Get to know a new writer's work by downloading her free e-book.
Check out these books available for free at the links below.
The Beauty and Beast E
By Beate Boeker
A short story
All Jill wants is a calm wellness evening in the secure environment of her bath to recuperate from an exhausting week at work. However, fate intervenes in the form of an attractive neighbor . . .
"The Beauty" At Amazon
Nothing but Trouble
By Lisa Mondello
Stoney Buxton needs to raise cash fast to save the family ranch after a barn fire injured his father and left the family finances in ruin. Re-entering the rodeo circuit seems like the best way to get the money he needs. That is until Melanie Summers shows up at his ranch flashing easy money. T
To everyone else, Melanie's offer seems like the answer to all his prayers. But one look at her long legs and pouting lips and Stoney knows this high society gal is going to be nothing but trouble...for his cowboy heart.
Nothing But Trouble at Amazon
A Bride for Tom
by Ruth Ann Nordin
Tom Larson is having trouble finding a wife, and Jessica Reynolds decides to help him overcome his awkward and clumsy manners so he can attract women. This historical romantic comedy is rated G.
A Bride for Tom at B&N
A Bride for Tom at Amazon
Finding Peace
By Sandra Carey Cody
The life of a disillusioned peace activist takes on new meaning when she takes a day off to visit a small town Folk Festival-all because she couldn't ignore a dog in distress.
Finding Peace at BN
I hope, if you haven't yet enjoyed books by these authors, you'll give them a try!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
How to Write a Book, Sort of
When we write a book we read (and re-write), re-read (and re-write) and re-read (and re-write) our copy as we work to improve the story. In addition to writing a plot which makes sense and entices readers to continue their reading, we’ve got to keep an eye on many other things involved in the writing of a story.
Here a few things we need to keep in mind:
1. Characters: consistencies in the way they behave (true to their nature, to who they are), in their physical descriptions, their histories as “people,” etc.
2. Settings: where are the characters--country, state, city, house, room, etc.
3. Who: who’s in the scene, where are they, what are they doing, etc.
4. Goals: what are the goals of the POV character in the scene, story, etc.
5. POV: In whose point of view are we writing and why
While these are the main things we writers must keep in mind as we trudge through our story’s plot, we also must be aware of HOW we are saying what we are saying.
How are we:
1. Phrasing our description?
2. Describing our setting?
3. Illustrating our characters through dialogue?
4. Making POV clear to our readers?
5. Using words cleverly to execute our plot?
With all these things working in our heads at the same time as we strive to write a story which can be easily read by our dear readers, it’s no wonder we can miss the little things which tend to bog down a story’s pace such as:
1. Using meaningless intensifiers such as “perhaps” “very” or “always”
2. Using “that” where it isn’t necessary
3. Using extraneous phrases such as “as a matter of fact” “when all is said and done”
4. Using redundant modifiers like “past memories” “important essentials” “tiny little”
5. Using repetitive categories such as “huge in size” and “blue in color”
A good method to use in writing a book is this:
1. Work on plot layout and characters
2. Once your pre-writing work is done (research, plot layout, character identification) write the first draft working mainly on the storyline
3. Second draft should concentrate on fixing weaknesses on plot and character
4. Third draft and succeeding drafts should continue to fix weaknesses
5. Final draft should fix all the edits such as the overuse of intensifiers, “that” type of words, and redundant words and phrases, etc.
Of course, you may already have a better way of doing things, but if you need a little steering or grounding as you struggle to complete your book, I hope these tips help.
Good luck with your current project.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Here a few things we need to keep in mind:
1. Characters: consistencies in the way they behave (true to their nature, to who they are), in their physical descriptions, their histories as “people,” etc.
2. Settings: where are the characters--country, state, city, house, room, etc.
3. Who: who’s in the scene, where are they, what are they doing, etc.
4. Goals: what are the goals of the POV character in the scene, story, etc.
5. POV: In whose point of view are we writing and why
While these are the main things we writers must keep in mind as we trudge through our story’s plot, we also must be aware of HOW we are saying what we are saying.
