A THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
by
John Singer Sargent

A thought for Thursday... and any other day you like:

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see. 

             John Burroughs

DONALD MAASS WRITING TIPS FOR WRITERS OF THE 21^st CENTURY NOVEL:

2 What does your category of novel excel at?  Embrace that…then outdo it. 

                  #21stCenturyTuesday

PARANORMAL

My genre excels at adding the jam in the doughnut: the unexpected, the sweet, and the challenge.

WHICH CATEGORY OF NOVEL ARE YOU WRITING, AND WHAT DOES THAT CATEGORY EXCEL AT?

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WITH AN UNBREAKABLE TRUST?

MAY IS HOSTED BY WRITING TIPS BY WRITERS, Hand in Hand, DONALD MAASS'  TWEETS ON CREATING THE PERFECT NOVEL ;)  and SECTIONS INSPIRED BY THESE:

Ann VanderMeer

DONALD MAASS WRITE TIP #94

Pick an ally of your MC. What’s their shared history? What’s their unshakable trust? Shatter it

“No one wins when two countries convince themselves they’re right.” she said, but even to her the words sounded limp.

Guido glared at a point over her head, it seemed he could not bear to bring her face into focus. “I never thought about nations, I thought about you and me–and did whatever it took to keep us alive.”

“I know, and you did.” Heels off the polish marble floor, Perry tried to stand as tall as she could. She’d never felt so far below him.

With a gasp, Guido doubled over. “So many battles. Scything through fields of men. Wading in their blood.” Guido cried anguished. “All for nothing?”

“No. The power is new.” She shook her head, fervently. Her stomach churned. How could she convince him that her abilities had manifested late? That no allegiance that had ever been important to her could have made her turn them on him? “This – it’s all new. That’s the truth—”

“Lies. It was all lies.”

Perry reached out a hand towards him. If only she could return to the moment on the castle wall. Instead of looking to find that dormant ability, if she’d just thrown herself under downward arc of the sword, sacrifice herself to save him, was snuffed out before the talen changed her green eyes to this unnatural violet, then, she would have died loved. “But, it came out all right. Neither of us were hurt.”

Guido pulled his shoulders back. In that moment, he became something more than human too. He became royal: regal and removed. “At least, stab wounds have a chance to heal–betrayal can’t.”

Does you MC have an ally? What could make the trust between them shatter?

Can YOUR MC see what no one else has noticed?

MAY IS HOSTED BY WRITING TIPS BY WRITERS, DONALD MAASS'  TWEETS ON CREATING THE PERFECT NOVEL ;)  & SECTIONS INSPIRED BY THESE:

“Write even when the mood isn’t right. You can’t tell if what you’re writing is good or bad while you’re writing it.” ~ Cory Doctorow

DONALD MAASS WRITE TIP 76

Character-drive WIP? How can your MC’s family, friends, town, times or way of seeing become odd, unique, less ordinary?

“Yes, we butt our houses up together to cling on but while we shine up our windows – supposedly so we can see out – we hang our curtains facing in to give us something safer to look at. But the shadow of the mountain falls over us, tree roots break our best laid foundations, springs erupt, the roads crack, weeds push through wherever they please. Can’t you see what’s happening? It’s only a matter of time Earth claims back what we took.”

Are you writing character-driven fiction? How did your MC notice s/he notice his view of the norm was not in step with everyone around?

How does the Big Problem affect YOUR MC?

MAY IS HOSTED BY WRITING RULES BY WRITERS, DONALD MAASS'  TWEETS ON CREATING THE PERFECT NOVEL ;)  & SECTIONS INSPIRED BY THESE:

“Write every day. Anything you do every day gets easier. If you’re insanely busy, make the amount that you write every day small (100 words? 250 words?) but do it every day.” ~ Cory Doctorow

DONALD MAASS WRITE TIP 75

Plot-driven WIP? How does the Big Problem affect your MC in ways that it doesn’t affect others? What’s the ultimate cost?

“Thank you, I appreciate the not being unconscious part you pointed out. And, I can tell you think this Welcome to my Space ship speech is going well – truly, I’m prepared to listen if the alternative is terminal – but, for decades, people from my town have been going missing: of the never-seen-again variety – so, mostly it's a Thanks but No, thanks from me. I’d be happy if you just pointed me towards the door.”

Are you writing plot-driven fiction? How does the Big Problem affect your MC in ways that it doesn’t affect anyone else?