Have you ever read a series of books where the main character and her friend's/relationships never seem to change?  How does that make you feel?  I know how it makes me feel...bored!

I won't use books, but instead murder mystery TV series since I go on marathons where I watch them back to back for as long as it takes to finish the series.  By the time I am done, I usually have a pretty good idea what I like or don't like about the series.

A series I feel shows a really BAD example of character arcs and growth of the characters involved is the "Father Brown" series.  Have you ever noticed no matter who the chief investigator is, he always has an intense dislike for the good Father no matter how many times he needs saving by the dear Father?  Yes, there may be a glimmer of growth where EVENTUALLY the investigator may go so far as ask for help, but even after receiving it, still goes back to threatening the good Father.  Seriously, the characters are so stereotypical it feels more like Abbott and Costello than a series of investigations into murder!  You would think by the end of the third season and a zillion episodes, the poor dumb cop would have smartened up even just a little!  The writers are so fixated on keeping the antagonism going, that even when FINALLY a copper does start to like the good father, THEY JUST BRING IN AN EVEN MORE IGNORANT AND DUMMER COP to start the whole bloody process all over again!  I started to predict when the formula had finished its course and the new one was due to come in play again!  Really sad.

Now a series which has WONDERFUL character development or Arcs is in the Midsomer Murder series.  Of course, it is hard to believe such a small place could be dropping victims like flies but perhaps it is more true to real life than anyone wants to think.  Whatever the case, not only is there growth for the inspector, but also for his wife, daughter, her future husband and all the young ones the first inspector takes under his wing, and then the next Barnaby inspector who again grows with the series!  These writers are not afraid to move on and make changes.  Changes that seem natural and real.  A great series for finding entertainment in the lives of the characters and not just the murders they investigate making the series so much more real and engaging.

And a series that truly shows how the personalities of the main character and his side kick can really add to the storyline, with the complexities and development of their relationship, is the Grantchester series.  The young father and the chief investigator come from totally different perspectives however over the course of the series you can see how they rub off on each other.  Both in good and bad ways.  On the other hand, the minister's female friend the sub-line of the romantic interest is just way too depressing and sad to aid the story (after all, what female wants to be reminded over and over of love that cannot be followed due to strict Victorian values!?!?!  All because the main character is too stupid in the beginning to follow his heart and the female too impatient to wait?  So you have to watch their torment show after show?!?!)  Forget it!  Total turn off!  Their development is really not that great at all since they stay stuck in the same scenario for so long.  Boring and tormented to the point of being distracting.  It is a murder mystery series and not a long lost love story!  Takes up far too much of the show for my liking.  Too much like a soap opera!

Which brings me to the next point, I think you can OVERDO the whole interpersonal story line in a series.  Sometimes it just gets OLD!  Look at that old show Moonlighting.  SERIOUSLY!  How long does it take for two people to make up their minds!  It became almost comical in it's entirety!  Just get on with it!  I am not saying characters and sub characters have to evolve at super human speed but I am saying sometimes it isn't just the characters that have to show growth, but also those they deal with. 

In that old self help book "Dance of Anger", that was one of the main points I found very valid.  It takes two to Tango.  If you want to change and the other doesn't, they they will try to keep you from changing.  Only if you are resolved can change happen.  In stories that are series, or TV shows, that dance has to exist to be believable.  If the protagonist changes, so must those she deals with daily!  It only makes sense!

If you want to look a real character development both on the written page and in the TV series, you have to include Agatha Christie.  Her books continue to sell and likely always will ( and the one episode of Doctor Who - The Unicorn and the Wasp episode so delightfully pointed out!).

In her books, there is always a development of the protagonist including Hercule Poirot.  If there was not, then that wonderful cast actor David Suchet would never have been able to continue the changes to his character throughout the series right down to the droop of the famous moustache! www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-24817590   
Poirot is the only fictional character to date to be given an obituary in The New York Times, following the publication of Curtain. It appeared on the front page of the paper on 6 August 1975.[71]

1.  Hobbs, JD (6 August 1975). "Poirot's Obituary". USA: Poirot. Retrieved 30 November 2012.

In this, my first book of the series for me, I have made sure there is growth for my main character Martha and a little for the sub characters in each book .  They will show more growth over all as the series progresses. I didn't give all the same rate of growth and made sure that I had characters to play opposite the main character that create a foil-an opposite to help enhance and bring forth the character's traits while at the same time developing the personality traits of the sub characters which I already have plans for.  Life is not perfect or predictable and I don't want this to be the case with my characters either!

I have been reading about other writers and there seems to be one major draw-back every newbie writer makes.  In more cases than enough, a writer doesn't want to call him or herself a writer!

