Try your hand. . . Author Bios

I've been thinking about this for a while. Trying your hand at something where everyone who reads this blog is asked to contribute in the comments.

To start this off I am asking about short author bios.

The rules are simple, one to two sentences. List your name, a vague location, your genre, a little about yourself. See easy peasy.

To get us started I will give you mine.

C. Michelle Jefferies writes science fiction, a stark contrast to her rural life in south eastern Utah with six kids, house, husband, and pet birds. Although her heart resides in the stars, she has been known to be distracted by romance and the occasional vampire story.

Okay everyone start posting, I am curious to see what you are going to come up with.

Just a note. . .

While The Shattered Dreams Experimant is still flitting around in my brain nothing says die to a MS more as 1) Nano and 2) thinking that you can't write romance. I promise you I will get back to the experiment and if we can't use Shattered Dreams I will proceed with the same poll system and planning with another story.

Untill it shines. . .

One thing that some writers need to learn is that when in the revision and editing process there is a point where if you do any more revisions,your going to lose your voice. Or that editing it over and over is actually destroying the story.

In my opinion, you can only cut out so many words and add so many things and change the sentences around so many times before it all starts to sound like drivel.

For example I have sent a few of my first chapters out for critiques for the LDStorymaker Writers Conference First Chapter Contest. One of the stories was wordy and I spent some time revising those sentences so they read better.

The origional sentence read:

I could tell that my avoidance of the subject was garnering me unwanted attention from the man who held my existence in his hands.

I revised the sentence to read:

I could tell I was garnering unwanted attention from the man who held my existence in his hands.

See, less wordy and reads better, While still getting the message across. However I could have been tempted to revise the sentence again to look like this:

I was getting unwanted attention from him.

Sure it's cleaned up and nice and precise, but I have lost my voice by cutting it too much. There is a point in which we need to turn off the internal editor and close the notebook or word program. Is that story perfect? I don't believe it is, but at least it still has voice.

There's a time where we have done everything we can to a MS and it's time to put it away and start sending it out into the world. Time to let your MS stand on it's own two legs and be what it was meant to be.

While a shiny new car is nice to drive, the older car you have driven for years, has character.

I say write it anyway

There are two things that I disagree with most authors on. One, (write what you know)you've all ready heard me talk about. The second is that unless you know the story is good, publishable, awesome etc. don't write it. Now, granted if your a famous author and only have time to write the sequel or the new idea you pitched to your publisher definately dont write it.

But if you are an author with some time or a writer who's not famous or busy yet, and you get a good idea I say play with it. Write it out play with the plot and the characters. It can't hurt, and someday you might just come up with that blockbuster idea that makes you famous or rich or both.

Why do you ask? Even if you don't become famous or rich, your muse has been fed. You have broadened your horizions. You have added words, and I believe the more words you type, write, create, the closer you are to being published, rich and famous. Even if the story peters out at 40,000 words or less? You ask. Yes. Even if the story never sees the light of day? Yes. Even if the story is silly, or dark, or unnaturally you, or anything not normal? Yes yes yes yes.

To deny a story life, I think, supresses that creativity we as writers have and to deny is to starve that muse. Because as well as feeding that muse by reading listeing to music and watching movies. Creating also feeds that creative side of you by validating what you have inside you.

Why do I tell you this with such conviction? A few rough draft reasons. I have a few stories that I have written as the whim has hit me everyone of them is good in its own right. I have a witchcraft story and a few romances and two vampire stories sitting there on my laptop just waiting for the right time to pull them back out. So what if ALL of them need to be rewritten? The stories have merit. All of them. Do I worry that with the vampire craze that my story may seem redundant? If they sparkled yes, I would worry. But my vampire world is diferent and amazing and I will not abandon a good story because some people think that the trend is dead. There's always room for a good story especially when its amazing and diferent.

So to my fellow writers out there, feed that muse, write that story, don't deny a good story life because someone says it's not good enough, or all of the other excuses that are listed somewhere. You're a writer, wrte it. Isn't that what we do?

What makes a writer publishable.

I've been writing for 20+ years, granted, I have been working towards publication for about 6 of those years. As I have attended diferent conferences and been in diferent writing and critique groups, and worked on writing myself, I have seen something interesting. Those writers that have sucess in thier own writing are those writers that are adaptable. Those writers that are willing to learn and change EVERYTHING they know or have written when they learn something new. Those so dedicated to the craft that they are allways seeking to grow as a writer. Those are the ones who I have seen actually get published.

