Author: Kristina Stanley

Nicknames for Characters

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 12 Comments

It is okay to refer to a character using more than one name?

In life, we’re often referred to by a nick name, a family name or a full name depending on who is talking to us.

I call my niece, MoMo. She calls me TiTi. She’s the only person who does that.

At work or formal situations, I go by Kristina.

My family and close friends call me Tina.

But no one calls me Kris. It’s not a short form of my name I like. If a person uses it, my brain doesn’t even register I’m being addressed.

But in a novel, is all this fair game?

I think it depends on the writing.

In the last case, a character could refer to another by a name they don’t like. This would tell you something about the character. Maybe he is socially inept. Maybe he is trying to be irritating.

Short forms make characters close to each other. There is an intimating between them that wouldn’t be there without the endearing name.

A character insisting that others use her full name could be giving a message. Maybe she doesn’t like the person she’s talking to so insists that person be formal and kept at a distance. Or maybe she is  trying to appear professional.

My only caution is the nickname must be clear. The reader needs to know who is speaking or being spoken too. If too many forms are used too often, the reader may become confused or annoyed and stop reading.

And none of us want that.

Do you have any tips on using more than one name for a character and is it worth the risk?

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: Can Dogs go Tubing?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley Here,

I’m the kind of dog who likes to be included in every activity.

It’s summer. We’re in Canada at the Lake. There’s a boat. There’s a tube. There’s flat water.

I know what’s coming.

“Can I go? Can I go? Can I go?” I bark.

Kristina rolls her eyes at me. Yes, she actually rolls her eyes. I take that to mean my question is so silly it doesn’t warrant an answer.

But I’m too smart for her, and I jump before she can get me.

Farley Tubing

One of my humans, Oliver, doesn’t seem to mind sharing the tube with me, but here comes Kristina.

I’m thinking, boo hoo, it’s back to the dock for me, but she surprises me and lets me come in the boat for the adventure.

At least I get to howl at the kids with they fly behind the boat.

Humans are silly and they do silly things.

Woof Woof.

 

Top Ten Reasons to Blog . . .

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

If you are an Author, published or unpublished, here are 10 reasons to create a blog and stick with it.

  1. Build an audience for when you’re ready to sell your novel (or continue to sell an already published one).
  2. Practice writing.
  3. Practice proofreading.
  4. Develop your voice.
  5. Learn about social media.
  6. Share your knowledge with others.
  7. Connect with others world wide who have similar interests to you.
  8. Promote the work of authors whose work you admire.
  9. Get motivated to write: any kind of positive feedback encourages me to keep trying.
  10. Prove to a publisher that you can build and maintain a platform.

Why to you blog?

What motivates you to comment on other blogs?

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: How to Stop a Dog From Begging

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here.

My humans trained me not to beg by never feeding from the table. This means at all meals and even happy hour if you can believe it.

There are advantages for me and not just my humans:

  1. I get to attend happy hours with my owners.
  2. I get to sleep under the dinning room table while they eat – as long as I don’t even look at them.
  3. They save me yummy tidbits to have in my bowl later.
  4. I’m very svelte – and you know I’m very sensitive about my looks.
  5. l never (okay rarely) get tummy aches.

So what I don’t get it why this guy no only got to eat at happy hour, he got to eat right out of the nut bowl.

Squrrel 2008 08 31

Was he scolded? Did they make him sit in the corner?

No. The humans thought he was cute and let him return time after time to fill his cheeks and take the nuts away.

Could someone explain this to me?

Woof Woof.

Top 5 Reasons to Write with Pen and Paper

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Summer is here, and I love to be outside. Even, or maybe especially, when I’m writing. I don’t want to take the beautiful days for granted. Now some of my friends laugh when I say that because I spend winters in the Bahamas, but I grew up as a Canadian conditioned that summer days are precious and not to be wasted. Do we ever forget lessons drilled into us when we were children?

The computer is usually my place of writing. The words may work their way onto a piece of paper, but somehow the scene doesn’t seem written until I type it in. Maybe that’s weird, but hey, everyone should be allowed a little weirdness now and then.

Top 5 reasons to write with paper and pen:

  1. Practice spelling – no cheating with spell checker.
  2. Create scene descriptions through doodling and drawing.
  3. Make notes in side margins when an idea strikes.
  4. Don’t get interrupted by social media – no announcements of email, FB messages, etc to distract you.
  5. Burn paper if writing is really terrible – this is particularly satisfying.

Does your imagination get sparked by using a new medium?

Thanks for reading . . .

