Prairie Chicks Write Romance

Where Are We?

2010-11-02T12:41:00.003-06:00

Well, we're gone. But we've left all the articles open for your reading pleasure. Every article is writing related, so if you've come to learn some craft issues - this is the place.

If you're looking for us - you can find most of us on our personal blogs and/or websites:

Jana Richards - http://www.janarichards.net/

Janet Corcoran - http://www.jscorcoran.blogspot.com/

Karyn Good - http://www.karyngood.blogspot.com/

Anita Mae Draper - http://www.anitamaedraper.blogspot.com/

Hayley Lavik - http://www.hayleyelavik.com/

Joanne Brothwell - http://www.joannebrothwell.blogspot.com/

Stephanie - http://www.mermaidleap.blogspot.com/

Helena, Connie, Anne and Molli have yet to dip their toe into personal websites and blogs, but when they do, we'll be sure to add a link.

Thank you again for making The Prairies the success it was. Happy Writing :)

Signing Off...

2010-10-29T00:01:00.000-06:00

Unbelievable – the end of October and the end of Prairie Chicks Write Romance – where has the time gone? For the past month, as each of us took turns to write about the past and the future, I’ve wanted to send an e-mail with "NNNNNNOOOOOOO!" plastered all over it. But, all things must come to an end and it’s time here on The Prairies to say good-bye.

Over the last year, my love of writing and my desire to write has taken a major hit. Rejection upon rejection wore me down. And I could not see past the disappointment. I wrote less and less even though I was writing a blogpost every day over on Janet’s Journal. Muse up and left, taking EE with her (you know it’s bad when they leave together). I had seriously considered giving up.

But the voices in my head will not relent. Nor will those that support me and continually tell me that I am a writer. Those two factors push me forward – force me to continue to pursue my dream. Even if that dream is just to entertain people. I started an online story simply to write – without the worry of submission, agents, publication. The response has renewed my creativity, given me back some of the confidence rejections had stripped from me. And Muse and EE have returned (they are still hunkered down in a corner, but at least they are present).

I am seriously considering signing up for NaNoWriMo. This is brand new territory for me; I am a NaNo Virgin. I figure the premise of just writing, getting all those thoughts, plots and voices down on paper is exactly what I need to get back to the way I write. I’m hoping that the excitement will lure Muse back onto my shoulder, whispering ideas in my ear. NaNo might be the major jumpstart I need to get back to serious writing, serious goals – put to rest the need to follow the rules or someone else’s idea of the writing process.

Whatever you are meant to do, move toward it and it will come to you. ~ Gloria Dunn

My future? I will write! And continue to chronicle my trials and tribulations – and a bunch of other stuff (running, reading, East Coast photos) – on my personal blog: Janet’s Journal. And I will pursue my dream:

There are some people who live in a dream world, and then there are those who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into another. ~ Douglas Everett

May all your dreams become reality – Happy Writing, People of Blogland.

Janet

Snowed Under - Literally Inside and Out

2010-10-28T00:15:00.002-06:00

by Anita Mae Draper

Coming up for air... I've been in my cave working on Emma's Outlaw. Yes, trudging through Tuesday's blizzard from the house to my office in our converted garage. At least it gets me out in the fresh air - even though the wind almost blew the coffee out of my mug on the way there.

But finally, I'm at the end. And, I'm on such a high about it, I didn't want to stop and draft my posts.

Yes, I said posts. You see, I'll still be posting on my inspirational group blog Inkwell Inspirations. I really enjoy it over there because I get to talk about life and books and not just writing, although I slip it in sometimes, too.

Take my Inky post for yesterday - it's called When Fiction Meets Fact. It's about my excitement of starting a new book and how I'm trying to figure out how to make my hero heroic. I use the biblical story of David and Bathsheba as an example because when King David was faced with temptation - a nude Bathsheba - he succumbed.

Hmm, that's doesn't sound heroic, does it. But it sure makes for an entertaining story. I mean, not only did David commit adultery with her, but when she informed him she was pregnant, he tried to cover it up by calling her husband home from the battle. The plan was for her husband, Uriah, to sleep with Bathsheba, then think the baby was his. Except it didn't work out that way because Uriah refused to enjoy the pleasures of his warm, loving wife when his men were sleeping in the cold courtyard.

So, when that didn't work, David sent Uriah to the front line where he'd have the best chance of being killed. Sure enough, Uriah died in the battle. (Are you beginning to think that maybe Uriah is the true hero here?)

Worried that he'll be found out, King David makes up a story and sends it out as fact. In other words, he lied while trying to cover up his crime. What kind of hero does that?

Add to that, David didn't even repent until the prophet Nathan called him out. Finally, David repents. God forgives him and after some more bumps on the road, David and Bathsheba have another child - Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived.

When you look at David's life as a whole, he is a hero. He just happens to be a hero who stumbled. And because of that monumental stumble, we get to enjoy David and Bathsheba's epic love story. But is it truly a love story? That's the discussion over on my Inky post.

So, the challenge is to write an exciting historical romance with a hero similar to a larger-than-life hero like David. Except, I'm not sure I want my hero to succumb like David did. Maybe take him to the brink of temptation, dangle him over it awhile, then let him come to his senses. I dunno - what do you think?

Anyway, twice a month or so, I'm over at the Inkwell. We have theme days over there and I usually stick to Historical Tuesday's or Fiction Wednesdays. The first two Tuesdays in Oct I blogged under the Historical theme about using repeat or Now and Then photography.

But back to Emma's Outlaw, I'm polishing the end, now. While my critique partners check it over, I'll be making the final adjustments to my synopsis and query letter. By this weekend it will be gone - submitted to the editor and agent who've waited over a year to read it.

NaNoWriMo starts Nov 1st and I'm hoping to start my new story at that time. I'm very excited about it because it'll be set in 1881 in the District of Assiniboia (now Southern Saskatchewan). I've wanted to do a western Canadian story for a long time and feel the timing is right. Especially since Love Inspired Historical is gearing up to release 4 new titles a month instead of 2 and intently recruiting new writers. So that's who I'll be targeting this time around.

You can find out more about my NaNoWriMo experience - and my new story which I've yet to name - on my personal blog at http://anitamaedraper.blogspot.com/.

I also have a website in the works but the only thing that's available on it at this time is daily horse information and a daily cowboy/western quote. Both are interesting and sometimes good for a laugh.

I'll be adding the following to my website soon:
- recipes used in my stories (really old recipes)
- photos and interesting stuff about my research trips
- jigsaw puzzles of my photos
- links to my posts here at Prairie Chicks and Inkwell Inspirations

- links to places I guest blog

At this time, I've only posted at one other blog and that was at the International Christian Fiction Writers (ICFW) and my post was entitled Canadian Prairies Missed the Old West. That post was actually what got me thinking about my upcoming story.

I also blog at http://community.eharlequin.com/users/anita-mae although I've been remiss about posting there these past few months.

And finally, I'm on Facebook and Twitter which is probably the first place you'll hear news of my 'call'.

Thank you to the readers and guests who took time to visit us here. I really appreciate(d) your support.

To my fellow Chicks, it was an honour to work, learn and write with you. I wish you many successes in your writing journey.

Anita Mae.

Until Next Time

2010-10-27T00:15:00.001-06:00

“The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created--created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating.” John Schaar

Wow, today’s the day. My last post for the Prairie Chicks. It’s been a great experience that’s allowed me to venture forth and explore the writing life with a great group of women who supported and encouraged me. All I can say is, thank you and thank goodness I took advantage of an opportunity when it was offered. Daunting as it was to put myself out there, I did it. I dipped my toe into a life from which there is no turning back.

At this point in time. I have a completed manuscript I’m proud of and am in the process of submitting. This is such an exciting time. Letting go, putting a stop to the endless tweaking, and preparing to submit the best damn manuscript I can has been a huge learning curve and almost like a coming of age story. It’s time. I’m ready for the next step.

Immediate goals. After much thought I’ve decided not to participate in NaNoWriMo, instead I’m going to revise last year’s attempt and set some heavy revision goals for the month of November. I’m very excited to start revising this project. The two main characters, Kate and Seth, have been with me for a long time and it’s time to work on their story.

Going forward. I vow to take advantage of opportunities and create others. I vow: To write. And write some more. To learn. To listen. To make mistakes. To communicate with other writers. To follow my heart.

To be fearless.

You can find me:
http://www.karyngood.blogspot.com/ – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Twitter – karyngood

Facebook – Karyn Good

To Boldly Go

2010-10-26T00:00:00.001-06:00

So, I swear I didn't plan it this way, but today is my last blog post with the Chicks, I'm talking about what's on the horizon in my writing life...and it's my birthday. 26 on the 26th. So this is a real transition date for me, insofar as anything like birthdays, ends of things, or new frontiers ever feel real and solid and immediate.

Almost a year ago I stepped into full time writing for the first time. Since then I've had short fiction published, joined the SFWA, established a writing schedule that works for me, and laid the smack to flighty writing patterns. Now it's time to take things to a whole new level of ass kicking. And trust me, these sort of things warrant aggressive language. There's no room for meek or self-deprecating here.

This past weekend I went to the Surrey International Writers' Conference. I've been before, but this was my first time as a serious writer, and with a mindset to publish. I took my first three pages in for critique at a Blue Pencil session. The only critique was the author wanted to read more. I worked my ass off preparing a killer pitch. The agent requested pages.

So I head home tomorrow. New focus, new goals, new year (as far as birthdays go), and new stage to dive into. Time to kick ass, write some damn fine prose, do horrible things to my characters, make them bleed and hurt and ache worse than ever, and make them work for the endings they deserve, and get that book out on shelves so people won't need to keep asking when they can read it.

So I will write. And I will revise. And I will polish. And I will take my kick-ass pitch and query the hell out of it, and see what comes back at me. That is what I will do on the horizon.

And I will write more short fiction, when I need distance from the novel so I can approach it with fresh eyes. I will try new genres and new approaches, and wander outside my comfort zones, and maybe even try writing something that doesn't wind up mildly (or greatly) morbid or negative. Maybe.

I will continue to overuse words like kickass, badass, and smartass. I will not be ashamed of having utter confidence in my work, nor will I bother with the pretense of seeming otherwise for the sake of appearances. I know what I can do, I know what I have done, and I know what I will do. To act otherwise would be false. People, of course, are free to interpret that attitude as negatively as they want. I don't mind.

I will continue to over-analyze the minutiae of fiction and then write blog posts about it. And perhaps find new methods of picking apart and distributing said analyses. I will also get a subdomain soon, and hoard all these ramblings on my own site. Either way, there will be blogs, and tweets, and excessive thought put in to small, inconsequential aspects of fiction.

(I'll also be posting in more detail about the Surrey conference, workshops there, and my experience in the next two weeks over on Eventide, including a blow by blow of this year's Surrey Idol for the curious.)

The time has come to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new agents and new publishing contracts. To boldly go where no Hayley E Lavik has gone before.

www.hayleyelavik.com
Eventide Unmasked

Onwards and Upwards

2010-10-25T00:15:00.003-06:00

Hayley suggested we write one blog about where we’ve been and one about where we’re going. I’m looking forward to the future and the next steps in my writing career and I’d like to share them with you.

I’m very excited to announce that I have a new novella coming out from The Wild Rose Press on January 5, 2011. Flawless is set during World War Two in occupied France. Here’s a blurb:

France, 1942. The Nazis have stolen the infamous blue diamond, Le Coeur Bleu, intending to barter it for weapons that will destroy the Allies. Jewel thief Hunter Smith is given a choice; help the French Resistance steal back the diamond and avenge the death of his best friend, or stay locked up in an English prison. He chooses revenge.

Resistance fighter Madeleine Bertrand’s husband died when he was betrayed by Hunter Smith. How can she now pretend to be married to the arrogant American? How can she betray Jean Philippe’s memory with her passionate response to Hunter’s kisses? Neither is prepared for the maelstrom of attraction that erupts between them. To survive they must uncover the mysteries of the past and conquer the dangers of the present. But first Madeleine must decide if her loyalties lie with her dead husband and the Resistance or with the greatest love of her life.

And if I want to sell lots of copies of Flawless as well as my other books, I need to do some serious promotion. I'm currently working on a Facebook Page. It's definitely a work in progress, but I'd love you stop by and "like" me. I also want to get familiar with Twitter. I’ll be going back to Hayley’s excellent article in Prairie Chicks about Twitter in order to get myself in gear. And I’m not done with blogging yet either. My new blog on my website entitled Jana’s Journey goes live November 1. It’ll be about my life as a writer, a mother and wife, an admin assistant, a cook, a baker, a candlestick maker. Along with articles on writing topics and the writing life, I’ll have musings about life in general. I’ve got some serious juggling to do and I’ll talk about it at www.janarichards.net/blog-jana-s-journey

As far as writing projects go, I’m currently working on a submission for The Wild Rose Press’s Class of ’85 series. This series follows the adventures of Summerville High School’s graduating class of 1985 as they meet for a reunion in their hometown. I hope you have a look at the stories that have already been released in this series, because it’s a load of fun. My novella length manuscript is called “The Girl Most Likely”. Cara McLeod knows her life has not turned out the way she thought it would back in high school when she was voted “the girl most likely to have the perfect marriage.” She’s now divorced and in her words feels “fat, frumpy, and over forty”. The last thing she wants to do is to face her old classmates, and her ex-husband, at the Summerville High reunion. When she’s cajoled into attending by her daughters and her best friend, she vows that she’s going to shape up and lose a few pounds in the six weeks until the reunion. She enlists the help of personal trainer Finn Cooper, who thinks that Cara is beautiful just the way she is. Now Finn must convince Cara how wonderful she really is, and how right they are for each other.

Okay, my blurb hasn’t yet been perfected; this is my first stab at it. I’ve finished a rough first draft and Janet has generously consented to critique the story for me. I’m excited to move forward with this project. Wish me luck!

As far as other projects, my goal is to finish unfinished projects in 2011 (FYI: this was my goal in January 2010. Better late then never.) Two stories that I pitched at the 2009 conference in Surrey await completion. I even have names of agents to send them to! I’m not quite sure what I’m waiting for. But I swear I’ll finish at least one of them in 2011.

I’d also love to write a magazine article or two in 2011. At the very least, I’d like to figure out if writing articles for magazines and/or ezines would be profitable enough to quit my day job. Lots to do and to discover in the year ahead.

And so we come to the end of the Prairie Chicks. Thankfully we’ll live on in the articles and posts we have archived here. But I think all of us are looking forward to new projects and new challenges as we make our way in this writing life.

Goodbye from this Chick. I’ll see you soon at http://www.janarichards.net/

One Last Hug

2010-10-22T22:49:00.006-06:00

A question / answer set I learned last year at the Surrey International Writers Conference and have heard repeated again this year is:

Q: What is your favorite piece of your own writing?

A: The one I am currently working on.

When you are a famous author (or a yet unfamous / yet unpublished author with more than one complete / yet to be completed piece of writing), feel free to use this in an interview like so many other authors. Or be honest and tell them the name of your favorite work. Or tell them my instinctual answer:

All of them.

I include my small part in the Prairie Chicks blog in this list of favorites. The Prairie Chicks Write Romance blog isn't rolling belly-up in the water. The Chicks will cease posting because they're finished. Not giving up. Finished.

Completed.

This is how I see it. An accomplishment to be proud of.

What else have I seen?

Well. Today, I observed a flock of determined Chicks fearlessly experiencing the Surrey International Writers Conference (Expect great things from these women. I do).

And you know you are too. You're fearlessly determined. But you don't need me to tell you that. You know already. That's why you're here. Even if it is because you feel the need to search for some spark to remind you of your determination. Day by day, I am finding my spark and am glad for the shower of flames and positive energy this weekend promises.

Call it a project or an experiment or a work of love or a relentless drive, but you are a writer. You don't need me or anyone else to tell you that. And there is nothing I or anyone else can do to stop you. Remember that.

So.

What have I learned?

I am the opposite of a fair weather writer. I like it cold and dark and snowy. Summer is for gardening and edits.

Writers as a collective are unbelievably supportive and kind and caring, even if they pretend to be introverted hermits.

I am less of an introverted hermit than I originally suspected.

What is in my future?

Writing. Writing. More writing. I vow not to get in the way of my story. Not to be that author whose head pokes out from the shrubberies or who you can tell is hiding in the linen closet. I will allow my characters be described by their actions, not a list of their hair and eye color.

A lot more time with mermaids and mermen. Mostly mermen. Shirtless ones.

Some thought into the pros and cons of a pen name. A piece of advice from Julia Quinn this weekend - if you want a pen name, go ahead. But keep your first name so you actually turn your head when someone is talking to you.

Perhaps a bit more blogging on my personal blog, which has sadly fallen into disrepair over the summer.

What bit of advice can I, an unpublished author, offer to you:

Be authentic. Be true to yourself. The right decisions in life are usually the difficult ones. This does not mean every difficult decision is the right decision. Follow your heart. Follow your head. Follow your stomach. Floss. Sing in the shower. Eat your main character's favorite meal. Spend time with the ones you love. Secretly observe them as character research. The show must go on.

And finally...

Relax.

Breathe.

Enjoy every moment you write. Enjoy this thing you love. This thing we love.

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."

-Mae West

2010-10-21T00:12:00.002-06:00

I could swear that I wrote my final blog - to be run today - some time ago, knowing that I would not be here when this appeared. As I recall, that blog was brilliant.

What will I do from here? Well, there are a number of things:

1. I will perfect muddling. 'Everything in muddelation' will be my motto.

2. I will learn to write in stone with a chisel if that is what it takes to be free of this blasted, dirty, rotten, no good, useless laptop.

3. I will appear on Oprah - among others - as the woman who was struck by arthritis at Disney World, and instead of showing the grandkidlets the sights, was reduced to letting them push Grandma Connie around.
These grandpushers put together their combined knowledge of wheels and set out to scare me silly. These are the kids who loved the rollercoaster although it was too slow. In reality, you couldn't have caught it in motion with a camera set at an f1000 stop, or even a video camera. Man that wagon was smokin'!

4. I will listen (to a select group of people - none on CNN). I have learned my lesson. The grandhooligans are the ones who said, "Gee Grandma Connie, I think you should use a wheelchair to get to the next gate. Pshaw. Fortunately, they overruled me. Have you seen Denver International? It is called international because it is so big, it needs two countries to contain it. I really believe one end is in Kansas Toto, and the other somewhere near North Battleford. We landed at gate 24 and left from gate 85.

5. I will talk to the dog a la Prime Minister MacKenzie King and hope my dog is smarter. His dog led us into World War II. Pen will have certain guidelines within which to work. However, I will continue to allow her to be my inspiration (she sleeps and barks - mostly sleeps).

6.Sooner or later, I am going to have to revise my first ms, but not until I ask a publisher at the Surrey Conference what kind of stuff they buy these days. No point in rescuing a damsel if she is dead in the water anyway.

7. I will employ my newest idea. I well tell myself a romantic story while I try to stay awake so Husband can get to sleep first. I snore like nobody's business - or so it is said. If the story keeps me awake, I will pursue it as a manuscript. I may call it the snory story scale. Was that really, really bad? Can I say sorry about the snory story story?

8. I have told the grandmonsters stories about Pre History as it was when I was a girl. Oldest Son can't believe I would misinform a child with such information and asked me to write it all down so they can sue me for misinforming. Hyperbole will be my modus operendi - if I ever get around to it.

9. I guess I will finally come clean and admit that I do not work best under pressure - I procrastinate. But it will take me awhile to come out of that closet.

10. I will attempt to jot down a short story about every city I have visited - starting with Paris which I haven't visited yet.

In truth, I intend to make romance novels and/or short stories out of all the ideas perking along in my head.
If I could just dictate all my stories, I'd have a dozen books written - and published? But, no one is as stupid as needs be to meekly work for me for no pay and cold coffee. Heck, even I won't do it.

So, I will now set to work (and my nose is growing again).

I will start by throwing the %^&*#$ laptop out the window. I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE!

Goodbye for now

connie

Keep on Writing

2010-10-20T00:15:00.002-06:00

So this is it. I’m signing off. Today is officially my last Prairie Chicks posting. I will miss it for sure (well, maybe not as much as I think as I’m always writing last minute). Fine then, I won’t miss the pressure. I won’t miss that feeling of ‘homework!’ What I will miss are the wonderful posts from my colleagues and the enlightening, funny and giggle-worthy comments from our readers. I think we had fun...well, I had fun anyway and will no doubt enjoy reading the posts I missed over the past two years when I have a free minute or am blocked or when I need information on a particular topic.

What's in my plans for the future? I don’t have amazing pitches to launch or dreaded query letters to write. I don’t have any editors banging down my door either though—I have nothing ready to show them anyway. You’ll know from my posts that my focus is on writing—the tools, techniques, tips, and talents (that alliteration was completely by chance) that I’ll need to be successful. My goals are modest...write because I enjoy it and write the best that I can. Therefore ‘successful’ to me would be to complete a novel length story that I am both interested in and proud of. Not a bad goal...but not an easy one either. Obviously I want to sell it, but I have to write it before I worry about that, don't I?

While getting my life back into order will be my primary focus over the next few months (renovations, family obligations and a new job can really reek havoc on a household), my life would not be complete without my writing. As always, I have a couple plots floating around in my mind, several characters are getting embroiled in a scheme even as I write this (hmmm...I guess I am a good multitasker). Even if nothing goes down on paper, know that I am writing in my mind with the intention of eventually getting it down on paper sometime. Sometime soon, I hope. The other members of the SK Romance Writers will keep reminding me to set a writing schedule and stick to it. And I'll thank them for it. So does my laptop.

Over the past few months I have written a few posts about creativity (or the lack thereof) and as you might expect, I’ll be working on finding that as well. This summer a fellow writer recommended reading The Artist’s Way and I had every intention of doing it, but my work schedule and the summer weather interfered with the weekly writer’s date and I am simply not a morning person so had a lot of difficulty with the required Morning Pages. I don’t expect mornings will be any easier now that we have to wake up to darkness, but I’ll find a way to make it work.

Blogging has been an interesting experience and I'm grateful for it. I will sign off with one final thought to the readers of blogland...THANK YOU!!

Goodbye

2010-10-19T00:15:00.000-06:00

As I face the Surrey International Writers’ Conference this Friday, I feel like I am moving into a new stage of my writing career. Gone is the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed newbie I was when I attended the conference last year. In her place is a slightly more jaded writer who has honed her craft, and has come to realize that nothing in this biz comes easy.

Part of the SiWC conference package includes a blue pencil session with someone in the industry. My blue pencil session is with Chuck Sambuchino, the owner of the Guide to Literary Agents blog. I intend to use my ten minutes with Chuck to show him a sample of my writing and grill him for feedback, and to pepper him with questions about my query letter. I’ve used the advice from Chuck’s blog intensively when creating my query, and I’m curious to see what he thinks of it.

The other part of the conference package is a pitch session with a literary agent or editor. I’m walking into my pitch session with Nephele Tempest of The Knight Agency with only one thing: a one page synopsis. I’m not rehearsing, either. Oh, no! I tried that last year and at the last minute I changed my mind and ended up blathering incoherently. Sure, I’ll read over it a few times and even attempt to pitch it to a friend to practice, but no contrived speech. Instead, I will place my sheet in front of me, and refer to it if I feel myself starting to get sidetracked.

My current manuscript Indigo Blaze has been recently re-worked (again!). I began querying it when it was a 96,000 word Young Adult paranormal romance, but I’ve changed it to a “New Adult” paranormal romance and rendered it down to 83,000 words. This way, I hope to cast a wider net and begin querying a wider range of literary agents who represent the adult market.

