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Chocolate Suspect

Today I walked into a candy story to buy a gift and faced a group of employees huddled around their counter.

“Welcome!” said one clerk, rushing over to me with a candy tray.  “Care for a sample?”  She burbled with excess energy.   In contrast, the others seemed grim, frozen in place.

“Thank you,” I said. 

She shoved the tray in front of me.  “Your choice – – choose two!” 

This woman overdosed on cheer and friendliness this morning.  It didn’t feel real.  Why was she working so hard?  Getting an employee evaluation?

As I made my selections and chose my gifts, she prattled on, asking me questions about my life and candy preferences. 

Was this a new corporate policy here?   Best friends buy more?

Making my way to the mix-and match-chocolates, the clerks at the end of the counter asked one young man employee, “Do you want to help her?”

He said, “Will you guard the money?”

I chose my husband’s favorite white chocolate crunch for him and sidled down to the register where the young man rang up my purchases.  The other clerks had all disappeared save one, who stood next to me, her hand firmly on the doorknob leading to the back room.  Her face, planted one inch from mine, was ominous as she glared, fiercely defending her turf.  I wanted to reassure her I really was only there to buy candy, but I held my tongue. 

As I left through the door, I heard a decisive click as she turned her keys in the lock after me. 

 Ah ha.  I had accidentally walked in an unlocked door early, before the store was open and they had their cash out.  They weren’t ready for customers, but were stunned I had gotten inside.   No wonder electricity sparked the air.

Writing Prompts

1.  Every person reacts differently.  Write a backstory and scene about the fun-loving nonstop talking clerk who reacted to stress with friendliness.  Next, write a scene and backstory about the suspicious clerk who acted with intimidation. 

2.  What if?   What if it wasn’t chocoholic me who walked into the store the morning they forgot to lock the door?  Write past the stereotype.  Can you create a scene that isn’t what you would typically expect?  Use humor?  A quirky character?

3.  Use one of these to motivate a story, poem, or personal narrative:  chocolate, doors, locks, being someplace at the wrong time, being someplace at the right time, the clerk at the candy store.

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This morning I learned a young acquaintance of ours ended his life this week.  Stunned, I stood in silence, images of the man and our dealings with him reeling through my thoughts like a movie.

Cheerful.  Giving.  Resourceful.   Three descriptions that come to mind when I think of him. 

As my neighbor  and I walked our morning trail, she said, “Don’t people realize the blues pass?”

“But depression isn’t just feeling down,” I said.  “It’s more all-encompassing.  I know because my uncle suffered it all of his life.”

Memories of his battle  floated to the present.  I knew he took pills which gave him side effects that weren’t pleasant.  So he got off the pills and would be all right for a while until he slid into the depths of misery again.

“And what about his mother?  Didn’t he think of her?  She had to find him,” said my neighbor of the young man’s suicide.

I nodded.  “But he wasn’t thinking about her, he was so inside his own pain and grief.” 

It’s another one of those what if stories.  What if you could have stopped him in time?  What if you hadn’t left? 

Modern medicine has come so far . . .  and yet it hasn’t. 

Writing Prompts:

1.  Writing can be cathartic.  Is there a memory you have been suppressing?  Writing about an emotional pain may bring relief.  Try it and see if it can help you.

2.  Write a poem, song, essay or story in honor of someone you know who has faced a battle – – either emotional or physical.  What do you admire about this person?  Why?

3.  Create a piece of art expressing a mood you are in right now.  You choose the form and style.

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Writing About Unlikable Characters

My husband and I returned to our car after shopping when we discovered, adjacent to our car’s passenger door, a disheveled guy in shorts standing next to his rear view window, checking himself out. 

My husband pointed his keys at our car, and we heard the clicks.  We stood at the end of our car and waited a few moments.  I cleared my throat. 

The man picked his nose as he watched his reflection.

(Really.  Not kidding.  Or in Dave Barry’s style, I’m not making this up.) 

We waited some more.

I took in his physical looks; his belly extended beyond his tee-shirt and his plaid shorts.   As he adjusted his mirror and gazed at himself, his greasy hair flopped over his eyes.   Meanwhile, on the other side of his vehicle, his wife loaded their toddler into a stroller. 

Clearly, he wasn’t going to move an inch to let me in the car. 

Bob said,  “I’ll back out the car for you.” 

As I got in the car, I said, “He doesn’t have a clue.”

“#@%!, ” said my husband. 

Writing Prompts:

1.  Go to a public place with a notebook.  Jot down physical descriptions of people you see.  Be as specific as possible.  Start with general notes and then glance at small details – – the mole on a face, the brown spots on one’s hands.  How does the person walk?  Stand?  Sit?  Does the person have a way of talking that is unique?   Show emotion?

2.  Use some of those notes to create an unlikable fictional character.  Why is this person the way she or he is?  What kind of annoying habits or morals does she/he possess?  Write a backstory for the character which may show motivation for the character quirks.

