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Charity Marie Blogs!

by Charity Marie - <3

Rated: 13+ · Book · Biographical · #2131773

Charity's views on writing, ramblings, and everything else that she decides to share.

Thanks for the amazing merit badges! You're all wonderful!

First, a disclaimer. There are other writers on this site who are devoted bloggers. They blog consistently. Some even do it daily. That's probably never going to be me, although, when I started doing this in 1999, I was a daily blogger all the way up to 2007 when I had my daughter. Suddenly, life changed and so did my priorities. Now I tend to blog in spurts and only when I feel like I have something relevant or important to say. I just don't have time for a lot of fluff.

Many bloggers have a theme or topic they write about. That's also likely to never be me. For starters my interests cover too many topics to write solely about one thing. That's why I have a total of three blogs currently, including this one. The two other blogs are:

BOOK

Loving Libby

(18+)
A blog dedicated to my daughter, Libby, as she battles not to lose her mind.
#2177657 by Charity Marie - <3

BOOK

2019 and Beyond Poetry By Charity Marie

(E)
All my poetry was created in 2019+.
#2179192 by Charity Marie - <3

My blogs have always served some kind of purpose. Sometimes my blogs are for business purposes, like the author blog that I typically have on my website. That's typically where I share all manner of publishing related news. It will be focused on announcements and news. As of January 2019, I'm in the process of figuring out how to build an easier to maintain blog. I've used Wordpress for many years and while I love it, the technical needs to maintain it are just too much. I need something I can build quickly and easily and then just post updates to it. I don't want a lot of muss and I don't have a lot of time. I'm sick of paying people to do it who ultimately screw it up.

This blog, however, will be more of a stream-of-consciousness journal, without a set topic. I might post some general ramblings or just whatever comes to mind. I'll use it to participate in the various activities around WDC, like the Blogging Circle of Friends and the 30 Day Blogging Challenge. I like to use it as a tool to talk directly to you, my friends, my visitors, my readers, my fans.

I laugh a little at the idea of actually having fans. Mainly because I cannot fathom for the life of me why I would. What am I to anyone else? Why would anyone like me? Those are concepts that are foreign and strange, larger than my mind can comprehend.

And yet, my writing does have fans. There are people who like and appreciate my writing, people who want to connect with me. That's a feeling I treasure and value more than you can ever know. As someone who grew up being told she was worthless and would never amount to anything, having someone ever respond to me favorably is like sweet nectar.

I suppose maybe it's because I make them feel connected with. At least, that's what I try to do. I want to reach out to you, shake your hand, smile at you and ask you, "Can we be friends? Can we get to know each other?" For me, life goes back always to that elementary school question of, "Will you be my friend?" I also think of Mr. Rogers and his wisdom about friendship. It really can be that simple. I think you can never have too many. So I am always open to having another. So, what do you think? Will you be my friend? Can I be yours? Feel free to share your thoughts with me and I'll do my best to do the same as I'm able.

One more disclaimer - My life is hectic pretty much always. It's not an excuse, it's just a fact. I'm a Realtor. I'm also a published author and working on a four book series currently called Understanding Libby: A Mother's Journey with Childhood Paranoid Schizophrenia. Once published in spring 2019, things are likely to get hectic as I work to promote the books. At some point in 2019, I may be returning to school full time to continue my Bachelor's degree in English and pursue my Master's degree in psychology. And then there are the daily things of taking care of two special needs kids and a disabled husband.

So if it takes me time to respond, please forgive me. I will at the first opportunity. I've been part of this community for almost a decade off and on. It helped launch my career and I want to give back to others with my experience and knowledge to help other writers grow. This blog is part of that. I hope you enjoy it and that we can be friends. If you want to be notified when I post, please be sure to fan this item so you'll be able to see when I post. Also, feel free to visit www.charitymarie.com to learn all about my publishing endeavors.

Humbly yours,

Charity Marie

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Charity Marie - <3

May 22, 2019 at 11:38am
In response to "Where to Start?"

kerrimiller, thanks for dropping by and sharing. Yes, my details were minimal as I didn't want to give away too much of the plot for potential future readers. You raised some excellent points that I'll definitely take into consideration.

Anders J. Skeleton

May 22, 2019 at 11:19am
In response to "Where to Start?"

