Catching up with Deanne Wilsted

If life is a journey, then the Genre-istas can certainly celebrate having enjoyed every mile along the way. Thank you so much to the crew for having me back to help celebrate this Sixth Blog-O-Versary! I am so proud to be counted among the amazing group of writers that have helped contribute to the blog’s success. 

To help celebrate the success of Romancing the Genres, I’m offering all of my Kindle books for just $.99 on Amazon for a short time from May  22^nd. You can find them here: amazon.com/author/deannewilsted

Throughout the ups and downs of parenting, moving, and publishing, my characters have continued to inspire my writing and driven me to get their stories out there. 

I completed and published my third novel, Molto Mayhem, set entirely in Italy. It has received great 4 and 5 Star reviews on Amazon… especially for my descriptions of Italy. Part Letters to Juliet, part Notting Hill, Molto Mayhem captures the reader's heart with quirky characters and delicious descriptions of food and setting. I tried to treat perceptions of grief, religion, and Italy in the book with my usual trademarks of humor and honesty. 

After receiving my rights back from my publisher for my second novel, Untangling the Knot, I have redesigned the cover and re-published so people can continue to find this sweet romantic story about Gabriella the church wedding coordinator who unintentionally gets all the plans wrong due to her growing attraction to the groom and his kids. In particular readers have really resonated with my depiction of the kids and the church priest in the story. And I wanted to make sure the novel would continue to be available (with some edits, but otherwise unchanged) along with my first novel, Betting Jessica, and my newer one, Molto Mayhem. 

Finally, my creative brain is back in gear with the start of a new novel set in England. It is a mother daughter journey this time…. With a little romance thrown in. The conflict? Mother wants to visit Jane Austen tourist sites, while her daughter is only interested in Harry Potter. Can commercial and literary fiction co-exist for this mother daughter duo? Or are the two genres, and the two characters’ personalities, perhaps not as far apart as they might imagine? 

I’m writing my own journey as I go along but love to share it with fellow travelers. 

You can drop me a note at dwilstedauthor@outlook.com or follow along on my journeys inspired by love at:  

Twitter  - https://twitter.com/dwilsted 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DeanneWilstedAuthor/ 

Website - http://www.deannewilsted.com 

Overheard on ... Romancing The Genres

By Deanne Wilsted

“How do you research your books on Italy?”

Deanne and Friend

I am so thrilled to be asked back as a guest on Romancing the Genres, and especially to post about such an interesting topic. Thanks for inviting me!

As many of you know, I have two books published, one of which, UNTANGLING THE KNOT, was set partially in Italy. More importantly, I had such fun writing about Italy in that book that I decided to set a new story entirely there. Both books base the main character in Tuscany. But in the new story, MOLTO MAYHEM, the main character travels all over Italy on a hunt for missing religious icons and a mysterious company. It’s a fun book, filled with food, and place and crazy characters. I hope to have it out this year, but in the meantime, you can check out more about it here.

And, while I could talk about MOLTO MAYHEM all day, what I was asked to write about was how I actually researched the setting for the two stories, while sadly stuck at my desk (or local Starbucks) here in the Northwest of the US.

My writing process is pretty organic… no elaborate 3x5 cards for me with plot points and character arches. Although I begin with a synopsis, my characters tell their story as I take them on their journey. And, what I have found, is that by writing about interesting locations, the characters have tons more to say. So that, as much as characters driving my plot points, setting does as well.

I’ll give you an example, in MOLTO MAYHEM, the hero, being English, thinks all can be solved over a cup of tea. They are travelling in Salerno and I need them to see something interesting while they are there. First I have them simply stop for Gelato, but it doesn’t give me enough of a sense of the quirkiness and history of Italy and doesn’t add any depth to the characters. So, I begin to research Salerno and the surrounding area. I find something intriguing, a special garden attached to a university and known for being a spot where students learned about herbal remedies. Like a dog with a bone, I dig deeper. It mentions words like Tisaneria and The Four Humours. I do more research, expanding it out to my local tea shops to speak with people who might know more. I find I am immersed in the ancient world of Hippocrates.

I’ve added an excerpt of this section to my website so you can read it there if you are interested. But suffice to say, this takes my characters into a completely fictitious, and hilarious encounter with two Italian men. And later, it directly results in the main character having dreams that help resolve a major conflict in the story.

