Diva Jefferson

Lately, I've been stretching my writing muscles through different genres. Sometimes the best way to learn something knew about the art of writing, is to experience. Of course, the science fiction project I worked on was no where near as well-organized as my romance, but it was so much fun.

Right now, I'm in the middle of reading a young adult series called "The Mortal Instruments" by Cassandra Clare, that is more urban fantasy than anything else. Think Supernatural meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Pure awesomeness. If you haven't seen the upcoming movie trailer, then I would encourage you to do so here:

I might be behind in the game, since the first novel came out in 2007, but I've realized two things while reading these books:

A) Ms. Clare is an exceptional romance writer,










and B) Any writer/artist who can create a whole new world and people through pure imagination or experience deserves kudos.












Here are the major fiction genres and what an author can learn from each:

• Action and Adventure = Writing plotlines that carry throughout the book.
• Chick Lit = Writing good characters around one person.
• Children's and Picture Books = Writing meaningful prose in a small amount of space.
• Commercial Fiction = Having good sentence structure, vocabulary, and pacing for easier readability.
• Contemporary
• Crime = Weaves suspense and plot along with the main character's views.
• Erotica= Writing passion that sizzles on the page.
• Family Saga = Weaving sub- and main-plots throughout the story that could lead to a series.
• Fantasy and Dark Fantasy = Creating worlds from nothing or using real-life places as backdrops for creativity.
• General Fiction = Writing with many genres at once to create the world that is envisioned.
• Graphic Novels = Turning pictures into words or vice versa (except most of us do this in our heads).
• Historical Fiction = Making your research show on every page.
• Horror = Writing to place fear or terror into the reader, both conscious and subconscious, so they keep turning the pages.
• Humor = Creating a more entertaining dynamic for your story.
• Literary Fiction = Writing an adventurous plot that is well-thought out and meaningful to the reader.
• Military and Espionage = Writing with a focus on plots with a high-level of action.
• Multicultural and Gay/Lesbian = Writing diverse characters who overcome emotional obstacles.
• Mystery = Weaving clues into the story that lead to a surprise ending.
• Religious and Inspirational
• Romance = Weaving a storyline in between two characters who must have a happy ending.
• Science Fiction = Writing with a focus on futuristic technology and making it affect the characters around it.
• Short Story Collections = Making a story believable and entertaining in a short number of pages.
• Thrillers and Suspense = Weaves suspense and tension throughout the story without losing pace.
• Western = Focusing on one element to make the whole.
• Women's Fiction = Writing physical and sometimes emotional obstacles for characters to overcome and to unify their experiences toward the end. 
• Young Adult = Writing from the perspective of a teenager and how they see the evolving world around them.

Happy Writing!

Today, I wanted to share a piece of history with everyone. When I first started my research on a perfect place for my Victorian series (over 5 years ago), I would never imagine finding the perfect setting for them all in a mysterious Gothic Revival building called the "Fonthill Abbey." I checked all over Google for a place as befitting a reclusive Earl as I could find in Wiltshire, England and found:

Fonthill Abbey

This wonderful manse is what started it all. My dreams about the Victorian Era and its many interesting facets. I could actually see people living in this place throughout the 19th Century. My aristocratic family, the Kendalls, began living here around 1832 when they bought the house from John Farquhar. They would continue to spend 40 years or more in the immortal abbey. Unfortunately, in real life, the building didn't last nearly as long as it did in everyone's memory.


So, this is where our story starts...at the beginning...

William Beckford in 1782 by George Romney

In 1760, William Thomas Beckford was born in London. Ten years later, he inherited 1,000,000 pounds (or 110 million pounds in 2012) from his father, as well as land at Fonthill in Wiltshire and sugar plantations in Jamaica. Later, he became a novelist and an art collector. After accusations of having homosexual relations,  he married Lady Margaret Gordon and exiled himself to the Continent where he traveled to Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and Portugal. Then his wife died of childbirth.

