Harder than manual labor - by Sandy Istvan

I swear, no matter how trite, how corny, how boring I find a novel, I will never again speculate on the length of time the author spent writing it, the intelligence of the author, or the wisdom of the editor who accepted it for publication. It’s damned hard work to write something people will actually enjoy reading. Too bad every aspiring romance writer doesn’t get the ‘Nora Roberts gene.’

The earliest draft of my story has a date of 08/02. At that time it was a horror tale, and the narrative was all over the place – lots of side stories, unimportant conversation, too many characters; you get the drift.

I’ve loved to write since I was a kid, but I never developed any discipline – actually didn’t know there was a formula to follow. Since submitting my manuscript was the farthest thing from my conscious mind, I had a great time – threw in everything but the kitchen sink.

Then it dawned on me: my manuscript had a female bank officer and a very male lawyer. I snatched the idea of a love affair between my two major characters. What took me so long, I wonder? Wired and still completing winging it, I tore apart my story and began trying to add little romantic vignettes without destroying the plot I’d labored over. I decided I needed a back story for at least my major characters so I could throw in interesting little conflicts between the potential lovers. But how would I blend in their stories? And when at last he takes her to bed, how would I describe that? What if my grandchildren happened to sneak a peek at the ever-present manuscript?

While I struggled with the issues mentioned above and constantly had to read and re-read my life’s work, I noticed that my sentences were stiff, boring to tell the truth. So I began to substitute more interesting words, better phrases; I even inverted sentences or cut them into segments and tried various arrangements of the words.

Do you get the feeling that I never clean my house or cook dinner? Fortunately my husband’s current hobby is cooking, so we’re all set there – we won’t starve. Not sure about the dust bunnies, though.

The conversion of the story from spooky horror novel to novel of romantic suspense took on a whole new aspect when I learned the LCRW members met, of all places, in the Gates Town Hall. I could walk there from my house if I had car trouble. Finally, finally I could talk to real published authors and pick their brains, learn their secrets, hear their critiques. Of course, all my newfound knowledge necessitated complete revision of my manuscript.

In July of 2008, I submitted my novel,Damned Liaison, to the Wild Rose Press. It took three editors and six months to get to the rejection, but the rather terse email did say the story had an interesting premise, so I latched onto that thought and started in again.

I’ve finished revising the entire manuscript and given it a new title. Currently I’m going chapter by chapter catching errors, dull paragraphs, dangling participles (and maybe other dangling things), and as many other glitches as I can find, to correct. Expect to resubmit by mid-July.

Hope it goes because I’ve started two other novels, and I’m eager to see what happens in them. You got it; I’m a ‘pantser.’Bottom line? This stuff is hard work. It’s harder than manual labor, and it takes dedication, flexibility, and the ability to accept rejection.

But think of the pleasure of having your labor of love published at last.

It’s worth it, don’t you think? Can’t wait to find out!

What's your inspiration?

Hey y'all!

We talked about this a little at one of our meetings. Where do you get your story ideas?
My first full length novel was based on a very vivid dream I had. I still remember it to this day.
(No, I'm not going to describe the dream. Not appropriate.)

But it spawned an idea and once I started writing, it was almost like I was possessed. I couldn't stop. At times I even felt high.

Now, I get most of my images and ideas from songs. Country songs. God, I love them. One song gives me a title, one gives me a story idea, one inspires a character, describes a hero, I could go on and on.

There's one song, that's a story in itself. Amazing writing. It's about a boy looking at pictures with his grandfather and the boy asks, is that you?
The grandfather goes on to explain three of the pictures, and it's unbelievable. I can't do it justice, maybe I'll print the lyrics and bring them in.

But whoever wrote that...he/she must have gotten high too because it comes together beautifully. It's gorgeous writing. And it takes my breath away.

Once I was at work, and a teen boy and girl were in the parking lot, they faced each other and the boy placed his hands on her hips. The gesture looked extraordinarily tender. I remember thinking, he's genuinely in love with this girl, interested in her as a person, cares about what's going on inside her. (Not just wanting to get inside her.) It touched me and gave me an idea for two characters. I wanted to be able to capture the feelings that image brought up in me in these two characters.

I remember reading in Bob Mayer's book that you can look at the front page of the newspaper and get at least three ideas for a story.

News can inspire a lot of ideas. And even if we all picked the same news event, each of our stories would end up different. That's pretty cool!

What inspires you? Where did you get past story ideas?

Is Your Story Trying Too Hard?

