September 2010, Volume 17

Rediscover the pleasure of sitting still with a good book.

If you’re like most people, you do a fair amount of reading every day—browsing information on your computer. Flipping through magazines at the doctor’s office. Scanning a section or two of the newspaper. But when was the last time you curled up alone with a really good book? There is a delicious sort of deep-seated pleasure in peeling back the cover of a new novel, in turning each page to see what happens next, in being able to vanish briefly into somebody else’s world.

If it’s been a while since you’ve had time to pick up a book, here are some pushes.

1-Carve out one hour every day, just for reading a book. Find a comfortable spot; brew yourself a cup of tea or coffee. And prepare to enjoy the most relaxing hour of your day. Difficult for you to find a free hour? Use your lunch hour at work. In nice weather, stick a folding chair in your car trunk and sit outside under a tree. In the winter months, lock yourself in an empty boardroom. At home, turn off the TV for an hour and encourage the whole family to read together.

2-Pay a visit to your local library. Not only is it the last place in today’s world where you can actually get something of value for free, I’ve always found library staff to be helpful and more than happy to recommend titles on any topic you’re interested in.

3-Next time you’re on the Web, check out Barnes and Noble or Indigo. If you’re not sure what type of book you’d most enjoy, there are tons of categories to look through, along with brief summaries and reviews of every book. Once you discover a book you think you’d like, you can either or order it online, look for it at your local bookstore, or borrow it from the library.

4-Join a book group. There is no better motivation than a group setting to get you going with just about anything, and reading is no exception. Book group members will assign a popular book for everyone to read, then meet to discuss it. It’s a fun way of discovering new authors that you might otherwise have not selected on your own, and it gets you into the habit of reading on a regular basis.

5-Go back in time by re-reading a book you loved as a child. I’d read To Kill a Mockingbird as a junior in high school English class and enjoyed it. But re-reading it again as an adult was far more moving. Try reading a book assigned to your own child—not only will you enjoy a good story, your actions will inspire your child, and you’ll be able to discuss the book together.

6-Always carry a book with you when you run errands. It’s the best way to kill time in long, store lineups or at the doctor’s office (and has been known to help lower blood pressure too!).

Do something good just for you—slip between the covers of a good book. Not only is reading a form of stress relief, a good story is far more entertaining than watching a movie or TV. Why just watch the action on a screen, when you can participate in it by casting the characters in your own mind and traveling with your thoughts to another place.

My top ten favorite books of all time:
1-To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (just plain awesome)
2-The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (made me cry)
3-The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom (made me hope)
4-The Stand by Stephen King (didn’t get any chores done until after the last page)
5-The Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Salinger (made me laugh out loud)
6-The Pull of The Moon by Elizabeth Berg (made me laugh and cry at the same time)
7-The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (put sparkles in my eyes)
8-Kane and Abel, Jeffrey Archer (surprised this book wasn’t made into a movie)
9-A Time To Kill, John Grisham (absolutely heart-wrenching)
10-Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White (made my heart cry, and sing too)

Don’t miss my interview this month with Andrew Pyper in the Focus On section!

August 2010, Volume 16

How creative are you?

I was reading an article the other day about creativity and the personality traits of creative people, and it brought on one of those ‘Aha!’ moments–it described me to a tee, and all the other writers I know. I think it would be rare to find a writer who isn’t a creative type–think of all the entertaining stories in this world we’ve read or the articles that have inspired us or taught us something we hadn’t already realized.

Are you a creative type? Read on and see if you identify with these traits:

1. Creative people are intuitive. We have powerful instincts and are attentive to them, even when logic tries to tell us we’re wrong. Our intuitive nature is necessary to the type of work we do, because it helps us seek and acknowledge our own truths rather than accepting what we’re told to believe. We are compelled to share the truths we discover by writing about them.

