Yes... I vanished into thin air.

Sometimes things happen in life.
I've been writing... reading and dealing with everyday life. I just got busy and forgot about this blog for a while.
I'm still around.
As a matter of fact, I'm probably ignoring this blog cuz I am revising.
My Sister Has AIDS should be on the shelves by late October.
The next in the series...the one I am working on now... called My Mother Has Lupus will follow (sometime next year)
My psychological thriller is on the back burner for now while I concentrate on getting through illustrations with a dear friend who is doing all the art for the two books mentioned above.

Life is okay...not great...not super...but okay.

Hope yours is too.

Motivation and Tools for writing

Is your novel lagging in the middle (like mine)?
I've spent some time away from my project --giving it room to breathe and giving me some time to get inspired, motivated and to find some new writing tools.

Naturally I had a visit at the Emotional Toolbox. If you really get stuck and need advice and tools for moving your story along then pop on by the toolbox. Great stuff.

I started breaking down my story and the elements I thought I might be missing.

My heroine has a problem. *phew*
She has core beliefs that change throughout the story.
AHA--I found my weakness!
The inciting incident is not well defined. My supporting characters are not helping. I have sorely neglected them.
Here is where I need to FIX things.

So... I am back to work.

I hope all is well with everyone. I am writing, revising etc.

Yikes, the page is Blank

Yikes. A blank page. What does it want from me?
Have you ever looked at a blank page and been completely filled with terror? I have. I'm working on a project. I cannot seem to motivate myself. That blank page keeps taunting me.
I know I'm not the only one. I see posts about writers struggling to get those first words out all the time. I stumbled across this ditty today about getting started writing.

If you are a serious writer you have probably faced the empty page staring back at you. At least once a week I come across advice from another writer/blogger on how to conquer it.
Weeding through the fluff, I found some of the advice helpful.
For instance.. this article caught my attention. Scott has a decent sense of humor and down to earth writing style. I like the guy.

The next time I am sweating bullets(and facing a deadline) I'll have to keep in mind a few strategies I came across in my reading.

Some suggest:

• do something else for a while as a distraction
• go running
• pull out what is in your old junk pile and give it a good look-see
• writing prompts
• a twenty minute cat nap to freshen the brain cells

Well. I will have to let you know how the empty page looks in the morning.

Is Self Publishing the Way to Go?

Should you self publish your book? Should you consider places like Lulu.com? Why? Why not?

Let's look at some of the advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages-- (to some people)

• No middle man, agent, laywer etc to cut into profits. Willing to publish just about anything --including those WITHOUT writing talent.
• saves having to continue to apply to publishing houses
• Can get your work out on bookshelves
• Can make and sell copies for friends/family/co-workers/church/fundraisers

Disadvantages:

• No laywer to help you out in a jam
• submission process
• most first time writers don't make any money 'till the 3rd- 5th book
• lengthy and confusing contracts
• everything costs extra

I am sure there are many more things to consider. For right now I wanted to get a few ideas on the page. I have a friend who asked me about self publishing and it got my wheels turning. I'll think on it....do some research and then write some more.

In the meantime....more snow, more cold and the phone lines are acting up. My DSL has been 60% reliable for the past 3 days. Hope this improves.

OUCH...I fell down AGAIN

Can you say KLUTZ? I think they have a picture of me next to the word in the dictionary. YEP. I fell again. On the ice/snow. Now the whole ankle/ligaments and all are involved. No cast can fix this. Going to the doc tomorrow.

Not a happy camper. Walking is a nightmare. Or should I say hobbling as I cry?

Oh ouchies.

I'm revising. Yes.

Getting a book ready for publication. A book you say?

Yep. It has been sitting on my shelf for far too long.

It needs to see the light of day.

It is a chapter book for 4th-5th graders. It is being mailed out to an editor tomorrow.

I can hardly believe it myself!!!! The book is tentatively called "My Sister Has AIDS" and is a fictionalized account of my twin sisters experience. The age is changed and I have taken MANY liberties with the story for dramatic purpose and to make it kid friendly but the characters are based on the relationship between us two twins and the choices she made that ended up causing her to become HIV positive and ultimately causing her eventual death.

I wrote the book while in college for a class. Everyone said get it published. It sat on a shelf. Then my sister got worse. I showed her the book and asked her permission to publish it. She agreed. She died in 96.

