All About the Writing

My Heroes and Heartbreakers Posts (So Far!)

Recently I became a contributor at Heroes and Heartbreakers, a romance blog from Macmillan Publishers. In case you haven't had a chance to see my posts, here are the links:

1. Meet-Cutes in Contemporary Romance

2. Dark and Dangerous: The Lure of Gothic Romances

3. The Unwritten Contract: Happily Ever Afters in Romance

4. Make 'Em Laugh!: Heroes with Humor

It's a great community, with lots of intriguing posts throughout the day. Jump into a discussion, leave a comment, and enjoy being in the midst of other folks who love romances and love to talk about them! While you do that, I'm off to work on a couple of other posts you'll see there in the near future.

3 Ways to Get Your Writing Mojo Back

We can get bogged down when we spend all our time writing, or thinking about writing. It can often lead to mental fatigue, which makes us think our writing is pure junk, which then leads to not wanting to write at all, which then leads to guilt for not writing.

It's a vicious trap, and I have a few suggestions that I hope will help you break free.

1. Read an entire book in one sitting –-Writing can deplete your brain cells, and they need replenishing, so top them off with words. Think of reading as an essential ingredient, with words being a daily vitamin. It's tempting to think you are too busy to read, especially when you're writing, so all you consume are tweets or blogs. But that can make things worse.

I spent the entire day yesterday reading. I used to do that all the time before I started writing, but now it seems like an indulgence. It's not. It's a necessity. Your brain will thank you for it. It gets motivated when it sees other words, and it starts to think, "I can do that". It may even start to feel competitive. So revitalize your mojo with some of the basic nutritional building blocks every writer needs: words found in books.

2. Read your own work as though you're a fan –- Read your manuscript for enjoyment. Pick up something you wrote a while ago, so it will be fresh for you. Don't look at it as something that needs revision. Look at it as though it's a book someone else wrote. It will amaze you. Allow yourself to get caught up in the story. Laugh at the funny parts. Sniffle at the sad parts.

Let the joy that brought you to write this book sweep over you again. It will remind you why you fell in love with writing in the first place. Celebrate what you achieved with your writing. Pat yourself on the back. We do need to look at our work with a critical eye—but not 24/7. It is meant to be enjoyed, so allow yourself an opportunity to do that.

3. Read your future, not your past – It's too easy to despair at how we haven't accomplished as much as we'd hoped, especially when it comes to our writing. We look back and see how much time has gone by. We mourn for the manuscripts not written, for the books not yet published.

Looking back serves a purpose, but give the past a glance, not a long wistful gaze. Think of how you drive, with a quick check at the rearview mirror to see what's behind you. You spend the majority of your time looking forward. That's the best way to keep yourself going on this writing journey.

Each day is a fresh chance to add new words, to tell new stories. You've come a long distance. Yet there are plenty more adventures ahead. Focus on those instead of lamenting the time that is gone. Take some new risks. If they don't work, they too will soon be part of the past. If you have fun with it, it becomes part of your mythology, or your memoirs.

Writing is hard work, but it's also a wild ride. Try to find ways to revel in the words, jumping into them like one of those ball pits at fast food places. Dive in, toss them around, laugh at how you're in the midst of something filled with something meant to be pure fun.

Remind yourself why you love books, and reading. That's why you wanted to write in the first place. Hold on to that thought and the mojo will be there when you need it.

Writing for People Who Love Your Books

Earlier this week I read a wonderful interview with author Daniel Chaon, at a blog called CarolineLeavittville. He has a funny description of reading reviews of his books, even though people always counsel against doing that:

"Some of the positive reviews on various social networks have been incredibly heartening and inspiring. And some of the negative reviews have hurt pretty bad, especially when I can see their point--you’re right, I suck--to the extent that I actually wish that I could give those people their money back, or reimburse them for the time they spent reading, or erase the memory of having read my book from their mind."

My favorite part is when he describes how he gets through those negative reviews:

"My wife, Sheila, had a wise thought about this. 'You’re not writing for people who don’t like your books,' she said. 'You’re writing for people who love your books.' And that’s the most comforting advice I’ve ever received."

It truly is comforting. And it seems so obvious, which is why I don't think I grasped its significance before now.

