Holy Friday Fictioneers!

August 23, 2013 / unspywriter / Leave a comment

I got the first feedback from a beta reader for the novel I’m been finalizing. Apparently, I hit on all cylinders with this novel, at least with her. She’s a writer as well, and I respect her opinion, so I’m a pretty happy camper. One out of four means I’m batting .250. Respectable, but let’s hope my batting average improves.

I’ve mentioned that my head has been so deep into that particular novel’s rewrites and revisions that I’ve been having issues doing much of anything else the past couple of weeks. Then, last night I dreamed about my two spies–yes, writers dream of their characters; it’s another thing which makes us special. I woke this morning with the inclination to work on a new piece featuring them. I’m stoked! I’ve got Pandora tuned to the Metallica channel, and I’m reading to rock some Spy Flash!

First, though, is today’s Friday Fictioneers story, “Necessary Sacrifices.” Maybe it was the Metallica, but when I saw the photo prompt, which is beyond creepy to me, I had to dip a toe in the supernatural/horror pool.

As usual, if you don’t see the link in the story title above, scroll to the top of this page, click on the Friday Fictioneers tab, then select the story from the drop-down list.

Friday Fictioneers Work up a Storm!

August 16, 2013 / unspywriter / Leave a comment

I actually feel a bit odd not having a writing conference to go to this weekend. In fact, I don’t have another one until October, which will close out my year of writing conferences/workshops until January of next year, when it all starts all over again.

This week and this weekend will be consumed with my line edit of the rewrite of the draft of the novel whose excerpt went over very well in this past June’s Tinker Mountain Writers Workshop. Several of my classmates from that workshop and the 2012 one have agreed to read the MS and provide feedback, so I hope to get that process started next week.

And I haven’t forgotten I need to do an in-depth post on last weekend’s “A Gathering of Writers” in North Carolina.

I am worried, though, that I’ve been so focused on editing/revising (which is important, don’t get me wrong) I’ve not been able to do much original stuff of length. I love flash, and I’m always inspired by the prompts from the two flash exercises I participate in weekly. Rather, I need to expand a little and go back to pieces that are longer–considerably–than 100 or so words. After all, NaNoWriMo is just two months away, so I need to get into the habit of at least 1,700 words–a day!

Today’s Friday Fictioneers photo I’m sure has inspired many different genres, but for some reason it led me to one of my favorite genres to read–the ghost story, i.e., the subtle ghost story. Don’t let the title, “Socratic Method,” put you off. As usual, if you don’t see the link on the story title in the line above, scroll to the top of the page, click on the Friday Fictioneers tab, and select the story from the drop-down list.

A Gathering of Friday Fictioneers

August 9, 2013August 8, 2013 / unspywriter / Leave a comment

If it’s the weekend, I must be going to a writer’s conference. This weekend is “A Gathering of Writers” in Winston-Salem, NC. Press 53, a small, independent press, sponsors this one-day conference. I attended last year and enjoyed the presentations and the camaraderie. So, I’m off again–though the three-hour drive while still recovering from my cold is a bit daunting.

There”ll be a book launch on Friday night–Mary Akers’ Bones of an Inland Sea, published by Press 53–then the panels begin on Saturday morning. I’ll actually be attending a workshop given by Mary Akers entitled, “How to Haunt Your Reader.” No ghosts for this, just the use of language to evoke mood that resonates.

I’ll also be going to “The Compelling Story” workshop, given by Michael Kardos; “Inhabiting Story Through Images of Place,” given by Darlin’ Neal; and “Picking Your Perspective,” given by Henriette Lazaridis Power. We’ll close out the day with faculty readings lots of writer networking.

Today’s Friday Fictioneers photo prompt is one of those shots you can’t plan, and most of the time you don’t realize you have “the shot” until you look at it later. There are lots of things to focus on in this picture, but you’ll see in my story, “Prima Ballerina,” what stood out for me. As usual, if you don’t see the link on the title, scroll to the top of the page, click on the Friday Fictioneers tab, then select the story from the drop-down list.

