Everyday Woman Radio Show with Vicki Hinze

THE AGE OF RAGE

THE AGE OF RAGE ©2008, Vicki Hinze

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Writers connect characters to readers through emotions. That makes it vital to understand them. Otherwise, the odds diminish of depicting them accurately or of having the reader react to whatever is depicted the way the writer intends the reader to react.

We live in an age of rage. Where people once exercised restraint, today they are far more apt to cut loose and let the fur fly--often with little or no provocation, and too often with no thought about the consequences. There was a time not too long ago, when terms like “road rage” weren’t part of our vocabulary. Where watching a group of teenage girls beat up another teenage girl wasn’t broadcast and considered entertainment.

There are a lot of angry people out there, and yet if we limit anger to only the negative, then we’ve missed the best half of its value. Because like most things in life, anger can be positive or negative.

First we need to make to sure we see anger clearly.

Anger isn’t an action. It is a reaction. It is the effect of an underlying cause.

That cause can be someone doing something that hurts you--intentionally or unintentionally, professionally or personally. Something that appalls you, something that scares you. (Note that all three are emotions, writers.) Let’s look at a couple of examples:

If someone makes a false accusation against you, odds are pretty good your reaction will be anger.

If you pull a week of overtime on a project for the boss and the coworker supposedly helping you did nothing but takes full credit for all your work, odds are pretty good your reaction will be anger.

If your daughter wears your favorite jacket without your permission and wrecks it or loses it, odds are pretty good your reaction will be anger.

If you write a chapter and haven’t saved it and the power goes out and it’s lost forever, odds are very good your reaction will be anger.

If someone steals your car, your wallet, or your name for the purpose of damaging your reputation, you can bet your reaction will be anger.

Personally and/or professionally, we react with anger to injustice. To things we consider universally just plain wrong.

But we also at times react with anger when no malice or intent to harm is intended. In fact, we sometimes react in anger when we’re not even directly involved.

You instruct your child not to do something. The child does it anyway. You’re not harmed, but you are angry.

Someone you care about gets sick. You yell at the doctor--outraged from the tip of your head to the soles of your feet.

Why?

Because other emotions are fueling the fire. Often that other emotion is fear.

You fear the sick person will die. You rage against the fear of death, but death isn’t someone you can shout out, so you pick a victim present: the doctor, or nurse or ambulance attendant--anyone will do.

People typically look for someone to blame. It makes them feel more secure, like they’re more in control, to be able to point a finger and say, “It’s his/her fault.” So to feel less vulnerable, they look for someone upon whom they can focus their fear which manifests in the form of anger. They might even choose the individual who is sick!

Fear, frustration, insecurity. Injustice, an inability to manipulate, a loss of control, a failure to achieve a desired outcome--all of these emotion-based reasons, and others like them, can manifest as anger. But remember, anger is the reaction, not the action. It’s the effect, not the cause. The primary core emotion sparking the reaction is the catalyst.

Anger, you see, isn’t an innate reaction. It’s a learned response. A simple example:

When a child hits himself with a hammer, he cries.
When an adult hits himself with a hammer, he cusses.

One reacts to pain with tears.
The other reacts with anger.

A learned response.

The primary causes and effects discussed thus far are largely negative. But anger has a whole different side. A valuable side, and our characters should react to it just as people do. On this side of the proverbial scales, anger is constructive.

It acts as a catalyst to motivate us to do constructive things (versus destructive ones) we wouldn’t have done or couldn’t have done without that motivation. An example:

A doctor lost his father early in life to a heart attack. The son was furious. Now he could have let that anger eat him alive, or even destroy him. He could have grown so bitter that it poisoned him and stole his destiny. But he didn’t. Instead he channeled his anger constructively--and went on to create the first artificial heart.

Anger can motivate us to stretch and grow. It can inspire us to change, to do better and more than believed we were capable of doing. Anger can infuse us with determination, give us the courage to try things we never dreamed of trying--and to keep on trying until we achieve them.

Anger can impact us in ways that change the course of our entire lives--define our life’s purpose.

When we think of anger, we often think of abuse and only its negatives. We neglect to remember the good that can come from it (the anger, not the abuse). Anger isn’t so much about the emotion, though we should understand the ramifications of that, too.

Anger always has ramifications. Some are negative, but some are definitely positive. And we get to choose which our anger will be.

Anger channeled improperly causes stress. Stress kills. It’s that simple. But before it kills, it makes us sick. Headaches, digestive challenges, spastic colon problems and so many more physical challenges manifest as a result of anger (and other negative emotions) not being processed in a positive way.

Anger channeled properly inspires and infuses us with abilities we had but didn’t know we had. Inspires us to gain new skills, new abilities that serve us in all areas of our lives because they broaden our experience and give us deeper wells to draw from in doing things we want to do. Things we’re meant to do.

So, yes, we live in an age of rage. And, yes, many factors contribute to it. What we need to remember is that rage is a reaction--neither a cause nor an action. We all know that every action causes a reaction. Every cause has an effect. And we know that regardless of what that cause and action are, we control our reactions and effects. We choose our response.

We all get angry. We all have hot buttons that someone’s going to push. We know that, too.
What we need to decide is how we’re going to react to having our hot-buttons pushed. We can react negatively--whether it’s firing off a nasty email filled with half-truths or taking a swing at the person offending us--or constructively--whether it’s holding our tongues and promising ourselves we won’t treat others unfairly or we’ll use that anger to build a better mousetrap.

I study a fair amount on abuse; you guys know that. I have for over thirty years. One thing that abusers often say to their victims is, “You made me hurt you.” That or they tell others, “S/he made me do it.”

Definitely improperly channeled anger there. The abuser got angry. S/he chose to hurt, to do it, and we’re all too familiar with the horrific forms “it” can take.

So when you’re writing characters, and in living your own life, understand that anger is normal. Even the most disciplined and most holy get angry. God got angry, and He’s got supernatural powers. We’re mere mortals. So it isn’t that we should fight to not feel the emotion, anger. It’s that we should exercise self-control and channel that anger constructively.

Constructive channeling. Now that’s a valuable weapon when living in an age of rage...

Blessings,

Vicki

Tags: anger, rage, abuse, hurt, choices, channeling anger, constructive anger, destructive anger, characterization, author, writer, novelist, books, reading, writing, writers' library, vicki hinze

PEOPLE DON'T READ ANYMORE???

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

This morning, I awakened to discover the following:

“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore. Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year.”
Steve Jobs--Amazon

Troubling insight from a human being’s point of view and from a writer’s.

Any writer who has been publishing books for a length of time can tell you that the industry has changed mightily in the last decade. Any reader can tell you that, too. But their perspectives on those changes are significantly different.

Writers note more writers and fewer publishing slots. They note smaller print runs. They note the logical decrease in earnings. Writers also note fewer books available in fewer places in the market.

At one time, you could walk into stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart and you’d find book departments. Over time, those departments have winnowed down to where some have a single aisle of shelving. Others still have more space, but nowhere near the square footage in the store that they once did.

Several factors, in my humble opinion, attribute to this. READ MORE

Tags: reading, books, authors, novelists, writers, fiction, novels, book trends

Tact in Critique

I stayed up late last night doing critiques. I thought I’d get three or four done--as always, I have a stack to do. I didn’t. I got one done and a solid start on a second one.

Some would cringe at devoting that much time to a single entry. But writers are a giving lot and helping each other is the norm, so you’ll see no cringing there, though it does make for rough schedules. But it’s worth it, and one of the reasons I love the profession. We train our competition--willingly, and take great joy in doing so. This entry was worth every second of time devoted to it.

You see, storytelling is the sole element that can’t be taught. I’ve said it many times and believe it down to the marrow of my bones. You’ve got it or you don’t. And this entry was written by a wonderful storyteller with a unique voice that captivated. The story was perfect for its targeted genre. The characters were well developed, worthy of their story roles. So with all of this being so right, what was the time-eating challenge?

Mechanics. This terrific story and these terrific characters were mired down in a tomb of mechanical pitfalls. When that happens, it jars the reader the way a jackhammer jars your teeth and blows out your ears. When we read, we do so with that inner ear, and so cadence and rhythm (and pacing) are critically important.

