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Poor, Lonely, Unloved Manuscript

8/30/2023

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Is there a fantastic story kicking around in your head, but you can’t seem to commit your idea into a word document yet? Instead, you procrastinate by convincing yourself that:

…I’m not good enough to be a writer
…I’m too old   
…Nobody’s going to like it
…I’ve never written anything before
…I’ve never taken any classes in writing. I don’t know how.

How many of you have a completed manuscript languishing away on a shelf with the dust bunnies because: 


 …I need to go over it one more time
…It’s not ready. It’ll never be ready
…Oh, no! I wasn’t seriously thinking of publishing it.

Sound Familiar? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard any of those excuses, I’d be a lot richer than I am!


Don’t Sell Yourself Short

Try not to succumb to these myths; that’s all they are. Misconceptions that keep you from believing in yourself. Unfortunately, when repeated over and over, those lies become a reality and suck up one’s creative juices, and your story is never told.

Go ahead. Sit down at the computer and let your muse take over. Banish those self-defeating negative vibes with an “I can do this” mindset. Bring up the manuscript you started years ago or begin a new story. Tune out distractions, open your imagination or look over your notes, and let the words flow. Worry about grammar, punctuation, number of words, etc. later – for now, just write.

It doesn’t matter how many words you log; just get those first few sentences. The rest will follow.

Determine When It’s the Best Time for You to Write
Set up a loose schedule. Not necessarily saying you have to write from X to Y o’clock every day, but having an hour or so set aside puts you in the habit of thinking about your story and getting in the zone.

What’s the optimum time of day for being creative? That’s totally up to you. I’ve heard of some authors who prefer to get up before the crack of dawn to get an hour or two of quiet time before the family demands all of their attention. Ernest Hemingway devoted the hours of 6 am until noon before putting his typewriter away until the following morning.

Other writers like the evenings. While writing Riders of the Wind, my husband came home from work, ate supper, and then locked himself away in the office until midnight (or later). Honestly, I wasn’t too thrilled about being left alone with only a book or the TV to keep me company until bedtime. However, I understood why and kept my sulking and pouting to a minimum. 

Try to stick with your schedule as best as you can. If you miss a day, so what? Pick up where you left off the next day. Only managed a half-hour? No big deal. The big thing is to be consistent. Keep writing without more than two or three days passing by.

Most importantly, if you hit a snag, don’t worry about it! Walk away. Get some fresh air. Hug your loving, patient, long-suffering spouse (or pet). Then, when you get back to work later on or even the following day, that paragraph you thought was crap won’t look so bad. The words that stubbornly refused to flow will gush from your fingertips, impatiently waiting their turn to magically appear on the screen.

Go with the flow. Your masterpiece doesn’t have to be completed all at one time. So leave a little in the tank to get you back in the groove for the next round.

Of course, distractions are unavoidable. Tell your loved ones and friends what you’re doing, and kindly ask them to bear with you. It may take a while, but they should eventually get the message. Also, try not to be your own worst enemy. Turn off the phone and avoid the temptation to check email or take a quick glance at Facebook.

Finally, after overcoming the inevitable hitches along the way and persisting despite your doubts and fears, you did it! THE END signals the end of part one of your writing journey. Congratulations!!!

Before you proceed to part two, give yourself a pat on the back, a chocolate chip cookie, and the praise you deserve. Then, let your manuscript sit in a place of honor for a few days while you decide how to proceed with the second part of the writing process: re-reading, making changes, editing, formatting, cover design, and publication.

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You Should Write a Book About That!

8/23/2023

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How many times have you heard someone say, "You should write a book about that?" I'm guilty of saying it, and if you're honest, you'll admit to uttering words to that same effect as well. When someone captivates your imagination with an (obviously exaggerated) tale of daring exploits, or has you laughing hysterically with their youthful misadventures, the well-used phrase automatically escapes your lips whether you honestly mean it or not.
 
It's true. Everyone has a story. People enjoy reminiscing about happy memories, meeting a famous person, or traveling to an unusual place. However, some of the sagas fall on the opposite end of the spectrum and are not meant for entertainment. Instead, the narratives describe serious subjects such as overcoming horrible situations or coping with a chronic disease.
 
All these personal accounts deserve to be heard, and fortunately, three non-fiction genres allow these stories to be told: biography, autobiography, and memoir.
 