I began writing other things and left the book on the shelf. Well, it is no longer gathering dust!!!

Now that the ball is rolling I am hard at work on the next in what will be a series.

Next I need to find an illustrator. Then, I will be working with someone on layout, and of course the editing, creating my cover...and so many other decisions. Deadlines are being created. For ME!

Oh, I wanna see my book on shelves. I made a promise to my sister about this book before she died. It is gonna happen. *holds breath and pinches self*

More details soon.

Oh, we still have tons of snow here.

Snow Across The Plains

Did someone order snow? Well we got some here!
Between last night and today we have 6 inches of fluffy white snow on the ground.

Beneath that we have a layer of melted off snow and about 2 inches of ice that never got a chance to melt. We had to clear off the front porch twice today just so we could open the door.

Now, it is snowing harder than it has all day. We could be snowed in by morning. Yikes.

So, what else is new?

• I'm hard at work on an e-book. Nearly done!
• I cleaned up all the files on my computer -- took me over a week.
• I organized all my email accounts and folders as well
• I had a lovely visit with my father
• My ankle is broken-- a nasty fall on the ice. Yuck
  
• I've submitted a book of poems for publication

Keep warm. Keep writing. See ya soon.
I promise to visit blogs again as soon as humanly possible.

Did I mention being in print?

Several months ago a little mouse friend of mine told me about Cats Meow, an ezine for writers and readers. I sent off a few short stories and poems. Getting an email saying your story will be in an upcoming newsletter is a great feeling. Actually having the issue come out and seeing your name and story printed on the web page feels like heaven. So, today the issue is out. Check out my two poems and my Lupus story here.
Naturally, you are looking for the stories by Kay/writewize. I cannot believe there is a slight problem with the web address on the ezine but I'm still thrilled.
I'm nearly finished with an ebook I've been working on in secret as well. More details soon. It is for aspiring writers.
Bring on the comments. I'm so happy!!!!!

Oh, I actually risked germs and illness to go to Walmart today. Yes me.... (the one with a compromised immune system) I bought a few Christmas gifts and some address label stickers so I could reprint new ones for a project I am working on. Also picked up "The Devil Wears Prada". I've heard it is very good.

Technorati Tags:writing, personal, in print

Workshop generating fantastic ideas

Wowsers, the muse is awake. Thanks to the lessons in the workshop ebook I bought. Did I mention how cool it is? My fingers are getting numb from typing so much. I need more programs to keep track of my notecards and ideas.

I had NO IDEA there was a formula for determining how many scenes you should have per book, per chapter and per character. Thanks Holly. Read the section about Book math.

I ventured further into the book and checked out Lazettes information on short stories. She really breaks it down and lets me know WHY my short stories have not done well in contests and have been rejected lately. Yep, apparently I stray from the topic a bit too much. In a novel it is okay to explore the idiosyncracies of the character. In a short story there just isn't time to stray. I have no trouble with obstacles. My problem is pulling away from those obstacles and travelling down the path to ideas that aren't necessary for a short story. Danger is necessary. Thanks. I tend to forget that! It seems so simple. I get tied up and lost in all the details. I guess I'm really a novel writer. Short stories make me feel limited. Yet I want to write a few and feel successful.

The more of the workshop I read the more I realize I am doing things right. I have been all along. I think writers doubt themselves more than people in other fields. We work alone. We sit facing a computer screen or writing on paper and we have relatively little feedback until our project is finished or nearly finished.

If you were raised like me you thrive on feedback. What do I do? I meet with other authors. I go to workshops when I am able to schedule it and afford it. I read a lot of books and author blogs. Holly Lisle has an entire site devoted to helpful articles and information for aspiring authors. There are hundreds of other places to find people and resources if you are just starting out. I have some resources listed in my Links sections and Resources sections and several other authors in my Writers Blogroll. Check them out.

Technorati Tags:resources, Holly Lisle workshop, writing ideas, short stories

Writing Workshop E-book Splurge

<<===== I bought this today! Lucky Lucky me!! Yep, I meant it when I said I intended to return to some serious writing. I let myself fall into a pit of doubt and let my writing falter. Over the last few days I've been pulling out some of my favorite books to inspire my muse. Nothing seems to be working, so I thought a bit of a crash course or workshop was in order. Hey, if you want one, all you have to do is click the link here or at the top right of my page and you can order the ebook for only $6.00.
For an ebook of over 250 pages you just cannot beat the price.

