The Sanibel Divas

Divas Do NYC

2011-07-05T14:24:00.004-04:00

To read about the Divas' adventures at the 2011 RWA national conference in New York City, go to the Writers Gone Wild blog: http://writersgonewild.blogspot.com/

Divas On Parade

2010-08-19T19:27:00.005-04:00

Although the Divas have let *life* get in the way of this blog recently, never fear, we're still alive and kicking. Here are Liane Gentry Skye and Gail Hart all dolled up for the Golden Heart/Rita awards ceremony at the 2010 Romance Writers of America national conference in Orlando.

Next Best Celler Winner Available For Pre-Order

2010-06-19T17:15:00.000-04:00

HOW TO LOSE A DEMON IN 10 DAYS is now available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Borders!

Lies Writers Tell

2010-04-24T19:40:00.003-04:00

“Anyone who says he wants to be a writer and isn’t writing, doesn’t.”
– Ernest Hemingway

Okay, so Mr. H. knew a thing or two about writing, but sometimes when *life* gets into the act, it doesn’t seem quite that simple.

An RWA chapter I visited recently holds a monthly challenge to encourage productivity. Members put their writing goals for the coming four weeks and a dollar bill into an envelope. At the next meeting, the writers who achieved their goals have their names put in a hat, and one person’s name is drawn to win the whole pot.

At the meeting I attended, only six members had entered the challenge (though I’m told sometimes as much as $30 is on the line). The goals in question ranged from “write 8000 words” to “start writing again.” And only two people had done what they planned to do.

This led to a discussion among the women at my table. We cared enough about being writers to drag our butts to an evening meeting, yet we all had to admit we pretty much… weren’t writing.

We had a variety of excuses. We’re writers – of course we know how to come up with stories.

Member 1 – “I’m pregnant and I had morning sickness.” Only she acknowledged the morning sickness had ended after the first trimester. And she also allowed as how, once she stopped being pregnant, she’d have a new excuse – “I have a new baby.”

Me – “I just moved.” But I had to admit “just” had stretched out to over three months, I was all settled in at my new job, and everything I realistically expected to unpack was already unpacked. My excuse was sounding paper thin.

Guest No. 2 – “My job is sucking the soul out of me.” Okay, at one time or another, most of us have “been there, done that, got the T-shirt.” But when the day job is unsatisfying, isn’t that when we most need the creative outlet writing provides?

All right, maybe it really *is* as simple as Ernie boy said. There's no perfect time to write. Life is always happening and will always be happening. If we want to, we’ll always be able to find an excuse not to write. If, on the other hand, we want to be writers, then we have to write. Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. End of story. Or rather, beginning of story… lots of wonderful stories.

So, what are your excuses for not writing, and how do you talk yourself out of them?

Authors Behaving Badly: A Little Author-on-Author Crime

2010-04-20T07:34:00.003-04:00

We're getting into conference and convention season here and I recently listened to a panel of YA and MG authors talking about their books and their writing experiences--you know, stuff I subject my blog followers to on a semi-regular basis. ;-)

Everything was going along smoothly (a little discussion about how hard being an author can be--which I think is a good reality check from time to time) until one author turned to another and grinned, saying, "I guess we all could've made a bunch more money if we'd just written paranormals. Just add a vampire!" Everyone chuckled.

Except me.

My right eyebrow raised. But I kept my mouth shut. What the author's words didn't convey her tone and delivery did. That writing paranormals is somehow far easier and more lucrative than writing straight fiction or non-fiction.

It's the same attitude I've heard adult fiction and non-fiction authors use toward YA and MG authors (and picture book authors--oh, boy!). Like whatever they do is so much more difficult because they have adult readers (let's not dare point out that many adults never progress in reading level beyond eighth grade so it's not heavy vocabulary we fail to use that they're weilding). And, I'll be honest--condensing a story down to a picture book level that still conveys to an artist how they might best illustrate that kernel--that's skill.

But this is typical of every career path and job. Whatever I'm doing has got to be harder than what you're doing, right? Blech! And surely those paranormal authors are just tacking paranormal or supernatural aspects onto what could otherwise be a decent fiction read--just to make more money, right? Building worlds? Ha!

This, is obviously one of my literary peeves. I value all authors. We all struggle to dump the contents of our brains onto a page in some coherent form. We all delve into worlds other than our own to build interesting books. So a little respect? I think we've all earned it regardless of genre or target audience.

What do you all think? Have you also heard or read stuff like this? Have you heard any author say something nasty or belittling about any other genre? Am I the only one who thinks it hurts our entire profession?
~Shannon
PS--As a result of the panel's conversation I started wondering if I should leave one story I'm researching as straight non-fiction. I even argued it back and forth with my brother and my husband. I have since made up my mind about that particular tale's genre. Paranormal, baby!

A well lived life is a lot like a good man--hard and dirty, and over before you know it.

2010-04-15T19:44:00.000-04:00

I bet you thought we dropped off the earth, didn't ya? Well, I for one wish that a few circumstances could have just passed by without gobbling up my time, but life just doesn't work that way.

Which is why I write. So things can somehow, someway, just this once, turn out the way I'd like them to.

So, after wandering about aimlessly for the past few weeks (O.K., part of that wondering was actually me suffering on the couch with an inner ear infection. I couldn't even READ for two weeks! Gads, I'd never wish it on my worst enemy) and with the ever inspiring Liane Gentry Skye leading the way, I am back.

With an assignment.

Wait! Don't leave! I'm not talking a homework assignment, exactly, but I am just curious about what inspires you.

For me, it's hardship.

Suffering.

Near death experiences.

Sick puppy, huh?

Well, life is hard. I know this. I read horror because of this. I watch gory movies and Oprah. I don't mind Nicholas Sparks movies. Awash in desperate and foreboding circumstances, I find that the human condition is at it's most interesting.

Writer's will tell you over and over, when you are stuck, imagine the worst thing that could happen to your character, then have it happen. You thought you knew everything about your beloved characters? Tie them up on a stone and put a swinging scythe aove them. Then tell me what they are made of.