Other writing projects include a sequel to Indigo Blaze. The working title of this piece is The Chrystal Legacy, and so far, it is 6,000 words. I’m taking my time with this one – no marathon weekends of writing 10,000 words. I am plodding along, trying to write 500-1,000 words every evening. I’m hoping to avoid the extensive slash-and-burn or monumental re-writes of my last manuscript.

The other writing project I am currently revising is my short story Litha, written for the Saskatchewan Romance Writers’ anniversary anthology. One thing I can say about this project—it was HARD. Writing short stories is a skill I definitely have not mastered, and I certainly have a new appreciation for it.

As I continue down the road to publication, I’ve made a few realizations about “web presence”. Blogging is a great way to meet writers and to learn about writing, but it is also extremely addictive and a huge time-waster. While I continue to maintain my blog, Thoughts Interred in Phrase; I do so less frequently, and with shorter posts. I don’t knock myself out trying to come up with something fresh or unique. I don’t try to teach other people about something I’m still learning. I simply write about my writing journey, and try to fit it into my life without it taking my life over altogether. Now I have moved on to the next stage of web presence and set up my website. JoanneBrothwell.com is still under construction and to be honest, is quite similar to my blog; however, it is ready to roll that moment I actually have a product to sell. Stop by and check it out!

Blog with the chicks has been so much fun, guys. I’ve loved the camaraderie, the support and the group wisdom. I know I will miss the blog, but more importantly, I’ll miss the people!

Be well. Write tons. Take care...Goodbye.

The End of the Beginning ...

2010-10-18T00:15:00.003-06:00

Using the Seneca quote from Janet's post on Friday seems a good way to lead off the discussion of "where do I go from here?"

The Prairie Chicks blog was a new beginning for most of us. It certainly was for me, but it is close to its end as an active blog. Now I am looking for some way to continue to experience the interaction with other writers that has become so important to me. One way to do this will be to continue to read, comment, and sometimes merely lurk on the several blogs to which I have become addicted. The other large consideration is, "where am I going with my writing?" As if you haven't heard me blathering enough about that over the last year and a half, I will try to make some sense of these two issues.

I hope to have some kind of platform developed in the near future. I believe I will use Blogger to set up some pages, including a blog of my own that has been under wraps for more than a year. I just haven't had the time to put to it. Now that Prairie Chicks is going dormant, I hope to finish working on what I have titled: Rambles Down a Prairie Road. I will notify my Chick and SRW colleagues when it goes live. Stay tuned! I am less sure about Facebook and Twitter. Needless to say, if I do get involved, there will be some kind of "coming out party" to celebrate my plunge into those particular forms of social media.

I've tried to focus almost exclusively on fiction this past year (with only moderate success). I attempted to finish the first draft of my Laura/Gordon, Fiona/Duncan novel, and almost made it to the end. Nevertheless, I am currently working on the first major rewrite, and progress is slow. I deviated somewhat from that objective when I made a brief foray into scriptwriting in April. I put the first few chapters of my novel into script form, which did give it a boost. It helped me immensely with the first few scenes, which I now doubt will be the actual beginning of my novel. At least I have written those scenes, wherever they end up in the finished version.

I will not describe here any of the distractions which interfered with my fiction writing. I talked enough about them in various posts throughout the summer. Suffice to say, most were of my own making. I will mention only a couple of deliberate deviations from fiction: a workshop on magazine writing in August, and a course in creative non-fiction which I am currently auditing. Yes, I am consciously taking writing time from my novel to do the assignments for that course. But I do believe that all writing is ultimately helpful, even stepping out of my preferred genre.

Having a deadline seems to help me accomplish more, so I will miss that aspect of writing a regular post for Prairie Chicks. What will be a good substitute? Besides my own blog, and, in the short term, the non-fiction course assignments, I am seriously considering registering for NaNoWriMo again this year. Last November was the most productive writing month I have ever experienced. I have a half-formed idea for a brand new story to put in that hopper. It may turn out to be the western romance I have always wanted to write!

In two days, I leave for the Surrey International Writers' Conference in British Columbia. Although the manuscript for my novel is not polished or even completely rewritten, I will be pitching it to an editor while I'm there. If interest is shown, I know exactly what I will be doing in the weeks following that conference! If I fail to garner any kind of offer, then I will still be seriously working on whipping it into shape, in preparation for queries and pitches later on.

I have registered for some pre-conference classes, including one on the architecture of fiction, another on developing an approach to pitches and queries, and finally, an in-depth look at rewriting a manuscript (no matter how many drafts it has already gone through). All three should help me to get back to that desired focus on fiction.

I also need to put aside some time soon to complete and polish the short story I am writing for an anthology that the SRW hopes to publish next year.

In the more distant future, I will tackle the messy first draft of the novel I wrote in NaNoWriMo 2009, to try to turn it into some kind of coherent form. It is the story of two young women from the Canadian prairies who spend a year studying at a British university in the 1950's and how both their lives are changed. Although I met the requirements of National Novel Writing Month (writing slightly more than 50,000 words in one month), I will need to flesh it out with another 20,000 words or more.

My sign-off from the Prairie Chicks does not contain any startling announcements, but I see nothing but opportunities in my future. I have only to grab them and make something out of them. If I do that, and I am able to keep distractions at bay, I am hopeful that one day I will have books to promote using the various forms of social media described earlier in this post. I would like to think that, as all the Chicks continue to write, we will have many future successes to celebrate together somewhere in this real and/or cyber-world.

Thanks for all the memories, and happy writing, one and all!

Reflections...

2010-10-15T00:15:00.001-06:00

Interesting, this is my 60th blogpost for Prairie Chicks! And I’m writing it to say good-bye. Emotions overwhelm me – but mostly sadness envelops me as I type these words. The end of an idea that gave me such joy and elation, such enthusiasm. The end, but just the beginning.

As Jana said on Monday, we decided back at the end of 2008 to create a group blog. There was a brief discussion about having just the two of us blog, but we knew the workload would be too much. After bringing on 3 other Chicks (Susan, Anita and Karyn), we were off and running. And what a run! 698 posts later, here we are wrapping it up. Jana also eluded to the fact that maybe if we had not focused on writerly topics we may have been able to keep going – but focus on writing we did! Do you know how hard it is to come up with a writing article every week? When we brought on other Chicks (Joanne, Hayley, Connie, Myrene, Helena, Anne, and Stephanie), we were writing articles every second week – still incredibly hard!

But what a bevy of relevant information! I think we covered every topic under the writing umbrella. Conferences, beginnings, agents, queries, non-fiction, writing spaces, titles, loglines, genre, grammar, characterization, themes, setting, dialogue, motivation, branding, backstory – you name it, we covered it! Covered it in fine fashion (well done, Chicks, well done).

I think, as I look back on my journey with the Chicks, there were many lessons learned! Working with a group of people is difficult – compromise and discussion is so important in a venture such as this! Deadlines – OMG, deadlines! I still haven’t managed to get a post written and scheduled ahead of a deadline, but I’m working on getting better at it. Craft – man, what I didn’t know about this writing gig! The support and genuine caring from other writers – the writing community, vast as it is, is such a tight knit, supportive one. The friendships developed from this blog venture will last a lifetime, even though the blog will not. The Chicks themselves, but our readers, too. And voice!

The biggest and bestest lesson learned from being a part of this amazing blog has been finding my voice. Writing the blogposts allowed me experiment with my writing, allowed me come into my own as a writer. I found my voice here on The Prairies! And for that, I am forever grateful. There is nothing in the world as satisfying and joyous as putting oneself out there (quirks and all) and having people respond that they liked it! What more could a writer ask for? That response fueled my desire to write more – that response gave me hope as a writer when rejections created self-doubt!

I am sad that the Prairie Chicks are ending their amazing run. But I am excited about the future and what it holds for each of us. I’m a firm believer in new beginnings and a lover of inspirational quotes. I leave you with this:

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. ~ Seneca

Please stay tuned, People of Blogland – the next two weeks will be filled with the Chicks individual blogs about goals, the future and where you can find us after this group blog ends.

Janet

Shhh - We're Putting it to Sleep

2010-10-14T00:15:00.003-06:00

by Anita Mae Draper

Several months ago I came out of my cave and wanted to spend a few minutes blog hopping. I was dismayed to find one of my favorite blogs had closed down. Their main reason being, they needed to spend more time on their manuscript writing instead of blog writing.

I remember thinking:

I’m going to miss them and the fun they brought to my day
Must be nice to have a real deadline
At least I still have the Chicks. That’ll never change.

Well, guess what? Things do change. And although I’m not happy about Prairie Chicks ceasing the publication of new posts, I’m excited at the changes which brought us to this point. I’m getting ahead of myself, though.

I started my own blog months before I got together with the Chicks. I added new posts a couple times a week and played around with widgets and gadgets—the fun and somewhat exasperating part of blogging. A pathological picture taker, I always had plenty of material to post when I didn’t have anything to say. Or, didn’t have time to say anything because I needed to work on my work-in-progress.

When we decided to start Prairie Chicks, I turned to the author who’d first put the idea into my head. Donna Alward, who writes emotional stories for Harlequin Romance, told us during a workshop to get our blogs and/or websites in place before publication because there just wasn’t time after. And once your book hits the shelves, readers want to know about you. Donna was a tremendous help. As well as giving ideas for our blog guidelines, she became our first every guest guinea p--ah-- Honorary Prairie Chick.

I’ve enjoyed most of the posts although admittedly, a couple of them were not within my comfort zone. A couple posts come to mind but I’m not going to list them today. I know there were one or two posts brought on by some of my guests whom everyone didn't agree with either.

In these last few months as my career winds up, I’ve resented the time spent on blogs. I need to take more time to finish on deadline. And so, I’ve found that blogging is like baling twine. It’s the best thing ever, but what a nuisance!

A case in point is the post I wrote upon my return from the RWA conference in Orlando. I wanted to show all the promotional possibilities you could create to publicize your book, so I took many photos of the Goody Room at the conference. Back home, I organized and photographed all the items I'd picked up. It took several days to get it all organized and drafted onto the blog. As an additional enhancement, I gave away one of the books I’d lugged back from Orlando – Maggie Shayne's Killing Me Softly. Which reminds me – Jana, you won the book. No, I haven’t forgotten. I just haven’t thought about it for a while. It’ll go out shortly.

Anyway, the Goody Room post went live and I received all of 2 comments. Although I don't want to begrudge any information gleaned from the post by Karyn or Jana, the lone commentors, I felt my time could've been spent in a wiser fashion.I didn’t mind writing the post. Quite the opposite because I love taking pics.

What I minded was that my time was taken away from my manuscript. Especially, since I was trying to complete it prior to attending the ACFW conference in mid-Sept. And no, I didn’t make my goal.

And if I'm not surfing the blogs and leaving comments, then how can I ask my fellow writers to do the same? I can't.

I still feel that blogging is a tremendous opportunity when you can afford the time. But at this time in my writing career, I need to spend every available moment on my story.

Selfish? Yes. But, only for self-preservation.

I’m thrilled that the blog will stay live because there’s such a wealth of material here and I want it accessible for us writers as well as anyone else who may need it.

Thank you to all the Chicks and Dogs, regular and Honorary, who chose to join us on this educational experience. The blog won’t die. It’s just going to sleep. Now, that’s comforting.

Confidence Builder

2010-10-13T00:15:00.001-06:00

It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not. ~Author Unknown

As I reminisce over my time spent with the Prairie Chicks the word that comes to mind is confidence. That’s what this experience has given me, along with a safe and supportive place to grow, to learn, and to experiment. Blogging here has helped me narrow down the term writer and decide what it means to me. It gave me a place to say it out loud.

I am a writer.

My first blog post, ironically enough, was titled, Finding My Voice. In that post I wrote, “I am going to give the voice inside of me a chance to unfurl.” Looking back I had no idea what I was really saying and the voice I was referring to was a general sense of having something to say. But almost two years later I do know what I mean when I say voice.

During my time blogging here I learned about goal, motivation, and conflict. Character arcs, plot, and pace. When I signed up to blog I knew very little about craft but I knew I wanted to use my time blogging to learn it. While I still have lots to learn, the topics I researched were always the ones I was curious about and needed to learn. This blog has given me a place to not only be a writer, but a romance writer. To talk about alpha males and kiss-ass heroines. Sex scenes. And the appeal of happily-ever-afters. To be in the company of like-minded writers.

Blogging here with the Prairie Chicks has taught me about deadlines and writing when I didn’t feel inspired. I’ve gone from writing occasionally and when the mood strikes to writing pretty much every day even if it’s only a couple of sentences. This blog has taught me about the business side of writing, too. Something I was totally in the dark about and had no idea how to navigate. Yesterday I sent off my very first query letter to an agent. Yes indeed, I’ve learned a lot.

To my fellow bloggers…I cannot even begin to put into words how much you’ve taught me. What a pleasure it’s been sharing this experience with you! I never failed to learn something. You’ve inspired me. Encouraged me. Made me think. Pushed me to do better.

To our talented guest bloggers who came and visited – thank you for sharing your experiences, tips, tricks, call stories, and so much more.

Thank you to our faithful followers who gave us their time and came and read what we had to say, left comments, and offered tips of your own.

It has been a blast.

Stay tuned. The last two weeks of October we’ll be letting you know what we’re up to next and where to find us!

The Outsider's Reflection

2010-10-12T00:15:00.000-06:00

I admit I've always been a bit of a contrary sort. A devil's advocate, perhaps. It followed naturally I'd volunteer to join up with the Prairie Chicks back in January when I don't even write in the genre, and, as I confessed a while back, scoffed at it for quite a while.

But my stint with the Chicks started before that, when Janet left us for a month to move, and a few of us offered to fill her Fridays. I started off on an interesting note. I blogged about the Phallus. Hey, it's romance, I figure anything's game right?

Suffice it to say I've started a fair number of good conversations, and sparked some contrary points of view since I came on as a regular blogger. For my part, I've enjoyed exploring some obscure and interesting topics, prodding aspects of romance from an outsider's perspective, and really getting to know the range of romance writers and readers who frequent us, and where everyone's preferences lie. There's absolutely no way to pin down a group like this and label what we like or don't like. Even among a predominantly female group of bloggers and readers, we're to diverse to make generalizations of any kind.

I think that's been the biggest fun for me while I've been blogging here. Coming up with a topic I want to explore and waiting to see what sort of responses I'll have waiting for me in the morning, whether anyone's taken the complete opposite standpoint from me, or called me out for talking about a genre I don't work in. Blogging on the Chicks has also really helped me think about all angles of my argument, since I'm writing for such a diverse group. On my own blog, I know the audience, the genre, and I know what discussions might come up in comments. Here it's always a surprise, and it really gets me thinking about exactly what I'm trying to say, rather than gesturing around the edges of it.

Of course, it also makes for some long as heck posts. Oh well.

Whether I've been analyzing the romance genre, or discussing how fantasy techniques can apply across genres, I've enjoyed bringing my view to the group. Here's to posts that will continue to incite contrary reactions and keep writers thinking.

It's Been a Slice!

2010-10-11T00:15:00.000-06:00

I started blogging with the Chicks when we opened on January 1, 2009. As I recall, it was a Thursday, the day Anita had picked to blog, so she was up first (correct me if I’m wrong, Anita). Friday was Janet’s day, and then my first blog went up Monday, January 5, 2009.

When we started I didn’t have a clue. I rarely visited blogs and I had only written one blog post before, for a guest blog I submitted to Romancing the Blog (which I see has also folded.)

But I was enthusiastic and excited about this new venture. Janet and I had talked about setting up a blog for some time, but I was hesitant because of the time commitment involved. I’d heard that to attract readers a blog needed a new post every day. There was no way I’d have that much to say! But we figured there was strength in numbers. What if we started a group blog devoted to everything writing, with an emphasis on romance?

With that in mind, we recruited fellow interested members of the Saskatchewan Romance Writers, and Anita, Susan, and Karyn signed on. We had ourselves a five day a week blog! Hooray!

It wasn’t all roses and lollipops. After a few months, Susan, who works full-time at a high stress job, found weekly blogging too much and had to bow out. So then we recruited a few more SRW members. Helena, Molli and Connie took turns filling the Tuesday slot.

By the end of the year, we were all getting tired. It was time for fresh blood. Hayley, Anne, Stephanie, and Joanne came on board in the new year, and I can tell you, it was a huge relief. It meant that I could go from blogging once a week to once every two weeks. Having such a large and diverse group was good for the blog as well. We all write different types of romance, from contemporary to historical, comedy to inspirational, suspense to paranormal. In fact, Hayley really doesn’t write romance at all. She’s a fantasy writer, but she liked us all at Saskatchewan Romance Writers so much that she joined forces with us. She, and all the other writers of this blog, have different viewpoints and are in different places in their writing careers. It makes for an interesting blog with much to say.

After nearly two years of blogging what have I learned? A lot. I knew nothing about Blogger when we started. Under Janet’s gentle tutelage I learned how to put up a post and how to schedule it. She did teach me how to do some of the maintenance of the blog, like putting up the names of future guest bloggers, but I confess that I didn’t help in that area (sorry Janet).
I’m now much better at research, particularly Internet research. I know I can meet a deadline. I am proud that over a year and ten months I have never missed a spot. In fact, I found that I am totally anal about deadlines. When the other Chicks talked about writing their posts the night before they were scheduled to go on the blog, I broke out in hives. Like any good Brownie (I didn’t make it to Girl Guides) my motto is “Be Prepared”. For the most part, I always had one to three posts “in the can”, ready to go, because I think I’d be physically sick if I had to scramble at the last minute.

I can’t say I have any regrets. Janet and I wondered if narrowing the blog’s focus to writing related posts limited our readership and also limited topics for our bloggers. As a published author, one of my goals was to gain more exposure. That’s been limited to exposure to fellow writers, however.

Still, I wouldn’t trade my time on Prairie Chicks for anything. Though we’ve had our trials and tribulations, working on this project with friends and with people who have become friends, has been a joy. All in all, I feel like a more confident, experienced writer, ready to take on the next challenge.

I hope that some of my posts have been useful to other writers. I’m pleased that Prairie Chicks will remain live, and I hope that my posts here will continue to be read by writers looking for information and inspiration.

Welcome Ashley March

2010-10-09T00:15:00.000-06:00

Three Things I Wish I Would Have Known Before I Got “The Call”

I will be the first to admit that I’ve been very blessed to come this far in my writing journey after only a short time. Although I wrote my first manuscript in 2006, it was completely awful. I started writing again for publication in February 2008 and received “The Call” in December 2009. My debut novel SEDUCING THE DUCHESS was released earlier this week on October 5th. Throughout the whirlwind of this past year, I’ve discovered a few things that I wish I would have known long before now.

1. How to Estimate Your Word Count
When I first began writing for publication, I researched everything I could about writing a romance. One important piece of information I needed to know was how to estimate your word count, since I knew my single title historical romance needed to be between 90,000 and 100,000 words.
The first advice I found was from a book written by a romance editor, which said to pick 10 random lines from a page, multiply that word count by 25, then multiply again by the number of pages you have written. Seemed a little complex to me, but hey, it’s the publishing world. These types of things are supposed to be somewhat mysterious, right? However, I then found a website where a published author said that the old 10-lines equation was obsolete, and that publishers now (this was early 2008) estimate word count by multiplying the number of pages written by 250, as each page should roughly come to that amount.
Since this was the most recent advice I could find, I did exactly that. I also knew, of course, these should be double-spaced pages, and I had read editors and agents would accept either New Courier or New Times Roman font.
The first thing I found out after accepting my publisher’s offer was that the manuscript I had originally thought was somewhere around 95,000 words was actually only 79,000 words! Not only should I have used Times New Roman instead of New Courier, but I discovered that editors don’t estimate word count at all. Instead, they accept the word count that Microsoft Word and other word processors automatically provide. As a result, the largest part of my editing for my publisher included the increase of my word count by a significant proportion.

2. Network, network, and then network some more!
I’ve always been an introvert. Before “The Call”, I joined RWA so I could enter chapter contests, but I never went to my local chapter meeting, and I never went to the national conference. I figured my time was better spent at home writing or with my husband and new baby, and since I wasn’t published yet, I didn’t have much to say, anyway. Oh, and of course—the money. Going to nationals seemed awfully expensive.
I cannot tell you how much I am regretting this now! You see, although I’ve been really busy trying to promote myself the past couple of months through Twitter, Facebook, my website, and now a blog tour, because I never took the time or made the effort to build relationships within the romance writing community, I have no one except my two critique partners to cheer me on and spread the news about my book. Fortunately, I’ve been getting some great reviews, and I know that will help. But at the same time, I know that if I had built an extended network with other aspiring and published authors, promoting myself wouldn’t be nearly as difficult now because I wouldn’t be a completely new face and new name.

3. Establish a set writing routine.
Like me, I’m sure you’ve heard this dozens of times before. Writers write; they don’t wait for inspiration to strike, they just sit down to work and do it. And yet, while I’ve always believed in this principle, I allowed various things in my non-writing life to distract me from my writing routine: pregnancy, a new baby in the house, the 9-5 job, family, etc. As a result, after getting a publishing contract I found it difficult to get settled into a normal writing routine. And a normal writing routine is essential to being able to meet publisher deadlines. I am embarrassed to tell you that I had to ask for an extension for the deadline on my second book, simply because I hadn’t become comfortable in my own writing process and with my writing routine. If nothing else, I hope you can learn from my mistake and do whatever is necessary to stick to your schedule. Day by day, never thinking “tomorrow I can make up for it.” Make every day count.

Now that I’ve told you the three things I wish I would have known before I got “The Call”, I’d love to hear your must-know tips for other writers, something you wished you have known long ago. One random commenter will be chosen to win a copy of my debut, SEDUCING THE DUCHESS (open to both US and international residents).

You can read more about Ashley and discover what else she's writing at her website: www.ashleymarch.com (including more chances to win).

Prairie Chicks Welcome Ashley March

2010-10-08T04:24:00.003-06:00

Join us tomorrow for our last guest blogger - Ashley March. She's written a very informative post of those things she wished she knew before she got "The Call". Ashley has been chosen by Booklist as one of the "new stars of historical romance"!

Here's Ashley's bio:

After spending countless hours memorizing both traditional and simplified Chinese characters, perfecting her tones, and practicing her speaking with any Chinese native she could find, Ashley successfully graduated with a degree in Mandarin Chinese. She was determined to be the next best Chinese translator in the world... Then she discovered writing historical romances was as much fun as reading them, and her Chinese capabilities have never been the same. When she isn't writing about sexy, untamed heroes and intelligent, independent heroines in Victorian Britain, Ashley stays busy chasing around her 1-year old daughter, attempting to do housework, and hiking in the beautiful foothills of Colorado.

We hope you come back tomorrow to read Ashley's post - until then, you can check out more about Ashley at her website: http://www.ashleymarch.com/.

Why I Like Blogging

2010-10-08T00:10:00.003-06:00

Despite the solitary nature of writing, a person doesn't always have to feel alone while doing it. That is what I have found by blogging, especially by participating in a blog run by a group of writers.

There are others out there. People with similar challenges. People with challenges you haven't even thought of yet. People with challenges you have already overcome. The special thing about the online community of writers is the clearly visible support system. How willing people are to lend a hand.

Where I grew up, Autumn was the only time of year people locked their doors. Why? Because if you didn't, you would come home from the grocery store to find your porch filled with boxes of tomatoes and cucumbers, zucchinis big enough to carve like pumpkins and big paper bags piled to the top with crab apples.

This is the sort of community I have sensed while performing my brief stint blogging with the Chicks. There is no other way to describe the feeling this blog has given me. It is a blog writers can come to for that feeling of home. A place they can let their guard down.

