May I Have This Dance?

 

As her muscles stretched and relaxed, her body rose in leaps and pirouettes. She relished in the feel of her arms reaching as far as possible and her legs giving her wings. Dancing like this was what Calyssa lived for. It was when her soul spoke what words could never say.

This was written by someone whose feet have never met a pair of ballet slippers.  It was written by me.

My newest release, ‘The Romance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,’ is about a professional ballerina and is set against the backdrop of the classic ballet, ‘The Nutcracker.’  Readers have commented about how the book captures ballet and the heroine’s love for it.  The reality is, I’m not a dancer, I’ve never been a dancer, and, with three sons, I’m not likely to be gaining any ballet knowledge any time soon.

What I Don’t know

I’ve never had a single dance lesson, ballet or otherwise in my life.  I’ve never even had a pair of ballet slippers to try on just for fun.  I grew up in a small town where there didn’t seem to be a lot of opportunities for dance of any kind.  By the time I was out of childhood, I was so painfully shy and self-conscious, that I was the girl sitting on the sidelines watching other people dance and wishing I had the courage and skill to do it myself.

But I’ve always wondered…and imagined…what it would be like.

Up until a few years ago, I’d never watched a full ballet.  I’d seen a few minutes of ‘The Nutcracker’ on TV a few times during the Christmas season.  But I wasn’t familiar with it.  In all honesty, it struck me as boring and I never had the patience to sit through it. 

Then I had a wonderful opportunity and went with my mom to see ‘The Nutcracker’ in a live performance.  It was beautiful, breath-taking, and more captivating than I could have ever imagined. 

When a friend approached me about writing a book based around a classic Christmas play, I didn’t have to think.  I wanted to portray ‘The Nutcracker.’ 

There were a couple of challenges to this book, however.  One, the storyline of ‘The Nutcracker,’ is not a strong one from a written perspective.  The climax is in the wrong place, and the events following are, to me, flat and boring.  You don’t watch the ‘Nutcracker’ because it’s a riveting story. 

The second challenge:  I knew nothing about ballet.

What I Do Know

I have a good imagination.  With a little thought, I came up with a great story, and with research, I filled in details from the world of ballet. But I wanted more than facts and a good plot.  I wanted the reader to be able to connect with Calyssa and her love of ballet.

I’ve always wanted to dance.  I can close my eyes and imagine what it feels like.  My arms and legs tingle, my breath catches, as I feel the freedom of movement, of flying across the floor.  I am that dancer, twirling in an expression of love for an art I will never know.

In reality, I don’t know how to dance.  But I do know what it feels like to immerse yourself in something you love.   I’m familiar with the sense of release and the thrill of fulfillment that comes when you’ve poured out your talents and gifts the Lord has blessed you with.  That’s the love and joy I gave this character—my own.

My toes will never slip into a pair of ballet shoes, stand on point, and glide gracefully across a stage.  But when you read one of my books, you can see me dance.

Trash or Treasure

Once upon a time, there was an author who found an old manuscript in her attic that she had written years ago.  She published it.  Lo and behold, it became an instant bestseller.

Yeah, that’s not me.

I’ve always loved to write, and years ago, I put together a binder of a variety of essays, poems, and short stories.  Then after a few moves, I lost track of it.  I somehow got it in my head that this missing binder held treasures that, with a little polish, might be publishable.  My sweet husband braved our attic and returned with the holy grail.  I excitedly opened up the binder and started reading only to discover very quickly that it was not as I expected.  There were no forgotten literary treasures.  In fact, it all stunk!

Had I ever been that bad of a writer?  Apparently, yes!  It honestly threw me off a bit because remembered writing some of those stories, but I had thought they were good!  My only consolation was that at least I can recognize it as bad.  I can easily identify the problems and know exactly how to avoid such mistakes again.

