Tag Archives: Fiction

Scoping out locations for your novel #1

Posted on July 28, 2012 | 17 comments

First of all, if you’ve noticed that I haven’t responded to comments since Thursday, it’s because I am on a writer’s retreat.  Yay!  Another one?  Yeah, I am giving it a go.

I have higher hopes for this one, and I am not up against a super-steep deadline, so I’m not in a panic about time constraints. I’ll be back on Monday.

Okay… back to today’s topic…

In general, I am a Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer.  The settings of my stories are different planets, or fantasy worlds.  For my new novel, though, I decided to try something different.  Yes, it is Sci-Fi, but instead of taking my readers to the alien’s planet, I decided to bring the aliens here.

Has this been done before?  Yes, of course.  I’m just putting a little different spin on it that I think will be fun.

So, I need a setting.  Since we are on Earth this time, I can’t make everything up, so I am trying to force the story into buildings and locals that actually exist.

I have to admit… it’s a lot easier to write about another planet.  If I need something for the story, I just create it.  I’m grinding my teeth looking at maps and judging distances.  It’s so much easier to build a world from scratch exactly how you want it.

Where’s my setting?  I chose Southern New Jersey on the East Coast of the USA for two reasons.  #1:  I’ve been there a lot, so I can relay the “feel” of it.  #2:  I need four separate “places” for the story to develop.  South Jersey has all four.  Easy breezy, right?  Well, not entirely.

As I’ve done in the past, I’m going to split this post up into a couple of weeks, because otherwise this post will definitely get too long.  We’ll start next week with the road trip I took with my kids … driving the route my characters would be walking.

What about you guys?  Have you ever tried to develop a story from REAL places?  How’d you do?

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Flash Fiction Friday on Wednesday – Be careful what you wish for

Posted on July 25, 2012 | 16 comments

This is the character study I did for my character “Jessica” in my new WIP, Fire in the Woods.  I wrote this just to get a “feel” for her before I got started with the story.

The story ended up going in another direction, but this was the basis/starting point of her character. (As well as the rest of the story)

Jess lay in the grass.  The stars of a billion galaxies sparkled in the night sky above.  When she was little, and her parents fought, she’d hide in the backyard, and the constellations would keep her company.  Since her parent’s divorce five years ago, not even the stars could console her.  Instead, they made her feel insignificant, small, and alone.

A shooting star’s tail lit up the night and disappeared from view.  She closed her eyes, and wished with all her might.  She wished for someone who could understand her, for someone to love her.

She wished for someone to appear, and change her life forever.

…Be careful what you wish for.

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Jon Gibbs’s Ten things I wish I knew before I was published #2: It Ain’t Easy, Baby

Posted on July 20, 2012 | 18 comments

You will not get published by accident.  You need to go to workshops, and send your stuff out.  No one will accidentally read your manuscript.

Now, I need to admit that I have a friend who posted an excerpt from her novel on her blog, and a publisher happened upon it.  He asked her to send him a full, and he eventually published her.

It does happen, but the chances are so slim I can’t think of a number that small.

There are people out there who walk around carrying “Writer’s Market” hoping someone will see them and say “are you a writer?”  Seriously… it’s not going to happen.

You need to submit.  Press that little submit button.  I know it’s hard, I’ve been there, but it can be done.

Go ahead, stick those pages in that envelope.  Send your baby on its way.  It won’t get anywhere if you don’t let it leave home.

You need to decide if you are a recreational writer, or a professional writer.  Either one is fine, but professional writing is work.  You need to apply for jobs… no different here.

(Unless you go for self-publishing, but that’s another story completely)

Note:  The above are Jon Gibb’s main speaking points, with my rambling opinions attached.

Jon Gibbs is the author of one of my son’s favorite books:  FUR-FACE, which was nominated for a Crystal Kite Award.

Jon is an Englishman transplanted to New Jersey, USA, where he is an ‘author in residence’ at Lakehurst Elementary School.  Jon is the founding member of The New Jersey Author’s Network and FindAWritingGroup.com.

Jon blogs at jongibbs.livejournal.com

Website: www.acatofninetales.com

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Write a Story with Me – Installment #1 By Jennifer M. Eaton

Posted on July 19, 2012 | 19 comments

OMIGOSH!  I set my story free, and before I knew it, it had a life of its own shooting through the internet and I hadn’t even “officially” posted my first installment!

So, to avoid any confusion, I am posting installment #1 early.  at the end, you will find a link to Jenny Keller Ford’s page two.  She took it in a direction I never imagined!

Enjoy!