It is misleading to suggest, though, that my process is entirely by the seat of my pants. Knowing that the story was set in Italy I put in place a few key pieces of support before I got farther than the first chapter:

1.     I researched the best translation and/or slang Italian websites, and had them on my favorites bar, ready to use at a moments notice. Some favorites: http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-italian/café, http://becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com/,  and http://www.italylogue.com/about-italy/italian-idiomatic-expressions.html

2.     I downloaded a map of Italy, with roads marked. And I favorite an Italy site which could calculate driving distances/times.

3.     I pulled out all of my old photos, brochures, and books from past trips to Italy and kept them with me as I wrote.

4.     I don’t use Pinterest, but I did make my own version of a pinned wall on my computer, with inspiring photos of Italy, the architecture (which plays a major role in the story) and people.

5.     I downloaded my favorite Italian songs as a soundtrack while writing.

6.     I watched a bunch of movies in preparation for, and then whenever I needed some inspiration while, writing. My favorites were: Only You, Under a Tuscan Sun, Letters to Juliette, and a new addition, The Trip to Italy.

Once I began writing, I used the above resources to help me research locations, themes, words, and cultural details. I also used Google Earth to get down to the road level of any towns where I sent my characters. (Here’s an example for the map where the Tisaneria is in Salerno: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Giardino+della+Minerva/@40.68123,14.753565,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xb6d3b7de2db48795)

To me, the very best part of setting a story in a foreign locale is the chance to get to know more about the culture and the people there. (It also doesn’t hurt that in some cases you can write off research trip expenses directly related to your writing…. But check with your accountant before making an assumption on this:>) I took two trips to do fact checking on my Italy stories. But to be honest, most of the detailed Italian information came from the above research.

It is tricky not to let web surfing take over your writing time… especially when you have set your story someplace as wonderful as Italy. But at least in my case, my characters wouldn’t let me ‘stop-over’ very often before they would demand I send them on to their next adventure.

Here’s to you own virtual trip to Italy or wherever – may it be a Journey Inspired by Love.

Ciao,

Deanne

Overheard on . . . Romancing the Genres

“After seeing the other side, I have a new perspective on this life.”

It was the first time I had met someone with a near death experience. We were at PF Changs having dinner after a long day of writing-related sessions at the Emerald City Writers Conference in Seattle. The woman across from me was really interesting on a number of levels. Traveling to the U.S. from Budapest, she was on an extended tour to promote her books. She was also an incredibly spiritual woman who had wonderful stories to tell about how her near death experience changed her life. The highlight, though, was when she read my palm.

It wasn’t the first time that day I had run into someone with a perspective on my character. At lunch we sat with a woman who knew how to do handwriting analysis. She showed us how to determine whether we believed a statement about ourselves to be true. Like, “I will be a New York Times best-selling author.” Try it! Write something you want for yourself. Now, are you done? Okay, if the letters are all evenly spaced, you believe it. However, if there is a space between the words ‘will be’ and the next part of the sentence (in my case, ‘a New York Times best-selling author’,) it means you don’t believe it. Apparently I have a ways to go in building my self-confidence around this statement:>)

Then, after analyzing my signature, she told me I was a cheerleader. I probably should have clarified whether she meant in the 'mean girl' way, or in the 'supporting your friends' way. I’ll take it as the second though.

So anyway, back to dinner and my palm reading. My new friend from Budapest told me I should not be afraid to take risks because I was well protected from the other side. It was the perfect timing for this insight too, since I am experimenting with a new-model publishing company for my third book, Molto Mayhem.

Set in Italy, and filled with rich descriptions of food and place, as well as hilarious characters, Molto Mayhem is a story about finding unexpected love on a difficult journey home. Like my second book, Untangling the Knot, it delves into deeper topics while still maintaining a light, humorous touch.

I am thrilled that it was accepted by Inkshares Publishing and set up for the funding stage. Inkshares selects only those projects they think will succeed, helps them raise money for all of the services required to publish a book, and then handles all of the publication, distribution, and publicity much as a large NY publisher would.

My campaign is only a few weeks in and I have already reached almost 20% of my goal. I have a lot of plans to get the word out there but I’d love to have help. Here are two ways you can support my effort to get this wonderful story published.

