tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327657645638791042024-02-22T08:41:28.745-08:00NoReasonWhatsoeverIn Louisiana (where I'm from), we tend to speak a little differently. Instead of saying we're doing something because 'I want to', you're more likely to hear 'oh, no reason', 'just because' or my favorite 'no reason whatsoever'. Or sometimes it's 'no earthly reason whatsoever'. In that case, I suppose there must be a heavenly reason... :) :) I love La.!!!CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-46991175902601951672012-09-20T21:38:00.001-07:002012-09-20T21:44:03.914-07:00So Nice, I Did It Twice<div class="posterous_autopost">
Welcome to my new site! I know, I know... I made myself a new one just last spring. I loved my new-old Posterous website. In fact I still do. It's just that I now need a full-fledged domain with more content possibilities and email. Look around and let me know how you like it. FYI, the graphics for Sparks are placeholders - not the real cover. I'm a couple of weeks (more or less) away from revealing it.<br />
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My <a href="http://cathrynlouis.blogspot.com/" target="_self">blogger</a> and <a href="http://authors-journal.posterous.com/" target="_self">posterous</a> sites have seen their last posts - this one. The links on the posterous site are broken and I won't fix them, but I'll keep both the sites around as long as I can. Maybe until next year. August 10 seems to be an appropriate date for taking them down. If memory serves, that's the day I decided to respond to the call. Yes, Google links will also be broken for a while - again - but I have about a month before I release Sparks. Many errors should have disappeared or healed by then.<br />
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This new site is self-hosted, with Wordpress as the content management system (CMS). I've avoided self-hosting because as a techie, I know how much work it is to build and maintain a full website. I want to use my time for writing - not plug-in, widget and theme chasing. But since I'm publishing Sparks, I have a true need for my own site. Luckily, there are now a host of tools for making site maintenance easy - almost pleasant - without impacting my writing time. Another win-win. <br />
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Seems <a href="http://www.cathrynlouis.com/2012/09/which-me-shall-it-be/" target="_self">I'm on a role</a>. Luvin' it!</div>
CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-72941790118438842822012-09-13T21:05:00.001-07:002012-09-13T21:11:26.237-07:00Which Me Shall It Be?<div class="posterous_autopost">
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. True - but which words? In the case of my sepia flower, the thousand words distills down to exactly two: Cathryn Louis. As my profile avatar, it is on just about every site I've joined. Because I've been involved in social media and portions of the online writing community for just about three years, it has become my brand.<br />
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On the other hand, common wisdom insists that readers are more comfortable when there's a picture of the author. Even so, I can't recall ever choosing - or laying aside - a book (print or electronic) because of the author's picture.<br />
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For me, including a picture is not a problem. Currently, there are several on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/CathrynLouis" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page from which I will choose. But what about my flower? Cathryn Louis, the author, is easily recognizable because of it. I truly believe that doing away with it is a mistake.<br />
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After much thrashing of my brain cells, I finally figured out that I don't have to choose. I'll keep the sepia flower as my profile avatar, and use my picture on my website and novels. Win-win! Love it when that happens.</div>
CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-1686246132514093232012-09-06T21:21:00.001-07:002012-09-06T21:22:24.872-07:00Help!!!<div class="posterous_autopost">
This week just about finished me. Even so, I'm determined to stay on track for releasing Sparks as an ebook in October.<br />
<br />
Getting hold of the reins of a runaway horse while trying my best to stay in the saddle would be far easier - and I can't ride.<br />
<br />
Can things get any more complicated?<br />
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Oh no, I shouldn't have asked that...</div>
CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-92077106782652152332012-08-30T21:44:00.001-07:002012-08-30T21:46:07.604-07:00Puzzled<div class="posterous_autopost">
Even now, in the age of computer games, puzzles are my thing. The more pieces there are, the better I like them. Creating the 'big picture' is thrilling. For a few years now, there has been only one puzzle on my table. I've fit pieces, pondered a little, fit more pieces, pondered a bit more... Well, you get the picture.<br />
<br />
Then out of the blue, a grander, more vivid puzzle fell into my lap. It had far more pieces than the one on my table, but it is a puzzle I completely understand - a geeky puzzle. Hold on... Can it be? It appears that the puzzle on my table is merely a piece of the one that fell into my lap. Now, pieces in both puzzles are coming together far more quickly - and in ways that I could never have foreseen.<br />
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I need a bigger table.</div>
CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-36222981733833323852012-08-23T20:34:00.001-07:002012-08-23T20:36:03.303-07:00Expected Unexpectedness<div class="posterous_autopost">
My characters are not based on real people. Sometimes I wish that they were. But then, I would have to fictionalize them, which would make them not at all the same. Since that's so, it's probably best that they live only in my imagination.<br />
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I love inventing people. If I were a gamer, I would like the games where worlds of imaginary people are created. But wait - that 's what I do now. It's just that my canvas is the page rather than a set of animated renderings.<br />
<br />
Once I know what every character wants, I throw them into a big free-for-all and record what happens as they each try to achieve their goals. Even if we all know that in the end, the hero and heroine get together, their journey isn't predictable. I am always surprised to see the conflicts and alliances that the characters develop along the way. Those who read my stories are also surprised.<br />
