This weeks challenge for us Romance Writers Weekly members comes from Carrie Elks: “Stephen King famously said that it's necessary to 'kill your darlings' when editing your work. Do you have anything you had to remove from a book that you're still proud of? Or something that embarrasses you so much it will never again see the light of day? If you're feeling really brave, share some of it with us!” If you joined me from Leslie Hachtel, welcome! It is often a single image that inspires me when I am thinking of ideas for new stories. For my novel “No Life But This”, that image was a young woman spinning a globe, longing for excitement and adventure. Many of us have done this – watched the world blurring by, then tapping it with one finger and saying “There, that’s where I’m going.” My heroine, Abigail, does exactly that, and finds love on the tiny, little known Portuguese island of San Miguel, Azores. After I’d written the manuscript, I sent it out into the world of beta readers. And almost every single one of them said they enjoyed the book once the romance got going, but that it started soooooo slowly. So I tightened up the beginning – and more readers said exactly the same thing. In the end, I hacked off about five chapters, before I finally found what I feel is the right place to start the story. But I still have a soft spot for the original opening scene. It was this image, this atmosphere, that sparked the entire story. Maybe a reader doesn’t need it, but as a writer I think I needed to put it into words, so that the rest of the novel was infused with the thoughts and feelings I wrote about. Here it is. Abigail's fingers bumped gently across the globe. The surface was irregular, as if it truly was a miniature world - Everest shrunk to the height of a fingernail, the waves of the oceans smoothed to an infinitesimal roughness. Its high gloss finish glared where the light from the floor lamp struck it. I’m so glad I had a chance to share this scene with you! Now I invite you to move on to J.J. Devine and see what darlings she’s had to “kill”.
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Social media has dramatically changed how writers interact with readers. Snail-paced fan mail has been usurped by instant reviews, posts and tweets. It has also changed how writers interact with agents and publishers. They are less the men and women behind the curtain a la the Wizard of Oz, and more often people we follow on Twitter and like on Facebook.
Writers used to be told to have our Elevator Pitch ready – a short blurb of our story that could be given to an agent or publisher when we have them trapped in an elevator, riding from one floor to the next. Now we have the Twitter Pitch – 140 characters or less! Agents/Publishers create a hashtag and follow the pitches on twitter, watching for retweets and favourites to see what resonates with other writers and readers. This week we've been challenged to Twitter pitch our WIP or latest release. I’ve done this a couple of times, and trust me – it is HARD! It’s especially hard when you need to take into account the hashtag you must include or no one will see your tweet (I made up one, to keep in the spirit of the game). If you joined me from Kate Robbins blog, what did you think of her pitches? Sound intriguing, don't they? I figured if I’m going to go through this exercise, why not take advantage of it? So I am going to post 2 different versions of pitches for each of my finished manuscripts. Which one do you like best? NO LIFE BUT THIS (contemporary): #RWWPITCH Can the shifting sands of a vacation affair become the rock on which a life-long relationship is built? #RWWPITCH She’s a reserved quiet soul. He’s an adventurous, cheerful womanizer. Together they ignite a passion neither is ready for WHEN TIME FALLS STILL (romantic suspense): #RWWPITCH She’s on tenure track until a sexy campus security guard distracts her, yet more than her heart is in danger at this university. #RWWPITCH Does a university professor dare put passion over ambition? Or will she lose more than her heart to this sexy security guard? Let me know your favourites in the comments. Then be sure to hop on over to Xio Axelrod's blog. She's the one who set this topic for this week, so I have high expectations. :) It’s an occupational hazard. Most authors simply can’t avoid putting real people and situations into our books. Whoever said life is stranger than fiction was right – some of the stuff I’ve heard and seen you just can’t make up. This week on Romance Writers Weekly, we’ve been challenged to look at the times we've pushed through the pain by putting bad experiences or relationships into our works whether for therapy, or just as a way to close the door. If you joined me from J.J. Devine, didn’t she have some thought-provoking things to say? While I can’t say I’ve used any specific experiences in my writing, I certainly have used the memory of tougher days to relive emotions and physical sensations, in order to give those feelings to my characters. When everything is going well in my life (which thank goodness is most of the time) it’s easy to forget the gut clenching nausea of fear, anger and frustration. A couple years ago my son had surgery on his knee. He didn’t even have to stay overnight in hospital. But just before he was taken away by the nurse, I suffered a completely irrational flush of fear. My