Picture this...
I'm standing behind a podium at the front of a room with my heart beating double time. Tables arranged in a U-shaped pattern fill the small room. Sitting at those tables are writers. Writers staring at me expectantly waiting for me to tell them something they don't already know. The three page handout in front of me starts to blur and a sheen of sweat breaks out across my forehead.
You're probably thinking I'm describing one of my worst nightmares. But no. I'm describing my Saturday afternoon.
This is what happens when you attend a writing conference, take a bunch of kick-ass workshops, then float into your next chapter meeting on that conference high. I still have no idea what possessed me to volunteer back in the fall, but this weekend I gave my first workshop ever.
I wouldn't say I got off to a flying start. And as my chapter is filled with talented writers who have many titles under their belts, it's no surprise they looked at this still-aspiring-as-yet-unpublished author with a bit of skepticism.
But then I decided to get them involved. My workshop was called "Digging Deep With Your Characters" and my goal was to get them to look deeper into their characters my asking questions you might not usually think about. I asked an off the wall, detailed question regarding characters and gave them a minute or two to write an answer. Then I made them share those answers.
That's when one established author said this little exercise gave her an idea for her current WIP. And again later in the workshop she got another idea. By some miracle, I had helped someone. Believe me, I'm as amazed as you are.
Now it's time to get you involved. One of your characters, hero or heroine, has an old shoebox under their bed. What's in that shoebox and why is it under the bed? What would be the consequences to your character if that box is discovered. Why?
PS: Nine years ago today I was in the hospital giving birth to a beautiful baby girl. Happy Birthday to Isabelle. She is my life and my light.
Books by the Crew
63 comments:
Woot! Woot! I am so proud of you! You are much braver than I and it sounds like you kicked it, girl!
It's too late to think but I'll be back tomorrow!
You go Terri! Rock that workshop!
And happy birthday to Isabelle!
Joyeux anniversaire little Isabelle!
wow Ter. Gotta have balls for that. And that's an interesting question you ask... will be on later to answer. I think.
Happy Birthday, Bastille Baby Isabelle! But if she couldn't read yesterday, I guess she's not here today.
Love the question. Did they have shoeboxes in 1820? I already have my hero carry two hidden things with him everywhere, literally all over the world---a flat pink rock and a tiny bag of beads that fell off the heroine's dress. And by golly, I think it's time for her to find them!!!! Terri, you're a genius. I know have a scene. 2 for 2, baby!
Thank you, ladies, but don't think I don't see that y'all are avoiding my question. LOL!
Santa - I want to know what's in Jake's bed. Err...under. Sure I meant under. ;)
J.K. - What would an immortal hide from the world?
Stef - Thank you for the birthday wishes. Isabelle will get a kick out of knowing someone in France was thinking of her today. LOL!
Tiff - I do hope you'll come back. I'd love to know what Jinan is hiding.
Maggie - thank you for playing along. Glad this could give you an idea for a scene. My work here is done...and it's not even 9am yet. LOL!
Thanks for all the birthday wishes for Isabelle. She's 1100 miles away from me so it's not the easiest day. And no, she won't see this, but I'll let her know everyone sends birthday wishes.
Well they have hat boxes Maggie. They most certainly do in 1847... Jinan doesn't wear a lot of shoes or slippers in the harem though. She wears very little in fact.
Let's see... In her crafted wooden box inlaid in mother of pearl there would be an old silver cross her mother gave her, and Mr. Chisholm miraculously recovered for her when he purchased her. Though I'm not sure why since she is of another faith now. A snippet of her son's hair, just because.
She doesn't have a bed, but a divan...and there isn't anywhere else to put it but in the space there, her armoire is so full of silks and scarves and veils that it would easily get lost. A leather bound Quran her harem sister Maram gave her on her conversion.
Rothy's box: under the bed so his terrible uncle could never find it and understand what he most wanted to use it against him: The rose he plucked for Elena after their first kiss. Silk rope. snuff box with a dried opium bloom (thanks Maggie). And I'm not sure what else...
As I finish up the book I'll think of more things they are hiding from me--especially Rothburn :)
Fun exercise Terri!
That's the spirit, Tiff. Elena and Jinan are the same person, right? This story sounds so amazing. How far along are you?
Yes they are the same person.
I'm at 65K, story is coming slowly in the last stretch.
Considering your slow is my superfast, I'm afraid I can't feel much pity for you. LOL! Is this one that will stand alone or the start of another series?
And have you used the Zodiac stuff at all? I included Astrology in my workshop and that always gets people riled up. It never fails that someone is married to an supposed incompatible sign. And then there are those that don't believe in the sign stuff at all. I think that was the rowdiest part of the presentation. LOL!
