Getting the Story Straight

By Keith N Fisher

I’m sixty-five thousand words into one of my stories and I just found out my protagonist collects crystal bells. No big deal except in one scene, she drops her purse on the floor and breaks a bell her daughter in law gave to her. I had to rewrite the first parts and establish the fact that she is a collector, hence the reason for the gift.

Don’t you just love it when you have to go back and get the story straight? In fiction, adding facts in the middle of the story can be confusing. In Non-fiction, being wrong can cost your credibility.

Lately, I’ve been reading a non-fiction book that deals with Utah history and I’m a little put out by some of the author’s interpretations. I’ve read many of the first hand accounts and I’m finding discrepancies.

It makes me wonder how many inaccurate facts have been written into the record. I’m sure you’ve heard that history is often written by the victorious. If that’s true, then can we trust it?

Thinking forward makes me wonder about fifty years from now. How will today’s news be reported in the history books? I sometimes doubt it will be accurate since I often hear reporters twist facts to make the evening news entertaining. Because of that guidepost I have to ask, is it okay to sacrifice correctness to make a book interesting?

Have you ever been in a room full of family members and listened to a story that is different from the way you remember it? Just because someone was there doesn’t mean they haven’t embellished the facts. The standard who, what, when, and where gets cut from the narrative.

My mother loves to talk about when her kids were young. I cringe when she talks about me because she often gets the story wrong. When I try to correct the facts my brother asks, what does it matter? Just let her tell her story. Would it matter to you?

In the book I’m reading, the author writes about the supposed Hiram Beebe connection to the Sundance Kid. He tells the story as if it were fact. Now, many of us believe Sundance was living in Fountain Green, Utah and went to Mount Pleasant for a drink in the bar. He killed a deputy who was trying to prevent him from driving drunk and died in the Utah State Prison.

The problem with telling that story is that it was never proven. If I forget to go back and establish my character as a collector, it will confuse my readers. If an author includes the Hiram Beebe speculation in non-fiction, a footnote is imperative. Getting the story straight is essential. Also, if there are several versions of a story the author needs to say that.

Often, non-fiction becomes a source of reference that textbooks are derived from. If the source is flawed, then so are the facts. People tend to believe everything in print.

I used to shake my head during church meetings when people stood at the pulpit and quoted from The Work and The Glory, by Gerald N Lund. Some of those people believed it was all historical fact, even though the author took great pains to separate the fact from the fiction. Some people actually believed the Steeds were a real family who lived during those times.

That’s a great testament to the author’s character building ability, but it also emphasizes the need to be accurate in non-fiction.

Whether we write fiction or non-fiction, because readers want to believe, authors often become an authority on a subject simply because they wrote about it in their fiction. The News commentator, Paul Harvey used to talk about the time he was called upon to report about something that happened in England simply because he’d just returned from there. Later, he claimed his information was gleaned from an AP Teletype, but he was the authority. Can you imagine what would’ve happened if the AP reporter had given the wrong information?

Good luck with your writing—see you next week.

Off the Cuff

by G.Parker

Many times we end up doing things spur of the moment.  Whether it's having to stand in for someone teaching a lesson at the last minute, hurrying to feed hungry kids when working a long day or procrastinating a deadline, I'm sure you've all experienced it.

Well, that's me today.  I neglected my blog this week in favor, or rather, as a result of going back to work.  Schools back in, that means so am I.  Sigh.  I've given it some thought, but I never came up with anything solid.  So, you get my thoughts as they come, regardless as to the writing world, or rather, because of it.

At my critique group Wednesday, a comment was made about one of the writer's work.  It was said that the writing had improved, the story was great, but it seemed too professional, too...worked.  I thought that was an interesting thought, and apparently it has come up in my brain as a thought for today.  Isn't that handy?

When rewriting or reworking our stories, that's usually not something that you'd think about.  Going over something too much is not generally a problem.  (At least not mine, since I rarely have that amount of time!)  When you are doing the editing and revising of your work, think about the tone, the voice and the plot.  Is what you're doing going to strengthen?  Is it going to benefit the general plot?  Or is it something that is fine on it's own or just needs to be removed?  Honestly, sometimes things just need to be taken out and dumped, even though we love them and they are perhaps our favorite scene.

So, my short thought for this Friday is to consider your writing and the editing/rewriting process.  You don't want to over do, and yet you do want to get it into tip-top shape for that perfect agent that's going to want to sell it to the world.  Just sayin'.  

Bad Hair Lessons

by Cheri Chesley

(this is not a recent picture--her hair is much longer now)
A few weeks ago, I spent over $30 on hair repair items for my daughter. She spent an extra couple of weeks in OK with her Papa, and swam almost every day--and ran out of conditioner and didn't tell him she needed more. So she spent most of that time without conditioning her hair.

It came back the texture of straw. Seriously.

Because she's been working so hard to grow her hair out, I opted for helping her fix her hair rather than going and getting it cut short. Although, you have to admit, she looks pretty darn good in an A-line. See?

