One Word At A Time

Moving Day

2011-06-13T10:13:00.000-03:00

I've been absent over the past couple of weeks as I scurry to get a bunch of projects completed before the RWA National Conference in a couple of weeks.

One of those projects is a website and a new blog.

Please come talk to me at www.annemacfarlane.com/blog

And let me know what you think of www.annemacfarlane.com.

One of the problems with designing your own website is that, just like my WIP, I can't see my own mistakes. So, any typo's or nonworking links, let me know.

Thanks

Harder than it looks

2011-05-18T10:53:00.002-03:00

Where have I been all this time? Struggling to revise the requested partial of After Hours with the CEO. It seemed simple. I thought it would be. Until I tried making sense of a book that was put together one way and now had to be reconstructed with a big chunk of the motivation gone. Yikes. And yes, I know if I want to be a published author, editorial input, revisions, rewrites are part of the game.

The first draft is written from the heart, the rewrites are written with your head.

Trying to make the changes so it serves the story and the Desire premise is proving challenging. One of the criticisms of the original submission was the hero needed to be both sympathetic and alpha. When I make the changes the editor suggested, it seriously impacts his motivation, which means the inciting incident doesn't work anymore. So, I have to go back and give him different motivation that makes him look more sympathetic but still alpha - and that's tripping me up. I'm either making him too alpha - or too vulnerable.

The other problem is that I have the book written, and the editor didn't criticize the external plot, so I don't want to change the story so much, it turns into something else. Because, then, I might as well save myself the grief of tearing this one apart and just send them something else. Which, of course, I don't want to do since they liked this and took the time to make suggestions and asked to see it again.

I like black and white answers - right and wrong. That's why I became an accountant in "real" life. A balance sheet either balances or it doesn't. So you know right away if you got it right or wrong.

Response from Harlequin

2011-04-25T14:55:00.004-03:00

I received a response from Harlequin Desire on my partial for "After Hours with the CEO" ( I love that title and I swear even if I have to ditch the book, I'm using that title again)

It's a rejection telling me that they found aspects of my story compelling ( yeah!) especially my writing (double yeah!!) but found the set-up problematic and the hero not alpha enough. If I wished to rewrite and resubmit the partial they would be pleased to look at it again. And if I had another project suitable for Desire they would be pleased to look at it.

Although I wished they'd been more specific about the parts of the story they liked so I didn't change those, they were very specific about what they didn't like. I know what to get rid of - almost everything to do with the hero. I plan to put my head down and get this proposal back out within the next two or three weeks - soon as I figure out how to give my hero a personality transplant.

I am sensing a theme to my rejections - they like the writing and heroine, don't like hero and external plot.

A Hero's Heart

2011-04-15T11:27:00.001-03:00

Not the glittering weapon fights the fight, but rather the hero's heart. - Proverb.

I was struggling with my current MS, wondering if I was trying too hard to fit the line and losing the heart of the story.

I finally realized my problem: I couldn't see why my heroine would fall in love in love with Luc the way I'd written him - he was too suspicious and uncompromising. (Rather an ass actually.)

I changed my hero's motivation which changed his behavior and responses to the heroine. Suddenly I started to fall in love with him. Now, I've made him Carly's hero - and she's the one who is too suspicious and stubborn to trust that he really does have her back in every way that counts. He has to prove himself to her. But he is so worth it in the end. And I guess I don't care if it makes him too romantic and not alpha enough for the line. He's not a whimp but he's confident and strong enough to put the heroine's feelings first.

Whew, now that I've fixed that I can get back to writing my pages which were severely stalled this week as life took over and demanded my time. Daughter's eighteenth birthday, taxes and more taxes, and unpublished contest entries. But I've had a productive morning. And I have a list. Hopefully I can make up some time this weekend.

I also have to tackle the garden. As you can see - bright green is popping out from the weeds and leaves waiting for me to tidy it up. Sunny and nippy out there this morning when I took today's picture.

Gardening or writing - which would you choose?

86 Days

2011-04-03T21:17:00.000-03:00

86 Days until the RWA conference in New York. What can you do in 86 days?

582 words a day = 50,000 words = short contemporary
1,164 words a day = 100,000 words = single title

1lb week for 12 weeks = 12 lbs

I'm currently working on a Presents, hoping to have it completed and a proposal sent to the London office well before the conference. I also plan to have at least half of a Desire finished by the time conference rolls around so I have something to pitch. Crossing my fingers for an editor appointment with one of the Desire editors. I want to finish up my website this week and start thinking about business cards. I start a digital design class next month so I'm hoping to hold off so I can design them myself.

I'm trying to find a convenient walking club so I can ditch the gym which I've grown to dislike after ten years and still get the motivation I need to exercise. But I'm not having much luck. Might have to start one of my own. How does one do that?

What's on your agenda for the next three months before the hot weather hits and the kids are out of school?

Missed Opportunities

2011-03-29T10:35:00.001-03:00

When I first joined RWA, over a dozen years ago, my writing was all over the place, writing a little of this and a little of that, not finishing anything or having any clear idea of what kind of writer I wanted to be. I knew that wasn't the road to success but I think for many writers it's a familiar path. I have a lot of ideas for different genres but I write slowly ( might have mentioned that once or twice before LOL)

About three years ago I decided to concentrate on short contemporary romance for Harlequin. I've had a bit of positive reinforcement with requests for fulls, like your writing but not this one, send us something else, etc. So, I've kept my head down and continued to write short contemporary - but I'm still slow as molasses. And, I write somewhere between the tone of a Desire and a Presents so I'm writing books for each line. Intellectually I know it makes more sense to focus on just one line but somehow the books just turn out to be a fit for one or the other. They're both short contemporaries so I can revise for the other line if they get rejected.

I wrote the first draft of After Hours With the CEO last year and sent the partial to Desire in Dec 2010. I'm just past the three month waiting mark and hopefully will have a response before the conference. I started to write my next short contemporary and it has a very "Presents" feel. So, when Desire announced an online pitch, but the MS has to be finished, I have nothing to pitch. Missed Opportunity.

I went to a retreat two years ago with my Dream agent who reps mysteries, planning to have a mystery to pitch. But ended up giving up my pitch appt to a friend because I'd had a request for a full from one of my short contemporaries and just couldn't get something together at the same time. Missed Opportunity.

We've had editors visit our local chapter and I've had to skip the pitch appointment because I have nothing to pitch. We have an editor coming to our chapter in Sept and I want to have something to pitch but the MS I'm working on doesn't fit with her.

91 days until national conference. My first one. Besides being expensive, and inconvenient when you're a single parent of teenagers, I wouldn't allow myself to go until I felt I deserved to. And that meant having completed MS to pitch.

I've joined an online group of Pro's - 50k by Nationals. I have an online critique group, an inperson critique group, online goals group for our chapter, a "Success Team" group. I give talks on self-defeating behaviors and finding time to write. And still I have only a little over 10,000 words on my current MS.

I don't want to miss any more opportunities. Anyone have any tips for me? How do you find the discipline to just "do it." Any advise on how to write faster?

Conflict and Category Romance

2011-03-19T14:13:00.002-03:00

One of the most essential elements of a category romance is conflict. External conflict is difficult to create in a modern contemporary because there are very few valid reasons to keep two people who love each other apart. This often results in us, as authors, creating convoluted (often unbelievable) plots to keep our hero and heroine apart. But try writing a straight romance, without a murder or suspense element, and you'll find very quickly how difficult it is to write without strong motivation to drive the character's action and a believable conflict that keeps them from acting on that immediate attraction. And yes, in a 50,000 word romance, that attraction has to be almost instant since we don't have much space to lolly gag around.

It's difficult to buy into a heroine lusting after the hot hero when he's just threatened to ruin her company, family, reputation, the community...So, the conflict and his actions can't be so cruel that you can't understand how a reasonable woman would ever fall in love with someone who treats her like she's dim witted - or a prostitute. The mountain of character growth can't be too hard to climb that it can't be resolved in a 200 pg book. Once two reasonably intelligent characters decide they want to be together in a contemporary setting, they can usually come up with a way to resolve that external conflict. That's when the internal conflict comes in and keeps them apart.

The internal conflict is really the reason why they can't be together. This is the heart of the entire book. And this is where I would often get stuck. My elaborate external plots would just shudder to a complete stop.

I use two valuable resources that have helped me tremendously. Before I came across these I always felt like I was floundering, that something was missing from my stories.

The first was recommended to me my Cat Shield, Harlequin Desire's newest author and it's a conference session given by Susan Meier, called Let Conflict Tell Your Story for You . Follow the link and you can download the session. It's an hour and 40 minutes that, take my word for it, will change the way you look at internal conflict. Susan talks about the heart of an internal conflict being an "incorrect core belief." Magic.( As an aside, I've taken several online courses from Susan and they have all been gold.)

The second resource is from Kathy Carmichael's, Writing the Short Synopsis. Her website has lots of great advice and instruction. The fill-in-the-blank PDF form can be found here: http://www.kathycarmichael.com/VorhausStoryStructure.pdf . I use it before I start any story. Keeps me focused on the conflict and gives me a nice, tight story.

These two resources changed the way I approach my writing. They are both simple but powerful.

Do you have any resources, online or otherwise, that helped you significantly with your writing?

106 Days

2011-03-14T13:36:00.003-03:00

I know it's been ages since I updated this blog. I'm still on my internet diet and trying to write and use my time more productively.

106 days until the National Conference starts.
472 words a day will add up to 50,000 by June 28th.
944 words a day will give me 100,000 words by the Conference - for me that's two short contemporaries. Seems very doable, doesn't it?

And the fact that I'm not feeling the current manuscript? According to my writing pals, that's normal. They all say they hate their work at some point during the writing process. Well, that's a relief.

However, someone else told me if it were as hard as I found it, they would find something else to do. That took me back a step. I had to mull it over. Perhaps I wasn't cut out for this writing business, after all?

Then I listened to Nora from last year's RWA conference where she says "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard everyone would be doing it." Do you know what conclusion I drew from all of that?

Everyone is different. Ha! So simple.

In more productive news I designed a friend's website - and I LIKE it. LOL. Take a look www.michellehelliwell.com

So, do you hate your MS at any point during your writing process?

Writing Business Plan

2011-02-18T19:24:00.001-04:00

After twelve years as an RWA member I've registered for my first ever national conference in New York this summer. Yeah! for the trip. Not such a big Yeah! for the credit card.

Because I don't know when I'll have the opportunity to attend another one, I want to make the most of this opportunity. Not like the KOD retreat I attended where I had an individual appointment with a fabulous agent - but actually had nothing to pitch so gave up my spot to a friend who did. Yes, I was supposed to write my mystery series, which is the type of book she represents, but didn't even get to Chapter 1 before the Retreat arrived.

This time I'm determined to make the most of the conference opportunities. Which means having books to pitch.

So, in preparation I developed a Writing Business Plan. What needs to be done. When. The completion of the books, the website, the pitch, - oh and of course the diet. In doing something concrete like a spreadsheet it makes the writing seem more real, less of a dream and more tangible - and reachable. It also keeps me positive and looking forward in case that partial I have with Desire comes back with a less than positive response. Or, the current book is giving me trouble. Don't look back, look forward.

It also allows me to focus on what's important to me and controllable by me rather than getting carried away with all the negative gloom and doom that passes through my inbox and twitter on the state of the publishing industry. Treating it like a business now will help when I do get that contract. I'll know how much I can write in a day/week and what appropriate deadlines are for me, have an updated website and an author Facebook page.

Do you have any type of written "plan" for your writing career? Or do you go by the seat of your pants, where the muse guides you on any given day?

Characterization and Father Brennan Burke

2011-02-11T09:37:00.000-04:00

"Character is plot, plot is character" - F Scott Fitzgerald

In Anne Emery's Collins-Burke mystery series, she's created a larger than life character in Irish Catholic Priest, Brennan Burke. He's the reason I devoured the first four books in the series, staying up until early hours of the morning to finish. He's a very naughty priest - smokes, drinks, swears in a charming Irish brogue, and sometimes falls completely over the edge of acceptable priestly behavior. And he's fascinating. The story is told in first person by lawyer Monty Collins so Burke's character is revealed entirely through dialogue and the view point character's observations.

One of the struggles I have with my current contemporary romance is making the hero stand apart from my previous tall, dark and alpha heroes. Often times I find heroes in romance interchangeable. When an author manages to create a distinct male character it raises a romance above the crowd. I love it. For example Dain in Lord Of Scoundrels is a big, hulking brute of a man who behaves badly. But, oh! the dialogue.

Why do we love some heroes who behave badly but others we shake our heads and wonder what the heroine sees in him? Of course, Dain has a strong heroine to match and Loretta Chase writes with such humor and charm the whole book is delicious from start to finish. And the plot? well it's nothing we haven't read before. It's the characters that make this book one of my favorite romances.

My current hero is Luc Moreau-Grey, son of French actress Lillian Moreau and American Industrialist Andrew Grey. He's rich, sophisticated, and charming. But what makes him stand out from the alpha crowd? Maybe, because he's grown up in the glitz and glamor of a famous family, he appreciates and values the "real" deal when he sees it? Like our unsophisticated heroine Carly Sorvino? Struggling chef who wears non-slip work shoes instead of expensive stiletto's?

Who are your favorite hero's? What makes them stand out? And do you have any tricks to finding that core that makes a character unique?

Focus

2011-02-03T13:10:00.002-04:00

Finally sent the first chapter of Secrets, Lies and Silk Sheets to my critique partners last night. After I shoveled the early "light" snow but before I shoveled the "big" snow. This was the scene outside my house yesterday morning before the BIG snow fall

I've found it difficult to focus the last couple of weeks and every time the words became difficult I found myself wasting time on the internet - or getting a snack.

