All About The Hook ~ @oddlynn3 #rndrobin0418 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna

Hi everyone!

And welcome to A Writer In Vienna. If you’ve never been here before, pull up a chair and look around. I’ve lived in Vienna, Austria four years and am trying to share that experience with others. Drop by my other blog www.lynncrain.blogspot.com for Monday’s Scoop where I talk even more about the experience. While there, don’t forget to comment and be entered into my monthly contest for a $25 GC of your choice.

Today’s topic is all about what glues you to a story, start to finish. This also includes how we as authors hook our readers. These are age old topics for writers and aren’t to be taken lightly. If you can’t interest a reader immediately in today’s publishing world, you don’t have a chance. If you don’t live up to your hook, you don’t have a chance of being picked up again by that reader.

So…what’s an author to do? Write a great first line, of course!

To me, some of the things a first line, commonly called your hook line, should do, but not necessarily all of them, are:

T  State something unusual.

T  Show someone under stress. For example, if your main character is a time traveler, how they handle what they see and experience will decide the course of the story.

T  The first must be appropriate to the story. You don’t show a nun, who is having a crisis of faith, in the middle of a barrage of gunfire.

T  It should describe the moment when the rest of the novel becomes inevitable.

T  The first line should sum up the whole story.

T  They must make the reader want to read line two.

Overall, a first line or hook, should be clever, thought-provoking, draw the reader into an unfamiliar world, bring a smile to the readers face, be poignant, setup a mystery, use words in such a wonderful way that the reader wants more, introduce a characters and so much more. Those are just a few of the things I feel a first line should do.

Just think of some of the best first lines you’ve read. Here a few of mine:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, 1813)

Harry Potter was a very unusual boy in many ways. (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling, 1999)

He was running for his life. (Hot Ice, Nora Roberts, 1987)

And here’s a few from my own stories:

Damn, I’m going to lose another one, MacKenzie thought as she beat the steering wheel with her fist. (Midnight Run, Lynn Crain, 2010 unpublished)

He had always been in this cage in one way or another. (Night of the Blue Moon, Lynn Crain, 2007)

What the hell was I doing on this off-planet hell hole? (Private Dancer, Lynn Crain, 2007)

The first line sets the tone for of the rest of the novel, everything else of the story will follow from it. If the first line isn’t something an author can feel in their gut, it’s probably wrong.

Now once you’ve written that great first line, you need to keep the pace going so that every page is integral to the overall story arc of the characters. Again, think of all the books you couldn’t put down. The books I listed above were finished in a day or no more than a few days because every page was a turner.

As a writer, it’s hard to make every page something great. The idea is to first get the story down as if it never gets out of one’s head and on the page, it doesn’t matter. Once there, an author can tweak it, read it again, send it to betas, tweak it some more, have an editor look at it and finally get it published because it shines like a new copper penny.

Some writers think there is a secret to making great page turners. There isn’t. A writer’s greatest tool is the ability to change and adapt, to make their product better as their career moves on. What and how I write today isn’t the same as how I wrote in my late twenties. I’m better and I know it.

And as a writer, I will learn and grow until I can’t any more. Even today, I take classes. Currently, I’m in two marketing classes, a flash-fiction class and a class on how to create a language. I feel it will all make me a better writer.

Overall, I try to write stories I like to read. I love things to be thrilling and constantly changing. Some of my works-in-progress reflect that as I’m working on a series of short stories about a paranormal matchmaking service, a series of shorts about a group of women who were genetically engineered to be soldiers, and a series about a young girl thrust into the world of paranormal investigation. Each and every story is unique. Hopefully, they have a great hook, an incredible middle and a kick-ass ending.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little look into writing great hooks and page turners. Thank you for being supportive of us during our round robins. We love when you visit us and tell us what you think.

Don’t forget to go to each of the authors in the list below. Again, thanks for joining us…see you next time.

Lynn

T Beverley Bateman at http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
T Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/q
T Ginger Simpson http://mizging.blogspot.com/
T Skye Taylor  http://www.skye-writer.com/
T Marci Baun at http://www.marcibaun.com/
T Margaret Fieland at http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/

T Helena Fairfax at http://helenafairfax.com/
T Anne Stenhouse at http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
T Fiona McGier at http://www.fionamcgier.com/
T Connie Vines at http://connievines.blogspot.com/

T Rachael Kosnski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
T Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.webs.com/

All About Heroines ~ @oddlynn3 #rndrobin0125 #LynnCrain

Almost every month, I do a round-robin blog with a great group of women. Each time we have a different and exciting theme…this month is no different. Our theme this month is all about heroines: what type, traits, personality etc. draws me into a story? Has that changed with time? And do I write this type of heroine?

