The Impossible Dream?

Ever since I became a 'published author' back in 2005, I've been amazed at how many folks out there have that same dream. Whenever I speak at a bookstore or a library or any sort of writerly event, I can count on being asked how I got started -- and sometimes folks are surprised to learn that one little class that met just six times (and I missed one of those) was all it took. No MFA (Masters of Fine Art) in writing, no series of conferences and workshops, no grants from arts councils -- just this one simple class  was the catalyst to get me going.

Bill Brooks  taught that class (Writing Fiction That Sells!) I took back in 2000. He suggested at the first meeting that we decide what sort of novel we were going to write -- romance, western, mystery, sci fi, etc. -- come up with a protagonist and setting, and use these in each assignment. With any luck, when the six weeks were up, we'd have at least a toe hold on a novel.

And this is when my Elizabeth Goodweather was born. By the time the class was over, I'd gotten to know her and the setting fairly well -- I'd written a dialogue so I knew what she sounded like; I'd written a romantic scene (blush;) and a scene with building tension. I had, in fact, found the beginnings of my voice as a writer.

Bill also explained to us clueless novices just how one went about finding an agent -- and what exactly an agent does. He told us how to format our manuscripts and how to write a query letter. Nuts and bolts stuff -- all of which made that impossible dream seem a little more possible.

During the last class as Bill was packing up to leave, I asked him if he'd tell each of us what were our greatest strength and greatest weakness. And Bill just looked at me and said, "You don't have the passion it takes to write a novel."

Well.

Four or five published novels later, I was teaching a workshop at a writers' conference and I told this story. One of the women in the group raised her hand and said,  "I took a class with Bill. He told me I was a terrific writer and I should keep at it. Unfortunately, I just stuck what I'd been working on in a drawer and forgot about it... I kinda wish he'd pissed me off instead."

All of which is to remind those of you in the Asheville area that starting in February I will be teaching a beginners class very similar to the one I took with Bill. It's a nuts and bolts approach to fiction that may just kick start that novel you've been wanting to write. There's a description of the class over there in the sidebar>>>

And who knows -- maybe I'll piss you off...

Great Smokies Writing Program classes HERE

Writing A PageTurner - FAQ

A few days ago, one of the students in my fiction workshop sent THIS LINK to the others in the class, saying 'It echos everything Vicki taught us this past semester.' 

Yep, but when Lee Child, # 1 NYT best-selling author of the Jack Reacher series (coming soon to a Big Screen near you,) when LEE CHILD talks about building suspense, people listen. And what he has to say is really useful for writers and story tellers of every sort. 

You see, building suspense isn't just for thrillers and crime fiction -- it's an invaluable technique for any sort of story telling -- novels, films, plays, even some songs (why did Billie Jo Mc Allister jump off the Tallahatchee Bridge?)  whenever the writer wants to keep the reader's attention focused in a world where there are so many diversions.

Lee suggests that the writer keep throwing in intriguing questions so that the reader will keep turning pages in search of an answer. Big questions -- who killed Col. Mustard? -- for sure. But don't overlook the little questions -- the strange scar on Prunella's shapely ankle, for instance. The writer might say at once that the scar was the result of an encounter with a wombat -- and of, course that raises its own questions. But why not leave the wombat out, for the moment  -- perhaps Prunella is oddly evasive when asked about the scar -- and then, when some chapters later she admits to the wombat, a whole new set of questions arise for the reader to pursue.

There is suspense in every sort of fiction -- Will the two lovers eventually find one another? Will the aspiring artist be recognized? Will the monomaniacal captain kill the white whale? And who was that masked man anyway?

It's not enough though, just to pose a lot of questions. The protagonist needs to be likeable and/or charismatic enough that the reader cares what happens to him or her. (Jack Reacher is, I think, both.) Once the reader is  invested in a character, those unanswered questions will keep said reader turning pages late into the night. (Maybe now I'll find out who Luke's father is... )

But what happens when all the questions are answered?  A page-turner of a book is great fun but is it a book you'll re-read? I know the idea of re-reading is anathema to lots of people but  my idea of a Really Good Book is one I'll return to, as one returns to a favorite piece of music, again and again. The excitement of racing through the story to discover what happens gives way to the leisurely pleasure of enjoying  a world already known.

I have many books that I've read to tatters, books that I've almost memorized, books that hold no surprises. I know that (SPOILER ALERT) Elizabeth Bennet will marry Mr. Darcy, that Camelot can't endure. I know who stole the silver cow creamer, why someone tried to kill Jim Chee with a bit of bone, how Narnia will end...

In these well loved books there are no unanswered questions and no tightly-ratcheted suspense to keep me flipping pages -- there are only wonderful characters I want to hang out with, fully realized settings that feel real to me, and the sheer delight of living again in a very particular time and place.

Now, that's what I call writing!