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Isn't that the way it should be?</div>
CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-15317035860872554252012-08-16T20:39:00.001-07:002012-08-16T20:52:25.286-07:00Owning It<div class="posterous_autopost">
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<div class="p_embed p_image_embed">
<img alt="Owningit" height="277" src="http://getfile5.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-08-16/qwhCGnkbHBEEyBHysyJCdCwgnumtiBGealtFAfwBIgovbcfxDyoByxGJomoo/owningIt.jpg" width="384" /> </div>
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<span style="color: grey; font-family: ClarendonFSLight; font-size: x-small; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Photo Credit: </span><span style="color: grey; font-family: ClarendonFSLight; font-size: x-small; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/Maa-illustrations_info" style="color: #003aa5; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Maa-illustrations</a>, </span><a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/" style="color: #0066af; font-family: ClarendonFSLight; font-size: x-small; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Dreamstime</a><br />
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Each of us sees life through an emotional prism. The light refracted through it colors our every thought and act. It may be that some of the colors are of pain. It may be that some of us are, in some ways, 'walking wounded'.<br />
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The phrase, 'walking wounded', is a medical term, originally used to refer to those of the battlefield-wounded whose injuries were minor enough that they were still able to 'walk', or function almost as normal. It was later also applied to those who suffered cognitive impairment resulting from a traumatic brain injury. They appear normal, but require far more concentration to get through the normal tasks of the day than they did before the injury, leaving them with chronic mental fatigue.<br />
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With apologies to those in the medical community who may be offended, I'm using the phrase, 'walking wounded', to describe those of us who are survivors of emotional trauma. There isn't a physical injury as in the above two cases, but to the afflicted, the suffering is just as severe.<br />
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I've found that writing for the emotionally 'walking wounded' in my stories have surfaced some of the hurts that I bear, and also, some for which I'd like to atone. Calling folks out for having hurt me in the past isn't something that I will do. My hurts are small. So for me, it is up to the ones who inflicted the hurts to own up to them and apologize for them. My only responsibility is to rise above them and live abundantly.<br />
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On the other hand, I shall make an effort to apologize for hurts that I know I have caused. I am hopeful that they too, when looking through the prism to the past, now seem small.<br />
</div>
CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-62039152754158006702012-08-09T21:56:00.001-07:002012-08-09T21:58:43.455-07:00So Show Me!<div class="posterous_autopost">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Artists - painters, sculptors, authors, poets, et al - express emotion with their work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Authors creating characters that show only one emotion is akin to painters rendering on the canvas in only one color, or at worst, only one hue of that color. Making lists of emotional attributes works for some authors; interviewing them works for others. Neither works for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">My characters have to show me who they are. So I derive two scenarios: a positive one into which I introduce an element of increasingly negative degree, and a negative one into which I introduce an element of increasingly positive degree.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">For example, a character, Jake, is at a restaurant with a long-time love. They are enjoying the evening, looking forward to the movie that is to follow. </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Negative element: A man walks by, and Jake sees his love and the man exchange glances. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">More negative element: After the exchange of glances, Jake hears a TM beep in her purse, and sees a slight, melancholy change in her expression. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Even more negative element: The man walks up to the table, sweeps her into his arms, and heartily plants a kiss on each cheek. He is introduced as an old friend.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">I write the scene, each time with one of the negative elements and Jake's reactions to that element. The scene will most likely not be in the story. I don't take the time to write it perfectly. I merely want to evoke action from Jake so that he shows me who he is. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">This time, I've tried to write the above scene for the heroine in my new story, but it isn't working. She says she wouldn't ever be in a situation with a long-time love. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><em>Omigosh...</em> Why the hell not?</span></div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-41752622718038677072012-08-02T19:54:00.001-07:002012-08-02T19:57:03.427-07:00Mashed Up Trippin'<div class="posterous_autopost">
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Chaos is here. Wait...that's not true. I may as well own it. <a href="http://cathrynlouis.blogspot.com/2012/07/whiplash.html" target="_blank">Whiplash</a> or not, I MADE the chaos.<br />
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My life is - and always will be - a mashup. I'm into more than just a single theme, or even variations on that theme. But it's my choice whether it will be an artful mashup or have the appearance of someone's abandoned storage locker. I choose artful - dancing on the edge of steampunk with a touch of retro boho, always evolving toward whatever catches my eye. As you can see, I have to be vigilant to keep it from getting out of hand. Every step along the way to wherever it is I'm going, I have to think, "Simplify."<br />
