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BACK TO THE SALT MINE

5/31/2019

BACK TO THE SALT MINES
We all know the expression "back to the salt mines" means it's time to return to school, work or some activity that is hard and unpleasant (like finishing that last scene in a chapter that's been so hard to write), by implying the speaker is a slave to the salt mine.

Yet every year between 1.7 and 2 million people go back to the salt mine, at least one mine in particular, and they go because they want to – not because of forced labor. Not only that, the Wieliczka Salt Mine in southern Poland was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978 and proclaimed by Poland as a national monument in 1994.

A salt mine?

Table salt is a commodity we take for granted these days. You can purchase it everywhere for a reasonable price, but that wasn't always true. In ancient times, it was quite precious, and until the industrial revolution, it was hard to come by. Roman soldiers were paid in salt, and as early as Roman times, being sent to work in the salt mines was tantamount to being sent into slavery with a very limited life expectancy.

So why would a salt mine end up on the list of World Heritage sites?

THE WIELICZKA SALT MINE
Four hundred and forty-three feet beneath the City of Wieliczka (population 20,000, in the metropolitan area of Karków, Poland), the Wieliczka Salt Mine has continuously extracted table salt from the time it was constructed by a local duke in the 12th century. The salt mine was first mentioned in 1044 and didn't cease operations until 1992 (some sources say 1996 and 2007), due to heaving flooding. Regardless, it's one of the oldest and longest operating salt mines in existence and still produces brine.

That's impressive … but I'm really not all that interested in mines.

From the outside, the mine appears exceptionally well kept but ordinary, and on the interior, you will find the expected look and equipment of a salt mine.

Source Of Photos: https://experiencecracow.com/offer/Tours/discover-wieliczka-salt-mine/

This mine reaches depths of 1,075 feet and is over 178 miles long. The salt deposits formed here in the Miocene Epoch, some 13.6 million years ago. The rock is varying shades of gray in color resembling granite instead of the tiny white crystals we know and love. Interesting, yes. But World Heritage Site quality? I don't know.
Morton Salt underneath Lake Erie
Photo Source: www.businessinsider.com/photos-salt-mine

NOT YOUR GRANDMA'S ORDINARY SALT MINE
The salt mine itself, while interesting and now housing a museum of the history of the salt mining industry, isn't what attracts over a million visitors a year. Over the centuries, tens of generations of miners not only extracted salt, but they also left behind them a record of their time there in awesome sculptures and architecture, all made of salt.

The tourists who visit have to descend 378 wooden steps to enter an unexpected and amazing world where they can take a 2 kilometer tour (some sources say 2 miles and 3.5 kilometers) of the mine corridors, sixteen lakes, twenty chapels (including the Cathedral), and incredible art works. (There is an elevator to go up to the surface which rises at twelve feet per second.)

Interior of Cathedral Highest space Stairs from entrance, Photo Source: Walkways through the mine
Photo source: www.tiqets.com/en/krakow www.seekrakow.com/wieliczka Photo source: parenthoodandpassports.com/wieliczka

These works of art and architecture weren't created by great artists under commission to some King, but by the workers themselves, from the middle ages to the present, by hacking rock from the walls and sculpting statues and reliefs in the salt rock which resembles unpolished granite. These chapels were places where the miners could capture a few moments of retreat to worship during their labors. There are twenty chapels, the largest and most magnificent, the Cathedral.

The Cathedral is astounding in terms of sheer size and the way in which the miners breathed their Catholic spirit into the cathedral and art works. It took 68 years to complete.
Main Cathedral Floor of Cathedral - Photo Source: St. John Chapel The Salt Chandeliers: Photo by
Photo by Michal Osmenda https://krakville.com/wieliczka-salt-mine Photo by steve_w on Flickr Matthew.kowal on Wikimedia Commons

Closeup of Chandeliers - Photo Source: The St. Kinga Chapel - Photo source: Joseph & Mary Carving - Photo source:    Photo source: added by Zanar1
perceptivetravel.com/wieliczka-salt-mine/    sumfinity.com/wieliczka/kinga www.tinggly.com/tour-wieliczka    www.fanpop.com/wieliczka

Many of scenes represent well-known stories from the Bible. Others represent other historical events and also the imagination of the miners. One wall is dedicated to the 14th century warrior Casimir the Great.

The legend of St. Kinga.    The Last Supper Carving Elves - not all carvings religious Bas-relief of salt in Staszic Chamber
www.simplysaratravel.com/wieliczka    www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/ www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/

The origins of the mine are depicted in the Janowice Chamber. In medieval times, the Hungarian Princess Kinga, married Polish Prince Boleslaus the Chaste. When Mongols invaded Poland, Kinga went to her father asking that he help the Poles. In response, he gave her the sale mine of Maramaros, in Transylvania, where she threw her ring into the shaft. (No references explained why she did that.) The story goes the ring was found in the first block of white sand dug in Wieliczka, which ultimately provided a third of the income to the Polish crown. Below a knight is returning the ring to Kinga.

The amazing salt chandeliers are not simply sculpted from salt, but by using a process which requires the salt rock to be dissolved. Then the impurities are extracted, and solution dried to achieve a glass-like finish. Even the floor, which looks like tiles, is made of salt.

