Posts
A lesson to be learned from typing the wrong email address:
A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during aparticularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel wherethey spent their honeymoon 20 years before. But, because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minneapolis and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.
The husband checked into the hotel, and unlike years ago, there was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without noticing his error, sent the email.
Meanwhile...somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory after suffering a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email, expecting messages ofcondolence. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and they glanced up and saw the computer screen which read:
To: My Loving Wife
Date: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Subject: I Have Arrived!
To My Dearest Love:
I know you are surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now,and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I have just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow, and look forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was. PS... Sure is hot down here!
------
A man and woman were having dinner in a fine restaurant. Their waitress, taking another order at a table a few steps away, suddenly noticed that the man was slowly sliding down his chair and under the table, but the woman acted unconcerned.
The waitress watched as the man slid all the way down his chair and out of sight under the table. Still, the woman appeared calm and unruffled, apparently unaware that her dining companion had disappeared.
The waitress went over to the table and said to the woman, "Pardon me, ma'am, but I think your husband just slid under the table." The woman calmly looked up at her and said, "No he didn't. He just walked in the door."
------
(warning, this one is a bit naughty)
TREE HUGGER
While walking through the Boulder Colorado woods a man came upon another man hugging a tree with his ear firmly against the tree. Seeing this he inquired, "Just out of curiosity, what the heck are you doing?"
"I'm listening to the music of the tree," the other man replied.
"You gotta be kiddin me."
"No, would you like to give it a try?"
Understandably curious, the man says, "Well, OK..."
So he wrapped his arms around the tree and pressed his ear up against it. With this the other guy slapped a pair of handcuffs on him, took his wallet, jewelry, car keys, then stripped him naked and left.
Two hours later another nature lover strolled by, saw this guy handcuffed to the tree stark naked, and asked, "What the hell happened to you?"
He told the guy the whole terrible story about how he got there. When he finished telling his story, the other guy shook his head in sympathy, walked around behind him, kissed him gently behind the ear and said, "Man, this just ain't your day, Cupcake."
------
Two old ladies are outside their nursing home, having a drink and a smoke, when it starts to rain. One of the old ladies pulls out a condom, cuts off the end, puts it over her cigarette, and continues smoking.
Maude: What in the hell is that?
Mabel: A condom. This way my cigarette doesn't get wet.
Maude: Where did you get it?
Mabel: You can get them at any drugstore.
The next day, Maude hobbles herself into the local drugstore and announces to the pharmacist that she wants a box of condoms. The pharmacist, obviously embarrassed, looks at her kind of strangely (she is after all, over 80 years of age), but very delicately asks what brand of condom she prefers.
"Doesn't matter Sonny, as long as it fits on a Camel." The pharmacist fainted.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Research
Research is a fascinating part of the writing process. Sometimes it's the driving force for a story. Sometimes it's the quickest killer of a difficult to research or poorly researched novel. And sometimes it's the best form of procrastination.
I believe that when an author is published and has strict deadlines to meet, they'll have to consider the amount of research required for the book before they decide to write it.
Research is a big part of the stage I'm in with my book. I've got a lot of the plot together, but there are little threads about the book location and emotional stuff about the career of my characters that I need to work out. So, since this topic is on my mind I've decided to procrastinate a bit on my writing today and develop a list of pros and cons for book research:
Pros
- Sometimes researching can give you book ideas or plot development ideas for your current story. It can be an additional source of inspiration. This can be particularly true in historicals because specific events that have happened can spark ideas for your book.
- It's fun. If I were writing a romantic suspense with a serial killer, I could justify spending hours and hours and hours rereading my collection of true crime books.
- It gives you a reason to investigate places you've always wanted to visit. I worked on a book last year that took place in Edinburgh, Scotland. I had a ball Googling all sorts of stuff about the town such as history, shopping, attractions, dialect, phrases, maps, etc.
- Two special words: tax deductions. As a writer pursuing publishing you can write off a good amount of stuff, including work related travel. Talk about a good excuse to make that trip to Europe, eh? I'm doing this very thing in December (hopefully) because I'm going to drag my first draft with me to Vegas and spend several days traveling the city to find cool locales for my scenes to take place.