How has blogging for the Chicks helped me as a writer? It has allowed me to open up. As a somewhat shy individual, I've been given the opportunity to share a part of myself I've kept from most people on the three dimensional plane. For that, I'm unendingly thankful.

In the words of Canada's sweetheart, Red Green, "We're all in this together."

Ah Darn

2010-10-07T00:02:00.030-06:00

Now is the hour
when we must say goodbye
Soon we'll be writing
and and dream,ing of the day
While we're away
oh please remember us
When we return we hope
We'll find you here
(old Scottish folk song - massively revised)

We Chicks have become Harried Old Hens, so we have decided to give blogging a rest and concentrate on our own work for awhile.

I am really going to miss blogging, and most of all, reading the comments we have all received. I have learned an astounding amount since the original Chicks first scratched a blog or two. I joined later, but like all of us the night before our blog day, I found that I faced the whatamIgoingtowriteaboutthistime dilemma. Procrastination and living in Crisis Headquarters have left me feeling badly about not rewriting and revising and having something worth saying in the first place. I am not happy with several of my blogs. Thank you for not confirming my worst suspicions!

Blogging has also kept me connected to the other Chicks and to you, the folk who read and comment on our blogs. I am truly going to miss that connection. I would like those of you who have blog pages and web pages to put your address in the comment section so I can stay in touch with everybody (even if you think I already have it).

I guess I am going to have to start a blog of my own because because not having my say is not my strong point. Just ask the folk at the Round Lake members if I can sit through a meeting and not put my two cents worth in - on everything on the agenda and a bunch of stuff I add on.

I very well might start my own blog site after I return from Surrey (SiWC) and a visit with two of my oldest friends who live in Surrey now. What a ball I am going to have this month - Disney World with my grandkidlets, SiWC and wine appreciation with Shirly and Geoff.

I'm wandering here. It is late and I have just returned from closing up the cabin for the winter. Sniffle, sniffle.
It was a day from hell. After everything went wrong with the packing etc, the dog decided she didn't want to go home. It was darker than the backside of the moon and she decided to hide! It was so dark, I had to feel my way down the porch steps and I couldn't see the car 10 feet away. and this in bear country! It was a saga. Suffice to say, I didn't strangle her....

The best parts of the Chicks' blogs are the infinite amount of learning I have done, admiring writing skills of other chicks and having a good chuckle now and then. I am absolutely delighted the page is going to stay up so I can reread them all and look up what info I need to know at whatever stage of panic I am in at any given time.

It was suggested that we mention our favourite blogs here, but there are too many favourites to list! There are some super good writers on the Chicks page.

One of my favourite songs is "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andreas Boccelli and Sarah Brightman. But it's not my favourite thing to say, so I will say "So long - I hope to see you here again one day".

Please be good to yourselves - that's important. When it all looks hopeless, remember these words by Henry Ford, "If you think you can't or if you think you can, you are right." Write on.

You can and I am looking forward to reading your published work soon! It will happen.

Till next time

connie
constancesampson at hotmail dot com

I Learned it's OK to Be Less Than Perfect

2010-10-06T00:15:00.006-06:00

I joined the Blog in January with one goal: to get something published. I didn’t have my sights set on anything as significant as seeing my very own novel in print or building a fan base (although there’s nothing wrong with that)—no, what I really wanted was to overcome my previously unacknowledged fear of having someone else see my writing before it was ‘ready.’

Sound familiar? Maybe you have faced the same challenge with your writing.

I needed a deadline that I could not brush aside. I needed a regular writing goal that could not be ignored or forgotten. I needed peer (and public) pressure to hit the “publish” button even on the occasions when I felt the writing was not as good as it could be. I needed a situation where no excuses would apply. And, this was it.

You see...I’m a closet perfectionist. (I've just outed myself--this is liberating!) Perfectionism and writing deadlines do not make a nice couple. Nope, they get along as well as a pair of lions with only one carcass. Come he... (ahem) or high water, when the clock struck twelve Wednesday morning, there had to be something on the Blog with my name on it.

There were a few times when I was completely disgusted with what I’d written and the desire to start over on something new was so intense it made me sweat. However, since it was late Tuesday night (I'm also a procrastinator I guess), I didn’t have enough time to start on a new topic. The only option was to fix the one I was working on. I have a pattern of 'starting over' with my WIPs so no contest...that was by far the most important thing I learned from this blog. There was never one single time I didn't have my post up. Quoting no famous red-neck in particular, sometimes you just have to “Get’er done!”

Although that was the most important learning, it certainly wasn’t the only learning. Here are a couple of my favourite posts. (Ok, so I know I’m leaving out a lot of very good posts but if I include them all you won’t have the time to check them all out!)

· How do you say it?

· Just when you think you know someone

· World Building 101

· When Bad Endings Happen to Good stories

Thank you readers and fellow bloggers for giving me the chance to be a part of Prairie Chicks. As long as the blog is live (there is no close date) I know I will continue to refer back to postings and comments to help me with my writing. I have one more posting, so stay tuned.

Reflecting Back

2010-10-05T00:15:00.005-06:00

As the Prairie Chicks blog is preparing to close up shop, I’ve been looking back over the last ten months of blogging with the Chicks to evaluate what I have learned from my experience. When I started, I was new to the world of “web presence”, and blogging was a completely different universe. It was so exciting, connecting with like minded writers, to practice writing in a more public platform, and to be part of something that required teamwork.

During those nine months, I’ve learned to put together a short story at the drop of a hat as I continued to write my novel, worked a full-time job, and held together a family life. Sometimes things went smoothly, and sometimes they didn’t.

I’ve learned so much hanging out with the Chicks. The articles written on this blog have inspired me, informed me, and made me laugh. From the minute details, like Karyn’s article on That, to the fantastic worldbuilding series by Hayley, every time I hang out with the Chicks, I leave with a new perspective.

My writing has evolved dramatically, and I know much of the evolution is due to what I have gleaned from hanging out here. I have finally overcome my learning deviation when it came to Show don’t Tell. I finally get it! Here’s an example:

Telling version:

As we walked back to our vehicles, I numbly, confusedly contemplated what happened. I realized I needed to be clear about my relationship status.

"I have a boyfriend, Mahlon, I thought you should know that," I said as he walked me to my car.

"I know," He said nonchalantly. I wondered how he knew. "But, sometimes boyfriends come and go, Sarah." He turned to me to smile that sly, wicked smile I would soon to come to love, totally unconcerned about how arrogant he sounded. I was livid that he would be so presumptuous. He noticed my reaction, and flashed a brazenly confident smile, then turned on his heel, and strode away. I stood for a few minutes, shaking my head, smiling at the brash, conceited, yet intriguing young man who had just held my face so close I could smell the sweet ice cream smell of his breath.

You are far too interested for your own good, Sarah.

Showing version:

Mahlon let go of my face, but held my gaze. “Your eyes are so cool,” he added with a wink. Guilt slid through my mind as I realized how bad I had wanted him to kiss me.

“I have a boyfriend, Mahlon,” I whispered. “I thought you should know that.”

“I know,” he said with a shrug.

“You know?”

“Yeah. I know.” He flashed a brazen grin. “The question is—do I care? No. Not so much.” He turned on his heel and as he strode away he called over his shoulder. “I’ll be back for the equipment later.”

Okay, maybe I don't totally get it, but it's coming, isn't it?

My attitude has evolved dramatically as well. I’m no longer the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed dreamer I was when I showed up on scene in January. Now, I’m firmly rooted in the reality of this business, and I only occasionally indulge in imagining my hordes of fans chanting my name at Comicon.

My YA novel, Indigo Blaze, has been re-written, slashed and hacked, added to so the word count soared upward of 140,000 words, and then rendered down to 96,000 again. I hired an editor to tear it apart, and then I put it back together. I’ve had it out on query for about three months, had six requests, but no offers yet. Currently, I’m tweaking it for an adult audience and have completely re-written the first three chapters again.

What I do know of this experience is that perhaps my query is decent, but my writing still needs some work. I’ve only been at this writing business for two years, and when I reflect on that, I realize how short a time that is to learn a new profession. It took me eight years of university to be qualified for the job I have, so what would make me think it would be any different for writing?

To Blog or Not to Blog ...

2010-10-04T00:15:00.005-06:00

As Janet announced on Friday, Prairie Chicks is winding down. By the end of this month, this blog will be history. That is, it will consist of archived articles only ... still available for reference. We hope it will remain useful for researching topics covered by the Chicks over the last 21 months. But no new articles will be posted. (At least for now ... but don't hold your breath!)

Over the next two weeks, we will post our reflections on what it has been like to be a Chick. I was not one of the five original Chicks who started the blog in January 2009. I became involved a couple of months later when the Tuesday slot became vacant. I was one of three members of the Saskatchewan Romance Writers (SRW) who agreed to rotate posts on Tuesdays. My first post began with an admission of doubt, mixed with excitement:

"Recently the opportunity arose for me to participate (or not) as a regular on this blog. Me? I knew nothing about blogging. I doubted my ability to get up to speed. I hadn't even been reading the blog until one day in January when a minus 40 wind chill kept me home from the SRW meeting. Then I began dropping in daily to learn from the creative women who started this. I heard myself say that I would learn the ropes. A new door opened, and now I am delighted to call myself a Prairie Chick."

That first post was my introduction to the world of blogging. It gave me the opportunity to talk about how my writing life had developed to that point. Now, 39 posts later, here are some random thoughts on blogging as a Chick.

Writers take up blogging for a variety of reasons. In the October 2010 issue of The Writer, the featured topic of Point/Counterpoint is "Are Writer Blogs Worth It?" The short description of the article in the table of contents states: "Two writers debate the pros and cons. Blogs, says one, give writers an easy, cheap way to promote and build their platforms. Hold on, says a dissenting writer -- blogging is overrated in many ways, the most obvious being that you don't get paid." Jackie Dishner takes the YES position, while Naomi Mannino says NO.

I did not join the Chicks for the purpose of self-promotion, to build a platform or to build a loyal fan base, which are some of the reasons Dishner gives for a writer to blog. I was then, and remain to this day, an unpublished author. So those objectives do not apply to me ... yet. Sharing information or points of view on topics related to writing or the writing life, exploring new ideas, and becoming somewhat of an expert come a little closer to what motivated me to join.

Since then I have become comfortable with the mechanics of posting using Blogger, have learned a little Html code, and experimented with inserting pictures (although I have used that feature sparingly, to say the least). One of the most gratifying experiences has been getting "acquainted" with other writers who comment on points raised in my posts. Often those comments contain nuggets of advice that are invaluable contributions to the topics or issues under discussion. I read the blog almost every day, missing only when I am not at home. Such a range of topics and variety of writing styles! I have been informed and entertained by my fellow Chicks and our guest bloggers.

There have been some negatives to my blogging experience. I seem to have less time for regular writing, although that is probably more related to reading blogs than blogging itself. Since I do not write category romance, I sometimes found it difficult to find topics that would appeal to readers of a romance blog. I agree with Naomi Mannino, who takes the "con" position on blogging when she points out: "Blog posts are not quick and easy to write well." She also mentions that she doesn't need more 'exposure' and she is not selling a book. She declares that a Twitter message of 140 characters (which she calls "micro-blogging") is all she is willing to do for free! I have not yet joined the world of tweeting.

On balance, however, my involvement with Prairie Chicks has been extremely positive. The camaraderie amongst the members has been great, I have been proud of what we have done over the (almost) two years, and writing to a deadline is a good exercise in self-discipline. In fact, I am motivated by the experience to seriously consider launching my own blog. (More about that, and an update on my current writing projects, in my final post two weeks from now.)

Welcome Guest Blogger Celia Yeary

2010-10-02T00:15:00.000-06:00

Go for the Green

Got Game?

When I turned forty, I decided to learn to play golf. I knew absolutely nothing about the game, but it fascinated me. Instead of watching football or basketball on television, I watched golf tournaments. The players became almost like friends; I knew each name, his place of residence, marital status, and family. I kept up with the World Rankings of the top PGA players, hoping “my guy” stayed in the top ten, or the rookie contender whom I followed managed to win against all odds.

The game looked relatively easy. The entire process resembled a ballet, slow and easy, no running, jumping, or tackling, all acted out in an atmosphere of polite actions and rules and decorum. Spectators remained politely silent as a player took his stance. Best of all, the sport required the player to hit a ball that stayed in place. This seemed much better than trying to hit or catch a moving ball. I don’t particularly like the idea of an object flying toward me that I must hit, kick, or catch.

By observing a game and listening to the commentator, I knew the golfer used several clubs. Besides the putter, the exact role of each one eluded me, but that seemed easy to learn. Like any game, it was replete with rules and penalties.

So, I asked my good friend and women’s golf coach, “Will you teach me to play golf? Even though I haven’t an athletic bone in my body?”

“Sure, I will,” she replied.

She took a small set of student’s clubs--and me--straight to the course, bypassing the driving range. “We’ll just start and see how you do,” she said, patting me on the back.

“I know the object is to get the ball in the hole, but what are the procedures, the rules? And how do I hold a club?” I asked.

“It’s simple,” she said. “Just hold the club by the grip, hit the ball toward the direction of the green, go find it, and hit it again.”

She was dead serious. Some coach she is, I muttered to myself.

In a nutshell, though, that’s it.

I’m a fast learner, so after a couple of years of playing and improving, I beat her almost every time. She always complained she’d taught me too well.

Years later—did I say how many?—oh, good, because I didn’t intend to—I thought to try my hand at writing a romance story. I wondered how one wrote a novel, and if one did, how could one have it published. I remembered my coach’s plan concerning golf, so I applied it to writing: “Write a story, send it to a publisher, then write another.” Easy.

Writing is like playing golf.

In a game of golf, the player uses a variety of methods to get the ball in the cup--drives, fairway shots, chipping, and putting. If the player utilizes all the methods correctly, he’ll enter a good score.

In writing, the author uses plot, characterization, point of view, pacing, and climax. Then, she submits and hopes for a contract.

Doubt will kill a golf round. The minute a player decides her ball will go in the water, I assure you, it will. When she chastises herself for making a wrong choice or missing an easy putt, she’ll add more strokes. If she decides she’s the worst player in the field, then she probably will be. Once a golfer—or writer—allows uncertainty to creep in, her game and attitude vanishes.

Many pro golfers, especially the world’s best players, subscribe to the mantra, “Never lay up.”

When a long shot over a hazard faces the player, he has two choices: hit the ball close to the hazard so the next shot is easy, and he will have a better chance of getting close to the hole. Or if he’s a strong-willed player and faces the same situation, he’ll study the situation, choose the correct club for the distance, take his stance with confidence, and…go for the green!

Each hole is a clean slate. Other holes are history.

Each new blank page is wide open to possibilities.

We all like to win--at golf or writing--but we’re not out to beat the field 100% of the time. We play to challenge ourselves, to best our own last score, to lower our putt average, and to lower our handicap. A professional golfer always strives to win, but realistically, he knows he will lose far more games than he will ever win. Even so, he will gain something from every tournament.

Understand, though. I love to win. Oh, yes, I absolutely do. Whether the prize is one dollar, a golf ball for the week, or the quarter pot, I go all out. In past years, I even won a few local tournaments and received very nice trophies, money, and gifts. Some of the other participants would say, “Wow, you come out here to win, don’t you?”

My answer? “Why would I come out here to lose?”

So, as it is in the game of writing and publishing, I came to play…and to win. But what happened when I went home from a tournament without a prize? Nothing. I always viewed playing golf as a privilege few can enjoy, so if someone else won, I’d congratulate her, go home, and I was still happy. But just wait until the next time.

So it is with writing and submitting manuscripts. If I must be unhappy or angry, I’ll do so concerning something important, such as world hunger or senseless crimes.

Every day, I strive for a win, a contract, a prize, an award, a good review. Why would I do otherwise? But a rejection will not ruin my life.

Take my advice: Go for the green. And smile!

Celia Yeary is a seventh-generation Texan, and her life revolves around family, friends, and writing. San Marcos has been her home for thirty-five years. She has five published romance novels, four “coming soon” novels, and published essays with a local magazine. The author is a former science teacher, graduate of Texas Tech University and Texas State University, mother of two, grandmother of three, and wife of a wonderful, supportive Texan. Celia and her husband enjoy traveling, and both are involved in their church, the community, and the university as retired faculty.

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com/

http://www.celiayeary.com/

New Releases
Texas Promise-eBook-Desert Breeze Publishing
Making the Turn-print & eBook-Wings ePress

All Good Things...

2010-10-01T00:15:00.000-06:00

Yes, as the saying goes, we must come to an end! With much discussion the Chicks have decided to close down The Prairies. This was not an easy decision and one that makes me very sad. But it was a decision that needed to be made.

Many of us are venturing out with our own blogs (some new, others already established). And we’re all busy writing. Add to that the incredible busy lives we all lead with jobs and families something had to give. Unfortunately, it is the blog.

But we’re not going to just hang a “Closed” sign on the front door immediately. Over the next month you’ll be hearing from each of us (starting on Monday with Helena). The first two weeks of October will be used to discuss what this blog meant to us, what we gained from our contributions and how we’ve grown as writers. The last two weeks will be to share our future goals, our continuing journey in our writing careers, and to let you all know where you can find our individual blogs and websites. Then, as of October 29th, The Prairies will be silent.

We plan on leaving the blog active – almost two years of writerly articles and fantastic guest posts are archived here. We hope that you’ll come back often and use our site as a writing resource. The labels are very helpful in finding exactly what you need in your writing development and the ‘search’ button at the top can also be of assistance when you’re looking for a specific article.

I’ll take this time to thank all of our readers and our guest bloggers for making Prairie Chicks Write Romance a success. We look forward to seeing you on The Prairies for another month as we wrap up this endeavor.

And, to my fellow Chicks, it has been a pleasure working with you. I’m looking forward to reading your posts on what the blog has meant to you and what the future holds for you.

Janet

Welcome Saturday's Guest Blogger Celia Yeary

2010-09-30T19:30:00.001-06:00

Saturday's guest blogger is Celia Yeary, who will be talking to us about golf and writing. If that intrigues you, please join us on October 2nd!

Celia Yeary is a seventh-generation Texan, and her life revolves around family, friends, and writing. San Marcos has been her home for thirty-five years. She has five published romance novels, four “coming soon” novels, and published essays with a local magazine. The author is a former science teacher, graduate of Texas Tech University and Texas State University, mother of two, grandmother of three, and wife of a wonderful, supportive Texan. Celia and her husband enjoy traveling, and both are involved in their church, the community, and the university as retired faculty.

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com/
http://www.celiayeary.com/
New Releases
Texas Promise-eBook-Desert Breeze Publishing
Making the Turn-print & eBook-Wings ePress

Indy 2010: A Successful Conference

2010-09-30T00:57:00.000-06:00

by Anita Mae Draper

Taken beside elevator on 11th floor

Last week I flew to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend my 3rd American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference along with 625 other registered attendees. The conference was held downtown in the Hyatt Regency which had a breathtaking atrium with glass-walled elevators. Streaming sunlight gave the whole complex an outdoor aura which began as soon as I stepped out of my room.

The weekend started on Friday morning with an 8am-to-noon session with James Scott Bell who explained the principles of his best-selling book, Plot and Structure. I have the book, however James used humor and segments of movies to enhance the learning experience. A very enjoyable session.

Indianapolis from my window

Next on my schedule was a professional photo session at 1pm with Amber Zimmerman of The Clik Chick Photography. I thought Amber would have a booth set up where we’d have privacy. She didn’t. I watched her take the photos of another attendee while using the waterfall at the base of the elevators as a backdrop. Right in the open lobby where everyone could see all the way down from the 18th floor. Talk about nerve-wracking. When it was my turn, she took me outside and across the street to the park. A beautiful sunny day in the mid to high 70’s range, she had me sit and stand in a variety of poses using benches, brick walls and trees. Unfortunately, I was using my transition glasses which turned dark so I had to keep them off for most of the photos. Her US$40 for 6 professional shots was a bargain.

The conference officially started at 3pm with the Opening Worship, Keynote Address by cartoonist and author Tim Downs. And the surprise awarding of contracts to 3 happy attendees.

That night, I went out for an Italian supper with new and old friends. Within a block from the Hyatt Regency, we stepped off the sidewalk and into the kitchen where the cooks waved at us. A weird beginning, but the food and fellowship was excellent.

(L to R) Judy, Patti Lacy, Sara, Jen AlLee, Dina Sleiman, Lisa Richardson, Anita Mae Draper

We were back in time for the 8pm Late Night Chats with the publishing houses. As a reporter for the Afictionado, the ACFW online e-zine, my job was to report on Dave Long’s Spotlight on Bethany House. As Senior Acquisitions Editor, Dave was the perfect person to tell us what they are looking for and what is ‘hot’. Still topping the charts is Historical Romance followed by Amish (and other cloistered orders). Speculative is moving up fast. As a Christian conference, erotica wasn’t on the list.

Lisa Richardson with elevators behind

Sat morning started early with a 7am breakfast followed by devotions and worship. As a member of a small 50-member church, hearing over 600 voices raised in song is always a heart-lifting experience. At this point, I’ll add that like all ACFW conferences, a prayer room is open 24/7 and sees much use before and after appointments and other important meetings.

Instead of heading off to the first workshop at 9am, though I headed to purgatory for my editor appointment. I’m not sure who came up with the name for the waiting area, but it was a half-walled raised dais area and the name seemed to fit. I was meeting Kim Moore of Harvest House who is the same editor I met last year over lunch while in Denver. She had requested Emma’s Outlaw at that time, but wanted 20,000 words added. If you remember, this spring, when I sent it out to my Inkwell Inspiration sisters, they basically tore it to shreds and I had to start over. So, my purpose in seeing Kim was to see if she still wanted it. And she did. As soon as I showed her the one-sheet, she smiled and said she remembered Dan, my hero. I told her of the changes and she approved. She gave me her card and told me how to email the completed manuscript when I’m done with it. Phew!

The rest of Saturday was spent in workshops:

Mastering Structure, Symbols, 3-D Characters using literary works and movies as examples
Selling Your Stuff with handouts for Pitches, Queries & Proposals (Agents Rachelle Gardner & Sandra Bishop)
Fact Into Fiction: Tips & Tools for Writing Historical Novels

Christina Berry and Anita Mae Draper

Late Sat afternoon, Tim Downs gave his 2nd inspirational Keynote Address which was followed by 2 hours of free time. This is the time agents get together with all their clients for a dinner out. A few of us who are un-agented went out for supper across the skywalk to the mall.

Back in time for the 8pm Late Night Chat, I attended the workshop Tweaking Your Way to Publication put on by 2 multi-published Love Inspired authors, Lenora Worth and Marta Perry.

Sunday was a replay of Sat morning except I didn’t have an appointment and was able to attend the complete Part 2 of the 3-D Characters session. Although I’d barely slept the previous 3 nights, the teacher, Dr. Denis Henley kept me wide awake with his imitations of movie scenes, complete with voices and actions.

Award Winning Seekers:
Mary Connealy and Pam Hillerman

Sunday afternoon was a jumble because I missed a workshop while volunteering on the registration desk. I could have squeezed in part of a workshop after that, but I wanted to get ready for my 3 pm agent meeting with Rachelle Gardner. So, I went up to my room for a breather, checked to ensure I had my one-sheet and opening chapters of Emma’s Outlaw, and then headed down to purgatory.

