Tag Archives: #WritingCommunity

Reader Friday-Dumbest Thing You Ever Did As A Kid

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I gotta say, I wasn’t the brightest bulb on the tree when I was a youngling. How about you?

Today’s assignment is to regale us with what, IYHO, was the grandest of dumb that you ever did as a kid.

The first (and definitely not the last on my list of dumb and dumbers…) happened in the drugstore situated next to my dad’s service station. I was 10 and my brother was 11. The school we attended was just across the street, and we often walked over after school to wheedle money out of Dad so we could go to the drugstore and get candy or soda.

That day, brainiac that I was, I tried to hide what I was buying from my brother…by sticking it in my pocket. Why? Who knows. The next thing I knew, I felt a large hand on my collar as I was hauled up to the counter. The drugstore owner called my Dad over at the station.

I’m sure you can imagine the rest of the story. Definitely not pretty.

So, TKZers, what’s the dumbest thing you remember doing when you were shorter and younger? And have you ever used it in your story-telling?

Go ahead, don’t be shy. We won’t laugh too hard at you…

 

 

Finishing Strong with Aspects of the Novel

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“Everything ends; you just have to figure out a way to push to the finish line.” —Jesse Itzler

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Welcome back, TKZers! Isn’t it wonderful to be back in the Zone after the two-week break?

Now that we’re approaching the finish line for 2024, it’s time to look back at lessons learned in the past year. In addition to the great content posted here, TKZ contributors lent their voices to other platforms. One of those was The Craft of Writing Blog on my website at kaydibianca.com.

The theme of this year’s blog was Aspects of the Novel, and each month I interviewed an accomplished author on a different facet of novel writing. Five of those authors are TKZ contributors whose thoughts were so instructive, I wanted to share an excerpt from each interview in this post.

So enjoy finishing the year strong by walking with our wise friends through various Aspects of the Novel. To see the entire interview for any of the choices below, click on the link.

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VOICE (James Scott Bell)

How does an author go about developing his/her own voice?

It’s really a matter of learning ways to let the voice run free. Let it come out naturally as you, the author, are concentrating on the emotion and action and internal lives of the characters. There are various exercises I give in my book on voice, such as the page-long sentence. When I come to a place of high emotion in a scene, I like to start a fresh document and write a single, run-on sentence of at least 200 words. It is free-form, wild text in the character’s voice, not thinking about grammar or structure. It’s just pouring out the emotion as fast and intensely as possible.

What happens inevitably, like panning for gold, is you get a few glistening nuggets. It may even be only one sentence, but that sentence will be choice.

There are other methods, but the great point is that doing this begins to develop a strong “voice muscle” in your writer’s brain, and you get better and better at it the more you exercise it.

 

ANTAGONISTS (Debbie Burke)

How does a good writer approach creating the antagonist character? Are there exercises a writer can use to develop their villain-creating talents?

A technique I like to use is James Scott Bell’s voice journal. Let the antagonist write out their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. What are their deepest, most secret desires? Give them the opportunity to express their frustration, anger, and hatred. Putting their emotions into words helps the author get inside their skin and understand why they feel their behavior is justified.

Interview the villain/antagonist. Ask questions. What is their background? How did their parents treat them? Were they bullied or abused? What early losses or failures scarred them?

Another Jim Bell tip: have villains argue their case before the jury that will decide their fate. What compelling arguments can they offer to save themselves from the death penalty?

 

DEEP POINT OF VIEW (Terry Odell)

Now, on to Deep POV:

Deep POV can be thought of as writing a first person book in third person. You are deep inside the POV character’s head, providing the reader with not only the character’s five senses, but also their thoughts and feelings. Because you’re deep into their heads, your readers should feel closer to the characters than if you have an outside narrator, as is the case in shallower third person POV. A test. You should be able to replace he, she, or the character’s name with “I.”

When writing in Deep POV, it’s also important to be true to the character. What would they notice? Two characters walk into a room. (No, that’s not the start of a joke.) One’s a cop; the other is an interior designer. They’ll focus on very different things.

 

ANTI-HEROES (Sue Coletta)

How do you define an anti-hero?

An anti-hero is the protagonist of the story, who straddles the law. Good people doing bad things for the right reason. Nothing is black and white. Anti-heroes thrive in shades in gray.

 

DESCRIPTION (P.J. Parrish)

How would you define descriptive writing?

Wow. That’s a toughie. Well, let’s start with a distinction. There’s explanation and then there’s description. Explanation is you, the writer, just dealing with the prosaic stuff of moving characters around in time and space. Explanation example: The man walked into the room. Simple choregraphy. Gets the job done but pushes no emotional buttons.