I have seen the same thing in the art world.  And I have to question why it is so many are afraid to call themselves this or that; to give themselves a professional title and by the same token, why there are so many who do!

In the end I think of one friend I have and her budding writing career...probably the most hungry and ambitious writer I have ever met however at the same time, I have to give her credit where credit is due!

When she first started out (now a professor teaching literature) submitted her work to the Canadian Arts Council for a grant and didn't get it, did she give up?  No way, not her, she called and asked for feedback.  And I dear say, most likely more than once.  I was never sure when she did get a grant, it was because she deserved it, or because her shear persistence proved to the council she had staying power!  Either way, she proved to me one thing: if you want to do something, then you have to take yourself seriously even if it feels wrong, your not entitled or whatever!  In the end, who decides who has the right to call himself or herself a writer or not!?!? (check out these punctuation marks...they come from texting and messaging a lot but editors HATE them!!!! lol!).

I look at myself and my writing background.  I have little published but I have been writing religiously for over 30 years!  How?...I am a letter writer!  I wrote letters to someone weekly as well as poetry and short stories for her entertainment for YEARS!  It gave me something to do to communicate and also gave her pleasure.  She was an older woman who was a published author and children's writer in her own right (award winning) and later we would talk things over on the phone.  Was I REALLY writing?  Who is to say?  I never put it out there, but it didn't mean I didn't do it!  And more importantly, I LOVED TO DO IT!  It is only recently I decided to try my hand at novel writing and put it out there.  So am I writer or not?  Well, I write, so I am a writer.  LOL sort of like my views on religion and Buddhism.  I AM a Buddhist.  Am I a GOOD Buddhist?  Well, truthfully, NOT SO MUCH! lol!  Is there a possibility one day I will be a better Buddhist?  Sure, there is always that possibility!

I guess my point is this.  If you want to be a writer, then be a writer.  Call yourself a writer.  Do whatever it is you do and don't let peer pressure or some unwritten, unspoken and implied ideas about who or what you are or can be, throw you off your path.  It is your path, live it any way you see fit.  And remember, people can INFLUENCE you if you let them, but they CANNOT create in your creative workshop/your mind.  That is private and all yours!

I decided it is my book, I am setting it up and publishing it on Amazon, so if I want to take the time to draw a few images, then I will!  I also decided that I shall make some of the drawings and formate them so that they can be downloaded and used as little note cards which I will add as a bonus to anyone who signs up when I get the mailing list figured out.

This particular drawing is one of the main character's home...it is not a real place however and is a composite of the descriptive features I had going through my mind's eye at the time of writing it.  Very similar to places I have known as a child.  I have not decided if I will edit my drawings so they are more blank and white with few gray values.  I shall have to think about that.  Originally I intended pen and ink and may end up doing that anyhow.  These are fun for me to do so I have no problem doing them.  

I was reminded at one time when photos and images in books were just coming out in printing, they were all confined to the middle of the book.  I am not sure where mine will be.  If they turn out to be easy to do and don't add to the printing cost will be the deciding factors.  I will figure all that out when I get to that stage.  When I know more, I will pass it on.  For now, this is how it stands.  

I shall have street scenes of Bridgewater where the story takes place, as well as individual houses however I shall be researching to see if there are any copyright issues even though they are taken from my own photos.  I know if I use a person's image, then I have to have the perosn sign a form unless it is for documentary purposes but this is not going to be the case since I won't do any people!  I doubt there will be any issue however these days, always best to research and find out.  Don't make the mistake I once did and asked, but it was the wrong person who answered and knew NOTHING and wasted a ton of my time!  Never again!

So to be clear:  JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS POSTED ON THE INTERNET FOR THE PUBLIC TO SEE, DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO COPY IT.  You would think you would, however that is NOT the case unless it is posted as free to use!  Crazy but true!

This entire process of creating a work of fiction, has been an incredible ride.  A ride full of ups and downs.  Questions and concerns as well as elations and self criticism.  

As an artist, I learned very, very young that when I painted, if I didn't like something, I had to paint over it because someone would find it and think it was wonderful even though I thought it was dreadful.  They say we are our worst critics and there is truth to that, however there is also the understanding I learned the hard way, that once you create it, if ANYONE sees it, then it is open to the critics to review!

There is no way around this.  It only takes one person to see it, to shatter your dreams or give you the wrong influence.  Only one, if you are not tough.

That is why, when your in the editing stages, I feel it is so very important not to go sharing your manuscript with just anyone.  Too many cooks spoil the broth and it is true!  I have lost count of the times I had been all excited with an idea for a painting, shared it, got feedback and then poof, idea wasn't exciting anymore!