When he returned to England, he enclosed around Fonthill Estate a six-mile long wall to prevent poachers from entering his property. Due to his romantic nature, Beckford wanted a Gothic cathedral constructed as his home. In 1796, the architect, James Wyatt, began work on the building using timber stuccoed with cement. Francis Eginton, a glass painter, desgined thirty-two depictions of medieval knights, kings, etc. for the many windows. 950 laborers worked day and night to build the abbey. After the first 300 foot tower collapsed, the new one was finished six years later only to collapse as well. The final one, built in stone, was completed in seven years. In 1813, the abbey's construction was done.  

Abbey tower ruins.

Beckford lived alone in the 500-acre abbey until 1822 spending wealth without making it, only occupying one of the rooms. After losing two sugar plantations, he was forced to sell the the property and its entitlements for 330,000 pounds to an ammunition dealer named John Farquhar. In 1825, the main tower collapsed, and later the rest of the abbey was demolished. The gatehouse and part of the north wing remain to this day. Speculation arose that since Beckford rushed the construction of the Fonthill Abbey, with the absence of the architect many times during the project, and the enormous height of the tower spire, the building was doomed from the beginning. So, they labeled it "Beckford's Folly." William Beckford died in 1844 in Bath, England.

Highlights from the Fonthill Abbey:

Great Western Entrance Hall

Grand Drawing Room

The Great Octagon

King Edward's Gallery on the West wing

This tower spanned about 300 feet tall.

St. Michael's Gallery on the East wing

(Information about the Abbey courtesy of Wikipedia and a collection of maps and descriptions by John Rutter called Delineations of Fonthill and its Abbey.)

I guess you can say that research/history is an obsession of mine. I will continue to include this abbey in my series, because it deserves immortality. If I had the money, I would recreate this masterpiece (maybe not in England), and I would definitely make it much more sturdy than wood with stucco covering it. I will always dream about it. At least, the abbey's legacy lives with the Kendall family.

Thank you for reading and your ongoing support. :)



Happy writing!

In a time when actions don't speak louder than words, we tend to overlook many important reasons why description is so important to our existence. Of course, our thoughts portray so much more than what we say. Now a days people prefer electronic communication (phone, email, etc.) instead of writing a letter. Although, I'm not going to go into the history of written correspondence, I will tell you that we are not as challenged as we were then. Now all it takes is a laugh or a smiley face to know someone is happy.

Click on the picture to watch a quick writing lesson!

Today, I watched a silent movie. The Phantom of the Opera (1925) to be exact. I think watching these types of movies are great for actors and writers a like. Not only are you required to read something on screen, but it's really hard to be a terrible performer when you don't have dialogue to back you up. Without it, you know exactly what the actor is thinking and feeling through their...you guessed right...actions!

My favorite ways to SHOW are:
-Through dialogue.
-Through setting or character description.
-Through using all five senses.

My favorite ways to TELL are:
-Transitions through scenes.
-Interspersed back story.
-Through dialogue.

The great thing about dialogue is that you could use it for both telling and showing. In a sense, writing a narrative is telling a story, but don't bore the reader. Remember, we want our characters to be memorable. Show your readers their world.

Thank you for reading! How do you use show vs. tell in your novels?






Happy writing!
Diva J.

Since we all read last week how I write with passion, now you have a chance to learn how I add spice to my novel.  Yes, I call suspense/conflict the flavor ingredients, because they are integral parts of your book's recipe. We all know the four parts of a book: The set-up, the response, the attack (I call it rising action!), and the resolution. For movies with three acts, the response and the attack are combined, and this second act is called the confrontation. (You could read more about this on Storyfix.)

I love reading and learning my craft. Writing romance is so exhilarating, but sometimes I like to research another genre so I could improve my own writing and add a little flavor. I think when you look outside the box, you experience another perspective you might not have noticed before. In my most recent works, you'll notice how I sprinkle just enough suspense in to keep my readers interested.

Here are 5 ways you can add suspense in your novel:

Probably one of the most iconic suspense tactics.

