StoryCrafters

Tick, Tick, Tick.

2010-03-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

What motivates you as a writer? Fame? Money? Glory? We all hope for those to some extent, but what really gets you to sit down and put words on paper?

If your anything like me it's pressure. Unless there's something that makes me feel a real need I just can't bring myself to do it. I think that's why deadlines came into existence, to get people like me to do it.

So what use is this to us? Well like I said before the best way to improve is to write, a lot. You can't always be writing for publication. Sometimes you just need to write for practice. But how do you motivate yourself if you're writing for something as nebulous as practice?

Set your own deadline. Make it something real, something with consequence. When you write to publish the consequence is simple. You don't get published. Do something for yourself to make it real. Whether the outcome is positive or negative depends on you. Personally I'm not much for self flagellation. I bribe myself with a pack of trading cards for a game I enjoy. It works for me.

Now just figure out what works for you and get to it. The clock's ticking.

Scribble, Scream, Repeat.

2010-03-11T22:07:00.000-08:00

I’m supposed to tell you about writing. Well guess what here’s a treat for you. I don’t know all that much about writing. Can I give you the secret that will unlock bottomless troves of publishing treasure and might? No. Can I bequeath you the location locked in your mind that will reveal all of your full fledged characters? No.

I am a writer, just like you. I get the same rejection letters you do. I struggle to put pen to paper just like you do. I even beat my head against the keyboard into the wee hours of the night, just the same as you. So what could I possibly have to say that’s of any use? How about this?

I’m still doing it.

After years of ridicule growing up, medical mayhem, a family, and general random insanity. I am still at it. That’s what it takes. The majority of people out there “want to write a book.” It’s not that unique of a dream.

What is unique is the fact that you’re here. Your reading this trying to improve your writing. And you know what? You just might. There are any number of ways to improve your writing. Probably the most hyped and least practiced is this. Just write! When it comes down to it the only way to actually get better is to sit down and bang out those words.

And keep at it. Whether it’s every day or every week or every month. Write regularly and as frequently as you can. That’s the thing that will eventually get you published. If you keep trying to learn and keep putting it down on paper, sooner or later you’ll get that all important acceptance letter. And then the next. ;-)

Link Salad

2010-03-10T08:32:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you, but I LOVE reading articles about writing. And while not every article is useful, I still enjoy reading how other people write, where they get ideas and so forth. With that in mind, here's some links.

CopyBlogger is a blog about blogging. Not everything applies to writers, but there are some really good tips spread around.

How do Agents and Editors Decide Webinar taught by agent Rachell Gardner. This should be really good. And everyone who signs up gets a query and five pages looked at. It's not free but should be worth the price.

If You're Writing a Memoir then check out these great tips.

Seventh Sanctum is just one of the coolest places online. Not only do they have name generators, they have so many others, you just have to go check them out for yourself. I especially love the tavern and room generators. Now, some names won't work but they often can be tweaked or will inspire one that will. Be prepared to spend time there...and take a pen and paper.

And lastly...if you love cats, you need to stop in HERE. This is another place you might be tempted to spend a lot of time so only visit when you aren't busy. :-) I follow them on Twitter so I won't miss the new ones. Plus, it saves me from having to catch up later.

Enjoy...

On Getting Tough...

2010-03-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

Writers groups are so much fun! We all support one another and root one another on. When no one else in the world can understand our frustrations, a fellow groupie can. Nothing quite like it, is there? It's all chocolate and roses, until...

We ask for a critique. And get what we asked for. Only what we got wasn't exactly what we hoped to get. We were looking for something in a gold box, tied with a red bow, a sweet note inside saying, "If I died today I could die happy having read this story. My life is fulfilled."

Instead what we got is a note on the outside of a cardboard box saying, "Think outside the box." "This story has no structure, no POV, no emotion. It isn't believable, it isn't properly written. If I died today it would be heartbreaking that this story was the last thing I read. I'm going for a newspaper right now."

A devestaed writer hangs his head and cries. "They don't understand me...I was being subtle...I was using undertones...I was going for effect! It's my style for God's sake! How can they not see what beauty I have given them. I HATE them! They are just stupid!"

The writer has two choices here. They can either wait a few days, calm down and read the critique again, forcing themselves to go line by line and begin murdering those darlings...and some orphans too; or they can wad up the note along with the story, put it all in the box and set it on fire. Walk away, never to write again.
(Well I guess they might try and send the story out as they wrote it, being certain that the critiquer was wrong. But that would be publishing suicide)
If the writer is going to become and author, he best learn to write a story properly. The best way to learn the technique is by a critique of our peers. Once we throw our fits, get mad, eat dirt and get all the drama out of the way, we get a tougher skin; we begin to evolve in who we really are, storytellers.

The quicker you learn to take critisism of your work, the more rapidly the tough skin will grow and before you know it, you see it for what it is; a hand up.

G

It's the Story Stupid!

2010-03-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

In politics they have a saying, "It's the economy stupid!" For we consumers, it's always about the economy. Without a strong economy, I can't buy your book. So yeah, it is the economy stupid.

Fortunately I have been able to buy a few books lately, popular, commercial fiction, New York Times bestsellers. And may I say in my humble opinion, most of them are badly; and I do mean badly written. I have been disappointed that in this tough economy I spent good money on bad books. But I also have been enlightened, something money can't buy.

How do they do it, these authors who are not writers. How do they sell a gazzillion books and help write the screenplay for the blockbuster movie when they can't properly construct a sentence? And how dare an editor throw my properly written story onto the slush pile in favor of someone who doesn't know an adverb from their elbow?

I tell you how they dare. Cause it's all about the story, stupid.

These authors who are not writers, these interlopers who flew over us on the wings of our own shoulder vultures and landed safely in their editors arms are not to be hated. We should not despise their easy rise to the top; although sometimes that is almost impossible. We should learn from them the one thing that seperates us from them. Story.

"Tell me a story."

In the end, after all of your plotting and planning, grammar checks and revisions, if you don't have a great story, you got nothin' to say.

In the news...

2010-03-03T09:47:00.001-08:00

Publish America will now send your PA book to Random House. I'm sure Random House is thrilled.

See why this is not a good thing here.

Be sure to check out the comments along with the link to the original source at the bottom of the post. Then tell your friends.

And while you're at it...bookmark Janet Reid's blog. It's a great place to spend a few minutes each day catching up on things.

Little Bitty Bites

2010-03-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Every morning last week I woke and thought, “I am going to re-write that story this week, starting today.” And today and today and it never happened. It’s Saturday night, I need to have it ready by tomorrow and all I have managed thus far is to change the opening lines. And I call myself a writer!

Well, yeah, I do. Call myself a writer that is. Still, in spite of my best efforts the story lay in four stacks at my feet. My original, and three critiques, complete with edits. J I spent the past 6 days scribbling all over them, making notations and dabbing up the tears of frustration that kept dripping from my chin. Every spare chance I had I was shuffling papers and pondering the story. And all of this brought forth only one sentence.

While cutting up chicken into bite size pieces for our young grandson tonight, it occurred to me that I have been re-writing all wrong. I’m not sure why I have always done it the way I do, trying to take on the whole thing at once. It’s no wonder I choke.

No more.

After dinner I got the baby to sleep and came back in here to my desk, picked up the first two pages of my story and laid them aside. I put the rest of the story, along with the three critiques in a folder and put it in my desk drawer. I am going to re-write those two pages tomorrow. If I find two pages to be too intimidating, I’ll start with one.

The first thing I will tell myself when I wake up in the morning is “Today I am going to re-write two pages.” I’ll let you know how it goes.

**Posted by Jean for Sherry who had issues with blogger today.**

Often go awry...

2010-02-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

At least that's what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men.

And while we may have gone astray, we're slowly making our way back to the path.

So, starting today, we'll be updating here at least Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

I'll also be adding some pages so watch for the tabs for those soon.

Until then and on the days when things aren't updated here, stop by Under the Troll's Bridge. There's a new post everyday and a special market post on Saturdays.

Follow me...

2009-09-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

...over to Let's Write a Novel...Together. For the next couple weeks I'll be posting there.

Tomorrow's post is on naming our characters and I list some very good name sites to check out.

See you there!!!

Life, Writing and Stuff...

2009-09-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Things have been neglected here lately and I apologize. Life has managed to get in the way, my computer died and I was without one for a while then I decided to make novel writing a priority of mine.

But, I promise to do better from now on.

Here's what's new...

Starting today, we're getting ready to write our NaNoWriMo novels over at Let's Write a Novel...Together. Today's post is about characters. If you've ever wanted to write a novel, compete in NaNoWriMo or would just like a couple writing buddies, join us. The more the merrier.

Writing a mystery? Then follow me over at Mysteries in the Making.

I won't promise a new post every day but at least three times a week so say hi, come back and relax a bit.

And thanks for hanging around.

Great Rules of Writing

2009-05-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Do not put statements in the negative form.

And don't start sentences with a conjunction.

If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.

Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.

De-accession euphemisms.

If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.

~William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing"

Rejections: Form Letter vs. Personal Note

2009-01-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

This month I've gotten two rejection letters from publishers. One, was the form letter and the other was a personal note with comments letting me know I was close this time.

I totally understand the reason for a form letter. Editors are busy and taking time to send personal notes to everyone just doesn't make sense. They'd spend all day writing rejection notes instead of the many other tasks on their plate.

However...I've gotten some less than business-like form rejections in my short career. Like the bad copy of a bad copy rejection. I read one writer complain about getting this kind of rejection letter. He said something to the effect that it diminished him. That the editor or assistant couldn't take the time to at least send a nice form rejection to him, as if he wasn't worth the effort. While I'm sure this isn't the editorial thought behind the letter, sometimes it makes us writers wonder what message they are trying to send.

Then there was the rejection which consisted of "I really don't like this." scrawled across my cover sheet and mailed back to me. No signature, no reason why they didn't like it. I'd much rather have a Thanks but no thanks. Or even that form letter.

What about you? Are you getting your share of rejection letters? If not, then you need to be sending out more work.

Make it your goal this month to get a story, article or query out there.

Creating Memorable Characters

2009-01-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

I think every writer wants the reader to remember the characters they create long after the book is read and put on the shelf. And, as I pondered this, a couple characters came to mind. Scarlett O'hara, Capt. Ahab, Black Beauty, Johnny Castle and all those Disney princesses.

But what is it about these characters that make them memorable? I have a couple thoughts...

First, they have strong personalities. Or at least well defined ones.

Next, they take us to places we've never been to or might never get the chance to visit. We get to share their world through how they live and see things.

Also, characters do and say things that we might never dare do or say.

We identify with these characters. We bond with them, share in the journey they take, struggle, and eventually rejoice with them.

We all know it's a hard road to publication and the future looks even more difficult. But I believe there are always going to be readers. No matter what happens in the real world, people will want to be entertained. They'll want to escape to other worlds and become part of it. They'll want to become that character and take part of his or her adventure.

This is where memorable characters come in. The more memorable our character, the better chance we have of publication.

So...what characters do you remember best and what makes them memorable for you?

DUH!!!

2009-01-08T11:59:00.001-08:00

Time to get this blog active again. Here's an older post of mine to get things started.

I'm a list maker. No way around it. And most of the time, most of the things get done. Usually the ones that are most important. Or at least the ones with deadlines looming. I'm getting better about meeting deadlines. In this business, you have to be.

However there was a time when my favorite thing about deadlines was the "whooshing" sound they make rushing by.

I've done the goal setting thing, the resolution thing, the do it and reward yourself thing and failed at all of them. I want to share what works for me. It's a little thing called DUH!

D - Do it first or as close as humanly possible.

U - Understand it may be inconvenient and/or difficult and do it anyway.

H- Hurray, celebrate! You did it!

Here's why it works for me. There isn't much worse than going to bed with things that needed to be done still needing to be done. The guilt robs me of sleep and I lay there berating myself for not getting things done. By applying "D", I don't have to dread doing it or the results of not doing it.

The "U" also reminds me it may not be fun. For example, exercise. Not fun but definitely got to be done.

My favorite is the "H". We should celebrate our accomplishments everyday. No matter how small they are.

I'd love to take credit for this little system but just can't. I found it on Margie Lawson's website. Give it a good read over. She explains it very well.

Now, apply as needed:--)

Back to School and Your Writing Schedule

2008-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Back to School and Your Writing Schedule

Copyright Cheryl C. Malandrinos - All Rights Reserved

Back to school season is upon us and that means it’s time to get your writing schedule back on track now that the lazy days of summer are almost behind us.

Even if you don’t have kids going back to school, it’s a great time to get serious about your writing career so that the last two quarters of the year are productive.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Clean Up Your Work Area

Nothing puts the stops on motivation quicker than a messy work area. Clean out everything you don’t need to make room for all those exciting new projects you want to tackle.

Stock Up on Office Supplies

If you have a child going back to school you’re probably going to be visiting an office supply store anyway. Why not make a list of everything you need to stock up your home office for the next month or two? This will save you an additional trip to pick up envelopes etc when you’re ready to submit that next query.

And don’t forget to swing by the Post Office to buy stamps.

Create or Revise Your Contact List

Every writer needs to have one of these. Yes, it’s a time consuming task, but once it’s done all you have to do is add new contacts as you make them or update the information for your current contacts. I keep all my contacts in Microsoft Outlook. It sure beats looking for one business card in a pile of hundreds. And my contacts automatically feed into my electronic Address Book so I don’t waste time looking for a person’s email address when I need it. Just one click, and it’s done.

Now that you’re ready to start writing, here are a few ways to stick to your writing schedule:

Review Your Goals

Summer usually means we don’t set as many goals or try not to stress when we don’t meet them. It’s time to figure out what you’ve accomplished and what is still outstanding. Make a new to-do list and post it over your desk so you can keep it in plain sight.

Track Your Time

As a writer, you’re probably juggling multiple projects, performing research for assignments, and balancing all that with your home life.

Knowing where your time goes can help you accomplish more.

Whether you use a spreadsheet, time-tracking software, or a pencil and paper, record how you spend your day.

A sample of my day might look like this:

9 - 9:30AM: Answer/send emails
9:30 - 10AM: Eat breakfast
10 AM - 11AM: Marketing/Promotion
11 - 11:15AM: Short break
11:15AM - 12PM: Marketing/Promotion
12 - 1PM: Lunch and Laundry
1 - 1:30PM: Get Sarah down for a nap
1:30 - 2PM: Research Writer2Writer article
2 - 2:15PM: Short break
2:15 - 3PM: Begin first draft of Writer2Writer article
3 - 10PM: Family Time
10 PM - 12AM: Work on next chapter of memoir
12 - 12:30AM: Read books that need reviewing

Not only will this help you know where your times goes, it will help you get a handle on where time is wasted.

Write When You Feel Most Productive

I’m not a morning person. So, I don’t try to write in the morning. Ever!

If you look at my schedule above, you’ll notice that I do research and write for a short time in the early afternoon and then again late at night.

Each person has his/her own time of day when he/she is the most productive. That’s when you need to write. It might not always be possible, but do try to schedule your normal routine around your peak writing time if you can.

Take Breaks

It might feel right to forgo a break to get more work done, but it’s not a good idea.

Regular breaks are important to keep you focused and healthy. Our bodies simply aren’t meant to be sitting down for long periods of time. And a short break might help you figure out what role that secondary character plays in your latest novel.

Make this back to school season a time to commit to your writing. With these few simple steps you’ll be ready to make the most out of your writing time.

Thoughts on Dark Fantasy by Janrae Frank

2008-07-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

The definition of dark fantasy is still widely debated. The label is claimed by both fantasy authors and horror authors. Some horror authors perceive dark fantasy to be merely a way of side-stepping the horror label and the current industry prejudice against it. In a debate about the term, dark fantasy, on a messageboard called "the messageboard of the damned" several years ago, Nick Mamatas stated that dark fantasy is matter of ambiance.

Certainly Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series and her Merry Gentry series can be called dark fantasy. The former series is set on an alternate earth in which vampires have been given full civil rights and courses in magic are taught in colleges. The latter series involves a princess of Faery who is working as a private investigator. Most urban fantasies can be equally considered dark fantasies.

As more and more cross-genre works appear, with elements of both horror and fantasy, the classification is often left up to both the publishers and the distributors.
Please allow me a few personal anecdotes.

My ebooks that come out from Renaissance Ebooks (renebooks) are listed as dark fantasy at Fictionwise. There my works are a bit of an odd man. The vast majority of books listed under dark fantasy on that list involve vampires and werewolves. Often with a romantic element.
There is the connection for me. I write about vampires, wolfweres (which are often tossed in with werewolves by definition), and necromancers. Such things are staples of horror novels. However, because I am writing in an alternate world with a semi-medieval setting, my work is often classified as fantasy.

Wikipedia says that dark fantasy involves "a bleak pessimistic outlook … and moral ambiguity." It can also involve brutality.

Anne Bishop's Dark Jewels trilogy is extremely dark. Grey Keyes is another excellent example of dark fantasy, especially his series that begins with the Briar King. George R. R. Martin's "Swords of Fire and Ice" series has some of the most brutal, edgy dark fantasy out there.
All of those qualities mentioned in wikipedia are present in their novels.

They are also present in my own, up to a point. I believe in the triumph of the human spirit, that people can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and overcome both their inner and outer challenges. Lyn McConchie says that what makes the darkness and despair in my novels work is that I "don't compromise with evil."

I have had horror authors who write about werewolves say that my work is fantasy and try to deny me a place at the table. I write about werewolves also. My first professional sale was "Wolves of Nakesht" (Amazons, edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson, DAW 1979) that involved a woman and her children fleeing across the grasslands of an alternate world pursued by werewolves.

I have had fantasy authors tell me that I write horror because I have werewolves and vampires in my novels.

Only time will tell whether the label 'dark fantasy' becomes fully accepted by both the writers and the readers.

Discover Janrae's Serpent's Quest at Buzz the Book and then get your own copy.

Whereunto, Fantasy Genre by Danny Birt

2008-07-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Lord of the Rings. The Chronicles of Narnia. The Golden Compass. Harry Potter. All of these titles are now common household names. The movies these titles describe have reached tens of millions of viewers, child and adult alike, capturing and enhancing those viewers’ imagination with a vivacity no other genre could manage to procure.

And yet, none of those movies could have come about were it not for books.

Yes, books. Virtually every fantasy-genre movie that has been produced in the last decade has been based off of a book in the same genre. Movie producers find a bestselling fantasy book, adapt a screenplay from it, then produce it. As a bonus, the movie has a preexisting audience of the book’s readers.

Part of the reason the production of fantasy movies has taken off recently is the advent of affordable computer graphics, which has made fantastic creatures and magical occurrences capable of being displayed on the big screen, rather than solely in the mind of a reader.

These movies have propelled the fantasy genre from relative obscurity in the back corners of bookstores to the New York Times bestseller list. The number of individuals who will readily admit to being fans of fantasy has never been higher. And yet, the fantasy genre has shown little adaptation to this sudden unexpected surge in popularity.

Consider: of all the fantasy works that are currently available for consumption in any format, what percentage of them is written on a child’s reading level?

Despite its popularity, the fantasy genre by and large remains considered immature. Yet, this creates a Catch-22: since fantasy is seen as being for children, most of the fantasy that is written is written for children.

Fantasy’s current surge in popularity is the genre’s best hope to spruce up its old image. Children who are currently growing up with fantasy in their lives will want to continue to read fantasy as adults – but only if there is a large selection of adult-level fantasy literature available for them to read. After all, who wants to remain stuck in childhood, reading the same old plotline?

The question remains of how those who create the works of the fantasy genre will deal with this brave new world. Will they create new, thought-filled fantasy literature for the discerning adult, or will they continue along in the old, proven rut?

Whereunto, my fellow fantasy authors?

Whereunto, fantasy genre?

You can find Danny Birt’s website at http://www.DannyBirt.com

Danny’s most recent work of fantasy literature, “Ending an Ending,” is available through Ancient Tomes Press at http://www.cyberwizardproductions.com/ancienttomes/eae.html

Journals & Forgiveness by Debbie Williamson

2008-06-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

I started out keeping a journal. I was on my fourth year with this journal when I decided to make it a memoir. It wasn’t really my decision to write a book; it was a message from the other side. I had been ill and one evening while I was in bed, I was trying to finish my journals for my children. I wasn’t sure if I would be around much longer. I had a visit from my grandmother on the other side; she told me I was going to write a book. She told me to put my life stories along with hers and mom’s in a book. She said it would not only help my children, but it would help a lot of people understand what forgiveness really means. She said I was meant to do this and I needed to just believe in the message. My journals were much more personal and detailed then the book and they were also addressed to my children. So when I started to feel better I began the process of putting my words into a book. The chapters about my childhood were the most difficult part to write about. It is a part of my life that I am not fond of reliving and to write about it you relive it. This was never in detail in my journals and I ended up hiring a ghostwriter to interview me and help me transform my memories into words on paper. My journal entries about my adult life were in detail and it was not difficult to transform them into the book. It was actually healing to watch the book take form and realize with clarity what an incredible life I had. The gifts that I had been given I could now share with people and hope that the message of forgiveness would be understood. The dream of writing “Stand” was always about the message of forgiveness.

It took me a long time to convince my mother to help me with her part of the book. She wasn’t ready to share her personal life with the world and she had not even begun to heal from the abuse she had lived with. I told her about grandma coming to see me and it was months after that she told me she had prayed about the book and the answers she received were, to just do it. She finally agreed to write the book with me. We were going to interview her about her childhood because the memories were so very hurtful and this process helped me get through them. When it came time to start that process she passed away and left me with her journals. She also made me promise her that I would finish the book and not give up. She said she believed in my visit from grandma and she knew how important this book would be. I kept my promise and started the process of reading all her journals. She had always kept journals and they were in meticulous detail. She had about sixty journals that I read through looking for the information I needed. It was not an easy task for me, reading about my mother’s childhood horrors nearly took its toll on me. I came very close to giving up several times. I kept a clear focus on the message I had to share and when the first draft was done I sat alone in my office, and the impact of missing her finally set in. I was glad I kept my promise to her; somehow she knew that her journals would be devastating for me to read. The book was compiled from mine, my mother’s and a few of my grandmother’s journals. I have often thought about those journals and what to do with them. I decided to leave them for my grandchildren, and although some of them are heartbreaking, there is a lot of history in them.

The message of forgiveness has been misunderstood in the past and the impact it could have on our world is important.

I never understood how profound the meaning of forgiveness was until I went through it. Forgiveness can change the cycle of abuse and stop it from passing to future generations. I believe this with all my heart and I am proof that you can change your family and stop abuse from continuing on in its vicious cycle.

Healing yourself through forgiveness will change our world!

A Neglected Genre by Slawomir Rapala

2008-06-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Writing in a genre as unique as Fantasy is difficult because you don’t get a lot of credibility as a writer and as a result you must strive twice as hard to get your point across. Fantasy has always been a neglected genre, dismissed as frivolous at best and as down right offending at worst. The truth, however, is that the genre offers us, as writers, tools that our mainstream colleagues do not enjoy and which enable us to venture deeper both into the human psyche and the structure of the world around us. We enjoy worlds not constricted by the rules that govern everyday lives: neither the laws of physics and science, nor the social rules and norms that define cultures and societies around us.

Consequently, I feel, if used properly, Fantasy offers us an opportunity to create something unique and rein-free: a world and characters that are completely subjected to us, as creators. As writers, therefore, we can take what we observe around us and make a social commentary by superimposing these observations onto a world and characters unrestricted by rules. This, I believe, allows us to arrive at unique insights about the world and the people around us: sometimes scary, sometimes difficult to accept, but mostly, completely blunt and honest.

The beauty of Fantasy is that even when you take the social commentary away; in fact, even if it is not present at all in the work, it is still a thoroughly interesting and fascinating read, offering the common reader a form of escapism. Fantasy can be easy and fun to read, offering a glimpse of a world that’s borne out of the author’s imagination and even if the reader does not wish to involve himself in the social commentary that underlies most of Fantasy and would rather take the work solely at face value, he can still spend an enjoyable few hours that can be best described as carefree and pleasantly detached from the reality of everyday life.

Slawomir Rapala
Cambridge, June 1st

For more information about Slawomir and his new release, The Legend of Aezubah: The Crimson General, visit Bewildering Press.

Call for Submissions, Writing Challenge and Heroic Fantasy plus Free Poster

2008-06-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Discover author Slawomir Rapala at Bragging Rites and read the synopsis to his new release, The Legend of Aezubah: The Crimson General.

The Legend of Aezubah: The Crimson General is a sword and sorcery epic of human aspirations and tragedy. It shows how anyone can be both a villain and a hero and how even the smallest actions can change the world. You can order your copy from Bewildering Press.

Don't forget to check out the latest installment of The Marsh God by Bruce Durham. A new page of the comic is added each Thursday to the Flashing Swords website. If you haven't started reading with us yet, you can still catch up. All the pages are archived.

While you're at Flashing Swords, order your copy of the Special Summer Edition. It's stuffed full of stories, poems, articles and interviews. Plus, your copy will come with a free 11 x 17 poster by artist Johnney Perkins

Flashing Swords Press is now accepting submissions for their "Rage of the Behemoth" anthology. This Heroic Adventure Anthology will contain 21 stories about the biggest, baddest, boldest behemoths ever to roar across the pages of heroic adventure! You can find all the details and guidelines here.

Like a good writing challenge? Then you'll love this! You must use the prompt given but you can write in any genre you would like, even non-fiction. This is the perfect chance to try something new and flex those creative muscles. The deadline is July 25th, there's no entry fee and there's even a small cash prize.

Top Ten Ways to Break a Deal by David M. Pitchford

2008-05-28T08:06:00.001-07:00

10. Deadline? There was a deadline? Follow up to be certain you've gotten ALL materials, drafts, etc. in to the publisher by the time stated in the contract.

9. You needed the contract back when? Camping out on a contract until your brother-in-law can fit it in for a gratis legal opinion can kill the deal. Contracts tend to be time-sensitive. If you have questions, ask them. But don't allow it to become an excuse for procrastination. There's far too much of that stuff (procrastination) in this whole process already.

8. But I don't like that advice. Once you have the contract, picking at nits with the publisher is not always in your best interest. Again, the edits and such are time-sensitive just as are contracts. With start-up publishers, this is even more important, as many small publishers have to push things through to achieve profitability before they go broke. Be sensible about the editing process, but refrain from being sensitive about it.

7. Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you that story was picked up by Acme. The number one reason publishers don't want you to engage in simultaneous submissions is that too many authors ahead of you have forgotten to inform prospective publishers when a work is accepted elsewhere. Inform the publisher of previous acceptance of your work; this keeps them from sending a contract for first rights only to find out you've sold those rights already. Track your submissions assiduously.

6. No, really, it's a different story! Changing character and place names is rarely enough to make a new story out of a recycled one. If your current story won't go through a plagiarization filter against a story you've already published, you're treading dangerous ground. Recycling stories is not a bad strategy, in my opinion, but it is vital that the new story be *substantially* different. And it darn well should be better!

5. Oh, you wanted what you asked for in your guidelines? This is rather obvious, but I've actually seen rewrites go from following the guidelines to creation of a story that barely resembles the submitted works. What were they thinking? Most of the time I've seen this is in regard to writers who want to retro-fit their story to a series or pet world. Rarely is that acceptable to a publisher, and even more rarely when that retro-fit violates the guidelines to which you formerly adhered.

4. Can you pay me now? This is a serious contractual matter. If you've agreed to pay-on-publication, then you really don't have stable ground from which to request payment. To avoid the necessity of this, negotiate the contract up front. If the publisher doesn't have a 'kill clause' in the contract, then ask for one that guarantees something if the project is cancelled. Sometimes the small publishers can only promise a return of full rights. Ask up front. Negotiate before signing. Be very judicious about trying to renegotiate a contract after the fact, if at all.

