JUST PERFECT!

What a difference a day makes. I don't really allow myself to have "bad" days any more. However, some days are definitely more challenging than others. Tuesday was one of those days. As I write this blog post late Wednesday, today was definitely more to my liking! My older dog who has had some rough times lately seemed better today. There's money in my bank account and bills are paid ahead. I got the OK for the cover of my December release (graphic attached). And one wall of my office is covered with easel sheets showing the early planning for my next series of books. Ahhh...

We've heard a lot about writer's block, what what about life block? What about those days when life hands you challenge after challenge; taunting you to take another step, let alone dare to dream?

How do you work through those days? Just hang on and hope it will pass quickly? Sprinkle fairy dust around yourself and chant three times, "Bippity, boppity, boo?" Pretend you are on the latest reality TV show and plan how you will spend your million dollars at the end of the day when you are the last survivor?

On the other hand, what's your perfect day? Is it a day when you can write all day? A day when all the pieces of your life, including writing, come into perfect balance?

Have you ever considered doing this for the characters in your story? This could be a great way to get to know them if you're just starting a story or are stuck at some point. It could also be an interesting way to bring out their personalities for readers. For the social worker heroine in one of the books of my series, her perfect day could mean all the parents of kids in foster care suddenly had their own lives under control so they could nurture and appropriately take care of their children; and she could go home early because no calls of child abuse or neglect came in. For the policeman hero, his perfectly awful day could include finding a ticket on his motorcycle he thought was parked legally. Does he get mad? Ignore it? Laugh at the irony of the situation?

In fact, I think I'll do this for the main characters in each of the stories I'm planning. These perfect days and perfectly awful days could even become part of their stories. Perhaps I'll develop a workshop using this technique. If you want to try it out, consider this a mini-online workshop and do one of these exercises for yourself or your characters. Have fun!

PERFECT OR PERFECTLY AWFUL?

What a difference a day makes. I don't really allow myself to have "bad" days any more. However, some days are definitely more challenging than others. Tuesday was one of those days. As I write this blog post late Wednesday, today was definitely more to my liking! My older dog who has had some rough times lately seemed better today. There's money in my bank account and bills are paid ahead. I got the OK for the cover of my December release (hopefully I'll be able to include a graphic of it with this blog). And one wall of my office is covered with easel sheets showing the early planning for my next series of books. Ahhh...

We've heard a lot about writer's block, what what about life block? What about those days when life hands you challenge after challenge; taunting you to take another step, let alone dare to dream?

How do you work through those days? Just hang on and hope it will pass quickly? Sprinkle fairy dust around yourself and chant three times, "Bippity, boppity, boo?" Pretend you are on the latest reality TV show and plan how you will spend your million dollars at the end of the day when you are the last survivor?

On the other hand, what's your perfect day? Is it a day when you can write all day? A day when all the pieces of your life, including writing, come into perfect balance?

Have you ever considered doing this for the characters in your story? This could be a great way to get to know them if you're just starting a story or are stuck at some point. It could also be an interesting way to bring out their personalities for readers. For the social worker heroine in one of the books of my series, her perfect day could mean all the parents of kids in foster care suddenly had their own lives under control so they could nurture and appropriately take care of their children; and she could go home early because no calls of child abuse or neglect came in. For the policeman hero, his perfectly awful day could include finding a ticket on his motorcycle he thought was parked legally. Does he get mad? Ignore it? Laugh at the irony of the situation?

In fact, I think I'll do this for the main characters in each of the stories I'm planning. These perfect days and perfectly awful days could even become part of their stories. Perhaps I'll develop a workshop using this technique. If you want to try it out, consider this a mini-online workshop and do one of these exercises for yourself or your characters. Have fun!

LONELINESS

Loneliness and writing. The silent scream from within.

Thomas Wolfe is quoted as saying: “Loneliness is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man.”

I suspect he's right. Even when you're so in love you can't take a breath without your lover, even when you are holding your first newborn, each of us is always aware we are alone in this universe, that push come to shove, inevitably, it's just us standing there at the end of the day. Oh, I know, sometimes we get so caught up in the day to day necessities of life including feeding, clothing, driving, comforting, mothering, cooking, etc... for others that we don't feel lonely, in fact, we crave time to ourselves, like Eli wanting to take a shower without a three year old. We are not lonely because we are busy and distracted. I suspect humankind stays busy and distracted to fight off the lurking loneliness deep inside, but I'm not a philosopher, so who knows.

Add to this basic premise a job -- a passion -- that requires solitary pursuit and isolation. Think of it this way: if you are a mushroom, you cannot flourish until you seek the deep dark, moist cover of the forest. You cannot be a mushroom on a beach in the bright sunlight. It won't work. If you are a writer, you can't flourish until you embrace the very essence of becoming a story teller. Like a mushroom, you are going to have to go it alone most of the time. You are going to have to take cover under the umbrella of your imagination where the world within becomes more real than the one without. And the more successful you become, the deeper into the forest you'll tend to wander.

This is a pitiful metaphor, I know, but in my head it kind of makes sense.

Recently, another loop I belong to got off onto this topic. It was brought up by a woman who mentioned it in passing, like dipping her toe into a pond to test the temperature of the water. One by one, a few other writers chimed in. I was convinced many of them were at my stage of life -- children gone, long hours alone, multiple contracts, umpteen books under their belts, right in the middle of their careers. But then one of the women emailed me privately. She was in her thirties, two little kids, a husband, etc... and she felt the same things I feel, the same core loneliness, that struggle to fit into your life the people you love, the necessities of keeping life afloat for family, the desire to be a better more present friend, and the needs of writing that take you away from everything else. She is trying to find a way to juggle it all -- and it became clear to me that this is what we all do, one way or another, at different stages of our careers -- we juggle that need to be part of our own life and the need to create fiction -- alone.

No wonder we writers crave conferences where we can momentarily rub shoulders with other people who "get" us. People who mumble under their breath. People who hold conversations in the shower with themselves. People who jot notes in dark theaters and ask the cat what she would do if that creep ran out on her. People who wave their arms as though warning off a rabid dog or make their loved ones assume poses to see just what it would take to overpower a younger, stronger person. Nuts, like us.

As a kid, I used to always feel on the outside looking in. When I had my first baby, I remember thinking I would never be alone again. I soon understood the folly of such a notion and thankfully, let her go, but it was there for awhile and it was such a warm glow. The glow of creation.

Open Blog Day

Since today's an open blog day, I thought I'd post our meeting reminder:

Join us tonight for our May MWV RWA meeting at The Blue Pepper in downtown Salem from 6-9pm. Our guest speaker is our very own Paty Jager:

Characterization: Minimum Words, Maximum Impact
Author and e-pub editor, Paty Jager, will show you how to take your characters from ordinary to memorable. This workshop will help an author pinpoint the little things that make a character come to life. Will use country western songs to show how choosing the right words can spark a connection between your readers and your stories.

And now a question...

Who was the most memorable guest speaker you've heard speak at a chapter meeting (or workshop) and why?

Websites

Happy thank-God-it's-no-longer-100-degrees Monday!!!

Ay ya ya...was it hot enough this weekend or what?! Friday night my poor kids had a baseball game. It was 102 when we drove over to the baseball fields and 99 on our way home. I was melting in the shade, they had to be dying in the sun! I'm so so SO happy we've returned to "somewhat" normal May temps. Don't get me wrong, I love the warmth and sun, but going from the 50's to 100's in a matter of days is a shock to the system!

Since Lisa's bogged down in class right now, snowed under with term papers and press releases and taking photos of hot guys (you'll have to ask her about that one...) I'm filling in for her today with a random survey.

Author Websites...what catches your eye?

I'm in the process of revamping my website to be more in line with my adventure theme. And as I'm looking at content I'm asking myself, what brings readers back? Obviously, new content. Contests are good. Updates on releases. What about teasers? Deleted scenes? Character interviews? Sections for writers - articles on query letters and agent hunting, etc? What content on author websites has piqued your interest and kept you clicking around? What content do you find boring or not worth including? And finally, what author websites have you seen that totally rock?