1) Use time to your advantage. When I say time, I'm not talking about how long it takes you to write. What I mean is utilize the time in the story for the benefit of the reader. A protagonist shouldn't succeed at his goal in the specific time-frame you gave him, because if he did accomplish the goal, the story would be over. In my work in progress, The Earl's Son, Lord William has less than 24 hours to reach London in order to get his son back from his captor. If he achieved that goal in the beginning of the book, I would have to come up with something else to keep the reader interested. Which means more work for the writer. Just let the story work for you instead. That makes more sense, right?
2) Raise the stakes and keep them high. Life gives us good/bad consequences no matter if we make wrong or right decisions. This also works for your hero/heroine. Without a crisis, or something causing them not to reach their goal, our books would be boring indeed. This is one of my favorite ways to add suspense, because in a way you as the writer are calling the shots. In my novel, there is a carriage crash, a fist-fight, a carriage chase, and a shooting to name a few instances where the tension is raised, but the plot is slowed down when this happens thus causing a complication. Don't hold back on your writing, readers could tell the difference.
3) Include many complications. I know stakes could count as complications, but don't confuse them with the pointy, wooden weapons we use on vampires! Use your antagonist to the greatest advantage. Not only is time against your hero/heroine, but the choices he or she made can create a dilemma. Ex: Alex grinned. All talk, no play, makes the bandits run away. Now that he was free and the woman was favorably shaken, he had two options: Escape, or free her from her controlling brother. From this example we see my hero has a complication. Whether he truly cares about the woman he wanted to free or not, his choice is not going to be easy, because he still has "her controlling brother" (the villain) to overcome first.  
4) Create a memorable villain. Don't make your villain so awful that you'd want him to die off in the first or second chapter. At least, not yet. Drinking, gambling, and bedding wenches is a very mediocre way of describing him in a way where you are disgusted in his habits, but he is worth keeping around. Of course, other genres have different ways of showing their antagonist. Mysteries use a transparent villain to hide who they are until later, while an actual suspense wants you to know who he is right now. I think romance tends to mix the two or at least use either to the greatest advantage in the novel. No matter what you do with the villain, he has to be a worthy enough contender against the hero/heroine. In my work in progress, you find out fairly soon that the antagonist, Oliver Attwood, is the heroine's brother and has a firm dislike for the hero's family. These are givens. Although you know his ties with the hero/heroine, this does not set him apart from anyone else. You learn his intelligence and motivation later on. This makes him memorable. (Don't worry, women can be villains, too!)  

I've heard many people talk about the importance of words in a novel. The way we write them in determines their meaning and could add emphasis to the message we convey. Some writers, especially those who like history, would never let an 'okay' slip from their characters or allow them to respond with an 'awesome'. I know I certainly try not to.

I've always had a fascination with the English language. One of my dreams growing up was to go to college and get a degree in the subject. Every time I am interested in something, I don't stop finding out as much as I can about it. I guess you can say I endeavor to persevere.

Today, I wanted to show you ten words that have changed meaning over the years.

1) Decimate - The original meaning was "to reduce by one-tenth", now it means "to destroy a great number of". Ex: The population was decimated by a plague.
2) Disinterested - This word used to mean "not interested", now it means "not influenced". Ex: ...a disinterested decision by the referee.
3) Enormity - Some know it as "outrageous or heinous character", now people refer to it as "greatness of size, scope, extent, or influence". Ex: The enormity of such an act of generosity is staggering.
4) Fortuitous - It used to mean "occurring by chance", but now means "lucky". Ex: ...a series of fortuitous events that advanced her career.
5) Fulsome - Which used to mean "abundant, generous, full", but now means "disgusting; sickening; repulsive". Ex: ...a table heaped with fulsome mounds of greasy foods.
6) Ironic - Which used to mean "counter to expectations or what is appropriate", but now means "coincidental". Ex: It was ironic that I was seated next to my ex-husband at the dinner.
7) Literally - It used to be confused with "figuratively", but now it is used "in the literal or strict sense". Ex: What does the word mean literally?
8) Notorious - It originally meant "widely and unfavorably known", but now people use "infamy". Ex: An infamous gambler.
9) Peruse - Which used to mean "to use thoroughly", now it means "to read through with thoroughness or care." Ex: ...to peruse a report.
10) Plethora - Its original meaning was "overabundance; excess", but now it means "abundance". Ex: ...a plethora of advice and a paucity of assistance.
(Words found on Daily Writing Tips and in the Dictionary.)

