All posts by Denny S. Bryce

Why November is Like Putting On a Crazy Hat and Loving It! (NaNoWriMo)

Denny's MermaidsI am doing it again.( What’s that you say?) National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is less than 36 hours away!!!! And I have signed on the dotted line and will be making myself crazy in November.

And don’t ask why do it if it makes you crazy. Because I. Can’t. Help. Myself. I love the insanity of it all. Churning out 50,000 words in a month is exciting! And this year I’m going really wild and have decided to write at least 35,000 words that make sense!

So what does that mean?  Plotting! Character arcs? Planning. Preparation! (damn)…

One of the challenges for me as a writer is that I love plotting. Because I love plotting so much that my plots become Godzilla – and stomp out every other aspect of my storytelling, leaving me with half-baked characters, smashed scenery and oh, yeah, very little emotion (just a lot of screaming).

Okay, its not really that bad…but I used to think of plotting as the best thing I do. And yes, we all know there are things we writers do better than other things (and we also know there are those writers who do all things right, bless them). But I’m talking about recognizing the difference between plotting and missing the boat on story telling. You think that’s obvious. Well, guess what, for me – not so obvious until recently.

So enough of me going on and on. Are you doing Nanowrimo? If so, please find me and Be. My. Friend – I’m Denny S. Bryce and am looking forward to being wild and crazy for 30 days (and hey, don’t say that’s not new!). nanowrimo2-308x450

Blog Day: I have NOTHING to write about!

Denny's MermaidsOh yeah, you’ve been there. Sitting in front of the blank screen, knowing its your day to post and you’ve got absolutely NOTHING to say or you feel that you have nothing to say, or in my case, everything you can think of you’ve said before. It’s like a fog comes over you and all that you think is – I got nothing.

So since I have nothing and have no choice (I hate skipping a day) I decided to research the meaning of nothing…

So I started with the Wikipedia definition – and Jezus – it’s depressing:

Nothing is a pronoun denoting the absence of anything. Nothing is a pronoun associated with nothingness.[1] In nontechnical uses, nothing denotes things lacking importance, interest, value, relevance, or significance.[1] Nothingness is the state of being nothing,[2] the state of nonexistence of anything, or the property of having nothing. (But being a writer, I am gleaming something in the back of my mind that is definitely giving me pause. What if?  Oh shoot, I just thought of something:)…

Next on the Google search page I discover the ultimate insult to my NOTHING blog – its already been done and BIGGER. There is a website for Nothing, and you can find it by clicking here at www.NOTHING.net. Clever actually.

I also found a ton of images about nothing…see below…I grabbed a few to share.

You know what else? Researching nothing (damn it) has given me ideas…

What if  anytime you sit in front of a blank computer screen, even when the DEVIL’S WRITING BLOCK comes a calling, you research one word – pull it out of a hat and voila – ideas.

I guess the truth of the matter is that there is NOTHING that can stop a writer who wants to write:).

So here’s your assignment: Grab a word and share a definition. Someone will write a book about it or at least a website…

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Wednesday is Family Smiles Day (Its Official!)

DSC_0363Since Labor Day I made two trips to visit family in Ohio. The second one was for a funeral, following the death of my 85 year-old Dad. What you’ll notice about these photos is that besides being a damn good looking bunch of people (IMHO:), there are a lot of smiling faces. A good smile can never be underrated. My Dad had a great smile and a huge laugh. The past few years he didn’t laugh as much, diabetes was taking its toll, and then there was the fact that he was in his 80s (although my water aerobics instructor is 80 and looks damn good. My Dad would have been all over that…).

Anyway, I wanted to share a few smiling faces that include my brother and his wife, my son and his wife, my nieces and nephews, and its all because I felt like declaring Wednesday – Family Smiles Day!

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Why I Love Dracula: A Writer’s Muse

Denny's MermaidsI woke up this morning and was thinking – what should I blog about today? The view on the lake outside my window as the sun touches the treetops, or the sound of the birds singing in the early morning, their songs never as sparkly as in the first hours of a new day. Then a thought struck me and I knew exactly what I had to write about, what I was bursting to write about…

Why I love Dracula so darn much!

Note – this is not a question. It is a statement of absolute fact and here are the Top 11 Reasons Dracula is the Best Vampire Ever!