Saturday Check in

Yes, I'm a blog hog this week! LOL

So how did everyone do this week? I didn't write a single word on my WIP. My company had me hopping all week and I was on two reader loop chats which I did miserably at because of not enough computer time. Then yesterday and today I am judging 4-H presentations. Which is fun. I learned how to skin and mount a duck and make a chicken yesterday along with a plethera of other things. Looking forward to what I'll learn today! However, there is some down time inbetween the kids so I have a long a couple of the books I'm reading for research on the WIP. So I am getting something done!

Has the change in weather made it harder for you to stay focused on the writing?

Voice

Danita asked me to fill in for her today. So you get a double dose of boring me this week. Which brings me to the subject of voice.

When Terry Mclaughlin spoke to our group last month she asked me how I changed my voice between the historical and contemporary stories. And to be truthful- I haven't a clue! I told her by word usuage to not appear as stupified as I was by her question. I never think of voice. I don't know what mine is or how it's changed over the years. I believe, however, it has always been strong, and I've had to work on other elements such as plot and sentence structure.

My first romance book (which is horrid) neither one of the characters really had any GMC other than staying alive. The hero was pretty docile. But I was a finalist in a contest with the love scene. My second romance I finaled in a contest and placed third. Cindy Hwang of Berkley requested the full and rejected saying she loved the characters but the plot was bad. And so it went. Either I received high scores in contests or rock bottom scores, and was told that meant I had a strong voice.

But back to the topic. How does one explain their voice? On the blog this is how each blogger comes across to me. Lori - humorous and fun. Eli - sassy. Alice - the voice of reason. Wavy -perky with wisdom. Karen - intellectual. Genene - entertain as well as inform. Danita - catchy and fun. Lisa- optimistic.

And having read Lori, Alice, Karen, and Danita's longer works- that same voice pretty much comes through with some added nuances.

Is this how you hear your voice? Or are you like me and not really sure how to explain your voice? I'd like to hear others takes on the different bloggers voice to see if I even know what I'm looking for in voice. Or is voice an illusive thing that no one can really put a finger on? Just they either like it or they don't.

Grappling for Grammar

I'm so excited! I start school next week. Seriously! I'm going back to college. Hee hee. Well, that's not exactly accurate since it's only one class and I'm taking it online.

It's a grammar class at Central Oregon Community College and I'm taking it to brush up on those pesky repeater goofs that plague me now and then. My grammar is fine for the most part, but sometimes I screw up using pronouns depending on where they appear in a sentence. And the correct use of "was" and "were" is an intermittent problem for me.

I'm very fortunate to have a retired English teacher as one of my critique partners, and she catches everything. But I can't depend on her to be there for me forever. The apron strings must be cut. Sniff.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

I suddenly wished my spiky hair wasn't too short to hide behind.

The correct word is weren't. Though that doesn't sound right to me, it's still the proper way to use it.

And here's one of my pronoun errors:

I pictured this Turkish warrior beating up my teachers, most of whom were bigger than him.

The correct useage would be bigger than "he" and not "him."

I'm probably the best comma-user on the planet, I know how and when to use lay, laying and laid, and I've never had an issue with who or whom. And I know the difference between that and which. So hopefully I'll ace those particular lessons. I'll let you know.

If you have issues with your grammar, or just want to see where you stand, I highly recommend this website for some excellent grammar exercises. They've added about a dozen more categories since I last visited. Hmm… Maybe I didn't need to shell out my $89 for the college course.

Here's the syllabus for the course I'm taking at COCC. Looks like fun, doesn't it? I can hardly wait to jump right in and stretch those atrophied grammar muscles. After all, the eighth grad was a really long time ago. For me, anyway. COCC has other writing classes, too, and I'm thinking of taking the one on writing magazine articles as well.

So do you have any particular problem areas with your grammar? How confident are you that you can simply "get by" in this increasingly competitive industry we've chosen for ourselves? Personally, I've decided not to take any chances. It's tough enough as it is.

A book is a book is a book . . . Right?

Apologies for the VERY late post. I think I was stupefied by Lori's amazing post, and repressed the fact that I had to follow her today.

Last week, Tavy and I went to the Friends of the Library Book Sale. For $13.20 we got a huge bag of books. A lot of hard to find YA, some picture books, and of course, a ton of romance. As I added to my TBR pile at home, I started to feel a little guilty. I don't BUY books. I mean, I buy books, but I don't BUY brand new books very often.

Most of my books come from:

• Packages from my mother. My mother is a librarian, and she regularly raids the discards and donations for me.
  
• The library,. Now that I'm getting out of the house again, I'm back on a steady diet of 5-8 library books a week. Tasty. I've started showing Tavy board books and letting her "pick," so that she too knows the excitement of a library book.
  
• Friends of the Library Bookstore. I love supporting them, and I buy around 10 books a month here, and usually donate around the same amount.
  
• Friends/Freebies/Book Swaps. I get books from give-aways, our chapter book swaps, trading with friends, and other freebies.
  
• Half.com. I feel guilty even admitting this to a group of writers, but when the above fails, I usually turn to Half to find what I want, cheaply.
  
• Amazon. Ditto Amazon. One of my writing gigs pays me in Amazon dollars, but I always try to find stuff in the bargain bins.
  
• Borders. I pay full price for about 10-15 books a year, and usually at least half of them are people I know through RWA. The other half are usually self-help/non-fiction/gifts/impulse.
  

Whew. I feel better just admitting that, but I feel horrid that out of around 250 books I read each year, less than a 1/10 result in any money back to the authors. I should be drummed out of RWA for this! I know from reading RWR letters that many authors HATE the idea of used book sales, and shudder at the mere mention of evil, evil Ebay. (Of course, these same ladies can often be seen with wheelie bags in the free rooms at Nationals, but I digress).

And lately, I've been contemplating joining Paperback Swappers, because I'd like to read more by some hard-to-find authors, and I'd like to stop using Half.com so much. While amazing for cheap readers like me, I can see how authors would hate Swappers and other sites like that. Because, of course, what you WANT to have happen is Reader A loves your book, recommends it to Person B, who runs right out and buys it (full price), who tells Person C, and Ta Da! NYT Bestseller.

Perhaps I should do even more book reviews on my blog to balance things out? Should I avoid Swappers out of solidarity to my fellow authors? Where do you get YOUR books? Has your views on used books changed since joining RWA? Are there certain authors whose books you try to get at full price? Any other thoughts on used books?

INSPIRATION IGNITED

There’s nothing more rewarding than lumberjack portions of inspiration to fill your writing platter. Those surges, over-flowing with brilliant ideas and creative solutions, pulsate through your brain and pump your writing appetite into maximum overindulgence. In the writing kingdom that’s a good thing. What induces theses magnificent moments, and why they sometimes emerge at inopportune times, is a mystery as hard to solve as a good Agatha Christie book.

Some of my greatest ideas, scenes, and dialogue attack me at the most inconvenient times. The instant I slip into the shower golden remedies to problem areas and sensational dialogue sequences rain through my brain and drip from my tongue like refined grade A honey. If I could suction cup a waterproof computer to the wall I’m convinced I could write breathtaking chapters all day...or until the hot water ran out.

Writing inspirations and solutions have also attacked me in the middle of the night on a potty trot, mixing bread dough with flour up to my elbows, and driving the car. Most recently they struck at the doctor’s clinic with my legs in the stirrups in examination room number three.

Some situations make it difficult to jot down those magnificent gems at their moment of birth. To preserve those eloquent and precious sentences I’ve developed a memory tool. I repeat the thought out loud at least three times to help it stick to vacant wall space in my brain until I can place my hands on a pen and notepad. This method is foolproof most of the time, but glitches can arise. For example: In the examining room it doesn’t matter how delicate and professional your thrice repeated dialogue between two women comparing their husbands to the mold and grout around their kitchen sinks might sound. This chant will net a quick referral to a specialist of another kind.

Do you have a favorite place or time when writing inspiration ignites you? What do you do when writing inspirations irrupt in an inconvenient setting? Do tell. The next time I face examination room number three I want to be armed and ready when a force of genius strikes and illuminates my writing world.

Pitch Paragraph

I’ve been lurking on several agent blogs preparing myself to pitch to agents at Nationals. And I don’t just mean an agented appointment. I’m hoping I can get up nerve to talk to any agent I see. You know, casually at first, then hoping to edge into a short, succinct discussion about my WIP.

