Wednesday's Writer's Tip - Plot or Character #MFWRauthor #BooksWeLove

There are two basic kind of story lines. One is plot centered and the other is character centered'

When writing a Plot centered story - the main character changes little from the beginning to the end of the story. Sort of what you see is what you get. This kind of story line focuses on the events. Think of mystery stories. The main character is often the detective who solves the case. The events are what moves the story forward. Other kind of stories can use this as the main story line. Yes, the character may change but not a great deal. One often sees this in a series where the main character grows slowly for the events are what moves the character and the story forward.

A Character centered story  where the emphasis is on a focus character and the reader sees the character become different than he was in the beginning of the story. This character either develops or he or she falls apart. Among the other characters in the story, they may or may not change and that can depend on their importance in the story.

In both types of story lines, there is a moment when the reader realizes the main motivating force will either succeed or fail. The character either will or will not reach this goal

When the plot is the story line, this moment comes as near to the end as possible. When character is the story line, this recognition can occur at any point in the story. To do this the reader must understand the major complications. The one thing here is the focus character may not recognize the truth or see the reality of the situation.

Many thanks to Structuring Your Novel from Basic Idea to Finished manuscript. I have learned so much that keeps me on point as I write.

Tuesday's Inspiration - The Three P's #MFRWauthor

Rereading old essays by other writers always helps give me inspiration. This one is by John Jakes and mentions what he calls is the 3 P's.

Practice - Not only did I read this but I heard other writers mention practice. Meaning to write every day even if it was only a paragraph or a page. I certainly did this. No matter what else happened during a day in those early years I wrote something. What I did not do was write the same story over and over again. I began with short stories so I took several days to write a story and put it aside. I went onto another one. Then I returned to the first story and read it over. What did I miss and where did I need to expand. I wrote the story over again. Now I write with pen an paper for the initial drafts. What I learned was the more I practiced the better my writing sounded at least to me. So sit down and write every day even if it's not much. There are people who are streak writers but they also have to practice putting their characters through their paces to make a story.

Persistence - This is the second of the P's. A good one to master. Submitting a story once and having it return with a form rejection letter is no fun. But if you give up, you'll never become a published writer. I wrote and re-wrote my first story and my first novel again and again and each time I revised I sent the story out again. Every one of them was picked up. Several of my novels have taken years of submitting before someone decided to publish the story. So have a little faith in yourself and send that story out after you've cleaned it up. Persistence does pay.

Professionalism - The third P. Just what does this mean. The story is semi- accepted. The editor says she likes certain elements but there needs to be some changes made. Maybe your favorite scene has to go. You need to look at this through another's eyes and try to figure what this means. I remember when I returned to writing after a ten year hiatus and sending off the first few chapters and a synopsis of the story to an editor a friend hyped my book to. I had the hero's daughter die in childbirth. This led to the hero's dark moment. I sat and puzzled this over and over. I needed him to believe she had died. How could I do this? Took several weeks before I came up with the solution. The editor was right and made the story stronger. Always remember your words aren't carved in stone and if the solution isn't one you like, find a way to make it work.

Meandering on Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor

Meander 1 - Cliches. We are told to avoid them when we're writing our stories. But they always seem to be the right words to use. So we have to find other ways to say those rigth things. I've found one place where knowing cliches is a great help. That was today's Crossword puzzle. Sundays usually have a theme and today was one. Made em feel good when I knew all the cliches needed to fill in the blanks. So I guess though I'm always taking them out of my stories they are some use after all. I'm not sure I succeed with the stories, but I do with crossword puzzles.

Meander 2 - Reading - Lately what I've been reading I have at least rated. That is so much better than writing a review. One problem is people seldom rate my books. Maybe they don't read them or maybe writing the reviews is too much trouble. Not sure what the problem is. One thing I do when rating. Very, very few books will get a five. Most receive a four. I may have given a few threes but lower than that I don't go. That means I didn't like the book one little bit. Hopefully those who don't rate my books feel that way too.

Meander 3 - Writing. Plugging away typing Divided Dreams and can't do the last of the re-writes until all are typed in. Am now working on devising the plot line for Wizards of Fyre. Am on my third try to get the story going in the right direction. What I was ignoring was the strong villain. The hero and heroine are strong. The villain wasn't even there. I've found him and am woking to get the story going in the proper direction.

Sunday's Book - Rekindled Dreams by Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor #BooksWeLove

Returning to Fern Lake after ten years for the funeral of his cousin and teenage enemy, Simon Parker learns his high school sweetheart is nine months pregnant and seven months divorced from his cousin. Their meeting is complicated by her labor and driving her to the hospital. An attempted cheek kiss lands on her mouth and those old feelings resurface.

