Usually I'm jealous Thursday, January 25, 2007

Most authors I know have a File. If you're a writer, you'll know what I mean, and if you're a reader with an absolute fave-author, you've probably dreamt of it...A file of bits and pieces of the stories that didn't work at the time, or were headed nowhere...the detritus of a writer's mind.
(Often these lead to the release of posthumous work, when someone finds these nearly-finished pieces and polishes them up, or asks another writer to fill in the gaps. The Silmarillion, by Tolkien, for example)

Many writers I know have completed or near-completed works in their File. As in, "oh yeah, that contest is coming up. I have something in my File I could polish up and send in." Or..."oh, Dayna, you want a 10,000 word story by Monday for a special collection? Sure, I'm sure I can find something in the File that will work."

Normally, I hate people like this :) Our own Elisabeth Drake hears it on messenger--a lot--'I hate you and your 'stuff in mothballs'.' Because I don't have a File. At least, I didn't. And it was pretty depressing, really. I've known I wanted to be a writer since I was three years old...and I have no File!

Then yesterday it happened. I went poking at random .doc files on my computer, and pulled up ten or twelve abandoned projects. I went from no File to a fair-sized one, almost overnight.

Granted, the largest document only has about 2000 words. The smallest one 600. But it's a start. And reading through them, they may not have worked at the time I originally wrote them, but a few--I can do something with now.

So my question today is: If you could take pieces from your three favorite authors, what sort of story would you end up with?

I'll go first ;)

My fave authors are: Guy Gavriel Kaye, who writes historical fantasies, Charles DeLint, who writes urban fantasy mixed with folk legend, and there are a number of rom-susp authors, but I'll pick Kathy Reichs, who writes forensic-suspense. (the basis for the TV show Bones, but her books are so much better) So...my 'file puzzle' would result in a historical fantasy set in an ancient city where fairies lurk in the shadows, following a anthropologist of the time who's trying to solve mysteries. :)
Sound good? I think so, but I'm weird that way! So, what would yours look like?

Racing for the finish Wednesday, January 24, 2007

So I'm writing my first single title, right? I'm LESS THAN 10K from the finish.

Allow me to take a moment and say this: WOO-FREAKING-HOO!!

Ahem.

Yes, it's very exciting. I've been beating my head against the wall about it for almost a week, squeaking out the necessary pages to make my word count. Why? Because I couldn't figure out that one, last shining golden piece of the puzzle that would make the story work.

Villain motivation.

Yeah, you'll hear me preach about this because I think it's essential. Villains should not be flat. They need the same goals, motivation, and conflict as the hero and heroine. You may not develop it to the same extent for the reader, but you better know what it is as a writer. I expect this as a reader...aren't you glad I'm not a hypocrit and expect it of myself as a writer?

Anyway, I'm barreling towards the finish on this and think I'll be done this week. Woot! Then it's polish, polish, polish and send it off into the world.

Anybody Out there? Monday, January 22, 2007

Anyone who might've been reading this blog on a semi-regular basis may've noticed...I've been awol lately.
I've been busy. And not just in a 'I've got deadlines and real life stuff galore' kind of way, but in a 'I'm re-examining my life and I don't entirely like what I see' kind of way.

So what does this mean for you, the reader?

More of me, for one thing :)
And less of me, for another.

I'm closing my personal blog, at least for a while, and concentrating on my blogposts here and at one other group blog I'm on. I only blog twice a week, I might as well do it where it matters most.

I'm also taking more time away from the computer to hang out with my kids, my husband, and my house, which is in need of more than a little cleaning at this point. More writing, less forums. More water, less coffee. (You may not want to be around for the first week of that)

So, watch out world, here I am.

What Do You Do When....... Thursday, January 18, 2007

....that feeling washes over you that luck is the only reason you're published? I remember the first thing I thought when I heard I won a place in the "Garden Bouquet" anthology at Wild Rose Press was "How many entries were there? Only two and I won?" *rolls eyes*.