It was very important for me to see Rachelle because she also requested Emma's Outlaw last year, but this August, closed the door to queries. I didn't know where that left me. However, the meeting went well. I have to confess though, I consider myself blessed that she requested the manuscript—again. Last year on her blog, she said she requests only 3% of those people she meets. And another agent said he refuses 99% of what he sees at conferences. So, for Rachelle to give me another chance is why I’m hiding in my cave these days. I’ve given myself until the end of Oct to get Emma’s Outlaw emailed out to Kim and Rachelle. Because if I don’t get it out soon, I won’t have any credibility as a writer who gets the job done.

The appointment with Rachelle was followed by a Steve Laube workshop, Working with your Agent. I was thoroughly impressed with Steve’s humor, work ethics and working relationship with his clients, of which there were over half a dozen in the room. The two things I remember the most about his speech… you need constant (once weekly) communication with your agent… and second… the agents have a yahoo group and discuss wayward clients. (I’m remembering a Seinfeld show here.)

The Inkies: Jen AlLee, Dina Sleiman, Lisa Richardson, Anita Mae Draper

Janette Oke and Anita Mae Draper

The awards banquet Saturday night was the culmination of the conference. One huge thrill was when my roomie, Christina Berry, won a Carol award for her debut book. And the second big thrill was when I got to meet Janette Oke, of Calgary, AB who started the whole Christian fiction era with her tender prairie romance 1997 Bethany House book, Love Comes Softly.

And of course, each night I socialized with the Inkies and the Seekers and any one else I could corral.

Like I said, I’m working in my cave. I need to finish Emma’s Outlaw within the next few weeks and submit it. I can then use Nov for NaNoWriMo and work on a new project.

(L to R) Pam Hillerman, Ginny Aitken, Lynette Eason, Cheryl Wyatt,
Linda Ford and Allie Pleiter

So, what about you? Have you sent anything out to an agent or editor lately? Or are you still working on a project someone requested months ago?

Coolhunting The Next Big Thing

2010-09-29T00:15:00.001-06:00

I’d love to be able to predict the next big thing. To be a trend hunter. But these jobs fall to the people who actually have a clue about what’s cool and what’s not. I couldn’t predict a trend if it walked up and gave me a written guarantee.

I remember the first time I caught sight of the kid’s cartoon, SpongeBob SquarePants. I believe my exact words were, “That’ll never last.” The original episode aired on May 1, 1999 and it’s still on the air.

Red soled shoes. Christian Louboutin "In 1992 I incorporated the red sole into the design of my shoes. This happened by accident as I felt that the shoes lacked energy so I applied red nail polish to the sole of a shoe. This was such a success that it became a permanent fixture." Don’t be afraid to venture outside the box.

Would I have predicted the success of a television show featuring a bunch of outcast high school students who come together and find a place to belong in the Glee club? Nope. I’m a total Gleek but I’d never have predicted its success.

What about this prediction: Some fads never make it from Europe to North America, but trend watchers are betting that men’s tights will overcome the odds. Last week, Victor Fiorillo from Philadelphia magazine waxed poetic about the women’s pantyhose he bought at a drugstore, noting that they’re warmer than long johns and would look good under ripped jeans. Yes, they’re talking about mantyhose. If this actually becomes a trend it’ll have more to do with karma than anything.

But what’s this got to do with writing? Well, agents are certainly on the lookout for the next ‘new’ voice. The next great novel. Maybe even new subgenre. They must be aware of trends. It must be part of the job description.

After all we’ve taken vampires, werewolves, and other monsters and made them desirable. We’ve taken the stuff that nightmares are made of and turned them into heroes.

What about erotic romance? They continue to gain favor and have found their place in the romance genre.

Chick lit came and went.

As writers we need to be aware of trends but not let them dictate the direction of your work. To read industry articles and blogs or follow twitter links. This doesn’t mean we don’t grow, learn and expand on our knowledge base.

It’s about understanding the kind of writer you are. If, as an aspiring author, your heart’s desire to get published and nothing else matters, you’d better have your finger of the pulse of the industry and you’d better write fast. And have the ‘voice’ for it. Having a book go from being acquired to appearing on the bookstore shelves takes time. What happens if your trend dies before it makes it to the shelves?

You can’t write what you don’t love reading, have a passion for, or feel a connection to.

So follow a trend or follow your gut? Many of us wouldn’t hesitate to say, “Follow your gut.” But what if what you write isn’t popular at the moment. What if it’s unusual? What if it doesn’t mesh with current trends? Following your gut can be risky.

That’s where the quality of the writing comes into play. If you have a manuscript with a well-developed plot, characters to care about, and have taken the time to make sure it’s polished to perfection, someone will notice. You and mantyhose could be the next big thing.

Know yourself, know your style, trust your voice. As hooky as it might sound to some, trust in the universe to provide you with your heart’s desire.

What trends do you see for the future of romance writing? What trends have surprised you? Do you fear writing the unmarketable book?

Stop! If you kiss him now ... the world will end!

2010-09-28T00:15:00.001-06:00

Yesterday in the comments on Jana's discussion of the romance arc, I noticed most of us seem to follow that arc on instinct. We start out with two friendly/neutral/hostile people and follow a natural progression until at the end of the book they've come together and sorted out their baggage (or at least this book's baggage). The important thing, as Jana replied to me, is the believability of that progression.

But at the same time, we have to think of tension, and keeping the reader through until that very last page. Natural progression can't just be first kiss, first night together, marriage, the end, so we stick in problems, set-backs, character issues, all sorts of conflict to prevent each moment of progress from simply erasing a plot concern and resolving something before we're halfway done.

Those of us who dabble in varying degrees of romance, I think we have good instincts for the overall pacing, what we want to happen when. It's the hazards that can pose a problem. I'm talking about artifice. We know we need to keep the story going, and this is the way things should go, but sometimes we just don't know how to do that. What we stick in doesn't ring true.

Artifice is, in short, anything that creates a roundabout explanation to explain a Why. Why can't they just get together now? Why didn't she just tell him about the abortion and get beyond it? Why didn't he kiss her when he had the chance and knew she wanted him to? The longer it takes to answer these questions, the more Whys that answer produces, the more likely the real answer is, "I wanted to keep the story going."

And readers see through this every single time. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of their lives.

The topic came up during the SRWs retreat weekend, and from everything I heard, I found problems of artifice often boil down to three* things.

Motivation: The character's reason for doing/not doing something hinges on a flimsy excuse, an elaborate justification, or some other faulty motivation. Rather than creating a struggle we empathize with, the character becomes less likable (selfish, weak, arrogant, too stupid to live) and we get fed up. If we can understand and accept with the motivation, we can empathize with the decision even if we don't agree.

The Fix -- Find a new motivation. Explore your character and really learn what makes them tick. Nine times out of ten, there's already something there waiting to be found that can justify that action without requiring multiple sentences to explain, or inducing fridge logic in your reader. Maybe it's not just that he's angry she left him at the altar. Maybe it's because every single relationship since then has been fraught with mistrust after that betrayal, and she's the cause of all that.

Emotion: You know in your gut this is right, the scene should flow this way, but when it's all said and done, you've spent two pages of internal monologue afterward narrating the heroine's reasons for why it was such a bad thing and it still doesn't seem convincing. If the emotion is off, if say you wrote the scene passionate but it should have been conflicted, the characters won't react right and the outcome you know should be there may come about forced. The reader should be able to intuit the reason for something without need to justify it or explain it.

The Fix -- Bring new emotion to the scene. Like motivation, the solution is lurking in the character, especially if you feel the moment is ultimately right. This comes down to execution, rather than content. If I may use a WIP of Helena's as an example, she shared at the retreat a lovely dilemma concerning a crucial note never received, and we talked about the reasons for the oversight. If the character was angry she might have thrown the envelope aside in haste. Distraught, she might have stopped reading before the end and not noticed more inside. Heartsick, she'd search every inch of that message for some explanation. With the right emotion we can understand why the crucial bit of information never turned up. Others might raise questions or force explanations.

Into the Fire: Of course, sometimes it isn't just the approach to a scene that creates artifice. Sometimes it's the whole damn scene. It's the blatant misunderstanding that drags on the whole second act, or the unnecessary cancer subplot that crops up after the real plot's already been resolved. It's the kiss or the sex scene that doesn't happen just because we don't want it to happen. And the whole thing wastes so much time, in the moment and after, to justify, you'd be better off just doing it. We don't buy it at all.

The Fix -- Seriously, do it. Let them have sex, or kiss, or reveal the terrible secret. I promise you, you'll find more problems. Things are never simple and resolved and then that's it. Every progression in a relationship opens up new issues to deal with, new levels of trust and vulnerability that may be tested at any moment. Take your characters out of the frying pan and into the fire. If you can't figure out how, look at motivation and emotion, and see what you can work with after the scene.

*Danger Will Robinson! If you're still stuck, and long-winded exposition and/or attempts to distract from the problem via kittens and gunfights aren't working, then the problem may go deeper than just the immediate scene. Novella length conflict just won't stretch into a 100k format. The characters need more issues, completely different motivations, more subplots affecting their decisions, or may just need a different format altogether. It may even be these characters aren't the ones right for each other. As Jana said yesterday, the pair can't just be good for each other, they each have to be the only one right for the other.

How do you keep the conflict going in your romance arc? What other causes of artificial conflict would you identify? Or just share an example of artifice you've encountered (in your own work or others, no need to name names), or a situation that could have felt forced that the creator handled well.

The Romance Arc

2010-09-26T18:24:00.002-06:00

The Saskatchewan Romance Writers decided to discuss the Romance Arc during our retreat this month. That got me thinking; what exactly is the Romance arc? Helena gave her take last week, and this week I thought I'd give it a shot.

Every story has a Character Arc. This is the learning curve, the journey, the characters go through. Characters begin the story with a certain viewpoint and, through events in the story, that viewpoint changes. Examples of the character arc:

- In the movie Tootsie, Dustin Hoffman starts out as a chauvinist. When he’s forced to play a woman on a TV soap, he gradually learns a new appreciation for women, and his whole attitude changes.

- At the beginning of The Godfather, Michael Corelone hates the mafia and anything to do with his father’s business. When his father is nearly killed in an attack, he takes over the business and begins a vendetta against the attackers. Eventually, he becomes as brutal as his father.

In addition to the Character Arc, a romance novel must also weave in the Romance Arc thread. The Romance Arc deals with the growing relationship between the hero and the heroine. For the writer, it means dealing with questions like: “How is this person different from every other love interest the hero/heroine has ever known?” “What makes this person the perfect match for the hero/heroine?” “How can I show the relationship moving from one of simple attraction at the beginning of the story, to a committed relationship by the end?”

Let me answer the last question first. In most romance novels, there is a spark of attraction between the hero and heroine from the moment they first meet. But something keeps them apart; there is an obstacle, either an internal conflict, or a more visible external conflict, that stands between them. For example, in my current WIP “The Girl Most Likely”, Cara’s internal conflict is that Finn is eight years younger than she is. She’s become very sensitive about her age since her ex-husband left her on her 40th birthday for a much younger woman, and she’s afraid if she falls in love with a younger man she’s setting herself up for that kind of heartache again.

Examples of external conflict are wars, disapproving family or friends, an ex-spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend, differing values and ideals, or being on opposite sides of a conflict. For instance, in my novella “Flawless”, the Second World War forms the external conflict, the object keeping the two lovers apart. Hunter must help Madeleine and her Resistance friends, steal back a valuable diamond from the Nazis.

I must show my hero and heroine overcome all the obstacles between them. The battles they go through, both literal and figurative, help to cement their relationship. Every hurdle they jump over brings them closer, but there's still doubt. The obstacles are difficult and not easily overcome. But by the end of the book, there should be no question in the reader's mind that these two people will be together forever.

How do these characters move from simply being attracted to being willing to risk their lives for each other?

1. As the characters spend time with each other, I have them discover things about one another that they appreciate. When Sarah first meets Will in my novel “Her Best Man”, she believes he is not much more than a party boy. But she gradually learns that he is loyal to his brother, has a wonderful sense of humour, and is a talented writer. She gradually falls for his good qualities.

2. Compare and contrast. A method that I often use to show how the characters are beginning to appreciate each other and fall in love is to show a comparison between the new love and an ex. In “The Girl Most Likely”, Cara’s ex has limited contact with their two daughters since the divorce. When Finn shows genuine concern for her daughters, Cara begins to fall in love.

What makes this person the perfect match for this hero/heroine?

My favourite line from a movie is from “Jerry Maguire” when Tom Cruise says to Renee Zelweiger, “You complete me.” That is what romance characters need to do; complete each other. Only this woman can provide the missing piece that makes him whole.

The best way to show this process happening between the two lovers is to first let the reader know what that hole is in the hero/heroine’s life. In “Flawless”, Hunter had been told all his life by his parents that he was a disappointment to them. When he is jailed for jewel theft, they wash their hands of him. Madeleine, a beautiful Resistance fighter assigned to be his partner, was once married to his childhood friend Jean Philippe, who was murdered by the Nazis. Hunter knows that Jean Philippe was honest, loyal, and brave, with an unwavering sense of integrity. He falls in love with Madeleine but believes that after loving Jean Philippe, she could never see him as anything but a poor imitation. The hole in Hunter’s life is his belief that he’s not good enough.

Next we must show how the love interest fills that need. As Madeleine gets to know Hunter, she realizes what a wonderful man he is. She knows he is honest and loyal and true. She makes him believe he has all the qualities, and more, that his friend Jean Philippe had. By making him believe in himself and his worth, Madeleine fills the hole in his life. In addition, I hope I have shown that Madeleine is the only woman who could ever complete Hunter.

How is this person different from every other love interest the hero/heroine has ever known?

Again, this is where comparisons may come in. This may be a comparison to an ex-husband or boyfriend, or sometimes even with a parent. Show what makes the new love different from the hero/heroines’s previous relationships. In “A Long Way from Eden”, Meg was a pregnant teenager forced into an abusive marriage. When her son gets Zane Martin’s daughter pregnant, she at first thinks he is just like her domineering father because he wants his daughter and Meg’s son to marry. But as she gets to know Zane, she sees the kindness with which he treats his pregnant daughter, and she knows he’s nothing like her father.

In all of the above examples, I must show how a new love is different from an old love, or and how the couple getting to know each other. I do this in a dramatized scene. The characters are learning about one another right in front of the reader’s eyes. Never summarize important “getting to know you” scenes with telling.

In romance, the romantic arc is as important as the character arc. Without the romantic arc that shows the characters’ growing mutual attraction and love for each other, readers will not believe in the romance. If steps in the arc are skipped, no one will believe that the hero and heroine will actually be together at the end of the story, or stay together long after the reader closes the book.

How do you, as a writer, show the romantic arc in your story?

Craft Help: Conference Recordings

2010-09-24T00:15:00.001-06:00

by Anita Mae Draper

Writing conferences provide numerous chances to improve your craft, talk about your career, and refine your research techniques. Unfortunately, workshops occur at the rate of 5 or 6 at the same time to suit all kinds of writers in a multitude of genres.

At the same time the workshops are in session, publishers sponsor book signings and appointments with editors and agents are scheduled.

Because of this, most major conferences tape the workshops. The recordings are then available for sale to attendees and those who weren’t able to attend the conference.

Bill Stephens Productions records all the sessions for the Romance Writers of America (RWA) conferences. You can buy the sessions as a conference set, a ‘24 most popular’ set or individually. They are playable on your PC or Mac computer as well as on MP3 players.

Currently, Bill Stephens Productions have recordings available for the 2009 and 2010 conferences . Here are some examples:

2009:

Chemistry: How To Create The Sizzle That Will Keep Your Readers Glued To The Page, Speaker: Sherry Thomas, Price US$8.00
The Fire In Fiction, Speaker: Donald Maass, Price : US $12.00
Mastering Your Domain: Research And Development Of The Paranormal World, Speakers: Alyssa Day, Stephanie Julian, and Melissa Mayhue, Price: US $8.00
Prioritizing Life, Setting Goals, And Time Management, Speaker: Robin Perini, Price: US $8.00

2010:

Submission 101, Speakers: Catherine Mann and Joanne Rock, Price: US $8.00
The Agent/Author Relationship, Speakers: Kate Douglas, Jessica Faust, Angie Fox, and Sally MacKenzie, Price : US $8.00
An Inside Look At The Editor/Author/Publisher Relationship, Speakers: Alicia Condon, Audrey LaFehr, and Laurie Parkin, Price : US $8.00
Fat-Free Writing Or How To Eliminate Wordiness In 10 Easy Steps, Speakers: Darlene Buchholz and Annie Oortman, Price : US $8.00

Spotlight sessions are also available for many publishing houses where representatives talk about what they are looking for and how best to submit.

Shawnee Services does the audio recordings for the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) national conference. Like the RWA, some of these sessions are aimed at the inspirational genre, but not all of them. After all, creating exciting characters and digging into research are topics writers of all persuasions need to know.

The ACFW records can also be ordered as a compete set or individually. The Shawnee Services website doesn’t state the cost of individual sessions, however, they state they are either US $9.95 or US $19.95 and to email with the session numbers for more information. I’m presuming the latter price is for the Continuing Education sessions which are approx. 4-5 hrs long. Some examples under the 2009 offering are:

Screenwriting and the Novelist, Speaker: Rene Gutteridge, (Continuing Education)
Understanding the Publishing Process, Speaker: Jeff Gerke
Profiling Characters, Speaker: Sue Brower
Author Advances: A Publisher’s Perspective, Speaker: Allen Arnold
Medical Details in Your Fiction, Speaker: Dr. Richard Mabry
Hero & Heroine Journeys, Speaker: Camy Tang
Writing Press Releases & Web Copy for Promotion, Speaker: Jim Rubart

Keep in mind, I've only shown you a small amount of what's available for download.

I’ve checked into the Surrey International Writer’s Conference (SiWC) which several writers from this blog attend but to my knowledge, they don’t record their sessions.

Anyway, the point is that there are many existing sessions available for you already out there between the 2 audio companies mentioned about that will keep you in audio craft for many miles of listening. I say this because I listen to the sessions while I’m driving, walking or exercising.

Do you know any other companies that offer recordings of this type?

Have you ever downloaded these types of sessions? Would you or why wouldn’t you?

Can you believe it?

2010-09-23T00:15:00.049-06:00

I swing both ways, but before you swear you will never sit next to me again, let me explain. I write fiction and non-fiction. And, I can write fictional non-fiction, but I haven't cleaned up my autobiography yet so I haven't had to nudge the truth too much yet.

There are some obvious differences: romance writers have to make up characters. Non-fiction writers and journalists don't. Trust me, there are more than enough characters out there to keep us pounding the keys. Both fiction and non-fiction call for precise research, because as sure as she gets the guy in the end, some turkey in Readerland will know exactly how many days Alphonse the Dumb reigned or exactly how many people in Japan are more than 100 years old, or, for that matter, who killed Cock Robin.

Romance stories start out quietly and end with a rousing romp in bed. Non-fiction starts at the end and every paragraph from there on is less important than the one before so that the editor can cut your would-have-won-a-Pulitzer story if the jerk had left it alone. For example: in fiction, we get two or three pages in before we realize Scarlett is NOT a nice girl. It ends with Rhett Butler leaving her. In non-fiction, say for The National Enquiror, the opening paragraph would start at the end. "Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara have parted ways! Our columnist heard Rhett say "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!" Those in the know realize this is not the end of the story....

Contests in fiction writing are not yet published but you hope to *** they will be. In non-fiction writing, the story must be published before you have a hope in ***.

Some non-fiction writers 'enhance' their stories by not letting truth get in the way of a good story. Fiction writers haven't a truth to fly by. They are expected to enhance the whole thing.

Some non-fiction writers fear rejection because they were self consious to begin with, but as reporters, they definitely won't be rejected. They are expected to fill the blank spaces between ads or else.

Speaking of rejection, here are some questions about fiction that have non-fiction answers that should make you either feel terrific or make you tape your mail box shut rather than face it.

1. Eight publishers said no to J.K. Rawlings first book. What was the British title?
2. TheMysterious Affair at Styles, this author's first book was rejected by six publishers, but she went on to write 70 plus novels. Who was she?
3. And To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street was passed up by 28 publishers before it became a childrens classic. Who was thew author?
4. What Frederick Forsyth novel was passed up by nearly 50 publishers before it became a best seller?
5. A book by Robert W. Pirsig was rejected 121 times before it became a big best seller in 1974. What was the book? (You have to love that guy).
6. This book, Tom Clancey's first, was turned down by more than two dozen publishers before it became a huge best seller. What book was it?
7. The author of The Thomas Berryman Number, which was rejected by 26 publishers, has since become one of the world's best-selling authors?

The answers will appear in the comments section.

Have you tried writing non-fiction? Have you tried freelancing (which pays quite well actually)? Do you feel better now? Hope so.

The easy way to avoid rejection is to never submit a manuscript. Clearly, all publishers don't know a good thing when they see it.

Rediscover the verb

2010-09-22T00:10:00.003-06:00

Who is your boss? When you are writing, you are.

You are your own boss. I am my own.

Why, then are we so determined to hang on to all the rules we have been accumulating over the years? Other people's rules.

People say before you can break a rule, you must learn it first. There are a number of grammatical rules I am sure I don't know, so when I break them, I am afraid I can't consider myself a rule-breaker (a trail blazer, perhaps? *feeling optimistic*).

For all you rebels out there, I would like you to think about something simple. A verb (let's skip the compound verbs for now). If someone were to list off a number of words, we would be able to pick out the verbs pretty quickly.

I would like to share one of my favorite writing exercises with you, taken as an excerpt from one of my favorite books on writing, Monica Wood's The Pocket Muse: Ideas and Inspirations for Writing

"Use any of the following verbs in any way you wish:

racket snug green spoon boggle snake

They're not all verbs, you say?

Jeremy is racketing across the lawn as we speak!

Can you hear earthworms snugging out of the ground as the sun greens the trees?

Verbs are sometimes a matter of opinion."

What's your opinion? Are you willing to let your employees branch out with their creativity, or are they going to be forced to stick to all the rules set in place long before they joined the company?

After reading this exercise, my boss let me use pink as a verb - and took me out for sushi as a token of her appreciation.

Exercise source: Wood, Monica. 2002. The Pocket Muse: Ideas and Inspirations for Writing. Writers Digest Books. Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Farewell

2010-09-21T00:15:00.004-06:00

Fellow chicks and loyal followers, this is my last post before I go on a six month hiatus from the Prairie Chicks. While I’ve loved blogging with the Chicks, and will undoubtedly miss it, I have to get my priorities a little more focused.

Kicking off my newfound attempts at re-focusing and re-prioritizing, I started with participating in the Saskatchewan Romance Writers fall retreat at Ancient Spirals. This is my second year attending the retreat, and this year I was rather looking forward to this yearly event. The combination of beautiful location, intelligent conversation and delectable food makes this retreat truly a treat.

When I arrived early Saturday morning, the group was already mid-stream on a critique session. Attendees provided a short excerpt (5-10 pages) of their current WIP, centred on the first kiss. Seven scenes were read, critiqued and discussed within the larger group.

Not only did I have eight other writers giving me suggestions and helping me solve dilemmas, I also had the opportunity to hear how other people work through their own writing barriers. With writing being such a solitary activity, most decisions are made alone and without anyone to bounce ideas off of. The brainstorming was wonderful, the debate about what would work and what wouldn’t was truly a wonderful learning experience.

While all of us have one commonality – that we have romantic elements in our writing – we are truly a diverse bunch. Our group encompasses everything from young adult, paranormal, fantasy, mystery, traditional romance, to chick lit, making our excerpts all extremely unique.

The day ended with some of us discussing the pitches we have prepared for the Surrey International Writer’s Conference in October. Again, I had the opportunity to hear what eight intelligent writers had to say about my pitch, how to distil it down to its essential points to come up with the perfect logline. As Hayley said: who is the character, what does he/she wants, and how is he/she going to get it.

