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Author: Janet Gershen-Siegel

I'm not much bigger than a breadbox.

… And Facebook for All – Your Profile PageFacebook, advertising, account settings, Profile Page Part, Home Page, Working, Facebook, Rest, Facebook versus Forums, Company Pages, offsite sharing, Facebook Page, demystifying Facebook, Facebook Video Ads, Facebook to Allow Users to Login with Less Info, Facebook video ads, Facebook Ads vs. Google, Organic Reach Decline,

… And Facebook for All – Your Profile Page

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on July 12, 2022

Life, Liberty, … And Facebook for All – Your Profile Page

It’s something Facebook members have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of times. It’s your profile page.

Let’s talk about your profile. So, here is mine.

In addition to the basic tabs at the top, it also contains:

• A space for your profile picture
† Information on any mutual friends you might share with anyone peeking at your profile
• A small subgroup of your friends
† Your likes
• also, your photos
† Your links
• A share button, and,
† Some ads

NOTE: Facebook continually A/B tests, and so buttons and features move, change, are resized, added, or can disappear altogether. Your neighbor can sometimes see a rather different version of Facebook versus yours.

And this is normal. The largest beta tester the world has ever seen will never sit still.

But these elements have been there for quite a while. It’s a safe bet that many of these account settings will stay on your FB profile page. Although their order and names will probably change.

Let’s look at these in order.

A Space for Your Profile Picture

No one is stopping you from putting up a picture that is not, actually, of you. As a result, I’ve seen dogs on Facebook, scenery, people’s children, cartoon characters, and more. Hence it’s a place to be somewhat expressive.

However, recognize that, if you’re using Facebook at all for your business (or if you’re simply looking for work), you’ll need to tone this down.

If you want to go fairly conservative (which I personally think is best, but opinions differ), go with a headshot or a head and shoulders shot that’s fairly recent. And, do make sure you’re smiling.

Mutual Friends

If someone surfs in and finds your Profile Page, they’ll probably be drawn to whether you’re really the person they’re looking for, and whether you have any acquaintances in common.

For example, if you’ve got a somewhat common name (e. g. Gregory Cole), then it’s really going to help out people if they see anyone who you know is in common with whoever they know.

One way I’ve used this information has been in locating High School friends, as we tend to have the same mutual friends.

If I see that Jane Smith is also friends with John Jones and Dave Brown (names are made up, of course), then I realize, aha! Chances are good that Jane and I attended High School together. Or, at least, she’s from my area.

However, sometimes it just means that Jane is a local (if John and Dave stayed in the area after graduation). Or it might mean she’s a younger or older sibling of my classmates. Hence it’s an imperfect system.

A Small Subgroup of Friends

So, this is six friends (fewer, if you have fewer than six friends, of course). And it used to be you had control over this, but apparently not anymore.

As Facebook gets larger and larger, aggregations like these start to go the way of the dodo. Why? Because Facebook is really just a big, honkin’ database. Just like most of the internet, including AI, I might add.

With over 3.07 billion daily active users, all these displays, with their sorting and re-sorting, are going to get memory intensive rather quickly.

It will never, truly, be a bare bones platform a la X or Bluesky. But you can expect to see some aggregative niceties to go away over time, or to be aggregated even further.

After all, how many times have you seen only the so-called “most relevant” comments instead of all of them when you click on a post? That, my friend, is saving Facebook some valuable memory.

Your Likes

Whenever you click Like on a group or page, it can show up here. A few show up at a time, and they rotate. To take something out of rotation, un-Like it. Much older and inactive pages and groups show up less, as Facebook follows social signals in this area, too.

E. g. pages and groups that appear inactive or even downright abandoned will lose precious visibility time and space to groups and pages that are up to date and lively. FB will also sort them at the bottom of the list.

Photos on Your Profile Page

So here is where your profile picture shows up in all its glory, and bigger than on your Home Page. Therefore, make sure it looks good here as well as on your Home Page. What I said above bears repeating.

If you are using Facebook for business (or if you’re looking for work), make sure your profile image is a flattering photo clearly showing your face. It need not be full-length (and, if it is, it’ll be smaller on the Home Page, but here it’s all visible) and, for God’s sake, smile!

Plus, photographs also show up on your wall if you upload them and agree to publish them to your wall.

Wall

Up at the top, you can put in your status. There doesn’t seem to be a true limit to how long a status message can be, but after a few lines, it’s excessive. And there’s undoubtedly a limit in there somewhere. You probably can’t just upload War and Peace.

People put all sorts of nonsense in here – including not only statements of their adoration for celebrities but also mundane minutiae such as the scintillating fact that they’re about to go pick up the dry cleaning. It’s also a place where people post their political opinions.

If you want to use Facebook at all for your business, your status messages should really be short, somewhat on point and inoffensive. This is also true if you are looking for work and are not using Facebook for any of that – potential employers are watching!

Below is the wall itself, where friends can post replies to your status (they can also reply directly to the status), send you greetings, send you game requests, etc.

You can always delete or hide these messages, which can be a good idea if they are becoming something you’d rather not share with others.

You can also hide notifications from various applications so, if everyone you know is playing something like Farmville, and you don’t care about it, right-click on any Farmville notification and select the hide Farmville notifications button.

However, be aware that there are any number of similar or satellite applications, so you may be doing a rather similar task more than once. Still, understand that you don’t need to ask people to stop sending you requests. Just block the related app, whatever it may be.

The Audience for Your Profile Page

If you want to maintain at least a vestige of privacy, you can always change who receives your statuses, e.g. ‘all but ___’. However, this just stops the notification. If the person you’re excluding goes to your wall, they will still be able to see your status.

Planning a surprise party for someone? Don’t do it on your Facebook wall, mmmkay?

Info

You can add any number of tidbits here. At minimum, you should at least list your marital/dating status, your birth date (the year is optional) and your current city and/or hometown.

This will draw people in and make it easier for them to find you, particularly if you have a rather common name.

You want friends and business associates to figure out that they want you, the Mary Lou in Hicksville, New York, versus the Mary Lou in Mars, Pennsylvania.

Marital status isn’t strictly necessary (and I’ve found it doesn’t stop guys from sometimes hitting on me – eek), but I personally think it’s a nice thing to include.

However, of course, no one can force you to do this and naturally it is illegal in the United States for a potential employer to demand this information.

Birth date is kind of nice to have, partly as an identifier and partly to give another piece of information out that’s just pleasant to see. It’s a minor revelation (particularly if you only give out the month and day) and is essentially harmless.

And an American employer cannot legally ask for the year. However, employees do have to be of a certain age in order to work full-time at all.

Still, if you get that far along in a job application, an employer won’t use Facebook to confirm your age. The employer will instead use official governmental records like your birth certificate for that.

Adding your birth date also means the inevitable onslaught of Facebook birthday greetings.

Your Biography on Your Profile

Biography is optional and, if you use Facebook for business, keep it short, on point and inoffensive. Work history is also not necessary, but it can be helpful if you need for people to find you.

