Weekly blog, take 2
I wrote this blog posting previously, but it seems to have vanished into Internet oblivion. So let's see if I can do it a second time.
I'm on a roll with the new story! At least as much as I can be while still losing my mind at the day job (deadline, one more time). I have a good friend who I've been brainstorming with and she's into it, which makes me into it, and which takes my mind off waiting for replies on my Living Canvas queries. The new story is also helping me cope with an impossibly oppressive busy season at work (see my post about writing as therapy - definitely stress relief).
This weekend, I'm headed to the Chicago Spring Fling writers conference. I have a pitch appointment with a publisher I'd love to get in with. Let me tell you a little about pitch appointments. My first pitch, at the Chicago conference lo those many years ago, I was extremely nervous. For starters, I hadn't signed up soon enough to get one, but (shout out to best selling author, Simone Elkeles) the conference organizer took me under her wing and got me in on a cancellation. I was so nervous! Since then, I'm more excited than nervous. This is the chance to meet someone who can help me further my writing and form a relationship with them. Two years ago, there was one publisher who had extra spots, so some of us doubled up. It wasn't a publisher I was necessarily targeting, but any exposure is good, right? When I met her, I can honestly say I never saw someone less interested in networking in my life. Yes, she asked for a partial, but she listened with a bored expression on her face and looking as if she'd rather be anywhere else than at a writers conference taking pitches. But hey, that's what she signed up for. It reinforced my opinion that this wasn't a publisher I cared over much about. This year, I have one that's top on my list! I'm excited! Now to perfect my pitch ...
In the meantime, I'm on a roll with the new story. It's alive and running and whispering "series" in my ear. This is when writing is fun! So until I hit the middle of the novel blahs, I'm remembering why I love to write!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The importance of backstory
Now that Living Canvas is finished and waiting for a publisher, I've been referring back to my notes for a new story. Time to start a new project!
Jumping in (it's tentatively titled "Even in the Quietest Moments"), I've been having a good time getting to know my characters and the plot devices I want to include. I penned the first chapter, and started rewriting right away. It hasn't gelled yet, and that's when the characters grabbed me by the collar and told me they need me to know the backstory first. Backstory is important, and in this case, it can be critical to plot development.
Backstory is what happened to your characters before they came onto the page. Their history. In this story, I have to go back at least a hundred years. There is family information that is plot critical, so I need to take some more time and look over the family history before I can move them forward.
Backstory is a tricky thing to fit in. If you disclose too much all at once, you run the risk of "info dumping." It has to be woven in slowly, unobtrusively, or your readers will lose track of the story being told. But in some cases, the back story is instrumental to what's happening on the page. And so, before I can start on chapter 2, I have to get my characters to tell me about the ancestors. Then I can decide how to weave that information into the story - whether it will require flashback chapters or a method of handing down information to future generations.
Still one more deadline to meet at the day job (although the worst is over), and then it's full speed ahead on the new story. If you read my post on "Writing as Therapy," let me tell you how good it feels to have time to daydream again! Writing is definitely stress relief for me!
Jumping in (it's tentatively titled "Even in the Quietest Moments"), I've been having a good time getting to know my characters and the plot devices I want to include. I penned the first chapter, and started rewriting right away. It hasn't gelled yet, and that's when the characters grabbed me by the collar and told me they need me to know the backstory first. Backstory is important, and in this case, it can be critical to plot development.
Backstory is what happened to your characters before they came onto the page. Their history. In this story, I have to go back at least a hundred years. There is family information that is plot critical, so I need to take some more time and look over the family history before I can move them forward.
Backstory is a tricky thing to fit in. If you disclose too much all at once, you run the risk of "info dumping." It has to be woven in slowly, unobtrusively, or your readers will lose track of the story being told. But in some cases, the back story is instrumental to what's happening on the page. And so, before I can start on chapter 2, I have to get my characters to tell me about the ancestors. Then I can decide how to weave that information into the story - whether it will require flashback chapters or a method of handing down information to future generations.
Still one more deadline to meet at the day job (although the worst is over), and then it's full speed ahead on the new story. If you read my post on "Writing as Therapy," let me tell you how good it feels to have time to daydream again! Writing is definitely stress relief for me!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Cheating . . . .
I'm guest blogging over at Terry Odell's place today, so I'm cheating this week (since it's still busy season at work). Stop over and say hello!
http://terryodell.blogspot.com/2012/04/writing-as-therapy.html#more
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Spring Fling
Yes, the title could relate to the beautiful weather we've had, although I have to say, I'm a little unsure of what to expect for the summer if spring is showing up a month early. But that's another story . . .
Spring Fling is also the name of the Chicago Writer's Conference coming up at the end of the month. In addition to crashing through the busiest time of year at the day job, I've been diligently trying to get Living Canvas ready to pitch to agents and publishers at the conference. I'm pleased to say that it appears to be done, although it could use one last look over. I'm always a little leery when I do a "last look" and find glaring errors. In fixing those, oftentimes I make new ones that get overlooked; hence, one more time. At this stage, though, its more mechanics and less storyline problems. That's the good news! That's easy.
