"Novelist time is reptile time; novelists tend to be ruminant and brooding, nursers of ancient grievances, second-guessers, Tuesday afternoon quarterbacks, retrospectators, endlessly, like slumping hitters, studying the film of their old whiffs." ~ Michael Chabon
"Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." ~Louis L'Amour
"As for my next book, I am going to hold myself from writing it till I have it impending in me: grown heavy in my mind like a ripe pear; pendant, gravid, asking to be cut or it will fall." ~Virginia Woolf
"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." ~C.S. Lewis
"The storyteller is deep inside everyone of us. The story-maker is always with us. Let us suppose our world is attacked by war, by the horrors that we all of us easily imagine. Let us suppose floods wash through our cities, the seas rise . . . but the storyteller will be there, for it is our imaginations which shape us, keep us, create us - for good and for ill. It is our stories that will recreate us, when we are torn, hurt, even destroyed. It is the storyteller, the dream-maker, the myth-maker, that is our phoenix, that represents us at our best, and at our most creative." ~Doris Lessing
"Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Reading is the creative center of a writer's life."
~Stephen King
"You know, I'm a storyteller. We are storytellers. And ours is an ancient tradition, contemporized by the cinema and the capturing of light. And we should all be very proud of our place in society. On any given night, millions of people across the world buy a ticket for adventures that only we as storytellers can provide. We release burdens, we galvanize emotions, we make people laugh, we make people talk over breakfast. This is a great job and I want to encourage every one of you in this room to give everything you can to the story. God bless narrative. God bless originality."
~Russell
Crowe
2002 SAG Award Winner
"When I write, I feel like an armless legless man with a crayon in his mouth."
~Kurt Vonnegut
"Don't be afraid of your material or your past. Be afraid of wasting any more time obsessing about how you look and how people see you. Be afraid of not getting your writing done." ~Anne Lamott
"America is now wholly given over to a d****d mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public taste is occupied with their trash--and should be ashamed of myself if I did succeed. What is the mystery of these innumberable editions of The Lamplighter (by Maria Susanna Cummins), and other books neither better nor worse? Worse they could not be, and better they need not be, when they sell by the hundred thousand." ~Hawthorne's 1855 letter to his publisher William D. Ticknor, quoted in Pattee, Fred L. The Feminine Fifties. NY: Appleton-Century Co., 1940. p. 110.
I have been busy recently getting my ducks in a row, which means I’ve gotten behind on some of the extras I’ve promised to do here. I’m getting to everything, but the paying work has to come first, else there will be no extras because I’ll have to go back to working a real job instead of getting paid for having fun!
I’ve decided to concentrate on the word HARD for the first few issues of my writing life newsletter. (Here I am talking about “issues” when I’m still working on the first one, snort.) That, and the first chapter of the round robin, as well as the first of my freebie ebooks are all underway, but the completion dates are lagging. Time management and I need to have a come to Jesus meeting; I figure I can dispense with the politeness and get straight to the threats. Or, I can do something more positive by sharing with you something that works for me. One of the most helpful books I have in my inspirational library is Way of the Cheetah, by Lynn Viehl. In the introduction, Lynn says:
I wrote Way of the Cheetah to help writers make the most of their writing time. By removing doubt and hesitation, taking care of whats important to the writing process and discarding what isn’t, I believe that a writer can create the ideal physical and mental environment to produce more marketable work and write better, faster, and cleaner.
(…) Following the Way of the Cheetah does not guarantee youll write five books a year. All writers are different, and what works for me may not be the best method for you. However, by following the way you may identify some of the problems that impair your productivity, and that self-awareness can help you create your own unique solutions.
Although Im writing this book primarily with writers in mind, you can apply the philosophies from Way of the Cheetah to other areas in your life where youd like to be more productive. I’ve used these techniques for everything from more efficient housecleaning to motivating myself to exercise, and they still work. Maybe thats why the cheetah has been around for four million years; it knows exactly what its doing.