2. Creative people have a driving purpose–a destiny that must be followed. We eat, sleep and breathe our passions. Without them, we would lead unfulfilled lives. We have a vision and, by George, we cannot rest easy until the entire world is made aware of it. But then… we have another vision. And another. Our only release is death. Maybe?

3. Creative people are unconventional and won’t hesitate to open our minds to the most irrational of thoughts. We have a hard time conforming to ‘you should’ and ‘you’re supposed to.’ It’s not that we’re trying to be difficult; it’s that we’re bombarded with ideas that make us question why things have to be the way they are. We have this need to follow diverging paths–’just to see what happens.’ When we hear a different beat, we’ve gotta dance to it.

4. Creative people see the big picture from many different angles. We visualize what isn’t yet there and we see infinite possibilities. We ‘imagine’ a lot. And explore. And play with. We’re known to frequently stumble upon unique uses for ordinary things because we’re never content with ‘the first draft’ of anything. Our imagination is as borderless as the universe. We love, love, love to dream.

5. Creative people have a great sense of humor. We like to seek out the fun in everything we do. We never did leave the ‘play’ part of our childhoods behind. Because we look at things from so many different angles, it’s easy for us to see all the humor in life. Many of us think our own jokes are uproariously funny, and have no idea why the rest of the room isn’t laughing too. (Haha!)

6. Creative people are not motivated by financial rewards. Sure, our ideal is for our passions to generate money–lots of money, preferably–but regardless, our mission is GO. We are rewarded emotionally and spiritually when we do what we love, and there‚’s no price tag on that.

7. Creative people are extremely sensitive to feelings and emotions. We feel very deeply; we allow our feelings to guide us and we have a need to translate those feelings into words or art or what have you. When we’re happy, we’re HAPPY! When we’re sad, we’re SAAAD. When fresh ideas nuke our brains, we erupt into fits of manic glee and then we’re off–immersed in yet another exciting new project.

8. Creative people are not threatened by anything ‚’different.’ Original concepts delight us. ‘Unique’ intrigues us. We are extra-motivated when we see any of our fellow creatives cracking through the barriers. ‘Different’ is the secret password that opens doors to all things possible.

9. Creative people are independent. We don’t like to be told what to do. We do our best work when we have freedom to express our ideas in all their crazy glory. Try hemming us in and we’ll fold faster than a bad hand of cards. You want proof of this? Just ask any creative students with teachers who try to force them NOT to color outside the lines!

10. Creative people love to learn. Learning something new–whether it’s a hobby or an informative topic in a magazine we’re reading–stimulates our idea fountain and gives us something different to chew on. We source fresh ideas while we learn–and we seek new learning opportunities the way vampires seek out blood banks.

Creative people bring something extra special to the table of life. A beautiful painting, a thought-provoking story, a delightful stage production, a captivating song, a mesmerizing choreography, a remarkable invention… creativity brings a feel-good glow to daily living. When doors to creativity open, we step into a beautiful otherworld that has no borders, a place where we can be free to discover all the possibilities.

July 2010, Volume 15

How ‘real’ are your fictional characters?
You feel content yet wistful as you finish the last page of a novel that you wish could have just gone on forever, because it was so good. You had trouble putting it down–your face was buried between the covers every free minute. You will be first in line at the author’s next book launch.

What makes certain books so irresistible? Think about the characters in your very favorite novels. I’m sure the main character(s) stayed with you well after you’d reached The End. I’ll bet they seemed so ‘real,’ you could almost feel them nearby–could almost reach out and touch them.

Your main characters are the essence of your story. They must be authentic enough for your readers to connect with them in some way–to identify with or understand the way they feel, the way they think, the predicaments they get themselves into and the actions they take. When your characters have depth, your readers will be hooked and they will stay hooked.

