Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

writing tips

Can Excel Help Right Brain Fiction Writers Control Their Characters?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

My fiction characters are running amuck. Even with the best of intentions, I realized they were getting beyond me in the current book. Remembered a tool author Linda Needham told me about. She has a humongous whiteboard in her office and uses different colored sticky notes to represent the characters in each chapter. That way she can see who is where.

My whiteboard is on the small size, so not enough room. I decided to use an Excel spreadsheet instead. Now, I’m one of the those right brains who would rather dig slit trenches than use Excel, but I’ve learned détente. Actually, the thought of using different colors really won me over.

Fun with Excel, highlighters and crayons. One way to herd your fiction characters.
Fun with Excel, highlighters and crayons. One way to herd your fiction characters.

Gathered up my horde of highlighter pens and crayons and off I went. Put chapter numbers on the top and lines for character names and colors on the side. Then I proceeded to start from chapter one and work my way through the manuscript. Using 8 1/2″ x 14″ paper I can get about 27 chapters on a sheet.

Each character is assigned their own color. Also came up with the idea to draw a circle when a character is mentioned so I can fix or expand that on editing. Managed to get about 17 chapters dissected this past weekend. Found out I had more walk-on characters than I realized. Seems new people are always jumping into this book.

Not sure I’m getting a true handle on my characters, but it is helping me realize who is where and get reacquainted with all the folks running around on the pages. If this tool works for you, yeah. If not, no problem.

The coloring part is fun. I love the smell of crayons in the afternoon!

How Does The World Look With Purple Glasses?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Fuzzy. Picked up my two new pairs of glasses Friday, one trifocal and the bifocal pair for computer work. Finally figured I’d outsmart myself by getting the exact same frame, but different colors, so I wouldn’t have competing nose indent issues.

So. It seems this pair of trifocals takes a few days(?) to get used to. They told me not to use them to drive home. That didn’t bode well. My eyes always adjust pretty quickly to new lenses and even my first pair of trifocals many years ago. Well, it looks like that ease comes back to bite you eventually.

This is what purple and red glasses look like. Amazing I got this pic since I can't see without them!
This is what purple and red glasses look like. Amazing I got this pic since I can’t see without them!

Didn’t really think about the challenge of finally getting rid of nose pads means my glasses are not only new frames, they sit further out from my eyes. But these are also “new” progressive lenses since they discontinued the ones I had before. Sigh. Dratted upgrades.

As soon as the eye tech guy said they were the best “digital” lenses I knew I was screwed. Digital and I do not get along. So here it is three full days wearing new glasses and we are still getting used to each other.

Everything is going pretty well, but far distance is still an issue. That turned out to be rather entertaining trying to drive to the day job Monday morning. Good thing I know the route because the road signs are a bit fuzzy all of a sudden. Think I just need to give my eyeballs a chance to adjust, but I may have to take the right lens in for a re-check.

Which brings me back to the reason I got the new lenses, to reduce computer eyestrain. Since between the day job and writing at home, my peepers need good lenses and no strain, I get them checked every two years.

It’s amazing how a simple thing like trying to get new eyeglasses can make your entire world change. I seem to be setting my oatmeal bowl down pretty hard in the microwave these days and occasionally the floor moves without an earthquake.

When checking your writing equipment, don’t forget to be kind to your eyes. Get them checked to reduce muscle strain and help them help you in your writing career. Our writer eyes need the best equipment too!

 

Is The Writing Always Greener On The Other Writing Project?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

A funny thing happened last month, I started writing again. Not the non-fiction book stuck in the box in the corner, if you remember that project, but my fiction book. Then a weird thing happened.

I wrote the opening few pages of the sequel to the second fiction book in the series. Got it down on paper and out of my head, then went back to the first fiction book. Then another wacky thing occurred; I wrote the story climax of the first book out of sequence and then expanded on it.

Up close and personal with the apple crisp remains.
Up close and personal with the apple crisp remains.

