a lesson from my learning curve...

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Happy New year!  Sorry its been a little while, but the holidays just grabbed a hold of me! :)  That's ok, I spent a lot of time with family and friends.  And my manuscript.  So that was good!  I also read a bunch of books: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, How to Write Killer Fiction, The Girl that Kicked the Hornet's Nest, The Firm and The Uglies (my reviews are on my goodreads).  


So.  It's a new year.  2011.  I have very high hopes for this year.  Things are going to be better, Im going to be better, more dedicated etc.  My biggest new years resolution is obvious: FINISH BOOK 1.  And not by the end of the year.... SOON!  Im gonna become OBSESSED.  That's my goal- obsession. 


I feel like Im on such a good track with it right now.  I have a solid outline and Im no longer struggling with the ending (of the trilogy).  I have a SOLID plan.  Seems like I should have had that before now right?  Well, originally the story started with what is now book 2, and so in developing my antagonist in book one, I fell in love with the character, and was struggling with having the character do what he/she does.  But I think that's what will make this character great.  A complex character, with decisions that aren't black and white at all.   Characters that are faced with impossible situations, where no matter what they choose, it will change them and stretch them.  


Another thing I decided, or rather learned the hard way, was that I am going to write the book from multiple viewpoints in 3rd person limited.  There are a series of things that I have learned a long the way that I WISH I would have known at the beginning.  This is one of them, so I'm going to give you the cliff notes of my research.


Point of View- this is a HUGE deal.  I didn't think it was, or I thought I understood it, but I didn't.  POV  will dramatically change how your book is written and how you shed light on things as the author.  


First Person (Thoughts and feelings of one main character who is telling the story) First person will always have "I" in it.  This is a good choice for a first time writer because it's not confusing at all and you can help the readers feel like they are inside the head of the character, allowing them to identify with the author fully.


examples: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox, The Woods by Harlan Coban


Second Person (Turns the reader into the character) Second person will have "you" in it.  This is not used very often and is not a good choice for a first time writer.


example: The Orchids by Thomas Cook


Third Person Omniscient (All knowing, can include thoughts and feelings of any character and can head-hop within scenes).  This is a good choice for a huge body of work, something like Lord of the Rings, because you can move your story forward and let the reader in on many viewpoints along the way.  The downside of this point of view is that there will always be a barrier between the reader and the characters.  They will never feel as if they are IN the situation, which you can achieve with either first person or third person limited.  This used to be the preferred way of writing but has fallen out of favor in recent years.


This is the viewpoint I had unknowingly started writing it, and then I did all this research and basically its a huge NO NO to write your first novel in this viewpoint.  Everyone says STAY AWAY, to the point that publishers may not even look at it.  So, that caused a lot of rewriting for me, BUT I think that its better now, because exactly what they say would happen did.  You feel MUCH closer to the character.  The thing that was crappy for me learning this later in the game, was that there were scenes I'd written that now I have to take out completely, or rework them into another perspective.  


examples: A Time to Kill by John Grisham, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, Lord of the Rings by J.R. R. Tolkien, Anna Karenina by Leo Toldtoy, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell


Third Person Limited (Thoughts and feelings of the main character, similar to 1st person, but instead of "I," the character's name is used.  Phrases like "he said, she said") This perspective is often used and is recommended along with 1st person for beginning writers.  


The challenge for me with this is that there is no way this story can be told from only one person's perspective because it is very complex and in my opinion would not do it justice.  So that brings me to another option of Multiple POV.


examples: Harry Potter by J.K Rowling, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway


Multiple ViewPoints (Includes thoughts and feelings from more than one main character, but ONLY one at a time.  It will be broken up with *** or through a new chapter)  This is not a recommended style for first time writers... but its what I'm using.  I just feel like it would be impossible to tell the story from one persons perspective.  But I do like using the 3rd person limited instead of omniscient because I think you will really feel connected with the characters and that's really important to me.


The caution with this viewpoint is to use as few perspectives as you can and still effectively tell the story.  Readers start to identify with whoever is telling the story, so if you switch it too often, you will have frustrated readers.


examples: My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult, The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edawards, The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares


Within these categories, the book can either be written with objective or subjective viewpoints:
Objective: Basically a camera's perspective- no thoughts or feelings, just the what someone says or facial reactions.
Subjective: Allows for internal thoughts and feelings.