I didn't enter the SYTYCW contest but I had to check eharlequin every half hour to get updates. What's with that? And some of the responses still haven't been received because of editor illness, snow days, etc. That would drive me nuts worrying about whether they received my entry and if the wait beyond the deadline was a good thing or a bad thing.

So, in order to focus better I've made some changes.

First: Diet. Back to eliminating the sugar and processed foods from my diet, hoping this will help my energy levels.

Second: Exercise. The one good thing about the snow, it's forcing me to exercise - about three hours in the last twenty-four hours. But the fresh air and oxygen have helped my concentration.

Third: Organization. My messy desk and overflowing bookcases and night table are making me feel distracted so I need to clean them up

Fourth ( and I think this will be the hardest) Limit Internet Use. It seems I spend a lot of time reading email loops, visiting blogs etc. I really try to be supportive of my fellow writers but I just find I'm overwhelmed with the twitter, facebook, loops and blogs. So, I'm cutting it all back and putting myself on an Internet Diet. During the day, I'll be limiting myself to two 1/2 hr sessions - first thing in the morning and during an afternoon break. In the evening, once ALL my writing and other work has been completed - which usually takes me well past 9 or 10pm, I can surf the net. Since that's also my reading time, I'll be sure to limit it to a reasonable time. Because I'm a girl who has to have her beauty sleep.

Oh yes, and update on those morning papers? Really bad at it. But will try again once I get my writing back on track.

Can anyone find my Discipline?

2011-01-27T13:50:00.006-04:00

This week, so far, has turned into a big fat fail in the writing department. I've used every excuse in the book to avoid sitting down and tackling the WIP.

I'm working on a MS for Presents, and fortuitously won a copy of Present's author Kate Walker's, 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance so that should have given me the kick in the pants I need to get a proposal off to the London office. But it hasn't. Then I just read on eharlequin that Desire is having another pitch session sometime in March. I also want to have something new to pitch an editor at the New York conference. So why have avoided writing? Every time I sit down in front of my computer I want to take a nap.

I think the problem is that because I'm writing something new and (even though I know the story) I don't actually know my character's "voice" yet. By the time I finished my last MS, I knew those characters so well I could just "speak" in their voices. In this new one my characters are sounding very generic and aren't popping off the page.

Hmm, I think I just figured out my problem.

I'm struggling to give these characters their own personalities. I know a lot about them but I haven't discovered what they would think about their current situation or how they feel about each other when they first meet. I haven't found their uniqueness - what makes them different from every other romance couple out there. In my last couple of stories, the H and h knew each other before the story started. They already had a relationship either as former lovers or old friends. They had a more familiar way of speaking.

So, I guess the only way to find that out is to dig into the story and continue to write until the mist clears and these characters start speaking to me.

Do you struggle with finding your character's unique voice?

The Making of A Mystery

2011-01-22T13:57:00.005-04:00

Our libraries offer a program called University for the Masses. Professors from one of the local universities offer university classes free to anyone at the local library. The courses are noncredit, no homework and you attend as as many or as few of the classes as you want.

The one I'm attending is "The Making of a Mystery" taught by Dr. Patricia Gouthro from Mount St. Vincent University and so far it's very informative. I even braved the snow storm yesterday so I wouldn't miss it. The drive home was a little harrowing but I took it slow and steady and arrived safely home. Dr Gouthro has a special interest, and has received research grants, into crime fiction set or published in Canada. Next week a local published mystery author Anne Emery, winner of the 2007 Arthur Ellis award for best first novel will be the guest speaker. And next month local author Brad Kelln, forensic psychologist and RCMP hostage negotiator will present a class.

The professor is also doing a session on Location and the issues involved in where we set our novels. Must they be set in Canada? And is that problematic when we want to sell internationally?

Do you set your books in places you know well? Real settings or fictionalized settings? Have you ever set a novel in a place you've never been?

First Pages

2011-01-18T16:54:00.000-04:00

I've been preparing my opening pages for my crit partners to review this week.

start with a bang.
H and h have to meet almost immediately, first page if possible.
Don't bog those pages down in back story
Make us care about the characters so we want to go along for the ride.
Have lots of unanswered questions so the reader
wants to continue
Set the stage but go easy on description

That's a lot of pressure!
I kept waiting for inspiration but none showed up so I just kept at it. Still needs work, though.
Need to get moving on these submissions. Just registered for the New York conference and booked the hotel room. Surely spending all that money should be incentive to write?

The Joy of 500

2011-01-12T09:03:00.001-04:00

In the past my goal was usually to write 1,000 day/ 5 days/week. A "real" writer should be able to do that, shouldn't they? It's amazing how often we get caught up in the "shoulds" of all the roles in our lives. What a mother-daughter-friend-employee - should do.

Cat Shields suggested I try 500 words instead. And you know what? That simple change of 500 words/ day as a goal has changed my output. Now, when I only have a half hour, instead of thinking "i don't have time to write 4 or 5 pages" I think "I could get half my goal accomplished." So far, I've exceeded my goal every day this week. And I'm starting to use smaller pockets of time to write.

Wow, funny how a little shift in mindset changes a failure to a success.

Morning Pages

2011-01-09T15:39:00.002-04:00

I was scheduled to present the education session at our local RWA meeting today on: Empowering the Writer - Motivation, Inspiration, Perspiration. However, we're snowed in as you can see by the photo of my front porch, so it will be postponed to some later date. The topic is ideally suited to the beginning of January when we make fresh starts, and big goals. I'm glad I prepared the presentation because it was a thoughtful exercise that made me think about different attitudes and habits and - oh yes, excuses. I got a lot out of the session myself.

A technique I planned to talk about in the "inspiration" section was Morning Pages, one of the tools Julia Cameron advocates in her books on creativity. Morning pages are three hand written stream of consciousness pages written every morning upon waking. These pages say exactly who you are in the here and now and according to Cameron, the bedrock of creative recovery. I've read about morning pages before but never seriously considered doing them myself. I've never even kept a journal and this felt very much like the same thing. Then I wondered what I was afraid of? So, starting tomorrow morning I plan to write Morning Pages.

Now I need to go and shovel the driveway for the second time today.

2011 Goal - Courage

2011-01-03T12:25:00.001-04:00

Happy New Year!

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. – Dale Carnegie

My biggest goal for the upcoming year is to not let fear hold me back. To take the blank canvas of 2011 and create the life I want. It's a very grand resolution for me. I'm struggling with the strategies I need to make that happen. I know I need to take a more proactive approach to getting where I want to go.

So January will be focused on discovering what that life looks like. What do I want for the second half of my life? And what actions can I take today to achieve that?

In comparison my writing goals are more clearly defined because I know what I want: To be published by Harlequin.

Write and Submit a Partial for Presents by Mid Feb.

Write another Desire and be ready to pitch it by the RWA conference in June.
Complete another short contemporary romance and be ready to submit by Dec

Do you set goals? resolutions? Or do you think it's all just a set up to make you feel bad by mid January when you haven't stuck to them?

Clean Slate

2010-12-29T13:37:00.001-04:00

There's something about flipping the calendar to a new year and realizing you can wipe the slate clean. You can start over. Do things differently. Maybe design a life that fits better than the old one. Of course, that also brings a lot of anxiety. What if you end up in the same place as you are now?

For me this is a great week to take stock of what worked in 2010, what didn't and what I want in my life for next year and what I want to get rid of. Scary stuff. Exciting stuff.

Last year I realized that no matter what "goals" I established for myself there was something internal holding me back. Unless I came to terms with was going on in my head and heart, I would forever fall short of accomplishing my goals. I mistakenly believed that accomplishing my external goals would make me happy. A light bulb went on and I decided to work on some of those limiting beliefs - then I could accomplish anything I wanted.

My goals from last year:

So here are my goals for the 2010:

I've resolved to keep my promises to myself.

I've resolved to honor my writing process.

I've resolved to not let the fear of failure hold me back.

I think I did a good job of the first two.
Treating myself better, giving the internal editor and constant perfectionist a break.
And I stayed true to my own writing process. Writing what I like at a slow and steady pace. No jumping on the NANO bandwagon or ditching my alpha males for the more politically correct beta male.

However, the last one still needs work. So, I'll be mulling that over and deciding what I need to do to accomplish all the things I want for my life in 2011 and beyond.

Do you make resolutions? Writing? Weight? Exercise? Or something deeper?

Weight Watchers Look Away

2010-12-24T13:55:00.001-04:00

Spent yesterday and today making Christmas goodies: cherry snowballs, cream cheese mocha brownies and rum cake. Yumm!

I managed to get the tree up and decorated, all the presents bought and wrapped in time. Nothing left to do but enjoy family, friends and good food. Hope you all are doing the same.

Best wishes for a safe and peaceful holiday!

Taking a Pass on SYTYCW

2010-12-13T17:11:00.000-04:00

I have a shiny new synopsis for my Presents story but writing a sparkling first chapter is not going to happen by Wednesday so I won't be entering the SYTYCW contest. I could have a rough first draft ready but why send something that's less than my best?

Which reminds of the first time an editor ever read something of mine. We had an editor from the Sil/Har office in New York visit our chapter maybe 6 years ago? She was critiquing a 1 pg synopsis and the first pg of a MS for each person in the chapter who submitted to her. I dashed off my pages the night before, thinking it was good. Well, the comment on the top of the page was "this reads like a first draft."

LOL. Lesson Learned.

I'll write the first three chapters and send it in as a regular submission when I have it polished and sparkling. The London office takes email subs so it's easy and convenient.

So, with a big sigh of relief, I looked around my house and thought, hmm, maybe time to think about Christmas.

Partial Sent!

2010-12-11T12:29:00.001-04:00

First three chapters and synopsis of After Hours with the CEO is now winging it's way to the Harl/Sil office in New York.

My hands were sweaty as I read and reread those first three chapters a dozen times but I finally took a deep breath and let it go. I put my website address on the cover letter so now I have to make sure it's up and complete within the next week or so. I thought of putting a Christmas card in the package but then realized they probably won't even open it until after the New Year.

Then I turned my attention to writing something for the SYTYCW contest and spent a a couple of days plotting out a Presents story and characters and writing a 5-7 pg synopsis. First clue I might be in trouble: struggling to tell the story in less than 10 pgs. This is a 50,000 word category romance and I haven't written it yet. I should be struggling to find enough words to fill five pages. I spent hours last night with my CP's brainstorming and I tried working with some of their great suggestions, but no matter how I arranged the plot or changed the elements I couldn't get it to work in a believable way. And for some reason they really hated that the Hero kind of kidnaps the heroine. I hadn't really thought about it as kidnapping - the hero just won't let the heroine leave his apartment without one of his bodyguards.

This is the second time I've abandoned an idea that I've fleshed out because I had plot elements that were just too complicated. And I love the characters in both stories so I hate to abandon them. In this story he's CEO of a luxury goods conglomerate named after his mother, the famous French actress Lillian Moreau. And Carly Sorvino is a chef - and the guardian of her nephew that she believes is the hero's child.

Last time I just transferred the hero to a different story but my poor heroine is still languishing in that New York restaurant where I left her at the end of Chapter 1.

So, what's the problem?

Am I trying too hard to create a new "twist" that I make the story unbelievable? OR do I lack the faith to write a simple book and I have to attach all kinds of unnecessary plot twists and surprises so it's easier to write? Or is it the fact that I'm just not meant to write a Presents book?

I think I'm going to go play with some of my other ideas and work out my next Desire book. The senior editor said she'd like to see Billionaires and Babies. How hard can that be?

Does that ever happen to you? You think you have a great idea but you just can't make the whole book come together in a credible way?

After Hours With The CEO

2010-12-06T10:07:00.001-04:00

Decided to change the name of Executive Demands to After Hours With the CEO. What do you think?

The first three chapters have been sitting on my desk since last Thursday. I wanted to read them with a fresh eye after a couple of days to catch any grammar/spelling mistakes.

I sent my revamped Synopsis ( and who invented the hell that is a synopsis, anyway?) to CP's for some input. Ready to make those changes today and get this baby to the post office by tomorrow. And of course, one daughter is home sick today and the other is studying for exams. I'm at Starbucks now but the chairs are hard on the back so will head home in a couple of hours. I'll need to find head phones to drown out the constant questions when I get there.

Also spent the weekend working on my next short contemporary for the SYTYCW titled, Secrets, Lies and Silk Sheets. Not the most original title but I like it enough to move forward. So much fun to work on a new project. I always start with names of all my characters and it often takes hours to nail them down. I have his external goal and I think a good core story question. I had a very tight external goal for her and intense motivation. Very High Stakes. But, I didn't want to write that story. It was very emotional and I just couldn't see writing a romance when a child's life was at stake. Who can fall in love with someone who hold's the key to a child's life? So, I kept her motivation but lightened up the reason behind it. I hope it works.

So what are you working on? Do you take a break from writing for Christmas.

Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada's Fabulous Christmas Party

2010-11-28T16:45:00.001-04:00

Today was the annual RWAC Christmas Party. As usual there was fabulous food, fabulous conversation and an opportunity to catch up with many members I see only sporadically throughout the year.

Here are author Julianne Maclean, aspiring author Heidi Hamburg, authors Stella Maclean and Pam Callow.

It always amazes me that I found so many wonderful women who share my love of writing and reading. And it's nice to sit down and catch up before the busyness of the Christmas season really takes off. For many years I felt like I was the only one in this part of the world who love to read and write romance novels.

One of the stars of the annual Potluck is author Deb Hale's rum cake - and yes I had two pieces.

Our gracious and warm hostess was author Donna Alward.

Diet starts tomorrow!

Synopsis

2010-11-26T10:54:00.001-04:00

I'm rewriting the synopsis for Executive Demands and also pondering a change to the title. For some reason it now sounds too harsh and not very romantic. (And I'm writing this blog as one more way to procrastinate completing it.)