Okay. Here's the thing about plot: you can always add to it. My first suggestion is to ask what if and see if you can come up with something more "thriller" like for your story.

But, also, you can create a sense of urgency throughout the plot. I've DNFed(Did not finish) a few books because they were fine in terms of character, but I didn't have a clear sense that they were in a type of danger where they could be caught in any moment. You could make your plot more urgent by making these things—and they do seem like they could be urgent with careful nuance given the things you share with us—seem scarier. It's the small details here which could all make a huge difference.

The third thing I would suggest is to make sure that your conflict is something that would genuinely be difficult to solve. A common mistake with some stories is that the conflict could've easily been solved with a short conversation between two characters. You could maybe try having your protagonist make a decision which has really big consequences. Then I would suggest having your character grow from the conflict.

Lastly, if you can, try to incorporate some plot twists. So long as they're logical with the plot, plot twists can really make for a great read.

The truth is? I know very little about your story. So there's only so much I can do here. Take my suggestions with a grain of salt.

1 Like

Charity Marie - <3

May 22, 2019 at 7:25am
In response to "Where to Start?"

You are all fantastic for responding. Thanks northernwrites for the link, I will check it out. How you keep track of all these resources blows my mind!

Whata SpoonStealer

May 22, 2019 at 6:09am
In response to "Where to Start?"

You know who plots out things intricately and can give you an opinion if she's around is Kerri kerrimiller She's a smart kid. Well she's not a kid anymore

1 Like

Whata SpoonStealer

May 22, 2019 at 5:09am
In response to "Where to Start?"

Oh my dear. I am the last person you should ever ask about anything fictional

I'm a 98% non-fic girl. When I do write fiction it's usually on a dare and I don't think about it in these details I just write it. Yeah, the last one

However, a good book is a good book and same with a story, regardless how you lay it out if it's written well? Well, I read all kinds and enjoy uniqueness. You can do it Charity

Elle - on hiatus

May 21, 2019 at 7:42pm
In response to "Where to Start?"

Sorry, I'm not very good at this stuff. I'd be as lost as you!

1 Like

Charity Marie - <3

May 21, 2019 at 9:32am
In response to "Where to Start?"

$0.02 cents? Oh no, that's priceless info my friend! Thanks so much. Thankfully I have my climax and resolution all figured out for this book and the next two. It's just figuring out the rest of it lol!

Max Griffin 🏳️‍🌈

May 21, 2019 at 9:27am
In response to "Where to Start?"

I recently stumbled across this short blog on the seven-point story structure.
https://thewritingkylie.com/blog/the-basics-of-the-seven-point-story-structure -and-how-to-use-it

This structure is basically the three-act play structure, but more clearly delineates the key plot points. What I really liked was the advice at the end about the order in which you write down the plot points. I've always found it works better if I know that penultimate scene.

The other thing to keep in mind is that, while the resolution *includes* the climax, it's *more* than that. The resolution *also* shows what happens *after* the climax.

Think about the first Star Wars movie. The *climax* is when Luke destroys the Death Star--after Hahn has returned to assist. But if the movie stopped there, it would fall flat. The *resolution* includes the medal ceremony, where the Wookie howls, R2D2 whistles, the Princess smiles on the warriors, and the robots are together again. There's no dialogue, but the resolution shows how life has changed as a consequence of the climax.

Of course, the climax dissipates the tension, so you shouldn't hang around for too long afterwards. But you need the *after* part to put a cap on the events of the novel and close the story.

So, figure out your *resolution* first, then plot out the other elements more or less in the order the blog recommends.

That's my $0.02 worth.

2 Like

QPdoll is Grateful

Mar 9, 2019 at 7:25am
In response to "How Blogging Has Changed Me - 30DBC"

I'm glad that blog posts don't necessarily have to be 2000 words, because I'd rarely meet that if it were a requirement.

I think the writing is better when you're talking about something true rather than fiction. Blogging is definitely a respite.

Charity Marie - <3

Mar 8, 2019 at 7:55am
In response to "How Blogging Has Changed Me - 30DBC"

Thanks bobturn, I definitely like to think I'm bringing meaning to words and sharing insights with others. Speaking of, time for me to go bring words to my clients in the form of their blog posts.

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