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Am I a techie? Yes - first and foremost. Am I a writer? Heavens yes - I'm a word bender and proud of it. So what is the change?<br />
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Acknowledging both sides of myself and enabling them to develop synergy. In doing so, I have to be honest about what works and what doesn't. An opportunity has come along for 'techie me' that I embrace and will nurture. I've forced growth for 'author me' and I can now admit that for me, it's about the story - always the story, only the story.<br />
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The change may only be noticeable to me, but it's the difference between frenzied busy-ness and purposeful enlightenment. Finally, I'm loving the trip I'm on.<br />
</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-9371531874792797382012-07-26T20:16:00.001-07:002012-07-26T20:20:52.941-07:00Whiplash<div class="posterous_autopost">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Something new has appeared, exploding my carefully managed elements of change into chaos. Did I go looking for it? Did it fall in my lap? It doesn't matter. However it got here, I have welcomed it. Now I have to tame the chaos it created; regain control of my journey down the yellow brick road - whether or not it's the same road on which I started out.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Priorities have shifted in favor of the new. All of my other endeavors are just as important as they ever were, it's just that this one is even more so. As long as I treat it as such, I have to believe that everything else will fall into place. I was already working to a new paradigm, and now, without warning, it has shifted - a WTF moment that has not yet ended, but keeps morphing into a different form. </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">*whiplash*</i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Even so, the 'something new' is a blessing - and it hasn't bothered with a disguise. I'm reminded of the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for..."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Well, it appears that I may have gotten 'it'.</span></div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-82102424240146862982012-07-19T19:08:00.001-07:002012-07-19T19:08:04.899-07:00Yellow and Curtains to Welching<div class='posterous_autopost'><p> <div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Follow the yellow brick road! Hopefully, I'll fare better than the travelers who took the original one to Oz. As long as I avoid the poppy fields, it's a win. The only question is whether there will be an audience beyond the curtain.</div> <p /> <div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Publishing statistics indicate that the most likely scenario is to pull back the curtain and find an empty auditorium. Audiences for fiction prefer to peek through the doors and sample the performance before taking a seat. With the thousands of available performances, the likelihood of any one attracting a packed house is small indeed - but it is possible. And I've committed.</div> <p /> <div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Maybe I should <em>be </em>committed, but that's beside the point. What I mean is that I've committed myself to the road that I'm on and I'm honor-bound to see it through. Of course I can always change my mind, but then I'd be a welcher. Not a good habit to get into.</div> <p /> <div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">All I have to do is stay on plan. I've already stopped allowing every shiny object to distract me, but what I didn't expect was having to give up good stuff. There are loads of easily available, helpful and informative sources from which I know I can learn. Now, I have to limit myself to only those that take me further down the road I've chosen. The others will have to wait. Sigh...</div> <p /> </p></div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-20823216600477215612012-07-12T23:31:00.001-07:002012-07-12T23:47:24.936-07:00Hatin' the Shades<div class="posterous_autopost">
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Lately, I've been awful at keeping promises to myself. That's the problem with making them before I've given thought to a situation. This time, the promise I've broken is that I would stay out of the Fifty Shades of Grey debate. But - here I am talking about it.<br />
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
The 'net - especially the blogosphere - is rife with discussions of its content and style. All opinions, even those that are fiercely held, are subjective - and mine has been rendered irrelevant. Why is that? <strong>AUDIENCE</strong><br />
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
There are already thousands who have voted with their pocketbooks, contributing to the success of the Fifty Shades series. So many people have bought the books that the numbers attracted Hollywood and traditional publishing.<br />
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
It would be crazy to pretend that I don't want the same - an audience that loves my work just as much as E. L. James' readers love Fifty Shades. But how do I attract them?<br />
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Since I'm in the midst of creating a marketing plan, I study every success, whether the author is traditionally-, independently- or self-published. I dissect their story in an effort to understand how they achieved it.<br />
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Do I think Ms. James' path to success will work for me? Probably not. But just as reading the works of others helps me improve the craft of writing, studying the success of others helps me make choices that are more likely to result in my own success.<br />
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
To fulfill my dream of attracting an audience, I have lots of studying - and writing - to do...and as we say in N'Awlins, "Ain't got no time for hatin'."</div>
