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Another interesting topic, Rhobin. How do you choose your characters' names? Are there any you avoid?) Choosing names, for me, can be a challenge. It also varies with the book. I’m a plotter so I work out a plot before I get to know my characters well. If I’ve begun plotting and have a hero/heroine and maybe the idea for the mystery or suspense, I may have a name in mind or I might have no idea at that time. Other times I may pick a generic name when I start writing. It’s like a placeholder. Once I’ve developed my characters and get to know them the name will come to me. It’s a name that fits that person. Often the character's physical appearance, characteristics, or actions will lead to a name that fits. If I’m writing in a different local, perhaps Mexico or in the Caribbean, I will look up names for male or females in that country and their meaning. If I’m writing a different generation, I may look up popular names from that era. In my Hawkins’ Family series, I researched names from the Blackfoot tribe. In Death Southern Style I researched names in Louisiana. When I’m choosing names, I look at all the characters that I’m naming. I make sure that the names aren’t similar. For example, the hero is named Rob, the secondary character is named Ron and the suspect might be Ross. For a reader, this could be very confusing. They might...
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Kim McMahill grew up in Wyoming which is where she developed her sense of adventure and love of the outdoors. She started out writing non-fiction, but her passion for exotic world travel, outrageous adventures, stories of survival, and happily-ever-after endings soon drew her into a world of romantic suspense and adventure fiction. Along with writing novels Kim has also published over eighty travel and geographic articles, and contributed to a travel story anthology. She has had the opportunity to live in Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, Iowa, and Colorado, but has finally returned home to Wyoming. When not writing she enjoys gardening, traveling, hiking, and spending time with family. Beverley: Which genre or genres do you write or prefer to write? And why? Kim: I write suspense and adventure fiction. I love stories that allow me to incorporate action, adventure, romance, exotic locations, and happily-ever-after endings. In the real world the good guys don’t always win, but in my stories they do. However, in my Risky Research Series the wins in each story will be smaller, rather than unequivocally complete, until I decide to end the series for good since my protagonist and some of the antagonists are recurring characters. Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer? Kim: I had a high school creative writing teacher who commented on one of my stories that with more character development I was well on my way to a novel. I always enjoyed writing, but her...
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I talked about proofreading last time. This week I thought I’d talk a little about editing. First, I’d always suggest you have a professional editor do your final check, but here are some tips for what to check when you’re doing the editing. You might want to use a program such as Autocrit to help you. And you might want to use an editing tip sheet to assist you. The following are a few tips that might help you. Remember everything needs to be relevant and advance the story. If not relevant cut it and move on. Omit or delete info that doesn’t add to the mood, character, or plot. Show don’t tell. Avoid the passive voice. Avoid negative sentences. The streets were not straight. Instead, the streets wound around the area. Avoid cliches. You know - It was a dark and stormy night. Emphasize the words you want to emphasize at the start or end of each sentence or phrase. Check for word usage, frequently used words or repetitive words in follow-up sentences. Check spelling and grammar. Use spell check but remember it’s not always correct. If you have specific grammar issues, for me it’s comma usage, research it before you start and have the explanation beside you to check out that specific issue when you spot it. Em dashes like exclamation points should be used sparingly. Use an em dash because he’s cutting off his speech. Usually, a comma or a period will be sufficient. An ellipsis indicates more...
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Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.” Sign up to receive Pam’s newsletter and get a FREE short story! Character Interview Beverley: What’s your name? Mike: Mike Guidry Beverley: Where did you grow up? Mike: Lafayette, Louisiana Beverley: During what time period does your story take place? Mike: 2005 Beverley: What’s your story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you? Mike: I don’t have much of a story of my own, but I’ve been blessed to be a part of my friends, Scott and Katrina Hensley’s story for years. Beverley: What’s your goal in this story? Mike: To get through the tragedy of losing my best friend and the constant chaos in an ER physician’s life with my heart and sanity intact. Beverley: What conflicts are you facing? Mike: Other than being in love with my best friend’s wife? Patients going ballistic, hurricanes, death….the life of a physician isn’t easy on the best of days. They’re even tougher on the worst. Beverley: Do you have a plan for resolving them? Mike: Time, faith, trust, and truth are the only way to resolve any problems in life. Beverley: Is there anything...
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Do you proofread your work? Here are some hints to help you with it. After you’ve finished writing the book and editing it, probably several times. it’s the time to proofread. You might use your computer's technology, spell check, grammar check, etc. But don’t take their suggestions as always correct. They can assist you, but when you’ve gone through your book with spell and grammar check you still need to go through that book and proofread it yourself. Here are seven tips for Proofreading. - Do it last. - When you finish writing and editing put that book away for at least a week, maybe longer, so you have a little distance from it and you can read it with fresh eyes. - Read it from a different perspective. Some people say print it out and read it that way. Others feel it’s a waste of paper, so prefer to proofread on a tablet or e-reader, an alternative to what they used to write it. Anything that changes the format from how you wrote it, even a font change or maybe change the print color. - Read it out loud. - Focus on one or two issues at a time on each proofread, such as spelling and punctuation, or dialogue and overused words. - Proofread when you’re alert and fresh. Do it in short time periods, for maybe twenty or thirty minutes. Then take a break. Do something different. Get some fresh air. Then go back for another...
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Jennifer Wilck started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong, and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after. In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. When she’s not writing, she loves to laugh with her family and friends, is a pro at finding whatever her kids lost in plain sight, and spends way too much time closing doors that should never have been left open in the first place. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate. She writes contemporary romance, some of which are mainstream and some of which involve Jewish characters. She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 2020 Character Interview Beverley: What’s your name? Meg: Hi. People around here know me as Meg Clancy. I’d prefer to leave it at that if you don’t mind. Beverley: Where did you grow up? Meg: California. Beverley: During what time period...
