Variety News 2/28/10

Last week was a rather unproductive week. I've been having those too much lately - and a lot of it is caused by  slipping out of my routine for too many days in a row. Nothing to do but just keep on pushing through. I've got personal deadlines for both of my WIPs and the next one I'll be revising, and as those start getting closer, I'm willing to bet my motivation gets stronger. I've always been a "last minute" kind of gal.

Anyway. If you haven't voted on this week's (short) chapter of Indelibly Inked yet, and you want to, get it done before noon (please). I've decided to close the serial novel poll at noon on Sundays now rather than midnight, so I can write the next chapter before I get entangled in the work week - thus preserving my Thursday night writing time (which has been "stolen" by the serial lately). Can't let the blog get in the way of the writing - without the writing, there would be no point in the blog.

This week's social media post is on blog content and networking with blogs, so I'm taking a poll. If you wouldn't mind helping me out, take a few minutes to choose all the answers that apply at the end of this post.

This Week on the Variety Pages

Monday: Weekly Goals
Tuesday: Construction Zone - Efficiency
Wednesday: Writer, Brand Thyself - Blogging Pt. 2, Content & Networking
Thursday: Wildcard
Friday: Ch. 9 of Indelibly Inked

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Spiced Variety Pages: This week's body part is "forearm". Wanna play? 250 words max, no dialogue, sweet or sensual. And I promise I won't forget the Flash Me post this Friday. 


Nail Art Tuesday: I think a wee bit o' the green is appropriate for March, so something green on my nails this week. 


Short & Dry: I've got sprouts! This week, I'll post my planting progress and some photos of the Dahlias popping up in the trays. 


That's it for me this week - what's going on in your part of the blogosphere? 

Notable Posts 2/22 - 2/26/10

Here are the posts I found particularly "notable" this week - a good sized list. Enjoy!

Manuscript Formatting Part 3: The Synopsis from Chatterbox Chit Chat

Shelf Space and Paper Trails from A Newbie's Guide to Publishing

Meet My Name from Writer Revealed

I Need My Busker Experience from The Literary Lab

Why I Said No: One Editor's First Experience With The Slush Pile from Kowloon by Night

Writegoal = 1/2 Word from Ieva Melgalve (a short post that speaks to the tenacity of a writer)

The Confusing and Constantly Changing Landscape of My Brain from Ann Aguirre

1k Words Blogfest post from Random Writings (a hauntingly beautiful story based on a photo - don't skip this!)

These will also be featured in my weekly newsletter. Are you a subscriber?

Indelibly Inked, Chapter 8

This serial novel posted every Friday. Don't forget to vote for what happens next after each chapter. Enjoy!

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7

Indelibly Inked

Chapter 8

"I'm dropping out of the race." Claire stared at her toes. "I was going to anyway - there's no way I can campaign effectively with my toes broken, and Stacy is acting weird. Now with this..." she glanced over at her would-be bodyguard and shrugged. "It just seems smarter to drop out."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You don't have to do that. We'll call the police and report this guy - it won't be a problem. Most of the time it's just the opposing candidate anyway, trying to scare the competition. It happened to my dad all the time."

"We're not calling the police." She met his gaze and he raised his eyebrows. "They won't do anything anyway. Or they never did when..." She paused, resting her chin on her knees before she continued. "Whenever we got threats from one of Mom's boyfriends, the answer was always the same. They can't do anything unless something actually happens - something physical. Threats don't count."

He reached out and ran a finger across her tattoo, sending a shiver of awareness through her ankle. "What about this? Are you sure you want to give up your dream, just like that? If you don't even try, he wins."

"I don't know what else to do." She yawned, blinking back tears again. Embarrassed, she looked away, catching a glimpse of Sly sleeping on his bed. He looked so cozy, all curled up in a fur ball, and she yawned again. "I'm just so tired, and I can't think..." The cushions moved as Adam slid closer, and his long arm curving gently around her shoulders. Against her better judgement, she leaned into his warmth, taking care to keep her toes pointed away from his hard thigh. His fingers brushed her chin, and as she turned her head back to him, his lips lightly brushed hers.

It was only the barest touch, but she craved more. His breath was hot on her skin as she looked up into his eyes, and she leaned in to gently nuzzle her mouth against his chin. Then he was kissing her again, for real this time, and her head swirled in a sensual fog. His tongue waged a tender assault that she met with her own, the taste of him only fueling her need for more. A whimper escaped her throat as he deepened the kiss, sending a rush of heat through her body to pool in her core.

He pulled back, hesitating, dipping down for one more kiss before slowly pulling farther away. "I...um..." His voice rasped and Claire frowned as the coolness slid back over his eyes. She tried to shake off the desire he'd ignited to no avail. He tried again. "We probably shouldn't be doing this." He stood, pacing in front of her, the only evidence of his arousal just moments ago the huge bulge in his jeans right at eye level. Her fingers itched to free him.

"Why not?" She gave him a small grin, then pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Maybe he hadn't felt the overwhelming connection that she had. She felt sick at the thought and her smile faded. She wished he would stop pacing.

He ran his hand through his hair. She noticed he did that a lot, not that she minded. It gave him a slightly rumpled, sexy appearance. "Because you're tired - we're tired. And we need to talk. The campaign, the stalker, that tattoo with my initials on it..."

Claire sat back as if she'd been hit. "You'd rather talk about my tattoo than take me to bed?"

Wildcard Topic: Read to People? Why?

Yes, the wildcard post was supposed to be about food this week. But hey, it’s a “wildcard”, so you have to expect a certain amount of flexibility. Apparently, I'm not done with the deep thinking this week. Indulge, me, pretty please?

So a post over at The Literary Lab yesterday got me thinking. Why do people want authors to read their books out loud, in public? And why do authors feel compelled to read their work out loud? Isn’t the whole point of putting words on paper to read them? Some of you may think I’m joking, or mocking – I assure you, that’s not the case.

I am genuinely mystified by this admittedly time-honored tradition. I don’t like to be read to – even as a child, I don’t even remember my mom reading to me so much as helping me sound out the words (I started reading at a very early age). It probably has something to do with the way I process audio cues – college lectures never really did me any good either – anything I didn’t write down in my notes didn’t “stick”. I always had to read the information for myself, even if the professor read straight out of the book, before it finally “clicked” in my brain. I can’t spell out loud either, or tell you if something you spell out loud to me is correct until I write it down. I’m actually a very good speller, but getting the information from brain to mouth is nearly impossible – it has to go from brain to fingers.

I think that’s why I don’t get the whole public reading thing. Would I go see my favorite author read a passage from his/her book? No. Well, okay, I might go, but only to get an autograph afterward. The reading itself would bore me to tears, even if the same book incited an instant adrenaline rush when I read it. Though if I read along silently with the author…that might work. Auditory processing is not my thing – and reading my work out loud is probably the only thing I’d turn down in a heartbeat if asked to do for promotional purposes (now that I’ve crippled my not-yet-started career…ahem). I wouldn't like the whole being in front of people thing, but I could get past that - the reading my work out loud thing would be the deal breaker. It's not meant to be spoken, it's meant to be read, in my mind.

I never thought my views were that abnormal until I started virtually “hangin’” with writers. Apparently readings are fairly common, and people actually go to them. I always assumed that writers would prefer to keep the words on the page (esp. given how many don’t read their work to themselves while editing – something that actually does help me quite a bit, oddly enough). I just made the (wrong) assumption that readers would prefer to keep the words on the page too – so this whole “let’s do a reading” thing is just weird to me. Yes, audio books are too. I cannot get immersed in an audio book. I never listen to them.

