Research! Because someone must...go to France!

From collection at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX

I am planning a new book. And the research delights me.
I've done all the "book learning" about it and sat in far too many dusty libraries. At Walter Reed Army Medical Center. At the National Archives in Washington. At Carlysle Barracks in Carlysle, PA. I've also   gone to The Imperial War Museum in London and gathered invaluable experience.
In all these wonderful places, I've read letters and reports. I've looked at old old photos. Catalogued them.
Learned about medical practices during wartime.
And now I am prepping for my last bit of research.
A FIELD TRIP!
To France!
So excited I cannot stand myself.
But yes, I am going to France for 3 weeks to take pictures, visit battlefields and learn the terrain. Literally.
I have lists, cross referenced with facts, ready to be woven into an accurately portrayed novel.
In the 1980s, I wrote this book and allllllllmost published it. Made a lot of people happy, astonished and interested.  So much so that these people remember this book VIVIDLY.
Now, after more than sixty published novels and novellas, I am a much better writer and this time, when I finish this book, I know there will be an audience for it.
"War Horse" tells me so. "Downton Abbey" does, too. I am certain there will be more pointing to the fact that the public will now see the first World War as a subject that bears honest scrutiny and that it should be studied for what it tells us about ourselves, good and bad.
And what of my novel?
The time period? 1917-1918.
The place? America and in France with the AEF, American Expeditionary Forces.
The subject my friends cannot forget? A woman's view of World War I.

What reading fiction has done for my life and my profession

As I gaze at my TBR pile, both on my reading table and in my electronic queue, I ponder what reading fiction has done for me--and as they say in the mystery world, whodunit.

I have a list.

Bet you do, too.

Here, for your dancing pleasure, is mine. Not that it is complete for my part. Not that it is comprehensive for your part, but then this space is limited and you do not wish me to be a gas bag!

Here we go.

1. Fiction has taught me, from an early age, too, that life is complex. Humans are intricate creatures full of inexplicable emotions and motivations.

I use this sense of wonder to build characters I can believe in.

I learned this while reading Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and the Brontes. Jane Eyre got her backbone in the most time-honored way: she damn well earned it by sticking up for herself and not simply--simperingly--enduring!

2. Most humans have elements of the heroic in them. Even the villians. Especially them. After all, said an editor of mine once long ago, villains are the heroes of their own stories. Look at Sherlocke Holmes, very complex creature. Dracula. Phillipa Gregory's "heroine" of Wildacre. (Chills me, still.) I try to find the emotional reason and the logical reason to my characters' motivations. Especially those in my mystery series (under another name, dear reader). Picking out those finite bits of their operating structure is the most difficult thing I have to do. And I love it, I do. I confess.

3. I learned that history is an assembly of facts about how people lived their lives. Such reading has taught me to be in awe of them that they survived, and to value my own life. Plumbing. Gasoline in autos. Electricity. Air travel (really!). Newspapers, paper types and on-line. But more than feeling the history in fictional accounts, I have learned to appreciate the accurate depiction of facts. About then. And most especially about happenings now.

Thanks to reading history in fiction, I have come to value fact more than opinion. Where the fact is stated baldly, I thank people for the information. Where it comes with opinion attached, I take that with my grain of salt...and usually, like Julia Child sensing too much for the palate, I throw it over my shoulder.

4. Reading fiction has inspired me to revisit the history of the civil rights movement (The Help by Karen Stockett), to want to return to Japan where we once lived for a few glorious years (The Tale of Genji), to re-read about nurses in World War I in Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. Reading fiction has also taught me a whole lot about forensics, how to kill people--all totally useful info if I wish to spend my life in jail OR writing mysteries. (I like the latter.)

5. I find too that all those years I went to the library, took my children there as well as to the bookstores, that they are now involved in writing in one form or another. Our daughter, who loves to read any ANY ANY fictional account of Anne Boleyn and Henry, now writes for a famous CEO. Our second son, aside from the day job, writes and produces his own films. (I am writing a script with him, too! MY first film script. urgle.) Our oldest son, who accidentally passed away over a year ago, was a published poet. This last of having literate, articulate children tickles me like none of the above even begin to.

Okay! Enuf said the walrus!

What has reading fiction done for you????

