Writing Process Blog Tour (bon voyage!)

I was tagged by Elisabeth G. Foley at The Second Sentence to participate in the Writing Process Blog Tour and I figured I would do this last post before leaving the country for 17 days. Ciao ciao, darlings. The idea of this thing is that participants share a little about their writing process via the tour questions, then nominate other writers to carry the tour on. Simply, effective, community-driven. Voila! So here we go:

1.) What am I working on at the moment? Oh this question had to be on there. If I'm entirely flippantly honest, I'd say nothing. Since beginning my job, I've been figuring out the balance of work and family responsibilities as well as reading quite a bit (PLENILUNE) and preparing for Romania. That being said, my next project is quite probably going to be Mob Ink, though no solid promises. I also have some ideas for a second Vivi & Farnham mystery. :3 In defense of this story-less stage, I am taking it rather as a writing holiday because Anon, Sir, Anon is away at the beta-readers and when it comes home, there'll be a toll to pay, I know. Stocking up on brilliance to pour out later, right? Also, I've been scribbling real-life notes for future Social Caterpillar posts and character inspiration.

2.) How does my work differ from others of its genre? Well that'd be the question for many, wouldn't it? I genre-hop because I prefer to be a good novelist period rather than a good historical novelist or a good romance novelist or a good sci-fi novelist. So this question really must be ammended to: "How does my work differ from other authors'?"
Each of my books is laced with that particular Rachel Heffington flavor that, once tasted, never quite leaves the mind. Or so I'm told. I'm sassier than some but I balance it with a load of sweet. My prose is also ... well, Jenny calls it "cat's-paw". It's light-footed, clever, and water-coloured. I can turn a good character or two (or three or four) and I have been informed that I am good at creating three-dimensional, interesting, unusual characters without making them weird. I tend to dabble in telling familiar things in a way that makes people sit up and take notice.

3.) Why do I write what I do? Because I write what strikes my fancy and like to think that somewhere, it'll strike an answering fancy in a reader. I've experienced the thrill of reading something that seems written specifically with me in mind, and I crave to bestow that gift on another reader or thousand.

4.) How does my writing process work? Oh la. Well, I feel that most of you will have heard this many times over, so I'll be concise: I get a phrase, character, or snippet of something stuck in my mind and it festers and out pops a story. First drafts are the bane of my ever-loving existence because (not being a plotter), I panic midway and feel that I'll never complete the story with any semblance of coherency. I do, though, and then I go through two edits of the entirety. I send this edited version to my beta-readers, take their feedback, and sort it all out. (I apply some criticism, discard others, and generally whip the thing into shape.) This process usually contains at least two more edits, one of which is printed off and marked by hand. Then, when I feel the book is thoroughly whipped and decent, it's time to format, final-edit, and publish.

Well, that was not too terrifying, was it? I nominate Mirriam Neal as the next participant, so do keep an eye out for her post next Monday!

Answering the Inquisition

Hello peoples!
    I will get around the answering all the questions in half a mo, but I wanted to let you know that in exactly one week from today, Anne Elisabeth Stengl will release the winners list for the Five Glass Slippers collection. Eeeeeesh. I honestly have no expectation to win: there were so many entries and so many excellent entries. February 1 shall tell us. If I don't place, I am going to have a lark expanding The Windy Side of Care into a novel/novella! So either way, I am quite content. Now, on to the question-answering! You guys asked some good ones.

Do you have problem with magic like Lord of the Rings?
Short answer: no. I like good and evil to be portrayed in a biblical manner, and I feel that The Lord of the Rings (and the Chronicles of Narnia and so on) do that. I have not read any of the Harry Potter series, but I have heard the lines between good and evil are a little blurred so I would be less interested in that. But then again, I haven't investigated for myself so I am not making an official statement in that manner. I don't have problems with fairy-tale magic either, or fantasy realms provided good is still good and evil still evil.

Do you like Disney?
YES. By Disney I assume you mean the classics? I'm not a fan of the Teen Disney or Toon Disney or what-have-you. I love the classic animated films and the new princess films (Tangled, Frozen!) and I like some of the older live-action stuff like The Swiss Family Robinson and Toby Tyler. But and incredibly stout "yes" to the classics. My sisters and I once amused a young man by singing the entire soundtrack to Beauty and the Beast on the way to see Frozen. 

Absolute favoritest forever and ever books (excluding Christian fiction romance)?
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis.
A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
An Old-Fashioned Girl by L.M. Alcott
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
All of Beatrix Potter's little books. 

What are your convictions about staying at home?
Home is a good place to be in many situations. If my parents weren't supportive of me staying home, I would not be able to be a writer because I'd have to work full time to support myself. That being said, I believe each person needs to consult the Lord's plans for them on this. Staying home is the right thing in some cases. In others, it isn't. Easy as that. I am not against young women having jobs, nor do I scorn those who have moved out of the house before marriage. Some of my best friends have followed God's plan for their lives and He has led them out of their homes and into rich fulfillment, just as other friends have stayed put and reaped the same benefits. 

Favorite music? 
Broadway show-tunes, Colbie Callait, Andrew Peterson, Michael Buble, (swing in general?) Ella Fitzgerald, Kate Rusby, Disney music, Josh Groban

Movies, t.v. shows?
TV shows: Psych, White Collar, Sherlock, Masterchef Jr., I Love Lucy, Monk, Sue Thomas F.B. Eye.
Movies: The LOTR trilogy, Amazing Grace, Emma 2009, National Treasure, Captain America, The Avengers, North & South, the old Pride & Prejudice , Letters to Juliet, The Young Victoria, Miss Potter, My Favorite Wife, Roman Holiday, Charade, Peter Pan, Frozen, and many many more. 


I would be curious to know whether you view yourself as an introvert or an extrovert. 
And introverted extrovert, meaning that I am out-going and love to be around people and am not terribly shy, but I do have a shy side that comes out when I am tired and wishes me to take a moment to collect myself alone.

