1. Men nurtured by their moms

I wonder what constitutes a fatal flaw. We’re writing. We’re told to introduce a fatal flaw. Well, don’t take that too literally unless you’re writing a tragedy or some fatalistic or nihilistic fare. No room for a romance with a happily ever after, right?

A man not loved and nurtured by his mother is nearly ruined IMO. If you have a situation like that, you’ll walk a minefield with at least two deep arcs. One arc over his mom and the other over being able to love someone in a mature way.

This problem is a great excuse to read case histories and studies on this subject. When done, try a man without a father figure or a father who didn’t love or nurture. The same goes for heroines.

It’s a rare child who can see he or she isn’t loved and decides he or she is of value and will grow up normally and be able to love. Because without examples, how will they be able to figure it out? Maybe Sponge Bob has something to say. No seriously, kids could learn from some TV character or later from some book or some great teacher how love works. Somewhere along the line, they’ll need to experience it.

Men, nurtured and loved by their moms, make better heroes or at least ones who are a little easier to write. There are plenty of other demons lurking to give your hero ‘fatal flaws.’ Try to save mom, she'd appreciate it.

No more wire hangers.

Do men like Tomboys?

 All of us have attributes of both sexes in varying degrees. A Tomboy is often labeled as competitive, especially in sports. Or they might like to fix cars, lift weights, take to hammer and nails, etc.

I can only speak for myself this time because every man has a different opinion of who they are attracted, and why. I like women who are competitive in whatever they want to do. I don't find attractive heavy weight lifting by a woman because I find myself more attracted to the waif or athletic type.

I do want a woman to challenge and I firmly believe that men and women are equals.

This is why this season of The Bachelorette (ABC) intrigues me.

Michelle Young is the bachelorette and she's a Tomboy. In high school, she finished in second place all-state basketball. This is where her urge to excel manifests itself. She was a kindergarten teacher and now teaches fifth-grade. She, at first, refused ABC's gig, because she didn't want to abandon her 'kids.' ABC rearranged the schedule to accommodate her.

She's not the kind of Tomboy who always wants to top a male, is in Doris Day's portrayal in Annie Get Your Gun. No, Michelle understands that collaboration should lead to love but don't challenge her in basketball.

In the second episode, she had her men seated in small schoolroom desks and quizzed them. Some were god awful in arithmetic, lol, and her kid helpers weren't afraid to point it out.

Michelle's fear is not being seen [as a person or as a woman]. She grew up the only bi-racial girl and didn't get asked out on dates. [Sometimes missing a part of oneself can lead to excellence in another area as compensation, hence basketball.]

Michelle is lovely and loving and would make any man a good partner.

Nesting

 Often neglected as a technique in a romance novel is showing an adult male nesting. If he's excited to prepare a room for a new baby, a mother-in-law, lol, or more to the point the lady who is about to move in and needs an office, the writer has another opportunity to enrich the story and make the characters more real. One thing I see often is the male running around trying to straighten up. Not quite the same flavor, but he gets points and the reader will wonder if he'll just backslide back into slobbery.

Getting back to self-publishing

 I thought I had it made being picked up by The Wild Rose Press for my New Adult, Romance, Cinnamon & Sugar. I did do much better sales-wise than I did with my previous books which I self-published.

After enjoying The Queen's Gambit, both as a novel and limited Netflix series I decided to write a story with chess as the theme. Since I'm also a chess master it should be easy to show the real world of tournament and match chess. It was, but when I presented it to The Wild Rose Press they turned it down because they objected to me using real chess players' names in the body of the work and it the ms. also has a small period of time in which Covid influences the story.

So I sent out queries and so far not positive responses. I'm antsy to get this story about a young black girl in a poor neighborhood, who lost her daddy and remembers the chess they shared out to the public.

So back at square one, I bought ISBN's from Bowker, found suitable front and back cover shots, and got my copyright.

Next, I decided to submit to both Amazon and IngramSpark to do my print on Demand services. IngramSpark gets the book into bookstores and Libraries as well as everywhere else and Amazon has a strong hold on the online sales via Kindle. Of course, I'll reach out to Barnes & Noble via Nook as well.

I write all this to save you time if you are thinking about self-publishing. I have chosen the best paths. You can email me anytime if you want to discuss this. I'm at rwrichard@ymail.com.

p.s. Since I am having the story professionally edited (highly recommended) I will try a small number of literary agents before I self-publish. Yes, all that I wrote cost money but if you believe in your story and think it has merit to the readers then at the very least, satisfaction will come from knowing you didn't cut corners. Next stop marketing and more spending...

The new Bachelorette

ABC writes:

After joining Matt James' season as a [very] late arrival, Michelle [Young] immediately stole The Bachelor's attention, along with the hearts of millions of Americans who fell in love with her captivating smile and charming sense of humor. A former Division 1 basketball player from Minnesota, the 28-year-old kindergarten [4^th & 5^th now] teacher now focuses on preparing her students to be the next generation of community leaders.

Michelle has big dreams for the future and says she wants a man by her side that is supportive and driven to make the world a better place [and treats her as a complete equal]. She is looking for the Superman to her Superwoman and is ready to find a love with whom she can start a family of her own.

