Taking Time to Plot

I used to exercise daily. I have a treadmill and an elliptical trainer. The trainer is fairly new, but I’ve had the treadmill for years. I was consistent with walking on the treadmill daily. But I’ve gotten out of the habit.

I made a commitment to get back into walking after this trip. Something that happened yesterday on this trip reinforced that.

We drove up Hwy 14 on our drive from Bozeman, Montana, to Sheridan, Wyoming. And I do mean up. It’s miles and miles up a mountain on a winding road with little shoulder. The view is spectacular – huge valleys, mountains, big sky and trees, cliffs. Fabulous. For me, it was better than our drive through Yellowstone. Near the top we turned on a side road and drove up to Medicine Wheel, a Native American sacred ground.

Actually, you can’t drive right up to it. You go about a mile and a half up a dirt road, then park. Then you walk another mile and a half up the road. When you get to the Wheel, you’re at about 10,000 feet. It’s a great walk with wonderful views that you can use as an excuse to pause and get your breath.

Supposedly, being at the Medicine Wheel changes people. For me, it wasn’t so much the Wheel, as the walk up and back. It made me realize two things. One, I like to walk. Walking up the road to the Wheel was best, but even the treadmill energizes me. And two, walking is a great time to think. You can let your plot run through your head, hear characters having conversations, envision scenes playing out.

I’m going to get back into walking once I’m back home. After I get new tennis shoes. I need new shoes. Seriously.

Have Books, Will Travel

Someone emailed to ask what I was doing up in Montana. In Montana, I’m visiting relatives, or more accurately relatives-in-law. We decided to do it at this time because around Labor Day every year we go to Wyoming, so it worked to just expand the trip by a few days. Before someone asks why we come annually to Wyoming … we have a group of friends who meet in Sheridan to play golf, visit, and go to King Days. The base of our gathering is at the King’s since they’re part of the group.

On this trip, I’m not getting much time to read in the car. I'm either driving, navigating, or trying not to fall asleep and thus miss something. I did bring a couple of books with me. On the plane from Austin to Spokane, I read The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. This is an eloquent book of grief, loss and life.

On the way back to Texas, I'll read a novel. Something a bit lighter since the book previous to Didion's was Stiff by Mary Roach, also nonfiction, although more fact than narrative.

Luckily, before I left Austin, I went to a booksigning by my friend, Diane Fanning. She writes true crime, but the event was for her first mystery. I've actually already read the book, Bite the Moon, since I did an edit for her before it went to the publisher. Now, I get to open the cover, and it's a great cover, and read it in book form.

If I somehow find time to read this one before the trip home, I’ve got The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy with me, not to mention the stack of books one aunt gave me while in Kalispell.

When you travel, always bring a book with you. Get a paper back and slip it in your suitcase, briefcase or purse. You never know when you'll have time to read or when you'll wish you'd brought something to pass time at the hotel or airport. Try out a new author or a new genre. Grab a tried and true author you love. Get an anthology of short stories. How about a cookbook? I have a sister who loves to just sit and read recipes. If you like cooking, why not? Bring the book you've been meaning to read for years, but haven't. Doesn't matter when the book was published. What matters is that you read it.

Connecting with Readers

While on this trip, I've been meeting relatives. Some I've met before, some cousins I'm just now meeting. So far, great trip.

Somehow, the conversation turns eventually to books -- and I'm not always the one leading it there. We end up talking about favorite authors or books. I'm learning about new authors. I also share my favorite authors. And I have to say those are usually local authors. I think that's because I favor local authors and like to read and support them. So, they end up being ones I recommend.

I have plenty of other authors I recommend, but the ones that I feel I have a personal connection to are the ones I've met or that are friends. This is an important tip for authors out on the promotion circuit. Make your readers feel like they're making a personal connection to you.

Reading Montana

Still in Montana. But on the move. Today we pick up stakes and move to another town, another relative. Actually, we've been re-acquainting ourselves with quite a few relatives here in the Kalispell area.

One, Aunt Bev, is an avid reader. She has shelves of books everywhere. Recently -- and I mean recently in a relative term since it was about 30 years ago -- she discovered mysteries. When she found out I too like mysteries, she wouldn't let me leave without a bag of books. Mind you, I have no earthly idea where I'll pack these books, but who can say no to free books, especially when they come from an aunt who talks fifty times faster than she listens.

Haven't checked them all out. But I know one is an author I've not read before. Nagaio Marsh. Looks like it might be interesting, since its pub date is 1936.

So now I have lots of books, which is a good thing since we still have hundreds of miles to travel. We've already been in Washington, Idaho and Montana. Still got Wyoming to go before we hit reverse and head back to Spokane.

Happy trails.

