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Snowball effect again - May 18, 2012

The next phase of my freelance writing assignment isn't due till late June so I had a chance to start rereading my time-travel manuscript, The Disappearance. It's been several months since I last read the entire novel and, in the meanwhile, I'd made a few changes, including a seemingly minor one--having my heroine see a couple of hikers on a park trail. But, as I've mentioned before, even tiny revisions can be problematic. I've already found three instances in the text that were impacted by this one small change.

It's the snowball effect: Any change can alter other details or events in the novel, which is why, each time I make a revision, I have to read the book carefully--again, and again, and again. Sometimes I feel like a detective: "Ah! Found another one!" It gets tedious, but on the positive side, I'm really enjoying the story!

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Speed writing - May 14, 2012

A front-page story in Sunday's New York Times addressed the push for best-selling novelists to produce books much more frequently than in the past. It's a by-product of our digital age: People want their entertainment--including reading matter--nonstop. And since businesses these days demand more of their employees, it stands to reason that publishers are prodding their novelists to write two books each year instead of one--and to supplement the books with short stories and novellas.

According to the article, thriller author Lisa Scottoline has doubled her book output from one to two novels a year by following a "brutal writing schedule: 2,000 words a day, seven days a week." But she's a slacker compared to James Patterson, who produced 12 books last year (some with co-authors) and will publish 13 novels in 2012. Wow!

I know writing is a job, but isn't it supposed to be enjoyable too? If it's just a contest to see who can produce the most words and/or books, then I guess I'm a loser. I create just 200-500 words a day, and I don't work 12-hour days. However, I do try to write every day--but that's by choice.

With overworked novelists being pressured to churn out books at such a fast pace, wouldn't it be a shame if the quality of their work suffered because of the quantity?

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Easy editing - May 10, 2012

Nearly every morning, I sit at the computer and write a scene of my novel, The Touchers. That's fun work. And then for the past week, instead of rereading one of my books in the afternoon, I've been editing my husband's humorous memoir.

This assignment reminds me of how much easier it is to edit someone else's work than my own. I'm much more objective, so I see the problems immediately and have no trouble correcting them. Sentence out of place? Simple fix. I spot where the line should go and insert it. Wrong word? The right term quickly comes to mind. Another effortless fix.

It's all so easy--as long as I'm editing another person's work. But if I'm correcting my own manuscript, nearly every revision is time-consuming and excruciatingly difficult. Question for all the writers and editors: Do you feel the same way, or is it just me?

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Getting on the write track - May 6, 2012

I just received this message from a Facebook friend: "I have always liked writing but every time I get up to maybe 10 pages of the notebook paper I give up because either it starts sounding like a bad idea to me or I get stuck and don't know what to write."

It's so difficult to give writing suggestions to others because there is no right answer. However, I suggest this writer ask himself a few questions:

* Do you have a story in mind--with plot, main characters and a beginning and ending--before you start to write?

I don't always know what's going to happen when I write a scene each morning, but I do know my premise, my characters, and how my novel will end. You need to have a basic direction before you begin.

* What sounds like a "bad idea"?

If you no longer like the concept of your story, then maybe you should abandon it. However, if you like the story and aren't satisfied with what you've written so far, you might want to reread your work and see if you can improve it. Another option is to give yourself some slack and write a little more. Ten pages isn't very much. You also might ask another writer to critique your story.

* The "don't know what to write" comment puzzles me. Do you have writer's block and can't summon the words--or are you stumped for ideas?

If you have writer's block, try to move to the next scene or chapter and don't get uptight about being stuck. That strategy has worked for me. If it's not writer's block and you're at a loss for ideas, consider my earlier comment: Make sure you're clear about what you want to write before you begin.

I hope these suggestions help--and good luck!

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Fictional child villains - May 2, 2012

A couple of nights ago I had trouble sleeping and, instead of thinking about the novel I'm writing, my mind fixated on the creepy "Twilight Zone" episode, "It's a Good Life," based on a short story of the same name by Jerome Bixby.

The TV episode ran in 1961, in black and white, with minimal special effects. Nevertheless, it gave me the chills then--and again when I saw it recently. It stars the wonderful child actor Billy Mumy, as Anthony Fremont, a cute gap-toothed six-year-old who has godlike powers, but no moral integrity. He's isolated his little Peaksville, Ohio town from the rest of the world (if it even exists anymore) and removed the electricity, cars, and anything else he doesn't like. Anthony controls the weather, the TV, and all the animals and humans, turning some into monsters or just wishing them away into the family's cornfield. Since he can also read minds, everyone has to think "good" thoughts about Anthony and compliment him for being a "good boy."