  1. The struggle between control and lack of control is epic.
  2. Passion on a stick (or fangs).
  3. Fangs (creepy, but somehow, sexy).
  4. Sex appeal (bad boy, the ultimate bad boy, maybe the first bad boy).
  5. Sidekicks (the odd man who carried around his coffin).
  6. Burning to ashes in daylight (any vampire story that lets this bit of mythology go? Well, forget about it. Just not a true Dracula-esque vampire – even Whedon kept this bit).
  7. A kiss so deep and loving – it leaves a physical wound (yeah, baby…)
  8. The hypnotic eyes (sigh)
  9. The stake through the heart that kills him (and yes, this is another part of vampire/Dracula mythology I love!)…
  10. The fact that Dracula will never die – his story always makes a comeback (click here for new CBS show this fall:)…
  11. He’s dead, but lives! (and its not a metaphor).

Today, I am being specific about Dracula and not other vampires I fell in love with over the years like Barnabas Collins, Mick St. John, Angel, Spike…none could fill Dracula’s cape in my heart and mind (except for angel and spike:)…

Okay, I’ve got to stay focused. I was talking about Dracula. I blame it on old movies and youthful sexual awakenings that I would never have described as such when I was staring at  black and white TV  late at night watching Frank Langella, Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee ( not in that order, fans)…do their vampire thing.

My love of and obsession with Dracula was his power over the minds of others. Yes, that’s what attracted me the most. Not that he was the living dead. That didn’t  work for me, even as a child. It was his ability to control others, and then his struggle when his emotions got in the way of that control. A tortured hero (trope alert!) and then some!

So today, I am saluting the vampires (actors) who have embodied Dracula on the screen (and yeah, I know Alex doesn’t belong, but he’s so pretty as Mick St. John). I just hope that Mr. Rhys Meyer’s new show will present another mesmerizing Prince of Darkness for (me:) and a new generation to enjoy.

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And in case you were wondering, yes, I was working on my vampire WIP last night:).

Have a great Tuesday, and don’t hesitate to take a moment and share  one of your pop culture obsessions, please!

Risk Takers: What Romance Authors Do for Love…

Denny's MermaidsThis morning I decided to follow-up a week of amazing posts at the Waterworld Mermaid blog with a post about taking risks. Yep. You  know who you are – you jump off the deep end of the pool blindfolded, you sky dive, you climb mountains, you run marathons, you raise kids, you quit your job to write full time (and haven’t sold a book) – okay that last one is crazy, but she sounds a lot like me:)…

So here’s my list of risks that romance authors take for the love of writing books!

  1. I took a sabbatical from my full-time gig and for the next few months, I am a full-time writer ! And no, I haven’t signed a contract with a publisher (or plan on self-publishing), but hey, I have faith that if I focus good things will come from this decision. I am fortunate. I can afford (kind of) to take the time away from my EDJ (Evil Day Job, which isn’t evil at all), but I can’t afford to do it for as long as I’d like – forever (risk). But now I have two books with completion dates set in stone (I have no excuses) and another book I want to write so badly I dream about it! But still, taking a sabbatical to write romance books is a risk!
  2. I am in love. Yes, his name is Ray. Yes, he is a character in my book, Chasing Damn. Yes, Ray is also the  first name of one of my ex-lovers (one of my favorites) and what in the hell was I thinking?!! Memory lane is a risk!
  3. I moved out of the city to the country – okay, not so much country (see photos). There are no cows, pigs or horses (on my block at least), but the quiet, the calm, the solitude…I could lose my mind out here and no one would know. So far, though, I love it. So moving to the country with geese and lakes and sunrises to die for – risk! (why? what if I stare out the windows for the next four months and don’t finish the books!)…Gah! Moving to the country is a risk!
  4. I have author friends who have  six books due in the next year. I love them dearly, and hope I am able to be in that situation one day (soon, please:)…but the risk for me – not my author friends – would be confidence. The dreaded question would plague me – can I do this? Which takes me back to my sabbatical and the reason I made the decision to write for four months – so far – its harder than it sounded. Risk: Getting to do what you love to do is a risk!
  5. Why do stories have plots? Can’t they be streams of consciousness that readers buy just because the character is clever and witty and tragic whenever they choose to be? Why do books have to have plots!!!???? Okay, I am a plotter (double risk) and these damn WIPs have plots that have to be authentic (and yeah, in contemporary romantic suspense I can’t just add vampire mythology to replace plot, gah!). So another risk – writing books with plots (and having to do research!). Plotting is a risk!
  6. I like taking online courses and entering contests. Both keep me focused because of the deadlines. I’ve been existing on deadlines my entire professional career. It has been my motivation for all things work related. To me, writing is art and passion, and all that good stuff, but it’s also WORK! Dare I say, a job. Therefore, to help me stay on task I take craft classes and enter contests. However, the other side of that coin is feedback from fellow students and/or judges. Lately, I’ve been fortunate on the contest front, feedback from the contests I’ve entered has been good, critical but good. As a contest veteran I don’t take everything to heart, but when you see the same comments or a certain remark that rings true – you go with it. But now and then you get a comment or feedback and you’re like – searching for these people, looking through their websites, basically stalking them (without telling them) because how could they say that about my story! Retaliation is a risk! No, I meant to say Contests and online Classes can be a risk…
  7. Many if not most of the visitors to this blog are writers, and we love to write. As my ex-lover (mentioned in bullet point 1) used to say – time spent shows how much you care about a person because as humans time is all we have to offer, etc…(and the reason we aren’t together now has a lot to do with time:)…but as writers, we spend hours, weeks, months, years, writing, thinking about writing, researching writing, taking classes on writing, judging contests, entering contests, selling books, talking about writing, writing…with that much time spent, you know we love it. And yeah, it is a risk. But who cares. It’s what we love to do! Even if the book has to have a freaking plot.

