All About the Writing

Sold!

Here's the good news I've been wanting to share with you: I sold a novella to Samhain! It's part of a "Strangers on a Train" theme anthology, with stories by Ruthie Knox, Meg Maguire, Samantha Hunter, and Serena Bell. And, oh yeah, ME. :)

This project came together one day last winter, thanks to a picture posted on Twitter of a hot guy on a train. One tweet led to another, and all of a sudden we were each writing a story with strangers meeting--and falling for each other--on trains. Each story is set on a different train--mine's on the Napa Valley wine train--and they're all really great.

I'm beyond excited, and it almost doesn't seem real at times. It was such a fun project, though, and talk about a great group of writers -- I hope we get to do more things together in the future. There are still planes, and automobiles. . .

Okay, time to crack open the champagne!

The Sweet Spot of Writing Time

Time is getting away from me today, so I'm revisiting a post about. . .time.

Time is such a funny concept.

About a million years ago, there was daytime and nighttime. That was it. It didn't really matter what hour of the day it was, so long as you did the daytime things while there was light, and you accomplished the things NOT requiring light when it was nighttime.

I guess at some point somebody needed to know precisely which hour of the day it was--maybe to make sure there actually were twenty-four of them. So, to keep track of time, clocks were invented. It gave us a sense of mastery over time, since we had smooshed it into a box and given it a face with Roman numerals on it--all so we could verify which hour we were using at the precise moment we used it.

Imagine the luxury of compressing time into a pocketwatch, or a wristwatch, so that all the minutes and hours of the day could be transported wherever you went. That invention gave time even more prominence, because now we constantly consult the clock to see how little time we have left to finish an important task, or before we dash off for an appointment. At work, we watch the clock, wishing it would zoom through the hours so we could go home sooner. We glare at our watch while sitting in a traffic jam, blaming the timekeeper for making everything stand still when we need to rush instead.

Our constant awareness of time has guaranteed there is always too much, and not enough, all at once.

I try to make the best use of my time, because I want to ensure that my writing is given the highest priority, every single day. Sometimes the best use of my writing time is first thing in the morning, while other days it is in the wee hours when my brain should be fast asleep.

The tricky part is I don't always know where that sweet spot of writing time will be. It's like a floating poker game, in a different place each day, with only a short advance notice as to the new location. I just try to stay on my toes and pick up clues so I'm ready when it's time.

Another thorny problem is this: I'm not exactly sure how to measure time anymore. A writing task that I'm sure will take only a few minutes ends up consuming several hours. Something I keep delaying because it will gobble up an entire day is over in less time than it takes to complain about it.

The one thing I know for sure is I treasure having the chance to devote time to writing.

Yes, I grumble when the characters go on strike. I shriek and clutch at my hair when the words get stuck in the back of my brain. I even convince myself it would be less painful to eat two huge bowls of half-cooked brussels sprouts than to do one more round of revisions.

Yet, even on the toughest of days, I can't think of a better way to fill the hours. Writing stories of love and romance and humor--this is how I want to spend my time.

Six Sentence Sunday: Lord Midnight #4

Here's one last snippet from Lord Midnight. Gabriel has promised to help Marisa escape her upcoming wedding, but when he disappears for a while, she wonders if she's misplaced her faith in him. To her amazement, he shows up at her betrothal ball, which is a masquerade. He is dressed in his typical highwayman regalia, which others believe is a costume, and he asks her to waltz with him.

"You're mad!"

"I know."

She groaned at his cheerful response. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as he pulled her close enough to cause a scandal. His sandalwood scent enveloped her, reminding her of other intimate moments they had shared, driving her to the brink of madness. She could not even think clearly, yet he twirled her about the dance floor, as if they were at their own private betrothal ball.

Thanks again for stopping by. Make sure you check out all the great snippets to be found at the Six Sentence Sunday site. I'm on my way there now!

 

Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop

To celebrate summer's arrival, I'm participating in a blog hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, and Page Turners Blog. It's such a fun way to discover new book blogs and authors. There are close to 250 participants, each with a different giveaway, so make sure you check out the list below from May 25th through the 31st.

