Cup of Comfort Blog

On Priming the Plot

user.nospam@nospam.example.com (lvoisen) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:19:00 -1000

As some of you may know, in my life outside of being the Cup of Comfort editor, I am an independent writer, editor, and editorial consultant. And, with only one new Cuppa currently in development (A Cup of Comfort for Couples, a.k.a. the Your Love Story Contest, co-sponsored by REDBOOK Magazine), for the first time in a long time I actually have time to work on other stuff. One of my new gigs is evaluating a book manuscript and providing the author with suggestions on how to improve the memoir—and its chances of finding a market and a publisher (because you can't have one without the other).

Last night I finished my first "quick-take" read of the manuscript, and it's a good story with potential. Most of what needs to be there is there. But it's missing a few things of the essential elements of master storytelling that pique make a good story great (and appealing to both publishers and readers) ... chief among those, a plot device that moves the story forward, what I call "priming the plot."

In his fantastic book Screenwriting from the Soul, my esteemed colleague and good buddy Richard Krevolin calls this type of plot device a "broomstick engine." Professor Krev is referring, of course, to the Wicked Witch of the West's broomstick in L. Frank Baum's classic tome The Wizard of Oz. From the time,early on in the story, when the Wizard promises to grant their wishes (home, courage, a heart, a brain) if they bring him the Wicked Witch of the West's broomstick, the pursuit of that brookstick drives the plot forward to the story's conclusion. As Rich explains in his book, "Thus, the broomstick serves as an engine, a powerful motivating device, what Hitchcock would call a 'MacGuffin,' driving the story forward. (Think of Rosebud in Citizen Kane.)"

My client's memoir has no broomstick engine. And it needs one.

A good example of a story that does have an effective "broomstick engine"—one that drives the plot forward and pays off in the end—is "The Dark Green," by Nancy Antonietti, excerpted here (in part) from A Cup of Comfort for the Grieving Heart:

"Hon, what should I wear today?" Michel asked, sticking his head into the bathroom which was still steamy from our showers.

"A suit, baby. What else?" I answered, not looking away from the spot I had wiped clear on the mirror. I was applying concealer to the puffy, dark circles that had made themselves at home under my eyes during the last four days.

"Which one?" came his voice, unrelenting.

"You could've given this some thought last night." I was tired of holding up, tired of holding on.

"Well, I can't wear the same one I wore to the wake..." his voice trailed off. "People would be sure to notice, don't you think?"

I put down the concealer and picked up the slim tube of black mascara, wondering if it was waterproof. My husband's wardrobe concerns were not high on my priority list at the moment.

"What are you gonna wear?" he asked when I didn't answer. By now he had moved his entire body into the room, no longer just his head.

"The dark green suit."

The last time I had worn that suit was still a vivid memory, and I floated back into it now...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Not black?" Michael asked, his puzzled voice bringing me back to the present.

"No. Dad hated black," I said, my voice trembling.

Then, remembering that my dad always stood by his convictions—one of his many admirable qualities that I meant to speak about in his euology that day—and knowing that he would want me to stand by mine, my voice grew strong. "The dark green is just right."

As you can see even from this short excerpt, the green suit is the plot device that drives this story forward. What you cannot see without reading the whole story is that, like in The Wizard of Oz, this "broomstick engine" is the connecting thread upon which the narrative arc is hung ... stringing together the scenes and emotions and insights on the journey from conflict to resolution.

Does your story have a "broomstick engine"? Does it have all the other essential elements of a well-crafted story?

One easy, economical way to find out is with a Story Critique by one of Adams Media's story wizards.

May all your stories be as magical and well-crafted as The Wizard of Oz.

Colleen Sell

____________________________________________________

Looking for a pro to review your personal essay or short story? Check out our Story Critique Services

Attend one of our online writing workshop to learn how to improve your writing and storytelling skills

Want to learn how to write great stories? Then read great stories! Buy Cup of Comfort books today!