At the end of the episode, Anthony points to a drunken neighbor who's made the fatal mistake of criticizing him, yelling, "You're a bad man! You're a very bad man!" and turns the man into a jack-in-the-box. Then the boy makes it snow, which his father mentions will ruin the crops. But, realizing the situation, his father smiles and says, "But it's good that you're making it snow, Anthony. It's real good. And tomorrow, tomorrow's gonna be a real good day."

You can see parts of this show (voted the third best "Twilight Zone" episode) on YouTube.

I remember the wicked girl in the movie, The Bad Seed and, of course, Damien, the devil's son in The Omen films. But monstrous Anthony Fremont might be the most evil--and the most powerful--fictional child villain. What do you think?

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Dealing with details - April 28, 2012

Since I prefer to write a first draft by moving forward without too much backtracking, I often forget some important details or, in this case, a minor character: Muffles the dog.

In The Touchers, the doomsday novel I'm writing, Muffles played a significant role in the early part of the book. But since he's not as integral now, I keep forgetting him. As a result, I'll write a scene and, after, I'm finished, realize I didn't mention the dog. Then the next day, when I reread and edit the previous day's scene or scenes, I'll include a line or two about Muffles' whereabouts. 

I know that's not the only mistake or omission I've made in this first draft, but I'm forging ahead because I want to get the basic story written. After the first draft, I'll address all the errors and, hopefully, correct each one.

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Romantic interlude - April 24, 2012

I've just finished writing a romantic chapter centered around Erin, my teenage protagonist, and the young man she's been trapped with. So far, they've kissed several times and Erin is swooning. But now they're separated and I don't know how their romance will progress, although I'm sure they'll see each other again. But in the apocalyptic world of The Touchers, finding time alone won't be easy.

This novel is being told in the first person, through Erin's eyes, and she--and therefore the reader--knows very little about her boyfriend. In the coming pages, I'm curious as to what we'll learn about his background and his personality.

This is my first foray into writing romance and I'm really enjoying the experience. Now I've got a lovesick teen living in a destroyed world. I can't wait to find out what will happen next!

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Going to great lengths - April 20, 2012

One of the things I love most about writing novels is the surprise factor. Take, for instance, the length of a book. How long will the novel I'm working on turn out to be? I'm curious, but I won't know the answer until I've completed the first draft. Then, unless there are major changes, the final version will be about 5,000 words longer.

With The Touchers, I'm at nearly 44,000 words now and I don't think I'm anywhere near the end. I believe a lot more is going to happen, but if you asked me what that will be, I couldn't tell you. That's yet another thing I love about writing fiction--being entertained by my characters, who act out their roles in the story for me. And these characters don't seem ready to leave the stage.

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Best sellers 101 - April 16, 2012

A few days ago, a friend emailed me an interesting book review from the Wall Street Journal. Headlined, "Wanna Sell a Million Books?," the reviewer discusses Hit Lit, an analysis of modern best sellers, by James W. Hall, who also teaches a college course on the subject.

What makes a best selling book? Not surprisingly, according to Hall, it's a combination of sex and violence. Main characters aren't contemplative; instead, they're men or women of action, often "mavericks, misfits or loners." The reviewer says Hall instructs authors to "hook readers quickly, perhaps by having a naked young woman chomped in half by a shark." (Great advice since something similar happens in my novel, Peachwood Lake.)

This review reminded me of a conversation I once had with another novelist about blogging. I told her I blogged about fiction writing and my posts received a modest number of hits.

"I get 5,000 hits a day," the novelist said proudly.

"What do you blog about?" I asked.

"Sex and murder," she replied.

Obviously, successful blogs and best selling novels have a lot in common.

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Fairy tale backstory - April 12, 2012

I don't watch much TV, but I enjoy "Once Upon a Time," a clever combination of a modern and traditional fairy tale. It's my genre; fairy tales are supernatural stories with witches, magic, elves, etc. In this series, the evil queen from "Snow White" (here named Regina) has transported all the fairy tale characters into a modern-day town in Maine, aptly named Storybooke, where she rules as mayor. None of the people (except for Rumplestiltskin--Mr. Gold) know their true identities.

