Category Thoughts and Reflections

ISWG March Writing Question

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener 3 Comments

Hello again! I realize it’s been a loooong while, but that’s because I’ve been busy growing a business. I couldn’t let this question go unanswered, though. Have a look! 😉

March 1 question – Have you ever read a line in novel or a clever plot twist that caused you to have author envy?

How about an entire book or series?

Absolutely! In fact, I’m reading one now.

I’m reading Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff, the third book in the Nevernight series. I can say that the entire series has screwed up my insides and given me the greenies with envy.

But more importantly, it has inspired me and fed the individual fire within.

The story of Mia and her exploits is EPIC; there’s no other way to say it. But it’s the physical structural elements the author has employed that make my heart race.

Why? Because he breaks every ‘rule’ out there. All those little things within text that many say detract from the reading experience, well, they are there.

Such as:

  • Footnotes – yes! In a fiction text, there are footnotes, and they are brilliant. I love this as a technique to impart other stuff that information junkies like myself just have to know. And those that don’t want to know about the three kinds of sea drakes in the Sea of Sorrows don’t have to read them. Simple as that! But I warn you, you might miss the best joke on the page if you skip them…
  • Italics – I say “Use ’em, anytime you want to. Just be consistent.” And do use them for the things they should be used for as well, such as book titles and other works the style guides recommend them for. Consistency is the key here.
  • Other typefaces – YES!!! Why else do we have all these gorgeous fonts and letter forms if not to use them in printed works? Kristoff uses all small capitals for one of the characters. 😱 Imagine that? I did only find this out when I switched from the audiobook to the hardcover, however. But up until that point, the narrator was stellar at character voices. Seeing the text only made me love it more.
  • Creative word placement on the page – such as stringing words across a page to mimic stepping into a shadow in long strides. Love it! When I read that construction, I feel the shadows stretching to accommodate Mia as she steps; I see her jump and land soundlessly on the next word. It adds another level to the reading experience. What’s not to appreciate?
  • Taking the piss on himself and critics in the text – In the banter between two characters, the author raises the absurdity of footnotes in a fiction book, like “Who does that?” and the brutality of the ending of the second book. It is brutal; I was wrung out for an entire day after listening to it. First-class book hangover. But I love that he addresses the things he knew he would get slag for in a laugh-out-loud way. Why not? Rules, even implied ones, exist to be broken; that’s one of my mottos, but I’m also an Aquarius, and we live for such things.
Image by Peter Lomas from Pixabay

Expressing creativity takes many forms. I always encourage the authors I edit for to make the story and text work for itself and for them.

If you want to s p a c e out a word to illustrate how a character speaks or thinks, do it! I’m with you.

Italics for a character’s inner thoughts? Love it, I do this myself. The form of italics has a softer, inner thought feel to it, more secretive, more private.

Footnotes1 for extra info and cheek? Bring them on.

I hope to see more of this type of rebellion in writing. We are already creating pictures with words in the reader’s mind, why not create them on the page with the physical form of the words?

The only character I’m not as yet comfortable using in printed books is the interrobang (!?) because it is used in the texting universe. But I think it will become mainstream shortly; it is perfect for expressing that exclamation-question tone. And as we all know, language and writing constantly evolve with communication preferences and societal norms.

For now, I’m off to write inspired, however the words want to come out. How about you? Will you?

ISWG September blog post — How Do You Define Success as a Writer?

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

*https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

 Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.   

 You ready?
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

September 1 question – How do you define success as a writer? Is it holding your book in your hand? Having a short story published? Making a certain amount of income from your writing?

The awesome co-hosts for the September 1 posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass, T. Powell Coltrin @Journaling Woman, Natalie Aguirre, Karen Lynn, and C. Lee McKenzie!

*Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay 

At this time in my life, my writing is a sideline venture; one I pursue because I want to. I’m not expecting it to float me financially, at any point, and any monetary gain I might make from it is a bonus—another revenue stream.

And because the time I have to write is sporadic. Building and running my freelance editing business is my main focus, as it should be. But writing my own book dovetails nicely with it.

I often think about this topic after I have finished reading or listening to a book. I do review books on Goodreads, Amazon, NetGalley, and occasionally here, which requires an evaluation of sorts. The first question I ask myself is: Was I entertained by this book?

