Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

writing tips

Can Watching Movies Make Us Better Writers?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Over the holidays I spent a lot of time watching Hallmark Christmas movies while getting over a series of colds. After about 3,000 of those little gems, it was time for a change. Seems I’ve put myself on a tv diet. What we put in our head affects how our writer brains work and my imagination was sick and tired of bad news and grim times, including my favorite tv cop shows.

What to do? Movie-therapy!

http://youtu.be/P1coDNUdV74

We all have our favorite movies, but I have a special group I call Kim’s Classics. These are movies I pull out like old friends to come visit; I know we’re going to have a great time. The trailer for “The Hallelujah Trail” above is one of my go to movie picks. It’s got comedy, romance, military strategy, Brian Keith, drinking, miners and Irish teamsters, just to name a few things.

When I first read Syd Field’s “The Screenwriter’s Workbook,” he made the three act screenplay structure so clear and understandable. When I discovered how Chris Vogler took the twelve steps of the Hero’s Journey and put it together with the three act screenplay structure in “The Writer’s Journey; Mythic Structure For Storytellers and Screenwriters,” First Edition, page 18 – I felt I’d discovered the Ark of the Covenant! “Raiders of the Lost Ark” – gang. (Vogler is up to the Third Edition now, I own all of them.)

Using Syd and Chris’s combined structure outline is how I plot my fiction books. It makes plotting very simple for me. I’m one of those “give me the framework pantsers” and let me run with it type of writers, but only after years of writing too freely in all directions and then having to do major rewrites. Not a big fan of major rewrites – my inner journalist gets quite testy. This way I get the turning points and the Hero’s Journey events outlined and then I know where I start, end and avoid the mush in the middle.

The screenwriting classes I took helped me write better dialogue and even more with book structure. Now when I watch movies I look for the turning points and how the Hero’s Journey propels the movie along. See, learning by watching movies can be fun and educational. If you’re having issues with structure, I recommend reading those two books and maybe tattooing parts of them on your body; they’re that good.

Not every writing tool works for every writer, we have to find what works for us by “Trial and Error,” another Kim Classic movie. So dust off those DVDs and VHS tapes and study! Make a batch of popcorn and fire up the remote. What are your favorite classic movies?

When Have Women Not Been In Combat?

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by Kimberly A. Cook          (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

About damn time. The final lifting of restrictions on women in combat last week is about 237 years late. Women have fought and died for America since before it was a country. Women even dressed up as men to serve in the Revolutionary War. Better late than never, I guess.

Me and my M16 in the waiting area before heading out to the rifle range at Fort McClellan, Alabama, Fall 1975. (For safety, no ammo until we got to the firing range)
Me and my M16 in the waiting area before heading out to the rifle range at Fort McClellan, Alabama, Fall 1975. (For safety, no ammo until we got to the firing range)

The combat exclusion has always been a discrimination and generational issue to me. We have made strides since I entered the Army in 1975 as part of the new “all volunteer force” after Vietnam. The Army NEEDED women to fill out its ranks. Now, 38 years after I received “voluntary” M16 rifle training, military women will be able to achieve rank and advance alongside their warrior brothers without the handcuffs of unequal opportunity holding them back from combat duty.

These exclusions were never about women being capable to handle the jobs; it’s been about sexist male top brass and America being able to handle women coming home in body bags. Women have two choices when it comes to war, we can be warriors or victims.

One of my World War II veteran students asked me what I thought about women in combat many years ago. He thought women were “too pretty” to get shot.

“You have to look at it from my perspective,” I told him. “Who said it was okay to shoot our men? Bummer of a birthright. Besides, I am no less a citizen of this country because I have different plumbing.”

Is military service for everyone? No, less than one percent of our USA population serves in the military. So if a woman or man can pass the tests for a job, they should be allowed to do the job. When I served with the Fourth Infantry Division, we had Army cowgirls who could breakdown five-ton truck tires with a sledge-hammer and men in the same outfit who couldn’t pick up the sledge. Test for the job and not the person’s plumbing and it will all work out.

Combat should always be a last resort for our nation, but there are times when the bullies of this world will not back down and action must be taken. When that happens, all our citizens are needed to share the burden of national security.

While we welcome home all our returning veterans and take on the large job of veteran reintegration after two long wars, we need to listen and help them heal with love and understanding. We must let all our veterans, Reserve, Guard and active duty know that they and their stories are important. It’s the least we can do as we benefit from their sacrifices.

I especially encourage my fellow women warriors to write their stories because so often our female history is lost. I salute my warrior sisters past, present and future. Hoo-ah!

So You Want To Know How To Get Published?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

It might be easier to explain how to build an Ark. From scratch. But since a friend asked for a writer friend, let me give this a shot. A long time ago in a galaxy far away before the Internet, traditional publishing lived in New York City and writers tried to get agents who then submitted their work to publishing companies who decided who would get published.