So readers, writers, people accidentally surfing by, I’m dying to know: Have you been to a book reading by an author? If yes, did you like it? If not, would you go? Writers, would you do a reading from your novel?

Writer, Brand Thyself: Blogging, Part 1

I’ll let you in on a little secret – a blog is just as much a website as…well…any other site on the web. If that’s the only thing you have time to do, it should be the top priority, in my opinion. The lovely thing about blogs is that they’re normally pretty easy to learn to use due to the user-friendly template system, you don’t have to have any programming or coding knowledge, and you can have one up in just a few mouse clicks. It can serve nicely as the “hub” for all of your other networking endeavors.

So let’s look at what constitutes good website design. These are just simple, basic things that you can do even if you’re using a template. The point of having a website is to have somewhere people can find and interact with you – if your design is lacking, visitors will be less likely to stay. Content keeps them coming back. Design keeps them around long enough to get hooked on your content.

When designing a site, always remember the purpose you have for creating it. In the case of my blog, it’s to attract readers and potential book-buyers, and to interact with both readers and other writers. I look at design elements as tools to help me achieve that purpose.

Color: Yes, I know that black/dark backgrounds with light text are more appealing to some people. My very first freelance web design site was black w/white text. The problem is, when you’re building a brand, you want your site to be appealing to *the most people possible*. This means no light text on dark backgrounds. You can have a dark background…just put areas containing text on a lighter background. Consider it a small compromise in exchange for extra potential sales later. Light background doesn’t automatically equal white or cream – my Halloween blog has black text on orange. Still a bit harsh, but it works. Light blue, green, purple…there are a world of colors out there to choose from. No need to stick with white.

Layout: Contact information should be one of the first things people see when they come to the site. You’ll note that mine is at the top of the left sidebar – we read left to right, so after the header, that’s the first thing visitors will see. That’s also the first text that robots indexing your site will see – which means it will show up underneath your web site link on search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc). Naturally, your name should be listed first for your contact info. This is what brings your name to the top of a search listing.

Title: I’m not of the opinion that your blog has to be named “your name” (though there’s nothing wrong with that). The titles of your books certainly won’t be. As long as your name is right up there at the top, first thing on the page, that’s what matters. As far as the title goes, don’t embed it in your graphic. Use a text title on the page, with the graphic behind it. That way search engines will see your title (they won’t if it’s embedded in a picture). If you *must* embed your name in the photo, be sure to add alternate text to the image – hopefully there will be a place for you to do that where you add the header.

Navigation: At the very least, you need a “Home” link that goes to your main page, and a “Subscribe” link for people to access your RSS feed. A search box or a list of post labels will be very helpful for someone wanting to find specific topics on your site. These can be located anywhere that is near the top of the page (over or under the header, or near the top of a sidebar) – somewhere easy to see and find.

Bells & Whistles: Be very, very careful with these. If you want music, make sure it doesn’t start automatically, and the same with video. One slide show is okay, if it doesn’t slow the page down. You don’t know where people are browsing from, or how fast the connection might be. Go light on the flash widgets – just one of those loading slowly can freeze your whole page up. Less is more in this category.

I don’t often let my work life mingle with my writing life, but in this case, it seems relevant. For the curious, here’s a link to the website that I design and administer professionally on a daily basis (and have for nearly eleven years now). The green bar just under the header is where all the departmental links are (most of those pages are under my care as well), so feel free to explore if you’d like..

How does your blog stack up to the design elements listed above? Do you feel there’s anything you need to change, or are you happy with how your blog looks and ranks in search engines? And for next week, take a guess: How many times per week do you think a blog should be updated?

Next week: Blog content and networking in the "Blogosphere".

Construction Zone: Making Peace with Rewrites

When I'm drafting a novel, I don't plan the ending. Sure, I know basically that the hero and heroine will eventually get together and live happily ever after - that's the type of story I write. But I never know, don't want to know *how* they get there until I'm through the middle and into the homestretch. Why not? Because when I know how it ends, I lose interest in the actual writing of the story. Once I know how it ends, it's "done"...and I just want to finish the actual writing as quickly as possible.

This is why I've been fighting the revision process so badly. This is the actual "work" of writing for me. Drafting is the fun part - the time of magic and discovery. Revisions require hardcore thought, attention to detail and reworking as much of the story as necessary to make it "good". This is the part of writing that will determine, more than anything, if I have what it takes to make it as an "author", rather than just a writer.

A lot of Her Private Chef needs actual rewrites rather than just revision/editing. Editing and revising are daunting enough - and then I had to face the fact that I'd actually be *writing entire scenes over*. For someone who doesn't even want to know how a story ends until I get there, it's a huge thing to come to grips with. And deep down I knew that if I couldn't make peace with the process - and learn how to enjoy it, I might as well give up the dream of a writing career. I already have a career that I do primarily for the money - I certainly don't need another one.

I think the fear that I wouldn't be able to complete the rewrites is a big part of the reason I got so impatient with the course I'm taking. Strictly following the course, there's no work done on the actual manuscript until the very end, and I was afraid that by the time I hit that point, I would completely lose interest in the draft and not be able to complete the required edits & rewrites. I decided that was unacceptable.

So I started my rewrites. And it was hard. It was frustrating. I didn't love it.

I didn't hate it.

Now that I've gotten about a thousand words into the rewrite that my first scene requires, I find myself getting more and more interested - not in the story, but in the process of molding the story into exactly what I want it to be. It's a completely different mindset than drafting, but one that I'm actually starting to...enjoy.

Needless to say, once I stopped stressing about it, the whole process started going easier. It's still frustrating, but I've got my confidence back - confidence that I can do this, that I can write for a living someday.

Confidence is everything for a writer - if we don't have it, and can't find it somewhere, we're doomed. For me, the revision process is my "ultimate test" - other things that will come later scare me, but nothing as much as not being able to finish the book, revisions and all.

Do you have confidence in yourself as a writer? What's the one thing about writing that shakes your confidence the most?

Goals for the Week 2/22/10

Last week was...a less than stellar week for progress. The good news is, I made some good strides this weekend, so I'm heading into the new week with an optimistic outlook. I'm finally learning how to separate the "rewrite/revise" mindset from the "new words" mindset, which really helps, since I can do them both on the same day now when I have time. Hopefully I can do that a few nights this week just for the experience. I think I'm starting to figure out the whole revision thing too (which involves a lot of rewriting this particular time). Progress is good.

Weekly Goals

Writing

- Finish rewriting the 1st scene & start on the second for HPC revisions.
- Lesson 8 for the revision course
- 2k more words for HOT
- Chapter 8 of Indelibly Inked (Thanks to everyone to voted!)

Personal

- Plan ahead for meals better. This is something I try to do often, and then always slip back into my "rut" of weeknight dinners. Time to get out of the rut for awhile again.
- Start seeds for this summer's garden
- Catch up with the work projects I'm behind on.
- Finish reading Diplomacy of Wolves (finally)

That's my week - what's on your plate? Read any good books lately?

Variety News 2/21/10

The holiday set me back last week - I'm not sure why that happens, since theoretically I have more time, but it always does. I spent the rest of the week scrambling to keep up, but it all ended up just find in the end. Unfortunately, we currently have a tie on the Indelibly Inked poll, so if you have a few minutes - do me a favor, and be a tie breaker!

