Karma

I'm a big believer. I believe what goes around comes around. I believe (for the most part) people treat you the way you treat them. I believe things happen for a reason.

Since I'm taking Edie and Elisabeth's advice and stepping away from Dead Man's Hand for a while, I'm doing a couple of things to fill those voids when I would normally work on my wip. First, I'm reviewing a new plotting method which I'll talk a little more about tomorrow on Romance Worth Killing For. Two, I'm reading Kill the Messenger by Tami Hoag.

I listened to KTM on CD about 6-8months ago. Loved it. Fast-paced. Action. Killer characters. Complicated plot. Sub-plots galore. Now, I'm reading it, trying to pick up craft tips, pacing how-to's, etc.

I have A LOT of books in my TBR file -- both fiction and craft books. But I picked up KTM. And I've decided, now that I'm on page 103, chapter 14, that I was drawn to that book for a reason. The protagonish is a loner, afraid of the police with a childhood history that makes him suspicious and distrustful--MY HEROINE in DMH! The secondary protagonist (or maybe part-protagonist, part-antagonist) is the detective involved in a murder case the protagonist is suspected of committing. He's on a quest to find that high-profile case that will redeem him in the eyes of his coworkers and himself after screwing up something fierce several months before and getting demoted--MY HERO in DMH!

Not exactly, of course. Quite a list of disimilarities when reviewed side by side, but the characters in KTM have already shown me pieces of what is missing in my characters in DMH. The KTM plot is showing me ways to deepen threads in DMH -- not the plotline itself, but the way Hoag weaves the plotline in.

Yep. It's karma. I picked up this book for a reason. Divine intervention to kick my ass and say 'Don't even think about quitting!'

Not that I had, but it's nice to get an ass-kicking now and then.

Have you ever needed a little kick to get restarted?

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Maybe...not

I had planned on finishing Dead Man's Hand, and then revising. Had gotten valuable advice on the rough spots I was worried about. Had the plot line smoothed out. Thought I was ready to go.

But then, after reviewing chapters 1-3, I found myself sitting there, staring at my computer screen...numb. Bored.

The characters were utterly flat and, my biggest pet peeve, inconsistent. The plot was blasé. The transitions rougher than rough.

All fixable, no doubt about it. I am confident that I have the knowledge and skill to make those changes. My biggest problem was (and still is)...I had no desire to make them.

I sat there with a strange taste in my mouth and a flicker of anxiety in my chest.

When was the last time I didn't want to write? Sure, revisions are no fun, and that's how I've been spending my time for about the last year, but I've always wanted to write. I've always had the drive to make those changes.

I found myself wondering...when did the fun go out of writing? What was it about this story that spurred me to write 2/3 of it last year? Cause I sure as hell don't see it now.

So, today, I took a step back and considered...what do I really want to write about? What gives me that spark and compels me to put fingers to keyboard? What story lives inside me, fighting to get out?

Sadly, I couldn't answer. Because I don't feel it.

Fortunately, this funk isn't scaring me as it once would have. I'm not the least bit worried I'll lose my momentum and stop writing, which used to be one of my greatest fears.

Instead, I've decided to spend the time developing my own forms--character outlines, GMC graphs, plotting worksheets. I know--this frightens many of you pantsters, but they are what keep me--a die hard plotter--calm. And creating customized planning tools have been on my to-do list for a long time. Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to that.

Have you ever felt this malaise--either for a story or for writing in general? What happened? How did it play out? How did you handle it?

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Trying Something New

I've been going over my notes for the manuscript I've decided to work on next -- DEAD MAN'S HAND -- and I've discovered that it's different from the last two that I've been working on for the last year.

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT is a semi-mystery--Who is the serial killer? How is he connected to the heroine? The answer, while not immediately apparent, isn't purposely hidden either. The killer immediately has a name, an identity. What the reader doesn't know is how he's connected to the heroine. That is revealed about 3/4 of the way through the book, changing the suspense element from who is it? to how will they catch him?

SAFE IN ENEMY ARMS is a suspense. The reader immediately knows who the villain is. His GMC is clearly defined. What the reader doesn't know, is what he will do next, given the road blocks he's encountering with the heroine. That's one element of suspense. Another is being in the heads of the heroine, the hero and the villain, watching them watch each other and attempt to keep their own agendas in tact. It's like watching an accident about to happen. You can't look away from impending disaster. (At least that's the effect I was going for. Whether or not I achieved it is a whole different matter.)