I'd like to know if a typical week sees you more at home or more away. 
Lately, at home. I do go through spurts of working with GenJ/traveling that will keep me away, but since I don't have my own car and my job is authoress, I don't spend much of my week away from home.

Are you the big-spender type or the extremely thrifty (I think I already know the answer)?
Medium. I am thrifty but I don't have a problem spending money on something I know I need/have been wanting for some time. This means I will get the best deal I can (and wait till it is on sale or I have a coupon or whatever) but I am not afraid to lay out the money when it comes to it. This is all hypothetical, you realize: entirely dependent on if I have any money to lay out. 

Do you have/work in a garden?
In the spring/summer, yes. Two years ago we about killed ourselves with a produce/flower stand at a farmer's market which required farming two acres of land pretty much all day every day in the heat of summer and spending Tuesdays and Fridays prepping for spending Wednesday and Saturday at the market. *flop*
Last year we were blessed to have it easy with a garden just to supply our family's needs.

Do you have any other animal friends besides your cat?
Friends? I like wild creatures of every sort. I like our dog (Churchill Sherlock Lewis) on occasion. I like our cousin's cat, Bilbo, who sort of camps out over here sometimes. I don't like our goats.

Are you a competitive person?
No. I'm too nice.

Do you find yourself to be more soft-spoken or loud and bold?
Enthusiastic (and therefore a bit loud sometimes) but not brassy and flamboyant. 

 Do you prefer dogs or cats (or rabbits)?
Sociable cats are easier to hold, but well-behaved dogs are cute. And if it was a nice rabbit, I could love one, I suppose. 

Your favorite quote from The Princess Bride?
Now you guys know my guilty un-homeschooler secret: I hate this movie. I can't understand why everyone freaks out like it is the greatest thing ever. And the weirdest thing is, I am the extreme minority. But I know I have a good sense of humor. The only thing I can figure is that I don't find slapstick/on-the-nose humor funny. I'm a fan of British wit of the dry, cutting, clever sort. THAT being ranted over, my favorite quote:

"Truly, you have dizzying intellect."

Fuzzy socks or bunny slippers?
I am a barefoot or high-heels kinda girl. Flip-flops too. So...fuzzy socks?

What is your favorite black and white movie?
Roman Holiday

Does your wardrobe have a tendency to whisk children to Narnia?
Unfortunately, I have no wardrobe. My closet is shelf-less and therefore currently looks like Armegeddon and my dresser is rather Un-Narnian. But if I HAD a wardrobe, I think it would be amicable to the idea.

If you had to choose between never reading a non-fiction book again (not including the Bible) or never reading a classic again, which would you choose? (I'm cruel, I know.)
Hmmmm. Sadly enough, I would choose never reading a classic again. See, my knowledge would grow so much slower via the literary route than the facts route, and truth is so often stranger than fiction. What I would do is read every history book I could find and learn languages and research things and then write classics for other people to read. OOOH. Good plot. An author cursed never to be able to read fiction, but always longing to write it....

If you found a Gregory Peck look-alike, what would your reaction be?
Oh, you mean besides following him around the place taking furtive pictures while pretending to take selfies? If I actually met him, I would try to be charming and hoped I stuck around in his mind a little, and then I would come home and virtually cast myself on my best friend's bed and wail the whole story to her, and she would comfort me with Tom Hiddleston pins and assurances that he is probably a jerk in real life, so don't feel too bad he didn't notice you. Whiccccch will probably make me doubly upset because Tom Hiddleston wouldn't notice me either. ;)

Can you fake a British accent?
Rather. Several styles with a bit of thought.

When did your love for the 40s and 50s begin?
Hmmm...probably when I first started noticing that I actually liked the clothes in the history books and then I started loving retro fashion and then started watching old movies and listening to swing music and...yeah. :)

How many siblings do you have?
Eight. :)

Could you introduce them to us?
Daniel: 23 years old, works with Generation Joshua, in a serious relationship with one of my best friends; we are very close. Think...Sophie Scholl and her brother. Or, for a more cheerful take, a better-fated brother-sister pair.
Sarah: 19. My roommate and the mathematical-brained child. She is more extroverted than I, but quieter. Good at debate. Plays piano and has a good man-voice for all the Broadway man roles.
Leah: 16. Currently has a tap-dancing mania, plays piano, crazy upper-body strength, likes to be around her family, good at drawing.
Anna: 14. The diva. She has a dream to tour like Jackie Evancho and to eventually be on Broadway. She has a beautiful voice and modern fashion-sense. She likes stripes and polka-dots.
Benjamin: 12. My history-loving buddy. Witty, sports-lover, handy for butchering  deer and stocking the woodstove.
Abigail: 9. Mini-me when I was her age, only she has the tendency to get a grown-woman's emotions as a nine-year old. A little Mama, very dependable. Likes to read.
Grace: 6. The crazy one. Take Eloise by Kay Thompson (books or movies) and that is Grace. She makes the craziest faces and can impersonate Gene Kelly with an umbrella scary-well. She loves glamorous, almost tacky outfits (Lena Lamont, Lilly St. Regis?) and is a little drama queen.
Levi: 2. A spoiled little boy who everyday grows to look more and more like Simpian Grenadine which is just a little scary, considering I started Cottleston Pie when he was an infant. He is a little, dimpled charmer who loves to pray and is going to (by his own admission) "be masterchef when I grow up."
 
Do you like living in the South?
Yes. :) I am not a raving-tearing southerner, but I am so proud to be a Virginian. Virginia has a way of wooing and winning hearts. People who come from other states to go to college or work here never want to leave. She's my girl.

Which Austen character are you most like?
Lizzy Bennet mixed with Fanny Price 

Favorite thing to order at Starbucks?
Raspberry Dark Mocha or a Java Chip Frappuccino or a Salted Caramel Mocha. I am not brave enough to make them up.

