The Wanderer Writing Coach – Coming Soon!

I’ve made it official! After nearly a year’s hiatus from coaching, I’ve decided to open shop again…on a limited basis. I’ve been asked if I offer writing lessons one-to-one, and I can now give you a very happy YES! Look for my new page on the blog in the next few days. Some of my …

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Supernaturally – by Kiersten White – The plot thickens

NO SPOILERS HERE UNLESS YOU HAVEN’T READ PARANORMALCY – I expect many of you haven’t read Supernaturally, since it’s just out – so I’ve been careful. Kiersten White mentions in her acknowledgment pages that writing the second book of a series isn’t as easy as you’d think. Given all the trilogies out there and especially …

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Animation Frustration as a Writing Tool!

It’s been a crazy busy week with the first-round edit of my sister’s book (more to come on that soon!), my preliminary sketches for a short (45 seconds!) animation for the “10 Lives” short story aka novelette (close to 8000 words…it kind of falls in a gray area!), and my initial attempts at learning the …

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Dresden Files – Ghost Story

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t read Jim Butcher’s previous book in the series, Changes, go no farther. I’m not giving a by-play of Ghost Story but I don’t want to spoil the surprise. First up, the Dresden Files series is NOT for kids. And when I say kids, I mean adults who get sqeamish too. …

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Eoin Colfer’s – Benny and Omar book

If you’re an Eoin Colfer fan, you’ve probably worked your way through the Artemis Fowl series with enthusiasm, and if you’re a YA writer you’ve most likely felt a little wistful, wishing you could come up with half the plots/characters/dialog/*everything else to do with writing that Eoin has in the series. Luckily for us, we have the …

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The Wanderer Writing Coach – Coming Soon! Supernaturally – by Kiersten White – The plot thickens Animation Frustration as a Writing Tool! Dresden Files – Ghost Story Eoin Colfer’s – Benny and Omar book

Sep
24

The Wanderer Writing Coach – Coming Soon!

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I’ve made it official! After nearly a year’s hiatus from coaching, I’ve decided to open shop again…on a limited basis. I’ve been asked if I offer writing lessons one-to-one, and I can now give you a very happy YES! Look for my new page on the blog in the next few days.

Some of my readers will remember me from their coaching lessons through the PaulaWheeler.com site – which is now forwarded to the Wandererstorycompany.com. My latest offerings will be much the same. Send along a chapter and we’ll work on it together – or apply for the 12 session program.

Looking forward to getting to know you as we work on your latest book or short story!

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Sep
17

Supernaturally – by Kiersten White – The plot thickens

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NO SPOILERS HERE UNLESS YOU HAVEN’T READ PARANORMALCY - I expect many of you haven’t read Supernaturally, since it’s just out – so I’ve been careful.

Kiersten White mentions in her acknowledgment pages that writing the second book of a series isn’t as easy as you’d think. Given all the trilogies out there and especially trilogy movies with the middle movie leading nowhere…I’m surprised she didn’t realize this! Which brings us to Supernaturally, White’s second book with beautiful, feisty 17-year-old Evie as the heroine.

From a writer’s perspective, as you read, look how she’s kept consistent with each character’s personality from Paranormalcy – while placing them outside their individual comfort zone. Remember Evie is now living in the “normal” world. She might not have liked her former life, but it was distinctly less frightening than real life. White has also pushed Evie and Lend’s relationship in this second installment. They were quite happy before – and that’s the kiss of death going into a new book so conflict is necessary and we have it. We also have familiar characters who she’s expanded upon and a new one in particular who is worth buying the book for. I will NOT give you a hint on this one!

Where Paranormalcy had a lot going on in excitement – I felt Supernaturally did not. Not to say this is a bad thing. This one felt like the author was building toward the next book… which of course she was… and I felt the plotline was giving us all kinds of new avenues to explore that will ensure we’re kept guessing for the final book. I know something is coming. And as I closed the cover and thought about each character and all the twists she’s put in, I am already waiting for the next book to hit the shelves.

If only we could all plot so efficiently!

 

 

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Sep
10

Animation Frustration as a Writing Tool!

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It’s been a crazy busy week with the first-round edit of my sister’s book (more to come on that soon!), my preliminary sketches for a short (45 seconds!) animation for the “10 Lives” short story aka novelette (close to 8000 words…it kind of falls in a gray area!), and my initial attempts at learning the animation software.