DEAD MAN'S HAND is much more of a mystery. Their are no scenes in the villain's pov. We are never inside the villain's head. I do, however, put the reader in the victims' heads just before death -- which is another new technique for me. What we know of the killer, we are shown through each victim's eyes. And the killer isn't revealed until the very end.

So, I'm in new territory again. But then, I'm still a relatively new writer, so just about everything is new territory to me.

Elizabeth Lyons, a writer of craft books who I took a class with some months ago, said that a writer's apprenticeship is an average of 10 years.

I'm only half way through my apprenticeship. How about you? Where are you in your apprenticeship? What new techniques are you trying out in your current WIP?

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Boy, oh boy...

Can blogging suck you in or what?

Now that I'm taking a little break after revisions so consuming the thought of even looking at a red pen makes me shudder, I have a lot more time to get out on the internet and check out the blogs.

OMG. Every writer has a blog. Many have two blogs (as I do), or more!

I could spend all day reading and responding to blogs. The sense of community within the realm of romance writers is phenomenal. Everyone sharing their tips, tricks, struggles, successes. What a fantastic setting to gain inspiration and support!!

Unfortunately, I dont' have all day to surf. And I don't know anyone else who does either.

So, tell me, what blogs do you visit and why? How do you choose what blogs you respond to, how often you post on your own blog, and what are you trying to achieve with your blog?

Tess Gerritsen recently posted on her blog that she finds it cathartic. Which I totally understand, and one of the reasons I started my personal blog back up.

I stopped my personal blog about a year ago when we started Romance Worth Killing For. I couldn't see writing two blogs. I mean, I need time to write novels, oh, and feed my children. They get grouchy. Jeez. But now, I find that I have more to say on both personal and professional levels. RWKF is my professional, writing craft blog. My personal blog is more eclectic, containing more intimate thoughts on writing and the writing life and life in general.

Because I have to limit my surfing time, I have several blogs I frequent, which are linked --> that way **nodding to the right** on the side bar.

Share some special blogs you think we need to know about, ones that are worth giving up our valuable free time to visit.

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A Few Book Giveaways

Can never have enough books, right? Er FREE books, I mean.




http://www.150thrillers.com/: It’s a thriller lover's dream - the chance to win autographed copies of 150 novels by some of the biggest and best thriller authors in the business. That’s right, 150 thrillers, signed by the authors.







http://www.bkgiveaway.com/: The Great American Book Giveaway. Publishers and authors will be offering sneak peeks at upcoming books. Hundreds of books are given away each week.

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Wow...

I'm finally done.

Hiding In Plain Sight has been polished, formatted and emailed to my agent, Nahvae.

Last week, I finished MAJOR revisions to Safe In Enemy Arms and sent the printed ms to her in New York.

**Pause** **Crickets chirping** **Frogs blurping**

Now what?

Yeah, that's about as long a break as I can manage. Although I'm not entirely sure where I'm going next. I think I'm headed toward finishing Dead Man's Hand. But it needs some heavy plotting refinement before I pick up at chapter 20 and finish it. And to get the plot right, I'm going to have to do some research.

So, while I'm reading books, searching the internet, watching documentaries on the subject of gambling, I'm going to focus a little closer to home and take care of a lot of things I've been neglecting here in favor of getting revisions out, like...laundry. And grocery shopping. And cooking. And cleaning.

Yep. Guess I've got enough to keep me busy for a while. But don't worry. Just because I'm not actively writing doesn't mean I'll be talking about diswasher detergent and the lastest sale on pork round. Come back and visit--I've always got something writing related on my mind.

What do you do between projects?

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Advice Column

Not that I'm any guru or anything -- just offering advice from years and years of writing, years and years of learning, and hundreds and hundres of rejection letters.

This is the response to a post I made on another board, who was quite upset with a rejection letter she'd received. Thought others might benefit from the info, as the subjects are universal to writing.

:: questions by fellow athor ::

My two cents below.

*****

First, take a deep breath. I completely understand where you're coming from, but to get anything good out of this rejection (and there is always something good in a rejection, even if it only means you've put your work out there--a huge step), you'll have to look at it objectively.

