Beyond Her Pale Crib Walls

Hello all!

The following is an original poem that I wrote when I was in high school. It was published in the high school literary magazine and is currently my one and only published piece. Hope you enjoy it!


Beyond Her Pale Crib Walls

By Shellie Kinard

The baby cries out softly

but no one hears her plea.

They don't know why she's whining

and, sadly, nor does she.

Her fragile heart is beating

to the rhythm of the clock.

It hangs upon the wall

making endless ticks and tocks.

Her little fingers reach out

then curl up into balls.

She looks out with curiosity

beyond her pale crib walls.

The surroundings lie in shadows.

Her timid eyes cannot see.

This crib is safe and warm

yet she longs to be

                            Free.

The Struggle

      My first book review should be up shortly, but until then, here's a lovely poem to hold you over! I wrote this piece at work one day when my computer stopped working and wouldn't let me log in. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know in the comments if you've ever experienced . . . The Struggle.

The Struggle

by Shellie Kinard

(It's real guys.)

The computer's a most useful tool

Used for business or pleasure or school.

But user beware

For when you most care

It will shut down and make you the fool.

There's no point in begging and pleading.

Devices don't interpret feelings.

So swallow your tears

And get help from peers

To decode your error box meaning.

Now you've clicked around in confusion

And still can't find a solution.

Troubleshooting and malware

As you pull your hair.

Screw it. Just throw it in the ocean.

Part 2: Writing a Thrilling Thriller that Thrills

                On to part two! In case you couldn’t already guess, this one is all about writing thrillers. So let’s get right to it!

#1. Tension Builders

 The building blocks of tension are more than just action scenes. Setting, character, and structure can be great ways to introduce tension as well. Mention a place a couple of times before the character goes there to create suspense. Or create a character who brings trouble with him every time he walks into the room. Pacing is another great way to add tension, but we’ll get more into that next. Even if nothing scary ends up happening at your setting or with that certain character, it could still get readers on the edge of their seats. What could happen can be just as scary as what is happening. Just make sure that something is still happening in your story. J

#2. Rogue Treadmill

If any of you are masochistic psychos like me, you’ve probably tortured yourself before by running on a treadmill. Some people prefer to keep the pace slow, while others like to run the whole time. I usually prefer to mix it up a bit, but no matter what your preference, you’re always in control of the speed. Now picture being on a treadmill where you have no idea what the speed will be and it could change at any time. One minute you’re walking nice and slow and then BAM! You’re running at full speed and it’s all you can do to keep up! When it slows down again, do you think you’re going to be able to relax? No! You’re going to be nervously waiting for the next unexpected bout of speed.

Your book should be written the same way. Lull your readers into a false sense of security with some beautifully-written narrative scenes (not too long though. We don’t want to put them to sleep.) Then crank up the speed with short, clippy sentences and life-threatening action scenes! If you set a good, unexpected pace for your story, your readers will be thrilled the whole time, even during the slower sections!

*Also important: Make sure not to slow down the action scenes for narrative. Explain before or after the action, not during. That’ll just feel disruptive and unnatural to your readers.

#3. Hook, Line, and Sinker

This one applies to all stories, but especially to thrillers. Grab the reader from the first two pages, and don’t let go. That may not sound like much time. You probably wouldn’t have even introduced all of your main characters yet. But if you don’t give readers a reason to keep going in the first two pages, they’ll put the book down and walk away. The best way to give a solid hook is to use voice. No matter what POV you write in, develop a strong story-telling voice in which to relay your tale. Give the narrator a unique perspective on seemingly simple things to spark curiosity.

Here’s a great example of strong voice in the first line from a well-known book called “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger.

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

And, since I’ve got a picture for everything else, here’s a picture of a great beginning in a little movie some of you may have heard of called Jurassic Park.

Raise your hand if you weren't the teensiest bit curious about what could possibly be in the big metal box that was eating people? That's what I thought.

#4. Make it Personal

Picture yourself walking down the street when you see someone pass by in a clown suit. You’d probably think ‘Wow, what a weirdo’ and then just keep walking without giving him a second thought. But what if you found out later through a friend that he worked as a clown at birthday parties because it was the only job he could get since getting laid off. And not only that, but he had to sell his car to pay for his son’s medical bill, so he had to walk to each of his jobs. He suddenly just got a lot more interesting right?