Writing the synopsis highlights any weaknesses in the plot - and I still have some, especially in the last part of the book. My ending is rough and it shows. Hopefully, the work I do on the synopsis this weekend will better clarify that part of the book for me. Synopsis always sound so dry and uninspired and I want to tell the editor "read the book, it's much better than I make it sound." Hmm, probably means the synopsis still needs work.

I try to keep in mind the action-reaction-decision chain so it's logical and I don't go off on tangents. And sometimes, I feel if I could just come up with that one right word, I wouldn't need a paragraph to explain the motivation.

So, off to finish the syn and come up with a new title.

Submission

2010-11-22T09:13:00.000-04:00

Yikes. Ages since I posted. What have I been doing?

Finished my proposal for Desire. Decided to change the end of the first act - where the partial ends - to something that creates more conflict. I need my hero and heroine, who are clearly made for each other, to be on different pages. To want and expect conflicting things the day after their steamy night together. Of course, it means a rewrite of the next couple of chapters but my gut tells me it's a better direction. I'm printing it off for a final look before sending to critique partners to make sure it's as shiny as it can be.

I've been thinking about my next short contemporary. Something with traditional hooks - babies and billionaires - but with a twist. Not as easy as it sounds. Maybe I need to spend a day watching the daytime talk shows. Surely there's an interesting hook amongst all that dysfunction? Of course, you don't find too many billionaires on Morey.

Started Christmas shopping. A first for me. I don't usually start until after Dec 1st. On a strict budget so no last minute, I'm stuck just grab something too expensive so I can get out of this crowded, noisy - oh man I have a headache- store.

Have you started your Christmas shopping? Do you make any of your gifts? And do you write during the holidays or take a break?

Glorious Fall

2010-11-12T21:34:00.002-04:00

If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is "thank you," that would suffice. - Meister Eckhart

After days of torrential downpour and dark gray days the sun is shining and it makes me happy.

I had a wonderful day.

After spending the morning writing I took a walk along the boardwalk in our little part of town

People were walking dogs and strollers and smiling. Seriously, almost everyone I walked by smiled and spoke to me. What a difference a little sunshine makes in our moods.

There must be a seniors apartment or nursing home around here because I saw two elderly ladies in wheelchairs sitting and chatting as they looked out over the water.

I haven't walked through this park in years. I used to take my girls here when it was first being developed and these beautiful town houses were being built.

I always said I wanted to live in the corner one. Back then they were reasonably priced. These days, forget about it.

But I can dream that I was smart enough to purchase one fifteen years ago. And that I look out this window every morning as I write.

I started thinking about a character who lived in one of these. What if she was walking her dog at dusk, the fog was rolling in and she stumbled across a body washed ashore?

After my walk I met my two fabulous critique partners at the local Starbucks a few blocks away. This is Nikki and Annette. They're going to be famous authors some day and I'll be able to say I knew them when. I'll also be able to say I had a fabulous time on the journey - even if I never arrive at the destination.

Lest We Forget

2010-11-11T10:23:00.000-04:00

Chapter 2 - Oh My!

2010-11-09T09:19:00.002-04:00

In preparing my submission I reviewed/revised/polished within an inch of it's life the first three chapters. I realized that the Ch 1 and 3, primarily in heroine's POV were much better than Ch 2 which is entirely in Hero's POV.

What to do?

I considered changing at least one of the scenes to the heroine's POV but I really wanted the reader to understand the hero. I tried adding more emotion but that just made it worse. Then I realized that the scene was too long, I have dialog that's witty ( I think ) but it doesn't advance the plot. I have the hero basically saying the same things to himself: I feel betrayed, I'm angry, I want to forget, my assistant is hot... So, I'm tightening up the scene and eliminating everything that's a repeat or him whining to himself.

Hopefully that will increase the pace and the energy of the scene.

I've also decided to skip entering the GH and send this directly to the Desire editor that asked to see more of my writing. A big decision since I finished this story last week in order to enter a completed MS in the contest. Once I considered what I would be entering the GH for, I decided I would have a better chance of getting published with the direct route.

Still on schedule to complete the revisions for my submission by the end of the week.

What do you hope to accomplish with your writing this week?

SYTYCW?

2010-11-05T18:21:00.000-03:00

I've tried to keep up with Harlequin's SYTYCW. But, somewhere around 4pm Monday it totally got away from me and I've been playing catch up ever since. I sent in my opening page for the Day 1 challenge, promptly got ill with a stomach virus which wiped out a couple of days. Add in two dentist appointments for each of my daughters and well, there you have it, I'm still reading Tuesdays posts.

The rain and wind are wild and woolly outside, as you can see from the picture taken out my dining room window, so it's a great day to be in the house but it seems I'm so far behind on everything it was noon today before I pulled out Ch2 of my Desire submission. I thought Chapter two was a winner but one of my Crit partners (the published Desire author) thought I needed more emotion - lots more emotion. Since the scene is in the Hero's POV, all I really know he's thinking is "she's hot let's just do it." I think I've managed to add a little more of the softer side.

The final challenge for SYTYCW, the one I've been waiting for, is a first chapter email submission for one of the Harlequin Lines due by Dec 15. All submissions will receive a response by Jan 31st. My only problem is deciding between story ideas for Desire, Presents, Intrigue or Super Romance.

Did you follow SYTYCW? Did you enter any of the challenges? And do you plan to enter the first chapter challenge?

Goodbye October

2010-10-30T16:23:00.000-03:00

After a dreary week of rain, the sun is shiny and a carpet of colorful leaves blankets my yard. Hopefully I can get out tomorrow and rake a few before the little trick or treaters arrive.

But I'm determined to get this MS finished and I've been writing furiously for days. The last 5,000 words are a mess and I'm writing the final two scenes this weekend. I'm also preparing my submission and having a crisis of confidence. How did I not notice the amount of adverbs on the first page? The passive writing? The talking heads? And I'm second guessing myself now that I know I'm sending out my baby for strangers to read.

I participated in a chat last week with the new editor at Desire. Seems they might want to expand the stories a little bit - less CEO's and maybe a few more ranchers or alternate occupations. They still love babies and billionaires though. She said she was happy to see Canadian Settings and loved family saga's and she's okay with secondary characters (yeah!) I also learned a new term "wealth indicators." Apparently they're an important component of Desires.

Have you heard about Harlequin's new program "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN WRITE" that starts on Nov 1st? I'm not clear on exactly all it entails but I'm hoping to get some direction and guidance for my next MS. I've learned a lot from writing this MS that I hope I can use to make writing the next story just a little bit easier. Or is that wishful thinking?

Are you planning on participating in SO YOU THINK YOU CAN WRITE?

NANO - Not!

2010-10-22T10:12:00.001-03:00

I've been writing furiously this week and hoped to write "the end" by Sunday.

Then I have to catch up on all the things I let slide. Oh to live a life where the only thing I had to do was write.

Will be skipping NANO this year in favor of preparing my GH entry. Trying to put all the second guessing on the entry in a lock-box in my shed in the backyard so it doesn't stop me from moving forward.

Somehow Balance went out the window this week and many other things on the to-do list were left undone. It's a beautiful time of year and the leaves are changing colours so I need to make time to get a walk in everyday.

Are you doing NANO this year? Have you done it in the past? What have you done with previous NANO projects? Revised and submitted?

Mission: Finish The Book

2010-10-17T22:44:00.006-03:00

I have about 30 pgs to write until I reach THE END! And if the universe cooperates, the upcoming week will run more smoothly than last. It started out with a sick kid and went down hill from there. I know we all have our challenges and road blocks but I find it difficult to write in the face of family concerns.

I fret.

I know it's a waste of time and most often I can do nothing about those things I fret about.

Jacqueyn Mitchard, author of Deep End of the Ocean, as well as children's and YA books, wrote her first novel after her husband died, leaving her a young mother of four without financial means. And that's only one of many tragedies that have touched her life. She says you must write even through the despair. I wonder if I can teach myself to do that or is it the kind of strength you are born with?

Can you write when things are tense or you're worried and stressed?

Happy Thanksgiving.

2010-10-10T19:47:00.000-03:00

I chowed down on way too much food but man, that turkey, ham and stuffing were just too good to pass up. Good thing I have two lawns to mow this weekend to wear off some of it.

What am I thankful for?

That my mother is a great cook.

This fabulous caramel hazelnut cheesecake we had for dessert was to die for.

Slash the Adverbs

2010-10-08T09:37:00.003-03:00

I'm working on a GH entry and planning to send the same MS to Desire so lots of stuff to get done over the next couple of weeks. Since I'm actually planning to have someone else besides my CP's read it I need to whip that first draft into shape - or at least the first fifty pages. And there's still 20 pgs to write until the end.

I wish I could edit on the computer. For some reason, I can't "see" my words on the screen.

My first drafts are clay, unformed and only hinting at the final piece. I reread on the computer, fixing and correcting and deleting overuse of adverbs and adjectives, then I print it out. And I'm shocked! I expect to still have work to do but surely it read so much better? On screen it did.

Last night I had a dream I sent a MS out that I had edited on the computer and it was riddled with typos and spelling errors. Which is actually what would happen if I didn't print it out a bunch of times and read it on hard copy.

For some reason I can't see the flow of the words on the screen. And it's slowing me down. I have to print it out and edit several times before it sounds remotely good enough. What is it about the computer screen that makes me not be able to "see" it?

I used to write my first draft by hand and I've taught myself to do that on screen. It's sped up my first draft process tremendously. Now I'd like to speed up the editing process. I know I have to print off a hard copy for final edits but surely there's a more efficient way to do the initial clean up?

Any techniques that help you edit on the screen? Or do you print it out and edit on hard copy after each session, chapter?

Filling the Well

2010-10-04T09:40:00.004-03:00

I have many things to do this week and the sun is shining, calling my name and making me feel like playing hooky.

Went to the colorful and fun Scarecrow Festival in Mahone Bay with my sister visiting from Toronto - and my other sister and mom.

An opportunity to fill that creative well.

I took pictures of where they find the body and where the victim works in the mystery I plan to write set in this little town.

And I ate cheesecake.

Today I'll be getting in a brisk walk to shake some of the cobwebs off.

I'm working on pages for my critique group and trying to find my ambition for finishing the book.

Okay that's coming too close to a whine so I better sign off and find my positive attitude.

How do you fill the creative well?

Deep Breath

2010-09-27T09:29:00.001-03:00

I went to Word On The Street yesterday to hear Pam Callow and Anne Emery read from their mystery novels and answer questions. Did I take a picture of those two lovely ladies on stage? No. I took this one instead. I thought it was funny to see the lovely fountain bordered by port-o-potties - and those port-o-potties were everywhere.

As I do each Monday I took a look at where I stand with my WIP and according to my schedule I need to write 12,000 words this week to finish my WIP on time. Hmm, might have a problem with that.

However, since submission is the end game for me in the last quarter of 2010, I need to finish this MS. I was listening to an RWA conference session yesterday and editor Birgit Davis Todd said Harlequin had bough 46 new authors in the previous year. Of course, some of those are previously published authors but many are brand new. I hope to have Executive Demands ready for the GH and at the same time send a proposal to Desire for it. And then, a proposal to Presents for another MS.

If I believe I can do this, I will.
If I believe in my story, I can finish it.

Today's goal: 1,000 words.
This week's goal: 5,000 words

Secrets in my Garden

2010-09-18T20:29:00.001-03:00

Mowed the lawn this afternoon. Hopefully that will be the last time this year as some of the trees are starting to change color. Beautiful red and orange leaves dotting the periphery of my yard:

Found two little green apples on my front lawn. Looked around my yard to see if one of those big green things with leaves was actually an apple tree.

This could happen.

I have bunches of stuff growing all over my property and I haven't a clue what they are. The fact that one of them suddenly started bearing fruit would not surprise me.

For example, this pretty white flower with red berries, sprung up in my side yard. Haven't a clue what it is:

When you first plant a garden you're desperate for all the little plants to grow. Years later when they've grown out of control, you wonder what you were thinking. Like these euonymus' we planted at the base of our chimney that have taken on a life of their own.

Considering how little care I give them, I'm amazed that anything grows. Of course, if it's a wimpy plant that needs TLC, it has no place in my garden.

I have a shed full of gardening tools from back in the days when I really believed I wanted to be a gardener. I've given up that foolish notion and faced the reality that I don't like digging in the dirt. However, if my characters don't start behaving in my current MS, I might just start to think I'll use those tools in a desperate attempt to distract myself from a hero that is acting like an a** and a heroine who is giving a good imitation of a door mat.

The Ticket to Happiness

2010-09-14T16:20:00.001-03:00

I thought the digital timer was the ticket to happiness. A device that would keep me on time, keep me focused and help me get more done.

But one of the behaviors I've struggled with since university is getting up early in the morning. And now I've found the perfect cure.

This is the ticket to happiness:

It's the CLOCKY!

It's an alarm clock with wheels. If you hit the snooze button more than once it moves on its own power, in random directions, beeping all the while. You have to get out of bed and find it to turn it off.

How did I not know this gadget existed in the world?

Rewards

2010-09-13T10:28:00.003-03:00

In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences. -Ingersoll

I've filled in the first couple of months on my four-month calendar. As I was writing in my "expected completion date" for the current project I considered whether I should plan a reward - which of course started me thinking about writing and rewards. Do you give yourself rewards for writing? Do you write a certain amount of words before you allow yourself to check facebook, twitter, blogs, etc? Do you get to have chocolate M&M's for every page you write?

I don't.

I took a Behavior Modification class many years ago in University. According to the professor, this method works well for people who suffer any number of psychological disorders - and it works quickly. No long drawn out psychoanalysis. Just change the consequences and you change the behavior. We had to design our own Behavior Modification project for ourselves. It didn't work with me. I think the problem is rewarding MYSELF. If I control the reward, I can't fool myself into believing that I'll actually withhold something I really want. Yet, I feel if I let someone else control the reward I'm behaving like a child. I think my problem is the artificial deadlines for an unpublished author. In the back of my mind I know there are no immediate consequences to not finishing my pages for the day/week/month. Now, long term the consequences are huge. If I don't write I won't get published.