So, that's my sum-up of POV.  I have learned what a big difference this can make in a book.  From me just switching from omniscient to 3rd person limited from multiple perspectives, it was challenging to think of new scenes that get the same thing across, from one of my POV characters.  


I'm plugging away, and loving ever second.  I'm still in love with Scrivener.  It's a fantastic program.  


Well I should be back to regular postings again.  :)  Hopefully this POV explanation was helpful- it helped me solidify it all in my mind by writing it!


Ok, I'm off to hit my word count for the day! 2000! 

gratitude

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This morning I am blogging from another state and there's 8 inches of snow!!  It's beautiful!  I turned on the Christmas music and I'm feeling pretty good about having it on.  


I wanted to quickly make a list of things I am thankful for this week, in the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday....

• Hubby- I know it sounds ridiculous how much I still adore him after all this time, but I truly am the happiest married person I know.  He is my air, and that's all I really need to say.
• My girls- Even though they are not my biological daughters, I love them so very very much.  They are my girls and make my life so much richer.  Their smiles, their laughter, their little jokes, their similarities and differences.  I love them more than anything.
• My dog- I get a lot of crap for how much I love my dog, but I don't care because he makes me soooo happy.  He really really does.  I know he is filling a spot in me that is craving my own baby, but I can't imagine loving him any less when that happens.  (I know.  Everyone says that will change)  I love his little personality and I especially love how he snuggles with me.
• My complicated family- I love my family so very much.  The dynamics are so interesting, and the struggles have been many, but I am confident we are stronger for it.  I have two amazing parents, in their own ways, and I have always felt loved.  I feel like I have a really great relationship with each of my sibs- there are six of us all together, which makes me very lucky.
• I am very very thankful for the upcoming stability that is beginning in our lives.  We have had a very up and down year with my husband's business, and it has finally paid off.  He successfully closed a large transaction that will give us not only stability but huge piece of mind.  I am so proud of him.  In this rough economy for him to have created something like he did is a huge fete.  
• I am so very very thankful that I have had the opportunity to work on my book this year.  I was so unhappy for so long, trying to be successful in an environment that was all numbers and black and white thinking.  With my husband's continued support, I have been able to chase a dream this year and I can honestly say that EVERY SINGLE DAY, I have been thankful for that chance.  I cannot even tell you how amazing it has been to have someone be so supportive.  I never would have got as far as I have without him believing in me and challenging me to DO IT.  
• Our health- I am so very very thankful that none of my family has had any major health issues.  I know what an amazing thing that is, and knock on wood, I pray it stays that way.
• I am thankful for our freedom.  I am thankful for all of the brave men and women that have served or are currently serving to keep us safe and free.  I hope they can all come home soon.
• I have wonderful friends and I am so thankful for them.  They add so much spice to my life and I am so thankful for good and lasting friendships.  I have such a dynamic group of friends from all walks of life, and I love that about each of them.  Their individuality, passions, hopes and dreams make me want to be a better person.
• I am thankful for the holidays- any reason to celebrate anything and I'm all over it.  I love love love the holidays.  I love the decorations, the music, the excitement in the air and the spirit of giving.  I love family gatherings and reactions to the perfect gifts.  I love hosting parties and spending extra time with good friends.  I love freshly fallen snow- it makes you feel like you can do anything, like you have a fresh start.

This year has been both fabulous and extremely stressful.  I feel like we have been humbled and that we have learned many valuable lessons.  I am looking forward to the upcoming year.  In many ways, I feel like we are arriving, like this next year will be one of the best of our lives.  I am excited to settle, to know exactly what our future will entail and to focus on living instead of surviving.  I am full of gratitude for my life, for the people that are in it, and for the amazing things they have taught me this year.

It may sound trite to make a list of things I'm thankful for, but it is so important to take time to notice the things around you that you are grateful for.  No matter what has gone on in your life, there are always things to be thankful for, to be mindful of.  I guarantee that you will instantly feel better after acknowledging these types of blessings in your life.  

In a strange way, I am also thankful for blogging... the ability for anyone to be given a voice, a sounding-board, an outlet, and a support system.  

Even though it was a hard year, I think that the struggle will benefit us- it gave us a healthy perspective that leaves me full of thanks on this snowy morning.

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."  

SCRIVENER!!!!!!