Are you the Mary Lou in Hicksville who worked at AIG, or at the Dairy Queen? Plus, that can add to the networking vibe. But keep in mind that Facebook for networking remains a poor substitute for a site like LinkedIn.

Educational information also helps to identify you. Graduation years are not necessary. Likes and interests will show up in part by your typing in here and also by you “liking” various pages.

Keep in mind that this can be found, so “liking” a page with a profane name is going to be something that can be picked up by potential employers and clients.

And as a corollary to that, I would say to anyone shocked by such things, chill the f*** out.

I would seriously argue that someone saying they like Van Halen’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Album (personally, I prefer their earlier stuff with DLR), is a helluva lot less offensive than saying they like the KKK.

Profile Page Photos

These are pretty self-explanatory. Any photographs that you’re tagged in will show up here. You can collect photos into albums, of course. Also, if a photograph is unflattering, compromising or just plain not of you, you can always untag yourself.

Before my parents left Facebook, I was sometimes tagged on my mother’s photos so I could find them. I generally don’t mind this. My profile has enough photographs of me that it’s obvious I’m not her.

But you might mind this. So, if it happens, talk to whoever’s doing this. There are other ways of sharing photographs and albums which might suit your needs better.

And if someone shares photos of your minor child’s face without obscuring their features, feel free to complain to that person. You’ve got every right to not want (potentially) a good three billion monthly active users getting a good look at a six-year-old child.

Your Links can go on Your Profile Page

So put a link in your status, or post it to your wall, and it will convert to something clickable. And if it comes from Youtube, it’ll even embed the video. And like most things on Facebook, any link can get comments or “Likes”.

A Share Button

Actually, there are several of these. Pretty much everything on Facebook can be shared in one manner or another, and even off Facebook.

Bottom line: your Profile Page is your face to the world. It is clickable, shareable and somewhat searchable. Don’t want people to know something about you? Don’t put it on your Profile Page.

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Want More About Facebook?

If my experiences with Facebook resonate with you, then please be sure to check out my other blog posts about the largest social network on the planet, by far.

… And Facebook for All

• Creating a Facebook page
† Working with a Facebook Page
• Offsite Sharing
† All Your Account Settings
• All the Rest of It
† Facebook versus Forums

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Character Review — Trixie LaRueAmie Sikes, who I see as Trixie LaRue

Character Review — Trixie LaRue

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on July 5, 2022

Consider Trixie LaRue, One of My Original Characters

But just who is Trixie LaRue?

I’ve had a few “voice of reason”-style characters. Dr. Devon Grace of The Real Hub of the Universe comes to mind. Trixie is another such character. But she’s also amusing, a little like Greg Shapiro in The Obolonk Murders.

The first time I show her in the book, she’s getting drunk with Marnie and Jazminder. And she’s telling them about how a goat chewing on her sleeve ruined a potentially romantic moment with one of the goatherds.

Goats on a spaceship? Why not?

Where Did Trixie LaRue Come From?

Trixie is a great supporting character in The Enigman Cave. I needed a foil for Marnie. But I also wanted someone who would have a kind of larger than life persona.

Her accent comes from a few places. I learned about London, Kentucky when I used to have a job auditing law firms across the country. But I never had occasion to go there.

But her voice? Her accent? Those come from the late mother of my best friend in high school. She had that fabulous accent and was one of the kindest people I have ever known.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Trixie LaRue

The character herself explains her backstory. Before the story begins, she and Marnie attend Deep Space training together. They find they’re simpatico and clearly enjoy each other’s company. The misfits of their class, no one else seems to be a part of their orbit. Although when I wrote the prequel, I added Rosa Perrault, mainly because there would be someone like her in the mix.

But make no mistake about it—they like Rosa, but they are not as close to her, as they are to each other.

But that’s okay. Because they’re not in anyone else’s orbit, either.

Description

I like Amie Sikes of Junk Gypsies for Trixie. She’s about the right look and age, with a glint of mischief in her eye. But I do see Trixie as being more of a redhead.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Beyond being the voice of reason, Trixie is also a necessary character when Marnie decides on how to try to prove Enigman intelligence—in a JAG court. Marnie is the client in favor. But someone has to be the opponent. And so that’s our gal.

In the below scene in Chapter 6 — The Pretty People, Trixie tells Jazminder Parikh about how she and Captain Marnie Shapiro end up on the Valentina Tereshkova together.

It’s possible that I’ll cut some of this scene. For one thing, it’s long. But for another, It seems like a little much. The brass doesn’t like Marnie. That much is obvious. But does it need quite so much detail?

Also, I cover a lot of this in the prequel, and I think I cover it better there. So,…

Quotes

“… in our last semester we were asked to pick three people we wanted to work with. We were also asked which department we wanted to go in if we were in one of the last thirty-two slots. It was kinda obvious nobody but me wanted to work with Marne. Then when we graduated, they started callin’ us by name and by grade. They started with the bottom. I mean, even if you was terrible, you were still pretty gol-darned smart. It was no shame to be at the bottom. So they announced the first forty of the sixty-two people in the class, and they announced your assignment, too.

“The next thirty-eight up were mostly captains and not a lotta first officers, like me. You had to stand while you were waitin’, and it was getting tiresome, I’ll tell ya. But we hadn’t been called yet. Then they said there was someone who was good enough to be a captain but was being commissioned as a first officer on account of personality issues.”

“Personality issues?”

“They wanted people to get along, see? I mean, you’re out here for a decade, it would kinda stink if you hated each other.”

“Right. Go on.”

The Speech

“They called another first officer and then we were into the captains. And Marne and I are still standing there. It’s the last thirty-one people and there are thirty captain slots and one first officer slot left. They get down to fourteen of us and I get called. I am the last of the first officers and I’m assigned here, to the Val. I know Marnie hasn’t been assigned anywhere, and this is the first I’ve heard of anyone going on the Val. There’s a chance but I have no idea.

“They keep announcing people and then they spring it on ‘em that the top of the class has to make a speech. They are in the top ten by this time and everybody’s looking around at each other on account this is the first anybody’s heard of that. And then it’s finally down to two people – Marnie and Bill Levinson. He gets announced as captain of the Jonas Salk and I realize, maybe even before Marne does, that she’s at the top of our class and she’s got me here on the Val.”

Relationships

I have no relationship for her beyond friendship. And friendship counts, of course! Much like the top three big characters in TOS Star Trek, Trixie is a major player. She and Jazzie (Jazminder) are just about as vital as Marnie. Not just to the ship, but to the story itself.

But she is far from a latter-day Vulcan.

Trixie is kind and loyal. She’s the kind of friend anyone would want to have. She has a sister and that’s about it. I otherwise don’t have a lot about her.

Her relationship attempts, though, are in the book. Charlie Hill is a goatherd and she’s got the hots for him. But later, she gets the hots for Hunter Garcia. Hunter runs JAG. So, where does she end up? Possibly with neither of them.

Conflict and Turning Point

For our gal Trixie, the turning point is essentially the turning point of the book. That is, when it becomes obvious that things are going to hell in a handcart at home. So she decides to make a stand. This is along with almost everyone else.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Trixie is one of the only people in The Enigman Cave who I didn’t name after someone I attended high school with or knew personally in some other way (neither are Marnie or Jazzie).