1.       Check out my funding page at Inkshares, where you can read the full synopsis, learn more about Inkshares, and even pre-order Molto Mayhem to help fund the book. https://www.inkshares.com/projects/molto-mayhem

2.       Help spread the word. Here are Facebook and Twitter blurbs you can use to let your friends know about Molto Mayhem and Inkshares.
Facebook: I just found a cool new book project called "Molto Mayhem" on Inkshares!  The first chapter already looks hilarious, so I can't wait to see it published! You can find out all about the book (including an overview) at:  https://www.inkshares.com/projects/molto-mayhem
Twitter: I can’t wait to see this book published. It’s set in #Italy & the food descriptions make me want to lick the pages: https://www.inkshares.com/projects/molto-mayhem

Now I’m off to bungee jump since no one said my risks have to be just with my writing. Besides, famous author John Burroughs said, “Leap, and the net will appear.” Here’s to everyone who takes risks without a net and to your next Journey Inspired by Love.

Deanne

Overheard on . . . Romancing the Genres

“Ciao…”

Being that I was in Italy for this overhear, I certainly could have chosen many other Italian phrases. But, aside from the fact the most of them I didn’t understand and couldn’t duplicate, this word just fit my post today in many ways.

First, next month Romancing the Genres will spotlight guest authors of YA (or young writers themselves). Now for me there are three times when you do not want to get language usage wrong while writing. 1. When you are using foreign terms, like Ciao. 2. When you are writing for the young adult audience. (Which, let’s face it, can often sound more foreign than another country’s language.) and 3. Anytime you reference another literary world. (Do not, for example, use Thumping Willow when referring to the Harry Potter Tree that tries to smash people.)

Of these three situations, I think the most difficult to get right is the language of youth. For one thing, it is entirely fluid, changing rapidly with both geography and time. More importantly, they don’t really like to share it with us mere adult mortals. Seriously! Ask a teenager what salty means and you are sure to get an eye roll rather than an answer. BTW – according to an article on Huiffington Post it is; “Someone or something who is overly pissed off, angry or annoying.” (Find more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/12/19/slang-words-2013-_n_4461422.html)

The best YA authors use slang that will stand the test of time, at least for a little while; like hashtag. Otherwise, they know that language isn’t simply the words we use, but how we frame sentences and conversations.  Tight, abrupt, short, could all be used to describe language as used by teenagers. Life feels too short and too busy to speak in long, flowing sentences. But don’t, please, take my word on this as I don’t write YA. Do come back in September when our YA authors can, I’m sure, talk more about it.

Since my post is getting long… I'll only say a bit about the other two reasons I chose the word ciao. As I mentioned, I was in Italy when I overheard it… and I have a lot, (a lot) more to say on the topic. Too much for here in fact! But now that my jetlag is finished, I’ll be spending lots of time with my computer posting all about my amazing trip on my personal blog, http://www.deannewilsted.com/my-world---blog.

Which… I do hope you’ll find. Since, I am sad to say, this is my final official post as a Genreista! I’ve decided, after a couple of years  of being part of this amazing group of bloggers, that it is time to let a new author have their chance at writing about Romance and genres and for me to focus on the reason for my European trip- my next book.

I truly appreciate all of the support for both my writing and my words over the last two years. And I plan to be a guest for RTG whenever I get the chance. I hope you’ve enjoyed my overhears… and for now, rather than say ciao I will say Arrivederci – which means, goodbye until we meet again.

Deanne Wilsted
www.deannewilsted.com
@dwilsted

Overheard on . . . Romancing the Genres

"We're proud to welcome members of our military for early boarding at this time. We appreciate your service."

Quick... picture a military novel. What do you see? A helicopter swooping low over a battlefield? A group of men crouched low in a bunker? A sexy female JAG officer questioning the ethics of a good-looking lieutenant?

Or.... two friends, dressed in uniform but jumping on-board a flight for a quick break in Arizona?

Sure, it is easy to fall into typical stereotypes when we write. One of the very positive purposes of using a stereotyped character or situation is that it saves words.... the reader automatically knows where we are going with something and so we, as writers, can move on to a bigger plot point or more important character.

Of course used as a main character or main plot point stereotypes become cliché, trite, and shallow. This is why putting our characters into an unexpected environment, or finding an unexpected character in one of our settings, provides depth and interest to our stories. At the same time, this isn't always easy to do. It requires that the writer take time to really understand that character or that environment.