As I spend day after day obsessing over when to give her the next conditioning treatment, having her wash and condition her hair with products I don't usually buy for myself, I'm reminded of the editing process. I know--I'm such a WRITER! lol

See, many of us--and I'm one of them--want to go through our manuscript 2 or 3 times before pronouncing it perfect! Done! As good as we can make it! But, like these conditioning treatments my daughter and I are doing, it can take a dozen or more work-throughs before we're really done with a project.

I'm slowly learning this. I submitted my sequel to Cedar Fort, happy that it was as good as I can make it, until I heard back from them with suggestions that I make some changes and resubmit before they'll consider offering me a contract. See, they knew it wasn't up to par. And, looking back, I know it too--now. :) After letting the project sit for a month, I realized many holes I'd missed and lots of ways to make the story deeper, more compelling and overall more interesting. I'd gotten the bare bones of the story down, but I needed to embellish.

That has to wait until the summer is over. And, now, after we move.

I want to be a better writer than I am. This will take patience. Like my daughter's hair will also take patience, time and effort to get it back to a semblance of normal. I'm still learning; I'll probably always be learning. But that isn't really a bad thing.

Fame!

By Keith N Fisher

I'm late! I had to write this in a hurry. Please excuse my writng mistakes.

Last week, I was at the August Authorama and what a good day it was. I think they sold dozens of books. Of course, I made dump cobblers in Dutch ovens. We got a few compliments, but I was more gratified to see my cousin drive up with my aunt in tow. They’d seen the flyer and came to purchase my book. I had to tell them told them I was just the cook at that event, then I steered them to the books of my friends.

Understandably, the experience made me wish I was launching my own book and I reflected on my journey. I started writing several years ago, without much success. I got serious about it in 2005 and I’ve been learning the craft ever since.

Early on, without really knowing why, I supported others in their quest, while following my own. I’ve been pleased to see many of my friends, find publishing success.

The other day, while attending a church meeting, one of our friends handed us a flyer announcing a book signing for her daughter’s book. It was a children’s book telling the story her grandfather told for many years.

Of course, I admit a little jealousy. I want to see my own work in print. But then I remembered the lyrics to the theme song for both a movie and TV show:

I'm gonna live forever. I'm gonna learn how to fly.
High!
I feel it coming together. People will see me and cry.
Fame!
I'm gonna make it to heaven—Light up the sky like a flame
Fame!
I'm gonna live forever. Baby remember my name.

I realized that everyone deserves the attention of their peers. In one way, or another, people crave it. Poets have written about it. Even mass murderers seek it. Mass murderers you ask?

Have you noticed that almost every time there is an incident like the Columbine High School massacre, the perpetrators leave notes talking about their feelings of anonymity? In their mind they’ve worked out a scenario that will make them famous. People will remember their name forever.

In large part they are right. Who can forget the name, Ted Bundy? It’s tragic to see any of God’s children come to that point.

Do you remember show and tell? Once a week while in grammar school we were encouraged to bring an item of interest and tell the class why it was cool. The activity taught many valuable lessons about public speaking and participation, but it gave us far greater rewards. You see, each of us were given or moment to be famous.

I mentioned above, that I didn’t really know why seeing my friends succeed was gratifying for me. I’ve written about it before, but I realized a few years ago, that one of the reasons I was given a desire to write was for others. Not just the people who will read my books, but those I network with. Perhaps my calling in life is to help others get their moment.

Back in 2000, I had my moment. My wife and I were competing in the Worlds Championship Dutch oven cook off. A local TV personality wanted to interview a few of us, and I was one of them. I was on television showing my cooking talents and I was famous for fifteen minutes. It was show and tell all over again.

In 2005, we finally took first place in that cook off. We were world champions, and were interviewed again. I talked about how lucky we had been. In fact, it came at a very hard time in my life. I needed the uplift in my self- esteem, so perhaps it was a blessing.

I can’t begin to explain how much I want that for others. Unfortunately, in our society, most people have to do something special, like write a book in order to be recognized. We can’t show up for show and tell, and not bring something to show.

Wouldn’t it be better if we all tried to help others feel special? Who cares if they never do anything noteworthy? Who cares if they’re too shy for show and tell? The news stories indicate mankind is feeling lost and alone. Perhaps she can do something about it.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m perfect. Like everyone else, I get caught up in my own troubles, but I have noticed a difference if I put them aside and help another.

Keep up the good work. Don’t quit—keep writing and be best you can be. I promise I will cheer for you. Good luck with your writing—see you next week.

The World is Shrinking

by G.Parker

I've decided that the world is getting smaller and smaller every day.  My reasoning?  We are able to reach more and more people, hear about incidents that happen totally on the other side of us and my fellow blogger's son just got called to be in my son's mission.  How's that for shrinkage?

I think writing has taken a whole different turn as well.  No longer are writers delegated to the back rooms of some musty old newspaper office, or dark cubicle with no surety that anyone is reading their words.  Most often, the world see's what is written and it usually has far reaching consequences. 

It's amazing how the world has changed from when I was a teenager.  I look at it now, and just shake my head.  It's mind boggling.

Fortunately, there is always the written word.  Whether it is in the form of electronics, or on the paper page, it still has the capacity to garner interest and give information and knowledge to the masses.  Have you ever pondered the beginning of the written word?  How it came through the efforts of many brave souls to get the written word onto a form that many could read and not just the privileged few.

