tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6585692233521070652024-03-13T12:29:58.262-05:00Reading, Writing, and RegencyWelcome! Reading, Writing, and Regency combines my interests as a reader, as an author, as a teacher, and as an amateur historian who's always been intrigued by the English Regency period (1811-1820). Come on in, pour yourself a cup of virtual tea, and let's have a chat!Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-82645307631751221132017-03-12T12:11:00.000-05:002017-03-12T12:11:04.610-05:00Falling in Love: Plan it, Plot it, Show it—in Four Phases<div align="center" class="Default" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I started teaching romance writing, it took a while for me to realize that there's an aspect of romance we seldom consider in depth. We talk a lot about characterization and plot and conflict. But too often we assume that the love story -- the attraction and progression of our characters as they fall in love -- will just happen naturally.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But that assumption is how we get so many characters in romance who move from "I hate you" to "I have to have you forever" with no logical reason -- leaving the reader scratching her head about how on earth these two could ever have fallen in love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Today's post comes from author Ginger Monette, author of <b><i>Darcy's Hope -- Beauty from Ashes</i></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ginger has made a study of how to write characters who move plausibly and convincingly from initial meeting to happy ever after. Please welcome Ginger! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">~~~~~~~</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As romance novelists, it's our job to
weave stories that gives readers a front row seat to watch the unfolding of a
beautiful love story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>So what's the best way to show a
couple moving from </b><b><span lang="DE">“</span></b><b>Hello my
name is” (or even </b><b><span lang="DE">“</span></b><b>I despise
you”) to </b><b><span lang="DE">“</span></b><b>You're my soulmate and I want to spend the rest of my life
with you”?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Having been disappointed by numerous
novels where the couple claimed to suddenly <span lang="DE">“</span>be
in love” without actually <span lang="DE">“</span>falling in love,” <b>I went on a quest
to investigate this mysterious process of falling head over heels.</b> What I
discovered changed my writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I dissected some fifty romance novels
and made notes. All the couples had hefty doses of attraction, but <b>the most
satisfying stories went beyond attraction to something deeper. They showed the
characters passing through four phases that moved them step by step from </b><b><span lang="DE">“meh</span></b><b>” (or downright hatred) to </b><b><span lang="DE">“</span></b><b>wowie-zowie
he's the most wonderful person in the world.”</b> And each phase seemed to be characterized by
distinct thought patterns—particularly if at first Prince Charming seemed to be
more of a frog than a prince. Here are the stages I observed:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Acknowledgement of him:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Acknowledges some good quality about
him (talented, kind, generous, etc)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Finds him attractive<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Hyper aware of him, or hyper critical
of his shortcomings (which often signals preoccupation or a subconscious denial
of admiration)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Acknowledges an attraction, but blows
it off <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Appreciation of his good qualities:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Defends his character while not
necessarily liking him<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Is genuinely thankful for a good
quality<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Beginning to warm towards him<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Not so judgmental towards him<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-More willing to consider his opinion
on a matter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Admiration:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Takes his advice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Imitates quality or action of his <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Admits her initial criticism or
objections were exaggerated or biased<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Curiosity grows—willing to spend more
time in his company<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Acknowledges similar values or mutual
interests<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Finds she is thinking (fondly) of him
more and more<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span lang="FR">Adoration</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Openly acknowledges her love/warm
feelings for him<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Desires to be in his company<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Thinks he is wonderful<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Thinks he is perfect match<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Misses him painfully when he is gone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">-Thinks
about him constantly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So
how did this awareness of stages change my writing? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In my novel <i>Darcy's Hope
~ Beauty from Ashes</i>, <b>I kept these stages and behaviours in mind as I
crafted scenes.</b> <b>They became an outline of sorts</b> that I wove with
compelling action, mystery, suspense, and historical detail. When my characters
(Jane Austen's iconic Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet) are reunited at a
WWI field hospital, Elizabeth is none too happy to encounter Darcy. And
although she disdains him, <b>I had her acknowledge</b> that he is handsome and
there is <i>something</i> between them. This cracks the door to romance and
gets readers rooting for the couple. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Then,
I moved her into the appreciation stage</b>
by having her surprise herself by praising and defending Darcy to a colleague.
After she directly benefits from his wise leadership, she comes to <i>appreciate</i>
him, even though she still doesn't <i>like</i> him. Readers can feel her slowly
warming towards him and eagerly turn pages to find out how the couple will sort
out the baggage between them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As truths of Darcy's past are
dramatically revealed and she comes to understand him better, I have her admit
that her initial criticisms were misplaced. Now, with a softened heart, she's
able to look at him more objectively. Then I set up an ah-ha moment where she
realizes they both share a similar deep-seated insecurity which turns her
reservations about him into empathy. <b>Now that her appreciation has turned to
admiration</b>, her feelings are almost there! <b>And readers are waiting with
bated breath to find out what it will take for him to fully win her heart.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I
gave him some scenes that show off his admirable qualities, so not only does
she find herself attracted to him, she admires his leadership, work ethic, and
drive. Then I purposely played up the things they have in common and showed her
enjoying his company. In short, <b>I showed them building a relationship.</b>
Finally, after they share a heroic act and laugh over a tent whipping in the
wind, she realizes that in fact she <b><span lang="PT">adores</span></b>
him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Intentionally
crafting scenes that follow this four-stage progression of romance enables
readers to <i>sense</i> her falling in love, so it's no surprise when she
finally <i><span lang="PT">declares</span></i><span lang="IT"> it. </span><b>I think a lot of romance authors make the mistake of never <i>showing</i>
the characters moving beyond physical attraction and chemistry.</b> It's not easy! But to write a fulfilling romance, the
characters need to interact on a deep level and share common interests. Readers
should <i>see</i> the couple building a relationship and <i>hear</i> their
internal dialog as their thoughts and feelings evolve. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Using
this four step model, I think <i>Darcy's Hope</i> has succeeded in providing
readers a deep sense of satisfaction as they watch the heroine's tiny bud of
acknowledgement open into appreciation, then expand with admiration, and
finally blossom into full adoration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>What
challenges do you face showing a couple falling in love?</b></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> ~~~~~</span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="None"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Downton
Abbey Meets Pride & Prejudice!</b></span></span><span class="None"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="None">Escape to the era of Downton Abbey and
experience all the drama of World War 1 alongside Jane Austen's iconic
Elizabeth Bennet & Fitzwilliam Darcy. You'll watch their tender love unfold
as they learn to work together and reconcile their differences at a field
hospital only miles from the Front. When injury and espionage separate the
couple, Darcy is crushed. But Donwell Abbey holds a secret that just might
change everything. </span><span class="None"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="None"><i>“…a stellar example of fine
Austenesque literature. …an exceptionally moving story complete with a
compelling plot, danger, mystery, action, introspection, vivid detail, and an
emotionally wrought romance.”</i> ~Austenesque Reviews</span><span class="None"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="None"><b>Darcy’s Hope</b></span><span class="None"><b> Beauty from Ashes:</b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span class="None">Universal link for <b>all</b> retailers</span>. <span class="Hyperlink1"><a href="https://books2read.com/u/47kXOj"><span style="color: blue;">https://books2read.com/u/47kXOj</span></a></span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> -<span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://bit.ly/2cy01KFBlogTourAmaUS"><span style="color: blue;">Amazon USA</span></a></span>
: <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://bit.ly/2cy01KFBlogTourAmaUS"><span style="color: blue;">http://bit.ly/2cy01KFBlogTourAmaUS</span></a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="None"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Darcy’s
Hope at Donwell Abbey: <o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="None"><b> </b></span>Universal
link for <span class="None"><b>all </b></span>retailers. <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="https://www.books2read.com/u/3GMPaK"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.books2read.com/u/3GMPaK</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> -Amazon: <span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M6A76CZ/">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M6A76CZ/</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="None"><b>Website:</b></span> <span class="Hyperlink0"><a href="http://www.gingermonette.com/"><span style="color: blue;">GingerMonette.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="None"><b>Author’</b></span><span class="None"><b><span lang="NL">s Facebook:</span></b></span> <span class="None"> </span><span class="Hyperlink1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ginger-Monette-Author-612096318934524/timeline/"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.facebook.com/Ginger-Monette-Author-612096318934524/</span></a></span>
<span class="None"> </span></span></div>
