Spring into Revisions of Stories & Life

March is almost over. We've experienced our first bad day of epic storms. I may have seen a small tornado trying to form over my neighborhood on Monday, but yesterday the skies were blue. Spring has officially arrived.

Tonks has been eagerly nick-nicking in front of the window as flocks of robins, cardinals, sparrows and other birds have migrated through our neighborhood. She's a huntress by nature, but her indoor status keeps my feathered friends safe.

We had a College Kid sighting last week. She came home for half of Spring Break, regaled us with stories of her adventures (oh lord), big piles of laundry which she waited until the last minute to wash, and just a lot of goofing around the house. When she left on Sunday afternoon, the house felt very still and empty and lonely. We're looking forward to seeing her again.

I'm in the middle of major revising. I have written 9 books, revised 3 of them multiple times, and have learned so much in the interim that it's time to bring my new writing eyes to the stories again. It's been difficult to focus with all the other demands of life and shiny new stories calling for me to write them, but I am determined to have 4 fully polished full manuscripts ready to roll out the door into Query World & set sail for Submissions by the summer. So shiny new stories are brought out to play with and have fun only when I'm finished each revision.

It's about getting ready for change. It's about growing deeper roots. It's about building on what I know. I have a clear goal set and a clear mission. I always planned to hit it this way. And now I'm on the verge of making my dreams become a reality. This will be the year. I know it because I own it.

And along the way, I have met some amazing companions. Some have gone down different paths and we've waved goodbye. Others have remained on parallel paths and we continue to converge at odd times. Then there are the few who stand beside me, walk with me, pull me up when I am down and cheer me on when I am in a good place.

Right now. Today. I am in a good place. I feel good about my writing. I feel good about my primary writing friends (who are so much more than critique partners and writers to me). I feel good about the plans I've made.

Where are you in your writing world? Who are your companions?

Writing Life, Tidbits, & Sneak Interview Peek: Chelsey Emmelhainz, Avon Impulse

Ah, this week is good. Love is in the air. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and I'm a romance writer. What could be better than writing about my favorite subject? Love. The possibility of attaining a Happily-Ever-After with someone who is made for you. I've been working on a first draft of a new story, but revising is where the meat of the story falls into place. This is why I love to bang out my first drafts fast.

However, my current WIP's first draft process has been slightly slower for me. I think this is because I am on a learning curve regarding the line I am targeting. This is a different animal for me. I used to write fast, furious, high paced all the time. Whew, you'd be exhausted reading my first drafts. Stay tuned for how I'm changing my approach with this new WIP.

Right now I've got a King, a commoner, a secret baby scandal, and a forced marriage of convenience story between two reunited lovers who have to learn how to forgive each other and themselves. A story of second chances. I believe in them. Do you?

Another thing I believe in is opportunity. AVON Impulse offers authors a place to send their work whether it is single title, historical, romantic suspense, or contemporary series romance with a high concept. This year the Linda Howard Award of Excellences final judge for the Historical Category is Editor Chelsey Emmelhainz with Avon Impulse. She's Southern Magic's Carla Swafford's editor and very fun to interview. As part of our time together, I asked her this question:

While reading a manuscript, how long does it usually take before you know whether or not you want to request the full? Why?

For me, I can usually tell within the first ten pages. While we may not want to judge a book by its cover, I can generally tell fairly quickly whether or not the writing is clicking. My advice to authors? Grab ‘em early and really showcase your writing!

To find out what grabs Chelsey's editorial eye visit the Romance Magicians Blog at www.romancemagicians.blogspot.com on Thursday, February 14th. And polish your entries now. The 2013 Linda Howard Award of Excellence is still open for your diamond waiting to be discovered. Check out www.southernmagic.org for details.

Writing Life & Tidbits & Sneak Interview Peek: Alethea Spiridon-Hopson, Entangled Editor

Wow, I've been a busy bee these past few weeks. The Physicist has been gearing up for a very long trip overseas to parts unknown, and the College Kid has had some health issues I've had to wrangle long distance so my free time to blog has been minimized.

I love blogging and connecting with my cyber world. It's another water cooler for me, but if I have less time in my day it means setting the blog aside. Why? Oh, that writing thing I do? The stories I need to generate? They always come first. I've put myself on a series romance schedule of 3 books a year. I'd like to add to that schedule, but quality is important as well. I'm dedicated to mastering my craft and becoming even more adept at revising. More about that on Wednesday as I tease you about my current WIP.

In addition to real world interferences and my writing taking on a life of its own, I've been coordinating the 2013 Linda Howard of Excellence Contest. The deadline is approaching fast! February 22nd is just around the corner. I'm excited about the final judges and who will win this prestigious award. I won it last year and my interview about the Linda Howard Contest is running concurrently with today's blog. I've never been interviewed about my writing experiences before. It was fun. So check out www.magiccitywriting.blogspot.com for that interview.

Though I've only given one interview, I have interviewed so many of my wonderful friends who have had debut novels and achieved their dream of publication. I love their stories because they give me hope that the dream is attainable. And now, in another new thing for me to do, I have interviewed four delightful people on the other side of the publishing fence: 3 editors and 1 agent. All this for the Linda Howard Award of Excellence.

I learned a lot from these wonderful women. The main thing was that they care about writing and the stories and the craft as much as I do. And they're also very generous with their time and energy even though they have real lives and work demands, too.

My first interview will be up tomorrow on www.romancemagicians.blogspot.com with Entangled Editor Alethea Spiridon-Hopson who is judging our Contemporary Series finalists this year. Here's a sneak peak at what she has to say when I asked Alethea this question:

What do you consider the most important qualities of an author?

Flexibility, professionalism, cooperation, patience, and kindness in how they deal with you. Sounds simple and what should be, but you have no idea... it's often not the case.

Wow. Kindness. The Golden Rule. Let's hope we all apply it regardless of where we are in our publishing and writing journeys.

To find out what Alethea's looking for and more, visit the Romance Magicians Blog at www.romancemagicians.blogspot.com on Tuesday, February 12th. Polish your entries now. The 2013 Linda Howard Award of Excellence is still open for your diamond waiting to be discovered. Check out www.southernmagic.org for details.

Happy Writing!

Emotional Evasion

I've been in the trenches and revising for over a week. Some of it has taken me ages, other bits haven't been too hard to handle. But I'm nowhere near where I need to be as far as wanting to send it to the editor. Not yet.

First I have to rework the most difficult sections. Sections I hope will impact the readers' emotionally and supercharge them with empathy for my heroine. She's a feisty woman with lots of backbone, but even my heroine has her breaking point. And I just couldn't bear to write the scene today. Not at the end of the day.

I made notes, jotted down ideas, and arrived at the painful conclusion that I need to ramp up the action and pump adrenaline into these scenes' arteries. This is how it is going for me. I have to write something painful, something deeply emotional, and it's going to hurt. Not just my heroine, but me.