I feel that today's world of readers are a far different breed than when we were young.  Classics in my day were the Mark Twain books, the Anne of Greene Gables, Gone with the Wind, etc.  Now they are naming books that were coming into print when I was a teenager.  Movies that came out when I got married are being remade!  It's enough to drive me crazy.  I mean sure, they say the classics are still the classics...but there are new ones now.  

Since what we read affects how we write, it's a good thing to keep up on the latest books and to keep the classics on the bedside table.  There was a contest in the blogworld about what the authors had on their nightstands to read.  I'm afraid I don't have books on my nightstand.  I have a pile that I try to get through during the summer when I have some spare time, but when I'm working, reading is a pure luxury that I rarely get to enjoy.  The only real reading I get done is scripture reading.  Another part of my world that's shrinking...the books I get to read.

Well, I hope you have a large world to choose from.  I would hope that your imagination is growing by leaps and bounds and the worlds flowing from your pen or fingers is boundless.  Perhaps that is the real undiscovered country...the human imagination.

Have a good weekend and see you next week!

The Definition of Insanity

by Cheri Chesley

We've all heard it: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Welcome to my world.

Every week, I think to myself I will be better. I'm going to put all my blog posts for the week together Sunday afternoon, send them out to the necessary people, and schedule them to post on time for each of my blogs. I've succeeded in this maybe twice.

Sundays are great for this. We have early church, I'm not a napper, I feel much closer to the spirit after Sunday meetings, and I don't pack boxes or write stories on Sunday. Yet, home alone with the kids, this is harder than it sounds.

This week has been particularly hectic, given that we are MOVING in, oh, 11 days. Ugh. And MONDAY my 10 yr old got hit in the forehead with a golf club and needed 4 stitches. Tuesday we went to the dentist and got--less than stellar news. Wednesday, I went back to the dentist and, after 2 appts this coming Monday, should be in the clear. For the record, it still hurts to chew, and I don't even want to think about how I'm going to feel this time next week. Having my wisdom teeth out. Yay, me.

You might wonder why we scheduled all of this right before a cross country move. Well, the head injury was decidedly unscheduled. The dental appts should have been done last June or July, but I forgot to schedule them. And, until my husband's transfer goes through, the kids and I will be on emergency treatment only insurance coverage in OK. So, we might as well get these things over and done with now.

In all of this craziness, no, I have not been writing. I have been plotting furiously and looking forward to settling in our new home and writing again, but--at the moment--I can't see writing in my immediate future. Except for blog posts, of course.

This Sunday, because of how miserable I will be next week, I WILL write up all my posts early. I have to, or you aren't going to hear from me next week. :)

Happy reading/writing!

Research

By Keith N Fisher

I didn’t get any comments on last week’s blog. Therefore, I get to keep the chocolate bar.

Did you ever notice how much writing fiction teaches you? I’m not talking about the craft of writing, but facts and information about many different things. For example, I wrote a story about a girl who gets shot in New York’s, Washington Square. I spent hours on the Internet and reading books, just to get a feel for the setting.

Shortly after I wrote my story, I watched the movie, August Rush. As you probably know, much of that movie was set in Washington Square. With out knowing that, I watched with a sense of familiarity. When they showed the arch, I knew I had been there before. Writing about it is as good as being there.

I suppose my character could’ve gotten shot in Temple Square in Salt Lake, but she demanded the New York setting.

In another story, I researched a Subdural Hematoma because my character had bone shards in her brain after getting beat up and almost killed. The doctors missed it in the initial x-rays, and it eventually put her in convulsions.

In another story, a character was traveling with a wagon train full of freight. He is part of an altercation set in City of Rocks, Idaho. To write the scene, I needed a sense of place. Also, since the story is set in nineteenth century, I needed a historical background. I can’t count the times I have gone to Google Earth to make sure about a location.

Recently, a character couldn’t find anything to wear to dinner. She wanted to make a special impression so she went shopping. Of course she dragged me along with her. I went to the catalogues and sale circulars to find the perfect outfit, and laughed that writing had taught me how to shop for women’s clothes.

Once, I sat in a class taught by Robison Wells. Among other books, he wrote The Counterfeit and took us on a journey through the catacombs of Paris. As part of the class, he showed us his research. Between Google maps and many Internet sites, he learned enough to write the book.

As writers, we are all students of one thing or another. The threat of our readers finding a flaw looms over our heads and forces us to be accurate. Yes it is fiction, but if you write about a certain place, like Washington Square, readers will stop reading if you get something wrong.

This summer, I had the pleasure of attending a picnic with some fellow writers from AI. Afterward, Lt. Gary Giles from the Orem City, Utah police department, taught us about weapons. He gave us hands on training in shooting, and talked about some of the things every writer should know. For example, Gary pointed out that if your character is firing an automatic pistol, the scene will be littered with shell casings. As opposed to a revolver, which doesn’t eject the shells.

Having grown up around guns, I enjoyed the training from a police officer’s point of view, but many of my peers had never been around a weapons fire. They were able to feel and shoot many different guns and learned a lot. Thanks Gary, for taking the time, and Thanks Nichole, for setting it up.