- You may meet some great people. Take a few minutes to flip through the acknowledgements on some books, most authors recognize the people who helped them. If you're writing a contemporary about a cop, you may want a cop to read it for proper language use and believability. Talk to people who live in the town your book takes place, or people in the career you're writing about. You never know what could come out of it. Another book idea? A new friend? A job opportunity? Someone to visit on vacation?
Cons
- Distraction! Distraction! Distraction! I can't count how many times I've come across a little stupid thing like not having the technical term for something. Instead of leaving myself a note to fix it later in revisions, I HAVE to figure out what it is. I know many others are like this too. :-) Last night a dear friend wanted another word for "buttocks." I went on a Google quest and found some useful stuff on Wikipedia. We both had to know synonyms, instead of leaving a note to fix it later. On the bright side I have broadened my bum vocabulary and made up a few new phrases. Turd pinching cushions. No? Not sexy? Okay.
- If you're on a deadline, be it personal or publisher-given, research may hinder your progress. Let's say I have six months to write a book and two ideas. One takes place in the state I live in and am familiar with while the other takes place in Botswana. I may like the Botswana idea more, but it would take tons of time to verse myself enough with local culture and the town to make it believable that I may miss deadline. Or the quality of the book may suffer because I've taken up writing and revision time with research time.
- Burn-out could happen when writing a research-heavy book. You may have a wonderful idea for a regency, but by the time you're half way through you could be pulling out your hair trying to understand the culture back then. You could get so frustrated that you drop the project and may even stop writing for a while.
Don't let a lot of research discourage you. Really think about whether it's the best for you, your time and your career. This is your business and you need to make smart decisions. Right now I've got a killer idea for a series, or at least I think so. It's going to take oodles and oodles of research. But you know what? These could be the books that get me sold. So hell yeah the research would be worth it. There's also a very good chance that I feel overwhelmed and get burnt-out on it. Or I could end up taking a year to write the book when I want to have it done in six months.
Well, I'm off to Google maps of Las Vegas to try and figure out where in the hell people who live there would actually live and spend their free time.
I believe that when an author is published and has strict deadlines to meet, they'll have to consider the amount of research required for the book before they decide to write it.
Research is a big part of the stage I'm in with my book. I've got a lot of the plot together, but there are little threads about the book location and emotional stuff about the career of my characters that I need to work out. So, since this topic is on my mind I've decided to procrastinate a bit on my writing today and develop a list of pros and cons for book research:
Pros
- Sometimes researching can give you book ideas or plot development ideas for your current story. It can be an additional source of inspiration. This can be particularly true in historicals because specific events that have happened can spark ideas for your book.
- It's fun. If I were writing a romantic suspense with a serial killer, I could justify spending hours and hours and hours rereading my collection of true crime books.
- It gives you a reason to investigate places you've always wanted to visit. I worked on a book last year that took place in Edinburgh, Scotland. I had a ball Googling all sorts of stuff about the town such as history, shopping, attractions, dialect, phrases, maps, etc.
- Two special words: tax deductions. As a writer pursuing publishing you can write off a good amount of stuff, including work related travel. Talk about a good excuse to make that trip to Europe, eh? I'm doing this very thing in December (hopefully) because I'm going to drag my first draft with me to Vegas and spend several days traveling the city to find cool locales for my scenes to take place.
- You may meet some great people. Take a few minutes to flip through the acknowledgements on some books, most authors recognize the people who helped them. If you're writing a contemporary about a cop, you may want a cop to read it for proper language use and believability. Talk to people who live in the town your book takes place, or people in the career you're writing about. You never know what could come out of it. Another book idea? A new friend? A job opportunity? Someone to visit on vacation?
Cons
- Distraction! Distraction! Distraction! I can't count how many times I've come across a little stupid thing like not having the technical term for something. Instead of leaving myself a note to fix it later in revisions, I HAVE to figure out what it is. I know many others are like this too. :-) Last night a dear friend wanted another word for "buttocks." I went on a Google quest and found some useful stuff on Wikipedia. We both had to know synonyms, instead of leaving a note to fix it later. On the bright side I have broadened my bum vocabulary and made up a few new phrases. Turd pinching cushions. No? Not sexy? Okay.
