Reading report

July 17, 2007 Uncategorized

Yesterday I took a day off, and finished reading Tami Hoag’s Dark Horse she’s an amazing talent. Great plotting combined with great characterization and lovely writing. Highly recommended to those who enjoy nail-biting suspense.

Ms.Hoag is one of those authors who is still improving, based on my limited sampling of her titles. The first book of hers I read was Kill The Messenger even more powerful than Dark Horse or Ashes to Ashes – IMHO. The three titles mentioned include romance as a minor subplot, if at all.

Writing life

July 16, 2007 Uncategorized

Like every other newbie writer, I’m trying to figure out promotion. What works, what’s worth my time and money …. Dunno.

Conventional wisdom says I must at least have bookmarks. Hmmm, okay I’m new and I’m sometimes absolutely thick but what the heck am I gonna do with bookmarks? Aside from admiring them, paying for them, and finding a place for the box that holds them?

Hello, e-published book relates to paper bookmark–how?

Now here’s something I think would be truly worthwhile–an e-book mark. Ideally a small program that I can give to readers that works with either PDF or HTM or Doc (pick your format) files and holds the reader’s place. Graphics,tag lines, and URLs when you move it or roll over it. When not in use it would stay on screen off to the side of the virtual page. Click and drag of course.

This opportunity free to any ambitious programmers out there. Though, it would be nice if you gave me free lifetime bookmarks …. Seriously there’s an unmet need for virtual bookmarks – I read e-books and I have to write the page number I left off at on a sticky note. Gotta be a better way.

Publication Quest

July 15, 2007 Uncategorized

Word count on the current story went backwards (down from 64k to 62k), darn! I knew it would happen. As I work with the previously written story–cutting and writing fresh parts–the cutting goes much faster than the writing. The story people are reshaping in my head and more slowly on the screen as I struggle for the right words to convey their characters. One of the tools that helps with this process are pictures of the characters.

Another good tool for me is understanding the mythical aspects of the romance and why these stories are so endlessly appealing. Real life is filled with frustrations and stories that don’t end well. Justice is not always served, bad things do happen to good people. All genre fiction offers an escape into a story world that makes more sense the real life. It also affirms our core values.

Readers are intelligent–they know the difference between a story and real life. They are not shirking responsibility by reading a romance any more than the baseball fan is blowing off the real world to watch a game of subtle strategy and obscure rules (or so they seems to me). It’s simply a way to take a break and refresh the spirit via entertainment.

Current year’s goals updated

1) Continue to study and learn the craft of writing.

2) Three submissions – done – follow up with a sequels* to each– two sequels in progress!

3) In roads into the TBR shelves

Progress report

1) Reading craft stuff — character related

Six submissions sent! Two novels, one novella x two, and one short x two

Status: One sale – two rejections – three waiting to hear from the publishers

Timeline:

Number one: resting (revisions next year?)

Number two: Sold! Tasteful acquiring editor explained it will be months before an editor is assigned to work with me … actual release date? Some time next year is my best guess.

Number three: Resubmitted–new estimated response time–six to eight weeks

Number four: Resubmitted – new estimated response time – one month three weeks–eleven months three weeks **

TBR stack is even (as long as I don’t count the virtual shelf) – reading two books (one print, one virtual – very slowly)

*Yes, I do admit this is an insane plan, but I need to stay busy. If I have idle time I become even more neurotic and imagine unpleasant things. Far better to put my twisted mind to work developing more dangerously sexy stories.

** Tasteful review editor wrote that she liked it and moved it on to acquiring editor’s inbox. Sadly, acquiring editor’s inbox is overflowing

Writing craft

July 11, 2007 Uncategorized

The story I’m working on at the moment is mostly written, alas not all of the words are the right words. I’m struggling to wrap my head around what needs changed. The hero is wrong in almost every appearance. The heroine needs fine tuning. Setting needs to be strengthened. The plot requires changes.

When I think about how to accomplishing these revisions, I considered making multiple passes fixing each thread, and then weaving those all together in a final polishing pass. Not to be confused with the final editing pass. I may still do it that way. But first I need to print it out even with all it’s mismatched bits and gaping plot holes. I need to work on paper. Especially when revising.

Thankfully, paper is a renewable resource.

Reading and writing

July 10, 2007 Uncategorized

I’ve been nibbling away at Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women. Sadly, I had to set down the fiction books. They’re good. Too good, I find their stories coming alive in mind and my little brain can only handle one story at a time. It needs to be the one I’m writing.

The hero in my current story is unhappy – nothing wrong with a moody, wounded hero. But this one is irritatingly unhappy. Then late last night his primary defect popped into my head. When I first started this particular book, I was trying to write a more modern, politically correct kind of hero. The kind of guy we want in real life–sensitive, considerate, nice sense of humor, supportive. Great–boyfriend material but not my idea of romantic hero.

I know the Beta boys and Gamma guys have their fans. But the only fantasy I can write well is one I believe in and it has nothing to do with real life. The hero is an Alpha, arrogant, smart, strong, and unreasonable. Frequently, he comes moody, hot-tempered, or down right mean. Of course he has a heart of pure gold buried under all that surly rippling maleness, but unlocking that heart requires a woman of great honor and courage. Since the current heroine is a warrior princess in her own right, she needs an even stronger hero. Not a sensitive soul–best friend kind of guy.