Biographies are an objective history of a person's life written by someone else. It's usually written in third person and compiled through extensive research, interviews, letters, diaries, photographs, essays, and other reference materials. The best biographies bring their subjects to life. As a general rule, the narratives are written in chronological order weaving the details of the person's life into an attention-grabbing story. This genre helps us to get to know the background behind historical figures as well as currently popular names we hear but don't really know much about their previous life. Most biographers are very studious about getting their facts correct, but every once in a while, errors occur.
 
Biographies are fairly straightforward and easy to understand, but the two other categories can be a bit confusing. The terms autobiography and memoir are occasionally used interchangeably to describe a book, even though they are two totally different styles of writing.
 
An autobiography is the comprehensive history of a person's life, written by that person. It's more subjective than a biography since it's based on the author's personal memories. Autobiographies usually detail the life of a well-known personality and are written in first person portraying his or her life experiences and achievements. The story often begins with the writer's recollections of early childhood and details education, career, life experiences, challenges, and accomplishments. Some accounts emphasize a particular part of the author's life while glossing over less interesting aspects, while other autobiographies chronicle the person's complete history. The finished works are as unique as the writers themselves.
 
 That brings us to memoir. It's the same as an autobiography since it is written in first person as a personal account. Still, it differs as it focuses on a particularly memorable event rather than the author's whole life. Memoirs come in all shapes and sizes. The emotional connection created through a personal, intimate story can touch, inspire, or break the reader's heart. They can also take you on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure or explain how a life-changing experience helped the author discover a new truth. Being less formal, the tale relies on emotions and feelings. The flow of the story can be chronological or move forward and back in time as the author selects pertinent life events to tell the tale. They take us on a journey or give a glimpse into life viewed from a different angle
 
Memoirs are typically read because of their theme or subject matter, so factual accuracy is not as crucial as it is for biographies or autobiographies. Instead, the message is the vital factor. It's what makes the reader think WOW as the narrative comes to an end.
 
Many folks shy away from non-fiction genres because they think the books are boring. For these people, I recommend a memoir, autobiography, or biography of someone they admire. Delving into the little-known facts that made someone else noteworthy may inspire the readers to look inside themselves and discover the story hidden within them that needs to be shared.


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The Threads That Bind

8/16/2023

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"Life is like a patchwork quilt. Each patch, each experience, each life is connected
 to all the others by the threads that bind them together."
— The Book of Metanoia
​

In my article last month on Second Chances, I mentioned how my original book expanded during the rewrite until I realized I had two novels instead of one. I have to say the generation of The Threads That Bind was a surprise to me. I just felt that there was a legacy in the making in Second Chances, and it simply flowed. The characters in these two books are bound together through three generations by a common thread of paranormal abilities that can empower or destroy. The battle that began with Fredrika (Freddie) Marsh drew all those after her into a final confrontation between those compelled by their gifts to seek power in the outside world and those motivated to use them as tools to increase their inner power.

The first novel was perhaps more action-oriented than the second. I would classify The Threads That Bind as a character-driven novel. I enjoyed both styles, but felt that the shift was necessary. There were times when I was writing about the evil characters in these books that I had to take a break because their personalities were overwhelming me. There were times when I cried with my characters and times when I laughed with them just as I would have if they were literally in the room with me.

When you have an antagonist in one book and yet another in the second, you wonder if you can handle it. Sandy Wolters’ reaction touched my heart. “ I just can't believe that an author has the ability to make a reader revile a character in such a way and then change that emotion to complete and utter compassion.”

I appreciated Alex Canton’s recognition of why I used first person for one of my characters. “The author's use of the first person to handle one of the lead female characters sensitizes the reader to the character's search for a maternal identity. Add the fantastic knowledge of clinical psychology necessary to handle the mechanics of mind reading and dealing with such concepts as "alternate reality vs. virtual reality" and "TRV—technical remote viewing—a path connecting to Jung's collective unconscious." The former makes the whole plot believable.”

Annarita Guarnieri picked up on the psychological aspect of this novel. “And there are the characters, fully and artfully developed, and their interaction that offers to the author the occasion to delve deeply in the workings of the human mind … This is one of those novels that, once read, stay with you forever because the characters are so alive and real, the story so mesmerizing, that it is impossible to forget either.”

Writing both these novels fed my addiction for the high you feel from being so intimate with the thoughts and feelings of your characters, who have become totally real to you. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I did!
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AVAILABLE on AMAZON
​https://www.amazon.com/Threads-That-Bind-Dannye-Williamsen/dp/0972605878
 
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Writing in Your Own Style

8/9/2023

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Everyone has their own style when it comes to writing. There will always be those out there who will tell you it has to be done a certain way. Of course, there are certain rules of grammar and punctuation to which you should adhere; however, exceptions within dialogue do occur. Your story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end, or your reader will be disappointed.
 