Answers for Lynne -- FAQ

In  the comments on yesterday's post, Lynne in Georgia said " ... I miss Elizabeth and Miss Birdie. I understand times are very tough in the publishing business, but is there any possibility of a new book coming along? From earlier blog entries and the fact you haven't referenced any works in progress for some time, I'm guessing I know the answer. But I'm sure I'm not the only one who is hoping that we haven't seen the last of your characters. We'll also understand if you just don't want to address this any further. Just know that we miss having a new book." 

Oh, how I hate disappointing a reader. But at the moment, Lynne, I'm finding my way into a novel with no Elizabeth. It's  set in my county (Elizabeth's familiar surroundings) but in the Civil War era.  Whether there will ever be another Elizabeth is a question I can't answer. I'm proud of the Elizabeth books and know there's more to her story and that of her family, but maybe for the moment she deserves a rest from all the drama. 

I did a post for another blog on this subject HERE .  But for Lynne, and others who might be interested, my current project is a novel based on a very real incident -- the  Shelton Laurel massacre.  

 

Originally I thought of telling the story from the point of view of a young woman  in Sheldon Laurel -- but as I read more about the Massacre, I realized that I was going to need more voices -- Col. Allen's wife, whose children's deaths were one of the inciting causes of the Massacre, and a young man, a conscripted soldier who participates in the Massacre, are two and there will probably be more -- so many reasons for what happened and so many stories to tell . . .

 I've been enjoying a break from the rigors of a deadline but am eager to get serious about this story. Just recently a Facebook friend whose family has lived in our county since the 1700s contacted me and offered to share some family history -- including letters written from a man held in a Union prisoner of war camp.

 

And a handwritten memoir . . .

Reading through this helps so much to get the feeling and the language of the era in my mind. And there are many other resources . . .

I see this as a serious, 'literary' novel; whether I'm up to it remains to be seen. But I want to try.

So that's where I am, Lynne.  Struggling with the eternal problem of Good and Evil and all the shades in between,  trying to explain of Man's  inhumanity to Man, trying to see all the sides in the story, and writing this novel -- with no idea of when it will be finished or if it will be published.  Sometime I feel like the Fool on the tarot card.  But that's okay.

Talking Heads - FAQ

One of the things I warned folks in my workshop to avoid was Talking Heads.

Talking Heads occurs when there is a long stretch of dialogue during which we don’t ‘see’ the speakers. In this conversation below, there are only TAGS.  Tags tell us who said what and even how they said it but we still don't really 'see' the speakers.

*** 

 

“So what do you want to do?” asked Alice.

“I don’t care,” Tom replied.

“Ice-skating? Or shall we go to the rodeo?”

“Boring,” Tom groaned. “Let’s take the hovercraft over to the island.”

“Oh, no, there are eels in the hovercraft! Why don’t we work on adapting Handel’s Messiah to ragtime.”

“We already did that last week.”

 ***

  

Sprinkle a few BEATS (phrases describing the speaker's actions) into this same dialogue and we can find out what’s really going on.:

***

 “So what do you want to do?” Alice ran her finger along Tom’s well-muscled arm.

He caught her hand in his, brought it to his lips, and nibbled gently at her fingertips. “I don’t care.”

Alice managed a breathless whisper. “Ice-skating? Or shall we go to the rodeo?”

“Boring,” Tom began to stroke her thigh, letting his hand creep a little higher with each pass. “Let’s take the hovercraft over to the island.”

“Oh, no, there are eels in the hovercraft!” Arching her back, Alice began to move to the rhythm of his caresses. “Why don’t we work on adapting Handel’s Messiah to ragtime?”

Tom looked up from removing her lacy panties. “We already did that last week.”

***

 Much more visual, don't you think?

 

Bird by Bird - FAQ

Darla asks: "In Bird By Bird, Anne has a chapter titled Plot Treatment . . .  I read it and thought "OMG that is me right now" (minus the editor, advance and potential for being published.. LOL). Anyway, from what you've written before it seems like you don't run into this because you are very linear in your writing, but do you address this type of confusion in your classes? And/or have you run into it yourself? Color me curious!"

Bird by Bird is an excellent book. In the chapter Darla mentions, Lamott tells of sending a novel to her editor only to have it rejected because, in spite of beautiful writing and fascinating character, there was no structure. He suggested she abandon the book and write something else but Lamott was determined to make it work. She wrote out a detailed plot treatment -- 500 to 1,000 words for each chapter, describing what was happening in each chapter -- where it began, where it ended, and what had to happen to get from beginning to end, as well as how the ending of each chapter would flow into the beginning of the next.

With this road map (it ran to forty pages) in hand, Lamott says that rewriting the book -- shifting and adding scenes -- went smoothly and the book was one of her most successful. 