I spent time learning portions of it last year, but for a non-professional animation program it offers SO many different options to animating, it’s hard to keep up. I worked on rotoscoping before (making a short video of myself moving and speaking and then tracing a few of the frames). This time I’m concentrating on cut-out animation. I’ll lose a lot of the life-like quality I was after, but let’s face it, I’d be spending every waking moment drawing rather than writing. With the cut-out animation I’ll be able to work faster and with less stress. An illustrator I definitely am not! That became clear when I drew the Avro Arrow plane on my Wingman book!

So – for the last couple of days I’ve been reading-up and practising and is hasn’t always been pretty. I think the writers of the manual sometimes forgot as beginners we needed the little bit before and the little bit after the direction they’re giving. Ever heard the expression, “You can’t get there from here”? Yup, that was me yesterday and today. I couldn’t figure out how to get to the part of the project they demonstrated or where to find the dialog boxes. Geez. Shortcut keystrokes didn’t work on my wunderbar Dell Latitude netbook…nor on my workhorse Dell Optiplex computer. Probably the latest release of the program had made a few changes and the manual wasn’t updated. Usually the writer would give the shortcut after the conventional way to do something, but on one critical instance – there was no conventional way given. It wasn’t in a follow-up tips and trick sheet either. My poor test guy suddenly had his right and left limbs on the same side of his body. And they’d have to stay there or they’d be left behind once I had him bend or walk away. I found the way around it by accident. SO FRUSTRATING.

But I’ve had some success – and instead of just drawing the scene (which I hate doing) I decided to learn just one more little thing that looked cool… and SO did not work! That’s my little project for this evening…along with a few more pages of the upcoming book.

My writing thought for this evening? Well – one of the areas I studied and then worked in for the past 13 years has been technical writing. And BTW, for the most part the writer(s) of the animation software manual did a fantastic job. I guess I notice the little parts that don’t work and it makes me picky. I should be so lucky to have those few irritating bits if I wrote it! Still – it’s a lesson for writers attempting any kind of instructional writing. We don’t always need to go back to basics for each topic, but we must ensure our readers can easily find their way to what we’re doing – understand how to work there on their own after we show an example or two – and then lead them out so they can either close their work and find their way back to it again or know where to go next to continue their learning experience.

And this isn’t so far off what we do in fiction. I’ve been amazed how time and again my tech writing courses have strengthened not only my writing but scene structure and plotting. As in tech writing, we need to lead the reader into a scene and back out again. Not to say we have to transition to death… but a word or two – carefully placed – will put the reader in a scene. And often a quick thought by the character or a tiny movement is all it takes to let the reader know we’re shifting gears again.

Watch how others do it – and give it a try!

 

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Sep
05

Dresden Files – Ghost Story

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SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t read Jim Butcher’s previous book in the series, Changes, go no farther. I’m not giving a by-play of Ghost Story but I don’t want to spoil the surprise.

First up, the Dresden Files series is NOT for kids. And when I say kids, I mean adults who get sqeamish too. That would be me. I know I’ve said it before, but I can’t help myself from reading the series because the main character, wizard Harry Dresden, is just so doggone real and beat up, and lovable, and if he lived next door I’d be worried about the ghouls taking pot shots in the neighborhood but never about Harry’s integrity. I’d pop over after the place stopped smoking and see if he needed some hot soup. As a reader – I can’t get enough of a hero who captures my interest that fully. As a writer, I want to know, “How the heck did he do that? And how can I write like that too?”

We’ve been through a lot, Harry and I. Okay, I skimmed a few paragraphs. My imagination is colorful enough to fill-in the details without any help. Oddly enough, I’d say the  first book, Storm Front, opened with one of the goriest depictions of his whole series (or maybe I’m becoming de-sensitized) and I skirted around it. I’d been reading Butcher’s Codex Alera series (also quite gory it turns out) and thought I’d try this series to while-away the interval between books…and because the guy behind the checkout desk at Chapters said I wouldn’t be able to put it down. Well, he was right. Ghost Story is the thirteenth book in the series. When I came to it there were already nine books and I had to pace myself not to read them in one sitting. There’s been one-to-one wizard fighting, vampires in three colors (no, I’m not explaining it… you’ll have to read to find out!), and all out vampire wars. Faeries… the fey… are not to be trifled with and if you love to love petite tough women cops, Karrin Murphy is your gal. (Though I can’t help but picture Robin Tunney from the Mentalist when I think of her which is so totally not Karrin’s description but perhaps her style.) And don’t forget the Knights of the Cross and fallen angels waging wars of good and evil. Among them all, is Harry…”Doing the right thing.”