As a writer, I owe it to my readers to be accurate in my descriptions. Some things just can’t be described without a working knowledge of the place or the experience. Take the time task to a professional. Use the Internet, and learn all you can.

Good luck with your writing—see you next week.

Rejection Contests

by G.Parker

I was reading articles online the other day and spotted one about the author of the book that was recently made into a movie called The Help.  It was an article that stated how she'd gone through 60 rejections before finally getting someone who wanted her book.  60 rejections and 5 years.  That's a LOT.

I've also heard stories about John Gresham and how he was rejected several times before he was accepted.  I decided to look it up.  You see, in Authors Incognito, we kind of have a rejection club.  Whoever gets the most rejections for the year wins.  It's kind of a way to encourage getting your work out there and also help not get depressed.  I thought I'd see who else would be in that club.  The list is amazing.  

According to a site I found, several known authors had issues getting published.  Did you know Zane Gray self published his first book?  I'm thinking that's crazy!  He was one of my dad's favorite writers, and has several of his books on his shelves.  And that was at a time when self publishing was just not done...getting it into the stores must have been an adventure. 

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen had over 130 rejections for their first Chicken Soup for the Soul book.  I think they win the contest, don't you?

James Patterson was rejected more than a dozen times before he was finally published.  John Gresham's number was 16, and then the agent who decided to represent him also dumped him later.  Judy Bloom was rejected for two years before finally finding someone to publish her.  Apparently she can't look at the Highlights Magazine without wincing.

One of my favorite writers, Madeline L'Engle was rejected 26 times for a Wrinkle in Time before it was published and won the Newberry Medal.  That should be encouraging!  Frank Herbert's Dune was rejected 20 times, and even Margaret Mitchel had Gone With the Wind rejected 38 times.  Of course we've all heard about J.K.Rowling and the Harry Potter series...it was rejected 12 times before someone picked it up.

So, my fellow writers, where do you stand with this crowd?  Have you send in your manuscripts and received your rejection letters?  Are you collecting them and keeping track?  I remember one writer told us at the LDStorymaker's conference that she'd taped her letters together and made a large scroll out of them.  I admit, I haven't received enough to do that, I just have a small file so far.  Of course, I don't recommend mentioning this to your husband if he thinks you haven't been submitting (like mine...) because he'll just look at you with a raised eyebrow and repeat your statement with a tone of voice that indicates you could be published before that number...sigh.

Anyway, I'd be interested to know where you are in the rejection contest, let us know. 

The Smurfs and Writing

By Cheri Chesley

Don't worry, by the time I'm done this will make sense. I hope.

There has been a lot of talk about Smurfs in my house lately, what with the release of the new movie. Turns out my husband hated the Smurfs; I watched them as a kid. My kids want to see the movie, and it looks like I'm the one to take them.

Yesterday, on our way to a launch party for an author friend, we stopped and got the girls Happy Meals. They both got Jokey Smurf in the meal. I pointed out to them that Jokey only had one joke--the exploding present. As a writer, I got to thinking about that. And here's what I got from it.

Jokey's presents, like certain plot points, need to be used sparingly. I know, from my memories watching the show, that they often used the exploding present as a running gag, but they didn't often use it as the means of escaping the evil wizard--because that would be trite and overdone. I think of those TV show writers who worked tirelessly to write shows about little blue creatures, and wonder how many discussions they had about over-using some of the well known elements of the story. Papa Smurf's wisdom. Jokey's exploding presents. Hefty's strength. Etc.

Writing for TV and writing fiction has its obvious similarities. We don't want to over-use certain story elements or our writing will become trite and ineffective. Recently, on one of my author groups, someone worried that he was over-using the word "sleep" and wondered if there were other options. Several people weighed in, most with sound arguments one way or the other. Sometimes you have to call a tree a tree. Creating other ways to say the same thing can come across as forced, and we don't want that. On the other hand, some words become invisible in a book, like the word "said" (at least to most readers. I have a couple of less glowing reviews of my book where the reader says I used "said" rather than mixing it up with other terms).

No matter how you look at it, writing is a balance. The trick is finding that balance that feels best, and works best, for you.

Help, I’m Stuck! And the Promise of Goodies

By Keith N Fisher

I wrote this blog without reading G Parker’s first. It seems I have a partial answer for her, at the same time I’m asking for help with a scene. I have dozens of ideas for my scene but I thought I’d make a contest out of it.

One night, many years ago, I went hunting rabbits with some of my friends. In those days, the rabbit population had exploded and we didn’t need permits to use spotlights, so we went hunting a lot.

Our method involved driving a truck cross country, around sagebrush and through ravines, but that particular night we were in a two-wheel drive, with very low ground clearance.

We stayed on the roads and didn’t see many rabbits, then we came to a place where the road went down to a low spot and back up the other side. A benign mud puddle at the bottom didn’t seem that threatening. Especially since the area around it was bone dry. I remember someone saying, “Just gun it, you’ll make it.”

Moments later, we came to an abrupt stop in the bottom of the wash and I hit the dashboard. (We didn’t have seatbelts in those days). My friend’s truck was buried to the floorboards in the mud bog from Hades.