</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-9269092410279305492012-07-05T19:37:00.001-07:002012-07-05T19:37:07.920-07:00Dead Ostriches in the Bayou<div class='posterous_autopost'><p style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Back when IBM ruled the southern tip of San Jose, California, there was a tiny deli that had one of the best sandwiches in the universe. The sandwich was called the Avocado Undecided, and was composed of two thick slices of white bread, hand-made sun-dried tomato mayonaise, bay shrimp and a whole sliced avocado. It was served open-faced, in a little plasti-wicker basket.</p> <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Why 'Undecided'? It was hard to choose whether to eat it with a fork or as a sandwich. Nice problem to have. I'm thinking about it now because I have a similar - but not as delicious - problem: my decision basket is over-stuffed.</p> <p style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">It's my own fault - I've been procrastinating. Avoiding decisions that I should have made long ago. Now they overflow the basket, daring me to keep ignoring them. I'm the one who committed myself to this path. It doesn't matter that I now find it shifting under my feet. I ought to feel right at home - it's like navigating a bayou.</p> <div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">I don't know whether making each decision will send me forward, backward, or into the quickmud. But it's clear that I can no longer pretend to be an ostrich. (Ostriches in the bayou? Seriously? They'd be dead in seconds.)</div> <p /> <div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">The only way onward is to let go of doubt - and act. So here I go... Ummm... Making... a... decision... Really - I am. Starting now...</div> <p> </p></div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-91681668237469848462012-06-28T20:31:00.001-07:002012-07-11T19:45:36.746-07:00The Last TM<div class="posterous_autopost">
<div class="p_embed p_image_embed">
<img alt="Foggybridge" height="273" src="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-06-28/jscDtmJljJxpqJytvnwCxwGlgIvwbujIIHepzzpsAGcAvtxgrjIvebophhrp/foggybridge.JPG" width="384" /> </div>
<span style="color: grey; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Photo Credit: </span><span style="color: grey; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #f6f3f0; color: #3b3d3f; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/Jeannemcright_info" target="_blank">Jeanne Mcright</a></span>, </span><a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/" style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Dreamstime</a><br />
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<div _mce_style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
I don't want this to happen. I can't tell down from up; up from down. Darkness surrounds me, the weight of it pressing hard on my chest. But darkness has no weight... It's water! Immediately, I suppress the breath I was about to take. I have to get out - now. But which way to go?</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div _mce_style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<span style="background-color: white;">A faint glimmer eases my panic. It appears to be below me, but clutching my faith, I approach it. Fear, the weight of the water, and my desperate need to breathe inhibit me. I don't have much time. Thankfully, as I struggle toward the lighted area, it grows wider and brighter. Suddenly my head and shoulders break the surface. I draw a ragged, painful breath. Then another, and another. I see my guiding light. It's a lamppost on The River Walk. Slowly, I make my way toward it. At last, I cast myself onto the rocky bank beneath the promenade. Good thing I'm a strong swimmer. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div _mce_style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<span style="background-color: white;">I try to rest, but noise from above disturbs me. I look up to the bridge and see that a crowd surrounds the trunk of a car that has breached the railing and now hangs vicariously by only its rear wheels. Both front doors are open. Ray frantically screams my name, and then I see him toward the front of the crowd. Some of the people are holding him back from the edge. I remember now...</span></div>
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<em style="background-color: white;"><br /></em></div>
<div _mce_style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<em style="background-color: white;">In the inside lane but driving far too fast, Ray raced to the rehearsal dinner for Lon and Gail. He hadn't believed me when I read the directions from Gail's TM, so I showed him my phone. He took his eyes off the road for barely a second. The car careened off the center divide, crossed the traffic lanes, hit the side of the bridge and smashed through the railing. The seatbelts saved us both. Ray undid his and quickly climbed out of the car. He reached back for me, calling for me to hurry. I unbuckled my seatbelt, crossed over the console to the driver's seat, and grabbed his outstretched hand. But the car lurched away from him. He lost his hold and I slid back. He called for me again and I tried to cross the console again, but my foot hit something on the door and it flew open. I scrambled to stay on the seat, but couldn't find a handhold. Ray's hand was barely an inch too far away. Gravity won. I slid down through the door and fell into the water. </em><br />
<em style="background-color: white;"><br /></em><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Wow. I fell a long way. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Automatically, I reach into my front pocket for my phone. But of course it isn't there. I can't text Ray that I'm okay. He's still pulling away from those who are holding him, trying to jump into the river after me. I have to stop him.</span></div>
<div _mce_style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div _mce_style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Suddenly among the crowd, I am still too spent to attract his attention. I fight my way to his side and touch my hand to his cheek. Gradually, he stops trying to jump over the bridge railing, and instead, turns and sinks down in front of it, his head in his hands. I sit down beside him and hug him close to me. I'll stay with him; comfort him until he's ready to see me. Once his mind is at ease, I can rest.</span></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-42455729172350192822012-06-21T19:03:00.001-07:002012-06-21T22:01:52.686-07:00Buckets, Kleenex & Never Again (Maybe)<div class="posterous_autopost">
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Last week, I cried so much that I couldn't see straight. Oh wait - I couldn't see straight because I didn't have my glasses. Scratch that. Let's just say I cried buckets.<br />
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Not because I had to <a href="http://cathrynlouis.blogspot.com/2012/06/story-killers.html" target="_blank">start over</a> with the narrative for my new story.
