I found this and briefly debated copying each link, but there are just too darn many. I took screen shots instead. Click the image to go to the source document:

 

There are certain actions your characters participate in that are not tied to an era, a culture, or an event. They’re more likely to be dictated by the human essence, or nature. I’ve created a list of the ones that grab my attention. As with all of my lists, these come from books I’ve read, so be sure if you use them to rephrase to suit your particular character and plot:

• turned to face him head-on
• vaporized breath swirled around his head
• breath spun whitely before vanishing in the chill
• thick black wealth of her hair glistened as it swayed to her step
• shook her head and gave a not-now look
• kept his mouth shut and settled for a hard look
• Chose the moment with care
• sobs like hiccups
• nodded his direction
• making that connect-the-dots match-up
• heaviness descended upon him
• Adrenaline was like that. You could travel on the fumes
• mouth-watering aroma
• melted away like snow from a fire
• by-now familiar reaction
• tainted by a faint odor
• fidgeting in the attempt to look at ease
• ringing was growing in her ears
• shifted uncomfortably
• flexed one foot
• pacing back and forth
• moving from one foot to the other
• shifted from one foot to the other
• grunted as he shifted, trying to keep his ankles from paining him
• stepping lightly
• At first, she saw only an amorphous blotch, then head and shoulders. She could make out a face, but few details. She could hear coarse raspy breathing
• prize out roots
• forget where you put them
• take on too many responsibilities
• never went 40 seconds without smiling
• walk with labored dignity
• far too good-looking for a man who worked in close proximity to impressionable young women
• his good mood lasted for 5 seconds
• A symphony of movement
• crouched by the fire
• inhaling the steam, letting it sink into his pores, wishing that it would wash the horror away
• when Tall Dark and Handsome crooked his finger…
• exuded a dangerous quality
• remark came out of left field, and she could only stare at him
• a sensation that the slightest mistake might let loose a maelstrom
• the man’s cocked head, bland expression and curious smile
• she looked uncertain
• ran through him like a beam of sunshine
• stood smiling in the midst of the miasma
• boy and his dad, running around the track. I could distinguish father from son without looking. Dad, with measured soft steps, rolling heal to toe, son with the clump-clump of children falling forward, not bending from the knee, just plopping the foot to the ground and moving on. (I like the idea in this one of knowing your characters by their movements, not their appearance or voice)
• my brain spun along in neutral, stunned, exhausted

 

Driver Crashes Into Cop Car While Texting

You do it by adding fascinating snippets that intrigue the reader. Maybe it’s insider knowledge. Maybe it’s bits and pieces of real life that are stranger than fiction.

Or in this case, it’s a story that makes you say, “How could anyone be that dumb?” What a great way to make readers feel smart as they digest your novel.

Here’s one I couldn’t pass up.

by Ally on Friday, October 23rd, 2009

If one were creating a top ten list of things not to do, this would at least be in the top five.  Texting while driving is an act that even if it’s still legal in your state, it’s heavily frowned upon.  Even though it’s not illegal now, it just seems as if it’s going to become that way sometime in the somewhat near future.  Basically texting while driving is just asking for trouble.  Then if you manage to hit someone while you’re texting, you can bet that you’re going to get even more trouble.  If you somehow make things even worse and hit a cop car, you get to a whole new level of stupid.  Someone did actually manage to do exactly that.  In their defense though, I’m sure it’s quite difficult to notice a car with bright blue flashing lights.

David Mercer admitted that he was texting and didn’t see the idling cop car that had been parked to divert traffic around a car accident.  Luckily, the cop car was actually empty, so no one was actually physically injured.  Luckily for him, he lives in Rhode Island where it’s still technically not illegal.  There it’s still stupid, just not illegal.  He was cited with “failure to maintain control of his vehicle, obedience to devices, and no insurance”.  Sadly, there was no citation for just being a moron.  They really should work on that one, they could call it the Mercer citation.

Dehydration

Fiction writing is about communicating as much as possible within the story line. Every writing class you take will exhort you to show not tell. As Samuel Clemens said,

“Don’t tell us that the old lady screamed.
Bring her on and let her scream.”