The Little Post that Almost Wasn't

2010-04-12T09:21:00.003-04:00

It's just a little blog post. But hey, it's a post nonetheless, and trust me when I say that for me, anything in the way of words on a page is a major event! With that said, that's my theme for today, starting over. That, and allowing myself to start over *small*. Baby steps!

Those who know me are aware that a major family meltdown has separated me from my muse. There have been days when the simple act of breathing in and out loomed before me, an insurmountable challenge. During this time, my word count wasn't all that. Not that there wasn't word count, there was, here and there, but most of it was less than stellar.

I'm working hard to let myself be ok with that. For now, because at least wordes comitted to a page can be pushed around and rearranged. If it's not written backly, it can never be written beautifully. Yeah, I know all the platitudes. So why the major hesitation on my part?

Because this feels dangerously like learning to write all over again. Worse, *gasp*, I'm published. Doesn't that imply that I must therefore be brilliant from here to Eternity?

As you can see, ball gagging my inner editor is an act easier said than done. So I'm turning to the divas for some tips to keep the old gal chained in the basement where she belongs.

Have at it. I really need your help! My muse will thank you in the morning!

I'm an Author, Jim!

2010-03-09T08:14:00.003-05:00

Anybody else remember Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy complaining to Kirk about what he was ("I'm a doctor, not a ____!") and trying to blow off anything that didn't fit his label in his own sort of way? Perhaps I've just outed myself as a total nerd (like you couldn't guess--I mean, Russian werewolves and Cold War conspiracies ;-).

I'm feeling a deep kinship with Bones right now. I'm an author. A writer. My taxes officially proclaim it. And yet... The time I currently spend writing stories feels minimal.

This week already has included heavy farm work as I constructed a new pen for a newborn ram lamb and his mother and began sugaring off maple sap for syrup, and there's been plenty of promotional stuff: an exclusive 3000 word prequel story for St. Martin's Press, helping get authors together for a special Spring Break post over at The Daily Dose, organizing photos and pieces of things for my series website (supposed to launch on the 15th); planning my son's 6th b-day party (Saturday!); helping out at a great forum that asked for me to do a Writing 101 with them (*very* flattering and it's only growing...); planning my travel to several events; catching up with blog posts; catching up with obligations related to a great event I was asked to help host (squeee!); filling out interviews, interviews, interviews!

Promotional stuff's cool, and I'm glad to help other authors with it right now (it's kind of like holding hands when facing a firing squad) but I want to be writing. I'm no longer naive enough (if I ever was) to think I could simply write a book and not need to do anything else.

But I'm also trying to keep Orson Scott Card's advice in mind. Card suggested limiting promo stuff (conventions and conferences and other events) because writers need time to write. Huh. Imagine that. So, I'm pushing through as much promo as I can now because I hope it snowballs in May, June and July (right around the book's release). But who knows what'll happen by then?

And yes, I'm still writing. My prequel story only made me more desperate to get back into it. And with my brother and husband pushing me to pursue my next project (we're all brainstorming together and I *LOVE* it) and my agent loving what I recently put ibn front of him... Well, it appears I'll keep the label of writer for a while at least. :-)

So, how much time writing are you writers getting?
~Shannon

Movie Madness

2010-03-02T14:13:00.004-05:00

I've been reading, writing and watching a lot of movies recently. Two nights ago (after a lengthy discussion) we decided we could introduce our son to Star Wars (he's been playing the Lego game and knows most of the "mythology" behind it already).

So I sat down to watch what's technically episode 4 (imagine explaining why we started with it instead of 1) and loved it. All over again (and I've seen it lots). I have a new appreciation for it, having gone through Campbell's The Hero's Journey and using it in ways in my own writing. Have I dealt with reluctant heroes? Yep. Put somebody in "the belly of the whale"? Sure. I think sometimes I could rename both Pietr and Jess as Jonah.

And it was AWESOME to see it all track out so neatly with the combined talents of Lucas and ILM.

Next time you're thinking about how your movie viewing can improve your writing, consider The Hero's Journey and how it fits in with your writing. There are three movies (off the top of my head) I think of when I think about The Hero's Journey: Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Trek (this most recent one), and The Lion King. So, pass the popcorn and tell me which movies you think of that follow The Hero's Journey in at least some way. Any pop to your mind?

Take care!
~Shannon

Authors Behaving Badly Redux

2010-02-24T10:07:00.006-05:00

Or the Amazon Goddess and Raging Big Sister Syndrome

It's like a car wreck. I know I should keep driving, but I couldn't look away. This takes the cake, it's not just an author upset at a reviewer, it's one author trashing another personally because she didn't like his book.

He attacks her personally and implies that if she lost weight, she'd get laid and that somehow has something to do with why she didn't like the book, even though it was filled with typos that the author was aware of and still sent it to be reviewed.

Some of the comments by the author were deleted, but you get the general idea. You can read here. Behaving Badly

What the hell is wrong with people? Seriously, I want an answer to this question. It's great to follow your dreams, but unemployment and a mass of word vomit on a page doesn't make you a writer. Especially if you can't be bothered to proofread your offering.

Neither does selling.

What? Did I just say that? I did. You know what makes you a writer? Loving your craft, holding it close to your heart, your soul, but knowing when it's ready to be kicked out of the nest. Always learning, striving, and honing your talent and weaving a story where the colors merge into each other in a seamlessly beautiful design. That's what makes a writer.

Of course, the selling part is great too, but you have to keep doing the other stuff.

Putting on your assbag hat and stapling it to your head with behavior like this doesn't fit the bill.

Color me disgusted.

This means war!

2010-02-20T13:19:00.006-05:00

Trying to find a way to keep the spirit of NaNoWriMo alive all year? One of my writing groups, Club 100, is doing this with virtual write-ins, a/k/a “Word Wars.”

Not to be outdone by the Olympics, we've gone international. Our war last weekend featured five writers in three time zones on two continents. We had three writers in the U.S. Central time zone (in St. Louis and San Antonio); one in Portland, Oregon in the Pacific time zone; and one in Canberra, Australia on their Eastern Summer Time.