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Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-60872103217345210642017-01-13T21:12:00.000-06:002017-01-13T21:12:24.580-06:00Quick Fix for Grammar Challenges<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ll be the first to admit that there are certain things about English grammar which defeat me. I have a tough time with “who” and “whom”. Whichever one I settle on, it ends up feeling wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But some of the other questionable choices in English usage have shortcuts and easy fixes – quick tests to tell you which form is right. I learned these in my high school English classes from some very practical teachers, and I’ve been thanking those lovely ladies (and one gentleman) ever since.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here’s one that hangs up a lot of writers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Wade is making Jane and I go to the store. </b>Or wait -- should it be <b>Jane and me</b>?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The test for whether to use <b>I or me</b> (or <b>he or him, she or her</b>, or <b>they or them</b>) is to read the sentence without the other half of the compound. When you leave Jane out of it and read the sentence, it becomes <b>Wade is making I go to the store.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Obviously you wouldn’t say that; you’d say <b>Wade is making me go to the store. </b>– so it’s immediately clear that in this usage it should be <b>Jane and me.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s an easy-peasy test that works in almost all confusing compounds. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Joe and me are going to play golf. </b>(Me is going to play golf? No. – so it’s <b>Joe and I.</b>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Sara and him are getting married.</b> (Him is getting married? No – so it’s <b>Sara and he.</b>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A very similar test means that you’ll never again have to fret about whether to use <b>its </b>or <b>it’s</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The confusion with its / it’s arises because teachers have drummed into us that we form possessives by adding an apostrophe and S. But its is already a possessive (so are his, hers, theirs, ours...) Pronouns, since they have a possessive form, are an exception to the apostrophe-S rule. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>It’s means it is.</b> <i>Always. </i>So when you’re confused about whether to put in an apostrophe, read the sentence with it is and see if it makes sense.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>It’s a far, far better thing I do... </b>(<i>It is</i> a far, far better thing... Apostrophe needed.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>It’s time to go to work. </b>(<i>It is </i>time... Apostrophe needed.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The power surge made the hard drive blow its brains out. </b>(Blow <i>it is</i> brains? Nope – no apostrophe needed.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meanwhile, if anybody has a quick and dirty, foolproof test for <b>who / whom,</b> I’d love to hear it!</span>Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-2985243444123697202016-01-08T10:30:00.000-06:002016-01-08T10:30:49.929-06:00Top Five Ways Historical Writers Go Wrong<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing any book is tough enough, but stepping back in time to create characters from previous centuries presents a yawning trap for today's writers. As an author myself, I struggle with anachronisms -- for instance, I only recently learned that the term "grandfather clock" wasn't in common use until the late 1800s -- after an 1876 song called "My Grandfather's Clock" became popular. Before that, they were called "longcase clocks.")</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But it isn't just material goods that create problems for historical writers. Here are the top five ways we all tend to get it wrong:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Using modern speech.</b> We’re so used to our ordinary way of talking that modern expressions often slip into our characters’ dialogue and thoughts. While expressions like “Get a grip” and “I haven’t got a clue” are pretty obvious, others aren’t quite so easy to weed out. Like the nineteenth-century character who tells his grandson, “I don’t like the people you’re hanging around with.” Or the narrator of a novel set in 1066 who says, “They took off into the woods.” Or the Regency heroine who says the hero has derailed her train of thought – before trains and rails were commonplace. Or a hero from the 1820s who says, “I didn’t come here to be analyzed like some patient in a mental asylum” – 70 years before Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis. A more subtle (but still disconcerting) example is the heroine who says to the hero, “You think everything is all about you, Your Grace.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Including modern attitudes.</b> Far too often in romance fiction, people who were supposedly born and reared in the 1300s or the 1500s or the 1800s think and talk and behave as though they just stepped out of Starbucks holding a latte. It’s true that in order to appeal to today’s reader, main characters tend to be more modern in outlook than their real life peers would have been. But when characters don’t even stop and think about it before they spout today’s perspectives on things like religion, lifestyles and women’s rights, or when they display today’s understanding of psychology, hygiene, nutrition, and medicine, it’s tough to make the reader believe they’re real.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Messing up titles. </b>The most common error when it comes to using aristocratic titles is using the wrong form of address, or using multiple forms of address for the same person. Lady Sarah Winchester isn’t the same person as Lady Winchester is. (Lady Sarah is the daughter of a peer, Lady Winchester is Lord Winchester’s wife.) Lord Winchester isn’t the same person as Lord Randolph Winchester. (Lord Randolph Winchester is the younger son of a duke or a marquess, Lord Winchester is the big cheese himself.) Sir James Smythe is always Sir James, not Sir Smythe. When the author doesn’t realize there’s a big difference between variations which seem so small, it’s easy to dismiss the story entirely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> Not understanding the rules of inheritance.</b> In the eras most commonly used in historical fiction, illegitimate sons could not inherit titles – period. Oldest sons could not be bypassed in favor of younger ones. Daughters could not pass along titles, except for a very few cases by royal decree. Most often, all the land and money was left to the eldest son. I remember an author who made her heroine a duchess… but not by having her marry a duke, which would be the only way for her to achieve that rank. Instead, this heroine got her title because her grandmother, who was the previous duchess, abdicated and bypassed her daughter in favor of her granddaughter. That’s at least three kinds of impossible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Just plain getting it wrong.</b> Why bother to look it up when we can make it up? It’s tempting to assume that our vague recollection of the timeline is accurate, or figure that if some other historical author used it, we don’t need to check for ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>A few prize-winning examples:</b> </i>The Regency hero and heroine who honeymooned on an ocean liner – decades before ocean travel started to be comfortable. The maid who says to her mistress, “It’s chilly; you should wear your wool kid gloves” – they can’t be both wool and leather. The hero and heroine who run away from a London ball to Gretna Green, arriving there early the next morning – but traveling 320 miles took at least 36 hours in those days. A Regency hero and heroine who get married at St. George’s Cathedral – St. George’s Hanover Square is a simple parish church, not a cathedral.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This trap yawns equally wide for authors writing in other historical periods. Take a Viking romance which refers to potatoes – five centuries before they were introduced to Europe. Or a story set in 1949 where the narrator says, “He passed out after we hit the interstate” – years before the interstate highway system was even proposed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of these things sound pretty obvious when we look at them in a list. But beware – they can sneak up and attack us when we’re not paying attention.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This blog was first posted on <a href="https://writewithkelly.wordpress.com/2015/05/23/sittin-on-the-porch-with-kelly-author-leigh-michaels-top-five-ways-historical-writers-go-wrong-amwriting/" target="_blank">Sitting on the Porch with Kelly</a>, hosted by author Kelly Abell. </span></i><br />
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<br />Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-14976071189420566672015-07-09T20:19:00.000-05:002015-07-09T20:19:55.958-05:00Creating Extraordinary Characters<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For an interview today I was jotting some notes and talking points about characters -- a subject which can and does fill entire books. But here are the three traits which came to me as most important about characters in fiction:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>HEROIC. </b>Characters in fiction – and especially in romance – need to be heroic. I don't mean heroic in the sense of wearing a cape and tights; I'm talking about heroic in the sense the word was used in classical literature. People in fiction are in some way larger than life. They're <i>more than</i> real people. Their problems are bigger or more intense. Their flaws are more problematic, more likely to lead to huge trouble. Their personalities are brighter, or darker, or richer, or more twisted, than those of ordinary people. In this view, even a villain is a heroic character -- because he's not simply a guy who commits random, casual crimes. He has a plan and a purpose and a motive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>EXTRAORDINARY. </b> Think <i>extraordinary</i>, not <i>perfect</i>. In the work of new writers, I see a lot of characters who have it all. They’re gorgeous. They have great jobs. They love what they do. They have wonderful friends. They live in a great house or condo. They drive the car they've always dreamed of. They have designer clothes and shoes and hair. But the thing is, people in books are much more intriguing when things <i>aren’t</i> going right for them – when they’ve lost the job or the condo or the friend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>BALANCED. </b>Characters work best when there's a basic balance between the protagonist and the antagonist (or, in romance, between the hero and the heroine). If you build a big blustery hero who always says what he thinks, and you pair him with a heroine who’s got low self-esteem – the hero comes off as a bully and the heroine as a weakling. If you pair a soft-spoken laid back hero with a hard-driving, bossy heroine, then he’s apt to look weak and she may come across as being bitchy. But if you put the blustery hero who always says what he thinks with the heroine who’s just as outspoken and bossy, you’ve got sparks. (It might not be a household you want to live in – but then that’s one of the ways fiction is different from real life.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the same way, the hero/protagonist and the villain need to be balanced. If the villain is so super-powerful and clued in and knowledgeable that it seems the hero can't possibly win, then it's not convincing when the hero keeps stumbling into answers and being saved by coincidence. If the villain is so inept that it's hard to see how he can keep functioning at all, then the hero's victory isn't satisfying and savory. Only when the two sides each have strengths and resources and talents is the battle exciting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What traits do you find necessary to consider when you're developing characters?</span><br />