Kristen Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency has been posting pitching info on her blog. And the one thing she said that finally rang a bell with me was to make your pitch sound like the back cover blurb with your plot catalyst.

And she says these are the three different ways you can build the paragraph around the plot catalyst.

1. The back story that sets the story and creates the context

2. Contributing plot elements that will broaden the story

3. Character elements that are imperative to the story.

Or she says you can do a combination of these to write up a pitch and back cover blurb.

So here goes. This is my pitch paragraph.

Mae Simon is on her first assignment as a Pinkerton operative and nothing will stand in her way; neither conventions nor a righteous U.S. Marshal. She’s also determined to find the traveling actor who fathered her and disappeared, leaving her mother pining for the man.

U. S. Marshal Beck Harlan can’t afford to get close to anyone . Not with a vengeance seeking outlaw killing off his intimate acquaintances. However, he finds himself falling for the French prostitute he persuades to become an informant, not realizing, she is a Pinkerton operative after the same man.

Show us what you would use for your pitch of back cover blurb of your WIP.( And I'll take any all suggestions on mine)

Saturday Check-in

It was nice to see Eli, Lisa, and Kendra at the Powell's signing last night! There was a good showing. And I really liked the panel discussion.

Okay, for check-in. I did miserably this week. And I really can't blame it on the gkids because they weren't here for most of it! I had promo stuff and work stuff that got in the way. I did some more research, but ended up with less than 1000 words this week. I worked on the synopsis, figured out more back story to make the characters more rounded, and have defined more of the secondary roles. But word count- not great!

And I don't foresee next week looking any better. The gkids will be back, I have four all day chats scheduled at reader loops, and I'm judging for two days for a 4-H event(which I get paid).

I hope everyone else had a productive week!

Pop Culture in Fiction

Okay, first of all, because Alice is gone and she didn't get a chance to share, I'm doing it for her. She sent me the new cover for her August 2008 release, BODYGUARD FATHER, and I want you all to see it. If you scroll down, you'll find it in the "coming soon" section as well, just below her July release, which is connected. I love that these two connected books have very similar covers. Isn't it gorgeous?

********

On to my post...

Speaking of Alice The Great, Wed. night she saved my bacon (yet again...you're da bomb, Alice) and helped me work through a section of my revisions. You see, I LOVE to add in popular culture bits in my books. I think it's fun and that it gives readers a way to connect with the characters on a more "real" level. So I'm always looking for a way to sneak a short reference to pop culture in somewhere.

One of the things my editor asked me to do in revisions for my first book, STOLEN FURY, was beef up a secondary character who ends up being the hero in the next book, STOLEN HEAT. So in a scene I added, this guy's sitting at his desk (he owns an antiquities gallery) reviewing an inventory list of his holdings. He gets to the last page and stops cold because it's a list of all the Egyptian pieces he's collected over the years. You see, years ago, he fell in love with an Egyptologist and she ended up dying and he was partially responsible. Over the years, in his guilt, he's been collecting Egyptian pieces and shoving them in storage. He has no intention of selling them or even looking at them, but even he realizes it's turning into an out of control obsession, and though the goal was to originally feel closer to her, it's taking him farther away.

Now, the pop culture reference came in because as I was writing this, I saw an analogy. Mel Gibson's character in Conspiracy Theory. He couldn't walk past a copy of Catcher in the Rye without buying it. And that's what my hero was doing - in a sense. I considered using that pop culture reference, and mentioned it to Alice. The problem with this, however, is two-fold. One, Conspiracy Theory is an old movie from the 90's. Will many people remember it? if so, does it date me? And two, considering all the flack surrounding Mel Gibson, will the reference to him turn off readers? Of course, I don't want to turn off readers, so that's something to take into consideration.

As it turned out, I think I got the point across without the pop culture reference, so in this case it wasn't needed, but that doesn't mean pop culture references are taboo. I love reading them in books and though some may say you should avoid mentioning them, movies and TV characters live forever. Laura Ingalls Wilder will always have braids as far as I'm concerned and Indiana Jones will always be the sexiest archaeologist I ever saw. In my mind, references don't necessarily date books but give you a way to identify so long as you pick references that span several years and aren't fads that come and go.

In the last scene of the paranormal I just sent my agent, the "mentor" is talking to the hero, who's wavering on his duties and being the man he wants to be vs being the one he's afraid to be. At one point she says to him, "This is your Star Wars moment. Stand up and do what you were born to do." I love this line for two reasons. One, who doesn't love Star Wars, know it and identify with it? And two, this line is particularly touching for me because when I was considering running for president of our chapter, Alice muttered almost the same exact thing to me. So now you all can blame her for my being president ;) But seriously, it did help me decide what I wanted to do, and I will never forget it.

I'm curious. Do you use pop culture references in your books? If so, can you give an example? If not, how come?

A SMILE IS A SMILE UNLESS ...

You've perhaps heard that one way to connect with readers is to use universal emotions that everyone experiences, such as happiness, sadness, grief, anger, and anticipation.

As writers, we can also use universal facial or body expressions and gestures to help readers connect with our characters. A smile is a sign of welcome, a growling dog means danger, flipping someone off means -- well, most people know what that means. Or do they?

I believe it was Paty who asked for English words her character from another country could "mangle" that would add a touch of humor. And I got to thinking how writers could help define a character by doing this with gestures or facial/body expressions in addition to just the spoken word.

Of course one of my examples involves a dog. :) A growling dog generally is giving a warning that you're treading in dangerous territory, and a dog with a wagging tail is considered friendly. However, one of my dogs wags his tail when he growls. This message seems contradictory, but there's a reason. When he was a puppy, we scolded him for growling at us. He wagged his tail to apologize and I made an off-hand comment that he'd better be wagging that tail if he was going to growl. He's now twelve years old and still wags his tail when he growls -- and looks at me to see if that's alright!

The gesture of flipping someone off generally is done in anger. However, it reminds me of a joke about a grandmother who didn't know what the gesture meant. She was dawdling through traffic, waiting until the stoplight turned yellow to go through intersections so other drivers had to wait and wait and wait. As the joke goes, someone flipped her off. Thinking that must be some new way to say "hello," the grandmother returned the one-finger wave. She got such a rousing response that she continued her meandering through downtown traffic, wreaking havoc and offering a one-finger wave in greeting and in response to blaring horns.

Smiles can also convey different messages. A smile can be broad and welcoming, mischievous, menacing or hiding what a person really feels. The character could give one message on the outside and keep their contradictory thoughts bottled inside. This can help a writer dig deeper into the character. What kind of person would do this and why? Perhaps a celebrity or public person who is always expected to be "on" or is in the camera's eye all the time. What if that person was "caught" having a bad day. What would their reaction be? (Is this where supermarket tabloids get their photos and those wild headlines?) Or a young woman who was eager to please keeps smiling at others even though her resentment of being used or victimized builds and builds inside until she flips out and becomes the smiling mass murderer.

OK, these may be extreme examples that I've not actually used in any story so far. However, as I'm starting to plot a series of books, I'm thinking of different ways to define those characters. How about you? Have you used a different take on "universal" gestures or expressions to give a character endearing -- or not so endearing -- flaws or quirks? Or do you stick with more traditional gestures such as a furrowed brow as a sign of worry?

The Waiting Game

I am playing the waiting game, my least favorite part of writing. It's the part where you send off a proposal -- so happy to see it go, so relieved it seems to work -- and then start worrying that it's terrible. Should you continue to write on it or move on or stand around staring into dusty corners? Will that call ever come saying the material is a go or a no go? Ack!

We all play it. With agents, with editors, with CPs.

What is your least favorite part of writing and how do you cope with it?

Sorry this is so short, the floor guys are here and kicking us out of the house. If someone would like to post additional information or use this to ask other questions, etc...please feel free.

Free Tuesday

Hey, all! Since it is the free Tuesday, I'd like to visit about getting thrown off course.

That's me today. I was just getting in the groove of the new WIP last week. Starting to kick out some pages, get into the characters, and then commitments and company upended me and I sit here today (company is visiting the other daughter for a few days) and I can't quite get motivated to jump back in even though the whole time I couldn't be at the computer writing, the characters and their backstory as well as some scenes that may or may not make it into the book have been playing in my head.

