Characters, humor and the writing life

Success at a Price -- Backstory for Nicolai

10/29/2015

Note: To make stories flow, authors have to limit the amount of background (or backstory) revealed about characters (and we hate that), so I was please to have a request for posts on this topic.

Nicolai’s Backstory

In The Essence, Sophia interviews General Nicolai Hewzenko, a reclusive dictator. He is perceived as a dangerous and volatile man, but she finds that Nicolai is a complex, charismatic character to whom success has come at a price. He’s brought peace to a country that was torn by war and ethnic violence but not to himself -- he remains haunted by memories.

Nicolai is a product of both the Russian and local cultures – his father was a wealthy Christian of Russian decent who married a Muslim woman, who was then disowned and ostracized. He had few friends growing up; he was never welcome in their homes. He observed how even the poor who accepted his mother’s help spit at her retreating shadow.
His father insisted Nicolai attend Oxford University in England and upon returning, Nicolai became a commissioned military officer. When his mother was killed during a charity mission by troops on an ethnic raid, Nicolai was inspired to join a rebellion and soon became their leader. After years of Spartan existence in the mountains, the rebels prevail, but the shadow of dead comrades and his mother remain with him; then the victory celebration was ruined when Nicolai’s young wife is killed by a car bomb. Sometimes those thoughts overwhelm him, in what those close to him describe his him as “black moods”.

But on the brighter side, Nicolai is a proponent of novel progressive ideas, education and culture. He enjoys the symphony, can’t imagine a party without an orchestra and is an excellent dancer. He’s generous to those who follow him, but no saint – he can be ruthless to those who oppose him.

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It's Uncanny when Fact Resembles Fiction

10/24/2015

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New ideas intrigue me, especially ones with a win-win spin, so I was looking forward to Kaufman Million Cups this week as the presentation was from an entrepreneur who had formed a B Corporation.

But I was not prepared for her uncanny resemblance to a character in the book I’m writing!

In my latest book (now in the editing stage), I created a character named Liza. One of the first things the reader learns about Liza is that her life revolves around selling fashion footwear -- artisan made, eco-friendly, high end shoes. Later, it’s revealed that she seeks to give back to the world by donating specially designed, comfortable school shoes to children in need.

In real life, Bethany, the founder of www.therootcollective.com was inspired by a visit to the slum of La Limonada in Guatemala and the poverty and desolation she saw there. Wanting to help create opportunities for people, she allied with a native shoemaker and now sells shoes handmade by artisans in Otto’s workshop using fabric hand-woven by women using the traditional backstrap methods.

Other similarities: Both Beth and Liza have a passion for their business, short dark hair and like sunflowers! (Ok, Liza prefers roses, but the rest is true.)

For more about The Root Collective story, please visit their site.
For Liza’s story and the new book, watch the blog or join my mailing list!

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A Pickup Truck, a Load of Yams and a Road Sign

10/19/2015

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I listen to country music. Sometimes by choice but often on road trips because the driver gets the pick the music and my husband likes to drive more than I do. (It's totally fair.)
Listening to the songs, it seemed like fun to write my own. So on the road to Wilmington on Saturday, I wrote these verses, inspired by a pickup truck, a load of yams and a road sign.

Start strumming and see what you think:

Chorus:
Tooling down 40 with my load of yams
Whistling and singing to my favorite jams
Going to Wallace to deliver my load
Then on to the bar that's right down the road

Bartender Mindy is who I want to see
Love the way she winks, slides those beers to me

Mindy's smart, so pretty and nice
Smells so sweet, just like cinnamon spice

Tooling down 40 with my load of yams
Whistling and singing to my favorite jams
Going to Wallace to deliver my load
Then on to the bar that's right down the road

For weeks now I've wanted to ask her out
Shaved and showered I knew what I was about

My heart beat faster as I enter the door
Then a fat man says: "She don't work here no more"

Tooling down 40 with my load of yams
Whistling and singing to my favorite jams
Going to Wallace to deliver my load
Then on to the bar that's right down the road

Trudged back to the market to lend a hand to pa
And who did I see stacking yams next to ma?