Bob writes: Yes, and Michelle finished as runner up in Matt’s season. The moment she arrived on Matt’s season I told everyone she was my favorite. Not because she was the most beautiful. No, maybe she’s a 7 or 8 out of 10 (although her eyes are amazing.] It was her big heart that blew me away. I guess I’m a sucker for an elementary school teacher. So I await the premiere of The Bachelorette on ABC Tuesday, the 19^th, 2021. And I’ll go so far as to say she will be my favorite bachelorette. That’s saying a lot with the likes of Tayshia Adams, Ashley Hebert, and others as fond memories. I say others because I tend to forget particulars.

Call me a sap

I had a simple thought, and there are many where that came from. I walk with my wife everyday, and yesterday I observed the beauty of the trees and how they offer shelter to the birds. The birds in turn go about spreading seeds. Every living thing has a job(s) to do and all the jobs are about helping themselves and the other, be it animal, human, or vegetation.

And why? Imo, we are heading to perfection. We may never get there but things are evolving. We may fail but there are other planets. It is as if surely this experiment called life that the Creator started an infinite time ago must completely glorify and justify the purpose. It seems that on this planet only humans can consciously think these thoughts or alternative explanations. Why fight it? It sure beats nothingness. This striving toward perfection will, IMO, ceaselessly be strived to and in one form or another we will always witness and help. Call it heaven or reincarnation.

So do your part. Be a sap or sapling.

Oh, how to turn this into romance writing? It’s a job and a way of giving back the talents the Creator gave us. You are selected by yourself and currently powers beyond your full understanding to spread the seed. Love is the seed that helps all living things progress.

Erotica versus romance

A friend of mine sent a New York Times article on an Erotica (An Erotica Pioneer Goes from Hero to villain for dozens of authors)  author who was having legal trouble with her publisher. I wrote back:

Apparently, I have reached the limit of free articles and I haven't even started yet (of maybe a long time ago)... Anyway, I found the article under PressNewsAgency. Also NYT was there too but I dare not go there, lol. I read it, yay.

Now for my critique. First of all, thank you for this article. The reporter got most of it right. Naturally when you don't really know the industries a good reporter gathers disparate facts and at some point moves on because it's his/her job to continue onto another assignment. So, first off Erotica has a different purpose and shouldn't be lumped in with romance. Romance is about love. Erotica is about sex. They're separate genres. Also the reporter lumped all small, medium and independent presses into one category. A category of scammers. I got published through the Wild Rose Press a highly respected and 100% ethical publisher. They were attracted to my interracial story, which I mostly write.

Lately I have veered from romance. My latest, The Chess Master, is a story about a little girl who lost her daddy and struggles with reality, as she 'talks' to him every night. I might try a mystery, magical realism, or sci fi. I just don't know yet. How about you? what are you doing with the written word?

BTW, RWA (Romance Writers of America) is sort of imploding thanks to lingering Trumpists (IMO) who bring their virulent form of racism to the forums. They toasted me about Cinnamon & Sugar, really a sweet story. The RWA has tried to fix this problem but it struggles on. So I'm probably not going to renew in 2022, not necessarily because of their struggles but because I may be moving on to other genres as mentioned..

I hope all is well with you,

Bob

Top Pop song year by year of the twentieth century

 Music is on my mind. I had a little time so I compiled the top pop song each year from 1901 to 2000. I used Playback.fm mostly as my source. IMO, for some reason, Rhapsody in Blue became the top pop song. It is so much more than that. To me it is not only the greatest 'song' of the twentieth century, it's the best piece of music ever written and performed. As you go thru this you may say why didn't my song take number one. Sometimes things were happening in the nation that pushed a otherwise good song over a great one like Respect by Aretha Franklin considered by many to be the greatest hit. What you see below is unfiltered.

What I see is the growth of the nation in these songs, many reflect the year in which they made number one.

1901: Stars & Stripes Forever, John Philip Sousa

1902: Tell Me Pretty Maiden, Jimmy Davis

1903: In the Good Old Summertime, Haydn Quartet

1904: Uncle Josh & the Insurance Company, Cal Stewart* Comedy

1905: The Preacher and the Bear, George Fairman

1906: Nobody, Bert Williams

1907: Vesti La Giubba, Enrico Caruso

1908: Take Me out to the Ball Game, Billy Murray

1909: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Fisk University Jubilee Quartet

1910: Let Me Call You Sweetheart, Peerless Quartet

1911: Some of These Days, Sophie Tucker

1912: That Haunting Melody, Al Jolson

1913: When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Chauncy Olcott

1914: By the Beautiful Sea, Heidelberg Quintet

1915: Hello, Frisco! Olive Kline & Reinald Werrenrath

1916: Somewhere a Voice is Calling, John McCormack

1917: Over There, Nora Bayes

1918: Tiger Rag, Original Dixieland Jazz Band

1919: After You've Gone, Marion Harris

1920: Swanee, Al Jolson

1921: I Ain't Got Nobody, Marion Harris

1922: My Man, Fanny Brice

1923: Down Hearted Blues, Bessie Smith

1924: Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin* much more than a song

