Happy Anniversary: Looking Back and Looking Forward

As I was perusing the blog today, I noticed that it's been a year since we got this craziness going!  Our official anniversary was the 13th of this month, but we'll celebrate it a few days later because I definitely feel it's worth celebrating.  Firstly I want to congratulate everyone who has been a part of this blog, the admin, the writers, the editor, and the readers.  I know that for me, Detangled Writers has been a source of pride, enjoyment, and education.  Taking a look at our contributor profiles, I see a group of people who I hold in high esteem.  These women have taken time out of their lives to share their thoughts and knowledge with the writing community.  Some of the goals we wrote in our profiles might be a bit outdated by now - some things might be all done and checked off, some things may have been set aside, while others may be in progress.  I invite the contributors to create fresh goals lists and provide an update.  Tell us about your writing; what projects do you have going on, is writer's block bugging you, are you having trouble finding time for your craft?   Also, let's talk about what goals we have for the blog in general and how we can become an even better support network for each other.  

 

Old Goals for Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora)! 

1. Time Management 
2. Keeping the Creative Juices Flowing
3. Finishing what I start...
4. Grad School and everything to do with it!
5. Characters - working on characterizations

I accomplished part of number four by applying to and being accepted to an MFA program.  I am currently working toward completing my masters in creative writing at Pine Manor College.  Number five can be removed because, for me, the writing itself is what generates character and plot and trying to work on those independently is possible but not really a goal.  As far as the first three goals, I would keep one and three on my list!  Number two is less of a goal for me and more a goal for the blog.  My new list, a much more specific list, would look like this:

New Goals!

1. Time Management
2. Finish Death Man (my current novel in progress)
3. Work on short stories for Workshops
4. Read craft books and fiction novels
5. Attend an AWP conference (Seattle 2014)

Some goals for the blog would be to see some more blogs on hot topics such as fanfiction writing, romance versus erotica, elements of craft, literary definitions and analyses, and even book reviews and discussions.  I would love to see more vocab words!  Everyone is encouraged to post vocab builders and word exercises.  If people have personal blogs where they share writing pieces, I would like to see entries detailing the process, successes, and failures they had with the project and then a link so we can read your work.

I hope that everyone who is part of this blog is as proud of it as I am.  This post brings our total to 148 published blogs for Detangled Writers.  Here's hoping that by this time next year we have upwards of 300!  Thank you to our contributors and readers.

Grammar Corner: Further versus Farther

I was advised recently by my MFA mentor to look into the difference between these terms.  While I'm not sure if my misuse stems from misinformation or from a repetitious typo (I somehow always type breath when I mean to type breathe), I followed my mentor's advice and here is what I've found.

It's confusing to say the least as one appears to speak of actual physical distance while the other does not.  But if we look at the further, freedictionary.com tells us this:

fur·ther (fûrr)
adj. A comparative of far.
1. More distant in degree, time, or space: a result that was further from our expectations than last time; the further lamppost.
2. Additional: a further example; a further delay.
1. To a greater extent; more: considered further the consequences of her actions.
2. In addition; furthermore: He stated further that he would not cooperate with the committee.
3. At or to a more distant or advanced point: went only three miles further; reading five pages further tonight. 

So when it comes to further we might say: Jimmy has come a great deal further with his studies than little Janie.  We might also say: I want to take my game further than it's ever been before.  In the previous sentence, 'further' indicates an intangible destination.  But what about concepts that two possible interpretations such as heaven/nirvana/the ether?  "I wanted to go to heaven but knew I would have to go much further to get there," versus, "I wanted to go to heaven but knew I would have to go much farther to get there."  Does one mean spiritual distance and the other mean down the road?  That's where it gets confusing for me. 

far·ther (färr)
adv. A comparative of far.
1. To or at a more distant or remote point: ran farther than the others.
2. To or at a more advanced point or stage: I went no farther that day.
3. Usage Problem To a greater extent or degree: carried the idea farther.
adj. A comparative of far.
More distant; remoter: the farther shore.

Methinks that the free dictionary might not be enough to answer this grammar question.  I've called in some experts, namely Grammar Girl.  

In this article, she breaks it down simply into:

Farther = Far(ness) as in the physical distance ('far' being a pnuemonic device)

Further = Figurative distance, which can include abstracts like degrees

This is satisfactory for me, but now that I've focused on these words, I feel like the simple breakdown might be too simple.  English has a knack for breaking all of it's own rules, after all.  But for now, I'll try to keep farther down the road and further up the scale.  And when it comes to 'death' or 'heaven' or 'hell,' I suppose it depends on the meaning the author is going for.  "I wanted to go to Heaven, Mississippi but it was farther than I realized," or, "I wanted to be a good girl and go to heaven but preacher said I was further into sinning than a Saint into praying." 

Retreat! Retreat!

I've only ever been on one 'official' retreat in my life.  It was back when I was just barely a teenager.  The youth chapter of my church decided we needed to go out on a youth retreat to help us find ourselves and find God.   I remember a few things from the retreat: firstly, we were out in the middle of no where and the stars were amazing!  Secondly, when one of the popular boys fell asleep, the others wrote all over him in marker and taped a naked 'Little Red Riding Hood' doll to his hand.  It was charming.  But back to the stars.  The environment was very peaceful and exhilarating.  There was an even amount of physical exertion (hikes during the day and during the night) interspersed with quiet times (hours set aside for meditation and prayer) that it became like a nice tonic to one's sense of self.  The creative soul needs these things as well.