Dana Collins responds to the kiss but Simon walked away ten years before when she refused to go all the way. In those ten years he has never tried to reach her. Her marriage to his cousin lasted less than two years and she knew she’d made a mistake.

Can this pair put the past aside and let the embers of an old love be rekindled?

4.0 out of 5 stars A story of immature love, heartache, and heartbreak. January 4, 2014

By Roseanne Dowell

Format:Kindle Edition

Can Simon Parker right the wrong and pain he caused Dana Collins? When he drives her to the hospital to deliver her baby, the attraction is still there between them. Can Dana learn to trust Simon again? Will her ex husband’s twin sister complicate their lives? If I say more I’ll give away the entire book. Ms. Walters weaves a tale of a dysfunctional wealthy family, compassion, and love.

4.0 out of 5 stars Reunion romances are my favorite kind of stories July 23, 2014

By Kat Taylor

Format:Kindle Edition

Reunion romances are my favorite kind of stories. The chemistry sizzled from the beginning and never lets up. Nice escape 

Saturday's Blurbs Books By Frank Talaber #MFRWauthor #BooksWeLovw

Shaman's Lure

Vancouver's mayor is found brutally slain in Stanley Park beside the memorial to Pauline Johnson. His family is missing and no clues to the disappearance. Carol's first big case as a police detective. In the middle of the night a shaman show's up, spouting that the clues are there, you just have to open your eyes and your viewpoint in order to see them. Unfortunately he also vanishes. Carol has to now to proof he exists, along with finding the family before the city erupts in gang violence. Why you ask?

Just so happens that there's a bar in Stanley Park where if you get drunk enough, spirits take over your body and use it for whatever they want until you sober up. One is a Hell's Angel back for revenge, and another is a native witchy succubus, desperate to come back to life.

Carol is beginning to think wrestling alligators and skydiving with your hands tied behind your back is suddenly a nice cushy career instead.

 Shaman's Lure, (By Muse It UP Publishing). 

Raven's Lament

"The first time I saw you, was the second time I loved you," wrote Brook Grant in his diary. One problem, the reporter investigates the cutting down of the Golden Spruce only to find out that the legend is true. The ancient native prince trapped inside has been released and so has Raven. Yes, apparently, The Raven.

            So when a native God steals away your heart and soul, how do you get her back?

Well, you hire a shaman who is more whacked than a hockey player's slap shot and nuttier than a squirrel's winter stash.

            "Yeah, this is going to work, I'll get my lady back and we'll live happily ever after," Brook added to his diary after banging his head several times.

Raven's Lament revolves around the belief that there really is a native prince trapped inside the Golden Spruce tree on Haida Gwaii and it was cut down. Releasing the prince and the reason he was trapped inside, Raven. What if Raven woke up and looked at the world it is today and didn't like it one bit and tried to change it back to the way it was? Welcome to reporter Brook's day. So how do you stop a God from changing the world? You hire a Shaman, who is just a bit nuttier than most fruitcake salads. Oh, this is beginning to sound like trouble, big time trouble. Especially when Raven has captured the woman Brook has fallen in love with.

Friday Frank Talaber is Talking about Heroes, Heroines and Villains #MFRWauthor #BooksWeLove

1. Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys creating tales in many forms? Does your reading choices reflect your writing choices? Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?

 

I've written Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction, Erotica, Romance and Humour. Probably the only genre I wouldn't try is Young Animal. Can't quite wrap my head around what a two year old giraffe would be thinking or acting like. Let alone a teenage gorilla, nor do I really want to know. They're a little banannas anyways.

2. Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write? Does one of these come easy and why?

Well, from my experience the men usually do easier than women. It's the way the species is built. Women take a bit more finesse and and attention to details, which most guys ain't got the time for. I attended a romance writers conference and one of the things mentioned was that a ladies idea of a perfect idea of a romantic evening is wine, flowers, slow dinner, candlelight, a nice fireplace alight, slow kissing and caressing. Everything up to intercourse. That's where a guys idea of a perfect night begins. Yup, that is kinda what a lot of males are light. Well, except the Alpha males in most romance novels. If I'm to be honest, I like writing about the heroes. What makes them tick, why they go out of their way to help, save others. 