So, as I bid you all adieu, I would like everyone to know that these last nine months of blogging with the chicks have been fantastic. Writing the blog posts has been a great opportunity to improve my writing, and reading the comments has been something I’ve looked forward to, for their supportive, intelligent, and sometimes thought-provoking feedback.

It’s been a blast, guys. I’ll be back to visit and comment. Take care, peace—out.

Romance Story Arc: Theme of Fall Retreat

2010-09-20T00:15:00.004-06:00

Every September members of the Saskatchewan Romance Writers hold a weekend retreat in the country. Unlike the spring retreat where attendees spend the weekend writing, the focus in the fall is educational. The event was held this past weekend.

Learning activities include watching a movie on Friday evening, usually a romantic comedy or a fantasy, then discussing in detail such matters as plot, character development, and this year, the story arc. On Saturday there was a critiquing session of excerpts submitted by members from their works in progress. Each one dealt in some way with a first kiss or embrace between the hero and heroine. This is a useful exercise both for the authors of the excerpts and for those who offer critiques of the work presented. A special session of exploration and discussion was held this year on the romance story arc. The final activity of the weekend continued a plotting project that was begun last year. We are developing a plot and characters for ... wait for this ... a paranormal romance. What fun we had expanding the story parameters, and delving further into the point of view of our characters, Selina and Brent!

A block of time was also set aside on Saturday for members to practice and receive feedback on the pitch they will be making at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference next month. What better group to pitch to than supportive SRW members!

The romance story arc, the lens for looking at romance stories, was the common thread that ran through all the deliberations described above. According to J. Timothy King, in his article, Feeling the Romance and Keeping it Real, “there’s a standard formula for romantic stories. Boy meets girl. They fall in love but pretend they don’t even notice each other. Finally, they declare their love and live happily ever after. This may sound a little corny, but most romantic stories are much deeper. Still they rely on the standard formula. There’s a reason why the standard formula is used so much. Because it works.”

If this formula sounds simplistic, you’re right. It is much more satisfying to note that, rather than the “pretending” mentioned by King, there will be serious obstacles and conflicts that must be resolved before the “boy and girl” can finally declare their love for each other. The process of working through these issues creates an arc which can be diagrammed as a rising curve, almost a semi-circle, through a series of plot points. The arc follows the story from its beginning, then through a stage of conflict, a further escalation of action that impedes and/or enhances the development of the relationship, to the climax or highest level of conflict, ending with a leveling off, until any remaining problems are solved.

The movie we watched was Serendipity, a charming 2001 romantic comedy starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. The arc of the story begins with a “meet-cute” in Bloomingdale’s in New York where Sara (Beckinsale) and Jonathan (Cusack) simultaneously reach for a pair of black cashmere gloves, the last one on display, that they both wish to buy. Then they join forces to fend off a third customer who attempts to snatch the gloves away from both of them. This leads to a few hours of conversation over a hot drink in a little restaurant called “Serendipity,” skating on the rink in Central Park, and a desperate attempt by Jonathan to find out the identity of the attractive young woman.

The tension that drives the rest of the plot results from Sara’s insistence that fate will determine if they are meant to be together. For her, it is a sign that perhaps this is not intended to be when the small slip of paper on which she has written her name and phone number is whipped out of his hands by the slipstream of a passing truck. She gets him to write the same information about himself on a five-dollar bill, but promptly uses it at a sidewalk kiosk. She has a copy of Love in the Time of Cholera with her, and she tells him that when she gets home, she will write her name and number in it,take it to a used-book shop the next day, and he’ll have to look for it to find her again.

Credibility could definitely be an issue with this theme, but it is validated for the viewer when Sara suggests that they each take one of the gloves, get on separate elevators in the Waldorf- Astoria Hotel, and punch in a number. If they get off at the same floor, they will know it is meant to be. We watch while they both choose the button for the 23rd floor. What Sara cannot know is that chaos develops on Jonathan’s elevator when a man gets on a few floors later with a small boy who devilishly starts pushing buttons at random, eventually causing the system to jam. Sara gives up waiting on the 23rd floor and leaves just before the other elevator arrives.

From that point on, a series of near-meets and misses keeps the arc rising, with each gain balanced off with a setback, until very near the end of the movie. The viewer wants to suspend disbelief, and is a willing participant. The blurb on the DVD case states: “... they cannot give up the dream that – despite time, distance and the obstacles that conspire to keep them apart – they will one day meet again.” But I will leave the details of the final resolution for you to discover on your own. I recommend that you see this movie.

Have you seen Serendipity? How do you use the idea of a story arc in your fiction writing? Do you have other ways to describe the romance story arc?
story arc?

Welcome Guest Blogger Julie Rowe

2010-09-18T00:15:00.001-06:00

Online Writing Classes – A win-win for writers!
By Julie Rowe

It seems there’s been a baby boom in online classes. Where just a few years ago, there was only one or two RWA chapters offering classes (KOD & Outreach International were among the first), there are now at least twenty chapters offering online classes and workshops. And that number is growing. Also growing are the ranks of private workshop providers, usually writers who’ve gone into business recruiting, hosting and moderating online writing workshops.

As the owner/moderator of the Announce Online Classes loop, I’ve been promoting classes from RWA chapters and other reputable groups, for over four years now. When I started in January of 2006, I was posting maybe 20 class listings for any given month. Now, I’m posting anywhere from 40 to 75 classes every month. That’s a lot of different classes to choose from…every month!

For the writer interested in learning from successful authors in every genre of romance and experts in a variety of fields, from psychologists to ex-FBI agents, the selection of online classes couldn’t be better. Fees range from free (for chapter members) to $55, and every number in between. Which, when you consider some “professional” university-type writing courses cost into the hundreds of dollars, is an incredible deal.

I’ve personally taken as many as three courses at once, and while it was a bit of a juggle to keep up, all three were workshops offering unique information from authors and teachers I respect. I felt the lectures, interaction and general availability of the instructor was worth its weight in gold.

There’s great value in the flexibility of online classes, too. Most classes are taught over an email loop, where everyone sees every email sent to the loop, so students learn from each other as well as the instructor. Your instructor might be in New Zealand, with students in Canada, Europe, Japan and the USA, and everyone is able to participate equally. But, if you just don’t have time to participate, you don’t have to. You simply archive all the emails and read them at your leisure at a future date that’s more convenient for you.

It’s this kind of interaction that’s the true advantage of online classes. Anyone with a computer and internet access can take an online class taught by expert, best-selling authors and no one has to leave their house to do it.

Workshop providers, instructors and RWA chapters are also becoming more and more creative with the types of classes they’re offering. Topics like conflict and plot are being taught from unique angles and targeting specific genres. Writing related classes, on topics like couples therapy and how a real special forces soldier is trained, are cropping up in droves…and they’re proving to be very popular.

Here’s a sample of some of the sixty one classes that were offered in July and August:

- Dialog That Dazzles with Lori Wilde.
- His Personality Ladder with Laurie Schnebly Campbell.
- Riveting Revisions – The Key To Getting Published with Lynne Marshall.
- Help I’ve Lost My Muse with Lois Winston.
- How to Write Romantic Suspense with Instructors Heather Graham and Leslie Wainger.
- Craft Your Fiction Query Package with CJ Lyons.

To help prospective students make decisions about which classes to take, I’ve begun creating surveys for workshop participants to fill out to share their experience. These surveys will also be used by instructors and workshop providers to help them build better workshops and learning environments.

The low monetary and time cost in online workshops, make them a total win!

A double Golden Heart finalist in 2006, Julie Rowe has been writing medically inclined romances for over ten years. She's also a published freelancer with articles appearing in The Romance Writer's Report, Canadian Living, Today's Parent, Reader's Digest (Canada) and other magazines. All writers are welcome to join her email loop Announce Online Classes (announceonlinewritingclasses-subscribe@yahoogroups.com). You can contact Julie through her website www.julieroweauthor.com

Welcome Saturday's Guest Blogger Julie Rowe

2010-09-16T19:00:00.001-06:00

Julie Rowe will be with us on Saturday September 18 to talk about on-line writing classes. A double Golden Heart finalist in 2006, Julie has been writing medically inclined romances for over ten years. She's also a published freelancer with articles appearing in The Romance Writer's Report, Canadian Living, Today's Parent, Reader's Digest (Canada) and other magazines. All writers are welcome to join her email loop Announce Online Classes (announceonlinewritingclasses-subscribe@yahoogroups.com). You can contact Julie through her website http://www.julieroweauthor.com/

Indianapolis 2010 Here I Come

2010-09-16T00:15:00.002-06:00

Hopefully, if all went well, I flew out of Regina at 6 am today (Thurs) and will arrive in Indianapolis this afternoon. I’m in Indy for the 2010 American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference. This will be my 3rd time at this conference and my first visit to Indiana. I’m very excited to see everyone again.

A major disappointment is that I didn’t get my manuscript (ms) emailed to the agent and editor who requested them at last year’s conference in Denver. However, I’ve asked for these 2 people as my first choices so at the very least, I’ll be able to fill them in on what’s happening with the ms and see if they’re still interested. (Oh, please.)

A few weeks ago, here at Prairie Chicks, I posted about the journey of this wip. The request to add 20,000 words to Emma’s Outlaw took me until Feb 2010. I then sent it to my Inky sisters (Inkwell Inspirations blog) who hacked it to pieces (sniffle) because it lacked content, conflict and character. (Or something along those lines.) That started the big rewrite. I didn’t realize how much of a rewrite until I actually began to edit. Due to the new character and spiritual arcs, conflict and story line, I’m cutting complete chapters out and starting fresh.

At the time of this post, I have 80 out of the required 90,000 words ready to go. I’m almost finished. And I have to admit, this version is far superior to what I originally pitched last year.

My goals for this conference are to:

- renew acquaintances with friends and eFriends

- meet new people in the industry

- Meet with the same agent

- Meet with the same editor

- Attend as many workshops as I can unless I’m needed elsewhere

This year, my volunteer duties include:

- work the registration desk

- help out in the book store

- report on the Bethany House Info session for ACFW’s Afictionado newsletter

I'm very excited to start as I'll be attending James Scott Bell's workshop starting at 8 tomorrow morning.

That will be followed by an appt for professional photographs. (Yikes!)

I'll try to check in for comments as soon as I check into my hotel room and sign up for internet service today, though .

For Love or Money

2010-09-15T00:15:00.003-06:00

We all know we don’t write for the money, so obviously we do it for the love of the written word. For sanity sake. To give stories a home. To give voices to characters.

Unless you’re one of the top five wage earning writers who happen to be lucky enough to do it for both:

James Patterson (who apparently writes in long hand – there’s no computer in his office.)

Stephenie Meyer (even though she didn’t release a title in 2009 - but she does have Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner playing Bella, Edward and Jacob in the movie versions.)

Stephen King (who apparently published a poem in Playboy – maybe they really do read it for the articles – as well as backlists, short stories and reviews.)

Danielle Steel (who has recently announced at 71 of her books will be available from Amazon and Sony.)

Ken Follett (who’s book Pillars of the Earth placed second to To Kill a Mockingbird in The Times poll of greatest novels of the last 60 years. One wonders if a move up the list isn’t in his future after the miniseries based on the book aired in July.)

It’s all brilliant and good to love writing when it’s going well, but what about when it’s not. I’m sure the aforementioned authors had their bad days. No doubt they’re hardworking, dedicated and talented but, come on, no gets by without a bad day...or month.

But writers write. It’s a famous quote and everything. And that’s exactly what we do. We write. Whether things are going well or not. As an unpublished author I’m working on getting a handle on this whole self-discipline thing because I need it to accomplish my writing goals. No one is pushing me but myself and that can be a challenge when trying to meet goals. In the past I have allowed deadlines to dictate necessary action but that’s not good enough anymore and not only is not good enough, it’s not going to get the job done.

What I need is self-discipline.

Self-discipline involves keeping the big picture front and center. To act instead of react. To make sacrifices in order to honour a dream. Therefore, it is self-discipline that will drive me to:

Work on an idea or project after the initial rush of enthusiasm has faded away.
Keep my butt in the chair with hands on keyboard typing away madly instead of choosing to lie on the couch and veg in front of the TV.
Wake up early to get a head start.
Say “no” when tempted by instant gratification remedies which will make me forget I’m having a weak writing day.
Only check various social media sites at specific times of the day.

How about you? Do you practice self-discipline? Or is it something you wish you had?

On Fear

2010-09-14T00:15:00.002-06:00

This post originally comes from Eventide Unmasked, where I've been tracking the progress of my current writing goals.

Since I'm in the midst of trying to remedy said fear and get myself on track, I thought I'd share something different from the calm and collected I usually post with, as I simply can't spare the time to write my planned post for this week.

Consider this my extended answer to Janet's discussion on fear.

On Fear

I promised myself I'd log the progress of this word count grind, and post both the ups and the downs as I went along. So often we only see the final outcome of writers at work, and as Lilith Saintcrow said in a recent post on the cost of writing, there's an illusion of grace expected with the craft, and no one wants to see the bloody cotton inside the pointe shoes (Lili's analogy, not mine).

I've enjoyed this process, I've found new stamina in myself to meet and exceed these words counts, and I've stopped fretting so much over what will get cut as I'm in the act of laying it down. Unfortunately I've also found (which I already knew), that I can be complacent, lazy. I won't throw a half-assed story out in the world, but if I can just hit that word goal and go do something else, I often stop there, 'meaning to come back later' and never write more that day when I could push further.

The problem, alongside a lack of fretting over paragraphs that may be cut but will help me move from one scene to another right now, is I'm beginning to look at that looming deadline and worry.

I'm afraid. I've passed the halfway point and I'm heading into the final stretch, and yet I feel like I still have so much to do. And the further I go, the more comfortable I get in just writing out a scene, wandering a bit in things I think are valuable now but look back on and know I'll cut, and not just clipping through scene after scene at a sleek, efficient pace. It's fine for a first draft, but not on a deadline.

I'm afraid that while, yes, I'm writing a 100k novel, I may actually need to toss down 120k to get to the end before I go back and hack and slash, and I haven't budgeted time for those extra words. I can see that deadline looming and I'm worried about reaching it, overshooting it, losing my revision time.

I'm getting into blank territory as well, places where I don't have a clear idea of subsequent scenes, just points to reach across a gap of undeveloped story. I'm worried about the time, the lack of available time, it might take to figure those things out, make false starts and go back to try again. If I write an entire page and it's going in the wrong direction, and I know I just need to cross it out and take things another way, does that still count toward word count? Do I even have time for it to count?

And it's not enough just to get the draft written and move on to revisions. I've conference prep to do, a pitch to prepare, little things like business cards that will get put off for not being pressing until it's suddenly too late and they won't arrive in time. I'm afraid I've been stupid and not allowed enough time for all this, or worse, that I have enough time but I lack the discipline to just damn well do it. To stop shunting things aside and accepting the required minimum, and start working my ass off until it's done.

I know the answers to all this. Write more, work harder, get it done. I know I have to do it, and that eventually I will. Or I think I will. It doesn't make things any better right now. I think this stage is inevitable, in fact I recall thinking when I started this how I would be sure to blog when I got overwhelmed by things rather than pretending everything was peachy. Until I get pissed off, however, and get my ass moving, I will continue to worry. I just hope giving voice to these things will help me put them aside.

And I hope I get pissed off in time to still meet my goals.

Writing Romantic Comedy

2010-09-13T00:15:00.002-06:00

A romantic comedy needs to be two things: romantic and funny. It seems self-evident, but lately articles have appeared in newspapers and on the Internet bemoaning the fact that many recent movie rom-coms are neither romantic nor comedic. So what makes a piece of writing funny? Anne Gracie identifies the following situations:

1. Surprise. We laugh at the unexpected. When we expect one thing and get another it can be funny. An example is the movie “Tootsie”; we expect a woman and find a man dressed like a woman.

2. The Human Condition. There are events that almost everyone can relate to; the run in the stocking on the eve of an important meeting, getting stuck in traffic, coping with family on holidays. Everyone has their foibles and insecurities. What the writer does is takes these universal events and foibles and, perhaps with a little exaggeration, turns them into funny situations. So the family get together over the holidays with the meddling in-laws and crazy Uncle George, turns into an extended stay when a blizzard traps everyone at your house.

3. Laughing at someone else’s expense. Remember “America’s Funniest Home Videos”? In video after video, some poor sap fell, got bonked on the head, or otherwise painfully hurt himself. There was always an element of “As long as it wasn’t me, that was really funny.” It doesn’t need to be slapstick, painful humour; someone getting dumped at the altar is funny, if it’s not you.

4. Truth exaggerated. Take a believable situation and stretch. Underneath, it’s still a recognizable situation, but the edges are blurred. For me, “Flawty Towers” is truth exaggerated. On the surface it’s a TV show about a small, boutique hotel in the English countryside, but you don’t have to dig too deep to find an inept, semi-paranoid innkeeper, a shrewish wife, and an assembly of crazy staff.

5. A comic world. This is a world where the usual rules don’t seem to apply. Often a character from ‘away’ enters this world and is the alien. For example, in “The Bob Newhart Show”, Bob and his wife are strangers in a strange land when they take over a small inn in Vermont. In the British show “Doc Martin”, a proper doctor moves to the Cornish seaside and encounters the quirky village inhabitants, who have their own ways of doing things and living their lives.

The Characters in a Romantic Comedy

1. The characters in a romantic comedy have to be special enough that the reader falls in love with the hero and roots for the heroine. They want these two to be together, sometimes long before the characters themselves realize it.

2. Insurmountable odds must stand between the two lovers. In “While you were Sleeping”, the hero thinks the heroine is engaged to his comatose brother. In “Pretty Woman”, the hero is a billionaire and the heroine is a hooker. Sometimes these insurmountable odds are due to a deception. More on that later.

3. The heroine stands in the way of the hero attaining his external goal (or vice versa; the hero may stand in the way of the heroine’s external goal). In “Michael”, the reporter falls in love with a rival reporter as they pursue the story of the angel Michael.

4. The heroine (or hero) must throw up obstacles to the other character’s external goal and his (her) love goal. In “Mrs. Doubtfire”, the Sally Field character stands in the way not only of Robin William’s external goal of seeing his children, she also stands in the way of him winning her back.

In his excellent article, “Writing Romantic Comedies”, Michael Hauge identifies some elements of romantic comedy:

1. The hero must be involved in a romantic pursuit. He is desperately trying to win (or win back), the love of his life. For example, Julia Roberts pursues her former best friend in “My Best Friend’s Wedding”. Ben Stiller goes after his high school love in “There’s Something About Mary”.

2. The hero (or heroine) must have a second visible or external goal. In “Groundhog Day” Bill Murray’s character is desperately trying to get out of Puxatawny, while pursuing a relationship with Andie MacDowall. Pursuing two goals increases pace, adds to the conflict and the humour, and helps the reader to become emotionally invested.

3. The characters in a romantic comedy never think their situation is funny. They are desperate to achieve their goals, and terrified of the conflicts they face. Michael Hauge says: “The driving motivations in romantic comedies actually grow out of immense pain and loss. The plots of the most successful romantic comedies of all time involve unemployment, disease, prostitution, physical abuse, physical deformity, humiliation, ridicule, the loss of one's children, attempted assassination, suicide and death.

The humor then arises from the way the heroes OVERREACT to their situations. They devise fantastic plots, pose as women, adopt false identities, juggle two lovers simultaneously, tell enormous lies, fly across the country to meet a voice on a radio, or do everything imaginable to sabotage their best friend's wedding.”

4. Romantic comedies are sexy. There doesn’t have to be a number of sex scenes, and in fact in romantic comedy movies, we rarely see the couple having sex. But if the characters end up in bed, there should be a clear lead up to that eventuality. It must feel inevitable.

5. Romantic comedies always involve some sort of deception. The hero is often pretending to be someone he’s not (Mrs. Doubtfire, Miss Congeniality). He lies to his loved one about his job (Michael, The Secret of My Success), his feelings (Jerry Maguire, As Good as it Gets) or his intentions (Groundhog Day, Roxanne). Michael Hauge says: “This dishonesty is necessary not only to increase the conflict and the humor in these films, but also to force the heroes to confront their own inner conflicts and deception. Only by facing the truth about themselves will they be able to change and grow.”

Have you ever written romantic comedy? Do you like to read romantic comedy, or watch rom-com movies? What is funny to you?

Welcome Brenda Whiteside

2010-09-11T00:15:00.000-06:00

A JOURNEY FROM “THE END” TO THE BEGINNING

Brenda Whiteside

There’s a fine line between confidence and abject insecurity. For an author, the abject insecurity can sneak up at anytime and stall you, or at least convince you every word going from head to paper has bypassed the creative juice chamber coming out dry and tasteless. Such is the journey. And we all travel this road differently.

I love to write about characters on a journey, traveling both the physical and the mental roads. My first novel length release, Sleeping with the Lights On, has such a journey for my heroine, Sandra Holiday. Along the fictional journey I create pitfalls and summits, conflicts and resolutions. The road to publication is no different, although as authors we’d like to skip the pitfalls and conflicts. The path to getting my first book published could have been a dead end had the order of events happened differently.

The abject insecurity I mentioned earlier usually hits me three times when I’m writing a book: two chapters short of completion, while I’m writing the synopsis, and again right after I type “the end”. I always manage to muddle through the last two chapters, a whip in one hand holding off my negative inner critic. I wring those chapters out, a word, no a syllable at a time. I won’t even go into the torture of writing a synopsis. But the final phase, the now-I’m-finished-and-who-will-publish-this-inadequate-book is the hardest to overcome.

When I finished Sleeping with the Lights On, I entered two contests to confirm or put to rest my insecurity. Let someone else judge the book’s worthiness. And then I waited.

I’m not a patient person. In a rash moment, I queried one publisher. The Wild Rose Press responded so quickly asking for a partial, I was left giddy. A few weeks later, they requested a full. Jump ahead three months to “the call” or really the email. Excited? Oh, yes. Insecurity? Gone in a flash.

But here’s the difference between fiction and reality; between the logical order of events an author writes and real life experience. Two days after getting “the call”, I received notification on the two contests. The judges had a slightly different response to my book.

Rejection is hard to take regardless of how thick your hide. But I have to say, rejection is much easier to handle when you’ve already been accepted for publication. The journey to getting published is much better when the summit comes first and you can look down at the pitfall and scoff – with confidence. I’ll never know how I might have reacted to those less than winning critiques had I not published first. Would I have shoved the book into a drawer to collect dust? I hope not – must be a moral in this tale.

I haven’t found a cure for conquering the insecurities, but perseverance gets me over the crest. I won’t quit entering the occasional contest, but I’ll not take the results as the final word. My second, yet to be published novel is out there ready to be battered or praised by contest judges and publishers. This journey could be entirely different with an entirely different ending. The journey has to have a happily ever after ending and the trick is to not stop until you arrive.

Is there a book you’ve read and raved about that a friend found dull or boring? If you’re a writer, have you let a contest result influence what you did with your manuscript?

Brenda has been writing all of her life in one way or another from the captions on her childish artwork to teenage psychedelic scrolls to her current novel.

After publishing several short stories, she turned to writing novels. Regardless of the length of her story, the characters drive her forward, taking her on their journey of discovery and love.

Her life is blessed with three creative soul mates. Her son, a singer/song writer lives in a far off western town in the pines. She lives in Minnesota, a nature wonderland that captured her heart seventeen years ago, with her husband, an excellent photographer, and their dog Rusty, who creates joy (and is the smartest dog in the world).
Visit Brenda at http://www.brendawhiteside.com/.Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor

The Naughty Ton Exposed - The Regency

2010-09-10T16:30:00.004-06:00

Poor old George III, head of the losing side of the American Revolution - in case you are having trouble placing him - went mad late in his reign. It was determined that he was unable to rule in 1811. His son, later George IV, was instated as his father's proxy until the old king died in 1820 and George IV became king in his own right..