I think by now, everyone who reads my blog on a regular basis (uhhh that would be Beth Ann) knows I simply adore Holly Lisle. She is one author who shares her knowledge with other aspiring writers and helps them by putting out a lot of free information on her site.

I have heard great things about Lazette, and of course she is involved with the wonderful Vision ezine which no writer should miss, so I feel I am in capable hands.

Naturally, I glanced at the Table of Contents as soon as I downloaded it. I cannot wait to read the chapter on grumpy writers. Holly wrote that one. (of course) I'm also quite interested in the chapter which will tell me if I should really let my book die or if it is salvagable. I will have to keep ya'll posted on that issue.

Technorati Tags:writewize , writing more, workshop +joy

Word Painting Gets Me Thinking

I’m currently reading two excellent books for Fiction writers. Rebecca McLanahan’s Word Painting –A Guide to Writing More Descriptively and the ever so wonderful Lawrence Block (must have manual for fiction writers) Telling Lies for Fun and Profit which has an intro by Sue Grafton. I’ll discuss the Block book at a later date.
Both of these books are must haves. Buy them, borrow them, and check them out of your local library or whatever just, Please READ them!!!

I’m on Chapter Six in Word Painting:
Bringing Characters to life through description.
Rebecca talks about moving past the mere “christening” of the character. The naming of the character is the easy part. Now they need to begin to breathe. Are they plump, or middle-aged, do they wear saggy socks? Be sure to “look at the character through the eyes of other characters”. Wow.
Makes me want to go back to my Silent Darkness novel again. Ditching a project after so much effort was the wrong choice. I’ve invested in my characters. I’ve given them life. I’ve delved into my protagonist’s inner world. I know how she thinks, what she likes and dislikes, what she eats for breakfast and what kind of laundry soap she uses.

Rebecca tells us to be careful about physical descriptions. If we go too far the reader may be overwhelmed and not know what to focus on. I’ve felt that way a few times when reading fantasy novels. She goes on to discuss the character’s environment and surroundings.

“Characters reveal their inner lives-their preoccupations, their values, lifestyles, likes and dislikes, fears and aspirations- by the objects that fill their hands, houses, offices, cars, suitcases, grocery carts and dreams” (page 126) .
This woman makes me want to pick up my pencil and write!!!

On page 11 she gave a list of The Rewards of description which just made my day

(can you tell I love this book? (look for it here at amazon)

Technorati Tags:word painting, writing fiction, books +buy

Trying to get back on track with writing

I know I've been a little "off topic" lately. It has been a rough few months. Well, I need to get BACK ON TRACK WITH WRITING. I've let my health issues get me down, and I've procrastinated, goofed off and been blog surfing too much. This all has to stop interfering with my writing time.
I finished all my medical tests. Yep, I survived the colonoscopy (for those who aren't sure what that is....)yesterday and an abdominal sonogram today so I'm FINISHED with medical crap for the next few months other than an appointment to talk about all the results. If someone else wants to do an IV on me I think I'll scream.
From now on all the medical junk will only be in my stories.

Oh, I made the cutest Handprint Christmas Wreath and fingerprint Holly Wreaths this morning. You can find the patterns to make lots of fun Crafts here.

Technorati Tags:colonoscopy, Christmas crafts, toddlers, handprint wreath

Writing makes me Happy.

My twenty month-old grandson has a new saying. "Playdoh makes me happy" He runs around saying this. The only problem is he likes to EAT the playdoh. EWWWW.

Now for me. I like writing, writing prompts, writing exercises and workshops, writing sites and other writer blogs. Okay... I am completely obssessed with anything having to do with writing and writers.
Yep. I'm a little nutty. What can I say?

6 Quick Tips for Nano Writers

By now you are either well into your Nanowrimo book and feeling good...OR
you fell behind and you are beating yourself up for not meeting your goals.
Let me give you some advice.

