fbpx

C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

Why You Shouldn’t Write Books

By

I’m always entertained by things my non-writer friends say about what I do. Things like, “It’s so neat that you do your own thing without other people telling how to do it.”  Or, “Love the idea of royalties. I’d like to make lots of money while I’m on vacation.” Or, “How neat it would be to work by myself! I wouldn’t have to get along with that bunch in the office.” And here’s a great one. “So you just write the story and send it to an editor who fixes all the problems?”
Right. 
I thought this article might show them how wrong their ideas are about what a writer’s life is like and maybe someone considering a writing career might find this useful as well.
So what are the reasons Not To Write?
If you can’t take criticism, put down your pen and turn off that computer. From the first  word to the last period, your writing should be up for comment and suggestion. If you’re lucky, you have a professional and keen-eyed critique group that will help you make your manuscript the best it can be before you put it up for sale. And if you do make a sale and your book is published, your readers may or may not be delighted with what you’ve written. Reviews can be great and they can be terrible. 
If you think you’re going to make lots of money fast, think again. Sure there are some writers who hit the top and stay there, but the majority do not. Many don’t sell books at all. Some sell a few. Some do manage to create a steady income. It’s a hard game and you have to be prepared for not seeing a lot of return for your time and energy invested.

If you can’t get along with others, you’re in for some hard times as a writer. There will be deadlines to meet. If you don’t meet them, you inconvenience others. There will be people who want your help and support with their writing. If you can’t do that, then don’t expect others to help and support your writing. Then there will be the public, the people who read your books. If you you can’t interact with them, so that they enjoy meeting you, do you think they’ll look for your next book? Quite possibly not.

If you don’t want to spend the time editing and re-writing, then take up tennis or go shopping. A good book isn’t written the first time through. If anyone says they can do a first draft that’s perfect, I want to see it. 
Can you think of other reasons people shouldn’t write books?


Don’t forget to visit my Featured Follower of the Month, J.H. Moncrief, if you haven’t already. And are you up for some free books? Say so in the comment section.  
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 14.0px Verdana; color: #222222; -webkit-text-stroke: #222222; background-color: #ffffff; min-height: 17.0px}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 14.0px Verdana; color: #222222; -webkit-text-stroke: #222222; background-color: #ffffff}
span.s1 {font-kerning: none}
span.s2 {font-kerning: none; color: #9f0707; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #9f0707}

My Email Connect Followers are in for a treat this month with two free book offers from this author. Thanks, J.H.


If you haven’t heard the great news, The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is now in the top 101 best websites on Writer’s Digest!




Quote of the Week: “No performer should attempt to bite off red-hot iron unless he has a good set of teeth.” Harry Houdini (This is true of writers, too! Don’t you think?)

What is the Perfect Sentence? Celebrating Those Small Things

By

Good morning Computer!  Hi Readers! 

Today I’m in search of the perfect sentence. You know that elusive structure that makes hearts flutter or breathing stop when you realize you’ve finally nailed the idea, the image, the moment just as it should be, and you’ve done it with your own fine prose.

Here’s an example–not mine, unfortunately, but one from a brilliant writer named Nabokov. “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins.” 

Feel the flutter inside your chest? Wonder how he did that? Me, too.

1) He didn’t waste a single word.
2) He didn’t use “over-the-top” words. He chose simple ones.
3) He set the tone and captured Humbert Humbert’s passion without “telling” us what that passion is. 
4) He didn’t use one cliche. How diminished this line would be if he’d written. “I love Lolita more than anyone else in the world.”
5) He made the line sing. There’s rhythm and rhyme to it. 

Here are some other favorites of mine.

“Her body moved with frankness that comes from solitary habits.” Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer

“I’m rich, famous, and if Esther really has left me, I’ll soon find someone to replace her.” Coelho, The Zahir

The following sample has a lot of sentences that knit together the emotional cloak of Marina’s story.