In the Spalone Chamber there are figures of the men who worked as the mine's "Pentinents". Before there was proper ventilation, these men were responsible for burning off the methane that accumulated in the ceilings of the mine's chambers. They dressed in wet clothing and crawled along the floor of the mine with a long pole hold a lit torch at the end. It was a dangerous task and those workers were rewarded with extra bags of salt, which was an extremely valuable commodity in the Middle Ages.

Visitors who commented on the many articles and blogs, tag the Wieliczka Salt Mine as a "don't miss" travel destination. Now I understand why it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and I can't wait to visit.
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Sources:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Poland/Wojewodztwo_Malopolskie/Krakow-490219/Things_To_Do-Krakow-Wieliczka_Salt_Mine-BR-1.html
http://www.kuriositas.com/2011/08/wieliczka-salt-mine-astounding.html
http://www.lindsayfincher.com/wieliczka-salt-mine-goin-deeper-underground.html
http://www.insidethetravellab.com/wieliczkas-salt-sculptures/
http://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/visiting/pilgrims-route/wieliczka-chapels
http://twistedsifter.com/2013/04/wieliczka-salt-mine-polands-underground-salt-cathedral/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wieliczka_Salt_Mine
http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/wieliczka-salt-cathedral-polands-underground-wonder.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-underground-salt-cathedral-of-poland
http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/wieliczka.html
http://www.insidethetravellab.com/wieliczkas-salt-sculptures/
http://www.traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/c022ht_SaltMine.htm
2019 Research
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8002151-wieliczka-salt-mine-record-breaking-tourists/
https://www.scenicsuitcase.com/wieliczka-salt-mine/
https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-salt-mine-2000-feet-below-lake-erie-2016-5
https://poland.pl/tourism/active-leisure/wieliczka-salt-mine-attracts-record-number-visitors-2017/
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/spectacular-multi-color-psychedelic-salt-caves-an-astonishing-natural-masterpiece/
https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-of-salt-mine-2000-feet-below-lake-erie-2016-5
https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/visiting/tourist-route
https://www.tiqets.com/en/krakow-c46/wieliczka-salt-mine-l146138
https://poland.pl/tourism/active-leisure/wieliczka-salt-mine-attracts-record-number-visitors-2017/
https://www.tinggly.com/experiences/tour-wieliczka-salt-mine-poland
https://www.tiqets.com/en/krakow-c46/wieliczka-salt-mine-roundtrip-guided-tour-p974909
https://www.seekrakow.com/en/wieliczka-salt-mine/
https://parenthoodandpassports.com/wieliczka-salt-mines-baby-toddler/
https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2018/05/04/wieliczka-salt-mine/
http://www.simplysaratravel.com/home/wieliczka-salt-mine
https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/visiting/pilgrims-route
https://krakville.com/shop/8/wieliczka-salt-mine-tour
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/europe/images/41522201/title/wieliczka-salt-mine-photo

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STRUCTURING THE SCENES IN YOUR NOVEL

5/24/2019

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With enough practice and how-to reading, every author eventually learns to craft a scene in a novel. At that point, every author has an opinion regarding the way to write the best scene – at least a way that works for them. If a beginner wants to speed up the learning curve, there are plenty of articles and books available on the subject, and most of them hit the same points although they often give those different names.

SCENES ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A NOVEL
The scene is the building block of your work of fiction. One after the next, they create your story. Unfortunately, terminology can get in the way of understanding scene structuring, and I’m going to try to avoid some of the confusion by describing what scenes do vs. what they are called.
● What is a Scene?
Well, how many authors are there? Same answer. Let’s see what some writing experts say.

▪ Jane Friedman explains that a scene is “a self-contained mini-story with a rising energy that builds to an epiphany, a discovery, an admission, an understanding, or an experience. https://www.janefriedman.com/writing-scene/

▪ Jennie Nash says “a scene is the smallest unit of story. Characters come onto the “stage” in one time and place, and one action occurs. As soon as you switch location, time, or point of view, you are switching the scene.” https://jennienash.com/how-to-write-a-book-blog/2016/5/3/zlpxr3nrtmogsmbtfcanpnanwjf3fr

▪ Jordan E. Rosenfeld writes “Any story or novel is, in essence, a series of scenes strung together like beads on a wire, with narrative summary adding texture and color between. A work of fiction will comprise many scenes, and each one of these individual scenes must be built with a structure most easily described as having a beginning, middle and end.” https://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/10-ways-to-launch-strong-scenes

▪ K. M. Weiland, author of Structuring your Novel, writes “there are two types of scenes: Scene (action) and Sequel (reaction).” The Scene or action is where the conflict occurs. The Sequel is where the characters react to the action and get a little breathing space. “The three active parts of the scene: goal, conflict, and disaster. The three active parts of the sequel: reaction, dilemma, and decision.” “A scene is a section of your novel where a character or characters engage in action or dialogue. You can think of a scene as a story with a beginning, middle, and an end. Usually, you'll start a new scene when you change the point of view character, the setting, or the time.”
https://www.livewritethrive.com/2016/01/11/the-5-essential-components-of-scene-structure/

I told you! Together, all of these various definitions tell you what a scene in a novel is.

