Obstacles

Self-censorship comes in all manner of shapes and sizes. Two weeks ago, I described one form in Censorship. Here's another you might want to watch out for.

My scenes usually start with dialog. I can hear the words that the characters are saying, but dialog isn't everything. When I start worrying about the other necessary parts of the scene, I slow down. My ears lose their focus on the matter at hand. I start thinking about how to write the words smoothly with no cliches. Stage direction, body language, and description become obstacles to the free flow of what I can see at the moment. The truth is, when I don't stop to think and let description flow naturally, others notice it and praise it as poetic prose.

So, what stops you in your tracks, slows down your words? Do you have a usual obstacle to your first words? How do you go back and capture the fire of the scene, that kernel that caught your attention at the beginning?

The Importance of Frustration

How frustrating can writing be? Enough to make you quit? Sometimes. But according to Jonah Lehrer, frustration is what makes creativity work. Think about it. How many times have you been told that it's the hard work that makes the job valuable?

In "The Talent Myth" Barbara Baig (The Writer April 2012) says it in a slightly different way. Baig says that talent really is the result of deliberate practice, not a gift. Without hard work, the constant reaching for objectives just out of reach, we can't become better. Writing well requires a constant striving for improved craft skills and not accepting "good enough."

But do we really want to be frustrated? Looking back to Lehrer, I think we have to accept the frustration to get to our goals. His equation is:

                                          problem = frustration=creative breakthrough

So, we should be thrilled when we're frustrated with the problems we face--when the book's plot sticks, a character refuses to behave, or a sentence baulks. Frustration is good for us. Really! ; ) Don't believe me? Check out the following video illustrating Lehrer's point.



What do you do when you're frustrated--give up or buckle down? Here's to persistence and deliberate practice!

Censorship

(While I'm not attempting the A to Z challenge, I'll try to match the letters when I post, so C is for censorship.)

No. I'm not talking about the perennial battles over books like Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, I'm talking about self-censorship.

In my attempt to be either fish or fowl, I've become neither, and have stopped the free flow of words. My current work in progress is women's fiction and my main character and many of the other characters are Christian. While implementing new ministry for foster children at their church, they run headlong into the carnage of abuse.

The two main book markets are the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA). In the ABA, voiced prayers and church references, even when they flow from my characters' cores, might not be saleable. While in the CBA, most publishers will not accept swearwords and no graphic violence or abuse--physical or sexual. And yet, that's at the core my main storyline.

I've decided that instead of limiting myself to either mindset, I'm going to let it all out--prayers and curses--and stop censoring myself before I start.

Okay, words, come on in. ; )

There's lots of other ways to self-censor yourself, but I'll save those for other posts.

History of the English Language...In Ten Minutes

I love language. I think all writers do. And I can just imagine the use English teachers can make of this. My sister, the English teacher, said it made her want to be back in the classroom for about two minutes.

And no, I'm not kidding. The following video does exactly that--it gives the history of the English language in an easy to understand, humorous fashion--and all in about ten minutes.

So, without any further ado, enjoy! ; )

chubby, plump, pudgy, tubby

What's the difference?

I've been working on the question of connotation since I described a person as "pudgy" and John vehemently disagreed. That started a discussion of the connotation of adjectives that equal fat. With my mother and several other people the list grew into the four adjectives in the title: chubby, plump, pudgy, tubby.

All of these are defined as "having excess body fat" in my thesaurus and readers are directed to to entry on fat. In my AMERICAN HERITAGE dictionary these words are used to define each other. Now my question is: Do you assign different amounts of excess body fat to these words? Is chubby cute? I.e. a chubby-checked baby, or plump pleasing as we say so often? It's all in your perception of the words...and your self-image if you're describing yourself. (Note to self--pleasingly plump sounds so much better than pudgy.)

All this matters when we describe characters for our readers. How do you decide which word to use? How do writers decide between two close words? We do it all the time and it does matter. Check out Your Brain on Fiction from THE NEW YORK TIMES. Our brains actually react to different words in different ways.

I posed this question to the writers on the Forum in a thread titled chubby, plump, pudgy, tubby and got a rollicking discussion of adjectives for overweight. Some of the words included were:


portly, stout, husky, zoftig, thick, barrel-chested, porcine, corpulent, thickset, heavyset, doughy, fleshly, thick-waisted, Rubenesque, cuddly, chunky

What was really interesting in the discussion was the age and gender assignments that went with the various adjectives.

So, how do you decide which adjective to use? Do you take connotation into consideration?

Authors and Titles--Women's Fiction Part 2

Essa Adams has an extensive list of Women’s Fiction titles at Women’s Fiction Blog. I also like her summation of what makes a book women’s fiction:

• Women’s fiction books are usually written by women, for women.
• They are based on the motivation of women’s issues and personal drama.
• Most often, women’s fiction is written sans the typical romance.
• Even without this typical romance, these novels are seldom read by men.
• Women’s fiction books are almost always contemporary, given they are not in a genre such as Regency, historical, romance, supernatural, fantasy, horror, or mystery.
• Personal and career drama, environmental issues and political activism are tempered with the distinctive ways the protagonist deals with challenges and self-realization.

I have been reading women’s fiction lately to get a feel for the genre and to guide my own work on my WIPs FRIENDLY FIRE and LINE OF FIRE. Considering how wide ranging the definition for this genre are, (See Part 1) my list is very broad and inclusive.