3.  Write other characters who must deal with the unlikable character.  What will be the problem/conflict/plot of your story?  Is  your unlikable character the main character or a minor character?

4.  Write a personal experience piece about a person you have dealt with who would fit the description of an unlikable character.

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Feel helpless in your writing?

A bird flew into our window the other morning.   He sat up after a few minutes and stared into space.  We set a plastic cap of water in front of him with some birdseed in case he needed refreshment.

Fortunately, after an hour of recovery he flew away.   

Writing prompt:

1.  When was the last time you suffered a shock; something that put you in a daze for awhile?  Write about this experience and how you reacted.  Did it change your behavior afterwards?

2.  Have you ever worried about someone or something that was totally out of your control?  Write about this situation. 

3.  Create a conflict for your protagonist making him feel helpless.  How does she/he react?  Thoughts?  Feelings?  When can he act to create a difference?

4.  Choose one of the bold printed words in this blog and write a story, poem, or personal experience based on it.

5.  Do you ever feel lost or helpless during your writing process?  Stuck when it comes to marketing your work?  Journal about your thoughts and feelings.  But recover as much as you can with positive thinking with support from your writing friends.  Thoughts create actions which promote good writing.  Remember, even the best, most successful writers have been lost in their process and have received many rejections.  Read Working Days; The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck .  It’s a fabulous look at how a remarkable writer wrote and viewed his process.   A couple of great quotes about writing:  

“A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult that it is for other people.”  Thomas Mann

“There is nothing to writing.  All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.”   Red Smith

“Easy reading is hard writing.”  Anonymous

And remember,  Madeleine L’Engle’s  A WRINKLE IN TIME was turned down 29 times.

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Best Advice from Authors and Editors

I attended a Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators one-day conference in Rocklin, California this weekend.  Fabulous speakers gave terrific writing techniques and marketing tips which not only apply to those interested in writing for children, but writing for anyone.

Here are some gems:

Lin Oliver, who founded SCBWI with Steven Mooser in 1971, quoted well-known authors who have spoken at the L.A. conference since its inception.  

She quoted Bruce Coville:  “Follow your weirdness.” 

Lin also recommends for every book you write  you should read 500 of those types of books to get a feel for that genre.  Which books inspire you most? 

Andrea Tompa, editor at Candlewick Press discussed the process of revision in which she gave detailed questions we should ask ourselves as we go through our projects.    As she quoted Roald Dahl, “Good writing is essentially rewriting.”

Andrea advised us to think about both the internal and external stakes for our characters.  What are they?  How are they resolved?   Many times writers forget about internal growth which needs to happen to their main character. 

Agent Minju Chang from Bookstop Literary Agency spoke about emotions in books.  Make sure you build a bond with your main character and reader.   She quoted Maya Angelou:  ” . . . People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Sterling Editor Brett Duquette talked about voice, the most elusive technique in writing craft of all, in my opinion.  He defined it as the language used in harmony with the characters, narrative, style . . .

For a good example of picture book voice he suggested The Caveman A B.C. Story by Janee Trasler, where the voice begins within the title of the story.  For older books he recommended the play Peter Pan by M.M Barrie and The Fault in our Stars by John Green, among others.

One of several exercises he gave us was this:  Place your character in mortal danger.  Write a complete scene.  (Not necessarily to be used in your book – just to learn about your character)  You will learn a lot about your character through this writing prompt.

And although the agents and editors said they were tired of paranormal books and would love to see contemporary fiction, they advised write what you must and disregard the trends.  Just keep it fresh and unique!

Now . . . back to writing!

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Writing Prompt About Nature/Animals

Let your visual and auditory senses inspire writing.

Watch what happens when a young man saves the life of a hummingbird.  Describe their relationship in a poem or short story.

http://www.wimp.com/babyhummingbird

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Writing About Your Life . . . Will it Harm Others?

Are you interested in writing episodes of your life?  Working on a memoir?  Personal narratives? 

You must be willing to be honest.  What do you owe the other people in your life who will make appearances in your scenes? 

At the moment, I’m writing about how my life intersects with others.  As I read my aunt’s diary for research, one line changes everything. 

Do I include this in my story?  If I do, it alters perceptions. 

I pause.  It is true the people in my narrative have passed on.  But I do not want to cause hurt to anyone on this side or the other.

Yes, it is important to the storyline. 

But. 

We must choose our words carefully in our daily life and in our writing. 

Crash!  A dove has just flown into my office window.   The universe has sent me a message. 

Writing prompt:

Choose a moment from your life that has emotional meaning for you.  It can be funny or sad, small or large.  Write the scene using sensory description, dialogue, setting and your feelings.  Set it aside for a few days and then come back to it.  Can you recall any other details you may have left out that are important to the story?  Do you have a journal  you can check which may refresh your memory?  Anyone that was there who might provide insights to the moment in time?

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How cold was it?

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” my husband sighs.  “You walked up hill both ways to school in snow drifts higher than you were.” 

