I’m trying to work a new way on my current novel-in-progress. This method includes outlining segments and focusing on the plot development in a systematic fashion. Being conscious of my process seems to be working! It’s also shaking my foundation. This is good. But it does make me wonder so…. I’ve decided that it’s time for an alpha reader for the first draft of an unfinished manuscript. What will this set of fresh eyes offer me when I turn over the first 138 pages? A whole lot—I hope! He is starting with a blank slate (I didn’t even tell him
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Mary Shelley’s Creation
August 30 is Mary Shelley’s birthday and it’s also celebrated as World Frankenstein Day. The publication of her masterpiece—which began as a ghost story written to entertain her fellow guests during a rainy country house party—continues to inspire readers, writers, filmmakers and other artists all over the world. The issues at the core of the story—locating line between science & magic, the responsibility of the creator to his/her creation, mortality, internal & external beauty, what it means to be human/what it means to be a god, and free will versus fate, are as relevant in the 21st century as they
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Body Language
A shrug can communicate a thousand words. I think an eye roll carries at least 500 and there’s always the foot tap and those annoying drumming fingers—quick, impatient phrases when nothing is said out loud. The grimace before a concession says more than the words of retreat; and eyes brimming with joyful tears are often more eloquent than a long speech. Unconscious body language and facial expressions can be useful weapons in a storyteller’s arsenal—ways to enhance OR undermine—words spoken by a character. The body language between characters is also an opportunity to express unspoken thoughts and feelings. A glance
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Killer Names
I just read a fascinating article in Atlantic Monthly about the importance of names. The article predicted the success of an individual on the basis of their name. It’s not the first time I’ve read about names. In these studies, names that are familiar and comfortable—in other words conventional names associated with the dominant culture—lead to individuals getting hired, receiving promotions and, in general, being socially acceptable. Unusual names, names that confuse or confound, sometimes take people out of the running for a job—before they’ve been given an interview! One statement in the Atlantic article jumped out at me—a Jamal
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The Motive Made Me Do It!
Motives matter in life—and even more in mystery fiction. Creating a credible motive for a character’s actions is at the heart of a good story. It’s not enough to say “he was crazy” or “she was overcome by passion”—even the wildest backstory needs a core of sincerity and reason. Real life can be, and sometimes is, completely irrational, but fiction requires the motives and actions of characters to make sense. In a good mystery, motive is an essential element of the crime. Although a reasonable motive is not required to prosecute a crime in court, a story that hangs together,
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Dialog Hiccups
In real life, conversations are often less-than-stellar. We get by with incomplete sentences, inconsistent pronouns, all sorts of grammatical errors and limited vocabularies. We manage to communicate, but it’s rarely poetic, dramatic or worth repeating verbatim. In fiction, we expect more of characters. Smart characters should sound smart. Young characters should sound young. The conversational styles of characters should reflect who they are—education, profession, background, geography, temperament and mood—and be, overall, more interesting than conversations in real life. And yet, they have to read as real! There’s the conundrum—a word that is perfect for this sentence and rarely used in
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Raining, Raining, Raining…
Unremitting rain, endless days of subzero temperatures, heat wave days and tropical nights, hurricanes, thunderstorms, blizzards and tornadoes—weather, especially sustained over periods of days—provides an evocative backdrop for storytelling. It’s almost too easy—almost… After three days of 90plus (32 centigrade) the temperature dropped, but the humidity rose. The modest 77 degrees hung over the city like a damp blanket of misery. Even when storms erupted, with sudden downpours and rain in sheets, the air remained soggy and almost solid. I went about my business rain or no rain, but kept thinking about the NOIR-ish aspects of the raining, raining, raining
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Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
I bought a bottle of absinthe on my recent trip to Europe. I haven’t tired it—yet. I’m a little afraid that the mythos, the glamour, the fascinating history of absinthe will lose its allure when I finally drink it. But let me backtrack. Last year, on a rainy, summer day in the Jordaan section of Amsterdam, I stumbled upon a wine store with an intriguing promise about absinthe in its window. I took a photo, but I didn’t go into the store. Back in NYC, friends asked why I didn’t go in and buy a bottle. I didn’t have a
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Magic Technology
The line between magic and technology seems to have more to do with TIME and less to do with reality. For many of us, technology that we use, but do not understand, has a magical quality and virtually every dramatic innovation or over-the-top invention has had a sense of magic about it. I was thinking about how technology changes the way stories are told when I stumbled upon a Magic Lantern (Laterna Magica) at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It’s a 17th century image projection system. Until that chance encounter at the museum, I’d never seen nor heard of a Magic
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The Nightwatch—A Winter’s Tale for Summertime
Harriet’s commute was already too long, but the Beltway traffic in and out of the district was turning it into a marathon drive — even when the weather was good. A little rain or, heaven forbid, snow and the hour and ten minute trip grew to two hours plus. ….Yes snow is on the way! We’re expecting anywhere between five and ten inches before the storm passes up the coast. Of course, there’s a chance that it’ll hit a holding pattern and dump even more than ten on Fairfax, Prince William, Stafford and Fauquier counties in Northern Virginia and D.C.
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