An August Friday Fictioneers

August 2, 2013August 1, 2013 / unspywriter / Leave a comment

Nothing much can knock me off my writing game except for being sick. On Sunday I felt the first inkling of a cold, and by Monday morning, I had the whole nine yards–blocked sinuses, wheezing, runny nose, sore throat, and coughing. Oi! The coughing. I have very well-controlled asthma, until I get a cold. A cold, of course being caused by a virus, means no antibiotics. So, fluids, rest, plenty of tissues, some honey and cinnamon, and generous use of my rescue inhaler, and I can manage the energy to breathe, but not much else.

So, no Monday post for this blog, Unexpected Paths; no Politics Wednesday. By late Thursday I was beginning to feel human enough to do the homework for an online workshop for Thursday night and to draft a Friday Fictioneers flash fiction piece. Total number of words written for the week–just about 1,000. Not the most productive week, but at least it’s not because I’m goofing off.

Mainly because I’ve been sustained amid all that bed rest with marathons of old TV shows and Amazon streaming video, I must have been waxing a bit nostalgic when I got the photo prompt for this week’s Friday Fictioneers. There’s an obscure hint in the story’s title, “Everything Dies,” and the story is an homage to an old sci-fi show I loved. When you see the photo prompt, then the story, it’ll all make sense. I hope. Regardless, it came from my rhinovirus-addled brain.

As usual, if you don’t see the link on the title, scroll to the top of the page, click on the Friday Fictioneers tap, then select the story from the drop-down list.

Friday Fictioneers–and a Finish!

July 26, 2013July 25, 2013 / unspywriter / Leave a comment

The first rewrite of my “Tinker Mountain” manuscript is done! Woo-hoo! I worked for the most part of twelve hours the other day and got it in the can. Scrivener has a great tool–Compile–which, after a couple of mouse-clicks, renders a fully formatted manuscript. In my case it came to 398 pages. Oi! Too much for either of my printers, so a quick email to my local Staples, and I had a copy.

Oh, I was so tempted to pick up my red pen and dig in! Patience, though. I want to set it aside for a week or two, get it out of my head, then delve into the line edit. I have some decisions to make: Do I want to show the bad guy (who seduces one girl and rapes another on the same day) exhibiting some redeeming quality? As in, he saves the men in his unit from a German machine gun assault on D-Day? Or do I just acknowledge this as fact and let his egregious behavior stand on its own? Rather than just show another character’s “fatal flaw” (the fact he can’t keep his fly zipped when a younger woman is around), do I include some back story to explain why he is the way he is?

So, those thoughts, and more, will be bouncing around inside my head for the next couple of weeks. I hope they’ll be resolved by the time I sit down with the red pen.

Today’s Friday Fictioneers photo prompt comes from a place I’ve been lucky to visit twice–our 50th state, Hawaii. It’s an incredible shot from Mauna Kea on the Big Island, across the ocean, to the smaller island of Maui. Truly beautiful, and it was very inspirational. I love Hawaii, with the mixture of modern, urban life and native Hawaiian spirituality. And where else can you get up close and personal with extinct and not-so-extinct volcanoes?

I hope you enjoy “Free Flight,” and, as usual, if you don’t see the link on the title, scroll to the top of the page, click on the Friday Fictioneers tab, then select the story from the drop-down list.

A Hot and Steamy Friday Fictioneers

July 19, 2013 / unspywriter / Leave a comment

I’ll wager that got your attention, but my only meaning is the heat wave we’ve been experiencing here on the east coast. Yes, summers in the mid-Atlantic are supposed to be hot and humid, but this goes beyond that to oppressive. Makes me want to return to the wonderful seventies in Oregon. (And did I luck out there–I spent a week there between two heat waves. I must have racked up some particularly good karma.)

