Scary…to me

Combat Gear (Photo credit: John Starfire)

Scary…to Me

Traci Kenworth

 

I considered many ways to write this blog but I couldn’t quite pinpoint what I wanted to say. We can define horror in many ways: evil, savage, beastly, to name a few. The fact of the matter is, the types are endless. When I write scary stories, it’s not to invite anyone over to the dark side, or gross someone out so that they lose their lunch. I’m interested in what scares you and me and finding a way to combat those fears. I can think of a lot in this world that terrifies me: the loss of freedom, safety, and loved ones. I’m horrified at some of the real life events that happen. In my stories, I want the reader to find hope, a reason to go on when everything is numb, and quite simply, when there are no words.

My heroes and heroines aren’t perfect. They have flaws just like you and me. They love, hate, and sometimes struggle to forgive. Life is difficult for us and fictional characters. I wish that weren’t true in our case but I’m glad it is in theirs because it forces our story people to come up higher. They find the strength, hope, and courage. With everything in them, they fight to save those they love. Sometimes they have to learn to let go too. Bitterness, anger, hatred, these can crush a person. It’s only when they overcome this darkness the light shines into the cave for them and all the bats rush outside. So, I suppose you could say, I like to bring my characters back from the brink of death, just to show them, it’s possible.

Over and over, we hear that those that do something horrible showed few signs of what they were capable of here on this Earth. In fiction, I sometimes smudge those gray areas as well. Villains love their wives, pets, even their dolls. They seem like us and yet, there is a pocket of pure evil within them that we can’t begin to understand. It forces us to confront them, ourselves, in an attempt to blot them from existence. We don’t want to see the cannibal living among us, the abuser, or the monster in the shadows. Somehow, we think if we don’t look, they aren’t there. Horror fiction to me, exposes that under seam of life, that certain nasty we want to ignore. It drives the protagonist to stab that vampire through the heart with a stake. Perhaps this same protagonist is attempting to atone for what he is himself: a bystander who takes no action against a savage act, until someone he cares about is harmed.

I don’t want to get all morally superior here and determine what is and isn’t good horror. There is certainly material out there that I find as objectionable as the next. But this is about what I write and why. Sometimes it’s because I’ve been the one in hiding, running for my life. Others, it’s because I want to show to that young girl or boy or even older reader, there is a future, a bright one, and you can triumph over evil. It’s not easy. But someday, someone will take your hand and lead you into the daylight. That’s why I write scary. So that, by doing so, I can shatter the demons around us.

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Update Feb. 7, 2013

English: Street scenes of fall (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Update Feb. 7, 2013

 

Traci Kenworth

 

 

 

I’m still in the editing/rewriting stages on my wip. Although it may not seem like I’m making much progress (it feels like it’s been forever doing this), truly I am. My story has undergone such changes that will make it better, stronger, hopefully more fulfilling for the readers and that’s what matters. I know each time we query, we need to present the best story possible for us at that time. It takes a lot to get it to that “ready” stage. I’ve rushed in the past and found myself putting forth less-than-perfect entries and that’s not good. We want to earn an agent’s notice for writing well, not by something we should stuff inside our desk drawer as “lessons learned.”

 

What I’ve been working on with the book are the creatures. There’s different kinds and within one group, different levels. It’s tough to come up with something totally “unique” but I’ve tried to with mine. I’ve thought of the things that scare me and built on that in the development. What scares the characters also went into the consideration. It has to be a combination of both, I think, to get the “monster” to be at its worst.

 

You know from the last time, one of my characters went from being a brunette to a blonde. Well, I took a look at the rest of my cast as well and fixed those I needed to. Her brother is still dark-brown-haired but I’ve added glasses for him and more of a “stiffer” personality to accord his lawyer aspirations. His girlfriend is still a redhead, but more of a tomboy which will allow some conflict between them. Not to mention, the brother is torn between all that he’s learning about the legal world and the fact that his family is on the run because of his sister’s supernatural abilities.