I got a fun award this week from Jess at Girl Meets Word wherein bloggers are making up fictional statements for readers to guess at. I so appreciate the award, but this weekend I'm in the position of having to choose - spend the time doing the award, or get back to my WIP. The WIP wins this time...but you should all head over to her blog and read her entertaining answers. Thanks so much, Jess! :-)

This Week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Weekly Goals
Tuesday: Construction Zone - Making Peace with Rewrites
Wednesday: Writer, Brand Thyself - Blogging
Thursday: Wildcard - Gotta Eat...
Friday: Chapter 8 of Indelibly Inked

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Spiced Variety Pages - The body part of the week for Massage Me Monday is "ears". 250 words or less, sweet or sensual, no dialogue. Join us! And don't forget the Friday Flash Me posts, available from 5pm to midnight every week.

Nail Art Tuesday will feature a hot pink base with black decals and glitter tips - the one I never got around to posting last week. The good news about this is, I'll always be a week ahead from now on...

Short & Dry - I finally posted my tentative planting schedule on Saturday...I'm starting seeds this weekend! Another post sometime this week after everything is organized.

For notable posts, an excerpt, twitter recommendations and more, subscribe to my newsletter, or read it online.

That's it for me - I'm diving back into revisions now. Anything I should watch for at your place this week? 

Notable Posts 2/14 - 2/19/10

Here are some of the posts I found "notable" in the blogosphere this week. Enjoy!

How Personal & Vulnerable Are You in Your Writing? from Author, Jody Hedlund

The Deadline That Would Not Die from Laurell K. Hamilton

Saying No After I've Requested Your Manuscript from Rachelle Gardner

Technology, Truth and Human Beans from Olive Me

How to Plot (or Revise) Your Book from QueryTracker.net

Where I Was and What I Did While There from Writing Ramblings



These will also be featured in my weekly newsletter. Are you a subscriber?

Indelibly Inked, Chapter 7

This serial novel posted every Friday. Don't forget to vote for what happens next after each chapter. Enjoy!

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6

Indelibly Inked

Chapter 7

"Whoa, there." Adam caught Claire just before she crashed into the iron railing, pulling her up tight to his body until she recovered her footing. "Are you okay?" He took a small step back, his hands on her waist as he turned her to look at him. Her pale face and glassy eyes told him everything he needed to know. "Come on - let's get you set up in the guest room. You need rest. And painkillers."

She flinched as he leaned around to shove the door open. Moving back, he held one hand out, gesturing for her to go first. She stepped over the threshold sideways, keeping him in view as he followed her into the entryway. The phone stopped ringing.

"Why did you sneak up behind me?" Her voice was raspy, with a note of fear in it. He shut the door and locked it, turning back to see her shoulders tensed. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was preparing for a physical fight.

"I wasn't sneaking," he said, stepping around her and into the living room. "Come here, there's someone I want you to meet." He flipped on the light switch, glancing back over his shoulder. She was standing where he'd left her, just staring at him. "What's wrong, Claire? Are you okay?" A beep signaled a message on his answering machine. He wondered who would be calling so late.

She slowly shook her head. "I thought you were getting something out of the garage. Where is it?" She took a step back towards the door.

"Just out back - I was going to go get him. Just stay there, okay? I'll be right back." He walked across the living room, hoping she wouldn't run as he continued through the kitchen and opened the back door. A large black shape bounded past his legs, claws scratching on the linoleum floor as he raced for the living room. Adam closed and locked the door before he followed, grinning as he imagined the look on Claire's face when Sly introduced himself. His dog might be energetic, but he couldn't be accused of having bad manners.

The first thing he saw when he came around the corner was Sly, sitting with one paw raised sweeping the floor with his tail. Surprised that Claire wasn't fawning over him like most people did, he shifted his gaze upward and saw her standing with her back pressed tightly against the door. "Claire?"

"You have a dog." Her stare moved from the dog to him, and back to the dog. "Why didn't you tell me you had a dog? Call him off!"

He shook his head. "He's not attacking you. He's just saying hi." He walked around to shake Sly's paw, then scratched the dog behind his ears. "See? He's friendly."

"He just looks friendly. If I move, he'll come after me."

Adam put his palm out flat in front of Sly's nose to signal the dog to stay, then walked over to Claire. "No, he won't. Not unless I tell him to, anyway." He reached out and took her hand, pulling her gently away from the door. "Have you always been afraid of dogs?"

"Not small ones," she said, never taking her eyes off Sly. "I got bit by the neighbor's dog in grade school - it was a black fuzzy dog with a black tongue." She frowned at Sly, squinting. "Not the same type as yours, I don't think." The dog thumped his tail on the floor.

Adam led her past Sly into the living room. "You're right," he said, motioning for her to sit on the couch. "Sly's a German Shepherd. The one that bit you was probably a chow. They can be extremely protective of their property." He looked over at Sly and laughed. The dog was still sitting in the same spot, with his head turned over his shoulder straining to see what was going on in the living room. "Come on, Sly." he said, earning a frightened look from Claire.

"Don't bring him over here!" She pushed herself into the corner of his plush couch, drawing both knees up and wrapping her arms around them. "Ow!" She glared at him, adjusting her foot to take pressure off her toes.

Sly came running, sitting in front of Adam to lift a paw again. He shook it, then pointed to a large stuffed pillow across the room. "Go lay down for awhile - good boy." The dog trotted off to his bed. "He's well trained - you don't have to worry about him bothering you. If you decide you want to pet him, just call him over. He'll be nice." Claire nodded, but he could still see the fear in her eyes. He shrugged. If anyone could get her to come around, it was Sly.

He walked around the couch to the long table on the other side, and pressed a button on his answering machine. Heavy breathing came through the speaker, and then a muffled, unfamiliar voice.

"Tell your new girlfriend to forget about running for mayor if she knows what's good for her."

Claire gasped, and the machine beeped once more before going silent. Adam came back to the couch and sat down. "This is all wrong." He ran a hand through his hair, scowling at the coffee table. "No one should even know that you and I were together tonight. Someone was watching us."

Wildcard Topic: Contentment

Have you ever noticed how your attitude affects the opportunities that present themselves in life? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like the more content I am with where I’m at in life, the more opportunities open up to me. To me, being “content” doesn’t always equal being “happy” – it just means that I’m not fighting my circumstances, but rather accepting them for what they are, and accepting that it’s where I need to be just then.

I think the reason is that when I become or decide to be content with my current circumstances (whatever they may be), I’m relaxed. I’m not trying to *make* things happen, I’m letting them happen, and I’m more confident, more sure of myself and my abilities. Because of that, I’m open to whatever presents itself, and willing to risk going after it.

I had to learn to be content with my singleness before I could become part of a couple. And I had to be content with the idea that I might never be traditionally published before I could really throw myself into writing. I had to take the *pressure* off before I could move forward (which is odd considering I thrive on deadlines, but I find I’m often a dichotomy).

I’m finding it hard to be content with where I am at this moment in my life. I’m very content (and incredibly happy) with my personal life – my husband, our lifestyle, my friends (online and off), etc. Unfortunately, making the decision to chase my writing dream hasn’t led to any contentment at work (it’s not the cause either – after ten years, the job can’t help but get a little stale). I can see this whole other career that I want so badly to immerse myself in completely…but not enough to throw away what I have now until the risk is minimized.

So I’m working on finding a way to be content with my current career. A negative attitude will only bleed over into the writing career I’m working to establish, and will eventually poison my endeavors there too. Conversely, if I maintain a positive, contented attitude in my current career, that will affect both my confidence overall, and my outlook on writing…it can only lead to good things, all the way around.

