Controlling Your Fictional Character

The TIE Mini Blog Tour rolls on!  Hanging out today with the fabulous blogger Angela Benson of Library Girl Reads!  

Since my oldest daughter is now a young woman and spends most of her weekends out with her friends, I find that it’s a perfect time for me to bond with my youngest daughter. One of the ways in which we do this is by watching a lot of movies on Friday nights. This week’s selection actually wasn’t my choice, but I’m happy that my daughter selected it anyway because it was a real treat. It was sweet little movie called Ruby Sparks and as a writer, I could not help but love it. Think Stranger than Fiction but instead from the author’s point of view.

If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a little recap of the movie’s plot. A young writer finds unexpected literary fame as an adolescent. Years later, he still struggles to write a successful follow-up novel and the pressure from his agent and publishing house to do so sends him spiraling out of control and on to a psychologist’s sofa. Having broken up with his long-time girlfriend only complicates matters. At his therapist’s suggestion, the writer creates a character for whom he would consider to be his “ideal” woman and girlfriend. The more the writer learns about her (a character who reveals herself as “Ruby Sparks”), the more she not only becomes the central character in his new novel, but also in his own life. The fun begins the day Ruby becomes a real, functioning human being, demanding a life of her own. In light of this surprising discovery, the question becomes whether or not her creator will allow her this free will to grow and evolve, or will he try to guide her every movement to the point of extinction.  Read more...

Fiction and Taxes: Is there a difference?

The TIE Mini Blog Tour Continues at the Cabin Goddess!
 
I was a child growing up in Chicago, my mother used to say, ‘I don’t HAVE to do anything in this world except die and pay taxes;’ a very appropriate statement since “Tax Day” in America is already upon us.  For those of us lucky, or better yet, wise enough to complete our tax forms early, April 15 is just another ordinary day.  However, for the rest of us, we always wait until the “last minute” in order to push the button. 

In preparing my own tax forms — unfortunately there is no immunity for us “regular folks” living here in Switzerland — I’ve been thinking a lot about one “imperative” in particular, this need to pay taxes and how it’s a lot like another one specific to authors — the need to write a fictional work, and what prevents us from performing such duties on time.   Read more...

Is Paris My Muse?

The TIE Mini Book Tour Kicks off with a visit to author Malika Gandhi's Blog:

People often ask me to describe Paris.  Almost always, I provide the same reply: A beautiful place still full of mystery.  I moved there with my husband and two young daughters, and stayed for five years before moving to Lausanne, Switzerland in 2007.  Every time I return for a visit, I always find something new and view Paris in a completely different way.  For me, this is what makes setting my stories in Paris so interesting.

However, I must admit that this is my polite answer.  Describing the real Paris actually is a bit more complicated. In trying to capture the essence of the city from my own distinct vantage point, I still struggle because Paris is more than visiting the Eiffel Tower, Luxembourg Gardens, or eating at Les Deux Magots or strolling along the Seine or Avenue des Champs-Élysées.   Read more...

Writing Effective Flash Fiction

The great Ray Bradbury advised authors to write a short story a day. Don't have time? Then try a little Flash Fiction. Encounters in Paris is totally a collection of Flash. As I work to improve my own writing, here's what I've learned about FF so far!  Head over to the #NovelSpaces blog to find out more!


“…Write a short story in one day so it has a skin around it, its own intensity, its own life, its own reason for being.” – Ray Bradbury

I couldn’t agree more with the venerable American science fiction author, Ray Bradbury.  Writing short stories is, indeed, its own art form. By writing one short story daily, a writer cannot help but become more skilled in his/her craft.  Short stories provide authors with opportunities to create thoughtful, introspective prose.  In that process of creation, authors develop characters, settings and plots with laser-like precision.  Read more

Fictional Tales Examines Clandestine Meetings and Confessions

Fictional Tales Examines Clandestine Meetings and Confessions

Author Carolyn Moncel Releases Railway Confessions – A Collection of Short Stories

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND, March 1, 2012 — Would you ever reveal a dark secret to a complete stranger – even if you knew you’d never meet that person again? This question is at the heart of author, Carolyn Moncel’s latest work, Railway Confessions – A Collection of Short Stories.  Currently available as an eBook only, readers can download a FREE copy on March 1 and March 8, 2012 from Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/zYc4od).

As passengers traveling aboard a TGV train from Paris to Geneva one summer evening, three couples casually disclose very intimate, truthful details that could potentially transform their lives either for the better or for the worst.

“The stories fit perfectly into the advice my mother gave me during my childhood,” says Moncel, a Chicago native, whose stories are often set in Paris.  “‘Be careful what you say aloud because: a) you never really know who you are talking to; and b) you never really know who is listening to your conversation and what they may know about the people being discussed.’”

In the story, "My Brother's Keeper," a couple must come to terms with the murders that each of them had a hand in committing and their aftermaths; In "A Choice in the Matter," another couple must address the questions of wanted and unwanted pregnancies and the circumstances for which such requests are ever acceptable; and in the last story entitled, “Pretty Prisons,” a last couple must deal with love, infidelity and all of its complexities. Ellery Roulet and Lola Sanchez from 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover return, and along with four others, confront their deepest fears with unexpected results.

About Carolyn Moncel

Carolyn Davenport-Moncel currently resides in Lausanne, Switzerland with her husband and two daughters. Her previous work includes Encounters in Paris – A Collection of Short Stories and 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover – A Novella and Other Short Stories.  Visit Moncel’s website at:  www.carolynmoncel.com.  Follow her on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/carolyn.moncel; LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/motiontemps; and on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/carolynmoncel.

About Railway Confessions – A Collection of Short Stories

Published in February 2012 by Mondavé Media, Railway Confessions – A Collection of Short Stories is only available as an eBook.  Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/zYc4od).The Kindle edition is $2.99.  The ASIN number is: B0076BLY42.  Ms. Moncel is available for appearances, book club discussions and interviews.

# # #

Guest Post: French vs. American Attitudes Regarding One Reason to Leave a Lover

“Chérie, I must say that your people place way too much emphasis on affairs.” 

These words are uttered by a male French character in my upcoming collection of short stories called Railway Confessions. I think his response generally encapsulates well what the French, in particular, may think about Americans when it comes to at least one of the reasons highlighted in my book, 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover.

Read more

Falling in Love with Your Character

As St. Valentine’s Day approaches, what better time is there to talk about love, right?  I’m not talking about just any kind of love:  love between a man and a woman, a woman and her child or even a man and his dog.  Instead, I’m talking about a love that is a lot harder for non-writers to understand.  It’s a romance that can only be shared between author and his/her character.  Take for example, my character, Julien Roulet.  I know him better than anyone and because of this, I am utterly and completely in love with him.   Read more...