1. Not everyone can write on command. Writing a book in under 30 days is grueling. We all have lives to live, jobs, children and commitments. If you didn't make your goal, don't let it get you down. Trying, writing words on paper is more than many "so called aspiring authors" will ever do. Give yourself credit for having tried. (Pat yourself on the back)

2. Give your protagonist a tragic past. This gives the reader something to identify with and works well to give you a lot to write about. Oh, if you don't know what a protagonist is, you are in serious trouble this late in November and you should consider browsing the Nanowrimo forums for the rest of the month and drinking soda or coffee as you find ways to waste time.

3. Check for character consistency. Does your character have blonde hair in one scene and then you accidently call her a brunette four chapters later because you were so tired when you were typing that you forgot what she looked like. Do a "find" for the word "blonde" or the word "brunette" this can be a lifesaver.

4. Dont edit until you think you are finished writing. Editing slows down the writing process and makes you go backwards. I've found myself actually erasing pages when I stop to edit pages or scenes.


5. Keep supplies handy in every room, in your purse, and anywhere you think inspiration might hit. I write down ideas at night when I dream about my characters. I keep a notebook in my purse, and I have pens and paper in every room (yep there too...) of the house.

6. Don't be afraid to write scenes out of order. Most of the experts I've heard from have said it is good to "know what your ending will be". I've written mine already. Perhaps that is why I'm stcuck in the middle. However, I like knowing the ending is already written.

Technorati Tags:nano, advice+ writer

More conflict

After the initial conflict I got stuck. The rising tension is where I'm struggling. Beth isn't experiencing enough trouble. Yes, she is stressed out, but she needs to have one bad thing happen after another. See the graph.
[Materials from Pedar Hill's site again]
I realized I needed more catastrophes. I need to raise the stakes. Beth has to be near the end of her rope or my readers won't route for her. I need them to be praying for her to be hoping she wont give in to the darkness. I need my readers to identify with her and hope for her. Her goal has to seem unreachable at this point. She has to seem beaten. Then, and only then can I introduce the denoument. The Black moment. The instance where Beth will draw upon all her inner strength....all she has learned up until then and then she will use it to defeat (ooops....no telling) Well you get the idea.

Technorati Tags:Pedar Hill, writing , WIP, protagonist

1st page of my novel

In the Silent Darkness January 1977 Suspended in a hazy place in time, eyelids heavy as the morning fog over the bay, senses not quite awake, the young girl stirred. Far from her comfortable warm bed, her bare foot scraped along a dirt floor. A damp, penetrating cold surrounded her, creeping deep into her bones. Her mind searched in those last frantic moments before waking. What’s going on here? Rubbing her eyes and moving around as she did most mornings, she found things were wrong. All wrong, in fact. Her sheets must have come off in the night. Moaning, with her first tenative movements, she fumbled for the blankets to cover her ice-cold arms. Finding none puzzled her only to a degree. As she shifted, every muscle cried out as if she fought evil spirits in her sleep. Perplexed at the dirt collecting under her fingernails, her eyes fluttered open again trying harder to shake the morning cobwebs loose. Then, a feeling of dread flooded her heart. Piecing together fragments of the previous day brought some clarity to her morning horror. She was not tucked safely in her bed having a nightmare. Oh God. It’s not my imagination. I’m really awake. It wasn’t a dream. Panic, oh I can’t panic. What do I do now? What mother could lock their eleven-year- old in the cellar? Why? Why me? Am I really so horrid? Does anyone know I am here? When will she let me out? Wont they miss me at school? Oh God, please let this be over soon. I’m afraid. Tripping and fumbling many times in the darkness, not a speck of light to guide her, she half-walked, half-crawled along the rough cement wall to connecting wall of the single car garage. In less than a moment, her elation over finding the rough, wooden doorway in her dark hell-hole, was replaced. A hurried examination of the padlocked door found it secure as expected. Turning around she’d almost stumbled over the bottom stair leading up to the kitchen. No chance she’d get out that route. She’d heard the lock engage last night. Right then, a biting cold set in every muscle and joint as if the warmth had been sucked up the stairs with Kathryn’s final slam of the door. Still the optimist, she’d crept toward the steps several times, only to stop on the first or second step, gasping for air, fear causing her to hyperventilate. The only other way out, through a side door, seemed miles away. Not a sliver of light illuminated her path to freedom. Shoving, kicking and pulling at the door proved fruitless. It had been blocked. Always thorough, her mother, Kathryn left nothing to chance. Unable to escape, Beth shifted her focus to lighting up her private hellhole. Finding the string to the only light in absolute darkness had been an achievement. Oh thank God. Light. The devastation nearly knocked her over when the peaceful yellow glow didn’t appear. Feeling around on her tiptoes she’d discovered the bulb missing. You rotten bitch! Each frantic beat of her heart pulsed above her right brow. Ker-thump. Ker-thump. Tears welled up in her eyes. Struggling to control her emotions she let her mind travel back to the last few words her mother screamed at her in those brief seconds before slamming the door. “I will not have a common criminal living in my house!” “But… but…” “Criminals regularly served time in dungeons. I sentence you to the dungeon. Remove your clothing. Everything but your panties and tee shirt.” Sobbing uncontrollably she’d stripped down to her underclothes. For the first hour she’d thought her mother would break down. No, not in Kathryn's world. She would open the door when she was good and ready and not before. After waiting for her mother for what seemed like hours, Beth gave up waiting, she slumped down on the ground, began talking to herself and ended up crying herself to sleep. No. Kathryn had been deadly serious. She’d carefully laid out rules for Beth as the resident criminal: Absolutely no noise, no attempts to escape and of course, Bethcould never mention this “punishment” to a living soul. Beth knew trying anything would yield nothing but serious regret. For now, with no plan to escape, and no idea how long she would be imprisoned in a darkness deeper than midnight, her heart and thoughts raced as it slowly sunk in. I need to go to the bathroom. I hurt everywhere. I’m starving. God, are you there? I’m so afraid. Please help me. Her empty stomach growled. Sitting as still as a stone monument, she heard noises above her. She strained to hear, yet could distinguish nothing more than mumbles. The silence began to work on her, stealing pieces of her soul, draining away her confidence, her strength, and her convictions. Frustration and rage erupted inside her. Terror and adrenaline coursed through her veins. Frantic and discouraged, she plunked onto the dirt floor. A peculiar musty smell wafting up as the dirt settled. A smell she already hated. Alone, she rocked and whimpered, her face buried in her hands. Warm salty tears slid down her scratched and tender skin. Trapped in the silent darkness, her body shuddered. end Technorati Tags:WIP, 1st page