Beyond those criteria, you are expected to have certain basic elements, some of which I touch on here.  

1. Dramatic storytelling, evidenced by conflict, suspense, tension, controversy, mystery, for example.
 
2. Interesting prose, achieved by getting into the rhythm of the story, feeling the need for shorter sentences to increase tension, more descriptive sentences to draw your reader in. You get the idea. Bring it to life.
 
3. Characters appeal to or repulse your reader for different reasons. It can be their physical appearance, their history, their psychological strengths and weaknesses. As your story unfolds, their actions add to the response by the reader to them.
 
4. The Hook, the subject of so much talk out there claiming you have to have the mandatory hook in the first paragraph of your novel. Although "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." is certainly memorable and could hook you, most novels don't do this. I've read books that have a "hook" and very little after that to keep me hooked. I've read books that started slowly like a soft breeze, and before I knew it, I was hooked by the story itself. So don't get fixated on some beginning sentence or paragraph and try to fit your story to it.
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Bottom Line: Write from your heart. Be a storyteller. Let your passion speak. Follow the rules that need to be followed, like the grammar, punctuation, and basic structure, but let your creativity be your guide.

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Is There Another Me Somewhere?

8/2/2023

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Could a carbon copy of you and me exist in another dimension? If so, would we look the same, do the same things, or know and interact with the same people?

On the other hand, would you and I exist yet live different lives where decisions and outcomes vary from what happens here in our world? All those shoulda, coulda, and woulda types of wishes become the new reality, along with a different list of regrets.

Do parallel or alternate universes exist?

I've read conflicting definitions of parallel/alternate realities. Some sources lump the two together as a hypothetical self-contained plane of existence in a different space and time, co-existing with one's own.

However, multi-verse advocates separate the two as different entities. "A parallel universe would be a completely separate universe, possibly containing similar characters or facts, but definitively a separate entity. An alternative universe would likely take place in the same universe, but with altered facts."

While writing House on Bo-Kay Lane, my muse decided to experiment with the multi-universe theory and included an older version of Gerald into the story.

For those unfamiliar with the original Wee People story, Gerald and Vernon are teenagers who accidentally fall into the world of the Wee People and must survive some perilous situations before being allowed to return to their own world.

The adventures continue in the second book when a couple of Wee People far-seers, Alyson and Shelia, stick their noses where they don't belong and wind up in an abandoned house in Gerald and Vernon's neighborhood. The far-seers' mode of transportation is a mirror that turns out to be a gateway to Gerald and Vernon's dimension and a significant artifact from the Wee People's past. Of course, my muse added an additional mystery within the depths of the mirror—the image of a stranger.

After the first chapter, I had no idea where the story was headed. Someone else (my muse) was in charge and writing it. She told my fingers what to type, keeping me in the dark until I was granted the privilege of reading the material. And that's the truth!

When the time came to identify the stranger, I was totally taken by surprise. It's difficult to express the shock I experienced when my muse ended chapter seven with this: Gerald faced the questioning faces and simply stated, "I am the man in the mirror."

I stared at the monitor with my mouth hanging open, thinking, where in the world do I go from here? Naturally, at that point, my muse vanished, leaving me to wait until the following day to find the answer.

That's when the parallel universe plot twist came into play. Amazingly, she picked up the storyline, blended Gerald II's alternate existence in with the rest of the characters, and made sense out of my confusion.
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Of course, the twists, turns, adventure, mystery, and surprises continued until the end of the book. I was pretty dazed by that time, but I have to admit, my muse wrote a pretty good tale. If you haven't read it yet, please do and let me know what you think.
 
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Available at Amazon.com
Print   
https://www.amazon.com/House-Bo-Kay-Lane-Wee-People/dp/1481214810

Kindle and Kindle Unlimited
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/
B00AJUEXBS/

Universal link
http://viewbook.at/houseonbokaylane

Amazon Author Page
https://www.amazon.com/Greta-Burroughs/e/B003N3F5AQ

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I will read forever because it lets me visit in my mind the worlds that I will never be able to see; it helps me put away the stresses of the day and relax into the rhythm of the story before me; it lets me bring to the surface and experience without regrets those feelings I hide away; it lets me re-experience the thrill of first love through someone else's eyes; it keeps my mind juiced so that it will never desert me; it is always there for me even when there's no one else. I will read forever no matter whether it is print or digital because the words will always call to me. ~ A Sassy Scribbler