Through the night, we tried everything to release the hold on that truck. Finally, the sun came up, and we sent two guys to look for a telephone. (No cell phones either). We looked around and discovered we had found the only mud within miles.

I don’t remember who came with a four-wheel drive to drag us out, but that truck had turned brown from a covering of mud. It was Sunday and I missed church. My parents never quite believed my story, and I learned a few valuable lessons that night.

I’m currently working on a story that has a great beginning and end. Most of the middle is written, too, but I need a plot twist. I’m stuck in the proverbial bog hole and I’m calling my friends for help.

My character is self-centered but she’s had more than her share problems in her life. I need her to cause the postponement, possibly the cancellation of a wedding between her son and the daughter of her former boyfriend.

Put on your thinking caps and tell me a few ways this could happen. If I use your suggestion, I’ll mention it in the credits of the book. Okay, maybe I’ll send you a large candy bar, too. I call that, chocolate incentive. As for my colleague, have someone else read it and make suggestions. Like my friends who came with the four-wheel drive truck, sometimes it takes a fresh approach.

By the way, stop by Pioneer Books in Orem, Utah next week. I’ll be making Dutch oven cobbler during the August Authorama. Tristi Pinkston is launching her new book in the Secret Sisters series. Cobbler is on first come, first served basis. See the flyer I attached.

Meanwhile, good luck with your writing—see you next week.

Stalling Out

by G.Parker

I've been working on a story that I wrote for NaNoWriMo last year.  I thought I had it all figured out, but this past month, it's totally stalled out.  I don't know where to go with it.  I mean, I could just finish it, but I want it to have a little more depth than it has.  My critique group have told me it needs something.  They are hoping there's more to what they've read so far.

I'm afraid there isn't.  It's like the characters have gone on vacation and forgot to tell me they'd be gone for a while.  Don't you hate it when your muse takes off and doesn't tell you?  I've heard it said that such things are writers block.  I read somewhere once that an author said there is no such thing.  If you can write, you dont' have writers block.  You write until things start coming.

Unfortunately, if the plot has stalled, there's not much you can do with it, right?  I'm not sure.  I am working on a couple of things, so perhaps I'm just too distracted by the other characters or items to focus on the one I'm trying to finish.  Sigh.

Keith's blog on Saturday was on filling the holes.  I thought that was a very apt subject for what's happening in my story right now.  There are holes in my plot, and that's what I'm struggling with.  I thought perhaps if I reworked or reviewed the main idea I'd had, I could rework it, bring out the plot that I'm looking for.  Unfortunately, I can't find the original idea for the story line.  Figures.

Well, I guess I'll just have to continue plugging away at it until something clicks.  I might have to do a mad write and see if inspiration comes.

What do you do when it seems like your story has stalled?  I'd like to know.

Families Together

by Cheri Chesley

My daughter is home now after an extended trip visiting her grandparents. Cool. She can help us pack.

Have you ever noticed how many nationally and internationally bestselling authors live in towns you can hardly pronounce, and have certainly never heard of? How does Waurika, Oklahoma grab you?

Yep, we're relocating. Every reason and justification I have for moving my kids 1200 miles (it's okay because they want to) away, save one, is family-related.

Bryan's parents are in need of help, and his sister has done her part. It's our turn.
The kids all want to move back to OK (my sons were born there but we moved away when they were toddlers).
I won't have to work, and can therefore focus more on the needs of my kids. This is a two-fold reason, though, because:

if I don't have to babysit anymore, I can WRITE while my kids are in school.

While I'm under no illusions that moving to a small town will automatically make me a bestselling author, I am excited to relieve some of the stresses and pressures in my life. I'm also excited to have built-in writing time in my days. There's a lot to be said for being a more prolific writer.

Heavenly Father has been in constant communication through this decision-making process. Two months ago, while I knew this was an eventual possibility, I did not consider that I would want to move back. Everything changed during our recent visit. At one point, I was so overcome by the feeling of the Spirit, I couldn't speak for several minutes. I know this is the right thing for my family, and not just because it's the first time all 7 of us have agreed on a move.

Knowing you're doing what's right for your family is an empowering feeling. I know I'm not escaping stress and problems, but rather exchanging one set of issues for another. But I do believe it is a better situation, at least for us.

Today I'm packing my books. Got to prioritize, right? :)

Roller Coaster

by C. LaRene Hall
We are already into the eight month of the year and my entire life during this year seems like a roller coaster ride. One day I’m very high and the next I find myself plunging to the bottom. Sometimes I ride slow and other times it’s very fast. There are days when there are many curves and other times when I just coast along smoothly.

I think my writing has suffered the most. Some days I can’t even write a word while other days my fingers fly across the keyboard. I never used to have a problem finding something to write about, but now I really do sit sometimes with no thoughts in my head. Now I can sympathize with those people who say they have writers block. Since I had never experienced it, I didn’t understand. I never paid attention during the workshops I attended that centered around writers block because it wasn’t a problem with me. Now what do I do? I guess I ask you for your suggestions.

I know I will once again find my fingers flying as the words come to my mind, but I’m tired of waiting.