Every year for many years I’ve polled editors at major publishers and asked why they most often rejected manuscripts. And every year for many years, these same things surface. Oh, there are the usual rejections because the proposed project didn’t fit on the publisher’s list, and the similarities between the writing of existing authors on the publishers’ lists with the proposed project, but overwhelmingly, mechanical challenges topped the list.

That’s good news. Mechanics can be taught.

If you’d like to read more on the top mechanical challenges (those that surface again and again on the poll), there’s an article in my website writer’s library (www.vickihinze.com in the A-P Library. Common Mechanical Pitfalls).

Read MORE

Tags: critique, tact, authors, emerald coast writers, novelists, emerald coast writers, books, CREATIVE WRITING, writing craft

CYBERSTALKERS & CHARACTERS--LIVE! WORKSHOP

An FYI

1. It’s my turn to post on Clever Divas today. The article is on Cyberstalking. What it is, what is done, what you can do about it, who can help. Did you know that many victims don’t know they’re victims until danger escalates? If you’d care to read the article, the Clever Divas link () will take you to it.

2. For the next week, I’ll be teaching an online workshop for ACRA members, CHARACTERS—LIVE! If you’re not a member of ACRA and would like to attend, please contact me. I’m not sure of the policy, but I’ll see what I can do.

Back to my cave--multiple deadlines today!

Blessings,

Vicki

Tags: author, characters, CREATIVE WRITING, cyberstalking, novelist, online workshops, Vicki Hinze, workshops, writer, writer's library

My Kitchen Table Posts

Here's a snippet from a few of the most recent posts from My Kitchen Table:

WHEN WRITING IS TOUGH © 2008 BY VICKI HINZE
NOTE: WHEN WRITING IS TOUGH was first written several years ago, but I’m getting an enormous number of questions (is it an odd moon phase or something?) on this...

AWAKENING THE MUSE
The longer you write, the more difficult it becomes to write something different.

It isn’t that you lack the capability, it’s that you’ve developed other...

FAILING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS
“Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavour, courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing to let...

ART V BOTTOM LINE ©2008, VICKI HINZE
Writing is an art.

The artist creates a world, peoples it, and draws readers into that world through the senses so that they might experience the story.

Writers write...

Blessings,

Vicki

Vicki Hinze

Important Note

Effective today, I will be posting my blogs on my website as follows:

Writing: Craft, Art, Business and Life: My Kitchen Table

Spirituality: Faith Zone

The "Vicki Hinze on Writing" blog will be incorporated into the MY KITCHEN TABLE blog.

The website url, should you have link challenges or desire to paste into your browser is:

http://www.vickihinze.com

Blessings,

Vicki

P.S. If you're viewing this via reader, you'll need to visit the www.vickihinze.com website to view any updates.

I apologize for any inconvenience, but I'm paddling as hard as I can, and I just can't keep up, so I'm having to consolidate where and when possible. Appreciate your understanding.

For your convenience, I will still notify you of new posts here.

Vicki Hinze
www.vickihinze.com

TAGS: Vicki Hinze, hinze blog, CREATIVE WRITING, feature article, writing craft, books, novels, readers, authors, emerald coast writers, novelists, booksellers, book reviewers, everyday woman radio, romance writers, thriller writers, suspense writers

Justice

Inside us all, there is a deep-seated need to know justice. We see injustice and it unsettles us, makes us wonder what’s wrong with the world and those in it that they can’t see the wrongs and seemingly don’t try to avoid them. We ache for others who are victims of injustice and often when others come to us and speak of it, we have a relatable tale of an experience of our own that mirrors their experience in some fashion.

Injustice is universal. Everyone has experienced it, or believes that they have experienced it at some point in time. And no one can relate the wrongness in it and all of the tentacles that came with the injustice--in ways intended and expected and in ways unintended and unexpected--and not strike a chord in others.

We rail against it. We oppose it. We might even go to extraordinary lengths to prove it and rectify it--sometimes to self-destructive levels. We aren’t idealists (though some of us might like to be) and yet there is that mighty pull in us that demands fairness and what’s right (as we see it). That pull demands justice.

And for that reason justice is a powerful tool for a writer. Universal (in that we all want it and we all have at some time gotten it or not gotten it) and therefore identifiable to the reader, significant in triggering emotional empathy and relevant to us all. Yet unique (in that we’ve all experienced justice and injustice in different ways on different things in different situations and with different results.

Justice, or the lack of it, is a rich source of conflict in characterization and specifically in motivation and goals. The struggle for or against it and the lengths some will go to for it can be the core conflict in any type novel across genres.

So when you’re crafting characters and creating plot lines, consider those mighty, universal tugs like the one we feel for justice. It, and other universal resources like it, have strong backs in storytelling and can carry a lot of weight. Characterization, conflict, plot, goals and motivations are all served well simultaneously, and that’s a story element that is working overtime.

Blessings,

Vicki

c2008, Vicki Hinze
www.vickihinze.com

Tags: character, author, writer, novelist, character traits, books, novels, writer's library, vicki hinze, justice

CAN'T FAKE MAGIC

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

A writer asked me a question yesterday that I’ve been asked many times:

“Of everything you’ve learned about writing, what is the most important thing? What’s the secret?”

My response: “The magic.”

That answer was as simple to me as a new writer as it is now--though for very different reasons.

As a new writer, I knew that a story I wasn’t wholly invested in didn’t captivate me. I liked the story, I was interested in the story, but it didn’t keep me up at night or worm its way into totally unrelated conversations on topics that had nothing to do with the story.

That made the writing more work. It required more effort and discipline and I wasn’t as eager to get to my desk or wherever I was writing to get back to it.

I won’t say it was a drag to do; writing has never been that to me. But I didn’t feel the irresistible tug to write my heart out. And when I didn’t feel it writing it, I didn’t feel it reading the book. It didn’t evoke that bubble in the gut that insists you keep going.

So I quickly learned not to write those stories. And I tore the stories up trying to figure out why they were more difficult and less fun to write than the others.

What I discovered was that while I was interested in them, the difficult stories just didn’t have the magic.

What is the magic?

The magic is that x-factor in a story that ignites and captivates the storyteller in the writer.

For me, the work lacking it was competent. The story fair enough. But writing it, I got stirred, not shaken and tumbled and all tangled up.

That’s when I set the criteria on what I would write. I share that criteria as “I won’t write a book I don’t love.” But the more practical (to other writers) explanation of that is: Don’t write a story that doesn’t totally grab the storyteller in you and shake you like a dog shakes something by the scruff until you’re breathless.

If the story doesn’t intrude on your thoughts, if you’re not eager to get to the writing to see what happens or how things actually work out (versus the way the writer in you thinks they’re going to work out), if you aren’t awakened in the middle of the night with thoughts about some element or character in the book--if you don’t feel that bubble in your gut--then the story lacks the magic. So do something to infuse it, or write something different.

Instinctively, I got the importance of this early on. Now, there isn’t an atom in my body that doesn’t know that gut-bubble is critical.

You see, there is only one aspect of creative writing that can’t be taught. It’s storytelling. You either have it or you don’t. Everything else you need to do this can be learned--structure, mechanics, grammar... But just having the gift of being a storyteller doesn’t mean you should tell every story that comes to mind. No, be more selective. The time it takes it write is your life; be very selective.

Maybe you’re not prone to intuitive reactions, or you can’t relate to gut-bubbles, so let me try to explain a little differently.

In selecting/writing stories, you know you’re on the right track when...

