INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY MARCH 8, 2015

For the past ten days, I've been posting on my Facebook Author page, tributes to different women who have made contributions to our world  or lives that made a difference. 

Here are the highlights:

1. MARTHA MUNGER BLACK (1866-1957)

Adventurer, Member of Parliament
First woman Member of Parliament from the North

A pioneer during the gold rush years in the Yukon, she was the inspiration for Georgia Charles in my novel, Winter's Captive. Georgia fashioned a doll named Martha as her focal point during childbirth. If you wish to read more about this amazing woman follow the link below for a bio of Martha Munger Black. http://bit.ly/1EQteUw

2. IRENA SANDLER

1920-2008
Died at the age of 98

Irena Sandler got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumber. She courageously smuggled babies in her tool box and carried larger children in her sack. She also trained her dog to bark when the Nazi soldiers were near, which muffled the sounds of the crying children. She helped save more than 2,500 children & was eventually caught & tortured. Sandler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize but was not selected. She kept the name of all 2500 children and tried to match them to their families after the war. Most of the children's families had been killed.

3. BLACKWELL, ELIZABETH

1821–1910

A PIONEER IN WOMEN’S MEDICINE
1ST FEMALE PHYSICIAN IN UNITED STATES

American physician, b. England; sister of Henry Brown Blackwell. She was the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree, which was granted (1849) to her by Geneva Medical College (then part of Geneva College, early name of Hobart). With her sister, Emily Blackwell (1826–1910) who was also a doctor, and Marie Zackrzewska, she founded (1857) the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, which was expanded in 1868 to include a Women's College for the training of doctors, the first of its kind. In 1869, Dr. Blackwell settled in England, where she became (1875) professor of gynecology at the London School of Medicine for Women, which she had helped to establish. She wrote Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women (1895) and many other books and papers on health and education.

4.  Michaëlle Jean

The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean (2005-2010)

Social Activist, journalist, documentary filmmaker, governor general and secretary general of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (presently in a 4-year term).

Michaëlle Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1968, fleeing the dictatorial regime of the time.
After studying comparative literature at the Université de Montréal, she taught Italian in the Université’s Department of Literature and Modern Languages. During her studies, Ms. Jean worked for eight years with Quebec shelters for battered women, while actively contributing to the establishment of a network of emergency shelters throughout Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. She later ventured into journalism and became a highly regarded journalist and anchor of information programs at Radio-Canada television and CBC Newsworld. She is married to Jean-Daniel Lafond and they have a daughter, Marie-Éden.
Michaëlle Jean was the 27th governor general of Canada, from September 27, 2005, to September 30, 2010.

5. & 6.  CHRISTINA AGUILERA  VIDEOS THAT INSPIRE AND EMPOWER WOMEN

7. THOMPSON, NORMA

INT'L WOMEN'S DAY FINAL TRIBUTE: is to a woman who’s not famous or infamous. She isn’t a scientist, a political or religious leader, mountain climber, or a survivalist of abuse or physical trauma. But she has the job of heroine in my books. She didn’t ask for this role. It came to her by default, only because she was the only sibling out of four who lived close by and was there to be caregiver to first my father, and then my mother. She’s my sister, Norma Thompson. The rest of us siblings can rest easy, knowing she’s there to handle the financial affairs of our 92-year-old mother, her needs outside of the care home, and the emotional issues when our mother just needs someone to hold her hand and assure her all is well. With health issues of her own, which have at times made it difficult for my sister, Norma has never shirked this huge responsibility. She has weathered the upsets, the bitterness, the whining, the crying, and dealt with the arguments she had no answer for that come with our mother's Dementia, and has at times been quite exhausted. I’ve experienced my sister’s feelings of guilt when she wanted to run away and forget it all. But she didn’t. For her dedication as our mother’s caregiver, not out of duty but out of love, I honor her on Int’l Women’s Day. She is my heroine.

IN THE SPIRIT OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY, WINTER'S CAPTIVE, BOOK 1 OF THE GEORGIA SERIES WILL BE OFFERED FREE FOR MARCH 7 & 8. USE THE FOLLOWING LINK TO CLAIM YOUR COPY, WHICH WILL BE ACTIVATED FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. MEANWHILE, CLICK HERE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR (ME). 

ABC ... EASY AS ... 123, THE LETTER 'B'

Today, we look at the letter 'B'. The word of the day is BACK STORY.

Definition:

BACK STORY
Noun
* alternative spelling of backstory

1. background information provided, often in narrative form, to give help in understanding something, as the behaviour of a character

2. history to describe events leading up to the present

Back story is something I've always had trouble handling. It's something that requires finesse. And finesse comes with writing experience and in my case, from the advice of a good editor.

Story writing today is part of the fast-foods McDonalds era we live in. How often do we take the time to go into a restaurant and enjoy the dining experience? Most of us rush about in our busy lives and buy fast foods on the way home or take ten minutes to gulp down our food at fast-food restaurants before rushing to our next destination.

Readers today have a short attention span and want into the action quickly. If not, they get bored, skip pages, and maybe give up on the story all together. The problem with this is that they don't have time to get to know the characters, to relate to them and feel connected. So if the characters are plunged straight away into a suspenseful conflict, the reader may not care. The writer wants readers to get invested in the character's life and dilemma and really care about what happens to them. Disconnect is a bad thing for a writer.

In my opinion, this is an even larger problem when writing a series, which I am. If the reader has read earlier books in the series, they already know the main character. They have an invested interest in the character's life and care what's going to happen to them next, like an old friend. But someone who hasn't read previous books need some back story and it is the writer's job to make sure the book can stand alone for a new reader. The problem here lies wherein the writer has to add enough back story to interest the new reader but not be repetitive as to bore the established reader.