As with all series, there comes a time when the writer has to really shake things up or the series loses momentum. Butcher didn’t wait for that to happen. He slammed us with a twist at the end of Changes. Then we had to wait 16 months for the next book! Once you open it though, you’ll understand why. As a writer, I can’t believe how much work he set himself up for re-thinking Harry’s new reality and the impact (or lack of it) it would apply to the other reality. Ghost Story puts our wizard in an entirely different element with no way to communicate with his gang and, of course, danger abounding even on “his” side of the fence. It wouldn’t be a Harry Dresden novel if someone wasn’t trying to kill him.

I finished the book two nights ago and keep hoping, maybe, I just dozed off and I really have a couple of chapters left. But, alas, no. Now it’s the long wait for the next one, which has already been set up to be a hum-dinger.

If you’re a writer of any genre – adult to YA – mystery to fantasy – you’ll find your mind exploding with Butcher’s writing techniques and his ability to keep readers off guard. Read the books for enjoyment, then read them again to try figuring out how the heck he’s crafted such great characters and twisted plots (and I mean twisted!)

And if you DO figure it out… let me know how he’s done it, will you? Because I’d like to do that too!

Oh… and if you’re not a writer and your not an adult… maybe take a pass on these for the time being. I don’t think they’re going anywhere!

 

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Sep
04

Eoin Colfer’s – Benny and Omar book

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If you’re an Eoin Colfer fan, you’ve probably worked your way through the Artemis Fowl series with enthusiasm, and if you’re a YA writer you’ve most likely felt a little wistful, wishing you could come up with half the plots/characters/dialog/*everything else to do with writing that Eoin has in the series. Luckily for us, we have the opportunity to both read these books, and his others, for pleasure as well as for writing style. I’d like to explore the series here in more depth, but before I do, let’s spend this post on what came before this wildly popular series, shall we?

What do you know about Eoin’s other books? The Wish List has long been one of my favorites – as has Half Moon Investigations. But the Benny and Omar book (followed by Benny and Babe), falls into a place of its own in my YA library. Eoin wrote these prior to the Artemis Fowl days and they resonate with Irish slang and speech patterns. Not that he tries writing the words as they sound… I find that horrible when authors do too much of that… but you can’t help hear the Irish accent and become caught-up in the dry wit when you’re reading Benny.

This juxtaposition of dialog is a brilliant tactic for the Benny and Omar book specifically because the story opens with his family being uprooted from Ireland and suddenly living in Tunisia. Enter, Omar, who not only doesn’t have an Irish accent…but the only words of English he speaks are in movie quotes. [As Benny quickly snaps up the situation, after learning Omar's name, he introduces himself, "The name is Bond. James Bond Benny."]

The opposing side to this is if your ear isn’t tuned to the humor, and if you don’t like British sitcoms… which would be somewhat similar in dryness… then you might see where something should be funny but you miss “getting” it. Don’t despair and certainly don’t avoid the opportunity to give it a try! It might open up a whole new world to you and as readers and writers… that’s really the part of the point, isn’t it?

For readers who enjoy a little sports in their books…you’ll have fun with school sport’s star Benny’s constant preoccupation with hurling in a land where it doesn’t exist. As a writer, you’ll see the role hurling plays to provide tension, conflict, as well as a way to draw the characters together in conversation.

So – whether you’re interested in a good read or an interesting plot and characterization structure, I’d recommend you pop over to your local library or bookstore and pick up Benny and Omar.

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Aug
29

Reconnected – The Internet is Not the Bad Guy

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I’ve been away at a dear friend’s cottage the last few days where Internet access is touch-and-go. It wasn’t non-existent, as in many areas of the “Near-North” of Ontario… but I had to take a little jaunt across the grass and onto the beach or dock before I could check emails or see what was happening in the world. I felt guilty for how connected I’d become.

