Writing from a Different Brain

with Jane Myers Perrine

Good morning!  I love visiting Seekerville.  I enjoy chatting with you and catching up with Tina.   This is my third blog here and I’m always challenged to write something different.   The first was about looking back on my long journey to publication.  In the second, I explored subtext, a subject I knew nothing about.  Today’s topic is writing through pain.

I’ve gone through two terrible times in my life.   One was when the young man who used to be our son disappeared into the pit of drug addiction twenty-five years ago.  He’s still alive, I think.  The other was the loss of my husband of forty-seven years last March.  The first was a tragedy.  The second was to be expected but was even more difficult because George was truly half of me, the one who’d always supported me during hard times.

I’m not looking for praise or sympathy as I write this.  I’m not saying, “Poor little me” or “Aren’t I wonderful.”  But I know this:  if you haven’t gone through a loss, you will.  I write this to explore what such loss means to us as writers who want to keep writing.

Loss changes us:  emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually.  Actually, in every way imaginable, in ways we can’t control.  For example, when George died, my blood sugar levels decreased by 20 points because I’d been so stressed as a caregiver.  At the same time,  another physical condition worsened.   Spiritually, we attempt to fit loss into our faith and beliefs.  Mentally we struggle to accept our new duties and identity.  We change in so many ways.  In fact, we’re truly different people as we grieve and after the healing than what we were before the loss.   We’ll be writing as different people and from different brains.

When we lost our son, I was teaching.  Those days in the classroom meant that my brain was busy with teaching 150 students a day to conjugate irregular verbs in the preterit tense.  For seven hours a day, I was distracted, I had something else to think about, and I knew my subject so well, it was almost automatic.    

When I lost my husband, I was writing full-time.  I’d just turned in the final edits for the third BUTTERNUT CREEK book.    At that time, the creative center of my brain turned into a turnip.  It was woody and hard.  Or a huge puff of cotton candy—no texture or depth. 

George’s death was terrifyingly painful.  In addition, within a few weeks of that loss, marketing passed on the fourth book in the series and my agent, who’d steered my career for four years, died.   I felt adrift.  No, I WAS adrift!    All I’d counted on for years was gone and I had to come up with an idea for a series with a brain that was alternately turnip or cotton candy.

So, how does one write through pain?   I don’t know.  I’m still working on that. I’m hoping some of you can chime in with ideas.

In this blog, I’m not going to address faith.  If you’re here, you’re probably a person of faith.  I don’t know how a person without faith makes it through difficult times.  I’m not going into other tips such as “exercise and eat right” which are always good for whatever ails you. No, my goal is to find ways to renew creativity by working through and accepting the mental pain.

So here are some thoughts;

1.   Keep writing.  No matter what you decide to work on, keep writing.  It may not be the novel you’d planned.  You could write a story for your granddaughter or a terrible poem.   

My counselor asked me, “Do you journal about what you’re going through?”  I said, “No, I’m a writer.  I blog.”   But I didn’t just write about loss, I wrote about  life and funny things that happened.  I discovered that by writing a 300-400 word post twice a week, I didn’t lose the spark. I also started five really terrible novels that didn’t make it past ten pages but I started them.

2.  Stop writing.   Yes, a contradiction but valid.  I tried NaNoWriMo and made it through five pages.  I’d thought if I made a pledge, I’d force myself to write.  Not true.  There wasn’t anything in the tank.  My brain was empty and forcing myself to write made me angry and frustrated.   Don’t push—unless you find that helpful.

3.    Ask for help and advice.  I talked to two writing friends about my frustration.  Both said, “It’s okay.  Take the time you need.  Give yourself a year or two.”  Thank you, dear writers, for suggesting I do what I felt like doing without feeling guilty.

I also made a good friend.  Valerie Hansen’s husband died a few months after George.   We’ve supported each other and shared our journeys in ways only writers can. 

4.    Turn the pain into a novel.  This isn’t easy advice for me because I write light, humorous novels but over the years I discovered my books are better if I include emotion.  My first efforts at reaching into pain was having a dog die in an LI.  For me, that was tough.   In November, 2013, I blogged on a Writers’ Digest site about “Voluntary Masochism”, using the joy and pain we experience in our lives in our books.  It makes them better.  

5.   Don’t compare what you’re writing now with what you’ve written before.  That way lies lunacy and defeat.  A few months ago, I was sure I’d never write anything as good as the BUTTERNUT CREEK series.   That’s depressing.  Why even try?  I’m still not sure I will but I’ve come to realize competition with oneself is futile and pathetic.

