Wrestling With Dialogue

I don’t know who said this, but I dislike them anyway. They make it sound like if you aren’t a dialoguing natural then you’re doomed, but it isn’t that way at all.

I’m not exactly a world class conversationalist, so it isn’t surprising that I suck at dialog. Then again apparently, I’m not a lone. I was surprised to learn that a lot of people struggle with dialogue. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.

One of the problems for me is that there is a lot of advise floating around out there about writing good dialogue. I’m in desperate need of that advise, but sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s just blowing steam and who can actually help. Take this quote for example…

"The best way to send information is to wrap it up in a person."
- Robert Oppenheimer

It sounds like solid writing advise, and the name sounds somewhat familiar, so my first instinct was that his opinions must be relevant. Wrong. It turns out Robert Oppenheimer was the director of the Manhattan Project during World War II. He helped create the atomic bomb not the great American novel. So chances are he isn’t going to be able to help me.

Then there are the articles that are helpful just not in the right way. They’re written by published authors. They have bullet points. Everything points at them offering you good information, so you start reading. It isn’t until you get half way through the incredibly long article that you realize that while the tips are helpful in making the dialogue count they just don’t actually help you write the dialog in the first place.

Finally there are the article that look helpful but really aren’t. They have bullet points too. They’re at the top of the Google list, and they’re peer based. What could be better? A lot depending on the peers. Just because someone claims to know how to write good doesn’t mean that they can actually help you write good dialog. It’s one of those cases where the phrase “those who can do and those who can’t teach” really comes back to bite the reader. Someone who’s clueless isn’t always the best teacher.

“You can't worry about what your mother will think of your fiction.”

-Terence M. Green's

Some of the best advise I’ve found on writing dialog hasn’t come from Googling “how to write good dialogue in a story.” It’s come from Googling authors who’ve written Newberry Medal Winners, Caldicot Award Winners, and Hugo Award Winners. Now those guys know how to write amazing dialogue, and in a lot of cases they’re willing to give some helpful hints those of us who struggle with dialogue (or any number of other writing corner stones).

The most helpful article by far I’ve found was written by Robert J. Sawyer. He didn’t just talk about what should come before and after dialogue or the importance of making it short. He went into detail about how people talk and how to take the canned stuff our minds create and turn it into something a real person would say. He ever covered using swear words in, which gives him major brownie points in my book.

Anyway, happy hunting, and if you find any good tips out there please pass them back my way.

-Aaron

An Uneventful May

My birthday is today, and I suddenly wish I was more interesting. Looking over my confessions I feel like I've wasted my 22nd year doing boring things, but I'm a college student so I guess boring is a good thing. If I was more interesting I probably wouldn't have made it this far.

1. Next November I get to guide 20+ fifth graders through NaNoWriMo.

2. I’m taking my first creative writing class this summer.

3. As a goodbye present my students and their parents made me a book where the students each answered three questions about me. According to my first and second graders when I’m not at school I spend all my time either in classes of my own, baking cookies for them, and coming up with cool things for them to do. My greatest desire is to own more fish and have millions of children, and the best thing about me is that I say funny things.

4. My birthday was hell, so from here on out I have decided to ignore its existence completely.

5. After spending an hour looking for a good sci-fi book for a struggling second grade reader who loves Star Wars I have come to the conclusion that there aren’t any, and I may just have to write one myself. I’m thinking of something along the lines of Arthur only in space and with shootouts.

-Aaron

A Love Hate Relationship

Fortunately, time management is something I’m very good at. I’m very good at planning things out. I enjoy drawing up schedules, and when I make a schedule I stick to it. The major decorations in my room are schedules, calendars, and day planners, and every aspect of every day is written on every last one of them.

This is the schedule of a typical week for me, and you can find it in various forms in about five places around my room.

However, as you may have noticed my schedule only has four colors on it: school, work, family, and everything else. I have managed to manage myself straight out of a personal life. I may get everything done that I need to get done, but that’s about it.

