Spelling words

So my first-grader now knows how to spell the words "bar," "sin," "drug" and--my favorite--"cigar."

Now there's nothing stopping Hannah from writing her memoirs of sinful nights spent in bars doing drugs and smoking cigars, except well, the experience.

Thank you, California public school system, you are too kind.

Notes from "Beginnings, Middles & Ends" (Kress)

The following are my personal notes from the book "Beginnings, Middles & Ends" by Nancy Kress, which is part of the Elements of Fiction Writing series.

+Promises to the reader (what they can expect from the story) are made in the beginning, developed in the middle, and fulfilled in the end.
+4 elements that make a scene compelling: Character, conflict, specificity and credibility.
+Effective beginnings make use of specific details.
+3 basic options for second scene: backfill, flashback, continuation of story time.
+Swimming pool theory: The stronger the story kicks off, the longer the reader can glide through backstory.
+Flashbacks need to be clear how long ago they occurred. Don't flashback to something not connected to your first scene if your second scene is a flashback.
+When continuing the story, keep conflict but change pace and intensity.
+Characters reveal who they are in 6 ways: Actions they initiate, reactions to others actions, dialogue, thoughts, gestures and body language, and appearance.
+5 narrative modes: Dialogue, description, action, thoughts, exposition.
+The middle of a story is like a bridge that connects us with the beginning and the end.
+4 things required to make character changes believable: 1) The reader must understand the character's initial personality and motivation - why she behaves that way. 2) The reader must see evidence that the character is capable of change. 3) The reader must see a dramatized patterns of events that would reasonably affect the character. 4) A plausible motivation must replace the old one.
+Climaxes must, 1) Satisfy the views of life implied in your story. 2) Deliver emotion. 3) Must deliver an appropriate level of emotion. 4) Be logical to your plot and story.
+Steps for rewrites: 1) Become the reader, 2) Trace the promise made to the reader throughout your story - is it developed and fulfilled? 3) Analyze each scene, 4) Do a major rewrite based on the flaws you have uncovered, 5) Check for image patterns (if any), 6) Polish the prose.

Spilled Perfume Featured on Trashionista!

Thanks so much to Keris for choosing Spilled Perfume as one of the NaNo projects to feature on the book review blog Trashionista.

Here's the link to the feature: Kate Madison's NaNo

NaNoWriMo

I am currently participating in National Novel Writing Month under username katemadison (my pen name).

Here's the hook/summary for my story:

Two sisters, both alike in vanity, in fair California where we lay our scene…

Paige Miller has always been the responsible one. But while reeling from a devastating break-up, Paige decides to let loose and experiment—a decision which ultimately results in a host of unsuitable suitors, far too much alcohol consumption, and the title “Ho of the Year.”

Marisa Miller is a flighty New Age lesbian who’s allergic to commitment. But when Marisa finds herself homeless, jobless and on the road to single motherhood, suddenly a little security doesn't sound so bad.

Spilled Perfume is a story of sex, sisters and killer scents.