She gives you compliments. Explains things in great detail, trying to gain your respect and attention. She calls you every day to tell you what's been going on in her fascinating world. Every word she utters seems to come from a well of desperation. "Like me, please!" she seems to say.

I feel fairly confident we've all met a person like this sometime or another in our lives. Annoying, isn't she?

Yet many of us one time or another create a story that tries too hard to get the reader to like it. We throw in metaphors and similes and decide, "Yes! Now the reader will understand what I'm trying to say and I've created an ingeniously creative way to say it!" Or we give the reader so much description we drown the story in detail. Or we make sure the reader understands our point by repeating our message, stating it a different way each time, as if we feel the reader will get it eventually. After all, if you can't swallow a pill, you can split it into pieces and take it bit by bit, right?

Annoying, isn't it?

Take a look at your work from an objective point of view. Are you trying too hard to get the reader to like what you've written? Is the story lost in your prose? It's a delicate balance, using beautiful imagery and lyrical narrative. Rick spoke about gorgeous writing, but it takes years of practice to get right. Five metaphors in one paragraph might be too much. And your reader might decide to turn you away after all your hard work trying to get him or her to like you.

End of school, finished book, and lovely weather

Today is my daughters last day of school. Mixed emotions. Glad I'll get to see her more (I work a lot of nights and she usually gets home as I am leaving.)
Sad that my quiet writing time is going to be few and far between.
I think I need to get my hubby to help out. I don't want to stop!
Wouldn't it be nice if it was like the old days and kids could just go out and play?
Sigh.

I finished my second novel, Breaking the Barriers! I feel great about it. Even looking forward to the edits. Right now, I am going through and adding chapter breaks, writing a short summary of each chapter, and noticing where I may need to add some sensory descriptions, heat (as in Texas), and possibly more foreshadowing. I also intend to start researching agents.

The weather outside is lovely right now! But I want to be inside at my computer. Sigh again.
There will be other lovely days. :)

Where do you write?

When I started my first novel, Taken, I used to write anywhere and everywhere. I wrote longhand, in a huge notebook. I really enjoy writing longhand, but I usually use my computer now.

In my house, my husband and I have a furnished attic. This is our hideaway. He has his xbox 360, and we have our house computer, as well as a stereo, and lots of books (and junk.) It's actually very nice up there.

On one side there is a little alcove with a big window and I have set up a table there (an old lunch table from Nazareth Academy) and my laptop, files etc. I'm still organizing but it's great, spacious, nice view etc.

It's nice coming up here in the morning all by myself, (at least for a few more days when school is over) drinking my nectar of the gods - a very strong latte, and writing.

Right now there is a bird calling and I swear it's saying...Christine, christine, christine...lol.

TGIF and good writing everyone!
:)

Writing Even When You Don't Feel Like It

I will keep this short and sweet because I never know when the next "call of nature" will demand immediate attention. About 48 hours ago I contracted some [probably] communicable disease whose symptoms are nasty in the extreme. I have enjoyed prolonged exposure to the dust bunnies lurking in the corners behind the commode in the bathroom. I can verify there are 45 rings in the woven basket we use as a trash basket in the same room. We have exhausted the supply of Wegman's ginger ale and saltine crackers.
Has life ceased at 11 Burlington Avenue?
No no no.
I suggested to my husband, gently of course as I know no other way to deliver bad news, that he make his own !@#$%^&*()_ dinner because the smell of it will send me directly back to paying homage to the porcelain god.
You had best believe I'm not writing "no matter what".
Peace
Kat

A MIllion Reasons to Write

It’s official, yes, as of June 10th, we have one millions words in the English language. Web 2.0, according to Global Language Monitor, is considered part of our language since it’s been used over 25,000 times. New words soon to added are defollow, noob, and defriend.
With one million words to work with, you’d think our job would be soooo easy. Then why does finding that perfect verb keeps us awake all night? And when that long-sought-after adjective that describes the glow in your hero’s eyes finally hits, you damn near wreck the car scribbling it on a McDonald’s napkin.
Arranging and rearranging words is like working on a jigsaw puzzle. Some days the pieces seem to fall into place, other times it’s like hammering the word till it fits. But, it’s a beautiful thing when it all comes together.
I have found the vast information contained in online dictionaries staggering. They specialize in everything from ballet to sexual terms. Sometimes, I get so overwhelmed, I reach for my trusty hard-covered Webster’s College Dictionary.
A while back, Christine was searching for a word. She wanted a ‘breathy’ word for her hero. How about bronchovesicular? Bronchovesicular (adjective): relating to the air passages and vesicles of the lungs. Bronchovesicular breath sounds consist of a full inspiratory phase with a shortened and softer expiratory phase.
Talk about a buzz kill. That word wouldn’t even fit in a medical romance.
As writers we need to reach beyond our comfort zone and try new words and phrases. More than anything, we need to keep up with our readers in this ever changing world.
Above all else, keeping writing, after all, we’ve got a million words to work with!

