Dog Training in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments
Attentive Dogs?

Who ever said a beach wasn’t a great place to train dogs? #sailing #dogs I certainly have their attention here. You’d think I was holding a piece of steak, but nope, it’s a ball. All three want to be the first to get to it after I throw it.

Farley (the Wheaten Terrier) will chase it and and then sit down beside it.

Jasper (the Spaniel) will pick up the ball, bring it back to me, and then not give it to me.

Calli (the Jack Russel) will run beside the other dogs barking at them.

I think I may need a new training program.

There must be a dog out there that would bring a ball back to me.

Narrative: It’s all in the details

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

Do you have too much detail? #writetip I received a very insightful comment on my second novel from an acquiring editor. Here’s what I got out of it.

When describing “something” in a novel, that “something” should be related to the story. For instance, it is the murder weapon? Then perhaps it deserves a lot of attention.

It is “something” used during the novel, but not key to the plot? Then perhaps a little less detail.

It is “something” not related to the story? Then perhaps remove it.

There is so much to remember when editing a novel. Maybe it’s time I started another spreadsheet.

Eye Colour and Your Characters

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

How many ways are there to describe eye colour? #writetip So My handy spreadsheet tells me I like brown eyes.  A character’s eye colour is important and there are only so many different colour of eyes out there.

Here’s what I discovered. Paint companies love to name their paints all kinds of fascinating things. Go to a paint store, pick up a whole bunch of cards  that show colours similar to eye colour, and bring them home. When you need to describe a new character here is your pool of colours.

Arrival in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments
Pure Happiness

Monday is usually a day I blog about writing #sailing But we’ve arrived in the Bahamas.

Farley represents how we feel.

We left the Florida coast at 4 AM and arrived in Lucaya, Grand Bahamas at 3:30 PM.

Crossing the Gulf Stream was a little rougher than we expected, but we had enough wind to motor sail. We would have preferred no motor, but were happy having the main and genoa up to boost us along.

The window to cross was short and closed up behind us. We are now waiting in Lucaya  at the Sunrise Resort and Marina for the wind to settle down and let us move further south. It’s a great place to get some writing done.

After this we island hop, so internet access could get a little sketchy.

Trick of Provisioning

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If you’ve never tasted a Florida orange or grapefruit freshly picked, you should. #sailing

The last items we provision for before we leave Florida and head for the Bahamas are oranges and grapefruit. We buy them fresh, and then here’s the trick if you want them to last..

Wrap each piece of fruit individually in foil. Then store them in a dark, dry spot on the boat. They’ll last up to 6 weeks.

When the fresh fruit and vegetables get thin on the boat, that last orange tastes amazing. After that, we know it’s time to head to civilization and find supplies.

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A Dog’s Business While Sailing

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments
Farley on his trampoline.

#sailing The most frequent question I get about Farley is: Where does he “go” when you are underway?

He’s not allowed out of the cockpit when we are underway. If he has to “go” he stares at me. That’s his way of letting me know.

I tether myself to the boat, Farley gets tethered  to me, and then we head to the trampoline on our catamaran.

He’s chosen one corner of the trampoline as his area.

Farley will “go” on command. His command is “pay pay”. When he’s done, we use the wash down pump that is on our deck to clean the area, then I lead him back to the cockpit.

My little hero will go in any kind of weather. Sometimes he gets sprayed by a wave while he’s going, but he’s never deterred.

Writing Under Way

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Sailing and writing together again. #writetip #sailing Off watch is the best time to write. I find when I’m on watch, there are too many distractions and I can’t focus on the words. Maybe I can do some editing ion watch, but not always.

A catamaran provides many spots to sit and write. If the seas are calm, lying on my trampoline always inspires ideas. This is where my digital recorder comes in handy.

If it’s too hot and sunny, I hide in our main salon. If the bimini is providing good shade, I’ll write while sitting in the cockpit. The one constant when I’m writing: Farley is always at my feet.

I guess the message is sailing and being underway is not an excuse to miss out on writing.

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Scenes and Sequels

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

How do you intermix them? #writetip I don’t think about scenes or sequels when I’m writing my first draft. But when it’s done, I sure do.

After a fast paced scene, sometimes the reader needs a break. This is a good time for a sequel. You can get into your characters heads, share a little about them, and give the reader time to catch their breath.

Too many scenes and the reader loses touch with the character.

Too many sequels and the reader gets bored.

Somewhere in there is a balance, and I guess that’s where the artistic talent comes in.

Today is a big day for us. We are staging to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. It feels like a scene/sequel scenario. We’ve spent the last month in a fast paced life, getting ready to go. Now we get to hoist the sails and do some sailing. The sequel.

Cats and Dogs

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 1 Comment
Farley believes all cats should adore him.

Should all characters get along? #writetip. Definitely not. But why not spice up a scene by forcing two characters who don’t get along into a situation where they must.

Put their lives in danger. Make them rely on each other. But the whole time, they really can’t stand each other.

Then give a character a life altering decision. Character A must risk their lives to save Character B. Do they do it? Or do they leave the person to die. This will say volumes about your character, and maybe scare your reader at the same time.

Farley playing with the cat made me think about odd pairings and how sometimes life surprises you, but also how fiction should surprise you.