New Blog

So....I decided to create another blog called "Playing with Words," which will feature anything I decide to write that has to do with writing and publishing. I will probably transfer my writing entries from this blog to that one, just to have all my writing-related stuff in one place. That'll be my "official" blog, rather than the informal one I have here at the Pollyanna Files. I'll continue to write what I feel like here, but it'll be more about my travels (oh, yeah, I'm going to relocate to Germany next year--did I forget to mention that? If I did forget, more on that later), knitting/fiber arts, and foodie stuff. If you want to relax, read, and chat here, you're more than welcome. If you want to stick to writing- and publishing-related topics, go to "Playing with Words." Writing and publishing questions can be asked over there.

There now! I feel so organized....

Guest blogging at Embrace the Shadows

I will be guest blogging tomorrow 9/25 at Embrace the Shadows: http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com.

Come visit!

Grousing about research

Why in the world am I delving into another place and time instead of sticking to the Regency era? I know the Regency era pretty danged well. Writing a story in that setting would be relatively simple--simpler than writing a 1798 Irish Rebellion werewolf story. But noooo, I have to start from scratch again, from reading about the era, the economics, the politics, the religion, and last but not least, some Irish Gaelic language so that I can get the fictional village name right. Hell, setting a story in France would even be easier, because at least I know some high school French and more about French history than I do Irish. But nope, I have to build this story from the ground up, from the name of the village (Baile an faolchú; the English would probably pronounce it Ballinfaylku or Ballinfalcoe. It means "home/village of the wolf/wild hound"--and yes, I made it up; so far as I know, there isn't an Irish village by that name, but I want to get it right, so I want the Irish name, not the English), to how and why the curse of the werewolf would manifest, how the heroine knows the curse will soon be in force, how the hero will institute the practice of "tenant right" once he discovers the condition of his estate, and on and on.

Why can't I just do things the easy way? Or I should say, why can't my MUSE just give me an easy story to write instead of a difficult one? Grrr.

I suppose I could just drop this and write something else...but dang it, I know that way leads to doom, doom, I say! Whenever I go against the Muse's urging, it simply goes wrong. I either go dry or whatever I write is totally bleah.

Well. All I can say is that the Muse had better deliver on this.

Beginning a new story

All right, I'm starting the new story--the Irish werewolf one--for sure now. I've done some general history research on the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and re-familiarizing myself with Jonathan Swift's satire, "A Modest Proposal." The satire was published in the 1720's, but I plan to have it in a priest's library and in the villain's hands at one point. I'm going to start it just at the death of Wolfe Tone, leader of the United Irish. The fact that there is a prominent "wolf" in the Irish Rebellion is a nice piece of synchronicity; my idea of a werewolf in Ireland came to me years before I had done any kind of research into the Irish Rebellion.

(Sigh) It's a complex, very complex period. The English at the time did a good job of using sectarian animosity between the Irish Catholics and Protestants against the whole country, but it seems to me that underneath it all, they didn't really care what sect the Irish were; they'd do what they could to keep them from having a voice and owning land. Terrible things happened then. Terrible. But, as has been the case from the days when cities were first built to the present, the issues were still the same: absentee urban landlords who have the majority vote (if not the only ones able to vote) squeezing everything they can in the form of taxes and goods from the land and the rural people who live and work on it. And the land and the rural people usually lose. It got so bad that it culminated in the Potato Famine of the 1840s, where the English kept on exporting food cattle from Ireland while the Irish starved to death as the blight hit their potato crops. There was plenty of food in Ireland. Just not for the Irish.

One of the most touching things I read about the Irish Famine of the 1840s was the Choctaw Indian contribution of around $700 to the Irish when they heard of their plight. The Choctaw had suffered the Trail of Tears a good 16 years prior to that, and they knew what suffering and hunger was about at the hands of oppressive government. I understand there are Irish who travel to walk the Trail of Tears to this day in remembrance of that gift.