The word wars are conducted on a Facebook page specifically set up for that purpose, using the chat feature (when there are only two of us) or a discussion board. The page is open to members of Club 100 and other writers who have a Club 100 member willing to vouch for them. We post on the wall of the page to let each other know when we’re available. Some wars are planned in advance, but unplanned skirmishes can occur any time two members happen to be logged on at the same time and are in the mood to create. Usually each war lasts for 15 minutes, then we report back with our word counts and to offer each other encouragement. Typically we'll do three wars in an hour before everyone goes back to their own business.

One member of the group suggested we should have "Word Peaces" instead wars, because there's already too much war in the world. However, we ended up deciding that war didn't have to have a negative connotation, because we aren't at war with each other. Instead, the "war" is with our procrastination, our Inner Critics, and other bad habits keeping us from being our best writerly selves.

Sometimes armed with Write or Die, Dr. Wicked's fabulous writing productivity tool (http://writeordie.drwicked.com), and/or websites featuring writing prompts, such as author C.M. Mayo’s (http://www.cmmayo.com/d5mwe.html), our group is soldiering on to turn our works in progress into full fledged manuscripts. Peer pressure, support, and companionship are helping each of us to overcome the inertia that can so easily prevent writers for achieving the "butt in chair, hands on keyboard" state necessary to move our visions from our imaginations to the printed page.

Do you participate in any group writing activities? Tell me about what works for you!

Your Book Contract and Hollywood

2010-02-16T18:25:00.000-05:00

Recently Divas Robin Wright and Shannon Delany started chatting about books and movies--specifically what happens when books become movies. This is a continuation of the trouble--erm--conversation Robin Wright started on Thursday of last week. ;-)

It's no big secret I signed a trilogy contract with St. Martin's Press (at least I hope it's not ;-). At the same time that contract was being looked over we (my agent and I) were dealing with interest from a movie producer. Please keep in mind a movie producer doesn't have to be anyone with amazing Hollywood know how. Generally producers bring one area of expertise to a show's production. And money.

You've probably noticed a good number of actors being named as producers. They bring their talent, their connections and their money to a production. So there are many producers in this world. Keep that in mind.

Signing with SMP as we did, we handed them film rights--not something an author has to do, but something somewhat expected in deals with newbies. I mean, let's be honest--what was I going to do with film rights--13 to Life: The Local Musical? *snort* And, although there were multiple parties interested, I had no idea what would be a dealbreaker. Contracts can make you twitch.

Here's how my contract reads (I know--*snore*):

(b) Grant of Rights. The following additional and subsidiary rights in the Work are hereby included in those granted and assigned to the Publisher by subparagraph 1(c):
(i) The sole and exclusive possession in the United States, its territories and dependencies of:

* (A) Selection Rights;

* (B) First Serial Rights;

* (C) Second Serial Rights;

* (D) Microfilm Rights; <==YES. Microfilm. LOL

* (E) Electronic Text Rights;

* (F) Translation Rights (note: in the United States, its territories and dependencies only);

(ii) The sole and exclusive possession in the rest of the Exclusive Territory of Print Rights and Translation Rights;

(iii) <===This one was struck through, so it was removed. Buh-bye!

(iv) The sole and exclusive possession throughout the world in all languages of:

* (A) Sound Reproduction Rights;

* (B) Multimedia Rights;

* (C) Movie and Television Rights;

* (D) Game Rights;

* (E) Live Theatrical Rights; <==Noooo! There goes my musical! ;-)

* (F) Cartoon strip, novelty, advertising and other commercial use of characters, fanciful places, situations, ideas, events and other material from the Work ("Merchandizing Rights").

Now, looking at that, it appears to royally suck. I mean, seriously, I gave them everything. However. I have a nifty-neat-o clause that says...

If the Publisher has not optioned or licensed Movie and Television Rights in a Book by the end of twelve (12) months from the date of publication of the Publisher's initial publication of such Book, the Author shall thereafter have the right to revoke such unoptioned or unlicensed rights in such Book, by giving written notice to the Publisher by registered and certified mail, return receipt requested, which notice shall not be effective unless received by the Publisher prior to the Publisher's agreeing to an option or license.

So. One calendar year after 13 to Life: A Werewolf's Tale is officially first published I can have my movie and tv rights revert back to me. This puts me in an interesting situation (because I really, really want a movie deal). Honestly, I'd like SMP to make the deal. They have lawyers and people to handle that sort of stuff and sure--I'd only get the lion's share of the licensing fee, but it's still potentially a chunk of change. If I have to try and make a deal yes, I may make more money and have more control but I'll also spend more time and money on lawyers. Blech.

If you think visually (and I sure did for this series) you'll probably want to think about your production rights and who would handle what if you get asked about a movie (or other) deal. I hope this helps with that a little bit.

And, although I agree with Robin that most books can't be expressed very well on the big screen, I'm still a movie girl. Besides, I promised the Divas a while back that if I landed a movie deal we'd have our red carpet moment (and I doubt it counts if I roll a red carpet out at my house in the middle of nowhere and microwave popcorn ;-).

Off to watch something!
~Shannon

What makes a novel a romance?

2010-02-12T18:04:00.002-05:00

For the last week or so, I’ve spent most of my “spare time” (ha ha!) judging entries for the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Golden Heart® contest for unpublished writers. The Golden Heart® is my favorite contest to judge because, comparatively speaking, it’s an easy job. Sure, the entries are long (55 pages, usually in Times New Roman 12, which can be murder eyes that aren’t getting any younger). However, all you have to do is read the entire entry (granted, a couple of times getting all the way through an entry has been torture!) and rate it on a scale of 1 to 9, with 5 “specified as average for an unpublished manuscript.” Unlike most RWA chapter contests, there are no specific areas, such as plot, characters and mechanics, that must be rated separately. Furthermore, comments aren’t required or even allowed. In other words, there’s no heavy lifting.

The subjectivity and lack of feedback is one aspect of the Golden Heart® that some writers don’t like, but I don't mind, because to me, this reasonably approximates what happens when our babies land on the desk of an editor. Either she’s excited by our story or she isn’t. She doesn’t have to say why, and she certainly doesn’t have to offer us a contract just because our manuscript scores high on preselected technical criteria.