I want to spend a moment talking about the importance of a retreat where the only expectations put on you are the ones you've put upon yourself.  Your goals are all that matter and it is up to you to complete something, polish something, begin something new, or write a million drabbles that make you feel like a complete human being.  A writer's retreat is a place where you don't have to worry about dishes or about vacuuming or about who's coming over to dinner tonight or how your hair looks.  It's a place where you focus on your writing and on the things that awaken creativity.  An ideal retreat, in my opinion, would begin with everyone coming together for some sort of physical exercise (a swim in a nearby lake, playing the human knot game until you finally untangle, red-light/green-light, or even just a nice long hike in the outdoors).  Then we would move into something soothing like meditation (guided or personal) and go through a series of long stretches.  No matter the person's artistic preference, it is through our hands, our minds, our senses, our bodies that we receive and interpret and create and it is good to keep these things fine tuned.

We would break off then to get to work.  It would be for the individual after all.  We would make our own schedules and keep them accordingly.  I would have meal times listed - that or we would rough it and each fend for ourselves - and we could come together for fellowship and re-invigoration.  It would not be a test, competition, or race.  Everyone should come with their own goals and work toward them and revise them as they see fit.  There may be a communal activity once or twice a day (most likely something physical again and then something more mental).  At the end of how ever many days (hours) that we hold the retreat, I think there should be an opportunity to showcase a piece of what we worked so hard on.  We could have a reading or we could pass out a packet to look over.  This retreat would not have to be limited to writing, though I would suggest special emphasis in this area.

We've had a few ideas thrown around on this site for workshopping and other communal efforts to encourage ourselves and each other to continue working on our goals.  I propose a small writer's retreat as a way to generate lots of new material without the distractions of the everyday world.  There could even be a workshopping segment of the retreat to help authors who want to polish up their material.  What are some thoughts on this?  Of course  cost is something to keep in mind, but if this were to be something we could do in the summer months, it would be feasible to do a sort of camp out.  There are places that have rec rooms with electricity for us to use.  Or we could even do a two day retreat and rent out public park spaces such as the one at Kiwanis park where electricity is available.  You don't need a large group to have a retreat - it is more than practical to have a retreat of just one.  If you can't meet up with fellow writers, you can always pick up some goodies and lock yourself away in a hotel somewhere for the night.

The most important thing of all in these retreats however, is that you have privacy and can remain relatively untouched by the troubles of the real world.  This is definitely something I want to look into having.  For further information on some already established retreats visit here and here!  Or check out this guidebook: here.  These are just a few things about retreats, the internet is full of them and with such boundless reference material at our fingertips, it seems a darn shame not to take advantage of having a retreat all our own.  Or at least all on one's one.


Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora)

Grammar Corner: Rather or Whether

Which to use: rather or whether?  At the crux of the debate are the phrases: rather or not (vs) whether or not. A friend and I discussed this recently and so I decided to look into this conundrum, since, as evident through the auto complete feature of the Google search engine, many people have wondered the same thing.  My results are as follows:

rath·er  adv.

1. More readily; preferably: I'd rather go to the movies.

2. With more reason, logic, wisdom, or other justification.

3. More exactly; more accurately: He's my friend, or rather he was my friend.

4. To a certain extent; somewhat: rather cold.

wheth·er  conj.

1. Used in indirect questions to introduce one alternative: We should find out whether the museum is open. 

2. Used to introduce alternative possibilities: Whether she wins or whether she loses, this is her last tournament.

3. Either: He passed the test, whether by skill or luck.

Rather describes the stated or understood verb while whether provides choices.  Always use whether when saying 'whether or not.'  For more information on the debate of rather or whether, you can always Ask the English Teacher, and for expanded definitions, usage notes, and synonyms please visit TheFreeDictionary.com.

Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora) © 2012

Love Scenes VS. Erotica: Pillow Talk

"It is not enough to conquer; one must know how to seduce." ~ Voltaire

In the end the real difference between love scenes (romance stories) and erotica comes down to what the author wants the reader to feel.  In a love scene the goal is emotional satisfaction and too little can be detrimental while too much might seem out of place in the context of the novel.  In erotica the goal is visceral reaction and too little may leave the reader unsatisfied while too much may very well equate porn.  It is important to handle love and sex scenes with great care because as I stated before, everything the characters do and say, and everything they don't do and don't say, is important and has meaning and can either enhance or detract from not only the scene but the entire novel or short story.  When we put the typical elements of love scenes and erotica side by side, the breakdown is as follows:

• Love scenes are about love; erotica is about sex.
• Love scenes keep it magical and obscure; erotica tends to be more blunt.
• Love scenes end with both parties satisfied; erotica may or may not.
• Both are most successful when creativity and imagination are employed.

Sex scenes and erotic elements are not limited to romance and erotica but that is where they are most commonly seen.  There is nothing wrong with adding a bit of visceral detail to a love scene, nor is there anything wrong with confessions of love during an erotic tryst.  The lines between these literary art forms exist but they are thin and easily crossed.  The most important thing to keep in mind is the feel of your novel and the development of your characters.  

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I have included links to the first two installments of this series as well as links to other pages and sites that may be of interest to anyone wishing to explore or hone their skills in the area of romance and eroticism. 

• Love Scenes VS. Erotica: The Love Scene
• Love Scenes VS. Erotica: Erotica
• Tips for Writing Paranormal Romance
• Public Bookshelf: Romance Novels
• How to Write Erotica

Amanda LaFantasie (Skoora) © 2012