We spend a lot of time trying to discern what the market is looking for, even though the market doesn't really know what it wants until it sees it.

We recite as gospel what we've read on other blogs or heard from other writers about what editors want or don't want, as if they're fussy eaters and we're trying to whip up that one special dish guaranteed to make them start singing, "At Last".

We try to ensure our book doesn't contain any objectionable character or hackneyed plot device or a setting that has seen better days.

In short, we're trying to make every single potential reader happy with our story. Talk about impossible. It's the literary equivalent of the lovers in Scarborough Fair: I'll love you IF you can find these items that don't exist anywhere in the world.

If we omit those elements that might make a reader cranky, well, then another reader will call our story bland, or contrived. Maybe I decide to put a cat in a book. . .and now dog lovers will leave my book on the shelf because they hate cats. So I use a dog in a book, and then cat lovers feel slighted, so they stay away in droves.

I'm not a cat person, as everyone knows. Well, everyone except cats know that. Felines have a keen built-in "non-cat-person" detector, so whenever I'm in a room with them, they seek me out and jump on me, pointedly ignoring the people interested in the cat's attention. I'm not sure if cats think they can win me over, or if they do it just to piss me off. I doubt I'll ever solve that mystery.

In any event, I'm not exactly the person you would expect to have a cat in one of their books. But I do, because she's a perfect character for the story I'm trying to tell. I didn't include her as a ploy to get cat lovers to rally around my book. Nor did I do it to aggravate dog lovers.

I just love that cat as a character, and how she interacts with the other people in the story.  She even has her own character arc. 

I wish everyone would love my books the way I do, but I know that isn't likely. It used to bother me, thinking there were people who didn't care for my stories, because I wanted to figure out how people could NOT like them.

But that's a slippery slope, because then it's tempting to tweak the story in an attempt to please these readers. A tweak can lead to a revision, which races toward a wholesale rewrite, betraying the story I wanted to tell in the unfounded hope I can convert someone who may never like my book.

When this happens, I have to remember the people I've encountered who enjoy my sense of humor, my kooky heroines, my sexy heroes, the banter the characters share, the way they fall in love. Those are the people I try to entertain. 

I'm writing for the people who love my books. Even if I don't know who they are yet.

Happy Patriots' Day!

Today in Massachusetts it is Patriots' Day, where we celebrate the events which got the Revolutionary War started. It seemed the perfect opportunity to rerun a post I did last summer about a "Redcoats and Rebels" re-enactment. I hope you enjoy!

Everyone knows how Massachusetts got things off to a great start in the Revolutionary War. There are plenty of re-enactments, especially on Patriots' Day in April, but since they have an unfortunate tendency to start way too early in the morning, I've never managed to see any. 

However, there was a recent "Redcoats and Rebels" event at Old Sturbridge Village, which is an outdoor museum depicting rural New England from 1790 to 1840.  This particular event didn't start at the crack of dawn, which was a huge plus, because I'm a more appreciative audience once I've had my daily coffee.  I was really eager to attend, since this is the closest I can get to time-travelling, or going to a Regency-era theme park.  And it would be an opportunity to get some practice with my infrequently-utilized camera.

There were exhibits throughout the day, and in different parts of the campsites and buildings. Unfortunately I missed the 18th century court martial, as well as the laundress demonstrating her skills with 18th century clothing. Oh well, maybe next year.

But there was lots of other fun stuff.  And I'm not just talking about all the sexy boots!  I spent so much time LUSTING after the boots that I didn't get any good pics of them. Too bad I can't download some of my mental pictures, especially of the young man who was a scout for the colonists.  I'm not sure which I liked more, his gold hoop earring, the ponytail, or the thigh-high suede boots. 

*fans face*  Is it getting hot in here?

Well, maybe it's best I leave that mental picture where it is.  Instead, here's a pic of the window he was looking out of--but this is before he got here, so you're going to have to use some imagination.  (You can tell from this pic that he was really hot, though.)

The cannon demonstration by the Royal Irish Artillery was LOUD.  I commented to a couple of Redcoats as I passed that it might be louder than I could handle.  One of them suggested I plug one ear and keep my mouth open, and that would help.  He said it with a straight face, but I wasn't entirely sure if his "advice" was payback for us winning the War for Independence, so I didn't give it a try.

