Tag: #Writing

Writing By The Seasons #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

March 18, 2924

Is there a specific time of year when your ideas flow better and you find you’re writing more? What do you think contributes to that?

We are in our third? fourth? spring/winter. The daffodils are up but not blooming; the tulips are peaking through the compost, and I’ve spotted a few wildflowers in my yard. Yesterday it was 60°F. It’s snowed off and on all day today.

I don’t know if any of that contributes to my writing output. (Which has been terrible lately, because of a lot of other circumstances.) The truth is, I’ve never related my level of inspiration to the seasons. That may be because I have spent many years living in areas that don’t conform to a ‘standard’ cycle of seasons. Like Florida with no seasons. Or Wyoming, with a 9-month long winter. I’ve learned to adapt.

What I crave is light.

Lots of it. Sunshine is almost perfect, but even artificial lighting works. I’m not one of these folks who stares at a computer screen and dims all the surrounding lights. Why do I say almost perfect for the sun? This time of year, there’s about an hour in the morning when the sun streams in my office window and right into my eyes. I can’t write without closing the curtains, which I don’t want to do. Last spring, I attempted to sit on my deck to write, but I couldn’t see my laptop’s screen. I want to try again this year, but use paper and pen.

During the summer, one factor that plays into my productivity is the book-selling events I take part in. A two-day festival within a couple of hours from home takes three or four days out of my writing schedule when including preparation and time to decompress. As a result, my overall output goes way down. There aren’t many outdoor festivals in the late fall and winter, and haven’t found a schedule of indoor events to add to my repertoire.

Photo by Casey Britton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/overexposed-photograph-of-a-window-13742248/

Photo by Casey Britton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/overexposed-photograph-of-a-window-13742248/

I’m more dependent on the time of day.

Mornings and evenings are when I can settle into my writing, no matter what the season. I get the standard mid-afternoon slump, no matter what the task at hand. I avoid taking naps, even if my energy level isn’t at its peak. My best time is at night, with the day’s tasks complete, when I can ignore the outside world.

Here’s where I remind you to check out this week’s post by the other authors on this hop. You can do that by following the links below.  And, as always, please stay safe until the next time!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

March 18, 2924

Is there a specific time of year when your ideas flow better and you find you’re writing more? What do you think contributes to that?

 

Rebel With A Cause #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

March 11, 2024

What rules of writing do you break on purpose?

You can guess the easy ones.

Ending a sentence with a preposition is out!

Never start a sentence with an ‘ing’ word.

Never use too many exclamation points!!!

Never start three or more sentences in a row with the same word.

I am careful about several of these. The ‘too many exclamation points’ is a personal grievance. I limit myself to using them in dialogue, and even then I use as few as possible. I stop and consider each one I type. When I read others’ writing, their heavy use decreases my reading enjoyment.

But there are times when a writer breaks the rules to make a point and speak in their own ‘voice.’. For example, my use of “Never” at the beginning of this piece. The built-in WordPress tools kindly reminded me I shouldn’t start three sentences in a row with the same word. I don’t know how to tell the tool-“Yes, I know. Now go away.”

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

The most frequent place I flaunt the rules is in dialogue. When writing my characters. I strive to make them sound like people in real life. The people I run into in the store or at an event. Or the ones I overheard in a restaurant. (Yes, using sentence fragments is breaking the rules.) Even then, I have to be careful. I don’t want my librarian with several college degrees to sound like she never made it past kindergarten. Real people don’t always talk the way the rules dictate, much to the dismay of teachers everywhere.

Which rules do I break on purpose?

Any of them. It depends if straying from the mandate suits the story, the character, and the plot. We also need to consider that the rules of grammar change as language changes. It’s no longer the rules to have two spaces between sentences, at least according to U.S. grammar. And think about all the words that have been introduced in languages based on new technology, let alone the rules that are being formulated to deal with texting and other forms of on-lime communication. I’m old enough to have witnessed the shift in language—social media didn’t exist when I was a young ‘un.

What rules do the other writers this hop break? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

March 11, 2024

What rules of writing do you break on purpose?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Taking A Chance On AI #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
 
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
 
The awesome co-hosts for the March 6 posting of the IWSG are Kristina Kelly, Miffie Seideman, Jean Davis, and Liza @ Middle Passages!

March 6th question: Have you “played” with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI’s impact on creative writing?

Sorry this is up late, but life happens.

Before I answer, don’t forget there different levels of AI. Technically, Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and other such editing programs can be considered to be AI. In fact, Grammarly is advertising itself as an AI tool. But now those programs are getting into the realm of rewriting sentences and suggesting different ways of stating the information presented to it.