On the Road Again

Hello all. Short post today. I'm on the road again, to semi-quote Willie Nelson. Currently, I'm in Montana. This morning, I could smell the smoke in the air from the fires in Montana and Idaho, although I'm told it's much better than last week when the smoke was really heavy -- so much so that some people not in any way threatened by the fire had to stay inside.

Haven't had time to visit a bookstore, a favorite thing of mine when I'm out and about. Although we did drop into the bookstore at the Austin airport before leaving. Here's my question about that ... the Austin airport tries to have all the stores, restaurants, etc. within its walls Austin based. Meaning the Austin places get first shot at coming in, and so many Austin eateries, etc. want to be in the airport, it's Austin exclusive primarily. So ... why aren't Austin authors given priority in the bookstore? Drop the big name authors or at least give prominence to local authors, I say.

I brought three books with me. I had already started The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy, so I'm working on it now. Next on my list is one of my favorite authors, Diane Fanning. I finally got my hands on her first mystery, Bite the Moon.

Until tomorrow, hello from Kalispell.

Reading Habits of Dems and Reps

In case you haven’t heard, there’s been a survey taken on the reading habits of Americans. This is not the first and it, for sure, won’t be the last. There are a lot of interesting results. What I wanted to focus on today are the apparent reading habits of people as they relate to their political leanings, as reported by the Associate Press.

Liberals read more books than conservatives. You’ll have to go to the article itself to read Pat Schroeder’s reasoning for this. Shroeder is the president of the American Association of Publishers. She a definite Democrat. To give you a taste of her comments:

The Karl Roves of the world have built a generation that just wants a couple slogans: 'No, don't raise my taxes, no new taxes … It's pretty hard to write a book saying, 'No new taxes, no new taxes, no new taxes' on every page.

Never fear, the article’s not biased toward the dems. Mary Matalin, a Republican strategist said “conservatives and others aren't necessarily reading less, but are getting more information online and from magazines.

The poll also found that 22 percent of liberals and moderates had not read a book within the past year, while 34 percent of conservatives had not read a book in the last year.

Not read a book in a year!? Who are these people??

James V. Lee on Reading

Last Thursday, August 13, Doris Lakey told us why she reads and what keeps her reading a book. This week we hear a different point of view. Today, James V. Lee, author and publisher, tells us why he reads.

I probably have a completely different take on this subject than you or most of your readers have. (Why not? I've been told I'm weird, anyway.)

I don't read much fiction--never have. I've always been interested in picking the brains of people that are better informed or smarter than I am. So I'm not looking for style or clever prose. I'm searching for ideas that inspire and enlighten.

I've probably read every book that Og Mandino wrote. Some other authors were Napoleon Hill, Dr. Maxwell Maltz, Henry Drummond, James Allen, Norman Vincent Peale, J. Paul Getty, Rudyard Kipling, etal. Then there were such classical essayists as Voltaire and Marcus Aurealus. Alexander Pope observed that some books are to be tasted, some chewed, and some to be swallowed and digested. The above books fall into the third category, and much of their content made its way into my character.

All of these authors have one thing in common: they discuss ideas, which, according to some philosophers is what great minds do. Average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.

I'm especially put off by historical novels that confuse young minds that need to know the truth. For example, a few years ago a movie was made of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. (I assume someone wrote a book about it first.) The movie combined the Pearl Harbor bombing (1941) with the Battle of Britain (1940), and the Battle of Midway (1942) as if they were concurrent events and then wove a love story through the whole scenario. They made it worse by inadvertently including in one scene the USS Arizona Memorial. Young people have a hard enough time just learning historical facts without skewing them.

Then there is such a thing a literary overkill. A few years ago, I was a member of a western writers group. At that time, the group was searching for some way to make western novels more popular with the general public. Cowboy stories circa about 1880 were prolific when I was a kid. How much more can be fictionalized about that era? Probably the whole genre should have been concluded when Zane Grey died.

Thank you, James, for your perspective. You can find out more about James V. Lee and his books at Salado Press.

Press Releases 2

Yesterday, we talked about some overall points about press releases. Now, for the standard press release itself.

At the top of the page, upper left corner, put either "For Immediate Release" or "For Release on [date]". In the upper right corner, type "Contact: [Name & Phone Number]".

Centered below that is your headline. This should be interesting to the paper and its readers. "I Won! I Won! I Won!" is only interesting to you. Larry Brill used this as a heading for a news release he sent out about a contest win: "Austin Author Named 'Worst Writer in America'" Now, that would catch your attention.

Write about 3 or 4 paragraphs, double-spaced, with an extra space between the paragraphs. Hook them with the first paragraph, and try to think like a journalist -- get in the who, what, when, where. Then follow up with 2 or 3 paragraphs that expand on the opener. In Larry Brill's 2nd paragraph, he put a quote from the contest coordinator. The third paragraph succinctly summarized the contest itself and told where and when Larry's winning entry would be published. The third paragraph told about Larry and ended with a quote from him about the contest win. The final paragraph was one line: "Brill is available for interviews and can be reached at [phone #]."