I’ll make the schedule. I’ll follow it to the letter, but just because I like having a schedule and am good at making them doesn’t mean I like its contents. May be one day my writing time won’t be in the same boxes as breakfast and dinner and I won’t have to schedule family dinners just so I don’t forget my brother exists. But for now I do, and that’s what I hate about effective time management.

- Aaron

A Tale of Two Covers

I have most definitely bought books and passed them up based on what their cover looked like. On a few occasions I’ve put back an interesting book because its cover didn’t catch my eye, but then several years later when it was reprinted with a different cover I suddenly remembered how much I had wanted to read that book.

For example…

I walked right by this cover because it looked busy and confusing,

but when felt the raised bullet holes on this cover I couldn't resist.

If I had seen this cover first I definitely would have bought the Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder of my own accord.

However, the cover on my copy looks like this, but it was a gift so the cover attractiveness factor is irrelevant since I didn't pick it out myself.

Both of The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax covers are equally intriguing to me given their unusual centerpieces.












Then again when I first read this book it was part of a Reader's Digest big book, so by the time I went to get a stand alone copy I would have bought it regardless of the cover.

As I hope this illustrates I'm such a fickle cover girl that the only time I don't pay attention to the cover is if a) I've already read the book, or b) I didn't buy the book myself. Otherwise if it doesn't have an intriguing cover chances are I won't be buying it.

I feel so petty :(
- Aaron

A Part of Me

My chosen profession is somewhat… restrictive in terms of self expression. Not presenting yourself in a certain way can result in not having a job, and for the most part I’m fine with that. However, there’s a part of me that will never be alright with having to dress and act a certain way, and that’s the part of me that I write into my work.

Basically, my main characters are the person I wish I could be. They…

• have a funky sense of humor.
• voice unique opinions on just about everything.
• live unconventional lives.
• express themselves through their clothing.
• do not have a typical hair color/style.
• are pierced and/or tattooed.
• aren’t afraid to stand out.
  

- Aaron

Kissing Scenes = HATE!

Even though it’s not the last week of April yet I have a confession. I’m 22, and I haven’t had my first kiss yet. Personally I’m getting a little antsy, but as an individual I can live with out it. However, as a writer it blows.

Every time I get to a kissing scene I freeze because I have no experience whatsoever to draw from. Oh, I can fake the emotional stuff like the warm fuzzes, the little light headed buzz, and the surrealness of the situation. It’s the physical stuff and the mechanics of kissing that get me.

If you’ve already had your first kiss the whole process probably doesn’t seem all that complex and mysterious to you, but from where I’m standing it’s like this huge brain teaser that I have no idea how to solve. I don’t even know where to start. What does it feel like to be pressed against someone? What does it taste like? Does it even taste, or is it a naive assumption that it would? How do you know when to kiss someone and when not to? Do you just smush your lips together or is there more to it than that?

Over Christmas Break I went so far as to try to remedy the situation by getting my first kiss, but it didn’t end so well. I felt like it wouldn’t be smart to just randomly kiss a guy in case they got the wrong idea, so I decided to ask the men I knew if they’d help me out. My ex thought I wanted to get back together, a friend from high school was all for it but only if I’d date him, and a socially awkward family friend actually had an anxiety attack.

After those lovely experiences I’m back to avoiding kissing scenes like the plague and faking it when every other alternative fails.

Does anyone out there have any advice on writing a kissing scene for someone with no personal experience?

- Aaron

Shades of Acceptance

There’s no simple way to sum up how the people in my life react to the fact that I love to write since everyone reacts to the news differently. To complicate my answer further some new people have wandered into my life and some of the existing occupants have changed their reactions.

Up until this last year I would have said my parents reacted about the same as they’d react to me saying I ate babies. The fact that I write has always worried my family because they thought it was a distraction that would keep me from a stable career. For a long time whenever I tried to talk to them about writing they would nod, smile, make a comment about how maybe I needed to ask the teacher for more homework if I had all this spare time, and take advantage of that statement to start talking about school and my future.

I hadn’t realized how much the situation had changed until recently when I mentioned to my mom a Writing Celebration Piece I’d written for a Language Arts class. Out of the blue my mom stopped me, and asked what my piece had been about. Unsure I hedged telling her it was just a character description before I tried to move the conversation into safer waters, but instead of letting me she stopped me again and asked if she could read it. She had never done anything like that before.