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Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-3762662749701727452015-05-29T10:58:00.004-05:002015-05-29T10:58:58.518-05:00Speed Dating for Authors<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Author Tierney James has this cool feature on her blog called "Speed Dating for Authors" where she shares intriguing bits and pieces about books and authors -- including trivia or personal details or stuff you wouldn't otherwise know. It's a good place to find new authors or find out more about your favorites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This week I'm featured -- along with some photos of my dollhouse. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Come on over to </span><a href="http://www.ptierneyjames.blogspot.com/2015/05/romance-author-leigh-michaels.html" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">Journeys, Treks and Daylilies </a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and join us! Here's a sneak peek: </span></div>
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Yep, that's really a dollhouse!</div>
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</span>Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-20435023313597901812015-05-23T10:32:00.001-05:002015-05-23T10:33:50.533-05:00Top Five Ways Historical Authors Go Wrong<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A couple of weeks ago I met fellow author and blogger Kelly Abell when we were both guests on Marsha Casper Cook's radio show. We talked there about the errors that historical authors most commonly make, and that led to Kelly inviting me to guest blog for her. You can read my post on the Top Five Ways Historical Authors Go Wrong <a href="https://writewithkelly.wordpress.com/2015/05/23/sittin-on-the-porch-with-kelly-author-leigh-michaels-top-five-ways-historical-writers-go-wrong-amwriting/" target="_blank">here</a>. Enjoy!</span>Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-16802902053461609082015-05-21T12:08:00.000-05:002015-05-21T12:15:09.239-05:00Splitting Heirs<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Under the aristocratic system of <a href="http://leighmichaels.blogspot.com/2012/03/laws-of-inheritance.html" target="_blank">primogeniture</a>, followed almost religiously during the Regency period, the eldest son is the heir. He gets the title, the fortune, and the land. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But what if there isn’t an eldest son?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If a title-holder has no legitimate children, or has only daughters, then the lot goes to the nearest male relative of the title-holder. The next in line would be the title-holder’s next-younger brother, and then his sons (if he has any). If the younger brother has no children or only daughters, the title descends to the next brother in the original family, and then to his sons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">An eldest son is known as the<i> heir apparent</i>, because no matter what happens, if he outlives his father he will inherit. Because no one can come between him and the title, he is the apparent – obvious – heir.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If there is no oldest son, then whoever stands next in line is known as the <i>heir presumptive.</i> Since the title-holder could still sire a son (no matter how unlikely that might be), the heir presumptive could still be pushed out of the line of succession. So he’s presumed – but not guaranteed – to be the heir.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If the title-holder dies without a surviving son, but his widow is pregnant, then everything comes to a halt until the baby is born. If it’s a boy, he will hold the title from the moment of his birth. But if it’s a girl, then the next heir in the male line wins the jackpot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I used this scenario in my Regency novel, <i>Gentleman in Waiting </i>– where the entire family is gathered, waiting to see whether Lady Abingdon’s child will be a boy or a girl...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">* * * * *</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everything depends on the baby…</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lady Mariah Gerrard anxiously awaits the birth of her stepmother’s child, desperately hoping for a boy who will inherit their father’s title so Mariah can gain access to her dowry and her freedom. Her father’s cousin John, the next heir in line, has other plans – so if the baby is a girl, disaster looms for Mariah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When Myles Moreton comes to Edgeworth to manage the family estate, Mariah’s no longer certain that even the birth of a boy will solve her problems. Why is money missing? Why is Mariah’s dowry in doubt? Despite his genial façade, is Cousin John planning mischief – or worse? Why is Myles Moreton, rather than the late earl’s trustees, suddenly in control? And how can Myles -- a man who’s entirely ineligible -- be not only completely maddening but utterly charming and very, very tempting?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As the family gathers to await the birth, Mariah and Myles search for answers – and they find that playing the waiting game can have its own rewards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://leighmichaels.com/gentleman_in_waiting.htm" target="_blank">Buy links for <i>Gentleman in Waiting</i></a></span></div>
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Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-9965384585096460522015-05-14T11:18:00.000-05:002015-05-14T11:18:34.916-05:00Authors Chat About Writing Historical Fiction<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recently, I was a guest on Marsha Casper Cook's blogtalk radio show to chat about the challenges of writing historical fiction. Another of the guests, Kelly Abell, has posted her comments and a link to the show <a href="https://writewithkelly.wordpress.com/2015/05/14/writing-historical-fiction-some-tips-amwriting/" target="_blank">here</a>. I hope you'll enjoy listening! </span>Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-12671460068839642772015-04-12T15:57:00.005-05:002015-04-12T16:01:38.135-05:00Axminstering and Other Temptations<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whenever I finish writing a book, there are a couple of items which automatically go on my to-do list. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first is to clean up my office, because by the time the project is done, my desk looks like a tornado hit it. (And no, I’m not posting a photo of the mess. Things last forever on the Internet.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The other is to look back at the job and assess what went well and what could have been improved. In this case, a novella which should have taken maybe three weeks to finish – especially because I’d written a good chunk of it months ago – took twice as long. One of those weeks was lost to a nasty case of flu, but another week or so disappeared because I was Axminstering instead of writing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>What’s “Axminstering”? I’m glad you asked.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my novella, which is set in an English manor house in 1816, I wrote that my hero felt like the Axminster carpet in the drawing room had turned into quicksand and was pulling him down. Then I paused to wonder – were there Axminster carpets in 1816, or were they more of a Victorian than a Regency phenomenon? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s a question historical authors have to ask themselves with practically every sentence. (Did French doors exist in the Regency – and were they called that, or something else? Did people say “bamboozle” or was that later? What really is the difference between a morning dress and a walking dress? Would the hero be wearing top boots or Hessians?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But though we really do have to ask the questions and look up the answers, it’s not often that we need that bit of information right at that very moment. My hero could still have been thinking about quicksand if he was standing on a Persian carpet or a marble floor or just a plain old rug – and I could have looked up Axminster carpets at another time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Instead, I went zooming over to Google where I discovered that the first Axminster carpet was made in 1755, in plenty of time for my drawing room to be decorated with one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That much research wasn’t a problem. But then I followed the trail. What exactly would that carpet have looked like? What was the most likely combination of colors? What would it have been made of? How big might it have been? And since Wikipedia kindly offered a list of heritage properties where Axminster carpets can be seen, I wandered through those pages searching for pictures. And when I didn't see carpets there, I kept looking till I found images. (Here’s a new carpet, to give you the idea: <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9883068/Axminster-Carpets-a-history.html" target="_blank">AXMINSTER</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How much of that knowledge made it into the story? <i>Zero. Zip. Nada.</i> The line’s exactly as I first wrote it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I shared this story with my students at <a href="http://www.writingclasses.com/index.php" target="_blank">Gotham Writers’ Workshop</a>, one of them said in glee, “From now on, I’m not going to call it procrastinating – I’m Axminstering!” (Thanks, Michelle!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you Axminster? What are the temptations you face as you write?</span>Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-46593207738099023092015-02-22T13:35:00.000-06:002015-02-22T13:41:46.566-06:00And That's My Point of View...<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are you confused about the difference between first person and third person point of view? Between omniscient and selective? Here are some examples to help you distinguish between the many varieties of POV.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First person: (includes the thoughts, feelings and perspective of one main character, who's telling his/her own story)</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As I walked up the hill, I realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. There was no sound from the cardinal who was nearly always singing from the top of the maple tree. I thought I saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but when I looked again it was gone. Still, I shuddered as I felt a silent threat pass over me like a cloud over the sun.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Second person: (turns the reader into the character)</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As you walk up the hill, you realize that the atmosphere's just too quiet. There's no sound from the cardinal you know is almost always singing from the top of the maple tree. You think you see a shadow move high up on the slope, but when you look again it's gone. You shudder as you feel a silent threat pass over you. You feel cold, like a cloud just passed over the sun.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Third person selective singular: (includes the thoughts and perspective of one main character)</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As she walked up the hill, she realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. There was no sound from the cardinal who she so often heard singing from the top of the maple tree. She thought she saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but when she looked again it was gone. Nevertheless, she shuddered as she felt a silent threat pass over her. It felt like a cloud creeping over the sun.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Third person selective multiple: (includes the thoughts of more than one main character but only one at a time. The scene break--*****--indicates a change from one POV to the other)</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As she walked up the hill, she realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. There was no sound from the cardinal who she so often heard singing from the top of the maple tree. She thought she saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but when she looked again it was gone. Nevertheless, she shuddered as she felt a silent threat pass over her. It felt like a cloud creeping over the sun.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*****</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> He saw her start up the hill, and he moved quickly behind the shelter of the huge old maple tree. If she saw him now, everything would be ruined, but if he could stay hidden until she came within range--well, then she'd have to talk to him. Wouldn't she?