Writing and the Holidays

Okay, I know I neglect this blog way more than I should, but honestly, do you really want to hear from me every single day?

I was thinking about my choice of career and the holidays today. There's both a novella and the second book in the Hunters series in the works as we speak, yet I've been unable to write in weeks. Because the holidays are in full swing I'm currently working a part-time job. This job is extremely exhausting, to the point where I could fall asleep the moment I get home. Unfortunately, between the physical exhaustion, the family obligations, and regular housework, I've had no time to write.

Oh wow. I can see some of you shaking your heads and making faces at me. I'm fully aware there are a lot of writers out there who work full-time jobs and still have time to write. Well, I commend you. I've never been one who had the energy to stay up all night to complete a book, then get up after only a few hours of sleep to start the day again. My brain doesn't function fully without rest. Never has. On top of the constant fatigue, I've been fighting with a stupid cold (my first in 3-4 years), plus trying to care for my special needs kids.

With the holidays being so busy, one has to wonder how anyone has time to breathe, let alone finish a book. I have so much respect for people who are able to finish 3 to 4 books a year while holding down a regular job, caring for their families, and keeping up their house. Where do you people find the energy? Is it something the rest of us can bottle? Any secrets?

Wow, this post really turned into nothing more than a rambling, incoherent thought. But, I'm sure most of you know me well enough by now to follow my thought process.

Have a great week, y'all!

Where do the readers hang out?

Oh, this poor neglected blog. I always have the best of intentions to write at least three times a week. Instead, I'm working on once a month. *sigh* Well, I'm here today. And boy, oh boy, do I have something to talk about.

I read a blog post today about writers and readers. The point was made that the writing industry isolates the readers. It got me thinking about all of my favorite blog stops and websites. The blog in question posted a quote from JA Konrath:

"Here’s the deal: Readers are my customers, not writers. Readers don’t even know who the Big 6 are. They don’t care.

I’m mentioned a lot in the publishing community, which is small, closed, and uninteresting to anyone who isn’t in it. But because we’re in it, and we care about it, we incorrectly assume that because writers know who I am, readers must as well." (Emphasis by the original blogger. Read the full article here.)  

Now, it's only 7:33am, and I've only had one and  a half cups of coffee so bear with me this morning. I'm sure this entire post will be riddled with mistakes and I may rattle on. If we're insulating our readers, how the hell does a newbie like myself reach these lovely people?   We're told, as writers, to have accounts on any and every site out there: Facebook, Myspace, LinkdIn, Goodreads, Google+, Wattpad...the list goes on and on. I've forgotten half of my passwords for these accounts. But are the readers on these sites, or are they only good for networking. Of course, most writers are readers, but a majority of readers aren't writers.

A voracious reader would have no reason to check out my LinkdIn profile. Why would they? Nor would they head over to She Writes to see what I'm up to. Notice I'm not linking these pages to my personal profile. I guess it would be smart to, but other than fellow writers, no one cares.   I have enjoyed getting to know so many people on Facebook, and get the opportunity to chat with authors whom I greatly respect. But, other than hardcore fans, readers aren't going to scour the social network for a new book. They're going to ask their friends for suggestions. They'll go to Amazon and scroll through the first few pages for a good read.   There is so much on the Internet about how to find readers, how to find your particular market. But these sites are almost always geared toward the writers, not the actual readers. Where are these people? Where are they hanging out? And, if you're not Stephen King, or JR Ward, how do the lowly newcomers get the people to come. If you write it, they will come? Nope. Doesn't work that way.    

                                                      If you build it, they will come.

  We spend countless hours researching, traveling to conferences, attending online classes, improving our craft, reading EVERY SINGLE BOOK out there about writing and marketing....they don't help. Okay, they help with our writing, but they don't help us find the people whom would buy our books.   Does anyone know the answer to these questions? Have you found the secret room where the urban fantasy fans, or the paranormal lovers are hanging out? Are they peeking through the windows laughing at us? And, do they care if we're on the radio, or are interviewed on the morning news? Could they care less if we're highlighted on someone's blog? Sure, review blogs are helpful, but how many readers go to them? Are they, too, geared toward the writing world?   Please, if you have an answer to any of these questions, feel free to point the rest of us in the right direction.