3. What do you mean you couldn't reach me?! Yes. This is common sense. But common sense is where ninety percent of misunderstandings occur. If you relocate, or change *any* of your contact information, then contact the publisher - every publisher with whom you have any relationship - and ensure that they have your current information. I have actually made this mistake myself from both sides of the desk; it cost me a number of great stories as well as two publication credits. Notify. Notify. Notify.

2. But these edits violate my personal style; why are you cramping my artistic integrity? Whiners are just inconvenient. Very few of us like to deal with them in any capacity. Editors and publishers are people, too. Don't be a whiner. If you seriously cannot stomach criticism or editorial changes, then you're likely too early in your development as a writer to be publishing anyway. [I'm talking here about whining to the publisher/editor. Whine all you like to your friends, but do so *privately* and NEVER on an online forum.] Whining might not break the current deal, but it will likely break the next deal you might have made with this publisher.

1. What are you miscreants doing to MY story?! Worse than the whiner is the bitching Narcissist. Again, any given publisher might put up with the prima donna once, but they'll likely take a great deal more convincing for further projects once you've insulted them and thrown a tantrum over things that are likely far more trivial than they seem. This behavior tends to show not only an immaturity in the industry, but also a personal immaturity. This is, in my opinion, the number one way to break a deal: act like a brat. [Once you've signed the contract and cashed the check, your story is no longer *your* story. If you *have* to have creative input, consider strongly whether you're really ready to publish. If you decide you are, then be very certain of how the contract is written.]

Read more of David's writing in The Return of the Sword anthology. You can order your copy here.

Be Unique

2008-05-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Stan took another manuscript from the top of the slush-pile and propped himself against the wall for a quick read. His eyes grew wider as they scanned down the page until finally he burst into uncontrollable laughter. “Hey Jill…take a look at this!”

His co-editor took the papers out of his hands, skimmed the text, and began to chuckle. She glanced at the author’s cover letter and gave a derisive snort. “I can’t believe she had the nerve to submit this garbage to us. Who does she think she is?”

Stan wiped streaming eyes and drew in a deep breath. “I know…and she works in a food store, for God’s sake…and imagines she’s a WRITER!” His fingers traced quote marks in the air. “She needs to stop daydreaming and do something she’s actually got talent for.”

Jill tossed the manuscript to her assistant. “Form rejection.”

If this little fantasy gives you goose-bumps and a cold shiver, then my words are aimed squarely at you! There’s a great deal of advice out there for short story writers who have already started submitting their work, but I want to address the rest of you. The writers who have dreamed of, but never achieved, that first step – and it is a huge step to some. Submission.

I understand the size of that step, believe me. It’s measured in fear – of rejection. Nobody likes to be rejected, but in some writers the fear can reach a level that seems insurmountable. I was a guest at a writers’ group one time and found, to my dismay, that most of the members had never submitted a piece of work for publication. The reason? Terror of receiving a rejection letter. It was clear that being turned down would be felt deeply and personally. When we write a story we are sharing – exposing – something deep within ourselves. When we offer it up for judgement, we are inviting judgement of ourselves. This may sound frightening, especially to us sensitive writer types, but I’m going to tell you that this is a Good Thing. Sharing something individual – a part of our creativity – is a vital step in becoming unique. There may not be an I in Team, but there is an I in Writer.

This is what makes your stories different from all those others – your own perspective, your own take on life. If you don’t make each story uniquely your own, then what is the point in writing? Hire a ghost writer instead.

Is it just a matter of finding the courage to submit a story? Essentially, yes. But that courage may be hard to come by. It will help if you understand that the fear comes partly from a misunderstanding of the nature of publishing and, in particular, rejections from editors.

Rejection is a fact of publishing – and of life itself. When you go to a restaurant, and read the menu, you engage in the act of rejecting most of what the chef has to offer. Yet neither you, nor the chef, take it personally, or expect anything else. The same is true of the publishing industry. When a publisher is handed a story, he or she must decide if the story is one that they can use. If not, they must refuse it. That means it’s still available to offer to others. Keep trying. If you want to be published, you must harden yourself to rejection. It’s how things work. There aren’t enough slots in all the magazines for all the stories that get sent out.

I want you to imagine you have at last gathered the courage to submit your best story to a fiction magazine. You’ve read the submission guidelines and formatted the manuscript correctly. You’ve done your utmost. You wait weeks, months, and then finally…exactly what you feared. A rejection. What next?

It’s easy to get so depressed that you don’t send the story out again. Surely if one editor didn’t want it then no-one is going to want it. Not true! There’s a whole catalogue of reasons why editors reject stories. There’s only so much space in each issue. This means that while an editor might like your story, he or she might not be able to use it. Sometimes it’s not quite right for their magazine. The wrong tone, or style, or subject perhaps, and sometimes they’ve just bought one almost exactly like yours. Had yours been in their hands first, they would have bought it and rejected the other one. Always remember, the editor is rejecting the story, not the author. It’s not personal (unless you get mad and fire off a nasty email – something that’s definitely not recommended).
You can improve your chances by targeting magazines carefully – be certain that they want what you are offering. Read several issues so you are familiar with what they have recently published. You should also expand your horizons. While it’s admirable to start at the top and submit to the leading magazines, don’t ignore the plethora of other print and online fiction magazines. For example: Bewildering stories, Flashing Swords, Residential Aliens,Fear and Trembling. Visit the markets site www.ralan.com and check out all the places you can try. Although many of these ‘small’ magazines don’t pay for your story, they are often writer-friendly and will help you learn your craft and gain exposure.

Frequently, rejections are just a matter of the editor’s personal taste. It’s out of your control, so why beat yourself up about it? Just keep on trying and, in between those submissions, work on other stories, and polish them till they shine, and submit them and, before you know it, you’ll be acting like a professional.

Don’t imagine it all ends when you achieve publication. If you wind up with a review, you’ll find that reactions can vary from “love it” to “hate it”. As an example, my story “The Defenders”, which appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction and in The Year’s Best Science Fiction #22 gathered the following reviews:

“This is a great short story.”
“I didn't really care for "The Defenders."
“…complex and mystical vignette.”
“Stupid story.”
“…expertly dissects colonialism in quintessential science-fictional terms.”

Writers don’t all think alike. Neither do reviewers. So why should editors?

Think you can find the courage? Maybe it’s time to don your hard hat and bullet-proof vest. Time to get tough.

Time to be unique.

Colin P. Davies

Niche Writing - The Opposing View by Emilio Corsetti

2008-05-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

The general consensus in publishing today is that writers should create a niche for themselves and stick to writing what they know. This has certainly worked well for authors such as Steven King, Tom Clancy, Patricia Cornwell, John Grisham, and a long list of other bestselling authors. They are some of my favorite authors. But I am also a fan of Mark Bowden and Michael Crichton. Mark Bowden is the author of Black Hawk Down. He is also the author Killing Pablo, Guests of the Ayatollah and the upcoming book The Best Game Ever. The only thing these books have in common is that they are all nonfiction narratives. Some of Michael Crichton’s books include Jurassic Park, Congo, The Andromeda Strain, and Airframe. He has also written a number of screenplays. I don’t consider either of these two writers as niche writers.

Writers who stick to a niche often fall victim to repeating themselves and producing uninteresting books. To me, writing something to fit a perceived niche is like writing a story because some marketing guy says that’s what’s selling now. The end result is an uninspired, boring manuscript.

I don’t want to be pigeonholed into a niche. I want the freedom to pick and choose my projects based on how strongly I feel about the story. My latest project is a screenplay about patent medicine from the 1900s. It’s a comedy. It’s as far removed from a disaster story as you can get.

I used to describe myself in my bio as a professional pilot and aviation writer. My bio now says professional pilot and author. That’s how I want to be perceived.

Find out more about Emilio at his website.

Guest Post by Heidi Saxton

2008-05-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

When I became a foster parent to a sibling group of three, it was soon obvious that many of the activities I had formerly enjoyed were going to have to go on the back burner, at least for now. I didn't mind -- I had always wanted to be a mom, and I looked forward to investing my time and energies into the lives of these children. But as time went on, the challenges I was facing became overwhelming ... and I longed for the simpler days of rejoining infinitives and weeding out extraneous modifiers. There was no way I could do this, of course. Sleep depravation and intensive ... togetherness ... had worked their magic; my highest aspiration each day was to get out of my pajamas and into the shower before it was time for bed again.

And yet, somehow I found time to journal. The time my husband coaxed Christopher out from under a table with a bowl of Cheetos. The time our foster son dealt a round-house blow into the midsection of our elderly priest ... right in the middle of Mass. One time, just for the fun of it, I took down a whole morning in ten-minute increments here: http://mommymonsters.blogspot.com/2007/02/day-in-life-of-foster-mom.html

Those moments at the keyboard, as it turned out, provided rich writing material for my subsequent books -- books written several years after these early motherhood experiences, such as my current book entitled Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections from a Catholic Convert (http://www.christianword.com).

So now, when one of my writers at Canticle cries on my shoulder (either in person or online) about how she hasn't been able to string together two coherent sentences since the baby arrived, I offer the following pointers:

* Force yourself to pencil a few lines (or type them into a computer) every night. Create a habit you look forward to ... keep a pretty journal beside your bed, and write as you drink a soothing cup of herbal tea.
* Don't worry about creating something that future generations will consider profound or even coherent. Just jot down a few impressions, using all your senses. What did you see, hear, feel...?
* Skip the weather and the argument with your girlfriend over cloth vs. disposable. Concentrate on stories, discoveries, and miracles. What did your child teach you about yourself today?
* Parenthood is often a time when our spiritual side can blossom in new or unexpected ways. Try journaling in the form of a letter to God, or to your favorite saint. Use your journal time to record both your prayers ... and any answers you receive as well.
* As the children grow older and your writing projects become more ambitious, go back and read your journals. Mine them for memories and insights that have slipped your consciousness. As you read, other memories might surface ... be sure to record those as well. "Mommy Brain" can kick in at unexpected times; don't assume that something is so funny, startling, or momentous to forget. Put it down!
* When you are done recording your children's memories for them, begin working on family at the other end of the age spectrum. Record the stories of your parents and grandparents ... go through old photo albums and get them to talk about their own childhoods so those precious family memories are not lost.

Controversial Subjects by Peter Nennhaus

2008-04-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Suppose you wish to compose a writing on a contentious or controversial subject. Perhaps you have unconventional ideas in religion or about your own country, thoughts you know may be seen as offensive by some readers. How would you approach it?

First of all, you must be convinced of the correctness of your thesis and your right to express it. Next, it is helpful to be tactful about it and express your ideas the way a friend speaks, one who does neither lecture nor reprimand, but rather who gives advice to his brother and tries to convince rather than rebuke. Thirdly, do your research before you speak up. That would certainly include the honest assessment of your opponents’ views. If possible, seek to discuss the subject first with those who think differently, for a serious dialogue is likely to make you improve your own thoughts. I like such a discussion better than a debate, as a debate is dishonest. It is a one-upmanship type of contest aimed at finding not necessarily the truth but the winner, as we witness presently in the political debates in an election campaign. In other words, I personally prefer such a writing to be done in a spirit of honesty and goodwill. Not that such goodwill will forestall angry counter-attacks, for sure enough they will be launched at you. But, again like in political debates, it resembles the difference between a dirty campaign and a nasty campaign.

Being controversial will only rarely lead to universal acclaim, if ever, but fear not, you will have left a mark that others may carry further. Thinking outside the box may certainly lead to ridicule, but it is the basis for progress, too. Without it we would have never built a computer or walked on the moon.

For more info on Peter's book go to his website.

Story Behind the Stories – by Jason M. Waltz, Managing Editor, Flashing Swords Press

2008-04-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

Just what did it take to find, bind, and mind the twenty-one entries that create The Return of the Sword: An Anthology of Heroic Adventure (RotS)? Nothing more than access to a remaining inventory of accepted stories, a couple years’ worth of reviewing and critiquing, a remembered blog post, and an expectant boss.

Did we have a theme in mind? Not from the start. The concept of publishing an anthology arose as a vehicle for returning to glory some stories accepted by the previous incarnation of Flashing Swords Magazine that had not received the attention they deserved. Once we agreed on this option, well, the anthology required a creator. As Managing Editor, Kelly chose me.

Doing so created our first dilemma. Or my first dilemma I should say. Though I eagerly accepted the role and the responsibility, I was the lone newbie in the group. The person with less than one year’s experience as an editor. The only person without a publishing history. Who was I to orchestrate this thing?

Simply the guy my exceptional boss allowed me to be.

The summary of what I went through to bring RotS to the masses is too long to recount here. Simply told, once assigned, I bent to my task with a passion. I tracked down authors with tales I’d read long ago and asked them for those titles. I recalled an accomplished author’s blogging wisdom and asked him for it. I learned a lot about editing and publishing, working with authors and artists, design and layout – and more design and layout! – before finally being content. Could I have done better? Absolutely – but I’m damn proud of the final result as it is.

Theme, you ask? Why, I only required each tale to rock me in some fashion and contain a figure heroic . . . or able to be heroic. All the RotS tales have a character filling that heroic role: some obviously, some by default, some in denial, and some not quite apparent – but still with that character who has the opportunity, no matter how slim, to be heroic.I wanted slam-bam adventure while simultaneously giving readers that heroic figure all of us look for. He didn’t have to be the biggest guy, the baddest guy, the smartest guy, or even a guy. I wanted, really, heroic attitude more than anything else, coupled with action-adventure that made readers sit up in their seats and pay attention.I think I captured what I sought. I don't think anyone can read this anthology lying in bed an evening. If you can, I didn't do my job.

Return now to the days of true adventure! Join fierce warriors in savage battles of survival and supremacy as they face hordes of vile foes, vie against inner demons, or struggle before onslaughts of both. Enter the halls of heroic fantasy in awe and marvel at the deeds of the mighty. Close upon the heels of Howard's Conan, Moorcock's Elric, and Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser come Ehart's Ninshi, Heath's Brom, and Hawkes' Kabar. Unsheathe your sword and follow in their steps if you dare!

Get your copy of this great anthology at The Return of the Sword

Establishing a Brand Name by Theresa Chaze

2008-04-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Most writers think their work is done once the manuscript has been sent to the printer; it is the reason that so many books fail to live up to their potential. Even with a PR team or a traditional publishing house working back up, the bulk of the marketing and promotions is still the writer's responsibility and obligation. No one else knows the book’s potential or the uniqueness of the work better than the writer does.

PR and publishing marketing teams divide their attention among all their clients. However, their limited time and resources are given first to those authors and books that show the most potential. Therefore, it is up to the author to establish a brand name with the primary target market that will be easily expandable into the general readership. In many ways, publishing is just like finding any other job--in order to get a job you have to have experience; in order to get experience you have to have a job. In publishing, in order to be successful you have to have readers; in order to gain a readership you have to be successful.

By definition, a brand name is the general field or focus the product. Who does the product appeal to and why? For writers, it would be the genre. Although genres are intertwined, most books are labeled with one primary. It is the core the author works from not only when writing, but also for the marketing plan. It is this structure that allows the readership to know what to expect when they open the book. Stephen King’s novels are primarily horror, while Stephen Hawking is non-fiction physics. If the branding is effective, it will not only creating a niche market for the work, but for the author as well.

A major mistake most authors make is limiting their promotions to just their work. By creating bridges to similar topics or causes, the author expands their target readership to those who have similar interests but who would not normally read the genre. By allow the reader to see the back story behind the development or to get to know the person behind the work, the author creates more of a buzz.

If the author's blog is solely focused on promoting the book, it will rapidly become boring and will loose readership. However, if it also includes posts about the author's activities and interests, it will diversify the SEO keywords and expand who will be drawn to the blog. A fiction author cannot only write about her or his specific genre, but she or he can also generalize about related topics. A science fiction author could very easily talk about new technologies, NASA, research projects or write reviews of other science fiction novels. In addition, if an author is involved with social issues or caused, writing about these topics will not only make the author a real person, but also catch the search engines attention on those topics as well.

Home sites are different. Although they can have the blog listed, most author's sites focus entirely on the author and her or his work. Stephen King's site contains:

News
Biography
His works
Future works
Miscellany
Message Board

The last two listings contain more diverse information that Stephen King fans would find interesting. His page is continually updated and expanded with new information. By keeping it fresh, it insures return visitors as well as new ones, which have found the site through the search engines. The message board makes the site interactive, giving the fans an active role. Readers and fans cannot only ask questions of King but each other as well, which once again increases the number of times individuals return to the site.

In order for a book to be successful, the marketing plan needs to be kept current. Stagnation on any level can cause a good book to become lost in the sea of new releases. To continue the analogy, promoting a book needs to be like waves rolling onto the coast; even during calm seas, one wave is always followed by another, which keeps the shore continually saturated. Book promotions are the same. In order to keep the interest of fans and expand the readership, promotional material must remain fresh and constant. One wave of press release or ads, no matter how effective, will soon dry up if it isn’t quickly followed up by another new wave.

From Blank Page to Book Shelves--How to Successfully Create and Market Your Book explains not only more about marketing and promotion, but also has tips about writing and publishing. Currently, my ebook is available as an Amazon Kindle or on my website, for $7.00. Copies bought on the author's site are accompanied by a 345 page listing of over 2000 independent bookstores.

The Anatomy of a Cozy Mystery by Bernadette Steele

2008-04-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

A cozy murder mystery is a story that features an amateur sleuth and that takes place in a narrow setting such as a house, building or small community. When I was a child, I discovered the cozy murder mystery by watching the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries on television. I have always enjoyed murder mystery books, movies and television shows of any kind but my favorite has always been the cozy murder mystery featuring an amateur sleuth because I could always relate to the character, and I was able to imagine myself in a similar situation.
Because some people in the literary world look down on the cozy mystery because it is the type of book that will never win a Pulitzer Prize, the level of detail and skill required to write a cozy is not appreciated.

Although there is no official format for a cozy mystery, there are several best practices that can be gleaned from past works, and they are:

· Decide on the title of your cozy mystery

A great title will compel readers to pick up your book. It will also provide you with direction during the writing process. It is easier to become attached to something that has an identity. Thus, when your cozy mystery has a title, it will become a living and breathing entity for you.

· Know the ending of your cozy mystery and who committed the crime

Knowing the ending and the culprit at the beginning will help you to develop the plot and the characters.

· Define your clues and where they will be placed in the story
· Decide what information will be foreshadowed, will serve as red herrings and constitute clues.
· Create a sleuth that is:
1. An amateur and not a professional crime solver
2. Has an interesting occupation
3. Has the ability to travel widely and meet a variety of people
4. Gets involved in complicated personal relationships
5. Humanized with faults that are socially acceptable and that she needs to struggle with internally

· Develop a plot that:

1. Contains a well-designed plot that presents an intellectual puzzle for the reader and that provides the answer at the end of the book
2. Has the sleuth uncover the criminal through the emotional or intellectual examination of the scene, suspects and clues
3. Takes place close to home or within a confined community in which the victim, suspects and sleuth all know one another
4. Discreetly depicts violence
5. Discreetly depicts sex in romantic entanglements
· Create supporting characters who are:
1. Motivated by human traits of greed, jealously or revenge
2. Eccentric, exasperating or entertaining

A cozy is not about murder but rather it is an examination of human frailty presented as a brain stimulating puzzle where in the end the main character and justice prevail.

You can visit Bernadette at her website to learn more about her and her writing.

Tips to Organize Your Poetic Writing Life by Charlotte Barnes

2008-04-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

(1) Always keep paper or a tape recorder handy to capture inspiration. Many a grand idea has been lost in the dark of night!
(2) Simplify your life. Remove physical and emotional clutter.
(3) Set clear, specific goals, such as ten poems in ten days, etc.
(4) Listen to motivational CD’s to help counteract negativity.
(5) Reward yourself when milestones are reached.
(6) Set boundaries—say “no.”
(7) Have a writing area or room and make it known when you want no disturbances.
(8) Organize your poems into categories such as “Poems to Definitely Keep,” “Possibilities—Need Work,” or “Trash.”
(9) Use an accordion file or other filing system—just for poetry.
(10) Share your poetry with supportive friends.

You can visit her website at http://www.charlottebarnesonline.com/ or her blog at www.charlottebarnesonline.com/apositiveplace.

It's the Characters by David H. Brown

2008-04-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

For us fiction writers our characters most often come from real life. So how do we fictionalize them? Much of my personal writing in HONOR DUE is autobiographical in nature and reflects the folks I've known who have made an impression on me. It sure helps to have lived a varied life and paid attention to the people in it.

From being the son of missionary parents with a lot of travel around the Ring of Fire parts of the world and with Uncle Sam-- all over Europe and the Middle East before 2 tours in Vietnam, I've been a jack of all trades in everything from day laborer hauling railroad ties off ship at Seward, Alaska to the Director of Security for Loomis when anti-hijacking measures went into effect back in '73. Also drove Armored Car, joined the Anchorage Police force and worked undercover for drugs and vice. The list goes on: Professional Trapper; Dog Sledder; Homesteader; Truck Driver; General Contractor; Minister; Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Movie Producer; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker (which my wife wrote about in her own book "STANDING THE WATCH: The Greatest Gift" which will be out in May); PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor; Book Reviewer; Webmaster and Web Designer.

Many of the editors and authors I've known over the years told me to write what I know. So I do. The rub is how to create fictional characters out of all that.

Sometimes it's easy. I start with the memory of a certain person. An image or caricature will appear in my mind's eye. Physical traits will be exaggerated or diminished. A voice softened or given more bluster. Eye color or motion is brought into focus. 'As his soft voice spoke those cruel words, his empty blue eyes flitted about like a termite taking wing on a hot summer day.' Voila! A character is born, needing only to be filled out. In most cases the original person wouldn't recognize themselves.

Other characters come from an amalgamation. If the character is to be strong, I pull those points from several people I remember place them into a setting and fit them together. Weak, then the opposite.

One thing I find tremendously helpful is opening a file on each character and spending time with them. Putting in a few hours or several days with each in the setting in which I wish to be. I build out their physical characteristics, language, type of work they do, who their family relations are, where they live, even to their clothes and the kind of food they like. I talk to them, make up regular conversations with them about their lives. (Pssst... never do this out loud.) I think of the process much like building an intelligence dossier on a subject. I do this until that character is as real to me as the family that lives down the road or the girl I've watched grow up who now works at the deli counter. When I reach the point where I'm going to put them in the story, I usually really like or detest them, in which case I kill them. Either way I know the reader is going to feel much the same way... at least I hope so.

Remember, it's fiction and we're all members in good standing in the Liars Club of Writing. However, much is real and believable, and that I try to always keep in mind.

Find out more about David and Honor Due at his website.

10 Guidelines for Aspiring Speculative Fiction Authors

2008-03-31T20:55:00.000-07:00

This month I have the distinct honor of promoting The Return of the Sword, An Anthology of Heroic Adventure. This is such a great anthology and I've discovered several new favorite authors.

One of these new favorites is Robert Rhodes. Today, he shares some great tips that not only apply to aspiring speculative fiction authors of authors of any genre. Thanks so much!

10 Guidelines for Aspiring Speculative Fiction Authors by Robert Rhodes

1. Read. Read quality speculative and non-speculative fiction to know what has and hasn’t been done, to learn from others’ craftsmanship, and to be inspired.

2. Pay attention and take notes. Ideas may strike at any time. Have quick access to a notepad and pencil, and use them before the real world intrudes. (A draft message in an email account may also work.)

3. Master the basics. Understand the rules of composition. When necessary, consult a dictionary or manual such as The Elements of Style (Strunk & White), but only dust off a thesaurus as a last resort. Remember that spell-checking software can’t, for egg sample, bee trusted.

4. Create a complete, vivid story. Almost all good stories, speculative or not, integrate these elements: (1) a compelling character (2) in a fascinating setting (3) overcoming vast difficulties (4) by his or her own efforts and (5) achieving a worthwhile goal. (This guideline is a paraphrased summary of the excellent article “What Is A Short Story?” by Marion Zimmer Bradley, found on the website of her literary works trust: http://mzbworks.home.att.net/ .)

5. Reach for the stars. Write one of the very best stories you’ve ever read. Even if the final work falls just short, it will still be outstanding (unless you just read junk).

6. Beware of infatuation. After initially completing a story, celebrate—then step away and go work on another story or in the real world. Once you stop wanting to admire your immortal prose, you may have the emotional distance needed to revise it mercilessly.

7. Be open to criticism. Identify a handful of skilled and honest proofreaders, and carefully consider their comments. At the same time, develop the craftsmanship, instinct, and confidence to be the best and final judge of your work.

8. Be—or pretend to be—a professional. Carefully identify viable markets for your story. (A good starting point is ralan.com.) Follow submission guidelines to the letter. Understand standard manuscript format or the alternative requested. Proofread any cover letter, and keep it brief. Resist the temptations to brag to or flatter the editor or make the physical manuscript “stand out” (e.g., by using colored envelopes/paper/ink/font). The story will speak for itself; everything else should be black and white and clean to the point of starkness. Never reply to a rejection notice unless it was extremely gracious or helpful, in which case you may send a brief thank-you note.

9. Reward yourself. If your purpose is simply to write for yourself or your friends, fair enough. If your purpose is to be read widely, remember that money should always flow to authors in exchange for their difficult work. Accordingly, submit your work only to markets that pay real money. (Markets that only offer “exposure” don’t even offer that, as most readers use their time to read authors who are good enough to be paid, and no one is trolling those markets to discover new talent.) Avoid vanity presses and self-proclaimed agents who want money up front. Read contracts carefully, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.

10. Never, never, never quit. The first story you write will probably not be the first story you publish. Keep reading, writing, and submitting. If you have a good story that’s “just not right” for one market, submit to another within three days. Publishers, editors, and agents don’t want to keep genius undiscovered; they want to sell as many books as possible and usually have a fair sense of what will sell. For better or worse, reading tastes are what they are, and the marketplace has never been more competitive. But if you write an incredible story, it will almost certainly sell. If it doesn’t, give the industry—not yourself—the benefit of the doubt, and keep reading, writing, and submitting until your art is too powerful to be ignored. Writing well is ridiculously difficult and demands talent and persistence. Between the two, persistence is arguably more important—and the trait everyone can have. Now go write.

*************************************************************************************

Robert Rhodes is a book reviewer and author whose fiction has been accepted by markets including Black Gate and Flashing Swords Press. He is also a co-author of “The Sword in the Mirror: A Century of Sword & Sorcery”, forthcoming in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Contemporary Popular American Literature. He can be contacted by or on facebook.com. And be sure to check out his blog.

For more information about The Return of the Sword or to purchase click here.

Advice for New Writers by Thomas Bounds

2008-03-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Do you have something to tell and even explain? Or an experience that you want to share?

The novice writer is the writer that writes his or her mind. So just sit down or stand up and write. Write what makes you feel good, write what makes you feel scared, write what makes you laugh or write what makes you cry. Write what your heart desires.

My advice is get comfortable and make sure your keyboard is a good one, so your hands and fingertips do not cramp up on you.

I sat down to write but was not sure how I was going to tackle it and before I knew it within a few hours I had completed my first draft. That was a step I never thought I could get to.

My mind kept telling me to do it, but my schedule kept showing me I could not. Well, once you figure out what time of the day you want to sit down to write, schedule it on your calendar and keep that appointment. It is one worth keeping. My time seems to fly by like nobody’s business but once you make that choice to do it, it feels good; and then it gets going and once you get to a point that it reads well it feels even better.

The more you write the more you care and it becomes a part of you. Take care of it and read it and read it again from the end to the beginning; it will help you spot errors.

Once you have done that, get your nerve up and send it to your parents or friends. They will always tell you the good things in a way they will help boost your efforts and make you feel that what you have written is worth it. Then once they have brought you back down make the changes they have brought to your attention and then take the next step and find an editor and listen to their advice. Remember, it is your story and you are telling it; but with good advice it can become a story that people read and like.

I wish you all the best in your efforts to write.

Have fun and share your mind.

In Christ,

Thomas Wade Bounds
Choices, My Secrets

Visit his website!

