So, today was one of those days where you go from low low to high high. I had just returned from a trip to New England and had a minor injury on the plane so I spent most of the day at the Emergency Room of a local hospital. I bumped my head while boarding the plane yesterday and after a couple of hours, I realized it wasn't just a casual knock on the head. It turned out that everything was fine and the doctor sent me home with the advice to take some ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and get some rest.
About two hours ago, I decided to check my email again and I realized there was a message regarding a contest I'd entered earlier this year. I am now a finalist and the contest coordinator told me that my entry was "impressive" and that the judges said it was one of the most "seductive, compelling, and well-written" entries. I was totally stoked as Inez Kelly would say!
My bumpy morning turned out to be a terrific evening. And, the best part is that the sexual tension scene I submitted to the contest will now be passed on to two senior editors at a couple of big epublishers and if they like it, I can get this book sold and published! Or, should I say published and sold? I love knowing that this time next year, the book could be for sale online.
My excited ramble has come to an end, but the hope and joyful anticipation live on...
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
A song for a character
I'm up later than usual tonight. I decided to make a soundtrack for my current WIP. I've always liked to listen to mood music when I write. When I was younger, I tended to pop in the Corrs first album, Forgiven Not Forgotten, or Sarah McLachlan's Surfacing Album. It wasn't until a few years ago when I was reading a book called Plot & Structure
that I had ever heard of anyone actually making a "soundtrack" to a novel. The author calls it a brainstorming tool.
While writing my last book, I did create a soundtrack and discovered I could still write well to pop and R&B songs. So, this time, I went through my CD and itunes library and picked out several songs, but I got inspired to give each character a playlist and make a special folder just for this novel in my itunes library. It was interesting to do because I realized each character had a mood. One of my suspects is into early jazz (Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday) and her songs are moody and melancholic. All of her songs feature lost love, wrong love, or unrequited love.
Both my hero, Sebastian, and the victim in this book both favor pop. Their songs are overtly sensual and in-your-face. Sebastian favors Usher and Justin Timberlake while the victim favors Fergie. My heroine likes Natalie Imbruglia's first album.
I had never before considered having songs for each character. But, I find that now that I've thought about it, I like it. There is a sense of individuality in the songs, something which I hope will come through in the writing.
Do you pick certain CDs or songs for your novels? And, do certain songs specifically reflect a character or do they tend to reflect on the relationship or the tone of the novel as a whole?
that I had ever heard of anyone actually making a "soundtrack" to a novel. The author calls it a brainstorming tool.While writing my last book, I did create a soundtrack and discovered I could still write well to pop and R&B songs. So, this time, I went through my CD and itunes library and picked out several songs, but I got inspired to give each character a playlist and make a special folder just for this novel in my itunes library. It was interesting to do because I realized each character had a mood. One of my suspects is into early jazz (Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday) and her songs are moody and melancholic. All of her songs feature lost love, wrong love, or unrequited love.
Both my hero, Sebastian, and the victim in this book both favor pop. Their songs are overtly sensual and in-your-face. Sebastian favors Usher and Justin Timberlake while the victim favors Fergie. My heroine likes Natalie Imbruglia's first album.
I had never before considered having songs for each character. But, I find that now that I've thought about it, I like it. There is a sense of individuality in the songs, something which I hope will come through in the writing.
Do you pick certain CDs or songs for your novels? And, do certain songs specifically reflect a character or do they tend to reflect on the relationship or the tone of the novel as a whole?
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Ode to Ares (and Xena)
So, last weekend, I was trying to think of characters for a new story idea. I wanted to pick actors or models who looked liked my protagonists and I was having a hard time picking a face for the lead male. Finally, I thought of Kevin Tod Smith, the actor who played Ares on Xena: Warrior Princess. I was a big fan of the show, though I sadly never saw the last couple of seasons.
As I was searching online, I found a few tribute sites (Kevin passed away in 2002). Then, I stumbled on something I'd never seen before: a series of tribute videos on YouTube. The first video I found was by far one of the best:
Another good one actually shows the characters talking and the music is great. The only thing that annoys me about this is the subtitles. But the rest of it is beautiful, so I'll overlook it. The creator did not want the videos to be embedded in other websites, so here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxJZ8MO26uI
This one is much more fun. And, it shows the juicy parts. Obviously, I missed a lot in those last seasons of Xena!!
Early on in the show, I had postulated that Ares was really in love with Xena and I was happy to see from these tribute videos that the show did finally reveal that and that other viewers were as crazy about Xena and Ares as I was.
So, this is my tribute to Kevin Smith. My Ares and the model for one of my new heroes.
May he live on forever...
