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C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

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

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

By 134 Comments

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 

Comments

  12. KAT Writer says

    Good luck with your submissions and with editing Dragon Child. I had a similar older ms that I, eventually after a lot of editing, found it more freeing to take the characters and what I liked about the story and start over from scratch.

    Reply

  13. Elise Fallson says

    I like the sound of Dragon Child and hope you're able to edit it into shape. I know what it's like to have an ancient ms that needs fixing, I've got one on the shelf but I'm not ready to dive back into it yet.

    Happy Blitz Day!!

    Reply

  17. Jenni Enzor says

    I loved your quote–and I loved what you said about the process not always being creative and starting with just a sentence. That's just how I am sometimes.
    Happy Blitz Day!

    Reply

  20. dolorah says

    Loved your creative process Lee. Yep, sometimes its just writing until something brings it all together. I like that the romance is not central to the story too.

    Those pumpkins are so cool.

    Reply

  23. Trisha F says

    I like reading about other writers' processes. 🙂 I'm currently reading ON WRITING by Stephen King and finding it very interesting as well.

    Happy Blitz day!!

    Reply

  26. farawayeyes says

    How fun to come by here today and BLITZ you. I hope you're enjoying the day.

    also, what an exceptional post to be blitzed about. Great to know a little bit more about your and your personal process.

    Me, I like to being my stories at the end. That way I know where I'm going.

    Love the pumpkins and what a nice intro for Bev.

    Reply

  42. Stephanie Faris says

    Great interview! I once heard an author say she gets an idea and she does housework until the words start turning into sentences, at which point she runs to her computer and starts typing. That sums up how messy the creative process can be, I think!

    Reply

  43. Gwen Gardner says

    Sometimes I write scenes out of sequence too. When it's in your head, you gotta write it. But then I always have to go back to the beginning because of my sense of order and doing things in sequence. LOL. I fit the rogue scene in later. Lovely pumpkin work! HAPPY BLITZ DAY, LEE!!!

    Reply

  46. Inderpreet Kaur Uppal says

    Dragon Child sounds like an interesting book, I like the name and the mystery about it. Your answers are so relevant and I agree that sometimes it is just writing and there is nothing creative about the writing.
    Happy Blitz Day.

    Reply

  51. Heather M. Gardner says

    Nice. These are good questions and great answers!

    I like that you have pulled an ancient book out to work on. I have one of those that needs so much work I'm afraid to look at it but I love the story.

    BAZINGA!
    You've been blitzed!
    Have a great day!
    Heather

    Reply

  52. Dan Koboldt says

    You are a classic pantser, that much is for certain. Hat tip to you from another one of your kind. Congrats on the new book, and good luck knocking the dust off of Dragon Child!

    Reply

  67. Greg Pattridge says

    The book trailer made your story sound like loads of fun. Can't wait to give it a read. Also enjoyed the interview and pumpkins – I've got two ready to carve in front of me. Most of all…Happy Blitz Day!

    Reply

  69. Lisa says

    Okay, I was a bit confused as to who was writing what here on this blog post, but got it now. Thanks for sharing Bev's information and, I really enjoyed your book trailer! I'm here to help with the blitz!

    Reply

  73. Susan Flett Swiderski says

    I saw a cool pumpkin on TV the other day that had been grown inside of a Frankenstein mold. Talk about cool! I'd like to have something like that to remove my lousy pumpkin-carving "skills" from the equation.

    How ya feeling? A little woozy? You should, because you are getting BLITZED today! Enjoy.

    Reply

  82. ~Sia McKye~ says

    I like lighthearted stories that make me laugh while dealing with some serious issues in the background. It's a hard edge to walk when writing but also fun. I liked your editing of question 2 because you're right, sometimes the creative part of your brain won't connect. Course this is usually when I do some fine tuning of what has already been written. Surprisingly, the creative side catches up and off I go.

    I enjoyed reading this. 🙂 And about Bevi's book. I can see such a scenario in real life. Hats off to those who can and do write books for kids.

    Reply

  83. Dianne K. Salerni says

    How can there be so many children's authors out there, and yet the community of them seems so small? I met Yvonne in person at the Collingswood Book Festival a couple weeks ago, saw her again this weekend, and will see her again on Thursday. *waves at Yvonne*

    Reply

  90. DL Hammons says

    One of the many reasons I write is like you wrote…it clears my head and allows me to have total control of the universe for a short time. Loved your answers! 🙂

    BTW,,,you're being BLITZED! Enjoy.

    Reply

  97. Hilary Melton-Butcher says

    Hi Lee – congratulations to Bev; good luck with the revisions and that dusty manuscript … pumpkin carving – love the shuddery spooky one – so clever, as too the bird .. and it looks like Blog Blitz Day .. maybe that was yesterday!! Cheers from a sunny warm south coast – Hilary

    Reply

  100. Tyrean Martinson says

    It was fun to read about your writing process. It's true that some days lend themselves to action scenes (at least for me), while others lend themselves to tense dialogue . . .
    Congrats to Bev!

    Reply

  101. Karen Lange says

    It's great to hear more about your writing process. I'm with you, some days are a little less creative than others.

    Nice to meet Bev. Sending her a big congratulations!

    Reply

  103. Patricia Lynne says

    I'm not carving a pumpkin this year because I don't have a doorstep to put it out on. We have a front door to the apartment building, but it's everyone's so I don't want to put a pumpkin out there without knowing if anyone else minds.

    Reply

  104. Stephen Tremp says

    I'm not big on romance in my books. But I do have enough smatterings strewn about that the element is there to give my characters more depth. But other than that I generally stay away from it.

    Reply

  106. Bish Denham says

    Nice tag! I have several stories I'd like to go back to, but I've never been able to write a scene here, a scene there. I have to write in a very sequential order or I'd get lost.

    I haven't carved a pumpkin in years…

    Congratulations to Beverly!

    Reply

    • C. Lee McKenzie says

      What I find doing this is I've got the backstory in my head and I can write the new version with that information comfortably stowed in the back of my brain. Just have to feed in what readers need to know. Tricky, this business of writing.

      Reply

  110. Gina Stoneheart says

    Fantastic pictures, Lee! They are perfect for this week=)
    I love how you mentioned your process doesn't always start out creatively. Sometimes, we have to get the words out there first and then allow the creativity come along.
    I also enjoyed learning how you don't always incorporate romance in your books and if there is a reason for it to exist within the story, it writes itself.
    Congratulations Beverly!

    Reply

  117. Julie Flanders says

    Oh my gosh that last pumpkin totally gave me the creeps. Yikes!

    Enjoyed reading your answers and especially fun to learn that you are reviving an old manuscript. Good luck with it!

    Reply

    • J. Lenni Dorner says

      LOL! I love when that happens. When you've reached the point of being at something for so long that you don't even remember doing little things anymore. Good times. 🙂

      I want to wish you a happy blitz day, too. Lots of lucky folks will get to find your blog today. Enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

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