● Placement of the Scene
Every scene needs a beginning, middle, and ending – that fits with the three active parts of each type of scene – and should end with a hook which leads the reader to the next one. But the placement of the scene in the novel determines what kind of information should be there. The first scene of a novel has different information in it than a climactic scene, a darkest moment scene, a transitional scene, ad infinitum. Some scenes need to move faster or slower than others; some need to be longer, some shorter.

In other words, the first thing to think about is where in the novel the scene is placed, and the type of novel [genre] makes a difference on length, pace, and placement. The great thing is that they are flexible and within reason can be moved around in the story. Some authors put a summary of each scene on 3” x 5” cards and move them around on a big board.

ALL SCENES HAVE A PURPOSE
All fiction writers know each scenes needs a purpose, but there are two levels of consideration.
First, the purpose of the scene in the novel is usually expressed as follows:
▪ To advance the plot;
▪ To develop the characters or reveal something about them; and
▪ To develop the setting.

The scene should meet at least the first and second purposes, and preferably all three. Most important of all, it must be essential to the novel. If you could leave it out, then you should.

Second, there is a purpose for the scene in terms of the storyline [a fine distinction, but this is the way I see it]. My mentor, S. L. Stebel, always asks: “What happens?” Where do you want the characters in the scene to be emotionally and physically at the end? What is the reaction to what happened? Where does it lead the characters?

Author C. S. Lakin suggests writing a one sentence description of the purpose of the scene. Why does this scene need to be in the novel? What new information is revealed? Who changes? If this scene needs to be in the novel, every element of the scene should address the purpose.

STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF A SCENE
Once you know the purpose of the scene, it will need the following components. This is the order in which the writer thinks about the scene, not necessarily the order in which the components appear on the page.
● The Climactic Moment
This is the high point of the scene where the bomb is dropped; a piece of information, a clue, a revelation about the one of the characters, something that complicates things. It can be a big bomb or a little one, but it should fill the reader with new questions? These are usually the hooks for the next scene, where the reader sucks in a breath or shouts “O.M.G! What happens?” This “reveal” is often something unexpected and should encapsulate the purpose of the scene.

● The Action
This is how your characters arrive at the climactic moment. Start in the middle of the interesting and significant action without explanation. Leave out the boring parts which would be necessary to get to the action. It’s okay for the reader to wonder what happened before? If what happened is important, feed it in a little at a time

● Timing and setting
Scenes can be a continuation of what came immediately before, or can begin somewhere else at another time. It is important to let the reader know where and when the scene is taking place close to the beginning of the scene. Show the location through the viewpoint character’s eyes rather than describing it as an omniscient narrator.
Continuation of the previous scene is relatively simple, particularly if it begins with a reaction to what just happened. Be careful with changes to other times and places, and particularly with flashback or backstory.

● View Point Character
All scenes have a viewpoint character. If your novel has only one view point or only one person in the scene, then you don’t have as much work to do. Otherwise, most of the authors suggest using the character with the most to lose. Be sure it is clear to the reader what the view point character wants in this that particular scene.
Writing the scene in the view point of a character who can’t articulate their thoughts and reactions (a child, an invalid,) might be the best choice to show their thoughts and reactions the other characters can’t decipher. Lakin recommends asking yourself:
   ▪ “Who will react strongest emotionally?”
   ▪ “Who will change the most?”
   ▪ “Whose reaction would most impact the plot?”
I’d throw in a fourth question: “Which character will show their reaction and which will try to hide it?”

● Conflict or Tension
All scenes need an element of conflict, and if you go with Weiked’s approach, it is the scene. The majority of scenes will most likely have two or more characters in them, and each of them has an agenda … a goal within the scene which is not necessarily the character’s overall goal in the novel. Conflict occurs when those goals work at cross purposes. The conflict can be internal, external, or both.

OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE SCENE
The structural components of the scene are not the only ones to consider, but I’m not sure there is a term for what I’m talking about — other than good writing. Because fiction storytelling is presented in scenes, these are considerations for every scene.
● Hooks
Every scene should begin and end with a hook. I know this is repetitive, but it’s important.

● Mood of the Scene
Every scene takes place somewhere, but it is not just the location. The setting should convey the mood of the scene. Weather and lighting are key factors in setting the mood. Meeting in a park on a bright sunny day, with children playing all around, sets a different mood than meeting in a cemetery on a dark cloudy day with the wind whipping around your ankles. Leave this out, and you’ve lost an opportunity.

● Mood of the VP Character
The filter through which the characters view the setting as they enter the scene, can establish the mood of the character. A sad character who is walking or driving down a street of a to deliver bad news may notice for the first time how dingy the neighborhood looks, with peeling paint, broken shutters, and weedy lawns

Detail and The Five Senses
The writer shouldn’t overload scenes with too much visual detail, which tends to get boring, but most of us overlook using the senses, other than sight, in our writing. You can bring your scenes to life by engaging all the senses, and you can contribute to setting the mood of the scene and the characters by which senses you employ.

When you do use visual details, be selective. The reader should see the setting through the eyes of the viewpoint character, and they reflects that character’s values, interests, and to some extent what they are like. Detail also tells the reader what’s important, although it won’t be until later in the novel that the significance of some details pay off. Strive to paint enough a picture to help your reader see the scene as if on the big screen.

● Accent Character Changes
If the character(s) has changed or is changing, show it in the scene.

