Last Week in March

It's the last week of March, and it looks like I'm not going to meet my end of month deadline. I'm plenty bummed but I'm not going to beat myself up. I'm simply going to keep plugging away at the story and write, write, write!

One of my goals for 2007 is to participate in a contest or two. So this week I'm going to submit chapter one of Can't Help But Love You in the Virginia Romance Writers "Fool for Love" First Chapter Contest. C'mon ladies, join the contest too! The deadline for submissions is April 1st.

So with contest requirements in hand, I'm going to fine tune the beginning of Kelis and Paxton's story. Cross your fingers that I'll finish the story in April.

Oops! My Bad....

Some of my friends assumed from reading my last post that I'd finished Can't Help But Love You. But alas, I haven't! I'm still plugging away and trying to keep my end of the month deadline.

Please keep your fingers crossed and I'll keep my fingers flying.

All Men Are Sculptors....

This weekend, I was watching Bravo's "Inside the Actor's Studio" with Eddie Murphy as a guest and heard about the quote he wrote for his Roosevelt High School yearbook that states:

"All men are sculptors, constantly chipping away the unwanted parts of their lives, trying to create a masterpiece."

What a wonderful quote! So life-affirming!

The same can be said for writers, particular writers of romance and women's fiction. Our stories begin with characters in crisis or in transition or living an intrinsically unsettled, unfulfilled life. Their story is a journey to chip away the parts of their lives that are not adding to the essence of happiness and acceptance and to augment their lives with love, peace or spiritual wholeness. Each plot twist acts as a cog in the rotary wheel that "chips" or "augments." By the story's end, the writer has what he/she believe is a masterpiece in the ultimate development of the characters. Some choose to leave the "what-happens-next" to the readers' imagination and others write an epilogue that provides a snapshot of what the characters' life is like in the future.

I haven't decided on whether to write an epilogue or not. But I'm leaning toward writing an epilogue for Can't Help But Love You. Most epilogues that I read are satisfying and what I envision as the happily ever after. I enjoy a glimpse into future. It's the icing on the cake.

The masterpiece is complete!

30 Days and Counting

Enough is enough!

It's been two years and I am quite sick of Kelis and Paxton. That's why I am setting a goal to finish their story, Can't Help But Love You, by the end of this month. I am so ready to move on to its sequel, Can't Get Enough, Briallen and Nathan's story.

I mean, how long should a long contemporary take to write? Certainly not two darn years. Throughout this two-year odyssey, I've gotten so much advice to not worry about the rules and just write. Advice I've had a difficult time following because I am such a perfectionist and worry-wart.

Well enough of the pity-party! Perfecting the story will occur during the editing process. Now my nose if to the grindstone.

Universal Laws

Below is courtesy of Deirdre Savoy's post on her Yahoo group ladiesinred:

UNIVERSAL LAWS
Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease your nose will begin to itch or you'll have to pee

Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of Probability: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get abusy signal.

Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

Variation Law: If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now. (works every time)

Bath Theorem: When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

Law of Close Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machinewon't work, it will.

Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Theatre Rule: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.

Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Murphy's Law of Lockers: If there are only two people in a lockerroom, they will have adjacent lockers.

Law of Dirty Rugs/Carpets: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.

Law of Location: No matter where you go, there you are.

Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

Brown's Law: If the shoe fits, it's really ugly.

Oliver's Law: A closed mouth gathers no feet.

Wilson's Law: As soon as you find a product that you really like,they will stop making it.

Law of Chinese Restuarants: If you are the ONLY customer sitting in a Chinese restuarant when the next person comes in the hostess will seat him/her right next to you.

Rivalry Among Women

Last night I watched as Jennifer Hudson accepted the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Effie White in Dreamgirls and was reminded of all the rumors surrounding a rivalry between her and Beyonce, especially when I saw them perform together on stage.

Why is it that folks pit successful women against each other or we see our contemporaries as competition?

There is enough room for all women within every industry. We don't have to fight our way to the top. From their singing performance it was clear that Beyonce and Jennifer have different styles and strengths. Rumors have swirled that Beyonce is jealous of all of the attention and accolades Jennifer is receiving. I've even wondered why Jennifer's acting performance was categorized as a supporting role when she was clearly a leader actress in the film. Did Beyonce's star power make her an automatic marquee headliner? Is she a better actress? Prettier? Slimmer? Smarter?

