Mist Story

If you are a regular to my blog, you may have noticed a new page added to the top of the site: Mist.

This is in the works of a story that I’m working on.

Title: Mist

Theme: Thriller/action

Summery: The full plot hasn’t been worked out yet, but story will be of a woman who’s new neighbor begins stalking her and then it escalates.

I wanted to share in on the blog only. I look forward to your help as the read for any insight and constructive criticism. My goal is to get a chapter done a month. Maybe more so as the story moves along.

Thank you,

L.R. Mauck

Family Dynamic

Family culture is defined as “how you express culture as a family through traditions, roles, beliefs, and other areas” Lumen: Cultural Anthropology.

The family dynamic is how the family interacts with each other. Sometimes falling into the commonly accepted stereotypes Psychology Today: Family Dynamic i.e. the spoiled youngest child, the crazy uncle, etc.

Where this all comes to play, is you as a writer who want your characters and overall story to be relatable to the reader. Plus, if your characters are well rounded people, then your story with their interactions will write itself.

For example: If you read Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen did a wonderful job with creating personalities for each of the sisters and parents and was able to show their interaction with each other and how they all play roles in the story plot. If you haven’t read it, than watch the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie.

Also, considered the Harry Potter series with the Weasley family. Ron, being the youngest male child, felt like he was always living in his brother’s shadow. However, when the family was all together, it almost made the reader envious that they couldn’t be apart of one of their dinners.

What I’m trying to get across is that there is a unity embedded within families. Your family doesn’t care if you’re the greatest at your field of work, or that you’re the smartest. They are sincerely happy in your success and will brag about to you to others, but would love you and help where they can if you failed, and gossip about you to other family members – hey, it comes with the territory. They see your strengths and weaknesses and will still be with you. If you have any type of family relationships or close friendships within your story, then you need to establish a strong bond between the characters.

L. R. Mauck

A Rest From The Plot

I believe I’ve written something similar to this topic in the past. Recently, taking a rest from the plot inside the story has been on my mind more so than only writing on certain topics.

I’ve heard at conferences, seen others write, and heard people talk about when you write your story, you need to stay focus on your plot. Yes, I agree. You need to keep your story moving along the plot. There are essential points that you need to hit at each phase of the story to keep the story in line with your plot and to be sure in closing any plot holes.  You need the plot to move to show the story clearly and to show the character’s understanding of the plot and character develop.

However…

Think about your reader.

Consider these following points:

• Don’t throw information after information at the reader. They can get confused and burned out by not mentally seeing and piecing the plot together as the story unfolds. Too much information with a fast pace plot can be just as bad as an information dump in a single section. Weave the information between different situations.
• Just as a comic relief character or situation is important for a reader in the story, so is it important for the reader to what I’m calling a “mental relax” while reading your story. There needs to be a moment or two for the reader to just enjoy your story.
• A rest from the plot can also be thought of as to slow the story down. Give your characters a moment to breathe. It can be as simple as enjoying a family birthday party in the story, or a shopping trip to the store. Maybe even add a phone call from a long forgot friend. You can add small clues or key plot points within these story slow down moments, but don’t make them painted in the sky with neon lights surrounding them. Make them subtle.

Feel free to add any additional thoughts or comments below.

L. R. Mauck

Where Life Leads Us

This is not a post about writing. It is basically a writing exercise for myself. Since I’ve been dealing with a writer’s block for a while now, I hope this will help reopen the creativity because it has helped in the past.

That being said, there’s been a bunch of situations that has been going on in my life. Some are as simple to explain with a new boss at work means an increase in work flow – namely my work load has increase. It is somewhat for the better. I feel that I know the business a whole lot better in the last year and a half than I had previous. I know our parts in the warehouse by sight now instead of my part description only. I can help the customers with more knowledge at my disposal. However, with the added work, I also feel that I’m constantly missing something. There’s the new software and the new building also added to the mix within the last half year, that has thrown off my system. I laughed two days ago and mentioned to my boss that I feel sorry for who ever takes my place. He responded by saying he hopes there is never a need to train someone for my job. They say it’s job security, but I wish the security would slow down once in a while.