- If you're on a deadline, be it personal or publisher-given, research may hinder your progress. Let's say I have six months to write a book and two ideas. One takes place in the state I live in and am familiar with while the other takes place in Botswana. I may like the Botswana idea more, but it would take tons of time to verse myself enough with local culture and the town to make it believable that I may miss deadline. Or the quality of the book may suffer because I've taken up writing and revision time with research time.
- Burn-out could happen when writing a research-heavy book. You may have a wonderful idea for a regency, but by the time you're half way through you could be pulling out your hair trying to understand the culture back then. You could get so frustrated that you drop the project and may even stop writing for a while.
Don't let a lot of research discourage you. Really think about whether it's the best for you, your time and your career. This is your business and you need to make smart decisions. Right now I've got a killer idea for a series, or at least I think so. It's going to take oodles and oodles of research. But you know what? These could be the books that get me sold. So hell yeah the research would be worth it. There's also a very good chance that I feel overwhelmed and get burnt-out on it. Or I could end up taking a year to write the book when I want to have it done in six months.
Well, I'm off to Google maps of Las Vegas to try and figure out where in the hell people who live there would actually live and spend their free time.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Devil Dog
Over the last few days my dog has taken up a habit of EATING MY BOOKS! Not okay. She pulls them off the shelf while I'm at work. It was okay because I had my least favorite books on the bottom shelves.
Until she got to my FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME. I didn't realize it was mixed in with the books on the bottom. She ate the binding off it. I've had that book for as long as I can remember. It's called Arm in Arm by Remy Chelip.
Until she got to my FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME. I didn't realize it was mixed in with the books on the bottom. She ate the binding off it. I've had that book for as long as I can remember. It's called Arm in Arm by Remy Chelip.
Can I borrow $30k?
I've started a collection for a new car . This is of vital importance to my well-being and my creativity as a budding writer. I'm in desperate need of $30,000. Take one look at this and try to tell me no.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Sweet inspiration
One of my favorite parts of writing is finding inspiration for the characters. I envision scenes better when I can actually look at the person I'm writing about. So, last night I decided on the hero and heroine for my current WIP: Jesse Bradford (Bring It On, Happy Ending) and Emmy Rossum (Phantom of the Opera).
Monday, September 25, 2006
Hero help
I love Alpha heroes. They're tough, strong, take-charge and great lovers (at least in romance novels).
When I was working on my vampire paranormal series, an alpha hero was all I would consider. It just fits well with paranormal, or at least the ones I like. But now that I'm working on a contemporary, I'm struggling with the type of hero.
I know his archetype, characteristics and his character arc. But I'm having a hard time imagining how to make him alpha with this book and plot. I have scenes with his alpha tendencies, but throughout the book he doesn't fit what an alpha male is in my mind.
I did a bit of research about the three main hero types: alpha, beta and gamma. Through my googling (that word has to be in Webster's soon) I found some great definitions on Annie Dean's blog:
Alpha - He has to be successful- a man of achievement. Independent. A ruler – a man of power. Strong, handsome, vigorous. A leader. In human societies, the signs of success are wealth and power – and so the Alpha hero has to have the outward trappings – those visible signs of success that the world values – money, houses, cars, businesses...
Beta - These romances have kinder, gentler heroes, the kind of men who will change your flat tire, open doors for you, help your kid with his homework, and bring you soup when you are sick. They are the anti-thesis of the testosterone-filled chest beaters found in the earlier bodice-ripper romances. These are the guys we all want to find in real life.
Gamma - One who doesn't fit the image of the macho Alpha male, or the easygoing Beta either. He's a combination--a mutation?--of both types of man, and makes a hero to die for.
I think my hero is a gamma. I like that definition. My guy isn't pushy or take-charge all the time. He's like that when he needs to be, but also tender when he needs to be. That's what draws the heroine in. She's 100% convinced he's a baboon ass, then he doesn't something so amazingly sweet that she second guesses her conclusion.
So, which would you most like to read about? What are the characteristics of your favorite fiction heroes? What bothers you about heroes you've read?
When I was working on my vampire paranormal series, an alpha hero was all I would consider. It just fits well with paranormal, or at least the ones I like. But now that I'm working on a contemporary, I'm struggling with the type of hero.
I know his archetype, characteristics and his character arc. But I'm having a hard time imagining how to make him alpha with this book and plot. I have scenes with his alpha tendencies, but throughout the book he doesn't fit what an alpha male is in my mind.