Plugging Holes

By Keith N Fisher

When the tenants move out, the owner of a rental unit will often bring in a crew, to prepare the walls for painting. The process involves plugging nail holes with spackling paste. If the tenants were abusive, the procedure includes the use of wall joint compound and perhaps sheet rock patches.

Frequently, the crew must get close and rub their fingers on the walls, in order to find all the nail holes. Sometimes they miss a few.

Occasionally in our hurry to plot a story, we leave holes that sometimes don’t get plugged. I want to tell you about one that I found.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about re-reading the Deathly Hallows in an effort to refresh my memory before seeing the movie. I also watched the previous movies with my family, launching me into Harry’s world. While working one night, and thinking about the story, I stumbled onto a supposed plot hole.

Spoiler Alert!

Okay, so this might spoil the story, but if you haven’t read the books by now, you might never read them.

When Lord Voldemort went to eliminate baby Harry, he killed James and lily first, then turned his attention to Harry. The curse rebounded and killed Voldemort’s body instead, but because of the horcruxes in which he’d placed part of his soul, he didn’t die. He lived in lessor animals until the time he found Professor Quirrell.

Eventually, he was brought back using a spell, and some of Harry’s blood. After coming to himself in the graveyard, that night, he turned to Wormtail and said, “Give me my wand.”

Later, we learned that Voldemort’s wand and Harry’s wand, have twin cores and we assume that is why, the two wands locked.

So, here is my question. What happened to Voldemort’s wand? What happened to the wand that chose him at eleven years old? The Wand that shared the same phoenix feather as Harry’s?

Let me explain. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry and lost himself, the wand would’ve fallen to the floor. He couldn’t carry it out. What happened to it? How did he get it back? He didn’t have it in the first book. The memory of Tom Riddle didn’t have it in the second book. It wasn’t an issue in the third book, but when he got another body in the fourth book, we see Wormtail giving him his wand, the phoenix feather wand, the twin of Harry’s wand. So, who kept it for thirteen years? How did Wormtail get it? Remember he was kept busy being Ron’s pet rat.
When the wands locked in the graveyard, Voldemort became obsessed to find out why, and determined he couldn’t beat harry with the phoenix wand. In the fifth book, he tried another one, but to no avail. The obsession continued.

In The Deathly Hallows, we learned about wand lore and the fact that wands choose the wizard. Either it will work in tandem with the wizard or it won’t. There is a big issue made of the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in the world. Voldemort steals it, but it’s not really his.

Okay, back to the question. I was curious, so I invented several scenarios. In one, someone from the Order of the Phoenix came to the house in Godric’s Hollow, found James and Lily Dead, and took the wand. It probably would have ended up in the Ministry of Magic somewhere. Perhaps that’s how Wormtail got it.

Now that I’ve seen the movie, however, I have another theory. There is a scene where Snape arrived at the house, right after Lilly was killed, and his heart broke. The scene left me with another theory. Snape took the wand, but there is a flaw. Snape didn’t contact Voldemort until well after he’d returned. So how did Voldemort get his wand back?

All of this talk about wands brought up another question, are you ready? If the elder wand became Draco Malfloy’s when he disarmed Dumbledore, and Draco’s wand became Harry’s the same way, then what about all those other wands? In almost every book, Harry disarms somebody. Look at Dumbledore’s Army in the fifth book. They disarmed each other several times.

Okay, you can say it has to happen in real combat. So, what about all the wands from the battle to keep the prophecy? What about the wands of the wizards who came to get Harry in the coffee shop in the last book? That’s just a few of the incidents. If the wand chooses the wizard and wands become the property of the victor, then why don’t wands change hands all the time? See it’s a plot hole.

End of Spoiler Alert

I know I’m splitting hairs, but it’s been fun to explore the question. Perhaps it doesn’t matter, because if the truth were told, no writer can find all the holes in a plot and plug them. Like the patching crew in a rental unit, writers sometimes miss the holes.

As writers, we need to run our fingers over the wall of our plot, searching for holes we might’ve missed. As I said, its impossible to find every hole, and there will always be an alert reader, who finds the ones we missed. I hate it when my critique group finds a hole in my plot. It would be much worse if a reader finds one after the book is published.

Remember the plot when you edit, and try to plug the holes. Your book will be better for it.

By the way, I loved the new movie. They left out all the negative stuff about Dumbledore, but it followed the story line for the most part. They added some things like the embellishment of the windup scene, but I liked it. Also, I’m glad they did the epilogue.

Good luck with your writing—see you next week.

Thoughts Through the Years

by G.Parker

In case you haven't been reading our blog for very long, let me give you a few facts.  This blog was started in 2006 after the founding of AI, which was started through LDSstorymakers, in connection with the writing conferences.  I remember everyone talking about starting one, what to name it, how Darvel created the design for the strip and how it has morphed from a simple daily support to what it  is today - the same.  Grin.

It has changed in writers.  I think there are only a few of us original starters.  There was a time when I wrote two a week, but we decided that it was too much.  Once a week is plenty, believe me.  I'm sure those of you who really read our articles find that reading one a day is good enough - when you have time.  Some of the names of our former contributors you would recognize as published authors:  Danyelle Ferguson, Nichole Giles, to name a couple.