This year I’m judging the Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category. The Golden Heart® rules define this category as including “works of fiction in which a romance plays a significant part in the story, but other themes or elements take the plot beyond the traditional romance boundaries... A romance must be an integral part of the plot or subplot, and the resolution of the romance is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.” In contrast, the Contemporary Single Title Romance category includes “romance novels which focus primarily on the romantic relationship... The love story is the main focus of the novel, and the end of the book is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.”

What has struck me most this year is that at least four of my entries, in my opinion, are not novels with strong romantic elements – they are romance novels, damn it! The love story is the main focus of the manuscript, and there’s a “happily ever after” ending. Under the official definition, those are the only two criteria for a romance. (And by the way, all of these entries involve a man and a woman, so I don’t even need to wander into the minefield that is the subject of gay romances, and RWA’s reaction to same).

So, I can’t help wondering – why do these authors want deny that what they’ve written is a romance? My first thought was that they wanted to avoid the steep competition in the Single Title category, but a look at the statistics on 2009 Golden Heart® entries ruled that out as a valid conclusion. While both categories had the maximum of 8 finalists, Single Title only had 111 entries, while Romantic Elements had 152 – over a third more. In fact, Romantic Elements was the most competitive of all the Golden Heart® categories.

Another possibility is that these authors don’t want their stories stigmatized by being called a “romance” – but I’d certainly hope and expect that anyone savvy enough to understand the career value of winning or even finalling in the Golden Heart® wouldn’t think that way.

My best guess is that these writers believe their works would be perceived to “fall outside the traditional romance boundaries,” and penalized by judges in the Single Title category, even though the love relationship is the heart of the story (pun intended). This old school thinking would say, a romance heroine can’t be snarky; a romance hero can’t be battling addiction; romance authors can’t color outside the lines of the traditional.

Since I’m entered in the Single Title category, I suppose I should be glad that a number of potential competitors have gone elsewhere. But I can’t help thinking it would be better for the health of the genre if romance was seen as a “big tent” that could include many kinds of heroes, heroines and stories.

Beyond The Book--Adaptations

2010-02-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

Recently, Divas Shannon Delany and Robin Wright fell into a deep discussion about authors points of view and the technicalities of screen adaptations of novels. They decided to do a little series about the subject. Read on for the next two Thursdays and Tuesdays!

I have a soft spot in my heart for books that are translated onto film. You can blame it on SWEET VALLEY HIGH. Yeah, you read me right. Francine Pascal's super awesome(!) book series that came to life on my small, 13” black and white screen forever colored my view of screen translations. I never, not once, thought “What does this author think” when I watched each episode. The author must totally be stoked (I feel I must apologize here for the early 90's slang that will most likely be sprinkled throughout this blog post. Dude, I just can't help it)!

Well, surprise, surprise. That is so not the case.

Stephen King, for one, has yet to find a way that makes him completely pleased with the outcome (about 70 of his works have been made). So, he gave up. In an interview with TIME magazine, he says

“I don't try to maintain quality control. Except I try to get good people involved. The thing is, when you put together a script, a director, and all the other variables, you never really know what's going to come out. And so you start with the idea that it's like a baseball game — you put the best team you can on the field, and you know that, more times than not, you're gonna win.”

Is that what most authors feel like? I have a feeling that we are going to find out.

I don't know exactly when the boom in making novels fit for life on the screen happened. Perhaps it was with the supersonic success of HARRY POTTER, or the Stephenie Meyer's dream come true (that almost didn't happen) of TWILIGHT.

Way back when, when I had no kids and worked as a Youth Coordinator at the local library, I was given an ARC (advanced reader's copy) of TWILIGHT. Little did I know my life would forever be changed. OK, so that wasn't the case, life stayed on course for me, but the phenomenon of what TWILIGHT would become was not lost on me. I was excited to read on her web page that MTV had picked up the rights to make it into a movie! This was in 2005.

I'd say about a year later, I read on her web page that MTV lapsed the right to have a movie made of her first novel, and she was bummed. Some smaller studios were interested, she had said. (Click here for her blog archives detailing what happened and who her original choices for the characters had been.)

The rest, as they say, is history.

Shannon Delany and I recently had a very interesting discussion about movie studios interest in soon-to-be published works and the variety of ways they can come to life. There is the:

Television Series (True Blood)
Made for T.V. Movie (Lifetime Movie Network has a deal with Nora Roberts)
Television Mini-series (Alex Haley's Roots)
Big Screen (Um, yeah. Pick one.)

Which do you prefer? For me, a book is too complex to be made into a big screen movie. Even GONE WITH THE WIND, as amazing an epic as it is, cannot compare to the sweeping drama in the novel. I would love to see it as a TV Mini-series. I feel it is only in that form a book can truly unravel the way an author intended.

Take TRUE BLOOD, for instance. That show is amazing to me. It's like a bunch of fanfic writers gained control and decided to create a season of shows from every book. In fact, that is exactly what happened. The author, Charlaine Harris, gave them permission to do what they will to her novels. Why? Because she'd like to be surprised, too.

Chances are, when you finally get your book deal, there will be some movie studios and production companies sniffing about, as well. What are your choices? What rights should you expect to keep control over? For the technical stuff, Shannon will fill us in. Meanwhile, I'm going to dig out my copy of Richie Tankersley Cusick's BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. (Published in 1992 to go be released at the same time as the movie. 5 years later, it became the T.V. series. Talk about the best of all worlds!)

Ready for a break?

2010-02-10T11:46:00.004-05:00

So, I'm ankle deep in my third book of the 10 Days story arc. I have plans for three more.

I thought I would take a break after the first book. Then I said I would take a break after the second book. Now, I've jumped right in to the third book with plans to take about a week after that one is completed. I'm anticipating it will be done early April. Since that's RT month, I might actually take that break.

I've written three books since August and while I'm giddy, I'm still learning my own process. At least, a process that works. The first book I wrote took me years. YEARS. And I hated it.

