Differences by Bonnie Le Hamilton

 I really should stop trying to take those online quizzes. They are far from accurate, mostly because they are multiple-choice and not fill-in-the-blank. Case in point, I tried to take one that promised they could predict what part of the country I lived in by my answers. The problem was they asked what language other than English or Spanish was I likely to hear while out shopping and they only gave four possible answers, none of which would be my answer since Sho-Ban is the most prevalent language around here other than English or Spanish.

I didn’t finish the quiz because if I couldn’t give an honest answer, they wouldn’t be able to predict where I lived.

Another one promised to predict how long my hair is by me checking off everything I have experienced due to the length of my hair. Their first three or four issues had to deal with hair conditioner, I don’t use hair conditioner. Then there’s the one with hair getting caught in zippers. I don’t have anything that zips in the back, haven’t done for decades, so I don’t recall having problems with that.

So, yeah, the results were not accurate.

Additionally, they didn’t have anything about being too tired, sore, or late to bother with anything other than a ponytail because the person was unwilling to go outside without their hair up. Or one about dealing with massive tangles if they left their hair down for more than an hour.

I admit they did have one about the partner laying or sitting on their hair. Believe me, I’ve had that happen. In fact, at one point I cut my hair off because of it. You can ask my cousin who does my hair. She asked me three or four times if, I was sure. I was sure because I was tired of waking up Tom so I could go to the bathroom.

Needless to say, I have since grown it out again, but I no longer have to worry about anyone laying on top of my hair in the middle of the night.

I do have a niece with hair longer than mine, and I once told Konnie, her mother, that she was going to have issues with those masses once she had a husband.

Then again, I pointed out to Konnie that her eldest marrying someone so much taller than her was going to have some issues in the bedroom that Konnie wouldn’t understand as she didn't marry a tall guy.

We had a long talk about that.

Actually, that was when the long hair was discussed, but Konnie knew that one already, her hair is on the long side too. Though Konnie hadn’t known why I insisted on getting my hair chopped off or why I subsequently started growing it out again until we discussed it.

But a really huge height difference and or long hair does affect the dynamics of a relationship. Something I find some romance writers don’t mention in their novels.

I’ve read novels where there is a huge height difference, but the author doesn’t mention them having any issues standing face-to-face and kissing. Let me clue you in folks, if there is at least a foot difference in height, the shorter one is looking at the taller one’s chest, meaning adjustments have to be made for both parties for them to be able to kiss.

If they are sitting there isn’t as much of an issue because the shorter one could just sit on the taller one’s lap.

But really, it isn’t an issue of him just bending over, because the reality is she had to stand on tiptoe and him bend over, which isn’t a problem if they are close to the same height, but I swear most romance authors write kissing scenes as if they are close to the same height even if by their descriptions they are not.

People really need to pay attention to those details.

Of course, I’ve also read one romantic suspense where the author insists that the female lead was wearing clear lenses to hide her eyes from the viewer. I mean this, the author described the glasses as being oversized frames with clear lenses and still insisted they hid her eyes.

Yeah, I don’t think so. Tinted lenses would, but not clear. And it’s a good story, other than that glaring error. Drove me nuts because it drew me right out of the story every time.

But then so does the height difference issue.

There is a reason why we’re told to write what we know; it's more believable. But you don’t have to live it, just research it. Get accurate details.

Anyway, happy writing everyone!

Save the Cat and other issues by Bonnie Le Hamilton

Okay, NaNo isn’t going so well for me. My story stalled out. And I'm debating how to fix it.

In other news, I just spent an entire week on my duff, thanks to my cat, and I still didn’t manage to do things that I could have done while sitting there, like write or even crafts, and I have some friends who are expecting. I’ve been trying to knit a baby blanket and one whole week of no knitting isn’t helping just as much as one whole week of no writing.

As for why I was laid up, well, see, Patches, my dang cat, likes to run through and around my feet while I’m trying to walk. Folks, I can’t see my feet! Not when I’m standing, ergo, I can’t see Patches when he does that. I tripped over him and injured the ligament in my knee.

