Shine On Award!

I know I usually don't post on Thursdays, but today is a bit of an exception.

I have just been nominated for a Shine On Award!  It's my first blogging award, and I'm very excited, mostly because now I get to acknowledge the awesome bloggers I've come in contact with.

Of course, the greatest thanks goes to Rhyan Scorpio-Rhys for the nomination.

So what exactly does this entail?



Here are the rules:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. State 7 things about yourself.
4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award and link to them.
5. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award requirements.



7 Things about me:

1. I am bilingual.  I leaned Spanish while I was studying in Spain, and my husband and I still speak Spanglish at home.
2. I am part Japanese, but I do not like seafood at all.  I think Salmon is the only thing I find tolerable.
3. I am a nurse.  I love Geriatrics, but my first love (in nursing specifics) is Alzheimer's and Dementia.  I find that fascinating.
4. I've played the piano since I was 6.  And the first piece of furniture I bought when I got married was a small spinet piano. 
5. Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday.  Actually, there are days when I just crave a good Thanksgiving, so I invite friends over, make 5-6 pies and have a whole Thanksgiving dinner.  Doesn't matter if it's actually November.
6. I color code my house.  The kitchen has to be red and black.  The bathroom has to be violet and moss green.  This is how I organize.
7. I am a huge Messi fan.  Which doesn't bode well in our home, since my husband is a staunch Real Madrid fan.  


My Nominees for the Shine on Award: 

1. http://agonystory.blogspot.com/
2. http://melaniedrake.blogspot.com/
3. http://deathinbloomthenovel.blogspot.com/
4. http://daggersunderdaisies.blogspot.com/
5. http://www.theprocrastiwriter.com/
6. http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/
7. http://abookinside.blogspot.com/
8. http://lorifolkman-author.blogspot.com/
9. http://maasmith.com/
10. http://alexandralynwood.com/
11. http://noelashland.wordpress.com/
12. http://calliehunter.wordpress.com/
13. https://eurasianflavour.wordpress.com/
14. http://edmartinwriter.com/
15. http://anmanatsu.com/
16. http://writershenanigans.wordpress.com/
17. http://maryharner.blogspot.com/

Women in Literature

Recently, I began questioning the motives of one of my characters.  Not because it wasn’t a natural motivation, but because I was worried about my portrayal of her as a woman.

I’ve been reading and watching comments about the portrayal of women in media.  They’re considered too weak, too focused on relationships and their own feelings.  Society thinks that women need to be strong, to be able to fight and excel in whatever field they put their mind to.

I have no objections to that.  I think that it’s a good thing that women are given that opportunity. It could be considered a compliment that we can do anything we want.  But what happens when a woman’s desires aren’t focused on a career or a political cause? 

My character was focused on her family, and wanting to keep them safe. Sure, there’s an element of romance, but in the end, all she wants is to be there for the children, make sure that they grow up correctly, and that they always feel loved.  I began to wonder if it was an appropriate goal, or if I would alienate readers because her fight and focus is only on family. 

I presented my question in a forum, and received an answer that made me smile.

The responder mentioned Molly Weasley.  I think she is really one of the unsung women heroes.  I hadn’t even stopped to give her a second thought.  But she’s always been there, taking care of her many children, struggling to provide all their school supplies, sending them howlers when they disobey, taking in their friends when they were alone … and of course, there will always be the moment that she killed Bellatrix to protect her family.  An act that I don't think anyone would doubt her character would do.

And as I considered the powerhouse that is Molly Weasley, I realized how many other women I’ve met who are really the unsung heroes in society.  We can all find articles about women who are CEO’s, doctors, lawyers, but how many articles focus on the women who put family first?  The women who could be earning a large amount of money, but instead decide to spend their time with their children, stretching their budgets, and sacrificing their own needs and desires so that their children can take dance lessons, or have enough equipment to play soccer.

My own mother was an example of a woman who was willing to sacrifice so much for us.  I wish that there were moments that we’d stopped to thank her, but many times, her sacrifices weren’t as obvious as they could have been. 

I think we need more women in literature like Molly Weasley and my mother.  We need strong women who are willing to take a stand and create a better future for their family. 

Can any of you think of such women in literature?  

No Pain, No Gain

I am not an assertive person.  I can take almost anything without fighting back because I really want to avoid confrontation.

The only time that this is not true is when it’s about someone that I care about.  Someone can say something bad about me, but watch out if they say anything about my closest friends.  Boys who try to hurt my sisters better start running because I’m coming after them.  Though I’m not a mother, I have a feeling I’ll probably be overprotective with them as well.

I hate to see injustices.  To see others picked on when it’s not necessary.  It’s one of the reasons why I’m so terrible at sports.  I hate the fact that there has to be a loser.  During Junior High, we played soccer during lunch.  Whenever my team started winning, I switched to the other.  Why?  Because they needed help.  They were now the ones at a disadvantage.  There were some days that I would switch sides 8-9 times. 