The book is a practical guide as well as offering inspiration. And it’s not about writing like the wind, or speeding through manuscripts, cranking out one after another. Not at all. It’s about being the efficient writing animals we need to be. It covers:
* Proper Motivation
* Sharpening Focus
* Establishing Self-Discipline
* Creating the Ideal Work Space
* Writing Through the First Draft
* Efficient and Effective Editing
When reading through again yesterday, I actually set the picture on the right as my desktop wallpaper as a reminder of the need for motivation, focus, and self-discipline. Clicking will give you a larger 1024 x 768 version if you’d like to download it for your own use. And if you want to read more about Lynn’s book, click the cover above to check it out at the Holly Shop for Writers.
The only thing I have today is Vibeke Courtney’s post at Romancing the Blog. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve only bought one book based on a video, the one I posted at this link last April. I watch a LOT of them because I like to see what people come up with, and whether or not it entices me as a reader to buy the advertised product. I’ve yet to have a anything designed for my books, but it could happen. The Stephen King one Vibeke linked to is the perfect example of one that would grab my attention and what I would want to emulate. Have you guys seen any like that? Short, to the point, and intriguing enough to make you pick up a book?
Update: After I wrote that, I went to shower (where I do my best thinking) and remembered that I DID do a trailer for my SG-5 guys, and author Kelley St. John gifted me with a trailer for THE PERFECT STRANGER. (The mind really IS a terrible thing to waste.)
Is 1971 old enough for you, #2? *g* (She wasn’t even born then. Hell, I wasn’t even a teenager then, er, depending if it was recorded before or after August 31, heh!)
I shall not be Levon, but I shall be back. Too much going on right now to think straight.
The winner of Sasha White’s WICKED is: Claudia! (Claudia, send me your mailing info so I can forward it on to Sasha who will be sending out the book.) Also, don’t forget to stop by Access Romance and comment by 8:00 p.m.ish tonight for another chance to win.
We had sunshine this weekend! It made it out of the forties and into the high fifties/low sixties both days. I got to sit outside in the backyard and write, and go to the dog park and wade through the muck left by the last week’s worth of rain. A good muddy time was had by all: me, the husband, and Snickers, along with #2 daughter, Tobi-Wan, and Geisha.
Other than enjoying the sun, this weekend was pretty durn lazy. One website related thing I did manage to get done was to add the rest of my 2008 releases to my left sidebar. On Friday when I woke up, I had three releases scheduled for this year, and by the time I went to bed, I had six!! I love how that happens. You see, my Brava editor called that afternoon to let me know that my first five SG-5 stories were being reissued come June, July, and August in mass market format. They’ll be exclusive to Wal-Mart those months then – fingers crossed – available elsewhere later. Yay!
In June, The Bane Affair will be released as AT RISK. In July, The Shaughnessey Accord and The Samms Agenda will be packaged together as IN DANGER. And in August, The Beach Alibi and The McKenzie Artifact will come out as DEEP TROUBLE. I don’t have covers yet, but will share those as soon as I get them – which probably won’t be too long since the wheels of publishing production are already rolling.
UPDATE: The mm reissue is not quite a done deal, so I may be recanting this post, LOL!
Readers first met Karl Dawson in BOUND, they’ll get to know him a little better in TROUBLE, but one woman will learn all in WICKED.
Bad-boy divorce attorney Karl Dawson has seen all the ways love can go wrong. That’s why he’s given up on it. Jaded and feeling restless, he has playmates, not girlfriends. A leather-clad Dominant, he comes and goes in the city’s after-dark playgrounds as he pleases. That’s how he likes it.
Lara Fox is an independent jack-of-all-trades who can do anything she sets her mind to – except that falling-in-love thing. She’s got a need for control too strong for most men, and an inability to walk away from a challenge. Including a challenge like Karl. He’s cocky, arrogant, and demanding. That’s how she needs it.
They’re perfect for each other. But what begins as a sensual battle of wills turns into a journey neither is prepared for when Lara is threatened and emotional walls start to crumble.
Post a comment here if you’d like to be entered to win a copy of WICKED. Winner will be drawn, Sunday night, January 27, 2008, at 8:00 p.m.ish CST. (Authors interested in having their books advertised, click here.)
For another chance to win, visit me this weekend (post to go up at 6:00 a.m. EST Saturday) at Access Romance where along with Cara Summers, Brenda Chin, and Kimberly Raye, I’m talking about The TEX APPEAL of Cowboys!