The cannons produced these cool smoke rings, as if a giant was smoking a huge cigarette, with a lot of panache. (But not in any of the pictures I took.)  It required several men to prepare the cannon for shooting, and when they had to move it, even though it was on wheels, they strained.  I'm surprised somebody hasn't invented a Cannon Workout, because clearly it worked a lot of different muscle groups.  And the cannon-shooting men were very fit.

 
My favorite demonstration was on how to load and use a musket, by a re-enactor for a Massachusetts regiment.  He showed us, first in slow motion, and then in "real time", how long it took to go through the many steps of the process.  Sad to say, there was only a few seconds difference between the two demos.

The gunpowder is in a little thing of paper that is kept in a leather bag at the hip.  The corner of the paper is torn off with the teeth, so having two opposing teeth was a necessity.  The powder is followed by the "ball", one full ounce of lead, which he said is much bigger than current bullets.  It doesn't just HIT a person, it SLAMS into them, and it can make them spin several times from the force of the blast. 

Also, accuracy wasn't exactly the goal when shooting a musket, because it wasn't really a possibility.  It was more of a 50% success rate.  It was partly why they stood in lines, so that hopefully SOMEBODY would hit something when they fired their weapons.  The re-enactor said the commands used to be:

• Make Ready
• Take Aim
• Fire

However, General Washington changed the second one to "Take Sight" to more accurately reflect that not a whole lot of aiming was going on.

A good shooter would take about 20 seconds for the loading process, but most soldiers took about 30 seconds, so two rounds in a minute was the average (not exactly a "room broom").

A young boy with a snare drum tapped out a different rhythm for each of the commands.  Since things got so smoky during battles, from all of the ignited gunpowder, drums were the main form of communication.

Someone asked why the soldiers didn't just crouch down so they wouldn't get hit, but it sounds like there wasn't a high likelihood of getting hit anyway.  Also, if they did crouch down and the opposing shooters couldn't accomplish anything, they would affix bayonets to their muskets, and it was the bayonets that really struck fear into the soldiers.  The blade is three-edged, which apparently creates a wound that is impossible for a doctor to stitch up, so it caused a very painful demise.  (The re-enactor said the Geneva Convention does not permit that kind of blade for modern warfare because it is too brutal.)

Right after this demonstration, the various regiments lined up so they could parade to the battlefield.  I wish I'd figured out beforehand how to use the video feature on my camera.  Oh well (all together now: "next year!") 

One of the colonial militia groups – it was easy to see they weren't part of the Continental Army because instead of snazzy blue coats they wore plain brownish linen clothes – anyway, the militia group was a pretty ragtag bunch, and they had trouble figuring out which direction to turn on the command "wheel right".  Their commander asked them to hold up the hand they used to hold their ale the previous night, and of course a couple of them raised both hands, letting their muskets drop to the ground.  The captain of a nearby Redcoat regiment told his troops, "I don't anticipate any trouble from the Yankees today.  They're quite disorganized so it should be a quick and easy battle."

How could I not laugh out loud?

The battle took place in a field, complete with split-rail fences and trees lining the perimeter.  It was unbearably hot, and humid, so none of the soldiers seemed inclined to "play dead" until the battle was almost over.   I don't blame them.  I was wearing a light linen shirt and jeans and was close to expiring.  They had wool jackets and vests and breeches and Lord knows what else that I couldn't see. . .oh, and those boots.  But not these boots.  I'm talking about the boots I didn't take a picture of. . .

I'm feeling faint again.

Okay, where was I?  Oh, yeah, since nobody wanted to lie down on the ground, the battle pretty much looked like a bunch of men in kick-ass costumes shooting at each other, over and over.  They didn't use the lead ball, just the gunpowder, in both the muskets and the cannons, and there was plenty of smoke hanging over the field. 

Earlier, while strolling through the campgrounds, I noticed a lot of campfires going, and even though I couldn't see any wood smoke, it was really bothering my throat. That was a detail I wouldn't have expected, so it was great to experience it firsthand (and it was even greater to get away from it).

