Only The Story Matters

This past week, I packed up the last of my father's space memorabilia: brittle newspapers, photos, publicity papers, decals, etc. and shipped them off to a retired Air Force vet with a passion for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space program.

The last of my Dad's space stuff

He's putting together an exhibit on the West Coast because most of the major museums like the Smithsonian Air and Space (which got the bulk of my father's collection- you may be able to see some, labeled Donated in Memory of William P. 'Swede' Johnson), the Intrepid Air and Space, and Cape Canaveral are all here in the east. Mission Control in Houston is in the middle and there's little on the West Coast.

I posted on a Facebook group I belong to, Mercury Gemini, & Saturn/Apollo Program Era that I had these items and wanted to give them to someone who would preserve and cherish them, as my father had. While I hate giving up these treasures, it's more important that the history and records of our early space program be preserved, rather than sitting in a box in my office. The story of the men and women, the places and the companies, the failures and the successes, is more important than nostalgia. Only The Story Matters.

After contacting a museum which didn't respond back, I chatted with Michael. He not only had a passion for space, but a desire to preserve history. He was knowledgeable so I was convinced he was genuine and not someone who would want the memorabilia to possibly sell it. We chatted by email and I was surprised when he told me that he was not only humbled by my entrusting him with something sentimentally valuable to me but historically important, that he wanted to write a book. He was a bit afraid of such a big undertaking.

Being the author that I am, I gave him some basic writing advice, how to start, how to make the task manageable, etc. I also gave him several ideas on collecting his research. I was humbled that he thought so much of my advice that he asked more questions. To me it all pointed to not me, as the daughter of someone who worked on the Lunar Evacuation Module (LEM) who had lots of stuff, or to this retired Air Force vet who loved space, but to The Story. I'm not going to divulge the subject of his book, but suffice it to say it's important, it needs to be written. The author is not important, Only The Story Matters. I hope to help him not only with the process, but with whatever information I can collect about my Dad's days at Grumman; stories of the astronauts, the space program, the company that built the LEM which safely landed our men on the Moon- and brought them back.

It's bittersweet since my dad has been gone almost 15 years. He and Michael would have hit it off, trading stories. But the story will get told. And as an author, that's all that matters.

Char

Rocks and Hard Places

You know what that saying means; I'm stuck between two unpleasant places and neither one is appealing. Here's the sitch:

I wrote an MG story based on a literary classic, which brings said classic into the contemporary world (no, no more Jane Austen, I promise). I wanted to stay true to the classic written by Robert Louis Stevenson (that's all the clue I'm going to give you). But when I presented it for a critique by an editor out of one of the large publishing houses, while she liked the concept, she said it 'enabled white male rage.' She made other points, most of which I thought valid and could easily incorporate into my manuscript. But how to address the social aspect of 'white male rage', i.e. a main character, yes, who's white because that's how the classic was written almost 200 years ago, who messes around with science which changes him and not for the better. The editor saw this as an excuse for his behavior- he can't help himself from being violent. Now I see she has a point; white male character goes on rampage but it's not his fault. However, while I have it that my character's a violent person, all through the story is woven that he must take responsibility for his actions. The parent explains it like this; it's like being left-handed in a right-handed world. Yes, my main character, a boy, is different than almost everyone, and his condition makes him struggle, but he, ultimately, has the control and responsibility of his condition. He has to adjust, not the world. (And changing the race would only get me labeled racist because I'm white, so don't even go there.)

I pondered her comments. I switched the gender of the main character to female, thus breaking away from the classic, but it was a new twist and that can be a good thing. But that change was problematic all through the story. Maybe it's my own prejudices, but a girl would react totally different in almost all the conflicts. I managed to address most of the issues, but it was a domino effect which made the twisty ending, which I loved, improbable and clunky.

It is no longer my story, but someone else's. And I didn't feel their love or connection to the story; it seemed more like a 'PC run amok' story.

Here's the rock: I don't like the new story, especially the weaker ending.

Here's the hard place: Based on the editor's comments, it seems everything has to go through a PC filter or it won't get pubbed.

Hollywood seems to be the only place where this story could thrive. But, if I can't get this story published, it will die a lonely death in my drawer.