Well, I just love this topic. I love heroines. From the prime and proper to the tough and ready, I love heroines. And I’ll be honest, I’ve written all of those and more. However, I have a favorite. A favorite I will write about again and again. And that’s the kick-ass variety. You know the type: think Underworld, Alien or Aliens if you prefer, and who could ever forget Gone With The Wind. Now, wait a minute…I’m sure you’re saying this to yourself…why Gone With The Wind?

To be honest, Scarlett O’Hara is the first kick-ass heroine I fell in love with. She had a horrible situation, in a world ruled by men and somehow, each and every time she came out on top. I don’t think I have to explain just why Selene is a kick-ass heroine. She can definitely hold off the bad guys when she needs too…and yet…some would consider her a bad one as well considering she’s a vampire.

My all-time favorite, kick-ass heroine has to be Ellen Ripley or just Ripley to all her fans. That woman is everything I want in my heroines. She’s funny, serious, not afraid to show she’s afraid, yet always has her wits about her.

Now, like I said, it runs the gamut from historical to urban fantasy to horror. Just suffice it to say that these are the type of women I like and the type I normally write about. In A Viennese Christmas, my heroine leaves everything she knows to move to a new home for a wonderful job. In The Harvester, my heroine leaves her home as she doesn’t want to become queen because doing that means she has to kill her mother. And the list goes on and on. You can check out my books here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Crain/e/B002DMMD2G

As far as my attitude changing over time…I don’t think it has. I’ve always liked women who took hold of their own destiny. That doesn’t mean I want to see them without a romance though. I love romance and feel that every woman, good or bad, deserves to have a soul mate. I can say that how I write those heroines has changed over time. In the beginning, I wrote to what the publisher wanted, now I write to what I want and that’s made a world of difference.

Don’t forget to check in with all the other authors in this round robin. They’ll each be telling you about their heroines. So, click on of the authors below and be taken to their world of the heroine.

Marci Baun at http://www.marcibaun.com/
Kay Sisk at http://www.kaysisk.com/
Ginger Simpson at mizgjng@gmail.com
Connie Vines at http://connievines.blogspot.com/
Geeta Kakade at http://geetakakade.blogspot.com/ 

A.J. Maguire at http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/ 
Beverley Bateman at http://beverleybateman.blogspot.com/
Diane Bator at http://dbator.blogspot.ca
Fiona McGier at http://www.fionamcgier.com
Rhobin Courtright at http://rhobinleecourtright.com

Thanks and see you all next time!

Lynn

Meeting A Real Life Character ~ @oddlynn3 #rndrobn0824

Welcome to another Round Robin with a fantastic set of authors I met while being a part of the Night Writers blog. Just follow the trail for some interesting tidbits on the subject of meeting real-life characters, how they are or aren’t different from preconceived notions, and how they might be bigger than life. Would you put them in your books?

Living in Vienna, I am surrounded by real life characters. Everywhere I walk or look, there is a character staring back at me. From the statue of Strauss to the Russian memorial, there is or has been someone very important walking the steps I’m taking on a daily basis.

I’ll be honest, I had some preconceived notions of the historical people and places that are in Europe. I have to say some of those notions are true and some are far from it. Take the last Empress of Austria, Elisabeth commonly called Sisi. She’s known as the reluctant Empress because she loathed the decorum and the pomp of being a royal. I found this completely fascinating as most royals who lived during her time loved the lavish lifestyle and found it suited them.

Not so with Elisabeth. She detested the situation as she felt she was sold into slavery by her arranged marriage. Another fascinating part of this woman was the fact she was assassinated in 1898 by a man who was looking for the fame of doing something important.

This woman shattered all my notions about royalty in an era of indulgence. While she did keep a low profile, she also seemed acutely aware of those beneath her in station and abhorred the class situation as a whole. Many of her views were not unlike most royals today who feel that their lives are in service to and for their subjects.

While in the states, I have met my share of famous people who were real life characters in themselves. Some were so eccentric that it made me wonder just what was wrong with Hollywood or other venues that support this type of weirdness. Sorry, folks, while I do believe to each their own, I also believe some things are downright strange and never should see the light of day. Lifestyles are extravagant and some are just downright eccentric. I’ve been disappointed many times by thinking they were one way only to find them not even like what I’d thought. Some changed my views on fame so totally, it made me wonder if pursuing the bestseller list was even a good thing.

Yet, with all these people I’ve seen, met or just researched, I know I would use them in my own books or base someone else on them. Currently, I have started two separate series. My series, A Taste of Vienna, is all about being here in this interesting and some days fabulous city. The first book in this series, A Viennese Christmas, is available now at Smashwords, Amazon, Nook, All Romance eBooks and more.