As I've mentioned before, I have an in person crit group that meets every second week and I almost always have pages for that. Not as many as I would like but still, it has kept me moving forward - even if it is slowly. So, external deadlines and commitments matter to me. And it doesn't really matter what the commitment is, once I say I'll do something, I do it. I think it has to do with self image. I see myself as a "responsible" person, a person of her word. (this blogging thing is better than a therapist)

How can I translate that piece of logic into my everyday writing routine?

I have to see myself as a serious writer.

I am a writer. Therefore I write.

Do you use rewards as a way to motivate yourself to write? What kind? And how does that work for you?

Is It About Time?

2010-09-09T10:10:00.003-03:00

It seems that every writer is constantly lamenting their lack of time management skills. Not enough hours in the day. How does author x write so many books in a year when she has a full time job or four kids?

I think the first thing we have to realize is we aren't author x and we need to stop comparing ourselves unfavourably to everyone else out there. It only matters who we are, and what our own unique challenges are - and how we deal with them.

I think each of us has to decide if it's lack of time we have, or lack of ability to manage that time. Once you identify which issue it is, you can focus your attention on tackling the real problem.

Take the 24 hours time wheel - or make a list. Shade in the the amount of time you spend on necessities in a day: sleep, work, commute time, shower and personal grooming, eating. For most people this probably takes up 20+ hours if they work full time, without factoring in childcare for little ones such as baths, storytime, physical activities, etc. Add in a partner, aging parents, housekeeping and house maintenance and your own exercise time and you can see how carving out even an hour each day is difficult. And if you're a single parent it becomes ten times more challenging.

If this describes your situation, don't beat yourself up because you lack "time management" skills. Your problem is lack of time, not management of that time. Sometimes we have to accept that while our children are young or while the day job sucks up too many hours - we will be writing in small increments. So get creative with the time you do have. Plan to write on the weekend when Dad takes the kids out for swimming lessons and lunch at McD's while mom writes. Take a notebook to the kid's swim practice. Can you find a quiet place at work during lunch two or three times a week to write? Instead of driving to work can you take a bus or train and write during the commute?

IF writing is a priority, what are you willing to give up to achieve it? Another exercise is to develop a "strategic plan" for your life. What are the three or four priorities in your life? What's important to you? I seemed to complain and resent the time I spent volunteering - although no one forced me to agree to these commitments. When I looked at the list of my life's priorities one of the things I valued was a responsibility to my community. It was important to me to contribute to the world in which my children grew up in. Once I realized this, I let the resentment go, Yes, writing was important, time with my children was important but so were health and my extended family and the community I lived in.

I had to make some tough choices about other activities. I liked to sew and craft and take classes on them, but not as much as I liked to write and I did these things during the time I could be writing. I was taking a cooking class that was 40 minutes away from home - more than an hour of total commuting time. These weren't high priorities at that point in my life so I let each of them go - and used those hours to write instead.

So, if writing is really important, consider it every time you have a choice to make. Do you spend way too much time commuting to work? Consider finding a job closer to home - or moving. I know! Drastic measures! Do your kids have to be in every activity? Can you car pool with other parents? Consider bulk cooking on the weekend so you spend less time at it during the week. Can you get your kids involved with chores around the house? Folding laundry together is a great way to teach younger children about household chores and spend time together at the same time. When my girls were little the thing they wanted most was to spend time with mommy. Exercise together, do chores together, cook as a family and then when you want to write, they'll be much happier coloring quietly or watching a disney video.

What if your problem really is your lack of time management skills?

I would say that today, with my kids almost adults, this is my challenge. I've cut out a lot of the time wasters, made writing a priority, set specific times to write. Then I sit down to write and I stare at the blank page.

And I stare.

I write a little, change my mind about the direction of the story and rewrite it. Then I worry that the conflict isn't strong enough and I try to fix it - which means more rewriting. My mind gets sidetracked by everyday concerns and I have to get up and deal with them and then I can't get my mind to focus back on the story. I seem to be writing a lot but not actually producing.

I know that my perfectionist tendencies and fear of failure are two psychological barriers that I struggle with everyday. I'm frustrated with my lack of progress. Is this just my writing style that I have to learn to live with and deal with?

Now I have the time to write. How do I get myself to use that time more productively?

Vision Board

2010-08-30T09:07:00.001-03:00

I finally completed my writing Vision Board for the stop whining/start writing campaign - which meant a whole lot of photoshop. But not too much. Because I realized I could make this a week long project trying to get it perfect and use it to replace writing. So I stopped myself.

I have a picture of myself along with three of my favourite and inspiring writers: Nora, because she's so prolific and has a great business, no nonsense attitude towards writing "the muse is a fickle bitch," SEP because I love her books and Debbie Macomber. I swear, everytime I hear Debbie talk about how she struggled in the beginning of her career, I cry. Do you know that she has dyslexia and didn't read until the 5th grade? That's perseverance and guts.

I have pictures of two of our recent success stories in our RWA chapter. Pam Callow, author of the Kate Lange series from Mira. Pam broke a few rules in her first published book but she believed in herself and had confidence in her work - two qualities I think are essential in achieving success in this business. The longer I write the more I realize if you don't believe in yourself and your work, no one else will.

The other picture is Stella MacLean, who published with SuperRomance after writing for more years than I have (which is a lot) An example of determination but also an example of how to deal with the slings and arrows of this business while maintaining a sense of humour, grace and never giving up.

The RT cover is all about author Anne MacFarlane and in this page from the future, I'm debuting my "white hot" trilogy.

And to top my successful writing career, I also have two books on the NYT list. One is number 1 on the hard cover list and my paperback is number 1 on that list.

And finally I posted the first sale page from the RWR . And what do you know? My name is there. I have some scattered quotes and pictures of my home on the beach where I'll be writing these best sellers - because of course everyone knows writers are rich.(at least in my vision world)

So, do you do anything visual to motivate and/or inspire you to stick with your dreams of becoming a published writer? Or to move yourself forward to the next level of your publishing career?

And now I'm going to go do the one thing I must do to make these dreams come true.

Write

Writing Tools

2010-08-24T18:28:00.006-03:00

I've set up the tools for my stop whining/start writing (TM) fall campaign.

I have a four-month white board calendar where I'll post the goals for each day/week/month starting Sept 1. I haven't completed it yet because I'm having a practice run for this week and I'm hoping to have 8,000 words written on my current MS by the 1st. Yesterday, I was successful. Today, I haven't completed my words so instead of enjoying the beautiful evening outside I will be sitting at the computer with my hands on the keyboard. It's a love scene, though, and I shouldn't have too much trouble because I love writing them.

The next tool is my new digital timer. I'm positive this is the tool I've been missing. And it's the ticket to happiness! Okay, maybe not to happiness but at least the key to keeping myself focused and on track. It has two timers you can stop and start if you leave your desk. So, if my goal is to write for 3 hours and I need to leave to do other things - wash, fix lunch, watch Oprah - I hit the pause button and then hit the start button when I get back. It also doesn't make the tic tic sound like my big red tomato timer so I can take it out in public.

The next tool is the alarm clock ( the one on the left isn't actually mine, mine is dusty with wires hanging out it) set this morning for 6am. And my cell phone which is set for 6.10, 6.30 and 7.00. Now, I realized this morning as I turned each of them off and finally dragged myself out of bed that if I was truly committed to getting up early in the morning and writing, or exercising, I would set the alarm clock for 6am, place it far away from the bed, and turn on the loud beeper - instead of the easy listening music that I wake up to - and fall back to sleep to. And for some reason I often wake up when the music shuts off, not when it comes on.

And this is my Vision Board. Yes, it's blank. And much as I would like to claim I put it up yesterday, the fact is I hung it up above my dresser more than a year ago. However, I plan to complete it this week with all my writing visions.

(and yes, all my walls are white - accept for the girls' rooms because they refused to allow me to paint them when I suggested "linen.")

The final tool is Starbucks - not so much the coffee but the fact that I'm away from all distractions on the home front. And sometimes I get to chat with other writers - just a little, not too much. Of course, there's another one closer to home where fewer writers go so perhaps I should go there instead. Ooh - that's a tough one. I so enjoy chatting about writing. Okay, slapping my own wrist.

Write don't talk about writing.

Progress

2010-08-19T11:41:00.003-03:00

It's another hot day in Halifax. I'm sitting in one of the coolest places - my office (really the dining room) It has two large windows and a fan, so I'm comfortable and cool, and still in my cotton nightdress. Yesterday was a bitch of a humid day and I had tons of running around to do after my daughters. However, it was critique night with my two partners which is always a highlight of my week. I'm considering getting them to sign a pact in blood that they aren't allowed to move or quit writing. Considering how life happens, and how one of them rarely stays in one city for long, it isn't likely to happen.

And, hold your hats, I'm actually enjoying what I'm writing and I feel good about the last several chapters And when have you ever heard me say that? LOL. I'm getting this thrill when I finish them. They feel right. And it's kind of scary.

(wish my neighbour hadn't just started his lawn mower, it makes me feel guilty that I'm not doing mine)

I never feel "the muse" or for that matter, even know what it is. Would I recognize it/him/her if it sat down beside me? Doubtful. I've marveled at people who talk about the joy in writing because I can't honestly say I've ever felt it. And yes, many times I wonder why I feel the compulsion to write and if I was missing some key ingredient to be a "real" writer. But these last few weeks I've caught a few glimpses that maybe I've taken a few tentative steps towards the inner circle.

Do you feel happy when you finish a scene or chapter? Do you feel a rush of joy at the first draft or the sense of satisfaction when you revise your words into something shiny and smooth? And what about the muse? Do you have one?

Back on Track

2010-08-15T11:42:00.000-03:00

I took a little vacation from the WIP this week to judge a few contests, critique a friend's completed MS and work on homework for an online class. The step back let me ponder the direction of my story. Did I have enough conflict? How could I increase the tension without adding additional external plot points? I came up with a few ideas that would strengthen and add depth to the current conflict so I'm ready to tackle the story once again. I get frustrated that writing never seems to get any easier and I often struggle with the same issues in each of my books. I just keep telling myself that this is a learning experience and the next book will be better for it.

Summer has also taken me out of my regular sleep schedule. I'm going to bed late and getting up later in the mornings which throws my writing time off. So, with a little over two weeks until my youngest starts back to school I'm getting into the early morning routine.

Where did the summer go? We've had beautiful weather but our usually short summer season seems to be even shorter than ever this year.

And my cupcake baking has come to an end for awhile with these Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes from a Martha Stewart recipe. These were a big hit with everyone. I also made some WW carrot muffins that didn't turn out at all. I think it's better to have one of something that tastes good, rather than a whole plate of mediocre food. The muffins were so bad I threw them out.

Do you have exciting plans for August? Or are your thoughts turning to the start of the school year and getting back into a more regular schedule?

Two Dogs, One Bone

2010-08-11T18:49:00.000-03:00

Conflict. Conflict. Conflict.

Why is that such a hard concept to grasp? I start out with what I think is a compelling conflict but midway through the MS I find I'm struggling to keep the intensity going. And I wonder why I made the choices I did at the beginning of the story because I could have set it up so much better. And yet, I've been told that I have a lot going on so I don't want to add another conflict on top of the ones I already have. I just want to deepen to ones I have.

Okay, honestly I just want to ditch the whole thing and start on a brand new, shiny manuscript. Because I know my next idea is better, and I could write it really fast... and yes, that's the delusional trip I travel at least once every couple of weeks when I write a book. The next idea is always better. And I've come up with at least four new ideas this week alone. If only I could focus all that creativity on the current MS.

I decided this week I didn't have enough external conflict, that somehow my heroine needed to be a road block to my Hero's external goal. I came up with several logical scenarios but it sends the story in a direction I don't think I like. Now I'm doing a list of twenty reasons how or why the heroine can stop the hero's project. I've spent all day working on this and still I haven't found the key.

And I'm at the point that I'm embarrassed when people ask me what I'm working on now and I tell them the same thing I was working on six months ago. And no, I'm not nearly finished. Thanks for asking.

How Hard Can it Be - Part 11

2010-08-07T12:01:00.004-03:00

Success on the second try.

The Lemon Cupcakes turned out nicely. Could be a little more lemony. I'll know that for next time. However, the icing that came along with the recipe tasted funny so I used the cream cheese icing instead. Whew. No wonder I stick with the same tried and true recipes. Less chance of messing up.

I remade the Black Velvet cupcakes with Martha Stewart's recipe. Why didn't I go with that the first time? They still have a little bit of an unusual taste but that's probably because they have vinegar in them?

How Hard Can it Be?

2010-08-06T13:59:00.004-03:00

Got up early this morning to bake cupcakes and beat the heat. I've been wanting cupcakes since I had a delicious one at a bakery during a day trip a few weeks back. Stopped at our neighborhood bakery close to home a few days ago that advertised cupcakes on their sign. When I went in, they didn't even have one!

I watched Martha make a black velvet cake on her show and I've been dying to try it. So, what could be better and easier than black velvet cupcakes?

Making them was cool - and fascinating.

Here is the oil and red food coloring. Looks kind of like a science experiment. My kids were not as impressed as I was.

I have the oven on preheating and all the ingredients mixed in the bowl to put into the pretty pink liners in the muffin tins. It's very red! These are going to be so pretty!

As I pour the batter I can smell this plastic smell. Hmm, shouldn't these smell like chocolate? I taste the batter. Blech! What's wrong with them? My daughter tells me it's the red gel food coloring that makes it taste like that. Didn't I remember the cake she had to throw away when she used it? No, I don't remember that I sob.

I double check the recipe to see if I missed something or put too much coloring in. OH NO I was supposed to mix the food coloring with 6 Tbsp of water!

Have you ever tried to throw out an entire batch of batter already in the muffin tins? Red food coloring everywhere as I try to clean it off every surface in my kitchen.

Next on my list: lemon cupcakes. How hard can they be? Stop laughing. I can do this, there's no food coloring involved.

What's it all about?

2010-08-04T11:21:00.001-03:00

I've been writing and deleting a lot of words on my current ms. Sometimes writing scenes 2 and 3 times. Deleting 1,000s of words and rewriting. This hasn't happened to me to this extent before and I finally decided to step back and think about the problem.

It dawned on me that I hadn't really decided what my book was about. I needed to decide on the central theme of the story and each character's emotional journey. What lesson did each of my characters need to learn? Since I'm writing short contemporary romance, those lessons and the theme needed to unfold in the interaction between my characters. I think this revelation is going to help me stay focused on what the story's about.

This is such a problem in this particular book because when I started out, I set the story up as a much bigger book - with individual issues and growth that resolved themselves through interaction with the important people in their lives and not each other. That's a mistake I won't make again.

In thinking through this process, and I've mentioned this before, I wondered if I shouldn't be writing Superromance or even single title contemporary. Give my characters a bigger canvas to explore their issues? I've spent the last two years entirely focused on short contemporary and I've learned a tremendous amount. With two editor requests to see my next project, I didn't want to switch gears just when I was actually seeing some positive feedback and feeling like I might actually know what I'm doing.

I had a conversation with one of my Success Teammates, who works full time and has an enormous amount of ideas in different genres. And she wants to do them all and believes she can - all she needs is to carve out more time. And I know she will because she's that kind of person - she gets things done. I'm also reading a book about "Thinking Big" and suddenly it occurred to me that I could do both. Yes, I could write short contemporary and longer books. There's no reason I had to make a choice. That made me feel excited in a way I haven't been for a few months. Why limit myself at this point?

I know what you're thinking: Anne you write very slowly. How's that going to work for you, you ask.

Well, one of the things I've learned is if one thing doesn't work for you, try something else. Come Sept I may change one of my cardinal rules of working on only one project at a time and start working on two. I have an idea for a contemporary series. Just a little gleam of an idea but it's exciting.

I plan to give it a three month trial and see if at those times when I'm struggling to figure out what to write on my current project, I switch to something else. Maybe early morning hours for new words, first draft writing? And the evenings for revisions, rewriting, synopsis, plotting, etc? Might work. But if it doesn't I'll try something else at the end of the trial period

So, do you want to write in more than one genre? One project at a time or more than one? Would you LIKE to do it differently if you had more time?

And do you start with a "Theme" as a framework for your book?

Midsummer Madness

2010-07-30T11:12:00.003-03:00

Midway through the summer and struggling to keep my mind on the WIP. It was my birthday this week - balloons are from my daughter - and for some reason that marks the point of letting all my good intentions fly out the window. It's like I owe myself the gift of sloth.

I ate way too much food. I can't limit myself to a birthday "dinner" it has to be a birthday "week." And I haven't seen the inside of a gym or put my sneakers on in weeks.I'm afraid to get on the scale.

I'm overwhelmed by all the things I haven't done and all the things I still have to do. Part of that, I think, is I rarely think about my age during the year but somehow when the actual date rolls around I start realizing how old I am.

Whew, now that I've gotten that off my chest, I feel better.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Manageable chunks.

So, salad for lunch and a walk after dinner.
Finish reading friend's MS so it's ready when she gets back from RWA national.

I can do that today.

EDITED LATER ON FRIDAY:
And because I have so much to do that isn't getting done, I decided to redo the blog. I really hated that pink one and every time I posted it annoyed me. Spent a couple hours searching pictures and couldn't find what I wanted. Then I had the brilliant idea of actually taking the picture myself. So, this is my messy desk that I stare at each day.

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas...

2010-07-26T10:02:00.005-03:00

"The value of an idea is in the using of it" - Thomas Edison

This weekend I took a step back from my WIP to look at the overall structure and where the story was headed. Did I have enough conflict? Were my hero and heroine behaving in character? Did my story fit the line I was targeting? Was the Black Moment, black enough? What did my characters learn? Sometimes I can't see the forest for the trees when I'm in the middle of writing it.

I filled up pages of my large notebook. Unfortunately, most of those pages were dedicated to new ideas. I wrote out basic plot ideas for three new books. I can add these to the pile of other index cards and notebooks I have filled with more story ideas than I'll ever have time to write. I don't know how this happens. Many days my brain feels lethargic and very non (or un?) creative. It's as if I'm walking through quick sand as I try to resolve my story problems. Other days, like this weekend, my brain seems to fire on all cylinders and the ideas keep popping into my head. I wish I could harness that energy every day and focus it on my current story. I did come up with several different ways of reworking my current MS into a totally different story.

A successful published author in my RWA chapter with many published works under her belt, says that the hardest part of writing for her is coming up with story ideas. That she doesn't think of the new stories until the current one is complete.

Do you have more ideas than you have time? Or do you work out one idea at a time and focus completely on that until it's time to move to the next project?

How Does That Make You Feel?

2010-07-19T18:03:00.000-03:00

One of the things I like to read and write most are scenes with emotional intensity. You know the ones. Where your heart beats with fear, or anxiety or joy and you are so deep in the character's POV you feel every breath they take as their world crashes down around them - or is resurrected in front of them.

I've been studying books I can't put down to see how my favourite authors do this. I think deep POV helps with the intensity but it's a whole lot more than that. It's about the bone deep conflicts and insecurities the character's have. The most intense books involve characters with a history - old lovers, family drama, treacherous best friends and often some type of betrayal that has been left unresolved.

I like characters who are really intense and scenes that are dramatic. But I worry they can spill easily into melodrama. It's a fine line to walk - or write - isn't it?

Do you like angst filled books? Revenge, blackmail, passion? Or do you like funny, light hearted books? Or softer books that seem more true to life. Maybe a quieter more realistic depiction of emotion?

Treat it Like A Job

2010-07-13T14:16:00.002-03:00

Over at Romance University yesterday, struggling writer Sally Bayless posted about her lack of discipline during revisions. When she started out she treated her writing as a job.

AAh! Bells rang in my head! (yes, just like my characters who are forever hearing warning bells clanging.)

A few years back I decided the only way to take this writing seriously was to treat it like a job. And I did. I kept my writing hours sacred. Not to be interrupted by appointments or kids or other distractions. Like the internet. Or TV. Or shopping. Or housework. I even gave up sewing and crafts so I could use my free time to write instead. I realized if writing was so important, I needed to devote all the time I could to it. After all, focus was the way I had succeeded in other areas of my life and it should work with writing a book.

Somehow, as frustration set in and the writing became harder, I let myself be distracted by everything and anything. But for me, the problem isn't really the distractions. I'm not hooked by the internet or TV or shopping.

The distractions, or the time spent wasting time, is a symptom of my real problem: frustration at not being able to get it right the first time. No matter how many times I tell myself "don't get it right, get it written" or "you can't fix a blank page" or "all writing is rewriting" somehow when writing becomes difficult, I start giving up. I'll work on it tomorrow - or the next day- or the next week. As Sally says in her blog piece, if I worked for me, I would fire me. As my employer, I would call me into the office and have a discussion about productivity and pulling up my socks. As an employer, I'm not interested in excuses. I'm only interested in results. And I would give my slack employee (me) a deadline to prove I could do it or else she(me) would be shown the door. (okay, I'll stop talking about myself in the third person because it is totally annoying - and confusing.)

So, I'm putting the writing back as #1 on my list of priorities. And accepting no excuses. If it's too hot, then I just find a fan! or an air conditioned library or coffee shop. At least I will when my daughter comes back with my air conditioned car. Until then, the fan will do.

How about you? Are you taking a vacation from the "job" of being a writer this summer? Or are you making a make or break pact with yourself that this is the summer you will do it?

Food For Thought

2010-07-11T12:52:00.002-03:00

Food and feelings are so intricately bound.

My Mom sent home a dish of macaroni and cheese for my daughter who missed "family" dinner. This is everyone's favourite but mine and since half the family is in PEI for the Taylor Swift/Keith Urban/Kelly and Regis shows there were lots of leftovers. It made her very happy at lunchtime today.

I was trying to remember the last time I felt such joy in what I was eating. After spending a year+ on Weight Watchers, I've gotten to the point where food is starting to feel like the enemy. Something I need to keep out of the house. Something I need to avoid when I'm shopping (fast food court.) Something I need to guard against when I'm at social events.

I'm currently reading Women, Food and God and finding it very enlightening. I watched her on an Oprah show and felt very much as if she were speaking directly to me. She is making a return appearance on tomorrow's show so I'm looking forward to that.

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my relationship with food and weight and why it seems like such a life time battle for me. One of the first things I heard her say is that we shame ourselves into losing weight and then think that somehow, after shedding the pounds, we will miraculously be okay with ourselves.

Are you one of the lucky people who never worry about their weight? Or do you struggle with weight and body image?

Do you enjoy food without guilt? Do you accept your body just the way it is? And if you do please tell me what your secret is.

Summer of Writing

2010-07-08T11:05:00.003-03:00

I christened July and Aug, 2o1o The Summer of Writing.

The summer where I turn into a junior Nora and write three MS over two months? The summer where I slough off the procrastination and perfectionism and actually write more than 42 words in three hours? Well, so far the Summer of Writing has turned into the Summer of Complaining about the weather - a Maritimer's favourite sport. It's HOT! and HUMID!

It's like July hit and I turned back into a student and the brain decided to take a vacation. I stayed up really late reading last night and had to drag myself out of bed this morning. Not good. Now I'm hot and tired.

Okay, now I've got that off my chest I can pull up the WIP and get started. Here's a quote from Louise Penny, a fabulous mystery writing from Quebec, that I have on my digital sticky note on my desk top:

First - finish the book. Most people who start books never finish them. Don't be one of those. Do it, for God's sake. You have nothing to fear - it won't kill you. It won't even bite you. This is your dream - this is your chance. You sure don't want to be lying on your death bed regretting you didn't finish the book. LOUISE PENNY

Do you find the seasons effect your ability to focus? Does the hot weather take you back to your childhood where it was all about lazy days, swimming at the lake and reading late into the night? Sigh, doesn't that sound like heaven?

Taking A Deep Breath

2010-07-04T11:09:00.001-03:00

Happy 4th of July to our neighbors to the South!

My sister came for a short Canada day visit and we packed as much eating and walking in as we could. I've eaten most of my meals at restaurants and we had a family barbecue and birthday yesterday. Even with the walking the scale was screaming at me this morning. Too much cake, and cupcakes, and yes! pizza and pasta salad.

Yesterday I took my oldest daughter to the airport for a trip to New Jersey/New York at 4 o'clock in the morning. The only reason to be up that early is if you've been up all night Of course, the previous couple of days were a mad dash for errands and beauty upkeep. She spends money on hair, make-up, waxing, etc that boggles my mind. It's a good thing she isn't ugly or she'd be broke.

We did a trip to Mahone Bay which is really just an excuse to take pictures of the colorful houses and businesses and to eat coconut cupcakes at the bakery. My other sister and niece were with us. I get car sick if I'm a passenger in a car for any length of time. Since we needed a bigger car than mine and my daughter needed mine for errands before her trip, I got to drive my sisters brand new car. The death grip she had on the door handle as I turned around on a bank beside the water was pretty funny. My niece covered her eyes.

Contrary to what my daughters have been telling people, I really am a good driver.

We all talked about moving there and how lovely it would be. But it's awfully far away from a Mall - so maybe not.

But, I do have an idea for a mystery set there. Which of course, brings me full circle. Haven't written in days and my WIP is staring me in the face. With a beautiful breeze fluttering the curtains in my office it's a perfect morning to write.

So how did you celebrate Canada Day and/or Independence Day?

Walk in the Park on Canada Day

2010-07-02T08:48:00.003-03:00

Happy Canada Day

2010-07-01T09:45:00.002-03:00

Critique Groups

2010-06-28T09:20:00.003-03:00

I'm working on pages to send to my in person critique group. I love when my pgs are already written and all I have to do is edit/revise them enough for my two crit partners to read.

I know a lot of writers wait until they have the book written or substantially written before they allow others to read it. I find, though, that meeting regularly keeps me on track. It forces me to move forward no matter how much I want to rewrite and revise the first part of the book. I think of my in person critique group as my "development" team and we do a lot of brainstorming so by the time I get to the end of the book the first time it ends up being closer to a second or third draft because I've been over the pages a couple of times.

Meeting other writers in person is the single most important thing that has me moving forward. Twice a month I have to show up with new pages - or make an excuse why I can't. And believe me when I have to say out loud those lame excuses I give myself for not writing, I buckle down and actually produce pages.

I also have an online critique group, They see my pages after the in person critique group has weighed in and I've made any changes I agree with. Sometimes I ditch the pages or entirely rewrite the chapters before they go to the online critique group. One of the writers in my online group is a published author in the series I'm targeting so I'm very lucky to have her comments on issues that are unique to series romance; the degree of alphaness, the glamor factor, etc.

It took several years and several critique group set ups for me to find what works. I write contemporary series romance and both my in person CP's write contemporary woman's fiction, but they do have an affinity for series. I don't think there's anything more damaging than writing in a genre that your critique partners don't get. Since we're writing different genres, we do have to step back sometimes or qualify our suggestions because the different genres demand different things. And if a partner doesn't understand that it can lead to difficulties.

Do you have a critique group or partners? Do you meet in person or online? Send pages as you write or when completed? Have you tried arrangements that haven't worked?

I'm off to complete those edits on this rainy Monday morning.

