Pernell Rogers – Writer

Archive for May, 2021

Hello all. Check out the Vault of My Mind tab. I’ve added and except from one of my stories. Give it a read and please leave comments, if you like. The story is currently named ‘The Vengeance of Burg Lichtenberg (Oberstenfeld)’.

Revisions, or re-reading what I’ve already written, is absolutely necessary. I find so many plot holes, grammatical errors, and just plain sentences/paragraphs I don’t like. For short stories, it’s not too bad, but for the longer ones, they can be a chore.

I think one reason I haven’t finished my novel is because of the revisions I’ll have to do. I’m nearing the end of the first draft, and I’ll celebrate once it’s done. Then I’ll have to let it sit for six months or so before starting the first revision. I would’ve forgotten the many details I placed in the first draft, so it will read like a new story to me. That’s when I’ll find out how good or bad the story is.

Performing revisions on this collection keeps me in practice and helps me become a better wordsmith. I’ve discovered the area of revision that slows me down the most is finding the right verb to use. I keep a tab on my browser set to thesaurus.com. I search for better words other than ‘walk’, or ‘see’, or ‘say’, etc. The appropriate word may pack a bigger punch than the ones they taught us when we first started reading.

Remember this?

“See spot run.“

How about this?

“Spot’s ears laid back against his neck right before he sprung into a full gallop.“

It’s the mind’s eye that should give you a better visual with the second sentence, and that, in a nutshell, is what I try to do when I revise. I already have the scene in my mind, and I want to transfer it to the reader. That’s why revisions are so hard. Pulling story images from my own head can be difficult, but placing them in the reader’s head is something that frightens the hell out of me. Did I do it right, or did I blow it? Did I grab the reader’s attention, or did I let them slip away?

Nevertheless, this is the journey I set out to do. Like Frodo Baggins, I’m on a quest to write the One Story.

You know, getting to really know yourself is hard enough, but really getting to know someone that doesn’t even exist…well that’s just crazy! That’s what I do when I get in my character’s heads.

In my last post, I mentioned writing about a person of the opposite gender. I’m still working on the same story with the female protagonist. I must admit, the story has grown from +1700 words to +3400 words, which is what I was shooting for, but my progress has been slow.

I find myself re-reading the same sections of the story repeatedly, then dropping my head back and thinking what does she want, what does she expect, how can she get through this with the least damage. That’s what it’s like to be in my character’s head.

Yesterday, I watched the 1971 movie “Duel” starring Dennis Weaver and directed by Steven Spielberg. I didn’t plan on it. It just happened to come on. If you’ve never seen it, YOU SHOULD! I remember seeing it for the first time back in the late 70s. There’s not of dialogue throughout the entire film, but everything that happens comes from the single point of view of the protagonist, Dennis Weaver. It’s the best of every genre: drama, thriller, horror, and mystery. And the tension that’s built as the movie progresses? Spielberg had it down!

Being stuck in my female character’s head made the movie more relevant to me. External wants versus internal wants were prevalent throughout the movie. I just have to find those same wants with my character.

Hi all. The short story I’m expanding now has a female protagonist. I remember someone asked me how a male can write for a female protagonist. First, it ain’t easy! Usually, before I start writing, I list my character’s traits and characteristics. If I give them a biography, it helps.

How and were they raised? What was their relationship with their parents, siblings, and friends? How did they do in school and how much education did they attain? How do they deal with their spouse? Do they like their job?

After that comes mental images of what I think they look like and depending on the subject, how they may change during the course of the story. Questions and mental images are the simple part.

The hardest part is determining their personality. No one can be totally happy or totally sad all the time. Events affect their attitudes. For me, I try to recall all the girls and women I’ve ever dealt with (those I can remember). I’ve experienced many attitudes, and once again, depending on the story, I’ll smash together several attitudes and extract the personality I think the character needs.