I realize this post has mostly just been a “pep talk” for me…but I’m sharing it anyway, egotistical as it sounds, in case anyone else out there needs the reminder too.

A positive attitude of contentment can only lead to good things.

A negative attitude only leads to more negativity.

Discontent can be motivating…but I find it’s the wrong sort of motivation for me, due to its inherent negativity. I’d rather be running toward something in excitement than away from something in fear, if that makes any sense.

Are you content with your life, this very minute? If you aren’t, do you struggle with it, or is it more of a motivating factor in your life?

Writer, Brand Thyself: Time Management

“I don’t have enough time,” is the major argument most people seem to make when faced with participating in social media. While we all have varying amounts of free time at our disposal, I suspect a lot of the problem is more the perspective than the actuality. Social media is only as time-consuming as we make it – no more, no less. There’s a lot to be gained from it if we admit that it will only “suck up” as much of our time as *we let it*. This is a quick overview of how I spend my time online. I’ll be doing an in-depth post for managing each type of network in the coming weeks, and those will include my specific strategies for not getting bogged down with any of them. Hopefully you’ll find a tidbit or two that will work for you.

Things you should know about me and my schedule:

- I work 8:30am to 5:30pm, 40 hours a week for a local government “entity”. I get two 15 min. breaks and 1 hour for lunch per day. My boss is lenient…as long as our work gets done and comes first, personal stuff is okay at work.

- My “office hours” for writing are 10:30pm to midnight (or later, if I’m on a roll), Tuesday through Sunday. Mondays are manicure nights. Weds. is a later start time.

- I’m a night person who does not have kids - just two dogs and a husband (and various small critters).

Daily Social Networking “Schedule”

Blogging (takes the most time)

I write my posts at least one day ahead (more if possible). I schedule them to post automatically at 8:00am every morning. I try to get back once during the day to reply to comments…which I have emailed to me as they come in. Most of my blogs are set up to auto-post a link to twitter when a new post goes up.

I read 7-10 blogs per day, and only recent posts (within the past 24 hours). I use my blogroll (left side) and my dashboard reader to identify blogs with recent updates. I do this whenever I have a few minutes at work – I read quickly, so I can read/comment on a blog within about 5 minutes (or less). At the end of the day, I visit the blogs of any new followers/commenter’s, and if they interest me, I follow back. When I find a post that really strikes a chord, I take a minute to add a link to my “Notable Posts” draft for the week.

Twitter

I peek in on twitter periodically through the day, but with the rare exception, don’t post during work hours for professional integrity (it’s a far more public arena than comments on blogs). If I see something interesting go by during the day (link, or tweet to respond to), I mark it as a “favorite” so I can revisit it after work. I also favorite amusing links to “re-tweet” for “Follow Fridays”. More on that later.

I twitter in the evenings after dinner until it’s time to workout, and have Tweetdeck open again while I’m writing. I check into #amwriting and #writegoal when applicable – I consider it the “water cooler” I visit periodically while working. I have notifications turned off though, and just check it occasionally.

Facebook

I deal with this similarly to Twitter, on a lesser scale. I check in periodically through the day, but don’t participate until after work. I normally check this at the same time I’m twittering early in the evening (while I’m watching TV), and respond to messages, check out links/photos, update my status, etc. I used to play the games…but honestly, I just get bored with them after awhile. I’m not playing any at the moment.

Those are my regular “haunts” online at the moment and the approximate time I spend on them…I have a few others, but time spent on them is very minimal (they’ll be included later). I’m still considering whether I need to set up a presence on MySpace or other online networks.

There’s one rule I adhere to with every network I'm on – and this “rule” can be applied no matter who you are, or how much time you have or don’t have. In my opinion, it’s the single most important thing to remember for social networking.

Don’t try to “catch up”.

When I read blogs, I only read previous posts that I missed if I have a ton of extra time, and the post title/blurb really catches my attention. On twitter, I never look back more than a screen or two to see what I might have missed – I just jump into the timeline when I sign on, and jump back out later. I don’t log into Facebook and scroll more than one page down to see what I missed…I just stay in the moment, and comment/like/click on things that happened during the time on that particular page. When I follow someone’s blog, I follow them on twitter and if it’s an option, friend them on facebook too – so I have the best chance at catching them “somewhere” throughout the day. But if I miss ‘em, there’s always tomorrow. Social networking is an “of the moment” activity (much like offline networking), and with all the new things going on, it’s just not efficient to try to “catch up” with all the various streams of information. I think a big reason people get overwhelmed with social networking is that feeling that they’re “falling behind” if they don’t stay connected with everyone all the time. Once you get past that, you can relax, and just enjoy connecting with people “in the moment” – the moment that you choose.

Of all your social networking activities, what do you spend the most time on? Do you constantly feel the need to “catch up”, or are you content to just experience social connections “in the moment”?

Next week: An in-depth look at blogging.

Construction Zone: What Does My Character Want?

Last week's revision lesson inadvertently led me to a serious breakthrough with Her Private Chef. The lesson was all about characters - what they want, what role they play, and whether or not they're too predictable. Basically we were tasked with studying each character individually to make sure they were "earning their keep".

I sort of combined this with information from the first lesson about what my character wants, and extrapolated it to the revised version of the plot that I've been developing (theoretically, we're not supposed to *have* the revised version worked out yet - but my brain jumps ahead). Here's what I came up with - two deep needs, and one superficial:

What Hannah Wants: 
- To protect her anonymity
- To find love
- To go to culinary school

So then I listed my other characters, and assigned them "roles" - ie, "Love Interest #1", "Stalker", "Savior", etc. I used their current roles for this, and then asked myself, is this predictable? Several of them were, and while that's not always bad, it was for at least three of my characters. Then I reassigned roles, in several cases assigning the role of "red herring" to characters who were a little too predictable, and then reassigning the "stalker" and "savior" roles. I asked what each character really wanted, and ended up cutting one character who just couldn't be defined. I still have one who needs definition, but suddenly the revisions just came very sharply into place with my characters reassigned, and it all just fit together like a huge jigsaw puzzle. I'd been having a hard time seeing *how* to make the story work like I wanted it too, and this process brought that into focus. I wish I knew why...but I suspect it has something to do with really getting into the heads of my characters, and exploring them on a much deeper level. 

I should mention that through all of this, the main plot has not actually changed. There's still a publically humiliating event that acts as the catalyst both for Hannah to be plunged into dealing with a stalker, and meeting the man she'll fall in love with. I've added another subplot that makes the story richer, and also makes Hannah work harder for her happy ending, but works just perfectly within the original framework of the plot (so I only have to revise, doing partial scene rewrites rather than rewriting the whole book). I got the subplot from the assignment of a secondary character to "red-herring" status. He needed more of a reason not to be cut from the book, and I needed him to stay for the main plot.

Now I'm starting at the beginning, rewriting and revising scene by scene to mold the story to my updated version of the outline. The revision course isn't doing any of this yet, I'm just impatient. I'll incorporate further lessons to my revisions as they apply.

What does your main character want? Do all the characters in your story "deserve" to be there - do they pull thier own weight, even as minor characters?

Goals for the Week 2/15/10

As some may have noted from the tone of my last goals post, I started last week feeling a bit beat down. Then I got my next revision lesson on Tuesday, and wasn't really "feeling" it, but started going through it Tues. night anyways. I veered off course (as I always seem to do), and applied the information in a way that made sense for me (the lesson is on character building) - and something just clicked. Finally. More on that tomorrow, but I'll say this - my outlook on revisions became much more optimistic after that.