Powering Through - or not

2010-06-25T12:26:00.000-03:00

I realized yesterday that powering through the book - writing, writing, writing-when I sense there is a problem is not the best use of my writing time. I don't know why it took me so long to realize this. Three days of conversation that went nowhere. Of Damian and Jane going through the motions - dinner, painting a room, a dance...

Denial? Maybe I didn't want to acknowledge that I had issues because then I would have to stop and all those lovely pages I envisioned writing this week would come to a halt?

The problem is in Damian's motivation. I had a couple of scenes that propelled me into the second half the book but then the energy and conflict seemed to seep right out of the story, Why would he chase after her when he knows he can't give her what she wants? And why would she let him back into her life after he lied to her? These are great questions. Problem is. Don't have the answers.

So I'm doing a list of twenty to see if I can strike gold. I've been taking a course on "Asking the Right Questions" from Susan Meier. Love her online courses. She's the one who really got me into the whole-Action-Reaction-Decision technique for plotting. As I've mentioned before I'm sadly lacking in showing the reaction of my characters - it's like they don't think they just do.

What do you do when you're stuck for character motivation? When really, there's no reason for the hero and heroine not to walk into the sunset together?And you're only a little over the half way point of the book? Power on and hope lightening strikes? Or back it up and think it through?

Welcome Summer

2010-06-21T10:41:00.000-03:00

Today is the first day of summer. Although it's gray and drizzly, it's supposed to clear up this afternoon.

This is a picture of the Halifax waterfront that comes alive with people and events in the summer. It's almost like we live in a beach resort for two months of the year.

I find it tough to write in the summer with the girls off of school and crazy schedules with their part time jobs. I'll be up early in the mornings to get the writing completed before the day gets away from me. I'm determined to finish the current MS and get a proposal off by the end of the summer. And start my next one.

Right now I'm writing the 3rd quarter of the book, after the big turning point in the middle but before the black moment to come. My hero and heroine are falling in love although they haven't acknowledged their feelings yet. I still need to maintain the tension, the feeling that the other shoe is about to drop. That's a balancing act I'm struggling with. The more I write, the more I realize I still have so much to learn.

I've had a few writing friends experience great success over the past couple of months. I'm happy and inspired by their sales but a part of me wonders why I'm sitting on the sidelines watching them reach for their goals while I let things slide rather than tackling my dreams with single minded determination.

Too much self-analysis for a Monday morning?

School's Out

2010-06-17T13:59:00.008-03:00

Why are high schoolers allowed out of school before the end of June? Why do exams start on the 17th? I wasn't prepared for this.

So far this morning, I've listened to

"Can I have the car, a friend needs to go shopping"
"Can you help me find my belt. Did you wear it? "( she's a size 2 so I'd have to wear it around my arm)
"Are my black pants clean?"
"Is my gray top in the dryer?"
"There's something wrong with my computer, can you fix it?"
"Can you hem my dress?"
"There's no food. When are you getting groceries?"
"Oh no, don't step in that." to younger sister.

None of this made me move away from my desk until lunch time. When I walked into the kitchen I found the remains of about three different meals that my kids have so far chowed down on today.

Dear lord, when will it be September?

Best Laid Plans

2010-06-16T09:36:00.004-03:00

This is an oriental poppy from my garden. It's very fragile so when it rains tomorrow it will get all saggy and limp.

I wrote over 6,000 words last week. I'm not updating the WIP counter on the right because, although I'm over 40,000 words, many of those hard fought words are going to end up on the cutting room floor. Probably about 10,000 of them. Yes, that's how many detours and side shows I went on as I discovered my story. Hoping to have a proposal sent to Desire in July.Also had three ideas for additional stories so wrote notes on each of those. I'm an ideas kind of gal. Not just story ideas but great ideas for everything. The follow-through is what trips me up.

I planned (haha) to write an equal amount this week and what happened? Sunday my pressure tank for my water pump sprang a leak and I had to call a plumber to fix it. Yes, just as I'm researching well drillers with the BBB. Can't wait for weeks until I get the plans under way for the new well (which I still have major reservations about doing because of the mess and disruption) have to get pump fixed now. The water woes started on the weekend, as they always do, and I decided to wait until Mon morning to call the plumber. Fortunately my first choice plumber is available later in the afternoon. Unfortunately the tank he has in his van is too big and he'll have to order mine and return the next day. The next day, as I'm waiting for plumber the POWER GOES OFF! For Four hours! Need electricity to power pump so can't put the tank in. But, power comes on before the end of the day and plumber arrives around 5 to fix. This company is the best!

Fifty minutes and several hundred dollars later, I have water!

A wonderful thing.

Digg'n a Ditch

2010-06-11T10:06:00.004-03:00

This is a beautiful orange azalea in my front yard - right in the path of the ditch that needs to be dug to put in a new well.

Anyone with water woes - shortages, low pressure, hard water stains on fixtures - knows how inconvenient and disruptive it can be, especially with kids or teenagers who don't understand the concept of 3 min showers in the middle of a hot dry summer.

I've been planning on having a new drilled well put in for several years now. I've gotten quotes. It's very expensive but I can make some adjustments in the finances in order to afford it. Also, it adds value to my property and makes the house much easier to sell when the time comes. The kids are turning into young adults and momma's tired of the lawn mowing and snow shoveling so that time gets closer every day.

So, what is holding me back?

The chaos and mess. My whole front yard has to be dug up. In addition to the cost of the well I'm not sure what the yard will look like after they're gone. I have a large rock garden, a retaining wall and a walkway that might not survive. So, as I often say to my kids, (and they hate it) I need to suck it up and get it done.

Damaged

2010-06-06T20:58:00.000-03:00

A friend of mine, Pam Callow, has been writing for years. We've talked about our books, our plots, our writing goals and our kids at Starbucks on many mornings over the past few years. To finally see her success after so much hard work and dedication is really inspirational. I attended her book launch at a downtown hotel this past week and it was one of those wonderful nights when you believe anything is possible and dreams do come true.

Damaged is a story that contains all the best things - a tense thriller, a cool and imaginative medical plot, a unique setting and characters you care about and want to revisit again and again. The first book in debut author Pam Callow's thriller series featuring Kate Lange, a young lawyer who needs to prove she's better than her past, is a fast-paced ride through the city of Halifax. I couldn't put it down and can't wait for the next book in the series.

Yes! This is the first of a four (so far) book series.

Indefensible arrives in January 2011.

Busy, Busy

2010-06-01T20:45:00.001-03:00

I'm currently signed up for two online classes. The first is with Susan Meier called the Power of the Right Question. I've taken a couple of online classes with Susan before and she really speaks my language. Her concepts are deceptively simple but very powerful. The second is with Bob Mayer called the Warrior Writer. That's what I want to be A Warrior! In addition I volunteered to moderate this month's KOD class called Hide and Seek - all about how to disappear and how to find someone.

We also have our all day writers workshop for my local RWA chapter and I'm doing a short session on web design. The challenge is how to do about three hours of material in one hour.

So, as you can see, not much actual writing being done this week. And wouldn't you know it, last night I had a great idea for another book. Scribbled a bunch of ideas, dialogue fragments, character stuff down. I might've mentioned this before but often times those brilliant nighttime ideas turn out to be not so grand in the bright light of the morning. Since it was a dark and rainy morning the glow from the idea hadn't completely faded. And I think I like it enough to put it on the list of books to write. And yes, that's why I'm taking the Warrior Writer class, so I can get all these good ideas onto the page before I die.

I also stayed up to the wee hours on the weekend reading a fabulous book by a writer friend. I'll be posting a review of that book within the next couple of days.

Have you taken any good online courses lately? What were they?
And how do you determine if your story ideas, that come to you in a flash, have the staying power to sustain a whole book?

Synopsis Completed

2010-05-24T18:23:00.000-03:00

Spent the last couple of days writing and revising my synopsis for Executive Demands. Sent it off to my CP's to get feedback. I smoothed out some plot issues in the first half the book, dropped a bunch of side threads and superfluous scenes and characters. I have two twists in the second half of the book. That might be one twist too many but we'll see how I feel as I get closer to writing it.

I worked on it all day yesterday and today. I've noticed that sitting at my desk for eight hours writing really produces results - but by the time I'm done I feel like a wet dish rag. All I want to do is eat and have a nap. Not healthy at all. I wonder how full time writers organize their days so they don't turn into zombies. Or, maybe I'm the only one this happens to? I noticed this before and wondered if drinking too much caffeine was making me feel washed out. Both my kids were working yesterday and I mowed my lawn on Saturday so other than dropping off and picking up and running to the grocery store on Sunday I wrote all day. Then last night I sat in front of the TV and watched a bad movie. Miss Congeniality 2 - the best advertisement for never doing a sequel.

Today I skipped the coffee and I still feel lethargic with no energy to do anything else but eat and sleep. I know Nora writes all day like a full time job, I wonder what she does to keep her energy up? Maybe next time I plan an all day writing session I should plan part of it for Starbucks? Or do my exercise in the middle of the day rather than at night.

How long are your writing sessions? Do you find you have to break it up? Or get away from the desk or the house? Or does writing all day energize you?

Contest Conudrum

2010-05-20T12:01:00.002-03:00

I don't enter many contests. Since I'm targeting series romance I can send in proposals directly to an editor. However, I don't have a finished MS at the moment so I thought entering a contest would get something out there circulating while I finish up the current MS, revise the rejected one to send three chapters to Presents, and rework the Presents Contest entry for Desire. It would also force me to write the synopsis for Executive Demands which I desperately need to do so I keep the book focused on the main story and stop wasting time meandering all over the place.

The Toronto Gold contest has a great reputation for feedback and requested fulls from the judging editors so I decided to prepare an entry for that. And that's when I was reminded once again of one of the problems with entering contests. They ask for a certain amount of pages and of course, my book doesn't have a good hook at that point, or even within a pg or so. They do require a synopsis, which is judged and worth 15 points but it's included in the page count. So, how do I split the 30 pgs? Really short synopsis and get the great hook into the entry? Which happens on pg 28 by the way. Go back and cut unnecessary stuff? Tighten? The problem with this is that I write fairly tightly as is and usually could afford to add emotion and a little setting. Yikes! If I cut, I fear the entry will be even more sparse. Sigh. Dilemma.

One of my chapter mates just posted to our yahoo loop that the Lonestar Writing Contest has an early bird fee of only $20 and has the same editor at the Toronto. And NO SYNOPSIS! But wait, they only want 25 pgs. I'd still have to rework my pgs to get that good hook in there. So, I start going through the pages and realize that for every adverb I eliminate, I need to add three times as many words to add emotion. Frustrating.

So, I turn my interest to the rejected Presents Contest entry that they liked but had problems with. The Fours Seasons Contest extended their deadline to June 1st and a Desire Editor, my target series, is the judge. They're asking for a one page unjudged synopsis. Which I have. Yeah! And 25 pg entry. Hmm, my hook is on pg 20. I do have to change a few things about the hero based on the Presents feedback which will mean a few more additions about his motivation but it won't add many pgs. Should I send 20 pgs? Or rework.

See, I'm back to the reason I end up not entering contests. I start reworking the story to fit the contest and not to serve the story as a whole.

What to do?

Sunny Monday

2010-05-17T13:35:00.000-03:00

The world always looks better when the sun is shining. I live just minutes from this beach and I love to walk along it before the summer season starts and it's lined with beach goers.

I took my car in to be serviced this morning and I was in and out in an hour. Although the service center has put the prices up, you can't beat their customer service. I'd been taking my car to the dealership for the past couple of years and they have the crappiest service EVER. So, getting in and out quickly just made my day. It's funny how the simple things in life make me so happy.

Now, I'm back to battling my synopses into shape. And I've been procrastinating like crazy. Not writing nearly as much as I should be writing. Okay, not writing hardly at all. Spending too much time surfing the internet. And I even cleaned my bathroom this morning. How in the world am I ever going to be a published author if I don't write? I'm not feeling the love for this story at the moment. Does this ever happen to you? You start out liking the story, loving the characters but somewhere along the line the love affair with it seems to fizzle out?

Progress

2010-05-13T09:12:00.000-03:00

Finished all the Daphne entries. Scored and Sent back.

Mowed the lawn. Cleaned the Car.

Had my Crit meeting last night and realized one of the scenes I'd written had to go. Two kids showed up and they have no place in my very glamorous Desire. I've banished them to Chicago (that's where their father lives and since they're no relation to the hero or heroine, what the hell were they doing in my story?) So, I'm back to creating a soiree at the Yacht club where the heroine comes face to face with hero's fiance. I promise there won't be any food fights. Although that would be cool.

I don't know why I have so many family issues and side stories popping up for my hero and heroine in this story. Maybe because I gave them such rich back stories and I'm trying to have them work out their issues before they get together?

Planning on writing the synopsis over the next couple of days. With a clearer direction maybe I can keep my characters on the right train.

Do you write synopsis before or after story? Does it help?

It's Only Monday

2010-05-10T10:43:00.000-03:00

Hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day.

Today, I have pages to get ready for my crit meeting this week and my two girls are home. One is sick. One is finished second year university and isn't working today. And her BF is working in the US for the summer. Can you say bored?

So far, I have not written a word and half the morning is gone. I can hear the TV going in the other room where the youngest is stretched out on the sofa. The oldest talks non stop. I mean NON-STOP. About NOTHING. And she's talking (loudly) to her sister in the other room.

I'm getting this niggling feeling that my characters are not moving towards their overall goals and their actions are starting to feel mechanical rather than well-motivated. And how do I show my characters falling in love if I have to have conflict, conflict, conflict on every page? When do they slow down long enough to talk? and cuddle? and make love?

I managed to finish 4 of the 5 books for the Daphne Contest and am half way through the fifth. Scores are due back by the fifteenth so I've got that on my plate to finish up within the next two days. Hate to leave things until the last minute.

