Howdy from Texas Fellow Aspiring Writers,
In-laws are a good point of strife in a romance, future or current. Feel like you need a little more tension? Throw in a picky mother-in-law, an angry father-in-law, a jealous brother or sister-in-law, and watch the sparks fly. Your couple has so many obstacles to overcome then the in-laws can always add the straw that broke the camel's back. Any situation with in-laws, even amiable ones, can add a touch of tension. Most of the time though, a situation with in-laws is more similar to walking the sharp edge of a dagger where by the time your characters reaches the end they would likely prefer to have run the blade through their heart. Well, at least until they are saved by their love interest.
In-law character interaction is easy to find inspiration for, simply use your own experiences, friends, relatives, and yes; even your parents are wonderful sources. You will likely find an overabundance of stories to draw from toward your goal of a better story.
Happy writing,
Carolyn Haven
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Publishing a Short Story
Dear Readers, Supporters, and All the Other Wonderful People Reading This,
I’ve decided to publish a short story online as a sample of my work. I am also working on a novella to publish online. Once my novel is as wonderful as I can make it then I will publish that online as well. Potential agents will not be off the hook, they will still receive query letters, synopses, and whatever else they prefer to receive.
When I do this, I will post information everywhere, probably to the point someone will have to call animal rescue for the horse.
Happy Writing and Reading,
Carolyn Haven
I’ve decided to publish a short story online as a sample of my work. I am also working on a novella to publish online. Once my novel is as wonderful as I can make it then I will publish that online as well. Potential agents will not be off the hook, they will still receive query letters, synopses, and whatever else they prefer to receive.
When I do this, I will post information everywhere, probably to the point someone will have to call animal rescue for the horse.
Happy Writing and Reading,
Carolyn Haven
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
I'm Alive, I'm pretty sure
I'm alive. I’ve been preoccupied with the living since that’s what funerals and memorials are truly for. I lost both grandparents within less than three weeks of each other. They made it to their 60th wedding anniversary which had been the goal my grandfather set. They loved each other very much, and God willing, in their beliefs, they will reawaken in a paradise together forever.
We had out of state relatives show up and we took them sightseeing to San Antonio, around Houston, and to Kemah where we all contracted a vicious stomach bug that I'm recovering from.
On a brighter note, I had really wild fever fueled dreams and have been writing like crazy. I probably should have joined in NaNoWriMo as much as I’ve been writing. I am no longer contagious and would like to participate with the living again, particularly the writers and readers.
Have a great week, and I wish every participating in NaNoWriMo speedy fingers and quick minds.
We had out of state relatives show up and we took them sightseeing to San Antonio, around Houston, and to Kemah where we all contracted a vicious stomach bug that I'm recovering from.
On a brighter note, I had really wild fever fueled dreams and have been writing like crazy. I probably should have joined in NaNoWriMo as much as I’ve been writing. I am no longer contagious and would like to participate with the living again, particularly the writers and readers.
Have a great week, and I wish every participating in NaNoWriMo speedy fingers and quick minds.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Discombobulated Thoughts on Life, Love, and Death
Dear Reader,
I’ve learned a few things about my family and life these last few weeks. My only remaining grandfather gave us a scare recently, which actually had the side benefit of forcing 30+ year old wounds to be addressed. During the tears, my grandfather recovered to the extent he wanted to get up in his chair, watch TV, and eat pie. The diabetic man loves pie. Pumpkin pie made with Splenda tastes good.
My grandparents recently had their 60th wedding anniversary. That was the goal given to him by my aunt, their caretaker. She once told my grandfather that he couldn’t die until the house was paid off, and he replied that he didn’t want to live that long. (My grandparents have been almost completely dependent for the last few years.) Their 60th anniversary which had seemed like a long ways off at the time was the agreed upon goal. Even my grandmother agreed in her end stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia during one of her extremely rare moments of lucidity.
The day after my grandfather made his recovery, he had a relapse and at the same time my grandmother slipped into the final stage of Alzheimer’s. Nearly the moment she slipped into the final stage, my grandfather asked us to check on her. We had left the room less than five minutes earlier, but checked anyways. He was so concerned we all knew something was wrong. She was nonresponsive. My grandfather has barely eaten since, and with both I think it is only a matter of time. This is hard, but you have to respect the man and the love he has for his wife.