Has Peter Pan ever forgot his shadow at your home? (It happened to Wendy once, but in my case, he lost his footsteps.)
He visits quite often, actually, and tugs Churchill's ears which is why Churchill will randomly leap up from a dead sleep and go careening at a bawl to the front door. But I have never quite seen him. 

What's your favorite season of the year?
Autumn. The time of the gypsy-winds. 

Do you like classical music? If so, what composers/eras?
Oh dear. I'm afraid I'm a bit ignorant in this respect. I love classical music but I couldn't tell you what era/composers. Maybe you can tell me? I like the light, fairylike stuff, and Aaron Copeland is nice too, and sometimes I like a big, rousing symphony sound. I just turn on WHRO and listen to whatever is on...

Can you draw?
At times. I am none too good, but passing-fair.

Have you seen Cranford?
Aren't you the dark horse? Yes. Most quotable movie EVER even though half of everyone dies in each episode. Some people hate it. I quote it. Haven't seen it in ages though because friends borrowed it and never returned it. *woops*

Do you play any musical instruments?
It is my great sadness that I do not. I sing rather well (in a non-professional, tune-carrying way) but I have not made time for studying any music. I do know a bit of music-theory and all that, but every time I sit down to teach myself piano I get depressed and give it up as a bad job. See? Like Lizzy Bennet:

"But I consider that my own fault because I would not take the trouble to practice.

Thanks for all the questions, everyone. This was rather fun. :)

"Fraulein, you are obviously many things, not the least of which is repetitious."

I do not want to let slide all the questions you asked me a couple of weeks ago, so I think I'll just go ahead  and answer them all in this post! They are not particularly philosophical questions, so a line or two in answer to each will certainly be adequate and probably less confusing for you readers than trying to devote an entire post to a single inquiry. Got it? Okay.

Bree asked: "To which character in The Baby to you feel most sympathetic? To which can you most relate?" Though there are several characters to whom I feel much sympathy, I believe The Queen would be the one who garners most from me. You want to hate her simply because she's the whole reason a child was stolen, but you just can't. She is the sort of woman who would not have been royalty if she hadn't had a brother ambitious enough for both of them, and though she rules well, she is a little bewildered and only comes out of her bewilderment when in the presence of her baby, the Prince of Crissendumm.
I can most relate, probably, to Jamsie or Smidgen; both are trying to keep the scraps of their family together, both are finding certain aspects of that responsibility a challenge, both have a lot at stake. I can relate not because my family is falling apart, but because if it ever came to that, I'd feel like the responsible party. I can also relate to Starling, though, as far as longing for certain things that seem impossible, and going about the Palace making odd observations and remarks. That is not to say that these three are my favorite, but that I can most relate to them. I think at present The Admiral is my absolute favorite, and now I've got Elisabeth on board with me in that respect which makes me happy.

Bree also asked: "What age-range are you aiming for with this book?" Technically speaking, it is for ages 12 and up. Jamsie and Richmond, the principle characters, are thirteen and twelve respectively (I think? I forget now) so it is a little young to be classified as Y/A fiction. But it's not mid-grade fiction - the themes and complexities are a little advanced for middle-schoolers, I think, though I saw recently that middle-schoolers were being required to read The Scarlet Letter. I mean, honestly? You'll soon tell me that Bleak House is required reading in kindergarten. I have always enjoyed "children's" books, so I think identifying with one age-range (while easier for marketing) lessens the value that an all-encompassing range would have. I think that many readers in many age-ranges will enjoy The Baby. The side-characters are, for the most part, out of their teens, so there are plenty of adults to interest older readers.

And: "Who is The Baby, or is that Top Secret?" The ambiguity of The Baby's identity is purposeful and inevitable. You will have to wait to read the book for a full explanation.

And: How long is the project currently? (and how long to you expect it to be?) Currently, The Baby is a sorry little 21,000 words long. I still have much of the plot to write, but it is not going to be a hefty book. I hope to reach 70-80,000 words.  Lots of work to do. *sigh*. I have been busy with plotting and detailing, but there has not been over-much writing going on. The trouble with building word-count for me seems to be all the alleys I could go down with my fascinating side-characters, and knowing me, I have to be careful not to give them too much of the stage. (good luck with that.)

Esther asked a mash of simple questions that I can answer quickly:

1. Are the Baby, Jamsie, and Richmond the only earth-folk in Crissendum at the moment? One can never be quite sure, can they? The thing is, the citizens of Crissendumm often visit this world, but this world is rather ignorant of the existence of their world, so apart from tumbling down The Puddle or another portal, people seldom go there.

2. In whose household is Starling? The Queen's household. At the start of the book, Starling is an unfortunate undermaid's undermaid.

3. How old are Jamsie, Richmond, Smidgen, and Starling? Jamsie is thirteen, almost fourteen; Richmond is twelve, almost thirteen. Smidgen never exactly tells us his age, but I'd warrant he's in line with Richmond. Starling is sixteen, but very small for her age.

4.  Falling into Crissendum is apparently simple enough, since your characters did it accidentally. Is it as easy to fall out? Does the puddle go both ways? There are several portals in and out of Crissendumm. One would be sailing off the edge of the world, because in Crissendumm, this is still possible. Another method is stepping in the arch formed by the Nodding Twins, two ancient willows. This dumps you out somewhere in a wood in America and is a mischievous way, because you're never sure which wood. There are other ways, like stepping through a certain reflection of a reflection into the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, which can be a bit awkward. The portals are all marked on the globes made in Crissendumm, and are common knowledge. It is a rule with the portals that they can only work one direction each trip, so you have to exit by a different portal; this keeps traffic to a low. Imagine banging into someone careening down one way while you were shooting up the opposite direction? Road-kill in such instances would be difficult to clean up. 