How are we:
1. Phrasing our description?
2. Describing our setting?
3. Illustrating our characters through dialogue?
4. Making POV clear to our readers?
5. Using words cleverly to execute our plot?
With all these things working in our heads at the same time as we strive to write a story which can be easily read by our dear readers, it’s no wonder we can miss the little things which tend to bog down a story’s pace such as:
1. Using meaningless intensifiers such as “perhaps” “very” or “always”
2. Using “that” where it isn’t necessary
3. Using extraneous phrases such as “as a matter of fact” “when all is said and done”
4. Using redundant modifiers like “past memories” “important essentials” “tiny little”
5. Using repetitive categories such as “huge in size” and “blue in color”
A good method to use in writing a book is this:
1. Work on plot layout and characters
2. Once your pre-writing work is done (research, plot layout, character identification) write the first draft working mainly on the storyline
3. Second draft should concentrate on fixing weaknesses on plot and character
4. Third draft and succeeding drafts should continue to fix weaknesses
5. Final draft should fix all the edits such as the overuse of intensifiers, “that” type of words, and redundant words and phrases, etc.
Of course, you may already have a better way of doing things, but if you need a little steering or grounding as you struggle to complete your book, I hope these tips help.
Good luck with your current project.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, January 30, 2012
Characters: Wishy-Washy to Tyrants
Characters are the life blood of good novels (and movies). If characters are dull, unresponsive, passive little creatures, readers won't care what happens to them. If readers don't care about characters they won't want to read about them.
Normally, we wouldn't want to use a wishy-washy character as a protagonist. They're too inactive and boring. However, if our wishy-washy nobody gets pushed past a breaking point or challenged by something she absolutely must respond to, she just may be able to reach down inside and become the bold, assertive person she's always wanted to be--and the kind of character readers are eager to care about.
Michael Douglas' character in the movie "Falling Down" comes to mind as an example. He's a nobody who gets pushed too far and turns into a tyrant. If his set of life circumstances hadn't changed him into a more intriguing character, movie viewers wouldn't have cared what happened to him.
I'm not suggesting we need to make our dull characters into psychos or violent antagonists, but, certainly, we can help our lukewarm characters to find the strength they may not even know they possess.
Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone's famous character in the movie "Rocky," is someone who lacks confidence, a nobody fighter who purely by luck is given the chance of a lifetime. While the public thinks of Rocky's "challenge" to fight Apollo Creed as a joke the meek Balboa takes this opportunity very seriously and turns himself into a skilled fighting machine. He reaches down and finds the guts even he may not have known he had and wows everyone with his prowess in the boxing ring. No one is laughing at Balboa anymore by the time he's finished his fight with Apollo Creed.
If Balboa would, instead, have done nothing to prepare for the fight and merely walked around bragging about what a good fighter he must be simply because Creed had chosen him as an opponent, who would have cared what happened to Rocky?
But people did care about Rocky--they cared so much, how many movies made up the series? :-) Way to go Stallone!
In my #1 bestselling historical romance "Change of Heart" (set in 1850s Nebraska) which you can download for free at major Internet bookstores, the protagonist is a librarian from Chicago who's just lost her job. Worse yet, she gets news her dear sweet sister and her husband were killed in the wilds of the Nebraska territory. Marietta had been so frightened of going to Nebraska, she never once in five years visited her sister, even though she missed her terribly. When her five-year-old nephew is orphaned, she is compelled to face her fears and go to Nebraska to collect the boy.
So meek Marietta endures the hardships of travel in the 1850s and makes her trek to the horrible, wild frontier to fulfill the wishes of her beloved late sister.
Her worse fears are realized when she becomes trapped on the frontier. She has no choice but to endure her terrible circumstances. But meek Marietta doesn't give in to her fears. Instead, scared as she is, she finds courage she never knew she had, and she does what she needs to do to take care of herself and her nephew.
Marietta grows in a very believable way from a wishy-washy woman who could barely manage her own life to a strong-willed, courageous woman who is finally able to make a clear choice of just how she wants to live her life.
Protagonists must be strong, distinct characters who are up to meeting the challenges of the inciting incident in a story--even if they appear weak or dull (like Marietta or Rocky) before the inciting incident occurs.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Normally, we wouldn't want to use a wishy-washy character as a protagonist. They're too inactive and boring. However, if our wishy-washy nobody gets pushed past a breaking point or challenged by something she absolutely must respond to, she just may be able to reach down inside and become the bold, assertive person she's always wanted to be--and the kind of character readers are eager to care about.
Michael Douglas' character in the movie "Falling Down" comes to mind as an example. He's a nobody who gets pushed too far and turns into a tyrant. If his set of life circumstances hadn't changed him into a more intriguing character, movie viewers wouldn't have cared what happened to him.
I'm not suggesting we need to make our dull characters into psychos or violent antagonists, but, certainly, we can help our lukewarm characters to find the strength they may not even know they possess.
Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone's famous character in the movie "Rocky," is someone who lacks confidence, a nobody fighter who purely by luck is given the chance of a lifetime. While the public thinks of Rocky's "challenge" to fight Apollo Creed as a joke the meek Balboa takes this opportunity very seriously and turns himself into a skilled fighting machine. He reaches down and finds the guts even he may not have known he had and wows everyone with his prowess in the boxing ring. No one is laughing at Balboa anymore by the time he's finished his fight with Apollo Creed.
If Balboa would, instead, have done nothing to prepare for the fight and merely walked around bragging about what a good fighter he must be simply because Creed had chosen him as an opponent, who would have cared what happened to Rocky?
But people did care about Rocky--they cared so much, how many movies made up the series? :-) Way to go Stallone!
In my #1 bestselling historical romance "Change of Heart" (set in 1850s Nebraska) which you can download for free at major Internet bookstores, the protagonist is a librarian from Chicago who's just lost her job. Worse yet, she gets news her dear sweet sister and her husband were killed in the wilds of the Nebraska territory. Marietta had been so frightened of going to Nebraska, she never once in five years visited her sister, even though she missed her terribly. When her five-year-old nephew is orphaned, she is compelled to face her fears and go to Nebraska to collect the boy.
So meek Marietta endures the hardships of travel in the 1850s and makes her trek to the horrible, wild frontier to fulfill the wishes of her beloved late sister.
Her worse fears are realized when she becomes trapped on the frontier. She has no choice but to endure her terrible circumstances. But meek Marietta doesn't give in to her fears. Instead, scared as she is, she finds courage she never knew she had, and she does what she needs to do to take care of herself and her nephew.
Marietta grows in a very believable way from a wishy-washy woman who could barely manage her own life to a strong-willed, courageous woman who is finally able to make a clear choice of just how she wants to live her life.
Protagonists must be strong, distinct characters who are up to meeting the challenges of the inciting incident in a story--even if they appear weak or dull (like Marietta or Rocky) before the inciting incident occurs.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, January 23, 2012
Working on Multiple Projects
Some writers work on only one project at a time, others work on multiple projects simultaneously.
I'm the kind of writer who has to have lots of things going on at once. I'm the same way with my hobbies. For example, I have several quilts in various stages of construction, and I've got three afghans I'm knitting too. I like to work on whatever I'm inspired to do on a particular day.
Well, not really.
It's okay to pick and choose a project when it comes to hobbies like quilting and knitting, but things are not as malleable when it comes to a person's job.
Where writing is concerned, I choose a plan of action and stick to it. Usually. Our work, like other things in life, is subject to change for various reasons, but I've found I can be most productive by scheduling my writing and sticking to it as strictly as possible.
While it certainly is easier to work when inspiration hits, a writer who wants to accomplish anything needs to work every day--literally, EVERY day.
Those of you who have been writing for a few years know well what I'm talking about. We can't slack off. Once we do, it's very difficult to get back in the groove and be productive again.
However, working constantly can sometimes drain a person's energy. So, if you're beginning to lose heart, if you're feeling overwhelmed by your current work in progress, don't stop writing. Instead, turn to another project and work on it for a while.
Sometimes the change of scene or the break you need can be met with starting work on something different instead of stopping work altogether.
If you haven't yet tried working on multiple projects, give it a chance. It might just up your inspiration and cure your malaise.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
I'm the kind of writer who has to have lots of things going on at once. I'm the same way with my hobbies. For example, I have several quilts in various stages of construction, and I've got three afghans I'm knitting too. I like to work on whatever I'm inspired to do on a particular day.
Well, not really.
It's okay to pick and choose a project when it comes to hobbies like quilting and knitting, but things are not as malleable when it comes to a person's job.
Where writing is concerned, I choose a plan of action and stick to it. Usually. Our work, like other things in life, is subject to change for various reasons, but I've found I can be most productive by scheduling my writing and sticking to it as strictly as possible.
While it certainly is easier to work when inspiration hits, a writer who wants to accomplish anything needs to work every day--literally, EVERY day.
Those of you who have been writing for a few years know well what I'm talking about. We can't slack off. Once we do, it's very difficult to get back in the groove and be productive again.
However, working constantly can sometimes drain a person's energy. So, if you're beginning to lose heart, if you're feeling overwhelmed by your current work in progress, don't stop writing. Instead, turn to another project and work on it for a while.