Installment #1 by Jennifer M. Eaton

Marci reached up and plucked a fresh shiny leaf from the branch above her.  The tips of her fingers poked out above the majestic three-spiked edges of the damp greenery.

Not quite big enough.

A cool breeze pushed back the sweltering heat of midday, cooling her wet brow with the sweet tingle of its embrace.  Marci closed her eyes, and breathed deeply of the wind’s fresh rejuvenating essence.

Above, the tree quaked and fluttered, dancing and rejoicing in the breeze’s light flirty kiss.  The newly formed branches swayed, revealing older, darker leaves beneath the fresh growth.

Marci reached up, and pulled down the branch.  Dozens of leaves larger than her hand hid snugly near the base of the sprigs, hiding beneath the new foliage.  They glistened with morning dew yet to be burnt away by the afternoon sun.

“There they are,” Marci said, reaching within.

She closed her eyes and moved her fingers through the cool greens, grazing each vein of the immaculate leaves until one quivered beneath her touch.  A smile crossed her lips.  She held her hand steady, and reveled in satisfaction as the leaf warmed to her touch.  “Gotcha.”

A gently tug broke the greenery free.  She held her prize up to the golden rays of the sun.  Droplets of dew sparkled before disappearing, returning to the clouds to fall another day.  The leaf now dry, Marci’s practiced hands wrapped the delicate edges in a moistened white cloth.  She slipped her parcel between the pages of her book for safe-keeping.

To see page two, hop on over to Jenny Keller Ford’s blog, or click here.

And, as an added bonus, (These people are FAST)  Here’s page three…

Installment #3 – Susan Roebuck

Links to new installments will be added as they become available.  Please stop by next Tuesday to see what happens!

Join Write a Story with Me!

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6 Sentence Sunday – “Make it Stop!”

Posted on July 15, 2012 | 29 comments

Someone told me once you can never torture your Main Character too much.  Tee Hee.  Here are six torturous sentences from my current work:  Fire in the Woods.

Pain edged into my brain, peeling back my skull and slicing what it found inside, bearing no mercy or reluctance.  I slammed my hands against my ears, but it continued to rasp and carve a hole through my senses.  Head pounding, I cried out in agony but my voice was lost, strangled within the slicing rage of noise exploding through my mind.  I dropped to my knees, tears streaming down my face.

“Please stop!  Make it stop!”

I hope you enjoyed it!

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Review of The Sword: A Novel (Chiveis Trilogy) by Bryan Litfin

Posted on July 12, 2012 | 10 comments

I started reading this novel with the “free excerpt” from Amazon, and I immediately purchased it once my free pages were done.

Click on the image to go to B&N Site

This novel was everything I was looking for…  A Medieval setting with a very original twist.  My son (the middle grade reviewer) read over my shoulder one day and said “That looks great, can I read it?”

I had to finish it first before I could answer, but even looking over my shoulder, he picked up on the sharp writing, and compelling plot.

Despite all this, I finished the book disappointed.  Why?  Let’s discuss.

The “sharp writing” swayed a little further on.  The characters lost “their voice” a few times.  At least from my perspective it seemed wrong.  Also, there were too many points of view, and too many characters.  Yes, I understood the necessity of each of them, but with their odd names, I had trouble remembering who was who.

The novel is cut into three “books”.  At the end of book one, I sat back and said.  “Wow, that was cool.”

I was still enjoying it at that point, but then it turned for me.  It got very wrapped up in what happened at the end of book one.  Yes, I suppose that is what the writer wanted to do, but he had me so in-tune to the relationship development of two characters at that point, that the interjection of the new plot element was jarring.

I just really couldn’t get into the second and third books, (the second being the worst of the two)

What I learned as a writer:

I keep going back to that one blog post I read a year ago (I really wish I could remember her name) where she said “The first chapter is a promise to your reader”

That is what my problem was.  I was promised a very different story than the one that ended up the novel.  I supposed the “second story” was good, but it wasn’t what I was interested in at that point.

I would also be careful to follow the rules of POV.  For instance, there is a scene told in a beggar’s POV.  It is only a few pages long.  It is there because the author wanted someone had to see the two Main characters walking through the forest. – WHY?  You never see or hear from this character again.

Little things like that annoyed me, and made me feel less standoffish about the POV cuts I have done in my novel.  There could have been a much easier way to do that scene (above) without injecting another random character in the story.

In the end, I was jumping back and forth from head to head so much, I don’t even know whose side I was rooting for. (You get the POV of the good guys and the bad guys.)