1. You’re shopping for food and see a jar of pickles. The first thought that comes to mind isn’t how the pickle tastes, it’s that the brine it’s in would make a wicked brew to die for--or to die from. (Right track? Absolutely. Your mind is wide open and in receive mode. That’s a very good sign.)
2.You’re getting your car repaired and while it’s up on the rack and you’re staring at its underbelly, you don’t ask the mechanic about the car or bill. You ask him how you can screw up the steering without ditching the fluid--so there’s no trace of tampering. (Um, be sure to tell the mechanic you’re a writer. Otherwise, expect a visit from your local police. [Yes, been there, done that.])
3.You’re in with your doctor having a checkup and you brush right past your condition and ask him if you were to kill someone using a specific method how long would it take them to die. Will they be lethargic--if so, how soon--or shouting? And on a pain scale of one to ten, how would he rate this method? (Be sure to tell the doc you’re a writer. Otherwise... you know what happens. And, yes, really have been there and done that, too, though I honestly thought he knew it before I started asking questions. And another tip, if you bring people like this a copy of your books, it spares you from this type of thing.)
4.You’re in the shower and the perfect--I mean, the perfect--solution to a problem with a plot element strikes you... If you have to get out, wrap in a towel and run to look for a pen, you’re probably new at writing. If you write it on the wall with a bead of shampoo or conditioner or shaving cream, then you’re learning. You know ideas flittering through your mind can be lost forever if not immediately captured. If you’ve got a pen stashed within reach, you’ve been at this a long time. And if you discover you’re out of paper and write on the shower stall wall, you’re a pro and don’t need to be reading this. :)
5.You attend a party with people you really like and you still sneak into the bathroom to write. You’re definitely on the right track.
6.Your need to know outweighs your reluctance to ask. Never been to the place your book’s set? Snag a phone book, call a stranger and ask. (Do mention you’re a writer, and do remember to thank them in your book’s acknowledgements.)
7.You’re in create-mode, one of your beloved children interrupts, and the first thing that goes through your mind is someone had better be bleeding.
8.You’re in create-mode, the phone rings, and your beloved spouse/significant other answers, takes a peek at you, and without a word tells the caller, you’re not there. You’re in la-la land. Extra points if the person phoning doesn’t require an explanation and knows what “la-la land” means.
9.You forget to eat, to run important errands, to pay taxes on the due date. Or if you so much as consider writing on your novel and fake taking notes while sitting on jury duty. (Please don’t do the jury duty thing. That you’d think about it is the “right track” sign.)
10. You’re so caught up in the work you agree to do something you’d never do if you weren’t. (Writers beware: your loved ones will catch on to this quick--and they’ll use it!)

There are tons more indicators that let a writer know s/he’s on the right track. Most of them, writers tune into instinctively. A few are learned as we go. Regardless of how you tag them, when you lump them together they translate to the work having the magic.

It fires the imagination and fuels the creativity in you, the storyteller. You feel it, are eager to express it, and few things will inhibit you from doing so.

So get selective, storytellers. Don’t settle for stirred when shaken and tumbled and tangled up is there just waiting. The difference for you is remarkable.

The difference for your reader is immeasurable.

Capture the magic, and then write.

Blessings,

Vicki

TAGS:CREATIVITY, authors, CREATIVE WRITING, psychic distance, storytelling, Vicki Hinze, writer's library, writing craft,

THE PROFESSIONAL MARRIAGE

“What should I look for in a professional relationship?”

I’m asked that question often, and my response is always that the first thing to look for is within. It is how you view the relationship.

Many will say your editor isn’t your friend. My experience says I’ve been friends with every editor with whom I’ve worked. I’ve been closer with some than with others, but friendships have formed.

Many will say your agent isn’t your friend. My experience says I’ve been friends with every agent with whom I’ve worked. Closer with some than with others, but friendships have formed.

A lot depends on both people involved, and a lot depends on the nature of the work.

In writing, we create something from nothing. If our partner shares our vision, we’re more apt to be closer. Because sharing that vision requires a meeting of the minds. This is, in my humble opinion, the number one reason to form this partnership--because you do share a vision and you believe, and the potential partner believes, that together you can make it manifest--and do so in a way that is above and beyond what either of you could do alone.

So the marriage partnership has a lot in common with marriage. You look for specific things in a professional partner just as you do in a life partner.

What are those things?

That varies person to person. But a rule of thumb on the top three in my book are:

1. Vision. You share a common vision on the work. The purpose, the reach, the projected result. You share a vision on strategy, on abilities (both individuals), on capabilities. You know what you wish to accomplish and agree on a realistic plan to accomplish it--and you agree that those goals are attainable. Together, you develop a joint vision that is compatible with personal goals, ambitions and desires. This, I believe, is singularly the most crucial of all considerations because it is the foundation upon which everything else is built.
2.You respect each other. Without respect for the other’s opinions, ideas, abilities and skills, no partnership can survive much less grow into something magnificent. If doubt or investment in the partnership exists, it undermines focus. Mutual effort is splintered and precious time and energy that could be used building momentum is wasted on worry about the absence of being totally in sync and/or focused on the goals. Respect granted and accepted means questions are asked and answered without upset. And you often extend faith in your partner and need their faith in you.
An example. I was writing a book that fell outside what was normal for me at the time. I had the utmost respect for my partner--in this case, my editor--who had expressed faith in me by agreeing to support me, tackling this project. It was an act of faith. A one-page overview--thumbnail sketch, really--was all she had to make this call. And she did.
I didn’t want to disappoint her. I wanted her to love that book as much as I did. And because she had taken that leap of faith, I wrote and doubted and wrote and doubted.
Three times during the writing, I phoned her and said, this isn’t going as planned. I love it but it’s different. Do you want to see it now? And three times she said “Quit worrying and just write the book. If you love it, I know it’ll work.”
So I worried and wrote the rest, but I did it knowing she had faith in the creator in me. That was an asset money can’t buy. I stretched the boundaries on that book in several ways, and I sent it in--and admittedly prayed she wouldn’t be disappointed, she’d love it as much as I did, and I kept sweaty palms until she read it. Thank God, she was fast. Less than two weeks later, she called all excited. She didn’t like the book, she LOVED the book.
Would I have dared to push those boundaries as far without that faith? I doubt it. That’s the value of the expression of mutual respect. (And the book did well, and won numerous awards, including a gold medal. So it did exactly what we’d hoped it would do. Whew!)
3.You communicate honestly and openly. Crucial to all relationships, but this absence in professional relationships can be destructive in ways that exceed the work and intrude on a broader scale. I’m not suggesting you raise hell or become an obnoxious diva, or that you tolerate that type misconduct from anyone else. I am saying there’s merit in frank discussion. Asbestos suits should never be required. Rhino hide might help. :) If you keep in mind that in your professional relationships both of you are after the same thing, then the odds of yours being reduced to an adversarial relationship are far less likely. There are enough challenges without deliberately creating them. Open your mind and heart and hear and listen, knowing your goals and vision are mutual goals and your joint vision.

As I sit here, I think of more and more tips from the trenches on professional relationships. But with each of them, as I break them down and really look at them, they’re all covered in one of the above three things.

To have a good partner--and the author/agent or author/editor relationship is a partnership--you must be a good partner. That’s the bottom line. It’s not complex, it’s not difficult. Just seek a person with whom you share a vision, respect them, and keep the lines of communication open and honest.

Blessings,

Vicki

Vicki Hinze

Tags: professional relationships, author/agent relationships, author/editor relations, professionalism, writers library, vicki hinze, author, novelist, writer, fiction, books

PACING

I've been getting a lot of questions focused on pacing lately, so I thought I'd share my article on it in the blog forum... It addresses the questions asked, and more. Hope it helps!

PACING
©2000-2008, Vicki Hinze

For a moment, let's pretend that the words we write on the page are sounds. If all the sounds are the same, then we have monotone. Monotone puts us to sleep, bores us to tears, turns us off--and if it goes on for any length of time--ticks us off.

We can't get emotionally involved with monotone because every single word

holds equal emphasis to every other single word. No sentence, paragraph, scene, or chapter bears more weight or is more intense than any other sentence, paragraph, scene, or chapter. The result is that the work is flat, dull, and boring. When writing it, we aren't actively engaged or enthused; we're writing on autopilot. That means when the reader reads, they're not going to be actively engaged or enthused, and they'll be reading it on autopilot. The reader can't get out of a book what the author doesn't put into the book. It's that simple. Autopilot translates to catching zzzs, snoozing.

Why? Because nothing is different. Nothing grabs us, insisting that we pay

attention and get involved. Nothing commands us, dares us to look away, or challenges us to keep reading to see what happens.

Our book is a victim of lousy pacing.

Words on a page don't create audible sounds, but they do create rhythms, and

those rhythms are active in the reader's mind. This is why the writer must learn to effectively manipulate the story's pacing--so that we writers invite and encourage and allow the reader to get emotionally involved in the story.