And that lawn looks like it needs to be mowed.

Need caffeine or a nap.

The Joy! of Gardening?

2010-05-07T13:36:00.001-03:00

I love flowers. My grandmother had the most beautiful garden paradise at her little house high above the Northwest Arm. My mother, now in her seventies, spends hours this time of year cultivating her garden. Cuttings from it adorn her table center pieces.

Here's one of the beautiful azaleas that I look forward to blossoming every year in my garden:

It's beautiful, isn't it? And I have another one just like it. But, it takes no work. Just comes up like that each year.

Now, here's a tree at the end of the front walk, with the buds just forming in preparation for a wonderful green curtain over my front yard. It keeps the front window in the shade during the summer and helps keep the living room cool. In the winter, it's bare leaves leave the sun shining into my front window. Happens every year. No help from me.

Here's my rock garden:

It needs work. Every year. Weed pulling. Trimming. Additions.

I've come to the conclusion that as much as I like gardens, I don't like gardening.

Revisions

2010-05-03T10:38:00.000-03:00

Author Julianne MacLean presented a session on Revisions to our local RWA chapter yesterday. She showed us before and after scenes that illustrated some of the changes she makes as she goes through several passes of revisions. I like hearing different processes because it confirms how different we all are and that published authors arrive at the finished books in vastly different ways. Julianne also has a real love and respect for the written word and romance novels which comes through in the quality of her work. I wish I could start every week with an inspiring session from a good writer. Makes me want to go home and make my work better.

One of Julianne's strongest messages was that anything can be fixed in the rewrite. This makes me feel a whole lot calmer about my writing and my ability to fix what's wrong with my current MS. She also recommended a book by Rennie Browne and Dave King, SELF EDITING FOR FICTION LOVERS. This is one of the first writing craft books I bought, the pages are yellow in my copy, but truthfully I've never read it. I spent the past hour searching for it and finally found it in the drawer of my kitchen table. Isn't that where everyone keeps their writing books? On my search I found another craft book I was searching for last week. Guess what else is on this weeks to do list? Yes, organizing the office/desk/bookshelves once again. I'm going to institute a 15 min daily organization time for a two week trial period to see if that will conquer the disorganization and paper pile up.

I spent sometime brainstorming last week with one of my fabulous crit partners and I think I've ironed out some of my sticking points in my plot. When the writing is going well, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. But, when it's rough going I can think of a million excuses to procrastinate.

So, this week, I have five books to read for a contest, a three-chapter critique for a friend and 5,000 words of my own to write and a car to take in for servicing.

What's on your schedule this week

What I realized

2010-04-25T09:12:00.000-03:00

This week I realized

1) My heroine had no tangible external goal that doesn't relate to her feelings for her boss and that's what made the middle so hard to write.
2) Eating what I want and as much as I want still makes me gain weight.
3) Weeds come back every year

Of course, I know these things in my head but for some reason a little part of me hopes they aren't true anymore.

New Start

2010-04-12T10:30:00.003-03:00

"So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we just don't sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we've satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late." Lee Iacocca.

I Love Mondays. I've got a plan (and a list) to make this week productive and joyful. I'm writing a scene this morning that shows my hero's motivation for his single-minded pursuit of his goal and I can't wait to see the heroine's reaction.

I've also decided to revamp my rejected Desire, An Unsuitable Mistress, for Presents and send in the first three chapters and synopsis to the London office. The hero needs to be more alpha. I love him and don't want to changed his personality too much so I need to give him good reasons for his actions.

I have five unpublished contest entries to judge for the Daphne. So far I've read three and they are all good. The published books are on the way so I want to have the unpublished entries returned to the judges this week so I'm free to concentrate on the published books.

Lots to keep me busy this week.

Self Talk

2010-04-10T13:20:00.000-03:00

One of the things I've noticed I do a lot of is talk smack about my writing. Rarely do you ever hear me say I'm happy with the way the story is going. I have an ongoing conversation in my head when I'm writing that usually involves the word "crap." No wonder I get to the point where facing the MS becomes a downer rather than a joy. Where does that come from? Whose voice am I internalizing?

I don't remember my parents being overly critical. They had high expectations of my behavior and school work but I was never punished or spoken to in a harsh manner when I didn't achieve something. They mostly taught by example. I have a suspicion that it might have been the nuns at the Catholic school I attended for seven years. Now, they were hard to please. God had high expectations and I internalized all of them. Perhaps its one of the reasons I can't forgive the Catholic Church today for the sex scandal and am no longer a Catholic. Or maybe it's the way they treat women and I have daughters - or their behavior in Rawanda - or ... well, that's a post for another day and another blog.

Back to the issue at hand. Negative Self-talk makes it feel like the mountain is too steep to climb. How in the world can I write a sellable book with all these discouraging, criticial, doubting voices in my head? I would never talk to my children like that. I believe in encouragement, support, positive messages. When they have a problem I brainstorm ways to solve the problem. I try to empower them to create their own lives the way they want them. To make smart decisions that reflect self-respect.

I have some health challenges that I've lived with for a long time. One of the coping mechanisms I use is to never give voice to the pain or illness. I've discovered that if I don't tell everyone how sick I am or how bad I feel, that I feel better. Moaning and whining and giving "voice" to it makes it worse. Brings it to the forefront of my consciousness and I start using it as an excuse to not do things and I dwell on it making it a bigger mountain to climb than it needs to be. Not acknowledging it really works. I know that's hard to believe but its an amazing and surprisingly easy coping tool.

So, I was thinking, what if I used the same technique for my writing?

What if I didn't give voice to the writing demons? the inner critic? What if, everytime I talked about my writing I stressed how well it was going? What if I focused on what was good? I love my characters. They are smart and witty and clever. Just like I visualized them to be. And my hero is HOT because I wrote him that way and it works. My sex scenes are amazing. Wow. I do a lot of things right.

So, my project this week is to not talk smack about my writing and to only speak well of it. Make myself believe.

Fear of Failure

2010-04-02T12:13:00.003-03:00

I'm over my angst and soul searching of the last couple of weeks and back on track. I realized that all this meandering and over analyzing was a procrastination exercise designed to shield me from my ever present and soul sucking FEAR OF FAILURE.

I didn't want to face the hard work of making my words better, deleting some of those lovely scenes I struggled to write and replacing with scenes that better suit my characters. Or face the possibility that I don't have what it takes to get the job done. So I went back to my self-defeating behaviors of wanting to start over, wanting to abandon a project midway through, wanting to switch genres, wanting it to be perfect the first time.

In other words I was whining about it being too hard, too much work. I wanted it to be easy. To be magic. But I've spent ten years looking for the fairy dust to make writing a book a walk in the park. It doesn't exist. There's no secret handshake the published authors share that us unpublished have yet to encounter.

The only way to write a book is one word at a time.

And where have I heard that phrase before?

Ten Thousand Hours

2010-03-29T12:30:00.001-03:00

The Murderati Blog has a post from Alison Brennan on the need to put 10,000 hours of practice into something before your good at it. The book Outlier delves into this concept as well.

I'm surrounded by writers who have written 6, 7 even 10 manuscripts before they sold and I'm not even close to that. I tried to calculate how many hours I've spent seriously writing and, even if I'm generous, I don't think I could claim more than 4-5,000 hours. I think a lot of people quit before they reach 10,000. Only the stubborn and determined make it. Am I stubborn and determined enough to persevere until I get published? Most of the time I think I'll never quit trying, they'll have to bury me with my current WIP clutched in my cold, dead hands.

The more I write the more I realize I still have a lot to learn. When I first started, I guess you could say I was, I don't know, maybe a dabbler? I spent a lot of time learning and reading about writing and the writing business but little time actually producing any measurable word count. I wrote all over the place, short contemporary, romantic suspense, mysteries. Lines folded and the market changed and I'd switch to something else. I think I was looking for the "easy" story. One that would pour out of me as I imagined happened with the great writers. Surely, Lucy Maude Montgomery, didn't sit around agonizing over every little word?

A couple of years ago I decided to focus on one genre, short contemporary, specifically Silhouette Desire. And I finally started finishing and revising and sending out. I've had some interest, requests for fulls, great feedback and revision suggestions. I've also sent a first chapter to the Presents contest and received feedback but no request to see the rest of the story - just send us something else. Since I can turn those ideas into a Desire and my rejected Desire into a Presents, I still kept writing the short contemporaries with an alpha hero. That has kept me focused and driven for the better part of two years. A final rejection on that last MS has left me floundering to find the dedication that propelled me to write everyday.

Now I sit with a new MS that's proving to be hard work once again. It wants to turn itself into a longer book, with subplots and lots of secondary characters and it's made me anxious that I'm writing the wrong thing for me. And then I get anxious because I don't write fast enough and the world is passing me by and I'm letting opportunities slide as I sit here and waffle. Or am I just using excuses so that I don't have to tackle the hard work of battling my MS into a sale-able book? Hmm, I think I might have stumbled onto something interesting with that last observation.

Do you question the type of book you're writing? Do you write in multiple genres? Have you put in 10,000 hours yet?

Secondaries Bite the Dust

2010-03-22T11:53:00.000-03:00

The secondary characters are threatening to take over my short contemporary and after two days of trying to save a fabulous shopping and drinking scene with her sister, I've finally deleted it. Ouch. My heroine is now shopping and drinking by herself. She has no friends - because that would mean bringing in other secondary characters. She should be thankful I let her keep a sister.

I've also sent her father and stepmother to a retirement community in Boca Raton so the reconciliation scene where her ugly childhood is revealed also bit the dust. Along with her sister's fabulous wedding at the yacht club. I'd already painstakingly chosen the bridal colours and theme and chosen the table decorations for the rehearsal dinner. Gone. Along with all the lovely word count that made up all those scenes.

Now, my characters have to talk to each other because they have no one left.

Make'm Cry

2010-03-19T11:47:00.001-03:00

This week I'm struggling with writing believable emotions for my characters. In the Action-Reaction-Decision chain of storytelling I often short change the Reaction phase. How do my characters feel about what just happened? And how do I express that in a way that is unique to my character with words and actions that I haven't used a hundred times already? Not every character can bite their lips or blink back the tears when they're uncomfortable or upset.

Do you come right out and tell the reader the character's emotions? I find sometimes when I try to show them, the reader takes away the wrong emotion. Am I using the wrong body language or do we all interpret a situation based on what our own reactions would be?

Do you analyze the emotion in your story? Do you state right out what the character is feeling so there are no doubts? Or do you go for the more subtle approach and try to show the reaction?

Changes and Twists

2010-03-15T10:38:00.000-03:00

My body hasn't adjusted to the time change. Getting up this morning was brutal.

The sun is shining on my snow-free yard, reminding me of all the work that needs to be done. A little overwhelming this time of year with all the cleaning and painting that has to be done. Time for a list.

At least I'll have time to get started on that list since my pitch wasn't chosen by Desire so I can stop writing non-stop and take a breath. I thought I had a good idea with a nice twist for my story, so I'm a little concerned my twist might be a little too "twisty" for them. Of course, as soon as I received the email I stopped writing. However, I have most of the book written and will finish it up by the end of the month. The first three chapters have been critiqued and polished so I plan to write the synopsis and send in a proposal the normal way.

Deadline: March 31st.

Good Writing Week

2010-03-08T12:46:00.000-04:00

Yes, I had a good writing week. And it isn't often you hear me say that. LOL.
I wrote almost 10,000 words. Would love to write the same this week and get most of the first draft completed. I write short on my first draft since there's very little setting or action. I even have some scenes that are dialog only at this point.

But the sun is shining and the outdoors is calling me and tax season is upon us. So, need to use my time wisely so I can get my word count in and get everything else completed.

I use a list, a calendar and getting up earlier to ensure I get everything done.

Do have time management tips you use to help keep you on track?

The Healthy Writer

2010-03-06T10:07:00.000-04:00

Hi,

I'm over at the Healthy Writer's blog talking about Comfort Food.
Join me: http://healthywriter.blogspot.com/

Half Way Mark

2010-03-01T11:48:00.000-04:00

I wrote my 1200 words this morning and passed the midpoint of the book. The last scene was full of emotion and resulted in a turnaround for my hero and heroine - in opposite directions.

So now, I'm left with...what?

I don't know! I know the next turning point but I want the hero and heroine to spend time together falling in love. I want her to believe that her dreams might be coming true before the next turning point destroys that dream.

I'm going to take a break. Eat lunch. Hit the gym. See if any epiphanies come my way.

What do you do when you don't know what happens next?

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-24T13:43:00.000-04:00

Joannie Rochette
OLYMPIC SPIRIT

The Hero of my Story

2010-02-21T14:39:00.000-04:00

I rarely have a visual image of my hero and heroine when I begin a story. However, now that I've gotten to know Damian Cortez better and am aware of his difficult childhood, I'm starting to get a clearer picture of him as a character. Honourable but closed off, shoving his emotions down behind a wall of control and success and arrogance. But you see glimpses of his kindness and loyalty in the way he deals with his sister, the heroine, his long time friends and employees. He's the kind of guy who fixes his sister's flat tire, even though he's rich enough to hire someone else to do those menial tasks, he see's taking care of his little sister as his responsibility

Brandon Barash plays John Zachara on General Hospital. Yes, he has mob connections. Brandon's a couple of years younger than my hero but he's close enough. But I love the serious side and the playful side of his character and I think that reflects my hero, Damian's personality as well

I haven't found an image for my heroine yet but I'm keeping my eyes open.

I've been struggling with the WIP this week. Printed off the MS and reread. Wrote up index cards for the scenes I have and the one's I know I have to write. Put them in order. Currently rewriting the first scene that my hero and heroine aren't together. It's between Jane and her half-sister Kyla. It's supposed to reveal Jane's backstory - her feelings of being second best all her life. It doesn't have the tension and conflict that the previous scenes have between Jane and Damian but I don't know if every scene has to have the high octane drama of the hero/heroine scenes.