In addition to giving your contact info for interviews, be sure to include other vital data. If the release is primarily to publicize your book, include the full title, publisher, cost, whether hardcover or softcover, the publication date, all information for ordering, and your website address. If the release is to publicize a book signing, make sure you give the time of the signing, as well as the date, and the name of the store and its street address and phone number.

Editors get tons of releases. If you want yours noticed and run, you've got to make it interesting and newsworthy. If it's news, there's a good chance they'll run it. If it's an ad, you gotta pay to have it run.

Press Releases

Authors send out press releases to try to get people to buy their books, or to drum up bodies for a book signing (which is actually a promotion to produce sales of books), or to announce news, like contest wins (which are endorsements of the book or author which can increase sales), or to ... You get the idea.

As you write a press release, though, you can't look at it just from your point of view. If you did, your press release would say nothing but, "Buy my book. Buy my book. Thank you, Desperate Author." Or, possibly, like a button I have, it might read, "Buy my book or my editor will kill me."

You have to consider both the publication you're sending the press release to and its readership. Newspapers and magazines are not altruistic and very few are non-profit. If an editor reads your press release and comes away feeling as though all you're doing is trying to sell your book, he's liable to wad it up, two-point it into the trash, and mumble, "Buy an ad, buster."

Here are some overall points about press releases:

Check on each publication's deadline. In general, monthly publications can require a 3 to 5 month advance. Weeklies and dailies can need anywhere from a week to 2 months.

Keep it short, interesting, and professional. One page is preferable, two is the max. Try to keep it around 300 to 500 words. Don't make it goofy; but do make it interesting. Use short words and sentences. This is not a literary novel you're writing. Most likely, it's for a newspaper or a magazine. Did you know that the average educational level for a newspaper's readership is the 6th grade?

Use the proper formatting. Allow large margins for an editor to write or comment -- about one and a half inch margins. If the release runs two pages, avoid breaking in the middle of a paragraph, certainly don't break in the middle of a sentence. When you mail it, don't fold. More and more publications are accepting faxes and emails, some prefer to get them that way, but check first. Let the editor know your press release is finished by ending with either "-30-" or "###" centered as the last line.

Speaking of calling, always call first. That way you can check the guidelines, find out the fax number or correct email address, and get the correct spelling of the name to address the information to. Then you send the release, wait a few days, and do a follow-up call. Don't drive 'em crazy though.

Tomorrow … we’ll get to the press release itself.

Just Read It

We may think that all people read for the same reasons – plot, characters, beautiful language, ideas, facts, relaxation, stimulation …. But there’s the problem. There are so many reasons people read.

I read for probably all of those reasons, but tend to value characters over plot, language over facts (unless it’s nonfiction), relaxation over stimulation. I’ve quit trying to finish Bourne Ultimatum because I’ve lost the characters. That book it plot driven. And while I like a fast moving plot, I need to be able to track the characters. With Bourne Ultimatum, they all got mixed up. I couldn’t remember who was who. My husband, on the other hand, zipped right through it.

I have a friend, Doris Lakey, who loves the language in books. She sees phrases or alliterations or words that move her, stand out to her. She often writes them down, remembers them, savors them. I tend to notice phrases that I think are wonderful, wish I had written them, mean to write them down, but keep on reading and lose track of them.

I have another friend, James Lee, who reads primarily nonfiction. He reads for the ideas, the stimulation, the thought process. He reads the classics, the masters, the thinkers. I read very little nonfiction. Yes, I read news articles, information online, magazines, but few nonfiction books unless they are related to writing or resource material related to writing, like Stiff, the book I most recently finished. On the other hand, I consume fiction.

No matter what or why you read, I think it’s important to read. It seems to be an art dying out in this modern age of Ipods, video on demand, books on CD, Internet and movies on your Iphone.

Reason to Buy a Book

What makes you choose a book to read? Hype? A friend’s recommendation? Meeting the author? The back cover blurb?

I’ve chosen books based on all those reasons. Probably the reason most likely to yield great results is the recommendation of a friend. But I’ve definitely found both good and not so good reads via other options.

Whenever I’m in a bookstore, I always browse the aisles, looking at book covers and titles, reading the back cover, then checking out the opening page. I often find books that way. Sometimes I like them; sometimes I don’t. I have to admit, though, I mostly roam the mystery/suspense aisles – or the writing/publishing aisle. I rarely venture into the romance, sci-fi/fantasy, YA or even non-fiction sections. I am trying to branch out, though, and recently have read romance, books heavy with fantasy/paranormal aspects and Young Adult.