Every novel has a natural rhythm. A sweeping saga set in the South might be

slow and easy. But there will be times during the course of the novel that the pacing must speed up and move like the wind. Otherwise, the reader is going to become anesthetized and doze through the book. We don't want that. So let's begin at the beginning and learn how to prevent it.

First, let's talk about what pacing is.

Pacing is the rhythm of the novel, of the chapters and scenes and paragraphs

and sentences. It's also the rate at which the reader reads, the speed at which novel events occur and unfold. It's using specific word choices and sentence structure--scene, chapter, and novel structure--to tap the emotions of the reader so that the reader feels what the writer wants the reader to feel at any given time during the story.

In the movie, The American President, the female protagonist meets with a senator for dinner. It is her job to get his vote on a fuel fossil bill her employer wants passed. The senator comments that, if she's successful, she'll success herself right out of a job. She shoots back with a swift, "On election day, the voters think what I tell them to think. That's why I have a job."

In essence, that's the writer's perspective on pacing. You work the words,

the scenes, the chapters, until the reader thinks and feels what you want them to think and feel about events occurring in the novel.

Now, just as a novel's rhythm can't be monotone, neither can a chapter, nor a

scene, nor sentences within a scene. Take a look at the structure in one short paragraph:

Subject/predicate. Subject/predicate. Subject/predicate.

Reminds us a little of the drone of a jungle drum, doesn't it? No variance

in the rhythm whatsoever. How long do you think it would take a reader to hear that drone before going on autopilot? Not long. But make a slight variation:

Subject/predicate. Predicate/subject. Subject/predicate.

Now, you've got a different rhythm going. The drone disappears. The reader

might not consciously note the change of rhythm, but it won't subconsciously put him to sleep.

In manipulating the pacing, there are times when the writer wants to slow

things down or to speed them up. But when do you do which?

Let's start with slowing down the pacing.

SLOW THE PACING:

* When you want to place emphasis on something. For example, in a book I just finished, the protagonist makes her Uncle Lou's spaghetti sauce whenever she's upset. When this is introduced, I slow the pacing down by showing her actually making the sauce and by adding details. Spices, the smell of the sweet basil, that she bakes the meatballs before putting them into the sauce.

The reader senses that the protagonist making this sauce is important due to the treatment (attention) given it. The hero senses it, too. He realizes that, contrary to his belief that she's calm and unaffected by events, she needs comfort. Her Uncle Lou's sauce is her comfort food. (Knowing this--that she needs comfort—relieves and comforts the hero, helping to alleviate some of his doubts about her.)

Later in the book, when the protagonist says she's going to the kitchen, the hero intuits that she's upset and asks, "To make Uncle Lou's sauce?" When she says yes, the hero and the reader knows this is significant--a bond of trust in the admission.

And later still in the book, in keeping with the Rule of Three, the heroine and hero make Uncle Lou's sauce for a child who has been traumatized and needs comfort.

The emphasis given the act of making the sauce initially cues the reader that this event is significant. The later scenes don't require that reinforcement, only the mention, because both the characters and the reader is aware and attuned to the significance. By layering in details, you lend emphasis and significance to a novel incident. You also slow the pacing.

* After a dramatic, active scene. A reader can't sustain intense emotion indefinitely. No human being can. To feel intensely, we also have to not feel intensely. It's the old "you don't know you're on a hill unless you've trudged through the valley" phenomenon.

Likewise, if the writer keeps the suspense taut for too long at a time, then the reader gets worn out. Emotionally, her natural defense mechanisms engage and she shuts down. It's important for the writer to understand that when those defense mechanisms engage, they act like a safety shield, giving the reader a safe haven in which to recover. Hidden behind that shield, the reader no longer feels immediacy or intensity. She no longer feels anything.

Give your reader those moments of spiked intensity. But also give her a chance to catch her breath. We need hills and valleys, and you control which is which in your pacing.

* When you want to expand the emotional impact.

A good example of a time when a writer wants to expand the emotional impact is in a romance novel during a love scene. Here, the writer wants to slow the pacing down, to be generous with descriptive writing.

Another example is in extremely intense situations.

Have you ever been in a car accident? The moment arrives when you know you're about to be hit. Time slows down. Seconds seem hours long. You wait, and wait, and wait, and finally . . . impact.

Now, the moments before the actual crash are no longer or shorter than any other moment, and yet they seem to go on forever. The reason why is because you are so intently focused on waiting for the impact.

Conversely, during these intense moments, you can't think. I mention this because I'm still getting contest entries to judge where the character is in the middle of a crisis and pauses to think back to some event that occurred years ago. Human beings, just don't do that. When in crisis, the crisis consumes our thoughts. That's what we focus on. Rarely does any human being think deep thoughts in the middle of a crisis.

But we do note specific, concrete details that seem larger than life. Let’s use the car accident to illustrate. We know we can't escape being hit. During the wait, we might slam on the brakes and note the tires squealing. We might note smoke churning from them. We might smell the tires burning rubber. But we don't think about someone else's accident that occurred ten years ago.

I want to remark that I disagree with the next "slow down the pacing when" concept, and I'll deviate to explain why. But in researching for this, I did come across this recommendation by several different experts, so I'm including it.

* When you want to shift time, distance, or space.

Authors Robie Macauley and George Lanning say that writers function under "special laws of relativity" which allow them to make shifts in time and space. Writers can "condense, compress, or expand" time and space to best suit the needs of their stories. They can also use these special laws to determine what emphasis they place on specific scenes within the story, or specific incidents within the scenes.

It's said that if, in the story, a writer intends to:

1. Reveal dominate character traits
2. Heighten the dramatic impact of a scene
3. Introduce events that are pivotal (either in character or motivation)

then those scenes should be "shown" versus "told." What isn't essential to "show" the reader, the writer can incorporate into the novel in the form of lively narrative.

Narrative slows the pacing.

Now actively showing an event doesn't mean the writer should show every action in every active scene. To do so would be like using "real" conversation versus dialogue. Much of real conversation is inane and unessential to moving the plot forward, so writers edit it out. Same holds true for "every action" writing in active scenes. The writer must, through craft skills and instincts, select which actions and details are significant to the story--to establish tone, setting; plant symbolic articles--and to show them. Insignificant actions, edit out.

For every rule there is an exception, so I state no rules. But I do state this suggestion, which opposes the concept of slowing the pacing when shifting time, distance, or space: When you encounter mundane stretches of time or distance, use a transition to move past them quickly. If nothing important to the story happens during these times or travels, why show it?

Why give novel space to something that misleads the reader into thinking this information is important?

Result? The reader remembers the character driving from Point A to Point B. Nothing happened during that drive, but it must be significant or it wouldn't have been there. So the reader reads on, waiting for the significance to become apparent. But it never does. The reader thinks the writer forgot to tie up that loose thread. Or, s/he might not specifically pinpoint the reason, but feels a dissatisfaction with the book. This is why I disagree with slowing the pacing during shifts. Transition, and then move on.

There has to be a balance between narrative and active scenes in the novel.

Too much narrative and the pacing drags. Too little and the active scenes lose authority because an abundance of inconsequential details are included and the reader gets mired in them.

How much of each—narrative and active scenes—should go into the novel depends on the individual book. What balance might be right for a mystery won't be right for a saga, a romance, a thriller. Even within genre, the novel's natural rhythm and pacing must be respected. Some stories demand that they unfold at breakneck speed. Others require a slower disclosure.

The novel itself dictates.

Regardless, within the novel, it is the writer's job to vary the pacing, placing emphasis on that which is of consequence to the characters, the story, and the reader.

* Flashbacks slow down the pacing. Actually, flashbacks bring the forward momentum of the novel to a dead halt. The reason why is, we transition from the present into the past, and the present then ceases to exist until we return to it.

Flashbacks carry danger. The writer runs the risks of:

+ The flashback lasting too long
+ The flashback breaking the forward momentum of the present plot for such a time that the reader can't reconnect to it
+ The flashback’s past story becoming more interesting to the reader than the present story.

Often writers include flashbacks that do nothing to enhance or reinforce the present story. Obviously, those flashbacks are useless and should be cut during editing. Any flashback allowed to remain in the novel should fit the present story like glove to hand, adding some insight, something significant.

