Author Toolbox Blog Hop - Pandemic Fatigue

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Would you want to read a work of fiction about COVID-19? What about a different pandemic?

My answer is no, and from my very “scientific” research, I am not the only one who feels that way.

My very “scientific” research consisted of asking my friends and colleagues, both avid and casual readers, if they would be interested in reading a book about our current pandemic. I was sure one or two people would have loved the idea, but honestly, everyone said no. 

Why?

In the beginning of the lockdown, I noticed that a lot of people were watching movies like Contagion and Outbreak. My son reread The Maze Runner because it’s post pandemic and dystopian. But I think people are done with those types of things. It was fun in the beginning because we didn’t know just how much the dictator-in-chief would fuck up the national response. Most didn’t know that the clown we currently call “president” had thrown away the How to Survive a Pandemic guidebook that President Obama had successfully used left him. Most didn’t know that he fired the whole pandemic team at the CDC.

And because of that…

COVID-19 fatigue is real, very real. I work in a hospital as a pharmacy tech, and while I’m not a nurse or doctor treating C-19 + patients, I feel like I’m neck deep in the pandemic every day. While I care so deeply for every life touched by this horrible illness, I am also tired of it, and so are so many of my co-workers. Don’t get me wrong, we are not the crowd who are tired of it and refuse to wear masks or refuse to believe the science behind social distancing and basic hygiene. We are the people who get home from work and don’t want to talk about the positive cases anymore. Home has become the one place I can pretend the world is normal. And books are my escape because nothing is normal.

Pandemic fatigue is why everyone told me they wouldn’t read a work of fiction or even a memoir about COVID-19. I’m sure as time passes more people will be willing to read about these things again, especially if we writers find an interesting way to spin/twist it.

Let me know in the comments if you are wanting to write or read something pandemic related!!

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#AuthorToolboxBlogHop: Choose Your Words Wisely

Have you ever read a short story or a book that felt off? The story itself was good but something just didn’t feel right. There is a good chance poor word choice was throwing you off.

The way I see it, one of the most important things a writer can focus on is word choice. Especially when it comes to dialog. Dialog can make or break a story. As a writer I need to know when to have a character say “hello” versus having a character say “hey.” I need to know the connotation behind words, particularly if I am writing a period piece or a story taking place in a certain country (if the story takes place in the US but a character had just moved there from London, it would be a smart choice to have the character use British slang versus having them use American slang.) 

Along with good word choice, I find that my favorite writers aren’t afraid to use “colorful” language. They use cuss words and content appropriate slang which I feel make the story feel more real and the characters more relatable. It’s kind of sad that I feel the need to mention this, but Americans are extremely weird when it comes to language. The word “fuck” will have some of them up in arms and they will act like you’re an obscene idiot for using the word, but they have no problem watching something extremely violent as long the language isn’t too filthy. I’m looking at you, PG-13 movies.

So, when you’re writing your next story or editing your current story, please look at your choice of words. Does the word make sense in the context of the scene? Did you make productive choices? If a sentence doesn’t sound right, try changing a word or two and see if that helps.

I hope this helps you in your writing. Please let me know if you have any word choice tips or advice!

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#AuthorToolboxBlogHop: Writing in the Lazy Days of Summer

I don't know about you, but writing in the summer can sometimes feel like a daunting task. Summer is a time to be outside and to be a little lazier than usual, or so my tired mind tries to convince me. Not that summer can't be an amazing source of inspiration, summer adventures and beautiful sunsets can end up being the perfect set up for your story.

BUT... what do you do when you feel the lazy days calling for you?

1. Answer the call. Take a short break. Let your vacation be a real vacation (though make sure to pack a small notebook in case you get inspired.) I am a big proponent of writing every day, but if you feel like your writing is suffering, take a couple days off. Honestly, you might come back recharged and ready to knock out that plot you've been working on forever.

2. Take your work outside. I love my laptop because of its portability. But I also travel with a small notebook and sometime writing by hand is the best. A change of scenery might be the thing you needed all along.

3. Listen to music. Sometimes the perfect song comes along and sets the tone for a scene. Bands/Artists that have been my inspiration lately are: The Strumbellas, The 1975, The Moth and The Flame, Billie Eilish, Amy Shark, Young the Giant, and The Matthew Good Band. Make a soundtrack for your story. It's fun and can keep you on track.