LAUNCHING A SCENE
I learned from Jordan Rosenfeld’s Writer’s Digest article that a scene break is call a “soft hiatus” [indicated by four blank lines or a symbol(s) such as an asterisk] and, contrary to popular belief, does not have to indicate a break in location or time. A new scene can pick up “in the middle of action or continue where others left off.” This is the reason for using the term “launching a scene” rather than “the beginning of a scene.” It is an invitation to the reader to come along.
● Start with a Hook
[Yes, again!] Your hook should be a startling or unexpected action. Rosenfeld says. “The key to creating strong momentum is to start an action without explaining anything.”

● Action First, Then Reaction
According to Margie Lawson, human reactions occur in the following sequence.
   ▪ First, an instinctive visceral reaction from the inside; a reflex action that comes very quickly. An emotion like fear.
   ▪ Second, and almost immediately, a verbal exclamation. A gasp, scream, or so on.
   ▪ Third, and only then, can a human react rationally, act, think, and speak.
The important part of this is showing in your characters all three of these steps in consecutive order. Showing them out of sequence makes the reader feel something is wrong, and the scene will seem unrealistic.

Randy Ingermanson gives a very good example in his article, which I have paraphrased below.
   “The tiger dropped out of the tree and sprang toward Jack.
   This if objective, sharp and clean. No indication we’re in Jack’s view point.

   A bolt of raw adrenaline shot through Jack’s veins. He jerked his rifle to his shoulder, sighted on the tiger’s heart,
   and squeezed the trigger. “Die, you bastard!”
   Note the three parts of the Reaction:
   ▪ Feeling: “A bolt of raw adrenaline shot through Jack’s veins.” You show this first, because it happens almost
   instantly.
   ▪ Reflex: “He jerked his rifle to his shoulder . . .” You show this second, as a result of the fear. An instinctive result
   that requires no conscious thought.
   ▪ Rational Action and Speech: “. . . sighted on the tiger’s heart, and squeezed the trigger. ‘Die, you bastard!'” You
      put this last, when Jack has had time to think and act in a rational way. He pulls the trigger, a rational response to
      the danger. He speaks, a rational expression of his intense emotional reaction. It is legitimate to leave out one or
      two of these three parts. (You can’t leave out all three or you have no Reaction.) But there is one critical rule to
      follow in leaving parts out: Whatever parts you keep in must be in the correct order.”
Always be sure the actions are true to character.

● Avoid Too Much Narrative Summary
Stay away from using a lot of narrative or back story to launch a scene. It can work if you keep it short. The urge to use narrative summary and back story is more likely in the first and second chapters of the novel.

Because the launch of a scene needs to move quickly, it is sometimes appropriate to summarize the necessary information to move into the action. In fact, the following example used by Jordan E. Rosenfeld in his article made me realize that sometime a summarization can be your hook. “My mother was dead before I arrived.”

WRITE NOW, EDIT LATER
The number of things to think about when writing is overwhelming, which leads most writers to this conclusion: Forget the rules/hints/tips/suggestions and write the darn scene.

To do that is procrastinating, yes, but necessary at the beginning. The work catches up with you when you edit. Using a checklist for all the things you want in a scene [or in your writing in general] and use that when editing. Author C.J. Lakin [ https://www.livewritethrive.com/ ], offers a downloadable checklist for this purpose at https://www.livewritethrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/8-Step-Scene-Building-Worksheet.pdf.

The good news is, the more you write and edit, the more all these rules/hints/tips/suggestions become second nature and you begin to do them automatically until, voila, you don’t have to think of them consciously anymore. But you still have to edit.
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Sources:
https://www.margielawson.com/
https://romancetheguyspov.blogspot.com/2019/03/scene-structure.html?showComment=1552330612634#c1981647060450246975
https://jerryjenkins.com/8-steps-writing-perfect-scene-every-time/
https://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/10-ways-to-launch-strong-scenes
https://www.janefriedman.com/writing-scene/
https://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/writing-the-perfect-scene/
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-structure-scenes/
https://www.livewritethrive.com/2016/01/11/the-5-essential-components-of-scene-structure/
https://writingcooperative.com/what-is-scene-in-a-novel-8f08df1dba94
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/190209.Scene_Structure
https://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-books/90-day-novel-excerpt
https://carrotranch.com/2014/06/24/writing-a-novel-scene-by-scene/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scene_and_sequel

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DEAR HACKER

5/17/2019

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I’VE BEEN HACKED
Several years ago, I received, out of the blue, a dozen e-mails from friends asking if I was really in Turkey. They and others had received an e-mail, supposedly from yours truly, with pleas for money because my family and I were stranded in that country.

A few years before I had traveled in Turkey and found it to be a beautiful and fascinating country, but I wasn't there without money to spend on Turkish Delight and other intriguing things. To clarify, this happened before the politics became so troubled, and I didn’t worry about traveling there.

Of course, my friends immediately recognized the scam. So did I, and I was pissed. I sat down and wrote an angry letter to the hacker with the reasons why his/her letter was such a failure. I didn't have a clue who the hacker was or how to reach that person, but decided to post it on my blog just for the heck of it.

Cartoon By Ron Leishman

"Dear Hacker,
I hope you enjoyed your trip to Turkey -- it's really a beautiful country – and made it home without further incident. I imagine by now you realize the significant mistakes you made hacking into an author's address book.

