Not long ago, I saw this question on a writer's forum: “I want to be an author. What do I write about?”

Okay … First – in my humble opinion – if
you don't know what you want to write about, you're not ready to become a
writer, let alone an author.

  Writing is an intensely personal experience. If you're going to connect with a reader in any kind of meaningful way, what you
write has to come from the heart – your heart, not someone else's. I can't tell you what your book should be about any more than I could have told Picasso what to paint.

  It's easy these days to do a little research and find out what types of books are hot commodities among readers. So, all you have to do is check the bestseller lists, write your own book on the current hot topic (vampire love, zombie apocalypse, erotic romance) and – Presto! People will flock to buy your book too. Right?

  Wrong.

  Unless you're an avid reader of this kind of book yourself, unless this is the kind of book you already are dying to write, you've probably doomed yourself to failure.

  My Portals fantasy/detective series, for example, started because I had this character in my head  … He happened to be an elf, and he happened to be a police detective. And at that point, I had to figure out what kind of book I needed to write to accommodate him.


But my “what kind of book” questions weren't about what is, or isn't, selling. They were about the kind of books – and movies and TV shows, for that matter – that I enjoy reading and watching. The Portals books blend a lifelong love of folklore, mythology and fantasy with decades of reading crime novels, plus more recent fascination with the CSI shows on TV.

  In fact, my original plans were for the book series to be a bit heavier on forensics – another interest of mine. But that idea was short-circuited when Tevis (the elf detective who started this whole thing) showed that he could See how someone died just by laying hands on the victim …

But the books are an outgrowth, and a reflection, of my personal interests, my reading (and movie and TV) tastes. For better or worse, they come from my heart.

  All the books that I've read and truly enjoyed have started that way. I can't imagine, for example, JRR Tolkien doing market research before sitting down to write Lord of the Rings. (If he had, in fact, those books might never have been written.) Nor can I envision Hemingway asking around before embarking on such classics as The Sun Also Rises or
For Whom the Bell Tolls.

  It's hard – pretty much impossible – to write about something that doesn't already interest you. Trust me … Readers know the difference between a writer who's actively engaged in the book, a writer who is passionate about her characters and storyline, and one who isn't.

  Writers of fiction continue the ancient art of story-telling. It's just that we set into words the kinds of tales that our ancestors told around campfires in the evenings. And if you, the writer, aren't passionate about the story you're telling, why should I be as a reader? The question isn't “What kind of book should I write?” but …

  “What's the story that I want to tell?”

This past Sunday was a true “fun day” – a trip to the Big Horn Equestrian Center just 14 miles southwest of Sheridan, WY, to
watch one of this summer's polo matches. Players mounted on truly awesome
horses, chasing a little white ball around a green field with the Big Horn
Mountains as a spectacular backdrop –

Really, what more could you ask for an hour or so of entertainment? As a dedicated horse enthusiast, I'd rather watch polo than
football or baseball any day of the week.

  Originating 4,000 years ago in central Asia – originally to simulate battle scenarios and train men in the mastery of combat on horseback – polo reportedly came to the United States by way of the British cavalry.

  It came to the Sheridan area in the 1890s, when brothers Malcolm and William Moncreiffe, from Scotland, moved to the Big Horn, WY, area and began buying horses for the British army. Nearly 20,000 horses were reportedly shipped from Big Horn to Africa for use in the Boer Wars.

  Malcolm Moncreiffe reportedly built, in 1898, one of the first polo fields west of the Mississippi River. His Polo Ranch was the focus of polo games in the area until the ranch was sold in the early 1980s, and the games moved to the Big Horn Equestrian Center.

  Polo is as popular as ever around here, and the summer games draw players from all over the world – including Argentina – who come not only to play but to buy horses raised and trained in the Big Horn area. There is no specific breed of polo pony. Many of them are crosses of Thoroughbred, quarter horse and other equine breeds. The term “pony” in fact is a misnomer, harking back, according to polo historians, to a time long past when no horse taller than 13.2 hands (54 inches) at the withers was allowed in the
game.

  That height, 13.2 hands (a “hand” is 4 inches) is the dividing line between ponies and horses. But the term stuck, and today's polo horses – which may measure 15 hands (5 feet) or taller – are still called “ponies.” What I love about the game is that it isn't about players who just happen to be on horseback. The pony is a critical element of the game, a
component with a mind of its own. A good polo pony learns to follow the ball, and can actually set its rider up for those winning shots or blocks.

  According to sportpolo.com – one of many sites devoted to the game – “Next to a player's skills, the polo pony is the most important factor in polo.”

Big Horn polo ponies are acknowledged to be some of the best around.

  If you happen to be in the area, polo games are played pretty much every Sunday afternoon during the summer at the Big Horn Equestrian Center, and on Saturdays, July through August, at the Flying H Ranch, also in Big Horn. You can find schedules on the Internet.

  As for me, I'm planning on attending at least another game or two this summer. Admission is free (at least to the Equestrian Center, not sure about the Flying H).

  And don't be surprised if polo crops up in at least one of my Portals urban fantasy/suspense books …

Maybe a pooka masquerading as a polo pony ...

At it's simplest, point of view – aka POV – for
a writer simply means … How are you going to tell your story?
  Broadly speaking, POV falls into four
  categories:
Omniscient. This is the writer-as-god approach. You, the author, are the unseen narrator who knows everything, who shares with the reader what every character is thinking and doing – and reveal information to your reader that none of your characters know about. Omniscient
is plot-driven, rather than character-driven – which, to me, demands that your plot be strong.

First Person. Your main character is the narrator – “I” am telling the tale. At its best, first person can give the reader a sense of immediacy. At its worst, first person POV leads to a story that's more “tell” than “show.” “I was afraid.” “I was happy.” However, in the hands of a skilled writer, first person can be extremely effective.