4. Schedule a time each day for writing and stick to it. Lock yourself in your office or living room or bedroom or wherever you write and just do it. Just write. Make it a habit and stick to it.

Summer is a hard to time stay motivated. There is so much to do and so many adventures to be had before you get trapped indoors by winter. So definitely enjoy it and soak it all in, it just may be what inspires your next story.

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#AuthorToolboxBlogHop: Recommended Reading

Happy #AuthorToolboxBlogHop everyone!! This month I am going to share the titles of a few books that have helped shape my writing. Some of these books are technical and about the craft of writing, others are works of literature/fiction.

1.  Elements of Style by Strunk and White. This book is super technical and is a mainstay for a lot of English professors. It is a great resource, but I must admit that sometime I break the rules that Strunk and White have laid out.

2. On Writing by Stephen King. I love this book. It's set of rules that King wants you to break. The best piece of advice: said is the best dialog tag.

3. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. This book taught me how not to write. It's repetitive and non-sensical. I totally get the allure of it, but it's poorly written.

4. Game of Thrones by G.R.R.M. This book and the rest of the series has taught me the art of world building. I could visualize everything, even the things I didn't want to. It's an amazing feat in character development. 

5. On Writing Well by William Zinsser. This is a great book for those writing nonfiction. It's very straight forward and informative. 

6. The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. This book is just a good read that I think everyone should read. :-)

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#AuthorToolboxBlogHop: Outside Your Comfort Zone

While I am a firm believer that you should write what you love, what you know a lot about, and what you're comfortable with, I do think you should get outside you comfort zone every once in a while.

Lately I've been in a writing rut so I decided to try writing in a way I normally don't, I've started writing poetry. I normally write YA/Fantasy but writing poetry has opened up a new type of creative beast in me. It has made me think about sentence structure and the rhythm of my prose in a whole new light.

So, if you are ever in a rut or stuck, try taking your WIP and switch its genre. Writing a mystery thriller? Try turning it into sci-fi. Writing YA romance? Try lyrical prose. If you aren't comfortable doing that with you WIP, try just starting fresh with a short story outside of your typical genre. 

Sorry this post is so short. My computer froze up and I lost my work, but I still wanted to get something posted!! See you all next month!!

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#AuthorToolboxBlogHop: Happy NaNoWriMo!

I can’t believe NaNoWriMo is almost here. This year has really flown by and I’m not sure  I am ready to write 50,000 words in 30 days (luckily I do have a few story ideas running through my head.)

For this month’s Author Toolbox Blog Hop, I am going to be sharing some tips for surviving National Novel Writing Month.

Tip #1: Write in the environment that works for you. Do you need silence? Do you need music? No distractions? All of the distractions? Make your writing space what you need it to be.

Tip #2: Make a writing soundtrack. If you need silence then you write, you don’t have to listen to the sound track while writing, but it could provide inspiration when you hit a road block. Find songs that fit the mood of your story. Here is a sample of my current soundtrack (maybe you’ll find a song here that inspires you…):

1. I Did Something Bad by Taylor Swift
2. Perfect Places by Lorde
3. Adore by Amy Shark
4. Happier by Marshmellow ft. Bastille
5. Miracle by ChVrches

Tip #3: DO NOT EDIT AS YOU GO!! Not only is it impossible, it’s extremely unproductive. Let those mistakes add to your word count. Forget about them and know that you can fix them once November is over.

Tip #4: Enjoy yourself!!

See you guys again in the new year and keep an eye out for a list of my favorite books of 2018!

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Author Toolbox Blog Hop: Plot Armor

Plot armor isn't just a TV show trope, it occurs in fiction as well. 

What is plot armor? Plot armor is is when a main character's life and health are safeguarded by the fact that he/she is the one person who can't be removed from the story. Plot armor isn't just that the main character survives through so many unrealistic scenarios, its that they survive without injury or loss. 

So how do you avoid plot armor? Show the main character's damage and loss. If they're shot in the shoulder, don't have them using that arm frequently afterward (unless some magic is involved and they heal quickly.) If the main character has lost someone they cared about, don't bring them back (I dislike this, even in sci-fi novels... it lessens the loss.)  Basically, make your character's decisions matter. If the character makes careless or reckless decisions, make sure they suffer real consequences. 