Writing Histoical Fiction by Catherine Delors

2008-03-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

My first two novels, Mistress of the Revolution and For the King, are historicals. The third one, still in the works, will be as well.

Sarah Johnson, in an article posted in the website of the Historical Novel Society, points out that, in the eyes of some, historical fiction as a genre carries a stigma. Reviewers, she writes, whenever they happen upon a historical novel they love, hasten to shoehorn it into another category: literary fiction, women’s fiction, romance. Anything but historical fiction.

I am afraid Sarah is right. My publicist told me that there was little chance of the major metropolitan newspaper in my area ever reviewing Mistress of the Revolution, though I am a local writer. “It just doesn’t cover historical fiction in its book section,” she explained. Oh! Pardon me for asking.

So being a historical fiction author would be akin to some form of literary leprosy? I did not know that when I began writing Mistress of the Revolution, nor would it have stopped me. I was sure that my first novel had to be a historical. For one thing, I love history. The tremendous amount of research I - rightly – anticipated did not deter me. And indeed the research was half of the fun, and probably more than half of the work involved in writing the novel.

But there was another reason beyond my love for history. Writing historical fiction also helped me exorcise the past, my family’s and my own. My heroine, Gabrielle de Montserrat, is entirely fictional, but she could have been my distant ancestor. It was fascinating to try and imagine the challenges the women of my family faced, or could have faced in the 18th century.

A friend asked me the other day: “So when are you going to write something set in the present? Why do you hide behind history to say the things you want to say?” Well, novelists, unlike memoirists, always hide, even when they tell their own story. They hide behind fictional characters, behind the plot they weave. So what if it pleases them to add yet another layer of distance, a temporal one, to their books?

I would like to point out that, in Europe, a few scholars do write historical fiction. Chantal Thomas, a leading historian, wrote Farewell My Queen, a novel of Marie-Antoinette. Not only was she not disgraced within academia, but she went on to win one of France’s major literary prizes, the Prix Fémina, for that beautiful book. Likewise, Umberto Eco, medievalist, semiotician and philosopher, penned The Name of the Rose. Does it bother me to write in the same genre as these authors? Not a bit.

Find out more about Catherine and her work at her website.

Creating an Extreme Character in Fiction by Chris Hoare

2008-03-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Do you remember, not too long ago, when in fiction, on TV, and in movies a female character involved in dangerous action was portrayed as timid and terrified? Not universally, I admit, but that was generally the way that a woman in a dangerous situation was expected to be. What damned rot.

When the idea for the protagonist in my Iskander stories grew in my mind I decided that Gisel Matah would be as tough, as capable, and as reckless as any James Bond. Over the top? Perhaps, but she wasn’t going to back down to anyone – and she was never going to be patronized. Perhaps by other characters, males who were about to get their comeuppance, but never by the author.

She needed an appropriate history to justify these abilities – especially as in the start of the series she’s a sixteen-year-old starship brat. (No, you won’t have seen that in print yet. I rewrote the early stories and Arrival, the earliest in story chronology, is due out this July.) Gisel had a stormy upbringing in the last years of the 22nd century – child of an Anglo-Indian engineer (an egotistical man from a privileged background) and a Greek medical doctor (daughter of a UN trade commissioner and no slouch in the ego department either) – in Mumbai, the Peloponnese, and London.

The couple met in Mumbai, while Gina visited her parents in the city where her father was posted. After a short and stormy courtship the couple married, their first child, a son named Robert, was born just six months later. Gisel was the second child and soon after her birth the first rifts in the marriage began. Gisel was nearly five when Gina took off to practice medicine in a London hospital – the son went into the care of the Matah family in Mumbai, the little girl went to her Greek grandmother at Kalamata. Gisel’s ability with languages really began here, because by the time the Matah’s reconciled and she was moved back to Mumbai, now 9 years old, she could speak Greek, English and Hindi.

The private school she attended in Mumbai decided she needed an athletic discipline to tame her rebelliousness. They placed her in gymnastics competition and she won several team and individual medals. She became not only an accomplished gymnast but soon absorbed enough of the training and coaching that went with it she could later become the personal trainer aboard the starship Iskander.

When she was 13, her parents split again and Gisel went with her mother to London, where Gina became a resident at Guys Hospital. Gisel was developing into a young woman at this time, and so the growth spurt brought the end to her competition gymnastics. She joined a fencing club and by the time she left London to return to Mumbai she was short-listed as a junior for Olympic Team training.

Okay, you get the idea. These are background requirements that account for many of her accomplishments in the stories – her deadly swordfighting, her agility, and her proficiency with languages. I haven’t gone into as much depth with her psychological makeup, but her rebelliousness and mental toughness come from her parents’ provision of such a stormy home life. Somewhere along the way, Gisel found a spiritual mentor who taught her not only the power of meditation but the selflessness and calm courage of Eastern philosophy. When extreme action is called for she uses her own aikido method to enter ‘the warrior art of the sword’. The result of this training and less than ideal childhood is the Gisel Matah of “Deadly Enterprise” and “The Wildcat’s Victory” – a young woman who never backs down, and who is the equal of any man because she has to be twice as good.

The latest Gisel Matah story is The Wildcat’s Victory. On the Double Dragon website at --
http://www.double_dragon_ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1_55404_538_X
and on Amazon as a POD paperback at –
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554045398

Writing for Teens by Richard Dudum

2008-03-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Richard Dudum, author of What Your Mother Never Told You is touring this month with Pump Up Your Books Promotion. When asked about writing for teens, here's what he had to say.

"Teenagers are full of life, unlimited energy, passion, and hope. They are also exceptionally intelligent. If given the proper tools, strategies, and encouragement they can accomplish almost anything they set their mind to accomplish.

Teens are also well aware when adults dodge, avoid, or talk around issues. They may find us amusing when we ignore or avoid sensitive topics. They also have no tolerance (and often no respect) for adults who talk down to them, dictate and/or are hypocrites and ask them to “do what I say, not what I do.”

In addition, teens are strong minded and often don’t appreciate being told what to do. If however, they are approached in the right way, at their level, on their terms, maybe even using a bit of their language, they may become open to our thoughts, suggestions and encouragement. And with that opening, we as parents can hope to make them more aware of themselves, their environment, who they are, and who they want to be. That is what I have tried to accomplish in “What Your Mother Never Told You: A Survival Guide For Teenage Girls.”

You can find more information about Richard and his book at his website.

Ten Tips for Breaking into the Mystery Genre by Tinishi Johnson

2008-03-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

I’ve always loved a good mystery, whether it be a book, a TV show or a movie. Here are ten tips I’ve found beneficial to breaking into the mystery genre.

1. Read mysteries, old and new. There are some wonderfully written mysteries out there. Read books from some of the greatest mystery authors. Some of my favorite mystery authors are Walter Mosley, Sandra Brown. I especially love John Grisham and James Peterson.

2. Associate yourself with other mystery authors. You could easily join a Yahoo group or find a book club, and get to know others who enjoy writing or reading mystery.

3. Watch mystery TV shows and movies. I love watching mysteries on television. One of my favorite TV shows are Law and Order, Monk and CSI. I also still watch the old Alfred Hitchcock shows.

4. Your plot is everything in a mystery. A mystery usually follows a certain type of structure. Think of it as figuring out how to piece together a puzzle. You’ll have clues, twists, crime, and the whodunit all wrapped together. You need to keep your reader interested and edging for more.

5. Take a tour at a police station, or better yet, interview a police officer or a detective. I have not personally done this, but am thinking about this for my next book. I have talked with authors who have interviewed a police officer to get some insight into piecing together a scene in their book.

6. Watch the mystery and crime shows of real life events – like on the Discovery channel. I really enjoy watching some of the real stories told of real life killers, murderers and so forth. And what I enjoy even more, is watching the police, detectives and Forensic Science piece together what happened and how the crime was solved. It would be worth while to check out the Discovery channel, both on TV and online www.dicoverychannel.com

7. Why not play a game or two of Clue. I always enjoyed playing this game as a child. It really got your mind thinking, and you got better the more often you played.

8. To learn the basics of a mystery, you can always pick up a children’s mystery book. It could count as an easy, but interesting read.

9. Check out www.mysterynet.com. There are lots of resources - online mysteries, games, authors, books, shows, movies, etc.

10. And lastly, write everyday, or almost everyday. Your writing only gets better if you put pen to paper. Practice makes perfect.

Tinisha is the author of Searchable Whereabouts. You can find more about her and her writing at her website.

History's Mysteries by Linda Kay Silva

2008-03-06T05:32:00.000-08:00

I became interested in the idea of past lives after I had mine read on a whim. I never really believed in any of that so-called mumbo-jumbo, having been raised by Fundamentalist parents, so I wasn’t really expecting a complete conversion. I gave nothing away to the psychic as I sat down, but for the next 15 minutes, she said things about me that made me sit up and say, “Whoa.”

She said I had been a warrior in several lives (I have a warrior tattoo on my back.)

She said I spent most of my lives in Germany (I became fluent in German in high school after only two years…I found it really easy)

She said (and this one rocked me) the reason I hated the circus was because I died in a tragic fall.
(As it is, I have always hated the circus. I hate the smells, I hate clowns. I hate everything about them, but I’ve never been. When I was 8, my parents tried to take me, but I kicked and screamed and refused to go. I was afraid then. I still have never gone)

She said I have a hero complex and have lived 83 lives. She asked me if I had ever been in a profession like law enforcement or a fire department. (I was once a cop).

To say I was blown away would be an understatement. I was not, however, convinced. (Fundamentalist roots grow deeply). So, a few months, a different city, and a new psychic later, I went again. Only this time, I dressed in a manner to throw her off any visual cues. She didn’t need any. She, too, brought up the warrior and Germany. She said I had live d 82 lives, and that the reason I have an affinity for animals and nature was a druidic past. (I have this oddly natural ability to calm animals that won’t go near others).

I was convinced…and so I starting thinking…it made so much more sense to me that we are here, we learn something, we grow, and we take that knowledge with us to the next life, which, by the way, isn’t always forward. I know, I know, I sound like a crazy person, but did you know that DaVinci invented the parachute? Why on earth would a man invent something that wouldn’t really be needed for over 400 more years? Think of all the inventors and scientists who were so far ahead of their time. Think of history’s greatest artists; people who creating things or had ideas that were considered heretical. Where did they get those ideas?

In my novel, Across Time, I call those residual memories; memories from lives already lived. How else can we explain the 5 and 6 year old music prodigies who can play Bach and Beethoven? How else can we understand déjà vu, love at first sight, or the numerous coma patients who wake up speaking a foreign language they never studied? Residual memories…like those small pieces of dust you can see in a shaft of sunlight exist in all of us. Some of us are able to recall these, but most of us ignore them. We chalk them up to something, anything other than a past life memory. Unfortunately, in our society, what can’t be proven by science we call miracles. There’s nothing miraculous about residual memories. They’re there. We need only not discount them in order to learn from them.

Transformed, I started wondering what would happen if a character could go back to one of those times…not physically, of course, but with her soul. What would she learn? How would her soul assimilate into the individual from a certain time?

And that was when I knew I would be able to write a series that allowed me to play with my passion of history. What we have to remember is that the victorious are the ones who record history, not the vanquished. That means so much of what we have learned is skewed, slanted, and basically, not always a true account. So much of history is someone’s perceptions of what happened. Those perceptions (or misperceptions as they commonly are) are my wiggle room. I can slide Jessie into situations where she can be a player in history. She doesn’t actually change the future; she creates it by her involvement in the past.

According to historians, Queen Boudicca of the Iceni suddenly turned her army around. No one knows why. I can take liberties with this and GIVE the reason why: Jessie. There are so many gaps and holes in history, and that’s where Jessie makes the difference. The outcome remains the same, but HOW the outcome got there…well…that’s my playground. Those cracks are where my characters linger, creating the future. I can dabble in the historical arena and reach out and manipulate history’s mysteries without changing what we think we know.

Having my past lives read opened my mind to so many possibilities in my writing; and by opening my mind, my heart soon followed, and Jessie Ferguson, Cate McEwen, and Spencer Morgan arose from the depths in me to create characters I hope will enchant my readers and help them discover the lives they may have lead and the individuals they may have loved. When they finish the novel, I hope they have the answer to the question: If one of your past lives came to you for help in saving your soul mate, would you have the courage to go?

10 Tips for Tapping Into Your Inner Muse

2008-03-04T08:39:00.001-08:00

As I wrote in my InnerGoddess newsletter last week: There are several approaches you can take (to begin writing your life story), even if you don't consider yourself a "writer"... Herewith are 10 tips for tapping into your inner muse.

1. Write a short story about yourself in the third person, making yourself the heroine of the amazing adventure that has been your life so far;

2. Write short journal entries before you go to sleep every night, focussing on the "best thing that happened to me today";

3. Release any residual pain surrounding old injuries by rewriting the story with a new outcome;

4. Start a gratitude journal and record every little thing that makes you go mmmmmm;

5. Keep lists and add to them at random times during the day – the list of “things that go unnoticed”, for example, or “songs that remind me of a time and a place”;

6. Declare war… against clutter. Keep your desk clean and your space sacred. Same goes for your writing – there is as much satisfaction to be found in simplicity as there is in resolving complexity.

7. This is a tip from my next book, The Goddess Diet (TheGoddessDiet.com): Manifest your Natural Healer – Sit and look into the mirror as though having a conversation with the person in the reflection. Actually have a conversation with that person via ESP.

8. This tip comes from MyGoddessCreed.com: Just like you'd develop a business plan … you might also see your Self as a self-contained and prosperous entity. Brainstorm such questions as: What do I stand for? What makes me happy? What makes me feel fulfilled? Where are my perfections? What strengths do I have to share? And so on. Think of your questions and answers as personal "rules of engagement" for becoming goddess.

9 Use affirmations regularly and with conviction. There are heaps of ideas to get you started at http://www.affirmationscentral.com/

10. This tip comes from OfficialGoddess.com: Say Yeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaa… a lot. Screaming “yeeee-haaaaaaaaaaa” (Dukes of Hazzard style), helps lubricate your voice so that words can flow easier. It also helps get your car across impossible crevices and over unruly crates.

Tips on Writing Military Fiction by William Hay

2008-03-03T06:03:00.000-08:00

Get to know your local library.

Research is key in writing fiction about the military. As you read on, the underlying notion in my list of tips is: research and more research. This is not a new notion for writers. Most ideas and plots tend to come from some personal experience or something we’ve watched or heard which has intrigued us so much a story emerges. When writing fiction about the military, particularly if you had no personal experience to dip into, and that would include pretty much all of us when the story takes on an historical venue, get used to research and become comfortable at your local library.

While writing or preparing to write my Historical Fiction, all of which have been about military conflict, I’ve utilized the Canadian War Museum’s website and searched the catalogues for books and/or documents. Anything was up for loan through my local library. It’s remarkable what you can find if you spend time search the resources your own nation offers via their Archives or other government agencies. Bureaucracy can be a wonderful thing if you let it work for you!

Know something about the military before writing about it.

Ever watch a television show or movie which involves subject matter to which you have thorough knowledge and say: “They’d never do that!” or “That’s not how it happens!” As a former police officer with sixteen years experience, five of which were in Crime Scene Investigation (yes, ‘CSI’), it happens to me ALL THE TIME!

The same problem persists in military fiction. If you’re writing about the military you have to get to know it. The best writers of military fiction are previous military personnel, because there’s a jargon; an additude among military men and women which is difficult to reproduce unless you’ve been part of it.

Few Hollywood movies have got it right, with the exception of a few, ‘Platoon’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ would be among them. In both cases the actors had to take several weeks of training and lived as a soldier for a time. This is hardly an option for most of us, so research is best. When in doubt, ask questions from military people; they are more than happy to steer you in the right direction.

Become intimate with the era you’re story takes place.

It’s not enough to grab a book or two about the Boer War; the American Civil War; the War of 1812 or what ever time period you’re novel takes place. As a writer, you need to look beyond the immediate subject and get to know the time in history it took place. You must get to know the era of which you are writing intimately. How did they talk; what kind of tobacco did they smoke; was beer the drink of choice or was whiskey?

I guarantee writers about the American Civil War are thoroughly versed on the era, as there is such a wealth of material on the subject and a steady flow of fiction writers on the horizon. This aspect of the subject is very important because adding small tidbits of information throughout your story, enriches it and aids you in developing your characters. Without the small historical details, your story will be like a shell of a building, without colour or decorations.

Research the weapons of the period.

This might seem a ‘no-brainer’, but remarkably, I’ve come across novels which fail to meet this all important criteria. Just as you spend time developing the story with your detailed knowledge of the era you’re writing about, as a military novel, you must also obtain proficient knowledge of the weapons of war being used by your characters.

To use a modern example, anyone of you unfortunate enough to have seen ‘Rambo’, (the original), will recall the last scene where Stallone acts dead in the pilot’s seat of the helicopter he and his freed captives are in. When the ‘bad guy’, lands his own helicopter to check out his kill, Stallone suddenly sits up and fires a bazooka at his enemy. This might not be a problem for some viewers, but for us military types, we expected to see the men behind him cooked, not to mention the rear of the helicopter blown away. A bazooka has a substantial blow-back radius with explosive consequences for anything and anyone behind it. Instead he turns and smiles at the men sitting in this blast radius, in perfect health incidentally and flies away in what should have been a crippled helicopter. By not doing your homework, such mistakes can ruin a story, (not that ‘Rambo’ needed much help).

As writers we see things visually and have been adulterated by what we’ve watched on movies or television, which, I hate to say, has perverted science in so many ways for the sake of eye-candy. It is for this reason, getting to know historic weapons can be an arduous task. For example, a building hit by a cannon ball, does not explode which I’ve often observed on depicted; cannon balls are solid metal and generally smash their targets. There are weapons from the eighteenth and early nineteenth century that do explode, but they could be unreliable and often very dangerous to use.

Use personal accounts as a starting point.

History tells us one thing about people: we don’t learn from our previous mistakes. Our politicians and generals prove this fact constantly. While writing military fiction, historical or not, search out publications or biographies detailing personal accounts from soldiers or persons in the war or military action you’re writing about.

While writing ‘The Originals’, a novel about Canadians in the First World War, I tapped into the wealth of personal accounts available to help me paint, in graphic detail, the scene of the battles the soldiers faced in Belgium and France. As a writer, I imagine my stories as a movie and make every attempt to describe the scene visually. There is a danger for an author if you only have modern movies and television as an example of military conflict. The best method of leaning what it’s like in an artillery barrage, perhaps on a warship during a sea battle or flying a bombing mission somewhere of Europe, is from those who actually did it.

They can be an excellent resource, because you will often find more from personal accounts than just description of battles. I find myself relying heavily on them to learn about the era, the additude of the soldiers and their officers. These accounts offer a window of this world your novel depicts the official reports are unable to provide. All of which you can use to further enrich the details of your novel.

Should you be true to reality or your story?

As writers we have to make a decision whether we are to be true to the story we are writing or to the reality of the subject matter the story is about. My friends and family can’t understand why I’ve not written crime fiction; given my past experience as a Police Officer and a Crime Scene Investigator. One such person is a friend of mine who is also an aspiring author of crime novels. He called me up one day and asked if I could review one such novel for technical accuracy. He asked questions like: “Can this happen?” or “Is this realistic?” My answer to him was the same I give to everyone who can’t get over why I haven’t dove into Crime writing. That is: “Reality is far less interesting than fiction.” I’ll argue that statement to my grave.

Frankly, I fear writing a crime novel, because I think it’ll stink. It would be a constant struggle for me since I know Police work is 98% boredom and 2% panic. No one wants to read about the boredom, so how do you write a whole novel about 2% of the job? Writing military fiction placed me in a similar quandary because I’m an avid historian and relish telling it, like-it-was. But I’m also a writer and want my novels to be page turners.

The truth is reality can be interesting if you know how to put a spin on it. With ‘The Originals’, I selected actual events which occurred to the Battalion I immediately identified as worthy for any story. Slowly I collected a list of events, in chronological order and used them as some of the high points that the reader experiences through the main character and generally avoided most of the low periods or “boring-stuff”. Have I compromised reality by doing this? No. What I’ve done is found that happy-place between fiction and reality we all strive toward. Each situation will differ, but by careful design, you can remain true to both reality and your story.

Thanks for reading! Take care and I look forward to seeing you in print!

William Hay
www.williamhay.net

Questions at a Reading by Camille Marchetta

2008-02-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

Recently, I did a reading of my novel, THE RIVER, BY MOONLIGHT, at a Barnes & Noble in Edgewater, N.J. It was a new experience for me. I've had cable and newspaper interviews in the past, made one speech years ago before a large group, and done several roundtable discussions with small ones. I've even appeared (briefly) in some documentaries to do with my work in television; but I'm always far more comfortable alone in my office, at my computer, than at a public event; and this was my first reading in a bookstore. I was a little apprehensive about it.

I prepared a few, a very few, introductory remarks, including all the necessary expressions of gratitude, the agenda (so that everyone would know what they were in for and for how long), a synopsis of the book, and lead-ins to each of the four excerpts. A friend had helped me select those, she opting for brevity and maximum drama, and I for sections that were self-contained, needing a minimum amount of explanation

There was a nice crowd present, larger than expected, in a small space, with some new faces among the familiar ones of family and friends who had come to offer support. But of course things didn't go exactly according to plan. The manager who had organized the event, and to whom I was enormously grateful, walked off before I could thank her and then returned after I had launched into the rest of my remarks, meaning I had to stop, say thanks, and then try to pick up where I'd left off. And as I'd earlier turned down a glass of water (what was I thinking?), I was plagued by a dry mouth through the entire event. Still, I managed to get through the readings, which I'd rehearsed endlessly, without any serious mishap. And when I finished, I asked for questions.

Because of my background in television, the majority of those I'm usually asked have to do with Dallas and Dynasty, with "Who Shot J.R.?" and the Moldavian Massacre (there's some wonderful footage of the latter on uTube), shows I worked on in one capacity or another. This time, however, possibly because my television history was not mentioned in the publicity for the event, all questions referred to my book.

THE RIVER, BY MOONLIGHT is set in New York City and the Hudson River Valley in 1917, just as the United States is about to enter the war in Europe. It deals with the death of a young woman, a talented artist, and the effect of it on her family and friends.

What had prompted me to set the book in that era? people wanted to know; which locations were real, which fictional? how much research had I done? how long had it taken to complete a first draft? that sort of thing; and, finally, because several people had read my previous novels, LOVERS AND FRIENDS and THE WIVES OF FRANKIE FERRARO, why was this new book so different from the preceding two?

Frankly, I don't think it is. Though my books always spring from specific characters and events, all of them revolve around ideas and issues and themes that matter to me, that I think are important, that I wish to explore. I never work from an outline. Once I know the beginning of the story, and its climax, once I find its "voice", I just start writing. Structure develops as I go along; characters put in an appearance as needed. From time to time, of course, I stop, take stock, and make corrections when things on rereading seem "wrong" somehow. But mostly I just keep going until I get to the end. Then, in subsequent drafts, I polish, and polish some more. And always I try, no matter how serious the issues involved, to make the book as easy a read as possible.

I'm willing to entertain the notion that at times I might do all this better than at others, but I'm not convinced of it. If my process is always the same, why wouldn't the results be? The "break-out book" we so often encounter, is it really better than the one that came before, or will come after? I'm not sure. But what I think is that readers' reactions have less to do with how skilful an author has been than with how meaningful the issues and themes of any given novel are to them. I think they respond first to what it's about and then to how it's written - it's structure, its style, its voice.

What I tried to explain at the reading is that, to my mind, a novel set in 1917 is of necessity going to sound quite different from one set in the 1960s, the period of my first two books; that the characters also dictate its tone; but that those differences seem to me to be quite superficial.

No no no, the questioners protested. That wasn't it. The differences, they insisted, went far deeper than that.

Well, never argue (or at least not for too long and only in fun) with your public, I always say. It's wonderful that they've taken the time to read your book, experience it, respond to it. If they see things in it that you don't, that's all to the good (except when it's to the bad – as with critics from time to time: but that's another story). What a reader brings to a novel can enrich and expand it in ways that an author can never anticipate. If people are certain this novel is so different from its predecessors, who am I to disagree?

Eventually, the bookstore manager reappeared and put an end to the discussion. My arguments had changed no minds. The audience went away convinced they were right. I came away wondering. And I still am.

Camille Marchetta
http://www.camillemarchetta.com/

Romance by LaConnie Taylor Jones

2008-02-13T09:23:00.000-08:00

The word romance can be defined in several ways — a brief, intense love affair, the sexual love between two people, a fascination with something or even excitement. However, most people associate the term romance with the collection of love stories, the genre. There’s another definition that best describes how I define romance and the role it played in my road to publication — the spirit of adventure.

Aaah…the spirit of adventure! For me, this translates into heroic achievement because never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that combining two of my greatest passions in life would lead to the completion of two full-length novels. A challenge from my husband made me seize the opportunity to blend my enthusiasm for teaching health, social responsibility and social justice together with my love for reading the romance genre.

For over twenty-five years, I was content to be a reader. Then in the summer of 2003, something amazing happened. The enthusiasm for my career coupled with the experiences I’d gained over the years sparked a multitude of storylines and another romance began to blossom. I decided to test the waters to see if I could actually craft my skill as a health educator with my passion for reading. In the summer of 2003, I decided to roll the dice and become a romance writer and I’ve never looked back.

Is there a romance you long to embrace that’s lying dormant inside of you? I bet there is and would love for you to share it.

Remember, romance - it’s more than a genre.

Check out LaConnie’s website at http://www.laconnietaylorjones.com/ to see how you can win a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com!

Tips for Writing a Mystery

2008-02-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

First, you need to decide exactly what type mystery you are planning to write. Hopefully you’ve read enough crime novels (seems to be the preferred name for the genre these days) to know what kind of novel you are going to write. To name a few: the private eye novel, amateur detective, usually someone with an interesting or unusual profession, can be hard-boiled or a cozy, the police procedural, romantic suspense, woman in jeopardy (think Mary Higgins Clark),
historical mysteries–can be a combination of any of the above, thriller, when an innocent becomes involved, either by accident or coincidence, in dangerous events beyond his or her control (think Alfred Hitchcock movies), suspense, when the protagonist is in a constant and increasing state of danger.

Mysteries of earlier times were more interested in the hero solving the crime, now are as interested in the emotional impact of the crime of the hero and his or her private life. You have to create a credible protagonist to help the reader suspend disbelief. Though you must know the back story of your characters, you don’t necessarily have to tell it all. Bits and pieces should come out–maybe internally. Don’t lump it all together in one place. Don’t forget the villains–they should have history and issues also.

Here’s a check list of what you need to know about the book you’re going to write:
The Crime
Scene of the Crime
Victim
Murderer
Sleuth
Suspects and Motives
Where everyone was at the time of the murder; alibis.
Settings
Conflict that led to the crime
Conflict that follows the crime and leads to the solution.
Climax, the emotional high point of the novel.
Solution or resolution

Remember it’s not necessary to only write about what you know, but what you don’t know, you need to find out about.

Use your imagination, create unusual characters and interesting settings, either real or ones you’ve made up.

Once you’ve finished, print the manuscript out and go over it carefully. Make sure you tied up the loose ends and things progress in a logical manner. After that, have someone else edited it for you, someone who knows how to edit–preferably someone who reads and understands the mystery genre.

And yes, you can do something different as long as it works. My latest book, Smell of Death, is a police procedural, but there are several crimes in the book that must be solved. In this particular series, I wanted to show how the job affects the family and family life affects the job.

Smell of Death is authored by F. M. Meredith, a.k.a. Marilyn Meredith, available at http://fictionforyou.com and Amazon.com

Loving the Love Scene by Ashlyn Chase

2008-02-08T08:40:00.002-08:00

Erotic romance authors are often asked how they write hot love scenes. It ain’t easy! In fact, it’s one of the hardest things to write well. I happen to write erotic comedy but when it comes to sex, I’m deadly serious about it.