I did some research on this and came up with a plausible explanation also.  

There are two reasons.  The first is obvious, the work has been torn apart.  The person looking at the work has made a point of picking at all the negatives or so called flaws and not really done a great job as a critic.  There are people out there who have darker motives for their criticisms and it has nothing to do really with the work at all.  Add to this that we all have our own perceptions and baggage concerning things, so of course you will find your work being picked at.  Once it is out there, everyone is entitled!  

The second explanation has more to do with the idea that comes first.  The stage before anything is created.  This is the one I noticed I fell into since I have had a lot of criticism in my life and now, it isn't a big deal!  However I made the mistake in my youth before I had given it any thought, of sharing my ideas and my enthusiasm with others.

The premise is this:  If you share the idea and are excited, which then excites others, you are giving yourself the reward.  Why do we create anything?  Very few artists I think do it solely for their own personal pleasure, do the work quietly and hide it away.   On the contrary, many artists whether they are visual, literary or even dramatic actors on the stage, all live for the result; the attention, the praise, the recognition.  If you get that from the idea when you share it and it is positive, what motivation do you have to actually do it?  To bring the idea past the idea stage and into reality/something concrete?

I stopped sharing my ideas for this reason, and because of the downer people.  Either way, there was no reason to do it after I did that.

There is also another reason I don't share my ideas.  I will go over that in another blog however for now, suffice to say, my advice to anyone who is not used to criticism or being influenced by others, then keep what you do to yourself.  Choose your editors with care and keep your project to yourself until it is on solid enough ground and your are sure of both your commitment and your ability to handle the critics because I can GUARANTEE you there will be many along the course of your writing or artistic career!

​​I know this little adventure into novel writing is all new to me.  I also know I am doing it by the seat of my pants.  That I am learning as I go and that there is just so much wonderful and overwhelming information out there on writing.  So much so, that even the thought of it all, could leave me froze and unproductive if I wasn't careful.

As an artist, I learned along time ago, sometimes learning more about how other's operate as painters and what they do, is not always such a great thing.  That sometimes it can really interfere with finding one's own groove;one's own style.  I didn't want to fall into that trap as a writer.

I made a point this time to throw caution to the wind and say screw it.  I am who I am, and I write like I write.  I don't know all the rules, and I don't spend my time in groups, forums or on chat lines about writing.  I just love to write and that is what I am going to do.  I am not going to go buy a ton of books and read tons of other people's work.  Lord knows, in my day I have read plenty of books.  Some I loved, and some I could read again like it was all new it was so unimportant to me.  That to me, is the nature of writing.  It may inspire one person and bore another just like ideas in general can.

I know I am ignorant. I know I don't throw around fancy jargon and there are plenty of people out there who probably are far more equipped to write a book.  So what is stopping them even when they have the time?  Why do they stare at a blank screen and produce nothing?  For the same reason some people stand in front of an easel and stare at a blank canvas.

They have read so much or seen so much, the problem is, their heads are full of making comparisons.  The old saying ignorance is bliss, I feel, has some merit when it comes to writing like it does painting.  If you do something creative because you want to be better than everyone else, or as good, then your going to run into problems.  Your going to be critical of every brushstroke you put down on that canvas or every word you put on that page.  Nothing will ever be good enough.  You will choke yourself up with expectations of how the writing should be or how the painting should look.  And I can guarantee you will forget that all those great writers you love or all those painters, all had to start somewhere.  That the novel or painting you put up there to aspire to, which ends up over shadowing you, was likely an accumulation of years of work!  

I play dumb to keep my headspace uncluttered and real.  Yes, I do have rules and ideas and goals and so on, I just don't make them a big deal.  I don't choke because like on my blog image, I see myself as the fool walking optimistically off the end of a cliff!  Isn't that the only way to truly create?  To be willing to make a complete and utter fool of yourself?  To allow the failures as well as the successes?  Creativity doesn't exist in order, it exists and comes from chaos;from the unknown other wise it would not be new and never need the creativity.

I refuse to allow reality interfer with my writing.  I am who I am and I write what I write, good, bad or indifferent.  It is all mine.  Just as, when you write, no one else can have your thoughts, so no one else can ever write just like you.  So really how can it be judged as good or not?  In the end judgements are still the objective opinion of the majority!

This can be a time consuming process. My old printer which I had for years and used often, gave up the ghost.  So I knew I needed a new printer.  When you buy a printer there are a few things to consider.

If you hardly ever print, then by all means buy a cheap printer.  Some are so much cheaper than replacing the inks, just chuck the printer and start over.  That seems to be the way the world is going.  

