Writing the Light Symbolic

Writers are often excited about their use of symbols. I once attended a workshop on symbols in writing and was mildly disappointed when the meat of it was about the more obvious ones: water, white and black colors, houses. These symbols speak naturally to most of us--in fact the common dream interpretations (water as agent of change, a house as the self) of these symbols translate to stories as well.
Writing Tip for Today:
When considering the symbols in your work, keep these things in mind:

• Don't think about them while you write. Like subtext, symbols are likely to emerge after you've drafted your work, not as you write. These "deeper meanings" need to come from the deeper self (also known as "Muse," unconscious, creative seat). Trying to force symbols into your writing will probably sound forced.
• Do dream work. If you can't afford a therapist, myriad books on dream interpretation are out there. In writing, we want to appeal to the collective mind so that a connection forms between writer and reader. Find out what different symbols tend to mean. Keep a dream journal.
• Be subtle. A symbol is only as good as its discovery. If the writer shoves symbolic meaning down a reader's throat there is no discovery except the sudden urge to stop reading.
• Be Creative. Realize there is nothing new under the sun, but try to be as creative as you can. Same old ways to convey symbols will bore the reader. Be fresh.
• Don't mix too many symbols. Like metaphors, symbols are best kept clean and simple.

My Review of Never Without Hope by Michelle Sutton

Book Review!

Never Without Hope is a heartbreaking story of what sometimes happens to couples when the honeymoon's seemingly over. Since I've been married for more than 32 years, I can relate (just kidding, honey!) to the challenges of keeping that spark alive. I admire Michelle's willingness to write about stuff most Christians whisper about behind closed doors. The subject she tackles in this novel may curl your hair if you live in an alternate universe where impropriety and sexual sin don't exist. But if you are in the real world, you know that many men and women get enticed by flames old and new if the pilot light in their marriage grows dim or gets snuffed out.

My favorite thing about this novel is the main character Hope and the hope she gropes toward in her quest for healing. Nicely written, Never Without Hope examines a hot-button issue that needs to be more openly discussed in both Christian and secular circles. Four stars.

Here's the Back cover copy:
Hope believes she is above sexual temptation; that she would never break that commandment like her husband's previous wives had done. After all, she is a good Christian and a loving mother. She has no reason to stray . . . until her husband starts neglecting her needs and things begin to look hopeless. Though she clearly communicates her pain to her husband, he refuses to get help. She starts to wonder…Will she never have sex with her husband again? She soon learns that she, too, is capable of such betrayal when she succumbs to the unthinkable.

But things that first seemed sweet and reasonable given her painful situation soon produce a bitter taste when combined with the overwhelming guilt. No substitute will ever replace her love and desire for her husband. If only he would touch her like he used to. If only they could make love again. She misses him so much and wants to tell him the truth hoping it will propel him to do something to fix their problem, but she fears his rejection. Yet, she can't continue living such a hypocritical life. She knows it's wrong even though she continues to crave physical intimacy. Steeped in the quagmire of adultery, Hope must find her way back to solid ground to save her marriage. But will she lose everyone she loves in the process?

The Big Easy: Writing Effective Pivotal Scenes

Plot Points: How can you write them effectively, especially when the plot point is major to the story? This past week, a very dedicated writer brought her revised chapter into crit group for the third time. She wants it right because it's a pivotal place in the novel. Not only does the chapter herald the beginning of a major change in the story, the main character shifts her world-view in a big way. All novels have scenes/chapters something like this. Dedicated writers like my friend know it often takes many tries to get it right.
Writing Tip for Today: In revising a pivotal scene, remember that in the best novels, changes occur on many levels. Keep these things in mind as you write the important plot points in your work:

• You probably won't be able to accomplish everything in one or two drafts. Be prepared for multiple revisions.
• Some of the different areas you might consider are the physical, mental and emotional story arcs you've presented to the reader. Try tackling one area at a time.
• A main character's changes on the emotional level matter most when it comes to getting it right. This is just my opinion, but if you botch this layer of your story, the reader probably won't care enough about the other stuff to keep going.
• Don't try to make these changes too quickly. People usually change their minds and hearts about an issue over time. Start with little doubts, and gradually build up to where the character decides that things must change.
• Use concerete sensory detail (CSD), inner thoughts and body language to show these changes as they build.
• Be sure your character's changes are in keeping with the overall story's theme and promise.
• If your changes seem too sudden, consider "planting" or foreshadowing smaller changes in earlier scenes. Readers want things to feel logical.