Stand alone for now. I have another idea (an historical, not para) that needs to be told next... another harlot too. :)
I don't even want to think about zodiac's for these characters... they are already tormented and dark. Especially Jinan and I'll get back to you on Rothburn when I figure him out better.
The moment you asked what's in their "box", I suddenly heard Mattycakes' voice. I can't wait to hear what Sin responds with.
Adam and Eve don't keep trinkets. Eve's got a Julia Child cookbook, though, which she loves. I can't think of anything Adam would keep.
Lucy, if he had a box would have: Playboys, condoms (just in case the curse ever breaks), the SEX POSITION BIBLE (not that he needs it but because it would annoy Mr. Big to have a BIBLE about sex), a photograph of Elizabeth, and a pair of shoes (it IS a shoebox).
I knew I should have gone with wallet/purse. Shoes? Really? And you call me the practical one...
I'm guessing Adam would have something of Eve's. Something from when they first got together and were still happy. A dried fig leaf perhaps.
LOL, I had two shoeboxes in my WIP (which I finally finished but still have to revise). One is yellow, is kept in the pantry and contains all the evidence of the hoax, so that the MCs can dispose of it properly. The other, which didn't survive the latest rewrite, was brown, kept in the heroine's closet, and contained the memorabilia/paraphernalia from her relationship with her college sweetheart.
Under her bed is full: luggage, random clothes and shoes that end up under there. Probably art supply storage.
Damn, you're going to make me do it, aren't you?
Let me think about this
Oh yes, J.K., I'm making you do it. Just think of how old the stuff in that box could be? I mean, come on, he's IMMORTAL!
Jordan - The evidence is in the box? Does it get disposed of or is it their undoing? LOL! And your heroine's bed sounds very much like my daughters. There's no telling what you could find under there.
Ter - great blog! I have to think about this. Beth and Edward are my two new characters. But, I don't know them well yet. We just met this weekend. LOL!!
Happy Birthday Isabelle!!
No, no fig leafs. I was thinking of wedding rings though. Though they wouldn't really have wedding rings. Still...
And they're not Lucy's shoes.
Marn - that makes you the perfect guinea pig for this experiment! LOL! Give me the greenlight and I'll shoot several questions at you so we can interview Beth and Edward. Oh, I can't wait to meet these two.
Hellion - Why wouldn't they have wedding rings?
I'm just starting to poke at them myself. I'm hoping in the next couple weeks I'll know more.
I don't know. They just don't seem like a practical thing for nomadic people to be wearing.
Adam & Eve are nomadic?
Well, Alric from Book 3 would probably have a picture of Diana, maybe from the last time they went up to their special secluded place. Something that proves they were once happy together. And he might just have kept a link of the thick, black metal chain that was used to keep him locked up alone, underground in the dark for a hundred years as a reminder never to let down his guard again.
He also has a monster in the closet (it's too big for a shoebox). He tries to hide it, but the thing wants out...bad.
Oh my. I'm hooked. He was chained for a century then you give him a monster? You sure do love to torture those men, J.K.
Marnee - does that mean you're not going to let me poke at them today? Darn, I was all excited too.
Awesome question, Terrio! E-gads, you really expect everyone to answer, don't you?
Let's see, Red would have a locket with her murdered sister's picture in it, a cross, a rendering of her sister's murderer and a flier announcing the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. She's an Army scout and doesn't have a bed, so she carries it in a sachel tied to her saddle.
Happy Birthday, Isabelle!! :-)
That's the spirit, Kathy. What year is your story set?
It's set in the Black Hills, 1867. :-) Back before she could lust after Rugby players with very BIG balls. LOL.
Sorry, just had to say it. :-)
BTW - lovely pic!
It really is Red's loss. LOL! And this prompted me to go check out the book description on your sight. It sounds amazing. You combine the paranormal with a Western. What kind of response are you getting on these? I'm quite interested in Duff just from reading those little blurbs.
You can poke as soon as I decide what I want them to be like. I just figured out the basic backstory (I think). I still have no idea what the book is about yet though.
I suppose that gets you a reprieve. For now. But I'll start pestering again before long. LOL!
Hey Terrio, Red's Sioux hunk will have to be enough. :-) Thanks for the wonderful comment about my picture and for visiting my website again.
We need to plan to meet in SF!
Jake is not a very sentimental person but he kept the slip of paper with his name on it Melissa dropped after they kissed under the willow tree the summer they graduated from college.
Kathy - I'll be selling raffle tickets at the literacy signing wearing a gray t-shirt promoting this blog. Little cartoon pirate dude on the back. Should be easy to find. FIND ME! LOL!
Santa - the fact you keep Jake from me is most irritating. When am I going to get my hands on him...err..this story? LOL! When?!