1925: Sweet Georgia Brown, Ben Bernie

1926: Bye Bye, Blackbird, Gene Austin

1927: Stardust, Hoagy Carmichael

1928: T For Texas (Blue Yodel No 1), Jimmie Rodgers

1929: Makin' Whoopee, Eddie Cantor

1930: Happy Days Are Here Again, Ben Selvin

1931: Minnie the Moocher Cab Calloway & his Cotton Club

1932: Night & Day, Fred Astaire & Leo Reisman

1933: Stormy Weather, Ethel Waters

1934: Moon Glow, Benny Goodman

1935: Cheek to Cheek, Fred Astaire

1936: Pennies From Heaven, Bing Crosby

1937: Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing), Benny Goodman

1938: Begin the Beguine, Artie Shaw

1939: Over the Rainbow, Judy Garland

1940: In the Mood, Glenn Miller

1941: Chattanooga Choo Choo, Glenn Miller

1942: White Christmas, Bing Crosby

1943: Paper Doll, The Mills Brothers

1944: Swinging On a Star, Bing Crosby

1945: Sentimental Journey Les Brown & Doris Day

1946: Prisoner of Love, Perry Como

1947: Near You, Francis Craig

1948: Buttons & Bows, Dinah Shore

1949: Riders in the Sky, Vaughn Monroe

1950: Mona Lisa, Nat King Cole

1951: Too Young, Nat King Cole

1952: You Belong to Me, Jo Stafford

1953: Vaya Con Dios, Les Paul & Mary Ford

1954: Mister Sandman, The Chordettes

1955: Rock Around the Clock, Bill Haley & his Comets

1956: Que sera sera, Doris Day

1957: Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Presley

1958: Tom Dooley, The Kingston Trio

1959: Mack the Knife, Bobby Darin

1960: Are You Lonesome Tonight?, Elvis Presley

1961: Let's Twist Again, Chubby Checker

1962: I Can't Stop Loving You, Ray Charles

1963: Devil in Disguise, Elvis Presley

1964: Oh, Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison

1965: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones

1966: Strangers in the Night, Frank Sinatra

1967: A Whiter Shade of Pale, Procol Harum

1968: Hey Jude, The Beatles

1969: Get Back, The Beatles

1970: Let It Be, The Beatles

1971: My Sweet Lord, George Harrison

1972: American Pie, Don McLean

1973: Angie, The Rolling Stones

1974: Kung Fu Fighting, Carl Douglas

1975: I Can Help, Billy Swan

1976: Dancing Queen, Abba

1977: Hotel California, Eagles

1978: Stayin' Alive, Bee Gees

1979: Heart of Glass, Blondie

1980: Another Brick in the Wall, Pink Floyd

1981: Bette Davis Eyes, Kim Carnes

1982: Eye of the Tiger, Survivor

1983: Flashdance What a Feeling, Irene Cara

1984: Careless Whisper, George Michael

1985: We Are the World, USA For Africa

1986: Take My Breath Away, Berlin

1987: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), Whitney Houston

1988: A Groovy Kind of Love, Phil Collins

1989: Like a Prayer, Madonna

1990: Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O'Connor

1991: (Everything I Do) I Do it For You, Bryan Adams

1992: I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston

1993: I Can't Help Falling in Love With You, UB40

1994: The Sign, Ace of Base

1995: Gangsta's Paradise, Coolio

1996: Macarena, Los Del Rio

1997: Candle in the Wind '97, Elton John

1998: My Heart Will Go On, Celine Dion

1999: Baby One More Time, Britney Spears

2000: Music, Madonna

Writing eulogies

 Eulogy writing 101

At weddings, at funerals many stand up and repeat the Pablum of often said things about the couple or dearly departed. They do this because sharing unique things about the subject injects the speaker into the speech. The speaker often thinks speaking that way will look like an ego trip.

Nonsense.

The listener wants to know more about the couple, the departed. They want to enrich their memories and if you are the only person to do it--do it.

Here’s a shortened version of my eulogy for my, which I feared would not be well received but found out afterwards that people loved it.

Mom’s Eulogy:

 INTRO (welcome, and names)

But first, so you know, for the last fifteen years mom from age 80 to 95 struggled with Alzheimer’s and she did it with grace. Not once did she get angry. Quite the reverse, she always smiled, handed out kisses. She was known for many phrases but the best one is: “All I know is that I love you.” That’s about all she knew during her struggle.

About five years ago at the Christmas Party put on by my sister, Chris, my sisters and I commiserated over mom’s disease. I blurted out, “I want my mommy back,” without realizing what I just said. Mimi then said, “you just said mommy.” Her eyebrows went up. I surprised myself. I hadn’t been drinking. I hadn’t been crying. I didn’t eat that many of Chris’s cookies. After tears did come to my eyes, I marveled over what I just said trying to understand. I thought about the complex psychology that goes into being human. I wondered if there was a little boy inside me that never left.

Since that time, I thought a lot about it and I began remembering things that led to trapping the boy inside a man. So what I’m about to share with you has never been spoken of before.

Basically, Mom and I were alone for my first five years and because Bill was a baby let’s make that seven years.

So what did mom do to make me who I am today?

Since it was just mom and I when dad went to work, she taught me many things, most of them spiritual, plus she threw in a copious amount of hugs, encouraging words, and later lunch bag notes. I had no pre-K, just mom.