But she truly is from somewhere. She’s the name of an ex-girlfriend of a former coworker. I have no idea if the real Trixie LaRue was from Kentucky. But I suspect she wasn’t.

And yeah, I know how gol-darned (Trixie does tend to rub off on you after a while) obscure and out-there that sounds. It was just a name from years ago. I filed it away for later.

Future Plans

Will I ever write a real full-length sequel to The Enigman Cave? After all, I did write a short story sequel…

Trixie LaRue: Takeaways

Funny, smart, supportive, and ultimately brave and kind, Trixie is about the best first officer any spaceship captain could ever want.

But she’s still gonna shoot that sumbitch goat.

Trixie LaRue is not to be trifled with.

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Want More of Trixie LaRue and the Rest of The Enigman Cave?

If The Enigman Cave resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how our society handles first contact with a species that may be as primitive as Australopithecus.

Character Reviews: The Enigman Cave

† Marnie Shapiro
• A Look at Trixie LaRue
† Jazminder Parikh, MD
• Lex Feldman
† Benjamin Chase
The Enigman Cave Universe
Bet on Marnie (the prequel)
Surprises (the short story sequel)
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Writing Progress Report – Second Quarter 2022Writing Progress Reports, First Quarter 2018, Second Quarter 2018, Third Quarter 2018, Fourth Quarter 2018, First Quarter 2019, Second Quarter 2019, Third Quarter 2019, Fourth Quarter 2019, First Quarter 2020, Second Quarter 2020, Third Quarter 2020, Fourth Quarter 2020, First Quarter 2021, Second Quarter 2021, Third Quarter 2021, Fourth Quarter 2021, First Quarter 2022, Second Quarter 2022, Third Quarter 2022, Fourth Quarter 2022, First Quarter 2023, Second Quarter 2023, Third Quarter 2023, Fourth Quarter 2023, First Quarter 2024, Second Quarter 2024, Third Quarter 2024, Fourth Quarter 2024, Writing Progress Reports Hub, First Quarter 2024, Second Quarter 2024, Third Quarter 2024, Fourth Quarter 2024, First Quarter 2025, Second Quarter 2025, Third Quarter 2025, Fourth Quarter 2025, First Quarter 2026, Second Quarter 2026, Third Quarter 2026, Fourth Quarter 2026,

Writing Progress Report – Second Quarter 2022

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on June 30, 2022

Progress Report – Second Quarter 2022

How was second quarter 2022 for writing? So I spent second quarter 2022 overhauling this website. This included creating basic landing pages for each of the universes I am writing in.

I’m happy with how they’re turning out. But of course that’s the sort of thing that can easily become a perpetual work in progress.

The idea behind these pages is to create a central hub for universes like for the Obolonks or Enigmans. And then anything else I write about them will feed off those pages and feed back into them.

And I was looking for a good writing group that spoke to me. I also submitted to one place and edited Mettle, Gentrification, The Obolonk Murders, and The Polymer Beat.

Second Quarter 2022 Posted Works

First of all, I worked a little on new short stories. I also spent a lot of my time working to get inspired. So, I would think about plot bunnies.

Then on Wattpad I posted on the WattNaNo profile and the Star Trek Fans profile, and nowhere else.

Milestones

Also, I have written over two and a half million words (fan fiction and wholly original fiction combined). So, right now my stats on Wattpad for wholly original works are as follows:

• Dinosaurs – 40 reads, 9 comments
† How to NaNoWriMo – 25,199 reads, 320 comments
• My Favorite Things (like kibble) – 983 reads, 133 comments
† Revved Up – 59,415 reads, 530 comments
• Side By Side – 17 reads, 1 comments
† Social Media Guide for Wattpad – 15,384 reads, 591 comments
• The Canadian Caper – 502 reads, 37 comments
† The Dish – 250 reads, 24 comments
• There is a Road – 189 reads, 28 comments
† WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2018 – 1,947 reads, 45 comments
• WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2019 – 1,814 reads, 10 comments
† What Now? – 2,661 reads, 104 comments

More Published Works

Also, I am amassing quite the collection of published works!

Untrustworthy, which is my first published novel. So yay!

A True Believer in Skepticism, published in Mythic Magazine.

Almost Shipwrecked, a story in the January 2019 edition of Empyreome (link no longer works, alas!).

Canaries, a short story in the March 29, 2019, edition of Theme of Absence.

Complications, a story in the Queer Sci Fi Discovery anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds went to supporting the QSF website.

Cynthia and Wilder Bloom, stories in the Longest Night Watch II anthology.

Props, a story in the Longest Night Watch I anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds go to Alzheimer’s research.

Surprises, a story in Book One of the 42 and Beyond Anthology set.

The Boy in the Band, a story in the Pride Park anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds go to the Trevor Project.

The Interview, the featured story in the December 14, 2018 edition of Theme of Absence. So they even interviewed me!

The Last Patient, a story in the Stardust, Always anthology. This was an anthology where the proceeds go to cancer research.

The Resurrection of Ditte, a story in the Unrealpolitik anthology.

This is My Child, a short story published in the April 8, 2019 edition of Asymmetry Fiction, another site which is no more.

Three Minutes Back in Time, a short story published in Mythic Magazine.

Killing Us Softly, a short story published in Corner Bar Magazine.

Darkness into Light, a short story published in Corner Bar Magazine.

WIP Corner

So my current WIPs are as follows:

The Obolonk Murders Trilogy – so this one is all about a tripartite society. But who’s killing the aliens?

The Enigman Cave – can we find life on another planet and not screw it up? You know, like we do everything else?

The Real Hub of the Universe Trilogy – so the aliens who live among us in the 1870s and 1880s are at war. But why is that?

Mettle – so it’s all about how society goes to hell in a hand basket when the metals of the periodic table start to disappear. But then what?

Time Addicts – No One is Safe – so this one is all about what happens in the future when time travel becomes possible via narcotic.

Time Addicts – Nothing is Permanent – this is the second in this trilogy. What happens when time is tampered with and manipulated in all sorts of ways? It’s the ultimate in gaslighting, for one thing.

Time Addicts – Everything is Up For Grabs – this is the third in this trilogy. When time is bent and shaped like a wire hanger or a lump of clay, Josie James is thrown around in just so much temporal turbulence. She’s the only one who remembers how things were before—or is she? Can she put any of it back before even she forgets the oldest timelines?

Prep Work

So currently, my intention, for this year’s NaNoWriMo, is that I am writing the third trilogy in the Time Addicts/Obolonks universe. But I need to iron out the plot! So a lot of this year has been spent on that. I have no name for this one yet.

Second Quarter 2022 Queries and Submissions

So here’s how that’s been going during second quarter 2022.

In Progress

As of Second Quarter 2022, nothing is still in the running for publishing.

All Other Statuses

So be sure to see the Stats section for some details on any query statuses for Second Quarter 2022 which were not in progress.