How to Get a Free Manuscript Critique

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 9 Comments

The value of blogging hits home. I’ve been following Joan Edwards for a while now and here’s what happened.

Joan posted an offer of a free manuscript review just for commenting on her blog. So I commented and I won.

I sent the first 1000 pages (oops – I meant words)  of my novel Avalanche to Joan. Joan assured me complete privacy and got straight to work.

What Joan did:

  • She sent me a covering letter describing her overall strategy and what her highlighting meant .
  • She gave me high level comments before reviewing each line in detail.
  • The critique included story line, grammar and punctuation comments.

It’s exciting to receive professional feedback that will help me improve the quality of my story. She included areas for improvement and highlighted sentences she thought were good. Now I have to get to work and make this better. It’s amazing what a second pair of eyes can do for a manuscript. I wish I could have Joan review my entire manuscript. Thanks Joan. You are a star!

If I didn’t blog, I never would have had this opportunity. This comes right back to Authors Helping Authors.

Thanks for reading . . .

Grammar: How to Learn What You Don’t Know

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

This is what I did.

In 2008 I attended the Humber School For Writers correspondent course. Joan Barfoot was my mentor.

The course is designed so a professional writer works with the student on a manuscript.

I thought I knew all about punctuation and grammar until Joan pointed out I didn’t know how to use a comma.

In my mind, I was using the pesky little mark correctly. But how would I know unless someone else pointed it out to me?

My point. You need someone your trust, who knows grammar and punctuation, to give you an honest review of your talent.

Then . . .

STUDY STUDY STUDY

Perfection doesn’t come for free.

Do you have any tips for figuring out what you don’t know?

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: Dog Allergies

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Farley Here,

Woof Woof

I’m still at the lake, but guess what? I have a visitor. Hailey is a Doodle who’s the same age as me but way more into mischief. She’s spending the weekend and thinks she owns the place. Look what she’s doing  to me.

Hailey and Farley

Now I don’t’ mind this rough play, but all the humans get excited when we play indoors. We keep getting in trouble and sent outside.

Hailey may be the trouble maker, but I’m the smarter one. When Kristina puts out my food, I eat it before Hailey has a chance to get near it.

Hailey likes to munch all day and leaves her bowl full of food – right on the ground – right in front of me. So I grab every opportunity and eat her food. She doesn’t care. She knows her humans will put out more.

Kristina scolds me for eating Hailey’s food.

“What?” I bark and look all innocent.

“You know you have allergies.”

“Allergies Schmallergies,” I bark. “This food is tasty.”

I do behave and leave the food dish. But ah ha! I found Hailey’s food bad. And when no one is looking . . .

Farley Eating

And then I remember. I’m allergic to wheat. My feet itch. My ears itch. And now I’m not so happy about eating Hailey’s food.

Kristina gives me a benadryl, and I start to feel better. Then I need ear drops. Gooey stuff dribbling in my ear canal is not a feeling I cherish, but I put up with it.

Why can’t I remember to only eat my dog food?

Do you have allergies? and what do you take for them?

Woof Woof

Authors helping Authors

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Are you interested in helping authors get the word out about their books?

I am. If I read a book I like  or see a notice from an author I like about their new book I try to help.

I put the word out on the following social media sites.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Smashwords
  • Goodreads
  • Pinterest

Why do I do this? I love to read. I love to promote reading. And this is an easy way to encourage others to read and help an author at the same time.

Are there other ways you help promote authors?

Thanks for reading . . .

Can You Proofread to Perfection?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 13 Comments

And should you try?

If you’re  submitting your manuscript to your agent, publisher, editor, or beta readers, absolutely. If you’re interested in the process  I use for this, click here.

But what if you’re proofreading your blog before posting?

Maybe you could give yourself a break. I think the occasional typo is okay. Usually a kind reader will point out an error, sometimes even via a private email. The beauty of the blog versus a novel: it’s easy to update after publication.

I usually thank the person who pointed out my error, update the blog immediately, and move on.

Four steps to get close to perfection:

  1. Read once before posting draft.
  2. Read a preview version. Somehow seeing the blog in the format it will be posted helps me see it differently, and I usually pick up a typo or two.
  3. Read the blog out loud or have the computer read it to me. Then I can hear the error if my eye refused to see it.
  4. If I have the time, I let some time pass and read the blog again before I hit the publish button.

Just remember, we all makes mistakes and a typo isn’t one to lose sleep over.

Do you have any tricks for quickly eliminating typos?

Thanks for reading . . .