5. Who is this John character? John Brady is Leona's love interest, and Leona is Smidgen's sister. John is a teacher at Whiskin's Abbey at the beginning of his contracted term of four years, and thus tied to life as a monk for the interim. 

And for the very last question, Bree asked if I could give you a proper introduction to Crissendumm. I shall refer all of you who are curious to Crissendumm: A World Inside a World where I explain lots and lots about this strange place. I hope my answers satisfied you, and thank you so much for asking; I love to delve into the whys and wherefores thereof. :)

Irresponsible things like engagements of state..

  When people ask what inspires a certain story, there is generally a list of things that spring to mind on a basic level. Elisabeth Grace Foley's question started me thinking about what really did inspire The Baby, and to be sure I did not give a pat, off-the-cuff-links answer. She admitted that this is a question she has great difficulty answering, so I am sure she will have grace with me for being a bit abstract, perhaps.


      As far as strictly commonplace things that inspired The Baby (or helped me come up with it, or whathaveyou), the first that comes to mind is a man I know. I do not especially like this man (which is why he showed up as Darron Ap-Brainard, bwa-ha), but since the very first of my acquaintance with him, he made me cock my head and try to figure him out (which is also how he swaggered his way into the novel). There is a strange mix of charm and double-faced-ness about the real man which lends itself well to making a good antagonist. I do not think the man himself is a villain, so you will not find complete villainy in Ap-Brainard. (But honestly, a complete villain with no shred of ruined goodness about him is not much of a character to read about.)
     The other commonplace thing that gave me the idea for this story was the peculiar thing that happens to me with many of my novels: the first line. Usually I end up changing the first line in the final draft, but it is usually a first line that gives me the idea for a whole story. I'm a big one for starting different Microsoft Word files for bits of writing that probably won't go anywhere. But occasionally they do, and The Baby is one such. At the start of it, you have a little shred of dialog:

 "We could mutiny!"

 And that's all. But from that bit of dialog came the whole of the story as you know it now. Wonderful, how the mind ends up making mountains out of molehills. Please don't ask how a lost baby came out of a line about mutiny. I couldn't tell you.
  But sometimes inspiration can be retroactive, meaning that some of the less-obvious things that prove as inspiration for The Baby were not even recognizable as inspiration for anything when I first became acquainted with them. Oftentimes they are things from years back. Or, even if recent, the items that inspire seem to have very little to do with the matter under inspection; upon seeing a pin-board for a new novel idea, Jenny suggested I read Rosemary Sutcliff's The Shield Ring for inspiration, though it is "off by a thousand years." In the same way, the names of the Balder children sprang from nothingness: they are both named after their father's shipping firm; Jamsie's real name is 'Jamaica', from the sugar-plantation that has been in her family's possession for several generations. Richmond was named for the great city in America where their father's company has a sister shipping-office. The ideas for the family business were inspired in some part by Amazing Grace (quite opposite an effect than Wilberforce must have been thinking), as well as The Witch of Blackbird Pond. In both cases the source had very little to do with why I retained some little impression about plantations, but...I did. Something about slaves and sugar and Barbados and Jamaica. I dunno.
    The whole idea for The Puddle came from a nighttime walk to the mailbox when the eery idea whispered in my head as I sloshed through a murky pool of water in bare feet: "What if you stepped into a puddle and it had no bottom?"  Starling and Leona (And hence, Smidgen) came out of two separate dreams I had that, at the time, I thought I ought to write down because there had to be a story in there somewhere; I didn't write them down, but I remembered all the same and got two playing-pieces from it. The Admiral and his Fleet came from a hyphenated scrawl I had down for inclusion in Cottleston Pie: "Passenger-Pigeons." But all at once this story needed The Fleet and they had to be black and voila: you have mail-carrying crows.

So in a very long and roundabout way, Elisabeth Grace, I hope I've answered your question to your satisfaction. I find that there is almost never one single thing that influences my stories. They just are or they are not, and the ones that are end up making it to "The End" and the others rarely even make a debut on this blog. Just as my life is a mash of everything including the kitchen sink, so my stories grasp ideas from anywhere and everywhere ranging from sugarcane to excursions to get the mail.

 
"My brother thinks the king should not have gone on the trip himself, especially when I was so near my time; irresponsible things like engagements of state are better left to members of the House of Polaris who like to go sailing."

-The Baby

If you must be Quixotic...

I like to hand myself a hard question now and then and stretch the all too lax abstract/logic muscles of my mind into trying to give a suitable answer. As I sat down this evening and thought about what to write, the question came to me:

Why do I like to write?

In forming my answers for this question, I laid certain parameters upon myself: 1) I could not use "I just love it" to explain. 2) I could not mention Epic by John Eldridge. There. Pact made, and no backsies. 

So why do I like to write?

In a pale, mortal way my answer is a mirroring of 1 John 4:19 which speaks of why we love God: "We love because He first loved us." The question "Why do you like to write" is one of a capricious nature that has no beginning and no end. It simply is. {which, incidentally, is not breaking my pact. No fear on that account. I will explain myself.} I love to write because I love to read, and as I've grown older I believe I love to read because I love to write. The things are inverse and adverse and companions and fools. A love of reading came before an acknowledged love of writing, but I would not say you were incorrect in wondering if the love of writing was always there waiting for an outlet it could not find until I first took up a pen with the intention of forming my own words on paper.