So what does that have to do with writing?

Characters are like our babies.  We’ve created them, we’ve helped them become who they are.  Those are the kinds of people that I would do anything to protect.

But in protecting my characters, I end up hurting the story. 

No one wants to read about someone whose life is absolutely perfect.  We as readers want to see the characters suffer and rise above their struggles.  If they don’t have to overcome anything, then why should we care? 

That’s why we have to make our characters cry.  Not just small tears, but giant floods until they suffer from dehydration.  If the character goes too long before the next set of trials, we’re actually doing them a disservice.  We need to learn from our mistakes.  And to do that, we have to make mistakes.  We have to get out there, get our hands dirty and get our hearts broken. 

Really, that should be the way we live our lives as well.  Staying where it’s safe won’t hurt, but it won’t help us grow.  If I were to go back and focus on the moments where I grew as a human, where I became the person I am now, it would be in the moments of trials.  Those moments where I wasn’t sure if I could stand any more are what define me.  Not because of the trials that I experienced, but how I responded to them.

And that’s what our characters need.  We can’t protect them from everything.  They need the chance to get back up.  They need that opportunity to prove themselves, not just to themselves, but to us as readers. 

So although I may not enjoy causing pain, I get satisfaction out of knowing that I’m doing the right thing for my characters, and for my story.

Sequels

Recently, I’ve had 2 betas going through two different WIP’s.  One is starting on the white one and the other just finished the Red one. 

As my beta finished my Red WIP, he made an interesting comment.  He said that the way that I set up the ending made it perfect to follow up with a sequel. 

I’ve never been fond of sequels, especially in my own writing.  I always thought that if their story is over, then why would you come back later to invade on their privacy again?  I like to think that once my story is over and my characters get a satisfying ending, I don’t want to imagine that they have any more conflict.  Yet, that’s not true in real life.  Even when we get everything we want, a degree, a house, marriage, etc, then we always think that everything is going to be perfect.

But once I finished the Red WIP, I still felt like there was more of the story to tell.  Not for my Main Characters, but for some of the minor ones who hadn't gotten enough time in the sun.  And perhaps that’s why the story ended like it did.  A part of me knew that something more would happen.  In fact, when I finished the story, I had to add an epilogue, just because it didn't feel finished yet.  That's when I understood.

Now, I’m more willing to give sequels a second chance, because I understand why an author might be inclined to write one.  And there have been several sequels that I’ve read that ended up improving the story.

I know this post is a little short, but it's because I want to hear your thoughts.  Do characters deserve their privacy after the story’s told?  Do sequels give them a second chance?  How do you feel about sequels? 

Show, Don't Tell: Guest Post by Gina Drayer

Today, we have a special treat because the talented and insightful Gina Drayer.  She and I met through a writer's critique site and we've decided to guest post on one another's blogs this week.  She's going to present some new insights on the idea of 'show don't tell,' which I look forward to because that's something I struggle with quite a bit!  

Read on!


In a continuation of my Dear Author... series, today I'm here to talk about the dreaded "show, don't tell."

This is the number one advice given to new writers, and often the one that's misused and misinterpreted.  It's one I struggle with as a writer, so I have no advice as to how to do it effectively.  But as a reader I can tell you what doesn't work.

In an effort to "Show" the characters emotional state writers will often describe every twitch, head bob, and breathe a character makes.  If you find your text filled with sighs, nods, shrugs and eyebrow raises then you might have fallen a victim of this.

His heart hammered in his chest.  His eyes widened in surprise.  Her lip curled in a smirk.  He let out a sigh, shoulders slumped.  He clenched his fist at his sides.

These phrases scattered through out a work are descriptive to "show" the reader the character's emotions, but when every feeling is described in detail with gestures and facial expressions all you've done is give your character Tourette's.

An excellent example of how this can go wrong can be found in a breakdown of New Moon's Chapter 18 (this is not a critique of Stephanie Myers and her books, but just an illustration of what I mean).  Within that chapter alone there are eyes that flash, flicker, dart, glare, stare, relocated, widen, go flat, penetrate, blink, dazed and far away, show revulsion and reflect.  And this was just the descriptions of the eyes!!  There are many examples of facial expressions and arm/leg movement.  To see a full breakdown check out: http://reasoningwithvampires.tumblr.com/post/8414226270.

While reading this not only gives me the impression that the character has some sort of uncontrollable tic, but it also interrupts the pacing of the piece.  It slows down the reading and brings you out of the story.

So when it comes to "Show, Don't Tell" is there a meaningful difference between saying: "She was scared." And "Her eyes widen and she inhaled suddenly."  Not really, to be honest they are both lazy storytelling.  Show those actions not through detailed descriptions of her facial expressions, but through her dialog and actions.

Try perhaps:

When she heard the click of the gun safety, she turned around and saw the end of pistil staring back at her.  "Please.  You don't have to do this," she said in a low whisper, trying to keep her breath steady, but she could already feel the panic rise in her throat.

