tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60427631323368325442009-12-14T10:21:21.417-08:00Come have words with me: about the business and the joy of writing, about the wonder in words, about ways to get your words out and appreciatedKathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-23427302032139284772009-12-12T12:59:00.000-08:002009-12-12T13:25:46.126-08:00

Some time since my last post. Some snow, as well, in Boise, along with brrrrr-y weather. Also progress on my novel, working title, Mustard's Last Stand.I sent my first query yesterday, along with some pages requested by the agent. I am doing the final final edit of the book's last few pages this week. I've added another shot of my dog and one of our cats, this one less blurry, as I revisit the

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-43147610768138502172009-11-24T16:43:00.001-08:002009-11-24T16:52:42.718-08:00

Some writing crimes are misdemeanors. In fact, whether or not these two peeves of mine count as actual no-no’s is open to discussion. I hope you’ll share your opinion.This post is about peeve # 1, Head-hopping. Changing the point of view (POV) within a scene confuses the reader. Go ahead. Create ambiguity and tension about the plot and the characters’ motivations and perhaps their well-hidden

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-80369425390497054902009-11-13T16:28:00.000-08:002009-11-13T16:47:26.510-08:00

These two photos, both taken at the same time in my front yard, show two ways to paint your characters for your readers.You can start with the bare limbs, as in the top picture. Spare, perhaps defining the gender, maybe the body type, maybe one or two specific details, including where they live, maybe whether they thrive or shrivel in that environment.You might instead paint a colorful, splashier

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-29742550313759311492009-11-02T19:49:00.000-08:002009-11-02T19:56:16.102-08:00

…”Not as I do.” Your mother, father, or other caretaker must have told you this so many times your ears flapped closed and your brain took off to Never Never Land. Mine did.Now I’m forced to suggest to my readers who are writers that you do just that. As I say, not as I do.Here’s “I say” Number One: Before you begin your novel, should you decide to do so (and what more appropriate month than

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-31334827122539946492009-10-29T10:27:00.000-07:002009-10-29T16:46:11.878-07:00

Last week while visiting my daughter I read a thriller by a first time novelist. I enjoyed it but once I finished it, I concluded that it had a surfeit of cliffhangers. I don’t have it at hand at the moment, but at least from the mid point on, I doubt there was a chapter that didn’t end with a shotgun being pumped, a man clutching to a beach cliff while his attacker sought him (a real cliff

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-82322550222957465352009-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:002009-10-27T09:56:54.206-07:00

Conda of Conda's Creative Center recently (okay, not that recently!) awarded me the One Lovely Blog Award. Thank you, Conda! Her site won from another blogger, and it was well-deserved. Her posts are insightful and inspiring for the creative mind, ranging from theory to musings on creativity to some great recipes. Her October 11th post musing about the definition of success moved me.The rules for

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-80985349580222370882009-10-02T19:35:00.000-07:002009-10-02T19:38:59.806-07:00

Quick. If you see someone dumping their cigarette butts in the grocery store parking lot, what do you think? How do you feel? Do you wonder how they can still be smoking, with all the evidence of its damage? Or hate that they’re mucking up the environment? Or are you sad for them, that their parents didn’t teach them to take responsibility for their own trash? Perhaps you feel sorry for the store

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-40861065077894445212009-09-16T15:24:00.000-07:002009-09-16T15:31:38.153-07:00

This is my non-writing, non-editing summer project. It’s done and it looks pretty good. Woo hoo! I’m proud of myself and my work.When I started, I thought building a flagstone patio would be challenging, but do-able. I had no idea how challenging and how much doing it would take.As work and the number of stones I hauled increased, I realized that it is an art. And art takes lots of practice. Each

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-53308816763349803052009-08-25T20:16:00.000-07:002009-08-25T20:29:24.080-07:00

On July 31st, I suggested ways to kill words, to get rid of excess wordage in your writing. On occasion this involves deleting entire chapters, perhaps even characters. Ooo, I hate that. I hated when I had to eliminate one character based on someone who lived in a ratty trailer near the Snake River.But you gotta get rid of what doesn't work. Sometimes that involves changing characters' names.I

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-56865658734765817262009-08-20T13:35:00.000-07:002009-08-20T13:39:09.472-07:00

Oops! Where has August gone? Spent some time in Utah, and in Oregon at a conference, and suddenly I notice the month speeding past.Reading the ads this week, I noticed something about the naming of Target’s store brand for the first time. They call it Archer Farms.Did the symbolism leap out at you right away? Target? Archer?Here’s the question: Does this exist elsewhere? Is it a good idea to

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-20793185810692361142009-07-31T15:45:00.000-07:002009-08-03T08:58:21.034-07:00

I’m writing from my laptop while on a very relaxing vacation to Park City, Utah. I’ve been a derelict poster and commenter this summer, but I’ve been editing my work and others’. Once I return home, I'll post a photo or two of this wonderful place.I surprised my friend Conda the other day by telling her that I used to be a bird hunter. Using a .410 (small gauge) shotgun, I’d often limit out on

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-23631735901986425092009-07-05T16:17:00.000-07:002009-07-05T16:30:44.596-07:00

Sci-fi? Techno mystery? Boise, Idaho, author Ken McConnell calls Null Pointer a tech mystery.Whatever it’s called, Null Pointer is an exciting read.Faced with the mysterious deaths of two programmers working alone at their computers, one only a cubicle away, Boise programmer Joshua Jones must discover who’s behind the deaths before he becomes the next target. With his best friend Dancia, another

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-18758629730221383362009-06-28T19:44:00.000-07:002009-06-28T19:57:12.399-07:00