So, Book one I would give four solid Oreos.  But the overall novel… all three books, I would give three stars.

I would recommend this to anyone really interested in religion, and the development of religion.  That is what this novel is about.  Granted, religion is mentioned in the “blurb” but after looking at the cover, and reading the first several chapters, I was ready for something very different.

Bummer for me, because I was really ready to enjoy this.

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How to Write a Really Great Novel: The FUNNIEST EVER (And Maybe Best) Review

Posted on July 5, 2012 | 12 comments

Yes, he is reviewing a novel, but WHO CARES!

The Monomaniacal Middle Grade Reviewer goes off on a tangent starting at about 1:05 on how to write a great novel, and then goes in-depth around 1:59 about what makes a good action scene, and then again at 3:35 on how to write a great action scene.

This is probably his best interview EVER.

If you care about a kid’s opinion, this is a great interview to take a look at.  I am bookmarking this just to come back and take a look at it once in a while.

I think this kid has a future in reviews.  Oh, yeah.  The actual novel is Rick Riordan’s Battle of the Labyrinth

Take it away, Dude!

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Guest Post and Giveaway: “There are no limits to what you put into your stories, as long as you follow a few simple rules.” by Rosalie Skinner

Posted on June 24, 2012 | 5 comments

Thanks Jennifer for having me as a guest today.

It’s great to be here. My name is Rosalie Skinner and I write Epic Fantasy with a twist of Science Fiction.

Why did I choose this genre?

Well, we are surrounded with science facts. Gene mapping, clones, implants, microchips, GPS and nanobots and satellites are all factual. The idea of computer obsession and total immersion virtual worlds are not so far out of our reach. So when I started writing, the temptation proved too great. I wanted to include these ideas in my epic Fantasy. Strangely they fitted in well.

My hero comes from a world where space travel is common place. His background as an obsessed teenager, totally focused on his progression through a virtual reality game, works in well with his epic fantasy quest. He must learn to survive in a world similar to those he has experienced while competing in the Game.

The world of The Chronicles of Caleath include magic, dragons, alien species, heroes and heroines. There are visitors from other worlds, but most of the characters are home grown in a world where magic happens.

Caleath’s adventures include several seafaring journeys. Book One opens when he survives a shipwreck. His plan to escape back to the stars begins to unravel soon after. He must survive being hunted by off world assassins while trying to help the people of the southern continent destroy another alien species that threatens them.

It is the little twists of combining science fact, science fiction and fantasy that has made writing the Chronicles so much fun. There are no limits to what you put into your stories, as long as you follow a few simple rules.

Keep your readers believing. Share your ideas with simple concepts, familiar ideas and common sense characters. Even outrageous ideas must have some basis for belief.

Keep your plot moving. Every scene should push the plot forward.

Keep your characters true to their nature. No matter what they face, they must behave consistently. They should grow and develop as they face challenges, but only within the realms of believability.

Have fun!!

The first four books in the Chronicles of Caleath are now available from Museitup Publishing.

You can find more about the Chronicles  at

https://www.facebook.com/ChroniclesofCaleath

http://www.RosalieSkinner.blogspot.com

http://www.Rosalieskinner.com

As a special treat, one person who comments below will be choosen to recieve a Kindle version of book one of  the Chronicles of Caleath  “Exiled: Autumn’s Peril”

Thanks for dropping in today.

Rosalie Skinner lives on the east coast of Australia. When not immersed in her fantasy writing she enjoys watching the humpback whales migrating in winter and all the coastal environment has to offer during summer. There is nothing she enjoys more than hearing from readers who have enjoyed Caleath’s adventures.

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Guest Post: Zombies & New Worlds & Violence, Oh My! by J.A. Belfield

Posted on June 22, 2012 | 8 comments

Yes, I’m talking about all the titles that have been slowly flooding the book markets over the past few years.

To be honest, I’d seen all the hype for zombie fiction & dystopia/post-apocalyptic novels. To begin I viewed them with scorn.

Yes, I did.

And I apologise profusely.

Because I was ignorant.

I wondered how something like zombies could possibly make a decent novel when it’s often the horrific visuals of a zombie film that grab us the most.

I wondered how on earth anyone could be enamoured by a story with a cover that depicts the world as broken and dreary as heck, and nowhere anyone in their right mind would want to live—again, I guess, something that would have great impact in a film.

Then I listened—to other readers—instead of being so opinionated.

Before I knew it, I’d let them sway me into picking up these books I’d struggled to figure out (without having read them …. Yeah, I know, I know, don’t say it).

Now?