And just like Wiley E. Coyote trying to catch the Roadrunner, here's the boulder that falls on top to completely squash me: it's part of a classics revitalization trilogy. While the connection to the next book wouldn't be too problematic, if I can't get editors past the first book, the other two are just cumbersome piles of paper to be recycled.

Friends and colleagues have weighed in and it comes down to this:

• Write your story.
• They probably wouldn't pub it as is, so make the changes.
• You can make this work.

It all comes down to writing a story I don't love, which generally doesn't work out well for writer, agent, or editor. Talk about impossible barriers. Or, keeping the basic storyline with the other suggestions the editor gave me. Finally, just chucking the whole story and starting the trilogy with the next book, featuring a female protagonist. 

I'll have to mull this one over. It disheartens me because these stories are a bridge between the classics I love to a contemporary time and place. As an English major and a former substitute teacher, this kills me that my brainchild must be so bastardized that it can pass PC filters which leaves the story barely alive.

Photo by Rene Asmussen from Pexels

What to do, what to do...

Char

Nice Guys/Gals Need Not Apply....

I'm working on a middle grade story. The main character, Jake, is having issues. (It's middle grade- there are always issues.)

One of the criticisms I'm hearing is that "I don't like the character enough."

Um, do you like every person you meet? I don't. And I know some people don't like me at first (and sometimes not even later, but that's a drama for another day.) While teen books are reflecting more of reality- sexual assault and gender identification, bullying, school shootings, etc., it seems every book's main character is a nice person. It's not like that in reality. Everyone knows this yet few write it.

My character has to have room to grow.

I'm not buying into the 'your character has to be likable' in order for the story to be good. Maybe I'm just a little tired of the kumbaya, sugary portrayals: a nice girl who's the cheerleader with the best boyfriend and perfect life who suddenly finds her life in a mess. Or the jock with a promising college football scholarship who's a nice guy except for that drunk driving episode. Or any other story where everyone starts out nice.

People are complicated. Characters should mirror that. There are times when you meet a person, and they come off as a jerk, or nasty, or just annoying. Maybe they have a problem or situation you don't know about. Until you learn more about them, you won't understand why they may come off as unlikable. Possibly they are simply unlikable; that doesn't make their story less compelling. If we're looking at a short time period, we could all point the finger and accuse each other of not being nice- at that time, or from that time going forward, or backward. Everyone has those moments of 'un-niceness' and I dare anyone to argue to the contrary.

Photo by Kat Jayne, courtesy of Pexels

Maybe a character or a specific person is just a jerk. There are real people like that. Look around. Maybe you're related to a person that isn't so nice. Possibly you work or live near someone you don't like, but you have to interact with them. That's real life. Middle grade and young adult books should have characters like this; if kids understand complex issues, they will understand, and accept, that not all people are sweet, nice, helpful, etc. And that doesn't make the character a villain.

Before you write off my character Jake, get to know him. By the end of the book, you'll understand why he's the way he is and that to tell his story, I couldn't make him sweet.

You might even like him.

Char

Almost Halfway There...

Hey! If you're doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) you're almost halfway there! A little behind? A little ahead?

I'm on course, (unless I don't write anything today, then I'll be behind) but anything can happen. I've had book events on two weekends, so I brought notes and wrote in down times. I have family visits that will take me out of state, so I'll have to plan around that.

Suppose I don't finish....?

So what? I will keep going. I will get there, and that's the point: TO FINISH (even if it takes more than 30 days).

I've wandered away from my outline...

And? Is the story moving forward? Are you writing? Sometimes our mood, the characters, a sudden inspiration changes the course we plotted, kind of like a rogue wave or a sudden wind. If you like the direction (it's okay to be scared, racing through unknown waters scares all of us), stay with it. Isn't life about the journey, and not the destination?

My character is coming out different than what was in my head...

Your character is growing up, becoming their own person. This is a tough 'parenting' call when you have to let your babies go their own way versus where you want to send them. They may falter, even fail, or have terrible things happen to them; it's okay. That's life. If this child has become a stranger, talk to them and watch them, get to know them.

The plot is speeding by! I'm almost to the end of the story with no where else to go and I won't reach 50,000 words...