Another series I’ve started is Hollywood hunks based upon what happens when a small town boy hits the A list in Hollywood. You can look for this one is the near future at one of my traditional publishers. I’ll keep you posted.

Now let’s keep this round robin going. Please go to Connie Vines blog and see what she has to say about the subject of meeting a real life character.

Thanks and see you all next time!

Lynn                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Vienna and Things I Do To Relax ~ #rndrobn0713

Good morning everyone!

Yes, it is already morning for me here in Vienna, Austria. The sun is streaming through my window and it looks as if it is going to be a mighty fine day though a bit warm.

First, let me apologize for my dust. I’m in the middle of a renovation on this blog so the header’s kinda ugly and the colors are an experiment to see what I really want while making it a pleasant experience for you. But one thing that will definitely happen is that the background image will change monthly to a new picture of Vienna I’ve taken over the past couple years. The plan is to keep the colors the same. We’ll just have to experiment with how that works.

I also plan to post on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays here from todayon. I realize I’ve been lax and do have so much to share on what’s going on in Austria. I tweet most days at least one thought about being here. Hopefully, your Viennese fix will be fulfilled with all these new additions.

Today, I’m doing a round robin with a group of talented writers that I met when I was with Night Writers. We’ve decided to do this since the blog is no more because we love that we can still connect and help one another out. So...please click through all of us and enjoy the posts...I’ll be giving you the link for A.J. Maquire at the end of this post.

I’d like to talk about how I relax and rejuvenate here in Vienna. There are many ways one can do that. In the spring, summer and fall, there are a variety of festivals one can go to throughout the city. Here’s a picture of a concert we went to at Schonbrunn Palace in June. It was put on by the Vienna Orchestra and it was wonderful. Just lots of people.

In the spring, right before Easter, I love going to the many Easter egg pavilions and seeing the wares there. The eggs are so elaborate and beautiful and expensive. But I have a few I sent home and a few here with me so I can remember this wonderful time.

Also, in the spring there are more flowers in this city than I’d ever seen anywhere. They are in every park and people have them in flower boxes out the windows. It even grows down the walls from some apartments. It’s an amazing sight to see.

Some weekends, we’ll go outside of the city to see the various different areas close to home. One of my favorites is a place I’ve talked about before...Carnuntum...it’s a Roman ruin that I just can’t get enough of and I visit as often as I can. It’s fantastic.

Another way that I relax is I do a spa day. There are tons of local spas and one has their pick of many. Normally, I’ll go have a facial, a manicure/pedicure and a massage. Nothing beats a good girl day even if I have to do it alone.

Fall is another time I really enjoy here. The trees out my office window are wonderful and I so enjoy walking in Prater park. The weather is cooler and the whole vibe of the city has changed from summer to the slowing down the season brings.

Now, one of the best times I have is in the winter. We have the various Christkindlemarkts that are absolutely fantastic. I love the snow and the season. I love taking walks even when it is cold though I might complain about the temperature occasionally. The first snow is beautiful and I love watching Pup Harry as he has great fun.

As indicated, we mainly walk everywhere or take trains to nearly all destinations. It seems no matter where we go, walking has become the great relaxer and that’s good since we don’t have a car. This was a personal choice as we could have brought one but decided to see the wonders of Vienna without one. This choice has been a blessing in surprise as both of the husband and myself have gained many health benefits from all the walking.

By this moment, I’m sure you’re wondering what all this has to do with writing. Well...suffice it to say...everything. It has great impact with my A Taste of Vienna series as it all takes place in or near the city. How I relax here, how I travel here or how I live life can be great inspirations on what to put into the novels. The first one, A Viennese Christmas, is talked about in the post immediately before this one.

The most important thing I’ve discovered is that I love writing about Vienna in either a fiction or a nonfiction way. There is always something going on here as well as new additions every day.

Don’t forget to go to the next great author in this round robin. A.J. Maguire can be found here and her post will be just as wonderful as learning about Vienna.  http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/

Thanks and we’ll see you all on Tuesday...have a great weekend!

Lynn

The Love Desk

Written June 21, 2011

When preparing for the move to Vienna, there was one thing immediately apparent: I would not be able to take my desk with me. My desk was built into the room and completed by my husband about the tenth year we’d lived in our house. It had huge built in bookshelves that held all the research books a writer could want, a desktop that rounded a corner of the office as well as tons of other storage. It was a writer’s dream and I couldn’t image writing anywhere else.

