Category Archives: Writing

Help! How Do You Restart Your Story After a Critique?

This may sound crazy but have you ever gotten to a point where you know you need to re-start your story and you don’t know where or how to re-start it?

Let me explain (no, let me sum up):  A Fast Draft of 50,000 words, a critique in which the first chapter needs revamped, and the revamping will effect the rest of the 50,000 words to a big extent.  Frustrating, yes–but needing to be done.  Or maybe I’m looking at it all wrong.

I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who has come across this situation whether by critique partners/editors or even your own gut instinct.  I’ve done this a time or two also but always ended up agonizing over it (like when I used to agonize over Algebra problems in high school–no, I’m not a Math person).  I would over think the problem until my brain wanted to explode.  Now I’m beginning to feel that way with this situation.

As excited as I am to work out this major kink to my story, I’m afraid of starting from scratch–and do I need to?

Who’s with me so far, or have I lost you on this?

I know critiques are subjective but I also know when a majority of the critiques come back with the same issue, something needs to be done.  The story premise is good, characters, etc.  but the general approach  is wrong.  (It’s always something.)  🙂

For those who are in the same boat what are your past experiences?  How do you put things in perspective and pour over the ideas?  Do you start from scratch by making a separate file? Do you copy and paste old parts to fit in with new? Do you drink a lot of coffee and rant at your Muse? Am I turning this into a dreaded Algebra problem and over thinking the issue?

I would love to hear inspirational ideas–no matter how crazy.  What do you do to start over?

 

Ten Things Every Writer Should Do Before They Publish

I am not published … yet. But I will be. Until then, I like to pretend I am and think about what kind of speech I would give at a writer’s conference or the type of post I would write for a guest blog spot that is booked through my PR person.

With my imaginary life in mind, here is a little gem I’ve come up with. It’s a list – one of my favorite things. I wonder if it will change when I’m finally published???

Ten Things Every Writer Should Do Before They Publish +one extra Continue reading

Those Darn New Story Ideas: Catch ‘Em, Store ‘Em, or Let ‘Em Go?

I’ve been up to my brows recently editing, writing, crafting, and talking about editing, writing and crafting, and thinking about editing, writing and crafting. Yep, there’s been a lot of ‘ing-ing’ going on in my house the past few weeks. I’ve also had a lot of new story ideas coming my way, too. And it’s making me crazy (or more crazy – your call:).

I can only write three stories at a time, not the ten that jump into my head every other day and take hold for a few minutes that sometimes stretch into hours, hours I should be working on my current manuscript or the other two WIPs that still have life in them.

What do you do with these story ideas? Where do you keep them? And yeah, I could jot them into a diary, or a journal, or keep a file on my computer that says story ideas. But then I’m afraid I’ll spend hours sorting, researching and Googling, because I have this ‘ing-ing’ problem anyway, and then I’d have to add another ‘ing’ to my repertoire – the one called screaming!

Seriously, what do you do when you have these new story ideas that just won’t stop, well, like this one…

One night last February while taking a break from writing, I was watching a television show called Justified staring the yummy Timothy Olyphant (photo, however, is from Deadwood).  In it a character has a line that went something like this: “Denzel should do a movie about him.” Of course, with my past history with Denzel (see my bio here if you want details, but it’s not that relevant), I perked up at the mention of Mr. Washington’s name and had to look this ‘him’ guy up.

So, I Googled Bass Reeves (great name by the way). Interesting. Black man who was a U.S. Marshall who was a quick-draw in the Old West. Very cool. Within a few minutes – in my head – he went from being the man with a way-too-thick-mustache in a photo to a man who looked like Idris Elba (see photo stage right) in a Stetson (a big good looking man in a big sexy hat – I mean, seriously, that’s yummy), and then I remembered Bass was a kick-butt US Marshal, so I decided he also had to be a time traveler (especially if he looks like Idris:).

Bass/Idris then meets up with a daredevil sexy clairvoyant chick who plays heavy metal violin (like this gal, Tina Guo), and then I decided it should be a romantic suspense and I found this website…and my story had to be set in the world of Steampunk!

Jeez…what do you do with these ideas?

Okay, I stored this one (by writing about it here:)…But I’ve got fifty more that take up good brain space, and the attack of the new story ideas always raises its head as I’m going strong with the writing, editing and crafting of my current manuscript and those other two WIPs (with life left). It’s as if writing is always about new ideas, and I need for it to be about finishing one damn book, you know?

