Because You Asked

Answers to questions posed to me recently on writing.

Read HERE.

Blessings,

Vicki

PACING--NOVEL RHYTHM

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NOTE: This is a six-page article, posted on Vicki's website in her My Kitchen Table Blog.


Pacing, novel rhythm, creative writing, writer's zone, writers library, vicki hinze

The Power of Craft

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writing craft, writing business, writers' zone, writer's zone, writers library, vickihinze

SIGNIFICANCE AND REALISM

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significance, realism, author, writer, novelist, career strategy, vickihinze, vicki hinze, writers library, writers zone, creative writing

FTC Move to Regulate Blogs

I’ve gotten several emails on this, so I thought I’d address the matter here.

Yes, I have heard that the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is moving to regulate blogs. What I’ve found in looking at this, is that the attempt has to do with truth in advertising on blogs, not the content of blogs.

It does impact reviewer sites and authors in that if you provide a book for review and the book isn’t returned to you, that must be disclosed by the reviewer or review site.

Thus far, in what I’ve learned, a simple note (main page of site to avoid constant repetition) stating “A copy of the books reviewed on this site were provided by publishers, publicists, authors, or other interested parties.”

At the time of this post, I haven’t seen or heard of other requirements that this statement wouldn’t cover. If and when I do, I’ll pass along what I learn.

Blessings,

Vicki



Celebrating the release of Kill Zone with a $25 gift card and an autographed copy. Enter the drawing HERE

Guest Blogging: What I Learned From...

I’m guest-blogging at In My Humble Opinion today and will be responding to comments off and on all day today.

You’re welcome to join me. I look forward to a lively discussion!

There is also a “Commenter’s Contest.” More on that at the site.

Blessings,

Vicki






Celebrating the release of Kill Zone with a $25 gift card and an autographed copy. Enter the drawing HERE

Vicki Hinze, Kill Zone, what I learned from, guest blogger, comment contest, TJ Bennett

WORK ETHIC

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work ethic, contentment, success, fulfillment, vicki hinze, writers library, work, when I grow up, career, strategy

Comment to Win

Interested in winning a copy of Kill Zone?


Visit TJ Bennett’s In My Humble Opinion Blog today and leave a comment.


Couldn’t be easier!


Blessings,


Vicki






kill zone, Vicki Hinze, books, novels, suspense novels, creative writing

P R I O R I T I E S

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Priorities, creative writing, writers, authors, novelists, conflict,characters, writing life, writers library, library, vicki hinze, career strategy

FOLLOW YOUR BLISS

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bliss, direction, guidance, self-help, self-improvement, career strategy, vicki hinze, Vicki Hinze, Writers Zone, career

Write What You Know

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writing, creative writing, author, novelist, writer, novels, books, vicki hinze, vickihinze, writers zone, writers library

SUCCESS: BEN FRANKLIN STYLE!

I've just uploaded a new feature article on SUCCESS: BEN FRANKLIN STYLE!

If you'd like to read it, click HERE.

Blessings,

Vicki

VICKI HINZE
www.vickihinze.com
Kill Zone, 7/09
FORGET ME NOT, 3/10




success, Benjamin Franklin, virtues, keys to success, vicki hinze, vickihinze, writers zone, writers library, self-help, self-improvement, writers, authors, novelists, creative writing, characterization, character, personal growth

EFFECTIVE NARRATIVE

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narrative, author, writer, novelist, creative writing, novel writing, vicki hinze, vickihinze, effective narrative, writers library

PLOT BOARD

What is a Plot Board? And why do I need one?

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plot board, plotting, characterization, creative writing, author, novelist, writer, writing tools, vicki hinze, writers library

Mixing Points of View in Your Novel

Can you mix first-and-third-person points of view in a novel?

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Remember to enter Vicki's monthly contest:


ENTER HERE





Our libraries are struggling to operate under extreme budget cuts. Show your support by adding the following icon to your site, social network pages, and be a friend to your local library.

I created this graphic, and permission is granted to copy and display on any family-friendly site/page.









mixing point of view, point of view, author, writer, creative writing, vicki hinze, novelist, libraries, library, support your local library, contest, writers contest, author contest, books, novels, writers

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBARY

Libraries are suffering extreme budget cuts. Show your support.
I created the graphic above and give permission for you to use it on your family-friendly website and social-networking pages.

If you want a different size, snag it off my website at: www.vickihinze.com

Blessings,

Vicki

www.vickihinze.com






libraries, library, support your local library, Vicki Hinze, budget cuts

2009 August Newsletter

The August 2009 monthly newsletter has been posted. To read it online, click HERE.


Vicki Hinze, vickihinze, newsletter, author news, vickihinze.com, forget me not, kill zone

CLOSURE

In 1991, America was in the first Gulf War. As well as general concern for our troops and country, I had a husband and son in two different branches of the military then. This war was up close and personal, and I was deeply invested in news and monitoring closely.

I remember the day we learned Navy pilot Scott Speicher went missing.
Over the years, he was deemed dead, missing in action. There were sightings that included his name written on the wall in an Iraqi jail cell. His status was changed, his formal status in the military considered multiple times, but his case remained opened.

At the onset of the second Iraqi war, I heard a news broadcast with a marine who said, “We leave no man behind” and I thought of Scott Spiecher. He was gone but not forgotten.

That comment, often spoken with and heard by others with pride that our soldiers are
so devoted to each other and to us, haunted me. What about Scott?

And the storyteller took over, in a book I wrote and dedicated to Capt. Speicher and his family, HER PERFECT LIFE.

In it, a female pilot is shot down and deemed dead. Her husband and two small children mourn her, and then move on with their lives because as human beings that’s what we do.

Only our pilot wasn’t dead. And she spent the next six years being held prisoner by a tribal band.

And then she’s rescued--and that’s where the real story begins.

She comes home, unwilling to speak about her time in captivity. Others assume she’s doing so because she doesn’t want to remember. The truth is, she can’t remember. The tortures endured were too horrific and she’d survived by blocking them out, focusing only on getting home to her husband and her kids.

Only home isn’t there anymore. Her husband has remarried. Her children are strangers and unsure they want to know her. They love their stepmother--and on getting to know her, our returning heroine is full of anger and outrage at her perfect life being stolen and she can’t even hate the woman who replaced her because she’s been wonderful to her kids.

And so begins the work to rebuild a life from ashes. A future when everything that mattered to her was gone.

HER PERFECT LIFE. Shattered. Gone.

But in doing that work, our heroine Katie, discovers she hadn’t lost her perfect life. Her perfect life is now.