Two New Books to Lift Your--and Yo Mama's--Spirits

user.nospam@nospam.example.com (lvoisen) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:18:00 -1000

May we have a drum roll, please! I am tickled to announce the release of A Cup of Comfort Book of Bible Promises and A Cup of Comfort for Mothers. And these two anthologies of uplifting true stories could not come at a better time ... smack dab in the middle of the drab month of February, when so many folks are going through some really tough times, and with spring (with its promise of better times ahead) and Mother's Day right around the corner.

Both A Cup of Comfort Book of Bible Promises (edited by James Stuart Bell and Susan B. Townsend) and A Cup of Comfort for Mothers (edited by yours truly) are available in the online Cup of Comfort Bookstore at a 20% discount! Of course, the books are also available at bookstores throughout North America and through online booksellers (though not at that enticing 20% discount).

Plus, you can read "Heart Stories," by Katherine Barrett, excerpted from A Cup of Comfort for Mothers, and "Amazing Grace is Glasgow," by Laurie Modrzejewski, excerpted from A Cup of Comfort Book of Bible Promises on the Cup of Comfort site now.

You'll also find a list of all the stories and authors published in each book in the Cup of Comfort News Forum at Cupofcomfort.com.

Happy Monday and good reading to you!

Colleen Sell

____________________________________________________

Looking for a pro to review your personal essay or short story? Check out our Story Critique Services

Attend one of our online writing workshop to learn how to improve your writing and storytelling skills

Want to learn how to write great stories? Then read great stories! Buy Cup of Comfort books today!

Writing Quote of the Day-2/8/2010: Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

user.nospam@nospam.example.com (mdohayre) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:31:00 -1000

I have made this [letter] longer, because I have not had time to make it shorter.

~Blaise Pascal

Have a short story that you'd like to submit for critique? Visit our Story Critique Services page
Attend one of our online writing workshops to learn how to improve your writing and storytelling skills

Purchase one of our Cup of Comfort books to read others' short stories

Story Excerpt: "In Search of the Perfect Meringue" from A Cup of Comfort for Mothers

user.nospam@nospam.example.com (mdohayre) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:43:00 -1000

Sit back and enjoy "In Search of a Perfect Meringue" by Paula Munier, from A Cup of Comfort for Mothers.

Marriage. Motherhood. Meringue. Otherwise known as The Sweetest Things in a Woman’s Life. At least to my mother, who’s spent most of her life perfecting the art of this holy triumvirate. And the rest of it bemoaning my failure to master any of it.

It started with marriage. My mother comes from the Fifties School of Life, which teaches that finding the right mate is the most important decision a woman can make in her life. My mother married my father in 1954. They’ve been as happy as clams ever since.

Naturally, I got it all wrong. My first husband left me broke with two small children, no college degree, no work experience, and no job prospects. My second husband left me broke with one small child, two teenagers, a roofless house, two dogs, and a small fortune in unpaid taxes. Not to mention a custody battle that cost me my life savings and several months of my life. Did I mention the custody battle that cost me my life savings and several months of my life?

“We never really had any trouble until you started getting married.”

My mother is in my kitchen, up to her elbows in eggs and sugar and baking utensils that get used, uh, once a year. She and my father are here on one of their annual trips East from Las Vegas—which my father spends outside on the dock fishing in the lake and my mother spends baking countless pies, cakes, and cookies for our sweets-starved household.

“That’s not true.” I watch as she separates the egg whites with the spare efficiency of a swordsman. “That can’t possibly be true.”

She ignores me as she slips the bowl of egg whites into the microwave. “The trick to a good meringue foam is temperature. The egg whites must be at room temperature—not too hot or too cold—before you beat them. If you take the eggs right out of the fridge, you’ll need to warm them up a bit first.”

Mom has to be wrong. There must be something that caused more trouble for my folks than my unfortunate marital alliances.

“What about the war in Vietnam?” I smile, triumphant. Dad spent a tour over there during some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict. A lot of sleepless nights for us all until he came back home safe and sound. “Now that was trouble. Big trouble.”

“It didn’t last as long,” she says without missing a beat as she pulls the bowl out of the beeping microwave and places it on the counter.

