Tag Archives: nanowrimo

Cannot Write Without: Adam Ezra

November 30, 2015Cannot Write Withoutadam ezra, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month has been: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

We’ve had a plethora of fabulous answers from writers all over the world. Today’s answer comes from Alethea’s favorite Troubadorious Noise Maker: Adam Ezra

The Adam Ezra Group released TWO live CDs this month. You can get both albums, signed by the band, by clicking this link right here. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

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Alethea and Adam, 2011

My answer is “honesty.”

This answer may seem ironic, because simply put, it’s not true.

I can write a good lie as well as the next guy…

But for me…in order to be the kind of writer I want to be, I think it requires me to be brutally honest in the words I share with the people who receive the art I create. I want to write from the place that is embarrassed by the way I look, and smell, and act sometimes. I want to write from the place that is so very proud of the person I’m trying to be. I want to write from the place in me that continues to fail.

I believe that all people are connected through the things we want, and need, and feel, and are ashamed of. Whether I’m writing from first-person, or through another character’s eyes, I want to know them honestly. I want to connect to some place of depth and determination inside of them, even when the story is light…even when I hate the person I’m writing about….especially when the person I’m writing about and hating is me…

I think it’s this process that pushes me to really understand my own struggles and helps me connect as powerfully as I can with my audience.

It is a process that can be both brutal and inspiring to me everyday.

Hells yeah…bring it on.

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The Adam Ezra Group (AEG) is not just a band; they are a force to be reckoned with musically, personally and socially. Selling records and tickets is important to AEG, but they are committed to changing the world with their songs and their actions along the way. Ezra and his band are activists and community leaders as much as they are musicians and songwriters. Ezra has spent time living out of a van, farming in Canada, volunteering for the relief effort in Kosovo, and practicing environmental geography in South Africa. Whether as a kitchen hand or carpenter, teacher, athlete, or traveler, Ezra crams it all into the music, always challenging our perspective and often teetering somewhere between the ballsy rocker and sensitive poet. Through their non profit organization, RallySound, AEG helps people organize live music events that inspire communities and encourage grassroots activism.

And Alethea loves every single one of them.

Cannot Write Without: C.E. Murphy

November 23, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, ce murphy, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from fantasy author superhero: C.E. “Catie” Murphy.

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“My computer,” although that’s not actually true, as I have been known to use pen and paper when necessary.

“Peace of mind” is right up there too, if I want to be writing anything productive…

There’s really very little I can’t live without for writing, if I’m determined to write!

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Bestselling author C. E. Murphy was born and raised in Alaska. She now lives in her ancestral homeland of Ireland, which is a magical land where it rains a lot but winter never actually arrives.

Find out more about Catie and her complete body of work at: http://mizkit.com/cemurphy

Cannot Write Without: E.C. Myers

November 20, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, ec myers, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from award-winning SF author and superhero : E.C. Myers.

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I can’t write without a keyboard.

I’ve tried writing fiction longhand, and it’s just too slow. It doesn’t matter if the keyboard is on a laptop or attached to a desktop computer or a tablet, or if I’m working on a word processor like my Alphasmart Neo — I just need keys to transfer words from my brain to a file!

I prefer clicky keys on a mechanical keyboard, the louder the better, but I can adjust to just about anything if I have to… even a chiclet keyboard.

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E(ugene).C. Myers is the author of the Andre Norton Award–winning Fair Coin and Quantum Coin, young adult science fiction novels published by Pyr, and The Silence of Six, a young adult cyber thriller from Adaptive Books.

Find out more about Eugene at his website: http://ecmyers.net

Cannot Write Without: Amber Lough

November 16, 2015Cannot Write Withoutamber lough, cannot write without, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from fabulous YA author and current resident of Germany [WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO BE SO FAR AWAY???–Alethea] : Amber Lough.

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lee & AMBER One thing I cannot write without? That’s hard because I have been forced to be quite adaptable. Honestly, I can write on napkins on a boat if I have to. The ONE thing I must have is an alert brain. If I am sleepy at ALL, I will fall asleep on my keyboard.

It’s boring, but it’s the truth. I’ve been known to fall asleep mid-word and dream about the scene I’m writing about. The more rested I am, however, the better I can write.

Ideal situation: laptop, coffee, eclectic and comfortable Cafe, and headphones playing classical music.

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Amber Lough lives with her physicist husband and their two kids in Lower Saxony, Germany.