Normally I write fiction straight through from beginning to end. I have a rough outline, plot points and my hero’s journey framework, then I write like a crazy woman. Not this time. I’m engrossed in getting the story climax correct, then will go back and fill in the gaping hole from past the halfway mark to the new writing. I know the ending, so I can then wrap the puppy up. Next I will have to hard edit the whole mess.

I wondered what it meant when the first pages of the second book arrived in my mind, then I figured it out; this first book is ready to be finished. When the next project calls like a siren from the sea, it can mean procrastination, avoidance of grunt work, or the first project is ready to be finished.

Do I have all the plot and action answers for the first book? Not in my conscious mind, but I’m pretty sure my subconscious is figuring it out. When I write, it will be there. This might be the place where I confess the first few pages of the third book in this series were written a couple of years ago.

That third book is going to be a challenge, so I was happy to turn that assignment back to my muse and let her chew on it for a while until I get to it. Speed is not the key in writing these books, staying true to the character’s stories and the series arc is the important focus.

Fiction is fun for me to write. This time it feels like my process is changing and I’m okay with this new adventure.

When I was deciding the Easter lunch menu for this past Sunday, I had a big debate about dessert. I settled on  making both apple crisp with maple nut ice cream and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Everyone decided to have a little of both.

Sometimes with both dessert and writing projects embracing variety is the true spice of life. We can get words down on paper so we don’t lose our new ideas and then go back to our first project. We don’t have to choose one or the other, but we do have to finish one. Then we get dessert!

 

Want To Be A Successful Indie Author?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

My brain has been on fire the past two weeks. I’ve been reading a new book, “Write. Publish, Repeat.” by Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant and with David Wright of the Self Publishing Podcast. The book is chockfull of great advice for career indie authors and I mean folks who want to publish lots of books. Many books.

(Truth in blogging: Book buy link in graphic below. I think I get about 5 cents per copy if you buy from this link, so there might be a McDonald’s Happy Meal in my future! Could not figure out the image size thing – sigh.)

These three writers are making a full-time living by producing like crazy and having a viable marketing plan on how they group their products. It’s like taking the book series concept and putting it on Red Bull – hard-charging. The majority of their work is fiction, which we know is an even bigger challenge as an indie publisher, so these guys have got game.

They also are very clear; building a publishing career takes time and hard work. Period. I purchased the ebook and it ended up being 900+ pages on my Nook with the larger font size I use. At 5.99, a bargain. In the back of the book they had several interviews with self-published indie authors. C.J. Lyons mentioned the book, “Start With Why,” by Simon Sinek in her profile, so I bought and downloaded that gem. Another great read, halfway through it.

Now the interesting part is some of the ideas in the Why book contradict a few things in the “Write. Publish. Repeat.” book. What does this mean? Nobody has all the answers and fairy dust may be the ultimate answer.

With both traditional and indie authors crossing the lines in both publishing directions, what remains is each writer/author makes the best choice for how they want to build a publishing career. Technology has put the publishing power back in the hands of authors. We get to decide what we want with the most flexibility since Benjamin Franklin self published.

And with “great power comes great responsibility,” like Spiderman was told. We need to be professionals and wear two hats, artist and CEO/CFO. Both books are helping me clarify my current vision from what I was thinking back in 2006 when I decided to self publish.

Back then I thought “Why should I pimp my writing out to someone else and pay them when I care the most about my work?” It’s the same reason I have a target retirement stock fund and not a stockbroker; I can churn my own money, thank you very much. If anybody is going to pimp/promote my work, it’s me. It’s a lot faster to publish too when you have a polished and pristine manuscript ready to go.

Check out the book and you don’t have buy it, but it’s a great read if you want a career as an indie author.

P.S. Book is NOT an April Fools Day thing. Really. It’s legit.

Can We Stop Change And Chaos?

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Nope. Change is constant and chaos is its walking buddy. If we don’t change or move we can become stagnant; not a good idea for people or water with mosquito larvae. Do we have to like change all the time? Nope.