It’s quite a journey for Katie. For her husband, his wife, the children, and Katie’s co-pilot who was certain she was dead.
READ MORE


Scott Speicher, Her Perfect Life, closure, memory, author, writer, novelist, creative writing, grief, mourning, loss, not knowing, vicki hinze, writers library

Contest & Call-In Radio Q & A for Writers/Readers

Contest Drawing:
Enter a drawing for a $25 gift card and an autographed copy of KILL ZONE, Vicki's new release. Enter here




TONIGHT, SAT. 8/1/2009 @ 7-9 PM CST

MPR LIVE RADIO SHOW

Call in with your questions on publishing and writing--craft, business, or the writing life.

I’ll be on from 8-9 PM CST with Hope Tarr.

Heather Graham, Cherif Fortin and Lynn Sanders will be on from 7-8 PM CST.

There’s a drawing for Heather’s new book.


Link to the show:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/medallionpress

Talk Radio, writing, authors, novels, novelists, publishing, creative writing, Medallion Press, MPR radio, Vicki Hinze, Heather Graham, Cherif Fortin, Lynn Sanders, Hope Tarr

Creating Character: Details, The Stuff of Life

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characterization, author, writer, novelist, creative writing, details, anchors, vickihinze, Vicki Hinze, writers' zone

The Overworked Writer

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overworked, vicki hinze, vickihinze, writers library, creative writing, author, writer, novelist

MPR Vicki Hinze and Dawn Schiller

MPR Vicki Hinze and Dawn Schiller

Shared via AddThis

Mark Your Calendars: Call In Radio Show

On August 1st from 7 - 9 PM, I’ll be doing a two-hour radio program on MPR at blogtalkradio.com on writing with host, Paul Ohlsen and fellow writers, Heather Graham and Hope Tarr. I’ll have more info on this in a week or so, but wanted to tell you ASAP because the topic is writing and it’s live. You’re welcome to call in your questions and/or comments.


Blessings,


Vicki


PS. Thanks for your reports that KILL ZONE is sold out at Barnes & Noble from Mobile, AL to Tallahassee, FL. Bless you, Readers! More are on the way, and of course, they can be ordered online. I am trying to get additional copies to libraries, as well. Like everyone else, they’re suffering tough economic times and with budget cuts are able to get fewer copies. Trying to help supplement.

Writing: Is It Worth It?

IS WRITING WORTH IT?

Yes, When You Write from the Heart


As writers, we often ask ourselves if writing is worth the sacrifices it takes. We often wonder if we should keep writing or stop. We often wonder if we’re going to get to the end of our life and look back with regret that we spent it as we did.

If you’re like most writers, you’ve wondered these things and more. And if you’re a people person you’ve no doubt asked yourself this type of thing even more because writing requires you to spend so much time alone.

For many writers, it’s a dilemma. But it’s one I’d like to solve for writers today through two examples . . . READ MORE


Creative Writing, writing, authors, novelists, writers, writers library, vicki hinze

TRRC Guest Blogger Today: WORTH

Today, I'm guest blogging at TRRC, and I thought you might be interested in reading the post. It has to do with worth, and the value we place on what we do with our lives.

You can read the post HERE.

Blessings,

Vicki

Blogtalk Radio Interview Today at 2 PM

I'm doing an interview on blogtalkradio.com today at 2 PM. Listen in HERE.


blogtalkradio, interviews, kill zone, Vicki Hinze, books, suspense novels

Mistakes We Make: 13

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Mistakes We Make: #12 of 13

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Mistakes Writers Make: Part 11

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MISTAKES WE MAKE: PART 10

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WHY WRITERS SHOULD BE READING #IRANELECTION ON TWITTER

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...


I’m interrupting my Mistakes We Make posts, because this opportunity will not wait.


As writers, we write about people. About the human condition. We connect with readers through emotion, which means writers must be students of emotion.


Right now the people of Iran are risking death--and indeed some are dying--and being imprisoned for a cause well known to Americans: freedom. With 140% of the population voting in many districts, the people feel betrayed, disrespected and undervalued by their leaders. They are passionate and their emotions are raw.


When emotions are raw, there is no veneer. You see actions and reactions that are impassioned and that cut close to the bone. If you want to know what someone is really thinking, observe them in an emotional situation. The more intense the emotion, the more honest and overt the reaction.


As human beings, we have felt many of the emotions being felt in force right now. Betrayal, hurt, feeling helpless and hopeless and small and insignificant. I am but one. What can I do? We’ve felt that. In observing it, we remember it, and we feel the violations all over again. That creates a bond of empathy, which is why if you are following on Twitter and have been since the weekend, you see posts that say things like, “Stay safe, my brother” or “today we’re all Iranian.” It isn’t that the speakers are related or they’ve changed their allegiance to their own country, it’s that they empathize so intensely with the injustice the other person is feeling, they align.


I’ve seen acts of great courage. One man posted before going to march in the first protest that he didn’t need to sleep because “today I die.” He believed--and for just cause since 7,000 were executed for defiance before--that if he went, he would die. But he went. And thousands on Twitter held their collective breaths until he returned and posted. We all understand fear. We all recognize courage. We all . . .


READ ARTICLE


Tags: character, emotion, empathy, creative writing, author, writer, novelist, books, #iranelection, writers library, vicki hinze

Mistakes We Make: Part 9

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MISTAKES WE MAKE #8

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Mistakes We Make: Part 7 of 13

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Self-Sabotage, errors, mistakes, discretion, human relations, vicki hinze, writers library, authors, writers, novelists, creative writing, author/editor relations

Mistakes We Make: Part 6

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MISTAKES WRITERS MAKE--PART 5 OF 13

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Mistakes, errors, flaws, judgment, wisdom, goofs, procrastination, solutions, constructive resolutions, resolve, determination, writers library, vicki hinze

MISTAKES WRITERS MAKE #4

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Mistakes We Make: Part 3

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MISTAKES WE MAKE: PART 2 OF 8

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MISTAKES WE MAKE, PART 1

This is Part 1 of 8.


READ THE ARTICLE


Tags: authors, writers, novelists, mistakes writers make, creative writing, writers library, vicki hinze

WRITERS: LOVE THE LIFE

READ THE ARTICLE

Strength/Weakness

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TAGS: creative writing, writing strengths, writing weaknesses, author, novelist, writer, writers library, vicki hinze

Heart Weary: 5 Tips for Relief

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Tags: heart weary, weary, lost, struggling, coping skills, balance, self-destructive, constructive, problems, troubles, solutions, writers library, Vicki Hinze,

Review/Rejection

Writers: A Common Mistake

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Plan B

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Author Sues Reviewer--and Wins!

We're living in a world that is rapidly changing--and not always changing for the better. Regardless of what your job is, but especially if you're an author or in the publishing industry, you need to keep an eye on this!