The best way to avoid plot armor... follow George R. R. Martin's lead and allow main characters to die and to suffer extreme loss (if your story calls for it.)

Thanks for reading. I'm sorry this is so short. I have recently landed a new job and have become so busy!!

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#AuthorToolboxBlogHop: Knowing Your Limitations

For this month’s #AuthorToolboxBlogHop I’m going to talk about knowing your limitation as a writer.

I had a friend read a few chapters of my WIP and while she liked it, she was also kind of upset that my main character was a straight white girl. My cast of characters is pretty diverse. My main character lives with her aunt. Her aunt is married to a black woman who has a son from a previous marriage that the main character loves like a brother. None of those characters were just written that way, they evolved as I wrote them. She would like me to make the main character a bisexual woman of color. 

I do not agree with her.

Not because I don’t think a bisexual woman of color deserves to have her story told, but because I am not the person to tell her story.

I am not bisexual, gay or questioning. I’m not a woman of color. I know that I write best from personal experience and that I wouldn’t be able to do her story any justice. I know I could research and I could interview people but I know my limitations as a writer.

Now, I am not saying that a writer can’t write outside of their experience. That would be stupid and dangerous. I mean, To Kill a Mockingbird would have never been written if Harper Lee didn’t feel capable. 

What I am saying is that I don’t feel like I am the one to write that story, especially with the story I am working on.

Someday I might be able to write a story with a person of color who is questioning their sexuality at the center of it, but not now. I know I am not ready and I know I not the writer to write that story.

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#AuthorToolboxBlogHop: Visual Inspiration

Writer's block happens to almost every writer at some point. When that I happens to me I try to use music, writing prompts, and notes from my journal to help me get back into the groove. Sadly, those don't always work. That is when I turn to visual prompts. Sometimes even the most simple photo will lead me into a scene. I hope these photos can be of use to you at some point. (All photos were taken by me.)

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#AuthorToolboxBlogHop: NaNoWriMo

Unfortunately I will not be participating in this year's National Novel Writing Month. My November is so packed that I will be lucky if I get any writing done during the month. But I wanted to let you guys know that I am still here for you if you are participating.

Here are some links to previous blogs of mine about NaNoWriMo:

Inspiration
Advice From Authors for Authors
Writing Prompts

There are more if you want to check them out, they were posted in October of 2016.

I am a writer who needs a soundtrack for my book. So, I thought I would share my current novel's soundtrack to maybe help give some inspiration.

1. Perfect Places by Lorde
2. Sometime Around Midnight by The Airborne Toxic
3. Pork Soda by the Glass Animals
4. Everything Now by Arcade Fire
5. Autumn Leaves by Ed Sheeran
6. Believer by Imagine Dragons
7. This is Gospel by Panic! At the Disco
8. Don't Take the Money by Bleachers
9. So Close by Andrew McMahon
10. Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks
11. Rest in Pieces by Saliva
12. Falls on Me by Fuel
13. Shovels and Dirt by the Strumbellas

I hope my soundtrack and my previous posts help give you some inspiration for NaNoWriMo. Also, check back here during November for a book review or two!

Good luck and happy holidays my fellow Author Toolbox Blog Hoppers!

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Said is NOT Dead (#AuthorToolboxBlogHop)

"All that I ask is that you do as well as you can, and remember that, while to write adverbs is human, to write he said or she said is divine." - Stephen King

The purpose of a dialog tag (according to me) is to help a reader determine when someone is speaking and who is speaking. As a story goes along and the reader gets to know your characters, dialog tags become less important. Why? Because readers can be lazy and tend to skim over things that seem unimportant. 

So, for something that most readers tend to ignore, why have writers started avoiding "said" like the plague?

I am not 100% sure why, but I have a feeling it has to do with English teachers trying to enhance their students' vocabularies. If you do a simple Google search for "said is dead" 100s, if not 1000s, of worksheets pull up with "said" substitutes. Some of the substitutes make sense and others make for immature or clumsy writing.

