...come to an end. For me, seeing the great blog, Roses of Prose, come to an end is bitter sweet. I've loved being the non-romance writer, the contrarian who generally writes mystery and suspense, in this group of fantastic women.
We are all roses. We will continue writing. Heck, I may even add a bit of romance to my next book. Your influence leads me in this direction.
What I will miss most is reading the posts by all of these wonderful women writers. We have such different points of view. We write about such diverse topics. We change and challenge each other as a result.
Most of us have blogs and newsletters of our own. I invite all the Roses, as well as our readers, to follow me. You can sign up for my newsletter at http://betsy-ashton.com/. I try not to bore anyone. I try to offer my readers new ways to think about things. I ask questions, seeing input on points in upcoming novels. Please join me.
If you don't want to receive information about me and my books before anyone else, you can still follow my blog. http://betsy-ashton.com/blog/ Either way, let's not lose touch.
With the holidays upon us, and a wonderful series of Christmas stories set for December, please let me wish everyone a warm and happy holiday season, a healthy new year, and a long, creative life for all.
Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Showing posts with label #WritingLife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #WritingLife. Show all posts
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Thursday, September 27, 2018
The Power of "We"
It's such a tiny word. We. W and E. And yet, it's such a powerful concept. It's the power of more than one doing something together.
For a writer, "we" is the writer and her characters. They don't exist in a vacuum. Writers need to listen to their characters to be certain she represents them the way they should be represented, the way they want to be represented. When I try to force a character to act not in accordance with the way it thinks, nothing works. Descriptions become stilted; dialogue becomes unnatural; characters become cranky.
And none of us want a cranky character.
For a writer, "we" is also our agent, publisher, and editor. I've talked to many of my fellow writers, most of whom think their agents are god. The agent works for the writer and sells the work to a publisher, who assigns an editor to polish it. I cannot tell you how many writers have told me they hate their editors. They hate having their ideas challenged, their words changed. I've seen posts on Facebook by new writers who think an editor/publisher should take what they write and publish it without a single question. That's what self-publishing is all about. And that's why so many self-published works show a lack of discipline that "we" bring.
Let me give you an example. In Uncharted Territory, the second Mad Max mystery, my editor questioned a technique I used to signal the presence of a certain character. This character tapped the main character on the cheek with an invisible feather. I thought I'd explained how this clairvoyant manifested his thoughts through the feather. I guess I didn't, because by the fourth time the feather appeared, my editor wrote, "What's with the f***ing feather?" Well, now. I guess I didn't explain it.
I hadn't seen the problem. I was too close to the story. So, when my editor pointed out the flaw, the story became stronger, clearer and more exciting when I explained it the first time it appeared.
"We" works in our personal lives as well. "We" is our family. "We" is our close friends. "We" is our country. When "we" all work together, "we" get great things done. And now, it's time to listen to my latest character, Toad, who is my current "we." He has a lot to say right this minute.
For a writer, "we" is the writer and her characters. They don't exist in a vacuum. Writers need to listen to their characters to be certain she represents them the way they should be represented, the way they want to be represented. When I try to force a character to act not in accordance with the way it thinks, nothing works. Descriptions become stilted; dialogue becomes unnatural; characters become cranky.
And none of us want a cranky character.
For a writer, "we" is also our agent, publisher, and editor. I've talked to many of my fellow writers, most of whom think their agents are god. The agent works for the writer and sells the work to a publisher, who assigns an editor to polish it. I cannot tell you how many writers have told me they hate their editors. They hate having their ideas challenged, their words changed. I've seen posts on Facebook by new writers who think an editor/publisher should take what they write and publish it without a single question. That's what self-publishing is all about. And that's why so many self-published works show a lack of discipline that "we" bring.
Let me give you an example. In Uncharted Territory, the second Mad Max mystery, my editor questioned a technique I used to signal the presence of a certain character. This character tapped the main character on the cheek with an invisible feather. I thought I'd explained how this clairvoyant manifested his thoughts through the feather. I guess I didn't, because by the fourth time the feather appeared, my editor wrote, "What's with the f***ing feather?" Well, now. I guess I didn't explain it.
I hadn't seen the problem. I was too close to the story. So, when my editor pointed out the flaw, the story became stronger, clearer and more exciting when I explained it the first time it appeared.
"We" works in our personal lives as well. "We" is our family. "We" is our close friends. "We" is our country. When "we" all work together, "we" get great things done. And now, it's time to listen to my latest character, Toad, who is my current "we." He has a lot to say right this minute.
###
Betsy Ashton is the author of the Mad Max mystery series, Unintended Consequences, Uncharted Territory, and Unsafe Haven. She also wrote a dark psychological suspense novel, Eyes Without A Face, about a female serial killer, who unpacks her life and career in first person.
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