Blog - Karen A. Chase

Show Don’t Tell, Quebec

September 21, 2016 By Karen A. Chase

There are dozens of blogs for writers on the importance of show, don’t tell. It’s the difference between stating your character “is happy,” and saying, “with each step her feet felt like dancing.”

Well, show-don’t-tell is also a handy thing for a writer to keep in mind while on vacation in a foreign place, so that the time away is either spent taking pictures or experiencing the journey without constantly popping online to write about it.

To that end, here are a handful of pictures from a recent excursion to Quebec, to bike (casually and with friends) the P’tit Train du Nord trail. It’s an affordable, relatively easy rail-to-trail, so even if you’re a novice you can do it. Over 3, 4 or 5 days the trip includes gorgeous B&Bs that serve both dinner and breakfast. Just remember the words of one of our favorite B&B owners, Guy, along the trail. “Take your time, it’s a holiday, not a job.”

Click on the below images for an enlarged slideshow…

Historical Fiction Early Readers

September 1, 2016 By Karen A. Chase

For authors, having early readers for our manuscripts-in-progress is a must. These are not people who simply like us, but who give constructive feedback–about the pace, the plot, the characters, the grammatical mistakes and more.

And for an historical fiction author, having a few early readers who are also experts in the history, is even more crucial.

For my Revolutionary period book it was an historian who explained battle line formations better than any book. It was an reenactor/historian who told me canes were called walking sticks.

Historians can also help ensure we’ve captured history faithfully. An historian well-regarded in Shawnee history, who did also suggest some changes, said he was pleased to see I’d portrayed the Shawnee as “reasonable, thinking human beings,” and not as the warring stereotypes our lopsided education system has mistakingly led us to believe.

But why go to all this trouble if it’s fiction? It depends on what type of fiction you’re writing. If you’re writing “near-historicals,” or fiction that gives a smidgen of history, but your primary focus is on romance, historian reviewers might be over the top.

But what I’m aiming for in my novels is what I’ve referred to as factual fiction. And, if the facts don’t resonate with historians, I not only have fewer advocates, I’m more likely to get a pile of hate mail when it’s published. How sad would that be?

I further champion historical novelists like Philippa Gregory, who recently put a clause in her film-adaptations contracts that stipulates screenwriters be faithful to the history she painstakingly researched for her novels. She made the change because, “the temptation of film makers to treat historical fact and fiction as if they were one and the same thing… is something I oppose.”

And so it is with publishing factual fiction, which is why early historian readers are a must. They’ll help allow future readers to wander faithfully back in time and (hopefully) learn the real history.

Ending a literary agent relationship

August 11, 2016 By Karen A. Chase

So, I have a confession. A few weeks ago my literary agent and I broke up. I’ve been quiet about it because it’s been so much to process, but it’s time to share so others can learn from my journey. My blog is often upbeat, so let’s have some fun with this sad story.

In the “we have to discuss our relationship” email, the agent admitted that in showing it to editors at publishing houses, she realized she didn’t have the resources (editor contacts/understanding of my readership) to sell my genre of book. She suggested I might consider finding a new agent.

Admittedly, my first reaction was…

How could this be after all our time editing, and talking about this book? Naturally, I asked myself, “Did I not ask the right questions about her specific contacts? Had I relied on her judgement over my knowledge of my readership?” Regardless, it became clear that we would only amass more rejections together.

I’m not going to lie. For about a week my mornings began like this:

After this stage passed, reality set in. I had to find a new agent. That meant query letters. Submission guidelines. The possibility of more rejections.

My first morning at the laptop felt like this:

But then I read an article about aiming for 100 rejections. Could searching for an agent in a specialized and subjective industry be about odds? If I secured my first agent after only 8 rejections, then out of 100, I’d have options.

So for the last two weeks, this has been me nearly every day:

I’ve been combing PublishersMarketplace, literary agencies and primarily using an online agent-search resource called QueryTracker to sort out who I’ve queried, being careful that they represent my genre.

That’s not to say my book is a fit for everyone. So I’m also like this when I look at my inbox each day:

I’ll keep you posted, but here are the stats so far: 50 queries sent. 7 rejections. 2 partial requests. 2 full manuscript requests.

I will go to the mattresses!

And for all you agents out there with a manuscript wish list (#MSWL) that includes American Revolutionary historical fiction with more battles than bodice-ripping, and a reluctant, yet likable male protagonist like Jamie in Outlander?

