Category: Bloggin

2020 – New Year, New Vision

It’s 2020 – new year, new vision – filled with opportunity and hope. I’m not one to make resolutions, but I do make plans. Before that, though, I take a look back at the year gone by to see what I accomplished and where I can do better. One of the things I did in 2019 was, I published another book in my Lover’s Moon series called Moon Dance. I also wrote the drafts of two more books and a novella: 1. book three in the Sandy Shores series called Return to Sandy Shores; 2. Sea-renity on Sandy Shores is a novella that will be available by the end of this month and; 3 book one in the new Hart Brothers series called Rescuing Zeke.

In 2019, I decided that I’d keep track of all the books I read. Some of you have asked what I read. The answer is, a lot in many categories/genres. My list for last year includes 200 books. I’ll not bore you with the whole list, but thought it would be fun to tell you my favorites in different categories, so here goes:

  • Beach Read: All Summer Long by Dorothea Benton Frank
  • Christian: Ninety-Nine Signs by Elizabeth Haxby
  • Classics: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  • Contemporary Romance: Moonshine Kisses by Lucy Score and Claire Kingsley
  • Comedy: Shove Your Mince Pie, Harry Christmas by Johnny Parker
  • Cowboys: Lone Star Protector by Jennie Jones
  • Cozy Mystery: Murder on the Road by Adriana Licio
  • Cozy Mystery Comedy: Jammed by Deany Ray
  • Dystopia: Reactance: A DiaZem Novella by Dacia M. Arnold
  • Fantasy: Alizarin Crimson by Erica Millard
  • Foodie Novel: Love Muffin and Chai Latte by Anya Wilde
  • Ghosts and Witches Fantasy: Cauldron Bubble by Wendy Knight
  • History: The Greatest Knight by Thomas Ashbridge
  • Horror: The Pain Colony by Shanon Hunt
  • Literature: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
  • Local Author: Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
  • Nonfiction: The Hooligans of Kandahar by Joe Kassabian
  • Poetry: Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver
  • Science Fiction: Nomads, Nicholas Erik
  • Short Story: Once Upon a Coffee by Kait Nolan
  • Women’s Fiction: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • Zombies and Ghouls: Road to Babylon series by Sam Sisavath

I sincerely hope your 2020 will be full of love, light, and that you’ll make many happy memories to look back on in 2021.

Happy Reading!

Shirley Holder Platt

It’s all in the character arc.

Photo by SpaceX on Unsplash

Back in biblical days, as Noah closed the door and the first raindrop fell, maybe he turned to his wife and said, “It’s all in the ark.” Or maybe not, after all, we know that the unicorns got left out. But seriously, for building great characters, it is all in the arc, the character arc. The story is about the big something that changes the ordinary world and sets the main character (MC) on a new course. That change whether it be physical, mental or spiritual, is their arc. The plot is what happens. The arc is how your character is affected by those happenings.

There are several types of arcs including positive, static, and negative. At the beginning, your MC will believe he understands his world. Your job is to show him the falsehood underlying that belief. Some call this the great lie. When his eyes are opened, he will be forced to change his belief system. Think of Cinderella, she believes she’ll never get out of a life of hard labor and servitude. She has nothing at the beginning of the story to let her believe life will get better. She experiences many obstacles before becoming the co-ruler of her country. The truth she believed at the start has been exposed for the lie it always was. And the result is a changed woman.

The protagonist of most stories will have the largest character arc. When you build your story, you’ll be coming up with obstacles to put in the path of your MC. Choose obstacles that will play into the arc you want for your character. For a positive arc, you’ll have a character start out one way and end up being a changed, and for the better, person. Do you want a criminal to reform? Give him plenty of temptation and room to fall back into old ways. Would you like to see a shy young adult, (think of Cinderella) learn that she has the power within her to succeed? Push her into the limelight and let her grow before your readers’ eyes. When the tension is at its highest and your character makes a decision that would have been unheard of for her at the beginning of the story, a decision that changes her life for the better, she’s travelled the positive arc.