Here are a few tips to writing a convincing love scene. First of all, try to be sure your characters aren’t as shallow as this: “I like your body, let’s have sex.” It’s great to have sexual attraction between the hero and heroine from the get-go, but to make a love or sex scene convincing, we need do a little better than that.

I like to have one of them do something special for the other to show they care. That usually happens in real life. Dinner and a movie is classic but classic can be cliché. As imaginative writers, we can and should be inventive. Maybe he knows she likes puzzles so he pulls out a 1,000-piece puzzle and invites her over to put it together. That says a couple of things. One: I want to spend time with you—lots of time. And, two: I’m paying attention to your likes and dislikes—I’ll meet your needs.

Of course in an erotic romance, the couple won’t get beyond putting together the outer border before they wind up tangled in the sheets. In order for that to happen, especially in a short story, the writer often makes them familiar with each other beforehand from their workplace, mutual friends, or being stuck in a space capsule together for months. And, of course, they’ve been burning for each other too long as it is.

One of the hardest things for the erotic romance writer to do is make each encounter feel like it’s the best, most powerful, over-the-top sex your POV character has ever experienced. In order satisfy the avid erotic romance reader’s expectations, you have to get right into that character’s body and describe sensations that often defy description. You’ll find yourself typing words like: arching, moaning, clenching, whimpering, “Oh God, oh God!” pummeling, pounding, stiffening, exploding, convulsing, gasping, rasping “I can’t take anymore,” shuddering, fluttering, shivering, quivering, bucking, and… Well, you get the idea. The reader must be swept away, just like the character.

For the writer to put together a scene like that, and to make it different every time, may take a lot of thought and frequent ice water breaks. For a reader to consider it a successful scene, she must not be able to put the book down. Thus, it might take you all afternoon to write something the reader will devour in a couple of minutes.

Do you need to have a current love life to write erotic romance? No. I think it helps, but I know some single erotica writers who can make you want to wear oven mitts to turn the pages! I even know a virgin who won a contest with her love scene and subsequently published her story. But if you have a regular bed partner, take advantage of it. Tune out the noise in your head and concentrate on the moment. I can’t tell you how many erotic romance authors refer to their significant other as their “research assistant.”

In either case, I think the best way to write any romance is to read romance. To write hot romance, read hot romance. The next time someone implies that writing romance is easy, dare them to write a love scene—preferably one that makes you drool, sweat and attack your boy toy.

Visit Ash at her website or blog. And don't forget Ash will be stopping by StoryCrafters on the 13th to answer any questions you have.

Once Upon a Time by Deborah Woehr

2008-02-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

I didn’t always like to read books. In fact, I hated them when I was in the third grade, when my teacher began forcing book reports down our throats. Despite a kind mom’s efforts, I still couldn’t stand the thought of sitting there and reading some stupid story that I would forget a few minutes after I’d finished it.

Three years later, I was introduced to Judy Blume. All of the cool girls were reading this book. I just had to have it because they were reading it. Forever, it was called. I bought it with my own money, took it home and began to devour the pages because I knew what it was about. My parents wouldn’t approve of their 12 year-old daughter reading this book about a young woman’s first sexual encounter, which made it all the more thrilling to sit there and read it in front of them. Forget Nancy Drew! This was much more exciting!

Well, my mother caught me as I was reading The Act. Stunned shock came first, followed by outrage. My parents let me finish reading the book, which still remains in their night stand, 29 years later. I went on to rebel her by buying the books of Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Piers Anthony, Dean Koontz, and Stephen King.

She couldn’t understand what drew me to these books, but I loved them. They took me to other worlds and into moral situations that I couldn’t yet understand, such as the affair one of the heroines had before she and her son were trapped in their car while a rabid dog snarled and lashed at them. I also remember the passage in Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, where he describes what happens when you place a pink monkey in a room full of brown monkeys. It was pretty powerful stuff that I’ve carried with me years after I read these books.

One afternoon, I set a book down and pulled out my notebook with the idea of writing my own story. I stared at the blank page and froze, my pen poised several inches over the first ruled line. My mind went as blank as that page. After a moment, I put both the pen and the notebook away.

You’re no writer, I told my young self. You’re a painter and a scratchboard artist.

I kept a journal to chronicle my personal life, but I never got up the courage to attempt to write a story until after I turned 30. That morning, I was lying in bed, playing what I call a “mind movie.” My mind is always playing them. That morning, I was thinking about a serial killer who decided that he was bored hunting down single white females. How would the police react if he caught the daughter of one of the police chief? This would be the finale for the single white female hunting, I thought to myself. Then, he can start hunting after married women.

I got out of bed, grabbed my artist’s sketchpad, and wrote the first paragraph for this “finale” scene. It was horrible. This time, I didn’t panic and give up. I kept writing. Nine months later, I had a novel-length manuscript. Eight months after that initial paragraph, I published my first short story.

Writing became an obsession as soon as I saw my name listed in the table of contents of that magazine. I shelved my first manuscript for a variety of reasons and started what would become Prosperity, a ghost story set in a remote rural town in Arizona.

About the Author
Deborah Woehr is a writer, designer, and problogger who lives in San Jose, California with her husband and two children. She earned her A.S. in Computer Graphics in 1993 and began writing in 1997, publishing one short story and several articles. Currently, she is a freelance writer for Syntagma Media. In 2006, she edited and published the 2006 Writer’s Blog Anthology, a collection of essays and poems written by bloggers. Her novel, Prosperity, will be available on Amazon in February. For more information about her books, please visit her website at http://www.deborahwoehr.com/blog/
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PROSPERITY: A GHOST STORY VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ’08 will officially begin on Feb. 1, 2008 and continue all month. If you would like to follow Deborah’s tour, visit www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com.

Win a free copy of Deborah’s book by commenting on her tour stops! One lucky person will be chosen at the end of her tour on Feb. 29 and announced on her tour page at http://tinyurl.com/2q4jze!

Deborah’s virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson. Check out www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/authorsontour.html to

Write about what you know about... St. John of the Midfield

2008-02-04T07:01:00.000-08:00

Stuart Dybek, one of America’s great contemporary writers, and my creative writing instructor during my years at Western Michigan University, often told us in class to “write about what you know about.” At the time, outside of being a creative writing student, I was a baseball player who, due to my writing background, was probably the only guy on the team who could have spelled the word soccer correctly at the time. In the early 80’s, the game was relegated in American gym class with other sports like Swedish handball or rugby. As baseball players, we turned our noses up at any guy in the locker room who said he played soccer.

Today, I’m thankful, on account of my son’s interest, that my wife signed me up to be his soccer coach in a recreation league back in 1992 when he was six. From there, I began a learning odyssey of the game, one which led me to study under former world class players like Jordan Mitkov and Falah Hassan, to creating my own youth soccer travel club. During my fifteen years of on the job training, I was able to learn all the intricacies and nuances of the game, details which allowed a depth of knowledge I was confident enough in to write about.

When it came time for the story, St. John of the Midfield, to finally burn out of me, the soccer related scenes came about easily since I personally experienced them all in some way or another. I was writing from first hand experience; from playing, to coaching, or, from being a referee. Readers have told me the soccer scenes are some of the best they’ve ever read. As a writer, you’re never tired of hearing comments like that from your audience.

Professor Dybek would, I’m sure, be impressed that one of his students actually listened to him. Writing about what you know about is the most important part of the methodology on the craft of writing I subscribe to. In this case, it has proven to serve me well. However, my wife Vicki has warned me not to get Melvellian and desire to write something about working on a whaling boat.

My response to her simply was, “Then don’t sign me up.”

You can find out more about St. John of the Midfield at his website.

Woes of Publishing! by Sandra Worth

2008-02-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

"Persistence finally paid off!" That's what everyone who knows me tells me now that I've been picked up in a two-book deal with Penguin. There was a time when I doubted it would ever happen. I entered contests and won awards judged by illustrious writers like Ray Bradbury, New York agents and editors, film makers and Hollywood producers. Though they selected me as their winner and sometimes I walked away with the grand prize of a thousand dollars or more, they passed on picking up my novel for publication. I couldn't understand why and I didn't believe them when they said, "Historicals don't sell." I knew they would, if they just published them! So I worked on my manuscript, revising and revising; hoping and hoping. But the change of heart never came. More rejections streamed in. My agent finally gave up on me. "There's no more I can do for you," she said, handing back my manuscript. I promptly looked up the names and addresses of small publishers and sent out a flurry of query letters.

One day a small POD publisher called with an acceptance. I was overjoyed. But I had to wait eighteen months for the release of my book, and by that time, the publisher was out of business. I got my rights back, and another small publisher offered to pick up the book, the first in a trilogy. I was ecstatic--that is, until I read their contract. By signing, I would give up every possible right to my book. It was as if my "baby" would be taken up for adoption by this stranger, and I wouldn't even have visitation rights. I'd never, ever see her again! She would keep my name but be out of my hands forever. If I changed the beneficiary of my will, I'd have to obtain the publisher's permission first. Much as I wanted to be published, I knew I couldn't accept these terms. The publisher said, "Take it or leave it." So I left it.

That's when I got a break. Another small publisher came along who was willing to talk terms, and willing to do a traditional run. I saw their product, and it was beautiful! Lovely cover, good paper, beautifully presented. They even had a well known distributor. The editor was gifted; the art director amazingly talented. I couldn't believe my luck! Working with them was a dream. They published the first book in my trilogy, and it was perfect. I worked non-stop on its promotion. I joined Toastmasters and learned public speaking. I never turned down a book talk, appearance, or an interview. I was completely stressed out but I kept promoting fiendishly. If I didn't, who would ever know my book was born? To my delight, my efforts paid off and it kept going into printing after printing. After all, didn't I know in my gut that historicals would sell, if given a chance?

I thought I was home free, but no, not quite yet. This wonderful publisher took on a marketing partner, and the new partner was one of those believers in a tough contract. She made me an offer for all my rights -- movie rights, serial rights, subsidiary right -- in the high two digits.

Yes, that's what I said. Ten dollars, actually. So I looked for another publisher. After I found one (let's call her "Angel") who was willing to publish the two sequels, my first publisher called to tell me his new partner was no longer with him. Aware that a trilogy does better when it's not split up between publishers, I offered to write "Angel" a new stand-alone book. She accepted, and the three books, The Rose of York trilogy, came to be published by End Table Books as a set.

I wrote furiously on my new novel for Angel. She even gave me an advance! I was euphoric. I pushed everything aside for nine months and kept writing. Then, just before I finished the book, I heard from Angel that she had lost her distributor, and was wondering how I felt about selling the book through personal appearances. I groaned with fatigue! At this point, I knew I would rather not have the book published than to try to market it this way.

Finally, I decided my writing days were over; it was all just too much trouble. I talked to Angel. She was every inch a kind and heavenly person, one of those special people we are privileged to meet in our lifetimes. She understood. She returned my rights, and I returned her advance. I contacted my former agent and told her what had transpired. She told me to send her a PDF of Lady of the Roses. I did. "I'm going to submit to New York," she informed me. Good luck, I thought.

Three weeks later, she called. "Are you sitting down?" she asked. "Penguin has made an offer for Lady of the Roses and they want two books. How fast can you write the second?"

"But historicals don't sell," I replied.

"Historicals are hot," she said.

Since then the first book in the trilogy, The Rose of York: Love & War is going into a second edition. We've sold the Spanish rights for the first and second books in the trilogy, Love & War and Crown of Destiny, and the Russian rights to Lady of the Roses: A Novel of the Wars of the Roses, which came out January 2 in the U.S. Meanwhile, today, January 8, Lady was released by Penguin Canada. I went to Amazon to buy a copy to send to a friend in Toronto and there was a notice posted: "Temporarily sold out." They will notify me when they have more books.

Didn't I always know historicals would sell if they were only published?

Tell Sandra your feelings about love and destiny by writing her at roseofyork@sandraworth.com or enter via her website at www.sandraworth.com, and win one of five signed copies of LADY OF THE ROSES and a beautiful cloisonné bookmark.

Exploring the 'unknown'...

2008-01-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

My novel is done. It's editing and cut and in the hands of others now. Three years of my life, my blood, sweat and tears are wrapping up. Is it the end of that project? No. Not by any means - but it is the end of me working on it. I don't have the excuse of it sitting there waiting to be written, to be edited, to have another thousand words cut.

Now I see how much of a safety net it was. I have another full-length novel in mind, but it's unfamiliar territory. I have lived in the world of my characters for so long, it frightens me to meet new characters. I'm terribly shy, you see.

So now it's time to bite the bullet. To explore the 'unknown' that I've avoided so long. I've written a historical romance...and it's sequels (we won't discuss how many words I've written in the past three years). They have all focused around one group of characters.

I will meet new people now. They've already begun to introduce themselves. There's Elijah Corey - the insanely logical male witch that only believes in his own power because he's used it. He's also my first-ever center stage male main character. Gwendolyn Cobleigh - an old friend of mine, but she's changing like a chameleon into a character more fitting to the novel. She doesn't like playing second fiddle, but for the chance at this role, she's willing to swallow a little pride.

I will also write a different kind of story. I will challenge myself to write a short story. I've had a short and spicy romance in my head for some time, so I have to attempt to write something shorter than anything I've written in a long time.

It's an exciting time...and a terrifying one. New challenges, new people. It's all 'unknown' to me. I'm stepping out of the 1870's and into the modern world. I hope I make the transition all right.

Sadie

~Of course - just because I'm in the modern world doesn't mean I'm going to change my plans to make, from scratch, a dress appropriate for the 1870's....

I'm a Mazzikin, or is that mizzikin?

2008-01-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

I hadn't been over to the Zooty & Flapper site for a couple days but was told he'd updated it and since I had some free time this afternoon, decided to check it out.

I have to say, he made me laugh. But I'll explain that later. Everything in italics is taken directly from his website, as is. You'll notice he's proud of his spelling errors.

On his home page, he has this to say about Victoria at Writer's Beware:

Victoria Strauss of Writers Beware, has joined with a band of Blitzers to stop Zooty and Flappers from moving ahead on this program. Ms Strauss puts herself out as a judge of what will, and will not work in the Publishing Industry. Perhaps she should go back to New York and tell the Publishers why the sale of books went down by 25%, and what they should do.I have taken note: Ms Strauss is selling her books on her Writer Beware site. She claims to have the web site to help writers? My question is: "Why do you want to help writers?" In my opinion, you're just using that old rag to sell your books. I don't think you give a damn about writers.

And on his "McCarthyism" page this:

Today we see a new person holding up the torch of McCarthyism, Victoria Strauss.

"Go where no women has gone before. Seek out and destroy those harming new writers. Dig them out of their holes, and pile their ink stained bodies in front of the literary world." We can't call you "Tail-gunner Strauss."

How about, "Mazzikin Von Strauss?"

I am going to be the first to stand up and tell you "Go to hell Strauss." You said in an interview, that your attorneys had told you not worry about those who complain, they will just fade away. I got news for you kid. Not me. You use the net to spread your fear. You are defending people who have told lies about me. heck, one even called me a con artist!.

Jean Lauzier of Storycrafters claims to have removed the blitz she started on her chat room, and did not have a copy to give to Preditors & editors. I printed everthing that was said on the subject in that chat room, right off the screen. And, I will print all of it on my web site. I'll tell you where you can nail my hide to the wall. Find spelling errors in what I write. I am a lazy speller. Heck I even put double words in at times.

The title of your blog about me, "Zooty Suit Riot." Were you making a slure about Latino's of the 40's who were beaten in the zoot suits riots in L.A.? Or about the Latino's who wear them today?

You put yourself out there as an expert as to what will work and what won't. You name three other's who have done the same thing. You say I can't do it, because others have failed. Hmm? Come on kid, why don't you stop trying to be an expert on things your not. I told my dog Ruff, "I don't want to get down in the gutter with this gal and her following of Mazzikins. I have been asked by others to publicize some of your exploits. I know some of your readers think of you as a sweet person.

Hmmm? You think we should tell em?

You want to play games like McCarthy? Shoot your best shot kid. I'm not going away.

And from his "Mazzikin" page, I just have to share this with you.

Standing on the edge of the writing world, is where one finds the "Mizzikin's." That's Hebrew for harmer. Unable to enter the real world of Published Writers, they position themselves on the paths leading to the Publishing World. It is here, they take the new writer aside, and whisper their view of the truth into their ear.Case in point; Jean Lauzier, co-founder of Storycrafters, a chat room for new writers. It is here her reason for writing comes to light. There is a true saying amongst writers, "You cant hide who you are when you write.

When he said he was going to publish the truth about me, I didn't realize it was going to be so funny.

Jean was the daughter of a military family. That's hard on a young girl, moving from base to base, never feeling like your roots ever take hold. The major devastation came when her parents divorced. it wasn't her fault, she had been a good daughter. Hurt and anger are sometimes hard for young people to deal with. Those are pains that never seem to go away. Some kids get into trouble when they express anger over a hurt. It's a very emotional, critical time for teens. Folks understand, and can pass over the things they do wrong. But as the troubled teen becomes an adult, they are expected to control their anger, and not use it to harm others. if they do, they are held responsible. Some try to rebuild and change their past by positioning themselves in a parallel situation. I can't say Jean Lauzier was doing that when she married a military man.

How funny. I'd never been on a military base until I went for basic training at 17. My father worked a regular job and mom stayed home taking care of us kids. I spent my summers riding ponies and working in the garden, not traveling from place to place.

And this... What sparked her to go public with her writing? And what direction did it take?She said she read an article in a magazine. Angered, she wrote a letter to the editor, giving a rebuttal. Her letter along with those of several other people was printed. She had slapped someone down in print! How did that make her feel? In her own words, "I think I slept with that issue under my pillow for a month."

How about at least getting the quote right. I mean, it's right there for all the world to see.

In fact, what really got me started on the road to becoming a writer was an article in a magazine. I wrote a rebuttal and it was published. The magazine was an international publication and I think I slept with the issue under my pillow for a month.

This was a reply to an editorial in the Fall issue of Doberman Quarterly in 1995. The article dealt with ways to protect your Doberman from being stolen. There was no "slapping" anyone down in print, just tips such as not giving strangers your dogs call name, not leaving them easily accessible to thieves and recommending that our much loved companions be tattooed and micro chipped. And yes, I did sleep with that issue under my pillow.

Her next venture, was to join the Long Story, Short Story School of Writing, as an instructor.To date, she claims she never taught there.

True...I did. And I haven't. But you know what, there's nothing wrong with this. Long Story Short is a great place to learn more about writing.

Their interview was where he came up with this misquote: Once Jean Lauzier was asked, "Where do you get your ideas from? Life or your imagination?" her reply? "An oak tree in my front yard inspired a hanging story."

Here's the full quote:
Q. Do you take most of your ideas from life? Or your imagination? A mix? (Do you hate when people ask this?)

I get ideas from just about everywhere. An old oak tree in my front yard inspired a ghost hanging story. Family gossip inspired another story and even my kids give me ideas at times. I guess I'd have to say most ideas come from my day to day life. And I think most writers love to talk about their writing so any question is fine:-)

Here's the link to the interview: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/jeanlauzier.html

And no, I still don't like his view of who is a published author and us isn't. If you have a story, article or novel published, whether by a website, ezine, paper magazine, small or e-press, major publisher such as Harlequin (I think this is the standard publisher he's talking about. I sent the first three of a novel to Mills & Boon and got a very nice rejection letter from the editor. She even asked for my next project when it's ready.) or Tor, then you are a published writer. I even consider those who have gone the self-publishing route to be published authors.

I also believe pre-publishing a novel harms that writer's chance of having that novel picked up by an agent and traditional publisher such at Tor, Kensington, Harlequin and the many others out there.

So...here's to being one of Domenic's "Mazzikins." At least he spelled my name right this time.

Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton

2008-01-25T09:02:00.000-08:00

At one time, Kathleen Willy's name was all over the news. Opinions, rumors and inuendo flew from both sides. I asked her about the difficulties of getting such a controversial book published.

"Getting my controversial book printed was not as daunting as most author's efforts. I was just a regular American woman who got caught up in an extraordinary political event. Although that crisis occurred ten years ago, it is still a very powerful, troubling story. "

Now, you can read Kathleen's account of those events in her book; TARGET: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton

For more information on Kathleen Willey's Virtual Blog Tour and our purchase incentive program, go to http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com

Encouragement and Advice for Writers by Carole Schutter

2008-01-24T07:57:00.000-08:00

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but life got in the way. We often have many roadblocks on our way to achieving our goal. How we deal with those roadblocks makes the difference between success and failure.

Awhile back, I drove through Colorado reflecting on how I felt like a failure in my mid-fifties. In some ways, I would have been considered a success. I grew up in a 900 square foot house where I lived with two of my siblings (the third was yet to be born), my mother and father, my grandparents, my aunt, and for some of that time, another aunt and uncle. We all lived in three bedrooms and one bath. I didn’t know we were poor because everyone in my neighborhood was just like me.

TV, the movies, and books showed me that the world could be different. It was filled with beautiful people, wonderful homes, fancy cars, and perfect parents. I yearned to be a princess but I was poor, plain, and as my father constantly reminded me whenever I told him what my dreams for the future were, I was an Asian girl in a white world. However, I had a mother who told me to shoot for the stars, I might get the moon.

Raised in church, I prayed as a child would. I wanted to grow up to be beautiful and rich. I was too young to know what a ridiculous request that was and I trusted God more than my father. I thought anything was possible with God.

I got the mansion and the prince not once, but twice. But that was just surface stuff. My life was a tragic mess. I needed to focus on something else. So, I began to focus on my childhood dreams of being a writer. By now, I had experienced so much of life; I knew I could write with conviction and passion.

The world will tell you that you have to make it while you’re young. The world will tell you that there are some things that are impossible. An ugly child cannot grow up to be a swan. It is impossible to succeed if you’re over fifty. Just because you want to write a screenplay doesn’t mean it will become a movie. After all, only 1.1% of all screenwriters ever get a movie. It takes a miracle to succeed as an author.

If God puts a dream in your heart, never give up. Too many people give up just before they receive their miracle. And just because there were land mines on your path of life, it doesn’t mean that you won’t reach your goal. It just means the victory will be sweeter. Determine that your setbacks will turn into comebacks. Remember that rejections are just part of the game. Don’t let people and circumstances get you down. Encourage yourself if there is no one there to encourage you. Never give up. Never give in. Remain open and alert to opportunities and the people you meet. Keep your eyes on the goal and not on your circumstances. Receive your miracle within and it will manifest itself in your life.

Believe in the God who believes in you and wants you to succeed.

Write Spot

2008-01-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

As writer's we are a solitary group for the most part. Yet, we still need to socialize with others who understand just what we mean when we say POV, show don't tell and talking head syndrone.

There are lots of social networks out there try. For example, there is our own StoryCrafters. We have a password protected critique area, information about conferences and contests along with just some great folk who are ready to encourage or prod as needed.

We also need an online presence, either a website or blog.

One option is Write Spot. It's a small but growing group of writers dedicated to writing and each other. Each member has his or her own page and each page has a place to blog. I really enjoy having the blogs of so many friends close by to read instead of having to click all over the web.

So, take a look at StoryCrafters and Write Spot. If you need an online home, we'd love to have you:--)

Jean

You Are More Than Enough by Judi Moreo

2008-01-22T08:16:00.000-08:00

I am more than enough!!!

I've often gotten discouraged with self-help or motivational books because they excite me to the possiblitied then offer no advice or strategies I can easily apply to my situation.

Not so with Judi. I've had the privilege of emailing Judi several times and she's a wonderful, sweet, and caring woman. That attitude comes through clearly in her book and the Achievement Journal which goes along with it.

Now, I'll admit I haven't finished the book yet but I am so taken with it. At the end of each chapter are thought provoking exercises leading to self-examination and another step toward the goals and dreams in our lives. Also, there are affirmations to get us started on the path.

The Achievement Journal is also filled with wonderful affirmations, one for each day. I have to admit, when I thought "journal" I thought something like a spiral notebook we used in school. But this is something I'd be proud to take anywhere with me and show off.

There's been a lot said about "positive self-talk" and visualization and there have even been studies of those who use these techniques to improve themselves and their performance. So, I decided to give it a try.

While I was alone Saturday, I rounded up my tape recorder, a 90 minute tape and read each of the affirmations in You Are More Than Enough, into the recorder. I then read each daily affirmation and finished up by repeating the affirmations from the book. That gave me right at 45 minutes of positve, uplifting self-talk.

Since I made this tape, I've listened to it right before falling asleep for three nights and once during each day. So, only six times. But, that's over four hours of me telling myself things like; I am more than enough, I let go of my fear and step out of my comfort zone, I am strong and creative, I believe in me, and I was created for success.

Have you any idea how powerful it is to have you tell yourself these things? I didn't. But even after just six times listening to this tape, I find myself more positive, more at peace with myself and more focused on my goals and dreams.

Just this morning, I was thinking about something and started in with the negative self-talk. I caught myself before I even finished the thought and changed it to a positive.

I want to encourage each of you to go to Judi's website. Read some of her posted articles, get to know her. Then take the first step toward reaching your goals and dreams by ordering You Are More Than Enough and the Achievement Journal. You won't regret it:-)

I am more than enough!!! And so are you.

Zooty & Flappers pt. 2

2008-01-19T08:10:00.000-08:00

The other day I blogged about the "World's First Pre-Publisher." For those of you who missed it, here is the basic principle of how this program works.

First, you send him your novel. He sets it up and puts it on his site as a free download. The readers that download it, give it a rating of some kind. If enough readers like it, he pulls it from the "download for free" side of his site, and adds it to his "bookstore" as an e-book or cd and sells it with him paying you 45% of the sale price. Then, once you sell 10,000 copies, he will send a copy of your book along with a sales report and a readers report to "ten real agents."

Naturally, I had some problems with this. I've studied the publishing industry for several years now. I've read agent blogs, websites, numerous books, talked to agents and editors at conferences to learn all I can. This just isn't the way the publishing industry works. You can find the rest of my post on this close by. I encourage you to check it out.

I gave my opinions, what I've learned and put it out there for everyone to see.

Since then, I've been threatened with lawyers, accused of slander/libel, had my character called into question because I'm listed as an instructor at the Long Story Short School of Writing, been called talentless and playing the expert.

What you have printed on this site, to the public, I shall take up with my attorney. If I can hold you and the chat room harmfull, I will.

I will take up with her in a court of law.

I understand why you have never been published by a Standard Publisher. I do believe anyone can go to a writing school, and learn how to write. But there are no schools that can teach talent. It's like learning to sing. Anyone can learn to sing, but they still need talent. And you can't learn talent. You either have it, or you don't.The one thing you do have. You have the power to shut anyone on this chat room down when they won't let you play the expert.

The above in italics are taken directly from Domenic Pappalardo's posts at StoryCrafters.

Not once have I called him names, attacked him, his writing or his character. Nor have I threatened him.

I have offered to change my opinion, reblog and take back everything I've said about his business if he will show me that I'm wrong.

According to Domenic, here's the way to get an agent to read your manuscript. How does one get an Agent to read their manuscript? One could marry and Agent, or give an Agent what they're looking for! A well written manuscript that readers love, that has a sales record of no less than 10,000 books.

Again, from what I have studied of the publishing business, this just isn't going to work. I have said several times, that'd I'd be happy to change my thoughts on this with proof.

Now, I know there are great writers out there who have self-published their books, sold thousands of copies and then gone on to get an agent and major, traditional publisher. Did they do it with the book they self-published? I don't know. From what I've read, Christopher Paolini's Eragon was published by his parent's small press, sold thousands of copies and then was picked up by a major publisher. We have both of his books by the way...my kids love them.

I have no problem with small presses. I have no problem with those who self-publish.

When a writer takes his/her story or article, and posts it on a website, blog or any other place online where it is available to the public to read, it is considered published. Yes, it can be sold again as a reprint for less money but those first rights are gone forever.

