Tarot for Authors

Some books fight you every step of the way. Last time this happened, I was writing the Mist series and was struggling with my antagonist. Shout out to my esteemed editor, Kelly Lynne Schaub, who recommended a book to me that she referred to as Tarot for authors. It's called The Writer's Brainstorming Kit: Thinking in New Directions. It helps authors get out of their heads and think outside the box by breaking down the parts of your story.

• Role/Pursuit
• Trait
• Goal
• Motivation
• Internal Conflict
• External Conflict
• Growth/Realization
• The Ordinary World
• Trigger Event
• Change of Plans
• Black Moment
• Resolution

For each of these bullet points, the book provides "thinking points." If you buy the hardcover book, it comes with a deck of cards. Each card gives you a theme. Each theme breaks down five things to consider for each of these bullet points. If you use the eBook version, the book associates each theme with a regular deck of cards, broken down by suit - Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs. It then cross references the card with the options that come on the "tarot" cards in the hardcover book/kit.

The beauty of the book is that you can apply the tarot to one part of the process or the entire project. Need to map out your story? Shuffle the cards and apply one to each of the bullet points. Need to refine a character? Use one of the cards most closely associated with how you want to present your character and it suggests the steps that character can go through from "role" to "resolution." Need to build your plot? Pick a theme and follow the bullet points for ideas. Need to send your plot a new direction? Pull a card and read the "trigger event" for possibilities. Don't like your options? Mix and match. Think outside the box. The suggestions are meant to get you to think, not a limit or a boundary for what you are writing. 

After thirty-some-odd books, I've covered a lot of ground in my books, and it's easy to get stuck in a rut, or to inadvertently revert to an old character. While I've been making progress in this book, I've felt disconnected from one of my characters. She felt too much like another of my characters (or a couple of my other characters) while I was striving for something different. So I stopped. Re-evaluated. Decided I had to do a character sketch, maybe even a character interview to dig deeper into who this person is and why she is the way she is.

There are many resources out there, but this is one I keep coming back to. It isn't a how-to, it's a "let me help you think." Everyone has their own style, their own process. Anyone who tells you their way is the right way is lying to you. This book gives you what you need while still allowing you to do it your way.

The Joy of Writing

I'm what you might call a pantser when I write. I write by the seat of my pants, and I prefer it that way. I discover things the same time my characters do, and that entertains me. Oftentimes, I discover my subconscious has laid the groundwork and I just need to follow the plot, in a manner of speaking. I've only "known" my way to the plot for a couple of my stories, and honestly, it made them harder to write. Regardless, I still enjoyed the process.

With the book I'm working on now, I can't say I know the plot (I do, but I don't know all the steps to get to it) but it feels very much how all the "writing books" tell you to write. "Then this has to happen, then that has to happen." For me, that takes all the fun out of it. Every author has their own process. I'm not inclined to "Insert requisite sex scene here," or "insert black moment here." No. It has to happen naturally. Organically. It has to flow with the writing and not stop the action because I've reached a certain point. One of my favorite writing moments was in THE DEMON FROM THE CRYPT when I wrote who Elspeth's vision narrator is. I didn't know until the day I wrote it, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I found out the same time Elspeth did. The woman who did the audiobook narration shot me a message when she reached that point in the story. "Did you know it was him all along?" Nope. Not knowing allowed me to feel all the emotion at the same time Elle did. 

The joy of writing. Or is it the joy of pantsing?

I don't know everything that's going to happen in my current work in progress. I know the main plot, I know the subplot. I know how things should be structured. I have a lot of rewriting to do next time I get bogged down on structure to work on characterizations (I have a terrible habit of not putting things I see in my head to paper, which means going back later so readers can see the same things). 

My point in all of this is that although there are "rules" to writing, I've found that following a boilerplate or an outline diminishes the discovery process. Yes, books need to have structure, and mine do. But writing from a standpoint of "this has to come next" crushes my creative spirit. I can generally "feel my way," and on those occasions I stumble, I can go back and fix it. Add what's missing. Supply the structure that needs to be there. I know how all of this is supposed to work, but interrupting my flow to pay attention to structure is counterproductive. I've read more than my fair share of books where the author clearly stopped the story to "insert required scene here" and I don't mind telling you there is at least one author I no longer read for that very reason. 