Though with 10K words already written, having to go back to the beginning was certainly sob-worthy. I drowned myself in tears to examine and experience the emotions of sadness and anger evoked by tragic and unresolved loss.<br />
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In my new story, there is a murder. Someone was taken away too soon. Lives were changed; futures were damaged. The novel has to capture not only the events leading up to and after the murder, but also the emotions that trigger the actions causing those events. I needed to emerse myself in gut-wrenching, gone-before-I-could-do-anything pain so that I could accurately portray the thoughts and feelings of my characters.<br />
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So in spite of the promise I made myself to never watch them again and instead, love them from a distance, I revisited a few three-Kleenex-box favorite old movies that never fail to dredge up those difficult and painful emotions. Unfortunately, letting go of those feelings hasn't been easy. I'm still suffering through the consequences of self-imposed dispair.<br />
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Enough is enough. Time to go overdose on HAPPY!!</div>
</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-15821705968450053492012-06-14T21:03:00.001-07:002012-06-15T18:23:33.494-07:00Story Killers<div class="posterous_autopost">
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<br />
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My new work in progress (wip) is on a hit list. In the story, the heroine chases and pins down especially slippery pieces of information. I know who the assassins are - search engines. They have become so ubiquitous that the name of one of them is now the verb for using them all ("Google it on Bing.").</div>
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Because of search engines, the missing information my heroine is spazzing over musn't be accessible on the public web, or the deep web (sites requiring subscriptions). Since almost everything is on the internet, the information must be purposely hidden. Anything less than that won't be believable. The last thing I want is for a reader to ask, "Why didn't she just Google it?", and then in exasperation, throw the book aside.</div>
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Since I hadn't given enough thought to the plot for my new story, I have to rework the inciting incident. Also, prior knowledge and motivations of several major characters have to change. Who am I kidding? The whole narrative has to change. Luckily, I've only gotten about 10K words into it. On the plus side, the adjustment makes the story far stronger and is a natural source of dramatic irony.</div>
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Surprisingly, the outline will only change by the inciting incident sentence. The scene table is just an empty structure - except for scene names and characters - so it won't change at all. Looks like I started my <a href="http://cathrynlouis.blogspot.com/2010/11/too-many-files.html" target="_blank">artifacts</a> at the right level.</div>
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As much as I want to vent about it, starting over really isn't that bad.</div>
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*headdesk*</div>
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*headdesk*</div>
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*headwall headwall headwall*</div>
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Excedrin. Headache #541...</div>
</div>
</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-83742633071461319162012-06-07T19:27:00.001-07:002012-06-07T19:31:32.331-07:00Get My Pantz (Or Game?) On!<div class="posterous_autopost">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">I started to share another rant about my characters, but Zzzz.... - boring! They're still misbehaving, but so what? They're revealing a number of sources of conflict and forcing dramatic irony to materialize.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">After eighteen months of learning that I needed to rewrite, then learning how to rewrite and finally - actually doing it, I had forgotten the year it took to produce a first draft. To remind myself, I revisited my very first completed narrative of Sparks. It was well worth the laugh. The narrative has no resemblance to the novel - or even the finished first draft. Outlining or using a scene table for it would have been a complete waste of time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">For this second novel, I'm confident enough in the rough version of the story to have set up a preliminary scene table. Folly? Time will tell. In any event, it's now time to just let the words flow. I promised myself I wouldn't pantz this time, but I have to break that promise. It was a foolish one, made before I had reminded myself of what it takes to write a first draft - time in the chair. Lots of it, while I suffer through the fits and starts of the story revealing itself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">I now know that my stories require a balance of pantzing - mostly during the first draft, and plotting - mostly during rewriting. While I have to accept that the journey for every book will be different, I still must use what worked for me in the past. I've been so anxious to get to the rewriting stage that I was short-changing myself on the material I'll need when I get there. Bad idea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Now that I've figured that out and gathered up all of my </span><a href="http://cathrynlouis.blogspot.com/2012/03/corralling-snip-pets.html" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">snippets</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, my full first pantzed narrative is - finally - under way. Game on!</span></div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-44456672463546294532012-05-17T21:16:00.001-07:002012-05-17T21:19:20.084-07:00To Market, To Market - I Need a Great Plan!<div class="posterous_autopost">