Writing Dialogue: To Said or Not to Said

Writing students tell me that their crit partners insist that the new way of writing dialogue is to always place "beats" around the spoken words that identify the speaker. Is it ever OK to use a simple attribution, such as, "he said?"

Writing Tip for Today: New writers often learn that creative and varied attributions are unnecessary and actually weaken the work. "Always stick to the simple 'said,' teachers advise, "said is invisible to the reader." Now, writers are going further and suggesting that attributions should always be replaced by "beats" (sentences) of action, body language or inner thought. My take? Using these beats, especially in adhering to the famous Rule of Three in dialogue will likely pump up your prose and make it much more compelling and vivid. Yet there is a place for the simple said.

• Use said if you don't want the perceived pacing to slow.
• Use said to vary your dialogue.
• Use said (or asked or screamed, but not expostulated, neighed angrily or smiled) at times to show how the words were delivered.

Don't forget that quotation marks always go outside the puncuation, and that each new speaker gets a new paragraph.

Scene Writing Tricks

You're drafting a scene, and it dawns on you: this scene, like about a dozen others, has your characters sitting around drinking coffee, tea or fermented yak milk. How can you move your story without making every scene resemble a TV sitcom?
Writing Tip for Today: In real life we do sit around and talk a lot. Maybe that's why "sit" coms feature the same thing. But scenes where your characters do nothing except sit and jaw are static and can easily become dialogue heavy or veer off into talking heads. Try these things to get some action into your scenes:

• Write like it's a movie. If your scene drafts feature mostly dialogue, don't worry. On revisions, weave action, sensory info and body language around the spoken parts later. Remember, for the reader to fully experience a scene, it should feel cinematic.
• Make your POV character work. Instead of letting your viewpoint character sit and talk, make him/her get up and do something. Characters that cook, clean, build fences or some other activity during scenes are easier for the reader to imagine than a character whose only moving part is the mouth.
• Make action purposeful. The characters should be doing things that matter to the story. If the story is about cars, let your characters do things other than drive them. Avoid having people doing random things. The reader will become confused if the action has little or nothing to do with the story goal.

Strong Writing II: The Cellular Level

When it comes to strong writing, I don't like to say the "small" picture. The "big" picture is the body itself. But bodies are made up of cells that each contribute something to the whole. The body overall may tolerate some cells' weaknesses, but if enough go south, the body is in trouble. How can you maintain strong writing on a cellular level?
Writing Tip for Today: The foundation of strong writing is active verbs. The trouble with "to be" verbs and words ending with "ing" is that they feel static or distant, general and ordinary. This sounds elementary, but check over your work for sentences with some form of the verb "to be." Is, are, was, and were can be useful tools, but overreliance on them (especially when paired with a gerund, or "ing" word, such as, "She was watching.") leads to flabby prose. If you see too many "to be" verbs, gerunds or other general words (It, There, very, little, etc), you can often strengthen your writing by switching out "was"words for specific active verbs, and trading "was ing" words for the simple past tense. EX: She was watching. She watched. Try this and see how much livelier, direct and concise the new version is. Your prose may feel as if it has a new lease on life.
Today at 7EST (that's 4PM PDT) I'll be the featured guest at The Writer's Chatroom. If you have a writing-related question or just want to say hi, please drop in. You don't have to sign up or get a password, just pick an online name and come on in.

Back to the Writing Grindstone

Let's focus on strong writing. What does this mean? In the big picture, strong writing moves the story forward, creating more and more tension and rising action. No doubt you've heard these expressions, but do you know how to implement them?
Writing Tip for Today:
Move the story forward: Strong writing makes every word push the story closer to answering the story question. In other words, you can't make your fiction about "one darned thing after another." While a skillful writer makes each scene appear effortless or random, it's all part of a calculated thrust toward the character's goal. Trim all happenings that aren't a part of the plot or subplot(s).
Tension: Externally, tension results from being at cross-purposes with other people, nature, aliens or oneself. Internal tension might be shown by a character who is conflicted (wants something but doesn't want it) but the external and internal should be balanced. Too much internal tension traps the reader in a character's mind. Too much external tension can create a shallowness.
Rising Action: Your tension-o-meter should not yo-yo. If you put the most tension (or exciting) scenes at the beginning, every scene after them will be anti-climactic. Let your tension start low and build up like a pressure cooker.
Next up: Strong Writing Makes Every Word Count
This Sunday, June 20th, I'll be chatting at The Writer's Chatroom http://writerschatroom.com/ at 7PM EST. Come join the discussion and ask me questions.
and
Also I invite you to check out a guest post I did for the blog Daily Signs of Hope
http://dailysignsofhope.com/ called "Uncle Julio and the Tongues of Fire." Warning: Christian content. Thanks to all my readers for your support.

