Category: Open Book

Top 5 Gotta-Haves #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

August 15, 2022

What are 5 must-have things you keep on your desk, and how do you use them?

When it boils down, there are only two things I really need to write. A pen or pencil and paper. But that wouldn’t make for much of a blog post, so I’ll share some other things that make my desk a friendlier writing place. I haven’t settled into a new routine since we moved, and still don’t have my office set up, so I haven’t done much writing and all my answers are subject to change.

  • A beverage. The choice will vary depending upon the time of day and what mood I am in. Mornings often start with a cup of fruit tea – peach or white pear. The rest of the day, it’s cold water. Now that I’m retired, adult beverages have joined the lineup.
  • Music of some sort. Often it’s classic rock or John Denver. This evening I’m sitting on our deck, so it’s bird songs and crickets. (I’m not sure what kind of birds.)
  • A dictionary and a thesaurus. I suppose that should count as two things, but for this list, I’m going to clump them together. I have both physical copies and use what is available on the internet. I prefer my physical thesaurus over a virtual one. Wandering through the nearby listings of related words expands my choices and sends me down related paths to stumble across the perfect word.
  • A fidget spinner or something else to fiddle with. The older I get, the harder time I have concentrating for any length of time. (Or maybe it’s a symptom of the stress of the last year as I prepared to retire and move.) Having something to toy with as I try to come up with the next sentence keeps me from wandering off to some interesting distraction on the internet.
  • And my top need? It’s not a thing at all. It’s being alone. All my to-dos done, no one interrupting me, no guilt about taking time for myself. It’s a rare luxury. 

There you go. My top 5 must-haves. But other authors may have different needs. You can find out by following the links below. 

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

August 15, 2022

What are 5 must-have things you keep on your desk, and how do you use them?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Through A Child’s Eyes #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

August 8, 2022

Do you think the child you were would be impressed by the person you’ve become?

It’s been a long time since I was a kid. (Long enough ago that it was impolite to use the word ‘kid’ to describe a young human. Kids were baby goats.) In the last few weeks, I’ve moved onto a new stage in my life—I’ve retired from my day job. Still, I remember many things about how I felt as a child, and I am confident that I would be impressed by how I turned out.

I remember an instance—I think I was 8 at the time—that I tried to figure out how old I would be in the year 2000. I was in the kitchen, probably helping with the dishes after supper, when the idea struck me. Little me couldn’t figure out the math, but I knew I would be old. I might even be dead. And here I am, in 2022, like the Energizer bunny, still going.

Young me would also be impressed that I’ve published 10 books (so far), especially my mysteries. I’d already discovered my love of reading, but writing a book hadn’t entered my mind. My plan to read every book in the school library before I graduated didn’t work out, but I’m good with adding a few stories for someone else to read in another library somewhere. 

What else? That me would have been impressed that I ended up working in the tech field, something that was only science fiction back then, although I don’t remember reading science fiction. Biographies and mysteries were more my thing.

The one thing that would have impressed little me the most? The number of people I’ve met and become friends with through writing. I was an introvert—still am—and making friends was tough. It still is, but writing has helped me break through the self-created boundaries. Now I have friends all around the world. Freaks me out.

So, yes. The child I was would be impressed with the person I’ve become. I wonder how the other authors feel? You can find out by following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

August 8, 2022

Do you think the child you were would be impressed by the person you’ve become?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 

On Your Mark, Get Set #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

August 1, 2022

Do you have any tips on controlling pacing in your stories? How do you manage it?

I plead guilty. More than one reader has noted in a review that my story was slow at the start, but once they got into it, they couldn’t put it down. I’ve worked to correct that, but it’s hard to know if I’m been successful. I don’t consider myself a master of technique, but what have I done?

First, I’ve tried making my openings start with a bang. We’ve discussed that on this blog hop previously – getting the beginnings right. It’s hard to do. I’ve rewritten the beginning of my work in progress probably ten times, paring it down from 3000 words to about 250. (I’ll get back to writing the rest of the story soon!)