Took a webinar this past weekend about using Google+ for authors; yet another social media platform. I only deal with the top four or five social media sites and I can’t keep up. Checked it out because being a lifelong learner I’m always seduced by the next new thing, but then it requires the same old thing – work.

Even hay gets changed to stuff duvet covers. Or are those giant marshmallows? Two semis of chocolate bars and graham crackers stat!
Even hay gets changed to stuff duvet covers. Or are those giant marshmallows? Two semis of chocolate bars and graham crackers stat!

Not sure if it’s summertime, age or the call of the wild, but I don’t want to work all the time these days. Playing seems a much better way to go. Writing and publishing can drive us nuts on a good day, so how do we cope with all the challenges? We go to our experts and pick their brains.

One of my favorite authors with a killer blog is Kristen Lamb; myself and 23,000 plus other folks think so. She lives to educate authors and has a wicked keen sense of humor, which I adore. I have all her books and have taken her online blogging class which saved my sanity and at least a ten pound weight gain.

Her post on Friday, June 14, was another fabulous one. Long story short, she has a new book coming out July 4, Rise of the Machines – Human Authors in a Digital World. The title alone makes we want to buy it, especially when my eyes glazed over during the Google+ webinar. Are we all beginning to feel like C3PO with a USB port with the escalating digital deluge? My kingdom for a quill and bottle of ink! (Not really, but it sounds good.)

How do we get through change and chaos if we can’t stop it? Teamwork! I’m so glad to have Kristen Lamb as one of my go to coaches for publishing and author intell(igence.) We all need buddies in life, for work and play, so take a look at her post and see what you think. The mind you save may be your own!

Read Kristen Lamb’s post here: http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/change-resistance-is-futile/

How Do We Grow Fiction?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Saturday I ventured out into the garden for the first time this year to weed, clean and organize. Going about my tasks it struck me this is a lot like what I do when it’s time to edit my fiction first drafts. As I plow through the pages there are things which are fine and then passages which must be weeded, transplanted and some put in the yard debris cart.

Wreath wire or fiction book structure?
Wreath wire or fiction book structure?

A rare gorgeous 77 degree sunny day, I made sure to work my two hours and then save time to read in the lawn swing. First I had to assemble the lawn swing, always fun. One final chore before book break time involved recycling my Christmas wreath from the front door. Don’t judge. Wanted to make sure it was dry, okay?

The process of unwinding the florist wire from the small Douglas Fir branches and the pine cones took longer than I expected. In fact, I had to come up with a plan to corral all the wire. Started making a ball and away the unwinding process went.

As time wore on, it became apparent to me we should hire the folks who assemble these wreaths to rebuild our national infrastructure. With this type of workmanship, our roads and bridges would be good for eons. Thought about quitting at one point, but blast it all I needed to finish it.

When the last bit of wire was off the frame and I’d put the big circle in the metal recycling bin, the ball of wire was the size of a grapefruit. Kind of pretty, too. Took it over to the back porch step to take a couple photos; I never know what I might use in my blog or for a project.

After the wire ball’s Vogue fashion shoot, the above photo is my favorite, complete with wood knot holes on the steps to add character. Wandering over to the herb garden, I discovered the Apple Mint was sending up new shoots so I wouldn’t need to buy one this year. Another good garden surprise, like the life cycle of a writer; even if you try to stop writing, you can’t and you start composing again.

While I sat swinging on the lawn swing enjoying a Kate Carlisle mystery, it dawned on me. Not only does the garden mimic creating fiction, but so did the ball of wire. We fiction writers think we know where we’re going when we start a novel, but on the journey our fiction ball of wire takes a shape all its own.

Fiction becomes a collaboration of our imagination, muse, life history and divine guidance. Whether writing fiction or tending a garden, editing, weeding and keeping at it are skills needed to excel at both trades. Feeling stuck with your fiction writing? Get thee to the garden!