Stats

So, in 2018, my querying stats were:

• 68 submissions of 19 stories
† Acceptances: 4, 5.88%
• In Progress-Under Consideration: 3, 4.41% (so, these don’t seem to have panned out)
† In Progress: 10, 14.71%
• Rejected-Personal: 14, 20.59%
† Rejected-Form: 24, 35.29%
• Ghosted: 13 (so, these were submissions where I never found out what happened), 19.12%

So, in 2019 my querying stats were:

† 23 submissions of 11 stories (so, 6 submissions carry over from 2018)
• Acceptances: 4, 17.39%
† In Progress: 11 (so, this includes 2 holdovers from 2018), 47.83%
• Rejected-Personal: 4, 17.39%
† Rejected-Form: 3, 13.04%
• Ghosted: 1 (so, these are submissions where I never found out what happened), 4.35%

2020 Stats

So, in 2020 my querying stats were:

† 37 submissions of 12 stories (so, 9 submissions carried over from 2019)
• Acceptances: 3, 8.11%
† In Progress: 7, 18.92%
• Rejected-Personal: 12, 32.43%
† Rejected-Form: 4, 10.81%
• Ghosted: 11 (so, these are submissions where I never found out what happened), 29.73%

2021 Stats

So, in 2021 my querying stats were 5 submissions of 5 stories (so 5 submissions carried over from 2020), 100% ghosted.

2022 Stats

So, in 2022 my querying stats are:

† 6 submissions of 6 stories (so 5 submissions carry over from 2020 and 2021)
• Rejected-Form: 1, 16.67%
† Ghosted: 5 (so these are submissions where I never found out what happened), 83.33%

Not too terribly encouraging.

Second Quarter 2022 Productivity Killers

So it’s work, what else? But there’s another issue. I am working on getting back into a writing group. Before the second quarter 2022 started, it seemed like my group would be disbanding.

Which makes me sad. Why, oh why, can’t I find a group that I like, which works for me? But … I may have found someone … Stay tuned.

Other second quarters, like in 2020 and 2021, had more querying. Ah, well.

First quarter 2022, though, had very little. And so it goes.

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Transitioning from FanfictionLegal, Creative Commons, fanfiction, crash course, copyright law, exceptions, Practice Law, Avoiding Common Legal Mistakes, Transitioning, cyber infidelity,

Transitioning from Fanfiction

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on June 28, 2022

A Look at Transitioning from Fanfiction

If you first wrote in someone else’s universe, and now you want to claim your own, you may be transitioning from fanfiction.

Transitioning from Fan Fiction Writing to Wholly Original Writing

It’s more than just ‘filing off a few serial numbers’. In particular, wholly obvious plot conventions and details may need to be nixed completely.

Transporter room, anyone? Tatooine? Two brothers fighting demons? A bunch of sparkly vampires? Yeah, you get the idea. You’ll probably need to change any of those radically.

How Writing Fanfiction Can Help You

It teaches you how to follow continuity. And it can keep you writing when you’re stuck. Writing begets more writing (even fan fiction!).

So it pays to keep going. You are better off, in terms of preventing writer’s block, to just keep on writing. Hence, if all else fails, go with fan fiction. Of course there are plenty of places to post it online. Here’s one.

How Writing Fanfiction Can Hurt You

The problem is, it does not teach you how to make your own world. Hence it can hamper your growth in this area. Furthermore, if you are not used to making your own characters, it can hurt you there, as well.

Flip Your Perception

So consider what the foundational IP (intellectual property) does, and why it matters to you as you start the process of transitioning.

• Interesting stories – spend some time deconstructing your favorites. Where did the writers hand-wave a problem away? Also, where did they get confusing? In addition, where did they deliver on the promise of their teaser/preview?

† Compelling characters – why do the canon characters matter to you? Again, engage in some deconstruction. Forget who plays a character. So consider how you would feel about a character if someone else played them.

Furthermore, consider how you would feel if the character’s gender and/or sexuality were swapped. Would you feel different if the character was of a race different from the current actor’s? Be your own casting director. Who, living or dead, could play the role better?

More Ideas

• Fascinating scenes – even within a familiar place, commercial intellectual property exists inside its own bucket. It might be a city block, a hospital, a car driving across the country, or somewhere else.

But what would happen if the scene shifted? Does the work succeed if it moves from Milwaukee to San Diego to Angkor Wat?

† Action-driving plots – what kicks things off? If it’s a television program, what happened during the pilot? Did someone new move in? Did someone lose their job? Attend their own wedding? Have a kid? Graduate? Get arrested?

Would the storyline still work if the pilot was different?

• Believable effects, makeup, costumes, lighting, scenery, etc. – technology is a part of onscreen fiction writing. New techniques are constantly being invented. This helps studios save money but also enhance believability.

What happens if an older show or film gets new makeup and green screening? Does that help the story, or harm it?

Finish Transitioning Over and Blaze Your Own Trail

For every exciting intellectual property out there, whether it’s books, films, YouTube videos, TV programs, or something else, it all started somewhere.

So what is your story? Who are your characters?

Who knows? Maybe someday someone will want to write fan fiction about your work.

Transitioning from fanfiction is easier than other types of transitions. So try it!

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Scene Setting

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on June 21, 2022

A Look at Scene Setting in Writing

Don’t leave it to chance. Scene setting is important to know.

What is Scene Setting?

Basic scene setting is a fundamental skill which every writer needs to perfect. A scene is more or less a species of character. Your scene needs some care and attention—and description.

Let’s look at some ways to do it.

All the Old Familiar Places and Times

When your story takes place on Earth during the present day, you’re in luck! You can get away without going over basic information. Present-day Moscow has cars. Today in Paris, people use the metric system. Current day Kentucky has telephones.

So your really basic information is already there. Don’t waste time or pixels or reader good will by explaining any of that, unless it’s somehow important. E. g. if your Russian character was raised in the sticks, maybe they never saw a car before. If your Parisian is a transplant from the United States, she might occasionally forget that most countries use different systems for weights and measures.

And if your Kentuckian was deaf and now suddenly can hear (and also led a sheltered life) telephones might be odd things which now have a purpose they didn’t have before.

But even for a place found on Planet Earth which you think you know, you should still do some digging. And don’t just look at touristy sites! I live in Boston. It’s not all Faneuil Hall Marketplace, not by a long shot. By the way, here’s a public service announcement from me. Harvard University is in Cambridge, not Boston. And it is far from the only university in this city.

This helped to inform how I wrote Mettle. Present-day Boston has cell phones, triple decker buildings, and French fries. Just like pretty much every other present-day place does.

Familiar Place, Unfamiliar Time

Then there’s the scenario where your location is close or familiar. But the time is not now. So, what is it, the past or the future?

Forward into the Past

If it’s the past, then you need to do some research. Wikipedia is not a good final source, but it’s not a bad first one. What I mean is, you can start there, particularly if you are unsure about names or parameters. But then you need to branch out.

Hence if you are trying to determine whether there were gas lamps lighting the streets of Berlin in 1740, you might want to start with looking up gas lamps and moving on from there. If they were invented later, then that answers your question. But if they were invented earlier (I honestly don’t know), then you should be looking at other sources.

