Seton Hill – Fireflies & Laserbeams

In Your Write Mind

Wednesday June 26, 2019 | By Hieronymus Hawkes | Blogging | Leave Comments

In Your Write Mind Tomorrow I will be on my way to Pennsylvania for a writing convention. It’s more than that to me, though. It’s a bit like a homecoming. Except it’s not, because I [caption id="attachment_323" align="alignleft" width="320"] Seton Hill University[/caption] never lived there. I did, however, go to school there for my Master’s degree. I haven’t been back since I graduated, for various reasons, although I had intended to go several times. Life events overcame my plans. I finished my Master’s in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University four years ago this month. Alumni from this awesome program loved the place so much that they started doing a summer con that happens at the same time as the summer residency for the program, so that they could see their classmates and former mentors. These wonderful people became an extension of our families. (more…)

Thursday April 18, 2013 | By Hieronymus Hawkes | Guest Blogger | Leave Comments

I'm happy to give the podium to one of Seton Hill's finest. The prolific Victoria Thompson is an instructor and Mentor in the Writing Popular Fiction Master's program at Seton Hill University, in Greensburg, PA. Vicky also happens to be an Edgar nominated mystery writer, specializing in Historical Mysteries. Her Gaslight Mystery Series are centered around New York City at the turn of the Twentieth Century. Her first book, Murder on Astor Place was released in 2009, and the latest book for that series (number 15) is about to be released on May 7th. It's called Murder in Chelsea. Vicky has published thirty-five novels so far and I don't see her slowing down. Today, she is going to give writers a few tips on what to do when we feel like we don't know where to take the story...

WRITER TO THE RESCUE

So what does an author do when she’s written herself into a corner and can’t for the life of her figure out how to get out of it—all while thousands of fans are clamoring for her blood? That’s the situation in which I found myself last year at this time.

If you are a fan of the Gaslight Mystery Series (Berkley Prime Crime), you know that Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy of the New York City Police and Midwife Sarah Brandt have been solving mysteries and gradually falling in love over the first 14 books in the series. Unfortunately, I had started the series by creating insurmountable barriers to their ever getting together, never realizing that the series would become so successful or that readers would become so invested in Frank and Sarah’s lives.

Now let’s face it, how many mystery writers are lucky enough to have a series that runs for 14 books? I count my blessings every day. But in the spring of 2012, I realized that if I didn’t take care of Frank and Sarah’s relationship, readers probably would not keep reading. But how to do it without ruining the dynamics of the series? I was getting desperate, so I vented to my classmates.

Classmates? Yes, I was just finishing up my master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University. One of my classmates, David Wilbanks, who writes Science Fiction and had at that time never read anything I’d ever written, took my challenge and sent me a list of about 20 things that could happen. Unlike me and my fans, Dave was unencumbered by knowledge of the characters involved, so his solutions didn’t have to be feasible or even sensible. His ideas were outside the box. Some of them were even outside the Universe. But one of them was the perfect solution to Frank and Sarah’s problems!

If you’re expecting me to tell you what that solution is right here, I’m sorry. I write mysteries, so I’m not giving away anything that might spoil the book for you. I will say that in MURDER IN CHELSEA you will finally get to see Frank Malloy propose to Sarah Brandt. Of course they also solve a couple murders and locate the birth parents of Sarah’s foster daughter into the bargain. This is a mystery series after all! And to thank Dave for his help, I named a major character after him in MURDER IN CHELSEA.

So this is how a fellow writer rescued me, saving me from the wrath of frustrated readers! You can see how he did it by reading MURDER IN CHELSEA, a May 2013 hardcover release from Berkley Prime Crime. It’s also available in all electronic formats. Please let me know if you like the solution by contacting me though my website, www.victoriathompson.com or liking me on Facebook at Victoria Thompson Author or following me on Twitter @gaslightvt. Clear Ether!