If it's true, folks in Beyonce's camp shouldn't begrudge Jennifer's success any more than we are aspiring writers should envy the success of our author sisters. As women can't waste time comparing writing ability, speed and creativity, industry connections, and contracts. Instead we should cheer each other on and work hard for the same success.

Rather than lamenting about the limited space at the top, we'd be better served by extolling the richness of success.

Story Climax

Throughout my research on plot development, one of primary topics that resonates with me is the importance of building a climax, the point when a story's conflict comes to its moment of greatest intensity. According to Building Better Plots by Robert Kernen, a successful climax is impossible if the rising action that leads to it has been a failure or if the climax is poorly timed.

Could that be the issue with my story? Today I'm alloting time to carefully examine my scenes and evaluate whether the action serves to advance the plot and unleash the climax. I've written 200 pages and still don't have a firm thumb on the crisis Kelis and Paxton will face, individually and as a couple. (Grrrrr!) By the amount of time I spend agonizing, uh-hum, thinking about their story, I know I'm right on the cusp to a breakthrough.

When you write, do you know what the climax will be or does it just comes to you as you write?

6 Weird Things about Me!

Thanks to Jennifer Shirk, now I have to add to the weird quotient:

1. I broke my tailbone while delivering my daughter eleven years ago. I had no clue at the time, but the next morning I woke up with the worst pain in my lower back. I complained to my OB and he blithely proclaimed, "Oh you probably cracked your tailbone pushing." I had no idea such a thing was possible but if you think about it, it makes sense. I got an x-ray and, yep, it was cracked. Even now on rainy days I wish I had a sling for my rump.

2. The day after receiving my driver's license at 16 and 8 months, I hit a pedestrian while driving to the library. Talk about horrifying! My mother was driving right behind me when she turned right to go home and I continued straight toward the library. As traffic backed up into the intersection because of a stopped car ahead. I changed lanes to get out the intersection before the light changed. As I was proceeding forward, a guy dashed from between the stopped car and a city bus. I slammed on the brakes but it was too late. I clipped the guy in the leg, throwing him up onto the hood and into my windshield. When my car jarred to a halt, he rolled to the ground and hit his head once more on a parked car. I freaked out royally! I'll never forget the look on his face and the shock in his eyes. I had plenty of witness since it was rush hour and folks were getting off from work. Someone from the crowd came over and got my mother's number and she got to the scene just as medics were putting the young man into the ambulance. He suffered a broken leg, cracked ribs and a concussion, but survived. Thanks God! BTW, he got a ticket for jaywalking.

3. I go to the hair salon every week. I hate washing my own hair and look forward to my weekly pampering session. I don't drink, smoke, gamble or do drugs. This and reading are my two obsessions.

4. I never had a date in high school. What a nerd I was!

5. My favorite television shows: from the 70s was Good Times, from the 80s was Dance Fever, from the 90s was The Cosby Show and now CSI.

6. Like Chicki Brown, I hate silence. My television even puts me to sleep at night. When I work I'm listening to my Sirius radio or Yahoo Launchcast or listening to the tv. When it's quiet I draw a blank.

What's in a Name?

My hero and heroine in my current WIP are Paxton Graham and Kelis Alexander respectively. Any feedback I've received concerning my choice of names have been negative for far. Those who've criticized have complained about pronounciation, spelling or both.

I'd decided on the names after scouring the website, babynames.com and reading the meanings of Paxton (English meaning "from the peaceful farm") and Kelis (Gaelic meaning "lively, aggressive"). I didn't settle on these names because they definitively describe the characters demeanor or personality, but because their meanings diametrically opposed each other. Immediately my mind conjured up conflict possibilities.

As my story begins, both characters are quite lively and aggressive in their opinions and actions. By the end, I hope they will find peace and internal acceptance...with each other.

How do you come up with character names?