You’ve all heard the advice about “show, not tell.” No need for me to expand on it. Or about using dialogue when possible. There is truth in both statements, but sometimes a story will demand the rules be broken. Neither will resolve the issue of pacing; making sure the story doesn’t drag in spots.

When I think of pacing, I usually consider the overall ebb and flow. I like to give readers a “breather” after a major scene to allow them to take in what just happened. But how slow or fast an individual moment takes is what keeps the reader involved. 

Pacing isn’t only the the way the action flows. I’m not a fan of long sentences and paragraphs. Just seeing a block of text that takes up an entire page can be daunting. It’s also an indicator of slow pacing, in most instances. (Depending on genre. Non-fiction plays by different rules.) But having a lot of short, one sentence paragraphs can also make a reader lose interest. As always, the trick is finding the right balance.

I’ve also worked to improve my word choices. (See show not tell.) This is the area I need to work on the most. A lot of those changes happen in editing, as I try not to let finding the exact word I need slow down my writing flow. I also try to get rid of ‘filler’ words in my editing. (So, but, and similar words.) They will slow down the pace of a scene. 

What do the other authors have say about pacing? You can find out by following the links below. As always, please stay safe until next time.

August 1, 2022

Do you have any tips on controlling pacing in your stories? How do you manage it?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

When Is It Not Enough Or Too Much? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

July 25, 2022

How do you avoid giving readers TMI (too much information) about a character? How do you decide what to share about a story’s characters?

I am still getting moved in to our new home. Today we hung three pictures and I put away most of our souvenir mugs.

You don’t care, right? What if I told you if I told you we found the perfect place of honor for a picture that was my mother’s, an aerial view of our hometown, mounting it on the wall above her cedar chest in our new dining room? Are you a bit interested?

Now what if I told you we installed the hangers 18 inches from the ceiling and centered on a 56 inch wide blue-gray wall? Have I lost you again?

Writing is a balancing act, walking a tightrope between not enough detail and too much. The challenge is finding the pivot point. How does an author know when they’ve gone too far?

The answer changes based on genre and target audience. A home decorator will key into different details than a mathematician. Fantasy requires different details than cozy mysteries. Authors need to look at their writing thru their readers’ eyes and decide what is needed. More important questions are – do the details enhance the story? Help develop the plot? Give insight into the character? (Or too much – there may be things a reader should wait to discover.) There’s also the question if the details slow the pace of the story.

A trap that some authors fall into is repeating the same information in the story. Does the main character have brown hair and wear glasses? The reader doesn’t need to be reminded of those facts each time he or she enters the scene. In most cases, once is enough.

So, how much is too much? That’s up to the readers to decide. Do you really care that I unwrapped a mug from Yellowstone and put it in the kitchen cupboard today? And one from Daytona Beach Bike Week 1997? And from Kennedy Space Center? And – okay. I’ll stop now.

But don’t forget to check out what the other authors on this hop have to say about the fine art of not giving too much information. Just follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

July 25, 2022

How do you avoid giving readers TMI (too much information) about a character? How do you decide what to share about a story’s characters?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

A Thousand Words: Cover Wars #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

July 18, 2022

Do you create your own covers? Work with a cover artist to design them? Hand your ideas over to a professional and let them come up with a design? Buy a pre-made cover?

Before I begin, let me update you. We are in our new home on Pennsylvania but nowhere near settled. We’re working hard to get the basics in place—its nice to sleep in our bed again—but there’s lots of unpacking to do. Since I have officially retired from my day job, we can tackle it a little at a time, at least until we get tired of boxes everywhere. One of my goals once we are at basic functionality is to put together my new writing space. That room is currently not usable because it’s filled with boxes and furniture that needs reassembled, but soon I will have a real office. I’ll share pictures when I can.

Now, on to the topic—covers.

I have several artistic hobbies I enjoy, but making covers isn’t one of them. Heck, I can barely pull together a post for social media using Canva. I know enough to know that a cover is beyond my skill level.

Luckily, I have a talented sister who is trained in graphic arts and helps me. (As always, thank you, K.M.!) We’ve developed a ‘standard” process for cover designing.

