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Character Names

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

#writetip Do you refer to your character the same way throughout your novel or short story? Does this change depending on who has the POV in a particular scene?

I’m wondering if this matters.

I have a character, let’s call him Mike Chambers.

When Mike has the POV or his girlfriend has the POV, I refer to him as Mike.

When a cop who is interviewing him has the POV, I refer to him as Chambers.

I think it’s more personal to use Mike in his POV scene or his girlfriends POV scene.

When it’s the cops POV, I think the cop should be more distant from Mike and I refer to him as Chambers.

The question is: is this okay or does it confuse the reader?

My solution to answering this question. I ask my readers what they think after they’ve read the scenes. If the reader is not confused as to who the character is, I think using first and last names allows me to indicate closeness of a relationship. If the reader is confused, maybe it’s better to use either the first or the last name, but not both.

When writing tips drive you crazy . . .

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

#writetip Don’t panic!

At first I wondered how I would remember everything I was learning about writing. I kept notes. I recorded tips in spreadsheets. It was overwhelming.

Now that I’m working on my third novel, I find it easier to retain tips.

I think, once an author has a substantial amount (you can insert what you think is substantial) under their proverbial writing belt, it becomes easier to relate a tip to the actual writing.

Ask yourself if you follow the tip?

Ask yourself is the tip relevant to your writing?

Ask yourself does the tip come from a trustworthy source?

But don’t drive yourself crazy. Just write as best you can.

Dog Games Underway

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments
One day, Farley will catch a ball...

What games does your dog like to play? #sailing Many of these can be played underway.

Farley, although he can’t catch a ball, loves to try.

By standing in one hull and tossing him the ball, I can entertain him without the worry that he might go overboard.

He can run from one side of the Lagoon 380 S2 to the other.

Wheaten’s are jumpers and agile. He has no problem diving down the stairs and roaring back up again.

He gets to stretch his legs and have fun at the same time.

Cruising Blogs

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 1 Comment
Sharon kiting with my windsurfing husband. Norman's Cay Bahamas.

There are many great cruising blogs out there. Our friends, Wayne and Sharon, are travelling on their boat, My Sharona. Their blog highlights the joys of cruising. Sharon is a talented photographer and her photos are definitely worth checking out. Enjoy!

Humour and Writing

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

#writetip What do you do when the advice is to add more humour to your writing?

Is Calli (Jack Russell) wearing diapers or did her harness slip?

In a tense novel, humour can give the reader the breather they need. Garry Ryan suggested I watch my dog and see what antics he gets up to. This is only useful for writing if you have a dog in your story.

It’s so true that dogs are funny. It might not feel funny when your dog is thirsty in the middle of the night, and to wake you he swats his steel bowl against the wall until you get up and then he greets you with a wagging tail like nothing is wrong.

It might not seem funny when your dog takes a banana right out of a strangers hand and eats it. Especially after you warned the stranger that your dog likes bananas. Well, it depends on the stranger, but it did happen to be funny.

And let’s face it, when your dog lets off a ripper at an inappropriate time, that’s pretty funny too.

So now, I’m collecting stories from my dog. Hopefully, I’ll find the right one to add to my novel. My dog’s name is Farley Mowat, so I think he should write part of my novel.

Italics for Thoughts?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

#writetip Garry Ryan, author of the Detective Lane Mysteries is kindly donating his time to be my mentor. This is part of the CWC mentorship program. We’re working through my third novel, Burnt, and in my humble opinion, the novel getting better.

One thing we’ve discussed is using italics for a characters thoughts. This is something I hadn’t done before. Garry’s advice is that it makes it easier for the reader to jump from narrative to thought.

I’ve been trying this technique, and I have to say it’s rather fun. It’s putting me more into the character’s head. I guess it reduces the distance between author and character, and then hopefully, between reader and character.

Now, we’ll see what kind of feedback I get on this new style (new for me, I mean).

What’s a Man to Do When…

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

His wife is busy writing? #sailing Ripping back and forth on his windsurfer works pretty well. Nothing like the exhilaration of a good jump to keep a man busy.

Cruising on our Lagoon 380 catamaran give’s Matt a great platform to find awesome windsurfing locations.

Farley Gets Sandy

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

#sailing Farley loves to play on the beach. What Wheaten Terrier wouldn’t?  He’s spent hours back on the boat sneezing. A little bit of sand up his nose must be really irritating.

He uses the tramp to roll around and get clean.

We love this because it keeps sand out of our main salon. By the time he’s done rolling, he’s fairly sand free.

Ordinary Life of a Writer

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 1 Comment

#writetip. Who wants to read about ordinary life? We all live one. It’s ours to live, but that doesn’t mean reading about it is anything but boring.

I’m trying to edit out the ordinary life stuff. You know, the lines where the character walks across the room, opens the door, and discovers who is there.

I think the readers get the “skip to the next scene scenario.” We see it all the time on television shows and in movies. Why not just have your character react to whomever is on the other side. We know if their reacting, they’ve walked across the room and opened the door.

Once I started looking for ordinary life, I was surprised to find how many times I used it. It’s an easy place to cut words if you need to.

Finding Time To Write

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

#writetip Every season I have the dream that I’ll have endless hours to write. We live on a sailboat. What could we possibly have to do to keep us busy?

When the wind changes direction, and we have to move the boat, it’s not like I have an option. I can’t say, “This is my time to write, close a door and settle in.” Sometimes I’m even mid-sentence when an issue comes up and I have to move quickly. So much for completing a thought before leaving my Mac.

What I’ve learned is to write in short bursts. I still get my writing time in, just not in long sessions. I’ve also learned that if it’s impossible to write, I read about writing and how I can improve. Short time frames are useful if you read one good writing tip and think about how you can use it on your novel.

Meanwhile, I’m living on a Lagoon 380 S2 in the Bahamas, so who will feel sorry for me?