Books need structure. I get that, but they need to flow seamlessly. I hate that I find myself thinking in terms of structure instead of flow while I'm writing this one. By the time the first draft is done, I'm sure I'll have satisfied both requirements - structure and flow. Just need to keep soldiering on.

Choose me

I had someone comment to me once that exhibiting art, be it painting or music or prose, is like a call for attention. For me, it's more like letting the characters who live inside my head out to tell their stories. With that being said...

I was the fourth of four girls. A counselor told me once as the youngest, I probably felt like "I didn't get an invitation to the party." I was too little to do what the big girls were doing, and my voice was often lost or discounted as a result of being last. Rather than calling attention to myself, I tended to blend into the woodwork. My parents had guests to dinner one night and commented on what a good child I was.  "Little children should be seen and not heard." To that end, I resorted to writing as a way to express myself.

As an author, I'm in a crowded field, as most artists are. I, along with my thousands of competitors, are all looking for ways to differentiate myself in that crowd. While I strive to write memorable characters that stand out, I don't have much personal experience. I grew up trying not to call attention to myself and was often pushed to the background. It took me years to "come into my own" and speak up when I had something to say. If I'm honest, I still have to work hard at that. Calling attention to myself doesn't come easily, but writing is something I'm good at. The people who've read my books say so. Reading is subjective by nature, so no, my words won't resonate with everyone. All I'm asking is for a chance to be heard. Read. Seen. In a jungle of books that are readily available, I've done my best to raise my hand. To stand out while being true to myself. 

We are living through difficult times. People aren't buying books the way they used to. AI is threatening authors' livelihoods (my work is all human generated!). Artificial intelligence is no substitute for real, human intelligence. Training AI using my intellectual property does not give the artificially generated product the same heart. (Getting off my soapbox now.)

This is me saying "choose me." Give my books a read. Get them from the library. Subscribe to audiobook platforms and give them a listen. I had an email from one of my Epitaph series narrators asking if I had any work for her this year because:

'I think this generation of folks who should Never write are putting out books so fast with no content, just sex and gore that it just kills the spirit of the reader.  Your stories have a beginning, a middle and an ending that makes you feel good - that is seriously lacking nowadays.  I love your stories-- they make me feel all warm and fuzzy :)"

Thank you, Karen Frantz. Emails like this encourage me not to give up. To keep giving voice to those characters who want page time.

Today, I'm asking you to read my books. If you liked them, tell two friends about them. Ask them to tell two friends. Give a struggling author a leg up. I strive to give you a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. If I'm missing the mark, I'd like to know that, too. I love hearing from my readers--even if that means I haven't come through the way you'd hoped. 

via GIPHY

Check out my collection at: https://www.karlabrandenburg.com/all-books

Dogs? or Cats?

In the ongoing battle of dogs versus cats, allow me to present my grand dogs. I am currently without pets in my own home, but recently got to visit all of them, so I had to share. Kind of like baby pictures, you know.

I am firmly on team "cats," for the record. With that being said, I enjoy spending time with these dogs, even when they get a little over excited. Dogs are affectionate and loving and all they want is for you to pay attention to them. They also need you in attendance when they go outside - and they have to go outside. When they get bored, they tend to chew on things.

Cats? They don't need attention. Well, except in the middle of the night when suddenly they're nudging your hand for a pet. Or they're hungry and making sure you know it. But you don't have to take them for walks, or go outside in the middle of the night (along with whatever other wildlife is wandering around the yard that might lead to you being up far longer than you expected). Cats are still loving and affectionate. Sometimes. I had a neighbor once who said they were "sneaky" and that's why she didn't like them. The Big Guy complains that they are messy. Well, that might be true, too. Some of the time. To be fair, they chew on things sometimes, too, and don't forget the razors on their paws.

Both need you to clean up after them, whether it's scooping in the yard or from the litter box. The Big Guy complains that cats puke. They do. Sometimes. So do dogs. Then again, The Big Guy never claimed to like dogs much, either. 

Both cats and dogs are good at sensing moods. Sad? They'll both appear to comfort you, although cats aren't officially trained to that purpose the way dogs are. Still, having a furry, purring body on your lap is very soothing. They're also good at reading the people around you. In this instance, dogs probably win because they can intimidate the bad guys, whereas cats will just disappear. Not good protectors, those cats. 