Another interesting research detail: the tents had six soldiers assigned to them.  Two of them would sleep, two would have sentry duty, and two would be on fatigue, which meant camp duties like digging latrines, cooking, whatever needed doing.  The tents were made of canvas, and there wouldn't be much warmth in the winter, so the soldiers apparently slept on top of each other to keep from freezing.  

I know I'm not the only one who is changing this plot point to include a colonial scout with a gold earring and thigh-high suede boots, who needs to steal that Redcoat jacket in the back, so here's a pic for you:

 
This was a really great experience, and I can't wait to go again.  Next time I'll definitely be braver about taking more pics and asking more questions, since the re-enactors love to share their knowledge.  Maybe they'll even tell me where that scout hid himself. . .

How Perfect Does A Book Have to Be?

I'm immersed in a story that I'm trying to finish in the next couple of days, so I hope you will forgive me for not posting a new Friday Fave. Instead, I'm giving you a post that I initially posted on the Romance Writer's Revenge a few months ago. Enjoy!

Some readers are such sticklers for accuracy they will stop reading, or even throw a book against the wall, if information isn't presented properly. 

And when I say, "throw a book against the wall", I am of course talking about print books. I'm not sure how one expresses disgust with an e-book. I would guess the book would be deleted, but how is the vehemence expressed? Holding the delete key longer than necessary? Scowling while doing so? Making a pretend throwing movement and THEN hitting the delete key?

Reading is obviously a subjective activity, which is why I frequently love a book that everyone else ignores, and why I'm puzzled when everyone loves something I find less interesting than the owners' manual of my curling iron.

So I'm intrigued by what will make a reader respond a certain way when it comes to inaccuracies.

For instance, I read a book that said the heroine used finely-ground coffee in her French press coffee maker. This is wrong. Majorly wrong. I know because I make French press coffee almost daily, and have done so for years. If you use finely-ground coffee, it's going to be tough—nearly impossible—to press the plunger down. 

And how do I know this? Because once I was forced to use the only coffee I had on hand—finely-ground coffee—in the only coffee maker I had on hand—a French press. It beefed up my biceps, but I nearly wept when it seemed I might not get to drink coffee that particular day.

However, this faux pas did not make me foam at the mouth and declare I would never read this author again. It could have, because the heroine was a foodie, and her career was in the food business, so this little piece was presented as a "fact" of how French press coffee is made.

To me it was an annoyance, and it pulled me out of the story for just a moment--but not any more than if my phone rang and I glanced at the caller ID hoping to see "Christine" (my agent) listed, or if somebody at Starbucks interrupted my writing to ask if I was a writer and then started yakking about the book they were going to write someday.

For someone else, though, that little factual boo-boo with the coffee might have been the inciting incident for a permanent mental meltdown, or a scathing letter to the author, or even a blast on a public forum.

I watch the TV show, Psych, which is supposedly set in Santa Barbara. While I have never been there, I have been to several other cities and regions of California. I might be convinced Santa Barbara is actually being depicted in this show. . .except there are a majority of scenes where it is raining AND the characters' breath is visibly frosty AND there is not a palm tree in sight.  I actually know they are filming in Vancouver, BC (where there is an abundance of rain, it is definitely cooler, and they have a ton of evergreen trees).  

Still, it doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the show, nor do I feel like they're pulling a fast one on me, even though they are, because I know it has more to do with production budgets and tax incentives rather than carelessness or sloppy research.

The same with the TV show Leverage. It's supposedly set in Boston, and they mention the city constantly, and show overhead shots of Beantown, but it's Portland, Oregon. I've been to both places many times, and Portland looks nothing like Boston. 

Yet if this were being done in a book – saying it's set in Boston, while the author describes Portland – there would be a lot less indulgence by the reader. Is it because we know there is smoke and mirrors involved with TV and film, and we're willing to buy into that? If so, why the higher standard for books, which involves creating out of thin air just like TV and film? 

So I'm curious what you think.  Tell me what kinds of things you can forgive when it comes to reading, and what is impossible to forgive.  What makes something an annoyance and something else a wallbanger? 

