Sharyl Friend Pavlisko liked an update for Murder at the Veterans’ Club

Dear friends and followers,

We are at 6 weeks in, with 223 orders. We’re very close to the 250 mark now; I have every confidence that we will cross it this month. Which means that at the end of the month, I will be writing my first cheque for a donation to Chez Doris! These people do good work, and of course if any of you wants to make a donation, you should feel free to do so.

The sooner we cross that line, and the further we go beyond, the better. And that’s going to take a bit of help from all of you. If each person could get a friend interested in picking up an order, we’d overshoot that 250 line by a mile and I’ll have a pretty sum to put on that cheque. I’ll also have to scramble to identify that second charity I want to add on at the 450 mark....

Anyway! Let’s see what’s-what on the bookshelves this week.

1) "Scribbles", by Tabi Card. This was among the first books I decided I wanted, once I began taking an active part on Inkshares. Short stories are really handy things, bite-sized pieces of fiction that you can consume on the go or when you otherwise don’t have a lot of time to commit; and I promise you, Ms Card knows how to turn a phrase. She doesn’t have a lot of time, though: 13 days to get 119 orders. It seems terribly daunting. Still, it’s happened before, at least twice in the past month, and it could happen again.

2) "Wings of the Pirate", by Eric H. Heisner. Pulp adventure! I admit I was on a bit of a pulp adventure kick once, and the attraction of the genre still lingers a bit. The story involves treasure-hunting in the south pacific while being chased by pirates. The opening paragraph implies a 1920s/1930s setting. Also, the book has the word "pirate" in its title. Arr.

3) Have I never mentioned "Cape’s Side Bay", by James Rasile, before? Well, I’m mentioning it now. Like Mike Donald, Rasile hails from a film making background; and like JF Dubeau, he’s telling a story of something unearthly in an idyllic rural setting. It’s billed as science-fiction, because of the nature of that something unearthly, but I think it could fit just as comfortably into the horror niche. In any case, expect cinematic suspense.

Until next week, friends and followers: have fun, and keep reading.

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Sharyl Friend Pavlisko liked a chapter from Thanatos

The rain pelts down, battering against the cold concrete ground and soaking everyone outside. People rush about, trying to duck under trees or into shops to keep dry. And I’m in the midst of all this, hood of my leather jacket up to keep my curly hair dry. I’m wearing sunglasses despite the dark clouds looming overhead.

I wrap my arms around myself, shivering in the cold. I tap my foot impatiently, waiting to cross the road. Beside me, I can see a short blonde woman glance over curiousl. . .

recommend · recommended by G. and 6 others

Sharyl Friend Pavlisko liked a chapter from Thanatos

The rain pelts down, battering against the cold concrete ground and soaking everyone outside. People rush about, trying to duck under trees or into shops to keep dry. And I’m in the midst of all this, hood of my leather jacket up to keep my curly hair dry. I’m wearing sunglasses despite the dark clouds looming overhead.

I wrap my arms around myself, shivering in the cold. I tap my foot impatiently, waiting to cross the road. Beside me, I can see a short blonde woman glance over curiousl. . .

recommend · recommended by G. and 6 others

Sharyl Friend Pavlisko followed Thanatos

WIP

Sharyl Friend Pavlisko liked an update for Dracula v. Hitler

The book cover is finalized and it is excellent! Will update after the next and FINAL Screenwriting tip!

SCREENWRITING TIP #6: The Scene

You should treat every scene as you do the whole piece – meaning that you should outline the scene you are about to do, examine it to see if you have three acts (a beginning, middle and end). Sometimes you can eliminate the first or last act if the audience has been given enough information so that they can fill in the empty space. Be sure that there is some kind of conflict and that the character and/or the plot is being fulfilled, meaning that the little red dot of your outline is addressed.

If you are having trouble with the scene, my usual tactic is to write the most obvious scene I can create. The process of writing it raises the obvious question of why this is a cliché and may lead to a way to find a new angle, a way of approaching the scene that will give it some vitality. You will always run into the problem of exposition. It usually bore the hell out of the audience. First, make sure that this information is really needed. If so try to find a way to distract the audience from the fact that you are unloaded straight plot data. One way is to put some action in the scene, watch the first “Terminator” and see how Cameron masterfully does this.

Comedy is also a good bit of camouflage. Use a subplot from one of the minor character that you can intercut with the information, an argument between the characters is also a good gambit. Keep the scenes short and sweet. Every scene should be good enough to be used at a clip for the Oscars. If not, try to cut it or make it better. You might not achieve this goal every time but aim for it.

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