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Third person dual: (includes the thoughts of two main characters)</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As she walked up the hill, she realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. There was no sound from the cardinal who she so often heard singing from the top of the maple tree.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> He saw her start up the hill, and he moved quickly behind the shelter of the huge old maple tree. If she saw him now, everything would be ruined.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> She thought she saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but when she looked again it was gone.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> If he could just stay hidden until she came within range, he thought, then she'd have to talk to him. Wouldn't she?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> She shuddered as she felt a silent threat pass over her. It felt like a cloud creeping over the sun.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Third person omniscient: (all-knowing; can include thoughts and perspective of all characters)</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As the girl walked up the hill, she realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The cardinal tipped his head back and drew breath to sing, but just as the first note passed his beak he heard the crack of a dead branch far below his perch high in the maple tree. Startled, he looked down, cocking his head to one side and watching with great interest while the man rattled the blades of grass as he tried to hide himself behind the tree.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> As the man saw her start up the hill, he moved quickly into the shelter of the huge old maple tree. If she saw him now, everything would be ruined.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> She thought she saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but when she looked again it was gone.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The man thought if he could stay hidden until she came within range, she'd have to talk to him. Wouldn't she?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The girl shuddered as she felt a silent threat pass over her. It felt like a cloud creeping over the sun.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Third person detached: (no thoughts; the POV of screenplays)</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The girl walked up the quiet hillside.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> In the top of the maple tree, the cardinal tipped his head back and drew breath to sing. A dead branch cracked on the ground below the bird's perch.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> The man stepped on the branch and rattled the blades of grass as he moved behind the tree. He watched the girl come up the hillside toward him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Her gaze shifted quickly and warily from one shadowy area high on the slope to another, and she shuddered.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Factors which affect POV choices:</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> What kind of story is it?--external (action) or internal (psychological)? A story loaded with <i>events </i>is more likely to use third person selective multiple or third person dual, while a story filled with the <i>psychological workings</i> of a character's mind is more likely to be first person or third person selective singular. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> How long is the story? Will there be time to develop the reader's identification with and sympathy for more than one viewpoint character?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Who is the main character? Whose story is this? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Is any one character is in a position to observe all the major events of the story? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Is the main character sympathetic in nature, one the reader is likely to identify with? Is the character able to express himself well and clearly?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Who is the audience? What is the intended market, and what viewpoint style does the targeted publisher prefer?</span></div>
Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-78913504542555488152015-02-16T16:59:00.000-06:002015-02-16T16:59:15.720-06:00Those blasted apostrophes...<div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m not sure why apostrophes give us so much trouble, but they do. Perhaps it’s because there are two different reasons to use apostrophes, so we get them mixed up.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first use of apostrophes is <strong>to form possessives</strong>. When we say that something belongs to someone, then we need an apostrophe to show who owns what. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If a word is just a plural, with nothing owned, then there’s no need for an apostrophe. So it would be: Several doctors studied his case. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you’re writing about a busy doctor, you’d say: <em>The doctor’s office was filled with people.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The doctor “owns” the office, so we need the possessive form.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If it’s a practice with more than one doctor, it would be <em>The doctors’ office was filled with people.</em> The doctors all “own” the office together, so again we need the possessive – in this case, on top of the plural doctors.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But if you say, <em>The doctors were very busy, </em>there’s nothing owned here, so there’s no need for an apostrophe. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The second use of apostrophes is<strong> to form contractions</strong>. We tend to do all right with <em>they’re </em>(aside from mixing it up with <em>there </em>and <em>their</em>), and <em>I’m</em> and <em>isn't </em>and such; where we get into big trouble is with <em>it’s </em>and <em>its</em>. And that’s probably because we try to apply rule #1 to its, and add an apostrophe when we use it to indicate possession.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But <em>its </em>(along with <em>ours</em>, <em>yours, his,</em> and <em>hers</em>) are exceptions to the possessive rule; these pronouns are possessive already so they don’t need apostrophes. We only use an apostrophe when <em>it’s </em>is used as a contraction of <em>it is</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So if you say, <em>The dog chased its tail, </em>we don’t need an apostrophe.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But if we say, <em>It’s a lovely day, </em>then we’re really saying <em>It is a lovely day,</em> and we do use the apostrophe.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Clear as mud, right?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are the rules of thumb to help you determine whether you need to add an apostrophe.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Is it a possessive?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you’re wondering whether to use an apostrophe, ask yourself what the word in question owns. If there’s an answer, then you need the apostrophe.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>The clown’s grin was huge.</em> (The clown’s what? The clown’s grin. Apostrophe needed.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>The clowns piled out of the little car.</em> (The clown’s what? – nothing. No apostrophe needed.)</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Is it a contraction?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you’re wondering whether to use an apostrophe, ask yourself what the word in question stands for. If it’s really two words, then you need the apostrophe.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>It’s a far, far better thing I do...</em> (It is a far, far better thing... Apostrophe needed.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>It’s time to go to work. </em>(It is time... Apostrophe needed.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>The power surge made the hard drive blow its brains out. </em>(Blow it is brains? Nope – no apostrophe needed.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anything I didn't cover? Let's talk about it!</span></div>
Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-15991293414508881842014-12-19T17:16:00.000-06:002014-12-19T17:16:00.054-06:0012 Things You Maybe Didn't Know About Mourning Customs<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As a fan of Regency romances, I've always been interested in the mourning customs of the day -- black clothes and veils most of all. Then I discovered that my friend Loren the historian is even more of a nut than I am about the process of grieving a loved one during the Regency and Victorian periods. We can have hours-long discussions about what he likes to call <i>The Victorian Way of Death. </i>(Isn't that a great title for a book?)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijdK8bcqZ4Hh8DSHC_0gTeMl8UKaHgu9iHFv7DuryhiUj8gpKuE21eAjMW2-F-Si6tHv7LKcmHu5V8fQv-hxIn_kf7TrJuH8AjiqNmI3urZGNhDiEDPwX6q-Lpr75ELF_J1mrFKDdqW8/s1600/LM_GentlemanInWaiting_Ebook+FOR+WEBSMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijdK8bcqZ4Hh8DSHC_0gTeMl8UKaHgu9iHFv7DuryhiUj8gpKuE21eAjMW2-F-Si6tHv7LKcmHu5V8fQv-hxIn_kf7TrJuH8AjiqNmI3urZGNhDiEDPwX6q-Lpr75ELF_J1mrFKDdqW8/s1600/LM_GentlemanInWaiting_Ebook+FOR+WEBSMALL.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since my latest Regency romance novel explores what happens after the unexpected death of an earl leaves his entire family -- including his pregnant wife and his daughter -- in limbo, I had to refresh my memory about mourning customs. What was my heroine allowed to wear? How long would she have to remain in seclusion?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I thought today I'd share some fun facts about death and mourning during the Regency and Victorian periods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Deaths most often occurred in the home, and bodies were laid out in the best parlor for visitors. That's the origin of today's commonly-used term, "funeral parlor" or "funeral home."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Not only the survivors but the house was put into a state of mourning. Clocks were stopped, shutters were closed, mirrors were draped or turned to the wall, and the "badge of death" (usually made of black crepe) was hung on the front door.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. In an era before the telephone and (in the Regency) before the telegraph, the news of a death was sent by mail -- often on stationery which bore a black border to warn the recipient of the bad news inside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Women did not attend burials in the Regency period. They were presumed to be too weak to withstand the shock of standing at a graveside, so they stayed at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. The procession from the home to the church for the funeral service and then on to the graveyard (the word "cemetery" is a Victorian invention) was a ceremonial occasion and the lineup of the mourners was very important. Chief mourners -- those closest in relationship to the deceased -- were first in the procession, followed by other relatives in descending order as the relationship grew more distant. Then came friends, neighbors and other guests.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Mourning dress achieved full and tortuous status after the death of Prince Albert in 1861 threw Queen Victoria into a cycle of grief from which she never emerged -- but long before that, widows were expected to wear nothing but black for an entire year, the period known as full mourning. The more distant the person's relationship to the deceased, the less stringent the dress requirements and the shorter the period of time. For a man mourning a distant relative, wearing a black armband for a few weeks was sufficient.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After the full mourning period was completed, half-mourning allowed the grieving person to wear purple, lavender, or gray clothing -- but bright colors were not allowed until the mourning period was entirely over. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8. The widow was expected to seclude herself at home for the entire period of full mourning -- receiving visits only from close friends or relatives and venturing out only to go to church. During half-mourning, she could once again venture out for quiet social occasions and visits, but not parties or balls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">9. Mourning clothes were among the very first mass-produced clothing items. Since the need for them often arose suddenly, there wasn't time for seamstresses or tailors to make garments from scratch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">10. The heavy black veils worn by Victorian widows were dyed using a compound containing arsenic -- which may have contributed to the the large number of ladies who soon followed their husbands to the grave.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">11. Mourning jewelry was often specially made of jet -- a black stone resembling coal -- for the grieving person. Sometimes regular jewelry could be re-engineered to suit the purpose, perhaps mounted on a black background. During half-mourning, some regular jewelry could be worn -- diamonds and pearls because they were neutral in color and amethysts because of their purple color.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">12. Until 1823, any person who committed suicide was required by law to be buried at a crossroads with a stake driven through the heart, to prevent the ghost from walking. Until 1832, a suicide could be buried only between the hours of 9 p.m. and midnight, with no service or prayers said over the body.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's relatively easy to find data on Victorian mourning customs; the Regency is a bit tougher to research. In fact, the Regency was part of a transition period between the 18th century (when gravestone symbolism was dominated by the skull and crossbones, skeleton with a scythe, or the death's head) and the high Victorian period (when euphemisms took over and people "entered into rest", "fell asleep in the arms of Jesus", "went to his reward" and so on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We still use some of these -- like "passed away" -- so though many of the customs of the 19th century sound weird to us, they still resonate in today's practices.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>***</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Gentleman in Waiting</b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everything depends on
the baby…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lady Mariah Gerrard anxiously awaits the birth of her
stepmother’s child, desperately hoping for a boy who will inherit their
father’s title so Mariah can gain access to her dowry and her freedom. Her
father’s cousin John, the next heir in line, has other plans – so if the baby
is a girl, disaster looms for Mariah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When Myles Moreton comes to Edgeworth to manage the family
estate, Mariah’s no longer certain that even the birth of a boy will solve her
problems. Why is money missing? Why is Mariah’s dowry in doubt? Despite his genial façade, is Cousin John planning
mischief – or worse? Why is Myles Moreton, rather than the late earl’s
trustees, suddenly in control? And how can Myles -- a man who’s entirely
ineligible -- be not only completely maddening but utterly charming and very, <i>very</i> tempting?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As the family gathers to await the birth, Mariah and Myles search
for answers – and they find that playing the waiting game can have its own
rewards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://leighmichaels.com/gentleman_in_waiting.htm" target="_blank">Gentleman in Waiting links</a></span></div>
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Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-17062848299021254862014-12-16T17:02:00.000-06:002014-12-16T17:02:00.062-06:00Lady Charlotte?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_9eS4_rQxrMyFkJawhyphenhyphenMZhvVIE5Oitu48NcgCDm_lMdH4ub5mKVOfiCObQML6_o0Mo7JcnFNJKx3ePkcb0a1wOTgnpfqN2h1BnLzVuZfNdlj-hhnZckeqLWMWS0HN0ek-oGSiz6wzlQ/s1600/Lady+Charlotte+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_9eS4_rQxrMyFkJawhyphenhyphenMZhvVIE5Oitu48NcgCDm_lMdH4ub5mKVOfiCObQML6_o0Mo7JcnFNJKx3ePkcb0a1wOTgnpfqN2h1BnLzVuZfNdlj-hhnZckeqLWMWS0HN0ek-oGSiz6wzlQ/s1600/Lady+Charlotte+cropped.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is a photo of a gravestone in our local cemetery. Lady Charlotte is a local celebrity, even though she died in 1873. I've even heard people say, "Did you know there's a member of the royal family buried in Ottumwa Cemetery?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well... no. There's not. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Furthermore, she's not even who the tombstone says she is. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The tombstone says</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Lady Charlotte, dau (daughter) of</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sir Robt. Lowthe</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">and wife of</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">E. T. Hulaniski</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Died</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Feb. 25, 1873</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Aged</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">23 y. 3 m. 10 d.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's break that apart and see what it means...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Charlotte's father was a knight, which is a nice rank -- but it falls several short of the aristocracy, so she can't be "Lady Charlotte" based on her father's rank. He'd have to be at least an earl for her to claim that title.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And her husband seems to have no title at all -- so she can't be "Lady Charlotte" based on his rank either.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So she's really not "Lady Charlotte" at all -- </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">not if she (or whoever wrote the text for her tombstone) is claiming to be part of the British system of aristocracy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And by the way, here's what her tombstone looks like these days, after another 25 years of weathering. But cemetery preservation is a topic for another day.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFprIsugyES_Fq6mmQNKKZliU-mZHgyglfFXHx3uFqvQ4jzClq8vHueuzSjniAa7Cqraohw38zuBbUk3FeNURmsbAr-i4D_C2N5Rh7tMAHfdBZ2s2KuGt85E8UNJcCeigk7f3yNo8BM1Y/s1600/Lady+Charlotte+cropped+worn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFprIsugyES_Fq6mmQNKKZliU-mZHgyglfFXHx3uFqvQ4jzClq8vHueuzSjniAa7Cqraohw38zuBbUk3FeNURmsbAr-i4D_C2N5Rh7tMAHfdBZ2s2KuGt85E8UNJcCeigk7f3yNo8BM1Y/s1600/Lady+Charlotte+cropped+worn.jpg" height="320" width="221" /></a></div>
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Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-78859452136784786072014-09-23T15:30:00.000-05:002014-09-23T15:30:02.502-05:00The Best Little Writers' Conference<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Okay, I'm prejudiced... but I really think that ORACON, the Ozark Romance Authors' annual writers' conference, is the best small conference to be found anywhere. It's just one day -- but that day is packed full of information, fun, networking, support, and great people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Make that lots and lots of great people....</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCKQe01s2W5WeEmPr5drWJnu6l156L2JQeem1WCwSiQfwm4umgK9-BXVSq78-OgRUZJA5nKNx53nygTEyiXfM40NP-7GxXS6sjcPnuM4iD9b6G7oMFGnie_hvH4r_4Juq-LuWabG6csE/s1600/ORA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCKQe01s2W5WeEmPr5drWJnu6l156L2JQeem1WCwSiQfwm4umgK9-BXVSq78-OgRUZJA5nKNx53nygTEyiXfM40NP-7GxXS6sjcPnuM4iD9b6G7oMFGnie_hvH4r_4Juq-LuWabG6csE/s1600/ORA.jpg" height="216" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The attendees at ORACON 2014, University Plaza Hotel, Springfield, Missouri</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(my thanks to ORA and Sharon Keeling Davis for sharing this photo online)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">ORACON kicks off on Friday evening with a booksigning at the Springfield Barnes & Noble store and then fills Saturday to the brim with programs like The Editors and Agents Gong Show (this year was first pages -- and very enlightening discussions of when and why the editors and agents would stop reading or lose interest). Plotting, self-publishing, and editing your way to a best-seller rounded out the topics. The day ends with announcements of winners in the Weta Nichols writing contest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">ORACON 2014 is history -- but plans are already being made for ORACON 2015. Don't be left out!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Leigh's nominees for best conferences:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Best small romance conference: </b><a href="http://ozarks-romance-authors.com/conference-2014/" target="_blank">ORACON</a>, Springfield, Missouri (September)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Best regional romance conference: </b><a href="http://www.georgiaromancewriters.org/mm-conference/" target="_blank">Moonlight and Magnolias</a> in Atlanta, Georgia (October)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Best regional writers' conference</b> (for writers of all sorts): <a href="http://www.midwestwriters.org/" target="_blank">Midwest WritersWorkshop</a> in Muncie, Indiana (July)</span><br />
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<br />Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-42424306833268256472014-07-17T12:22:00.000-05:002014-07-17T12:22:56.908-05:00The Butler Did It!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since most of us don’t have servants, it’s sometimes tough to picture what people in service in the grand houses of the past actually did all day. If you've read my post on the <a href="http://leighmichaels.blogspot.com/2012/03/day-in-life-of-housemaid.html" target="_blank">housemaid’s job</a>, you may have concluded that the upper servants had a far easier time of it. And that’s true, though it depends on how large the household actually was.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the grandest of houses, the head of the staff would be a house steward who was in charge of hiring and firing servants and paying the tradesman’s bills, but in the merely <i>grand </i>houses, those duties would be split between the butler – assisted perhaps by an under-butler – and the housekeeper.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While the housekeeper is (naturally) in charge of the house, the butler is in charge of the dining room – including protecting, polishing, and counting the silver and maintaining the wine cellar – and overseeing all the male servants. If there was no valet to wait on the master of the house, the butler took care of his clothing and dressing room.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While the pattern of a butler’s day varied greatly depending on the size of the household and the activities of the family, here’s a pretty normal pattern for the butler in a medium-sized house:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is the butler’s duty to set the breakfast table, bring up the food and drink, wait on table, and clear after the family has finished – a pattern which is repeated at luncheon, dinner, and with the evening tea tray just before bedtime. After each meal he supervises the cleaning of all the silver, china, glasses, and serving dishes and makes sure they are put away in their proper places.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Between meals, he takes up his other duties. He take care of the master's clothes, laying out what he'll need next, cleaning or brushing or mending, and straightening the dressing room. He checks the wine cellar, tending to any wines which may be off in taste or color, or bottling wines which were delivered in casks. He polishes the silver (no tarnish-proof strips in those days!), and he’s on duty to answer the door from morning till night. After the household has retired, he makes sure all the menservants have gone to bed, then locks up the doors and windows before (finally!) retiring himself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By the Victorian era, when paying calls over tea became a standard afternoon activity, the butler had it a bit easier. The fashion for Victorian ladies was to have a very attractive parlormaid who would answer the door and wait on the ladies and their afternoon callers at tea time. Since the butler was not required, he could rest for an hour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pay during the Regency period? From 30 to 80 pounds sterling per year – depending on the size of the family and the household staff. But he also received his master’s cast-off clothes, as well as the leftover pieces of the wax candles, once they were too short to burn! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sources: <i>The Complete Servant</i>, by Samuel and Sarah Adams, published 1825</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Etiquette</i>, by Emily Post, published 1922</span><br />