***In A Grief Observed C.S. Lewis wrote,  “The death of a beloved is an amputation.”   It takes a long time to recover from an amputation.  Life changes.   New skills must be learned.   Time must be spent in physical therapy to recover.  It takes a while.

After a loss, we’re writing out of a different brain and changed experience, living in a greatly altered world which, quite frankly, stinks.   But it’s what our reality is now.   We have to exercise our brains to regain our skills.  We need to open ourselves to new ways of creating and build new channels to write the best we can at this moment. 

I asked Val Hansen if she’d like to add something.  She graciously accepted.

"I have found that getting started on a new book is much harder than it was before my husband died. Part of that is probably because he and I used to brainstorm plots and part is undoubtedly because it's harder to concentrate on anything besides the gut-wrenching pain of loss. Don't let anybody tell you it's time to get over it and move on. It's not like that. For me, it's been more of a coming to terms with his absence and choosing a new path, new ways to do things if necessary, and looking at life with a lot more appreciation and thankfulness. I do not know how anybody copes without faith in God. I could not. Many elements are confusing and may always be, but beneath the tears and wondering, "Why me?" is the assurance that the Lord is with me." 


If you’d share, I’d love to hear how you’ve coped with writing while facing the really difficult times in your lives.  


  Today Jane is generously first two books in the series:  The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek and The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek. One winner. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

RITA-nominated writer  Jane Myers Perrine has worked as a Spanish teacher, minister, cook, rifle instructor, program director in a state hospital, and been an active volunteer but she always wanted to write.   Finally, she found time and has published books with  Avalon Books, Steeple Hill Love Inspired, and FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group.  Her short pieces have appeared in the Houston Chronicle and Woman’s World magazine.  
 
Jane’s Butternut Creek series is about a young minister serving in the beautiful Hill Country of Texas and is filled with affection and humor.  The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek is the first book in the series.   Published in April, 2012, it was nominated for the RITA award, the most prestigious honor for writers of women’s fiction.  The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek was published November 20, 2012.  The third book, The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek is now available.

Jane lives north of Austin where her life is controlled by two incredibly spoiled tuxedo cats.   When not writing, she spends her time swimming or cheering for University of Louisville and Kansas State football and basketball.  


Website and blog:   JaneMyersPerrine.com
FaceBook   Jane Myers Perrine

 
The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek 

 Publication date:  November 5, 2013

The path of planning a wedding is never smooth.  However, Adam and Gussie find that task even rockier when the Widows step up to help.  Filled with confidence because they played an important part in getting Adam to propose and helping Gussie set a date, choosing flowers and invitations does not scare them.  Then Adam’s sister Hannah shows up, and  amid all the planning and activities, they must take up the task of matchmaking again.  

REVIEWS  From ROMANTIC TIMES MAGAZINE   “An utter delight”

 From Kirkus Reviews   “ The third installment of the Butternut Creek series . . . allows a continued glimpse into the quirky, eccentric citizens of this small Texas town. Perrine offers a pleasant, meandering glimpse at love and courtship in Butternut Creek . . .that combines humor and emotionalism.. . well-crafted and engaging . . . with funny, authentic characters.”
  

I Hear What You’re Saying but I Know What You’re Thinking with guest Jane Myers Perrine

The politician stands before the television cameras, confessing to a secret affair and asking forgiveness from those he represents. Next to him stands his wife.  

He exudes contrition and confidence.

She stands at least a foot from him. When he turns toward her, she doesn’t make eye contact.  When he gestures in her direction, she takes a step away from him.

What does she exude? Oh, she’s there, showing support like the good political wife, standing by her man but she’s hurt by his cheating and angry that he expects her to support him and furious that he wants her to display her wounds to the public so that the unfaithful jerk can keep his career.

How do we know that?   

 

  
But you’ll say, “That’s just showing.”  And I’ll agree, but what makes this subtext is that what you’re showing is different from or contrary to or beneath the surface of the presumed context of the scene. The basic definition for subtext is the art of saying or writing or doing one thing but meaning something else.   

 The scene, on the surface, is a loving wife standing by her husband, supporting him because she loves him, forgiving him to keep the family together.  What’s really happening is that she can’t even stand close to the cheating husband because she’s seething inside.

You and I use subtext in all the time, to protect ourselves and others.  When I get my hair cut, I know when my friends say, “Oh, you got your hair cut” they really mean, “Looks awful.  She really scalped you this time.”  That’s subtext.   We use it in life.  Experienced writers uses this in their books.  It adds texture and depth to the plot and the characters.  