The truth is this heroine and I have been together quite some time. I've discovered a truth about her during this revision that is deeply painful. But I don't blame her for hiding it all these years. I know she's deeply private. I know she's trying to protect herself and her family from this pain.

There's no way I can force her to go through this right now. Or myself. It's emotionally draining. I have to mine her emotional experience from the depths of my soul.

I shall do that after a good night's sleep.

Reality Check: The Book Comes First

I've been in La La Land for over ten days. First a trip to Los Angeles which was interesting, different, fun, wild, weird, and wacky. Then the piles of laundry and cleaning and readjusting to life back in Alabama. Finally, the Darling Teen had her five wisdom teeth pulled last Friday and she's been recuperating for three days. I'm Mother Hen-ing her to bits but this is my last chance to "baby" her before she heads off to Auburn University in August (I was a child bride and had her before I turned 20--really *grin*). The schedule has been out of whack for days and I need to wrap my brain around another round of revisions.

What falls by the wayside first? Well, besides cleaning commodes that is... social media. Yes, I'm "supposed" to blog, tweet, post Facebook status updates, learn more about how to utilize Goodreads as an author, and try to figure out if Pinterest is a viable Social Media outlet to use.

But--this is a big but--I have nothing to promote if I don't have a book written and on sale. Period. The end. I often think that newbie writers--even PRO RWA writers who aren't published--spend far too much time figuring out their brand and their social media outlets and web pages rather than writing. Let's face it, it's easier to play on Twitter and fool around with web pages than revising. Heck, I'm guilty of playing hours of mindless Spider Solitaire while I was en route during my vacation rather than attempting to write. Of course, I knew revising while on a family vacation was not going to happen easily. So I surrendered to that reality and focused on what I had to focus: the family. I brainstormed, but I didn't do much else.

I don't usually take a big break from writing -- haven't for years -- but circumstances forced the break and it was useful in that it helped me clarify what to focus on when I sit down to revise this current book. This isn't a do or die revision. It's part of the process that I hope I will become much faster at accomplishing once I'm under contract. And I do expect that to become a new reality for me in the near future. I have to expect it. I have to want it. I have to need it. I am hungry for it.

I plan to make a meal out of my writing. A continuous buffet of writing.

Curiously, this all brings me around to the social media versus writing a book soapbox. I can't write and revise if my brain is all wrapped up in technical goop. It requires a different set of brain cells and drains my creativity. So here are my quick and dirty rules for managing social media and not letting it manage you.

1. The book trumps everything. First write, then tweet.
2. If you love to tweet on Twitter, then utilize the #1k1hr hash tag. Look for other writers to write with for an hour, then post your accomplishments on the hour, Tweet something personal to someone in a conversation, Retweet someone's promo tweet. Then back to #1k1hr
3. Twitter not your world? Facebook is your thing? Then post on the hour or 3 times a day or only in the times when your brain is a wet noodle and all you can do is write status updates.
4. Want to build a web page? Don't unless you're close to achieving publication. A blog on Wordpress or Blogger will suffice until you get closer. How you go about building it is up to you. I've chosen to go the do it yourself route for now with GoDaddy.com. My Teen can help with the web design fast pages while I *ahem* write my books.
5. Interested in Goodreads or Pinterest, but not sure which route to go? I suggest Goodreads because that is WHERE THE READERS are located.
6. Blog regularly if you are a new writer to help hone your voice. Blog irregularly the closer you get to the call. You can't blog and write great fiction at the same time. AND THE BOOK TRUMPS THE BLOG.
7. Emailing, Yahoo Groups and more. Email twice a day. No more. Shut down all email programs when you are writing. Turn them off!! Don't see how many emails are in your in-box and be tempted to turn away from that tricky writing problem to email someone back. Yahoo Groups: do digest. Check it once a day. Don't go crazy and try to keep up with all of it. Flag important emails and messaged and cope with them when you are ready to cope with them. Online classes? I use digest only mode and print out the lessons to read later. Developing a workshop or promoting one? Great. Is your book finished? There's no point in getting your name out there if you haven't got a book to sell. The book and your name are your brand.
8. Real face time beats Facebook time. Get out into the world a bit more. Be kind to people you deal with whether it is in the grocery store checkout line (PUT DOWN THE CELL PHONE AND TALK TO THE CASHIERS/BAGGERS/PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE!!!), at the gym during a workout class, or as part of a neighborhood community or book club. I already have a wonderful group of people who know I write in all of these places. Guess what? They aren't on Twitter or blogging. They are working, working out, reading, playing, being moms and dads and friends and more. Be in the world when you are out in public. Don't hide behind the cell phone screen and post tweets all the time on Tweetdeck. Be REAL. Then real people will become interested in you and what you do and you might just sell them your first book!
9. Family time first, then Internet time, or share it with the family.
10. The BOOK TRUMPS EVERYTHING that's tied to social media, the Internet, emailing, workshops. The book is the only thing that matters. PUT THE WRITING FIRST!

Okay, I'm done tooting my horn about social media versus real time and writing time. What's on my agenda for the rest of the week? Revisions, looking after the Teen, working out, being a wife and a friend, and popping into the Internet to say hi to all my virtual friends near and far when I'm on a  mini break or during the evening when my brain cells turn to rust and creative writing is wrapped up for the day.

What is your natural rhythm? Are you generating words or tweets or status updates? How do you creatively avoid writing and how do you get your head back into the game?

Moving On to New Beginnings

Yesterday the Teen graduated from High School. I thought I'd cry, but I didn't. I cried at the Cast Party because that is where the Teen's friends and life has revolved for all these years. I'll miss the "Crew" and all their running in and out of the house. I'm glad I have been and hope to continue to be their Drama Mama.

But the graduation itself was anti-climactic. Frankly, when there are over 700 students graduating everyone is just relieved when the last person's name is called. It was truly like a well-oiled machine. The speeches were tired and unrehearsed (in one case unprepared) when the officials spoke. The students who spoke did a great job (because they actually wrote speeches and for them this was NEW).

Complete mayhem afterward... 7000 plus people trying to connect with each others, a flurry of photographs while juggling diplomas and programs and coats and books and cell phones, and hasty hellos and goodbyes.

I was glad to get into the car and drive to the restaurant. Even the Teen was glad it was over. All our tears were shed during the Cast Party. I loved her people and I will miss her people. Advanced Production was her home at her high school. And that's what she'll miss.

Now we're off to new beginnings. Next on the horizon for the Teen is her entry into University. I can't wait to watch my War Eagle fly!!

Meanwhile, I'm off to a new beginning as well. I'm returning to the writing full speed ahead. I have to revise the beginning of my manuscript and I have to do it well. The changes will cause a ripple effect throughout the manuscript, but I am ready to dig in and do the work. I'll start revising tomorrow and continue through the weekend. I've promised the Physicist to emerge in the evenings to keep him company, but during the day, I am committed to working.