“What is left that is heartbreaking? Not death: death is ordinary. What is heartbreaking is the sight of a single gull lifting effortlessly from a street lamp. Its wings unfurl like silk scarves against the mauve sky, and Marina hears the rustle of its feathers. What is heartbreaking is that there is still beauty in the world.” Dean, The Madonnas of Lenningrad

Sublime. 

What I’m Celebrating Today

Thanks VIKLIT

  • I can recognize those perfect sentences.
  • I practice writing those perfect sentences.
  • I can read those perfect sentences.




Quote for the Day

I think this is exactly what those “perfect” sentences do.

“Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it.” Hannah Arendt, Political Philosopher

The World Hop Rules, Some Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns & the Hats Off Corner With Beverly McClure

By

Thanks to YVONNE VENTRESCA for tagging me. Here’s her POST

The World Hop Rules

Start with a quote.
Answer 4 short questions
Tag another writer
“Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.”  Francis Bacon
1. Why do I create what I do?
One answer is it keeps me out of trouble, but I guess the best answer to this is because I love to see if I can get the ideas from my head to the page. It’s a true challenge, and sometimes it takes a lot of word wrestling before I succeed.
2. How does my creative process work? (note my editing of this question. There are days when the creative part just ain’t there.)
But when it is there, I start with a single sentence. That sounds sooooo simple, doesn’t it? But it’s the toughest part of my job. Once I get a sentence that has a character I can relate to, a goal I can imagine, and some obstacles I can dream up, I start the story. Sometimes I write the end first. Sometimes I write scattered but important scenes I have in my head. I never know how the book is going to come together.
3. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I guess one difference is my focus in never on romance. It’s always on the circumstances that the teen is stuck with. If love finds its way into the story, it has to have a purpose. In Sliding on the Edge, I needed the Sunday Boy to provoke my MC in a country boy lighthearted way and show her the truth. In The Princess of Las Pulgas I needed a no nonsense kid who could set the Princess on the right track. In Double Negative I needed one person Hutch McQueen could turn to and trust. 
4. What am I presently working on?
I’ve gone back to middle grade adventure fantasy for a bit to clear my head and have some lighthearted fun. I’ve finished a sequel to Alligators Overhead and called it The Great Time Lock Disaster. I’ll be subbing that starting December. I’m also in the middle of editing an ancient manuscript, Dragon Child. I say ancient because this is something I started years ago and never finished. I did a lousy job crafting it, so it has taken some doing to fix my mess. Still I’m fond of the story and hope to whip it into some kind of shape soon.

Next up on the blog hop, I’d like to tag CATHERINE STINE. Catherine is the author of several novels. Among them her Fireseed Series. She’ll be joining this HOP in December.

Now. . . about that Jack-O-Lantern

Got your pumpkin ready to carve? Here are some ideas. Simple, and then the Not So Simple.

Love the Bats

My Carving Level
Ahhh. Sweet Bird Nesting

Shudder

Hats Off Corner

A girl.
A dream.
An accident.
A dream shattered.
Eleven-year-old Kate Taylor dreams of being the star of her basketball team, Angels. When Kate’s tooth is knocked out at one of the games and her mother, who is also her coach, says she can’t play until the tooth the dentist replants heals, Kate’s dreams are in jeopardy. Add Emily, the new girl at school who claims she’s the best, and Kate faces a challenge to prove that she is the star.
Will Kate succeed? Or will Emily ruin Kate’s plans?
Available on AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE
About BEV!
Most of the time, you’ll find Beverly in front of her computer, writing the stories little voices whisper in her ear. When she’s not writing, she takes long walks and snaps pictures of clouds, wild flowers, birds and deer. To some of her friends, she is affectionately known as the “Bug Lady” because she rescues butterflies, moths, walking sticks, and praying mantis from her cats. 
For twenty-two years Beverly taught children in grades two through five how to read and write. They taught her patience. Now, she teaches a women’s Sunday school class at her church. To relax she plays the piano. Her cats don’t appreciate good music and run and hide when she tickles the ivories.