Each episode juxtaposes a fairy tale with a current story and several explain how the villains became evil, something I'd never thought about. The last episode's backstory showed how Regina became so wicked. She's first depicted as a sweet, talented horsewoman who's secretly in love with Daniel, the stable hand. It's Regina's social-climbing mother who's evil--the worst kind of status-seeker, willing to do anything to have her daughter marry well. That opportunity occurs when Regina rescues a young girl on a runaway horse. The girl turns out to be Snow White, the daughter of the elderly widowed king, who's so grateful that he immediately proposes to Regina. (Hey, this is a fairy tale!) Regina is dumbfounded, but her mother immediately accepts the king's proposal for her daughter.

Knowing her mother disapproves of Daniel, Regina and her boyfriend make plans to run away and marry, but Snow White sees them together and demands to know why her future stepmother is kissing another man. Regina tells the girl she's in love with Daniel, not the king, and makes Snow White promise to keep her secret. However, Regina's wicked mother talks to Snow White about the importance of mother/daughter love--which the motherless girl longs for--and coaxes the secret from her. Then, with Regina watching, the evil mother kills Daniel.

When Regina confronts Snow White, the girl apologizes, explaining she thought she was helping by telling Regina's mother the secret. Of course, Regina doesn't understand and, as she prepares to marry the king, we see signs of her transformation into the wicked queen/stepmother we recognize in the fairy tale.

In the modern story, Snow White (Mary Margaret, a teacher) has been framed for murder by Regina, who still despises her. Mary Margaret doesn't know why the woman hates her, but now we do.

In my fourth novel, Corsonia, I also have an evil villainess and this episode made me wonder if it might be helpful to explain how my character became so despicable. Thanks to "Once Upon a Time," I'm thinking about it. Maybe there's a backstory...

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Spring fling - April 8, 2012

It's spring, the season of blossoming flowers--and budding love. Although I write supernatural thrillers, not romances, my novels still contain sprinklings of love.

In DUST, my heroine, Karen, has a more than amicable relationship with Jerry, her ex-husband. In Peachwood Lake, while Kady, the 13-year-old protagonist, is too young for a real romance (although there's a hint of interest in a schoolmate), her adult friend, Monique, dates a secondary character. Similarly, my third and fourth (not-yet-published) novels--The Disappearance and Consonia--include minor elements of romance.

But something different is happening in The Touchers, the doomsday story I'm currently writing. A connection is forming between Erin, my teen heroine, and a young man who's recently entered her life. They're attracted to each other, but I'm not sure where their relationship is headed and, so far, neither is Erin.

For the moment, the two of them are in the same house--with no adults. What, if anything, will they do? I'll just have to wait for my characters to let me know.

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Kiddie lit - April 4, 2012

I'm catching up with my newspaper reading after vacation and, in last Sunday's New York Times, this front-page headline caught my eye: "Young Writers Dazzle Publisher (Mom and Dad)."

The article discusses how more and more children and teens are self-publishing books, of course, with their parents' support--and money. There's even a publishing company geared towards children, called KidPub.

Is this a good thing? The mothers and fathers of these new "published authors" say yes, because having their books printed rewards kids for their writing efforts and improves their self-esteem.

However, some critics disagree, saying it sends the wrong message. Novelist Tom Robbins argues it might encourage "kiddie architects, juvenile dentists," and "11-year-old rocket scientists." He maintains that writing literature requires more experience than children have.

My thoughts? It's hard work for anyone to write and publish a novel. If a child or teen is willing to put in the time and work--and receives the necessary advice and editing help to produce a good product (i.e. a well-crafted story without typos and grammatical errors)--he or she deserves to be a "published author." It's not an exclusive club.

Do you agree?

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Be prepared - March 31, 2012

On my vacation last week, I took a narrated wildlife encounter tour on a pontoon in Florida's Banana River (really a large, shallow, murky lagoon). We were hoping to see manatees and bottle-nose dolphins, but encountered only one manatee, whose face surfaced a couple of times, and no dolphins.

To kill time, the guide started discussing rivers in Florida and got into the origin of Stephen Foster's famous song, "Swanee River." Apparently, Foster changed the name of the river several times to avoid flak before finally settling on Swanee, which is really Florida's Suwannee River. (Foster dropped the extra letters to make the name two syllables.) When the guide began describing the wildlife in the Suwannee River, I raised my hand.