Since then, instead of trying to miss him (which is how I injured my knee) I step on him. Hopefully, eventually, he’ll learn to steer clear of my moving feet. Though so far, I’ve stepped on him several times and he’s still scampering around my feet. 

Now to the problems with my story.

I think I’ve started in the wrong place. Then again, I’m not sure what I should do after a certain point in the story that is in my head, but not on my computer screen yet, which is the major problem, what happens next?

At this rate my story will fall into my pile of my “started but not finished” stories. I already have too many of those. Some could get somewhere, if I would just work on them, others stalled out because it just wasn’t working,

This one could work if I could figure out how to finagle it. Or at least I think it will work.

Then again, most of my stories that fizzled out unfinished, did so because it was starting to sound like a soap opera to me. And that isn’t a good thing in my opinion. I consider it sounding like a soap opera when it becomes too contrived or forced, or far-fetched.

You know, like a soap opera.

Can you tell I don’t watch those things?

I used to, many eons ago, until I realized their storylines were contrived, forced, or so way out there they were ridiculous. And I really want to avoid that with my writing. Such writing is a copout. It’s lazy.

Writing should be fresh and exciting.

Right now, I need help with that.

And I need to start with where I start this story.

I want to start it at the inciting moment, but the “Save the Cat” method says to start with their normal life before the inciting moment. Dang, I don’t want to start there!

Maybe that’s my problem, I do not want to start before they meet, I want to start where they get thrown together!

Maybe that’s my problem. I had said I was going to try the “Save the Cat” method, but I generally start at the inciting moment rather than introduce the main characters in their normal life before going into the inciting moment.

Off the top of my head I can think of like two stories I have where I show the “normal” life of my main characters before I have them meet or the inciting moment. Most of my stories start at the inciting moment. I mean really, start where the action is!

As far as I’m concerned anything before the inciting moment is backstory, very rarely do I consider any part before that point as a necessary detail of the story. I make all that backstory.

So maybe my problem right now is that the method I wanted to try and use this time around wants me to do something I don’t want to do.

I think I should start again, and begin with the inciting moment.

I’ve had good luck that.

Konnie’s favorite opening line is one I wrote (yeah, I haven’t finished that story; it kind of went off the rails – as in too long) but it starts at the inciting moment. She was talking about her favorite opening line to someone at the writer’s conference we attended. When she mentioned my story, I had to point out it wasn’t even finished yet, let alone published.

Most people pick an opening line from something published, but no, Konnie had to pick one of my stories!

Anyway, I’m going to try writing from the inciting moment forward, and see how that goes for me.

Happy writing everyone!

PS. Happy birthday next week, Ben. 

Scheduling Writing Time by Bonnie Le Hamilton

I never realized how hard it is to write consistently when you have other things taking you away from your computer, but now I’m in that place. I haven’t so much of edited my current WIP in the last several weeks. I just keep running out of time -- more like wasting time.

Anyway, I was thinking about how I had to work out some writing time for myself when I came across a blog on Pinterest. The post is on blog.janicehardy.com titled Scheduling for Writing Success.

The author, Shanna Swendson, says, “I’ve found that scheduling is one of the best ways to find more writing time. This applies whether you’re trying to fit writing around a full-time job or writing full-time.”

She said, if you make the decision in advance to write at a certain time, when that time comes, you don’t need to decide between several activities, but rather just between whether or not you will do as you promised yourself you would do.

She also says, “Organizational and productivity gurus suggest that you don’t even make a to-do list. You make a schedule of when, exactly, you’re going to do those things and you’re more likely to get them done.”

She also said, “I resisted keeping a schedule for non-working hours because I value my free time, but I found that I had much happier and more productive weekends when I scheduled them.”

She went on to say by scheduling her free time she was making conscious choices of what to do with her time, she was doing more things she truly enjoyed (as in not just writing) during her weekends.

She did say to schedule breaks into it, and even mentioned doing her schedule in half hour increments, even if what she’s doing wouldn’t take a half hour, so when something comes along to throw her schedule off, she has time built in to catch up. But she also says to schedule bathroom breaks. Okay, I’m not going that far, my bladder is in control there, sorry.