Oh, sorry, I went into my rant about finishing, but I’m back.

The bottom-line is what do you do with your story ideas? Or give me a one-liner about your wildest, silliest, or most brilliant idea (in your humble opinion) which you still may write one day…and oh yeah, if you want to steal my US Marshal Time Traveler who looks like Idris Elba in a Stetson, who then kidnaps a heavy metal violin-playing mind-reader to protect her from vampires in a Steampunk romantic suspense – well you can’t have it, because I wrote it here first!

Book Review: The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne

In January, this mermaid was fins deep in both reading and writing.  This was due to that fabulous Savvy Author’s workshop, Editpalooza, I haven’t stopped raving about.  Today, three months later, I’m still benefitting from its lessons and its where my book review has sprouted from.

 

But backstroking to the first week’s assignment, we had just been tasked to open our manuscripts and read from title page to the end–The Full Read.  The rule for this lesson was to make short notes whenever our eyes would start to skip a paragraph, glaze from the page or get confused and then report these issues to our group and editor.  My notes mostly consisted of too much back story in the opening.  I had done this unknowingly trying to show the emotional connection between my two estranged friends who had just been reunited.  My group’s editor,  Kerri-Leigh Grady’s, feedback was spot on.  She ascertained this was happening because I probably wasn’t sure how much of the characters’ pasts needed to be shown.  Not only did she give me great advice on why chunks  of back story aren’t necessary, she also recommended a book that was a superb example of how “back story can be built with the same efficiency of effective world building.”  That book was Joanna Bourne’s The Spymaster’s Lady, published in 2008.

 

Eager to learn, I checked this book out from the library (and later purchased it digitally) with no idea how I was going to read my own 70,000 word manuscript, continue to keep up with my daily Editpalooza lessons, critique my group members on their work and at the same time read this 375 pages by Joanna Bourne!  Well, it was easy because The Spymaster’s Lady is a brilliant book with NO INNER WANGSTING to bog down the pace.  And that was the lesson Kerri-Leigh wanted us to grasp.

 

To quote KLG, she said, “Characters absolutely need to ponder and consider their feelings in romance—after all, this is an important element of building a romance—but unless those feelings are changing, they don’t need to be addressed.”  She wanted us to know that we could and should let go of focusing too heavily on internal monologue because that kills the pace and cheapens the depth of emotions.    This was her recommendation: “A really good example of a novel that was emotionally engaging without relying on long swathes of he-loves-me-not internal angsting is Joanna Bourne’s  The Spymaster’s Lady….Read the story to get a feel for dialogue, sexual tension, and body language that build the emotional elements of the relationship.”

 

What a gem!  The opening sentence both thrilled and terrified me when Annique Villiers, a young French spy contemplates her situation: “She was willing to die, of course, but she had not planned to do it so soon, or in such a prolonged and uncomfortable fashion, or at the hands of her own countrymen.”  I was in awe of Ms. Bourne’s style.

 

While the story of Annique kept me fascinated and up late nights, I also appreciated her hero and the secondary cast of characters.  In fact, my favorite line of the book is by one of those supporting men.  His name is Adrian and he is the hero’s good friend and fellow English spy.  Annique is wanted by both the French and English at this point and the men are having a rather inventive brainstorming session about how to keep her safe in London.  Adrian comes up with the idea of thwarting Annique’s captors with venomous snakes.  One of their men replies, “You can’t get cobras in England, for God’s sake.”  And then Adrian says, “I know where to get cobras.”   That line might not have you rolling on the floor yet, but read this book and you will know who that young man Adrian is, feel who he is, because with a precise and delicious use of words, Ms. Bourne makes you care about every detail of the story.

The Spark: Sizzling at First Contact

You know how when the hero and heroine have their first meeting, and at least one of them, but usually both, have that “feeling” they can’t always describe.  They don’t know where it comes from.  And they’ve never felt it before.

It’s just that something special.

That spark.

A shock of electricity, a quiver of their insides…those feelings.

We as readers recognize this as the age old sign that they are soul mates, whether they know it right now or not.  I love that.  In fact I just tilted my head to my shoulder and sighed for the potential sweethearts.

But is that electric current passing through their fingertips always believable?  I am on a quest to find more examples of this indescribable feeling, this spark, the lovebirds get when they first meet or come into contact.  My current H & H feel a connection when he mistakes her for someone else and sneaks up on her to hug her from behind.  Is it believable enough to say the reason she doesn’t whirl around and whack him is because in that moment, her being knows somehow that he would never hurt her?  What are your feelings about this?  If you’ve read a sizzling first contact scene that stands out, I’d love for you to share it.