I’ve also bought books because I met the author at a book signing. I don’t always buy the book just because I went to a book signing though (see my post called A Different Kind of Book Signing). Years ago I went to a talk/book signing with Sandra Brown. It was an intimate affair, with only about five of us invited. I really loved her talk and was impressed by her, but I didn’t buy the book. At the time, I didn’t read any romance and didn’t want to spend the money on a book I didn’t think I’d ever read. I’ve since read her and wish I’d bought the book and gotten it signed. Ah well. If I go to a book signing of a big name author, I may or may not buy the book. If I go to a signing for a local author, I’m much more likely to get their book and autograph. Supporting local authors, for me, plays a big role in my book buying.

Now, I hate to admit it, but I’m also influenced by hype. I bought the whole Young Adult/paranormal romance series by Stephenie Meyer just because I caught her on network TV and they said her books were hot with teen girls (and because they dealt with a fantasy world). That turned out to be a good decision because I enjoyed them. Often times, the less-than-accurate hype around a well-known author is what I shouldn’t listen to. There are some big authors who are churning out too many books either alone or with help. They often turn out to be less stellar than all the publicity surrounding their debut.

Recommendations from friends, though, rarely yield bummers. The non-fiction book I’m reading now, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach, would never have come across my radar if Jo Virgil hadn’t recommended it. She was right, it’s very interesting and in some areas downright funny. I started reading The Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross on the advice of my cousin Rhonda. Wonderful Southern series. I’m reading the WaterLillies series by Deborah Smith because Pam Headrick of the bookstore A Thirsty Mind recommended it.

Always listen to your friends. They’re right more often than not.

Who's Reading What?

In my newsletter, Doing It Write, I asked the question, What Keeps You Reading? I heard from Doris Lakey and wanted to share her comments with you. If you live in north Texas, you may have heard of Doris. She's the President of North Texas Professional Writers Association in Bedford.

Here's what Doris said:

What keeps me reading is a lyrical text by someone like Dean Koontz, giving me language to savor as I travel along. Whether romance or horror, I prefer to add my imagination rather than follow a graphic telling. The stories long remembered feature characters so real you continue to wonder what they've done since the last page, knowing they live on.

What keeps me reading book after book in a series is certainly not the plot (many of those get thinner as the series age). Stephen White's series about a psychiatrist and his family development does this very well and in Braun's The Cat Who... series it's the growth and changes in the continuing characters, the manipulation of minor characters from acquaintance to villain or victim, as real people change before your eyes.

But then I'd read the phone book if nothing else were available. (I've actually done that: when punished as a child with a book-free week, I'd sneak open the phone book just for the comfort of the written words.)

After all, as I often say, I can only take so much reality, tempered with a lot of fiction.

I asked Doris to write a bio line to give a bit more information about herself. Here's what she wrote:

A few of her short stories, poems and nonfiction pieces (including book reviews) have been published. A novel awaits rewrite; her family history takes precedence until completion.

I'd say she's a bit modest. You can find out more about her on the NTPWA site.

As sort of a follow-up to the original column, I wrote a post, Reading Fast These Days, about what I'm currently reading.

Feel free to comment on what you're reading and why.

Texas Book Festival Update

To everyone, especially those in Texas, interested in the Texas Book Festival, here’s an update. Work and planning has definitely started for volunteers. For the staff at TBF, planning and work started even before the 2006 Festival ended. For them it’s been an ongoing, everyday, project.

But for those, like me, who are volunteers, we get to rest until the last few months. The first meeting for committee Chairs was in May. I missed it because I was out of town. I did go to the one in July. I gotta tell you, I loved the meeting. Not because we did anything spectacular. Reports, updates, plans aren’t usually enough to make you giddy, although it was great fun to hear the names of authors who’ve committed to attending and sponsors who’ve signed on. What I really liked was the excitement and commitment of the group. Everyone is hard at work and it’s a great group of people. We’ll be meeting again in September.

So far, we’ve had two additional calls for volunteer time, having nothing to do with the committee you may be assigned to. Both have to do with getting posters and information out to the public. I missed the one at the Book Festival office, since I had jury duty yesterday. I did make it to the one out in far east Austin yesterday (took me an hour to get there from my house). As we’ve done in years past, those who can come gather in a room to roll posters and inserts, band them, put them in mailing tubes, address labels, and get the tubes ready for mail or delivery to libraries across Texas. Sounds boring, but it’s not. Yesterday there were eight of us, all women, who chatted about all kinds of things, including books, of course.

Speaking of volunteers, the page to sign up as a volunteer at the Festival itself is now online. You can choose what event or area you’d like to work at, the time slot you’d like to work, and find out exactly what you’d be doing. As a personal plug, be sure to look at the events at the Austin Museum of Art (we’re first on the volunteer list). That’s what I’m chairing. I’m only asking for one volunteer per time slot. If you volunteer with me, you’ll be working with the writers, artists, and photographers presenting at the AMOA, helping to set up and take down, escorting to and from the green room there at the museum, helping with signings which will also take place at the museum, and a little bit of cleaning in-between presentations. Other than that, you get to greet at the door and watch the presentations. The only thing I ask is if you volunteer then find out you can’t make it, please let me know. You’ll have my contact info once you sign up. Since I only have one volunteer per shift, if you’re a no-show, I need to be prepared to work alone. With enough advance notice, I might be able to get one of my understanding good friends to fill in.