Novel Structure

Seems I'm not the only author struggling with my first novel. In the past few weeks I've found so many aspiring authors I've lost count. I stumbled onto a site tonite that had an interesting impact so I thought I would share what I found.
You introduce the reader to the setting, the characters and the situation (conflict). Plot Point 1 is a situation that drives the protagonist from their "normal" life toward some conflicting situation. This is what the whole story is about. (ideas and image are from Pedar Hill's site)

Basically, Beth (my protagonist) is facing her past. She will confront Kathryn (the antagonist) in California (her worst nightmare) be kidnapped again, overcome her fear of death, her fear of relationship failure and living alone the rest of her life.... She will ultimately face off with her captor Kathryn in a life and death struggle (resolution)

My question is this: Is the story at all interesting? Does it sound too much like a Lifetime movie? Will anyone want to read it? Do you?

I'm Live at my domain.

http://www.writewize.com
My New Domain.

Well, my new site is certainly NOT finished. I linked it to this blog. Let's call it a good start.
By house... I mean my domain. Yep. The long awaited site. Go here to see it.
I have resources, writing links, markets, etc. What I don't have yet is a way to put ads and webrings. So, I'm keeping this site until I figure things out.
I also plan to link articles from article city and ezine articles.com back to the site.

I sold a few articles to a ghostwriting service. Now I wonder who got rich from that venture?
I will give you a hint-- It wasn't me. Yeah, I found the articles easy enough. I can do a Google search just like anyone else. I know my own words. The guy is making big bucks linking my stuff back to a site where he sells something. Ooohhhhhhh. That made my blood boil.
I had "sucker" plastered all over my forehead on that one. Not again though. Not again.

Dreams helped my character.

I'm worn out. This lupus flare-up is kicking my tail. I slept most of the day and I am still tired. All I want to do is sleep. My body needs rest. I'd like to say I've been pounding away at the keyboard...but I haven't been. I can barely keep my eyes open.

Too bad. I did record some great plot ideas though.