As a child, Amber moved about every two years and spent much of it overseas in Cuba, Japan, and Bahrain. She attended High School in North Charleston, South Carolina and studied Russian at Saint Louis University in Missouri before heading into the Air Force. She was an Intelligence Officer stationed in San Diego, and travelled the Pacific for her job. She also spent about 8 months in Baghdad, Iraq. After having her first child, she left the Air Force to begin writing full-time.

Visit Amber over at The Fourteenery and The Hanging Gardens where she contributes with other YA authors.

Cannot Write Without: Monica Valentinelli

November 13, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, monica valentinelli, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s Fabulous Friday the 13th answer comes from one of Alethea’s favorite authors and gamer grrls: Monica Valentinelli.

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The one thing I feel I can’t write without is my noise-cancelling headphones.

When I wear them, my world suddenly shrinks and I feel more focused on what is in front of me. It doesn’t matter if I’m furiously typing on a keyboard or scribbling in a notebook, either. Being able to control peripheral noise has been one of the best things that ever happened to me.

It rocks!

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Monica Valentinelli is a writer, editor, and game developer who lurks in the dark. She writes both original and media tie-in fiction and works on games and comics, too. To date, she has over six dozen creative credits with more on the way. She is known for her work as the lead writer and developer for the award-winning line of Firefly RPG releases based on the TV show by Joss Whedon. Recently, she announced The Gorramn Shiniest Language Guide and Dictionary in the ‘Verse will be available in Spring 2016 from Titan Publishing.

To find out more about Monica, visit her website at: www.mlvwrites.com

Do You Hear What I Hear…

November 12, 2015Kerri Carpenter, mermaids#amwriting, Christmas, inspiration, Kerri Carpenter, music, nanowrimo, writingKerri Carpenter

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from the Waterworld Mermaids’ very own Kerri Carpenter.

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I have to keep this short and sweet today. Why? Because it’s NaNo month of course.

Wait, you don’t know what NaNo is? Allow me to explain. Writers from all over the galaxy are trying to write at least 50,000 words during the month of November. Intense, right?

Even more crazysauce is that the Waterworld Mermaids are in a tight competition with the writers over at Romance on the Rocks. Who can write the most words? Fingers crossed for the lagoon! Now, back to the question at hand.

The one thing I absolutely, under no circumstances, no way Jose, cannot write without is… Music!

Some writers need absolute quiet. Others love them some background noise. Me? I gotta have the tunes. For the most part, any music will do. However, I do have some favs. Without further ado, here’s my list:

Field of Dreams Soundtrack

I love the movie and I love the soundtrack. I listen to this constantly.

Random Playlists I Create

I love creating playlists and sometimes I’ll do one inspired by whatever I’m working on. For example, in my contemporary romance, The Best Kind of Love, Penelope and Ethan were created by listening to a lot of Lady Antebellum. I considered the song, “Dancing Away with My Heart,” to be Penelope and Ethan’s song.

Anything by John Williams

John Williams is the man! Like a song from a movie? He probably came up with it. I’ve been listening to his Greatest Movie hits for the last couple months. Star Wars, Superman, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and soooo many more.

Random Artists

I really do listen to a ton of different music but I will admit I have some go-to’s. Colbie Caillat, John Mayer, Paul Simon, Lady Antebellum, Ben Folds Five, Ashley Monroe, and more.

Christmas Music

I love Christmas music so freaking much! I would listen to it all year long, but I do restrain myself. However, I’m currently working on a Christmas story so it’s been all Christmas, all the time. Bring on Bing, Mariah Carey, and the Chipmunks. I’m in Heaven! (And thank you to the Hallmark Channel for already playing Christmas movies!)

Alright, folks. That’s it for me. I’m off to fire up The Carpenters’ (no relation) Christmas album and get back to the writing.

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Cyber-stalk Kerri at her website.

Like Kerri on Facebook, so you can answer her Questions of the Day and view her plethora of adorable dog photos. Everyone loves Harry!

Retweet Kerri on Twitter, especially when she gets super into #TheWalkingDead on Sunday nights.

What’s that? You still need more Kerri? Wow, you guys are insatiable. Buy Kerri’s books on Amazon. (Most books are also available at Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and kobo too.)

Cannot Write Without: John Scalzi

November 11, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, john scalzi, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from SF celebrity author and karaoke rock god: John Scalzi.

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I can’t write without a computer.

I started writing stories the same year the first Mac came out and so literally I’ve never not written on anything other than a computer.I think about trying to write on a typewriter and it makes me want to run screaming into the night.

So, yes. A computer, please.

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John Scalzi is the most excellent author of Redshirts and Old Man’s War and a ton of other really great SF books. He’s the proprietor of the Whatever website, and as much fun to hang out with at conventions as he is online. He lives in Ohio with his supergoddess wife Krissy, ultrafabulous daughter Athena, one dog, one cat, and two brand new kittens (be sure to follow him online to see all the fabulous photos).