On the other hand, if your like me, you don't want to pay a fortune in inks then you have two options.

The first option is to have external ink wells attached to the outside of the printer.  This containers you just open and pour a stock ink into.  On the surface, this seems like a cheap alternative if you do a lot of printing...and if you do TONS of printing, AND OFTEN, then that is by all means, a good way to go.  Depending on whether the printer was made that way, or was customized there is one thing I did find annoying when I had one.  There is usually more tubing to lead the ink into the printer and I found I was always fiddling with it to get the ink to keep flowing.  If you stopped for any length of time, likely depending on temp. conditions of the room, it would gel.  This could be very annoying and either meant going to have it cleared it you couldn't do it yourself, or buying a new printer. 

The other option is the one I used.  I always look up on line the cost of inks and/or generic inks for the printers I was looking at.  I didn't care about the sale price if the thing cost me tens times as much in inks!

There are sites on line you can google.  I could buy all the inks for under twenty dollars if they were generic and not brand name.  Oh yes, before I forget, try not to mix your inks.  It may come with it, but as soon as it runs out the first time, that is the best time to switch over to the cheaper brand inks!  And stick with them.  Your printer heads will thank you.

Also note, that sometimes the chip in the inks don't work. It may have nothing to do with your printer if you get an error and it doesn't necessarily have to be the cheaper ink cartridge to have this issue!  Just take or send it back.

A word about on line buying of inks.  There are sites like 123 Ink Cartridges.ca and inkjet superstore.ca (I will put links at the end of this).  Most of the generic inks come from the same sources so it doesn't matter who you buy from (for Canadians), and the freight price is mainly the same.  If you have an order over a certain size, then shipping is less or free so I usually try to get others in on my order.  Even if I have to pay a few dollars for shipping for a smaller order, I find it still less expensive than going to a stationary supply store like Staples and buying the brand name.  Mainly, your just paying for the name!

Also a word of caution.  I wouldn't recommend purchasing electronic products except inks from these sites.  I have not heard good things about customer service however in the ink department, they are great.  Will email you a shipping label and you can return easily any faulty ink cartridges.

And on another note, NEVER LET YOUR PRINTER GO UNUSED FOR TOO LONG.  Not only do the heads plug up, but even when they are working, they are designed to send a strong shot of ink through to purge the unit and keep it clear.  This builds up and will leave an error.  I recently gave a friend my old Camon MX 850.  He is into computer repairs so for the fun of it, he stripped it down, washed it in the tub, put it back together, and it works!  It seems there is a soft sponge like material at one to absorb extra ink and it have become over saturated.  Not everyone can do this, so I suggest using your printer from time to time.  You don't have to be fanatical however just don't let it sit in a hot room for over a month unused.  If you can do it more often, the better it will be for it just like keeping it in a cool place is good for it.

I ended up buying another Canon printer since I have always had good luck with them.  The Canon Pixma MX 920 series I found, some models, like my 922 have reasonable inks.  

Oh yes, look to see also if you can buy all the inks separately or if you have to buy them as a unit like it is with some printers.  I often find I run out of one ink colour and not them all so I don't like to buy them as one unit.

And lastly, if you intend to print off drafts like I do, you should check before buying your printer to be sure it prints both sides.  Not every printer does.

​www.123ink.ca

​www.inkjetsuperstore.ca/c-5614-canon-ink-cartridges-ink-cartridges-pixma-mx922

The days of writing with an exclamation mark is over.  Look at most novels and writings.  Do you recall seeing many? Any?  Nope, first thing an editor removes is the exclamation mark.  In signage or poetry perhaps, but in story or novel writing, no, the days of using exclamation marks are  gone.

To some extent I can understand why the removal of this mark is common practice.  I know for myself, when I started writing, I LOVED putting that lovely little mark in everywhere!  I had a hay day with it!  However I also knew I would later go back over my writing and weed out the appropriate from the absurd.  I just wanted to stay in touch with my protagonist's mood as I was writing.  I got the message though.  As F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Cut out all those exclamation marks. An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own jokes."

The idea is that your writing should convey the feeling of excitement without needing the mark if it is good writing.  It should all be implied without the need for punctuation to make the point.

I know I am old school and sort of a rebel so, for me, removing all such wonderful marks seems somehow sad.  What is the point of rules if now one of the very foundation marks in punctuation it is considered redundant and unnecessary much like too many cashiers or bank tells these days?  It is a trend that has come about which has left the poor old exclamation mark on the trash heap.