First, writers generally have other writers' e-mail addresses, and writers are not necessarily the best paid people on the Internet. The most you could expect to get from a writer is about five bucks, if that. [Plus, a writer's reaction might be to welcome the reduced competition and opportunity to leave another writer-friend stranded in a foreign country. You never know.] Unfortunately, you failed to indicate where to send the money and how to get in touch with you, which is sure to get you nothing.

Second, you need better language skills if you're going to convince writers that one of their own is in need. Most of my writer friends knew at once the verbatim e-mail, reprinted word for word and punctuation mistake for mistake, below, was a fraud.

   “I am so sorry to bring this to your notice, I and my family came down to Turkey on a short vacation, On getting
   there we were seriously mugged at a gun point with bruises all over our heads. All cash and credit card and cell
phones were stolen away away from us. Right now we have no means of getting back home. Our return flight
leaves soon, we're having financial problems sorting our hotel bills and the hotel manager won't let us leave
   until we sort the bills. We need your help with some money i will surely refund it back to you.”

Third, your letter isn’t written in critical panic mode. If I were stranded somewhere without money, and had the opportunity to e-mail someone for help, I wouldn’t waste my time on this kind of a communication. Plus, I’ve traveled enough to know you should never keep all your money and credit cards in one place and to always carry copies of your important documents.

WHY YOUR LETTER MISSED THE MARK
You, my dear hacker, really need to improve your writing and punctuation skills in English. If you intend to continue your career as an extortionist, I suggest you invest in a good grammar/spell check program and some English classes.
Further, it's unlikely I would bring something "to your notice". To your "attention" perhaps, but even that sounds rather affected in terms of colloquial English.

"I and my family"?
I don't think so. I would say "My family and I" and, also, I wouldn’t "come down to Turkey" since I would be traveling from California. In case you can’t read a map, Turkey is to the east of California – although I concede one can get from California to Turkey by going west also. Americans have a tendency to describe the direction of a geographic location based on where they live or start a trip.

"On getting there"?
Okay for prose, not for letters to friends or dialogue. Even the turns of phrase "Upon arriving" or "Upon our arrival" are somewhat formal. I'd use "When we got there …” Also note that if you are writing the message in Turkey, and you are stranded, you would be talking about "here", not "there"?

"Seriously mugged"?
I imagine all muggings are serious, particularly to the mugee. Please describe to me what an un-serious mugging would be like.

"With bruises all over our heads."?
This description evokes a lot of questions. Did you have bruises all over your heads to start with? Bruises on heads might be hard to see unless the hair is cut very short. If the mugger held you and your family at gun point, did he bash everyone on their heads with something else or with the gun? If he bashed one of you with the gun, then the rest of the victims couldn’t have been at gun point at the same time. Did this mugger act alone?

"Stolen away away"?
The phrase “stolen away” is not common usage in my part of the US. "Stolen away away from us", even less common unless the speaker is stuttering. Can one stutter in writing?

You should leave spaces (at least one) between sentences and end them with proper punctuation. Commas in the right places are nice too. And don’t forget to capitalize “I”. This was an e-mail, not a text message.

“Right now we have no means of getting back home.”
Here your English is fine, but your logic is lacking. If your flight was leaving soon, then you most likely had tickets. Ergo, you had a means of getting home. Based on the rest of your letter, what you lacked was the means to pay the hotel bill.

I'm sure the hotel manager would not allow patrons leave until they "paid" the bills. It's not much of a problem to sort them, but the hotel wants the money.

Finally, I might "repay" the loan, but I wouldn't even think of saying I'd "refund" it (although, technically, that may not be incorrect). I mean, everyone is a little sloppy in e-mails, and we all make mistakes, but come on!

I was gratified when my friends all greeted me with, "I'm glad to see you're back from Turkey. LOL!" I'm not sure what other people in my address book thought, since many of them are professional contacts and don't know me from Adam. It's a cinch they wouldn't send money to bail out a complete stranger.
I hope you had a nice vacation, and better luck next time.

Sincerely, R.A.S.

Alas, my sarcasm was wasted, since I had no place to send the e-mail, but I felt better. I'm climbing off my soap box now and won't bother my readers with this again. I promise!
□

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PARAPROSDOKIANS: "I didn't say It Was Your Fault; I said I'm blaming you."

5/10/2019

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YES, VIRGINIA, THERE REALLY IS A PARADROSDOKIAN!
You may not find any paraprosdokian at the La Brea Tar Pits, but they exist. Really, they do! You can find them in Merriam Webster and most other dictionaries, snoozing between the pages.

However, you probably are familiar with this species which is commonly known as the ever- popular comedic One- Liner. Merriam-Webster defines paraprosdokian as “A figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to re-frame or re-interpret the first part.”

In fact, some paraprosdokians can change the meaning of the initial phrase and play on the double meaning of the words, creating a syllepsis.

No! That’s not a baby paraprosdokian or a sexually transmitted disease. Syllepsis is another figure of speech in which a word is applied to two others in different senses. (e.g., caught the train and a bad cold.)

WRITERS AND READERS, REJOICE!
The paraprosdokian figure of speech is one everyone is familiar with, but writers should understand its use as another writing tool.

If you're like I was, at this point you are saying—or perhaps yelling—"What the heck are you talking about?" Even stronger language may be appropriate.

