Thursday, October 27, 2016

Love Among the Ruins

I don't know why I'm more embarrassed to share the contemporary romance novel than the historical romance with Utah Valley Writers (UVW). The historical romance has taken a lot of research and is more serious in tone so it seems a more "worthy" genre as though romance is a sappy, easy-to-write genre; it's not. The first chapter I shared with the two Michelles didn't go well. They had some good comments and I fixed their concerns. The main problem was that I was not connected to the characters. I keep changing their names for one thing. Once I settle on a name it's as though they come to life for me and I can visualize them better. Last Thursday I dared to take the first chapter to UVW and it was generally well received. I do need to do some tweaking, but not a lot. So, while I'm reading Michelle Stoddard's manuscript and editing Effie's story, I'll return to LATR as a little break. One of the people at the critique table has several unfinished novels and that seems to be the way it is for others too. Ideas come faster than the writing and we don't want to lose the idea so we begin writing a new book. But, the important thing is that we actually finish a manuscript.

I'm impressed with Shaela Odd who I met through UVW. She has published two books already through Amazon publishing. I'm also impressed how well she is promoting her book. Most writers seem to want to publish with bona fide publishing companies and that really is more prestigious. But I want to be like Shaela and have something published! I honestly can't be bothered going through writing pitch letters, though it is a good exercise. I've only done one for the Pitch Wars contest so I really haven't tried very hard. Part of my reasoning is that Effie's story is a cross between a historical novel and a historical romance and publishing companies are more likely to publish something that fits a particular genre. I've decided to finish the edit and get it looked at through the agent who read my pitch and first chapter. I wasn't chosen by her, but she has a professional writing service in Los Angeles and offered a discounted service. I'd like to get feedback from professionals and then go from there. Then I will get a copy edit done and publish it through Amazon. That's the plan.


Reading Good Books

They say that reading good books helps you become a better writer. I used to think that. But now as I am trying to write, I get more discouraged when I read well-crafted books. I think my writing is pretty bad compared to others. Of course, I haven't seen the work that went into a book before its final copy and publication. What I am battling against is the boring prose and hackneyed phrases that seem to pour out of me.

For example, trying to "show" not "tell," trying not to use adverbs (Stephen King's idea), showing emotion without using the world "feel." I can't seem to come up with adequate substitutions and continue to use the same old stuff: the clenched fist, the tears, the sigh, etc.

For Book Group tonight we're discussing All the Light We Cannot See. It's such a moving and beautifully written book so when I come back to my own manuscript, it is so ho hum. Of course, I'm not setting out to write a literary novel or set it in WW2 and the natural conflicts that arose, but even with the genre I'm writing it feels shallow.

I've been having a hard time getting to edits. My post on procrastination tells it all. But I had a breakthrough last night. I was reading over the scenes where Effie talks with her mother who explains about her rape. It occurred to me in the middle of the night (I was having one of those sleepless nights) that I could just leave all of that out. I never felt comfortable with it anyway because the way I wrote it felt forced and puts Maggie, the victim in a worse light than the man who deflowered her. It also seems repetitive after the conversation Effie had with Elspeth Mackie who gave background about Maggie. I also decided to have Maggie die and not meet Effie. It felt forced again when I had her worrying about whether she should associate with her mother who had fallen to the lowest of the low in society and balance Effie's new rise in society as Vandemark's protegé and heir. Duh! I mean to say, that's a no brainer. Why would she even think about this, except that she wants to do the right thing. But, I think I'm going to keep the half-brother and bring him into the second book. (If I ever finish this one!)

When I made that decision and started rewriting that part, it felt as though a weight was lifted off. It will make the book more cohesive. I'm also going to beef up the romance and interactions between Effie and Calum. I've found some great information on physicians in the navy during that period and how they sketched and collected plants. This will also fit in well with Effie's discovery of the herbal book so they can have a conversation about that. So more romance, less angst.