I’ve only one word…

Writing and Reading Rhythm

June 30, 2016 By Karen A. Chase

As both a writer and reader, I’ve come to appreciate the rhythm behind prose. Understanding why it’s important, and what it does for readers emotionally, is easier when I liken it to a well-composed piece of music. I love this piece, Haunted by Waters, by Mark Isham, written for the movie A River Runs Through It.

While it mimics the feeling of fly fishing, Isham says he was also struck by the poetry of the script’s words. Consequently this song is a reminder of how sentence structure, length, and syntax evoke feeling. Hit play on the link to the song (above) and then read along noting the timing of it…

Sometimes, like up to the :30 point, sentences are best short. Minimal. Simple. Withholding. Anticipatory. Repetitive. But too simple too long? That’s boring. Dulling.

So, like Isham’s next refrains (:30–:52), sentences also need to be a bit more complex, adding in commas, breaths. A few highs, and some lows, propel us along. Repeating this pacing, as he does after :53, adds extra emphasis for a lead-up to something more impactful.

Consequently at 1:17, when the strings come in, his sentences flow with even more complexity, adding in emotionally charged refrains, long or languishing melodies, and then swirling higher right up to 1:40. Then he adds a crescendo of repetition again, and that second-by-second, word-by-word feeling builds even more until he meanders back down to… a pause.

A paragraph break.

Then he brings in staccato at 2:00–a brief repeating–and that begins another little meandering through several seconds, or sentences, that allows us to return to a comfortable refrain we’ve heard before. The rest of his song, takes us through a variety of pacing and structures, again and again, until we have a gorgeous closing that feels not only right, but leaves us, in the end, with the feeling of wanting more.

If you’ve not been reading or writing with such rhythms, I urge you to listen to classical soundtracks like this one. Composers build soundtracks to increase emotional impact, and as E.M. Forster once said, “In music fiction is likely to find it nearest parallel.”

For more on this topic, I also suggest David Jauss’ book On Writing Fiction, and especially Part III on flow.

5 years. 4 Goodreads Giveaways.

February 22, 2016 By Karen A. Chase

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Bonjour 40

by Karen A. Chase

Giveaway ends March 04, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Mon dieu! How has it been 5 years since my BONJOUR 40 trip to Paris? Five years since I met Dorothée and Bandit. Sixty months since I wandered those streets delighting in the joy of getting lost… Since then, the book has reached thousands, resulting in some amazing new relationships, and some lovely comments from readers both complimentary and inspiring.

As a thanks, I’m running a Goodreads Giveaway now through March 4th. Sign up for a chance to win one of 4 copies of BONJOUR 40: A PARIS TRAVEL LOG. It’s a world-wide giveaway (so share far and wide). And to Worth, Greg, Brenda, Jackie, and all my sweet readers and supporters… You have inspired me, too. The pen is still in my hand, and travel still moves my feet. Hugs and merci to all of you have come along on this delightful journey.

“This reads with the same pleasing, conversational, witty, engaging lope of Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux.”

“I literally cried while I wandered, with you, through Shakespeare and Company and sat, just behind you at the Mad Hatter’s Party. It is without a doubt, and I’ve many years on you lass, one of the finest pieces of travel writing I’ve enjoyed.”

“For my 60th, 8 women and I rented a chateau in Provence… Met so many people who are now lifelong friends. The magic of travel is awesome. Keep writing you owe it to your soul……”

“You helped me through a very lonely Christmas Eve. I have the flu and pneuma and could not be at my family’s Christmas Eve dinner. I fixed a pot of tea and read your book Bonjour 40. I felt like I was on vacation with you. Thank you for getting me through a difficult holiday experience.”

Supporting Characters

February 19, 2016 By Karen A. Chase

This week legendary character actor George Gaynes passed away. Despite his handsome looks and rumbling voice, despite dozens of plays and films, he was never really considered leading man material. Instead he was most known for supporting roles, like that of the photographer/building manager on Punky Brewster.

But I see high value in such roles. Like Samwise in Lord of the Rings, secondary characters sometimes give us a glimpse into what the main character, who is often wallowing around in the quagmire of becoming, might actually become. We needed the kind, wise mentor of Gaynes’ Henry, to believe that Punky Brewster might also grow up to be kind after being orphaned.

Writer’s Digest has a great article on how to write sizzling secondary characters. Primarily though, it comes down to writing supporting characters who, through their own journeys, help us and our protagonists reach a believable end.

I suspect Dustin Hoffman would not have been as convincing as a woman in Tootsie, had it not be for George Gaynes’ character so believably coming on to him as a “her.”