Because this is what makes me a professional. I've programmed myself to work hard and to get the job done. I've allowed myself ample time to noodle the story and brainstorm the changes. I have given myself permission to be a Mom first this week, but now I am parking my Mom Mobile and getting into my Writer's Wagon. It'll be a long and bumpy ride, but I'm confident I can do this...

I just have to get into the chair and start. So until I finish my revisions, I will be in my cave, hiding... I will emerge on Facebook and Twitter for brief breaths of air and socialization, but other than that I'll be off the Internet.

Wish me luck. Cross all appendages. Drop pennies in a well for me.... I need good mojo!!

Busy Days and Wild Ways

Life has gotten incredibly busy. The Teen graduates in one day from High School. There have been cast parties, graduation parties, and we've even managed to squeeze in a birthday dinner for the Physicist. Poor man has played second fiddle to the Teen's end of the school year activities for years. 

All that changes this year. I thought I'd be sad about the Teen graduating (yes I was a child bride and I had her when I was 13 haha), but I'm excited. Not going to lie. I'll miss her tremendously when she heads to college, but I am ready to give up my lunch lady and morning wake up call duties. Oddly, what I will miss a lot is seeing her perform on stage. I hope she will audition for roles at Auburn University despite majoring in Math. And I will also miss her friends coming over and making themselves at home for countless sleepovers and discussions about life, the universe and everything. 

She has great friends. I love them all and wish them well in their futures. I cried during the cast party. And I cried during voice recital. No doubt I'll cry during the graduation ceremony. But they were bittersweet tears. She's grown up. Her friends have grown up. We have done our job and raised her as best as we could. Now we have to trust that she will soar on her own. 

So we've had something going on every day since last week Thursday. And we won't get a reprieve until this Thursday. The Teen still needs her Senior year pictures made (the writing's to blame or just our busy schedules but the world didn't fall off the gravitational plane because of our procrastination). We're going to Burritt Mountain Wednesday afternoon to take them. I promise to take pictures with my camera and post them on the blog. I hear it's beautiful up there.

Meanwhile, back in my writing world I've been trying to build a website which got put on hold when the designer wasn't able to come through for me. So now I am attempting to work through it on my own with the Math Genius Teen's help during this summer. I might need a web presence at some point so a little effort here and there will make the difference.

I've also received an opportunity to work on one of my manuscripts with an editor. While it's not a contract, I'm over the moon because having that kind of guidance will help my writing mature. I want to become a better writer and I want my stories to resonate with my readers. I have a quote that I cling to which says "the world is waiting for you to get it right." I'm working toward that goal. All this fabulousness means I have to noodle the story again. Rework the beginning. Play with the suggestions. And I have. But I have approached it very gingerly. 

Why? Well, the graduating Teen is partly to blame, but there is also my realization that it will be better to act like a master carpenter while making these changes.

Measure twice. Cut once. Measure again. Build new walls. Then add the details. 

I'm trying out ideas. Jotting notes in my little booklet and talking to writerly friends about the first meeting between my hero and my heroine. I'm being patient (ha... can you hear the collective laughter of every single one of my friends, family members and CPs?). Patience isn't my strong suit but I must move slowly. I am considering this writing gig as a road with speed bumps. Each bump is there to slow me down and make me think carefully about where I am going. 

I want to get to the destination. I don't want to veer off course. I want to arrive with not just this story worked out properly, but with a master plan for all my stories. 

Stay tuned! Things are getting wilder all the time.

Flexible Writing (Yoga Optional)

I once met a mother who said she liked me because I was a "flexible" parent. No. I can't do the splits or turn a cartwheel, but I have learned that sometimes rolling with the child's schedule and adjusting the parenting dial of discipline helps me be a better mother.

I wish I could say I am always in tune and know when to adjust the dial, but I am not perfect. Sometimes I just realize that there are too many bumps in the parenting road and I rethink my position about how to handle my attempts to raise a well-rounded citizen of the world.

The same can be said about my writing. I'm a writer. I write stories. I have goals and personal deadlines because I treat my writing like a job, not a hobby. I am a professional, unpaid writer who desires publication. I tend to move forward in a nice, linear fashion when I start my books. I write fast. Messy, sloppy first drafts are my game. I like to get the story out.

It doesn't seem to matter how much I plan, the map is not even a guideline by the time I get to the middle of the book. Things get quite murky and I toss the dang outline aside just to keep writing forward. I've learned I'm better at tearing apart a first draft and finding the real story inside the shell I've created so I'm always itchy to finish my first draft. That's when the real writing can begin.

Last year I set my writing goals. One goal was to complete two books in a four book series. I outlined four books. I had my characters all planned out. I had the story arc for the entire series written out in an overview. I had the first book plotted/outlined and I began writing it in earnest in January. It's "finished" but not really, because I had another project pop into my life that required my setting aside the book I was working on, rethinking the entire series in a new way, and working on a revision for another book.

I had to do the "downward facing dog" of writing yoga and look at everything from a different perspective. I had to be flexible as a writer. Twist my brain inside out and make it work in a new way. The only thing I knew I was capable of doing was the cutting of the debris that was no longer deemed necessary. But once I cut the debris out, would I have a story? Would the characters I had not hung out with for a long while actually come out to play again? I immediately went into "child's pose" and whimpered a bit at the prospect.

Even worse, I had to wait to start. I am not a patient sort, so waiting was very hard. Very very very very very hard. I admit it: I am not good at biding my time. I was actually quite worried about the waiting period. The dominoes of time were falling fast. I panicked. I was very scared I'd fail before I started because I'd lost so much time (my freakish obsession with time is legendary in my family--I'm not allowed to wear a watch when we go on vacation as a result). Thankfully, I have amazing friends and writing partners who encouraged me and told me I had plenty of time. The dominoes slowly reassembled into their neat little timelines during my biding time.

Waiting was actually a good thing. It gave me time to think, mull, ask questions, search my mind for solutions, and cajole my characters out of my noggin. Biding my time meant I could gently tiptoe back into the story while banging out the first draft of the other story I was writing. When I finally sat down to work on the revision, I had a more flexible attitude about the entire process.

When I was in revision mode, I realized that the type of writing I do often impacts where I sit down to write. I can write a first draft anywhere, any time, any amount of words. There are no constrictions to the writing. It flows. I can tune out the people and noises so easily when I am in first draft mode. I can write in airports, restaurants, coffee shops. I just write.

Revisions? Not so easy. I have move around and go to other places inside the house so I'm not tempted to do the "business" of writing--okay, check emails and facebook and tweet. I readily confess that I am great at distracting myself in the cyber world. During revisions, I often sit at a table, in the kitchen area, with my notebook close at hand. I have to think more, jot notes, walk away, come back, sit down, pour tea, anything I can do to trick my characters into telling me more about their story.