I've also decided to shorten the title from Joy to the Person of My Love, though I love the "antique" feeling of this title. I think I'll call it Joy to My Love, but I may come up with something else that describes the book better though the song is about unrequited love which Effie experiences.





Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Procastination

I've been reading others' manuscripts and putting finishing touches to the contemporary romance which needs a lot of work. But that's been an excuse because I have not felt like visiting my manuscript again to do the edits. I don't know why. It's as though the longer I am away from it the more insecure I feel about it. But, once I start reading it again, I begin to have a little confidence that this is a book worth publishing . . . at least in my mind!

I need to get back to Effie's story and just finish editing it. I want to send it to Jennie Nash's editing company and take up the offer of a discount from the Pitch Wars contest. I know I already have great feedback from my critique group, but I would like to see what feedback I get from a professional organization. Mostly out of curiosity. I am probably going to self-publishing mostly because I don't want to spend more time on the manuscript and so I can get on with book 2. I want to start book 2 with NaNoWriMo this November so I need to get going on the edits! But gardening and harvesting vegetables, etc. is keeping me from the manuscript. The next couple of days it will be rainy, so I won't be tempted to do gardening. But I do have a writing conference to attend on Friday and a meeting with the Saturday Morning group for afternoon tea.

The next step is to get a copy editor and I'm not sure about who to contact. I have lots of people I could ask but it depends on if they have the time.. Even after finishing a manuscript there's still lots to do before the final product appears. With luck I should get it out on Amazon by the beginning of December. Christmas presents anyone?




Sunday, August 7, 2016

Sunday Writing

On Sundays I take a rest from writing novels, but I still write or at least research for family histories and biographies. 

In the past few years when I attend family history/genealogy conferences, I attend the presentations on writing. My expertise on research in finding ancestors is pretty good after all these years and writing is where my interests lie right now. Below are several snapshots I took of presentations. (I'll need to find who the presenters were and cite them.) Many of these ideas are great overlaps for writing novels, especially historical fiction. And, of course, these will be used in the family history class I'm teaching at church. [Aaargh! I'm frustrated that Blogger doesn't give me table options like a website so some of these slides are in weird places.]

1 August 2014




1.Pick one person, event or location
2. Create a story board
3. Make a powerful beginning and end
4. Stay focused
5. Doesn't have to be perfect---just share it.



 In writing the biographies of the four grandmothers I'm in the middle of writing, I didn't have a lot of stories about them, especially my Welsh grandmother, Mary Rees, so had to glean stories from documents and bring in historical facts and events. In writing the historical novel, I used names and events from census records and other documents I came across, especially the Kirk Sessions. In fact, it was through these sessions that a plot evolved.


Not only do characters in a story evolve and change, but we do too. I like the idea of being a character in my own life, it not only gives a new perspective on events, but also helps me see patterns and decisions that changed my life in so many different ways. Last year the focus at RootsTech seemed to be on writing stories that help families, especially children become more resilient. Research shows that if children know their family histories, they are better able to deal with hard things they are going through. One of the main speakers at the event was Bruce Feiler who wrote an article in the NYT: "The Family Stories that Bind Us."

This is a hard one. How much do you reveal in a autobiography or biography. I know the trend is to "tell it all, warts and all" but is that productive in the end? For example, I've heard a few stories about our grandmother from my cousin, Jane, and there's one story that I'm trying to decide whether to include in the biography or not. A lot of the stuff I have about her is sort of negative already: she was a difficult person, and to be fair, it seems like it's the negative things that are remembered. "The good is oft interred with the bones" said Marc Anthony in the play, Julius Caesar.  So do I add the story that as soon as Grandpa died, she threw his pipe and smashed it saying "Well, that's him gone"? And yet, by other accounts she loved him deeply. It's about changing. She was a different person at age 74: bedridden, bitter, confined, lonely, except for her unmarried daughter, Elsie. Unconsciously, I included her as a character in my historical novel, not so much with the interaction with the protagonist, but the idea of a bitter, sickly old woman with a mean tongue. Perhaps in telling hard things it makes a difference how you frame it.

