This weekend I had one of the best experiences that I can remember. I attended the Silken Sands Writers' Conference hosted by the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. It was incredibly well run (great workshops!), and the people were amazing. If you are able to go in 2012, I cannot encourage you enough to do so.
An added bonus was the new friends that I made the Southern Sizzlers. They are some fun and classy ladies. Between Moondays and Wet Wednesdays, I think I have found the motivation to make it through the week!
The Magic City
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Inspiration from International Women’s Day
Annually on March 8, the world celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women. When I found out that my first blog post for Romance Magicians fell on International Women’s Day, I was elated. I just knew that I would write an inspiring piece about the contributions of great women in literature, and the accolades would flow like a keg at a frat party. All I needed to put my plan in motion was a little research.
Research, sweet research. As a lawyer, research is the life’s blood of my profession. I have to research the facts of a case, the applicable law, opposing counsel and the judge - and that is just the beginning! High school and college debate taught me how to research efficiently and effectively. I’m like a mole; I can find anything. My head (and ego) swell with the praise I’ve received about my ability to research a legal issue and crank out a well-reasoned and precise argument quickly. I thought those skills would transfer well to my non-legal writing efforts.
Starting early last week, I began planning this post. My first post had to great. No, it had to be better than great. People were actually going to read what I wrote. I needed to create Pulitzer quality material. Did I start writing and revising to get myself to that goal? Heck no! I needed to research! And what has that research accomplished? My blog post is due, and I have a huge folder busting with articles and notes about the history of International Women’s Day and countless women whose achievements deserve recognition. The word count? Oh, that is precious. The word count, you ask again? Um, well, how would you like to talk about something else.
I am going to let you in on a dirty little secret - research is my greatest procrastination tool This experience highlighted what I already knew about myself, but wanted to deny. I use research to delay writing. Several years ago, I realized that it was time to tinkle or get off the pot with respect to my aspirations to write. Laptop in hand, I used a week’s vacation at the beach to try to live the dream. I wrote a little, but nothing significant. Something hindered my progress. I knew what it was! My problem was that I hadn’t educated myself enough on how to write. That was easy enough to fix. Surely I could find a good book or two on writing.
I used to joke when I was in law school that if you could lose weight and get in shape by owning exercise videos, I would be an Olympic contender. The same goes for books on writing. I’m ashamed to admit that I spent the better part of a year reading book after book on how to write. Repeatedly, I told myself I wasn’t ready to start writing. I just needed to finish the book on plotting. I couldn’t be expected to write until I’d read enough on how to develop my characters. Somewhere around the time that the books I’d bought on how to write were equaling the books I’d bought to read for pleasure, I realized that instead of researching how to write, I needed to write.
Phase two of the procrastination process wasn’t much better. The notebook of story ideas on my desk demanded that I engage in substantive research. Oh internet, you are a seductive tool ready to steal minutes, hours, days and weeks from me. A few notebooks (and months) of research later, I realized that my obsession with substantive research was, once again, keeping me from doing what I needed to do - write. I vowed that I would have to be satisfied with a level of incompleteness in my research and start writing.
Good fortune should come to the person who designed the button on my laptop that lets me disable the internet. Feeling empowered, I hit that button and started my outline (how outlining is a procrastination tool is a post for another day). From there, I moved on to writing. But wait! I needed more research - I needed to find the perfect name for a character and the precise word for description. Convinced I had my addiction under control, I hit the internet button. I would only take a few minutes. A little necessary research won’t hurt. I think we all know how that turned out.
Hello, my name is Heather, and I am a researchaholic. To combat my addiction, I’ve developed the following steps:
And so I return to the writing of this blog post. I wish I’d been able to provide you with the dissertation on great women in history, but I think I need to do a little more research. The women whose accomplishments are honored on International Women’s Day didn’t simply research the world around them. They were women of action. So, in that spirit, I need to take action. No more research. It is time to write.