Rarely do I answer no, because I wouldn’t have gotten that far if I didn’t find it entertaining. For me, then, that author was successful. They entertained me with their story and writing, fulfilling one of the most basic tenets of storytelling.

*Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay 

Books are my go-to time fill. I like my reading or audiobooks to take me to places and times I can’t go to on this physical plane. Or for non-fiction, to leave me with a lasting nugget of information I take and use to improve my life or career.

Success for me is about making an impression that lasts. Whether it is with my gardens and plants, my editing, or my writing, I will feel successful if I make an impression on others that lasts. If my clients contact me again when they need an edit, or a reader recalls the blog post about the alternate land of Huphaea at a future date when my book is out, I will have been successful.

*Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay 

©2021 Red Leaf Word Services. All Rights Reserved.

Reblog — Can Writers Still Be Readers? — Writer Unboxed

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

This is a topic that comes up often in conversation among writers, and more importantly, among editors. Many who say they do all three activities grouse about how one has ruined some of the others for them. Perhaps I’m in a minority, but I haven’t had this happen. Yet.

It may be that my brain works in a different way, one that segments and separates easier than someone else. I have high Input, Strategic, and Learner Gallup Strengths, information intake is my specialty. It stands to reason that sorting it would be also. I can file away that poignant metaphor or plot twist for later musing and not let it dampen the story or ruin it.

Either way, I find it a fascinating topic that is as individual as the person expressing it. Here’s another opinion from Writer Unboxed.

What do you think? Does writing and/or editing affect your reading?~

image by Paul Bence

All writers begin as readers, right? We fell in love with other people’s stories—where they could take us, what they could do—and then, one day, decided to make a story ourselves. 546 more words

Can Writers Still Be Readers? — Writer Unboxed

Insecure Writers Support Group July Post

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

July’s question is: What would make you quit writing?

I can answer this in one word:

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay 

TIME.

Writing has become part of the package of the life I’ve built, but it isn’t what sustains or supports me. It is something I want to do and that I have recently found satisfaction in.

I’ve always known I needed a creative outlet, but it was an aspect that I ignored or boxed up to be let out ‘later’. I was far too busy for writing, I didn’t feel I had anything to write, and I preferred to read in my free time.

I also had landscape designing as my creative outlet. A few birds with one stone there, so to speak.

Since garden design is at a minimum now, I have searched for other ways to be creative. I can’t draw, I’m not musically inclined in the slightest, and poetry is ok, but I’m not often inspired in that manner.

Once I decided to write my own novel and stories, it has all come down to TIME.

It is a huge challenge to get in words when I can, in between gardening, living with three active dogs, house stuff, farm activities, and last but not least, starting and managing an editing business. So far, I get them in when I can, and I’m happy with that.

What tends to happen is if I get ‘into story’ then I stay there until that piece is written and let other things lag, like my blog.

Because I can only do so much.

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay 

I’m putting my faith in the tortoise of the proverb, content that ‘slow and steady’ will get the book, story, alternate world written. When the muse whips me along, I go with it as much as I can.

Writing is the thing that I can put aside and pick up later, and it uses more energy than reading, so it takes some preparation during the day. Time is certainly the deciding factor.

If I write, it’s because I have the muse and the time. If I don’t write, it’s because I don’t have the time.

And now that I’ve started, if I stop, it will most certainly be a matter of something else requiring that time.~

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

The Farmhouse

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

Another of my writing group pieces, this one came from the prompt of:

Write a story that takes place in the same place but at two very different time periods.

Enjoy!

the location of note

One of the underlying threads of my decision to live in my hometown again was that my dad and I would renovate the downstairs apartment in the farmhouse so I could live there.

I had two pretty noisy, active dogs and I knew there was no way I would be able to find an apartment with them, and I didn’t have the money to buy a house. It was an idea we had kicked around for some years at that point, and my decision to leave my then-situation cemented it.

I’d come home and stay with my brother until the apartment was done.

We had been demolishing this particular room for days, it felt like, and every wall we opened up revealed more problems. The list was continually growing longer, and my patience shorter. At times telling myself that it would all be worth it in the end worked, and other times it didn’t.

Today was one of the latter days. It was blasted hot, I was in as little clothing as possible when working with nasty musty horsehair plaster and lath, old cellulose blown-in insulation, and mouse infested fiberglass batting—or what was left of it. I was dusty, dirty, and cross. But I refused to stop. I wanted it done, the clock was ticking.