First of all, and most important, she taught me to pray with her the rosary every day. Is it any wonder I became an altar boy or when finishing St. Joe’s College, toyed with becoming a priest? She even took me over to Saint Cecilia’s to join the choir. That didn’t go well, but I tried for her sake because to her I could sing on American Bandstand. I wish. Move over Little Richard for a littler Richard.

Most fun of all, her girlfriends would come over some days and they and mom took turns teaching me to jitterbug, waltz, and whatever I could do without falling down. They’d take my hand and twirl me around. But I fell more times than Chevy Chase. I wish I retained those lessons. Now I dance like Big Bird. As remedial learning, I usually snuck down the basement’s steps to watch the couples dance on Saturday night. My mom and dad, always in love, danced on and on. No wonder I’m an incurable romantic.

Thank you, mom.

I was getting an allowance that I don’t think dad knew about. Mom knew I was interested in the chess set sold for a dollar at the Rexall across from Saint Cecilia’s because I stopped buying nickel candies and I told her I thought the game was cool. Some how my five weeks of five nickels turned into twenty nickels in one day. I never questioned it. It was not a miracle, it was a miracle named mom.

Thank you, mom.

She always told us that we had a purpose, which was to love our neighbor and that all people are neighbors and to love God. Every day she would take me aside and talk about faith and love. I thought I was living with a nun but I knew she was my mom and she danced way too much to be a nun. Besides, there was this guy who came home every night and after a while a whole bunch of kids. No matter the number of kids, mom always showed love for each of us.

She also taught us that love is an action word. Just saying I love you means nothing if you can’t put energy into it.

Thank you, Mom.

She even had a ruler with the golden rule written across it. Which she playfully chased us around with when we did something naughty. But really, I was never naughty. Why would I be with super mom always near?

My mom, with one baby on her hip always said we had two choices, both of them hers.

I told her I was shy with girls and she taught me that everybody wants to be treated with kindness and that I should just talk to them and listen.

I’m listening, Mom.

Thank you so much for celebrating with us the greatest woman any of us had the blessed providence to call, mommy.

We miss you.

Thank you, Mom.

The Kiss

The Kiss

Perhaps the most intimate way of sharing and showing love. The Kiss shows affection, that you care. You could kiss your dog, friend, lover, even a tree. It’s all about recognizing that we are not alone and want to celebrate the beauty of life.

A romance novel without showing any given kiss is sorely lacking, IMO. Some writers become hyper aware of the altered state brought on by sex but forget that the kiss is the perfect glue that holds elements of all the emotions swirling around intimacy.

In a scene with a kiss, we must show not tell, because it is that important (especially in a romance novel). Kisses can be life changing.

Perhaps you have met in your life’s travels a person who harbors a secret crush. In greeting they seem unsure if they should go for your lips but you head for her/his cheek. There’s drama there that most people are unaware of. This is the stuff of story arcs and character development.

On a lighter note I have seen people kiss a bear bottle and isn’t there a candy called a kiss?

Drama as a tool in romance

 Why is the Bachelor in Paradise gaining quickly in popularity? It's all the drama. If people want to stay on the show somebody has to give him/her a rose. The problem is they spend so much time with that person to stay on the show that some develop feelings. I know, kind of backwards but it works. There have been many engagements and some marriages.

When writing romance there's nothing wrong with someone dating for the wrong reasons. It is a frequent plot device. Here, the reader wants someone or both to have a change of heart. In any case the reader reads on in the hope that the two dummies will finally realize they are meant for each other.

If you'd like to watch a bunch of dummies going crazy Bachelor In Paradise is for you.

The male point of view in romance novels.

I started this blog years ago, in my mind, to correct misinformation about the male POV.

In so many romance novels men were treated as Alpha beasts attracted to large breasts and more simple in their thoughts. Therefore, suggesting that they think less, certainly speak less (true on the average), and let their penis decide issues.

I displayed alternative ways of writing the male character. I suggested renaissance thinking as a possibility for a mindset, that a decent percentage of men preferred an Audrey Hepburn to a Marilyn Monroe.

And now* I recommend men who support the ‘me too’ movement, racial equality, religious freedom, gender issues, and choices, etc. If you are stuck on alpha men, why not nuance them with these?

All humans have flaws, and all the better they show up in a novel as something that will change perhaps with the help of his or her opposite.

And as a suggestion, here's a quote from Writer's Digest: "Because a romance involves a man and a woman, each character participates in the development of the romance and the resolution of the conflicts." Write on.

*I've always felt this way.

Cultural appropriation

Wiki: Cultural appropriation is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from minority cultures….

Did I appropriate, which sort of rhymes with propagate, my Filipina wife, lol. I remember some people telling me I shouldn’t mix tribes because that’s what the Bible teaches. Believe me, I was not impressed by that argument. It’s a false read, often used by the KKK.

As authors, do we have a responsibility to not write about other cultures than our own? Of course not. If so all fiction would be auto-biographical. I can’t tell you where that leaves the sci-fi people. Words would be banned because they’re all appropriated.