For the record, I really wanted her to spin around and smack him or at least elbow him.  She refused of course.  Silly girl.  😉

What I have learned so far as a debut author

Hello friends! I am back with another installment of my journey as a debut author.  I have completed my 2nd round of edits and my manuscript is now going into the copy edit stage – yes!  Rumor is that it will be released in June . . . but that isn’t written in stone.

Oh – and the title changed from SOUTHERN COMFORT  to A NIGHT OF SOUTHERN COMFORT.  Cool huh? It evokes more of the “one night stand” trope of my book.

Okay . ..  back to my post.  I decided that I would share with you the top five things that I learned during my edits process. So, here we go:

1. I write like I talk . . . alot!  I’m Southern, so it’s no big surprise there. But, I was shocked when my editor pointed out all of the extra (I say necessary – but she won the arm wrestle) words I use in my writing. So, she was absolutely essential to help me see that. Has it changed the way I write? A little bit but I still use LOTS OF WORDS on my first draft.

2. I can crank it out on a “real” deadline.  Yeah, I set goals for myself but I also let myself cheat, so there was a moment of panic when I saw the deadline. But, I work well under pressure and being the first-born and Type A – I need to please. ‘Nuff said.

3. I am not “hot shit”.  Okay – I never thought I was but this whole experience showed me how much I still have to learn.  I soaked in my editor’s comments and put them into action. No ego. No hard-headedness.  Just being open and honest with myself.

4. Trust is key.  I trust my publisher, Entangled – so I trusted the people they assigned to work me.  My managing editor and editor wanted me to succeed, wanted my book to be great and everything they did and said made that absolutely clear. It was easy to make revisions when I knew that fact.

5. Reading is sherbert for my brain.  When I got stuck or had to work through a problem I needed something to “cleanse my mental palate”.  That was reading for me.  I could shut my mind off and let my subconscious work on the problem while I relaxed.

So, now I’m working on a book proposal for the new Covet line and am waiting to get a R&R letter on a second submission.  Meanwhile, juggling the business side of the of the writing business is taking up lots of time.

So, that is where I am. Thanks for joining me once again as I talk about my favorite topic – me! ; )

As a thank you, I’m giving away a copy of the book that gave me such a boost when I needed it.  Harper Fox is one of my absolute favorite authors and her new release, SCRAP METAL, left me tender, raw, and joyous when I read the last word.  She does that to me every time.

fishy kisses,

Robin

What’s Zmeu with you? Or How Research Helped Me Find My Story Nitch

Okay, I know it’s a silly title but trust me on this one . . . it fits!  🙂

As many of you know (from my agony over the past month) I’ve been stuck in a rut with my story.  I’ve known about the story, actually wrote it a few years back, only to find out it just doesn’t have that certain, whatever it is a good story needs to have.

My idea for the original story came from a research session into the history of my ancestors.  My paternal grandfather came from Romania, the land of Transylvanian Alps (Carpathian Mountains), Vlad the Impaler, Bram Stoker’s- Dracula and various other mysterious stories that have been sensationalized.  But with all the fiction and history the general  populace know of, I wanted to delve deeper.

Two years ago I researched a bit into the early days of Romanian history, back before the Roman conquest, and found out about the Dacian clans who had ruled in the late B.C. to early A.D.  What I could find on them interested me–they were known as a powerful, mysterious people in a land infused with darkness and the unknown beyond the Danube where many other cultures and warriors had failed to conquer.  They worshipped powerful gods and prophets who considered them ‘immortal’ warriors . . . hmmm, see where I’m going with this?  I always wondered if this is where Bram  got his inspiration.

So out came some first draft stories based on this culture.  I’ve done a few other stories since then but this one came back to haunt me.  For the past few months it’s been eating into my soul, itching like a rash that won’t go away.  But no amount of lotion could fight it.  Finally I sat down, researched my craft–plotting (with the help of my fabulous Critter group), GMC, Deep Story  and some author friends who sat down with me and encouraged me to write from my heart and plot with my head.

So what does ‘Zmeu’ have to do with this, you ask patiently?  Getting there!