When you get thrown out of sync how do you get back in? I plan to start reading from the beginning and draw myself into the story, but I was wondering what others do. I haven't started any kind of music affiliation with this story yet. But my daughter gave me an MP3 player for my mother's day/birthday present. So now I have to decide what music put on it.

So what do you do to get back in a story when you've been pulled away for a few days?

Pet peeves

Sorry everyone, this post is going to be rather short - on my way out the door all day for work stuff. Something I was thinking about last night is pet peeves in writing and I want to do an experiment. What are your pet peeves that you see in books?

This is on my mind because I was talking with Eli last night about one of my pet peeves. When a character uses dialogue to explain something, when it's clear that in a 'real' conversation they wouldn't explain that. But since it's a book, and we're not psychic, the info needs to be in there some how. I tend to prefer it when it's in an internal, or if one person has a thought about how annoying it is that this person is blabbing on when he/she already knows that. Just something to acknowledge that it's a device I guess.

But I know that wouldn't bother most people. And something that might drive you crazy, I wouldn't think twice about. Like head-hopping. I hear so often that people can't stand head-hopping. Sherrilyn Kenyon uses it in her books and it doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I like the back-and-forth - I feel like I get more from the scenes. I don't know that I could pull it off as a writer though...

So what are your pet peeves? My hypothesis is that there may be a few common pet peeves among us, but that we'll each have our own little quirk. And lesson for the day: You can't please everyone. It's impossible to make a story that won't have pet peeves in it to some people. So don't try! Too stressful.

Challenge Check In

Good morning! It is a dismal, gray, and wet day on my side of the mountains. A good day to either write or read a book.

My WIP is continually congealing in my brain. Some good twists and ideas came to me. And while describing my work to a writer of poetry she said it sounded so good it made her leg tingle! LOL So far when I tell someone about the story it has been received well. I hope agents feel the same!

My word count for this week is: 3812. Not as much as I would have liked but I'm still researching and edging my way into the story. Getting a feel for the setting and characters. Not sure how much writing I'll get done the next couple of weeks with my daughter and three children 3-years-old and under running around my house, but we'll see.

How did everyone else fare this week? Good counts or researching or just plain thinking about the story.

PS: Don't forget to hop over to Brenda Novak's online auction for diabetes. There are some great things offered and it's for a great cause!

Vocabulary Workout

That's right, people. It's time to flex those literary muscles, shape up those sentences and condition those consonants and vowels. Bulk up on your word choices for a buff body of fiction that will make your readers drool at the very sight.

Okay, yeah, I'm on a fitness binge… again. Can you tell? Last year, for every pound I lost I seemed to gain one more and I'm ashamed to look at myself in the mirror. But enough about me. This blog is a fitness exercise for your prose.

I was watching the remake of Alfie the other night, the one starring Jude Law (yum!). He had one of those word-a-day calendars and he'd rip a page from the calendar every day and would find a way to use that word. It got me to thinking. We should all work on building up our vocabulary, don't you think? We're writers, right? Words are our business. So…

Get your fattest dictionary down off the shelf. Close your eyes and flip it open, then jab your finger down on the page. What word did you point to? I want you to do this three times, in three different sections of the dictionary. Now write a paragraph or scene using those new words.

I'd do the first as an example, but I'm on my way out the door to Les Schwab to get my brakes fixed. I'll contribute when I get back.

Try not to pull a muscle and have fun! 8^)

In Defense of the Category Romance

I've recently been re-reading some of Suzanne Brockmann, Jennifer Crusie and Linda Lael Miller's category romances--the highlight reel if you will. (And yes, I know, you're probably sick of my book analyzing posts, but both Tavy and I are sick--talking about what I'm reading is the best I can do!). I've read pretty much the entire backlist for all three, so I feel comfortable saying that each had some of her best moments in the category books.

But, I also notice that category books are but a footnote in many authors' careers, something to be overcome, escaped from, and quickly forgotten. Until of course, they hit the NYT bestseller list, and their publisher sees dollar signs from reissuing category books with snazzy new covers and calling them "novellas." And the readers snatch them up, many for the first time. The same readers who wouldn't be caught dead with a category book in hand.

Why is category such a dirty word? Among writers there seems to be a hierarchy of e-publishing, category, and the golden ring, single-title. But, among readers, who don't know from publishers, category seems to rank only slightly higher than comic books. When asked what I write, I often notice a slight wince, a furrowing of the brow when I say, "Romance." If I add the disclaimer, but not, you know, category books, there's almost an audible sigh of relief. Good, good, they can keep acknowledging me on the streets.

I'm lying of course. I'd happily give up a non-vital organ to sell to category, and I most assuredly DO write category, especially if the category romances I've been re-reading are any judge. But, I can't stand the look of disappointment, especially in the eyes of those who don't read romance. Which brings me back to, what is the great stigma over the little red, white, and blue books? Is that you can purchase them along with laundry detergent and milk at the grocery? That they fit neatly in a handbag? That there are simply so many of them? That they have little resale value?

I've noticed that many writers (not naming names :)) of category--best-selling, award-winning--don't read category. In fact, it's rare to meet a fellow RWA member who fesses up to reading category. You'll have much better luck finding members who read hard erotica. THEY write in to proudly stand up for that sub-genre. But, who's standing up for category? If even many of those who write it have their eyes firmly fixed on the "real" goal of single title, it's no wonder that many good stories get lost until it's backlist time, and they become hot commodities.

But for every bestseller with reissues, there's twenty authors who make their entire career in category, many very happily. With this in mind, I went back to my TBR pile and looked at the unread category books (that I was re-reading books rather than tackling these says something in and of itself). I read each first chapter AS IF IT WERE A SINGLE TITLE. Lo, and behold, my mind shifted. I held the book to a different standard. And, I found several winners.

Long before I read single title, I spent years reading category. I followed the reading habits of my grandmother, much to my mother's chagrin. But, somewhere along the line, I too became judgmental, choosing category only as a "last resort." I'm realizing that my preconceptions have cost me many a good story.

And, I'm going to make a concerted effort to change that. And now, I have an exercise for you, if you dare. I KNOW you have unread category books hanging around. Pull back the cover. Look at the title page as if you were handed a bestselling single title. Read the first chapter. Does it make a difference in your opinion of the book?

Are there category writers whom you DO read (beyond our own amazing Alice, whom I assume you're all reading)? Whose work transcends category and is simply a great story?

MENOPAUSAL MOMENTS IN WRITING

You may ask yourself what are menopausal writing moments?
A. Men pause over your shoulder as you write.
B. A pause or frequent pauses in writing.
C. Sudden hot flashes designed to pause your ability to think clearly and write cohesively.
D. Answers B & C.
E. All of the above.

A year and a half ago my doctor stated I had gone through menopause. I sat a little taller and carried a smug smile on the inside. My body had slipped through the gates of menopause without fuss or fanfare.

Two months ago I discover my doctor lied to me. I’ve always been a late bloomer and I should have known better than to believe the words of a male doctor, who at best may try and force his imagination to wiggle through the porthole into the world of hot flashes, brain fog, sharp personality shifts and restless nights of sleep. In reality, I question if he could ignore the tidal wave of heat rushing through his body; endure the dense haze infused into every crevasse of his brain; overcome the frantic, manic and split personalities so quick to emerge and take over, and still march through his days in perfect pitch and beat.

I am humbled to join the ranks of the women who have gone before me into the world of menopause and have come out survivors.

From my vast experience of eight weeks, writing through a menopausal moment equals a walk down death row and no amount of premium quality chocolate will halt the mission. I’m not here to give you advice on writing and menopause. I’m here to gather all I can from others and hope my brain can collect said information into a cohesive, understandable formula I can recall at will or at least within a twenty-four hour period.

This menopause gig started out as a silent assailant. What once claimed a firm stage on my frame now sags, droops or has moved south permanently. The exchange of smooth, tight skin is being replaced with loose wrinkles and flab. Once youthful freckles are now age spots. My hair has begun to turn white in areas on my body I didn't realize changed color. (If necessary I can draw a diagram.) I’ve also located wild hairs growing in frightening places. The other day I pulled a curly black hair out of my left ear. I don’t believe God intended for a black fur patch to develop in the female auditory vestibule. If I start growing more wild hairs than men, I’ll be forced to dive into a vat of estrogen and buy stock in the company.