I write in dog years, Terri.
Under the bed...Well, there's the zip bag with the sheets in it. The othe bag with the scarves & whatnot in it. And that little box at the head of the bed. The poem from Curtis. 9th grade I believe. Another poem. Again from Curtis. 11th grade this time. Graduation pictures. Our year, my sisters' year, cousin Kathy's year. Oh,yeah. A picture of Curtis dressed as Santa our senior year. An invitation to Curtis' wedding. One to his second wedding. A beautiful picture from Walt Disney World of me & 2 of the Redheads. An old story I was writing. Pulled it out to reread. Old family picture from when my Pop was a kid. Poppa's old Navy hat. How did he get it on his head? A small horseshoe from a girl I tried to help in high school. She turned out fine-after they got her away from her mother. And that's it. Some great memories. Some what-could-have-beens. And that writing? Must have been channeling Dame Barbara Cartland at the time.
Terrio said: What kind of response are you getting on these? The first book is the only one I've submitted so far. I did however, just get a request for a full on it from an e-book company. I'm planning to try that out.
Duff is very rugged. He's got a scalp lock, a lock of woman's hair, a piece of knotted rope, and Confederate Captain's bars in an Indian pouch around his neck. (Think Tom Berenger when he was younger.) I LOVE him! :-)
Hey, where can I get one of those shirts? LOL.
Oh, I'm doing this for old and new characters.
For Sam, in his shoebox...he would keep the handkerchief covered in chocolate when Kate first opens the door and gets cake batter on him. He would also have the e-mail that picked Kate as the winner and lastly...oh, I can't tell you that since it's coming up in the last book. *evil grin*
For Kate, she'd keep the t-shirt Sam wore that she gave him, her wedding photo, and the last thing is the same as Sam's.
Murphy, if he had a shoebox would keep: one of Sam's shoes all chewed up and his puppy blanket.
For the just finished manuscript.
Simone would keep an old photograph of her and her brothers in happier times, as children, in England. And then, she would keep a ziploc bag of soil from South Africa.
Noah would have his very first camera and a pink rose boutinerre (sp).
For the new one:
Maddie would have her wedding ring and a picture of a house.
Liam would have a photo of Maddie and him getting married in Las Vegas, and he would also have the marriage license/certificate.
Terri, you need to send this article into RWA. Tiff told me how awesome this blog was; sorry I'm so late today, I had fallen asleep and it's so hard keeping track of all these blogs! Grrr.
Happy Birthday, Isabelle!!!
Santa - We must fix that.
DJS - Those are some interesting items under your bed. Who is Curtis? I'm so curious! And I know what you mean about those sailor hats. I had to wear one for a costume when I was in flag corps in HS and they are not exactly made to stay on.
Kathy - I LOVE Tom Berringer. Though my fav is Major League. I'm a sucker for a ball player. Always have been. Congrats on the request and here's to celebrating your first sale VERY soon!
About the shirt, Captain had this one done for me to take to Nationals so right now, it's a one of a kind. LOL! We may have to break down and design some stuff on Cafepress to sell around here.
Ely - I can always count on you. And you have a room full of characters there. LOL! Now I'm so curious about that last item in Sam & Kate's boxes. And speaking of shirts, they're here! LOL! You crack me up. I promise to send pics of them from Nationals.
And I've already been told to write this up in an article for our local chapter newsletter so I need to get to that. I'm glad y'all loved it so much. And I didn't include hardly any of the info in the actual workshop. :)
OH, AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISABELLE!
Awesome blog, Terri, and I am positive awesome presentation! Congratulations to you on that. I'm very proud. You've got a lot of guts, lady. You gotta know this is your calling.
I've been thinking about this shoebox thing all day and was ready to give up, but came up with something short and sweet. A pink carnation given to her on Valentine's Day when she was a Junior in HS. The catch is that it wasn't given to her by anyone special. In fact, it was given to her as an afterthought by her best friend's boyfriend. She keeps it because it's the only time anyone has ever given her flowers. Every once in a while she pulls it out and creates a great fantasy guy around it.
Irish - that's a great idea. Now, when are you going to write it? LOL! You know she's going to be a repressed Catholic HS graduate. Very quiet. Not a risk taker. Then she breaks out of her shell.
You could so write this story. And thanks for the Birthday wishes. I told her earlier today everyone was wishing her a happy birthday (even from France!) and she said to tell everyone thank you.
Terri, you might even want to pitch this workshop for Nationals next year. Just a thought...*g*
Happy birthday to Isabelle!
Sorry I'm late. If my heroine had a shoebox under her bed...