The pitch? No, it doesn't mean I'll be tossing the completed manuscript at them. It means I need a good "tag line," something provocative that will invite someone to look a little deeper, and then a short summary that will entice them to want to read it. I've had good success with pitch sessions in the past. It seems I can present pretty well in person, but I haven't been as successful with the written presentation that follows. We'll see if that can't change this year.
I'm also looking forward to hanging out with writer friends that I've met at prior conferences. It's fun to spend time with people who completely understand the writing end of things-the good and the bad. I always come away inspired and refreshed. For all the times when you wonder why you waste the time writing such drivel that no one could possibly want to read (a.k.a. writer's angst), the conferences are like a pep rally that give you tools to keep the writing from being drivel. It's also encouraging when you hear well-known, multiple-published authors tell you that they still get an occassional rejection. We can't always get it right.
And so, as I struggle to stand back up after being crushed under the craziness of a seasonal day job, I'm looking forward to refreshing my muse and updating my writing skill set for the changes in the industry.
Spring Fling is also the name of the Chicago Writer's Conference coming up at the end of the month. In addition to crashing through the busiest time of year at the day job, I've been diligently trying to get Living Canvas ready to pitch to agents and publishers at the conference. I'm pleased to say that it appears to be done, although it could use one last look over. I'm always a little leery when I do a "last look" and find glaring errors. In fixing those, oftentimes I make new ones that get overlooked; hence, one more time. At this stage, though, its more mechanics and less storyline problems. That's the good news! That's easy.
The pitch? No, it doesn't mean I'll be tossing the completed manuscript at them. It means I need a good "tag line," something provocative that will invite someone to look a little deeper, and then a short summary that will entice them to want to read it. I've had good success with pitch sessions in the past. It seems I can present pretty well in person, but I haven't been as successful with the written presentation that follows. We'll see if that can't change this year.
I'm also looking forward to hanging out with writer friends that I've met at prior conferences. It's fun to spend time with people who completely understand the writing end of things-the good and the bad. I always come away inspired and refreshed. For all the times when you wonder why you waste the time writing such drivel that no one could possibly want to read (a.k.a. writer's angst), the conferences are like a pep rally that give you tools to keep the writing from being drivel. It's also encouraging when you hear well-known, multiple-published authors tell you that they still get an occassional rejection. We can't always get it right.
And so, as I struggle to stand back up after being crushed under the craziness of a seasonal day job, I'm looking forward to refreshing my muse and updating my writing skill set for the changes in the industry.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Vernal Equinox
I find the "fire feasts" fascinating. So many stories revolve around them. From the times of Druids, they have been revered as a mystical time of year. That being said, the vernal equinox is my favorite. I love spring-it is the renewal of life to me. Buds on trees. Grass turning green. Flowers blooming. This year, the weather has been incredible, to the point of skipping over spring and going right into summer. "Spring has sprung" early. I have a magnolia tree in my front yard that has bloomed and is now losing its flowers, and it's only March 23.
The vernal equinox is the first of the fire feasts, a thought the brings to mind the winter one. DH has friends that have a winter solstice party every year. This year, if you believe the Mayan calendar, that day will mark the end of the world. Would that be so bad? For me, I'm in the middle of March Madness at work (not the basketball kind), so I'm overwhelmed, and tired and over stressed. After 25 years of this, I think I've learned to handle the pressure with a little more grace, but that doesn't keep me from wishing for a little more peace. "Stop the world" I want to get off sort of mentality. Isn't that what the Mayans are proposing? Although right before Christmas does seem awkward timing - or maybe fortuitous timing.
Something to think about.
The vernal equinox is the first of the fire feasts, a thought the brings to mind the winter one. DH has friends that have a winter solstice party every year. This year, if you believe the Mayan calendar, that day will mark the end of the world. Would that be so bad? For me, I'm in the middle of March Madness at work (not the basketball kind), so I'm overwhelmed, and tired and over stressed. After 25 years of this, I think I've learned to handle the pressure with a little more grace, but that doesn't keep me from wishing for a little more peace. "Stop the world" I want to get off sort of mentality. Isn't that what the Mayans are proposing? Although right before Christmas does seem awkward timing - or maybe fortuitous timing.
Something to think about.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Steamy romance?
I'm seeing a lot of more established writers weighing in on how to write sex scenes over the past week, so thought I'd serve up my two cents, FWIW.
There is a perception that women want a little steam in their romances, but it has long been my contention that a well written story doesn't need to show a lot of body parts. I recently read a number of romances (my favorites are the historicals) where the story is about how the heroine strives to be a societal parriah by seeking out to "ruin" herself, these under the guise of "fractured fairy tales" (a number of authors seem to be jumping on this bandwagon). The focus of these stories isn't the story itself, it's how Jane Eyre loses her virginity.