Hey, gang, what have you risked for love? Yikes, if that’s too heavy just say hi! We’re taking a break (Waterworld Mermaids blog) for a week beginning Monday. End of summer. Need to refuel and map out the game plan for the Fall. So comment below! We always enjoy hearing from you!

(See photos of the view from my writer’s office):Denny S. Bryce

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Authors Want to Find Readers? Well, Say WATTPAD?

imgres-4Wattpad.com is a website that claims 15,000,00 monthly users and has a tag line that calls itself – The Future of Reading. If you already know about Wattpad, please share your experience, thoughts, opinions. But I didn’t know about them, so I did some reading and am summarizing my findings here.

My headline is a bold statement that sounds as if  I’m endorsing WattPad, but no, not endorsing, but I got curious. And if you already know all about it – and have experience with it, positive or negative, or found it wasn’t quite ready for authors – please comment below – because WATTPAD has potential as a place to find romance readers IMHO.

True to my last-to-know world, I was introduced to Wattpad at RWA National Conference 2013 at a workshop called Marketing Outside the Box with Darynda Jones, Angie Fox and Kieran Kramer and Stephanie Dray. It was an excellent panel, got smart insights on street teams, super fans, etc. But there was also a rep from Wattpad (sitting next to me) who was introduced by one of the panelists (Stephanie, I believe) and I was like – what?

So since Nationals, I spent a few minutes looking around the site, joined, and here’s what I discovered:

  • Its dominated by young people reading and or submitting fiction
  • Its global (seriously global)
  • It is a site where the author UPLOADs their own work or excerpts from an upcoming novel (promotion), so FREE reads means the reads the author wants the reader to have are the words posted (Wattpad is so NOT a pirating site in other words). It’s smart and reminds me of the some of the old fanfiction sites, completely driven by an author who chooses what to upload, when to update, and what keywords to select to attract readers to their work.
  • It doesn’t have a huge number of romance authors that I can find. But here are the links to names I did find! Stephanie Dray and Meg Cabot (check out what she did, including create a book club).
  • Lots of FanFiction (LOTS of real person fan fiction, which scares me:, although I used to write it in my fanfiction days:)

With 15,000,000 monthly users (that number sounds a bit fantastic – and doesn’t really say unique users, repeat users, or any of the other good stuff stats tell you about a website), I think Wattpad visited RWA13 because they are looking for more authors to use them as a vehicle for finding readers/promote their books.

Denny's MermaidsDrawbacks? Is it worth checking out?