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Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-13185833896234288862014-05-03T16:47:00.001-05:002014-05-03T16:50:52.677-05:00Top Ten --Er, Six -- Pet Peeves in Historical Romances<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I admit it, I'm a fan of historical romance. Always have been, even long before I started writing it. But I have to say there are some things that drive me straight round the bend and make me toss a book aside...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1. Getting the titles wrong.</b> <i>Lady Sarah Winchester</i> isn't the same person as<i> Lady Winchester</i> is, and when the author gets it wrong, it's easy to dismiss the story entirely.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Here's the skinny on how to handle <a href="http://leighmichaels.blogspot.com/2012/03/sir-whats-his-name.html" target="_blank">dukes </a>... <a href="http://leighmichaels.blogspot.com/2012/04/marquess-madness.html" target="_blank">marquesses </a>... <a href="http://leighmichaels.blogspot.com/2012/04/viscounts-and-viscountesses.html" target="_blank">viscounts </a>... <a href="http://leighmichaels.blogspot.com/2012/05/barons-baronesses.html" target="_blank">barons </a>... and <a href="http://leighmichaels.blogspot.com/2012/05/bridging-gap-between-peerage-dukes.html" target="_blank">baronets</a>.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>2. Getting the succession wrong.</b> Inheritance of money is one thing, titles are another. Illegitimate sons could not inherit titles, period. Oldest sons could not be bypassed in favor of younger ones. Daughters could not pass along titles at all (there are a very few exceptions, by royal decree).</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>3. Getting the geography wrong.</b> London to Gretna Green is 320 miles. Even if you figure an average speed of 10 miles per hour for a team of horses (and that would be tough to maintain over time, what with having to stop to change teams every few miles), it was impossible to do the trip in a day, much less overnight, during the Georgian or Regency eras. Which was the entire point, of course, since by the time a couple had been together and alone for such a long journey, the girl's reputation was ruined and irreparable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>4. 21<sup>st</sup>
century characters who turn up in historical time periods.</b> I don't mean modern-day characters who time
travel. I mean people who were supposedly born and reared in the 1300s, or the
1500s, or the 1800s, but who think and act and talk and behave as though they just
stepped out of Starbucks holding a latte and an iPhone, complete with modern sensibilities and politically-correct attitudes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. <b>Magically-survivable
injuries.</b> Before modern antibiotics, being shot in the abdomen was pretty
much a death sentence. There are real-life stories of survivors, yes, but they’re
remembered because they were <i>rare</i>.
Concussions were just as serious then as they are now, and being hit over the
head hard enough to cause unconsciousness for a period of time is likely to
lead to bleeding in the brain and death, not a nice long sleep and then waking
up feeling just fine and remembering everything. (Author Eileen Dreyer, who was a trauma nurse before
writing thrillers, does some great seminar sessions on medicine in historical
eras and how authors get it wrong.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p><b>6. </b></o:p><b>Trusting other authors
to get it right. </b>I swear I’ve read a historical novel where the hero
complained about the heroine feeding him pablum – but when I checked, I
discovered that particular baby formula was invented in the 1930s instead. Oops.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What about you? What are your pet peeves, the things that make you toss a book aside? Please share!</span></div>
Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-87204782983722779872013-11-10T06:00:00.000-06:002013-11-10T06:00:01.118-06:00Thinking about Perspective<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been asked how, after writing so many books, I can make each set of characters different...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The best way to make each set of characters stand out is to look at things through THEIR perspective -- how THEY view the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What would THIS person see and notice most? What would THIS person think about? What would THIS person compare to whatever he/she is looking at?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A heroine who's five feet two will have a different reaction to a hero's height than one who's five feet eleven. A heroine who's a cook will have a different reaction to a hero's physical presence than one who's a physical therapist. A heroine who sells perfume for a living will have a different reaction to a hero's aftershave than one who's ... well, anything else. A heroine who's a musician will have a different reaction to the hero's voice than one who's not at all musical.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">See what I'm doing here? I'm looking at the hero through the heroine's eyes. What does SHE see, feel, hear, sense that's different from what any other woman would see?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The same thing works in reverse, of course -- what is there about our hero which makes him notice specific things about the heroine?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's talk about how you could make this work!</span><br />
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Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-20203756635205962212013-10-24T15:24:00.000-05:002013-10-24T15:24:27.117-05:00Everybody Needs an Editor, Part Two<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Back in January I wrote about the unintentionally-amusing consequences when an author who doesn't know the right word gets the almost-right one, or lets SpellCheck take over instead of consulting an editor. (You can read that post <a href="http://leighmichaels.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-importance-of-being-edited.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today we're back with More Head-Scratching Moments From Today's Books...</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Mildred, a graying brunette with hair as black as her son's..."</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Really? Her hair is gray AND brunette AND black, all at the same time? </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The building was modeled after the Pentagon, though it didn't have seven sides.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hate to tell you, Dear Author, but the Pentagon doesn't have seven sides either. <i>Penta </i>means five. Always has, always will.</span></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here are a couple of lines from a story set in 1949: </span></b></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He passed out after we hit the interstate. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nope. The first legislation setting up what's officially called the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways -- no wonder we just call it "the interstate" -- was passed in 1956, and the original network wasn't completed until 35 years later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>We laid in a stock of MREs to eat on our camping trip</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">MREs -- <i>Meals, Ready-to-Eat -</i>- replaced canned combat rations in 1981. These two characters could have gotten hold of <i>C rations,</i> but a couple of guys in 1949 wouldn't ever have heard the term MRE.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>And these two from a Big-Six published memoir:</b></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"My bedroom was kind of girlie, with a rod-iron bed"</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Truly? Who the heck doesn't know about <i>wrought iron</i>? Are they hiring third-graders as copy editors?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I'd hit the motherload of riches" </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After all of these, I feel like *I* hit the ... uh... mother lode!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Without naming names, what are your favorite gaffes?</span></div>
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Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-45149245597304767492013-07-02T14:16:00.000-05:002013-07-02T14:16:00.117-05:00Primping in the Regency<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A fellow writer of historical romances asked this week: “What
amenities did London hotels have in the 19<sup>th</sup> century for the proper
lady to refresh herself in relative privacy in front of a mirror?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now that’s an interesting question – and it’s one I don’t
have a definite answer for. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The best sources for information about what happened in
particular historical periods are diaries, personal letters, and artifacts –
surviving locations and/or possessions. For instance, we know what sort of
undies people wore during various historical periods because examples have
survived. And we know the basics about how and where people relieved themselves,
because a few of those places and pieces of equipment still exist. But figuring
out whatever the 19<sup>th</sup> century equivalent of a power room would have
been – that requires figuring out context.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Personal hygiene isn’t something that people talk about,
even today – at least not unless it’s something unusual. (I’m pretty sure that the
first time I encountered a ladies’ room attendant in a posh restaurant, I
mentioned it to my friends.) But powdering our noses is such a commonplace
thing that we don’t give it a second thought – aside from the occasional
complaint about inadequate facilities, I suppose. Our sisters in the 19<sup>th</sup>
century didn’t write about it in letters either, or note it in their diaries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I’m speculating here, trying to figure out context –
based on hygiene, comfort, convenience, and taxes – of how a 19<sup>th</sup>
century lady would have powdered her nose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first question, of course, is what part of the 19<sup>th</sup>
century we’re talking about. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the Regency period, personal hygiene most often involved an
outdoor privy, or a chamber pot (or the equivalent) inside. This crucial piece of
equipment was also called a close stool or necessary stool or toilet chair – here’s
a picture of one: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_stool">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_stool</a>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the Regency era, there wasn't much incentive for
designing or building special facilities for personal hygiene. Running water
was rare, early designs for flush toilets often let sewer gases creep back into
the room, and servants (to dump and clean those chamber pots) were inexpensive.
