Behind the Veil

March 15, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

Photo courtesy of Describli: rings_vows.jpg

The bride strolled down the aisle of the packed chapel alone, smiling from ear-to-ear. Her father sat in the first row, eyes moist with tears, holding the hand of her mother. The groom stood at the front fidgeting as he waited for her to reach him. It was a disquieting scene.

***

Attractive, accomplished and financially stable, Paul and Sam (short for Samantha) looked like the perfect Barbie and Ken couple. To the outside world, marriage seemed the next logical step for them.

But, I knew the truth behind the veil. Her four thousand dollar gown covered the bruises well and the hurtful words he hurled at her, earlier in the week, forgotten in the pomp and circumstance of the day. I cautioned her, even asked her to delay the wedding but with her window for having children getting shorter by the day, she refused.

“It’s difficult to find a good man anymore,” she said, toyed with the napkin under her coffee. “Besides, Paul’s a good catch, good looking, makes an excellent salary, and we have a lot in common.”
I pointed to her arm, “Like the bruises?”
Irritation and sadness crossed her face as she tugged on the sleeve of her sweater. “You don’t understand, he isn’t always like that.”
Sarcasm dripped from my lips. “I can tell.”
She scowled in annoyance. ”He didn’t mean to hurt me. He was just trying to make a point.”
“Looks as if he made it. And, the last time or the time before that?”
“Stop.” The tone of her voice lowered to pleading. “It was an accident. He loves me, tells me every day.”
I placed my hand on top of hers and squeezed. The status diamond, he’d given her, cut into my palm. “Sam, he doesn’t love you. Not the way you should be loved. He talks down to you as if you’re stupid.”
“He does not, “she said pulling on her hand. I held tight.
“Yes, he does. He hurts you, look in the mirror. You deserve better. I’m asking you, please postpone things. If you’re determined, at least go to couples counseling.”
Her face hardened, and she pulled free. “You are my dearest and longest friend, Mel. I respect you, but you’re wrong. You don’t know him like I do. Either you can support me, be happy for me, or don’t bother coming.” She pushed from the table and stood. “I will pretend this conversation never happened. You should too. I want you at my wedding, you’re my best friend, but if you decide not to come, I’ll understand. Either way, I am going to marry Paul.” She turned on her heels and walked out of the coffee shop.

***

I listened as they repeated vows of honor, obedience, and fidelity until death, and cringed. My gut twisted as the pastor pronounced them man and wife. Paul’s long and passionate kiss sent ripples of uncomfortable laughter through the guests, releasing her when the preacher cleared his throat.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mr. & Mrs. Paul Connors.” Applause echoed through the chapel as the new couple made their way up the aisle. Our eyes met, her smile broadened, and she blew me a kiss. Paul’s mouth stretched into a thin line of tension as he searched for the recipient of his wife’s air kiss. I waved not wanting anything to ruin her day. He grinned when he saw me, wrapped his arm tighter around Sam and escorted her through the door.

I couldn’t change her mind, but I would be there for when she needed me. I took a deep breath, plastered a smile on my face and headed for the reception hall. The least I could do was wish them luck.

She was gonna need it.

Revision Exercise

February 10, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

Photo courtesy of: blog.patrickrothfuss.com

I borrowed the following exercise from Darcy Pattison’s Fiction Notes and her recent article, Pacing: Space out the Tense Moments.

As Ms. Pattison found when having her students perform this exercise, openings of their WIP, often had little to do with the rest of the story. However, somewhere between the third and eighth revision, they nailed it.

If you’re struggling with the opening and pacing of your current WIP, try this exercise.

Revision exercise… write eight different openings for your essay/story. Then, start writing the essay/story again from that starting point.

Happy revising and let me hear from you.

How to Create Your Own Conference from Home

January 10, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

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This is the year,” I said. The year I will attend a writers conference. Certain I’d walk away with valuable knowledge and new friends, I circled the dates, in red ink, on my calendar. Instead, life happened, reality set in, and the conference became a repeat item on my wish list. Some conferences were too costly, too lengthy, too far away, or personal and family obligations got in the way.

I turned green listening to other attendees talk about their experiences, and the authors and agents they met. I wanted to garner their newly acquired wisdom and enthusiasm for my own.

As much as I believed in the value of conferences, I realized they weren’t the only resource. So I developed a backup, my own lists of resources to utilize as my own home conference. Here are my top five.

