Saturday, March 18, 2023
How to Share a Backstory/History with Your Reader By Connie Vines #Backstory, #Round Robin, #Sharing with Readers, #Writing Tips
Friday, February 24, 2023
How Can Contemporary Fiction Keep Up With A Changing World? #Round Robin #WriterTips
How Can Contemporary Fiction Keep Up With A Changing World?
Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
Connie Vines https://mizging.blogspot.com/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2QS
Anne Stenhouse http://wp.me/31lsq
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenfairfax.com/blog
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/
Friday, January 20, 2023
New Beginnings: How to Jump-Start Your Writing By Connie Vines #Round Robin Blog #Writing Tips
Round Robin Blog Fest, January 21, 2023
While increased personal responsibilities have forced Rhobin Courtright to retire as the leader of our monthly round-robin, Skye Taylor has volunteered to oversee the Round Rhobin flock.
The holiday season and the winter weather prompt me to reassess my life and goals for the incoming year.
I'm ready to start a new project upon January's arrival.
What works for me?
- My local writing chapter offers monthly online workshops. I participated in several during the holidays. Penny Sansevieri taught one workshop. I also participated in a workshop led by Allie Pleuter. Both of these workshops were interactive, informative, and fun!
- I read and study some of the novels I have stacked in my office. 1 non-fiction, 1 NY Times best-seller, a favorite classic, and a book my mother sent me: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (a pristine 1945 hardbound copy ) and genre fiction.
- I still keep my daily journal, but I enabled the mic feature to switch it up a bit this time. I will return to the pen-and-paper method as it feels like a diary. Speaking my thoughts verbally seems...less intimate.
- I also spend time with family members (2 winter weddings, holiday celebrations, children's birthdays, etc.). Change of location, interaction, and ensuing chaos, always gives one a new idea/ slant on life.
- I also tried new recipes and ordered take-out/delivery meals with unfamiliar (to me cuisine). Why take-out? I was noting my sensory response from a character's POV. Tonight I chose from the Japanese menu: Okonomiyaki (an eggy pancake) and Shoyu (Raman Soup with veggies, protein, seaweed, bamboo shoots, and noodles). I expected the soup to taste salty, but it wasn't. The flavors were unfamiliar, and some of the textures were unexpected.
- And lastly, I varied my writing routine. I wrote 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours after dinner. I've been a night owl since birth. Therefore, this was a challenging change in my way (it required additional cups of coffee while a bit of snarkiness embedded itself into my easy-going temperament).
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2OQ
Anne Graham https://goo.gl/h4DtKv
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Diane Bator https://dbator.blogspot.com/
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
Fiona McGuire http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Friday, October 21, 2022
Villainous Characters and Redemption. Yes or No? By Connie Vines #RoundRobin 100, #Writing Tips, #Villians, #RR100
Have any of your villainous characters reached redemption for their actions? How would you go about it if you were going to do this?
- The Wizard of Oz - the evil witch tried to kill Toto and Dorothy! 👠 (yes, I know the house killed her sister, but still..)
- Dracula (Bran Stoker's classic novel). This novel is a love story. Not your typical happily ever after, but a love story never-the-less. In this case, I could provide the original man (the count) redemption; however, the evil being he became would be beyond redemption here in the earthly realm. Profound sympathy on my part, perhaps.
Participating:
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2KA
Robin Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
** All of my novels/novellas are on sale (50% off) at the
Smashwords site through Halloween!
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/vinesbwl
Friday, September 23, 2022
Characters, Reader's Intuition, and Deep-Dark Secrets By Connie Vines, #Round Robin99, #Writing Tips, RRBlog,
This Month's Round Robin Topic: What do you define in your writing about your characters and what do you leave to the reader’s intuition? Is there anything you never tell about a character?
This topic will require a bit of pondering...
👦👧👪📚
When writing YA/MG fiction,/non-fiction I define my characters, my plotting, and characters' histories and backgrounds down to a "gnat's eyelash" so to speak. In historical fiction, there are many events, though historically accurate, a young reader is not equipped to process. I address this in the note from the author, and the Q and A at the end of the novel.
🤠👢👩💝
As for romantic fiction, I still research career backgrounds, (my setting are towns/states I'm familiar with (residing or numerous vacations in the area). In the past, I interviewed my characters and kept detailed notes about family histories, etc. I no longer do this before writing my stories. Why because halfway through the book, my characters defined a different pathway--which led to revisions. I detest plot revisions three-quarters through a 60,000-word novel 😭.
So, now I've become what is defined as a Panster: W-plot outline, scribbled notes about my characters, a title, and away I go.
㊙🔎😮📂
Secrets and mysterious background.
Don't you love secrets/hinted-at but not revealed mysterious background? I know I do.
Everyone has a chapter in his/her life they'd like to keep hidden. Or it may be a secret that would blow the socks off a person. Double O-7's life sounds romantic and exciting until you really think about what he does for a living.
A cowboy, rancher, or banker may see run-of-the-mill-boring until you discover a past event that defined him as a man of honor and courage; or an act of sacrifice and kindness that makes you weep.
Visit my Round Robin band of authors, they have great stories to share!
Happy Reading, everyone
Connie
XOXO
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Dr. Bob: https://bobrich18.wordpress.com/?p=10492
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Robin Courtright https://www.rhobincourtright.com/