"I just wrote a novel called Peachwood Lake based on that river," I said. "The gulf sturgeons there jump out of the water each summer and sometimes hurt boaters."

The guide--and several tourists--were impressed and asked me for information about my novel. Where were my bookmarks? I almost always carry them, but figured I wouldn't need any bookmarks on a pontoon ride. You can bet I'll be better prepared next time. An author never knows when he or she might meet a potential reader!

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Novel inspirations - March 24, 2012

Whenever I'm interviewed about writing fiction, I'm always asked the following question: "Where do your ideas come from?"

The answer? My first two novels--DUST and Peachwood Lake--were both inspired by newspaper articles.

DUST was born after I read a little story about a strange weather phenomenon called a "dust devil," a miniature tornado strong enough to toss dust and dirt into the air. Of course, my red, green, and blue whirlwind is much more mysterious--and much more evil. For information about the original news clip and other dust devil stories, see Real "Dust" Events.

The idea for Peachwood Lake came from a New York Times front-page story about a large bony fish, a gulf sturgeon, that--for reasons unknown--jumps in a Florida river during the summer, sometimes unintentionally injuring boaters. Again, my fictional jumping fish is much stranger and meaner--and intentionally tries to kill people.

My three not-yet-published novels aren't from newspaper articles. Instead, they're based on three of my favorite supernatural themes: time-travel (The Disappearance), mind control (Corsonia), and the end of the world (The Touchers).

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Outlining a novel - March 21, 2012

A few days ago, an author friend asked me about outlining. She'd just finished reading Outlining Your Novel by K.M. Weiland and thought the approach might be beneficial in writing her mystery series. "Do you outline?" she asked. "How do you feel about outlining?"

When I started writing my first novel, DUST, I thought I'd be outlining the book because, as a non-fiction writer and reporter, I'd always outlined my work. But my non-fiction articles involved detailed notes. In writing fiction, I just jot down snippets of things I want to remember (ideas or mistakes) usually on Post-its or scrap paper, and then cross off each item after I've reviewed it. 

Outlining a novel isn't for me because it detracts from the total entertainment quality--the surprise factor. I love not knowing what's going to happen! To me, outlining would make the novel-writing experience much more tedious--more of a "job."

My writer friend thought outlining her mysteries would be especially helpful in planting clues and red herrings. But I write my first draft and then go back to make corrections and add foreshadowing or important details. I usually have many changes since my characters tend to veer off in unexpected directions. This method might make writing a novel more difficult than working from an outline, but it also makes writing much more fun. And, just like the reader, I want to be entertained.

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Diversity of writers - March 17, 2012

On Thursday, I participated in a "Meet the Authors" night with about thirty other writers, published and unpublished. (See Happenings) Each of us was given three minutes to speak to the audience about ourselves and our work.

The variety of professions among my fellow authors was remarkable. Here's a small sample: stand-up comedienne, real estate lawyer, construction supervisor, wrestling coach, professional storyteller, physical therapist, court reporter, architect, college professor, financial adviser, and TV sound engineer.

I found it interesting that most of these authors' writings had nothing to do with their occupations. Instead, the novelists, non-fiction authors, poets, children's writers, illustrators, and playwright (who read a rap version of "Hamlet") wrote to escape their daily grinds.

My two favorites were a man who wrote books about Long Island duck decoys made of cork and a contractor who wrote building-themed poems on his construction materials. He read a poem about paint, which he had mounted on a framed drop cloth. Creativity comes in all forms!

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Censoring fiction update - March 13, 2012

On March 5, I blogged about PayPal, under pressure from its credit card partners, threatening to deactivate its account with Smashwords, a digital publishing outlet for independent authors, unless the site removed all erotic titles on its site that contain bestiality, rape, or incest.

Smashwords urged authors to pressure PayPal to change its policy by inundating credit card firms with emails, letters, petitions, blogs, etc. I wrote: "This publicity campaign sounds like a good idea, but I don't have much confidence that it'll succeed."

I was wrong; it did succeed. The founder of Smashwords tonight sent an email to its authors and publishers, with the following headline: "PayPal Reverses Proposed Censorship." In the body of the email, he wrote: "You made telephone calls, wrote emails and letters, started and signed petitions, blogged, tweeted, Facebooked and drove the conversation. You made the difference. Without you, no one would have paid attention."