SYNOPSIS WRITING THE WARRIOR-WRITER WAY

Most writers dread writing the dreaded synopsis. I think there is a very good reason for this. As we learn our craft, we are told to make sure every word, every sentence, every paragraph, ever scene has purpose. We are told to write tight. There can be nothing in our novels that could be tossed out. Every thing has to move our plot/characters forward. Therefore, how can you leave anything out of a synopsis!!!!!!!!! I mean, every thing in my book is important to the plot and characters because I wrote tight, right?

Here are the two lessons I learned from Bob Mayer (@Iwhodareswins on twitter) when I took his writers workshop last fall.

Lesson 1) Avoid what I like to call "and then this happened" syndrome. The very first synopsis Bob ever critiqued of mine, he told me that I had a lot of "incidents" in the synopsis but not conflict. Where was the conflict? What was the main conflict? How did it escalate? Also in the body of the critique were a lot of "why is this important?" or "I'm confused - who is this? what does he/she have to do with the main story line?" and even "I don't get this" of course my favorite is "I'm lost". At the end of the critique he told me that it was confusing because I had so many characters and every possible subplot that he got confused. He suggested I focus on three characters - the protagonist, the antagonist and one supporting character. He also said something about Narrative Structure, but I didn't hear him that time. I was stuck on how lost he was on what I thought was a great story. Sigh. So, I tried again.

Lesson 2) So, I'm a gluten for punishment. I asked Bob to do another paid critique. Here are some of the comments. I learned a little, but still not there yet. "OK - this is getting confusing" and "This character seems shoved in here" and "this is a coincidence" then "Feel like we skipped over the entire book" which lead to this "the focus is too much on the climatic scene". His final comments were something like "Overall, not bad. Too much focus on the ending. What is the inciting incident? Escalating conflict? and you have a big plot hole". So, here I added the climatic scene, but focused too much on it. Was better, but not there yet.

Lesson 3) I really enjoy having my work critiqued by this man. I'm actually not joking. He makes you think. So, I flew across the country and went to his Writers workshop. Once again, I got a critique. Here is what he had to say this time. "Good idea, but question is why would someone do this?" and "Why? This seems like an abrupt shift" and then "this is a confusing paragraph" next comment was my favorite because it means I did something right "interesting". Hey, if you can get that man to think something is interesting, well, damn it, it's interesting. But, critique not over yet. "You need to explain this" and then final comments were "Who exactly is the protagonist? Your ending is a huge let down. What is the pay off to the reader?"

OK - so, what have do I get from all of this. My synopsis writing is getting better. What I like the most about Bob's critiques is that he never tells you something is wrong, or bad, he asks you questions, forces you to really think about what is going on in your story and then you get to write it down. He gives you tools - like 3 characters, follow narrative structure, keep it simple. Yeah, sounds simple, well, seriously, if you follow it - Inciting incident, Escalating conflict (turning points) Dark moment, Climax and Resolution, and keep it to that, don't add anything else, you will have a very simple and precise synopsis of your book that is understandable and an exciting read, which is what you want.

Lesson 4) I will let you know when I finish current WIP and have Bob critique that opening and synopsis.

When Do You Write?

Last week, at the Creative Writing Workshop through Barnes and Nobles in Greece, one question that popped up through out the night was 'when do you write?'. The group is from all genres and writing levels. One was getting back into writing after a twenty year break while others were just finding their groove.

Some say in the morning after cleaning, going to Barnes and Nobles three times a week, or in the car while driving... it comes down to when we all have time throughout our busy day. Personally, I used to write before bed, but life has put a stop to that, now I am trying a new routine.

Stephen King wrote contracted work in the morning and for fun in the afternoon. It was the fun piece that he first sold well. So if you can commit yourself to writing all day long, do it. Find your groove.

If you have to buy a package of white paper napkins for paper, hide yourself in a single lite room with a table and typewriter, or upside down on a lounge chair by the pool just do it. The sky's the limit as long as we write. Because you never know what you have until you read it on paper, or a computer screen.

The light goes on...