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS—Vanessa Diffenbaugh
COMING UP FOR AIR—Patti Callahan Henry
CATCHING GENIUS—Kristy Kiernan
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLE STOP CAFÉ—Fannie Flagg
THE HELP—Kathryn Stockett
DON’T GET MAD, GET EVEN—J. L. Campbell
A GIRL OF THE LIMBERLOST—Gene Stratton-Porter
THE SECRET LIVES OF BEES—Sue Monk Kidd
A MOTHER AND TWO DAUGHTERS—Gail Godwin
ON FOLLY BEASH--Karen White (I just finished this one. It's excellent!)
GODS IN ALABAMA and THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING--Joshilyn Jackson

Other books I have, but haven’t read yet, but think will fit the genre:
FALLING HOME—Karen White
THE JOY LUCK CLUB—Amy Tan

Other authors who have been suggested to me include:

Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, Anna Quindlan

Do you have any suggestions of women’s fiction authors or titles? Or do you want to argue with me on what I’ve classed as women’s fiction?

Really, I want to know. ; )

Saga of the Dead Computer

I planned to continue with the next two parts of the trio on women's fiction, but the best-laid plans and all that changed my mind in a hurry.

My computer was old--purchased in late 2007 with Vista Home as the OS--and it had been getting balky, but Tuesday morning (2-28) it hit the wall. First it notified me that a Trojan virus had been blocked. Then it began to shut down and restart by itself and the icons on the desktop began to disappear along with the wallpaper, etc. I could shut it down properly and took it in to be checked out. The folks at the local Staples Easy Tech Desk were wonderful. (This isn't really an ad...just thanks. ; ) As they checked it in, they knew what the problem was and watched with me as the rest of the desktop icons dropped off. Though they needed to do a diagnostic, they knew it was a crashed hard drive.

We know we are tech neophytes, even if we have used computers for word processing and email since Apple IIc days. All we had left to use is our fossil of a laptop with Millennium Home OS. Not only could it not open my blog, its browser couldn't be updated due to the age of the OS. Look at it this way, there's been XP, Vista, and Windows 7 since it was new. (BTW, I hear they are beta testing Window 8.)

After quoting the cost of installing a new hard drive, John and I decided to price new computers first. The tech guy who helped us was marvelous. He actually listened to our computer uses and showed us a new computer that was on sale that cost what the hard drive and installation would cost. Its OS in Windows 7. We decided to go for it instead of keeping the old computer with a reinstall of the old OS. While we shopped, we got a new wireless printer and a wireless router, too. The only thing left was to see if they could pull all the data from the dying computer. (BTW, having a wireless router sure makes it hard not to go Kindle book shopping at the slightest whim, and John is considering getting a Kindle Fire to go along with our Kindle reader.)

On Friday, we got the good news. Yes, they pulled all the data, including my Scrivener files, various documents, poems I had not backed up anywhere else, and all the photos. I did have backups of the Scrivener files and the photos at Dropbox, so I hadn't panicked, but I would have mourned losing the poetry. Needless to say, backing up everything is at the top of the "to-do" list.

Since Friday, we have reinstalled our licenses for Symantec/Norton, Scrivener, Dropbox, etc. for no extra $$.

And like John said, we've done our part to stimulate the economy. ; )

What Is Women's Fiction? (Part 1)

If a romance should convince the reader they are falling in love…
If a thriller should convince the reader they are in mortal danger…
If a fantasy should convince the reader they are in a world of wonder and magic…
What should women’s fiction do?

~~It’s a valid question; one I’ve asked often as I write FRIENDLY FIRE and its sequel, LINE OF FIRE.

~~Here’s some definition of the genre:

Katie Shea, agent with Don Maass, at Writer Unboxed
My definition of women’s fiction: An extraordinary story relating to women involving in-depth characters, emotion, struggle, and uncovering life’s unexplainable joy.

Nora Roberts quoted at Ampichellis Ebooks
Women's fiction is a story that centers on a woman or on primarily women's issues, not necessarily the romantic relationship-based books I do, but the woman's story.

Micki Nuding, HarperCollins/Avon senior editor quoted by Lisa Craig
Women's Fiction can be commercial (and usually is) or literary; it can be here-and-now contemporary or a multigenerational saga, like Rosamund Pilcher's books. The woman is the star of the story and her changes and emotional development are the subject.

Also quoted by Lisa Craig:
Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Women's Fiction is about women's empowerment.

Jane Heller defines women's fiction as novels written with any relationship at the core of the plot.

Linda Hyatt of Hyatt Agency: Good women's commercial fiction usually touches the reader in ways other fiction cannot. Relationship stories, generational sagas, love stories and women's commercial fiction must touch on subjects women can relate to in their real lives. Whether there is a happily ever after ending, or a bittersweet one, whether the reader laughs or cries, women love reading stories that touch their emotions-and tug at their hearts.

Find Me An Author adds this about women’s fiction: Women's fiction taps into the hopes, fears, dreams and even secret fantasies of women today.

~~So, what’s your definition of women’s fiction?

~~My next post will list some authors whose work is considered women’s fiction.
Part three of my three part Women’s Fiction discussion will let you into why I think my current WIP are part of this growing genre.