On a more personal note: my family all have several on going issues right now. They are all separate issues, but also relating to each other. I prefer the drama to stay within books, not real life. Though, if all that is going on was in a book, it’d be a really depressing book. If you are the sort of person who believes in the power of prayer – please say a quick prayer for my family. I will not going into future detail because the internet is not a place for such events.

As stated above, my writing block has grown into a very tall wall. I have tried starting three different books just this year alone, but I can’t seem to get pass the first few pages. I’ve even created an outline for two of the books and still have failed to continued. One of my fanficition fan’s sent me an email this week wishing for the block to vanish because they really enjoyed the story. There is a mix reaction to that. I’m pleased that they like the story, but I’m angry at myself for not trying harder to work on it. My past writing blocks, I’ve been able to power through them and all is well. This time, it’s hard. I haven’t even cleared my writing room’s desk off in months. I haven’t even sat in the chair. I really wonder if the computer is plugged in. (When there are serve storms in the area, I unplug everything that is costly to replace – tv, water heater, computer, keurig, treadmill, etc,)

So, to get to my title for the post: “Where Life Leads Us“. It’s a bit of a ominous phrase. Three years ago, I set a personal goal to have a book published. I worked hard to get my book cleaned from grammar errors and I signed up for my first writer’s conference.  I went to the conference and discovered I was miles behind where I should have been. So, I started networking – created this blog, joined twitter, reworked the book over again. I did research. I sent out more and more emails to agents. I worked hard. Then my muse passed away and since then it has been a struggle. If you have stayed with this blog, help me not to give up. I really do enjoy writing and even recently have reread two of my books and enjoyed them. Three years ago, I would not believe you if you told me all that I’ve lived through would happen. It’s still hard to believe.

However, I (we) must press on. Stopping is only defeat.

I read yesterday that a 101 year old woman just released her first book of poems. I may be struggling now, but if she never gave up, than why should any of us. It is something that we have a passion for and it’s a craft of love. Writing is something that will always exist and is a wonderful way to expand creativity.

I believe my job is about to get slammed with work since it is that time of year when all the projects are happening, so I won’t be posting regularly yet. However, I will use my next post with something more related to writing.

Keep writing, keep learning.

L.R. Mauck

Character’s Companions

We humans do not like being alone. Throughout our childhood years, we depend upon our parents. We may even be lucky enough to have siblings and cousins (built in playmates), or daycare, friends, neighbors, church groups, and etc. Then we start school and develop friendships and/or first loves as we get older. We gain and lose friends and relationships as we grow into adulthood. But a huge majority never seek to be alone. We always seek out a companion.

So should your main character.

Based on your theme and story line, you can write a story with a main character who is pretty much a loner. However, if you want to connect with a wider range audience, I highly suggest you add a character companion.

Adding a companion to the story creates a depth for the main character to interact with on different levels with those around them. It allows the story to flow and for the character’s to verbally talk through the plots points.

This character companion can be a person or animal.

Examples:

You all know me – Harry Potter series. Harry Potter had best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. He also had a pet Hedwig.

Hunger Games: Katniss Everdeen – best friend Gale Hawthorne, sister Primrose, love interest Peeta Mellark.

Pride and Prejudice – Elizabeth Bennet, her best friend, Charlotte. Closest sister, Jane. Mr. Darcy’s friend is Mr. Bingley and Darcy’s sister is Georgiana.

Think of basically any Disney movie. Almost all of them have some type of pet/companion.

 

• I apologize for not updating readly. I hope to pick it up and get back on a schedule.

 

L.R. Mauck

Common Phrases

I’ve been lacking creativity for a while now. My work in progress stories are constantly in the forefront of my mind and I’ve dabbled with a few revisions, but my writing seems to have frozen. So, I’ve dusted off a series of books that I haven’t read in a few years and started reading a month or so ago.