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authors, writers, novelists, publishing industry, film industry, music industry, publishing, civil legal action, reviewers, editors, agents, literary agents, lawsuits, beware, watch

THE FICTIONAL DREAM

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ONE MIND OR TWO?

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Perfection: An informal Writer-to-Writer Chat

SAGGING MIDDLES

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GLIMPSES OF LIGHT

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Life Inescapable

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CAUTION: WHO IS THAT BLOGGER?

READ THIS ARTICLE

Labels: blogs, bloggers, online safety. blogging, vicki hinze, writers library, safety tips, caution online

Synopsis v Outline

READ

Support An Author

As writers it's important to support the books we love, so I've just voted for James Rollins, THE JUDAS STRAIN, in the March Madness competition.

If you have a second, please consider hopping over and supporting it, too! The url is:
http;//www.hccmarchmadness.ca

DISCIPLINE

READ

DOING MORE WITH LESS

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Which Do You Do: Encourage or Discourage?

Warning: This is a no-edit zone...


This morning, I received an email from a friend that included the above graphic. It knocked me back on my heels.


I’m often asked why I try to help other authors with the library, articles, workshops, lectures and other programs I sponsor. I generally answer these questions with a simple, “It’s a privilege and a pleasure.” And that’s true, it is. But the reason goes far deeper. It goes back over two decades, when I first started writing.


I didn’t know another writer then. There was no Internet, no email, and I knew of no writers’ groups. I, like many others, simply decided I wanted to write a book, and so I did. It was not a pleasant experience--which, truth be told, is likely why I wrote another. It was a challenge. A significant, major challenge, and in those days, I loved a challenge. Still do.


Anyway, writing that first book was frustrating. I’d spend days searching for answers to the most simple questions. Questions with answers that today can be found in seconds. Then, it required library trips, reference material purchases, and prayers that I’d interpreted foreign phrases and industry lingo accurately.


I struggled and studied and learned, but ... READ MORE


Tags:
encourage, inspire, aspirations, ambition, Vicki Hinze, writers library, books, creative writing

February 2009 Writers' Zone News

LINK

The Value of Unexpected Memories

Leona Hinze: Memorial

On October 15th, my beloved mother-in-law, Leona Hinze, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She has now passed.


She was a courageous woman to the very end, and one who experienced many changes in her ninety-one years. For 68 of those years, she played the organ for her church, St. John’s Lutheran. In my 34 years with her, she often said when she reached playing for a hundred weddings, she was going to retire, but then someone would ask her to play for their wedding and she always did. At the time of her death, she had played 127 weddings and over 300 funerals.


Music was her ministry and her passion, and I, along with many others, were privileged to hear her express her heartfelt passion often and for a long time.


Once, when I thought I was dying, I told her I had been blessed. I’d had a life of being well loved and of loving well. In real life, that’s about the best it gets. A few days before her death, she told me that she’d thought about loving and being loved and she’d been blessed with a wonderful life. Now and forever all of us treasure those words from her and we’re comforted by them.


In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions to the Leona Hinze Memorial Fund at St. John’s Lutheran Church. The address is 3316 Hummingbird Lane at Hwy 77, Robstown, Tx 78380. This memorial fund is dedicated to a new organ for the church.


Blessings,


Vicki

When You’re Up, You’re up and When You’re Down, You’re Down

There are patterns in life, and one of them I’ve tagged the Cluster Factor. I’m sure some scholar has tagged it something else, but my observation is merely an observation, not a theological or academic study. That doesn’t make it more or less true or real, just based on different criteria.

The first evidence of the cluster factor I noted was in writing ideas and pertains to thinking patterns. I don’t typically think a book, I think a series of books. Often, ideas come to me in threes. When I first noted this, I noted it but didn’t really deem it significant. Cluster novel ideas was just the way my mind worked.

Then, during a conversation with a relative who informed me there’d been a death in the extended family mentioned “deaths always come in threes.” Sure enough, two more deaths followed within a matter of a few months--and looking back, I noted that this had also been the case when my brother had died years earlier.

Intrigued, I talked to a few friends about the cluster factor and discovered that...
READ MORE

The Latest on Vicki Hinze

A message posted on my website, www.vickihinze.com about new articles that might be of interest to you...

A Little One Passes

We’ve been worried about Noah. He underwent very dangerous surgery but came through it with the resilience of a blessed nine-year-old. The tumors were benign. The prognosis looked very good for him to have a long and healthy life. He was moved from ICU to a private room last night.


This morning he passed away.


Emotions riot at such times. We ask why, knowing there is no answer. We think of him, his parents and his brother, and our hearts are ripped open, raw and wounded for and with them.


We remember the last time we saw him, all of them, the occasion, the conversations, the laughter. Now we feel the pain and shed the tears.


The practical issues will be dealt with in time, but for now, emotions reign. We know he’s heaven bound. That he isn’t alone but in the palm of the purest love. We know he hasn’t left home but gone home.


And yet we mourn. For the loss of him in daily life. For his family. For those who love him, and those loved by those who love him. We think of their pain and the emptiness they are feeling, and we pray that God will mercifully fill that space with peace, and we regret that the season for mourning coincides with the season for celebration of Christ’s birth. It offers reassurance, yes, but to a freshly grieving heart, all that is felt is the isolation and loss, the pain, and so the season of comfort and reassurance is not now, but will follow after this season passes.


Some will offer platitudes and well-intended words, hoping to offer some germ of something that will ease the suffering. Their efforts will be appreciated, but the suffering remains. Grief is a merciless master and demands its due. It can’t be ignored or denied; at best, only postponed for a time. But it returns. It always returns. And only after it has can the healing begin.


I watched my mother bury a child. I’ve watched too many friends bury their children. The pain runs so deep it can’t be pinpointed or expressed. Not with words. It’s like describing faith or love. Every attempt falls far short.


One thinks of seemingly strange things at such times. Thoughts of the gifts for the child waiting at home under the tree. Gifts he will never open now. Of his parents looking at them, and doing something with them--the symbolism of which is letting go. Of doing so knowing that a parent truly never lets go of a child. A parent endures the loss and survives it, but always remembers. Memories burn strong forever in that mind, in that heart. Tormenting and heart-wrenching long before they become fond and comforting.


This I know, and I think today of Noah and in particular of his father, whom I’ve known well since he was in high school. I know that never again will life for him be the same. Never again will Christmas be the same. Not for him, not for his other son. There will come a time when life and Christmas will be good and laughter will again fill his home, but that will take time, and even when it has, he will always remember the child gone home, first with inconsolable grief, then with a sad, empty ache. With time, with tugs at the heart, and then with wistful longing for what was a bright and shining time in life that is no more.