I was in TWRP greenhouse, which is full of great articles on the mechanics of writing.
Since I've been writing, and sharing my writing, I've heard over and over - Show don't tell.
I have always had trouble understanding it. I think I do and then I blow it again.

Anyways, I went to the greenhouse and found an article on Show vs. Tell and I think I finally got it!

Once sentence by Linda Carroll-Bradd was all it took.

An easy way to determine this is to ask yourself, does my sentence describe a feeling or an impression or does it describe a physical action?

Aha! I get it.
When my heroine is feeling scared, unsure or nervous, I can use body language to show this.
She can play with her hair, shift her weight, cross her arms, clear her throat etc.

I have been excited ever since.

OR

Ever since I read this I have been smiling, bouncing in my seat, retyping many sentences and telling everyone I know.

How Much Is Too Much?

There was a discussion recently on an email loop I subscribe to about sharing personal information—not names and addresses or that sort of thing. But personal, private things. The problem wasn’t the sharing; it was that the person who posted the personal information found out it had been shared outside of the loop. The fact that this was a business-type of loop made the dilemma all the more interesting. If information wasn’t prefaced with a confidentiality warning, was it wrong to share it? And does personal information even belong on a loop that pertains to the business of writing? Sure, people get to know one another and get comfy-cozy in their virtual world but… does the false comfort of the internet lure us into crossing boundaries?

When literary agent Pam Hopkins visited our chapter recently, she mentioned professionalism and reminded us all of proper behavior on the internet. Once you put it out there, she said, it’s out there forever. That’s a great way of looking at it, and a reminder that I’m sure all of us need from time to time.

I’m probably as guilty as anyone else of being too personal. I’ve posted pictures of my kids, or used their names, on my blog before now, and on smaller, more intimate loops that aren't necessarily business-focused I've shared personal stories. But a blog is different than an email loop—people choose to visit a blog, choose whether or not to read the posts, and choose whether or not to return to read again. With email, particularly in a business situation, you don’t always know if the latest message to show up in your inbox is important until you’ve read the whole thing.

I’m not saying we can’t share our personal experiences with the friends we make online, but I do think it’s best to proceed with caution and certainly to think twice before sharing something truly personal—i.e., a fight with a husband, problems with your kids, etc. on a loop that’s devoted to business.

It’s hard to say whether the person who prompted the recent loop discussion would behave any differently in a person-to-person situation. Probably not. We’ve all been stuck—either on an airplane, at a dinner party, or on line at the DMV—with someone who wants to tell you their troubles. And I’m willing to bet all these “self talkers” (people who love to talk about themselves) need is a sympathetic audience to get them revved up anyway—any warm body (real or virtual) will do. But it really got me thinking about how much I share, when and where (personally, I’m a notorious loop lurker. It’s not that I have nothing to say, I’m just usually so pressed for time I can’t often participate in loop discussions).

So what’s your opinion on personal sharing online? How much is too much? Does too little come across as snooty, or just otherwise occupied? And how about you? Are you an open book who shares everything—or a closed case?

Happy Writing!

Nic

Creative Energy

Writers seem to have a creative gene. Often time that creativity comes out in various forms before the actual writing abilities surface. Take Nora Roberts, for instance. A stay-at-home-mom, she was an avid crafter, dabbling in ceramics and sewing all her kids’ clothes. A blizzard forced her to try another outlet for her creativity. If she had been able to make it to Jo-Anne’s that weekend, the world would have missed out on a great author.
Stephen King’s passion for writing is rivaled by his love of music. He and fellow authors, Dave Barry, Amy Tam, Matt Groening, Ridley Pearson, just to name a few, have banded together as the Rock-Bottom Remainders. Even their name is a publishing term referring to discounted left-over books.
Terry Spears, a Texan writer, famous for her fantasy romances, is almost as famous for her Wild & Woolly Bears.
Frequently, our hobbies and crafts will be woven into a story line. Giving the heroine the talent for making luscious gourmet meals will have the hero eating out of her hand. Imagine the sweet maiden who wins the heart of fierce warrior by knitting woolen socks.
It doesn’t matter if you’re piecing together squares for a crazy quilt or piecing words for your best-seller, it all involves creativity.
Long before I crafted words, I was big into crafting, everything from cake decorating to heirloom sewing. These days, the hinges on the craft closet door have grown rusty and writing has become my obsession.
What are some of your creative outlets?

The end of books?

The ereaders, and the kindles, I've heard about these.
Today I read that the state of CA is considering doing away with textbooks.
Why make kids carry around all that heavy stuff, when digital is so much lighter? And cost efficient.