I’ve used the grammar and spellcheck options of those programs for years. Recently, I’ve paid attention to the rewriting part of the programs. (I use ProWritingAid.) Frankly, I don’t think I’ve ever used a suggested sentence revision. They don’t have the same meaning as what I’m trying to say. So, I can’t imagine using it to write a synopsis.

Once, and only once, I played with a built-in Word Press plug-in to write a key phrase for a blog post. The results were so far off the mark that I didn’t give it a second thought and discarded it. I haven’t tried it again.

I’ve seen several blog posts from others that appear to be AI written. Lordy, they were bad. Real bad. Stiff and artificial with click-bait titles that had little to do with the content. I’d compare them to the pictures floating around the internet with free-floating hands with six fingers. But I could see them getting reads, presumably based mostly on the header.

I can’t see the future, but AI has me worried. If the market gets flooded by poor-quality writing, readers will be discouraged, and aspiring authors may get shut out of the market. And that’s not good.

Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now. Don’t forget to check out some of the others on this hop by clicking on the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Characters Going Rogue #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

March 4, 2024

How do you handle it when one of your characters starts going in a direction you hadn’t planned?

It happens to me all the time, since I am a pantser. (I don’t outline my story before I start writing it.) Characters, both major and minor, start pushing me to take the plot somewhere I didn’t expect. How do I handle it?

As is normal for most of these questions, the answer is ‘it depends.’ There are a lot of variables. Is it a minor character or a major one? Are they trying to head down a path I think holds merit, or are they wasting my time? Do I even like the character?

For example, take Evan Bluffs from the book ‘The Samurai’s Inro,’ one of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries. My original intention was for him to be a ‘throwaway’ character, a short-lived red herring. I’d written him as unlikeable, at least from the local sheriff’s point of view, but he didn’t want to stay tucked away in the corner where I’d left him. He showed up again. I foresaw two potential story lines for him. One a redemption subplot, the other making him even more unlikeable. The second option was more fun, and that’s the way I went.

The situation in Wolves’ Knight was different. I had a nice little romance plotted out for Tasha Roeper, the main character. She’d been through some rough times in a previous book, and deserved something good to happen. I even mapped out a love scene for her. It never happened.

No, Tasha got into my head and revealed I was writing her incorrectly and hooking her up with the wrong man. Then she revealed the bombshell of who the right man was. It took the story down a different path, one that strengthened it. Best part, it took only a few revisions to fix what I’d already written.

But the character that threw me for the biggest loop was Jake Hennessey.

He was originally envisioned as a throwaway character in The Marquesa’s Necklace, then showed up in Her Ladyship’s Ring and took a major role. I tried to write him out of The Baron’s Cufflinks, but he insisted on being part of the plot. I gave up in the next three books of the series, and let him have his moments.

With the series completed, I was ready to move on to a new project. That’s when Jake revealed his true goal. He wanted his own book. I ended up writing two — the Fall of Jake Hennessey and The Rise of Jake Hennessey. They provide ‘bookends’ to the mystery series, although they are more crime/suspense.

I should give tribute to the picture that gave Jake his personality. I found it on Pixabay, and it was provided by Ambroo (Zafer) . The results of a Tin Eye search show it’s been used many times. I believe my graphic artist figured out who the model is, but I can’t locate the information.

Image by Zafer from Pixabay

Everyone who writes stories has to develop a method for keeping their characters in line. My method is listening to what they want to say and figuring out how to incorporate it into the story. How about the other authors in this hop? Check out the links below to find out. 

This question came up in the middle of the night, and I’m hoping someone cam answer it. For those of you who write non-fiction, does the narrative ever get away from you? Take you someplace that you didn’t expect?

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

March 4, 2024

How do you handle it when one of your characters starts going in a direction you hadn’t planned?

Please Don’ts For A Writer’s Website #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
 
The awesome co-hosts for the February 7 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, SE White, Victoria Marie Lees, and Cathrina Constantine!

February 7 question: What turns you off when visiting an author’s website/blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author’s books? Constant mention of books?

Remember MySpace?

When every page was bright, flashy, twinkling fluorescent colors that sparkled and hurt your eyes? Please, don’t do that to my poor old aged eyes. Or post anything that is seizure-inducing. (Confession time – I never had a MySpace page.)
 
Other than that, I’m pretty easy. Well, I have one complaint. Don’t throw a huge ‘sign up for my newsletter’ block up before I’ve had a chance to even view your information. I’m not saying don’t have one. Maybe have it in a sidebar or somewhere else. Because if you place it on the front page, I’m going to close it without even reading the message. I may even skip checking out your site. (But probably not. I’m too stubborn for that.)
 
Yes, I know this goes against all the marketing advice out there. Oh, well! Chances are, I’ve come to your website looking for something in particular, and the demand for a newsletter signup annoys me. But I’ve often said, I’m not your standard consumer and all ads turn me off. That’s one reason I stopped watching TV.
 
