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MY BOOKS ON AMAZON

Digging for Treasure

2/20/2018

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Have you ever seen an archaeological dig site? Once a site is determined, it is walked over, surveyed, marked, and plotted before any digging even begins. Tools are gathered--trowels, flat-blade shovels, brushes, marking sticks, string, levels, measuring tapes, rulers, survey tape, gloves, screen for sifting excavated dirt or sand, boxes, bags, and the list goes on and on. Then when everything is set, the first trench or pit is dug very carefully. Not much different than starting a new story, wouldn't you say?

Each story is a treasure waiting to be uncovered and preserved. It begins with a walk-through of sorts with questions. Is the idea I have workable? Has it been done before? If it has, can I discover a new angle? One that has not been found before? Can I build a plot? Will I need subplots? Is there a protagonist? Is there an antagonist? Will it be a story? Can it become a book? All questions asked in a matter of minutes, days, weeks, and even months as you roll the idea or the concept around in your mind. If it survives the walk-through, then, if you want to see it in print, the survey begins.

A story survey is relatively simple, but it can be very time consuming. It involves marketability. Some books just happen and this step is in no way necessary, but it can't hurt to survey what books or stories have already been published on the selected topic. I have foregone this step, and have three completed manuscripts in my file cabinet from books I've written that were already published or about to be published by someone else to prove it. Just type the subject into Amazon books, Barnes and Noble, or even Google to see what is out there and what is, "coming soon." If you decide to go ahead even though there are several books using the same idea, you have time to change the angle yours will take so that it will be different. Now for the tools.

No one starts a treasure hunt without tools. For you and I, the tools can be anything from pencil and paper to a computer. But it doesn't stop there. Depending on the story, research is involved. Research on the time period, the location, the type of dress, relationships, or whatever motivates your characters. Added to that is a quiet place to work and time. Once that is all ironed out, it's time to begin the dig!

The dig is the actual writing. The plot, the character development, the subplots, the tension, the style you want to write in, and the beginning, the middle, and the end. Everything that has cooked in your brain and mind to inspire the story is now suppose to flow onto the page in perfection. NOT! Just like an archaeological dig, the treasure you are searching for rarely appears automatically no matter how prepared you are. It takes patience and revision, and even then, your protagonist might have something else in his/her mind that you hadn't counted on. Before you know it, your story could have taken a different path that you plotted, and a new treasure is discovered. 

Digging for treasure is not easy. It's tiring, frustrating, and seldom anything but personally rewarding. But what a reward! Even those three manuscripts sitting in my drawer helped me uncover treasures I had not dreamed of. The skill to change a plot in mid-stream, the ability to walk in my character's shoes, the love of the written word, pacing, sub-plotting, how to fold in minor characters to add more depth, are all treasures I discovered from my dig. What will you discover?


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The Value of Observation

2/11/2018

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PicturePhoto by Teddy Kelley on Unsplash
OBSERVATION: The act or instance of noticing, attentively watching, or perceiving a person, place, or thing.

Recently, I read a quote by columnist, author, and lecturer, Marilyn Vos Savant who said, “To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.” That started me thinking about the importance and value of observation as a writer.  

I consider observation to be much like the dictionary's definition, but I would add seeing and even listening. Writers need to observe, or watch, see, notice, and even listen in order to create a world that entices readers to plunge into our story, article, or book. But does observation end there, or does it, like the author quoted above, lead to wisdom? I don't think so.

I have found that there are two main ways that writers observe--structured or unstructured.

Structured observation is simply a method of collecting data. It is research. It's knowing you need to get a high school cafeteria scene right so you ask permission to sit and "observe" during several lunches at the local high school. You arrive early, choose a table off to the side, and collect data on language, inter-actions, the position of the tables, the food served, the teens' clothing, and whatever you need to help set the scene. 

In my first book, The Great Camel Experiment, I felt I needed to observe the loading and unloading of a camel to help me understand the explanations written in the diary of one of the participants. That meant "observing" how a camel may have been packed in the 1850s. This structured observation helped me understand previously unknown terms and the time element involved.  

When using unstructured observation, the writer has a vague idea of what to look for, but is open to whatever comes her way. I am using this technique now for my new book on bullying. I have an opinion, but I do not want it to take precedence. Instead I am looking for unexpected behaviors, words, phrases, or comments that could lead to a bullying situation. When I see or hear something along these lines, I record the incident in my notebook and include all the nuances of the moment--people, time, place, and situation. Because of my subject matter and the fact that I am a responsible parent at my location of choice, however, I am also ready to intervene when I do see it occur. If and when I intervene, I also jot down the behavior that follows.

It doesn't matter which observation is used, just that it is, and it does not matter which genre you choose to write. All writing, as far as I am concerned, can discover a treasure trove of value in observation.


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So, you want to be a writer--for Kids

2/4/2018

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    Photo bySamuel Ferrara on Unsplash

    Sherry Alexander

    Dreamer, believer, reader, writer

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