In novels, subtext is like rocks at the bottom of a shallow, fast running creek. The boulders are the plot points that stick up and cause the water to flow around them. Subtext is barely visible and below the surface.  It, too, changes the flow of the river or story in less obvious ways--but it still adds at least a ripple to the course of the story.

I’m going to use a number of examples because subtext may be hard to define. Actually, the definition isn’t hard but explaining how subtext is used is. With friends and family, we recognize the anger in a cold silence or a chilled tone of voice or a glare even when the words are polite. 
Has your child ever been lost, wandered away from you in a store for a period of time?  What’s the first thing you said to him when he turns up?  Probably something like,  “Don’t you ever do that again,” in a frantic and angry voice.  The tone and words say one thing but they mean, “I love you and was so worried.”

Nancy Levine wrote The Lady in Red,  a short, short story I loved. The heroine, obviously, was wearing a red velvet dress at a party.  Subtext: sexy lady. But during the party, the nap of the velvet fell off and left a trail of fluff on the carpet and sofa. This made me think, “She’s like me!” and linked to embarrassing moments in my life.  Now, you may not have picked up on that connection.  I don’t even know if Ms. Levine meant that—which points out  another problem with subtext.  Because  readers come to books from varied  backgrounds, each may pick up on something else, maybe even a feeling the writer didn’t intend.   

I once sent a friend an article about communication that I thought was hilarious. My friend called me and angrily demanded, “How dare you make fun of me by sending something that points out the problems in my marriage.”  I had no idea she’d go off like that.    

What makes it so hard to discuss subtext is that it’s nebulous and ill-defined, a blur hovering on the edge of reality and just out of reach. Subtleness and the lack of clarity makes teaching about it, even recognizing it incredibly difficult.   

A popular scene which has now become a cliché is when the heroine doesn’t know the hero cares about her until a friend says, “He loves you.  Can’t you see the way he looks at you?”

To me the subtext here is, “Good heavens, you’re dumb.  Why didn’t you notice?”

How would you use subtext to show the heroine’s recognition that the hero does love her?   Subtext is much more effective than a friend telling her.   Perhaps the heroine notices a quick glance or a light touch or he leans toward her or defers to her opinion or brings her a cookie, her favorite, of course, or goes to see Twilight with her.  
  
Another example.  Many women complain when their mother-in-laws clean their daughter-in-laws’ houses.  I really appreciated when my mother-in-law did this for me.   I never knew why other women hated this because I wasn’t looking at subtext.  What message is Annie’s  mother-in-law Barb sending with her actions?   What is Annie communicating with her response?  

Pause for explanation:  When I talked to Tina about the topic for this blog, she suggested something on craft.  I chose subtext because I know very little about it but wanted to explore, to clarify my thinking.  When I began three weeks ago—because I’m neurotic about meeting deadlines--I thought I’d finish in a day or two.  Didn’t happen. I’m on my sixth or seventh rewrite.  Didn’t realize until November 19 why I was having so much trouble. 

  This topic is incredibly complicated.   It’s a technique which cannot easily be explained to a beginning writer and depends on well-defined characters with set goals, motivations, and conflicts.  It doesn’t happen as you write a novel usually, but is usually layered on after you know your characters.

In order to understand the subtext in the scene about the mother-in-law cleaning the house, the reader has to know more about Annie and Barbara.  That leads back to characterization which leads back to goal, motivation, and conflict.   Entire books could be written on these topics.  To understand the scene with the mother-in-law, we need to understand her goal, motivation, and conflict as well as Annie’s.

Returning to that example:   Barb’s goal might be to suggest her son is living in a pig sty, her motivation could be to show Annie that Mommy is still in change;  the conflict is that Barb and Annie don’t agree on what “clean” means.  In addition, the internal conflict is Barb wants her son to be in a happy marriage and Annie’s not about to let herself be dominated.   The section is not about cleaning.  It’s about power and struggle.    


Subtext looks beneath the surface to discover motivation, to show Barb’s goals and character—and to create conflict.  Barb doesn’t say, “I’m afraid I’m losing my son.”  No, she shows Annie she’s superior and stronger and Annie will never measure up.

 Subtext.  It’s a top layer that rests on so many assumptions and presupposes the writer has the foundation of building characters and knows about goals and all that other writer-y stuff.  It’s not just one thing.   It’s many and it’s  complicated.  Of course, it’s also your choice not to use subtext—but I bet it will turn up anyway because if we know our characters well, subtext happens.  That man in love can’t help but smiling goofily at his girl even at a business meeting.  Couples in love can’t help but glow or emit sexual tension zinging back and forth between them even at dinner with their spouses.  Try as we do to hide emotions, they show.