Check out the Texas Book Festival site and bookmark it. Things will change and new writers attending will be added. Whether you volunteer for me or someone else or if you’re just attending the myriad of events November 3-4, 2007, stop by the AMOA and say hi.

Dialogue Don'ts

Have you ever had trouble writing dialogue? (Some people might think that question should be "Have you ever NOT had trouble writing dialogue.")

If your characters sound like cardboard cut-outs, dry and stilted, or like cartoons, over-the-top, maybe you need to stand back and listen to what you're saying. And to what others are saying.

Take notes when you overhear conversations. This is not to say that you can write verbatim what you hear. You can't, because real people tend to hem and haw, uh and er, and tiptoe around endlessly before getting to the point. When you write, you have to cut to the core, spitting out the seeds. But your characters' conversations need to sound natural, have that ebb and flow of real people's thoughts, without all the junk. Listening to real people will help you write.

Remember, though, to cut out extraneous information. Yeah, we may get sidetracked in our conversations in real life, but in our writing, our characters have to stick to the subject. What they say needs to contribute to the plot or character development, just as every scene has to further the plot. While this is difficult sometimes, it's important. Cut the "filler" or it'll bloat your book. Of course, characters don't always give direct answers to questions. Sometimes they hedge or change the subject, but even that should be consistent with plot development and the characters themselves.

Now, I just said that dialogue should contribute to the plot, but I don't mean that you should use your characters to tell the plot or explain some technical doo-dad. Sometimes you can make it work; most times you can't. It'll sound artificial. And when you do have one character explaining something to another, keep it simple and conversational. Try making it a quick give-and-take between the two of them, not a professorial dissertation by one character to another.

Watch out for the cartoon characters who try to invade the story. They're the ones who are constantly shouting, hammering, spitting, echoing, smiling, or sobbing their words.

"Get out of my life, Lisa! You're pathetic," he spat at her, then grabbed her arm, pulling her close to him for a deep, lingering kiss. He pushed her away and ordered, "Go, Lisa. Now. You can't keep teasing me like this."

Oh please, only in the cartoons.

And did you notice that he said her name twice in that short paragraph? Watch out for that, too. Most of us don't repeat the name of someone we know. Unless maybe if you're a salesman. Or my husband when he sees the blank look on my face when someone I should know starts talking to me.

Make your characters' dialogues fit their personalities. Once again, listen to real people. My 90-year old granny sounds nothing like my 13-year old niece. They use different words, have different cadences to their sentences. Ideally, my granny and my niece should be able to have a conversation in my book, with only an occasional tag, yet the reader would never get lost as to who is speaking. You would know by the way each one talked, by what they said, the slang they used, the contractions, the tone, the politeness -- or lack thereof -- even the length of their sentences.

I called this post "Dialogue Don'ts," but it really should be DIALOGUE DOS. Do work on your characters' dialogue. Do make each person in your book unique in the way he/she speaks. Do make them sound real, but cut out the filler and hem-hawing.

This will take time and a lot of effort. But it'll be worth it. "Trust me," she screamed, then whimpered, "Please, just do it."

Reading Fast These Days

Sometimes, if a book doesn’t capture my full attention or I’m occupied with other things that can’t be put off, I read slowly. A book can take days. For example, I’m still technically reading Bourne Ultimatum, although reading a paragraph every few days hardly counts. Other times, when the book is interesting or not too convoluted, I read faster.

Over the weekend I read three books in a series by Stephenie Meyer. They’re labeled as Young Adult, although by the time I was at the end of Eclipse, the newest in the series, I was amazed as what passes for Young Adult compared to my teen years. I assume the genre would be paranormal romantic suspense.

I chose the series because I caught a bit of the author being interviewed on the morning network news. Apparently she’s being compared to J.K. Rowling. Not because the books are similar in subject matter, but because her books seem to have captured the hearts of teen girls. Her first two books in the series, Twilight and New Moon, have sold over two million copies.

The books involve the every day world – kids in high school dealing with parents and each other – and the paranormal world – vampires and werewolves. It was interesting to see the world she created for vampires and to a lesser degree, werewolves. That was my main reason for reading the series, to see how she handled the “other” world.

I would recommend all the books, primarily for teen girls. But I would also recommend you read Eclipse first. It has quite a bit of violence and a bit of sexual innuendo. But keep in mind that I haven’t read much young adult, Harry Potter withstanding, since I was a teen and that was a few years ago, back during the Revisionist period of Nancy Drew and when The Bobbsey Twins were hot.