MY REVIEW HERE.
You can visit her here. 
BEV’S BLOGSPOT 
BEV’S WORDPRESS 

How To Write Your Best Loglines & Celebrate Those Small Things

By

Last week I posted one way to start crafting our LOGLINES. Well, there’s more. Isn’t that always the case? Just when you think, “Ah ha! I’ve got it, by golly,” some smarty says, “But. . .” And you know you’re in for more to deal with.

One thing you don’t want is a blah protagonist. No. Those MC’s have to take the bits in their teeth and run.  If you recall, I left my three fascinating MC’s here. (Well, one of these *characters isn’t mine, but he was so great, I wanted to create a logline in his honor.)

Here’s my next step in making my MC’s more proactive and my story more exciting. I’ve underlined the parts I’ve worked on.

My Talented Zombie

  • A talented zombie must elude his sister, a zealous zombie hunter, so he can perform Hamlet before she destroys him.
  • A talented zombie sets a trap to capture his sister, a zealous zombie hunter, so he can perform Hamlet before she destroys him.
  • A *heroic lizard must escape life threatening enemies to save his community from a Cat.
  • A *heroic lizard outwits life threatening enemies to save his community from a Cat.
  • A clairvoyant gas station attendant must track down his killer to prevent his own murder. 
  • A clairvoyant gas station attendant sets up a sting to capture his killer and prevent his own murder. 
There’s nothing I like better than the ticking clock plot, and if you can get that into your logline, all the better. I’ll put the ticking clock element in red.
  • A talented zombie sets a trap to capture his sister, a zealous zombie hunter out to destroy him before opening night.
  • A *heroic lizard outwits life threatening enemies to save his community before a Cat attacks.
  • A clairvoyant gas station attendant has one week to set up a sting and capture the man hired to kill him. 
So there’s more to consider. My loglines shift as write or I shift my writing to stay consistent with my logline. It all depends on what the characters tell me to do and if I can get the plot to cooperate. Piece of cake, right?

What I’m Celebrating This Week

VIKLIT

Halloween is big on Small Things List.
I get to go to party and be crazy with other people who will dress in weird costumes and pretend to be scary. That’s something to celebrate.
This wonderful month when the light shifts and you know fall is in full control for a time.

Hat’s Off Corner

Sin City Collectors Kristen Painter likes to balance her obsessions with shoes and cats by making the lives of her characters miserable and surprising her readers with interesting twists. She currently writes award-winning urban fantasy for Orbit Books. The former college English teacher can often be found on twitter @Kristen_Painter, Facebook at www.facebook.com/KristenPainterAuthor where she loves to interact with readers and her blog: http://kristenpainter.com/blog/

Celebrating Some Small Things

By


VIKLIT


LG KELTNER @writing off the edge
KATIE @TheCyborg Mom
CAFFEEMAGGIEATO @mscoffeehouse

 One Pond Lily the Raccoons Didn’t Get Last Night

A Happy Face that Greeted Me in The Garden This Morning
******

offer up some literary cuisine. 

My quote for the day:  “Work is the greatest thing in the world, so we should always save some of it for tomorrow.” Don Herold, Humorist

Be sure to visit the others and see what SMALL THINGS they’re celebrating. How about entering the International Postluck Blogfest? I’m already in. I love to eat and read at the same time.

The Pros Give Us Some Advice and How to Use Coincidence in Fiction

By

Last month I asked a few writer friends who have some excellent books out if they’d be interested in appearing on my blog. Eight responded and sent me their latest book, their tagline and a short piece of advice they wanted to pass on. So I’ll be featuring one of these amazing writers each week.

Buy it now on AMAZON or B&N

To kick off the series is CHERYL RAINFIELD. Her newest book is STAINED, and does it sound like a must read. I really loved her cover and these words: “Sometimes YOU have to be your own hero.”

Tagline: Sarah is abducted and must find a way to rescue herself.