So now I’m faced with the question, what am I to do with all this bad writing that I don’t even want to claim.  While the easiest answer would be to burn it, I can’t do that.  Besides it being bad for the environment J , I am too sentimental to destroy all of what essentially traces my history as a writer.  As I see it, I have a few options.  In my mind, old writing can fall into a few categories:

Trash

Yes, regardless of sentiment, some of it should probably be burned or sent to the can of no return.  Especially when you’re young, you have a tendency to write things you don’t really mean.  I would feel pretty bad if some of my old teenaged journals were read by someone who didn’t understand that.  However, if I ever come across some of those, I don’t know if I’ll have the courage to throw them away.  There is almost something sacred to me about writing and the effort behind it.  But, I will definitely put a Mr. Yuck sticker on them with a disclaimer that says this is trash-worthy material.

Mementos:

Most of the writing in my special binder probably belongs in a box of mementos.  Nobody but me would see any value or have any attachment to it, but I probably can’t bear to part with it.  It’s not usable in the form it is, and the idea behind it isn’t worth the effort it would take to revise to make it successful.  I am a big believer that you can take just about any idea and make it into a fantastic, believable story as long as it is well-written.  But I have no shortage of good ideas, and it would be easier for me to start completely over rather than try to salvage something that belongs as a snapshot of the past.

Wrapping Paper

There is only one story in my binder that I would consider ‘wrapping paper.’  The idea is good; the execution is not.  If I took the idea, started completely over, and didn’t use any of the phrases from the original, I might be able to salvage it into a good story or novel.  My old idea would be the wrapping paper for the new one.  However, like I mentioned earlier, I have no shortage of stories and books in my ‘to-be-written pile,’ so while this old story may find a home in that pile as well, I’m not completely sure I’ll ever write it.

Treasure

It would have been nice to find some treasure in my old binder.  It would have probably energized me and renewed my faith in my own abilities, but there was none there.  A treasure would have been finding a piece of writing that, with a minimal amount of polish, could be considered publishable material.  Perhaps someday I will find a literary treasure. (I have plenty of other notebooks lying around completely full of ideas.)  But, honestly, I rather doubt it. 

Writing is apparently a continuum.  What I wrote ten years ago would not be what I would write today.  In fact, what I wrote yesterday would probably not be what I would write today either.  Style, ability, technique, taste—everything changes.  I’m not the same person I was then, so why should I expect my writing to be the same?  I know that some authors may discover their treasures from long-ago artifacts.  While most of my old writing may be best fit for the trash can, my newer writing is not.  I guess all my treasures are to be sparkly new, and I’m okay with that.

In a Faraway Place

‘Write what you know’ – It’s the rule of thumb writers are supposed to live by.  And I do – to some extent.  In everything I’ve written, there is an element of truth that has been the launching point to let my imagination fly.  In BAGGAGE CLAIM, the main character was initially patterned after my sister.  And of course, I have the uncanny knack of losing my luggage when travelling.  In ‘YESTERDAY,’ many of Hannah’s quirks are my own, such as her irrational fear of having other people drive.  And of course, in my newest book, THE RANDOM ACTS OF CUPID, the story idea itself is based on one of my own embarrassing experiences from high school.  Don’t worry, I confess the whole thing in the Author’s Note at the end. J

But the fact of the matter is, I’m rather boring.  And I don’t necessarily ‘know’ as much as I’d like.  If I only stuck with the familiar, it would be a very short, very dull volume. 

Enter my imagination. 

With it I can write about places and things I have no experience with.  The challenging (and fun) part is to take the wild adventures of my imagination and make them real enough so readers can take the journey with me.

So I try for a nice blend by basing my imagination in reality.  The background of my writing technique probably stems, at least in part, from my love of well-written historical fiction.  I love when the fiction of a story is interwoven seamlessly with actual history, and I’ve learned so much through many ‘fiction’ books.  Remember the move, ‘Titanic?’  I can’t say I was crazy about some parts of the movie, but I really liked the way the fictional characters interacted with real-life events and people.  Bottom line:  sometimes reality is so much better than anything an imagination can dream up. J

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fantasy story, complete with an imagined world, but thus far, I have chosen to write realistic fiction. (Disclaimer:  this in no way means I will always stick to reality. J)  The writing method I have used for my current books is to choose one of my many story plot ideas and fill in the details with obsessive research and a hefty dose of make-believe.

