It was a dark and stormy night…
As I'm sitting here, it's raining--something we don't see too often in Arizona, although we've been very lucky this week. I don't know what it is about the rain that revs up my amygdala but if it's raining, you can be sure to catch me curled up near a window with my notebook in hand (either that, or very agitated that I'm not). It got me thinking about those other things I use to get myself in the mood for writing a scene. Like actors, writers have to be able to call on their emotions at any ...
Today's Word Count: 278 A week and a half ago, Stephanie Shackleford at Routines for Writers posted a blog about What Writers Do. She pointed out the obvious, yet sometimes forgotten truth...writers write. It's not always easy to do when we're stuck for inspiration, don't have a lot of time to spare or just plain aren't in the mood. I've been having a hard time writing consistently lately for all three reasons. Stephanie shared one of her techniques for getting out of a rut and I decided to give it a shot. She suggested to write ...
Derek stepped out onto the front porch and the screen door slammed behind him. Amber looked up from her work, wiped the back of her hand across her sweaty brow and returned to the lifeless soil beneath her. Derek took that as an invitation, or as close to an invitation as he could expect to get from a member of the Baker family, and sat down on the porch steps. "It's an herb garden," Amber said. "Or, at least, it used to be. I kept it up when I lived here, but now..." She motioned to ...
"You'll never guess who's here," Hunter said this afternoon as he squeezed into my cubicle and leaned on my desk. He's the only one in the office who feels obliged to deliver the latest gossip in person instead of through the usual digital rumor mill. "Hunter, I'm not falling for it again. Oprah does not personally visit publishing houses to congratulate the editors of her book club members." Hunter snorted. "I still can't believe you fell for that the first time." "You caught me in a weak moment." I threw the manuscript I'd been reading down on the desk. ...
Think about your favorite fictional character. In particular, your favorite fictional character of the opposite sex. Let’s use Twilight for example because who hasn’t chosen a side? So, picture Edward or, for the cooler people out there, Jacob. Think about his smile, his hair, his perfectly toned body. Is your heart pumping a little harder? Would you say that in some way (not in the logical or realistic way, of course, but in some way) you’re a little in love with him? It’s …
Today’s Word Count: 0, just editing
I took my first chapter, slightly shortened, to my writing group today. Thank goodness I had a “deadline” for getting it somewhat finished or might have brooded over it forever. As it was, I only finished it up about half an hour before the meeting. But I did finally print out those few copies to hand out for a critique today, mostly because I needed to get out of my own head and stop analyzing it to death.
Well, either I needn’t have …
I’ve been working on the first chapter of my new book this week and I have to admit, it’s been so long since I’ve written one, I forgot how difficult–and even more, how important–they are. Eventually the first chapter will be the one that gets agents and readers interested in my book but right now, it has to get me interested in writing it! At this point, I don’t know my characters very well yet, and I’ve only just begun to touch the tip of my plot but …
Today’s Word Count: 931
Wow. I forgot the first chapter could be so difficult! It’s been a while since I’ve written one. The first chapter (heck, the first sentence!) really does set the whole mood of the book and I’ve never felt that quite so much as I do this time around.
With the beginning of a new project, there’s always that initial question that has to be answered: first person or third person? The dreaded question. Because I love first person. I don’t know why …