Most of his growing up years were in sunny Los Angeles and Arizona so he has nothing to complain about. 

Did I mention when I walked in those snowdrifts, north-western howling winds attacked me, and I had an allergy which made my skin itch in the cold?

Do you hear the violins playing in the background yet?  It’s no wonder my husband rolls his eyes any time we get talk about the weather of our childhoods.  We both love heat, so he can’t pull the “how-hot-was-it” one on me, as the hotter the better for both of us.

Neither of us can understand how our son loves the cold and settled in a shivery area.  Not our genes, surely.  Perhaps it skipped a few generations.

But weather is a part of our lives so ingrained we don’t even realize it.  Sometimes we forget to include it in our writing.  Have you weaved it inside yours? 

Look out the window.   What is the weather like right now? 

Go outside.    Use all of your senses.   How do the elements feel?    Describe them to yourself.

Has the weather play an important part in your life?  Cause you pain, humor, or an unexpected event? 

1.  Use all of your senses to write about a specific type of weather in a poem or paragraph.

2.  Write about a weather memory.   Make sure your reader feels an emotion. 

3.  Watch the You-Tube video of cold-weather to inspire your writing! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=xkk7DX0l95A&Lid=12

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How the Movie Descendents Can Make YOU a Better Writer

 I saw the George Clooney movie Descendents over the Thanksgiving weekend.  It left me in awe of the script writers and actors. If you are interested in any type of writing, this is a MUST SEE movie. Many movies dealing with deep emotions often gloss over them, don’t delve deeply enough into real relationships, or they go for the schmaltz – – the melodrama, without taking time to really connect with the audience.

The IMDB site’s summary of Descendents states: “A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident.”

As for the acting, George Clooney is able to show shock, grief, and horror within moments all within his facial expressions and body movements. His daughters, who show their grief and relationship issues in rebellious ways, are also supreme actresses. Shailene Woodley plays his teenage daughter while Amara Miller is Scottie, the elementary-aged youngster.

As a writer I was impressed with the depths of the relationships. Timing is everything. We learn different elements of the plot and as it develops, and the relationships between each of the characters change. This is shown not only through their dialogue and actions, but through the looks they exchange between each other, their gestures, and their body movements. As the strength of their family deepens, our connection to them as an audience becomes stronger.

How can we as authors connect our characters to our readers? Through showing and not telling:   writing with five senses and not generalities. Instead of writing “They loved each other” show this love through dialogue, a specific action that is unique to the characters and can this can be repeated again later. We need to really know who our characters are. We may have to write more about them than we will ever include in the manuscript for publication.

Writing Prompts:

1. Take a notebook and a pen with you when you watch Descendents. Jot down specific notes on what works with this script. Keep your eyes on the screen so you don’t miss a moment. Write messy! When the movie is over, go home or to a cafe and use one of the characters as a basis of a poem.

2. Write about a character as the basis of a scene in a story. Choose a scene they may have not included in the movie. Don’t use any of their dialogue but create your own.

3. Remember these exercises are not for publication, but for our own writing growth and experience. By using a good role model, we can grow a lot within our own writing.

Discover more about the movie here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033575/

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Hot Button Memories

While choosing fresh vegetables at a farmer’s market, I wandered upon an unusual jewelry display.  A woman had fashioned bracelets and rings out of old buttons that acted as a door to decades in the past. 

“Wow!  I can see this on a 1940s coat,” I said, examining a large green button. 

The woman at the booth pointed to a pink button on a bracelet that jangled at her wrist.  “I remember the exact housedress my mother wore,” she said. 

Just the other day when I rummaged around in my closet I came upon a box of buttons my mother had given us. When my son was little he loved playing with those buttons.  Now it was my turn to treasure them.  “If I gave you some buttons will you make me. . .”

“Sure!  People do it all the time,” she answered. 

I couldn’t wait to get home.  Digging out the button box, I felt like a kid, spreading the buttons on the table, sorting them into colors.  Sadly, I didn’t have any concrete memories of the outfits they had been attached to.

Until one flipped over.  There!  Black and white material, still on the button!   An image of my mother wearing the white and black dress she had made, her trim figure standing with her enviable posture next to me in church, with a little black veil on her head.  Or if we had forgotten our veils, we’d attach a piece of Kleenex with a bobby pin.

Of course, that day at the farmers market I walked out of there with a $15 bracelet, and a longing to come back with my very own buttons. 

Writing prompts:

  1. Find an object of your past that brings a flash of an old memory for you.  Write about that memory.  Can you recreate a scene? 
  2. Choose a button or a piece of clothing.  Let it take you back to a memory.  Write about it as if it were today.  Then change it slightly and make it fiction.  What could have happened?  You can star in this yourself, or create a completely new character. 
  3. Interview a member of your family about a special piece of clothing.  What was their favorite thing they EVER wore?  Why?
  4. Write about your favorite piece of clothing.  What makes it special?  Using details, describe what it looks like and how it makes you feel when you wear it.
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