Finally Feeling Like Writer Again These Days

Debra gets back into the swing of things.

Okay, so I can't claim I've written hundreds and hundreds of words this past week.

In fact, I can't even claim that I sat down at my computer to do any writing. Although I've posted a bunch of comments on blogs to support my fellow writers as I'm involved in not one, not two, but three holiday blog countdowns. If you want to check them out, here's where I'll be and when. There are also some fabulous prizes being given away by the other authors participating and from my publisher, The Wild Rose Press.

Twenty-five Days of Holiday Blogging at The Wild Rose Press (December 7): http://thewildrosepress.blogspot.com

Twenty-five Days of Christmas Stories at Melissa Snark's (December 22): http://melissasnark.blogspot.com

Holiday Cheer at Anna Kathryn's (December 29): aklanier.com/annas-blog/

But I did do something to help me accomplish my goal of revising, editing, and submitting a mss to my editor by the beginning of the year.I made a list of things to do. Some items on the list were prep things like print out a copy of the entire mss. Other things on the list were ideas for some of the revising I want to do.

Even better, in my day to day goings on, little ideas and the desire to get down to writing keep popping into my head. Believe me, after a dry spell that has lasted for way too many months to count, this is a good, good thing.

I also took a peek at my WIP "One Great Night". I didn't do much with it, but read a few snippets here and there to get it in my mind again.

And I spent some time updating my web-site: adding my blog tour for The Vampire and the Vixen and adding links for This Feels Like Home.

All in all I'm pretty excited.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

That 'A-Ha' Moment

Paula looks at how the first seed of a story is sown.

 

Next year is the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War – or the Great War, as it was called until the Second World War started.

 

Several years ago, I visited the exact spot in a small Belgian village where the very first shots of the war were fired by a group of British cavalrymen. They were out on reconnaissance, and, quite by chance, encountered a small German troop, who were also on a reconnaissance mission.

 

It was a very brief skirmish, lasting only a few minutes before the Germans made a quick withdrawal. Those first shots, however, were the start of the bloodiest war there had ever been, during which millions of young men were killed on both the eastern and western fronts, and at sea.

 

What has this to do with writing? Recently, on my own blog, I posted a short article about the war, and while I was checking up on my facts, I found some personal accounts of the skirmish on August 22nd, 1914, including that of a young cavalryman. One story also told of how a Belgian nurse turned up after the incident, in what was then called a ‘limousine’, and offered her help to anyone who had been wounded. It turned out she was the daughter of the owner of the local chateau.

 

Several years later, after the end of the war, a memorial was built in the Belgian village, to commemorate the first shots of the war. The young cavalryman, who had survived the war, attended the unveiling ceremony – and so did the Belgian nurse.

 

You know when you get one of those ‘A-ha’ moments when a real-life story strikes a chord somewhere in your mind? It’s happened to me several times – such as when I read about a Paris apartment that had been abandoned since 1939, and another time when I found Maureen O’Hara’s signature in a guest book at ‘The Quiet Man’ cottage in an Irish village. I've used, or rather adapted, both of these in my novels,  .

 

There are some stories or incidents that seem to embed themselves in your mind, and won’t go away. A seed is sown and starts to grow, and in some deep dark recess of my mind, the story of the British cavalryman and the Belgian nurse is starting to germinate.
 

Their real names were Ben and Louisa, by the way, so I don't have to think up new names for them, which I might have done if they'd been called Horace and Agatha!

 

P.S. An interesting footnote is that some of the last shots of the war were fired in the very same Belgian village, when a Canadian troop, pursuing fleeing Germans, stopped firing at 11a.m. on November 11th, 1918, the 'eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month', the exact time of the Armistice. Another memorial marks the place where they halted, which was about 50 yards from where the first shots had been fired, just over four years earlier.

August 22, 1914                               November 11, 1918

 

You've Got To Have Friends

Jennifer talks about her writer friend

Yesterday, I met a writer friend for breakfast. We met through our romance writer’s group and Twitter. She originally asked me out for coffee in order to pick my brain about how to get published. We discovered we have a lot in common and our personalities are similar, and we’ve since become very good friends. Although we live approximately thirty minutes apart, we get together approximately once a month for coffee or shopping (always near me, despite how often I suggest we go closer to her).

