Traveling by desk

Isn't it great how writers get to go places we've never been? And, we do it by never leaving our desk!

Last year I was working on a story that involved a pilot. Naturally, in a story like that there will be travel. I got to research Greece, Italy, France, and I didn't realize before I started this story I would need to know a bit about planes.

It wasn't the easiest of stories I could have attempted. I don't fly. I'm not saying I've never flown, I did over 20 years ago, but with the stories I hear of what people deal with at airlines, I'm not going to buy a ticket without just cause. So, I had a lot of research to do.

My favorite part of the hours and hours of research came when I decided my characters were flying to Skiathos, Greece. It took no time and I started planning a trip, a real trip. I had to go to that place. The pictures of the beaches were breathtaking.

So, naturally, I start thinking about what it's like to actually stand on one of the beaches. The sun would burn my pale skin. The sand would get in my shoes, which would be irritating, so I would decide to take them off. Shells would be rough on the underside of my tender feet. As much as I may like my hotel room, I'm in Skiathos, I can't go back to my room and read. I would walk everywhere, so I would be exhausted and aching. I would stay right there on the beach as long as I could. With the sand and the sun, I'd quickly feel the effects of the environment--my body burned, tired, aching, thirsty, probably hungry too. How fun is that?

Now my writer brain realizes one thing. It is just like when you were a kid in a store. You see the shiny object on the shelf, and automatically reach to touch it. As you do, Mom is right there. Pop! Don't touch! This isn't acceptable. You are growing up, you know not to break it, so you wait, and wait. The moment of truth, you reach out, pick it up, and...  You find it isn't as great as you thought for any odd kid reason.

In our research we get that moment of expectation, the moment of 'what if'', the possibilities are endless. Our minds show us the best of what it can be. Our minds(at least mine does) really have to work on showing us the negative side of any given subject.

There may be a point in time when I don't want to write, but I don't see it. But I know one thing, I wanna travel. And the best way to do that is right here at my desk!

Online Classes

When I first started writing, I did it on the sofa in my living room. I could see in my writing I wasn't as good as the writers I read in the novels I got from the library. So, I decided to take a writing class. It took me years before I finally took one. I had every excuse in the book. I worked nights, I had scheduling conflicts, money, etc...

Fast forward a decade, and I finally took a class. Yes, it was an online class. The fact that I had a made up name, and no one knew who I was helped me get past my fears. I could submit my writing and get tons of real feedback. People were free to say anything. I was able to ask questions.
To date I have taken over 50 classes online. No, not all were writing classes, but once you take one, you get a feel for how easy it is to learn what you want to learn at your leisure.

So, you may ask, 'Did it help your writing?' My answer is a definite yes. I now know and understand POV, conflict, motivation, stimulus and response, etc...  You may also ask, 'Did it help you get published?' Well, I can't answer that because I am still unpublished. It isn't that I don't have the knowledge, but my lack of pushing myself. If I look hard enough, I'm sure I can find a class on that too.

I admit, I may have a problem now with being addicted to online classes. I love learning. I don't care about a certificate, I enjoy having the knowledge of something I didn't before.

The point of this blog, is to let you know if you need to learn something, it is at the tip of your fingertips. Just reach out and google. I promise, you will find the knowledge and a teacher willing to teach you. And yes, I have even found numerous classes and workshops that are FREE.

http://universalclass.com/

http://www.ed2go.com/

http://dailyom.com/

http://www.savvyauthors.com


Check them out and enjoy learning.
Keep the faith.

My WIP

Hello Everyone,
Several years ago I took a class by Lori Wilde called Romance Writing Secrets. I had always been a wannabe writer, but this was really what I needed. I didn't understand how to plot, or how to create believable characters, or POV.

The story I am working on now was started way back then.  I set it aside for several years when my doubts and fears took over. Now I am in the process of getting that out of my life and living and creating my life how I want it.

Now that I am back and working with my original unfinished story, I find the story is different. I have learned a bit about goals, conflict, and motivation. After thinking about it, and then taking time to get to know my characters a bit more, I find my plot goes in a different direction  because they react according to their background and beliefs.

I took time to outline my story, and the rewrite starts at chapter 4. I'll keep you updated about my WIP. If you enjoy Werewolf stories, stay tuned.


Keep the Faith

POV

Several years ago when I first began to take writing classes, I began to get comments from the teacher that I was switching POV. POV? It stands for Point Of View. At the time, I had no idea what those three letters meant. Several classes later, I finally figured it out. Or, at least I thought I did.

            I was jumping around with no thought to how my words appeared to a reader. It isn’t something easy, nor is it something I can teach in one small blog. I read a book last week, not a book someone epublished themselves, but one from a top publisher, that clearly went through editing. In the middle of the book, I got confused. I turned back a page, and reread. Was my mind on my laundry? Did my mind slip away and think of work when I was trying to escape to the Far East? As I reread the passage, I found the writer switched POV mid-paragraph.

            When I was trying to learn what POV was, I thought about all the time, I struggled to understand the different POVs. It did make me feel better about my own writing that a well established author made the mistake, but it also let me know that I can easily make a slip.

            How can a beginning writer learn to write in one characters POV? How I do it seems to work for me, and I will pass that along to you.

            Picture being in that person’s mind. In their body. What do they hear? What do they see? What do their senses tell you? What are their thoughts, and why? If you use their thoughts to add description, use the description they think of. You have to imagine being that person completely.

            A few examples may help. If you are writing in your hero’s POV and he sees the heroine for the first time, he may notice her wavy blonde hair, her dark blue eyes, and curvy figure. However, if it is his sister that walks in, he wouldn’t think of her hair, eyes, or her figure. He may show irritation because she laughed when he dropped the football, or he may wonder why she chooses to wear the same pink shirt every weekend.

            So if you take the time to think of that one person’s view, and how that person perceives the world, you can stick to one characters view.

Remember to enjoy writing, and Keep the Faith.

In the Beginning

Feel free to stick around and read my blogs. I know there isn’t much to read now, but in time, there will be.

A little about me—I am an aspiring writer. I am learning and practicing the craft of storytelling. I haven’t finished a novel yet, but I am close. I have three novels that I have started, and I will work daily to complete them. Two of the stories I know the beginning, middle and end, it is just the editing and making sure each scene is written for the best impact.

So, the purpose of this blog is to show my journey to being a published author. I will talk about the various writing classes I am taking and the lessons I am learning.

Everyone is welcome to tag along, whether you are also a writer, a reader, or just wanna be a part of the journey.

Keeping the Faith.