Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“Best Writing Tip: Writing is a hundred different skills. Be prepared for a long learning curve.”  Vince Mooney



Famous Writing Quote of the Day

"Reading writing books is like reading diet books. You can make yourself think you’re doing something useful while at the same time you know you are not doing what you should be doing."
                                                    Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

"Writers don’t know any more than anyone else but because some people think they do, some writers also think they do."

Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

"My words don’t have magic in them; they don’t even have words in them. Everything comes out of the mind of the reader."
                                                                                          Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“Every analogy hides the truth in a different way.”

Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“What’s so interesting is that Christian fiction guidelines would actually prohibit publication of certain parts of the Bible.”   Vince Mooney

“It’s Only a Novel…It’s Only a Novel”

“It’s Only a Novel…It’s Only a Novel”

…Perhaps Even a Breakthrough Novel!

Paperback: 300 pages

Publisher: Abingdon Press (May 2010) 

Language: English 

ISBN-10: 1426702388

ISBN-13: 978-1426702389

Please Note: This is a repeat of a review I wrote just after "They Almost Always Come Home," was released. It is up for a Carol award tonight at the ACFW convention.

The last time I read a book that seemed so real that I had to keep reminding myself that it was ‘only a novel’, was back in grade school.  Normally, I don’t like to be reminded that I’m reading a novel (literary alienation); however, I would have welcomed a little ‘alienation’ while reading, “They Almost Always Come Home”.  

Experimental Emotionalism and POV

As I read, “They Almost Always Come Home,” I found it was almost impossible not to ‘feel’ that the story was actually happening!  The novel has an ‘experimental’ quality to it. In addition to the immediacy of using the first person point of view, the author’s poetic writing style tends to create the same emotional state in the reader that the character in the novel is experiencing. I had to keep telling myself to ‘calm down’ – that this was just a story and was not really happening.  This reaction was so strong that it deserves further analysis

From ‘Telling’ to ‘Showing’ to ‘Being’

Writers have long been instructed to ‘show’ their stories rather than ‘tell’ them. For example, instead of writing, “Mary left the room angrily,” the writer is advised to show Mary’s anger by writing something like, “Mary left the room, slamming the door so forcefully that a picture fell off the wall shattering the glass into  a thousand noisy pieces.”  In both these cases, the reader can conclude that Mary was angry; however, the reader may still not ‘feel’ Mary’s anger.  This is because creating a feeling or ‘state of being’ in the reader is more in the realm of poetry.

Poetry & Being

There is a state beyond ‘telling’ and ‘showing’ that I would call ‘being’. This is the state poets often exploit when their words make the reader feel what the poet was feeling as the poem was being written. Mystical poetry is perhaps the best example of this. Saint Teresa, for instance, didn’t tell the reader that she was in a state of ecstasy nor did she show herself to be in a state of ecstasy. What St. Teresa did was select words that could create the same emotional state in the reader that she was feeling. That is, as long as the reader was receptive to the experience.

Music & CDs

I think the best analogy for this would be a music CD. The CD does not ‘tell’ or ‘show’ the music -- it recreates the music itself. This experience requires an audio playing device and a listener. The same applies to poetic writing: the author needs a receptive reader to allow the words to stimulate the corresponding emotions.  This is especially hard to do in prose writing. I’m not sure it can even be taught. However, when such writing is experienced, it is very powerful.

A Unique Reading Experience

As I read, “They Almost Always Come Home,” I found myself experiencing the same emotions that I would have felt if the story were actually happening to me. To better understand this experience I’m will provide some quotes that demonstrate the phenomenon. First, however, I need to setup the story.

The Story

As the story opens, the heroine’s husband has gone missing. He is a very experienced outdoorsman who left on a two week trip to the Canadian wilderness. However, this trip is different. It is the first such trip he has taken by himself. A solo trip to this remote location is a very dangerous undertaking even in the best of conditions. As time goes by, he is assumed missing. Moreover, the heroine has good reason to believe he has actually left her. Why? Because she has been planning the same thing. She was emotionally at the point of leaving her husband even before he left on the trip. She has good reasons for this. The questions for both the reader and the heroine are these:  is he dead, injured, or in a motel room with another woman? The reader is trapped in the poor woman’s mind and must consequently go through the hour-by-hour torments with her.

Quotes

“Do dead people wear shoes? In the casket, I mean. Seems a waste. Then again, no outfit is complete without shoes”.

***

Policeman:   “Many times, in these cases –”

Oh, just say it!

