Jill Kemerer

Monday, May 31, 2010

Happy Memorial Day!

Hope you're kicking back and enjoying this special day. Happy Memorial Day!

See you on Wednesday!

Memorial Weekend has arrived! It's the unofficial kick-off of summer. Watermelon, corn-on-the-cob, barbecues, graduations--summer, yes, summer! No more packing school lunches, and the Mom-Shuttle will be closed until fall.

It's Friday, time to set one goal for the upcoming week. It can be related to work, school, home, family, or just something fun, but it should enhance your life.

Last week, my goal was to finish reading The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass. I did not meet that goal, but I'm about two-thirds through the book. I don't feel bad taking my time on this excellent guide.

Here are your goals from last week:

Wendy: Get to 75K on WIP
Terri: Rework chapters to send to crit. partners and critique a few chapters
Georgiana: Prepare for graduation party (Congratulations!!)
CJ: Make graduation party invitations (Congratulations!!)
Keli: Another 5K words
Sharon: Write two chapters, write one nf article, and research educational market
Cindy: 6-10K on new WIP
Elana: Write every day
Beth: 2K words
Kelly: Stick with one-ingredient diet and then create healthy eating plan
Erica: Press on and finish edits
Susan JR: Clean and organize desk
Karen: Spend time in the Word
Jen: Lose one pound, decide on poem, and create index for book
T Anne: Get through edits
Diane: Get back on treadmill 4x's
Lynn: Courage!
Hannah: Try hardest at tennis match (I saw you won! Congrats!)
Jessica: No raw brownie mix! (I had raw cookie dough this week. Bad me.)
CMOM: Finish cleaning before company arrives and write one day this week

How did you do?

My new goal is to be content right where I'm at. Every day, I want to be grateful for what I have--at least for one week!

What about you? What one goal will make your life better this week?

Please leave your goal in the comments section. If you're new to my blog, I'd love to hear your goal too, but if you aren't comfortable, that's okay!
Join me next week for June's topic: The Bliss of Summer.

Have a terrific weekend!

Favorite Authors?

Today's random question is for you.

Who are your favorite authors?

What genre books do you gravitate toward?

Have you recently read a book that blew you away?

I've devoured the backlists of my favorite authors. Help! I'm looking for fabulous fiction books to read. Please recommend your favorites. (Thank you, Keli Gwyn, for your help with the inspirational historical market!!) The romance genre is my favorite, but I enjoy any well-written book. Surprise me!

Join me on Friday for one goal!

Where Would We Be Without Friends?

Sneaking in a Tuesday post here, because I was blessed with a few blogger awards and wanted to pass them on.

Emily Ann Benedict at Benedictions awarded the Blogger BFF Award to me. Emily's debut book, Only Angels are Bulletproof recently hit stores. If you haven't stopped by her inspiring and heart-warming blog, do so without delay!

I am passing this adorable award on to:
Julie Jarnigan at Julie Jarnigan: Sweet Romance that Inspires
Lynn at Place to Create
and Kristen Torres-Toro at Write in the Way

Tyrean at Tyrean's Writing Spot bestowed the Soulmates award to me. I feel the same, Tyrean. Please go check out this bright blog full of deep questions and amazing poetry if you haven't already!

I'm passing this snazzy award on to:

Ralene at Faith, Hope, and Suspense
Georgiana at Georgiana Daniels
and Kara at Eskimo Kisses and Air Hugs

If you haven't checked out these amazing bloggers, I hope you'll take a few minutes today! You won't regret it!

Have a fantastic Tuesday!

Why is Your Character There?

Today's random question helps you decide if a scene, or portion of a scene, is necessary.

Read through the scene and ask yourself, why is this character here? In this scene? Right now? Is it vital for the reader to know what the character is doing?

Unfortunately, sometimes it isn't important the reader know what the character is doing right then. If it shows your character's daily routine, you can probably cut the information.

Example:

You write three pages describing the heroine waking up, popping a few slices of bread in the toaster for breakfast, flipping on the Today show, and walking past a rumpled bedspread on the way to her closet.

Why would the reader need to know this? The heroine goes through these motions every day. This information isn't new, it isn't revealing, and it isn't moving the story forward. Now, if she normally shoots out of bed, skips breakfast, and rushes out the door, but you're showing an upset in her normal routine that is vital to the plot--leave the information in. Otherwise, cut it.

The character should always have a reason for acting out the scene. A routine is not a reason because she'd be doing it anyway.

However, sometimes your character will be mentally working out the events in a previous scene--this is called a sequel--and you might not want an action-packed setting for this. Try to show the character's mental state through his actions as he's mentally wrestling what to do. I think it's a good idea to avoid lengthy routines even in sequels. Occasionally, you can pick one "comfort" habit and work the thoughts around it. This gives more bang for the buck.