And the email's conclusion: "This is a bright day for indie publishing. In the old world, traditional publishers were the arbiters of literary merit. Today, thanks to the rise of indie ebooks, the world is moving toward a broader, more inclusive definition of literary merit. Smashwords gives writers the power and freedom to publish. Merit is decided by your readers. Just as it should be."

I certainly agree.

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Numbers game - March 9, 2012

If you follow this blog, you know I'm like the turtle when I write a novel: slow but steady. I try to write a little each day, usually one short scene. I lock myself in the room with the computer, avoid all distractions, and force myself to concentrate and create. My output is usually about 200-300 words.

Sometimes it's frustrating when other novelists mention their daily production in terms of thousands of words. I can't do that and, frankly, I don't really want to spend all day in an isolation chamber. But I was so surprised yesterday when I wrote my daily scene and realized I'd produced about 500 words (mostly good ones, I hope). I mentioned this occurrence on Facebook and one friend commented: "I'm lucky if I get 300 in a day. Also, I'm only writing 2-3 times a week (if I can). First book is very slow going for me."

My response to him was as follows: As long as you're writing regularly, it doesn't matter how many words a day you produce. Even if it seems like you're not making progress, you are, and, eventually, the book will get written. I've completed four novels using the slow-but-steady method--and it works!

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Censoring fiction - March 5, 2012

A few weeks ago, PayPal contacted Smashwords, a digital publishing outlet for independent authors, with an ultimatum: Erotica writers must remove all titles on the site that contain bestiality, rape, or incest or PayPal will deactivate its account with Smashwords. PayPal said it acted because of pressure from its bank and credit card partners.

Although one of my novels (Peachwood Lake) is available on Smashwords, it doesn't contain any of the forbidden content. I'm not a fan of erotica either, but that doesn't matter. PayPal's action disturbs me greatly because I don't believe in censorship of fiction. How is PayPal or a credit card company or anyone (except the parent of an underage child) qualified to judge what is or isn't appropriate reading material? According to these parameters, even the Bible, with its many tales of incest, wouldn't be allowed.

Smashwords is urging authors to pressure credit card firms to change their policies on censorship with phone calls, emails, letters, petitions, etc. This publicity campaign sounds like a good idea, but I don't have much confidence that it'll succeed.

What do you think about this issue?

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"No more pencils, no more books..." - March 1, 2012

On Tuesday, I had a book signing at the Premier Athletic Club in Montrose, NY. It was a long day, but I sold some books and enjoyed meeting many Club members. What I didn't enjoy, however, was hearing several people say they no longer read newspapers or books.

My husband, a former middle school English teacher, said Tuesday's experience reminded him of a wonderful short story by Isaac Asimov called, "The Fun They Had." Yesterday, I found the story, read it, and was amazed at its relevance. Asimov (1920-1992) was a scientist as well as a brilliant--and prolific--science fiction writer. "The Fun They Had," written in 1951, is about a 13-year-old boy who finds a very old "real book" made of paper. It's a fascinating discovery because, in the year 2157, books and schools no longer exist. Children are taught individually by mechanical teachers via their TV screens.

For a story written more than sixty years ago, Asimov's take on the future of books is eerily accurate; just substitute computer screens and electronic readers for TVs. Think about it: Many children today are home schooled independently with the help of modern technology and people already earn degrees at online colleges like the University of Phoenix. I'm sure that by 2157 teachers and paper books will be long gone and all children will be educated via some sort of sophisticated electronic device.

"No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks..." It's all very sad.

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Forward and back - February 26, 2012

As I worked on my novel, The Touchers, today, I was reminded of the children's game "May I?" A group of kids stand in a row and each asks the leader if he or she can take a step forward: "May I?" Depending on the leader's response ("Yes, you may," or "No, you may not. You may take...") the child either moves forward or backward.

Yesterday, I took a step forward. I finished writing a chapter and started the next one. But last night, some of the things I'd written bothered me. Although my characters dictate the action and I transcribe their words, I'm still the author with final say about what happens, and, upon reflection, some of the recent dialogue just didn't make sense. The characters talked about a door being unlocked. But they wouldn't have forgotten to lock that particular door (Too dangerous!). In the revised scene, someone discovers the lock has been broken.

I changed several other things too, including who had broken into the house with the broken lock and what the characters in that house were going to do next. Originally, they were staying there. But I realized it wasn't safe so I relocated them.

As I've mentioned before, I much prefer to keep moving forward while writing a first draft, but that's not always possible. Sometimes, like in the game of "May I?," I have to move backwards too.