I did manage to get all my blog posts done early last week, which helped a lot. Personal goals were hit and miss...I finally got those letters written yesterday. I'm behind at work, and Monday is a holiday, so will have to work on catching up Tues. But it's all good - when the writing goes well, everything else eventually falls into place.

Weekly goals

Writing

- Revision lesson 7 for Her Private Chef, and two scenes rewritten
- 2k new words for Hearts on Trial
- Chapter 7 of Indelibly Inked

Personal 

- Blog posts written ahead of time
- Keep up with laundry
- Four workouts
- Eye gel drops *every* morning/night. I have chronically dry eyes - and try to ignore it. But painful eyes are not conducive to getting my writing done at night (sometimes it's so bad I can't see the screen), and I need to just buck up and follow dr's orders for eye drops twice per day.

That's it for me - what are you up to this week? Read any good books lately?

Variety News 2/14/10

Happy Valentine's Day. :-)

We're feelin' the love around here today! I've gotten three blog awards in the past week or so, and I'm going to pass them all on today to spread the bloggy love around. But first, a quick look at this week's schedule.

This Week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Weekly Goals
Tuesday: Construction Zone - What Does My Character Want?
Wednesday: Writer, Brand Thyself - Time Management
Thursday: Wildcard - Contentment
Friday: Chapter 7 of Indelibly Inked

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Spiced Variety Pages - The body part of the week for Massage Me Monday is "hips". 250 words or less, sweet or sensual, no dialogue. Join us! And don't forget the Friday Flash Me posts, available from 5pm to midnight every week.

Nail Art Tuesday will feature a hot pink base with black decals and glitter tips.

Short & Dry will feature my tentative planting schedule for the year on Tuesday.

For more links, an excerpt, twitter recommendations and more, subscribe to my newsletter, or read it online.

On to the awards! One caveat - these are all "no obligation" awards to the winners - if you don't do them or have gotten them before, just know that I appreciate your blog and leave it at that. :-)

Thanks to Medeia Sharif for The Silver Lining Award! I get to pass this on to five other blogs - and the winners are:

The Lost Wanderer
Random Thoughts of the Writerly Kind
Girl Meets World
Laugh.Write.Play
Eisley's Ellipses

I also received the Over the Top award from Lost Wanderer - thank you! When awarded with the Over the Top Award, you must mention the person who gave it to you and their blog, give one word answers to the following questions and pass on the award...

Your Cell Phone? Non-existant
Your Favorite Food? Pizza
Your Hobby? Reading
Your TV? Non-reality
What Are You Wearing? Slippers
Your Life? Excellent
Your Music? Eclectic
Where Did You Grow Up? Montana
Your Car? Subaru

I'll  pass this on to three more "over the top" bloggers:

Author Jody Hedlund
Elana Johnson (Mindless Musings)
Annarkie (Supernatural Smut)

And finally, one I've receieved before, but it's worth repeating so I can pass it on again - the Honest Scrap award from Regan Leigh. Thanks Regan! “Share ten honest things about yourself and pass this lovely gift on to ten other Honest, Upstanding and “Scraptastic” bloggers.”

10 Things About Me (that you may or may not already know)

1. I don't like milk chocolate - must be dark, and only a little at a time.
2. Hubby and I never lived together the seven years we dated. People tend to find that odd for some reason.
3. I don't have kids by choice - never really wanted them, happy without them.
4. I have no interest in Hollywood gossip.
5. I'm not a good housekeeper.
6. I like to sit/stand at the outskirts of parties and watch people, rather than actually interacting.
7. I have an over-developed sense of "ownership-ethics". I have trouble taking free candy off tables at a trade show.
8. Some of the ebooks I've read would make a majority of people blush at the content.
9. Hubby proposed to me at his favorite bar, drunk. After I said yes, we went with the rest of the group to a strip club. It amused me.
10. I used to be a member of an African Violet growing club. I still love AV's, and grow several.

So...ten blogs to award with this one! Here we go...

Writing, Food & Life
Natalie Bahm
J. Koyanagi
Working My Muse
Geek Treasure
Scarlett Parrish
Editing Hat.
The Romantic Query Letter & The Happy-Ever-After
TerryLynnJohnson
Eye Feathers

All honest, hard-writing folk - check them out when you have a few minutes.

That's it for me this week - anything I should look for on your blog?

Notable Posts

Here are some posts I found notable in the blogosphere this week - enjoy!

Write What You Know from Rachelle Gardner

The Writing Business - Formula for Disaster Meets the Recipe for Success (part II) from Writerwarrior's blog.

How Not to Scare Away Publishers & Agents from DeeScribeWriting Blog

Why Rosencrantz Can't Die from Liana Brooks

Reasons for Rejection from Carina Press


These will also be featured in my weekly newsletter. Are you a subscriber?

Indelibly Inked, Chapter 6

This serial novel posted every Friday. Don't forget to vote for what happens next after each chapter. Enjoy!

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5

Indelibly Inked

Chapter 6

Claire silently reminded herself to breathe, drawing in the warm, earthy fragrance of the man towering over her. She averted her eyes and looked for something - anything else to focus on rather than his piercing gaze. "I'd rather just go to bed. I'm really tired." She opened her mouth to fake a yawn that turned out to be the real thing. Tilting her head to the side, she peeked up at him with what she hoped was a coy little smile. Sometimes her mother's moves came in handy, though Claire was convinced that her IQ dropped every time she used one. "Would you mind if we talked tomorrow? It's been a long day, and my foot really hurts--"

"I don't think so, Princess." Adam leaned in close, and bent down, his lips grazing hers ever so lightly. She closed her eyes as he grasped her wrists and guided her hands to his neck. His silk-soft hair tickled her fingers. She pulled him closer, opening her mouth to allow him better access. A low moan sent tremors through her skin and a delicious heat buzzing through her core.

He nuzzled closer, pressing kisses down the length of her neck. She whimpered as his mouth left her skin and opened her eyes as he lifted her in his arms for the third time that night. She'd have to remember to thank her mother, she thought. After they checked in.

A satisfied smirk played at his lips. He shouldered the door open again, and carried her back to his car. She frowned up at him, confused. "Where are we going? I thought...I mean..." She searched for the right words as he set her on her feet and opened the door. "Are you taking me home?" She got in and pulled her feet up, still hazy from his kiss. He closed her door and walked around to slid behind the wheel.

"We'll go to my place," he said, pulling out of the hotel parking lot. "It's close, and you'll be safe there."

She studied his profile in the darkness. His face was all hard angles, the high cheekbones and sharp nose reminiscent of an ancient gladiator. His eyes were deep-set, his mouth full and wide. His hair was cut in a straight shag that just touched the base of his neck and hung down over his left eye, somehow managing to look neat and rebellious at the same time. She licked her lips, wondering how she hadn't recognized him right away. Even with the obvious hours he'd spent in the weight room and the bad-boy hair style, his face was the same, just more mature. So were the shadows she saw behind his eyes whenever he looked at her.

He turned into the driveway of a smallish brick house, and shut off the engine. "Stay there for a minute." The stern command was softened by a slight break in his voice. Claire watched him open the door and disappear inside. A soft light came on in the front window. What was he doing? She grinned at the thought of him hastily picking up his bachelor pad. A couple of minutes later, he was jogging back to the car. He opened her door. "These will be a little big, but they'll protect your feet." He held out a pair of fleece-lined leather slippers.