 

The excitement is brewing is regards to this project and I’m so thankful. It really helps to love your story, your characters, what you’re doing. When you’re miserable, it shows. Right now, I’ve added another two chapters with the creatures pursuing my characters. I wanted to show not only their terror but how close to losing everything they love they are. I think that’s a key to horror. They have to not only be afraid of their lives ending, but the lives of those around them as well. When they care about someone other than themselves, it keeps the reader spell-bound. It shows what kind of character they really are: others come first.

 

I hope your own writing/editing is coming along well. Happy writing.

 

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Jan. 24, 2013 Update

Garden flower (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Jan, 24, 2013: Update

 

Traci Kenworth

 

 

 

Editing is going well. I tend to pick at things writing-wise and it takes me longer than getting that first draft written which, I suppose, is as it should be. Editing takes times. It’s about looking at things and making sure you have everything where the camera-in-your-mind wants it. There is usually some pruning (whether it’s taking out a character/s, changing a situation, rewriting a scene) and some juggling (switching everything around to improve the flow), not to mention tweaking of material to get it just right.

 

In the past few weeks, I’ve concentrated on the people in my story more than the events happening around them. I’ve brought them front-and-center and shown how life around them bulldozes them or makes them stronger. You see, I’m learning the story is about the character with the problem not the problem itself. Now, there are writers out there who focus on the plot and not the protagonist and they’re skilled at the twists and turns, but for me, I “love” the story that brings me into the world of the hero/heroine and shows me who they are and how they react to the situation they’re put in.

 

I was having a particular problem with one heroine who I couldn’t get to “care” about the situation she was in. Turns out, I had the “wrong” character in mind for her and had to crush her and begin from scratch again. Her looks changed from a brunette to a blonde and I “cast” a different actress to play her. Instantly, the world opened up around her from my ability to see   how she’d face things, to who she was as a person. Sometimes it takes a bit of shaking up to get a character just right. Now, I know not everyone pictures particular actors for a part, but I feel it helps me if I can zoom in on their facial expressions, how they walk and talk, how they encounter a problem and persevere, or not.

 

Other unexpected things happened. My hero found out some things about the people in his life that he wish he hadn’t which took him to a darker place. Grief does that. As in reality, some people disappoint us, while others surprise us. It all works together as a whole, to enrich our story. Sometimes I think that’s why certain ones take us longer to write: we haven’t grasped the concept of what they’re all about yet. So, yeah, my work’s not done yet, I still have to continue on with the tweaking, doing all the things mentioned beforehand, and seam things back together but I’m happy and that’s what it’s all about: bringing your story to fruition. Good luck out there with yours.

 

 

 

 

 

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Update on Progress

 

Flower & pot (Photo credit: Vijay Sonar)

 

Progress Update

 

Traci Kenworth

 

 

 

Things are going well so far. I’m digging deeper and deeper into edits and the changes

 

and questions that have come up. So far, I’ve changed one character’s gender and ethnicity, tweaked the background, and considered whether to leave-in or take-out the brief backstories I gave my two main characters. All the while, reading, and discovering that things are not as bad as they could be at this point. I like the story. It needs chipped away at still to become what it will, but it’s off to a good start.

 

Lest you should wonder if I’ve read the whole thing in its entirety yet, the answer is no.

 

I’m only on chapter four and still jotting down notes. Most of what I’m doing at this point, is absorbing what needs to be done to make things better. I’m enjoying myself though. Yes, that’s right. I used the right word. Lol. Editing is a tool used to shape the possibilities. A writer should learn to like the process if not love it because it helps to bring everything into focus for the story.

 

Good luck with your own stories, I’ll update from time to time as I go along.