I'm thrilled to say that in August Romancing the Genres gets to spotlight a bunch of Military writers who do just that. They have taken the time to delve beneath the surface of what military (whether in character or environment) means, and draw us into that world through excellent writing.

Come back in August for these guest bloggers:
08-02 - Matt Buchman

08-09 - Linda Lovely

08-16 - Terry Spear
08-23 - Jessica Scott
08-30 - Catherine Mann

And learn more about the reality of the military.... early boarding privileges and all.

Overheard on . . . Romancing the Genres

"Eeeeeeeeee."

Okay, so in July Romancing the Genres will be spotlighting some great Romantic Suspense authors. This is a genre that makes me quiver simply thinking of it. The closest I've gotten to writing in this genre were the first few lines of my Free Read from the Genre-istas in May:

An animal-like scream pierced the air and Julia dove for cover. A bloody hand descended, edging over the desk where she trembled in fear. It was gnarled with age and lord knew what else. Feet kicking out in front of her, Julie scrabbled back into the corner, as far as she could get from the zombie looking appendage. It was no use. The fingers caught the hem of her apron and began to pull.

“Cut. That’s it for today.”

My main character, an actress, goes on to live a very normal, contemporary life (to read more check out the full, two part story, at http://freereadsfromthegenre-istas.blogspot.com/2014/05/Birthday-Promises.html)

So, suffice to say I am not a writer of suspense any more than I am a writer of code. Both scare the bejeezus out of me. Yesterday I was hanging out with another mom at a competition both of our daughters are in this weekend, and asked her what she was reading. I wish I'd gotten the author and name for all of you potential suspense readers. But suffice to say the title had the word 'Blood' in it.

I asked if she liked suspense and she said, she loved it... the darker the better. But even the idea of reading it gives me nightmares. I sincerely respect this genre, though. Just like reading sweet romance gives us a chance to express our hopes and dreams, reading romantic suspense puts these feelings into the very real context of extreme despair and redemption. 

So come back in July to read more about our guest authors. I'll be checking in with each of them to find out how dark their stories are and discovering the page numbers to skip in order to keep from being awake all night dreaming of bloody, gnarled hands on dark handsome strangers.

Overheard on . . . Romancing the Genres

What’s  your favorite vacation?

Although I normally try to use my RTG post to spotlight our upcoming guests, April’s monthly topic was so inspiring I just had to switch it up this month.

Asking about a best vacation is a little like asking about a favorite child I think. You know each one has their own unique and wonderful traits and you love all of them. But…… okay, so maybe one of them connects with you just a little bit more than the others, though you could never explain why.

Well, this is how I feel about my favorite vacation. First I should say that I love, love, love, travelling with my husband. And, though I am always nervous about the work of travelling with my daughter, she continually surprises me by being a blast. So a front runner would definitely be my trip last August to NY and Boston. It had the best of everything: seeing friends, exploring new places, great food, and a chance to reconnect with locals from my books.

However, as much as I loved that trip, the first one that always comes to mind is my trip a couple of years ago to Italy. I’ve written lots about this trip (for more you can link here to my personal blog posts about it.) It was magical and non-replicable.

A friend had invited us to his wedding in Italy, but we had another trip which conflicted. Ultimately there was only one thing to do; I flew to Italy on my own to attend the wedding and then met my family in Mexico for our family vacation.

So, I was travelling by myself, in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language. And I L-o-v-e-d it! The weather was warm but overcast while I was there, but in my memory the trip was golden and glowing. I visited spots from my second novel, UNTANGLING THE KNOT, and my next novel, MOLTO MAYHEM. I ate the most incredible food. Having just begun blogging, I got to incorporate fun overhears from Italy. And, I had the privilege of attending the most beautiful, incredible wedding I could ever imagine.  The people I met while on that trip continue to be part of my life. And in fact, I plan to fly to Italy this summer with my daughter so I can introduce her to them (and to the joy that is Italy.)

There are times when I am planning trips where I think it can’t possibly be worth the, fill in the blank: money, time, effort, difficulty.

Remembering this trip reminds me of why I should go anyway. You never know which trip will turn out to be that most miraculous of journeys that inspire your life.