Books on Plotting

As many of you know, I've hit a major roadblock in my current WIP and have been frustrated with the story for weeks. To help me out of the quagmire, I've been reading Building Better Plots by Robert Kernen. Another writer, LaConnie Taylor-Jones, recommended I read it from cover to cover and so its been very enlightening. Like another book I've read titled Plot & Structure (Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot that Grips Readers from Start to Finish) by James Scott Bell, BBP focuses on:

The Narrative,
Plot Structure (where I am right now),
Inciting Incident,
Rising Action,
The Climax and Resolution,
Using Plot Archetypes,
Creating Characters and Back Story,
Constructing an Outline,
Subplots, and
Deepening the Story's Resonance.

P&S gives a study of:

Structure,
Beginning Strong, Middles and Endings,
Scenes,
The Character Arc in Plot,
Plotting Systems,
Common Plot Problems and Cures, and
Revising Your Plot.

So far both books have given me food for thought and made me realized that perhaps the initial conflict between Kelis and Paxton, my heroine and hero, is not strong enough to sustain the story. Those of you who have critiqued the story know what I'm talking about. Others will have to wait for when its published -- and it WILL be published! I can feel.

Even though I am studying this craft called writing, I must prevent the studying from keeping me writing. It's so easy to get so engrossed in research that you just don't create anything.

So what have you read on plotting if anything? Have you read BBP or P& S?

Three Facts About Me...

I'm being lazy today and copying a post I made today on http://themavensofthepen.blogspot.com.

Three little-known facts about me.....

1. I was high school valedictorian and tortured unmercifully for being the smartest girl in class. But I wear my survival through senior year like a badge of honor.
2. Among my friends, I am the "Queen of Useless Information." They come to me like I am resident 411 operator, able to answer their questions on practically any topic or find the answer in a flash.
3. I once jumped out of an airplane. Because I was too afraid to take the required swimming class in college, I chose to take sports parachuting. Doing a static-line jump at the end of the semester was not required to pass the class but I ending up being one of three students who "took the leap." Talk about a rush! But I promised my family I wouldn't do it again.

Starting Over...

Progress on my manuscript has stalled and I've been struggling to stay on course and plow my way through. Finally I violated every piece of advice I've gotten and started over!


Well, not exactly over in that sob-uncontrollably-burn-all-180-pages-and-stare-at-a-blank-Word-screen kind of way. But I am starting at Chapter 1 and reading my work with fresh eyes - not the eyes of the writer but the eyes of a reader - asking myself some simple questions.



Does the story grip me from the first few pages?
Do I like the characters, both primary and secondary?
Are the secondary characters even needed?
Is the story progressing too slowly?
What are the conflicts between characters and within characters?
Does the plot have holes?
Is the theme apparent?
Are elements of the story cliched or trite?
Would I even want to read past Chapter 12 (where I'm stuck)?

Of course as I progress I've had to resist the tempation to make edits concerning:

Grammar,
Word choice, and
Sentence structure.

Those will come later. Right now this is a highlevel review where I need to figure out if the story even works and where it is going. Plotting is a major issue. I know the end of the story but not the nuances of the middle. Damn, damn, damn! I'm banging my head here.

But alas, no one said writing was easy.

Let's Get to Know One Another

My friend, Jennifer Shirk, sent me this list of get-to-know-you questions and asked me to post my responses on my blog. Talk about torture! Well, Jennifer, here are my answers.

1) What’s your favorite song?
"I Believe I Can Fly"

2) Name the top 3 favorite vacations you’ve had:
Los Angeles, Disney World, Barbados

3) Name the top 3 vacations you’d like to have:
Paris, Alaska, South Africa

4) Who’s your favorite romance author?
Beverly Jenkins

5) Name your top 5 all-time favorite books:
The Edge of Dawn by Beverly Jenkins
Topaz by Beverly Jenkins
Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen Woodiwiss
Nobody's Baby but Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Crazy Hot by Tara Janzen

6) If you were/are married, how’d you meet your husband?
No married

7) What’s your favorite food and/or beverage to have when writing or working?
Coffee and water

8) If you had your choice, name the top 3 agents you would want to represent you.
Deirdre Knight
Steve Axelrod
Vivian Beck

9) Harrison Ford, Colin Firth, Denzel Washington, Patrick Dempsey, Keifer Sutherland, or Jamie Foxx? (Pick only one, ladies)
Denzel Washington

10) LAST QUESTION (a la Barbara Walters to Katherine Hepburn): If you could be a tree, what kind of tree would you be?
A willow tree (flexible yet strong)

Plotting: Is it an Exact Science?