That period, 1811 - 1820, became known as The Regency and since he was not held in the greatest respect, the people of the day referred to Prince George, in his role as regent, as Prinny. The Regency Period was, by the way, the heyday of authors Sir Walter Scott and Jane Austen.

There are many excellent romance writers who have claimed the Regency Period as their own. Lesley-Anne McLeod, the SRW-Lady-with-Two-Hats is one of them. Have a look at her web page to get a complete list of her titles.

Most of the Regency stories feature heroes who have served England as spies or army officers during the Napoleonic Wars, which started on the Spanish/Portugese Penninsula in 1809, and ended with the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 in Belgium. Most of the heroines are ladies of The Ton - the Top Ten Thousand - aka the nobility.

In this blog, I have picked some of my favourite authors who have written about The Regency Period. I will give you the back cover blurbs that make you buy the book and, if you are properly hooked, the name of the publisher so you can find it in the stores or online.

One of the best known authors writing about the Regency Period is Mary Balogh - also a member of the SRW. I think she has some 70 titles in her back list. The Simply series or the Slightly series are a good place to start. My copy of Slightly Married is dog eared and nearly plumb worn out. It is my favourite of that series and an earlier book, Secret Pearl is one I am rereading just now. It is on its way to being a worn out copy - most of her's are. (Sorry if I am embarrassing you Mary, but truly....)

SLIGHTLY MARRIED

"Like all of the Bedwyn men, Aidan has a reputation for cool arrogance. But this proud nobleman also possesses a loyal, passionate heart - and it is this fierce loyalty that has brought him to Ringwood Manour to honour a dying soldier's request. Having promised to comfort and protect the man's sister, Aidan never expected to find a headstrong, fiercely independent woman who wants no part of his protection...nor did he expect the feelings this beguiling creature would ignite in his guarded heart. When a relative threatens to turn Eve out of her home, Aidan gallantly makes her an offer she can't refuse: to marry him...if oly to save her home. And now, as all London breathlessly awaits the transformation of the new Lady Aidan Bedwyn, the strangest thing happens: With one touch, one searing embrace, Aidan and Eve's "business arrangement" is about to be transformed...into something slightly surprising..."
This is a Dell book, released in April of 2003.

Stephanie Laurens has plenty of books in print, but among my favourite Regency romps are the books of The Bastion series. Seven noblemen, recently returned from the wars, face up to the fact that they must marry and carry on their noble family names. They don't want to be hunted down by the aggressive mothers of young debutantes, just out, and seeking husbands though. Young debutantes would never suit war hardened men who survived alone, behind the lines, during the Napoleonic Wars anyway. They decide to form the Bastion Club - a last bastion against the matchmakers of the Ton.

TO DISTRACTION

"The gentlemen of the Bastion Club have proven their courage while fighting England's enemies, but nothing has prepared them for dealing with that most formidable challenges: the opposite sex

Deverell, Viscount Paignton, is in desperate need of a wife. Unmoved by the matchmaking "herd", he seeks help from his aunt, who directs him to a woman she vows is just perfect for him. Dispatched to a country house party to look the lady over, he discovers her not swanning about among the guests but with her nose buried in a book in the library
Phoebe Malleson is tempted to distraction by Deverell, but marrying isn't part of her plan. Moved by an incident in her past, Phoebe has a secret cause to which she is committed. Unfortunately, telling Deverell to go away doesn't work and he quickly learns her secret. But someone powerful has her cause targeted for destruction - and he in their sights. Phoebe must accept Deverell's help... though the cost to them both might be dear - and deadly."

This series is published by Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers and To Distraction was released in 2006.

Why The Secret Duchess is a favourite of mine I'm not sure, but it's a rereader. Gayle Wilson writes for Harlequin Historicals and Harlequin Intrigue. By 1997, she had ten Harlequin novels on the shelves. She was a RITA Award finalist for her first historical novel - and that's going some!

HIS SECRET DUCHESS

Mary Winters harboured a secret deep in her heart. She'd born the Duke of Vail a child, and was determined that no one - not even the noble love of her life - would ever uncover the truth.
Afire with the passion of youth, Nick Stanton had lain with Mary Winters. Now, scarred by warfare in mind and body, he feared he'd be no fit husband to his beloved - or father to the son now claimed by another man, a man whose one desire was to wreak vengeance on them all!
His Secret Duchess was released in 1997 by Harlequin Historicals.

Another favourite of mine is: To Sir Phillip With Love by Julia Quinn. I am sneaking this one into the Regency period although it is set a couple of years later - nothing drastic - 1823.

TO SIR PHILLIP WITH LOVE

"Dear Miss Bridgerton,
We have been corresponding now for quite some time, and although we have never formally met, I feel as is I know you.
Forgive me if I am too bold, but I am writing to invite you to visit me. It is my hope that we might decide that we will suit, and you will consent to be my wife. Sir Phillip Crane."

"Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he proposed, figuring she'd be homely and unassuming and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except...she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted was to kiss her...and more.

Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she has never met! But then she started thinking...and wondering... and before she knew it, she was in a hired cariage, in the middle of the night, on her way to meet a man she hoped would be her perfect match. Except...he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled...and when he kissed her...the rest of the world simply fell away and she couldn't help but wonder...could this imperfect man be perfect for her?"
You'll probably love her letters to him. Julia Quinn has created a loveable and sprightly Eloise Bridgerton. In fact, he wholefamily sounds pretty interesting. This book, To Sit Phillip With Love, by Julia Quinn, was published by Avon in 2003. There are other Bridgerton books and a number of other interesting titles listed in this book.

Phew! This is a done bloggy.

WILD THING

2010-09-10T10:30:00.002-06:00

I noticed this morning that there was no Friday post. Guess what - Anita and I are responsible for this Friday this week!

Anita is busier than a one armed paperhanger today, so I will put together a surprise blog - at least it will be a surprise to me.

Today is Friday all day, thank goodness, so I have a few hours to scream and then write a blog.

Please be patient. I will have something up by this evening - connie

Prairie Chicks Welcome Brenda Whiteside

2010-09-09T19:00:00.000-06:00

Stop by this Saturday, Sept. 11, to meet Brenda Whiteside. She'll be blogging about her writing journey and the insecurities a writer faces. Come share her story of "The Call"!

Here's Brenda's bio in her own words:

Brenda has been writing all of her life in one way or another from the captions on her childish artwork to teenage psychedelic scrolls to her current novel.

After publishing several short stories, she turned to writing novels. Regardless of the length of her story, the characters drive her forward, taking her on their journey of discovery and love.

Visit Brenda at http://www.brendawhiteside.com/.Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor

Go have a look at Brenda's website, but don't forget to come back on Saturday :)

Dick and Jane to the Rescue!

2010-09-09T07:43:00.000-06:00

Whatamigunnawriteaboutthistime delineates a serious hole in my creativity. I should have that translated into Latin and carved into the lintel. However, that was okay in the days of stone, or even wood lintels. I suspect our lintel is some version of recycled pop bottles.

Every Tuesday I go through this agony. My columns are due Mondays, so Tuesday nights I am faced with the question. I am writing about coyotes this time, and have managed to stretch it into a two part series. Blogs are more difficult because I know the people I am writing for so in the back of my mind is always this terrible thought: what if everyone sends rotten tomatoes in the mail? What if I want to open the blogspot and a big hand fills the screen: NOT YOU CONNIE, or I find an empty space where my name used to be? What if I am blog blocked?

Here it is Wednesday night and my best idea about not knowing what to write about is: Not Knowing What to Write About.

I daydream quite a bit - okay, all the time - which permits me to be the beautiful and slender while the handsome and musclebound and I have a wonderful romance. These are rarely acceptable by audiences everywhere, so I must fall back on other motivational means of landinbg on The Topic for a great romance.

Someone, somewhere, suggests that, if all else fails, turn to a fairy or folk tale. Take Cinderella - please. Heavens but she is boring with all her mice and sisters and so on. Heroine is mistreated. She has a stroke of luck. She goes to a ball. She meets handsome ever after. He behaves like an idiot trying to find her. They marry. In theory, they live happily ever after. But, we are smart enough to reach the last page before she reaches the last straw. If, as they say, the shoes fits, the plot may fit you. Write on.

Ella is lonely and bored with her job. She wanders into a park and stumbles into the 14th century where someone wonderful falls in love with her. However, she gets swept back to lonely and boring, leaving him lonely and bored. So, he does all in his power to find her and eventually is swept into her century etc

Or, the medieval heroine is sold into marriage, but on the way, she is stolen by a laird as a rescue from a really rotten future. He doesn't know what to do with her, but he falls in love with her. Meamwhile, Thoroughly Despicable, the original husband-to-be captures her and takes her back to his castle. Laird then discovers what is missing and again goes to the rescue, but many mislead him. Eventually, he finds her and etc

Or, the daughter of a severe family meets someone, but her family heartily disapproves. He and she must find a way around this. But, she is sent to a distant college and his parents push him to join the Marines. There is no way to find each other, unless - a beloved aunt gives him her address. He goes to the college but they say she has left. He looks everywhere because he doesn't believe them and finds her. Etc

Fortunately, we never have to fill in the etc It wouldn't be a bit romantic - layoffs, mortgage, tonnsilititis, kids hockey games in Guesswhere, SK, taxes etc

Even Dick and Jane have possibilities. Medieval: knight is close to sister, in fact, her only moral support except for dog. He dies but he has made provisaions by making his friend promise to look after her. They meet, fall in love but he doesn't like the dog. So much for happy endings.

Regency. Jane is Dick's ward since their parents died. At one of the interminable ton balls, he meets the heroine and they fall in love. She agrees to give space to poor spinster Jane. But where is Sally and who gets the dog?

Modern. Dick is a mechanic who falls in love with his next door neighbour who is a doctor. Can love overcome social conformities? Is she a dog, or is that Sally?

Whatever you do, don't have Dick and Jane fall in love or Sally and Jane for that matter. Those are genres even Harlequin won't touch.

There you are. Now see what you can do (what anybody can do) with Rumpelstiltskin. Hint - start with a name change and have her make loonies.

Would this attack work for you? How do you find plot ideas? Do you let your daydreams see the light of day?

Paperback Writer

2010-09-08T00:15:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I picked up a copy of Cosmo. It isn’t something I often do (actually I can’t remember the last time) but something on the front cover caught my attention. I’d like to say it was “10 songs to put you in a good mood” but I’m honest enough to say it wasn’t. However, when I settled down in front of my computer tonight, wracking my brain for a topic to write about, that article is what came to mind.

Interestingly, a new University of Toronto study identified happiness-inducing tunes (I couldn’t find any literature on this so I’m taking Cosmo’s word for it). The songs listed in Cosmo were fairly current: “You belong with me” – Taylor Swift; “Your love is my drug” – Ke$ha; and “I gotta feeling” – Black Eyed Peas made the list. While these tunes usually have me humming along in the car as I drive to work, being a child of the 80’s I’d add “Lucky Star” and “Holiday” by Madonna. There are days where the oldies (I grew up with only AM radio) are what put a smile on my face: “My Girl” – Temptations; “You Really Got Me” – Kinks; “Pretty Woman” - Roy Orbison, “The Loco-Motion” - Little Eva; and “Brown Eyed Girl” - Van Morrison are just a few.

While happy songs are sure to bring me out of my funk, sometimes I’m in the mood for something well...moody. Other times it is an ear-splitting heavy metal song that has my body vibrating to the beat. No matter what genre, the right song can really make my day. (The same could be said for novels, but that’s not the direction I’m going here.)

I think we’d all agree that music can affect mood, but can it actually improve performance? Robin Lloyd, in an article for MNBC, writes that athletes use music to regulate their mood before and during an event. They use music like a legal drug. “Science is backing up our intuition and experience, showing that music really does kill pain, reduce stress, better our brains and basically change how we experience life.”

Music is a motivator. How many gyms pump dance music through their speakers? Have you ever seen a runner without headphones? The right music can be all you need to get your fingers (and brain) working.

There are times when writing is like running a marathon—or maybe a triathlon: plan, type, revise—and many people write to their own specially selected soundtrack. (Stephanie Meyer actually posted her playlists for the Twilight Saga on her website.) The right music can really set the tone (sorry, couldn’t resist) for the story. The right music can help you picture a particular scene (i.e. eerie music for the dark forest scene). Sometimes I associate a song with a character I’d like to develop or I might hear a song and imagine a particularly interesting scenario for my two characters to get into.

I thought this song might make you smile!

Dear Sir or Madam will you read my book
It took me years to write will you take a look
...
It's a thousand pages give or take a few,
I'll be writing more in a week or two
I can make it longer if you like the style...

Do you write to music? Or do you prefer the sound of silence?

The In-Person Pitch

2010-09-07T00:15:00.006-06:00

The Surrey International Writers' Conference is fast approaching. Last year, the conference was spectacular--with the workshops, presenters, and rubbing elbows with famous writers—but the in-person pitch session was by far the most powerful and nerve-racking experience of the entire event.

This year, my in-person pitch is to agent Nephele Tempest with The Knight Agency. According to their website, Nephele: works with a number of talented writers, assisting them to hone their skills and build their careers. (She) continues to actively build her client list, and is currently seeking works in paranormal, romantic suspense, and young adult fiction.

Doesn’t she sound like the perfect agent to pitch my YA paranormal romance novel to?

Of course, last year I thought the same thing, and after I had my full manuscript requested, I was walking on air. One year later, I have not heard a peep. Not even a “thanks but no thanks” form rejection. I now know that no response is a "no thanks".

I’m walking in this time with lower expectations and more realistic goals. I don’t expect to get a book deal from this ten minute meeting, but I do hope she will be able to tell me what she liked about my pitch, and what she didn’t like. I might even get some advice about writing or the publishing industry.

In that sense, my heart-pounding, hand-sweating anxiety from last year shouldn’t be as much of a problem. Why? Because all of the high expectations I had at last year’s conference have disappeared:

A bad meeting will ruin my chances forever. Not likely. It may be possible that a successful meeting could make your publishing dreams come true, but more realistically, it will likely end in a potential request for a partial, some good advice, and a great learning experience.

If I don’t nail it, I’ll blow it. Agents are always looking for the next big thing, and maybe, just maybe, it’ll be me. So yes, I’ll practice my pitch until I can deliver it as coherently and as smoothly as possible. I’ll do my best to impress the agent to hopefully convince her to give my manuscript a look. But the reality is, I’m human. If I mumble or bumble, I’ll survive. If I tie myself up in knots about being perfect, I’ll need an Ativan before I even walk in.

Instead of unrealistic expectations, I'll focus on realism and doing my best:

Preparation is Key
The best way to handle a stressful situation is to be prepared. I’ll practice describing my book in a brief and clear manner, demonstrating I know exactly what my writing is about.
I’ll do my homework. Agents are human, and who wouldn’t be impressed by a writer who knows something about his/her agency and the writers it represents?

Conquer Anxiety
“Fake it ‘til you make it” has been my motto since my first job interview. I can act calm and cool even if inside, I’m a basket case. And hey—they won’t know the different, will they?
Even if my pitch session doesn't go as smoothly as I’d like, I’ll still benefit from the experience. I’ll learn from it. I’ll understand what to do better next time. I’ll become more comfortable talking to agents and more accustomed to having to “sell” my book.

Be Ready for Criticism
The more I can demonstrate I can handle criticism or feedback appropriately, the better information and concrete help I'll receive. If an agent finds me defensive or argumentative, what assumptions will she make about her ability to work with me collaboratively?

They're Just People, Too
Just think of how difficult it is for them—having to meet with so many hopeful (needy) writers in one day. The pressure of that must be immense. Perhaps they’re nervous as well, knowing some people are going to be upset, disappointed and hurt in the process. Or maybe they aren’t nervous, because they’re used to it. But either way, they’re just people, too.

Any advice for me as I prepare my in-person pitch? Any tricks you use to conquer your fears?

Reprise: Writing from Life ...

2010-09-06T00:15:00.006-06:00

[After reading the post by guest blogger Caroline Clemmons on Saturday which talked about the rich source of ideas for novels that can be found in one’s own family or ancestral heritage, I thought it might be appropriate to pull a post from the Prairie Chicks archives for a second look.

First posted in January of this year, it relied very heavily on a book I keep handy on my book shelves. At the time, I was also still reeling from the experience of NaNoWriMo when I managed to write over 56,000 words in the month of November 2009. The relevance to my post was that my draft was a fictionalized account of a year in my own life, which for a long time I thought I would write as a memoir. My difficulty with that approach was it involved the lives of other people as well as my own. I was uncomfortable with that. Once I decided to use fiction as a vehicle, I felt free to let my imagination roam and I found myself writing fictional scenes -- that might have been. In doing so I am confident it will be a better story. Here, with some revision to the original, is the gist of why I think this way.]

A novel can be completely a work of the writer’s imagination, or it might include elements from real life experiences, or be based entirely on factual events. Then wouldn't the latter be nonfiction? Not necessarily. According to Robin Hemley, it is possible to write very imaginative fiction based on real life occurrences, and yes, it is a fictional work. For that to happen successfully, there must be a transformation of facts into fictional form. Hemley discusses many ways that can happen in his book, Turning Life into Fiction.

Hemley gets upset by two assumptions people make about fiction. One is when he is asked whether he writes true fiction. He would rather be asked if it is autobiographical than to have it implied that what he writes is like true confessions. The second is the assumption that because something really happened, it will make good fiction. If the incident is irrelevant to the story, it may be totally unbelievable. Hemley believes that fiction is all about truth, though not necessarily about being true.

Authors often use autobiographical material in their first novel. That doesn’t make it a memoir. The reader doesn’t know which part of the novel is based on the author’s life, what may have come from an observed incident or a newspaper account, and what was pure invention. What is required of the novelist is that the material be transformed on the pages into a credible story.

Hemley discusses that transformation from real events to fiction, from anecdotes to scenes, providing examples from his own work and that of other novelists. He talks about searching your own journals for ideas that would add depth to your story. There is a chapter on the craft of writing, e.g. using the techniques of characterization, plot, point of view, to fictionalize life experiences.

Use of real people may be problematic. Readers may see you, or even themselves, in characters that you have created from a composite of several people. Or you may develop a character that is closely based on someone you know, but place that character in a situation that you have totally invented. Your readers may have a hard time believing that it did not really happen.

Imagination must be employed when including an incident from real life in a novel. It isn’t enough to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He quotes from the essay, “Becoming a Writer” by Gail Godwin, who writes: “Fact and fiction; fiction and fact. At what point does regurgitated autobiography graduate into memory shaped by art? How do you know when to stop telling it as it is, or was, and make it into what it ought to be – or what would make a better story?”

We are all influenced by the places we know, and he gives pointers on creating fictional settings from actual places. He provides writing exercises at the end of each chapter. One of his suggestions for evoking a sense of place in your writing is to take a mental tour of the place where you grew up, or where you currently live. Get reacquainted with the map of your childhood, or seek out the stories that are lurking in the streets and alleys of your present neighbourhood through its sights and sounds.

Of course, the injection into fiction of real places, authentic dialogue of a particular locale, or historical elements can also be done through research. This enables you to draw on facts to write with authority on people and places that you have never experienced.

He concludes with a chapter dealing with ethical and legal concerns that might arise from using material that is only thinly disguised as fiction. He provides tips on how to write disclaimers, and cites some lawsuits that have been brought against writers. Some might have been justified, other instances are coincidental.

That final chapter also has a section called “Begging, Borrowing and Stealing,” Hemley writes: “It’s hard to be a writer and not alienate someone along the way ... Usually, I tell people to write their stories about their crazy aunts or insane friends and worry about it later. If your story means something to you, if it’s important to you, write it, transform it as much as possible, and decide what to do with it later. Sometimes we feel too much guilt about these things. If you write the story sensitively, if you care about the subject matter, maybe you’ll turn out something beautiful, a celebration and questioning of life in all its complexity, something that you and all your crazy friends can identify with.”

A reference you might find useful on this topic can be found here for an instance in which Victoria Patterson wonders if her book was worth the anguish she caused her parents. And a brief list of ways to use real life in your fiction is found in the article, How to Turn Real Life Into Successful Fiction.

Do people sometimes think you have written about them when such a thing couldn’t be further from your mind? Have you written your autobiographical novel yet? Or will you ever tell?

.

Welcome Guest Blogger Caroline Clemmons

2010-09-04T00:15:00.001-06:00

Writing Using Your Heritage

Where do you get inspiration? Newspapers, television,? Don’t neglect to include your heritage. Whether you write contemporary, historical, or science fiction, your own heritage holds a treasure trove of inspiration. Certain human truths exist through the ages!

Please don’t mistake my intention here. I do not suggest you take incidents in your heritage and relate them precisely. Not at all. Writers are creators, after all. But we do take kernels of truth and weave them into our stories. We build on them, twist them, and make them fit our story and our voice.

Many people believe genealogy is boring. True, those charts with only names and dates are far less than fascinating. They tell us nothing except born, died, and where. However, digging into your family’s actual history—the stories, not the boring parts—creates a wealth of story material. How did your family end up where they are? Your parents, your grandparents, and their parents? Why did they leave their original home to travel to a new place? These are great stories if you care to research them.

Ah, you say you only write contemporary and that you absolutely hate history? Hmm, your family can still provide inspiration. For instance, my brother just married his old childhood sweetheart. Both were divorced and had lost contact with one another. A class reunion reunited them and they married on Valentine’s Day. Their wedding happened this year, but could have occurred in either of the last couple of generations.

An orphaned young man wanted to seek a better life in the West. He joined a wagon train on which a family from Tennessee also was moving West. He fell in love with the Tennessee family’s daughter. At a place in Texas, the couple married and settled down. Reaching Texas wasn’t achieved without problems, but there was a HEA, happily ever after. Sounds like a historical romance novel, doesn’t it? In fact, I’ve read similar books. Were they based on fact or fiction? We’ll never know, but they might be based on your family. The one I mention here was actually in my step-grandmother’s family.

A less happy example is in my mother’s family, where many women have chosen unwisely when marrying. Not my mom, thank heavens! But my mom’s niece, sister, mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother married . . . well, let’s face it. . . creeps either initially or as second husbands. Patterns perpetuate themselves. If a father/stepfather is worthless, a daughter has no role model for choosing a husband and judging male character. Worse, she may marry in haste to escape her home life, thereby creating the same situation she sought to escape. Stories like this are timeless and fit in any genre. You probably know a woman among your acquaintances or in your family who fits this sad situation. I know several.

Do you count your heritage Scots, Irish, English, Middle Europeans? Did they come because they lost their land in their native country? Did they serve as indentured servants for years after they arrived? What was their occupation in their old life? How did they adjust in their new environment? Did they keep the same occupations, religion, customs, or did they adapt? Does your heritage include American Indians? How did the intermarriage come about? Did your ancestors found a town? Were they pioneers in the Midwest? Their life story would make a book, believe me. Sure you’ll want to change names, or some situations, but the basic story kernel is just waiting for you to tweak and write.

My father was a master storyteller whose stories I loved. After supper, he would relate the escapades he and his brothers encountered, and also talk about his ancestors coming to Texas from Georgia. Those stories mesmerized me, hence my love of Texas history and of genealogy. This love of family history has prompted me to investigate further. I’d have to live several hundred years to write the stories I’ve discovered.

In summary, don’t overlook your heritage for story inspiration. Each of us is the sum of all our experiences, plus the experiences of those who came before us. Utilize this wealth to flesh out your stories.