We had already discovered two layers of flooring, and because I decided to rip out the built-in cabinets to make room for more bathroom closet space on the other side of the wall, the upper layer had to be torn up. I wanted this room done right, it would be my office/study/reading room because of the big windows and the morning sun.

Actually, it is the room I’m in now, and in fact the exact spot I’m in now.

After all the cutting, wrenching, prying, and levering, the chunks of plywood began to come up, revealing an entire hardwood floor of two-inch planks, worn smooth by the passage of countless feet. My frustration instantly morphed into curiosity—how old was this house, really?

My dad didn’t seem to know, just that it had always been here, and the previous owner had added on several times, even in his lifetime, with his help.

The floor had vestiges of greenish-gray-blue paint, typical of older farmhouses, and dips where it was worn thin from travel. Then under the windows, we uncovered several holes, possibly those of pipes, but not necessarily.

By the time we finished clearing the room back to the studs and lower floor level, it became clear that we had uncovered the first kitchen in the house.

As it stands now, the kitchen is in front of me, through two walls. But to see the arrangement of cabinet marks and holes, it made complete sense that this room would have been the kitchen. Even if the barn that is out my window now wasn’t there, there would have been a barn of some sort, and the kitchen would have been located at the back of the house to look out on it for keeping track of family members, and catching the rising sun because it faces east.

The pictures that formed in my mind drew on images from Little House on the Prairie, but that wasn’t really right. At the time of this kitchen, the whole hill would have belonged to this farm, from the apple orchard and the Thayer Estate on one side to Sterling Road on the other. This house most likely would have had all the amenities of the time.

Though I don’t know much of the history of the property before my father’s time, I have often thought about this house and who sat here in this kitchen taking meals, or preparing them.

How many people were in the family, did they have servants, (can you tell I have been reading a lot of historical fiction?), and most importantly, how did they deal with all the rocks in the land that we have thousands of dollars of equipment to deal with now?

Were they successful?

I tend to think so. It was a large property and traces of it are still visible on the land; there must have been enough impetus to continue. It’s difficult to see any of the age of this house now, with the modern improvements we worked so hard on for two years, but knowing that the bones of it stretch back to a time past is only more fodder for my imagination some days.~

© 2021 Aime Sund and Red Leaf Word Services. All Rights Reserved.

Why I Write: What Writing Is and Has Been to Me

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

This essay was written from a prompt during my local weekly writing group. It coincides with the QOTD for author Sacha Black’s Author Life #WritersofInstagram July challenge. I think it’s beneficial to examine motivations every once in a while, this was an opportunity for me to do so. I hope you enjoy it, and leave any comments below, I’d love to hear them.

Writing has been present in my life at different times and under different circumstances. I discovered an affinity for it somewhat in sixth grade when I was assigned my first research paper. My topic was Irving Berlin; a topic I had no real interest in, though I still learned much about the man and his accomplishments.

But I learned more about the process of writing.

That was when the process of research-outline-write according to outline-revise-submit was the accepted method. And being someone with high Strategic strength according to the Gallup Strengths Test, it worked very well for me. In fact, I kept the same process throughout high school and into college.

That was forced writing- done because I had to. My English professor in college told me that I wrote very well, and that it seemed to come easy for me, that he found a fluency and confidence in my work. At the time, I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant, but the comment stayed with me as a bolster when I needed it.

Once I graduated, I didn’t need to write any longer. My hands were tied up in soil, plants, and garden tools.

I journaled off and on, here and there, but never for any length of time. The exception to that being when I was in Ireland. I did keep an almost daily journal of that nine months for the express purpose of recording all of what I did, felt, and experienced there. It is one of my most cherished possessions, even today.

It was only three years ago that I decided I wanted to write my own novel after a book- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness- had a real impact on me. I fell in love with everything about it, and have done so again since then with the Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab. Both of these ‘book hangovers’ have only reinforced my main motivation for writing- to give someone else the same feeling those influential books have given me.

There is a quote out there in the internet world that says something like “Don’t give up writing, maybe someday YOU will be someone’s favorite author.” That whole idea drives me. Very little apart from grand architecture and works of art truly survive through time like the written word. In some way, I think we all want to leave an impression, and this is how I’d like to. So I guess I’m writing to make a mark.

