Writer's Nudge: View from the Kitchen Window

Looks peaceful, right? I'm sure you're old enough to know, as the old saying goes, looks can be deceiving. Something is about to happen outside this window. What? Why? Who will be involved? How does it end? Will it affect the people who live in the house? By the way, who lives here? If you're eight-through-fourteen years old, write on! Be sure to post your writing by clicking on  "Comments." I love to read your work, and others will, also.

Write on!
Because of Jesus,
Miz Sharon

Guest Review: RAPUNZEL

GUEST REVIEWER: Danielle Dodge

It's a pleasure to welcome Danielle and her review. At fourteen, she already has several credentials. She has written two novellas, a novel, and several guest blogs. She also has placed in numerous writing competitions. Her goal is to write and traditionally publish YA that will "make a change in teen fiction."  

Title: Rapunzel by Jessica Kaye
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing 
180 Pages

• ISBN-10: 1460988949
• ISBN-13: 978-1460988947

          Rapunzel is a girl with impossibly long hair.  She’s locked in a tower by her Granny Aunt who only wants to protect Rapunzel from the evil men in the world.

          When a young man climbs into her tower, Rapunzel finds out not all men are evil.  The two fall in love but Granny Aunt finds out about Brendan and chases him away.

          Later on, her granny stops coming to bring food for Rapunzel.  Unsure what’s happened to her, Rapunzel escapes her tower only to find Granny Aunt on her deathbed.

          Rapunzel must take her fate into her own hands.  When her new life is threatened, can she save herself and her new-found friends?

* * *

          This was an enjoyable, easy read that kept my attention.  Several unexpected things popped up throughout the story to keep it moving.  I found Brendan sweet and funny and overall, a very nice guy.

          All the characters could have had more personality and be more 3-D.  As it was, the characters’ voices didn’t sound  unique or distinct.

          Throughout the story, I didn’t sense an overall goal that Rapunzel was striving to achieve or see the stakes raised for her, making her life harder.  If there had been more obvious goals, the stakes probably would have been raised, making her achievement of the goal more difficult.

          I was expecting there to be a revelation as to why Granny Aunt locked Rapunzel in the tower.  I knew that the granny wanted to keep her safe from evil men, but seeing that Rapunzel didn’t meet too many evil men in the story, I found that a rather pathetic reason.

          There were several moments when I was really looking forward to and expecting something dramatic or romantic.  As it was, they were a bit anticlimactic and disappointing.

          Overall, the story was a light read and I would give it two out of five stars.

Have you read a book recently that you'd like to review for Quirky Quill? Submit your review to me at sharonkirkclifton (at sign, no spaces) yahoo (dot) com. Be sure to type QQ BOOK REVIEW in the "Subject" box.

Write on!

Because of Jesus,

Miz Sharon

Writer's Nudge: What a Bunch of Characters!

On my "Faces and Folks" page at Pinterest.com, I have a collection of people images that I find interesting. Some will inhabit my stories. A few already do. I'm posting a smattering of those intriguing faces here for you to think and write about. Choose as many as you wish, give them fictional names, and tell something about them. What do they do? Where and when do they live (you can move them around in history)? What are their personalities like? If you want to have even more fun, choose two or three and write a short story that features these characters. Then submit your writing as a comment. You may post more than one story. I'd love to read your work. Be sure to let me know which ones you're writing about. I've numbered them to make that easier. Have fun!


Write on!
Because of Jesus,
Miz Sharon 

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Building a Town (No Legos Involved)

The Roost and Crow Café, at the corner of Main Street and Apple, is the focal point of Mt. Vista, Indiana, population 931-and-a-half (Mr. and Mrs. Pfennigan are expecting their fifth baby). Leora Frumple is chief cook and owner of the restaurant, well-known for its black raspberry pie and strong coffee. Daughters Dorsy and Gertrude help their mama out.

Across the street is Earl and Bett London's Candy Kitchen, open from April Fool's Day through Thanksgiving Eve, and Wildman's 5 & 10. Before the Depression set in, Earl's brother Bill owned London Department Store, but he had to sell out. Now it's the Mt. Vista Public Library, though the sign over the door still reads London Department Store.

* * *

Is Mt. Vista a real place? Depends on how you define "real." It's real to me. And to the folks who live and work there, including Matilda (Tillie) Rose Pickle, main character of my third middle-grade novel, The Daddy Letters. 