“—an unhappy husband takes advantage of an opportunity to walk away.”

***

I smooth the collar of the jacket and stir up the scent of Aspen for Men. The boa constrictor around my throat flexes its muscles.

***

Greg? Walk Away?

Not only is he too annoyingly faithful for that, but if anyone has a right to walk away, it’s me.

***

Moving from our old queen-size mattress to this king represented distance rather than comfort. For me, anyway. I needed a few more inches between us. A few feet. I guess I got my wish.

***

The sweat in my palm reconstituted the bread crumbs during the call. Wastebasket. That’s what one does with crumbs.

How long will it take me to figure out what to do with the crumbs of my life?

And where will I find a basket large enough for the pieces?

***

The view from our bedroom window is of a normal world. It stings my eyes. The neighborhood, green and flourishing, sounds noisy already with lawn mowers and kids on skateboards. I clamp one hand over my mouth to suppress my rant against normal.

***

A bird sings from one of the trees in the backyard. I want to shoot it from its sassy perch.

***

How does one go about inducing a therapeutic coma? Is it so wrong to want to sleep through this?  I’ll deal with it eventually, whatever the outcome. But could I skip this middle part? The not knowing. The wait-torture. M

***  

I believe the above quotes have the power to generate feelings much more directly than the words could be said to ‘show’ what a character is feeling. When I read, “A bird sings from one of the trees in the backyard. I want to shoot it from its sassy perch”, I don’t stop to think about what the character might be feeling. I feel it instantaneously.  This emotive style is very powerful writing which goes on for chapter after chapter. There is very little let up in “They Almost Always Come Home”. Then, as if the story were not intense enough, the point of view switches to third person just in time to deliver a knock-out blow.

Readers Will Love It

While readers will love, “They Almost Always Come Home,” I believe writers will appreciate it even more. It’s fresh. It’s daring. It’s unique.  I expect “They Almost Always Come Home,” to win many awards. It is certainly as good as anything being written today. A marvelous achievement!

Breakthrough Novel – My Choice for Book of the Year!



Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“What’s nice about Christian fiction is that even the ‘edgy,’ passionate, variety is still ‘G’ rated.”
                                               Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“I can always tell I’m at a Christian Writer’s Convention: the drunks are always so well behaved.”  
                                                                                                    Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“The more Bible citations, the less secure the writer will appear to be. If you know the Bible, paraphrase it. Tell me it’s illegal to jaywalk but don’t cite the municipal code complete with ordinance section.”                   Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“Bible thumping Christian fiction is about as enjoyable as someone bouncing a basketball off your head.”

                                                                                Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“Great Christian fiction instills Christian values while being written in such a way that the author could not be convicted of writing Christian fiction were it illegal to do so.”

Vince Mooney

Do You Play the eBook Market?

When Should You Buy an eBook?

It used to be if you wanted to buy a book, you just went into a store and bought it. However, times have changed. Today timing has become critical when buying eBooks.  

At this point, I estimate that I’ve spent about $200 on eBooks which later were offered for free on Amazon as Kindle books. I have also avoided spending about $200 by deliberately waiting to buy books that I suspected were going to be offered for free on Amazon. There are also the books I bought for 99 cents that later went to $3.99 and the books I bought for $2.99 that dropped down to .99 cents.  Some of my $4.99 purchases have gone up to $6.99.  

Of course, to be safe, I have downloaded about $8,000 in free books on my Kindle.  I may or may not decide to extract these books from the archives.  In a sense, I have over 900 books just waiting to be shifted over to my TBR pile.  

It seems that with the great availablity of free books, we no longer buy books simply to read them. Since we already have more good books available to read than we will ever be able to read, books are now being bought because we have a reason to want to have read them.  

Instead of reading to read we are reading to have read. This acts to change the marketing dynamics. And when the marketing dynamics change,  the old tried and true rules may no longer apply. 

Update:  20 September 2011

This morning I downloaded Ralph Peter’s “Endless War” for free as a Kindle book. I bought this book as a hardbound when it first came out and I could not read it easily because the type was too small for me to read in comfort. I really wanted to read this book so it is almost a kind of ‘justice’ that it is now a free Kindle book with type sizes that are a pleasure to read.

This makes me think that perhaps it would be best if the eBook version came bundled with the hardbound book. Think how this would change marketing!

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“The more outrageous your story, the greater the need for minute details on the parts that are believable.”
                                              Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

‘Writer’s Release’ in Orange Beach

The Writer's Pool

“Writer’s Block is a perfect example of ‘thinking making it so’.”