[Isaac] Azimov said he ‘thinks through his fingers.’ I can understand that, but my fingers have no hope of keeping up with my mind. One of my biggest challenges of writing is getting what I’m thinking down on the screen before it’s gone. By the time the sentence is finished printing, my mind is three thoughts ahead. I’ve even wondered if my fingers have some sort of memory of their own, honestly.

But that’s not to say that I know every line that makes it to the page ahead of time, or even that I know what my characters will actually do. I know their major actions, but not necessarily all the little steps in between.

For example, I started writing a short story a few months ago for an online competition. I had the prompt, and the max word count, so I started in on an outline. That went fine, too. Then I sat down to write. I read the opening scene of this story to my weekly writing group, it involved a dragon chase. When I got to the second scene, two characters jumped up and interjected themselves into the mix, and I had no idea where they came from. My fingers went along with them anyway.

That story is now finished but did not make it to submission. From a starting word count of 5000, it burgeoned to over 9000 words when it was done. Those two characters insinuated themselves into the story and took it into depths I hadn’t planned for, but which I really love. It may still make it to another submission, but I also think it will make a great reader magnet and prequel explanation to the novel series. It was not wasted time or energy.

Many writers say they write to let the stories inside them out, to give them life. This short story has been an example of that for me as well. When I’m in character, the words flow and my mind shows me all of the scenes in crystal clarity as we go, it’s almost like a trance. Then I have to go away and do other things for a while, because it is exhausting, despite the exhilaration I feel for being a vampire (in that story), or my magically-endowed protagonist while writing.

I guess I write to create something lasting, I hope, and to exercise my creativity. To be someone or something else for a while, and to paint the images in my mind in words someone else can interpret their own way. The mind is an amazing tool, so complex and unique. Did you know there are people who think in images and others who think in words? I can’t fathom thinking in words, my inner monologue is too full of images and color. Through writing, however, I can communicate with that other mind in their own language. That to me is reason enough to write, and why writing and human authors will never fade away.~

©Aime Sund and Red Leaf Word Services 2021. All Rights Reserved

 

Insecure Writers Support Group April Post

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener 1 Comment

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

April’s question is: Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?

*Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

When I first glanced at the prompt I thought “No, I’m not a risk-taker in my writing.”

But then while pondering it further, perhaps I am somewhat. I don’t think of it as risk-taking, more like trying to make myself stand out in the sea of fantasy writers and bloggers. Building an audience is all about standing out and getting noticed, as is all the marketing I do for my freelance editing business. And is standing out risky?

It sure can be.

Well, it is to me, as I’m sure it is to many followers of this group (the word ‘insecure’ is what draws us together, right?). But it is also something I MUST do if I want to be a successful business owner and author.

Like many fantasy authors and game players, I have created a fantasy world where my stories will take place.

I say ‘will’ because they aren’t written yet. There. I said it. I’m going to write stories.

Even saying this feels risky to me. I’ve just put it in writing that I’m going to write novels. What if I never get to?

Honestly though, I have enough of the story on paper that there is no way I can’t write the books now. I’m dying to.

On to risk number 2. The blog series is written in the first person, from the perspective of the narrator who is doing the traveling, but she is telling the story to an audience (the readers) actively. Throughout the narration she ‘breaks the fourth wall’ and talks to the audience, giving them candid info about the scene or episode or answering questions they pose to her (the questions are implied in the answers).

It’s not a typical construction, but I need it to be more than boring blog posts talking about a fantasy land. It needs a purpose, a reason, and to be more conversational. What’s more conversational than someone discussing their travels to a foreign land and answering questions about it? It works well enough for me writing it, I can only hope it works for the reader.

Risk number 3. I suppose some of the idiosyncrasies within my fantasy world could be considered risky. For example, it is a matriarchal society. Heredity is through the female line for rulers, family lineages, and names, and the offspring remain with the mother’s family until they are at least 9. Marriage exists, but it rarely happens. There is no reason for two people to be only together.

There is no worship system, no houses of worship, no gods. Only what the people interact with on a daily basis- sky, earth, sun, moon.

I have a difficult time terming these points as ‘risky’ because it is fiction, and fantasy at that. There is the real risk that some readers won’t identify with it enough to read it, which is ok. That’s what target audiences are for.

Risk inherently implies that there is a reward. I am rewarded when I write the story and see it come to life on the page, and I can be rewarded if readers consume it and enjoy it also. Growth and change come about through risk. Without it, it can be difficult to move forward in life, business, career, in many things. Maybe my risks aren’t earthshattering, but for me, they still seem large. And I’ll keep taking them.