Please, give me an book idea!!

A good friend whom I met on Facebook recently asked me how I came up with ideas. She was thinking about trying her hand at paranormal writing - a genre she loves to read, but doesn't usually write. She even joked about could I help her come up with an idea. This got me thinking throughout the weekend- How do we come up with our ideas?

I've seen parody videos, I've heard other writer's accounts, but I can only speak on my own behalf. So, please, do not take this as gospel. Here's how it usually works for me:

During a nap, or at night, something will sometimes come to me in a dream. In these instances, I usually dwell on the idea that popped in. One idea I had was so good I shot straight up in bed - which sucked for my equilibrium, as I was still asleep - and grabbed the closest piece of paper and pen. I started to write the book, but decided to focus on the Hunters series for now.

Okay, so how did I come up with the Hunters series? Have you ever watched a news cast about someone who killed a friend or family member? It's always the same thing - "They were such a good person. They loved their family and would do anything for anyone. I just don't know what happened." Well, the husband and I were watching just such a story and I sarcastically replied, "Yeah, great guy. I'm sure he's possessed." That's when the bells chimed in my head. What if?

Think about it - What if someone you loved dearly was suddenly possessed by a demon? What if the only way to save their soul was by terminating their life? Could you do it? Could you thrust a sword into their body to release the demon's hold?

A majority of ideas that come to me are from dreams or what-if moments. My sister, friends, family members, etc have called or emailed me with great ideas. Problem with those is I can't "see" the characters in my head since they didn't represent themselves to me.

There's another issue: You can have a great idea, but there has to be characters to play out the scenes, as well as some great conflict and plot loops! Just because a story sounds good doesn't mean the characters want to act it out for you.

Do you write? Where do your ideas come from? Maybe you pull from the news, or maybe your own life.

My Laptop and I Have Been Displaced

I'm a classic housewife/stay at home mom. I write full time. Yes, I know how very lucky I am. During the week, after the last kid heads to the bus stop, I prop my laptop on the dining room table, open the blinds and curtains in the dining room, and start pecking away. Well, this week, my husband's on vacation.

What does that have to do with anything? I've been starting out my days in our downstairs living room, stretched out on the couch with my laptop on my lap. I don't want to wake him up at six am; my husband works up to twelve hours a day during the week, so he deserves to sleep in.

Are you wondering what any of this has to do with writing? Or maybe why the hell I'm even bringing it up? Being stretched out on the couch is causing some discomfort. My legs are tight and sore by the end of the day - that's even after constantly getting up to do laundry, vacuum, and do laundry. It got me wondering about other writers' writing habits. You see, there's a place called The Writers Cave on Paige Cuccaro's site. I have spent hours going through the pictures of other authors' writing spaces.

Paige Cuccaro's "Cave"

At one time, when we first moved into this house, I had started hanging posters and arranging things in a certain area that I had designated as my writing space. Well, just like any other home with kids, a television and game system made their way into that space and it became yet another space for the kids. So, I'm currently writing homeless.

Laurell K Hamilton's "Cave"

I'd love to see pics of other writing spaces? Do you actually have an office? Or do you sprawl out wherever you can? Maybe you're like me and just plop your laptop down in the place that looks good for the day. Want to share pics of your writing spaces?

Show Vs Tell - The neverending discussion

Anyone who has ever written a book and had it reviewed by someone other than their dog has been told at one point or the other to show, not tell. For the last few days I was reading a book in the paranormal romance genre. Now, it usually only takes me a day or two to read a novel (depending on what is going on at night, as that's the only time I have to read), but I was constantly pulled from the story. Why? Because instead of showing me what was going on, the author constantly told me.

Ex. "I felt the grass beneath me."
     "I saw him do x, y, z."
     "I heard x, y, z."

How does one show instead of tell?

Let's take the first example above.

"I felt the grass beneath me."

The author has told us what the character felt. But, if the character were allowed to show us what she was feeling, it may look a little like this:

"As I woke, something tickled against my bare skin, the ground was soft beneath me. I opened my eyes to see the stars bright above me."