I did a bit of research about the three main hero types: alpha, beta and gamma. Through my googling (that word has to be in Webster's soon) I found some great definitions on Annie Dean's blog:
Alpha - He has to be successful- a man of achievement. Independent. A ruler – a man of power. Strong, handsome, vigorous. A leader. In human societies, the signs of success are wealth and power – and so the Alpha hero has to have the outward trappings – those visible signs of success that the world values – money, houses, cars, businesses...
Beta - These romances have kinder, gentler heroes, the kind of men who will change your flat tire, open doors for you, help your kid with his homework, and bring you soup when you are sick. They are the anti-thesis of the testosterone-filled chest beaters found in the earlier bodice-ripper romances. These are the guys we all want to find in real life.
Gamma - One who doesn't fit the image of the macho Alpha male, or the easygoing Beta either. He's a combination--a mutation?--of both types of man, and makes a hero to die for.
I think my hero is a gamma. I like that definition. My guy isn't pushy or take-charge all the time. He's like that when he needs to be, but also tender when he needs to be. That's what draws the heroine in. She's 100% convinced he's a baboon ass, then he doesn't something so amazingly sweet that she second guesses her conclusion.
So, which would you most like to read about? What are the characteristics of your favorite fiction heroes? What bothers you about heroes you've read?
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Grey's Anatomy
Okay, I'm watching it live now. So this blog post is open during the hour and I'm typing my thoughts as they come through while watching the show. My memory is poor and I wouldn't remember everything after the show.
1) I thought that the summer was enough time to mourn the loss of Denny. Nope. As soon as I saw Izzy lying on the bathroom floor, I started bawling like a baby. Thank goodness for the WB's Supernatural so I can still get my fix of the actor.
2) I hope that Addison kicks the shit out of Meredith. I can't stand Meredith. The other characters are why I watch the show. I can't wait to see what she does with the panties (although I already have an idea thanks to stupid radio commercials).
3) I love how they let bits of Alex's good character leak in. When he picked up the baby and took it from the ER to keep it from the flu, I could have kissed him. But, I still have a crush on him from the Wedding Planner.
4) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christina. "He's acting all McGuilty and he asks what this means." McGuilty? I love it!
5) Not that I watch ER, but from commercials I know that it's a crisis driven show. Let me amend that to unbelievable, ridiculous crisis happening unbelievably often. Well, the whole plague thing has a bit of EResque to it.
6) The scene where Derek kicked Addison out was super dramatic. I don't know who to be madder at. Addison for starting it, or Derek for continuing it after he said he wouldn't. Meredith isn't a prize people. Addison is a hot redhead. I'd pick Addison. Meredith is neurotic and needy. WTF?
7) Oh my God! Christina going totally fangirl over Burke while he was hitting on the chick. Hahaha!
8) McDreamy is in love with Meredith? Dude. He needs some psychological help. "When I had a choice to make, I chose wrong." Dude, Addison is awesome.
9) Hahaha, panties on the Lost and Found. LOVE IT! Way to go Addison.
10) Oh, now I'm crying again. Christina, why did you have to break down? I hate crying. HATE IT.
11) After crying and spending 24 hours in a prom dress - how can Izzy still look so gorgeous?
12) This show completes me.
1) I thought that the summer was enough time to mourn the loss of Denny. Nope. As soon as I saw Izzy lying on the bathroom floor, I started bawling like a baby. Thank goodness for the WB's Supernatural so I can still get my fix of the actor.
2) I hope that Addison kicks the shit out of Meredith. I can't stand Meredith. The other characters are why I watch the show. I can't wait to see what she does with the panties (although I already have an idea thanks to stupid radio commercials).
3) I love how they let bits of Alex's good character leak in. When he picked up the baby and took it from the ER to keep it from the flu, I could have kissed him. But, I still have a crush on him from the Wedding Planner.
4) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christina. "He's acting all McGuilty and he asks what this means." McGuilty? I love it!
5) Not that I watch ER, but from commercials I know that it's a crisis driven show. Let me amend that to unbelievable, ridiculous crisis happening unbelievably often. Well, the whole plague thing has a bit of EResque to it.
