Bizarre Characters and General Hodgepodge

I write about real people in disguise. If anything, my characters are toned down-the truth is much more bizarre. – Jackie Collins

I was in Las Vegas last week for our annual get-together with a wonderful group of friends. I didn’t take my computer, so I was completely unplugged from the internet. It wasn’t as hard to adjust to as I anticipated. In fact, to be honest, it was very liberating.

Now I'm home and the fantasy life of Vegas is fading as I switch gears into catch-up mode. When I have lots to do, I tend to go in circles and my thoughts are rather jumbled. The result is this rather eclectic mixture of topics for today’s post, so I'll dive in now.

As usual I didn’t walk away with any big money jackpots. My Vegas windfall is more in the form of character ideas. I can’t imagine there being any better people watching place in the world.

I’m not talking about performers or casino employees when I say some people are so off the charts in looks, actions and voice that I wondered how anyone could turn them into a believable character. Describing these colorful folks exactly as I saw them might have the reader shaking their head and saying, “No way. No one’s this outrageous.”

I find perfect characters boring—I can’t relate to them at all. Is it possible, though, to go too far in the other direction? I ’ve read that if you want a satirical tool your characters can be unrealistically eccentric which leads me to wonder exactly what is unrealistic?

I don’t have the answers to my own questions, so if anyone has any ideas on the topic I’d love to hear them. Tips on writing about unusual characters are also welcome. Who is your favorite quirkiest character in a novel?

On a completely different topic, I like to thank Rayna for featuring me on her blog, Coffee Rings Everywhere, last Wednesday. I’m flattered to be the subject of one of Rayna’s drabbles. A drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words and Rayna has one to offer daily. A resident of Bombay, India, her drabbles are always interesting and educational, expertly showing the similarities and differences between our cultures and lives. I recommend stopping often.

Changing the subject again - be sure to mark your calendar for December 1 when the Indie Books Holiday Giveaway begins. Forty-seven authors are offering hundreds of free print and eBooks. All you have to do is enter and that's super easy.

Next I’d to credit Marvin Wilson with coining the term, “blogcation.” I admit to stealing, I mean borrowing, the word for my last post. I couldn’t remember where I first saw it, but it seems it originated on The Old Silly’s Free Spirit blog. This comes as no surprise as Marvin’s posts are always creative.

Finally, happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the U.S. I hope your day is filled with joy and laughter and lots of good food.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope to see you next week (I'll do my best to stick to a single topic).

Tags: Jackie Collins, blogcation, Las Vegas, drabble, Marvin Wilson, Thanksgiving, Coffee Rings Everywhere, unusual characters,

Thanksgiving

"Thanksgiving like the Fourth of July should be considered a national festival and observed by all our people." – Sarah Josepha Hale

Did you know if it weren’t for Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879), poet, writer and magazine editor, Thanksgiving may not have been made a national holiday? This author of Mary Had a Little Lamb, used Godey’s Lady’s Book magazine to campaign for Thanksgiving as a national holiday until Lincoln made it official.

What’s amazing to me is that at age 34 she was widowed and penniless. With five small children to raise, she supported herself with sewing and poetry. Then, at 39, her first novel, Northwood, became a huge success. She continued to write and edit for many years. At age 90, she wrote:

“And now, having reached my ninetieth year, I must bid farewell to my countrywomen, with the hope that this work of half a century may be blessed to the furtherance of their happiness and usefulness in their Divinely-appointed sphere. New avenues for higher culture and for good works are opening before them, which fifty years ago were unknown. That they may improve these opportunities, and be faithful to their higher vocation, is my heartfelt prayer.”

Thank you Sarah Josepha Hale! For more about this fascinating woman writer, visit Best Years blog, Women Writers, and Wikipedia.

Now I’ll leave you with this from Inkygirl.com.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Sarah Hale, Thanksgiving, Godey’s Lady’s Book, Mary had a little lamb, inkygirl,

Technology for Authors

“There are three kinds of death in this world. There's heart death, there's brain death, and there's being off the network.” - Guy Almes


You may be wondering why I haven’t blogged lately. I intended to say it’s because I’ve been a bit ‘under the weather.’ However, I decided I don’t really know what that adage means. And I have to wonder if it is even possible to be ‘under the weather’ when you live in sunny southwest Florida—especially at this time of the year. So I’ll just say during the past week or so, I felt the daily task of breathing in and out was about all I could handle. There were days when I didn’t even check my email. But now I’m feeling human again and ready to dive—no, make that—wade, back into writing and blogging.

Before I was ‘struck’ by complete inactivity, I attended the Florida Writers Association Conference on the 14th through the 16th and, as usual, enjoyed it immensely. Mingling with such creative and talented people is invigorating. This year, I concentrated on seminars that addressed the technology writers need to succeed rather than the how-to’s of writing. These sessions included information on what authors can do to improve their web sites to the marketing value of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

Now comes the difficult part of trying to apply what I learned. If my techie guru (also known as my husband, Kim) had gone to these seminars with me, I’m sure my web page and social network sites would have all kinds of new bells and whistles by now. However, since I was the one trying to absorb lectures that included terms like html’s, jpegs and dpi’s, I’m not sure how much practical information I absorbed. I’m hoping I soaked up enough to make enough sense out of my notes and remember the information long enough to tell Kim in a somewhat coherent manner, what I’d like to change/add to my web site. But, I’m not going to hold my breath as I haven’t looked at my notes since returning home.

I also need your help with my web site project. When you go to a web site, what are you hoping to find out about the author or their books? What keeps you going back? What turns you off completely? What information do you find helpful? Do you ever sign guest books or contact the individual by email? Do you respond to contests or other promotions? I’m looking forward to your responses and will keep you posted on any changes I decide to make.

During this holiday season, please keep in mind that books, such as The Ride, make great gifts.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Tags: The Ride, Almes, Florida Writers Association, facebook , twitter, Thanksgiving, holiday season