And Alethea Mermaid misses him very much!

Cannot Write Without: Haralambi Markov

November 9, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, haralambi markov, nanowrimoAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from SF short fiction author extraordinaire: Haralambi Markov.

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Whenever you hear professional writers – I’m talking about those writers who are revising a novel under deadline and outlining a new one while simultaneously doing a press tour for a book due to be released any second – speak about writing, you hear one advice come up very often: “Abandon all rituals. Forget about the special pens, notebooks and time of day. Write – it doesn’t matter when, where or how.” It’s damn good advice; gets things done.

I didn’t take it to heart when I first started, of course, because writing is an act of inspiration, OK? You’re an artist – the recipient of a rare gift. You can’t just sit down and write. No, you have to gather all the ingredients, wait for the right hour and use the right instruments to reach the ether and channel inspiration. What this method taught me is that you can’t do much work waiting for circumstances to align. You’re not a witch waiting centuries for planets to align in just the right way for a short window of time. Writing is not that kind of spellwork.

One by one, I had to strip out the rituals and prerequisites to get any writing done. Don’t get me wrong – it’s fine to have a favourite notebook with the best layout, a favourite pen with a great grip and an hour you know your mind is clearest, but I learned to not require them.

Right now, the one thing I cannot sacrifice is solitude. I can’t write knowing there is another person in the same room as me. My desire to chat and goof around trumps my desire to write and even the potential of a conversation breeds tension and dissolve any creative focus. I’m working on overcoming this, too, but so far – I think I hit a hard limit there.

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Haralambi Markov is a writer, an editor, a freelancer, a reviewer, a geek, a book hoarder, a list maker, an art fanatic, a TV junkie, a pop culture aficionado…and lives “with the weird” in the coastal city of Varna, Bulgaria. Find out more about Harry at: http://haralambimarkov.com/blog/ (The Alternative Typewriter)

Cannot Write Without: Steven Silver

November 6, 2015Cannot Write Withoutcannot write without, nanowrimo, stsven h silverAlethea

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from multiple Hugo Award nominated author and editor: Steven Silver.

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Several years ago, I was in a writing group for a short period of time. Each time we got together, I would circulate my works in progress to the other members and usually two or three of them would circulate their works.

Invariably, several people would circulate excuses. “I didn’t have the time.” or “My computer was down.” I kept thinking “You had a deadline. You find the time. You make the time.” or “You didn’t have a pencil? A pen? Paper? A receipt?”

I’ve written things on my phone if that was the only way to get the words down and I’ve remembered things I’ve wanted to write by repetitive memory so that they would stick with me until I got to a computer or paper. So there are very few specific physical things I need to write.

I need a method of getting the words down so they’ll be there when I need them. I don’t need a special keyboard or a magic pencil or a cup of tea (although the last is nice to have). So, what is the one thing I can’t write without…my imagination.

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Steven is a fabulous man who admits that his own website is a little behind the times. So instead, for more information I will direct you all to the website he maintains: www.sfsite.com/news

Cannot Write Without: Carlene Love

November 5, 2015Cannot Write Without, Carlene Lovecannot write without, Carlene Love, nanowrimoCarlene

The question in the lagoon this month: What’s the one thing you cannot write without?

Today’s answer comes from Waterworld Mermaids’ very own, Carlene Love.

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One thing, says Alethea. One thing. The. One. Thing. You need to write.

I love her. But this was hard. Until I realized I could make a tiny tweak to our theme. Maybe it’s not the “end all, be all” of writing necessities, but I’ll tell you what, I do much better in its comfy embrace. Without the nighttime, my words would be like sad little kids sitting on a bone-dry slip ‘n’ slide with a water hose stuck in the yard across the street guarded by a frothy-mouthed attack monster of your choice.

Man, that’s not a pretty scene. But hopefully this poem is. Thank you for letting me share why I love to write at night…

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Safe Words

I’d like to wake up when it’s safe and dark

Pull back the covers and get in my car

Drive until the road meets the edge of the sea

Call to you

Then hear you call back to me.

We can whisper and let everyone else sleep

It’s okay, you can speak

Your darkest and most beautiful truth

Dear Words, I surrender to you

And only the stars will know what we’ve said

And I’ll drive back home and crawl into bed

With you.

~by Carlene Love

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Do you love the night too? What’s your favorite thing to do in the dark? I’d love to hear it.

Fishy kisses to you all,

Carlene Mermaid

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Check out Carlene’s free read, Touch of Sin