Gone Fishin'

Currently taking a break from TaleBait to work on other projects. Keep your lines tight.

A Morsel from Open Water

The "whatevers" were getting to me. I was seeing the child who adored me slowly turn into a teenager. I couldn't stop the process, but how could I keep my sanity? I began wearing my i-pod everywhere, retreating to the back-yard porch swing to read to the dog when my son came home from school, and then slowly shrugging my shoulders when he asked me what time dinner would be ready.

Some days he'd bounce on the old trampoline a few times before heading in the house to find his cellphone or blast Metallica, but most days he looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. Who reads to a dog?
Read the rest of this tale in Open Water
Reading to the Dog
by Texasrangersfan

Guidance for The Send Off

Stage I - Set up: Kaddy, an aging musician, sees a newspaper photo of his friend's [Tom's] death at a posh north Dallas wedding gig. He recalls their relationship in college.
Turning Point 1 - Opportunity. Add your installment now. 


Target ending: Kaddy, an aging musician, exorcises a deep guilt from his past when faced with the death of an old nemesis.

A Postmortem on Shards

As we approach the wrap up on Shards, Angler TomFrodo  wants to know what you were thinking as Marissa’s adventures in Shards evolved. Here are his questions:

What do you think the real goals were for the competing factions—Russian Mafia, Indian factor, and the CIA? How did the competition between the Indian and Russian counterfeiting rings lead to the conflict that involved Marissa?

Was there a reason why no one picked up on the Chinese element? Why was Dimitry targeting a Chinese economics expert and what would a reaction by the Chinese mean for Marissa?

Did anyone see Dimitry as having another bigger goal? TomFrodo planned for Dimitry to contaminate counterfeit money at a G-28 meeting where the world’s leaders would be stricken. With the money system in chaos, Dimitry would call in Blackraul to maintain order. That’s one way Dimitry could have thought on a larger scale. Did you have another idea?

No one picked up on the contracting firm Blackraul. Did the you dislike the use of a contracting villain? Would you have preferred using Blackraul in a different way?

Please add your comments.

Plot Practicum

Let’s learn more about plot development while we exercise our creativity. To give our stories more structure, I’ll provide guidance in “Skipper Says” based on Michael Hauge’s “Six Stage Plot Structure.” Hauge writes screenplays, but his method seems adaptable to tales on Hooks & Storylines. Here’s an overview of the plot plan:



 http://www.screenplaymastery.com/



Follow the trail of Shards

Stage I - Set up: Marissa returns home to find her apartment in shambles.
Turning Point #1 - James is injured in an encounter with the unknown intruder.
Stage II - New Situation: Marissa is wanted for murdering a Chinese Counsel.
Turning Point #2 - Change of Plans: Marissa walks back into her old life of espionage.
Stage III - Progress: The body count adds up.
Turning Point #3 - Point of No Return: Marissa is on her way to Mumbai to face Dmitri.
Stage IV - Complications & Higher Stakes: The action is building.
Turning Point #4 - Marissa is captured by Petrov and must work with him to defeat Dmitry.
Stage V - Final Push: Marissa connects with an old friend, Haroon.
Turning Point #5 - Climax: The body count rises.
Stage VI - write the aftermath now.

Target ending:  Marissa, an ex-CIA agent, gets revenge on Dmitry, the Russian Mafia leader who killed her former partner. 

Where is Allie now?

Stage I – Set up: Allie is a single mom who has just experienced a romp with an old flame (Drew) who disappeared mysteriously ten years ago.
Turning Point #1 – Allie’s son (Tommy) saw the strange man leave the house before breakfast and told Allie’s ex-husband (Jason).  Allie’s friend at work (Tina) is suspicious too.
Stage II – New Situation: Although Allie told Drew that she harbored no feelings for him, she is anxious for him to call. 
Turning Point #2 - Drew is in Witness Protection.
Stage III – Progress: Allie is conflicted. The stakes are higher—if she learns too much she may be forced into Witness Protection too. She is moving towards her destiny with Drew without leaving her current lifestyle. Progress continues as Allie contemplates life in Witness Protection.
Turning Point #3- Point of No Return: Drew is Tommy's father. He has two more days to convince Allie to join him in Witness Protection. 
Stage IV - Complications & Higher Stakes: Allie spends the weekend with Drew.
Turning Point #4 - Major Setback: Tommy is missing.
Stage V - Everything to Lose: Drew knows he's Tommy's father and races to rescue the boy.
Turning Point #5 - Climax: The happy ending is on its way.
Ivory has written the conclusion of Allie's Choice. It will be posted in three installments.
This tale is now closed. Thanks for all the great bait. 

writing, publishing, contest creative

A Kind Offer

When Michael Hauge learned we are using his plot map to help guide our tales on Hooks & Storylines, he had this to say, "encourage your members to subscribe to my newsletter, as I frequently post structure related articles. And if any specific questions arise, email them to me and I’ll do my best to answer them." 

What a kind offer! The link to his site is below the plot map. 

Catch the Winners

Enjoy the winning bait! Judging was very close in TaleBait's Get Hooked Write Away Contest. We received many outstanding entries. Winners will receive $25, $15 or $10 plus a critique of 30 pages of a manuscript. Watch for these tasty hooks to launch new tales on Hooks & Storylines in the coming months.

1st Place - Kendall Furlong

The headline got my attention, an unexplained death at a posh north Dallas wedding gig. But it’s the kick-ass photo I remember; my best friend Tom spread across three columns with a beautiful dame in tears holding his head. A lot of people thought he deserved the agonizing death described in the news and I guess when you come right down to it, that included me. I could never separate my loathing from my friendship with him. But you know, it would have been worth dying just to be in a picture like that. What a send off.

 2nd Place - Sean Enfield

Daniel Beam spent the summer of 2005 dead.

 3rd Place - Hazel Fipps-Mann

The explosion shattered the windows and threw dishes from the shelves onto the floor where they broke into various odd shapes. Fortunately it also extinguished the propane-fueled fire in the cook stove, thus sparing our little four-room post-WWII home from total annihilation. Pinto beans and bean juice slid down the kitchen walls, while more beans dropped randomly from the ceiling like little hard brown raindrops. The Kelvinator, which stood beside the kitchen stove, displayed its position at the epicenter of the blast, flaunting beans and juice somehow impregnated into the once-white enamel. Mom always had trouble in the kitchen.

Thank you to everyone who entered and to the guest judges, Denise Little and John Tait.

TaleBait's Get Hooked Write Away Contest!

Hook your readers in the first few lines, or starve for attention. Your hook, or opener, sets up the tale and pulls your readers in. TaleBait’s Get Hooked Write Away Contest challenges you to write a hook, 100 word maximum, that will get readers reading and writers writing. Sharpen your craft and increase your creativity.

Winners receive a critique of 30 pages by a literary agent or a publisher/editor! You may submit pages of your manuscript for professional review. Skipper will critique the winning hooks.

We’re looking for entries tasty enough to launch a tale on Hooks & Storylines. Your hook should engage readers as well as signal a direction for writers to add to your opener. You may set up a character, mood, setting, time—whatever sparkles enough to make us bite.

Winners receive a whopping cash reward

 (if you calculate it on a per-word basis)!

1^st place – $25, first choice of critique, and byline on a new story in Hooks & Storylines

2^nd place –$15, second choice of critique, and byline on a new story in Hooks & Storylines

3^rd place – $10, critique, and byline on a new story in Hooks & Storylines

No Entry Fee

Skipper doesn’t like too many rules, but we need few:

Word count 100 max

Hooks must be your original writing

Multiple submissions accepted

Submit hook on www.TaleBait.com by selecting “cast a line” on the landing page, or use the “contact us” page. Only submissions received through the website will be considered. Enter your name and a valid email address.

In the message box—Identify the category for your hook: Sci Fi & Fantasy, Romance, Mom’s Escape, Mystery & Suspense, Regional Flavor, or Skipper’s Choice (anything that strikes Skipper’s fancy). Enter your hook.

Winners will receive instructions for submitting 30 pages of their choice for critique.

Deadline December 20, 2010. Winners announced January 2011.