 

3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

 

Tough question. Go into any firehall and yell, fire and you'll get your answer. True heroes, I would class as firemen, what they've seen or had to do to save someone or something from a burning building. Usually pictures do it for me. I think visually and see my scenes as through the eyes of a camera. A true hero, has his flaws and demons that he has to fight through, while saving the world or at least some old lady about to be run over by a charging rhino. Or even a buggy at the grocery store. I usually have a idea for a story and Joe Do-gooder (or Josephine Do-gooder or Chipmunk Go-nutter) arrives after. I always ask the question what if? From there the muses begin to work their magic and keep me up half the night writing feverishly.

4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

 

Heroines I more often draw from  real pictures and then begin to imagine what that person is like, how they would act etcetera.

5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?

These I often draw from real people, either persons I've bumped into or pictures. I look into their eyes and draw the tortured soul out that I see mirrored inside and again ask What If and what made them the way they are are today.

6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?

My latest release is Shaman's Lure, a urban fantasy set around the brutal slaying of Vancouver's mayor, found in Stanley Park, against the monument to Pauline Johnson. The heroine is Carol Ainsworth, newly promoted female detective, this is her first big case and part way through the book, this tough as nails woman begins to realize she might be in it over her head as she not only has to tackle the Hell's Angel's, but a psychotic witch, that's been rewakened and is desperate to return to our world. The hero is a slightly mad shaman named Charlie, who is trying to recapture the Lure of Stanley Park, who is mentioned in Pauline Johnson's Legends of Vancouver, as a witch that is trapped in a rock in Stanley Park. Charlie has a bent sense of humor and a good heart. But as Charlie would say, better than the other way around because no one finds a good clean comedian truly funny and if you have a bent heart, you'd most likely walk with a limp. Wait a minute, he does walk with a limp and a cane. Okay, maybe I got that backwards. The villain is the Lure of Stanley Park. Purely a bad news succubus, who sucks in people's sexual energy in order to return to this world. Yup, you'll go with a smile and a orgasm when you meet her, and another, and another. I think you get the picture. 

 

7. What are you working on now?

 

Currently I'm working on Thunderbird's Wake. Which in essence is the third part of a series. Shaman's Lure is book two and Raven's Lament is book one. Raven's Lament is about a reporter that goes to investigate the cutting down of the rare Golden Spruce in protest of logging, up on Haida Gwaii. Charlie is the main character through all three books, he and Carol are investigating the death of a native elder in a penitentiary on the BC coast. One of the inmates happens to have Thunderbird's essence trapped inside and some evil creatures who shall not be named (yeah the natives thought of that title, long before Harry Potter), will stop at nothing to make sure he doesn't wake up.

8. How can people find you?

            Website

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00UC407R0

        

http://about.me/ftalaber

    Blog

http://bwlauthors.blogspot.ca/

If you scroll down you'll see me on the left under 22nd.

            Facebook

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frank-Talaber/805296946204873

Thursday's Villain - Lykon from Horu's Chosen by Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor #BooksWeLove

Merin sat on a cushion beside the table. She poured water into a cup and ate a slice of melon. The time dragged. She heard the priest guards speaking in a language she didn’t know. As she considered resting on the bed Hebu appeared. “Come with me. The evening meal is ready.”

Merin followed him to the main room where the nomarch, his wife, and oldest son sat on the elevated platform. Hebu led her to one of the small tables. “This is Lykon who will be your spouse. He is the second son.”

Merin glared. “Pian of Mero was the first son.”

“Nomarch Sapar’s first son is married and has a family. The Daughter must be the first woman in the pharaoh’s court.”

Merin took her place. She glanced at the young man seated across from her. His round face and obese body wasn’t appealing. His dark eyes were small and round.

Slaves brought food and filled cups with wine. She ate enough to ease her hunger. Lykon gorged on thick slices of beef, pork and duck. He used pieces torn from a round loaf of bread to catch the juices. Other than roasted onions he avoided the vegetables, dates, figs, and melons. She lost track of the number of times a slave filled his cup. She stared at the plate. If he ate like this he would soon resemble the fat priest.

Lykon belched. He rose and held out his hand. “Walk in the garden with me. We need to learn about each other.”

Merin cringed at the thought of being alone with him. There was no choice. As they stepped outside she caught a glimpse of Bast Ka. The presence of the sacred cat soothed her abraded nerves.

Lykon led her to the lotus pond. “My mother’s garden pales before your beauty.”

“How can you say that?” Merin pointed to the lotus blossoms. “Look at how the moonlight shows images of the flowers in the water. No man or woman can measure up to the loveliness of nature.”

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. “You are mine and I will taste you.” He pulled her close and pressed his mouth against hers causing them to rub her teeth.