I do have a little inferiority complex about my success. "The editor was in a good mood." Or "I have great critique partners" (which I do) are the reasons I tell myself I have contracts. The thing is that it doesn't matter. There's going to be people who completely agree with those reasons. I know I've read things and wondered how it got published. Why shouldn't someone read my stuff and wonder too? Does that mean I'm a "no talent" with a streak of luck?

No. It means that I have work to do to improve my writing. I have a voice now. It's all mine and I finally found it. I'm learning to stop repeating the words "felt", "had" and "moved". No author that I know beats their chest and howls that they're awesome. I mean, we all have to promote and get our names out there, but none of the writers I know have a huge ego around their work.

What I have to work on, for me, is not dissing myself for being a beginner. Crystal was mentioning New York. That's my goal. However, I am totally aware that my writing isn't ready for New York. I still have a lot to learn. It doesn't mean I won't get there. And it doesn't mean what I've written is rubbish. It just means I'm beginning a really great journey that I hope will end up with a great career.

What about you? What do you do?

P.S. Dayna's internet is down and she asked me to post today. Send her good thoughts so she doesn't strangle the internet guy when he comes out to fix it.

The List Wednesday, January 17, 2007

We all have one. A list of things we want to write, want to do in our fledgling careers. Get on a bestseller list, sell to New York, be in an anthology with La Nora.

Whatever.

Many of us roll our list into our New Year's resolutions and I'm no different in that respect. So here's my list for the year.

In no particular order:

1:: Submit to New York (done)

2:: Finish my first Single Title length novel and send it New York (next week or the week after)

3:: Meet all my deadlines for current publishers (5 short stories to go)

4:: Go to RWA (PLEASE let the tax return be good this year and it might happen for me)

5:: Submit to my favorite agents (One down, two to go)

It's only January, so I think I'm doing pretty good so far. What about you? What are you doing this year? Are you an OCD list maker like me?

Real Life And Writing Sunday, January 14, 2007

I've mentioned on my blog that personal stuff has been interfering with my writing. I mean, it's a little difficult to write a scintillating tale with EVERYONE in the room making their usual noise. Two toddlers playing tag up and down the hall, redneck hubby raging at the news and best friend cursing her computer. Not to mention the five dogs flitting in and out barking and whining depending on their mood.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Just when everything is clicking for me professionally, my real life goes haywire. So, the best thing I can do is think about the sucess I am having in my writing and let the real life happen.

With seven contracts and two submitted, I think I'm able to call myself an "author". If I focus on the positive, it's all going well. AND I used some of my bitchiness to create a character that I joyfully kill off later in the story. Absolute heaven. It's always nice to be able to exorcise my snarkiness in my writing.

On a fun note, I'm having a contest for my Valentine's Day release "Singled Out" with Cobblestone. My heroine is based on my best friend Michelle. I wrote her the happy ending she deserves. The contest is to send Michelle a Valentine's Day ecard to my email address, jenmckafg@hotmail.com. Make it funny, sweet, whatever. The one that she loves the most will be the winner of a $10 gift certificate from Cobblestone and a $10 gift certificate at the Wild Rose Press. Send Michelle a little love for this Hallmark holiday.

How do you exorcise your dark moods? Can you write and get them out?

Who do you love? Wednesday, January 10, 2007

I'm prepping my first manuscript for New York submission.

Now, the question is...who do I send it to? I thought I knew, but digging deeper, I'm not so sure now.

The problem is that most publishers don't allow for simultaneous submissions (submitting to more than one publisher at a time), so once you pick you're locked in a shame spiral of waiting for six months or more. Once they reject you (and you're hoping they don't) you can move on to your second pick.

The whole process could take for-freaking-ever. So you have the brass ring of print publication, but the ringer you go through to get it--and some people write for decades and never do, horror of horrors--might make you throw up your hands and give up. It's rather daunting for someone like me who is just dipping their toes in the New York ocean.