However, the great Irish famine is a good 40 years or so after my story begins. My heroine's family is going to be relatively poor, but not as poor as the rest of the village. Her family's very old Irish nobility and still holds some land, but barely. The hero is English, and has just inherited the land next to hers, and so he's coming out to inspect it, as he thinks his rent collector is cheating him (the rent collector is cheating both the tenants and the hero). So, there will be a lot of hard feelings and conflict up front that the hero will have to overcome--which will be near impossible without the heroine's help. I think I mentioned already that she's a knitter and spinner, things I have a lot of experience with, so can write with some authority on that. And what I don't know, I can get from friends who are even more expert than I.

I expect I'll shed a few tears as I write this story, but as Robert Frost said, "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."

But don't worry--this is a romance novel. There will be a happy ending in the book. :-)

Looking for something to read

In the last few years, I haven't read much of anything except perhaps research articles and books--no fiction, can you imagine? When I was a kid, I'd fill a big box full of books every week from the library and read them all in a week. This continued through my high school and college years--my assigned books were not enough; I had to read more. Throughout my 20s I would read tons of books. I think I averaged perhaps three books a week.

But now...except for my critique group's manuscripts, I've averaged reading through maybe one or two fiction books a year. I don't know why that is. It's not expense; I can easily get books from the library.

I think it started with writing. I think the more fiction I wrote, the less I read. Perhaps I grew too analytical; perhaps being able to see the seams in the writing prevented me from trying them on. I know there are books that I'd start to read, and a feeling of irritation would come over me, as if I resented the author for not helping me see the book-movie in my mind and forgetting my surroundings.

It's worse regarding my own genre, which is why I think it's because I've grown very analytical. It's rare that I pick up a romance novel these days, even though I adore the genre, even though I have my favorite authors. I know they write as good as before, if not better. I don't have as many autobuys any more in the romance genre. When I think of it, I may be afraid of being too influenced, perhaps. I don't have a problem reading outside of genre--my autobuys in fantasy are Charles deLint, Patricia McKillip, and Robin McKinley, among others. When I think of it, I don't worry about being influenced by them.

But as much as I deeply admire Nora Roberts, for example, I have a hard time getting through one of her books. I've done it--I've read three, and liked them well enough. But that was it. I don't know why.

Well, wait, there are some romance authors that are autobuys--Jennifer Crusie, among them. I'm almost afraid of picking up her books, though, because I want to take my time reading them, and inevitably I'll start reading them all the way through, quickly. Which is a sign of a good read, but then I regret I've read it that quickly. Susan Elizabeth Phillips, is another.

At first I thought I was becoming jaded about romance novels, which would break my heart if it were so, because I love the hopefulness of them, the positive can-do attitude they all have. I notice, though, that these days I'll read contemporary romances, not historicals, and not many paranormal ones, either. Which of course is very different from what I write, which is paranormal historical romances.

So perhaps what it is, is that I don't want to be influenced by the books that are in the same category as mine. I don't want "idea seepage" from a paranormal or historical romance into any of mine. Straight-on fantasy or science fiction is okay, because they're not romance.

But I'm circling around the point, giving reasons for why I haven't read some fiction in a while. Thing is, I'm restless. I want...I don't know....

Oh, I want to find another autobuy. I think I want to find another author whose work I love so much I'll buy the books as soon as they come out, no questions asked. Which means I will have to go to the store and browse and everything. Which used to be such a pleasure for me, but I just realized I've come to have such a rushed life that I resent even taking time for that.

Oh, that's bad. I really do need to take time to browse through books and figure out what I want to read. But it's been years, years since I've done that, and there are whole new crops of authors out there that I haven't heard of.

I need to do it, though. I need to keep up. And maybe I'll find another autobuy one of these days.

