Back in Action

Alright, so, I’ve been gone. Not many people out there will have noticed the absence. I can’t blame them. I haven’t given anyone, even myself, much reason to be sad about my  sabbatical from writing.

That is about to change.

As a mother of a 15-month-old girl, who makes my life so much more complicated and wonderful than I ever thought possible, I can readily admit that I’ve been criminally negligent with my writing. I’ve breastfed, cuddled, coddled, texted, Facebooked, and Townshiped my way through a year and some change. I will never say it wasn’t worth it, but I do feel a smidgen of my time could have been directed toward my writing.

I did read a good deal, which I hope will have kept my thoughts and plots nimble. We’ll see!

Moving forward, I know I have a new depth of understanding about life that will certainly color my perceptions. I’m curious to see what will come of me. In a time of life when very little of my energy can or does go toward myself, I hope that in this at least, I can focus fully.

I say this as my daughter clings to me crying as if her heart is broken.

Oh, the adventures ahead!

I invite you all to join me.

Gargantuan or minuscule?

Gotta love a field full of buffalo.

They take up so much room and yet the fields are so much bigger they almost get swallowed by the grass.

Guess it’s all about perspective.

Cast in Flame: Moving in the right direction…finally

In preparation for her new book this November, I’ve reread (well actually I audio-booked this time  during various car trips) Michelle Sagara’s, Cast in Flame, Book 10 of The Chronicles of Elantra series.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the series:

I’ve been rather a large fan of Sagara’s world of Elantra since I stumbled across the first book in what is now a series approaching the length of other noted writers such as Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson’s Wheel of Time series.

Yes, I’m in denial that Wheel of Time is over and am saving the last book for the moment I’m emotionally ready for the conclusion. Don’t judge me.

My relationship with Sagara is one of both devoted fan for all things Private Kaylin Neya, but also a reader experiencing some sincere impatience with the author’s need to reiterate certain aspects of the character’s ability and world to the point of blunt force trauma for the audience.

Losing her way:

In past books, Sagara has taken painstaking (trust me, I think I still bear the scars from all the stakes pounded in) time detailing Private Neya’s ability to see magic in a fashion others don’t. Invariably, our young-in-age-but-old-in-experience character doesn’t understand a thing about what she is seeing, but still manages to pull a miracle out of the strange words that build worlds.

In a few of the most recent books, I’ve felt that Sagara’s editors should have reigned in this tendency with force if necessary: Ruler to the knuckles every time the author starts getting too vaguely philosophical for any but the most determined fans to finish.

Another bit of annoyance in the last few books has been the fact I’ve seen very little growth or progression for Private Neya emotionally, a character who’s past and present are an extremely complex personal tangle that need unraveling.

From Cast in Shadow to Cast in Fury (Cast in Silence is borderline) I felt actual forward movement for Private Neya as she tackled each world-ending challenge. Then suddenly, it seemed to me that she just sort of fell into a “I don’t know what to do, but I guess I’ll do this to save the world,” limbo.

For example, she learned how to light the damn candle…let her light it consistently. She should have internalized this lesson by now…dear…God..

There could be some argument that she’s still experiencing personal growth through each world-threatening challenge as she faces fears of loss and trust, but I don’t feel the character was given enough leeway to truly accept what she learned to use in later books. Also, much of the emotional baggage she tackles in these middle books are things she was supposed to have defeated throughout the first four or five adventures.

I don’t regret the addition of new awesome characters like Bellusdeo or the squawky one and so don’t believe the middle books were completely wasted, but I do feel, the pace needs to pick up.

I am hopeful that Cast in Flame is a sign that Sagara plans to do just that—finally let Private Neya absorb what she’s learned and become a somewhat more competent adventurer.

Ignite the fires:

Whether Private Neya is helping a run-down old building named Helen rejuvenate lost memories and powers while tackling concepts of home (again somewhat heavy handed writing) or tackling an ancient demon with her ability to bring words to life, Sagara is finally setting the young Hawk up for some real change.

During Cast in Flame, Private Neya’s been uprooted from her rag-tag comfort zone, she’s forced to recognize  she’s going to be in royal company more than she could ever want and she’s going to be facing some very real relationship hurtles (her own and Bellusdeo’s) in the near future.