For my giveaway, I am offering an e-copy of my romantic comedy novella, Summer Lovin', as well as a hardback copy of Perfect Pops: The 50 Best Classic & Cool Treats. It seems only fitting since the hero of Summer Lovin' is a hot chef, and the recipes in this book will help keep things cooled down during the summer months ahead.

To enter, just leave a comment about your favorite summer memory.

If you want additional chances to win, you can "like" my Facebook page, or friend me on Goodreads. However, these are not required to enter--they are completely optional.

One lucky person will win both books, and I will be happy to ship internationally. I can't wait to see your favorite summer memories!

Raising the Stakes

I'm antsy today, having to wait to announce some good news, so until then, here's a post I originally wrote last summer for the Romance Writer's Revenge blog. I hope you enjoy it!

Every story needs stakes, the higher the better.

It took me a while to understand this concept. A long time ago, when an agent called to talk with me about one of my manuscripts, she said my stakes were about a 4.7, and I needed to ratchet them up to an 11. I realized I was striving to give my characters a breezy, conflict-free life filled with rainbows and lollipops, which is understandable, except it makes for a less-than-compelling story.

When a story has high stakes, the characters have to make difficult choices. Each option has unbearable consequences, but with darn good reasons for being that way. Characters naturally want to go with the easy alternative, but they aren't allowed to, because there aren't any easy alternatives.

This provides built-in tension, and the reader stays around because he/she wants to know which impossible choice the character will ultimately make. If it's a choice the reader knows the character doesn't WANT to make, but HAS to, there is also built-in sympathy for the character.

I have an example of this from a TV show I watch, called Flashpoint, which is about a SWAT team in Canada (known as the "Strategic Response Unit", or SRU). I love the characters, and the way they joke about being important enough to wear the "cool pants", as well as their heroism and bravery in a variety of emotionally tough situations.

In one episode, the SRU team is desperately trying to stop a madman who is intent on blowing up the city, potentially harming hundreds of people. As one of the team members approaches the building where the suspect is hiding, he steps on a landmine.

It's easy to understand the awfulness of this scenario, even without seeing the character's response when he hears the click under his boot. There are definitely some high stakes here. If he lifts his foot, he blows up. Even though he is in tiptop physical shape, there's a certain limit to how long he can stay motionless in that one position.

After watching this show for many weeks, I've gotten used to this team getting themselves, and others, out of impossible situations. They are used to it, too, and they respond as they always do, not even worried about the outcome. One of the other team members is best friends with this guy, and the episode opened with them just back from a vacation together, laughing as they showed pics of their antics to the rest of the team.

The best friend races around trying to find ways to fix this horrible situation, and I'm on the edge of my seat fervently hoping it can work out. I tell myself the SRU team has proven time and time again they can rescue people from dire situations. I don't even want to consider the possibility that it won't work out. It has to work out, because I want everything to be okay for these people I care about.

However, it soon becomes clear that the available solutions aren't working. It's not possible to fix this, and everyone but the best friend acknowledges it--including the man standing on the land mine. He doesn't want to admit it, but he knows. And he's aware he has a decision to make, choosing between two horrifying possibilities.

He can lift his foot and be killed instantly.

Or he can stay put and let his best friend continue the risky maneuver of moving something on top of the land mine, in the remote hope that it will work and not blow up both of them.

Those are some Level 11 high stakes. The kind that have you wishing there was a Door #3 to choose instead.

However, high stakes don't always have to literally involve "life or death". In my characters' lives, "life or death" is a little different, with "life" being the new direction they take, and "death" being the end of the old life they hold on to so tightly, before they encountered the person they love and everything changed so drastically.

Still, high stakes come with an emotional cost, no matter which choice is made. That is what keeps us glued to the book, maniacally turning the pages, or tapping the screen, worried about the land mines threatening to detonate the characters' hearts. We have a stake in the outcome now, too, because we've invested our own emotions in the story.

So what kind of stakes have you given your characters? What choices do they face, and what are the consequences of each option? How do you make the stakes even higher?

Six Sentence Sunday: Lord Midnight #3

Here's another scene from Lord Midnight, where the highwayman Gabriel is asking Marisa to have faith in him. He realizes she gives her trust willingly, but he has never demonstrated his own in her, until now:

Gabriel untied the knot holding his mask in place and lowered the thin piece of black leather, shocked at how vulnerable he felt.

A tender smile lit Marisa's face. She traced her fingers around his eyes, and down his nose, as if memorizing every bit of his features. His heart thumped madly, though whether at her delicate touch or his fear of exposure, he was not certain.

She continued to outline his face until her exploration ended with her fingertips against his lips. He kissed the soft skin, relishing her answering sigh.

I'm really enjoying everyone's Six Sentence Sunday snippets each week. I often have to make my comments much later in the day, thanks to work commitments, but it's something I really look forward to. Happy Sixing!

Interview and Guest Post Today

I'm taking over the Internet!

Melanie of the Bookworm2bookworm blog interviewed me today, and she had some fun questions. Stop by to learn a little bit more about me, and you can comment for a chance to win a copy of Lord Midnight.

I've also written a guest post at Indie Book Promo on The Magic of Historical Romance. Come see how fairy tales influenced my love of historical romance.

One Challenge After Another

Everything we do, whether it's writing, or life, is meant to be a challenge. We're not following a roadmap. We're creating one. Only we don't realize until much later we're mapping out a route for a trip we won't be going on again.

Think about it. Kindergarten wasn't anything like we'd experienced up to that point. Now it seems simple and easy, and boy, if only we could go back to those halcyon days. I remember going ahead of time to meet the kindergarten teacher, and I couldn't WAIT to start school. I was also scared, because I didn't know all those other kids, or what was expected of me. But I was definitely excited, and I eventually figured it all out, and then. . . I was nervous and keyed up about the next challenge.

Nothing is ever like you think it's going to be. College wasn't like high school, but I found my way through it and survived it, and I even enjoyed it. Law school wasn't ANYTHING like college, which was too bad, because I'd gotten pretty good at college.

Law school required me to switch gears entirely. It wasn't about memorizing and regurgitating. It was being browbeaten and humiliated in public with a series of questions DESIGNED to make you come up with the answer, but pretty much made you feel like the biggest idiot of all. Even the writing was completely different.

I'm having PTSD just thinking of it, so let's skip ahead.

Whenever you think you have it all figured out, congratulate yourself, and then prepare for the next batch of uncertainty. I now know how to do all kinds of things I didn't know how to do before. And I'm pretty sure I won't be doing any of them again. Where's the fun in that?

It did teach me this: I have to be flexible and adaptable and willing to experience new things.

Writing is the same way. Each book challenges me, making me cry out, "Why aren't you acting like the last one?! I finally figured out how to do that story!"

So, that's my pep talk for today. It's a reminder to myself, when I get dispirited, wondering why life seems so crazy and unpredictable and, on some days, unbearably hard. It always has been. It's just hard in different ways, in new ways, ways that punch me in the head and force me to figure out solutions when I don't feel like I have anything to draw on.

I never knew how to do anything when I first tried it. So why did I expect that I'd be good at it right off the bat? Okay, laziness makes us want to do something good without practicing, but laziness is one short step away from sloth, which is just down the road from burnout. All of these things that make us want to tear our hair out are experiences we will treasure one day.

I won't proclaim, "Adversity is good for you", because then you'll run after me with pitchforks and blazing torches.

Let's just say we'll benefit from these moments when things seem tougher than we are. It will give us empathy as well as courage, the very things we admire in characters we read and write about.

It will also make us ready for the next challenge down the road.

Wherever it takes us.

 

 

Six Sentence Sunday: Lord Midnight #2

Last week, Marisa, the heroine of Lord Midnight, described her first encounter with a highwayman who stopped her carriage while she was en route to the home of her betrothed.

This week, the highwayman Gabriel has his own thoughts about their meeting:

He could not help but be enchanted by her beauty. Yet it was the mischievous sparkle in those innocent eyes, and the utterly bold manner in which she had inspected his costume, which made him smile now. She had not swooned or fainted when he kissed her. Instead she had accused him of distracting her from her purpose. He laughed at the unexpected notion.

What could such a spirited miss want from a highwayman?

Thanks to everyone who stops by each week. This has been so much fun, and I really look forward to it every Sunday. I hope you'll discover some more intriguing snippets at www.sixsunday.com.

Be Ready for your Story Ideas

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.