We need to know so that we can feel satisfied and damn pleased with ourselves for seeing what really matters here.

(And yes, that book cover is my latest. A Regency period erotic romance. It is not only what I do, but clearly who I am!)

Why I love writing "THE END"

I just wrote the last words on Feiral WIP that I'm thinking of titling Desperate Measures simply because the situation that leads the heroine to the hero is one of those times that call for that. Naming that thing is giving me more trouble. Sigh.

Now back to the original reason for this post the reasons why I love finishing my latest WIP and I'd like to know if any of you have any other reasons.

1. I finished the story. My hero and heroine are finally together and they've grabbed their happily ever after. Woohoo!

2. I finished the story. I know I put this twice, but sometimes--like this time--getting to the end is a reason to celebrate in and of itself. Over a week ago, I'd thought I had a scene and a half to finish. I thought okay a few days at most and I'll be done. That grew to over two chapters and four scenes.

3. I can start another book. I love beginning work on another book, getting into the characters to find out what they like and what they don't and getting into their world.

4. I even love going back to revise and rewrite in my own personal edits. I get to revisit my friends and make their story as tight as possible before I send them to my editor.

5. I finally know how they came together, fell in love and surmounted the obstacles they faced. Sure, I had an idea at the beginning of the story, but I'm not a plotter so through the characters twists and turns what I first envisioned usually isn't the end result.

Have an absolutely fabulous day,

Rebecca

Kickstarting a stalled story

I've recently had two WIP simply stall. Staring at the page, I couldn't even get a single new sentence on the page. Not a word would come on either of them. The characters in both of these stories really appeal to me and I can't wait to learn more about what's going to happen, but I haven't been able to write on those stories for two weeks. It's been driving me nuts. Luckily, it's not a full case of the dreaded WRITER'S BLOCK. I have been making good progress on another WIP in the meantime, but not being able to work on those two has been driving me nuts. There was something about the two stories that just stopped me cold whenever I opened up the files.

I tried everything I knew to jumpstart the story. I did a character interview, journaled and tried switching the POV of the scene I was writing. I even plotted out what should be happening in the chapter. Nothing worked, not even the walk away from it and leave it alone for a few days approach. That usually has the characters more than ready to talk. I just couldn't move the story forward. So I went back and reread. (I've been trying not to do this so much before I've finished because rereading sometimes leads to revising for me.)

Doing that, I finally figured out what had gone wrong and my subconscious was trying to tell me. (I just wish it would have told me without all of the frustration involved.) I'd pushed the story in a direction that didn't fit the characters or plot. One of them I had to take out a couple of chapters but I'm back to writing and I'm not frustrated. Do you have any interesting techniques for kicking your characters in the butt to get them moving again? I'd like to know because they might come in useful next time.

Oh and by the way, look for Primal Encounter coming October 28!

Can Business Be Pleasure?

Business Vs Pleasure. This is an argument I often have with myself. Writing for me has always been about pleasure. I create stories that I love (most of the time) and I do so because I enjoy the writing process. It's creative, it's therapeutic, it has absolutely nothing to do with the mundanities of real life. It's an escape for me, it's my place.

But recently an author friend of mine decided to quit the day job and focus on her writing as a full-time career. A big step, a huge change and a major risk in terms of financial stability. She told me she felt it was time to start treating writing as a business. She wants her passion to become her career and she believes that if she works hard, she'll get there.

This got me thinking about my own life and the way I treat my craft. My attitude towards writing has always been pretty relaxed. Sure, I meet my deadlines, I send my contracts in on times, I'm professional, but I don't worry about writing and I don't depend on it for my income. But what if I changed my attitude? What if I made some rules for myself, schedules that have to be followed? What if I went business-mode on my writing career? I'd be much more productive and I'd probably earn a decent amount of money. But would I lose the heart of my writing? Would it become the stress of my life?

For any writers out there, how do you manage your writing? Is it a hobby or is it your bread and butter? Or have you found a happy balance between the two?

Please share, I'd love to get another perspective on this :)



Ava

Available Now from Ellora's Cave - Cyr's Revenge
Available Now from Liquid Silver- His Lying Eyes
Available Now from Loose Id - Beauty and the Beasts

http://www.avarosejohnson.literalseduction.com/

The Beginning

There are quite a few things in this world that can really make me sweat with nerves. Public speaking is one of them. And shopping when I'm having a "fat" day. Oh, and let's not forget visits to the gynaecologist. Eek! But the one thing that can really turn me into a trembling, itching wreck is the beginning--starting the WIP.

