences, and make sure the new scenes fit correctly into the novel.

I will spend 20 minutes per day Beta Reading or working on contest entries

I will spend 1 hour per night networking (blogging, etc)

I will get at least two pages of my official WEB Site uploaded (Completed my goal to buy www.jennifermeaton.com and www.jennifereaton.com last week)

I will nag my artist to start working on my artwork for my WEB Site.

Upcoming goals:

1.  Decide on which beginning to use for my novel– “Fruit throwing”, or “Stuck in the Closet”

2.  Remove eleven extraneous POV’s from my novel

3.  Cut 18,000 words (to get to 100,000 words for submission)

4.  Do complete read-through for continuity

5.  Send out for a final round of beta reads.

6.  Complete Query

7.  Complete Synopsis

8.  Start Querying

Well, I might not get all my goals complete on time, but now at least I have a game plan!

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Lesson Eight from the Manuscript Red-Line: Magically Appearing Items in the Setting

Posted on October 7, 2011 | 2 comments

For an intro into where these tips are coming from, please see my post: A Full Manuscript Rejection, or a Gold Mine?

This is really more like an amendment to Lesson Seven, but I figured I’d call it out separately, just to make it more clear.  In Lesson Seven, we discussed how important it is to make sure a character has a reason for doing what they do.

Also watch for “convenient” items popping up out of nowhere.  In a recent writers group meeting we discussed this very topic… making sure that a gun doesn’t suddenly appear in the glove compartment of an eighty year old grandmother from Ohio…  Silly things like that.

It is easy for a writer to place an item somewhere convenient…  but remember to give that item a reason for being there.

Example from my own manuscript:

Meagan has a candle in her room in the end of the novel.  It’s very important.  It’s never mentioned before, but I talk about it like it’s always been there.  I  caught mistake after digesting Lesson Seven.   I just can’t let the candle suddenly appear like that, and act like it’s always been there.

Convenient fix by me:  I needed a new chapter near the beginning of the novel, because I needed a place to SHOW that Meagan realizes that Magellan is supernatural.  (This is to avoid a “telly” section later).  I placed the scene in Meagan’s room, and actually used the candle as the driving force for that scene.  It worked wonderfully, and I killed two problems with one chapter in a neat little
package.  (And only about 550 words)

Like magically appearing characters, suddenly appearing items can be distracting, and make you lose credibility.  Give important items a reason for being where they are, and keep your settings fluid throughout your novel.

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