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Hair-wareness - February 22, 2012

Pardon the pun. I'm going to blame Erin for it. She's the protagonist in The Touchers, the novel I'm currently writing, a high-school girl who's recently taken over the action to remind me that, like many girls her age, she's obsessed with her hair.

Although the book is a doomsday story about a catastrophic event that wipes out much of the world's population, my heroine is still a teenage girl who's concerned about her hair, especially when a cute guy appears. A lot of terrible things might be happening, but Erin still wants to look good.

As a result, I had to go back to the previous chapter and add the necessary hair references. But it wasn't my idea; Erin made me do it.

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Apostrophobia continued - February 18, 2012

In my last post, I wrote about misusing the possessive apostrophe. But some people seem to be afraid of an easier form of that little punctuation mark: contractions.

I recently read a review of a supernatural novel in which the critic complained about the author's fear of using the apostrophe. Apparently the novelist wrote "do not," "has not," "was not," and "are not" instead of the common contractions "don't," "hasn't," "wasn't," and "aren't." According to the reviewer, the stilted language threw the book's rhythm "off balance." (I assume the lack of contractions was mostly in the dialogue, since people tend to use contractions when speaking unless they're purposely being precise.)

Contractions are sometimes a better choice in other forms of writing too. As a newspaper reporter for Fairchild Publications, I was instructed to use contractions, especially in news articles. Why? The editor explained that "do not" could turn into "do," if a typesetting error was made, but by writing "don't," you eliminated that possibility. Since then, I've considered the contraction to be a helpful friend.

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The dreaded apostrophe - February 14, 2012

Although today is Valentine's Day (happy hearts, everyone!), each year I look forward to February's next holiday, Presidents' Day, because of the havoc the possessive apostrophe causes for ad writers. In New York, as in most states, the holiday has been combined to celebrate the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, which means we are honoring two statesmen, thus the possessive plural apostrophe--Presidents' Day.

Sales ads for the holiday, however, tell a different story. Some are correctly headed "Presidents' Day Sale," but many announce a "President's Day Sale," honoring just one man. I always wonder who is being lauded: Abe or George? Still other ads tout "Presidents Day Sale" or "Presidential Sale," totally avoiding the apostrophe decision.

This year, my favorite print ad is from a car dealer (actually two divisions of the same company), who shared a page vertically in last Friday's Daily News. The left half, Major Kia, proclaims "Pre-President's Day," while the right half, Major Jeep, announces "Pre-Presidents' Day Event." I guess each Major division has its own copywriter!

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Character study - February 10, 2012

For the past three days, I was a juror in a civil trial in which a pedestrian sued for damages after being hit by a bus. It was an interesting, though slow-moving, experience. (Justice--at least in New York--moves slowly thanks largely to 90-minute lunch breaks, to save the State money on salaries.)

As a novelist, I'm a people-watcher and the plaintiff's attorney was especially entertaining. The lawyer, Mr. R, was a 78-year-old (he told us his age) overweight Italian with a thick Bronx accent. Picture an incompetent, older combination of Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny and Peter Falk in "Columbo." All the jurors felt he hadn't been inside a courtroom in many years.

He apologized for being unable to stand to examine witnesses because of a bad back. But he also couldn't hear well. At one point, the judge coughed and Mr. R questioned what had been said.

"I was just coughing," the judge explained.

"Oh," Mr. R said. "I thought you were yellin' at me again. You're always yellin' at me."

While the judge didn't yell at the man, the defense's lawyer (representing the bus company) constantly objected to Mr. R's questions and nearly all of the objections were sustained.

I felt a bit sorry for Mr. R--especially when we didn't give his client very much money. However, the plaintiff was a liar and we determined the man's most serious injuries had been the result of a subsequent auto accident--not from being hit by the bus.

I watched Mr. R fail in the courtroom, but I hope to succeed in capturing his persona in a future novel.

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Those controlling characters - February 6, 2012

I recently got feedback from a Peachwood Lake reader who enjoyed the book, but had several suggestions for making it more appropriate for younger teens. He suggested eliminating three things: the sex scene, the cursing by one of the main characters, and some of the gory description.

Although I agree with his assessment, I can't make those changes. When I started writing Peachwood Lake, my intention was to target the novel for young teens, which is why the protagonist, Kady Gonzalez, is a 13-year-old. And the subplot is still a coming-of-age story, dealing with Kady's problems of growing up.

