Frozen Dinners Again?

Posted on July 10, 2009 | 2 comments

100_2218Writing takes considerable investment of emotions and time.

I’m like a little chirping bird when I’m happy I want to tell everyone “I’m so happy” (musical notes suspended in the air).  I want to share why!  “My work in progress WIP is going to well!” (More la la la musical notes winging through the air)

That is usually followed by a massive information dump about why I am so happy and exactly why my WIP is going so well.  This conversation is usually punctuated by a lot of: ” and then…. and then they….after that, this thing happens, and I say this….. and it is so funny, sexy, exciting,. . .” (you supply the adjective).

I’m like the freaking glowing happy bug bit me and I need smacked with a fly swatter.

As a very dear friend pointed out.  I’m posting intricacies of my story, plot and characters in explicit detail on the FREAKING WORLD WIDE WEB, don’t you know.  You dumb guppie,  sharks be out thar!

(That’s why April, May and June Blog posts disappeared in a flury of post damage clean up)

We had a friend who had their plot and story stolen by a published author. No it is not an urban legend.  Know it happened.  I will go on record here and now.  If a published author has to steal plots and stories from un-pub aspiring authors, or plagerize other author’s work!  Shame Shame Shame on you.  There are a bazillion stories out there in the naked city. (cliche’ intended)  Get your juices flowing with a newspaper or something and stop being a vampire.

At the same time.  I have published friends who give tirelessly in helping the unpub and pre-pub authors grow and develop into the craft.  So take the good over the bad.

Rant finished for now.

So for now I’ll keep cherping happily and perhaps sometimes not so happily.

However, for the explicit details. . . well. . . keep reading, My books should become available through amazon at some future yet to be revealed date.  I just need an agent, an editor, a publishing contract.  OH, and I’ll need to write a kick ass query letter, synopsis! ummm should think about a really high concept tag line.  Damn got to fix all those huge holes in my plot.

And just perhaps, hummmm, a random thought flashing by here. . .

I should actually finish writing the damn book!

Awww Mom, T.V. Dinners AGAIN!

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Break Into Fiction Conference

Posted on March 23, 2009 | Comments Off on Break Into Fiction Conference

First Coast Romance Writers (FCRW) held their annual Southern Lights Writers Conference with features guests Dianna Love and Mary Buckham.  The Break Into Fiction workshop was very interesting.  By the end of the day I was convinced that I needed more conflict in my WIP (work in progress).  Their interactive workshop helps you plan step by step the goals, motivations and obstacles in your plot, character by character, scene by scene.

The conference also provided a great time for networking with other writers both published and unpublished.  It was a rejuvenating weekend that helped me inmeasurably in my quest for improving my writing craft.

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The Story

Posted on March 11, 2009 | 9 comments

The story is the foundation of your novel.  I was amazed at the workshop how many people didn’t get the concept of story.  When asked about story people want to tell you everything their characters are doing and what is happening to them.  That isn’t story.  That is plot.  What they do and what happens to them is all about plot.

Next workshop participants wanted to say it’s a story about how courage leads to redemption.  Sorry no, that’s not the story.  That was a great job of identifying the theme.  What we search for we already possess.  Courage leads to redemption.   Good stories have a theme.

Anne McClaire taught us at the writer workshop last week that the story is the engine and GPS of your novel.  Once you know the story everything else falls in place and you won’t get pulled off track in the progress of your plot.

The story is that central idea the little kernel that probably started with “What if?”  the story begins with that flash idea.  Once you get your “What if?” started you begin to ask “Why does it matter?” “and because of that. . . ”  These questions lead to plot development.  Through that “What if?”  and following questions leading to plot, theme, character, and then setting pulls out of that.  The “Why did that happen?” gives you the backstory to mix in as little snipits here a little and there a little.

Story is the Sun of your novel.  Everything revolves around the story.  From the story you can discover the structure, the time and duration of the novel, the POV, the tense.  All those things that create the envelope or framework of the novel and yes the theme and plot components.

Take the challenge to describe your story in 25 words or less.  Doing that exercise will pare away the plot and all the extras that while essential are not the kernel of story.

What you have when you are finished is the answer when an agent or editor asks you “What is your story about?”

It’s the story of:  “A sexy forestry firefighter falls for single mother D.J. who is afraid to trust that love and committment can be forever with a dangerous man.”  25 words.

Take the challenge.  What do you come up with for your story?images1

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Novel Discussions: A Workshop for Writers

Posted on March 5, 2009 | 1 comment

I attended Novel Discussions:  A Workshop for Writers as part of the Jacksonville Library Much Ado About Books celebration on Friday February 27th.  The day began with Anne LeClaire (NYT Best Selling Author/ Listening Below the Noise)  speaking with the group about ‘Story:  Building It’s Foundation’.  I can’t possibly give a moment by moment report of the entire day in this blog.  You just had to be there.  If I ever have the blessing of attending more of her classes or workshops I will jump on board, nuff said.   Carla Neggers (NYT Best Selling Author / Betrayals) continued as the next speaker teaching ‘Plot, Character and Pace:  The Three Essentials’.  How can anyone possibly wrap those three essentials into a twenty to thirty minute presentation?   She did a great job of nailing the basics, tight and concise.  While still sharing her witty perspective on the creative process.  I have notes highlighting absolutely golden nuggets that will help me improve areas in my writing.  