Actually, the lack of peppiness is several-fold. For one, I’ve been existing this week on take-out and microwavable food since our oven’s heating element decided to burn out earlier in the week – though last night’s grilled chicken and spinach salad was awesome. The husband had to grill in 47 degrees, unfortunately, while I sat curled beneath my afghan watching season two of Rome. Anyhow, new stove due today, thankfully. Very scary stuff, that crackling and popping in the kitchen while we’re calmly eating an awesome pizza and watching football. Tomorrow I’m blogging over at Access Romance, doing a fun TellTale about TEX APPEAL. I’ve also been working on my first writing life newsletter to go out either Monday or on the first. I’d hoped to do it this week but, well, I’ve been too busy doing promised blog things, and writing, and dealing with other stressful career decisions that wreak havoc on my fragile artistic temperament. ::snort:: Oh, and trying to keep warm. I know. I’m a wuss. But I live in Texas for a reason. I don’t do cold weather, and though it’s only been in the forties, it’s been in the forties for days and DAYS, no sun, tons of drizzle. It’s like I live in Seattle or something. Blech.
New Day Dawning – our heroine is well known author turned actress who has had it with life in the fast lane & with people always trying to take what they can from her. She goes back to her small hometown, determined to live a simple life and do what she has always wanted to do – write children’s books. There she meets the hero, her next door neighbor who has demons of his own to put to rest.
Congrats to Pat L for coming up with the idea. I snagged this one for a couple of reasons. First off, I think this character-driven story will be much easier for a group of people to write than one with a big suspense thread to pull through. Or at least that’s my thinking. Hey, I’ve been known to be wrong, but there ya have it! Second, I love guy next door stories small town stories. Seriously. Love them. So much room for interaction and tension.
Pat, send me your mailing addy, and I’ll get that box of books sent to you. Now to decide on character names and a setting and assign chapters and get started! Whoo-hoo!
Also, I’ll start finalizing details on the Round Robin tonight, beginning with choosing the winning storyline and sending off to that reader a box o’ books – which will include the extra copy of EVERMORE I ended up with, and a copy of TEX APPEAL.
You’ve got a few hours left to get in on that action! Go be creative!
Post #1, Post #2. The second post includes the readers’ contest portion. Up for grabs? A box o’ books and creative attribution if you come up with the story idea.
"Every time you write, you go to a construction site in your head. The words are waiting there, like a couple truckloads of loose bricks. They're not going to build themselves into anything, no matter how often you talk to your hands or mouth-breathe or get in touch with your inner Tinkerbell. You pick up the bricks. You mortar them together on a page. You build a story out of them. And that's it. The sweaty, nerve-wracking, non-glittery, unglamorous, orc-free work of writing."
~Paperback Writer
"Writing’s not rocket science. It’s a helluva lot harder. Because once you learn all that rocket science crap, you can (at least in theory) build a rocket. On the other hand, you can read every writing book known to man and attend classes and work with critique partners and get pages of editorial input and still end up with a book that doesn’t quite hit the high notes. Scary, but true." ~Karen Templeton
"My New Year's resolution is to focus on the book and forget all the crap that surrounds the writing business. To lose myself in a story, and not give a damn if it makes any lists, has a good sell-through, gets glowing reviews on Amazon, pleases my editors, hell, even pleases my readers. I want to love what I'm writing so much that none of the rest of it matters, and if I don't, I won't write it. Life's too short to abuse the muse." ~Anne Stuart
What I love: Cookies that log me in @ sites I only visit this time of year. As if I would remember my account info otherwise. Also, cookies. 2011-12-01
I have been busy recently getting my ducks in a row, which means I’ve gotten behind on some of the extras I’ve promised to do here. I’m getting to everything, but the paying work has to come first, else there will be no extras because I’ll have to go back to working a real job instead of getting paid for having fun!
to my left sidebar. On Friday when I woke up, I had three releases scheduled for this year, and by the time I went to bed, I had six!! I love how that happens. You see, my Brava editor called that afternoon to let me know that my first five SG-5 stories were being reissued come June, July, and August in mass market format. They’ll be exclusive to Wal-Mart those months then – fingers crossed – available elsewhere later. Yay!
Readers first met Karl Dawson in BOUND, they’ll get to know him a little better in TROUBLE, but one woman will learn all in WICKED.