You will often have your characters become sick in the novel. It creates drama. It helps the reader feel empathy for the protagonist or enmity for the antagonist. Maybe it serves the plot line. Here are some ideas you can use if your character is sick:

• Dark urine with a very strong odor.
• Low urine output.
• Dark, sunken eyes.
• Fatigue.
• Emotional instability.
• Loss of skin elasticity.
• Delayed capillary refill in fingernail beds.
• Trench line down center of tongue.
• Thirst. Last on the list because you are already 2 percent dehydrated by the time you crave fluids.

Scorpion Stings

Scorpions are all poisonous to a greater or lesser degree. There are two different reactions, depending on the species:

• Severe local reaction only, with pain and swelling around the area of the sting. Possible prickly sensation around the mouth and a thick-feeling tongue.
• Severe systemic reaction, with little or no visible local reaction includes respiratory difficulties, thick-feeling tongue, body spasms, drooling, gastric distention, double vision, blindness, involuntary rapid movement of the eyeballs, involuntary urination and defecation, and heart failure. Death is rare, occurring mainly in children and adults with high blood pressure or illnesses.

Treat scorpion stings as you would a black widow bite.

Snakebites

Deaths from snakebites are rare. Snake venoms not only contain poisons that attack the victim’s central nervous system (neurotoxins) and blood circulation (hemotoxins), but also digestive enzymes (cytotoxins) to aid in digesting their prey. These poisons can cause a very large area of tissue death, leaving a large open wound. This condition could lead to the need for eventual amputation if not treated.

Bites from a nonpoisonous snake will show rows of teeth. Bites from a poisonous snake may have rows of teeth showing, but will have one or more distinctive puncture marks caused by fang penetration. Symptoms may be bleeding from the nose and anus, blood in the urine, pain at the site of the bite, and swelling at the site of the bite within a few minutes or up to 2 hours later.

Breathing difficulty, paralysis, weakness, twitching, and numbness are also signs of neurotoxic venoms. These signs usually appear 1.5 to 2 hours after the bite.

Stings

See the image at the right for an image. After your character is stung, be sure to follow these instructions to relieve the itching and discomfort:

• Cold compresses.
• A cooling paste of mud and ashes.
• Sap from dandelions.
• Coconut meat.
• Crushed cloves of garlic.
• Onion.

Spider Bites

 

Brown recluse spider bite

The black widow spider is identified by a red hourglass on its abdomen. The initial pain is not severe, but severe local pain rapidly develops. The pain gradually spreads over the entire body and settles in the abdomen and legs. Abdominal cramps and progressive nausea, vomiting, and a rash may occur. Weakness, tremors, sweating, and salivation may occur. Anaphylactic reactions can occur. Symptoms begin to regress after several hours and are usually gone in a few days.

The brown recluse spider is a small, light brown spider identified by a dark brown violin on its back. There is no pain, or so little pain, that usually a victim is not aware of the bite. Within a few hours a painful red area with a mottled cyanotic center appears. Necrosis does not occur in all bites, but usually in 3 to 4 days, a star-shaped, firm area of deep purple discoloration appears at the bite site. The area turns dark and mummified in a week or two. The margins separate and the scab falls off, leaving an open ulcer. Secondary infection and regional swollen lymph glands usually become visible at this stage. The outstanding characteristic of the brown recluse bite is an ulcer that does not heal but persists for weeks or months. In addition to the ulcer, there is often a systemic reaction that is serious and may lead to death. Reactions (fever, chills, joint pain, vomiting, and a generalized rash) occur chiefly in children or debilitated persons.

Tarantulas are large, hairy spiders found mainly in the tropics. Most do not inject venom, but some South American species do. If bitten, pain and bleeding are certain, and infection is likely. Treat a tarantula bite as for any open wound, and try to prevent infection. If symptoms of poisoning appear, treat as for the bite of the black widow spider.

I know. Not a lot, but these are the only illnesses my characters have come across in my novels so far. Would you share yours so we-all can develop a database?