One more thing. Please make your menu easy to navigate. I may be stubborn, but sometimes I’m lazy.
 

Having said all that. I’ve got to go back and check my website.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a major update. But I promise you, no flashing font!
 
If you haven’t done it yet, please check out some of the other authors on this hop. (See the many links below.) And, as always, please stay safe until the next time.
 
 

The Ancient Crystal Ball Foresees: #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Jan 8, 2024

Do you have any predictions as to what will change in writing/in the world in general in the new year?

I’m worried. I’ve read too many forum posts about writers considering giving up because of non-existent sales and generally feeling discouraged. What a shame that would be, the possibility of losing talented voices.

I suspect many of us got into writing due to the revolution that came with technology allowing writers to publish independently. As we face the impact that another switch in technology — AI (artificial intelligence) — is causing, there is fear that it will drive out many who are barely hanging on. Now, we are not only competing with other humans; we have to compete with computers.

Remember the Simon and Garfunkel song, The Sound of Silence? The line “writing songs that voices never share” applies to stories as well. I don’t believe we’re there yet. But I hate to see any voices silenced

.

My prediction? We will lose some talented people to other fields. Maybe authors I’ve never read, perhaps some who can no longer support themselves with the written word. Or maybe those that have tried their best with no luck. (And I sincerely believe that some of what we term success is gained through sheer luck.) Hopefully, they won’t leave in large enough numbers to diminish the impact that indie writers make.

On the other hand, I predict the writing community will find a means to make AI work for us in the way of new tools to strengthen our story-telling without losing our song. Spell and grammar checking come to mind, although they can’t replace a human editor.

What else? I worry about the impact that covid is making on the creative community. I know several authors who took a long time to return to their previous levels of writing after having Covid. I’m assuming that other creatives are experiencing the same thing. That doesn’t even include those we lost and still lose to the disease. I don’t have a prediction for this one, just hopefulness that science and medicine will get a better handle on treating it.

I predict I will finally release the first book of the Edwards Investigations series in 2024. I don’t have a date set, because I know that editing will take me longer than normal. The story deserves as much care as I can give it.

What are the other authors on this hop seeing in their crystal balls? Find out by following the links below. And, as always, please stay safe until next time.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


 Jan 8, 2024

Top Five Writing Events 2023 #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Dec 11, 2023

Tell us the top five best things that have happened to you in the past year. (Focus on writing, but other things are allowed!)

1. The release of The Rise of Jack Hennessey.
This story was a passion project. Although the Harmony Duprie Mysteries officially ended with The Ranger’s Dog Tags, I knew in my heart that the story wasn’t over. Harmony, Eli, and Jake couldn’t just fade into the sunset. There was more to the overall story, and it could only be told through the eyes of Jake.

For 22 years, semi-retired jewel thief Jake Hennessey honored his promise to stay away from Harmony Duprie. He has no plans to change that… until Special Agent Doan Houck saunters into Jake’s bar, claiming Harmony’s life is in danger.

2. Finishing the first draft of Book One of The Edwards Agency (the new version).
Or maybe The Edwards Investigations, Book One, The Rimer File. (Is that too long?) I’m still determining the title. This book has been in the works for over a decade. The first story was written as part of a NaNoWriMo project and has been reworked several times. But I knew it wasn’t ‘right.’ I took the story in a different direction, so the current draft is more of an homage to the first attempt than a revision. The ending still doesn’t have the ‘punch’ it needs, but I keep reworking it in my head and it’s getting there.

It started as a romance and has turned in a noir female PI tale set in Pittsburgh PA in the mid-1980s. My graphic artist says it’s so noir it’s black.

3. The many local events I took part in.
I didn’t sell huge numbers at any one event, but the cumulative numbers are satisfying. I know which ones I want to repeat and the new ones I want to try next year. As always, the best part of selling at events in the amazing people I meet.

4. Hitting the top #100
I hit the top #100 in three minor categories on Amazon with The Fall of Jake Hennessey on April 30. The book made it up to #11 in Heist Crime, #14 in Heist Thrillers, and #39 in Crime Action & Adventure. It didn’t stay there, but it made my day.

5. A non-writing related one
Now that I’m back in western Pennsylvania, I’m reconnecting with my siblings. Oh, we kept in contact through social media, but I didn’t realize how much I missed being able to sit and talk with them face-to-face. Heck, I’m close enough to be able to drop in for a chat without having to drive cross-country!

And there they are – my top five best things for the year. What good things have been part of your life this past year? And check out the other authors by following the links.

Until next time, please stay safe!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

My Introduction to Epic Fantasy #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Oct 23, 2023

What is a book you admire for something specific: world building, characters, dialogue, setting, plot twists, etc.

