Want to be an author?

"Stay loose and watch snails." I saw this on a poster in a friend's bathroom and thought it funny. However, that is not my topic for to-day. As many of you know, my husband passed away on December 4, 2008. Before he died and since, I had lost my creative muse. A friend gave me "A Creative Writer's Kit by Judy Reeves," and it jolted me into wanting to write again.

For every day of the year, the Kit poses a question or a comment and I write a page starting with the comment. For instance, to-day, June 30. "Long afterward, I came upon it again ..."

Here's what I began to write. "The copy of the letter I wrote to Maurice disappeared so long ago I had forgotten about it..." I wrote a whole page and my final sentence is - "Maurice is now a famous politician, the story of our affair and the child he fathered might ruin him."

Not exactly brilliant but there's a story possibility. I'm surprised at how quickly I can spin a little tale from a short comment.

On June 28, "Write about small change." This is how I began. "Small Change is my best friend's puppy. Actually, he is three years old now but still looks like a white ball of fur..."

Goddesses, here is the comment for July 1. "The possibilities are endless ..."

If you have time and the inclination, I'll like to read how you'd begin. I'll be writing my comment tomorrow morning and will share it with you if the July 1st Goddess doesn't mind me invading her space. Or, I can wait until it's my turn as Goddess-of-the day on July 15.

However, if you'd rather watch snails and ponder the meaning of life, go for it.

Anita
www.anitabirt.com

Where Are You Going?

I've been writing seriously for four years, though the first year doesn't really count since that's when I pounded out thousands of words of crud. But that's a blog for another day.

Anyway, I just signed my 8th contract. Yeah, I'm very proud of myself (but this blog isn't about that either). I've written one series and have just started a second. All my books, save for one, are suspense. One of them (still uncontracted) is a complex romantic suspense with a stalker and FBI agents and a couple of dead bodies. I like complicated plots with twists and turns. Anyway, I did all those stories by the seat of my pants. Ya know, starting with the "what if" question and letting the story unfold organically from there. I didn't know there was another way because I'd only been on the reading side of novels.

Then I started meeting other writers and learning the basics of the craft. Words that become second nature to writers. Words like goals and motivation, internal and external conflict, hero journeys, black moments and character arcs and backstory. Huh? What do you mean it's boring for the reader if I tell the whole childhood history of my heroine in the first 18 pages? But she's so scarred and flawed ... everything else will make so much sense if you know that her Aunt Betty was actually a man in WWII with a penchant for wearing lady's underwear.

Back when I first made the decision to become an author, I was blissfully unaware of any rules in writing. I was happy just sitting at the computer letting my characters stumble into life-threatening situations, argue, kiss and eventually fall into bed (actually, the falling into bed part seemed to come waaaay to easily to me *wink* anywho...). I was naively typing away letting my characters roam through my stories until something really bad happened which often times included killing the bad guy and then riding off into the proverbial sunset.

But I've grown. I've matured. I've learned that other writers actually plot out their stories ... ya know ... like an outline for a research paper. Oh, I was a scientist in my former life, I've done a lot of research papers. I could do that. As a matter of fact, I thought I might actually thrive plotting a book.

So I signed up for the best plotting class I could find. These instructors were writing pros, presenting the plotting process one step at a time. I'm a good student ... I have always done all my homework ... and I dutifully kept up with the class assignments. We had to describe our hero, heroine and villain, if we had one (ha, mine was eeeevvvil) ... no problem. Then we had to talk a little bit about their childhood, their fears, their dislikes and goals. Okay, I was shaking a little bit ... I'd never really "met" my characters in any of my books until I threw them into some nasty situation. But that's okay ... I pushed through. I tried to discover who they were and what they wanted before writing chapter one.

Then, I had to write ALL their conflicts, internal and external along with the journey I was going to take them on during this story. WHAT? Like I had to know before actually writing the scene at the warehouse what the heroine was going to do with the antique glass vase when she got to the lake? I was breathing in paper bags and bathing in calamine lotion to control my breathing and the hives breaking out on my skin.

When the instructors (all smiles and sweetness) nicely sent out spreadsheets so we could outline our chapters ... well, that was my undoing! How the heck could I tell you what was going to happen in chapter 20 when I didn't even know if my heroine would still be alive past chapter 15? Heck I didn't even know if the story was going to be longer than chapter 10!

I COULDN'T DO IT!

Sorry. *deep calming breaths ... in through the nose out through the mouth* It's still a bit overwhelming when I think about it. But I'll recover. I've set aside all their pretty charts and excel spreadsheets. I gave it a shot, more than one, but my poor muse has an apoplectic fit every time I pull them out. It's just not worth the pitchers of margaritas and soothing music it takes to pull her off the ceiling.