"Um...thanks." Claire slipped them on, wincing a little as her toes slid down into the cozy lining. She reached up to take his offered hand and got out of the car, careful not to put much weight on her injured foot. "Much better." She smiled, but he appeared to be looking at something on the other side of the car. She glanced at the bushes lining his driveway. The night suddenly seemed very still - almost eerie. She shivered.

"Good." Adam shut the door behind her, then gestured toward the house. "Can you walk on your own? I need to get something out of the garage, but the front door is open."

He wasn't going to carry her again? Claire nodded, annoyed at feeling disappointed. He was probably getting sick of carrying her around like an invalid. "Of course I can. Take your time." She made her way slowly toward the door, the hairs at the back of her neck prickling. Feeling uneasy, she looked back over her shoulder. He was gone. She hurried up the front steps, wondering what he could possibly need out of the garage. Hopefully not big garbage bags and a shovel. She giggled at her own paranoia, nearly ramming her toes into a large flowerpot beside the door as she reached for the handle.

"Careful."

The single word murmured low in her ear sent adrenaline racing down her spine. Her muscles tensed and she froze, fearing the worst. His breath moved hot across her collarbone as the blood pounded in her ears.

A phone started ringing behind the door. Startled, Claire jerked to the side, tripping over the flowerpot.

Wildcard: Love Pranks

Have you ever had a Valentine’s Day that sucked? I bet everyone’s had at least one. I hated the day when I was younger – it just seemed like so much fake hype to me. I’m still kind of ambivalent towards it – hubby and I use it as a good excuse for a nice dinner (in - because there are way too many people “out” on that day). I’m not a “flowers and candy” type person – it costs way too much money for flowers that are just going to die (and probably dry up in the vase while I ignore them for the next six months), and the only acceptable filling for a chocolate (must be dark) in my world is caramel. Not that I need the extra sugar or calories.

One of my worst Valentine experiences was when I worked as a lifeguard/swim instructor at our local YMCA. I was in college, and when I wasn’t working or at class, I was in the weight room, working out and ogling all the bright shiny male muscle pumping iron at the same time (okay, so really, it was the Y, and there wasn’t *that* much to look at). I was fit back then, skinny and muscular, and got my fair share of attention down there. At that point in time, there was a pair of older (to me, they were probably late 20’s/early 30’s) guys working out that I’d been flirting with just casually, and I was sort of in that starry-eyed “this-is-exciting-what’s-going-on” state that young women work themselves into (okay, maybe it was just me – but I doubt it).

Naturally I had my own college buddies, one in particular I hung out with a lot. And we giggled and wondered about the guys, their intentions, relationships - all that stuff that seems so sickeningly juvenile and embarrassing now, but seemed more important than anything else in the world back then.

So Valentine’s Day rolls around, and a heart-shaped pizza is delivered to me at work that evening, from “Bob and George”. I know you know what I assumed. And of course that freaked me out – I mean, I hadn’t *really* intended to go past harmless flirting with either of the gym rats. I was never one to date much (and by that, I mean hardly at all), so it was scary and uncomfortable but oddly flattering, if you know what I mean. So I did what any self-respecting young college girl with no real guy experience would do. I speculated with anyone who would listen…my co-workers (mostly high school kids I was supervising), and of course my college buddy.

I’ll spare you the gory details, but when all was said and done, college buddy finally ‘fessed up to sending the pizza. She assumed that I would remember the nicknames she and her other friend went by and know who sent it right away. I did not react well. In fact, I reacted rather badly, as I recall – mostly from the sheer embarrassment of telling everyone about those two guys, and setting a huge gossip train in motion. I don’t even remember if those guys ever found out…doesn’t matter anyway.

Anyway, she apologized, I got over it, and really, that’s the only truly bad Valentine’s Day I can remember (which is still better than losing a loved one on that particular day – I know two people who have had the misfortune of that happening).

Have you ever been the victim of a Valentine’s Day prank? Do tell…

Writer, Brand Thyself: What’s in a Name?

I feel the need to post a disclaimer before I start this series, because so many writers around the ‘net express feelings of being overwhelmed with social media, and guilt for spending time socializing when they could be writing. The last thing I want to do is create any more guilt for people than they already have, or cause people to be overwhelmed by the wealth of options we have to use the internet to our advantage (and/or detriment). So please understand – this series is about the strategies that I am employing to build my personal brand, with the resources and time that I personally have available. You may or may not have the same resources/time, and it may be that you just don’t “click” with some of the things I’m doing – and that’s okay. I’m not just going to share what works for me – I’m also going to share what doesn’t work, and how I judge when it’s time to pull back or avoid certain things to keep myself sane. You need to make those decisions for yourself, and not feel guilty doing so. Feel free to speak up in the comments if something I do isn’t your cup of tea – because there’s probably someone else lurking out there who needs to hear that they aren’t the only one it doesn’t work for.

I started my foray into this whole brand-building business by deciding what name I wanted to eventually be published under. It sounds simple, but I really had to put a lot of thought into the subject. For one thing, I won’t be able to quit my day job at least for a while even when I do get published, so I had to decide whether I was okay with people I work with seeing my name on the cover of a steamy romance at the grocery store. This comes with other potential problems too – like will people at work think I’m writing instead of doing my job? Will the people at the top think it’s inappropriate to have an employee writing “those novels” in her spare time? Will the men in the company treat me differently if they know/find out I write romance novels? These are all the questions that swirled around in my head while I was trying to decide what name to write under. For fiction writers like myself, my platform – the thing that establishes me as a professional writer – will be the books I publish. And my name is what will tie them all together – it will brand them as something uniquely mine. My name is what could ultimately influence someone to pick up one of my books, when given the choice of a whole shelf full of them. A name can be that powerful – really. Think Nora Roberts. Danielle Steel. Stephen King. I don’t just think about a person when I see those names – I think about a body of work that the name encompasses. It’s far easier to build a name now with the internet than it was when they were starting out, and that much easier to make mistakes too.

Ultimately, I decided that owning my work, seeing my real name on my books was more important to me than the potential concerns in my work environment, and chose to use my real name for my romantic suspense. Other genres might raise similar questions to those I faced, or might pose no conflict at all. An elementary teacher writing kid lit or young adult novels may not have to worry about whether their genre will raise eyebrows. It’s definitely something to consider though, from as many angles as possible before going too far with a personal branding strategy.

I do plan to use a pseudonym (already picked out) for any erotica I might publish, specifically due to potential concerns in my personal and professional life. If/when I do that, I’ll build that name into a brand through the same venues I’m using for my real name. Many authors connect their pen names through a shared web site or blog, but I think I’d prefer that any pen names I use be kept strictly separate.

Why is it important to pick a name before building a brand? Simply put, I wouldn’t want to spend time and effort building my name into a brand only to switch everything later. Is it doable? Sure…nothing is set in stone. But I’m all about efficiency – and having to rebrand everything I’ve worked hard to build up isn’t the slightest bit appealing (and would take hours and hours of time). I recently changed my twitter username, and that was bad enough (I still forget to change it on blog comments, etc). Consistency is important, and far easier in the long run.

In order for people to recognize my name, I need to use the one I'm going to publish under everywhere. That’s a big part of what “branding” is all about – using one name consistently as many places as I can, so that when people see my book in the store or online, they stop and say, “Hey, where have I seen/heard/read that name before?” It could be the difference in whether my book is “just another book on the shelf” or if it’s worth a closer look, even if they don't remember me specifically as a person. It's the name recognition that counts. 

Have you decided what name(s) you want to be published under? If not, what’s holding you back? And how is your current WIP going (I'm going to be asking this every week - because that’s the whole point, right)?