Random Story beginnings

I'm writing so much more lately. Not on any story, but just in general. This is no doubt because I'm getting more sleep, as I no longer have to commute 2 to 3 hours a day to work, only 10 to 15 minutes, nor do I stay late at this new job. Right now, I'm feeling like I have much more brain energy--energy in general--so that no doubt accounts for all this Tweeting and blogging.

I mentioned on Twitter that I was feeling another spate of Random Story Beginnings coming on. This is good, because it means I'm storing up potential stories to write for the future. Beginnings always spur me to write whole stories since, for me, they have the seeds of the whole story in them.

So, now for the spontaneous Random Story Beginnings...thinking...thinking.....okay, here they are:

"It was on Tuesday that everyone realized only Arnold Milliken, CPA, could save the town from aliens."

"I once knew a boy who could fly. But I did not learn his name until I had lost my ability to dream."

"Mary Kate McRae closed and latched the shutters against the rising wind. It was a wolf wind, and no good ever came from such weather."

"If only her eldest brother could stop experimenting with wizardry for the space of a London Season, Miss Mary Cunningham was sure she could get vouchers for Almack's."

Hmm. I could definitely use all of these. The CPA the least, I think, but who knows? I am especially intrigued by the flying boy and the one with Mary Kate.

In fact, I think Mary Kate is the heroine I've been thinking of lately, who lives in Ireland and who spins yarn and knits. And she knows magic, of course, because she is Irish and knows about wolf winds.

Well, I'm filing all of these for later use. But I might, just might, work with Mary Kate shortly. And then with the flying boy.

Romance market trends

I haven't been to RWA national conference this year, and so haven't heard the market news, but that's fine...I know what they are, anyway. Which sounds arrogant, I guess, but anyone who has met me will tell you I'm not that kind of person. It's just that one of my hobbies is the study of demographics and market trends, focused mostly on publishing and in particular the romance market. I've studied it for...let's see...since 1995, ever since my vampire Regency (The Vampire Viscount) and paranormal Regency (The Devil's Bargain) first came out. Yeah, I wrote them way back before the vampire/paranormal thing was huge. I have a habit of doing that. It's tough going, because when you write ahead of the trend, most people think you're crazy. Hell, I predicted during the 2000 RWA conference that we were going to see a surge of kick-ass heroines and that paranormals were going to be huge, and gee, guess what? It happened--it was the news during that conference.

I gave a talk at the Emerald City RWA conference in 2006 about demographic trends, and predicted that we were going to see a social crisis in the next year or two, akin to the Great Depression (yes, there is a reason why our 401K is still okay, though it did take a hit, as everyone's did. Clue: look at the events 80 years ago). I did another workshop in a few years later on the exact same talk, and didn't change the date on my PowerPoint, to prove my point. The Seattle Chapter will vouch for me on this. :-D

Anyway, here are my predictions for the next few years:

Based on my observation of generations and demographics, plus the economic times, I figure romance and women's fiction--with an uplifting ending--are going to remain strong. As during the Great Depression, romantic comedies, stories with optimistic endings with the belief in the decency of every-day human beings. Think Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire, such movies as "Daddy Long Legs," "Topper Takes a Trip" (romantic comedy/ paranormal), "Bringing up Baby." Comedies in general will do well--remember that Charlie Chaplin made millions during the Great Depression when movies were 25 cents per ticket.

And gee, as an aside, is it any surprise that musicals are becoming more popular with the under 30 set? The Seattle area is considered a "bellweather" region, and I'm seeing participation in musical theater and music like never before amongst the young 20's and teens. I want to emphasize the areas outside of Seattle proper--there are relatively few children and teens in Seattle, compared to most any other place in the nation except for San Francisco. If you want to watch for trends amongst teens and the early 20's, look at King County, outside of the city. Places like Kent, Auburn, Everett, Bellevue, etc.

Paranormals, and those stories with a spiritual/religious component will still be good sellers. Again, whatever gives a belief in something beyond ourselves will be popular, because in general, I think people's attitudes about society and our elected officials (on both sides of the political fence) is sort of...soured. Easier to believe in a larger abstract higher concept than individual fallible leaders.