I've had so many authors tell me that they feel so drained when they finish a book and me, I'm just excited to start the next one. What about you guys?

The Zombies of Writing: Ideas that Just Won't Die

2010-02-09T13:48:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I had absolutely no idea what to blog about today and although a pal suggested zombies, I'm just not that into them. BUT. Instead of people and animals that just won't die, what about ideas that won't quit either?

You know, that nagging little voice in the back of your head that sits in the Internal Editor's classroom, eager hand raised shouting "I have an idea! Oh! Oh! Pick me, pick me!" (I have a mental classroom filled with those little buggers.) They can be eager little zombies. They have only one thing on their minds (no, not braaaiinnss) and that's getting their idea in front of you. Oh, man. They're just like us and editors!

You have gobs of choices when dealing with an idea that just won't die.

Here's what I had to do recently...

Pause with your other writing to quickly zip the zombie idea down on paper or notecards (this helps shut 'em up--errm--appease them). Seriously. Write it down even if it seems lame or incomplete.
Give yourself a full day of just mentally poking at that zombie idea (I've found that if I don't give it some attention it'll try to grow and wiggle its way into my other stuff regardless of if I jotted the bare bones down).
Write a scene or snippet of the idea that helps demonstrate the voice or mood you feel it needs so you have that as a reference later.
Try and figure out why that zombie voice is so insistent NOW. Has it figured out that this idea could actually jigsaw into your current project? Is there a date or event that your subconscious realizes is coming up and this might be perfect for if you pursue it now? Be open-minded. Zombies can surprise you.
Decide if there is a legitimate reason to switch gears entirely from your current project to the zombie suggestion. If there is (like the idea has emerged fully formed from your skull like Athena poppin' outta Zeus's thick skull), pursue it. If you aren't sure, run its general appeal and the reason you think it's the one to pursue past a CP or beta.
Then get back to planning, imagining and writing.

You never know when you'll want to thank that zombie for that idea. So go ahead--hug a zombie today (and then take a shower and launder--or burn--those clothes). ;-)

UUUnnnnGGGGhhHHH! Umm... Take care!
~Shannon

What Now?

2010-02-06T07:59:00.008-05:00

I admit it. For the last few months I've been horribly derelict in my duties as a Diva. While I was buying a home, selling a home, moving 1600 miles, and starting a new job, as well as recovering from the emotional hangover that came with the end of the America's Next Best Celler contest, I kept letting the blog fall to the bottom of my priority list.

Hell, I kept letting everything about writing fall to the bottom of my priority list. My muse stopped talking to me.

Now I've been in my new city for three weeks. I'm getting settled in. My condo is in a brand-spanking-new building right downtown. I'm within walking distance of the Alamo and the riverwalk, where the fiesta attitude and energy pulse nonstop. The neighborhood's filled with a colorful variety of people from tourists to Air Force basic trainees out on passes to panhandlers. There's plenty to get the creative juices flowing.

And my office is in a wonderful old building with a carved wood ceiling in the lobby (see pic) and rumor has it, a ghost or two -- not your typical Federal box. From 1937 to 1996 it was a hospital, and I'm told the area where my office is located used to be the nursery. That has to be good juju, don't you think?

I thought I'd have to hit the ground running, as the Army puts it, at the new day job. I had two hearings scheduled within my first month. But things didn't go as planned -- in a good way. One case settled, the other was dismissed by the judge at the last minute. For the moment anyway, things are under control.

In short, I've run out of excuses. It's time to get back to writing. Past time, I hear my muse grumble. Point taken.

So, now what? Do I go back to either of the light paranormals I started over the last couple of years? I started both with boatloads of enthusiasm and ideas I thought were unique, or at least not totally done to death. Somehow I ran out of steam both times. I need to decide if either manuscript is salvageable, or if I should start something new.

And what do I do with my fourth place-finishing Next Best Celler entry, Confessions of the World's Oldest Shotgun Bride? Rewrite it as erotica? Submit it to some e-publishers? Feed it to the paper shredder? (Just checking to see if you were paying attention with that last part - I wouldn't disrespect my work that way).

I have all kinds of options. But one of them isn't to keep pushing my writing to the margins of my life. I'm a writer. Writers write, everyone else makes excuses. It's time to get back to work.

Writing contests and submission calls!

2010-02-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

Before the world finally sits up to take notice of our greatness, we have to make money somehow. So while waiting for that amazing editor or agent to get through the slush pile to find our gems, here are some places asking for our creative genius. As always, be careful and do research before you submit to ANY website. It takes five minutes to do a background check, and will forever protect your work and your pocket. Best bet: Twitter the publisher you are thinking of using to see what other authors' experiences have been.

Textnovel: Their annual contest is up and running! Prize is $1000.

The Enchanted Conversation: Looking for rewrites on popular fairy tales they've selected. Payment if selected=$.04 a word.

Samhain Publishing: Actively seeking three submission categories right now, including Steampunk.

Erotic Readers Submission page: A very comprehensive list of erotic-themed magazines, e-zines, traditional publishers and e-publishers looking for your work.

LL Dreamspell: Is looking for submissions for 3 of their anthologies--
Erotic Dreamspell - Sizzling erotica - paranormal themes preferred
Romance of my Dreams Volume 2 - Mainstream romance - sexy but not erotica
Dreamspell Revenge 2- Suspense, Mystery, or other genre stories with a revenge theme

Pine Hill Press: Looking for just about everything, from space science fiction, to werewolve, to halloween myteries, check out this extensive wish list.

DRT Press: Quote-”is your child easy to love, but hard to parent? drt press wants your stories about parenting a child with adhd/add/odd or other behavioral issues for our upcoming anthology.” It look like this would be a fundraising anthology.

Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition: $3000 grand prize and a trip to NYC.