A few years before our dog’s death the vet told us she was going through menopause. Today, through new eyes, I find myself better understanding that difficult time in her life and embraced a new bond in her memory. I even adopted a kindred spirit with her until I remembered she began lifting her leg on occasion to relieve herself. I’ve decided it’s not wise to attempt to compare yourself with a member of the animal kingdom. Yet, there are times when the desire to claw at someone grows strong.

If today’s blog has left you feeling heated and cheated of learning anything valuable in the realm of writing please join me in a menopausal moment. I’ll not elaborate further, except to say, where is the pause in menopause?

Good News all around me.

This picture is of fans from Cour'd Lene, ID who were at the Rose City RWA Reader's Luncheon in Portland.

The tallest woman is Janet. I met her the very first RWA conference I went to at Emerald City.

Nicole McCaffrey my eight year CP has her first book, "Model Man" out and has been receiving high reviews (which I told her would happen). It is an awesome book about a 40 year-old romance writer who reluctantly falls in love with a young male cover model. It is sassy, fun, and darn right hot! It's in the Last Rose of Summer line at The Wild Rose Press.

My friend, Karen, who some of you met when we had the retreat at my house, went with me to the Reader's Luncheon and from reading the excerpt Genene had there of her book "Songs of the Heart"- I may have lost my first fan to Genene! LOL She loved the excerpt and raved about it all the way home from Portland. And made me promise to buy a book from Genene as soon as she gets them.

Author, Lauri Robinson, who I met through The Wild Rose Press and has also become a friend, has received awesome reviews for her Cactus Rose book, "A Wife for Big John". A sweet, fun read about a woman who falls in love with a logger's cook stove and then him.

And though I haven't received a confirmation yet, someone at the Reader's luncheon mentioned she thought I was giving a workshop at the Beau Monde/Historical track at Nationals on Wednesday of Nationals. She's supposed to get back to me this week. I had stopped preparation on that project thinking since I hadn't heard anything- it was a no go.

Sorry this isn't a learning, growing,expanding blog, but my weekend and thought processing for the blog was messed up when my daughter's plane came in thirty hours late and my dad showed up wanting to go shopping in Bend. Family is where my attention has been and not on a throught provoking blog.

What good news has happened to you or around you lately? Good news is always fun to share no matter who it belongs to.

CHALLENGE CHECK-IN

I believe Paty is driving over the hill today to the Reader's Luncheon in Portland so I'm going to risk stepping on toes and go ahead and post a challenge check-in. The fact is a lot of us rely on having a place to state our progress, a place to feel accountable where our audience is both knowledgeable and sympathetic.

I'll start with me. Monday I called my editor and told her I couldn't make this a three book series. There were many reasons I did this, the most important one being I could not find a connecting thread nor plot the second and last book. My editor was very supportive and kind -- I had no idea how terrible it would feel to admit defeat. Apparently, that angst acted like a wake up call to the lazy, no account brain cells loitering in my head, and they started scurrying around like ants on a drop of honey. The result is a shift of backstory and a glimmer of light. Hopefully, this will lead somewhere and I can call my editor back and tell her all is not lost and she can put a big red mark on my file (I picture red marks on all the crazy writer files. My dog once had a red mark on his file because he bit the vet... about the same thing, right? I digress....)

A writer friend of mine said, "Don't worry too much about it. I think editors expect us to be a little nuts." I aim to please.

So, how did your week go?

Hodge-Podge

I swear my brain is blank this morning. I've been staring at the blinking cursor for the last ten minutes and still can't come up with a pithy topic. I've been up until well after one AM each night working on my revisions, the DH has been out of town and I have a thousand things I need to do today (which is weighing on my brain right now). Not to mention I need to get dressed to go run my seven miles this morning (my running partner is a slave driver).

So instead of something deep and stimulating, I'm going to share the things I've learned (or heard about in passing) this week and some things I'm looking forward to:

In the news:

In case you didn't hear (I think it was last week!), Kendra placed third in the Linda Howard Contest. Way to go, Kendra! Right now she's in Hawaii. (I'm green with jealousy.)

Everyone's talking about what a blast the Romantic Times Convention was this past week in Pittsburgh. The girls at Killer Fiction, The Bradford Bunch, Romance Bandits...they all have pictures and stories up on their blogs. Next year RT is in Orlando. I'm considering going because my first book will be out then. Someone told me RWA is a great convention if you're prepubbed, RT is the one you need attend after you have a book (or books) out. Anyone here been to RT or planning to go next year?

Allison Brennan just inked a HUGE new deal with Ballantine for a new supernatural thriller series based on the seven deadly sins. She talked all about it yesterday at Murder She Writes.

Gemma Halliday also agreed to write a new series for Dorchester based on a Hollywood gossip magazine and the mysteries surrounding it. Read more about her new series here.

And things I'm looking forward to:

The new Indiana Jones movie.

68 degree temps on Saturday.

Finishing my revisions (I'm so close!)

There's more but my brain is too full to think of them! So you share...what news did you hear this week? Anything interesting? And what things are you looking forward to in May?

A DAY OF MIRACLES

Have you ever had a day so full of miracles that any one the events -- let alone a series of them -- would be tagged "not believable" or "too coincidental" by NY editors if you tried to sell them in a story?

For me, Wednesday was such a day.

I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion on voice, by the way, but was too busy being awed by the incredible power that can be unleashed when our higher selves are in right alignment with the universe to join in.

I wanted to share some of the events of Wednesday with you, but struggled with how to do this in the few short words of a blog without sounding like I had escaped from the accommodations with steel-barred windows on Center Street or was some kind of a new age religious zealot. But perhaps that is my "voice," so I'll jump right in with the highlights. :)

The day started with fixing the furnace, but that didn't really count as a miracle because I had also done it the day before.

An unexpected phone call came mid-morning that pushed me to an aha moment and gave me the courage to take a strong emotional stand, breaking decades of my usual straddle-the-fence perspective of seeing all sides to an issue. That in itself was a huge step for me. The fact that this was a catalyst that could break a destructive cycle and change lives in a positive way became the next part of the Day of Miracles as three more related phone calls followed in quick succession.

The day wrapped up with another miracle: After being missing for almost a month, my son's dog is back. He evidently wandered around the city for a week or so before being adopted as a "group dog" by several young people in their early twenties. In spite of starting out with a collar with tags bearing my phone number and having a microchip, it was these kids and the Internet (and of course that higher power of the universe) that reconnected us, not the traditional methods of finding a lost pet.

Right now, my son's dog is laying by my feet, along with several others of my doggie pack, a tangible reminder of the Day of Miracles. What will the next days bring? A return to the mundane or more miracles? I'm consciously expecting more miracles and wondering how I can make them "believable" enough to use in a story. What about you? Have you had a Day of Miracles and have you used them in any of your stories? If you could manifest such a day, what would those miracles be?

OK, it's past midnight and I'm going to call it a day -- after I check my lottery tickets!

A DAY OF MIRACLES

VOICE

This is a quote from Wikipedia:: " Writer's voice is a literary term used to describe the individual writing style of an author. Voice is 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 also be referred to as the specific fingerprint of an author, as every author has a different writing style.
In creative writing, students are often encouraged to experiment with different literary styles and techniques in order to help them better develop their "voice." Voice varies with the individual author, but, particularly in American culture, having a strong voice is considered positive and beneficial to both the writer and his or her audience."

I quote this because sometimes we wonder if we have a "voice." Somehow we know we "should" but don't know if we do. I particularly like the section up above where it says the writer's voice includes the use of syntax, diction, etc... across several works. It's there, whether we know it or not. It's how we express ourselves.

Sometimes I wish I could read our comments without knowing who the author is. I fancy that I could tell all of us without looking at a name. Last week, Eli told Lori she always knew her posts because of her voice and Lori mentioned that I had told her she had a distinctive voice and she hadn't been sure if that was good or bad. Thank heavens her husband told her it was good because it is. All of us have one. All of us. Karen conducted a test in one of her blogs where she gave a list of items to include in a story set up and everyone used them to their best advantage. Our voices shone through.