We start with the blurb so she can get a ‘feel’ for the story. Then we spend time scanning photo sites for ‘the’ picture that will become the basis of the cover. I’ll send her links to several I think have potential, and she’ll use them to find one that’s better. That’s just a starting point—she will end up combining several pictures to create her final design.

Fonts are another aspect of covers I leave to her. She understands how to combine them—or not—what size they should be, and which style works with the overall theme. Things I am clueless about.

What do I do besides watch her create a masterpiece? I get final approval. Tough job, but someone has to take the responsibility!

I’d love to show you a few of the preliminary designs in contrast to the ultimate covers, but my PC  with those files is still packed away. Instead, I’ll share my top three favorites.

Three different styles of covers reflecting three very different books. I think the first one is my all-time favorite because of the intensity in the model’s face, but the last one I love because it showcases the skill of my cover artist. The middle one made the list because of its seeming simplicity, but a closer look reveals semi-hidden details that elevate it to one of my favorites.

I believe we have at least one regular on this hop that designs their own covers. It’ll be interesting to hear their take on this topic, as well as everyone else’s. Just follow the links below!

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

July 18, 2022

Do you create your own covers? Work with a cover artist to design them? Hand your ideas over to a professional and let them come up with a design? Buy a pre-made cover?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 

This Writer’s Wish List #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

July 4th, 2022

What’s on your writer’s wish list – List 5 things you have been wanting to buy or try as a writer.

My wants are simple, but I’ve accumulated too much ‘stuff’ in my life. There’s a story behind that sentence, but you’ll have to wait to hear it. Still, there are a few things I’d like to add to help me with my writing.

  1. A whiteboard. Being a pantser, I lose track of what day of the week it is in my story. Having a whiteboard to diagram it on would save me from going back and counting. (Numerous times as my story develops.) 
  2. A new chair. I’ve worn my current chair out. Even the cushion I’m sitting on isn’t comfortable anymore. That’s because I’ve used the same chair since before the pandemic. Working from home meant my butt spent a lot of hours sitting in that chair.
  3. Speaking of new, a new computer. The hard drive in this one is dying. I’ve got everything backed up (and a back-up computer) so I’m not worried about losing anything. The last time I bought myself a brand-new computer was back in the 1990s. I saved money by repurposing outdated PCs from work. I need a new printer too, but that can wait.
  4. A warmer for my morning cup of tea. My tea always gets lukewarm before I am done drinking it. Or perhaps an electric kettle to keep near my desk so I can make a fresh cup whenever I want.
  5. A software named Fictionary that is supposed to help with developmental edits. The company is partners with ProWritingAid, which I use extensively. Fictionary seems worth a try. Has anyone tested it? If you have, please share your experience.

I alluded to having too much ‘stuff’ in my life. Well, the amount has shrunk over the last few months. I officially retired from my day job, and me and my husband are moving. Yes, I am leaving the Rocky Mountains and returning to Western Pennsylvania, closer to family. Frankly, I got priced out of the market anyplace in the Mountain States.

As a result, I’ve decreased my hoard of vintage computer parts and pieces. I even (shudder) passed on books to other people. The new place will have room for me to have an actual office and plenty of spots for bookshelves to rebuild my collection.

My plans include gardening, reading, sitting in the sun, and, yes, writing. There are still stories to be told and characters to meet. Who knows how the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania will inspire me this time around?

Tell me what else I should be wishing for in the comments. And check out the other authors’ wish lists by following the links below.  Until next time, please stay safe!

July 4th

What’s on your writer’s wish list – List 5 things you have been wanting to buy or try as a writer.

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


Saying Goodbye to Friends #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

June 27, 2022

Do you miss a WIP (work in progress) when you’ve finished writing it?

That’s easy. Absolutely I do. In fact, I miss them before they are gone.

By that, I mean I find myself putting off writing the final few chapters. I know what those chapters need to accomplish, but I am reluctant to put the words on paper. It feels like saying goodbye to friends, even if I’m already plotting the next book in a series. The hours upon hours I have spent getting to know the characters—or getting to know them better—have made them not just people in a story, but my friends. A part of me will be missing when they are out of my brain and tucked into the pages of a story.