  The plus – and negative – of first person is that your POV is limited. The reader knows only what the first person narrator knows. If you suddenly want your reader to know information that's hidden from the narrator, you may have a problem.

  On the other hand, it can lead to some very effective foreshadowing. “If I'd known what was on the other side of that door, I would have run like hell in the other direction.” You also can really get into the mind of your narrator, and it's effective for either plot-driven (think all those hardboiled detective novels) or character-driven work.

Second Person. Other than the “choose your adventure” books popular a few years ago, I haven't seen many novels written in this POV. Second person is “you.” In effect, you're making the reader the protagonist of your book – or inviting him/her along as the protagonist's sidekick. Again, the perspective is limited. Your reader, as the “you” of your story, knows only what he/she can see happening, or can discover.

Third Person Limited. This is similar to First Person in that the author
disappears, and all the action unfolds through the eyes of a single character.
It also has the same advantage of bringing your reader into the mind of your
protagonist.

  My first two Portals novels, Shadow Path and Stormcaller, were written from the third-person POV of a single character, my human protagonist Kat Morales. But, like omniscient POV, third person lends itself to writing in multiple points of view as well.

  What separates third-person multiple POV from omniscient is how it's written. In third-person multiple, you devote an entire scene to one character. For example, I've written one scene from Kat's POV, then in the next scene, looked at events entirely through the eyes of her elf partner, Tevis, picking up his thoughts, his feelings, his observations.

  You also have the freedom, with this POV, to show your reader events that you want to conceal from your protagonist. Several scenes in Deathtalker, book 3 in Portals, were written from the villain's POV – information that Kat and Tevis (and their allies) were not privy to.

  What's the best point-of-view to write from? You'll find a variety of opinions both on the Internet and in any “how-to” book (or class) for writers that you care to check out. You'll find comments about what readers like (or don't like).

  Just about any “rule” you care to formulate about POV has been, or will be, broken at some time – and broken successfully. For me, the best POV is the one that helps the writer tell his or her story effectively.

  What/where is your comfort level? That's the POV you want to use.

(A little note on the photo: That's me with my beloved, now departed, Shilo. The photo was taken by a friend at a writer's conference in Casper, Wyo., a few years ago.)

  One of the Amazon discussion groups raises an interesting question: What constitutes a strong female character, and … Have you, as an author, created one?

Well, okay … That's two questions. But still …

I think – I hope – I've created a strong female character in Kat Morales, the human protagonist in my Portals series. She's a cop, equally capable of facing down gun-wielding human criminals and magic-wielding wizards.

But in my mind, that isn't the core of what makes her strong. True strength, to me, comes not from what you do but who you are – whether as a character in a book or a living, breathing human being.

Strong characters, like strong people in the real world, possess an inner sense of right and wrong, an awareness of themselves. Strong characters are capable of being weak; that's part of being human. They just don't let weakness get in the way of what they perceive as “doing the right thing.”

For me, not only as a writer but an observer of human nature, “strong” doesn't equate with fearlessness. If you don't know fear, if your stomach doesn't churn at the thought of, say, facing down a fire-breathing dragon, then charging into a cave to kill the beast isn't an act of strength or courage.

It may well be the most stupid idea you've ever come up with …

Strength, and courage, is being scared all the way down to your toenails – where your stomach has crawled into hiding – and still seeking a way to slay the beast because … well … somebody has to, and the responsibility has fallen onto your shoulders.

Strength isn't always about saving the day with a gun or sword, either. Strength is the single mom on a limited income, working to support her children while helping them grow into responsible – and, yes, strong – adults themselves.

Strength is the ordinary person we see on TV after he (or she) has rushed in to pull someone away from a fiery car crash – not because he's fearless, but because someone needed help and he (or she) was there.

All of which is to say that strength in a character, male or female, is more than physical. Sure, you can create a kick-ass female protagonist who can chew nails, and fears nothing. But without weaknesses to play her strength against, without that touch of what makes us all human, she's a cardboard cutout – and she probably won't engage your readers.

Okay, that's my opinion. What about yours? What kind of protagonist – male or female – do you write? Or enjoy reading about? I'd love for you to share your thoughts.

  As the frog said to his friends, Time's sure fun when you're having flies.

Well, time has definitely gotten away from me the past couple of weeks, and I'm not sure yet whether I've got a good handle on the situation.

But there's good stuff happening!

I'm wearing a new hat these days – not instead of but in addition to my book-writing. I'm back doing reporter-type stuff for a new online publication …

The Sheridan Scene (http://www.thesheridanscene.com), currently Internet-only, focuses on the city of Sheridan, Wyoming – where I've lived for more than 25 years. It's a mini-newspaper/news blog (with some opinion pieces as well) aimed at providing comprehensive news coverage online (and, so far, free) for residents of Sheridan County, Wyoming – including the city of Sheridan, towns of Dayton, Ranchester and Clearmont, and points in between.

In the meantime, Studio See Publishing LLC – publisher of my Portals urban fantasy/suspense series – has commissioned new photos for my book covers. Over time (but hopefully soon), all of the books will have new covers that tie the series together. (Boy am I awaiting those!!!!)

As soon as my publisher gives permission, I will start revealing some of the new cover images.

I'm also plugging away at rewriting Sister Hoods, book 4 in the series, for ebook release. The rewrite is a significant revamp of the print version, so if you've already read the print version – be prepared for some major changes.

The first three books in the series – Shadow Path, Stormcaller and Deathtalker – have all been well-received (got some pretty decent reviews), so I'm happy about that.

And … just for the fun of it … today I've posted a photo of my “jackrabbit terror” – one of the trio of furry K-9 kids that I share my life with.