What are some techniques for slowing down the pacing?

Use long, flowing sentences, soft-sounding verbs, descriptions that are steeped in sensory input and rich in texture and sound. This evokes an appropriate emotional response in the reader. One of quiet, calm, serenity—great for those resting times in sequels!

Layering details, one upon the other, places emphasis on what is being described and slows down the pacing.

Long blocks of narrative or description—even those engagingly written with positively sparkling prose—slow down the pacing. Personally, I advise against long blocks of narrative. They aren't visually appealing to the reader, and they stop the forward movement of the plot.

Instead, break that long block into small chunks of two or three sentences each. Then insert those chunks at points in the story when the reader needs the information contained in the chunk in order for what is happening in the novel at that time to make sense. By the time the reader notes the forward movement has stopped (at the insert of the two-or-three-sentence chunks), she's read them and the plot is moving forward again. Not so with long, uninterrupted blocks of narrative.

SPEED UP THE PACING

* Dialogue speeds up the pacing. It gives the illusion of action, and that illusion moves the reader forward more quickly than does narrative.

* Lean writing. The lack of embellishment (adjectives, adverbs) causes the reading speed to increase, which moves the story along at a good clip.

* When writing dramatic or action-packed scenes. In dramatic situations, or intently active ones, the pacing must be brisk to help carry the right emotional impact. Here, long sentences or paragraphs won’t work. They’ll bog down the action, negate any compelling sensation from the drama you’re trying to build, and destroy compatibility between the tone conveyed and the one you intended to convey--all of which weaken the potency of the work.

What are some Techniques for speeding up the pacing?

Speed up the pacing by using short paragraphs. Spare sentences; no wasted words.

Use crisp, sharp verbs that sound hard. Think, short and punchy.

Use sentence fragments. The reader reads fragments faster. That imparts a sense of urgency the reader senses at gut-level, which evokes an emotional response—a quickening pulse, a worried gasp, a shiver.

Pacing can be manipulated and it should be--to best serve the story. If you looked at the story’s pacing on a graph, it would resemble an askew EKG. The rhythms wouldn’t be uniform. But there would be definite rhythms.

As a story progresses, the intensity should grow stronger. The obstacles become more difficult, the setbacks and consequences of the characters failure to fulfill their novel goals are harder to overcome.

This constantly growing "intensity" is why so often you’ll see books published where the early chapters are longer and more dense, and later chapters are shorter and more dramatic.

As the characters/readers move through the novel, they pitch and roll. Take two steps forward, and one back. Climb a little higher, and then stumble again. And on each successive attempt, it’s harder to climb and they meet with more resistance—inside and out (internal and external conflicts). But they keep going and, at the moment when it seems they (which has become "we" because the author has succeeded in accomplishing reader identification by using our emotions and we now feel "we" are the characters) can’t succeed—we’re body-slammed—and then the unthinkable happens. We find the key to the forgotten door that was foreshadowed earlier in the novel. We use the key, and struggle . . . and struggle . . . and, finally, we taste success.

A writer relies on skill to develop the right pacing for each individual project. But also relies on instinct. On the author’s inner ear that tests the rhythm to make sure the flow has the right sound and intuitive feel.

At times, instinct and learned skills will be at odds. Go with your instincts.

There isn’t a writing rule that hasn’t been successfully broken. The trick is in knowing them, and knowing when to break them. Knowing when to shift and speed up or slow down your novel’s pacing.*

FYI NOTE: Earlier, I mentioned Uncle Lou's spaghetti sauce in All Due Respect and the significance of it to the heroine's character and referenced "The Rule of Three." If you’re not familiar with this rule and would like to be, there’s an article on it in my website Library (www.vickihinze.com).

Tags: pacing, authors, novelists, writing craft, writers, writer's library, writer's blogs, thriller novelists, story structure, romance writer, psychic distance, novel elements, novels

Decide? Impossible!

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

I did an interview this morning and got asked a difficult question. One tries to prepare for these things, and one does prepare, but this wasn’t an ordinary question. Oh, I’ve been asked about this sort of thing, had this type of thing suggested to me and even some serious interest on the matter about my books, but I wasn’t approached then in the manner I was this morning. I thought I’d share so that you could add this one to your preparation list.

Typically when interviewed, I’m asked about my books, where my ideas originate--the usual. Depending on the interviewer, I might be asked questions about my days as a military wife, or as a writer with a family, or even as a pet owner. I’ve been asked about what kind of music I like to listen to when I write, what kind of junk food I prefer, what kind of car I think is hot--all kinds of things, depending on the interviewer’s audience.

I’ve been asked why I write the books I write, how I choose which books to write; why I don’t write more non-fiction; why I don’t write about distinguished “real” women versus imaginary ones. I’ve even been asked which is my favorite book of all I’ve written.

But this today was a first for me. “Which of your books do you want to be made into a movie, and why?”

My initial response (which thank heaven I didn’t share) was: All of them. Because they’re movies I’d like to go see.

That wouldn’t have gone over well, now would it?

Anyway, I paused a second to think on it. As I said above, I’ve had interest in some of my books going to film, but in those situations, the interested party had read the book and came to me. I didn’t have to choose. And the question struck me the same way that asking me which of mine is my favorite book only even harder because someone else would adapt what I’d done. It’d be the same only different. I was momentarily lost. Imagine someone saying, “You have three kids. Which do you love most?”

Who can answer that?

Admittedly, I’m a bit of an oddball commercial writer. Typically, commercial writers write what’s commercial. I’ve written purpose books and hoped they’d be commercial. It’s a different set of criteria. Yes, I know that the books aren’t my babies and once you choose to sell what you write, regardless of all the couching, you’ve got a product on a shelf in a store. No illusions on that, or problems with it, either.

But when you’ve written nearly thirty books, and every single one of them were written because you felt driven to write them, selecting a favorite one is just impossible.

My response: “Based on what criteria?”

Now the interviewer was at a loss. :)

I explained. My choice would be based on the nature of the film someone wanted to make.

How do you succinctly explain your personal philosophy to someone unfamiliar with your body of work without boring them to tears?

I knew what I needed. A high-concept pitch. And that led me to wondering: Is there such an animal as a “high concept” pitch for an author?

That was the question in my mind, and it’s what’s on my mind this morning.

If you want a rip-your-heart-out kind of movie, then HER PERFECT LIFE, is my choice. A returning POW finding everything had changed (husband remarried, kids calling his new wife “Mom” and being a stranger to their mother, and a WHAT NOW?” kind of movie that ripped my heart out writing it. It’s got a (to me) fabulous, happy ending. My purpose in writing it? Awareness of what serving our country can cost people--on a very real and personal level.

If you want a “I can conquer abuse” kind of movie, then it’d be ALL DUE RESPECT.
If terrorism is your focus, then any of the WAR GAMES books, or LADY JUSTICE.
If terrorism with a political angle is what you’re after, then LADY LIBERTY.
If you ever wondered what happens when one of those folks with top secret clearance mentally loses it; what happens to them, then ACTS OF HONOR is just the thing.
Maybe you’re into a Paris Hilton type with substance. Then BULLETPROOF PRINCESS.
Or you’re into time-travel, or paranormal. That’d be FESTIVAL. Toss in Life After Death, and that’d be MAYBE THIS TIME.
Ghosts or a safe haven--healing story? That’d be the Seascape novels.
Biological warfare? SHADES OF GRAY. Chemical or Nuclear warfare? DUPLICTY or ACTS OF HONOR. Terrorists striking your water supply? SHADES OF GRAY. Striking your shopping mall? DOUBLE DARE. Cloning people with high level security clearances? BODY DOUBLE.

See what I mean? It’s impossible!

So if a high-concept author pitch didn’t exist, it’s being born today. I’m creating it. Because never again do I want to be asked a question such as this and not have a ready response. I can’t choose one book. Not when every book I write is written because I consider the soul of the book relevant.

So maybe that’s my high-concept author pitch. Relevance. That’s my key point.

Course, I’ll have to elaborate a bit. Relevance, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder...