She had me there. I sigh. “I guess not.”

Armed now with a wire whisk, my mother whips the egg whites with a surprisingly strong seventy-year-old arm.

“Look, Mom, I didn’t mean to cause you and Dad any trouble.” I watch as the egg whites double and redouble under her capable strokes in mounting folds of rich goo.

“Well, of course you didn’t!” Mom whips harder. “It wasn’t your fault!” She whips furiously now, agitated, and the egg whites stand at full attention in tall peaks rising out of the bowl.

“You were never any trouble.” She adds the sugar and whips again, attacking the foam. “It was those . . . those . . . those husbands of yours.”

Overcome, my mother stops short. The whisk in her hand slips and sloppy tufts of meringue soar through the air, landing mostly on my cheeks and chin. She stares at me. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry!”

I laugh. “Look who’s trouble now, Mom.”

Mom laughs, too, once she’s satisfied that she hasn’t blinded me with the makings of her favorite dessert. She puts the whisk down on the counter and dabs at my face with the wet end of a dishtowel.

“I’m fine, Mom.” I laugh again. “Back to the meringues.”

“Of course. Before the foam falls.” Mom rushes back to the bowl and spoons the meringue onto the cookie sheet in perfectly formed swirling dollops of spun-sugared bliss.

“Were they really so bad?” I answer my own question. “Yeah, I guess they were.”

“They were intense.” My mother gives me one of her trademark I love you but don’t understand you looks. “You’ve always fallen for intense men. Not good for the long haul.”

I think about this while I dip my finger in the bowl and lick up the leftover foam. “That’s true. I never really thought about it that way.”

“I would have killed them both,” my mother says with such force that it occurs to me that she may be a little intense herself.

“It’s okay, Mom. The kids are great. I mean they’re not perfect, but—”

“My grandchildren are wonderful. But that has nothing to do with their fathers.”

“What matters is that they turned out fine, Mom. The rest is ancient history.”

“No, it’s not. You raised those kids all on your own.” Mom shakes her head as she pre-heats the oven to 250 degrees. “And you’re still doing it. You’re still doing everything on your own.”

In Mom’s world, men are men and women do not do anything on their own, except shop. Their men pay the bills, discipline the children, and change the oil in the car every 3,000 miles. The women keep perfect homes, raise perfect children, and make perfect meringues. If they work outside the home, it’s because they want to—not because the bank has foreclosed on the house.

“Maybe I’m supposed to, Mom. Maybe my lesson this lifetime is to figure out how to do things on my own.”

“Hmmph!” Mom rolls her eyes at me. “Oh, please!”

I don’t know what annoys her more, the fact that I could believe such a thing or the New-Age psychobabble I use to express it. I’m sure that it’s a toss-up.

She slaps the rest of the meringues into place on the cookie sheet and pops it into the oven. “A woman needs a man around—just like a man needs a woman.” Mom slams the door shut—and I shudder on behalf of the unbaked meringues inside. “If you could just meet the right man . . .”

“A non-intense man?” I tease her at my own risk.

“Yes.” My mother raises one of her perfect Elizabeth Taylor eyebrows. “A non-intense man. Like Pergola Man.”

Pergola Man is family code for Joel, the man Mom thinks I should have married—but didn’t.

“We’re just friends, now, Mom, you know that.”

The truth is that I broke his heart when I reconciled with my ex—a reconciliation that, of course, did not last—and Joel’s never quite trusted me with it again.

“No man builds a woman a pergola unless he’s in love with her.” Mom sets the oven timer for an hour. She points to the sink. “You wash, I’ll dry.”

This is family code for I have something to say and you’re going to listen. We wash up; Mom talks—and I listen.

“A good relationship is like a good meringue,” she says. “None of this intense, crazy love stuff that burns out in a flash. You need to start at room temperature and warm up as you go. You set the oven on low, and over a slow heat the meringue sets.”

“That’s lovely, Mom.” I grin at her. “But I never did learn to make a decent meringue.”

“You had your first lesson today. I hope you were paying attention.”