I pretty much can’t get enough of them.

Granted, I’m not so keen on the zombie novels—unless you count Amy Plum’s romanticised version of zombies in Die For Me.

But I picked up Hunger Games convinced I would hate it.

O_o

So happens, I went out and bought Catching Fire as soon as I could and even had someone send me Mockingjay so I didn’t have to wait to read on to the end.

Yeah, I pretty much began devouring books from this genre I’d not even given a chance.

Since then, I’ve read Divergent, too—as well as finished up with Insurgent mere hours before writing this post.

Then there are the ones that combine genres: vampire dystopias seem to be the latest craze. Andrew Fukuda’s The Hunt or Julie Kagawa’s Immortal Rules, for example. I’ve read both of those. Admittedly, they haven’t wowed me quite as much as straight dystopia has, but they were still decent reads, neither of them alike, and both had highly intriguing concepts.

So what is it about these genres that seem to be spreading like wildfire? The characters, their conflicts, the action which often horrifies due to the violence involving youths, the love story (because there almost always seems to be at least the potential for one) … or the fact that we just don’t know what the future holds for our earth and to get even a fictional glimpse of that is simply too fascinating to pass up?

How about you? Have you tried these types of novels? What do you think it is about them that’s setting the reading population on fire?

http://www.jabelfield.com/

Novels/Stories by J.A. Belfield

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Guest Post: Veruca Salt, or the person in need of a white jacket with very long sleeves by Kastil Eavenshade

Posted on June 21, 2012 | 8 comments
If someone told me I’d have to pigeonhole myself and only write one genre, I’d truly believe that person is in need of a white jacket with very long sleeves. Why deny myself the pleasure of exploring a world I’ve created on my own or helping two characters find true love. I want it all.
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I’m a little Veruca Salt like that.
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For me, it’s not what I write but how I write it. Am I weaving a fantastic story that draws the reader in or am I making them think of wonderful it would be to watch paint dry than to read another sentence. It is my sworn duty as a writer, since I am the one who decided to wade into the muck, to entertain you with my eclectic tales.
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The truth is writing is hard. Like the popular kid that picked Mary Sue over you for his prom date, you’ve got to get used to rejection. An acceptance can cause just as much anxiety. If you get lucky with a good publisher, it’s rounds of edits. They mercilessly slay your baby and do kamikaze runs on your grammar. Buck up, my friend, this is going to hurt and you’ve got to put on the big girl pants for it.
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As I leave you with this small pearl of insanity, I want to share the blurb for my first YA novel in progress. Not a genre I’ve been digging into with gusto but the mood struck and it’s 90% completed. I already have a publisher interested. It’s gritty and not the bubble-gum high school side of YA.
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BLURB:
Jeremy Riggs has spent most of his life in and out of the hospital. One month he’d be full of vigor and the next comatose. The doctors can’t explain it but Jeremy figured it out around his fifth birthday.
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Jeremy’s soul is too weak to sustain a normal life. He’s become a vessel to young souls who are trapped on this earth with unfinished business. Only Jeremy can help them reach their final destination.
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Waking up in the hospital, a year after being found at the county dump next to the remains of Melissa Fowler, Jeremy finds his newest spirit is nothing like the previous ones. Angry and more powerful than any spirits he’s encountered, Jeremy must fight for control of his mind and body. To make matters worse, the police want to know how he knew the exact location of Melissa’s Body.
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Linkage to my blog: http://kastil.wordpress.com/ ((The Eclectic Zaftig Chick))
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Published Works:

The Wolves of Argonne published by Evernight Publishing in their new line Naughty Fairytales.

Fate Whispers published by Golden Visions Magazine in their Spring 2011 online edition.

Unchained published by Golden Visions Magazine in their Summer 2011 edition.

The Mark of the Brotherhood, published by Pulp Empire in their Pirates & Swashbucklers Anthology.

Soul Reaver, published in Evernight Publishing’s Midnight Seduction under the pen name of Kastil Eavenshade.

Dream Weaver, published in Evernight’s Publishing’s Midnight Seduction: Manlove Edition under the pen name of Kastil Eavenshade.

Boughs of Holly published in Still Moments Publishing’s Christmas Treats, Naughty Edition under the pen name Olivia Devereaux.

The Beauty Within to be published in Still Moments Publishing’s Spellbound Hearts Anthology under the pen name Olivia Devereaux.

Mended Hearts to be published by Still Moments Publishing under the pen name Olivia Devereaux.

Death Comes published by Golden Visions Magazine in their Winter 2012 online edition.

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