A Writer's Love

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Hi Kim,

Please find below the next installment of answers to your questions: -
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You’re written the book, you’re developing fans, everyone loves you. So now that the book is done and printed, you can quit your job, right? Wrong!! Unless you have several books selling, you’ll be in the poor house if you quit that boring 8-4 job. Chip MacGregor has more on the subject:
I can quit now, right?

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Fear. It can stop us dead in our tracks, make us sweat and cause questions about our abilities to rise and defeat us. There’s a terror that stalks little writers, stopping them in their tracks. Their little fingers freeze on the keyboard and the questions rise up from the desks like the zombies from Dawn of the Dead. It’s the dread that the reader will not understand what the character is doing or why. Stephen King talks about this deadly menace in his book ON WRITING. He states:

I’ve been pretty good about avoiding the passive tense, but I’ve spilled out my share of adverbs in my time, including some (it shames me to say it) dialogue attribution. . . . when I do it, it’s usually for the same reason any writer does it; because I am afraid the reader won’t understand me if I don’t. I’m convinced that fear is the root of all bad writing. . . . If, however, one is working under deadline . . .that fear may be intense. Dumbo got airborne with the help of a magic feather; you may feel the urge to grasp a passive verb or one of those nasty adverbs for the same reason. Just remember before you do that Dumbo didn’t need the feather; the magic was in him. Page 127.

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Well, his Highness has made it to the semi-finals. This act was memorizing. As you all know, I’m not a fan of Opera, and don’t worry, I don’t like rap either or head banging music. (And please, no youtube videos on rap and headbanging. But thanks anyway.) So I’m not that bad. But this song gave me goose bumps. His Highness once again took over the stage and weaved his magic on the audience. And once again, his subjects adored him, throwing roses at his feet. The song from Pagliacci was powerful and full of life and once again dripped with honey. His unique clown costume with lighted sleeves, leg cuffs, a wig made of feathers and the impressive stage setting set the scene and took his performance to the next level. The costume and stage setting told me John was a professional who takes his singing seriously. In fact, I found it a little disappointing that the other acts only wore street clothes and sad looking costumes. The Prince raised the bar, making everyone sweat, while his stage presence shook the theater.


Whether or not his highness makes it to the finals really no longer matters, he now has a kingdom and loyal subjects who will follow him to wherever the wind takes him. I do hope the Prince makes it to the finals and wins as I think he does deserve it. And it would be nice to see some classical art in Las Vegas. But even if he doesn’t, he’s turned an Opera-hater into a semi-Opera-lover. Hey, it’s a start. Long live the king!!


And please, no more Opera videos. But again, thanks.

Kip Edwards who made the map said it was ok to give out his email address. kip.edwards@hotmail.com. Enjoy!!

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Hickman’s Minute Muse: Yesterday I used the word “platter” as a verb. In writing your scene today, capture words and put them to use. You are the master, the words your slaves. That doesn’t mean you can mangle the king’s English. But you are the artist, the page your journey. Story your vocabulary. Set it free. PH

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Diane Eble is a my friend as well as my mentor and she always has great advice on how to sell the novel. This time around, she has some great advice for the self-publisher whom an agent approaches.

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Map by Kip Edwards: kip.edwards@hotmail.com


My co-worker’s boyfriend made a map of Ezasu (the land in my book) for me. I’m surprised he was able to read my chicken scratch. I couldn’t read my chicken scratch!!! Click the picture for a better view of it. And yes, this IS going into the book!!


I used Ezasuian names for everything in case you’re thinking, what is that?? I was able to make a new language using this link. Here’s a quick translation of the words used in the map:


Ioole Chanji- Witch Prison
Leo - River
Opize- Forest
Shasu - Mountain
Sheschez- Mother’s hills
Shez Nool- Ivory Moon
Uje Shoeli - Looming Peaks
Vega - Mountains
Yoem Eck- Demon’s Forest

Oh and the dragon’s name is Fred, in case your wondering.

Ok, my lovelies, I came across this blog via Tracy Walker’s blog. Todd Jones. Todd is an MLM marketing guru, but he has great ideas to help market anything. Check him out if you can. Enjoy!!!

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I like to add the Snoop to my story, the person who
asks too many questions, makes inquiries,investigates with or without consent,
or who pries uninvited into the heart of the protagonist. We love
them, we loathe them, but they live among us. Sometimes they are us.
Have you ever been a snoop or known one? Patricia Hickman

Fiction requires a close eye to what is true and it isn’t easy. If I write with codified language aimed at an agenda, the story becomes insular. So I apply codes in a manner that dramatizes or reflects culture, or to reveal character in order to expand story. The reader should say, I know someone like this or this sounds just like me. PH




Think about how hack actors try and mimic the dialect of your region. When you develop a character from a region, you’ll need to avoid generalizations and hack dialect, such as phonetic spellings. Have you read a book or seen a movie that did not portray your part of the world correctly? PH
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