How much detail should you include in your descriptions?

While writing, you want to describe the setting, the characters and the action. But do you need to describe the inside of a bathroom? Probably not. Do you need to describe in detail the character brushing his teeth? Not likely. Everyone knows what the inside of a bathroom looks like and what brushing teeth is all about. But you might want to describe the character as he or she looks in the mirror. And even there, not every detail. Just enough to give the reader an idea of age, sex, level of attractiveness, and attitude of the character to themselves.

"If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there." - Anton Chekhov

and...  

"Good description is a learned skill, one of the prime reasons why you cannot succeed unless you read a lot and write a lot. It's not just a question of how-to, you see; it's also a question of how much to. Reading will help you answer how much, and only reams of writing will help you with the how. You can learn only by doing." - Stephen King, On Writing

Only describe details if they're important to the story. Or in other words, your descriptions should be the length of a girl's skirt: long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep it interesting.

Inspiration

"The essential support and encouragement comes from within, arising out of the mad notion that your society needs to know what only you can tell."

John Updike

Think about this, the next time you are having difficulty writing. Someone out there will benefit from reading your book.

Lefkas Writers' Group

 Summer is over and many of us cruisers have returned back to Lefkas Marina for the winter. It also looks like we will be under another lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps not an ideal situation for starting a writers' group, but perhaps it's the best we can do given the circumstances.

The first meeting was held at the Porto Cafe in Lefkas Marina to introduce the members to each other and set up the format of future meetings. Since the lockdown begins in the next few days, we will have to meet virtually.

Since most of us use Facebook, I started a group called Lefkas Writers' Group for future meetings and posts. 

Atlantic Crossing, Chapter 1 audio podcast

My older son's job involves a lot of reading and computer work, so he no longer reads for pleasure. Instead, he listens to podcasts in his free time. Podcasts are becoming more and more popular for many busy people.

I am already doing podcasts for my online writer's retreat, so have decided to create another one of my new book, Atlantic Crossing, hoping that he will be able to listen to the book while driving. 

The first chapter is free for the next 90 days. If you enjoy it, click here to buy the book.

Chapter 1, The Beginning.

Scapple

I found a new writer's tool. It's called Scapple, created by Literature and Latte, who also created my other writing workhorse, Scrivener.

Scapple is an outlining, mapping and brainstorming tool. It's like a giant piece of paper or a bunch of index cards on a wall but much easier to use.

I have a new book on the go and the first day I used Scapple, I discovered many pieces missing in my manuscript. Scenes that I need to add and characters that I've forgotten about who are vital to the story. 

Scapple is compatible with Scrivener and much simpler so I would recommend it first for a beginning writer.

Check it out - it's money well invested.

My copies arrived!

Finally, my copies of Atlantic Crossing arrived from Amazon. I ordered 20 so that I had enough to send to my beta readers as a thank you for their effort and a few more to give out as gifts. 

Even though I know the story inside out, I flipped through the first pages as if in a bookstore and begun reading it once again. Nothing satisfies a writer better than finally holding a book you've written and published. 

Hot off the press: Atlantic Crossing

As of today, Atlantic Crossing is available on Amazon.com  

It might take a few more days for it to arrive at some of the other sites, such as .de, .co.uk, .it and so on.

Check it out and if you decide to buy it, I would really appreciate it if you could please write a review on Amazon.Now on to the next manuscript...

Line edit finished!

I just finished the line edit of Atlantic Crossing. Next - copy edit. To do that, I need to compile the manuscript and send it to the Grammarly program. A couple of my beta readers haven't finished reading yet. Should I wait for them? No. They've had enough time. The deadline for the publisher (me) is May 25. 

And here I might as well as tell you that I prefer to self publish. This way, I am in control of the process, there is no one breathing down my neck to get it finished, I can choose the cover as well as the title, and I don't have to travel to promote it in bookstores and libraries. I've always chosen freedom over money and this is just another example.

The process of rewriting and editing

You've finally finished the first draft of what you hope will become a best seller or at least a good story to read to your grandchildren. Now comes the hard part -- rewriting and editing.
My process involves several steps:

• Outline
• This could become a table of contents or chapter headings. Some people do the outline first and then write the first draft. Others, write first and then structure. Either way works.
• Divide your first draft into chapters of approximately 2,000 - 3,000 words. Try to begin each chapter with a hook and end it on a cliff hanger.
• Arrange the chapters in such a way so that you have a beginning where you set up the scene and describe what is to happen, the middle of rising tension, and the end which provides the resolution following the climax.
• Second Draft
• Rewrite one chapter at a time, taking into consideration the above. Then put the manuscript away for a couple of weeks (or months) and let it rest.
• Third Draft
• Go through the manuscript once more with fresh eyes, polishing as much as you can.
• Developmental Edit
• Go through the manuscript noting the rise and fall of action and to see if the structure is working. 
• Critiques (3-5)
• Give the manuscript to the members of your writing group to critique. Make note of repeated comments.
• Fourth Draft
• Rewrite again, using your writing group's comments to improve the manuscript. Put it away for a couple of weeks.
• Read it out loud
• Using a voice recorder, read the manuscript out loud to yourself, and make changes where necessary. Then listen to the recording and repeat.
• Beta Readers (3-5)
• Give the manuscript to non-writers who enjoy your genre and are knowledgeable about the topic.
• Fifth Draft
• Make changes and rewrite taking into consideration beta readers' comments.
• Line Edit
• Go through the manuscript line by line.
• Copy edit
• Grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Beta Readers level 2
• Give the updated manuscript to a new set of Beta readers.
• Final Draft
• By now, you are probably happy with the result or fed up with it. It's as good as it gets. 
• Title Page
• Cover
• Layout
• Proofreading
• One more round.
• Publishing
• Advance Reader Copy and reviews.

Finally, you are there. Another book in print and hopefully being enjoyed by all the readers. Don't linger too long - start another project!

Atlantic Crossing - on solitude and loneliness

The main theme of my new book, Atlantic Crossing, is one of loneliness versus solitude. 
In the beginning, the protagonist is alone and lonely in what seems like paradise. She lives on a sailboat in the Bahamas. She has enough money to live on and friends for company. She values her life and the beauty of nature that surrounds her, yet she misses someone with whom to share her life. But like John, a single man she meets there, who is looking for the perfect woman, she wants the perfect man. 
She invites James, an ex-boyfriend to help her cross the Atlantic. It is obvious that he is not the ideal man since they have already broken up. But she needs a crew and he is available. The second best as it were. 
During the voyage, she mulls over the benefits and drawbacks of being with someone she is not really compatible with and although they manage to coexist together, it is not a good partnership. 
Steven that she meets in Horta in the Azores, is on a different path and so there is nothing there either. 
Finally, at the end of the story, our heroine realizes that she is strong enough for whatever life might throw her way, learns to accept her aloneness, to depend only on herself and begins to enjoy her solitary life. She decides that being alone is much more preferable to being with just anyone.

Not Coming Home in print again.

Καλό μήνα. Good news. Lefkas Post, an online magazine for Lefkas Island, has reprinted, Not Coming Home, one of the chapters from my first book, Salt Water In My Veins in their spring issue. Thank you, Lefkas Post.

Salt Water In My Veins - Chapter 1 - read or hear.

1. Nomad

Land goes forever, there is no end to it. So, how can you decide where to live; in which town or on what street to stop; what woman to marry?
TDLemmon1900 in 'The legend of 1900'

Why do we travel? Is it in the vain hope of finding happiness and fulfillment in some other place? Nope, it's not here in Paris, perhaps over there in Rome. As they say, wherever you go, there you are.
When traveling becomes a search for happiness outside of ourselves, a means to an end; when we continue to live in the past or the future while we travel, it doesn't bring peace of mind or serenity, only frustration, and disappointment. 
When I travel it seems easier to stay present, in the moment because everything is new, fresh, unknown, exciting, and possibly dangerous. I remember the first time I went for a long weekend sail cruise with some friends. Time stood still and the three days felt like three weeks, I felt so far away from daily worries and concerns and the present moment was so crystal clear.

Sailing offshore along the Pacific coast and later across the Atlantic, I saw a sky that was truly awesome in its glory, with colours of the rainbow all around us or clouds and fog surrounding us like feathers shaken out of a duvet. At night we were often the only speck of humanity for hundreds of miles around, surrounded only by stars and their reflections in the ocean.

And now, as I cruise from country to country and from harbour to harbour, each new place amazes in some way. In Alicante, Spain, it was the sight of the old woman in black selling garlic from a converted baby carriage in the town square. On Majorca, it was the lamb dinner straight from a wood-fired oven that had been simmering all afternoon while we climbed to a ruined castle near the restaurant and the farm where the lambs were raised. In Rome, it was the sudden and unexpected view of the Coliseum from a side street. In Florence, it was the sound of a young girl singing opera on a street corner.

Moments like that take my breath away and inspire. I have been wondering why the same feeling of awe is described as 'it takes my breath away,' and 'it inspires me.' One means breathing out and the other breathing in. Breathing is what keeps us alive. Is it possible that awe-some sights, smells, tastes, and sounds keep our soul alive?

Traveling is what feeds my soul, what gives me energy. Yet, perhaps, I’m beginning to think, paying more attention in one place, one town, one neighborhood would do the same thing. Perhaps there are many inspiring things that would take my breath away, right where I am, if I was just to look more deeply and with more presence. Now all I have to do is to find that place. Perhaps it’s just around the corner…

I long to belong, but cruising is not a good way of accomplishing this goal. I meet many people while traveling, however, after an evening in an anchorage or a harbor, we go our separate ways and in the morning I continue my search for a new homeport.