I'm doing the pre-writing grunt work right now--drawing out the plot, planning the dastardly deeds that plague Tillie, giving a pulse to the people in the story, and building the town. This is fun stuff.

Tillie Pickle's house.

In my two previous stories, the protagonists interact with a limited number of secondary and peripheral characters. They're both set in very rural areas. In this third work, Tillie and her family live on a small farm just outside the town limits of Mt. Vista. On her rusty green bike it takes three minutes to get from her house to the "Welcome to Mt. Vista" sign. Another five minutes and she's past the "Thanks for Shopping in Mt. Vista! Please come back!" sign and on her way to Pearlie June Firkins's place. Pearlie June--poor thing--is Tillie's number one best friend.

Did I happen to mention that this is fun stuff? Feel free to leave comments. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Because of Jesus,

Miz Sharon

Fiction in Baby-Bites ~ Three: Part 1

Do You Know Those Characters?

When I began my second novel, I didn't really know the characters. I knew about them--something of what they looked like and how they related to one another, that sort of thing--but they weren't quite real to me. If your characters aren't real to you, they won't be to your readers, either.

I hear you. "But they're people I made up," you say. Yes, but they must have--are you ready for a really big word?--verisimilitude. That just means they must be very similar to real life.

When you write, you're creating a world peopled by your characters. You don't want them to be one-dimensional.   They won't seem real if they're all bad, all good, always funny, always sad or mad or . . .  anything. People aren't like that. You're not. Neither are your readers, so your characters shouldn't be, either. A character who is all anything is called flat. We want our characters to be rounded, or mufti-dimensional. 

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Here a Quirk, There a Quirk

You can breathe life into your characters by adding one or two idiosyncrasies, little quirks, habits, or pet words they use. Leah, the main character in one of my novels, doesn't curse, of course, but when she's frustrated, she says, "Oh, snap!"

Notice your friends. What little habits do they have? What word or phrase keeps popping up? Caution! These quirky tidbits should be used sparsely. Too many will jerk the reader out of your story because s/he'll pay too much attention to the quirk.

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Picture This!

I'm a visual person. Yes, I can visualize in my mind what a character looks like, but I find it helpful to go on the internet and search for faces. It makes me feel as though I'm casting for a movie of my story. That's fun! Pinterest.com is a handy tool for that. I, like a lot of my writer friends collect pictures of people, places, clothing, etc., that fit a book we're writing. Most of the pictures in this post are of my characters. Figure 5 is Leah. Figure 4 is her friend Trevor. Figure 6 is the man who shoots Leah in the leg. What do your characters look like? It helps to know.

Talking to the Invisible

Another way to get well acquainted with your characters is to interview them. Crazy, I know, but it works. Come up with a list of questions for your main characters. Most of the time, you'll know the answers in advance, but sometimes they surprise you. For example, I interviewed Trevor. His dad died heroically while serving in Iraq. Okay. I knew that. But Trevor knew more details. His dad had thrown himself on a grenade to save the lives of his soldiers. In a valiant act that reminded me of Jesus, Who died in my place on the Cross, Trevor's father had willingly given his own life for others. I hadn't known that. In my interview with Leah, I found out why she is angry with God. All of that sounds a little crazy to people who aren't writers, but character interviews are a common tool we use.

Blogger is acting a little weird today by not letting me type or place photos where I want to, so I'm cutting this post short. Check back in a few days, and I'll post an interview I did with a character. It will give you an idea of what I'm talking about. 

Write on!

Because of Jesus,

Miz Sharon

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You Read, Right?

Is that book good?
So write a review!
Let others know
they'll like it, too.
You read, right?

Write!

HELP WANTED: Book Reviewers!

Read Any Good Books Lately?

Quirky Quill readers want to hear about it. Write a review of the book. Remember, don't give away the ending.

This is not a book report! In a review you tell:

• the names of the book and author
• what the story is about
• the genre of the story (mystery, history, fantasy, sci-fi, funny, contemporary, etc.)
• the setting of time and place (when it happens and where)
• the important characters
• the main character's (protagonist) main goal (what s/he wants most of all)
• the main problem (what tries to keep the mc from achieving the main goal)
• what you liked about the book
  
  Again, DON'T GIVE AWAY THE ENDING! When you're finished, send it to Miz Sharon at sharonkirkclifton [at] yahoo [dot] com (no spaces or caps). Put "Book Review" in the subject line. Oh, one last thing. Submit reviews about books that do not violate the Christian world view. It doesn't have to be a Christian book, however.