Blessings,

Vicki

Vicki Hinze
c 2008
www.vickihinze.com

DEADLINES: WHY IT'S ARROGANT TO MISS THEM

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

A few days ago, a writer bragged to me that she was always late on delivering her manuscripts. She blew that off, as if it were no big deal. That left me shaking my head. Not just at the lack of professionalism and personal integrity of the matter, but at the arrogance in it.

Arrogance?

Well, yes. What would you call it when one person not doing their job negatively impacts (read that: screws up) the schedules of everyone else in the production line?

Now there are times when authors are late and it just can’t be helped. One, a good friend, in fact, had a medical issue recently and her doctor banned her from the computer. She notified the editor, her agent, and kept them updated. As soon as she could do the work, she did, and got it in. In all, the book was a few weeks late. The difference was in the professional manner in which she handled it.

As soon as she discovered there was a problem, she informed the other parties. She didn’t wait until the due date and tell them. That early notification allowed time to schedule shift. Time wasn’t lost, no one was scrambling to get “the hole” in their schedule filled, so that when the book did come in it’d cause a time-crunch or (depending on what else was coming in) an avalanche.

Stuff happens. That’s one thing. Unavoidable at times and everyone knows it because everyone experiences it. But to consistently miss deadlines puts a lot of unnecessary (and unfair) pressure on others, and to brag about doing that is, simply put, arrogant. It’s saying that your time is more valuable than everyone else’s. And while your interest in your time might be more valuable to you, you can bet every other single person involved in the process considers their time more valuable to them.

Many authors don’t realize the challenges they create. The editor schedules reading/editing time. the copyeditor does, too. So does the line editor and the art department and marketing folks. Publicity and printers and shipping--everyone works on a schedule.

Can they shift it? Typically, yes. But that doesn’t mean it’s painless or easy or that it doesn’t create conflicts for them. Enduring those conflicts as a result of necessity is one thing. Enduring them as a result of arrogance is quite another.

Just step out of your shoes and put yourself in theirs--just for a moment. You expect a manuscript. It doesn’t come--and you have to contact the author to find out why not, and when it will come. If the author has a good excuse, you might be miffed that you weren’t notified, but you’re apt to be more understanding than if the author lacks a good excuse.

Between you and me, were I in those shoes, there wouldn’t be many good excuses. I can’t speak for editors, but if I were wearing those shoes, I’d expect compliance with the dates the author set. If something came up, as does, I’d expect to be notified immediately and be given a new projection date. That way, I could shift my schedule most effectively--and give everyone else down the production line maximum notice so that they could shift theirs.

You know, having a cavalier attitude isn’t just unprofessional, it speaks to the character of the person. When an editor buys a book, s/he isn’t just thinking one book, s/he is thinking career. And that being the case, if you were the editor and you were presented with two authors, both of which produced books that were equally good, which author would you select to work with?

Yeah, me, too.

Something to bear in mind...

And before the deluge hits--and it will--I’ll agree that editors miss deadlines now and then, too, and sometimes when they do, it puts authors in a wicked crunch. They’re human; stuff happens to them, too.

But we aren’t responsible for what others do. We are responsible--and accountable--for what we do. That’s the bottom line.

So if you’re working on deadline and you reach a point where you know you just can’t make it, give as much notice as is humanly possible--and a very good reason for the delay. Have an alternate date in mind and discuss it with your editor.

We can’t stop stuff from happening. We can do all we can to minimize the impact on others of that stuff--and we should. It’s professional. It’s giving the same courtesy we’d like to be given. It’s being accountable and responsible. We owe that to them, and to ourselves.

Blessings,

Vicki

Tags:deadlines, authors, International Thriller Writers, novelists, romance writers of america, books, emerald coast writers, NINC, writer's library, vicki hinze

EXPECTATIONS

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

A short time ago, I wrote a post on expectations. In the past few days, it seems it’s a theme for authors and others to NOT expect good things in their lives, so I’m mentioning it again--and expectations is what is on the mind as I write this.

We all know about self-fulfilled prophesy and sayings like “where the mind goes, the body follows.” But apparently too few of us are really getting the message, otherwise the prevalence of non-expectations wouldn’t be so out-of-whack--and it is!

When did we become a group or individual people who focused on what we couldn’t do, what wouldn’t happen, or why we’re ill-equipped to the point we feel incapable or unwilling to even make an effort? When did we lose our faith in us? Our spirit and determination? When did we settle for less than we’re capable of doing?

What happened to our drive to do the undoable, the improbable, the impossible?

And whatever happened to it, can we undo the damage and get back to a place where we believe not in what we can’t accomplish but in what we can accomplish? Can we be confident enough to take an interim “maybe I can; I’ll find out” step?

Yesterday, I spent the morning with two of my angels. One is four, the other 20 months. I am admittedly gaga over these two, but it isn’t just those bonds that mesmerize me. It’s watching them interact.

The oldest is confident and observant. She quickly catches on and draws conclusions. She commits. She forms opinions. She decides what she thinks. She’s also patient with the little one. Makes allowances not excuses and doesn’t permit her to run roughshod over her. That’s significant.

The younger is a little daredevil, an adventurer. And if the elder can do it, then the younger tries her best to do it, too. Things far, far beyond her capabilities. Often she fails, but it doesn’t seem to phase her. She just gets up and tries again--and sometimes she does these things that she’s considered too little to do.

I mention these things about the kids not because they’re unusual. I mention them because they aren’t. Kids don’t know how to lie, they learn it. They don’t know how to hate or innately embrace other nastiness that stems from negative input; they learn those things, too. More’s the pity. But what is most interesting, in that it’s totally germane, is that kids don’t know what they can’t do until someone tells them. So they often do things they didn’t know they couldn’t--and actually do them.

Kids are empowered by that in a way that adults are not. Maybe it’s because we try and fail. History and experience have beaten us down.

Maybe it’s the fear of failure or success or the consequences (anticipated or not) that we could or would suffer if we tried and it didn’t work out.

Or maybe we’ve just allowed ourselves to listen too much to what everyone else says can or can’t be done and we’ve stopped thinking for ourselves and giving ourselves the option to try new things. Unlikely things. Impossible things.

You know, someone somewhere considered everything impossible until someone did it.

So why shouldn’t we go for those pipe dreams? Dare to reach for the brass ring? Tackle the impossible?

Eventually, someone is going to have enough of that kid-can-do spark in them to go for it and accomplish it. So why not you--or me?

Yes, we might fail.

But so what? And guess what.

We might not.

Blessings,

Vicki

Tags: expectation, anticipation, fear, failure, success, effort, courage, bravery, writer's library, vicki hinze, author, writer, novelist, books, reading

FOCUS

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

If technology saves us time, then why are we busier than ever?

One of my writing students raised this question to me earlier today, and my first reaction was to say, “Amen! No kidding.” But my second reaction--”Yeah, why is that?” lingered and lingered. So I thought on the matter. Here are a few reasons I wholeheartedly agree:

1. Our world has expanded. Gone are the days of waiting for the mailman to bring a letter someone wrote a week or a month ago. Now it’s minutes or less via email. Last week, my computer went into the computer hospital for three days. When it returned, I had over 800 emails waiting. I don’t recall ever getting 800 letters stuffed in my mailbox after a three-day hiatus.

So while our world has expanded, and much good comes from that, more demands on us and our time come with that good.

2. Because of technological advances, we’re capable of doing things ourselves that we once had others do for us--and delays in waiting for them to get to it. For example, many do their own web work now. Their own research. Their own tax returns. Their own marketing and promotion and newsletters and mailings and maintain their own data bases and do their own . . . well, you get the picture.

There was a time when you had to know html and own complex software programs to do many of these things. And rather than spend the time and money buying the programs and learning to use them (which was a career in itself!), you paid someone else to do those things for you.

If, like me, you were prone to getting lost in research because it was so very interesting, you paid someone to do it because you couldn’t afford the time you knew you’d spend sidetracked. This was especially true when the babies were with me. They had priority and other time was scarce, so it was imperative to compress and get as much as possible done in what other time I had. If I’d done my own research then, I’d have been blessed to get a book done in year and I was on a three-books per year schedule. Sandie, my devoted and dedicated assistant, saved me from myself. :)

I’ll admit though, I miss the days of getting lost in the library, following threads. Oh, I enjoyed that time. Now, rather than routine, that’s a special treat.