In my humble opinion, you bet its worth checking out! The set-up is easy, no different than uploading to a WordPress website. So if you have a book to promote, why not check it out? And if you manage to sell 10 books via Wattpad (or 10,000:), the folks who are reading on wattpad now are READERS…as well as writers, authors, and more, so no harm no foul. I know when I get published – I’ll be on Wattpad:)! So yeah, maybe this was kind of an endorsement:)…

 

 

RWA Nationals, Research, and I Think I’m Writing a Book about Firefighters:)!

One of the things I enjoy about RWA Nationals is that each year I not only meet new people and connect with old conference friends, but now I’m joining RWA Chapters and actually know why I’m joining them. And yes, it has taken me a while to get with the program.

Today, I’m writing about the RWA mystery/suspense chapter, Kiss of Death – KOD. Where have you been all of my life?

I joined KOD a couple of months ago after fellow Waterworld Mermaid Avery Flynn (the organization’s President-Elect) suggested I check them out since I was polishing my contemporary romantic suspense, CHASING DAMN. Well, I spent yesterday with the gals and guy from KOD, participating in the first leg of the KOD Conference – the TOUR (which was spectacular) and attending the annual meeting and dinner last night.

DSC_0284I believe I may be in love with RESEARCH – as well as the fantastic firefighters we met at the Station in Atlanta. To the left is my favorite photo taken yesterday (kind of dark, I know, but if you were there, you’d know this photo captures the energy of this man). The fire fighter was entering the building after returning from a call, taking off his coat, but the metallic-like fiber in his suit, caught the light.

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What is the biggest thing I learned about fire fighters and research? You don’t  need to be writing about fire fighters to get a lot of story ideas when doing research. The emotional toll of a profession, the sense of pride, and if you listen carefully, the conflict – passed off as humor or apologies for ‘getting too intense’ communicate a lot. So no, not adding a new contemporary about fire fighters, but hope to add the emotional context I heard and felt from all of the captains and lieutenants and fire fighters we met yesterday.

Then at the annual meeting that evening ran I sat next to another Washington Romance Writer (WRW) member – Gwen Hernandez. Also, at the table was the dinner’s special guest speaker New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author, Jenna Bennett (Fortune’s Hero) – see Avery Flynn and Jenna to the right.

Today is Literacy Day here in Atlanta. I will get in some swimming, shopping and writing. Will be back tomorrow with more news, and up very early – tomorrow the conference ups the volume to a roar! If you’re here – give me a growl:)!

#RWA 13 National Conference in A.T.L – Day 1 (A Day Early:)!

Denny's MermaidsReporting from Atlanta and the RWA 2013 National Conference – it’s Mermaid Denny! Here we go, people!

Okay, I was supposed to post yesterday, but after a long drive (started our Road Trip Saturday from DC to Greensboro, NC to Savannah, GA to Atlanta), we did dinner and went down! I did, however, take a couple of iconic shots (yes, I am labeling them as such), which you will see bunches of (I’m just betting) online. Those shots – the hotel lobby ceiling (space ship futuristic and wonderful) and the cool elevator promotions – last year’s signage inside the elevator has given way to a whole new bag of book/author promotion that I just LOVE (the marketing girl in me Salutes RWA for this very cool signage).

Even this early in the AM, I give you the unexpected:

I won’t be able to share these photos because CRAZY Instagram doesn’t give you access to your own photos after you’ve uploaded them to the magic Instagram portal. Oh, I found them on my phone! (Obviously since you’re looking at them. I had to go get coffee and now I’m better).

My website crashed (the Denny S. Bryce website, not this one, thank goodness). So far, it’s still visible, but I can’t post from it because the dashboard went bonkers. (Okay it’s 7:30 AM, and I’m trying to get this posted So I’m a little scattered here!)…

Denny S. Bryce

My First Day:

I’m up early to get some writing in, but also because I’m participating in the Kiss of Death (KOD) Conference, which kicks off this morning with a tour. It’s a bit hush-hush (or I just didn’t read the fine print, so I’ll share later). So today is all about KOD!

RWA Registration opens today, so later expect photos of the conference bag and all of the goodies. I’ve gone through my schedule for the week like six times to make certain I have it blocked the way I want it. Let’s see how close I stick to it.

Are you here? When do you arrive? What do you want to see?

(Gosh, I already feel breathless…:).

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RWA Nationals Road Trip: Are You Prepared for Awesomeness!