Live well,
Carolyn
I’ve learned a few things about my family and life these last few weeks. My only remaining grandfather gave us a scare recently, which actually had the side benefit of forcing 30+ year old wounds to be addressed. During the tears, my grandfather recovered to the extent he wanted to get up in his chair, watch TV, and eat pie. The diabetic man loves pie. Pumpkin pie made with Splenda tastes good.
My grandparents recently had their 60th wedding anniversary. That was the goal given to him by my aunt, their caretaker. She once told my grandfather that he couldn’t die until the house was paid off, and he replied that he didn’t want to live that long. (My grandparents have been almost completely dependent for the last few years.) Their 60th anniversary which had seemed like a long ways off at the time was the agreed upon goal. Even my grandmother agreed in her end stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia during one of her extremely rare moments of lucidity.
The day after my grandfather made his recovery, he had a relapse and at the same time my grandmother slipped into the final stage of Alzheimer’s. Nearly the moment she slipped into the final stage, my grandfather asked us to check on her. We had left the room less than five minutes earlier, but checked anyways. He was so concerned we all knew something was wrong. She was nonresponsive. My grandfather has barely eaten since, and with both I think it is only a matter of time. This is hard, but you have to respect the man and the love he has for his wife.
Live well,
Carolyn
Monday, August 30, 2010
Writing Pointers from ArmadilloCon 32
Armadillo Con 32 in Austin, Texas, is where I spent my weekend gleaming knowledge from writers, editors, publishers, artists, musicians, scientists, game designers, and last but not least… critics. I had a fantastic time, and met some truly interesting people. There was not a dull conversation or panel within earshot. Information I received from the convention will help improve and shape my writing endeavors. Alas, I will not go into all the details; you’ll simply have to attend next year. I will, however, share my interpretation of some main points.
The number one and most emphasized point I received is to simply “write your story”. Put your story to paper/screen, and write it in your voice. Tell your story.
Secondly, accept criticism graciously, and as with all advice listen to the good and listen to the bad with only half an ear. You love to write, or you wouldn’t be doing this so keep writing.
Thirdly, if you feel your writing structure could use some help, take classes. Community colleges are wonderful places to learn how to become a better writer. This is not admitting failure, this is self improvement.
Regardless of where or when your story takes place, the facts should make sense. If they don’t, your story will not be believable to the reader.
Flawed characters are more relatable, more believable, and more likable. Ask yourself who is most important to the story, and work on making them perfect for your story rather than simply perfect. Ask how this person is important to the story and build on that. Characters do not have to be complex; they just need to make sense. Their actions, reactions, personalities, and appearance need to add up. Not everyone has to be tall, muscular, and incredibly sexy. For example: Someone who sits at a computer screen all day and doesn’t work out is not going to be this big, buff guy without some creative assistance.
Urban Fantasy needs connection to the real world since you are asking the reader to believe all the fantasy. Give the reader anchor points to reality. Choosing places the reader can Google are great examples of this.
In editing, ask yourself, “Is this needed for my story?” If you like, save your deleted “darlings” in a folder to look at later, that great line may be terrific in another story. Ask yourself if this is needed for the story, can you let the audience come to the conclusion, and is this consistent with the story. Let the reader draw conclusions for the really important points. An editor’s job is to suggest how to make a story better. Just because the spelling and grammar check on your computer is not showing you have errors does not mean there aren’t any, so read back over your work.
Keep your deadlines. Self imposed deadlines can be good practice for when your career takes off. Keeping your deadlines proves to the editor you are a reliable asset.
Critique groups can be wonderful once you’ve already found your own voice, and have revised your entire story at least once.
Writing groups can be an excellent way to structure your writing time.
Brainstorming groups can be terrific when you already have a voice and a general idea of where you want your story to go.
Find ways to inspire yourself to write.
Promote yourself via social networks, printed materials, giveaways, blogs, websites, interviews, press releases, and any other relevant, feasible way you can think up.
I hope this information helps. There are a few pictures posted on my Facebook site for everyone to enjoy.