Here’s another example and several possible ways to interpret subtext.  

J.D. loves to play football. When his coach pulls him off the bench to go in for an injured player, he says, “Yes. Coach,” grabs his helmet and heads in. Let’s look at the subtext for that scene.
If J.D. doesn’t hesitate, the subtext is, 

1.    “Finally I get to show my stuff” 

2.    “I’ll do anything Coach says.”  

3.    “I don’t care about my friend because I want to get in the game.”

If J.D. pauses for a second before leaping off the bench, the subtext is:

1.    “I don’t know if I can do this” or

2.    “My best friend has just been injured and

    a.    I’m afraid I’ll be injured.”

    b.    I’m worried about him.”

3.    Add your own here.

But, you may wonder, how does the reader know?  Because subtext is not used in a vacuum.  If you’ve created a believable and deep character, the reader remembers background and thoughts.  Did his mother ever sob, “Your brother died playing football”?  Did he ever tell a friend, “There’s nothing more important in my life than getting a football scholarship to college”?  If you’ve set it up, the subtext is clear.

Still, there are lots options and a great deal of set up. That’s what makes subtext both tough and intentional.   

EXERCISE:   I’m going to give a few sentences for you to build as subtext.  Or, probably more useful, scan your WIP and find a place you could add subtext.   Take a risk.  Find numerous possibilities. Play with them.   Here are some sentences you can practice with.

1.    After tossing her dark hair back, Aphrodisia (yes, character names can be subtext) tilted her head and purred, “You’re wrong, Mr. Bond.”

Take Two:   After blinking, Maryanne leaned forward and stated, “You’re wrong, Mr. Bond.”

Can these both have the same subtext?  Of course they can—you’re the writer.  You decide.

2.    “Oh, sure.”  (So many possibilities)

3.    Wink

I feel as if I’ve been fighting this topic for weeks and can only hope you will accept the offering I lay before you.   I hope this blog—as torn and patched together  as it is--has been helpful to you, has illuminated the subject and challenged you to leap into the fray armed with subtext and thrust it into your latest book.    

I'd love to hear some of your favorite examples of subtext as well.

Happy writing!

 

Award-winning writer Jane Myers Perrine has worked as a Spanish teacher, minister, cook, rifle instructor, program director in a state hospital, and been an active volunteer but she always wanted to write.   Finally, she found time and has published books with  Avalon Books, Steeple Hill Love Inspired, and FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group.  Her short pieces have appeared in the Houston Chronicle and Woman’s World magazine.    

Jane’s Butternut Creek series is about a young minister serving in the beautiful Hill Country of Texas and is filled with affection and humor.  The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek, the first book in the series, was published in April, 2012.  The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek will be available in November 20, 2012.  The third book, The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek will be available in late 2013.

With her minister husband George, Jane lives north of Austin where their lives are controlled by two incredibly spoiled tuxedo cats. 

 

The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek

Undaunted,  the Widows of Butternut Creek continue their search to find a bride for Pastor Adam in The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek, the second of the Butternut Creek series.
    For once, Adam and the Widows—the elderly ladies who run the church Adam serves--agree on something.  Gussie Milton is the perfect woman for him.  But Gussie is skittish after a traumatic experience in college.  Oh, sure, she'd like a relationship but has trouble trusting and throws herself into caring for her aging parents, running her photography business, and serving the church.   As Adam court Gussie, the Widows push and Gussie shies away.   Can the Widows' meddling change the couple's lives forever?  Here’s a hint:  the third book in the series has the title The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek.

And...Jane is generously giving away one of her Butternut Creek books to one lucky winner (winner's choice). Comment today for your opportunity. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

Inspiration for the Oft-rejected with Guest Jane Myers Perrine

When I visited this beautiful blog, I noticed a number of things.  First, I have many good friends and favorite writers here.  Tina, thank you for the invitation to blog with this talented group.


I also saw a good number of recipes that look delicious.   I considered adding a recipe, but mine don’t always turn out well, like the oyster stew when I misread the recipe and an inch of butter floated on top.  Or the cabbage, cinnamon apples and sausage casserole so bad we picked out the sausage to eat.    

No, everything doesn’t turn out as we’d like.  This is really a sneaky way to get into the subject of my bumpy writing career which didn’t turn out exactly as I’d like until recently.

As I’ve mentioned in several bios, my third-grade teacher said I’d be a writer but publication took longer than predicted.  I have a copy of one of my early rejection letters, date 1981.   Yes, thirty-one years ago.