Changing the Writer's POV

Writers are lucky, because we get to change perspective all the time in our storytelling universe. We can decide who is the most interesting character to convey the story events.  Depending on whose point-of-view we choose, we can hide information that a character might not be privy to. We can heighten the drama since we know how a character might react to a certain bit of news as it unfolds. 

As writers, we can also benefit from changing our own POV.

We can become accustomed to seeing our environment, as well as our place in it, in such a way that we lose sight of other ways of looking at things. We cut ourselves off from other possibilities, because we've gotten used to grinding through chores from sunup to sundown the same way every single moment.

Maybe we need to recalibrate our vision. Like at the optometrist's office, when they click the lenses on that steampunk goggle machine, asking, "Better like this or better like that?" It's amazing how different one little "click" can make things, how much sharper the focus is when we change our perspective even slightly.

It would be easier to stay in the "I don't need to change anything" viewpoint.

But I don't know that writers have that luxury. We're constantly taking in new information and processing it so that we can tell our stories. We are never in a static place. Our brains are constantly churning, pondering, creating. In fact it's when our minds AREN'T doing those things that we feel that sense of unease and discomfort. We call it writer's block, but it may be we're not blocked so much as stuck in a rut of our own making.

So let's change our POV today. It doesn't have to be a huge change. Just one little click is all it takes.

The sun is shining. Does that make you think of frolicking, or do you see the dust motes instead? Or maybe it's raining. Do you sigh and think of all the mud that's on its way, or do you smile and think of all the daffodils getting ready to bloom?

I'm not saying you have to be happy all the time. Or maybe I am. It depends on which day it is, and which direction I've clicked. But what can it hurt to keep our minds open to other interpretations of the events we experience on a daily basis? Maybe it will release some of the stress that prevents us from writing. Maybe it will give us a new understanding of a character's POV.

And maybe it will make us enjoy our writing life a little bit more each day.

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I have another post up at Heroes and Heartbreakers today. It's called "Dark and Dangerous: The Lure of Gothic Romances", and I hope you'll stop by and add to the discussion.

Villains Need Love Too

This is a post I originally did at the Romance Writer's Revenge last fall. It was on my mind after recently watching Season 9 of MI-5, starring the delicious Richard Armitage. He makes a great hero, but an even greater villain. . .well, just go ahead and see what I mean:

I'm a contrarian.  This is so deeply embedded in my DNA, for the longest time I didn't even suspect its existence.  I spent the first *mumble, mumble* years of my life going along with everybody.  I'd say, "Of course", or "That sounds great!", or "Whatever you want".  Not only did I mean it, I'd expend a lot of time and energy to make it happen, even if it made me unhappy (which it often did).

But that contrarian gene was like a sleeper cell, waiting for the precise moment before it was called into action.  Now if I utter, "Of course", or "That sounds great!", or "Whatever you want", it's more likely said in an ironic tone of voice, or with a sardonic lift of my eyebrows. 

There were moments in my youth when I should have realized I was a budding contrarian.  I remember watching Mighty Mouse cartoons, hoping that flying rodent with the cape and oversized pecs wouldn't make it to the rescue in time.  I wanted the villain and the girl to get together.   Obviously I knew the villain wasn't truly evil.  But I figured out pretty quickly he was way more interesting to me than the hero was.

Now that I'm an adult, my taste in villains has expanded.  As I've mentioned recently, I'm watching the BBC TV series, "Robin Hood". And yes, I confess the reason I am watching it is because of Richard Armitage, who plays a villain.  But he's not THE villain, who we all know is the Sheriff of Nottingham.  The Sheriff is smarmy and sleazy and cowardly and evil to his core.  Yecch.  Boo, hiss.  Not the kind of villain I'm advocating here.

The handsome Richard Armitage plays Guy de Gisbourne, the Sheriff's henchman.  He really rocks that whole villainous sartorial thing—black leather pants, long black leather coat with shiny metal doodads, black boots with clinking spurs that make my heart dance with anticipation for his arrival—so yeah, I'd be lusting after him just for that aspect. 

But the thing that makes him, and other villains of his ilk, so genuinely fascinating?  The possibility he MIGHT do something heroic. 