I hope your next trip sweeps you away on you own Journey Inspired by Love. Let me know when you take it, especially if it lands you in Italy.

Deanne
www.deannewilsted.com

Overheard on . . . Romancing the Genres

“What do you write?”
“Contemporary Womens Fiction with strong Romantic and Comedic Elements.”
<pause>
“So, Romance then?”

There are practically as many subgenres in Contemporary Romance as there are contemporary stories written. I have always found it difficult to tell people what I write. For the longest time my answer was Contemporary Romance. Then, at a workshop one time, I learned that my stories fit better into the Genre of Women’s Fiction.

Better… but not perfectly. My writing is a mixture of many different subgenres. Publishers aren’t thrilled by this. They like to know exactly how to market a book, where to sell it and where to shelve it.

From an early age readers are taught to look for books in narrow fields:  Fiction/nonfiction, Fantasy/history/speculative/comedy, etc. (For a thorough list of genres linkhere to Wikipedia )

Do you remember the Dewey Decimal System and the card catalogs? Well nowadays kids use a computer program very like Goodreads to find books. It allows them to search by grade or reading level. They can ‘like’ a book and find others like it. They can even recommend favorite books to their friends (within a closed school system for safety!)

Helping children use this system I discovered something interesting. Since these computer generated searches are based on user preference rather than pre-determined categories, diverse genres appear for a similar topic. For example, search on ‘lion’ and you might get poems about lions, non-fiction books about them, or a myth with a lion in it. While each clearly says what category it falls into, no longer are we locked into seeing topics in only one light.

What does this mean as readers and writers? Because of Goodreads and systems like the above we can begin to use a new language to describe books and our writing.

In April Romancing the Genres gets to spotlight some wonderful Contemporary Authors. I’m sure each of them, like myself, has a different take on this wide genre. So instead of asking them about what they write, ask them what their readers like about their books. You may find your own new way of categorizing your favorite reads.

Many Happy Journeys Inspired by Love -
Deanne
www.deannewilsted.com

Overheard on . . . Romancing the Genres

“A toast- To a romance that lasts longer than the best wine.”

Deep, intense, robust, delicate, full-bodied… these are all terms used to describe wine. Of course there is also, woodsy, fruity, earthy- but we won’t get into that in this post. Because what I have been thinking about lately is how the relationships we have with other things in our life can also be used to describe our romances.

… Such as our relationship with our home: comfy, cozy, grounding, nostalgic- or our school alma mater: loyal, supportive, gratifying, proud.

Even the form a story takes can be used to describe a relationship. Is it long and slow and deep, or short and fast and intense. Interestingly, either of these types of stories can be just as fulfilling to read, just as either type of romance can be filled with meaning and purpose.

The very best short story authors know this and develop the characters and their relationship in a way that leaves the reader better off for  knowing them.

During the month of March Romancing the Genres gets to spotlight some of these fantastic short story romance authors.
03/01 - Sarina Dorie
03/08 - Books To Go Now
03/15 - Sarah Raplee & Judith Ashley
03/16 - Kelly McCrady
03/22 - Jennifer Conner
03/29 - Wendy Clark

I’m intrigued by how at different times in my life I have been more interested in the short version of things, whether it is in my relationships or my reading choices. Looking at these periods I see that the two things have often balanced each other… so that when I was younger and just having fun dating, my reading choices tended to be bigger, longer romances, such as Anna Karenina. And now, enjoying and appreciating my own 15 year romance with my husband, I tend toward shorter, quirkier, more intense stories; even as condensed as a really great love poem.

And, while reading both short and long romances at the same time can be considered a talent, conducting short and long romances at the same time should be discouraged. Whichever you choose, though, here's to you own short or long journeys inspired by love.

Cheers,
Deanne Wilsted
www.deannewilsted.com

Overheard on . . . School Applications

“Describe how your family would contribute to a diverse school environment.”

What better day, than the Martine Luther King Jr. Holiday to consider the important topic of diversity. As a family we are in the process of researching and applying for schools as we put our plans in motion for our move to Seattle this summer. The process of applying has been an eye opener for me. For one thing, it is, for the most part, automated. Compared to my last formal school application process (graduate programs for me), the updated process is much more streamlined. But some things don’t change. And even at the middle school level the applications request essays and answers from parent and child.