Almost instantly, I noticed common grammar errors in the New York Times #1 Best Selling Author’s series. Question marks outside of quotations when a character asked a question. Comma’s in the wrong place, etc. It annoyed me. When I see one mistake, I start looking for them throughout the books. I’ll be up front and honest, I’m far from perfect when it comes to the written English language, but you’d expect the next books in the series to be better than the first with the editing. This series was not.

I do love the books, don’t get me wrong. I just believe that there is an opportunity to learn from other writers.

The author continued the series with a second series filled with additional characters to accompany the main characters. However, the author’s writing pattern and point of view changed. Rather than focusing the story around a single main character, the author jumped to three to four different character voices, using the chapters as the structure to separate each character’s perspectives.

The author was able to use different traits to define each character: the funny one, the modest one, the brave one, the pretty one, etc. However, I’ve seen a pattern of the same phrases used over and over again. “If so-and-so would’ve known (fill in the blank), than the so-and-so would’ve done (fill in the blank)”. Or “so-and-so did something, but something changed so-and-so’s course.” It’s glaringly obvious when it seems to be used each time a different character’s perspective is introduced. It ends up making the reader (or maybe it’s just me) feel like it isn’t different perspectives they’re (I’m) reading. If everyone sounds the same, the books hold no depth to them and come off sounding bland.

Examples: (Without using quotes from the actual books – I don’t want this to seem like I’m bashing the author’s writing.)

• “It seemed as if Tim’s head only hit the pillow for a few minutes, but when he opened his eyes, the sun was already shining through the window.”
• “If Sally knew it was going to rain, than she would’ve brought her umbrella.”

Another VERY common phrase I’ve read – mostly with romance books/character’s:

“They kissed until their lungs hurts…” Or “They kissed until the need for air was too great…” etc.

I just want you writers to pay a little closer attention to what you are writing and the phrases you uses. Challenge your creativity. Stay away from these overused phrases.

Also: If you plan to write or are writing a series – if you make a big deal out of a character trait/skill/personality – continue it to the next books. The same series I’m reading, one of the main character’s go-to skill was a bow. However, in the next book, all he does is sword fight and change forms. No mention of a bow at all. I understand character growth. However, there needs to be a stair step to connect to that growth. A skill is not something you just randomly abandon, especially, if the person/character was trained with it for combat.

The earlier series featured sarcastic comments or funny phrases at the beginning of each chapter, most of the time in the form of a title. The second series starts off with it in the intro to the chapters, but loses it over the course of the books. If you’re going to start with something, stick with it.

Now, if any of you all have figured out what series I’m reading, please don’t comment on it. I do love the stories and the characters. I’m only picking at it because I’ve been reading it for the last month or so.

I apologize for not posting for a while. My work has been very demanding to the point that I’m mentally exhausted by the time I get home. Yesterday, I was allowed to leave work early, so I’ve took advantage of the time offered.

L.R. Mauck

Starting Your Novel

The first thing that pops in my head when I’m trying to start a book is: DON’T start with a cliché.  That means don’t start with the weather (it was a clear, sunny day) or  starting with a tragedy (car wrecks, health scare or death) or the common – parents divorcing and having to move locations. Starting a book is almost as hard as finishing the book. You have your ideas, possible outline, and may even know exactly what you want to get accomplished within the first chapter. I’ve already discussed much of this in Beginning the Rough Draft, however, this entry is to expand on it a little more.

I once wrote on the power of the initial opening sentence in the entry Word Importance. Save those powerful words for your revisions. They may come later or not at all. Don’t get hung up over it.

Your beginning of your book (the first 50 pages) should have:

• Character(s) intro
• Setting
• Internal/external struggle for character(s)
• What is at risk
• The hook for the audience to continue reading
• Story pace
• Genre – remember your readability level of your characters. You want them to said age appropriate to the story.