You can check footnotes, or just do some creative Googling. I have found The Library of Congress has some great old images. But you may need to spend some time looking, as not everything is logically labelled.

Scene Setting for The Real Hub of the Universe

This was the exact situation for the Real Hub… series. A lot of us think we know the Victorian Era. But we don’t necessarily. Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901. In the United States, this is a time frame from Presidents Martin Van Buren (the 8th person to hold the title) to William McKinley (the 25th). The sewing machine was invented in 1851.

In 1875, Edison applied for a patent for the light bulb. So, you can see that the time period encompasses a lot of changes. People from the first year of her reign wouldn’t recognize all the trappings of life from her reign’s last year.

One way I set the scene was to only use language which was in use at the time. Etymy Online has proven to be exceptionally valuable for this. One thing I learned is that the word faze was in use. Subtly avoiding anachronistic language helps with scene setting in the past.

Back to the Future

For the future, of course you can invent what you like (and I will get into that with another blog post). But it pays to do some research anyway. Get an idea of what’s coming. If, say, solar-powered belt buckles are being patented, then why not put them in your near-future story? However, if you are writing a deeper, later future, you might want to make them passé.

Scene Setting for the Obolonk Universe

In this universe, our planet is divided into several megalopolises. In between, Earth is mainly zoological parks, going back to the original savannas and steppes and the like it was before human habitation. The Boston Meg encompasses all of New England. Rio-Recife-Montevideo is on the eastern side of South America, and so on.

Familiar Times, Unfamiliar Places

For alien places, consider what it means if the gravity is stronger, or weaker. What happens if the atmosphere is thinner? One way to make things easier on you is to research similar locations. The Andes or the Himalayas could stand in for a planet with thinner air, for example.

Let’s Go Off-World

One way I set the scene in the Obolonks trilogy and its successor, the Time Addicts trilogy, was to adopt naming conventions. As a result, every town and landmark in the Jovian System comes from rock groups. Hence, Ankaville is the capital of Callisto. The names of famous women work for Venus.

Hence, Navratilovaville and Garland City. The naming conventions also helped tremendously when deciding on other things like the names of schools or sports teams.

One idea I got (which I love, if I do say so myself) was to decide that terraforming operations are smelly. Hence, every orb would have a signature smell. Is it pine, or a fireplace? Lemons or chestnuts?

Totally Alien

Consider not just the look, but what happens when you engage your other senses. Is the place hot? Smelly? Smoggy? Is the landscape muddy? Frozen? Sandy? Urban and loud? Do your characters have to climb? Cross rivers?

Scene Setting for Untrustworthy

For Untrustworthy, the people and the scene were both so utterly unfamiliar that I needed more familiar touchstones. This meant adding a central river which characters had to cross using bridges. It also meant creating a new form of going, the transportation sleigh. A reader even asked me if Caboss is a snowy world.

And I’m still not sure! But all these alien things have familiarity baked right in. We all know what sleighs and bridges are. This made it easier for a reader to connect to what went on in that book.

Scene Setting Takeaways

You can put the reader in the action by engaging multiple senses. Latch onto the familiar if you can. Analogize to give the reader a faster understanding of the place. Do the homework, even on the small almost throwaway scenes, so your readers won’t have to.

Scene setting is a vital skill for every writer. #amwriting

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Self-Review – The Real Hope of the UniverseThe Real Hope of the Universe

Self-Review – The Real Hope of the Universe

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on June 14, 2022

Review – The Real Hope of the Universe

Hope was a huge theme in this book.

The Real Hope of the Universe picks where The Real Heart of the Universe leaves off. As the book to wrap up the trilogy, it had to resolve a number of subplots. So many subplots. Hence the first draft clocked in at over 185,000 words. Oh. My. God.

I didn’t need an editor. I needed a weed whacker. You know, a string trimmer.

Background

To wrap up the series, the aliens needed to leave our world. But how?

In addition, there were numerous subplots to resolve. For me, it can be hard to get all of that fixed and sewn up, tied neatly with a bow. This made for any number of issues with length. For after I wrote the first draft, my mission was to cut it by 50,000 words.

The second draft (what I call a second draft is often what people call a fifth or a sixth draft) was about 48,500 words less. Much, much better, but still a bear.

Plot for The Real Hope of the Universe

When we first see Ceilidh, Devon, Shannon, and Jake, they are riding in a carriage in Scotland. It’s the 1880s, and there are strange things happening throughout the planet. Some of these odd occurrences happen due to alien intervention.

But some of them happen because of what human beings do.

Unlike the other two books, I had to devote this one to far more science fiction. And so it is! Yet at the same time, I had to resolve the subplots. Hence I wrote meanderings to here and there.

But as I ruthlessly slashed away at the first draft, I tied a lot more of the subplots’ resolutions to science fiction.

Characters

The characters are the main character, Ceilidh O’Malley. Also, her beau (later husband) Jake Radford and her employer, Dr. Devon Grace.

In addition, there is the colony known as Shannon Duffy and the members of a secret society. These include men from both North America and Europe.

Memorable Quotes from The Real Hope of the Universe

They stopped on the steps for a second. “If you wish to leave now, say so.”

“If you’ll have any family you can talk to at all in the future, it shall likely be Luke.”

“So it would seem we should stay and wait it all out. So at least there’s a fighting chance of pulling out the whole truth, and he gets my side of things.”

“Not your side, Jake. Our side.”

“Ours, then. You are my truest companion.” He smiled a little, but it wasn’t in his eyes, which darted to the left for a second. His hand on hers was damp with sweat.

“Coming, you coward?” John sneered. “Or will you stand on the stairs forever, like a mental defective?”

“John,” Ceilidh said, “Kindly don’t speak to us this way. You may have arguments with my husband. He and I are willing to hear them. But a schoolyard bully’s insults are beneath you.”

John was nonplussed, and seemed to be deciding if she’d insulted or praised him. “Just get in the library already.” The library was a dark room, paneled in oak, with more decorations than books in the shelves.

Rating

The story has a K+ rating. As this one has more Gothic elements to it, there are some occasional squicky moments. For anyone who enjoys reading Gothic tales, some of the scenes should feel familiar.

Upshot

Because it was the end of the series, I struggled to let go. This is a normal pattern for me. It is quite literally nothing new. Hence the ending is dragged out far more than it ever needed to be.

When the first draft was done, it was the longest piece I had ever written. It took me about four and a half months to finish the first draft. And this was writing every day!

After leaving it for a long time, though, editing should be better. The operant word there being should.

I hope I can write more in this universe! #amreviewing

Want More of the Real Hub Universe?

If the Real Hub Universe resonates with you, then check out my other articles about Ceilidh, Devon, Jake, and the others as they keep the Earth from becoming collateral damage in the War of Knowledge.