But description? That’s where the magic happens. When you work your descriptive powers, you engage the reader’s senses and imagination, maybe tugging on their memories and experiences. The man didn’t just walk into the room.  Rewrite:

The old man stopped just inside the door of the café. He was in his eighties, that much was clear. But as he stood there, erect and with a small smile tipping his lips, heads turned to him. It wasn’t just the panama hat or the seersucker suit. Because the hat was yellowed and his sleeves were frayed. No, we were staring at him because the air around him seemed to vibrate with an aliveness. He caught my eye and started toward me, and my throat closed. It was like looking at my father, the one I had seen only in photographs.

See the difference? The main purpose of descriptive writing is to show the reader a person, place or thing in such a way that a picture is formed in their mind. It means paying close attention to the details by using all of your five senses. Explanation vs description. When you explain something, you try to make it clearer and easier to understand. But when you describe, you’re tugging on their emotions.

 

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As we come to the end of the year, I want to wish you all a Happy, Healthy, and Successful New Year!

* * *

So TKZers: How are you finishing strong in 2024? Any lessons learned you can share? What are you looking forward to in 2025?

 

“A delicious murder mystery” —Readers’ Favorite Reviews

Available at  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, or Apple Books.

Reader Friday-Let’s Go To The Movies

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Hey TKZ gang! Let’s talk movie lines. We all have our favorites and I thought it’d be fun to share a few. Doesn’t have to be well-known, or spoken by a famous actor. Just one that grabbed your attention.

I have several favorites, like: We’re gonna need a bigger boat (Roy Scheider in Jaws); or, I have a very particular set of skills (Liam Neeson in Taken). And, …the future is coming and you’re not in it…” (Hammer to Mav, played by Ed Harris and Tom Cruise in Top Gun, Maverick).

But I have a new favorite, just realized the other evening when we were watching one of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible flicks. It slipped by me so quickly, I had to back up the movie to hear it again. Those movies (and we have all of them!) are more known for great action than stellar acting (sorry, Tom), but one of the bad guys had a moment. I can’t explain why the line resonated with me–maybe because it made me think about the world we live in.

Solomon Lane, played by Sean Harris

 

Here it is, spoken by bad guy Solomon Lane, played by actor Sean Harris: “Human nature, my weapon of choice . . .”

Dwell on that for a moment.

 

 

Okay, over to you, TKZers! What’s your favorite movie line?

Our TKZ holiday break is approaching, so I’ll see you again on the other side of 2024! Hope you all have a great and peaceful holiday season…

 

#WritingCommunity: Updated Terms to Meta Platforms in 2025

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Have you read Meta’s new terms of service (TOS)? Even if you don’t have an account on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Messenger, or WhatsApp, you may still be bound by its disgraceful overreach.

Many of us—me included—forfeited our right to privacy when we joined social media. What’s the alternative? If authors want to sell books, they need to have an online presence. So, when social media giants like Meta update their TOS, we barely give them a glance.

This time, it’s a mistake to accept or click the box away without reading what rights you’re granting. By using any of Meta’s sites and/or products after Jan. 1, 2025, you will be bound by its new TOS.

Thank God for the writing community’s sharp eyes and willingness to share information. A couple of weeks ago, writer friends warned me of Meta’s update to their terms of service in our “super-secret” author group on Slack.

What is Slack?

If you’re not familiar, Slack is a fantastic app for collaboration—blogmates, writing teams, authors in the same story world or collection, etc.—away from the prying eyes of social media giants. When you post within your designated group, no one but the members have access to your shared information or discussions. Many companies and corporations use Slack to stay in touch with their employees. Using Slack as an author group also saves your email inbox from replies that don’t apply to you. Highly recommend.

Meta’s Overreach

One of the authors in my group brought up the update to Meta’s terms of service. As if Zuckerberg hadn’t collected enough information on us, these new terms violate any right to privacy we had left. And not just while using a Meta platform. Now, we are always bound by their ridiculous terms, on or off Meta, because we have an account on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Threads.

Even if you’re not active on social media, you are still bound if you use one of Meta’s products, such as Messenger or Marketplace.

Private or Direct Messages (PMs or DMs) Are Not Private

No online messages are private. You know that, right? Be careful of what you discuss. Big Brother monitors and stores your conversations.

Meta’s new TOS reaches beyond other social media PMs. When you click “accept” to its updated terms, you will grant Meta the right to read your private messages (nothing new) and use, share, copy, or sell, in whole or in part, in any way it wants, including but not limited to, training and developing its AI models.