Before you even begin to write your story, your characters should already be going about their lives as ‘real people’ in your mind. You should be as close to them as you are your dear friend or your spouse. After all, if they aren’t three-dimensional in your own imagination, how do you think you’ll be able to convince your readers of their authenticity? Think Holden Caulfield in The Catcher In The Rye. How many of us, male and female, found it easy to sympathize with his youthful philosophies? No wonder so many of us identified with him–J.D. Salinger brought him to life on every page. And Elizabeth Berg’s books are a good example–the natural way her characters express their thoughts–one can’t help but relate to them on some level. Is there a middle-aged woman anywhere in this universe who can’t empathize with Berg’s character, Nan, in The Pull Of The Moon?

I’ve had a character living in my head for about two years now–a twelve-year-old girl named Anne-Marie. I know everything there is to know about her. She comes to me regularly in different scenarios and now, I know her well enough to know how she’ll react in just about any situation. She’s the main character of a novel I’ve only recently begun to write–I couldn’t bring myself to start writing about her until I felt I knew her as well as if she were my own child. Because she’s so real to me, she’s the one telling the story–I just hold the pen.

Characters don’t come to life in a reader’s mind just because you’ve described their hair color or the clothes they’re wearing or the fact that they walk like Martin Short’s Ed Grimley from Saturday Night Live. It’s all in the way they think, the emotions they feel and how they express themselves, the way they conduct their lives.

How to breathe life into your characters…

1. As I discussed in last month’s editorial, the ‘show don’t tell’ rule is the law. From their unique mannerisms to the way they react when somebody scares them, allow your characters to perform their roles to the best of their abilities, not yours.

2. While you develop your character, dialogue with her. Ask her what it is that she wants at this point in her life. Does she have a predicament that needs to be solved? A goal she needs to reach?

3. Get to know her personality. What does she fear? What makes her angry? Happy? What does she believe in? Does she like a certain type of music? Food? How does she conduct herself with the other characters in her life?

4. Get up close and personal with your character. Visit with her in your mind all the time. Envision her in different scenarios–how would she react to this… or that? Feel her emotions.

5. Is she destined to reach a fork in the road? How will she handle it?

6. While you write the story, give your character some breathing space. Allow her unique qualities present themselves. Let her surprise you. She may want to take you in a completely different direction once she reaches that fork in the road.

7. Different strokes for different writers… Some like to create long and detailed character outlines on paper before they start writing. Personally, I create my characters just by getting to know them in my mind over time. Once they feel like old friends, I start writing.

Who says little kids are the only ones allowed to have imaginary friends?

Donna Marrin©2010

P.S. Have a comment? Please do drop me an email any time — I love to hear from readers!

P.S.S. Check out my interview with bestselling author, Rick Mofina in the ‘Focus On’ section!

June 2010, Volume 14

Keep your lips zipped and let your characters do the talking
When I settle down to read your fictional story, I want to be transported to another place. I want your characters to come to life—acting out their parts in a sort of motion picture that plays in my mind as I read. I want your characters to take me on an intimate journey into their lives… to lure me right into the pages so I become an active bystander as the story evolves.

How to achieve this? By giving your characters carte blanche to tell the story through their actions and their own unique voices. You are the ‘director.’ They are the ‘actors.’ It’s their job to paint me a picture so vivid, I will be able to see, smell, taste, hear and feel their story as it unfolds.

I don’t care how ingenious the plot is, I guarantee I’ll lose interest if you stifle your characters’ voices by doing all the talking yourself. For example: “Jonathan went to the kitchen to cook breakfast for his girlfriend, Kristin. It was the first time she’d ever stayed the entire night and he looked forward to impressing her with his superb cooking skills. He couldn’t wait to show her what he was capable of doing with a few eggs and some bacon.” This is great if I need a dose of Ambien in paper form. Instead, keep me awake and hooked by giving your characters the freedom to sweep me off my feet and into the pages of their lives.