For as long as I’ve been writing my dad and my brothers haven’t changed their opinions on my writing, and their opinion is they don’t have an opinion. Honestly, they really don’t care, and they’ll tell you as much if you ask. As long as I get good grades my dad doesn’t care, and as long as it doesn’t keep me from helping them out when they need me my brothers don’t care.

Most of my friends are pretty apathetic when it comes to my writing. They aren’t writers, so it makes very little sense to them that I am. They try to be supportive by offering to read my work or giving me topic suggestions, but mainly they shuffle their feet and ignore it for lack a better response.

The exception to that comment is James. Whenever we talk he asks is how my writing is going, and he asks if he can help with anything. He doesn’t ask offer ideas or ask if he can read it. No, he asks if I’m getting stuck on anything and want to talk it out of or if I was having any problems incorporating the military into Monstrous. Also, he’d tell me about what he was working on, and we’d talk out scenes he was having problems with.

Then of course there are the Ink Slingers. I don’t know what I’d do without them. Ella was the one who got me back into writing after everyone else had convinced me to throw in the towel. Ella, Bethany, Hayley, Emery, and Bethany were the first people ever to read my work, and their support has made all the difference to me.

- Aaron

Love is in the Air... Sort of

Daisy Flattery is a free spirit with a soft spot for strays and a weakness for a good story. Why else would she agree to the outrageous charade offered by her buttoned-down workaholic neighbor, Linc Blaise? The history professor needs to have a fiancée in order to capture his dream job, and Daisy is game to play the role. But something funny happens on their way to the altar that changes everything. Now, with the midnight hour approaching, will Daisy lose her prince, or will opposites not only attract but live happily ever after?

After reading the back cover I almost skipped reading this book. It sounded like one of those corny made for TV movies about the successful person who hires the not so successful person to be their “fake fiancé” so they can impress people, and I was a little disappointed that Jennifer Crusie do something so overused. However, I really liked her work and trusted her as an author, so I bought it anyway.

Thankfully, the back cover sorely under described the book. Yes, Daisy and Linc pretended to be engaged, but they didn’t fall in love on their way to the altar. Also, unlike in the TV movies the charade didn’t stop at the altar. Daisy and Linc were too good for their own good, and even though they tried to break off their fake engagement the people at the job Daisy helped Linc get wouldn’t stand for it. Even though they still didn’t love each other they ended up having to go through with the wedding, but the book didn’t stop there. After they got married they were faced with the problem of actually living together.

The book was brilliantly executed with a great comedy of errors feel to it. The best part was watching the characters grow and develop throughout the book. Both characters changed drastically from the first page to the last, but the changes were so natural and well crafted like the characters themselves the reader may find themselves so rapped up in the story that they won’t even realize how much the characters have changed until the end.

Since Jennifer Crusie often collaborates with other writers on projects this was also a nice opportunity to see what her own individual writing style is like. It was very interesting for me to see how different this solo book was from some of her collaborative works and how similar it was to others. For example the style and sense of humor present in The Cinderella Deal was very similar to that of Agnes and the Hitman, which Jennifer Crusie teamed up with Bob Mayer to write. However, the tone and style of The Cinderella Deal seemed vastly different from those of the books she wrote with Anne Stuart and Eileen Dreyer.

- Aaron

Wednesday Loves Odd Couples

When it comes to fictional couples I’m a sucker for a good odd couple, but not of the stereotypical uptight/ loose variety. I prefer something like…

Hannah, Norman, and Mike from the Hannah Swensen Mystery Series: I love how dynamic this relationship is. Hannah is a modern woman who owns and runs her own business and has two boyfriends, neither of whom she sleeps with. Mike is a buff detective who chooses to get his sex from other sources and thinks it’s cute when Hannah “plays detective.” Norman is a balding dentist who is by Hannah’s side though all of her crime solving escapades and built their dream home in hopes that she’d marry him and they could live there together. If there weren’t three of them they would make the perfect couple.