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Funny that sometimes one has to slide down the rabbit hole in order to see the light. Or in my case, jump off a cliff and grow wings on the way down. So much more hair-raising that way. I love <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/BeautyofWisdom/status/197409276166283264" target="_blank">that quote</a>! It's so 'me'. And so far, I've still got all nine of my lives left.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The plan I need? Of course - a marketing plan. Though it's been mentioned in articles I've read and in webinars I've attended, the truth of it didn't sink in until I wanted to publish badly enough. Yep, I had to stand up in AA (Authors Anonymous) and admit the truth "I am an author and I want people to read - and love - my book." Deep breath. Then I realized what I had just said. I want people to <em>buy</em> my book. In this maddeningly tight economy. I want lots of people to part with their money, every dollar of which is dear, to buy Sparks.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Then I went to the flip-side and asked myself, "What would I do if my choices were to sell Sparks or starve?" Imagination kicked in. I became the heroine in my own tale and the answer was clear. If the risk is all mine and the funding is all mine, then I need a detailed starve-or-deliver-the-goods marketing plan - like the ones I do all the time for software projects on which I consult. Duh...</div>
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And get this - it matters not a whit whether I will be traditionally-, independently- or self-published. I still need a marketing plan. Yes, the big publishing houses and independent presses have established distribution and marketing channels. So what's the deal? If I want access to those channels, I have to be able to tell prospective agents and/or publishers what Sparks is about and who will want to read it. No, I don't mean genre and what groups of readers on the reading sites - though that is a good start. I've got to know exactly what my story is (contemporary fiction with a side of suspense) and exactly who is going to read it (the woman in 12B who's eating cold takeout while studying for her LSAT - well, lots of women like her and men who love women like her).</div>
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The ability to identify and connect with the right readers is crucial if one is self-publishing because there is nobody else to share the preparation and marketing costs. Even for the traditional or indie route it's best to have a detailed marketing plan - especially for debut authors. Keep the day job, peeps. Reserve the advance for marketing.</div>
</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-9593391728088850802012-05-10T21:10:00.001-07:002012-05-10T21:17:51.409-07:00Spring Cleaning<div class="posterous_autopost">
I've let myself go - neglected my platform. Yes, I've been busy, but that's not an excuse. It needs sprucing, pruning, polishing, and I'm taking time out right now get it all bright and shiny again.<br />
<br />
First up - my authors lists. I apologize in advance to those of you who follow them, but '<a href="http://twitter.com/CathrynLouis/authors-books-stories" target="_blank">authors-books, stories</a>' and '<a href="http://twitter.com/CathrynLouis/authors-books-stories-too" target="_blank">authors books stories too</a>' are a hodge-podge and it's time to bring order. I've already begun <a href="http://twitter.com/CathrynLouis/TradPubbedAuthors" target="_blank">TradPubbedAuthors</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/CathrynLouis/IndiePubbedAuthors" target="_blank">IndiePubbedAuthors</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/CathrynLouis/SelfPubbedAuthors" target="_blank">SelfPubbedAuthors</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/CathrynLouis/SoonToBePubbedAuthors" target="_blank">SoonToBePubbedAuthors</a>. I'll be moving authors into those so please follow them instead. Also please let me know if you think I've put you in the wrong list. <a href="http://twitter.com/CathrynLouis/WritingBiz" target="_blank">WritingBiz</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/CathrynLouis/ReadingBiz" target="_blank">ReadingBiz</a> will stay as they are because they feed my papers. I've also built a paper around my new authors lists - <a href="http://paper.li/CathrynLouis/1336707672" target="_blank">take a look</a>!<br />
<br />
I've already updated my social widget to include Pinterest and my papers. Soon, I'll add forums that I frequent. Speaking of the forums, I haven't yet set up my profile and visited some of them. Now that I'm moving solidly on to book #2, I'll have time for a while to hang out with other authors. Joy!</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-22519921152431829742012-05-03T19:25:00.001-07:002012-05-03T19:37:57.335-07:00Peace Out to the Spirit Lifter<div class="posterous_autopost">
<div class="p_embed p_image_embed">
<a href="http://getfile0.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-05-03/cmCsmzdgChEwekffBBHirDFfhiDupHJzfqqxplernovJoIwJrbrphbrffFkh/mello_yello.JPG.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Mello_yello" height="300" src="http://getfile0.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-05-03/cmCsmzdgChEwekffBBHirDFfhiDupHJzfqqxplernovJoIwJrbrphbrffFkh/mello_yello.JPG.scaled1000.jpg" width="399" /></a> </div>
<span style="color: grey; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Photo Credit: <span style="color: blue;">Cathryn Louis (me!)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: grey; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span><br />
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Last week I learned that my car has a transfer case. I don't know exactly what it is or what it does, but I do know that it can crack. Mine did. <em>Perfect. Just lovely.</em> The perfect end to the winter season in which I've struggled to get my novel published - and failed. Many false starts and mis-steps - or as I prefer to spin it 'learning opportunities'. No longer sunny, I was heading down the road toward blue. So what did I do with the lemons (and multiple cliches) suddenly raining down on my head? It's spring - time for lemonade!<br />
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It's all a matter of perception, and I decided that I wanted to look on the bright side. So what do I have to be happy about?</div>
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<ol>
<li>A recent, chance meeting with someone whose critique I highly value, and who I hope to someday meet IRL (in real life), if only to express my profuse thanks.