It is their story. I know their story. I have it inside me. I'm slowly letting it come out and trying really hard to be patient with my characters. Whenever my patience is tried, I get up and walk away. I adjust my thinking. I return with a new idea and ask them, "Is this what you were trying to tell me two years ago? Oh, okay, I get it. Then I will write it for you."

I also take a lot of showers. No matter what kind of writing phase I am in, I tend to get the greatest inspiration while washing my hair and putting on my makeup.

How do you switch gears between different kinds of writing? Does place or time matter to you? And what brand shampoo works best for you should your go-to method for inspiration be the same as mine?

Two Hats: One At A Time

Before the writing became a FULL time job without pay (unless you count quarters in a decorated tin can) I was a mother. I am still a mother. But the Senior graduating teen hasn't really wanted me to "hover" over her during this year (that's a blog for all mothers right), so I have tried really hard to let her go and leave her to her devices.

Great? Right? But the thing is she is still a 17 year old and she is still my teenager. So occasionally the Momma Cap has to come out and be slipped onto my head so I can focus on launching her out the door and into the world.

Not an easy launch. I have major writing deadlines which, while I am NOT getting paid, require a lot of my energy. I write 4-5 hours a day, workout, do all the normal things every housewife does, and I look after the family.

Now it's college crunch time. We have had a lot of letters come in from the colleges. I had folders. I admit, I didn't read them all word for word cause the chick hadn't made up her mind about where she was going for sure until a week ago. And, as life would have it, in waiting to decide she may have forgotten to send in her letter for the Honors College. We don't know. She got the information in February. It was an online form. She thinks she filled it out. But we haven't received paperwork.

And a MONTH ago I was laying in bed having mini panic attacks about all the "what ifs" and how does this online college stuff work because I never went to college until I was 22 and things have changed a lot since I graduated. But I was told, "don't worry and quit hovering" so I tried not to interfere.

Suddenly there is a crisis. Now who gets to fix it? Oh, that would be ME because writing is not as important as fixing this problem. BUT what I don't like about this is I ASKED A MONTH AGO ABOUT THIS STUFF and there WOULD BE NO PROBLEM if people hadn't pooh poohed my concern.

And that includes the PHYSICIST. So this is my mini rant. I am not happy about this situation. I am wondering what else hasn't happened. I have lost hours of sleep over this and I really didn't want to deal with this while I am working on my revisions, but that's life. Kid first, writing second. That's just the way of it all.

Nora Roberts said there are glass balls and rubber balls that we juggle. Glass balls include family and kids and real life issues. This is a glass ball that I have to keep in the air.

Dusting? Laundry? Those are rubber balls. Guess what? Neither are getting done today.

What are you juggling and keeping in the air when you're not writing? What stops you? Oh, and how do you get back on track? I do it by telling myself I MUST WRITE 3-4 hours minimum per day. I will complete that task even if I have to go past my usual STOP time.

What's your solution to life interferences?

Blog Debut Novel Winner & Random Romance Writer Ramblings

Hi Everyone, I'm thrilled to announce that blog commenter Jane has won Tracey Devlyn's debut novel. Jane, I need to get your contact information to forward to Tracey and we'll send you the book! Way to go and congratulations.

Meanwhile, back at the Revision Ranch life is moving very slowly. The characters are talking, but the process is going slower than a gnat treading through molasses. This is the issue: I have learned a lot since I completed the novel last year and I want to reflect that in my writing. A year ago, I'd have sent it with minor changes. Now? Not so much. I've cut 3000 words but added 11,000 words to bring my word count over the 50,000 needed for Mills & Boon. But that is well within the criteria for the other request I have for the same full novel. So that's good news. I'm over the hump, so to speak... but I have 3-4 more chapters to plow through.

And all this revising makes Christine a very dull blogger. I haven't time for anything but revisions and looking after my family! The house is taking a dive, big dive down into the dumps, but who cares? I'm writing and fulfilling requests.

I must be getting close to the end of this first huge pass through of revisions, because I woke up this morning with ideas for my next NEW book HOT NIGHTS WITH HER UNDERCOVER BOSS. I've been reading and analyzing many category books in the DESIRE, RIVA, SPECIAL EDITION and PRESENTS lines. All of this has made me realize that SIMPLE IS KEY. My plot for HOT NIGHTS was too complicated. Made for an interesting story but made for a harder romance to write. Frankly, when one only has 50,000 words or less to build a story, there is NOT room for complicated plots.

And I am good with that knowledge. There are people who see writing category books as easy. Trust me when I say that writing these books is NOT easy. And some people want to use publishing category books as a way to get into publishing the books they really want to write. I think that's fine, but move over because I WANT TO WRITE THESE BOOKS. I loved reading them when I was a teenager and young mom. I love reading them now. I have other books in me, but they are dark and mean and evil and filled with monsters and shadows and demons. Will I write them? Maybe, but the whole reason I read Harlequin and other contemporary romances is because I wanted to escape the real monsters in my life.

I hardly want to look at those monsters again. Would you? Ultimately, I write these books to escape and hopefully one day people will read them and have a wonderful time tuning out their own monsters.

That being said. A random happening made me remember an event in my life that I believe could lead to a big book one day. So I'll write down my thoughts about it and go from there. Meanwhile, I am very content and happy to write my darling category romances with alpha heroes, strong heroines, great romps, and lovely happy endings. These are the stories of my heart.

Are you writing the stories of your heart? What kind of stories do you like to read.

Spring Break, Prom Dress Hell, & Writing

This week the Teen has her Spring Break. We aren't doing anything major, but we do have to shop for a prom dress. We have one, but she got swindled by a company that said they'd custom make it to her figure. $240 dollars later and after waiting 3 weeks a package arrived from China and the contents were in a word HORRIFIC.

Lesson learned. Teen very sad. Another Teen not so thrilled. Return Policy stinks and would probably lead to my sending back $2 dress for $70 and losing more money. Frankly, it's so hideous that I am almost embarrassed to take it to a thrift shop, but maybe SOMEONE can use it for a play or something. So that's where it's going.

If you want to know the company to avoid, stay tuned. I'm giving them 2 days to refund my $$. After that, the gloves come off.

Some people might think I should not bail out my Teen. But I feel sorry for her. She thought she was saving us money, she tried to get the dress of her dreams for her SENIOR PROM and she got a dress that was too small, super ugly and made her feel so bad she cried all the way to the school just before her theater group went to Chattanooga.

She has worked hard, has a full ride scholarship and she deserves a beautiful dress for her last prom. So we're going shopping and I'm paying for a new dress.

Meanwhile, the Physicist has decided to take W/Th/F off and he wants to GO SOMEWHERE FUN. All well and good, but I am working on a major revision that MUST BE FINISHED BY APRIL.

So guess what I am doing over the weekend and as many hours as I can next week? Revising, revising, revising.

But this is a good lesson for me. I needed a fire lit under my feet. Now I have one. And I am forced to work harder and smarter than ever.