  

In my classes, I haven't yet dealt with an entire novel -- only 20 to 40 pages. But I do recommend that the students think about what their protagonist wants to achieve; what obstacles stand between the protag and success; and how will those obstacles be overcome. That's a very bare-bones plot line. I also ask my students to come up with a brief (under a minute) coherent  answer to the question "What's your book about?" 

As for me: I tend to start with an inciting incident and a plan for an outcome and just a vague idea of how I'm getting there. About halfway through the book, I'll know more of what needs to go in the rest of the chapters and start doing a somewhat abbreviated chapter treatment.  The one time I did a very complete chapter treatment before beginniong the book, as I wrote I kept feeling I'd already done this and it was a little boring. On the other hand, I didn't waste a lot of time wandering in the wilderness.

What works for one writer may not work for another. But if you have written a lot of    wonderful scenes but suspect you don't actually have a plot, Lamott's chapter treatment method may be just what you need to help your novel soar.

FAQ --Sex and Violence

Q: I am a new prospective reader who does not like sex and violence in my books. Thanks.

A: This showed up in the space for comments on a recent request to sign up for my Goodweather Report newsletter. 

It puts me into a quandry. I don't think my books are particularly known for sex and violence -- in my opinion, the sex is pretty minimal and the violence is often, (but not always) offstage.  But it's hard to write about murders without some violence.

And I write about life -- which is sometimes messy -- and people -- who tend to be far more interesting when they're flawed.  There have to be obstacles and crises -- and I hope to engage  fully the emotions of the reader -- not just give them a comforting back rub.


But I do understand the person who says -- "I have enough bad stuff in my life --  I'll take the back rub." 


The thing is, a fair number of folks have told me they find a visit to my fictional world comforting . . . there've been only two, so far, who've taken me to task for undue sex and violence.

So what do I say to this prospective reader?  How can I know what her comfort zone is? Probably, since she felt it necessary to mention,  it's pretty limited. She'll be safe with the newsletter though -- no sex or violence there.

  I've struggled with this question before -- both HERE  and in the post  NOT HER CUP OF TEA.

FAQ - Housekeeping Questions

Q: I have so many recent copies of my WIP (work in progress) from so many sources, that I am losing track of which one is which. I guess I've never had so many different edits of one manuscript within a short period of time. I have labeled them differently and by date, but I am still having trouble. How do you keep your edits straight? I imagine you run into a similar dilemma once the editor sends you back her copy and you begin a rewrite. I can't decide if a thumb drive or a CD copy of end products at the end of what? A day? A half day? would help. If you have some special insight I'd appreciate the tip.

A: I've never had multiple edits to deal with as my editor is the only one to read my stuff and actually do a line edit.  And once I get that back, I deal with it right away and don't bother saving the previous version. (Except for the time she had me excise a whole subplot -- I did save that version.)

I save to a CD at the end of every writing day -- and now I also use Dropbox -- a free 'cloud ' storage system which allows me to access my WIP from any computer, smart phone, iPad, or  whatever that has Dropbox on it. Pretty cool.  

***
Notice that I've added a new writing/book review blog over there on the sidebar. Ellis Vidler does some very good little writing lessons  --  like this one on the difference between foretelling and foreshadowing.

FAQ - Pen Names

Q: Is Vicki Lane a pen name? How did you choose it if it is? And why did you decide to use one?

A: Vicki Lane is the name on my birth certificate. My married (and legal) name is  Vicki Lane Skemp.  When my first book  was nearing publication, I asked my editor what she thought I should use -- Vicki Skemp, Vicki Lane Skemp, V.L. Skemp, etc. -- and she said, "I think you should use Vicki Lane. It puts you in the middle of the bookshelf or book store... "

Actually, I suspect she just thought Skemp is a somewhat clunky name -- as do I.

People have various reasons for choosing a pen name -- some for privacy, to to evoke a certain feeling -- romance writers often have rather exciting names that I suspect are made up -- Yasmyne de la Fuente, Amber Flame, Smolder Trelawney . . .

And sometimes writers who are switching to a different type of  fiction will use a different name so as not to confuse their fans. Abigail Butterworth may write sweetly pretty cozies but when she's writing as Dominique Scarlett, expect the fiction to sizzle.

I'd suggest googling possible names to make sure there's not another someone writing and publishing under whatever name you choose to use. There's a Vicki Lane who writes romances (unpublished so far) and has a pretty active web presence. I don't know if I'd have gone with some other name because of her but had she been already publishing, I might have.

FAQ - How Do You Find the Time?

Q: How do you find the time to write?

A: I know, I answered this one back in January. But as I struggle to reclaim the garden from weeds (the pictures are blueberries I've been spending some up close and personal time with) and research the next book, I realize that something is going to have to give.