We’ve since developed into critique partners, so we spend about half our time chit chatting about our lives, and the other half talking about our writing. Sometimes that writing talk involves technology, industry information or writing suggestions. Other times, we solve each other’s problems. It’s amazing how easy it is for me to solve her plotting problems, when I’m unable to solve my own. Luckily for me, she provides me with the same assistance.

I've been told that it's important for published authors to have published critique partners. I see the benefit to that. But I think it would be a mistake to automatically discount any unpublished writer, because by doing so, you might be missing out on great talent. Publishing is sometimes a hit or miss business, and there are lots of talented, unpublished writers out there. My friend is one of them.

I never fail to leave my meetings with her inspired. I can't wait to meet with her again. In the meantime, I'm off to write!

Too real to be believable?

Ana talks about a scene based on a real experience

I just wrote a scene where my heroine's family and the hired-hand hero are summoned to a neighbor's farm to help corral seven cows that had broken out again. The bull is a Jersey with long, sharp horns. He knows how to use them.
Jerseys are smart, nimble cows. In a mixed breed herd, they are invariably the leaders. The ratio of body mass to brain is lower than with the much bigger Holstein. Think race car vs a station wagon.

I wrote this scene based on a vivid memory. When we first moved to our farm, I was chased by an ill-tempered half-Jersey, half Guernsey bull with mean horns. The neighbor had loaned him to breed our four milk cows. I went out to get them for the evening milking, and the bull decided to show he was boss.
I'd walked the middle of the pasture. The cows--with the bull's encouragement--weren't budging.  I had to bring the cows in, so I started circling behind them. The bull lowered his head and started toward me. At first, I waved my arms and shouted at him. I was not raised on a farm. 'Halt' meant stop.  When he kept coming, I turned and ran. Fast.
Thinking he'd tire when I was away from his 'girls,' I zigged and I zagged. He kept coming, shaking his head in a display of manly bovine superiority.  The cows watched with great interest--and probably amusement.
I reached the fence, threw myself on the ground and rolled under the electric wire.
He stopped, stared at me and snorted. Then he turned around and trotted back to his ladies. Victorious.
I told my husband he could bring in the cows.
Vern, the neighbor, thought the episode was a hoot. Apparently, all the neighbors were thinking we, this young city family, wouldn't last more than a year or two on the farm.

I subbed the chapter to a crit group for feedback. One writer friend questioned whether a cow would charge a person. In her experience, Angus cows were docile and would never charge a person. (True--unless you get between a mama Angus and her newborn calf. Then watch out.) Another wondered why the neighbor didn't simply repair the fence and prevent the animals from escaping.

I intend to keep the scene as is--and follow up with another where the bull breaks out and attacks the heroine. The hero will have to save her. (Cue the romance.)

My question is: can a scene be too real to be believable? 

Historical Background

Welcome again to Rosemary Gemmell, who tells us about the historical background of her latest release:

One of the reasons I enjoy writing historical romance is exploring some of the events that happened in different eras and using them as a backdrop to the story. Part of the reason I chose 1816 as the year in which to set Midwinter Masquerade was because of two significant circumstances.

The long wars with France came to an end with the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, when Wellington finally vanquished Napoleon Bonaparte. But the end of the war, although a victory for Britain, left a whole army of soldiers without work or money and exacerbated the problems already looming across the country with rising prices and general unrest.

By the following year, 1816, further problems arose with one of the worst summers ever experienced, making it known as ‘the year without a summer’. Evidently, this was caused by the eruption of a volcano in a far off island, and the effects were felt in different parts of the world. This added to the growing discontent in Britain, when food became scarcer and corn prices rose too high.

Although Midwinter Masquerade is very much a romantic novel, I allude to these problems in the story to bring some reality and background to the period. Since the Winter Solstice is a pivotal part of the novel, I liked the idea of setting it in such a dark year. It also ties in with one of the themes of the novel – the choices facing my main heroine, Lady Lenora Fitzallan, the possible change of direction her life may take before the end of winter and the coming of another year.