3. Not only have we expanded what we do for ourselves, we’ve expanded on what we do for others. We’re aware of more and involved in more, and each of those involvements (worthy though they surely are) take time and effort and energy. A few years ago, it wasn’t uncommon to have two or three major areas where we concentrated our efforts outside of family/home and work. Now it’s common to be involved in a dozen--any of which has a major project going on seemingly all the time.

4. Because of increased exposure and broadened interests we’re finding ourselves pulled in so many different directions at once that at times we feel just overwhelmed. When that happens, often the first reaction is to pull back and do nothing. It’s like when you go to the store and there are three items to choose from, you pick one. But if there are thirty, you’re bombarded with the “which is the best one for me to get to do what I’m interested in doing?” And when that happens, you often leave the store with none because you feel the need to do more research to make the best buying decision.

That same rascal is at work in us when we’re tugged in too many directions at once, or when our focus is too slivered. No one thing gets sufficient focus to accomplish anything because our energy and effort is too diffused.

This can happen to us, but it can also happen to our works. Ideas come easily to most writers. They aren’t in short supply, but abundant, and we must sift through them to determine which we want to invest in writing.

Well, it never fails that when you’re neck-deep in one project is exactly when you’ll get a dozen great ideas for other projects. And they nag you and won’t leave you alone. In other words, they steal your focus.

That can create challenges and errors in work upon which you’re attempting to focus. You lose that honed vision. Sometimes you can get it back, sometimes you can’t. So it becomes important to have a means available to you to deal with the challenge.

One that works for me:

I have an idea file. Often ideas come in clusters. But they’re not necessarily related clusters--or if they are related, I don’t see how they’re related at the time. So I keep a file folder for “IDEAS.” When a nagging idea hits me, I create a file, tag it with a couple keywords, and drag it into the Idea Folder, then return as quickly as possible to the work in-progress.

This way, the idea is logged in and I can get it off my mind. It’s taken care of. I won’t forget it. I won’t worry about forgetting it. And my mind rests easy on the matter so I can focus intently on the current work--the one I should be focusing on.

One cool thing happens when you jot ideas down in an idea file like this. Your subconscious mind has taken the ideas in, and it will connect them and work through the logistics so that those connections are logical and rationale. And your brain does this while you’re otherwise occupied.

You might not realize it’s even happened. But you’ll be puttering along and suddenly the idea springs to mind and you realize it’s perfect for what you’re doing. And quite often, you’ll look back and see that the foundation for including it is already in place. I love it when that happens.

So the bottom line is that we do more now than we used to do because we have ways and the means to do more. We have access and interest. These are good things--assets--unless we take on so much that we drive ourselves into the ground. We really are human and we really do need downtime, too. And we need focus.

Being too busy is distracting. It wears us down and then out. So we must guard against taking on more than we should and remember that to accomplish our goals, we must focus.

Blessings,

Vicki

Tags: authors, writers, novelists, readers, writers, books, focus, creative writing, research, time management, writers' library, vicki hinze

THE STRUGGLE

Sometimes I wish I weren’t on this spiritual journey. I wish I could just react emotionally to things going on around me and not seek a deeper understanding of those events, a more compassionate and a grander scope than being a simple human being allows me.

Today is one of those days, and that wish came as the result of something that had nothing to do with me but with a broadcast on the news.

It appears that a couple was locked in a fierce and bitter custody battle for their children. The father, who suffers a bipolar disorder, wanted the kids. The mother sought a protective custody order preventing the children’s visitation with the father--not because of his disorder but because he’d been involuntary committed, had talked of attempting suicide and made threats against the wife of “hurting” her in a way that would hurt her most.

I’m paraphrasing here, but that’s the upshot. A judge denied the request, and the father was allowed visitation--not controlled or supervised visitation, just visitation--and so what happens? The father drowns the kids in the bathtub. That ends the custody dispute decisively, now doesn’t it?

The mother depended on the justice system, and it failed her.
The children depended on the justice system and the mother, and both failed her. The father, of course, failed them in the worst imaginable way.
The father . . .well, who knows what was on his mind, but something failed or he wouldn’t have committed multiple murders.

What I expect will happen now is the father will plead insanity for the children’s murders--and likely will spend the rest of his days in a mental hospital, where he might or might not belong. I say this because I have a dear friend who is bipolar and never in a million years would he harm a flea, much less someone he loves. He’d be more apt to suffer himself than to harm anyone else--and that includes simply hurting someone else’s feelings.

The father, in this case, wanted to hurt the mother in a way that hurt her most--and he has.
The mother in me is appalled at the father and with the judge. If that judge wanted to grant the dad visitation rights, fine. But for heaven’s sake require them to be supervised, controlled. It isn’t just a matter of the father’s rights. There’s an obligation to protect the children, and granting unsupervised visitation with someone known to be unstable just doesn’t make sense to me. Custody isn’t about the parents; it’s about the kids--or it was...

I imagine the mother, and my heart bleeds for her. She tried to do things legally, to follow the law and protect her kids. It didn’t, she didn’t, and I expect she’ll feel she failed them for the rest of her life. She’ll be full of self-recrimination, guilt, asking herself over and over why she hadn’t just ignored the judge and fled with her kids. She’d have been a fugitive, but her kids would be alive. On the run, but they’d be living and breathing. Considering what’s happened, how could she not feel that way? And isn’t this a wicked burden she’ll carry now? An unfair and wicked burden...

I imagine the father, and I wonder if his talk of suicide was genuine or stage setting--so that when he did what would most hurt his wife in this bitter battle, he would get a mental hospital and not the needle. I wonder if the behavior that had him involuntarily committed was genuine or if it too was part of a premeditated plan. Heaven knows there are people so twisted and evil that they would do these things--and have done them for reasons such as this. Not because they wanted the kids. Because they wanted their way. Because they wanted to win the bitter battle. Is that the case in this situation? I have no idea. But I do wonder.

Bipolar disorder is wicked. It can cause horrific complications and requires close medical monitoring. Was it a factor in this situation? I don’t know.

What I do know is that the kids are dead. That can’t be undone. The mother is devastated and desolate, no doubt inconsolable and her trust in the justice system has to be shattered. What of her faith? Is it shattered, too? If it is, then what will sustain her? How in the world will she ever survive this tragedy without faith?

And the judge. On hearing that the father killed the kids... I expect the judge will be haunted by the decision made the rest of his days. Haunted in ways we can only imagine. What of his faith? In himself, in his system, in God? What is the impact on those fronts? How will he live with what’s happened?

The father. After the fact, what is he thinking? Is he filled with remorse, regret, or feeling vindicated and justified? Is he mourning or celebrating? He won. God help him.

For all those involved, I expect it’s a time that will try their souls--and those of many others. Grandparents and parents--of the husband and wife--grandparents and aunts and uncles of the children. Those in their extended families, those involved in any way on any level, neighbors, friends, associates--rippling all the way through society to you and me.

Many react with a terse, “String him up. He killed the kids. Give him the needle and call it done.”

But when you’re a person of faith, nothing is that simple. There are other considerations--some we know about and many we don’t. Many are outside our scope of grasping and understanding.

Maybe that’s why God reserves the right to vengeance for Himself. Because only He knows every detail of every situation. Only He knows the truth that hides in a man’s heart.

There’s a part of me that wants that murdering father to pay dearly. His life ended seems too simple and easy; let him live, it says. Let him reap the full harvest of what he’s sown.

But there the part of me that says, you’re judging. That’s a cry for vengeance. And it’s not your call to make. There’s a part of me that says, the promise is the scales will be balanced. Debts owed will be paid. Tit for tat.

That part of me wonders how--for the kids. But then I remember my limited perspective, and God’s unlimited reach. I confess, I find comfort in that. I pray their mother will, too.

And whatever justice proves to be in this case, I’m glad to know that God is handling it. Because by my reaction to it, I’m not far enough along on my personal spiritual journey to decide spiritually without the human being in me exerting its opinion on the matter.

That human part of me is really struggling with this one because nothing will bring the kids back. The littlest of all are the biggest victims. And I’m human enough to confess that I can’t see a place of justice for them in this.