I want to feel as if I’m right there, peeping in the kitchen window when… Jonathan strolls barefoot into the kitchen, yawning and grinning as he plucks a package of bacon and carton of eggs from the fridge. I want to lick my lips in response to the clear image I see as… He peels off several strips of bacon, wincing at the sizzling crescendo as each piece drops into a scalding, cast-iron pan… I want my stomach to gurgle because I can smell it… while the smoky aroma hangs in the air above the hiss and sputter of hot fat. I don’t want you to tell me that Jonathan is feeling lighthearted while he cooks at the stove. I want to intuit his mood simply because of his earlier actions (smiling while he yawns) along with a new clue… He begins to hum ‘Unforgettable’ as he turns the bacon over with a spatula and pops bread slices into the toaster.

Kristin pads languidly into the kitchen, blond bed-head and barelegged, the top of her short, raspberry silk robe gaping open on one side to reveal the pale swell of her breast. She glides up to Jonathan and molds her body against his back, nuzzling her face into his neck, her curls tickling his shoulder… No narration needed here. Kristin’s actions make it loud and clear that she is Jonathan’s lover.

Later, as they begin a dialogue, what they say to each other and how they say it, together with ongoing, action-based description, will lure me deeper into their world. The more invested I am in getting to know these characters and their agendas, the more I will want to continue reading.

The advice, “Show, don’t tell,” is the hammer and nails in every writer’s toolbox. Construct your story without it and the whole thing falls apart.

Donna Marrin©2010

May 2010, Volume 13

Wow… is it May already? Before we start dancing around the Maypole, I’d like to give your ribbons a yank: How are those New Year’s resolutions coming along? Remember? The ones you committed to with such vehemence back on January 1st?

Whether your goal was to write the first half of your blockbuster novel or work several pounds off your caboose, did you stick to your plan? Or did you get waylaid, like 99.9 percent of the rest of the civilized world? (Or uncivilized, depending on the degree that you’re bothered by this century’s etiquette backslide.)

Right here, right now—give yourself permission to lose the guilt and accept the fact that you’re an imperfect, flesh and blood being, just like the rest of the human race. When you permit your evil twin (who, at this moment, is hunkered down deep in your subconscious, salivating and rubbing his/her blood-tipped claws together at the prospect of giving you yet another mental flogging) to go off on a rampage of negative self-talk (Why even bother? I never finish anything! So, what else is new?), you chip away at the faith in yourself that you should be doing everything in your power to bolster.

Instead, bare your teeth at your evil twin and tell him/her to go take a running leap into a molten pool. (But—please—do this inside your head and not out loud, especially if you’re milling about in public!)

Each failure is simply another test of your will. It’s up to you whether or not you choose to see it for what it really is: a beacon that you can use to help guide you onto a different path, a better path.

Who says the first of January is the only day for making resolutions? Why not the first of May?
Today is as good a day as any to reaffirm the goals you want to work toward this year.

Just take that first step forward with your right foot. Follow with your left.
Before you know it, you’ll be on your way.

P.S. Please take a moment and drop me a line to let me know if you’re enjoying the site. I love hearing from readers!

Donna Marrin©2010

April 2010, Volume 12

Do you wish you had more time to slow down and smell the roses?

There is a way… Have surgery!

Not only will you have time to smell the roses, you’ll also have time to smell all the other fragrant flower varieties that people will send to you. Bonus!

I learned recently that surgery = recuperation = a nice chunk of time off work (in my case, seven weeks) = a guilt-free reason to lounge around on the couch all day with a stack of books and the TV remote, while your spouse does all the housework and the office fades to a distant memory. Sheer bliss!

Ok. I concede. Surgery can be painful. Very painful. But that’s where heavy-duty painkillers come in handy. You feel all floaty and relaxed—like you’re having a spa day, except you’re wrapped in bandages instead of seaweed. (Pain? What pain?)

The surgeon removed a cyst that had grown right through the bone in my left wrist. Then he did a bone graft from right hip to wrist to patch the hole. I spent a month wearing a cast from fingertips to elbow, along with a humongous dressing covering the incision in my hip. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t walk very far (hip + chunk of bone missing = pain = “spa day”). There really wasn’t much I could do. Other than relax.

