The 13th Constellation: Am I the Last to Know?

Posted on January 6, 2017January 6, 2017 by vlaw759

NASA has officially recognized a thirteenth constellation, Ophiuchus (pronounced either Oh-FEW-cuss or Off-ee-YOO-cuss, depending on who you read).

We’re all familiar with the 12 constellations associated with the signs of the zodiac for the last 3,000 years. It seems Ophiuchus was always there, but the Babylonians left it out because they needed only twelve.

In the 1970s Stephen Schmitt proposed 13 zodiac signs but it was so controversial that it never caught on.

NASA points out that constellations are matters of astronomy and there are 13 of them. The signs of the zodiac are matters of astrology, and thus somewhat arbitrary.

The 12 signs of the zodiac divide the sun’s ecliptic so that each spans 30 degrees of celestial longitude. Constellations are unequal in size and depend on the positions of stars. Constellations and signs of the zodiac don’t generally coincide. For example, the constellation of Aquarius corresponds to the sign of Pisces.

So, if you add Ophiuchus and adjust the dates for the other 12 constellations to align with their greatest visibility in the night sky, you get the following:

Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20
Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16-Mar. 11
Pisces: Mar. 11-Apr. 18
Aries: Apt. 18-May 13
Taurus: May 13-June 21
Gemini: June 21-July 20
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23-Nov. 29

The characteristics of the original 12 signs remain the same. Ophiuchus is from the Greek, meaning “serpent-bearer.” It is associated with healers and physicians.

TRAITS OF OPHIUCHUS are all over the map. POSITIVE: happy, humorous, honest, truthful, intellectual, clever, free-spirited, instinctive, charismatic, creative, driven. IN ADDITION: competitive, secretive, emotional, adaptable, flamboyant dressers, and well-loved by authorities. SO WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE? How about being polygamous, irresponsible, jealous, judgmental, restless, temperamental, and prone to procrastination?

TAKEAWAY FOR WRITERS: Consider making your character an Ophiuchus! You can learn much more about this fascinating sign online.

Nine New Year’s Resolutions for Writers

Posted on December 30, 2016December 28, 2016 by vlaw759

ONE: I will write something every day.

TWO: I will set a realistic daily goal. It can be minutes, hours, word count, or pages, so long as it is quantifiable. (One needs to be clear on whether the goal was met.) And keep it realistic. (Why set up for failure?)

THREE: I will create a writing diary/calendar and record my writing achievement every day. I’ll star every day I meet or exceeded my goal.

FOUR: I will reward myself. I will treat myself whenever I accumulate X-number of stars.

FIVE: I will read at least one book about the craft of writing.

SIX: I will read at least one book on self-editing.

SEVEN: I will attend at least one writing conference, book festival, or class.

EIGHT: I will read at least one book in my genre with a conscientiousness of how I would have done it differently.

NINE: I will be supportive of writers. This includes not beating up on them or myself!

Writing Family Rituals

Posted on December 23, 2016December 21, 2016 by vlaw759

Intentionally or not, people are creatures of habit. And often these habits are most apparent around holiday rituals.

thanksgiving feast writing family rituals — [Source: Good Housekeeping]

Maybe they involve special food or prayers.

Sometimes people attend the same event year after year, maybe wearing particular clothes or colors.

Sometimes rituals mark events personal to the people involved.

Your assignment: Write the same ritual from the POVs of at least three participants. E.g., child, parent, grandparent; three siblings; husband, wife, guest; yourself as child, teen, adult.

Have fun with this. And enjoy your next ritual! I’m enjoying my Santa collection enormously.

Writing Holidays

Posted on December 16, 2016December 15, 2016 by vlaw759

My advice: Put holidays in your writing as often as fits your plot. I say this for several reasons. For one thing, people identify with holiday celebrations, and (speaking for myself) often compare the rituals described with those from childhood.

Perhaps a more important reason is that emotions run high during holidays—for good or ill! And those emotions are a great source of tension both within characters and among them.

Virtually any holiday can evoke virtually any emotion: sadness, mourning, joy, anger, frustration, fatigue, relief, etc.