Have you ever taken real life events from your family history and turned them into fiction in one of your books?

Caroline Clemmons and her Hero husband live on a small acreage in the ranching and horse country of North Central Texas with their dog and two cats. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with family, reading, traveling with Hero, browsing antique malls, and digging into family history and genealogy. Caroline Clemmons writes Romance and Adventure. Writing about strong heroes and heroines who overcome amazing obstacles to forge a meaningful life together is her passion. Check her blog at http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com and website at www.carolineclemmons.com .

A Hard Decision...

2010-09-03T00:15:00.002-06:00

I will freely admit that I’m not a poet, but every now and then Muse gets the urge to try her hand at poetry. Lucky you, today you get to read the latest!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Writer's Journey (so far)

I started so innocent, so naïve
Write a book, revise, and submit!
It all seemed so easy.
Doable, exciting, glamorous, I admit!

Then came reality and plenty of angst
Of agents, genre, synopsis and pace.
Prologues, backstory and point of view, too.
Enough to instil doubt and make my heart race!

But I would not be deterred
As I rewrote the start,
Took out the prologue, stayed in one head,
Began to query – oh, I was smart!

I started to blog, promotion you know.
Read blogs of writers, both pubbed and not!
Learned that success had odds like the lottery,
And voice was something that couldn’t be taught!

My excitement faltered, but still I pushed on.
Rejections amounted, further wearing me down.
I questioned my motives, my reactions to others,
My passion for writing was making me frown!

Where in my process was I going wrong?
What was I missing? What couldn’t I see?
Self-doubt attacked with singular purpose
Asking if others could do it, why not me?

Fear of failure, of being a fraud,
Took hold and strangled what little was left –
Of passion, enthusiasm, dreams of success.
Leaving me lonely, depressed and bereft!

So I need to step back, regroup and decide.
Is this what I want or simply a fad?
But my number one goal – my real task at hand –
To rediscover the joy my writing once had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This will be my last post with The Chicks for a while! I need time to regroup, as the poem says. My last couple of posts have been anything but enthusiastic – and I have admitted on more than one occasion that I feel like a fraud writing writerly articles when I’m not writing. People will argue that I am ‘writing’ over on my private blog – and I admit that I am, daily! But those posts are ramblings about my life, my pursuit of running a half marathon, and my life on Canada’s East Coast!

As of right now, I do plan on returning. The Prairie Chicks’ blog holds a special place in my heart! I’m just not sure of a timeframe. But I want to thank everyone who visits us daily – and those who have been so supportive of my posts. And, of course, The Chicks themselves for being so understanding about my decision. Oh, and you’ll definitely see me off and on in the comment section!

Bye for now, People of Blogland.

Janet

Welcome Guest Blogger Caroline Clemmons

2010-09-02T19:00:00.002-06:00

Our guest blogger on Saturday September 4 will be historical writer Caroline Clemmons. Caroline will be talking to us about using your own family history in your writing. Here's her bio:

Microsoft Word 2010

2010-09-02T00:15:00.004-06:00

I’m participating in Book in a Week (BIAW) this week with my on-line Faith, Hope and Love (FHL) chapter of the Romance Writers of America (RWA). Wow! That’s a lot of acronyms.

What I’m working on is the manuscript I started almost 2 yrs ago during BIAW with my local writing chapter, the Saskatchewan Romance Writers (SRW). This time, however, I’m doing the final edits.

This book been a long process. I had a story to tell, but didn’t have correct grammar skills to ‘pass inspection’, or craft knowledge to excite anyone.

It took time, education and support to reach this level. And part of that is computer education.

One of the problems I’m encountering this week is a learning curve with Word 10. I recently replaced my 5-yr-old laptop with a new one and installed Microsoft Office 2010 on it.

Can I just say that I love Word 10!

Unlike Word 7 which seemed to have a negative learning curve, Word 10 has productive features I’ll fight to keep, like...

Split Screens

I’m not sure if this is the correct term, but I heard them talking about this on the Windows 7 commercial without really paying attention. I figured, yeah, so?

So? So it’s provided me with a feature I always wished I had but never thought it was possible… being able to see 2 or more manuscripts at the same time.

When I receive critiques back from my crit partners or contests judges, I like to follow down between mine and theirs, line for line, and see what they ‘caught’ or suggested. Usually, I have to switch back and forth between documents which is a real time waster—especially if I’m checking from more than 2 people.

But now, I click on View in my Word 10 Task tool bar (last one) and this screen shows up:

View Tool Bar

Click on Arrange All and voila!

Split screens, like so:

Compare 3 documents on one screen

Sticky Notes

A new feature of the Microsoft Office 10 is Sticky Notes. I’ve read posts from other Prairie Chicks who raved about sticky notes, but never had the inclination to use them myself. Mainly because they kept falling.

Instead, I have white boards and bulletin boards in my office where I record all the pertinent information for my current work in progress (wip). The problem is that when I take my laptop into the house at night, I leave all my boards behind. Yet, I work for another 2 or 3 hours inside.

The discovery of these Sticky Notes has enabled me to organize all my notes on my laptop, so much more readily available than in their original document files. They’re there when I need them and in the background (minimized) when I don’t.

Adding Page Numbers to Header

Speaking of Word 10, I still have an issue formatting the header and page number. This started with Word 7 and it hasn’t changed with Word 10.

The problem is that adding a header and numbering the pages are 2 different formatting actions. The program has technically progressed to the point where there are so many options for both, they can’t be done at the same time. Yet.

If you add the paging first, it disappears when you add your header. And if you add your header first, all your pages will be the same number.

I spent 2 hrs Monday night and one on Tues morning trying to add a header with automatic page numbering to the first 115 pages of my wip. I knew how to do it last year and thought I filed away the info but couldn’t find it. A google search brought up so many helps on how to skip numbering on the first page, adding a table of contents to correspond to your numbers, etc. No one seemed to have the same problem as me.

Finally after prayer (yes, it works), I remembered the following sequence:

On your Word 10 tool bar, click Insert

Insert Tool Bar

Go to the Header & Footer box and click Page Number
Click on the first Option – Top of Page

A header appears with number 1 in the spot you chose
Move your cursor to the left of the number
Backspace to the start of the line and type in your title and word count
Space bar over to just before your number and add the word Page
Move your cursor to the right of your number and hit Enter
Type in your author name (or whatever)

If you’re working with chapters with sequential numbering and find you need to change the number on the first page of one of your chapters, do this:

Place your cursor over the page number you wish to change

Highlight Page Number

Click Insert Page Number in the Header& Footer box
Click on Current Position

Drop down one and click on Format Page Number
A dialogue box opens – go to the bottom and add in your number
Click OK and that’s it

And now that I have these instructions here, I’ll always know where to find them.

What do you think? Do you have any tips for using any of the Microsoft Office 7 or 10 features?

Does anyone know how to access the split screen portion of Windows 7?

What's Your Brand?

2010-09-01T00:15:00.005-06:00

It’s back-to-school time. The moms’ among us are busy stocking backpacks, wondering over what to send for lunch, and developing carpal tunnel syndrome from signing all the forms. Back in the day I didn’t mind school, the socializing was great. Deciding what to wear occupied a lot of my time. And yes, I was one of those girls. A girly girl. I’ll never forget one report card comment from a gym teacher: ‘Doesn’t think it’s ladylike to work up a sweat.’ He obviously had no idea how long it took me to get ready in the morning. Another comment, different teacher: ‘Talks excessively in class.’ Who? Moi? Neither of these comments came as any great shock to my parents.

While I’m no longer a girly girl, just a regular gal, I still like to talk. Don’t you just love the Internet? Constant conversation. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, email and a myriad of other choices I not acquainted with yet. It’s that easy to reach out and touch someone. Human contact is still necessary to my sanity, but online social media opportunities allow me to make friends and maintain relationships with people too far away to visit in person.

Professionally speaking it offers up the opportunity to network with other writers, follow industry news, and get my name out there. Which naturally leads to branding. The concept is generating a lot of talk, even though the subject is nothing new. How important is brand and our expectations? Anyone remember the failed New Coke experiment from 1985 which lasted a whole 79 days?

People love to know what to expect, especially when they’ve paid for something. On Monday, Jana talked about the importance of writing the right blurb for your book. Readers want to know what kind of story they’re getting. On Tuesday, Hayley talked about the romance genre and the unfairness of stereotyping a whole genre. A large portion of romance readers have certain expectations and they can be summed up in three little words, Happy-Ever-After. A type of brand?

In the romance genre you have many subgenres. While all roads lead to Happily-Ever-After, the journey to forever takes many diverse and varied paths. Inspirational, historical, paranormal, suspense, erotic, and the list goes on. Nothing new there either. Different heat levels, sweet to spicy and everything in between the two.

Taken from the RWA site: R.R. Bowker’s Books In Print shows 7,311 new romance titles were published in the United States in 2008 (out of a total 275,232 new titles). Besides the obvious question of how to get published in the first place, the second next question becomes how to stand out and be noticed in a talented crowd.

Some say that process needs to begin before your book is actually published or even agented. And we circle around to branding again. As an unpublished writer, I prefer to think of it as a decided ‘presence’. My brand? Let’s just say it’s in the nurturing stages.

Here’s what I am doing. Besides blogging along side some of the loveliest ladies out there here at Prairie Chicks Write Romance, I’ve decided to start my own blog, which I’m very excited about. Starting today you can find me Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at http://www.karyngood.blogspot.com/. On twitter I’m known as karyngood, beware I’m still figuring out the Twitterverse, but it’s fun. And Facebook as Karyn Good.

Question Number Three: Where can I find You?

Confessions of a Romance Outsider

2010-08-31T00:15:00.001-06:00

I rolled my eyes at romance.

I mean, not romance... romance is great. And not Romance, some of my favourite poetry is Romantic. But, you know. Romance. That supermarket stuff. The pastel pink chunk of the bookstore with the clutching couples, the shirtless (and headless) men. Well, at least the men have chiseled torsos (but no heads?). Might as well get something out of it. If that's the sort of thing you're into. And that's fine. But I'm not. I'm just waiting in line to buy milk.

Not that I have anything against escapism. Fantasy is all about escapism. It's just, you know, I'd rather escape to an intriguing world and things I've never seen before. Not just escape into someone else's torrid relationship with a guy with amazing abs and no character depth, when I have my own marriage, which I have never wanted to fantasize my way out of, with my husband who has depth (and a head).

I was working toward an English Lit degree, I was up to my eyeballs in theme, metafiction, iambic pentameter. Romance was fine. For other people.

But I was working toward an English Lit degree, up to my eyeballs in theme, metafiction, iambic pentameter. In the literary canon, which deems what literature has value, and by extension what doesn't. Half of what I loved was included. Half wasn't. When it came to writing, and the majority of my leisure reading, I didn't look to this group to find like-minded friends.

At university, however, I saw a poster for a workshop on writing -- the business of writing, which was an area I knew little about. (I've always been arrogant enough to think my craft was strong.) In the midst of one of the worst stretches I've been through, and a hefty school schedule on top of it, I took a day away for myself and went to the workshop.

The Saskatchewan Romance Writers hosted it, and the original Honorary Chick, Donna Alward, led an engaging afternoon on publishing, deadlines, editors, the never-ending agent debate, and every unpublished author's greatest concern -- do we get a say on our cover art? The workshop had (understandable) emphasis on romance publishing, but I wasn't the only one who came from outside the genre. It was a great day, a lovely atmosphere, and very nice people.

The following spring, I started thinking about writing groups, online communities, and the like. Somewhere to find a bit of community, some feedback, and other people who got what the heck I was going to do after graduating (hint: it didn't involve teaching English). After so long immersed in the literary side of the lit/genre divide, I didn't want to take my writing into a group that might just jump on my genre-side work and tweak me to death trying to push me toward something I wasn't passionate about writing. I remembered the SRW, and how I'd enjoyed my afternoon with them. We didn't have a genre in common, but I liked my odds, having in common escapist-accused forms of writing. And I did have romantic elements in my work.

That same year, I actually read a romance novel. A true, romance-is-the-plot novel. I plopped it on the counter cover down, expecting raised brows from the clerk. My book had a shirtless man on the cover with a chiseled torso (and no head). But he had a sword, and the tiny bit of chin and long hair reminded me of one of my characters. Good enough, I thought. And the back cover/abs guaranteed titillation. I mean, I wasn't getting good plot or compelling characters for my money, I might as well get something, right?

It met my expectations exactly. It was cheesy, it was predictable, it wasn't an amazing story. I rolled my eyes as the ending wrapped up so neat even the dogs got together. I mean, good grief! But dammit it was fun, and riddled with sexual tension, which was what I came for.

Since then I've read a few other romances. Some because they were free, some because they were recommended, some for academic study. Some were fun, some were bad, one was infuriating, one was a massive, catastrophic disappointment I cannot utter in public or everyone on this blog will tear me limb from limb for my blasphemy.

And I've gotten to know the wide range of writers in the SRW, and through them the vast and thriving romance community online. The array of styles, stories, sub-genres, and strengths of the romance genre is staggering. From the adorably chaste to the astoundingly racy, latching on to every other genre out there and leavings its mark, taking what it likes back to its own genre. Dear lord, this beast is unstoppable! One of my first favourites in the fantasy genre, Merdeces Lackey, regular writes for Harlequin's Luna imprint now, and I actually know this because of the people I'm around (her books are still filed in fantasy, but they've always been heavy on the romance).

I'm still not truly a romance reader. I don't like knowing how a story will end, that I can't ever truly wonder if things will work out. Hey, sometimes it's nicer when someone dies, and we can explore a different kind of catharsis. Yet my favourite movie of all time is at its heart a romance, The Princess Bride. The novel I studied the most and wrote several papers on at university is, in essence, one of the greatest romance novels of all time, Pride and Prejudice. When Shakespeare's lovers aren't committing suicide or smothering one-another, they're getting together through some of the most ridiculous, convenient, over the top wrap-up final acts out there.

But I don't roll my eyes anymore. I always tried to be even about genre, and not encourage the lit/genre divide, but I know I had some prejudices when it came to romance. I bought my first for a minor thrill every few pages, because I expected nothing else of it. That one didn't have much to offer, but I know that's not the rule for every single romance novel ever written. Nor is the purpose of romance to offer fleeting titillation for a couple quick hours of an afternoon. That baked-right-in ending I don't like guaranteed is the promise of true romance, love, emotion. Regardless the heat level (another term I'd never have known), romance isn't about causing heart palpitations and naughty tingly feelings in lonely and unhappy housewives.

So it was I found myself quite offended upon hearing a recent anecdote about a Sunday morning service, in which the pastor apparently spoke on not letting tempting thoughts linger in the mind and lead toward breaking ye olde commandments. He then paused, and with complete sincerity said, "So ladies, stay away from those romance novels." In turn he warned the men away from internet pornography, because, logically, the two are synonymous.

It was that frustration that made me realize how much my perceptions have changed. There are terrible, awful, ridiculous, cheesy romance novels. There are terrible, awful, ridiculous, cheesy fantasy novels. And some equally awful, terrible, et al, novels elevated to literary status by the powers that be. It is all a matter of taste and personal perception. Given what I enjoy, I may find fewer stories in the romance genre that appeal to me, when I don't often want romance to be the sole purpose of the plot. It's not my reading genre, nor my writing genre, but if I roll my eyes now, it's over book, or a hilarious paragraph. Not over a section of the bookstore, or those poor headless men at the Zellers checkout. Headless guys need love too.

I may not ever be of the romance community, but I can skirt the edges and watch you steal my fantasy as I steal your romantic elements for my own purposes. In the end, we'll all get shelved in our categories, but we can still creep off the shelves after hours and play together until someone turns the lights on.

And who knows, my books may still get headless men on their covers.

Writing Blurbs

2010-08-30T00:15:00.004-06:00

Picture this. You’re in a book store perusing the shelves, looking for some interesting reading. As you thumb through the spines, an intriguing book cover catches your eye, so you pick it up to see if the book is by one of your favourite authors. Even though the author is unfamiliar to you, you read the back cover copy, otherwise known as the blurb. But the ho-hum blurb does not inspire you to read further, so you put the book back onto the shelf and move on.

Another writer loses a sale.

According to Dan Poynter of Para Publishing, a writer has a very short timeframe to entice the reader to buy her book:

“Initially, all a potential buyer sees is the book’s spine. If the browser takes it down, he or she will gaze at the cover about four seconds and then flip the book over to read the back cover. On average, he or she will spend just seven seconds here so the trick is to keep them reading longer. Your copy has to be punchy and benefit-laden; it has to speak to the potential buyer.”

The blurb is vitally important in making a sale, whether in an electronic bookstore or in one made of bricks and mortar. But long before your book gets to the bookstore, your blurb will help get the attention of editors and agents. Agent Kristin Nelson says the uniqueness of the blurb in a writer’s query letter is what helps her decide whether to ask for sample pages:

“Too often I see historical romance pitch copy that reads something like this: she’s desperate but the belle of the ball and he’s a rake. It’s too generic. I need some original element (character, plot device, etc.) to grab my interest or I’ll pass.”

Ms. Nelson also says that with cutbacks in large publishing houses, authors are being asked more and more to write their own blurbs. It’s a skill the writer needs to learn:

“… but yet another reason to nail your pitch blurb paragraph in your query letter. You might actually be called upon to significantly contribute to the final copy that will go on your book jacket. You might as well master the craft now…”

After the book is published, your blurb can help get the attention of reviewers. Review site owner Marianne of Long and Short Reviews, says your blurb is often what persuades reviewers to select your book from a long list of others they have the choice of reading and reviewing:

“…when we offer books for review, we post the blurb in our reviews group -- that's what our reviewers have to go on, so make sure it's well-written. That's what will sell your story the best -- both to my reviewers and to the world in general.”

Getting the blurb right is crucial. Here are some tips to remember when writing blurbs:

1. Don’t write a synopsis. While a synopsis gives a brief summary of the entire novel, including beginning, middle and end, the blurb’s job is to intrigue readers, whether they are editors, agents, reviewers, or lovers of fiction, into reading more. The blurb accomplishes this by giving the highlights, including the names of the main characters and their goals, conflicts and motivations. In a suspense, show how the tension is rising.

2. Don’t give away the game! Never reveal the conclusion of your story and be careful not to reveal too much information. A blurb walks a fine line between revealing just enough information to entice while not giving away too much of the story. But you definitely want the mood of the book to shine through in the blurb.

3. Make em’ laugh, make em’ cry! Use action verbs and keep the use of adjectives and adverbs to a minimum. Emotive words give the blurb an emotional tug. For instance, in my blurb for my novella “Flawless” I use phrases such as “passionate response” and “maelstrom of attraction” to convey the love story between Hunter and Madeleine. With words such as “betrayed”, “survive”, and “revenge”, I hope to evoke the emotion of a suspenseful read.

4. Keep it short! In her article “Writing Great Blurbs”, Mayra Calvani says that blurbs should be no more than 100 to 250 words. Often publishers want even shorter blurbs for back cover copy. For example my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, wants no more than 100 to 150 words. Ruthlessly read through your blurb and remove any extraneous words. Replace passive verbs with active ones that give your blurb more power and life.

5. Give your readers a reason to buy/read your book. In her article “Writing a Short Book Blurb”, Marg McAllister says to end the article with an enticement, a promise. “This can be in the form of a statement or a provocative question.” For my book “Till September”, I ask this question in the blurb: Can Hannah Kramer, a woman determined save her family’s farm, find lasting love with Quinn Anderson, a man equally determined to take it from her?

Sometimes I prefer to make a powerful statement instead of asking a question. For my novella, “Flawless”, set in occupied France in WWII, I make the following ending statement: “Madeleine must decide if her loyalties lie with her dead husband and the Resistance or with the greatest love of her life.”

The blurb is your selling tool, so don’t sell it short. Give your blurb as much attention as the story itself and it will help tell the world about your book.

Have you written blurbs, either as part of a pitch to an editor or agent, or as back cover copy? Do you find them difficult to write, or do they roll off your pen with ease? Care to share your favorite blurb, written either by you or another writer?

Welcome Olivia Starke

2010-08-28T00:15:00.001-06:00

One Writer’s Journey From The Beginning

Olivia Starke

I know, I know, you’re asking yourself ‘Who the heck is Olivia Starke, anyway?’ Well let me introduce myself. I am the little girl who stared out the window while in class and imagined a wide and vibrant world beyond the monkey bars and merry-go-round. I was the same little girl who watched the landscape swirl by the school bus window, lost in a world of magic that no one else could see (how I pity them to this day.) College couldn’t even rein me in. I’d find myself staring at the stained walls in my dormitory room weaving stories that only I would ever know.

I was an only child, who lived on a working farm ten miles outside of a town of just a handful of people. I had a lot of responsibilities and chores, as most farm kids do. Rain or shine, illness, and health, the work had to be done. At times I had visits from the neighbors’ kids or my multitude of cousins, but the majority of the time I was left to my own devices.

After all, adults certainly couldn’t join me in my fanciful and colorful worlds.

My playmates were chickens and dogs. Cats and hogs. Rabbits and wildlife. I could chat up a tree and listen in turn to the tales it had to tell. I could lose myself for hours in the chicken pens as the old hens told me about their day of scratching in the dirt and egg laying. It was more fascinating than any nursery rhyme.

I could ride my beloved and trusty little pony, Babe, deep into the woods surrounding the very rural property. Before I’d know it, we’d be seeing dinosaurs and unicorns. (Don’t worry reader, my little mare knew her way home without fail, and so did I.)

I admit I preferred my own company, for the most part, to that of other kids. Perhaps to some, my childhood could sound sad and lonely, but that’s a matter of perspective. I have to say I wouldn’t change it for the world. Thanks to the fascinating worlds I created in childhood, I feel I can survive anything to this day. While others will grieve and mourn in desperation, I can turn to my imagination and write poems to ease the heartache. When others go into rages and lose their cool, I will simply turn that unfortunate soul into an expendable character in a story. (Nothing like having that rude man in the grocery store line take a face plant in a pile of cow dung.) And I can share my excitement and happiness in such detailed emails, that my friends can’t help but live the experience with me.

Some may see me as a silly daydreamer, but I live in a vivid multihued world full of endless wonder. How boring it would be to live in black and white.

Whatever your beginning, fellow writer, it was your unique gift to bring color to the world.

Olivia Starke is a multi-published author with six paranormal erotic romance releases available at Cobblestone Press (www.cobblestone-press.com.) She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Passionate Ink, and is a reviewer at Got Romance Reviews. Outside of her part-time retail job, she’s a full-time writer, and moonlights as a freelance editor for several ePublishers.When not glued to the laptop screen she’s catering to the needs of her four horses, four dogs, and two cats. www.OliviaStarke.webs.com

A Sorcerer's Pleasure is coming soon to Cobblestone Press.

Quips and Quotes

2010-08-27T00:15:00.044-06:00

If you could ask a legendary author a question, what would it be? Would you wonder what inspired them to write their classic? Would you ask how they stayed motivated? Would you ask them what you should do to be a successful writer? Well I don't have a direct line to the afterlife, so you'll have to settle for those words of wisdom someone was smart enough to write down.

There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein. ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith

- I don’t think this American sportswriter ever wrote a novel, but he got this right. Open a vein indeed. Sometimes it is that painful isn’t it!

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

- A discussion at our most recent SRW meeting focused on deep POV. The writers discussing it (both published) shared that when writing they weren’t simply telling a story about a character, they were the character. As long as you are only your character when you are writing (or thinking about writing) you are probably ok; seek medical help if you actually have breakfast with your characters!

