Thinkin’ on Thursday: Women’s Wise Words by the (Baker’s) Dozen

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

I’m thinkin’ about women: women of power—women writers, women movers and shakers, women artists of all types. I’m thinkin’ about women I’d like to emulate, follow, know, and have a sit‑down lunch with. Women whose wise words have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, made me think. Made me take action. Here are a few of the best of them:

A woman whose books touched me in so many ways: “[My mother] said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understand of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors. ~ Maya Angelou

A woman whose songs touched me, and a whole nation, a whole world: “It seems to me that those songs that have been any good, I have nothing much to do with the writing of them. They words have just crawled down my sleeve and come out on the page. ~ Joan Baez

A woman whose voice and twinkle of the eye I still miss: “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.'” ~ Erma Bombeck

A woman whose legend inspired me: “It is necessary to try to pass one’s self always; this occupation ought to last as long as life.” ~ Queen Christina of Sweden

A woman who made herself what she needed to be to flourish in her own lifetime: “It always seemed to me a sort of clever stupidity only to have one sort of talent—like a carrier pigeon.” ~ George Eliot

A woman who only became more beautiful as she aged: “I think most of the people involved in any art always secretly wonder whether they are really there because they’re good—or there because they’re lucky.” ~ Katherine Hepburn

A woman whose strength grew over time into a towering figure: “I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” ~ Helen Keller

A woman who inspires me to keep writing: “If you’re going to write, don’t pretend to write down. It’s going to be the best you can do, and it’s the fact that it’s the best you can do that kills you.” ~ Dorothy Parker

A woman whose words I loved even before I could read: “Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.” ~ Beatrix Potter

A much admired woman whose life matched her words: “You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

A woman whose soaring voice made my soul soar as well: “There is a growing strength in women; but it’s in the forehead, not in the forearm.” ~ Beverly Sills

A woman whose strength encompassed a nation: “One only gets to the top rung on the ladder by steadily climbing up one at a time, and suddenly all sorts of abilities which you thought NEVER belonged to you—suddenly become within your own possibility and you think, ‘Well, I’ll have a go, too.'” ~ Margaret Thatcher

And finally, an unnamed woman who offers hope in times of stress: “Fear gives intelligence even to fools.” ~ Anonymous

See you next on Saturday’s Spellbinder!

These quotes came from a Treasury of Women’s Quotations, by Carolyn Warner, Prentice Hall, 1992, in 1998, through the hand of a strong woman whose friendship and laughter I still treasure: Connie Burrup.

Friday Friends: Vile Villains . . . or Wimpy Ones?

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

In Tuesday, Sept., 10, 2013’s Writer’s Digest online, editor Brian A. Klems posted a guest newsletter written by Laura Disilverio, entitled “6 Ways to Write Better Bad Guys.” Disilverio claimed to have received an anonymous email, which read:

“Dear Author: We antagonists, villains, bad guys, femme fatales‑call us what you will‑don’t get no respect. We’re overlooked, underdeveloped and squeezed into a space that would cramp your average gerbil. When we get short shrift, your books aren’t nearly as good as they could be. They lack tension and depth. They’re forgettable. Not that I’m one for pointing fingers, but I’ve got to tell you, it’s your fault. Who was given pages and pages of backstory in your last novel? That’s right‑the protagonist. Whose motives and character arc were fully fleshed out? Right again‑the so‑called “good” guy’s. Who did you “interview” and construct a character bible for? Yeah, him again. Well, I don’t mind getting second billing, but I have to point out that if you gave readers a chance to truly know and understand me, your books would be a lot more memorable and engaging. We might even get a movie deal, like my idol, Hannibal Lecter.”

After thinking over the short shrift given “bad guys” by otherwise competent writers, Disilverio recommended 6 methods for sprucing up your evil‑doers shenanigans:

“1. Remember that Antagonists are people too.” I agree. They need to be fleshed out and seem as real as the protagonist, MC (Main Character), or hero/heroine. Spend as much time constructing his/her background as you do on any other major character. Let us see that this character is human, has motives, feelings, abilities. And it’s always nice to have him/her do something good—the earlier, the better.

“2. Eschew the totally evil antagonist (except, possibly, in some horror or monster stories).” I had the lead in a major, main‑stage production of The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman when I was in grad. school. The character I played was really a despicable character: a selfish, greedy woman who played sycophant to her equally appalling brothers, ignored her loving daughter and, at one point, actually said to her seriously ill husband, “I hope you die. I hope you die soon, because when you do . . .” and she began to outline her plan of avarice which would be called into play upon his death. My director said to me, “She would not think of herself as evil. You must find things about her which you admire.” After the initial shock over such a directive, I gave her much more thought. I realized she was a driven woman, in an era (late 1800’s) when women had very little to say about family finances and expenditures, when they had little or no power. She was strong, forceful. She was determined. She knew what she wanted, and went after it. All of that, I found admirable. And the audience, in this case the reader, will find such a character relatable, even if flawed and wounded.

“3. If you’re tempted to say your antagonist is a corporation, disease or war—don’t.” Those would be such a cop‑out. Your strong hero/heroine deserves to face an equally formidable foe. An abstract concept—business or disease or war—needs somehow to be personified. If The Big Boss stands for the corporation or business, the hero has someone to fight against. The reader has someone to root . . . against. The evils of World War II were not abstract. And who is often the symbol of that evil? Hitler. Immediately upon seeing the name, most readers would have a very specific picture in mind: the dark sweep of hair across the forehead, the mustache, possibly the arm raised at an angle, with answering echoes of angles below in the crowd. That’s a powerful picture, a powerful “bad guy.”

