You are reading: Vol 2 Issue 3: November 2003
In this issue:
Upcoming Books
Contest and Free Bookmarks
General News
Carolyn's Projects
Questions and Answers
Tips for Writers
End Notes
The Spare, Leisure Books. In book stores February 2004.Read Chapter 1
Captain Sebastian Alexander inherits the family title and a haunted estate. In the course of investigating his brother's murder, he falls for his primary suspect; copper-haired Olivia Willow.
Boy, this newsletter was supposed to go out a long time ago, but school started, and I'm taking a core research class that has sucked up all my available time. On the other hand, I chose a project directly relevant to writing historical romance and I have found some really neat stuff. I've already started posting some of the primary historical materials on my website.
I should have some really great bookmarks soon. So, if you want one, send me an email with your name and mailing address.
When my author's copies arrive, I'll be giving away three copies of The Spare. One lucky winner will also get a copy of Nonnie St. George's hilarious Traditional Regency The Ideal Bride. I'm working now to get the copy signed. Enter Now! The contest closes January 31, 2004.
The List is coming along. I have about 35,000 words at the moment. I'm still in the honeymoon phase, as it were, but so far it's turning into a very steamy story.
How do you decide what to name your characters?
Sometimes, not very often, a name just pops into my head. But most often I make lists, really long lists of combinations. For example, with The List, the hero (at the moment) is Welsh, and so I wanted a Welsh name and title for him. I searched the internet for sites about the Welsh language and names and then I started putting together combinations of names. The thing about names is they operate at several levels, most particularly, the way it sounds in the reader's head, and the way it looks on the page. I like to have names that lend themselves to distinctive nicknames, too. And, of course, names need to be and sound appropriate to the historical period. For a Regency-set novel, Tiffany probably isn't a great choice because, even if it were used in the period, it sounds modern. Lastly, it's important that characters be named distinctly, by which I do not mean unusual, but distinct from other characters. I keep a separate "Cast of Characters" document that lists all the names I'm using. I try hard not to have names starting with the same letter(s) as other characters. An exception might be names that start with the same letter but sound completely different. James and Jose, for example.
Ask Carolyn a question. She promises a personal reply. Suggestions about what you'd like to see in the newsletter would be greatly appreciated.
On Advice About Writing
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the many, many articles I've read that give great advice about writing. Many of the articles have given me an interesting slant on a knotty writing issue, but not one (so far) has sent my back to my MS able to fix the parts that suck.
I devour articles about how to improve my writing because I live in fear that there is some simple trick -- one that I don't know -- that will make it all easy. Often, I'm in awe of the lovely and succinct way in which the advice is phrased. I know the author is right, but I can't feel it for myself. Why is that?
The answer isn't going to make you happy. It doesn't make me very happy because I was really hoping for something easy. There's no doubt that authors give great advice, but it's not enough to listen to it and take notes on it. You have to invest time of your own acquiring the knowledge yourself. If an author says, "Show don't tell" you can repeat that to yourself for hours and hours to absolutely no effect. But, if you sit down with your own writing and make yourself understand why showing is better than telling, eventually, you'll get it and you'll be able to do it, too. It's hard work. It's often painful. But if you listen to advice and then set yourself to studying it and acquiring that knowledge for yourself, the rewards are huge.
Does that mean you shouldn't bother with advice? To that I reply with a resounding No. Advice can give you a head start, it can provide a fresh view. Just don't expect that all you need to do is follow the advice. How's that for advice?
Visit Carolyn's Workshop for more tips on writing.
Last Romance novel read: Slightly Married by Mary Balogh
Last non-romance Novel read: Holes by someone
School reading: That's a whole other newsletter! Gobs of primary source material.
Carolyn Jewel
P.O. Box 750431
Petaluma CA 94975-0431
Last Updated: 11.24.2003