 

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Book Review: How to Write a Damn Good Novel II by James N. Frey

 

Cover via Amazon

 

Book Review: How To Write A Damn Good Novel II by James N. Frey

 

Traci Kenworth

 

 

 

St. Martin’s Press 1994                                     `Fiction

 

 

 

I’m going to take a quote from the book: “This book covers advanced techniques such as how to make your characters not just dynamic but memorable, how to heighten the reader’s sympathy and identification with the characters, how to intensify suspense to keep the reader gripped, how to make a contract with the reader and stick to it, how to avoid the fiction writer’s seven deadly mistakes, and perhaps most important of all, how to write with passion.”

 

There is so much packed into this craft book that it’s heavenly to read. I’ve had this one sitting on my shelves for years and as part of my effort to re-read craft books and focus on the ones that truly helped me, this is one of them. James N. Frey has a no-nonsense approach to writing that I’m sure worked well during his lectures. This book will help anyone who wants to write fiction or non-fiction, genre or literary.

 

He took a winding path to become the published writer that he is and this is something I can identify with as I set aside my own writing during marriage and the early years of raising two children by myself before returning to it full force six years ago. Passion is indeed something I think that is vital to the business if you’re to succeed. It gets you through those dark times, the rejections, the absolute heartbreak you face. I believe it’s what motivates those of us who keep at it, to keep trying.

 

This book stresses the importance of communication with your reader. We need to gain their trust, their confidence, and in the end, tell them a story that resonates with them. Without our audience, we have no future. This doesn’t mean you don’t write the story you envision, rather that you enhance it so that they enjoy it as well as you do. There will always be critics, of course, but it is the reader who we must listen to and share our journey with whether that path includes hobbits or zombies. Readers want to care about your characters, cheer them on, cry at their losses, and in the end, part with them as friends.

 

 

 

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The Monster Show

 

Promotional photo of Boris Karloff from The Bride of Frankenstein as Frankenstein’s monster. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

The Monster Show

 

Traci Kenworth

 

 

 

Who didn’t go to a monster show at some point growing up? I remember sitting on the couch every Saturday when I was twelve or thirteen watching the local channel’s Scream Theater showing. Frankenstein’s monster, the she-devil, and BIG bugs reigned. Armed with a bowl of buttered popcorn (oh, those innocent, before I became weight-conscious days), and a group of friends, it was something I looked forward to all week. Perhaps because of these screenings, horror often topped the list of my readings growing up.

 

I loved to root for the characters, praying fervently that each would make it. I think this weekly ritual was the stepping-stone to my writing. It brought an eagerness to tell stories, even those heroes/heroines that didn’t make it, of my own. Writing just clicked with me. I could explore new worlds, the human psyche, and wrong decisions. I found myself at peace when I got it all down on paper (the way it was done before computers came along). At least, into my household. I didn’t own my first computer until I was married.

 

When divorce hit me, my next computer helped bring me through the rough patches, and pointed me back down the road toward writing. It wasn’t easy, raising two kids by myself, buying a house, and paying the bills, but I did it. I’m still doing it. I watch very little of what’s called horror these days (mostly because it’s become so much of a gore-fest), but when I do, I’m reminded of those Saturdays spent cringing from this week’s monster.

 

Oh, I have my favorite shows still to keep me tuned in. From Supernatural to The Vampire Diaries, I’ve learned that it truly is the protagonist/s in trouble that capture my attention and less the nameless ones that flee the masked murderer in the forest that capture my efforts. I like fear to count for something, I guess. When I get to know a character, their family, their hopes, their dreams, I want to see them survive. It’s what I try and do in my own stories. Capture the essence of who they are, where they’re going, and how they’re going to come through things. In short, I want people attached to my stories, not a body count.

 

All this has helped me make some recent cut-backs in my own work. I, too, went for the high amount of corpses versus the character, but I came to realize: less is more. If you want your reader to care about what’s happening, give them heroes/heroines to root for not walk-ons who are just there to get cut up by some psycho. It’s the story that counts, the truth behind what is happening, it’s the meat on the bones.

