As I write this, keep in mind that everyone has their own writing style. Some like to write out a detailed plot summary before they ever begin the first draft. I'll blog about that later; I'm not really in the mood right now. Others like to sit down and just have at it, fixing all the plot details later on their second or third pass. Again, I'll talk about that later. What I'd like to talk about right now is the first draft.
The very most important thing you should keep in mind about your first draft is that it's supposed to stink. No one can create the perfect first draft. It doesn't exist. The first draft is the place for you to throw all your thoughts up on the screen and get them out in the air. You can come back later and reorganize them. Right now is your time to spew. It doesn't matter if your spelling is awful, your grammar horrid, or if you use "but" fourteen times in the same paragraph. Fix all that later. Right now just get the story up on the screen.
The American Night Writers Association, or ANWA, calls this "writing dreck." It doesn't matter if what you've written is even any good. Just getting it down is the important thing. You can go back and fix it if it's written down. But if you've written nothing, there's nothing there to fix.
So I challenge you. Sit down and for a half an hour, just write like crazy. Anything that comes to mind. Can't think of a character's name? Call her Sally for now and get on with it. Then come back and take a look at it. I think you'll be surprised to find that what you've written isn't that terrible after all.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Dang! Fetch! Oh My Heck!
The title for this blog is taken from a song by Evergreen in the LDS movie Sons of Provo. They are using these profane lyrics to make the point, don't be a potty-mouth. It's true: Mormons do swear differently from other people. If you want to write literature for the LDS market, you have to tone it down. You will not get swear words past an LDS censor. And unless you're a cartoon character, or writing an e-mail, you won't get away with $%&#(@#*%&@!
But now you've got a problem. You're writing a tense scene where Marco, the assassin from New York, has flown into town ready to do the job he's been hired to do. Along with him he brings Fredo, his loyal sidekick. They've cornered their prey, a sniveling coward named Jones, and Marco brings out his gun. He puts the silencer in place, his movements slow, all the while watching the face of their hapless victim. He wants to prolong the agony as long as possible, and he knows by watching the beads of sweat roll off Jones' face that his methods are working. He brings the gun up and prepares to shoot. As he pulls the trigger, the gun jams.
"Jeepers," Marco says. "That's rotten. Hey, Fredo, hand me another gun."
"Rats. It sure is too bad your gun didn't fire," Fredo says, handing over another gun. "I bet you're really disappointed."
We sort of lost all the tension in that scene, didn't we. Unfortunate.
Let's try again.
As he pulls the trigger, the gun jams. Jones, eyes clenched tight, flinches, then slowly raises one eyelid. Marco flings the gun to the side, cursing under his breath.
"Give me another gun."
Fredo removes his own firearm and hands it to Marco, taking the safety off in the transfer. Only a moment has gone by, long enough for Jones to feel relieved but not long enough for Marco to forget why he's there.
"See you on the other side," Marco said, pulling the trigger.
Notice how we switched it out and said "cursing under his breath." We know he's cursing, but we don't know what he said. That is one way to interject a "swear word" into LDS fiction. Because Marco isn't LDS, it doesn't matter that he swears, as long as we don't know what he's saying.
You'll find plenty of examples of how this is done as you read LDS fiction. The trick is, finding a way to keep the tension high without breaking it by sounding silly. If you can't find a way to imply a swear word, evaluate if it really needs to be there. Use them only when the scene demands it. And, whatever you do, never use the term "yippee skippy" as an interjection. Please.
But now you've got a problem. You're writing a tense scene where Marco, the assassin from New York, has flown into town ready to do the job he's been hired to do. Along with him he brings Fredo, his loyal sidekick. They've cornered their prey, a sniveling coward named Jones, and Marco brings out his gun. He puts the silencer in place, his movements slow, all the while watching the face of their hapless victim. He wants to prolong the agony as long as possible, and he knows by watching the beads of sweat roll off Jones' face that his methods are working. He brings the gun up and prepares to shoot. As he pulls the trigger, the gun jams.
"Jeepers," Marco says. "That's rotten. Hey, Fredo, hand me another gun."
"Rats. It sure is too bad your gun didn't fire," Fredo says, handing over another gun. "I bet you're really disappointed."
We sort of lost all the tension in that scene, didn't we. Unfortunate.
Let's try again.
As he pulls the trigger, the gun jams. Jones, eyes clenched tight, flinches, then slowly raises one eyelid. Marco flings the gun to the side, cursing under his breath.
