Dead Frog on the Porch meets Deus ex Machina

Now that I'm finished my 'how I got published' story I'll be doing regular blog posts along the lines of 'where life meets writing.' I'll post updates on the progress of my novel Dead Frog on the Porch, profiles of the writers in my writing group, tips on writing, and resources for writers. I'll also explore the time worn question of why everyone thinks I'm writing about them! 

I finished the substantive edits on Dead Frog on the Porch. They were minor. There was only a couple of times I pulled a Deus ex Machina. Every writer worth their weight in self addressed stamped envelopes knows what that is, few, including me, know how to pronounce it! Translated from Latin it means 'God from the machine.' Translated into writerly language, it's where a force outside of the protagonist intervenes to get the protagonist out of a sticky situation. Here's a fairly graphic picture of a Deus ex Machina. So, I did some rewriting so that the protagonist was leading the action that solved the problem, and I introduced a sidekick character in the first book that will play a bigger role in the second book, Dead Bird Through the Cat Door.  

I also saw some of the cover art, which is awesome and I will share that when it's available. 

You'll notice that I added a book shelf to my blog (courtesy of Shelfari), and have put up some of my favourite books. Take a gander through the book shelf, they are all in my top ten and I'll be referring to them from time to time. The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne, had been on my literal book shelf for over a decade. I knew I should read it because it's a classic, but I kept putting it off. Wow, was I glad I read it. Holy inner conflict Batman! It was an excellent example of inner conflict. Characters need both inner and outer conflict, usually writers are good at the outer conflict (things that happen to the characters) but not so much with the inner conflict (how the characters feel and respond to the things that are happening to them). If you're struggling with this in your work in progress I would highly recommend The Scarlet Letter.

Next blog post: Down and Dirty or why you need to get the words right!