These passages each will be difficult, but finally comfort will come, and eventually with it dulling the sharp pains to dull aches he will find acceptance. And then there will be room in his heart again to hold joy. Then, Christmas will again hold joy. He’ll still remember, still speak a Christmas wish to his child and feel pangs of sadness that he isn’t with him, but heart will also embrace hope and joy and laughter.


My wish this morning is that grief is tempered and the only Comforter who can comfort comes to them all and sustains them, strengthens them, consoles them in their journey to acceptance and to peace.


Until then, I’ll pray for them, and cry with them. Godspeed, Noah.


Blessings,


Vicki

Holiday: Staying Above the Madness

Holidays are supposed to be happy times of celebration. Times when friends and families gather and share the joys of the season.


So why then are holidays the most stressful times of the year? Why do suicide rates soar? So many suffer depression and others are absolutely miserable?


In part, the very thing that brings us together--holidays--also brings to bear the greatest stresses.


Here are a few of the substantial stressors that magnify during the holidays:


Additional tasks.


There are more obligations and social events to host and/or attend. Gifts to buy, special meals to shop for and prepare, trees, houses--inside and out--classrooms, offices, stores or other workplaces or additional places (church, lodge, club) to decorate, presents to wrap, cards to send and a multitude of other preparations to make. Social obligations/engagements require extra preparation time (program practices, dishes to make, clothes to wear selected or shopped for, haircuts and so on).


If others are “coming home for the holiday” to your home, as glad as you’ll be to see them, that’s more tasks on your To-Do List. If you’re going home, there are travel plans and packing, making sure the car is ready for the trip or tickets to purchase and schedules to coordinate, and much more.


Holidays--even when we are looking forward to them--break routines and place extra demands on our schedules. They require preparation that demands extra efforts from us. If your schedule is normally hectic, during the holidays it can become frantic.


What can you do? The extra work isn’t going to minimize just because you wish it would. That means you have to act to make the effort less stressful. Here are a couple tips:    READ MORE...

What Will You Sacrifice for Success?

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

One of the greatest challenges we face in our professional lives is success.

That sounds like an oxymoron, but truly it isn’t. Why? Because too often we allow others to define success for us and then we generally find it impossible to meet their measure of it--or our perception of their measure of it. As much as we crave success, too often we don’t recognize it when we’ve gotten it because we’ve been so busy struggling and striving for it that we’ve never stopped to define it.

This struck me last night while watching a CMT tribute to “Giant” Alan Jackson.

He’s an unassuming man. Classifies himself as “simple.” He’s all about family, values, and staying true to himself in his work. Admirable, in my estimation. He hasn’t forgotten his roots, and never pretends to be other than he is.

Now Alan Jackson has known professional success. He’s written 32 Number One (#1) hits and has sold 50 million “records.” He’s also been named Entertainer of the Year a total of nine (9) times. By industry standards, by the estimation of his peers and colleagues, by his fans and the general public, he’s considered successful--and deservedly so. For me, the song he wrote about September 11 was a significant contribution to healing for Americans, and that alone qualifies him as a huge success in my opinion.

And yet he remains humble (a becoming asset more should adopt) and--here’s the zinger--he still feels he hasn’t achieved the status to be on par with his heroes (George Strait and George Jones were there, and referenced.) When approached, Alan assumed the CMT Giants tribute extended the honor of “Giant” to him because he’s so tall.

That this was earnestly spoken set me to thinking. And what I thought was that there’s good lessons for writers (and everyone else) in Alan Jackson’s attitude. Ones worthy of adoption.

He knows who he is and makes no apologies for it, no bones about it. A calm acceptance, contentment, and comfort in his skin. Those are great qualities for anyone and particularly helpful attributes for a creative writer.

He’s earnest. In the writing I see in judging competitions and from critiques, one challenge often repeated is mannered writing. Where an author works so hard at perfection that s/he edits the voice right out of the work. Much of the realism and relate-ability is unfortunately lost under the manner hammer. Let’s face it, when an author writes to sell, what s/he is selling is his/her voice. So that’s significant.

He still doesn’t see himself as being on par with his heroes. Now some would say this is a good thing, and in a sense it is. He’s still striving, stretching and growing, and that’s something we all want to do throughout our careers. Never stop growing is a widely embraced mantra among writers.

But some would say that’s a bad thing because it intimates that one never feels successful because one either hasn’t defined it or has allowed others to define it for them. And that too is true.

It also brings home the importance of defining success for yourself. For some, it is to simply write. Not to write well, not to write to sell, but simply to write. For them, having written, they have succeeded. For others, they use benchmarks to measure their own success.

Typical benchmarks might be READ MORE...

Tags: Author, Writer, Novelist, Creative Writing, Books, Reading, Writing, Vicki Hinze, Writer's Library, success, sacrifice, benchmarks of success, voice, career, professional challenges

December 2008 Newsletter

I've just posted my December newsletter. If you're interested, you can read it at:
NEWSLETTER

Buying Books at Barnes & Noble?

EDGE
ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL






CODE #: 18391243



If you are buying books at Barnes & Noble online or in the store today,
please use the code number above.


BN will send a portion of the net proceeds to Edge Elementary School.

It costs you nothing, it can provide the resources to really help the little ones attending this school.

Thanks!

Blessings,


Vicki


Tags: Edge Elementary, Barnes & Noble, barnesandnoble.com, bn.com, fundraisers, books, authors, novelists, emerald coast writers, CREATIVE WRITING, childrens books, libraries, literacy, reading

God Bless our Vets!

A warm and heartfelt thank you to all the Veterans who have served and are serving.


Your gifts to the rest of us were bought with your blood.

Your sacrifices have been many.

Our gratitude, too often lacking.


This morning, I awakened in a safe home, and began a daily ritual free.

I expressed freedom of choice, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. And then I had a cup of coffee.


For my freedom to do all these things, I thank you.


And I thank your families for their sacrifices and hardships they have suffered, too.


God bless you, all those you love, and all those they love.


With pride in you and my humble gratitude,


Vicki

CREATIVE METHOD/CREATIVE MADNESS

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...


How we create is a subject often discussed, but most done so from a theoretical standpoint. We we note our observations on the method or creative process from a practical standpoint, we capture a very different picture.


The methods of creating are as diverse as are creators. For the writer, it pays to explore them. Often in doing so, the writer discovers new ways of creating that enhance the stimulation of his or her process.


Staying informal and cutting to the chase, a few prominent methods are:


1.

1. Sit down and write. Do no planning, no research, no sleuthing or preparation. Just write, see where the story goes, and see what happens.
2.

2. Plan and prepare. READ MORE


Tags: CREATIVE WRITING, CREATIVITY, writing methods, creative madness, author, novelist, emerald coast writers, CREATIVE WRITING, Vicki Hinze, Writers Library, writing library, novel, book, writing

VOTE!