If you don't think you have a voice it may be because you haven't written enough yet to discern your own patterns. But think of your favorite authors, think of what you like about them, and if part of it is the manner in which they express themselves, their sentence structure, the way in which they develop a character and create dialogue -- you are admiring their voice. If you enjoy their message, their sensibilities and take on life -- then you are enjoying their voice. Because voice is a writer's essence, it's a part of who they are. You can contort it, just as an actor can assume a different role, but it will be a role then and not true. And it will show. No one is going to confuse Stephen King and Janet Evanovich and it's not because of their subject matter -- it's because of their voice.

Have you ever started reading a book and connected immediately? Felt very comfortable, understood every nuance, could almost anticipate the next word? If so, you may have run across someone with a voice very close to your own. It would be interesting to know if that familiarity runs through a person's favorite authors. I don't know if that;s true or not or stupid or not. What do you think?

Meanwhile, my advice for those of you who do not know your voice -- don't worry about it. It's there. It's like your fingerprints, it's part of you for good or bad. You can train it, you can hone it, you can refine and develop it. But it's there.

This is a quote from Wikepedia:: " Writer's voice is a literary term used to describe the individual writing style of an author. Voice is 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 also be referred to as the specific fingerprint of an author, as every author has a different writing style.
In creative writing, students are often encouraged to experiment with different literary styles and techniques in order to help them better develop their "voice." Voice varies with the individual author, but, particularly in American culture, having a strong voice is considered positive and beneficial to both the writer and his or her audience."

I quote this because sometimes we wonder if we have a "voice." Somehow we know we "should" but don't know if we do. I particularly like the section where it says the writer's use of syntax, diction, etc... across several works. It's there, whether we know it or not. It's how we express ourselves

VOICE

Your voice is what makes your story yours

Yearly goal-setting

Today I am going to set 26 goals. And by posting them here, they are public. I am doing this because today is a special day for me, my birthday, and it's a year that signifies the starting of a new chapter of my life. So in honor of that, I'm setting 26 goals.

1. FINISH A BOOK. Siiiiggghhh. I'm actually much closer than I've been before, and I'm pretty sure it will happen this year.

2. Edit the book.

3. Submit the book to agents.

4. Write at least a draft of a second book.

5. Get a tattoo (hopefully happening tonight!)

6. Get a nose piercing (again, hopefully happening tonight!) - priorities, eh?

7. Apply to graduate schools.

8. Finish my senior thesis.

9. Begin blogging on my personal blog again.

10. Get fit and healthy.

11. Clean my apartment (I'm really starting to see a pattern here...same goals as every time...)

12. Redesign my personal Web site.

13. Read a crapload of books (both romance and anthropology).

14. Flesh out ideas of a couple more books.

15. Pick up my paranormal ideas to see if they cause any sparks.

16. Study for the GRE.

17. Take the GRE (and do well).

18. Do better at keeping up with current events.

19. Learn basic Italian.

20. Learn the human bones.

21. Try to decide on a grad school regional focus.

22. Write a short story.

23. Do better at keeping in touch with people.

24. Get rid of a bunch of crap (ties in with the apartment cleaning thing).

25. Write at least SOMETHING in my current WIP each day.

26. Be happy!

Do you have any goals you'd like to make public? Are there certain times of the year, or certain times of your life that you set goals? Or do you avoid goal-setting like the plague?

And here is my current ideas for the tattoo, trying to decide on the placement I like. And it's going to be on my left wrist, the inside below my palm. Pretty small and easily coverable by bracelets or a watch. Creative types are supposed to have a tattoo, right? ;)

Yearly goal-setting

Today I am going to set 26 goals. And by posting them here, they are public.

Challenge Check-in

Hey Everyone!

How was this week for your writing endeavors? Did you make your goal? Or like me floundered around.

This week wasn't a good word count week. I managed about 750 words. But I'm in the beginning of a new project and I'm doing more research than writing. Now if you count all the notes I'm jotting down.... Then I'd have a decent word count! LOL I spent all day Monday deciding on setting, then had a break through on my Tuesday drive that concreted the hero in my mind. He'd been a little blurry until then. With having found my setting, now I have to do research about it. So I figure this next week will be another slow word count week, but after that I hope to get those words flying.

Off to sort cattle and freeze my butt off!

Loglines

I know today's our normal challenge check-in, but if Paty doesn't mind posting the check-in tomorrow, I thought this might be a fun exercise. I totally pilfered this from Karin Tabke's blog because it was so cool.

A logline is a one sentence pitch that describes your book (or in the case of screenwriters, their script). It's the blurb in the TV guide that tells you what a movie is about. It's the line that gets you excited about a book or movie or TV show. It's what you say when someone asks, "What's your book about?" Obviously, it should answer one main question: What is your story about?

Two reasons you need a logline:
1. A logline keeps you focused as you write.
2. A logline summarizes your book in as few words as possible when you're ready to pitch it to an editor or agent. (And it gives you something to say when you find yourself alone in the elevator with Leslie Wainger at Nationals and she says, "So what are you working on now?" {One can dream, right?})

So...now that you know the definition, what's the logline for your current wip? I'll go first:

Mythological warrior falls for the one woman destined to save his race - the same woman he's been sent to find and lead to her death.

Okay, your turn. Post your logline in the comment section. If you don't have one, post what you've got and we'll all help you perfect it. And comments are good. If you want to hack mine to pieces, go for it. ;)

THE CALL

Yesterday evening, at around 7:30, my husband and I took a short drive. When I returned, the light on the phone was blinking. I called the number and the nice recording on the answering machine link told me I had missed two calls.

One was from my daughter and said she'd call back. I listened to the second message and bit my lip.

My husband came into the house. "What's wrong?" he said when he found me sitting at the table staring at the phone. "I'm not sure," I told him. "But we got a call from a very young child, a baby even. Just some sounds. The identity screen says it's a local wireless number... I'm going to call the number to make sure everything is okay."

He looked at me like I was nuts, but hey, we've been married a long time, so he shrugged.

I made the call. It was answered by a woman. I launched into my spiel. "You don't know me and I don't believe I know you, but I received a call from this number a bit ago. It was a child's voice though I couldn't understand anything he said, just some sounds ---"

The woman said, "Alice? This is Danita." (My name came up on her screen. She said later she thought I was telling a joke or putting her on so she waited through my explanation.)

Anyway, it turns out when Parker goes to sleep Danita jumps into the shower and it appears Dalton sometimes finds her cell phone and pushes buttons as fast as his little fingers can go and this time, I was the lucky recipient. The child had to wait through my message and then leave one of his own and you know, he did a good job. Other than that speech thing.

So, I got to talk to Danita and that is why I am doing this blog today for her as she is caught in new mother mode and probably will be for awhile. She sounded happy and well and says the children are doing great considering one is a newborn and the other has just landed in the land of TWO. She misses writing but knows it's just a matter of time.

Right after this, I went to watch TV and ended up finding THE NEVERENDING STORY. This is a children's story about a young boy who loses his mother and is told by his father to keep his feet on the ground. Hiding from some bullies, he finds a book by the title's name and he takes it into an attic to read. The little boy has an active imagination and soon finds this book is different from other books in that the he seems to become part of the story which is basically about saving the land of fantasy and imagination.

It's a sweet story, the little boy is adorable, and as I watched it I thought of Dalton and all the wonderful things ahead of him, and Parker, too. And given their mother's inevitable influence, is their little doubt that these two boys will know exactly how to help keep the land of imagination and dreams alive?

Here's to all the little boys and girls who know or will soon discover the thrill of opening a book and reading the first words, the words that take their hands and gently or not so gently, pull them into a world more alive than reality. Do you remember your first books? Your mother reading to you? Your children's first books and the ones you read to them? One of my fondest memories is reading a book called THE MAZE IN THE HEART OF THE CASTLE by Dorothy Gillman. Every night, my children would come sit on my bed and I would read them a chapter even though they knew how to read by themselves by then. And every night there would be a major chapter ending explosion and it was hard to stop and yet delicious to anticipate. The night the boy caught in a literal maze with a bunch of people also caught but resigned to stay there climbs the wall and then jumps off of it into a vast desert (i.e., thinks outside the box) we were all stunned.

The power of words is addictive and fascinating and has been such a huge part of my life. Another time, when computers didn't offer graphics, were just words, my kids and I played a game called Zork. Just words. Options, directions, trying to solve the puzzle with nothing but a black screen and a few questions -- a story game. At one point, we found some stairs to send the boy down and these words (more or less) flashed on the screen: "You are at the gate of hell." I shivered. They were profoundly frightening and unexpected. And though Zork evolved into future versions with pictures galore, it wasn't the same.