Through out our course the desire has been to assist the aspiring LDS writer, regardless of what genre, or audience they wrote for.  Being aspiring authors ourselves, we know what it is to struggle with juggling jobs, families, and all the other things we try to do in our lives while trying to keep up with the drive to write.  

Sometimes we feel that we touch the reader.  Other times we wonder if there's even anyone out there.  It's the whole sending the thoughts into the void - not sure if anything is ever going to come back.  Sometimes we get comments, and we love it.  Regardless of how many people actually read our thoughts or suggestions (some of which are VERY well done, like as with Connie's notes from different conferences and Keith's accounts of other note taking) this blog satisfies part of our craving to write and be published.  

Blogging is the publishing world in miniature, and while it's only a small part, it's still a part that helps with the drive and ambition.  Anyone who desires to be a writer now has a blog.  It used to be a rare thing, now everyone has one.  Some of us have several, since a blog usually has a theme.  

Blogging is not the same as writing a book, though many blogs have been turned into a book, like the movie Julie and Julia was based on.  But the point is that blogging helps us be connected to the world in general.  Puts thoughts and feelings out there for the world to have and examine and use if desired.

I hope you've enjoyed our blog.  I believe it will probably continue for many more years.  Even if those of us who started it go on different paths, there will always be someone who is willing to step up to the plate and keep the tradition going.

 

Thanks for reading, we hope our blog continues to be one that helps and uplifts. 

A Moment's Pause

by Cheri Chesley

My daughter and I had some alone time a few months back. It was just me and her and the car. While she sat back quoting her favorite movie, I got to thinking. And we talked. And talked. The talking turned to brain-storming, and, before I knew it, we had plotted out an entire story.

She got to name the characters, and put in a couple of key scenes, but the rest I basically put together--except I can't take full credit for it because she helped me come up with the idea. I never would have considered such a story had it not been for her unique enthusiasm and the essence she added to the story.

I submitted the book to my publisher this week, so now I play the waiting game. Fortunately, being so young, my daughter doesn't trouble herself with that kind of thing. She doesn't suffer the angst of rejection just yet, but I'll gladly take that one for her. At the moment, I'm still a little deluded by the idea of joint signings with my little girl to let something like rejection dampen my spirits. :)

And all because I took a moment's pause from my regular projects and had a conversation with my daughter. It's pretty awesome, when you think about it.

Developing Your Writing Talent

By Keith N Fisher

Last week I talked about the phases we go through in becoming the writers we want to be. Then I went to church and heard a lesson on developing your talents. I realized what I should’ve written last week, so I’m going to share it this time.

In the book, Outliers, by Malcom Gladwell, the author talks about studies made where they analyzed what made some musicians great, as opposed to good or mediocre. They found that in every case, the separation happened because of ten thousand hours. All the great ones put in at least ten thousand hours of practice.

The author went on to compare other successful people, He talked about Bill Joy, the author of the current versions of Unix computer systems and Java, he is co-founder of Sun Microsystems and is sometimes called the Edison of the Internet. Yep, he spent ten thousand hours learning to program at night.

As long as we are talking about computer geeks . . . You guessed it, Bill Gates started programming in high school and stealing time on the computer. His mother said about those times, “we always wondered why it was so hard for him to get up in the morning.” Yeah, ten thousand hours.

Are you familiar with the early career of the Beatles? They played in strip clubs in Hamburg for eight hours a day. They were forced to develop a style and play songs they had never heard. They passed through the crucible and emerged as one of the most popular and entertaining bands in history. They found a style all their own, and learned the craft during more than ten thousand hours in Hamburg.

The interesting thing about the study, mentioned above, is they didn’t find any natural born anything. None of the great musicians rose to the top without putting in the practice. And to quote Gladwell, the people at the very top don’t work just harder, or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder.

I’ve written about this before, although I didn’t go into detail. I think I’m getting close to my ten thousand hours, are you?

While listening to the lesson on Sunday, I wrote down the six steps to developing a talent. I customized the list for writers.

1. Discover your talent
2. Develop it (be willing to spend the time) ten thousand hours?
3. Have faith in yourself, and God.
4. Learn the skills. (Learn the craft. Go to workshops and conferences).
5. Practice consistently. (Again we go back to ten thousand hours.)
6. Share your talent with others.

It was mentioned that talent is a kind of stewardship. I believe our God will hold us accountable for those talents we neglect. If you were given a desire to write, then do it, but do it with the goal of touching hearts and changing lives. The old saying, you reap what you sew applies here. Many of you are well on your way to putting in your ten thousand hours. Some of you have reached it. Some are getting the hours while reaping the benefits of being published.

Putting in ten thousand hours will not guarantee a contract. It will guarantee you will be a great writer. There are countless famous souls who reached the top of their game, and every one of them have the same thing in common. Ten thousand hours.

Good luck with your writing—see you next week.

Good, Better, Best

by G. Parker

In general conference in 2007, Elder Oaks spoke about choices.  He mentioned that there were good choices, better, and best.  (Kind of like the levels of kingdoms, you know?)  Good being honest and what you need to do, better meaning doing more of your service and striving harder, best being the one we are all striving for.  The best choice in all situations.