 

Yes, those Monster shows educated me on what’s important: the survivors. If you’re having trouble in your work-in-progress, it may mean that you need to step back and look at the people in your story. Are they fully-rounded? Do we care about them? Or is the boogeyman the main character? Readers want to read about people. What makes them tick, how they survived a day in hell, and what their future may look like. Concentrate on the protagonist/s and the curtain on your show will continue to go up every time.

 

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Writing in the Dark

Writing in the Dark

Traci Kenworth

 

I used to write religiously with an outline as I’ve said on here before but lately, I’ve been “writing in the dark” so to speak. Which is to say, I’ve thrown out my outline with my current project and what I’ve begun to do is to take each chap as one/or several long scenes and jot down notes before writing the chapter. Then I proceed to the next chapter and start the process over again. I’ve discovered a freedom in this type of writing and it’s really opened up the creative doors for me.

Part of why I’ve down so is reading several Stephen King interviews as well as going back over his The Stephen King Companion. He’s admitted he isn’t one for knowing exactly how a story is going to go, but with his writing, “finds what he needs, when he needs it.” I’m paraphrasing here, these aren’t his exact words, but I’ve found this to be true when it comes to my own writing. See, I was having a hard time getting enthused about a wip when I knew what was going to happen down to the ending. Writing this way lately, has multiplied the possibilities.

I’ve found new life in my story, my cps are enthusiastic about it, and it’s turning out to be one of the most complex stories I’ve written. So, it just goes to show, sometimes if you throw all the rules out, you find the will to go on, and what’s more, you’ll soar in your efforts. How about you? Are you an outliner or a pantser or a little of both? Any tips on how to do writing your way that you think might help others?

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The Three Types of Premise

Image via Wikipedia

The Three Types of Premises

Traci Kenworth

 

As stated in How to Write a Damn Good Novel by James N. Frey, premise is a statement of what happens to the characters as a result of the core conflict of the story. Today, we’re going to discuss 3 types.

Type 1: Chain Reaction: This is simply a series of events that blast the character toward the finale. For instance: Darla, out on shopping rounds, finds an envelope of money with no identification to the owner (or perhaps there is and she’s just not saying), and no one but her conscious to tell her what to do. So she keeps the money, spends it even. Later, she learns of a young couple with a three-year-old daughter who has cancer lost their money at the store and is unable to pay for their daughter’s treatments. She is torn between what to do. Should she return the funds from her own pocket book, ignore the situation entirely, or admit that she took it and has no way to replace the money? The answer to this puzzle is the climax or solution. Let’s take this one step further and suppose that $5.00 from that envelope landed Darla the winning lottery ticket/ Now what is her dilemma? Will she make the “right” choice?

Type 2: The opposing forces: Love vs. hate. Wealth vs. poverty. Death vs. life. An example may be: a man of Biblical principles, in applying them to his life, finds himself challenged by the very things he believes. When a woman and her children enter his life under a false set of circumstances, he must decide whether to turn them in, part ways, or help them the best he can. Let’s say he learns she stole to provide for her children, he knows the family she stole from, and his conscious impresses upon him to expose her for the crime. And yet, his heart is at war because she did so to feed her children, to keep them off the streets, to give them a chance in life. Which set of values will win out? Will compassion cause him to cover for her and help her to get a new start? Will they all become, in turn, a new family?

Type 3: The Situational Premise: This is where the same problem affects all of the characters in the story. Example: Each character searches for an anchor. It destroys some, but saves others. This type can easily become a snag if the story becomes too convoluted. Because each might have their own story, you could end up telling too much of one’s and not enough of another’s. Your main protagonists become less. The story has to be cut carefully, set into type just so, if it is blossom into a beautiful tale. The story is Bill’s and Andi’s not the entire cast. That’s not to say the story doesn’t apply to all the characters, it just has to be more Bill’s and Andi’s than the town of Montville.

