Add Two and Share Some You: Finish the Story

Grab a chair, get a cup of Joe, warm up those fingers. We've got work to do!

This is a writing exercise that I've been wanting to do for a while. Here's the rules. Below is the beginning of a story. Add two sentences to the last comment posted. You may comment more than once but not consecutively. Write whatever you want - give it some "you" flare. :)


I looked down at my license - Carol Lyn White. That's not me anymore. I looked up and saw a large white crane swooping across the lake. It looked to be the epitome of grace. I glanced down at muddy water, slipped off my Christian Louboutin heels, threw my wallet as hard as I could, and placed my feet in the lake. The sun hung low among the horizon; darkness was near. I slowly stepped further into the vast water until the edge of my dress embraced the wet. I took a deep breath and immersed my body with the warmth of the lake. I stood up and brushed my hair back out of my face. My dress clung to me like a glove. As the sun faded, I walked out of the water. I took one last look back. Carol Lyn White drowned. Now I'm Vivian Crane.


Please leave a link to your blog. I will post the final story in a separate posting on my blog, along with each of your names and links to your blogs so others can follow.

I can't wait to see what happens next. Thanks for your participation and have fun! :)

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Write It and It Shall Live

I receive daily devotionals via e-mail from Dr. David Jeremiah which gets my day started off right. Today's topic is one that all writers can relate to.

He quoted: "In a popular Tom Clancy novel, one of the characters continually jotted notes in a small notebook. "You have to get used to me," she said apologetically. "Whenever I have an idea, I write it down right away." It isn't safe, she explained, to entrust important matters to memory alone, adding, "If you don't write it down, then it never happened."

I don't know about you, but I have a little notebook that I keep my ideas for future pieces in. I normally take it wherever I go, so I can totally relate to the character here.

In a writer's world...

Words become living when we write them. They outlive our lives. They morph into purpose for readers. They form a world that people want to escape to. They teach morals, offer lessons, reap drama, and conjure tears. Our words live a life of their own. After each key is pressed, each sentence is completed, and after every "the end" - our story takes on life. It begins to live and breath in a world that is far larger than the one we as writers live.

We are each entrusted with a story, one that (if you're like me) we can't wait to get out. Each character screams at us until what they wanted to say is on paper. It really makes me wonder.

Is the reason why we feel guilty when we don't write because - "if I don't write it down, it never happened?"

Are we committing murder to the characters we possess if we never tell their story?

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Character Confusion: The Boundary Between You and Your Character

As you all know, I have been working hard on my second novel. I've found that it is more difficult to reach the end of this book than it was with my first one. I'm having a bit of a dilemma that I'm hoping for some advice on.

I've been told who knows how many times in my literature classes that just because as author writes it, doesn't mean that's their personal opinion. I've been able to look past that judgement when reading, but I wonder... what about mainstream readers? Are they always associating fictitious characters, plots, ideas with their writer? Or, do most people take it for what it is - fiction.

This is why it's a bit of a problem for me. My character, Sophie, is nothing like me. She's loud, promiscuous, and gets into more trouble than she knew existed. Also, the novel is a paranormal romance. I'm writing about a little of what I believe to be true and a lot of just "for fun" details. There is good moral and ending to the novel, but that's just it - it's the ending. I just don't want every reader to think that I believe everything that I put in my book.

So, here's where I need your help:

As a reader, as a writer - do you associate ideas/characters in a novel to the writer? 

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The Writer's Block: My Forum for Writers

Hello all!

I just opened up a forum on my blog for writers. I am super exctied to see what everyone has to say. I thought this would be a great way to help encourage and support one another in the literary process. The forum is geared mainly for writers, but readers are welcome too. 

You can post:
-About Query Process
-About Favorite Books
-About Writing Contests
-About E-books vs. Traditional Publishing
-About Vanity Publishing
-Questions
-Tips
-Comments

These are just a few ideas. Have fun with it!

And Welcome to the Writer's Block!

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"Curiouser and Curiouser," Alice says to the white rabbit.

Quick Post: First of all, I hope all of you are having a wonderful and blessed 4th of July weekend. It's been a fun time here with eating, swimming with the gators, and getting little to nothing accomplished. Gotta love those kinds of weekends, right? :)

Anywho - I am totally a fan of Alice in Wonderland. The quote in the title really got me thinking today how our words (as writers) can really stick with people. We need to take thought into creating these sort of "catch phrases." Why? Phrases remind readers of the mind set they were in when reading your work. Of course, it's easier to remember phrases when we hear them in movies. That's only more reason to make ours stronger, more gripping.

I'm reading a book right now by Karen Kingsbury, and I've noticed that she knows what she's doing with readers. She ends every chapter with a phrase that makes me want to keep reading.

We all try to captivate our audiences with words. We are word wizards in search for the perfect phrase that will entice our readers enough to keep reading. And not only keep reading but love it while they do it.

So here's my challenge to you... fellow writer, reader, or friend... Give it your best shot. What's the best one-liner you can come up with right now- this minute. Have fun with it; sell me on your story, character, or idea. Make me want to turn the next page.

Make me curiouser and curiouser. :)

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