A Random Muse

Sitting over my key board, I feverishly wrote my characters into a web of lustful intention. Why? Because that is what I do. I am a romance writer above anything else. I like to make people fall in total lust with each other. It makes me happy.

My mid-day wine break found me laying in a sunlit room, all the windows open, and enjoying what the day had to offer. The funny thing about sunshine is that you never think about how good it feels till you are back in it. Betty Page would say that it was invigorating to bathe naked in the sunlight with all the windows wide open. She said it kept you young. Look at her, she was amazing. Add a glass of wine in there and it didn’t seem like a bad Idea.

I had contemplated a time or two of sending a picture to the husband to break up the boring meeting I knew he was in at the moment. This kind of naughty inspirational thinking helped every so often when I needed a jolt to make my characters performance. There is no one more inspiring to me, than my husband.

The moment my ‘oh so good idea’ went bad, came when a knock on the door made me miss my lip and dribble my wine down the front of my chest. Wrap in hand, I scrambled to look somewhat decent enough to answer the door. I opened it slightly to see who it was. I was so not ready for what I saw.

The bouquet was large and beautiful . The note was tiny and hard to find. I thanked the delivery girl and took my flowers inside. I opened the card as the smell of the fresh cut flowers hit me.

“Still not as beautiful as you.”

Sometimes the best gift in the world, is knowing the one you love, is thinking of you too. Real life love is so much better than fiction.

A Random Muse

My favorite thing to do as a writer is people watch. Here in sunny Florida, maybe not so much this week, I am amazed at what people do in their cars. I have seen people making out, singing like no one is watching, even personal grooming in their rear view mirror. Some things have seen are really gross, but, all of it leads to one thing. To those people, that is their life.

You sit and you wonder about your life. You see it from this one side of a multifaceted existence. And rarely get to feel or see what someone else is seeing. Stephanie Meyer thrilled readers when she started to release ‘Midnight Sun’. Yes readers I love ‘Twilight’… Don’t judge me.

The whole thing was the Twilight series from Edward’s perspective. I mean I have to admit I knew I was going to love it. What a treat. At story you know so well because you have ready it over and over again… and now you get more??? Who wouldn’t be in love with this writer?

Writing from third party perspective may allow you to give more information, but, writers tend to jump all over the place trying to get the story told and all the information in. I tend to get whip lash from the back and forth between characters. Who does it flawlessly. JR Ward. I love the way she writes.

Writing from first person may give you an incredible sense of the character and what is going on in their mind, but it limits you on what you are seeing around you. . It may be hard to put in crucial pieces of story line, but it is easier to surprise your reader. Stephanie Meyer fixed this by creating ‘Midnight Sun”. Please Stephanie, if somehow this blog reaches you. For the love of all that is holy… Finish that Book!!!!

Writing form is as important to a story line as the characters themselves. It is good to decide early on how much information you want to give and how much you are going to leave for sequels and companion books. Like Anne rice, She didn’t give a lot of background to the Mayfair witches so someone helped her out and published the companion. Sometimes the more information you have is not always better. Sometimes a little mystery goes a long way.

Scary Editors and Making Hard Choices.

After my blog last week I realized I had stuff that needed to go to the editor. I will have to say, before I started writing I didn’t realize how important and editor is. Anyone can write and create something interesting, but, no one can do it perfectly.

And editor is a crucial part of the process. They take your crap and make it readable for the masses. What few people tell you about editors is they have a crappy job! They have to deal with Narcissistic authors who think they are the next Edgar Allen Poe. I mean, I know how much tolerance I have to have for other people when it comes to things like Art, shops, and lifelong business. When you are dealing with people and something they have poured their soul into, you are asking for headaches.

I cringe when I think about my poor Amazing Mr Black and his editing job for my novels. I mean, he not only has to tell me my hard work makes no sense in places he also has to live with me! “I am sorry I had to tell you’re your second draft is still crap. Are you still making dinner tonight?”

Having your husband be a huge part of your book writing process is not for everyone. But, it makes for a much stronger relationship when it works. You can’t hold back. You have to trust, and that level of trust is never easy.He had to learn he can’t be afraid to talk to me. Some times it is going to hurt. Me, on the other hand, I am still learning to pull on my big girl panties and take it like an adult.  He is diffidently the better part of this relationship.

For those who have an editor outside your home, this is the same. Trust your editor. Be kind to them when they offer feedback. Your editor may not have you as their only client. So be the best, most understanding client they have. They are there to make you look better. So don’t give them crap unnecessarily.

Rowe

Writers tool Box! Where is My Wiki!!!!