I have been in three amazing writers/critique groups. The members are such hard workers and so amazingly tallented. I have felt the loss when I have moved or the group broke up.

I have friends that have completely changed a book from first person to third, I have friends that have taken a memoir and changed it to fiction, I have a dear friend that has taken an almost complete book torn it to pieces and is in the process of rewriting it again. I have other friends that have taken fledgling writers under thier wings in spite of thier own time constraints and fostered the skills and knowledge they need to be a better writer. I have many other examples but these are the ones that stick out in my head this morning.

To the writer that is willing to make HUGE sacrifices to get your books ready to publish and actually published I salute you. You guys are my heroes.

I think I've lost it. . . .

So I was in the fabric section of Wal*Mart waiting in line to have some vinyl cut for a table cloth. (expensive table + 6 kids = disaster) there were three people in line in front of me so I had alot of time to stand around and stare at bolts of fabric. (believe me, I actually love doing it, I just hate that I cant have 5 yards of every fabric that I like)

So anyway as I am looking at the fabric I think: "I should look for some fabric to make a sword case so I can take my sword places and it wont get scratched and dinged." I begin to look around, thinking that an Asian theme would be cool then I see it . . . pink fabric with pastel butterflies and sparkles. I am instantly in love!

THIS is the conversation that I and my main character Noble/Antony had.

Me: It's so pretty and it has butterflies! *swoon*
Noble: It's pink.
M: It has sparkles!
N: It's still pink.
M: What about this one? (picks up a black fabric with the same pastel butterflies)
N: It has sparkles and the butterflies are pink. What about that one? (he looks at a black fabric with golden dragons and red flames)
M: Well. . .
N: Well what?
M: It's so manly, all black and flames.
N: I like it.
M: Your a guy of course you like it. I like this one. (still fingering the pink butterfly fabric)
N: No!
M: Why?
N: Because I'm a guy. No pink!
M: You like pink.
N: Only in your imagination! What about this one? (looks at another bolt)
M: No skulls and muscle cars. I'm the one who has to cary this sword case to class.
N: Awwwww but I liked the skulls.
M: Well good for you you can have it in your book world.
N: You're so picky.
M: And your not? You don't even have to carry the bag and your having a fit.
N: I have to be in your head when you carry that pink insane thing, absolutely not.
M: What about this one? (fingrs a green flanel with butterflies on it)
N: It still has butterflies.
M: It's green you like green. And I love butterflies.
N: I do like green. Butterflies are for girls.
M: Well I am a girl. So you like it? Can I get it?
N: silence. . . . . . . . .
M: Good I think I need one and a half yards.
N: grumble

on writing . . . . . . .

Writing is not easy. It's not just picking up a pen and paper and becoming a bestseller. It's not just having a dream,writing a book and selling it on your eighth query.

Writing is having so many characters in your head you think your going to go crazy. It's having that drive to create something of worth and working your behind off to get it. It's learning the craft while trying to get blood to come out of your forehead. Its going back to school if you have the opportunity and learning the language all over again.

Writing is not like any other job in the universe. Well writing and performing music and creating art may be close. You write until your forehead bleeds taking in no sallary for your efforts and then spend your own money sending your work out only to be rejected repeatedly. It takes most writers somewhere around five years to get to the point of being accepted. FIVE YEARS! Meanwhile your family has written you of as a heritic, your spouse thinks your completely crazy and your kids have subsisted on cold cereal and sandwitches for thier daily nutrition.

While writing is a solitary activity, it is something we writers don't do alone. We crave validation, we need to have someone tell us that that last scene was really great, that our plots are awesome, that we'll get through that writers block, that we have value as a creative person. That that blood on the page, straight from our foreheads, is worth the pain.

I am a writer, I have something of value within me, I am a creator of worlds and people, I have worked hard to get where I am.

I didn't chose this as a profession the muse chose me by creating amazing stories in my head. I must bow to the creative urge or I will go insane. I must write because it is the source of creative outlet in me that keeps me sane and happy.

I am a writer.

I have a fan?