6) The scene where Derek kicked Addison out was super dramatic. I don't know who to be madder at. Addison for starting it, or Derek for continuing it after he said he wouldn't. Meredith isn't a prize people. Addison is a hot redhead. I'd pick Addison. Meredith is neurotic and needy. WTF?
7) Oh my God! Christina going totally fangirl over Burke while he was hitting on the chick. Hahaha!
8) McDreamy is in love with Meredith? Dude. He needs some psychological help. "When I had a choice to make, I chose wrong." Dude, Addison is awesome.
9) Hahaha, panties on the Lost and Found. LOVE IT! Way to go Addison.
10) Oh, now I'm crying again. Christina, why did you have to break down? I hate crying. HATE IT.
11) After crying and spending 24 hours in a prom dress - how can Izzy still look so gorgeous?
12) This show completes me.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Celebrity look-alikes
I saw this neato thing on Michelle Rowen's blog today. I decided to try two recent photos of myself to see which celebrity's I supposedly "look like." I honestly thought I'd get Monica Lewinsky as my #1 match.
Ummmm...what's with all the blondes?
Ok, I'll confess. When you select either gender, Eminem came up as the next choice after these pics. I don't know it that's bad for him, or me.
I prefer the first batch.
Ummmm...what's with all the blondes?
Ok, I'll confess. When you select either gender, Eminem came up as the next choice after these pics. I don't know it that's bad for him, or me.
I prefer the first batch.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
45 Master Characters
One of the things I am focusing on heavily in my writing right now is character building. I've realized that when I think of an idea, it's always plot related, not character related. To me, that's not the best way to go in romance writing.
It's time to nip that in the bud so I ordered a few character building how-to books to spark some ideas and help me craft three dimensional characters. Last night I began looking through "45 Master Characters, Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters" by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. I ordered it because it explains character archetypes on a level that I understand - Greek mythological figures as the archetypes basis. Perfect!!!
I highly recommend this book if you're trying to pin down some generalities and great examples of how a certain type of person may react, their fears, goals, etc. I know once I write more and more I won't need help like this, but it's always good to reach out to other types of characters that you haven't used before.
One of the best parts of this book is it gives TV, movie and historical/literature examples of each character type. For example, when talking about a "seductive muse" character (Aphrodite), it gives Samantha from Sex and the City as an example. Ok, I get it. I've seen the show, that explains to me who an Aphrodite archetype is.
I found the archetype that matches the generalities I had in mind for my heroine. It fits her to a T and helped me with her motivations. I love, love, love this book! Now I'm on the hunt for a hero. Did I mention it tells you which archetypes of the opposite sex would best help you achieve a character arc? See, told'ya this book is awesome.
It's time to nip that in the bud so I ordered a few character building how-to books to spark some ideas and help me craft three dimensional characters. Last night I began looking through "45 Master Characters, Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters" by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. I ordered it because it explains character archetypes on a level that I understand - Greek mythological figures as the archetypes basis. Perfect!!!
I highly recommend this book if you're trying to pin down some generalities and great examples of how a certain type of person may react, their fears, goals, etc. I know once I write more and more I won't need help like this, but it's always good to reach out to other types of characters that you haven't used before.
One of the best parts of this book is it gives TV, movie and historical/literature examples of each character type. For example, when talking about a "seductive muse" character (Aphrodite), it gives Samantha from Sex and the City as an example. Ok, I get it. I've seen the show, that explains to me who an Aphrodite archetype is.
I found the archetype that matches the generalities I had in mind for my heroine. It fits her to a T and helped me with her motivations. I love, love, love this book! Now I'm on the hunt for a hero. Did I mention it tells you which archetypes of the opposite sex would best help you achieve a character arc? See, told'ya this book is awesome.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Random round-up
Yup, another of my random posts. Or maybe I shall call is potpourri day? Isn't that the term on game shows for random shit?
Item #1: Kick booty workshop
On Saturday, one of the two RWA chapters I belong to hosted a workshop by Cherry Adair on layering the novel. She was fantastic - full of great info and hilarious. I'm definitely going to pick up her books.
She had some interesting points to make on career plans. First, the way to tell what's going to be big in two years is to see the flavor of what's in non-fiction hardcover now. For example, a couple years before Dan Brown's books came out there were a lot of religious non-fiction as well as after-life experience stuff.