Research is one of my favorite things to do.  I love taking my character line and turning it inside out. I love matching it to piece of history. Why? Because it makes them seem more real. It also gives me a chance to learn something in history that I didn’t know. I am a professional student. I learn anything I can, because, you never know what you might need one day in your story.

My problem comes from keeping all my research organized.

For most NaNowrmo fans out there I have Scrivener. I love scrivener because it will hold a series of books. character work ups, research link and pages and anything else I can stuff in there. To date I have never stuffed it to the point of “No more will fit in this file”. The only thing it doesn’t do is visible linear lines. Time lines if you will.

Inter Tiddly Wiki! Thank you CDWangs!

I know it sounds really corny like the guy who showed it to me, but, it is amazing. Like scrivener it keeps everything filed, and takes up the smallest space of your hard drive. I have been using mine for years to solidify my characters time line. No I can’t keep everything in my head. This shows date lines and allows you to create separate tiddlers for each date or character.  For anyone wanting to organize more visually, before pouring your heart into a processor or program for writing, I suggest taking a look at it.

You can never have too many tools to help you organize. The better you know your stories the easier it is to write about them. What do you use to organize your world of unending research?

I have found my BALANCE!!!!!

For the last few weeks my morning has consisted of getting up going to work and coming home exhausted.  I have been working on a way to make my schedule work with Home, Work, Gym and the much needed purging of my soul so my brain doesn’t explode. I have finally found out how to make it work. Of course something had to go so I elected it should be sleep.

Getting up an hour earlier is interesting.  First of all no one else in their God loving mind is up this early. While everyone else was snug in their bed in our complex I was pounding away on weights and the elliptical. Now at close to 6 am I feel amazing. I can take on the world and take out the trash!

Have a great morning Bloggers! May inspiration find you and give you a good kick in the butt. For some reason I think many of you need it this morning.

Bloggers are strange

Like I Told Opinionated Man..4 is a tease. Like looking at a woman strip down to her skivvies and not actually getting to see anything good. You want it… you can see it and it is almost there…. the… OHHHH denied! It happens. 🙂

Mid-month Changes.

Change is always good. If it feels good at the time or not, Change is one of those things that keeps us moving forward.

If you are stressing over making a change, then you are too invested in you emotional attachment, you desire to want that situation, that is making it hard to change.  Like tweaking a novel that has too many of your favorite parts that don’t fit. I am still having a really hard time trimming stuff out of my book.

In the first round of editing, I am faced with a 200 word piece that I absolutely love… but , it doesn’t fit.

Christina Perri – I Believe (From the Teaser Trailer of “Pan” 2015)

The best inspirational video I have seen in a while. Why? Because I believe.

A Writer’s Nemesis… Having too much on your plate.

Thousands of Authors fail every year. They attempt to stay sane and sometimes their sanity is restored after one chapter and sometimes it never comes back. In my last post, I put up a great saying by Lord Byron.

“If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go Mad!”

This is a great way to explain how so many writers are out of their minds. Scheduling real life and writing to stay sane is one of the biggest hurdles we as writers face. Take a break down of the schedule.

Breakfast
Writing a blog
Work
Lunch
Work
Drive home and start dinner.
Workout
Hot tub
Stretch out
Dinner
Classwork
Bed

At first glance this looks like a really thought out and well planned series of events to follow your day. But this is not so. It does not allow for, real life. Sigh, I have been working on ways to slim stream my wonderful schedule to encompass everything I need in a day. I need to purge creatively. I need to Lounge and regroup. Reading other authors have told me one thing. You must be willing to sacrifice in order to create best work. Looking at my list, it would be working out. Pass me a freaking cookie. No scratch that… I am protesting that more hours be added to the day. the saying who needs sleep is so not accurate for this girl. My beauty rest is important.

In all seriousness, being a great writer takes discipline.   A writer’s best friend is endurance and follow through. As I have heard many blogging writers say before. It is not how much you fail it is your willingness to get up and try again. So you don’t have time to write everyday? Make time.  You want to be great, you have to put in the time. Your worse enemies are procrastination and self-doubt.

Everyone who writes will have fans. Just like every artist appeal to some and not others. What happens if your words of wisdom, that are meant to inspire the next generation to create and inspire the next generation, are never heard?  Then the Human race has truly lost something. You may think that no one person could be that important, By I am here to tell you, they can be. I am living, breathing proof. One man in my life has been that for me. He thought his existence meant nothing, questioned why he has survived being born. And yet, I would not be me, without him. Never forget you, your words, can be that tipping point for someone else. You may never know it.

Write like you will be remembered forever.

Rowen

Video: Japanese Googlers make a choir of 300 Android phones sing Beethoven’s Ode to Joy

This is Fantastic!!