Anything with a theme of overcoming difficulties to success/love/contentment should be popular.

In particular, I think vampires, while not as popular as before (saturation in the market) they will still be good sellers, in that these have the themes of encountering something potentially dangerous and navigating through discerning if it can be trusted or not. That reflects our times, plus the early 20-something and teen set. Anything else with that theme--encountering danger, going through a period of discernment, then triumph will be popular, because those just beginning to start their adult lives are facing the theme of a scary world in which they have to make their way. However, that theme has broadened to all generations because of the current economic and social crisis.

Also, though this theme is popular overall, for the Millennial generation (those born approximately from 1980 to 2000), stories with characters having a higher purpose and/or who are special in some way will be popular. This is why the Harry Potter books were so popular, and continue to be popular with them (aside for the fact that these books are simply danged good reading). In fact, they also had the strong, very strong spiritual/religious underpinning. No, they're not obvious to those who aren't familiar with religion (and ironically, a lot of religious people aren't familiar with their own), but trust me, they're there.

Despite the economic downturn, the Millenial generation is coming into their time of buying power. It's not as huge a buying power as the Boomers (still) have, but it's considerable simply because that population is so large compared to GenX and the Silent Generation (those who were children during the Great Depression).

And historicals..they'll keep going on. But what's missing--and wlll probably be popular when they do come about--are ones set during the American Revolution and possibly Civil War. Ditto WWII. Why? They all reflect what's we're going through/going to go through now. David McCullough hit a nerve with his books, John Adams and 1776. This is why he is both a bestseller AND a Pulitzer Prize winner (well, he's an awesome writer, so there's that).

Those are the eras the current crop of Millennials will find some common themes. The young people of those eras grew up in severely divisive times--as we do. Their elders could not come to any kind of consensus, and more time was spent squabbling and pointing out scandals than solving problems. The real concerns of the rural areas and those areas with less infrastructure (the American colonies during the Revolution, and the more rural South during the Civil War) were pitted against the concerns of the more sophisticated urban citizens (the British, and the very industrialized North, respectively). One of those crises ended up with a relatively healthy unity. The other...did not. WWII ended up with a healthy unity of purpose, and that was when we built the massive infrastructure that is now, unfortunately, aging to the point of danger to life and limb.

The current era...well, time will tell. We get to choose whether we get over our differences, find common ground, and work together, and I REALLY don't want finger pointing at the OTHER side that you just CAN'T talk to. Be the first to hold out the helping hand and open mind, people, and keep doing it. Really find out where the other side is coming from, what their fears are, and I mean their root fears, where they are suffering. Your survival depends on it. Although right now, my feeling is that either side's intention in finding out about the other side's suffering is in the interests of crushing the other side into dust. Or ignoring the other sides' suffering, period, because of course they're BAD. Yes, this Pollyanna is fighting cynicism.

To get back on track: As a result, there is a certain hunger in Millennials for hope (that is their nature), for the idea that difficulties can be worked through, that people can work together, that there is a higher purpose out there for every one. And, optimism is the very nature of romance novels, so I believe you will continue to see these novels prosper. Heroic fantasy will also do well, and fantasy in which the protagonists are fighting the powers of evil (Dresden files, is a good example).

GenX--do not dismiss this generation. This scrappy generation will help get us through the hard times. They do not hesitate to get their hands dirty and get the job done, and in hard times, that's what's needed. Think Patton. Yeah, those disaffected 1980's youth dressed in black and piercings end up being Patton, wreaking havoc amongst Hitler's armies. And they are really good consumers of paranormal stories that feature grim, realistic protagonists that wade through death and degradation to wreak destruction on predators. They are good at defending the weak and innocent while shooting off a witty quip, knowing that they will get no reward for their heroism, but that they're just here to do the job, hopefully with a small group of loyal friends or a devoted partner. (Think Buffy.)