Part of the problem can be the conflicting advice you get from people. Who to sub to, who's looking for what, who hates what, what to put in your synopsis and cover letter, who's the best to work with, who pays the most, what genres are dead, what genres are hot. Gah!

Maybe It's Not How It Is but........ Sunday, January 07, 2007

.....it feels like romantic suspense requires more detail. In the last year, I've finished two romantic suspense, one fantasy, two romantic comedy and some straight romance (erotic or sensual). Of all of these stories, my romantic suspense has been the toughest.

It all has to tie together. The bad guy has to get his comeuppance and the hero and heroine have to discover each other in the midst of danger. There's the aspect of "mystery" and the aspect of "romance" AND the element of action/danger.

Not being a very organized soul, I find this hinders me quite a bit. I lose track of where my characters are and where they're going. They start running around like crazy people from scene to scene and it makes no sense. That's where I am now.

I'm writing "The Big One". This is the goal I set for myself this year. Write 100K romantic suspense and pitch it to an agent and a big publishing house. I'm at that point where details matter. And I'm having a difficult time making them work. *sigh*. Not being detail oriented, I tend to make howlers that my critique partners remind me about.

I know I can write romantic suspense. I've got "Heart of the Storm" coming out in September. I'm not complaining, just curious. Why does it seem different to do "world building" for a suspense than it does for fantasy? Or maybe it isn't different to you?

Let's Talk about Sex Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Yeah, I bet that title got your attention, but it's not what you think.

I'm not really talking about sex in books, or the amount of steamy in the sex scenes I, or any other romance author, writes.

I'm talking about the questions I occasionally get asked as a writer. Some people have treated me as something of a sex-pert/ sex therapist. Believe me, I am SO not. But, people get that impression because of what I write.

I have to say, I've been asked some pretty outrageous questions about what my--ahem--personal preferences are. Then there's the automatic assumption that I've done everything I write in the books. Um, no. Far from it. I can guarantee I've never done the nasty on a different planet in the future with a polar bear shape-shifter. Not once.

How is it that people get this impression though? I know that we're told to write from experience, but that only goes so far before some creativity has to take place. Thus, I am a writer.

So, there's my rant about weird questions. For me, it tends to be people either using me for advice or a confessional session about their exploits. Because, as an erotic romance writer, I must be a total hooker. On the one hand, it's funny and I AM very open about sex in general, just not MY sex life--see the difference? On the other hand, it's one of those things that make you go hmmmmmmmm.

What about you? Ever gotten or given any weird questions?

I Am An Addict Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Yeah. You read that right.

It's funny how "addiction" has become a ZOMG!EEKS! word for many Americans (I don't presume to speak for the rest of the world). By that, I mean that if anything could ever possibly become addictive, it is "bad" and it should be avoided. For instance:

Don't drink anything with caffeine in it; it's addictive.

Don't look at porn; it's addictive.

Don't play online computer games; they're addictive.

Don't drink alcohol; it's addictive.

Don't smoke cigarettes; they're addictive.

Don't take narcotic pain medication; it's addictive.

Don't.... I think you see my point. ;)

Seriously, I'm waiting for somebody to tell me, "Don't have sex; it's addictive." (I wonder what my husband would think of that! ... okay, thinking about it, he'd care less than me.)

Now, before the anti-addiction parade swoops down to bite my ass, yes, there are some things which have a danger of addiction. However, just because some people are doesn't mean that everyone would be. I smoke, but it takes me 2-3 months to go through a pack 'o cloves. I hardly call that "addicted."

But I do have a pervasive addiction... books.

Quit laughing. I'm serious. I cannot walk into a bookstore without spending at least $30. Normally, it averages around $80. (When you manage to do that in a used bookstore, though...) Do I read all the books I've bought before going and buying more? Of course not. If I stacked my TBR pile... well, I think it would reach the ceiling, and then some.

It's a compulsion, I tell you. Must... have... books...

Still, I have yet to hear someone tell me, "Don't read; it's addictive."