                               Vince Mooney

The Beach at Orange Beach

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“A house doesn’t sell every time you show it. Neither does a manuscript.”
               Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“I don’t think of them as deadlines. To me they’re finsih lines.”  Vince Mooney

Café du Jour: One of Best Uses of First Person I’ve Ever Read!

“Café du Jour” is the Best Reason for eBooks! Just Released as a Kindle Book!

Lilian Darcy’s, Out-of-Print, "Cafe du Jour" -- is a Hidden Classic Sure to Thrill Fans!

Café duJour

Lilian Darcy

Paperback Mira Books (2007)

Kindle Book2011

While Lilian Darcy is an accomplished Romance author, “Café du Jour” is not a romance. It’s a serious introspective journey of self-discovery and self-actualization. No compromises are made to sweeten the reality of this story. Everything is just right out there in front of the reader. There are no genre constraints or expectations in "Cafe du Jour" -- just raw writing power. 

“Café du Jour” is a 'book-of-the-heart' and not of the pocketbook. Reading this story is like taking a beautiful show horse, entering her into the Kentucky Derby, and then watching her, finally freeded, race to a winning finish. 

Best use of first person POV!

 

I must disclose right at the start that I do not ordinarily like first person POV novels. In my opinion, first person novels start with three important drawbacks: 

1. you can’t get into the other characters’ minds

2. you can only go where the POV character goes

3. too much of the book usually depends on the dynamic personality of the POV character.

First Person does have one huge advantage in suspense and action stories when danger is imminent. There is an immediacy to the action with first person. This is especially true in the present tense. The reader faces the same dangers most directly alongside the POV character.  If the POV character has a dynamic personality and faces danger with wit and wisecracking bravado, as Stephanie Plum does in Janet Evanovich's books, then first person can enhance the fun. 

First person is also a good way to give the reader the vicarious experience of feeling what it is like to be a hunted person or a cop under fire.  However, first person is at a big disadvantage in a serious multi-character novel where the reader wants to know and learn from the other main characters. It is also harder to creat a fulltime, wise and witty, POV character in a longer mainstream novel.

The "Café du Jour" Difference 

“Café du Jour” does something bold and unique   with the first person POV: it lets the reader become another person. This is very different in kind than vicariously ‘being there’ when the POV character is a fireman climbing a ladder to rescue a child. While the reader might feel what it is like to be a fireman in that situation, the reader will not really know much of what it would be like to actually be that fireman.

In “Café du Jour” the journey is mostly internal. The action happens in the consciousness of the main character. The outside world is important, as there is a story to follow, but the big difference in this novel happens when the reader becomes the POV character -- as a person.  “Café du Jour” opens the mind of the POV character and lets the reader think her thoughts.

This is a difficult concept to grasp at first but please give it your attention. If the reader is thinking the POV character's very thoughts, while not directly being told a story narrative, then how does that differ from an individual thinking those same thoughts?

If the reader’s internal dialogue is the same as the POV character’s internal dialogue, then for that moment, there is an identity.  The reader is not that person doing ‘x’, the reader is that person being that person. (I know this is a difficult concept but this awareness of being someone else by virtue of thinking their thought, will be forced upon you when you read this book. You just have to read it and experience it.)

Important: I’m not talking about ‘free association’ or ‘stream-of-consciousness’ as you might find it in some experimental novels. In "Cafe du Jour" the POV character’s thoughts are the concentrated thoughts of a person trying to think things out to a purpose. The internal dialogue moves the story forward. The thoughts are not random. As thoughts they don’t need further interpretation by the reader. In essence, for the hours spent reading this book, the reader will experience being the POV character, facing the POV character’s  problems and thinking her thoughts.

What Could be so Interesting as to Keep a Reader Inside Someone Else’s Mind for Hours on End?

Before I read “Café du Jour”, I would have probably said, “nothing.” It was only after I was totally captivated by the POV character, Susie, that I became eager to spend time in her mind.  

“Café du Jour” is about the reality and the pain of living. It explores the meaning of life itself. It’s about sincerity and authenticity. It’s about what’s real and what’s not. It’s about self-discovery, self-delusion, self-actualization and a dozen other self-directed theories. 