Currently, on the recommendation of good friend and best CRM in all of Barnes & Noble, Jo Virgil, I’m reading Stiff by Mary Roach. Nonfiction. The subtitle is: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Very interesting. Even a bit humorous. But if you’re at all squeamish, don’t read Chapter 3.

Animals as Characters

Most writers when I say, think of the animals in your book as characters, think I mean to treat them as humans, with human emotions and motivations. Cats who solve crimes. Penguins who long to karaoke to rap music. Guinea pigs who look like ordinary pets but who are really matchmakers for the workers at the wood shaving factory.

What I really mean is to treat them as individuals, whether they’re ordinary animals or ones with extraordinary powers or gifts. No two cats are totally alike; they do have their own personalities. For that matter, no two turtles are alike. And certainly the two most commonly used animals in books – cats and dogs – are different.

If your animals speak, even if only they and the reader can hear them, it’s a little easier to show the different personalities. But even if they’re ordinary animals, you can differentiate them. Just like when you’re getting ready to write a human character, do some research. Pay attention, listen, watch.

For example, I currently have two dogs at my house. One is mine and one belongs to a friend of my son. Both dogs, but very different dogs.

My dog is a miniature Schnauzer who’s getting advanced in years. She’s thirteen. She’s been called Devil Dog. Not because she’s mean; she is in fact sweet – to the family – and has the most innocent face. If you come to my house, she wants you to pet her. Don’t. She has sort of a split personality. She wants to be friendly and really, really wants you to pet her, but as soon as you do, she remembers you’re not family. She’s getting hard of hearing and doesn’t see as well as she used to. Most mornings she has to be talked down the stairs because they seem to scare her.

The visiting dog is bigger, sort of a medium sized dog. It’s like she’s always smiling. She likes to be outside and won’t leave the yard. Ever. Unless you take her. I can open the door, let her out, and not worry. She’ll scratch on the glass when she wants back in. She drinks tons of water; I have to fill her bowl several times a day. If you throw a stick, she’ll run and play and flop in the grass to chew the stick.

Very different dogs. And, yet, similar in ways. The visiting dog ate some grass, came inside and threw up. She was quite embarrassed and contrite, slinking around, head down, eyes up to see what I would do, staying by my side, rubbing my leg. Very similar to what my own dog would do.

Yesterday while the visiting dog was in the front yard playing with the stick, my dog came out. She trotted out to the yard, barked a bit and went boing, boing, boing, bouncing in the grass, like she was two years old. Pretty quickly, though, she trotted back and wanted inside to the air conditioning. The visiting dog, on the other hand, likes to sun bathe.

Two dogs. Two different personalities. It’s difficult not to give animal characters human characteristics. Notice some of the words I’ve used: embarrassed, contrite, sweet, mean, innocent, smiling. As long as it’s not overdone, that doesn’t bother me. And it probably won’t bother your readers. What would probably bother your readers would be animals who are like miniature humans on four legs or two fins. Animals that have no separate personalities. The horse and the goat are just alike. The two white rats act the exact same way.

Without turning them into teeny humans, treat them like you would human characters. Give them different looks, as well as varying personalities and quirks, different voices (barks, meows, etc.), unique habits and ways of behaving. Don’t skimp on making the most of the animal characters in your book.

What Makes You Keep Reading?

I've been reading "The Bourne Ultimatum" by Robert Ludlum. The idea was that I'd get it finished before the movie came out. Didn't happen. Problem was I got totally bogged down in figuring out who was who and how they all connected. I seriously kept getting lost. It wasn't making me want to continue reading.

My husband and I went to see the movie on opening day. Although we both enjoyed the movie, he says the books were better. I say the movies are better.

Last month, I wrote a post about a book I was reading called "Atlantis" by David Gibbins. I noted that, although I enjoyed the book, I skipped some of the more technical jargon and intricate details. Despite all the details and explanation in the book, it made me want to keep reading.

After that column, I heard from author Lila Guzman. Lila writes both nonfiction and young adult as well as short stories.

In our back and forth emails, she was telling me about her experience with a couple of books, including The DaVinci Code:

I was soon pulled into the story, even though I had seen the movie and knew what was going to happen. Maybe that was part of the intrigue--seeing how he built suspense and dropped in clues.

I was amazed by how closely the movie had followed the book.

Even more intriguing was how minimal the writing was. It was sparse on words, almost downplaying everything, which made the horror more horrifying.

There was a single place where I wanted to skip over something. I can't say the same for JURASSIC PARK where I said, "Ok ok. Enough with the DNA. I'll trust you that this is correct."

I was pleasantly surprised by ROSEMARY'S BABY. It was a good read and I would recommend it for anyone who has been criticized for "over-writing."