However, the resulting odors and lack of
cleanliness meant that a lady probably wouldn't primp near her chamber pot. Her dressing table would likely be across the room
from the sanitary facilities, and it might or might not boast a mirror on the
wall – because glass was expensive and hard to produce in large sheets, and it
was taxed like the luxury item it was. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because of the mirror tax, public hotels probably didn’t have
many mirrors either. In their best bedrooms, possibly – which is why I think the
lady who wanted to primp while traveling would most probably ask to be shown to
a bedchamber.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s also likely that our proper lady would travel with her
own hand mirror. Remember those sets that our grandmothers – or maybe we should
say great-grandmothers, by now – kept for pretty on their dressers? A hand
mirror, a brush, and a comb, all in the same pattern – those sets were treasured
and handed down from mother to daughter. If she was carrying her dressing set,
our lady could have primped just about anywhere that no one was looking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By the mid to late Victorian era, flush toilets were more
common, bathrooms were being included in houses and water closets built in
public areas, and the mirror tax was defunct or nearly so. So a Victorian lady could most likely have primped
in front of a mirror in a semi-public area of a hotel – though I’m still not
sure what that room would have been called. A ladies’ retiring room, perhaps?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If anyone has sources or speculations to add, I welcome your
insights!</span></div>
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Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-75182881506867834382013-06-17T06:00:00.000-05:002013-06-17T06:00:05.232-05:00Random Thoughts From Writers<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For years I've collected snippets and quotes from authors about writing. Here are a few of my favorites.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Samuel Johnson:</b> "No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Agatha Christie:</b> "The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Mark Twain</b> on doing research: "Get your facts first, and then you can distort 'em as you please."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ken Kesey </b>(author of <i>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</i>): "I like being a famous writer. The problem is, every once in a while you have to write something."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Alan Jay Lerner </b>(author of the screenplay <i>Gigi</i>): "A daydream I have often had about lyric writing... I am locked in a hotel room for three days working on a song. Suddenly the door opens and there stand all my closest friends. "One of them says, "What have you been doing in here for three days?" I reply, "Writing." One of them says, "What have you written?" I reply, "I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night, and still have begged for more." They look at each other hopelessly, call the appropriate medical authorities, and I am put away for the rest of my natural life."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Megan Daniel</b> (author of Regency romances): "For any writer, however talented, to try writing the kind of book she doesn't enjoy and respect is cruel and unusual punishment -- and useless, besides."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Judith Krantz:</b> "I'm so used to people saying, 'Now that you've made enough money with these bestsellers, isn't it time to write a really good book?' Now would anyone have said to Irving Berlin, 'You could write like Mozart if you tried,' or to Willie Nelson, 'It's time you wrote an opera'? They don't understand that I'm writing the best I can, each time."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Kurt Vonnegut: </b>"This is the secret of good story-telling: to lie, but to keep the arithmetic sound."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Dr. Seuss, </b>about <i>And To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street:</i> "After the 23rd rejection, I found myself lugging the manuscript up Madison Avenue, headed for my apartment, where I was going to dump the damned thing in the incinerator. If I had been going up the EAST side of Madison Avenue, I would probably never have become a published author. But I happened to be lugging it up the WEST side of Madison Avenue when I bumped into a long-unseen college friend, Mike McClintock. Mike said, "What are you doing these days?" I said, "I'm an unsuccessful author of children's books. What are YOU doing these days?" And Mike said, "I am an editor of children's books. We're standing right in front of my office. Why don't we step inside?" Twenty minutes later I became a legitimate author with a contract, and since that day I have always made it a point to walk up the west side of Madison Avenue."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Alan Jay Lerner </b>(author of <i>My Fair Lady</i> and <i>Camelot</i>): "In the end I have come to realize that I write not because it is what I do, but because it is what I am; not because it is how I make my living, but how I make my life."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Which of these comments resonates with you? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For me, I have to admit: some days, I agree with Sam Johnson -- but on good days, that last comment from Alan Jay Lerner hits home.</span>Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-30505355768919970742013-06-10T06:00:00.000-05:002013-06-10T06:00:10.766-05:00Creating Suspense in Fiction<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Suspense is what keeps the reader turning pages,
anxious to find out why and what and when and how. Suspense is what makes the
reader worry about the characters -- whether they’ll be all right, if they’ll
finally reach their happy ending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, we’re not
necessarily talking about suspense in terms of actual danger, here. The character's life
doesn't have to be at stake for us to create suspense for the reader.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p> </o:p>Suspense is the reader’s natural desire to know what happens next.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Too often, the
author – because she knows what’s happening and why and what’s going to happen
next, sacrifices the suspense which would keep her reader moving forward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here’s an example
of how an author sacrificed all the suspense in her situation with a giveaway
last line to a scene where she’d told the reader about the scheme her heroine
was cooking up:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It
was a great plan. And it worked. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At that point, we know what the scheme is. And we know it worked. <span style="text-indent: 0in;">So just how
likely are we to turn the page and read on?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh, we might,
just to find out exactly how things worked out – especially if we really like
the character, or it’s a funny setup. Or if we’re blowing off a slow, lovely
Sunday afternoon and have nothing better to do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But if it’s
midnight and we have to go to work in the morning… or if we just recalled that
there’s a load of laundry needing to be folded before the wrinkles set… or if the
kids are whining about being hungry… or the husband wants to go for a walk on a
slow, lovely Sunday afternoon… then the book is apt to get set aside. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And once a book
is set aside, it might never be picked up again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But what if that
author had written this instead?</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It
was a great plan. And it almost worked.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then it’s going
to be much tougher for the reader to close the book and turn off the light and
go cozily off to sleep or out for a walk, or feed the kids anything that takes
time to fix. And the laundry? She’ll forget it entirely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In this case,
just one word makes a huge difference – because instead of the reader knowing
that the heroine’s plans went just as she hoped they would, all we know is that
they didn't.</span></div>