I figured out what to do with Beth.
My dreams helped me. I have the ending, and the first 8 or so chapters I kept getting stuck in the middle. Two new characters introduced themselves to me in my dream last night. They told me who they were, what they needed to accomplish, why they bothered to show up, and how long they needed to hang around. Pretty cool eh?

One of them is a complete stranger--she meets the girl when she goes to the hotel bar for a little "liquid courage". The two start talking and drinking... they spend two days and nights together doing really crazy things and facing fears. They help each other face parts of themselves they never thought they would face.

The second "new" character is Penelope. Originally I thought she would play an extremely minor role. As it turns out, this character craves attention. She has begged me for more exposure. LOL. I don't want to give too much away. *should add about 80 pages*

Found this jem at Typing Chimp

This article uses quoted work from Typing Chimp
Using Stress to reveal your character:
"Once you know your character's inner workings, it's easy to bring out these qualities when they're in a tough spot.

Characters change or act differently when under fire. A tough cop can suddenly break down and cry or a meek librarian can leap into battle. What happens to your character in tough situations? "

Tip #1:
Know your character's arc. Where is he or she going? Is she going to overcome some weakness or slip further down into mental instability? When the first signs of trouble arrive in the story, we may see a glimpse of which direction the character is going in his or her arc. For example, a weak-willed sloth may get motivated to help someone, pulling a child from a burning car. The other option is to go the complete opposite way in the arc so we see a glimpse of them in a state of complete unhealthiness. For example, a weak-willed sloth may watch frozen while the car burns. Either option relates to where the arc is going and both add drama and conflict to the story.

Tip #2:
As a story progresses, the tension level generally increases. This ascending tension level creates changes in the character. Lower levels may cause a character to slip further down the scale into unhealthiness. For instance, a shy guy who can't overcome his shyness may find himself in front of the whole school and suddenly passes out or can't speak. Higher levels will usually drive a character to face these fears to be able to get out of the stressful situation, thereby curing the problem. For example, someone who has been in denial about something may be forced to face the truth. This is exactly what is happening in my own WIP right now. I cannot believe I found this article at this exact time. It feels like fate that I read it right now. It is kind of eerie. I needed to read it. The help it provided cannot be measured. I bow down to typing chimp.
Or, if the same shy guy from above suddenly learned terrorists were about to attack the school, he may make a stand and grow very healthy, very quickly--which leads to a more pronounced, definitive arc. He was heading that way anyway, the stressful situation helped him move more quickly down the road.

Tip #2:
As a story progresses, the tension level generally increases. This ascending tension level creates changes in the character. Lower levels may cause a character to slip further down the scale into unhealthiness. For instance, a shy guy who can't overcome his shyness may find himself in front of the whole school and suddenly passes out or can't speak. Higher levels will usually drive a character to face these fears to be able to get out of the stressful situation, thereby curing the problem. For example, someone who has been in denial about something may be forced to face the truth. Or, if the same shy guy from above suddenly learned terrorists were about to attack the school, he may make a stand and grow very healthy, very quickly--which leads to a more pronounced, definitive arc. He was heading that way anyway, the stressful situation helped him move more quickly down the road.

The article goes on to discuss dialogue--my weakest area. The one area I need to pump up and use more often to reveal more about my characters, to reveal more about the story itself.

Tip #3:
Dialogue is affected by stress. In most "modern" stories, talking a lot or rambling is seen as unhealthy, while not talking is seen as healthy (not always true in real life). At the lower levels of stress in the story, we might see a character's mind rambling, confused, and experiencing disorganized thoughts. Under serious stress, this same character may experience a moment of clarity no one expected, including herself. Whether you put such a moment of high stress early and deal with the fallout during the rest of the story, or later in the story where it would come in handy for the hero (or villain) is up to you.

Stress can be a TOOL for an author.
Thanks typing chimp I like your create a character page too.
I just can't afford your software. :(

I need to buckle down

And write. My novel has been calling me. I've neglected it all week. (smack)
Beth is so desperate to get on to the next scene she appeared in my dreams several nights this week. Now, you know you are in trouble when your protagonist starts pestering you in your sleep.
Tonight we went out to dinner. We ate at Montana Mike's. It was so nice to go out. We talked over the dinner table for nearly two hours. It was fantastic. We need a better social life. I enjoyed our dinner.
I have a ton of writing resources to organize tomorrow for this site. (I'm almost ready to unveil the new site) Happy squeal.