Cloud Nine Girl

[I wrote this post as a member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our worries and also offer support and encouragement to each other on the first Wednesday of every month. If you’re a writer like me and you’re looking for a bit of support, you can click the link and sign up here

Thank you to our awesome co-hosts this month: T. Powell Coltrin, Victoria Marie Lees, Stephen Tremp, Renee Scattergood, and J.H. Moncrieff!

Check out our IWSG homepage for recent news and events.  And as always, thank you to founder Alex J. Cavaugh 🙂 

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At four years old, I sat at a tiny desk in a storage room in my mother’s basement. I must have been elevated on a pile of old books so I could reach the top of the desk. It wasn’t the books or the desk that caught my eye. In front of me and on the desk sat an old black typewriter. The keys were metal and round. When I pressed them, a tiny metal foot struck paper and left behind an inked symbol.

At four years old, I couldn’t read, but I understand the idea how symbols tied together built stories.  My older brother could write stories. He could read very well too. I wanted to be like him.

This month’s question asks: “What started you on your writing journey? Was it a particular book, movie, story, or series? Was it a teacher/coach/spouse/friend/parent? Did you just ‘know’ suddenly you wanted to write?”

I think my journey started because of how long it took me to read. I also struggled to write clear sentences, later paragraphs. I think my journey to write came from my drive to read, then took off when my teachers noticed me and complimented my work. They encouraged me to continue to write my creative ideas down. They encouraged me to read my thoughts to others and submit them.

I did. I still am, or at least I’m working on that.

I chose the Laura Ingalls Wilder quote because my mother would read me her books when I was really sick. It was comforting. Wilder’s work is so vivid I couldn’t help but imagine her life back then.

Happy IWSG day. May this new year help you move closer in the direction you wish to go.

[I wrote this post as a member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our worries and also offer support and encouragement to each other on the first Wednesday of every month. If you’re a writer like me and you’re looking for a bit of support, you can click the link and sign up here]

This month’s awesome Co-Hosts feature fabulous writing friends  Tonja Drecker, Beverly Stowe McClure, Nicki Elson, Fundy Blue, and Tyrean Martinson!

Check out our IWSG homepage for recent news and events.  And as always, thank you to founder Alex J. Cavaugh 🙂 

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On some far away cloud, writing success is me, able to spend the time I need producing stories in a timely fashion from my imagined worlds. I see me, continuing to partner with my writing coach to hone my stories into polished manuscripts ready for the world. I see me, conducting more writing and editing workshops to young people who need it, much further away in the sky.

This is my cloud nine vision years down the road.  My children are still too young yet to devote the time I’d like to have, but they still see me struggling to hold on to my dreams, something I want them to always remember. 

This months question asks: “Let’s play a game. Imagine. Role-play. How would you describe your future writer self, your life and what it looks and feels like if you were living the dream? Or if you are already there, what does it look and feel like? Tell the rest of us. What would you change or improve?”

Please excuse me for my late post as the stomach bug has struck my house. 

Questions: What about you? What’s your dream? Are you doing it? Are you making plans and doing those?

The Author Toolbox Blog Hop is “a monthly blog hop on the theme of resources/learning for authors: posts related to the craft of writing, editing, querying, marketing, publishing, blogging tips for authors, reviews of author-related products, anything that an author would find helpful.” Want to jump into the writing tool box? Search #AuthorToolboxBlogHop or to join via blog, click here.

Thank you Raimey!

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Years ago, when I first started sending my work out to publishers, I heard the term, “Show Don’t Tell” so frequently I got scared. I actually swung the opposite way and focused all efforts on action writing, showing feeling through physical efforts. As my editor points out, I now over act my scenes without necessary motivation. Too much showing without motivational cues can potentially cause a disconnect between the reader and the character. It’s an absence of human thinking, and the absence of motivation behind the action creates frustration. Why is this character doing what she is doing?

My editor calls the term character internalization. She told me to study it, and how it’s necessary to use it to show motivation behind action. It made sense. We do it in life. We feel something in response to an action, which makes us act.

So here I am, diving into the ins and outs of character internalization as Author Mary Kole describes it in her outstanding book Writing Irresistible Kidlit.

Character Internalization is, “access to a character’s thoughts, feelings and reactions … it reinforces character feelings or turning points in key moments.” (page 58)

When do we add it?

• To make clear the purpose of action.
• To summarize a major scene and give it emotional purpose. The formula is much like human nature. Act. Then give us the emotion reaction.

How is this different than telling?

Telling is not describing action or conveying emotional tone. In telling, fuzzy words are used to describe what we think is a clear emotion. The truth? Everyone reacts differently to anger, or sadness, or happiness, or stone cold apathy.

Examples of telling.

• She got angry.
• She’d just met the sweetest boy ever.
• She was so happy about her grades.

Here’s the difference when you couple physical description with interiority:

Instead of she got angry, consider this:

Abigail pulled away from the wall. She couldn’t see straight, even her gaze shook with the nerves boiling up inside of her belly. Why couldn’t she go? Why couldn’t anyone ever tell her the truth to her face? She’d done everything her mom ever asked of her. Her mother promised. Her mother didn’t even have the courtesy to tell her no to her face.  

Instead of she’d just met the sweetest boy ever, consider this:

Abigail was so cold her teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. She could see her breath. She could see the snow salting through the new boy’s short black hair.

“You don’t have a coat?” He asked, and without an answer, he unzipped his jacket and lay it gently across her shoulders.

“If you won’t let me take you home,” He said softer, “then the least I can do is lend you my jacket.”

Abigail couldn’t speak, stumbling over the words she really wanted to say in her head. No boy had ever cared to help her like this before. She’d been the poor girl her whole life, with the drunk dad and the good for nothing older brother. Girls need a mother, the ladies whispered behind her back wherever she went. No, Tom was different. Tom didn’t look at her like she was trash and she didn’t belong.

Try the third one on your own:

Instead of she was so happy about her grades, what can you add to shake it up?

I’d love to hear it 🙂