 

If your novel is about a cross section of America, you must convincing portray characters from all segments of society. About 20% will be Democrats, 20% Republicans, and the rest, somewhere in the middle. Regardless of which politics you prefer, if your character is to be believed, you better walk a mile in those animal prints or your reader won’t read your book. Best to do it non-judgmentally, too, or you’ll get a big portion of the population angry.

I wrote a post on How to Character Liberals (i.e., Democrats). Here are some ideas on Conservatives:

1. the purpose of Government is simply to provide for common defense of its citizens, and other basic tasks.
2. prefer less government (fewer regulations protecting environment, business, etc.),
3. prefer lower taxes.
4. In short, they believe in survival of the fittest . . .
5. give the people the power to make their own decisions, run their life. Keep government out of it
6. Empathizes with the world and its problems, but wants each individual to strive to take care of themselves.
7. Wants America to care about the world, but not for it.
8. Thinks the American way of life is best for everyone in the world, but doesn’t force it on anyone (giving her/him a snobby, uncaring appearance)
9. Is more likely to be pro-death penalty, against homosexual marriage, against gun control and pro life
10. Is socially and fiscally conservative–not so openminded with other cultures, and definitely thinks people should spend only what they can afford, no matter the need
11. Is in favor of lesser social programs, less-intrusive government and less government spending on social programs
12. Likes business and capitalism and the idea that hard work is the way to success
13. Answers questions with numbers and facts. Doesn’t believe that ‘numbers always lie’
14. When s/he is asked a question, tries to honestly answer it and hopes to persuade the listener with all the data s/he has as proof
15. When confronted with a ‘fact’ drawn from a quote or video which s/he doesn’t agree with, s/he can probably come up with the context and how s/he heard it, how it supports her/his opinion

Warning: This isn’t a judgment. These are qualities if found in a character  would make him/her authentic as a liberal and would make you like or dislike him/her (depending upon the part s/he plays in the story).

What do you think? Did I miss anything?

 

Twitter Lessons in 140 Characters or Less

Remember when journaling was the popular new way to teach writing skills? Educators proclaimed that it encouraged students to write freely, without editing, from their hearts.

I’m not disagreeing with these qualities, or journaling’s value. I do, however, think it fell short of the full toolkit required to communicate to an audience with the written word. If students don’t pay attention to spelling and grammar, the picture their words paint for the reader is of an uneducated individual, unworthy of time and respect. Think about it yurself: when you rede a blog with typos or grammar errers, whats your first thot? Be honest–don’t you think the writer isn’t educated enough to be worthy of your time?  I do, and I usually move on. (BTW, I put the errors in on purpose. I really am educated–I have an MBA for gosh sakes!)

That where Twitter comes in. Forget the negative connotations about social networks and chatrooms. They are no more likely to interfere with a Twitter writing lesson than the vastness of the internet–with its distractions and annoying ads–interferes with online learning. Twitter is fun, modern, forces students to learn brevity and pithiness–or Twitter just cuts them off.

Here’s a post on Ten Ways Twitter Makes You a Better Writer. Read that. Then read the following:

Oct 16, 2009 (Education Week – McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) — The Twitter feed for Lucas Ames’ class in American history has shown some lively exchanges of ideas and opinions among students at the Flint Hill School. One day this month, 11th graders at the private school in Oakton, Va., shared articles on the separation of church and state, pondered the persistence of racism, and commented on tobacco regulation in Virginia now and during the Colonial period–all in the required Twitter format of 140 or fewer characters.

Those are exactly the kinds of interactions Mr. Ames had hoped for when he decided to experiment with the microblogging tool in his classroom this school year.

He and other teachers first found Twitter valuable for reaching out to colleagues and locating instructional resources. Now, they’re trying it out in the classroom as an efficient way to distribute assignments and to foster collaboration among students.

But as more teachers sample the uses of popular social-networking tools like Twitter as part of their lessons and classwork, some observers are cautioning that the educational effectiveness of such tools, or the implications those quick, short-form communications may have for students’ thinking and learning are not known. (more)

Baobab: Africa's face

How do you communicate to Western world readers the uncivilized, nature-controlled land that is Africa. If your story includes an African setting, you must get that untamed, mysterious feel across or you lose credibility.