Seriously though—do write stories with sensitivity, but don’t buy into you were never a dog so how can you write using a dog’s point of view? My first book had a wolf POV and I loved every word I wrote. My first book also went back in time 100,000 so I guess I appropriated Neanderthals and peoples leaving Africa. No one complained.

They call America a melting pot for a reason.

Query letters

Queries are hard to write. The only way to know if you got it right is if an agent asks you to send a full manuscript. This is the email query I sent that made an agent ask for a full and who knows if they'll like it.

Dear xxxxx,

We met at, or I know you from, or we share a common interest in fiction about multi-culturalism.

I often write about beautiful, smart heroines from marginalized communities. My story is like a contemporary version of The Queen's Gambit but more realistic—as a chess master I know if you want to win, drugs or alcohol will stop you. [This reference comes from The Queen's Gambit. If the agent doesn't get it, then to my way of thinking he/she isn't right for this project.]

My publisher The Wild Rose Press doesn’t do coming-of-age stories. The Chess Master, a 66,000-word contemporary is a novel set first in Camden NJ then NYC. A little black girl, Tayshia, from a rundown neighborhood, loses her daddy but keeps him in her heart primarily through memories of playing chess with him.

It is also a story about her two sisters, brother, Mom, the family’s friends, and an ex-spy who all travel the journey with her as she xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. The ex-spy must eliminate his nemesis xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Roadblocks confront them on the journey but it is her growth that is the crux of the story.

Sami Robinson, a woman of color, and author of Broken Toy has collaborated with me on the story. Sami is at: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxgmail.com.

The ms. has been endorsed and edited by Doctor Leroy Dubeck, former United States Chess Federation President, Cy Lakdawala, pre-eminent author of 50 chess books published through Everyman Chess and/or New in Chess, and Ann Robson, a gifted author who belongs to my critique group. I am an RWA member and have held board positions with RWASD (San Diego). Check in with my editor at The Wild Rose Press Judi Mobley at judi@thewildrosepress.com if you like. Leroy and Cy are renowned influencers in chess. I too have a strong chess following.

ABC’s The Bachelorette

Lately ABC seems to think that spicing up the show with late entries is the way to grow market share. I did my master’s thesis on this subject and made formulas to suggest a better approach. I know I can’t match the various full time specialists who tweak things.

But everybody I know who enjoys the Bachelor franchise says the same thing. They’re attracted to true love because true love is what everybody wants in their lives and they don't like the tricks. The number of tricks ABC employs should be inversely proportional to audience share.

I am the man who argues with himself. On the other hand, in a romance novel, there are always roadblocks, that come along and seem to spell disaster for the couple or about to be couple. The ‘couple,’ we all want to see together if the story is written properly. But are the tricks and trops the same thing. I think not. Because fiction is different than reality, right?. Fiction takes us to unlikely heights whereas most people live by their hearts and rather than count the bumps on their journey they recount the joy of loving someone.

This season had a guy in the final four who floored me with his irrationality. He walked off because Katie wouldn’t declare her love, no matter how many assurances she gave. Damn, he’s on a show in which he knows that the bachelorette must keep her feelings close to her vest out of respect for the other three men left.

So did ABC go wrong with its tricks? Actually you decide by turning on or tuning out. If you watch, it is likely you’ll see a train wreck rather than a love story. If you like train wrecks rent the movie The Fugitive. If you love love, well let’s hope for Katie’s sake that it comes together for her tomorrow night.

Stimulus, organism(s), response

One way and a very good way of writing is to always keep SOR in your thoughts and have it show up on the page.

It could be simple things. I’m currently in my third draft of The Chess Master. Here I copy a scene into Natural Reader (the free version is good enough) I listen and read along as it speaks and take notes. You not only catch missing periods, etc. but catch stilted sentences, missing reactions, or ways to enrich the story.

Not everything written need be reacted to by the other person on the receiving end of the remark or question. Sometimes it’s better to leave the obvious to the imagination of the reader. Especially at the end of a scene.

Stimulus: Something physical and/or mental is happening to your character.

Organism: The body and/or the mind reacts, which must be true to human nature and your character(s). If your character is not human, I always say, wow. That is hard, rewarding, and fun.

Response: Use body language to describe the response unless it is the POV character. The POV character can observe the body language, speculate on its meaning (or not), and also have some body language sprinkled in depending on how in depth you want the action of the moment to go. The none-POV character however can carry it further with extended reactions. Perhaps a fight ensues.

So I listen to my story and I note that the littlest girl in the family does not say anything while an older sister teases her. Okay that’s simple, but I forgot. So the mere sticking out of her tongue enriched the story.

The MacGuffin

The MacGuffin is a plot device. Wiki: “The MacGuffin(McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself.

Director and producer Alfred Hitchcock popularized the term MacGuffin and the technique with his 1935 film The 39 Steps, an early example of the concept. Hitchcock explained the term MacGuffin in a 1939 lecture at Columbia University in New York City:

It might be a Scottish name, taken from a story about two men on a train. One man says, 'What's that package up there in the baggage rack?' And the other answers, 'Oh, that's a MacGuffin'. The first one asks, 'What's a MacGuffin?' 'Well,' the other man says, 'it's an apparatus for trapping lions in the Scottish Highlands.' The first man says, 'But there are no lions in the Scottish Highlands,' and the other one answers, 'Well then, that's no MacGuffin!' So you see that a MacGuffin is actually nothing at all.