She stands up to several people that I wouldn’t have expected her to, while taking an almost knowledgeable stance on her magical duties. She is herself throughout the entire book and is not swamped by the myriad of other characters and action spinning around her constantly—certainly a feat for the author.

We get a little glimpse of the future battles to come between the shadow slowly encroaching the city’s fiefs and beyond. Private Neya, along with the other characters, manage to hold the city against what is perhaps its largest test to date, but not without loss.

Private Neya is starting to bear with a bit more grace a mantle that is larger than her role as a Hawk, but still intrinsically formed by that role. I’m not sure what’s happened to her duties with the birthing guild, but hopefully they will return as I feel those are the moments when her magic is strongest as well as most important to her and those who watch her.

I feel in Cast in Flame, we finally get to see Kaylin growing again.

I couldn’t be more excited.

The end (or is it the beginning?):

I am ready to jump in with Sagara for the next installment of Cast in Honor, due to come out Nov. 24. Yes, I have ordered the Kindle book and plan to abandon my husband and, by then, two-month-old first child for the hours it takes to devour it.

Let’s just hope and pray that our ability as a competent reader has been taken into account, that we aren’t bombarded with what is now second Neya-nature.

We know the characters.

We know the world.

Trust us to understand the potential behind both.

Thanks for writing, Sagara!:

Sound harsh? I hope not too much. I love the world, I love Kaylin, and I will read to the end. But from one writer to another, these are the flaws that have almost lost me several times.

Overall rating “Cast in Flame”: ****

Romance, the moment when characters spark

Not all about sex:

So, I sometimes write romance.

Nope, I’ll never share my pen name where any of my family can see it.

Ever.

So, you’ll have to trust me when I say, I’ve learned a lot about developing two individual characters into something infinitely more…romantic.

I’ve discovered the smallest moments often make the most remarkable connection between the reader and the characters I’m trying to match—preferably, in a believable fashion.

True, there are those steamy sex scenes that make reading on an Iphone while on the bus a bit embarrassing, but it doesn’t take thrusts and grunts to get a reader titillated.

Often, it’s simply the dynamic of the characters, their ability to push each other to one edge or another that brings the reader into the fray in a personal fashion.

Hand holding, snuggles, Skittle wars:

Whether your characters are in a playful mood, deciding that their kitchen is the perfect place to set up a Skittle empire that must be protected at all costs, or hanging out on a couch (wrapped around each other like some sort of blacksmith’s puzzle), the reader is drawn to those moments of connection.

These seemingly innocuous actions between the love interests should draw both the reader as well as the writer into a world your characters have created just for themselves. In this space, anything and everything is possible—is romantic.

I dare say we’ve all read or at least seen (for those who aren’t avid readers) evidence of these moments with notable characters like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, Romeo and Juliet, Buttercup and Wesley, Emma and Knightley—the list goes on and on. Whispers…don’t forget Wall•E and Eve!

For those who are skillfully being woven into a rather strange love triangle between the reader and the couple, the love story begins when the characters truly start to…ignite.

Again, I’m not saying much about lust here, more about like. The moment the two realize that there is something intrinsically wonderful about the person they are interacting with.

The lights come on:

In many of my stories, I try to help my characters discover the most important aspect about their partner in a time when it is very easy to ignore the obvious. After all, what fun is it if the main characters meet, fall in love, and tada the story is over?

It’s rather more like a mystery novel in some ways…leaving clues between the two, lighting the tiniest spark and having the patience to let it fizzle.

Finally, when even I am about to burst into flames of impatience, I ever so carefully prepare for the moment when the two begin sparking in sync and the fireworks erupt. Que Katy Perry’s “Firework,” please.

In other words, romance isn’t always about the physical needs of the characters (though there are certainly moments for that). The characters are begging you, as the writer, to find them something deeper, lasting.

My two cents:

I find it easier to believe the ridiculous circumstances of a woman stalking her favorite author in hopes of finding his writing spot turning into a love story than two strangers on the bus ripping into each other for no other reason than he is man and she is woman.