One of the most fun elements to toy with is the setting of a book.  All of the books I’ve written are set in actual places.  Why?  Because I like to travel, and though I haven’t actually travelled a lot (yet), someday I’d like to go visit the places I’ve written about.  Sure, that may sound a little backwards, but it works.  So to give some examples of how I like to mix truth and fiction, I thought we would take the Amanda Tru setting tour.  For the next few blog posts, I will be explaining the truth and fiction behind the settings of my books. 

The first destination on my wannabe travel itinerary is the one from my most recent book, THE RANDOM ACTS OF CUPID. 

Seattle

For this story, I had some very specific requirements for the setting.  First of all,I wanted a romantic city.  Seattle was automatically a front-runner if only because of the movie ‘Sleepless in Seattle.’  Fortunately, Seattle is also the home of the University of Washington, which has a large on-campus library, perfect for the main character, Elise.  Better yet, U of W also has a law program which offers a doctorate degree, which met the necessary requirements for Ryan.  

Then I began research how to weave the story’s events with the real Seattle.  I got maps of the Suzzallo Library (the main library at U of W) and positioned events so I could describe them as if they were actually occurring there.  For instance, the library does have a beautiful grand staircase, and just like in the book, the Anthropology books Elise has to reshelve are actually located on the 3^rd floor, where you will also find the group study rooms. 

This is a picture of the actual Suzallo Library located on U of W’s Red Square.  This is where I envisioned the argument between Ryan and Elise.  Those were the front steps she ran down in the rain.

Some people may think I overdo the accuracy of the details, but I think it’s fun!  Here are a few other fun facts:

• Elise and Ryan go see the show ‘Warhorse.’  In reality, Warhorse is actually at the Paramount Theater in Seattle at the exact day and time where Elise and Ryan attend (February 13, 2013).  The theater is beautiful, and I even found seating charts to figure out the approximate locations of where the characters were sitting
• Kerry Park is the setting for a few scenes in the book.  Kerry Park is real, and though it is a small park, it does boast the big, iconic view of the Seattle skyline. (I should add a big thank you to the street view feature of Google Maps.) J
• Of course, the Space Needle is real, along with the Observation Deck and restaurant.  And, yes, the timing of events is accurate.  The library closes at the time mentioned in the book, which would not allow Elise to get off in time to be at the Space Needle before it closed to the public.

Unlike many of the other settings I’ve written about, I have actually been to Seattle.  I have seen the Space Needle, though I never went up in it.  I’ve also never been to Kerry Park, the Paramount Theater, or the University of Washington.  I did, however, walk right past the Space Needle to a little shopping mall where they were holding dancing lessons.  It was very informal, and anyone could participate.  It has been over ten years since I went there, but I tried to remember and describe it for the book best I could.

Many of the details I find in my research never make it to the pages of my books.  But they help the characters and places come alive, if only in my own mind.  Except for this series of blog posts, no one but me will ever know the full reality behind my fiction. 

I like to imagine real places surrounding my characters.  But one day, when I finally make my world tour, I’ll be able to stand with these real places surrounding me, and imagine watching those same characters.

And, when I finally get to see the sights of Seattle, I’ll imagine dancing.

A Rose By Any Other Name . . .

How do authors choose names for their characters?  You want something that sounds good, yet fits the character's personality.  You want something that is unique, yet not absurd.  Maybe you even want something that has a good meaning.  But as hard as it is to name a character, naming a BABY is much more difficult.

I am expecting our third baby boy in a few short weeks, but my husband and I have yet to make up our minds on the name.  Okay, I'll be honest, the problem is really me.  I just can't seem to commit to a name!  With my first two boys, we didn't have a problem; it was almost as if we just knew what their names should be.  But this one is different.

When naming a character in a book, I have probably employed every method at some point.  Yes, I do look at baby name books, searching for a name that has a good sound and meaning.  I've even made lists, matching first names and last.  I like to choose names that are easy to relate to.  I'm personally not too fond of naming my characters bizarre, hard-to-pronounce names.  That aversion probably stems from reading my mom's old Harlequins as a teen.  My sister and I would start talking about the characters, then realize we were talking about the same heroine, yet pronouncing her name in two completely different ways!