However, she has a point about goal setting and actually getting things done.

I can tell myself all I want I will write on a given day, but it doesn’t mean I’m not going to let little things, like playing games, surfing the web, or watching TV get in the way of writing. But if I have writing scheduled, well, so far, I’m only writing when I a normally write to do my share of the blog.

Though I do think it will help me, because today, I have actually put my phone aside to write, because it was on my schedule. Then again, my schedule got changed a couple of times.

Monday, I scheduled writing time. Didn’t manage it. I should have, once I finally got home, but I was tired. I took a nap then my sister-in-law needed some help, and I’m afraid I spent too much time over there. Tuesday was off to a bad start when my sister-in-law called saying she needed to go to the emergency room. I hadn’t managed to get breakfast yet.

Don’t worry, no broken bones, just badly bruised.

But I was about fifteen minutes late for my mission assignment at the book scanning center (without stopping for lunch). Thankfully they understood me being late. Unfortunately, the site was down. I couldn’t do my job.

Time to change my schedule, again.

Sometimes life just gets in the way. You have to be able to adjust.

In this case, the book scanning center had to adjust when I work this week.  

Actually, there was a lot of rescheduling happening, because last Tuesday, I’d forgotten I had an appointment on Monday morning (which had been scheduled 3 months ago) and I didn’t have time to go to the center before my appointment, so I ended up being about an hour and half late. Now normally, me being able to make that time up would be impossible since I normally volunteer at the visitor’s center Monday afternoons, but I had taken the place of a fellow who couldn’t do his shift on Friday, so he was taking my shift on Monday.

Meaning, I was able to make up the time. I just got home later than normal. I already mentioned the rest.

Anyway, I’m working harder at setting my schedule, but well, I couldn’t help all those wrenches which got thrown into the works so far this week. Maybe I should pat myself on the back for turning the time I should have been at the book scanning center into writing time.

Happy writing everyone!

A Rose by Any Other Name by Bonnie Le Hamilton

What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Right? And why am I asking this question?

Simple. Some of my friends in my local writing group think my title “Forbidden Connection” sounds like an erotica novel. Since my story is YA, I can’t have a title on it which is that suggestive. Back to the drawing board, title choice number five!

Any suggestions?

Needless to say, it’s the “forbidden” part that suggested bodice rippers to my friends, and “connection” is a vital part of the story.One of my friends suggested I try “Wrong Connection”, but the word “wrong” implies there is a right connection other than who Mathias connects with, which isn’t any truer than this being an erotic novel.

“Unexpected Connection” better suits the story I have started for the sequel, so I don’t want to use that this time around. Let alone that I find it disconcerting that anyone would think a title of one of my stories sounds erotic, especially since it was Konnie’s youngest daughter who came up with that title for me.

Yeah, you got it. I’m terrible at titles.

As I’ve said before I generally call a story by the main character’s name until someone suggests a better title. I have only a handful of titles I’ve come up with myself, most of mine still have the main character’s name as a title. In fact, at first, I had considered using Mathias and Mary (the two main characters) as the title of Forbidden Connection, but I prefer two-word titles, so for me that is too long. So I tried “The Outsider” but that sounds like “The Outsiders” and I didn’t want anyone to confuse my story for that one, so I tried the “The Connection” until my lovely innocent niece said “Forbidden Connection” is more evocative of what the story is about than simply “The Connection.” Evocative is right. Maybe a little too evocative.

And yeah, I know that publishers generally do change the titles, but I have to consider how any publisher, who gets my query will feel about the title it currently has. I can’t have anyone thinking I sent an erotica novel to a YA editor or publisher.

Okay, using the Thesaurus, other possible word choices instead of “Forbidden” is “Prohibited, Outlawed, or Illegal” while the only viable alternate for “Wrong” is “Unsuitable”, but I’m not at all sure which would be the best choice to rename this story.

So, I guess what I need is a poll and have everyone vote on which choice they like best. The word with the most votes wins.

