An “old dog” gets new tricks

Well, I still haven’t unpacked my office yet (I’m in need of a new desk for the new space), but I’ve been keeping a mental shopping list of cool finds I’d like to add to my writer’s tool box.

In my old office, the walls were ruled by giant poster boards squared off in marker and flocked with post-its of varying shades. Then for the most recent manuscript, I attempted to go the tekkie way and convert my wall boards to Word documents that I could edit note with different colored text and print out on legal-sized paper when I just had to hold my thinking in my hands.

Now enter my old method updated: paint and peel and stick.

I found the first fun item in a home improvement how-to magazine. It’s chalkboard paint. Apparently, the neutral paint can be tinted or shaded by mixing it with whatever color your heart desires. How cool is that? No holes in the wall for hanging things, just paint and doodle.

I’ve considered it for a small spot in the kitchen or office, and even considered painting the top of our crafts table in the basement. The kids could use the chalkboard portion as a scratch pad while they do homework. (Does that count as going green?)

The second product I’m currently enamored with is peel and stick dry erase paper. I LOVED the invention of peel and stick decorations for my kids’ rooms. We could go from Pokeman to Spiderman or Winnie-the-Pooh to Disney Princesses – and then nothing at all – by using these press ons. Again, no holes, no adhesive left in their wake.

So imagine my delight at Home Depot last week when I saw giant sheets of peel and stick paper labeled dry erase! (Then, I also came across this dry erase refrigerator online. Who knew?? But, I digress.) Now I can have my oversized wall boards located wherever I want in my office without worrying about how many pinholes I poke in the walls, or what on earth I’m going to do with all those boards once the story appears in print.

Maybe I’m really excited because I’ve found a way to mesh my sometimes “old skool” style with no-nonsense new millennium offerings. It’s the small creature comforts of process that sometimes keep me sane while writing. And it’s all the more comforting to find that within this rapidly changing industry the essentials of my craft haven’t been rendered obsolete. Yet.

INSPIRATION IN EVERYDAY THINGS

As I writer, I am often asked: "Where do you get your inspiration?" Though the question is more or less routine, the answer can often be thought provoking.
I suppose the inspiration for most writers comes from within. That is, an inner drive that motivates you to write about something that interests you. Or to develop a thought or image that captures your fancy into a short story or book length fiction.

But for me, inspiration as a novelist goes well beyond self creation, per se. I find that much of my inspiration comes from everyday life and the many ordinary things that shape our world and keep it moving.

For example, when I take a long walk through the park or ride the MAX train, I get inspiration from watching a couple being romantic or arguing, children at play or fighting with impatient parents, or perhaps watching the rain fall and thinking to myself: What a great opening to my next novel to see the rain coming down hard through the window and my protagonist entering the house soaking wet, only to be greeted by her husband with a rose and kiss, so that she all but forgets that her clothes are clinging to her and hair matted.

In another example, last month I attended a State Fair and found all types of inspiration from the people and animals observed, the overall atmosphere, and even the music. As a romantic novelist, it struck me as the perfect place to have my hero and heroine connect en route to romance, love, and happiness.

There are countless everyday things in which I gain inspiration in my writings, including television scripted and non scripted shows and news programs; going to restaurants, nightclubs, grocery stores, shopping malls, or college campuses.

Traveling far from home is one of my greatest sources of pleasure and inspiration as a novelist, as there are always so many things to do, places to go, people to meet, and scenery to take in.

The Internet is also a great source of inspiration though social networks, the wealth of information at your disposal, interesting articles or anecdotes one may come across, or blogs, having done my fair share of blogging and enjoyed the humor or diversity of other so as to inspire ideas for future plots or subplots.

As such, I never lose any sleep trying to get inspired to write. Not when inspiration is everywhere I look, waiting to catch my attention and give me something to think about.

What inspires your creative juices as a novelist or short story writer? Do you gain inspiration more from personal experiences? Things you see or hear about? Or simply the everyday things in life that knows no boundaries?

Great Responsibility

In my first post at Novel Spaces, as a guest blogger, I wrote about the responsibility that I feel as a writer of children's books to produce books that positively impact my young readers.

I have recently been wondering about publishers' responsibility to not only provide books that will sell, but books that will have a positive impact on the reader's lives. In the Caribbean, children's books tend to mean text books. Most mass distributed novels are literature books, scholarly works well suited for classroom discussions of alliteration and other such techniques.

Publishers print these books because parents will definitely buy them if they are a part of the school curriculum, regardless of the price. Regular children's novels are much harder to sell. So, the supply is driven almost solely by the demand.

I hope that one day we can see a major publisher in the Caribbean market that takes the leap and creates demand by regularly publishing fun, enjoyable novels that encourage our children to pick up a Caribbean based book just for the enjoyment .... the idea just might sell.

Is it just an unrealistic pipe dream? What do you think?

See you again soon, I will write again on October 28.