It is much easier to give examples of Famous Pararosdokians:
● "He was at his best when the going was good."--Alistair Cooke on the Duke of Windsor
● "There but for the grace of God—goes God."--Winston Churchill
● "If I could just say a few words… I'd be a better public speaker."--Homer Simpson
● "If I am reading this graph correctly—I'd be very surprised."--Stephen Colbert
● "On his feet he wore…blisters."--Aristotle
● "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it."--Groucho Marx
● "A modest man, who has much to be modest about."—supposedly Winston Churchill, about Clement Attlee
● "I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long."--Mitch Hedberg
● “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.”

NOW I GET IT!
We're all acquainted with these one-liners because they're frequently used in comedy. They're fun. They're also useful in writing for several reasons.

● First, because writers are constantly advised to avoid clichés and to come up with new and fresh ways of expressing the same old ideas. A writer can use this technique to invent new and interesting metaphors.

● Second, the use of this figure of speech can create humor or dramatic effect, or even for producing an anticlimax.
This device is used not only in comedy but in literature and frequently in films. Here are some examples of the use of the device in literature:

● Example #1 – My speech to the Graduates by Woody Allen
"Contemporary man, of course, has no such peace of mind. He finds himself in the midst of a crisis of faith. He is what we fashionably call ‘alienated.’ He has seen the ravages of war, he has known natural catastrophes, he has been to singles bars."
   The sentences goes along dealing with the meaning of life. The juxtaposition of final phrase contrasts so much
   with the serious topic, that it’s unexpected and, therefore, humorous.

● Example #2 - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
“Trin Tragula–for that was his name–was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher or, as his wife would have it, an idiot…”
   Trin Tragula is portrayed as "a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher”, all characteristics the reader would
   think of as good traits. Adams, however, ends his litany by mentioning how Trin Tragula’s wife perceives him (“as
      his wife would have it, an idiot”). This ending is a surprise to the readers and creates comic effect.

● Example #3 - The Cottage Maid by Patrick Branwell Bronte
“Religion makes beauty enchanting,
And even where beauty is wanting,
The temper and mind,
Religion refined,
Will shine through the veil with sweet luster...."
   While this one is truly incomprehensible to me, it is explained this way. "In this excerpt, the author is talking about
   religion through the first four lines. However, in the last line, there is a sudden shift of sense" which renders a
   different meaning from the rest of the text. thttps://literarydevices.net/paraprosdokian/

JUST FOR FUN: HERE IS A SHORT LIST
There are many lists of well-known and not-so-well-known paraprosdokians. Here are a few:

● "I like going to the park and watching the children run around screaming, because they don't know I'm using blanks." --Emo Philips
● "I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long." --Mitch Hedberg
● "I sleep eight hours a day and at least ten at night." --Bill Hicks
● "I don't belong to an organized political party. I'm a Democrat." --Will Rogers
● "On the other hand, you have different fingers." --Steven Wright
● “I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.”
● “Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.”
● “I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.
● “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.”
● “The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on the list.”
● “Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.”

HAVE FUN WITH IT!

Sources:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/paraprosdokian
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraprosdokian
https://literarydevices.net/paraprosdokian/
http://www.economicnoise.com/2011/09/05/182-paraprosdokians/
http://www.clker.com/clipart-797642.html
Title contributed by Ali from Pakistan on 06-24-2017

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RESEARCHING YOUR NOVEL

5/3/2019

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ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
One of the most delightful and fun, but frustrating, activities related to writing is researching. While there are general guidelines, everything depends on the topic, the accessibility of material, how accurate the author believes is necessary, and what the author already knows about the setting and the topic. It’s up to the author, so each project will be different.

WHERE TO BEGIN
Assess your story
In writing this, I’m assuming the author already has an idea what the novel is about and the genre, time, location, and a sense of how much research may be necessary. If you are writing about a topic and location you already know well, your research may be minimal. You might begin your manuscript in whatever way suits you as a writer, and only research for details as you need them. If the novel is your first historical set in a location you’ve never been visited or studied, you are going to need more. Take some time to think about it.

Organize a System for your Research Materials
Most authors addressing this topic suggest the writer set up the system for organizing and storing the research materials before starting to collect data. Some writers resist doing anything in advance, but organizing beforehand pays off. You want to be able to find easily the information and references you’ve collected. Different authors have their own preferences – some manual and hardcopy, some digital, some both -- and there are a number of excellent computer programs available for the purpose listed at the end.

Author Joanna Penn says, “I used to take all my notes in Scrivener because it’s then within easy reach when I write, but I have also started to supplement this with Evernote as it makes things easier to organize for the longer term, whereas Scrivener is for each specific project.”

Use Research To Inform Your Story
Penn also writes that she often goes “into the research phase with no concrete agenda” and emerges “with a clear idea of how the story will unfold.” With only a general idea to start with, research can suggest plots, actions, and settings for the novel which the author hasn’t thought -- or even knows -- about and helps to create an accurate world for the fiction to take place.

My advice, based on personal experience, is to develop at least a rough outline of the story with tentative plot points, setting, and main characters generally identified before you start. Then, armed with a good dose of flexibility, adjust as new ideas evolve from the research. That allows the author to pin down where to look and for what in greater detail.
That’s for the author to decide. The important thing is not to assume you’ll remember everything or that the information will take care of itself. It doesn’t.