I discovered there were many things I really missed being able to do. Like typing with two hands. Do you have any idea how long it takes to respond to an email with one finger? Needless to say, my laptop functioned well as a lap desk. I couldn’t crochet or work on any of the other needlework crafts I enjoy. I found myself limping into my sewing room every day just to stare longingly at shelves filled with colorful balls of wool that might as well have been dental floss… And speaking of flossing—definitely not something you can do with one hand.

One of the few things you can do with one hand is hold a book. For a bookworm like me, this was better than ‘spa day.’ I was blessed with seven weeks of nothing to do but read. I had died and gone to story heaven.

As is the case with any new experience, I learned a lot.

1. When you don’t have to deal with the general population from behind a steering wheel, you smile all the time for no good reason.

2. There will never be enough hours in a day to read all the books you are dying to read, no matter how much time you have on your hands.

3. Every time you feel impatient with your spouse, it’s probably directly related to not having all the time in the world.

4. When you can’t drive anywhere and you can’t walk very far, it makes shopping pretty much out of the question. It’s a great way to save tons of money.

5. When you’re housebound, you feel sadistic pleasure at the sight of a snowstorm brewing before the rush hour.

6. It’s great fun calling out, “We’re out of milk! No eggs either!” when you don’t have to do anything about it.

7. Even if you have no place to go and no people to see, there’s something satisfying about the routine of changing from pyjamas into regular clothes every morning. Going through the motions makes you feel a little less like the useless lump of matter that you are.

8. Reality shows have multiplied faster than zebra mussels, infesting entertainment programming with corrosive mindlessness and destroying any notion that there’s even one creative mind currently employed with any of the major television networks.

9. The postman is a lot like Santa—What did he bring me today? Ooh… a new magazine! Another get-well card! A disability cheque! …A tax bill? Guess I’ve been bad.

10. Sloth is not one of the seven deadly sins. It’s the eleventh commandment.

11. Good health is more precious than pretty much anything. So why do most of us only ever seem to realize this once it’s gone?

12. Downtime is the greatest gift. North American society definitely has it all wrong, putting more value in working hard than in smelling roses.

I’m back to work now and almost back to having two healthy wrists, but holding onto my tranquil temperament that metamorphosed over the weeks is like trying to collect sand in a sieve. Those liberating feelings borne of having time to walk the slow and peaceful path are quickly fading, as each day, a few more grains are washed away in the waves of a too busy life.

Donna Marrin©2010

February/March 2010, Volume 10/11

Don’t take it personally. It’s my job.
As a writer, I show my vulnerability every time I share a piece of my mind with my audience. I know that my work—my baby—will be judged…and not always positively. Lurking amidst the compliments will always be at least one dark comment—if I’m lucky enough to receive only one! Though morphing smoothly from writer to editor is something I’ve learned to do, there are times when my experience as a writer makes my job as an editor a sticky proposition. After all, performing surgery on another writer’s baby is delicate business.

The writer in me understands how it feels to have work edited—like a grizzly has mauled my child! But it’s important to remember that the editor has a duty to trim and rearrange until a good measure of brevity and clarity is achieved. Editors shoulder all the responsibility for fine-tuning the mechanics of a story and making sure it fits within set guidelines, while retaining the author’s unique essence. Never take an editor’s work personally—it’s strictly business.

The editor’s pen paints the finishing touches to your story. We want your readers to give you rave reviews. We don’t get the credit, nor do we expect to. Our only goal is to polish your story until it shines. We convert your passive voice to active, insert concrete nouns and verbs, eliminate “to be” verbs. We rework awkward sentence structure, correct poor spelling, grammar and punctuation, rearrange chapters, pages or paragraphs to create a more logical flow. We delete repetitive and irrelevant material. We check your facts and we ask questions if something seems out of sync.

Editors do not have time to tiptoe through the tulips. Some will offer constructive advice, but if you aren’t ready to hear about your manuscript’s problems, then you’re not ready to handle the trials and tribulations of the publication process. An editor’s comments can be difficult for a writer to accept, even when they make perfect sense. But the editing process is just one more fact of a writer’s life.