I went back the past two weeks and plotted an 11 page synopsis–for me.  While I was plotting I researched Romania again–everything from cities to ancient Dacian ruins, to airline schedules.  Along the way (as the Internet is known to do) I stumbled across an interesting creature known in Romanian folklore as the Zmeu.

A zmeu is a mythological creature of humanoid qualities that can shape-shift, has extraordinary powers and was always considered the evil creature. He was sometimes known to have taken the shape of fire-breathing dragons–stealing the fair maiden who was always rescued by the handsome youth once he’d conquered the ‘evil-greedy’ zmeu.

Well, pooh!  Who’s to say I had to have a handsome youth as my hero?  Why not a zmeu?  So with my ‘what if’ attitude and my Muse toying with my brain, I excitedly wrote out my story and started in on a journey of  Fast Drafting for the next two weeks–drafting the first 70,000 words to my new/old story with my dark, brooding ancient zmeu and a woman destined to love him.

So far my zmeu has led me on a journey flying high on his winged back into fantasy scene after fantasy scene and though 5,000+ words a day is tedious to accomplish–he seems to keep my spirits soaring.  Research led me to him and he is inspiring me to write his story.

I’m raising my morning cup of vanilla bean latte in honor of research, inspirations, muses and gut instincts that get us through to our goals.

Do you have a personal ‘Zmeu’ to see you through?  I would love to hear about him.

 

Excuses, Excuses

The other day at the gym I told my trainer I couldn’t do a certain leg exercise because my rotator cuff was hurting. I pointed to my leg and made a sad face and everything. He sighed. “Kerri, your rotator cuff is in your shoulder, not your leg. Do the exercise.”

Oops.

We’ve all done it. Made excuses. Sometimes they are better than others. But hey, in my defense, I was an English major not a doctor! Note to self: must do more research for lies excuses.  Continue reading

How Important Is A Review?

When I was growing up my father used to say, “You can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you’re never going to please all of the people all of the time, so stop worrying about it and please yourself.” I have found that little pearl to be wise advice because let’s face it, everyone has an opinion.

Reviews are part of every author’s life whether they like it or not. It doesn’t matter if the review comes from family, friends, a critique partner or the intended audience of readers and reviewers. For most of us, those reviews represent a love-hate relationship. On the one hand, it’s nice to know what you are doing right and that there are people out there who love your work. On the other, who enjoys hearing how much someone disliked something that took months to write?

I always find it interesting how different people deal with the negative feedback. Some authors just laugh off a bad review while others take every word to heart and carry those negative feelings around for years. I have even heard horror stories of authors abandoning their writing altogether after being discouraged by a callous critique.

With that said, I’m going to show you why harboring those negative feelings over one person’s opinion may not be the best course of action. As you’ll see from the following reviews what one person loves, another hates.

 

Anita Clenney—”Awaken the Highland Warrior”

“After 20%, the amount of leaps in logic and lack of world building have me at a loss…”

* * * * *

“…the world that Clenney has created is fascinating and has great potential for many books. I enjoyed the fact that the author paid attention to every detail, she gave you enough information to keep you puzzled in one chapter but held the answer until further into the book. I just couldn’t put the book down… I can’t wait for the next book!”

* * * * *

“I am glad I only paid 99 cents, but am disgusted at my wasted hours spent hoping it would get better. It never did. It had a great premise. If it was edited to 1/2 the pages and their attraction was more believable, I may have enjoyed it. Instead I am just angry about my invested time.”

* * * * *

“The storyline that ran through-out this book was fantastic. I really liked the whole Warriors vs. Demons. The story had so many twists and turns, it constantly keeps you guessing. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen and who the bad guy’s are… something else happens and completely throws you off the scent. It was beyond genius!”

 

Alethea Kontis—”Enchanted”

“Basically, the main word I’d use to describe Enchanted is bizarre. Even before I ultimately decided it wasn’t going to get any better and I couldn’t care less about the characters, I thought that this was a very bizarre story… Fairytales are supposed to revolve around circumstances that are unnatural, for lack of a better word. But I’ve never read a story as flippant and (it appears to me), careless as Enchanted…”

* * * * *

“…Sunday’s grand adventure and magical story of love and redemption ensnared me with all it’s glory. Alethea Kontis made me remember why I used to beg my dad to read me fairy tales at bedtime. She reminded me why I still wish upon a star and believe in true love. This enchanted story about a girl named Sunday will make you dream of your own fairytale and yearn for the next installment of this bespelled series!!”

