Author: Lisa

What’s Your Book About?

/ Lisa / 4 Comments

I’m dreading that question. Because the way I want to answer it is to start listing a blow-by-blow account of everything that happens. And the action, the plot points, aren’t what the book is about. So if it’s not, how would I answer that question? This confusion took me back to one of my favorite books on writing, Between the Lines by Jessica Page Morrell. I ended up reading about theme and premise, and here are some quotes from the book.

‘Theme is not the message of your story, nor is theme a moral as stated in Aesop’s Fables. Instead, it is the central concern of the story and it gives the story a focus.’

‘Theme is not the same thing as the story’s subject.’

‘Imagine theme as an invisible thread that links the disparate elements of a story together.’

‘Theme can evolve organically as it emerges from the character’s actions, or it can be the basis from which you write.’ (Jessica had a lot more to say about this subject, including the pros and cons of both ways. For me, theme evolves organically without me being aware of it. In other words, I finish the story and say, ‘Theme? What theme?’)

‘Premise is linked most specifically to the story’s conclusion.’

Premise is defined as a truth, or conclusion, usually but not always about human nature that is proven by the story’s events and ending. It often reflects the protagonist’s journey of understanding and ramifications of the character’s actions. Most often it can be summed up in a simple statement such as ‘true love never dies’.

‘Premise is sometimes confused with story concept which is basically a one or two-line summary.’

‘Premise also connects the character arc because at least one character must be changed by what the premise proves.’

‘The premise and the ending of the conflict must always reinforce each other.’

So with all that floating in my tea-soaked brain, what is the theme of  The Memory Keeper? What’s it about? Well, the emotional bonds of family I guess.

And what’s the premise? Well, that family is not just those of blood relationships, history impacts the present, and the bonds that bind can also free.

Honestly, that premise stinks. The theme is okay, but I have to put some more thought into this before someone asks me the dreaded question. How would you answer that about your stories?

The photo below is the view from my desk at work, just for your enjoyment.

The Mystery Woman

/ Lisa / 2 Comments

Some writers develop the character first, and once fully formed, the story arrives to surround them. Some writers are the opposite, getting that story idea first, and then populating it with life. And of course some writers create with a combination.

Those sentences are nothing new to anyone who’s been writing a while. And I’m not here to say you have to develop characters a certain way. I just want to pause a moment and think about this because for the past two years I have been haunted by a character.

My normal process comes from the ‘what if’ question. I see or hear something, or have some random thought from outer space, and immediately think, ‘well, but what if…’ and away I go. Usually I know the very last line of the story before anything else, and then figure out how to write my way there. The characters come along after the ‘what if’ light bulb flashes.

After radiation treatments a couple of years ago, my writing process changed dramatically. And one of those changes involved my brain being introduced to a fully formed character. I can picture her, hear her, know all her motivations, how she will react. And yet for two years I have not found a story for her to populate. Over the months I have pondered her internal wounds and jotted down her back story. I’ve tried to write a story for her and have many beginnings that have ended.

In the meantime I have been finding my way back to writing, and have finally started a sequel to ‘The Memory Keeper’. And guess who showed up in the story? She’s a secondary character, the plot won’t revolve around her, she’ll be a path to friendship for the main character, and this time, it feels right and the words are flowing.

This character has stubbornly hovered out of reach, waiting for the story she belongs in. I now see that this one I have started will be her stepping into life, staying in the background, and working her way slowly toward a story of her own. This is one character who was smarter than me.

I love the mystery of writing.

Speaking of  mysteries, take a look at this photo of an old railroad bridge (now foot bridge) over Icicle Creek. Don’t you want to cross into the wilderness? Don’t you want to see who that is at the end and why they’re standing there, and where they’re going, and if they’ll let you pass? Talk about the ‘what if’ question.

Kaylan Doyle Interview, Part 2

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Continuing with author Kaylan Doyle, the first question in particular I found interesting as Kaylan and I had totally different reactions to Margie Lawson. I blogged about her courses here before. Now, listening to Kaylan, I wonder if Margie is a person who presents better in person compared to the written, online courses. Anyway, Kaylan has a lot of interesting things to say here.