Then along came the Internet in the mid-1980s and web pages and writers were called content providers. (Always hated that title.) A new product called ebooks came into being in the early 2000s and soon a group of rebels (authors and writers) realized they could overcome the Death Star of New York publishing houses and authorpreneurs/publishers were born in the great Indie publishing skirmishes which continue today.

Are you a cookie, cupcake or pie writer?
Are you a cookie, cupcake or pie writer?

So one decision you need to make about getting published is whether you want to be with the traditionals or join the rebels. But wait! Before you make that decision first you need to figure out what kind of author or writer you want to be for the long haul. This is crucial. I wrote a blog post about this very topic in November 2011, so please read it here.     https://kimberlyacook.com/2011/11/01/which-dessert-would-you-choose/

To summarize the post, decide if you are a one book cookie, a two book cupcake or a career pie. Before you publish any book, please decide if this is a career, a hobby or a one time event. It makes a big difference on how you spend your time and book money.

If you want to go the traditional route, research is in order. Check out www.writersdigest.com and check the listings for agents and publishing houses and the genres they accept in the annual Writers Market, both online and in hard copy. If you want to publish a gift book or children’s book, research those markets. There is a real difference between wearing your writer/art cap and your business/marketing helmet. We have to be able to do both jobs when it comes to the world of publishing.

If you decide to go Print On Demand, self publishing or ebook only, read the blogs I list under Writizing Biz for some great advice and folks to follow. There are pirates and scallywags out there who will take a ton of your money and not deliver the finished product you hoped for, so be diligent in your research and ask advice from others. To thine own book and career path be true.

Don’t be a writer unicorn who gets left off the ark by playing silly games. Strap on your business gear and get ready to enter the publishing wars; power to writers and readers!

Ducks And Eagles Oh My!

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by Kimberly A. Cook          (Twitter@ WarriorTakes)

Quirky Friday post is late today because I’ve been a bit bummed about Chip Kelly leaving our U of O Ducks and heading East to coach the Philadelphia Eagles. (By the way, when you live in Oregon, anything past Montana is back East to us.) But now I’m over it.

Since we don’t have an NFL team in Oregon, I’ve decided to adopt the Eagles. When I started watching football back in the stone age, the Vikings were my team, then the Jets with Namath and then I settled with the Raiders and Snake Stabler. Still a Raiders fan, but I can adopt Philly too.

Felt better after I watched Chip’s press conference yesterday, so thought I would share. Think there are a lot of good points from his football philosophy that translate to writing. Plus, he’s fun to watch when he messes with the media. So if you’ve got some time, check Chip out. I’m looking forward to the NFL Fall! Happy Quirky Friday!

http://youtu.be/5S7CjK8jaoM

How Can We Organize Ourselves And Our Writing For 2013?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Today we say hello to 2013 and start with clean calendars to plan our writing goals. My friend Carol and I say every year,  “This year we’re going to get organized!” We’ve been saying and doing that for more than 25 years and we’re still not done. It’s a process.

Spec Ops Cat does his part to get the office paperwork ready for 2013.
Spec Ops Cat does his part to get the office paperwork ready for 2013.

This past holiday season I took some time to think outside the box and the basket. (See Spec Ops Cat at left) With four manuscripts in various stages from final editing to first draft, I wanted to figure out a way to combine my business needs with my writing time.

It dawned on me I can finish all four manuscripts first and THEN publish them when I choose. Just because I finish a book doesn’t mean I have to rush it out the door to publication. Getting the four books completed first will also help me to budget my finances this year. Duh!

We get so used to striving and straining in a certain direction, we forget to consider if we’re on the right road in the first place; or the correct writing project or the right location. Downtime and thinking time are required parts of being a writer. I’ve set some simple but big goals this year and I’m looking forward to hitting them. It’s also reducing my stress level.

Two of my goals are to spend more time on my photography and having fun. I’ve started having fun by adding this “Authors Are My Rock Stars” calendar to my office. Yeah! http://www.amazon.com/2013-Authors-Rock-Stars-calendar/dp/1402270992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357006123&sr=8-1&keywords=authors+are+my+rock+stars (And maybe in 2013 I’ll figure out how to shorten and rename these links on WordPress!)

To refill my photography cup, I decided to get a subscription to “Outdoor Photographer” this year. Stumbled upon photographer Ian Plant’s blog and his fabulous top twelve photos of 2012. These are gorgeous. http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/blog/ian-plant/2012/12/twelve-significant-photographs-a-year-2012.html

Make a small change and explore a new area of interest or one you’ve neglected for years. A new calendar or even one magazine can send you off on a new journey in 2013. Maybe being a little more unorganized is what we need to do this year and let our muses wander. Who knows what fun we can have by taking a mosey into the new year instead of trying to speed through life.

Happy New Year everybody! Keep writing!