Nov 27, 2007 | Writing, Reading, Books |
For all the detractors who claim romance novels are unrealistic fluffy trash meant to be devoured at beaches when you want to give your brain a rest from the hard parts of life, this anonymous letter ought to make you realize that romance writers aren't lumpable into a single category, nor dismissable as hacks. (NOTE: This letter is not for the faint of heart. I believe there is a warning when you start reading, but if not, consider yourself warned.)
For a look into the life of a brilliant, beautiful, and talented romance writer, this article about my fellow Hawaii chaptermate Jane Porter shows you just how smart and well-spoken a romance author can be. Yay to Jane for not making excuses about her writing! She tells a good story and she's proud of it. She's an auto-buy for me, not simply because I know and admire her, but because she writes thought-provoking stories that resonate with me.
Nov 26, 2007 | Writing, Life |
I'm not really blue about the company being gone. The holiday was great, we had a wonderful time, but I just can't work with people around. Maybe if they lived down the street instead of in another state. But since they come so far, and are here for about a week each time, I feel like I need to be available to go sightseeing and shopping and stuff.
The hubby was off from Thurs through Sun. We stayed home on Thanksgiving, naturally. Friday, we drove to Tennessee and went sightseeing at an old mill. We also headed up to Sewanee and enjoyed the beautiful grounds of the University of the South.
Saturday was this place. I bought an espresso machine. Saturday evening, we toured the Galaxy of Lights.
Sunday, we went to visit my parents and see how their house is coming along for the Christmas Tour. I'm tired just recounting all we did. This morning, my house is quiet. Oddly quiet, though I usually like it that way. But it takes me a little while to get used to it again.
I have to get my GH entry out the door this week and I don't feel like doing any of it today. But I have to. This is the danger zone, that period of time between when you work hard on a regular basis and when you take a break that's a little too long, a break that makes you start thinking maybe you really aren't cut out for this business. One rejection at a moment like this could set you back for weeks.
I've been there before, been vulnerable and listened to the demon of doubt when the Christmas Eve rejection came in the mail. I won't do it again, but it's easy to think I might on a gray, cold morning when the house is quiet and my mind hasn't yet settled down to business.
Do you have trouble getting into the groove again after time away? Or do you keep working even when the company is there?
Nov 16, 2007 | Hunks, Writing, Photos, Life |
Does it get any better? I'm admittedly behind the times with television, but when I saw this guy on my favorite channel, HGTV, my brain just kind of stopped working. 🙂 Carter Oosterhouse, carpenter, model, and humanitarian, host of “Carter Can.”
Oh dear.
He has so got to be the inspiration for one of my heroes. Just not sure which one yet. 🙂
My personal hero, the hubby, was out of town this week. He returned yesterday. And I realized something while he was gone. I cannot be a hermit writer, much as I like to think I can. I love being home alone all day, working on my writing, but I really need that evening time with my honey.
Long days stretched in front of me with nothing but time to write? Nope, need the hubby to come home at the end of the day and make me think about something else. It's amazing how tangled up your life can get with one person, but we're like the roots of two plants that have grown together and entwined to such an extent that one can't survive without the other.
And that's what I love about romance novels. Love is the most wonderful, important, life-altering emotion in the universe. Amazing how romance gets bashed as “those little books” or “bodice rippers” or “easy, mindless trash.” Really? Love is mindless trash? Interesting thought.
Got any thoughts about love, romance novels, or fabulous hunks? Do share!
**Edited to remove picture
Nov 14, 2007 | Writing, Revising, 70 Days of Sweat |
I've had to rethink my Sven goals just a little. I didn't realize that revising the first book would take as much time as it has, so I'm not actively working on the next WIP.
There seems to be mass confusion with the GH requirements. Some folks say to worry about the 55 page entry only, because if you make it to the finals and your book is requested, they'll give you a chance to provide an updated copy.
Others say the book should be revised all the way through and as polished as you can make it. I guess I'm erring on the side of caution, but it's making me quite unhappy to work on this thing non stop. The more I revise, the more I see what I could change to be even better.
And I know that's a trap.
True story: when I was about 6, I had a playmate who was four years older. She had the patience of Job, because I remember one day wanting to play Barbies. I got Barbie and she got Ken. And I made her reenact the “meet” so many times it wasn't funny. I came up with all sorts of scenarios, including casting Barbie as Jeannie and Ken as Tony Nelson (I Dream of Jeannie for you whippersnappers). I was never satisfied, and we replayed the meet over and over. Finally, I think she gave up.
But as I revise, I remember my 6yr old perfectionist. And I tell her we don't have time to rewrite this story in every possible incarnation she can imagine.
How do you revise? Do you have a limit, say two times through, or do you revise until you're satisfied? How do you resist the perfectionist inside (if you have one)?