Whoa, slow down! It's okay to reach the end of your plot. You've got the bones. Now add a little flesh. Is your setting fully mapped out so that a reader will feel like they are on the street where the hit-and-run occurs? Will they feel the chill ill wind when they turn down that dark alley? What about the five (some argue six) senses? Does your character taste the bitter bile as they realize the horror of what they've done? Can they smell the sweet tartness of lemon cookies hot out of the oven at their grandmother's house? Go back to any chapter that seems thin and add some stuffing. No one likes a lean turkey on Thanksgiving, don't give them a skinny story.

I've lost my muse...

Maybe take a step back- spend a half hour, reading the last few chapters you've written, or maybe even the whole thing. Sometimes immersing yourself non-stop in the story helps you pick up the energy, the momentum, that you've lost. It's not easy starting, stopping, starting, stopping; it almost goes against our creativity. Don't despair, don't give up. If reading through doesn't spark some words, write a chapter about a character/setting/scene that won't end up in the story, like a flashback to a childhood incident, a terrible fire that spread through town, a confrontation that should have happened. Spread your wings. At best, it'll jump start you. At worst, maybe you have the seeds for a sequel or completely different story.

Now I must tend to my muse because where my story is headed? Well, I never saw that coming and I'm on the edge of my seat, waiting for my characters to finish their tale...

Keep writing! Keep Dreaming!

Char

The Story DOES Matter!

At the NJ SCBWI annual conference last weekend, I took a workshop titled, "Writing Marginalized Voices in Children's Books," which was presented by Andrea Loney and Emma Otheguy. It's one thing to believe in writing diverse characters- and another in getting it right.

Recently, a publishing professional told me that if I wasn't the same ethnicity as my characters, "That's a problem," and getting my work published would be very difficult, if not impossible. If I were to follow that dictate, then all I could write are stories with characters that are German and Swedish- and I would then be accused of only writing from the white perspective. It's a Catch 22 with no win for me. I might as well just give up writing because that's NOT what I want: a strictly 'white only' point of view. (To read that post, scroll down).

I shared a dinner table with Emma, who is of Cuban descent, and I met Andrea, a woman of color, at the workshop. They discussed how unrepresented these voices, stories, and people are. And besides being underrepresented, sometimes they are represented incorrectly. There are books out there rife with stereotypes which need to be discarded. Also, she and Emma talked about how polarizing books and writing around ethnicity can be.

Andrea gave us opportunities to talk about these things. I mentioned that in my middle grade book series, Evolution Revolution (Simple Machines, Simple Plans, Simple Lessons), the main characters are animals, and the main secondary character is a boy of color. When I showed the cover of the book, which features Jack the squirrel, to white children, they bought the book. When I showed children of color the picture of the boy who looked like them, they bought the book but white children mostly didn't. Same book, different responses. It's such a conundrum to me on how to present the book. I don't want to use two different approaches to discuss/sell my book depending on the ethnicity of the audience. It's an animal book, a science book, an adventure book. (There are other humans characters of other ethnicities and genders). Should I just give in and make all my characters white like me, even if it doesn't fit the story? (The character is also physically challenged and is homeschooled.)

Andrea's response was for us to write the story. BUT- make sure to do the research. Is my character accurately representing this ethnicity without stereotype? If I feel confident it is technically correct, a 'sensitivity reader' - person of color who can point out any stereotypical flaws in dialogue, appearance, customs, etc. that I may not realize I've employed, will help further ensure that I am presenting a marginalized voice/character will all fairness.

This is what writers across the spectrum need to hear, understand, and embrace. We all hate the stereotypes that we're faced with (I get really tired of 'dumb blonde' jokes, Nazi references, misogynistic remarks). I'm sure that's only an inkling of what marginalized people face.

But I took away that the story matters. I can write marginalized voices and characters, and so can you. If we write precisely, no one should question that even though we don't have the credentials of being born a specific ethnicity, we can still write that story. The only way to bring marginalized voices and people to wide acceptance is to keep writing that story the way it should be written.

I've gotten much more from this workshop from both Andrea and Emma, who related her experiences of her Cuban heritage and the journey of writing her book than I can do justice in this short post. Check out Andrea's picture book, Take a Picture of Me, James VanDerZee! and her other books here. For Emma's book, Marti's Song for Freedom, debuting Spring 2017, check here to pre-order or check for launch date.

Char

A Small Thing, A Memory So Big

See this?