But this slide, also is very hopeful in that if there are hard things in your life writing them down helps somehow to diffuse the terrible memories, even if you never share them and destroy them; you never get to that safe place. It is a technique used in psychology: write down your resentments against a person making them concrete, not vague. Read them aloud, one by one, and then destroy them one by one by shredding or setting on fire. I tried it when I was having continual years-past issues with my mother. It is cathartic, empowering, and helps you love that person better without that barrier of self-preservation. You feel safe.










Saturday, August 6, 2016

Pantster or Plotter

People want to categorize writers into the either/or pantster or plotter, but I seem to be a hybrid. And, truth be told, I think that is the norm. For a historical novel you need to be a plotter if you are going to have a credible historical setting. But, I then discovered NaNoWriMo which helped me finish the historical novel. And for that I became a pantster with ideas flowing one after the other and sometimes random scenes that came to mind. Though I kept the ending in mind, I came up with a few surprises. But, I made a spreadsheet of chapters to make sure that the plot was falling into place. Several times I moved chapters back and forth as the storyline developed and I need to be a plotter for that.

For fun, I wrote a romance novel. It started off with a vague premise but I challenged myself to do a Camp NaNo in July and the book is basically finished and all by the seat of my pants! I had a hard time starting mostly because I couldn't "see" my characters. But once I had a better idea of them, the story grew and I began to like the characters. At first I didn't. That surprised me. 

A blog I saw on Facebook shared by a neighbor about having more women protagonists was interesting. There are apparently more male protagonists though the romance genre seems to center on female protagonists and their POV. But, even then, the female protagonist's interests and focus are on men! How to get your man! So there's always going to be a strong male character in the story. One thing I have a hard time doing is getting inside the male psyche without making him a stereotype. I guess it comes with practice.  

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Digital Storytelling: An Application of Vichian Theory

When you finish a thesis you're just so relieved to finish that you never look at it again. At least I haven't. And you expect it to just lie on the shelves of the university library with maybe a few eager students stumbling over it almost by accident as they do research for a class paper. But, with the option of an electronic version of the theses/dissertations, the readership becomes world wide.

As my thesis is on the ScholarsArchives website at BYU, I get an email periodically telling me I've had more downloads; I usually get at least one a month. I have a readership of 94 people so far, a lot more than I would have anticipated. Actually, there may be more readers; these 94 people actually downloaded my thesis.

I have an international readership! Of the 94 downloaders: 27 are from the USA, 8 from China, 4 from Malaysia, 3 from Canada, 2 each from the UK, Italy, Philippines, and Taiwan, 1 each from Germany, Estonia, France, Croatia, Indonesia, Iran, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia and Tunisia. I don't know why getting readership in some of these places amuses me. I think it's because they are so random in such out of the way places. I would have expected more from Italy because of Giambattista Vico, but I think the real draw is digital storytelling and its application in education as well as in social life.

Today I discovered, there are five papers where the thesis has been cited. So not only did they download it but actually quoted from the thesis. Wow! One was a dissertation by a Tunisian at the University of Victoria in Australia, two articles by people in Portugal, and two articles by people in Taiwan (they were in Chinese; I would like to know what they quoted!). All of them were writing about using digital storytelling in education.

As I am now writing fiction, eventually I hope to have a larger readership. In some respects this smaller readership of my thesis probably has more impact internationally on education systems and thus to students, though indirectly. But, fiction also can impact others if only to entertain so I'm not going to say that my novels will not impact others. Our book group was reading Maisie Dobbs, which is set in WW1; we learned a lot about WW1 and how it impacted ordinary people, more than just dry events from a history book. So fiction can be instructive too though that is not its main goal.