Words and children and imagination. I've got to go now. The phone is ringing. Maybe it's Dalton...

Fuel for the Story Engine

Do you keep notes? I don't mean like taking notes from lectures or research, but just every day stuff. In other words, do you carry around a notebook and jot things down, like a particular way you feel in single moment of time, or how the afternoon sun creates long shadows and takes you back to when you were a kid playing kick-the-can in the street, or the time your grandmother came riding up the driveway on her new bike and couldn't figure out how the brakes worked.

This is all day-to-day stuff, but some things strike us stronger than others and plant themselves in the memory centers of our brains. It's all grist for the story-mill.

I always delude myself into believing I'll remember stuff. Oh, yeah, who could ever forget the day … Uh, well, I forgot. Or how about the time my son was on his skateboard and, uh, oops. Another lost memory.

I'm not an organized person. Some people think in linear patterns, with neat little folders filed in alpha or numerical order inside their heads. Me? My thought process is more like a collage.

So I'm finally starting to write stuff down. Where I end up storing it is another question for another post. I think in colors and pictures, then translate them through words so that I can use them. My recall is mostly visual.

I was visiting with a writer friend yesterday, a morning coffee date (2 hours!) spent talking about everything writing-related, including her new book coming out this September. She's not a genre writer. She writes literary fiction, which I'm very curious about. Her stories aren't so much plot as they are character pastiches, so I asked her how she came up with her stories.

She bases them, in part, on people she's known and worked with, not one them a member of her family. She admits to not being a social person, but she's an observant one and everyone who's interesting stands to become fuel to drive her story engine. Though she doesn’t use her family in her fiction, her adult daughter claims her latest book has a lot of their family in it. This floored my friend because for one thing, there are no family units as such in her book. But elements here and there were subconsciously taken from her life and put in the story. I think that's very cool.

There's so much good stuff to take from real life. My husband is a good example. I could create a dozen different characters from him alone. One character based on just him would never be believable. You know what they say about truth and fiction.

Do you use bits of real life in your stories? Do you write them down in a log or journal? Are any of your characters fashioned out of people you know? Or parts of people you know?

Review: Manuscript Makeover

As a fan of the works of Elizabeth Lyon of The Sell Your Novel Toolkit and A Writer's Guide to Fiction fame, I was super excited to receive a copy of her latest work, Manuscript Makeover for review. Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore would be a welcome addition to any writer's library.

I'm a handbook junkie. I like do-this, then-this, now-this instructions. I'm a big fan of The Breakout Novel Workbook, but the endless exercises can be a bit tedious, and it (like most makeover books) only really helps when you have a complete WIP. Because I edit at the end of the first draft (and second, third, fourth . . .), slash and burn editing makes sense for me. But, a multiple stage, many pass through technique doesn't work if you'd prefer to do a little trimming here, a little weeding there, a nice shrub over here . The edit-as-you go crowd have sorely needed a handbook that can be used as the draft progresses AND again in the second draft.

Enter Manuscript Makeover. With this book, you can choose: Extreme Makeover or Design on a Dime. You can take your finished manuscript and work through the book, one chapter at a time. Or you can take your concept, and work through the book as you complete the first draft. While she's targeting writers with completed first drafts, I also see this book as an invaluable aid during the outline stage. Her lists of advantages/disadvantages for each style choice (type of hook, viewpoint, flashback etc) really set this book apart from other guides.

I tend to be a visual learner, so I like the pro/con lists, and the checklists at the end of each section. The checklists and summaries add a "Dummies Guide to . . ." feeling, but it's not an unwelcome vibe here as it enhances the readability and usability of the book. The one feature I see missing is an overall checklist--either at the beginning or the end. This would be handy if a writer wanted to tackle sections out of order. I also would have liked more examples from published works, but her examples are clear and concise.

The sections on copy editing and on synopsis are both very brief, so if these are your main concerns, you'd probably be better served by other handbooks. Also, if you're looking an inspirational "this is why I'm a writer" type prose, you won't find it here. This a nuts-and-bolts inspection of your manuscript, and it doesn't waste time with many "hang in there" reassurances. I found this refreshing, but others may be at a point where they need more inspiration and less exercises. If that's the case, read one of the many author-on-writing books, then return to this one when you are ready to work.

This is one of the few handbooks I'd recommend to begining AND seasoned writers. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

Now, tell me, what are your favorite handbooks? Read any good resources for writers lately?

SIMPLE AND SEAMLESS

Recently I watched a movie with a simple storyline. It was touching, tender, evoked tears, and spoke volumes. Why? What made it so special? The writers had chosen the right words and spelled them out in all the right places.

How many times have you read a good book and said to yourself, “Well, that was a simple story. I could write that?” What made it look simple were the well balanced, succinct word choices.

Every good story has acquired and been fitted with the right words. We need to do the same when we sit down and write. A writer’s goal is to create a seamless story. Simple? Not always.

To make sure the rhyme, rhythm and cadence ring clear read your passages out loud. Do they flow off your tongue or knot your tongue into a pretzel? Do they say what needs to be said with the heart and soul necessary? Do your sentences need a word extracted here and there? Or do you need to implant a few choice words to convey your full meaning?

Do you struggle to produce the right word? Sometimes that elusive word just won’t surface.

I’ve used all of the following with success:
* Off the top of your head, rattle off a list of possible words choices. Say them out loud to help savor and sample each one.
* Use a dictionary or thesaurus as a helpful aid.
* Sometimes selecting a short word over a long one, or vice versa, will provide the results needed.
* Call a friend or email your loop. That perfect word may fall from their tongue or fingertips.

When the right words jump from our fingertips onto the page you’ll know it. The flow sings with perfect pitch and clarity in your ears. The vivid imagery bursts into full color in your mind. Your heart thumps a little faster, more proof you’ve hit the mark.

What do you do when you’re stuck and searching for the right word?

Reminder: Meeting Tonight

Don't forget tonight's our monthly meeting at The Blue Pepper in downtown Salem. If you're a romance writer in the area who would like to stop by and see what RWA is all about, we'd love to have you join us.

SIMPLE AND SEAMLESS

Recently I watched a movie with a simple storyline. It was touching, tender, evoked tears, and spoke volumes. Why? What made it so special? The writers had chosen the right words and spelled them out in all the right places.

How many times have you read a good book and said to yourself, “Well, that was a simple story. I could write that?” What made it look simple were the well balanced, succinct word choices.

Every good story has acquired and been fitted with the right words. We need to do the same when we sit down and write. A writer’s goal is to create a seamless story. Simple? Not always.

To make sure the rhyme, rhythm and cadence ring clear read your passages out loud. Do they flow off your tongue or knot your tongue into a pretzel? Do they say what needs to be said with the heart and soul necessary? Do your sentences need a word extracted here and there? Or do you need to implant a few choice words to convey your full meaning?

Do you struggle to produce the right word? Sometimes that elusive word just won’t surface.

I’ve used all of the following with success:
* Off the top of your head, rattle off a list of possible words choices. Say them out loud to help savor and sample each one.
* Use a dictionary or thesaurus as a helpful aid.
* Sometimes selecting a short word over a long one, or vice versa, will provide the results needed.
* Call a friend or email your loop. That perfect word may fall from their tongue or fingertips.

When the right words jump from our fingertips onto the page you’ll know it. The flow sings with perfect pitch and clarity in your ears. The vivid imagery bursts into full color in your mind. Your heart thumps a little faster, more proof you’ve hit the mark.

What do you do when you’re stuck and searching for the right word?

POV or not to POV

I'm glad I decided on my subject on Friday and typed it up because today, I ache all over and find typing and thinking both hard to do. Just suffice it to say, my dh worked me near death over the weekend( and not in a fun, romantic way).

Here's my delimma:

As I work on my newest project, which is the series with an ongoing relationship between the Hero and Heroine, I’m having a dilemma over the secondary characters who will have the HEA in the book. I’ve not read one like this before and wondered- do they each need to have a POV in the story? Or can I satisfy the reader keeping it all in the H/H’s POVs showing the secondary characters and how they relate to one another? If the main characters have love scenes(to satisfy those readers wanting such scenes) do I have to show the secondary couple that intimate or will the way the Main characters perceive and tell the story be enough to have the reader sighing and happy with the HEA and yet on the edge of their seat waiting for the next book to come out and see how the H/H come together again.