Writing Night at the Movies

I don’t often talk about movies. I’m not a big movie buff. I haven’t been to a theater to see a film since Lord of the Rings. I probably average ten or less movie rentals a year through PPV, although I do watch movies when they finally come out on TV, and I rewatch movies that I like when they show up on the little screen. However, we live in the age of video imagery and I haven’t escaped its influence. I’m amazed sometimes at how many movies I have seen. And my writing has definitely been affected. Here are some movies that I like very much, and a bit about how they’ve influenced my writing. (Thanks to Scott for the inspiration for this post.)

1. Once Upon a Time in the West: Sergio Leone’s greatest work, even if it didn’t feature Clint Eastwood. Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Charles Bronson were superb. The staging of this movie, the dramatic way in which the scenes were set and the stark landscapes, helped establish the way I visually stage story scenes in my mind. The dusters worn by “Cheyenne’s” men in this movie were a direct influence on the rawhide coats that the bird riders of Talera wear. Lines from the film such as: “You brought two too many,” “Just a man,” and “An ancient race” have influenced the way I structure dialogue. This is my favorite movie of all time.

2. The Thing: I’m referring here to the John Carpenter version, which is my favorite horror movie. (Even the novelization by Alan Dean Foster was thrilling.) This film certainly wasn’t the first to create a sense of claustrophobic horror, but it did it very well. And it also had a great ensemble cast of characters who responded to the horror in wonderfully realistic ways, from their physical actions to their dialogue. This film was certainly an influence on my desire to create ensemble casts for my horror fiction and get them to act like real people facing absolute terror. This was part of what I wanted to do in Cold in the Light, and in that book I often used the night and the woods to create the claustrophobia.

3. Alien: My second favorite horror movie, and it is definitely horror even if it is set in an SF universe. The “chest burster” scene is, to me, the most effective scene ever caught on film. The “alien” is still the coolest alien ever. This one also had the claustrophobic element and the ensemble cast. And it had a strong female lead character, which I’ve tried several times to achieve myself, without great success, I’m afraid. It also had the “ringer,” the one member of the ensemble who turns out not to be what he seems to be. This is a great device for a writer and one I’ve used several times, particularly in Witch of Talera.

4. The Thirteenth Warrior: My favorite fantasy movie of all time. I also thought the book upon which the movie was based was very good. That book was Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton. The gritty realistic feel to this movie contrasted strongly with the more “fantasy” feel of such movies as Conan the Barbarian. Instead of it reminding you of “an age undreamed of,” it made you feel as if every instant was absolutely real. I want to achieve that kind of realism in my fantasy. I want my readers to feel the dirt under their nails and the biting tang of blood in their nostrils. The dialogue here was also extremely good and created a sense of drama that I believe fantasy fiction needs.

5. Predator: A reader remarked a number of years back that the Warkind in Cold in the Light reminded him of the “Predator.” I know the “Predator” did influence the development of the Warkind, although there are also many other elements that went into those creatures. In part because I was curious about the nature of the “Predator,” I created an extensive background and social structure for the Warkind.

There are many other movies that have had some level of influence on my work, though certainly nowhere near the level that books themselves have influenced me. Some of these other films would be: The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, Hearts and Armor, Conan the Barbarian, Jurassic Park, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, and Star Wars.

How about you? Have movies influenced you? In your writing? In other aspects of your life? If so, which movies? What’s your favorite?

You Need A Thick Skin

On Saturday, October 9th, I participated in an event at the Carter G. Woodson Public Library in Chicago. There was a panel group that discussed the publishing business. The moderator asked questions and each author gave their response. One question remained with me throughout the day. As an author, what advice would you give a newbie?

The author next to me answered, develop a thick skin. Listening to her I realized how important those words were. She went on to say, how some people will get you work and others won't. Don't let them effect your work.

I think the advice is important enough to repeat. As an author/writer, you need to have a thick skin against the cruel and unpleasant opinions of others. Don't get me wrong, I try to gleam information from every comment, but sometimes I don't understand what readers are truly trying to say. So you have to develop a tough skin so that you won't stop writing or question every move you make in this business.

Here's a question for you, have you encountered a comment from someone, maybe a reader comment that doesn't make sense or was hurtful? Please share them with me.

There is a link below that you can click on and add your comment or email me at karenwowens@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you.

Remember, don't be a stranger.
Karen

The power of a critic: writing lessons from ... my mother?

When I was about seven or eight years old, there was a kids’ radio program that aired every Saturday morning, featuring local children. I was invited to participate. The first week I said a simple nursery rhyme:

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, where have you been?
I’ve been to London to visit the queen.
Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, what did you there?
I frightened the little mouse under the chair.

When I returned home all excited, my mother demanded, “What foolish poem is that? You’re too old for that. Do something better.”

The next Saturday, I read a story. It was a bible story from an anthology with excruciating details of the plagues and Moses and the Isrealites escape from Egypt. The story was so long that we ran out of airtime. When I returned home, my mother again criticized me.

“What long epistle was that?” she said in her usual derogatory tone. “You can do better.”