However, as I got further into the book, my characters took over the action and they had their own ideas. The novelist Stuart Woods is supposed to have said, "I don't curse, but my characters do." That's exactly what happened with Peachwood Lake. As for the brief sexual content--hey, it wasn't my idea either. My characters demanded it. I toned down the scene, but couldn't eliminate it entirely. The violence? Look at the book's cover. This story is a thriller about a ferocious fish that terrorizes a lake so there has to be some blood and guts. But the book isn't exceptionally violent.

Peachwood Lake may not be for the youngest teen readers, but I still think it's appropriate for older teens, as well as adults. And, if you disagree, please take the matter up with my characters.

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Making sense - February, 2, 2012

I've started to reread the first thirteen chapters of The Touchers, the novel I'm currently writing, to make sure the story makes sense. My normal daily routine is to reread the previous scene or two and then write the next scene. Until now, I haven't backtracked and reread the entire manuscript, nearly 28,000 words.

So far, I've reread six chapters and found several minor mistakes and one serious error: I forgot I had added a scene in which a character breaks a window in a house--and then another character later breaks that same still-broken window to enter the house. Duh! At least, I'll be able to fix the mistake fairly easily.

I prefer to move forward and write the first draft of a novel without spending too much time backtracking. But this story is getting complicated and, even though I'm the author, I don't always remember everything I've written. Before this book is finished, I'll probably have read it at least forty or fifty times.

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And then there were none? - January 29, 2012

Barnes & Noble is the last bookstore chain standing, and today's New York Times' Business section has a lengthy cover story about the importance of B & N's survival to the book publishing industry.

Barnes & Noble's stock fell earlier this month when the company predicted it would lose more money in 2012 than expected. If B & N goes out of business, where do readers go to examine print books to buy--to actually pick them up and browse through them? Independent bookstores are dwindling (there are none near me) and department stores, discounters, and supermarkets stock only a few best-sellers.

Of course, there's always the e-book. And B & N does have Nook. But Amazon has the top e-reader, Kindle, plus a marketing strategy to encourage authors to publish directly online.

I hope Barnes & Noble succeeds. Although the chain doesn't stock DUST or Peachwood Lake, my novels can still be ordered at any of their retail outlets. Also, my local B & N has supported area authors by inviting us to participate in signing events. I may be a dinosaur, but I like print books--and bookstores.

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What's in a name? - January 25, 2012

A new TV series debuted tonight. It's called "Touch" and stars Kiefer Sutherland. According to Fox's website, "Touch is a "preternatural drama" in which "science and spirituality intersect" and it will feature "unrelated people whose lives affect each other."

I didn't watch the show and it doesn't really interest me. What interests me is the title--"Touch"--because it's so similar to the title of the novel I'm writing: The Touchers. Of course, my story is completely different than the TV show. It's an end-of-the-world tale based on a strange meteorological event. And in my novel, weirdness and people intersect.

However, I have found a new TV series that I think I'm going to love. Naturally, it's weird--and I'm not writing a book with a similar title. The show is "Alcatraz."

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Time-travel - January 21, 2012

I just finished reading 11/22/63, Stephen King's novel in which a man journeys back in time to try to prevent President Kennedy's assassination. I wanted to read the book for two main reasons: I really enjoy time-travel stories and I wanted to see how 11/22/63 compared to my own time-travel novel, The Disappearance.

Basically, I loved King's book. The main character, Jake Epping, is a good guy and his girlfriend, Sadie, is an absolute delight. Of course, this is Stephen King so the plot is well-crafted with many unpredictable twists and turns--and lots of gore and horror. I thought the love story--not a King specialty--was terrific and the chapters set in rural Texas of the early '60s were superb.

Ironically, what I liked the least were the parts centering on Lee Harvey Oswald, the historical sections I expected to enjoy the most. I felt King included too many unnecessary factoids about the assassin, his wife, and his associates. I know the author did lots of research, but I didn't want to read it all. It slowed down the story for me.

How does 11/22/63 compare to my novel? The Disappearance will be about 300 pages when it's published; King's book is 850 pages, with much more death and destruction. In my novel, the bad guy's hiding in the past and people have to go back in time to catch him. It's a simpler premise with less violence.

But there are a few similarities. My main character, Jillian Keating, makes a comment about time-travel that's almost identical to something Jake Epping says. Also, my villain and King's hero exploit their knowledge of the past to make money in similar ways.