Lisa:  Your pacing is fast, the story moves quickly – beginning to end – and still adds a lot of rich detail. How do you manage to keep up the speed, keep the reader in the moment, keep the pages turning?

Kaylan:  My biggest struggle is with pacing. Several years ago an agent remarked that she loved my manuscript, but it read like a slow-moving promenade. Definitely not good. She also said if I revised, she’d love to read it again. Panic struck! I had no clue – either how to identify my problems or how to fix them. I found a local two-day workshop taught by Margie Lawson. I learned so much that I went on to complete her lecture packets and attended her Master Immersion workshop. The tools Margie taught me took my writing to the desired level. She’s the best, in my humble opinion! J

For ‘descriptions + speed’, I search for dual-purpose adjectives. These not only identify and describe an object, but also limit the number of words. An example would be something like ‘the cut-crystal ceiling’. In four words, I have a mental picture of looking up through a clear faceted sparkling ceiling at the sky overhead. It’s a little added work, but I believe the results are well worth it.

Lisa:  What do you do to identify pacing problems? And what are the fixes?

Kaylan  In my first edit phase, I do a ‘search’ (and destroy) on key words – finding and replacing passive words with powerful ones. They are: not, had, was, that, would, could, which.

This is my short list and I weed these mercilessly. My rewritten/reordered sentences are always more powerful than the original. I also apply a secondary list of ‘weak or overused words’ to make sure each sentence is as full and rich as possible.

Lisa:  Can you share that second list and explain what you mean by weak or overused?

Kaylan:  Sure! J They are: it, they, them, were, some, really, turn, stood reached, lifted, picked up, bent, might, very, feel, sometimes, even, indeed, maybe, look, smile, said. The second part of this includes a search for words ending in *ing* or *ly*. These often prove to be adverbs which almost always weaken the sentence rather than amplifying it.

In the overused/weak category, these are the comfortable words. Take smile, for example. If you search your manuscript for it – you may find several usages in the same chapter. Okay, maybe on the same page. J The challenge is to avoid substituting a synonym like ‘grin’ and continuing on. How many times does your character ‘look’? Instead – using non-verbal body language – we can paint a mental picture of the character’s actions in our reader’s mind.

Lisa:  In your novels, do you always have a strong female protagonist? If so why, and do you have those     you use as models?

Kaylan:  The women in my family, my friends, and women I admire all have steel spines. Whatever the task or challenge, no matter how difficult, I’ve seen them take a deep breath, gather their internal resolve, and make it happen. Or accept and cope with dignity. My female protagonists, modeled on women I know, are a composite of traits. But the single common denominator they all share is core strength. Based on adverse circumstances (for which I am responsible … J), my women may question themselves, or appear weak. Forced to dig deep within, they always find untapped reservoirs of strength and purpose to save others or themselves.

Lisa:  There is a comedic twist, dry humor although the subject matter is often dark, bloody. Do you draw on people you know or where do you find it?

Kaylan:  You know those people who always seem to laugh (or find humor) in those inappropriate situations? Like when someone takes a tumble, and they could be injured, but the fall was so incredibly funny that your head almost explodes from trying NOT to laugh? That would be me. I have always seen the ‘black’ or ‘gallows’ humor and I just let it out to play in my characters.

On a serious side, people often use humor to lighten terrible subjects, to stave-off fear, or to distract others from uncomfortable or dangerous situations. Just another way, I believe, that we deal with the horrible when we have to. Because we do this in our everyday lives, I love developing my characters’ senses of humor – no boundaries, no hurt feelings (well, except for another character). J

Lisa: Have to admit, in my own writing, the things that make me laugh out loud are usually rather black! I love Kaylan’s word search. I do the same thing, and my favorite word, used way too much, and cut ruthlessly is ‘that’. I rarely find a sentence that isn’t stronger without it. Except maybe the one I just wrote.

Thanks so much to Kaylan for taking the time to do this interview. Words of wisdom, shared with humor. Doesn’t get better than that.