Character Reviews:

Ceilidh O’Malley
Dr. Devon Grace
Frances Miller Ashford
Johnny Barnes
Shannon Duffy

Prequel: The East Side of the Universe
Self-Review: The Real Hub of the Universe
Self-Review: The Real Heart of the Universe
and Self-Review: The Real Hope of the Universe

Next article

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Self-Review – The Real Heart of the UniverseThe Real Heart of the Universe Adventures in Career Changing Killing Us Softly

Self-Review – The Real Heart of the Universe

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on June 9, 2022

Review – The Real Heart of the Universe

The Real Heart of the Universe continues the main story. This sequel to The Real Hub of the Universe brings back Ceilidh O’Malley, Devon Grace, Shannon Duffy, and Jacob Radford, along with the Boston Brahmins in the 1880s. In this, the second novel in the trilogy, Ceilidh deals head on with the problems she left behind in Ireland.

The biggest of these, of course, is Johnny Barnes.

Background

The second book of a trilogy can sometimes feel like filler. The last time I wrote a trilogy, for The Obolonk Murders, the middle book ended up as a means of advancing the Peri-Dave romance. Hence I opted for a similar idea. Here, the Ceilidh-Jake romance would advance.

The Plot of the Real Heart of the Universe

But there are always complications. For Ceilidh, who is still married to Johnny at the start of the book, her dalliance with Jake is a sin. Will she lose her mortal soul? For someone brought up with faith, the idea of what is more or less adultery is quite the problem.

So, what is she to do?

Characters

The main character in the piece is (again) Ceilidh O’Malley Barnes. Her main mission in this novel is to find a way to be with her love, Jacob Radford.

The scenes shift from the Lowell House in Boston (on Beacon Hill) to Providence, Rhode Island, and then to an Atlantic ocean voyage, and then to Ireland.

Memorable Quotes from the Real Heart of the Universe

He had chosen an impeccable charcoal gray suit, for his attire from the morning apparently would no longer do. He had all of his ties strewn around on his bed when she returned after getting the luncheon dishes back to the kitchen and cleaning them. “Have you a soirée?” she asked.

“Not so much a soirée,” he paused for a moment, rolling the R with his Scottish brogue, “as an invitation to tea. Sorry for the change in plans; I had meant to tell you, but your initiation into SPHERE got in the way. Hand me that one, if you please.”

“This one?” she asked, holding up his navy blue tie.

“No, no, the tartan.”

“Oh? So you’re going to regale your companion with tales of the Grace family?”

“The Argylls, actually. We go further back than William the Conqueror and all that rot.” He positioned himself in front of the room’s full-length looking glass and tied the tie, which was bright blue and green, with hints of purple and black. “There.”

She approached and straightened his tie a little and then smoothed his light gray hair back a little with two of her fingers. “Handsome and very approachable, sir.”

He smiled slightly. “Hopefully such will be the effect. The approachable part, that is. Handsome? In all honesty, Ceilidh, you should be fitted for spectacles at this rate.”

Rating

The book has a K+ rating. For the most part, the scenes are pleasant. But there is some violence. Language is mild.

Upshot for the Real Heart of the Universe

So I think this one works rather well as a bridge story between introducing the storyline and then its end in the third book.

One of the biggest issues with this series is the need for more science fiction in it. As it is, often the series can feel like a historical novel with some science fiction thrown into it.

Yet one thing I need to do is describe Ceilidh’s life and world, as they just aren’t as well-known as readers may think.

The Victorian era may be interesting to people, but it doesn’t mean they know too much about it. So some of my writing has been to deal head on with any misconceptions.

But no matter what, it’s obvious. The real heart of the universe is Ceilidh herself. #amreviewing

Want More of the Real Hub Universe?

If the Real Hub Universe resonates with you, then check out my other articles about Ceilidh, Devon, Jake, and the others as they keep the Earth from becoming collateral damage in the War of Knowledge.

Character Reviews:

Ceilidh O’Malley
Dr. Devon Grace
Frances Miller Ashford
Johnny Barnes
Shannon Duffy

Prequel: The East Side of the Universe
Self-Review: The Real Hub of the Universe
Self-Review: The Real Heart of the Universe
and Self-Review: The Real Hope of the Universe

Next article

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Self-Review – The Real Hub of the UniverseThe Real Hub of the Universe

Self-Review – The Real Hub of the Universe

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on June 7, 2022

Review – The Real Hub of the Universe

The Real Hub of the Universe tells the story of Ceilidh O’Malley Barnes, who leaves her abusive husband and runs off to America. Since it’s 1876, she works as a scullery maid, disguising her heritage with a put-on English accent and a fake name, Kay Lee Charles.

Background

One of my favorite time periods is the Victorian era. But there are still so few films which deal with it. More likely, you get something about England or the like. Yet there are not so many about America.

I also love science fiction. And so one day I got the idea – aha! – I would combine the two.

So far as I am aware, this is a more or less unique idea (yes, I know about Star Trek: The Next Generation characters going to see Mark Twain). And no, it is not steampunk.

Plot of the Real Hub of the Universe

When Ceilidh leaves Ireland, she knows absolutely no one. She ends up as a charity case on a freighter, where there is a mysterious first mate who wears only black and never smiles.

When the ship lands in Boston, it’s July 4—the Centennial. But nothing is open and there is no place for her to go.

But through pluck and luck, and by shedding her Irish name and putting on a fake British accent, she lands a job with the wealthy Edwards family.

She endures a lot of the standard indignities of the women of her time, including being paid less and being what we would now call sexually harassed. She also notices the master of the house conducts meetings with some sort of society.

Then he taps her to serve the society’s meetings, which are attended by the luminaries of the day – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Amos Bronson Alcott, Henry Brooks Adams, Judge John Lowell, and George Walker Weld.

All of these, by the way, are very real historical figures. Weld, who is the least well-known of the group, is actually related to actress Tuesday Weld!

After being mistreated by the mistress of the house one too many times, Ceilidh lands a job with Lowell. And then a mysterious visitor arrives, who says nearly nothing and hides his face. More worryingly, he immediately figures out she is not English. What’s she to do?

Characters

First of all, the main character in the piece is Ceilidh O’Malley Barnes. Her twin impulses are to escape her abusive husband and to find work, and a lot of the story centers around that.

The scenes shift from Ireland to England to the open Atlantic Ocean and then Boston, first at the Winthrop Edwards house, and then at the Judge John Lowell house. Both houses are on Beacon Hill.

For this book, she meets and befriends Frances Miller, her absolute bestie.

And, to explain why such a woman would leave Ireland and everything she ever knew, I wrote the prequel, The East Side of the Universe.

Memorable Quotes from The Real Hub of the Universe

There was a cackling sound not too far away. Someone was, maybe, having a glorious time, but it sounded unnatural, and a little forced. “What’s that?”

“That might be one of those things you shouldn’t be seein’.” Ned finished tying Phoebe’s reins to a post and picked up both parcels. “Over there, I think.” He inclined his head in the direction of where the smell of fish was stronger.

The two of them walked over and there was nearly no light beyond what the moon and stars could afford. A few small gas lamps were too far apart to be useful unless a person got really close to one of them. The tide lapped against the wooden docks and Ceilidh feared that either or both of them might fall in. She about jumped out of her skin when someone pulled the hem of her dress. “Who’s there?”

