Kristina Stanley

Farley’s Friday: Dog Toys Can’t Be Replaced?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here,

Did you know when you’re sailing the Exuma Islands there aren’t stores to buy dog toys?

Well, I found out the hard way.

I’m playing with my favourite toy, minding my own business having a good chew – and lots of squeaking by the toy, so I think it’s having fun too.

Farley Chewing Toy

Then, oh oh. The seam rips. All the stuffing comes out. I don’t know how that part happened. I seem to have blacked out. The toy is ruined.

I show Kristina and wag my tail to tell her it was an accident.

She smiles and says, ” Well that’s the last of the toys.”

“What? Last of the toys. Can’t you buy me a new one?” I bark.

She shakes her head sadly. “There are no stores here.”

I had the realization that we’re not in Canada anymore. The question is, should I chew Kristina’s flip flop instead?

Woof Woof

The Moon, The Tide, The Weather: Workout Schedule

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Keeping fit is a challenge, and sometimes nature dictates the schedule. While living in the islands, the moon, tide and weather all tell me when and how I can exercise.

On a full moon, with a high tide, the beach will be soft and make running, let’s say, unpleasant. The sand forces ankles and knees into odd angles.

With  no moon and high tide, the beach might be in better condition, so it’s worth a try.

No moon, low tide is the best time to run. The tide is out, the beach is wide and hard. Running barefoot is fantastic.

Beach running

If I can’t run, I like to swim laps.

Sunny days are best. I like to see what’s in the water around me and cloudy days make that difficult. I’ll admit I might be a little afraid of sharks. I figure if they can see me, they won’t be interested in me. If the water is dark or murky, a shark might mistake me for lunch. Wind and current also affect when I can swim. Too much of either, and it’s not longer fun.

Shark

If I can’t swim laps, I like to kayak.

Wind and current dictate when and where I can go. The height of the tide doesn’t really matter, and I don’t usually kayak at night (although I have and a full moon makes this fun), so the moon doesn’t often come into play.

Kayaking

If I can’t kayak, then I like to do beach yoga.

High tide makes the beach wet, so not a good time. Too much sun and it’s too hot. Clouds are good for this activity.

Beach Yoga

If I can’t do any of these, I sulk. Just kidding. I can always read, write, blog, walk the dog, or hang with friends. The only activity Farley, my soft-coated wheaten terrier, can’t do with me is swim laps. He does an awesome downward dog.

Happy New Year 🙂

Thanks for reading . . .

Character Development

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Anyone else out there spending the holidays thinking about their characters in a novel instead of real people? A hazard of being a writer, I’m afraid.

Introducing new characters, especially if you are writing a series can be a challenge.

Do you ask yourself:

  • What did the character do before the start of the novel?
  • How did they enter the protagonists life?
  • What motivates them?

I find even if I ask these questions it’s not enough for build a well-rounded character.

I use Scrivener to write, and I add a section for scenes that happen before the novel starts. When introducing a new character I ask myself, what was the character doing one month before the novel started, 6 months before and sometimes well back into their youth. Then I write a scene from this time frame. Something dramatic that happened in their lives that changed them usually works. This helps to fill out the character and know them before the story has even started.

You don’t have to do this before you begin writing, sometimes I do this after the first draft. Once I discovered a character fit the criteria of a sociopath. After writing the first draft, then writing scenes that happened prior to the opening,  the sociopath opened up some interesting story lines. These, of course, found their way into the second draft.

For me, it’s not enough to ask questions about my characters, I need to write about them to understand them.

What about you?

Thanks for reading . . .

 

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten Terrier and Kite Boarding

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Farley here.

My life is so exciting, and sometimes that excitement seems to happen on the trampoline of my Lagoon 380 Catamaran.

I hear the roar of a kite coming close and I bolt from a deep sleep on the floor of the port cabin to fully alert in seconds. I know that noise.

This usually means a large, bird-like thing is chasing on of my humans.

I reach the tramp, looking left and right for the danger. It’s hard to hear through all this wind. My stomach is churning, my heart is racing.

And then, I can’t help myself. A bark explodes from my throat.

“Go faster,” I bark at Bruce. He’s the guy in trouble.

He zooms by our bow.

Farley and Kiting

“Look out. It’s coming!” I bark.

The silly man waves as he rips by.