I'm sitting at my keyboard jotting down notes for the plot of my latest WIP and am suddenly wondering how other writers tackle the whole plotting process.

I'm an analytical person and want to try to approach the task systematically. I've created a Word document with a number list of plot points, i.e. a chronological list of events that take place in the story. Each numbered item is about a paragraph long with a summary of the interaction between the characters. No dialogue, no scene description. Just the action. Hopefully I'll be able to use each item or combine items to develop a scene or scenes for a chapter.

Once that's done, I'll read the items as a reader, not a writer, looking for holes, inconsistencies and illogics. This will allow me to ask questions which will aid in developing character motives and reactions.

Next I'll use my trusty-dusty Scene Worksheets. The scene worksheets are terrific. One each sheet I record:

• Chapter and scene number, i.e Chapter 1, Scene 2
• Location/Setting
• Character Point of View
• Characters present
• Scene goal(s)
• Starting point
• End point
• Events in the scene
• What the scene accomplishes?
• Where does this scene lead?

Sounds pretty intense, huh? I'm simply trying to make sense of the plot and not wing it as I go. Have I run int roadblocks? Yep, my first WIP is mired right in the middle chapters, mainly because my hero and heroine don't seem to want to act according to the plan. I know in time those two and I will have a detente, but it's been hard.

I have read that other writers use devices like:

• Outlines
• Index cards
• Writing in notebooks
• Storyboards and pictures

So how do you plot? I'm dying to know.

A New Year is Coming

• 2007 is around the corner! I can't believe how fast 2006 went by. I thought I'd have my first WIP completed, but unfortunately I got stuck in the middle of the story and haven't made much progress in weeks. My critique pal, Denise "Chicki" Jones, has inspired me to really sit down and set goals for the coming year. With goals written down and in my face to inspire me on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, I hope to make some inroads with my writing and submissions this year.
  
  Some of Denise's ideas that I think I'll adopt for myself are:
  
  Completing one or two full manuscripts,
• Find an agent,
  Participate in writing contests,
• Educate myself on marketing and promotional tactics,
• Renew my membership to RWA and Virginia Writing Group,
• Submit my finished manuscript to publishers, and
• Buy a laptop or Alphasmart (Dana).

Facing these goals in a list is daunting. But challenge is good! Thanks Denise!

Starting a New Story

Even though I didn't fulfill my goal to complete at least 50K words for NaNoWri this year, I was excited by what I had in my latest African American romance. So in my excitement I posted my first chapter to a three of my critique groups this week.

Oh boy, what a rude awakening I got!

A majority of the reviewers so far were bored by what I considered an exciting, emotion-fulled opening: an argument between a financially challenged, overwrought single mother and her spoiled, rebellious teenage daughter. Only later in the scene do I put my hero and heroine in the same room. The consensus was that I needed to skip the argument for now and get to the interaction between my hero and heroine sooner.

Humph! I thought the tension between mother and daughter was a nifty way to exemplify the stresses in the heroine's life. I saw comments like "boring," "get to the point," "story should start later," and "who cares?" After reading all the comments - and I haven't absorbed them all - the lesson I learned this week is:

Don't fall in love with your own work.

Not that I have to nix the parent-child argument, typical in most household. I received many suggestions to use it later, particularly after letting the reader get connected with the heroine and care about what she is going through. All writers need to begin a story by putting their main characters in a situation that will let the reader understand them, how they think, and how they feel. Will the reader learn everything there is to know about the main characters? No. But the reader should be given enough insight to care about reading further.

Plainly, I had too much backstory and exposition and not enough dialogue and emotional hook. Very few folks cared about the argument between Bri and a spoiled Jaime, at least at this point. I was told that I need to draw the readers in so that they can "root for her because of who she is [and] not just because of her circumstances."

Granted, this was my NaNo effort, inflated with a lot of words to try to meet my goal, and in need of alot of work. But I was surprised by this flaw right off the bat.

Bottom line: Get to the heart of the matter and create an opening that neither a reader nor an editior wants to put down.

Counting My Blessings

Goodness, this week has been one for counting blessings.