As a writer, most of my answers flew onto the pages with little need for revision. But when I came to this question I was stumped. How would our seemingly bread and milk family contribute to a diverse school environment.

My husband and I talked about it. We considered our family backgrounds and roots. We laid out all of the ways that we, as a family, may be different than other families. Ultimately, it all ended up sounding contrived and a bit patronizing. How could we suggest that raising an only child compares to the experience of someone who’s encountered racial prejudice?

Eventually it was our daughter that enlightened us. “Mom, don’t you write about journeys?”

It is true, my tagline is Journeys Inspired by Love. My writing is about what I love, physical journeys, yes- but also journeys of the heart and mind. As a family I want us to explore all sorts of ways of living and being so that these journeys are informed by the diversity of an expanded world view, rather than a narrow one.

One way that we do this is through reading. February on Romancing the Genres brings us all a chance to hear from some great Multi-cultural authors including, B.A. Binns, Terri Molina, and ShobhanBantwal. Exploring their perspectives gives us a chance to expand ours, both as writers and as readers. So my challenge to you this week is to search on multi-cultural fiction at your favorite book site and then pick one of the books to read. Then, report back on what you thought of the book and how it did, or didn’t, send you on your own journey of growth.

Bon Voyage!
Deanne
www.deannewilsted.com

Overheard on . . . Romancing the Genres

“I didn’t get in to Hedgebrook.”

The kindly written rejection email reminded me of the many I have received querying agents and editors. Ah…. The joy of being a new, unknown, author. The thrill of finishing that first manuscript is quickly replaced with the utter despondence of getting rejection after rejection.

Very soon we begin to wonder why we ever thought we could write, whether it is even worth it, what our back-up plan should be. Our self-esteem plummets and our freezer is emptied of any form of chocolate ice cream (including the pint that was stuck in the back because the last time we looked it had ice on the surface.) This dear reader is the glamour that is writing for the great majority of your favorite authors.

But, people needn’t be a writer to understand what this feels like. Entire books are written about the college rejection letter. I know fellow graduate students who lined their bedroom walls with rejection letters from prospective companies. And we won’t even speak of the horrors of being rejected for prom.

Rejection is a great crocodile waiting to snap whenever we put ourselves out there. And still somehow we find the courage to leap.

This courage in each of us deserves a toast. So on New Year’s Eve this year I will raise my cup to each of you… author or student or athelete. I’ll especially raise it to the fantastic debut authors who will spotlighted here in January.

Like Brenna Aubrey, whose book, AT ANY PRICE, was just released. Or like Traci Andrighetti who wrote the fun escapade, LEMONCELLO YELLOW, and had me at Lemoncello.

We are all authors of some form, and as they said in my rejection from the writer in residence program, “Sending work into the world is an act of bravery…”

Indeed! So please come back in January to applaud the drive within each of these debut authors that had them hurdling the many obstacles, swallowing the many critiques, and sending their work out into the world so that you and I could enjoy it.
Best wishes for a courageous and outrageous 2013.

Deanne

www.deannewilsted.com
Journeys Inspired by Love

Overheard on. . . NPR

“Four score and seven years ago…”

November 19^th marks the 150^th year anniversary of Lincoln’s address at Gettysburg. America was, at that point, at about the midpoint of the war, which was waged from April 1861 to April 1865. This destructive war, which claimed an estimated 750,000 deaths, also solidified our country’s principles of freedom and equality for all.

Lincoln’s Eulogy at Gettysburg was intended to frame the horrible deaths being suffered, not just at Gettysburg, but across all of the battlefields, in terms of the cause the soldiers were dying for. But no matter how much Lincoln or anyone might wish it different, revolution is messy. And, even when a war has been ‘won’, people do not somehow magically agree with the other side’s views. In fact, at Gettysburg itself, only a few years after the war, a distinct cemetery was created for black Civil War veterans because of segregation policies still in effect (more on Gettysburg here).

As we look toward December the Genre-istas will be spotlighting some amazing guests who will discuss the changes occurring within the publishing arena. And, while not nearly as weighty as the Civil War, these changes do form a messy revolution. Do not expect clean lines and simple solutions. Do not look for clear winners and losers. Do not hope to avoid casualties. These are all a part of the experience of great change.