Both GenX and the Millenials are hands-on, practical groups. GenX is a bit more gritty and pessimistic, while the Millenials are more optimistic. Both get the job done, and sooner or later become impatient with high-flying rhetoric.

I really also want to emphasize the religious/spiritual angle. When times are hard, when there is a crisis, people often turn to religion. This is why it is the most impoverished areas of the world that are the most religious; when you have very little, when your next day may bring hunger or the threat of poverty, then the only thing that often keeps you alive is hope in something higher and better, whether that would be your still-innocent children, or God, or both. In other words, these things represent hope for the future.

As a result, I expect books on religion and spirituality will stil be strong. Inspirational romances sales will probably hold steady, especially if there is some real spiritual insight there and realistic integration between some real, human life questions and religion/spirituality.

And...I expect the readership amongst men for romance novels will grow, and has been growing. Romance novels--especially those with suspense/mystery/action--will be especially appealing. Romance novels are probably one of the few fiction areas that feature men as good guys (we have heroes, after all!), and people, men need hope, too. That they have not much hope is reflected in the steep increases in male suicides, especially amongst teens and 20-somethings, in the last few decades, as much as 5 times that of females. It's also reflected in the fact that of all graduating high school seniors, 80% of girls apply to college, whereas only 20% of boys do, and that has been going on for a decades as well. That's another reason why the Harry Potter books were so popular amongst boys--these books are one of the few instances that featured a boy as a protagonist, a boy who was special, and who tried his best to do good. That's a hopeful thing for boys who are looking for a book to read.

So in essence:

• Romance will be strong, and hold steady
  
• Paranormals strong, vampires have glutted the market, but will still hold steady (and zombies as protagonists or heros--oh, please. A bump in the road. I could be wrong, but having a guy who has to keep sticking his face back on with superglue because his flesh is just a bit on the rotten side is not romantic. However, innovation does occasionally win).
• Ghosts...give those a try. Demons, ditto. However, redemption as a theme should be strong. We have a very punishing society, with almost no forgiveness unless you have money or fame. Redemption themes as a result is another source of hope for the rest of us.
  
• Romantic comedies--yes!
• Historicals will hold steady, but do give the eras of the American Revolution, the Civil War, and WWII a try, although I expect these will probably be most popular in about 5 years. If Europe, Puritans vs. the Cavaliers, and Tudor era would work. the The authors MUST do the research on those, as ever. Less costume dramas, more historical meat.
  
• Inspirationals strong, but must integrate realities and questions of life
  
• Perseverence and success in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds is always a good theme.
• Good vs. Evil, always a good theme, but make it real.
  
• Oh, and the theme of fighting or subverting an ever-encroaching totalitarian government should also be popular in science fiction/fantasy/romance. Wouldn't hurt to bring back a Matrix-like theme, although I expect that'll be more like 10 years from now.
• More can-do, decent, heroic guys. Guys need hope, too, and they're going to be looking for something to keep them working and holding on. As a result, it'd be good to defeminize the covers on the action/romance/supspense romances--not a problem, as I see they're doing much of that already. Wouldn't hurt to do that to some of the historicals that have more action/suspense, etc., too.
• Forgot to mention above: Graphic novels. Always a good thing. Will do very well in the coming decade(s) as they are very adaptable to both print and electronic media, and the concepts are easily transferred to the big (and small) screen. The more mutable a story is to differing formats, the better. If a romance novel--especially if action, suspense, and/or paranormal--can be translated to a graphic novel/manga format, perfect.
  