So how do you handle the above types of premises? I find most of my stories to fall under the situational premise. I just love to bring a problem to a town and drop it in everyone’s laps. Of course, my hero and heroine who have the most to suffer must embrace their strengths and bring about the downfall of the villain/disaster. It’s a tricky balance to keep your minor characters just that, but in the end, the story shines because of it.

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A New Award–I’m Honored!!

Thanks to Jenny Keller Ford, I’ve been awarded The Paperclip Award. Here are my questions to answer:

1.When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Famous. Lol. I just always wanted to be in the lime light–an actress, dancer, singer. I used to write my speeches out in acceptance of awards–who knew that I’d be accepting them today as a writer?

2. What is your ultimate favorite place to be?

At home with my family. I enjoy learning about their days and sharing precious time with them.

3.Name one famous person who inspires you (just one).

In a previous award, I named Stephen King, so I’ll go with Marion Zimmer Bradley. I just loved her fantasy novels and when I submitted to her magazine, she actually wrote encouraging words to me. That she took a moment of her time to do so, remains with me all these years after her death as do her intricate, magical worlds.

4. Tea or coffee? I used to revel in tea for my morning drink, but cappucinos came along and coffee has become my all-time favorite.

5. If you could be any other person for 48 hours, who would you be? J.K. Rowling, just to know how she approaches her writing, to learn about her as a person (I’ve heard she’s done some fantastic charity work), and to know what’s it’s like to live in a castle. Lol.

6.What is your earliest memory: Gosh, my memory is thatthick (lol). Um, I was convinced I was adopted. My family was just way to normal…lol.

7. If you could ask anyone, living or dead, anything, who would it be? And what would you ask? I’d ask my grandfather on my mom’s side about his family as I work on genealogy and it’s so frustrating to find such slim leads. I would about his Cherokee mother and her story.

8. What is the scariest thing you have ever done? Walk away from a world of violence.

9. What is your favorite book? Different Seasons by SK for The Body story within.

10. Briefly explain one of the weirdest dreams you have ever had.

Hm..Well, it involved cougar teeth, a creature that tore flesh of a skeleton ate it and also slurped up the blood. Yes. It’s where I get my ideas. Lol.

11. What song best describes you? (Feel free to post a utube video.)

The above song reminds me of growing up in the country. It’s sad though.

Then there’s this ones which lifts me up to being a little risky in life:

12. Pen or pencil?

Pen.

13. Is 13 an unlucky number or not?

Not for me. My daughter was born on Friday the 13th.

And here’s who I’m passing the award off to:

Jody Hedlund

K.M. Weiland

Lisa Lail Green

Rek

 

 

 

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Smoke and Bones

Second Campaigner Challenge

Traci Kenworth

 

I have decided to take Rache Harrie’s challenge and do a 200 word flash fiction piece with it based on the following prompt picture:

Smoke and Bones

The Iaeleter glanced at the bones, a gruesome twist to her lips. “Cremated,” she told my partner, Deid and I. Her gaze met mine. “Alive.”

I glanced around the cave, its mournful cry leftover from the wind pouring through its opening, caused goosebumps to rise along my flesh.

“You’re sure this happened during the Starburst?” Deid asked her.

She nodded.  “The remains tell the tale.”

We kept our backs low until we were free of what had become someone’s tomb.

“What do you think?” I flicked a piece of cobweb from my shoulder.

“I think we’ve got a Aspaileta on our hands.”

“An alien species?”

“It fits the profiles of our vics. They must like their meat really crispy.”

Deid grimaced. He thumbed back the way we’d come. “Think she’s in on it? She did locate the last five bodies.”

“She’s just attuned to their pain. I hear someone like her suffers along with the target.”

“Still makes you wonder,” he said.

“You’re just by nature suspicious.”

“Can’t argue with you there.”

I flipped open my notepad, “how you want to handle this? A visit to the President?”

“The press. They sometimes do our homework for us.”

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