The heat leaches energy and creativity from every pore of your body, and though I had a concept right away for today’s Friday Fictioneers photo prompt–the bicycle had been placed just so to signal someone–I wasn’t sure how I wanted it to go. A pre-arranged signal for an elopement? An indication to a roommate to stay away a while longer? A warning of an unwanted guest?

Each of those sounded pretty intriguing, but my thoughts came back to a place I’ve dealt with in fiction before–The Balkans in the 1990’s, the scene of some of the worst genocide based on religion since World War II.

Many aspects of the civil war in the Balkans baffled historians and diplomats, namely, how could people who had lived together peacefully for centuries suddenly turn on neighbors, even family members by marriage? That was the aspect played up most in the western press. What we didn’t often see were the selfless acts of courage by one ethnic group to protect the other. I’ve tried to pay homage to that in “Band of Brothers.”

If you don’t see the link on the story’s title, then scroll to the top of this page and click on the Friday Fictioneers tab. Then, you can select the story from the drop-down list.

Friday Fictioneers From Oregon

July 12, 2013 / unspywriter / Leave a comment

Oregon is truly one of the most beautiful states in the union. The coast is an amazing collection of eclectic little towns and medium-sized cities. It is a bit reminiscent of the Maine coast in places–just a bit more spectacular. I’m staying in a small beach town called Rockaway Beach, about 100 miles west of Portland. The beach is gorgeous and not the mass of packed bodies like most east coast beaches–great for walking and contemplating, as well as for the wedding which was the purpose for my trip out here.

The Astoria Column, whose murals commemorate the history of Oregon.

The amazing scenery along the Oregon portion of the Pacific Coast Highway is almost indescribable. Tunnels through mountains, shoulders that drop off to the Pacific below, roads that cut through hills, leaving oddly shaped pieces on either side. Then, there’s the magnificent port city of Astoria. Astoria was a must-see for me and my kids because I took them to the movie The Goonies when they were little, and it was a big hit for them. There is an informal Goonies tour of the various locations in Astoria used for filming, and the kids hit them all. It was great to hear their laughter and giggles. I could close my eyes and see them as little again, enjoying the Goonies’ adventures for the first time.

One of the small towns near Rockaway Beach is Garibaldi, a fishing village, which also has a history of wood milling. It has an interesting vibe about it, and it would make a wonderful setting for a story some time. I’ve taken some pictures as reminders and for later use.

I got an idea for Friday Fictioneers almost as soon as I saw today’s photo prompt. Finding quiet time (away from toddler grandkids, or, as I call them, The Hooligans) to write was another matter. Even now, I’m writing under the deadline of getting ready to go do some more touristy things (Tillamook Cheese Factory for one), but perhaps that’s just the impetus you need on vacation. It’s been almost a week since I’ve written a word, and I’m feeling the withdrawal.

That withdrawal brought forth “Judas Goats,” a little horror story for mid-July in the Pacific Northwest. If you don’t see the link on the story title, scroll to the top of this page, click on the Friday Fictioneers tab, then select the story from the drop-down list.

Friday Fictioneers Fireworks

July 5, 2013 / unspywriter / Leave a comment

The thing with having a holiday fall in the middle of a week? I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Saturday. Since I thought it was Saturday, I was excited that vacation was only one day away. Reality crashed in when I sat down to watch the NASCAR race at Daytona and realized, nope, it’s Thursday. However, the good news is, I have more time to pack.

The vacation to the Pacific Northwest is mostly relaxation (even though I’ll be sharing a beach house with my kids and their kids) with a wedding thrown in, also in the middle of the week (the date is significant). The laptop will be along and although I won’t be working on the novel revision I’ve mentioned, I hope to work on some stories for Spy Flash 2. No wi-fi at the beach house, so my contact with the outside world may be limited, though I’ll stake out a coffee shop or two to spend some time in.