The hero, Jody, is a dynamic hyper-creative personality who is sometimes a madman, conman, genius and part-time ski instructor. Jody schemes how to make $28,000 by putting on the ultimate self-discovery workshop at $2,800 a student. The course will last weeks. The sessions run from 10 am to 10 pm on the days it is held. Against her better judgment, Susie helps him as a plant in the workshop.

Here is what the heroine thinks of Jody:

"Jody claims to have a degree in Philosophy from Cambridge University, mostly I believe him, despite the lack of concrete evidence. There’s this idea in Philosophy, apparently, that the laws of gravity didn’t exist until Newton discovered them. Or something. It has been a surprise to me, since knowing Jody, how applicable this concept is to many of the events of everyday life.”

Susie asks Jody what he is going to cover in his workshop:

“Tons of stuff. Massage, relaxation, trust work, games. Probably, yeah, past life therapy.” He scribble something. “I’ll research it on the Net. Awakening your dragons. Crystal energy, maybe."

What Jody is going to do is use all the best ideas, or at least the most popular ideas, from the most respected gurus and self-help movements. 

Now here’s the thing: in most books like this, the actual ideas would not be presented and argued. What author would be knowledgeable enough to be able to present all these ideas and then be able to argue them as well? Lilian Darcy is. I’ve spent forty years studying self-actualization programs; I’ve even conducted dozens of seminars myself. The ideas preseted in "Cafe du Jour" are the real thing. What’s so fascinating about this book is the way the characters themselves can’t be sure what they really believe and don’t believe.

The students who come to Jody’s workshop are past hands at going to these workshops. They inquire, argue and are not easy subjects to con. When something works, Jody and Susie, both wonder if the teachings actually are true. The reader is in the same position as the workshop students. What really is true?

The Story:

Susie, the heroine, is a European trained chef now living at home in Australia.  She is a chef in a resultant where the owner is exploiting her. Her live-in boyfriend, Jody, travels around the world being a ski instructor in the winter and doing odd jobs at other times. He also seems to be exploiting Susie and perhaps everyone else he deals with. 

Karen is Susie’s sister who is in the hospital after a terrible disfiguring accident which may have left her mentally challenged. Susie is under great stress. She may be at the moment of maximum personal crises in her young life. All this makes for compelling reading.

Given the very personal nature of the first person POV, the impact of this emotional turmoil is almost overwhelming. In a way, “Café du Jour” is a learning experience that may well leave the reader a different person.

If you would like to take a voyage of self-discovery, experience a nebulous romance, and feel what it is like to be another person, then “Café du Jour”  could just be a must read.

Highest Recommendation!

A Must Read for Self-Actualization Adherents!  

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

"While I don’t ask God to help me write,(people could tell right away the parts God wrote), I do appreciate His help with the editors." Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“Creativity is like the weather: it’s not one thing; it’s many things; it's always happening but it’s most noticeable when it's extreme.”

                                                 Vince Mooney

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“Imagine a situation where your boss, coworker  or best friend holds up a book and says, ‘You really need to read this book’. Now, imagine writing a book like that. Now write it.”

                  Vince Mooney

“Oklahoma Reunion" -- Winner as the Season's Most Natural “Feel Good” Romance! 5 Stars!

A Story So Good You Can Almost Taste It!

Oklahoma Reunion 
Tina Radcliffe

Love Inspired
Oct 2011
Kindle Version

“The great masters make the difficult look easy.”

“Oklahoma Reunion” is easy to read, easy to like and hard to put down! Everything reads so naturally that the story just seems to happen before your eyes. The romance between Ryan and Kait appears as wistfully as if it was always there to be seen.  

Green Country, Oklahoma

It’ s like Looking Out Your Window!

The story takes place in and near Tulsa where I’ve lived since 1971. I know Tulsa and I can verify that the characters in "Oklahoma Reunion" act and talk like the people I know. Ryan and Kait even dine at the same restaurants that I frequent. (Reading this romance might make you hungry.) The street views, the weather and the vegetation are just as I experience them everyday. Everything is so familiar it's almost like not reading at all.  It's like having a friend in your home.

It’s a Different Reading Experience

"Oklahoma Reunion" is a very rich story. The naturalness of the narrative is found in much more than simply getting the location accurate. The characters act as I would expect real people in the real world to act but not necessarily as I am used to seeing characters in a 'hidden child' romance behave.

‘Hidden Child’ with a Difference 

Favorite Ice Cream Stop

While “Oklahoma Reunion” features a 'hidden child' theme romance, it’s unlike all the others I’ve read. For example, the hero, Ryan Jones, reacts just as I would react if I learned I had an 8 year old daughter. There are none of the fireworks, histrionics or recriminations that are so common to this particular romance theme. This is an inspirational romance and you can tell the difference. It's in the authenticity.