What induces you to buy a book? What makes you keep reading? What makes you set the book aside and give up on it?

A Different Kind of Book Signing

I thought today I’d write about book signings. Primarily because of a book signing I went to Monday evening. This was not your ordinary book signing at a bookstore.

This was a come-and-go book signing at someone’s house. The host is a big name in literary circles. He and his wife have a beautiful home in an elite zip code of Austin. This is the second time he’s invited me to his home for such an event.

Now, before you think I’m getting all hoity-toity, he and I aren’t friends. I doubt he knows my name and although I recognize him, he looks right through me because he hasn’t a clue who I am. That’s not a put-down of him. It’s just the facts.

There were quite a few other big literary names there. Sarah Bird, Lawrence Wright, Sally Baker, Stephen Harrigan, Clay Smith, Mary Herman, Andrea Prestridge. (The last three are the main people of the Texas Book Festival.) And a lot of people totally unknown to me. And the author being feted?

I haven’t a clue if she was there. Two people out front sat at a table with stacks of her book ready for guests to buy. And I saw people walking around with the book in their hands. But if she was there, I haven’t a clue who she was. I didn’t see anyone who looked like the author’s photograph on the back of the book. I saw no one sitting and signing books. And certainly no one came up to me to introduce themselves as the author.

There was an open bar with waiters going around the house with drinks. There were trays of cheese, fruit, and other hors d’oeuvres in the kitchen. There were lots of people standing around or sitting and talking. Typical cocktail party. But if there was an author there, I missed her. Guess I’m just not in the know.

If she’d been mingling and I’d talked to her, I would have bought her book. If she’d been signing and I’d been able to say hi and gotten her autograph, I would have bought a book. But she wasn’t and I didn’t.

If I get invited again (and I may not after this post), I guess I’d better do more research on the author being promoted so perhaps I can recognize him or her, find him/her, and butt my way into a conversation so I can meet said author … and buy the book.

Using Your Experiences

Okay, in addition to writers having to be “organized, committed, passionate, skilled and thick skinned” (see yesterday’s post), writers have to be able to take rejection even when the rejection isn’t about their writing. If you’ve read my recent posts Courthouse Research and Courthouse Advice, you know I was slated for jury duty today. I figured out how to ride the downtown Dillo since there was no place to park close to the courthouse without chancing getting a parking ticket. Found out where to park in order to ride the Dillo going close to the courthouse and where to get off. I allowed ample time to get downtown, park and ride the bus. Showed up about twenty minutes early and reported to the correct room. Only to find out my case had been resolved before I got there (by resolved, I assume it meant it had been plea bargained).

So I didn’t get to serve on a jury after all and won’t be called up again for two years. I was, in a roundabout way, rejected. I was rather looking forward to researching serving on a jury. Plus, while waiting for the Dillo I ran into a good friend who was slated to serve on the same jury. We got to visit on the ride over to the courthouse, but, dang, I actually wanted to serve. I wanted the experience of serving on a big jury in case I ever needed that experience for a book.

I can now tell you from first-hand experience that having a character get called up for jury duty then not getting to serve wouldn’t be at all interesting.

Writers of all Kinds

Yesterday, I had lunch with a very good friend of mine. In addition to a busy career as a marketing consultant, she’s also a writer, doing both short stories and articles. With many years of experience in the marketing field, including as vice president of a nationally known advertising firm, she could easily write the book on marketing. But it seems the articles she likes to write focus on the individuals, the human interest aspect of whatever the subject. She was telling me about a great idea she has for an article. She’s currently researching and putting it together. I won’t say the subject here, though. She’s already targeted a local magazine and at least one national magazine to pitch to.

Listening to her, I was thinking, wow, it’s sort of scary to do all that work, then pitch the idea, only to have it possibly turned down. Then, of course, I thought, duh, that’s exactly what novelists do, only they write out the entire three to four hundred pages. Both types of writing involve a lot of research, planning and sweat. And both can suffer rejection.

It seems that no matter what kind of writing you do, a writer has to be organized, committed, passionate, skilled and thick skinned. Definitely thick skinned.

Courthouse Advice

Thanks to all who’ve emailed advice about serving on a jury. Although I’ve served on two juries having to do with traffic related cases, this, I expect, will be something bigger since I’m scheduled at the main Austin courthouse. May not be, though. Who knows.

I got a spectrum of advice from do ride the Dillo, … to don’t ride the Dillo … to park at the mall, ride the city bus then transfer to the Dillo to ride to the courthouse … to park at a meter, then argue any parking ticket I get. Had a very good friend offer me a parking spot at her husband’s law office, but I’d have to get there really early to grab one. Turned it down since I don’t have to report until 1:30 in the afternoon.