skin felt tingling, prickles climbing from my chest, up my neck, to my cheeks. I saw spots dancing before my eyes, and the world spun. The noises around me grew hollow, as if coming from a great distance, and I could feel the beat of my heart like a horse kicking me in my chest. Let me tell you – I’ve used the memory of that twenty seconds of terror often! This topic was assigned to us by Tracey Gee – and wouldn’t you know it, she’s next on the hop. Visit her here. I am thrilled to announce the release of "Tantalizing Tidbits", a collection of short stories by New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors - and little old me! Representing an eclectic mix of styles and genres, this book is a smorgasbord; an opportunity to try a bit of everything. In that spirit, the collection is presented as a menu and authors have shared recipes which accompany each story - some fitting, some funny, some simply old favorites. Ranging from ultra-short but spine tingling to meatier tales that are nearly novellas, there is a little something for every appetite - comedy, tragedy, fantasy, werewolves, at least one ghost, life, death, and of course love. Dig in! You're sure to find at least one tidbit you enjoy. Summer is in full swing and Fiona Riplee would like to know our answers to the following three questions: 1. What is your favorite summer memory? One of my favourite memories as a child was visiting my Grandparents at their cabin. Once we were old enough, we were allowed to spend a week or so there. The days were filled with fishing, swimming, catching leeches, Yahtzee (Saskatchewan house rules version), cribbage, reading Louis L’Amour (they had an entire shelf full) and just plain lazing around. More recently, one of the best things we do as a family is take the boat to a nearby lake, have a finger-food type supper, and swim. Northern BC is full of beautiful lakes, and I love to dive off the boat in the deep, coppery water – no weeds, no leeches, not yucky bottom! 2. What do you enjoy the most about summer? The best thing about summer is living outside. Winters here are usually spent scurrying from house to vehicle to building and back again. Summer sunshine means we connect with neighbours, enjoy dinners on the deck, and simply doing as much as we can out of doors. 3. How do the warm days and sunshine affect your writing habits? Summer time is both good and bad for my writing habits. I love to take my lap top outside and write my quota in the backyard. Something about writing away from my usual spot makes me feel more creative, more inventive. We tend to take more road trips in summer, and long hours on the highway are great for brainstorming and plotting. But the good weather also makes it harder to make the time to write. Northern BC summer are so short (although we’re having a great one this year) that I hate to miss a minute. How did Ronnie Allen answer these questions? Find out here! This week we are small but mighty group, carrying on the Romance Writers Weekly traditional Tuesday hop! Fiona Riplee set this challeng: Your setting: woods, 3 AM. Write a Flash Fiction of 500 words or less that includes the words bubbles, mindful, and deep. If you joined me from Tracey Gee - wasn’t that interesting? Here’s my take: She loved camping. Love the solitude, the silence of the woods, the snap of a campfire, the utter restfulness of disconnecting from a wired world. What do you think? I loved to read your comments. Then be sure to move on to Carolyn Spear as she’s next on the hop!
This week, Xio Axelrod asks: If you weren't a writer, what other creative career would you most want to try? Those of you who've joined me from Fiona Riplee, welcome! If you didn't, make sure you hop all around the blog to get to her. I gulped a bit when I first read this challenge. I have identified myself as a writer for so long, that it took me a few minutes to come up with what I honestly thought I might want to try, and perhaps even be reasonably successful at. I would love to be an artist, but that ain’t goin’ to happen. My oldest daughter does beautiful pen and ink sketches that are only shades of gray. I don’t see in light and shadow like she does, and my hand just doesn’t move the way my brain wants it to. But one creative career I think I could do would be photography. I’m the unofficial family photographer, and we usually come back from any vacation with hundreds of photos, some of which I prefer to think are creative and artistic. :) I like getting down in the dirt to get unusual angles, and looking for interesting foreground and unusual lighting. In Northern BC there are many beautiful landscapes and interesting animals to photograph, but it is a career that could blend my love of travel, as well. here are a few shots from the fairly recent past I especially like.
This week, Susan Scott Shelley has set us a fun topic: You've been gifted with a super power. Which would you choose? Why? If you’ve joined me from the awesome Victoria Barbour, welcome! Okay – super powers – what would I pick? I’m going to be sneaky and pick two – one for day to day and one for writing. For my day to day super power, I want to be able to clean my house by looking at it. Just imagine – I’m sitting at my desk, working away at my next great novel, and I spy a speck of dust. With one blink (or maybe a wiggle of my nose, like a certain genie) it vanishes. Yes!