I've invited cats to be part of my books, particularly in the Mist series. When you're writing supernatural stuff, cats are a natural fit. I suppose I should add a dog now and then. Haven't done that yet. Then again, sometimes I see pets as distractions when I'm reading a book. While they can tell you a lot about the characters, they also need care and attention, and the characters need to expend their care and attention other places in fiction. Usually. 

What about you? Are you a fan of cats? Dogs? How do you feel about them in the books you read?

The Social Media Problem

As an author, I like to connect with my readers. One of the best ways to do that is via social media.

META

Once upon a time, someone developed a website for people to connect and they called it Facebook. It was remarkable in that so many people wanted to find people they'd lost touch with. Then the powers that be decided they could make more money if they went public and sold ads and whatnot. Now, what started out as a "water cooler" or public meeting place has turned into META, a giant that no longer seeks to connect people, but is now trying to influence the world. And now we're all suckered in. META has pirated books to train AI, they've stolen our personal data and sold it to marketers to make more money. How badly do we want to stay connected? I've reached a lot of readers through Facebook, and for that I'm grateful. I have also tried other social media outlets, but Facebook by far has been the most far-reaching. As I watch it turn into something opportunistic instead of a friendly space to connect, I'm reconsidering my options, especially after what happened to Twitter. 

You can connect with me at Facebook, Instagram, or Threads.

X

I used to be on Twitter, largely due to a book I read by one of my favorite authors. It was extremely helpful, especially in getting news 'real time.' Now it's full of users who are angry and spew hateful things. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life, so I closed my account over there some time ago. 

BLUESKY

I joined this site shortly after leaving X. It seems to be more like what Twitter used to be, although I don't use it the way I should. They have a wonderful subsection of users for bookish people called BookSky. Working to improve my visibility over there. Connect at BlueSky

SUBSTACK 

True confession, I joined this one when Kristan Higgins invited me. I used it actively for a while, then wasn't sure I needed "one more social media outlet." The original footprint invited subscribers to underwrite with a paid subscription. I never agreed with that concept (if you want to pay me, BUY MY BOOKS). While that option remains, it isn't being pushed quite as hard. With META becoming less attractive, I'm taking a second look at Substack. Connect at Substack.

They all have their pros and cons, and for someone who often feels socially inept, they offer ways for me to connect with readers (and yes, family and friends). I wish I had a personal assistant who could navigate all the avenues for me to allow me to concentrate on what I do best - write books - but I don't make enough to pay "staff." So here I am, asking you. What do you think about social media and connecting with people and their work?

Conquering Slumps or "Writer's Block"

In addition to being exciting, writing comes with its share of down times. 

Many authors struggle with depression. Most notably, The Bloggess, Jenny Lawson, regularly talks about her bouts of depression and how she deals with it. Stephen King is another example. Most authors go through dark periods, myself included. Let me say right off the bat, if you’re struggling with depression, it’s okay to get help. When I hit my lowest point, I did, and it helped tremendously. My goal today is to provide some ideas for how to kickstart your brain when it wanders down those dark alleyways, before it reaches critical mass, a very high-level approach to get past the doldrums rather than a ladder to climb out of despair. As with all things, your mileage may vary.

During the course of writing a book, there are inevitably those times where writer's angst kicks in. The “I suck” feeling. The imposter syndrome where I'm sure nobody wants to read my drivel – including me. When the creative juices seem to dry up, or when sales slack off. The problem with those days is they can creep into other aspects of your life, like The Fog (Creature Features movie, for those of you who might not remember it) until you can’t see your hand in front of your face. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

So what do you do when the fog starts rolling in?

• Exercise.
• Yoga.
• Phone a friend.
• Get outside and look at the world around you. Really look at it, at all the beautiful things hiding in plain sight (#OutAndAbout).
• Volunteer. Nothing reminds you how small your problems are like seeing how good you have it when compared to someone who isn’t as fortunate.
• Go the Jiminy Cricket route and “Give a Little Whistle.” Or sing a song (#MyLifeIsAMusical).
• Learn something new.
• Listen to music that relaxes you.
• And one thing very author-specific: Read a book. I’ve found this can inspire you, either to be as good as your favorite author, or better than someone who might not write as well as you do. (This one is last because it doesn’t always work the way you expect!)

In the end, falling into writers angst is a frame of mind. Maybe the writing does suck, but the important thing is not to let it pull you into a black hole. We all have bad days--some worse than others--and we will continue to experience disappointments. The key is to overcome them. 