Here's a photo of the small garden I've been working on beside our house. I learn most of my gardening ideas from reading, and from my daughter and sister, who are both terrific gardeners.I've recently sought out new and reasonably priced sources to improve my writing skills. Since I write mysteries, I have joined a readers' group that's part of the Boise chapter of Sisters in Crime. They read a

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-67758518926493404682009-06-09T07:37:00.000-07:002009-06-09T07:58:09.148-07:00

Writing a blog (NOT writing) definitely helps you keep track of time. I have not visited other sites or posted in some time. That time seems like seconds to me! Life is wonderfully busy. But I will be back!Regarding my title: If any of you read the comics, perhaps you like one of my favorites, Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis. Today's is classic. And timely. One of the characters has taken

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-13290926671902376812009-05-18T16:44:00.000-07:002009-05-19T08:45:58.127-07:00

I’ve been remiss in posting here or commenting elsewhere these past weeks. My excuse is that I’ve been walking the dog. Not committing the writing error Margie Lawson warns about. I’ll discuss that below. Nope I’ve been walking our new dog, Mattie.Mattie is a shelter mutt, an Aussie mix who seems delighted to be the newest member of our family. We now have two cats, one dog, two doting adults.

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-28116723516683058942009-04-30T07:32:00.000-07:002009-04-30T07:51:40.537-07:00

Yesterday I made an error I often chastise in other writers. I assumed my readers shared the same knowledge of a term that I did.Forgive me, please! I realized it in the shower this morning and now I type with still damp fingers.I sent you off to another site to find a definition and a picture of clustering or mind mapping. Clustering is using one word or phrase, drawn in a circle (or an oval, or

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-69739380948457072522009-04-29T14:12:00.000-07:002009-04-29T14:29:07.649-07:00

Stuck for a brilliant figure of speech? Or maybe just an acceptable one? I found myself there recently and thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if someone came up with a simile generator or a metaphor generator?”Ha! No new ideas in this universe. I Googled both. Simile generator: 190,000 entries. Metaphor generator: 253,000 entries. And in those 443,000 entries, I found nothing to help me when I'm

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-28621572800770490732009-04-20T19:43:00.000-07:002009-04-20T19:54:45.079-07:00

Many come to my mind. For writers, another:Two great teachers are coming to, well, yeah, teach. I've been to a workshop by Margie Lawson and praised her here before.And I've heard good things about Bob Mayer, but not seen him myself. They'll be here for a Writers' Master Class Weekend, June 5-6, 2009. Each will teach a day-long workshop.Here are the details:SPEAKERS:New York Times bestselling

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-51524811113079089832009-04-12T14:09:00.001-07:002009-04-12T14:15:46.747-07:00

It's Easter today. These daffodils and flowering tree blossoms remind me of new life, warmth and joy to come. The poor lamb, stuffed in a bunny-shaped basket, waits all year for a few days' liberation in this season. No wonder it bleats.May the joy, warmth and happiness be yours this year. With none of the bleating.

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-89082140343177651232009-04-11T10:17:00.000-07:002009-04-11T10:39:18.470-07:00

Last week my DH and I went to the Gene Harris Jazz Festival here in Boise. Fun, great music, could be better organized, but inspiring to see so many musicians within a few days.Gene Harris was an outstanding jazz pianist who died in 2000 awaiting a liver transplant. The world of music grew smaller when he died. (As, alas, did his festival.)One evening of the festival showcased three pianists (Pat

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-89401000941620323962009-04-02T09:19:00.000-07:002009-04-03T13:56:40.528-07:00

Mystery photo? Should have invited Lynda Lehman to my birthday dinner. You can see her excellent, evocative photos on her blog, Peripheral Vision. The flourless chocolate cake was much yummier than it appears here. I didn’t finish editing my WIP by the end of March. I did work hard, hence my lack of posts and visits to other sites. However, I made progress and have now set a new intention to

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-18148578766649505362009-03-18T08:34:00.000-07:002009-03-18T08:56:28.916-07:00

Last week I heard part of a segment on The Story from American Public Radio. It was about, Jerry Solom, a man who built a 38 foot steel hulled sailboat and sailed it to Norway, where his parents were born. It’s a fascinating story.Jerry completed his project while holding down his regular day job. He told host Dick Gordon that taking on what his friends and neighbors called a ridiculous project

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-33878606472327691392009-03-08T13:21:00.000-07:002009-03-10T07:12:51.310-07:00

I returned a week ago from a vacation in Sedona, Arizona. The weather welcomed us, warming more than predicted. We had a lovely time. Lots of hikes, lots of great food, lots of vitamin D, the chance to visit with old friends.The photos above show the contrast. This week in Boise we had a variety of weather, most of it cold and gray.On one of the worst, I received the following quote from http://

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-62289269052746392342009-02-17T19:22:00.000-08:002009-02-17T19:27:04.019-08:00

Stop, Drop and RollIs that what they told grammar school kids decades ago in case of a nuclear strike?Or is that what you’re supposed to do if you catch on fire?Problem with those little phrases is we sometimes forget when and where to use them.I have another use for Stop, Drop and Roll. In regards to business writing. We are ALL busy, too, too busy. We text, we IM, we Twitter, we VM. Sometimes

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042763132336832544.post-58005634518764638252009-02-05T10:52:00.000-08:002009-02-05T10:58:21.989-08:00

Last night I heard writers Aimee Bender and Anthony Doerr speak about writing at The Cabin’s Readings & Conversations. Both write short stories and novels. Doerr, Idaho’s Writer-in-Residence, introduced Bender with a witty, funny, charming essay about his childhood and originality.Bender, known for her magical realism, read two of her stories. They were full of wonder and delights, particularly

Kathy McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899118869240481737noreply@blogger.com12