:: she said my heroine wasn't a very contemparary woman, given that everything happens to her, rather than her deciding to make things happen. what does she mean by contemporary? because my heroine knows how to cook and clean? she also knows how to train horses but that's not in the first three chapters::

Editors/agents want strong heroines. Strength can be shown in many different ways. One of those ways is for the character to take hold of their lives and shape it. Things happen to them, circumstances exist, but what defines character is how they handle those circumstances, what actions they take to right the wrong that occured. If a character simply REacts to problems instead of determining their own direction, it makes them appear weak. An example off the top of my head: Say a woman is suspected of a murder she didn't commit. The police are sure she's the killer and are doing everything they can to gather evidence to prove it, maybe even fabricating evidence to support their theory. A passive character will go about their life, worried, anxious, view the situation as unfair and deny, deny, deny. An active character could do any number of things to take hold of the situation and make a difference--investigate on her own, hire a PI, engage the help of friends, hire a lawyer, etc. Contemporary women are strong, sassy, opinionated and intelligent. It doesn't matter whether they take care of three kids at home or run a multi-million corporation. They don't let others take care of their lives--they take care of themselves.

:: there is no conflict in the romantic relationship she develops. why does there have to be conflict between them there are plenty of external conflicts. which is something else she mentions that all the conflicts are external. is that wrong in someway?why would the conflict need to come from whithin the two main characters? ::

External conflict is good--it develops the plot. But internal conflict is even better--because it develops character. And characters are why people read books. Especially romance. Both types of conflict is the best. And when the external and internal conflict reflect each other or twine to up the stakes, it's as good as it gets. It's all about the conflict. There is no such thing as too much conflict in fiction. That doesn't mean you have to have the h/h bitching at each other. Conflict does not equal fighting or bickering. Conflict only represents roadblocks the characters have to overcome to succeed--externally that may be the villain who has something the h/h wants, or is trying to take something h/h have. Internally that may be fears from the past, insecurities from childhood, personal shortcomings that interfere. In working to overcome those problems, the characters should learn and grow and change. That's their character arc. If there is no conflict, there's no reason to read on to discover what happens, how they overcome it or how they change for the better.

:: i'm very upset at the way they judged the book based only on the first three chapters things don't really even get going for another chapter or two ::

It sounds as if you've started in the wrong place. A reader needs to be immediately involved from the very first line. Character (characterization) should be shown within the very first page. GMC should be defined, even if only foreshadowed, within the first chapter, preferably within the first five pages. It may seem harsh for an agent/editor to judge the book on the first three chapters, but a reader is even more harsh. If the first few lines don't grab them, don't pull them in, they put it back on the shelf. If the first chapter or two don't satisfy their curiosity, they don't read on. Worse, if you disappoint them with low conflict or inconsistent or weak characters, you've lost them completely, and they'll never look for your name when considering a purchase again.

:: my book is set on a horse ranch and she made the comment that there was little to distinguish it from any other ranch. isn't that the point of having an imagination? ::

Imagination is good, but readers don't want to do all the work. They pick up a novel to be entertained. They want you to paint a picture for them, help them with that imagery. And an editor/agent wants a book that's going to stick with a reader, where character, setting and plot will haunt the readers mind and make them want to come back for that author's next book. Theme is an important element of a powerful, memorable story and it should be threaded through every element, including the setting. What makes your horse ranch special, unique? Think about your heroine, her GMC and tie it into the ranch, its appearance, its location, its purpose.

:: i'm thinking of trying to up the word count to make it a stand alone novel rather than a series romance ::

A stand alone novel needs even deeper, more complicated characterization and conflict. It's not about word count, it's about depth.

I hope that helps. Hang in there and try not to take the comments personally. It's actually a good sign they gave you specifics to draw on, instead of simply sending a form rejection. Now you have specifics to utilize if you choose to revise, areas to focus on.

Good luck! Keep writing!

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Ever wish you could sew your mouth shut...?

I do, although in this case I wish I could tie my fingers together instead.

I made a comment on a fellow author's blog -- one I believe in, but one that was not so complimentary to a very well-known, well-loved author. Not that it would make a wit of difference to that author, of course. I'm non-existent in their world. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling of shame.

I try to be supportive and positive and thoughtful. Especially to upcoming writers. I give time to answer questions, offer advice and craft help, critique others' work, judge contests. Yet, I feel like all that good will has been wiped away by my one careless comment.

**Sigh**

I feel really lousy about it. Disappointed in myself, really. Regretful toward the author I infected with my negativity, sorry toward the community that had to be subjected to it.

In the big scheme, it was less than a blip on the radar. In my world, it was a wake-up call.

Have you ever said something you wish you could take back? Made a comment that seemed innocuous at the time but in retrospect you realized it could be taken wrong?

And, sometimes, I'm sorry just doesn't cut it. The words, the attitude is out there. Can't take it back.

I guess I'll just have to work extra hard to get my karma back in line.

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