September 25, 2017 - almost the end of September??? Am I in a warp zone?

Last week I touched on what I enjoy reading for pleasure; today, I’ll mention a couple of things I found helpful when writing children’s books. People have asked me if writing for children is easier than writing for adults. Since I attempt both, I feel equipped to answer: NO. For picture books, telling the story in five-hundred words or less can be daunting, to say the least. Add to that, the path to finding the right tone is harder than it might seem. Words that are lyrical and appealing, that peak interest and tickle the funny bone at the same time, and sometimes encourage and uplift without coming across as “preachy,” oftentimes elude me. The best way to improve writing for children is to read, read, read. I can’t say it enough. For my elementary-grade book coming out soon (The Secret of One Belmont Lane), I wanted to write a story for my grandson who was (at that time) entering sixth grade. I read everything I could get my hands on for that age group. I googled best-sellers, top tens and read blogs. I took copious notes. I chose a subject I knew nothing about: shapeshifters. In that story, as in all of my stories, I spent a lot of time analyzing my characters. I’ve said this before, but it remains true today--my characters become so real to me I feel bad when I forget their birthdays. For one of my MCs in SECRET, my character outline might look something like this:

Elwood: 10 years old. Dark frame glasses-never in place. Hair sticks up in crown and falls across his eyes. Allergies. Talks with his mouth full. Big on secret codes, spies, conspiracy theories. Pain in the butt. Good student. No sports. Not many friends.

I often develop every character before the first outline. I even rank them from one-ten on importance to the story. Elwood has the number two (#2) after his name--he was the second biggest character in my story. Some of those characteristics never made it into my story, but each one was important in helping me to develop Elwood, to speak in his voice, and to paint pictures about him using words. Of course, having a successful children’s author as a critique partner doesn’t hurt, either. I was lucky enough to assist Nancy Kelly Allen in a small way in one of her books recently on Alzheimer’s. The skill that goes into each of her books is astounding--and so very encouraging that she shares it with a new author. You can find her book on Alzheimer’s (The Riddlers) here: http://www.nancykellyallen.com/the-riddlers.html.

September 18, 2017:

The temperatures have been flirty around these parts. That’s about the nicest thing I can say about the cool nights and crisp mornings in E. TN. I’m not a fan of cold weather, but if I could curl up with a good book, a cup of hot chocolate and stay inside, I could stand it for a day or so. To that end, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite authors (adult genre)--and why: Current Best Sellers - David Baldacci, Patterson’s Alex Cross series, Catherine Coulter - many of the CIA mystery writers. I seem to gravitate toward a good government mystery with a strong plot and captivating setting; but I also like Nora Roberts, Diana Gabaldon (“Aye, Lass.”), Sandra Brown and anything written about the Carolina low country. As for classics--the usuals: the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen (I loved Emma’s “I have never been in love, it’s not my way or my nature, and I don’t think I ever shall.” You just know something good is about to happen!); but as for the more-recent past, I’ve always been a huge fan of Hemingway’s. His life, his marriages, his homes--all make for great reading material. I read once there was twenty times more written about him than he, himself, actually wrote. However, his writing style is what fascinates me most. He believed if a writer was good enough, he could omit a lot of backstory and the reader would never miss a beat. I like that. I strive to be good enough to write a strong story without saying the same thing three different ways or say the same thing three different times. See what I just did there? I said the same thing twice. I’m such a WIP.  However, for all my writing buddies, this is a good exercise: what kind of reading material are you drawn to and why?

September 11, 2017 -

I was amazed to learn when spell checking my latest WIP, the program highlighted certain groupings of words as incorrect. According to the program, split infinitives are a no-no. I set out to learn all I could in a short time about split infinitives…you know, I GOOGLED it--and here’s what I learned:

SPLIT INFINITIVES are a construction of words consisting of an infinitive with an adverb or other word inserted between to and the verb, e.g., she seems to really like it.

I seem to have a real issue with split infinitives. It’s almost like I can’t help myself. Are they needed? Not one bit. Does the sentence mean the same without splitting the infinitive? Of course. So again, “to really like it” means the same as “to like it.”

Yeah, but how do I convey the meaning that someone REALLY likes it? I remember an earlier blog where I wrote about the sins of being a lazy writer. Go back and read that blog--it refers to a different kind of being lazy, but the point is the same. Once I’m aware of poorly-written text, I must improve. So “to boldly go…” should be something like “to go where no man has gone before, eyes determined, body rigid, steps purposeful.” Or you can split the darn infinitive and leave it as “to boldly go.” From what I glean, there is no hard rule against using a split infinitive. After all, if it was good enough for Shakespeare, it’s good enough for me. To be or to really be…that is my question.

Update: I received an email late Saturday stating my Editors were hoping to up my release date to October of THIS YEAR. Like, in a few weeks? I haven’t even begun the requested revision. Is that even possible, you might ask. Stay tuned.