Here are a few books you can read that will drench you in the scents and colors of Africa:

• In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall (or any writing by Jane Goodall)
• Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind by Donald Johanson and Maitland Edey (about the discovery of Lucy, but filled with the smells of the habitat)
• Letters from the Field 1925-1975 by Margaret Mead (many on Africa, and some on other world locations in which she researched)
• The Forest People by Colin Turnbull (about the BaMbuti Pygmies and their environ)
• The Tree Where Man Was Born by Peter Matthiessen (about the African Cradle of Mankind)
• The Land’s Wild Music by Mark Tredinnick (translates the visual pictures of Africa to the other senses)
• The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior by Tepilit Ole Saitoti (the African habitat of the Maasai)
• Bunyoro: An African Kingdom by John Beattie (case study based in Uganda)

Here’s a list of descriptions, in part drawn from these books:

• Flat, dry, and monotonous, a seemingly limitless scrub waste without landmarks or water or other relief
• because of the time and the approaching rain
• followed small antelope trails instead of the larger buffalo trails
• Oxbow lake
• Narrow rocky defile
• Beneath the jutting stone ledge, she sat hunched into a ball, knees tight against her chest, her damp clothes about her.
• Olduvai appeared like a dark rift
• Along its length, cottonwoods had sprung up; young trees little more than twice a man’s height.
• Thick grass had carpeted the narrow strip
• distant harsh mountains composed of granite, covered with thorny shrubs and acacia trees
• mountains, thrusting spires of naked rock into the heavens so high that you would believe the very sky was pierced
• thickly scented spruce branches clutched at his clothes, slapped against his chest and shredded his hand
• thick forest that carpeted the uplands
• dust was everywhere—on leaves, branches, even on my teeth and lips
• Easing over humps and trenches, potholes and stone rivers, bashing through the trees where a track is blocked, the bucking climbs up steep eroded banks
• the cloud mist lifted, gradually came the dull patches of red glowing far beyond the cliffs. Two active volcanoes
• mouth of a thick sulfurous stream
• watch the river to see the coiling of its muscular currents, catch the shimmering of waves that caught the sunlight like scales
• swallowed up by the jungle
• dry creek bed
• bounded on three sides by basalt outcrops and partially screened by brush
• followed the ridge down toward a patch of grass
• back to a rotting log that some long-forgotten flood had deposited crossways on the spit
• Cracks like hardweed through a broken sidewalk
• Gordian knot of …
• he saw  its fields, steppes, villages and towns, all bleached white by the moon and bright stars.
• the gallery forests of river red gum, various grasses, that lined the channels. Maybe a low-lying area where runoff from high ground collected after rain. Sometimes dense stands of mulga (acacia) woodland would grow there, where water was easiest to find in a desert.

The Nobel Peace Prize. The highest award from the international community to an individual for efforts is awarded by a secretive five-member committee. It keeps the names of candidates secret for 50 years. This year, it included 172 individuals and 33 organizations, some of which are:

• Macedonian humanitarian and artist Zivko Popovski-Cvetin–nominated by the Macedonian government
• Austrian children’s charity SOS-Kinderdorf International–put forward by the Austrian government
• American Greg Mortenson–nominated by six members of the U.S. Congress for his Asian school building charity
• Vietnamese religious leader Thich Quang Do–put forward when a campaign recruited lawmakers to nominate him
• American musician Pete Seeger–also nominated after a campaign.
• French President Sarkozy–nominated for peace efforts in the Russia-Georgia conflict and the Middle East

Oh–and Barrack Hussein Obama.

Why is this interesting to a writer? This is what’s considered ‘insider information’ and is the type of knowledge that  keeps readers reading your books. If we were asked to guess how the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded, we’d assume it was handled as most other prestigious awards are–a public list of well-vetted candidates, based on set criteria. The Nobel Peace Prize is none of those. Not good or bad. No judgment made. Just fascinating insider information.

If you know any of the other nominees, please post them for all of us. Thanks.

Kindle May Not Dominate Digital Book Market for Long

It’s getting so much easier. Used to be, you needed a bulky separate e-reader. Now, Blackberry, iPhone–and more coming. Read on.