I'll see you all when I come up for air and take a breather. And Happy Spring!!

Refueling Before Revisions: My Writing Process

I've discovered a lot about my writing process since I began this journey. I believe I am Crapper Pantser Plotter Fixer Upper Layerer writer.

In other words: MESSY but as many critique partners have attested, I "clean up well." Here's how it usually rolls for me.

1) I get an idea about a story. Usually it's spurred by a show or a news item or some weird bizarre trip of the wire in my brain. I have more ideas than I know what to do with and some of them are kind of not going to work with the current line I'm targeting. But I always keep them and I have files everywhere, notebooks everywhere, you name it.

2) The characters. I have a distinct scene in my head where the hero/heroine meet. How they meet. What's in their heads. What I don't have is their profession, their looks, their names. I just have a scene with dialogue and thought and bodies moving around a vacuous space. Sometimes there is more. But usually they're just talking and I see them moving around, little nuances and gestures and tones of voice are often revealed.

3) The idea grows into a blurb which I mold into a logline--the logline/tagline may not be pretty, but it's mine and I own it.

4) I brainstorm with friends, critique partners, myself to flesh out the characters' reason for being together, who they are and what they look like, what the story will be about and the basic turning points I know I have to reach. I lay down my tent poles/get the bones of the story ready.

5) I write a synopsis based on the first four steps. Truthfully, I just did for the first time BEFORE I had the story written in discovery phase with the current WIP. I got the idea straight from CJ Redwine and it works. The trick is to let go of what you originally thought was going to happen and revamp it as you go along. The current synopsis does not match the original synopsis, but it's been easy to fix the original. Way easier than writing one AFTER the manuscript is "done."

6) I write a quick discovery draft, flesh out the bones a bit,

7) I really work on the first three chapters and polish them because they are part of the partial/proposal I need to query.

8) I retool the story based on critique, suggestions, my characters telling me I'm going in the wrong direction.

9) I go in to add meat, and to take away some of the original flesh of the rest of the story based on what I'm discovering about the characters and about their love story. I do this fast, but as grammatically correct as possible (don't ask me about the commas). By this point I've cut a lot and I've added a lot.

10) I let the first revision sit for a few days while I listen to craft tapes, read other books in my genre, mull my ideas and my story, catch up on the business side of the writing world (my least favorite part but it has to be done), query, print out my book and let it sit around the office (or the tornado shelter), catch up on household mundaneness and with friends who wondered where I was for a few weeks.

11) I begin revising in batches. I send the revised batches, usually 3 chapters at a time, to CPs and continue revising forward. I don't utilize the critique till I am ready for another round of revisions.

12) I export everything to Word and work with the complete document, formatting and cleaning up Scrivener "burps." I'm not that technical so I tend to have a lot of driver error in this export stuff. But I think it just forces me to look at the book in a new way which is a good thing.

13) I continue polishing and shining up the story. I layer in more visceral elements and look for things like sensory items I can add to the story. But I don't overwork it. I would drive myself insane if I did that so I begin working on the next book. Pre-writing.

14) I start entering contests with the newest manuscript. I move forward on the next book. I query. I go through it all over again.

My goal is to get faster at this gig. I must generate 3-4 category series romances per year to be a successful career writer and build readership. I'm glad I have a "future list" ready to go out the door, but I want to write more. 3-4 48,000-50,000 word (180-190 page count) books means getting one done every 3-4 months for the editor.

For me this currently meant getting faster at revising during the MEAT phase. I already had the 1st three chapters polished and critiqued and much of the leg work done. The ending always echoes the beginning for me and I can usually visualize the scenes very clearly. I know the black moment and how they will resolve it to a point. I just keep layering in new stuff and getting rid of stuff that doesn't work. But I don't have beautiful prose until at least the 3rd time through. And I still have work to do. This isn't easy for me. I work hard. Really hard. And with this current WIP, I want to deliver on the first three chapters' promise. So I am determined to write it fast, write it smart, and be focused during this month despite the fact that I have a lot of travel interrupting my time.


This means I CUT a lot of words. But I like cutting. I like revising. I am the Queen of Revision. I know of no other way to allow the actual story to unfold than be getting rid of beloved words and scenes and people. Oh, I keep them all in another file, but the story demands I make changes. This is a good mindset to get into as I have had a Revise and Resubmit letter from editors at a publishing house. Basically, I had to cut 30 thousand words and start all over again to take the story in a new direction with the same characters. They even asked me to change THE PREMISE. So I did. We'll see how the new premise  flies.

Right now I am in Stage 10 and getting ready for Stage 11. I am printing out my batches today. Fritzing around with business of writing stuff, and giving my wee brain a break.

What's your process? I know mine continues to evolve. How has your process evolved?

What Happens Next? Why does it Matter? Lessons to Think About

I live in a fictional world where the main question is often "What happens next?" What are the characters doing, where are they doing it, and why are they doing it and does what they are doing matter to them and to the story?

What happens next? Sometimes I don't know. Sometimes I think I know. Sometimes I fool myself about knowing which leads to many revisions. I believe this is because I haven't sat down with my characters and discussed why they are doing what they are doing next. What drives the characters drives the story forward.

More than anything in the past year I have learned that if I play Goddess of My Manuscript, my characters rebel. This means slowing down, looking at what I've written and asking is this really what they are doing next? How do I know for sure? Well, I don't. I just have to write it out, mull it, look at it again, and play with the story until the manuscript gels.

And even then I know that someone will come along a poke holes into what I believe has been the solution all along. First it will be critique partners. Second it will be contest judges. Third it will be editors and agents. And I know I will have to write again. And again. And again.

BUT I do know one thing--I must first write the story as I see it unfold from beginning to end before I make monumental changes to it. I must first revise it at least once before I start sending it out to my critique partners. I need to discover my story before I let other people tell me what the story should be about and mess up my relationship with my characters.

Oh, I can brainstorm. I can call up a CP and tell them I have an idea about a scene in the current WIP and what do you think? They might agree or disagree, but it's called bouncing ideas off someone to see if the ideas can work. There's not point in writing something if it won't work.

I have to be in my characters' heads. I have to think with their thoughts. I have to react as they would react. And I have to do all of this on blank pages by filling them with words. Words I have written to the best of my ability.

So here are my basic rules for writing:

1. Write the first draft for YOU and the CHARACTERS. Don't let anyone TOUCH your story or CRITIQUE IT without knowing it well enough.

2. Brainstorming is a good thing. Bounce ideas off people to see if they will gel with the story regardless of where you are in the process. They'll either be affirmed or not. BUT ultimately, it is YOUR STORY so you must decide how to fix it in the end.

3. Be prepared to MAKE CHANGES after you have completed your manuscript.

4. Even when you think you're finished--even if it you are published and have an editor--be prepared to make MORE CHANGES.

5. In romances CHARACTERS TRUMP EVERYTHING. Write them well, make them jump off the page and YOU WILL GET INTEREST. And then guess what?

