SpoonScribe

Advanced Fiction Writing 

[spoonscribe]

Blog 10: Submissions

Goops I posted this to the wrong blog!

My plans for submission include formatting my work to the William Shunn format, revising after Dr. Byrd’s feedback, and writing individual letters to various publications. I’m also opening a Submittable account because it will allow me to find the perfect places to submit my work.

Below I included my short author bio.

Kylie Jo Hood is a former Neurosurgery Product Manager for Zimmer Biomet and is living in Atlanta, GA. She has a BS in Sociology and Women’s Studies from the University of Georgia. This is her first work of published fiction.

The letter I write to accompany “Fear of Falling” will be specific to the publication I’m submitting to.

I’ll be honest; I’m scared to submit my work. I’m always afraid I’m not good enough, and I struggle with rejection. I’m severe Type A, and I will beat that horse until it’s good and dead. I’m going to submit several pieces this summer. I appreciate the feedback and additional information on my peers’ blogs. That gives me so many avenues to choose from, and I can learn from their experiences.

Thanks everyone! Please stay in touch!

[spoonscribe]

Blog 9: Revisions

Blog 9

Exposed. The Writer’s Workshop made me feel exposed and inadequate. My peers are beautiful writers with stories to tell. After reading them, I saw the flaws within my work mirrored in their stories. New writers make many of the same mistakes. However, their feedback made my story so much better. The flaws within my piece were so obvious, but I missed them completely. Or sometimes, I knew what the defect was, but I didn’t know how to fix it. Their suggestions helped me fill the holes within Mabel Jackson’s story. 

I also have to say that my peers were brave with their use of dialogue and their transitions from scene to scene. I hate writing dialogue, but it’s so important to drive the plot of a story. My peers did it beautifully while I struggled to add it to a Castaway type story where the main character is the focus. Thus, I used flashbacks to add dialogue to my scenes, which aided with the characterization of my main character and several side characters. The Writer’s Workshop gave me great feedback to take my story from ok to good. I appreciate the talent of my fellow writers and how the strength of their stories pushed me to work harder on mine. 

   I look forward to Dr. Byrd’s feedback, so I can prepare my piece for submission.

[spoonscribe]

Blog 8: Plot, Conflict, and Climax

Dramatize rather than summarize the text tells budding writers. (103) I find myself weaving in and out of dramatizing and summarizing the story. Several edits later, I decided to revisit the content of Module 4. After working on this post and the rough draft for my story, I re-watched Jeff Dufresne’s “How to Write a Story” several times and plotted critical moments of my story on the “modified Freytag Pyramid.” I concluded that I needed to gut the story and do a re-write. The climax felt anti-climactic, and the falling action felt too abrupt. One paragraph was more robust than the others, and I used it to identify how to strengthen weak points within my story.

In the video, Jeff Dufresne illustrates the use of details within a story to replace a formal introduction for a longer Shakespearean play. I added, “external details” that enriched my characters and gave readers context to their “internal” desires. Adding an insert on Mabel’s husband made her more human and added meaning to her eventual need to use his walker. Details about Mabel’s house help enrich the story because the reader understands her already compromised position as she struggles to maintain independence. For example, one line said, “Mabel was humiliated.” I then changed the line to “By the end of the trip, Mabel smelled like a distillery and felt like she’d swallowed a goose egg whole. The egg in her throat felt dense and made it difficult to swallow, choking her with newfound humiliation.”

Editing and re-writes helped me recognize the need for more substantial vocabulary to elevate the story. Connecting your words on an emotional level with the reader is essential because you also connect them to your characters. As Kurt Vonnegut said in his video, you need at least one person rooting for your character. As a writer, I put myself in the shoes of that person who cares about Mabel’s fate. Editing and revisions feel like bruises within a story because sometimes the issues are dark and flourishing, and sometimes, they are just light yellow and a hazy brown.

The plot is clear. An old woman is struggling to live independently as her body ages, and she identifies “falling” as her major obstacle. Mabel (the main character) then lives her worst nightmare by falling in her kitchen, unloading groceries. Determined, Mabel decides she must get up on her own and convince the medics she is fine, so her son doesn’t force her to forgo her house and live in a nursing home. Everyone will have to wait for the falling action and conclusion, but overall, I’m happy with it. I’ll continue to edit and write drafts to make it better. The conflicts within the story give Mabel an epiphany where she adapts to survive and recognizes the need to change. The text asks, “must the main character change?” Mabel’s answer is “yes, but not today.”