Asking a writer why they like to write {in the theoretical sense of the question} is like asking a person why they breathe. For me, writing is a natural reflex to the beauty, the events, and the people I see around me. As Anais Nin put it, "We write to taste life twice." I live and then I write. The one transfers to the other, for me, in a gentle, necessary way. As prosaic as it sounds, I believe I process by writing. Part of the way I deal with stressful situations, catty people, or great joy or great trials in my own life is by conjuring it onto paper in some way; a journal entry, a blog post, my writing notebook, or my latest story. While I am a fair conversationalist, my real forte is expressing myself in words on paper. If I leave it all chasing round my head like rabbits in a warren, I'm apt to become a bug-bear to live with and my family would not thank me. Some people need counselors. Some people need long, drawn-out phone-calls with a trusted friend. Some people need to go out for a run. I need to get away to a quiet, lonesome corner--preferably on the front steps at gloaming with the North Star trembling against the darkening blue. I need to set my pen fiercely against the page {for at such moments I must be writing--not typing.} and I need to convert the stress or excitement or happiness into something to be shared with another person.

The beauty of the relationship between reading and writing is its give-and-take dynamic. For years I gathered and read every book in the near vicinity and absorbed tale upon tale, story upon story, adventures and sagas and dramas and classics. I fed my fancy, my tastes, and my ideas upon good books and thus those aspects of myself grew up to be none too shabby. When I began to employ my fancy, tastes, and ideas in writing my own books, the dawning of a strange and wonderful idea tinged the horizon of thought with blush-rose colors: If I persisted and worked hard and poured myself into the craft, I could create one of those books. One of the heart-books that foster a love of reading and even writing in another person somewhere. I could have a hand in forming another person's mind. A great responsibility and a great privilege that, and one I would love to be a party to. Books can change a person. I am a firm believer in that. I cannot tell you how many sentiments or noble ideas or parts of my own personality are woven from threads of things I've read over the years. I hoard quotations and shadows of quotations and general impressions of books like a tzar of Russia hoards his icy treasures. They make up a large part of who I am. I think it's worth saying again: books can change a person. For better or for worse. As a writer it's my two-edged gift to be able to slay or heal where I will. It's my responsibility to wield that weapon aright and do only good with my words. Or only purposeful cutting. I am not set against the surgeon's method of butchery--the nicking of a person's spirit, the rubbing in of a salty, stinging salve, and the ultimate healing-over of that wound that makes for a healthier person in the end. It's the bitter herbs that heal the best, so now and again you might be called upon to write something with more cayenne than honey about it. But the end must be good. We cannot let the Light fade from our words.

My last answer for this self-imposed question is a bit shallower, a bit meaner, a bit more like the saucy miss I'm apt to become now and again when the mood is upon me: I like to write because I savor the power. I like to draw a person in and attach them to fictional people. I like to transport them places they've never been, introduce them to observations they'd never have seen were it not for me. Presumptuousness, I know. I like to implant a bit of Rachel in them that may stick there like a cockle-bur the rest of their lives, never to drop away. I like to entrance a reader in my intricate, gossamer web of story and spin them out to the other side, breathless and dew-damp; a little bewildered, a deal pleased. So these, dear friends, are my answers to that wonderfully quixotic question of why I like to write. I'd like to see sister-posts of your own reasons if you so had the time or the inclination. But for now I'll leave you and trot off the practicality of fetching my dinner.

"...He had begun writing again—fierce, warring words she could tell, by the bold black strokes."

-The Scarlet-Gypsy Song

You Wanted to Know, You Know.

Oh look ^ a barnacle vase! I think it's kinda pretty, actually!

The Circumlocution Office received all your inquiries with open arms--I was quite surprised at how those Barnacles scooted over when I commanded them. And now time for a brief interlude while Rachel trots off to hang up the laundry like the sweet little housewife she is...Okay! I'm back and the clothes are flapping in the jaunty April breezes! :)

Now for the answers! :) Felicity wanted To Know: "What inspired you to write this post?" Truthfully? I was tired of hearing my own voice and wanted to hear from someone else for a change so I thought I'd enlist the help of a Barnacle or two to extract questions. ;)

Blossom's Choice Girl asked: "Have you ever won any sort of writing contest?" I have...once I believe. It was a poetry contest and m'thinks I won tops for "Here Runneth the Path of Fairy Feet." :)

"Can you sing or play an instrument?" I can sing well enough. I don't have an exceptionally strong voice--it wouldn't carry past the footlights and that's why I wouldn't make it as a Broadway actress, but it is a sweet little voice, I suppose. :) But I can't play anything. I wish I could, and several of my siblings do, but the time devoted to study would have to be carved off of my other interests such as writing...ahem...and that is utterly impossible! :D

"Who told you about God/ why did you decide to follow Christ?" Ooh. Good question. I have grown up in a Christ-centered home all my life so I suppose it was my parents who first started it all. I was drawn to Christ..I hardly think it was a decision at first--I loved him and wanted to obey him as long as I can remember. It was only when my brother pointed out to me (when I was 5 or 6) that just because my family were Christians didn't make me one, I realized it needed to be a personal commitment. And I've kept learning that ever since. :)

Maria Elisabeth wanted To Know: "What was your first poem like?" In short? Hor.ri.ble. I can't even begin to describe the utter stupidity of it.

"What kind of music do you generally listen to?" It depends. I listen to some Christian contemporary, but my favorite style of music is the old 40's and 50's musicals/crooners and Celtic folk music. :) I really like it when artists combine all those styles (at least, Celtic and Christian) like Keith and Kristen Getty! :)

"How were you first introduced to Dickens, Lewis, and all those other amazing authors?" Well, the Narnia books were some of the first Mama read to me as a young lass. They have always held a special place in my heart. I got started on Dickens through a mutual friend. Little Women, actually. :D I hated not knowing why Jo had started the Pickwick Society. Therefore, Pickwick was my first peep into Dickens and I've never turned back since. :)

"And I save the best for last: Where did you get your genius?" Well my dear girl--you quite flabbergast me. I feel rather like Margaret Hale when she said, "As much as I would like to own up to being remarkably handsome...I was not there." ;) Answering this question in a normal manner would indicate that it was genius burning up in my noggin and not something else. But I will take your question to be a very pretty way of asking, How Did I Learn To Write? My "talent" was "born of fire, bred of dew." which is as much as to say, I Caught it. I caught it from reading and loving and absorbing fine literature. I was never allowed to read "twoddly" books, and therefore my diet of literature was only the best. If you are what you eat, then that must be why I write things worth reading: because I read things worth writing. :)