As I was searching online, I found a few tribute sites (Kevin passed away in 2002). Then, I stumbled on something I'd never seen before: a series of tribute videos on YouTube. The first video I found was by far one of the best:
Another good one actually shows the characters talking and the music is great. The only thing that annoys me about this is the subtitles. But the rest of it is beautiful, so I'll overlook it. The creator did not want the videos to be embedded in other websites, so here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxJZ8MO26uI
This one is much more fun. And, it shows the juicy parts. Obviously, I missed a lot in those last seasons of Xena!!
Early on in the show, I had postulated that Ares was really in love with Xena and I was happy to see from these tribute videos that the show did finally reveal that and that other viewers were as crazy about Xena and Ares as I was.
So, this is my tribute to Kevin Smith. My Ares and the model for one of my new heroes.
May he live on forever...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Procrastination
If procrastination were a science, then I'd probably have an M.S. in it. I'm the person who procrastinates on doing the laundry--sometimes there's hand-washing or shopping involved. I procrastinate on cleaning my room (I delay almost anything to do with chores).
When working on a story, I fiddle, I fidget, I surf, I wear myself out. I eventually get something written and I have weird periods of intense production, but when I'm working my way through a plot, I take the long, meandering, scenic route.
I wish I had the discipline the way Nora Roberts (or substitute famous author name) does. I think she once said that she writes every day at 9am and whether she's inspired or not, she's sitting there at 9am, ready to type. Me, I'll say, "Oh, I'm going to work on my book today," and then I'll sit and I'll do "research". I'll play games online. I'll fret about work. I'll email. I'll think of the cleaning that I've been avoiding for the past two weeks...
Thankfully, the writing is more motivating than the cleaning. I'd rather continue to procrastinate on tidying up than procrastinating on writing my book. I just wish procrastination wasn't so tempting.
I'm getting better as far as writing. Romance Diva's chatroom helps a lot with this as I can pretend I'm procrastinating and actually go in and get some writing done. Maybe that's the trick? Tell my procrastinating mind that I'm really just going to have fun, avert boredom, be silly or chat for a few minutes and then I actually use the time to get a few pages done?
Hmmm....I wonder if that would work with getting the bathroom done...Nah. When has scrubbing toilets ever been fun?
When working on a story, I fiddle, I fidget, I surf, I wear myself out. I eventually get something written and I have weird periods of intense production, but when I'm working my way through a plot, I take the long, meandering, scenic route.
I wish I had the discipline the way Nora Roberts (or substitute famous author name) does. I think she once said that she writes every day at 9am and whether she's inspired or not, she's sitting there at 9am, ready to type. Me, I'll say, "Oh, I'm going to work on my book today," and then I'll sit and I'll do "research". I'll play games online. I'll fret about work. I'll email. I'll think of the cleaning that I've been avoiding for the past two weeks...
Thankfully, the writing is more motivating than the cleaning. I'd rather continue to procrastinate on tidying up than procrastinating on writing my book. I just wish procrastination wasn't so tempting.
I'm getting better as far as writing. Romance Diva's chatroom helps a lot with this as I can pretend I'm procrastinating and actually go in and get some writing done. Maybe that's the trick? Tell my procrastinating mind that I'm really just going to have fun, avert boredom, be silly or chat for a few minutes and then I actually use the time to get a few pages done?
Hmmm....I wonder if that would work with getting the bathroom done...Nah. When has scrubbing toilets ever been fun?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Nothing to Write About
I come into this blog intending to write brilliant or at least remotely interesting topics. Today, I'm drawing a blank. So, I figured maybe it's time to explore what happens when you have nothing to write about.
Do you ever just get stuck sitting in front of the computer, pad and pencil, or--god forbid--the typewriter? You know you have to write something but you just can't do anything but stare at the blank page?
Sometimes, I want to write and I look at the screen and think, "I have nothing to say." Other times, it is more that I have a lot to say and I have nowhere to begin.
What do you do when nothing comes to mind?
(On a silly side note, this reminds me of the end of the movie Ghostbusters. For anyone who actually remembers this 80's icon & relic, there's a scene where the ghostbusters are confronted by a being who will bring to life whatever is on their mind. So, they all decide to think of nothing. Except for Dan Aykroyd, who thinks of the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man.)
So to end this ramble about nothing, please share your thoughts about what you do when you can't think of anything to write?
Do you ever just get stuck sitting in front of the computer, pad and pencil, or--god forbid--the typewriter? You know you have to write something but you just can't do anything but stare at the blank page?
Sometimes, I want to write and I look at the screen and think, "I have nothing to say." Other times, it is more that I have a lot to say and I have nowhere to begin.
What do you do when nothing comes to mind?
(On a silly side note, this reminds me of the end of the movie Ghostbusters. For anyone who actually remembers this 80's icon & relic, there's a scene where the ghostbusters are confronted by a being who will bring to life whatever is on their mind. So, they all decide to think of nothing. Except for Dan Aykroyd, who thinks of the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man.)
So to end this ramble about nothing, please share your thoughts about what you do when you can't think of anything to write?