Bob: But it is often something. In Pyscho, it’s the money stolen from the bank by a supporting character. In the Maltese Falcon, it’s the bird, which happens to be fake. In a romance, it could be a never-sent love letter, a lost charm, a mythical pearl. It drives the plot. Often it is a good substitute for horrible things happening to the hero or heroine, IMO. Why, because some stories are primarily interior driven. Since we need some action to propel the story and characters forward and something visual other than their pretty faces etc., the McGuffin serves as a focal point for the readers as an important reason to keep reading. There is some contention over whether the audience cares about the fate of the McGuffin. Hitchcock says no. Lucas says yes. I say it depends on how your story is written and what you hope to achieve. I like a novel in which there is a “b” story surrounding the McGuffin. In The Maltese Falcon, the bird represents greed and how far men will compromise their morals. So the “b” story is the corruption of men.

As my grandson informed me, it is important not to confuse the McGuffin with the McMuffin.

It’s a matter of taste.

I'm so tensed up

 

Verb Tenses exerpted from Grammarly

Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future. The past is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, three years ago). The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous. The future tense describes things that have yet to happen (e.g., later, tomorrow, next week, next year, three years from now).

The following table illustrates the proper use of verb tenses:

Simple Present	Simple Past	Simple Future
I read nearly every day.	Last night, I read an entire novel.	I will read as much as I can this year.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	Future Continuous
I am reading Shakespeare at the moment.	I was reading Edgar Allan Poe last night.	I will be reading Nathaniel Hawthorne soon.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	Future Perfect
I have read so many books I can’t keep count.	I had read at least 100 books by the time I was twelve.	I will have read at least 500 books by the end of the year.
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous	Future Perfect Continuous
I have been reading since I was four years old.	I had been reading for at least a year before my sister learned to read.	I will have been reading for at least two hours before dinner tonight.

I’ve been writing for years and never knew there were so many variations on tense. Typical critique group comments go something like get rid of “was” in was drinking and write drank. Something always bothered me about it but I did not protest. The bother was in the feeling that I wanted to show continuous action. Was is alos associated with passive verbs. She was devastated can be mistakenly changed into She devastated. This changes the meaning and should be avoided. Perhaps I’m not saying anything you don’t know but if this helps just one of my friends then this post will have been worth it.

Love in the Afternoon

My wife and I found an incredible classic movie on TCM called Love in the Afternoon starring an aging Gary Cooper and a twenty-something Audrey Hepburn.

As a writer, I loved the witty dialogue, far better dialogue than anything I have seen or read recently.

As a man, I fell in love with Audrey all over again, and in this movie, it is especially easy to do. Also, Audrey is especially vulnerable here as she puts her inexperienced heart on the line for a playboy.

Me as one of the editors of my manuscripts, how could I not watch a Billy Wilder film? The story exudes charm, wit, fantastic dialogue, location (Paris), romance, intrigue, suspense, comedic moments.

The first time you hear Audrey speak, it is simple, “PaPa,” said with her famous lilt. She’s responding to her father’s call, Maurice Chevalier. He’s a private investigator who has Gary Cooper, a dissolute aging American industrialist, sighted in his binoculars.

Maurice reports to the jealous husband who decides he’ll shoot Gary.

Audrey is against violence and stops the attempted murder in a most hilarious way. Gary later said about her non-violence, “What are you, some sort of religious nut?” I possibly paraphrased.

The film is in black and white but that does not diminish the extreme beauty of our heroine. Funny thing about a film full of funny things. She won’t give her name to Gary, so he describes her as not his type by calling her, “thin girl.”

I won’t give away the plot. This you could do easily online. It is much better to just find it and watch it.

Disclaimer: This is not a review. I believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I’d love to hear how you felt about this movie.

Speaking of movies; For the fourth of July I recommend Yankee Doodle Dandy, which is being shown on TCM this afternoon.

The big if

 No, this is not about a plot point. I have been fortunate to land three author collaborators for my new novel, The Chess Master. Which is not out yet because I'm searching for a publisher. The Wild Rose Press does not do coming of age stories like mine.

Why am I fortunate because of the collaborators? Did you self publish and struggle to find an audience? I did? I even struggled with my traditionally published book, Cinnamon & Sugar. Okay so what's the secret?

1. If you have friends that are writers and are more advanced in success with sales than you than ask them if they'd like to collaborate for a percentage. Hint: try ten percent of your gross.

2. Put your ego aside. You have a great story but because of the flood of books people aren't finding you (me).

One collaborator of mine has written more than 50 chess books and is preeminent in his field.

Another, the best man at my wedding, was the former president of the U.S. Chess Federation and has written a few books. he refused the 10%, and suggested a gift if it does well. It will.

Third but not least is a non-fiction author who is also an editor. She has made suggestions as they all will.

You tell me if this is a recipe for success. Time will also tell.

Note: I know it is not easy to land a successful; author on your team but it is worth a try. After all some small percentage for little work helps anyone who is trying to write for pay.

Note: The Chess Master is like The Queen's Gambit, but contemporary and with a heroine from different circumstances.