“What?” asked Ned. He had apparently not seen or felt anything.

Ceilidh bent down. It was a little girl, maybe three years old. Four? “Are you lost?” Ceilidh asked, although she had no idea how she could help a child in such an unfamiliar place.

“Have you a ha’-penny?” the little girl asked, her brogue thicker than Ceilidh’s or Ned’s.

“Where’s your Mam?” Ceilidh asked.

“Don’t, Cousin.”

“Why not?” Ceilidh straightened up for a moment.

“Because they will rob you.”

“I,” Ceilidh sighed. “Maybe if I’m not a stranger.” She bent down again. “I’m Ceilidh. What’s your name?”

“Siobhan.”

“Well, that’s a rather pretty name. Where’s your Mam, Siobhan?” The little girl just turned and pointed in the direction from where the cackling had come. In the dim light, something insect-like scurried in Siobhan’s hair. Instinctively, Ceilidh sprang back. “Oh, my!”

Rating

The book has a K+ rating. While the language is extremely proper to a fault, there are some swear words. There are also a few rather disturbing scenes.

Upshot

The bottom line is, I truly loved writing this series. It was great fun! Ceilidh’s character journey was a revelation to me. I always wanted her to make it somehow, but I was unsure of what that was going to be when I started. Stay tuned to find out just what that was.

Welcome to the Real Hub of the Universe #amwriting

Want More of the Real Hub Universe?

If the Real Hub Universe resonates with you, then check out my other articles about Ceilidh, Devon, Jake, and the others as they keep the Earth from becoming collateral damage in the War of Knowledge.

Character Reviews:

Ceilidh O’Malley
Dr. Devon Grace
Frances Miller Ashford
Johnny Barnes
Shannon Duffy

Prequel: The East Side of the Universe
Self-Review: The Real Hub of the Universe
Self-Review: The Real Heart of the Universe
and also Self-Review: The Real Hope of the Universe

Next article

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What’s the Perfect Chapter Length?NaNoWriMo, writing, chapter length, how do I write a book, Plotting 101, NaNoWriMo Advice, RIP NaNoWriMo

What’s the Perfect Chapter Length?

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on June 2, 2022

Considering Chapter Length

Ah, chapter length, the place that bogs down so many writers. “What’s an ideal chapter length?” Or they might ask, “How long should a chapter be?” Of course, asking such questions can be an avoidance mechanism so you do not actually have to write the blasted thing. Hmmm….

So, I have often told people: the ideal chapter length is whatever you are writing. But maybe that idea is not quite right?

Do not worry. I will attempt to explain.

Talking About Chapters

So, the bottom line is, we need to first talk about writing chapters.

What are chapters? Wikipedia (not always the best source but this is fine) says:
“A chapter (capitula in Latin; sommaires in French) is any of the main thematic divisions within a writing of relative length, such as a book of prose, poetry, or law. A chapter book may have multiple chapters that respectively comprise discrete topics or themes. In each case, chapters can be numbered, titled, or both.”
Er, okay.

So, what we are talking about here is quite simply a piece of a larger work.

Often, it is a discrete bit of the story, whether it is a scene or a day or one character’s point of view. But it does not have to be perfectly, tidily wrapped up at the end. And, in fact, it should not be. I will explain further down.

Starting a Chapter

I have started chapters (beyond the first one, which is different) in any number of ways. So, here is the current first paragraph of the second chapter of The Obolonk Murders:

The HQ was a large, nondescript governmental building, much in the style of governmental buildings for decades, if not centuries. It had once been Boston’s City Hall. The office was bustling but they bypassed all of that as Peri led the way to Dolan’s office. Dolan was there, in all his five hundred pounds of glory. “Ah, Detective Sergeant Martin! And you brought Detective, er, why don’t you close the door and we can talk?”

Peri is a cop in the future, and has just gotten her non-human partner. The initial purpose of this chapter is obvious from the first paragraph. It is to get her and her new partner to headquarters.

I introduce new characters (such as Dennis Dolan) and it seems pretty obvious that the characters will talk about the case.

Which they do a bit. But since the chapter has more than one scene, it also switches over to Peri’s high rise apartment. So, does a chapter have to cover more than one scene? Not necessarily.

But if you move from scene to scene, you will either need transitional language or a scene break.

Usually three asterisks (***) works best. I have never liked the idea of just adding a second empty line. If you read a piece on mobile, that subtlety might not carry over. But three asterisks are pretty obvious.

So, What is the Chapter Length of That One?

Right now, it is 3,538 words, and runs for a good 20 pages. But the line spacing is odd on that one and I need to fix it. I suspect it is really closer to 13 – 15 pages, maybe fewer. And I know I need to edit it.

But the chapter covers some good ground. They meet Dennis and yes, they talk about the case. The computers at HQ are attacked and Peri hears from a terrorist for the first time. Then, she and her robot partner go to her apartment which they find has been ransacked.

The scenes move along at a decent clip, and I like them all together like this. But like I said, I have to edit it.

Still, I think such a frenetic pace works well here. It runs from a sit-down meet and greet to eventually Peri getting angry about what has happened to her home. Hence, within this chapter, Peri transitions from semi-overconfident to having the case personally affect her.

How Does This Chapter End?

The final paragraph is:

“Yeah,” she nodded. “C’mon, we’re going to a motel. We can get this cleaned this up later. But let me toss a few things down the laundry chute. I’ll need some clothes soon.”

Much like Peri throws her clothes down a chute, the end of this paragraph has one purpose. That purpose is to start the reader down a chute. Where is the end of the chute? Why, it is in the first paragraph of Chapter 3, of course.

Teasing the Next Chapter as a Part of Chapter Length

I cannot recall where I heard this, but chapters should be like teasing your annoying little brother.

That is, you keep the absolute end just out of reach and do not add it until the next one. Think of it like movie posters and book covers for romance, where the couple is just about to kiss.

Of course, this is particularly key when you are ending Book 1 and need to get the reader interested in Book 2, its sequel. If you are not writing a standalone, you have got to make getting to the next book irresistible to the reader.

This does not necessarily mean writing a cliffhanger, although that should not be utterly off the table.

In a way, it is like a call to action when you write advertising. What is the specific action you want your reader to take? It is to be so drawn in and so curious about what happens next that they cannot wait to order (or preorder) the next book in the series

Without getting into spoiler territory, this book ends with Peri becoming overconfident again. And at the last moment, she is again knocked down several pegs.

The book comes full circle, and the reader should be (I hope!) invested enough to want to get to Book 2, The Polymer Beat.

Genres and Chapter Length

When it comes to chapter length,  a chapter still should be the best length for serving the story. But there are some caveats to this.

There are genre-related numbers but they are guidelines.  Still, paying attention to that is a part of better serving your audience/market. And why do we want to better serve our readers? Because it makes them want to continue reading! And, let’s face it, buying our stellar prose.

So, think about the standard pacing within your genre. A mystery or a thriller tends to have short chapters because the pacing needs to be tight. But for fantasy, you have some room to spread out. Science fiction tends to run to the longer side of things but mixes things up.