So I'm going to admit it now. Hi, my name is Nina ... I'm a pantser. I've tried plotting because so many writers look so happy with all that information spread out in front of them. Smiling as they happily take their characters on the journey they've taken weeks sometimes months to discover. I can't do it! I just can't ... please don't make me. It's just not in my wiring. I'll happily write my next book having no clue where I'm going or what terrible thing lies around the next corner, but knowing I'll be happy as I travel through the story and even happier when I arrive at the end.

Oh, and while I'm at it ... should I admit I write with absolute silence? Yeeeaaahhh, probably not. That'll definitely make you think I'm totally off my rocker.

Romance Writers for Change-Please Read

Is there anyone who is e-puiblished who isn;t aware of the struggle to gain recongition and legitimacy with RWA? To have a level playing field with the older established print only puiblishers? Today I'm going to tell you about a very large group of authors who have formed together to effect change that will, hopefully, correct some of the inequities. The group is called Romance Writers for Change and is open to any author, published or not. Over the opast several days a great deal of hard work has been done to craft a mission statement and a ressolution to present at the Annual General Meeting in RWA Nationals. There are several authors who have stepped up to run for office. Several people will be carrying proxies to the meeting with them. Here's what's been produced so far:
1. Name - Romance Writers for Change
2. Mission Statement
Romance Writers for Change was formed to help educate and create awareness about digital publishing for all RWA members. We fully support and believe in the RWA organization, and hope to partner with it in a positive, constructive way. To that end, Romance Writers for Change members support the following statements:
RWA members should be offered educational opportunities regarding all aspects of digital publishing and rights exploration/protection.
The creation of a new Digital Liaison seat on the RWA Board of Directors is in the best interest of all RWA members.
RWA’s Publisher Standards should incorporate publisher criteria that recognize digital and small press publishing as legitimate and valid models.
RWA’s Published Author standards should be revised according to a set of criteria that recognizes the specific digital publishing business model.
All romance publications published by a royalty-paying, non-vanity/non-subsidy publisher should be eligible for the RITA, provided the submission meets minimum industry-standardized format requirements. Format requirements should be based on neutral criteria that endorse readability and ease of judging, and should not be based on the method of production or distribution.
*****
PROPOSED RESOLUTION

ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA, INCORPORATED

Resolution # _______________________

WHEREAS, the purpose of Romance Writers of America, Incorporated, is to advance the professional interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy,

WHEREAS, the current Bylaws and Policy and Procedures Manual of RWA® do not advance the professional interests of all career-focused romance writers, it is

RESOLVED, that the RWA® shall recognize that romance writers can be career-focused if they have (1) contracted with a publisher that pays an advance, or (2) contracted with a legitimate small press or electronic publisher that pays consistent and accurate royalties at a designated rate as defined by contract.

In accord with this, it is FURTHER

RESOLVED, that RWA® should amend its Bylaws and its Policies and Procedures. As soon as practicable, RWA should (1) provide official recognition to legitimate small press and electronic publishers who publish romance; (2) allow all e-published romance works to be entered into the RITA® under clear, accessible rules; and (3) reevaluate the standards for determining whether an author is published.

Dated this ____ day of ______________________.

MOTION CARRIED:

A True Record Attest:

ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA, INCORPORATED


By _________________________________________

Secretary
Romance Writers of America Incorporated


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Submitted by: _________________________________________________________

Approved as to Form by: _________________________________________________

Passed on _____________________________________________________________

The group can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RWAchange/

There is a high volume of email so you may want to join and specify Digest or Special Notice, but that still gives you the opportunity to read through the emails and the information in the files section. This is our best shot yet to create equality fioer epublishers and small presses, so I urge you to take a moment and check us out.

Mystic's Call...the end to the Island Guardians...

It is so hard to say goodbye to friends, but that is essentially what we do both as authors and as readers when we finish a book. Perhaps that is why so many of mine turn into series. I don't like good byes. But all good things must eventually come to an end. And with Mystic's Call it is time to say goodbye to the Island Guardians. I hope you enjoyed reading the series as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for exploring their small world with me.

Imprint: Ellora’s Cave

Title: Mystic’s Call by Lacey Thorn

Release: 06/19/09

Genre: Futuristic/Sci Fi

Line/icons: Aeon/ménage

ISBN: 9781419923296

Price: $4.45

Mystic’s Call by Lacey Thorn

Book 5 in the Island Guardians Series.

As the Aisle of Altair prepares for its final battle the Mystic is awakened with the knowledge of the ancients and more power than one person should hold. She is not afraid of her destiny…especially when it includes the three sexy warriors that are her intended mates. At seven feet with black hair and aqua blue eyes they are pure fantasy…and now her reality.
Bram, Finn and Tanner Verbani are the sons of Princess Asme. Save the island? You bet they will. But first they must claim the woman that ignites the fires of passion in them all. The Mystic. The golden blonde beauty with a body made for loving. And they plan to love it over and over again.