Friday April 12, 2013 | By Hieronymus Hawkes | Uncategorized | Leave Comments

Photograph by Sean McGowan

I know I haven’t posted much since I started my MFA program. I’ve been busy reading a lot of Fantasy books for one of my classes and doing a lot of writing and revising on my new story, which I’m very excited about. There are so many good things about the Seton Hill Writing Popular Fiction Masters in Fine Arts program. I want to share some of them with you. First thing is in the title. It’s focused on genre fiction. Most programs at this level are centered on literary fiction, which to me seems pretentious and self-serving. There is still a strong faction within the academic community that looks down on genre fiction, but I think the writing in genre fiction is much more active and vibrant. The editing is tighter and the plot…there actually has to be a plot, moves faster and has purpose. We are taught that every scene should have a purpose and to focus on story and strong characters. There are lots of ways to write a book and the way the program is designed it’s flexible and demanding at the same time. They have a large (and growing) stable of mentors that work with students to offer advice on not just the writing but the larger career and business aspects. The community of students, alumni and teachers is unparalleled. They may not be famous (yet), but they are smart and warm and talented. Some are well known in there genre and getting more attention all the time. They stay connected and help each other daily. It might be the best part of the program. To be included in a large and growing community of people who write a lot and understand what you are dealing with is huge. It’s bigger than huge, since writing professionally is a fairly solitary endeavor, having a group to be part of makes all the difference in the world. And the expertise that’s available is rich and diverse, providing a deep pool of experience to draw from when you are writing about something you may not be all that familiar with. The program orbits around the thesis and the thesis is designed from the beginning to be a marketable novel. The focus is on developing the writer’s skills while continually writing and revising the novel, getting feedback from other students and mentors along the way. It’s a built in team effort and it’s something special to have this much focus on a book during the development. Having writing partners is fantastic. Not only do they give your story fresh eyes, but they also encourage and push. I feel blessed to have such wonderful writing partners in the program. I hope that we remain partners as our writing careers go on long after we graduate the program. They recently added the “F” part of the MFA which makes it accredited and allows a person to teach at the collegiate level. They have allowed prior graduates of the program to return and get their “F”, which is very cool. To me that’s just gravy. I don’t know if I will ever use it, but it’s nice to know that will be there. The program only requires five days a semester to be on campus. It’s one of the lowest commitments of any program in the country and makes it much more palatable for those of us that have time consuming day jobs. It was the biggest factor in my choosing Seton Hill, but I couldn't be happier with my choice. The residency is packed full, but the time we spend together is not only constructive but fun. We have time in the evenings to socialize and have special events, like book readings and dinners and even balls. The compressed time gives the residency an immediacy that serves to get a lot more involvement by everyone. I’m really looking forward to the next one. If you have any interest in getting an MFA I give the Seton Hill program my highest endorsement. Good luck in your writing. Clear Ether!

Wednesday January 16, 2013 | By Hieronymus Hawkes | Uncategorized | Leave Comments

Last week I was at Seton Hill University for my first week of Residency for my Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction. Thanks to my classmate Jenni Spoon for letting my use this picture she took last week. Check out her blog! I spent the weeks prior getting ready by reading a book that was assigned and doing critiques of ten other writer's work. I also prepared and sent in a ten-page piece to be critiqued. I thought I was going to do my thesis on the work I had already done for Revelation Void, and that was what I edited for submission, but I'd been working on a new piece and during the course of the first few days I realized that piece was going to work out a lot better for me. I have Clear Ether out to be critiqued, but I realize now that it is far from being ready for submission. It's going to require a major overhaul to be in any kind of shape that I would be satisfied with. So Clear Ether is going on the shelf for a bit, along with Revelation Void. I'm cool with it. I have some good ideas to explore for both of these books, but I am switching my focus to my new story. I have just over 15k words so far, but they need to be polished. I am going about this novel in a completely new way for me. I'm actually outlining it first. I actually know how it ends already. I'm also trying something new with the type of story. It is firmly grounded in SF, but this one will be a mystery. The working title is Requiem for Memory, but I'm not completely sold on it and it may change at some point. The residency itself was incredible. I met almost a hundred writers and they were all warm and welcoming. It was like finding a family that you didn't know you had. Everyone there wants to help you on your journey to become a better writer, from the faculty, the mentors, to the other students. I've never been in an environment like that and let me tell you, it was inspiring. We talked about writing, examined writing, critiqued writing, and actually did some writing. When we weren't in class the talk was still centered around writing and what we were working on or what obstacles we'd encountered in the process. We also had some fun, although I would classify talking about writing as fun, we had several dinners and social gatherings, just to get to know each other better. This was deeper than networking, at least it felt like it to me. We were getting to know our cousins and uncles and aunts and nieces and nephews. It honestly felt like that. The week culminated with a graduation for the seniorist class, the "Sixes", as each class is referred to by it's residency number. The graduation was surprisingly emotional. One of the graduating students gave a wonderful recap of their time together and the things that made each of them special. It was heartwarming. The facility is on the grounds of an old Nunnery. Everyone refers to the place as Hogwarts, because of its old wood and brick design and the fact that it just looks like the inside of Hogwarts. People get lost that have been attending there for years and claim the hallway moved. (again) There is a graveyard onsight and in the summer residency there is a late night ghost walk every year. Many people claim the place is haunted. I am so motivated to do all things involved with the writing process. I actually know I am going to finish this book and it's going to be good. The SHUWPF (Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction) program has inspired me with that kind of confidence. I'm plotting out some nuances now and adding layers. I will fine tune the first 30 pages and send them out soon to my new writing partners, one is an English instructor at the collegiate level and the other a retired Marine Corps Colonel. I am thrilled to be working with these wonderful people. My mentor is David Bischoff, whose written more than 90 novels, most with a SF bent. I feel very blessed. The upperclassmen have been absolutely wonderful about taking us under their wing and showing us the ropes and making us feel welcome. I love my fellow "Ones", who will be "Twos" in June. We now have our own private place online to help each other. The first steps on this journey were better than I expected and I am ridiculously excited about our time yet to come. Clear Ether!