Mindy winked, said "I'd hope you'd be along"
Pa pats my shoulder "What took you so long?"

Tooling down 40 with my head in a whirl
Whistling and singing with my favorite girl
Back from Wallace for another load
Rolling with Mindy, so happy on the road

Ready for the CMA's?

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How Building Shelves Resembles Writing

10/14/2015

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We were going to go hiking, but it rained…

The dark, dreary day made us decide to play a few rousing games of Ping-Pong. Upon descending the basement stairs we glanced to where we remembered our Ping-Pong table was -- only to find a pile of boxes totally obscuring it from sight. Ah yes, now I remembered, we piled those boxes there after our last major life event. By that I mean the holidays, which we celebrated just a scant seven months ago.
Which leads me to:

The best story ideas often spring unexpectedly from the chaos of life

So it was time to tackle a do-it-yourself project. We had been saving some lovely wood boards from an old waterbed – I won’t tell you how long they had been down in the basement, but just admitting they were from a waterbed might give you a clue. It was beautiful knotty pine wood and would be a shame not to use it for something, so now viewing the area, the thunder bolt hit ... I realized we could use more storage, so creating a set of shelves was to be the day’s project. With no further ado, my husband and I leaped into action on our newly acquired project with high hopes, a twinge of apprehension and extremely focused energy!
Which leads me to:

DIY projects, like writing, usually start with much enthusiasm but take much longer than expected to finish

A little apprehension is normal when starting a writing project - jump right in and focus your energy
We had a basic concept of what we wanted and quickly agreed on the best way to use the boards and what size shelves we would create. With that decided, we started happily measuring (twice) and cutting (once), punctuated by numerous trips to the garage for tools – drills, screws, screwdrivers, saws, etc. The tools kept accumulating.
Which leads me to:

Having tools readily accessible will help the process: like a thesaurus, character sketches and setting profiles. Specialized writing software or a bulletin board can also be helpful, as is the ever-handy notebook.

Initial Success! We started by building the framework, which actually turned out strong and evenly cut!! (we over built it to the point where we laughed at how it could be used as protection in the next tornado) Now all we needed was the finishing touch – the actual shelves measured, cut and secured. As we walked through the home improvement store, we realized that one thing we hadn’t considered was the standard shelving widths. The less expensive board lengths were only 6”, 8” 10” widths – we needed 20” by 45”. On the opposite wall where some quality boards in 19.75” by 48”. Would they work?
Which leads me to:

Writing the outline first can help avoid writing yourself into a corner. On the other hand, problem solving sometimes has great outcomes, it might help you be more creative
There is always something you think of later

We thought so… I mean would a ¼” really matter? After looking again at the structure and finding a small “L” bracket to hold the shelves in place, we decided to go with it. After a bit of trimming, sanding and sweating, the shelves were finally in place and fit quite nicely. Looking at our finished shelving unit with great pride and sense of accomplishment, we suddenly realized that the “Free Board to Shelves Project” we started a mere 11 hours ago ended up costing us approximately seventy dollars, as well as a few bumps and splinters in our hands. But I’ve got to say nothing could compare to the pride in knowing we’d built such a beautiful knotty pine shelving unit all on our own!
Which leads to:

With a little help (and editing) then pieces of a story can fall into place
Writing might not be financially rewarding, but you have a sense of accomplishment when the manuscript is competed.

Enjoy your next project!

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Work out with a good book

10/4/2015

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I've seen people read books on a treadmill, but did you know that reading a good book can do more than entertain you? According to research, reading fiction actually gives your brain a workout.

This video from The Literacy Site Blog explains how storytelling affects -- and can enhance -- different parts of your brain.

Watch here