The day we picked out our flat, I knew which room would be my office. Each room had huge windows and there were only four total, five if you counted what they called a hall. They don’t even count bathrooms in the place but if one did, then there would be an extra three rooms.

The room I chose was the smallest of all the rooms and was on one side of the living room. It was directly opposite from the master bedroom and had its own bank of storage closets. There was plenty of room for a desk and whatever else needed to be put there like a sleeper sofa.

The one thing we didn’t bring with us at all were beds, so off to IKEA we go to pick out sleeping accommodations. While there, I convince my man we need to be looking for my desk as well since I want to start writing as soon as possible. He balks but my youngest agrees, so we start to look at the office furniture. Of course, this is after we’ve picked out our bedroom furniture. I walk slow through the office furniture when Gordon calls me over to a section across the aisle.

By this time, I’m grumpy and don’t think we’ll ever find anything when he points out a glass top. I look down, amazed by what I see. All over the glass is the word love in every language imaginable. Kyle, my youngest who I felt never had paid attention to my writing, tells me that he thinks it will be perfect for me. I am simply awed by this statement. My husband agrees and he goes off to purchase this fantastic desk.

Today, I’m looking out at a cloudy day, working on the desktop that reminds me it’s all about love.

Lynn

Transitions

This was written June 11, 2011. I moved to Vienna on May 19, 2011.

In May 2011, I embarked upon what many friends were calling the adventure of a lifetime. Yet, I wasn’t quite sure I was up for any adventure as I was at an age where most people are seriously planning their retirement. My husband on the other hand was looking for a more exciting job and something he could really put his mark on.

I already had an exciting job. I mean, what’s more exciting than being a writer? I could visit places then write about them. If I didn’t want to visit, I could surf the net and find out everything I wanted to know about some place. Now, when I was younger, I dreamed of living in foreign places and living in the most exotic one I could find. Most of those places involved islands or Scotland but not the middle of Europe. 

I took myself out of the equation because I knew I had to let my husband make this decision. He’d always allowed me to follow my dream of writing. I’d travel to yearly conferences as well as a variety of other things writers do. He helped me in every way he could and took joy in every achievement I’d ever had. No matter his choice, I would support it. I told my kids they would support it too even though they wondered what they’d done to make their father want to leave home.

Now, why we were all stunned when he took the job, I don’t know but we only had six weeks to make it happen. Those weeks were like a whirlwind romance as we each learned it was a good thing we loved each other a lot. There were decisions to be made, items to pack and a house to prepare so we could go to Vienna, Austria. I think my dear husband was stunned the most when I told him this wasn’t the path I would have chosen but the one I was given.

Quicker than expected, we were on our way to the place we would live for the next three years. Our youngest son went with us as he was still our dependent even though he was nineteen and the older son was put in charge of the house we owned in the southwest US. The oldest and his family, along with the youngest, would be staying there while we were gone. 

We immediately went house or apartment shopping that Saturday just twenty-four hours after our arrival. We weren’t sure just what we wanted but we did know that eventually our dog would be joining us. Whatever place we chose had to have enough room for us and guests as we hoped we’d have lots of those. We’d also heard that storage would be a problem and kept that in mind as we searched.

It took us just a mere two and a half weeks to narrow it down to four places from almost fifty. I’d never looked at so many homes in my life. Our temporary housing was costing us a bundle and we knew the sooner we moved the better. Each place had pros and cons but I had a certain type of setting in mind when I thought of the old city.

For those who are not familiar with Vienna think Viennese Boys Choir or Johann Strauss. Think Mozart and Beethoven and Hapsburgs. Think humidity and grandeur and Napoleon and you’ll have an idea of the place I now call home.

Along with all the newness came an awareness of my new surroundings. This allowed me to suddenly see the world in a new light and in new ways. Instead of being stymied in my writing like I have been in many stressful situations, I’ve found myself surrounded by the peace and solitude I need to write good stories.

Finally, we found the place we’d call home. It overlooked the Schwartzenberg and Belvedere Palaces and was in a building with three embassies. It was built in 1869, had large rooms, fifteen foot ceilings and a fantastic landlord. It was a place of old world charm and definitely something I could see myself living in. It was as safe as one could be in a large European city. It also came with an indoor pool and sauna, something we didn’t have at home.

One of the most important things I’ve gotten out of the move besides understanding just how resilient I really am is inspiration for a craft I’d almost stopped being inspired for and by. Now we can go to a café and I study people again, weaving stories around what their particular situation might be. I’ve been to a foreign film festival, seen a tour-de-France type bike race and rode more trains than I’d ever been exposed to here in the States.

Yup, the next three years are going to bring wondrous ideas and writing. I just can’t wait.

Lynn