I don't know.

A book can't crash?

Yes, they get old, musty, and are vulnerable to water and fire...(so are the ereaders I'm sure) But it's a BOOK. A book could last hundreds of years...a lot longer than a battery.

Can you tell I have mixed feelings? Actually not mixed. I'm pretty much anti. I know some of you guys have them, and I probably will someday too.

But there's something magical about a book. The printed word.

If I get published, I'm afraid it won't feel real to me, if it's not something I can put on my shelf.
It makes me sad that kids may learn that books are expendable.

I can't imagine curling up on my couch, or in my bed, with a computer, it's not the same. The readers are smaller, but still...

I love collecting my fav. authors books and I'd like my books, hopefully someday, to be on a fan's shelf too.

What's your opinion?

From the "Queen of Networking"

Dee gives far too much credit.
I have this quirk in my personality which makes me remember people [not necessarily their names] and what they said to me or what happened when I was around. This quirk served me very well as a nurse, later as a victim advocate, even later as an insurance investigator and now as a writer.

As far as incresing your "sphere of power" so to speak, if you belong to writers' groups either face to face or on line you will pick up who has their act together and who's so full of themselves they aren't worth the air inflating their gigantic egos. Either way, their names will stick with you. When you talk to or read about the same names over and over that's networking. I'm not a queen by any means [other than the Reigning Queen of Man Haters which has managed to stick over the years]. Perhaps a lady in waiting.

I think Dee has a good idea with regard to marketing. Perhaps we should focus on that, maybe make it a group goal for next year. We could spend meetings on marketing tools, perhaps have a published author come in to speak on marketing [one who is SUCCESSFUL] strategies.

One way to get your name out there is join writer's groups and VOLUNTEER to do something at their conference. To avoid days [literally] of traveling, stick to chapters in this part of the state: Buffalo [Western New York RWA], Syracuse [Central New York RWA] STAR--Southern Tier Area Romance Writers [Vestal/Johnson City/Binghamton area]. Offer to do a workshop for them. Of course it helps if you have a marketable skill which writers are dying to know more about.

And you don't need to focus on RWA chapters. If you're a mystery writer, google Sisters In Crime [they accept males] or Mystery Writers of America. They have chapters all over the country. Google them for locations, membership rules etc.

Google "writers groups in Rochester/Monroe County". There are a number of small grass-roots VERY LOOSELY organized groups locally who connect on-line and in person. I know this because my daughter's sister-in-law works with someone who's in the group and they want a published author to speak to them about how to get published. I gave them the names of Kathryn Shay, Patricia Ryan and Lorraine Bartlett, all published, all former members of LCRW. Each of these women [two write romance, the third writes mystery/suspense] are multi-published; each write for SEVERAL DIFFERENT HOUSES ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!

As for being computer literate--I am not the source to go to. In fact, I pay one of the editors in my line to do all the formatting and data entry on the TWRP books I edit. Nicole McCaffrey handles all my personal computer problems. Nicole is a member of a number of on-line romance writers groups; she blogs her butt off and has earned herself a rep for being kind and gentle. Now there's a Queen for you.
Kat

new directions

The first meeting of the Westside Critique Congregation was last Wed. Though not attended my many the evening was fruitful. Each of us learned something from the others. I would personally like to see more unpublished authors at the next meeting. Those seem to offer less technically hindered critiques, that is more like readers. This feedback is most valuable because we write to readers. Though most writers are readers prepublished readers offer the most pure critique, at least in my experience.
I was talking to Donna Collins and she suggested the group have an on line subscription to the Writers Market. I think it is an idea that merits consideration. We would only need one subscription, each member of the group with paid up dues would be given the common password. Each year when dues are due the password would be changed. Think about it.

On another matter that plagues me, I would like to see instituted a market plan. I hate to do the publicity, which is why my sales are low. If everyone who knows anything about publicity could put together a plan it would be most helpful to the group. Wouldn't it be nice to have a member who sells in this tight market? I for one would like to know about Face Book, Twitter and other networking plans. I am no kid, so am not as technially savy as you younger folks. It can't be all that hard, yet I fear to try. I like to have things all laid out before I jump in the pool. Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated.
Continuing in this vein we have within this group a member who should be called the Queen of Networking and to my knowledge she does not have a lot of computer skills. Come on Kathy tell us how you do it. She has the knack for remembering folks names and situations and always offers assistance to everyone. I noted this knack sometime ago and have yet to figure out how she does it. Ms. Cottrell please share.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am off to visit my grandson who is turning 18 and the worst of it is he's my youngest grandson. I've gone from koolaid to medicade. Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting. Stay well and take care of each other.
Dee Carey
The Foxlady

