My Hero Taught Me To Read

My hero taught me to read. I don't mean literally.

Perhaps I should say, my hero taught me to love reading and in turn, love writing. Who is my hero?

My sister.

She loves to read. She'll read anything she can get her hands on, especially mysteries written by Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, and Dick Francis. Anyway, that love created a love of reading in me. On so many occasions she would push a book at me and insist I read it because she knew I would love it. And she was always right. Eventually it led to a longing to writing, which in turn changed my life. Writing keeps me sane.




So, I would like to thank my sister because she is my hero.

Click the photo above to take you to other Who's Your Hero entries.

Who is your hero, writing or not?

Survive and Thrive: JANZ Syndrome

I decided to take part in the Survive and Thrive Bloghop put on by Stephen Tremp, Michael Di Gesu, Diane Wolfe, and Alex Cavanaugh.

While researching a character in one of my books, I discovered a disease called JANZ syndrome, otherwise known as Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME), a fairly common form of idiopathic generalized epilepsy, representing 5-10% of all epilepsies.









What are the symptoms of Janz? 

(1) myoclonic jerks on awakening usually of the limbs like arms or legs, this will cause some sufferers to knock over things like juice or coffee.
(2) GTCS generalized tonic-clonic seizures, occurring usually after a series of myoclonic jerks. Also called grand mal seizures.
(3) typical absences seizures.

What to do if someone is having a seizure:

• move them away from anything that could cause injury, such as a busy road or hot cooker
  
• cushion their head if they're on the ground
  
• loosen any tight clothing around their neck, such as a collar or tie, to aid breathing
  
• when their convulsions stop, turn them so that they're lying on their side
  
• stay with them and talk to them calmly until they have recovered
  
• note the time the seizure starts and finishes

DO NOT put anything in their mouth, including your fingers. They may bite their tongue, but this will heal. Putting an object in their mouth could cause more damage.

If you want to see a video from a Janz sufferer, please watch the video below:

If you want to donate to the Epilepsy Foundation, click the link below:

Sources: NHS Epilepsy Information

Epilepsy Foundation

Don't Love Your Characters Too Much

It's so easy to fall in love with your characters.

You're forced to study their lives. To understand why they like what they like, love what they love, hate what they hate. Spend enough time with them and you will fall in love, even the minor characters.








Why is that a bad thing?

Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it can give your story depth and intrigue.

But sometimes it can cause problems.

How?
(a) it can change your plot, sometimes for the worst - especially if you've written half the book and weren't planning the novel to go a certain way
(b) minor characters can changed to major characters - especially in a love story, the character you meant one character to love might not be the one they end up with

Have you ever fallen in love with a character so much that you changed the plot or made the minor character a major character?
Do you think your characters should be able to change the plot?

Photo credit: minifig / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

Writing & Wellness: Dealing with Stress, Self-Doubt and Snacking

Today I'm visiting an awesome website where I talk about how I deal with stress, self-doubt and snacking.

Come Visit!

Underrated Treasure: Bo Bruce

I don't really like to participate in blogfests but I really wanted to share a musical artists that I like:

Bo Bruce

About the artist:

• Appeared on The Voice UK (Series One) and came in second.
  
• Her voice reminds me of The Cranberries.
  
• She's titled: Lady Catherine Anna Brudenell-Bruce
  
• Her webpage: Bo Bruce 

Have Fun and Win a Free Copy of my Book!

Type a sentence or two based on the photo above and you could win one copy (of five) of my latest mystery novel! What could be easier than that? Go to Carol Kilgore's webpage and check out her contest.

Click here:
http://www.carolkilgore.net/contest/

Also, Mason Canyon did an awesome review of my book. You can see the review here.

3 reasons to write like a... Director

Writers and directors have this in common--they both use scenes. However, although most writers write their scenes in the order they appear in the book, directors rarely film the scenes in the order they appear on screen.

Why not?

• Sometimes it's because of the actor's schedules or health or commitments
  
• Perhaps they only can shoot scenes in a certain location at a certain time

Sounds complicated. And it probably is. So why would a writer want to write like a director? I actually came up with some reasons:

(1) It improves our ability to write in scenes - we are often told it's better to write in scenes but many writers lament that it's hard, "I don't know where one scene ends and another starts in my novel." Well, when you write in scenes (and scenes out of order) you are forced to have a starting point and an ending point. You will focus more on the goal of the scene--the reasons for that scene.  

(2) The setting stays fresh in our minds - Let's say we write our scenes in order of location. Well, we have in our minds eye the location. We know where things are placed and if items are moved or changed in a previous scene, we're more likely to remember. 

(3) It keeps your writing fresh - sometimes when we're writing and we get stuck, it's because we don't know where we're going with that part of the story, so move the story to a different time or location. Write all the scenes of a certain character (especially one you're jazzed about writing) or all the scenes from a certain location. It may take more planning but you may be surprised with the end product.

Have you ever done this? Do you think it will work for you? Why or why not?

Pic source: here