The book, The Plot Whisperer Workbook Step-By-Step to Help You Create Compelling Stories by Martha Alderson, writes there are seven essential elements to a scene:

1. Time and setting
2. Dramatic action
3. Conflict, tension, suspense
4. Character’s emotional development
5. The protagonist’s motivation to reach a goal
6. The “protagonist who goes after something, fails, and tries again”
7. Final layer of scene that helps set the overall theme of the story

Some books only have a hand full of scenes, others have one per a chapter or more. There is no real guideline into how many scenes a book can have. Just don’t confuse the reader by jumping back and forth between scenes to where it confuses them (and you) of where the characters are located.

Most books begin very early the description of what the character(s) look like to help the reader’s develop a mental image and then the setting.

Try to start your book with something unusual. Starting with action, helps draw the reader in quickly, but that doesn’t work for every book and it becomes hard keeping that pace. Think of something different for the genre you’re writing. If it’s drama/murder/mystery – start with humor. If it is fantasy – start with something that is very common for us today to relate too –  a stubbed toe, a broken tire on a carriage (think of a flat tire), main character’s belief that dragons are myths, etc. Romance – start with a situation of the character already in love with someone else, but don’t make them cheaters. To me, that sets a bad president for the overall relationship for any couples. Or make the main couple already together, then they fall apart and have set backs only to get back together at the end.

To challenge yourself further – make your intro into a metaphor or to parallel of what your final conflict will be.

As I said, it’s hard to begin the story. I have rewritten the intro to many stories before I found those that work. Don’t put much stock into it until you start on the revisions. It sometimes matter more of the flow of the book on to what works the best as the intro.

My best suggestion is to start with a conversation. You can reveal tone of voice, character’s appearance, their personal movement ticks, thought process, initial location, and the intro to the plot within that conversation. Now, this conversation can be overheard by the main character(s), the main character(s) having the said conversation, or it is about them.

Best of luck to you all. I’m starting a new story myself and I’m facing the same struggle.

L. R. Mauck

Race and Writing

OK folks, I do try staying out of politics, especially on social media. However, time and time again, the issue of race keeps popping up. Racist comments, whether intended or “jokingly”, have been stated from the president to prominent figures to everyday people.

As mentioned before, my grandma’s grandma (Sue) was full blooded Native American – Cherokee. Sue’s husband was also Native American, but we don’t know his percentage or of which tribe (most likely Cherokee, but we’re unsure). Sue’s parents walked in the Trail of Tears, but managed to escape it and settled in central Tennessee. There, Sue married her husband and had (I think) nine children. Just before the 1900’s began, Sue’s husband (census records call him W.H., but his gravestone had something else on it that I can’t remember right now) was accused of stealing a pig. Sue said there was no pig on the farm, nor was there any meat – they were too poor to afford meat. The husband was shot with out a trial or proof. My grandma asked Sue as to why she never called the police. (Number one, this was a different era, so no police.) But Sue responded, “We’re Indian. No one cared.” Sue raised my grandma and told her all throughout her youth, not to tell anyone she was Indian and would refuse to tell my grandma Sue’s family history for fear of being found out. This was in the 1930s and 1940s. At one point, Sue was offered property on the North Carolina Qualla Boundary, but she believed it was a trick of the government and ripped up the forms. My grandma can still buy property on Qualla Boundary, but refuses to because she believes it a betrayal of what her family was put through. My grandma seriously did not know who her great grandparents were until I did genealogy research a few years ago.

I write this to show/tell you what racism does to people, especially to my great, great grandma. Yes, this was a different time. Yes, this did not happen to me. But why is this still an ongoing issue today?

The truth is, I don’t know. At times I wonder if it comes down to the child is the product of how they were raised or a bad situation resulted in negative reasoning. But I don’t think that is the majority of cases. Part of it is down to the individual and how they perceive the world around them.

I’m from a predominantly white community in rural Indiana and was in for a “culture shock” when I went to college in Kentucky. However, I met some of the best people there and a black lady was so loved by our classmates that she was referred as “Mama” for the duration of the program. I’ve graduated several years ago, but still chat and meet with Mama regularly. I adore her. In comparison, I’ve got a white individual who lives near me who has had multiple run ins with the neighbors and the law. My point is, that it doesn’t matter the skin color or culture, there are good and bad people of every walk of life. We should not judge someone by their skin color, blood status, or culture.