On those days I doubt my ability, I remind myself why I write (because I love creating new and different worlds to escape to) and ultimately, putting in the effort shines like the sun on the encroaching fog. It helps to have a couple of awards (and five-star reviews!) to provide some validation. Even if I'm only writing for myself, it brings me joy. 

How do you overcome self-doubt?

via GIPHY

Do You Really Want to Go There?

As a fiction author, nothing holds you back more than your own fear someone is going to read it and laugh at you. Or worse, judge you. Case in point:

Shortly after LIVING CANVAS came out, I ran a special. One of the ladies I work with asked me about my writing and I told her this was the perfect time for her to see for herself - pitching the special. She got herself a copy. A week later, she said she could hardly look at me without being embarrassed. Was I writing from personal experience? To give you reference, I followed the trend in romance novels and "opened the door" during intimate scenes. My coworker said every time she read the sexy parts, she pictured me. Okay, that's embarrassing for me, as well. I assured her the characters were in my imagination - NOT ME. Funny how she sees the interpersonal interaction between my characters as "based on real life" but the main character goes for a walk inside a painting. Does she imagine me doing that, as well? Granted, the story was inspired by a picture that hangs on my wall over my computer, but I've never disappeared inside the painting. Writing the genre standard scenes was merely that - writing to the genre. Even my mother told me I ought to beef up my writing with more sex and violence - until I did. Then it was too much, but you know. Moms. 

I'd always dabbled with the supernatural. I loved scary movies and I'm a fan of Stephen King, so surprise! My books tended to lean ever so slightly into the paranormal. Emphasis on the ever so slightly, because what will people think? That I'm a whackadoodle? That I believe in the "woo-woo?" It took me some time before I gave myself permission to go full on ghost story/paranormal, maturing as a writer to get to the point beyond "what will people think?" I'm writing to entertain. People who pick up my books are looking for that particular brand of entertainment. So why is it, twenty some odd years later, that I'm standing on a precipice, writing my next book (genre: romantasy) and getting hung up on being too far out there?

As an author, it is important to know your genre - and genres are fluid. They change over time. What used to pass for a romance no longer does. Submissive women have become their own heroes, with men as decoration, unless you are specifically looking for submissive women. (Oversimplified, but you get the point.) Sex used to be taboo in a romance novel, then it became a requirement. Things have modified over time. Now you can get "sweet" or "spicy" (please don't get me started on "clean" or "dirty). Even spicy novels have toned it down a bit. Unless, of course, you're reading those books for the spice, in which case you might be looking for erotic romance. The point here is to understand the ever changing choices your audience is making. 

The big publishing houses will dictate to their authors what to write (to a certain degree) to fit the demographics and the trends. Independent authors get to write what they want - and they demand a large share of the market. Genres that cross marketplaces. I can use Diana Gabaldon as an example here. She writes romance, and action/adventure, historical, time travel - all in one novel. The important part is to tell a story worth reading, and your audience will follow.

Watching Television

During my recuperation process, I spent more time watching television than usual. Remember when they used to call the T.V. the idiot box? Now we have tablets/computers to turn our minds into jelly. But I digress.

I've been watching a bunch of oddball shows during my recuperation. One (and not just during recuperation) is The Mystery of Oak Island. Two brothers own property on an island in Canada where it's purported the Knights Templar buried treasure. The brothers have been treasure hunting there for a bunch of years, and they keep finding clues that motivate them to keep looking. One of the brothers is looking for the treasure, and the other is looking for the "hunt." Curiosity. 

Here's the thing. There's another show on the same channel where they were diving shipwrecks in the Bermuda Triangle. That show captivated me. Every week you knew you would have a payoff. Maybe it isn't the one they hoped it would be (I found this show while I was writing Horned Owl Hollow, which covers the Cyclops, a naval ship lost at sea in the Bermuda Triangle), but they always find something. On Oak Island, they always find something, usually with archeological significance, but there isn't a payoff. I'm intrigued by archeology, so from that standpoint the show is interesting, but the treasure hunt ... well, I don't have enough patience to be a treasure hunter. Feels a lot like throwing good money after bad in a highly competitive industry where you might get beaten out of a payoff. 

