Hello,

I like ER and I watch the old shows when I can and one thing I like to see at the end of the show is the –C- for Consistency, it’s the logo for the production company owned by the author Michael Crichton at http://michaelcrichton.ne, who is the creator of the show. He is consistently writing not just books, screenplays and he even wrote episodes of the show. He consistently writes.

Each time the show ends and I see that confident “C” it's a consistent (I couldn’t help it) reminder how writing unfailingly, as much as possible, all the time, is the only way not just to learn to write well but to succeed at writing. And its not just writing everyday and writing all kinds of works that you enjoy, for instance writing mystery novels but one day writing a short horror story; it’s what I do and I can contest to the fact that over time my writing has improved using this technique and I mean to keep it up to make my writing the best it can be.

I remember reading the earlier fiction by Dr. Keith Ablow at www.keithablow.com and enjoying his work, but as he wrote further stories staring Dr. Clevenger they became better, the writing smoother, more texture to the characters and storylines, I know this may be rare and you have to throw some talent in but only writing and rewriting consistently makes that “some talent” blossom.

So write everyday if you can, write when it’s difficult, when you’re tired and it’s just plain hard to find the right words, it’s the best way, the only way to develop your talent and become the writer you’re meant to be; a great one.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me at:matwrite1@aol.com, I’ll love to hear from you.

Until next time God willing,

Lori

Hello,

I’ve been reading a lot lately about character development and have decided I don’t much like that term—character development. To me, my characters are more than “developed” I feel they are born through blood, sweat and tears like any human though birthed out the mind of course and I know you feel that way too. We make our character’s hearts beat like our own, we add the joy of a good life or the pain of a bad one we may have known, they feel what we have felt, look like people we may have known or imagined knowing and we give them lives we wished we had or would never want and we do it all in minute detail. I believe a combination of those factors can make for unforgettable characters we love or hate: Captain Ahab, Holden Caulfield, Madame Bovary, the list is endless.

I’ve found the easiest and best way to breathe a life into my characters is to sketch out their life from beginning to end. The main character Owen Story of my novel, You Don’t Know Me, was born in Catchem Hospital on January 23, 1969 in Long Island, New York. He moved to the small town of Grange and lived in the working class neighborhood of Straw Martin with his parents who were careless people without meaning to be. He was an only child. He was quiet, tried not to be too noticed, but was noticed any way. Owen wasn’t an outstanding student though he finished high school and the local college. The two most notable occurrences in his young life was his father leaving him his mother for good never to return and his meeting his life long friend, Robert Giordano, the son of a low-key mafia don when Giordano helped him fight off a couple of bullies who were going to turn the thin but suicidally brave Owen to mush.

You get the idea. Owens’s life story builds until he becomes as real as a made up person can be; we create our characters with this goal in mind so they can become like those we love: Hamlet, Ebenezer Scrooge, Don Quixote, Huckleberry Finn, Cinderella; all unforgettable.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me at:matwrite1@hotmail.com. I’ll love to hear from you.

Until next time God willing,

Lori

Hello,

Words: As writers words are it for us. They make magic but they are more than that aren’t they? For instance: Provenance, a great word. It’s defined as “the origin of source from which something comes.” Say it out loud, it weaves through your vocal cords and moves across your tongue like the world's greatest chocolate. Or say one of my favorites: aberrant, it sounds so important, special. Or antiquities, salivary, disturbance; words; we can think of thousands of them and many are our favorites; words; as writers they mean much more to us.

Finding the right word and fitting it in just the right place is a joy because doing so can make a world of difference in our story. I toil over words, sweat them, are afraid of approaching them sometimes because I need to be positive I’m choosing the right word because there can only be that right one for that part of the story and if I don’t have it, I’m done for. It’s amazing, maddening, a treasure hunt and the found treasure is a great story where every word counts, worth its weight in gold.

You love words, you love to write, keep at it because whether your stories are published or not, read by two million or two, the power is with you because you do the hard work, you do the creating with words alone and that makes it and you in a word: wonderful.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail me at: matwrite1@hotmail. com. I’ll love to hear from you.

Until next time, God willing,

Lori

Hello,

I received a letter last month from a literary agent, Annie Hawkins of John Hawkins and Associates, Inc. She’d responded to the first three chapters of You Don’t Know Me, my mystery/crime novel featuring New York City detective Owen Story. She wrote only a few lines, I’ll quote them, “Dear Lori Mathews-Shabazz. Thank you for giving me the chance to read sample materials from YOU DON’T KNOW ME. (I’m not sure why that was capitalized) While I liked your writing and concept I’m afraid I didn’t FALL IN LOVE (this capitalization I did for emphasis) with the overall story line. I’m sorry we didn’t connect on this project, but I wish you well for its success. Very truly yours, Anne Hawkins.”

It was not the worst response I could’ve received, but what continues to play in my mind is that one word: LOVE. “I didn’t fall in love with…” Ms. Hawkins was the second agent who’d reviewed You Don’t Know Me—or at least the first three chapters—and informed me he “didn’t fall in love with it”. The literary agent Sheree Bykofsky of Sheree Bykofsky Associates Inc., writes in her introduction section on her website: www.sherebee.com, “I don’t limit myself to particular genres because I’m always surprised by what appeals to me. If I love it, then I’ll take it on.”
Or this passage from Building A Buzz For Elephants from the April 24, 2006 issue of Publisher’s Weekly. Margie Scott Tucker, co-owner of the northern California-based 10-store Books Inc. mini-chain, heard Popelars Elephants (Water for Elephants by Sara Grue) pitch at the institute. ‘…back home, Tucker started passing around galleys to the staff—“Everybody loves it,” she said.”
That LOVE again and again. But how do I get readers to love my writing? Is there is a recipe I can follow that would create this love for my writing? Is there a recipe any one can follow for any kind of love, that ephemeral, overwhelming feeling that’s as elusive as well, happiness?

Though I don’t believe there is a recipe I can concoct to get the readers to love my writing, I do believe there are elements I can create in my stories that may get people to apply that word to my stories. First, the story must be intriguing, inventive, exciting even if it’s about baking muffins, something different has to be made of it. The story has to show the reader something by use of the best words, smooth language that doesn’t get in the way of the story. The characters must be real to the reader and live a life that seems different from my experiences even if they’re the same. It must be characters I can feel something for love, hate, understanding.

I’m reading The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean and I LOVEd the story because I knew nothing about orchid growers and that world. The story about an orchid thief was so interesting you had to keep reading and as well as the characters being original, the main character John Larouche was outstanding.

So there maybe a recipe to get readers to love my stories; though a caveat here: realistically not everybody is going to love my stories, not everybody loves me or you for that matter in life so why should what I write go by a set of different rules. And getting and agent to love your work is a bit different because they have an agenda that’s tosses your work at the bottom of their lists, the top spots going to: profit; books similar to mine (or yours) already on their list; the agent may love your book but the others in the agency do not; a full booklist; a need for writers with track records only; all this. But—and a big but too—if an agent loves your work all those top spots become unimportant and the agent will fight for your work so that others will read it and love it too.

So, I guess LOVE is the key word here after all. LOVE the stories you write. Find an agent if you can that LOVEs your story or stories—DO NOT settle for less. And keep writing the stories you LOVE. It really is a simple recipe isn’t it.

If you have questions or comments I’d love to read them and reply, so please email me at: matwrite1@hotmail.com.

Until next time, God willing,

Lori