Yesterday we went for a drive and found a nice sports bar in one of the towns we passed through. The news came on the big screen televisions and we saw for the first time that Hurricane Irene had tracked inland on a different path than the forecasters had predicted. Our Maritime provinces hadn’t been hit as badly as expected but Montreal had been swamped. New York and other states fell into the same unprepared situation. Where I was, we’d expected sun all day but instead it threatened rain and the wind was steady. Finally it made sense when I looked at the satellite radar. The outer band of cloud from the massive hurricane was right overtop of us. I’d been miffed at no sun… while towns only a couple of hours from the little cottage where we stayed were literally washed away.

After that I stopped feeling hard done-by for my four-day holiday having a weather glitch in it and I enjoyed my day. I put on an extra sweater and took my book out to the dock to read. (Jim Butcher’s latest… Ghost Story) This morning we woke to a cool morning with warm sun and the local ducks and hummingbirds dropping by for a visit. Weather event gone…for us. But not for thousands of people cleaning up or waiting for the floods to abate.

The world is changing. I’ve grown up in a part of the world where we could expect hard winters and months of snow but nothing too dangerous. Once in a long while a rogue weather system would come through. But in the space of the last five days we’ve been under a tornado warning, felt the tremble of the earthquake centered in the US northeast, and caught the edge of a hurricane. And we missed the terrifying effects of all three. That’s a lot to be thankful for.

I like the feeling of sitting out on a dock and absorbing the stillness – feeling part of nature. Feeling separate from the hustle and bustle of the cities and letting myself unwind.

But I won’t feel bad about being a semi-hooked Internet junkie any longer either. Knowledge is power. Sometimes it’s good to take a closer look at what’s happening all around us to fully appreciate those moments when the weather or jobs or life in general aren’t perfect or up to our standards…and snap out of our funk. More often than not… we’re crazy lucky by the rest of the world’s standards.

 

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Aug
24

Life Out the Window Imitates Art… Paranormalcy

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As I sat down to write this post, I had just finished reading the latest weather warnings from Environment Canada. Our area is under a tornado warning…meaning tornados are imminent. My eyes have been glued to the window watching for any sign of an unusual cloud. One minute I looked out the window and saw long fingers of dark clouds… the next, a broken pattern of greys, purples, and orange as the setting sun reflected on torn pieces of clouds.

Then a large pearl grey one floated by. It was half the size of Australia…and had a pillowy texture we never see in this part of Ontario. It formed a kind of large circular shape that met in the center in a shredded f..f..f..funnel. I heard the neighbours outside remark on it. They were watching the lightning show. Then another neighbour called to see what I thought of it. The funnel disbanded a little more as we spoke. It looked so pillowy. So harmless. And then it passed out of sight as well.

So I turned my attention to the book sitting on my desk, and was faced with a pretty good replica of what I just saw out the window, minus the beautiful blond model, of course.  I’m talking about Paranormalcy, Kiersten White’s first book in a new trilogy. For readers of teen paranormal romance, you’re in for a treat if you pick up the book. The story is different – vampires, yes – but they’re minimal and more of a parody. It has faeries (in what I would say are a pretty good representation of them). But most of all there’s a great sassy heroine and a shapeshifter hero we can all love. The writing style is fast paced and the dialogue snappy but not over the top. I’d rather have a little realism to dialogue than every sentence between characters a comeback or quip. White gives us a great mix of natural teen talk with sufficient inner monologue to carry the plot.

If you’re a writer of teen paranormal romance – I’d invite you to compare this style to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight book. Two completely different styles, characters, and plots. I liked them both – but each would suit a different mood. It’s something worth thinking about when we look at our own writing. Having read this one, I can see where my latest Devlin Crossing books lie… somewhere in the middle, both in style and narrative, I’d say.

Before the first round of storms this evening, I remembered I’d ordered the next book in White’s series, Supernaturally, and that it might  be getting a little damp in the postal box down the road right now. Unfortunately, when I went to look it wasn’t there. If we don’t end up in Oz overnight (from a sister cloud to the one I snapped) – I might have my new book for tomorrow!

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Aug
20

Insight into my blog readers’ wishes

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I’ve been reading the blogs of other writers quite a lot lately, trying to see how they mix up their posts. It’s tricky. My fiction writing is directed toward preteens to teens to us adults who enjoy YA and teen books for their fabulous characters and fast pacing. So who do we, as adult writers of younger readers’ fiction, write our blog posts to?