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Scrivener 2.0 has arrived, in all of its glory!  This software is THE BEST writing software EVER.  Bar none.  LOVE it LOVE it LOVE it!!  The reason I haven't written on here lately is because I'm spending every second in THIS SOFTWARE writing!  


I cannot even begin to tell you how intuitive it is.  It has features I didn't know I needed but then suddenly I can't live without it.  If you are writing ANYTHING, any kind of long document, this is a MUST.  I CANNOT believe I didn't have this before!!  


I found it on accident, while searching for a better way to track my daily writing goals (thanks Stephen King) and someone mentioned this software.  So I went to the website and learned that the creator, Keith from England, was a writer, struggling with the fact that there wasn't the right kind of software to support him.  So, he developed Scrivener... out of necessity, comes brilliance.  


I downloaded the free trial and within minutes was convinced THIS WAS IT.  I also loved that it is totally inexpensive- its about $50.  I seriously would have paid more.  I should be on a commercial for them.  I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE this software. 


Here is their website:


SCRIVENER SOFTWARE- Literature and Latte


And here is the link that has easy to follow tutorials that show all of the capabilities. 


TUTORIALS


It was funny because the 2.0 version wasn't out yet when I found it, and I was already soooo excited about it.  I wrote and wrote and wrote and told everyone around me all about it.  Then about three weeks later I came to do a post here, and went to get the icon for the picture at the top... and the 2.0 version had been released!  So then I abandoned my post, and spent a bunch of time on the new tutorials finding new gems that I didn't even know I needed but now can't live without!  AMAZING.  


Dear Keith,
Scrivener has changed my life.  Thank you so very much for all of your efforts in creating such intuitive software.  I will continue to spread the word about how much I FREAKING ADORE SCRIVENER.  If you ever need anyone to promote your software, you have your satisfied customer.  Seriously.  Also, I love how you say 'whilst' in all of your tutorials.  It makes me want to visit England as soon as possible.  
Thank you thank you thank you.  Brilliant software.  You have my eternal appreciation.  And from what I've read around, this is the general consensus.  
Sincerely,
Writing and Happy


As a sidenote... I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but the software was developed for Macs, but I have heard that a Windows version has either just been released, or will be soon.  So, keep your chin up, PCers.  Or, just get a Mac.  Because really.  Im a MAC.  And you will NEVER go back once you have dabbled in Macworld.


Anyway, I am such a happy writer thanks to Scrivener.  I know this is a silly post, but in all seriousness, it really has helped me organize my writing and navigate it much more effectively.  I just had to share how much it has helped me... because how did I not know about this??????


Man, this learning on your own thing is a little crazy.  But, it does allow for moments of sheer happiness, when you discover something groundbreaking.  Like Scrivener.  Seriously.  Stop reading and purchase.


Happy writing!!!

never give up

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You know that feeling.  The sinking feeling when you realize its not going to work.  You hear the "no" in the conversation and you realize that all of your efforts were in vain.  

That's the moment most of us give up, lick our wounds and decide that we won't reach quite so far next time.

Its a human, knee-jerk reaction.  

But.  

Sometimes there is more inside of us.  A deep pocket, way in the back, that we haven't accessed before.  We've never had to got there, and we never would have, were it not for this frustrating situation.  

This is something I have learned from my husband.  No matter how many times he hears no, or it can't be done, or it's impossible... all he hears is:  you haven't figured it out yet- back to the drawing board. 

I admire this quality in him, and I am trying to develop it further in myself.  These are the moments that force us to grow.  Sometimes we fight it... we aren't ready for change, its hard, you have no support or you are just tired of the fight.  Tired of the continued efforts that only amount to banging up against another wall.  

At that moment in time, you are in good company. 

Abraham Lincoln went to war a captain and returned a private. Afterwards, he was a failure as a businessman. As a lawyer in Springfield, he was too impractical and temperamental to be a success. He turned to politics and was defeated in his first try for the legislature, again defeated in his first attempt to be nominated for congress, defeated in his application to be commissioner of the General Land Office, defeated in the senatorial election of 1854, defeated in his efforts for the vice-presidency in 1856, and defeated in the senatorial election of 1858. At about that time, he wrote in a letter to a friend, "I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth."

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To be great, you must find the ability to continue against all odds.  

Winston Churchill was defeated in every election until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62.  SIXTY TWO. 

He later said,

"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up." 

Thomas Edison's teacher told him he was too stupid to learn anything.  It took him 1000 different attempts to perfect the lighbulb.  What if he would have stopped before the 1000th attempt??