My basic method boils down to this:  I name my characters names I like but would probably never name my child.  For instance, I really like the names Rachel and Hannah (two heroines from my books), but I wouldn't name my child either of those names basically because they are so popular.  They work wonderfully as names for characters though.  I wanted Rachel's character to be an easily relatable, ordinary Montana girl who, when thrust into a dangerous situation, manages to be surprisingly incredible.  I wanted Hannah's character to also be easy to relate to, but I also focused on the meaning.  Hannah means 'grace,' which has a lot of meaning when considering her story.  I also liked that it is a palindrome, the same forward and back, which again is significant considering her story deals with time travel.

I spend a lot less time on choosing the names of supporting characters, which has come back to haunt me on several occasions.  Typically, I start writing, and, when I arrive at the entrance of a supporting character, I just come up with a name on the spot.  They are usually names I don't really like and never intend to use as names for main characters.  Unfortunately, in at least two instances, those supporting characters have had much larger roles in the story than I originally intended when I named them.  For instance, in my book BAGGAGE CLAIM, Kelsey Johnson is introduced as a supporting character.  By Book 3 in the series, I have realized that Kelsey has her own story and is demanding to be the main character in somewhat of a spinoff for Book 4.  Now I'm stuck writing 'Kelsey' over and over for an entire book!

Though I obviously think about my characters' names way too much, choosing them is easy compared to deciding on a name for my son.  My first two sons have first names that are Biblical and have great meaning.  Their middle names are both family names.  For the third little boy, we (mainly my husband) wanted to keep the same pattern, and I was fine with that.  The problem is that my husband likes awful names, and I am very picky.  "No, honey, there is no way we're going to name our son Barnabas or Mahalalel."  (And no,  I am not joking.)  He likes names with great meaning.  I like names that aren't too popular, have a good sound, and won't get the kid beat up in school.

After looking through books of baby names, searching the Internet for popularity and other statistics, and generally agonizing about it, I have finally narrowed down our choices to two.  Unfortunately, I can't decide which one to go with.  My husband says he's fine with either one.  My family likes both.  I just can't commit and say, 'This is his name!'

I have been waffling back and forth for months now, and I am really no closer to a decision.  Like I said, I've researched the names on the web and even prayed that God would somehow tell me what this child's name is!  One day I'll prefer one name, the next day it's the other!  Some people have told me that maybe I'll just know when I actually see the baby.  I don't think that's going to happen.  Knowing me, I'll still drive myself crazy with indecision even after he's born!  And now my time is running out!

So here it is.  The possible names for our new little boy are Levi Brian or Micah Alton.  Levi means 'joined' and is the name of the priestly line in the Bible.  Micah means 'who is like God,' and is the name of a prophet in the Bible.  Brian is my husband's first name, and Alton is a family name from my side.

I want to get my baby's name right.  There is much more at stake here than just naming a character.  I don't want to name my baby one name, and then wish I'd named him the other.  In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare writes, 'What's in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'  But would it?  What would 'Levi' be like?  What about 'Micah'? 

P.S.  Opinions are welcome and greatly appreciated!  In other words, HELP!!!  ;- )

The Story Behind YESTERDAY and THE LOCKET

When reading a book, I often wonder how the author got the idea for the story.  My new series is very unique.  There aren't many (or any?) time travel / romantic suspense novels in the Christian sector.  The plot itself is very complex and interwoven.  As a reader, pay attention to every detail, because it will matter in some way!  So, how did I develop such a story?  Though published later, YESTERDAY was the very first book I wrote.  It actually all began very simply, and I wanted to share a little of the story behind the story.

The Idea:

I wanted to do something special for my sister's birthday.  She loves to read, but tends to be very picky.  I'd always wanted to be an author, so I decided I would write her the first couple chapters of one of the many ideas I had for novels.  I mentioned my plan to my mom, but she thought I should just write a short story that my sister could read from beginning to end in one sitting.  But I didn't have any ideas for short stories.  And that drove me crazy. 