WHAT TO RESEARCH
The question of what takes us back to genre, topics (both internal, such as dealing with a mental disorder, and external, such as what takes place during an autopsy), when and where the story takes place, and so on.

My advice: Limit your initial efforts to those things which are critical to your storyline. For example, describing the clothing style, unless it affects the storyline, can be left for filling in later. Look at it this way: while it’s difficult to know how much research is necessary to uncover those important things, the reverse is it’s fairly simple to determine what things only enhance the settling and atmosphere of the novel.

Where To Look
● Public Library
● University Library/archives
● Book Stores
● Museums
● Internet
● Movies and documentaries
● Newspaper Archives
● TV series, movies, documentaries, etc.
● Visual images including Pinterest
● Take a class or two
● Talk to people who know about the subject/topic/location.
    ▪       There are wonderful websites and Yahoo groups on the internet which provide access to experts in various fields who will answer writers’ questions.
    ▪       Catia Shattuck, copywriter, suggests just calling people [even at random].
    ▪       Call professional organizations or whatever kind of body represents people in the field you’re interested in, and ask them to recommend or find someone to talk to you.
    ▪       For location information, call the Chamber of Commerce or equivalent, or local realtors.
● Travel
Nothing beats knowing the physical environment of your setting. If at all possible, go there, wander the streets, eat at the restaurants, smell the smells and experience the weather. Most of all, watch the people. Being there gives a different perspective on the “feel” of the location. If you can’t go, that’s when talking to someone and/or travel guides are useful.
● Experiment
Be careful. No one should get hurt during this process. Don’t blow up your garage learning how to make a bomb for your factious terrorist in a spy novel.

What To Look At
● Books in general and best sellers as related to topic(s) – fiction and non-fiction
● Novels addressing the same topic or take place in the same time period and general location
● Text books and how-to manuals [as appropriate]
● Maps
● Travel Guide Books
● Magazines
● Newspapers
● Primary Materials [Old letters, old photographs, diaries, journals, etc.]
● Visual images including Pinterest
● People Watch – See how people similar to your characters act and react
● Internet Articles

Regarding this last one, which is an important resource, when there are few references listed and you want more, take some aspect related to your topic or location and go to Google Images. When you find a related photo, click on it for an enlargement. To the right of the enlarged photo will be something about the picture and four small boxes. Click on “visit” and it will take you to original article. I usually find many articles that won't come up in an ordinary Google search.

HOW TO RESEARCH
Again, how depends on the project, but there are guidelines and suggestions most authors agree on. The unfortunate part is that the decisions of how to apply the rules of thumb still fall to the author. Hey, it’s your project!

“What you research depends on the kind of book you’re writing and what kinds of topics you need to research.” __ Benjamin Dull, Quora 01-08-2014

Research can consume a great amount of time and, for an author, it can be fun wandering off into new and interesting topics and places. Start with big-ticket items that might affect your storyline.

“If you're doing research, you really do need to be thorough about it, or you'll miss something.”
__ Benjamin Dull, Quora 01-08-2014.0

My own experience is that you don’t want to miss some fact which makes your storyline, or key factors in the story, either impossible or highly improbable. A chicken-egg situation [Although there is an answer to that age-old question.]

“Eventually, while researching, you’ll learn something you didn’t want to know. Some fact that ruins a plotline you had in mind.” He goes on to explain. "For instance: My protagonist is stranded on Mars in a small temporary base and has to figure out how to survive for years. He has a few potatoes from his rations, so he decides to farm them inside the base. I figured he could bring Martian soil inside, then plant potatoes in it. But to do that, he needed water—and after some research, I learned that the soil where he was had almost no water in it. This led to a subplot where he had to manufacture water from materials he had on hand. And that subplot ended up becoming one of the pivotal points of the book.” __ Andy Weir 03-07-2014 https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/61328-how-to-research-like-a-writer.html

"The first problem you run into is the inherent unreliability of information on the internet. A lot of it is inaccurate, most of it is slanted, and some of it is deliberately misleading.” __ Andy Weir 03-07-2014 https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/61328-how-to-research-like-a-writer.html

The internet is one of the most important tools writers have for researching. The availability of such a tool has had dramatic effect on how to conduct research. Information about almost any topic is available at the strike of a few keys. It creates opportunities for author researching today – e.g. we no longer have to travel to Paris to find the street intersections we need -- but it also has some downside.

When you research, be selective about your sources. Check them for reliability and find several dependable references that agree before you use some fact in your work. Remember, anyone can say anything on the internet, whether or not it’s true.

The second problem you run into is either not having many sources above reproach … or having too many “reliable” sources that disagree. There are several obvious reasons for the disparities.
   ▪ Perhaps no one kept the type of records you are interested in [or any records at all];
   ▪ The only “sources” are the writings of one or two individuals;|
   ▪ The accounts of the event were written many years after the fact, or the information has been handed down, generation to generation, by word of mouth until it falls into the category of legend.
▪ Even with more advanced recordkeeping, mistakes and omissions may have been made;
▪ Natural and/or man-made disasters may have destroyed some of records:
   ▪ Multiple sources have recorded events differently. For example, a family bible may show a certain date for a birth, but the county records show two days later. Did it take that time to get to the courthouse to record the birth?
▪ Different accounts record and omit certain facts;
      ▪ The spelling of names get changed, or letters of the alphabet get transposed.