The shock of his assault stunned her. Never had a man treated her this way. He caught her lower lip with his teeth, He grasped her buttocks.

With a sudden jerk he released her. “Witch,” he bellowed.

Merin nearly tumbled into the pool. She saw a line of bleeding claw marks on his leg. Hebu and the nomarch ran toward them. Bast Ka sped away. Merin sank on the edge of the wall surrounding the pool. For the moment she had escaped, but a dark future loomed.

“What have you done?” Hebu shook a finger in her face.

“Nothing.”

The nomarch left his son. “She did nothing. Look at his leg. Those are cat scratches. I didn’t know how the creature appeared. Since I swore to Aken Re there have been no felines in my compound. I fear the goddess sent a warning. How can Lykon become pharaoh if Bast chooses to act?”

Hebu laughed. “The goddess has no power. Your son scraped his leg on the side of the pond.” He turned to Lykon. “You sought to take what is not yours to take yet. The Daughter will come to you when the time is right.”

The nomarch frowned. “What should we do about the cat? You cannot deny one was in the garden.”

“Search the grounds and you will find nothing.”

Lykon staggered away. Hebu grasped Merin’s arm. “Don’t try to escape your fate. Lykon will be your spouse.”

Wednesday's Writer's Tip -Beginning the Story - Meredith and Fitzgerald #MFRWauthor

Structuring Your novel : From Basic Idea to Finished Manuscript is one of the books I read and re-read when I'm stuck with putting my novel on paper.

One of the advices they mention is beginning your story with an incident that happens outside the story. Using one of the basic plot ideas this can be figured easily. Using one or two can help.  This trigger can start the story. In the book I'm currently organizing the heroine has been sold by her father to the wizards of Fyre. This incident in her past brings her to an environment she wants to escape. The hero was also bought by these wizards but he was a small child and the environment is one that he knows and feels is home. For him the trigger is how his desire to belong and excel in the environment he considers home.

Writing the story means one has to have events. An event occurs and then moves the heroine or hero forward in the story. The event causes them to react and act. Each incident leads to another. Because this happened the character reacts causing something else to happen. This leads to complications. There may be one or more major complications and a number of minor ones.

For the heroine the major complication is being in an environment she wants to escape. Escape becomes her tangible object. The question driving the story forward becomes will she or won't she? This quest will keep the reader turning those pages.

Tuesday's Inspiration based on an essay by Christopher LaFarge #MFRWauthor

"Why am I writing this? The ability to give an answer is necessary to me though the answer can range." Christopher LaFarge.

Interesting thing. I sat and pondered why I write each of the stories I've written. My answer is usually that I want to entertain others. Perhaps that's why I write in a number of genres and subgenres. As I thought further one of my answers to the question was that sometimes I want to write a story that will interest and entertain me. I'm not sure I'm the kind of writer who tackles social issues though they may creep into a story or two. What I write most often is about relationships and exploring how people act and interact. They're often about finding love. Another answer was I'm writing this story because I must. The characters want their story to be told.

How about you? Do you ever ask why am I writing this story? Your answer might lead you on some interesting paths. So this is a question to keep in mind when you start a new story. Why am I writing this story and not a different one?

Meandering On Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor #BooksWeLove

Meander 1 - A Question. When you are being featured on another writer's blog, do you promote the feature or do you just wait for the blog owner to do the deed? I know that when I'm a guest on a blog I make sure to visit frequently and see if there are comments. I also promote my appearance on other social media. Some of my guests do and some don't. The ones who promote have twice as many or more visitors who though they may not leave a comment do at least read what's there. The name of this writing game is to have your name out there so people will become interested in what you have to say. So the next time you're a guest, let other people know. Not sure your sales will go up but your name will be seen and maybe even the books you're writing might grab someone's interest.

Meander 2 - Reading. I like to read many genres of books and am always willing to try new authors. This is the way I've found some authors I really enjoy. Also find authors I don't enjoy. That's what's so much fun about this game. Finding new stories to enjoy and also finding ones you'll avoid.

Meander 3 - My writing. Have begun working on the chapter synopsis of the Wizards of Fyre. Not that the finished story will slavishly follow the outline. At the same time I am typing the remaining chapters of Divided Dreams so I can do a final going through to re-write some scenes and to make the ones I'm pleased with shine. I won't touch this until all 13 chapters are on paper. So that gives me time to think about what may need to be done to make this story shine. It always amazes me when I have friends who are also writers who just sit down and write and have no real plan of where the story is going. They manage in the end to make the stories sing and that's a good thing. Takes all kinds to spin stories.