Content

Any and all content you post to one of its platforms or products will include an automatic license for Meta to use, distribute, share, copy, sell, in whole or in part, in any way it wants, including but not limited to, AI content that may directly compete with you. Doesn’t matter if the content is your intellectual property. By using Meta after Jan. 1, 2025, you will automatically grant them free rein once you upload.

Want to share selfies with your new puppy or a family photo with friends and family? All your photos and videos, including your voice(!) and language, Meta will have the right to copy, share, sell, distribute, or use, in whole or in part, including but not limited to, training its AI models.

AI Features

Meta categorizes AI as a separate license—perhaps to make it more palatable—but is it? Not really. The moment you use any AI feature, like to search Facebook for a friend’s profile—the only search feature available now—you will automatically grant the same license, with no way to opt out. Sure, Meta says you can ask that your content not be used to develop or train AI, but it retains the right to deny your request. The only surefire way to opt out is to delete your content and/or account.

What if You Delete Your Meta Account?

Might not matter. Even if you don’t have an active Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or WhatsApp account, you could still be consenting to Meta’s new TOS if a friend or family member sends you a funny meme or Reel. Once you click that link to view Meta content, these new terms apply to you, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Other Concerns

Meta admits to using AI but stops short of specifying how it plans to use our content to develop future AI models. This lack of transparency leaves creators vulnerable to their work being exploited.

Do not assume the omission works in your favor. The absence of clear disclosures about AI practices sets a dangerous precedent for big tech. You may think sharing selfies or photos of your children, significant other, or your home isn’t a big deal, but it is. The new AI license allows Meta to exploit you and your family.

Though you retain ownership over your content, Meta’s broad license to “use” it creates a gray area. What prevents Meta from repurposing your photo or video in marketing campaigns? Absolutely nothing.

By continuing to use a Meta platform, you agree to future terms. On Jan. 1, 2025, you will hand Meta a blank check to rewrite the rules at any time without the need to notify you for consent.

The more data Meta collects, the stronger its stranglehold on users. Nothing prevents Meta from selling your information to data brokers that will learn almost everything about you from your content, language, behavior, and so-called private messages. They in turn, sell your data to advertising markets. Or worse, use it to train AI without compensation or your consent.

I wouldn’t dare post a novel excerpt in 2025. I used to create video excerpts of all my books, which worked great as a marketing strategy. Now, finding all that old content on Meta will be a near-impossible feat. Even though I posted the video excerpts prior to Jan. 1, 2025, the new terms will supersede the old.

What’s a writer to do? Suggestions welcome! 

Did you read Meta’s new TOS? Will you continue to use Facebook, Instagram, or Threads in 2025? Does anyone use WhatsApp? Can’t imagine it’d be helpful for authors. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

When you’ve worked for years to gain a following on one or more of Meta’s platforms, it is not an easy decision to delete your account. What alternatives do we have? Blogging, Substack, or Medium, I suppose.

Anyone use BlueSky?

I’ve heard mixed things about it. Most say, it’s comparable to X-Twitter, not Facebook. BlueSky claims “it offers a more decentralized, user-controlled experience with fewer ads and a cleaner interface, making it ideal for those who prioritize privacy and community.” However, it still lags behind X-Twitter in terms of features and user base.

The mere thought of building another audience from scratch exhausts me. How ’bout you?

 

 

Reader Friday-The Weirdness of Words

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This is a post about weird.

I know, I know, there’s enough weird going around these days . . . but this weird is quite fun. Yeah, you guessed it–it’s about words, our favorite pastime here at TKZ. Specifically, about where words come from. (And I’m not talking cave walls…)

And with a nod to Garry’s fun post from yesterday, there are no Swedish words here. 🙂

I ran across this website that might just tickle your where-did-that-word-come-from fancy.

Weird Word Origins

I’m going to give you, voila!, three words whose origins are definitely over-the-top funny and unique. Here we go:

Just call me Wally…

WALRUS–The walrus is an undeniably funny-looking animal. It’s got a droopy, hangdog kind of face, grumpy-old-man whiskers, and two ludicrous-looking tusks. (No offense to any walruses who may be reading this.)

So, it seems fitting that walrus also has a funny origin story: it may literally mean “whale-horse.” Well, maybe.

Anyway, even if it’s not strictly true, the story goes that walrus comes from Dutch. Walvis means “whale” and ros means “horse.” Put it together and a walrus is a “whale-horse.” Which, if you look at this absurd animal, seems like a fitting name for it.

That wasn’t me!