A dear friend of mine is a beta reader for me. I've bent her ear many times and she never seems to get bored with my life as a writer. (That's amazing because I spend day after day at the computer staring at a screen or keyboard)

I gave her a copy of my WIP a few weeks ago for her to read. She takes it to work to read on the days she works late because the last hour or so is really slow. A couple of days ago she left the MS at her work and the cleaning lady came in and began to read it while cleaning. The cleaning lady admits to trying to clean and read at the same time. Well I guess I hooked her becasue she "stole" it from my friend with a promise to return it today.

I'm laughing about this, who knew? I guess my book is appealing to some people and thats a good thing right? My hook is effective, at least enough to make people commit thievery.

So what do you think? Is it theft or fandom? I don't know what to think.

One drafters VS Multi drafters

Just as there are plotters and seat of their pants (pansters) writers and levels between those two extremes. There are One drafters and Multi drafters, and all sorts of levels between these too.

Multidrafters write the rough draft and then proceed to write several other drafts before even thinking of editing it or sharing it with a group or friends. They will also think of a cool idea and rewrite the whole MS to accomodate said idea. The great thing about Multi's is that if they actually get it done, it should be awesome. The drawbacks, would be that they get so bogged down in re-writes they never finish.

One drafters on the other had write one draft and usually think it's pretty perfect. Often times they don't like to revise and instead of working to perfect a story they move on to the next idea and the story regardless of how awesome or not it is, never sees the light of day. The good thing about One's is if they actually put thier but down in a chair and suffer a little revision and editing the story should be awesome. The drawback is getting them to work on one idea long enough to prodouce a story that is ready to be seen by anyone.

I'm sure just as every writer is somewhere in between pansting and plotting they are also somewhere in between one and multi drafting.

The point of my story is this, I am a story structure panster and more of a one drafter then a multi but I know the benefit of good edits and revisions. Ask me to rewrite and my head might just roll off my shoulders and hide.

Two nights ago I had written about 900 words of some beautiful prose when my laptop freaked out and started to eat my MS letter by letter. I lost the whole 900 words and had some long moments of extreme frustration. Because I am a one drafter I was not able to reprodouce any of the origional prose and had to write something comepletely new. To be honest I am not as happy with it and I mourn the loss of those words. :(

I guess the moral of the story is, if your a one drafter and your computer has a tendency to do weird things, BACK UP your darn computer!

A Little Funny. . . .

So I am writing Latent, a MS for Nanwrimo and I am still editing Emergence. My "editor" is a wonderful friend who is helping me with my MS Emergence. This person is amazing and I learn things everytime I work with them.

Well I am sitting at my computer yesterday and I was writing about a sub character ordering pizza. As the scene closed, I wrote about the character taking the pizza box from the delivery guy and placing it on the coffee table. In the back of my head I hear my "editor" ask: "did he pay for the pizza or did he steal it? Please clarify."

After I laughed for a while I went back and added that he placed it on the coffee table after he paid for it.

Now I not only have characters in my head, my editor is in there too. At least they're wonderful company.

I'm back!

Well, I survived a whole month of being sick. What was a cold turned into pneumonia and I battled with that for days on and off.

I have signed up for Nanowrimo which is a world wide writing challenge. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I don't know if I will even get near that goal, but I did write 44 tho last September so I know I can come close.

I debated for a long time on what I should work on in November, my space western or me sequel to my current WIP sci/fi. It has been a long and hard decision, because in someways I am ready for something new. But in some ways I have the sequel in my head so strong, that it's impossible to escape thinking about it. Almost like I was obsessed. :)

In the end I deciced that I would work on the sequel since the plot is completely hammered out and is complete. The rough draft was written last year the rewirte should be easy and fun.

Either way, I am looking forward to a month of great writing.

I am cursed now. . .

Now that I understand Brooks' Story Structure (see link above) I see it everywhere and can't read a book without figuring out where the plot points were. I'll be sitting at the dinner table and say "Plot point #2 was . . . " I am driving my kids insane. We were watching Van Helsing last night and I was doing it again. My kids groaning only added to the soundtrack I am sure.

No doubt about it. I am cursed, and it's in a good way. Who knew just 13 simple lessons would have me understanding plot and structure so well that I plotted out almost all the books buzzing around in my head. This morning! Bwahahahahaha!

Back to Van Helsing, I didnt watch any editors comments but I am way curious if the director/prodoucer had a "thing" with windows. Looking out of them, looking in, crashing in them and getting thrown out of them. Just curious.