One of Guy's most humanizing traits is when he gets disgusted by his boss, the Sheriff.  Haven't all of us rolled our eyes at the crazy stuff our bosses ask us to do?  Still, he grits his teeth and follows orders anyway, hoping it will help him get ahead in the world, so he can have what he really wants:  The Girl.

Even though Maid Marian makes me want to take archery lessons so I can learn how to shoot flaming arrows at her skull with 100% accuracy. . .I do love how Guy keeps trying to win her over.  He is dazzled by her (God knows why – oh yeah, because he hasn't seen me yet), and he can't seem to figure out why she isn't dazzled by him (me either – I mean, I love Robin and all, but he's cute and good rather than sexy and bad). 

The bottom line is Guy could just take Marian by force, and do all kinds of dastardly deeds to achieve his goals. . .but he doesn't.  And that's what intrigues me.  It signals there is a seed of something heroic inside him.  He struggles to keep in touch with it, and when he ultimately fails, then he wrestles with his failure.  If he truly were a villain, he'd be whistling a Disney tune as he wiped the blood off his sword, mentally crossing off another item on his never-ending "Evil To Do" list.

With the hero, it's a pretty safe bet that he will be heroic, because, well, it's in his job description.  Since he gets paid to be heroic, there's not a lot of suspense involved, because there are expectations of heroism.  Don't get me wrong.  I love heroes, and I want them to be that way.  And it's no doubt a heavy burden to carry, being heroic 24/7, yet they do it without hesitation, making them even more admirable.    

But if the villain does something heroic?  Get out the smelling salts because women everywhere are going to swoon. 

And if he does something heroic because of the heroine?  Plug your ears because the heartfelt "ahhhhs" are going to deafen you. 

It takes a lot to sway a villain from his nefarious goals, so it's naturally very sexy when the heroine inspires him to change his mind, and his course of action.  Talk about a character arc! 

So now I'm not feeling so bad about my contrary attachment to these luscious villains.  They are merely heroes in disguise, battling their defiant DNA, trying to keep their laudable qualities from being extinguished.  All I ask is that they don't let their latent goodness become a dominant feature.  If they do, they're going to lose me as a fan. 

I am a dyed-in-the-wool contrarian after all.

So anyone else love to love a villain?  Tell us about the villains you're writing, and what makes them so delicious.  Or confess which fictional villain makes your heart flutter.  And if you're not a fan of villains, that's okay too.  Just tell us why you aren't.

Be the Heroine of Your Story

Today I'm blogging at the Romance Writer's Revenge about overcoming our writing fears and acting on our heroic urges. Here's a little tidbit from "Be the Heroine of Your Story":

What would we do if we read a book where the heroine complains that it’s too hard to go after her goal, or she’s too afraid, or that she doesn’t have time to pursue her dreams? We’d break our arm hurling that book across the room. And then we’d pick it up with the bones poking through the skin to throw it again.

It’s time to be the heroine of OUR story.  This is our only shot at it.  We can’t revise the past, or edit the outcome, but we can create the day-to-day aspects, deciding what it is we will do with our ration of 24 hours.  It won’t be easy, but what else in your daily life is easy?  I’ll guess it’s usually the stuff that bores the crap out of you.

You know you have heroic qualities, but so few opportunities to actually use them. But now you can.

Stop by to read the rest of the post, or to comment on how you handle the obstacles so you are the heroine of your story.

Not Now, I'm Busy

Every writer experiences those moments when they think they have no more words, no more story ideas, absolutely nothing left inside to say. It's such a bleak feeling—like when you realize the half-and-half has run out, or even worse, it's gone bad and there's a snowstorm outside and you can't get to the store to buy more.

On those writing days, the best thing to do is to sit and scribble, or tap away nonsensical words on the computer, to get the ugly out, or prime the well, or whatever your definition of muse foreplay might be.

All of a sudden, the ideas start shooting towards the surface. You are still filled with disbelief, however, so you try to shove them back down, or you dart to the side, convinced it was a rogue loose cannon. But it's not. It's your subconscious showing off, letting you know there's plenty of life in there.

When this happens, too often we shoo those pesky ideas away, muttering, "Not now, I'm busy".