We editors do our best to correct mistakes and fix poor grammar and sentence structure, while trying to preserve the writer’s “voice.” Editors suggest plot repairs: hacking up your story, moving the action around, eliminating characters—annoying and offending you. But if that’s what it takes to unearth the diamond, then go with it.

When I edit a story, I begin by proofreading it. I look for typographical and punctuation errors and formatting irregularities. Depending on the job, I also check design, colour and font discrepancies. In a nutshell, it’s my job to indicate and/or correct errors and inconsistencies overlooked by the writer and, in some instances, the graphic artist.

My next step is to copy edit the material, examining the grammar, word usage, capitalization, word breaks, syntax and tone. This process directly complements the proofreading stage. I read the text through the eyes of the target audience and question any contradictions, particularly in fact-based non-fiction. I cross-check references and other information to make sure the claims are legit and the text is crystal clear.

In some cases, ‘substantive editing’ is a must. This is a delicate task, since it involves performing “invasive surgery” to capture clarity, logic and consistency. Any confusing or awkward writing must be reworked. Long, rambling sentences must be whittled. Substantive editing improves a manuscript by identifying problems with clarity and accuracy and fixing them: rearranging paragraphs, sections or chapters into a more logical sequence, writing or rewriting text segments for smoother flow and readability, revising any aspect that will enhance its presentation to the reader. It’s a down and dirty job, but it’s crucial to the success of the final product.

Fact: Editors want nothing more than to help writers present the ‘baby’ in its Sunday best. It might be tempting for you to “shoot the messenger,” but it’s far more beneficial to thank her instead.

Donna Marrin©2010

January 2010, Volume 9

It’s 2010. Already.

It seems like only yesterday, humankind scurried to prepare for the ominous approach of December 31, 1999… panic loomed as computers worldwide were expected to self-destruct at the stroke of midnight—the launch of a new millennium—sending civilization spiraling backward to such cobwebbed practices as having to write longhand with a pen (which sure beats having to chisel out your novel in stone, like our poor, cave-bro writing kin had to).

Well, whattayaknow? 2000 came. And then it went. Our beloved computers had the last laugh as we wiped the sweat from our brows. Now here we are at the dawn of a new decade, still happily tapping away at our keyboards on machines loaded with TB instead of GB. (MB? What’s that?)

Where has the time gone? And what have I accomplished?

Umm…

Rather than sitting here, beating myself over the head because I let another decade slip by without launching my New York Times best-selling series of novels, I’ll do something a little more constructive. I’m not going to yada, yada, yada about New Year’s resolutions either. We all know by now exactly what we have to do to achieve our goals.

Instead, I’d like to take this moment to agitate the creative fire that boils deep down inside the right portion of our brains like molten lava, just waiting for permission to explode from our minds onto a publisher’s desk.

Your imagination is the lava—“what if” is the earthquake. Just think about an everyday event in your life and shake it up with a “what if…”

…It was the week before Christmas. My decorations were up, my shopping was done and I’d just settled down on the couch with a carton of eggnog and the TV remote all to myself for the first time in a long time. Spouse was away on business; kids were at the mall (it had taken all of twenty bucks to get rid of them). What if… suddenly, a puff of soot ah-chooed from my fireplace and a big old fat man in red velour kerplunked onto my clean hardwood floor!

…My cat climbed onto my lap and as I stroked his fur, he turned his head and… What if… he spoke to me in plain English language?

…I’m parking my car. I’ve never been that great at backing into a space. Maybe that’s why I’ve just heard a really disconcerting crunching noise. Uh oh. A cute little foreign sports car is now a fixture on my back bumper. I stumble out of my car and the other driver’s door swings open at the same time. What if… OMG! It’s George Clooney!

Get my drift?

Good. Now get writing!

Donna Marrin©2010