One more thing: Because the Millenial Generation is large in numbers but is going to be struggling for jobs, they're going to try to find their entertainment where they can, whether they make it or find it inexpensively. This means the publishing industry will have to find better ways to deliver their goods. They know this already, or should. E-books will do well, I'm sure, but if they're the same price as paper books...well, we'll see. Those who have a handle on this relatively new technology (and please, formatting!!!!), will do better than others, in the same way movie theaters that grasped the sound aspect of movies back during the Great Depression thrived rather than went out of business. It's a big initial investment, but it'll pay out in the end in both stability and profits when the economy turns up better (not right away. Expect a big downturn around 2012, and with luck it'll start rising steadily again. What mistakes this and the last administration have made will come to bear then. Invest in capital and be thrifty now, pay off what you can, then be prepared).

Even so, I don't expect paper books to disappear for a long, long, long time.

You fill a need in an economy, and you will survive as a business, and publishing is a business. Hope is a need. And in this economy, everyone needs hope pretty badly right now.

Story beginnings

I was playing around on Twitter the other day (August 4th, during lunch break) after thinking about the contest entries I had judged, and decided to spit out some potential first lines of stories. Of course, it being Twitter, you're limited to 140 characters. It occurred to me that that limitation is great for forcing a writer to try to get the essence of a story into a few words, which is really what you want in a beginning. The beginning of a story should foreshadow the rest of the story. The conflict should be there, or at least hinted at. On Twitter, I came up with four within 15 minutes:

11:55 AM Aug 4th
Random story beginning: "Amanda had never seen the point of sweeping corners, but since bits of gold kept showing up, she had incentive."

12:01 PM Aug 4th
Random story beginning: "Ever see Bermuda much?" "I'm looking at the Space Needle, so no."

12:08 PM Aug 4th
Random story beginning: "It wasn't that Scott disliked designing bridges. It was just that his client was a troll."

12:10 PM Aug 4th
Random story beginning: Sometimes Sir Galadriel could slay dragons with one stroke. Other times, the best he could do was fold underwear.

My last comment on my spate of first lines was:
"Okay, I'm saving that last story beginning. It has potential."

No analysis at that point; this last story beginning hit me in the gut: I knew it was one around which I could write a story, as odd as that particular Tweet may sound. When I think about it now, I realize it's because it has the seeds of conflict in it and it's also high contrast.

It's possible to have a solid story without a high contrast, high conflict first line. In fact, I do it all the time. However, I do think the first few paragraphs--the FIRST paragraph, preferably--should contain the essence of the story conflict, and what helps to keep it succinct is NOT to tell the conflict up front, but show images in the first paragraph that represent the conflict.

Each one of the first liners above has the seeds of a story; I could make something up around them. In fact, the third one is fairly intriguing as well. There is conflict in that one—the guy is designing bridges, but his client is (literally) a troll, and that can’t be good. What is the bridge designer going to do about that? So I could go with this line of thought. But it’s not as high contrast.

But the last one is very high contrast. Here is Sir Galadriel, who is capable of doing extraordinary and heroic things: not only can he kill dragons, but he can kill them with one stroke. But on other days...well, he can only fold underwear, which is very simple and very mundane, less than mundane, because dang, it’s underwear. So immediately I’m wondering, why is a hot-shot dragonslayer folding underwear? Is it his own? Is it someone else’s? Even more important, why is it the best he could do some times? And then I wonder, does he like killing dragons? Would he prefer to fold underwear? If so, why?

See the contrast? Hotshot dragonslayer = heroic and unusual. Folding underwear = ordinary. It creates questions, and questions demand answers. A story is about coming to terms with that contrast—-resolving the conflict.

Having it up front tells the reader, “look, here are some questions. Come with me and see how they’re answered.”

I may end up posting random story beginnings every once in a while. It's always good to have a few stored away for a rainy day.

Judging contests and beginning a novel

I judged a writing contest again. I believe I've mentioned before that actually like doing this, as it really helps me articulate the dos and don'ts of novel writing, and reflect on how to apply technique in my own writing. And, as always, a particular issue usually pops up more than once, and when it does, it tells me it's a problem that a lot of writers have.