If you have questions, contact: TaleBaitHookContest@gmail.com

The Judges

Denise Little, Literary Agent, Ethan Ellenberg Agency

“Denise Little worked for Barnes & Noble/B. Dalton Bookseller as a bookstore manager and as their national book buyer for science fiction, fantasy, and romance.  She launched the company’s genre magazine, Heart to Heart, and wrote it for its first two years of existence. She then joined Kensington Publishing, where she had her own imprint, Denise Little Presents. After that, she became a book packager, working as executive editor at Tekno Books for Dr. Martin H. Greenberg. She’s now an agent with the Ethan Ellenberg Agency in New York.” http://deniselittle.wordpress.com/

Ethan Ellenberg Agency. “Storytelling is a great calling and we are here to provide professional representation for storytellers, of both fiction and nonfiction…. We only take clients we truly believe in. We take our work very seriously and perform our duties to the highest standards. No matter what you've heard, this business is open to new talent. We are open to new talent.” http://www.ethanellenberg.com

John Tait, Editor, American Literary Review

John Tait's stories have appeared in journals such as TriQuarterly, Prairie Schooner, Crazyhorse, The Sun, and Michigan Quarterly Review and have been reprinted in New Stories from the Southwest and The Mysterious Life of the Heart. His work has won four national awards including the Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction and the H.E. Francis Award for Fiction. He is an Associate Professor of fiction writing at the University of North Texas and editor of American Literary Review.

 American Literary Review is a national literary journal that has been published biannually since 1990. ALR is committed to publishing excellent poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction by writers at all stages in their careers.  ALR also offers an annual three genre contest with $3000 in prizes. http://www.engl.unt.edu/alr

Skipper, Captain of TaleBait.com 

Prior to joining the Center for Teaching Excellence of Southern Methodist University, Skipper taught in SMU’s Writing Program for more than eight years. She also taught tech writing and rhetoric at the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Dallas, where she earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She is an experienced marketing communications and public affairs professional who has published nonfiction articles on diverse topics. Her current work in progress is a middle-grade fiction. The impetus for her website for writers, TaleBait.com, was to put more pleasure and creativity into her writing. 

Angler News

Simon1973 is offering an online writing course. Here's the the blurb:

Imagine a writing course that comes to you right where you live and works with you as you are!  One that caters to your distinct personality while teaching you valuable skills and bringing out your innate talent!  Online and convenient, “Think like a Writer” is the course you’ve been looking for!  For details, click here: http://www.einaijournal.blogspot.com/

Plotters & Pantsters

In a recent discussion on Linked In, I posed the question: Are you a plotter or a pantster?

Here’s the post: Do you map out your plotlines in advance, or write by the seat of your pants—and why? I'm curious because I've observed mixed success in installments on my website, TaleBait. I'm thinking about setting up a collaborative storyline with guidance for the plot to see if it will improve the quality of the posts. Personally, I'm a hybrid. I need a clear direction in mind, but lots of room for discovery as I write.

The responses revealed that virtually everyone is a hybrid. Good stories need creativity and structure. After a bit of research, I found several plot theories and plot maps and selected one to test with the story, Allie’s Choice.

Please join us in spawning creativity while experimenting with a plot plan. I hope this activity proves to be a fun skill-builder for all of us. 

Why do you write?

I typically hear two answers to the question “why do you write?” The it’s-in-my-soul types claim they write to express themselves and enjoy the creative process. That’s straight-forward and honest. If sincere, they can be happy journaling for themselves or scribbling trifles to share with friends.

The second group says “I want to be published,” aka paid to write. This group gets hazy, even to themselves. If you just want to be published and paid to write, it’s not that tough if you write coherently. But you may have to write about topics that bore you. I’ve taken assignments that were a total snore-fest because I needed the work.

The fuzzy group-twos are those who say “I want to be published,” but mean “I want someone to pay me to print and sell what I feel like writing.” Admittedly, some lucky—and talented—souls have achieved this remarkable feat. That’s what keeps the optimists among us typing away.

I’ve encountered several writers in critique groups who claim they want to improve, but spend more time justifying their prose than listening to feedback, as if they’d have the opportunity to explain awkward passages to readers. Sometimes it’s hard to see your own mistakes and motivations. Maybe we’re all fuzzy twos.

Skipper's Shorts

Skipper's Choice
Vampires' Buffet
REEL It IN! Write the conclusion now.

Characters John – a vampire and member of Hemoholics Anonymous; married to Julie.
Julie - a vampire and member of Hemoholics Anonymous; married to John.
Candice - human--or werewolf?
Dante - vampire with a fake tan and a tattoo
Margaret - someone at the meeting
Frederica - friend of J&J
Thomas - friend of J&J

Locations
Sunset Supper & Sleep – a food kitchen and overnight shelter for homeless people.

Plot
Do-gooder vampires try to restrain themselves while running a homeless shelter and food kitchen. A new vampire, Dante, leaves with Candice. She escapes him. Dante returns to the shelter and feeds on a homeless woman.