Hm. She's not much of a sentimental girl. Maybe a picture of her and her daddy, him standing behind her as a little girl. She's in overalls and holding a little sun perch like it's the biggest catch ever. She's got a huge smile on her face. The sun is shining down on the both of them and her blonde pigtails make her look like a little angel. Her dad has a smile on his face and you can tell he's so proud of his little girl. Maybe a floppy copy of her first program she ever designed with her dad's help.
*shrug* I dunno. That's difficult. The only thing I could imagine what would happen would be that someone realizes she buries her emotion deep down where no one can touch it and start to question that.
Good blog hon.
Sin - Never too late! But I have to ask, why is that picture in a box under the bed instead of out where she can see it?
Ely - have you been talking to Kim? LOL! Maybe when I have a little something more to list under my credentials. :)
Ely's right you know and so is Kim.
Oh and Happy Birthday Isabelle! And a big hug to your mama! She ROCKS!
That's right, Santa, keep kissing up. LOL! I'm still freezing your bra.
And thanks. You're making me blush.
Oh, Tom Berenger in Major League 1 & 2, yum. He's in such good shape in those movies. I love him in Last of the Dogmen (my favorite), Someone To Watch Over Me, Sniper 1-3, Gettysburg (Gen. Longstreet, my ultimate fav in that movie besides Gen. Chamberlain), The Substitute (Youza! I'd like a teacher like Tom), and finally the very young Tom in Rustler's Rapsody (so playfully cute and with a sparkle on his teeth).
If you haven't seen Last of the Dogmen, it is absolutely awesome!! :-)
I loved Last of the Dogmmen! Oh, he's just hot in anything. He's even still charming as the dad in October Road. Even though he doesn't look as good as he used to.
Well Happy Birthday Isabelle!
I hope that you had a Most Wonderful day!
And congratulations Terri upon giving your very first workshop. Sort of like you lost your Writing Virginity, hmm? You were scared. A little uncomfortable. Wondering why you had decided to do It in the first place. By some miracle you made it through the experience in one piece. And when you were done you were…
Amazed!
LOL
Funny that you bring up shoe boxes. Because that’s what I’ve been doing all day. Going though boxes of paperwork. Many things got thrown out or shredded. Some stuff ended up in a filing cabinet. But the most important things… the newspaper articles about my kids, the letters my son sent when he was deployed, those in-memory-of bits of paper that you get at a funeral … all the truly memorable, magical, sad, tragic moments from the past year have been packed up. And placed into shoe boxes. This cleaning ritual is something that I always seem to do around my birthday. I do it then, I suppose, because it helps to remind me that another year has passed. And it is time to move on with my life.
So I throw out the garbage.
Keep what I need.
Set the memories aside. Life moves on. So must I.
Packing up those boxes always seems to leave me feeling a little sad. But thoughtful. One cannot help but wonder What If? And of course… What Next?
Oh Terri, I forgot to answer your question about what’s in my shoe boxes. That would be ...What Happened.
Great analogy, Julie. Except if it was really a *first time* experience, at the end I would have been thinking "WTF?!"
I've been going through papers too. Every surface in my dining room was covered. Now two thirds of what was in my dining room is trashed or shredded and the other third is spread across my living room floor. Looking at it, you'd never know it was progress.
And I'm sorry about the bad what happened stuff. I wish we didn't have to have the bad to understood the good. You're one special lady, Julie.
WIF, Terri?
Oooohhhh, you must mean Was It Fulfilling!
That's W T F! What the f*ck? LOL!
Oh i meant to say "Oooohhhh, you must mean WIF, as in Was It Fulfilling!
Ack! I'm gonna go shred something. It requires less brain power. And no one will notice if I make a mistake... cuz the evidence is Shredded!
No shredding! LOL! If I remember correctly to my first time, the WIF fits just as well as the WTF.
WTF,Terri, WIF?
Hahaaahaaaaaaa. OMG!
*Deep Breath*
WTF. I really gotta stop this conversation, Terri. But befor I go I WILL tell you WTF, WIF?
My answer is...
WIF
As in Why I Forgot! PPpppfffffff
Happy belated B-Day Isabelle.
Curtis was the 'High School Sweetheart'. I sometimes wonder if we would have made it 'forever'. We agreed to wait until we were both out of school, him college, me business, then meet again & see. But, he married before we could. Then he divorced. Remarried. This one is doing much better. I met the first wife once. And knew that marriage wouldn't last.
Mary Beth (Redheaded sister) sees him once in awhile...Says he always asks about me.
Dang, didn't that sound a bit morose?
Oh my, DJS - you're the heroine in the Captain's book! Don't you hate those what if wonderings? I have them from time to time. Lucky for me, the answer that it wouldn't have worked is pretty obvious.
Never say never!
Post a Comment