Your opinion has a voice. It's in your vote.

In response to your questions on how I'll be voting, I will say that I'm voting my values and I hope you'll vote yours.

Blessings,

Vicki

EXPLOSIVE EMOTIONS

EMOTION EXPLOSION ©2000-2008, Vicki Hinze

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Between a contentious election, the economic crisis and all of the additional challenges triggered by both, emotions are running high.

Doubt it?

Philadephia wins the World Series, and fans and supporters react by rocking cars, doing damage to a news van and setting fires in the street. This is not normal “we’re happy about this” behavior.

This morning, a San Francisco WGO radio talk show host called for the death of Joe the Plumber. A citizen whose only crime was to ask a question that some don’t like the way their candidate responded. This is not normal “we’re upset with our candidate’s answer” or “we wish you would never have asked” behavior.

A young woman “gets in the face” of a seventy-year-old woman because she didn’t like her political button. This behavior was urged by the candidate. “Get in their faces and....” This is not appropriate conduct, or being respectful for anyone’s freedom of choice. It was wrong for the confrontational woman. It was wrong for the candidate.

This morning, we’re waking up to news that one of the candidates’ plans, if implemented, will bankrupt the coal industry and for everyone energy costs will skyrocket. (The candidate’s words, not mine.) That’s got a lot of people erupting in an emotion explosion.

Everywhere we look, people are acting as if they’ve lost it, saying and doing things they would normally never do. It’s a time of hyper-stress. Hyper-emotion.

Characters endure times of hyper-stress and emotion, too. But I would be judicious in having a protagonist act in the unacceptable conduct ways that the individuals referenced above behaved. Why?
READ MORE

Tags: emotional reactions, heroic behavior, emotion explosion, Vicki Hinze, writers library, authors, novelists, emerald coast writers, creative writing

DUELING CHARACTERS

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

When crafting a novel, writers spend a lot of time creating characters. We delve into their goals, motivations and conflicts. We determine their physical appearance, their emotional status and reactions to a variety of situations, and their spiritual chemistry. We weave their history and how it impacts their current perspective and orientations.

We draw these characters and compile all the traits that we see in human beings. And we manipulate them to best serve the story.

A great deal of time has been devoted to qualities and traits on heroes and heroines. Less, but a significant amount of study has been devoted to villains. The same holds true of secondary characters.

And yet we have heard far too little on the incredible strength that comes from ... READ MORE



Tags: characterization, heroes, villains, strong characters, author, novelist, writer, creative writing, vicki hinze, writers library

CALM & COOL DOESN'T PRODUCE. PASSION DOES.

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Calm and Cool Doesn’t Produce. Passion Does.
Recently, I listened carefully to opinions on disposition and their value regarding a discussion between two people that held opposing views. One was passionate, one was calm and cool.

Afterward, there was a lot of post-discussion debate about which demeanor held more value. The consensus left me scratching my head. They opted for cool and collected, the least emotional of the two people being debated.

I thought just the opposite. The one who spoke with passion infused what he said with purpose and vision. He clearly felt deep convictions about what he was saying. This was acknowledged in the group discussion, and yet they gravitated to calm.

I love calm as much as the next person. I seek it and go to great lengths to preserve it. But calm doesn’t bring out the best of us or encourage us to dig deeper, to play like Einstein or Ben Franklin and do that experiment for the thousandth time or the two-thousandth time--whatever it takes.

Calm doesn’t inspire us... READ MORE

TAGS: calm, passion, vision, purpose, creativity, vicki hinze, writers library

CREATIVITY AND CHAOS

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

In the past few weeks, and in this week in particular, it’s been a rare note in my inbox that hasn’t been about challenges and from people seeking help to confront them constructively. America’s state of affairs has a lot of people angry, disillusioned, frustrated and despairing. How can you create anything when in that state of mind?

Typically, when I’m down, I write humor for balance. But to be honest, there’s nothing in the current situation funny enough to compensate for all the nonsense now going on, and to make light of where corruption and greed have landed a nation of good people, well, let’s just say that humor is not going to work for me this time. It’s not working for others, either. We need more. But what more?

We need hope that we can turn things around. Hope that collectively we have the courage and conviction and believe strongly enough in the good to endure what we must endure to regain it.

That’s what we need. But gauging from the notes and calls I’ve received, the stretch from where we are to where we need to be to create is too huge a gap to reach direct. So first we need to bridge the gap.

BRIDGE THE GAP

Sounds impossible, but it’s not. There are a few adjustments we can make that will help us do it:
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Tags: creativity, chaos, author, writer, novelist, creative writing, balance, anxiety, upset, calm, serenity, peace, knowledge, wisdom

Why Are So Many Ill and Dying?

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Writers are in a sedentary profession. Most of us these days do the majority of our writing at a desk on a computer screen. In many professions, we spend a lot of time sitting. And, according to a physician who spoke on this yesterday, it’s contributing (about 75%) to making us sick and killing us. What exactly did he tag it? Inactivity.

We eat too much, eat the wrong things (those pumped full of sugar and chemicals) and we don’t exercise.

When I heard this, I wanted to groan. For a long time, I embraced a “never deliberately sweat” attitude, which is bad, but when you live in the south, remember that there are about five months a year when walking outside is like getting slapped in the face with a wet washcloth. If you live here, in the long summer, you stand still outside and you sweat bucketsful. It is in spite of this that I love the south, which has many wonderful qualities, but not sweating isn’t among them unless you play hermit and never go outside.

READ MORE...

Tags: illness, lifestyle, diet, fitness, inaction, sedentary lifestyle, authors, writing, novelists, writers, creative writing, reading, books, activity

STRESS

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

In the last week, every email that I’ve gotten from those who read this blog has related to crisis and stress. Understandable, considering.

Stress either builds slowly over time or comes on like a gangbuster and body slams you. Either way, we know that stress kills. Many try to ignore what has them stressed. They deny, rationalize, ignore, suppress, or otherwise attempt to hide from the stress factors that are burdening them.

It doesn’t work. And the impairments that come with it impact you emotionally, spiritually and physically. There is no calm, peace, serenity and the physical body rebels against all those things. You see headaches, body aches even nausea and colon challenges. The entire body can be impacted and tossed into turmoil.

What does work?

Dealing with the stress.

How do you do that?

Get physical.
Exercise releases endorphins that counter the chemical imbalance stress brings on.

Get rested.
Weariness and exhaustion destroys our ability to make calm, rational decisions or to set our course of actions.

Get smart.
Whether your worries are personal, your private business, your professional business, the nation’s business--get informed. It’s impossible to make wise choices when you don’t know the details. When you understand the challenge, then you can focus on the solution.

Making that shift--from the challenge to the solution is paramount in lowering your stress level. Why? Because command of the matter gives you confidence that the decisions you make will be good ones, seated in wisdom.

These are stressful times and they’re going to get worse before they get better. Every generation has its challenges, and this one is no exception. That isn’t always a bad thing. It’s not pleasant, but challenges have value. If we elect not to ignore but to deal with these challenges, we often discover what we stand for, what we will not stand for. We discover our strengths, our character.

We discover ourselves . . .

Blessings,

Vicki

Vicki Hinze
www.vickihinze.com

Tags: Stress, Coping Skills, Economic Trials, Wisdom, Calm, Control, Serenity, Character, Strength

MEDIA & AUTHORS: COMMON BONDS

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

When writing a novel, the author guides readers in their emotional responses and reactions to what is occurring in the events through multiple means. A few center around the details they choose to include. The way in which they include them, the character they select to include them, and both the character’s reaction and the other characters’ reactions to those details. The media is skilled in these things and offers much for writers to learn.

Many authors haven’t considered these bonds but they are significant and can be extremely useful to the author. For example: READ MORE

Tags: media, authors, writers, novelists, books, novels, creative writing, characterization

THIS NEW DAY: The Power of Clarity

Times are tough and from appearances they’re about to get tougher. But here’s the thing:

Times have always been tough. At no time in recorded history has life been a cake-walk for anyone anywhere. Everyone has challenges and they either rise to meet them or they don’t.

This is today’s position. Whether you’re talking about on the governmental front or the front centering on your personal life. We all have challenges.

And so it’s important to keep those challenges in perspective. To stay calm and clearheaded, because the absence of calm is anxiety and the absence of being clearheaded is being mired in confusion.

Anxious and confused isn’t the best frame of mind or state of being for making the decisions required of us to rise and meet our challenges.

So what can we do to minimize being anxious and maximize clarity? READ MORE

Tags: challenges, clarity, confusion, solutions, anxiety, calm, serenity, peace, coping skills, vicki hinze, writers' library, life skills

Bailout? Bad Deal!

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone--and I’m one ticked-off-American.

Typically, I avoid discussing politics. But no American who has heard about this $700 BILLION bailout being shoved down taxpayers’ throats can deny it’s too significant to not be on everyone’s mind this morning. I’m no exception.

I have a serious problem with this intended course of action. For those not up on this, here’s a quick rundown of events.

Lenders made mortgages they knew people couldn’t afford. Lots and lots of them. These loans were backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, government entities that urged Lenders to make these loans. (See that on the entities’ websites.)
The lenders then sold these bad loans to other lenders.
Surprise! The borrowers default. Lots and lots of them.
Multiple lawmakers warn Congressional leadership that Fannie and Freddie are in trouble; they’re going to crash and burn. (2003-2007)
Warnings are denied by Barney Frank, responsible for oversight on this committee. (2003)
Fannie and Freddie crash and burn--and we the taxpayers bail them out. Now we (the taxpayers) own (and are responsible for) lots and lots of worthless paper.
Lenders become insolvent and fail. And more are in dire jeopardy of failing.
Then comes the bailout.


Now Congress wants the taxpayer to pick up $700 BILLION of debt that isn’t ours. (By ours, I mean the taxpayers who pay their bills, live within their means and haven’t lied to obtain loans they couldn’t afford.) Congress is going to oversee this project. (Not reassuring, considering they were overseeing Fran and Freddie.) They’re going to stagger the payout to $350 BILLION. If that’s well managed (by a government entity), then troubled lenders get the rest.

(Does anyone believe the government functions efficiently? Has it ever?)

Steel yourself even more because...

The 3-page document grew to over 100 pages and it’s stuffed with PORK.

That pork includes 20% payback going to “community organizations” (like ACORN, who is under federal investigation across the country for VOTER FRAUD). It’s well hidden, but it’s there.

In a crisis where we the taxpayer are getting shafted, lawmakers shaft us even further. It’s appalling. Unacceptable. And my cookies are totally frosted.

I’ve written my Senators and Congressman already.

If they vote for this bailout, I’m voting against them.

I am not convinced we need this bailout. In fact, I strongly oppose it. But if we must do something, then why not do something logical that puts the responsibility where it belongs--on the lenders?

Why not set up an FHA mortage insurance type program and insure the mortgages? The lenders who made these bad loans pay for the mortgage insurance; their greed and bad judgment did this; them paying for the mortgage insurance is just. The taxpayer still gets popped, but it’s for 30 Billion not 700 Billion and we will not have to buy all the mortgages they made. $30 BILLION is bad but it’s a far, far better solution than sticking us with $700 Billion of debt, and it calms down the market.)

Voting for this bailout, in my opinion, is sticking it to Americans. Adding pork to it is sticking it to us again. Adding insult to injury.

That’s not just appalling, it’s a betrayal of the public trust.

And enough is enough--at least, for me. I’ve had it with this nonsense. Vote yes to putting this monkey on my back (and the backs of my children and grandchildren) and add pork to make bad even worse, and my response is going to be me grabbing a broom. It’s time to clean house. If you’re in office, I’m voting you out.

That’s my reaction. Yours well might be different.

Whatever your opinion is let your leaders know. They need to hear from all of us BEFORE they act so they know that while they were asleep at the wheel in protecting us, we are wide awake and watching.

Here’s a link where you can email your representatives:

For the SENATE: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

For the HOUSE: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

Blessings,

Vicki
One hard-working, ticked-off American

CRITIQUES

© 1996-2008, Vicki Hinze

Giving or receiving a critique is supposed to be helpful to the author of a work. A positive experience that encourages growth and gives the author an objective (if subjective) opinion on the work.

To truly be effective and an absolute valuable asset, a writer needs to know what is right as well as what needs work. Both are equally significant.

All too often writers who believe they want a critique want praise. We all want our work to be well received, but the purpose of a critique is to get input on taking steps to make the work even better and stronger to make it more well received.

So here are a few guidelines to assist in achieving that goal: READ MORE



Take my survey at www.vickihinze.com
Click HERE.






Tags: critique, creative writing, criticism, constructive criticism, writing, author, novelist, writer, books, novels, stories, storytelling

Today's Tip: Remember the Ordinary

TODAY’S TIP: REMEMBER THE ORDINARY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008
WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

When we’re writing, it’s easy to get into the fray of the conflict and goals. To focus on getting key character traits into the work through actions and deeds. To get that forward momentum going and get to the point.

But often we leave out the ordinary. I’m not talking about inconsequential, mundane dialogue. That should be omitted, because while we emulate real life “talk,” we realize that much of it is boring and insignificant. It’s “chat.” Snippets of chat can be useful, if purposeful, but too much and we lose the reader.