These are those cheap rings you get out of a gumball dispenser, or in a goody bag from a kid's birthday party. I don't know where my son got them, but he scooped up three and gave them to me as a present (wasn't a holiday or my birthday). He knew I liked sparkly jewelry. He thought he was giving me something precious.

And he was. It was a gift of love from his heart, as valuable as the dandelion bouquets he used to collect for me so many times during the summer and spring. All he saw was the beauty. When I look at them, I see his youthful innocence, hear his giggles, feel his tight hugs, and even smell the fresh scent of baby powder.

Memories like that are fodder not only for a story, but for a character. I have a novel, The Recalling, that is based on the memories a girl has for someone she lost. Suddenly finding a necklace stirs up those memories--good and bad. The story develops around those memories and the necklace.

Not just things, but our senses can revitalize memories. The smell of salt water makes my heart ache for the eastern end of Long Island where I grew up from seventh grade until my twenties. It brings back memories of going to beach parties, getting severely stung by a jelly fish (in the face), having my cousin spend summers with me, doing work around the old farmhouse my parents were restoring, and getting my first car. It also brings the sadness of the loss of five friends in car accidents, one the boyfriend about whom The Recalling is based on, my parents' divorce, and everyone in the family going separate ways.

The taste of homemade bread and apple pie returns me to our farmhouse kitchen when my mother baked. We had a fireplace in the kitchen, where the cat and dog would sleep in front toasty by the fire during blustery winter days, and where my mom would put bread on the mantle in a bowl to rise.

Songs and music evoke remembrances; the theme from Jaws gave me the chills (I lived on Long Island where the movie was supposedly set and sometimes there were shark sightings). Certain church songs bring me to tears because the music and verse are deep in meaning. And I will always rock out to classic songs like Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA because I have to sing and dance with it, like it's in my DNA.

Use your memory or make up one for your characters. In my middle grade novel, even Jack the gray squirrel has memories of his brother being eaten by Fox, and his mother searching for food, but never coming home. These memories make him cautious and wary for danger. We are, in some ways, defined by our past; we want to hide it, or forget it, or relive it, or use it. Memories are snatches of our past. If characters are to be believable, they have to be more than a person doing something in the present. Characters have to have regrets and longings, fears and desires, motivations and inhibitions. Memories are Nature's way of keeping our past ever present and fluid, able to be summoned.

No matter the age, culture, situation, everyone (and it's believed that animals do too) has memories. It should be true for characters as well.

Char

Sprint to the Finish...

You're almost there!

To the end of the month. How's the novel revision going? Not quite as far as you thought you'd be?

Now's the time to dig down deep, as athletes say, and find that last bit of energy and determination to finish the job.

We all get a little sidetracked. Family happenings. life events, work, health, etc. I was derailed for over a week with the sickness, then death of a beloved aunt out of state. For two days afterward, I was still numb. When I tried to go back to my story, I remembered that I named a character after my aunt- and it was like a sign that I should go on, finish it not only for myself, but for her. Use any justification but get the work done.

You can do this. Even if you've only done a few chapters, keep going. This is your race, so you set the clock. Can't be done this month? Then take next month, and even the one after, but get it done! It won't ever go out on submission to an editor or agent sitting there unrevised on your desk.

I've finished one story, started then gave up on another, and now am working on a third. I had hoped to do four stories, but life happens. So it'll keep for next month. Always working on something is the key to achieving success because it won't just happen.

So put on your glasses, load up on tea or coffee and sit your butt in the chair.

I believe in you- you can do this!

Char  
Clip art courtesy of Bing/Microsoft

Renovation or Revision?

Whether you say renovation or revision, it's the same thing- ripping something apart, rebuilding it, and finessing it.

In previous weeks, we had our family room completely gutted- down to the studs (gee, this happened with several novels I wrote...). The structure was good, but was poorly insulated, making the room always feel cold. (The novels were lacking in substance too...). We had new insulation put in, then sheetrock. (Kind of like adding new scenes or characters, building my down-to-the-bare-bones novels back up again.)

Then came the spackling. Filling in holes, sanding out rough spots, so that the story, er, walls and ceiling, were smooth.

Paint, or adding color, interest, and ambiance came next. Ceiling was painted white to reflect light, walls were done in a soft beige with a hint of blush. Welcoming and warm, cozy- the way I like my books. The stark white crown molding and window trims added a little drama. (My novels needed more drama, or less drama, depending on who was critiquing or buying).