The Anne-girl made several inquires as well:

"Where did you get your inspiration for Gypsy-Song?" It actually came quite unexpectedly in a simple little phrase: "There was Nannykins to begin with..." and built up rapidly from there! Also, as usual, my siblings gave me robust inspiration for the various children. :)

"Do you think of names or do your characters come named?" Depends...I usually name my characters, as in I suggest the names, but they name themselves in the sense that if the name is not right, it never sticks. :)

And last but certainly not least: "Do you ever dream about your characters?" Actually, no. That has never happened, though I think it'd be amazing. I did dream in Shakespearean English though! :)

Thanks so much, gals! The Circumlocution office will now resume normal activity of Thwarting Progress. No More Wanting to Know. ;)

A Taste of Anne-spelled-with-an-E

Miss Dashwood is having an Anne of Green Gables week over at her blog, and as Anne and I are almost twins, I thought I'd better join in the fun! :)

                                                                

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1. How many of the Anne books have you read, and how many of the films have you seen?

I've read all eight of the Anne books and both of the movies...somehow I can't find it in myself to count that third one as part of the Anne-series...they ought to have just gone ahead with all the Ingleside bunch and made movies about them. :)
 
2. If someone yanked your hair and called you carrots, what would you do to him?


Let me think about this. First off, I would probably laugh--I mean, seriously, why call a brunette "carrots"? I would laugh, but I know I'd be embarrassed that he'd humiliated me in that way in front of a lot of people...I don't think I'd break my slate over his head, but you never know. My wit would probably eventually come to my rescue and I'd say something scathing to him that would redeem the moment in my favor. ;)

3. What would you do if Josie Pye dared you to walk the ridgepole of a roof?

You know...I'd probably try. I'd not get past the first few shingles, I daresay, but I would try. I'm not particularly scared of heights, you know.

4. If you had the opportunity to play any AGG (I'm abbreviating from now on because I am a lazy typist) character in an AGG play, which role would you choose?

Ooh! Well, I suppose physical characteristics must be thought about and I would not fit the part of Anne, though I'd love to play her. Let's see...I think it'd be fun to play either Mrs. Lynde, or (if I could choose from some of the other Anne books) one of the girls in Patty's Place...I've always loved the notion of that sweet little four-some living in that house and going off to college. :) I might choose Phillipa Gordon, though I'm not as pretty as she.

5. If you were marooned on a desert island, which AGG character would you want to have as a companion? (Anne, Gilbert and Diana are not options.  Let's keep this thing interesting.  Not that they're not interesting.... oh, yay, now the disclaimer to this question is longer than the question itself.  Lovely lovely lovely.)

Haha! Davy Keith. He'd know what to do, and even if he didn't, he'd keep me laughing and probably invent some way to get us out of our predicament.

6. If there was going to be a new adaptation of the Anne books and you could have any part in making the movie, what would you choose to do? (screenwriting, acting, casting, costume-making are a few possibilities)

Casting and costume-making...also set-finder-person-who-travels-all-over-and-sees-gorgeous-places. :)

7. What are, in your opinion, the funniest AGG book/movie scenes? (choose one from the books and one from the movies)

Funniest book scene? Oy vay. Um...I've always loved the part when Anne is talking to Mr. Harris and finding herself contradicted at every point. Also when she and Diana are soliciting for their A.V.I.S. society and Anne gets stuck half-way through the roof of the duck-house and has to stay there. She starts scribbling down a story while waiting for help--I love it! It sounds like something I might do in a desperate moment. :D

 

In the movies? I do love her argument with Mrs. Lynde over Dolly. Also the scene where she and Diana hop onto Miss Josephine Barry in the bed, and where she and Diana are walking through the Haunted Wood and faint. :D

8. What are, in your opinion, the saddest AGG book/movie scenes? (choose one of each again) 

In the movie, the scene where Anne realizes she loves Gilbert and he is in mortal danger...the might-have-been in that scene is so sad!

In the book, I would have to say when the Ingleside bunch finds out that Walter was killed in the war...or else when Anne's baby dies. :(

9. Which AGG character would you most like to spend an afternoon with? (again, Anne and Gilbert and Diana are not options for this one--think secondary characters)

Phillipa Gordon--she and I would get along brilliantly, I think. :)

10.  What is your definition of a kindred spirit?

A kindred spirit is the person you can just look at and know they are a friend. There is something electric in their manner that captivates you. I have a blood-hound's nose for finding kindred spirits. When you meet a person you will know they are a kindred spirit by the way they laugh or talk or stand...I can't describe it, but it's there. If you doubt this definition, you have not heard the story of one of my dearest friends and I. I saw her at a mutual friend's graduation. She fascinated me but I was too shy to meet her. We never exchanged a single word. I went home and wrote about the graduation in my journal and mentioned her as a girl who I knew I would love and I said I wished I'd summoned my courage and introduced myself. Over a year later we began emailing (through a series of events) and finally officially met at the same friend's barn-dance. We have been inseparable ever since. :) It was my greatest success! ;)

The End of the Inquisition

Hey Everyone! I write this post from a hotel room in a shady hotel in a shady section of town in a shady sort of spot in a state that is generally beloved by me. That being said, I will say that the purpose of being here is perfectly sound and I am well in body and spirit. But as this has nothing at all to do with writing, I will keep along with the finishing-up questions in my Spanish Inquisition. Ready?
1. What is the best place, in our Writer's opinion, to write at? Hmm... Henry B. Baxter, doth she mean in my writing Utopia, or in reality? In my perfect world, I would have a desk, worn and beautiful, cuddled up to a casement window, trimmed in white that looks over a cottage garden. The window would be cracked open and a faint breeze, scented with summer would wander inside and ruffle my hair. I would have my watercolors pinned to the wall to remind me of my other artistic attempts. Now, stepping back into reality, I would have to say that the best place to write is anywhere one can be alone. I can't do the whole people-looking-over-my-shoulder thing, as I have already stated. Somewhere near a window, preferably.