Agnes and Shane from Agnes and the Hitman: A cook and a hitman should be the ultimate odd couple, but they really aren’t. Shane is a government hitman who spent his childhood in military schools after his parents died, and Agnes is a food columnist with abandonment issues and a penchant for hitting men with frying pans.

Emily Pollifax and Jack Farrell from the Mrs. Pollifax Series: Since Mrs. Pollifax is about 20 years Farrell’s senior theirs isn’t a romantic relationship, but when it comes to these two spies when one of them gets into trouble the other isn’t far behind. Alternating between endearment and frustration they never cease to surprise each other.

John Crichton and Aeryn Sun from Farscape: They clashed from the moment they met, and even when they were getting along they drove each other crazy. They wanted to be together, but neither on of them wanted to be the one to admit it. They’d rather let the flip of a coin decide the fate of their relationship than actually admit that they want to be together.

Do you like unusual odd couples? Let me know in the comments.

-Aaron

February's Down and Dirty Book

If getting down and dirty is something you're looking to do Mud Works is definitely the book for you. Even though it was written for adults the recipes are designed to be able to be made and used with kids. However, since there’s just something about digging your hands into slimy, squishy, gooy blobs that never gets old it's a book adults can enjoy as well.

One night I was having friends over for dinner but hadn't had a chance to make dessert, so I whipped up a batch of edible peanut butter play-dough, which is one part peanut butter and one part dried milk. When I first put the bowl down on the coffee table everyone just stared at it, but everyone ended up having a blast making and eating dessert sculptures.

However, I prefer the recipes that can be used in model making because I can incorporate them into my writing processes. I like making models of my character and settings, and the recopies make it easy for me to whip up a model when I’m having problems visualizing something. Also each recipe comes with a little blurb about what it works best for, so I can easily find the perfect recipe for my intended purpose.

There’s also something to be said about the recipes I make for my students. After making “goo,” which is about three parts corn starch and one part water, I spent the better part of the day finding excuses to play with it. I had almost as much fun with it as my students did, and it was a great way for them to practice their spelling words. The Jell-O plastic, which is 1 packet of gelatin and 3 tablespoons of water, was also a fun one as it progressively changed from liquid to squishy solid to hard solid. The kids loved the way it felt when it was squishy and turning it into stained glass art using permanent markers once it was solid.

Even though it’s a book that’s designed to be experienced as opposed to just read I’d still recommend Mud Works to anyone who’s a kid at heart, regardless of whether or not you have kids.

-Aaron

Everything's in a Name

I don’t know if it’s a Northern thing or a Southern thing or just a family thing, but I was raised with the impression that names are everything. It’s something you’re proud of, but at the same time it’s a burden that you have to live up to. Being told you haven’t lived up to your name is the worst insult anyone in my family can give.

On top of all the family stuff, I have this weird thing about refusing to change a character’s name once I’ve started writing the story. I’ll fuss around with names while I’m brainstorming and getting a feel for the character. In fact while I’m outlining and planning the names change almost every day, but as soon as I write their name in the context of the story it’s locked. They’re officially a person, and in my mind at that point I don’t have the right to change their name.

So yeah, what name I give a character is something I put a lot of thought into, and since I want it to be just right I tend to use a lot of outside resources when choosing a name for one of my characters.

In the end which resources I use depends on how much I know about character.

• Like Bethany, if I base a character off a real person I normally don’t give that person’s name to the character. In my mind they are separate people both deserve their own names. However, I decided to base a character off that person for a reason, so I usually try to give them a related name. For something like this I usually use Baby Name Guide because they have a feature where you can locate similar names. I also use this if I’ve already decided on the names of the parents and want the child’s name to be in keeping with theirs.

• However, if I’m writing a period piece or a piece with older or younger characters I make a point to use a site like Baby Names World at Parents Connect. They have a list of the most popular baby names in any given year all the way back to 1880. All you have to do to get time appropriate names is to select the sex of the character and the year they were born, and the site will give you a list of the 100 most popular baby names from that year. If I want the character to stand out then I simply go out of my way to pick a name not on that list.
  