One contest entry bored me to tears. The other left me bewildered--where was I? Who were these people? And why should I care? And there was one that was just right--I wanted to read more.

The writing was competent (well, there were two that were not, but I'm not going there right now). The common problem with the ones that didn't work was that they didn't begin in the right place in the story's timeline.

There is a lot of advice about how to begin a story, and the fact is, the how isn't as important as the when. Newbie writers are told that you want a hook in the first paragraph to get the reader interested in your story, you need to begin with action, you need to avoid description, yadda yadda.

Toss that advice out the window. Toss it out right now! If you know when to begin your story, then the rest will follow.

So, when? Begin on the day your protagonist is given a choice that will change his or her life.

I want to emphasis "day" and "choice." You need two elements in a beginning: the foundational setting, the home, the "ordinary life" of the protagonist, and the choice the protagonist makes that will propel him or her out of that ordinary life. Together, that makes change, and change is the essence of plot and character development.

The day (not moment, not month; anywhere from half an hour to 12 hours) on which the protagonist's life changes is enough time to show the foundation of a character's life, what is usual for that character. You need that foundation. It tells you where that character has been, so that you can chart the future. It is not possible for a character to have a future unless he or she has a past.

For example, in my latest novella, "Miss Templar and the Holy Grail," the story opens with Miss Arabella Templar going into Almack's with her mother and her cousin Jeanne. This is a typical day in her life. It's clear that she's done it before.

And then a stranger comes up to her just before she steps into the assembly hall, and pushes a dirty tin cup into her hand and tells her she's the Grail Guardian, and that she must keep the cup safe. Now she has to make a choice: Does she take the cup, or doesn't she?

As a result, it begins, thus:

There is nothing more odious than having the Holy Grail thrust into one’s hands when one is about to enter Almack’s. But what could I do? I had already my foot on the first step of the building’s entrance. Mama and cousin Jeanne were before me, already within doors. A crowd gathered behind me, eager to partake of the evening’s entertainment.

A touch on my shoulder made me turn, ready to greet a friend, perhaps Clarice, for she is one of my bosom bows, and had told me she would attend this week.

Instead, a masked man very boldly took my hand and closed it over the bowl of what looked like a dirty tin cup. He then pulled me too close to him. “You are the Guardian of the Grail. Keep it safe,” he said into my ear, and disappeared into the group of people moving toward Almack’s.

A masked man. Really. Why could he not have just appeared in normal evening wear, neckcloth neatly tied, presented himself to me in the proper manner, asked me for a dance or two, and then offered a pleasant remembrance of flowers the next day? Oh, no, he could not do that. No, he must appear masked, dare touch me on my shoulder without any sort of introduction at all, and then converse in a manner that must make any observer assume he was either drunk or an idiot.

When I think about it, that first paragraph pretty much encapsulates the conflict of the story: her past/normal life (going to Almack's and having a nice time), in conflict with her choice (taking the Grail from the mysterious man). That first line is even a hook, but not because I was deliberately looking for one, but because I wanted a first paragraph that set up/foreshadowed the conflict of the story.

In other words, if you have the elements of choice vs. normal life up front in your story, you will naturally have a solid beginning. I don't think you can help having one. And if you can make that first sentence Twitter-sized, you probably have a hook.

I think that's it for now...it's late, and I've got work tomorrow. Good night!

New book cover!

The new book cover has arrived! I've posted it up on my web site. I rather like it--the colors are nice, although the gal holding the chalice looks a bit spacey. I don't know if she represents any of the heroines in Jo's, Mary Jo's, or Barbara's stories, but she doesn't look anything like mine. But that's fine. It's hard to represent different elements of an anthology, but I think this one works all right.

I'm looking forward to seeing the whole book. I've become used to seeing my books in the final stage, but there is nevertheless the sheer simple pleasure of holding the finished product of one's labors in one's hands.

I'll put up an excerpt once I see the manuscript in its copyedited form.