One thing that is better in creative writing, is that the only committee you need to face are your critique groups; they are a lot less intimidating and they are not grading you like a thesis committee. I wish I'd found out earlier that I had the aptitude to write more than academic papers, though my life was too complicated in the past. This new passion has opened up new possibilities I just hadn't anticipated. Writing fiction is a lot more fun!







Saturday, July 30, 2016

Joy to the Person of My Love

How I came to write a historical novel: a story in itself.

Joy to the Person of My Love is the title of the historical novel I'm writing. It's taken from a 17th century Scottish ballad about unrequited love and I think it suits the novel. Euphemia Innes known as Effie is the protagonist in the story. I chose the name Euphemia because I came across several ancestors with this name and it seems to be peculiar to Scotland in earlier times. Little did I know at the time that Sir Walter Scott had a heroine called Effie in his novel, The Heart of Midlothian. So Effie seems to be a good name for a protagonist.

As mentioned in an earlier post, it began through my researching family history. What stories can we put together from the list of names on a census record or the stories of village life in a Kirk Session, a sort of ecclesiastical court in the Presbyterian church? The church was very prominent in the lives of the villagers with people, mostly women, being brought before the session to confess to having sexual relations outside of marriage.

A session helped clarify the parentage of one daughter in an ancestor's household. She was listed as a daughter in census records but I couldn't find her birth records. Through the kirk sessions I found she was actually the illegitimate daughter of my great great grandfather by another woman. The woman must have died, because the wife, Margaret Brown Mitchell, ended up raising her along with her 11 legitimate children. Usually an illegitimate child is brought up by the grandparents, so I don't know the reason why Isabella ended up in her father's household. In fact, not only did Margaret raise her husband's child, but also three illegitimate grandchildren. The two daughters went on to marry other men but, as seems to be the case at that time, the new husband did not want to raise another man's child. And this happened even a generation later, even for the son through a legal marriage whose father had died; no blended families in those days. 

Overlooking Pittenweem
I wondered what was it like to be illegitimate in a small community in the 1800s. Rather than fictionalize this history, I decided to set a fictionalized story in the village where my grandmother was born. And, of course, I dramatized things a lot more. But from research on the village, added the idea of a war conflict that would affect the protagonist after reading that John Paul Jones bombarded nearby Anstruther in 1779. (Pittenweem)  I needed one of the characters to be press ganged so chose the 1812 war with America because press gangs were more prevalent at that time and, in fact, were one of the reasons that America declared war on Britain. So the story grew from church records, the history of the village itself, and the history of the 1812 war. 

Superstition seems to be deeply ingrained in the Scottish psyche, especially in fishing villages where the men were subjected to dangers from the sea. My mother and grandmother were particularly superstitious about certain things: no white flowers in the house, stirring the porridge widdershins (anti-clockwise), etc. Pittenweem had several witch hunts over the years. The last witch, Jean Cornfoot, met a terrible death. So I brought in an element of superstition to add to Effie's burden of illegitimacy. I also included a little bit of the power of second sight; it seems to be quite common in Celtic lands though it was hard to convey that the protagonist didn't have strong psychic powers to turn the story into a fantasy; you know, just your normal premonitions.  

One thing that readers have a hard time with is the language. I chose to write in modified Scottish dialect, not too broad, but able to be understood easily. Since part of the story focused on the protagonist's becoming more educated, I wanted to have a difference in language between the common folk and the more educated. However, there were sometimes words that people had a hard time understanding. (I hope only at first!) Wynd is one example. It's a small alleyway that in Pittenweem goes from the High Street down to the harbor. Pittenweem and most of the Fife villages are built on slopes with everything converging onto the harbor. Wynd is not just a term used in the fishing villages of Fife but in other places such as Edinburgh. You'd think the alleyways would be winding, but they're not. There are also closes, little courtyards that can be glimpsed through tunnel-like passageways. 