• For last names Mongabay is my favorite, since last names are important too. It provides a list of thousands of surnames ranked by popularity. Ranked names doesn’t sound like a big plus, but it comes in really handy. Since people don’t typically choose their own last names having the names ranked makes it easy for me to randomly pick last names. I just pull up a site search, randomly type in string of numbers, and it takes me to the corresponding name. It gives a nice random twist to the process.

• Then again if I’m dealing with a character from a different country Familypedia is really nice because they have the top last names from hundreds of countries. I tend to worry a lot about giving a character from a different country the wrong last name, and this makes the process a lot less stressful for me. All I have to do is find the country of origin and presto a realistic last name from Russia, South Korea, Italy, ect.

If it weren’t for these sites (or the stacks of books about names I failed to mention previously) all of my characters would probably be stuck with names like Mary Smith and Jack Hopkins.

-Aaron

Girls with Character

Yeah, I’ve never really thought about what makes a good leading lady or even what goes into making a leading lady, good or bad. They just exist like anyone else, but that isn’t really true.

Lets see, I guess to me a good leading lady should…

Be independent: I’m not saying every leading lady should be anti social and have no ties to anybody, but at the same time it makes me sad to see a leading lady who is being led around by her family, friends, or a guy. I mean come on they’re called leading ladies for a reason. They should be leading something, even if it’s just their own lives.

Feel like she existed before the first page: I’m learning the hard way that it’s important not to just dump the reader into the middle of a story, but at the same time if it feels like the leading lady didn’t exist before I opened the book she’s already lost major points in my book (yes Bella Swan I am talking about you). In other words, to me a good leading lady feel real, and real women have lives of their own. In my book a leading lady should too.

Be original: There’s nothing wrong with standing out in a crowd, but not every leading lady has to have spiked hair and wear a dog collar. However, in keeping with my desire to read about girls who feel real I have no desire to read about someone who is like everyone else because that’s just not the way it is.

Changes in some way: I take issue with characters who are stagnant. There could be an alien invasion, true love, and time travel all in one book, but if the female lead is exactly the same on the last page as she is on the first then I’m going to be bored out of my mind. Servant to queen, human to vampire, prey to hunter it’s all good. But the best part is watching how their state of mind and personality chances over time.

In other words, if I’m going to read a book I want it to be a story with a leading lady that has a character all her own.

- Aaron

Tick, Tick, BOOM!

My biggest destructive habit when writing is my need to get it right. I really don’t mind if a scene is “right” or not because “right” in writing is relative. What gets me is the details. My stories tend to involve a lot of research, and I’m a stickler when it comes to getting those little things write.

I could be in the middle of a fast paced pivotal scene that I’d been planning and waiting to write all week, but if I come across a question that I don’t know the answer to I’ll stop dead in my tracks and go into research mode. For each book I work on I have a tub books on the subject and if I can’t find my answer there I’ll continue my search online. However, even once I find an answer I don’t feel comfortable using until I’ve gotten the same answer from at least two other sources.

For example, last year I was wrapped up in writing a scene in Entwined where the MC, who was a white Bengal Tiger at the time, was purring. The scene was going great, but then I started to wonder if tigers actually purred or not because heaven forbid she come off with the characteristics of a house cat instead of a tiger. Of course then I had to stop and go find out if tigers purred, which it turns out they don’t.

In many ways it’s a helpful destructive habit, but it’s still a destructive habit.

-Aaron

The BFG Brain Suck

I’m not sure if the BFG the best book I read in January, but it definitely made an impression. At the beginning of the year my host teacher started reading it to her class, and as soon as she opened that book it began to slowly take over my life. All of the kids love it, so of course we have to have a BFG themed party. Trust me Snozzcumbers, Frobscottle, and Whizzpoppers aren’t as much fun to make as they are to read about.

On top of that one of my first grade struggling readers has latched onto this book. She will spend every available moment wading through it one sentence at a time. Now that she’s started reading along with audio books on my i-Pod every morning she greats me at the door with “did you get The B.F.G. on That Thing?!” Not even my i-Pod was safe from The BFG this January.

But I digress. The BFG is an amazing book that I would recommend to any one. However, from a writing point of view there are a number of things that make it amazing.