Thursday March 29, 2012 | By Hieronymus Hawkes | Uncategorized | Leave Comments

The title of this post is so awesome that I feel like the post itself isn't going to live up to it. I actually thought of saving it for another post on the subject but I'm going to go with it anyway. I'm having issues finding time for this currently, and I 'm not proud of it. I know I’ve been absent lately but I have been doing the job of three people at my day job (literally) and cramming for my Air War College Exam. The good news is we have enough people back at work that I can get back to just doing my own job and I got the results back from my exam, which I passed with an excellent! I’m only one test away from finishing now, so I’m buckling down to get through it and then I can refocus on finishing the edits for Clear Ether and get it out to some beta readers. I actually had a little down time in there while I was waiting for the exam to be graded. I was initially expecting four weeks of waiting but it only took four days. At any rate, I had time to do some revision on the first few chapters after feedback from my alpha readers and I actually feel like I have enough distance now to see it like someone else wrote it. I was able to make big cuts and move some stuff around and really focus the POV. Getting that distance is key. I got some great advice and some great feedback from my alphas, thank you! When people tell you to put your manuscript in the drawer for a month or two and let it ferment, they aren’t kidding. I did some preliminary editing after only a few days, but I was really having trouble seeing the errors. Stacy can tell you I went off the reservation with the word “just”. It was laughable how many times I used that word in one chapter alone. As the creator you can often have a hard time detaching yourself from your own POV. You already know everything that happened and all the background details and motivations, so when you go in to start your revisions you can't divorce yourself from yourself (Austin Powers anyone?) without giving yourself enough time after the manuscript is finished. Completing the manuscript is a huge thing. A lot of writers never get there, so I've heard. And I know I was excited, not because I finished the manuscript, but because I was one step closer to being published, and I wanted to get on with the revisions. I'm here to tell you that you have to wait a bit before you take that next step. The manuscript is near and dear to your heart. You've invested a lot of energy and time getting to "The End". Carving up your baby is simply not feasible at that point. Any believe me, it needs to be carved up and have great chunks removed and tossed in the waste bin. (Boneyard) It's like a grotesque turkey that has too many legs and wings and parts sticking out and it needs to be prepped and oiled and baked to perfection still. But before you can do any of that you need to stick it somewhere dark, where you will leave it alone, and let it fester for a few months. When you put it away it looked like a bright shiny baby, when it comes out it will look like Chucky, and you can stab it and carve it up. I must be hungry. Enough of the carving analogies. You get the idea. When you get it back out you will be able to see it as a work of literary fiction instead of “your precious”. You can see the POV errors and the extra background that really isn’t germane to the story. You can see the bad dialogue tags and the dreaded adverbs and poor word choices. You can see the poorly written sentences, and maybe there are chapters that really don’t even need to be there. At the very least they need to be massively trimmed and combined with another part somewhere else. It is eye opening … really. Put that sucker away! Don’t touch it! Ah..I see you going back to look at it, I said leave it alone. Anyway, as an aside, I’m also in the process of applying for a Master’s program in writing, so I had to put some finishing touches on some writing and then write a Letter of Intent. It was kinda fun actually. I’m shooting for the Seton Hill University Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction degree. It is a distance learning program that will only require me to spend 5 days each semester on campus. That works great for my busy lifestyle. The cool thing is it is designed for you to have a publishable novel length book at the end of the program. I’m very excited about it and have my fingers crossed to get in. It’s a small Catholic university near Pittsburg, so it’s also driving distance, at least until I move. I hope you are all having great fortune in your writing and reading! Clear Ether!