Research, sweet research. As a lawyer, research is the life’s blood of my profession. I have to research the facts of a case, the applicable law, opposing counsel and the judge - and that is just the beginning! High school and college debate taught me how to research efficiently and effectively. I’m like a mole; I can find anything. My head (and ego) swell with the praise I’ve received about my ability to research a legal issue and crank out a well-reasoned and precise argument quickly. I thought those skills would transfer well to my non-legal writing efforts.
Starting early last week, I began planning this post. My first post had to great. No, it had to be better than great. People were actually going to read what I wrote. I needed to create Pulitzer quality material. Did I start writing and revising to get myself to that goal? Heck no! I needed to research! And what has that research accomplished? My blog post is due, and I have a huge folder busting with articles and notes about the history of International Women’s Day and countless women whose achievements deserve recognition. The word count? Oh, that is precious. The word count, you ask again? Um, well, how would you like to talk about something else.
I am going to let you in on a dirty little secret - research is my greatest procrastination tool This experience highlighted what I already knew about myself, but wanted to deny. I use research to delay writing. Several years ago, I realized that it was time to tinkle or get off the pot with respect to my aspirations to write. Laptop in hand, I used a week’s vacation at the beach to try to live the dream. I wrote a little, but nothing significant. Something hindered my progress. I knew what it was! My problem was that I hadn’t educated myself enough on how to write. That was easy enough to fix. Surely I could find a good book or two on writing.
I used to joke when I was in law school that if you could lose weight and get in shape by owning exercise videos, I would be an Olympic contender. The same goes for books on writing. I’m ashamed to admit that I spent the better part of a year reading book after book on how to write. Repeatedly, I told myself I wasn’t ready to start writing. I just needed to finish the book on plotting. I couldn’t be expected to write until I’d read enough on how to develop my characters. Somewhere around the time that the books I’d bought on how to write were equaling the books I’d bought to read for pleasure, I realized that instead of researching how to write, I needed to write.
Phase two of the procrastination process wasn’t much better. The notebook of story ideas on my desk demanded that I engage in substantive research. Oh internet, you are a seductive tool ready to steal minutes, hours, days and weeks from me. A few notebooks (and months) of research later, I realized that my obsession with substantive research was, once again, keeping me from doing what I needed to do - write. I vowed that I would have to be satisfied with a level of incompleteness in my research and start writing.
Good fortune should come to the person who designed the button on my laptop that lets me disable the internet. Feeling empowered, I hit that button and started my outline (how outlining is a procrastination tool is a post for another day). From there, I moved on to writing. But wait! I needed more research - I needed to find the perfect name for a character and the precise word for description. Convinced I had my addiction under control, I hit the internet button. I would only take a few minutes. A little necessary research won’t hurt. I think we all know how that turned out.
Hello, my name is Heather, and I am a researchaholic. To combat my addiction, I’ve developed the following steps:
- Write what you know. This keeps the temptation to research at a minimum. It is probably best that I not write a book about an astrophysicist. I’m not even sure I can spell astrophysicist without a little research, let alone write a story about one.
- Make a list of what you need and do your research in your down time. I keep a notebook and a chart next to my writing desk. The notebook contains a list of substantive research which I need to complete (history of a building, mythology, pictures of a location, etc.). The notebook also contains “lemon drop” research. (I was once in a deposition where periodically, opposing counsel would say “lemon drop.” I thought he had confectioner’s tourettes. When I asked him about it, he shared that it was his way of marking the transcript. If there was something he knew he needed to research after the deposition, he would use the index of the transcript to find all of the “lemon drop” moments.) Similarly, in my writing when I need to find a better name or word than what I have used, I insert “lemon drop” before whatever I will want to replace so I can use “find and replace” to locate the spot in the manuscript easier. I keep my notebook in my purse when I’m not writing. When I find myself with down time when I can’t write, I try to use that time to finish my research.
