Pernell Rogers – Writer

Hello all! I didn’t realize how long it’s been since I posted anything. My editor will be receiving my novella for developmental editing. I have a lot of novellas to send to her. Finally, I feel my collection is ready for line editing. That’s one step closer to publishing. I’m still stuck on a title, but it will come to me.

I’ve been on a British crime story kick lately spawned by my love of Death in Paradise. Midsomer Murders has had my attention lately. What they both have in common are very perceptive detectives that search for connections to solve a crime. Sometimes the clues are so small they’re missed, but the detectives find them.

I’m contemplating writing a mystery. I’ve actually taken some very preliminary notes about characters. But I feel the most challenging part will be the crime when someone gets killed. The killer will need motivation and opportunity. That’s the kicker for me right now. How do I give multiple characters the motivations and opportunity but single out one or more that actually commits the crime? Whenever I figure that out, I’ll see if I can add a supernatural element. If it works, good. If it doesn’t, oh well.

I’m only considering writing a mystery because I’m in a storytelling desert. I’d love to stay in my supernatural lane, but defining a premise within a specific setting is out of reach. Wow! While writing this post, I just came up with a setting. One I’ve never used before. The story is already forming.

I’m sooo glad I wrote this post!!!

Take care!!!

Hello all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Not sure why I can’t go back to sleep, but now is a good time to write another post. My new editor just finished a developmental edit on my short story collection. I’ve been going back and forth with this collection because I always felt something was missing. My last editor mentioned it many times; the difference between a ‘story’ and an ‘event,’ and I thought I had grasped the concept.

My new editor asked a question about one of my short stories, and it was a simple one: What is the moral of the story? I was at a loss. When I write, I get caught up in the plot, making sure it moves forward. I also want to develop my characters, to make the readers care about them. I’ve never thought in terms of what is the moral of the story. In other words, can my characters learn anything from the horrific experiences I put them through? Such a question had never entered my mind before, but it made perfect sense.

Coming from the world of Information Technology, my job was to make sure the systems ran as smoothly as possible, and when they hiccuped, do everything possible to fix it. Every time, the outcome was the same; the problem was resolved (sometimes with unexpected results, but solved nonetheless). The overall moral of my job? Be prepared to fix different hiccups at any time.

But what happens in my stories when I reveal the monster? And that’s the question I’ve been missing. I love the monster reveal, and many times, after it is revealed, I’m ready to end the story, sometimes abruptly. However, the monster upset my character’s lives. How do they deal with it? Fight or flight response. Many times, flight would be the correct answer in horror stories, but it kills the ending. A fight response may not be impossible if your monster is invisible (delusions and imaginary creatures of the mind). That, in itself, causes conflict.

How will my character react after the reveal? What’s making them stay and fight: love, family, power, wealth? For me, that’s what I need to explore as I prepare my story’s endings. Even if my characters die in the end, they could still discover something about themselves, their strengths and weaknesses, shame and sorrow, or in some cases, elation and enjoyment.

With this knowledge, I’ve gotten a better understanding of what ‘storytelling’ truly is. I’ve been writing stories, but I need to start storytelling. Take care!

Hello, all! It’s been a while since I posted anything. During this time, I’ve been searching for a new editor, and I found one. I was forced to take a step back from my novel ‘Being Terrance Cooper’ based on suggestions from my last editor. She really gave me something to think about when it came to themes.

My current editor has my collection at the moment, and I’m curious to see how I can improve it. Critiques and reviews give me so much information to act on because I get other viewpoints. It’s one reason writers beg for reviews. Unfortunately, I don’t have many reviews, but the ones I read have shifted my writing style. I value editor critiques even more.

BTW, I just finished the first draft of another novel. It’s 45,000 at the moment, but I still have a ton of editing to do after I let it sit for two or three months. Since I’m in a lull right now, I think I’ll review another novel ready for editing. The conclusion for a married couple, just rescued from danger, isn’t satisfactory enough. Take care!

Hi all. I’m getting closer to publishing but had a setback. My editor is moving on to bigger and better things, and I wish her luck, but I’ll miss her. I’m searching for another editor now who could perform a line edit, followed by a copy edit. Once I find that person, I can move forward.

With so many stories in the chamber, ready to be edited, I decided to start on my next novel. This idea isn’t fully formed yet. I’ve written the first 20,000 words and hit a brick wall. I have no idea where to go. It’s happened before, and I hate it. Jumbling different ideas and brainstorming only to find flaws with it fitting in with the existing story. I’ll work through it, but it’s a pain! However, this is the part of writing I enjoy the most – finding the elusive idea that could allow me to continue. I’ve done it many times in the past, and once you get it, it seems like it’s been staring you in the face the entire time.

I’ve also been prepping myself for marketing since I’ll be doing a lot of it with so many stories in backlog. It looks like I’ll have to be a little more aggressive. Take care!

Hi all! I’ve reached a milestone. Back in February 2021, I tried an experiment where I would complete a certain number of stories before I published them. I have 10 stories ready to go to my editor. I’ve also completed the first draft of an 11th. Finally, sitting in the back of my mind is a 12th, but I’m having difficulty making it work.

The stories for my collection have changed as I’ve learned more about the craft of writing. I decided to give my editor a break from those stories and sent her one of my novellas for developmental editing. I’ve already created a blurb and found 5 possible covers. This story is more of a mystery and not supernatural horror. I really delve into the lives of the characters and try to make the reader feel what they are going through. I will publish this story before the collection.