6. Be prepared to make changes to YOUR CHARACTERS based on editorial and agent input.

7. Stay with your story and think about it every day so you can be open to the revelations your characters send you when you are in the shower, in the bath, driving long distances, sitting through boring meetings, putting on makeup, cleaning floors. Trust me. If you stay with your story every day, you will find ideas popping into your head at odd times.

8. Judges comments are to be taken with a grain of salt. They are NOT THE FINAL WORD. They CAN BE WRONG. They CAN BE RIGHT. But ultimately, the reason you enter a contest is to get to the FINAL JUDGE--an editor or an agent. I personally have incorporated GOOD COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS into my writing, but NEVER UNTIL I GIVE IT THOUGHT AND TIME.

9. Editors and agents send revise and resubmit letters. It is up to you to decide if they are right about their suggestions. If you decide to Revise and Resubmit, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING THEY SAY EITHER. They are giving you suggestions based on their instinct and knowledge. BUT ULTIMATELY IT IS UP TO YOUR CHARACTERS TO MOLD THE STORY.

10. Trust YOUR INSTINCTS. Trust YOURSELF. Trust YOUR CHARACTERS.

So this is what I have learned. I hope it helps. Happy Writing!

Life in Revision & Introducing Catadora Tonks

Well I've been absent and missing in action in my cyber world for about 3 weeks. I occasionally have posted on the blog, but there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. Why? Two reasons. One is that I have new fur baby. I didn't think we'd adopt another kitten after I had to say goodbye to my beloved Dowager Feline Clancy, but on September 24th my daughter told me that a kitten born 7 weeks earlier was headed for the pound. She was one of 7 born to a stray cat. The people who'd taken in the stray and kittens couldn't keep them all and had found homes for 4 kittens. I had ONE day to make up my mind. I couldn't even go see her because I had a scheduled event I couldn't miss.

I sent Darling Teen in my place. The kitten was at a school friend's sister's apartment. She called me to tell me about the tiny fur baby and I said, "Bring her home to me." They drove home with this kitten in her friend's lap, a big cup of dry cat food and that was about it. I had 5 women at my house for a Ladies Night and I left them as soon as I heard the garage door opening. There she was, the tiniest little bit of cream puff fluff and scared as could be after a traumatic car ride. I took her into my arms and it was instant. The connection, the love, and the trust she had for me was immediate. So for her first night with us she stayed in my arms, was loved on, had a bed and litter box set up in our master bedroom suite and was welcomed home.

I called the vet immediately and scheduled an appointment for the following Monday. We spent a great deal of time keeping her separated from the Darling Teen's cat Mischief. Mischief is 10 and not the best tempered cat plus we didn't want either cat to get an illness before my kitty went to the vet. Still no name at this point. We spent a full two days batting around ideas. All were shot down. Finally we zeroed in on a Harry Potter themed name. But the kitten was female. Not a lot of cat sounding names in the female characters. We hemmed and hawed. We played around with Le Fleur's name. That didn't work. Finally we had an idea. Nymphadora Tonks, Lupin's wife and just a great character stood out. We ended up transforming the name to reflect our little feline. Catadora Tonks, Tonks for short, had a name.

In the weeks following our adoption of our itty bit of fluff, I've attended the Moonlight & Magnolias conference, revised three chapters for an agent request, wrote a brand new first chapter for the Mills & Boon New Voices contest only to miss the deadline due to my inability to subtract (grrr), and revised four manuscripts beginnings for the Linda Howard Award of Excellence contest. As soon as I finished the contest entries, I began preparing my Golden Heart entries. I will enter 4 manuscripts this year--including the new one which is not finished yet. First up, I worked on the synopsis for the TYCOON because that story is completely different due to the revise and resubmit for Mills & Boon. Ugh. Dreaded synopsis revealed a bit of a plot/story issue. Fortunately, I don't have to "fix" that yet. I revised the first 50 pages of TYCOON, tweaking it and strengthening it for the contest. I have two more to work on before I head out to D.C. on Saturday.

Basically I am in revision and contest hell, but it's all worth it because it is making me push the envelope. And when I am not busy writing and trying to keep up with the household stuff and my family, I am playing with my brand new sweetheart. Catadora Tonks is a delight and a joy. Always sweet, good natured and a cuddle bug. She loves to play so when I take a break from my writing, I get on the floor and get her chasing after feathers on sticks and balls with bells in them.

Life is busy, I am tired. Catadora Tonks wants to play.

I am happy. Busy, but happy. There are a lot of good things in store for me and my family. I want to enjoy my daughter this year--her last year of school before she graduates. I want to enjoy my new kitten. I want to enjoy my new friends. And I want to enjoy working hard to build my writing career. I want to expand time, find a million and one ways to do it all, but that's just not possible. This time of year is always crammed full of stuff to do--as a family and as a writer. Sometimes things have to go by the wayside.

What do you put on the wayside when life gets hectic? Can you really do it all? If you can, tell me how.

Writers, Artists, & Doctors

Well I missed Monday and I'm sorry. Life is just too insane right now. Between revisions, the teen, the house, the revisions, the craft, the .... the .... well, that's just how it is this week. I have to make my writing and my family life a priority, but I don't want to miss out on my cyber world either.

So hi!!

On Saturday I went to a wonderful all day workshop hosted by the Heart of Dixie at the Huntsville Library. I learned how to dress, how to behave, how to market, how to write a review and how to be excited about this industry from two fabulous editors from Romantic Times Magazine. This is an industry magazine that spotlights published authors and gives awesome book reviews in all sub-genres of the romance writing world.

Many thanks to Morgan Doremus and Stephanie Klose for taking the time to teach us this Saturday. I hope to see them again at an RT Convention when I am a published author. Additional thanks to Morgan for taking so many headshots of all the published and unpublished authors after the workshop. She was so kind and very enthusiastic. I felt like a published Mills & Boon author when she showed me the digital shot she thought was the best.

On Sunday I went to see the wonderful Cirque du Soleil show Dralion with my darling teen. Wow!!! Amazing show. We had seats center stage, but super high. We had a great view of the entire ground stage and the aerial stage. These performers are all artists with amazing strength, grace, humor, and agility. I highly recommend this show!! When it was over, we turned to each other and said, "What? It's over?" We were mesmerized by the constant feats of agility and theatrics. Truly, the eyes were never bored.

Monday arrived and with it the revisions. Sigh. This book is causing me all kinds of problems. But they are the good kind. I've just passed the "I'm a hack" stage and into the "if I work at it I might get a decent bit of prose written." Meanwhile, I've entered 4 manuscripts in the Linda Howard Award of Excellence contest and I'm prepping a chapter for the Mills & Boon New Voices contest. I love to add tension to my writing life, really. I do.