A second piece of advice: Include something novel or unexpected. When writing about any given holiday, there is a tendency to draw on one’s own experience—not that there’s anything wrong with that! But holiday rituals tend to be just that: ritualistic. So if your writing includes the same holiday more than once, you will need new material.

A third piece of advice: Have this book on your shelf.

This book is an incredible resource, a combination of calendar, dictionary, and cross-referenced guide.

First, it goes by date, so if you need an out-of-the-way holiday to fit your timeline, you’ll find it here.

Within each date, entries are alphabetized by relevant country. For example, New Year’s goes from Albania to Yugoslavia. This is one good way to include a description of your character’s ethnic background.

Another great way to flesh out your character’s ethnicity is to look up the country in the index, where you can find all the dates when holidays are celebrated in that country—and what they are, of course.

The index is extremely well done. Besides by country, you can search by person or topic. And the topic can be a standard one, such as songs or food, or a less common theme, such as animals from birds to sheep.

If you are really into one particular holiday, there are a plethora of specialized references out there. But The Folklore of World Holidays has 50 pages on Christmas. It’s likely to meet most of your holiday reference needs. Ask Santa to drop one under the tree this year!

The Eyes Have It

Posted on December 2, 2016December 1, 2016 by vlaw759

I recently (as in 11/22 and 12/1) had cataract surgery. The procedures and their aftereffects have been much on my mind. One thought led to another. Given that illness, accidents, disease, and all that go with physical conditions and medical procedures are part of everyone’s life to some extent, they must be part of our writing, too.

Consider the possibilities; they are legion. Here is a representative and far-from-exhaustive list of possibilities: heart disease, pulmonary insufficiency, cancer; knee, hip or shoulder replacement; measles, mumps, hepatitis, or malaria; ulcers, colitis, diverticulitis, or gastritis; broken leg, back, or dominant arm; migraines, depression, or addiction; paralysis, deafness, or blindness; diabetes, severe burns, frostbite; psoriasis, skin pigmentation problems; cleft palate, microcephaly, or other birth defects; and so many more!

Each possibility carries the potential for wide-ranging effects. Some of these are chronic, others are more temporary.

—self concept and self-esteem

—the reactions of family, friends, strangers

—behavioral limits—ongoing or temporary

—pain and discomfort

—treatment (or not)

—communicability, and reactions to possibly “giving” it to others

—demands on the time, energy, emotions, and money of the person and/or family and friends

—career/job limitations or difficulties

—what hobbies or leisure activities are available with this condition

—and so many more!

Assignment for writers: Choose a health problem or disability, and write one or more scenes about how that would affect/limit holiday celebrations and enjoyment. Enjoy!

Helpful and Hazardous Critique Groups

Posted on November 25, 2016November 23, 2016 by vlaw759

Last week I wrote about editing yourself. For most writers, self-editing is necessary but not sufficient to make the writing its best. That’s where critique groups and reading partners come in. Personally, I prefer a small group, four or five seeming ideal to me. The strength in numbers is that having multiple readers with different strengths can cover more of the territory: some might pick up on word choices and sentence structure, while others look more at the big picture of character and plot development.

Regardless of number, good readers have much in common:

1. They want your writing to be the best possible version of your work.

2. They are frank, but kind in their delivery.

3. They don’t get pissed if you don’t make a change they suggested.

4. If the group is unanimous in a certain point (e.g., a weak opening paragraph), believe it.

5. They can help you realize that some vital information is in your head but not on the page, especially with memoirs.

6. They can tell you when the impression you intended to create isn’t the one you did create.

7. They understand the expectations of your genre.

8. They make specific comments, so that you know how to fix what doesn’t work.

9. They don’t try to compete to be the best in the group.

Bad groups can be hazardous to your writing health in numerous ways.

1. It’s all about the competition.

2. They confuse critiquing with criticizing, and so don’t offer praise.

3. They give vague feedback that gives you no direction (e.g., “This is great” or “This doesn’t do it for me”).

4. They try to get you to write like them.

5. They socialize, eating up meeting time with too much chit-chat.

6. They get so involved with agreeing or disagreeing with your premise that they lose sight of the quality of the writing. This is especially the case when the topic is politics or religion—or any sort of opinion piece.