The next week I cited a poem The Waterfall, that got a different reaction from Mother. It went like this:

Pretty is the waterfall
As pretty as can be
It showers like the rain that falls
On the deep blue sea

I love to see the water fall
It’s a wonderful sight to see
It looks like water coming from a wall
And it’s just as nice as the sea

The rumbling sound that it makes
Sounds like a rumbling jet
And who made it made no mistake
So don’t you dare forget!

My success with eliciting a compliment from my mother this time had nothing to do with length or complexity of the poem. In fact it was quite simplistic. But it was a poem I composed. My mother was pleased. Finally I got it right.

Sometimes I thought that my mother only criticized me, and nothing I did was good enough for her. Once while in 6th grade I represented my school in an area wide general knowledge quiz. Our school came in second place, which I thought was great as we advanced to the national competition, but my mother expressed her disappointment. When we competed in the national competition, our school won. Only then did she express pride in me. She hugged me and lifted me up placing me on the cabinet, not a small feat for she is only 4 ft 10 in.

Now I realize what Mother was trying to do. She wanted me to excel. She knew I had more potential than I realized and she accepted only excellence from me. In doing so she brought out the best in me. She also taught me one important lesson: to accept criticism and learn from it.

I find myself copycatting my mother a lot these days with my seven year old. And of course she complains that I am never happy with what she does. One thing I notice though is that she tries even harder and asks, “Mommy, are you happy at me now?”

Like my mother, I am realizing potential in my daughter that she doesn’t even see in herself. I’m also trying to teach her to accept constructive criticism and learn from it.

KeVin recently blogged about lessons he learned from his uncle, an author. My mother is not a writer, but the life lessons learned from her have become quite useful in my new career as a novelist, especially the ability to accept criticism. From my first readers who said to me, “you are too longwinded” to the editor who slashed chunks of story I thought were so essential, to the reviewers who find my characters or story less than stellar. I have learned to accept the critique and improve my writing.

These are just some of the lessons I learned from my mother, that have shaped my writing and my life. I know you must have someone in your life whose life lessons you use in your writing, your career, or your life in general. Tell us about it.

Knowledge means patience

Before we moved to Australia many many years ago, my mother found out what the Australian curriculum was for my grade (I was just starting Primary-1 at the time but, according to the Aussie system, should have already been in Primary-2). She drilled me in the subjects for the handful of months before our move. That meant that my first full year at school began in Primary-3, because I left Malaysia before completing Primary-1 and passed the Primary-2 exit exam that the Australian school set for me later on that same year.

While that might seem laudable, it wasn't. I hated studying with my mother. She was so unbending and physically abusive that the servants used to comment that I couldn't possibly be her natural child. I used to get caned and slapped across the face for the slightest mistake (even colouring over a line!) and any result less than 100% promised further dire consequences from both parents. (Make no mistake, Asian parents carry grudges. And they are overwhelmingly immature.)

As I look back on those years now, I think the key was one word: knowledge. Neither of my parents completed high school. Did my mother even understand what it was she was trying to teach me? I don't know. What I do know is that her philosophy always was: if you get something wrong, it's your fault.

My philosophy, when teaching my own children, is the complete opposite. If they get something wrong, it's MY fault. My fault for not finding an approach that somehow clicks in their brain. But I can only take that tack if I understand the subject matter myself.

The Wast arms himself with tools in Mathematics by knowing what the Greek roots for words mean (milli, kilo, centi, deci). Little Dinosaur does the same thing for the names of calendar months by understanding some rudiments of Latin (octo, sept, deci). I constantly ask them WHY. Why does three-sixths equal one-half? Why do we say "a quarter past the hour"? Why can you jump higher on the Moon than on Earth?

My mother didn't care about the why. All she was interested in was the mark in red at the top of the exam paper and if it wasn't three figures, or near as dammit, then I was in for a whole world of hurt. This is not the way to educate. If anything, this is the way to turn children away from learning rather than towards it and I want my children to be learning, to find joy in the expansion of knowledge, till the day they drop. But I can only do that if I exert myself to understand the topic to such a degree that I can quickly come up with several ways of teaching the same concept. (Kids' attention spans are short and it's important I keep them engaged while trying to explain something.)

Of course there are days when I get frustrated, when I'm tired or angry about something. But both children are picking up things with such admirable speed, that I can afford to give the kids the day off when I start feeling like that. It's wrong for me to take out my own frustrations on them, especially when it could have such a long-term effect on their psyches.

Shouting at kids isn't enough. Hitting them. Humiliating them. None of that will help put actual knowledge into their heads. Data yes, knowledge no. If your own range of knowledge is small, then you teach small and mean. But if that range of knowledge is large, and willing to get larger, then you can teach large and generously. And your children will thank you for it.

* Kaz Augustin is an homeschooling parent who knows when not to. You can find her website at http://www.ksaugustin.com She has a food blog at http://food.ksaugustin.com and she's also on Facebook and Twitter. Just look for "ksaugustin".