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Posted by Bethanne Strasser on Oct 18, 2011 in
Books,
Goals,
Movies,
Research,
Writing Craft Think Ghost, right?
Or Pearl Harbor…
So, I pulled out an old story to work on, and I'm sitting here wondering how to create some emotion, but not too much emotion that I might tick off my readers when I kill one of the good guys. And not just any good guy, but the heroine's husband. I just don't have it in me to make him bad. You know, like he cheated on her or he only seemed like a good guy and as the mystery unfolds, we see an evil side.
Nah. I don't want that.
Unfortunately, that means I have to kill a good guy.
Key elements to killing a good guy.
- Make it worthwhile. None of this killed-in-an-accident or innocent-bystander bull.
- Make it good [a little drama never hurt]. Bullets, knives, torture. Don't make it slow. And never kill them with a coma!
- Highlight at least one flaw. When we don't want them to be bad guys, we have to be honest with ourselves. Even a hero has flaws. Maybe he was annoyingly organized or perhaps he didn't want children.
- Keep the backstory short. I hate this one, but you don't want your reader to love a dead guy more than the new guy.
What I've learned and gleened from years of letting this manuscript stew.
So, give it to me straight… what are your rules for killing a good guy?
Mother of FIVE smarty-pants and married to her Love for twelve years, Bethanne spends her time writing stories that always--without a doubt--end happy.
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Tags: Death of a Hero, Ghost, Killing the good guy, manipulation of the story, Pearl Harbor
Posted by Bethanne Strasser on Oct 1, 2010 in
Challenges,
Goals,
Research,
Writing I recently took an online course on time management that used the Four Quandrants featured in Stephen Covey's book, First Things First.
I'm on a deadline, so this seems like something I should take to heart. What about you? Have you been on deadline or just plain dead on your feet, trying to figure out what is the most imperative task at hand?
Highlighting the four catagories for my own use, I find that I'm not always keeping my time management in sync with my goals.
Where do I spend the most time? 
In the not important URGENT catagory. Interupptions, emails, kids… Okay, so there are times for the kids to be in Quandreant II, but there are other times, the kids don't have to be there. Next, I'm in quadrant four with my busywork, my book reading, and my favorite shows.
How can I [we] learn to utilize time management?
For me, Identification is key. I'm not the most disciplined person, but I fare well as long as I acknowledge my needs and my shortcomings.
As my goals change, so does my catagorizing. Right now, I might stick finishing my WIP up there in Important/URGENT. Perhaps it's not life-threatening, but in perspective…it's way more important than what's going on with my FACEBOOK account. 
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Mother of FIVE smarty-pants and married to her Love for twelve years, Bethanne spends her time writing stories that always--without a doubt--end happy.
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Posted by Debora on Sep 8, 2010 in
Research,
Writing 
So, It's back to school time (YAY!) and the first thing that the kids are complaining about is the books! "They're heavy, they're a pain and they're expensive – if you've got a college kid!"
In the age of internet access to everything from dating to how to diagnose whatever is ailing you while you're sipping your morning coffee – is it any wonder the kids don't get the value of a textbook or a research book?
I recently decided to indulge my love of historical romance and pen one myself – my first stop? Okay, I won't lie and say I didn't sit down at the computer to start my research into my chosen time period, but it wasn't long before I yearned for the feel of a research book to thumb through.
Yes, a book may be bulky – but there is something about flipping the pages of a history book that lures me in.
My internet search landed me at Amazon for research books and it's there I spent the next hour or more going from page to page to pick the books best suited to my needs (and there were plenty!)
My next stop will be the library to fill in the gaps the books I ordered won't cover – and there will always be the internet.
How about interaction with others who love your time period too? Well, my library participates in the "ask a librarian" and I can text or call my local librarian with any questions that arise! (Another plus for technology with that human touch, can't beat that..) For my last book (A FISTFUL OF FATE, a november 2010 release from Lyrical Press) my hero is an 1806 blacksmith. I happen to live close to an historic village with volunteer docents – and I spent a lot of time the summer I wrote that book with the local blacksmith to get my terms right, to get a feel for what smithing is like.
And last, but not least, I'm a firm believer in diving in with both feet – so I rejoined the RWA Hearts through History romance writers – so I always have fellow writers online who can help with those little details writers love 
.
When it comes to research what are your favorites?
Debora writes romance - all types of romance! Her tastes vary from the paranormal to romantic comedy and everything in between. Believing variety is the spice of life, her website changes frequently to appease her creative spirit! She freely admits to being a caffeine and chocolate addict and loves to talk about romance writing with anyone who'll listen. Her latest release, A Knight in Her Arms, was released August 3rd. Visit her website for me details!
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Tags: Debora Dennis, Fistful of Fate, Research books
Posted by Debora on Sep 24, 2008 in
Research,
Writing Let me start this post by saying how much I love my local RWA. Not only do we have some terrific members, we have some awesome programs!
Last weekend I attended our monthly meeting barely able to contain my excitement. You see, we had scheduled a talk from our local paranormal team of investigators!