Nov 9, 2007 | Writing, Contests |
I went through a contest phase when I first joined RWA (we won't say how long ago that was) and had some early success with the first book I ever wrote. I kind of wish I hadn't had success, to be honest, but that's another story. Basically, if I'd realized I needed to keep writing and improving and that first books don't typically sell, I'd have been better off.
Anyway, starting to look at the contests again for a variety of reasons. Though having bad things potentially said about my writing or my entry won't make me happy, it won't stop me either. I have reached the point where negative comments make me pause, but don't ultimately affect me. I know the secret to staying in the game now. The secret is to KEEP WRITING NEW BOOKS. There, I said it, so now you know. 🙂
As I look at the contests, I consider a few things. Cost, yes, but it's not the biggest factor. I love being able to enter electronically, and those contests get a harder look from me. Final judges are the biggie though. Prestige of the contest is a consideration, but lack of prestige won't stop me if the final judges are acquiring agents or editors.
Which brings me to research. Do you research the final judges? I do. I've noticed a couple of judges in contests lately who either aren't acquiring or who don't have sales to their name. I realize that a fabulous story can make a non-acquiring person take on one more. But what about the final judge who has no sales listed in Publisher's Marketplace? If it's a new agent, sure, that's okay. But one who's been around for a while?
If all I want is feedback, that's different. (But I have a great CP who does that for me, so I don't necessarily need contest feedback.)
On the flip side of the coin, I think judging contests is a good thing to do. I'm judging two right now, and it really opens my eyes to what works and what doesn't to see so many entries arrayed before me. Some shine. Others are painful. Most are well written. Very few are poorly written. But even when the language is good, you can tell when a story doesn't pop. When it isn't fresh and new, when it probably won't sell as written because there's nothing there to make it stand out.
I am a conscientious judge. Maybe I'm too easy, but I never give anyone the lowest score possible. I don't want to batter someone, though I give copious comments if it's allowed. And I never sign my comments, not because I don't stand behind them, but because you just never know how someone will receive what you have to say. If someone sends me a thank you note (which they rarely do, btw, even though we are told we should thank our judges), I might out myself. I have mixed feelings about not signing, btw. I want to stand behind what I say, but I don't want to get abused for saying it. It happens sometimes, unfortunately, which is why I remain anonymous for now.
Have you entered any contests lately? Do you also judge contests and have you learned anything from that experience?
Nov 7, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat, Writing, Photos |
Can you imagine writing before copy-paste-delete? Not me! I know some people still write longhand, and then transcribe it into the computer. I can't do it. I tried it, but my brain moves much faster than my hand, and I got frustrated.
Today is a Sven check-in. My writing has slowed down because I finished the book, and instead of launching into the next one, I started the revisions. I know you're supposed to let the book sit, but I've been writing this one long enough that I've pretty much forgotten the first half by now. Really.
Anyway, I wrote 1685 words yesterday, which is kind of scary because the book is over 70K now. Hopefully, today, I'll do some cutting. But what I'm (re)discovering in this process is that I love rewriting. Once the story is finally on the page, it's so much fun to go back and expand the stuff I glossed over in my rush to reach the end. It's amazing to see a scene with new eyes and to be able to pull out the nuances I wanted the first time but couldn't find because the story wasn't complete and I didn't know the characters.
And that's another thing: knowing the characters. By the end of the book, I know them so well that I have to go back and fix them in the beginning. They weren't fully formed in my head, and I made them do things that weren't right. Easy enough to fix once I know them.
I love hearing about process, which is why I like to talk about mine. Everyone is different, but it's always helped me to know how writers work. I used to think there was a correct way to write a book. Now I know there isn't.
Process is also a journey in self-discovery. When I first started, I worked on one book for a year, rewriting it as I went, polishing and polishing, until I had a finished product at the end. Truthfully, the book could have stood some revision. I didn't realize that beautiful sentences and a good story weren't necessarily the same thing. I had a beautifully written cliche.
The next book I entered in the GH and had to write like mad to get to the end. It was horrible, it didn't final, and I didn't bother revising it (pretty much because I didn't know how). The next book I gave up on. I wrote another book very quickly, then abandoned it during revisions because I got bored.
That brings me to the current book. I rewrote the first 150 pages twice. Threw it all out and rewrote it. Ouch. Finally reached the end by writing to a deadline (thanks, Sven) and now I'm revising. I'm not bored, and I'm not worried I won't get to the end. In fact, I think I've finally found my process. Write the first third or half, rewrite it once or twice, write to the end, and revise.
I don't plot (tried it and failed). I don't plan. I have two characters and a problem and I launch into nothingness. Not pretty, but that's the way it works. Why am I sharing this? Because I remember floundering and wondering why I couldn't do it “right.” I didn't realize there was no right. If talking about my process helps even one writer who is struggling, I'm glad to do it.
How does your process work? Do you plot? Or do you launch into nothingness and hope you make it to the other side? I love hearing about it, so tell me!