Dishes done, Mom throws the towel at me to dry my hands. “I took the liberty of inviting Pergola Man over for dinner. He should be here in an hour.”

“I see. Just about the time the meringues are coming out of the oven.” My mother is nothing if not subtle.

“Exactly.” My mother gives me a quick hug. “There’s not a man alive who can resist a good meringue.”

Any more than I can resist my mother.

**Paula Munier's story is just one of the fifty touching and lovely stories in this wonderful tribute to moms. Check out A Cup of Comfort for Mothers today!

If you'd like to hear from Paula Munier, creator of the Cup of Comfort series and author of this funny and touching story, sign up for our next online writing workshop--it's coming up this Tuesday, February 9th!

Farewell to a Cuppa Friend

user.nospam@nospam.example.com (lvoisen) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:47:00 -1000

I was saddened to learn of the recent death of author James Robert Daniels, whose wonderful story "A Good Night's Dance" appears in A Cup of Comfort for Christmas. James is among the few Cup of Comfort authors (numbering about 1,500) whom I've had the pleasure of meeting face to face, at a release party for a few Cup of Comfort books held at Parkplace Books in Kirkland, Washington, in 2003. And I enjoyed his good humor and gentle spirit as much as I enjoyed his funny, touching story. That's one of the bonuses of my job—meeting great writers who are also great people, like James.

Over the last eight years or so, whenever I started working on a new Cup of Comfort anthology, I'd always extend a personal invitation to James to submit more of his wonderful stories. Too busy with other writing projects, he always politely declined but ask me to continue keeping him in the loop. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of working with James again. And we haven't touched bases in a while. So I was surprised and moved to find that I was among the "friends" in his email address book—among those who received the sad news of his death from his daughter Jennifer.

A native of Seattle, Washington, James passed away on Thursday, January 28, 2010, from "liver cancer of unknown primary," according to Jenny's email. At the time of his diagnosis in December 2009, James was living in Puerto Rico, where he was "researching stories." He was sixty-three. He had a lot more stories to tell.

James was a talented and prolific wrier. So his published stories, both fiction and nonfiction, live on ... in his book, How to Become an Inventor; in anthologies such as A Cup of Comfort for Christmas and License to Scare: Spirit Stories, among others; through Natural Resources News Service and National Neighborhood News; in magazines, like Boy's Life, SAIL, International Living, The Literary Journal, and many more; and online at FundsForWriters.com, WritersWeekly.com, and AbsoluteWrite.com.

In addition to writing, editing, and publishing, his careers included "the design of roads, aircraft, ships, buildings, and devices; invention and design consulting; and community planning." A graduate of Queen Anne High School and the University of Washington, James also served in the U.S. Army and was a Vietnam War veteran.

James Robert Daniels leaves behind a sister, Bebe Ford; brothers Joe, John, Steve, Phil, and Daniel; three children, Jenny, Jamie, and John; grandson Auren; and a legacy of writing his loved ones can be very proud of.

We'll all miss you, James.

Colleen Sell

James Robert Daniels

(1947-2010)

Writing Quote of the Day-2/3/2010: Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)

user.nospam@nospam.example.com (mdohayre) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:21:00 -1000

When you are describing

A shape, or sound, or tint;

Don't state the matter plainly,

But put it in a hint;

And learn to look at things,

With a sort of mental squint.

~Lewis Carroll

Have a short story that you'd like to submit for critique? Visit our Story Critique Services page
Attend one of our online writing workshops to learn how to improve your writing and storytelling skills

Purchase one of our Cup of Comfort books to read others' short stories

Happy Is As Happy Does

user.nospam@nospam.example.com (lvoisen) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:50:00 -1000

My husband introduced me to his parents at a tiny pub near their ranch in a tiny rural hamlet in the Coastal Mountains of Oregon. The first thing my darling MIL (as I now call her) did was give me a big smile and an even bigger hug. Then, we got to know one another over a few games of darts and a couple beers (my future in-laws) and cups of bad coffee (their son and me). At our second meeting, Jeanne again gave me a big smile and a big hug. Then the four of us— Chris and Jeanne, Nik and I—went out dancing. And holy jumping up and down Martha, could those two "old geezers" (as they called themselves) cut a rug!