If only I still had my car. And my job. And a healthy son. = (

That’s kind of an extreme example, but my point is, add emotion! It’s not enough to just create an odd or unique character. Give the reader a reason to care. Oh, your good guy is a monkey with a college degree who is trying to be the first animal president? That’s great but why should I care? The fact that he’s a monkey with a college degree will only hold my interest for so long. Why does he want to become president so badly? What does he hope to change? Did he have to go through torturous procedures to become smart? Is he trying to get revenge on what was done to him by taking over the world? Is he going to become Commander in Chief of an ape army? This is getting to be too much like Planet of the Apes here. Moving on!

For my first order of business, I will eat this banana.

#5. I’m late! I’m late! For a very important plot resolution!

Nothing gets my heart racing like a deadline. The closer I get to the last minute, the bigger that ticking clock appears in my head. All I can think about are the seconds going by, and everything seems to speed up. Put this same effect in your book by giving the protagonist a slim window to complete his or her goal. Then, take that time window and shorten it! Make sure the stakes are high if the protagonist doesn’t succeed. Will his failure result in losing his dreams? His loved ones? His own life? You decide, but bring him close to the end of that clock so that your readers are genuinely unsure whether he’ll succeed or not.

#6. Confounded Conflicts

In addition to time limit, your characters should have a whole slew of conflicts that are getting in their way. Make it as difficult as you can for them to succeed. The higher the stakes, the more curious readers will be to see how your character manages to succeed.

Keep in mind that there should be two threads of conflicts running through your story: internal and external. Internal involves the character’s development as a person throughout the novel and how he or she feels about each situation. External involves the physical conflicts that can be seen without being in the reader’s head. Some examples are natural disasters, kidnappings, deaths, etc.

This

is a lot more exciting than

this.

*Bonus Tip!*

The last thing your readers will read is your ending. Make it a good one. Do I need to put the Toy Story image on here again to drive this point home?

Write On Target

“For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience.”

-                            From “The Beach” by Alex Garland

Hello old friends! I have returned! I was off sucking in my own experience at the Tallahassee Writer’s Conference, Write On Target, with my friend/roommate Patty this past weekend. It was my first writing conference, and, let me tell you, nothing stirs the imagination like being surrounded by a large group of fellow writers. If you enjoy any kind of writing, no matter what level you’re at, I highly recommend attending a conference.

By the end of this busy weekend, I went to about ten different sessions. Sadly, only about half of them were worth attending though. Luckily for you, I sifted through all of the unnecessary stuff and will share the golden nuggets of wisdom that I uncovered in my next post. The things I learned are helpful no matter what genre your story falls under.

To be honest, being around so many other writers took a little bit of getting used to. In the first session, I was listening to an author talk about the fairies in her book. It’s not every day that you hear grown-ups talking about fairies with a straight face on when there are no children in the room.

This author ended up being my favorite speaker at the conference. Her name is Shelli Johannes. Cool first name, huh? ;) Her sessions were well planned out, clearly explained, and provided a lot of helpful examples.  The best part was, she ended up hanging out in a group with me and a few others, so we were able to ask her as many writerly questions as we wanted!  You should definitely go check out her blog because she had a lot of great things to share. She’s written a really successful teen conservation thriller series called The Nature of Grace. I bought the first book and will put up a review as soon as I’ve read it.

From left to right: Shelli, Me, Patty, and Byna

Another favorite speaker of mine was Arliss Ryan. She actually leads ghost tours with her husband near my hometown! With this information, it should come as no surprise to you that she writes historical fiction. I was blown away by her writing when she shared some examples. I always assumed that you had to be British to write high-quality, believable fiction set in England, but she proved me wrong. I want to read some of her stuff as well. Check out her Facebook here, and if you read or have read any of her stuff, let me know what you think!

By the way, if you’re wondering who Byna is from the picture, we met her at the conference as well. She’s written an apocalyptic zombie novel and has a really neat zombie blog. (Do people still use the word ‘neat’?) Anyway, you can check out her blog here.