I’m sure it’s there. I’m sure God clearly sees it--and I have faith that He’s going to handle it.

But I have to say I’d like to see it.

And because that’s so, I guess I still have a long way to go on this path to perfection.

Blessings,

Vicki

Tags: justice, murder, custody, divorce, protection, child protection, character, spirituality, religion

HARLEQUIN'S 100,000 BOOK CHALLENGE

The Harlequin community is committed to reading 100,000 Books this year to benefit the National Center for Family Literacy.

This is an unprecedented opportunity for all of us to help fight illiteracy at the grass roots level.

If the Harlequin community achieves its goal of 100,000 books read, it will be donating the equivalent number of books to this charity--and this charity is working hard to find solutions to the literacy crisis, so we need to do our part to make sure this a success.

That Harlequin book donation is equivalent to $700,000. You know how much that kind of donation can benefit women and their families.

We all want to make a difference in the lives of others. Here’s a shot to do just that. Reading impacts lives; we know it does. So get involved. Be a part of making a difference.

register and participate. Blog about the books you read this year.

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU HAVE TO DO?

Read a book and create a book review. Do that, and you’ve added one more book to the total--and the National Center for Family Literacy is one book closer to getting those books!

We love reading--so much so that sometimes we feel we need a license to do more of it. Well, consider this your license (you’re reading for a worthy cause, a critical purpose) and go for it!

Here is the link to the challenge rules and an introduction. Please, please, use it!

Blessings,

Vicki

Vicki Hinze
www.vickihinze.com

Tags: read, books, novels, literacy, authors, writers, novelists, creative writing, competition, challenges, donation, writer's library, vicki hinze

Conflict Workshop

What follows is a handout from a workshop on CONFLICT (©2008, Vicki Hinze) from this past weekend at the Emerald Coast Writers Conference.

It’s lengthy so I’m linking to it. It’s in pdf format, so it shouldn’t be a problem for anyone, but if it is, then contact me, and I’ll get it to you in a format that works for you.

If you click on the photo above (on the www.vickihinze.com website blog), the entire article should open in your browser.

If you click on Conflict in the My Kitchen Table widget (right), you’ll get the article:

Or you can download it. The link for that is Conflict.pdf.

Blessings,

Vicki

C H A R A C T E R

What follows is a handout from a workshop on CHARACTER from this past weekend at the Emerald Coast Writers Conference.

Actually, I’m going to have to link to it. It’s 12 pages long, so there’s no way to post the entire thing here without difficulties.

It’s in pdf format, so it shouldn’t be a problem for anyone. If it is, contact me, and I’ll get it to you in a format that works for you. If you click on the widget MY KITCHEN TABLE, CHARACTER, you’ll get the article. Or you can download it. The link for that is below.

Blessings,
Vicki

Character.pdf handout

THE PITCH

Pitching your novel to an editor or agent causes many writers anxiety. Here are a few tips that will hopefully squelch that!

Remember: No matter how much an editor loves your book, s/he can’t buy what s/he can’t sell. So when you pitch...

1. Know what you’re selling and that it is a project that this editor/agent buys and markets.

2. Quickly relate the project type, status, word length. (i.e. TITLE is a complete 90,000 word thriller.) Now the editor knows where it fits on the publishing list and that it’s ready to market. (Think where would I find this book in bookstores?)

3.Create a short overview of the book, focusing on character and conflict incorporating the setting. (You’ve already set the tone by telling the type of book, but use mood words here that are consistent with novel tone. (Think very short back cover copy on a novel.)

4.Be flexible. The agent or publisher knows what sells for him/her. If revising ups your odds of selling, and you want to sell, revise.

5.Be confident, and certain you’re pitching your best!

6.Be professional. Being gracious is always an asset.

Good luck!

Blessings,

Vicki

Vicki Hinze
©2008
www.vickihinze.com

P.S. A note to my regular readers. I’m now writing three blogs. This one will focus on writing craft and life. Vicki Hinze on Writing will focus on the art of writing and creativity. Faith Zone focuses on my spiritual journey. You can find out more on this on the welcome (home), news pages and in the Reader’s Corner. Xtra Blessings to you all! Vicki

HELP! I'M BAFFLED. WHAT DOES HE MEAN?

I received a note with the subject line: HELP! I’M BAFFLED. WHAT DOES HE MEAN?

Now who can resist stopping to read a note referenced like that? So I did--stop, that is--and read the note. It was from an author who had received a rejection from an agent. In the note, he said that the villain didn’t scare him. That’s an important factor considering this is a novel targeted at the thriller market.

The author was confused by it. The villain purportedly had all the makings of a convincing villain. So the agent’s comment baffled the author, leaving her confused and floundering, trying to determine what was wrong with the villain.

I couldn’t resist. From the character sketch, two things were apparent:

1. The villain was capable of villainous acts.
2. The villain was weak and I didn’t fear him, either.

Here was the problem. He was totally evil. No redeeming quality. That makes him weak--and it diminishes suspense because we know to expect his worse and about what his capabilities are going to be.

That’s a challenge. To fear a villain, we need to be uncertain how far he’ll go--or know how far he’ll go and fear he’ll go even further. In other words, he needs to be a little unpredictable.

He also needs to be motivated. Doing what is normal and right and good TO HIM. Even if that’s twisted and crazy and totally nuts. To him, he makes perfect sense and his reason for doing what he’s doing is one we understand even though we consider it twisted.

That means it typically ties to a universal emotion. Why? Because we identify with universal emotions. This gives the villain credibility as a villain.

Lacking those qualities, the villain is weak and because he’s weak, he also diminishes the heroism and admirability of the story’s hero. If the villain were smart and strong and sharp and clever and cunning and oh-so-good at being a villain, then the hero would have to be even better to win in an adversarial match against that villain. Because the villain isn’t those things, the hero can’t be heroic. So his character is weakened, too.

A hero is only as good as his villain makes him.

Regardless of the novel type, that’s an important point to remember in crafting characters.

I try to make the villain as dastardly as I can for some emotional reason. Then I think on him until I find a way to make him worse. After I’ve made him as awful and as strong as I can, then I give him some extra perk that makes him even more terrifying to me. And seat that perk in universal emotion.

Remember, a killer killing isn’t interesting. Why a killer is killing and if he is successful at killing in the face of someone fantastic trying to stop him from killing--now that’s interesting.

Writers have a tendency to eliminate obstacles when they run into situations like this. To eliminate the obstacle or conflict when they should be doing the exact opposite--making it harder still on everyone involved. Putting the outcome in greater doubt.

This brings to mind BODY DOUBLE. In chapter 1 a woman is sealed into a tomb alive. She awakens and digs her way out, makes her way to safety, and is retrieved by an operative. That’s a pretty formidable enemy who can do that. And some would say it’s enough. But...

The operative who retrieved her informed her she hadn’t been missing for three days--as she thought. She’d been missing for three months--and she has no idea where she’s been.

Now that further complicated the matter--and it intrigued the heck out of me. Only one thing worried me. I had no idea where she’d been, or what had happened to her, or why she didn’t remember it.

I had to write the story to find out. And, boy, did I have a blast doing it!

So that’s another perk to complicating matters up, even when you think you’ve complicated yourself right into a wall. You’re creative, you’ll find a window--or make a new one. And when you do, you’ll enjoy discovering these wrinkles and intrigues as much as the reader.

And you shouldn’t get notes such as the one above on future submissions.

Blessings,

Vicki

P.S. There are two articles in the website library (www.vickihinze.com) that might be helpful on this: Villains and The Fictional Dream. You might review deepening conflict and the articles on character, too.

Birthday Wishes--and Hopes

Birthdays are special days--and at times in our lives when we’ve thought we wouldn’t have any or many more of them, we learn a new appreciation for them. Actually, it’s a new appreciation for life itself, but the day is the perfect day to acknowledge and celebrate that.

Today is mine. And I’ve made special plans, but none more so than what I’m doing right now, and that is sharing my birthday wish and hopes with you.

My birthday wish.

Wishes are special things. They speak to the desires we hold close in our hearts. And to accomplish mine, I need your help. Someone very special to me is having surgery today, and my birthday wish is that she have a successful surgery and a speedy recover