Recharging Creativity

Earlier this month, our local RWA chapter had our annual weekend retreat. What a great time that was! We visited, ate, talked plotting, ate, talked writing, had speakers, ate, talked more writing, and ate. There might also have been alcohol involved--margaritas one evening and wine the next. You’d think we would all have come away ten pounds heavier, but we didn’t. All that talking must have worked off the calories. We rented a house in a quiet area of nearby Lake Granbury. Okay, it wasn’t quiet while we were there!

On Saturday morning, Ashley Kath-Bilsky presented "Electronic Self Promotion," tips on building a website, creating a book trailer, and using MySpace and other sites to promote our work. Constructing a book trailer seems far less intimidating after Ashley’s explanation. Ashley’s website is http://www.ashleykathbilsky.com/, and you will see there how to purchase her amazing book, THE SENSE OF HONOR.

As soon as she arrived home from the retreat, Denise Belinda McDonald took Ashley's instructions and built a trailer for her site to feature her book, THE INN CROWD, at http://www.denisebelindamcdonald.com/

In the afternoon, Lori Wilde was kind enough to drive over and speak to us about "High Concept." Lori has been very successful with this theory and anyone interested can sign up for a class or buy the workbook at her website, http://www.loriwilde.com/. Lori is a prolific writer who has found well-deserved success. My favorite of her books is YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, but I like everything of hers that I’ve read. Her latest from Warner is THERE GOES THE BRIDE, but Lori frequently writes for Harlequin. Her latest is a Blaze release, MY SECRET LIFE.

Another member, Geri Foster, brought samples of the candles she and her daughter are making and marketing. These candles are hand poured and contain soy and pure botanicals. They smell wonderful and there are a large variety of scents named for their various organic properties. The website is almost complete, http://www.botanicalproducts.com/, and will also feature other pure, organic products such as soaps and creams.

The point of this entry is to emphasize how much a weekend like this can recharge a writer’s creativity. Even if our families are supportive, and mine is, it’s helpful to be around other writers who have experienced the same joys and heartbreaks with their novels, the same rejections, blocking, and spurts of—we hope—brilliance. It’s balm to our souls, our creative center, to share experiences and tips for survival in a difficult profession. Even if one isn’t fortunate enough to have an RWA chapter or other writers group like this nearby, it’s important to woo the muse periodically. Writing is difficult, solitary work. Occasionally, we need a visit from the Energizer Bunny in one form or another. Of course, a call from an editor with a contract offer can do more than even that famous pink bunny!

Until then, take time out once in a while to pamper your body and recharge your mind.

Pets In Our Lives, Pets In Our Books

Friends and I were talking yesterday, teasing one friend because in all of her books either the hero or heroine has a dog. I like that. Showing a character who's sympathetic to cats or dogs adds a dimension to the person. A gruff man who befriends a scruffy dog lets the reader know that the guy is not as tough as he wants others to believe. To me, it makes him a more sympathetic character. For the heroine to have a pet makes her appear kinder and more nurturing to me. This is, of course, if the pets are well cared for. And I hate, hate, hate books where a pet dies. No, thanks. Don't want to read it. In Anna Jeffrey's next book, SWEET REVENGE, the heroine has a pet hen, Dulce. SWEET REVENGE will be out in December, and I can hardly wait to buy several--one for myself and others for gifts. In light of that, I was telling my critique group about my neighbor who raises rare hens that are beautiful--rusty red with soft bluish gray feathers, called a blue-red. "A beautiful chicken?" my city friend asked. "You have got to get out of the country!" LOL Hmph, well, they ARE beautiful--for hens.

No hens yet, but our pets are members of the family. Our dog died about a year ago, a lab/shepherd mix, at the age of sixteen. She was a sweetie and we miss her. Now we have three cats and a fish. Before long, we'll probably get another dog, rescuing one from the pound. I want a small one this time. A shitzu, toy poodle, yorkie, lasa apso size. One who can go with us when we travel by car so we won't have to board him/her. My critique partner in El Paso, Jeanmarie Hamilton, has a perfect, sweet dog named summer. Jeanmarie have a book out from Highland Press in 2008, SEDUCTION. She and Summer will no doubt be traveling then to booksignings.

Back to work. Have a good day.

Summer Reading

I love reading anytime, and carry a book with me everywhere. Ten minutes here, fifteen there, and you'd be amazed how quickly the book is finished. I love to discover a new author who has a nice long backlist. I also reread favorites to analyze what about that book makes me love it. Certain books are old friends who are always there to offer comfort--those by Louis Lamour, Jodi Thomas, Lorraine Heath, Julie Garwood, Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick, Nora Roberts, Anna Jeffrey, and others are on my keeper shelf. I've read my copy of Maggie Osborne's PROMISE OF JENNY JONES so many times the pages are falling out. Jenny Jones is an unusual heroine to be sure, but one to whom honor is everything. Maggie Osborne created an unforgettable character in Jenny Jones.

And now, oh dear, back to crafting my own novels and creating what I hope are memorable characters.