The same thing applies to novels. When that novel is put on a website, downloaded and given away, it is considered published. Just because the writer hasn't been paid for that download doesn't make it pre-published. Calling it pre-published doesn't make it not published either.

This is my main problem with Zooty & Flappers. Writers who don't know the industry are going to believe giving away copies of their novel is going to get them an agent and traditional publisher.

I don't believe it will happen that way.

Again, this is just my opinion. I encourage each of you who reads this to go to his website, check it out.

Study the publishing industry and find out how it works.

Consider all your publishing options.

Decide what you want for your novel and go for it.

Today...Domenic posted this on StoryCrafters.

On Jan 20th. Read the true story of Jean Lauzier onwww.zootyandflappers.comThe face behind the Hangmens mask.

More character attacks???

Why not post a rebuttal to my original blog post explaining where I'm wrong?

I believe right will come out on top in the end. If Domenic is right about his way of getting agents and contracts with traditional publishers, then in a few short months he'll have testimonials from happy authors with traditional publishers for their books given away by Zooty & Flappers plastered all over his website. But until then, he's obviously going to attack anyone who doesn't believe as he does.

I hope his way works. I hope he has great success. I just don't believe it will.

ZootyandFlappers.com World's First Pre-Publisher

2008-01-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

One of the things that annoys me to no end is folks who take advantage of others, especially by preying on their dreams. Poetry.com comes to mind when I think about places that take advantage of the new writer and their dreams of being published. I'm sure you've all seen them... you send them your poem, they send you a form letter telling you how great it is, that they're going to publish it in their latest anthology of poetry and you can get your copy for the low, reduced, bargain price of $69 or whatever it is lately.

Well, here's another site that is on my list of places to avoid.

http://www.zootyandflappers.com/ It's the "World's First Pre-Publisher" and is the brainchild of Domenic Pappalardo.

I've read his site several times and here's the gist of how he works.

First, you send him your novel. He sets it up and puts it on his site as a free download. The readers that download it, give it a rating of some kind. If enough readers like it, he pulls it from the "download for free" side of his site, and adds it to his "bookstore" as an e-book or cd and sells it with him paying you 45% of the sale price. Then, once you sell 10,000 copies, he will send a copy of your book along with a sales report and a readers report to "ten real agents."

I don't know about you but I have several problems with this.

For example...his definition of a published author.

What does Zooty and Flappers consider a Published Author? A writer who has secured an agent, who has sold your work to a Publisher who prints books on paper, and sells your books to books stores.

So, according to this guy, if you don't have an agent and a paper copy of your book, you aren't published.

Also, I have problems with his "approval" process.

If Zooty and Flappers accepts a manuscript, it will have to be of the same quality as demanded by Standard Publishers.We than put the book up for free review. This means readers may down-load the book free if they agree to give an evaluation of the book. If the greater percent of readers like the book, we than move it to our reader approved section.

Just how many readers does it take to get your book into the "reader approved" section so it can be sold? And where is he going to get these readers? And just what is their qualifications to rate these books?

I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have the fate of my book in the hands of a professional such as a legitimate publisher or agent than some reader off the streets, so to speak. Not that I have a problem with readers...we couldn't do without them:--)

And this...

If the sales of any book reaches 10,000, that book along with a sales report and reader report, will be sent to ten real Agents.

I've been to conferences, talked to agents, and studied agents online through their websites and blogs. There is no way this will work. Can you imagine how quick this will "package" will be residing in the trash? Agents want quality books they can sell. Not a book that has been "pre-published" and sold 10,000 copies.

And this...The Worlds First Pre-Publisher!

Here's his explanation...The term Pre-Publishing, as used by Zooty and Flappers, simply means; If you have a good book, we will Publish and test it in the real world before a Standard Publishers comments (I think he means commits.) to taking it on.

Seems to me...if he publishes it on his website, then the book is published. He can call it what he wants but if it's out there for people to download, then I consider it published...especially since he is calling himself a publisher.

I think what bothers me most about this is the poor new writer who doesn't know how the publishing industry works and believes this is the way to get his/her book in the hands of an agent or major publisher.

So...I'm asking everyone...spread the word about this. Domenic may not like me for this post, but if I can save one writer from having their dream of seeing their book in a bookstore squashed, then I don't mind.

Jean

I've Always Been a Yankees Fan: Hillary Clinton in her Own Words

2008-01-11T07:26:00.000-08:00

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A YANKEES FAN: HILLARY CLINTON IN HER OWN WORDS
by Tom Kuiper

In assembling "I've Always Been a Yankees Fan: Hillary Clinton In Her Own Words," I've put together a collection of over 600 Hillary quotes from 60 books, and over 100 sources total. Because I believe in going straight to the horse's mouth, (pardon the pun), two of my most-used sources are Hillary's own books, Living History and It Takes a Village. Other well-known sources I used include former Clinton advisers Dick Morris, George Stephanopoulos, David Gergen, and Dee Dee Myers. I also cited Hillary statements from the mainstream media, such as the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and The Fox News Channel.

These Hillary statements cover her entire adult life, although the vast majority of quotes cover her time as First-Lady of the United States, and as a Senator from New York - home of Hillary's favorite team, The Yankees! If you want to know what Hillary is really like, don't believe her campaign commercials. Read this book.

As Dick Morris writes in the Foreword of "I've Always Been a Yankees Fan," Hillary Clinton "is one of the most ruthless people we have ever seen in politics and she doesn't belong in the White House - at either end of the building, the president's office or the residence."

If Hillary Clinton become the president of the United States, she will have a direct impact over your life. It's very important for you to know just who she really is before you make your choice.

Someone thinks I'm an expert...other than myself:--)

2008-01-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

In my email a few minutes ago was one from someone at HowToDoThings.com. They wanted me to sign up on their site and write How To articles for them. Well, dip me in chocolate and call me a bon bon!!! Finally someone has taken notice of how great I am and how smart I am. And it's about time too!!!

So...I click on over to their website and check things out. Okay, it looks nice. I read the FAQ page and they even have a program where I can earn some money. So, very cool right???

I decide the world needs what I have to offer so click the join up button. As i scan the page to see what info they need, I see their "terms and conditions" link. There's a little box to check if I agree with them. So naturally I check them out.

Seems that any article I submit to them becomes theirs. Entirely! They get ALL rights and can edit, revise and sell it elsewhere without my approval or getting anything from them.
Sorry, thanks but no thanks! I understand the need for editing and revising but I want to be the one to do it. Not only that, but there is no way I'm giving up all rights for something I've spent lots of time and energy on and not even getting any pay for it. In fact, I actually lost two publishing contracts cause I'd not give all rights when I was being paid.

I replied to the email with a thanks but no thanks. Wonder if they'll ask why?

The Internet is my friend...

2008-01-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

Kate Monster: The internet is really really great!
Trekkie: For Porn
Kate Monster: I've got a fast connection so I don't have to wait!
Trekkie: For Porn

I apologize for the Avenue Q quote, but any time I talk about the wonders of the internet this song pops into my head and gives me a great giggle. This post is so not about what's on Trekkie's mind, but what's on Kate Monsters mind - RESEARCH!

I have recently begun research on my upcoming novel, Descendants of Salem. In order to write this novel I have to have a fair bit of knowledge on the events of the Salem Witch Trials, and on witchcraft itself in the modern day.

So I went to my local library to see what I could find.

Have I mentioned I live in the bible belt?

I found two...count them...TWO books on the Witch Trials! Woohoo!!

Did I mention I live SMACK DAB in the middle of the bible belt? And in the most conservative, backwoods town in my county!

One of the two books I found - The Crucible. In the non-fiction section they had The Crucible. Um, that's not exactly the most accurate reference to use. I didn't bother correcting them, I just came home.

I booted up my computer, and pulled up the internet.

*gasp* Hundreds of Thousands of hits on the Trials. I won't go into how much I found on witchcraft (or the fact that I have a first hand reference for that).

First rule of internet research, of course, is always make sure you double check any facts you find. Anyone can put anything on the internet, and it doesn't have to be true. But if you can verify sources and check against verified references, you're in a good place.

But beyond that - here at our computers we have the world at our fingertips. We can research things that years ago would have taken so more than a keystroke to find! It's wonderful and I'm happy to ~~abuse~~ use such a valuable resource.

The internet has been a key figure now in my research for this book. It helped me immensely with getting everything down to the names of every person involved in the Trials. To getting a lot of information on the modern day Wicca religion, and all the side effects that go with learning this information.

What has the internet done for you?

It takes a team to make a dream!

2008-01-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was going through a stack of misc. stuff in the corner of my office, getting rid of some, stacking some in different places to be sorted through later and so forth. I came across a tattered notebook and flipped through it to see if anything in it was important or whether I could give it to the kids to draw/scribble in. Among the grocery lists, scribbles of my own, and doodlings I found some notes that got the notebook tossed on a keeper pile to be looked at later.

Well...now is later. I don't remember what or where I got these notes but here they are...

On the left hand page is...

Don't work for the team work with it. Dream the impossible dream, then do it. Teamwork makes the dream work.

On the other page...

It takes a team to make a dream. Nothing is impossible to those that believe. I will not fail if I will not quit.

This got me thinking...(You knew that was coming didn't you?)

Why can't I have a team? Why can't you have a team???

I've decided I want a team!!! I want team mates to encourage. I want team mates to prod. I want a team mate who'll kick by backside if needed. I want team mates who'll rejoice with my in my successes and uplift me when I have temporary setbacks. I want a team who is serious about seeing me succeed and will help me along the journey.

But you know what else? I want to be on such a team. I want to encourage and prod. I want to rejoice with and uplift my team mates. I want to help my team mates along their journey to success too. And if a good backside kicking is needed, well, I'll be there for that too.

I know that each of us here at Write Spot and at StoryCrafters sorta fall into the team category but I'm thinking about something a little more committed. A team I have to be accountable to, that expects great things and wants to see them.

So...if you are interested in being part of the "Troll's Impossible Dream Team" then let me know. If you want to have a team behind you, then let me know. Together we can achieve our dreams!

Advice for New Writers by Hazel Statham

2008-01-08T07:23:00.000-08:00

I am often asked if I have any advice for new and upcoming writers, but there are many books that can tell you far more about the craft than I can. However, there is one thing I would like to talk about and that is rejection.

For some authors, rejection is very difficult to deal with. They see it as a repudiation of their worth, but this is not necessarily the case. Just because your work is rejected does not necessarily mean that you’re a bad writer – just that your work is not suitable for that particular publishing house. What suits one doesn’t automatically suit another. For example, if you write ‘sweet’, it’s pointless submitting to a publisher who publishes only erotica. Choose which publisher you wish to submit your manuscript to and then research the type of material they are currently accepting.

Trends change and so do publishers’ needs, but trends tend to run in cycles. I write Historical Romance and am constantly being told that it’s losing popularity, but this doesn’t appear to be the case. There is still a readership out there and publishers will continue to provide for their demands. Therefore, I seek out publishers who are actively accepting that particular genre.

My advice is to write what you know and care about, otherwise the results could disappoint both yourself and your readers. You have to love what you write so that your readers will too. Don’t be discouraged by rejection, write what is closest to your heart and enjoy the process. Soon you will reap the rewards of perseverance.

Hazel is the author of My Dearest Friend. You can find out more about Hazel and her books here.

Conversations with Characters by Judy Gregerson

2008-01-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

The first time a writer told me that she talked to her characters and they talked back, I laughed. It was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard. I figured this was akin to channeling, something I wasn’t interested in doing, so I dismissed the idea totally and went about my way. It wasn’t until I hit a road block in my novel that I began to think that maybe my friend knew something I didn’t. After all, she’d published 5 successful novels. She didn’t seem like a total weirdo. Maybe she was right.

I was working on (my just published) BAD GIRLS CLUB and I had a very secretive character. Trying to get her emotions on paper was very hard and I often just didn’t understand who she was. Sometimes I’d write and then go back and read it and it just didn’t hit me as true. I tried every way I could to get her on paper, but she left me clueless. I knew that to finish the book, I would need to find out who she was, so I decided to have a conversation with her.

One night, before I went to sleep, I lay in bed and talked to her. It went something like this:

ME: Destiny? Hello? Are you there? Will you talk to me?

DESTINY:

ME: Please?

DESTINY:

ME: I need your help. I have to finish this book and I have no clue who you are sometimes. Can you tell me?

DESTINY: I’m afraid.

ME: Why?

DESTINY: If I tell you, no one will understand. I can’t talk about how I feel.

ME: What if you tell me how you feel and I’ll tell everyone else for you in a way that they will understand?

DESTINY: You’d do that?

ME: I would, if you’ll let me.

DESTINY: Do you think that people will understand?

ME: I’m sure they will. Can you tell me what’s bothering you?

Well, that began a conversation that went on for 18 hours, during which I got up and wrote every word she told me. The next evening, I had 45 manuscript pages, all of which are still the heart and soul of the book."

And then she stopped talking. My book had become her book and she’d taken charge. Over the next year or so, I had to learn to listen for her and know her voice when I heard it. Sometimes I just had to sit down and have a conversation and ask questions and if she didn’t answer right away, she usually got back to me fairly quickly, except for the time when she wouldn’t speak to me at all for about three months.

I think that interviewing your characters is the most fun way to discover who they are. And characters, like actors, love to talk about themselves because you, as the writer, are a captive audience. They will tell you things they won’t tell anyone else, if you’re willing to hear the truth, and sometimes they’ll tell you things you don’t want to know at all. In fact, they may hijack your story, as mine did, and send you off on a whole new path.

But isn’t writing about finding the heart and soul of a character? What better way to do that than to sit down and ask them questions. I suggest that you find a quiet place. Make your mind still and then invite your character into a conversation with you. I don’t suggest that you do this in public or ask people in the room to be quiet because you’re hearing voices! In fact, you might not want to tell your significant others that you’re talking to fictional characters because he might, like my husband, spit his coffee all over the table and say, “You have GOT to be kidding.”

This is a solitary exercise that requires a good ear, but the longer you listen to your character, the better you’ll know her voice. You’ll start hearing it at all times of the day and night (be ready to get up and start writing those words) because once they get talking, it’s hard to stop them. In a sense, it’s like learning the sound of your own baby’s cry; you’ll know it when you hear it.

It took a tremendous leap on my part to do this, but it was the greatest forward movement of my writing life.

So, go ahead. Try it! And let me know how it works for you.

Leave me a comment at http://thebadgirl2007.livejournal.com and let's have a conversation!

Guest post by Amanda Young

2008-01-03T20:10:00.000-08:00

How my life of writing began.
No.

Why I Began Writing.
No.

This is my story and it could be yours.
No.

Why don’t I just let the words flow and try not to think so much? I have found that if I think too much then there is no flow. Then there are no words and alas, no story. Maybe I should begin at the beginning of when I realized how words could make a difference in a life. Mine especially.

I was about six years old and my life was completely void of happiness. My days were filled with more sadness than a young child should feel. Fortunately then I found out that happiness could be observed and discovered in a book.

I recall sitting with a book in my lap as I sat on the cold brick steps in front of the big house I lived then. For hours I stared down at the pictures of the boys and girls that looked so happy in the first book I ever read.

I remember carefully holding the book and reading over and over the few words that I knew then. The words in the book spoke of a boy named Dick and a girl named Jane. I thought that if I could read those words on each page I would know why the two were so happy in the pictures. Mostly in the beginning of the book it talked only of how Jane looked at Dick run. “Run Dick run.”

Then she told others to look at Dick while he ran. “See Dick run,” she insisted to everyone. Which they did and looked terribly excited to be able to see him run. This was amazing to me that I was learning to read the words on those big pages.

I remember how the teacher at school would stand over me, which she did a lot, to personally instruct me with my reading. My finger would slowly move under each word and often pause for a time as I looked up at the pictures of the happy children. This pause of course caused her to cross her arms tight over her stomach. She would then breathe in deeply and let it out with an exaggerated sound which told me she was obviously upset with me. I could not tell her that I was mesmerized by the sight of the happiness in the story and had to stop to look at the pictures.

Thinking back on it now I suppose she thought I did not know the words as she would tell me to begin at the beginning of the sentence again with a very frustrated tone of voice. I could hear the other children snicker when I had to begin again, which of course made me feel embarrassed.

I did as I was told to do as I knew very well that if I did not follow the rules I would be severely punished when I returned to the orphanage. There was no yelling or screaming in the books as I had heard before I went to the orphanage and even at the orphanage.

Then there were new characters added on later pages and even a dog that was named Sally. I named my first dog Sally. My dog was blond too, like the dog in the first book that I read.

I could not understand why Jane was bossy a lot of the time as she was always telling Dick to run. Sometimes she told him to run even faster, which he did. Over and over throughout the book she often insisted that everyone else watch Dick while he ran. But then Dick was always telling her what to do as well so I suppose he was rather bossy also. “Run Jane run,” he would often call out to her with a hand to the side of his face.

I cannot remember now why they were always running but then children are supposed to run aren’t they. I could not run at the orphanage. It was not allowed. We could not shout out to one another either because we would be punished. But I could look at the happy children in the books.

The idea came to mind sometime later that if I could read those words and learn even more words then I would be able to read the big books like the ones older kids carried around. Through the words and the pictures in the book I could escape over the gray walls of the orphanage or the sad places I lived. And so it was why I wanted to learn even more words. To maybe go to other places that would be far away from the sadness of my life.

I tucked away my books in the bag I carried my few belongings in because I always wanted something with me to look at and read that showed happy people. I never knew where I was going to live even from the beginning of my life. I had noticed at an early age that the people did not look happy at any of the places I lived and so I clung to any book that I could.

Years later when I was a teenager I secretly wished that I might one day put words onto paper that could take people away to wonderful places. I found that through books one could escape to happy places or sometimes to scary places. Sometimes even to romantic places and simply by reading words.

Many years later that I would write my sad story first before I could write the happy story or the stories of make believe that I enjoy the most. For in writing my story I would hopefully help others to heal so that they could be happy and run and play, just like Dick and Jane did.

In writing my story I have healed so much and in my mind I run and play just like Dick and Jane did. So it was of how my love of books began was looking down onto pictures of two children running around and looking happy. Through learning to read and write one word at a time my journey began of finding happy people and happy places without making a step and on the pages of a book.

Thank you and God Bless.

Amanda Young
Author of Silent Prisoner

For more information on Amanda or her book click here.

Judi Moreo's Achieve Your Dreams Virtual Blog Tour

2007-12-31T13:52:00.000-08:00

At this time of the year we always look back over the past and plan for the future. It's by seeing where we've been we can see where we need to go.

So...

Writing goals from last year accomplished...none. However, there's a good reason for this. In the middle of March I signed on as intern for Wow (women on writing) and before I knew it, I was Sen. Ed. working full time. Very much a learning experience but it sucked up all my time and creative energy. I did get some really nice articles and interviews published out of the time there, met some great people and again, I learned a LOT. Most important, I learned I'm a writer at heart. It's what I am and what I need to do.

As this year fades into the next, I'm privileged to take part in Judi Moreo's Achieve Your Dreams Virtual Book Tour. Judi is a wonderful personal coach and motivational speaker. If you are serious about reaching and achieving your dreams, check out her website and get to knew her better. She has some great articles and blog posts there.

One of the things she teaches in her book is...

“Every step I take brings me closer to the realization of my dreams.”

This is such a powerful statement. I mean, think about it. Each time you take a step forward, you are getting closer to those dreams. And, if you happen to take a step backward, that's okay too because sometimes we have to go backward to go forward.

To make the most progress though, we need to have a plan or a roadmap so to speak. Just a a map has check points, so does our plan.

This year, now that I'm no longer working for Wow, my writing goals are a priority. One of the things I'm doing to keep on track is preplanning my writing week. Not only does this let me know what I need to be working on but keeps me on track so I can see how much I've accomplished or where I've fallen behind.

I'm also reading books on writing in order to learn more about the craft. Right now, I'm reading Write Tight by William Brouhaugh.

Another important thing I'm doing is to let others know about my goals. At StoryCrafters and Write Spot we have some great folks who are ready to encourage, motivate, cheer and prod as needed.

Judi's put together a journal that goes along with her book that will show you how to go about achieving those dreams and goals.

Decide what you want to accomplish during 2008 and then go for it! Here's a great post from Judi's blog on goal setting.

Speck

If you would like to take part in Judi's Achieve Your Dreams Virtual Book Tour, email me and I'll send you the details.

Judi Moreno's Achieve Your Dreams Virtual Blog Tour

2007-12-29T19:02:00.000-08:00

With 2007 behind us and 2008 on the horizon, it’s time to reflect on how we want the rest of our journey here on earth to go. Do we settle for letting life happen or do we take steps toward achieving our dreams? Do we think about it or do we DO it?

If you have watched the movie, “The Secret,” then you understand the power of affirmative thinking = affirmative action. Are you taking those steps in the right direction to enjoy life at its fullest – whether it’s through financial success, relationship bliss or perfect health?

On January 1, 2008, Judi Moreo, author of You Are More Than Enough Achievement Journal (Stephens Press, Dec. '07), will embark on a virtual book tour throughout the blogosphere, but it will involve YOU. She wants YOU to be the star in a campaign to let the world know how you are taking those steps in realizing your dreams.If you would like to become involved in her ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ’08, here is how it works:

1. Repeat this passage from her book: “Every step I take brings me closer to the realization of my dreams” until you understand its powerful message.

2. Think about what steps you are taking to achieve your dreams and write about it. Your entry can be as long or as short as you’d like.

3. Post your message on your blog and give us the link so that we can post it on Judi's tour page at http://www.virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/ (her tour page goes live tomorrow). Email us with your link at thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com.

4. When we receive your link, we will put it on our daily rounds of promotions, thus bringing you instant traffic, so get those links to us soon!

5. We only ask that you include the passage above before your blog post so that people will understand what you are doing.

6. We also ask that you include a jpeg copy of Judi’s book, You Are More Than Enough Achievement Journal, in your blog post. You can find her book cover at http://tinyurl.com/3cqa46 and link it to http://tinyurl.com/ywf67x.

7. All participants will be listed at Judi’s tour page at http://www.virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/ when they come in, stating the date on which their blog post will appear and will remain there indefinitely.

That’s all there is to it! Hurry before time runs out. Become involved in a nationwide campaign to bring in 2008 with a bang and help others realize that dreams are not something that happens; dreams are something that YOU make happen. Let's make 2008 the year when you realize your dreams and make them happen. Share your stories and become involved in Judi Moreo's "Achieving Your Dreams Virtual Book Tour '08" where YOU are the star!

Judi's virtual book tour will be highly publicized including press releases and other promotions. Let us know what steps you are taking to achieve success and be read by thousands of Internet users!

Take Your Time

2007-12-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

I'm all for diving in and taking your chance. You have to get your stuff out there in order to sell it, right? But there's a very fine line between diving in and moving way too fast.

I moved too fast. In my head I was thinking, "The novel has been done for six months, let's get these queries out! I swore I would befor 2007 was over." So, in October I sent out a handful of queries. Not a ton, but among the first I sent out was one to my top agent pick. I then proceeded to ignore my query and move onto other things.

A month later with three rejections under my belt I went to AgentQuery.com to look up more agents that accepted e-queries. I pulled up my previous query letter and realized that my hook was far too wordy, and it wasn't enough of a hook. With frustration I reworked the hook, finding one I really liked and elicited a "wow" reaction from someone I was talking to.

I retuned the query letter and began sending queries again. I got halfway down my list of 18 and made another realization. I'd spelled a word wrong in my query letter. Yup. A typo in a query...GREAT first impression. Head hung in shame, I corrected it and sent out the rest of the queries.

In the days after sending out the round of queries I realized something else. I always knew my novel was on the high-end of word count (over to some agents), but I never saw anything "extraneous" to cut. Three days after I sent out a query I thought, "well, my first chapters HAVE to be tight. I'll just triple check them." I pulled up the novel and started 'tightening' the first two chapters. I cut close to 2,000 words in two chapters. Stunned, I sat back staring at my computer.

What had I done? I'd sent out 20+ queries in two months - several of which asked for the first 50 pages or 3 chapters - with a novel that I had just 'tightened' to make better for queries.

So, I put myself in the penalty box. If any of you have ever seen the movie Slap Shot, you know what I mean. To quote the movie:

"You go to da box for 2 minutes, ya know, by yourself...you feel shame...and then you get free." ~Denis Lemieux (Slap Shot)

So, knowing that the holidays were coming up, and I couldn't paper query until I had the funds to buy stamps and ink, I put myself in the penalty box. For two months, no querying, no agent search, no nothing but tightening Lisabeth. But that wasn't enough. I was allowed to tighten Lisabeth only on the condition that I also begin research on the next novel. Lisabeth could no longer be my focus, my baby. She was my pride and joy, and I'd been so eager to send her for others to love, that I hadn't realized she wasn't ready.

Sometimes you have to take a step back. I thought I had, but even though I'd taken a month or two to ignore the novel before going back to edit. But it wasn't enough. I had to find something else within me. Another story to write before I could truly look and see what work had to be done.

Every piece of writing is important to us. But if we focus on something too long (Lisabeth is 3 years old now, and the only storyline I've focused on for all that time, including her continuing saga of sequels) we fail to see its flaws.

Take your time. Don't send your baby into the world until it's ready. Find something else that drives you. If we are true writers we do have more than one story within us...we just have to find it and give it love and attention. Then we can look back at our older 'child' and make sure it's truly ready. When it is, it will shine bright! And you won't have a bit of regret in sending it out into the world!

Guest Post by Jean Hackensmith

2007-12-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

My name is Jean Hackensmith, Owner and Senior Fiction Editor for Port Town Publishing. As both a publisher and an author, I have only one piece of advice for any would-be writers out there. DON’T GIVE UP!

I started writing 30 years ago and, trust me, I’ve seen and heard it all. In short, anything that has happened to you on your road to being a published author happened to me, too. I papered my office walls with rejection letters; I even got to the point were I was receiving personalized rejections…no more form letters. I was the victim of an unethical agent and an equally unethical editor. I turned down a contract from a large publisher—because my lawyer said they wanted too much. (Which they did. I would have given up virtually all rights to my work, which should never happen.) Yes, I’ve been through the gamut—like all of you—and I was tempted to just throw in the towel many times. In my case, I got so frustrated after losing $1500 to that unethical editor I mentioned that I said to heck with it and self-published my first book, Wagons To The Past. Luckily it paid off, and the sales from that book allowed me to start my own publishing company—but that’s another story.

Mainly, I guess what I want to relay in saying “Don’t Give Up” is to do whatever it takes to get your work out there—and if you’re a dedicated author who believes in his or her work, and you know it’s good (and don’t take the word of Mom and Grandma on that one) then keep trying.

When that manuscript comes back with a rejection letter, send it out again—the same day. Keep a list of potential publishers and just keep submitting until the list is depleted, then start a new one. Your persistence will pay off. One day you’re going to see your manuscript land on the right publisher’s desk on the right day at the right time and voila, you, too, will be a published author. This business takes about 20% talent and 80% persistence. Develop a tough skin and one day you’ll sit back and watch your dream come true.

Jean Hackensmith is the author of The “Passage” Time Travel Romance Saga, “The Gitche Gumee Saga”, “Wagons To The Past,” “Tender Persuasion” and “Sweet Hell, Bitter Heaven.” Her books can be purchased through Amazon.com or through the publisher web site at www.porttownpublishing.com.

Understanding Global Warming for Kids

2007-12-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

Writing about science and economics - for kids!

By Holly Fretwell, author of The Sky's NOT Falling: Why It's OK to Chill About Global Warming, from Kids Ahead Books (World Ahead Media)

Kids are the greatest. To hear them laugh and see them play is heart-lifting. To listen to them and learn from them is a joy of life. And to teach them is invigorating but it can be a challenge. I have two kids of my own that I read to every night. It is a magical time where we adventure into strange and foreign lands. It is one of the ways that we share ideas with each other and a time, that as a parent, I impart life lessons in ways that may otherwise come off sounding preachy and static -- not to mention boring.