Her Advice: Write what you love and what you want to read. Write about things you care deeply about; your work will have more passion and readers will feel it. And read as much as you can, especially in the genre you write in.

Thanks, Cheryl. 

******

About Coincidence. 

I found myself grappling with the issue of coincidence when I started writing middle grade fantasy. I’d never had to think about it before and that was because I avoided it. At least I tried. Then I found an old article by Nancy Kress and thought it might be helpful to others who also try to avoid this taboo in their plots.
Here’s what she suggested. Coincidence can be effective in 3 specific situations:
  • When it sets up a plot complication, but doesn’t resolve it.

So let’s see what that means. Let’s say your character “accidentally” bumps into her ex-whatever and finds him once again irresistible. From then on, the story can be about their reconciliation or their attempted reconciliation and failure–whatever direction you want your story to take. The chance meeting doesn’t occur at the end when you’re trying to wrap up the story and their meeting will give you a perfect ending. 

No Reality Here
  • When the story is comedy and you’re not trying to set up reality. 

I had in mind You’ve Got Mail when I read this. How coincidental could that online meeting between a small bookstore owner and the large F O X conglomerate be? And then keeping the secret was a great tension builder throughout the story. 
  • When you’re trying to make the point that life is more “mysterious and unpredictable” than people can imagine.

Ms. Kress says this is the most sophisticated use of coincidence and she uses her own short story to show how it could be done. Her character has nothing but a series of coincidences. He chokes on food, but while he’s choking his car’s struck and the force dislodges the particle in his throat. These “miracles” continue throughout the story, baffling the character and pushing the reader’s ability to suspend disbelief.  Her suggestion is to be sure the character remains REAL even while the unreal events occur. 
Hope you’ll stop by Cheryl Rainfield’s blog and say hi. Check out her book. She has lots to say in every one of them. And how about coincidence? What’s your take on using it?
I’ll leave you with this today: “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts, unguarded.” 

How To Get Rid of Shallow Writing & A Quick Technique Book

By

Those Shallow Writing Days

Have you ever felt that you were writing a story as if you were looking at it from an outside window? Those are my bad writing days. I hate it when the prose goes flat, the characters have to be pinned up against wall (or as, in this case, a tree) they’re such paper cutouts, and the plot has become a series of not-too-exciting episodes.

A few years ago I heard a speaker at a conference who gave us an exercise to try in small groups. It was this: We had to think of a single picture of something very private. Something we wouldn’t want anyone else to see–so secret that we wouldn’t even carry it in our wallets for fear of being in an accident and having a paramedic discover it. (Kind of the ratty panties or shorts your grandmother warned you never to wear in case you wound up in a hospital.)

Then once we had the image that made us squirm with embarrassment or discomfort, we had to write or re-write something–a scene from one of our WIPs, a character description, a setting we’d been trying to nail and hadn’t.

The premise behind this was to make us understand our job as writers is to reveal what’s hidden and disturbing and in some cases fear-provoking. We can do that best if we start by revealing what we’ve hidden: that deep seated panic of being lost, that sense of despair when someone we love dies, the intense hatred of another, the embarrassment of the flub in front of people.

I have a few of these snapshots and I use them when I’m doing what I call shallow writing. And, no, you can’t see them. You might get a peek at my shallow writing, however.

*****

I’m doing a Summer Sale for Sliding on the Edge, so it will be selling for .99 through June 26. 

*****

A writer friend just published a concise, but jam-packed little book. She presents her 5 last techniques she learned. These are what saw her fiction published. It’s out in paperback and Kindle. A great QUICK desktop helpmate. I did a REVIEW  if you want to see more specifics about what I found positive in her book.

AMAZON BOOKS

*****

I’m doing a little unscientific survey. Want to help? Here’s the hypothetical situation. The book is in the submission phase, so the writer is in that wonderful hell called WAITING-TO-HEAR-BACK. 
What do you think is the most important thing this writer should do, believing that s/he will be published and will soon have to tell the world about this new book?