The smallest things, make a perfect literary moment.

Just right…

What makes a good writing spot? 

Who knows!

I think the answer to that is perhaps too varied to cover completely, but I will try! 

The perfect space for creativity depends not just on the writer, but also the many (often riotous) moods of that very same author. 

For me, the sweet spot tends to be either in a very crowded/loud place or a quiet office or outdoor escape. If I had to guess, both these preferences probably have something to do with my ADD tendencies. 

Shh…I’m hunting characters

For quiet time, the traditional office scene is not a bad choice. Though the fact my office is connected to distraction central (aka the internets), means my productivity level can be dubious.

Park it here!

One of my solutions for escaping the siren call of a kitten in tea cup photo series is to escape to the outdoors. 

Since I am new to the area, I’ve started scouting out various parks, green ways and shaded nooks. Pinpointing those places where one could write while being safe, but  securely cut off from all but the tiniest blood-sucking distractions.

The nice side effect of the outdoor locale is constant natural stimulation to remind the author to use all their character’s senses to tell a story.

Hmm…do you smell that?

Turn up the volume!

Sometimes my brain is so starved for stimulation that I have to overwhelm it with sights and sounds to allow myself any sort of focus. 

“My thumb will rule the world!”

It is fun to break out from my norm where I can people watch or otherwise soak in words and emotions to use for my characters. You never know what you will overhear that might be just what you needed for a bit of dialogue spice. 

Yes, I did hear someone proclaiming that his thumb was all powerful and would one day rule the world. Sometimes real conversations are so much stranger than what you can make up…

Coffee or tigers…

My current solution for overstimulation depends largely on my love for book stores and tigers. 

A book store often provides a comfortable cool atmosphere in their coffee shops where you can get a fill for people and energy. I also appreciate being within smelling distance of book bindings…mmm..the crisp bouquet of glue and paper. 

Recently, I’ve been enamored with our local zoo (yes, there are tigers) which will provide a neat mix of outdoors and crowds. The fact the noise won’t always be a human clamor just makes it that much more interesting. 

I figure getting an annual membership will help provide me with a neat writing destination!  

Yes, this is a giraffe licking a tree..for nealry 30 minutes…mmm bark

Anyway, for me, whether in a noisy or quiet mood, the most important part of the routine is getting the words down on the page. 

What do you prefer? Where do you get your writing on?

Places and how they affect your writing

There are some places that touch you for life, influencing your idea of the perfect city, the perfect setting.  

Chattanooga has always been home for my heart. I miss the confusing tangle of streets as well as the friends and family who live there every day. For me, when writing about a city, this particular sprawl of green and civilization almost always tends to “taint” the idea. 

I’m ok with that. 

So, in the future, if you are reading a novel by me, there will probably be a park by the river where wide-eyed graduate students wonder like zombies. As well as a downtown that is prone to flooding–so much so, crazy residents can surf down Main Street. 

Little bits of life and experience and love for this strange little pocket of wonderful will undoubtedly show up in expected and unexpected ways. 

So glad to have such a great place to draw from. 

Coolidge Park is a perfect example of how to make a city beaitiful and functional for the populace.

When to beat yourself up

No, I don’t literally mean to beat myself to a pulp for my laziness this week.

Yes, I was extremely lazy and barely reached my word goal one day, let alone five.

There are all kinds of excuses I can use: laundry from vacation, bulldozers driving me crazy, alien abduction just when I sat down to finally get started….Whichever of these I settle on doesn’t really matter—though the alien theory might need more proof than is easily ascertained—the real issue is that I’ve wasted valuable time and words on anything but my writing.

“Prowling about the rooms, sitting down, getting up, stirring the fire, looking out the window, teasing my hair, sitting down to write, writing nothing, writing something and tearing it up…”
—Charles Dickens

Writers can only be what we are if we dig the words out of our thoughts and transplant them to a page.

Next week I will try and circumvent those issues that faced me the last few weeks—there should be Youtube videos for dismantling bulldozers, right? Joking…joking…

But seriously, I am going to be an author who shares new universes with my readers—those tales, characters and lands that have their beginning in this stubborn cranium of mine. To do that, I have to write.