Blurb

In Edinburgh, December 1816, young widow Lady Lenora Fitzallan accepts an invitation to the Scottish country estate of Edward Montgomery, the man she once thought to marry seventeen years previously. Until he left without explanation. Accompanied by her godmother, Lady Pettigrew, Lenora forms a friendship with Edward’s young niece and ward, Annabelle, who has a propensity for getting into scrapes and falling in love with the wrong man.
In the days leading up to the Masquerade Ball on the Winter Solstice, another guest arrives. Mr Henderson has a particular reason for meeting Annabelle, who distrusts him on sight. Meanwhile, Lenora struggles with her rekindled feelings for Edward, while thinking of Robert Masters, the sophisticated man who hopes to marry her when he returns from abroad.
As past secrets begin to unfold, Annabelle is rescued from harm, and a dashing, costumed stranger arrives at the Ball.
Once the past is revealed and the real villain unmasked, Lenora must decide where and with whom her future now lies.

Midwinter Masquerade is available from:
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Midwinter-Masquerade-Romy-Gemmell-ebook/dp/B00G4DNG7G
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Midwinter-Masquerade-Romy-Gemmell-ebook/dp/B00G4DNG7G
All e-formats from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/370487

Rosemary Gemmell’s short stories and articles are published in UK magazines, in anthologies, in the US, and online and she has won several short story prizes. She lives in the beautiful west coast of Scotland and is now a published novelist for adults (as Romy) and Middle Grade/tweens (as Ros) with three different e-publishers. Her BA (hons) in literature and history and MA in Humanities are put to good use in reading and research for all types of writing. Midwinter Masquerade is her new Regency era novel set in Scotland from Tirgearr Publishing.

You can find Rosemary at:
Website: www.rosemarygemmell.com
Main Blog: http://ros-readingandwriting.blogspot.com
Twitter: @rosemarygemmell

A FREE Holiday Anthology from Exquisite Quills containing Rosemary's short story, Highland Hogmanay, is available from Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815

 

Thank you so much for being our Friday Friend, Rosemary. Midwinter Masquerade is already on my Kindle, and I'm looking forward to reading it, especially as I know your historical background will be accurate and authentic. Although I've studied that period of history, I never realised the volcano was to blame for the bad summer of 1816! You learn something new every day :-)

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Debra is heading out in a little while to have a day filled with...

Family

Friends

Fun

Football

Love

Laughs

Turkey

Stuffing

Cranberries

Pumpkin Pie

Many blessings to you and yours!

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Predictability?

Paula asks: How predictable are your novels?

I would contend that all novels are predictable to some extent. Detectives solve their cases, criminals/murderers are brought to justice, mysteries are solved, the ‘goodies’ win and the ‘baddies’ lose. People want satisfying (and ‘happy’) endings, whether they are reading murder, mystery, thrillers, western, or whatever (unless they are reading tragedies, of course)

Why, then, are romance novels sometimes patronisingly referred to as ‘predictable’? What’s so different between a detective solving his case (happy ending), and a couple overcoming whatever problems confront them in order to be together (happy ending)?

Jane Eyre came back to Mr Rochester, Elizabeth and Darcy were reunited –were those endings predictable? Yes, of course they were, but does anyone complain about that?

A romance story, by its very definition, needs a happy ending.

Of course, the important thing is how we actually get to that happy ending, and this is where the unpredictability may come in. The reader should start to wonder how on earth the hero and heroine are ever going to resolve the problems or conflicts we’ve thrown at them in order to reach their happy ending.

In the case of Jane Eyre, she leaves Thornfield, certain there is no future for herself and Rochester once she learns about his wife. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet turns down Darcy’s proposal in the most scathing manner imaginable. These are the points where the reader, like the characters themselves, is left thinking that all is lost.

Of course, it isn’t, but readers don't need to turn to the last page to find out if the characters finally get together. They know they will, but this is where writers must use their powers of ingenuity to find a way to bring the heroine and hero together again.

It can’t be contrived or coincidental, and it can’t happen until the problems (either internal or external) have been resolved, otherwise it will seem too easy – and therefore predictable. Every romance needs a ‘twist in the tail’, something that will surprise the reader near the end – and not a fairy godmother who waves her wand to solve everything for them! Having the reader thinking, ‘Well, I didn’t expect that”, is the way to make your romance novels UNpredictable.