Faith in Action: An Inspiration

Pizza Means Ryan is Serious

Ryan is a mature individual who acts thoughtfully. He is a Christian who lives his faith. The heroine, Kait Field, is also a very sympathetic person of faith.  Kait has been wronged in the past but she has also done wrong to Ryan. Both Ryan and Kait have been tempered by their experiences and behave accordingly.

The characters in “Oklahoma Reunion” are interesting, worthy, and exceptional. Each has enough depth to act naturally, that is, to act as real people would act and not as one would expect stereotypical ‘hidden child’ theme characters to act. If you are an experienced romance reader, you will notice the difference right away.

A Forever Love

Ryan has always loved Kait and the fact of their daughter, Jenna, doesn’t change that reality. Kait has also never stopped loving Ryan. So here you have it: Kait loves Ryan. Ryan loves Kait. They have a daughter in common that they both love. So how much conflict could there really be here?


So What Makes “Oklahoma Reunion” Such a Page-Turner?

The story is so compelling because of its freshness. The characters are interesting and they do interesting things. You care about all the characters and want to learn what happens next. There is always something you want to know coming up on the next page. You have to wonder:

“Why did this person show up at the door at this time?” 

“What's the hero’s mother going to do when she meets her granddaughter?”

“How is everything going to work out now that everything is out?”

A bookstore in the book.

   There are also very strong secondary characters, like Molly and Ryan's great grandfather, who give very good wisdon-like advice.   

The Story: 

Kait Field and Ryan Jones were an item in high school. Kait won a four-year scholarship to OSU. Ryan wanted to go to the OSU veternairan school. Everything was going fine. However,  Ryan’s parents were against the marriage and they paid Kait off to move out of town. Kait was pregnant at the time and Ryan didn't know this. He was not told he had a daughter.

Eight years later, Kait comes back to Oklahoma from her new home in Philadelphia to sell her father’s house soon after the father’s death. Since she will be taking care of years of  'loose ends', she decides to tell Ryan about his daughter while she is in Oklahoma. 

What happens after Ryan finds out about his daughter? That's quite a story. A story that is sure to make you feel good right to the last page. It's a natural.

Five Star "Oklahoma Reunion" Is Season's Natural 'Feel Good' Romance!

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“The secret of a great pitch is not about summarizing the plot in a few words; it’s about selecting the few words needed to make someone want to read the book.”
                               Vince Mooney

Scenes I’d Like to See in a Romance #14

While on an out-of-town business trip, the hero, John, is surprised to see his ex-girl friend, the heroine, Mary, sitting in a Starbucks with a one year old child.


“Mary is that you?” 

“John, what are you doing in Omaha?”

“Business, what else? So did you move here?”

“Yes, my folks live in Bellevue.”

“Is that you’re sister’s child?”

“No, he’s all mine.”

“Yours? Have you married? I didn’t hear anything about it.”

“I never married his father. He wasn’t worth it.”

“You always were hard to please. But I must say he is one handsome little devil.”

“He ought to be. His daddy is one big handsome devil.”

“I’m sorry to hear that Mary.”

“That ain’t the half of it.”

A young woman approaches the table. “Mary, Mary, I’m sorry to be so late.” The woman looks at the baby and then at John. “Oh my, you must be the father!”

“Am I Mary?”

“Of course you are, you idiot.”

“I better be going,” the young woman leaves the store. 

“So you weren’t going to tell me?”

“I can raise this baby myself. I don’t need a man and I sure don’t need you. Just stay out of our lives and I’ll be happy.”

“But Mary?”

“No buts. I’m an independent woman with a great job and I don’t need any help from you. So don’t feel obligated to us. And don’t make a pathetic offer to marry me just to do the honorable thing.”

“Mary, I don’t know what to say except I really admire your independent attitude. You’re going to make a great role model and mother.”

“I’m going to do my very best.”

“Honestly, I’m very impressed with you. Can I ask one favor of you?”

“What?”

“Well, I’ve always wanted two children. Do you think we could try for a daughter while I’m here in town? Same terms, of course.”

Black Moment

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“With more free books becoming available than anyone could possibly read in a lifetime, a new rationale will be needed to get people to buy books. People will need a reason to have read the book beyond any enjoyment reading the book can provide.”
                                 Vince Mooney