Personal Corner
One fall day, I looked outside at the pond behind our house. There, these beautiful birds were gracefully dancing above the waters like a ballet troupe. I hadn’t seen them before and their sweeping aerial flights mesmerized me. My husband looked them up in a field guide and discovered they are a type of gull. They fly south for the winter and their dance performance is their way of seeking fish in the pond.
Ironically, Robert and I are driving to Michigan to spend Christmas with my side of the family in a few weeks. We’ll have to report the northern Michigan weather to the gulls when we return. I’ll be sad to see them leave this spring, but at least we’ll have them return in the fall. (By the way, we call Michigan residents who flock to warmer temps for the winter, snow birds.)
My hubby took these pics today, but the day was a tad dreary, so they’re not as clear as I hoped.
Story Grid:
Let’s say you’re an aspiring actress trying to break into Hollywood. What if you could get trained by Meryl Streep’s acting coach? Would you read their book or hire them to prep you for a breakout role?
That’s what I did when I bought the book The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know. The author Shawn Coyne has worked as an editor for one of the Big 5 publishing firms. He’s taken part in 97 national bestsellers, and the books he’s edited or published have sold over 15 million copies. So, this guy understands how to tell a story.
As part of my November goal, I read the book and took part in the suggested exercises.
The result? I’ll let the picture speak for itself. Viola!
Maybe you’re wondering, “What is that?”
It’s a visual aid for identifying issues in my novella, Christmas at Sonshine Barn. It works!
Looks like gobbly goop but it’s a visual way of tracking if scenes are compelling or need work. And I realized my story needs more tension and a clearer ending.
So in January, I’ll be working with a developmental editor as I finish the manuscript, and learning in the Story Grid guild (the writing community Shawn Coyne runs).
Hopefully, you’ll see the results soon.
Conclusion to Jason’s story.
If you’re a new subscriber, I wrote an interactive story. Here are the links to the prior installments to understand this final installment. Part I, Part II, Part III.
Jason’s falling for Aurora, and based on the poll, he asks her out. Life’s about taking risks, right?
Since it’s almost Christmas, they go ice skating, drink hot chocolate, and eat at a Mom and Pop greasy spoon. Cue the Hallmark Christmas music… but they don’t kiss yet.
Her dad calls just as Jason leans in to kiss her. Her dad’s waiting at her uncle’s house, so Jason drops her off there.
Discovering Aurora invested in Jason’s restaurant, her dad tells Aurora he’s concerned Jason is charming his way into her money. (Poor Dad, his parenting skills aren’t as developed as his investment portfolio.) She stands up to him, so he offers her a position in his real-estate business as a marketing exec. This is the position she wanted a year ago, but he refused to promote her.
What should she do?
She continues working at Jason’s restaurant. After all, she’s falling for him and knows he sees her, not her money. And she loves working for his restaurant and is proud of how she’s helped promote it.
A year later, Jason’s restaurant lands in the top 10 eateries in the city, and he marries Aurora. (And her dad approves once he gets to know this young entrepreneur.)
The End
NOTE: I realized since I only publish these interactive stories once a month, it’s too far apart for readers to connect with the characters and the plot. So, I will no longer provide these type of stories but I’ll include you in my writing process. I’ll ask for suggestions on a book cover, story plot, or names of characters for example. This will help me and hopefully, be more useful and fun for you.
GIVEAWAY
In the spirit of Christmas, I’m conducting a random drawing giveaway with a $15 gift card reward to Bookshop.org (they support indie bookstores). Here are the steps to qualify:
- Vote in the Christmas poll.
- Provide your name in the Other box.
- If you’re unsure if your submission went through, email me or post in Comments.
- Read the next monthly newsletter on January 5th, 2023 when I announce the winner.
NOTE: The deadline to vote is midnight on January 4th, 2023.
Featured image in Poll by Susan Cipriano from Pixabay
Featured Image on top of blog: Photo by Eleonora Albasi on Unsplash
Image of a couple and ice skating rink: Photo by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash