Faeries, Dragons, and Spaceships

You MUST follow these rules! (Or not ;))

2012-02-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about writers who say you must write/edit a certain way. “Of course the magic number of edits is five, more or less and you fall of the cliff of oblivion and are consumed by monsters.” “Heaven save you if you do not make at least ten perfect graphs of each of your character’s emotional arcs.” “There is no way you can possibly create a decent book without an outline.”

Pretty much if you’ve gone to any writer’s conference or workshop- you’ve run into these folks. The “MY way is the ONLY way” writers.

Now they aren’t evil, most of them sincerely want to help their fellow writer. Whatever way, trick, or formula they are proposing worked…for them. Therefore, they believe they have hit on the magic secret that should work for everyone.

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!

The problem is that writing is subjective. It’s subjective when someone reads it, not everyone will love the same book (thank goodness!). But, what many writers forget is that is also subjective how we create it.

Some folks have to plan, that’s how they work. A dear friend of mine has that down to a science- she color codes everything on cards (and someday I want her to come post about it here- some of you may love it!). This works extremely well for her. She’s fast and good and just landed two multi-book contracts.

And if I were to try it my head would explode. Seriously. She tried explaining it to me and I could feel my eyes glazing over. I’m a seat of the pants writer, I often jump in with very little beyond my characters and just write it as I find out what happened.

So who is right?

Both of us. And anyone in-between.

My friend and I both have different writing styles- and both work great- for each of us. But if I were to walk into a class of new writers and tell them they could NOT outline or plan their books, that they had to do it just like me, I’d be ruining a bunch of future writers. Even worse, what happens to the newer writer who goes to my workshop, soaks in the “way of the wild” (aka pantser) then goes to their next workshop- taught by my dear friend the card outliner? That poor newbie writer would end up babbling in the corner and probably never write again.

As we make our way through the writing jungle on our journey towards publication, we learn these things. That if someone- ANYONE- says, “this is the ONLY way to write/edit/revise” to take what they say with a grain of salt (or an entire shaker full). But newer writers, still wobbling about on their newly found literary feet, are at risk for failing to weed out what doesn’t work for them. To take the tips that sound true to their heart, and walk away from the rest. Humans are absolute creatures- we like concrete things. To get my graduate degree I had precise steps to take and when I followed them all, they gave me my diploma.

Writing doesn’t work that way.

There is no magic “one size fits all” formula. And anyone who says there is is lying or delusional.

The only rule to writing is that you must WRITE.

If you’re a more experienced writer, watch how you present your wisdom to others. If you’re a newer author, remember it’s YOUR path, take only what works.

Writer Recharge- SDSU Writer's Conference

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Last week-end I went to the SDSU writer’s conference. I’ve been to this one before (more than a few times, I even went back in the day when it was still on SDSU’s campus ;)), but each time it’s a bit different. This would be rather that my experience was different based on where I was as a writer each time, not the conference- although the speakers change, the set-up is pretty much the same.

Let me first say that I think ALL writers, regardless of level, should go to as many writer’s conferences as they can afford. Now, that being said, they are pricy, so you need to research them carefully and see what works for you. But I think they are the best way (aside from just sitting your ass in your chair each day and writing) to grow as a writer.

I’ve even listed why ;).

1) Meeting other writers. Yep- I listed this one first for a reason- it’s possibly the most important reason. Writers are a weird breed- we like people (or it would be damn hard to write about them) but we are isolated by our craft. We spend hours alone with only the voices in our heads for company- it’s good to get out sometimes ;).

Plus, let’s face it, most non-writers (or people not in the industry) don’t really get what we do. They often think you crank out a book in a few weeks, it gets magically published, and you’re fabulously wealthy. Don’t believe me? Try telling someone how long it takes to write a book, then edit it, edit it again, have some beta readers hit it, edit again, then submit, submit, submit…then if it does get an offer, it’ll probably be a year or more before that book ends up on a shelf. Oh, and by the way- forget about quitting that day job. You’ll notice your non-writer friends’ eyes glazing over and they may even start to twitch.

Not so with fellow writers! They understand the process and the madness that drives us to do it. They know the odd and disturbing things that can have a writer walking on clouds, or in the depths of dispair. So, being around others of “our kind” is good for heart, soul, and sanity.

I met some really amazing folks at the conf this year, both standing in line and at the Fantasy table at lunch (I write both SF & Fantasy, but flipped a coin as to which table I’d be at ;)- glad I picked this one!). Meeting them and sharing the conference with folks who understand the highs and lows of writing is really a great experience.

2) Workshops- yup number two is learning. I have heard that some writers won’t go to a conference without agents, since that’s what they are focusing on= Getting An Agent. I say in our field you NEVER lose the need to keep learning. If you don’t keep improving your craft, you can’t keep up. Keep taking classes, reading books, tracking down folks and picking their brains- we’re in this for the long haul, right? Then keep the brain moving.

3) Exposure to the Gods and Goddess of our field- aka editors and agents. Many folks would put this higher on the list, but I say the other two rank higher in terms of building your career as a writer for the long run, solid writing will lead to these folks with or without a conference. Yes, being around agents and editors is beneficial both for feedback as well as understanding what they do. But in my mind too many writers only focus on that aspect for conferences. Build your writing first- then worry about selling it.

I’d have to say this conference hit all three for me. Met some wonderful writing folks, was exposed to some great new ways to think about writing and myself as a writer, and got to listen to agents and talk to an editor. All in all, I feel more “writerly” (yes, it’s a word, I’m a writer and I wrote it, didn’t I? ;)) now, more connected to what I do and the people around it. And more determinded than before to create and hang onto my writer life.

So what about you? Were you at SDSU? If so post some of your favorite things, links you heard about, events you want to share. For the rest of you- how often do you re-charge your inner writer with a conference? Any conferences/retreats you’d really recommend?

Is it done yet?

2012-01-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

Today I’d like to talk about knowing when your book is done, as in ready to go forth and terrorize agents and editors in the outside world. These erstwhile folks all say the same thing- don’t send them your work until it’s done. But how can we tell when that is?

The trick is to get it as polished as can be, but still feeling, sounding, and acting like YOUR book.

This came to me today while I was nuking my oatmeal (yes, I lead an exciting culinary life- I do add a ton of cinnamon though ;)). If you under-cook your oatmeal, it doesn’t taste right, and the texture just isn’t done. Yet if you over-cook the stuff, it becomes a giant blob of blech that over flows in your microwave.

Authors can have both problems:

1) Sending manuscripts out without proper “cooking”. Often seen with first books, this is also the result of no cooling off period. We’ve all been there. We rush through a book or project (seen it happen with short stories too) and are so excited about it, we jump right into editing, then send it off the instant we can.

Like being able to purchase a gun, books need a cooling off period. I’d say multiple cooling off periods.

We need time to step back and ignore our baby. Push it out of sight for a few weeks (or even months) before we go through that first essential edit. I’d argue that at least one more cooling off period would be a good idea to gain distance after we’re SURE it’s ready, when we’ve edited until we feel we can edit no more. Give it a few weeks, then check one last time ;).

It’s also good to get it in front of an extra pair of eyes, although there are some pubbed authors who don’t use a beta (aside from their agent ;)) and that works for them. Most of us really do better by having one or more trusted readers plow through things. If even just to catch the “stupids”, those little errors we all make and that our eyes somehow miss no matter how many times we read it.

2) Over-cooking. This can happen when someone has perhaps too many “extra-eyes”, or doesn’t have enough sense of their own voice to know when a comment shouldn’t be followed. It can cause the story to lose the “you” in it, to become watered down to the point where it’s not interesting to anyone.

It can also happen if someone over edits (and I know there are some of you out there screaming, “not possible!” but it can, and has, been done). Part of what we do as authors is take chances. We take a chance that our skill and drive is enough to make our dreams come true. But that takes a lot of faith too, in ourselves. If an author lacks that faith, they may edit their book to death.

I have three books that are “done”, yet like most writers I can’t stop poking at them. There is always something to change, fix, fiddle with. And ya know what? There always will be. At some point you just have to tell yourself, you’ve done all that you can. You’ve finished the book, let it cool off (while you work on a NEW project) then edited like a fiend, let some trusted folks read it, take in what YOU believe works from their comments, let things cool again- then taken that final look. THEN, knowing you’ve done all you can, you hit the submissions’ circuit with pride (you DID research all of your agents, right?!). Then get back to that next book!

What about you- are you an over cooker, or under cooker? ;)

Why you can never fail as a writer

2012-01-11T06:25:00.000-08:00

We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master. ~ Ernest Hemingway

You can't fail, you can only quit- Richard Manning

Today you get two quotes for the price of one! Both of these really speak to some important facts we as writers need to remember.

1) You are NEVER going to be done learning and polishing your craft. Not gonna happen. Even writers with dozens of books are (or should be) continuing to grow and learn. Yes, there are ones who are just “calling in” their books. Their pubs know that the public will buy anything they produce, so they don’t care. But we’re ignoring them for now, because I know none of you intend to be “those types of writers”. Therefore, the learning process never ends. There’s no final. No thesis. No dissertation.

2) If you are never done learning, then you are always a work in progress. And you can’t fail. You can only fail if the process you are attempting actually has a termination point. Now, you can be ornery and create your own deadline, “if I’m not published in two years, I’m giving up!” But why would you want to do that? Is it some perverse sense of taunting the Universe? “I’ll show you! I’ll quit!” And who does that hurt? Not the Universe, it really doesn’t care. It only hurts the writer, if you love something enough to invest two years of sweat and headaches – why would you be willing to walk away? So the self-imposed deadline is a bit foolish. Either you’re a writer (aka someone who loves to write) or you’re not. If you can even think of a self-imposed deadline, you need to ask yourself why. It’s tough love, but I’ve seen many words of advice where people in this business (writers, editors, and agents) point out, if you can think of quitting, maybe this isn’t for you.

So, excluding the self-imposed deadline- we as writers have none. There is no rule that we must be published by a certain date. Or in a certain form. Our only rule is that we write.

No deadline, no termination = no failure. You can’t fail if you are still trying.

Jan 12--I just want to thank everyone who commented, or tried to- blogger is having issues and is blocking comments- including mine! But thank you all!

Embracing the downtime

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

First blog of the new year! And I wanna talk about taking downtime...but not for me ;).

Everyone needs downtime, even characters. Unfortunately, some writers fail to realize that and run their characters from dusk to dawn at full speed. I’m not a reader (nor writer) who needs to know about bathroom/showering/eating/etc breaks unless there is something there to move the story forward-but I do enjoy character down time.

I read to hang out with some like able characters while they go on some adventure. I like action, but I since I also like the characters (or that book gets put down, donated, or thrown against the wall) I want to spend more time with them. I treasure those little moments in books where the characters get to relax, interact with friends or family- the calm on the roller coaster ride.

That’s how I see good books- they take me on a ride. There are highs (lots of adventure, action, emotions) and lows (lulls, moments of down time). If it’s all lulls= dull; all action = out of breath, no mental processing time. And less connecting with the characters.

This is far more common in Urban Fantasy and its close relatives. The quips are flying, so are the bullets, spells, and or blades- yet there is no break. Not all UF is like this by a long shot, there are some great authors out there who give respites, but still keep things turned on high enough to keep readers blazing along.

When I read the other books, the ones with no break in the action, I feel as if there is a breathless person standing in front of me, trying to tell me a month’s worth of detail in twenty minutes. It’s akin to a whole mess of run on sentences. Even though the author most likely didn’t write them, they have conceptually done so (maybe there should be something called a run-on book ;)).

The really good authors have downtime, their book reads like the best roller coaster around. They give the reader time to see another side of the character, to relax a bit before the next round.

I think some authors are afraid that downtime means dead time and that without the hooks a flyin’ their readers will wander off. As writers we are constantly being told to put emphasis in the hook, it’s akin to a death sentence if you don’t have hooks all the time.

I would argue that good downtime is not only a relief for your readers, but if done right will make a stronger connection between the reader and the characters AND even keep moving the story forward!

When slipping in some downtime, we need to make sure that even though it’s not the “all hands on deck” situation, we are still working in information that will move the story forward, even if at a slower pace.

As a reader, it’s what I feel makes a great book. As a writer, it’s what I try to make sure I have. Let readers take a breath with your characters- you’ll be surprised the difference it makes.

Motivating change, creating goals

2011-12-28T09:08:00.000-08:00

Well its a few days before the new year, hopefully everyone is thinking about, writing down, and or actually getting a jump start on their 2012 goals :).

Studies have shown that the more concrete the goal, the more likely the person is to complete it. So saying, “I want to lose weight”, “I want to get published”, aren’t valid goals. Well, they might be valid, however, they have two things wrong with them 1) too vague, 2) the goal is not directly controllable for the person.

Define the goals:

Work backwards. Where do you want to be in a year from now?
If I want to lose 30 pounds, and I break it up into nice little x-pounds per month chunks- I could still be messing things up because my body may not lose weight at that ratio. There are many different variables that make up weight loss- such as our body type, our fitness level, genetics, age, etc. So to say, “X-pounds per month” is setting things up for a big disappointment. Then you get depressed, give up, and go eat a pint of rocky road. The trick is to make as your goal something you CAN control. For weight loss this could be “I will work out for 30 minutes a day 3 days a week, and go for 45 minute walks 6 days a week.” This is something YOU have control over- if you fail, regardless of the reason (no time, things came up, etc) the onus is on YOU to fix it. Plus, in terms of weight loss- when you get enough healthy goals lined up you WILL lose weight ;).

For the goal of getting published- again break things down. For most folks still looking at the traditional model, an agent is a good idea. (Not going into the whole agent thing right now. ;))Now saying, “I’ll get an agent this year.” isn’t a viable goal either. The agent does have a say in things- after all, free will, etc. So the better goal is one in which control comes back to you. Something such as, “I will submit a query to 25 agents this year.” That is in your control completely and hopefully will lead to an agent, which will lead to a sale, which will lead to being published. Making life happy and joyous all around until the anxiety over the next book starts.

Develop control:

The problem for many folks is that they place the “success-o-meter” for their goals in the hands of something other than themselves. Psychologists refer to it has an external locus of control. My happiness, or success, is in the hands of someone else, whether it be fate, luck, some higher power. If a person has an external loci of control, they see that their happiness, sadness, success, etc is out of their hands. "I'm not happy because (outside action, person, event)." Or I’d do that “wonderful thing to change my life” BUT. These could be called the ‘because’ and ‘but’ folks.

It's also true for responsibility of ones life and actions- external locus of control folks are never to blame for their own failures or mistakes. It’s not their fault their life isn’t what they want, or they can’t reach their goals- it’s always the action of something far beyond them.

Folks with a more internal locus of control see themselves as the steering action for their lives. If they succeed at something- it’s through their own hard work. They fail at something? It’s them who dropped the ball. And it's up to their to get back on course.

Now guess which group has more control in changing their behavior?

Like all personality and social behaviors, people range from one end of the spectrum to the other- probably no one is at the extreme end for either side. But as people who want to gain control of our lives, one of the first things we need to do is take responsibility. Develop your internal locus of control ;).

Future Time Perspective:

This is a psychological theory about people’s ability to delay gratification now, in order to achieve a goal or desire in the future. Aka, how much are you willing to suffer now to reap future rewards. Like locus of control, people range on this scale. Some folks are close to zero. They’re the 'I want it now, I don’t want to set aside time to advance my goals, I want to watch tv because it gives me immediate enjoyment' bunch. Those folks have a hard time making the reality of those future goals concrete in their heads (and most are going to be on the external locus of control end of the game too- if you can’t control your future, why should you give up current pleasure for it?).

People with a strong sense of future time perspective have trained themselves to see what they want (define their goals), adjust those goals as needed, and can connect their current actions with those future goals. They adjust to dealing with getting up at 5am, to watching less tv, playing less with social media, giving up some time with friends (not too much, social contact is vital for mental health ;))-because their future goal is real to them and they see they have control over it.

Notice I said train themselves. Through upbringing people may be at one end or the other on both of these scales. BUT they can train themselves to be better. To realize they have control over their lives (both good and bad events), that sacrifice now is important for success later on.

Now this was a very long blog for me-LOL- but hopefully it gave some folks stuff to think about, just as it did for myself while writing it.

Succeeding at our goals is far more than just making wishes. We need to define them, we need to realize that we have control over them, and we need to connect our current actions (or restrictions of actions) with that future success. And I forgot to add flexibility- which is also important. Your goals should never be carved in stone. As you move and grow throughout the coming year- your goals might change too. You need to be willing and able to adjust them as many times as needed.
Hope everyone has an amazing 2012!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T01:20:00.000-08:00

Just a wish for all of you folks out there to have a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate it, and a beautiful Sunday even if you don't.

Goals for 2012

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah- these should be posted in January. But my way of thinking is that January is when you’re jumping into your new goals, not thinking them up ;). So I do them now then have a little over a week to work my way into them.

First, let me address those folks who don’t like “resolutions”. There are lots of reasons not to like them, which is why I call them goals. It’s always easier (at least for me) to start a new habit or behavior at the start of something. A week, a month, a year- these demarcations of time make handy little starting points for changes. So I like using this time period to reflect and move forward- if you do as well, great. If not- no worries ;).

Even though this is a writing blog, I’m going to list all of my plans here. Writing really is part of my life and as such can’t be pulled out and kept separate.

1) Fitness: I did get off to a good start in the second half of 2011- and got into the habit of working out every day. The last month or two has been spotty due to health issues and NaNo messing up my sleeping (and thusly messing up getting up at 4:45 am to work out). My plan for 2012 is to get back up to my 7 days a week, with increases each month. So extra workouts later in the day on a few days, changing things up, much longer walkers/ workouts on week-ends. I ain’t getting younger, and the fight begins now.

2) Food: ok, this too took big strides forward in the latter half of 2011- then sort of slipped during the holidays. I’ve got way too many health issues that I really want to get rid of to keep messing up eating. Back to tracking food and weighing in regularly.

3) My writing itself-

a. Take myself seriously as a writer- fake it until you make it. I may be under published, but I AM a writer. If I don’t believe it, how will others?

b. Really attack the publishing end of things. No more hit and miss of sending out (in terms of quantity- not who I’m sending to- I do my research ;)).

c. Develop a thick skin. Ok, easier said than done, and I hear lots of laughing from you folks. But a big part of having a thick skin is how rejection is perceived. Successful people often don’t see it as bad, it’s a stepping stone to their goal. I plan on working on my perceptions a LOT this year.

d. Push myself. I love to write, and will always do so. But, I do want to share my work with others. I want other people to share the worlds I’ve created and get to know my characters. Art of any kind grows when it is a shared experience-so I need to get to a position of being able to share. To do that, I have to be constantly pushing my boundaries on what and how I write.

e. Constantly work on improving my craft. I plan on picking one topic a month and focus on it. I figure you never can have too much knowledge!

That's it for now, another aspect of 2012- I want to have a mini goal session each month. Little changes can have big impacts.

What about you?

Reflecting on 2011

2011-12-14T04:38:00.000-08:00

I’ve been thinking about the end of the year and where I am as a writer right now.

This year has seen some wonderful friends sell great books, first releases, upcoming releases, agent contracts. I did some submitting, but not very much. Got a few nibbles, but in the end the project wasn’t write for them...at this time.

So I does all that make me feel? If I am totally and completely honest about 10% frustrated and 90% ecstatic for my friends who burst through that plateau this year.

The frustration is natural, I was hoping to have submitted a lot more by this time and found my perfect agent. But various things happened and I didn’t get many submissions out for a plethora of reasons which I won’t go into now. But if ya don’t submit, ya ain’t going nowhere.

I did some good things this year though, some craft building things, re- wrote some projects, did more editing of others. And I have the bones of a new book thanks to NaNo- one I’m excited about diving into next year.

But still, a wee bit of frustration that I haven’t hit that point, that right story+ right author+ right agent/editor spot-yet.

And, also if I’m honest, part of my frustration is at how others see me. Those looks of, “Oh really, you write…how…cute.” Until there is a contract, or even better, a book in print, there will be folks reacting that way. Even when they don’t, there’s still that feeling that they are thinking it.

But I write because I have to. I’m not writing for accolades, or status, I’m writing because I love to create worlds, and people. Sometimes though, just sometimes, it’s easy to forget that ;). And it’s something I really should NEVER forget. My love of writing is all I have to protect me from the slings and arrows of rejection.

As for my friends who went to that next level – who got those contracts- they give me hope. When you see REAL people around you making it, actual friends that I can I say “I knew them when”, it makes the whole process real.

Plus- this way they get to go through it all, and when I’m there I can be running to them for words of wisdom.

GUEST BLOGGER- Cathy1967 Post NaNoWriMo and Fanfic writing

2011-12-12T02:00:00.000-08:00

Today I'm welcoming a friend from the NaNo Wars (and the Farscape boards), Cathy, to come blog about her adventures in NaNo and her experience as a fan fic writer (Fan Fic is fiction based on characters from TV shows, movies, or other authors books).

Welcome Cathy!

Post NaNoWriMo – Thoughts and ruminations on what it took to get there and what comes after

By Cathy1967

It's funny (and I think I use that start in a sentence way too often, but hey ...), but now that I sit here, almost two weeks after completing NaNoWriMo on time (that's a load off my shoulders and a bit of a surprise too), trying to think of something to write, I draw a blank. Well, okay, not a total blank. I'm writing this, after all. :)

My dog is moseying around in the background with a chewed-up plastic bottle, making noise because I'm not paying attention to him; probably because I didn't pay much attention to him during November either. Poor puppy.

NaNo happened by chance this year. I wasn't going for it, hadn't planned to participate. I was over at Terra Firma (a forum about everything Farscape, a sci-fi tv-show), browsing around for something interesting to read, and someone mentioned NaNo. And suddenly I thought it might be the thing to do. My life has been a bit shredded lately. October had been a bit of a nightmare for various reasons and November was looming ahead, promising to be almost as bad. Yeah, I'm psychic. *L* Okay, maybe not, but I was in a funk and knew that there was no way out of it until I made a decision with a heavy heart. Sick, old cat equals heartache in this house. I decided to try my hand at original fic and do it through NaNoWriMo. Ambitious under the best of circumstances, since I generally tend to write fan-fic and have only very few and very short original tales under my belt.

Anyway, from the moment I got up on Tuesday, November 1, things just went wrong. I was caught in a month of everything going wrong, of having gotten up on the wrong side of the bed every day of that blasted month. My one cat was not doing well and I knew where it was going, but had a hard time acknowledging it. I made the decision, booked a time with a vet who could come to my house, and had a week before that dreaded date. Finishing NaNo should have been the furthest from my mind, but writing has always had a therapeutic influence on me and, by jove, I needed something to go right. Just one thing. So I wrote whenever I could and I needed to reach the deadline of 50,000 words by November 30 so badly, it spurred me on.

Of course, the support system on Terra Firma helped immensely as well. The encouragement over there was heartwarming and it helped me accomplish what I sort of had given up on. With everything just crumbling around my ears and the loss of my kitty ... I think writing was a lifeline. It kept my mind off things, made me focus on this make-believe world and characters I had created from the ground up.

Writing original fic sure is different from writing fan-fic. Mostly because in fan-fic, you know that as long as you stick to the true and tried versions of the characters, others will recognize them and just see your tale as another adventure they're on. Original fic leaves you high and dry with characters that aren't fully formed (for the beginners among us) and a story-line that may or may not appeal to someone else. Of course, in NaNo you don't actually need anyone to read your stuff to participate. But it is a diving board for the start of a tale and it forces you to concentrate on telling a story as fast as possible. The first time I tried it, I failed. I had a plan, I had a layout for a story, and I was gung-ho on getting it written. But not much came of it. This time around, I was unprepared. I had an idea, yes, but I had no outline, no plan, no nothing. I jumped in feet first and it turns out I actually could swim.

And, what more is, I'm still interested and I want to finish it. Whether someone wants to read it is a totally different matter, of course. But I'll worry about that when it's done. Right now I just need to finish it, but I think I'm going to let it lie and soak up the atmosphere a little before I start working on it again.

Usually, when I write fan-fic, I do it in parts and post each part. I reread until I'm blue in the face, I try to fix mistakes along the way and fix those my readers kindly point out to me after the post. This experience has been ... different. I wrote 80-odd pages and I never reread, I never stopped to correct. I did skip back a bit to get a name or a situation right, but mostly I just moved forward, intent on getting those 50,000 words written so I could get on with this hellish month with at least one thing that had gone right. And I managed. Don't ask me how, but I did. When I hit the finish line – and not even on November 30, but on November 29 – I was at first stunned, then deliriously happy. It raised my spirit in spite of all controversy.

I don't know how others feel about writing in general, but to me it's therapy. I get rid of a lot of pent-up emotions – something you can tell clearly in some of the stories I've written – and that helps me to move on. I've written fan-fic since I was 12 and I intend to write until I can't write anymore. Will I ever be a published author? No clue. I may try. I aim at finishing this story and offering it up as a free e-book for others to read. Hopefully I'll get feedback on it and hopefully it'll be positive enough that it won't discourage me from trying again.

GUEST BLOGGER: JANNINE CORTI PETSKA- No Longer a (NaNoWriMo) Virgin

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

It’s hard to believe that at my age, I’d be considered a virgin. Well, I conquered that label recently when I attempted for the first time the NaNo challenge. For the entire month of November, I wrote my fingers to the bone (not really), making certain to reach the 50,000 words (almost didn’t) by November 30th. The experience was…stressful.

I’d always wanted to do NaNo. I felt a strong sense of community with other writers while challenging myself to write during the start of the holiday season. I don’t know what I was thinking. It was hell!

Except for a short story I wrote earlier this year, I haven’t written a new full-length book in 3 years. Life was a major reason for the lull. Losing my confidence was the other. And yet a third came in the form of brain death, which I had mourned far too long. When I decided to finally take the plunge, I was nervous, uncomfortable and terrified, and that was just the day I entered my book before the November 1st start date. There was still a month to go! I’ve had a horrendous 2011, health- and otherwise, so why was I intentionally setting myself up for more stress?

The answer: I needed to find out if I could write again or if I should hang up my keyboard and call it a less-than-stellar writing career. In other words, could I rebuild my confidence in myself and my storytelling? Oh, and could I find my creativity, which seemed to abandon me 3 years ago.

The morning of November 1st, I was up early, steaming coffee at my desk, eyes wide open and staring at a white screen. Blank screen. No words. Had I expected come the start of NaNo I’d sit at the computer and my fingers would fly over the keyboard? Apparently. My little bit of positive thinking bombed, and it was only the first day.

I write historical novels. My research was somewhat complete, although when I write, I’m always referring back to my files and searching the web for answers not in my notes. Unfortunately, to “win” the challenge, I had no time to waste on looking up details I knew were beneficial to the story. Almost immediately, I came up with ways to get around the use of research. In places I needed a name, I’d write “whatshisname” or “whoeverthisis.” For the details of the period (15th century Italy ) I didn’t know, I’d write “lookthisup” or “whatsitcalled.” I thought, okay, this isn’t going to be so bad. That thought came back to bite me in the…well, “youknowwhere.” Why did I run the words together? It would make replacing them with the find and replace easier when the time comes.

I threw some words down on the first page. Actually, it wasn’t so bad. My fingers didn’t fly like a flock of birds with a purpose, but I wrote those 1767 words each day. Until the 4th day. Understand, I’m a detail-oriented writer. I have to know what “things” I can use in the story. For that, I needed my research. Desperately. Remember those substitutions above? I discovered they didn’t work a lot of the time. My creativity already stalled, and I was only 4 days in. Panic set in. I fell behind in word count. But by some minor miracle, I caught up on day 5 and surpassed the count by 500 words.

Until day 6. Yeah, my creativity didn’t last. So for the next 24 days, I developed a love-hate relationship with NaNo. Losing my (NaNo) virginity became as painful as it is for my heroines when they part with their virginity. Of course, in a different part of the body, but the kind of pain I suffered through was real.

The most difficult thing for me to do was turn off my internal editor. She has a habit of sitting on my shoulder when I type. My first draft of any book isn’t submission ready when I’m finished, but editing while I write is a habit I developed years ago, somewhere in the 30 years since I began writing. Every time she crept in, I tried my best to shoo her away. I really hated chaining her to the lamppost. I was afraid the police would notice.

My muse was a different matter. For most of the month, she decided to go AWOL. I could have strangled her for leaving me stranded without a clue. But then, the police would definitively take notice. Instead, I struggled to find motivation and conflict for my hero and heroine. They weren’t helping either. Non-cooperative characters tend to rub my temper the wrong way. To blow off steam, I’d take a break and cook or bake, play with my dogs, decorate for the holidays. And procrastinate.

Being a stubborn Italian, I refused to quit. No matter the rubbish I’d written, I determined to work through memory and creativity lapses (every single day). The stress overtook the enthusiasm I’d built long before NaNo started. No way is my story fit for anyone’s eyes but my own. At the end of the 30 days, I figured I’d trash it all and start from scratch. You know, that blank page.

It wasn’t until a few days before the end of NaNo that I realized my goal was in reach. I turned into a madwoman, just one step short of being committed. On day 29, I surpassed 50,000 words. When I clicked on word count, I stared numbly at the number: 50,423. Whew! I did it! Proudly I followed the links to the certificate I was to receive, filled in the blanks and printed it out. My husband pointed out that I’d misspelled Petska. I had typed Petwska (after nearly 40 years, you’d think I get it right). The perfectionist that I am was not happy with the error. I tried to go to the certificate to fix it but couldn’t. Apparently, once you’ve printed it out, there’s no going back.

I doubt I’ll do NaNo again. The stress combined with other factors in my life became almost unbearable. For a while, I dreamed of finding the guy who came up with the idea for NaNo and dropped it into November. Really? He’s probably single and doesn’t have holiday cooking, baking and cleaning a house for company to do. Holiday shopping for gifts. No concept of how busy life is for everyone at this time of year. Is it bad that I woke up several mornings with my fingers closed around an imaginary neck, squeezing the life out of the faceless creator?

Now that it’s a good week behind me, I can be a bit more objective. For one, NaNo got me writing again. And two, I can say I joined the NaNo challenge and won. It feels good. Now, where is the TV news camera and announcer telling me and the world, “Jannine Corti Petska, you’ve just won NaNoWriMo. You’re going to Disneyland ?”

Another NaNo bites the dust

2011-11-30T11:52:00.000-08:00

Ahhh the sweet feel of victory after a long battle...even when that battle was with yourself and your own self-impossed deadline created by some crazy people.

It's kinda how you feel after you stop pounding your head against a wall- for a month ;).

This NaNo had some good and some bad- we'll start with the bad ;)

This year just felt like I was doing alot of of fighting with myself. Could be because I was doing something different with this book (a stand alone romantic fantasy) or something else. But it just felt like I was fighting alot!

My hand hurts. Ok, sounds whiney, but my right hand didn't like this-LOL. I type with three fingers, mostly with my right hand...

It took up time I could have spent doing something else- ANYTHING ELSE.

The good :)

It got my writing and creating mojo back- that alone is worth all those long horrific hours and a sore hand.

I now have the bones of what looks like a kick ass good book- we'll see how I feel in a few months- but this one could rock big time. AND it's a stand alone! WOOT!

I got to play with other writers on Facebook, Terra Firma Farscape, RWA, and through Buddies on NaNo- it is great to really be hanging around writers in such a situation- we're crazy, but we're together.

It was a great challenge- a marathon for writers- and I crossed that 26.5 mile line :). Feels really good.

So, the long and short- NaNo was the best of times and the worst of times. But now it's over :). I'm planning on letting the mess set for a mo nth or two- and in the meanwhile polish up and edit the other books and start sending them to my chosen targets ;). I think I'm a better writer for finishing NaNo.

Sometimes you need to call in the dragons

2011-11-23T05:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome all- today I’m doing my best to come up with a blog that actually makes sense. Ya see, NaNoWriMo has eaten my brain- very sad. It’s even sadder when I mention that I am behind on words, my week-ends are filling up faster than sales on Black Friday, and my characters have decided to go on strike. It doesn’t look good.

So when I was thinking about what I was going to do, I thought- how could I make things really messed up for me as the writer (yeah- I did- of course this will screw up my characters do- but in a different way).

I decided to add dragons. Now, even though I love dragons and they are in the title of my blog, I have yet to put them in any of my books. They are in my NEXT planned book (always have something waiting in the wings is my motto ;)), but not in any I’ve done so far.

So, the other day I added dragons. Now I’m not completely insane, while at first I thought about making them part of my world building from the beginning, I managed to talk myself out of that horrifying idea. The idea of diving back into the jumbled mess that is a NaNo dirty draft and throwing such a major element in just made me shake in fear.

So, they’ve now become part of the “big bad” issue. In fact, adding them actually gave me a bigger frame for my story and a few more layers of betrayal to deal with.

Now I wouldn’t recommend adding dragons (or blowing things up- I am fond of that technique as well) for everyone. But sometimes pulling in something completely from left field and forcing it into your story is just what the writing doctor ordered.

Shake things up and ya get a whole new yahtzee score ;).

It's all about the stream

2011-11-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins- not through strength but by perseverance." H. Jackson Brown

Ok, I would have liked a more humorous quote, but since yesterday was the half way point for NaNoWriMo- this one really fit well.

NaNo isn’t a race, but a challenge of sheer stubbornness. Normal people- even normal writers- wouldn’t subject themselves to writing 50,000 words in 30 days. (Unless there was a very big deadline looming over their heads and the editors were threatening to hunt them down and beat them with sticks.)

NaNo is painful. LOL_ ok, there may be some folks out there for whom writing those kind of word counts isn’t a problem. But for most of us, especially us working full time in non-writing jobs folks- it hurts.

But, like working out each day, it feels good when you’ve finished.

I just did a 10,000 word week-end to catch up and try to get a bit of a cushion for a few days this week that I know I’d have a big zero. It was nasty sometimes, wonderfully amazing others (ok, far more of the former than the latter ;)). But it felt great afterwards. I think for sprinting especially there really is a writer’s high. We may not physically be getting the adrenaline going, but mentally we are stoking those fires and really get the rewards.

And we can’t give up.

NaNo is a great proving ground, not just for writing, but just to show us that when we set our mind to something, we can achieve far beyond what we expect. Regardless of whether someone wins or not- just trying is a success. Most people are too quick to limit themselves, to shake their heads and say “I could never do that.” Usually it’s followed up with a justification- the “real” reason they say they can’t do it.
But most of them time is they just don’t trust in the power of the stream. That big old rock may be laughing now, but give me enough time and I’ll beat it.

If you’re NaNoing- good luck and KEEP AT IT! If you’re not, each day find something to push- to just keep at some task you think is impossible. Little by little, you’ll find you’re stronger than you know.

New characters- old friends

2011-11-09T05:27:00.000-08:00

Well today finds me in the midst of nano madness. As always this event is crazy, insane, and so much fun it's not even funny.

But this year I found myself having more trouble than usual. My characters were strangers!

Now, yes, new characters are always strangers- they're new after all. Part of what I love about being a writer is getting to know these very cool new folks. But this time I found myself really missing some of my previous characters.

Maybe it’s an affect of now starting my fifth “world”- I’ve already got four very healthy worlds with very healthy casts living in my head. Maybe since there are so many, my heart wants one of my familiar faces to pop up. Someone I know and can laugh with.

This hit me the first week of NaNo- it wasn’t that I didn’t like my characters, it was just a longing for the ones I already knew. Sort of like the second season of a beloved tv show- you already know everyone so that awkward getting to know you phase isn’t needed and you get to jump right in.

I wanted to jump right in but my mind didn’t know these new folks (Karthen and Sakari) so I had a wee bit of a conflict.

But something happened this week-end. I started just running with the characters. I made a list of how they were different from my others- the good the bad and the ugly.

Slowly I began to see them for who they were, or rather who they were becoming to be. And you know what? I like them! Now, it doesn’t mean I like my older characters any less- but I think there’s room for another crew or two in my heart and psyche.

What about you? Do you miss old characters? How do you get to know the new ones?

Happy NaNoing folks!

Guest Blogger: Kerri Nelson- How Being a Paranormal Author is Better than Having Super Powers

2011-11-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

In Courting Demons, I turn a cheating husband into a rat (literally). I kill people, bring people back from the dead, open portals between dimensions, and much more. All of this right from the comfort of my own kitchen bar stool.
I can do all that without even having to raise so much as an eyebrow (or maneuver a nose twitch—shout out to Samantha from Bewitched).

Now, what do you say to that superheroes? You’ve got nothing on me, eh?
Recently, I’ve been infatuated with the television show Heroes. Somehow, throughout having all these children in the last 3 years, I totally missed this series. But thanks to the technology of Netflix instant viewing, I’m now able to catch up on every thrilling episode. I’m currently on Season 2 so if you’ve seen past that, please no spoilers.

If you haven’t seen it, boy are you in for a treat. The premise is the idea that there are just a plethora of so-called “regular folks” who happen to have super abilities walking among us. Only they either don’t know about or understand their abilities. Or, in some cases, they are simply frightened by their abilities because they don’t know that there are others out there like them.

Now, as a paranormal author, this show really speaks to me because the writers are great at juggling a multitude of characters in a variety of settings with a lot of plots and sub-plots interwoven in every single episode. You really have to be on your toes to keep up with this one.

But it got me to thinking about whether or not I’d really like to be one of these people with super powers. What if my genetics were somehow evolved to a level that I possessed super human strength, the ability to fly, or spontaneous regeneration? Would that be cool?

Well, perhaps. But as a writer, I can have all these same powers with none of the potential downfalls. I mean, what if others found out about your powers and wanted to lock you away and study you? Or, what if you were constantly being hounded to heal people or save people? It might be neat for a while but you’d never really get to lead your own life once the secret was out there.

Now, think about being a paranormal author. I can give my characters any powers I want. I can put them through the ringer with challenges and conflicts. I can live vicariously through them without ever breaking a sweat or so much as a fingernail.
Then, at the end of the day…I can still go to the grocery store without being hounded by the paparazzi. I can tuck my kids in at night knowing that I don’t have to shuffle off the save the world before dawn. And I can even keep my manicure in good shape for longer—even with all that typing I have to do. You know, all the important stuff in life.

Thanks for hosting today, Marie. And to everyone who drops by, don’t forget to enter my Kindle contest no later than November 7th! The grand prize winner will be announced at my Twitter Party on November 8th.

Book Title: Courting Demons

Blurb:

Paisley Barton was already having a bad day before she turned her husband into a rat.
First, she was fired by her boss and then came home to find hubby in the shower with a naked blonde chick. They say that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned but this break-up may just unleash hell on Earth when Paisley casts a spell of vengeance against her philandering husband.

After her spell casting inadvertently opens a portal between dimensions, Paisley finds her family home transformed into a nightly courtroom for settling disputes between demons of the underworld and she’s the judge! If that’s not enough, she’s got to deal with a charming, ancient demon named Camden who wants to be her personal bodyguard while trying to explain her husband’s sudden, mysterious disappearance to sexy police Detective Dalton Briggs.

But Paisley will show them all that an everyday working mom is better equipped than most to deal with the mystical mayhem…and with a tempting demon hottie and a flirtatious young detective vying for her affection, she soon learns that being single again isn’t so bad after all.

“When a wronged wife turns her cheating husband into a rat, you know you have to keep reading! Kerri Nelson offers up a lot of fun and wild magic in Courting Demons!” --Bestselling author, Linda Wisdom, Demons are a Girl’s Best Friend

Author Bio:
Kerri Nelson discovered her love of writing at an early age and soon became a columnist for her local newspaper winning the Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year Award for her efforts.

After a fifteen year career in the legal field, Kerri fulfilled her lifelong dream of publication and is now an award winning multi-published author of nearly every genre under the sun (and moon) and also writes young adult fiction under the penname K.G. Summers.

A true southern belle, she comes complete with a dashing southern gentleman and three adorable children for whom she often bakes many homemade treats.

Kerri is an active member of Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America as well as numerous chapters including Futuristic Fantasy & Paranormal Writers and her Presidency of Celtic Hearts Romance Writers.

Read more about Kerri’s books at her website: www.kerrinelson.com
Follow her on Twitter here: www.twitter.com/kerribookwriter
Visit her industry blog here: www.thebookboost.blogspot.com

Buy Links (print and e-book versions available 9/15 wherever books are sold but here’s the publisher link—free gift available with purchase of print copy—while supplies last):
http://jupitergardens.com/Courting-Demons-by-Kerri-Nelson-print.html
or
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Courting-Demons-ebook/dp/B005OAY7TG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316621839&sr=8-1

Giveaway for the day:
Leave a question or comment to be entered to win today’s prize: A choice of e-books from my back list!

Details on how to enter to win the GRAND PRIZE Kindle at the end of my “Dark Days of Demons Tour” located here:
http://kerribookwriter.blogspot.com/2011/09/courting-demons-blog-tour-win-kindle.html

Excerpt link for Courting Demons: http://www.jupitergardens.com/excerpts/kn_cd.html

© Kerri Nelson 2011

NANO APPROACHITH!!

2011-10-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, yes, as of late my mind is turning more and more towards Nov 1 (sorry, I refuse to get up at 11:59 pm so I can start NaNo ).

Today I'm posting about some helpful sites that'll get even the most confused writer on track. In theory ;).

Now even if you're not doing NaNo (what- ya chicken? ) these sites might help you start that next book, your first book, or do clean up on aisle 9 (aka editing). If you know of any great sites in the similar vein as these listed- please add them!

A nice over view of plot construction

http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/plot-outline.html

Alexandra has a ton of blog posts about prepping for NaNo- not to mention all the other great writing info

http://thedarksalon.blogspot.com/

Ok-this is the Mecca of fun generators- GREAT if you get stuck! (Or just want to play )
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/

Please add to this list!

ADDED: ok, a friend of mine has a GREAT blog about tips! http://janettait.com/wordpress/2011/10/26/tips-for-acing-nanowrimo/

Less than two weeks to NANO!

2011-10-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am chomping at the bit AND nervous about NaNo (aka NaNoWriMo) next month. I’m excited because it’s always good to challenge yourself and see just what you’re made of. And NaNo is the ultimate writing challenge where the only person you are racing against is yourself.

I’m also nervous for pretty much the same reasons ;).

I have a number of friends who while intrigued by the concept of NaNo have yet to commit (ok, so some have said “Hell no!” but I’m still optimistic.). In honor of the date of impending madness, I thought I’d come up with my own top five reasons for doing NaNo- feel free to add to it ;).

5. Bragging rights- seriously there are only a few folks insane enough to try this. Watch your friend’s faces when you tell them what you are doing!

4. Finding new ways to pad your word counts can be a helpful skill in some fields (politics anyone?)

3. Discovering alternative food sources. Time is fleeting during NaNo- therefore definitions of meals become very flexible.

2. An excuse NOT to clean! Some may not need an excuse, but for others this is a month of freedom, “Honey, I’m writing over 1600 words a day- you’ll just have to do all the laundry.”

1. Developing the ability to take your inner editor, gag her, and shove her in a dark closet.

Add to the list! And if you're NOT doing it- why not?

How often do you try something new?

2011-10-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Today’s blog is about changing things up. I’ve decided the next 12 months (it’s my birthday this month- so as good a time as any!) are going to be about change.
I’m going to increase my awareness of things in my life and nudge them on track- or where needed- a new track ;).

My writing is something that will be under the microscope- I need to build a better and more constant routine. I’m prepping for NaNo and intend the prep and the event itself to be my “Great Get Back in Gear” period.

But I also want to change things up.

On the Castles & Guns blog (check it out if you never have- lots of amazing writers there! And not just because I’m there every other Saturday ;)-Link is in my list of blogs to the right)) I posted recently about going from pantser to plotter. JUST for Nano though! LOL.

Part of my thinking is that with NaNo being so insane, a guideline for the new book might be a good thing- at least for the tattered remains of my sanity ;).

But also I see NaNo as a time for experimentation. Last week I talked about habit- but it was the getting into the habit of writing everyday (good) as opposed to being stuck HOW we write (which could be bad). I see writing as a fluid practice. Who we are at the moment we are writing (or editing) influences how we write and what we write about. As we grow, our writing should grow and change too. But just like it’s not good to do the exact same exercise routine for weeks on end, writing the same way for book after book is going to leave flabby writing muscles.

So, I’m pulling in plotter techniques into my NaNo project. The ones that work, I’ll keep after NaNo. I recently asked one of my hard-core plotter friends for help- and it was WAY more intense than anything I could/would do. Talking to her did help though- I need to pull in new ideas (new exercises for the old writing muscles) but I need to keep true to my own way of creating/writing. And I like the idea of cards…just not colored ones (yeah, ya lost me there Melissa- ;)).

So what about you- are you stuck in a writing rut? How often do you change up YOUR routine?

Until it becomes habit

2011-09-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Humans are for the most part creatures of habit. There are a few rebellious folks who pick up their lives and completely change them every few years, but for the most part- we’re beings who follow patterns.

This is true for many things in life- like say fitness and writing :).

I’ve been slowly working towards getting healthy over the last few months. I work out at a gym 3 days a week (weights) and I do 3.5 mile walks 2 a week, and a long walk at least one day on the week-end. I started slowly and built my way up until it’s become a habit. Now don’t get me wrong, I still don’t really LIKE having to work out like this- especially since I have a day job which means I’m up at 5am to inflict this torture upon myself. I like having done it.

But it has become habit.

If I don’t go during the week, I feel off. Just like something is just a tad off but nothing major. And I definitely notice a difference when I get back into my routine the next day. Weight loss is slow, but my body is adapting happily to my new habit.

Writing needs to be a habit.

I recently have had some stressors kicking my life around lately and I fell off the writing wagon. It started slowly, working on edits and convincing myself that I shouldn’t start my new book yet. Then life started getting messy and even the edits stopped.

Now I feel about writing like someone who is looking at all those folks at the gym in panic and confusion. My writing “gait” is off because I let go of my habit.
I’m now trying to get my writing habit back in place- stronger than before. I’ve always been more of a writing when I want to person, but there was never a set goal. I was lucky that since I love writing not having a set goal wasn’t a problem. Until now.

So, I’m looking for help, suggestions, ideas, to really make this essential to my well being, to make this such an ingrained habit that when I miss a day I actually ache.

Monday Motivation!

2011-09-12T00:12:00.000-07:00

Here's today's photo prompt- have at it! Are your characters lurking here?

(This is a public domain photo ;))

What about Voice?

2011-09-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

As writers, one of the most obscure comments (good or bad) can be about voice. “I love your voice” can be just as confusing sometimes as, “I don’t hear your voice”.

So just what is “voice”?

"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Writer's voice is the literary term used to describe the individual writing style of an author. Voice was generally considered to be a combination of a writer's use of syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, dialogue, etc., within a given body of text (or across several works). Voice can be thought of in terms of the uniqueness of a vocal voice machine. As a trumpet has a different voice than a tuba or a violin has a different voice than a cello, so the words of one author have a different sound than the words of another. One author may have a voice that is light and fast paced while another may have a dark voice.

In creative writing, students are often encouraged to experiment with different literary styles and techniques in order to help them better develop their "voice". This aspect varies with the individual author, but, particularly in American culture, having this asset is considered positive and beneficial to both the writer and his or her audience."

This helps a bit; I liked the musical instrument example. Not so sure about the statement about one author having a light voice and one having a dark voice. There maybe some authors for whom all of their books are dark or light, but I think many of us change depending on the story being told.

I like to think of Voice as the combination of my own storytelling style, my personality, and the story itself. I also think skill level and experience play a major part- the more comfortable a writer is playing in their sandbox, the more their natural voice will come through. I currently have four different books/series in the editing- submitting pipeline. Each one is different in style, but from folks who have read more than one, I’ve been told they “sound” like me. Aka, my voice is coming through even though I write differently for my fast paced space opera as opposed to my Victorian SF. So voice is not a single snapshot of an author’s writing. It’s going to flow and change depending on the project and the authors’ experience.

I think there is no absolute- THIS is your voice and how to build it rule (just like there is no rule for how to write ;)). I believe people find their voices from the choices they make and who they are. If a writer relaxes, and listens to their heart while writing- they’ll find their voice. It’s not something to be learned, it’s something to be discovered.

Monday Motivation- returns!

2011-09-05T00:08:00.000-07:00

Ok folks- I had some emails asking about the monday motivation- aka the photo writing prompt portion of this website.

IT's BACK!

Here's the rules- I post a picture- you decide what it means. Use it to start a new idea, for a writing sprint, to jog something stuck in your brain- your call.

No need to post here unless you want to ;)

When did you know you were a writer?

2011-08-31T00:02:00.000-07:00

Today I'm musing about when I knew I was meant to be a writer. My first inkling was in 5th or 6th grade- I recall a teacher having us write a small play for the class. I don't recall much, but it had cats and I had to use that old blue copy paper.

I was so excited, creating something out of nothing!

But then...nothing.

Until I was about 13. I'd just fallen in love with Star Wars and wanted to tell my own story! It wasn't even about space, the movie, or anything SFish. All I recall is that I took a number of the names...and that the main character had a best friend who had a brother who looked ALARMING like Mark Hamill. Story never got finished, but again I remember being excited about creating the images on paper (I think boys kept distracting me during this time).

Then late teens- started a new REAL story. My first book! I loved it and I loved writing it...but only got 175 pages in. I think my obsession with boys brought me down again. The story was finished (I had an ending) but it never got completed.

Forward a few years later- started ANOTHER real book. Finished this one, and wrote the next in the series (yeah yeah- first time author starts with a trilogy, but at the time I thought that was a good idea ;)).

Graduate school got in the way this time. Set aside the completed books (and the third which was 50 % done.

Then a few years ago I got back into writing. This time something was different, the thrill of creating new worlds, and meeting new people grew! Nothing and NO ONE in my life has dimmed that draw this time. Now I KNOW I am a writer.

Some folks start writing young and keep it up their entire lives. So of us take a longer route to get there- needing the write combination of life experiences and dreams to finally push us over the edge.

What about you- when did you know? What has you path been?

GUEST BLOGGER: LISA KESSLER-Characters make the Story…

2011-08-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone –

Thanks to Marie for inviting me over to her blog today!

My life has been a crazy whirlwind for weeks now and the book blog tour for Night Walker continues in its quest for World Domination… One blog at a time!

Muahahaha! *ahem*

Sorry, it’s starting to get to me, can you tell? LOL

Anyway, now that I’m finally able to share Night Walker, it’s been rewarding to hear people tell me that they “loved” Calisto, or were “worried” for Kate. In order for a story to work, you need to have characters that the reader can care about and root for. Without them, even the best laid plot won’t keep readers turning pages.

When I first started writing and publishing, it was short stories.

Horror short stories to be specific.

I had very few words to create characters that a reader would care about enough to be frightened for them, or conversely, to loathe and be terrified to meet them in a dark alley. It was a great training ground as a writer to learn to use as few words as possible to create a character that a reader connected with.

Short stories also taught me to develop character quirks. They don’t have to be huge, but a quirk can help make a character more memorable and lifelike. We all have quirks, some larger than others, but ask any friend you’ve known for a long time and they can probably give you a list of your quirks.

Anyway, Calisto has a habit of answering questions with another question. By the end of the book, I found his quirk endearing. I’m sure it was infuriating at times for other characters in the book, but it also made Calisto more than just an immortal. It gave him a little touch of human… :)

So do you have any quirks you’re willing to share? Have you given any of your fictional characters quirks? I hope you’ll share…

And if you’re interested in checking out Night Walker, you can find the links to grab a copy and excerpts from the book here…

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/night-walker/
Lisa
I’m very chatty online, so feel free to connect! :)

http://Lisa-Kessler.com

http://lisakessler.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/LdyDisney

http://facebook.com/LisaKesslerWriter

http://facebook.com/NightSeries

http://goodreads.com/LisaKessler

GUEST BLOGGER: GABRIELLA HEWITT: SECRETS!

2011-08-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve Got A Secret…

We keep secrets. We tell secrets. We pursue secrets. It's all part of human nature.

Paparazzi, private detectives and nosy neighbors make it their mission in life to dig up every secret there is. Secrets can be worth a great deal to the right people and worth nothing at all to others.

I stumbled across a website called Post a Secret.Post a Secret It's a multimedia project in which people can write down their secrets on a postcard anonymously and send them in. The postcards on the website display secrets that are funny, embarrassing, heart wrenching and even weird. The project's concept is an innovative way to get people to express themselves and relieve some of the weight of carrying their secrets.

Face it, secrets can be a burden. They shape us, affecting how we behave and how we deal with other people. Big secrets can make it next to impossible to really get close to someone. There's always the fear that your secret will be exposed and all that you had will come crashing down around you.

Secrets are the fodder of mystery writers or any writer wanting to add tension to characters and plot. How many mysteries have you read where the killer was someone who killed to protect her secret? Not everyone who holds a secret is a homicidal maniac in waiting. Sometimes secrets are thrust upon a person through fate or the machinations of others. It takes strength of character to hold on to some secrets. In my novella Out of the Shadows my heroine Carolina carries a secret. It is a secret that has been passed down through her family for generations. It is now her responsibility to maintain this secret even at the cost of her life.

In celebration of the 1st book in the SHADOW WARRIOR series, I am holding a contest. Follow me & the tzitzimime (celestial demon and nemesis of Shadow Warriors) on the blog tour and leave a comment to be entered to win a $25 gift certificate from Samhain Publishing. It’s that easy!
All entries must be in by August 24th. The winner will be declared on the blog August 26th. Contest starts June 5th and ends midnight August 24th (EST).One winner will be chosen at random for the prize.

EBOOK Order
Samhain Publishing http://store.samhainpublishing.com/out-of-the-shadows-p-6410.html

When the last shadow warrior falls, so will all humanity.

With each demon he vanquishes in service to the Aztec sun god, Tomás fulfills his duty to defend humankind—and surrenders another piece of his humanity to his wolf spirit. All hope seems lost until a mission leads him to the door of the one thing he thought he’d never find…his spirit mate. The only woman who can save him from oblivion.
When Carolina hears the wolf’s howl, it pierces the very core of her lonely heart. Yet she dare not answer. As the last guardian of her land and the secret it contains, she is haunted by the mistake that cost the lives of her family. Never will she repeat that mistake, especially with a warrior who is more beast than man.
Chasing away the demon is easier than breaching the barriers around the heart of the young woman who possesses a strange power over water—and his very soul. But if they are to survive the night, he must convince her they are destined to stand together.

***EXCERPT***

A wolf’s howl pierced the desert silence, causing the animals to stir restlessly in their stalls. Wolves had been reintroduced into Arizona, but she had yet to see or hear one so close to her ranch. Was it an omen?

Carolina paused in her chores to stare out the open barn door into the gathering darkness.

For a moment, she let herself get caught up in the long, solitary note. It felt like a kindred spirit. She knew loneliness intimately. Only her loneliness did not come from the vast miles of the sun-parched Sonoran desert that surrounded her, but out of the necessity to protect her goddess, her land’s secret. As one of the few amongst her people to become a guardian, her choices were limited.

The one occasion she’d invested herself in another, he’d betrayed her. She’d foolishly placed her hope and trust in Billy and she’d paid a horrendous price. Her desire to find someone to share the workload, her joy and sadness, and the burden of her secret—just as her parents had done—had blinded her to the trap she’d walked into. By the time she understood what was happening, it was too late. Her parents were dead.

Her heart weighed heavy in her chest as if it had happened recently and not five years ago. The memory of her parents lingered too close to the surface today. This had been their land, their dream, and now it was hers to fight for. She’d vowed never to fail them again. Above her own needs came the higher purpose of protecting her goddess at all costs.

Her mare, Mariposa, snorted and reared up, pulling Carolina from her thoughts. The animals had been growing edgier with each passing minute. They sensed the evil that blew in with the warm desert breeze. She berated herself for not paying more attention to them.

Goose bumps prickled her skin. Her tattoo, a gift from the goddess, began a slow burn on her shoulder, a sure sign that evil was approaching. She felt the heat radiating through the fabric of her denim shirt. The last time she’d experienced the odd sensation, her world had fallen apart.

Cautiously, she turned her head, seeking the source.

Her breath came out in a gasp.

Less than ten feet away sat a magnificent gray wolf, watching her. Waiting.

Monday Motivation!

2011-08-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

This week's photo writing prompt is an odd one. Where is it? WHAT is it? Go to town and see how many different snippets you can create out of it ;).

Have a great week and keep writing!

(This photo was obtained from a domain free website :))

Stuff Ya Didn't Know Friday- Ryujin

2011-08-12T04:10:00.000-07:00

Today's critter is a sea-dragon god, Ryujin, who resides at the bottom of the sea. He controlls the tides with his gaping maw that sucks in all of the oceans. He lets them go as he breathes in and out.

Able to transform into a human shape, Ryujin lived in his palace under the sea built out of red and white coral, from where he controlled the tides with magical Tide Jewels. He used sea turtles, fish and jellyfish as his messangers and servants.

There is a story of Empress Jingo of Japan who prayed to Ryujin for help in her struggles against Korea. She received the Tide Jewels and used them to beach the Korean fleet, then drown the crews.

Are you a focus or a scatter?

2011-08-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

I've had theory for years that people are either a "focus" or a "scatter". Now, I don't mean scatter brained, although that can happen ;). I’m talking about the way people work and function in their lives.

Focus's usually have a very narrow and intense way of doing things. In school they often excel at whatever topic they study. My former thesis adviser is an excellent example of a focus. When I met her she was only 27 and was already a tenured professor at a University. She also had spent time with the World Health Organization in Geneva. At 27. Scared the crap out of me for reasons you'll see very quickly.

I, on the other hand, am an example of a scatter (stop laughing folks ;)). Someone as intensely aimed at their area of study like my thesis advisor was a bit unnerving for me. Scatters find so many things interesting that we rarely get to the level of intensity that a focus does. The extreme case is a scatter brain, or someone who can't get through school, or go after goals because of too many distractions.

Both types in the extreme can be problematic. Scatters may fail to reach their potential if they can't put some blinders on and focus. The focus folks can miss out on many things in life if they become too obsessed with a single subject. I'm thinking my former advisor did NOT have a rip roaring fun time in college-LOL!

But both types have strengths as well. If the object of the focus’s intense dedication falls through, they may find themselves at a loss. But the scatter can pick up and find another topic with ease. The focus can get to a level of depth within a subject, which would be difficult for a scatter.

Now how does all this relate to writing you ask? It affects both your characters as well as you the author. Understanding where on the sliding scale of focus your characters lay can help you keep their behavior consistent and believable.

Understanding your own position on the scale can help you keep your writing form in top shape. You need to understand how your mind and personality work best so that you can keep moving forward in your writing career. Now it doesn’t mean that a scatter can’t become more focused and visa versa- but before anything can change, you have to understand what’s there to begin with. True for our characters and ourselves.

Monday Motivation!

2011-08-08T05:39:00.000-07:00

Today's photo writing prompt:

A nice summer image to generate some writing...or is it a creepy one? You never know with carousels!

Have great week and keep writing!

Just. Keep. Writing.

2011-08-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Keep Writing.

Two little words that mean so much. Today I saw possibly the best writing post ever: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2011/08/solution-to-every-writing-problem-that.html

Former agent, and current author, Nathan Bransford posted The Solution to Every Writing Problem that has Ever Existed. His solution? “Keep writing.”

I enjoy Nathan’s posts, but this one rocked in its simplicity. Any writing problem you have will resolve itself if you JUST keep writing. Don’t fret, don’t panic, don’t storm around yelling at your barrista about how misunderstood you are…JUST KEEP WRITING.

It reminded me of a quote a screenwriter once told me, “You can’t fail, you can only quit.” If you don’t quit, then you’re never a failure because you’re still in progress. And as long as you keep writing, creating, learning, WRITING, you’ll eventually find the solution to all of your writing problems.

These concepts are simple to hear, difficult to internalize. We, aka “humans”, make life far more difficult than it needs to be. We as writers (hopefully, also humans) make our writing lives far more painful, scary, confusing, and depressing than they need to be.

We just need to write. We need to not quit.

Now go out there and do something nice for your favorite writer (look in a mirror folks ;)) and get back to work!

Monday Motivation!

2011-08-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

OY! ya know it's monday when you're late on your blog! Hope it's a good one folks! Today's photo is from a domain free site (not mine, although it is from san Diego ;))

I'm guest Blogging!

2011-07-29T11:30:00.001-07:00

Come on over folks- I'm guest blogging at a very cool site!

http://www.gabriellahewitt.com/2011/07/29/comic-con-for-beginners-marie-andreas/

Comic Con 2011

2011-07-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well I survived!
Yes, Comic Con 2011 and I did battle and I won! Heck, who am I kidding? As usual, it kicked my behind.

This year I went into it a bit annoyed. For various reasons, I was determined I wasn't going back. That next year they'd be without me!

Then the creative, maddening, and beautiful insanity that is Comic Con forced its way back into my heart. By Saturday I was back in love, by Sunday already mourning the end of another year.

It can be said of this event, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times- and not be far off at all.

Now lets face it, I attend Comic Con just because it's fun. But from a writer's POV, it's amazingly mind rattling. TONS of ideas, concepts, and perceptions slamming around until creative overload is a given. I'm still jotting down things that may very well come to nothing. But the creative jolt from this thing is INSANE.

I'm too fried to really write a blog in fact-LOL. So, I'll turn this back on you- what event have you been to this last year that just blew you away?

GUEST BLOGGER: Self-Publishing with Debra Holland

2011-07-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

When Marie originally invited me to blog, I picked the topic of self-publishing, thinking that by this time I’d have my fantasy romance trilogy already done (fantasy would fit the theme of her blog.) However, the covers aren’t finished yet, so those books won’t be available for a few more weeks. Therefore, I’ll have to talk about my experience in self-publishing my sweet historical Western romances, Wild Montana Sky and Starry Montana Sky.

On April 28th, I published the two books on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords. By July 21st, I’d sold over 8500 books--this from two books that had been sitting on my computer for ten years. My two agents couldn’t sell them because they were sweet, not sexy, even though Wild Montana Sky was a Golden Heart winner.

I know I’m not alone in experiencing a writing journey that has times of excitement and success and other times of rejections and unfulfilled possibilities. The journey can be downright discouraging at times.

There are many stories, especially in the paranormal genre, that don’t fit the regular publishing market. However, the publishing world has changed. Many authors are experiencing renewed hope because of self-publishing. Self-publishing, instead of being looked down upon, is now considered by many to be cutting edge. Books that are good, but don’t fit into the New York model can be quite successful as ebooks, especially when they fit a niche that traditional publishing doesn’t address. I know my books are successful because they are hitting two niches--Westerns and “sweet” romances.

If you’re thinking about self-publishing, it’s important to do your research beforehand. You’ll read and hear all kinds of rumors--from all self-published books are poorly written to self-publishing is a gold mine. Actually, there is truth in both points of view. There are a lot of poorly written and badly edited books. And there are some authors making a LOT of money. There are also people making little money, and others who are able to supplement their income, or even afford to write full time.

Those of us who create stories know that sales are more than money. Don’t get me wrong. Money is GOOD! But there’s satisfaction in knowing people are reading your books. It’s wonderful to receive positive feedback. (Not so wonderful to receive negative feedback.) Almost every five star review I’ve received has brought tears to my eyes. (Same with those two star ones, but for different reasons.) I can’t express in words the overwhelming gratitude and happiness I felt when I received my first two fan emails within days of each other. Both wanted to know when my third book would be out.

Self-publishing is not for everyone: Some things to think about before you self-publish:

1.Do you have a book (or books) that has gotten good feedback from contest judges, agents, and editors (not just your mother or your best friend) but you haven’t been able to sell because it doesn’t fit the market in some way?

2.Do you have the rights to your backlist and want to make some more money on them?

3.Do you like having control over your content, covers, and blurb?

4.Can you have patience as your sales slowly build?

5.Will you enjoy receiving a monthly check (or direct deposit) from Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, and Smashwords?

6.Are you prepared to discover you have a compulsive impulse to constantly check your sales numbers and Amazon ranking?

If you answered most or all of the questions with “yes,” or maybe “Hell, yes,” then I encourage you to jump into the self-publishing pool. I think you’ll enjoy splashing around in there. I know I do!

Thanks for coming by Debra!
Want to learn more about Debra and her books?

Website: http://www.drdebraholland.com/

Wild Montana Sky http://amzn.com/B004YKZCD2

Starry Montana Sky http://amzn.com/B004YL2RNO

Monday Motivation!

2011-07-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!

Ahh summer is in full swing- so head on down here to today's writing photo prompt!

Maybe your characters need a wee vacation?

*this is a domanin free photo taken from a free site

Stuff Ya Didn't Know Friday- Cadbury Castle

2011-07-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today's "Stuff Ya Didn't Know" is a place:

Cadbury Castle- Sommerset England

It started as a fortified settlement in 500 BC, then began digging itself in, creating a rampart and ditch defense system to ward off the newest weapon of mass destruction- the sling. While the common folk lived outside of the walls, they would shelter inside during times of emergency. The powers that be sheltered there all the time.

Cadbury Castle faced a peaceful transition in to the Roman era- by not fighting at all in 44 AD when the Romans came through. They quietly co-existed with the Romans until 30 years later when rebels or bandits made enough noise to gather the attention of the Romans- and not in a good way. The gates were shattered, merchants, workers, and leaders all slaughtered within, many in their market stalls.

After that, Cadbury Castle lay mostly in quiet abandon, ignored until 500 years later a warrior of myth and legend admired its defensive position- a warrior who may have been King Arthur.

Just what the early citizens did to bring down the mighty wrath of the Romans after 3 decades of peace, and just who was the warrior who later returned it to its strategic power really was are questions that might be best explored in the realm of imagination.

More information can be found http://www.britannia.com/history/arthur/cadcast.html

Comic Con 2011: Recap of 2010

2011-07-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at home waiting for my car to hopefully come out of the shop ready to go. Car repairs are never fun, but especially now- it's Comic Con preview day!

In honor of the madness of this monster event, I'm reposting last years' blog. This year I'm hoping for even more creative mayhem IF I can just get there!

From 2010: Day after Comic Con 2010

I have just survived another Comic Con. Not sure, but I think this is number 16 or 17 (that I’ve been to- they all blur after a while). I’m in recovery today, reconnecting with the aspects of my life that got shoved into a dark corner during the week of con madness.

For folks who are unfamiliar with this tiny, intimate event- let me provide a brief explanation.

Comic Con International San Diego is one of the biggest popular culture events in the world. 125,000 geeks gather from across the globe to mix and mingle with other fans of comics, novels, tv shows, movies and art. It is a four day bit of glorious madness that is dear to my heart even as it has me often ripping out my hair.

People can see a number such as 125,000, but often not really process just what it is like. It’s A LOT. Even someone like myself can get thrown off (see above for how many of these things I’ve lived through). For instance preview night (once upon a time preview night was for pros and a select few to make deals and see the floor- now it is just insanity in a three hour window). I knew to expect madness, but the crowds just had me running for the door after an hour (but not before I’d bought my pass for next year ;)).

To see any of the “big” panels (aka those hit tv shows and upcoming movies) you really need to be in line by about 6 or 7 am…even if the one you want to see isn’t until much later in the day. And the stars have just gotten bigger each year. This year I saw panels for the movie Megamind (Will Ferrel and Tina Fey in attendance), the upcoming Tron movie (the whole flipping cast); Salt (Angelina and Leiv- nuff said), and Battle Los Angeles. Plus the casts for Chuck, Castle, Futurama, Family Guy and many more. And I missed FAR more than I saw. You learn to function on little sleep, pack lots of food and water, and hunker down for the duration. These big rooms hold between 4,600 and 6,500 folks- so the lines are massive.

Massive lines, insane hours, pressing crowds…and yet I am depressed now that it’s over.

Aside from the coolness of seeing some favorite actors, writers, and artists, and getting to be around my "own people" en masse comic con is an amazing example of the power of creative energy. Even as it is sucking the energy out of you- it is also feeding your creative spirit.

The sheer mass of creative folks there is simply awe inspiring. There are so many folks from so many creative industries that you can’t help but get a little psychic charge. A bit of “wow, that would make a great character in a book!”, or new ideas for a WIP, or weird terrifying thoughts like “yeah, becoming a cartoon voice actor would be great!” (it’s important to watch what panels you go to- ya never know WHAT will seem like a good idea!)

In short Comic Con is a well-spring of “what if’s” and folks who are following those what if’s, living the dream of all creative people everywhere. They are a reminder that wherever we are in our career- we too can make it.

I know a lot of writer’s limit their convention exposure to events that only handle writing, and often only their genre. I say it's a good idea to find other types of creative conventions as well. Comic Con isn’t for everyone, nor can everyone come out to San Diego. But chances are there are some sort of smaller creative cons near you- check one out. The buzz you get may motivate your work in new directions.

Where do YOU go to get a creative boost?

Monday Motivation!

2011-07-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!

Today's Monday Motivation writing photo prompt is just gorgous! Gotta be SOMETHING you can to with it! (Even just enjoy it ;))

*this is a domain free photo taken from a free website-

Stuff Ya Didn't Know Friday-Jaculus

2011-07-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today's critter came from Roman and European folklore- mostly during the Middle Ages. It's name referred to the javelin and it was called so due to the way it hunted.It was reported to have two legs, be fairly small in stature, but quick and deadly

It would hide high in trees then launch down on its victims and attack the back of their necks with its fangs.

Guest blogger: Jannine Corti-Petska-- Research: How Much is too much?

2011-07-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is a subject near and dear to my heart. I write historical romance novels and do considerable research. Sometimes I find exactly what I need. Other times, I’m stumped.

When I began writing 30 years ago, my option for research was limited to the local library. One of the most exciting aspects of writing (for me) was perusing the shelves and finding books appropriate for my wip. The smell of libraries and used book stores kicks my adrenaline into high gear. At times, the anticipation was overwhelming. I was like a kid in the candy shop, all those books being my candy.

Fast forward to present day, and I’m sad to say I rarely go into a library anymore. Almost everything I need is on the internet. Does that mean I rely only on searching the web? Not at all! For one reason, the facts can be unreliable. How do you know if the author of the article(s) is an expert in the field he’s written about? I check out the sources and compare. But I will never give up the feel of paper in my hands or the little crunching sounds of the spine when I open an old book. Come into my office and you’ll see the truth. I have over 2000 research books in there.

I’m the type of person who goes overboard with research. That’s because when I find one thing I’m looking for, sometimes it leads me to an interesting fact or tidbit I can use in a completely different story. Never ignore or throw away those snippets of information. I even cut out articles from the newspaper and stick them in a folder—not on the computer but in a real paper folder, lol—I labeled Tidbits for Story Ideas. The folder is bloated now. I swear I’ve become a hoarder. I can’t throw anything away! And yes, I have dipped my hand into this folder for story ideas, especially if a tidbit really intrigues me and languishes in my mind. Some of the information is stranger than reality.

I will admit, over-researching is time-consuming. It has its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is what I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Finding certain information I hadn’t thought about but will use in another wip. The disadvantages? It takes me about 3 months to research a book (30 years ago it was one month. Darn age slowed me down.). I’d also do research while I wrote. Chances are, 85% of the material will go unused. But that 85% could take root in another story.

If I am not familiar with an era or genre, I will have 30-50 manila folders of research material. For example, the third book in my Sisters of Destiny trilogy will be set in medieval England, which intimidates me in a big way. This book should have been written in the spring of 2010. The damn insecurities of tackling this particular time and setting kept me seeking out so much research that I am now inundated. To clear my head of the clutter and confusion, I decided to write what I’m comfortable with—that would be book 4 of my Italian Medieval Series. I probably have 15-20 folders for each book in that series. A big difference. I’ll tackle the end of the trilogy next year. Sorry, folks. If you happen to be waiting for the final book in the trilogy, you’ll have a long wait.

There is no magic key to unlocking the secrets of the amount of research that’s necessary. Another writer may need only a handful of information to begin writing. Doing research for historical fiction is as subjective as what you like and don’t like to read. So in answer to my question: No, you can never do enough research. But you have to know when to stop. Now that’s something I haven’t figured out yet.

Jannine's books:
LOVE'S SWEET WAGER

Her gambler father murdered, Rachel Garrett joins a wagon train west to be with her aunt and the fiancé she's never met. Her dream is to forget the life she led performing on stage to earn the money her father gambled away and settle down in one place. But along the trail, she is helplessly drawn to a priest--forbidden fruit--and her hopes are shattered.

Professional gambler Reno Hunter is wanted for the murder of James Garrett. His disguise as a priest on a wagon train is foolproof, until he discovers the woman the old gambler wagered in that fatal card game and Rachel Garrett are one and the same. Can he protect his identity and his heart, or will he surrender to his desire for Rachel and risk being apprehended by the law?

The Wild Rose Press
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=4573

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Loves-Sweet-Wager-Jannine-Petska/dp/1601549288/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1310058382&sr=1-3

CHARLOTTE AND THE GYPSY
book 2, The Sisters of Destiny Trilogy

Charlotte Nikolos was raised in a Gypsy camp, her pale hair and light skin in stark contrast from the darkness of her family. After she learns she has two sisters somewhere who share her looks and psychic powers, she's determined to search for them and learn why her birth mother sent her away. But where does she begin?

After three years of roaming, Rafael Cazares returns to his Andalusian Gypsy camp to pursue the woman he left behind in disgrace. He must win back Char's trust and recapture her heart. He insists on helping her find her true family but soon realizes someone is determined to keep them apart. When Rafael's deep, dark secret is revealed, he will do everything in his power to protect the only woman he has ever loved. Even if it costs him his life.

Available from:
http://www.thedarkcastlelords.com/CharlotteandtheGypsy.htm

And from:
http://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-and-the-Gypsy-ebook/dp/B004RIH450/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310148140&sr=1-1

You can find out more about Jannine at www.jcortipetska.com

Dealing with writer’s block

2011-07-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, first let me preface this blog post with a caveat- I don’t believe in writer’s block. I think it’s used by some writers a) to sound more “writerly”, b) gain sympathy, or c) as an excuse to themselves why they aren’t writing. It’s the catch-all phrase to give us a reason NOT to be doing what we need to do.

I lump writer’s block under the “waiting for my muse” phenomenon. You can’t wait for inspiration to strike, you have to keep moving forward- even if it’s complete crap.

For folks who suffer from either writer’s block or “missing muse-itis” I have one suggestion- NaNoWriMo. If you play by their rules, and seriously aim for that 50,000 words in a single work, you’ll find that both of your “disorders” have been cured all within one month ;). You may be producing junk of the highest order- but you’re producing ;).

When I get stuck, and I mean the “OMG where in the heck was I going” stuck, I jump tracks. I’ve found sometimes doing a different scene, one that in some cases never makes it to the book, gets the brain firing on all cylinders. And sometimes jumping ahead gives me insight into the problem piece.

Also, listen to your inner self. Sometimes it’s just brain farting that’s lead you to a quagmire. Especially for us seat of the pants writers it’s often a case of painting oneself into a corner. Sometimes the chapter can be saved.
Sometimes it can’t.

We have to realize that not everything we create will stay in the book. So perhaps the reason you’re stuck is that you’ve gone down a dead-end. The sooner you realize it and cut it loose- the better.

What tips do you use to get the writing moving? Writer’s block may not be real (in my world ;)) but the fact is we all get stuck from time to time. What are your coping mechanisms?

Monday Motivation!

2011-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Another Monday and another wee bit of photo writing prompt action heading your way.

This is a domain free photo optained from a public free site.

Happy Monday Writing!

Stufff Ya Didn't Know Friday-Lamashtu

2011-07-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today’s guest at Stuff Ya Didn’t Know Fridays is actually a goddess from Babylonian myths-Lamashtu. She was the daughter of Anu and the most terrible and feared of all of the female demons.

Lamashtu preyed upon unborn babies and newborns, but would take the bood of a man when she could get it. She wasn’t nice to look at either with the head of a lion, the teeth of a donkey, and a very hairy body. Her hands were always bloodstained, and she had the nails and feet of the Imdugud bird.

Lamashtu perpetrated a variety of evil deeds: she disturbed sleep and brought nightmares; she killed foliage and infested rivers and streams; she bound the muscles of men, caused pregnant women to miscarry, and brought disease and sickness. Lamashtu was often portrayed on amulets as a lion- or bird-headed female figure kneeling on an ass; she held a double-headed serpent in each hand and suckled a dog at her right breast and a pig or another dog at her left breast.

Guest Blogger- Bella Street :Symbolism In Writing—A Cleverly Disguised Excuse For Book Promotion

2011-07-07T03:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Marie, for having me on your rockin' blog!

What do zombies, time-travel, and pink velour have in common?

Zip, zero, nada...unless you're named after Persephone and get blasted through time and space because your friend breaks a long-held agreement to keep the past, well, in the past.

Then, yeah.

All Seffy Carter wants is a comfortable Juicy Couture tracksuit, a good tan, and the perpetual adoration of her lifetime crush, Gareth. But her carefully constructed life comes unraveled faster than cheap velour when she swaps spit with a zombie in a moment of alcohol-induced weakness.

Now before we get all judgy, let's talk symbolism. What is it with zombies anyway? They're everywhere in film and in books these days.

Vampires are hot and usually represent sexual temptation and/or repression. Werewolves—also hot—reflect the untamed side of human nature trying to claw past our societally imposed civilities. What about zombies? Aside from the rotting flesh, a taste for brains, and probable haliotosis, they're most often portrayed as being mindless, shambolic, and only wanting one thing.

I don't know about you, but that about sums it up for me.

And for Seffy, too. She and her besties share a past dark and dysfunctional enough to keep them all bound together under do-over identities. Along with a factory-fresh persona, Seffy's list of Things We Don't Speak Of is meant to keep the contrived status quo among her and her friends. And that always ends well, doesn't it?

Which brings me to my next point. Another key representation of zombies is that you can't outrun them. They will eventually get you, no matter how slow they are, how many limbs they're missing, or what obstacles you put in their way. And just as you kill off the last one and breathe that final haggard sigh of relief? Another one comes out of nowhere and takes you down. Nom, nom, nom.

Seffy finds out the hard way that despite her best intentions, she's been living a meaningless existence (trying to find success as an actress when she's not really interested in movies, and eschewing other men for the one she'll probably never get). Add to that the truths she's tried to long ignore. Well, they come back with a bite and then some. Especially when rends develop in their relationships from the flesh-eating pressures of ending up nearly thirty years in the past, in a Montana desert, surrounded by zombies wearing dated disco duds.

Denial is bad in real life and when pursued by reanimated killers.

And for the record? Zombies—not such great kissers.

Bella Street is the author of the series Apocalypse Babes. The Z Word is the first installment and is free at Smashwords. She's also having an awesome contest called Help Spread The Z Word where you can enter for a chance to win cool prizes like a Juicy Couture tracksuit, Victoria's Secret perfume, and an Amazon gift card, among other bookish things. Check out the details at ApocalyseBabes.com.

It'll get you in the End

2011-07-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday!

Today's blog came about due to some horrific channel surfing over the week-end. My tech free week slowed me down on it- but alas I'm still doing it too much.

I watched the last 15 minutes of Star Wars. The last 15 minutes of Return of the Jedi. The last 20 minutes of Return of the King (LOTR). It wasn't planned, and to be honest I own all of those movies so I could have just plopped in a DVD and watched the entire thing. But no- I just sat there enjoying the endings.

I'm a serious, hard core geek. So those movies have been watched over and over and over. I could have probably said the lines along with them. Yet I stopped channel surfing to gaze at the last bits like a child with a new shiny toy.

I often do that, watch the very end of shows or movies that I've seen before. The endings for all my favorite shows are happy, so I get the happiness fix. I know the story, so I can get the nostalgia fix.

This made me think about movie endings. How many times have you walked away from a great movie, only to realize (upon reflection and sharing the story with friends) that it really wasn’t all that great really? But those last 15 minutes were amazing and changed your entire view.

This made me think about book endings. I know for myself a bad ending can ruin a book for me. There is one author I won’t really read anymore because she got to the point of “sudden stop” endings. I also call them “the author got bored and wanted to stop NOW” endings. Annoying and they started giving me whiplash.

Another problem can be a wonderful ending, but then upon reflection (see my note above about movies doing this) you realize they didn’t resolve a lot of the plot points. Then you get annoyed anew (or at least I do).

I’ve found that I have a tendency to rush my endings on the first draft. I get the bones in there, but they have no meat. I think it might be a side-effect of my Seat of The Pants style of writing. I’m as excited as a reader would be to see what happens next. But I can’t flip ahead in pages- so I just make it fast and dirty. Then do some serious restructuring afterwards.

I think many writers forget about the endings. We worry about that beginning hook and the middle that needs a girdle. But we don’t always focus on the finale, the piece de resistance that can make or break the 300 + pages of blood, sweat, and tears that came before. I now have a new appreciation for endings that I didn’t have before. The hook draws folks in, the middle keeps them there, but the ending has the power to stick with a reader long after the book has been read- and more importantly- makes them anxious for your next book ;).

Monday Motivation!

2011-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July!!! It would have been to easy to pick a photo prompt with flags or fireworks today- so I went for this instead. Have a safe and wonderful holiday.
(This is one of my own photos- please don't re-post without permission :))

Stuff Ya Didn't Know-Tengu

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today our guest you may never have heard of before is the tengu.

These half-man, half bird creatures were found in the Shinto religion of Japan. Their appearance varies, sometimes they have both the body of a man and the face of a bird; in others they are men with wings, claws for feet, and beak-like noses.

These mischievous creatures are blamed for teaching humans the art of war and how to use weapons. There are tales of a tengu possessing a human during battle, endowing him with great skill. When the tengu leaves, the warrior has no memory of what happened.

During the Middle Ages the Shinto based tengu were at odds with the Buddhists, they would often try to tempt, fool, or carry off Buddhist priests and often were blamed for setting fire to Buddhist temples.

In response, the Buddhists forbade the worship of tengu and even had a special place in their spiritual world- "tengu road" that was reserved for hypocritical priests who had forsaken their vows.

Sources: Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference, Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures

Guest Blogger: Gabriella Hewitt

2011-06-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Please welcome today's guest blogger: Gabriella Hewitt as she shares with us a bit on lore near and dear to her heart- and books ;).

I love Aztec lore. Why? Simple. Aztec stories are fascinating tales that are riddled with vengeance, blood thirsty deities, beautiful alluring gods and goddesses who scheme against each other in deadly family squabbles. The Aztec gods were some of the first daytime soap operas!

It was only natural I built stories of heroes and heroines pitted against larger than life immortals, thrust into the throws of peril and passion, fighting for humanity and love.

While I could talk about gods and goddesses all day, I have to admit I am most intrigued by the small roles played by a cast of strange and cunning characters that stay in the background but play a major role in the tales –the tzitzimime. Also known as TZITZIMIMI, TZITZIMIMEH, TZITZIMITL

The what? The who?
The word tzitzimime is not a typical word—and don’t’ ask me how to pronounce it—but the term is universal. Never heard of them? Well, maybe you have but they go by many names: demons, diablos, devils, evil creatures, hags, skin walkers, dark angels, etc. You get the point.

According to Wikipedia.com, the tzitzimime were female deities, and as such related to fertility, they were associated with the Goddess Itzpapalotl, better known as the Obsidian Butterfly, a goddess with a wicked temper, considered lustful and beyond beautiful. She was the ruler of Tamoanchan - the paradise where the Tzitzimime resided. The tzitzimime were worshipped by midwives and parturient women.

The best description and one that puts smile on my face comes from GodsLaidBare.com;
Tzitzimime were the protectors of females, especially during pregnancy and childbirth, but became unpredictable and dangerous around solar eclipses and other cosmic instabilities. Women, on the other hand, become unstable, dangerous and unpredictable around pregnancy. Yup, I know I was a tzitzimime during childbirth, no one was spared from my vile tongue and thrashing. I scared them all from the nurse to the doctor to the dude with the big needle. Seriously, no one was safe from my wrath but I digress…

In the Shadow Warrior series, I took liberties and made them men as well as women. Why? Well, for starters it’s not as common for women to die in childbirth today, and honestly, I am not sure how well it would go down in today’s society if I made a woman who suffered an unfortunate death a harbinger of evil. So, I took a more liberal approach and made tzitzimime, both male and female. The modern version is of people who were evil in life and are now evil in death, their blackened souls devoured by the tzitzimime and made into ghouls who walk the earth doling out pain and torture for their goddess and the gods in her camp who seek to destroy humanity.
Tzitzimime can be anywhere and they are always on the outlook for new victims to feed the darkness inside them. Now that the battle lines have been drawn, the world will never be the same, and it’s humanity who will pay the ultimate price.

For a tale filled with intrigue, passion, and rich Aztec lore, including those tzitzimime, check out the first book in my shadow warrior series OUT OF THE SHADOWS, coming August 16th from Samhain Publishing.

Aztec word: huitzilin (hummingbird)
In celebration of the 1st book in the SHADOW WARRIOR series, I am putting together a contest. Become a Shadow Warrior and hunt down tzitzimime, celestial demons and nemesis to Shadow Warriors. Follow me on the blog tour and keep track of where a dreaded tzitzimime has popped up. Contact me (www.gabriellahewitt.com/contact/)with the location you have spotted a tzitzimime and the secret Aztec word. One entry per day, please. The more tzitzimime you spot the better your chances of winning. One winner will be chosen at random, the prize a $25 Samhain Publishing gift certificate. All entries must be in by August 18th. The winner will be declared on the blog August 19th. Contest starts June 5th and ends midnight August 18th (EST).

Gabriella Hewitt is the pen name of creative writing talents Sasha Tomaszycki and Patrizia M.J. Hayashi. Together they weave tales of romantic suspense and dangerously sensual paranormals. Check out their website www.GabriellaHewitt.com to find out about upcoming releases and events on their blog.

The Week Off Tech

2011-06-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

The week off...is over

Ok, since I still work with technology (pretty much on a computer all day for my day job) and I was allowing myself 15 minutes a day of email access, I wasn’t completely tech free this week.

But I was dang close for someone in our society not living under a rock or in a small abandoned cabin in the woods.

For those of you who missed it, the last seven days have been without tv, facebook, twitter, internet, or blog (except the aforementioned 15 minutes for personal emails). Today I’m back!

Now first some clarification on why I did this. I realized that I needed more time in my life, and more life in my time ;). I was letting technology work me instead of the other way around (“Oh, maybe just check once more in case something really cool is on tv, facebook, twitter, my email account or a blog”.) I was becoming obsessed! Now maybe if I didn’t lose 40 hours a week to my day job I could be more generous with my brain dead channel/internet surfing. Alas, the fact of the matter is that I’ve got a day job and I need said day job. Thusly, me trying to see how I could modify my time and my diversions, and deciding to step away for a bit.

I survived! LOL- now, yes a longer period of time would have made a bigger impact in my behavior, but the week got me to thinking. And it got my relaxing more. Weird, but the “gotta see if there is something cool/vital/earthshattering” mindset was stressing me out! I actually relaxed in the evenings! I got way more editing done, did way more reading…and found, contrary to my long held belief, I could actually function if I didn’t sit in front of the tv to “decompress” the moment I got home from work!

I know many folks will disagree, but I do think our society is becoming too tech dependent for social and emotional stimulation. I think we’re forgetting real world contacts. I know I’m viewing how I deal with tv and the internet very differently now. Oh, I’ll be back using both- but a lot less and with a different, hopefully more thoughtful, view.

What about you folks? Any of you step away from things for a bit? Did it change the way you view things? (And I don't mean on vacation- I mean day to day step away ;))

OH and for people who saw my blogs while I was away, and my alerts on Twitter and Facebook about said blogs while I was away- it was all automatic. Blogs can be posted waaaaaaaaay in advance, and told the exact minute they should post. Through HootSuite, any updates to my blog are checked once a day and alerts are sent to my social media outlets. Scary huh? Four blog posts, lots of alerts, and I wasn’t here at all. Makes you think ;).

Monday Motivation!

2011-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Yup- yet another Photo writing prompt to get the brain a kicking for the week! What does this one say to you?

This is a domain free photo obtained from a free website.

Stuff Ya Didn't Know Friday- Bunyips

2011-06-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, cute name, not so cute critter.

Today's creature entry hails from the land down under and has been eating folks in the swamps of Australia for a very long time.

The bunyips make their home in the various waterways of Australia but there are wide variations on how they look. They are often described as having a crocodile's tail, but the body can be that of an emu, bandicoot, or man. They have manes made of weeds and their feet are turned backwards.

Their terrifying cry can be heard booming across the swamps and they prefer to devour women and children.

"Stuff Ya Didn't Know Friday" is a weekly look at weirdness...creatures, places, people, myths, whatever I happen to come across that makes me say, "Hmmmmm?"

Is technology running away with us?

2011-06-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

I was going to title this social media instead of technology, but being as I plan to talk about tv as well, that didn’t fit.

As of the moment this blog hit the Internet, I will be on a tv and Internet lock down for one week. The fact that this is actually a big deal is kind of scary (and gives more credence to why I need to do a week lock down.). I know I’m not the only person who honestly would freak out a bit with NO TV, NO facebook, NO Twitter, NO emails (ok, modified- I’ll explain further down)- no Internet at all (except to back up my writing files).

Our world has changed and is changing faster than at any time in history. We’ve become those kids on the rides that yell for more speed, always wanting more connections, more entertainment, more stimuli.

Some people claim this is making us more able to multi-task. Others, myself included, wonder if it’s destroying something as well. People text instead of talking. While we’re at some really cool place, probably with people we like, we’re tweeting about it. To strangers.

This demand for constant contact can also act as a stressor- we need to check everything multiple times an hour- “just in case”. Friends, families, marriages have been damaged by what someone did or didn’t say on Facebook, Twitter, their blog, etc. Even when this contact is positive, it can lead to social stress.

Now tv is a different case but often feeds in directly or indirectly to the social media issue. Our brains shut off when we watch tv- so it can be very relaxing. But also a huge time suck. I’m not a huge tv watcher, the number of shows I regularly watch is far less than many folks. But even I find myself drawn in. I’ll have things I need to do after work, things I want to do---but then I sit down in front of the tv and pretty soon it’s time for bed. Another evening of productivity wasted.

So, between the mindlessness of tv and the stressors and over-connectedness on social media, I’m taking a break. As of this morning I’m taking a week off. No tv. No Facebook. No Twitter. Extremely modified email (I’m putting all of my groups to no email and will only spend 15 minutes each morning ONLY reading emails sent specifically to me. I can’t go completely cold turkey, and there are some people who do need to reach me- plus, ya never know when an agent or editor might answer a query ;))

Yes, the irony of using a form of social media to announce I’m taking a week off from social media is peculiar to say the least. But I figure I’m probably not the only person who is thinking the same thoughts. And especially for writers- both social media and tv can destroy our productivity at a time when we can least afford it.

So please feel free to comment- I’ll report back next Wednesday on how well my sanity survived, but I won’t be checking this blog. My regularly scheduled writing prompts for this Friday and next Monday are already scheduled- so they’ll post without me.

What do I hope to come from this? I hope to relax, to realize I don't need to be so connected. I hope to read more books, and write and edit more of my own work. I hope to slow things down- just for one week.

What do you think? Am I crazy? Is this a big deal or not? Are we letting technology run us?

See ya in a week!

Monday Motivation!

2011-06-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Here's this week's writing prompt.

A way to start a week of writing and thinking ;). We have to face monday sometime! Have a great week!

Monday Motivation is a weekly blog- no need to comment, just use the photos to start or re-start some writing!

*Yeah- another disclaimer- this one is mine- if you want to post somewhere else ask me first please. :) Thanks!

Stuff Ya Didn't Know Friday- Jersey Devil

2011-06-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today’s monster hails from the east coast.

The Jersey Devil- no not someone from Jersey Shores- the Jersey Devil’s been around much longer than that brood.

The Jersey Devil either came about from an unhappy mothers curse in 1735 or was born in 1850 from a gypsy curse on a young girl. Either way the monster was born in Pine Barrens New Jersey, then escaped into the woods and continues to live there.

The Jersey Devil has a head like a horse or possibly a ram with large bat-like wings, and a long serpentine body. Tales of the Jersey Devil have waxed and waned like the moon it fly’s under, but one of the largest “Jersey Devil sightings and tales” period was a week in January 1909. Makes one wonder what happened then- hmm- maybe a story idea? :)

During that week, eyewitness accounts were documented in the papers with most witnesses reporting eerie sounds from near the Delaware river and the appearance of a strange glowing creature in the sky. Hoof prints of a strange animal were found in unlikely locations such a roofs, and the tops of chicken coops. No one has caught one yet though.
Want more info? http://www.elktownship.com/myth.html

"Stuff Ya Didn't Know Friday" is a weekly look at weirdness...creatures, places, people, myths, whatever I happen to come across that makes me say, "Hmmmmm?"

Guest Blogger! Melissa Jarvis

2011-06-16T10:03:00.001-07:00

TIME TRAVEL: OR WHY KISSING THE WRONG GUY COULD END THE WORLD
Melissa Jarvis

The possibility of time travel is extremely enticing and has sparked imaginations for centuries. Imagine being a Civil War buff and watching the Battle of Gettysburg in person. Or having a passion for Elizabethan England and meeting the Queen in person. Or going back and warning the President about Pearl Harbor. Or waltzing the night away with a Regency Lord in those amazingly tight pants. Whoops, those are some of my fantasies.

However, just as there are consequences for our actions today, like forgetting to bring another pull-up when you go out with a potty training four year old, time travel has implications far beyond just picking up your grandmother’s cameo and transporting to the Wild West or falling asleep like Christopher Reeve did in Somewhere in Time.

In writing Past Her Time, I wanted to show time travel from a scientific viewpoint. I grew up with sci-fi writers like Anne McCaffrey and Robert A. Heinlein. Little did I realize it would lead me to study quantum physics (this from a person who took math for poets in college) and test out Einstein’s space-time bed sheet theory while folding my laundry.

What I’ve learned: there are two major theories regarding time travel. The first is the river flow theory. Essentially it’s like casting a stone in a flowing river; it will cause ripples and affect the flow of the water, i.e. the timeline.

Now Hollywood has given us numerous examples of that theory in action, such as Star Trek’s “The City on the Edge of Forever,” where by saving a woman’s life, Kirk and crew ultimately allowed the Nazis to win World War II. The only way to fix the damage? Kill the woman Captain Kirk loved. Beware of a kiss!

The Simpsons have also taught us many things, but one of my favorite lessons came from Treehouse of Horror V. Called “Time and Punishment” (love the play on words and the not so subtle book reference) Homer travels back in time and alters the future; i.e. a world ruled by Ned Flanders, an insect family and oh the horror, no donuts; and upon failing to restore the future/present, he settles for a reality somewhat like the one he left.

This also illustrates another popular theory related to time-travel called the Butterfly Effect, where small things, such as stepping on a butterfly in a rainforest can cause relatively large events or changes, like tornadoes or earthquakes. There was even a movie with Ashton Kutcher about this!

If you’re still wondering how one little kiss with that cute guy in a kilt in Highland Scotland could cause the end of the world, there’s another rule to keep in mind: the Law of Strange Attractors. Sounds like a dating manual right? It would explain a lot. However, what it really means is that there are certain people or objects that seem to attract more chaos or change to them. Like Napoleon, who I briefly referenced in Past Her Time, where my heroine narrowly avoids an encounter with him. Or Hitler. Or the State of California. Think what would happen if Napoleon had fallen in love with you instead of Josephine. No great, tragic love story. No comfortable empire waist gowns. And it’s unlikely that the Napoleonic Empire would have ever come about, since he’d be happily on his honeymoon with you.

The second theory about time travel is that of parallel universes. If you change something in the past, it will create a new timeline and world, and not have any effect on the world you knew. I find it interesting that the Back to the Future movies showed both theories of time travel. In the first, Marty changed his future by taking his father’s place. And if his parent’s had never met, no kid right? That creates a paradox by the way, which I’ll touch on briefly. I’m not Einstein, despite my attempts to solve that pesky theory. The sequel showed Biff creating an alternate 1985 when he stole the sports book. Remember Christopher Lloyd’s cute little drawing explaining it? And the third went back to the river flow theory. I really wish Hollywood would make up its mind.

Star Trek the Next Generation, unlike the original, used the parallel universe idea a lot and it’s even featured in the new reboot with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Unfair to make us choose between them, the dashing Chris/Kirk or the intellectual burn the books Zachary/Spock.

Now for paradoxes. It’s the problem every time-travel writer fears, especially those who use the river flow theory, which I did in Past Her Time. I created very strict rules for my agents to follow in order to try and avoid having to deal with that, because it becomes a chicken or the egg question, and frankly, I’m not up to debating that since I always lose arguments with my husband anyway. Sometimes this is called the Grandfather paradox, described by the science fiction writer Rene Barjavel in his 1943 book Le Voyageur Imprudent (The Imprudent Traveler). Suppose a man traveled back in time and killed his biological grandfather before the latter met the person’s grandmother. As a result, one of the time traveler’s parents (and thus the man himself) would never have been conceived. Yet if he were never conceived, how could he have traveled back in time at all and killed his grandfather? But then the grandfather would still be alive, and the time traveler would have been conceived, allowing him to travel back in time… and you know the rest. The parallel universe theory helps diffuse this; the man would have simply created an alternate timeline where he was still born, and in the one he came from; his lineage would be dead. Are we confused yet?

For those of you wondering, Einstein’s space-time bed sheet theory is that a mass object placed on a flat sheet would cause it to bend, thus allowing for time/space travel where the two points of the sheet met. After folding many sheets, I can’t tell you if this would work, but it did give me an idea of how to make time travel possible in my book. Hopefully I haven’t scared you off from reading it!

Book Blurb
Past Her Time
Agent Alex Raines takes no prisoners—in her job or in her personal life. But all of that changes when the time travel organization The Lineage sends her to 1793 Revolutionary France. Used to a "get in, get out," modus operandi, she finds her heart and will tested by local English nobleman Lord Gabriel Huntington, whose reasons for being there are as deceptive as her own.

In the midst of revolution and betrayal, can these two learn to take off the disguises and trust each other? Or will the fate of the world and time travel rest on Alex's ability to betray the one man she has come to love?
http://www.bookstrand.com/past-her-time

Bio:
A mild-mannered Public Relations executive by day, and action-packed writer by night, Melissa Jarvis lives in celebrity-friendly Southern California with her husband and son. For over 14 years, she has worked in the public relations industry, doing press releases, bios, newsletters, media campaigns and more for clients ranging from the Playboy Jazz Festival to the Los Angeles Mission to JVS. And she's survived with most of her mind intact! An active member of RWA, she writes both paranormal romance and urban fantasy, as well as spicy paranormal under the name Melissa L. Robert. She is currently working on the sequel to Past Her Time, featuring agent Banderan's story. Catch her and more about the Lineage and its agents at www.melissajarvis.net.

Promo sweet promo

2011-06-15T06:25:00.000-07:00

Today’s blog is about promo- what’s worth it and what isn’t. I’m not at the promo stage yet- but I’m always keeping an eye on what folks do.

What got me thinking about it this time was an article in the San Diego Tribune about certain large studios choosing not to participate in Comic Con International San Diego. The reason? They weren’t sure their promo dollars were best spent there at this time. Now, for those of you who never watch anything remotely related to entertainment news- you may have not heard of Comic Con. Briefly, it is a HUGE geek fest that pulls in over 125,000 folks each year and needs more room. Geeks come from all over the globe to be here. It takes over a huge chunk of San Diego each July. Yet Warner, Dreamworks, and Disney have decided not to do panels this year (panels: big dog and pony shows with some of the top actors in the business talking about the new project).

For a multitude of reasons, these three biggies in geekdom are staying away/reducing their participation from what is arguably the biggest geek gathering IN THE WORLD.

Why? They’ve decided at this point in whatever their upcoming project(s) is at- it’s not worth it. They are taking a risk- CC attendees love their mega panels and not being there could cost some geek love come movie release time (or not- we’re geeks ya know ;)).

Now granted- no author I know of could spend the type of promo dollar these Hollywood heavy hitters can (we’re talking ads that cover sides of hotels here folks- see the photo ;)).

But how do authors make that decision? How does one decide- do I do a book trailer? Blog tour? Post cards? Swag? Workshops (which can be seen as promo really). What events do you hit? I once took a big collection of paranormal romance writers’ book marks/post cards etc to Comic Con- they were gone very quickly. I’ve also seen free romance books being happily sucked up by fans at Comic Con (both guys and gals ;)). And more romance writers are crossing over and presenting there each year. It wouldn’t be the first choice for many authors- but trust me- it’s gaining in popularity.

So this question is for any of you published authors- speak to us pre-pubbed folks- what promo events/items worked for you- and what ones not so much? If you were just starting out what would you do to promote that first book all over again (or some of you MAY be promoting your first book).
Thanks in advance for your responses- you’re helping other pubbed and pre- pubbed folks.

Monday Motivation

2011-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

This week's photo writing prompt:

This one is mine- please don't re-use without permission :). Thanks!

Stuff Ya Didn't Know Friday-Alklha

2011-06-10T03:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another new weekly feature- Stuff Ya Didn't Know Friday!

Stuff Ya Didn't Know Friday is a weekly look at weirdness...creatures, places, people, myths, whatever I happen to come across that makes me say, "Hmmmmm?" The idea is that maybe some of the weirdness will rub off in an idea for a story, snippet, character- whatever! Happy Week-end!

Our first one will be the Alklha (aka Alicha)

Alklha was the great dragon of the cosmos for the Buryat people of ancient Siberia. Its wings were black and said to be so huge they could cover the entire sky. If it was cloudy, you could bet that Alklha had opened its wings.

This dragon lived high above the earth as it made regular attacks upon both the sun and the moon. Even now it is said that the faint marks we see on the moon are said to be the work of the teeth and claws of Alklha. When one of the Buryat people saw the sun or moon obscured, such as in an eclipse, they were certain the Alklha was attacking. To fend it off they threw rocks at the sky to try to discourage it.

Legends say the gods finally found a solution by cutting the difficult creature in half- one half stayed on earth, the other in the heavens. This was so that when the Alklha tried to consume either the sun or the moon- the heavenly sphere would pass through and return to the sky unharmed.

Alas no photos could be found for this creature.

Why do we blog? Why should we?

2011-06-08T07:01:00.000-07:00

Simple blog post today folks- why do we do it? I’m talking about published writers and pre-published writers blogging. And I’m not talking about the “I like to cook” blogs, or the summer vacation blogs. I’m talking about blogs about writing and reading. Whether they are for fans or for fellow writers, tons of writers spend massive amount of hours on blogs and websites.

Why?

Well one reason may be an attempt to control some aspect of a very tricky and subjective business. We can control our output; but we can’t control agent, editor, or even reader response (beyond being as prepared as possible). However with a blog or website we control it. If I want to have a blog appear each week, I do it and its there (unless blogger is having another issue- AGAIN).

Also, our business is changing radically. Authors have to be willing to go out into the big scary world- both cyber and real- and promote themselves and their work. More and more agents and editors are mentioning that they Google prospective clients. Now having a bad blog, or lack of one probably won’t shoot you down. Obviously a kick-ass book hitting at the exactly right time will trump just about anything.

But having an online presence can help nudge interest if maybe that perfect timing isn't in place.

We need to get used to being out there. Published folks have to hit the ground running and promote. Us pre-pubbed (or under pubbed ;)) have to get used to the medium and how to function in it. I don’t have a “fan” blog because my books aren’t out yet. But I wanted to share and interact with folks on my writer journey, so I created this blog (non-writers welcome too ;)).

I’m also on a number of other social and business related media and groups for the same reason- mingle with authors and readers, get the feet wet.

So what do you think? Are you pubbed or pre-pubbed? Do you have a blog? Website? Are we wasting our precious writing time, or actually helping to build out chosen writing life and career?

Monday Motivation!

2011-06-06T05:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new weekly blog event- photo writing prompts. Each monday I'll throw some sort of interesting photo up here- no need to comment (you can if you want) but the idea is to start your writing week by taking the image and running with it.

Use the prompt however you want, work it into your WIP, make a short story, just do a paragrapgh or two to exercise the ol' brain cells.

Some of these photos are mine-like this one (please ask for permission before re-using somewhere ;)). Others are just cool photos I've found on domain free sites.

Chh-changes! This blog's a changin'!

2011-06-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Happy summer everyone! In honor of the hot season- I'm changing a few things on here :).

Every Monday will now be "Motivation Monday"- I provide the photo prompt- you do with it what you will. You can share your ideas on the blog if you want, but otherwise it's just a weekly brain starter :)

Wednesdays will still be my regular essays on writing and writers.

Fridays will now be "Stuff you didn't know" days. I'll post little snippets on weird creatures, places, terms, ideas- whatever I come across. These are just for fun- or they can also be used as another writing prompt. Maybe to add to some notes for your next book? ;)

Then during many weeks there will be guests! If you would like to be one of my Tues or Thursday guests- please respond here with a way for me to contact you. You don't have to be a published writer to guest! Anyone who would like to try out their own blogging is welcome.

Saturdays will be grammar starters- we'll start with the "easy" stuff (You know what we all forgot in school?) And see how far we get by the end of summer!

PLUS- I'll soon start a for the writer section with those great writing books you all sent :).

So come on by and join me :).

How a rejection and a screwed up ending are good

2011-06-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday all!

I was thinking about various stages of a writer's life-not career, but life.

We're excited when we first sit down to create something out of nothing. I still recall a bit from my first "attempt" at a book when I was 13. The section I remember had to do with the brother of my character stubbing his toe on his surfboard in the hall. I don't recall much about the story and since I never got very far I'm not surprised. Mostly I just had an urge to see what I could create. Sort of like picking up some paints and playing. It was cool to see my ideas typed out though...but then boys came along and I moved on.

A few years later, I had an idea for a story. A real one this time-LOL. I LOVED seeing my words in type! (Yes a typewriter folks-- young ones, get your folks to explain it to you ;)). I was still very excited, but very distracted. I don’t think anyone outside of my family knew what I was doing. It wasn’t a secret per se- it just wasn’t something that came up while chasing guys ;) (Yes there was a trend in my youth ;)). This book, a SF adventure with a lead character named Vaslisha Tor Dain (I stole her name years later for the Warrior Wench- although is it stealing if you stole from yourself?) was fun…but I lost interest after about 175 pages. Always meant to go back to it, but never did.

Still more years later (we don’t need to discuss the numbers here ;)) I started Essence of Chaos. A fantasy trilogy of full geek standing, and I was more self conscious this time. I found I wrote better by hand and cranked out an over 700 page first draft. I still recall when I typed “The End” on that massive beast. It felt so flipping good! Some close friends knew what I was doing, and as I started on book two, I told more. I did some editing, got book one typed into a computer, and sent out for a round of rejections. It was still too dang big. Emotionally, I was sorta self conscious about writing. I didn’t know any other writers and it just felt like my friends humored me. Went back to school to get my Master’s degree- sat the writing aside.

A few years ago I started working at SDSU. My writing was mostly just poking at the Essence of Chaos with a stick from time to time, and shleping around some short stories. I had lunch with one of my co-workers who I didn’t know very well yet and somehow we got to talking about books, and writing. I told her I wrote and she didn’t mock me or pat me on the head. She wanted to READ IT. My friend (waves to Sandi Jordan) rekindled my interest in my books and my writing as she went through the first book. Talking with her about characters, plot, etc got me ready to write something new. I joined the RWA to get in touch with more writers (since there isn’t a similar group for SF/F writers). Soon Warrior Wench ( SF), The Glass Gargoyle of the Last Elven King (light fantasy), and A Curious Invasion (steampunk) were born.

Emboldened by my dear friend Sandi, and my new friends in the RWA, I hit the rejection circuit again. All the while still working on new projects. Last year I didn’t submit at all to give myself time to work on my craft (and finish two and a half of the above named books).

Now I’m editing, working on yet another project (The Four Dragons of the Apocalypse), and submitting. Two recent events told me I’d moved into another writing stage. First, I met this great agent at the RT convention. He doesn’t take my genre, but really liked the Glass Gargoyle story and wanted to see it (I was on cloud nine lemme tell ya!). He was a very cool guy and I would have loved to work with him. I KNEW if he rejected me it was going to hurt bad.

Then he rejected me.

And I survived! LOL! As I sat there waiting for the massive stabs of loserdom to hit- I realized they were a no show. Now don’t get me wrong, I knew this guy was a long shot being as he doesn’t do my genres- any of them! But he was so dang cool! And his rejection just made me mentally go “next”.

The other event that made me realize I’m moving on to another level was the discovery that my ending on my steampunk SUCKED. Massively sucked big time to horrifying proportions in fact. I hadn’t looked at this book since I finished it last fall, and I knew I rushed the ending. But when I realized how awful it was I didn’t freak, I didn’t panic, I just went “well, that’s not good” and started re-writing the dang ending.

In both of the later two cases, the old writer me would have freaked, broken down, curled in a corner, or at least eaten too much chocolate. Instead, I just mentally shrugged and moved on.

I think I’m getting it into my head that this is a CAREER not a one-shot deal. Having multiple projects (and another just popped up) really helps remind me- if these don’t sell, maybe the next one will.

I’m looking forward to the next stage of my writing life, and that time when I finally get my books out there to be read by the public.

Where are you on your writing stages?

Not always genre specific

2011-05-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

I have a confession-I'm not a romance writer. I am in the RWA and have been so for a number of years. I read romance and my books all have some romantic element in them (kinda hard to avoid ;))- but my books will all live in the SF/Fantasy side of a bookstore. So why am I in the RWA you may ask?

Excellent question with a few answers.

1) I wanted to be part of a writing community, I wanted to be around other folks who understand when your character runs away with the book, or your middle sags. And guess what? There is NO such community for SF/F writers. Nope. There is SFWA, however they don't really let you play in their sandbox until your are published by a NY publisher. Now, they do provide information for the great unwashed- er unpublished, and they have some very good stuff up, don't get me wrong. But they have not created a community to nurture unpublished novelists in their genre. So, I went to the best group that does that- RWA.

2) Good writing is good writing. Since I don't write romance, I don't follow all of the standard patterns of plotting as they do. But pretty much all the other aspects of craft and business are the same. It doesn't matter if you write horror or cozy mysteries- good writing and good story telling is a must. And the RWA has tons of resources, members with blogs, workshops to help teach it.

3) I needed to learn about marketing. In this day and age, writers have to market themselves. Through my RWA chapters, I've seen many amazing examples of blogs, blog tours, contests, tons of marketing ideas.

So I am proud to say that I am a member of the RWA, one who is writing books with romantic elements as opposed to pure romance (for now ;)). Genre’s be darned- it’s the writing that counts and I’ve learned more from my romance writing buddies than I ever could have learned without them.

Asking all writers- what is your FAV writing book?

2011-05-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

I was pondering my vast collection of writing books and it got me to thinking- what is my favorite, most influential book? I'd have to say Techniques of a Selling Writer by Dwight Swain. It's an older book- but you can really see where most writing books got their start ;).

What about you? Published or not-lurkers or not... what is your ONE "must have" book? I'd like to post a list on this blog for folks- so if you have more than one- please mention it!

Pantser verses plotter and what’s in the middle

2011-05-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Blogging from my oh so glorious day job again today. Today is all about the basics- how do you craft your stories? I’m at a spot where I am editing/doing triage on my steampunk while getting ready/starting my newest book.

And I’m wondering just what in the heck I’m doing.

I’ve done five books so far (two in one series, the rest are separate series). And each book has come together slightly differently. My first two were done in fits and starts over a long time as I slowly admitted I really was a writer (denial wasn’t pretty, but it took a while to admit it). The next one was done with a heavy start via NaNoWriMo. That was interesting and actually worked well for the pace of that book. It’s my SF book and the fast pace that resulted from a speed "bones version" from NaNo worked. But I did end up with a few dumped sections. The other two were done slightly different, but still pure pantser with clean-up on aisle 6 afterwards.

As I’m working through cleaning up the steampunk book for submission I’m asking myself if my purely pantser MO is really working. I like it because if I know too much about a story ahead of time, I lose the “need” to keep writing to find out what happened. I also like the wild directions that can pop up with a pantser style.

But clean up is a biatch.

So my new book is sitting there in “notes” form while ideas come to me, but I’m focusing on the editing of the steampunk book. But I think I’m going to do something radical and partially ONLY partially mind you outline this new book. I want to keep the freedom of pantser, but have a bit more planning so I’m not doing such heavy lifting after the book is done.

My question to all of you is- how do you do it? Pantser? Plotter? Combo? Have a good way for a pantser to ease into a more guided story? Any hints, tips, ideas are most welcome!

New Blog look!

2011-05-07T11:40:00.001-07:00

Ok so yesterday I was home sick )still am) so I felt the need to change my blog layout- kinda spring-ish...

When characters pull a fast one

2011-05-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

I’ve started a new book as mentioned previously- but even though it’s only a few pages in, it’s gone through some MAJOR changes.

My lead character had a sex change while I was trying to sprint into “his” story. A bit of a shock to me, but probably quite worse for "him".

Here’s what happened. I was settling in to do some writing sprints with a dear friend. I was moving along but something just felt off- like when your left rear tire is going flat. Not flat yet mind you- but slowly losing air and your car just feels “off”.

My story-my newest baby- was off the track.

I had decided to do a male pov with this story- a story idea that’s lurked in my idea drawer for a few eons. It HAD to be a male, four guys, military fantasy, images in my mind….and the character said- nope.

Actually, I blame the new character. As I was working I realized- naw, this has to be a tough military woman. So I puttered about trying names, changing all the pronouns, etc. Then I realized this wasn’t just ANY woman, this was a character I had written in a short story over ten years ago for a class! She shoved her way in and pummeled the original character out of exsistance!

Now, I’m all for strong women- I like to think I’m one, and I admire those who really are. But isn’t this a bit much? Just whose story is this? Well, the new character made it very clear that it is her story and while I may think it is mine- I am delusional.

Now, not everything will go her way, but I think her main issue was just to make sure I knew she was supposed to be the lead. But dang, I’ve never had that happen before!

What about any of you? Ever have a main character RADICALLY change from who you planned on them being?

Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction

2011-05-01T04:24:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder- a great auction for a great cause is up today! Go check it out!

Why "wrong thinking" can kill your work

2011-04-27T11:53:00.003-07:00

Today's blog is short and sweet and on my lunch hour ;). (yes, I'm one of those lucky souls supporting my writing career with a mundane muggle type day job ;))

I've been thinking about authors and negative thoughts. I just read a blog about NOT making your blog your own personal diary http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2011/04/road-to-publication-beware-public-diary.html. They made some great points and if you don't already use Query Tracker (and read their blog) I suggest you do so :).

But the blog got me thinking about this field we've chosen to be in- we're in a very subjective field. Only actors and boxers take more hits than we do. Yet so many writers seemed surprised when the rejections roll in. Then they kick themselves for not being good enough.

What does this accomplish? If you have done your homework, learned your craft, gotten unbiased feedback, then you've done what you can. Just because you get rejected doesn't mean your work isn't up to snuff (neccessarily) it could be just not what THAT agent wants at that time. Or you really could suck.

If you really do suck- then you can fix it (and get new beta readers ;)). If you DON'T really suck- then holding these "woe is me I got rejected again my life is over" thoughts only hurt one person- YOU. And more importantly your writing and your career. Yes rejection hurts- but no one made you do this. You want a writing career get used to rejection. A LOT of it. Even when you have an agent. Even after a contract. This career is one punch after another.

So, why make things worse by wallowing? Suck it up, fix what needs to be fixed, AND GET BACK OUT THERE! No public blogging of failures- just muster on :).

Never give up and never surrender!

Fear of going forward

2011-04-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so one of my little darlings has been flitting around the agent pool for a bit now. Still out and about and on it's own. The others are waiting in the wings, holding on as they wait for their turn.

Where does that leave me?

Starting a new project! *cue scary music here*

Now it's been over a year (OMG) since I've started anything new. I've had my head buried in one or the other current/finished projects for what seems like FOREVER. But I need to get back in that idea pool- I can't sit around resting on my four book laurels ;).

So what project to start? I keep a file (part mental part documented) of ideas. Diving into it I came up with two- one more of a Fantasy adventure, the other more paranormal romance. Neither one felt "perfect" to me though. The adventure one didn't have enough heart and the paranormal had too much.

Cue Light Bulb over head ;).

I'm going to combine them! Now the world issue is a problem- the paranormal was current world- but I can't help it, I feel better in my own world thank you (I'll let the shrinks figure out what that says about me later ;)) so that's where this one will be- a world of my own creation.

I don't have the project started yet- even a pantser like me needs something to grab onto- but the two ideas just might blend into an awesome book!

While I do almost feel like I'm cheating on the folks from my other books- I know I need to move forward. All of the previous books are separate series. I have big arcs for them even though all could stand on their own. But at this time (aka no agent no publishing contract) I think I need to keep moving forward and invent new worlds.

What about you folks? How do you dive into a new world? Does it freak you out?

The agent dating game

2011-04-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a mind expanding couple of days up in Los Angeles, the Romantic Times BookLover’s Convention. Along with the great chances to see folks I either only know online or see very rarely and take great workshops, there’s the chance to see agents in person. Today is about that- agents in a controlled environment, but still wild and unpredictable.

At least one agent compared the relationship between writer and agent as a marriage- if so then events like RT are dating groups. Some agents have great online presence, they have active blogs, do webinars, have a ton of exposure. Kristin Nelson is a great example; you get a very good feel of who she is as an agent and as a person from all of her online activities.

But for many agents, there really isn’t that level of interaction.
I think writers get so caught up in the great search they forget to make sure the searchie is someone they can live with. For hopefully a VERY VERY long and successful time. We need to find an agent with a great track record-yes- but they also need to be someone who loves our work. Who gets it and gets us. The best agent in the world is useless for a writing career if they don't love the work and get along with the author.

Events like RT are wonderful in that you get to see a variety of agents roaming about. They are in panels, they do workshops, they take pitches, they are hanging out at the bar drinking just like you. And the writer gets to understand them, see who might be right- or wrong- for them. There are a few agents that upon meeting them, seeing them, or even in one case dealing with them online, whom I have taken off my list. All are successful- but there were personality differences that just told me even if that person totally loved my work- we would be heading for divorce court very quickly. Again, the writer has to decide if they are just going for a quickie one-book shot or a career. I’m looking for a career and I want someone who wants that as well.

This year a couple of agents really stood out as “keepers” just by the way they interacted in panels and socially. And one of them really got my work. I mean he totally got it. The fact that this was a very successful, talented, and well respected agent was just icing on the cake- HE GOT IT!

Now this agent was on my list, but until I saw him speak he hadn’t climbed head and shoulders above the crowd- he has now. Not only did he get my work, but the things he said about working with clients and the field in general really grabbed my attention. He’s a very cool guy.

Now, do I think you have to have a cool agent? No. But you do need someone you like. The agents I’ve taken off my list were removed because I really didn’t like them. They aren’t bad folks- it’s just we wouldn’t get along. Can you imagine being in a marriage where you didn’t LIKE the person? Why would you want to work with an agent you don’t like?

This agent who got my stuff was so good he made me change my mind about synopsis (if you missed it here’s my tirade on the subject over at Castles & Guns http://www.castlesandguns.com/2011/04/why-i-hate-synopses.html). Well, he modified my opinion of them anyway- I still don’t like them. But I have a better grasp of their reason for being, and thanks to his workshop I hopefully will write better ones ;).

So my long rambling point is that writers NEED to go meet agents. Not just to pitch, or network, but just to see who they are. See which ones will just chat with folks, and which ones build a barrier between them and the great unwashed masses (to which I do wonder WHY are they there?).

See who you might want to ask out on a date.

So save your pennies and find a conference to go to. RT has agents, RWA Nationals has agents, SDSU writer’s conference has LOTS of agents. The Guide to Literary Agents blog often posts conferences with- you guessed it- agent appearances (just sign up and have the blog sent to you-much easier). Don’t just look at their track record- also look at their personality.

Putting the guts in being a writer

2011-04-04T05:52:00.000-07:00

"Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely essential." - Jessamyn West

Being out on the submission circuit is making me look at my own mental process a lot more closely than I do when writing or editing (or it could be argued- a lot more closely than any normal person should look ;)).

When I saw this quote it just really hit me. That is so flipping true. Even if you are the most talented writer in the world, if you don’t have a pretty big helping of guts, you’re not going to be published. There is no writer's soda fountain for an agent to discover you at ;).

Think of the time and emotion a novelist spends on a single work. Even the faster writers are still spending months. On a single project. Then we spend another huge slice of our life editing the thing. Then comes the terror…is it ready? We've invested so much time and effort in this single project that the idea that it may not be is enough to choke us.

Now many writers prowl around the internet, looking for signs their work is ready. Have others look at it (preferably not just folks who like us ;)), make sure the formatting is perfect, get query letter and synopsis in working order.

But how do we KNOW when it’s ready? I think part of the terror, and the part where the guts step in, is that we don’t. Not really.

Let’s face it- is any work REALLY done? Most authors would still find things to fiddle with in their published and much loved books if they were given the chance.

So how can an unpublished author tell when it’s done? We have to go by feel. Ask ourselves, is this the best I can do AT THIS TIME? Knowing full well that in even a few weeks our answer could be different.

Part of this is the fear of closing doors. If my work isn’t where it needs to be, should I really send it to my “A-list” agents now? Even if I think it is as good as it can get right now? Do I sit on it? Constantly revisiting it, re-writing, re-working- always not sure it’s there yet?

Fears and self-doubt aside, I have to take a deep breath and hit send. That is probably the hardest things in the world. To take a project that has taken months to complete, and sending it out without any assurance that it is good enough. Knowing that it may run through all of the agents on my list and still come back alone.

But I’m in this for the long haul, a writing career not a single book- so I have to do it. The thing that keeps me going is the knowledge that this isn’t my only book, that I’ve shown I can write more. But it still causes a pit of terror when that email or letter gets sent.

Writing is definately not for the timid of heart.

Rejection is like public speaking…sort of

2011-03-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

Bear with me here- there’s a connection between these two topics-or rather my reaction to them.

My oh so glamorous day job used to involve outreach to current and future students (I’m a college counselor). Budget cuts ended that, but when I first started it was extremely stressful. You’re thrown up in front of a few hundred parents and students talking about financial aid. The students are tuned out and the parents are panicked and /or hostile. Like probably the vast majority of you out there- I’d get stressed before a workshop. Public speaking is on many folks’ short list of things that cause terror.

Then one day I had an epiphany- I was more stressed because OTHERS thought I should be stressed. My perception of what I was doing was negatively modified by the reactions of others. Once this idea popped up, I was no longer afraid or stressed by speaking. I realized I was fine with it. In fact (looks around furtively) I even liked it!

Today I had another epiphany. My reaction to rejections is massively influenced by how people around me react or how I THINK they’ll react. It doesn’t help that most non-writers usually really don’t understand the process. Some of my non-writer friends totally get how psychotic this industry is. Others think you write a book in a few weeks then get rich (and can’t really figure out why I haven’t done either ;)). So when I tell them that I got rejected, they look at me (at least in my mind) like a huge loser. Even other writers can cause this internal reaction. But today I asked myself how did I really feel (I got a form rejection from an agent I was interested in). My gut fell about two feet when I saw the email, then another foot when I read the email. Then...I was fine.

It sucks, don’t get me wrong. This was an agent I was very interested in- but let’s face it none of the agents on my list are ones I don’t think I could work with or they wouldn’t be on my list. I still have more agents. I still have more books. I am already planning ANOTHER book to add to the collection. I am a writer- rejection sucks, but if I’m honest to myself- and NOT thinking about what others will say, do, or think about it- I’m fine.

Seriously, don’t even need chocolate to recover fine. It’s part of the business, and if I want to play with the big kids I need to deal with it. So what about you? Are your reactions to events around you really YOURS or someone elses?

Lisa Shearin book release TOMORROW!

2011-03-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hey folks- a really wonderful lady and amazing novelist Lisa Shearin has the next book of her fantasy series coming out TOMORROW! Telling you now so ya all can make plans to buy it this week :).

http://www.lisashearin.com/

GO GET IT!! (TOMORROW ;)). If you haven't read these yet- get all of them!

The battle begins...

2011-03-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

Technically, the battle began with the previous post when I launched my four unprotected little query missives into the great big world. However, there has been a re-evaluation so it's two steps forward, one step back-LOL.

I decided to take a query class just to tighten up this query. Two of my other books actually have a query that has run through an agent for a critique (due to some cool contest/webinars last year. sadly, the book I am launching forst has not. So I decided to give it something...so far the class hasn't been very productive, but I still have hopes. That does mean no more "launches" since March 1. Updating: one reject (form- OUCH!) and one assumed reject (a "non-respond" agent who is very fast with positive responses). So two are still out there, and more will be flung into space when this class is over.

Now on my to current annoyance-LOL.

Agents who just check off they rep certain genres (this happens on both Query Tracker as well as Publisher's Marketplace) who show NO real sign they rep them.

I've got a good sized list that I've winnowed out over on Query Tracker, but since I've paid to join Publisher's Marketplace I figure I best us it ;). On both sites I keep coming across these agents who checked off F/SF yet they have no clients in the genre. Worse, sometimes you go to their actual website and they don't even mention an agent in that agency who takes that genre!

Now, I understand, some agents have the mindset that while they may not be huge fans of a genre, they are still open to something amazing that just sweeps them away. But come on, especially with something so specific like Fantasy/SF? You really think if you don't read it you might LOVE one out of the blue? And even know who to sell it too? Hmmmm...no.

I do wish that agents would be more specific when they check their little boxes on things like Pub Market- would make life better for both of us ;). (I can't think it's fun having a bunch of useless queries. )

Anyone else out there have an opnion?

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!

2011-03-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

I told myself I would be back in the submitting gambit by March 1- and being as it is currently 8:30pm and I have sent off four shiny new queries- I have made my goal!

And OMG- those were the hardest four emails I have ever sent! LOL!!! In Psychology it’s called a feeling of absolute (ok, that’s not what it’s called- I remember concepts better than names, bear with me ;))- the feeling that if something goes wrong it means EVERYTHING is wrong. For an example just look to any teenager who is sure the world is ending at least 15 times a day. Well, I’d argue that same fear hits writers too.

I have a list of agents over on Query Tracker. ALL of which are ones I believe would be a good fit for my body of work. There are over 50. And yet, each one of the four I sent off tonight left me with a feeling of, “OMG- what if they reject me tomorrow? I’m DOOMED!!”

Never mind the whole slew of qualified folks still sitting on my list. Including some of the heavy hitters who I didn’t send to tonight due to still being unhappy with my synopsis.

Noooooooooo- those other folks don’t matter, just those four ventures into the scary publishing zone. Hands got sweaty, brow crinkled, a nervous tick grew in my left eye. Each “send” caused another series of heart palpitations.

And I loved it. (Work with me folks- I also loved jumping out of a plane years ago ;)).

That rush of terror just reminded me that I am in the game. I am back submitting and sending my little darlings forth to do battle armed with nothing but my words. And if these agents aren’t interested, then another flight of queries will launch. And another. And another. I have four series that are looking for some love- and after last year’s writing time, I know I can write more besides.

So raise your swords and once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!

Let the games begin!

2011-02-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm a month (or less) behind schedule. My plan was to begin the "Great Agent Search 2011" on Feb 1. Welllllll, being as I'm still editing, and working on synopsis and query letters, that clearly didn't happen.

The good thing is I'm waiting on some feedback on two of the mss's that should really help them both shine.

New deadline- March 1 but hopefully WAY before that.

Current status of projects:

Warrior Wench- edits done, synop done, short synop- in progress, query letter done. Waiting for some critiques and spit polish. Probably will be the second one to go out.

The Glass Gargoyle of the Last Elven King- waiting for a professional critique (should be back this week-end) then will launch a hardcore edit- want to tighten up the ending as it is too rushed. Synop done; short synop- still need to do; still need query. I just re-read the first 3 chapters and I really think this will be my first book out of the gate. I just hope I can find an agent who gets it and loves it as much as I do!

A Curious Invasion- third in the line up- needs editing, synop, short synop, query letter not bad- was deemed “very good” in an agent crit- so that’s nice.

Essence of Chaos- OY- my trouble child that I won’t have a chance to work on until the others have their run through. Plus is that it’s more tweaking over everything, than writing new (synop, query). Right now fourth in line.

I’m going through Query Tracker, Agent Query, and Publisher’s Marketplace to build my list of “tier one” agents. The ones I think would be the best choice for not only the book I’m submitting, but all of them. I want a career, not to just sell one book ;).

I plan on blogging once a week on the ups and downs of the “Great Search”- so come along for the ride!

When folks show up unannounced

2011-01-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

Today I want to talk about a very serious problem- folks popping in without warning. Now I'm not talking about friends who may show up on your doorstep, no, this is much worse.

New characters who show up without calling first- WHEN I have no right nor reason to be working on a new book being as I'm editing a mess of them already.

Here's how this happened.

I am always on the look out for cool names. Since I work on a very VERY big college campus I have access to lots of amazing names. Usually I make note of the name (sometimes I think it would sound better with an extra letter, or a different first letter, etc.). Earlier this week a guys name popped up- I won't mention it because I don't like to talk names until a character has gelled (I'm a character first, plot later gal). This name would make a great character- but somehow I knew he was a brother...as in the brother of a main character. Then a girl's name popped up a few days later. Great- store that one away too.

Now, I'm up at my own self-inflicted writer's retreat in lovely Santa Cruz. The point of it is to relax and EDIT. A LOT.

But on the 8 hour drive up here, my tricksy mind started playing with the two characters. Soon they started having BACKSTORY! And, you guessed it, they are are siblings. SIGH. You know how hard it is to edit when some very conniving characters are trying to worm their way in?!

Anyone have some ideas on character control? I'm editing Warrior Wench (the SF book) and right now Vas (the lead of that book) is about ready to space them.

Anyone else ever have this issue? My brain feels as backed up as an LA freeway right now!

The Year of Submissions -the gearing up

2011-01-17T15:15:00.000-08:00

I'm now gearing up for the submission onslaught. I've taken this last year off from submissions and am now attempting to whip my books into marketable shape. The battle is not going well, and the troops are demoralized a bit.

Before I can submit, I need to edit and I have to admit I am falling very very behind on my editing. Yes, it was very ambitious of me to decide I would edit all three “new” books in a matter of two months. But I’d say that deciding to work on one book while writing two others was also ambitious and I pulled that one off.

But editing seems to be dragging and I’m not sure why.

So, in true social scientist fashion- I will examine the possible options.(Those Psych degrees have to be good for something ;))

1) Lazy. Ok, this one has a lot of validity, and I’m admitting it here. I get lazy (anyone who doesn’t is lying….badly). What happens is I kind of race through something- say a book- then get all burned out. So that is a factor, but not the entire reason. Resolution: Suck it up buttercup and commit to a set time of editing each day. Going on my own retreat up to Santa Cruz next week- that should get a jump start on this issue.

2) Fear of failure. Hmmm- possible. Right now I’m in the “la-la” land of sitting on some books that haven’t been rejected yet. And one that has, but will be getting a serious over haul so it’ll be brand new and shiny again. Once I start submitting, the rejections will be a coming. For those of you who don’t write (or aren’t submitting yet ;)) lemme tell you, this is not a defeatist way to think- it’s reality. If you write for public consumption, you will get rejected-nuff said. But I have been mostly out of the rejection circuit for over a year now, so I need to pull on my Big Girl Panties and get on with it!

3) Fear of success. Now, logically, and from a psychological side, I get this one. Emotionally? Not so much. I really think I could learn to like success- alot. A WHOLE lot. BUNCHES. I seriously doubt this one is really a problem- although to be honest, when folks read and like my work I do sometimes get a wee freaked out. But this doesn’t even require BGP, think we can ignore this one.

4) Finishing my editing means I need to start something new. LOL- almost as non- existent as the previous one, but there could be tendrils curling around my psyche. I KNOW my current books. I love my current characters. New ones are going to take some breaking in time. But again- not so much a BGP issue.

5) Editing hurts my head. Yeah this one might have validity. I can get overwhelmed by a project, and just want to ignore it- so that may be what’s going on here. Trying to look at all the editing issues at once, instead of in stages. I can remove this problem by doing stages and stop freaking out to re-write every line.

Those are a lot of reasons-LOL, but knowing is half the battle, right?
Anyone out there suffering from editphobia? Have any solutions? How do you get moving on your edits?

The new year- part deux :)

2011-01-09T09:59:00.000-08:00

Another new year, and part of the new year bit for me is to be more organized…yeah- off to a great start. Completely forgot about my group blog yesterday- COMPLETELY…sigh. I’m just lucky the blog folks are wonderful and understanding. :)

Now on to today’s blog :)

I’m taking a different approach to modifying my behavior this year. As mentioned in last week’s blog, I wanted to take some time, sort out my thoughts, let things gel.

Well this week didn’t let any of that get done. Or rather, I, didn’t let that get done (step one- take responsibility ;)). Everyone’s life is hectic, and there are always new and existing disasters just around the corner- the trick is to roll with the punches, not against them (and yes, I’m writing that out by hand too ;)).

Sooooooo- I’m trying to pull my thoughts together now, without reflection or a safety net.

My first thought is, why do so many folks (myself included) fail to keep up our resolutions or life changes? I can’t answer for the rest of humanity, but I have to think some folks will be hitting the same problems I do, so here goes:

1) Negative focus. The emphasis here is on the negative aspects of a change ("you suck because you didn't get that done"), rather than the positive. Every step in the right direction should be appreciated for what it is, and steps in the wrong direction should NOT cause guilt. Guilt can cause avoidance, and more repeating of the bad behavior (I’m working on general life organization, health, and writing here so some will apply to all ;)).

2) Trying to change everything at once. Come on- this is a no brainer, but I do it all the time. It takes time to modify any behavior- many experts say about a month of solid change will re-wire the behavior in your head. When you’re focusing hard on too many at once it defuses the entire process. Baby steps.

3) The “first of the year” (or month, or week) phenomenon. I say plooey. It is nice to have an energy focus point, and Jan 1 in our culture has become a huge one. But, when you think about it, EVERYDAY is the first day of a new year. For example, if you are referring to something that happened Jan. 9, 2010- you would say “a year ago” –correct? So then TODAY is the first day of the year that runs from Jan 9th 2011-Jan 9th 2012. Therefore, each day is the start of a new year.

The problem with the focus on Jan 1- is that it’s too easy to let things slide as you get further from that date. You can “blow” your resolution a few weeks or months in, then just forget about it, right? Not so much if each day starts a new year ;).

So what am I going to focus on for my year of new years?

Positive changes with positive outcomes. My big three would be organization, focus, and dedication.

Now see, I’ve got concepts here instead of facts or tasks- there’s a reason. I need to build those three strengths to help get the changes made. So they are step two (one was responsibility- remember?).

Example: organization. Everything is a mess, my purse, my car, my house, my computer. Now, this would be fine if it worked- I am a very chaotic person so some level of chaos is normal- but it’s not working right now. Like when you read a chapter and think, “hmmm that’s not working, what I need to do to change it?”

The mess causes stress and wastes time- it’s not working. So my mindset is to work on organizing everything a bit at a time. Including my writing. I have lots of books going on, and a lot of storylines and details floating in my head or on bits of paper. That just ain’t going to fly. Since my writing and my library/office are a relatively controlled space- I’ll start there.

Now even though each day is a new day (first day of the year and all ;))- I do want to set some goals. Just like for my health where my tangible goal is 30 minutes of exercise 6 days a week (it will increase next month ;)). Well, my writing goal within organization will be to spend a half hour a day pulling together scattered notes, or working on organizing the physical aspect of my library office.

Under the focus heading –for my writing- will be spending at least 45 min a day editing/writing/class I'm taking this month. Now some folks do more- but I have to start somewhere.

Dedication- I have changed how I think about my writing, but since it doesn’t pay (yet ;)) it’s easy to not think of it as a job. But it is. So since I intend to start submitting my books again this year, I will spend two hours a week working on business aspects- looking up agents, professional blogs, queries, etc.

Dang- this turned out much longer than intended, but I guess it was what was needed. So how are you all approaching your new year?

A New Year, A New You!

2011-01-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

A New Year, A New You!

Ok, so the new year is only a few days old, and you’ve probably seen the title comment about a bazillion times already. Folks everywhere running out to change their lives for the better.

Today’s blog isn’t going to be about that ;). Well, not really…but kinda sorta.

I’ve had fun the last couple of days, spending time with wonderful friends, but I didn’t really get a chance to reflect and re-charge. Alas, work starts again tomorrow so I’m going to put off a major Winnie The Pooh thinking session until next week-end.

Today will be just a ramble.

Wrap up:

First off, 2010 wasn’t bad for me writing wise. I did get two books finished (one started and finished) plus did some more editing on Warrior Wench. I would have liked to do more- and I should have done more.

Healthwise- not great. I did nothing to improve my health in 2010 and have no excuse.

Job wise- I was looking to find a new job at the beginning of 2010, but have decided that with my new focus in writing, I need to have something solid backing me up. So, I’m stuck where I am until I win the lottery ;). Alas, unlike some writerly folks, I don't have the option at this point to write full time.

For 2011:

I’m not going to make resolutions. They seem so transitory, as if they can only be made at the start of the year, and if you fail you’re just done for the year.

I say poo to that. I want, no NEED, to make some changes in my life. They will be worked into my life slowly, throughout the year. I won’t beat myself up for failing, but I will climb back on. I’m not going to list them all right now (next week-end ;)), but my main thing is to outline what isn’t working (like someone would do during an editing pass for a book ;)); and determine what steps need to be taken to make it work.

Focus, organization, and planning will be the three tools I’ll be using first- both for my writing career and my life in general.

And that’s just enough rambling for a rainy day. What about you? What are you changing in your life and writing life?

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish Merry Christmas to all my friends who celebrate it- as well as a VERY late Happy Chanukah and Happy Solstice!

Whatever way you celebrate this time of year when days grow short and dark (ok, sorry you southern hemisphere folks ;))- HAVE A GREAT ONE!!!

Great first chapters!

2010-12-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

And no, they're not mine-lol.

One of my favorite authors, LIsa Shearin, just posted the first three chapters of her next book (it will be out in spring). Even if you haven't read her other books yet-I think you'll really enjoy this! (And this way you have time to go buy and read the others before this one comes out ;)

So follow the magic link to the first three chapters of Con & Conjure!

http://www.lisashearin.com/sample-chapters/?b=5&ch=1

Writing is like a box of chocolates....

2010-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today I’m blogging not about Forrest Gump, but about that box of chocolates he kept going on about. We’re smack dab in the holiday season, and I’m continuing my writing and goodies vent from last week (recipe to follow ;)).

You know how it goes, you look in a nice big box of chocolates, trying to scope out which one is the kind you like. You look for hints, clues to ferret out your favs. Maybe the last time you had some candy, you had a wonderful caramel one that was milk chocolate and square. So, you look for one that’s like that.

Problem is- other ones may be the same color and shape…including ones you *gasp* may not like. (I’m a See’s Candy gal myself- and except for coffee ones, have yet to find one I really disliked- but I’ve heard of this in theory.

Using your chocolate loving memory, you grab the most likely suspect, bite into it- and it’s a vanilla cream. Now you may not hate vanilla cream, maybe you even like it, but you really had set your mouth up for a nice caramel.

How do you feel about that candy? Bummed? Disappointed? Maybe even think that there’s something wrong with it?

Now the connection to writing (yes, there really is one ;)) has more to do with reading. What the agent, editor, and finally the reader perceive the story will be verses what they actually receive.

Have you ever picked up a book, checked out the back cover blurb, maybe even read the first few pages? You’re excited, you think you have an idea of what this story is going to be about, so you buy it.

Then you get it home and after page 10 it turns into a vanilla cream (nothing against them mind you ;)).

Now the book may be a well-crafted work. It’s just not matching what you expected- what you had your mouth set for.

Maybe you’ll keep reading, maybe you’ll stop and go back another day, maybe you’ll throw it across the room (depending how betrayed you feel).

Now think about agents and editors. They too use cues (all humans do- schema building is one of our big tricks ;)) to pick out what they think they’ll like. They start reading with a certain expectation of where things will go.

But when the vanilla cream jumps out at them, they most likely are going to step away from the project.

So how can we as writers make sure that we don’t confuse our readers (whether they be agents, editors, or fans)? We need to make sure that our beginnings match our middles (and of course- ends ;)).

I recently had that problem. An agent got a certain feel from the beginning of my book- it looked like something she’d like based on her perception.

The book wasn’t like that at all.

Her comments were mostly about nudging my book to meet her expectations. By this I don’t mean revise and send back. I mean, “here’s what would make it better- but I’m not interested.”

Most of the “make it betters” were changing the direction of my book. Now to be fair, I didn’t submit to this agent, and once I read some things on her, she wouldn’t have been on my list. Absolutely nothing bad about her, but she mentioned she prefers darker projects- and mine are not dark.

However, the one she asked to see starts out dark-ish. It looked like a caramel, when in fact- it was a vanilla cream.

Now this wasn’t the only reason she passed- she had some other very legitimate concerns, and like I said- she likes darker stuff- my stuff is fairly light.

But what if the situation were different? What if she had been my dream agent, someone who would have loved my stuff---only she thought it was something else. What if that difference was enough for her to pass?

Can we as writers take the chance that our perfect agent will walk because our beginning doesn’t match the rest? What can we do to make sure the "feel" of our story is consistant?

RECIPE:

Ok, I don’t make chocolates, so can’t toss in a recipe for that- BUT I do have a very oogy gooey treat called “Sin”. (Even better- there’s no mistaking what’s in it when you look at it ;)).

SIN
One box German Chocolate Cake Mix
One stick butter (melted)
One can Evaporated Milk
50 caramels
One bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cake mix, melted butter, 1/3 cup of evaporated milk together.
Press half of this into a 9 X 13 inch pan and cook for 7 minutes.
While it’s cooking, melt the caramels and another 1/3 cup evaporated milk.

When cake comes out (will be very, very flat) sprinkle the chocolate chips over it, then pour the melted caramel on top. Take the remaining cake mix mixture and working with tiny pieces of it, lay it out over the caramel. (Flatten the pieces out, and place them out to cover all of the caramel.)

Cook for another 6-7 minutes.
Let cool- A REALLY long time. This is messy as heck to cut, so the longer you cool it the better ;)
Enjoy the recipe and don’t forget to comment about the “chocolate” issue!

Writing, Perfection, and Fudge

2010-12-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

It’s the holidays! So let’s tie together writing and holiday food, shall we?

This week I was making some of my cheater fudge. I call it cheater because I don’t use sugar, so I don’t run the risk of that grainy taste many homemade types of fudge get.

Now my first batch started to go funky. The chocolate wasn’t melting right, and was clumping in a very bad way. In that, “oh crap- ruined the chocolate cause it got over cooked and is now seizing” way.

I was not happy to say the least.

But instead of dumping it, like I have in years past, I added more butter and beat the hell out of it.

It worked!

Instead of giving up, I fought to find a way to fix it and won.

How many times as writers have we tossed out the “bad chocolate” in our writing? We’ve worked on something, it gets tough, or screwed up, and instead of fighting through we just give up and start something new?

I think as creative folks, the urge to walk away from something that’s not “perfect” is probably pretty strong. We know how we see it in our heads, but often times that doesn’t make the leap to the printed page- so we walk away.

I know there are times when parts may have to be pulled and set aside- but completely dumped? I do have bits of stories that I never followed through on, but since I’ve gotten “serious” about my writing, I’ve fought against walking away. Sometimes things need a big change- but walk away? Hopefully from now on I can always find a way to make things work.

Have you ever walked away from a major project? When? Would you ever go back to it?

Here’s the recipe for my cheater fudge- in good writer fashion, I stole parts of it from many different recipes ;).

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ bag Hershey’s kisses
1 can sweetened condensed milk (that's why there’s no grainy sugar issue ;))
¼- ½ cube of butter
½ tsp vanilla
Half a jar of marshmallow fluff
1 cup of chopped nuts (more or less)

Melt the chips, kisses, and sweetened condescended milk. Stir often (I use a microwave and check every minute). Once smooth and all melted, stir in butter, vanilla, and fluff (you can add salt too- wouldn’t add much though). You will probably have to beat the heck out of it- but don’t give up and keep fighting until it's smooth!

Then pour into a wax paper covered dish (9X9). Let set in fridge for a bit. This is a great cheater fudge, but it dries out very easily. Keep it covered and in the fridge when not serving.
Enjoy!

Character Love

2010-12-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

I’ve got a confession- I love my characters.

Now this really shouldn’t come as a shock, after all- I created them.

But this is different. I just finished reading a SF novel- pretty dang good one too- and I realized I liked my SF character better than the one I was reading about. Actually, my thought was that Vas (my SF character) could sooooooooooo kick this character’s butt.

LOL- it might seem odd to think about which fictitious tough ass female character would win in a fight. But it was a fun thought. Now I don’t like just tough characters, but if something on the front of the book (or even inside) states that this is one tough chica- then she better be tough.
And I was very entertained that MY tough chica was far tougher than the other author’s “tough” chica. To be honest, even though they said she was tough, she really didn’t demonstrate it much. Vas, on the other hand, comes out swinging and doesn't stop.

That lead to the fact that I really do love my characters and not just because I created them. I like them in the same way I would some of my favorite characters written by other authors. I love that my women characters are actually tough (each in their own way) and it’s not the author simply telling you they are tough. My gals don’t need a guy- guys are fun, and often very handy, but my girls can all take care of themselves if need be. The guy compliments who they are, but they don’t need to complete them.

And my toughest, Captain Vaslisha Tor Dain, could probably beat any literary character that didn’t have super human powers (and possibly a few of those as well). Now obviously, there’s more to her (and the others) than just an insane level of kick-assed-ness. They screw up, sometimes they fall, sometimes they cry.

But they get back up and get right back into where they need to be.

This insight lead to another- I feel satisfied, REALLY satisfied, in the fact that I’ve written these books. As in if they don’t get published I won’t feel I wasted my time type of satisfied.

This is a really cool feeling.

I know many folks (me included) sometimes say, “even if I don’t get published I’m still going to write.” This is true, but some part of me still felt it would almost be a waste if any or all of my books didn’t make it.

Now I’m ok. It’s changed the way I’m thinking about my upcoming “Agent Search 2011”. I don’t feel as worried and panicky. It’s a really nice feeling and I hope it stays.

How about you- how do you feel about you characters? About other folks characters?

Over at Castles & Guns today!

2010-11-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

Come on over- today I'm blogging about the end of a very interesting year on non-submitting.

http://www.castlesandguns.com/2010/11/year-of-freedom-comes-to-close.html

Why can’t I get focused?

2010-11-24T14:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, so obviously I’ve been slacking on here- Nov 10th was a wee bit longer than a week ago.

I have no excuse but pure slacker-dom! Granted it is the holiday season, and there are many things out there to tempt us easily distracted folks.

But this is more than just holidays- this is a problem.

I love to write, I even in a sick way, love to edit (more of the storyline edits than nuts and bolts grammar). But why does it sometimes seem like I lose track? I’ll be chugging along, then I finish my project of the moment and just wander off mentally. A break is good, but too long and the routine is lost.

I’d been thinking about this very subject when a wonderful author posted a link to another author discussing the same thing. http://www.tribalwriter.com/2010/11/11/how-to-develop-a-creative-practice-and-why-it-actually-does-make-you-more-creative/
Why writers procrastinate. Logically it doesn’t make sense, we love what we do, it gives us pleasure- yet we put off doing it. Akin to loving candy but deciding reaching for that box is too much work ;).

This great blog I spoke of mentions a big part of it is that it’s far easier and safer NOT to write- to just chug along in our little cocoon and maybe think about writing. But she also mentioned how to get around it and a part that struck me was ritual.

Humans used to have lots of rituals, they helped us understand our place in life, moved us from different life stages, help us deal with grief, happiness, and just about everything. As our society changed, we lost the ritual aspect and I think that’s a sad thing.

But why not have rituals for writing? Things that we do every day when we prepare to work on our stories that help us focus and tell the mind, “This is what we’ll be doing now” without having to fight our way into it. (Or worse, don’t do it unless our muse speaks to us.)

At a conference I went to last fall Lisa Gardner mentioned she uses scent- she has a favorite candle that she lights when she writes to get focused and let the mind know this is what’s going on.

I think I need to develop some sort of rituals of my own, ones that will be both general (writing now or editing now) as well as project specific since I plan on doing more than one novel/project a year.

I’m good with the candle idea, and I will get my workspace a little more user friendly. But I need more. Do any of you have great “rituals” to get your butt in the chair and the project moving? Since I’m entering a major editing stage right now any ones specific for that will be really appreciated!

Passion and Commitment- lessons from a TV show

2010-11-10T11:09:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the annual gathering of the Scapers- aka fans of the lamentingly cancelled tv show- Farscape.

Now before you pooh pooh the idea of learning something of lasting value from a tv show, let me explain.

First- if you like SF, SFR, or just love great storytelling- YOU need to go see this show. Rent the DVD’s, borrow them from friends- buy them-whatever, but see it. This show was quite possibly the most inventive and original SF show ever made. It also has a great romance line (a few actually) running through it.

Now I am a certifiable geek girl- no question- but this show impacted my life far more than anything else. For one, I have some wonderful amazing folks in my life whom I never would have known without this show and the annual conventions. Two- the wild storytelling and unique characters influenced my writing in subtle ways. It also influenced how I see the creative world and how much us creative folks have to fight for our dreams.

When asked how Farscape did what it did in terms of creating an amazing and ground breaking show, the answer was passion and commitment.

This passion and commitment came from the top creators and ran down to the stunt people. They wanted to do something amazing. Something unique, special, and unfortunately expensive (the death of the show was due to the high costs). They could have compromised their vision. The show got turned down by Fox- a death kneel for any tv pilot. But they stuck with how they saw it, they fought long and hard to get it made their way. And they created so much passion and commitment from their fans (aka Scapers ;)) that the fans fought long and hard to get it back when it was cancelled prematurely. This fight by the fans lead the a miniseries which allowed the show to reach its envisioned ending.

As writers we need to have that type of passion and commitment to our work. NOTHING can stand in our way. We need to be willing to fight long and hard to get our visions, our worlds to the reading public. If I affect just one person the way Farscape affected the fans, I would count myself successful indeed.

It’s too easy in our field to blame the industry for our lack of success. But the fact is, there are many far more brutal industries about-I look at the folks behind Farscape as an example of a group of people who fought such an industry and for quite a while won the battle.

Never forget publishing is a tough field- but with passion and commitment towards our visions- we will make it.

Have any tv shows influenced your writing?

And you folks who haven’t seen this show- DO SO! Especially if you like SFR- you have no excuse for not seeing this.

The Contest Experience- I survived!

2010-10-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

Ok so this fall I entered a number of contests. Aside from one entry last year, this was my first foray into the world of RWA contestland.

It was interesting.

And I don’t think I’ll do it again :).

Now, it’s nothing against contests in general, or RWA in particular, I’m just not sure how much feedback I can winnow out that is not related to me not having followed established romance parameters- particularly for not introducing the “meeting of the mates” sooner.

Of course, I don’t write Romance books- so that could be the problem. But as someone who reads Romance, I would argue that many books I have enjoyed don’t have the romance build in until AFTER the first 20-25 pages (the length of a standard contest sub.) In fact I find myself very annoyed with the sudden introduction and immediate “falling for each other but fighting it” that is often found in romances.

I want it to build. Having them be “inexplicably drawn to each other on first sight” on page 12 just doesn’t work for me. So even if and when I do cross into writing Romance, I would still have this problem in terms of contests.

Now, there was some good feedback, and once I finish the rough of The Glass Gargoyle I’ll be really digging into the feedback and adding in what works.

Here’s some things that don’t work:

1) Giving a high score and NO comments. Most contests say the judges have to comment for a half or less score. Well one of the highest scores I got had no comments. Which makes me wonder- did the judge even read it? Or were they in a rush and just gave very high scores just to get it done? I was also a judge in this contest (different categories than I was entered obviously) but even on the ones I LOVED, I made comments. To anyone out there who may find themselves judging- do it right, give some feedback- or don’t do it! The high but useless score is akin to a critique where the person just says, “I loved it!” Nice to hear but useless for feedback.

2) Commenting on how well a specific aspect was done- then giving a low score for that aspect. Ok, what’s up with that? The judge forgot which number meant “good”? This happened a number of times; the comments didn’t match up with the scores. And I’m not talking about the “I’m criticizing you so now I’ll say something nice to make you feel better”- I’m talking “Loved this!” then being given a 3 (think C) for that component. SIGH. Not real helpful.

Things that did work:
1) Getting your work in front of folks who don’t know you and who you hope will be honest. Really did get a few bits of good feedback and ideas. I think for newer writers this could be a way to toughen the skin anonymously.

2) The chance to final. Ok, I didn’t think this would be a big deal- but when they announced my name it was cool. LOL. As writers we don’t get all that many kudos moments and that one rocked. And taking second in the Miss Snark’s First Victim contest REALLY rocked.

So for the fall I entered the blog Miss Snarks First Victim’s Secret Agent Contest (Sept) and came in second (with a request for a full from an agent) * I cannot recommend this blog enough- go NOW- great stuff there*.

Then entered the Golden Palm Contest with one entry- didn’t final;
the On The Far Side Contest– two didn’t final, one did;
and the Launching a Star- no word back yet.

All and all it’s been an interesting experience- both not as bad as I feared, nor as good as I hoped;).

Any of you have great ups or great downs brought on by entering contests?

Why every writer should do NaNoWriMo…and why I’m not this year

2010-10-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

Ah fall. The time of year when nights grow shorter, weather grows cooler (ok, not here in So.Cal…but in SOME places), and writers across the land think of what they will do for National Novel Writing Month- aka NaNoWriMo- aka NaNo.

For those of you who don’t know, NaNo is a month (November) when writers decide to announce to the cyberspace world their intention of completing 50,000 words in a new manuscript.

Now there are guidelines, and while they aren’t enforced, why do it if you’re not going to follow them? It should be a new work and it should be a book. Not a collection of short stories- a book. Like they say if you think you’re writing a book, they will also.

There’s no cost, you just go to their site http://www.nanowrimo.org/ and sign up. Then you look for folks you know and add them to your “buddy” list so that you can egg each other on. There are local groups for most areas, so even if you don’t know someone- you can meet some like minded folks.

Why would thousands of people, for the most part semi-sane, choose to inflict 50,000 words upon themselves like that? Why do people run marathons? Climb mountains? To have the experience. NaNo is like Mt. Kilimanjaro for writers. And it’s a great learning tool. Most writers, even we seat of the pants type folks- have some inner censor going on when we write. Some little voice that makes us stop and question ourselves mid-chapter.

You can’t do that during NaNo. In pure self-defense you have to take that little voice, stick a gag in his mouth and ship him off to Siberia. When you’re cranking out 50,000 words (page count of 170-200 pages depending on the writer) in one month- you are writing CRAP. Lots, and lots, of crap. And you don’t care! Your only goal is to fill up those pages. You can’t listen to any inner voice no matter how loud- because you simply don’t have time.

When you win (and even if you don’t I would think- I’ve won both times I did it ;)) you really feel like you’ve done something amazing. You wrote, created, and slaved over a damn good sized chunk of a book that didn’t exist until Nov 1. Does it need work? Hell yes- probably lots of it. But you did it.

It also teaches you to write through any blocks that come your way. You just bowl right over them. So when you return to your more normal level of writing, you’re not the same person. You’re faster, leaner, more stubborn.

I know since Dec 2008 (my first NaNo) my writing style has changed for the better. Dec 2009 (NaNo two)saw the launch of multiple projects at the same time. This September I did my own NaNo trying to finish a project under a tight deadline. I did about 15-20,000 words in ONE WEEK. I could never have done that without two years of NaNoWriMo under my belt. I write faster, and I focus tighter now than I did before NaNo and I think every writer needs to try it at least once. You may not finish, but you still tried something way outside your normal everyday life. And its fun trying to explain to non-writers what you’re doing ;).

Alas, this year no NaNo for me. That Sept. NaNo of my own kinda did it for me, plus I still have one more project to finish. Once it’s done and sent in for critique, I need to finish polishing the other two books. I can’t start a new project with the others not ready to go. I’m sticking to the plan I made Dec 1, 2009.

But I will be longingly thinking of NaNo 2010- and I’ll be back in 2011 ;).

The Schrodinger’s Cat Phenomenon of Writing

2010-10-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, to sum up (and butcher) a theory of quantum physics, Schrodinger’s cat postulated that when a cat was in a room (no cats were ever harmed- it’s a thought experiment folks) in which poison was released- that before the door opened the cat was both alive and dead (again rough ROUGH summation for my point ;)).

I hypothesize that the same thing exists for writers. When we have sent out a requested partial or full, or even entered a contest- we are existing in both the realm of acceptance/winning and the realm of denial/not winning. We don’t know which it will be, so it could be both until that door is opened.

This week has been a wild one. Even though I said I was not going to submit to agents this year, I have found myself in a very nice position to have had both a full and a partial requested from two (or three- one is a two for one deal ;)) very well respected agents. For two different books.

I also entered three different novel contests and one short story contest. All of which are hanging out with that cat in the box right now and the door doesn’t open until later this month on any of them ;).

I will be sending out the requested items this week, but I already find myself in that odd neither dead nor alive position. I’m very happy and excited about the requests, but I almost don’t want the result to come back too quickly. If the answer is negative, it will pop the bubble. But even if it is positive, this limbo state (which I argue is unique and actually sort of enjoyable) will end.

This liking of the limbo is new and I think a result of having four unique series “on the boards” as it were. I will be disappointed if the results from the requests come back negative, obviously, the agents in question are very good and “on my list” of top agents I would like to work with. But at the same time, I’ve proven to myself that I can write more.

I like being the cat now ;).

Blogging at Castles & Guns today

2010-10-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Today I'm over at Castles & Guns blogging about the craziness of writers.

http://www.castlesandguns.com/2010/10/why-writers-are-crazy.html

Come say hi!

Love to write, but hate the words

2010-09-21T05:28:00.000-07:00

“I love to write, it’s the words I can’t stand.”

Ok so that quote isn’t a direct quote. My sister mentioned it- or something very similar to it- when she came back from a Neil Simon play. That one of the characters had said it and it made her think of me.

LOL- how appropriate!

I think that absolutely speaks to my writing state of mind. Especially my recent state of mind. I have to admit that I love to have written. It’s like going to the gym, I don’t like going but I like having went.

Writing is the same- sort of. Part of me loves to actually write, digging out words, placing them just so, making them funny and shiny. But only when the writing is going well. When it’s not going well, that’s another thing completely!

As of late I’ve been fighting to beat my steampunkish novel into submission. I have a deadline of Sept 30th for a challenge from my local RWA writing group and it ain’t looking pretty about me hitting the deadline.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve shown to myself that I can write like a mad woman when the need arises (two years of successful NaNo’s taught me that ;)). But I’m just having a problem with this book! It could be that some deep dark part of my psyche really is looking longingly at my other WIP and just wants to dive back in to it (two books this close to the end are NOT a good idea folks). Or it could be that I’m writing complete drivel and the entire book is crap (ahhh the mind of a writer- self doubt anyone?).

But the thing is, I’m at the "liking having written, not actually writing" stage. When I read back a few days worth of work I have to admit, it’s not a bad rough draft. Then I charge forward into a pile of sticky, messy words and they just slow me down again.

What about any of you? Do the words sometimes annoy you?

Talk like a pirate day!

2010-09-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

ARRRRGGGGHHH! It's Talk like a pirate day mateys- I took the test and here's what I be!

You are The Quartermaster
You, me hearty, are a man or woman of action! And what action it is! Gruesome, awful, delightful action. You mete out punishment to friend and foe alike – well, mostly to foe, because your burning inner rage isn’t likely to draw you a whole lot of the former. Still, though you may be what today is called “high maintenance” and in the past was called “bat-shit crazy,” the crew likes to have you around
because in a pinch your maniacal combat prowess may be the only thing that saves them from Jack Ketch. When not in a pinch, the rest of the crew will goad you into berserker mode because it’s just kind of fun to watch. So you provide a double service – doling out discipline AND entertainment.

What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

Oh and you can find pirate names many places- this one says I'm Plankwalking Patty McKracken - sure and I'll be runnin' ya through if ya laugh!
http://www.piratemerch.com/pirate_name_generator.php

Do you trust yourself?

2010-09-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

The other night I was watching one of my guilty pleasures, the TV show Eureka. There was a scene where the lead character, acting upon knowledge sent to him by a future him from the past (don’t ask) is charging his truck towards what looks to him like an open gorge. The entire time he’s muttering, “I trust me.” “I trust me.” However, when he gets to the edge he yells, “I don’t trust me!” However, even as he yelled it, he kept going and thusly saved the day.

That got me to thinking, how many times as writers do we not trust ourselves? Self doubt is sadly a major component of what we do. It’s not like in graduate school where you wrote a paper then received a grade and a detailed list of what worked and what didn’t. Here you write and write, never really knowing if you’re good enough. The reasons for rejection are huge, unlimited, and may have nothing to do with your ability. Unless you get a revision letter you will never really know. Sometimes it feels we are screaming into a dark abyss and the only answer back is our own echo.

So what do we do? Do we scream, “I trust me!” and barrel forth into what looks like a certain death? Or do we let the lack of trust in our own skills and thought processes make us hover on the edge?

Now while barreling forward does sound more heroic, it could be argued that nothing will be lost by hovering. Less risk after all.

Here’s why writers have to trust themselves. Lack of trust can destroy the writing. We’ve all seen it, the story where the same point is brought up time and again. Where within three pages the same concepts have been stated and restated numerous times. Those are signs of a writer hovering on the edge. They worry that the reader may not get it. They don’t trust in their own writing enough to take that leap that their craft is strong enough to carry the reader safely to the other side.
Self doubt can affect the writer in other ways as well. If the writer has too many self doubts, they may constantly search for validation. To the point of getting too much feedback on their work and changing it each time. Now don’t get me wrong, I love feedback. There have been many times when someone reading my work has caught things I was too close to see. Or suggested a better way to put something. But for the writer with not enough trust in themselves, this can be devastating to the work.

I read a blog not too long ago where the author said how her agent hated the first three chapters. The ones that had been in contests, crit groups, and polished until they gleamed. All rubbish. The author didn’t trust herself enough to not re-work those chapters after each contact with another person. It turned out fine for her; the agent loved the rest of the book. But the point is that lack of trust could have been fatal for that book.

So the next time you find yourself doubting your skills- find a way to charge forward instead. Find ways to improve your craft through books, conferences, workshops. Don’t give into the mindset of dwelling on a concept or idea repeatedly. Do it once, do it well, and move on.

Be willing to charge your truck into the abyss, you might just save the day.

Commas…vagrants of the punctuation world

2010-09-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Today’s blog is all about those little miscreants of mayhem and injustice- commas.

Sure, they look innocent, sitting there slightly curled as if to give a sense of comforting friendliness. “Come here,” they seem to say. “Pause a bit before the long trek of words before you.”

They don’t let you see them for what they really are.

Vagrants. Hooligans. Tramps.

Now, to be fair, in the history of the English language, commas were not always troublemakers. While lacking the solid respectability of the noble period, they still had their own set of fairly stable rules. People knew where to put a comma, and it was the same no matter what you were writing. Punctuation was the same regardless of it being a term paper, newspaper article, or the latest fiction book.
Alas, those days have changed. Below is the definition of a vagrant. I would argue that the comma has finally shown its true colors as one.

va•grant
–noun
1.
a person who wanders about idly and has no permanent home or employment; vagabond; tramp.
2.
Law . an idle person without visible means of support, as a tramp or beggar.
3.
a person who wanders from place to place; wanderer; rover.
4.
wandering idly without a permanent home or employment; living in vagabondage: vagrant beggars.
5.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a vagrant: the vagrant life.
–adjective
6.
wandering or roaming from place to place; nomadic.
7.
(of plants) straggling in growth.
8.
not fixed or settled, esp. in course; moving hither and thither: a vagrant leaf blown by the wind.

The important image here is “not fixed”. These little bits of ink, now have free range to move about hither and thither, landing where they will on the page, left only to the rules of the author. Justification can be made (and often is) by authors for using these marks where they will and how they will. “The rules have changed,” they cry as they find another comma has snuck off somewhere new and unique. “They don’t have to follow the same rules for fiction.” The beleaguered novelist whimpers as they defend the placing of yet another troublemaker.

However, these authors think the placement was their choice. I would argue we have all been put under the sway of punctuation with minds of its own. They want us to think we’ve changed our rules, that commas don’t have to follow them as stringently anymore. How do we know this hasn’t been some masterful stroke by the Comma Liberation Army? A chance for punctuation to run amuck everywhere?

I think we should all be concerned about the increasing vagrancy of commas, who knows what punctuation will next make a bid for freedom?

I'm in a group blog!

2010-08-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note- I'm blogging today on the new group blog I joined, Castles & Guns. Since I have books that deal with both of those items- figured it was a good match ;).

Today is my intro day- come by and say hi!

Frelling blogger....it supposedly put a link in for the blog. But it doesn't show when I post....SIGH.

http://www.castlesandguns.com/

You'll have to find it by cutting and pasting since it simply will NOT let me make a link!

Music to stir the savage beast

2010-08-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

(Disclaimer: Yes, I know the original quote is "breast" not "beast" work with me folks ;))

I, like many writers, sometimes write to music. Usually it’s just something classical something I don’t think about that’s just a nice noise to block out everything else.

That is until two years ago.

I have a lovely friend name Julie with a love of trailer music (movie trailers) as well as some groups I’d never heard of before (Nightwish, Within Temptation) that I guess would be medieval metal. Two years ago, a few weeks before my first NaNoWriMo, she gave me some CD’s of trailer music and the other groups. I enjoyed them, thought they may not really be my type, but enjoyable none the less.

Enter NaNo.

For those of you who have never heard of this annual beast of madness, it’s were crazy mad writers decide to crank out 50,000 words in one month. November is the month it all shakes down. (Yes, go sign up now, it's an amazing experince http://www.nanowrimo.org/)

So here I am trying to consistently crank out pretty dang high word counts in a brand new mss. I mean BRAND new. I had an opening scene, the title, and my main character’s name. I did know it was Space Opera/SF and that in my mind it would have been a great graphic novel. (I STILL think that-LOL)

That was it folks.

Needing inspiration, I put on one of the movie trailer CDs. WOW. Not only was the mostly very fast based music a great type keeper (I found myself typing faster to keep up with it) the music itself is extremely visual. When you’re pulling intense scenes of fights, explosions, and general mayhem out of thin air, it really helps to have music that gets you half way there!

Then I added Nightwish and Within Temptation, also very visual and very stirring. I won’t say they made NaNo easy by any means, but the music helped me get through it and honestly influenced the book a lot. (Thanks Julie! :))

I now find myself using the trailer music particularly to jump start my writing even if I’m not blowing things up-LOL. It makes my own sound track for the sprint writing I often do. (Some great “groups” are Immediate Music; E.S. Posthumous and Corner Stone Cues among others).

I also do have my calmer, introspective, more fantasy sounding music. Richard Searles is wonderful especially Earth Quest (if you have a fantasy writer on your gift list this would be a great CD :)) Loreena Mckennitt (Thanks Chris who got me hooked on her :)) and Enya are good focusing CD’s. And a wonderful more spiritual one is the self titled CD by Anuna.

I can’t forget my steampunk connection either! At a conference last year a wonderful woman named Brenda got me hooked on Abney Park when she heard I was doing a steampunk book. Their CD’s have been crucial to my work on that project.

And it still keeps happening.

Just a few days ago, I was driving up the coast, listening to one of my collections. A full scene popped into my head. A group of people fighting for their lives (sadly- they ain’t gonna win). It was so clear I almost had to pull off the road! Sadly, it’s not for one of my current projects, but for the second book in the Warrior Wench series (The book is called The Victorious Dead and that was before this image popped into my head ;)).

Music is great for stirring the savage beast (our characters and ourselves)- how do you use music? What music do you use? As shown here, I’ve been extremely lucky to have friends turn me onto some wonderful music- maybe your faves can help another writer too!