Second, if you've been working on your book for longer than nine months then it's not the right book for you. You can't get a strong career going by taking that much time for books. She has a great point there.
Okay, gear shift. I'm reading a book right now that I can't put down. I started it last night way too close to my bed time (10ish). I was devouring it until midnight when I realized I should go to bed. I tried to sleep, but couldn't so I grabbed my flashlight and read a few more pages. This went on until 2:30 or so when I remembered everything I have going on today and that sleep is vital.
Is curiosity killing you over what book it is?
Pink's a pretty color. Don't you think?
Strawberries are delicious. I wish they grew all year. The same with corn. I love corn.
Still wanna know?
Mmmmmm...Diet Coke...fountain Diet Coke to be specific.
Okay, I'll tell you. I'm not good at keeping secrets from those I love. It's "Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie. It's the first book I've read of hers. Man, I can't put it down. I keep sneaking a few pages at work here and there.
The dialogue and the banter between the hero and heroine is irresistable. I'm addicted. It's a great book so far. Not sure how it ends, but a gut feeling tells me it's a happy ending.
Let's see, what else? I just got a few character books I ordered from Amazon in the mail. I'll let you know what I think of them as I look through them this week.
Happy Monday everyone.
Item #1: Kick booty workshop
On Saturday, one of the two RWA chapters I belong to hosted a workshop by Cherry Adair on layering the novel. She was fantastic - full of great info and hilarious. I'm definitely going to pick up her books.
She had some interesting points to make on career plans. First, the way to tell what's going to be big in two years is to see the flavor of what's in non-fiction hardcover now. For example, a couple years before Dan Brown's books came out there were a lot of religious non-fiction as well as after-life experience stuff.
Second, if you've been working on your book for longer than nine months then it's not the right book for you. You can't get a strong career going by taking that much time for books. She has a great point there.
Okay, gear shift. I'm reading a book right now that I can't put down. I started it last night way too close to my bed time (10ish). I was devouring it until midnight when I realized I should go to bed. I tried to sleep, but couldn't so I grabbed my flashlight and read a few more pages. This went on until 2:30 or so when I remembered everything I have going on today and that sleep is vital.
Is curiosity killing you over what book it is?
Pink's a pretty color. Don't you think?
Strawberries are delicious. I wish they grew all year. The same with corn. I love corn.
Still wanna know?
Mmmmmm...Diet Coke...fountain Diet Coke to be specific.
Okay, I'll tell you. I'm not good at keeping secrets from those I love. It's "Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie. It's the first book I've read of hers. Man, I can't put it down. I keep sneaking a few pages at work here and there.
The dialogue and the banter between the hero and heroine is irresistable. I'm addicted. It's a great book so far. Not sure how it ends, but a gut feeling tells me it's a happy ending.
Let's see, what else? I just got a few character books I ordered from Amazon in the mail. I'll let you know what I think of them as I look through them this week.
Happy Monday everyone.
Friday, September 15, 2006
It's gone
My office smells of smoke. Any guesses as to why? I fried my brain. Yup, it's gone. There were some sizzles, a few pops and the disappointing sound of deflation.
There are many reasons as to why this happened:
In other news, I can't wait for fall and winter! My favorite seasons! I busted out some sweaters and sweatshirts last night. I'm going to go buy a fresh stash of Lipton hot tea and spend an evening enjoying the thunder rolling through town and the chilly weather. I love this time of year. Screw the heat. Screw the sun. I've had enough for a while.
I put my office in the garage of the place I'm living now. I figured the sub-zero temperatures and ball-freezing will encourage me to write faster so I can return to the heat of my house.
There are many reasons as to why this happened:
- Overstimulation: Too many ideas, too many books I'm reading, too many blog entries I'm catching up on.
- Lack of chocolate: My "eating plan" doesn't allow for chocolate. It's seriously hurting my mood and creative juices.
- horrendous to-do list: Between cleaning my house, writing a couple of chapters, finishing some contest judging, I feel overwhelmed.
Guess which one I'm planning to fix?
The Chocolate Threesome, by Lisa Pulliam
Me: Oh Hershey, my long lost love. Where have you been?
Hershey: I've been waiting for you sweetheart. Patiently waiting your return to me, I knew it would come someday. I'm just glad you left that Atkins fellow. He just wasn't right for you.