If you look to the right of this blog post you will see the guests who will help us understand this revolution. And while I am looking forward to hearing their perspectives, as we recognize that the best fictional characters have great depth, with that comes complexity and disagreement. The methods for waging this revolution, the players involved, the sacrifices being made: all of these can be debated and discussed.

So come back in December and add your two cents. A war of words, whereby we civilly discuss the problems and reach agreement, has far few casualties than a physical revolution.

Cheers,
Deanne

www.deannewilsted.com
Journeys Inspired by Love

Overheard on... Romancing the Genres

“Do you think Jesus lit a menorah?”

November is Holiday Story Time at Romancing the Genres- a gentle reminder I get every year to begin browsing holiday children’s books for my daughter. One of the books I found this year, called A CHRISTMASMENORAH: How a Town Fought Hate, by Janice Cohn, challenges the typical expectations from a Holiday book though.

During this last year my monthly Romancing the Genres post has explored the question of literary tension. Now, with a new year almost upon us, I’ve decided it is time to change the focus a bit- from tension to character depth. Who are the characters we love (or hate?) as readers and writers? Why do we relate to them? How do they draw us in or push us away?

As a writer I consider this question often. But it was while looking at Holiday stories that I finally grasped the greatest barrier to writing deep characters: stereotypes.  Just as last year I discussed how sentimental clichés affect authentic holiday writing, the example of Jesus as a character enlightened my understanding of easily trapped we can become in stereotypes. Without deep point of view the sweet character easily becomes Pollyanna while the buxom blond becomes Marilyn Monroe.

Our stereotype of Jesus is informed by the traditions of him and Christmas which have been built over centuries. Somehow Jesus in a manger goes directly from baby to adult with few images of his life in between. But somewhere along the line this baby grew up, first becoming a toddler, then a young boy, and then, even a teenager. Just like all kids his mom and dad probably fought with him. He had friends- people he liked and didn’t like. He even may have grumbled about his studies. And though he probably didn’t light a menorah, other than in the temple it was very rare back then to have candles, he did celebrate Hanukkah.

To write a ‘Holiday Story’ is to include all of the aspects of the season, not only the ones that stem from stereotypes.

Last year I proposed a writing/reading exercise about avoiding clichés. It seemed appropriate to bring it back out this year with the twist of developing a holiday character who didn’t enjoy any of these stereotypical holiday symbols. Give it a try, and then ask the guest authors what they do to avoid stereotypes in their writing.

Here are some traditional Holiday items. Without using any of these symbols, can you write a holiday paragraph from one character’s point of view? Include it in the comments section so we can all appreciate the hard work. Or as a reader, let us know the non-traditional triggers that remind you of the holidays.

Either way, whatever you do, do NOT use any of these words or symbols:
- Turkey, stuffing, gravy, etc.
- Christmas Tree
- Stockings
- Candy-canes, gold coins
- Santa or his reindeer
- Sugar-plums (or any reference to the Nutcracker)
- Pilgrims, Mayflower
- Cookies
- presents
- candles
- dreidel

Here is to a wonderful Holiday Season for everyone.

Deanne Wilsted
www.deannewilsted.com

Overheard at... the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland

“Listen to the fragrance.”

This line from a poem inscribed in the Lan Su garden has haunted me since I read and blogged about it a year ago (Overheard at... Art in the Pearl). I love the idea that our senses can be used to understand what is beyond our traditional comprehension. As Romancing the Genres plunges into the heat of August, we bring with us a focus on reader resources, spotlighting guest bloggers on the topics or book reviews, book clubs, and libraries. More than the blogs themselves, I am looking forward to hearing comments from our readers (wink, wink… that would be you!) about which resources they use to help them choose books.

Obviously dedicated readers know all about Goodreads and are probably well trained in how to use the Amazon system to narrow down their favorite picks. My husband is a pro, for example at searching Amazon for new books coming out by his favorite authors and then saving them to his wishlist or getting on the waiting list for when they are available at the library.

But when I look back, it seems like my favorite books have found me. I have been riding on a train and seen a cover that struck me, or been searching for one book and found something entirely different that called out to me. Like the moment when we ‘listen to a fragrance,’ sensing the presence of a great book is sometimes so unconscious I am not even sure most of us could articulate why or how it happened. All we know is that we walked into Barnes and Noble prepared to buy The Hunger Games (because, of course, we saw it mentioned on some great blog or something;>) and walked out with a copy of love poems.