A possible tagline or blurb: A little girl loses her daddy and is left with the chess he taught her to remember him by.

Rhapsody in Black and White

I sat through my grandson’s participation in a band concert at Buena Vista High School last night and marveled at how the kids did such a great job with Rhapsody in Blue. Could I find an analogy to writing? Maybe.

Rhapsody in Blue evokes strong emotions in me with no guide book or words. I don’t know how it affects you, but its mix of Jazz and Classical illustrates an ode to life in New York City. A never ending, never sleeping, always competing, always yearning story of living in the Big Apple. Of course, this cacophony is subjective.

What about writing? The best writing pulls on your soul, takes you somewhere beyond the black and white. It may be as simple as walking along with Sherlock Holmes as he solves a crime, or as joyous as Hamilton.

Our job as writers is not only to write concretely but to engage the reader emotionally. Anything less is not a rhapsody. It may be a jingle and that’s okay.

So how do I get from George Gershwin’s Rhapsody to writing? Maybe I don’t. The best I can do is say that even though Rhapsody has no words, it is as clear to me as the writing of Hemingway. Anybody care to complete this analogy?

Unique mix of abilities

If you are wondering how to make it big in publishing you may have missed an intricacy that I only recently spotted. Each one of us has a unique set of talents. Ask yourself what do you have in a combination of talents that no one or not many have.

Then write the story.

I’ll offer myself as an example. I’m a United States Chess Master and I also write fiction, mainly romance. But I have written using magical realism, historical, pre-historical.

I often thought I should write a story about chess but I wasn’t focused on what direction the story should take and besides my romances were selling. I pictured a chess master so good in his deductive reasoning that he or she becomes a consultant to the police, but I have yet to write it. Busy.

Then, The Queen’s Gambit, was released by Netflix (it follows Walter Tevis’s book of the same name). This gave me an idea. In The Queen’s Gambit, the story stops before the heroine has a shot at becoming the world champion. What if I could write a contemporary story following a child and his or her damaged family (they lost their father) as he or she develops their chess talent. Then take the story to where he or she actually wins the championship.

This concept has captured the interest of an agent and may also be sellable by The Wild Rose Press under women’s fiction. I haven’t asked them yet. I am sure it will get a publisher so stay tuned.

So, how are you unique and what will you write for us?

10,000 words in a week

I was asked how I can write 10,000 words in a week.

Bear in mind at that pace editing will take up a substantial amount of time. Perhaps the average would end up being 5000 words a week. I can only write that fast if I know where the story is going and I love my characters.

Loving your characters is like giving birth and nurturing for a life time. Once you start to feel the empathy for the struggle your characters are going through, your readers will too. Once they become three-dimensional, they are alive in your mind and the readers. Think back. Pick any unforgettable character. You blink and they are real. How about Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca? Or any?

So loving your characters, creating them like Frankenstein did. You give them life. If they have life let them lead you through each chapter. They know best their needs. Your job is to make it harder for them to get what they want until you give it to them. So writing 10,000 words in a week is easy if you let go and let your characters do the driving, as long as you’re in that car with the map.

Who are those people?

Has your significant other ever told you, you have too many characters? Has your critique group ever asked you who are these people you are writing about?

This is a common syndrome that may or may not require you to fix something in your writing.

First, take the case of that person you love who puts your book down after chapter three. There is such a thing as the Jesus of Nazareth syndrome. Jesus had a hard time with the folks in his home town believing that he was the Messiah. Shouldn’t your significant other believe in you too, lol? In the case of the disinterested partner, count your blessings. She loves you but sees you as that young man she married. Just drop it, you still have a couple million readers, right?

The critique group problem is complicated:

Are they senile? No, they can’t be expected to remember completely the past chapters. Do you, theirs?

Some critters have a reminder at the top of the first page as to who’s who and what’s what.

I don’t because I believe in the perhaps old fashioned dictum: Every scene must stand on its own. I.e. have arcs, identifiable characters, hooks, sequel. After all, the reader won’t have those little reminders when your book is out. NOTE: readers read at a much quicker pace. Critters reading at best once a week causes problems you won’t meet in the real world.

So when I get that critter complaint I think about how to improve the text without writing little reminders. Even though in my present story it is only one POV, I will try to have the name of the POV character show up in the first paragraph along with the purpose of the scene if possible.

In the story I’m currently writing, the POV character has 1 brother and 2 sisters. Who are these people morphs into how old are they. Okay, I just reviewed the scene, the teenaged and older sister takes the 7 & 5 year old to a basketball court. I need to stress words that accentuate the age but I will not say, okay now, in this scene the POV 7 year old has a sister 5 and a sister 14. Sorry, at some point you just have to move on and realize that there might be a touch of the Jesus of Nazareth syndrome in some members of your group. Afterall Jesus is good company.

Of course, there are creative ways of letting the reader know ‘things.’ Just don’t let it slow down the story or read clunky.

How much time does it take to write a novel?

How do those people who write a book in a month do it?

IMO, they harness either consciously or unconsciously a technique used by professional writers who are always under deadline. They just write.