Me: I've missed you so much, you have no idea. I've been lost without you! I need you to feel whole again.
Hershey pulls me into an embrace. I take in his scent and let myself relax. I was so relaxed I didn't hear the door open.
Nestle: How could you do this to me? How could you choose Hershey over me? He spat out the name as though it burned.
Me: Nestle, we were in a harmless embrace. Please don't be jealous. I do still love you. I pulled away from Hershey and went to Nestle.
Hershey: Wait, don't go to him. I want you. Please say you'll be mine.
I looked between Hershey and Nestle. It was the decision of my life. Who to choose?
Me: Can I have you both?
Hershey and Nestle looked at each other, then me with hunger in their eyes.
Me: This will be a night to remember.
In other news, I can't wait for fall and winter! My favorite seasons! I busted out some sweaters and sweatshirts last night. I'm going to go buy a fresh stash of Lipton hot tea and spend an evening enjoying the thunder rolling through town and the chilly weather. I love this time of year. Screw the heat. Screw the sun. I've had enough for a while.
I put my office in the garage of the place I'm living now. I figured the sub-zero temperatures and ball-freezing will encourage me to write faster so I can return to the heat of my house.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Multiple WIPs
Let me start by saying that Montana is brown. Very brown. I'm specifically speaking to the Billings area where I just spent the last almost-week. It reminded me of Reno in that you're driving along then, BAM, it dips down and there's a city.
Also, the beef is very different there from what I'm used to. It's much more condensed and has a different flavor.
On to writing things. I was reading a post by Karmela Johnson about having multiple works in progress at once. I've been thinking about that a lot lately too. Things are going good with my current WIP, but I keep getting the crap kicked out of me by the idea fairy. As of right now there's a contemporary (which I'm working on), two paranormal series (one I really, really, really feel excited about) and a contemporary YA idea that are hounding me non-stop.
I'm making notes as I think about them so when the time has come to work on the next one I'll have a place to start.
BUT (a big, hairy, but),
One of the paranormal series ideas won't leave me alone, even when I write down ideas. Writing something down just spurs more thoughts and needs for research. It's crowding me so much that I'm thinking about it more than the contemporary that I'm working on. Not good.
I can't just switch WIPs again. I won't write a bunch of unfinished books. That's the fast track to Nowheresville in the desolate Non Existant Career region, complete with a map and guided tour.
So now I'm in a bit of a pickle. I refuse to stop working on the contemporary, but I feel the need to work on the paranormal series idea before I lose all hope and inspiration.
Could it be possible to work on two books at once? I multi-task like there's no tomorrow. Most evenings I chat on messenger, watch TV, read a book and play a computer game at once. And keep my third eye on my naughty dog.
But that's not working on two books, not even close.
On the other hand, maybe it will help keep things fresh during the first draft of each. When I'm stuck on one I can turn to the other, and visa versa. Then when revision time comes I can solely focus on one. Doing a thorough polishing, go to the other and give the first time to sit. And keep going like that.
Maybe it could work and it sure as heck would boost my productivity.
What's the saying? You never know unless you try. Well, I'll give it a try. Worse case scenario: I just keep plugging away on my contemporary if it doesn't work. And that's fine with me.
Also, the beef is very different there from what I'm used to. It's much more condensed and has a different flavor.
On to writing things. I was reading a post by Karmela Johnson about having multiple works in progress at once. I've been thinking about that a lot lately too. Things are going good with my current WIP, but I keep getting the crap kicked out of me by the idea fairy. As of right now there's a contemporary (which I'm working on), two paranormal series (one I really, really, really feel excited about) and a contemporary YA idea that are hounding me non-stop.
I'm making notes as I think about them so when the time has come to work on the next one I'll have a place to start.
BUT (a big, hairy, but),
One of the paranormal series ideas won't leave me alone, even when I write down ideas. Writing something down just spurs more thoughts and needs for research. It's crowding me so much that I'm thinking about it more than the contemporary that I'm working on. Not good.
I can't just switch WIPs again. I won't write a bunch of unfinished books. That's the fast track to Nowheresville in the desolate Non Existant Career region, complete with a map and guided tour.
So now I'm in a bit of a pickle. I refuse to stop working on the contemporary, but I feel the need to work on the paranormal series idea before I lose all hope and inspiration.
