Tag: #Writing

Not The Legal Me #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Nov 1, 2021

Did you write under a pseudonym? Why?

Long, long, ago, when I first starting writing, I didn’t like my given name. It was plain, boring, and easily mispronounced. I needed a name that I could identify with. I experimented with a variety of potential pseudonyms, and finally settled on one. Thus, Bobbi Jo Aspen—B.J. Aspen—was born. The first few poems I had published were under that name.

Where did the name come from? Well, the Aspen part may be unexpected. Most folks assume it was a tribute to one of my favorite musicians, John Denver. Well, that’s wrong. Aspens are one of my best-loved kind of trees. (Don’t get me started in how beautiful they are in the fall when they turn gold on the side of a mountain.) The Bobbi Jo? That’s a sideways tribute to the song “Ode to Billy Joe.”

But the name didn’t stick as I got older. I wanted something a little more ‘mature.’ A weirdly addressed piece of junk mail gave me my inspiration, and I became ‘P.J. MacLayne.’

Why use a pseudonym besides finding a ‘better’ name? When I started writing, it was widely understood that men had a better chance of being published than women. By choosing the names I did, I sought to increase my chances of publication. Did it work? There’s no way to prove that.

The other part of using a writing name is security. These days, of course, if you are on the internet, security is almost nonexistent. But in the not-so-long-ago, using an alias made it harder to get personal information about a writer. These days, if you want to be a successful indie author, you have to be willing to exchange a bit of yourself to give your readers a sense of community. (I still struggle with the security vs accessibility part of being an indie author.)

I’ve been using the moniker ‘P.J. MacLayne’ long enough that it’s a part of me. If someone were to call out “Hey, P.J.,” in a public place, I’d look to see who it was.

Several of the authors on this loop use pseudonyms. (The internet told me so!) I wonder if they do it for the same reasons? You can follow the links below to find out.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Nov. 1, 2021

Did you write under a pseudonym? Why?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Writing to the Edge #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
 
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!

October 6 question – In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

The awesome co-hosts for the October 6 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pitt, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Mary Aalgaard!

This question is eerily similar to Monday’s topic, but not by any grand plan. Coincidences happen.  I’ll see what I can do to add something new. (You can see that post below.)

On Monday, I wrote about my decision to not write sex scenes. (Because frankly, I don’t think I’d be any good at it., not because I have a personal objection to them.) I also don’t write horror, because I don’t enjoy it. I don’t read it, I don’t watch horror movies, I don’t write horror stories. There are enough bad things in this world without adding to them. (But if you enjoy them, go for it.) Interestingly, I have written scenes with mild violence. It fits in a different category.

Language isn’t a show stopper. (I wrote about that a few weeks ago!)  I believe in using language appropriate to the character and the setting. And if that means throwing in a few swear words, I’ll do it. The reader has heard them all before. (I don’t write children’s books.)

I also tackle controversial subjects in my books, but in ways that maybe you don’t realize what I did until later. I’ve mentioned the women’s movement, LGBTQ rights, law enforcement issues, the politics around marijuana and drugs, and other social issues.

There’s lots of things I haven’t tackled, but I still have time and ideas. I guess I’ll figure out what else I won’t write when it stares me in the face and my characters and I argue about it!

Don’t forget to check out other writers in this hop. There’s a whole list below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

 

Writers Writing on Everything #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Oct 4, 2021

Does ‘show don’t tell’ ever run up against your personal prohibitions?

The slogan for the group seems especially apt for this weeks discussion.  “Writers Writing on Everything.” But do we?

I thought I had an easy answer to this, because if you’ve been following me for even a short time, you know I don’t write detailed sex scenes. There are several reasons for it, but it boils down to that I don’t think I’d be any good at it. I’m okay with an occasional sex scene in a story, but I find many of them boring and repetitive. It’s not because I have a personal prohibition against it.

So, I got to thinking. What don’t I write about? I’ve got behind-the-scenes sex, guns, violence, drugs, and rock-and-roll. (Well, maybe not so much on the rock-and-roll. You’re more likely to come across a reference to John Denver in my books.) What am I leaving out?

In a process of elimination, I figured it out. Horror. I don’t write horror. I don’t read it, I don’t like it, I don’t write it. I don’t watch horror movies or suspense movies that lean towards horror. There is enough horror in this world without adding to it in the name of entertainment. I can’t deal with the idea of hurting another person for the joy of it.

Would I ever ‘tell’ it in a story? If the story absolutely demanded it, maybe, but I’d do everything I could to avoid including even the telling of such a scene in one of my books. I’ve had arguments with my characters about the plots of books, and this is an instance where’d I’d put my foot down and write it the way I wanted it written. And that would mean no horror elements.