Curl Up With A Good Book

What are you reading? I’ve read two romances recently. Anna Jeffrey’s SALVATION, TEXAS from Signet Eclipse is a great contemporary read. If you’ve read her SWEETWATER and LOVE OF A LAWMAN, you know Anna’s writing is consistently excellent. Lorraine Heath’s A DUKE OF HER OWN from Avon is an historical set in England, but with a little Texas flavor thrown in. Lorraine always produces a fine read.

Other than those, I’ve been immersing myself in cozy mysteries because that’s what my current work in progress is. I’ve loved Ellen Byerrum’s wonderful heroine, Lacey Smithsonian, in the Crime of Fashion series from Signet. I also loved Leann Sweeney’s heroine, Abby Rose, in the Yellow Rose Mysteries from Signet. Now, I’m reading Maggie Sefton’s knitting series with heroine Kelly Flynn from Berkley Prime Crime. I don’t knit, but this makes me wish I did. We’re having wintry weather in the form of ice and snow here in rural North Central Texas—perfect for curling up with a good book. An author can always claim reading is market research, right?

New Year's thoughts

Recently, my husband and I were discussing the furor preceding the year 2000. We know a couple who withdrew their money from the bank, convinced rolling over to the new year would cause computers to fail and banking to become chaos. Another couple stocked up on food and filled a storm shelter, certain there would be anarchy and chaos. Thankfully, both couples were very wrong. As my husband predicted, that change of year caused no upheavals other than those of any year passing.

Unless you're a saint, you've made mistakes in the past year. That's what I like about a fresh, new year, though. We have a clean slate. We're looking at an untarnished canvas ready for us to bring our fears and hopes and dreams to paint in the year. I'm not a big fan of resolutions in general--too easy to set myself up for disappointment. I do have one for this year, and that's to be more productive in my writing.

Writing is both profession and therapy. It takes discipline, perseverance, and committment. But a writer gets to create worlds, build characters from nothing. Maybe we can't solve our own problems, but by golly we can make certain our characters solve their problems. So, this cominbg year, I'm going to spend more time creating stories and less on mundane tasks.

As Annette Blair says in a recent article, "Writing is worth the struggle." This doesn't mean I'll give up reading. In fact, I'll start with Annette's THE SCOT, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE to see if it's as wonderful as her MY FAVORITE WITCH.

Writing--An Evolving Craft Is Still Subjective

My critique partner and I talk about writing and what we like and don't like about particular techniques. Not too long ago we were discussing dialogue in general and tag lines (attribution) specifically. We noticed that more and more writers are omitting "he said/she said" and using either action, body language, or the POV character's thoughts in place of an attribution tag. Jeanmarie and I prefer this method. I believe the story flows better and is more natural, pulling the reader into the scene. That's why I was surprised when a couple of writer friends mentioned they don't like this method. They believe "he said/she said" is invisible to the reader and prefer pared down scenes with as little description as possible--and don't care to read body language at all. Another multi-published friend mentioned that action such as "she nodded," "he shrugged" annoys her. She prefers an adverb such as "she said menacingly," but tag lines like that annoy me.

Writing for publication constantly changes and evolves. Spelling changes, comma use decreases, and so forth. Keeping up requires study and flexibility. It appears that no matter how much a writer studies craft and technique, personal likes and dislikes shape his or her writing. Even though being a writer changes the way a person reads for pleasure, each of us was a reader before he or she became a writer. What an author enjoys reading shapes his/her perception of how he/she should write. Keep reading good books!

Time Flies When You're Doing Research

Time flies no matter what you're doing, doesn't it? By the way, Debra won my August contest. See, that proves my point. Here it is the middle of September and I just now remembered to mention last month's winner--although I contacted her and mailed her book on time.

Back to research. Recently, I was researching facts for the cozy mystery that's the second in what I hope will sell as a series. I love roses and gardens, and I'm enjoying delving into renewing an historic garden. A friend loaned me a book by Rosamund Wallinger on her experiences restoring a garden by famous Edwardian designer, GERTUDE JEKYLL'S LOST GARDEN. Wouldn't it be a remarkable experience to buy an old home and then learn you had a famous gem of a garden hidden under brush and weeds? Of course, in my cozy, landscape designer and heroine Laurel Aldridge finds a recent skeleton in the garden to complicate matters. In real life, Rosamund didn't have that problem, but she spent years redoing her home's garden. The photos are lovely and her experiences interesting.

Research always fascinates me. I have to discipline myself or I find too many tangents that don't apply to my writing, but that are interesting nonetheless. I could waste days, probably weeks, on research--especially, since I have dial-up because DSL is not yet available in the boonies where we live. At best, dial-up makes web use so ssslllooowww! My husband and I keep hoping technology makes it to our little kingdom soon.

I digress. There are many avenues available for fast research. One my youngest daughter suggested is the use of children's books. They present a quick overview with simple explanations easily scanned for relevant details. There are unbelievable children's books on any imaginable subject.

Another resource is the worldwide web, convenient because it's always waiting for us at the click of a mouse. But those facts need to be double-checked for accuracy. For instance, there are websites which claim space exploration is a trick to justify raising taxes and has never taken place. You can bet my areospace engineer/rocket scientist hubby gets very upset--and puzzled--by that claim!

My point is that research is fascinating, but writers must verify our facts. Ask enough questions. Never take anything for granted without cross checking. Then, those tiny details hidden in our work will enrich the story without distracting readers.