Happy Writing,
Carolyn Haven
The number one and most emphasized point I received is to simply “write your story”. Put your story to paper/screen, and write it in your voice. Tell your story.
Secondly, accept criticism graciously, and as with all advice listen to the good and listen to the bad with only half an ear. You love to write, or you wouldn’t be doing this so keep writing.
Thirdly, if you feel your writing structure could use some help, take classes. Community colleges are wonderful places to learn how to become a better writer. This is not admitting failure, this is self improvement.
Regardless of where or when your story takes place, the facts should make sense. If they don’t, your story will not be believable to the reader.
Flawed characters are more relatable, more believable, and more likable. Ask yourself who is most important to the story, and work on making them perfect for your story rather than simply perfect. Ask how this person is important to the story and build on that. Characters do not have to be complex; they just need to make sense. Their actions, reactions, personalities, and appearance need to add up. Not everyone has to be tall, muscular, and incredibly sexy. For example: Someone who sits at a computer screen all day and doesn’t work out is not going to be this big, buff guy without some creative assistance.
Urban Fantasy needs connection to the real world since you are asking the reader to believe all the fantasy. Give the reader anchor points to reality. Choosing places the reader can Google are great examples of this.
In editing, ask yourself, “Is this needed for my story?” If you like, save your deleted “darlings” in a folder to look at later, that great line may be terrific in another story. Ask yourself if this is needed for the story, can you let the audience come to the conclusion, and is this consistent with the story. Let the reader draw conclusions for the really important points. An editor’s job is to suggest how to make a story better. Just because the spelling and grammar check on your computer is not showing you have errors does not mean there aren’t any, so read back over your work.
Keep your deadlines. Self imposed deadlines can be good practice for when your career takes off. Keeping your deadlines proves to the editor you are a reliable asset.
Critique groups can be wonderful once you’ve already found your own voice, and have revised your entire story at least once.
Writing groups can be an excellent way to structure your writing time.
Brainstorming groups can be terrific when you already have a voice and a general idea of where you want your story to go.
Find ways to inspire yourself to write.
Promote yourself via social networks, printed materials, giveaways, blogs, websites, interviews, press releases, and any other relevant, feasible way you can think up.
I hope this information helps. There are a few pictures posted on my Facebook site for everyone to enjoy.
Happy Writing,
Carolyn Haven
Monday, August 9, 2010
First Chapter
I found a wonderful group online, and have posted the first chapter rough draft of my novel to their site for everyone's enjoyment. This site is particularly useful for those of us who are aspiring authors and Indie authors. Also check out their sister site of Authors On Show accessible through Night Reading. See links for other useful sites.
http://nightreading.ning.com/
Happy Reading,
Carolyn Haven
http://nightreading.ning.com/
Happy Reading,
Carolyn Haven
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Carolyn Haven and Research
For those of you whom don’t know me yet, you soon will. My pen name is Carolyn Haven, and I am working on becoming a novelist. Over fifteen years ago is when my first written works were published; although my mother still has the first complete poem I wrote at age five framed and hanging on the wall. It actually rhymed. More recent published works I'm associated with include a few poems, short stories, and lyrics where I worked in collaboration with musicians to create songs as a vocal arranger. When I began this journey to become a published novelist, I had no idea how much research was required.
Research can be daunting. It's a good thing I'm a nurse and as such am well versed in the area of "look it up” otherwise I may not have completed my first novel. The research is worth it though, so much is out there now just for the reading, watching, and listening. The internet has been an inexhaustible resource of which I am very thankful. On the links page, you will find a list of several of the sites I utilize. This list will continuously be updated, and I hope you find these tools useful on your journey to becoming a published author.
Happy Writing,
Carolyn Haven
Research can be daunting. It's a good thing I'm a nurse and as such am well versed in the area of "look it up” otherwise I may not have completed my first novel. The research is worth it though, so much is out there now just for the reading, watching, and listening. The internet has been an inexhaustible resource of which I am very thankful. On the links page, you will find a list of several of the sites I utilize. This list will continuously be updated, and I hope you find these tools useful on your journey to becoming a published author.
Happy Writing,
Carolyn Haven
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)