Of course, all these words are listed in the dictionary with both meanings, but when it's spoken in modern-day conversation, you'll better understand their relation to the sentence in which it's used.


Do you know any words that have changed their meanings? I'd love to know your thoughts in a comment below.



Happy writing!
-Diva J.

I write this as I pen the manuscript for Loch Lomond. One of the two works in progress I'm currently writing. I found inspiration for this novel after listening to a song with the same name. A romance ballad about lost love and the yearning of two hearts to find one another despite extenuating circumstances. The Legend of Loch Lomond is a 30 minute video adaptation created when the Loch Lomond National Park opened. Although, it helps to interpret a lot from the song, there is so much more to tell. This song deserves to be a novel. I want to give it the recognition it deserves.

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early seventeenth century, and has gradually become a celebration of Irish culture in general. The day is generally characterized by the attendance of church services, wearing of green attire, public parades and processions, and the lifting of Lenten restrictions on eating, and drinking alcohol, which is often proscribed during the rest of the season. 
Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and in Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, among others. Today, St. Patrick's Day is probably the most widely celebrated saint's day in the world.

Originally, the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the color green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. 


Okay, enough of this blathering! Here is the answer...

Since around the ninth or 10th century, people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick on March 17. Interestingly, however, the first parade held to honor St. Patrick's Day took place not in Ireland but in the United States. On March 17, 1762, Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as with fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. 
(Information about St. Paddy's Day was collected from wikipedia.com and history.com.)

As you can tell, this is a trick question. Although, people have been 'observing' the feast day as a religious holiday for many years, they did not actually 'celebrate' it until the 18th century. :P

One single idea can lead to a whole multitude of others. Whether you are reading about culture, languages, societal change, politics, architecture, or places, then you know what it means to research. You could research for hours and never run out of material to cover. As writers, or historians, we strive to know everything. We ask questions and receive answers. We debate and reconcile our differences. Since we haven't been around forever, it's hard to write what we don't know about the past.

History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity.

Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC), Pro Publio Sestio

In To Love An Irishman, I became fascinated with Ireland's landowners and tenant farmers. I wasn't satisfied with basic information. I needed to know how much profits the farmers made and how big the farms were. I wanted to know how everyone treated each other and what conditions were like on the field. I found the challenge enticing, but I knew it would be a hard endeavor. Most information was about the Irish Potato Famine, not many stories were told about the 1820s.

Soon I found texts on Google Books about Irish farming through the English perspective. I dug deep into the very pits of history and discovered more than I ever hoped for. Clothing, tools, and conditions were easier. It took only a few pictures and descriptions to find a perfect setting. Altmore, County Tyrone was small enough and barren enough to contain farming land. During this time period, the North was not yet controlled by Britain. Few people were speaking the native tongue (Gaelic) due to the Penal Laws implemented a few years in the past. They worked all day every day to pay high rents and unfair taxes while struggling to keep enough food to feed their families for months. This is the kind of research that broadens a person's perspective on life.

All words aside, we have it much better now a days. Without Google or Bing, our research would be done through travel and endless guesswork. It's really hard for me to describe a place without seeing it. Pictures are wonderful tools when I can't physically go to a location and study it.

Here are some tips for conducting research:
1) Take and keep any and all notes.
If you forget something, at least you know where to look to find the information again.
2) Don't spend all your writing time looking up information.
According to author, Jody Hedlund (Jody's Research Tips), you should "go deep but stay narrow". Although it's hard to follow a set path and research info about one particular topic, try not to allow any extraneous researching block your story's flow.
3) Have fun.
When it comes down to it, we love writing. Why not turn research into a game? How much information can you find in a half hour about your topic?

There is never a right or wrong way to conduct research. I get carried away sometimes in information, because I like to find out everything about every subject. I love history.

What are some ways you research? Have any tips to share?

As always, thank you for reading.


Happy writing!
Diva J.