So thanks for the great character work, George. Thanks for the memories, and the laughs. You can see George Gaynes in this Tootsie original trailer around :40.

Research & Writer’s Block

February 5, 2016 By Karen A. Chase

Writers block means going back to the books. (Public Domain Image: Ivan Kramskoy. Reading woman.)

Writers often dread the idea of becoming stuck, and Writer’s Digest (WD) has a great post this week about 5 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block.

I’ll admit that I’m not a big believer in writer’s block as this staring-at-a-blank-page, drink-in-hand, woe-to-the-tortured-Hemingway-like-writer syndrome. Much like the WD article author, Molly Cochran, I think the reasons for why writers might stall are pretty straightforward. And Molly’s tips are a great help for overcoming those problems.

But I will add to her list a sixth reason, and it’s primarily for all the historical novelists out there. Lack of preparation or research.

I write what I call “Factual Fiction,” whereby my plot, story and characters are not loosely set in history but intrinsically tied to real events, people and places. So if I am having difficulty with my plot, or what my characters are doing or saying, it’s because I simply don’t know enough about the event, person or place with which they must interact.

To overcome those moments when words come to a screeching halt, I read (or sometimes reread) about an event. I take out pictures of the locations I’m featuring, or I read second-hand accounts or bios about the person they’re speaking to. Once, I had to request a historian’s dissertation from a California university to overcome a lack of information.

Usually within an hour, or in that one case a couple weeks, I’m humming along with ideas again. No more writer’s block. Then my only problem becomes whether or not I’ve blocked off enough time to write.

7 Years in 1776

January 29, 2016 By Karen A. Chase

Many years ago, when I worked at a corporate job, my employee review indicated I was doing well, but “lacked patience.” I was not surprised. I’d heard it before, and was well aware of both the positive and negative aspects of such a trait.

Fast forward, and this week my novel, in the hands of my agent, is going out for the next round of feedback from publishers. As I wait, once again, I’m reminded of that review, and I wonder if this novel shows how my lack of patience was probably not a trait, but a symptom of circumstance.

Back then, I wanted to my career to advance faster (now), because I was working jobs that fit me about as well as that too-tight pair of wool pants I can’t seem to part with.

But this book, set during 1776, is a passion project. Potentially a new career. And so it’s more like a cozy sweater-dress I bought at Goodwill a couple months ago–it fits so easily, and makes me feel fantastic. Consequently, my dedication to it can been seen in the numbers:

I began researching 7 years ago, worked with 5 different editors, 9 early readers (friends who gave advice and corrections), 100s of historians, librarians, museum directors and more. I wrote and rewrote a total of 8 drafts. Went through 6 months of agent-query rejections, and now, after 1.5 years editing with my agent, we’re heading for the final gate–a publisher.

I’ve grown. I’ve matured. And yet all I can think is, “Now? Have you heard from a publisher now? How about now?”

(I will indeed let you all know when I hear, per this old post about getting the agent, I will fly the Canadian flag when I have a publisher.)

How Time Flies

January 15, 2016 By Karen A. Chase

Hello again. Dipping back into my blog after a hiatus and after a new year begins, it’s clear to me how time can zoom by. You’re doing one thing (editing, in my case) and thinking, “After this, then I’ll get to that.”

This thinking is not mine alone, as witnessed on a holiday with my in-laws in New Jersey. Now in their mid-90s, my partner’s parents have been in the same house since 1959. Although some appliances or worn out chairs have been replaced, much of it has stayed true to the 60s. In part, because life was happening. Be it the morning newspaper or six kids, and thirteen grandchildren. They were so busy with this, that that (updating the house) just wasn’t the priority. And maybe it’s lovely it wasn’t.

While I’ll have more details on this excursion in my upcoming Will Travel For Words column over at ShelfPleasure, for now, enjoy these few snapshots of a circa 1960s house, and be thankful it hasn’t changed, so you can go back there, too.

Lafayette’s Hermoine Close Up

June 11, 2015 By Karen A. Chase

Every now and then a little bit of history sails right into our lives. This last week, the Hermione landed in Yorktown, VA. The Hermione (pronounced Her-me-own) is a full-scale replica of a ship Lafayette sailed from France to America to fight with us during the Revolution.

While I’ll have more about my tour of the ship later this month in my Will Travel With Words Column on ShelfPleasure.com, for now enjoy this gallery of images: The Hermione Up Close.

The Hermione is currently sailing up the east coast to land in New York July 4th. To find out where the Hermoine will be, visit the Hermione2015 Website or for amazing photos visit their awesome Facebook page.