A professional writer under deadline is always setting goals and figuring out how to get to them. The Nano writer (writes without a publisher) takes the month, decides on the word count, divides by thirty and writes that amount per day. For instance if you have a 60,000 word goal then 30 divided into 60,000 equals 2000 words a day. Of course family, friends, lovers get in the way so let’s say you only have twenty days in a month. That’s 3000 per day. This is more realistic. But how to do it. Well, have a morning and then an afternoon session of 1500 each.

The Nano writer must have a goal for their characters, must have conflict in mind for every scene, must know the general direction and try to picture the path to get there. And most of all, the writer must have perseverance. Why? Because in the end she has no agent, publisher, or editor.

A professional writer has it all but still must perform. Their product will be more polished because they have and will go through the editing process with an experienced pro who had or will work for the publisher of their previous and present efforts.

So how can a Nano writer score? It is not a taboo if you have a favorite agent who has tried for you in the past or likes your idea and says the magic words, “let me see it when it is done,” you’re on your way. But it is so much better if you have an editor that can fit your timeframe. Hey, you could always take two or three months (or more). Many professionals do. Include time for a turnaround with an editor that you might hire.

The more you commit, Nano or not, to a writing speed and stick to it, the more professional you become and the more likely your story will get published.

On another note, some authors take a year or two but who has the time? Tighten it up. If you can’t now you will next time.

Correspondence between the sexes.

A female friend and writer has been having a discussion with me about The Bachelor Franchise and I thought you'd like to dive into the reality of our conversation, the other person to remain nameless.

HER: The show I was watching about "reality" tv also asked Jason & Molly if they made love in the FS [fantasy suite] and Molly had a coy look on her face and said something about not wanting to buy a car without a test drive. When asked if he and the one he dumped had sex, he declined to answer out of respect for her privacy. NOT like that's a big surprise to many of us, but it does seem a bit nasty IMO. Not nasty per se, but that he is having his cake and eating it too, just like during MYYYYY formative years. A few friends and I have often discussed how we allowed ourselves to be taken advantage of back in the day... Be thankful you weren't born with a P*****Y - all the boys were always after it!!!!

HIM: I remember a girl who on first sitting inside her dad's parked car, we necked. Then she stroked me without me asking. I didn't know to ask anyway and it was on the outside of my pants. Nothing came of it, lol. I wasn't ready yet.

Maybe they should change the name of the show to Having your Cake and Eating it too. Nah, too long.

I believe it is just human nature. If you hang with a girl or two or three for three months straight and visa versa you are going to have very strong feelings. For instance, pick a movie star or two, let's say you had to work everyday for three months with George Clooney and Denzel Washington or better yet you're stuck on an island hoping to be rescued (but maybe not too much) for three months. How would you feel and what would you do especially if the men told you they loved you?

I'd say you'd fall faster then Newton's apple.

Confirmation Bias

Noun: a particular tendency, trend, inclination, feeling, or opinion, especially one that is preconceived or unreasoned:

illegal bias against older job applicants,

the magazine’s bias toward art rather than photography,

our strong bias in favor of the idea,

unreasonably hostile feelings or opinions about a social group prejudice.

Luckily, as writers we have a huge advantage. The reader is with us at least for the length of the book. They consider your story themes, or purpose because they are alone, have empathy for your characters who are making the main point which is factually based if during that time you are writing for good, not evil, or for truth not falsehood. The reader is likely to be mulling over the premise all the time, especially if the reader identifies with the protagonist(s) struggle.

Where do we see bias in everyday life. There are people who believe vaccines cause autism with overwhelming opposing scientific evidence. People don’t change, at least not quickly. This is why you have a unique chance to write a story of virtue. Write the next To Kill a Mockingbird. Just don’t be heavy handed. Heavy handed is telling whereas a great novel shows. It casts light on the path to truth. Is there any greater truth than true love and the mount of good it does for two people and those around them?

Dialogue is King

 Last week at RWASD we were entertained by Jane Porter, New York Times & USA Today best selling author. She is also the founder and editorial director of Tule Productions.

I could see form the way she approached the subject of dialogue that anyone who took to heart and pen what she said would become a more popular author.

Here's some highlights that I found valuable:

Since she reads a ton of manuscripts she appreciates dialogue more. It carries the story. She recommends the majority of the writing should be dialogue. I believe she said 70%!!

Dialogue should progress the plot

Reveal character

Contain emotional context

Entertain

Tidbits: men communicate authority, women communicate to connect. Relate real, not stereotypical dialogue. Women use much more words than men. {I say men internalize rather than speaking out.}. Set deadlines in the story. Never forget the conflict in every scene. Make speeches brief. Pay attention to pacing (fast is good). Don't forget interruptions, it's reality.

Establish the reason the protagonist takes the journey. It is better if it is based in social concerns rather than pure ego (specifically selfishness). {I think ego is good if it is part of an arc toward redemption.}

I have already improved my WIP because of her.

My daughter's memory

On my daughter Lani's last birthday she thanked everybody for keeping a little bit of distance. A couple kids were not tended to by their parents and hugged her. They had colds. I was horrified and immediately removed them. Today, she would ask you to follow the CDC guidelines for it will soon be over, hopefully. Lani was very much for promoting civil rights and the responsibilities that come with. Honor her memory for me.