Next week’s topic: Time Management

Construction Zone: Those Pesky Love Scenes

What better thing to explore the week before Valentine’s Day than love scenes – the culmination of any good romance novel?

I often hear authors (published authors even) say that they need a glass of wine to write a love scene. Sometimes even a kissing scene can be difficult, and I dare say that for those people, writing chemistry between two people (touches, body language, etc) can be a problem too, because somewhere in their heads their mother (grandmother, whoever) is shouting, “Where’s your modesty? Your sense of decorum? Nice girls don’t *think* about those things, and certainly don’t admit it by writing them down!” For me, it was my mother, though not in so many words. I always felt it was implied that public discussion of such things whether in verbal or written form was immodest and perhaps even somewhat immoral - but embarrassing at the very least. I hid my reading choices from her for a long time…I think I was probably half-way through college before I actually admitted I liked the steamier stuff. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a good “light” romance, but in my “to be read” pile, the Harlequin Blaze novels tend to rise to the top (along with more hardcore fare I still don’t really admit to reading except in passing, and don’t include in my online catalogs).

As far as writing goes…I don’t explicitly *plan* for my books to be steamy, but they always turn out that way. And I like them that way, despite my very conservative upbringing and my still-fairly conservative faith. It took me a long time to openly acknowledge that, but somewhere along the way, I decided I had to come to grips with it if I ever wanted to publish. I’m a firm believer that I am who I am, where I am in life for a specific reason – and to deny that would be foolish.

Once I got to that point, I could finally do away with that “what if my mom reads this” feeling. No one’s looking over my shoulder when I’m writing - it’s just me and the characters, and my personal interpretation of chemistry, attraction and passion. That doesn’t always equal sex – in fact some of the steamiest scenes I’ve written have little physical contact at all. I never shy away from a good sex scene though – even when it’s going to result in more heartache and confusion for my characters. And if I ever get published, my mom is welcome to skip those parts. I can’t let my perception of her opinion or that of anyone else affect my writing. I have to be true to myself.

How do I write those “pesky” love scenes? As voyeuristic as it sounds, I watch. My characters are pulled in by their own natural chemistry, and I let it play out in my head as the movie continues on. I pay close attention, and tune into each of their thoughts. Sure, I write down the physical movements, but for me, they’re all tied into the emotional ups and downs that the characters are experiencing through the act. A kiss is never just a kiss in my head, it’s an action never taken (or given) lightly, and one that always has more dramatic results than one might expect. I get swept up in those emotions as I write, actually feeling the intense emotional waves that my characters are feeling as they experience each other – not just attraction and connection, but self-consciousness and doubt as well. And I feel it for both my male and female characters simultaneously – it’s an odd thing, and something I can’t really ever hope to explain fully in words.

So I’m curious – whether you write sweet or hot romance (or just a hint of romance in any genre), how do you write your love scenes? Do you need that glass of wine, or does it flow like honey all on its own? If you don’t write, what’s your favorite type of love scene to read, and what draws you in about it?

Goals for the Week 2/8/10

Last week it seemed like I was swimming upstream for some reason. I'm fighting the revision course, fighting my new words (which I think is because I'm not writing every day with the whole revision thing), fighting those two letters I still haven't written. It happens. I need to get over it, and move along. Onward and upward!

I did get my online shopping done, thankfully, and my serial chapter written the night before. Not my best work, but hey, it's just for fun. Next week's will be better.

So this week, my major goal is just to be more on top of things all around, and get back in gear with the writing/revision thing. I have some big projects to deal with at work this week too.

Weekly Goals

Writing

- Chapter 6 of Indelibly Inked, written/edited by Thursday
- Lesson 6 of the revision course for Her Private Chef, and write one new scene to add.
- New words for Hearts on Trial

Personal

- Blog posts all scheduled early for the week, extras done if possible
- Keep up with work (many projects this week)
- Get laundry caught up and keep it done.
- Plan out Valentine's day dinner
- Get those two letters written and sent!

That's it for me - what's on your plate this week? Read any good books lately?

Variety News 2/7/10

Thanks to everyone who voted in Thursday's poll - looks like there's definitely some interest in a social media/personal branding series on Wednesdays (the poll is open until midnight tonight, so you still have time to vote if you'd like). I've started planning out the series and have topics for a pretty wide array of posts already. We'll start this week with a look at choosing which name(s) to brand.

If anyone is interested, I'd be willing to add a Round Robin or writing prompt on another day - maybe either at the end of this news post on Sundays or my Goals post on Mondays. Let me know what you think...they're quick and easy to write, so I don't mind squeezing them in somewhere else.

I thought it would be fun to sort of "theme" this week's posts for Valentine's Day...feelin' the love!

This Week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Weekly Goals
Tuesday: Construction Zones - Those Pesky Love Scenes
Wednesday: Writer, Brand Thyself - What's in a Name?
Thursday: Wildcard - Love Pranks
Friday: Ch. 6 of Indelibly Inked

Elsewhere on The Variety Network 
  
JamieDeBree.com - I'm adding author web sites and links to more social networks this week. If you have an author web site (separate from your blog), let me know, and I'll add a link from my site to yours. 

Spiced Variety Pages - I forgot to add this week's "Massage Me" body part to the newsletter...sorry! This week we're massaging elbows. Jump in on Monday! 


Nail Art Tuesday features a pink and white manicure with hearts for Valentine's Day.

That's it for this week - anything going on at your blog I should watch for?

Notable Posts 2/1 - 2/5/10

Here are a couple of posts I found "notable" in the blogosphere this week (though the first is really a series). Enjoy!

Narrative Proofs from The Literary Lab
This is the first of three posts on the plotting process by Scott, Davin and Lady Glamis - Read them all, excellent stuff for any kind of writer.

Query Letter Writing - First and Last from Elana Johnson, Author


These links will be featured in my weekly newsletter, along with other interesting tidbits...are you a subscriber? 

Indelibly Inked, Chapter 5

This serial novel posted every Friday. Don't forget to vote for what happens next after each chapter. Enjoy!

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4

Indelibly Inked

Chapter 5

Claire gritted her teeth as she finally reached the front of the room where Stacy and Adam were waiting. She slid onto the nearest chair, willing the pain in her foot away. She'd underestimated the logistics of walking barefoot with two freshly-broken toes over the pavement and now the nerves in both feet were firing off with wild abandon.

Stacy rushed to her side, kneeling down to examine Claire's bandaged foot. "I'm fine - but what happened to you?"

"I fell off those stupid heels," she said, noting the frown Stacy shot at Adam. "It's not his fault - I was in a hurry, and didn't watch where I was going. He...ah...set my toes."

Stacy looked up, her eyes wide. "He what?" She turned to Adam, her brows drawn. "Why didn't you take her to the hospital?"

"Didn't think you'd want the publicity, what with the big campaign and all."

Stacy shook her head. "Just because that's what your dad would have done..." She glanced down at Claire and pressed her lips together.

"Don't bother," Claire said, looking up at Adam. She saw it in his eyes - recognition mixed with a hint of guilt. Just how long had he known? She turned back to Stacy. "Apparently, we all know who's who. No more games. What's going on here?"

Stacy tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and checked her watch. She turned to Adam. "I don't have much time, but I was hoping maybe you could help us out. Claire may be in danger."

"What do you mean? What kind of danger?" Claire stood, wincing and quickly shifting her weight to her left foot. Adam took a step toward her. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't think it was serious until yesterday." Stacy shrugged. "Political candidates get threats all the time. But I think there might be something to this."

