The End

I’ve read several books by an author who I’ve enjoyed. Up until the ending of each book. Each ending is a disappointment. She has her characters behave very stupidly, just to fit a formula the author thinks she needs to follow. I know she’s following a formula because it’s the exact same in each of the books. Same situation, same reactions, no matter who the characters are. 

DON’T WRITE TO A FORMULA.

Do what is true to the character.

And don’t keep re-writing the same book with different people. Your readers will notice. And they will be upset. I know I am.  So much so that I’ve stopped buying her books. Why bother when I know it will just be a disappointment.

The author has so much potential. It’s frustrating to see her cop out at the end.

Have you ever experienced something like this?

This

Sometimes other people say it better than you can.

This. This is perfect.

It's a comfort to know that successful, wonderful authors can struggle in the same way I am. That I'm not hopeless or unfit to be an author. Even better to know that there is hope for this horrible first draft I'm fighting with.

Story to Tell

I was reminded recently that everyone has a story to tell.

Tell your story.

Doesn't matter how: memoir, fiction, movie, play, blog post, journal, recipe book, painting, quilt, cross stitch, audio recording, whatever. 

Tell your story. In your way.

Because everyone has a story.

And everyone deserves to be heard.

Finding the end

I'm 20K words into a new book and I'm having some problems.  I like the idea, I like the characters and the world I'm building, but I don’t know where I’m going with this book.

I have lots of ideas for the end, but nothing feels right, I don’t yet know what the end should be. I’m not a plotter. I don’t like to know everything before starting a book, but usually about 10k words in I have a pretty good idea where the story is going. I stop and write the end, then I know what I’m shooting for. All I have to do is figure out how they get there. 

This book isn’t working like that. 

I feel aimless. Part of that is maybe that my character right now is aimless and doesn’t know what she wants. Part of it may be the difficulty I've been having writing due to stress the past year or so. Either way, I need a goal. I need something to shoot for, so I know how to write this thing. 

What do you do with an aimless book? How do you find your goal?

book home

Cynthia over at Read is the New Black has been blogging about books that she read as a child/teen.  She's reminded me of a few books I used to love as a teenager and it's put me in a contemplative mood.  There were many books that influenced me, many that made me want to write, to create, and to inspire the same things I felt when I read.  Two of them stand out to me.

Now, I started writing books by the time I was four, so I know I was writing before this, but, THE SECRET GARDEN is the first book that I remember that made me want to be published. It sparked something inside of me, gave me a story idea that I have carried around with me ever since. I don't yet know if the idea will blossom into a full length novel. To this point is hasn't, but maybe someday will be the right time to write that story. THE SECRET GARDEN will always be special because it opened a door for me.

The second book was JANE EYRE. I first read this when I was twelve. I often pestered my mother to take me to the library for more books. She didn't always have time to drop everything at my whining complaints that I had nothing to read. Besides that, she wanted to introduce me to the classics, to teach me about literature, and probably to give me really long books so I would stop pestering her.  She'd been after me for awhile to read this book, and since she wasn't chauffeuring me around as much as I wanted I finally gave in. And I was blown away.  This book taught me what a book could be. JANE EYRE will always be something I strive to emulate. Not the plot or language, but the scope of the novel, the depth and complexity, the fact that after all this time it can still speak to readers and blow them away.

What books influenced you? Did you have a single book that influenced your desire to write? That helped you find your home in a certain genre? Or was it a string of many books that created a home for you?

beginnings

I’ve been thinking about first pages a lot lately. When I look for good examples in published books there is one book I keep coming back to. This was a book I found and read solely on the strength of its first line.  The book is SILENT IN THE GRAVE by Deanna Raybourn.

It starts with this:

“To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband’s dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor.”

Isn’t it intriguing? Who is Nicholas Brisbane and why is he the focus rather than her twitching dying husband? Also, there’s a bit of dry humor in these sentences that made me know I would like the writing.

It continues.

“I stared at him, not quite taking in the fact that he had just collapsed at my feet. He lay, cured like a question mark, his evening suit ink-black against the white marble of the floor. He was writhing, his fingers knotted.” 

This sets the stage for what is happening. We also learn something about their socio-economic station in life. They have a marble floor; he wears an evening suit. We also learn a little about their marriage.

Next paragraph.

“I leaned as close to him as my corset would permit.”

Here, with the reference to the corset, it sets the time period.

“’Edward, we have guests. Do get up. If this is some sort of silly prank—“

Again, this sets up their relationship. If my husband fell to the ground convulsing I wouldn’t stand there and accuse him of pranking, or worry about guests. Though married, they weren’t close, definitely not in love, which brings us back to who could that Nicholas Brisbane be?  He shows up in the next paragraph but I’ll let you keep going on your own.

I love how these few sentences set the backdrop and the characters. I may not know Edward well enough to be devastated at his dying, but there are so many questions, so much vivid description that I want to keep reading. That is the goal of a good opening.

What is your favorite opening? Do you have one that you keep going back to?