2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award: I know, I know, Amazon, Macmillan, and the lot are all being greedy buggers and playing with author's and agents livelyhoods, but it still is a way to get published. If you are against Amazon and their bully tactics (Yes, I am taking sides, here) then ignore this one. If you want to get your stuff out there, they try for it. Quote-”a chance to win one of two $15,000 publishing contracts with Penguin USA and distribution of your novel on Amazon.com. “

Literary Market Calls For Submission: An nice list of markets looking for more *snort* literary work. (Why did I snort? I'm not much of a literary girl. I like me some rolling in the hay, if you know what I mean.)

So there are a few that have been going around. As always, join and search through Duotrope's amazing list, organized by category, of submission calls. They are a truly amazing resource for us starting, and I donate a little each month to keep them running, since they give out the info FOR FREE.

And no, I did not get to finish my novel WICKED ENCHANTMENT in 31 days. I tried, and wrote everyday, but of course, at the last leg, some things came up that derailed me. So, My aim is to finish it up this weekend. I may have been knocked down, but I'll be damned if I stay there!

One Thing You Might Not Think About Starting Out

2010-02-02T07:59:00.003-05:00

When I started writing years ago I did lots of research. Research on writing, research on editing, research on character and world-building. Lots of that research came from reading (in various genres, magazines and writing books).

But, like so often happens, all the book-learning in the world doesn't prepare you for reality.

Today, I'll just share one thing I never thought I'd need to worry about when signing with a big, traditional NYC publishing house:

the supply chain/distribution of books

Those of you following the news (or publishing in general) may have noticed the Amazon vs. Macmillan scuffle over ebook prices which resulted in Amazon removing all the buy buttons on Macmillan books (ebooks and print). Pre-order pages also suddenly had no option to actually pre-order. That was Friday.

Macmillan is one of the "big six" (actually, according to some resources, the smallest of the big six publishing companies). This would lead one to believe there's some security there. That isn't so much the case.

So much business is done online now, that large distributors like Amazon (who recently decided they'd be willing to drop their take of ebook sales from 70% to the 30% Apple's doing IF Macmillan kept all ebooks at $9.99) are powerful players in the publishing business. When they decide to throw a hissy fit, it gets noticed.

And when they throw a hissy fit that impacts the livelihood of writers--guess what? It gets written about.

So, from Friday to today sort of looked like this: can't pre-order 13 to Life at Amazon; search for other distributors pre-selling; update all links to Amazon's competitors; move Amazon's link to the bottom of the list; blog and read about the situation to educate writers and readers and self; watch my sales at Book Depository, Borders and Barnes & Noble go up; hope editors aren't stuck in meetings all Monday as a result of this fiasco; buy candy for editors in case; have Jackie Kessler's posts quoted to me by the husband and laugh; ship candy to editors; read John Scalzi's posts and laugh; host contest to give away books that *still* are not available for purchase. <--That excludes my 7 hours driving Sunday and keeping up with the farm and house chores. Life doesn't stop because you're a writer.

*sigh*

How much writing did I get done outside of blogs? Not nearly what I hoped.

I never thought I'd have to do so much scrambling beyond the writing and editing of the books (which was easy in comparison). I guess my point is this--educate yourselves about all the things you can in regards to the craft and business of writing.

And then be prepared to move fast when the unexpected comes.
~Shannon

Vamps and Weres and Ulfhednar! (Oh my!)

2010-02-01T06:30:00.009-05:00

Welcome to our newest honorary (and soon to be permanent!) textnovel diva, Deborah Blake. Today, Deborah encourages us to color outside the (paranormal) box. Deborah, take it away! :)

***

Beyond Fangs—The Tale of an Online Workshop

As writers, we strive to constantly hone our craft and improve our skills. Preferably without spending too much money or taking a lot of time away from our current manuscript. Online writing classes are the perfect solution. Most of them are fairly inexpensive, and you can devote as much or as little time as you chose.

I’ve taken a number of great workshops, many of them from the Low Country RWA chapter. Recently they asked me to come up with one myself. At the time they asked me, I’d spent months working on the world and character building for my current urban fantasy, PENTACLES AND PENTIMENTOS. I started out by asking myself a simple question: What kind of paranormal characters can I use to people this world, without resorting to those that are currently somewhat overused. In short, NOT VAMPIRES.

Don’t get me wrong; I love vamps. And werewolves, and such. But I wanted to create a world that was completely different from anything already out there. And that meant coming up with unusual paranormals. Hence, the workshop—
Beyond Fangs: Creating New & Interesting Paranormal Characters

The class will cover what’s already out there and a few ways to make the more common your own. It will also explore some alternatives, as well as suggest a few helpful resources for creating something new and different. And it will give an example or three from PENTACLES AND PENTIMENTOS. The Divas asked me to give their readers a sneak peek, so here are the notes for one of my paranormal races:

Ulfhednar: Traditionally known as werewolves, although not.

The legends of ulfhednar mentioned in Vatnsdœla saga, Haraldskvæði and the Völsunga saga may be a source of the werewolf legends. The ulfhednar were vicious fighters similar to the better known berserkers, who were dressed in bear hides and reputed to channel the spirits of these animals to enhance effectiveness in battle; these warriors were resistant to pain and killed viciously in battle, much like wild animals. Ulfhednar and berserkers are closely associated with the Norse god Odin. [This is the quote from the source I used to springboard the original idea for this species. Below are the notes from the creation of my own twist.]

As a species, most of the Ulfhednar are simply stronger, more aggressive, more pack oriented than humans. One out of about every 100 Ulfhednar has the potential to become a true Ulf by undergoing strenuous training and rituals. Once done, this person (usually but not always male) can channel the spirit of his/her totem animal and become nearly unstoppable in battle. Becoming Ulf is a great feat and brings honor to the entire family. Ulfhednar traditionally reproduced in great numbers, in the hopes of producing a child who can become Ulf, and few who can achieve it turn away from the opportunity to do so, although many of those who try die in the attempt. Ulfhednar live in extended families ruled by an Alpha female. Family lines include bear (original), wolf, boar, wildcat, elk and badger. Ulf animal is dependent on family totem. Once they become Ulf, they must wear totem talisman around their neck to help them channel the animal traits through themselves. If the talisman is removed, they cannot change.
*God worshipped is Odin, who started the Ulfhednar lines in pre-history. Also worship totem animal.