Einstein was told he was "mentally slow" and was even expelled from school.

Henry Ford failed and was broke 5 times before he was succesful.

R.H. Macy failed 7 times before his store finally caught on. 

Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, and Jimmy Johnson accounted for 11 of the 19 Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1993. They also share the distinction of having the worst records of first-season head coaches in NFL history - they didn't win a single game.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." He went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland. In fact, the proposed park was rejected by the city of Anaheim on the grounds that it would only attract riffraff.

The first time Jerry Seinfeld walked on-stage at a comedy club as a professional comic, he looked out at the audience, froze, and forgot the English language. He stumbled through "a minute-and a half" of material and was jeered offstage. He returned the following night and closed his set to wild applause.



After Harrison Ford's first performance as a hotel bellhop in the film Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, the studio vice-president called him in to his office. "Sit down kid," the studio head said, "I want to tell you a story. The first time Tony Curtis was ever in a movie he delivered a bag of groceries. We took one look at him and knew he was a movie star." Ford replied, "I thought you were spossed to think that he was a grocery delivery boy." The vice president dismissed Ford with "You ain't got it kid , you ain't got it ... now get out of here."
Decca Records turned down a recording contract with the Beatles with the unprophetic evaluation, "We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on their way out." After Decca rejected the Beatles, Columbia records followed suit.
 In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, "You ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck."

 21 publishers rejected Richard Hooker's humorous war novel, M*A*S*H. He had worked on it for seven years.

"Only those who dare to fall greatly can achieve greatly." 
Robert F. Kennedy

"Everything will be ok in the end. 

 If it is not ok yet, 

it is not the end." 

Unknown

So, dig deeper.  


Try again.  


Don't take no for an answer.  


Go and  be great.  


It's what you are meant to do.

the spice of life... and why my job freaking rocks

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....aAaAnNnNdDd so it continues....


Im officially obsessed with the fall.  Everyone in my house is teasing me because every meal tastes "fall-ish and I have decorated the house with halloween spookiness.  I just think, if you can add spice to life, why not?  


We went camping up the canyon this weekend with the girlies and it was sooo refreshing! Just what we needed.  It was great to relax.  I think I have forgotten how to relax to some extent!  Being so busy all the time, I find I have to force myself to slow down!


 Meanwhile, I have been plugging away on my book with my newfound words of wisdom from Stephen King.  Ok, so the confession is that I have not hit 1000 words every day since I posted (LAME I KNOW).  BUT I have written more than that a few times, and I am writing with more frequency.  I will get there- things have been really crazy lately with our traveling so much and the kids back in school with their games and stuff.  I have to say that a few things he said in his book have really affected me and helped me so much. I feel like I'm on a roll!


dRuMroLl pLeAse......I would like to welcome back my fall line up.... greys anatomy, how I met your mother, 30 rock, dexter, big love, flash forward, parenthood, friday night lights, house, bones and the office.  My new addition this year is Lone Star, which I have only had time to watch the first episode, but it was good!  DISCLAIMER: I do not watch all of these shows ALL the time and often get very behind... but thanks to DVR, I am able to catch up (often during the summer).  And I always try to run whilst I'm watching...  


I actually find that the more books I am reading and even when I'm watching a bunch of different kinds of shows, I think it makes me a better writer.  Am I allowed to say that?  How cool is my job? I really do pay attention to things like character development and plot and what I liked or what doesn't work.  I am marking up all the books I read now, taking notes in the margins, and underlining things.  I am constantly trying to learn something new from whatever it is that has my attention.  When I'm out and about, I watch how people interact, their facial expressions, listen to their conversations (hey- its my job) and always try to learn something.  I find that I am influenced in my writing by things that I have gleaned from situations around me. 


CURRENTLY READING:  Mockingjay by Sue Collins, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson, Play Dead by Harlan Coban, Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice (OCTOBER book club selection), and (rereading) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  


Today I am meeting my friend Denise to go over where we are in our books and help each other along.  It really does help me to meet with her, to get ideas, to keep the excitement going and to be held accountable.  


INTENTION: I WILL WRITE 1000 words today no matter what no matter what no matter what.  My goal is 2000 words today.  I will report tomorrow morning!!


Hope you all have a wonderful day!!  Get out and enjoy the weather, or hole up inside with coffee, a fire and a good book!  The fall only lasts for so long!!