NEW YORK —  A few weeks ago, Pasquale Castaldo was waiting at the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport for a delayed flight, when a man sitting across from him pulled out an Amazon Kindle book-reading device.

“Gee, maybe I should think about e-books myself,” Castaldo thought.

He didn’t have a Kindle, but he did have a BlackBerry. He pulled it out and looked for available applications. Sure enough, Barnes & Noble Inc. had just put up an e-reading program. Castaldo, 54, downloaded it, and within a minute, began reading Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”

As others are also discovering, the North Haven, Conn., banker found e-books quite accessible without a Kindle.

“The BlackBerry is always with me,” Castaldo said. “Rather than just sitting there, if I can fill that time by reading a good book, I might do that, in addition to doing the other things I might do, like reading email and Twittering.” (more)

I have experimented with online book marketing over the past few years with mixed results. When I heard about a seminar on this topic in my Poynter’s Newsletter, I decided it was time to hear what the professionals had to say.

Just to be clear, prior to October 10-11 and the San Diego conference entitled 21st Century Book Marketing, here’s what I tried:

• Amazon.com–to sell my hard cover books
• Scribd.com–to sell digital versions of these book
• Teachers Pay Teachers–to market digital texts to teachers
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• blogs (like this one)

Everything was self-learned. Surely, experts would have words of wisdom that would turn my marketing efforts into gold and I too could proclaim myself as a NYT Best-selling Author (which seems to be just about every published author out there).

Turns out, what I’m doing–a mix of online book sellers and social networking–is the right approach. My mistake: not being more active in the online communities I’d joined. And, not using the myriad of free resources available to nascent authors.

Before I get into the tips, let me share the collective resume of the group I became convinced within about thirty minutes of the first day would make me money:

• Penny Sansieveri, author of Red Hot Internet Marketing. I’ve read her book and found many valuable tips
• Marci Shimoff–(another) NYT Bestselling author. Her presentation centered around what she did to succeed and that nothing happens overnight
• Jack Canfield–author of the Chicken Soup series. Like Marci, his tips were to be aware of opportunities and be patient (a quick summary–he actually shared a whole lot more depth in his 45-minute speech)
• Dan Hollings–touted as the Mr. Universe of internet marketing, he shared secrets for becoming a Twitter Twenius via Twitter’s tweets
• Dan Poynter–great Poynts about why traditional book publishing is “going going gone” and how that puts savvy authors in the drivers seat.
• Mike Koenigs–sold me on the importance and ease of a video marketing campaign–use a flip phone video, follow a two-minute scrip, upload to YouTube and you’re off

Here are some of the tips:

• Self-publish, then self-promote. Even if you’re published traditionally, you’ll probably have to push sales yourself
• Access B&N.com and Sony eReader via Smashwords.com (when I went to this site, they do provide access to many platforms, but the price was such an extensive redo of my book’s layout, I’m questioning the value)
• If you have ten books and can pass Barnes and Noble’s other online hurdles, try promoting your books at Fictionwise, B&N’s answer to Scribd
• Publish your digital books on Scribd.com. They make it fast and easy–and I can say from experience, it works
• Go to Alexa.com to check the status of your blog or website. Is it getting the word out for you?
• If someone praises your book, bookmark them through Digg, Delicious, Stumble Upon to spread the good word
• Compare your site to your competition with Web Confs SEO Tools
• Claim your blog at Technorati, the leader in blog info
• Use Spacky.com to do a keyword research for your blog or website
• Set up accounts at LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. Join the communities. Participate in Discussions. Often! This was emphasized by most of the presenters. Our brave new 21st century is all about social networking.
• Use SocialOomph to get more out of your Twitter account
• If you’re trying to tweet 24 times a day (like the marketing experts recommend), visit Twyndication. It’ll make that possible.
• Create your writer’s profile on Google Profiles
• Visit Author 101 for a crash course in publishing success
• Set up an Amazon Best Seller campaign
• Set up your Amazon author’s page
• Set up your Goodreads author’s page

This should get you started. Do you have other ideas for readers? Post them under comments.