<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">After questions and comments about the inciting incident paragraphs gave me the courage to make the change that had to be made,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">Sparks is significantly better.</span> I had believed in my story before, but now I have confidence. Sparks is **wink, wink** a competitive story. We'll see how it turns out.</li>
<li>It's been since November that I've been working toward getting Sparks published. Looking back, I know that my knowledge of the business has grown phenomenally since then. Could I have learned differently? Maybe, but <a href="http://twitter.com/BeautyofWisdom/status/197409276166283264" target="_blank" title="How I fly">this quote</a> shared by <a href="http://twitter.com/BeautyofWisdom" target="_blank">@BeautyOfWisdom</a> says it all. It's the only way I can learn, and have it 'stick' for the long haul.</li>
<li>April was a learning month. I am still a working professional in a far different industry and my daughter's dreams must come before my own. Still, I've found a way to learn directly from publishing professionals even though, for me, writer's conferences are still a pipe dream. Duh... Webinars! Those that I've attended are <a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/webinars" target="_blank">Writer's Digest webinars</a> and I'm sure there are others as well.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
So what's up with my new little friend, Mello Yello? It was a loaner during the time that my car was being repaired, courtesy of the extended warranty. We had BIG FUN. I thought about getting a peace sign necklace to hang on the rear view mirror, but a Harry Potter Deathly Hallows necklace works just as well. It has truly lifted my spirits. Peace Out Peeples!</div>
</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-86160094150192085262012-04-26T21:05:00.001-07:002012-04-26T21:09:46.235-07:00Why I Won't Do It<div class="posterous_autopost">
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I love to read - almost more than I now know I love to write. For the past month, I've been reading far more than I've been writing. It wasn't as pleasurable as I wanted it to be, because there was a nagging feeling that my reading wasn't productive. I hadn't been writing about it. I'm an author - I'm supposed to post reviews of what I read.<br />
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Then my stubborn streak kicked in. "Says who?"<br />
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Some authors are wired to author reviews of other authors' works, and seem to do a very good job of it. But I'm not among that number. Suppose I read a book that I love - until the pieces come together for the climax. Then I find it to be contrived and the antagonist's purpose, success and ultimate downfall based on a premise that - I feel - the climax exposes as unrealistic. The author of the book that I (hypothetically) now detest spent at least as much time in writing their book as I have in writing mine. Who am I to give it a bad review? I am only one reader.<br />
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I could go halfway and just write reviews of books that I love. But for an analytical type like me, that's only part of the story. The more books that I didn't write reviews for, the more imbalance there would be in my brain and the more I would resemble Sheldon on Big Bang Theory. Sometimes I think he's channeling the unbalanced me... :-D Only kidding.<br />
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
So I just won't do it - write reviews, that is. Now that I've figured that out, I can go back to reading for enjoyment. But what about sites like Goodreads? My 'read' shelf shows how long I've been conflicted about this. The last book I added (and briefly reviewed) was almost two years ago. So what to do?<br />
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
I've decided that I'll continue to put books on my "read' shelf, but only the ones I truly loved. They'll all have five-star reviews and maybe a brief sentence or two. But what does it mean for books that are not on my 'read' shelf? Nothing. It means nothing at all.</div>
</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-27572609158779532272012-04-19T21:06:00.001-07:002012-04-26T21:10:02.911-07:00Whine with Character(s)<div class="posterous_autopost">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">This is probably the third or fourth time I've whined about my characters, but I truly do wish they would behave. It's extremely rude, I think, that while being intricately painted, they should snatch the brush out of my hand and proceed to paint themselves. I've even had a few paint themselves out of the picture. Imagine that - suicidal characters. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">What the characters come up with is never what I originally envisioned and I then have to refashion the story around them. My worst critics, they then start to change the story until it suits them. Sometimes several characters want to pull it in different directions, installing new dramatic conflict that I then have to adjust the story to handle. No wonder 'writing is rewriting'. I may as well just hand them my laptop and have done with it.</span></div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-41575267472424968852012-04-12T21:29:00.001-07:002012-04-12T21:41:07.133-07:00Magic Man<div class="posterous_autopost">
<div class="p_embed p_image_embed">
<img alt="Bigplayer" height="300" src="http://getfile6.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2012-04-12/ccAkGIrzwwpcmkldGuuIFcCABgmCGtjCnavdfHpuydJyzGExBiqGmGagDfGE/bigPlayer.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
<span style="color: grey; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Photo Credit: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/Ashdesign_info" target="_blank">AshDesign</a></span><span style="color: grey; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">, </span><a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/" style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Dreamstime</a><br />
<br />
<em>The world from up there is very different.</em><br />
<br />
I took one last look at the high-rise and my former penthouse condo at almost its very top. And then I turned my back on it.<br />
<br />
I'd had my finger on the pulse of high-finance. I'd been master of profitable shenanigans that grew more outrageous with each year. Unexpectedly, at the height of my mastery, the financial houses all came crashing down. Many of them were saved, but mine was given the death sentence. We were all forced out onto the street. At least I was able to sell my condo before the bottom fell out of the real estate market.<br />
<br />