Let's use the previous scenario. In the previous scene, the heroine found out her father may or may not be cheating on her mother. The heroine is a neat-freak. Instead of walking through her morning routine while she's trying to decide if she should confront her father or not, consider having all of the thoughts take place while she makes her bed. Be specific about the exact way she smooths the sheets. Her precision with folding the blanket just so. The way she uses two hands to place each sham and how she tilts the accent pillow to a ninety-degree angle.

This uses the setting to show her need to be in control. She's comforting herself through her confusing thoughts by rendering precision to something she can control. Also, this grounds the reader in the time and place as she thinks. The act of making a bed can become important if you approach it with care.

Have you been guilty of writing "the boring parts" of your characters' lives? (I have!) How hard is it for you to cut instances where she's brushing her teeth, sipping a cup of tea, or deciding which pajamas to wear?

Join me on Wednesday for another random question, this time for you!

One Goal Friday: May 21, 2010

How was your week? My routine went away this week, and I didn't mind waving bye-bye to it. It felt good to fix a problem chapter and to let the plot for my new novel burrow around in the tunnels of my brain.

I'm still jogging. But we made brownies this week. And blueberry streusel coffee cake. That's not counterproductive, is it? I didn't think so.

It's time to set one goal for the upcoming week. It can be related to work, family, fun, or anything at all, as long as it will enhance your life.

My goal last week? Based on my critique partner's suggestions, to rework the first chapter of the book I just revised. Mission accomplished!

Here are your goals:

Heather S: Rework end of story, about 2000 words a day
Tabitha: Have fun and relax
Terri: Rework an old romance to send to publisher
Wendy: Get author pictures
CJ: Send invitations for The Young One's graduation party (Congratulations!!)
Joanne: Write and schedule a few blog posts
Lynn: Edit inspirational romance short
Erica: Finish incorporating edits on ms and send it to publisher
Julie J: Start editing YA novel
Tyrean: 5000 words
Kara: Research Christian book market
Elana: Write a little every day and bake 150 cupcakes (!)
Keli: Forge ahead with rewrite and add 5000 words
Cindy: Finish plotting the new WIP, the scrapbook, and begin new workout routine
Kelly: Camping--regardless of weather
Jennifer S: Put Disney trip photos in album
T.Anne: Get through edits and start working on new WIP
Maria: Stay sane through daughter's graduation (Congratulations!!)
Sharon: Query two publishing houses and write two chapters on WIP
Susan M: Finish rewrites
Tess: Stay on one-chapter-a-day editing session
Jeanette: Decide to enter (or not) poem into Writer's Digest contest (I think you should go for it!!), stop worrying, and lose a pound
CMOM: Get 100% healthy! Do some writing and crafting

Excellent goals! You all set the bar high--and inspire me to set it high too. Hope you met your goals!

My new goal for the week is to finish reading Donald Maass's Fire in Fiction. A gem!

What one goal will you set this week?

Please leave your goal in the comments section. If you are new to my blog, I'd love to read your goal too, but if you aren't comfortable, feel free to lurk!

What Basic Need Can I Withhold From the Character?

Often in our writing, we know what needs to happen in a scene so we write it. But what if the information being conveyed is on the boring side? It needs to be written in order for the book to make sense, but the material is a bit dry? I recommend a combination of things to spice up these scenes.

First, brainstorm a plausible way for the information to be given through dialogue.
Second, withhold a basic need from the character who is on the receiving end of the information.

For example: (Genre: Historical romantic suspense) You need to give information to the reader about the weapons that just arrived on a ship. They'll play a key role in your plot later on, but for now, you need to plant them and their purpose in the hero's mind. His uncle is filling him in on the affair.

Write the scene from the hero's point of view. Let his uncle start spouting off about the weapons. Now, a reader is going to get bored of weapon talk pretty quickly, so this is where the fun random question comes in. What basic need is our hero lacking right now?
Is he hungry? Thirsty? Exhausted? Winded? Any of these qualities will distract him--and the reader--from the boring information, while allowing the information to still come out. Make sense? With each morsel of information, break into the hero's focus on his own needs. Have him barely listening to his uncle because he will fall down if he doesn't have a drink/sandwich/bed immediately.

"The Brittania set shore earlier," Uncle Bart said.

"You don't say?" Robert's stomach growled. He hoped Uncle Bart wasn't going
to be long-winded but knew the hope was in vain. Maybe he could summon
Jeeves with a tray of biscuits?

"The navvies pulled in the usual, but one pallet interested me. I had my
boy check it out. Guns. Guns like I've never seen before..."

Every other week Uncle Bart found something unusual on one of the
ships. Robert licked his lips, the idea of roast beef and potatoes gelling in
his mind. If he didn't get something to eat soon--

"...and strange markings on the barrels..."