To share some of these lessons I have written a book of my own. Writing a book for kids, however, is not the easiest task, especially my chosen topic; a non-fiction book discussing science and economics for 8-12 year olds. When writing The Sky’s NOT Falling: Why It’s OK to Chill about Global Warming, I had to focus on making complex concepts simple to understand for kids at different comprehension levels.

Since a kids' book in particular needs to be lively and engaging I tried to weave in some basic science and economic concepts without stopping the more entertaining narrative. I knew I needed to keep it simple while at the same time giving a fair explanation of sometimes technical concepts. I also wanted to bring light to some of the misconceptions that many kids have about global warming. After lots of help from friends and family I found what worked best was keeping the sentences short and snappy, the words uncomplicated, and the information unambiguous. I knew what it was I wanted to communicate, but I had to let go of the flourishes. Kids can’t be expected to understand, much less interpret, the phrases and clichés that adults use without a second thought.

I found that asking my kids and their friends to give me feedback as the chapters progressed was immensely helpful (and they let me know what they did and did not like)! Their feedback helped me refine my explanations and descriptions and gave me confidence that the manuscript I turned in was, to use that famous expression, "kid-tested and mother-approved."

Writing The Sky's Not Falling: Why It's OK to Chill About Global Warming was an incredible experience. It improved my writing skills by forcing me to be ever more precise, and gave me the opportunity to share the ups and occasional downs of the project with my sons helping them understand just what I do for a living as an instructor and researcher of natural resource policy and economics. In addition, if what I know can help kids relax about the natural changes in the world around them while teaching them to think critically and inspiring them to work towards the cleaner environment every community needs, then I consider the time I spent writing "Sky" to be time well spent. "

You can visit the publisher's website for info here.

Guest Post by Jim Melvin

2007-12-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

Though I wrote The Death Wizard Chronicles in three years, the six-book series was a lifetime in the making. I was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., but I moved to St. Petersburg, Fla., when I was 5 years old and was raised on an island that jutted into Tampa Bay. I was lucky to grow up on a street on the waterfront that had about ten other boys my age, and we hung out morning, noon, and night. We played all the usual sports that young boys adore, but we also were obsessed with fantastical games that were based on super powers and and super heroes. Rather than "grow out of it," my love and fascination for magic and monsters remained with me into adulthood.

When I was in high school, I boldly decided that I wanted to become a best-selling novelist, and I went around telling everyone I knew that I was going to make $75-million. Keep in mind this was the mid-1970s, so that’s probably around $300-million, if you figure in thirty-plus years of inflation.

I wrote my first novel when I was 20 years old. It was a Stephen King-like horror novel titled Sarah’s Curse. An agent who was a family friend shopped it around, and though it received some nice responses, it never found a publisher. But I wasn’t overly concerned because I believed my second novel would be the one to hit it big. In the meantime, I started my career as a journalist at the St. Petersburg Times in Florida. For me, the rat race officially began. Soon I was working 50-hour weeks and raising a family – and there never was a second book. Twenty-five years later, I was fortunate enough to be able to semi-retire. In September 2004, I wrote the first word of Book One of The Death Wizard Chronicles. Seven-hundred-thousand words later, I’m in the final revision process of Book Six.

Life has an unusual sense of humor, and for a quarter-century my dreams were put on hold. That said, those 25 years ended up serving a valuable purpose. As a reporter and editor, I learned the craft of writing and met a lot of interesting people, significantly expanding my worldview and talents. When I finally began writing my epic fantasy series, I realized that work and family weren’t to blame for all those lost years. Instead, I simply had not been ready as a writer. Finally, it all jelled. This is my time.

I describe my series as a cross between J.R.R. Tolkien and Stephen King – Tolkien because it contains many aspects of epic fantasy, King because it’s pretty darn scary and rough. The Death Wizard Chronicles is a classic tale of good versus evil, with lots of action, monsters, and magic. It also contains a very compelling love story. But what separates my series from most others is that I am an active student of Eastern philosophy, which fuels my world view. The concept of karma and the art of meditation play key roles in the symbolic aspects of my work. While deep in meditation, Buddhist monks have had recorded heart rates of less than 10 beats per minute. My main character takes this to the extreme. In an original twist, the Death Wizard is able to enter the realm of death during a “temporary suicide.” Through intense concentrative meditation, he stops his heartbeat briefly and feeds on death energy, which provides him with an array of magical powers.

My first wife and I divorced about 15 years ago, and I then remarried. My second wife is a Western-convert Buddhist in the Theravada tradition, and she introduced me to Buddhism. The philosophical aspects of Eastern philosophy really rang true for me and helped to further shape the person I have become. My series contains an ancient language that is directly translated from Pali, a dialect closely related to Sanskrit but now extinct as a spoken language. When translated to English, it is beautiful and erotic.

A wise man once said:
“In the end
these things matter most:
How well did you love?
How fully did you live?
How deeply did you let go?”

I live life this way. Or at least I try.

Jim Melvin is author of The Death Wizard Chronicles, a six-book epic fantasy. Book One (The Pit) was released in September 2007 by Rain Publishing, followed by Book Two (Moon Goddess) in October and Book Three (Eve of War) in November. Book Four (World on Fire) will be released in December, Book Five (Sun God) in January and Book Six (Death-Know) in February. The series is available for purchase at http://www.rainbooks.com/ or http://www.amazon.com/. The first shipments to Amazon have sold out, but more are on the way. Jim, 50, is married with five daughters and currently lives in Clemson, S.C. He welcomes personal emails at http://us.f592.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=jsmhimes@yahoo.com

Fantastical Worlds Made Real by Cat Muldoon

2007-12-17T08:38:00.000-08:00

Fantasy automatically evokes a new world, and it needs to feel just as real as this world, even if there is magic or flying carpets or mythical beings. Making this happen, for me, means writing by feel. My opinion is that the story needs to be based on the interaction of characters and their rising heroism rather than on an idea. Oh, an idea may spark the story, but the characters are definitely in charge, and I do let them live their stories (with the occasional reining in as necessary).

Don’t get hung up on what part of the story comes to you first. Don’t be afraid to skip scenes if you’re not inspired yet in one area. Your deep mind will show you the way when it’s time. Don’t feel like you need to have a whole scene or chapter “done” before you can move on…unless that’s the only way you feel comfortable writing. I think a writer should let things flow and not get in the way. So if I’m writing a scene and it’s 5 pages of dialogue at first, I don’t stop to put in gestures or bits of action or have someone order pizza. Flow is a beautiful thing and should never be interrupted to worry over a word or fuss over details. I spiral back through the story to fill in details or movements or whatever is missing.

This means my scenes have bits of setting sprinkled through them, for the most part, and not in huge clumps. I like to let readers see through the eyes of the characters. I hate huge clumps of scenery that get in the way of the characters. It’s their story, after all. If you get a great sense of place and don’t know what the characters will say yet, write what you are moved to write for now and once you know the characters, they’ll tell you what they would say and hwo they would act. Trust yourself and trust the process. Also, leave the editing for a day when you’re not writing something new. The editor and writer are 2 totally different functions that don’t belong in the same head at the same time.

Maybe this will serve some of you budding writers reading this. I do what I call spiral writing. Spiraling…I adore spirals, and when I think of how Rue the Day came together, I really did spiral my way through. I didn’t do “first draft,” “second draft” as such. I spiraled through to add or change as the needs came to me. BUT I did have a sense of where the plot was going at all times right from the moment I realized this was not a short story.

Suspense is one of my favorite features in a story, and there is a lot of suspense in Rue the Day, and in many of my tales. I was a bit surprised Wings ePress put the book as fantasy romance, because I had always thought of it as fantasy suspense, or maybe epic fantasy. But they did see the 1 page summary of book 2 and a bit about book 3, which will have more romance, so I suspect that’s why Rue got billed as fantasy romance. The romance in the coming books won’t be soggy, though. There will be plenty of sparks and no easy answers.

No matter what genre you write, a good book should pull you straight in with the characters. You should see what they see and feel what they feel. The book should be luscious and tantalizing, yet full of conflict, especially in fantasy, where you have to create an entire world...

You can get a few bits of Rue the Day sent to your inbox by registering at http://CatMuldoon.com. You’ll also get teasers for the stories I have in anthologies or magazines and find out about my Story of the Month Club.

Keep Reading!!

2007-12-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

First off, it's good to be making a blog post after so long an absence!!

**

Most of us became writers because we love to read. We have stories inside us that we want to share with others. Our own reading past influences our writing futures.

So we become writers. We spend a year, two years, three years, writing our piece. We care for it, we tend to it, we then rip it to shreds and edit it. We have others rip it to shreds. We become our harshest critic.

During all of this time, we still have the real world to deal with. We're writing, but we still have to exist in this world, too. We have jobs, families, errands to run, and leisure activities to enjoy.

It's easy to let some things slide, because we lead such a 'go-go-go' lifestyle!

I did that. The main thing I let slide - reading!

Yes, I know, it's a shock...not reading?! WHAT? Well, I have been writing my novel in earnest for about two years now. PRior to that I spent a year writing the novel and it's sequel for fun. Between researching, writing and harsh, evil edits, it's been a little over two years for Lisabeth now.

During those two years I've had one daughter face some serious health issues, I've become pregnant and had another baby girl, found out that my second daughter also had serious health issues, separated from my husband, gotten back together with my husband, had my oldest child go through two grades of school, nearly lost my house because of lack of funds, worked a part time job, started my own business, dealt with nearly daily therapies for both of my daughters, run to doctor's appointments on a bi-weekly basis, had health issues of my own, and become knee-deep in crafts of all kinds.

I've been busy.

Over the past six or eight months I've been editing. I've got folders of (somewhat) harsh critique on the novel on file. I have become my own worst critic, so determined to get my novel to an acceptable word count that I often find myself disgusted with my own writing. I see flaws where there aren't any in some cases. Opening my novel to edit has become a chore rather than a joy.

This past month I made a commitment, I agreed to review two books on my blog. I now HAD to read, when I'd managed to put it off as "frivolous" when I had things like Physical Therapy, specialist appointments to deal with.

I began reading with (unbeknownst to me) with the same harsh eye that I'd been using for my own piece. I saw some of the very flaws I'd been beating myself up over...in published novels!! Suddenly I relaxed. I read them for enjoyment. Were they flawed? Well sure, but I'd challenge anyone to read any novel and not find any flaws.

That's the beauty of it. I realized that my novel doesn't have to be totally free from flaws. It has to be crisp and clean, but perfect? No. I had crossed the line from constructive criticism of myself into the territory of being way too hard on the work. C/C is alright, as long as the beauty of the original piece isn't lost.

I'm going to keep reading, to keep reminding myself of this. That way I can open my novel to edit without hate in my eyes. And, perhaps, I can begin to get lost in others worlds again, not just my own.

Money Talk by Angela Benson

2007-12-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

Let's talk about money. After you write that wonderful book and sell it to a great publisher, you sign a generous (or, not so generous) contract and wait for the royalties to pour (or, trickle) in.

Publishing contracts typically pay out every six months. The contract states that royalties for the January-June period must be mailed to the author by the end of September, while royalties for July-December must be mailed by the end of March. So, if you visit the blogs of all your favorite authors around these times and they’re deliriously happy, it probably means they got paid. Some authors out there may not be so happy as they may not have earned as much as they wanted. That’s the way it goes.

A couple of contract clauses can make royalty time a bit depressing for authors: joint accounting and reduced royalties on deeply discounted books. Let’s talk about these two so that you’ll know what authors face.

Joint accounting, also called basket accounting. What is joint accounting? I don’t have a definition but I can give an example. Suppose you have a two-book contract that includes an advance for the first book and an advance for the second book. In joint accounting, you have to earn back the money for both books before you get any more money. Let’s say you get $10,000 for the first book and $20,000 for the second book, a total of $30,000 in advances.

Typically, you’d get half of the first advance ($5000) and half of the second ($10,000), a total of $15,000, upon signing the contract. When you turn in book one and it’s accepted, you get the second half of the first advance ($5000), for a total of $20,000 in advances received. When the second book is turned in, you get the second half of the second advance ($10,000), for a total of $30,000 in advances received.

In joint accounting, you don’t get another dime from the publisher until you earn back the full $30,000. Suppose your first book earns $25,000 the first year? You don’t get any money because you still owe the publisher $5000 under joint accounting. Without joint accounting, you would have received royalties of $15,000 on the first book ($25,000 - $10,000 advance already received). Of course, you wouldn’t get any money on book 2 until you had earned back the $20,000 advance paid for it.

So, in joint accounting the payments for the books are lumped together, as opposed to each book standing on its own. Of course, if you’re getting $100,000 for the first book and $200,000 for the second, you may not mind joint accounting. You really have to look at all the terms of the contract.

Reduced royalties on books sold at a discount. Typically, bookstores buy books from publisers at 60% of the cover price. On a hard cover book, the standard royalty rate (the rate the author is paid) is 10% of the cover price for the first 5000 copies sold, 12.5% for the next 5000, and 15% for anything over 10,000. If you sell 1-5000 copies of a book that has a cover price of $22 dollars, you get $2.20/book.

The reduced royalties on discounted books means you’d get 10% of the net receipts of the book, rather than 10% of the cover price. So, if the publisher sells the book to the bookstore at a 50% discount, you 10% of the discounted price. If the book is $22, you get 10% of $11 or $1.10/book. You’ll notice that this is half of what you’d get under normal royalties. [To be fair, I think 55% is the deep discount point for most publishers, but 50% was an easier number to work with in the example.]

These two clauses are reasons enough to get an agent to negotiate on your behalf. Your agent may not always be able to get rid of the clauses, but she can advise you on ways to minimize their impact on your bottom line.

For my most recent book, The Amen Sisters, I negotiated my own contract. This was not a fun experience. I was uncomfortable bickering (that's what it seemed like to me) with the publiser so I finally caved in and signed the conract, even though I knew there were a couple of clauses that were not to my benefit. Somehow I convinced myself that they weren't that bad. They were.

If you're like me and lack the fortitude to endure the negotiation process, then pay an agent to do it for you. It's very easy for me to tell my agent that something is a dealbreaker, but it was impossible for me to say it directly to publisher. I guess I'm a wimp. The cost for being a wimp these days is 15%. I consider it money well spent.

Angela Benson is the author of The Amen Sisters ($13.99, Grand Central Publishing). "The Amen Sisters tells the story of sexual sin and the far-reaching consequences of that sin.. .Ms. Benson aptly captures both the passion and pain that folks bottle up in their lives, and the importance of dealing with situations as they arise. Kudos to Ms. Benson for dealing with one of the last remaining taboo topics in today’s church in such a straightforward and compassionate manner." -FallenAngelReviews.com

You can find Angela on the web at www.angelabenson.com

Guest Post by Sydney Molare'

2007-12-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

ARE YOU USING YOUR AUTHENTIC VOICE?

How many times have you been asked: So, who do you write like?

Irritating, I know. But the fact is, agents and publishers tend to have the sheep effect: If this one works, others just like it should follow the same path. They want more of what’s selling and if you aren’t it, many times you get the old rejection letter. And by the time you decide to play the game their way, giving the length of time between acceptance and actual publication, the market may be saturated. And that transmits into not so stellar sells. Which means you may not meet your advance, which in turn, translates into: Thanks but no thanks the second time around or you are pigeon-holed into a genre and can’t get you agent to “buy into” another genre.
Sometimes it seems like you can’t win, huh.

I realized early on I wanted to write in any genre I chose. Was I a hard “fit” for an agent? Sure. But I kept writing and publishing in various venues and soon, I had a following. People always knew, they never knew what to expect from me. I’ve written short stories, mystery/suspense (my favorite), erotica, quasi-Christian and mainstream. Bottom line, I write what I’d like to read in a novel. And if that “like” takes me down a different path than my last book, so be it.

Your authentic voice makes you stand out from the homogenous crowd. It makes a new reader take notice and cruise the net for your other works. It validates your soul when you get the email stating, “This novel is so different from the rest!” Blush. Blush.

I feel that as a writer, taking chances in your writing style is a good thing. The “sheep” may not notice it right away, but stay true to yourself. Eventually, “they” will get it and come calling.

Hopefully, the next time the question is asked, “So, who do you write like?” You can respond, “Me.”

Thanks for having me.

Sydney Molare

Get to know Sydney and her writing at her website.

Taking Stock of 2007

2007-12-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that another year has come and is almost gone. Do you remember your goals for 2007? My list looked a little like this:

* Complete edits to The Sisterhood and begin agent search
* Get articles ready to submit to Writer2Writer http://writer2writer.com/ for review
* Perform research for A Shepherd's Journey and continue writing
* Revise Betrayal(now Montezuma's Revenge) and submit to Wolfmont Publishing
* Write and submit short story Rage

What did I get done? Not a lot from this list. Actually, only one thing, which was submitting my articles to Writer2Writer. This turned into a multi-article assignment and my time management and organizational tips for writers now appear on the site once a month.

But as for working on my manuscripts or increasing my overall number of submissions, I fell flat. I guess I should be upset and angry with myself...but I'm not. I still got a lot accomplished this year.

* My articles for Writer2Writer are so popular that the editor asked me to go from once every other month to once a month.
* I revised the prologue to The Sisterhood three times and finally feel it is up to snuff.
* I began interviewing authors of various genres at my blog, The Book Connection http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/
* Due to the interviews I was writing for The Book Connection, I began working with Pump Up Your Book Promotion PR http://pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/. Pump Up specializes in virtual book tours. I started off hosting their clients and now I am a Tour Coordinator.
* I review books for The Book Connection and The Muse Book Reviews http://themusebookreviews.tripod.com/

So, while everything that I've worked on did not directly work towards my goals, I am still promoting myself and my work. The Book Connection's rating and ranking continue to climb as I interview more authors and post book reviews. I network with people in the industry through virtual book tours and being a member of various writing related groups. I maintain my website and blogs so that people have a reason to come back.

Overall, I'm very happy with how 2007 turned out.

Next year already promises to be a good one. I have three clients signed up for virtual book tours for January and one for February. I plan to cut back on the number of reviews and interviews I offer outside of Pump Up Your Book Promotion's clients so that I can make time to submit more of my work. And, I am going to have the opportunity to present a workshop on time management and organization at the 2008 Muse Online Writers Conference http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonlinewritersconference/

I don't know how many of my goals I will achieve in 2008. All I know is that everything I do to promote myself is one step in the right direction towards becoming a published author.

So, don't beat yourself up if 2007 wasn't all you wanted it to be. Just keep plugging away, setting realistic goals, working towards them, and being flexible and forgiving enough to realize that goals can change quickly throughout the year. Believe in yourself and what you do. Persevere no matter what and be persistent in working to make your writing dreams come true.

That's what is is all about...and I know you can do it!

Activate those Adverbs! by Nelson Pahl

2007-12-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

One of the sure signs that you’re reading an amateur, no matter how many books he or she has sold, is that hanging adverb in his/her dialog tag. This is, simply put, no-no numero uno in regards to fiction writing.

Adverbs are the lazy man’s way to penning fiction. The mission of any worthy writer (not merely a storyteller) is to eliminate as many adverbs as possible—in not only our dialog tags but also our narrative and our descriptive writing; we want to activate our writing.

We should never write: “And we both know you’re an expert,” she said sarcastically. That’s a lazy writer’s passage. Instead, we take the time to craft our message; we offer, instead, something sharper and more direct: Mary deadpanned, “And we both know you’re an expert.” The vision, the image, is much clearer in the second passage.

We don’t say, “He ran swiftly.” We say, “He sprinted.”
We don’t say, “She held him tightly.” We say, “She clenched him.”
We don’t say, “He looked at her angrily.” We say, “He glared at her.”

While this may seem like a minor thing, crafting one after another activated passage amid a 40,000 to 50,000-word story expedites your delivery, ensures that your voice is clear and concise, and enhances your overall style.

Instead of the lazy, muddled, inefficient, and amateurish adverb game…

Active it all!

Nelson

To learn more about Nelson, his romance Bee Balms & Burdundy or his virtual blog tour, check out his website.

The Life of the Overcommitted Writer

2007-11-27T20:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it's still Tuesday for about another fifty minutes, so I guess I can't call this post late. I remember the days when I used to have this post all planned out a week in advance. That was before I began living the life of the overcommitted writer.

Who is the overcommitted writer? This will give you some idea of who she is:

* She has no less than 10 ideas racing around in her head begging to be written, but she has no time to write any of them down

* She spends no less than 8 hours a day on the computer

* Her family eats lots of fast food or TV dinners

* Her housework piles up until she can't take it anymore and spends an entire day cleaning out of sheer frustration

* When she is lucky, she gets more than 5 hours of sleep each night

* She is the woman who volunteers for every project put on at her church, her children's school, or by local town committees

Doesn't this writer sound hopeless? She's a lost cause, right? Well, not exactly.

The trick to not getting overcommitted is to learn how to say "no". It's not a dirty word, but a lot of people--especially women--find that tiny word so difficult to say.

Saying "no" does not mean you are a bad person, self-centered, or ungiving. It simply means that you realize your body and mind can only do so much with the time you have. If you're constantly running around with little or no time to relax and enjoy life, then your physical and mental health will suffer.

But how do you say "no" and not feel like a bad guy? Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that one out. I have read lots of articles about ways to say "no" and tips on how to get to the point where you can say "no" comfortably, but I'm not there yet. Writer Donna Birk had this great article I found at http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Birk1.html, which talked about the stages of learning to say "no". I'm in Stage 1, where I have identified that I need to say "no" to things. This is also the stage where I am able to see places where I could have said "no" but didn't.

As part of my goals for the end of 2007 and into 2008 I have made my writing a top priority, right next to spending more time with my family. I've already started to put into motion things that will allow me to do both. Once I was at the point where I realized I needed to say "no", I stopped living the life of the overcommitted writer and began living the life of the the writer who is going to make the time for the things that are the most important to her.

You can do it to!

Guest Post by Michael Simon

2007-11-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

As a young reader and moviegoer, I had two favorite genres: comedy and crime. My crime reading and viewing was mostly of an earlier era: the novels of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain and Jim Thompson, and films featuring mugs like Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and George Raft.

It was later that I was taught a distinction between detective fiction and crime fiction. By my professor’s definition (I’ve heard others since), a detective novel is told strictly from the point of view of a detective. You only know what he knows. A crime novel may be told from the point of view of a criminal, a victim, or a bystander (innocent or otherwise.) It can even be told from multiple points of view, employing a crosscutting technique so often used in film and TV. This can raise the stakes, and often begs the categorization “thriller,” which I use to describe my books.

My main character is a detective, but in three of the books, the reader knows who the killer is long before the detective does, even before the killer kills. The story often begins with a murder and ends with a solution, as all detective stories do. But there are other murders along the way, and plots and schemes, and attacks and counterattacks. There are elements of romance as well as mystery. My goal is to make the reader hunger to find out what happens next, rather than wondering what happened before.

My newest book, The Last Jew Standing, is different from my others in that the entire story is told from the point of view of the detective, Dan Reles. We only see what he sees, and often, by the time he finds out what the criminal is up to, the damage is already done. My goal was to create a story that was just as thrilling as a multiple-POV story, but with only one narrator. To do that, I created a situation where the character found himself, (along with his family and his town) in increasingly desperate danger.

Then I challenged him to get out of it.

MS

For more information on Michael or The Last Jew Standing, check out his website.

Cullotta by Dennis Griffin

2007-11-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

CULLOTTA Synopsis:

From burglary to armed robbery and murder, infamous bad guy Frank Cullotta not only did it all, in Cullotta he admits to it—and in graphic detail. This no-holds-barred biography chronicles the life of a career criminal who started out as a thug on the streets of Chicago and became a trusted lieutenant in Tony Spilotro’s gang of organized lawbreakers in Las Vegas. Cullotta’s was a world of high-profile heists, street muscle, and information—lots of it—about many of the FBI’s most wanted. In the end, that information was his ticket out of crime, as he turned government witness and became one of a handful of mob insiders to enter the Witness Protection Program. “Frank Cullotta is the real thing,” says Nicholas Pileggi in the book’s Foreword, and in these pages, Cullotta sets the record straight on organized crime, witness protection, and life and death in mobbed-up Las Vegas.

CULLOTTA Excerpt:

Murder in Las Vegas

At approximately 4:30 a.m. on October 11, 1979, a dead man was found floating face down in the swimming pool of his residence at 2303 Rawhide Avenue in Las Vegas. He’d been shot in the head several times by a small-caliber handgun. The corpse was that of 46-year-old Sherwin “Jerry” Lisner. His wife Jeannie, a cocktail waitress at the Aladdin, found the body. She’d left work early after becoming concerned when her husband failed to answer her telephone calls and made the grisly discovery.

According to investigating police officers, Lisner had put up quite a fight. Bullet holes were discovered throughout the inside of the dwelling, and blood was found on the walls and floor leading from the garage, through the residence, and out to the pool. Although the house had been ransacked, the cops didn’t believe robbery or burglary was the motive. They declined to speculate on the reason Lisner was killed, but they did have a theory on how the murder went down. The killer, or killers, knocked on the garage door, surprising Lisner. When he answered the knock, the shooting started. Although wounded, the victim attempted to escape his assailant, running through his home, the would-be killer in close pursuit and bullets flying. After a valiant effort to survive, Lisner’s luck ran out when he reached the pool. No murder weapon was found and no suspect named.

But the police had their suspicions on the why and who of it. They knew that the dead man had mob connections and was in legal trouble. He’d been arrested by the FBI on July 11 and charged with interstate transportation of stolen property, aiding and abetting, grand larceny, and conspiracy. Free on $75 thousand bail, Lisner was scheduled to go on trial October 29 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Lisner was also believed to have been acquainted with Chicago Outfit enforcer and Las Vegas organized crime kingpin Tony Spilotro. And it was rumored that the deceased had been negotiating with the FBI to work out a deal in the cases pending against him in Washington. Could those negotiations have included providing incriminating information against Spilotro, one of the FBI’s prime targets?

Metro investigators knew all this and suspected that Spilotro might well be behind the killing. However, they couldn’t immediately prove their suspicions and kept their thoughts to themselves.

As it turned out the cops were pretty close to the truth in their idea of what occurred at Lisner’s house that night. But they were wrong in that Lisner had not been surprised by the arrival of his killer, he had been expecting him. And the victim had drawn his last breath in his living room, not outside by the pool.

There was no error in their belief that Tony Spilotro was behind the murder, however. When the soon-to-be dead man answered his door that evening he invited his murderer inside. In a matter of moments the visitor began to fire a total of ten bullets aimed at his host’s head, with several finding their mark. The assassin wasn’t Tony Spilotro himself, but he was there at Tony’s behest. The man was Spilotro’s trusted associate who ran a crew of burglars and robbers known as the Hole in the Wall Gang. His name? Frank Cullotta.

For more info stop by his website.

Do You Need A Blog?

2007-11-13T08:31:00.001-08:00

Isn't that an interesting question for a Tuesday morning.

This question has tumbled around in my mind for the past few weeks as I search for blog hosts for my clients at Pump Up Your Book Promotion. I actually handled the whole gaining myself an online presence thing backwards. Unfamiliar with HTML and afraid of designing my own website, I chose to start a blog first. It was an easy way for me to make a little bit of the World Wide Web my own and I like to spout off at times, so it worked for me. I did eventually break down and put together a website, like a good little professional writer should, but I still enjoy blogging much more.

Over the past several months I have seen some amazing websites, but they don't tell me enough about the writer. I am always left with wanting to know more. That's why blogging is so great--your readers get to know more about you without spending $15.95 to figure out if they like you or your work. Blogs give writers the chance to really reach out to readers and gain new fans, and I believe they do it better than websites.

Now, the trick is that you have to keep the blog updated. No one wants to go back to a blog that hasn't been updated in three months. I like to think of my website as the place to promote my blog and not the other way around. While I can be lazy and only update my website once a month, I have to constantly be updating my blog to increase it's visability and ranking with blog rating sites. I'm more motivated to blog than update my site, and I schedule my blog updates along with the other items on my to-do list. So, all around, it works much better for me.