I moved into a three-story walkup to conserve my cash while I searched for another position. I was high-priced executive talent. It should have been easy. That was four years ago. Contacts, acquaintances, and even those whom I had thought of as friends didn't return my calls; they ignored me just as <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-wealth-reduces-compassion" target="_blank" title="No Compassion">I had ignored many others</a> when I was master of the ring.<br />
<br />
Doors were closed. I was too qualified for most positions, and as the effects of the crash reverberated through the economy, the need for executive suite, financial talent wasted away. Executives at the remaining companies did not want to hire someone who was sure to be their competition for the next higher slot.<br />
<br />
After two years, my savings had dwindled significantly. If I'd still had access to insider financial reports, I may have been able to grow it back through the stock market. But I couldn't afford to play the fool's game of investing blind.<br />
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I moved in to one of those daily rent hotels and took day labor jobs. Even advancement through those was closed to me. I was a former 'suit' trying to hone in on their territory.<br />
<br />
Today I'm homeless; dragging my last, well-worn piece of leather designer luggage, with barely enough in the patched pocket of my moth-eaten cashmere coat for for the one-way ticket out. I've no choice left but to go back to the town I turned my back on twenty-five years ago.<br />
<br />
I had conquered this city; enjoyed its pleasures to the utmost in my arrogance and greed. Now the soleless shoe is on the other foot - mine.</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-30120192895253870462012-04-05T20:40:00.001-07:002012-04-05T20:44:50.680-07:00Good, Bad, & Not Quite There<div class="posterous_autopost">
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Any author who wants their stories to be read has to write good ones. Here's the dilemma - how does one know what makes a good story? I doubt that anyone sets out to write a bad story, but on the other hand, I bet there are few - experts included - who can unimpeachably say what truly makes a good one.</div>
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Being an as yet unpublished author, I don't qualify to even attempt an answer to the question. But of one thing I <em>am </em>sure. Readers are a very good indicator of whether or not the story is a good one. If it is, they will talk, and talk and talk about it. Non-stop. They will know the characters, have favorite characters and scenes, disagree with other readers about the finer points of the story, and on and on. When that happens, those who matter have declared the story a good one - no matter what an expert may say.</div>
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<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
The corollary to the above has to be that if there is only ringing silence, the story is not - yet? - a good one. Very few will tell an author that a story is bad, or can even point out problems that keep a story from being good. Most of us, careful of the feelings of others, will simply say nothing or avoid situations where we could be asked.</div>
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So even though I can't definitively say what makes a good story, we all know it when we see it - readers will be knocking down the door to say how much they love it. Unless they are, there needs to be <a href="http://twitter.com/CathrynLouis/status/187563293794250752" target="_blank">more work</a>. And another thing we all know: agents and publishers are readers too.</div>
</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-45299867032439966912012-03-29T21:57:00.001-07:002012-03-29T22:02:59.709-07:00Mad, Mad... Or Murder?<div class="posterous_autopost">
Hmmm... I'm having a hard time choosing the fate of a particular character. It isn't that I'm overly fond of him; it's just that I'm unsure which scenario best suits the story. If I murder him, then the heroine is left with an item she's never seen before and a quest to unlock the mystery. If he lives, events build to a confrontation between the two.<br />
<br />
Talking - or writing - through it, I can say that the heroine is already on one quest and the one created by the death of the character confuses the story with another one. Or if I'm very clever, I can use it to extend her main quest.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, confrontation forces each of them to be honest with the other about the emotional root of their actions. The down side is that when I write dialogue, the characters take over the tale, and I may find the story going in a direction other than the one I've outlined. I promised myself not to pantz this time.<br />
<br />
But story rules! So if the characters do pull it in a different direction, the outline will just have to go with it. A post blogged; a decision made. Thanks for listening... er, reading!</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-332765764563879104.post-11912439536002063342012-03-22T19:09:00.001-07:002012-03-29T22:02:43.478-07:00Giving It Up My All<div class="posterous_autopost">
After struggling with the structure for my new book, I gave up. Yep - I did. Me, the incurable optimist. I waved the white flag, threw in the towel, and <em><insert any other cliched expression of defeat here></em>. Then I <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">red </span>read. Lots. And I'm the better for it. I have learned that I was having so much trouble with this new novel because I had been trying to harmonize several independent linear lines of story.<br />
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The past and the present, the different perspectives of the action plot, and those of the romantic plot must travel along their respective paths until they combine to drive the novel to its climax; then to the denouement beyond. For me to get it right, I have to impose structure from the very beginning - no pantsing a first draft this time.<br />
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Now that I've studied and practiced the technique of counterpoint, I can compose the novel with purpose and confidence; boldly going where, just a short time ago, I had feared to tread. (How's that for mixing cliched metaphors?) That I am pushing the boundaries of what I know I can do is an understatement. Still, with eye firmly cocked, I'm optimistic that I can pull it off. I hope my <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/CathrynLouis/status/182132465324916736" target="_blank">musician friend</a> would be proud. This is going to be fun!<br />
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I took the first step that led me down this path when I discovered that one of the main characters is lost in a fugue... ;-D</div>CathrynLouishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380932922178601607noreply@blogger.com0