As a kid, I read a book a day. I slowed down in high school, but still read lots of books. But a ‘breakthrough’ read for me was The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which one of my brothers brought home from college and left behind. (I’ve mentioned this in an earlier blog, but I still have those books. They’ve put on more miles moving back and forth across the US than some people I know.) They were my introduction to epic high fantasy and fantasy in general. What a great place to start!

I’d always been intrigued by tales about King Arthur, but the adventures of the hobbits and their companions were a far different type of storytelling. The idea that it extended over multiple books was new to me.

Sure, I’d read series like Nancy Drew, but each of those was a self-contained tale and had little in the way of an overall story arc. The four hobbit books opened up a new twist in writing. But I don’t remember feeling that there were artificial cliffhangers at the end of each book. Of course, I did binge-read them and didn’t have to wait for the next book to be released. I’m not that old. (No, I don’t like cliffhangers at the end of books, and I won’t write them, either.)

I didn’t immediately delve into additional books in the fantasy genre, but I haven’t avoided them either. There may be a slight preference for women authors, but it isn’t a determining factor for the books I read. But few of them compare to the magnificence of The Lord of the Rings.

I’m looking forward to learning what books have influenced the other authors on this loop., To join me on the journey, follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Oct 23, 2023

What is a book you admire for something specific: world building, characters, dialogue, setting, plot twists, etc.

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.

 

 

AI – Assistance or Threat? #IWSG

  By IWSG

 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The awesome co-hosts for the October 4 posting of the IWSG are Natalie Aguirre, Kim Lajevardi, Debs Carey, Gwen Gardner, Patricia Josephine, and Rebecca Douglass!

October 4 question: The topic of AI writing has been heavily debated across the world. According to various sources, generative AI will assist writers, not replace them. What are your thoughts?

A while back, I talked about AI in a blog post. While I don’t use it in a major way, I do use a computer program for spell and grammar checking. Although the program I use (ProWritingAid) also offers potential fixes for problematic sentence structure, that feature feels inadequate, and I mostly ignore it. 

I haven’t used any AI program to ‘write.’ I’ve run into what I suspect are AI generated blog posts, and found them lacking in their content and writing style. But would an average reader feel the same way?

My worry is that until better tools are created to identify what is computer generated vs. what a human has written, AI content will be a threat. There are already bogus books on Amazon that Amazon hasn’t figured out how to detect. (But Amazon has always had a problem with ‘fake’ books.) If readers get bitten by additional sham books and dodgy writing, the whole writing community will be suspect. That could be a major problem for indie authors.

It feels as if we are in for a rough transition. I hate to see authors losing income to people who are churning out content with little or no effort on their part. But AI tools can also be beneficial if used properly.

Check out some of the other writers on this hop my following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

 

Who Believed in Me? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Oct 2, 2023

Who was the first person who ever believed in you?

I grew up in the shadow of my genius older sister. She was a year ahead of me in school, and I ended up with many of the same teachers. Comparisons were inevitable. Although I was a good student, I was a different person. My mother saved many of my report cards, and many say the same thing. “P.J. does not live up to her potential.”

The truth is, I was an odd mix of personalities. Part bookworm, part outdoorsman, part creative, part scientist. It wasn’t until I was middle-aged that I was I realized I was a computer geek. (Personal computers didn’t exist when I was a child. Does that mean I was born too soon?)

Back to the original train of thought. Once I got to high school, I had to prove myself to a whole new batch of teachers. Even though many of them had taught my sister, and a few of them my older brothers, they seemed more willing to view me as an individual. I flourished in that atmosphere.

I still disappointed my teachers. They thought that with my grades and the classes I took, I should aim for a career in one of the sciences. Physics, to be precise. But I had no desire to pursue that field. Of course, the world of computers still existed on only punch cards, and no one ever suggested that might be a potential career to pursue.

But several of the teachers took an interest in helping me find myself. I should mention this was a Catholic school, with both priests and nuns on the faculty. Unlike the stereotypes, the nuns were kind and caring. Several of them took me under their wings. The two most notable were Sister Lois Marie and Sister Mary Andrew. Sister Lois guided my love of the English language, and Sister Mary Andrew shepherded me through my math courses. Both nurtured my love of learning and went beyond their job duties to guide my personal growth.

I think they would have been surprised at how things turned out for me. Retired as a computer server administrator (computer geek) with nearly a dozen published books (indie author). They would have approved at the mix of my creative and my mathematical sides, working in a field that didn’t exist when they knew me, and publishing books in a way that also didn’t exist back then.

In my WIP, I’m writing a scene that may be a tribute to them. Well, not exactly them, but to the love and kindness they showed me and many others. Thanks, Sisters!

Who believed in our other authors? Follow the links below to find out.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Oct 2, 2023

Who was the first person who ever believed in you?

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.