There are some things that will help a group to be good. There are online resources and guidelines you might adopt. In my experience, here are a few basics:

1. Set down the group guidelines in writing.

2. Be clear about what types of writing will be acceptable (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, memoir, opinion essays, etc.) and stick to them.

3. Be clear about how feedback will be given.

4. Specify when the work is due, in what form, and what length.

5. Decide what happens when someone misses a meeting: Are they expected to send comments on others’ work? Can they send work anyway?

6. What if someone comes without having written anything?

7. Stick to a regular meeting time and schedule.

8. Get the group’s consensus when changing any of this.

9. Keep the group small enough that everyone can have sufficient and equal time.

10. Meet at least twice a month.

You need to feel comfortable, supported, and helped. This is a very personal thing. If you find yourself in a “bad” group, get out!

Didn’t Get it Right the First Time?

Posted on November 18, 2016November 16, 2016 by vlaw759

Few writers do!

noah lukeman first five pages plot thickens

Noah Lukeman is my favorite guru on self-editing. He’s highly readable, clear, and interesting. But if you need some quick-and-dirty guidelines right now, here are a baker’s dozen.

1. Circle your modifiers and decide whether they’re really needed. Especially cut adverbs in favor of stronger verbs.

2. Avoid clichés. This is especially important in the narrative, but shouldn’t appear frequently in dialogue, either.

3. Refer to people as who, not that.

4. Beware repeated words or phrases, especially in close proximity. Check your word habits and “kill your darlings.”

5. Divide long, complex sentences into two or more shorter sentences—this is especially important in action scenes.

6. Minimize the use of really, very, and suddenly.

7. Make sure you know what your words mean. Check definitions

8. Avoid passive verbs, especially is, are, was, were, and -ing verbs.

9. Look for filler words or phrases that really don’t add anything, e.g., smiling, sighing, looking away, etc.

10. Don’t over-use exclamation points or ellipses. Never double punctuate. Get it?!

11. Be specific. Replace vague words like things, stuff, beautiful, etc.

12. Don’t have characters tell each other things just because the reader needs to know.

13. Don’t give the same speech quirks or movements to more than one character unless there is a specific reason to do so.

Read your work aloud—or better yet, have someone else read it aloud to you—and revisit every place that causes a stumble.

And maybe the most important suggestion: Find a good guide to self-editing. There are dozens out there.

edit your self self editing editing fiction

Festival of the Written Word

Posted on November 15, 2016November 16, 2016 by vlaw759

—a great event for readers and writers!

As many of you know, I was again on the program at Midlothian Library’s Festival of the Written Word. This was the second annual, and it seems to just get better and better.

I was pleased to moderate and participate in the panel “I Couldn’t Put It Down: Creating Page-Turning Tension and Action.”

vivian lawry heather weidner doug jones festivalwrittenword

I was joined by Sister in Crime Heather Weidner and award winning playwright and local teacher Doug Jones. We had a great audience, attentive and involved, asking lots of good questions. The panel preceding us in that space, “Small Press and Indie Publishing,” must have been a great success too, given that they stayed in place till the last possible minute! This panel included Stacy Hawkins Adams, Sisters in Crime Tina Glasneck and Heather Weidner, and writing colleague Guy Terrell.

guy terrell vivian lawry festivalwrittenword

This may be reminiscent of a wedding portrait, but notice the books we are holding. Guy is a poet as well as co-author (with Jack Trammell) of The Fourth Branch of Government: We the People, an impassioned presentation discussion of the need for and ways to bring individuals’ voices back into the political process.

As you might have guessed, the program was designed to appeal to a broad range of topics and ages. There were four Sisters in Crime on the program.

Besides the panels mentioned above, they discussed “Crime and the Paranormal in Your Writing.”

Another panel discussion focused on “The Practical Realities of Writing for a Living.” There were writing workshops for kids, teens, and adults, ranging from poetry to memoir.

There were also readings for kids AND “Walk-In Writing Activities and Crafts.” People could gather for some shared NaNoWriMo writing time…

…or pick up a writing prompt—or several—for later plotting.