The thing with cleaning is that I love having a clean house – I just don’t want to have to work to get it. There are so many other things I’d rather be doing than sweeping, vacuuming or dusting. I’d a tidy person, in the sense that I don’t like clutter. Everything has its place – it’s just covered in dust. For my writing super power, I want to be Perfect Plotter-Woman! I’m in the midst of planning my next manuscript, so I’ve got a spreadsheet going with each scene listed. The thing is, I have great ideas, at least initially. But then I start thinking things like “wait, does that even make sense?” or “why the heck would they do that?” Because I am a plotter by nature, I can’t just shrug off those questions. I need to know where my story is ending before I begin, but it is just so hard! What super power does historical romance author Kate Robbins wish she had? Click here to find out! We here at RWW love flash fiction! This week, Fiona Riplee has set the following challenge: Write a flash fiction of 250 words or less about a long lost love. Include the words: hammer, chisel, and coping saw. If you joined me from Dani Jace welcome! Before I could get started, I had to look up what the hell a coping saw was. After that – this is what you get! I’d love to hear your comments. And don’t forget to hop on over to Raine Balkera to get her take on this challenge!
The awesome Jeanne McDonald has brought us back to the origins of the Romance Writers Weekly blog, with three challenging questions. If you’ve joined me from Betty Bolte, welcome! 1. Describe that moment you first felt like a true author (not just an aspiring one). I truly believe anyone brave enough to put their thoughts on paper, whether for a private journal or for all the world to see, is an author. So the very first time I felt like an author was when I actually finished my first manuscript, MOUNTAIN FIRE. While I’ve been writing most of my life, I had never actually completed a novel length work. Too many had died around page 70, suffocated through lack of craft, inclination and imagination. When I stared at the screen knowing I’d written the last word of the manuscript, I almost couldn’t believe it. Even if that work had never been published, I would have considered myself an author just for finishing the damn thing. But to answer the question in the spirit it was intended, I first felt like a “true” author the day I received a contract offer to publish MOUNTAIN FIRE. I was at work, and just happened to check my personal email, and there it was. I had to read it over and over again. I was thrilled, to say the least! Of course, getting published is just one step on the ladder, and while I may consider myself an author, I am not as successful as I would like. Achieving one goal just pushes you on to the next – and after all, isn’t that what life’s journey is about? 2. Name three authors who you inspire you. Nora Roberts: Not only do I enjoy her novels, I am in awe of her work ethic. She publishes 4 or 5 full length words a year. I don’t care that she has assistants to help with the marketing and social media and other obligations. The act of sitting down and writing around half a million words a year is up to her. It’s amazing. Susan Elizabeth Phillips: SEP’s writing is brilliant. It’s emotional and engaging and funny and heartbreaking and everything in between. The connection I feel with her books is something I aspire to give my readers. Trust me – I’m still working on it. Jennifer Crusie: If you want a lesson on how to write dialogue, pick up any Crusie novel. Her characters talk a lot, but it is never “soap opera” dialogue. The story unfolds in the conversations, and sometimes her books read like stage plays. The pace of her writing is breakneck, but so crisp and clean that you are never lost. I devour her books in one sitting when I can. 3. Describe your favorite fan moment (either you as the fan or one of your readers approaching you as a fan). In October 2013 I attended the Surrey International Writers Conference. If you ever get a chance – go! It’s not just for romance writers, but all genres. One of the founding presenters of the conference is Diana Gabaldon. She could have joined the list of writers who inspire me (she’s another whose work ethic humbles me). I sat in on one of her presentations and really enjoyed it, then had my picture taken with her. She is the ONLY author I have ever done this with, as I’m not “that kind” of fan. But I couldn’t help myself this time. As for myself, the first time I was asked to autograph one of my books was my biggest fan moment as an author. A group of very supportive ladies at work purchased print copies of my first book and had them delivered to work. Signing those books was an out-of-body experience. Fiona Riplee is the instigator for this week’s blog. Her challenge: Write a Flash Fiction that's 500 words or less with the following items: an empty parking lot, an abandoned SUV & a chihuahua sitting in the driver's seat. What did you think of Leslie Hachtel's contribution? I’d love to hear what you think of mine. I might have cheated a bit (it's longer than 500 words) but I got on a roll. Be sure to leave a comment! Naomi hated dogs. She knew that made her a bad, bad person in the eyes of many people, but it was the truth. She didn’t mind puppies, in the way she didn’t mind babies – to admire from a far, with a bone deep gladness they weren’t her responsibility. And a well-trained, quiet dog walking with its owner on a leash – she could handle that kind of dog, too. Now it’s on to Veronica Forand to see what she’s come up with. Have fun!
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