If I had only enough time to commit to a website or a blog, I would choose a blog hands down. And newsletters--while a wonderful way to promote yourself--take more time than I have and am willing to sacrifice, so I'll stick with a blog. It's a win for me and a win for my readers.

Start your blog today at these or any other free blog hosting site:

http://www.blogger.com/start
http://wordpress.com/
http://www.sixapart.com/livejournal/start
http://www.bravenet.com/webtools/journal/index.php?afilid=47985953

On Strike for Christmas by Shelia Roberts

2007-11-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS

Synopsis: Christmas is fast approaching and many of the women in the town of Holly are bracing themselves for stress, overwork, and little understanding or appreciation from the men in their lives. But then inspiration hits. Joy Robertson, Laura Fredericks, and their knitting buddies decide to “go on strike” and give the men an opportunity to see firsthand what it takes to make the holidays merry and bright. Soon other women are joining in and husbands all over town are getting a crash course in decorating, shopping, and what to wear to see Santa, and are searching frantically for an interpreter to translate the mysteries of holiday recipes. The men may just come to appreciate the holidays after walking a mall in their wives’ high heels. But maybe the women will learn something, too.

ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS EXCERPT:

Glen Fredericks slapped the back of his last departing Thanksgiving dinner guest. "Good to see ya. Thanks for coming."

"Hey, man, great time," said the mooch. "Thanks for having me."

"No problem. We'll do it all again at Christmas," Glen promised.

Behind him, Glen's wife Laura suddenly envisioned herself going after her husband with the electric carving knife he'd used earlier on the turkey. "In your dreams," she growled. She stepped around Glen and shoved the front door shut. Having made contact with a hefty male hind end, it didn't shut easily, especially for a woman who was five feet two and a hundred and nineteen pounds, but she managed.

"Hey," Glen protested. "What was that all about?"

"You need to ask?" Laura gave her over-chewed gum an angry snap. He did this to her every year, and every year he promised that next year things would be different. But they never were.

"Mama, Tyler's in the 'frigerator," called five-year-old Amy.

Laura marched toward the kitchen, Glen trotting after her. "Today might have been your idea of fun, Mr. Invite the Whole Planet Over, but it sure wasn't mine."

No woman in her right mind would volunteer to have her house turned into the city dump by the invasion of family, friends, and Thanksgiving freeloaders her husband had invited into their home. Before the invasion, this room had looked great, decorated with little gourds, cute ceramic pumpkins, and her two prettiest vases filled with mums. Now everywhere she looked she saw mess. CD's lay scattered on the floor in front of the entertainment center. Her new leather couch was littered with a plastic football, Glen's socks, magazines, and an open can of nuts (half-spilled). Glasses and bottles were strewn every which way across her coffee table. The little hand-painted, wooden Pilgrim couple that she'd set out on the sofa table now lay on their sides as if taking a nap, not that you could really see them anyway in the litter of napkins and appetizer plates and other party leftovers. And it was hard to ignore the towel on the carpet, evidence of an earlier wine spill mop-up.

People said you shouldn't have cream colored carpet when you had little kids. Well, people were wrong. She managed to keep the carpet clean just fine with two kids. It was Glen's moocher co-worker who was the problem. And of course Glen had been too busy yucking it up to tell her about the spill. She only discovered it when she stepped on it in her stocking feet.

"Come on, babe," he protested. "It's the holidays, and it only comes once a year."

"It's a good thing because it takes me a whole year to recover. In case you didn't notice, Glen, we've got two children, a big house that I clean, and I work thirty hours a week." Before Glen could reply they heard the distinctive crash of a dish breaking followed by a startled cry. "Oh, great. Now what?" Laura muttered, and picked up speed.

She found five-year-old Amy hovering near the doorway, a golden haired cherub. "I told him not to," Amy said, already the bossy older sister.

Behind her, by the fridge, stood two and a half-year-old Tyler - nickname, Tyler the Terrible - whimpering. At his feet lay a fluffy pile of whipped cream fruit salad, broken shards of ceramic bowl sticking up through it like mountain peaks through the clouds.

Laura walked over to where her son stood and surveyed the damage. "Mess, Mama," Tyler told her.

She had been going non-stop since six in the morning and it was now eight at night. She sat down on the floor behind her son and began to cry. That set Tyler off, and he started wailing. She pulled him to her and they both went at it."It's okay, baby," Glen said and knelt beside her. He was a big, kind-hearted teddy bear of a man. Most days. Today, he was just a big pain in the butt.

He reached out to put a beefy arm around her and she gave him a shove. "Bite me. Do you have any idea what this day has been like for me, Glen? Do you even have a clue?"

"You made a great dinner," he tried.

"Yes, Imade the dinner. No one brought anything except your mother, and all she brought was soggy pumpkin pies. I stuffed and baked the turkey, I made the fruit salad, the candied yams, the smelly rutabagas your lazy cousin loves, the green bean casserole, the mashed potatoes and gravy and the home made dinner rolls from your mother's recipe. Why can't she make her own damn rolls?"

From the other side of the kitchen, Amy gasped. "Mama said damn."

"Mamas can do that on Thanksgiving," Glen said, thinking fast.

Yeah, he had a comeback for a five-year-old, but he couldn't think of anything to say to his wife. What could he say, the big turkey? "I cleaned and decorated the house, set the table, and made the whole effing dinner. And, while you and your family and those freeloaders that you call friends all sat around afterward like beached whales and watched the football game, your mother and I got to clean up the big, effing mess you left. I don't care how much football you played in high school and college. You could miss fifteen minutes of one game to help."

He frowned. "Hey, I was watching the kids."

"Yeah, right. When, during the beer commercials? Tyler ate almost an entire candy bowl of M&M's. It's a wonder he hasn't thrown up yet. And if he does, guess who's dealing with it."

Glen held up a hand to cut her off. "I will, don't worry. But you know it's not entirely fair to say I did nothing. I helped."

She glared at him. "Oh, yeah, you put the extra leaf in the table and brought up the folding chairs. Real big of you." She got up and steamed out of the kitchen, calling over her shoulder. "I'm taking a bath. After that, I'm going to bed with my mystery novel. I don't want to see you or anyone for the rest of the evening."

Glen's voice followed her. "That's a good idea, babe. Take a break. You deserve it."

That was an understatement Laura decided, looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The makeup that hadn't worn off was now smudged and runny from her crying jag, and her hair was a mess. She looked like blonde roadkill. She felt like it, too. The labors of Thanksgiving had almost crushed her.

And in just four weeks her husband expected her to do this all again. Four weeks? Who was she kidding? It would all start this weekend with cleaning up the mess Hurricane Glen had left in his wake. (Naturally, he'd help . . . for about two minutes until he got distracted horsing around with the kids or finding a football game to watch.) Then they'd start hauling out the Christmas decorations and begin the Christmas shopping. The day after Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of the year - she couldn't face it. Maybe she'd just stay in the tub until she turned into the world's biggest prune. Or until Glen got a clue.

Except Glen was terminally clueless, so she'd never leave the tub again. If only his brain size matched the size of his heart. Maybe he needed glasses. He obviously couldn't see how much he dumped on her this time of year . . .

Find out more about Shelia and On Strike for Christmas at her website.

Writer's Block in the Energy Field by Dyan Garris

2007-11-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

We’ve all heard of and perhaps have experienced that mysterious, frustrating, and inexplicable phenomenon of writer’s block. What is this exactly and how do we get beyond it?

All writing takes place first in the higher dimensions of the heart, soul, and mind of the author and then gets translated to the two dimensional piece of paper. So when one is experiencing writer’s block, whether you are fully aware of it or not, it means that somewhere along those points of energy, or energy meridians, exists energy blockage.

One of the keys to unlocking the doors to creativity lies in the ability to clear and rebalance the energy field and/or chakras. When the energy field is balanced, one discovers with joy that the hinge on the door of the creative mind once again swings open as easily as a newly oiled gate.

The first step in clearing the field is as simple as identifying what is really bothering you or affecting you on a very physical level. We start with this because this is the energy that resides in the first or root chakra. Issues and challenges regarding money, time, family, and relationships can have quite a negative effect upon creative flow.

The second chakra is the seat of creativity. If we are writing and creating something that we have no audience for or have challenges in bringing to market, then we may find the creative flow being stifled or staunched. It is akin to being in a constant state of pregnancy and never giving birth.

The third chakra is the resting place of the soul. If you aren’t able to express, communicate, and impart what is in your very core, you will perhaps experience a wedge of stagnation and frustration.

Most writers write from the heart, from their imaginations and upper chakras. When experiencing writer’s block it isn’t that the heart and mind are closed. It’s that the flow to these is temporarily blocked. If the flow is blocked by the static energy being generated from the lower chakras, nothing brilliant or inspirational can get through or get translated to paper. It’s similar to a clogged pipe. It is necessary to eliminate the obstruction in the system.

Clearing the energy field and balancing the chakras is not a difficult task if one understands that one must start at the base and work up from there. I used to teach a class on how to do it, and then in 2005 I developed a music and meditation series for vibrational attunement of mind, body and soul. One can incorporate this concept of vibrational attunement into everything they do. I incorporated it my new cookbook, Voice of the Angels – Talk To Your Food! Intuitive Cooking. Cooking and preparing food is a basic root chakra function; however the creative procedure of doing so is an upper chakra operation. When you tie those together, you’re opening and balancing all of your chakras easily and effortlessly.

One of the most important goals of my body of work is to make chakra balancing and energy clearing into a completely natural and enjoyable process for everyone. In learning to do this we can become our best selves and our whole selves. Here’s to no more blocks! Let the creativity flow!

Dyan Garris publishes a free Daily Channeled Message on her website: http://www.voiceoftheangels.com/

Coming of Age Novel by Darrell Bain

2007-11-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

SAVAGE SURVIVAL is not just another testosterone driven science fiction novel. At the basic level, it explores the personalities and attitudes of men, women and children when stripped of the comforting insulation of organized society. Invulnerable aliens have captured millions of humans and are subjecting them to the most brutal and horrible environments ever encountered, in essence a survival test of a magnitude heretofore undreamed of.

Lyda Brightner is an eleven-year-old girl when she is suddenly and without warning separated from her parents and thrown into the midst of undisciplined humans in a harsh desert environment. Food and water and clothing are fought over. Those who control it can do as they wish—and their wishes are terrible.

Lyda is weaponless and alone, like almost everyone. Raped at eleven. Forced to kill. Grieving for her parents. All that stands between Lyda and death is her own innate bravery, her quick mind, her unwavering integrity and ultimately, her belief that someday she will find someone to love.

Lyda's strength of character and fighting spirit make her a leader, even at a very young age. Over the next six years she must constantly fight the ever changing and ever more dangerous environments the aliens subject them to. But she must fight other humans as well, those who have survived by brute strength and ruthless plundering of the weak.

But even if she lives through all this, Lyda must still face the final question: What do the aliens have in mind for the few hundred remaining humans, those few left of all the millions who died?

SAVAGE SURVIVAL is a coming of age novel like no other and Lyda Brightner is a character you'll never forget.

Meet Nicola Beaumont

2007-10-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Nicole and welcome to our blog. Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm just an average person. I'm a wife and mother who home schools my children. I love to read--have always loved to read. And my creative juices are always flowing; whether I'm doing graphic design work or writing, or working with music, there are a million ideas roaming around in my head at any given moment.

How long have you been a writer? What made you put that first story/poem down on paper?

I can't remember a time when I wasn't a writer, but I didn't write my first novel until I was in my early 20s. It was an awful thing, but I wouldn't trade it for the world; without that first book, I would have never written the second, or the fifth--and they each got better until I could actually write something that didn't make readers cringe.

What do your family/friends thing about your writing? Are they supportive?

My family and friends are very supportive. They think it's fantastic that I am creative, and often tell me they can't believe I can come up with so many characters and plots.

Earlier you said you love to read. Who are your favorite authors and what kinds of books inspire you to write – if any?

I read constantly. I've always been an avid reader. Any well-written book will inspire me to write. It's a spark inside that ignites when someone has been able to immerse me in their created reality. I itch to pen something that will match that type of great escape.

Favourite authors? I think there are too many to count, in a myriad genre and style. At any given time, I can be reading a Regency romance, or a thrilling Christian novel by Ted Dekker, or non-fiction books on Christian apologetics, comparative religion, or spirituality. If I have to pick a favourite, though, I'd have to say William Shakespeare.

For you, what is most frustrating about writing? Most rewarding?

There isn't really anything frustrating about writing--however, finding the right publisher has been known to be a little frustrating. The most rewarding thing is reading the finished and polished manuscript and being able to say, "I did it! Finis."

Do you take most of your ideas from life? Or your imagination? A mix?

I don't think any author completely creates a world without influence from his or her own. Our minds are filled with knowledge of our experiences, so we cannot get away from that. However, what I take from real life is usually just a premise that evolves into a fictitious plot that doesn't even resemble the incident which sparked the story to begin with.

Do you have days when the words won't flow? What do you do?

I do have days when the words won't flow. I try to push through them by writing what little comes to mind--even if I think it's drivel. In my experience, when I go back and read those sections the next day, they aren't nearly as worthless as I had thought when I was creating them.

Do you have a "golden rule" of writing that almost always works for you?

Write. It's very easy to allow other things to get in the way. Make time to write, and then use that allotted time to write.

What is the best piece of advice you've been given as a writer? What's the worst?

The best piece of advice I've ever been given as a writer is to listen to constructive criticism. It is true that the only way to improve one's writing is to acknowledge what is lacking, or where it is flawed, and do everything to fix it.

I don't think I've ever been given bad advice--or maybe I've just blocked it from my mind!

Did we forget anything? What would you like to add? Any upcoming publications or links for our readers? Current projects we should watch for?

I would like to thank everyone for their interest, and I extend an open invitation to my website at http://www.inicola.net or at http://www.shoutlife.com/nicola . I have a great deal in the works. I've just been privileged with having two releases made available on the same day: The Resurrection of Lady Somerset is a traditional Regency romance, and The Lighthouse is a contemporary romance novella with allegorical overtones. Both are available in both print and electronic formats.

In addition to fiction projects, I'm also working on a few non-fiction works: Writers will be interested in The Lightning-fast Lexicon of Period Lingo. Award-winning author, Linda Lea Castle and I are at work on an updated edition of that book. Christians will be interested in a companion book I'm writing to go along with the already-published prayer CD, The Prayer of the Heart.

Characterization: Get Real! by Diane Wolfe

2007-10-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

If the plot is the backbone of the story, then the characters are the heart. Creating believable characters that your readers will identify with is crucial to a good story. Your characters must have depth, personality and the ability to evoke an emotional response from your reader.

Before you can formulate a riveting story, an interesting character must be devised. Many writers envision the setting first and the people inhabiting that world second. This often results in shallow characters. Developing a character in depth, complete with flaws, will give you a basis for your narrative. It is easier to build a plot around an individual than force that character into unrealistic situations.

Two factors will determine your character – their background and their personality type. Both are equally important and require some thought. Humans all share similar feelings and needs, but how they respond to those depends on their upbringing and their basic, fundamental personality. You need to be aware of these factors when writing your story.

Backgrounds are as varied as humans themselves. Race, culture, religion, and economic status all contribute to one’s development as a person. A person’s moral compass is easily affected by their upbringing, and you need to keep this in mind when creating your characters. A person raised in a loving family on a farm and someone raised on the streets of New York will not react the same! Flesh out your character with a family history, interests, and experiences.

Become familiar with the four basic personality types – choleric, sanguine, melancholy and phlegmatic. They will also determine how your character reacts in any given situation. (“Personality Plus” by Florence Littauer is an excellent book for researching these personality traits and one I used extensively for my series, The Circle of Friends.) A bold, first-born choleric would likely take charge in a situation, while an introverted phlegmatic would step aside. You need to be aware of these personality traits in your character or you will find them responding in a dubious fashion.

Avoid the temptation to create a perfect character! People are flawed creatures and the more imperfections and internal conflicts your character possesses, the more intriguing your story. Give them weaknesses, impulses and unresolved issues. Negative aspects of your character might improve and eventually vanish, but this needs to be developed slowly during the course of your narrative. Life altering moments happen for us all, but a sudden change for no apparent reason will be looked upon as a mere plot contrivance.

Characters will always be the drive and focal point of any story. By putting a great deal of thought into your main characters, you will form interesting, relatable people. Once you have established this foundation, you can begin creating an intriguing tale!

- Author & speaker, L. Diane Wolfe, www.thecircleoffriends.net

Realigning My Priorities

2007-10-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

It's a little early to be talking about setting goals, but I am about to make some changes and my goals are going to shift for the last couple of months of 2007 and into next year.

I've spent the majority of this year promoting the works of others. I've interviewed several authors and posted many book reviews at my blog, The Book Connection http://www.thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/. Those I've worked with have been wonderful, welcome to opening up about their books and their creative process, and happy with the questions I've asked. And the best part is, I've loved every minute of it.

But somewhere along my journey, I lost the time I used to have for my own writing. I still manage to churn out an article each month for Writer2Writer http://writer2writer.com/, but the manuscript I finished last summer and my two other works in progress sit untouched on the corner of my filing cabinet.

I guess the wake up call for me came when I attended the Muse Online Writers Conference http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonlinewritersconference/ this month and found out that the market I wanted to send a short story to was closed for submissions at least until January of 2008. My goal had been to submit it in February of this year, but I was too busy doing other things and volunteering at church and my daughter's school. So, I didn't work on the story in earnest.

I've hesitated to make any changes to my schedule because I didn't want to be seen as opportunistic or unsupportive of my fellow writers. But wanting to avoid having to work outside of my house in two years is not opportunistic or unsupportive; it's a reality I face if I don't begin submitting more work.

I've begun to realign my priorities and change how I handle promoting the works of others, so that I can steal back some time I had lost. In addition, I will have to cut back on some of my volunteering efforts. Who knows, this could be a temporary thing until I tuck enough money away to avoid working out of the house when the little one enters school.

I don't know how others will feel about my decision, but I know what I am doing is the best for me, my family, and my career. I'll have to stick by my guns and make it work or my writing will become a hobby that I dabble in after my full-time job is over...and I've worked too hard the past few years to let that happen.

Cheryl

The Pied Piper Effect by PG Forte

2007-10-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

I have always read across genre lines—from literary to popular to classic to YA and back again—and wondered when I’d hear about readers who would stick to a single genre or, even more extreme, a single type of book within a genre. Since it wasn’t the type of book that was attracting me, I assumed there had to be something about the particular author’s voice that drew me in. But that didn’t seem quite right either, because I’d read book after book after book by some authors even when I’d repeatedly find myself thinking, as I was reading their newest,, “This is terrible writing, Even I could do better than this!”

And, I thank God for those authors, btw, because I don’t know that I’d have been able to get through the writing of my first book without them!

I have to credit my fellow author Amelia June for clueing me in to what was really attracting me to all those books, in all those genres, by all those different authors. It was the characters all along.

Now, as a writer, I’m a big time plotter. I’ll freely admit I can’t even begin to write a book without knowing ahead of time where I’m going and how I’m getting there. I admire the hell out of those writers who can just sit down and start pounding out a story from pretty much nothing at all. But I can’t—and probably never will be able to—do that.

So, sure, I love my characters and probably the best compliment I could get as a writer is for someone to tell me that one or more of my characters came to life for him or her, but are characters more important than story? How could they be? Why, I’ve left some of my very favorite characters languishing in a scene for months on end for the simple reason that I had no idea where they were going or how I was going to get them there. I couldn’t write their story because I didn’t know what it was yet.

So, obviously, I must think plot is more important than character, right? Well, not exactly.

Reading and writing are two different things, after all. When I’m writing a book, plot may very well be king, but, when it comes to reading, I’m all about the characters. And I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that way.

But how do we go about creating the kinds of characters that readers will find compelling? Again, I think the answer to that question is as individual and varied as there are writers to ask it.

Just as writers have been divided into the categories of plotters and pantsers (those who write ‘by the seat of their pants’ so to speak) I suspect how we create characters can be broken down into two main methods that (probably not incidentally) tend to follow a similar, albeit opposite, pattern.

Pantsers are notorious for being among those writers who cannot discuss a story too much ahead of time for fear they’ll find themselves ‘all talked out’ and no longer motivated to actually write the story. Most plotters, on the other hand, can talk (and talk, and talk, and talk, and talk) for days about their stories and only end up more motivated.

Likewise, when it comes to creating well-rounded characters, there are authors who find character sheets invaluable. They’ll fill out forms asking for all the most minute details of their characters lives: What was his favorite toy as a child? What was the name of her first pet? Did he ever break any bones—and when and how? Does she play sports—and how well and how long and what position? What’s his mother’s maiden name? What’s her favorite shade of nail polish? What’s his favorite breakfast cereal? Does she have a dark secret she doesn’t share with anyone? And on and on and on.

Me? I can’t stand the sight of those things! Nothing makes me lose interest in a character faster than trying to pin them down on all these (to me) unimportant points And, once again, I don’t think I’m alone. From what I’ve seen, pantsers do better with character sheets than plotters.

So here comes the theory: I believe that, to a very large degree, character IS plot. The story that I meticulously plot and the seemingly serendipitous, unplotted stories created by my pantser fellow authors will only work if our characters breathe life into them.

I think we all start out asking ourselves the same two questions: Who are these people and what will they do next? And then we take reverse approaches to arrive at what are, basically, the same answers.

Pantsers, I believe, are more likely to figure out who their characters are first, and then let them lead them into their story. Plotters are more likely to let their characters reveal themselves through their actions (ie the plot). In both cases, however, I’m quite sure it’s the characters who are calling the shots.

They’re the Pied Pipers of the tale, after all, for both reader and writer. Give us a great character, piping his or her own, uniquely compelling tune, and we’ll all happily follow wherever they lead us whether that’s over the rainbow or to the ends of the earth.

You can get more info on PG's book, Love From A to Z, at her website.

The Fat Lady Never Sings by Steve Reilly

2007-10-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Since 1976, Steve Reilly has coached baseball in Connecticut's Lower Naugatuck Valley. He has coached Babe Ruth, Senior Babe Ruth and American Legion teams and has spent the last 20 years assisting high school coaches. He assisted at Derby High School from 1986-1995, assisted Emmett O'Brien Regional Vocational Technical School in 1996 and will be coaching in his 11th season at Seymour High School in the Spring of 2007. He continues to coach a summer Senior Babe Ruth team and fall league team in Derby.

A practicing Attorney since 1980, with an office in Oxford, Connecticut (http://www.getlawhelp.com/), Reilly and his wife, Suzanne, live in Seymour, Connecticut.

You can visit his website at http://www.thefatladyneversings.com/.

THE FAT LADY NEVER SINGS SYNOPSIS:

On Friday nights in the fall, all around the country, scores of fans gather to support their local football teams. The town of Derby, Conn. is no different. In The Fat Lady Never Sings, author and former assistant baseball coach Steven M. Reilly tells the story of the downfall of the Derby Red Raider football team after 28 years of winning seasons, and how three seniors on that team seek redemption on the baseball diamond.

Every boy in this blue-collar town dreams of playing football for the Derby High School Red Raiders. The city doesn’t have much else going for it, only the pride in its successful high school football program. After the fateful game that ends the Raiders first losing season in nearly 3 decades, seniors Gino DiMauro, Ben Bartone and Donny Shepard know that nobody will remember this game’s score, but no one will ever forget they lost. Although the three had given everything they had on the field, they know it won’t be good enough, not in Derby. In a few short minutes, they will forever be labeled as losers—unless they can prove otherwise during baseball season.

The smallest school in the league, Derby qualifies for the state baseball tournament and ultimately advances to the championship game. Under the towering lights of Middletown’s Palmer Field, Gino, Ben, Donny, and the rest of the Red Raiders face off against Terryville. But in the last inning, the Raiders trail by two runs and are down to their final at bat. With one out remaining, the "fat lady" prepares to sing—or so they think.

A feel-good story of perseverance much like those in the classic sports movies "Friday Night Lights" and "Hoosiers," The Fat Lady Never Sings provides an intriguing look at the "never give up" attitude of high school athletes, and the pressures they face from parents, coaches and members of the community.

To Write Or Not To Write, That Is The Question

2007-10-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

By Mayra Calvani

Writer's block.

Do the words make you wince?

If you belong to that blessed, miraculous group of people who can write anywhere, anytime, who are able to switch themselves on into a writing mood like a light-switch, then your answer will be No. But if you're like me, and belong to that cursed, demonic group who kill themselves writing that first sentence, these words will make you grimace with a heartache that plunges deeper than the Cayman Trough.

But what is writer's block, and why do many writers--damn good ones—suffer from it? Some think the reason is old plain laziness or lack of discipline, but I disagree. The reason is more complex. I can't help remembering my creative writing professor back in college—a published author of many mystery novels who suddenly stopped writing for eight long years simply because he "froze at the computer and couldn't put a word down."

Only God knows the dark mechanics that kept my professor from writing for such a long time, so I can only speak for myself.

So here it goes. What is writer's block? Following the famous editorial advice, instead of "telling" you, I will "show" you.

Picture in your mind a beautiful winter morning, snow falling from the window, the office toasty warm, the house empty and quite. It's just me and writer's block:

9:30 I sit at the computer, ready to write that piece of literature that will bring me fame and riches (okay, no need to be greedy, I'll settle for riches).
9:31 I decide I better answer my emails first, get them out of my mind (yeah, right).
10:00 I'm thirsty. I better make myself some tea. Writers drink hot beverages, don't they?
10:05 I'm back at the computer. I take a sip of my tea and suddenly remember all the things I should be doing instead of writing: wash the rabbit hutches, purchase moist wipes for my husband's glasses, do the laundry, vacuum the bedrooms, feed the fish… somehow there's no end to this list.
10:25 I stare at the blank monitor. I loathe myself.
10:30 I'm hungry. I'll have an early lunch (someone should conduct a study about frustrated writers and overeating).
10:50 I glare at the sign on my desk "A Writer Is Someone Who Writes Everyday," and try to set it to flames with my mind power.

You get the picture. This is writer's block. This is what happens when I break the habit of writing everyday and disconnect myself from my current project. I don't know about you, but when I don't write, the consequences are catastrophic. I hate the world. I snap at people (my husband is my favourite victim). I feel trapped in a box, unable to breathe. If I were the sort of person who went to pubs, I would surely start a brawl.

But what causes writer's block?

Almost always, it is fear. Plain and simple. F-E-A-R.

Fear of not being good enough.

Fear of not being able to write that perfect sentence that will impress the reader. No wonder it blocks! How can you write freely and impress people at the same time?
So in order to lift the block, you need to get rid of that fear. It is easier said than done, I know, but I will give you a few practical tips that will help you overcome it, based on probably the best book on writing in the market today, Julia Cameron's The Right To Write. If these tips have worked for me, they can work for you, too.

1. Keep a journal and write 3 pages of anything that comes to your mind each morning. Strictly stream-of-consciousness stuff. Don't worry, no one will read this (if you're paranoid like me, hide the journal). The idea is to drain your brain of all the clutter so that when you sit at the computer to do the actual writing, you'll be able to do it with a clear head. You don't feel like writing this morning? Your writing sucks? You feel fat? You hate your neighbour? Write it down. By the way, if you feel like clobbering someone to death with a medieval flail, add that too. Write down your dreams, your plans, your fears. The idea is to keep writing non-stop until you have fill those 3 pages. I write in my journal almost everyday. I'm addicted to it, almost to the point of being superstitious. Remember to do it in the morning. If you write in your journal at night you'll probably go over what you did during the day and this will defeat the purpose. The idea is to positively affect your day by writing those pages in the morning. By training your mind to do this each morning, you will not only make writing more approachable, but also more disciplined.