Today I'm off to the allergy doctor to get all kinds of testing done. I'm a little nervous, but also very excited to find out what else is causing me issues. I suffer from shellfish and insect allergies. I hate the food allergy worse than the bug allergy. I have found it difficult to eat outside of the home and there is a stigma attached to food allergies. I don't think people take food allergies seriously. And I've had to endure many unappetizing meals in restaurants I didn't want to eat in because they didn't properly separate shellfish from the other foods just so my companions could eat what THEY wanted to eat. My nervousness comes from the fear of the itchiness. I instantly go into high alert whenever I suspect an insect bite or reaction to food. My adrenaline pumps like mad, my fight and flight system kicks into high gear, and I panic. I have to talk myself out of reacting, calm myself down with deep breaths, and tell myself I'll be okay. Yes, I have an epi pen and Benadryl. So I know I can save myself if necessary.

But I am still very afraid.

After the allergy tests, I am heading home to tackle the dreaded revisions again. They take top priority after the kid and the king of the house. So I'll be backing off the blogging a bit. Popping in once a week to say hi and to share my life with you. Maybe more than once if I get some spare time.

How was your weekend? What do you do in your spare time? And do you have allergies, too? Share with me and let's chat.

Rainy Days, Reviews & Revisions

I'm in full on revision mode. This book was a lot of fun to write and finish, but now the real work begins. Everyone has their own process and mine is that I have to write the story to figure out the story. Weird, I know, but I've learned to embrace this process and own it. I am writing cleaner first draft now, but much of what I throw down on the page is like an outline with complete sentences. Revision is taking the big picture, cracking it apart, restructuring pieces, omitting pieces, and building new pieces to create a stronger picture.

Revision is hard work. And it doesn't brook interruptions well. I'm eager to get the first half of the story nailed down. That means a little lighter blogging schedule and whole lot more writing real stories.

Meanwhile, life is busy. And it's rainy. We've had three days of rain and colder weather blow through Northern Alabama. This means football season, dressing in fun clothes, and tucking under blankets to read. I also kept up with the other blogs I'm contributing to during this month.

You can read about my adventures with going blonde on the Petit Fours & Hot Tamales Blog here. And if you want to know my take on suffering and how to respond to it, head over to the Romance Magicians and read about it here. Stay and play awhile. My sister bloggers have great blogs, too.

Monday was a super rainy and blustery day. The teen and I stayed home and read all day. I read Kerrelyn Sparks THE VAMPIRE AND THE VIRGIN from start to finish. It was a great, fun read and just the pick up I needed. I think you'll enjoy her books and her fun family of Vampires. Check her website out here. Right now I am reading Lexi George's book DEMON HUNTING IN DIXIE. Her characters are colorful, well-drawn out, and down right sizzling. Great book and great debut author. You can read about Lexi George's first time publication adventures on my Celebration blog here.

This week I have not written as much as I would like, but I have taken care of a teen, run the household by myself, taken the car into the dealership to replace the battery at Woody Andersen Ford, and continued taking care of myself. I've also emailed good friends, talked to my darling hubby via Skype and caught up with my dear sister friend via Skype as well. The time differences mean stopping my writing to talk, but sometimes real people are more important than fictional people.

I'm taking a break till next week Monday so I can get my revisions rolling. Plus I have a darling husband to welcome home after a long business trip so I'll want to spend time with him, too. So I'll see you next week.

Have a great writing week!!

Flexible Writing (Yoga Optional)

I once met a mother who said she liked me because I was a "flexible" parent. No. I can't do the splits or turn a cartwheel, but I have learned that sometimes rolling with the child's schedule and adjusting the parenting dial of discipline helps me be a better mother.

I wish I could say I am always in tune and know when to adjust the dial, but I am not perfect. Sometimes I just realize that there are too many bumps in the parenting road and I rethink my position about how to handle my attempts to raise a well-rounded citizen of the world.

The same can be said about my writing. I'm a writer. I write stories. I have goals and personal deadlines because I treat my writing like a job, not a hobby. I am a professional, unpaid writer who desires publication. I tend to move forward in a nice, linear fashion when I start my books. I write fast. Messy, sloppy first drafts are my game. I like to get the story out.

It doesn't seem to matter how much I plan, the map is not even a guideline by the time I get to the middle of the book. Things get quite murky and I toss the dang outline aside just to keep writing forward. I've learned I'm better at tearing apart a first draft and finding the real story inside the shell I've created so I'm always itchy to finish my first draft. That's when the real writing can begin.

This year I set my writing goals. One goal was to complete two books in a four book series. I outlined four books. I had my characters all planned out. I had the story arc for the entire series written out in an overview. I had the first book plotted/outlined and I began writing it in earnest in January. It's "finished" but not really, because I had another project pop into my life that required my setting aside the book I was working on, rethinking the entire series in a new way, and working on a revision for another book.

I had to do the "downward facing dog" of writing yoga and look at everything from a different perspective. I had to be flexible as a writer. Twist my brain inside out and make it work in a new way. The only thing I knew I was capable of doing was the cutting of the debris that was no longer deemed necessary. But once I cut the debris out, would I have a story? Would the characters I had not hung out with for a long while actually come out to play again? I immediately went into "child's pose" and whimpered a bit at the prospect.

Even worse, I had to wait to start. I am not a patient sort, so waiting was very hard. Very very very very very hard. I admit it: I am not good at biding my time. I was actually quite worried about the waiting period. The dominoes of time were falling fast. I panicked. I was very scared I'd fail before I started because I'd lost so much time (my freakish obsession with time is legendary in my family--I'm not allowed to wear a watch when we go on vacation as a result). Thankfully, I have amazing friends and writing partners who encouraged me and told me I had plenty of time. The dominoes slowly reassembled into their neat little timelines during my biding time.

Waiting was actually a good thing. It gave me time to think, mull, ask questions, search my mind for solutions, and cajole my characters out of my noggin. Biding my time meant I could gently tiptoe back into the story while banging out the first draft of the other story I was writing. When I finally sat down to work on the revision, I had a more flexible attitude about the entire process.

Now that I am in revision mode, I've also realized that the type of writing I do often impacts where I sit down to write. I can write a first draft anywhere, any time, any amount of words. There are no constrictions to the writing. It flows. I can tune out the people and noises so easily when I am in first draft mode. I can write in airports, restaurants, coffee shops. I just write.

Revisions? Not so easy. I have to literally move my computer out of the office and sit at another table so I'm not tempted to do the "business" of writing--okay, check emails and facebook and tweet. I readily confess that I am great at distracting myself in the cyber world. During revisions, I need to sit at a table, in the kitchen area, with my notebook close at hand. I have to think more, jot notes, walk away, come back, sit down, pour tea, anything I can do to trick my characters into telling me more about their story.

It is their story. I know their story. I have it inside me. I'm slowly letting it come out and trying really hard to be patient with my characters. Whenever my patience is tried, I get up and walk away. I adjust my thinking. I return with a new idea and ask them, "Is this what you were trying to tell me two years ago? Oh, okay, I get it. Then I will write it for you."