Since I don’t have any stories in my head, which is weird, it’s time to focus on the dreaded marketing aspect. I have to learn this if I want to put the books in the reader’s hands. I expect I’ll be publishing for at least a year until the 10 stories are out. I have to admit I can’t wait to publish them. They’ve been sitting with me for far too long. Take care!

I ran across an article by C.S. Lakin at livewritethrive.com which made me which I took psychology. Instead, I took philosophy – and LOVED IT! Anyway, the article is titled ‘How Fiction Writers Can Show Emotions in Their Characters in Effective Ways’. For me, this is the Holy Grail of writing. The old ‘show, don’t tell’ mantra every writer has heard before. In her article, she states a fact about human behavior that shouldn’t be overlooked (I’m paraphrasing here):

Thoughts, good or bad, can lead to emotions, which may lead to actions.

Once I read that, I stopped and thought about every character I ever created. Each of those characters had something to motivate them to perform some action, and that’s where I think I hit the disconnect. I focused on motivations instead of their thoughts about a situation or event. Motivations, for me, can be broken down into thoughts and emotions, but I’m not sure if they are separate in my stories. Did I explain their thoughts and jump right into actions, or did I describe emotions and jump right into actions? That’s the disconnect.

I have a lot of stories that I’ve finished recently, in one form or another (1st draft vs. 6th draft), and I’m re-editing all of them using something I call ‘TEA’.

Thoughts…
Emotions…
Actions…

I’m going to examine the actions my characters perform to see if I introduced any of their thoughts in the story. If they are there, did I add any of their emotions (dialogue, gestures, etc.) to explain their thoughts? If I’m missing either of them, I’ll have to re-examine that character and how they fit into the story. It was an eye-opening read. Take care!

Hi again! In a previous post, I mentioned many of the short stories I want to develop into full stories revolve around events or situations with my characters instead of being complete stories. Well, I happened upon a website (below) that explained the difference between the two, and it was a revelation:

www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/fiction/how-to-structure-a-premise-for-stronger-stories/

I used the following criteria to see if my short stories or fresh story ideas were situations or were eligible to become complete stories:

A situation is a problem or predicament with an obvious and direct solution.
A situation does not reveal character; it tests problem-solving skills.
A situation has no (or few) subplots, twists, or complications.
A situation begins and ends in the same emotional space that it started in.

I discovered that most of my ideas were situations, but sprinkled among them were stories that could be developed if I added more characters and explored the motivations behind their actions in more detail. I wish I would have found it sooner, but I’m glad I found it, anyway.

For a story, I should be able to make a complete sentence describing its premise:

[When] some event sparks a character to action, that [character acts] with deliberate purpose [until] that action is opposed by an external force, [leading to] some conclusion.

In the 11 years I’ve spent learning how to write stories, I’d never run across any websites or books that made the distinction, but thanks to my editor, I started doing more research, and I look at my story ideas much closer now. Take care!

Hello all! I’ve received my latest collection from my editor, and I still have more work to do. She’s really helped me with my storytelling and highlighted areas where I’m lacking. And that’s what I’m focusing on now. I’ve already modified 3 stories using her suggestions and developed a brand new one to add to the collection. Unfortunately, I’m not going to include two stories since I think I could use them in a much bigger piece. Take care!

Hi all! I haven’t posted an update lately because I’m editing – a never-ending task, but very rewarding. My collection is still with my editor, and I’m editing the first draft of the third story in my ‘An Unexpected Evil’ series. This first draft surprised me.

I tried something different during editing this time. I listened to what I wrote using MS Office Text to Voice function. Needless to say, that was a mistake. It was a mistake because I hated what I heard. Then I chose to simply read through my first draft with ProWritingAid running in the background. Only got halfway through, way too many mistakes. So, I stopped my little experiments and just read the story. Boy, did I see a lot of errors and gaps in logic, and that was in the first five pages.

So, I turned on my classical music, set my PlutoTV channel to All Aboard, and watched Norway’s train chug through their beautiful countryside while I listen to the music – all the while, my story played in my head. I think I figured out why I write better watching the train. The train is always moving forward, only making stops to pick up and let off passengers, and that’s how I view my character’s lives. If I become their eyes, they’re always moving forward, encountering tons of stimuli simultaneously, and they stop if the reason is sufficient enough.

For example, walking from a parking lot into a store requires life coming at you. The pavement in front of you will soon be behind you. The door up front, which is closed, will be opened by you, then be behind you. The movement is forward, just like life through the train’s front windows. Pretty trippy, huh? My philosophy classes are coming to haunt me.

Since I created the first draft from a pseudo-outline, it read the same way. I’m adding extra dialogue and more descriptions, which is what I should have done in the first place. Lesson learned. Take care!

Hello all. I’ve sent my newest collection to my editor. Hurray!

I also finished the first draft of the 4th and the last book in my ‘The Unexpected Evil’ series. With some excellent ideas from a very close friend, I made the entire story come full circle and have a somewhat happy ending, which is unusual for me. I’ve already edited book 2, but may do it one more time.

I finished the first draft of book 3 of the series last month, but I will not edit it yet. I want to start on another story which I will try to make novel-length. I already have an idea of what the story will be, but I need to come up with real-world events that surround the idea. That, by far, is difficult for me. I always see the monster or antagonist doing something bad, but before the bad thing happens, real life goes on. Giving my characters real-world situations involves a ton of pacing. My step count on my pedometer is sure to increase these next few weeks.

Finally, I finished the first draft of a semi-science fiction story which includes a love story. Not sure how my characters pulled me in that direction, but it was another story with a happy ending. I’m hoping my novel-length story places me back into the sinister world I’m used to. Take care.