I also plan on walking on the beach, seeing some sights, walking on the beach, and, well, walking on the beach. There’s something about a beach and waves and sand beneath my feet that relaxes and soothes me.

When you see today’s Friday Fictioneers photo prompt, note the body language of the two people on the right. That’s what inspired today’s flash fiction “Carpe Diem.” Unfortunately, it was a posture all too familiar, and whereas today’s story is not autobiographical, it is reminiscent. If you don’t see the link on the title above, scroll to the top of the page, click on the Friday Fictioneers tab, then select the story from the drop-down list.

Unexpected Paths will be on hiatus next week, and a new Friday Fictioneers post will depend on finding a wi-fi hot spot. Cross your fingers.

June’s Final Friday Fictioneers

June 28, 2013June 27, 2013 / unspywriter / Leave a comment

Can it be possible we’ll soon be halfway through this year? Where has the time gone?

The novel revision is going well. Ahead of schedule in fact, which is good since I’ll be on vacation July 7 – 15. I think I’m about at the point to take a break from it anyway, so vacay will come at a good time for a lot of reasons. I’m sure I’ll come back to it refreshed.

Tuesday, I taught a one-night workshop on putting suspense into your writing, and that was enormous fun. We did it on a Facebook Event page, which didn’t go as smoothly as I’d like, so if anyone has any other suggestions, I’d appreciate it. Still, it was pretty cool to be “teacher” again, and I was honored someone asked me to do it.

Maybe because I’m about to take a cross-country flight and maybe because in my old job I worked a lot of “unruly passenger” issues, I came up with “On The Road Again.” Not exactly an homage to the Willie Nelson song of the same name, but I think you’ll see it’s apt. The photo prompt has a lot of layers to it–the POV and the implied motion. Simple yet complex, and my little story probably doesn’t do it justice, but it was fun to write.

As usual, if you don’t see the link on the story title in the paragraph above, scroll to the top of this page, click on the Friday Fictioneers tab, then select it from the drop-down list.

Friday Fictioneers First Day of Summer!

June 21, 2013 / unspywriter / Leave a comment

Now the hard work begins. Now, I’m coming down off the high of the positive remarks about my novel excerpt and beginning the revision of the first draft. I have the workshop instructor’s marked-up copy, plus my notes from our one-on-one conference, plus the comments from my fellow workshoppers, and those will be a big help, but revising is the hardest work of all.

Since the key to any good work of fiction is to get the reader to turn the page, the extraneous dreck has to go. I think Fred Leebron’s words will have to become a mantra for revising: “The first draft is for the characters; the final is for the reader.”

So, here’s my process. The first revision is a re-type of the MS, editing as I go. Then, I’ll put it aside for a couple of weeks to get it out of my head. Next, I’ll print out a double-spaced copy and do a physical line-edit. (I’m old school; I still need to have a hard-copy version and a red pen.) While doing the line-edit is when I’ll read the MS aloud, and it’s amazing what you find when you hear your words spoken. Once I incorporate the changes from the line-edit, I’ll either pass the MS through my critique group or have a couple of folks from the workshop review it. Finally, it’ll be off to the workshop instructor for review, and then the process will probably start all over again; but that’s the writing life.

Another hard part of the hard part is that for the next several months I’ll be focused on this MS alone, and I know I’ll miss working on the Mai/Alexei novels. I’ll still be doing Spy Flash stories, but delving into my world of spies and intrigue will have to take a back seat for a while.

And I’ll always have Friday Fictioneers! I know I’ve praised this exercise before, but it has allowed me to delve into genres I thought were beyond me–sci-fi, fantasy, horror. Today is one of those times, even though it’s a fairly straight-forward photo prompt: a soldier standing guard. What you don’t see is what the soldier guards, and that’s what got my imagination going–and you get, “The Unknown Soldier.”

As usual, if you don’t see the link on the story title above, scroll to the top of this page, click on the Friday Fictioneers tab, then select the story from the drop-down list.