2. Do you ever listen to music while you write, or do you like complete silence, or a nice din from the kids? Haha! Music on softly, ideally 40's or 50's music or soundtracks. :)

3. What do you write on? (As in, do you use Microsoft Word, Google docs, etc.) I use Microsoft word. :) A very old version that I am doing my best wishing to replace. :D

4. When do you write most? (i.e. Winter, Summer, evening, morning?) Winter definitely due to gardening and other responsibilities the warm season demands, and probably in the afternoons. That's when we usually take our "free-time."

5. Do you like writing better dressed, ready for the day, with your hair up and everything, or in your pj's? Ah! Dressed and ready by all means--my brain works better on such terms, and I feel like much more of an authoress.

6. How many writing notebooks do you have currently? Two that are strictly writing. Beyond that I have scraps of paper all over creation that house my brain dribbles. ;)

7. Do you keep a journal or diary? If so how often do you write in it and what format do you use? I do have a journal and I write in it...a several times a month. In seasons where there's a lot going on, more often than that. :) I used to write in a log format...you know, list-form. But then I decided to go all out with the details, and since then my diary has been ever so much better. :D

8. What is your favorite kind of tea? [YAY!] I would have to say P.G. Tips and English Breakfast are vying for the top position, then Black Currant in second place and....Earl Grey third. :) Tea is my one weakness.

Thanks so much for all the questions you girls asked! It was so much fun answering these little inquiries, and I hope I answered your questions to your satisfaction. If anything wasn't clear enough you know you can email me anytime. ~Rachel

...The Spanish Inquisition Pt. 2

My very helpful [ahem!] editor, Henry B. Baxter gave me the next batch of questions today. He neglected to  categorize the questions and thus left that to me. So bear with me if this is a bit of a whirlwind answer session! :D
I guess I'll address the pre-writing, mid-writing, post-writing questions. Ready?
Ashley asked, "Does she handwrite any of her novels before transferring them to the computer/ a word document?" Once upon a time she did. But then she discovered her pen was not capable of keeping up with her brain, and her fingers were, so she switched medias. But in all seriousness, now and then I do find solace in the scratching of a pen's tip against a sheet of lined paper. That is my favorite way to write, I just don't find it practical.
Ashley also asked, "Has she ever tried to write mystery or Sci-fi?" :D  Don't mention this to my sister, Sarah. It makes her go mad with rage. But yes, I started a mystery set in the Great Depression...and got myself so entwined in the mystery I never did find my way out. I abandoned ship after 100 pages. :D Okay. Don't blame me. Who can keep track of details when your villain has an alias inside an alias, maybe even inside an alias? It just doesn't work so well. :P

Katie S. dived right in with a bing-bang-boom sort of Spanish Inquisition: 
1. Do you keep a daily writing schedule? How long, or how much, do you write a day?
2. How extensively do you plot-n-plan your stories before you begin writing them?
3. Do you edit while writing, or keep the writing and editing processes completely separate?

Answer 1. HAH! Oh. Ummm...sorry about that. I amused me that you thought I could be that good. ;) I write something every day, but I have no schedule. I ought to have a schedule. In a distant day in the past I did have a schedule. But I am currently flying by the seat of my skirt. It's a pretty wild ride. I have actually been seriously contemplating getting up an hour earlier to write.
Answer 2: My plot-n-plan varies from novel-to-novel. For The Seasonings I did not research, bare-bones plotting, and found myself missing that important element in the writing process. For Puddleby Lane I started on a whim, kept on on a whim, and never stopped to rethink it...until now. :P But we're overcoming our differences and moving on on a whim. Maybe that's why it's such a whimsical story. I did, however, write a little blurb to keep me going. For this newest novel I am doing a great deal of research, and thus a good deal of pre-plotting. Plus the plot, not the characters, came to me first this time.
Answer 3. I prefer keeping the writing and editing completely separate. I find that my brain and emotions don't work well with constantly back-tracking. I need to work the story out and give myself permission to write things I know I'll cut out. It's just the way I work.

Abigail Hartman asked me about my preparation and whether I did character sketches, researching, and all that fun jazz. :) Yes and no. It depends. Generally I just start writing with a vague idea of a plot and give the story a chance. It either sprouts wings and flies, or flops by chapter 5 or so and I know it wasn't To Be. But this time around I am indulging in "All that jazz" and finding it much to my liking.

And last but not least, Abigail also asked me, "What did happen to Puddleby Lane?" I distanced myself from it for two months and decided I would lay it aside and focus on researching and plotting my French Rev. novel. I did that for awhile and decided to take a good-bye peep at P.L.....and you know what? I discovered it was not so terrifying as I thought. We began our reconciliation by my killing off The Character. Now that's what I call good relationships. :P

Now girls, my editor is still available for questioning. Go ahead and ask whatever's on your mind and I'll finish up with a third Answer Post soon! :)

Water-weak or Invincible?

My recently christened editor, Henry B. Baxter, was kind enough to forward some of your questions to me this morning. I was so pleased at his report of the response to a question-and-answer post so far. You can add your questions for me here: A Grand and Glorious Thingamajigger. :) I decided that I had better start answering some of these questions as they come, so as not to overwhelm the public with answering them all at once. That being stated, Henry B. Baxter tells me londongirl was first with her questions:

If someone was to write a Historical novel, what advice would you give them? (and) Is there any books or websites that you have found useful?