"Give me another gun."
Fredo removes his own firearm and hands it to Marco, taking the safety off in the transfer. Only a moment has gone by, long enough for Jones to feel relieved but not long enough for Marco to forget why he's there.
"See you on the other side," Marco said, pulling the trigger.
Notice how we switched it out and said "cursing under his breath." We know he's cursing, but we don't know what he said. That is one way to interject a "swear word" into LDS fiction. Because Marco isn't LDS, it doesn't matter that he swears, as long as we don't know what he's saying.
You'll find plenty of examples of how this is done as you read LDS fiction. The trick is, finding a way to keep the tension high without breaking it by sounding silly. If you can't find a way to imply a swear word, evaluate if it really needs to be there. Use them only when the scene demands it. And, whatever you do, never use the term "yippee skippy" as an interjection. Please.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
The Return of Tristi the Blogger
I'm baaack! (Insert your own scary music here) I am now moved into my new house and I'm mostly settled. I say mostly because there are still some boxes stacked up here and there, and I don't have everything put away 100% where I want it and will probably be shifting things around for months to come, but by and large, I am settled and it feels good.
I've been thinking about writing during this time, mostly thinking about how much I miss doing it when I'm not doing it. I've also been thinking about how writing has its seasons, a time to write, and a time to edit. A time to create, and a time to let it simmer in your brain. I've been going through a time to take a vacation, and starting next week, I'll be heading back into a time to revise. I have a book nearly done right now, in need of about five thousand more words and some chronology changes, and it will feel so good to dive back in and get it done.
Yes, writing, oh how I have missed you!
I've been thinking about writing during this time, mostly thinking about how much I miss doing it when I'm not doing it. I've also been thinking about how writing has its seasons, a time to write, and a time to edit. A time to create, and a time to let it simmer in your brain. I've been going through a time to take a vacation, and starting next week, I'll be heading back into a time to revise. I have a book nearly done right now, in need of about five thousand more words and some chronology changes, and it will feel so good to dive back in and get it done.
Yes, writing, oh how I have missed you!
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Shopping the Savvy Way
I have never, ever in my life been a fan of coupons. I’d heard how much money you can save on them, but every time I went to use one, I found that the generic brand was cheaper anyway, so why bother? For years I’ve been a generic brand shopper and thought I was doing pretty well. Then I saw the light!
A friend of mine introduced me to the Savvy Shopper website (thank you, Lisa!) and I must say, I’m duly impressed.
The Savvy Shopper is a woman named Amy who goes through all the ads from the various local grocery stores and matches them up with coupons in the Sunday newspaper. Then she sends out an e-mail and says, “Pssst! On such and such date, you got a coupon for a dollar off on that cereal. Macey’s has it for $1.50. Go use that coupon, and get it for only fifty cents!” She sends out e-mails featuring each of the different stores, and all you have to do is pull out your coupons and find the ones she’s talking about. The paper makes it easy, too – the coupons come in these little folders with the date they came on them, so when Amy says to get the coupons from September 10th, you just flip through your stack until you find the one that says September 10th on it. Really, it couldn’t be any easier.
What are some of the deals I’ve gotten, you ask? Well, since you were so polite about it, I’ll tell you.
Last week, Albertson’s put their ready made Pillsbury cookie dough on sale for a dollar. I had three coupons for $1.00 on cookie dough, so, presto, I got three cookie doughs for free. Correct – they were free. On the same sale, I got boxes of Hamburger Helper singles for .50 a box.
The week before, Walgreen’s was having a buy one, get one free on their flax seed oil. (For those of you who haven’t heard me lecture on flax seed, I take it religiously for my carpal tunnel. I’ll blog about that sometime.) Anyway, I had a coupon for a dollar off on any nutrient from this particular brand of flax seed. So I went in, picked up two bottles, bought one for $5.99, got the other free, and got a dollar off the first, so I got two bottles of flax seed oil for $4.99. I also got some other screaming deals, but that was the most memorable.
And this morning – ah, I have saved the best for last. Albertson’s is having a Quaker Oatmeal sale. (I almost just typed Quaker, all by itself, but I couldn’t have you thinking that a Quaker can be bought so cheaply.) I got the e-mail from Savvy Shopper, pulled out my coupons, and away I went.
