Temporarily out of order

Concentrating on me for a few days here. Still hoping to be able to keep my date with the library on Saturday. The Big Guy has volunteered to be my roadie while I'm out of order and do all the heavy lifting. 

In the meantime, some specials running: Smashwords is doing their "Read an Ebook Week" promotion. My entire catalog is half off, so this is a good time to go buy whichever ones you might be missing. They did a merge recently, and haven't consolidated my books yet, so you can find them at

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/KarlaBrandenburg

or at

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/KarlaBran

They're all there somewhere. Also, Horned Owl Hollow is on sale for $0.99 EVERYWHERE through the weekend.

Hoping to be back among the living next week. 

Reading as a part of Writing

How to be a better writer? Read more books. Just ask Stephen King. 

You know, whenever I read a Stephen King book, I find myself adding so much more description to my writing - something he's very good at and a reminder at the depth it adds. One of the reasons reading augments the writing process. 

I've been behind on my TBR, as I've been behind on a lot of things lately with other "life" things vying for my attention. However, I recently picked up a book I thought for sure would be good. And it was. Until it wasn't. A well-known, NYT best selling author. The story kept me with it all the way until the very end--or maybe I should say until it stopped. 

If you've been with me for a while, you know how much I hate cliffhanger endings, especially when the follow-up hasn't been published. Anne Rice did that to me with the Vampire Lestat books. I read the second one before the third one was published and I was NOT happy. Who the heck climbed into the coffin? Yes, I remember the cliffhanger all these years later, which might be considered a good thing (any press is good press?) except it really soured me on her. Yes, I read the third book in the series, and my opinion of that book was not positive. Likewise, I loved the first several Diana Gabaldon books, and even when I was no longer enthralled with them, I kept reading--until she ended one on a cliffhanger. Done. Uh-uh. No more.

Okay, all of that aside, let's talk about the parts of the book I liked. The main character was well drawn. I was rooting for her. The world she created was realistic, despite being fantasy. Books like that remind you how to write well, what things to pay attention to in your own writing. Motivation to keep writing. When it ended so abruptly, I almost threw the book at the wall (figuratively, it was an e-book, after all). When I read a book that frustrates or disappoints me, I find it hard to pick up "the next book" (and by that, I don't mean next in series, I mean ANY book).

Then I went on the weekend getaway, and one of my friends was reading a book. "Is it any good?" "Yeah. Want to read it when I'm done?" Books that come with a recommendation are usually the best ones. She finished the book on the plane ride home and handed it to me. It still took me a week to dive into it because I was still cranky about the non-ending I'd just finished. When I did pick up the book my friend handed me, I devoured it in a day. A whodoneit about the daughter of a serial killer, and although her father has been in jail for a number of years, the killings have begun again - and someone is killing the daughter's patients (she's a doctor). Is it the doctor? Her old boyfriend? Her business partner? Extremely well crafted, the twist at the end is unexpected and yet well laid out. 

I want to write like that.

I can write like that. Reading highlights the things that work, and when the book isn't as good, highlights the things that don't work. The reading part is covered, so I need to keep concentrating on the writing, reminded of the structure that works well as well as pitfalls to avoid. 

Hey, while you're here, HORNED OWL HOLLOW is on sale, if you haven't read it yet. You can pick up a copy for $0.99 for a limited time! 

Routines

You know how some people can sleep anywhere? Give them a bed or a comfy chair and they're out like a light. Then there are people who toss and turn in a hotel room, even if it's quiet, because it isn't THEIR bed. Some people require more structure than others. I am such a being.

When I was working, I had to balance a demanding day job with my writing gig. When I first began "seriously" writing, I did it at night, when the rest of the household was asleep by nine o'clock. I continued that routine for several years, which worked out well. It gave me stress relief at the end of the day when all my other responsibilities were taken care of. Nothing is so constant as change, however. Little kids turned into big kids, the job became MORE demanding. There was a period of time where I didn't write, at least not consistently.

As life became more routine again, I found time to write again. Early in the morning. On my lunch hour. That became the new norm, and as I settled into that routine, I cranked out a lot of books! Then life changed again. I retired. Now I had ALL DAY to write if I wanted to. I wanted to, but funny thing about that. It's much easier to procrastinate when you tell yourself "oh, I can do that later. I have ALL DAY." Suddenly, you don't have all day. Routines are gone once again, but because I had all day to write, I did find time. I settled into a new routine doing my running around in the morning and sitting at the keyboard after lunch. Success! Funny thing, though. If I have a free morning, I find I do better in the mornings. Still. Years of conditioning to take advantage of those early hours don't fall away easily.

I still get upended when life rears its ugly head and interferes, and with the holidays and other distractions cutting into my writing time, I'm behind schedule. Once again, my routine was thrown off. Well, the holidays are over, and other distractions continue to poke at me, but here's the thing. Writing is a job. You have to treat it like one. So I'm back at the keyboard after lunch, working to re-establish that routine. For some people, they have to sit at a desk with their headphones on either blocking the world out or listening to "writing music," but for me, I just need my keyboard and a comfortable chair. The physical aspect isn't so important for me as the old "just do it" part. The music? Yes, when I get stuck, I've found having background music can drown out whatever other distractions might be lurking, as long as I sit at my computer.

What about you? Are you a structured person? Do you have routines that, when you miss them, throw you off balance? Or can you "sleep anywhere?"

Roadrunner and the coyote

Roadrunner on the wall - Courtesy of Joy

I had the best time in Arizona ... was able to relax and unwind for a weekend reconnecting with good friends, getting out of the cold Illinois winter, and watching coyotes and roadrunners - where the roadrunner was victorious yet again! Well, maybe the roadrunner hadn't beaten the coyote, but it was certainly in better shape than its cartoon adversary! 