So what do I mean: Remember the Ordinary? And where and how do you include it?

READ MORE


P.S.
SURVEY








Tags: writing tips, ordinary things, details, characterization, bonding, authors, writers, novels, books, writing, creative writing, authenticity, real fiction, vicki hinze, writers library

Survey Time!

TAKE MY SURVEY
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008
WARNING: This is a no-edit zone....

I want to know what you think. Please pause a moment to take my survey.
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Tag: survey, books, readers, writers, authors, novelists, writing, vicki hinze, booksellers, libraries

Stork Alert!

The stork has landed...

I'll be out a few days. :)

Blessings,
Vicki

Time Tips

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Since I received this cluster of questions that all connect to time and apportioning it effectively, I thought I’d address them in this forum.

Q. How long does it take to write a book?

A. It depends.

I’m not being glib, I’m being honest. It does depend on the book. Some come together in a flash. Most come together after tons of elbow grease. And some fight tooth and nail to keep their secrets until either the book or the writer gives in. No two are exactly alike. Familiarity with the topic, enthusiasm for the story, desire to write don’t much matter on this. The stories come as they come, and they do so in their own time and manner.

The longest time I’ve spent on a book: five years--and I’m still not happy with it. Yes, of course, I’ve worked on other projects in between, but if I add all the time I’ve devoted to this book, it’s hovering at five years.

The shortest time I’ve spent on a book: two weeks. I’d written a book related to . . . READ MORE

IKE: WE CAN ALL DO SOMETHING

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Americans have a way about them.

They can be preoccupied, put things on ignore, or even be apathetic, but when disaster strikes, they pull together and strive to meet needs.

We saw it after 9/11. Countless acts of mercy and compassion. Caring and comforting, whispering shouts of hope.

Throughout our history, Americans rise to challenges, and not just our own.
READ MORE

We Remember...

Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com

"The Bug"

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

As human beings, we snip phrases like “S/he’s got the bug.”

We might mean a virus (very much on my mind as one’s laid me low for the past four days) or we might mean an intense interest in something like writing or photography or a desire for a new car.

Having the bug isn’t limited to any one thing, of course. I remember back in high school, one of our children getting the bug on oceanography. He was mesmerized by it and that interest impacted the direction of his life. (The lesson shared is that in some lifelong interests can and do develop early.)

Many of us get the bug to write.
READ MORE...


Tags: CREATIVE WRITING, author, novelist, writers library, career strategy, interest, writing, focus, attention, desires, personal investment, success, vicki hinze, personal growth, effective strategies

People of Substance: CHARACTER

EACH DAY YOU CHOOSE…

ARE YOU A PERSON OF CHARACTER OR A CHARACTER LACKING HUMANITY?

We’ve heard since the cradle that no man is an island. No woman is, either. Every day we interact with others: friends, relatives, coworkers, strangers. And with each encounter we are presented with both challenges and opportunities–and the choices are ours to make.

These aren’t necessarily enormous choices, though they can be. But what is really on my mind at the moment are the little things. Those everyday choices that present themselves unexpectedly and require decisions on our part that won’t change the world, but certainly can impact us and our feelings about ourselves as well as those within our sphere of influence. READ MORE

Gustav and Memory Lane

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

We dodged the bullet--or the eye of Gustav--but even in Florida, we’ve been under tornado warnings most of the morning today. They’ve been spinning off an outer feeder band, coming up from Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Santa Rosa.

My mom’s family, in harm’s way in Gulfport, Pass Christian and Waveland as well as New Orleans are all evacuated and safe, last I heard, which has been long hours ago.

I’ve failed to reach extended family in Marrero on the New Orleans westbank, but so long as the Harvey Canal tunnel holds, they should be okay. My hope is that they too evacuated and just haven’t yet gotten through. As you can imagine, phone lines are really busy at times like this.

Since this storm had New Orleans in its cross-hairs for days, I did something I’ve not allowed myself to do since my mother’s death...
READ MORE

Who needs a CODE WORD?

Today’s post is on www.cleverdivas.com. In case you’re interested, here’s an excerpt and link...

What is a Code Word? Who needs one? Why?

A code word is any word or short phrase that you choose and share with someone else to signal them that everything is not okay. You’re not okay. You need help–and you need help now.

Who needs one?

Everyone.

We often think that it is only children who need a code word. But... READ MORE

WHY FORMAT MATTERS

WHY FORMAT MATTERS
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008
Studies show that the average editor views over a hundred manuscripts each month. This includes,...
READ MORE...




Tags: format, manuscript formatting, author, emerald coast writers, novelist, CREATIVE WRITING,

CHARACTERS ON DEATH

CHARACTERS ON DEATH
SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2008
WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

When someone close to us dies we are profoundly impacted. Our...
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Tags: creative writing, characters, characterization, vicki hinze, writers library, death, grief, mourning, emotional reactions

SUSPENDING DISBELIEF

SUSPENDING DISBELIEF ©2008, Vicki Hinze
Friday, August 22, 2008
WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...


What does a writer do when a novel contains an element that...
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Tags: CREATIVE WRITING, author, novelist, writer, suspending disbelief, credibility in fiction, ITW, ACFW, MWA, RWA, AG, ACRA, NINC, Vicki Hinze, Writers Library

TRUE POWER

Today was my turn to post on Clever Divas. The topic: True Power.

If you’d like to read it, here’s a link. CLEVERDIVAS.COM

Location Change

Vicki's blogs are now on her website at www.vickihinze.com

Writing Blog direct link is HERE.

Writer: Lost

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...


Writers are human, and being human they experience the same things emotionally that others experience. It is their ability to relate these common or universal emotions in a way that readers see glimpses of themselves in what is written that makes the writer a storyteller.


That’s a gift, and while you might be able to assume some storytelling traits, you can’t assume and sustain them through an entire novel much less through a career of novels.


In writing a novel, we often start out with the germ of an idea. One that meets specific criteria that determines whether or not the idea is viable to sustain the demands of a novel... MORE



Tags: author, abuse, awareness, blogger, career analysis, career paths, conflict, constructive criticism, CREATIVE WRITING, motivators, writer, writer's library, writing craft, writing liability, Vicki Hinze, ITW, International Thriller Writers, MWA, Mystery Writers of America, RWA, Romance Writers of America, Novelists, Ninc, ACFW, American Christian Fiction Writers, Emerald Coast Writers, Ancient City Authors, Clever Divas

New Direction: Message to Readers

Since the news has broken about my new contract with Waterbrook-Multnomah to write a new series, CROSSROADS CRISIS CENTER, I've received a number of questions about the "New Direction," so I thought I'd respond to that in an informal chat audio message.

Listen here.