Back to making my namby-pamby dude into an irresistible man.

Writing life

July 9, 2007 Uncategorized

Back to the good stuff! As everyone else runs off to the Romance Writers of American conference, I work away on re-plotting, revising, and reformatting an earlier story.

Not for the first time, I wish I was smart enough to write the perfect words the first time. Not happening. For now I have to content myself with writing less of a disastrous first draft or second, or…

BTW the amazing progress on the top word meter is due for set back soon. True all of those words are written, but I know for a fact many of them are the wrong words. Which means either very slow forward progress or big whacks backwards…

Publication Quest

July 8, 2007 Uncategorized

Big week in the virtual mail box–two letters from tasteful editors!

From the lovely New Concepts Editor, gracious answers to nervous newbie questions. Basically saying we’re busy, we’ll let you know about revisions when an editor is assigned to your book. Meanwhile she sent me a style sheet and formatting samples which kept me busy making my document conform. The author liasion is very nice. He not only answers questions, but volunteers helpful information.

From the discriminating Ellora’s Cave editor a cheering note to let me know she enjoyed my pirate novella and has passed it on to acquiring editor. Woo hoo! She included a warning that they are very busy. It could be a long wait.

Despite having two word meters up, I’m not really writing two books at once. Just coordinating some key points in the continuity. Book two should be done by mid-August then a break for another short story before polishing book two and submitting mid-September. Then who knows perhaps another pirate story before wrapping my head around the final dangerous book.

Current year’s goals updated

1) Continue to study and learn the craft of writing.

2) Three submissions – done – follow up with a sequels* to each– two sequels in progress!

3) In roads into the TBR shelves

Progress report

1) Reading craft stuff –

Six submissions sent! Two novels, one novella x two, and one short x two

Status: One sale – two rejections – two waiting to hear from the publishers **

Timeline:

Number Two: Sold!

Number three: Resubmitted–new estimated response time–seven to nine weeks

Number four: Resubmitted – new estimated response time – two –twelve months

TBR stack is down (as long as I don’t count the virtual shelf) – reading three books (two print, one virtual)

*Yes, I do admit this is an insane plan, but I need to stay busy. If I have idle time I become even more neurotic and imagine unpleasant things. Far better to put my twisted mind to work developing more dangerously sexy stories.

** Tasteful review editor wrote that she liked it and moved it on to acquiring editor’s inbox. Sadly, acquiring editor’s inbox is overflowing – estimated response two–twelve months.

Writing life

July 7, 2007 Uncategorized

So here I am writing away on my new Dangerous story. When a couple of things rattle around in my head and I realize the ending is wrong. Why is my lovely, already envisioned, ending wrong? Because I’m writing book three of the trilogy. The plotted final chapter belongs to book two but the rest of this story needs to be the final book.

Whenever I create a story and populate it with people, the deeper I get into the story world the more real everything becomes, at least in my own rather overtaxed brain. More depth of character means more backstory for me. Most of this never makes it on to the finished page. All this lovely detail is filed away and pretty soon one story becomes a series.

So far, I’ve only written two stand alone stories and one of those could easily become book two in series. The other is a true stand alone. I’m sure with a little thought it too could bloom into one of group. Why? I have no idea. It is simply the way my head works. My favorites have always been series both as a reader and as a writer. One book is never enough for characters and a story world I adore.

Writing craft

July 5, 2007 Uncategorized

In between writing, reading, and real life, I continue to squeeze studying craft. Because I want to tell an even better story. Because there is so much to learn. Because so many writers share their hard-won wisdom.

Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women is a compilation of essays put together by Jayne Ann Krentz. I checked it out from the library twice before I broke down and bought a copy of my own. But it is a book I need to read and re-read. It is dense with information and rich with with the secrets of the romance sisterhood.

Perhaps it is because I discovered the romance genre late, or maybe it’s that I’m simply not very romantic, but the fact is the romance part doesn’t come easy to me. Worse, some times it is very hard for me to understand the appeal of popular stories. This is not a good thing when I want a career writing romance.

Most of the women who write romance, edit romance, and publish romance have not struggled with their relationship with the genre. Or if they have they’ve wisely kept this ambivalence to themselves. For those who want or need to learn more about the timeless appeal of romance novels. This volume offers many answers.

Reading report

July 3, 2007 Uncategorized

I’m reading two books again …, yes, and it gets worse. Yesterday one of the books called to me and I weakened. Great for the author–bad for me. I’m comforting myself for the lack of discipline with the thought I’m learning from a master. Justification is a great thing – kind of like motivation for characters. If I really work on it I can absolve my self from just about anything.

The book did not pull me in from page one, but it led me gently into the story world effectively enough so I kept reading–pleased with my choice. A character based story conflict (my favorite kind), likable characters, a story world that is exotic to me (Virginia fox hunting estates), and, of course, lovely writing. Even with all these elements going for Fox River, I found it easy to resist reading until my words were done, making the book suitable as a nightly reward.

However, as the story went on my investment in the characters increased making it more and more difficult to put down. Will I read Ms.Richards again? Certainly. But I will save her next title for a reward read. One I open only when the current project is completed.