“4. Make your antagonist at least as smart, strong and capable as the protagonist.” A must, or where is the tension? Think of skills which would complement or complete the hero: where the hero is smart, the villain may be strong. Where the hero is quiet and introspective, the villain may be a powerful and moving speaker or leader.

“5. Keep the tension strong when the antagonist is a friend, ally or loved one.” Close, seemingly benign and sympathetic characters are tricky: treat with Care! The author suggested thinking of characters who might say “It’s for your own good!” That can come from a mother, a leader, a boss, a best friend. And yet, does that other character really have “your own good” in mind? Or are there ulterior motives?

“6. If your antagonist remains hidden for much of the story (as in a mystery), give him proxies or let him work behind the scenes.” Evil side‑kicks, or seemingly minor characters, can carry the load for a while. Let them. It can up the tension—this minor character is really evil—yet the bigger evil may be even worse. That anticipation will serve you well. For instance, how many characters did Harry Potter have to overthrow before the final battle with Voldemort? Who did Katniss oppose before she got to the head honcho?

See you day-after-tomorrow for Sunday’s Snippets!

Wednesday WIPs: Brenda Bumping Heads with Boudica

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

The name of my WIP (Work in Progress) is Boudica’s Head—a strange name, I know, but some of the old Celtic tribes or clans used to worship the head as the seat of all wisdom and power.  As the leader of the Icenii clan, Boudica fought and nearly threw the Romans out of the British Isles.

The last you heard from me, I’d planned to go through and organize all my pages of research by the end of January, so that I’d be ready to write new chapters in February.  Talk about an ambitious undertaking—I’d forgotten how many pages and pages of materials I’d gathered, not to mention a book about the Dark Ages, three about the Celts, two more on clothing worn in that long-gone day, three about women in ancient days as warriors, four on ancient Celtic sayings, legends and folktales, a book on ancient cuisines, two history books about the ancient world, and three novels about people from Druids to Romans who lived during “my” time period.  And now I’ve purchased one more: The Annals, by Gaius (or Publius) Cornellius Tacitus, a famous historian who lived from 56 A.D. until some time after 117 A.D., who had garnered first-hand accounts of the Boudican uprising.

I didn’t make it by the end of January.

Nor am I through yet.  However, I have written several new chapters, while still trying to digest more of the extant material.

I’m excited about them, because my original chapters had started after Boudica’s death and told of her daughter’s escape from the Romans to tell her mother’s story.  Her tale began when she was about three years old, and her mother, Boudica, and father, Prasutagus were first coming into Celtic power.  Now my chapters have gone back as far as Boudica at age ten, meeting Prasutagus, who was 20 years older.  This will plunge the reader immediately into Boudica’s world, without as much emphasis on the daughter who tells the tale.

So writing chapters in February and March, editing in April?  That is definitely the Work as it is in Progress—but I will not be editing a completed manuscript as early as April.

On the other hand, the point of a WIP is to keep the Work “in Progress” . . . and I am doing that. I will continue to write through February and March and with the help of my critique groups,  (The ABC Writers Guild at http://www.benschwensch.wordpress.com and the Wasatch Mountain Fiction Writers (WMFW), I hope to send the finished product to three possible publishers . . . A.S.A.P.

See you day-after-tomorrow for “Friday Friends”

Tuesday’s Tutor: Four First Steps in Editing – “To Be or NOT To Be”

EASY AS A, B, C . . . from BB

The subject of our sentences—a person, place, thing, or a pronoun standing in for the person, place or thing—should be specific and interesting: a person’s name, Wyndell; or a word indicating his/her job, the teacher; station in life, His Majesty; names of buildings, the Washington Monument; specific places, Kailua Beach, etc; but NOT “it,” “that,” “these” and other rather non-specific words.  The problem is compounded by adding some form of the to be verb: is, was, will be, or a combination of have/had and the to be verb: had been, will have been, etc.  These combinations of a weak subject with a weak verb lead to . . . guess what?  WEAK (or passive) sentences.

Look for the ones you write, especially at the beginnings of your sentences and paragraphs:

It had been a long night of rain, thunder and hail. 

There were often too many things to do and too little time to finish the work. 

That was always something that bothered me.  (Here, we’ve got that twice!)

Certain combinations showing up too often in your manuscript? One trick is to begin with the nearest noun as your subject and make a different word serve as the verb.  In the first example, the earliest noun is night: 

Night fell too quickly with only the sounds of rain, thunder and hail to keep me company.

When the particular noun-as-subject doesn’t work, the sentence may need to be turned around:

We had little time to finish the work because we had too much to do.

Finally, you may choose a complete rewrite to come up with an interesting sentence:

As night fell, all too often rain and hail pounded the roof, and lightning took out our power; but what bothered me the most was the inability to finish my work.

In the Feb. 19^th “Tuesday’s Tutor,” I’ll talk about watching out for those pesky Timeline Words.

BIO: Brenda Bensch, M.A., is a teacher of many years’ experience, a writer, and a freelance editor.  After multiple decades teaching in Utah’s university, college, high school and community ed. classrooms (English, fiction and non-fiction writing, reading, study skills, drama, humanities, debate, math, and others), she invites you to “Ask The Teacher”at  http://BenschWensch.wordpress.com

 

See you day-after-tomorrow for Thursday’s 13