As always, thanks for your emails. Your supportive messages mean the world to me.

Blessings,

Vicki

VICKI HINZE
www.vickihinze.com

Tags: new direction, Vicki Hinze, podcasts, career, CREATIVE WRITING, author, novelist, emerald coast writers, blogs,

Asset or Liability--Prologue and Flashback

WARNING: This is a no-edit zone...

Is the Prologue or the Flashback an asset or a liability?

Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it? But this is a case when what seems to be isn’t--not that a response is ultra complex, it just requires judgment calls, and we all know those can be tricky. But as authors, we make judgment calls all the time. So we’re experienced, and that helps but let’s face it, we all wish there were a few guidelines and tests we could apply to the work to assist us in making those judgment calls. So I’ve been pondering on this for a few days and thought I’d share my thoughts. As always, writers, take what works and rings true and helpful to you and ditch the rest...

THE PROBLEM.

The problem with prologues and flashbacks is that they’re passive (even when written actively). What’s occurring on the page has already happened. That diminishes urgency, suspense (doubt about the outcome) and that typically diminishes interest. Passive isn’t always a bad thing, and there are times when we want the psychic distance it creates and the distance between what’s occurring on the page and the reader. In other words, for valid reason we don’t want the reader up close and personal experiencing what’s happening and feeling the full emotional impact of what is happening.

The challenge is that often times we fall victim to this challenge not deliberately but unintentionally. So we diminish that which we don’t want diminished and create distance when we don’t want it or need it--when it doesn’t best serve the story.

The problem with passive specifically is it’s stagnant. So nothing is really happening right now, which means the forward momentum of the story is at a dead halt. That’s dangerous turf for the story which makes it dangerous turf for the writer. Why is it dangerous? Because if nothing is happening what is to inspire the reader or even to encourage the reader to keep reading?

Stagnant text/storytelling inspires and encourages or fosters opportunities for readers to put the book down. If a reader does so often, odds are against them picking the book up again--and even if they do, they’re not as likely to feel satisfied at the end of the book as if they’d read without that “put it down” urge.

Think of it this way... How many times have you been reading a book, knowing it’s late and you have to get up early and you really should go to bed now but you just want to read one more chapter, or scene, or page? Think about it. Hard. Then ask yourself: How many times when I had that feeling was I reading a prologue or a flashback?

My guess is not one. That you were neck-deep into active story. Neck deep into the fictional dream.

Both the prologue and flashback create a fictional dream (provided the author does his/her job). But the fictional dream either creates is a different and separate (if related) fictional dream from the one in the active story line.

The dangers in that? Think divide and conquer. Diffusion of focus, attention, interest, investment.

When you’re talking a financial portfolio, diversity is a good thing. When you’re talking about a reader’s emotional investment in a novel, it’s not a good thing. And if it’s really abused, it’s a kiss of death.

That isn’t to say that a prologue and/or a flashback is to be avoided. Some are story-essential. But it is wise to make sure any prologue you incorporate or any flashbacks you give story space have earned their place on the page.

Okay, but how do you do that?

First, kill them. Not in the novel, but in your mind. If you can tell the story well without the prologue or the flashback, then you don’t need them. You can avoid the complications that can arise, like the chalenges mentioned thus far, or the real potential of the reader getting more interested in the flashback story or prologue events and resenting being brought to the active story. That’s a major hurtle to overcome.

So kill the prologue/flashbacks. If the story works without them, great. If you can make it work well, then by all means do it.

If they won’t die--meaning, you can’t effectively tell the story you must tell without them--then let the prologue and/or flashbacks live. They’ve earned their space on the page.

By the way, this is also an excellent test for secondary characters--to kill them, if you can and if they refuse to die, then and only then to let them live.

But back to prologues and flashbacks.

Another challenge with both, but particularly with flashbacks, is transitions.

Often writers will write long passages, trying to bring the reader from then to now or to take the reader from now to then. This is problematic for a multitude of reasons, but I’m a simple person and think in simple terms, so I’ll share my version of why.

Think of a transition as a bridge that takes you from one bank to another. If it’s a long bridge, the span of it is weaker, right. You see bridges with all those support beams and tension bars. Well, a transition in a book is the same way. Sprawl it out and you better support it or you’re going to find your readers dumped in the river between the banks along the way.

The goal is to get the job done. Get the reader transitioned and get on with the story---the sooner, the better. So keep transitions short and vivid.

You might use an object or a phrase that cues the reader that they’re about to shift into or out of a flashback.

Example. A ticking clock or, one I used--I think it was in Maybe This Time--an amulet. When it glowed, the reader knew s/he was going to shift. Quick. Efficient. And right back to the story.

(This short-span and object/phrase method holds true and works well for point of view shifts, too.)

Here’s the thought process on these things as they pertained to my book, FESTIVAL.

Okay, the contemporary protagonists had to solve a mystery that occurred in 1100 in order to solve a critical-to-saving-their-lives mystery in contemporary time. The 1100 mystery was key and central to the current plot; it had to be shown. (Earned it’s space in the novel.) So getting to and from required transitions. I used a phrase in the then language. Don’t recall it now, but it was a couple words. That was the trigger--the phrase.

So when it was time, I planted the trigger (so the reader knew what it meant) then pulled it. That handled the transition. Coming out, I planted and pulled the trigger. Transition complete.

In Maybe This Time, I used multiple tools because that book was set in contemporary New Orleans, prehistoric times, Regency era England, and medieval Scotland. In between those settings, we flashed to the protagonists in a disincarnate state. So I ran multiple story lines that interrelated--so you had to go from A to B to C. If you skipped one, you lost vital events and information.

So relevance is a key to watch for in writing prologues and flashbacks. Is what occurs during them relevant to what’s happening now to the extent that you can’t leave it out and have what’s happening make sense?

The whole question of asset or liability can only be answered for a single story--yours. Because what is an asset for one story could drain the strength from the next. So the short answer for are prologues and flashbacks assets or liabilities is: It’s story dependent.

If you need the prologue, use it. If you need the flashback use it. But first try to kill them. If they won’t die, let them live. Then, knowing they’re essential, remember to cue the reader, keep your transitions clear, short and vivid--strong--and make sure they’re critical and related so that both the “then and now” fictional dreams support each other and work in harmony and aren’t disjointed which jars the reader and robs them of satisfaction with the whole of the book.

And do be aware that often when you’re trying to kill them, you will come up with a way to relate the needed portions in the active story, negating any need for the prologue or flashback. I love it when that happens.

So the bottom line is that the prologue and the flashback can be an asset or a liability. It really depends on the book--and the author’s skill in using them.

Blessings,

Vicki

VICKI HINZE
©2008, Vicki Hinze
www.vickihinze.com

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