Keep Your Stories Straight

Mystery & Suspense
Iced

Characters
Icepick Schmidt – Real Estate Attorney. Made a lot of money on condo-pushing land grabbers. Called Icepick because of his cold-blooded approach to business. Formerly worked night-shift at Sunset Horizons Mortuary cleaning up bodies. Dating Ramona infrequently. Partners with Pinky Tiberri in exotic bird smuggling scheme. He was in Mexico on a bird smuggling run when Lilli was killed. Currently out of jail on bond. Driving a rental car (white Malibu); his is in impound. Paying for Lilli's funeral expenses.Smoker.
Lilli – Icepick’s ex wife. Found dead on the floor of Icepick’s office. Nasty divorce. Took him “to the cleaners” in the divorce. Known for perfect manicures and Manolo shoes. Medical Examiner's report says cause of death is gunshot to the forehead, but Dandy Dave found evidence that there's another cause of death. Lilli was the Malibu Madame and managed expensive call girls.
Pinky Tiberri – Icepick’s partner in smuggling exotic birds from Mexico. Read ME's report when she went to Sunset Horizons Mortuary. Left suddenly. Drives a truck. Went to warehouse after she left the mortuary. Showed up at LAPD office in jeans and an orange tank top to see Detective Greer. Told Greer about Lilli's after hour activities.
Ramona – Icepick’s on-again, off-again girlfriend.
George aka G-Man - works front desk at Sunset Horizons.
Dandy Dave - works at Sunset Horizons. Preparing Lilli's body.
Ted - Grows a crop in a warehouse space adjoining the Wing Bucket. Builds furniture to sell on the internet.
Detective Dirk Greer - LAPD detective investigating Lilli's death. May be involved with Malibu Madame.
Darryl Halloway - aka Numbers. LAPD financial forensic guru.
Abe Stinson - medical examiner. 


Locations
Icepick’s office – On Bilbao Place in Los Angeles.
Sunset Horizons Mortuary – where Icepick worked in the past. Lilli taken to Sunset Horizons after autopsy.
Wing Bucket - Nickname for the warehouse where the exotic birds are stored. Emptied out by Pinky.
LAPD homicide unit office - Dirk Greer's office.

Plot
Body of ex-wife found on floor of Icepick Schmidt’s law office. L.A.P.D. arrested Icepick and released him. He was smuggling exotic birds from Mexico on the night of the murder. A message about an open door prompted Icepick to arrive at his office at the same time as police to discover body. ME report lists gunshot as cause of death, but evidence of head trauma and strangulation are not noted. Someone is trying to frame Icepick. Pinky goes to warehouse to load a box in her truck. Pinky empties out the warehouse. Icepick discovers an ice pick left outside the warehouse. Detective Greer thinks the case against Icepick may be "too easy." Pinky arrives at LAPD office to talk with Greer. Pinky tells Greer that Lilli was the Malibu Madame, but she thinks he already know about the Malibu Madame because he's her inside partner. Pinky claims Abe is involved with MM's business too. 

What we don’t know yet: Who dun it? When, where or why Lilli died. Who would want to frame Icepick? Was Dirk Greer involved in Lilli's murder? Abe Stinson?

Sci Fi & Fantasy
Destiny’s Annex

Characters
Matt – Human. Eats frosted cereal. Two ex-wives. Is captured an Destiny's Annex and placed on a transporter. Undercover Special Agent Matt Cooper.
Amand Schuster -Dap calls Matt Mr. Schuster, but Matt claims he does not know Schuster. Schuster has more than one heart. Is President of something. Is dead.
Malthusian Grock Warrior – Doorman at Destiny’s Annex. 2.5 meters tall. Cost to employ him nightly implies significant commitment. Subdued by Rinbin's singing.
RinBin — a Nibelanjer. Lanky, uncharacteristically emotional for a level-headed species. Six hands; three eyes. Arrived in a cab with a Decoder ring. Nibelanjers are notoriously literal minded.. Will not say where he is from. His beautiful singing voice subdues the Grock Warrior. He rescued Matt at Tau Pont.
Ando Weir - Lanky, grey skin, large eyes. Edgy, grating voice. Dap's "flunkie."
Dap Cord - Mastermind hired to kidnap someone in the line. Planned opening of Destiny's Annex to attract the victim and a crowd. Is watching from the club entrance.
Dr. Belkin - scanned Matt to verify him as Schuster. Paid Dap and subsequently learned Matt was an imposter.
Web Mother - person at control center where RinBin reports.