It's funny, some days all I want to do is write. I find every other demand on my time an annoying distraction. Other times, I would rather do anything but write. Facing that blank page is a hurdle I don't think I can tackle. That's how I felt this weekend. I'm hoping to push through that today.

My take on the Olympics

2010-02-15T20:15:00.001-04:00

There are some crazy ass sports in the winter Olympics. This weekend, I stared open-mouthed at the tv as guys on skis stopped to shoot a target. What the hell kind of sport is that? I don't care how cute those well-muscled guys look in tights, that's just downright strange.

The cold must lead to boredom. It's the only explanation for some of these strange, wacky sports. Someone sitting around in the Canadian snow, bored to death with hockey ( although I can't imagine that even being possible - hockey's a real sport with a point - get the puck in the net!) and decides that they should get on a really small sled and steer with their heads - thus we have the sport known as skeleton. And it's hard to believe that a fast, dangerous sport played by very fit men in tight clothes could be so boring.

Imagine if you actually had to stand out in the cold and watch these sports while your froze your assets off instead of in your nice warm house with the heat on? At least with curling (another sport!? I don't understand) you can stay inside a rink and drink beer. After awhile you don't really care which side is winning - even if you could figure out the rules.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T13:46:00.000-04:00

I'm blogging about a healthy Valentine's Day dinner for your honey at http://healthywriter.blogspot.com/

First Draft Madness

2010-02-11T13:57:00.000-04:00

I've had to give myself permission to write crap this week. I know people say this is necessary to get rid of the evil internal editor. And you can't fix a blank page...

But, what I've written this morning is seriously bad.

And I'm convinced that my crap is crappier than everyone else's crap.

So how crappy is your first draft?

How Can it be Wednesday?

2010-02-10T21:25:00.004-04:00

Wednesday. Really? Where did the first half of the week go?

I was supposed to hit the half way mark in my book. I was supposed to put in three hours at the gym.

I swear I wasn't in a comma but for the life of me I don't know what happened on Monday and Tuesday.

Last week I wrote almost 5,000 words. Happy with that output and planned to have at least that much written this week. I still have time, though, don't I? I'll be taking myself off the Starbucks in the morning. Hoping a change of space will inspire me to buckle down and write.

So, what do I do when I feel like doing nothing? I find a book to read. And thanks to my ereader, I don't even have to leave the house to buy a new one.

Monday - the week can only get better

2010-02-01T21:43:00.000-04:00

I had one of those days. You know the ones: everything you touch breaks, every conversation is difficult and nothing works out like you planned.

I won't bore you with the whiny details but it started with a visit to the school guidance counselor and ended when the handle on my toilet tank broke - and I only have one bathroom.

On a brighter note I did manage to figure out my hero's internal GMC which leads to the reason my hero and heroine can't be together and feeds into the black moment.

You may have noticed my exercise ticker on the right only made it to the 3 hrs when the goals was 6 hrs for the previous two weeks. Not a smashing success considering how much eating I've done over the past couple of weeks. However, I'm back on track. The junk food is out of the house. And I went to the gym this afternoon. So, I'll be changing the ticker tomorrow ( because I'm too tired and sore to do it this evening.)

Hoping to make a real dent in the word count this week.

Rejection

2010-01-28T09:56:00.002-04:00

I received a rejection from Desire on my full, An Unsuitable Mistress. Shana Smith, editorial assistant had this to say:

Aspects of this story are compelling, particularly your writing, but the characters' conflicts are a bit muddled and episodic, and Nicco's intentions concerning Lisa become unclear..

She goes on to explain a little further and then ends with:

If you have a project suitable for Silhouette Desire in the future, please free to query me again.

The revisions suggested by the previous editor asked that I take out one of the external plot points, which was the big reason for Nicco's actions. I struggled in the rewrite with replacing that motivation. Looks like I didn't quite succeed. I also have a tendency to throw too much external plot into my books which I think leads to the episodic issue. When I can't think of "what next" I throw in a twist or surprise. And sometimes it really isn't the logical next step. Logical Next Steps are a term I learned from an online workshop with Susan Meier

I sent the full in on Oct 13 so this response was much quicker than any other submission. But it's ironic that one of the reasons for the rejection was the hero's motivation and that's what I'm struggling with in my current story.

So for now, I'll concentrate on the new book, Executive Demands for the Desire Pitch. But I love Lisa and Nicco and plan to make him a little more alpha, the story a little darker and eventually send it to Presents.

Next Desire Pitch

2010-01-26T18:33:00.000-04:00

Rae, one of the hosts at eharlequin just posted in the Desire thread that the next pitch for Desire will be March 19. Details will be posted soon.

Oh lord, how many weeks is that? Seven weeks and three days?

Can I write 35,000 readable words in that time frame? I had planned to have this MS completed by the end of Feb. But best laid plans..and all that..

Still need a reason for my Hero's behavior. At the moment he is wondering around doing things but no one knows why. What motivates him? Money, success, acceptance? And why does he reject the heroine? Because everyone else in the book can see they were made for each other.

Jennifer Lewis, my critique partner, sold as a result of a pitch about two years ago. The Desert Prince, her latest, is available in Feb. Pick it up. You'll love it!

Step Back

2010-01-25T10:56:00.001-04:00

Took a step back from the WIP this weekend. Printed out the first 60 pgs and reread, reorganized the order of scenes and delved into my Hero's internal and external goals. I often have a lot of external events but scrimp on the emotional and internal reactions of my characters. Sometimes this is because I "see" what they do but I can't "see" into their mind to figure out why. As I write the book, reread and revise, who my characters are on a deeper level is revealed to me.

I knew my heroine from the opening scene. Not so much the Hero. He's finally let me into his head - just a little bit. Maybe he's more difficult to know because he's a more closed off character? He doesn't know why he does what he does. Little by little, though, I'm figuring it out.

I'd hoped to hit the half way point on this story by the end of the month. Doesn't look like it's going to happen but hopefully I can reach the 20,000 word mark by next Monday.

Off to prepare Chapter 2 for my critique meeting this week. It's ugly. Lots of sentences starting with he/she. Body parts contorting in impossible ways. Use of the word "stalk" at least 6 times.

What's Keeping them Apart?

2010-01-20T10:28:00.001-04:00

Completed another 1,000+ words yesterday.

I felt better today about the scene sequence. I had too much external plot overwhelming the characters so took out a scene and expanded a couple of others with dialog - and an almost kiss that hero pulled back from. I need to work on the hero's motivation. There are all kinds of reasons for the hero to go for a relationship with the heroine, external factors have kept them apart, but I need an internal conflict to keep him in check for a few chapters.

Found my ipod so will have to come up with another excuse to avoid the gym today. And it's already snowing so perhaps the roads will be too bad? One can only hope. But it's kind of warm and the snow is melting as it hits the ground so it doesn't look good.

Molding Clay

2010-01-18T20:05:00.002-04:00

Struggling to put words on paper today. Managed to exceed my goal of 1,000words/day but it was tough. If I think about it as the mound of clay I'm shaping into a book, I can stand to live with the rawness of it.

I did come up with two new ideas, one for a short contemporary the other a mystery. I always have a surplus of ideas, it's corralling these ideas into coherent scenes that I struggle with. However, I'm determined to make headway with this story and have resolved to sit down for as long as it takes to get my 1,000 words/day.

Still getting up at 6am to write. A little tired after staying up late to watch the Golden Globes. How much do I love Jeff Bridges? His movie doesn't open here until Feb 2 and I can't wait. My movie going sister is moving back to Toronto (sad) so I'm going to have to find another movie going partner. Unlike my reading preferences, where the fluffy and trashier the story, the better I like it, I like my movies with a little more depth.

On the health and exercise front, I'm afraid the cold, snowy weather is forcing me to exercise at the gym. And I'm having a hard time getting there. The only excuse I could come up with to avoid the gym was I couldn't find my ipod. Okay, I didn't look too hard. In an effort to make me more accountable, I've set up a little meter on the right side of this blog. The two week goal for exercise is a total of 6 hours.

Totally doable and the bare minimum of what I should be doing. I'll work on increasing it once I get my enthusiasm for the gym back.

Kreative Blog Award

2010-01-15T15:14:00.001-04:00

Maisey Yates nominated me for a Kreative Blog Award. Maisey is one of the newest Presents authors and a brand new mom to baby Alani - her third child!

So, I have to come up with 7 little known facts about me. Okay, this took all afternoon. LOL.

1) I have no depth perception and driving in the dark is hard - which leads directly to #2

2) I completely totaled my first brand new car only months after buying it. The police officer asked me why I didn't stop for the car in front of me. I told him, if I'd actually seen the car, don't you think I would have stopped before hitting it?

3) I weigh 142 lbs. Only my WW leader knows that. Until now. By the way, that was almost as hard to admit as my age when I turned 50.

4) I'm afraid of the dentist.

5) One of my boobs is bigger than the other. Same with my feet.

6) I've never seen a Star Wars movie.

7) Like a Presents heroine, I dated my boss when I was in my twenties. Unlike a Presents heroine I didn't marry him. Nor did I have a secret baby.

And yes, it really did take me hours to come up with those. Here's hoping the second half of my life provides more interesting fodder for these kinds of lists.

So Many Story Choices

2010-01-13T08:54:00.005-04:00

I have a nice, catchy premise for my story. And the first fifty pages are written. It's almost entirely set between the hero and heroine and only a peep from a secondary character. However, there are a lot of different directions I could take the story and I'm dithering over which thread to follow.

I have too many ideas

Gasp.

This is a also a symptom of those perfectionist tendencies that tie me up in knots. Which is the best choice for the story? What if I pick the wrong one? What if I ruin the story? Okay, none of those things are disasters. I'll just delete and rewrite if I take the wrong path. Whew. Off the ledge.

Lots of exciting sales activities going on in our RWA chapter. Jennie Marsland has just received her first print book, check it out jenniemarsland.com and Lilly Cain's Dark Harmony debuts from esage this month www.lillycain.com.

And Donna Alward's newest, One Dance with a Cowboy from Harlequin Romance is now available. Check out her website and blog www.donnaalward.com

Soon to be Skinny Me

2010-01-08T16:14:00.007-04:00

You might have noticed the little weight loss ticker on the right of my blog. Well, it is soon to disappear because, drum roll please, I've lost 34 lbs.

Success!

Here are my before and after pictures.

For the first time in ten years, losing weight is not one of my New Year's goals. For the first time in 10 Christmas's I wasn't struggling into my "good" clothes and wondering if I would be able to sit down because my pants were too tight. For the first time in 10 years I don't have to face the scale at Weight Watchers with dread for my first weigh in of the New Year.

What made the difference? A couple of things. A change in attitude. I ditched the perfectionist, all or nothing attitude and accepted that I was going to do the weight loss journey for the entire year. No more being disappointed at the slow progress. I was doing it until it was done. I wasn't giving up no matter what.

I also had the support and commitment of a good friend. We both said we would show up for those Friday morning meetings. Of course, life and work got in the way a few times but we didn't let more than a week or two go by before we got back to the meetings. Even when we knew the scale wasn't going to be our friend we jumped on it (ok, maybe we tentatively climbed on it and held our breath) and started again. Thanks AG for all the help and support. Couldn't have done it without you.

Of course, this journey is far from over but maintaining the weight loss is a different challenge. So, 2010 is a year of honoring myself by keeping my body healthy and strong. No matter how the world treats me, I will treat myself with respect and kindness.

Tomorrow, Sat, I'm over on healthywriter.blogspot.com talking about healthy eating.

Mining for Gold

2010-01-07T12:58:00.006-04:00

One of my New Year's resolutions was to get up at 6am and write for two hours. That way, no matter how busy the day, I knew I would get in at least two hours. A friend actually writes entire books this way. Two hours everyday. Day after Day. Until they have a completed MS.

So, up at 6am everyday, so far, this week. IF you knew me well you'd know how shocking this is. But I like it. I like feeling that I'm the only one awake in my part of the world and that those two hours are just for me. I can write what I want. What makes me happy.

I also feel more in control of the rest of the day. I'm not stumbling around making my kid's school lunch minutes before they run out of the house for the school bus. I'm not leaving my bed unmade as I charge out of the house because I'm running late.

This morning I had a little glitch. My oldest decided to get up at 6.30am and take a shower before heading out to the early bus. And she wouldn't leave me alone. Finally she looks at me and asks. "Why are you getting up so early?" Out of patience I snapped. "I'm trying to write." She got all indignant. But she finally left me alone. Thank you child. Please remember next time.

I'm also striving for 1,000 words, 5 days a week, with weekends to catch up if I need to. This is a reasonable word count for me. First, I had to go back to the beginning of my NANO story and fix it. I've worked on it steadily all week but deleted more words than I added. A couple of times I wanted to just push myself away from the computer and give up. But I talked myself out of it and shouted down the critic in my head who was whispering the word "crap" in my head. Over and Over.

Just show up, I told myself. Just keep putting words on the page. Doesn't matter what it is. You can't fix a blank page...

And guess what? This morning it all came together. I think I actually struck gold. I wrote some new scenes, changed their past relationship with each other and gave the hero a different mother.

Maybe there is something to this just showing up stuff and giving yourself permission to write crap.

A New Philisophy in Twenty -Ten

2010-01-03T19:42:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking a lot about my writing goals for the upcoming year. Analyzing where I fell short of the mark in 2009. And asking myself if I really want to be a writer. If I'm willing to do what it takes.

And the answer is yes.

So here are my goals for the 2010:

I've resolved to keep my promises to myself.

I've resolved to honor my writing process.

I've resolved to not let the fear of failure hold me back.

Wishing you good health and happiness in 2010. Hope all your dreams come true.

Anne