What took me so long?   First, I wasn’t serious about my writing.  Then, I was writing Regencies when those lines were closing.   Finally I sold seven books and thought, “I’m on my way.”  Didn’t turn out that way.  For three years, I wasn’t on contract with any publisher. 

Do you know how depressing that is?

How did I keep going?  Perseverance.  My motto has been and still is:  If you don’t keep writing, you’ll never be published.

I kept writing but worked hard to improve.  How?  Glad you asked.  I didn’t publish during those first years because I didn’t know how to write.  Until I joined RWA in 1993, I wrote in a vacuum, making the same mistakes over and over.

First step: be ready to learn and accept, humbly, the help of others. 

I bought tapes from writing conferences and listened to them of the way to work and back.  Knowing my weaknesses, I repeated the ones I needed until I could almost recite them.

I asked others for help and listened.  Many years ago, a friend read a few chapters, then pointed at one sentence and said, “There’s your voice, Jane.”  I didn’t even know what voice was and certainly didn’t realize I had one. 

Enter contests and learn.  If you are a writer who believes your words are golden and no one has a right to change them, if you enter contests only so people will praise your amazing talent, you might never publish.  Few of us are that good and editors do expect a writer to listen to suggestions and make changes.

And, yes, this is your book and your choice—but the judge could be pointing out the reason it hasn’t sold.   As writers, we learn which suggestions or criticism to accept, but we should consider everything first.  

That’s my first suggestion:  network, share, listen, learn.

Second:  take action.

  In 1997, I realized my career was going nowhere.  I had to do something.   I began a new story, a light paranormal, and gave it a title that really stood out:    Your Love Life Stinks.   I finaled in my first contest—and many more--with that.  No one forgot the title.  I believe this was the true start of my writing career.    It never sold but I gained great confidence and people remembered me.

Third:  Don’t keep writing the same book over and over. 

You’ve probably learned everything you can after a few years on one story.  You’ve redone the action and characters so often, you may be confused about who they are.  Yes, you love them, but let them rest.  Start something new and fresh.   Once you learn more, you may be able to come back and fix the first one.  Many of us have decided that first book was a learning experience, never to be read by anyone.

You might try a different genre.   I know people tell you to stick with the same one until you publish, but I had to find my place.  I adore mysteries.  Drop a body in and fun ensues, but I don’t write them well.  I’ve tried paranormal and romantic short stories  but found my niche in novels about life in a small town.  Could be you need to try something else.

One more thought about publishing:  a lot depends on luck or karma, a blessing  or a window opening.  When I was writing a Regency, all the lines were closing but a friend told me Avalon had just opened a historical line.  I sold.   With Love Inspired, I’d finaled in several contests but the LI editors who judged never asked for a complete.  Then LI decided to become edgier and bought my novel about an ex-con.   My editor for FaithWords had been talking to a friend who said she loved humor.  My manuscript was the next one my editor picked up.   Often, publishing means being on the right desk at the right time.

But you won’t get there if you stop writing.

Jane Myers Perrine has worked as a Spanish teacher, minister, cook, rifle instructor, program director in a state hospital, and been an active volunteer but she’s always wanted to write.   Finally, she found time and has published books with  Avalon Books and Steeple Hill Love Inspired.  Her short pieces have appeared in the Houston Chronicle and Woman’s World magazine.
 
She’s now writing a three-book series she loves about a young minister in a small town in Butternut Creek in the beautiful Hill Country of Texas.  She likes small towns, warm, friendly people and humor. 

With her minister husband George, she landed in the South after living many years in cold areas of the country.  They decided to give up changing seasons for no snow and have never regretted that choice.  They now live north of Austin where their lives are controlled by two incredibly spoiled tuxedo cats.

The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek is the first book in the Widows of Butter Creek series and releases April 2012 from FaithWords.

From Amazon.com:Upon his arrival, Butternut Creek Christian Church's newly-minted minister is met by a welcome committee led by Miss Birdie and her friend Mercedes, a.k.a. "the Widows." Their first order of business, to educate him on how things should be done, quickly gives way to a campaign to find him a wife.

When their matchmaking efforts fizzle, the Widows turn to another new bachelor. Amputee and Afghan vet Sam simply wants to be left alone-- a desire that's as good as a red flag to the Widows! Soon they're scheming to pair him up with Willow, his beautiful physical therapist, a divorced mother of two who is afraid of commitment, Perrine's small-town tale is a big-time triumph of gentle humor, fast-paced plot, and wonderfully engaging characters.


Jane has a copy of her release to give away to one commenter. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition!!  Thank you, Jane!~


P.S. Jane has a beautiful website...check it out here.