2. Don't edit as you write. If you can't keep your neurotic, perfectionist urges under control, then at least keep them to an absolute minimum. Editing as you write is like editing a movie and filming it at the same time. It can become pathological. Editing, re-editing, searching for that flawless sentence that will create that immaculate paragraph. Well, do you want to know something? It won't happen. No matter how many times you try to improve it, there will be always room for improvement. Ultimately, if you want to finish that first draft, you'll have to trust yourself and simply let it go. Remember that a first draft is just that, a first draft. Once you've finished that first draft then you can polish and change and edit all you want.

3. Set yourself a small quota everyday. You don't have to finish a whole chapter in one sitting. Just write 2 pages, or 1, or even just a paragraph. The important thing here is to meet that daily quota. It's amazing how thinking like this can affect your brain. It's like with exercise. If you tell yourself, "Oh no, I have to exercise for one whole hour," this will block you. But if you think, "I'll only exercise 20 or 30 minutes," the work becomes more approachable and you'll stick with it. The key here is to create the habit a little step at a time. The best thing about meeting this daily quota is that it allows you to feel "guilt-free" for the rest of the day, making it possible for you to spend happier times with your family and do other things. In other words, if you stick to your writing schedule, you'll be able to enjoy life.

4. Have the right sense of direction. This is probably one of Cameron's most powerful advice. Don't think that you have to think something up, that you have to create something. Instead, think that the words, plots, characters are already there suspended in some other dimension, and all you have to do is listen intently and write the words down as if taking dictation. Thinking like this will immediately lift a heavy load off your shoulders. It will make you feel free of responsibility and allow your writing to flow easier.

5. Find a support group. Artistic souls need artistic soul mates. If there isn't any support group you like, start your own, like I did. As I write this article, I'm sitting at a café with 3 writer friends. We meet every Friday morning from 10 to 12. These meetings are incredibly productive, maybe for the simple reason that I HAVE to write. I mean, face it, not writing alone at home is bad, but not writing in front of your writer friends would be a disgrace. Who wants to be a loser? Also, sometimes writers need to get out of their homes and experience a change of scene. Writing at a café makes writing fun. There's a baby howling a table away, and at the same time I can clearly hear the loud voice of a Spanish lady several feet from me, telling her friend that she wished her husband would hide his briefcase in the cellar… Hide his briefcase in the cellar? Strange… But I reel myself back in. I don't want to become like one of my writing partners, who periodically listens to people's conversations to get ideas for her stories. I'm not that desperate yet.

6. Give your brain high quality foods: Read great books about all types of subjects, both in fiction and nonfiction. I read astronomy, cosmology, history, comparative religion, physics, metaphysics. Listen to music. Music can trigger powerful inspiration. But please, not heavy metal! Put your favourite composer on the stereo, close your eyes, and just let your mind drift. Doing this alone is a form of meditation. I can assure you scenes of future books will appear in your mind, characters will talk, ideas for your present project will present themselves. Visit museums, flower shops, go to the theatre, take walks and observe nature. All these things will enrich your life and your mind, automatically giving your writing more energy and depth.

The following tip is not from Julia Cameron, but from me. It works wonders for motivation but is not for everybody, only for those of you who have generous and supportive husbands: Make a signed agreement with your husband in which he'll have to pay you $10 for every full page you write. So if you write 15 pages a week, he'll have to pay you $150… I said this is not for everybody. (By the way, my husband hasn't agreed so far, but I'm still hopeful.)

Don't be afraid. Just write. Just WRITE. Just describe the movie in your head and put the words down. In the meantime I'll try to apply these wise words to myself, and not give the evil eye to the "A Writer Is Someone Who Writes Everyday" sign on my desk.

***

This article is based on ideas described in The Right To Write, by Julia Cameron.

Other great, inspiring books about unleashing the power of your creativity:

The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron
Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brande
Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg
Write From the Heart, by Hal Zina Bennett

Mayra Calvani is an author and book reviewer. Her latest release, DARK LULLABY, is a paranormal horror novel set in the Turkish countryside.

For a blurb, excerpt and reviews, visit www.MayraCalvani.com.

To view the trailer, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZgbg5wk5Ug

So You Want to Write a Mystery...

2007-10-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like curling up in a nice comfy chair in front of the fireplace with a good book. Especially a mystery. Not only is there the pleasure of being drawn into another world and leaving your troubles behind for a short time, but also the excitement of trying to figure out “whodunnit” and how before the end of the book. Plus there are so many types of mysteries to choose from...cozy, hardboiled, noir, police procedural, and true crime just to name a few. One book I have lists twenty sub-genres for mysteries, a bit confusing for a novice like myself. So, I did some study and came up with some basics.

First, there are three types of sleuth, Amateur Detective, Semi-Pro and the Professional. Amateur Detectives are those who don’t get paid to solve crimes. Generally they are an ordinary person caught up in the circumstances. Whether in the wrong place at the right time or connected with the crime in some way they need to solve the crime. Usually this “need” to solve the crime has to do with clearing themselves or a friend of the crime. The Amateur Detective is quick thinking and usually less violent. Another plus is these amateurs can have careers such as landscaper, newspaper carrier, or veterinarian which make interesting backgrounds and characters.

Semi-Pro sleuths are those who have a connection to the crime solving business. They may be courtroom reporters, bailiffs or news reporters. Journalists and insurance investigators also make great semi-pro sleuths. Just make sure you get those job details correct. While these sleuths still need a reason to be involved in solving the crime, they have the advantage of not being held to the same rules as the police and private investigators, such as not having to reveal their sources.

Professional sleuths are the police, private investigators, detectives and those involved in law enforcement. Their reason for being involved in the crime is their job and they are bound to the rules and regulations of their profession. This career field also has some great possibilities for settings. From border patrol agents on the Mexican or Canadian borders, the small town marshal or FBI agents on the hunt for terrorists to James Bond spy thrillers; these are just a few to choose from. Again, you must get the details right with this type of sleuth. Many city police or sheriff’s departments give civilian ride alongs so check into that and take advantage if available. And remember, you can’t put a silencer on a revolver and those “six” shooters have to be reloaded for the seventh shot.

Next is the “tone” of mystery which really has to do with the character and degree of violence in the story. The most familiar type is the Cozy. Cozy mysteries tend to have an amateur sleuth and the violence is generally off stage. Often set in small communities, the crime leaves a gaping hole in the community and is generally committed by the neighbor that “would never do anything like that”.

Soft-boiled, hardboiled and noir deal mostly with the private investigators and again with degree of violence. These tend to be the “loner type” sleuth dealing with the gritty reality of a corrupt world. What the heck is “noir” you ask? Noir means black, as in the black spaces on a roulette wheel...think of the old black and white PI movies with Bogart and you can’t go wrong.

Once you know which type of sleuth and tone you can decide on type of mystery. You have plenty to choose from. Police Procedurals, Courtroom Procedurals, True Crime tend to deal with facts and procedures. Espionage mysteries take us to the world of the spy and possibly distant lands and exciting adventures. Historicals take us back in time either to a crime or a setting we may not be familiar with and require plenty of research to get those details right. Mysteries can also be romantic, fantasy or science fiction. The murder of the head of supply on outpost twelve in the delta quadrant of the Orion star system might lead all over the galaxy.

The most important thing to remember, I think...is to write what makes you happy. If you want to write a “cozy” with a private eye for the main character, go ahead. If you love fantasy, set your mystery in the days of knights, dragons and damsels in distress. Intrigued by a crime you see on the news...research it and see what comes of it. Don’t worry so much about the labels, besides they keep changing. Now, go write that mystery.

Will the Excitement Dwindle?

2007-10-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

Since we are on the topic of writers conferences, I figured I would share a few thoughts about my Muse Online Writers Conference experience so far.

Without a doubt, I am loving it! Editors, writers, marketing gurus, all in one nice, online spot and it's all free. And believe me, I am taking advantage of it. I received an email from Nikki Leigh to say that every time she went out to the forum board she saw I had posted in another thread.

But what am I going to do once the conference is over?

Am I going to remember how excited I was to talk about the manuscript I finished last fall and the two partials I haven't touched in months? Will I take all the great advice I've received and put it to good use in my works in progress? Is this the year I am going to submit more queries than ever before?

Or will the excitement dwindle and become a long forgotten memory, like my goal to submit a short story at the beginning of this year (it remains half edited)? Will I tuck away the advice into folders on my PC and not look at it again until next year's conference? Will sending out an article to my editor once a month be the extent of my submissions?

I want to focus my attention on moving forward with my writing. If I don't, I've wasted all the time and effort I put into participating in the conference. Staying up until 2a.m. each night will have been for nothing. My family surviving on pasta for a week, will be for not.

My goals in the coming months must reflect my desire to increase my chances at getting published in more magazines and ezines.

Darn, I just gave Jean a reason to take out her prod!

Lessons from a writer's conference...

2007-10-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

Rhett sent me this a while back and in my busyness I never got around to posting it. So, thanks Mad, for the post and for your patience as it sat in my inbox hidden by so many other things.

Speck

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of teaching at the Harriette Austin Writers Conference at the University of Georgia. When I first attended this conference seven years ago, I was an unpublished newbie writer with little experience dealing with professionals in the writing field. Thanks to the people I met through HAWC through the past years, I made valuable contacts that helped me grow, improve, and eventually, publish.

As I usually do at the conference, I learned many new pointers on editing and promotion. One tremendously important truth stood far above the mechanics of writing; editors and agents are first of all, people.

In the rush to gain recognition, don’t we often forget this simple fact? Do we see them as either someone to place us in author’s heaven, or crush us underfoot? Yes, they do hold power. They have earned this through hard work and long hours. But, they have dreams, disappointments, bad days, and joys. They have feelings.

As I interacted with a group of agents and editors, I was amazed to hear stories of writers exacting horrible retribution for rejection of their manuscripts. On a regular basis, they deal with outright anger for offering constructive criticism. Is it no small wonder that most agents and editors don’t offer comments with their rejection letters? Hmm….

We talked about books, writing, and the business, but we also shared stories of our homes, beloved pets, and humorous life experiences. I came away with a new appreciation for these hard-working professionals who share our love of the written word.

As I continue on this journey, reaching for the stars and often coming up a little short, I pledge to remember the feelings of others. As with most things, kindness and respect shine the best light on us as writers.

Rhett (madhatter)

Start Small…By Shobhan Bantwal

2007-10-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

When I first decided to write women's romantic fiction based in India, I had to ask myself two basic questions: First, do American readers know anything about the life of an average middle-class Indian? Second, as a Hindu woman in her fifties, especially one who had an old-fashioned arranged marriage, what did I know about writing for mainstream American readers?

Not many American readers and moviegoers know a lot about Indian culture. The reason for this is because Indian writers and moviemakers have not been effective in portraying the true face of India to American audiences. The real India lies somewhere in between the glitz and glamour of Bollywood (Bombay Hollywood) movies and the poverty and despair of serious literary novels and documentaries.

As far as writing was concerned, I knew I was a good writer. But a published writer suggested that I start on a small scale first to test the waters, so I started writing short freelance articles about living in America for a number of Indian-American publications. They were received very well.

This minor taste of success led to short stories. Imagine my surprise when one of my stories won first place in a fiction competition and two others won honorable mention. Not bad, considering I was competing with hundreds of entries. Therefore I decided to take a short creative writing course at my local community college, which in turn led to aspirations of becoming a novelist.

But what was I going to write about? Most of my fellow Indian authors were well-known for writing highly literary novels that are about a slice of life or the human condition. I wanted to write what I enjoyed reading: women's fiction with strong romantic elements. But if I went against the grain, would anyone want to read the kind of fiction I wanted to write? After some deliberation I thought I would take up the challenge anyway.

At first my queries ended up in a lot of rejections. I realized my pitch letter was uninspiring, so I polished up the query and started the process all over again. All of a sudden I had a flurry of interest. Three offers of representation! I took what I thought was the best offer from Stephanie Lehamann of The Elaine Koster Agency from New York City, the agency that represents the literary sensation, Khaled Hosseini of The Kite Runner fame. I couldn't ask for a better agent since Stephanie herself is a multi-published chicklit author. She sold THE DOWRY BRIDE to Kensington Books in a two-book deal.

I had succeeded in doing what I had set out to do: convince myself and the world that it is possible for a 50 something Indian woman to write romantic fiction. Starting out on a small scale as a novice writer is probably the best advice I received, and I continue to give it to other aspiring authors: Dream Big but Start Small.

You can learn more about Shobhan and her writing at her website.

Writerly Lessons from a Pirate

2007-09-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all...

I found this really cool blog for entrepreneurs on lessons from a pirate. Well...it didn't take long for me to see that writers could learn from pirates too. So, here's...

10 Lessons for Writers from a Pirate.

1. Get a Parrot - For writers, the parrot is a mentor. Mentors can speed up your trip along the voyage to publication. They'll teach you things it would take years for you to learn on your own. And while the proper mentor may be hard to find...they will definitely be worth the work.

2. Consider the EyePatch - Writers must see things differently than non-writers. We pay attention to what's going on around us and sometimes we write it down to use later. Things that seem normal or of no consequence to others trigger story ideas and excite the writer's soul.

3. Funky Pirate Wear & Eye Liner - Just as pirates don't conform, neither do writers. Our characters become our best friends and meeting a word count goal is cause for celebration.

4. Any Weather, Any Time - A pirate's ship and crew can handle any weather. So can writers. We take the good days with the bad or the acceptance letters right along with the rejection letters.

5. Live & Die by the Team - For a pirate, his crew is family and very important. Well, writers need a "team" too. Not only do we need a supportive "home" team, we need critique partners and readers. We need editors and agents. Then we need promo people.

6. Bicorne hat - Don't you just love the bocorne hat? Writers will wear the many different hats of our characters. We become our characters, we learn their jobs to get the details right. A writer has a varied barrel of knowledge to draw upon...and if we don't know, we'll find someone who does or take a class to learn ourself.

7. Peg Leg - The peg leg represents our limits. These may be lack of formal education or shoulder vultures. But we continue to strive toward our writing goals. We don't let self-doubt stand in our way.

8. Hook - Got to have a hook! Not only do we have to hook our readers, we have to hook the agents and editors. Here's where the team will come in handy...they'll help you polish that hook until it shines!

9. Treasure - For the writer, the Treasure is having others read our words and be touched by them. We'll do just about anything to get that treasure too. All day sessions at the puter, up half the night arguing with our characters about the plot lines... Nothing is too difficult as we make our way toward the treasure.

10. They just arrrrrrr! - Pirates don't have to be told they are pirates. They know they are. Same thing with writers. We just know we are meant to write. We have a passion that burns within us...a passion that insists we write. And so we do!

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

2007-09-25T06:42:00.001-07:00

I'm exhausted. I could easily crawl into bed and sleep for at least four more hours.

But, I can't. Both my daughters are in school today and that means getting my rear end in gear so that I can accomplish as much from my to-do list as possible.

October and November are going to be big months around here. I have a radio interview to prepare for, workshops and chats I am participating in for the Muse Online Writers Conference, two Virtual Book Tours to coordinate, and my school visits during Musing Our Children's Reading and Writing Appreciation Week to prepare for and attend. This doesn't take into account my other writing related projects or all my volunteer work with church and my daughters' schools.

Is it any wonder that I stay up until 1am most nights?

Getting only four to five hours of sleep a night for over 3 months is beginning to take its toll. I am ill-tempered and have a short fuse. I procrastinate more often. Today, I awoke to a scratchy throat and sniffling nose.

So, have I really done me or my writing career any good? No!

I often remind people to take care of themselves. Today's society seems to be made up of a bunch of busy people moving in ten different directions all at once. Why is it I don't take the advice I dish out? Do I think somehow I am immune to getting run down? Will life suddenly fall into place only because I am depriving myself of much needed rest?

Today, I am determined to start taking my own advice. Whether that means cutting back on Internet surfing time or the one hour of television I allow myself each day, I am going to make a point to be in bed by 11PM most nights of the week. I owe it to myself and to my writing career to be the best I can be. I can't do that if I am stuck in bed nursing some virus that I got because I wasn't smart enough to get the rest I need.

Burning the candle at both ends doesn't work--never has and never will. If you want to make the most out of your writing time, make sure you do it with a clear, well-rested head.

Does It Run In The Family?

2007-09-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I am what you would call a typical published author, but when I began writing at the age of fifteen it was with no thoughts of publication - I just had this compulsion to write. Over the years, my outlook remained the same, I wrote to amuse myself and friends, still with no thoughts of approaching a publisher. However, my outlook changed when I joined a writers' group at our local college and the lecturer who headed the group badgered me into submitting my work.

I work mainly on the computer and it was to the internet I turned when looking for a suitable publisher who would accept submissions electronically. Unfortunately, there seemed no such publishers in the UK therefore I turned my attentions to the USA. I had several novels under my belt but 'Dominic' a Georgian Romance, was the first one I sent out to All Romance Books - an ebook and POD publisher. They loved it and asked if I had any other manuscripts so I submitted 'My Dearest Friend', a Regency. They took both books but my debut was cut short when, due to the owners demise, All Romance Books was forced to close.

At that time, I was awaiting a heart bypass operation and, believing I had had my five minutes of fame, thought my publishing career was over. However, shortly after the operation, I decided to try submitting once again. I sent the two manuscripts out to Wings ePress who, within five weeks, offered me a contract on both books. At the same time I approached Triskelion with 'The Portrait', which they immediately took. Wings then accepted 'His Shadowed Heart' and with four books waiting for release, I began to feel that I was making some headway toward becoming a 'published author'. However, things don't always run smoothly in the publishing world and once again I was doomed for disappointment when Triskelion filed for bankruptcy before 'The Portrait' hit the shelves and, along with the other Triskelion authors, I am now awaiting the release of my rights so that I may submit elsewhere.

I write for the love of it and don't work to a trend or formula - I write what pleases me. I usually make a brief outline as to where I want the story to go and then just let it unfold. It's like watching a play evolve and quite often my characters take me off at a tangent. For instance, I didn't know when I began writing 'My Dearest Friend' that Stefan had an illegitimate daughter until the sergeant strolled onto the stage and told me.

In my youth, I never envisioned myself becoming a published author and even now, when I stop and think about it, it doesn't seem quite real. People often ask me why I write and the answer is that I don't know - it's just a compulsion that I can't ignore. Their next question is does it run in the family and up until now I have always said no - then I remembered what my mother told me about my maternal grandfather. James Hackney was a quiet man. He could neither read or write and worked on the kilns at a pottery manufacturers. However, he was a poet and story teller who was in great demand in the 1920's and 30's. It amazes me that, without the ability to write, he was able to commit so much to memory. Perhaps it does run in the family after all!

Hazel Statham

Clarity in Our Communications

2007-09-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

I slid into a hot bath last night and pulled Judo Moreo's latest book, You Are More Than Enough Every Woman's Guide to Purpose, Passion & Power off the corner of the tub and found my place (marked securely with the attached blue satin bookmark).

I read the words "Powerful Communication" and stopped. Communication is something I've always struggled with. I think that's part of why I'm a writer--it gives me time to compile my thoughts instead of trying to scramble them together with people surrounding me, waiting for an answer.

Judi shared the eight realities about communication that exist at any given time.

* What I mean to say
* What I actually do say
* What you heard me say
* What you thought you heard me say
* What you mean to say
* What you actually do say
* What I heard you say
* What I thought I heard you say

I thought about these realities for several minutes and then I started reading again to see how I could apply what Judi had to say about powerful communication to my life.

But, then I had another thought--the first four realities also apply to our writing.

When I sit down and create a story, I can see the picture of it clearly in my head. I know what I mean when I write those words. I know what I am implying through the actions of my characters. I know what message I want to send to the reader.

But often times, what I have written and how the reader interprets it, are two different things. I usually discover this during a critique when a comment comes back and I think, "That's not what I meant at all."

When we sit down to write, it is important to remember the realities of communication and to strive for clarity so what we say on paper is the same as what the reader sees in his head, because we are not standing in front of the reader to explain what we meant.

The Road to Publication by Caridad Pineiro

2007-09-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

With my seventeenth novel, SOUTH BEACH CHICAS CATCH THEIR MAN, about to be released by Simon & Schuster's Downtown Press, one of the most common questions I get asked is "What do I need to do to get published?"

The most obvious answer is that you sit down and start writing your book and surprisingly that is not the answer I would give most beginning writers.

Why? Having started off that way myself, I found that it took me quite some time to learn some very important things about both the craft and the business of writing. Things that I needed to know in order to finally sell my first novel.

So what would I recommend to someone as the steps to take in the road to publication?

1. What genre will your book fit in? Is the book you wish to write a romantic suspense, paranormal, women's fiction, cozy mystery or does it fall into any of the dozens of other genres that exist in the Publishing world?

Why is this important? Unless you are writing literary fiction, it is important to understand the nature of the genre and what is expected for that genre. The genre is shorthand for a certain set of expectations that editors and readers will have about the story. Editors like to be able to say at their editorial meetings "I've got a great women's fiction piece about four friends living in Miami that I'd like to acquire."

Not sure what genre? For a list of sub-genres in the romance industry, check out the list at the Romance Writer of America. For non-romance fiction genres, here's another good spot for you to check.

2. Which publishers would be interested in your book? Go to the shelves of your local library or bookstore. See what books would be similar to what you would like to write. It will give you an idea of what publishers are interested in that kind of work. Open the book and check the dedication or acknowledgements. That might give you a clue as to the editor or agent who bought and/or represented the novel.

3. Check the guidelines for those agents and/or editors. Many publishers have their guidelines on their websites. Eharlequin is a great example of publisher's guidelines. The guidelines will tell you how long the book should be, which editors are interested in acquiring, etc. Unfortunately, the guidelines may also say that the publisher will only accept manuscripts from agents. You can also look at books from Writers Digest and there's a great book by Jeff Herman that I recommend -- Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents.

Once you know what genre you are going to tackle and what the length of the book will be, you can start to "write" and avoid needless revisions because the book was too long, too short, didn't have the right elements for the genre, etc.

4. How do I know that my writing is any good? The next step is to find a group that will help you improve the craft of writing. You may find a critique group at a local book store or library (For example, I host one at a local book store). If the genre in which you are writing has an association, see if you can join. For example, the Romance Writers of America has both a national chapter and local chapters that meet and provide workshops and conferences on the craft. With every book you write your skill as a writer should grow. I find that with each editor with whom I work, I learn something new and valuable that I try to apply to future novels.

5. Do I have to finish the book in order to submit it? In general, editors and agents will like to see complete manuscripts from unpublished authors or even published authors if they are writing in a different genre. This happened to me on two occasions. First when I went from writing contemporary romances to paranormals and again when I went from paranormals to women's fiction. So the answer is generally, "Yes, you should finish the book."

6. The book is finished so how do I submit? See 2 and 3 above. Check the guidelines and understand which publishing houses require agents and which don't. When it comes to both agents and publishers, if anyone asks for money up front, reconsider. Agents and publishers should not ask for reading fees or fees to print your book in general. Some e-publishers will charge nominal set-up fees to print a previously e-published book.

7. The book is finished and submitted. What do I do next? Start another book and get it ready to send out. Publishers like writers who can deliver books on a regular basis. It allows them to build you as a writer. I always have multiple projects in the works even when I am working on a contracted book.

I hope the above has been helpful and if you need any more advice, I have a Resources for Writers section on my site that you can check for more information or just drop me an e-mail by visiting my website.

When Generations Collide

2007-08-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

Back when my mother and mother-in-law were raising children, the terms "working mother" or "career mom" were unheard of. They were happy to be like June Cleaver, staying at home with their children while Ward worked and made all the money to maintain their place in middle class society.

Those days are long gone for many families. Women in the workforce are not the odd birds who couldn't find Mr. Right; they are women who want to have meaningful careers in addition to family lives. This issue has been discussed to death in my home as I have fought to carve out a writing career while raising two young children.

There are those in my family--immediate and extended--who believe I should shelve my writing career until both girls are in school, which means two years from now. This is contingent upon me not having to work outside of my house by that time, since any income I would make from my writing until then, would be gone.

And then there are those who understand that being a wife and mother isn't all of who I am. My writing is something I do for me and whether I ever get published or not, I would rather cut off one of my limbs than not be able to write.

So, where does that leave me? Positioned straight in the middle of two generations--one who remembers the days of Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best and who would prefer I be more like June Cleaver or Margaret Anderson, and the other who has always been filled with working mothers searching for ways to balance a career and family.

I'm not sure I'll ever know which one is best for my family, but I remember that old saying, "If Mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." So, I'm going for being happy and hoping it all works out.

Cheryl

On Knowing Your Characters by Marilyn Meredith

2007-08-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

Because I've been the judge for many writing contests and was a writing instructor for Writers Digest School for many years, I've read many self-published books and manuscripts by new writers. One of the problems I've seen over and over is lifeless characters, or characters who are no more than a name.

Often it's not because the author doesn't know his or her characters, but rather the problem is not knowing how to develop the character on the page so the reader will know the character too.

First, each character should have an appropriate name: a name that fits his or her personality, a name that fits the type of book, the time period, a name that doesn't sound like, rhyme with, or start with the same letter as another character. The author needs to do everything possible to keep from confusing the reader.

To make sure not to give wrong information about someone, the author should have the facts about each character written down so that the hero doesn't suddenly change eye or hair color half way through the book.

The author should know enough about the history of the characters so that the motivation for doing things, or reacting in a certain way rings true.

With dialogue, does each character have a unique manner of speaking?

Instead of always using dialogue tags like he said, she said, using an action by the character who is speaking or a description as a dialogue tag, can be another opportunity for telling more about a character.

Some authors keep lengthy notes about each character which can be very helpful.

I've been writing about my heroine Deputy Tempe Crabtree for quite a few years. I know her better than I know any of my relatives or friends. That may sound strange, but I am totally aware of how she thinks, why she thinks it, and how she'll act in any given situation.

When writing about any point-of-view character, I try to "climb inside" him or her and see the world and what is going on through that person's eyes, hear what they hear, smell what they smell, feel what they feel, both emotionally and by touch. This works for me, perhaps it will work for you.

My next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery is Judgment Fire from Mundania Press http://www.mundaniapress.com

To learn more about me and my books, visit http://fictionforyou.com

Sweat Equity

2007-08-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

I've been contemplating a writer's career and I thought I'd share a few things I believe all serious writers share.

1. We share the concern that what we write is meaningful.

2. We sweat learning our craft. Rewriting until our fingers cramp and our eyes are blurry.

3. We shed tears making each sentence sparkle.

4. We bang our heads against hard surfaces when the prose is wrong but we can't put our finger on why.

5. We hold are breath counting the days till we get a response from an editor, all the while accepting that it will most likely be another rejection. Worse yet, a Form Rejection.

6. We walk around talking to characters in our heads.

7. We crawl out of bed in the dark coldness of night because a character is speaking and we have to get it down before it's gone.

8. We soar through the clouds when we finish a piece. Only to weep a week later as we read the dreck we once thought was perfect prose.

9. We shed tears of sorrow or laugh with joy when our characters, die, get the bad guy, fall in love, or learn to tie their shoes.

10. At the end of each day, we shut off the computer with a bit of sadness and anticipation for the work that lays ahead.

That list could go on and on, but we do these things repeatedly, because it's what it takes to succeed. The countless rewrites are what drives us to madness. However, it's that madness that we crave and draws us back time and again.

So tell me, are the others out there that are somewhat jealous of the posers? No, I'm not talking about the novice or the unpublished. I'm referring to the 'Celebrity' who because of their fame, never jump through the hoops we regular Joes err...writers do. They don't sweat a spliced sentence or a fragmented thought. "Oh dear, I've stubbed my toe, what pain and suffering. Oh look it's bleeding. I have an idea... I'll write a book," they say, and boom they're published.

I stumbled across a blogger who has something to say about all this and has started BACA...Bloggers Against Celebrity Authors.

Here's the link to motherreader the founder of BACA...enjoy

http://www.motherreader.com/2007/08/baca-off-again.html

IMHO, our sweat equity will pay off with much better dividends. There's still something to say about the people who have made it the old fashioned way...they've earned it.