To begin with, plain Quaker oats were $4.29. The store had them on sale for $1.00 when you buy ten, mix and match. So there I’m getting them for a dollar, which is $3.29 off. Then I had a coupon for .50 off, so I paid .50 for a huge 42 container. I actually got three of them, because that’s how many sets of coupons I get.
Then, there were granola bars. Ordinarily $3.29, on sale for $1.00, and I had a coupon for .75 off when you buy two. So I got six, and paid .62 per box.
Let us not forget the breakfast cookie, also on sale for a dollar. But I had a coupon for .75 off two. I got three boxes of breakfast cookies for .62 each, when they usually sell for $4.15.
And of course there was the instant oatmeal that came out to .30 a box, and we must never, ever forget the instant oatmeal crunch that was free. Yep, you heard me – it was on sale for a dollar and I had a dollar off coupon.
I also picked up some diaper wipes and some milk, so this total isn’t 100% just the sale stuff, but down at the bottom of my receipt it says that my bonus buy savings were $53.55, my Preferred savings were $10.39, and my coupon savings were $11.10, bringing my savings to a total of $75.04, and my bill came to $19.54. That was for six bulging bags of food, people!
So how do I do it, you ask me? Ah, such politeness! Of course I will tell you!
First, call the Daily Herald and order the Sunday newspaper. You can get up to three, which I recommend, because you get three sets of coupons. That comes to just over $12 a month. Then go to the Savvy Shopper website and sign up for the e-mail, which is free. Then, when your papers come, pull out the coupon inserts. There are usually two, one from Smart Source and one from Valassis, but a few weeks ago, Smart Source sent out two, so be on the lookout. When your e-mail comes, it will say, coupon code, S9/10. You know that means the Smart Source insert that came on September 10th. Keep your eyes out for sales on things you need, and you’re all set!
I didn’t think at first that I’d save enough to justify the purchase of the newspaper, but I really am saving quite a bit of money and it’s definitely worth it.
Okay, I’m done gushing. I just think that when you find something good, you should share it. I’m not even been paid to tell you about it!
A friend of mine introduced me to the Savvy Shopper website (thank you, Lisa!) and I must say, I’m duly impressed.
The Savvy Shopper is a woman named Amy who goes through all the ads from the various local grocery stores and matches them up with coupons in the Sunday newspaper. Then she sends out an e-mail and says, “Pssst! On such and such date, you got a coupon for a dollar off on that cereal. Macey’s has it for $1.50. Go use that coupon, and get it for only fifty cents!” She sends out e-mails featuring each of the different stores, and all you have to do is pull out your coupons and find the ones she’s talking about. The paper makes it easy, too – the coupons come in these little folders with the date they came on them, so when Amy says to get the coupons from September 10th, you just flip through your stack until you find the one that says September 10th on it. Really, it couldn’t be any easier.
What are some of the deals I’ve gotten, you ask? Well, since you were so polite about it, I’ll tell you.
Last week, Albertson’s put their ready made Pillsbury cookie dough on sale for a dollar. I had three coupons for $1.00 on cookie dough, so, presto, I got three cookie doughs for free. Correct – they were free. On the same sale, I got boxes of Hamburger Helper singles for .50 a box.
The week before, Walgreen’s was having a buy one, get one free on their flax seed oil. (For those of you who haven’t heard me lecture on flax seed, I take it religiously for my carpal tunnel. I’ll blog about that sometime.) Anyway, I had a coupon for a dollar off on any nutrient from this particular brand of flax seed. So I went in, picked up two bottles, bought one for $5.99, got the other free, and got a dollar off the first, so I got two bottles of flax seed oil for $4.99. I also got some other screaming deals, but that was the most memorable.
And this morning – ah, I have saved the best for last. Albertson’s is having a Quaker Oatmeal sale. (I almost just typed Quaker, all by itself, but I couldn’t have you thinking that a Quaker can be bought so cheaply.) I got the e-mail from Savvy Shopper, pulled out my coupons, and away I went.
To begin with, plain Quaker oats were $4.29. The store had them on sale for $1.00 when you buy ten, mix and match. So there I’m getting them for a dollar, which is $3.29 off. Then I had a coupon for .50 off, so I paid .50 for a huge 42 container. I actually got three of them, because that’s how many sets of coupons I get.
Then, there were granola bars. Ordinarily $3.29, on sale for $1.00, and I had a coupon for .75 off when you buy two. So I got six, and paid .62 per box.