If you’re writing a series of books, you may have a fully developed hero who doesn’t change. You might present opportunities for growth and have him resist change. Your readers will sympathize. We’ve all got areas where we know improvement would be wise, but we can’t seem to change. That’s called a static arc. And it works, but you can have secondary characters changing around him to keep the story interesting. For example, you could have all his alcoholic friends reform, but he doesn’t.

Or maybe you start out with an innocent person, without a mean bone in his body. Life comes along and many bad things occur. The changes your character goes through turn him into a gang boss, intent upon revenge, or a wicked wizard wreaking havoc upon those who have wronged him. This is a negative arc, and it can make for a nail-biting, edge of the seat read. Think of Jack Nicolson’s character in the Shining as he descends further and further into insanity.

Whether you choose a static arc or one with significant positive or negative change ahead, use obstacles to fuel the resistance to change, anticipated growth, or descent. Your readers will not only relate, they’ll love you for it.

5 Tips for the Pantser in You

Hello, my name is Shirley, and I’m a Pantser. Did you ever feel like you needed a group session because everyone you know is an outliner and you aren’t? If so, welcome to my world.

Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

I’m a Pantser, and I’m proud of it. Some of us are just not cut out to be outliners. I know, I know, conventional wisdom will tell you this is wrong. But really, is it? One of the most highly recommended books for people learning to write is Stephen King’s “On Writing.” He’s a pantser! So, yes. It’s OK. Give yourself a break, pat yourself on the back. Take a deep breath. Stand up and proclaim to the world: I’m a Pantser and proud of it.

Just because we’re pansters doesn’t mean we have no idea what we’re doing. Here are five tips to help the Pantser in you create a fabulous story.

  1. Understand story structure inside and out. Someone like Stephen King can skip outlining, because he’s studied what a good story is made of and written so many novels that it is inherent in him. He does it automatically. You need to have the basics of story structure ingrained, so that, when you sit down and your story flows, it takes a form your readers can follow and enjoy. For more on story structure, see my next post.
  2. Know your characters and make them come alive. Readers want to relate to your characters. They want to feel their emotions, agonize over their quandaries and feel the excitement of the ride as they over come the obstacles you put in their paths. Make your characters real by giving them a full range of flaws along with their loveable quirks. If you’ve given yourself time to get to know them, it’ll show. There are worksheets galore to help flesh out your characters, or you can simply have a make-believe interview. If you run low on ideas, browse through the list of character traits at the website at ideonomy. Traits are categorized by positive and negative for your convenience.
  3. Ask yourself, “What if…” Something like: What if this wonderful three-dimensional character I’ve created fell into a manhole and found themselves in an underground steampunk world? That should get your juices flowing. Write about what comes to mind until you slow down. Then ask again: What if she met the man of her dreams in this steampunk world but had to get back to the surface because her best friend is in trouble and needs her. Keep asking what if until you’ve got a whole story.
  4. Write now. Edit later. You’ve admitted it. You’ve said it out loud. Now let go and follow your muse where it leads you. Don’t strive for perfection, just get the story out of your head and into the world. Follow your characters’ hearts. Describe their world. Give them obstacles and watch as they work themselves around, under and over them. Discovering is one of the best things about being a pantser. You get to be the reader and the writer. Let the story take you over. Doing this will keep it fresh and fun – something I find indispensable to my pantser mind.
  5. Be prepared to self-edit and re-write. Go into it with the knowledge that you will have to spend time at the end to polish your jewel. This may not be your favorite part, but never leave it out. You’ll have saved time at the beginning by plunging right into the grit of your story. But it’s like the old saying about paying now or paying later. Pantsers pay later. And that’s OK. Just don’t expect your first draft to be a finished masterpiece, and you won’t disappoint yourself. You understand story structure. Your characters are fully fleshed out. You’ve put them into amazing circumstances and they’ve come out just the way you hoped they would in. Now it’s time to take a close look and fine tune your timing.  Make sure the story fits into a proper structure. If you did your homework up front and studied story structure, you’ll find each story fitting in with less and less effort.

Now, repeat after me: “I’m a Pantser and I’m proud of it!”

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