With all the other ways the English language is being turned back into sign language due to texting, at least this particular punctuation mark's demise cannot be blamed on the age of technology...on something older and far more deadly; professional public pressure.  Once one editor decided to remove all such marks from novels, it wasn't long before it was common practice.  I must say, is much easier this way.

I looked at the places where I wanted to put exclamation marks.  I felt they should be there to emphasize even more the mood of the moment in the dialogue.  It wasn't like I wanted such a mark at the end of every sentence, however I finally gave up feeling like where ever I wished to place them, no matter how appropriate it may fit there, I couldn't be sure anymore so I let it go and bowed to peer pressure.  It reminded me of being told in the old days not to wear white after labour day.  The pressures that exist in the editing world, must be immense since, look at literature.  Do you see any punctuation marks?  If you do, someone forgot to tell the writer to stop;  that they were using too many!

During the course of this edit, I have been faced with an interesting question: does everything have to be in contraction form to feel correct in dialogue?  

As someone who has studied grammar, I know that there is formal and informal ways of writing things and speaking, and I don't just mean not swearing.    I am confident this also applies in how you say things with contractions as well.

My editor did many corrections to put things in contraction form.  I decided I had to go over every word, in every dialogue and decide which seemed to fit better.  In many cases, since my editor was so good, she did leave some contractions unedited in.  I did however, decide to make my own decisions on the matter especially since my protagonist (and is in first person) is a Nova Scotian.

I have travelled around the world enough, and in Canada, to know that from province to province certain words are favoured.  For instance, Nova Scotians have a tendency to favour certain words such as "some".  The old joke was the expression "that was right some good eh?".

Of course, don't get me started on the stereotype of using "eh" thanks that that sit-com "The Great White North"! I think, "eh" has been done to death to typify Canadians, and not to mention make everyone in Canada look like beer drinking idiots!  

There are other subtle words which are also typical.  And in my protagonist's case Martha, some contractions she just doesn't use.  She is an older woman in her fifties and was raised by her elders.  The use of contractions existed of course, but some words would simply not sound right contracted even in her dialogue.  I won't say which and spoil the surprise, however it will be sprinkled throughout the writing in the book.
   
I also had to think about, in one sentence, that perhaps one word would be contracted but another might not be as used or as popular as well.  The whole process was fascinating even though it was time consuming. It meant reading out loud each sentence with, or without a contraction or contractions.  

In the end I feel, every writer has to make their own choice.  Like in my blog on me having an attitude, I always try my best to make my own decisions on things and I don't necessarily do something because it is the norm in editing now.  There is so much more to think about once the storyline is in place.  The details can be fun but also a little never wrecking.  Writing something so it SEEMS smooth and correct can take as much time as writing the whole book.  I am just glad I had a plot line to follow so that I didn't have to edit sections for content as well as grammar.

I wonder if styles of editing come and go but the writing principles stay the same so that a hundred years from now someone studying writing won't pick up my book and say, "oh look, this writer didn't follow the norm on editing".

​Who knows, perhaps so.  

On more than one occassion I have gone back and edited my blogs.  I have hit saved, and update as well as publish.  When I go and check the blog itself, even a few days later, IT HAS NOT UPDATED.  SO APOLOGIZE FOR THE SEEMINGLY CARELESS ERRORS THAT ARE REPRESENTED ON THESE BLOGS. Hell, I have even done blogs, saved and published and they have just disappeared!  

I have no idea why my simple edits are not getting posted.  I am doing as I used to do in Blogger.com however there seems to be some sort of glitch.  Indeed, having the stupid ads pop up every time seems to work fine, however not the updates and publish button.

I can only do what I can do and hope for the best.  I think this is the way of modern technology.  Loads of room for error!

And I do not mean on the person using the technology.  When I took my first computer course way back when computers were first coming out.  I distinctly remember the teacher saying it it isn't working, it is your fault and not the computer.

Since that time however I have come to see over and over this is not always the case!  There are glitches: in programming and code, in server over load and even how firewalls and protection programs can interfere not to mention viruses and malware.

On the bright side, I can stop beating myself up for not being perfect, on the downside, I think in general, there is a lowering of standards from texting, using cut and paste and auto spell/grammar checks.  Writing properly seems to be a thing of the past with correct punctuation and grammar usage not being important.

I don't know about other provinces however I hear that students in Nova Scotia cannot even pass when doing basic writing upgrading when they don't pass the standardized testing exam given when entering university.  This seems to be a real issue now.  How the youth of today are writing and communicating.

So once again, I apologize for the way some of my blogs are in terms of writing.  I am big on editing wanting first to capture my thoughts.  The fact I do edit and it doesn't take, is something I cannot do much about unfortunately but go back again and again which I really don't have time to do!
​