I must admit television and movies also play a role in determining personalities, attitudes, and motivations for some of my characters. And sometimes, I’ll use my own attitudes. Take shopping. I hate it, but it must be done. By myself, I’m fine with it because I get in and out. No lingering. Shopping with someone else is absolutely exhausting for me if they decide to explore every aisle. I usually use this exhausted attitude for children who must accompany their parents to the store. How could the child’s attitude change? Tell them they’re going to McDonald’s after leaving the store. It always worked with me!

Events, locations, and expectations help me to write about people of the opposite gender. However, without their personal experiences, I feel I’m missing something, but I don’t sweat it. With supernatural horror, the events are not real, so I can afford to skip the deep details. For any character in my story, making it out alive should be their chief concern!

Take care!

Well, from my previous post, I stated I could expand on a single sentence, and that’s just what I did. That single sentence led to over 500 words! The short story sits at +2200 words now, and that should be good. Adding any more would kill the tension I created.

I’m working on the second +1700 word story right now. This one is much easier to expand upon. So far, I’ve added 400 words and there is much, much more I have to write. I’m curious just how far I can push this one.

Although revisions are a pain, this is where I find plot holes and areas that need more (or fewer) explanations. Editing at this point comes and goes. If I see something obvious, I’ll make a change, but I won’t use ProWritingAid or Grammarly until I’m ready to edit.

There is another piece of software I may try, especially for the novel I’ve temporarily suspended working on. Fictionary looks at my stories from the highest level. It examines character arcs, may help improve the plot, and lets me know if my story is working or not. Basically, it examines the structure of my story. Once the structure is satisfactory, I can focus on line and copyediting before sending the stories off to my editor. I want to try it for one month to see how easy, or difficult, the software is to use. If it really helps, I may purchase a longer license.

Well, back to my short story! Take care!

Hi again. First, I want to thank everyone that gave my website and blog positive comments. I should post more, but I find myself either writing or resting. The reason for resting is to get out of my character’s heads.

Most of my characters are ordinary but are placed in extraordinary situations. If I stay in their heads too long, they may drive me crazy! Now, I see why Stephen King has books and movies about writers where their stories come back to haunt them (think of Misery, The Dark Half, and Secret Window).

I also posted a question long ago under the “Where My Stories Come From” tab. The question refers to a story in the book “It Happens When You’re Alone”, and I asked if anyone can figure out what my fear is.

The Big Reveal is that my fear is in the short story “The Choctaw Elder.” Specifically, it’s the shower scene. I have a closet shower with frosted glass. From inside, you can see if anyone passes in front of it, but you can’t tell who it is. I must admit, that ever since I wrote that story, that fear has retreated. See, writing supernatural horror is therapeutic!

Take care!

Hello all. I hope everyone is still staying safe, even if vaccinated. It looks like, at the moment, I have 8 stories for my new collection, which may be enough, but I’m not sure. A total of +54000 words. Not bad, but I have some major concerns.

One flash fiction story I’m using is not even 500 words, but I dare not change it because I love the shocking ending. I’m fine with that. However, 2 stories are only +1700 words, 1 story is only +4800, and 2 stories are only +6000 words. They’re crazy short.

My two favorites are +13000 and +19000 word stories. They are well-developed. What I want to do is expand those shorter stories, and that’s what I’m finding difficult. To do so, I’m may have to introduce more information that takes away from the original story.

Earlier this year, the stories were flowing from my head (those two longer stories) like a rushing river. Now the river is damned. It’s not the first time, but it is frustrating. I’m looking at one of the +1700 words stories now. It starts off with action and continues with action to the end. I don’t want to add anything that slows the pace down, but I’ve been working on characterization. I’m not sure if adding will slow the pace.

Whoa! I just had an epiphany! There is a single sentence in the short story that affects the protagonist’s life and motivates him to do something drastic. That single sentence has a lot of action, and I can expand on it. It’s a flashback, but it explains why the protagonist is motivated to do what he’s currently doing.

I guess I just needed to put my thoughts down. I have a feeling that I’ll begin adding posts to my website as I run into walls as well as I succeed. Writing is hard. It really is, but I love it so, so much. Pulling these twisted stories from my warped mind actually keeps me happy and totally relaxed.

Everyone take care!