SPRING CLEANING

I'm in the process of rewriting a book I wrote about 5 years ago. It was an indulgent book. One I wrote for my pleasure and my pleasure alone. I dabbled in a different point of view as well as a completely different sub-genre of romance. The process of rewriting has been an eye opening experience thus far. First, my writing has changed as I have grown as a writer. I also realized that back then, I had no sense for what escalating conflict really meant. I had a series of incidents, but the stakes never really got higher until bam! we hit the climatic scene, and well frankly, no one would have made it that far.

I also realized that back then I didn't give the protagonist any thought. I just picked a character, and started writing. Well, I picked the wrong character who was the wrong sex who should have been human to start with, then evolve into something else. Go figure. Well, thankfully, I think I've got that all straightened out.

Actually, I found out that while my idea is still solid, everything else about the story needed a major overhaul. Spring cleaning comes to mind. You know, when you go through everything, toss out what is old and doesn't work anymore, and polish up what does... sound a little like revising and rewriting? Yep. It's hard to do, using that delete key. Being honest enough with yourself about the realities of your story and doing what it takes to make it better. Hmmm, sound a little like life?

Yeah, it does. When a character goes through your book from inciting incident to climax and resolution, the character evolves and changes. So do we as writers, although it's not a nice and neat wrap up like in our books. It's a long, draining process. Well, so is life. Life Lessons. Writing Lessons.

I have found the more I write. The more I study the craft of writing ,the harder the whole thing becomes. While ignorance is not bliss, it does reduce headaches. If you want to be a better writer, you have to learn to change the way you think about your ideas. Your character. Your plot. How do you do that? You open your mind and become willing to do what it takes. You listen. You learn. You write. You chop. You rewrite. You slam your computer against the wall. Kidding on that one. But seriously, you have to be willing to change when it's needed.

Which brings me to my point. Last time I blogged here, I gave everyone some father's day gift ideas. One of which was WHO DARES WINS: The Green Beret to Conquer Fear and Succeed by Bob Mayer. That recommendations still stands, btw. However, for me, the book is very timely in the sense that this book is helping me get the tools I need to achieve my goals. First one being, write a better book. It isn't always the writing that is the problem, sometimes its the process that is the problem and until we take an honest look at that, we will fail. I have failed.

Recently I read a blog post by Kristin Lamb regarding Blood Lessons, something taken directly from a workshop given by Bob Mayer (seeing a pattern here). I don't know Kristin all that well, but I can tell you that she is one of the smartest people I have meet. And one of the nicest too. Her blog post verbalized everything I had learned recently, but had been unable to put into words and act on it. That's important. It's one thing to know you need to change, it's another thing to take the action necessary to make the change happen.

It's spring. It's time to change.

Learning

Several years ago, I wrote two manuscripts that have everything plus the kitchen sink shoved into it's pretty pages. Last year I decided to get up from my chair and hit some writer's group to see if I have something worth continuing. Well, well, well... I have found a new world of trade. And learnt so much that my head is now spinning. Now I know I am not really a plotter, more a pantser. And to top it off, I have to write to get to the answer why? The characters demand surprise.
In the last year, I have started four stories and all are in varies stages of completion. The problem is in my head I have already figured out why it has happen and the stories hold no appeal to me now. This is the frustrating part of writing. When you learn just enough to question your every word, and lose what you were wanting to write. Now, I am working on a balance. My new approach is to let it rip and then pick up the pieces when it's over. Maybe then I could complete something and have my ahhhh moment.

Writing from my head...

As a writer I have a picture in my head of how scenes will go. I can see them perfectly, know what the hero and heroine are going to do, how they are going to do it, what it will look like, etc.

But there are times that for the life of me, I cannot get it out on paper. When I try to put into words the scene I'm imagining, it comes out sounding flat.

What do you guys do to solve this dilemma when you are faced with it? Do you just write what you see/feel to get it out and then go back and beautify it?

And then I read my favorite authors, and they write their words so beautifully. Maybe I just need to go for it, write over the top, fluffy stuff, and then go back and see how it sounds.

Just the thoughts going through my head this evening.
Would love your input.

Just a short post...

...to see who's reading our blog. If you are reading this please post a comment. I'm interested in who's checking in.

I hope everyone is having a great writing week!