Finally, the carpet was shampooed- getting rid of any lingering dust or dirt (akin to cleaning up any last mistakes or problems when I read the manuscript yet. again.)

Now, all that was left to do was showcase the room- decorate, new curtains, new pics (those aren't ready yet), and ditch any junk or clutter. (Equal to a synopsis and query letter to 'showcase' the novel for my agent or any editor she would present it to.)

After three weeks, the family room was again livable space (the pool bar roof, kitchen steps and banister replaced too). My novels, after their 'renovation' (revision if you prefer), were now presentable and I'm proud of all of it.

But damn, what a lot of work. Worth it, yes, but nothing good ever comes easy.

There are other projects- pool deck to finish painting, touch-ups on scuffed walls, revising mg historical novel, etc. Always have something to do, it seems.

Char

I've Got Dirty Hands...

When my agent said to take out one component of my sci fi, Lethal Dose, I almost died. One small change affected 3/4 of the book. Removing it meant reworking everything after the first 1/4th.

I grumbled, I whined, I stormed out of the house.

Into the gardens.

I needed to completely rethink my story and I can't do that chained to the desk, trying to force it. My coping mechanism is my gardens. (In winter it's de-cluttering or house repair. Sometimes baking.) I was soooo frustrated with the changes she wanted, this is the result:

This is my meditation garden. Seems I didn't do so much meditation as I did murder. Weeds? I don't think so!

Then I moved on....

What was once a dumping ground for the wheelbarrow and all kinds of junk, I used flagstones from our old walkway, dug up the weeds, laid down mulch and a border, and used an old copper fire pit for a birdbath to make yet another garden. But was I done? Nope.

I added pots of flowers around the house, by the garage, in the front gardens, by the mailbox,

on the side of the shed,

added a small veggie garden by the pool fence,

updated the corner pool garden,

added some more herbs to the herb garden (and it still needs some work because those damn chives think they can just take over the place),

and this puppy in the front of the house is in for some serious cutting back and reorganizing. There will also be borders and mulch around the front yard trees.

But those last few will have to wait. I'm on a roll with the revisions (didn't want to take the time to do this blog, but gotta get all my To Do list accomplished and it's Monday after all). I have big plans for summer projects (both writing and house). Summer is when I feel most energized and now that I've 'weeded out' my demons on the sci fi revisions, I must return to the manuscript.

How do you exorcise your revision demons? Let me know because one day I'm going to be too old to do all this digging and planting and ripping up.

Good day, good writing, and good things!

Char

What Two Oceans Cannot Divide

She was born on a family farm in a remote town in Calabria, Italy.

He lived on the farm next door.

From childhood into adulthood, they saw only each other, promises unspoken by word, but made by love.

Then war came, and with it, roving bands of soldiers, looking to impress young men.

And they found him. Took him away to fight a war he didn't want, didn't believe in. Whatever food the soldiers could steal, they did, leaving the families hungry. Only unharvested potatoes, still in the ground that the soldiers refused to unearth, were left.

Away they took him, but he promised to come back to her. And she promised to wait for him.

So she worked the farm, struggling with her family through those desperate times, wondering where he was, if he was still alive.

He fought in Africa until the Allies caught him. And made him a prisoner.

The war ended. Seeking a better life than the desolate farm, he journeyed to Canada, finding work in Chrysler  Automotive plant.

He didn't forget her, but there wasn't enough money to send for her. But he could marry her--by shortwave radio. While she stood in her white wedding dress on the arm of her brother in Italy, she spoke her vow of love till death. From Canada, he promised his love.

She waited. Two years. Then came the day there was enough money for a one way journey to her new world. Leaving behind the wedding gifts, and all she knew, knowing there was little chance she'd see her family again, she traversed the ocean, not in First Class, but freighter.

Soon there was a baby girl. Eighteen months later, a baby boy, their family complete. Five years of happiness.

She ran to the hospital. His last words spoke of his children.

Alone, she emigrated to the States where she cleaned houses, worked in hotel laundries, babysat other people's children to feed her own.

For 51 years she mourned her Tomasso, keeping her vow of no one but him till death.

On a quiet day, she rejoined him and renewed their vows of love forever.


This is the story of Gilda and Tomasso, my in-laws. And I will write their love story.