There was food available and live music by local author Brant Huddleston on guitar.

And of course books! There were book sales and signings by authors on the program, as well as books sales to benefit the Friends of the Library.

fall festival cookbooks festivalwrittenword

Energy was high! There was a lot of chat time, including a Local Writers Meet and Greet. Two of the most interesting people I met were a woman newly arrived in Richmond, Amber Williams, and her son Kai. Here’s a picture of them holding her book, which he illustrated. Watch for them in the future!

Bottom line: This annual event, free and open to the public, has something for everyone! Watch for it next November. And in the meantime, check out other public libraries for fun, interesting, thought-provoking events.

Writing War

Posted on November 11, 2016November 10, 2016 by vlaw759

So, today is Veterans’ Day, which brings thoughts of the military, which brings thoughts of war. Both have been around forever, it seems, and have touched virtually everyone’s life either directly or indirectly—which means one or both are likely to have touched the lives of your characters.

Should you find yourself writing a scene dealing with the military, war, and/or their direct or indirect effects on characters and plot, get it right! So many of your potential readers know the details that if you get it wrong, you will immediately lose all credibility.

civil war life civil war america love and lust

Fortunately there are a number of resources available to assist you. My personal bookshelves are not comprehensive, but here are a few examples of what’s out there. Note the broad range of detail and focus, from the battlefield to the home front.

americans remember home front 1001 things world war ii

You can find resources for any war of interest, as well as any branch of any military, worldwide. My own interests tend toward the effects of war on individuals.

You can also focus on a subset of action and response.

they fought like demons women soldiers civil war — [Source: Amazon]

Regardless of any other choices you make, you will surely need authentic language, whether for dialogue or narrative. And therefore, I highly recommend a good dictionary.

Takeaway for Writers: Yes, you must have engaging characters, tension, lots at stake, and action moving forward, but if you get the factual details wrong, you’ll lose your reader! Get it right with war and the military.

Campaign Writing: Choosing the Lesser of Two Evils

Posted on October 28, 2016October 28, 2016 by vlaw759

hillary clinton cspan choosing lesser two evils

Well, folks, I just can’t get away from the campaign. It offers too many lessons for writers!

I recently heard a talk show segment on undecided voters who, reportedly, view their presidential vote as choosing the lesser of two evils. We’ve all experienced situations in which every possible choice has a downside. Psychologists call these avoidance-avoidance conflicts, and writers should love them.

This type of conflict is so common, there are myriad of folk sayings to this point. For example, “Being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.”

As a writer, this is often where you want your character(s) to be—”between a rock and a hard place!”

A simple case would be getting dental work, or living with the pain.

“Out of the frying pan, into the fire” is the variation of tolerating the current situation or opting for an alternative that is definitely negative and could be worse.

In this instance, think remaining in a bad marriage or pursuing a divorce. This one can be ramped up with the addition of children, property, pets, and the loss of in-law family.

As a writer, you want the negatives to be as bad as possible. There isn’t much stress in choosing to skip lunch or be late to the hairdresser.

How your character chooses to deal with the stress reveals character and engages readers. Would your character make lists of the negatives and choose the lesser of two evils?

Or would your character do nothing and let nature take its course? In the current election, that might mean not voting. Another possibility is looking for the silver lining: is there anything positive about candidate ________?

Intra-psychic conflicts (as opposed to armed conflicts, physical battles, etc.) are great tools for writers. Perhaps the conflict is the plot and the entire story is its resolution. What would cause your character conflict? Is your character solely responsible for the outcome? If not, as in the present race for the presidency in which no single vote is the determining factor, shared responsibility would affect the character’s response. Would s/he disclaim responsibility altogether?

Takeaway for writers: Use conflict to strengthen your story—what causes conflict, how your character(s) express their stress, how it is ultimately resolved. Avoidance-avoidance conflicts can raise tension in individual scenes or relationships, or it can be the whole plot. Use it as you will, but use it!

I am also excited to announce that a short story I wrote, “A DIY Life,” has been published to The Penmen Review! The article was posted today and will soon be printed in the Storyteller Magazine as well.