Monthly Archives: June 2011

Asunder: Meet William, A Slave Boy

Posted on by Jennifer Karin

Image courtesy of University of Virginia

William is one of the central characters in my novel Asunder. He is an African-American boy enslaved to a Georgia plantation with his mother, “Comfort.” It is 1850, and talk of division fills meeting houses and Gentlemen’s clubs from Florida to Massachusetts. William, around age 9 or 10, must take to the Underground Railroad for doing the unthinkable: learning to read and write. Here, in his own words, he tells how their journey starts, and the need to protect his mother:

It was fast, the way it all happened. Although at the time, it felt like being stuck in mud, unable to lift our knees or feet fast enough. Mama was making soap near the summer kitchen, and I was tilling rutabaga roots with the other boys and men assigned to the Master’s garden. Mister Jenkins told me to carry a basket of rutabaga stubs to the main kitchen, and that’s when I learned about Aaron and his trouble.

Aaron worked in the Master’s house, and was adored by the Master’s wife, Missus Bethany. She liked him so much he was allowed to join Missus Bethany’s children in their daily readings and writings. Aaron could spell the alphabet, and knew how to write short sentences. Whenever we was assigned to the Master’s garden together, he would teach me. By summer’s end, I could read letters he stole from Missus’ wastebasket. I knew all sorts of words, but I never told Mama. She didn’t have no mind for letters anyway.

By the time I reached the kitchen, Missus Bethany was screaming something awful, and Master Pickman was taking no notice, dragging Aaron by the back of his shirt with one hand and holding one of his favorite rifles in the other. Aaron’s eyes were wild with fear, but I couldn’t help him none. They say Master caught Aaron with some of the Missus’ letters and they were filled with exclamations of love and longing. The letters weren’t from him, but Master didn’t know that. All he knew was his wife was loving a nigger, and after shooting Aaron, he said he was going to shoot his wife! Well, that didn’t happen, but Aaron was shot in the groin and hung on the front lawn for all to see.

It was only a matter of time before the Master would find out Aaron was teaching me the alphabet as well. That was because some of the other house slaves knew about the reading and writing lessons, and kept telling us to stop, kept saying you’ll get us all in trouble, it being against the law and all. And they wasn’t willing to save our hides if we got caught. Once Master Pickman started beating the other slaves for information, my name was sure to come up, and I couldn’t wait around for my own hanging. And poor Mama. Who would take care of her, all simple and easily confused, if I was hanging from a branch overlooking the front lawn? No sir, I knew I had to leave, and I had to bring Mama with me.

There had been talk for several years now about slaves who went missing in the dark. Some say they found their way to freedom, as it was believed there was freedom to be found in the Northern sky, and some say they were dragged into the thicket by the devil and torn apart limb by limb. When Master let us have dances sometimes on Saturday nights, us boys would collect behind the barn, away from the music and dancing, to discuss our own theories of what happened. Bobby, he was my cousin and the oldest in our group, he had a big mouth and a big voice. He was always saying he knew the truth, he knew everything. I thought he was filled with ox fumes, if you asked me, but he claimed his pa got away by going below ground. Right into the earth! Now, how he knew this I have no idea. Did his pa come back and tell him so? Not likely, and if he did, why didn’t he take Bobby with him? Probably because he had too big a mouth. I knew there was someone who knew the truth and would share it with me. I had to run and find her before Master was inclined to shoot anyone else, especially me.

Elsie was in the healing hut, clipping herbs and mixing poultices. She was the midwife for the slave women, and she had seen her own children grown and died. She was the oldest person on the plantation. Mama said even Missus Bethany visits her for advice, especially when she be wanting another baby. I wondered why Elsie didn’t help Mama have another baby. She had only me, and that didn’t seem fair when other mammys had five or six children.

Elsie didn’t look up when I ran in the hut. She just said, “A man running deserves to be chased.”

 

 

3 Magical Resources for a Tasty Novel

Posted on by Jennifer Karin

Because I grew up in the 70s, everything I know and love can be traced back to one thing. No, not the Partridge Family, but you’re close. The answer is Schoolhouse Rock, the endearing Peter Max-ish animated series about politics, history, grammar, science, and math. 

One of my favorite Schoolhouse Rock videos is “3 is a Magic Number.” It taught us kids how to multiply by 3.

Well, maybe not me. I suck at math. But I have come to realize 3 is a magical number in writing . . . and in salads. Too many ingredients and you end up with “salad bar mush.” You know what I’m talking about: if I keep adding stuff, something great will come out of it. Then you sit down, take a bite, and all you have is a big bowl of soggy…(and I don’t think those bacon bits are real, by the way).

The same is true with writing. Add too many characters, too many subplots, too many didn’t see that coming twists and you end up with salad bowl mush.