Meet Gina Ochsner & The Russian Dreambook of Color & Flight

If you're looking for a beach read this summer, watch out. Take Gina Ochsner's The Russian DreamBook of Colour and Flight to the shore and you may end up burnt to a crisp--her story will suck you in and not let go. Gina is a literary heavyweight, in my opinion. She's one of the finest literary writers around. Her short stories have appeared in places such as The New Yorker. She's won the Flannery O'Connor Prize, the O. Henry Prize and two Oregon Book Awards. Yet I've never met such an unassuming or gracious writer as Gina. Her latest effort, a novel, is The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight, published first in the UK (Portobello Books, 2009) and now available in the States. Gina's characters are poignant and grapple with the deepest of themes and emotions. My favorite of her short stories, "Articles of Faith," from People I Wanted to Be (Houghton Mifflin Mariner Original, 2005) made me cry five times in the first three pages.

But back to the Russian DreamBook. It's Gina's debut novel, was shortlisted for yet another Oregon Book Award and her research is impeccable. Harper's calls it "beautiful and unsettling,"and the New York Times wrote, ". . . she dives gracefully off the deep end and heads for the realm of the unpredictable." I met Gina after emailing back and forth about her work--she lives in Oregon and teaches writing for Corban College and as an expert writing consultant for George Fox Evangelical Seminary's doctoral program. Recently, The Oregonian profiled her. Gina's no-bones attitudes toward her deep Christian faith was a testament to her strength as a person and as a writer who portrays her characters with grace, beauty and yes, unpredictability.

Gina's previous books were both story collections that each won an Oregon Book Award: People I Wanted to Be and The Necessary Grace to Fall. Check out any or all of this wonderful writer's work--whether you work on your tan or not.

Meet Guest Blogger Deb Vogts

When most people think of doing book research, they immediately think of historical research. Those who write historicals have my deepest admiration. But contemporary authors have to do research for their stories as well. That's what I'd like to share with you today.

Every novelist must "jump" into their characters' skins, and that often means we must learn things we don't already know. How do we do this? The Internet is an invaluable tool, as is your local library or bookstore. Sometimes, though, your questions can't be answered that way and you have to go to your "source." Often that means interviewing someone by email, by phone, or in person. For an introvert writer who spends the majority of her time in front of a computer, this can be terrifying. Believe me, I know, as I still fight my fear of admitting to someone that I'm an author. After all, they might look at me like I'm an alien, or worse, they might try to bite off my nose, or laugh at me . . . or sneer.

Okay, so what sort of research might a contemporary author need to do? Below are a few things I did for the books in the Seasons of the Tallgrass series, published by Zondervan.

In my first book, Snow Melts in Spring, the opening scene is one where a horse is terribly injured. Right off, I had to know technical terminology, and not only that, but I had to create a scene that was accurate and believable, not just something that looked good on paper. To get it right, I contacted a handful of veterinarians, asked them a bunch of detailed questions all the way down to possible accident scenarios, which would create the type of injuries needed for the story. I even shadowed one small animal vet for a day in order to get a feel for what a "day in the life" might look like for my character who was also a vet.

I also needed to know something about football. Again, not my specialty. For this research, I went to the children's section of the library and checked out an armload of books. Here's a good tip to know: Children's books are easy to read and they are chock full of valuable information. I also watched a lot of football games on television and asked my football loving friends and family hundreds of questions--all so I could write two or three scenes with authenticity.

It matters.

For my second book, Seeds of Summer, which releases the end of May, I needed to learn about the Miss Rodeo America competition because my main character, Natalie Adams is a former Miss Rodeo Kansas and first runner up Miss Rodeo America. My research for this story included visiting with those at the Miss Rodeo America headquarters, as well as interviewing and questioning the current MRA at that time, Miss Amy Wilson, Miss Rodeo America 2008.

The highlight of this research culminated when I met and visited Amy at her home in Colby, KS. Amy was a joy to work with and is such a lovely person. My visit to her home was an unexpected blessing, as she shared some special moments from her time as Miss Rodeo Kansas and then as Miss Rodeo America.