Substitutes That Make Sense 

• Yelled
• Mumbled
• Stammered
• Pleaded
• Responded

Substitutes That Confuse Me

• Laughed
• Grinned
• Bawled
• Faltered
• Breathed

For me, the ones that make sense work because they indicated how the sentence is being said (though this could also be done with appropriate context clues in the dialog and scene.) The ones that confuse me just don't make sense. "Hello," he grinned makes ZERO sense. Why? Because grinning isn't speaking. "Hello," he said with a grin on his face/ while grinning, makes more sense. Whenever I read a story full of awkward ways to say said, I end up falling out of the story and wind up distracted.

I also find myself distracted when a writer uses too many adverbs after said/dialog tag. He yelled loudly (the fact that he is yelling should be enough to indicate that he was being loud.) She said sadly (again, context clues within the scene and dialog should alert the reader to how things are being said while also allowing the reader to use their imagination.)

So, when should you use something other than said? When it is organic, natural, and most importantly, when you're not using the other word just to avoid using said. 

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Names Have Power - #AuthorToolboxBlogHop

"Names have power." - Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief

You have to be careful when naming your characters. You have to consider the genre, the time period, and where the story takes place.

If you are writing a story about Mary, Queen of Scots (and your story isn't about time travel) who lived during the 1500s then I would stay away from names that have only recently became names. Even my name, Vanessa, would not be appropriate. Vanessa wasn't a thing until 1700s when Jonathan Swift invented it. 

You also have to think about where your story takes place. Some places, like the United States, gives you more leeway when picking names. But if your story takes place is small town in the Ukraine, you aren't likely to find a Nevaeh there, but maybe a Viktoria or a Sofia.

You should also be consistent with nicknames. If you have a character named Gregory who prefers to go by Greg, make sure he only goes by Gregory in formal encounters or only have one friend/family member who calls him by his full name. 

As a writer, I try to avoid using names that are too similar by both spelling and sound. Readers don't always fully read words. If you have characters names Laurie and Lauren, readers might confuse the two. Same goes with Tim and Tom. Also, have two characters with the same name, even if spelt differently can be awfully confusing. 

I would also be careful when naming based on ethnicity and looks alone. If you are going to name a character based on their heritage make sure you do some research. Do not be like E.L. James and be so lazy that you name the two characters go color in your book the same thing. In Fifty Shades of Grey, James named her characters of hispanic decent Jose Rodriguez, Jr. and Sr. It's lazy and rude. It would only work if there was a reason behind it, but as I recall, James never stated one.

When I name characters I tend to avoid names in the top 50 to 100. But if I love a name, I don't care if it's very popular though I rarely love popular names.  I also avoid names with heavy connotation. Beyonce will immediately make people think of the singer. Elvis, Madonna, Hitler, Kanye... those names can turn your characters into caricatures. 

So, where should you look for names for your characters? I keep a running list of names in my writing journals. I also look through phonebooks, baby books, yearbooks, and name generators. I write down my favorite names from my favorite television shows. 

What advice do you have for naming characters? Please share in the comments!!

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Building Block: The Five Bones (#AuthorToolboxBlogHop)

During my time at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, I had a professor who taught me something he called, "The Five Bones." Basically, it's a way to get to know your characters, particularly your main protagonist. 

What are "The Five Bones?" They are the things that make your character tick. "The Five Bones" are what makes your character who they are. When Professor Pritchett first told me about his building block theory, I thought it was crap. But I found myself using it in order to better understand my characters. Using "The Five Bones"has really added a depth to my story that wasn't there previously. 

And here are "The Five Bones"

1. Desire - This is what your character wants now and will want five years now. It is one of the things that drives them.
2. Fear - This is what terrifies your character and again, will terrify them five years from now. It also is one of the things that drives them.
3. Strength - This is what will help your character accomplish their desire.
4. Weakness - This is your character's suffering. It is the thing which will stand in the way of your character fulfilling their desire.
5. Action - This is what your character is doing about the other four bones. This is what defines your character. This is what makes your character lovable, relatable, and revered. 

This building block technique has helped me give purpose to aimless characters. It has helped me discover what exactly my character needed to be doing in order for my story to feel complete. I say, give it a try. Use it to outline, at least, your protagonist and antagonist. See if it helps you get out of writer's block.

Let me know if "The Five Bones" works for you in the comments! 

Have a great week everyone!!

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