Adam reached up and rubbed his neck with one hand. "Why me?"

"Yeah, why him?" Claire glared at her in the darkened room. "You made the appointment - you insisted that I had to go to his shop. Why?"

She shrugged, reaching down for the portfolio at her side. "I knew he'd take care of you - or I hoped he would." She shot one more pointed look at Adam, then started walking down the aisle toward the door.

"Hey wait - what's he supposed to protect me from? And what are we going to do about tomorrow?" Claire curled her fingers around the back of a chair, wanting to run after her but knowing she couldn't. She didn't dare look at her would-be protector, standing silently beside her.

Stacy half-turned back. "I'll call you first thing tomorrow morning. Don't stay alone tonight, okay?" She turned and walked out, leaving Claire to wonder if she really would call.

Suddenly the room felt very small as Adam stepped closer. She forced herself to look up at him, her heart beating fast. He knew who she was - and that meant he must know that those were his initials on her ankle. There was no more pretending, her infatuation laid out in plain site. She met his eyes, expecting to find anger or betrayal. There was no judgement though, only cool disinterest that confused her after the heat that had been reflected there earlier. Embarrassed, she dropped her gaze to the floor, thankful for the darkness that hid the color rising over her cheeks.

"I'm really sorry about all this," she said, her voice low. "If you wouldn't mind driving me home, I can deal with all of this tomorrow." She started limping toward the door, not really wanting an answer. She couldn't believe Stacy had tried to manipulate him - both of them - like this. She fought back tears as she pushed open the door to the hall, careful not to hit her toes on the way out. She'd have to withdraw from the race. She couldn't go forward with a publicist she couldn't trust, and the threat of personal danger looming over her head.

She stopped at the door to the parking lot, staring distastefully at the pavement. Maybe she should just get a room here tonight. She turned back, only to find herself staring at Adam's strong, broad chest.

"Oh," she gasped, a nervous giggle escaping her lips. "I was thinking maybe I should just get a room here tonight. Then you wouldn't have to go out of your way, and I'd be here early tomorrow." She tried to step back, but the door was right behind her. He was watching her, his expression almost amused as he took a single step forward.

"Your publicist seems to think you shouldn't be alone," he said, bracing a hand on the door above her head. "And I think maybe we have some things to discuss..."

Writer, Brand Thyself

Two books are sitting on the shelf (physical, digital – whatever format you prefer). Both authors are new to you, but one of the names looks vaguely familiar – you can’t remember why though. You pick up each of them in turn, scan the back covers, and you think both of them might be worth a shot. They’re the same price, but you can only afford one.

Which one do you choose?

Personally, all things being equal as outlined above, I’d go with the one where the author’s name sounded vaguely familiar. Who knows where I heard it – might have been twitter, or facebook, or a forum somewhere, or even just people talking in a restaurant. But for some reason, the name stuck in my mind, and that’s enough to sway me, or at least make me take a closer look (ie, open the book and check the narrative). I have to say, going to a bookstore these days after all the contacts I’ve made through social networking is really difficult, because I recognize so many author’s names as someone I’ve either conversed with or watched conversing with others…and I want to support them all. An unfortunate impossibility what with books costing money and all.

My point in all this is that name recognition is important, no matter what you’re selling. It’s marketing 101, and something that takes time to implement. Selling books is no different – you want your name (whatever name you’re writing under) to be recognized by as many people as possible, so that even when you’re releasing your very first book, someone, somewhere will walk into a bookstore (or surf through a web site), see your name, and be drawn to it even if they can’t remember where they saw/read/heard it before. The wonderful thing about the internet is how easy it is to start getting your name out there, and making sure people know who you are *before* your book goes to press.

The easiest thing to do is use your name – whichever name you’re going to publish under – everywhere you go on the ‘net. Twitter, Facebook, your blog(s), forums, *everywhere*. You need to be an active participant for it to work, of course, but it’s a very easy way to just get your name noticed. The more active you are, the more your name gets out there.

I’ve been considering doing a series of posts on social networking – specifically tips on how to *seem* like you’re everywhere online with minimal effort. If anyone’s interested, I’ll replace either the Weds. Round Robin posts or the Thurs. Wildcard posts with those for awhile. You can vote yea or nay below. The poll will be open through Sunday night.

Round Robin: Road Trip

Welcome to the weekly Round Robin! Each week I post a four-sentence prompt, and your mission, should you choose to accept it is to continue the story (up to 4 sentences at a time) in the comments. You may post more than once, but not consecutively. You don’t have to be a writer to join in – anyone can play, and take the story whatever direction you want.

Jump in - play with me!

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 Road Trip

Stacy cranked up the stereo, inexplicably happy as she drove down I-95. The landscape on either side of the road was barren, but she didn’t care. She was free, and ready to start a new life in whatever little town struck her fancy. Red and blue lights flashed in her rearview mirror and she frowned, glancing down at the speedometer.

Construction Zone: Scene Structure

What do you consider a scene?

My little revision project has me closely examining what I consider a “scene”. To this point, I've always considered a scene to be, in the literal sense, action or activity that takes place in one location, at one point in time. So if the location or time changes, that signifies a new scene. I honestly never thought about it much further than that.

Now that I'm dissecting HPC scene-by-scene, I'm “revising” my definition of a scene. I'm looking for a complete little story within each scene – a beginning, middle, and end. Add to that the need for tension and movement (propelling the central plot forward), and my scenes are getting far more complex. It's a good thing, but it does mean quite a bit of work to “fix” certain scenes. Sometimes getting that story arc into a scene isn't all that easy. Obviously the end of a scene isn't the end of the story, but it does have to sort of propel the reader out of the current scene and into the next.

So in planning/writing HOT, I'm trying to be conscious of the story within each scene as I write it. For example, the first scene breaks down something like this:

Natalie is approached by two law students who want her to take part in a mock jury trial for their class.

That's basically the start and middle of the “story”. The end will be when Natalie either agrees or doesn't agree (you didn't think I was going to tell you, right?) - which will move her forward and create the beginning of the next “story” scene.

I'm going to try to do this for every scene as I write it. I have no idea if it will work, but it certainly seems worth a try.

What is your definition of a “scene”? Are you conscious of how your scenes come together as you write?

Goals for the Week 2/1/10

It's February 1st – remember how I said one of my New Year's Resolutions would be done by the end of January? Yep...it was the Halloween inventory, which is indeed done. I feel pretty good about that...

Last week went reasonably well with the goals, even though I was procrastinating far more than normal. Some weeks are just like that, you know? In any case, I got the blurb up for Hearts on Trial, and did get some new words in, though not my 2000 word goal. Had I jumped into my revision lesson, I'd have had more time to write, since it didn't take as long as I thought it was going to. It was a weird week, writing-wise. But I muddled through.

Personal goals were a mixed bag too. I got my tea stash cleaned out, ordered my seeds, and did my workouts thanks to #teamlazywriters on Twitter. I did not get my letters written, get new tea ordered, or get makeup ordered (which is going to become critical here pretty soon, as I'm running out of powder. Yes, I do realize how prissy that sounds. No, I'm not giving up makeup – this mineral stuff is the best thing that ever happened to my acne.)

Ahem.

Goals for the Week

Writing

- Lesson 5 of the revision course w/HPC.
- 2000 new words for HOT
- Ch. 5 of Indelibly Inked, written before Friday

Personal

- Write those two letters. They need to be in the mail on Tuesday!
- Order tea, makeup, and enzymes for Lucy-dog
- 4 more workouts

That's enough for me this week – what are you up to? Read any good books lately?