Could it be possible to work on two books at once? I multi-task like there's no tomorrow. Most evenings I chat on messenger, watch TV, read a book and play a computer game at once. And keep my third eye on my naughty dog.
But that's not working on two books, not even close.
On the other hand, maybe it will help keep things fresh during the first draft of each. When I'm stuck on one I can turn to the other, and visa versa. Then when revision time comes I can solely focus on one. Doing a thorough polishing, go to the other and give the first time to sit. And keep going like that.
Maybe it could work and it sure as heck would boost my productivity.
What's the saying? You never know unless you try. Well, I'll give it a try. Worse case scenario: I just keep plugging away on my contemporary if it doesn't work. And that's fine with me.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Page 103
It's 7:59 p.m. and I'm on page 103 of Lover Awakened (thank you Salem Borders!). I am having a multitude of emotions. Part of me can't read it fast enough. I'm prepared to stay up all night to finish it, and at this rate it will probably take that long.
On the other hand I have been so excited for this book, I don't want it to be over. You can never recreate the emotions of reading a wonderful book for the first time. So I feel like I should take it slow.
Kind of like your wedding. The big day can't come fast enough, but once it's here you want to savor it.
Right now I'm leaning toward savoring. But i have to see Zsadist open up! Arrrgghhh!
Am I a fool for falling under the spell of great fiction? I leave that to you to decide.
Mrs. Ward, I bow to you. You are the master.
On the other hand I have been so excited for this book, I don't want it to be over. You can never recreate the emotions of reading a wonderful book for the first time. So I feel like I should take it slow.
Kind of like your wedding. The big day can't come fast enough, but once it's here you want to savor it.
Right now I'm leaning toward savoring. But i have to see Zsadist open up! Arrrgghhh!
Am I a fool for falling under the spell of great fiction? I leave that to you to decide.
Mrs. Ward, I bow to you. You are the master.
D-Day
UPDATE: The Border's who said the books will be in transit for another day or two were fortunately mistaken. They have them! Lots of them! Countown is three hours until I have one in my grubby hands.
It's September 5 folks. Do you know what that means? Yes, the highly anticipated and long awaited release of Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward, book three of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
Right now it's 8:30 a.m. local time. I've been at work since 7 (crazy, I know). Before I arrived at work I had visited four stores looking for the book: Wal-Mart, Rite Aid, Safeway and Hi-School Pharmacy. Roth's wasn't open yet. NONE of them had the book. Do they not care that people have lost sleep awaiting the book? That some barely slept last night because they were so excited to read about some hot Zsadist action and the taming of the beast?
No, they don't.
Buttmonkeys.
I can hear you already - "But dear, sweet, simple-minded Lisa. I'm sure that even Salem, Oregon, has a chain bookstore. Couldn't you wait through your workday and hit that this evening?"
First of all, I'm not simple-minded you baboonass (today my obsession is primates and tushes). Second, I've called the local Borders several times over the last week hoping they would put them out early or at least have them opening day. But no, the damn books are STILL in transit. Third, I want to start the book during my lunch break! Sheesh. Duh.
What does this mean for me?
A trip to Portland in my immediate future.
It's September 5 folks. Do you know what that means? Yes, the highly anticipated and long awaited release of Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward, book three of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
Right now it's 8:30 a.m. local time. I've been at work since 7 (crazy, I know). Before I arrived at work I had visited four stores looking for the book: Wal-Mart, Rite Aid, Safeway and Hi-School Pharmacy. Roth's wasn't open yet. NONE of them had the book. Do they not care that people have lost sleep awaiting the book? That some barely slept last night because they were so excited to read about some hot Zsadist action and the taming of the beast?
No, they don't.
Buttmonkeys.
I can hear you already - "But dear, sweet, simple-minded Lisa. I'm sure that even Salem, Oregon, has a chain bookstore. Couldn't you wait through your workday and hit that this evening?"
First of all, I'm not simple-minded you baboonass (today my obsession is primates and tushes). Second, I've called the local Borders several times over the last week hoping they would put them out early or at least have them opening day. But no, the damn books are STILL in transit. Third, I want to start the book during my lunch break! Sheesh. Duh.
What does this mean for me?
A trip to Portland in my immediate future.
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