I also take a lot of showers. No matter what kind of writing phase I am in, I tend to get the greatest inspiration while washing my hair and putting on my makeup.

How do you switch gears between different kinds of writing? Does place or time matter to you? And what brand shampoo works best for you should your go-to method for inspiration be the same as mine?

Keep It Simple Silly

Before I head into the ring again to wrestle my WIP in revision into shape, I had to have a meeting with myself to determine just how nuts I'd go with my wrestling technique. I've been banging this WIP's plot hard, punching holes into the plot, taping wounds in the words and sending out 911 distress calls for medical intervention via contests, workshops, brainstorming, and CP/beta reader feedback.

The WIP lies on the desk, a pile of 250 printed out pages in a crooked, yet ordered 1-250, jumble. On top of it I've stacked the current short story sketch, two newspapers with articles about tornadoes, contest feedback with useful and constructive criticism and the original GMC charts I planned a year ago.

In front of me, on the wall above my laptop and desk, are about a dozen Post-it notes with little jottings about the book. They include tidbits about ongoing word counts, reminders about what I want to read and do for my writing, a workshop class list that I am moderating (in HOT pink), the Twelve Stages of Intimacy, a few agencies I plan to query (in BLUE -- no reason why) and my RWA membership number. I also have another workshop's lessons about achieving believable romantic resolution taped to the wall.

Surrounding my desk, on the walls and door of my closet and in my bookshelves are my 3rd Revision's story poster board with notes on it in ball point to show the new changes I plan to implement, other craft books, mounds of paper ready for the printer and my collage that I created while brainstorming the first draft of this book (over a year ago!).

In my computer, under the book's title, I have a bunch of files containing all the drafts, in WORD and SCRIVENER. I have my contest results (the ones that are helpful), my CP's comments, and my character interviews.

Sigh. The visual clutter is making my mind rebel.

Here are the results of the meeting with myself:

1) I'm not ready to straighten out this mess within my mind. Oh, I've got dozens of ideas and my story is semi plotted again. But I'm not ready to plow into the pile of papers on my desk and make it all work.

2) I will be ready to straighten out this mess by the end of the week. My butt is in the fire. I entered the MAGGIE with this story. I have to find a way to carve out 30 decent pages of writing and a new synopsis reflecting my story's evolving plot. I've got to do it by June 1.

3) I've determined that this is my final lob of the revision ball. After I enter the MAGGIE with what I put together, I will focus and keep on revising till the end of June.

4) During the first part of July, I'm pulling together my pitch for Nationals and the M&M Conference.

5) But will I continue to revise this book after July 1? Yes, but only AFTER I GET A REQUEST. If I don't get a request, what is the point? I need to take what I've learned and apply it to the next book.

6) It's time to Keep It Simple Silly. It's time to focus on what I can fix, not worry about rewriting the entire plot again, and toss the book out there to see if there is any interest in it by people who will represent me or pay me to fix it.

If I stay mired in this book, I'll be writing four books and only have one to show for it. Not going to work. Not anymore. I got to finish it to the best of my ability, but I don't have to keep reinventing the wheel. This summer I need to move on so I can write the book that MIGHT be the one that gets my foot in the door.

I'm keeping it simple so I can free myself for the next idea and the next book.

Writing Isn't Always "Writing"

I've reached a point in my revision where I must stop and let my characters reveal the story to me before I jump into the next revision.

Confession: Patience is not one of my higher virtues. I must be forced by circumstances to be patient.

The circumstances I face are:

A) Guests coming in for a week. I am very excited about the family visit. I can't wait to see my brother, my SIL and my niece. We have a lot of fun things planned. This is their first visit to the Southeast. I want to make it a memorable one. This also means not writing a lot.

B) Battling the VA again regarding my FIL's insurance claims. That's phone calls and waiting and phone calls and waiting and ... lots of time finding the right person to help us help my FIL. He's dying of cancer, his wife is focused on him, and we are fighting for his rights. That's called real life. Sometimes real life has to come first.

C) Waiting for responses from my CPs regarding my story sketch. I spent a great deal of time interviewing my characters. My heroine has come out and I KNOW her story. Other characters have revealed themselves. I've got oodles written in backstory regarding the history of why my heroine is where she is and why she wants to stay. I KNOW her inside and out. My hero? Oh, he's being cagey. There's a hole because I had to eliminate so many elements of his backstory to even out the tone of the story. And that leaves me questioning why he's back home--it's not just to stop his mom from making, in his mind, a monumental mistake. But he's not fessing up. That means going to the Villain and asking him. I need to interview him and see what he knows.

D) Researching and brainstorming ideas in general. Looking up information about the laws in my state regarding the subject matter. This takes time.

So writing is not always about getting the story revised. Writing is about breaking down the elements and thinking/muddling/talking about the story. I've sat down in front of the computer three times now. I've written a first draft and two revisions. I've entered contests and received feedback regarding the storyline and the characters. I've been critiqued by a published author and learned more about why my middle is sagging at a workshop. All of these elements, the lessons I've learned, the positive and constructive feedback I've received are gelling in my mind and forcing me to seriously evaluate where the story is going before I sit down to revise it again.

The only problem with this stage of the revision is that inspiration strikes at odd times. I'm not always focused on the real world tasks because one of my characters pipes up and prods me with their information. I have to write this information down quickly or I might lose it. I'm living in two worlds: my fictional world and my real world. And they collide on occasion.

The good news is I believe this dual life is helping me shake out the story elements. I'm not feeling pressured to know all the answers this week. I just want to let the characters reveal themselves to me while I clean the kitty litter, shop for groceries for my company, do laundry, exercise, set up the guest room and make my phone calls.

This is all good. I am glad I am forced to be patient. I'll be released to write soon enough.

What do you do between revisions? How do you approach your story problems?

Colored Pens, Sharpies and Poster Board

I brainstormed yesterday for four hours, hashed out an inciting incident with my CP up in VA after chatting for an hour, and then drove to STAPLES (my home away from home) to buy poster board and colored pens for charting my characters.

The writing is strong, the voice is there, the work will get done. There is no avoiding this phase of the writing process. It happens to all of us. We must accept it. Perhaps, as I progress and write more, it will happen faster or I'll travel through it earlier, but I don't think I can sidestep it.

Nope. Can't. Be. Done.

Lots and lots of new ideas. Cliches pitched, unoriginal ideas punted, and a plan is evolving.

Woke up this morning to read a rejection email from an agent. No biggie. One. Of. Many. Immediately made decision to send out another query to another agency today after I brainstorm more ideas and work through the s/l problems with deeper intent.

Two books at my elbow are:

BREAK INTO FICTION

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO HEROES AND HEROINES

I can't wait to play with my colored pens and sharpies. I love to collage and color and this will help free my brain for the big work facing me in the days ahead.

Onward ho!