So, in honor of the number 3, I have selected the 3 most magical resources that helped me finalize my novel, Asunder, and kept it from becoming salad bar mush. There are many, many helpful resources for novelists, including your friendly neighborhood library, online and local courses, and peer writer’s groups. But for kick your butt off the couch and go make a fantastic salad all ready!, here’s my top 3, in the order I used them:

Critique from Ray Rhamey, www.rayrhamey.com, @RayRhamey

Ray Rhamey of Flogging the Quill fame is available to critique the beginning of your novel, so that you don’t spend years going down, down, down the wrong road. Word of warning to thin-skinned writers (aren’t we all?), he won’t tell you what you want to hear, and that’s why I found his critique invaluable. He’ll ask tough questions, like “Is this really a novel?” Ouch! But he will also tell you what works and what to build on. You can’t get this type of love from your mother. And unless your mother is planning to buy 10,000 copies of your book, I suggest you hire Ray. He’s a busy man so contact him for availability and rates. Here’s an excerpt from one of his many helpful articles:

. . . look at your story, especially the opening. Is your reader in a boat you pole down a lazy river, talking amiably about scenery and backstory? Or is he about to run the rapids only seconds after boarding? The rapids don’t, of course, have to be physical, as if in an adventure. Those rapids could be caused by internal conflict. They can be emotional, or interpersonal, or…hey, whatever your imagination desires. But your river must MOVE!

Nail Your Novel ebook by Roz Morris, www.nailyournovel.com, @dirtywhitecandy

Nail Your Novel fell into my kindle at the right time. I was betwixt and between genres, and Roz’s terrific little ebook helped me diagnose what I had written to date, and map out a better outcome. Her ebook is incredibly generous, letting us in on her secrets for being a successful writer. I asked Roz why she felt the need to write this handy-dandy book of secrets. Here’s what she said:

So many people start a novel and drizzle to a stop. It’s a job that can get the better of you. Most of the first-time writers I talk to need to know how to organise a daunting number of tasks – developing characters, honing the plot, using research and so on. Not to mention the writing. Later when they come to revise, they need to assess their novel’s structure – which is essential to whether it works or not – so that they can develop the confidence to make major changes. So I thought the most helpful thing I could do for people was to write a book about how to do that.

Editing service from BubbleCow, http://bubblecow.net/, @bubblecow

You think you can edit your own manuscript? Yeah, well, you can’t. Sorry. You need more than one set of eyes. Enter BubbleCow. In a very impressive turn-around time (I received my edits in three weeks. Hey, 3! How magical!), and for a very reasonable fee, you receive a line-edited manuscript and an editorial report. Here’s what’s important: the edits come in bubble form. That’s the comments feature in Word. No one at BubbleCow will make edits for you. Hey Writer, that’s your job! But their suggestions are spot on.

I asked BubbleCow founder Gary Smailes what advise he has for first-time novelists. Here’s what he said:

My advice for first time writers comes in three parts. The first is to know your genre. It is essential that you know the key books in your genre and where your books fits. Only by knowing this will you be able to successfully define your readership, or pick the correct agent and publisher. The second is to know your trade. This means that you need to master all the basic grammar, punctuation and writing techniques. Nothing too complicated, but if you can’t correctly format dialogue then you are bound to face problems at some point. The final point is to know your goals and stay focused. If you are self-publishing then set out a clear route to publication and work out a realistic marketing strategy. If you are looking for a book deal then spend time on sorting a great book proposal and finding the right publisher or agent. Finally, don’t give up!

There you have it: 3 magical resources for a great tasting novel. And in case you want to brush up on multiples of 3, here’s the video ; )

Asunder, a novel

Posted on by Jennifer Karin

Welcome to Asunder, my novel about Carol, a domestically abused woman, who runs away with Thomas, her nine-year-old son, in hope of a life without tyranny. Carol and Thomas’s journey is interwoven with William’s tale. William is a slave about the same age as Thomas. He and his mother, “Comfort,” take off on the Underground Railroad. The year is 1850.

Throughout the next several months, I will be introducing interested readers to Carol, Thomas, William, and Comfort, and their journey to freedom. Follow along on twitter with the hashtag #asunder, my facebook page, or click on the Asunder category here on my blog.

Chime in with thoughts and questions. I’d love to hear from you as we take this journey together.

We start at the beginning:

 

Prologue

Fist to jaw; bone on bone. Spit flies from my mouth. Skin tears away with a scream, the taste of blood as familiar as peach pie. The need to vomit, so strong, so strong, held back by the smallest amount of dignity, a memory of dignity, a prayer of dignity.

Shoved into darkness. Locked away from life. Except for the pain. I’m allowed to keep the pain. It is my one possession. It comes with me into the darkness and fades until the door opens again.

He is back and the need to vomit is stronger.