The "F" Word

Yep, I'm talking about THAT word. It doesn't faze me seeing it in adult books. I hear it almost everywhere I go. I say it.

But I kind of cringe when I hear it in Young Adult books. It's not that I think the little darlings are naive and innocent (the youngest murderer on Death Row is 11 years old and would frighten Charles Manson). We know they use the word frequently because you hear it in their conversations. (Yes, I've heard my own sons use it and it doesn't make me proud. The rule is if you fall and crack your head on the door and have to get stitches, you can use it. It seems to escape their lips a little more often than cracking their heads on doors.)

I'm no prude; I say it when agitated (in NJ, it's almost a requirement to swear when you drive on any road with these lunatics), but I don't think we ought to be encouraging it. It's a foul word, like a few others that I won't mention (and did you notice there are more derogatory words against women than men? But that's another post...) The "F" word is relatively common in everyday speech and saying "Oh shoot" sounds stuffy and fake. It will turn off the young adults we want to reach because they wouldn't say that.

The line I walk as author-mother-mentor-person of faith is using it in my books. In the three novels that I've co-written with Natalie (Blonde Ops, Sirenz, Sirenz Back in Fashion), we never once used it (and we don't plan on it- it just doesn't fit our style/story). But I have an adult and a new adult book and I'm wondering how to get around using it especially when it's a male character. It seems to be more acceptable (although I don't hold it as true) that girls will swear less. My 19-year-old protagonist, Dalen Steele, kills people. He's a poisoner. He's not going to say "sugar cookies!" when he gets shot, beat, and captured.

Maybe it's no big deal anymore. Should I just shut the "F" up on this?

Char

Don't Get So...

Emotional!

Do you prefer your main characters to be strong & silent, keeping a stoic mien while reading their emotional thoughts? How do you feel about characters who don't say a word even in the face of false accusations when most people would say something? 

It depends. I don't like overly chatty characters who blurt out every aspect of their current state of emotions (because we usually know what they're feeling from the situation or other characters). But, sometimes you need the character to cry, scream, yell, take a swing, shoot, or do something because the emotions are so intense.

Understated can be the perfect touch or it can be frustrating. Flat characters are as annoying as basket cases.

Do you have strong feelings on the subject?

Farewell!

Char

What a Total "D"

Diva!

I love characters (not so much people) who are divas. They are over the top, doing things even I would blush at doing. One of my faves has to be Butch O'Neal, from J.R. Ward's The Black Dagger Brotherhood. He swaggers, he fights, he dresses like a Paris runway model, he slugs back icy cold vodka. He's in-your-face and unapologetic about it.

But like all divas, there's something underneath all that attitude; a boy who never fit in with the family, the cop who's been busted for beating a suspect, a human among vampires. Being a diva allows him to cover up his vulnerability and pain.

Don't we all put on a happy or brave or confident face when we're hurting or devastated?

Et tu?

Char

You're Such A Character

Characters- love 'em, hate 'em....

To me the worst thing a character can be is boring (and/or unbelievable). Be bad, be divine, be scary-be all three!- anything but make me yawn. Some of the best characters in my humble opinion: Lestat, Interview With A Vampire (Anne Rice). He can be vicious while he's daring God to show him he has a soul even though he's a vampire. Favorite tragic hero is Susie Salmon from The Lovely Bones (Alice Seybold). I raged, wept, I hoped, I despaired. The funniest character I think is Betsy (Elizabeth) Taylor of the Undead and Unwed series (Mary Janice Davidson). I laughed out loud in the middle of Barnes and Noble reading about her shoe addiction. The ultimate hero was of course Aragorn of The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien).

There are so many wonderful, unforgettable characters. I enjoy discovering new ones-and I love the first characters Natalie Zaman and I created in the Sirenz series: Sharisse, Meg, Hades, Demeter, and Persephone (our versions of them). Now, I'm loving our new character in Blonde OPS, Bec Jackson. The reason why I love all these characters: there's something in each of them that I identify with (not being a vampire or a king of men, or a murdered girl) but some facet of their personality is kindred, and touches my soul.

What characters do you feel connected with?

Do svidaniya!

Char

Back to the Middle Again...

"B" is for backstory- you know, all that background info you need to know in order for the story to make sense, or for you to garner clues, or to fill out the character's history.

But too much of a good thing is sometimes tooooo much. Certain books (and we all have opinions which ones annoy us-I have a number of Pulitzer, Nobel, and bestsellers on my extensive list) that just bore me beyond screaming. Does that bother you as much as it does me? I don't need pages (and especially not chapters) filling me in on details I probably wouldn't miss if it was edited out.

Sometimes, though, there isn't enough, or the story's so good that you want more info, any scrap of additional info. Do you feel like that?

Check out what others "B" talking about!
A to Z Blogger List

Until tomorrow,
Ciao!

Char

Ready, Set, ABC!

Today starts the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge! Every day, except Sundays, a whole big group of us will blog using the alphabet. I'm not going to follow a theme, and I'm not going to be off the wall random. I'm going to pick a word from the dictionary (no, I won't bore you with a 'Word of the Day' schtick) and write about that word as it relates to READING, because in the end, we're all readers, but we're not all writers.  So....

A

 Angst. You know what that is, especially if you have teenagers, are a teenager, live near teenagers, or remember being a teenager. It's the perpetual state of anxiety, worry, or dread. A lot of novels are loaded with it (you know which ones they are). Do you like the angst? As a reader some is okay, but I don't like to be overwhelmed by constant fretting, self-doubt, handwringing, whining, etc. I was never angsty even as a teen, and I have little patience for people who are, although I know some is needed in the stories I write because we all have 'those' moments, teen or not.

What are your most and least favorite angst-ridden novels?

Here's five blogs (of many) blogs I'll be checking out...

Cheerful tornado blog

Delight Directed Living blog

I'd Rather Be At The Beach blog

Butterfly On A Broomstick blog

Humoring The Dark

"B" back tomorrow!

Char

Snippets of Suggestions

Been working on (hopefully) the final edits of my sci fi before it goes out on submission, and PR for Blonde OPS, so I've neglected the post for this week. To atone, here are two things I'm sharing for all you writers, artists, people who need to market something.

1- Google your name, your book, your product, etc. Go past the first page, or the second ( I don't think you need to do ALL the results because there are what, thousands??). By doing this, I've found reviews and mentions of our book that I had no idea were out there. I bring up the page and then can post the link on FB and Twitter, getting more PR (free!) for our book. Natalie and other writers, friends, editors, etc. then retweet, favorite, or share- and it's spreading the word. Takes max a half hour- do it on commercials of your favorite show.

2-If you belong to a group (I belong to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators- SCBWI) and updated my info with current pics, buying links, new books, etc. I'm no tech whiz (as Natalie will attest), but even I can do this (given enough time). Stay current on your FB, Twitter, organization, and professional pages.

That's it until next week when I may attempt the A-Z blog challenge. I signed up, but screwed up the application so I don't know if I'm in or out. (see what I mean about being tech challenged?) Natalie and my friend Yvonne Ventresca and some others will be doing it. Maybe they'll mention me and I'll see it on Google...

Char