Monday, June 2, 2008
Do Your Heroines Resemble You or Anyone You Know?
When I first started writing romance in the eighth grade or so, I generally chose dark-haired heroines. I had a thing about making a blond heroine the star of the books. I also tended to write about tall heroines (I'm a 5'8" brunette). Today, I write heroines of differing hair colors and heights, but I wonder if there is a natural tendency to write heroines that look like us or maybe even a sister or close friend.
While I do sometimes pick actresses or models who resemble my character, I haven't yet made a character look like a friend. However, there is one particular story that I plan to write eventually in which I will base the look off of a girl I've seen who works at a local bookstore. I just noticed one day that she had beautiful features and looked like what I want my heroine to look like. Interestingly, a friend of my mom's looks a lot like this character and like an older version of the girl in the bookstore. But, these things kind of came to me after I already had the character in mind.
So, do your characters look like you? Or, someone you know?
While I do sometimes pick actresses or models who resemble my character, I haven't yet made a character look like a friend. However, there is one particular story that I plan to write eventually in which I will base the look off of a girl I've seen who works at a local bookstore. I just noticed one day that she had beautiful features and looked like what I want my heroine to look like. Interestingly, a friend of my mom's looks a lot like this character and like an older version of the girl in the bookstore. But, these things kind of came to me after I already had the character in mind.
So, do your characters look like you? Or, someone you know?
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
What's in a name?
Thursday, I will be blogging at Deadly Vixens. The topic will be ex-boyfriends and how and where they can show up in your writing.
Today, I'm going to talk about a problem that often comes up for me...making sure I don't keep repeating the same names or the same first letter of character names. This one is tough for me. A couple of years ago, I wrote a few chapters of a medieval romance with paranormal elements. My heroine's name was Astrith. Her father's name was Alden. Her brother, who died several years before the story begins, is named Alaric. And each one is important to the story to some degree. But, talk about problematic for a reader. I contemplated changing Alaric to Eric, but I still couldn't figure out what to do with Astrith and Alden.
My novella, Secrets Uncovered, is an altered version of a story I wrote in high school. The theme is the same in the two stories, but the plot is different and Secrets Uncovered is three times longer. But, my subconscious mind had a definite idea of who the characters would be in these stories. In my high school story, the heroine's name was Elizabeth and nicknamed Eliza. The hero's name was Jared. The best friend's name was Margaret. In my current novella, the heroine's name is Elena (short for Eleanor) and the hero is Jamie and the best friend is named Melissa. Even the annoying secondary character has a similar name. I had a character named Constance in the first story and in Secrets, the other woman is named Cherise.
And, recently, I had an idea for a fantasy romance series set in a medieval world. The heroine's name is Eleyne/Eleyn. I wanted something like Helene, but I may use that name for an older story idea I had, so I looked up Medieval names and came up with Eleyne. But, doesn't that look and sound a lot similar to Elena?
I have this odd connection to heroines whose names start with an E or an A. I just can't seem to help myself. But, in order for my stories to be effective, I have to help the reader. Which means I can't keep overusing the same names!
Do you find you have favorite names or name sounds that pop up over and over? Did you ever read a book that you could have really enjoyed if it weren't for the fact that too many characters had similar names?
Today, I'm going to talk about a problem that often comes up for me...making sure I don't keep repeating the same names or the same first letter of character names. This one is tough for me. A couple of years ago, I wrote a few chapters of a medieval romance with paranormal elements. My heroine's name was Astrith. Her father's name was Alden. Her brother, who died several years before the story begins, is named Alaric. And each one is important to the story to some degree. But, talk about problematic for a reader. I contemplated changing Alaric to Eric, but I still couldn't figure out what to do with Astrith and Alden.
My novella, Secrets Uncovered, is an altered version of a story I wrote in high school. The theme is the same in the two stories, but the plot is different and Secrets Uncovered is three times longer. But, my subconscious mind had a definite idea of who the characters would be in these stories. In my high school story, the heroine's name was Elizabeth and nicknamed Eliza. The hero's name was Jared. The best friend's name was Margaret. In my current novella, the heroine's name is Elena (short for Eleanor) and the hero is Jamie and the best friend is named Melissa. Even the annoying secondary character has a similar name. I had a character named Constance in the first story and in Secrets, the other woman is named Cherise.
And, recently, I had an idea for a fantasy romance series set in a medieval world. The heroine's name is Eleyne/Eleyn. I wanted something like Helene, but I may use that name for an older story idea I had, so I looked up Medieval names and came up with Eleyne. But, doesn't that look and sound a lot similar to Elena?
I have this odd connection to heroines whose names start with an E or an A. I just can't seem to help myself. But, in order for my stories to be effective, I have to help the reader. Which means I can't keep overusing the same names!
Do you find you have favorite names or name sounds that pop up over and over? Did you ever read a book that you could have really enjoyed if it weren't for the fact that too many characters had similar names?
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