My car broke down and I had to plunk down my Christmas savings in order to get another one. For days, I was depressed because of the loss, lamenting about my new financial plight, how hard it is to live on disability as a single mother. But then I remembered the blessings within the situation: I am in a better situation financially than many other people in similar positions, that I was able to get financing for another car on my own and without a co-signer. Yeah, the next few months will be tight but I will be fine.

Then, five days later someone rear-ended my new car! Unbelievable! I could have spit nails.

Again I had to remember the blessings: Neither my daughter nor I were hurt, the accident wasn't my fault and the other driver's insurance will pay for the repairs, and compared to the other car, my damage was minor.

The next day my apartment was flooded when a pipe burst. Carpet was damaged and the smell was atrocious. The blessings here? Well, let's see....

Since I live in an apartment I was able to call the maintenance crew, who called in plumbers. Even though I had to put up a big "stink" about how unsanitary the conditions were becoming while the problem was being investigated, the property manager finally saw the merits of putting us into a hotel for a few nights. When we returned the carpets had been replaced and the pipes repaired. Sure, my daughter and I have been displaced and inconvenienced, but we still have a home, heat on this cold night and food in the frig. I remember the Katrina victims who suffered so much worse and are still not home this holiday season.

On a daily basis, I remember to count my blessings.

NaNoWriMo Has Started!

NaNoWriMo has started and I'm not off to a great start. Just an okay start! I was so enthusiastic when I signed up and even had a story in mind. But I became thoroughly discouraged when I saw how quickly other contestants started. Folks were logging in 2000 word or more in one day to my piddly 615 words. How did these people do it? Are they being honest and starting from scratch like I was or where they taking into account previous work?

One of my critique partners encouraged me to not compare myself to the others but I just can't help it! Oh well!

I am going to keep plugging away and try to stay motivated. Good luck to everyone else participating! See you on the other side - November 30, 2006.

Romance Bookaholic - That's Me!

I have been a romance bookaholic since I was nine-years-old when my mother gave a Harlequin Romance she was reading so that I could get out of her face for awhile. I am addicted. So addicted that I carry a romance every where I go. I read at least 3 single titles per week and resale them on Amazon.com. My family laughs at me - or gets seriously irritated - when I can't seem to function with my book. Every night I read myself to sleep and if I am standing in the grocery store line, car wash line, or waiting for my meal at a restaurant, I have my trusty book along. If I misplace a book that I am reading, I have a fit. (laughing)

My daughter is NOT a reader and is quite sick of my book habit but my hobby (uh, addiction) has gone from being just a hobby to now research into the art of writing a selling romance novel. I'll be the first to admit that reading does distract me from writing. But I am working on that. I can't even begin to list my favorite authors. The first novel that touched my soul was Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (1979). Oh my God!I still remember the story and characters of the Civil War Era novel after all these years. Cole Latimer was the perfect hero. He was complex, conflicted, gentle, sensual, at times temperamental, but with a heart of gold. Alaina MacGaren was definitely a strong heroine, able to adapt and handle every situation that was thrown at her. Her strength and determination were admirable. I enjoyed the fact that she challenged Cole during various situations and was able to outsmart him to boot. Now that I'm thinking about the story, I'm going to have to read it again. I kept the book until I graduated from high school then lost it when I went to college.

But the seed was planted for sure!

I enjoy most genre of romance novels but I love the vampire and werewolf stories, single titles as a part of a series, and romantic suspense. I've picked up some erotica - and many of my male friends think I read romance simply for the sexual content - but the erotica can be disappointing because they tend to lack character development and a truly fleshed out plot.

So, my love for books and romances started at a young age and I will always make time to read a book. Hopefully, when I'm published I can touch readers in the same way Kathleen Woodiwiss and the early writers of romance touched me and plant the seed for another book addict.

Ta-ta for now!

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

I joined National Novel Writing Month and in effect accepted the challenge to writing a 50k word novel in a month. So from November 1st to November 30th, I have to churn out a draft novel from scratch. I want to jump-start my creativity and get motivated to finish my current WIP, Can't Help But Love You, which I've been working on from over a year now. That sucks! This month-long WIP will be called Can't Get Enough. I'm both anxious and excited to get started.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.