Reading a romance can be a lot like buying a magazine, in these terms, a Playboy, or a Penthouse, or a Hustler. I'm not adverse to the Playboy versions - after all, there are some good stories to offset the pictures, aren't there? (that's what I'm told anyway.) There are erotica lines, which would fall into the Hustler category. But what I've seen lately is more of the Penthouse variety romance. Lots of gratuitous sex disguised as romance. I grew up reading Victoria Holt, and in all but one of her novels, there isn't even a reference to sex, and yet its easy to fall in love with the hero even without him taking his clothes off. These are novels we can hand to our teenage daughters, rather than the newer variety of sex-equals-love that I've been reading. When I was a teenager, you couldn't find these types of books in the library. There is very little plot development, and for a historical to be true to the time period, there are standards that should be observed. Yes, times have changed, but is this the message we want to send to our children? (okay, off my moral soapbox.)
I don't object to a little sex in my stories. You'll find it in my own novels. In fact, I had a friend of mine come up to me and say how much she enjoyed the steamier sections of Intimate Distance. Certainly, I'm not an authority, and likely I haven't always gotten it right myself. There seems to be a market for sex inside the story. My objection is sacrificing the story in favor of the sex.
When I've met with agents and/or publishers at conference pitch sessions, I ask them if the market demands sex in romance novels. The answer is almost categorically no. If it has a place in the story, that's one thing - if it advances the plot - not as a gratuitous intrusion.
Women enjoy sex, too. Clearly there's a market for the erotica romances, but I've been seeing more of the "Penthouse" variety stories that are not marketed as erotica, they're marketed as romance novels.
My favorite authors are the ones that can weave a story, not rush me into the bedroom and tell me that love is dependent upon sex.
There is a perception that women want a little steam in their romances, but it has long been my contention that a well written story doesn't need to show a lot of body parts. I recently read a number of romances (my favorites are the historicals) where the story is about how the heroine strives to be a societal parriah by seeking out to "ruin" herself, these under the guise of "fractured fairy tales" (a number of authors seem to be jumping on this bandwagon). The focus of these stories isn't the story itself, it's how Jane Eyre loses her virginity.
Reading a romance can be a lot like buying a magazine, in these terms, a Playboy, or a Penthouse, or a Hustler. I'm not adverse to the Playboy versions - after all, there are some good stories to offset the pictures, aren't there? (that's what I'm told anyway.) There are erotica lines, which would fall into the Hustler category. But what I've seen lately is more of the Penthouse variety romance. Lots of gratuitous sex disguised as romance. I grew up reading Victoria Holt, and in all but one of her novels, there isn't even a reference to sex, and yet its easy to fall in love with the hero even without him taking his clothes off. These are novels we can hand to our teenage daughters, rather than the newer variety of sex-equals-love that I've been reading. When I was a teenager, you couldn't find these types of books in the library. There is very little plot development, and for a historical to be true to the time period, there are standards that should be observed. Yes, times have changed, but is this the message we want to send to our children? (okay, off my moral soapbox.)
I don't object to a little sex in my stories. You'll find it in my own novels. In fact, I had a friend of mine come up to me and say how much she enjoyed the steamier sections of Intimate Distance. Certainly, I'm not an authority, and likely I haven't always gotten it right myself. There seems to be a market for sex inside the story. My objection is sacrificing the story in favor of the sex.
When I've met with agents and/or publishers at conference pitch sessions, I ask them if the market demands sex in romance novels. The answer is almost categorically no. If it has a place in the story, that's one thing - if it advances the plot - not as a gratuitous intrusion.
Women enjoy sex, too. Clearly there's a market for the erotica romances, but I've been seeing more of the "Penthouse" variety stories that are not marketed as erotica, they're marketed as romance novels.
My favorite authors are the ones that can weave a story, not rush me into the bedroom and tell me that love is dependent upon sex.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Read an E-Book Week
While the day job is occupying most of my time, I'm taking time out to remind you that my books are available on all e-readers! This is Read an E-Book Week. I've included the most common links below, but if your e-reader isn't on the list, you can find my books in other formats at this link (i.e., click here).
Intimate Distance is available for the low, low price of just 99 cents, and Touched by the Sun is available for $1.99. Living Canvas is VERY CLOSE!
The kindle versions are up at Amazon, the iBooks versions are in the iBookstore and the Nook versions are available at Barnes and Noble.
• click here for Kindle versions
• click here for iPad
• click here for the Nook
Watch this space for more information about Living Canvas.
Intimate Distance is available for the low, low price of just 99 cents, and Touched by the Sun is available for $1.99. Living Canvas is VERY CLOSE!
The kindle versions are up at Amazon, the iBooks versions are in the iBookstore and the Nook versions are available at Barnes and Noble.
• click here for Kindle versions
• click here for iPad
• click here for the Nook
Watch this space for more information about Living Canvas.
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