I want to find a self-sufficient village where everyone knows from which farmer the milk comes, who makes the best bread, and that the mayor is related to the inn-keeper. I want to find a community where I can work, live, play, and find all I need within walking distance. There are many villages and towns like this in the Mediterranean, but which one is my home?

Am I a bird blown off course that has lost its flock and tries to join a new flock time and time again without success? No, this is not my flock and not this one either? Where is my flock? Where is my pod, my family, my tribe?

I am perhaps like a plant that was pulled up by the roots in youth when my parents decided to leave Poland and immigrate to Canada, and now it's too late for the roots to dig in deeply. Should I just stop somewhere, anywhere, and put those roots down hoping the soil is fertile and my roots will take? Or are my roots so dried and withered that no matter where they will not grow?

The old-time traveling salesman comes to mind. He was forever moving from town to town, bringing news, and spreading ideas or gossip, moving on before he got too attached to any one place or community, yet feeding on the intimacy for a while, offering the dream of foreign lands and inspiration for others to reach beyond the town walls in exchange. I think perhaps that is my purpose whether I like it or not – the life of a nomad.

~~~_/)

Listen to the reading of this chapter here.

The Elevator Pitch

The elevator pitch is a one-sentence distillation of your manuscript that you want to have ready just in case you meet a famous movie director or a major book publisher in an elevator and he asks about your work. It also helps to keep your manuscript on track and focused. 

A pitch should have the following: a protagonist, a goal, and an opponent. It should be concise yet attract curiosity.

For example:

With the help of a beer-guzzling ex-boyfriend and ahead of approaching hurricane season, a single woman struggles to cross the Atlantic on a small sailboat.

What do you think? 

What is a Beta Reader

Once your manuscript is as good as you can make it, it is time to show your new creation to a select, small group of people who will hopefully admire it like a newborn that it is. These are your Beta readers.

Their job is to read the entire manuscript and to make supportive, yet constructive comments and answer questions such as:

1. Did the opening scene capture your attention? Why or why not?

2. Did you get a good sense of the setting?

3. Did you notice any inconsistencies in setting, timeline, or characters? If so, where?

4. Did the dialogue keep your interest and sound natural?

5. How did you feel about the characters?

6. Did you get bored while reading the story? At which point?

7. Was the ending satisfying and believable? Are you left with any unanswered questions?

It's best to find your Beta readers among people who read books of the genre you have written, and who, once the book is finalized and published, would be happy to recommend it to others. Preferably, they are not a writer themselves, or you'll find that they might want to rewrite your story in their own voice. There are many ways of writing a story and you should feel confident enough about your point of view, your voice, and your style before submitting your manuscript to a Beta reader.

The most appropriate way of thanking them for their help is by sending them a signed copy of your published book.

The longer I live, the more I listen to the people who say the least.

If you listen carefully, you'll notice that most people talk a lot of rubbish. It's called chit chat or cocktail talk. "The weather is fine, don't you agree?" "Wasn't that an interesting newscast last night?" "Do you want to hear a joke?" And "How was your weekend?"

If that was the end of it, I see no problem. Being polite is part of living in a civilized society.

But with some people, asking them how they are, can be the start of an hour-long monologue. Sometimes they'll trick you and ask how you are first.
"Fine, thank you and you?" you respond. 
And that's what the pontificators and motor mouths of this world wait for. They will tell you in minute detail the dream they had last night and then without taking a breath, also the breakfast they ate, and lunch, and dinner. They also had an afternoon nap, you will find. They will follow up with the story of their family and their relationship with an ex-partner. There is no bottom to the pit of topics they can come up with and all of it is about them.
Being a quiet introvert, I used to be a magnet for these people. They love a good listener. But no more. I have their number and it's been blocked.

That's why I love writing. The first draft can be very wordy and you can record everything that comes to mind. But then you edit so that each sentence says what is most important in as few words as possible as if polishing a gem. 
Finally, your manuscript is trimmed down from 300,000 words to 60,000 but like turning a fine wine into an exquisite cognac, your finished masterpiece distills what's best in your story.
How I wish everyone had this editor in their brain before they open their mouth. But sadly we haven't yet evolved that far. And so, I avoid the chatterboxes, who attempt to collar me and assume from my polite hello that I am eager to know their life story.
"Why don't you write a book", I suggest. "You seem to have a lot to say."
"Oh, I couldn't, it's too much work, I'd rather tell it."
Well, not to me, you won't, thank you very much. I actually do have a book to write. 
And if I want to hear a story, I will find my friend who rarely speaks but when he does, diamonds tumble out of his mouth.

By the way, if you are trying to learn a foreign language, it is enough to memorize a few simple phrases, such as, "Hi, how are you," and "I'm fine and you?" If you know a half dozen sentences such as this, often people will assume that you are fluent in their language and begin a lengthy one-sided conversation.