Then, in a sudden move, Bruce turns around. Unlucky for him the flying creature turned with him.

“It’s still there,” I bark, sure in the knowledge Bruce can hear me and will speed up.

They keep going unit they are  out of sight. There’s nothing for me to do but to go back to my napping.

You’ll be happy to know I saw Bruce at dinner later, and he’s fine. I guess he outran the monster.

Woof Woof.

Opening Your Story

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Do you read books on how to write?

The latest I read talked about opening a story and checking for four criteria.

Does your opening start with:

  • the protagonist,
  • conflict,
  • movement,
  • setting?

This is a lot for an opening, and I’ve been studying novels to check if authors do this.

The first point, the protagonist, doesn’t seems to happen consistently. There are books that start with the protagonist, the villain, a minor character, or a character that doesn’t appear in the rest of the novel at all. I like all of them. So I guess on this one, you have to decide for yourself if your protagonist is the best place to start. I do agree the protagonist should appear early in the story.

Conflict: This one seems more consistent. Sometimes the conflict is quiet or subtle. Sometimes it’s a full-out battle, but it’s there.

Movement: I find books with no movement boring. Even if the character is walking, it’s better than sitting still, or worse yet, if there’s no mention of what the character’s doing.

Setting: This might only be one word, one line, one paragraph or this could be more. To me the setting it important at the beginning. I like to know where the character is. Are they in a city, in the country, on a mountain or in outer space? This helps me figure out what kind of story I’m reading.

Do you follow any guidelines for opening your story?

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten and his BFFs

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Farley here,

Does BFF mean a dog can only have one? I need many BFFs. I guess “best” implies one, but I’m a dog, so I’m going to extend the meaning.

This is me boating with Smudge, the lab, Cali, the Jack Russell, oh and Kristina too. She’s not a dog, but we let her hang with us anyway.

Dogs on Boats

My point – any size dog can go boating. Large dog, small dog and medium-sized dog (me) all have a place aboard. And any size dog can join the BFF club.

Woof Woof

Mattina Hiding From Weather

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Do the skies look menacing?

Pipe Cay

Thinking we should stay put for a while. Sailing is all about freedom and doing what you want to do when you want to do it.

Well, as it turns out, the weather has something to say about that.

We anchored behind Pipe Cay and can see the weather coming. This would be the time to put out a second anchor and sit snuggly in the lee.

We have a Rochna on Mattina, which holds in any weather, but sometimes, it’s nice to add the security of a second anchor. We rarely do this. I think last year, we didn’t use two anchors at all. This is our first occasion for the 2013-2014 season, but a good night’s sleep is worth it.

Thanks for reading . . .

To Plot or Not To Plot

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

Do you plot your story before writing it or do you write and then plot?

I write first. Then I get serious and look at my plot after I have a first draft written.

There is lots of writing advice out there telling writers to have major events at 25%, 50% and 75%. These are major plot points where something happens to change the direction of the story or the character arc.

So I went through my novels to see if I’d done this and was surprised to find I was close. I ended up with plot points between 22% and 27%, 45% and 53% and again between 72% and 77%. I figure this is close enough. There must be something about reading many books that makes this structure appear naturally when writing.

I used the kindle to find look at the percentages. This was easier than counting words. Now in my scrivener, I add a per cent number at each chapter heading. One more way to see if my writing is on track.

So, how to you know if you’re plot is laid out properly? and does it matter?

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten and A Retriever

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Farley here,

Last week when I wrote about dolphins, you might have gotten the impression I’m afraid of large animals. Not true.

When I was a young pup, my BFF was Joe – a 120 pound golden retriever.

Our life together existed of …

Farley and Joe Playing

And more of …

Farley and Joe Playing 2

But then I had to share my bed with him. He didn’t quite fit, and he didn’t quite get that. You know how some small dogs think they’re big dogs. Well, Joe thinks he’s a small dog. Ha ha on him.

Farley and Joe Sleeping

I will admit, I liked to cuddle with him. That doesn’t mean I’m not a cool dude, though.

Woof Woof.

Sailing, Windsurfing and Kiting

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Sometimes during the fall it seems like all we do is work on Mattina to get her ready for the season. Although I love this part too, the fun bits come once we reach the Bahamas.

Kiting and windsurfing in an isolated anchorage with 20 knots of winds makes a pretty good day.

Windsurf Kite

Thanks for reading . . .