  



Monastery ruins attacked by Vikings
 in 800 AD
Kirkhaven harbor















Isle of May from the boat
Ruined beacon; it was a lot taller
In writing a historical novel research gives you an "embarrassment of riches" so that it's hard not to "information dump" but to try to weave history seamlessly into the story. A couple of chapters is set on the Isle of May which has a rich history and I was tempted to information dump mostly because it's such a little known place. I spent a day roaming over the little island. It was out of season and there were only about six passengers on the boat from Anstruther so I was able to wander around on my own drinking up the atmosphere of the place. What lonely lives the lighthouse keepers led. I was hoping to see a puffin or two but they had already migrated as had most of the birds so it was quiet without the voices of seabirds and that added to the sense of isolation. There were some shags (cormorants) strung out on a rocky promontory and a flock of gannets flew over from Bass Rock. I did see a few seals but only from a distance. It's easy to research places because of Google Earth, but actually being on the island gave me a better sense of the smell and feel of the place. I would never have felt the spongy yet rocky pathways that must have come from hundreds of years of decaying vegetation.

The book needs some revisions but it's basically finished. I want to move on and start a sequel. There are still a few loose ends I need to tie up. And, because I've been so involved with Effie, Calum and Davy on and off for about four years but with full focus for about a year, it's hard to say goodbye to them.

In writing the novel, it really has given me new skills in writing the biographies, my original goal. But, I would never have thought that through this process I would actually finish a novel, start another one, and consider publication. And best of all, Serendipity: meeting new people, making new friends through critique groups and writing conferences. I thought, as I think most people think, that writing a novel is something that you do on your own---the artist in the attic---though there is an aspect of that, but really it's a community thing. I'm happy to see others in my critique groups succeed and help with critiquing their novels. And they encourage me more than they realize. Thanks: Daphne, Laura, Meg, Michelle B, Michelle S, and Mikki

-oOo-



If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.
– Somerset Maugham

Monday, July 25, 2016

Tea Time

A post I began in July 2010:

Last month the Readers' Knot book group decided to do an English tea. Strangely enough there have been articles about tea time one in a British edition of Country Life. It's bringing back fond memories of a cream tea at Fortnum and Masons in London, or at a out-of-the-way tea room deep in the Sussex countryside. I couldn't remember how to find those tea rooms. Brian Collins, my then boyfriend, would encountered them on trips along the meandering side roads to Bodiam Castle or en route to Rye, one of our favorite haunts. Mmm. cucumber sandwiches, Scotch eggs, scones with cream and jam, and lots of traditional English cakes. I'm looking forward to this tradition for our book group.

Three Years Later

I can't imagine that three years have passed since I last wrote a post for this blog. But I have been doing a different kind of writing in the last year and a half: creative writing.

I embarked on finishing the novel I began in Cheri Earl's Honors creative writing class that I audited about four years ago. What started out as an exercise to help make the family histories/biographies I'm writing more interesting, turned into a complete historical novel. It took me a while because I stopped and started, researched---and researched some more. Ironically, the biographies are still in the process of being written, but the novel is finished thanks to my joining the Utah Valley Writers, doing the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) contest in which I finished over 50,000 words to complete the novel, and finally joining a couple of critique groups. The critique groups are encouraging and spurred me on to actually finish the novel . . . and start another one!

My experience in doing creative writing: exhilarating, frustrating, insecure-making, and, most of all, fulfilling. Gardening, reading, sewing and other hobbies, even watching favorite shows on TV, have taken a backseat to writing. (But my all consuming passion is my family; I drop writing for them!)

I now have more time to write. People ask me if I'm bored since I retired: not at all! I couldn't have done this while I was working and bringing up children; some people can do this, but not in my situation. And anyway, I didn't think I had a talent for this; academic and business writing was enough. But now writing is becoming a huge part of my day and week. What is also enjoyable is meeting budding and published writers at UVW and at conferences. I am so impressed at how many young people are writing . . . and writing good stuff!

So what turned out to be an interesting exercise has taken over my life! Now I need to just exercise my body with the same focus! But I need to do more than exercise my fingers as I sit glued to the computer screen writing!