Monday night we had planned on going to see Thor at the local dollar theater.  One of our sons had been really wanting to see it, and since we'd already seen it and liked it, we thought it would be a good family night option.  Upon arriving, we discovered it was free, as a local auto sales company was sponsoring it (which was cool) but there were only 2 seats left.  Dang.  There were six of us, so that wasn't going to work.  We were debating on what to do, go home or whatever, when my daughter suggested we go see Soul Surfer. 

I'd been wanting to see it.  Both my daughters had already seen it and loved it.  When hubby said he'd be willing to see it, we all filed in.

Now there is quite a difference between these two movies.  Both of them are 'clean' and have a good story line.  Mostly good moral message, and action.  Of course one has more than the other and sports a main character that is (in my daughter's opinion) 'delicious', but aside from that, on the surface it wouldn't seem that big of a deal.

After seeing the movie (apart from what I feel is lackluster acting on Carrie Underwood's part), I think we made the better choice.  Thor would have been good, but Soul Surfer was better.  I guess I would have to admit perhaps not the best...that would have been a regular family home evening lesson, right?  I don't know... 

But I thought it was interesting how there could be such a dissimilar choice between two movies.  I think it is much like writing - reading.  There are lots of choices out there to read for enlightenment, knowledge, entertainment and uplift.  Good choices are simply books that entertain and are enjoyable.  Better books would be those that were clean and knowledgeable.  I'm thinking the best books would be ones that inspire to better thoughts and behavior and strove to uplift the reader.

It's why we are writers.  We are striving to be the best writers, and have our work be the best.  Right?  So in your contemplation of your writing, consider your goal.  Are you trying to be the good, better or best writer?  Is your book going to be thought of as entertainment or uplifting?

Just my thoughts...Also - I hope everyone has a great Pioneer Day weekend.  In Utah or outside...it's still great to be part of such a heritage. 

How are You Derailed?

By Cheri Chesley

Re-post from 2010

I had a plan this morning. I'd get up, put up my post and get on with my day.

Then I checked my email.

And I've spent the last hour and a half looking for my eyeglasses prescription.

A while back, I dropped my glasses and scratched the protective lens coating. I needed to replace them, but I've been putting it off. Today in my email there was a reminder from the site I get my glasses that they're having a big sale the next two weeks. But I need my prescription.

And I can't find it. And I'm letting it get to me.

But let's turn this around and use it as a lesson. How often are we so easily derailed when it comes to our writing? It happens to me all the time. I check my email, go to Facebook, do my networking--but by the end of the day I haven't done any writing. Sigh.

There are good distractions. Family. Even keeping up our networking with our writing friends is important. But it has to be done in moderation. I'm trying to limit my visits to FB to three times a day. Once in the morning, once while the baby is napping, and once in the evening. In the meantime, I can focus on my kids--since they pretty much don't let me do anything else lol--and I can write when they go to bed.

But sticking to the plan is difficult. As I type this, my daughter is next to me moping about how her best friend is gone for the next two weeks, and will miss her birthday. I know I need to talk to her about this, but I also need to get this post out. Focus, focus. :)

In short, life is full of distractions. The trick is finding your focus, and working hard to stick to it. Good luck!

Point of View

by C. LaRene Hall

One of the Most Important Tools a Writer Has – this workshop was taught by Janette Rallison.

“When publishers are talking about a fresh voice it is point of view. Rules: They exist for a reason. There are no rules to assure good writing, but there are rules to avoid bad writing.” Noah Lukeman

1st person – Advantages – it has a very intimate feel, and it is the easiest POV for new writers to master. It is easy to show main character’s thoughts. Disadvantages – all action must be seen by your main character.

2nd person – YOU, it is hardly every used in books.

3rd person – most books are written this way. Advantages – People like to read third person stories because it is easy to superimpose yourself in this kind of story. You can have more than one POV character. The story can follow the action, and it’s not limited to one person. Disadvantages – It is easier for new writers to make errors in this point of view.

Omniscient – Tricky POV to do. Advantages – The author can dispense finformation to the reader that the characters don’t know. The reader gets to know the inner workings. It’s like a fly on the wall, or a camera. Perhaps the author doesn’t want to give away the main character’s internal thoughts for artistic reasons, or in the case of the main character. Disadvantages – It’s more boring. You don’t know who the story is about. The writing seems sparse and emotional.

The Big Mistake: Ping-Pong Point of View or Head Hopping.

1. It’s hard to make work. Switching back and forth in POV is tricky, and you don’t need to add one more thing tht can, and probably will, go wrong.

2. Since 90% of unpublished manuscripts have this problem, you don’t want your manuscripts lumped together with all the people who haven’t mastered the craft.

3. Jumping back and forth is confusing to the reader.

4. More often than not, you never get into one person’s POV deeply enough to let us know who they are and what they want.

5. A trick to help your POV in 3rd person . . . write in 1st person and then change “I” to a name and it will work perfectly.

6. You can change POV at the end of scene or chapters. POV is the one who has the most at stake in that scene or chapter.

Don’t write it, unless your character would actually be thinking about it.
Don’t let the author’s point of view slip into your character’s internal thoughts.
Don’t leave the point of view out.

Your story needs
1. dialogue
2. action
3. internal thoughts