Still, I love writing the happy for now endings. No cliffhangers for me. I hate reading them so I refuse to write them.

A benefit of slowing down at the end? It gives my characters a chance to surprise me. Almost every book, as I reach the end, a new plot twist reveals itself. I think it’s my mind working overtime to put off that final scene where the story wraps up.

I have a confession to make – I have been known to go back and read my own books to reconnect with the characters. It’s like meeting up with old friends to share a meal and chat. They even manage to surprise me when a detail I forgot about reveals its importance to the story I’m currently writing.

Even the characters in books that I’ve written but never published will come back to hang out with me once in a while. Are they hoping to get me to take another look at their story? Whatever their motive, I enjoy their visits.

How about the other authors on this hop? Do they have a hard time saying goodbye to their stories? Find out by following the links below.

And, as always, please stay safe until the next time.

 

 

 

June 27, 2022

Do you miss a WIP when you’ve finished writing it?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

You Write What!? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

June 20, 2022

What assumptions do people make about you when they hear you are a writer?

I don’t have a good answer to this question, because I don’t pay much attention to it. Throughout my life, I’ve defied a lot of expectations and my writing is no exception. When I wrote poetry, no one seemed surprised—I fit the mold. Young housewife with two kids, writing poetry about nature and love—nothing out of the ordinary.

But those circumstances had changed by the time I released a book. I was in a professional role, and to outward appearances, I met the expectations of the job. The ‘correct’ clothes, the ‘correct’ attitude, the ‘correct’ game face. Then I released Wolves’ Pawn, a book featuring people shifting into wolves. Not what my coworkers or family expected. I received more than a few sideways glances and rolled eyes when certain people found out.

The reaction from my immediate team (mostly guys) was more encouraging. Gentle ribbing, but delivered with no malice and more as encouragement. How do I know? By the ones who bought copies of that and subsequent books even if they don’t plan on reading them.

I’ve met some of you at various comic cons and other events. Cons are my favorite. Everyone gets to be whoever they want to be. All assumptions are left at the door. I’m free to sell books about whatever subject I want. (And I’ve worked a mention of a few of the costumes I’ve seen into my books!)

Do people make assumptions about me? I’m willing to bet the answer is yes, but it doesn’t bother me. I’ve been around long enough to know that’s the way people work.

How do the other authors on  this hop feel about the assumptions people make? Just follow the links below to find out.

By the way, stay tuned to this space for big news—a change coming to my life!

Until then, please stay safe.

June 20, 2022

What assumptions do people make about you when they hear you are a writer?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

How Do I Do It? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

June 13, 2022

What is your process for writing? Plot, then write? Edit as you go or not until you’ve reached the end of the story? Figure out your characters first? Something else?

WARNING: Unedited content ahead

I didn’t expect much from the two smaller bedrooms, so I wasn’t disappointed by the plain, utilitarian beds. Those rooms would come to life with the right accessories, a floral bedcover in one and stripes in the other. What I wanted to see was the master bedroom. We’d torn out a wall to combine two rooms into one and make it more of a suite. That had been Jake’s idea, back before his arrest.

The first things that caught my eye were the intricately carved wooden headboard and footboard. Truthfully, there was no way not to see them. The king size bed and matching nightstands dominated the space. Two upholstered chairs graced one corner of the room and an empty bookshelf was placed nearby. Two dressers, matching the bed, lined a second wall. The room was lit by natural daylight streaming in from the large window. Once we added light brown bed coverings and curtains, it would be just what I’d imagined during construction. Perfect for Eli.

I glanced over to see Jake taking off his shoes. ‘Should we try it out?”

I wanted to, but not with Jake. I frowned.

“Not like that, Angel.” He sprinted across the room and leapt onto the bed, landing with a soft thud, barely bouncing as he hit.

