Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Weeks
1 THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Penguin Group.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
2 HIT LIST, by Laurell K. Hamilton. (Penguin Group.) The Mother of All Darkness stalks the vampire hunter Anita Blake, who is pursuing a serial killer in the Pacific Northwest.
3 WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. (Algonquin.) After his parents are killed in a car accident, a young veterinary student — and an elephant — save a Depression-era circus.
4 STATE OF WONDER, by Ann Patchett. (HarperCollins.) In the Amazon basin, a medical researcher searches for her former mentor, a despotic scientist who is developing a miracle fertility drug.
5 THE KINGDOM, by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood. (Penguin Group.) Husband-and-wife treasure hunters travel to Asia in an adventure involving missing persons, black-market fossils and the ancient Tibetan kingdom of Mustang.
6 BURIED PREY, by John Sandford. (Penguin Group.) The Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport investigates the murders of two girls who were kidnapped in 1985.
7 10TH ANNIVERSARY, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Little, Brown.) Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club race to find a missing baby.
8 8 A GAME OF THRONES, by George R. R. Martin. (Random House.) In the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are mustering.
9 SOMETHING BORROWED, by Emily Giffin. (St. Martin's.) A maid of honor to her charmed friend, Rachel White has always played by the rules. But that changes on her 30th birthday.
10 SUMMER SECRETS, by Barbara Freethy. (Recorded Books.) Three sailboat-racing sisters close ranks against a tenacious reporter who digs into a devastating secret from their past.
For the full list, Visit The New York Times
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
CREATING SHORT STORIES - 11: Other Characters
In addition to the characters in Creating Short Stories - 10: Bringing Characters to Life” fiction has one-dimensional characters, characters not fully developed, designed to serve a single purpose in a story. These might deliver some type of message the protagonist needs to know. It might be an individual creating some problem for the hero. Perhaps this character plants some omen of the future the central character will encounter if he or she pursues, or doesn’t pursue, the current course. Maybe the person will give some type of clue.
Unlike fully developed characters that merit full descriptions and backgrounds, these single-purpose individuals only require minor details: manor of dress, age, hair color, crustiness. The objective is to avoid boring the reader with a full psychological profile that means little to the story. It might look like the following:
Alfred numbs himself by thinking of the days at the beach on the North Shore of Long Island, the waves mesmerizing his mind, while he pores through the grizzly remains of the longhaired blonde (from 10) laying in scattered bits on the Miami beachfront. He wondered what type of lunatic had the incredible disregard for human life that he would inflict such havoc on this poor woman. He must be extremely strong.
The horror of the scene and the hideous stench forced him to stand and walk away from the body to get a lungful of fresh air. As he neared the street that ran parallel to the beach, he saw a woman drive up in a small sports car.
She stepped out of the vehicle and put her large hands in the small of her back to stretch. As she leaned back, the bikini covered little and revealed that she lifted weights. Her thighs contained massive muscle, as did her torso. Her arms appeared to be larger than almost any man he knew.
Immediately, Alfred rule out the men only suspect theory and revised his suspect pool to include strong women. From the condition of the body, there might have been two killers.
In that scene, Alfred discovers he needs to expend his thinking to solve this crime.
Another scenario:
The crusty old hag, dressed in what could only be considered funeral garb approached and pointed a crooked finger at Sam. “Beware the morning. Be gone from this town by then.”
Sam blinked rapidly. “Huh, are you talking to me?
“I speak to you. Leave before the morn, or you will regret it?
“What do you mean, old lady?”
“Remember my words, or you will regret, regret, regret,” she said as she walked into the dark night.
In that scene, the crusty old hag delivered a warning to Sam, one of the purposes for a one-dimensional figure in a story.
Unlike fully developed characters that merit full descriptions and backgrounds, these single-purpose individuals only require minor details: manor of dress, age, hair color, crustiness. The objective is to avoid boring the reader with a full psychological profile that means little to the story. It might look like the following:
Alfred numbs himself by thinking of the days at the beach on the North Shore of Long Island, the waves mesmerizing his mind, while he pores through the grizzly remains of the longhaired blonde (from 10) laying in scattered bits on the Miami beachfront. He wondered what type of lunatic had the incredible disregard for human life that he would inflict such havoc on this poor woman. He must be extremely strong.
The horror of the scene and the hideous stench forced him to stand and walk away from the body to get a lungful of fresh air. As he neared the street that ran parallel to the beach, he saw a woman drive up in a small sports car.