Reblog — Why Writers Should Consider NaNoWriMo in 2020 — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

It is almost NaNo time again, hard to believe, but then again, no. I remember considering it last year and opting out because my mind was a chaotic mess. I had far less of an idea of the book I am writing than I do now. Will I this year? I am thinking hard about it again, but my reaction to the pressure of winning is now my concern. Perhaps I will modify the goal to make it attainable, yet still a challenge. This post outlines some great reasons why I, and you, may just want to hop on the NaNo bandwagon. Stay tuned for my decision 😉.~

Let’s not mince words: 2020 has been a real crap sandwich. COVID has caused all sorts of struggles, anxiety, and challenges. Some of you have had work disrupted. Others wanted to travel to see loved ones and couldn’t. All of us are feeling isolated or overburdened, and everyone’s schedule has gone off the rails. BUT.…

Why Writers Should Consider NaNoWriMo in 2020 — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Reblog — Parts Of A House With Names You Probably Didn’t Know — Nicholas C. Rossis

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment

What fun! I read a lot of historical fiction and the house or dwelling descriptions are some of my most favorite parts. Have a look at all of these new or forgotten house terms to play with! Eeek! Imagination, wait for me!~

One of the hardest things for me is writing detailed descriptions of houses. Part of it is that I’m impatient by nature and I tend to gloss over long descriptions when reading. But part of it is also that it can be hard to write a nice description of a house without knowledge of the…

Parts Of A House With Names You Probably Didn’t Know — Nicholas C. Rossis

More Musings from the Land of Audiobooks

aimeredleaf, The Narrative Gardener Leave a comment
Don’t mind the messy desk, please…

Ah, my three ubiquitous companions. These devices have the singular ability to be able to accompany me ANYWHERE, something my dogs cannot do but would if they could.

And they also take me anywhere in time and location. So while I may be head down weeding furiously around blooming perennials, my mind thinks I am in 1918 London solving mysteries alongside Maisie Dobbs, or inside the mind of Sherlock Holmes as ‘he’ is portrayed by Sherry Thomas in late-Victorian society. The power of story never fails to amaze me.

I have always loved reading aloud, I’ve done it for years to my dogs on hot afternoons or late evenings to settle us all down. The stories leap off the pages into the fore of my mind, becoming more real the more I speak. I’m not sure if that is the case for everyone, but I would almost be sad if it were not. I wasn’t sure if listening would provide the same experience for me and I am thrilled that it has. Hours weeding in the hot sun in messy gardens fly by, while the dogs’ walks become calmer too. I am able to fall into the story almost as if I were holding the book myself.

Recently, I began listening to the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. I was unsure about the time period, pre- and post-WWI London, but library availability was scarce, so I took the chance. When the book was done, I returned it and looked for the second in the series (I think there are fifteen so far) immediately.

The second book, however, changed narrators, and I was a bit crushed. Now I understood about readers following narrators.

The first narrator undertook the tale in a pleasant, hopeful voice easily associated with a younger female. The male parts she infused with a warm and caring tone befitting of Maisie’s father and mentor. I was attentive to the dialogue especially, learning for future reference.

The second book, Birds of a Feather, features a crisp, more sophisticated and controlled narrator that took several chapters to get used to. I actually considered stopping listening because I was so unsettled. However, I continued, as I was well into the story by then, and I’m glad I did.

By the end, I thought it actually a brilliant decision on the producer’s part to change narrators (if that was the case), for Maisie’s character had undergone many changes as well, thanks to the war duty she saw. The Maisie who emerged from medical duty in France was harder, leaner, and inquisitive in a more pointed way than before. The new narrator had nailed this sentiment, I felt, with her clipped speech patterns and deeper tones.

And yes, I do have the third book on hold to listen to when it becomes available 🙂. From looking ahead though, I will hear a third narrator and I hope she is as insightful as the other two have been.

I’ve picked up many pointers just listening to the different narrators in my short time consuming audio stories. All food for thought as I continue to practice reading and differentiating characters to my dogs on these lazy summer days. I’m priming for the best performances I can give!~

Do you evaluate the narrators of the audiobooks you listen to? What things do you notice and what will make you stop listening? I’d love to know while I’m learning this craft, leave me a comment below!