As I did my "safe arrival" call with the big guy looking across to the mountains and the desert, I saw a coyote limping up the wash. Big, beautiful coyote, unlike the mangy, skinny ones we have in Illinois, but it was clearly injured. Further down the wash (okay, the desert down the wash was actually a golf course), I saw birds running. From the distance they looked like roadrunners. I was later to discover they were actually quail as they, too, moved up the wash that ran alongside the house. (The bird in the picture, courtesy of our host, IS actually a roadrunner.)

While away from everyday routines, I read another book that I enjoyed, which means I can do another books and cookies newsletter with a recommendation, and one of my friends loaned me another book to read that she recommended. 

I have a few appointments to clear this week which are interrupting my day and encroaching on writing time, but with a clearer head, I should be full speed ahead on the new book. 

We all need a break now and then. I was overdue, and now I'm ready to fight another day.

 

Refresh/Recharge

The last time I went this long "out of routine" was more than ten years ago. I'd just received a promotion at the day job, which required A LOT of energy and brainpower. I deliberately set the writing aside then to learn how to step into my new role, but it didn't take long for me to realize writing was my outlet after a very stressful day at work. So while I was out of routine with the writing, I was still writing. 

Here's the deal. I have a new book in the works, but finding the focus and time to write has been a challenge. I've had some health intrusions. The Big Guy has had some health anomalies. There is a chaos agent running the country, and I don't deal well with chaos. And the ever present "someone's mad at you" about something you thought was over but apparently isn't, stuff you find out about second hand because the people holding the grudge don't want you to know they're still holding the grudge over a miscommunication that you thought was cleared up, not to mention ...  Oh wait. Not to mention means I'm not going to mention it. Things said and not followed up on, for good reasons, hurt my feelings but being left behind still stings. The last two books I read were semi-duds, so they didn't pick me up. Shall we also talk about the dark days of January? When the sun doesn't come out and you feel like you're buried alive? (How's all that for overdramatizing things?) Oh, wait. Its February. But it's still dark. 

The Big Guy's anomalies are being corrected. I will be having surgery to address my health intrusions which are hopefully nothing more than that - intrusions. I'm headed for sunshine with friends. I'm giving myself some grace and not worrying about being out of routine. Hopefully, when I return from fun in the sun, I'll be refreshed and recharged, and the surgery will provide some downtime to get back INTO routine. 

What doesn't kill you makes good fodder for future books, right? Thanks for hanging out with me through the struggles. 

Yes, I know it’s Wednesday

I know it’s my day to blog, but I’m struggling, guys. There’s a lot going on in my head and writing a blog post was a hill to climb. I’ll tell you more, I promise, but right now, I’m focusing on putting my writing energy into the next book, and when I know better what’s going on, I’ll share the rest.

Send me energy! Buy my books, and share how much you love them. 🥰

Are your characters likeable?

I read an article recently on book characters, and how unlikeable characters were becoming more acceptable. I'll confess to skimming it, for two reasons. 1) Characters need to have a reason to be likeable, even if they are unlikeable. 2) I've written unlikeable characters.

In past books, my unlikeable characters have been secondary characters - out of the spotlight. I had one that was SO unlikeable as to be highlighted by several readers about "why would the main character even be friends with her?" So I set out to write a book for that character to take the lead and introduce WHY she was unlikeable to create some sympathy for her. True story: she was based on a friend of mine who wasn't a very good friend, so there was that. When I redeemed the character, she was nothing like the original inspiration for her. Of course, she wasn't a true representation in the first book, either. This did lead me to having fun employing unlikeable characters in my books, however. People have nuanced personalities, and sometimes, if you understand WHY they are the way they are, that makes them more likeable.

Take for example, Jamie Fraser. I'm pretty sure a large portion of the population is familiar with him. He's a rogue, a cattle thief, and an outlaw. And completely loveable. He has a personality that is larger than life and several very endearing qualities. Is he an anti-hero? He does many heroic things throughout the course of the series, but he also does many not so heroic things. He's only human, after all. Is he likeable? Or unlikeable? The first time we meet him, he's in a vulnerable position, so he doesn't immediately project the unlikeable vibe, and that's part of the way to present unlikeable people - as vulnerable people who respond poorly to certain stimuli.

Characters will always have their Achilles Heel, things that make them act out and seem unlikeable even when they aren't so bad. The trick is in the presentation. Why are they behaving badly? Is it better to show them, like Jamie Fraser, vulnerable upon their introduction so you can garner sympathy for them before they act out? Or do you have them act out and then redeem them later? Obviously, the more successful approach is the former.

By contrast, you don't want your characters to be flawless, either. Saccharin, sticky sweet characters lack appeal, as well. It's the old "nobody's perfect" law. For me, if I read a perfect character, I lose interest pretty quickly. They are the most handsome guy ever, or the most beautiful woman ever, or some other paragon of virtue. I read a book recently where the hero had emerald green eyes that the author never let you forget about. NEVER. And a cutesy nickname. Okay, once or twice throughout the book, maybe, but EVERY TIME that character is addressed? If I was dating someone and they addressed me by a cutesy nickname (and I'm not referring to "honey" or "sweetie" or something along those lines) every time they saw me, I likely wouldn't be dating them much longer. It gets old. Fast. An example? I had a friend who called me "Special K." It was cute, but they didn't address me that way every time they saw me. 

But I digress. 

How long are you willing to stick with a character who comes across as unlikeable? I'm trying not to make my latest heroine so mean, but she keeps getting kicked when she's down... Here's hoping the hero will forgive her.