Let me start by answering the first question, as that has several points to it. The first piece of advice I would give a budding author in this genre is: "Do your research." It sounds dull, it sounds prosy (especially when the fantastic plot is swirling around your brain and the last thing you want to do is read up on the politics of the day) but in the end it will make the difference between water-weak literature and a book worthy of a Newbery Medal. I had to learn this lesson the hard way with my Victorian-era novel, A Mother for the Seasonings. My critique group partners told me (and none too gently) that they could not picture my setting in their minds. The characters and plot were happening in a void. It could have occurred any time, anywhere and been changed not a bit. Sure, hearing that hurt. But it was one of the best things for my writing experience. It taught me just how important suitable descriptions and correct information are.

I hate to say it this bluntly, (and I'm facing this daunting wall in Puddleby Lane) but it doesn't matter how amazing your plot and characters are--if you tell the reader your story is set in, say the Great Depression, if that setting does not influence your character and the events in the story, you've lost the whole point of historical fiction. I like to think of Historical Fiction as a way to learn history through literature. That being said, your facts need to be strong and true, and presented in a masterful way so that the reader doesn't feel like they are reading an encyclopedia. They are learning something as they live the story alongside your character. You must hide the pills of reality in the jam of fiction in such a way that the reader craves the pills and will go on from your book with an enhanced desire to learn about the time period. You can't achieve this by bending the plot. I'm sorry, but it's true. It isn't enough that you tell the reader your tale is set in a certain era. Timely descriptions of dress, speech, culture, will be your best friend when it comes to making the historic world come alive. There is so much potential in book set in times past. Do not be content with informing your reader of facts. Bring your Public through the trenches with German bombs whistling overhead. Shove them in the midst of the whirling mob storming the Bastille. Lock them in the Tower of London with Mary, Queen of Scots. It'll make all the difference in the world.

As for the second question: Is there any books or websites that you have found useful? I would have to answer: The internet in general. I can't tell you how helpful it is to be able to bring up a page of 2,000 French women's names, or an entire archive dedicated to fashions of the day. With a click of my mouse I can read up on whatever historical event I am writing about. It's amazing. As for writing help in general, I have found that the best way to get a hold on what good writing is, is to read good writing. As Benjamin Franklin said, "If you want to write things worth reading, read things worth writing." It's simple, but it's profound. Fill your mind with quality writing, and your pen will unconsciously learn. But we all need a little further instruction now and then, and for that, I must concede that I have found James Scott Bell's Revision and Self-Editing priceless. Seriously, it's a must-have for any aspiring writer.
Beyond these resources, I will tell you that if you are brave enough, hand a copy of your manuscript to a person you know to be a good judge of literature, and have them tell you exactly what they think of it. It will not be easy to hear them picking your brain-child to pieces. But you know what? A lot of the time, they'll be right. And then sometimes they will be wrong, and you can put your little "baby" back together and move on. I can tell you from personal experience, though, that an unbiased opinion is worth a whole lot more than any timid changes you would choose on your own to make in your novel. :)
I hope this answered your questions, londongirl, and thank you so much for asking them! Mr. Baxter, I would appreciate your continued assistance in collecting the queries. Thank you.

Answers to Questions! :)

I am so excited! Tomorrow I get to pick a winner for my "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words" prose contest!!! :) And now to answer questions: All of them are from Carrie this time! :) Thanks for asking them!

Question One: How do you come up with ideas for your stories/where do you get your ideas?
Usually my ideas come to me when I'm doing something terribly mundane- the idea for The Seasonings popped into my head while doing dishes. Puddleby Lane evolved while doing gardening! :) But generally it begins with a rather vague idea. For instance, the Seasonings started when I thought, "Wouldn't it be funny to have a family all named after herbs?" and then it just took off. Sometimes I choose a time period I want to write in, and then look up popular names back then, choose one for my main character, and then brainstorm what sort of a story he/she would be in the middle of. :) I think "Puddleby Lane" came from the word "Cottleston Pie" which was in a riddle in the Winnie-the-Pooh books. I just love that word! But since I didn't want to run into copyright issues, I sought out a name that rolled off the tongue just as well. :) And then of course a name like that has a lot of personality and must be rather quaint, and so on.

Question Two: About critique groups: how do you find one you like, with standards you want, and does it cost anything to join?
My critique group is a Yahoo! group run by author Diana Sharples. You can visit it here: I'm afraid I can't give you a lot of tips on how to find a group, because this group was suggested to me by a friend who knew a girl in the group. I am blessed that this is a group of writers writing Christian fiction for young adults. Of course I don't agree with everything everyone else writes, but the boldly declared purpose of this group is to write to the glory of Christ, and to honor God in all our writing--and since this is Christian fiction, it's cool to see everyone weave their stories to the point that their characters come to Christ, strengthen their relationship with Him, etc. Once accepted, the group does not cost anything to join except time, which dribbles into the next question:

Question Three: Also, does it demand a certain amount of your time, or do you have to commit to anything to join?
The critique group does demand a bit of time. You must critique at least one other person's chapter each week so that you may post one of your own chapters every Monday. Preferably more than one critique so each member gets plenty of help with their stories. Also, you must edit your chapter for spelling, grammar, etc. before posting it on the website. After all, this is not precisely an editing group. It's a group that helps you with those mistakes, but is also there as a sounding board for ideas, to provide advice on pacing, plot, dialog, etc.
It took me a little while to get into the flow of the group, but Diana does a great job of leading it so it's not that confusing. :)
You are expected to be involved in the group, as in critiquing, posting your chapters, etc. But you can also take leave from writing for awhile if need be.
I am not sure how most critique groups work--if we're the norm, or if we're amazingly better than others. ;) It's really impacted my writing, to be involved in this group. And I've met some great people, including Angela! :)
So if you can find a group you like, I'd encourage you to join it and learn what you can. Hope this answered your questions, Carrie! :) -Rachel