Off the Bookshelf: SUPER STRUCTURE, by James Scott Bell

Good news! Just because you're a pantser doesn't mean that you'll get hives or strain some mental processes by thinking ahead to create structure for your novel.

It also doesn't mean that plotters are superior writers and have it easier than pantsers, so stop gloating right now.

Structure is necessary for your book to make sense, for the story to work, for readers to be satisfied. When structure crystallizes for you all depends on what type of writer you are -- before, during, during revisions, during the final polish. But the bottom line is that you need it eventually, or your book will languish in the slush pile, even if you publish it yourself.

James Scott Bell is a master teacher of writing principles and practices. Super Structure boils down to a checklist of events that MUST occur within your story for characters to grow and for action to make sense and for readers to close the book with a happy sigh -- even if it's a downer ending, weird as that may sound.

Yet just because there's a checklist doesn't mean it's formula. Think about this: formulas exist because they WORK. It's the application that proves the skill and talent of the writer.

He explains through the process what each step means, and how to set up for those changes, the transitions from the main character's ordinary world into the world of change and growth and learning, facing challenges, making choices, and coming out the other end. Yeah, easy to talk about, but putting that into practice is a little harder. With Bell's help, it's a little easier. Now to put it into practice.

Taste the Book: SU-MA

"I've got it," Sara said, over Su-Ma's greeting. "Gabe's phone. But I can't hold onto it for long. I followed him to the coffee shop and it fell out of his pocket. He was pacing around, waiting for Haley, but she didn't show. He called her and she didn't answer, and he didn't watch what he was doing when he put it back in his pocket. Are you ready?"

"Uh -- Gabe -- the phone. Right." Su-Ma looked around for the instructions Sophie had written out yesterday. All she had to do was click on the screen where the program was ready to run and download from Arc's computer, over the Internet, into Sara's phone, and then into Gabe's phone, which she had plugged into hers. She didn't quite understand how Sophie and Joan had figured out a way to use the power cord socket on the phones to share information, but then, she wasn't the resident technical miracle worker. "Got it." Her hand felt oddly steady on the mouse. Two clicks and it was ready to go. "All plugged in?"

"What's up?" Jenni said, coming into the communication room. Su-Ma held up a finger, signaling for her to wait.

"Hooked up and ready," Sara responded.

"And... launching." Su-Ma turned from the monitor, breathing a sigh of relief. She had feared she would mess up. "Sara got her hands on Gabe's phone."

"Should I get Joan? I saw her taking breakfast to Sophie."

"Yeah, just so she can get right to work on whatever we find."

"Something going on?" Sara said, as Jenni left the room.

"Sophie had a scare last night. I'm not really sure on the details."

"Tell her I'm praying, and give her my love."

Su-Ma focused on the clock hanging on the wall over the monitors. She wished she hadn't indulged in that bit of silly whimsy and bought Taz. Right now he looked positively gleeful about the problems they were facing. She promised herself, as soon as she was allowed to get around on her own two feet again, she was going to climb up and take that stupid clock down off the wall. The second hand crept slowly around the face, the ticking growing louder, fighting with her heartbeat for dominance. The data scrolling across the screen seemed to slow down, so just a few characters appeared with every tick of the clock. Then it was two ticks. Then three.

"Danger, danger, Will Robinson," Sara muttered. "Sorry, but he's on his way back. Gotta disengage. Did we get anything good?"

"I don't know!"

"Signing off."

Off the Bookshelf: CURE FOR THE COMMON LIFE, by Max Lucado

Just shows how busy I've been -- for the last few years -- that I haven't read a Max Lucado book for quite a while. I really missed reading him, because his style is simple and easy to read, and he communicates so clearly, with humor and wisdom.

CURE FOR THE COMMON LIFE has the subtitle of: Living in Your Sweet Spot.

What's the sweet spot? It's that place where you're doing what you love. It's where a job is no longer work. When you're doing what God designed you to do, following your heart, using the talents programmed into you since before birth.

He talks about discovering your S.T.O.R.Y -- your Strengths, Topic (what you enjoy doing), Optimal conditions, Relationships, and your Yes -- when you look up to Heaven and say, "I was made to do this."

Then the last 1/3 of the book is full of tests and questions and fill-in-the-blank to help you analyze yourself and discover that sweet spot, where you were made to be, where everything works, and you're fulfilling your destiny.

Be prepared to have your eyes opened and your mind blown and your life path changed -- maybe getting on course for the first time in your life. Heady stuff!

Off the Bookshelf: CRESS, by Marissa Meyer

The third book in the Lunar Chronicles weaves yet another faerie tale into the fascinating SF saga where the people living on the moon keep moving closer toward the inevitable conflict with Earth.

CRESS takes a new twist on Rapunzel, including lots of overgrown hair, Rapunzel landing in the desert, and the hero being blinded -- and yeah, the wicked witch. Lots of wicked witches.

In between Cress's struggle to escape her satellite "tower" that she's been trapped in since childhood, meeting the rascally Captain Thorne, the two of them crashing in and surviving in the desert, we have the further struggles of Cinder and her odd assortment of allies as they keep trying to find out evil Lunar Queen Levana is up to, the cause of the plague devastating Earth, and now the big challenge: stopping the wedding between Levana and Emperor Kai -- Cinder's handsome prince.

Wow. Did anyone hear me scream last week when I finished CRESS and realized there was another book to read before I could find out who survives the battle? Right now, Scarlet is a prisoner on the moon, Wolf is ready to die of despair, Thorne hasn't gotten his eyesight back yet, the Lunar guard who was helping them is ratting them out to Queen Levana, and Kai has just learned all of Cinder's world-shaking secrets. Can love grow in this environment -- and survive?

Thank goodness I got an Amazon gift card for Christmas. Guess what I'm spending it on? WINTER, the 4th Lunar Chronicles book.

Off the Bookshelf: CHRISTIAN HORROR, by Mike Duran

The basic question posed by the author, a rising name in the Christian horror genre is: Can Christians write books with horror elements? A more insightful question might be: Should they? What purpose can be served for the kingdom of God by writing horror?

The conclusions and the caveats might surprise you.

Duran discusses the horror genre in general, the psychological and spiritual elements, aspects, and effects, the history, notable names, and just what makes something "horror." You might be surprised to hear -- and please do stop to consider -- that with all the gruesome, violent and gory aspects of the Bible, it could fit the definition.

That makes you stop and think, doesn't it? So maybe you have to rework your definition of horror?

The book is thought-provoking and sometimes generates some uncomfortable moments, as the author holds up the mirror to make us face our self-righteous, judgmental tendencies. The race to condemn and give ourselves a pat on the back for not being "like those people." Even if you don't particularly like any aspects of horror, whether in writing or film or other art ... you might want to check this out, just to get a slightly different perspective and some food for thought.

Off the Bookshelf: SCARLET, by Marissa Meyer

The second book of Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles, SCARLET is a roller coaster ride and an adaptation of the basic elements of the faerie tale of Red Riding Hood into a science fiction setting, so cleverly done I just have to sit and shake my head and say "wow" enough times to get really irritating.

Scarlet is a redhead, French, a farm girl delivering produce from her grandmother's farm. Her "hood" is a red hoodie, and it gets pretty beat up and shredded by the end of the story. The wolf is a guy named Wolf and yeah, at a couple points in the story, he's "this close" to eating Red -- err -- Scarlet.

Grandma has vanished and Scarlet becomes convinced that Wolf is involved. As she digs into things, she puts enough clues together to realize Grandma knows a lot of dangerous things. See, Grandma was a spaceship pilot, and she was involved with some residents of the moon, and Grandma knows what happened to the missing Lunar princess.

How does this tie into Cinder, who was in prison, waiting to be handed over to the evil Lunar queen at the end of book one? Now, Cinder has broken out of prison and she's on the run and learning a lot of things about her past. In a stolen spaceship, she and her fellow fugitive manage to stay one step ahead of the  military forces hunting her. Just in time, she meets up with Scarlet, and a few more pieces come together.

War has come to Earth, and in some ways, it's Cinder's fault -- or perhaps more accurately, her responsibility. Time for her to accept her destiny, her heritage, find supporters and get a revolution going in time to rescue the handsome prince/newly crowned Emperor, before he's forced to marry the evil queen in what is sure to be the shortest marriage on record.

Read these books!