And if sometimes that relationship, like many, deceives us and we sell the book back to Powells for a pittance, well, so be it. Because the very best reader resource I know is our own open mind and our willingness to try.

By Genre-ista: Deanne Wilsted

Author of BETTING JESSICA and UNTANGLING THE KNOT

www.deannewilsted.com

@dwilsted

Overheard at... the beach

“My son wrote this really clever, funny story when he was in fourth grade. I’ve held onto it thinking maybe someday he’d want to publish it.”

I am convinced when we look back someday we will find this is the age of the writer. There is such promise in the opportunity to make our work available to readers. And nowhere is this clearer than with young writers and poets (or sometimes those who are both!)

July on Romancing the Genres will spotlight young writers. Young writers bring their own perspective and voice to writing. They also bring fresh content that can sometimes seem controversial to adults. It is a fine balance, I think, between promoting their writing style, their academic learning and their freedom of expression.

It is fitting for this post during our charitable subject month, that I get the opportunity to thank some wonderful organizations out there who are helping kids learn to walk this balance while supporting and building their motivation to write:

-          Our very own, local, Willamette Writers has a nationally known program for kids, Young Willamette Writers (http://www.willamettewriters.com/YWW/yww.htm)

-          826 National aims to “provide under-resourced students, ages 6-18, with opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills…” and much more! (http://826national.org/about/)

-         Another local organization, Write Around Portland, “…Bring(s) free 10-week creative writing workshops to hospitals, schools, homeless youth shelters, senior centers, low income apartments, prisons, social service agencies and treatment facilities…” (http://www.writearound.org/index.html)

-         The Association of Writers and Writing Programs takes the learning back a level, by supporting those who teach kids how to express themselves (showing how to build a well, so to speak rather than building it for them) (https://www.awpwriter.org/about/our_history)

-         Young Writers Society is an online community for young writers age 13+ (http://www.youngwriterssociety.com/)

-        The Young Writers Project out of VT and NH has a great format for others to use in supporting young writers (including developing fun writing prompts to kick start imagination) (http://youngwritersproject.org/)

-         Who hasn’t heard of NaNoWriMo? But did you know they have a special Young Writers Program: (http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/)

The list could go on and on. Whether you are an established author, or a new writer, getting involved in one of these organizations helps all of us, kids and adult volunteers alike, continue to grow as writers.

Deanne
Journeys Inspired by Love
www.deannewilsted.com
Follow me - @dwilsted
or     https://www.facebook.com/DeanneWilstedAuthor

Overheard on... Romancing the Genres

“She cleared the bleachers and saw him make his way around the side of the stadium where he spotted a pair of brothers playing catch with their young dad. The camera and Max were indistinguishable.”

My lovely writer friend, Kathy Dunnehoff has managed to bring us older women back to school in her book, BACK TO U.  By doing this, she is able to draw from, and recreate the nostalgia of college days- including the fun and craziness of college sports games. In this scene the hero and protagonist are competing to see who can take a better photo of the game. Gwen, the protagonist, can’t imagine Max taking anything but a gritty shot and he is trying to prove her wrong.

Although BACK TO U isn’t strictly a sports romance, it uses the role of sports as a third character in the book. Through the football players Gwen befriends and her growing appreciation for the sport, we watch her character change and develop. At the same time, Ms. Dunnehoff is able to use the tension (see how I got that in there) that derives from our idealized version of sports (the two kids playing catch with their dad) versus the reality (cracking skulls, cheering- sometimes drunk- crowds, winning at all costs). Through this tension we get to see the boy that Max was vs the man that he has become, just as we observe a transition occurring within Gwen.

April is Romancing the Genres sports romance month. We will have some great sports authors visit to show us what it takes to use the sports theme in romance. I hope, as part of this, they will explore how sports help them develop character and story tension.

Meanwhile… here are some nostalgic sports pictures. If you are up for the challenge, try to list the sweet, idealized themes in the picture, and then compare it to the reality of what was probably happening. As always, I love to hear your thoughts, so be sure to leave a comment with what you encountered while completing this exercise.

Cheers - Deanne
www.deannewilsted.com
@dwilsted