Does that go against the idea of writers writing everything? Well, I also wouldn’t write Christian romance. Or a treatise on how Martin Luther changed the role of women in European society. There’s also the old advice about writing what you know, and I know I’m not qualified in either of those subjects. Same with horror.

I will happily keep writing my sex scenes behind closed doors, leaving the details up to you, the reader. I think I’ve found the level of violence in my stories I’m comfortable with, and will continue that way as the story calls needs. As for rock-and-roll —I need to up my game. I wonder what kind of music my wolf shifters listen to?

While I ponder that question, I’m going to check out what the other authors on this hop will tell, not show. You can, too, by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

 

Oct 4, 2021

Does ‘show don’t tell’ ever run up against your personal prohibitions?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


I Fr*gg$n Swear #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Sept 13, 2021
How do you feel about the use of profanity, either in your stories or in what you read?

Profanity is such an old-fashioned, polite term. Let’s call it like it is. Swearing. Cussing. Using bad language.

I was probably ten the first time I heard my father swear. Rightfully so. A car ran a stop sign and almost hit our station wagon, with the entire family in it. Even then, only one word slipped out and my mother didn’t even correct him.

That may have been the only time I was shocked by a curse word, and I don’t remember what word he used. I read well above my age level, so soon I was running into improper language in print and it wasn’t a big deal. (Okay, the words might have made me giggle when no one else was around.) By the time I graduated from high school, even the nightly news occasionally let a bad word slip through their filters.

The point is: ages and ages later, when I began writing fiction, I understood that the use of swear words was part of life. Realistic dialogue can create a character better than anything else. If I was creating a twenty-something male in who was a mechanic, or a plumber, or in IT, the use of swear words was important in fashioning the setting and the personality. I wasn’t writing sweet romances so, I made the decision to include curse words. But, in limited numbers, only. I didn’t have a point to prove. No paragraphs filled with long strings of harsh language. And, for the most part, only the milder swear words. 

I’ll confess, I broke that mold in The Baron’s Cufflinks, when a character’s continual use of profanities become a plot point. Some of the harsher words, too. I cringed as I typed them, but they were true to the character, Annabelle LeRoix. 

This is where I normally give you a clip of a story as an example. Not this time. Use your imagination. Or go pull the book up your kindle or off your bookshelf. (Is this a good time to mention that The Baron’s Cufflinks ebook is on sale for 99¢ at all retailers?) 

For Detective Horace in The Ranger’s Dog Tags, I went a different direction. A detective on the Orlando Police force might be expected to drop a few cuss words here and there, but he’s a church-going man. True to his faith, he doesn’t swear at all in the book.

I’ve lost a few potential sales to people staying true to their beliefs, and I’m okay with that. They’ll ask if my books have adult scenes or bad language, and I’ll answer honestly. If they want to stick with Christian fiction, that’s their choice and I’ll support it. (But I can’t imagine writing it.)

So, all of you who read this blog but never comment, here’s your chance. Talk to me. Tell me how you feel about the use of swear words in the books you read, including mine. While you are thinking about it, I’m going to check out what the other authors in this blog hop think.

As always, until next time, please  stay safe.

Sept 13, 2021
How do you feel about the use of profanity, either in your stories or in what you read?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Interview with SapphireJBlue

  By Uncategorized

 

I had the honor of being interviewed for SapphireJBlue blog radio on Thursday. We talked about the Marquesa’s Necklace, and the Harmony Duprie Mysteries.  It was fun and thought-provoking and we had a great time. If you missed it, you can catch it at the link below.

And this coming week, we’re going to do it again! On Thursday, September 15th, we’ll be discussing Wolves’ Pawn. Jeanette is a fan of the paranormal, so this should be interesting.

SapphireJBlue Blog Radio

Why Do You Write What You Write? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book
 
August 30, 2021
“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” – Flannery O’Connor. Authors have many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?
 
I can’t claim to write for any earth-shaking reason. I’m not trying to impart any deep message. I write because there are these stories stuck in my brain and the only way to get them out is to put them on paper (or the computer screen, if you want to get picky.)
 
I’ve told this story before, but the first piece of fiction I wrote was in eighth grade as a class assignment. I’d written essays previously, but this was my first attempt at a made-up story, and was inspired by a book I’d read recently. My teacher wasn’t thrilled, and I only got a C for a grade. But something inside clicked.
 
I didn’t write any more fiction for a long, long time. I wrote essays, articles for newsletters, and poetry—lots of poetry, some good and some bad—but no more stories. (Well, some poems were stories in a different form.) That was enough.