Vote in the comments.

A.   Prohibited

B.   Outlawed

C.   Illegal

D.   Unsuitable

E.   You say something else

Please remember, the sequel is “Unexpected Connection”, so don’t suggest that one. And for those of you who haven’t read it, “Connection” is the most important part of the story, which is why I’m using it in the title for the sequel.

I’d give you the blurb, but I’m still working on that too.

In other words my writing group didn’t like that either, but they gave me some really good suggestions, so I think I can fix it, just haven’t had time to do it, yet, because, as I mentioned two weeks ago I got called to serve a service mission for my church. The thing is when I went to get “set apart” for that position I also received the call to be an indexing worker for the church.

That call was made official this past Sunday. So, my Sunday was pretty busy. After our meetings I had to get lunch then meet with the sister who was to train me on doing the indexing at the Family History Library, then when I was done with that, I had to go home and get dinner before I went back to the church for a missionary fireside.

Yeah, I was tired when I got home, but Monday wasn’t much better, since I had my mission work from 9 am – 1 pm and volunteering at the Pocatello Visitor’s Center from 3 – 6 pm Monday. Tuesday, I wanted to go a concert some friends of mine are in, but by the time I got home from doing mission work, I was too tired to do more than fix dinner. I missed the concert.

I’m glad the only thing I have on my calendar for today is getting this post up, because maybe I’ll be able to get some chores done, and possibly finishing a birthday present for a certain someone. 

And I’m not going to tell you what it is, because obviously, she reads my posts :D

Happy writing everyone!

To Trope or Not To Trope by Konnie Enos

Because Bonnie and I are twins, we have been asked about whether or not we write twin characters. Personally, a few and generally secondary characters. I don’t usually write twin characters because there is a basic flaw in portraying them.

You see there are few writers who would understand how to show two siblings are twins  without coming right out and telling that detail of their birth. I also have read very few books where the twins weren’t identical because it is the easiest trope to understand and write.

You’ve all read/seen them.

So totally alike no one, not even their own family members can tell them apart. (This is bogus by the way.)

So totally alike they have all the same likes and dislikes, dress alike, same hobbies, everything the same. (This is creepy and equally bogus.)

Or the worst one yet, they look exactly alike but one is super good and one is practically the devil incarnate. (Seriously, this is not what is meant by mirror opposites, believe me.)

Even so, these tropes are so pervasive it is not only difficult to get away from them, it is nearly impossible to convince some people this isn’t what twins are really like.

Because of this, for years I didn’t even attempt to write twins as main characters. A few secondary ones, but no main ones. I couldn’t stand drawing them as the caricatures people expect.

Then when I started writing my sci-fi two of my POV characters are twins, identical even.

I didn’t want to write them to be one of these tropes because I know that’s just not how we are.

So I wrote twins who look alike, if you don’t know them well and can’t see the differences. Twins who have a ton of different likes and aren’t exactly the same personality. Twins who are both good guys who just happen to have a brother who looks a lot like them and has the same birthday.

Easy, writing basic against the trope stuff.

I was well into my story before Bonnie pointed out I could do better. I re-read their scenes. I agreed. Then we brainstormed. What could I write to show their twinness?

We discussed the unique things we do and have done then I found ways to show these kind of things in my story. Things singletons don’t experience and probably couldn’t understand, unless they managed to find a well-crafted description.

While working on it I realized creating twin characters without relying on tropes and making them real to life twins, was not easy. And I’m a twin.

As I’m thinking about this I’m wondering if my singleton characters are more trope than real life since so many singleton writers rely on tropes to portray twins.

It’s really just a frame of reference question.

Can writers create real to life characters outside of their frame of reference?

If they are heterosexual and they create real life LBGTQ characters? If they are able bodied/healthy can they create real life disabled/health challenged characters?

Since I’ve actually only written a few twin characters, most of mine are singletons, so are they believable?

If you are writing outside your frame of reference, what kind of research do you do so you can get the character right?

That’s what I’m thinking about today, and I’d love to hear your answers.

In the meantime:

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.