Now it's back to editing my version of time-travel: The Disappearance.

Word count - January 17, 2012

I try to write a scene of my book every morning--just one scene, not even one chapter. This amounts to about an hour of intense creativity, including reviewing the previous scene or two and making any necessary revisions. My daily output ranges from 200 to 500 words.

Lately, several Facebook novelist friends have posted comments about their writing progress: "I'm aiming to write 2,000 words a day" or "I want to produce 80,000 words this month." Wow! I guess if I locked myself in my den with my computer for ten hours a day, that achievement might be possible (although I doubt it).

Although I'm a writer, I don't try to achieve such a prodigious word production. Churning out so many words at such a fast pace--that's not my style. I'm more like the turtle: slow and steady.

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Heading headache - January 13, 2012

In my January 5 post, I asked if it was okay for a young adult novel to contain sex. I repeated the question on Facebook and got about 40 responses, pro and con. After reviewing the feedback--and my own feelings--I decided I should categorize Peachwood Lake as a YA novel for older teens since it's a coming-of-age story with just one small sex scene that's intrinsic to the plot.

But when I tried to add the "Young Adult" classification, I found I couldn't do it. Why? The subject heading doesn't exist. I learned that a non-profit trade association, the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), creates standardized subject classifications and the closest category to my needs is "Juvenile Fiction," which sounds like a synonym for "Children's Fiction."

I'm disappointed that I can't tag Peachwood Lake for older teen readers. Even my local library has a "Young Adult" alcove (with sign) in its Adult section--so why isn't the YA classification available, even as a sub-category?

I also noticed that the only "time travel" category is "Romance/Time Travel," which doesn't work for my next novel, The Disappearance--a time-travel story, but not a romance. Guess I'm just a misfit author!

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Verb variations - January 9, 2012

I'm again editing The Disappearance, my time travel novel, reviewing notes from an intuitive reader who's pointed out that I repeat certain words, particularly descriptive verbs.

It's true. I tend to overuse words like "stare," "mutter," and "shout." People in my book "look" at things all the time so I try to vary "look" with synonyms. But "gaze," "peer," and "observe," seem contrived so I prefer "stare"--apparently too much.

Most of the time, my characters just "say" something. But occasionally, instead of "whispering," they "mutter," "mumble," or "murmur"--again perhaps too much. Similarly, the people in my books "shout" or "yell" a lot. I like the suggestion this reader made to insert an occasional "said angrily."

It's a balancing act: I want to vary my writing, but I don't want repetitive synonyms to distract from the flow of the novel.

Sex and the young adult novel - January 5, 2012

Peachwood Lake is a thriller about an evil fish, but it's also a coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old-girl. I envisioned the novel as a young adult story. However, as I wrote it, I became leery of the YA tag because the novel has a brief sex scene.

I've never gotten a clear answer to this question: Is it okay for a young adult novel to contain sex? If you're wondering--no, the 13-year-old protagonist doesn't have sex! But although I toned down the raunchy little scene, I left it in the book because it's necessary to the story.

At my recent book signing, I dissuaded the parents of a couple of young teen girls from purchasing Peachwood Lake because of the scene, steering them instead to my other novel, DUST, which has an older heroine, but no sex.

Despite my misgivings, several people who've read Peachwood Lake have told me they feel the book should be marketed as a YA novel and I'm considering the suggestion. What do you think?

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The "write" resolutions - January 1, 2012

Happy New Year! It's the time for making resolutions so here are three of mine:

*I resolve to keep writing every day. I'm pretty good about writing at least one scene every morning. It's important for me to maintain a writing routine since scenes add up to chapters and chapters add up to books. I've written 21,000 words in my current novel, The Touchers.

*I resolve to get back to editing my manuscripts. I've gotten good suggestions for improving my time-travel novel, The Disappearance. Now I have to review the critique and make some changes. With the holidays, I've avoided the challenge. But now the holidays are over and it's time for me to stop procrastinating and start editing.

*I resolve to do the necessary research for my book. If you read this blog, you know I don't enjoy doing research, which usually involves learning technical or scientific material, so I put it off. I'd rather just write. But now I have to find out how fire hydrants work.

I happened to look at last year's resolutions and found they were nearly identical to those above. I guess I tend to procrastinate about the same things every year. How about you? What are your New Year's resolutions?

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