Side note:

COVID-19 has dominated my life for the last few weeks. I cannot seem to do anything but panic and worry about what comes next. I'm also on hydroxychloroquine, which is becoming more scarce by the minute. I've spent hours on the phone with Kelly Loeffler (GA's senator) to discuss the issues people with lupus and auto-immune issues are having. Together we are working on solutions, but the bureaucracy of government and insurance companies is overwhelming. If I seem frazzled, I am. I hope all of you are staying safe and practicing social distancing. Please remember your choice to stay at home protects people like me. I have six auto-immune diseases, about 100 co-morbidities, and three other diseases that make me vulnerable. I only add this because I know I'm not the only one struggling to make sense of a world that is changing. That may forever be changed. For weeks I had writer's block, but today it was like the floodgates opened. I'm channeling my fear and panic into writing. All of you are in my prayers. Stay safe.

[spoonscribe]

Blog 7: Research

Chapter 2 of the textbook discusses “getting the details right” by researching topics to enhance the believability of your story. It goes on to say that fiction writers use this tool to make sure the story’s world feels “unquestionably real” (p. 19). The internet is suggested as a primary source, but not only a single source for research in a story. Some of the other methods include speaking to real-life subjects. As the book stated, “you will almost certainly want to speak with the people who know more than you do about your subject matter.” (p.20) I already referred to this method in my prior post concerning research.

For my story, “Fear of Falling,’ I interviewed Ms. Betty about her recent fall and even took her picture above. Seeing her hands in person and living the experience with her helped me capture her desperation to remain independent. While many portions of my story rely on truth, they are fiction. Another issue I researched concerned what MedicAlerts were like during 2006.  New MedicAlerts for the elderly have a direct connection to paramedics, and they can speak to them from the button. In the year 2006, the elderly had to push MedicAlert buttons to get a response, and there wasn’t any direct communication over the button. All of these help make my story more believable and contribute to the story’s accuracy.  I was going to call one of the makers of this product, but have settled to online research until I can connect with someone who could advise me.

Side note: My family and I are feeding and getting pick up groceries for Miss Betty, who lives on a limited income. My neighbor has become more than the subject matter and is now a dear friend. Please consider aiding your neighbors during this crisis. God Bless and be with you all.

[spoonscribe]

Blog 6: POV

"Tandolfo the Great" by Richard Bausch is written in third person omniscient, which allows an all-knowing narrator to present a story from a distance while incorporating a single character's thoughts and feelings. In this story, we can see Tandolfo's point of view while maintaining a slightly objective distance. Automatically the reader can see that his love isn't reciprocated while also being privy to his innermost feelings. For example,

"He thought she felt it, too. He interpreted gestures-her hand lingering on her shoulder when he made her laugh; her endearments, tinged as they seemed to be with a kind of sadness, as if she were afraid for what the world might do to someone so romantic."

In just a few sentences, the audience knows what Tandolfo is thinking and feeling while also being in on the secret that he's a tad off base in his thinking. As readers, we know that the object of Tandolfo's love "didn't hear him" with all of his words going "right through her, like white noise on the radio." Considering Tandolfo's mental state, without the addition of the omniscient viewpoint, we, as readers, may have completely missed some of these pertinent details.

Other classmates have pointed out similarities between Tandolfo and the Joker due to their disconnect with the world. Both characters seem determined to insert themselves within typical social constructs, but each one fails and faces the cruelty of those who fit within the world easily.  The scene with the boys on p. 207 and their poor treatment of Tandolfo made this feel very similar to the movie The Joker.

Pablo Picasso, Family of Saltimanques, 1905, Oil on Canvas, National Gallery of Art

I connected this story to some of Picasso's artwork containing clowns in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.  The clowns in the art wear whimsical clothing in muted colors along a bleak landscape. Unlike most of Picasso's pieces, it lacks the dominance of color and shapes. Like the narrator from Tandolfo, we are shown our characters as they really are and not how they hope to be seen. The façade of the happy clown is stripped away, and we see life from the narrator's perspective. As the people from the party, it's easy to see Tandolfo and the clowns in Picasso's art as "inanimate object(s)." Most art is omnipresent because we (the audience) see the people through the lens of the artist or "god like" creator of the piece. Unlike "Tandolfo the Great," we are not privy to the thoughts of the characters on the canvas. Thus, this POV allows us to read a story like we view paintings with the added advantage of knowing the characters' thoughts, feelings, and pursuits.