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Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-29365413896467655132013-03-25T06:00:00.000-05:002013-03-25T13:09:02.286-05:00A Regency Lady Meets Third-Grade Students<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This week I had the honor and privilege of being a visiting author at my granddaughter's third-grade class. Speaking to 9-year-olds about books and writing represents something of a challenge, considering that I write love stories, and some hot and spicy ones at that. Reading a passage from my books would require some pretty careful editing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ssKIkJYwpvmMepZhuiXJpSt_eSJI1l0KIDwrGUqpaPsevaQYe1fQN1yF4CSWaO5QpDbfjzLA53uGMWUdCsEKgasTQ9KmFhqT5ruf-PjZyZufgO-xiM3QyuhYpE6isnuQUVPq1gTWBcQ/s1600/ML-2013+Mar+22-+Bloomfield+Elementry-Leigh+Michaels+DSC_0199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ssKIkJYwpvmMepZhuiXJpSt_eSJI1l0KIDwrGUqpaPsevaQYe1fQN1yF4CSWaO5QpDbfjzLA53uGMWUdCsEKgasTQ9KmFhqT5ruf-PjZyZufgO-xiM3QyuhYpE6isnuQUVPq1gTWBcQ/s640/ML-2013+Mar+22-+Bloomfield+Elementry-Leigh+Michaels+DSC_0199.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I decided to talk about research, and the many differences between their lives as kids born into the 21st century and what things would have been like for 9-year-olds and their parents 200 years ago, during the Regency period when many of my stories are set. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I went dressed as a Regency lady -- gown, shawl, gloves... I skipped the corset, though. :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjMEfdFfbdcdhrlxV0ws5yrXyN3xjd_iDesj2gGsk2S5h1wOUo-_DbHzZe94d194eqnuTCfKoS_5FTGU_GIx0DnznPOkvZXdVURGI1mszizUK8s1atg14c9B4Pi8Q_-ArrIXudKB5uFo/s1600/-+-+-ML-+2013+Mar+LeighMichaels+Dress+talking+to+students.+DSC_0180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjMEfdFfbdcdhrlxV0ws5yrXyN3xjd_iDesj2gGsk2S5h1wOUo-_DbHzZe94d194eqnuTCfKoS_5FTGU_GIx0DnznPOkvZXdVURGI1mszizUK8s1atg14c9B4Pi8Q_-ArrIXudKB5uFo/s320/-+-+-ML-+2013+Mar+LeighMichaels+Dress+talking+to+students.+DSC_0180.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was pleased at how quickly these very savvy kids defined the math problem of how many years ago the Regency period began and came up with the answer. And then we started talking about all the differences -- the things that didn't exist 200 years ago. They easily got all the obvious ones -- cell phones and the Internet, cars and electric lights. I had to prod a little to get them to figure out that refrigeration was hardly the easy and commonplace thing we have today, and they were stunned when we figured out that the trip from their school to the state capital -- a two-hour drive today -- would take something like twenty hours and at least 10 different teams of horses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Among the things which surprised them most were schools. Despite the number of their peers who are home-schooled today, they were startled by the fact that kids their age would have been educated at home by governesses, or they'd have gone to boarding school -- if their families could afford it. Or they simply wouldn't have gone to school at all, if their families were poor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next time -- and I've already been invited to speak to another group of 9 and 10-year-olds next month -- I'll try to find a piece of one of my books which I can actually share with the kids. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But this time, we finished up with a story about a pet duck my family used to have -- a children's book my husband and I are thinking of publishing later this year. That's Just Ducky at two days old -- already showing her inborn instincts by trying to incubate an egg!</span><br />
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<br />Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-62083917980174581322013-03-11T06:00:00.000-05:002013-03-11T06:00:11.185-05:00Visiting Harry Potter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirW0DAVwpYNHAaufdFLa2ovyeMmwM8TQrXv7ioFHAWKhYuKXVhEGFWLYu9_JWl6ciSyR_6D1VFBcQyakju_RjQhEm_u7WOBwAdz5-9EkviiuwS7k0ODOyNTVA7ltKQVkBaXFvCK6qoLLo/s1600/hogwarts+express.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirW0DAVwpYNHAaufdFLa2ovyeMmwM8TQrXv7ioFHAWKhYuKXVhEGFWLYu9_JWl6ciSyR_6D1VFBcQyakju_RjQhEm_u7WOBwAdz5-9EkviiuwS7k0ODOyNTVA7ltKQVkBaXFvCK6qoLLo/s320/hogwarts+express.jpg" width="260" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On this rainy, gloomy day in Iowa, I got to thinking about my few days of glorious Florida sunshine -- and remembered that I hadn't downloaded all my pictures yet. Thank you to Entourage Member Extraordinaire Lynda Gail and Chef Joe, for taking me to Universal Orlando's Harry Potter World!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lynda Gail (left) and me with the Hogwarts Express</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hogwarts Castle</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hogsmead Village ... complete with </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">butterbeer and chocolate frogs!</span>Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-10931316582142541182013-02-14T06:00:00.000-06:002013-02-14T06:00:04.674-06:00Writing Between the Sexes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQeewqxKiJ31UP0tJ0t3W2-A2D3f9H7apAtxIt80Iq0TC-BLRoJZX_esNl392m7WVqBt82o9omV9p7GhG0U87kRIH5TSrwFTdPFSkQ0WD-O28e2uttuGWf7LKCTT7fUMVV3VxN3Ngtws/s1600/screenshot1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQeewqxKiJ31UP0tJ0t3W2-A2D3f9H7apAtxIt80Iq0TC-BLRoJZX_esNl392m7WVqBt82o9omV9p7GhG0U87kRIH5TSrwFTdPFSkQ0WD-O28e2uttuGWf7LKCTT7fUMVV3VxN3Ngtws/s320/screenshot1.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's face it -- men and women are different, and the ways in which they talk, act, and think differently cause all kinds of distress for writers. That's why a seminar called <i>Writing Between the Sexes</i> is the most popular program I do, not only for the writers who attend but for me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last weekend a great group -- First Coast Romance Writers -- gathered in Jacksonville, Florida, to share a day of discussion with me. And did we ever have fun!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GpV3JhhXvZ5gfIs_IHJSW5I49C2839wl3K4YjZPdHlD5JcBHQU35MkaLyuQbXkko5_DTD3MSsIQKYmSdrDgPQaV6Ls2czwEucl3hnhMoGgLr5BIN3McRJGYUB3wRfWIxK3sYT3x6mgE/s1600/Leigh1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GpV3JhhXvZ5gfIs_IHJSW5I49C2839wl3K4YjZPdHlD5JcBHQU35MkaLyuQbXkko5_DTD3MSsIQKYmSdrDgPQaV6Ls2czwEucl3hnhMoGgLr5BIN3McRJGYUB3wRfWIxK3sYT3x6mgE/s320/Leigh1.jpg" width="138" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Writers fall into a trap when we write about characters of the opposite sex, because we make them act as if they were <i>us</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Women writers tend to write about guys who are chatty, who ask questions, who share feelings, who think things to death -- and act just like one of the girls. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Male writers tend to write about gals who give advice, who are pushy, who approach pretty much everything in sexual terms -- and act just like one of the guys. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The result is often a reader who's turned off -- even if she doesn't completely understand why.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had a riotously good time on Saturday as we went through the many, many ways in which thinking, talking, and acting differ between the sexes. Thank you to Ada and Abigail and Suzanne, to everyone who played a part in bringing me to Jacksonville, and to everyone who took part!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Thanks to Lynda Gail Alfano, Entourage Member Extraordinaire, for the photos.</i></span><br />
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<br />Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-658569223352107065.post-10818089134368480102013-01-30T11:17:00.001-06:002013-01-30T11:18:53.176-06:00Workspace Wednesday<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm blogging today about my office -- past and present -- with photos. Come take a look at the room where I write -- and leave a comment for a chance to win either a signed ARC of <i>The Birthday Scandal </i>or a signed copy of <i>Return to Amberley</i> -- winner's choice.</span><br />
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<a href="http://norahwilsonwrites.com/wordpress/?p=1265" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Leigh's office</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each week author Norah Wilson invites fellow writers to post photos of their office space. Being the curious folks we readers are, it's fun to see where those stories we love are dreamed up and put on paper. I've loved seeing all the wonderful spots where authors write, and I hope you'll enjoy seeing mine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Norah is a fellow Montlake Romance author, and her books -- romantic suspense and paranormal -- are wildly popular with readers. Thanks, Norah, for the chance to share my office with readers!</span>Leigh Michaelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09617514121082832431noreply@blogger.com0