She stepped out of the vehicle and put her large hands in the small of her back to stretch. As she leaned back, the bikini covered little and revealed that she lifted weights. Her thighs contained massive muscle, as did her torso. Her arms appeared to be larger than almost any man he knew.
Immediately, Alfred rule out the men only suspect theory and revised his suspect pool to include strong women. From the condition of the body, there might have been two killers.
In that scene, Alfred discovers he needs to expend his thinking to solve this crime.
Another scenario:
The crusty old hag, dressed in what could only be considered funeral garb approached and pointed a crooked finger at Sam. “Beware the morning. Be gone from this town by then.”
Sam blinked rapidly. “Huh, are you talking to me?
“I speak to you. Leave before the morn, or you will regret it?
“What do you mean, old lady?”
“Remember my words, or you will regret, regret, regret,” she said as she walked into the dark night.
In that scene, the crusty old hag delivered a warning to Sam, one of the purposes for a one-dimensional figure in a story.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
New York Times Best Seller List: Fiction
Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
1 THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Penguin Group.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
2 SOMETHING BORROWED, by Emily Giffin. (St. Martin's.) A maid of honor to her charmed friend, Rachel White has always played by the rules. But that changes on her 30th birthday.
3 10TH ANNIVERSARY, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Little, Brown.) Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club race to find a missing baby.
4 SUMMER SECRETS, by Barbara Freethy. (Recorded Books.) Three sailboat-racing sisters close ranks against a tenacious reporter who digs into a devastating secret from their past.
5 JUST LIKE HEAVEN, by Julia Quinn. (HarperCollins.) A Regency-era tale featuring the romantic exploits of the well-meaning but less-than-accomplished Smythe-Smith musicians.
6 WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. (Algonquin.) After his parents are killed in a car accident, a young veterinary student — and an elephant — save a Depression-era circus.
7 BURIED PREY, by John Sandford. (Penguin Group.) The Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport investigates the murders of two girls who were kidnapped in 1985.
8 A GAME OF THRONES, by George R. R. Martin. (Random House.) In the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are mustering.
9 DREAMS OF JOY, by Lisa See. (Random House.) A young woman angry at her mother and aunt over family secrets runs away to Shanghai in search of her birth father.
10 CREED'S HONOR, by Linda Lael Miller. (Harlequin.) Conner Creed, a hard-working rancher in Lonesome Bend, is reunited with the identical twin brother he’s been estranged from for years.
Visit the New York Times
1 THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Penguin Group.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
2 SOMETHING BORROWED, by Emily Giffin. (St. Martin's.) A maid of honor to her charmed friend, Rachel White has always played by the rules. But that changes on her 30th birthday.
3 10TH ANNIVERSARY, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Little, Brown.) Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club race to find a missing baby.
4 SUMMER SECRETS, by Barbara Freethy. (Recorded Books.) Three sailboat-racing sisters close ranks against a tenacious reporter who digs into a devastating secret from their past.
5 JUST LIKE HEAVEN, by Julia Quinn. (HarperCollins.) A Regency-era tale featuring the romantic exploits of the well-meaning but less-than-accomplished Smythe-Smith musicians.
6 WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. (Algonquin.) After his parents are killed in a car accident, a young veterinary student — and an elephant — save a Depression-era circus.
7 BURIED PREY, by John Sandford. (Penguin Group.) The Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport investigates the murders of two girls who were kidnapped in 1985.
8 A GAME OF THRONES, by George R. R. Martin. (Random House.) In the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are mustering.
9 DREAMS OF JOY, by Lisa See. (Random House.) A young woman angry at her mother and aunt over family secrets runs away to Shanghai in search of her birth father.
10 CREED'S HONOR, by Linda Lael Miller. (Harlequin.) Conner Creed, a hard-working rancher in Lonesome Bend, is reunited with the identical twin brother he’s been estranged from for years.
Visit the New York Times
Friday, June 10, 2011
The New Criminals
PBS, was hacked by LulzSec. LulSec posted a false article stating that Tupac Shakur was living in New Zealand. This retaliation for a documentary, “WikiSecrets, PBS aired about WikiLeaks publication of classified information. (Funny that WIkiLEaks requires employees sign a non-disclosure agreement contract about their ILLEGAL activities.
Who are these peole and why do they think they have the right to commit such crimes. For one thing, they have the knowledge required to make decisions regarding right and wrong in the international political arena.
These criminals break into IT systems of banks, governments, defense contractors, military organizations. In addition to using stolen information in a childish attempt to manipulate world affairs, they use the information to steal from everyday citizens.
These misguided criminals conspire to commit espionage. For these crimes, they need to be prosecuted and punished.
They, somehow, believe they will save the world, but they are wrong. The world has an order that works. Their ideas defy rationality.
Let’s consider the rule of law. Countries establish a code of ethics for the nation. These hacker-criminals violate these laws every time they hack into a computer—no matter who owns that computer. They have no legal (or legitimate) reason to have that information.
For those who believe this activity constitutes activism, be advised it does not. It constitutes crime, criminal activity that requires prosecution. Hackers have no imbued right to break the law.
This is also posted at Orphans of Liberty
Who are these peole and why do they think they have the right to commit such crimes. For one thing, they have the knowledge required to make decisions regarding right and wrong in the international political arena.
These criminals break into IT systems of banks, governments, defense contractors, military organizations. In addition to using stolen information in a childish attempt to manipulate world affairs, they use the information to steal from everyday citizens.
These misguided criminals conspire to commit espionage. For these crimes, they need to be prosecuted and punished.
They, somehow, believe they will save the world, but they are wrong. The world has an order that works. Their ideas defy rationality.
Let’s consider the rule of law. Countries establish a code of ethics for the nation. These hacker-criminals violate these laws every time they hack into a computer—no matter who owns that computer. They have no legal (or legitimate) reason to have that information.
For those who believe this activity constitutes activism, be advised it does not. It constitutes crime, criminal activity that requires prosecution. Hackers have no imbued right to break the law.
This is also posted at Orphans of Liberty
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Creating Short Stories - 10: Bringing Characters to Life
Creating Short Stories 10: Making the Characters Come to Life
Just for the fun of it, let’s take these three characters from the previous post and make them come to life. For our purposes, come to life means animating the people we described in the last blogCreating Short Stories: More on Characters . A writer wants to have them behave as everyday people would. Characters need to touch the readers in an emotional way that allows them to identify with the people in the story.
We have three characters: the older woman with hair that touches below her hips. She has a rather batty personality. One day she enters the coffee shop with that endless crop of hair tucked under a man’s hat, making it appears that she had shorn hers blonde locks. And two thirty-something men who walk into the coffee shop, nattily dressed. Sharp creases show on their white as a bleached road in Florida shirts and pants that shouts, “Custom tailored for me.” Windsor knots adorn their multi-colored silk ties creating the impression that cost never matters with any of their purchases.
Starting with the woman who’s named Kathy:
Kathy waited for the counter clerk to pour the decaf coffee. For some reason, she had tucked her extensive crop of blonde hair under her husband’s hat, as if to create a disguise. Her dark blue eyes that looked like deep wells darted about the store as if she feared someone would enter and attack her. She paced a bit.
Two well-dressed men walked into the large shop, one talking on his cell phone. “No, haven’t seen her yet. Anyone there have any idea where she might have gone?”
Kathy froze and turned her back to the two men.
The man continued, “I know it should be easy to spot her with all that hair, Tom, but she’s nowhere in sight. We’ve looked everywhere she goes during the day, or night for that matter. It’s as if she disappeared from the face of the Earth.
The clerk turned and placed the coffee container on the counter. “Here ya go, Kathy.”
Both men’s head jerked to the direction of the counter and saw nothing. Kathy had already rushed through the door to the back exit.
The clerk looked around. “Kathy? Where’d ya go?”
The second man asked the clerk, “Is there a back exit?”
“Yes, there is, but you can’t use it.”
“This is an emergency,” he said, as he pulled out some type of Federal Agent’s identification.
The men brushed the protesting clerk aside and ran into the back room. One of them yelled, “Damn, the door’s locked.”
“Front door,” his partner screamed.
They squeezed past the narrow doorway and onto the sidewalk, almost creating a comedic scene.
Now we have a short scene with three characters involved in some type of conflict. Some questions come to mind as I wonder if they will catch her:
Why do they want her?
Did she commit a crime?
Is she ill?
Did she escape from an institution?
Are they really Federal Agents?
Can we make this a short story?
Just for the fun of it, let’s take these three characters from the previous post and make them come to life. For our purposes, come to life means animating the people we described in the last blogCreating Short Stories: More on Characters . A writer wants to have them behave as everyday people would. Characters need to touch the readers in an emotional way that allows them to identify with the people in the story.
We have three characters: the older woman with hair that touches below her hips. She has a rather batty personality. One day she enters the coffee shop with that endless crop of hair tucked under a man’s hat, making it appears that she had shorn hers blonde locks. And two thirty-something men who walk into the coffee shop, nattily dressed. Sharp creases show on their white as a bleached road in Florida shirts and pants that shouts, “Custom tailored for me.” Windsor knots adorn their multi-colored silk ties creating the impression that cost never matters with any of their purchases.
Starting with the woman who’s named Kathy:
Kathy waited for the counter clerk to pour the decaf coffee. For some reason, she had tucked her extensive crop of blonde hair under her husband’s hat, as if to create a disguise. Her dark blue eyes that looked like deep wells darted about the store as if she feared someone would enter and attack her. She paced a bit.
Two well-dressed men walked into the large shop, one talking on his cell phone. “No, haven’t seen her yet. Anyone there have any idea where she might have gone?”
Kathy froze and turned her back to the two men.
The man continued, “I know it should be easy to spot her with all that hair, Tom, but she’s nowhere in sight. We’ve looked everywhere she goes during the day, or night for that matter. It’s as if she disappeared from the face of the Earth.
The clerk turned and placed the coffee container on the counter. “Here ya go, Kathy.”
Both men’s head jerked to the direction of the counter and saw nothing. Kathy had already rushed through the door to the back exit.
The clerk looked around. “Kathy? Where’d ya go?”
The second man asked the clerk, “Is there a back exit?”
“Yes, there is, but you can’t use it.”
“This is an emergency,” he said, as he pulled out some type of Federal Agent’s identification.
The men brushed the protesting clerk aside and ran into the back room. One of them yelled, “Damn, the door’s locked.”
“Front door,” his partner screamed.
They squeezed past the narrow doorway and onto the sidewalk, almost creating a comedic scene.
Now we have a short scene with three characters involved in some type of conflict. Some questions come to mind as I wonder if they will catch her:
Why do they want her?
Did she commit a crime?
Is she ill?
Did she escape from an institution?
Are they really Federal Agents?
Can we make this a short story?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
New York Times Best Seller List
Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
1. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. (Algonquin.) After his parents die in a car accident, a young veterinary student — and an elephant — save a Depression-era circus.
2. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Penguin Group.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
3. SOMETHING BORROWED, by Emily Giffin. (St. Martin's.) A maid of honor to her charmed friend, Rachel White has always played by the rules. But that changes on her 30th birthday.
4. 10TH ANNIVERSARY, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Little, Brown.) Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club race to find a missing baby.
5. BURIED PREY, by John Sandford. (Penguin Group.) The Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport investigates the murders of two girls who were kidnapped in 1985.
6. DEAD RECKONING, by Charlaine Harris. (Penguin Group.) The telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse seeks the culprit in a firebombing.
7. THE SIXTH MAN, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central.) The lawyer for an alleged serial killer is murdered, and two former Secret Service agents are on the case.
8. A GAME OF THRONES, by George R. R. Martin. (Random House.) In the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are mustering.
9. FRANKENSTEIN: THE DEAD TOWN, by Dean Koontz. (Random House.) Book 5 in the reimagining of the classic tale.
10. THE JEFFERSON KEY, by Steve Berry. (Random House.) The former government operative Cotton Malone foils an assassination attempt on the president and finds himself at dangerous odds with a secret society.
Visit the New York Times
1. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. (Algonquin.) After his parents die in a car accident, a young veterinary student — and an elephant — save a Depression-era circus.
2. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Penguin Group.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
3. SOMETHING BORROWED, by Emily Giffin. (St. Martin's.) A maid of honor to her charmed friend, Rachel White has always played by the rules. But that changes on her 30th birthday.
4. 10TH ANNIVERSARY, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Little, Brown.) Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club race to find a missing baby.
5. BURIED PREY, by John Sandford. (Penguin Group.) The Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport investigates the murders of two girls who were kidnapped in 1985.
6. DEAD RECKONING, by Charlaine Harris. (Penguin Group.) The telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse seeks the culprit in a firebombing.
7. THE SIXTH MAN, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central.) The lawyer for an alleged serial killer is murdered, and two former Secret Service agents are on the case.
8. A GAME OF THRONES, by George R. R. Martin. (Random House.) In the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are mustering.
9. FRANKENSTEIN: THE DEAD TOWN, by Dean Koontz. (Random House.) Book 5 in the reimagining of the classic tale.
10. THE JEFFERSON KEY, by Steve Berry. (Random House.) The former government operative Cotton Malone foils an assassination attempt on the president and finds himself at dangerous odds with a secret society.
Visit the New York Times
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Future of the Internet
I came across this video and found it quite interesting. Hope you do too.
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