Excerpt...

Mystic’s Call
By Lacey Thorn


But none of those were the reason that he was here. No, his was a far different mission and why he had chosen to go from village to village. His mother, Princess Asme, the great island Mahiki, or blood princess, had informed him that it was his duty to pave the way for the others. For here, in this village of guardians he would find the Mystic, awakened and, if his mother was to be believed, awaiting his arrival.
According to his mother’s words he would recognize her by the eyes. They would be the same aqua blue as the royal family, the direct descendents of the Goddess of Altair. He felt both a sense of pride and fear at being chosen as the first of the three men who were to be her mates to meet her. His mother had been adamant that as the first born he was to meet her and woo her first, fiercely adamant. He couldn’t help but wonder if it had to do with more than just he and his brothers.
He was only moments older anyway. He and his brothers Finn and Tanner were as close as triplets could be. They all had the same short black hair, much shorter than most warriors and the aqua blue eyes of the royal family. They each stood at seven feet tall, tall even for a warrior. But then they were built like their fathers were. Bram hoped that his brothers were fairing well. With their connection, he felt sure that he would know if anything was off.
But now he had to focus on the here and now. He had to locate the Mystic. She would have awakened by now. He had felt the stir in the air as his brothers and the Guardians would have too. She was here and she was aware, and soon she would find herself in the arms of one of her three mates. Bram was more than anxious to see what the goddess had in store for him.
He made his way into the village hoping to spot one of the men he knew. Arik Savari, Alexi Donan, and the Mederra brothers Drago and Ulrik. They would have all made it here ahead of him. He was confident that he would find a place of welcome with one of them. Of course as the son of the Prince any of the warriors would accept him into their home and feel lucky to have him. And as the son of the Island Mahiki, Princess Asme, the women would feel just as blessed to have him in their homes. But sometimes a man wanted to be among someone that he might be able to consider a friend.
He was lost in thought, walking on the outskirts but not yet into the village when he became aware of the woman. She was gorgeous. She had golden blonde hair that feel in a braid down below her waist and when she turned and smiled at him his heart caught at the site of the aqua blue of her eyes. She smiled motioned her finger for him to follow and disappeared into the trees.
She was indeed a great gift from the goddess and he counted himself blessed that he was to be the first of Verbani warriors to claim her. For he had no doubt that in the next few moments he would claim her.

Here is your chance to find out how it all ends. And if you missed any of the beginning it is never to late to start a new series.

Island Guardians by Lacey Thorn
www.lacythorn.com

Earth Moves
Fanning Her Flames
Washed Away
Breathing Her Air
Mystic's Call

It's your world...unlaced

COMING SOON: At Long Last, Love by Madison Blake

This book was originally entitled "My Heart's Desire", pertaining to the hero, Tyler Morrison, being the heroine's heart's desire. Anyway, the new title is pretty descriptive as well, which you'll realize once you've read the book.

I believe it's the most romantic book I've ever written. Actually, the idea for the story came to me when I was toying with one of the Arthurian legends in my mind. Then, the characters and the story formed soon thereafter.

Sorry to disappoint fans of King Arthur and the knights of the round table, because At Long Last, Love is set in modern times, albeit with a hint of magic, and with only the barest reference (and a little twisted at that) to one of the Arthurian legends. As I write this blog though, I was excited by a thought: Would the readers know which Arthurian legend I had in mind?

So, a contest! Well, two actually, coz I'm feeling generous.

First contest: For everyone

Join my newsletter (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thelovechronicle/) and you're automatically entered in the drawing for one free download of At Long Last, Love in whatever format you desire. If you're already a member, then you are already in the running.

Easy, right?

Second contest: For those who've bought (no pirates allowed!) and read the book

Answer this question: Which Arthurian legend inspired this story?

Email your answer to madison@thelovechronicle.com . Sorry, I won't be offering any more hints, so don't email asking me for hints or asking if your answer is correct.

Anyone who emails me and has the correct answer will be entered into a drawing for a free download of any book in my backlist (coz you already own [through legal means] a copy of At Long Last, Love and have read it, so I don't think you'd want another copy) in whatever format you desire.

CONTEST RULES:

1. Even if you're in the running for the first contest, you are still eligible to enter the second one.
2. If no one gets the correct answer for the second contest, I may pick one whose answer is the nearest. If none, then I may just have a random drawing from all those who have emailed me an answer.
3. Whatever happens, there will be *two* winners. So, even if you entered the two contests, you are eligible to win only one. Fair, right? But entering both contests gives you one chance more to win!

Contest ends on July 31, 2009. Winners will be announced on my blog on August 3, 2009. Coincidentally, that's my dad's birthday!