- Research as part of your revision process. This isn’t really a step which I developed, but a strategy I hope to employ. A friend who has published three books shared with me that she does some big picture research that would relate to plot points before she writes, but that she saves most of her detail oriented research for the revision process. I haven’t tried this, but it makes sense. She explained that this method allows her to focus on the story through the first draft. After she constructs the skeleton of her novel, she bulks up the muscle and tissue with research. I’m seriously contemplating using this method for my next book because I want to write the darn thing, not just research what goes into it.
And so I return to the writing of this blog post. I wish I’d been able to provide you with the dissertation on great women in history, but I think I need to do a little more research. The women whose accomplishments are honored on International Women’s Day didn’t simply research the world around them. They were women of action. So, in that spirit, I need to take action. No more research. It is time to write.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
"Dear Lucky Agent" Contest: Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance
The Guide to Literary Agents Editor's Blog is holding its third "Dear Lucky Agent" content for urban fantasy and paranormal romance. First place gets a 20 page critique and a one year subscription to Writer's Market. The link to the contest for more information is: www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Bringing the Funny
“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”
--Bill Cosby
My motto when it comes to movies is that I either want to laugh until I cry or be amazed by a special effects department. I have no need for tear jerkers - if I want that, there are plenty of cable news networks which can oblige me. To this day, I have not seen The English Patient, Brian's Song or Love Story (also, I refuse to watch animal movies - they always involve Kleenex - fool me once Old Yeller, shame on you, fool me twice Where the Red Fern Grows . . .) My tastes are similar when I read. I would love to sound intellectual and rattle off several literary books that are my favorites. However, I fear the lightening bolt from above that would strike me dead.
I love fantasy and humor (The Great Brain series and Superfudge are among my all time favorites). I used to read voraciously, then . . . I went to law school. For years and years, the only reading material I consumed involved cases and controversies. High on conflict, low on wit and imagination (with some exceptions - I do have a file of my favorite opinions if anyone is looking for a good giggle). Then a good friend (I am talking about you, Joe Musso) changed things.
It was a chilly November 2001 afternoon. I needed to schedule a deposition for sometime within the next two weeks, but opposing counsel was dodging me in terms of committing to a date. Finally, he broke down and admitted that the date I wanted to use would not do. He and his wife had already bought tickets to Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone. I revealed a deep dark secret - I had never read the Harry Potter books. After a few minutes of stunned silence, he insisted I had to read the books, and do so immediately. I protested. They were children's books. I was an adult. I was a professional. I did not read fairy tales (with the exception of a few interesting law review articles).
So, at his urging, I asked my brother-in-law's bitchy ass Swiss girlfriend (a blog post for another occasion) if I could borrow her copy of the first Harry Potter book. She obliged by loaning me her UK copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (again, another blog post for my initial reaction being that it must have been the Dollar Store version since I initially was unaware of the difference in the UK and USA titles). Crack. It was verbal crack, I tell you.
I ran to Barnes and Noble and bought the first four HP books. I read the first three (Prisoner of Azkaban remains my favorite) in a weekend. Then I re-read them. Then I read them again. I saved the fourth book until I knew the fifth would be released. I became an addict. I needed to feed my addiction. I started consuming all fantasy that I could. I noted that a lot came up lacking. Why?
Humor. I loved the humor of the Harry Potter series. I noticed the same in my television viewing. I loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer (no heckling, please - watch it - it is very well written) and the West Wing (Aaron Sorkin, please return to the small screen - you are missed). I needed humor in my entertainment. If the author/artist didn't bring the funny, they lost me immediately.
So I find myself at a loss. I need to bring the funny. Without it, I can't bear to write or read what I write. However, I tend to be on the dry side. I spend all day talking about the right way to interpret federal regulations and statutes (let me tell you, you haven't had a good time until you try to wrangle with the language of the Family and Medical Leave Act). By the time I find enough levity in my mood to write, it is bed time. There are a few things about which I am serious: bed time, cheese, and very large televisions. My positions on all three are inflexible (all three are unlimited goods). So I need to find a way to find the humor in what I want to write.