 

FIZZLE–to make a hissing or sputtering sound, especially one that dies out weakly.” You know what the word originally meant? “To pass gas,” probably in that manner where you’re trying to stifle it. (Don’t pretend you don’t know what we mean.)

 

 

And, last but not least . . .

Look like anyone you know?

BONKERS—Bonkers is a funny-sounding word. It’s a humorous, softer, informal way to say “crazy” or “nuts.” Its origins aren’t clear, but bonkers is first recorded as British naval slang for “a bit drunk” in the 1940s—perhaps acting as if someone has bonked, or hit, them on the head.

So, TKZers, go ahead and find your own weird word origins, and maybe share them with us to make us snort in our cuppas!

 

Reader Friday-Let The Games Begin!

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There’s a day on the calendar I’d just as soon forget.

No, not talking about 9/11, Pearl Harbor, various mass shootings and the like. Although we should remember those events because as we well know, if we forget, we’re condemned to repeat them.

Get me outta here!

No, what I’m referencing is TODAY. Yeah, today. Don’t they call it Black Friday or some such? And why would I just as soon forget it? Skip it? Beam me over to the other side of it?

Because I hate shopping!

Not just today, but any day and twice on Sundays. Does that disqualify me to be a girl? I’ve always hated it. (Cue Deb shrugging like she doesn’t care, because she doesn’t…)      🙂

So, tell us, TKZers.

Do you shop on the day after Thanksgiving? Or do you hide, like me?

 

What is Your Character’s Wounding Event?

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Characters need personal growth to achieve their goals. If the character seeks to improve themselves in some way — at work, in relationships, or spiritually — or defeat the villain, their fatal flaw will often sabotage early efforts.

Who they are and what they want is at odds with their fatal flaw, which makes it almost impossible to succeed. The character might not even realize they have this flaw until a situation, experience, or event triggers a tsunami of inner turmoil.

Fatal Flaw Defined

A fatal flaw refers to a character trait that leads to their downfall. The term fatal flaw implies the character is heroic and admirable in many other ways. Even the fatal flaw itself could be considered admirable in a different situation but it hinders them in the storyline.

The TKZ archive has several articles about character flaws (here, here, and here, to name a few).

But where does their fatal flaw stem from?

Often, the past is to blame. It doesn’t necessarily need to be from the character’s childhood, though it can be. Was the character abandoned as a child, emotionally, physically, or both? If so, they’d deal with abandonment and/or trust issues as an adult. Or perhaps, their fatal flaw stems from the opening scene in the novel.

What happened to the character to create the inner turmoil within them? We call this the “wounding event,” and it’s crucial to understand the character on an emotional level.

Many factors play a role in determining who we — and our characters — become in life, including environment, mentors/teachers, parents, genetics, and how they were raised. Life is filled with flawed people, all battling their own demons, some more than others. Specific events and long-term exposure to unhealthy ideals, behaviors, and relationships all play a role in shaping a human or fictional character.

The Wounding Event

The most crippling is emotional trauma. Unresolved pain — the wounding event — should impact the character’s life. This defining emotional experience from a character’s past is so debilitating they’ll do anything to avoid that pain again. It colors how they view the world and alters what they believe about themselves and others. The trauma instills a deep fear that it may happen again if the character doesn’t protect themselves.

Or perhaps, your character has a physical defect with long-lasting psychological effects, such as a crippling illness, birth defect, scarring, or disfigurement. The mistaken belief that the character must harden themselves to feel emotionally safe is what allows negative traits to emerge.

The wounding event creates a core belief or insecurity that manifests as a character flaw, causing them to act defensively or in self-sabotaging ways to avoid reliving the pain. The wounding event also refers to a traumatic experience that significantly impacts the character’s psychology and development, or a set of deeply ingrained fears that shape how they interact with the world. It’s the pivotal moment that created the underlying emotional wound that drives their behavior.

Whatever wounding event you choose when crafting a character, it should be hinted at or shown on the page. This will help the reader relate to, and empathize with, the character. It’ll also explain their actions.

At some point in the novel, the character must face their fears — an important scene in the character arc is about confronting and healing from their wounding event.

The ideal placement is about the midpoint. This confrontation within themselves gives the character the inner strength to overcome their fatal flaw and spins the story in a new direction, with a clearer perspective on how to proceed. Or they figure out how to use their fatal flaw to their advantage “through a vein of moral rightness,” as JSB said in an article about character.

Sounds a lot like the mirror moment, doesn’t it? 😉

Secondary flaws can also arise from the wounding event, which will compromise the character’s path and prevent them from reaching their full potential.

Wounds are powerful. Taking the time to probe your character’s past to unearth their wounding event will help you — and the reader — better understand what motivates them and their behavior.