Sure, that last sentence used a lot more words, and may not have been the best example, but you get the point, right? Let's try another one.

"Tenna was angry." (For those of you who have read She Who Hunts know Tenna can get pissy sometimes)

How does this look?

"Tenna jumped to her feet, stomped across the room, and slammed the door shut behind Jason."

Does the latter say the same as the former? Is it more interesting?

One of my problems with the show/tell thing is when an author "tells" me how a character feels, or sees, or whatever they don't trust me enough to come to the correct conclusion by what is going on in the story. If you tell me a character swipes their hands down their jeans before turning a doorknob, I will conclude that her nerves have caused her hands to sweat. You don't need to tell me "Jane was nervous. Her hands were sweating."

Here are five techniques you can use to avoid telling a reader:

1. Write from POV (point of view)
2. Dialogue is a fabulous way to show me what is going on
3. Use action verbs and picture nouns
4. Be sure to use all your senses. You know, smell, sight, sound, touch, taste (yes, even taste)
5. Write in scenes

Marta V Snyder has a great blog post going further into the five techniques. If you want to read further, feel free to head over and check her post out.

Do you have problems with telling instead of showing? Have you been drug out of a story because the author had a problem telling you everything?

I'm still here....

Someone recently made a comment that my blog seemed abandoned. Nope - I'm still here. I've had life coming at me from every angle. Everything from the kids constantly fighting during the summer break, to the first day of school, lawyer appointments and doctor appointments.

My recent doctor's appointment revealed that I am fructose intolerant. That means I can't have anything with high fructose corn syrup, sorbitol (or anything ending with an -ol), fruits or veggies that convert to high levels of fructose, etc. That leaves very little to eat.

Okay, that's a minor exaggeration. I can have lean meats, dairy (if I wasn't lactose intolerant, as well), a majority of veggies, some fruits, and even some snacks. The problem is everything in the grocery store contains the "poisons" I can't have. I went through the grocery store with my daughter yesterday and was amazed at just how many "good" foods contain HFCS. And guess what - they don't have to actually put the words High Fructose Corn Syrup on the packaging. They can use different terms and list the food as HFCS-free. You have to learn all the fun little words in the ingrediants.

So, if I can have meats, and veggies, what's the problem? Recipes. That's the problems. Sure, I can make chicken and veggies every night for dinner, but how fun is that? Who wants to eat the same thing every day? Not me. I'm having the hardest time trying to find yummy recipes that don't include some form of high fructose in it. I can't have onions, tomatoes, apples, melons, asparagus, most fruits, any white flour, corn, brown rice, bread, pasta (I did find one in the Gluten free section that didn't have the poison in it), and like I said, I'm also lactose intolerant. I can't imagine how parents deal with kids with these food intolerances. I know it's going to be hard to switch my family over. And no, I'm not going to make different meals for the different members of my family. I'm not a short order cook.

Do you have any food intolerances? Have you found any useful websites or cook books? How did you deal with these inconveniences when you or your loved one was diagnosed?

Have I Invited A Demon Into My House?

While writing She Who Hunts I had an idea in my head, one of those 'what if' moments. I remember watching the news and after a murder had happened the news anchor interviewed a neighbor of the suspect. "He was such a nice guy," the neighbor said. It always seems that after someone commits some heinous crime there is someone in their lives who declare this person was such a wonderful person, the kind of person who would do anything for anyone. But, how the hell did the person just snap and become a serial killer? My first thought-maybe they became possessed.

Now, as I'm working on the second book, I've become almost obsessed with the idea of demon possessions, and evil walking among us. I have to admit there are times when it feels like someone is in the room with me, and not just the characters who are busily chatting it up in my head. Sometimes, when the house is really quiet, and I'm really into a scene, it seriously feels like there's someone standing behind me. I whip around, ready to yell at whatever kid snuck in and was now reading over my shoulder to find an empty room.

Have I possibly brought the demons from She Who Hunts into my own life? Or has the story just become so alive to me that I keep waiting for those things which go bump in the night to tap me on the shoulder? How about you? Ever get so creeped out by something you wrote or read that you checked under your bed before climbing in?