Describing a sci fi world may mean a lot of detail. Hence, a longer chapter length. But a fight scene, if it is the only thing in a chapter, will likely have to be snappy and quick.

What Happens When Chapter Length is Too Long?

All of this gets me back to chapter endings.  Ending chapters with a little bit that is left  unsaid can also serve as a model for writing all of a chapter. When your chapter length is too damned long, consider the following:

Maybe you are explaining things too much.  Maybe your characters are too slow to make decisions, and it is bogging down the action. Or maybe you have a character who you can do without.

Consider how NaNoWriMo (or #30Day50k) can also affect how we write. I know it affects my own work. Wanting to make word count at all costs can mean front loading a book.

It can also mean oppressive dialogue and extra characters. Meandering is great for word count. But it also adds to chapter length. And it is often the kind of addition that is not necessary.

Arguments. Descriptions. Directions. Side trips. Detours. Virtually any book will be better if you cut these down. And maybe even eliminate some of them. Also, consider the fluff of normal speech.

We hesitate with er, em, huh, etc. And we also say please and thank you a lot. A polite character is one thing. But you do not need to underscore their good manners on every page.

Keep your characters and their conversations from meandering, too. You and I might cover several topics when we speak, either in person or online. Real life is rarely in such a rigidly straight line, after all.

Let Your Characters Help You Out

So, what about your characters? You can focus them. And if you think a character is now impolite, there is no reason why you cannot use a body language attribution and have them nod their thanks.

Or use the occasion of a please or a thank you as a moment that serves the plot.

For example, Peri Martin continually thanks robots, even though they keep telling her that it is unnecessary. And when a robot fails to reject gratitude, it is a sign that there is something up. Something that is not so good at all.

What Happens When Chapter Length is Too Short?

Well, you might just be okay. But consider this. If a chapter or any other part of a book feels too short, why is that so? It could mean you are glossing over explanations. And it could mean you are not doing the heavy lifting of description.

Do you need to describe present-day Detroit in excruciating detail? Probably not. But 2528 Callisto? You had better believe you need to show this to your readers.

So, consider the shortening ideas above. But this time, in reverse. Do characters make decisions too quickly? Are descriptors too straightforward? Do directions and journeys always go in a perfectly straight line?

Or you could see if you would do better to combine two chapters. Another idea is: do nothing. That’s right. Nada! And it may just turn out to be the best thing you can do.

After all, Kurt Vonnegut got away with some ridiculously short chapters in Cat’s Cradle. But then again, neither you nor I are him, alas.

An Example from Professionals

Of all things, consider how soap operas structure their scenes. Yes, really!

The soaps tend to interleave two or three story lines per episode. And they often use one to segue to the other, and vice versa. So, if John is having an affair with his wife, Susan’s mother (Debbie), then a scene between Susan and Debbie makes sense.

So does a scene between John and Susan. And then John can have a perfectly legit reason to run into Debbie which can end up as something steamy.

Sometimes the scene is a long declaration of love, or wanting a divorce. But at other times, it is just a quick rendezvous and then the actors go off to do other things within the story line.

And while soaps used to have to shoehorn their scenes into the time between commercial breaks and station identifications, a purely streaming show has no such restrictions.

Chapter Length and Serving Your Readers

And one more quick thing.  Think about how so many of us are pressed for time. A lot of people read while commuting or right before bed.

In both cases, shorter chapters can serve the reader better—so long as many of them end with a chute to push the reader to the next chapter.

Maybe your reader will stay up to read another chapter. Or they will be so excited that they will think about it all day and then start up again once they get home or the work day ends.

So, never get caught up quite so much on how long your chapters end up being. Readers will be a lot more forgiving than you may think, so long as the story is good. Care a lot more about how they start, how they end, and the stuff that you put into the middle.

Chapter length perfection can be fleeting…. #amwritingClick to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

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Self-Review – Your Call is Very Important to UsYour Call, Darkness into Light, interview, Apocalypse, canaries, Killing Us Softly, School for Scavengers, And the Band Played the Apocalypse, The End, Unexpected Help, animal, Future Has No Foundation, Babel 2.0, Skating, Escape from Alien Mines, Brown Eyes are the Law, Frozen Fortress, Light Shines in Gloucester, Mythic, Bleeper, A Path Not Taken Much, Blue Card, direction of prejudice,

Self-Review – Your Call is Very Important to Us

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on May 26, 2022

Your Call is Very Important to Us – a Look at a Short Story

Your Call is Very Important to Us comes from a general concept of ‘the world turned upside-down’. I wrote this short story for the third volume of The Longest Night Watch. All of the proceeds will go to the Alzheimer’s Association. But I’m afraid that is, if we ever publish it.

Which isn’t looking so good these days. Damn.

I never name the narrator in ‘Your Call’. The reader just gets her husband’s name, Milo.

Background

The world has gone to hell in a handbasket, and we’ve dropped the bomb. And so has our unnamed other side. There’s devastation. No one and nothing will survive.

Enter our characters.

As the narrator says, her husband was a doomsday prepper. And while everyone thought he was nuts, they were okay even as the world came to an end.

So who’s sorry now?

But our narrator’s got one big problem. She’s bored out of her mind.

Plot for Your Call…

With nothing to do but read, eat, and fool around, the narrator and her husband are at the ends of their tethers. They are older people—there aren’t going to be any children. There is no chance at all to repopulate the earth.

Pretty soon, the one break to the monotony comes in the form of something you and I both hate – automated telemarketer calls. The people and the companies may be gone. But robocalls, apparently, are forever.

Of course, a ringing telephone in the middle of nuclear devastation is a cause for concern, wonder, hope, and fear. I will admit that a part of the idea came from Ray Bradbury’s classic Martian Chronicles story, The Silent Towns.

Characters in Your Call…

The only characters, apart from people the narrator talks to on the phone who may or may not still be alive, are the narrator and her husband, Milo. Milo never speaks and neither does the narrator. All the reader gets are her rambling, wacky thoughts, presumably in writing.

Memorable Quotes

When the bombs dropped, we were already ensconced in our shelter. Milo built it. Milo’s my husband. He was one of those doomsday preppers. People used to say he was crazy. But they’re not saying it now. Why not? Because they’re probably all dead. If the radiation and heat won’t get you, the germ warfare will, Milo says.

We live just outside of Henderson, Nevada. It’s near Las Vegas, or at least it was. I’m not so sure what’s up there anymore. It’s probably not much.

Rating

This story has a K+ rating. While the one sex scene takes place off screen (as it were), the backdrop is nuclear war, and of course that’s upsetting.
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Upshot

So, one very big issue is that the volume has been delayed for what I believe is coming upon a good decade.

Yes, really. The story has been in limbo for way too long at this point.

So will it ever be published? Right now, I’ve got to say, I have my doubts. Big, big doubts. And that’s unfortunate, because I really love this story. And I love the charity and the group. But I suppose we’ve got … issues.

Your call is very important to us — even after the end of the world. #amwriting

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