All About the Writing

Interview with Ashley March

I am interviewing Ashley March today about her latest book, Romancing the Countess, at the Romance Writer's Revenge blog. Stop by and see what she has to say on how this book came about, her writing projects, and how she manages to accomplish more than is humanly possible!

How High Are Your Stakes?

I'm blogging today at Romance Writer's Revenge, on the topic of high stakes:

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.

To read more of the post, just click here.

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.

Leigh Michaels Interview

I'm interviewing Leigh Michaels about her very first historical, The Mistress' House.  Come over to the Romance Writer's Revenge to hear all the scoop.  Leigh will be there answering questions, and there is a chance to win two copies of this new release!

Wait, That Can't Be Right

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.

You can read the rest of this post at Romance Writers Revenge, so stop by and discuss how you feel about this topic!

A Mix Tape of Blog Posts

I started blogging at Romance Writer's Revenge several months ago, and I decided it might be time to list all of the posts in one place, for your reading convenience.  Maybe you'll find something that intrigues you, and hopefully inspires you.

1. Amuse Your Muse - My muse is named Endora, and this is how I try to keep her happy, so she'll keep working for, I mean, with me.
2. Hierarchy of Avoidance - Learn how to get more work done by avoiding OTHER work.
3. Dare to be High Maintenance - Aren't you worth being first?  Isn't your writing worth it?
4. Dedication -- Writing requires a lot of dedication.  It also requires you to dedicate your books to those who believed in you, or those who should have.
5. Hero Hot Seat - Put your hero on a talk show and let him promote your book!  My hero from I Do . . .or Die did just that, and it was a blast.
6. The Fire Lord's Lover - I conducted my first interview ever, with Kathryne Kennedy, author of this wonderful historical fantasy romance.
7. Title Me This - Which came first, the title or the story? 
8. Blurbalicious - Blurbs are one of the first things readers see, so practice making yours irresistible.
9. What Makes You Feel Like A Writer? - There are several defining moments on the path to becoming a writer, and feeling like a writer is one of the most important.
10. From the Last to the First - Think of this as "from cliffhanger to hook".  Explore how to keep your readers going from the end of your chapter to the beginning of the next one.
11. Lovin' the Crazy - Crazy ideas are everywhere, and they need to be celebrated, as well as encouraged.
12. Inner Critic Rehab - If your inner critic is keeping you from writing, then it might need an attitude adjustment, or even a personality transplant. 
13. Let's Hear It for the Villain! - They aren't always bad, especially when they demonstrate their potential to be heroic.
14. Gift Ideas for Writers - Writers love to get books as gifts, but here are a few more things you might want to consider at gift-giving times.
15. Behold, the Power of Procrastination! - Think that procrastination is an evil to be fought over and over?  Think again--it's actually a productive writing tool.
16. Seducing the Duchess by Ashley March - Author Ashley March joined me on Hero Hot Seat to discuss her debut, Seducing the Duchess.  There was even a surprise visit from Captain Jack Sparrow.
17. Three Simple Ways to Make Your Writing Just Like Everyone Else's - Sometimes following the rules just makes you part of the pack.  Find out when you should break away and create your own rules.
18. The Year of Reading Dangerously - It might be time to branch out of your reading "comfort zone" and explore something adventurous and unexpected.

Gift Ideas for Writers

For the past few years, I have celebrated my "birthday month".  One day never seems quite enough for such a momentous occasion, at least not until it becomes a national holiday.  Fortunately, this year some of you may get time off since it is Election Day, and if you do, think of it as a trial run for when we have a three-day weekend to celebrate Donna's Day. 

And lest it seems I am being overly greedy with an entire month rather than one measly day, consider this:  you don't have to buy my present for a specific day that might be inconvenient for your schedule.  YOU HAVE ALL MONTH! 

So what presents do you get for a writer? 

Well, besides the obvious gift this year – an e-reader – here are a few things you might want to consider when it's time for your Birthday Month.

You can read the rest of this post at Romance Writers Revenge, so stop by and tell us what kinds of gifts you would like to receive as a writer!

Behold, the Power of Procrastination!

Who knew procrastination was such an effective writing tool?  Here's a snippet from my post at Romance Writer's Revenge:

Every once in a while I feel like I’ve run out of blog post ideas.  I can think of plenty of topics, but I seem to shoot them down the instant they appear, before they have a chance to make it safely to that part of my brain where they can incubate, and possibly hatch into something interesting.

It’s put a lot of unnecessary pressure on me, until I finally realized what was wrong:  I was thinking too far ahead.

I was trying to PLOT, rather than PANTS. 

If there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s that I can’t plan things more than a few days ahead of time, and even when I do, it’s gonna be in pencil—while I’m brandishing an eraser in my other hand.

That’s when I realized I needed to call upon a higher power:  The Power of Procrastination.

You can read the entire post at "Behold, the Power of Procrastination".  But don't wait too long! 

Inner Critic Rehab

Does your inner critic need a timeout?  Or an attitude adjustment?  Maybe what it needs is a total personality transplant.

If so, bring it along to Inner Critic Rehab at the Romance Writer's Revenge.  We'll do our best to reform these contrary creatures and make their criticism more productive.  All inner critics are welcome!

Lovin' the Crazy

What do you do with all the crazy ideas that show up when you're writing?  Come on over and discuss it with the pirates at Romance Writer's Revenge, where we will be Lovin' the Crazy.