* * * * *

“Rare are the books I find so painful that reviewing them becomes a chore; writing a review means thinking about them when I would rather leave them forgotten. Despite hopes that it would not turn out as such, Enchanted is one of those books.”

* * * * *

“Alethea Kontis’ “Enchanted” is a mixture of all the endearing fantasies we enjoyed as children… I must applaud on the author’s effortless delivery that comes out undeniably appealing. This is the kind of book deserving of your attention and holds it inescapably.”

 

Nora Roberts–“The Next Always: Book One of the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy”

“…I’ve never contemplated not finishing a book of hers until now. I love how she usually finds an area of interest to focus on in books… I’ve learned so much about ballet, fire jumping, flowers, wedding planning and so much more. However, the detail that she goes into with this book is just ridiculous. I’m about a third of the way through and it feels like I’ve spent about 5 minutes with the characters and hours reading about fence pickets, color schemes and copper tubs. I’m so disappointed…”

* * * * *

“I enjoyed the relaxed pace, the cozy and lovely setting and the lovely characters… Boonsboro is a great place to set the book and thanks to all the little details Nora Roberts added to the story I was able to imagine the town and it’s buildings very easily… The love story was very sweet and I loved the way it progressed.”

 

This shows how subjective reviews really are. They are one person’s opinion and are colored by that person’s life experiences, reading preferences, preconceived ideas and the reader’s frame of mind when they were reading your story. What one reader loves, another may hate. And that’s okay, because everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.

If you are a writer then you have to accept that you will have both good and bad reviews. No matter who you are or how great your writing is, even the fabulous Nora Roberts, there will be some people that won’t enjoy your work. But before you decide to stop writing forever because of someone’s callous remark, or before you decide that everyone who does not love your book is an idiot, I will offer some cautionary advice: If you are being told the same thing over and over again by different people, then you may want to consider that there is validity to that criticism. And if someone tells you something that you don’t want to hear, it is always better to respond with an, “I’m sorry that you did not enjoy my book, but thank you for taking the time to read it,” rather than attacking that person’s opinion. You can always tell them they’ve been taken over by demented brain weasels in your mind. 🙂

Just remember, reviews do not define the writer but, taken with a grain of salt, they can help us improve our craft. Please tell me how reviews, both good and bad, have influenced your own writing.

Nice to ‘Cute Meet’ You

Once upon a time, I was not a romance writer but a girl who would go about her daily business always thinking of people and different things they might say and do.  I did that for about 25 years.  And then one day, after reading a book I’d been given at a little comic book convention, I had the most amazing idea…write this stuff down!  And then my next brilliant idea…learn how to write this stuff down.  I enrolled with ed2go, an online courses system, in Lori Wilde’s “Romance Writing Secrets”.  My favorite lesson?  The Cute Meet.

What I love about the Cute Meet, or the life-changing event that brings the hero and heroine together in conflict (thank you Lori Wilde for that definition) is that it can be exactly as its name implies, a sweet sort of first meeting of two people who are destined to fall in love but it just as rightfully belongs to those characters who dash around in a more dramatic story.  I tend to write an angsty-flavored tale but my boys and girls get down with their Cute Meets just as nicely.  The purpose of the Cute Meet?  Throw the plot into action!

So what are some of your favorite Cute Meets?  I know there are some great ones out there, whether they come from your favorite book, movie or real life, I’d love to hear which ones have stuck with you.

I know I’ll never forget the time when in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Night Pleasures, Amanda Devereaux woke up handcuffed to the blond stranger, Kyrian of Thrace…her first words to him, “Excuse me?  Are you alive?”  Of course he didn’t respond right away and she started in with the usual niceties like, “Guy?, Mister?, Mr. Gothman?…”  Poking at him, feeling something special that took her breath away.  Love her… and when he comes to, they are without a doubt thrown into the story of their lives.

And then there’s real life where Cute Meets happen all the time.  In fact, one day in this very pond, a certain blond mermaid was wading through the comments section of that day’s lovely post about Accountablility Partners.  She didn’t really know what one of those was so she made a smarty pants reply that she didn’t know about a writing partner, but she could sure use a legs-shaving accountability partner.  It was from that silly remark that she hooked not just a wonderful writer friend, but someone who definitely catapults her writing on a daily basis, helping to set her plots into action.  So technically, I call that a Cute Meet.  Thanks Lynne!  So glad I “Cute Met” you here.

Well, that’s enough from me.  Please share some of your favorites!