Another point that hits me sideways with this show is that they're turning this island into Swiss cheese in their search for treasure - a treasure they don't even know is there. They've found lots of artefacts that indicate settlers were there, which is historically significant, and they've found traces of elements that keep them going. They bring up manmade boards from a hundred feet below the surface, which indicates there are tunnels and chambers. They've taken field trips to visit other Templar caches, and those caches are usually in existing caves under the ground. Which brings me to ...

The Lagina brothers are using heavy equipment to dig hundreds of feet below the earth. How did settlers who arrived in the 1600s and later dig that far below the surface, including building a series of boobytraps in the form of flood tunnels to keep people out? I do realize the Templars built some of their chambers, but they built them in existing infrastructure. To start from scratch seems counterintuitive, including sabotaging their efforts with flood tunnels. 

Okay, that's the skeptic in me. The Laginas have found some very interesting things, and they've uncovered some fascinating history and theories to support their finds. As someone who is interested in Templar lore (I studied it extensively while writing Touched By The Sun), it's interesting to see the evidence of Templars on their island and artefacts dating back to the first Europeans to land in the "New World." Clearly, I'm not the only person watching this show because the network is still financing their treasure hunt. 

Now that I'm recovered, I'll likely have less T.V. time, but I'm always looking for interesting shows to watch. What's on your watch list these days?

Creativity and Inspiration

I received a gift from a friend this week. Thank you, Jennifer! She's a marvelous, imaginative, crafty person, and she's been working on some projects over the past year, telling me all about them and how she creates them. She lives in another state, so I have only her descriptions to imagine with. Imagine my surprise when I received one of those projects! I feel like I'll spend weeks discovering all the little odds and ends that went into it and with it. I'm completely enchanted.

She has been making journals for people. She hand stitches covers and pieces, and she's also a quilter, so she can put thing together you might not think about. On my own, I probably wouldn't buy something like this, but having received it as a gift - this journal is magical. She said she took some time to think about what would be the perfect thing for me, and I have to say she nailed it. She suggested using it as a story board to capture ideas and outlines and odds and ends that relate to the book I'm currently writing. It's also useful as a journal, or maybe as a grimoire of sorts to leave to my kids/ grandkids. So many options, but having received it right when I did, I'm inspired to write a story about/with it. 

I've been working on a new romance with a supernatural twist, and now I'm torn between shelving that and sliding back into an Elspeth Barclay novel to use my new journal. Or... jot down things to pass down to my family. I might have to buy/commission more of these...

The writing process has been slow this year for various reasons. Most of those distractions are behind me now (or at least I hope they are!) so I need to get busy. The good news is that I feel re-energized, so full steam ahead. 

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.

Writing about Current Events

As authors, we often walk a fine line between including current events in our writing or excluding them. On the one hand, references can date a book. Things that are "current events" today, are "old news" tomorrow. 

When "the pandemic" hit nearly five years ago now, writers were scrambling. Should they include it in their books? It affected everyone's lives. How could you write a contemporary novel without making some sort of reference to it? For the most part, I think authors shied away from it, much in the same way they shy away from natural disasters. Any reference to it can produce highly charged responses from a reader. There's also the stance that in the midst of it, we didn't have a resolution. Much like my blog post from last week, you can't write a happy ending to something you are still living through. For many people, the ending wasn't so happy. It was an ugly period in time. 

The pandemic has become a part of our history. With some distance from the worst of it, I have made a reference to the pandemic in my latest work in progress. It is now a part of our past, and for those of us that came out alive, we can look back on the events that came along with it. Kind of like this generation's "where were you when... (insert moment in history)."

Society changes. The books I grew up with reflect different social values. Different ways of thinking. The ideas of what a family looked like were different. The contributions people made to society were different. I have a collection of books by a favorite author on my bookshelf that I go back to from my teen years -- old friends. The last time I pulled one down, I was actually shocked at how the heroine in that particular book responded to a negative situation. The message was if a man isn't paying enough attention to you, make him jealous. Talk about making a bad situation worse. Not all of her books are written that way, but this one is definitely one that will not be on my "read it again" list. Heck, when I wrote my first book 20+ years ago, there were some misogynistic messages in it. It's what we grew up with, what we were taught, what we knew. I have since updated my first book to reflect a more contemporary viewpoint. 

At the end of the day, current events don't remain current. There are constants that remain, and trends that change. As an author who hopes to withstand the test of time, better to stick to the constants than jump on a trend that can change tomorrow.

