WRITE TIME AND AGAIN

Memorable Vacation

Posted on July 8, 2023 by L. M. Montes

Daily writing prompt

Describe your most memorable vacation.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, ha ha ha. No seriously, I was four years old, and we had a great time. We, me and my family, lived in Michigan at the time, and we took a two week vacation to Oregon to see my aunt and uncle. It was in the early ’70’s during more simple times. Well, in my four year old mind things weren’t that complicated. I was just focused on playing and having fun. Our two week excursion started out by train in Flint, Michigan and ended in Portland, Oregon. My mom packed snacks for my sisters and me in a suitcase, and all meals were eaten in the dining car.

At that age I sucked my thumb, and I remember one of the waiters enjoyed teasing me by saying he was going to put hot sauce on it. Aside from that, I remember the tables had white table cloths with fine silverware and white cloth napkins. The waiters wore tuxedos with a white linen cloth hung over one arm.

Then there was the observation deck on top, where my older sister and I liked to sit and watch the scenery as it passed by. The mountains in Montana burned such a beautiful impression on my four year old mind to such an extent that I want to make that trip again. Except now I live in Oregon and would travel to Michigan to visit my dad. I take an airplane normally, but next time it’s going to be the train.

While we were in Oregon, I ended up being homesick for a few days. But my mom was an expert at keeping us occupied so I didn’t think about home so much. One thing we did was pile into my uncle’s jeep and take a road trip down the Oregon coast south into Northern California. Along the way we stopped at the Paul Bunyan park (That’s not the official name, but there was a large statue of Paul Bunyan and the bull out front). While there, we walked along the trail through the woods. Along the trail there was a large gate ever so often, and my cousin and I would race to open each one. It amazes me what remains exciting to a four year old.

After we left Paul Bunyan, we stopped for a while at a section of beach. That was my first time seeing the ocean in person. It had such an impression on me that, now, I LOVE going to the ocean. The waves, the sand, the vast expanse of it all, fills me up and gives me peace. It’s an amazing God created beauty and one place where I feel His presence when I am there.

This trip to Oregon when I was four will be cherished always. It was family time well spent and something to look back on in a positive way.

Action Words, Emotions

Narrative

Posted on July 7, 2023 by L. M. Montes

When reading a book, I enjoy the story’s visuals brought on by the author’s well crafted writing. Narration can be boring if it isn’t spiced up with words that get the readers attention. Believe me, I’ve read some books that were boring in parts because there wasn’t any ‘flavoring particles’ in the narration. It was just relaying information. I get that information must be conveyed to the reader somehow, but there’s a way to tell/show that entices the reader to keep reading. Make it interesting.

Keep linking verbs to a minimum and use action verbs instead.
Use words that depict feeling. Example: The hammering continued its incessant bang, bang, until I my teeth ground. I shot out of my chair, stomped to the window, and opened my mouth to scream at the culprit wielding the damn thing. But then it stopped. Everyday for the last week someone next door hammered like that all day. Yet, when asked what they were working on, the answer was “not a damn thing.”

Below is a paragraph taken from my second book entitled The Cross’s Key. The character’s name whose point of view this paragraph is from is Kyle. He’s in another realm called Between Time, and he’s looking for a particular cave.

‘As he walked, thoughts of his last conversation with Nadira haunted him. Didn’t she have confidence in him? What if something did happen to him here, and the Quivicar was out of reach? How would he get a message to her? He glanced at his left palm. The Quivicar sat nice and mesh with the inside of his hand, an anomaly that occurred when it was in use, so it was unlikely to move. The edges of the inner workings of the artifact glowed a feint golden light.’

However you make your narration interesting, whether using action verbs, words conveying emotion, or by any other means is up to you. But keep your reader turning pages.

Prompts

Subjects

Posted on July 7, 2023 by L. M. Montes

Daily writing prompt

On what subject(s) are you an authority?

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In my estimation, if one is an authority on a subject, it means they know everything about it. Maybe I’m wrong in that, but that is the how that statement grabs me. Therefore, is anyone, even experts, an authority on any one particular subject? There is always something to learn no matter how well we know it. Why is that? It’s because things change, and there is something else about it hidden around the corner somewhere.

Prompts

Romantic

Posted on July 6, 2023 by L. M. Montes

What’s your definition of romantic?

Sitting on the beach under the stars 🌟 ✨ talking and listening to the waves trickle toward shore.

Characterization, Plot/Story

Backstory or Bust

Posted on July 5, 2023 by L. M. Montes

Your main character’s backstory, or history, is presented in the first act. Sometimes in act 2 but never in act 3. The bulk of it gets inserted in act 1. I like to think of the backstory as a spring board for what is to come. Will all of it have a bearing on the main story? No. Some of it will work toward the reader getting to know your character and even creating empathy for your character within the reader. But how do you introduce backstory, and what will your character’s backstory be? I will tell you how I did it, and you can take it from there.

So far, I have had to create backstory for three main characters. Once in book 1, once in book 2, and now in book 3. Each time I accomplished this, I did it a different way. In book 1 I used a flashback and introspection with the main character to convey her personal history. By doing this, the reader gained insight into the main character’s state of mind and the relationship she had with her mother. It also conveyed insight into her past behaviors. Where did I get her backstory from? I used a little of my own history and embellished it.

In book 2, we meet Kyle Stevens as our main character. For his backstory, I presented it in a vision he had while in another realm. So, he was actually seeing a memory being played out in front of him. Mixed in with it were memories he had no idea he had. Everything he saw in that vision played an active role in the story to come, physically and mentally. Later in act 2 more backstory is peppered throughout but sparingly. Remember that. Kyle’s history just jumped at me as I was writing it. I made it up as I was going along. That’s a rare thing. I had so much fun writing book 2. Can you tell?

Now, I am in the middle of writing book 3. John Cummings is now the main character. He was a side character in books 1 and 2, but we never gained any real detailed information about him. Until now. The way I present his backstory to the reader is through verbal means. In other words, he has to tell the love of his life about his past. So this time it comes out in a way that’s straight forward. The back story for book 3 I am still working out. I have a journal I write notes in, so this morning as I was working on my manuscript, I got to the part where John is to tell Maggie about his past. I had an idea, but it wasn’t coming clear (not like it did for Kyle in book2). So I sat thinking about John and the other players in the story and the events thus far. Ideas started to click but not to the point where I could make it up as I went along, as before. So I pulled out my journal and jotted down notes about John’s history. That’s where I’m at with that at this point.

Do you have to do what I did? No. You can if you choose, but take my ideas and use them as springboards to other ideas you may come up with. We’re all different and do things in ways that work for us.

Prompts

Gratitude

Posted on July 5, 2023 by L. M. Montes

Daily writing prompt

How do you express your gratitude?

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By thanking them and reaching out and doing for others in return.

Prompts

Worries

Posted on July 4, 2023 by L. M. Montes

What are you most worried about for the future?

Jesus is my refuge. No worries.

Characterization, Writing

What Works

Posted on July 3, 2023 by L. M. Montes

If you’ve chosen to be a writer, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, you will see quite a few books and articles regarding the do’s and don’ts if you want to be successful. I’m here to tell you there is no hard and fast rule you must follow to be a definite success. What I will tell you is to read what others have tried in the past and try it. If it works for you, continue using it. If not, either tweak it to your liking or stop using it. We are all different writers with different writing styles. What works for one writer will not work for another.

Example: Characterization
Some writers like to make a detailed personality sketch of their characters. This is a great idea because you can use it to refer back to, while writing your story. Does every author/writer have to do this in order to create great characters that come alive and stand out? Certainly not. You might be the writer/author who would prefer to make a video about your character. How you do this is up to you, of course. Or, you might make it up as you go along. Hey, whatever works for you and creates memorable characters.

Don’t stress yourself out by trying to write how others write and whether or not you’re getting it just right. Use their strategies, but use them in YOUR OWN way.