During my reading, I decided to research this POV more for a better understanding of why a writer would choose this POV for their story. This website and video were helpful.

https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/point-of-view/third-person-limited-omniscient/

My story "Fear of Falling" is written from the limited third-person POV because it naturally fits the rhythm of the piece. I want us to know what Mabel Jackson is thinking while maintaining some "psychological distance" for the reader. The reader is privy to Mabel's thoughts, hopes, and fears while also realizing the futility of her struggle. We all age, and we all will eventually fall to the hands of time. Falling becomes the line in the sand that separates Mabel from her distorted reality.

[spoonscribe]

Blog 5: Setting

According to the textbook, a setting's purpose is to "present a believable world for the reader to imagine" while also contributing to the story's mood, themes, characterization, and plot.

The setting of my story is a small southern town in my character's dilapidated home that seems caught in time due to its lack of upgrades, old furniture, and peeling linoleum floor. In a way, the house is like a preserved time capsule of the 1970's when my main character, Mabel, bought the home. Heavy chain decorations and hanging metal and wooden light fixtures fill the house, which is damp and dark. The shag carpet is thick and damp with age and moisture. The furniture is heavy and ornate with bright gold and orange printed furniture. The old box television sat on the floor encased in a dark brown mahogany with intricate designs. It's dated, and the color seems a little off compared to the crisp, bright modern televisions. Her kitchen appliances are old and dated with cheap fake wood paneling covering the walls. Withered dandelion wallpaper covers the walls, while the floor's linoleum is bright orange and peeling from age.

Mabel's home is vital to the story because it tells the reader what motivates Mabel, which is keeping her home.  Her home is her independence, but also her jail as she becomes less mobile due to age. Mabel is fighting for the right to live her life on her terms in a home that's slowly crumbling around her. The lack of home upgrades suggests she's on a fixed income, but also that she enjoys the familiar. Like most older people, Mabel doesn't like change and clings to the old world with futile desperation. Interestingly enough, her inability or unwillingness to change the home is also the source of its evolution as it slowly deteriorates at the hands of time.

One of the exercises in the text asks us to place our story in an alternate setting. If the setting doesn't drastically change the story, then you should consider re-writing your story. For example, if Mabel lived in a nursing home the conflict of remaining independent would be irrelevant. Mabel's story would be drastically different because her hopes, desires, and dreams would change. Much like The Appropriation of Cultures occurring in Colorado would change the plot, and the symbolism of the Confederate flag wouldn't mean so much and would feel out of place. Mabel's home is crucial to the plot and the characterization of her character.

[spoonscribe]

Blog 4: The Research

Over time, authors have provided commentary on the "soup to nuts" process of writing while emphasizing the need to research for their stories and books. 

"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing." -Wernher von Braun 

Even when we as creators and writers know our content, there are always ways to make our works sharper and more "real." Therefore, we must research to plant the seeds for our work to grow and make an impact on readers. Unfortunately, some authors like Jeanine Cummins and her new novel American Dirt have received backlash for lack of research. According to many critics, Cummins wrote a book on migrants and Mexican heritage without proper research and little involvement from the Hispanic community. Essentially these actions equate to a whitewashing of history without the consent of those who lived it. Many have criticized Cummins for "incorporating a nominally Mexican perspective" and even cultural appropriation via stereotypes. This book release and its negative press re-emphasize the need for writers to thoroughly vet and research topics for their work.

Please see the link below for a more detailed description of the controversy surrounding American Dirt.

https://www.vulture.com/2020/02/american-dirt-book-controversy-explained.html

As a Sociology graduate from the University of Georgia, I spent a lot of time researching using both qualitative and quantitative data. As part of our senior thesis, we completed in-depth interviews on topics of our choice to complete the qualitative date requirement to graduate. I spent hours interviewing people and spending time watching people in their natural habitats. I feel this has been advantageous to my writing because I naturally take mental notes when interacting with people. My interactions with Betty, my grandfather, and other elderly individuals are a part of my research. Before his death, I taped my grandfather telling stories about his life to immortalize his time on earth.

https://youtu.be/MrwyqeaP69k

The videos are more than the stories that Jack Mayes tells. I watch them for his mannerisms and body language that is unique to the elderly. For example, my grandfather often opens his mouth in an "O" after speaking to adjust his dentures. His speech is slow and measured as he pauses to fix the false teeth in his mouth. I'm still working on how to incorporate these mannerisms into my main character, who I've decided is Mabel Jackson. 