Here's how it goes for me: An idea for a new book usually starts to swirl around my mind as I come to the end of the book I'm working on. The new idea continues to grow and characters bloom in my head, desperate to be put down on paper, to be brought to life. I let the idea sit until I've edited my current WIP and sent it to my editor. Once my time is free to start working on a new book, I open a blank document, name it something random (titles don't come to me till the very end) and then I sit in front of my computer and start to feel sick.

I shut down my computer and go for a walk. And then I head back into my office and stare mindlessly at the black computer screen. My palms start to sweat. An itch crawls over my skin. My head starts to spin. What if it doesn't work out? What if the new book will suck? What if I'll end up hating my characters? What if I spend 6 months writing the darn thing and no editor wants it????

It's a scary place. The new WIP intimidates me more than any school teacher ever did. I get a glass of water and force myself to sit down at my desk. With a shaking finger, I turn the computer on. And then I open the document. I draw in a deep breath and write 1 word. And a 2nd. Soon I've written an entire sentence. I begin to believe in myself again, I can do this! By bedtime, I've written my quota for the day. I know my characters. I like them. And I know their story. The world starts to feel like a safe place again. And when I get up the next morning, sitting down at the computer isn't as difficult as it was yesterday. I've beaten the fear and it feels good!

As I write this post, I have a blank document open beside it. The new WIP is in my head, I just need to get it written. The dread is twisting my stomach but I know I'll get through it. Just need to write the first word and I'll be okay.

If I could just think of what the first word will be...


Wish me luck guys! And I hope you all have a much easier writing time today.


Ava

Coming Soon from Ellora's Cave - Cyr's Revenge
Available Now from Liquid Silver- His Lying Eyes
Available Now from Loose Id - Beauty and the Beasts

www.avarosejohnson.com

First blog

I'm honored to join this group as the Tuesday blogger....With such distinguished writers on the panel I'd better darned well keep up to snuff...A little about what kind of books I write. I've written eight books on Druids and the last one, Druid in Flight,was released in January. Of course if anybody coaxed me I would always add another one. Right now I'm caught up in doing final edits for the first in my new series about mages. Few people know the word, so I'll mention Merlin was a mage. Think someone with Merlin's abilities to change shape, transport himself, read minds, etc. My hero Damien uses his abilities sparingly, and wants to win his love without using them at all. He wants her body, soul, and mind, but only as himself. But he might have all his powers to use them to save Toria.

I love the concept of a hero who is strong enough to want to use his normal powers to get the girl. Kinda the strong but silent type. How tempting can it be when he knows he has only to invade her mind to get her to consent to sex with him. Then he'd have her hooked for sure. As it is, his restraint is honorable, but hard to get around. The book is called Damien's Destiny and will be out in June. Second book, Gareth's Gambit, has been accepted and I'm well into the third one.

I'd love to know how readers react to a series. Do you prefer a series where you can follow characters in the family, or do you like your heroes one at a time? I've generally fallen in love with my hero and don't want to let him go, but what do readers want? Please comment and let me know.

And how about e-book readers? So many questions I'd like to ask you all. I just read an article about a new reader coming in about a year that is the size of a legal pad, very thin and feels about the weight of a New Yorker magazine. Supposedly it's so much better it will knock others out of the market. It was at a recent Consumer's Electric show. That sounds promising, as there have been several articles lately on the e-book revolution...

Writers, Writing and Going to a Covention

Every business seems to have a convention or two that the worker wants to attend. At conventions, workers can socialize and can learn about their craft.
It is no different with writers.
This year on April 16 thousands of writers will gather together for the Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention.

Writing is a solitary business. No one can come to the author and simply shake hands and the book is written. An author sits at a desk, behind a computer, or a pad of paper, and types or writes ideas in a concise, entertaining way that is readable and hopefully marketable.

The idea comes from the author's mind, his or her experiences, imagination, and lots of dictionary use and knowledge of grammar.

The dictionary use and the knowledge of grammar comes from regular schooling.