Write.

Write.

Write.

A starfish…why? Because it is pretty and lonely and deserves a little attention.

Blocking out the world

If you can’t beat them, join them. I wish they’d let me drive.

Some days it is easy to submerge myself in the rhythm of my typing.

Other days…I get distracted.

Can anyone guess what my distraction of the day is?

If your guess is gigantic pieces of machinery creating havoc right next to my house…you’d be spot on!

Accepting Rejection

Read and be hopeful writers! We can do this, keep the submission emails aflying!

Live to Write - Write to Live

I started submitting short stories to literary journals in the snail mail era, and amassed enough rejection slips to wallpaper a small house. photo credit: http://www.freephotosbank.com

There was a time when I took editorial rejection personally, allowing Dear Writer letters send me into a tailspin of despair. Having my work passed – even with praise – was so painful, that for a while I stopped submitting entirely – and delayed becoming published as a result.

Then, at a dinner party, I met a writer who had made it his goal to amass one hundred rejections in a single year. In the process, he placed eight stories.

By then, I was no longer writing short stories, but novels, and was seeking an agent. I researched likely matches, queried several at a time, received multiple requests for my manuscript, and eventually had two different agents interested in my work. Suddenly, I had…

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Writing schedule: words vs pages vs hours

So, now that I’m back to the real world, full of deadlines, grocery lists and mountains of laundry, I find myself renewed and invigorated. What does this mean for my writing?

Hopefully, that I will do it!

As writers, it’s often interesting to see the various, rather dastardly, ways we keep ourselves accountable and/or focused. I am one of those who tends to write well in bulk sessions with some minor internet searches or other interruptions to keep me on my toes.

Nine to Five or Five to Nine:
Five to six hours tends to be the longest I can sit at a computer for any length of time, but I can’t promise that my focus is on my writing the whole of it. I generally don’t keep myself accountable by hours simply because my production levels can differ so much from one hour to the next. Eleven pages here…two Youtube videos and some Facebook scrolling there…You get the idea….Kittens in a tea cup!!

Morning, Noon, or Night:
One fact I discovered when working on my first novel was that I do tend to be better at writing during certain times of the day than others. For example, if you plop me down at the computer at 6 a.m., I’m sure there will be words on the page, but very few of them will be complimentary.

I tend to hit my “zone” in the early afternoon or from 11 p.m. to around 1:30 a.m. I wrote most of my first novel at a desk overlooking the peaceful St. Elmo community in Chattanooga where I had a 100-year-old house that liked having company in the wee hours of the morning. The only distractions tended to be feline in nature…or the occasional house fire down the street (fortunately that was a single incident).

Double spaced and 14 Font:
Occasionally I’ll give myself a page count—usually to help me focus on the larger sections of writing, moving from chapter to chapter rather than from page to page. But whenever I say, “Ok, Rebecca, you have to finish 11 pages today,” I start to revert to my college years…

I wonder how wide I can stretch the spacing before it looks weird…I need to double the space between sections, so that gives a little more breathing room.

Oh! Dialogue! Let’s put some witty commentary about the bus driver here and that’ll take up a page or two!

This mindset can quickly get out of hand, though I must admit the dialogue is sometimes very entertaining and pieces of it do stay. Hence, page counts can be somewhat of counterproductive.

Spaces count:
Alright, so in fact, spaces do not count when writers are keeping tabs on their work for the day via word count.

However, this method does tend to be the best accountability practice for me.

I tend to be a bit on the wordy side…no, say it isn’t so….but I try to account for that by making my count a little higher to accommodate. (I don’t tend to worry about tightening everything until I have my original idea down, focusing on the image and emotion.)

Usually, 4200 words or more tends to be a very good goal for a single session. I would like to get to where I have several sessions, one from 11 a.m. to perhaps 2 p.m. and another from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. so that I can eek out all the words possible during my peak “zone” times.

We’ll have to see as the summer progresses how that works out for me.

But, enough about me! Tell me how you keep yourself on task!

Do you chose words, pages, hours, or have some other determinant to keep yourself moving forward?

Just a pretty picture from my trip to keep me inspired today!