As I have said before, naming my character is difficult because the names of my ancestors are perfect. I struggled to find names as good as Marcella Mote, Betty Bagwell, Betty Sue Crumbley (real women in my life). To research this, I picked up one of our family tree books and visited a local family cemetery just off of our property to give me ideas on how the name should sound. Southern names a unique because they roll off the tongue, and they have a certain musical ring to them. Some even have alliteration. Many are also double names. I had to create a name that felt realistic without becoming too comical. Mabel Jackson feels right. 

The setting for my story is a lot like most Joshilyn Jackson's settings for her book. It's a small town in the south, just like the town I grew up in. Just like the one I'm still living in. McDonough, Georgia, and I are deeply entwined, and its history is rooted in my very soul. While the small town I write about will be fictional, it is based on my life experiences growing up in a small-town suburb south of Atlanta. To research it, I can read old newspapers and spend time on the family property (which is basically my back yard). 

I'm doing what Twain said and I'm writing what I know, but also using research to fine-tune my work.

[spoonscribe]

Blog 3: Characters and Yearning

Mark Twain once said, "Write what you know." I'm not sure if he was an incarnation of Huckleberry Finn or if he knew that boy or both. I think we can all agree that Twain knew his characters well. Characters are the threads in the fabric of every story. 

Who doesn't love Elizabeth Bennett and, therefore, Mr. Darcy? Scout Finch? Or even Harry Potter? Some characters are so well written they take root in our history like the small tree growing from an overpass on I-85. They don't quite fit in our world but remain distinctly and unquestionably a part of it. 

Character writing is hard, and the bar is high when you try to set yourself among the likes of Twain, Austen, Lee, and Rowling. I can only feebly attempt to accomplish a well-written character who is flawed but also deeply loved. Characters connect us to intimate parts of ourselves we never knew existed. But authentic characters, the ones authors write as truth, are the ones who change our lives.

Waves the graphic novel, reveals profound truths about miscarriage and loss that gets misplaced in the noise of today's society.  Often, we are sad for those suffering from such a loss but seek to minimize it because they weren't real yet. If we never saw a baby smile, then were they real? Society re-writes hard stories because it's easier than dealing with some harsh realities. I want to do the opposite.

I decided to stick with the "Fear of Falling" because, as a chronically sick individual, I know the struggles of the elderly at the ripe old age of 34. I know my character intimately, although I'm still struggling with a name for her. I know her because she is a compilation of the elderly and aging individuals in my life. This story began as an ode to my 89-year-old neighbor Betty Bagwell (yes, that's her real name), who is the most fearless woman I've ever known. At 89, she still lives alone with minimal assistance, grocery shops, and takes her trash to the road. Recently, my aging neighbor had a fall, and her brave face melted away into a puddle of tears. The ambulance no more had pulled out of the drive then I found Betty in her kitchen sobbing into her arms. Immediately seeing me, she pulled up and apologized for the tears because, Betty said, "I never cry. At least not where anyone can see me." At that moment I realized, despite her hardiness, she was terrified of what came next. Here at the end of her life, Betty has no lifeline, no one to help her navigate her last years.  

My main character is also loosely based on my grandfather, Jack Mayes, who could never entirely accept his old age. Vain until the end, he would often ask people, "How old do I look?" and then would promptly answer the question by saying that he didn't look 85. After taking a bullet for our country and living life without abandon, he couldn't come to terms with age. He seemed surprised at the man he saw in the mirror, even disgusted by it. Even at 85, he was always spoiling for a fight, and without the oxygen, he probably could have taken more men on for size.