I learned that Miss Rodeo America has a host of sponsors who shower their queen with lovely gifts, some of which include: a wardrobe of Wrangler Jeans, Justin Boots, Bailey Hats , fully tooled Court’s Saddle with custom Miss Rodeo America conchos and an official Miss Rodeo America trophy buckle from Montana Silversmiths. Accompanying the perpetual Miss Rodeo America tiara made by Landstrom’s Original Black Hills Gold Creations, Amy was given a wardrobe of matching jewelry. These items, along with other prizes were presented to her throughout her reign. To see some pictures of these items, please visit my blog post here.

For my current project, book #3 - Blades of Autumn, I'm having to learn about running a cafe. So guess what? I've been visiting small town cafes and asking the owners lots of questions. Research such as this never ends, but taking the time to do this for your stories might mean the difference between someone loving your book or tossing it against the wall because it wasn't accurate. Sure, you'll never please everyone, but by doing the necessary groundwork, you'll at least know you did everything within your means to bring accuracy to the story.

Again, it's important. Your readers will thank you for it.

Blurb for Seeds of Summer: When opposites attract, sparks fly--like an electrical malfunction. That's what happens when former rodeo queen Natalie Adams meets the new pastor in Diamond Falls.

A heart-warming contemporary romance set in the Flint Hills of Kansas where a former rodeo queen abandons her dreams in order to care for her deceased father’s ranch and her two half-siblings, only to realize with the help of a young new pastor that God can turn even the most dire circumstances into seeds of hope. Spanning the Seasons of the Tallgrass, each story in this series reveals the struggle of the people who live there and the dreams they have for the land until they come full-circle in a never-ending cycle, just as man comes full-circle in his understanding of God.

If you'd like to read a snippet from Seeds of Summer, I invite you to visit Country magazine, which recently did a feature interview with me for their April/May issue. While there, you may also enter your chance to win one of my books. This book giveaway ends May 31.

Deborah Vogts and her husband have three daughters and make their home in Southeast Kansas where they raise and train American Quarter Horses. As a student at Emporia State University studying English and journalism, Deborah developed a love for the Flint Hills that has never faded. In writing this series, she hopes to share her passion for one of the last tallgrass prairie regions in the world, showing that God’s great beauty rests on the prairie and in the hearts of those who live there.

Visit Deborah at her web site or Country at Heart blog to learn more about her research for Seasons of the Tallgrass series.

How to Show Character Emotions

How your characters feel about what happens in scenes is crucial to the reader's perception of the story as a whole. Beginners often convey feelings with "telling" words (EX: She said angrily.) instead of showing. Or they show feelings (EX: She thrust out her chin.), add dialogue (EX: "You can't make me.) but then don't show us how the character's feelings and attitudes change and grow over the course of the story. Or they do all these things without considering the pace of the scene. How can a writer show character emotions that keep readers begging for more?
Writing Tip for Today: Try these remedies for conveying your characters' emotions:

• Use yesterday's suggestion about "weaving beats" of emotion around and through the dialogue.
• Use dialogue to illustrate your character's emotions, along with expressions and body language.
• Remember to think of your character as being on stage, where that character wouldn't face the audience and proclaim, "I'm angry!" Telling emotions are often identified by the "ly."
• Be aware of pacing. If your scene contains rising action or building tension, keep any interior thoughts in the beginning or keep them extremely brief. A detour to "back story" almost always deflates tension.
• As the character changes and grows over the course of the story, make those "aha!" moments clear but don't hit the reader over the head.

Happy Scene writing!

Disappearing Surroundings

You set up a scene (by describing where it takes place, who's there and so forth) and the next thing you know, it's mostly dialogue. After a few exchanges, the reader has forgotten about the surroundings and is left with talking heads. How do you create a fully three-dimensional scene?
Writing Tip for Today: Improve your scene writing skills by using these two techniques: Weaving Beats and The Rule of Three.

• Weave concrete sensory details (CSD), emotional beats and action around your dialogue. Instead of dialogue attributions (he saids), add a beat (phrase or sentence) of CSD around the spoken lines. EX: Gail tossed the file onto the detective's desk. "I got our guy to sing. I hope you're satisified." Sweat trickled down her neck in the stifling office. "I nearly got myself killed, but I got it."
• Remember the Rule of Three. If a character speaks 3 lines of dialogue or there are 3 exchanges of dialogue, consider breaking up the spoken words by Weaving Beats into the conversation.