Good Luck!

At Long Last, Love will be available at Ellora's Cave or at the new site, Jasmine Jade.

Anyone a Saved By The Bell Fan?

I saw this recently and immediately sent the link to my sister to relive old memories.

Not to reveal my age, but we used to watch Saved By Bell every day when we came home from school. (We weren't supposed to watch TV on weekdays but that's a whole other blog). Is it sad that I knew every reference Zach made?

Change, change, change...

Ah, the heartburn of edits, critiques, and reviews! My baby, my baby is so precious. I just know it's perfect. Really. Well, almost. No?

For an author, there is nothing that stings so much as criticism of their work--whether it is deserved or not. Any author who says otherwise lies. Oh, we can be big boys and girls about it, but deep down, it still bruises the ego.

If we are to present our best work then that input is necessary because most of us are too close to our work to see the flaws. Even minor flaws can mar our work and prevent us from placing our best work before the public. The way I see it, there are three stages of criticism for my work. (I'm not counting myself as I should have done my own edits before it goes to the next stage.) Count the number of times I used "work" in that paragraph! Talk about flaws...

Critique partners: When I have my chapter/section/piece that I'm working on polished up to the best of my ability, then it's time to send it off to my critique partners. Contrary to what some people think, it's not their job to tell me how wonderful it is. I have family, friends, even neighbors who can do that. No, their job is to point out the flaws in my writing.
What is it with you and the head hopping?
Why are there nineteen characters in this scene?
Did you know that you used the word "just" twelve times in two paragraphs?
I have no idea what the first three paragraphs are about!
Or conversely, I fell asleep after the second sentence.

The critique partner is the first line of defense. She/he is the one who puts the brakes on the runaway train before it completely jumps the tracks. Rather than telling me how amusing/hot/sexy my writing is (unless my scene just totally blew them away!) what I need is for them to point out where and how I can improve. Otherwise, they are just cheerleaders yelling rah, rah.

After the critique partners shake things up, it's my job to go back and fix things. And when I've done that to the best of my ability, then it's off to submissions.

Editor: If my book is accepted, then eventually an editor will go over it with a careful eye and a big fat red pen. Well, not really a red pen. In this new technological age, it's all done on the computer with fancy hi-lighting and squawks of protests in the margins. But the end result is the same.

Why does hero have three arms in this scene?
Men are blond, women are blonde.
Fourteen "that"s on this page.
People are who, things are that.
Not on the accepted list of alternative words for penis--use something else.
There are fourteen characters in this scene. Cut some of them.
Why did the heroine suddenly turn into a whiney wimpy crybaby?

Sometimes, there are simply paragraphs of suggestions. This is erotic romance. Therefore, the hero/heroine should probably make it to bed sometime before Chapter Sixteen. There is no sexual tension in the story until Chapter Ten. At this point, you have a mystery with romantic elements--not an erotic romance.

Whatever there is, the editor is committed to improving the author's book, so taking the edits personally just doesn't work. When I received my edits and final line edits, I always read through them immediately to make sure I didn't have any unanswered questions. Then I left the computer, walked around, had a cup of coffee and thought about them.

Until my frustrations were under control, I didn't work on the edits, because my best writing is not accomplished when I'm in a temper. And sitting in front of my computer is not the place to get over my mad, no matter how temporary.

Editors do not generally set out to destroy the writer's fragile ego. Really. And if your ego is that fragile, maybe you should find another line of work. Yep, your feelings will hurt. But if you want your book to be the best it can be, then get to work.

If you have radical differences of opinion with the editor, those need to be resolved before you make changes. Believe it or not, the editor is not God. However, before diving in, make sure you really, really want to draw that line in the sand, because likely your book will not be published by that publisher and you will need to go elsewhere.

Yay! I've made it through the editing process and now my book is released and I anxiously await the reviewing process.

Reviewers: Reviewers are the toughest audience of all. They're readers, generally not professionals in the writing field, but they know what they like. And when they don't like your book, they say so in a public arena. In the Internet age, public has a very different meaning than during the print age. A bad review will likely be read world-wide. Ouch. It doesn't just sting, it humiliates. No matter what spin you put on a bad review, it sucks.

But there are things still to be learned from a bad review. Don't shove it under the mattress. Print it out. Cool down. And analyze that review. What exactly did the reviewer not like? And... are they right? If so, how can you change things so your next book is better?

At every step in the process, the author can learn valuable lessons and use those lessons to improve their writing. Would I rather my critique partners pointed out the flaws privately instead of hearing about them in a public review? Yeah. Oh, yeah. But if my story made it through the entire process still flawed, then that unflattering review may be the last chance I have to learn something that will make all the difference in my next book.

So don't forget to thank them for their hard work. Critique partners, editors AND reviewers. They're worth it.

anny