DOG DAYS OF SUMMER--They work for me!

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time when "the Sea boiled, the Wine turned sour, Dogs grew mad, and all other creatures became languid; causing to man, among other diseases, burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies." The last word is also written as it sounds: frenzies.

Sound familiar? I believe we truly are in the Dog Days of Summer.

I was born during this time, a Virgo, an August baby, and my mother told me many times how hot it was the day I was born, decades ago, in a house with no air conditioning (what was that, anyway?), no running water, and one light bulb in each room. You might say we were poor, but really we weren't. We just lived as everyone else did in the small North Texas farming community back then.

And so, I can identify with the Dog Days of Summer on a first-hand basis.

I have learned I can make this time work for me. The summer months have become a time of respite, a time to shift gears and work on a different level, a different playing field--or do nothing. During these hot days, my usual responsibilities have been dismissed for the summer, just as they were when I taught high schools students.

Since I'm happily retired now, I have no job or anything professional I must do. All groups I belong to are suspended for the summer. In each one, I do hold a position, a post, or a volunteer spot of various sorts. My book club even suspends meetings once a month, giving us time to read some of the selected books for the coming year.

While you might think I'd be languishing like those people centuries ago when this quote was written, I have instead found a burst of energy that I am directing to writing--more than usual.

A. I pulled a manuscript from Archives titled Whisper on the Wind, dusted it off, re-read and re-edited it, and sent it to a publisher.

B. I wrote a short story for Prairie Rose Publications to add to one of their summer anthologies: Cowboy Cravings. My story? Titled: Starr Bright. This was fun, a little different from my usual fare. Still a Western Romance, it's a complete story in 13,000 words.

http://tinyurl.com/kqjuqa7

C. I wrote out short synopses for three short stories that will be a series titled TRINITY HILL BRIDES, about Mail Order Brides in the 1880 small town in the Central Texas Hill Country.

Book I: Kathleen--The Make-Believe Bride, is 26,000 words complete.

Book II: Lorelei--The Left-Over Bride, has around 6,000 words so far. I know the plot, so the writing goes faster.

Book III: Vague plot is outlined, names not chosen. The bride will abandon her intended husband for a mysterious man.

D. I have a re-release this summer titled TEXAS BLUE, the first of the "Texas Books" back in 2007 which is available once more with a beautiful new cover.  
http://tinyurl.com/ngujhhg

E. I have promoted my summer release titled TEXAS DREAMER, my tenth novel length story, and the last...yes, the last "Texas" book. Time to begin something new. I love Texas Dreamer, though, and I'm happy it turned out so well.
http://tinyurl.com/qdwxyw2


The heat, the long days, the sameness of the weeks do not bother me during July and August. I'm happy to remain at home in my air conditioning, only going out when I wish, going only where I want. How much better could this be?

I can't say I like the name put to these long summer days, but I only pay attention to my own business. Oh, I'm not a hermit. I love to have coffee, and talk with friends, and hang around the library, and shop a little here, a little there.

September will arrive soon enough, and...Bang!...it all starts up once again.

This, too, I love. Newness, beginnings, reconnections.

Can't wait for September.

HOOKS FOR BOOKS-The Opening Line

"It was a dark and stormy night…" 
No, no, never begin a story with the weather. The reader will skip ahead and look for action or characters, or heaven forbid, close the book.

Okay, let's see. "I was falling, falling…and then I woke up." 
Nope, I remember, now, NEVER open a book with a dream--or an alarm clock or phone ringing.

What about something really funny? For example, "Nearing the counter with a full tray, her foot slipped on spilled…." Uh, oh. That's on the list of no-no's, too.

Such a lists exist, in fact. The admonitions may vary slightly, but editors are programmed to stop reading a submission after the first sentence or first paragraph if she/he sees these red flags. The nineteenth-century Gothic novels opened with long brooding descriptions of the weather, or a monologue recounting the entire genealogy of the family in the story, enough to make one's eyes glaze over.

In today's world, the reader wants and deserves action, the inciting incident, the reason for the story, and he wants it right away. In some manner, the opening sentence or first paragraph or first chapter must give the reader what he wants--"What is this novel about?"

Grabbing the attention of an editor you'd like to impress or a reader you'd like to keep is an art form all its own. Books galore sit on shelves or can be found on-line that help the budding author or the experienced one who wants a refresher course learn a bit more about a good beginning.

Here are the beginning lines from six different novels.

1. The truth had long been settling on Jonathan Gray, sneaking into his resisting corners, but it had finally resounded in the deepest part of him. (The Fulfillment: LaVyrle Spencer)

2.  He'd known all day something was about to go down, something life-changing and entirely new. ( Montana Creeds: Dylan: Linda Lael Miller)

3.  Sister Bernadette Ignatius and Tom Kelly sat in the back seat of a black cab, driving from Dublin's airport through the city. (What Matters Most: Luanne Rice)

4. It was well known around Russellville, Alabama, that Tommy Lee Gentry drove like a rebellious teenager, drank like a parolee fresh out, and whored like a lumberjack at the first spring thaw. (The Hellion: LaVyrle Spencer)

5.When Ella Brown woke up that morning, she didn't expect it to be a momentous day. (Rainwater: Sandra Brown)

6. A sharp clip-clop of iron-shod hoofs deadened and died away, and clouds of yellow dust drifted from under the cottonwoods and out over the sage. (Riders of the Purple Sage: Zane Grey) 

These opening lines come from Best-Selling authors. Do we need to pay closer attention to the novels we read? Go to a bookstore, find a shelf of best-sellers in romance, and open several to study the first page. Just read the first line.

Make a list of the kind of hooks that interest you in a book. Your list may be the same as mine.

1. Attention-getting

2. Exciting

3.Pulls me into the story

4. Straight forward

5. Brief and punchy

6. Rouses curiosity

7. Emotionally charged

8. A declarative sentence

A beginning sentence need not be earth-shattering and memorable--such as "It was the best of times, etc."--but it should be strong enough to elicit some response from the reader.

The worst openings are paragraphs and pages of descriptions, telling the reader what she/he will read. This is a common mistake with new authors--trust me, I know--I was one. I had to adjust my style and stop trying to describe the people, the surroundings, the landscape, the...you get the picture. 

Hooking your reader is not easy, but with a little self-study, you can improve your chances with editors and nail that contract. With your next or current WIP, try writing five opening sentences and ask fellow authors or your critique partners help you select one.

If you self-publish, try out your opening line with a few readers and learn their reaction. 

Thanks for visiting my blog.