It looked tempting. But I’d been cleaning most of the day and hadn’t changed my clothes. I wasn’t going to get Eli’s mattress dirty before he had a change to use it. But to placate Jake, I walked over and pushed on the bottom edge. My hand sank into the surface and stopped at the perfect depth and I imagined how it would feel if I let it support my whole body.

That scene didn’t make the cut. Harmony wouldn’t stand for it, and for good reason. She is very protective of her relationship with Eli, and she won’t stand for anything that threatens it—especially when it involves Jake, her ex-boyfriend.

My stories are very much driven by my characters. I may go in with an idea of my plot, but they are more than ready to tell me when I get it wrong. We’ve been known to have arguments about which direction the plot should go. My characters usually win. Plus, they hold surprises. There are things about Harmony, from the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, that I didn’t discover until the fifth book.

As a result, I have to edit before I reach the end of a story. I also edit as a way to get past spots when I get stuck. Of course, the two are related—getting stuck and ignoring where the characters want me to go. The time taken editing gives the story a chance to roll around in my mind and helps me find the right path.

I do have a bit of process. I write my first chapter on paper. There’s something about the ink flowing onto paper that unleashed my creativity. Even if I move to the computer keyboard once I find my ‘groove,’ putting words on paper allows me to scratch phrases and paragraphs out without feeling guilty. Plus, they are preserved in case I change my mind and decide to use them after all.

The other part of my process is that I slow down near the end of each story. I know the ending, but I don’t want to write it because I hate saying goodbye to my characters. Writing “The End” is a cause for both celebration and for mourning.

Every author has their own way of creating stories. To find out how the others on this hop do it, just follow the links below. And, as always, until next time, please stay safe.

 

June 13, 2022

What is your process for writing? Plot, then write? Edit as you go or not until you’ve reached the end of the story? Figure out your characters first? Something else?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Teetering In The Middle #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

June 6, 2022

How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader?

There are times we authors ask a lot of our readers. We ask them to believe that there’s a world out there where the sky is green, or that shifters live among us. Or maybe it’s something as simple as a jewel thief falling in love with a librarian. The readers are asked to believe that something seemingly impossible is true.

At the same time, we have to make sure the readers are comfortable enough with the characters and the story to keep turning the page. Are they expecting romance? Or suspense? They should be included.

Just this afternoon, I had a conversation with my mother about my latest release, “The Fall of Jake Hennessey” and how it makes her uncomfortable when she’s reading it and she meant it as a compliment. After all, my main character, Jake Hennessey, is not a good guy, but I’ve asked the reader to connect with him as he’s robbing a hotel safe or breaking into a mansion and rejoice with him when he succeeds. I’m not surprised that made my mother hesitant.

Writing Jake at his worst was hard, so I tried to balance his actions as a villain by including scenes where he’s shown as a decent guy. However, I left it up to the reader to decide if he’s truly doing it from the goodness of his heart or if it’s a way to manipulate the characters he’s involved with. Of course, he’s met his match In Harmony Duprie.

As usual, Harmony’s mind was a step ahead of his.

She picked up an armload of the books from her coffee table and carried them to the bookshelf. “There’s always a rational explanation for two people getting together. But not us,” she said as she returned them to their places. “Why can’t I find it?”

Harmony was slipping out of Jake’s grasp. Which meant he’d lose his chance at The Three Musketeers, the prize he’d been working for. But the longer he was around her, the more he realized she was the real prize. “Isn’t that like asking the meaning of life?” he asked.

“Why are you working in the construction business, Jake?”

The abrupt change in topic sent his mind spinning. “Because I like to eat. Why?”

“You keep going all philosophical on me, and I can’t tie the two things together. What would you do if money wasn’t an issue?”

He couldn’t tell her about the joy he got from a successful heist. “You know what I’d really like to do? Bring old houses back to life. That’s what brought me to Oak Grove.”
From The Fall of Jake Hennessey

 

I believe that it’s part of an author’s job to challenge their readers. How much is up to each of us. Finding the right balance can be tough and can change from story to story.

How do the other authors feel about challenging their readers? Follow the links below to find out. 

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

June 6, 2022

How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter