Using Astrology to Define Characters

Well, this is a groovy post!  I have always been interested in astrology, probably because my mother was interested in it during my childhood.  Growing up in the 1970s, I remember seeing books such as Linda Goodman’s “Sun Signs” & “Love Signs” on the living room bookshelf.  Although I don’t rely on astrology as an “end all, be all” source of information, I have always felt that it can provide a generalization about a person’s personality.  Using sun signs to help define my characters’ personalities is a lot of fun and it gives the reader something to think about in terms that they may be familiar with.  Most people know what their own sun sign is and have an idea, if somewhat vague, about the other eleven.  The use of astrology works particularly well in my novel because it takes place in a time period when that type of “alternative” way of looking at people & life was in vogue.  I try to use it  sparingly as well as generally, such as making my two most successful, strong & driven characters Capricorns while the artist is a Scorpio as is the troubled, intense biker.  Of course, making the characters interested in astrology as well is a great way to incorporate the definitions of each sign without sounding like a loon!  I let the characters talk about it so that it becomes part of the overall story as it would have been during the 1960s & 1970s.  BTW-what’s your sign?  Mine’s Pisces…

The Importance of Music in Fiction

I am a music lover.  Always have been.  It’s probably my biggest passion behind writing.  I like all genres with the exceptions of modern-day pop, country & dance.  My favorite music by far is good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll.  Sixties, Seventies, some Eighties, some Nineties.   Using music in writing is every bit as important to me as the setting & character description.  I chose specific songs to enhance a scene or give the reader a clue to a character’s personality.  If you’re familiar with the song or artist, then you will instantly glean a correct impression of that character.  In my novel, which takes place between the great musical years of 1964-1977, I set a dinner party scene with John Coltrane’s classic jazz album, “Blue Train”.  This gives an idea of intelligence to the character who is being highlighted as well as a sophisticated air to the scene.  Another hint to personalities is to name a character’s favorite group (John Clark’s is the Allman Bros. while his brother Pete’s favorite album is “Electric Music for the Mind & Body” by Country Joe & the Fish).  Music is so important to me & by extension, my characters, that I cannot imagine writing without it.

Naming Fictional Characters

   I take naming my characters pretty seriously.  For my novel, “Red, White & Blues”, I wanted to have everyday names that could be easily related to by most everyone.  The names of my main characters, such as John Clark, Pete Clark, Sandy Porter, Sarah Somerton, Louise Sinclair, Edie McCabe-even Mike Blackhorse-were chosen specifically for their simplicity.  With characters that I wanted a little more impact, such as Morgan Stewart, the President of the fictional motorcycle club, “The Souls of Liberty”, I chose a stronger name, but still left it easy to remember.  For my “resident artist”, I chose Haven Hartford, a somewhat unusual name, but again, pretty easy to remember.  I wrote this book with the express idea that no matter what the situations are, it could be easy for everyone to relate to.  I also wrote my book using simple language, but that is a subject for another blog!  The main sources that I use for naming my characters (usually both first & last names) are two baby name books that I have had for years:  “Name Your Baby” by Lareina Rule and “The New Age Baby Name Book” by Sue Browder.  The latter is obviously for the more unusual or ethnic-inspired names.  When developing a new character, I nearly always know what they look like before I have their name, so I do take that image into consideration when I start searching for their name.  It’s fun to browse the books, looking for that perfect name to pop out at me!

Food & Writing

My friend & I cook together.  We make a lot of Indian dishes, which made me think about my novel & the use of food in it.  Of course, there’s the most obvious connection, that of the “Morning Glory Cafe”, which is a common meeting place for all of the characters.  But I also began to think about many of the other food in my book & was truly amazed at how often I used it.  There are several BBQ scenes for Fourth of July celebrations, which serve the traditional ideas & values of women nurturing men with food.  There is a scene where food is used to delight & seduce others, such as an African meal that is served alongside hashish & wine.  There’s another dinner where food is used to impress some while alienating another.  And there is still another meal that is used as a juxtaposition to religious ideas (touting the glories of Christianity in a vegetarian Thai restaurant, which would be consistent with Hinduism).  Food does so much more than quell our hunger & I am glad that I included so many references to it in my novel.

SutterInk: OUTLAW EMPIRES

SutterInk: OUTLAW EMPIRES

Looking forward to this!

Top 20 Books

On the heels of my last blog, My Top 20 Movies, I thought I'd do books. There are definitely not in any specific order. Here they are:

• Stoned Apocalypse- Marco Vassi
• The Rebels-Daniel Lyon
• Women-Charles Bukowski
• Ham on Rye-Charles Bukowski
• The Source-Isis Aquarius
• Summer of Love-Joel Selvin
• Life-Keith Richards
• Riding on the Edge-John Hall
• Just Kids-Patti Smith
• Matterhorn-Karl Marlantes
• Achilles in Vietnam-Jonathan Shay
• Light Years-James Salter
• A Dangerous Friend-Ward Just
• Skins-Adrian Louis
• Desperate Characters-Paula Fox
• This is Where I Leave You-Jonathan Tropper
• Tropic of Cancer-Henry Miller
• The Sheltering Sky-Paul Bowles
• Crossing to Safety-Wallace Stegner
• Elective Affinities-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Do you agree? What are some of your favorite books? Go to the movie post & list some of your personal faves!

My Top 20 Movies

Here's a fun post-do you agree?  Do you have any comments?  What are YOUR faves?  These cover a wide genre & are in no particular order, although the first 3 are accurate:

• The Deer Hunter
• Gimme Shelter
• Performance
• Don't Look Now
• Five Easy Pieces
• The Piano
• The Conversation
• Easy Rider
• Carnal Knowledge
• Deliverance
• Boogie Nights
• The Devil's Rejects
• Return of the Secaucus Seven
• Sunset Blvd
• The Godfather I & II
• Rosemary's Baby
• The Seventh Seal
• Valhalla Rising
• Wonderland
• Faces

Shameless Promotion

My book is about subjects, people, locations and a period in time that most others are interested in.  Yes, this blog is nothing more than a shameless promotion to get some more sales, but if I saw this book online or at a bookstore, I would jump all over it!  Head on over to Amazon where you can sample the story by clicking on the "Look Inside" icon.  Read the reviews!  The book is available as a Kindle download or a paperback.  If you like motorcycles, bikers, the 1960's & 1970's, sex, drugs and rock & roll, YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK!!
http://www.amazon.com/Red-White-Blues-L-Sage/dp/1432773453/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1

How I Keep Track Of Characters

So, I thought that I would share one of my techniques for keeping track of all those characters that I create!  I have a binder called "Red, White & Blues-Character Info & Research".  This is my bible!!!  I have an Excel file in my computer as well where I update/add/delete character info, but having this handy @ all times is imperative!  The image is of one of the pages...

Motivation

The fact that no one is reading my blogs should deter me from writing more.  But it hasn't. So, for today's entry I thought I would tackle the issue of motivation and working toward a finished book.  I can't tell you haw many times I sit in front of the computer, open the file for my next novel and then just sit staring at the walls waiting for inspiration to hit.  When this happens, I go back to my trusty outline format (mentioned in my previous blog) and begin to plan out something very simple.  Then I make myself write until I have completed that event or idea.  The goal for me becomes "just get something written.  You can always go back and change it or even delete it."  Many times, I get stuck searching for the perfect word.  I used to break out a thesaurus, other books, etc and search.  Unfortunately, when you do this, you lose momentum in your writing, which is the killer.  So, now I either leave a large black space or put in a similar word and highlight it so that I know to go back to it specifically in the editing.  You must keep moving forward!!

Writing Techniques Part 1

How does a person come up with something to write?  I was always drawn to writing.  As a child I thrilled at a blank piece of paper and pencil.  However, not everyone can get started this easily, and I have to admit that although the thrill is still there, it takes some thinking to get something to appear on that paper nowadays!
One method I use for writing a new chapter is to do an outline of ideas that I want to cover.  What characters do I want to use?  What is a possible scenario?  Where are they and what are they doing?  Most importantly, I try and narrow down what I want this chapter to accomplish.  As I work on the sequel to Red, White & Blues, I use this technique quite often and with good results most of the time.  It is not foolproof, but if you know where you want to end up, it takes a lot of the loss of inspiration out of it.

Introduction...

Greetings!  My purpose for blogging is to expose more people to my novel, Red, White & Blues.  If you like or have an interest in the following subjects, then please check my book out on Amazon.com & ORDER IT:  the 1960's & 1970's; bikers, outlaw motorcycle clubs; California, San Francisco; sex; drugs; music; the Vietnam War; Native American culture.  The book is available in either soft cover or as a Kindle edition.  If you have read my book or would like more information than what is provided on the Amazon page, please let me know!!   We'll talk more as the days unfold!