A Laugh Just in Time

Yesterday I bottomed out.

I'd been trudging, trudging, trudging along in the promotion of my new novel until I could trudge no more. I sat on the couch, the birds twittering outside (actually twittering, as opposed to Twittering), as my brains leaked out the holes in my head, which tends to happen after fifteen years of knocking one's head against the wall until that final epiphany of exactly how much I, as the author, am expected to do in order to promote my book.

How much, you ask?

Everything.

Everything?

Everything.

Sound familiar? Of course it does. We authors of The Here and Now are all in the same cliched boat of earning our Ph.D.s in marketing, preferably within six months or less. (Can you hear that? It's the sound of heads knocking even harder against that brick wall.)

Then comes along a fine piece by Ellis Weiner in the New Yorker about this very predicament. It's a funny article. A hilarious spoof. A poignant ha-ha at the uproarious nature of how much fun life can be when, instead of working on your next book, you find yourself writing press releases at 3 a.m.

I especially like the part about "try to post at least one photo of you per hour doing everyday tasks around your house, such as answering comments and posting photos."

Happy marketing— I mean, writing!

Martha's Scene (Seeing) Template

Last winter I set out to find and address the chronic problems in my writing. I determined by the comments from my critique group over the years that I was not consistently seeing my scenes clearly enough, which meant neither were my readers. I set out to create a scene template that would help me make sure I addressed key elements in every scene I write. Note that I said every scene. That means no matter how many scenes are in a chapter, short story or essay, each scene gets its moment of special focus.

The readers of author Joylene Nowell Butler's website, for whom I was guest-blogging last week, asked me to post the template, which I did on Oct. 7, 2009. Here's a re-posting for anyone else who's interested.

A caveat: this template is particular to my needs and was devised from the advice of writers far greater than myself. I'd advise you to change the template to suit your needs. And as you use the template, think about how you perceive the world around you. What do you notice and why? What does the template help you see and understand?

Martha’s Scene (Seeing) Template

Summary

— What’s happening?

Basics

— Date
— Time
— Location
— Weather
— People present

Two questions

— Why is this happening?
— Why is it happening at this point in time?

Structure of scene

— Who’s the focus (main character)?
— From who’s point-of-view is the scene occurring?
— What’s the goal of the main character in the scene?
— What action (emotional exchange) takes place?
— What’s the concrete problem or conflict?
— How does that problem change the character? Does he/she meet his goal?
— What’s the underlying problem that led to this moment?
— What new problem has been created? (What makes you want to keep watching/reading)?

Desires

— What does each character want?
— Do those desires conflict? They should.
— Who has the power?

Suspense

— What’s the obstacle?
— In what position does the obstacle place characters?
— Do you sense neither will give up?
— Does the obstacle increase in size?
— Does the obstacle create suspense long-term?
— Does the obstacle create tension short-term)?
— What resolution will readers long for?
— Will readers have to wait?

Sources of tension (use at least one)

— a chilling fact
— dangerous work
— imminent deadline
— unfortunate meeting
— good guy trapped

Environment

— weather
— physical landscape
— all five senses
— placement of characters
— appearance/dress of each character

I'd like to say a special thanks to Joylene for giving me the opportunity to guest blog last week. It was great fun.

Happy writing!

Landscape as a Character

Rosetta Stones by Catherine Dix


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Landscape can be so much more than the contour and features of land. Visual scenery can not only affect the inner terrain of humans, but also shape it.

Such is the case with Catherine Dix’s young adult novel, Rosetta Stones. Against the rich backdrop of southwestern New Mexico, Dix shows us not just four teens, but kids who were born and raised in a region where the world of spirits mixes with reality and good and evil appear and disappear. First they’re sensed, then personified, then vaporized.

The conflict the teens confront, however, is physical and quantitative: a good-looking, but eerie, teen shows up at a teens-only graduation party so far outside of town that help is inaccessible. The terror he inspires, even after he disappears, forces the friends to search through the lore in which they were submersed from birth for what they now believe about the world in which they live.

You can tell Dix is from this region, given the racial and cultural overtones she weaves through the story. Dix gets extra points for not dumbing down her tale by sanitizing the language, sex and violence. And best of all, she's a very friendly writer, so if you're interested in writing young adult books, especially those in which the region plays an integral part, contact her through her website to ask her advice.

Happy writing!

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