Let us not forget the breakfast cookie, also on sale for a dollar. But I had a coupon for .75 off two. I got three boxes of breakfast cookies for .62 each, when they usually sell for $4.15.
And of course there was the instant oatmeal that came out to .30 a box, and we must never, ever forget the instant oatmeal crunch that was free. Yep, you heard me – it was on sale for a dollar and I had a dollar off coupon.
I also picked up some diaper wipes and some milk, so this total isn’t 100% just the sale stuff, but down at the bottom of my receipt it says that my bonus buy savings were $53.55, my Preferred savings were $10.39, and my coupon savings were $11.10, bringing my savings to a total of $75.04, and my bill came to $19.54. That was for six bulging bags of food, people!
So how do I do it, you ask me? Ah, such politeness! Of course I will tell you!
First, call the Daily Herald and order the Sunday newspaper. You can get up to three, which I recommend, because you get three sets of coupons. That comes to just over $12 a month. Then go to the Savvy Shopper website and sign up for the e-mail, which is free. Then, when your papers come, pull out the coupon inserts. There are usually two, one from Smart Source and one from Valassis, but a few weeks ago, Smart Source sent out two, so be on the lookout. When your e-mail comes, it will say, coupon code, S9/10. You know that means the Smart Source insert that came on September 10th. Keep your eyes out for sales on things you need, and you’re all set!
I didn’t think at first that I’d save enough to justify the purchase of the newspaper, but I really am saving quite a bit of money and it’s definitely worth it.
Okay, I’m done gushing. I just think that when you find something good, you should share it. I’m not even been paid to tell you about it!
Sunday, October 01, 2006
He Leadeth Me Beside the Still Waters
For the last couple of months, I've been going through an extreme personal trial that has sought to test me more fully than I've ever been tested before, at least in this particular area. I've had to step out on cliffs and try to swim without water wings, all the while knowing that God was there, but not really sure what His purpose was or just what I was supposed to be learning. I've always had this goofy idea that if I could just figure out what God wanted me to learn, I could learn it really fast and bring the trial to a close sooner. It just doesn't work like that.
Today's session of General Conference particularly touched me. I didn't catch the name of the speaker, but it was the talk given at 3:00. He told the story of a man who needed $195 to pay a loan on his farm, and he had no way to pay it. Even if he sold everything he had, it would not amount to $195. He didn't know what to do, until the day before Christmas, when he got a letter from a man in the town saying that he had been strongly prompted to offer $200, if it was needed. He paid the $195 on the farm, and with the remaining $5, he was able to buy boots and clothes for his children for Christmas.
God didn't just inspire the man to give $195 to pay for the farm; He threw in the extra $5 so the children could have a Merry Christmas.
How often does God do that? We ask for a blessing and we don't receive it right when we ask, but we get what we need and He throws in some extra. It's those extras that remind me all over again that He is truly our Father. He puts sprinkles on our ice cream cones and extra marshmallows in our hot chocolate. He doesn't just give us food and shelter, He gives us sunsets and rainbows. In all these little ways, He shows His love for us.
I couldn't let this day go by without expressing my gratitude for the sprinkles and for the guidance. I can't say for sure that I know how this trial will be resolved. What I can say, though, is that He will be walking me down the safest path until I get to the other side.
Today's session of General Conference particularly touched me. I didn't catch the name of the speaker, but it was the talk given at 3:00. He told the story of a man who needed $195 to pay a loan on his farm, and he had no way to pay it. Even if he sold everything he had, it would not amount to $195. He didn't know what to do, until the day before Christmas, when he got a letter from a man in the town saying that he had been strongly prompted to offer $200, if it was needed. He paid the $195 on the farm, and with the remaining $5, he was able to buy boots and clothes for his children for Christmas.
God didn't just inspire the man to give $195 to pay for the farm; He threw in the extra $5 so the children could have a Merry Christmas.
How often does God do that? We ask for a blessing and we don't receive it right when we ask, but we get what we need and He throws in some extra. It's those extras that remind me all over again that He is truly our Father. He puts sprinkles on our ice cream cones and extra marshmallows in our hot chocolate. He doesn't just give us food and shelter, He gives us sunsets and rainbows. In all these little ways, He shows His love for us.
I couldn't let this day go by without expressing my gratitude for the sprinkles and for the guidance. I can't say for sure that I know how this trial will be resolved. What I can say, though, is that He will be walking me down the safest path until I get to the other side.
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