Sure, sure, pick apart my writing.  But this is just an illustration of how a little bit of showing, a little bit of telling and some dialog paint a better picture then over describing every detail just to show that she was afraid.

She heard the gun safety click off.  Afraid, her eyes went wide and she stopped breathing.  Sweat broke out on her forehead and she closed her eyes.  With her hands clenched at her side, she swallowed and said, "Don't shoot."

So dear author, please, please don't bombard me with over descriptive facial gestures and shrugs.  I have an imagination and if you've given your character depth and a strong voice I naturally add those actions in my mind.  I feel the fear, the love, the heartache, the joy.  I'll fill in the blanks that you leave behind.

Gina Drayer is a part time Author, full time mother and geek at heart.  Her blog, The Agony of the Untold Story (http://agonystory.blogspot.com/) follows her musing on publishing, books, being a geek, and raising children.

To read my post on her blog, go to http://agonystory.blogspot.com/2013/08/id-like-to-welcome-krista-quintana-from.html

Organizing

Writing is hard to organize.  

You have to keep track of settings, characters, chapters, scenes, plot, motivation… there’s so much that goes into one novel.  I’m not the most organized of people, but with writing, it becomes a necessity.  Otherwise, my stories would melt and lose its form.

When I began my first novel, I kept a binder with everything I needed.  I had a separate page protector for each character, setting and creature I created.  I kept lists to remind myself of what people looked like or the order of events.  I collected pictures of people to inspire different characters, along with maps of the settings.  I wrote out character biographies, adding it to their pages, and at one point my outline was 21 pages long.  It was a thick binder, but it did its job.  I kept on track with the outline and for the first time ever, I finished my novel.

Since then, I’ve tried organizing with word documents, ywriter and scrivener.  I’ve kept it on the computer and printed it out on paper.  I enjoy ywriter because you can pull up different windows, and I like scrivener because I can put things side by side.  I can also write notes or highlight.

So after so much prewriting, what works best for me?

I still like binders.  Maybe it’s the visual aspect, or the physical.  I can add pages wherever I want and I can flip between pages without needing to keep a list of windows at the bottom of my screen.  Otherwise, my computer starts looking like a popup book.  And believe me, that’s happened!  There have been the days when I have 8 or 9 word documents opened, along with a writing supplement program.

And of course, with binders, it is much easier to use COLORS!

Each of my WIP are in different colored binders, to keep them separated. 

Maybe that’s why.  I just like how pretty it looks.

I also edit/revise with colors.  I feel that when I do it pen to paper, it slows me down and I actually concentrate on the words.  I’ve also had drafts where I use different colored pens to highlight different areas of writing: passive/active, to be verbs, repetition, etc.

Of course, sometimes I do take it a bit overboard.

How do all of you organize?  What works best for you? 

What have I learned this week in writing?

Have you ever realized that what you’re writing something that you’ve never experienced or wanted to experience?

Just to premise this, I am not an animal person.  I’ve been terrified of dogs my entire life.   When I was little, my entire body broke out in hives the size of baseballs whenever I was around any animal with fur.  I still remember the oatmeal baths that I had to have.  I’ve never been fond of the smells, the fur all over the place or the noise that they always make.  Dogs barking all night, cats shedding, or the smell of my cousin’s turtles just drove me crazy.   My husband and I have an agreement that he can have pets once I’m dead.  I’m not saying this because I’m have to say something against pet owners.  

I understand that there are people who don’t like babies, children, sports, etc.  Everyone has their own personal preferences.  Everyone has their likes and dislikes.

Mine just happen to be animals.  And I never understood pet owners.  Why would they stay home from work because their pet is sick?  Why would they let their pet sleep on their bed?  It never made sense.

Gradually, I’ve incorporated animals into my writing, and they were so subtle that I barely noticed that they were there.  Then I needed to start researching the difference between dogs and cats.  I learned that cats are natural hunters.  I seriously thought dogs were the hunters, but apparently not.  I went to the zoo to watch animals in their ‘natural’ habitat. 

Today, I think I reached the apex.  I wrote a scene where my MC talked about how much she missed her dog.  Sure, this isn’t what you might consider a normal dog, but in essence, that’s what she misses.  Her dog’s been a constant companion, and now she’s alone.  She misses the animal.

This is an emotion that I really haven’t been exposed to, much less experienced.  As I wrote the scene, something clicked.  I finally understood pet owners, and their strange attachment.  It’s not about the smells that animals give off, or the fur all over the furniture, it’s the companionship that’s provided. 

Sure, I probably will probably never have an animal in my house.  I’m still terrified of dogs, but I feel like a tiny part of me now will be able to sympathize with those whose pets are sick, or dying. 

Writing can be almost cathartic because it helps me work through issues that I never even knew I had.  And it pushes me to understand others, to try and put myself in their situations.

What about you?  How do you try to put yourself in your character’s shoes when you don’t understand them?