Word choice: The best part of this book is that the author makes up a lot of his own words, a lot of which are combos of preexisting words. A half dozen different descriptors can be expressed with just one word.

Characters: Even if a character is only mentioned once they still manage to make an impression that lasts the whole book. Every character feels so well rounded and realistic in a completely implausible way, and I think the main way Dahl does this is through the names he gives the characters. Names like Childchewing Giant, the Meatdripping Giant, and the Big Friendly Giant give the reader an instant association with the character.

Visual imagery: There are so many new things and characters being introduced throughout the whole book that is the imagery wasn’t stellar it would be indecipherable. The big thing that helps with this is that this readers are getting the benefit of having the scene described to them from the perspective of both The BFG and Sophie, which really outlines the oddities of the book.

Setting: Roald Dahl creates a whole new society in The BFG, but it’s so realistic that it feels real. Yet Roald doesn’t waist a lot of time describing the setting. He gives it short and sweet making every word count.

The moral of this post is that The BFG is a wonderful, vivid book that I truly do love. I just wish I could get away from it!

- Aaron

A Month of New Experiences

2010 was a grueling year, and I went into 2011 expecting more of the same. But this month those expectations got turned on their ear.

1. I got several expensive gifts for Christmas, but my favorite gift by far was a package of four dollar cherry red hair extensions that my brothers got me. It only took me an hour of telling them over and over that no I wasn't joking for them finally believe that they would be a good gift for me.

2. My mom couldn’t get out of town to get her hair cut, so she had me cut her hair. All of my mom’s friends are commenting on the fact that it’s the first time in 15 years she has changed up her style. I’m not sure if that is a good thing or not.

3. My mom, who never talks about the fact that I write, asked me if I would write a book based on her mother’s life, and she was stunned when I broke the news to her that I was already planning on it.

4. The morning after I shaved off all my hair, I was walking through the halls of the school I work at and one of the male teachers turned to do a double take of my hair and ended up tripping over a book sculpture and almost crushing a kindergartner. People clapped.

5. My mentor teachers were joking about wishing they could have a large loom for the classroom, but I thought they were serious and built a 4 foot by 3 foot free standing loom out of PVC pipe for the kids to use.

Jumping the Tracks

I don’t get a lot of time to write, so when I get the time I really want to make the most of it. Since I’m a very structure oriented person I’ve created a writing routine for myself to help me make the most of my time. As long as I follow that routine I can easily get in my zone and make the most of my time.

Even though I write better when the music is off, the first thing I do when I’m trying to get in the zone is go to playlist.com and pull up the play list for whichever story I’m working on. Next I open up Write or Die and set my goals. 900 words in 30 minutes tends to be my sweet spot, but sometimes I adjust it for the first round depending on my attitude. However, I always cheat a little by pasting in the last line I wrote from whatever I’m working on. That way I can focus on the writing instead of worrying about repeating myself or getting the mood wrong.

However, the way that I know that I’m getting in the zone is when I start abandoning my routines. When I raise my word count goal I know I’m just about there. Then when I mute my music I’m there, but it’s when I transition from one typing session to the next without needing to carry a sentence over from the last session to help me keep my place that I know I am there and I’m not going to be leaving anytime soon.

- Aaron

The Best Magazine I Read In December

In a recurring theme, the best book I read this December was once again about cooking. Only this time it was a cooking magazine instead of a cook book, but the information was just as interesting if not more so.

My mom picked it out for me the last time she was in the city. Apparently she saw the huge slice of decadent chocolate cake on the cover and thought of me. However, the Taste of Home Celebrations edition had a lot more than that in it.

One thing that I really liked about it was that it was centered on recipes for different holidays and get-togethers. Because of this there was a large variety of radically different recipes in the one magazine. For example “Celebrations” contained recipes for Asian Spring Roles, Spring Pea Soup, Southwest Rib Roast With Salsa, and Elegant Chocolate Torte. It was nice not having to buy eleven different magazine to gain access to such a wide variety of recipes.