Then I ‘lost’ my poetry. I blame it on a right brain/left brain situation. But I also ‘found’ a story that wouldn’t become a poem, no matter how I looked at it. I tried writing it as a book and became addicted. Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” That’s what I’m doing. Writing books I’d like to read.

See, I like my characters. Even the villains. I like discovering their stories. Yes, I go back and read my own books, trying not to cringe at things I could have written better, but enjoying the story.

 
I want other people to read my stories, too, and hopefully be entertained. That’s why I’m here and on other social media. Maybe, just maybe, someone will read a post and be inspired to give one of my books a shot.
Even if they don’t, I’ll keep writing. Jake Hennessey is bugging me. I’m trying to avoid him, but he’s gnawing at the back of my brain. So, I’ll get back to editing his story, in case someone besides me wants to read it.
 
Before I do that, I want to find out why the other authors on this hop write what they write. If you follow the links below, you can find out, too.
 
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
August 30, 2021
“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” – Flannery O’Connor. Authors have many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
 
 
 

Writing Craft Book #IWSG

  By IWSG

August 4 question – What is your favorite writing craft book? Think of a book that every time you read it you learn something or you are inspired to write or try the new technique. And why?

The awesome co-hosts for the August 4 posting of the IWSG are PK Hrezo, Cathrina Constantine, PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, and Sandra Cox!. Thanks to all of you

I’m on the road, but before I took off I pulled a few books from my shelves to note in this post.

I cut my writing teeth on poetry, and my bookshelf reflects it. A lot of what I learned from poetry is useful in my fiction writing, even if I don’t refer to those books on a daily basis. Here are a couple I grabbed from my bookshelf:

Writing Down the Bones: Natalie Goldberg

In Pursuit of Poetry: Robert Hillyer

But the best reference for poetry are the poems from other poets; the famous and the unknown. Here are a few from my collection: Robert Frost, Dylan Thomas, Gary Snyder, Alice Walker, American Indian Poetry

Now that I’m writing fiction, my research takes a different avenue. A lot of it can be done on the internet, but here are two recent purchases that I’ve used for planning future projects: 

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Private Investigating

Boots in the Ashes (a memoir of Cynthia Beebe, one of the early female ATF agents)

Quite the difference! But I’m happy to expand my writing (and knowledge) horizons.

To find out which books other authors use to refine their craft, check out some of the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

The Joy? of Growing Older #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

August 2, 2021

What’s something you look forward to as you age? And what do you miss from your youth?

 

Sorry I’m a day late with this. I’m on the road with limited internet access.

I admit it, I’m not just getting old, lots of folks would say I AM old. I own it and accept it. So what are some of the things I’m looking forward to?

First thing that springs to mind is retirement. I’m looking forward to not having to go to work every day, except for those tasks I set for myself. I may not sleep in, but how nice will it be to start the day with my beverage of choice, and listen to the birds greeting the morning and the grass warming up in the sunshine. Or maybe change the scene and watch the snow fall gently onto to welcoming earth.

Sure, I’ll want to train myself to write on a different schedule. Perhaps in the morning when the day’s projects won’t have stifled my creativity and my mind is still fresh. We’ll see. And I should have more time for other projects. I haven’t done any needlepoint for too long.

With any luck, we’ll be able to travel. That depends on factors out of my control, so we’ll play it by ear. I don’t plan on huge trips, but there are many places in the U.S. I’d like to explore.

What do I miss from my childhood? 

Long summer afternoons spent wandering the backroads and, with my best friend, creating new paths in the forested hills in our area. Picking huckleberries and wild raspberries. Drinking fresh spring water straight from pipes driven into the side the hills. In the winter, we would go sledding in the nearby pastures.  While I can do those things again, sadly, my best friend from those days is physically unable able to join me.

I’ll be heading over to check out what the other authors on this look are looking forward too. You can too, by following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe!

 

August 2, 2021

What’s something you look forward to as you age? And what do you miss from your youth?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 

 

The Art of Going UnderCover #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

July 5, 2021

If your character wanted to wear a disguise, how would they dress?

I giggled as Lando adjusted the support stockings. They hid the thick bandages he had wrapped each leg with to make them appear fatter. “Luckily it’s getting chilly outside,” he said, handing me a heavy sweater. “The more layers of clothing you wear the less you resemble yourself.”

With the foam form strapped around my belly, I thought I had plenty of padding already. It was designed to give a man the concept of the extra weight women carry when they are pregnant, but mostly it made me look fat. The over-sized dress with the huge Hawaiian flower pattern exaggerated the effect. Under all the foam and extra layers of clothing, it wouldn’t be long before I started to sweat.