Conference from Home: The internet provides a treasure trove of writing resources. Written by agents, authors, and writers, of all genres, they are, with the stroke of a key, available to everyone. Articles, instruction, workbooks, checklists, critiques, podcasts, online classes, and free downloads are yours for the taking.

Live Write Thrive – C.S. Larkin’s website rates top on my list. She offers a wide selection of articles and focused series aimed at helping writers succeed. Her most recent series is 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction. In addition, you can download a number of items including, Fiction critiques and First-page checklists for novels. Two excellent examples.
Write Better Stories – Jennifer Blanchard offers an array of articles and services, including free downloads for her new guide and workbook, How to Write Better Stories. Her First Plot Point Worksheet is also available.
Writer’s Village Academy – In easy layman’s terms and with an array of examples, Dr. John Yeoman is a tremendous source of succinct information on writing. Currently, Dr. Yeoman is offering the first four weeks of his Master Course in Creative Writing – FREE!
Women on Writing is an awesome site with numerous articles, classes (paid), and referral sites. Here you can find a smorgasbord of resources from classes like, Writing a Novel with a Writing Coach: One-on-one Instruction to sections on Character Research and Books for Writers. WOW, also sponsors one of my favorite contests.
Udemy Online offer classes and courses on a variety of subjects, including writing. The courses are often discounted and sometimes free, as in the case of the course I’m taking, Outlining Your Novel: The Hollywood Secret Exposed (all about outlining a whodunit-mystery-novel).

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While not the hands-on conference I aspire to, I find these the next best thing, providing me the opportunity to hone my craft from the comfort of home.

I’d love to spend a few days at a writers conference, but until the stars align and I can, I’ll utilize the resources at my fingertips.

What about you? What do you do in lieu of conferences?

Ways We Sabotage Our Own Writing Success

September 1, 2013November 14, 2015 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 7 Comments

Writing is not for the faint of heart. It takes hard work, dedication, a thick skin, and perseverance. Submitting that first piece of work is like standing naked on the stage of American Idol for all the world to judge.

We know, intellectually, constructive criticism and rejection will be part of the creative writing process, yet we are often unprepared. In addition, juggling everyday responsibilities and establishing a solid writing schedule amid time constraints can lead to disorganization, resulting in sabotaging the very success as writers we seek.

Sabotaging ourselves is easy. With its many disguises, it insidiously creeps up in the form of revisions, platform building, tutorials, tally counting, and discouragement, to name a few.
If you have ever found yourself doing any of the following, you might be sabotaging your writing success and perhaps it’s time to reevaluate.

Obsessing over a story or chapter–Revising to the point you can’t seem to move forward.
Obsessing over a rejection or critique–Taking it personally rather than learning from the experience
Obsessing over another’s numbers – Number of stories or novels published; the number of Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest followers they have compared to you. As a result, you spend more time on social network sites than writing.
Obsessing over learning rather than doing – Reading or attending every how-to-write-the –best-novel book, class or seminar without ever translating the knowledge into a story or novel.
Obsessing over time – Constant complaining over not enough time, schedule interruptions; lack of planning, no set schedule, timetable or goal.
Obsessing over a blank page – Writer’s block or missing muse.
Obsessing over the negative rather than the positive – Allowing discouragement, resentment, and anger to sap your creative energy.

Each one of us has chosen our path in life and defined our own success. However, to achieve our dreams and goals we must recognize the obstacles in our path, including the ones we often place ourselves.

Patterns of sabotage can lead to talented writers throwing their hands up in frustration or never seeing their dreams come to fruition. However, once recognized these patterns can be changed and success is but a keystroke away.

What do you think? Do writers sabotage themselves? Have you? I’d love to hear your comments.

“…Finally… never quit. That is all the secret of success. Never quit! Quitting, I like to believe, has not been a striking characteristic of our family, and it is not tolerated in our college.
If you can’t win the scholarship, fight it out to the end of the examination.
If you can’t win your race, at least finish—somewhere.
If your boat can’t win, at least keep pulling on your oar, even if your eye glazes and the taste of blood comes into your throat with every heave.
If you cannot make your five yards in football, keep bucking the line -never let up—if you can’t see, or hear, keep plugging ahead! Never quit! If you forget all else I have said, remember these two words, through all your life…”

John D. Swain novelist and screenwriter; The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood (Manuscripts & Archives, Yale University)

Time is relative, write?