Denny's MermaidsI’m taking off for Atlanta this weekend to attend the RWA National Conference and I’m super excited. I’m going to spend a week with 2,000 other romance writers – sounds like heaven, right? In a hotel with an entire floor/lobby dedicated to mingling (okay, there is a really big bar at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis), and I guarantee I will be informed, inspired, surprised and exhausted within 30 minutes of checking in. And no, I’m not trying to make anyone who is not going jealous – but I’m excited and want to share.

Speaking of sharing, I volunteered (two years in a row:) to serve as the official Waterworld Mermaid reporter blogging LIVE daily from Hot-Lanta! But expect some of the other Mermaids to pop in, too. A bunch of us will be in town, and will either post here or on our own blogs – so stay tuned.

But I said ROAD TRIP in the headline  – so yeah, I’m getting from here to there by jumping in my car and taking off on Saturday! Joining me is my long-time friend, writer, poet, singer Xio Axelrod, who will be attending her first RWA National Conference.

We plan to make stops in North Carolina (visiting my mom) and Savannah, GA (because it is one of the most beautiful cities in the USA and I haven’t been there in 10 years), with our arrival in Atlanta set for Monday.imgres-1

If you’re traveling to RWA Nationals let us know if you’re packed:) – so I can be jealous – and if by chance, you too, are doing the ROAD TRIP thing. If you aren’t attending Nationals in 2013 – what would you like to read in the Waterworld Mermaids’ daily blog post? Although, if I’m reporting, you’re going to have to deal with my FRANTIC schedule (will share more about my first year as a PRO and a finalist in two contests, both to be announced in Atlanta!).

You may have noticed that every now and then throughout this post, I’ve felt like shouting (ie, the CAPS sprinkled throughout), but I am excited so a little shouting is a good thing, RIGHT!

mwiOBO0RRcIXCkbU64QuTcQCOUNTDOWN TO ATLANTA! HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.

Shiny Happy People (and it’s my Mom’s 79th Birthday!)

Denny's MermaidsThis post is filled with sarcasm and bite (and a loving shout-out to my Mom:)…

On this rainy Monday morning, I’m wallowing in the dungeon of how much work can I get done in a week. I am up-to-my-brows in stuff and it’s not writing work. Yes, it happens to us all whether we are readers or writers, moms or dads, single or married, we get busy, and balancing busy is an art.

I wish I could do a better job of it myself, but since it is Monday, and I don’t like Mondays (except when my mom’s birthday falls on a Monday), I’ve decided to mock organized people whom I’ve dubbed:

Shiny Happy People.

When faced with the Evil Day Job they can be overheard saying that Monday is the best day of the week. SHP!

In a world that thrives on making sense I am ambiguity. (SQUIRREL ALERT!) I don’t know why I wrote that. But I’ll make up a character based on that line one day.

Those people who organize their recipes in a box with tabs, plot their books and follow the outline, and forget unfavorable reviews (or comments from contests) – Yes, they are SHPs.

People that wash dishes after every meal (ugh…) – OMG! Shiny Happy People.

People who fold and/or hang up clothes after (immediately after) the loud buzzer noise goes off on the dryer. Clothes still warm when they pull them out of the hole – yes, they, too, are SHPs.

People with Netflix “Suggestions for You” that are a blur of happy endings, animated fun and Real Housewives of Atlanta (which reminds me – I can’t wait for RWA Nationals in Atlanta! I love Atlanta and I’m looking forward to National’s this year – my first year with a PRO pin!).

Yes, this is a rant. And it’s all about Monday morning, but it’s also a celebration (yes, I will segue into this masterfully:)…

Today is my Mom’s 79th birthday. She is a sweetie of major proportions and I just wanted you to join me in wishing her a great day, a great month, and many great years to come.DSC_0061

I also wanted to share a recent photo of my gal.

She knows exactly why I am ranting. She heard about it all yesterday (well, especially on Friday), but she listens really well. That’s an art—listening, and paying attention without digging in too deep. Sometimes you’ve got to know when to dig too deep or and when to keep it on the surface. She knows.

Smooches Mommy:)! Happy Birthday Mother! (See photo of my mother and her hubby. They call each other “Bunny”…:) Photo taken by moi on April 10.

Now, a brief return to my rant.

Are you one of them – one of those Shiny Happy People (and that REM song from 1991–I really can’t stand it)?

Happy Monday to all!