My third book, A Missing Thread, Book 3 of the Georgia Series jumps right into the action with Chapter 1. My problem here is that anyone who knows Georgia Charles-Dixon well, will jump into the action right along with her, but a new reader hasn't had time to care about her. I need to add back story. How do I do that?

I could start the narrative earlier before the crisis, to describe the character and get the reader invested in her. However, they may get bored, along with the old reader who already knows her story up to this point. So I'm not going there.

I could and have in the past, put flashbacks in the middle of the action to describe her history, The problem here is that the story can become choppy and it stops the action. I risk ruining the build-up to the crisis. (My editor, Ron Bagliere, taught me this tidbit)

Another method, is to put the back story into dialogue, not narrative. This is showing not telling. And if the dialogue is part of the current story line, it's not going back into the past and can serve its purpose of allowing the reader to connect to the character. It has to be subtle and fit into the conversation. Don't info-dump (which could possible be our 'I' word in future ABC blogs LOL).

A prologue can work, but it definitely takes finesse. I did some research myself by putting the question out to my readers what they thought of prologues. Most didn't like them. By the time they got into the body of the story, they had forgotten what the prologue was all about, especially if there was forgotten information they needed and they had to go back to the prologue and search it out. The most common complaint was prologues that were too long. With that in mind, I do believe prologues can have a place in certain story lines, but only if they are short and to the point. I would never write a prologue that was more than three pages. Let it serve its purpose, leave the reader intrigued and move onto the action in Chapter 1. Now that's just my opinion.

*

There you have it, four ways of working in the back story. Only you can decide which method is best for your story. And I do believe that every story is different. What I might do in one of the Georgia Series books may not work in another one. Herein lies the challenge. What will I do with the problem I'm facing with back story in A Missing Thread, Book 3 of the Georgia Series?

Let's look at each option. First, starting the narrative earlier is out. I like my first chapter which delves right into the action.

Option 2, using flashbacks is out to me as well. It will make the story choppy and ruin the build up to the crisis.

Option 3, putting the back story into dialogue is also out because my character is alone in a car with no one to talk to.

That leaves me Option 4, using a prologue. This appeals to me as the best solution for this particular dilemma and the direction I am heading in. However, it will be short, to the point, and hopefully intrigue the reader to move on to the action of Chapter 1.

For all you writers out there, good luck with your back story and keep on keeping on writing. 

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ABC ... EASY AS ...123 ... WRITING A TO Z AS EASY AS SINGING ABC

Recognize the lyrics? A 1970 Michael Jackson hit, song title, ABC.

A few years ago I was going to find words that pertained to the journey of writing, starting with the letter A through Z. I began this project but soon abandoned it. Reason? I didn't feel knowledgeable enough or creative enough to carry it off.

That was then, this is now.

I've decided to revise this project and today I'm starting once again with the letter A. I was prompted to restart this quest when staring at the name of my blog site, Aspirations of a Novelist.

Who knows how long it will take us to get to the end. These posts won't be consecutive unless I have nothing else to say LOL. I'm very excited to share with you what I've learned along the way, and am still learning. I hope you find this project helpful, inspiring, and entertaining.

First I want to say that I don't believe there is a set way to write a novel. This will come up later with one of our alphabet words. There are certain basics we should all follow, but in the end it is up to you to find your own style, routine, and method of pulling a novel together. What I hope to offer you is an understanding of some writing terms and how my journey evolved along the way. The trick is to find yours and perhaps my journey will help you with that.

Therefore, my A to Zs of Novel Writing will not include a set method or format to writing a novel, but will outline more the tools and steps necessary to actually sit down and write a book. Let's get started.

'A' is for Action

Definition:

ACTION [ak-shun]
noun

1. the process or state of acting or of being active.
2. something done or performed; act; deed.
3. an act that one consciously wills and that may be characterized by mental activity.
4. actions, habitual or usual acts; conduct.
5. energetic activity: a man of action.

WRITING A NOVEL TAKES ACTION

Thinking about it, wanting to do it, and dreaming about being a published author wont get it done. However, thinking about characters, plot, location, conflict and resolution is a definite start. Number 3 above is very important. Mental activity is just as important as the physical act of pounding your story into the computer or hand-writing the story. 

My husband has come to recognize my facial expressions when I'm sitting quiet and silent. "You're writing aren't you?" he'll ask. A lot of planning and detailing happens in my head long before I physically put it into my computer.

KINDS OF ACTION

Okay, so you're tired of working on storyline, developing protagonists and antagonists (hey, here's another 'A' word and a necessary one to the plot). You're muse has dried up and you need a break. There are lots of other things you can do which add to the process of creating a novel.

One is research. Some writer's hate this process. I love researching and embrace it enthusiastically.But for those who find research a tedious proposition, read another author's book that covers the subject. You can enjoy the read as well as cash in on their expertise. (But don't plagiarize LOL.) Interview someone who knows the subject, or works in the field you are describing. Interviews can be informative and fun, and you can make new acquaintances and acquire potential readers.

Another course of action is to read other writer's blogs, a great source of information with links to marketing and querying sites for writers. Once your book is complete, you will need to start pitching your book to agents and publishers if that's your chosen course of action. Or if you are self-publishing, that all-important task of marketing will begin. You might as well get started early. Believe me, it will make the process flow more smoothly.

That's it for 'A', see you at 'B'.

KEEP ON KEEPING ON WRITING!

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