Wednesday: SDE post and another poll. :)

A new feature on my blog. . . The Shattered Dreams Experiment

Two things have happened that have moved the fruition of my epithany. One, it's a writing challenge month, second, I now have two writers groups.

This means one thing.

I. MUST. WRITE.

Therefore I am announcing the plans that had me so excited last month. You my blog readers, (yes you, not the guy behind you) are going to help me write my new book. The idea started as a small idea niggling the back of my brain and as I was taking one of those humoungous long drives we do living out here in the boonies--I let that idea become a serious reality.

I am going to add a poll feature to the side bar below my butterfly and I am going to ask you the readers to help decide what's going to happen in this book. I will be posting some details of the book and be asking you readers what you think should happen in the story.

A little background on the story: Shattered Dreams
Anna is an abused wife stuck in an abusive marriage. Fate changes that one day and she is released from the Hell she called life. The story is of her life as she climbs out of the hole of her previous life.

I will be posting and asking your opinions on a regular basis. Hope you join in, I think this will be an amazing social experiment and those participating will be mentioned in a hopefully long acknowledgement page. :)

The influence of television on telling in writing.

I find it interesting that I see alot of telling in first time writers. Granted, writing is a skill that is learned, and something like music and art that must be practiced to become good at it. Could that be why begining writers so often fall into the pattern of telling me what the main character is doing instead of immersing me into the story by showing? I know when I started to write, I wrote alot of telling interspersed with a ton of unnecessary detail.

As I have learned to write, I have learned to move beyond telling my reader what happened. I have learned to drag my reader gasping and choking into the scene and have them experience it in a similar way to what I see in my head.

I wonder if the increase of watching TV, playing games, whether on a game system or online, or perusing the internet at all is part of the reason. When we sit and watch something on TV we see and hear everything that is going on leaving out the other three senses. Everything the prodoucer/director wants us to see is on that screen and in the soundtrack. TV can be, regardless of the intense visual/audio bombardment, a one dimentional system of input.

It has been proven that as we watch TV part of our brain shuts off and we can become zombie like. Whereas, reading opens up a diferent world in our minds. In a book with good writing, description, and showing we engage all of our senses by using our imagination. We hear internal thought as well as dialogue, we smell scents that are described, we hear, feel, smell, see and taste what the writer wants us to. We are drawn into the setting and experience it to the fullness we choose inside our heads.

As the rate of electronic entertainment increases and the occurance of reading decreases, are we setting ourselves up for a world of sitting back and just watching life go by instead of experiencing it to its fullness?

October is a writing challenge month.

And while I am a week late I think I will sign up. I have two writers groups now and I need some material for them to look at. Of course my first submissions will be something I have allready written. I wonder if some of the members will get tired of seeing the same things twice? Oh well, I only have a few things that are ready.

If your interested go HERE.

Good news Sunday. . .

Well the drought is over and I am in a deluge of good things. I went to a writers conference called "The Book Academy" a few weeks ago. I learned alot. It was a very good conference. Thanks Julie Coulter Bellon among others.

The best thing that came out of the conference is I am now part of TWO crit groups. Both an online one and a in real life (email for me but they will meet IRL) one. (Thanks Tristi!) I am also a group mom for a teen group too. These are realy GOOD things. I have needed a group for a long time. I had literally exhausted all resources to get one. I was lost and depressed in the area of writers groups. And while some people insist that writers are solitary and can do this craft by themselves, for me it's not possible. (Thank heavens for friends, I have only survived because of them.)

Just celebrating today. It's been a good weekend. :)

Using Story Structure and The Writers Journey together

I am still editing and while writing and editing has been my life, (besides my 6 kids hubby and house)I have also been pondering plot. My awesome editor has asked me to revise and rewrite some things. Alot of it to make sure the plot is one solid wonderful thing. I am loving what I am doing I am learning tons and having alot of fun too.

The purpose of my post however is using some tools to get the plot of your book in publishable shape.

The first tool is Story Structure by Larry Brooks of Storyfix.com. This tool has REVOLUTIONIZED how I look at look at my MS and my writing. I'm dead serious when I tell you to go read the series of blog posts print them up and read them again and again. Print the questions he so convienently provided and use them. I promise you wont be sorry.