In my time spent with the aging, I've seen them differently than the sweet old people who are "ready" for what comes next. The youth of today seem to spin this yarn that all older people are ready for the next phase of their lives, so it's ok when their bodies begin to fail. It's the lie we tell ourselves, so we don't question our own failing mortality. Sometimes even elderly deaths are diminished by the old phrase "Well he/she lived a good life." I'm not saying they didn't, but my grandfather clung to life until his last breath, and Betty isn't giving up anytime soon. Betty may outlive us all. As an author, I want to honor them and others like them by humanizing them, by making their fears as real as ours, and by commending their bravery. My character is yearning for life, for just one more breath, one more day. This one is for you, Ms. Betty. And to you, Grandaddy.

[spoonscribe]

Blog 2: What to Do?

Blog 2: What to do?

Ernest Hemingway once said, "It's none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way."

Most of us were not born with such a gift. Based on what I've learned from class, and Pheobe Waller-Bridge from Fleabag “writing is really hard." (Please see the video from her Emmy’s acceptance speech below-it’s hilarious). 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/phoebe-waller-bridge-wins-first-emmy-best-comedy-writing-fleabag-1241978

I'm struggling with where to go with this short story. Since I'm an avid reader, I'm trying to apply the techniques I've found in books. I've been reading a book of short stories, "All the Names They Used For God," and Ken Follet's Century Trilogy. I love the descriptions and the non-linear stories in both books. For me, the non-linear stories are interesting because when well written, they grab the reader and make them pay careful attention to the characters and the plot. Yet as a writer, this method is hard because you must know the story as a linear one then re-write the story in a non-linear way that doesn't lose the audience. I want to try this but will need lots of feedback to make it engaging and enjoyable. I'm looking at "you" classmates! 

There are two stories I'm trying to decide between, but I can't seem to settle on one. One character is a daughter trying to survive her childhood with a mother who is severe bi-polar and OCD. Mental illness and its impact on children are underrepresented in today's society, and I believe telling the story with various timelines will allow the reader to see how this girl's mother's mental illness affects her throughout her life. In mainstream media, they talk about how mental illness affects those living with it, but what about the kids living with those who suffer from the butterfly effect created by their parent's ongoing mental illness? I'm also intrigued by a story about an old woman navigating the last few years of her life and her "Fear of Falling." The main character in this story is elderly and facing new challenges as her body and family betray her. Her struggles are real and heartbreaking, but also her fears. Both characters and their issues are complex, so my decision on which to use is difficult. I'm open to feedback from the class. 

One area I also struggle with is finding the right names for my characters. Often, I feel the character's name reveals a lot about a character. You can sometimes tell a person's ethnicity, heritage, and background based only on a name. As Moses Whitecotton from "Where the Heart Is" said, 

"Get your baby a name that means something. A sturdy name. Strong name. Name that's gonna withstand a lot of bad times. A lot of hurt…because see the name you pick is gonna be with your baby when nothing else is. When nobody is."

My story characters are my babies, and I won't always be with them, so their names have to speak for them when I, the author, cannot. Wish me luck as I continue to flesh out which character/story I'm going to use for the class.

[spoonscribe]

Hello All,
My name is Kylie Jo. I have been in several of Dr. Byrd’s creative writing classes, and I’m looking forward to this one. Creative fiction is an area I have dabbled in since I was a little girl. I’ve written many short stories over the years but lost all of my work in a tragic moving accident involving my laptop and my external hard drive. Most of my professional writing has been in the medical field, which is very different from writing fiction. It’s technical and to the point which allows for little creative license. 

My anxiety about writing comes from trying to be perfect in the beginning stages of the piece versus spending a lot of time planning and editing. Some of my recent short stories include a rough draft called “The Christmas Coat” and another story about an elderly woman called “Fear of Falling.” I’m a dedicated reader, and I aim to read around 75-100 books a year. I love all books, especially historical fiction, due to the creative license encased in facts. The name of my blog is SpoonScribe due to my ongoing battle with chronic illness. It’s based on the popular spoon theory which can be found here. 


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_theory 

My history with writing started in middle school when my 6th-grade teacher confiscated one of my short stories and refused to return it. In her defense, I was writing it during math class, but my mom was incensed. She demanded the return of the story, and after much negotiating, the pages came back to their owner. 
I struggle with time management and finding time to read and write. I become enthralled with a book and set the pen and paper down. Hopefully I can create a more regimented schedule with daily journaling. Another goal is to apply techniques I find from reading and incorporate the same writing skills into my work.