I've done this way too many times, usually because I have an expectation of when the words are supposed to show up. I wake up some mornings with my brain racing around like a two-year-old who has just consumed a fifty-pound bag of sugar. "Can't you wait til I have some coffee?" I grumble, but it can't.

Other mornings I wake up and it's as if my brain cells have been hit with that mind eraser thing in Men in Black. I can do the basics – get out of bed, stumble to the coffee maker – but ideas? Not even a bad one.

So maybe it's understandable that I am suspicious when there's an outpouring of ideas/words/plots/characters/blog posts. Instead, I should be grateful, and smart, grabbing every single one as it comes zinging through my brain.

Writers are a contrary lot. We cry at not being able to write, and then when we can, we don't. I understand, and empathize, but I'm not going to let us waste another single minute.

When your muse gets the urge, go play. Don't you dare say "Not now, I'm busy". It won't take long before your ideas get the hint. They may not dry up entirely, but it just may take longer before they trust you, and we all know how hard it is to win back trust that has been broken.

I know it's not easy to keep a schedule. I've tried many times and well, I have to keep trying to make that work. One thing I do is always keep an open mind, as well as something to write with. I do my best not to swat away the ideas as they sneak up on me. They get priority. They are doing their job by showing up, and it's my job to write them down.

If not, I only have myself to blame when they go elsewhere.

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My second post at Heroes and Heartbreakers is up, and it's called The Unwritten Contract: Happily Ever Afters in Romance. I'd love for you to stop by and read it, and if you feel like leaving a comment, that would double my happiness!

The Joyride of Writing

I’m in the midst of revising a manuscript, one that I haven't looked at for a while, and I'm quite tickled with it. I'm delighted at how fresh it sounds when I read it. I've chuckled several times at the humorous dialogue, and I've smiled at how engaging the characters are. I excitedly turn the pages, as if I don't know how it ends. I'm really happy with my efforts, telling myself, "You know, it doesn't need as much revising as I thought".

And that's when I stop dead in my tracks.

Whenever I think something like that, all of a sudden Endora the muse swoops in, with a clipboard filled with rules and regulations. She cackles with way too much glee as she reminds me of how I need to keep this in mind, and keep that in mind, and next thing I know I can't remember why I thought this manuscript was worthwhile. She's convinced me it should be totaled, thrown onto the junk heap, and smooshed into oblivion.

Thankfully I stumbled across a great post by George Angus, where he talks about a time when he was an auto claims adjuster and had to take pics of a stolen car that had been recovered. On the back of the car was a bumper sticker that said "Drive It Like You Stole It".  He says:

In a lot of ways, I think the best kind of writing happens this way.  I know that when I’ve been inspired, the adrenaline kicks in a bit. I rip out the turn indicator and rear view mirror and toss them on the side of the highway. Don’t get in my way ’cause I’m on a mission and I’m treating the ride like it don’t belong to me. The rules of the road matter little and I’m cruisin’ with no particular destination in mind.

This is exactly how I drafted this manuscript, with my foot planted on the accelerator, dodging the rules like they were pylons in an obstacle course, zooming to the finish line with a grin on my face. I could sense that unbridled sense of joy when I first started reading the manuscript. That devil-may-care attitude permeated every single scene.

But then all of a sudden fear crept in. It threw a huge roadblock in front of me, one that had warnings and caution signs and all kinds of penalties for breaking the rules. I slam on the brakes and yank the steering wheel to the side, bracing for a horrific crash, the mournful strains of "Last Kiss" playing as I wait to see the manuscript engulfed in a fireball.

Miraculously I somehow steer around the roadblock. How did I manage such an amazing feat?

I remembered why I loved this story, and why I felt compelled to write it in the first place. I didn't know as many of the rules then as I do now, blissfully ignorant to anything but how much I enjoyed the characters and the situations they were in.

I was reminded that the rules aren't meant to impede your forward progress, as you merrily zip from Point A to Point B. They are meant to guide you around trouble spots, to help you avoid massive plotholes that could derail your entire journey. They are designed to get you to the end of the trip so you don't drive around in circles or follow every detour and forget where you were headed.

So let 'er rip today.

Rev your writing engine.

To hell with limits.

Go as fast and as far as your story takes you, and then spin around and do it again. 

The joyride of writing awaits you.