--Bill Cosby
My motto when it comes to movies is that I either want to laugh until I cry or be amazed by a special effects department. I have no need for tear jerkers - if I want that, there are plenty of cable news networks which can oblige me. To this day, I have not seen The English Patient, Brian's Song or Love Story (also, I refuse to watch animal movies - they always involve Kleenex - fool me once Old Yeller, shame on you, fool me twice Where the Red Fern Grows . . .) My tastes are similar when I read. I would love to sound intellectual and rattle off several literary books that are my favorites. However, I fear the lightening bolt from above that would strike me dead.
I love fantasy and humor (The Great Brain series and Superfudge are among my all time favorites). I used to read voraciously, then . . . I went to law school. For years and years, the only reading material I consumed involved cases and controversies. High on conflict, low on wit and imagination (with some exceptions - I do have a file of my favorite opinions if anyone is looking for a good giggle). Then a good friend (I am talking about you, Joe Musso) changed things.
It was a chilly November 2001 afternoon. I needed to schedule a deposition for sometime within the next two weeks, but opposing counsel was dodging me in terms of committing to a date. Finally, he broke down and admitted that the date I wanted to use would not do. He and his wife had already bought tickets to Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone. I revealed a deep dark secret - I had never read the Harry Potter books. After a few minutes of stunned silence, he insisted I had to read the books, and do so immediately. I protested. They were children's books. I was an adult. I was a professional. I did not read fairy tales (with the exception of a few interesting law review articles).
So, at his urging, I asked my brother-in-law's bitchy ass Swiss girlfriend (a blog post for another occasion) if I could borrow her copy of the first Harry Potter book. She obliged by loaning me her UK copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (again, another blog post for my initial reaction being that it must have been the Dollar Store version since I initially was unaware of the difference in the UK and USA titles). Crack. It was verbal crack, I tell you.
I ran to Barnes and Noble and bought the first four HP books. I read the first three (Prisoner of Azkaban remains my favorite) in a weekend. Then I re-read them. Then I read them again. I saved the fourth book until I knew the fifth would be released. I became an addict. I needed to feed my addiction. I started consuming all fantasy that I could. I noted that a lot came up lacking. Why?
Humor. I loved the humor of the Harry Potter series. I noticed the same in my television viewing. I loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer (no heckling, please - watch it - it is very well written) and the West Wing (Aaron Sorkin, please return to the small screen - you are missed). I needed humor in my entertainment. If the author/artist didn't bring the funny, they lost me immediately.
So I find myself at a loss. I need to bring the funny. Without it, I can't bear to write or read what I write. However, I tend to be on the dry side. I spend all day talking about the right way to interpret federal regulations and statutes (let me tell you, you haven't had a good time until you try to wrangle with the language of the Family and Medical Leave Act). By the time I find enough levity in my mood to write, it is bed time. There are a few things about which I am serious: bed time, cheese, and very large televisions. My positions on all three are inflexible (all three are unlimited goods). So I need to find a way to find the humor in what I want to write.
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Best Laid Plans
Robert Burns wrote the "best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." I am finding this to be true with respect to my writing. Specifically, I am referring to the futile efforts to adhere to my outline.
My outline. My dear outline, painstakingly crafted over several weekends. I think its best use at this point may be toilet paper. I read books upon books all advising that when writing a story with mystery elements, an outline is essential. I had a long outline, a short outline, a fluid outline, and an outline of the outline. Worthless, all of them.
When I sit at my keyboard, eager to write the scene I carefully outlined, I find myself trying to force things that don't feel natural. The scene felt natural when I outlined it. Now that I am writing, the story I outlined won't work. The scenes, plot and dialogue all seem stilted and awkward. My fingers fly typing strange remarks and actions which I had not anticipated. I'm getting pretty scared.
An aside - I don't hear my characters talking to me. Conference after conference I have heard authors say that their characters talk to them and whisper (or shout), "no, that is not what I would do." Not so much as a peep from any of my characters. Their voices are not what is derailing my outline.