Most Ulf serve in "Alpha male" positions, such as Special Forces, Navy SEALS, SWAT members and sometimes firemen and policemen.

This gives you a pretty good idea, I think. There are also lots of other really good online classes out there. The LowCountry RWA offers classes by many authors, and the wonderful Candace Havens runs her WriteChat loop, on which she often has guest authors who offer classes for free.

Happy writing!
Deborah Blake

Kicking the Internal Editor in the nads.

2010-01-28T22:35:00.000-05:00

Day 1: I am so excited! I'm going to attempt to do something I've never done before! Finish a novel! In 31 days! I have it all planned out, from my writing schedule to when I was the dirty socks everyone in this house seems to have. It'll mean that I will have to break some of my precious writing bad habits, such as endless researching period clothing, re-reading everything I've written thus far, writing in chronilogical order, and most importantly, not writing at all for days. I'd never make my 31 day mark if I did that!

Day 12: Huzzah! I've 13,239 words under my belt! I'm working right along, everything seems to be falling into place. I'm pretty much sticking to my timeline, but I've decided that I need more paranormal instances. Can anyone really have too much magic in a historical paranormal romance? I want to go back over what I've written and fix some stuff, but will have to settle for adding comments to my document so I can fix it when I'm done.

Day 18: Started writing various scenes that I've plotted out. It's getting harder to make my word count; I just don't know what to write next. I feel as if I should go back over some of the stuff I've already written and tweak it a little, you know, so I could get back in the characters heads and really get into the story. No, I won't, because my aim is to get a bare bones, 50,000 word novel finished in 11 more days.(Oops. I meant 13. Hey, I'm a writer, not a mathematician!)

Day 22: My. Novel. Sucks. Why did I read it over? I wasn't supposed to go back over it from the beginning. There are so many mistakes! It's going to take forever if I wait to fix them at the end, and I'm running out of space to put my comments. Oh! Shut up little man in my head who keeps telling me to drop this one and start another! I'm not listening to you. I've got 2,000 words to write in 2 hours and I just don't have time to hang out with you!

Day 24: Stupid Internal Editor forced me to head over to wordle to see what word I've used too many times. Seems that 'eyes' has been given enough action in the novel that it's big and bold next to the main characters names. I will ignore this, though, because I have decided to just jump to the end, write the last part of the book so I know what loose ends I need to address and tie up, and get this baby done.

Day 26: Shut up internal editor. You do not own me. You do not own my novel. I will set you free once all of my scenes are hacked together in some vague semblance of a order. Then you can go at it to your heart's content. I ignored you yesterday and wrote over 2k words. I ignored your incessant nagging today and did another 2k. You are not the boss of me, so stuff a cookie in your mouth and come back in six days.

A Love Hate Relationship

2010-01-27T11:56:00.003-05:00

So, fellow Diva Shannon Delaney posted something this morning and it got me thinking. Her posts usually do that... *wink*

See that icon up there? The blood dripping off of the quill? It doesn't matter what you write, but if you are driven to write, that ink is the same thing that runs through your veins, it's your blood on that page.

What a sacrifice of self to bring these worlds to the page! Why would you do it if you didn't love it?

I didn't love it. For a long time, I hated writing as much as I was driven to do it. It was quite the inner turmoil.

I hated that anything had control over me and it did. I have to write. It's just like saying that I have to breathe. Both are vital life functions. I didn't enjoy the process of writing, I didn't enjoy the characters in my head, it was all a chore that had to be done.

Again, writing was like going #2. It wasn't fun, but it had to be done or it backed up. (I know, always with the butt humor. *g*)

I didn't sell until I loved it.

Perhaps I was dropped on my head as a child, but that light didn't go on for me until just now, reading Shannon's post.

You can't be in this boat for any other reason than True Love. It doesn't matter if you write romance or not, the True Love is with your craft.

During this contest, I fell in love with writing. I fell in love with my characters and their story. I think it shows.

So, take a look today. Are you in love?

Tell me about it!

YA Culture: Stalk in the Name of Love?

2010-01-26T07:45:00.002-05:00

*Please note: I'm putting on my devil horns and pulling out my briefcase--Yep. Playing Devil's advocate today. So take out your salt shaker and be prepared to take all this with at least a grain or two of the white stuff. ;-)

Question: Does the current YA culture encourage an acceptance and even deification of the stalker mentality?

My brother and I were recently talking about *this and he (having that pesky male perspective ;-) brought up the fact that while some of his Twilight hating friends are quick to jump on the stalker bandwagon, some admit to remembering other movies from their youth as amazingly romantic--movies where the guy was "devoted," "reckless" and "intense."

Remember the 1989 movie Say Anything with John Cusack?

I sure do. Remember that moment when Lloyd stood outside Diane's house and blared "In Your Eyes" in a tribute of his love and devotion? Wasn't that romantic?

Eh, not so much from a legal view point. That romantic hero could have definitely been tossed in the clink for stalking. Diane had just broken up with him, after all.

In the 1967 movie The Graduate Dustin Hoffman's character stalks Elaine and disrupts her wedding. Romantic? Not so much... But a classic, right? Of course, there aren't probably many tweens and teens watching *it.*

In the Twilight series a heck of a hullaballoo has been raised over vampire Edward's stalker-like tendencies. He watches Bella sleep, he shows up in her room without her permission, etc. As much as I enjoyed *many* aspects of the Twilight saga, there were moments alarm bells went off in my head because Edward was a bit too intense in his devotion. And yet that "intensity" is rewarded with Bella's love.

It makes me wonder if any guys get mixed signals as a result. I mean, you show up in places uninvited occasionally at generally inappropriate times and you get the girl. Errr... Hmm. And from the girl's perspective are we accidentally sending the message that if a guy stares at you and invades what you may consider as your privacy (um, bedroom) it just means he *really* likes you?

