Welcome to another Tuesday Blog Hop with Romance Writers Weekly! Betty Bolte starts the conversation this week: Our surroundings influence our mood and view of the world as much as setting in any story. What is the view outside your window, or what would you like the view to be? If you’ve joined me from Tracey Gee, hello! Isn’t she a hoot? As I write this post, this is my writing view. I write with my laptop on my knees in the living room (thanks goodness the TV is in another room or I’d never get anything done) and I’ve just washed the floor in the kitchen/dining area so all the chairs are keeping me company. If you look close you’ll see Gilligan, our cat, on her stool looking out the window. I totally agree with Betty that our surroundings influence our moods, and they certainly can influence our writing. However, a professional doesn’t have the luxury of writing only when the atmosphere is perfect. I’m lucky in that my main writing background is TV commercials, and for most of my career I’ve worked in big open offices with lots of other people and plenty of distractions. That makes it easy for me to write wherever and whenever I need to. I do find, though, that if I am stuck on a scene, sometimes moving to a different space can help me break through the block. And over the years I’ve written in quite a few different locations, not just at home but on camping trips, while waiting for Only Son to be done sports practices, and others. I’ve included a few of my favourites here. Time for me to pass you on the next in line, Carolyn Spear. Happy Tuesday!
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Jenna Da Sie is one of our newer Romance Writer Weekly members, and she’s starting off by posing a tough one this week on our blog hop. Jenna asks:
Romance. There are many different meanings. What does it mean to you? Yikes! If you didn't get here from there, why don’t you hop back to Leslie Hachtel for a minute while I think about this. Oh, good, you’re back! Here’s the way I see it. Just as there are many different types of love, there are many different types of romance. In the beginning of a relationship, romance might be staring into each other’s eyes over a candlelit dinner or enjoying a long walk while holding hands. Maybe it’s a breathtaking ride on a motorcycle along a winding road or snuggling next to a snapping fire in a remote cabin. Here’s where I’m going with this – at this stage of love, romance is just the two of you, learning about each other, spending time together, with the focus on becoming a couple. But just as love changes, becomes less intense but deeper, as your relationship grows so does the romance. Daily life will intrude, no matter how hard we try to keep that first flare of magic alive. I told my husband once that it was romantic when he took out the garbage, and he laughed. While that example might have been a bit extreme, what I meant was, in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, romance doesn’t have to mean bouquets of flowers and boxes of chocolates. It can be taking the kids for a walk so your husband can get the lawn mowed without interruption. Or buying that jug of milk on the way home without being asked, because you noticed the shelf was empty. It can be making the coffee in the morning so your special someone awakens to the smell of love and comfort. Or a foot rub while watching TV together before bed. I think in many way, romance for me comes down to paying attention, and making those little gestures that say to someone “I love you. I see you. I know what you need. Let me be the person that shares it with you.” What’s your take on romance? Leave me a note in the comments. And then be sure to keep going on the hop by visiting S. C. Mitchell! He's up next. The internet is an invaluable research tool for writers, but sometimes we Google subjects that would raise more than a few eyebrows if seen out of context. So this week Carrie Elks has challenged the Romance Weekly writers to 'fess up on the strangest thing we’ve ever googled, thus giving us a chance to explain why we were grubbing around in that particular search string.
Now, I’m pretty sure Collette Cameron has NEVER Googled anything too disturbing (she is much too sweet!) but who knows what lurks beneath that demure exterior? If you haven’t come here from there, be sure to hop back and take a look. As for myself, here’s a list of my most recent searches based on my writing: 9 things you didn’t know about Disney’s Cinderella Blue (colours) Avant garde I am writing a scene where my heroine (a blue-collar construction worker) needs to buy an evening gown for an event being put on by the hero’s symphony orchestra. I want her to feel out of her element – hence the avant garde search to make sure it meant what I thought it meant. But I also want her to feel good about herself, so I am giving the hoity-toity boutique she goes to a warm and cuddly manager. Maybe you can guess who that character is loosely modelled on by my next two searches – blue (so many different shades!) and Cinderella. In the past, I’ve also Googled grizzly bear poaching, the symptoms of concussion, where to go canyoning in the Azores, videos on paragliding (because you’ll never catch me jumping off a mountain voluntarily), what security guards at universities do and more. To be honest, I don’t know if I could write without Google. I’m not the type that can just leave a spot blank and then do the research later. I need to know NOW, before I can move forward. The internet is truly a wonderful thing! Well, time to send you on your way. Head over Victoria Barbour to see what interesting things she’s been caught—er—needed to know. |