As I soon learned, that 1950s-Hollywood-starlet smile and that no-holding-back bear hug are Jeanne Trudeau trademarks. She gives them out liberally and genuinely. If she doesn't give you a big smile and a big hug, she's either "royally ticked off" at you or "doesn't care much" for you. And she's not timid about telling you why, if you ask or provoke her, although she's an astute practitioner of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I always know when I've irked Jeanne or hurt her feelings. And I know she likes me. I know she loves me. She makes sure of that. For fourteen years, I've been the fortunate and grateful recipient of a steady stream of Jeanne's wonderful smiles and hugs. We've also shared countless family dinners, board games, great conversations, celebrations, worries, laughs, and tears. And several double dancing dates.

Last Friday, January 29, we celebrated Jeanne's 80th birthday. She wanted a quiet celebration, just immediate family, nothing fancy, no gifts. So we took her out to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants. Granddaughter Holly surprised Jeanne with a lovely line drawing she made of Chris and Jeanne, which now hangs proudly on their living room wall. The rest of us gave her simple, inexpensive gifts, which she graciously accepted with a big smile and a big hug. We did not go out dancing afterward, though I'm sure Jeanne would have been game if her dance partner and husband of 55 years had been up to it. Unfortunately, a couple years ago radiation treatment for prostate and bladder cancer left Chris with severe rheumatoid arthritis, forcing him him to hang up his dancing shoes. The last time Jeanne and Chris danced—a short but feisty fox trot—was at his 80th birthday party last March.

Then, from 9:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jeanne received a "phone marathon" of birthday wishes, orchestrated by my husband and one of his three brothers. One after another, calls came in from family members who could not make the birthday dinner and from Jeanne's closest friends. Jeanne spent the rest of her 80th birthday weekend with her husband and two of her sons (I was ill and had to beg off all but the dinner), enjoying meals, board games, conversation, and companionship.

My in-laws sold their ranch about five years ago and bought the 1.5-acre property adjoining our 40-acre wanna-be farm. That way, since Nik and I are the only family members living in Oregon, it would be easier for us to look after them in their elder years. So far, they've helped us as much as we've helped them. It also makes it much easier for us to have impromptu dinner-and-game nights, and for Jeanne and I to have our "girl talks" over a cup of coffee or tea.

When I stopped by this morning for a quick cuppa java, Jeanne flashed me a big smile and gave me a big hug. Then she told me how good everyone had made her feel. How special. And I thought, What goes around comes around, my darling MIL.

I also thought of something Maya Angelou wrote: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

I'm glad we were able to make someone who always makes others feel so great feel as loved and honored and special as she is.

One simple, inexpensive, and unique way to make someone feel really good is to gift them with a Personalized Edition of a Cup of Comfort book chosen especially for that special someone. The customized edition will be printed with a personal message from you on a special dedication page. You can even include a personal photo (digitized) with your personal inscription. Thirty-two books in the Cup of Comfort series are now available as Personlized Editions. For only $21.95, you can gift someone special in your life with a Personalized Cup of Comfort Edition.

Happy Monday to you!

Colleen Sell
_______________________________________________

Looking for a pro to review your personal essay or short story? Check out our Story Critique Services

Attend one of our online writing workshop to learn how to improve your writing and storytelling skills

Want to learn how to write great stories? Then read great stories! Buy Cup of Comfort books today!

Writing Quote of the Day-2/1/2010: J.D. Salinger (1919-2010)

user.nospam@nospam.example.com (mdohayre) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:35:00 -1000

What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.