For my age group (and there are many of us who enjoyed Twilight for exactly the reasons it should be enjoyed) we have enough life experience to know that in real life even hunky Edward would freak us out if he pulled the same behaviors he did with Bella. I mean, there's flattery and then there's obsession, right? ;-)

Of course, when we were teens (mumble-mumble years ago) we had a waaay different view of the world, right? Emotions ran high (right along with the hormones) and everything we felt we felt SO very deeply.

Now, old and jaded, I wonder.

And the music I'm hearing more recently makes me wonder, too.

Lady GaGa's recent hit Paparazzi (which is quite catchy) has a few lines that freak me out:

I'll follow you until you love me.

And:
But I won't stop until that boy is mine. (There are a couple more, but fair use and all that ;-).

And even Taylor Swift (whom I adore) has a song called The Other Side of the Door with the following lines:
I said, "Leave," but all I really want is you To stand outside my window, throwing pebbles, screaming, "I'm in love with you."

And she sings it beautifully!

Love's complicated and confusing--I get that. Crushes are even worse (there's a reason they're called "crushes").

So should we as authors (or song writers or whatever) reduce the width, breadth or depth of the worlds we create and the characters that inhabit them to worry about people whose distinction between reality and fiction may not be a clear and clean line?

At what point do we need to censor our freedom of expression for the safety of our impressionable youth?

~Shannon-the-Ever-Curious

*Yes, such conversations are frequent in my family. ;-)

Writing what you know bores you? Write what you wish

2010-01-25T13:06:00.001-05:00

This entry isn't about the craft of writing--exactly. What it's really about is drawing inspiration from tidbits of other people's lives, and allowing our imaginations to revise our personal realities.

You see, I am a mermaid. Ah, but to say so now is to buy the fish before the aquarium, so indulge me while I digress.

I came from a family steeped in hard, cold reality. SO much so that I grew up utterly convinced that I was an adopted child. I squandered quite a few Saturday nights searching the house for evidence that would prove me an abandoned or orphaned Hawaiian mermaid princess.

As I'm sure you've gleaned by now, hard, cold reality bores the ever-lovin' hell out of me.

My father, brilliant man that he was and is, has never held much of an appreciation for my infatuation with the stuff of myths and legend. While he's by far the most well-read man I've ever known, my father is not given to flights of fancy. He is a pure scientist--he relies on the five senses to provide him with the information by which he, in turn, forms his practical reality.

Being the imaginative bairn that I was, I'm sure you can imagine some of the arguments my father and I engaged in as I grew up. By some comic turn of fate, I was the sort of child who dwelled within. I believed in everything my father insisted could not enter the realm of possibility--Santa, faeries, ghosts, selkies, unicorns. Compassionate politics. World peace. Oh, and merpeople. Like me.

In spite of the fact my father used scientific principals to convince me of the error of my delusions, I've always remained convinced that I am a mermaid. My fascination with merpeople has followed me into adulthood, and the picture that accompanies this post is of the last mermaid that followed me home from a day trip to Captiva (Heaven on earth if you've never been there....for both human women and mer-types.) To me, mermaids are real. I cannot, will not contemplate a world without them. End of story, don't mess with me on this. Got it?

You'd think that as an adult woman with four children, I would have found cause to doubt my conviction of my semi-piscean state. Certainly none of my offspring came with fins. Gasp! Could it be that my father was right?

I might have begun to wonder until I ran across a bone fide merman sighting. Not an ancient one, mind you. Rather a recent one. Which means that I am, at the very least, not alone in my convictions that merpeople live and breathe (respirate?).

Fishermen claim they've spotted an amphibious creature resembling a human in the Caspian sea. Gafar Gasanof, the captain of the Baku, an Azeri trawler, told an Iranian newspaper: "The creature was swimming a parallel course near the boat for a long time.

He went on to report, "at the beginning we thought it was a big fish, but then we spotted hair on the head of the monster and his fins looked pretty strange, the front part of his body was equipped with arms."

According to Mr. Gasanot, this 'man of the sea' has been spotted with increasing regularity since off-shore oil production began in the Caspian. Other eyewitness say the marine humanoid is about 5ft 6ins, of strong build with a protruding stomach, webbed hands and black-green hair. His lower lip is said to join smoothly to his neck above the gills.

OK, so he's not exactly the hunkalicious merman I envisioned, but he's a merman nonetheless. And you know, he *could* be a long lost relative of mine. Maybe he's green because he's seasick, homesick, or just plain heart sick from missing his long lost mermaid princess daughter....moi!

As you can see just reading this little tidbit has my muse working overtime. And I'm sure my Daddy is sitting out there somewhere, wondering how on earth any daughter of his (even adopted) could possibly believe such a thing possible.

The point? Allow your world to enchant you and stories will find you.

*Sigh*. So many stories. So little time.

For the love of writer's conventions

2010-01-21T19:24:00.000-05:00

As the two toddlers are screaming at my feet, I daydream of going away to a place far away, where there are people who have the same interests as me, where knowledge is everywhere and everyone speaks in full sentences.

I dream of going to a writer's convention.

The Romantic Times is at the end of April this year in Columbus, Ohio. I drooled over the guest list. MaryJanice Davidson, Holly Black, L.A. Banks, Charlaine Harris--le sigh. I even happen to be friends with people who are going. Why am I not going?

Why indeed.

I told myself that if I made it to the top ten in Dorchester, I would have proven to my self (and my hubby who would be stuck with the two darlings) that I am making way in my writing career. I didn't make the top ten, so therefore--

Okay, you caught me in an excuse. Truth is, I don't have much to show for all of my writing work to feel that dropping a couple of hundred to be justified, especially when I live in the wilds of Central NY. The Romance Writer's Of America conference is in late August.

Again, what can I get out of these conferences if I show up with the little I have?
I feel as if I am too green to really take advantage of these opportunities. Sure, I'd like to schmooz and party with the rest of you, but would it really help me further my career? Would I be better off just waiting until I had a few polished manuscripts under my belt? By the by, RWA convention is in NY City in 2011. That's much closer to home, and by then, I will also have some more writing to show to agents, publishers, etcetera.

What conferences and conventions do you make sure to hit every year? What are the most beneficial to writers? What experiences have you had. C'mon, fess up. The newbie wants to know...