Has anyone read a book with what I’m planning? If so please let me know so I can read it. I may be biting off more than I can chew, but I’m going for something unique and different with the goal of capturing an agent or editors attention. But I have to be able to pull it off as well.

Challenge Check In

Yep, it's that time again- How did you do this week for word count, revisions, or whatever it was you set you mind to tackle?

I shipped Miner in Petticoats off to my editor on Thursday and spent all of yesterday digging into the book I plan to pitch at Nationals. I did a conflict chart, started the synopsis using Michael Hauge's Six Plot Structure and that seems to work well for me, and still working on the seven elements. I've tweaked my heroine from my original plan and the thing that has me hung up, I'm going to blog about on Monday. So stay tuned for that!

Yesterday was gorgeous on this side of the mountain and today looks just as good.

10 Things I've Learned From Reading Fairy Tales

10. Females make good villains. In many of the modern fairy tales, the villain is the evil stepmother, out to ruin the future of the pampered princess. In romance fiction, more often than not the villain ends up being male. The books where the villain is female are the ones that usually have the best unexpected twists and turns.

9. In modern fairy tales, the hero or heroine learns something vital about themselves. We're talking character arc, which is as important to romantic fiction as it is to Belle from Beauty & The Beast.

8. "Once Upon A Time" could be today, tomorrow or five-hundred years ago, depending on your interpretation. Take me to a place I don't know, describe it well and hook me, and I'll believe anything you have to tell me. As it is in fairy tales, world-building in any novel is important to making the story believable.

7. Fairy tales are not just for kids. Most modern day fiction is based, in some part, on the classic fairy tale structure of good vs. evil. Classic fairy tale story lines - Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince - can be retold in a thousand different ways and still be as exciting as the originals. It's all in how it's done. And readers love to see the familiar redone in a brand new way. (Think: Ever After)

6. Not every princess needs to be rescued. Sometimes it's the prince who needs to be saved. Taking a classic fairy tale and turning it upside down is a new twist on an old story.

5. Popular paranormal & fantasy fiction has its roots in classic fairy tales. Elves, dwarves, magicians, werewolves, fae, goblins, witches, giants and talking animals aren't new but date back to at least the 1500's when cultures used fairy tales to explain their beliefs in witches and demons. Arabian fairy tales are recorded as far back as the 1200's. And the oldest known written fairy tales stem from Egypt c 1300 AD. Think you're writing something new and different? Think again.

4. Children's fairy tale movies are a great source of research for a writer. Say what you will about Disney movies, but the writers at Disney do a good job with internal/external conflict, character arcs and basic plots. If you haven't yet figured out story structure, watching simple fairy tales are a good way to learn.

3. Not all fairy tales end happily. And romantic fiction - depending on the genre, the series, etc. - doesn't necessarily have to end 100% happily either. Especially in series books where there's some kind of external struggle which over-arcs from one book to the next, so long as the protagonists have their own miniature-version of happily ever after, your reader will be pleased. Just don't leave them hanging.

2. Because of the HEA factor, people tend to dis romantic fiction just like they do fairy tales - for being far-fetched and unreal. Hence, the "fairy tale romance" or "fairy tale ending". Considering fairy tales are so deeply rooted in history and every culture on the planet, I now consider the romance industry's comparison to fairy tales as a compliment rather than a put-down.

And finally,

1. Modern fairy tales appeal to readers for the same reason romantic fiction does - because in a world where things go wrong on a daily basis and everywhere you turn, bad things are happening, it's nice to know there's a place you can go to have the promise of the "happily ever after".

For a list of classic fairy tales including title (with link), year, author and where the tale is from, check out this link.

Wanna test your fairy tale IQ? Check out this quiz and tell us how you did.

What's your favorite fairy tale? And have you learned anything significant about writing from fairy tales?

SERIOUS PLAY

Perhaps I need a vacation, or maybe just some serious play. So, for today's blog, I combed the Internet for romance-related trivia. Here is some of what I found:

-- You've probably heard that 53% of all mass market paperback books sold in this country are romances. That means romance novels earn more money in the USA yearly than baseball.

-- The longest married couple is believed to be a Taiwanese couple who celebrated their 86th anniversary in 2003. Liu Yung-yang and his wife, Yang Wan, are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the world's longest marriage.

-- For Valentine's Day 2000, a liqueur manufacturer created the world's largest box of chocolates. The heart-shaped box, assembled in New York City, measured 15 feet high by 15 feet wide and weighed some 1300 pounds. It held the record until November of 2002, when Marshall Fields broke the record with a 2,002 pound box of chocolates in Chicago.

-- Wild cabbage was traditionally recommended as an aphrodisiac.

-- You burn 26 calories in a one-minute kiss.

-- According to English folklore, Saturday, the most popular American choice, is the unluckiest day to marry!

-- Janet Evanovich wrote 12 romance novels before moving to the crime genre to author her highly successful Stephanie Plum series of novels. She credited with this quote on the preparation for her genre change from romance to crime: "I spent two years retooling - drinking beer with law enforcement types, learning to shoot, practicing cussing."

-- The average woman uses up approximately her height in lipstick every five years.

How about you? Heard any good romance trivia lately?

TITLES

I'd like some help with titles, but first I'd like to share part of an article I recently read in The Week. The focus was the stories behind the titles of a few classic novels and was adapted from the book Why Not Catch-21 by author Gary Dexter. Since the article was already pared down, it's almost impossible to completely paraphrase it, so I am using lots of quotes.

My favorite one was the title story. I was under the impression that Catch-22, an expression used to describe an impossible bind, existed before the title was given to the book but just the opposite is true. It is the book that created the saying -- think about it, there are no catches 1-21 and no Catch-23 onward. "Its very uniqueness," Dexter writes, "meant Heller had to think carefully before naming or numbering it. And his choice was --- Catch-18."

Heller was a bomber pilot during the Second World War and so was his character in the book. When he submitted it (three years later) to the publisher, it still had that title. But then Leon Uris came out with a book the same year called Mila 18 also about the war and so Heller got the job of renaming his book. "It was thought that Heller, a first-time novelist, should be the one to blink."

In a 1975 interview, Heller said, "I was heartbroken. I thought 18 was the only number." Dexter says, "A long process of of numerical agonizing began in which the author and his editor, Robert Gottlieb, worked their way through the integers looking for the right formula. Catch-11 was one of the first suggestions, but was rejected because of the film Ocean's Eleven. Heller at one point settled on Catch-14 but Gottleb threw it out for being too nondescript. When 22 came up, Gottelieb felt it had the right ring, and Heller acceded two weeks later. 'I thought 22 was a funnier number than 14,' Gottlieb said in 1967.'"

Now, I understand I am not writing a classic, but I also understand a title can be a big selling point. In my corner of the world, hooks are used as title bait. Thus my next release, named by my editors, "The Lawman's Secret Son." My title was Shot In The Dark, but I was warned it was too mainstream and that it would hinder sales. I don't want to hinder sales. So my title has the secret baby hook and the policeman hook and it's okay with me. Try getting snotty about these things and see how far it gets you. Plus I've grown to like it just fine.

I'm currently working on a book about identical triplet brothers. I would like to submit with titles that reflect the fact there are thee of them. I've been mulling it over and have come up with zip. With the twin women I did a couple of years ago, they named the "series" Dead Ringers, and then the books had their own titles, so maybe that's where I should get in the three part. Any bright thoughts?

I'm not exactly in a Catch-22, but I could use a little brainstorming. Of course, this is the cart before the horse as I only have twenty pages of book one and seven pages of synopsis and a general idea of book three and very little for book two, but I thought I would throw it out there. Plus, a week or so ago, Paty mentioned titles so maybe she'll chime in.

Do you have a method? Do you use a phrase from your book? If you've published, have you kept your own title? I've been about half ad half.

SEVEN OR LESS

I'm jumping in today hoping I'm not stealing someone else's thunder. How about another seven words or less story exercise to get started today?

I’ll go first.

Silent thief robs memories in one stroke.

Cemetery plot available. Apply on way out.

Even tides wash natures hurts.

Anyone else want to play?