The gray wig was a nice touch too. It was hard getting all my hair to stay under it, and thank heavens the curly hair hid the lump my bun made. Lando worried the makeup he had applied didn’t fill my face out enough, but he did the best job possible with his limited supplies. He hoped the huge glasses he’d found would help. The plain thick glass meant I still needed my contacts. The ugly white nurse’s shoes were a size too big, but with the thick socks they fit just about right.

A cane was the last accessory. To put any weight on it, I had to lean forward. He stood back, nodding and admiring his work. “Well, I think that’s it, Aunt Martha,” he said grinning.

I smiled back and pointed the end of the cane at him. “That’s enough out of you, sonny.”

                                                                                                                      From The Marquesa’s Necklace

That’s the first time we got to see Harmony Duprie in disguise. It wasn’t an outfit she picked, but it worked. Several times, actually, until it got a bit too well-known and she had to abandon it.

Photo by Antonio Friedemann from Pexels

Where did her friend Lando get his knowledge of makeup and camouflage? He’s a cosplayer, and had build several elaborate costumes. I like to think he got his start doing theatre in high school, trying to impress a cute girl.

It wasn’t the last disguise Harmony adopted in the series. She soon discovered how useful changing her appearance was when to went to local bars to do ‘research’ on whatever mystery she was investigating. She also found out how many tutorials there are on the internet to give her step-by-step instructions on applying makeup, wigs, and other essentials for becoming someone new.

Most of my camouflage came from thrift shops in Pittsburgh. Old jeans, tank tops, and plaid shirts, paid for in cash, to make the purchases untraceable. All except for the bright red wig. It came from a costume store. Still, it looked real.
And I’d spent far too much time watching on-line videos on techniques for applying makeup. My makeup supplies had swelled to never-before-seen proportions. I hadn’t owned this many colors of eye shadows and lipsticks even in high school.

For a finishing touch, I knotted the pink plaid shirt under my breasts, exposing the black tank top underneath it. With a final fluff of the wig, I nodded in satisfaction. In the harsh lights of my bathroom, I looked sufficiently unlike myself to suit my purposes. And in the typical dim lighting of a typical bar, my alter-ego should fool everyone.

                                                                                                                          From The Baron’s Cufflinks

Harmony is aware that going in disguise isn’t the answer to all situations. That doesn’t stop her from planning elaborate costumes and scenarios to get the answers she’s needs. It’s a challenge, and one she enjoys.

What about the other authors on this hop? Do their characters utilize disguises? Find out by following the links below. And, until next time, please stay safe!

July 5, 2021

If your character wanted to wear a disguise, how would they dress?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

I’ll Wait For You Forever #IWSG

  By Uncategorized
 
It’s the first Wednesday of the month, and time for another Insecure Writers support Group post.
You ready?
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
June 2 question – For how long do you shelve your first draft, before reading it and re-drafting? Is this dependent on your writing experience and the number of stories/books under your belt?
The awesome co-hosts for the June 2 posting of the IWSG are J Lenni Dorner,Sarah Foster,Natalie Aguirre,Lee Lowery, and Rachna Chhabria!
 
 
The collective wisdom that is passed around is that a writer should wait several weeks after finishing a first draft to begin editing. Time enough for the words to sit and to let the author come back to it with fresh eyes. Sounds good, but I’m bad at following good advice. Even before I’ve written The End, I’m finding words and paragraphs that need changed. Or added. Or deleted.  If I can wait a day or two to start editing, I’m doing good.
 
Except there are other stories that I’ve written, leaned back, and said “That’ll never work.” And it goes into archives without doing any additional work on it at all. Then there are the stories I wrote over five years ago, that I keep coming back to, trying to figure out how I can make them marketable.
 
That’s part of the dilemma I’m facing with my current WIP. I think I’ve got a solid basis for the story, but it’s a different style and genre than I’ve ever written, and I’m unsure if I can whip it into shape. Still, I can’t put it away and I keep pecking at it,  fixing a word here, deleting a phrase there. I’ve been unable to ignore it and give myself the space I need to look at it objectively.
 
I’m worried I’m more in love with the character than the story, and that’s bad. Then I read a line and think “That’s really good!” What I need to do is throw a chapter out to a critique group and let them tear it apart.
 
But it’s hard to make the story (and me) wait. I want to get it out of my system one way or the other so I can move along to my next adventure.
 
Let’s find out if other authors struggle with waiting to edit by following the links below.
 
And, until next time, please stay safe!