He describes a book as a series of four sections, and a series of points that when pre-decided will give you what you need to write what should be a publishable book.

Section one Introdouction: This is where we get to know the characters and setting, including the inner workings of the main character at least.

Next: Plot Point #1, this is the scene/experience that changes the MC's ordinary life into something completely diferent.

Section two the Reactive Stage: The MC experiences Plot Point #1 and then reacts to that point for the first half of the book. The MC is dealing with the shock of the PP#1.

Mid-point: changes the book from reactive to proactive. It's also that point where the writer can give the reader inside information that changes the readers opinion of whats going on whether the characters know about it or not.

Section three Proactive Stage: After the mid point the MC's reactive actions become active and we enter the proactive stage. The MC is circling the wagons and protecting what's left of his "ordinary" life after PP#1

Plot Point #2 this is the crisis point in the book, the last battle, the final major event. Everything comes to a head at this point. Things need to be resolved, and nothing new can be introdouced after this.

Section four Resolution: This is the end where you tie the loose ends up and make the reader feel good after taking them through the events in the book.

I'm giving you the extreme cliff notes version I strongly suggest you go and read it for yourself in its entirety. He does a much better job of it.

Second Tool is "The Heroes Journey" by Joseph Campbell The article I read that started my own study of this idea is here.

While I don't see this as solid structure like Story Structure. I believe that The Heroes Journey is good for character arc. It also draws an analogy to Star Wars in order to illustrate the certain points talked about.

First we are introdouced to the "Ordinary World" where we again see the character where they live and what they are doing.

Next our hero is "Called to an adventure". Sometimes he refuses the call, sometimes he accepts it readily. Sometimes he meets his mentor at this time too.

Next we have our "Threshold Guardians" these are events that move the character along towards the end goal which is resolution of the call to action.

As we near the end of the book we get to what is called "Approach the Innermost Cave" This is where the events start to build towards the Crisis point.

Some times you will have your MC experience a "Death and Resurection" to add tension to the story.

"The Ordeal" is the crisis point where everything comes to a head.

The last two items are "The Reward and Road Back" where the MC suceeds and he begins the road back to that origional "Ordinary World". And "Return With Elixer" Where the story has it's resolution, and leaves the reader feeling good.

Again this is the Cliff Notes version and you need to read and learn it for yourself.

As I plot my book now I use both of these tools alot. Story Structure for what needs to go where and Heroes Journey for detailes information on the characters arc in the story. Together these have completely changed how I think about my writing.

Want to test it? Read both sections and then go watch a movie you will see where each of these tools come into play within about 2 hours.

I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me.

the joys of writing

The last two days have been an experience to remember.

I finished my fith chapter edit and am anxiously awaiting the next chapter from my editor. I also had an awesome apostrophy about my sci fi book that directly influences my MC. It is one of those revelations where you get chills just talking about it with your writer friends.

Second, I had two awesome ideas come to me for my romantic fantasy. One a change in plot that effects my midpoint in a much more dramatic way then I thought it was going. And, I had an awesome idea that I will tell you about as soon as it is solidified. It involves you guys, my readers, and it's going to be awesome.

Today was a good one.

Ohmigosh!

Its been ten days since I posted!
What happened?
Well Wednesday - Friday we dealt with the funeral of my little neice born stillborn. Before that I don't quite know. I know getting ready for school took some time too. Either way there's no excuse.

I'm glad school starts tomorrow, this has been a summer of distractions--much more than last year. I'm sure some of it is from my kids knowing more people and being more involved in things. Last year, I wrote 116,000 words from July to September. This year, I wrote about 11,000 words and edited 4 chapters. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids. But I was everything from entertainer to taxi this summer and I was gone alot.

Tomorrow is a "new leaf" in my year. I will only have one at home and he is a realy good baby. I have some clear goals as to what I want to acomplish in this next nine months. I have new plots for some rough drafts, and I am looking forward to writing some awesome stories. :) I will also finish the edit on emergence and re-submit it too.

Ah, school is starting and we are heading into my favorite time of the year, autumn. A time of sweaters fuzzy slippers homemade bread and soups and writing.

Have a wonderful evening.

You've got to read this!!!!!!!

Okay, my friend Jaime Theler posted a link to this really cool series of posts about story structure. It's really awesome. It's amazing. Serious go read it.

You can find it here!