I also posted some pics on Instagram of some of the random Tallahassee outings we went on. My friend Sarah who came with us is an FSU alumni so she brought us to some of her old haunts. I felt like an old lady when we went to a college bar called Bullwinkle’s, but they played awesome 90s tunes!

So that’s about the gist of my first writing conference. Check back later for those writing tips I’ve promised, and if you’ve ever been to a conference, I’d love to hear about it in the comments! 

Welcome!

                Allow me to set the scene for you:

A pair of thick wooden doors open to reveal a dimly lit study. The only source of light comes from the large marble fireplace on the opposite side of the room. You’re drawn in by the warmth of the flames, and, as you get closer, you can hear the crackling sound of the slowly-burning logs.

As your eyes adjust to the flickering light, you start to notice the layout of the room. Other than the large mirror hanging above the fireplace, the rest of the wall space is covered by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Upon closer inspection, you realize that you’ve read some of the titles and others you’ve at least heard of. You get caught up in the memories of the stories held in those pages.

The sound of a particularly loud crackle erupts in the flames, and your thoughts drift back to the present moment. You turn around and notice for the first time that there are two plush armchairs sitting in front of the hearth. Their backs are tall enough to hide anyone from sight who chooses to sit down in them. They currently sit empty, but a small round table between the two seats holds a well-worn book, as if someone had been recently sitting there reading.

Without hesitating, you walk over to one of the empty chairs and sit down. As you sink into the soft velvet lining, warmed by the fire’s glow, you can’t help but feel that this place was meant for you.

Your choice to stay seemed to trigger something because the doors you first came through swing open once more. You hear footsteps behind you, and you suddenly start to wonder if you’ve trespassed into someone’s private library. You’re grateful that the distinctive armchair hides you from view, but the stranger doesn’t seem all that surprised to see you when she walks up. Instead, she sits down beside you, and, with a pleasant smile on her face, begins to speak . . .

                I see you’ve found my study. Welcome. I hope you like it. It may not be much in the way of decorating, but it’s cozy.

                You may be wondering why I’m not surprised to see you here. It’s the books, isn’t it? A good story always draws people in time and time again. No matter how you like to read or what your favorite genre is, everyone has something that sparks their imagination.

                That’s why I created this place. I’m sure you’ll have read some of the books on these shelves. There’s nothing better than getting lost in a story, but sometimes a book’s effect on you is too strong to be kept to yourself. This place is the perfect spot to come share your thoughts and hear another’s point of view on your favorite novels.

                Maybe there’s some books that you recognize and have always wondered about. Another great thing about this study is that you’ll hear about a lot of well-known classics and current bestsellers. You don’t have to wander aimlessly anymore to find another captivating book. As a practiced reader, I can give you the ultimate scoop on whether or not a book is worth reading according to your tastes.

                There’s no rule that says we only have to talk about books here, though. Since writing goes hand-in-hand with reading, I’ll be sure to share some of my own works as well as any handy writing tips that I’ve picked up.  One thing to keep in mind is that writing inspiration can be drawn from literally anywhere. Because of that, you may see some random posts about all sorts of things that are currently motivating me or simply making me laugh. I hope they’ll inspire you as well.

                Finally, there’s The Challenge. I’ll give you all the details about that later, but to satisfy your curiosity for now, I’ll give you a few minor details. A few years ago (I don’t remember exactly when), I challenged myself to read all 100 books on BBC’s fan-voted list of the best novels of all time. The list can be found on the right side of this page. I’m almost halfway through, but to push myself to continue, I’m going to add some additional challenges along the way to make things more interesting. I’ll probably make a fool of myself, but that just means it’s more fun for you!

                So now you know what to expect. I hope you’ll stay and visit for a while. The doors to my study are always open for some in-depth book discussions and miscellaneous ramblings.

                There is one note I wish to make. To ensure that everyone is able to experience the joy of reading stories for the first time, please be sure to include SPOILER at the top of your comments that contain any information that could ruin a book for someone. I’ll be sure to do the same.

                Once again, I would personally like to welcome you to Bookin’ It. If you want more frequent updates, feel free to drop by my contact page. Enjoy your visit and come back often!