Sometimes the change of scene or the break you need can be met with starting work on something different instead of stopping work altogether.
If you haven't yet tried working on multiple projects, give it a chance. It might just up your inspiration and cure your malaise.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, January 16, 2012
Refining Your Writing
Lately, I've been doing some "refinement" exercises by pulling out manuscripts I'd written ten years ago and refining the passages. This exercise is great for honing your editing skills.
Check out the following paragraph's as written them in their edited form years ago.
-----------------
Steven went from Natalie’s room to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He poured and sat at the table of the empty room, grateful for a moment alone without his talkative housekeeper freely giving his opinions. He took a long sip of the strong black brew. Natalie Harris was one beautiful woman. He hadn’t expected her to be so attractive. He’d envisioned a fifty-something busy body that would drive him to distraction.
Steven took another sip of steaming coffee. Miss Harris would definitely drive him to distraction, but not for the reason he’d imagined.
-----------------
Now read the same selection, expanded and refined. Take note of the improvements.
----------------
Steven went from Natalie’s room to the kitchen. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table. He was grateful his talkative housekeeper wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the mood to listen to a litany of opinions Sally Ann might impose on him--about Natalie, the cattle, the hired hands, the moon, the sun, the stars, but mostly about Natalie.
He took a long sip of the strong black brew and sighed.
Natalie Harris was one beautiful woman. He hadn’t expected a her to be so attractive. He’d envisioned a fifty-something busy body who would drive him to distraction.
Steven took another sip of steaming coffee. Miss Harris would definitely drive him to distraction, but not for the reason he’d imagined.
---------------------
See how much better the second set of paragraphs flow? The sentences are better defined, and the selection is split into more paragraphs which make it clearer and sets a better pace.
Did you notice the added information? This extra content does a better job of grounding the reader and of explaining a little more about the characters.
Compare sample 1 (the original text) below with sample 2 (the refinement) which follows it.
Sample 1: "He poured and sat at the table of the empty room, grateful for a moment alone without his talkative housekeeper freely giving his opinions."
Sample 2: "He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table. He was grateful his talkative housekeeper wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the mood to listen to the litany of opinions Sally Ann might impose on him--about Natalie, the cattle, the hired hands, the moon, the sun, the stars, but mostly about Natalie."
A. Sample 2 reads much better than sample 1 does.
B. Sample 2 defines more clearly just how "talkative" his housekeeper is.
C. Sample 2 names his housekeeper.
Pulling out manuscripts you may or may not have published years ago and going over them with a fresh outlook and years more experience in writing under your belt can be very enlightening.
Practice your editing skills on your old writings, and you'll find this exercise will greatly improve your editing abilities as you work on your current projects.
Good luck!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Check out the following paragraph's as written them in their edited form years ago.
-----------------
Steven went from Natalie’s room to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He poured and sat at the table of the empty room, grateful for a moment alone without his talkative housekeeper freely giving his opinions. He took a long sip of the strong black brew. Natalie Harris was one beautiful woman. He hadn’t expected her to be so attractive. He’d envisioned a fifty-something busy body that would drive him to distraction.
Steven took another sip of steaming coffee. Miss Harris would definitely drive him to distraction, but not for the reason he’d imagined.
-----------------
Now read the same selection, expanded and refined. Take note of the improvements.
----------------
Steven went from Natalie’s room to the kitchen. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table. He was grateful his talkative housekeeper wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the mood to listen to a litany of opinions Sally Ann might impose on him--about Natalie, the cattle, the hired hands, the moon, the sun, the stars, but mostly about Natalie.
He took a long sip of the strong black brew and sighed.
Natalie Harris was one beautiful woman. He hadn’t expected a her to be so attractive. He’d envisioned a fifty-something busy body who would drive him to distraction.
Steven took another sip of steaming coffee. Miss Harris would definitely drive him to distraction, but not for the reason he’d imagined.
---------------------
See how much better the second set of paragraphs flow? The sentences are better defined, and the selection is split into more paragraphs which make it clearer and sets a better pace.
Did you notice the added information? This extra content does a better job of grounding the reader and of explaining a little more about the characters.
Compare sample 1 (the original text) below with sample 2 (the refinement) which follows it.
Sample 1: "He poured and sat at the table of the empty room, grateful for a moment alone without his talkative housekeeper freely giving his opinions."
Sample 2: "He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table. He was grateful his talkative housekeeper wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the mood to listen to the litany of opinions Sally Ann might impose on him--about Natalie, the cattle, the hired hands, the moon, the sun, the stars, but mostly about Natalie."