For discussion, what fictional wounding event has stuck with you? To avoid spoilers, only include the title if the wounding event occurs early in the novel.

Or tell us about your character’s wounding event and the fatal flaw that followed.

Reader Eater Friday-What’s On YOUR Plate?

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Thanksgiving approacheth…or so says Shakespeare.

When we think of the Thanksgiving holiday, it’d be nice if the first thing that came to mind was how grateful we should be for the blessings bestowed upon us. And how to bless others with what we have.

But often it’s all about the food, isn’t it?

Only one simple question today–let’s get it out of the way so we can go back to counting our blessings and giving some away.

TKZers, what is your favorite Thanksgiving meal? Okay, two questions. Will you gather with friends and family this year?

For us, we’ll be trekking across town to my son and daughter-in-law’s house . . . and their nine kiddos. Always a blast!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

 

 

Livin’ the Dream

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Grocery shopping is not my favorite pastime. I usually fly through the store, endangering the other shoppers with my risky grocery cart maneuvers. But for some reason, one day last summer I was in an easygoing mood, sauntering down an aisle, wondering where Kroger could possibly have relocated my favorite brand of English Afternoon Tea.

As I was plodding along, pondering the strange tendency of grocery store managers to confuse shoppers by reorganizing their stores, I spotted a young man at the far end of the aisle who was loading products on one of the shelves. When he finished his task, he walked toward me. He wore a Kroger apron over his clothes and had obviously been stocking the shelves with canned goods.

As he approached within a few feet, he nodded and said, “Hi. How are you?”

I responded, “I’m well, thank you. How are you?”

He gave me a wry smile and tipped his head toward the thousands of cans of fruits and vegetables on the aisle. “Livin’ the dream,” he said.

I chuckled at his cute reply. I supposed he was a high school senior or a college student who was spending his summer finding a spot for the Green Giant’s can of Niblets Corn instead of surfing the big waves in Australia or climbing Mt. Everest or joining an archeological dig in the Middle East. Or maybe just hanging out with his friends.

I wanted to tell him that maybe he was living the dream and just didn’t know it.

* * *

I suppose age has something to do with it. As I get older, I find myself identifying more and more things I have to be grateful for. Some of those are the big ticket items that we all dream about, but most are the simple everyday familiarities that are just part of our lives.

There are people who say that you should acknowledge a hundred things each day that you’re thankful for. I’m well aware of my many blessings, and a hundred isn’t nearly a big enough number. I thought I should list just a few from various aspects of my life, and I even wrote a little poem to introduce them.

A few are big. Others are small.
Some of them hardly matter at all.
But grateful for these I will always be,
For they’re some of the gifts that were given to me.

  1. The miracle of life
  2. My family
  3. A long marriage to a good man
  4. Health
  5. Friends
  6. Language
  7. Freedom
  8. Good books
  9. The time and resources to write
  10. Awareness
  11. Indoor plumbing
  12. Not having to get up at 5:30am to run three miles before work
  13. Music
  14. The end of summer in Memphis
  15. A good night’s sleep
  16. Running shoes
  17. Food (including canned goods)
  18. Peet’s French Roast Coffee
  19. Crossword puzzles
  20. Duct tape

* * *

In this season of Thanksgiving, the joy of writing ranks high on my gratitude list. The last few years of my life have been transformed by the desire to write mysteries. My days are structured around turning out a word quota, marketing existing works, writing TKZ posts 😊, maintaining my own blog, and continuing to educate myself on the craft of writing. It is both a focus and a fascination that I am continually grateful for.

I treasure the friends I’ve made in this writing space, and I’m indebted to many I’ve learned from. Thank you all.

Yeah, I’m livin’ the dream.

So TKZers: What are you grateful for?

* * *

Private pilot Cassie Deakin has a lot to be thankful for—like not being killed when she foolishly confronted a murderer while unarmed.

Available at  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, or Apple Books.

 

 

Reader Friday-The Sound of Silence

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Ever wonder if there’s a link between creating and music? Wonder no more!

The word ‘music’ finds its roots in the Greek word ‘mousike,’ derived from the noun ‘mousa,’ meaning ‘Muse.’

Ding, ding, ding!

And, interestingly enough, the antonym of music is silence. I found those tidbits here.

 

Questions for today are: What is your favorite kind of music?

And, do you read/create in silence, or do you commune with your muse while you’re “in the zone”?

Me? Silence every time and twice on Sunday. But, for pure listening pleasure, give me that old time rock and roll, with maybe a little Debussy thrown in!