A bonus lunch time panel discussion of Writing into the Next Century was well attended.

The afternoon sessions began with a question and answer session by David Baldacci ( NYT Best Selling Author/The Whole Truth) and continued with a wrap up by Steve Berry (NYT Best Selling Author / The Charlemagne Pursuit) going over ‘Eight Rules of Writing’ which I believe we expanded to a nice round ten before the afternoon closed.  These guys packed the one two punch for the afternoon to be a total knock out.  Ok, awful pun, but what more can I say.  I was thrilled with the quality of the presentations and wealth of information I gathered that will improve my writing.   Four New York Best Selling Authors, prolific writers, facinating people and the entire thing was FREE.  The event was sponsored by the Jacksonville Library and local businesses.  

Over the next few months I’m going to share on this blog some of the insights I gained attending this workshop.  Did you get to attend this event?  What were your impressions of the day?  Let’s talk about it

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Platform – The new buzz word

Posted on February 16, 2009 | Comments Off on Platform – The new buzz word

Marcela Landres was our guest speaker at this past FCRW (First Coast Romance Writers) chapter meeting.  Marcela was an editor at Simon & Schuster.  I appreciate Ms. Landres taking the time to visit our chapter meeting to teach us how editors think!

The concept that many untalented authors are published every day was not foreign to me.  I read voraciously and once in a while stumble across a wall banger that makes me shake my head in dismay and wonder, “How in the H@((! did this get published?”

Ms. Landres was very candid and open in her presentation.  She put my thoughts into words and encouraged me.  I tend to identify myself as having lots of potential.  I’m not an author whose name you might find being used in sentences with the words gifted, talented, the next romance author star of this generation. 

Ok so for me, her presentation was encouraging.  The concept that I have some modicum of control over my career and whether or not I come to the attention of an agent, publisher, fan girl club et al is a relief.  Thankfully this game is not based on talent alone!  I can be pro-active.

She described steps to creating a “Platform”.   I can actually control those steps.  I can choose to enter contests where my talent and hard work can be recognized.  I can network and meet people.  I can make efforts to implement all the steps she spoke of in her presentation to build a “platform” and establish a professional reputation and credibility.  It is so common sense.

Now, back to writing that talented masterpiece of a manuscript!

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Bloom Where You Are Planted

Posted on January 26, 2009 | Comments Off on Bloom Where You Are Planted

100_2218 Take a lesson from horticulture.   Do your best to bloom where you are planted.   Daily decisions become easier if evaluated from the concept of answering the question.   “Will this help me bloom where I am planted?”

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Whatcha readin?

Posted on January 22, 2009 | 1 comment

I was an avid reader as a kid.  Maybe you were too.  Perhaps you have recently found a niche in literature that you really enjoy.

I started out the love affair with books through my parents.  Our entertainment was family reading in the evenings.  I don’t really even remember learning.  One of my earliest memories was. . . probably in first grade, you know when teacher has all the kids  go around the circle taking turns reading a line from a book,  “Run Dick Run”. ( Now I’m dating myself.)

I vividly remember reading what ever the line was and agonizing while the others struggled to make out the sounds.  Buh Buh Buh Awe Awe bub.  OMG Bob for crying out loud. I had no patience as a child.

I was also too shy to say anything.  I know, those of you who know me are thinking. ” SHY?  What are you talking about, girl!”  However, I was PAINFULLY shy.

So you can see by the time the class made it around the reading circle and back to me,  I wanted to poke my eye out with the pencil. “Go Spot Go” and the agony began all over again.  I also faintly remember that teacher didn’t like it that I already knew how to read when I started school.  I guess I skewed with her data.

When I did a book report in, oh, I think second or third grade on “The Fox and The Hound”.  The teacher actually asked me if I really read the book.  (That was of course before the Disney Movie version of the story.)

“No, I got the ending from the K-3 cliff notes version.”  I wasn’t nearly this snarkey as a kid either.

So you see books and I have always had a love affair.  My first romance was Majesty’s Rancho by  Zane Grey.  I think that was the title.  I fell in love with Zane Grey westerns.  I then graduated to the fantasy and science fiction genre.  Of course I loved the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings before they were cool outside the academic community.

Anne McCaffrey became a favorite author in my teens.  She has strong romantic elements woven through her writing.  A love of reading is something I have passed down to my children in our own reading night tradition.

Now I have a long list of favorite romance writers.  That is a discussion for another post.

Share with us your favorite bookcopy-of-heart-drink.  What are you reading now?

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Hello world!

Posted on January 17, 2009 | 2 comments

picture-073-11

 

Welcome to my blog.  I write modern contemporary and paranormal romance. 

Fix yourself a cup of herbal tea, sit down and get to know my friends and I. 

We shall have fun together.

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