The problem with my outline is that I feel that story has been written. Now, my short attention span and flying thoughts are taking the story to places I hadn't anticipated. I am terrified. What if, by abandoning my outline, I write myself into a corner.
I am a planner. I love plans, lists and organization (pipe down anyone who has seen my house). Writing by the seat of my pants is terrifying. Horrifying. Mortifying. Yet, I think I have to fly blind for a little while. Hopefully, the time spent in the outline will not go to waste. At least I have a lot of extra scratch paper on my desk!
My outline. My dear outline, painstakingly crafted over several weekends. I think its best use at this point may be toilet paper. I read books upon books all advising that when writing a story with mystery elements, an outline is essential. I had a long outline, a short outline, a fluid outline, and an outline of the outline. Worthless, all of them.
When I sit at my keyboard, eager to write the scene I carefully outlined, I find myself trying to force things that don't feel natural. The scene felt natural when I outlined it. Now that I am writing, the story I outlined won't work. The scenes, plot and dialogue all seem stilted and awkward. My fingers fly typing strange remarks and actions which I had not anticipated. I'm getting pretty scared.
An aside - I don't hear my characters talking to me. Conference after conference I have heard authors say that their characters talk to them and whisper (or shout), "no, that is not what I would do." Not so much as a peep from any of my characters. Their voices are not what is derailing my outline.
The problem with my outline is that I feel that story has been written. Now, my short attention span and flying thoughts are taking the story to places I hadn't anticipated. I am terrified. What if, by abandoning my outline, I write myself into a corner.
I am a planner. I love plans, lists and organization (pipe down anyone who has seen my house). Writing by the seat of my pants is terrifying. Horrifying. Mortifying. Yet, I think I have to fly blind for a little while. Hopefully, the time spent in the outline will not go to waste. At least I have a lot of extra scratch paper on my desk!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Technology, Thou Art a Witch
I admit it. The internet is much smarter than me.
I cannot say how honored I was to be asked by Lee Lofland to write a column for his blog, The Graveyard Shift. If you haven't been to his site, it is fantastic (www.leelofland.com). My column went up today (http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/?p=6109).
I thought it would be fun to put a widget on this blog to have a link to his site as well as to Romance Magicians (http://romancemagicians.blogspot.com/) another wonderful blog which is put out by the Southern Magic chapter of the RWA. I am now experiencing the adage that the road to Hell is paved with the best of intentions. Trying to get the darn widget to work is something that Dante couldn't have envisioned. If you see me later sporting horns, a swishy tail and a pitchfork (but the link works), you likely know what happened . . .
I cannot say how honored I was to be asked by Lee Lofland to write a column for his blog, The Graveyard Shift. If you haven't been to his site, it is fantastic (www.leelofland.com). My column went up today (http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/?p=6109).
I thought it would be fun to put a widget on this blog to have a link to his site as well as to Romance Magicians (http://romancemagicians.blogspot.com/) another wonderful blog which is put out by the Southern Magic chapter of the RWA. I am now experiencing the adage that the road to Hell is paved with the best of intentions. Trying to get the darn widget to work is something that Dante couldn't have envisioned. If you see me later sporting horns, a swishy tail and a pitchfork (but the link works), you likely know what happened . . .
Friday, January 29, 2010
Weekend or Weak-end?
Hello Friday, my good friend. You have come to test me once again.
You offer me the promise of two days where I can write. I know that I should begin tonight.
However, chores and off-put work also need to be done. And, I can easily be distracted with the promise of a little fun.
Will I find the work ethic to keep my end in a chair? Or for another weekend, will my word count be bare?
(I apologize to all of the poets in the world for this entry).
You offer me the promise of two days where I can write. I know that I should begin tonight.
However, chores and off-put work also need to be done. And, I can easily be distracted with the promise of a little fun.
Will I find the work ethic to keep my end in a chair? Or for another weekend, will my word count be bare?
(I apologize to all of the poets in the world for this entry).
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