What if you're not in the mood to write?

Loaded topic. 

When I started writing seriously, I was in a danger zone with my marriage. Little kids. Husband who worked in the middle of the night. Time on my hands while everyone else was sleeping, so I spent it at the keyboard. It should be noted that the writing and the danger zone were not intertwined, it was just coincidental. HOWEVER, the emotional roller coaster affected my writing. As the marriage unraveled, I couldn't clear my head enough to focus on writing. 

There is a hypothesis that you can't write real emotion until you've been through deep emotion. I'm not sure how much I subscribe to that, but I can tell you that although I completed that first book, my marriage fell apart while I started working on Book 2 (because you can't sell just one book, right?). I had to prove to myself that I could write another one, that one book wasn't a fluke. Neither one got published during that tumultuous time, and I certainly had a ton of emotion to invest into my writing. 

That first book wouldn't be released until life leveled off--two years later. It isn't uncommon for first books to take years to work through. Learning the process. Learning what to do with your final product. Perfecting the craft. 

Returning to a clearer frame of mind.

I continued on with a third book, because I was still convinced a publisher would want more than one book, and probably a three-book deal. The time it took to write those three books was the longest stretch of time I ever spent between books, and a lot of it had to do with emotional roller coasters coupled with challenges at the day job. I took a promotion that, quite frankly, they expected I might fail at. (Spoiler alert. I met the challenge and did NOT, in fact, fail.)

So much emotion. 

Certainly, I'd reached that hypothetical threshold of emotion required to compel readers to take a journey with me. Those were certainly some of the most emotional years I'd lived through. But something else happened. I found writing helped me work through some of the darkness and the challenges by virtue of taking me out of my everyday life and -- this is funny -- out of my head. Wait. Isn't that where the stories come from? 

Writing had become a vacation.

I did write from some very dark places. I killed off a nightmare boss in one of my books (yes, that's really a thing). I escaped from overthinking by writing characters who had to overcome personal challenges. By comparison, my life seemed like small potatoes. 

Here's another tidbit --writing about personal challenges in fiction is rarely a good idea. Unless you have a resolution to those challenges, you can't stick the landing. You (and your not-so-fictional character) are stuck without the happily ever after ending. 

So is it a good idea to write when you're moody? When the world is crashing around you? Yes and no. Yes, because it gives you an escape from the world, but no if that crashing world sneaks into what you're writing. 

As I've been writing this next book, I found myself sliding into sad, dark places. It happens. Lack of sunlight. Health issues. If you've lost people close to you, you miss them sometimes. The holidays often highlight that they're missing. The mood came through in my writing. My characters were unlikeable. After a swift kick in the backside, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps to remind myself what I have rather than what I've lost - a conscious mood shift, if you will. The result is more likeable characters. I'm still molding them and still working through the next story, but the mood adjustment was definitely needed in order to proceed with something someone else might actually want to read. 

Moods can be tricky things. They aren't always easy to kick out of, especially when life "piles on." Writing can be cathartic, and it can take you away from the troubles--at least for a little while. As an author, the rule is to write, even if you're writing crap. You can always fix it later, which is what I'm doing with the story playing in my head. 

Happy New Year!

Here we go again, starting over in a New Year. Like hitting the reset button, except not everything resets. 

Not gonna lie. The weather here has been icky. Gray. Rainy. No sunshine. That makes it hard to keep a sunny disposition. It's too easy to fall into despair for so many reasons, but one thing I've learned over the years is to look on the bright side...

I have a trip coming up to warmer/sunnier climes with friends. Something to look forward to. 

I have ideas percolating on a new book, but progress has been slow. Hoping that reset button gets me back in the groove. I've had lots of distractions -- too many -- but after spending many years juggling the day job and the writing, certainly I can manage the current state of affairs. 

Lab results (yes, there have been health issues) came back with good outcomes. One of the things that reset? The insurance deductible. NOT a positive to have to start over, but with the positive outcome, hopefully I won't be rebuilding those out-of-pocket expenses.

Resolutions? Rather than "make" them, mine are ongoing. I've taken time to enjoy the holidays, and with those behind, I need to jump back into positive routines. 

In order to overcome the gloom and doom it would be so easy to wallow in, I'd love to hear what bright spots you see in the coming year. What's your bright side for the new year?