However, my favorite aspect of “Celebrations” was that it had little tips and sidebar recipes. More bang for my buck that way. Not only was I able get all of those great recipes, but I was also able to learn how to prepare lobster tail halves and make white Russians. Since I love learning new things this was the perfect cooking magazine for me.

-Aaron

Reaching for the Stars

My 2011 goals:

1. Graduate. This is more of a long term goal because my set graduation date is next December, so it should probably go at the end of the list (if it even deserves to be on the list at all). However, it’s the most important of my goals, so in my eyes it’s earned its place at the top of the list.

2. Completely finish a book. So I either have to edit The Tiger (and come up with a better name, possible Entwined not sure though), or I have to finish writing and then edit Monstrous. I’m not sure which is less intimidating to me at the moment.

3. Spend more time with my nephew. I spend no time with my nephew as is, so spending any time with him will be an improvement.

4. Exercise an hour a day 4 times a week. Yeah... being pure muscle has been a life long goal of mine, and it's time I get back to work on it.

5. Pick up at least five new skills. I never commit to what I want to learn in the New Year, but every year I set out with the intention to learn something. Last year it was cross stitch, driving, and how to make enchiladas. This year I’m feeling the urge to learn how to weave, and who knows where I’ll go from there.

-Aaron

Little Things, Big Impact

There are a few writerly things on my Christmas list this year, but for my list I thought I'd stick with things that I use daily as a writer and that have really made the difference for me.

10. Wall Sized World Map. This is something every writer should have, even if they don’t realize it yet. When you’re writing a story with multiple locations it can sometimes be hard to visualize one location in relation to another, and it can help to . It’s also fun to stick another pushpin in the map, I have no idea why.

11. Write or Die. There is now a desktop version of Write or Die, and if your writer is the type of person who likes things to be quantified or writes best on a deadline this is the gift for them. If they aren’t that type of person then stay away from this like it’s the plague because they’ll probably hate it.

12. Research Books. Just because they’ve chosen to write a book including a particular subject doesn’t mean they actually know anything about that subject, so nonfiction books on topics that occur in your writer’s story can come in very handy down the road. Besides it’s also a nice subtle way of saying “you know all those times you were talking about your book and thought I wasn’t listening? I really was and this proves it.”

13. Info on a story posting website. This is a pretty small gift, but it really speaks volumes. If left to their own devices some writers would never even think of posting their stories on websites like fiction press, and some have absolutely no desire to post on this type of website. However, that really isn’t important. It’s the fact that you think their writing is good enough to share with the world, and for a writer who’s never had the courage to share their talents with the world or who secretly thinks their work isn’t good enough a gesture like this can make a world of difference.

-Aaron

Comfort Food... er... Books

Although it’s short my list of “comfort books” is one that I’ve been steadily building up over time, and here it is.

Oliver and Amanda's Christmas: My mom made the mistake of reading this to me and my brothers one Christmas when I was four, and I’ve read it to my brothers every Christmas since then. Even now I read it to my nephew while my brothers pretend not to be listening, but they always end up curled up with my nephew and I on the living room couch begging to hear it one more time.

Agnes and the Hitman: I picked this book up in Wal-Mart one night while I was shopping for snacks to stick in my backpack before catching the red-eye to Texas to visit family. I stayed up for the whole flight reading Agnes and the Hitman, and the woman sitting next to me kept shooting me suspicious glances because of the strange expressions I kept making as I desperately tried not to burst out laughing.

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax: Long before I ever read The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax I saw the movie staring Angela Lansbury. I never forgot that movie, but it never came on again. One night while I was looking for a book to read I came across a Reader’s Digest Condensed book, and one of the books it contained was The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. The book was so different from the movie, but I inhaled it anyway. I’ve read it so many times since that my parents bought me a new copy for Christmas a few years ago because the old copy was falling apart.

Cream Puff Murder: Not that I don’t love the whole book, but there is one scene that have bookmarked that I keep going back to over and over. It’s the one where Hannah spends the night at Norman’s place, and when she wakes up in the morning she realizes that he truly had build the house for the two of them to live in together. It was just so sweet. I thought she was going to propose to him on the spot.

-Aaron