Locations
Destiny’s Annex – a disco. Perhaps not on Earth.
Tau Pont - fifth planet of the Tau Mega system. Rinbin tracked Matt to this planet.

Plot
Matt followed instructions using secret decoder ring found in a cereal box. He took a cab to Destiny’s Annex, a disco. A long line of beings, each with a decoder ring, wait to enter the club. While in line Matt speaks with a secretive Nibelanjer. Cost to employ Grock Warrior as doorman implies a big commitment. Dap and Ando are watching from the club entrance, waiting to kidnap someone in the line. They plan to displace everyone in line to cover up the target. Matt is captured and placed in a transport. Rinbin is left at Destiny's Annex after he subdues the Grock Warrior. Dap calls Matt "Mr. Schuster," but Matt claims his does not know a Schuster. Rinbin arrives at Tau Pont to retrieve his probe and save Matt, in spite of the fact that he was ordered to return home. Matt wanted to be captured in place of Schuster and is angry at Rinbin for saving him.

Romance
Allie’s Choice
Allie is coming back! Catch up and Weigh In now..
Characters
Allie – 27 years old. Divorced. Conflicted about reunion with Drew. Had a crush on Drew since the 5th grade. Drew Pearce – Broke Allie’s heart and left on her 17th birthday.
Jason – Allie’s ex-husband.
Tommy - Allie's son. Attends school.
They - Unknown people who may have been looking for Drew ten years ago for unknown reasons.
Tina - Allie's friend at work.

Locations
Allie’s home – no details
Allie's office - no details

Plot
Slept with Drew the same night he returned to her life. Had not seen him since her 17th birthday. Drew visited Allie to make amends. He did not call Allie after he disappeared ten years ago because "they would have found me." Tommy awakens before Drew leaves in the morning. Tommy saw Allie push a man out the door in the morning. Tina observes Allie acting "weird." Jason picks Tommy up after school and learns that a strange man was at the house.

What we don’t know yet: What's going to happen next? Who was Drew hiding from ten years ago and why?

Dont' Read Anything Titled Musings

I clicked on a link and landed on another blog titled, “Musings on [insert something here].”

Honestly, I do not read anything with “musings” in the title, unless I absolutely have to for some inescapable reason. The very word,musings, means thoughts that are especially aimless and unsystematic. If you don’t take the time to organize, edit, and polish your thoughts before sharing them with me, why should/would I want to give you my time to decipher your ramblings?


I believe a writer must consider the audience and purpose for every piece of writing. If you are your own audience and the purpose is to explore your thoughts—that’s fine, but it’s probably best to keep it tucked away in a drawer or personal file. Hmm, I guess I should be grateful to writers who accurately label their slop as musings so I know not to squander my time reading it.


By the way, my audience for this little rant was mostly me. The purpose—to express my impatience with self-absorbed writers. Hmm, sounds something like musings. But I kinda warned you—“Musings” is included in the title.

New Prize Winners!

Congratulations to Ivory, JimGrigsby, nubago and saclamb! Thanks for joining the action on TaleBait.

Watch for the Get Hooked--Write Away Contest soon. I'm working on the details now. Who will write the best new hooks?

Test the Water!

Explore these new features in Open Water:

• 5 star rating system for Open Water stories
• Email notification when someone comments on your story
• Recent Activity list
• Ability to sort stories by ratings
• See stories by opening a category or by rolling cursor over the category name

I’m very excited about the new features and think they will greatly improve your experience in Open Water. Thank you for joining in the fun—and please invite your friends too. Jump in – the water’s better than ever!

Prize Winners

Congratulations to the latest $50 prize winners Skyking and Boardpres! Catch Skyking's story, No Sweat for Frank, in Open Water. And read the installments to Hooks & Storylines added by Boardpres. Great bait, Anglers!

Angler News

Catch one of Ivory’s stories on Open Water – “Soccer with the Birds.”

I like the story, but I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. Is it happy or sad? I don’t think it really matters which emotion the story evokes. Perhaps it’s a sign of a story’s complexity when we are left wondering rather than walloped with one idea. What do you think? You’re invited to give Ivory a comment.

Also check out Ivory’s new blog, Becoming a Novelist.