  Beginning Thursday, I have two weeks to turn in a six thousand word (more or less) chapter in a group novel.  The first three chapters will have been completed by three other writers from the region -- when the book's completed, there'll be twelve chapters in all. That's all I can tell you now -- but this is gong to be a fun and exciting project.

And then I have to really buckle down to my next book.

I'm not going to stop blogging -- but I'm going to reduce the time I spend at it.  I plan to make every other day a 'wordless ' post -- just pictures.  And I invite you not to comment on these  because on those days, I won't be visiting other blogs and commenting.  That's where all the time goes, I'm afraid.

Oh, I'll still be checking in to see what you're up to -- just not everyday. And I hope you check on me too.

I may even try getting up at dark thirty to write.  After working in the sun much of the day, I'm finding myself falling asleep over the keyboard.  


We'll see how it goes ...

 

FAQ - Why Do You Write? (And a spring slideshow)

Q: Why do you write?

(Well, this isn't actually frequently asked but an audience member asked it of the panel I was on last Thursday.  The two other writers - a retired professor of creative writing and a young man not long out of a MFA program -- both answered that they wrote because they had to -- that it was a consuming passion. Boy, did I feel like a Philistine -- albeit an honest Philistine - when I answered.)

A:  I write for the money.  The money I receive for my books isn't great -- it wouldn't support a family -- but it's useful and it allows me to justify the hours and hours I spend working on my novels. Would I spend a year, churning out 400 plus pages if I didn't get paid for it? 

No, I don't think so. I'd scratch that creative itch with photography or quilting or painting or gardening. And blogging, of course.  Oh, I'd eventually try my hand at poetry or a play or some shorter fiction -- but as I spent the first fifty-something years of my life not writing anything more than the occasional letter, I can't say that I HAVE to write.


Obviously, I don't have the passion -- just perseverance.

 CLICK ON SLIDE TO BIGGIFY AND READ CAPTIONS.

 

FAQ-Research

Q: What kind of research do you do for your books?

A:  Various kinds and a lot more than actually gets written into the book. I like to have a good background of what I'm writing about but I only use enough to make my stories seem plausible.

First, I visit the places I'm writing about. For the most part, everything I write about takes place in my neck of the woods  -- even on our farm. (Why, oh why didn't I think to set my series in some exotic locale? Then travel to said locale could be a tax write-off.)

But my travels are local -- to a tent revival (but not to a snake-handling church,) to the River Art District in Asheville, the casino in Cherokee, a Civil War era house in nearby Marshall, one of the few remaining drover's stands in Fairview, the Vance birthplace for a look at the clothing and house furnishings of times past. . .

For the forthcoming Under the Skin I took a thirty minute drive to Hot Springs and the Mountain Magnolia Inn, as well as the Hot Springs Spa. It really helps me to be in a place and get the feel of it before I write about it.

For Old Wounds and for The Day of Small Things, I spent some time in Cherokee, at the Museum and at a Southeastern tribes dance festival, talking to folks and buying some useful books for research. 

I also occasionally have helpful readers who share pictures and diaries -- like Inez and Odessa's diaries that really gave me a picture of life around here in the Thirties and Forties. 

There are also a number of helpful friends and acquaintances who will answer my questions -- several physicians and psychologists,  a pharmacist, our local dentist (a good friend and the original of Doc Adams in Signs in the Blood and in Old Wounds)  and my friend Kathy, the realtor who inspired Sallie Kate. Mechanics, lawyers, journalists, farm agents, law men -- I've got a little list.


I've found that folks are incredibly generous with their time and expertise when you say the magic words, "I'm working on a book and need to know..."

And there are folks around I can talk to and hear their memories. I have. too, my own memories of the old folks I knew thirty years ago and the things they told me about growing up in the mountains.

Really, most of my thirty-some years here in the mountains amounts to research. I just didn't know at the time that I'd eventually be writing about it.  I've used my experience on jury duty, things I overheard in the laundromat, the time I got a concealed carry permit, and lots more that I'll use eventually.

One thing I do at the beginning of each novel is to visit our county library (and sometimes the much larger library in Asheville) and skim through the newspapers of the time period I'll be writing about. The advertisements, as much as anything, give me a feel for the time, whether it's Little Sylvie's 1901 trip to Ransom where she talks about the things she sees in the store windows, or Red Bird's favorite nail polish or her trip to the S and S Cafeteria with Luther in the Thirties.

I've also accumulated a nice little library of Appalachian related books and I list the ones that have been most helpful in the acknowledgment pages of each book.  Sometimes just the pictures are enough to give me a feel for the period.

And there's Mr. Google -- almost anything I might want to know is there, including primary sources.

 

Between the world outside my door and the world of the Internet, plus a pretty lively imagination, I can set the scene fairly well. Because I'm not writing history, and since I made Marshall County a fictional place (albeit based on a real one,) I have a little leeway. I'm not aiming for infallible accuracy -- just a reasonable verisimilitude.