However the readability, the entertainment value, also the trends of what you the readers want can change from year to year and are somethings the writer needs to be aware of and needs to learn.

College classes, books, Internet classes, etc. are all things writers can use to learn their craft. They are all things that take a lot of time away from writing as well.

A Convention, however, offers the writer a chance to learn from other writers who have made a success of writing and have learned from experience in a compressed time frame of a few days.

Here is a very small sampling of the types of classes writers can attend at a convention.

• Setting the Western Straight
• Book in Three Minutes
• Googling VS I Do What My Rice Krispies Tell Me
• Bad Pirates Get All the Booty

Of course a prerequisite of any convention is a time to socialize, to party, and to simply have fun.

So to all the authors on their way to Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention:

Have Fun and return with lots of great ideas.

The sample list of the classes available at the convention was copied from the Romantic Times Website. If the class listings are protected, please email me at disonij@aol.com and I will remove the list. Google and Rice Krispies are protected by trademarks.

Strong Characters and Their Authors

Writers. If we were not writing we may be called schizophrenic.

Writers, Authors of fiction, are continuously assaulted, approached, and visited by people from other times, other places, other worlds.

Take my friend Kelly for example. http://www.kkirch.blogspot.com/ She had a character - a potential character - called Seth visit her. He simply intruded. He made a pass at her and demanded that she put aside her other work and write his story.

My character Morgan Taj Zephyrain demanded that she be allowed to teach him a lesson. Well, I interpreted it she wanted to interview him. She has a mind of her own as well.

As I write this she is inviting him to a brawl.

So, as this interview went on - the author pulled the plug. Or maybe Seth did. He wants his own story, not a fight with some amazon woman.

So, my point? I read the definition of a writer once. It was this --

Someone who has voices constantly going in their heads. Someone who lives in this world but resides in hundreds maybe thousands of others. Someone who may be confused by trying to find the car keys, but who can carry tons of information and several conversations in their heads at a time. And to quote Amarinda Jones:

"Writers are scary arsed people. If they are sitting at a computer with a glazed look in their eyes, with half open junk food packets and smudged specs perched on their nose, back away slowly."AMARINDA JONEShttp://www.amarindajones.blogspot.com/

Home Stretch

One of the things I find happening to me as I work on a book is that the closer I get to the end of the story, the slower I write.

Is it because I have to be deliberate in how all the pieces come together and are resolved? Is it because that initial rush of creative adrenalin has run out? Or is it just story fatigue? Maybe a combination of all of these and more.

Today is a Goddess Free-for-All on the blog, so I'd love to see what the other Goddesses think, how the speed or intensity of their writing changes (or doesn't) as they work on a book, and how they keep their momentum up.

And readers, please weigh in with your own thoughts. How to you manage whatever big projects you take on, whether you're a writer as well, or are renovating your house, or working on the Big New Initiative at work.

Ready. Set. Comment!

What's Next?

I've come to a point in my current work-in-progress where I have no idea what happens next. I need to somehow connect two major events--one just written, the other happening in a couple days of story-time--without completely boring the heck out of my readers by getting bogged down in details. These are some of the questions writers have to ask themselves all the time: What's important here? What's going to propel the story forward? What needs to happen, and what can't happen yet? What's most natural for my characters to do at this moment?

One writer, whose name I forget, gave the following solution to writer's block: "Send in a man with a gun." While I can't do that literally, I can still follow the underlying advice: make something unexpected happen--something to make the characters (and readers) jump. I don't think it will be quite as drastic as a man with a gun, however.

I'll let you know if I come up with something.

The Writing Life

As others have pointed out on this blog, writers have some pretty unique aspects to our lives. How many "normal" people completely lose track of the seasons, for example?

I don't know if this happens to others, but I can get so involved in what I'm writing--describing a snowstorm, for example--that when I finally look up from my work, I'm surprised to see that the "real" world doesn't match the world I've been living in. Instead of a foot and a half of snow on the ground, the May sun is shining, trees are blooming, and the un-air conditioned room is over-warm. A villain is not bearing down on my house. And the hero is not in the upstairs bedroom about to burst into fevered ramblings resulting from the injuries he sustained in the last confrontation with the bad guy.

It takes some time to pull myself out of "story world," as I call it, and into this world. Sometimes I don't want to come back.