The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business. ~John Steinbeck, Accepting Nobel Prize, 1962

- Not very encouraging is it!?!

Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain

- Haha, did you notice I used 'very' above? Simple, straight-forward, practical advice from an all-time legend. Come on writers, expand beyond four letter words! Especially those words that don’t add anything to your story.

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth

- This quote makes me think of romance, but he isn’t really talking about writing for Harlequin. No matter what genre your writing may (or may not) fit into, you must write always with passion.

Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

- The author of The Scarlet Letter knew what he was talking about. It may look easy, but we all know it isn't. Next time you put down a good book, resist the urge to delete every page of your current WIP. Walk away and try again another day. Writing is hard. If it wasn’t anyone could do it.

Most editors are failed writers - but so are most writers. ~T.S. Eliot
- Hmm... He’s got a point.

I’ll finish off with this final (helpful?) quote from someone I've never heard of before and I think he makes his own points:

Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that
a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
~William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing"

Prairie Chicks Welcome Olivia Starke

2010-08-26T19:00:00.000-06:00

Join us this Saturday, Aug. 28th, when Olivia Starke will be guest blogging with The Chicks. Here's Olivia's bio:

Go, check out her website. She's got some great links for writers, a link to her blog, and information on her books. Then, come on back to The Prairies on Saturday to hear what Olivia has to say about her writer's journey.

And in Conclusion,

2010-08-26T00:15:00.002-06:00

A lot of us are stuck in the doldrums. Like sailors of old, our sea (of writing) is becalmed and we aren't going anywhere. We didn't need to kill an albatross like the Ancient Mariner to feel guilty about it. The thing is, we have not committed ourselves to doing anything writerly lately.

For the last few weeks, many of us have blogged about not having written so much as a grocery list. Others, mercifully, have told us they are writing up a storm and how they do it. These members are on the knife edge of being dismembered.

In this blog, I am going to round up all the reasons we aren't writing and how the despicables are writing, from your previous blogs and comments.

Some of us were ready to quit, but our muses organized a protest march and were arrested. We can't stop writing; we just can't. The muses are smirking. It is not that they needed the job; it's that they need to make us miserable.

I would say exhaustion is our greatest reason to let the dust settle on the computer. We have been writing, writing, writing, revising, revising, revising, tweaking and double checking our research in case somebody out there knows some obscure fact we got wrong. There are only three known people in a world of six billion who know this teeny tiny fact: the guy who wrote the internet article it took us three weeks to find, us and the jerk who called us on it. We need time off to regroup and revive.

Fear is exhausting. We work like crazy and suddenly, we are reminded that only a teeny tiny number of writers ever get published. It won't be us. We are wasting our time. But we can't stop writing, even though we urgently need a little poitive in our negative....and a trip to the Caribbean.

There are multiple demands on our time. These come under the headings of Family Crisises, such as buying the wrong coloured hockey tape and yucky pencils NOBODY uses anymore - or at least since last week. Friends crisises, such as not being able to tolerate his behaviour another second and would we please come over and help decide where the body should be buried and does she have to kill him first? Mothers - us and our's. Tax forms. Cute kittens and leaking dogs.

And then there are distractions, such as the pictures Karyn uses in her blogs, even if the hunks in question are young enough to be our grandchildsons. And there's another - grandchildren: our's and the neighbour's whose grandchildren have been screaming since daybreak - a week ago last Tuesday.

There some terrible moments in the writing biz. Karyn stated such moments succinctly: She wrote. She deleted. White space. The end.

Joanne, though she is perking along very nicely indeed, presented us with the five steps of accepting death or dealing with grief. That blog should be looked up and filed under: It's not that bad yet - (Yes it is!)

Now that we are all in the doldrums - not 'down' in the doldrums because of sharks - I will present you with the uplifting, positive, kick ass solutions the despicables have written about in their blogs - as they describe how their writing enthusiasm isn't suffering from anything.

Actually, we are all Despicables because most of the time, we have no fears, crisises, distractions or blank space to cope with and are capable of putting forth 1000 words - excellent ones - with no problems at all.

Janet has a blog that starts out in various shades of grim and grey, but then, her blog becomes positive, active and determined. Janet plans to: set goals, declare herself a writer and write, and re-evaluate her decision to be a writer on a specific date later on
.
Being specific is a good thing. I faced Hayley's Kick Ass help association by making a sweeping plan. Then, I sat down, looked at the computer and quit. Hayley pointed the way: set realistic, short term goals such as the end of a chapter. Setting dates close in time is also a 'Good Thing" as Martha would say. Don't think about Martha. She is probably shearing her sheep, cooking a dinner for 80, organzing the linen closet, berating her staff of two hundred and polishing the silver. After lunch, she will write two novels and win a "Get Out of Jail Free cards while playing Monopoly with her grandchildren while she writes. Talk about despicable!

The group factor cannot be ignored for a moment. Without each other, we would probably all be reorganizing our linen closets. We motivate, support and encourage each other. Through our blogs, we teach each other. Helena and Anita, for instance, in the last couple of weeks have shown us the phenomenally successful 'Get Outa Town' approach to getting it all together again. Friends who are also writers are as indispensible as computers

To get started again, Karyn suggests reading what other writers have to say. I shine at that. I have read a romance novel every day since heaven knows when. Alas, it keeps me from writing.

Now I have to do some creative writing for Hayley - excuses why I haven't been writing to meet my Kick Ass goals. Let's see. The dog ate my manuscript?

Have you been on a real downer? What have you done to get back to writing? Do you think working in a specified holiday time from writing is a good idea? Are you thinking and thriving? Any other suggestions for revival?

Sanity insurance

2010-08-25T00:10:00.005-06:00

I don't know if this constitutes writing advice or if it is just plain nagging, but I would like to remind you to back up your work.

Go on.

Do it.

I'll wait.

As far as I'm concerned, remembering to hit Ctrl+S doesn't cut it. Crazy things happen. Laptops get dropped or stolen.

I once knew a man who had his TV blow up in a lightning storm. Granted, most computers have surge protectors, but they aren't fool-proof.

Papers blow away or get eaten by dogs or get shredded by accident (ps - I love shredders. Don't leave me alone with a shredder and any stack of paper you truly love).

Are you feeling paranoid yet? I hope you are, because I am willing to bet you didn't go back up your writing immediately after reading the first sentence of this post. Or you have that feeling of resistance brought on by someone trying to boss you around.

Here are a few backup suggestions:

If you live in a household with more than one computer, make a habit of storing updated copies of your work on both (or all seven).

Pick up several USB flash drives. I like to keep one at home and one in my purse. Why several? They can have a limited life span, depending on the sort of abuse they go through (Tip: either use the kind with a cap or get a little carrying case if they are retractable - dirt is not your friend).

Print out hard copies.

Photocopy hand-written copies. Or scan them. Or type them out.

Email your files to yourself.

Make use of an online file hosting site.

Coax an external hard drive into backing up all the files on your computer. I say coax because mine needed a fair amount of coaxing to backup files from both a mac and a PC, but I already know it was worth the effort and we are now fast friends.

If you need some excitement in your life, find a way to involve a safe or safety deposit box in the process. I've heard of people keeping printed copies of their manuscripts in the crisper in their fridges.

Making use of any or all of these resources could save you headache, heartache and your computer from being tossed out a window. If you see a method you don't currently use up in this list or down in the comments, I hope you will try something new this week.

Think of it as an insurance policy on your sanity.

The "Love Lab"

2010-08-24T00:15:00.009-06:00

In 1998, a psychologist by the name of Dr. John Gottman, a marriage researcher and head of the Gottman Institute, was on a quest to see if he could find out if divorce had any predictive factors in newlywed couples. John set up a “Love Lab” where couples were observed, interviewed, and had their heart rates and skin conductivity monitored. Gottman's created a "specific affect coding system", to examine microexpressions, dialogue and physiology of the newlyweds to identify 20 separate categories of emotion. John Gottman claims it is possible to predict, from observing couple interactions, the outcome of a marriage with between 88% and 94% accuracy!

What does this have to do with writing romance? Well, if your romance novels are anything like mine, there is often conflict. And tension. Perhaps you have a love triangle that needs resolution, sometimes with an ugly separation. So why not use science to enhance the details in the craft of writing?

To start with, let’s look at the negative behavior patterns that predict divorce. Gottman calls these corrosive patterns as “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. These destructive patterns have a positive-to-negative ratio of 0.8 or less. These corrosive patterns are:

Criticism: complaints are assigned as a defect in the other person’s character, and include a purposeful jab at the other person: For example: “You only think of yourself! You are so self-centered!” This comment implies there is something wrong with the other person. So the complaint goes from being about a specific behavior or incident, and about a character flaw, “Why would you even think of doing that?”

Contempt: these comments come from an assumption of superiority. Gottman considers contempt to be the most harmful in a relationship, and is the greatest predictor of divorce. “You’re such an idiot.” This statement implies one is better/smarter/more competent than the partner. The sneer would be the most obvious non-verbal indicator of contempt.

Defensiveness: these reactions serve as self-protection, and may look like righteous indignation. A concern by one partner may be ignored altogether, with the defensive partner guarding against the perceived attack with a “counter-attack”. For example: “It’s not my fault that you’re upset; you’re just overly critical of me!”

Stonewalling: this patterns is the psychological brick wall where one partner withdraws emotionally from the interaction altogether. This reaction is more about the micro-expressions than actual words, where a listener withholds nonverbal signals to show they are “tracking” the speaker. Stonewallers might walk away, act unresponsive, ignore the speaker with a glazed over or flat expression.

Some of the other greatest predictors of divorce were less observable. These were discovered through skin conductivity tests and heart rate monitoring. Those partners with the greatest physiological response had the highest risk of divorce. Emotional reactivity in these individuals spiked blood pressure and heart rates and increased sweating. We all know what this looks like: red face, clenching jaw, sweating, pursed lips, snarls, staring, squinting, flashing eyes, sudden movements, large arm sweeps, exaggerated gestures, and mock attacks (fist shaking).

Gottman’s research was cited in the bestseller, Blink, where author Malcolm Gladwell suggests Gottman’s work is a perfect example of conscious and deliberate thinking. In his opinion, Gottman has mastered the art of what Gladwell refers to as “thin-slicing”, the rapid cognition of our unconscious to see fine details and patterns in behaviour and situations, using only very narrow slices of experience. All of us use our intuition or “thin-slicing” to various degrees in our everyday lives. As writers, we can benefit from Gottman’s detailed "specific affect coding system", by using those details to make our fiction all the more compelling.

What do you think about this post? Is it common sense? Are you surprised to hear divorce can be predicted by patterns of behavior long before the “D” word even crosses the minds of the couple? Do authors excel at “thin-slicing”, are they more in tune with microexpressions?

Writers Inspiring Writers -- Antidote for Those Dog Days

2010-08-23T00:15:00.001-06:00

The cooler days leading up to fall seem to have set in, and I have taken another step in my "program" of re-writing my novel by the middle of October. In my post two weeks ago, I was both elated about some of the motivating events I was attending and mortified that it was so easy to get distracted from my primary objective. My writing journey this summer has not been easy for a number of reasons, some personal, others simply a consequence of the dog days phenomenon I mentioned in that post.

In July I attended the Saskatchewan Festival of Words which is an annual event for me. It is always so enjoyable to listen to authors talk about their work and read from their books. This year was no exception, giving attendees the opportunity to mingle with and ask questions of writers from many genres -- fiction of all sorts, from mysteries to literary fiction, nature writing and photography, playwriting, poetry, even slam poetry. All this made the hot weather that Moose Jaw traditionally offers up for the festival somewhat bearable.

August brought a new experience my way when I decided to travel to British Columbia for the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts. It was my first time at this festival, in its twenty-eighth season. There was a heat wave happening during the four days I stayed in the little town of Sechelt, but the smorgasbord of authors and their books made it easy to overlook. (Smoke from the forest fires in the B.C. interior had been invading the lower mainland for days, and it was difficult to see across the bay to Vancouver Island which is usually clearly visible.)

There were so many highlights that I hardly know where to begin. The format for each session provided an opportunity for the authors to speak for about half an hour on their writing process, when and how they began to write, and more specifically about their most recent publications. After responding to questioms from the audience, they read from their books for about ten minutes. Most of the authors commented on the luxury of having an entire hour to talk and read about their work, and the extraordinary experience of appearing before such a large, enthusiastic audience. The pavilion seats 500 people and most sessions were packed. Books were available to buy and all the authors were generous with their time for signing.

The opening event on the first evening gave a foretaste of the program in store for the eager crowds. Lawrence Hill spoke about writing his sweeping historical novel,The Book of Negroes, and the reception it has received, including many awards.

Among the authors appearing the next day: Karen Connelly, whose books about Thailand and Burma (Myanmar) are politically charged, talked frankly about her experiences which led to the writing of The Border Surrounds Us, The Lizard Cage, and her latest travel memoir, Burmese Lessons: A Love Story; Adam Lewis Schroeder gave an entertaining account of his novels, in particular his latest, In the Fabled East, which is set in France and Indochina and spans a period from the late 19th century to the 1950s; Gwendolyn Southin, who was instrumental in setting up the first festival 28 years ago, has become known for her popular Margaret Spencer Mystery series set in the late 50s and early 60s, and was interviewed by Louise Penny, who drew a large audience the next day for her session on her own mystery novels and her main character Chief Inspector Andre Gamache.

Bonnie Burnard, whose long-awaited second novel Suddenly recently appeared, and Jack Whyte, who wrote the hugely popular series Dream of Eagles based on the Arthurian legends, the Templar series, and the new Guardians of Scotland series featuring Scottish heroes of the 14th century, closed out the afternoon of the first full day. That evening we heard Ian Brown talk about his book, The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Search for His Disabled Son, which has won two major awards for non-fiction. Last but not least, Nino Ricci inspired us with his account of his approach to writing novels. He tells his writing students that the last thing to think about before writing a novel is theme. Then he pointed out that all his books, including his most recent novel, The Origin of Species, have come about because of his interest in specific themes (e.g. Darwinian theory, Catholicism, how to live a good life ... or at least fake it). A clear case of "do as I say, not what I do."

And so it went, one after the other, for eleven more sessions. The people who lined up to get into the pavilion, hour after hour, were clearly readers who knew and appreciated the works of the authors in attendance. Many of us were also writers who came away inspired and in awe of the array of talent assembled for the program. Pure inspiration! Far from being more discouraged about my writing, I came away feeling uplifted by the example of these authors, many of whom experienced disappointments along the way, but who had weathered the storms and come out on the sunny side. Now I have a renewed commitment to that project that awaits me in my writing gable. The break from writing has fired me up to get back to it with renewed vigour. Needless to say, I have a brand-new list of books I want to read, as well!

I am still on vacation, and today is a travelling day for me. Without my own laptop on this trip, I have been hampered in connecting regularly with emails and blogs. So this is fair warning that I will be unable to take advantage of the wi-fi that is available almost everywhere to respond to your comments. Perhaps by evening that will be remedied. In the meantime, please comment away, and I will be checking in as soon as I can.

Goody Room Orlando Winner

2010-08-23T00:05:00.002-06:00

Using Random.org, I've picked a winner from those people commenting on my Goody Room Orlando post.
And the winner of a copy of Maggie Shayne's Killing Me Softly is...

Jana!

Yay! Congratulations.

Thank you, Jana and Karyn, for commenting.

Beth Cornelison's Winner

2010-08-22T20:48:00.001-06:00

Honorary Chick Beth Cornelison has announced the winner of Saturday's book giveaway.

Beth commented...

...And the winner of HEALING LUKE is... Carrie!

Please email me through my website and let me know where to send your book.

Thanks for guesting with us, Beth. Please come back and share again.

:)

Welcome Guest Blogger Beth Cornelison

2010-08-21T00:15:00.003-06:00

No More Sagging Middles

by Beth Cornelison

Last month at the RWA National conference in Orlando, I presented a workshop about fixing sagging middles. No, I'm not talking about that extra five to ten pounds of post-holiday weight that means your clothes don't fit like they did last year. (Although that is problem I'm personally all too familiar with!) I mean those middle chapters of your story that seem, for some reason, to bog down your pace, bore the reader with predictability, or otherwise lose the reader's attention. Having an exciting and dynamic opening hook or a compelling resolution to your book means little, if the reader loses interest halfway through and tosses your book aside. So how do you shore up that sagging middle? Here’s my workshop in a nutshell.

Middle chapters are the meat and potatoes chapters. In the middle of your book, you need to be doing several things, which build on a strong opening and proper story setup. Those things include: fleshing out characters- giving them depth and emotion, revealing backstory, unfolding plot elements, testing the hero and heroine for their growth arc and showing what they’ve learned in each stage of the process, building conflict, tossing out red herrings and introducing new characters, and developing the romance-- maybe including a love scene. Whew! So with so much to do, how could the story be sagging? Here’s a checklist of some things to look for in your middle chapters.

1) Make sure your characters aren’t drifting aimlessly through the pages. Make sure that with each scene your character has a goal. Not just the big picture story goal you set up in chapter one, but a baby step, working toward the story goal. Goals are the momentum of the story, the sense of going somewhere and making progress rather than floundering in the same place, so check each scene for character goals.

2) Likewise, every scene needs conflict. Those goals your hero and heroine have in every scene? They aren’t always going to reach those goals, because the other characters in those scenes will have goals too… usually goals that oppose or hinder the hero’s goals. For every two steps forward your hero makes, they may take one step or more backward because of the conflict that arises in a scene. That conflict will make your hero work for what he wants and make new decisions regarding how to proceed.

3) Take the story in an unexpected direction. Drop the proverbial dead body in the room. A surprise twist, say learning a deep dark secret the heroine has been keeping from the hero or some event that takes the story in a whole new direction, will keep the reader’s interest. Think in terms of a twist that will up the stakes for the hero or heroine or increase the conflict, emotion or goals of the hero or heroine. Whatever you decide, don’t let the plot stagnate. Be fresh and avoid clichés.

4) Go deeper with the emotion. Readers read romance for the emotion. We are writing about love, pain, joy, rejection, betrayal, courage, grief, fear, and happily ever after. Mine the emotions of your characters and show the reader all the roller-coaster emotions your character is going through. Don’t be afraid to push your characters into corners and test them to their limits so that they can shine all the brighter when they reap their happy ending.

5) Watch your pacing. Everything from sentence and paragraph length to side-track info-dumps about backstory or setting can affect your pace. To avoid info-dumps, weave in information through your character’s POV as much as possible.

6) Cut deadweight scenes or parts of scenes. Every scene needs to have at least three purposes for being in your book to make a maximum impact on your story. Can you combine scenes to do more than one thing? If so, do it.

With a little work and with attention to these sorts of details, you can boost that sagging middle and keep the reader turning pages all the way through that dynamic ending and the happily ever after.

Beth is giving away a copy of her release, HEALING LUKE to someone who leaves their email address in a comment before midnight tonight. Please use the (dot) and (com) so the net spiders don't find you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for blogging with us today, Beth.

Rita finalist Beth Cornelison received her bachelor's degree in Public Relations from the University of Georgia. After working in public relations for about a year, she moved with her husband to Louisiana, where she decided to pursue her love of writing fiction.

Since that time, she has won numerous honors for her work including the coveted Golden Heart for unpublished authors awarded by Romance Writers of America. She made her first sale to Silhouette Intimate Moments in June 2004 and has gone on to publish many more books with Silhouette. She has also published with Five Star Expressions, Samhain Publishing, and Sourcebooks.

Beth has presented workshops across the country to numerous chapter meetings, conferences, online classes and book clubs. Beth Cornelison lives in Louisiana with her husband, one son and a fluctuating number of cats who think they are people.

The Bride's Bodyguard

Book 2 in The Bancroft Brides

October 2010

Silhouette Romantic Suspense

ISBN 978-0-37327-700-1

When armed gunmen open fire at Paige Bancroft’s wedding, critically wounding her groom when he wouldn’t turn over a mysterious “bead”, best man and former Navy SEAL Jake McCall hustles the bride to safety. But until Jake and Paige can determine what the gunmen were after, Jake must keep Paige safely hidden from the terrorists. While in hiding with Jake, Paige deals with not only her groom’s betrayal, but also a sizzling attraction to her brooding protector.

You can find out more about Beth and her books at

http://www.bethcornelison.com/

Fear - Revisited...

2010-08-20T00:15:00.002-06:00

The majority of this post originated here on The Prairies on May 15th of last year. Because of many issues I'm facing in my writing journey, I decided to 'replay' this one.

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Everyone has a talent. What is rare is the courage to nurture it in solitude and to follow the talent to the dark places where it leads. Erica Jong

Most people are reluctant to share what they fear most, down right ‘afraid’ to verbalize the darkness that lurks behind a dream most friends and family believe is unattainable. I decided that if I wanted people to comment, then I had better step up to the plate. So here’s what I fear most –

I will never finish another manuscript.

Craft issues are bogging me down - creating havoc with my story telling. The daunting task of endless re-writes makes me tired just thinking about them. The hours of research to make sure everything I write is accurate so that no one will accuse me of getting my facts wrong. The wild plots I dream up fizzle when I play them out in my mind and realize they are not believable. And the rejections I’ve received for Lady Bells hurt, so why would I subject myself to that again?

This fear haunts me every time I boot up my laptop. When I pick up a pen to jot down a note or two (as Muse whispers in my ear), this fear mocks me. Discussions about works-in-progress make me cringe with the knowledge that this fear intends to keep them forever works-in-progress. This fear threatens to end my dream of novel writing.

Here are some suggestions to help conquer the fear.

Name Your Fear – One of the best ways to move on. Well, I’ve named it. It’s still here!

Do Not Give Fear Power – Henry Ford is credited for the quote “If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.”

One Step at a Time – I’ll never finish a manuscript if I don’t write. One sentence leads to one paragraph that leads to one page…

Be Bold – Become the antithesis of your fear. Create a world where your fear does not exist. Act as if that manuscript (or two, or three) are finished. A self-fulfilling prophecy if you will.

Create a Support Network – Writers are a wonderful group of supportive, enthusiastic, generous people. I am lucky to have that support network in place. And now that I’ve named my fear, I know those friends will help me overcome it. The same way they accept and cheer me on toward my goal of publication.

So, People of Blogland, what do you fear? How does that fear stand in the way of your short-term and long-term goals? Do you think that fear holds us back or is it merely an excuse we pull out when our dreams and aspirations seem to be insurmountable? And for those that answered the questions a year ago - what do you fear now? Are they the same fears as before, or have are they different (click here to see what your were afraid of then)?

Janet

This Saturday, Welcome Beth Cornelison

2010-08-19T14:00:00.004-06:00

Rita finalist Beth Cornelison received her bachelor's degree in Public Relations from the University of Georgia. After working in public relations for about a year, she moved with her husband to Louisiana, where she decided to pursue her love of writing fiction.

Since that time, she has won numerous honors for her work including the coveted Golden Heart for unpublished authors awarded by Romance Writers of America. She made her first sale to Silhouette Intimate Moments in June 2004 and has gone on to publish many more books with Silhouette. She has also published with Five Star Expressions, Samhain Publishing, and Sourcebooks.

Beth has presented workshops across the country to numerous chapter meetings, conferences, online classes and book clubs. Beth Cornelison lives in Louisiana with her husband, one son and a fluctuating number of cats who think they are people.

Beth's upcoming release is a Silhouette Romantic Suspense, The Bride's Bodyguard.

Beth will give away a copy of her release, HEALING LUKE to one commenter on Saturday. If you wish to be in this draw, leave your email address in a comment before midnight and please use the (dot) and (com) so the net spiders don't find you.

You can find out more about Beth and her books at http://www.bethcornelison.com/

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