Developing a Narrative Arc

Improve your writing by eliminating adverbs, redundancies and static scenes. But what about the story itself? Sometimes referred to as the narrative arc, story is more important than any writing skill. I've said it before: A mediocre writer with a fabulous story (narrative arc) is more likely to find success than the best prose that has no story. That said, exceptions are out there but most of us have a better chance at publication if we tell a compelling story.
Writing Tip for Today: Even a compelling narrative arc will suffer if the story doesn't grab the reader right away. Forgo backstory and set-up narrative until after the reader is hooked. In media res means "in the middle of the action." Use this as a guideline when you decide where to begin the story. If you start too far back in time, the reader may not stick around long enough to get to the exciting part.

Scene Writing Tips

What do cars, tables and beds have in common? Let's talk about some basic scene writing principles. New fiction writers tend to create static scenes. By that I mean that there is little action or movement aside from dialogue. Many times these scenes are centered around cars, tables or beds. Are your characters standing or sitting around in many of your scenes? Are you chronicling your character's time by acting out the alarm clock, the smell of the coffee, the robe and warm fuzzy slippers?

Writing Tip for Today: An easy way to improve your fiction is to write scenes that get the characters moving. Readers tire of seeing the same "set" again and again. Although we know everyone gets up and drinks coffee or tea, reads the paper or drives to work, unless it's an integral piece of the story, you can leave these parts out. Just say, "She drove to work."

Look at some of your recent scene drafts. Are there several that take place as your character is getting out of bed, eating or drinking at a table or driving somewhere? Replace these static scenes with scenes where your characters move around. You'll be surprised at the difference.

After Adverbs

My student novel writers are enthused after applying the advice to weed out adverbs (ly words). "My work is so much tighter," one student said. By using active, specific verbs, a writer can eliminate the need for most adverbs. Makes a big difference in how the story reads. Now, why not take another small but significant step?
Writing Tip for Today: Take a look at your last bit of writing. Are there spots where you have over-controlled the reader? By that I mean are there spots where repeating words make the section feel redundant? EX: She held a rose in her hand, extended her hand to him and he took the rose from her hand. The word "hand" is overused in the example, twice in different prepositional phrases (IN her hand, FROM her hand). After the first "hand," a reader gets it--no need to repeat the same word. A better version might be: She held a rose. She extended it to him, and he took it. We are aware that "hands" are involved without stating the fact.
Another troublesome habit in new writers' prose is getting too specific with details. EX: He pivoted on his right foot then kicked his left foot and hit a lamppost that was thirteen and a half inches from where I stood. Telling your reader exactly which foot, side or hand used only slows down the scene (Was that my left or the character's left?) while the reader tries to orient. Recording too many numbers or the exact dimensions of something forces the reader to stop and ask, "How long is thirteen and a half inches, anyway? A better idea might be to suggest the movement (He pivoted, then kicked at a lamp post just inches from where I stood.) or compare unknown (the package was as big as a bread box) with a known item. Try this on your next revision session and you'll watch your prose improve.

Your Writing Life

Summer looms, and with it, the real danger of your writing life getting shoved to the back burner. Gardens, poolsides and outdoor activities are hard to ignore when (and if) our very wet, soggy, drippy, miserably cold spring finally gives way to summer's golden days. Even native Oregonians are griping about too much "liquid sunshine." But we Oregon writers know too well how a little dabbling in the raised beds can turn into hours, days, weeks of neglecting the word count. How do you enjoy the season of fresh produce and SPF 50 without sacrificing your writing life?
No lazy writers!


Writing Tip for Today: Here are five ways to have fun this summer and still write at absolute top speed:

• Plan a writing retreat. Reserve a beach house, mountain cabin or other getaway spot, and resolve to write, write, write. Some writers join forces (the Oregon Writer's Colony has a house on Sylvia Beach with rooms to rent) while others head for a solitary spot with no phone or Internet.


• Write first, party later. Set a reasonable goal--say 500 words or two pages per day. Keep a notebook and pen or laptop handy at all times. Arrange your schedule so you must fulfill your word count goal before you do any fun summer thing. Got kids? Bring your laptop or a notebook to swimming lessons, the park or write during nap time.


• Enroll in a workshop or conference, or read a book on writing. Jumpstart your motivation with fresh ideas or practice what you learn in a workshop. If you live in the Eugene, Oregon area, I still have two open slots in my four week critique workshop that begins on June 17th.


• Enter writing contests. Make sure the entry fee is reasonable and check to be sure the contest is legit. Polish and submit pieces to keep your writing skills sharp.


• Use your outdoors time to concentrate on Concrete Sensory Detail (CSD). After you've walked, jogged, boated, or biked, jot down sensory information you've observed. Copy overheard dialog, smells, textures and of course, sights. Observe people in public places for use as character development.