~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Have a short story that you'd like to submit for critique? Visit our Story Critique Services page
Attend one of our online writing workshops to learn how to improve your writing and storytelling skills

Purchase one of our Cup of Comfort books to read others' short stories

Confused about Cuppa for Couples and the REDBOOK Love Story Contest? Read On...

user.nospam@nospam.example.com (lvoisen) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 08:13:00 -1000

Since announcing the Cup-of-Comfort/REDBOOK-Magazine Your Love Story Contest last week, we've received a lot of questions from a lot of confused folks. We've also received a slew of duplicate submissions—stories that were submitted twice: initially and prior to Jan. 22, 2010, for A Cup of Comfort for Couples and then again over the past week. Apparently, those duplicate submitters are confused too. And duplicate submissions can cause a lot of confusion (and extra work) on our end. So before this gets totally out of hand, I'll try to clear up the confusion here and now.

Here are the answers to the oft-repeated questions we've received this week:

A Cup of Comfort for Couples and the Cup-of-Comfort/REDBOOK "Your Love Story Contest" are one and the same. It is a single story competition with a single submission-vetting process, resulting in a single outcome.

All submissions for A Cup of Comfort for Couples are automatically entered into the Cup-of-Comfort/REDBOOK "Your Love Story Contest." This includes submissions received BEFORE January 22, 2010, as well as submissions received through April 20, 2010.

If you submitted a story for A Cup of Comfort for Couples prior to learning of the "Your Love Story Contest," please do NOT resubmit the story for the contest/book —UNLESS you've revised the story (for example, after having the story critiqued via Adams Media's Story Critique Services).

If you have a story you'd like to submit for the Cup-of-Comfort/REDBOOK Love Story Contest but you want to have the story critiqued, get the critique first—BEFORE submitting the story. Make sure to allow enough time to receive the critique (allow 10-14 days), to make any revisions to your story, and to submit the critiqued/revised story before the submission deadline (April 20, 2010).

Only true personal stories of 1,000 to 2,000 words are eligible for the "Your Love Story Contest" and for publication in A Cup of Comfort for Couples. We will NOT consider submissions that do not meet those basic specifications. Poems, prose, how-to articles, and stories that are less than 1,000 words or more than 2,000 words are NOT eligible for the contest/book.

No, no, and no: I cannot pull your submission out of the queue, review it ahead of the pack, and tell you "whether it's a contender" or "how to improve it." Nor can I resppond to queries about the status of individual submissions during the or after the review/selection process. Nor can I give feedback on "rejected" stories. There simply isn't enough time in my day, and it's not part of my job. Sorry. What I can tell you is this: The 65 finalists will be individually notified the first week of June 2010. They also will be announced here, in the Cup of Comfort Blog, and posted in the Cup of Comfort News Forum. Likewise, each finalist will be individually apprised of the final outcome—that is, the grand-prize winner, the three runners up, and the other stories published in the book. The final outcome will be announced in the Cup of Comfort Blog and posted in the Cup of Comfort News Forum.

If you have any other questions or concerns, just send them to me in an email.

Remember: Before submitting a story, it's always prudent to review the Call for Submissions and the Writers Guidelines (or, in this case, the Contest Rules). It's also a good idea to read current editions or issues of the publication(s) to which you are submitting a story, to give you a better feel for the type of stories the editors are looking for and our audience. Several stories excerpted from other Cup of Comfort books are posted on the Cup of Comfort site (see Sample Stories). And you know where to find a current issue of REDBOOK Magazine.

By the way, Cup of Comfort Community members can get a special discount on a REDBOOK Magazine subscription now!

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

Colleen Sell

_______________________________________________

Looking for a pro to review your personal essay or short story? Check out our Story Critique Services

Attend one of our online writing workshop to learn how to improve your writing and storytelling skills

Want to learn how to write great stories? Then read great stories! Buy Cup of Comfort books today!

Writing Quote of the Day-1/28/2010: Ernest Gaines

user.nospam@nospam.example.com (mdohayre) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:52:00 -1000

The Six Golden Rules of Writing: Read, read, read, and write, write,write.

~ Ernest Gaines

Have a short story that you'd like to submit for critique? Visit our Story Critique Services page
Attend one of our online writing workshops to learn how to improve your writing and storytelling skills

Purchase one of our Cup of Comfort books to read others' short stories