I know I’ve got a building readership out there… according to the stats at least… and I’d like to thank you all for dropping by! What I can’t tell is what you’d like to read about. More on Wingman? What’s coming in the Devlin series? Info on writing? I can see what countries you’re reading from and what time of day you like to go online… but nothing on which posts you read and which don’t interest you.

Since I can see who’s following me on Twitter – I’ve directed a few posts to fellow writers of every age. We’re always looking for the little bit of magic someone else has discovered or at least some sage advice to help us from falling into the pit of slush piles never to be seen again. I expect new writers might like some tips on technique too. I invite other writers to comment with your own tips and ideas.

Another area I saw explored was the writing journey authors have taken… including (and maybe especially!) stories on what they did wrong and why something didn’t work. You’d think hearing about rejection might fly in the face of keeping a positive attitude, but the reverse is true. When you read about the struggles, you learn what not to do or see how someone kept going despite a setback. It’s ultimately a real enthusiasm builder to know you are not alone and no one is rejecting you. (Hmmm… rejection is a good topic for a post too.)

Then I’d also like to devote a column here and there on other authors’ books. I want YOU out there… my YA and teen readers to find interest in the blog as well. I’d like to share what I’ve read and liked with you and would love to know about your favorite books for other readers. For instance, last week I read a post by Amanda Hocking where she mentioned a few authors’ books. Kiersten White’s name stuck in my head. She’s recently released Supernaturally, her second book in the Wake trilogy. I ordered the first book, Paranormalcy, and I’m so glad I did. I read it in three evenings (which completely wrecked my next days through lack of sleep). I’m trying to hold off buying the next one for a few weeks to enjoy the anticipation.

Last night I opened my fresh new hardcover copy of Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. I, as all of his fans, have been waiting for 16 months since his last book, Changes, to see what happened to Harry Dresden the wizard! [Warning: The Dresden series is a uban fantasy for adults. I've been known to cringe at the squirmy, gory bits of which there are plenty. I had to really analyze why I keep reading the books and it's one hundred percent because Butcher is a master at characterization. Same goes for his Codex Alera series. Too gory for my liking - but I like the characters too much not to read about them. He's made me care about them!]

So that’s my plans for the continuing Wanderer Story  Company blog. A little of this and that. I’ll set up categories so you can choose what you like. And I’ll keep the comments section open and available so you can tell me what you’d like to read more or less about.

In the meantime – if you haven’t gone over to the Devlin Crossing page, quick-tab over and download the “10 Lives” story for something to read on your coffee break.

All the best until next time!

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Aug
18

Devlin Crossing – A Series for Paranormal Romance Readers

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I thought today, for a change of pace, I’d tell you a little about the Devlin Crossing series of books I’ve undertaken. With the short story “10 Lives” now online, it feels a little more real and out there in the world so I’d like to let you in on a few plans I have for the series.

The core element to the books is the Devlin Family. The branch of the family I’ve begun the series with lives in Devlin Crossing not too far of a hike from the Chicago area. These Devlins come from a long line of Devlins who originated in Ireland. I have more plans for spin-offs to the Devlin Crossing troupe… but that’s for another post and you wouldn’t want me telling you everything, would you?

What makes the family worth writing about? Every one of them has a talent. Some are born with it and some develop their talent in their teens… which makes for interesting short stories in themselves. You’ll see Zoe has a way with animals in 10 Lives. Then there’s Mia Devlin, coming up in the first book Who Killed Romeo and Juliet, who has a rather handy talent of her own…if she could only use it on herself. You’ll meet cousins with everyday psychic skills like clairvoyance and telepathy while others have a few talents on the wilder side, such as spirit communication and… well, I won’t give it all away.

I’m looking for unusual talents for this unusual family. If you think of any, let me know!

In the meantime – enjoy the stories and watch as the family tree expands!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Aug
16

“10 Lives” – A Devlin Crossing Teen Paranormal Romance Short Story

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Hop on over to the Devlin Crossing tab and download my first Devlin Crossing short story!  “10 Lives” and future short stories, will introduce you to a few members of the Devlin family and their unusual abilities while I continue working on the first book of the series.

For the time being, once you confirm your opt-in to receiving the story, you’ll be taken directly to the PDF. Once I get up and running with more news and stories I’ll have a general download page for you to browse and click from at your leisure. (So many new techie things to learn and wade-through when all I want to do is write!) Jumpin!

Hope you enjoy the story!

(Frizzy hopes so too :)

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