A few examples of this are in writing:

• Harry Potter series doesn’t so much focus on race exactly but does with the magical blood status. They are all magical, but there is the pure blood vs half blood vs muggle born.
• In the Twilight Saga, I like how she did highlight the Quileutes Tribe.
• Other examples are in Non-Traditional Characters

So to you writers: give your story depth. Add characters of different backgrounds and explore those backgrounds. You may be able to relate to a much wider audience and find additional plot twists to use. But don’t rule people out just because of something as minor as skin color.

I leave you with an explanation of three characters from Boy Meets World sitcom:

“All of us are from different backgrounds, like cards in deck.”

“Some cards are red, some cards are black. Some are kings and queens and some are sixes and sevens.”

“But without even one of them, the deck of cards doesn’t work. And that is what Mr. Matthews says is America.”

Watch it here.

L. R. Mauck

P.S. This is not written to create a discussion or a political piece. I only ask for people to open your minds and hearts.

Odd Places to Find Writing Ideas

Sometimes, writing ideas just come to me without even thinking of a new idea. Very few times, I’ll stare at the wall, struggling to think of a story line or a good twist.

Well, one of the best tips to find that idea is view the world around you.

• Watch TV
  • Watch Judge Judy or some of the other televised judges. Some of the stories people come up with for their cases would make for a good book, as long as you put in your own plot twist.
  • Dateline / 2020 / or any of the crime drama shows.
• Read
  • Read some of the classics. I’ve seen people write books with new spins off of Shakespeare or Grimm Brothers.
  • Some of the stories in the Old Testament of the Bible can draw some wonderful plot ideas.
• Talk to people
  • Talk to your grandparents. My grandma loves to tell stories of her grandparents when she was a child. They were Native American, so hearing of how they lived on a social level back in the early 1900s and the family drama is fascinating.
• Explore new locations
  • If you have an extra day or so, pull out a map and take a day trip. Try to hit several towns / cities in that area to drive to. Visit museums, art galleries, coffee shops, parks in that area. Sometimes, just being in a new environments will give you that push you need.

L. R. Mauck

The Motivational Character

Let’s face it, there are times when we are down a mental or physical destructive path and we cannot get ourselves out of it. So, we turn to that one person who always knows the right thing to say or do to help us. Some times it’s a parent, a teacher, or a friend that will give us the perfect advice that we need.

I recently bought several seasons of the Boy Meets World television series. I remember Mr. Feeny always as the inspirational rock in the show. He always offered sound advice and never hesitated to point out where people were wrong. He even apologized a few times when he was in the wrong. You can’t hardly find anyone like his character in shows today.

However, there are several in books: Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter), Gandolf the Grey/White (Hobbit and Lord of the Rings), Atticus Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird), Charlotte (Charlotte’s Web), etc. If you google it, you can find so many character’s who mean sometime to anyone based on actions and/or reasoning.

You can see quotes all over the internet that are inspirational. I want to encourage you, as a writer, to make your characters a little more than just run of the mill. I want your characters to have meaning in life, to inspire others to reach for those goals that others say they can’t reach, to get up when they have been beaten down so hard that they can barely physically move. I want them to face battles (war, health, drama) head on with the idea that they will overcome it or die with dignity. Have that motivational character always in the background, cheering the main character(s) on. Even in romance novels, you can make it to where the main characters need that push to open up their hearts again by having them gain advice from others.

Yes, this is a hard thing to do. You, as a writer, need to step out of your character’s world and reach out to the reader. Meet the reader on a deeper field with the same words to inspire other characters.

Note: You don’t have to clutter your novel up with meaningful messages from cover to cover (unless you’re writing a Chicken Soup book). Just place a few well meaning words at the start or close of the climax and it should work wonders.

L.R. Mauck

P.S. This was written while at work. I apologize if it doesn’t flow well or there are mistakes.