A. Sample 2 reads much better than sample 1 does.
B. Sample 2 defines more clearly just how "talkative" his housekeeper is.
C. Sample 2 names his housekeeper.
Pulling out manuscripts you may or may not have published years ago and going over them with a fresh outlook and years more experience in writing under your belt can be very enlightening.
Practice your editing skills on your old writings, and you'll find this exercise will greatly improve your editing abilities as you work on your current projects.
Good luck!
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Sunday, January 8, 2012
"Setting" up the New Year
Happy New Year!
I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season. Ours was quiet but very nice. We were able to be with family and friends, and the weather was great for traveling.
I've been working on some new stories which will be released this year. More on that in the months to come.
This week I'd like to mention a few things about settings for your stories.
Generally, when we think of "setting" we're talking about the geographic location of a story. My book "Montana Match" and its sequel "Montana Magic," for example, are obviously set in Montana. More precisely, they're set on a ranch in Montana.
In some cases a story can take place only in a specific geographic location. If an author is telling a story about the Alamo, for example, the story must be set in Texas. In other cases, it might be possible to set a story in a number of locations and still have an effective story.
The most important setting for my two "Montana" books is the ranch setting. I determined my story had to take place on a ranch. Next I decided the ranch had to be in the West. I suppose I could have chosen Wyoming instead of Montana, but I didn't because Montana, to me and I think to many readers, projects a more grandiose picture which is what I needed as a backdrop to these two novels.
As a matter of connotation, Montana, like Texas, conjures up pictures of people who are fiercely independent, landscapes which are vast beyond imagination and states of mind so hopeful they imply anything is possible.
My point? Setting has as much to do with connotation as it does with geographic location. Because of the image projected by Montana, I chose it as the setting for my ranch in "Montana Match" and "Montana Magic."
When choosing the setting for your book, consider the geographic location and what the land, the county, the city, even the house and the room in the house connote to the reader as well as what they denote. The implications of the setting can have a very positive reinforcing effect on the plot and characters of your story.
Again, Happy New Year. God bless you in every way, and good luck with all your writing pursuits this year.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season. Ours was quiet but very nice. We were able to be with family and friends, and the weather was great for traveling.
I've been working on some new stories which will be released this year. More on that in the months to come.
This week I'd like to mention a few things about settings for your stories.
Generally, when we think of "setting" we're talking about the geographic location of a story. My book "Montana Match" and its sequel "Montana Magic," for example, are obviously set in Montana. More precisely, they're set on a ranch in Montana.
In some cases a story can take place only in a specific geographic location. If an author is telling a story about the Alamo, for example, the story must be set in Texas. In other cases, it might be possible to set a story in a number of locations and still have an effective story.
The most important setting for my two "Montana" books is the ranch setting. I determined my story had to take place on a ranch. Next I decided the ranch had to be in the West. I suppose I could have chosen Wyoming instead of Montana, but I didn't because Montana, to me and I think to many readers, projects a more grandiose picture which is what I needed as a backdrop to these two novels.
As a matter of connotation, Montana, like Texas, conjures up pictures of people who are fiercely independent, landscapes which are vast beyond imagination and states of mind so hopeful they imply anything is possible.
My point? Setting has as much to do with connotation as it does with geographic location. Because of the image projected by Montana, I chose it as the setting for my ranch in "Montana Match" and "Montana Magic."
When choosing the setting for your book, consider the geographic location and what the land, the county, the city, even the house and the room in the house connote to the reader as well as what they denote. The implications of the setting can have a very positive reinforcing effect on the plot and characters of your story.
Again, Happy New Year. God bless you in every way, and good luck with all your writing pursuits this year.
Fran
Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Monday, November 21, 2011
Happy Holiday Season
I'm taking a short leave during the holiday season. I hope, if you haven't already enjoyed my recent posts you'll check them out.
Please join me in the New Year, the first Monday in January, for some fun posts on trivia of all sorts. We'll have a great time!
Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!
Happy Hanukkah!
May God grant you peace and happiness as you celebrate the birth of His Son, the New Year and Hanukkah.
Sincerely,
Fran Shaff
Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
Please join me in the New Year, the first Monday in January, for some fun posts on trivia of all sorts. We'll have a great time!
Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!
Happy Hanukkah!
May God grant you peace and happiness as you celebrate the birth of His Son, the New Year and Hanukkah.
Sincerely,
Fran Shaff
Award-Winning Author
http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff
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