When I was driving home,  I was suddenly hit by a thought.  What if you were driving along and when you stopped you were in a different time from when you started?  No sensation that you had time travelled--just a drive that landed you at your destination, but in the wrong time.  And that was the kernel from which the plot began.

I originally wrote the first two chapters of YESTERDAY as a short story.  I ended it minus the cliffhanger, of course.  I let my other sister read it, and she really liked it.  But she said she wanted more.  She liked the characters and wanted the story to keep going.  She thought I should turn it into a book.  I was adamant.  This was a short story.  I had no idea how to turn it into a full novel.  And that drove me crazy.

As I thought about it, I began weaving a complex plot around that original short story.  Then I began writing it.  Many late nights later, I was talking to my mom and stated emphatically that, although I developed the short story into a novel, it was not going to be a series.  I had no idea how to turn it into a series.  And that drove me crazy. 

If I did want to turn it into a series, . . . how would I do it?

So, now I have very detailed plans for a series of six books, with the plot so interwoven that seemingly minor details from the first book have great significance in the later books.  YESTERDAY and THE LOCKET are the first two books in this series.  So, that's it:  six books, no more.  And no, THAT won't drive me crazy.  Well . . . maybe just a little.

Writing a Great Beginning for 2012

A new year is like a blank page.  It's a time to write a new beginning.  Maybe set some goals so that by the end of the year, you are in a better place than where you started.  So how do you write a great beginning to a new year?  Let's think of it this way:  the year before you is a book you have yet to write.  In some ways, a book is all about the beginning.  Nobody will read a book through to the end if it has a crummy beginning.  Similarly, many resolutions or goals never make it past January.  So, how can you write a great beginning to the novel of 2012?

Start With the Action:

Many writers start their novels too early, making the reader wade through a bunch of boring until the action finally starts.  A great beginning for a book starts the moment something is different for the main character.  A reader really doesn't need a buildup to that moment.  Any necessary background information can be handled later.  But, to really grab a reader's interest, a writer needs to capture that pivotal moment at the start.  This really is a skill, and I'm a lot better now than I used to be.  Before, I could write an entire chapter, realize I'd started in the wrong place, and then have to use my friendly delete button.

Similarly, when writing the beginning of a new year, you need to start immediately with the action.  Make sure your goal is something that matters to you, and then, don't wait until tomorrow to begin the work.  Your pivotal moment is 2012.  You just have to decide how that moment is going to be different for you, then begin immediately to make it happen.  Unfortunately, life's delete button is not nearly so convenient.

Don't Get Caught in the Past:

Another reason you will lose your reader at the beginning of a book is by including too much boring background information.  Is it really that important to know the main character's full life story in the first chapter?  You must capture the reader's interest first, then, as you go on, you can fill in the necessary details.

To write a great beginning, you really must forget the past in a lot of ways.  Focus on your goal and what you need to do to achieve it.  Forget about how many other goals you've made and never accomplished.  Past failures can distract, discourage, and derail the plot of your life.  Yes, it is important to remember the lessons you've learned from the past.  But don't let the past be the focus or be the compass for your beginning.

Write With the End in Sight:

The two most important parts of a book are the Beginning and the End.  If a novel doesn't have a good beginning, I won't keep reading.  If it doesn't end well, the entire book is completely ruined for me.  I will usually remember a book through the filter of its ending and how it made me feel.  So, accordingly, it is very important to begin a book with the end in sight.  What is your goal?  Where are your characters and this action headed?  I don't like wasted words or scenes.  Every action and event should have a purpose to the plot and resulting conclusion.  I love a book when, after reading the ending, I can look back and understand and appreciate the choices the author made, even at the beginning, to prepare for the climax and that satisfying finale.

When beginning a new goal or venture, it is vitally important that you keep your eye on the prize.  What is it you want to accomplish?  The vision of you reaching that finale has to be so strong that it can carry you on days when you don't feel like trying anymore. You have to capture the dream of where you want to be next December and be willing to stubbornly replay that dream when you get discouraged. 

The page is blank; the pen in your hand.  How will you begin your 2012 Once Upon a Time?