Names of people and places are written in different languages, which also can be mistranslated. How many immigrants to the United States had their surnames changed by the immigration official handling the paperwork?

People make mistakes, no matter what century they live in.

So, after this long-winded explanation, what does a writer do about it. First, does it really matter how accurate the information is? Second, can you use a range of dates rather than a specific date? In non-fiction, it is easy enough to point out there are differences between references. When this happens in researching for fiction, either use different facts; be specific about location when addressing styles, customs, food; find another way to say what you want to say without using those inconsistent facts.

Finally, you can take a W.A.G. and hope no one recognizes it for what it is – a wild-assed guess. After all, can you tell when Michael Crichton, who I believe wrote the best-researched novels of all time, moved from the cutting edge of real science into the realm of fiction?

“Research can become a form of procrastination and the more you research, the more information you will find to include. Therefore, as soon as you have enough information to write a scene about a place, event or person in your novel, then maybe you should stop and do some writing about it. Keep a balance between consumption and creation, input and output.” __ Joanna Penn, https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2017/01/18/research-a-novel/

“There’s more to research than just looking up facts. Eventually you have to make subjective calls. The next thing to know is when to say when. If you look up every last detail on your subject, you’ll never finish.” ... “There’s a point at which you have to stop researching and start making things up. You are a writer, after all. Making stuff up is your job.” __ Andy Weir 03-07-2014 https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/61328-how-to-research-like-a-writer.html

“Not everything needs to end up on the page. A classic error new writers often make (is) 'info-dumping' the product of their extensive research in its entirety, believing it will make for a better story. The truth is that readers don't want to be spoon-fed every single piece of information. They're not reading a research report, after all; they're reading a novel.” __ https://writersedit.com/fiction-writing/top-7-tips-researching-novel/

HOW MUCH RESEARCH
This takes us full circle to the author making informed decisions based on what kind of book is being written. No one else can make that determination except, perhaps, an editor who is looking for something else. There are three major “…ilities” to keep in mind: Credibility of the author, Sustainability of reader interest; and Believability of the material.
Credibility of the Author
Modern communication technology has altered the level and kind of information easily accessible to nearly everyone on the planet. Today the reading public has available, and is exposed to, high levels of detail about people, places, technologies, customs … anything you might write about. This ups the ante on accuracy. The reader expects more of the author.

After all, if you can research it, so can your readers, and some of them might even be expects already. The reader has to know through some 6th sense that the author knows what they are talking about to make it worthwhile reading the book. If the reader spots inaccuracies, even minor and irrelevant details, the person may no longer trust the author to be accurate about anything, including the important things.

The best example I’ve encountered occurred at an RWA National Conference. For a workshop with editors, the participants could submit, in advance, the first page of a novel to be critiqued publically during the workshop (no names, of course). At the workshop, one of the editors read the beginning of a novel dealing with a love story set in Colombia and related to drug trafficking and drug cartels. The page had a good hook and I was intrigued, but at the end the editor told us he would throw this manuscript into the wastebasket at the end of the first page … and he asked the audience why. Of course, none of us got it even though we had a hard copy of the page. The editor explained that because the author spelled Colombia twice with a “u” (Columbia) and cartel as cartle, he doubted the writer’s ability to handle a topic like drug trafficking with any accuracy or credibility.

Sustainability of Reader Interest
By this I mean that too much detail and too much information, or not enough, can pull the reader out of the story because either: 1) something doesn’t seem right and causes the reader to think about that; 2) something seems to pop in out of the blue without any preparation or foreshadowing; or 3) the context is boring or bogged down with too much detail or description, and the reader wants to get on to the action or something else – like put down the book and go to bed. You want the reader to keep reading at a steady pace [fast, medium, or slow depending on what is happening in the story].

Credibility of the Material
As sophisticated as our readers have become as a group, no one knows everything. Sometimes particular details, descriptions, dialogue, just don’t sound right and distract the reader -- Did they have clocks in the 1700s? Did people use that turn of phrase in the 1800s? -- anything that draws attention away from the story.

Suspension of disbelief -- such as readers believing Superman can fly, but not that other people in his fictitious world won't recognize him when he’s wearing glasses -- is another whole discussion. We aren’t going there today.

My friend Sharan Newman writes 12th century mysteries, among many other fiction and non-fiction books. She has a doctorate in 12th century history and does much of her research traveling to Europe to read historical diaries from that era in their original languages. When we were in the same critique group, sometimes she would use an expression or some other detail that sounded, to the rest of us, too modern for the 12th century. When we pointed those things out, she would explain why we were wrong, but usually changed the detail to something else.

Why? Because a phrase, description, or detail may be completely accurate, but if it sounds unbelievable [i.e. the reader doesn't accept it as accurate], it will disrupt the smooth flow of the story. That's bad enough, but if the reader loses confidence in the author's credibility, then it's over. Chances are, the reader won't finish the book or buy another book by that author.

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BACK TO THE SALT MINE

STRUCTURING THE SCENES IN YOUR NOVEL

DEAR HACKER

PARAPROSDOKIANS: "I didn't say It Was Your Fault; I said I'm blaming you."

RESEARCHING YOUR NOVEL

Author R. Ann Siracusa

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