The group came in dressed in matching black t-shirts and set up their equipment – yes, if you’ve seen the TV show – “The Ghost Hunters” – it was all there. The digital recorders, the FLIR cameras, the K2 meter, all the cool ghost hunting equipment known to man.
As the group went through their presentation, teaching us the difference between apparitions, shadow figures and demons – we learned that the very best ghost hunting equipment is what nature gave each and every one of us. All your senses!
The team ran through many of our local legends and either debunked them, showed some evidence to support some possible oddities, or confirmred they could find no basis in fact. They played EVPs that had me jumping out of my chair and showed images they’ve caught that were truly amazing.
For the believers and the non-believers in the audience, there was something for everyone to either confirm their beliefs or just enough fodder to give their next story some accurate paranormal depictions. If you ever get the chance to talk to a paranormal team from your area, I would definitely recommend it! 
If you don’t have a local group – check out my local groups website and get the lowdown on how they do things. You just might find something interesting along the way!
So, are you a believer or a non-believer in the paranormal?
Debora writes romance - all types of romance! Her tastes vary from the paranormal to romantic comedy and everything in between. Believing variety is the spice of life, her website changes frequently to appease her creative spirit! She freely admits to being a caffeine and chocolate addict and loves to talk about romance writing with anyone who'll listen. Her latest release, A Knight in Her Arms, was released August 3rd. Visit her website for me details!
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Tags: The paranormal
Posted by Silke on Mar 8, 2008 in
Research,
Writing Since a couple of my fellow scribblers write Regency Historicals, and I live a stonethrow outside London, I thought I’ll see what I can glean about the period (1788 – 1830)… and share here.
First of all… The parks. The place to see, and be seen.
You had Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens (It’s not Kensington Park, but Gardens), Green Park, St. James’s Park.
I’ll start with what I can find out about Kensington Gardens.
Kensington Gardens is large, about 1.1 km square (275 acres). Most of it is in the Borough of Westminster, though a corner lies in the Boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea. (Later it became famous in Peter Pan, but that’s 1906)
The Garden used to be attached to Kensington Palace, and is generally perceived to be part of Hyde Park – which it is not.
BTW the Fairies that allegedly live in Kensington Gardens were first described in Thomas Tickell’s “Kensington Gardens” poem in 1722. So this is something the Regency people would know about.
The gardens were open on Saturdays to anyone who was ‘respectably dressed’. The main path, the Broad Walk, became as fashionable as the Mall in St James’s Park had been during the reign of King Charles II and there was a ditch seperating Kensington Gardens from Hyde Park. (Not a fence!)
This is what someone wrote about it in 1825:
“The public promenades are St. James’s Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens, which communicate with each other. I am sometimes tempted to prefer these parks to the gardens of the Luxembourg and the Tuileries, which, however, cannot give you any idea of them. St. James’s Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens are to me the Tuileries, the Champs Élysees, and the Jardin des Plantes united. On Sundays the crowd of carriages which repair thither, and the gentlemen of fashion who exhibit their horsemanship with admirable dexterity in the ride, remind me of Long Champs; but hackney coaches are not allowed to enter here to destroy the fine spectacle which so many elegant carriages afford. Sheep graze tranquilly in Hyde Park, where it is also pleasing to see the deer bounding about. At Kensington Gardens you are obliged to leave your horse or carriage standing at the gate. Walking through its shady alleys I observed with pleasure that the fashionable ladies pay, in regard to dress, a just tribute to our fair countrywomen. Judging from the costumes of the ladies, you might sometimes fancy yourself walking under the chestnut trees of the Tuileries.”
More information – WAY more than I could ever hope to convey here (or would want to) and the rest of the above – can be found here along with a ton of other reference material both on the period, and the area.
Jane Austen remarked on Kensington Gardens as well. She mentions walks in Kensington Gardens, and that it was as well to keep your eyes open for thieves and wounded duellists, as Hyde Park was a favourite place for duels, illegal though they were. More peacefully, you could see deer and a railed enclosure on summer evenings with as many as 300 carriages full of ‘fine ladies and gentlemen. They came and drove slowly round in order to see and be seen.’
Dust was laid by sprinkler carts. The gentry did not appear on Sundays, because the populace invaded the park on their only day off. The very size of the park made it ideal for mass occasions such as army reviews.
Kensington Gardens is famous for it’s Round Pond.
Today at the end of the Serpentine you have the Italian Gardens, but this was added during the Victorian Era, so be watchful what you describe. The park has been added to and changed a lot over the years. Technically, the Serpentine Lake is in Hyde Park, not Kensington Gardens, but it’s pretty borderline.
Queen Victoria used to ride her donkey there, as a kid, regularly. So it wouldn’t be unusual to encounter her as a two or three year old. (It was a donkey – not a pony.)
Anyway… I’ll be off now.
Silke writes paranormal romance, and knows a thing or two about things going bump in the night. Although it is usually her, creeping to the kitchen at O' Dawn Thirty to score another cup of coffee.
She grew up in Germany, but her home of choice is in the UK, where she lives with her partner on the outskirts of London.
Her first book Smitten is now available from Decadent Publishing.
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