Some people had additional ideas. Take a paperback to read. (Maybe a legal thriller?) Take a pad and pen to take notes on things I observe while sitting and waiting. Wear comfortable shoes. (Do juries stand nowadays?) Don’t take diuretics before going. (Duh.) Develop a sudden annoying tic so maybe I’ll get kicked off the jury. (I sort of want to serve, so I’ll skip that advice.) If they ask your occupation, say “writer.” It’ll get you rejected every time. (Like I said. I want to serve, so should I lie?) Eat lunch before I go since I won’t get a break. Don’t eat lunch in case I serve on a stomach-tuning case.

But the best advice, which I always try to follow, leave early so I don’t get frustrated by traffic, slow Dillos, long walks, hard to find rooms, or strip searches.

Strip searches???

Courthouse Research

Next week, I have jury duty. Not at a little branch court like I've done before. This one will be in big ol' downtown Austin at the giant courthouse where you have to go through the metal detectors to get inside.

Major drawback of being downtown: no parking. Seriously. The courthouse doesn't have a garage. I can't park at a meter since I doubt they'll break every two hours for me to run feed the coin eating monster. Their suggestion? Ride the Dillo. Ride the Dillo? It only runs downtown, so I'd still have to find someplace to park. And have you ever tried to figure out the teeny map of the different Dillo lines they have posted online? Luckily, I have a sister who works for a major law firm downtown and she was able to find someone who knew the inner workings of the Dillo routes.

On the plus side: The chance to sit in on a "big" case, although I really don't want to be on a murder jury. I sometimes go down to the courthouse (two hour stretches so I won't get a parking ticket) just to observe. But sitting on a case would be different.

So, I have mixed feelings. I don't want to be on a jury for a big trial or one that will make me cry (I admit, I'm a crier). But what great research it would be. Sitting out in the audience is okay. You get the flavor of a court room, you see how the people in the audience who are waiting to be called up behave and dress, you see how the attorneys act and how they interact with the judge and clerks.

But being on a jury, you'd see a bit more of what goes on behind the scenes. Maybe even see what a deliberation room looks like.

But if I'm late because I'm circling downtown Austin in a Dillo bus, will I get an excused absence or issued an arrest warrant?

Relationships

Labor Day is almost here. I know because I’m making plans to make our annul trek to Wyoming where a group of us gather from across the U.S. to spend the weekend together. Then before you know it Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here. My younger sister works on her presents year round. I don’t, which means the holidays are gonna come barreling down the chute aiming for that soft spot right between my eyes at the bridge of my nose. If you're not ready or you forget to duck, they'll knock you flat on your tush. Then while you're down, Uncle Elmo and Aunt Tilly and all the other relatives walk right over your twitching body and start pointing out that there's an inch of dust on the mantel and the gravy's lumpy and ...

Oh, sorry. Got slightly off subject.

Actually, thoughts of the holidays made me think of family and relationships -- which, of course, brought up the twists and turns of the relationships between characters. You can spend days developing a backstory for a character, weeks deciding how a character should look, even months researching the profession or flaw for a character, but that character only really comes alive when he or she encounters another character. That's when love, hate, intrigue, conflict, desire, comedy -- your story -- develops.

That's the way it is in real life. Aunt Tilly comes over to help get the ham glazed. No problem. Uncle Elmo arrives with his fried turkey. Look out. Trouble's on the way. Things are going to get exciting or funny or even tragic. Put two or more people together in a story and things will change. Think of it as a scientific law of writing.

Characters have chemistry. They have things in common -- they're attracted to each other. They have differing personalities -- they're in conflict. How Uncle Elmo reacts to your greeting may be quite different from how he greets Aunt Tilly. What Aunt Tilly does and says could vary depending on whether you dropped the ham or whether Uncle Elmo did the deed.

When the police arrive to break up the fight and disperse the crowd of gawkers, you've got even more personalities to deal with. How does Uncle Elmo react to these authority figures? What do you do when Aunt Tilly takes down the officer's badge number and writes it in the dust on the mantel? What does the policeman think of the raging food fight? What does he do when a candied yam with toasted marshmallows smacks him in the forehead?

And when it's all over and you and your family are gathered around the festive holiday table, who has been changed by the encounter? In what way? Who not only has mashed potatoes clotted in his or her hair, but also has a mashed ego? Who has dust on her finger and a renewed sense of joy due to a upcoming date with a handsome man in uniform? Who assures the whimpering dog that there will never ever be another family gathering at this house?

It's that old scientific law of writing: There's chemistry, good or bad, between characters. The people in your story come alive when they interact with others. They change, some in small ways, others by leaps and bounds, because of those encounters. Although you may develop a character in a vacuum, he can't live in one. Your characters and plot may be the meat of your book, but it's the blending of the personalities that make up the gravy -- lumps and all.

Disclaimer: The characters in this column were all fictional. Any similarity to my family members is totally coincidental. Really.