Tag Archives: writing

Renovating Your Book

Dana Rodgers, mermaids, Revision, Writing, , , ,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

My husband and I spent ours working on our basement. Thank heavens my husband is a very handy guy because we have spent the last several months finishing our basement. It has been a long arduous task involving framing, insulating, dry walling, tiling and painting. After a long weekend of sanding and painting, my back is locked up tighter than Fort Knox and, sadly, I’m only halfway done painting the doors, windows and trim moldings.

As I labored away yesterday, it dawned on me how many parallels there are between building something and the writing process. Whether you’re finishing a basement, building a skyscraper or writing a novel it’s always important to start with a strong framework. Without a solid foundation your building or your story will fall apart.

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Next you run the wiring and plumbing, which is kind of like weaving together the plot threads that drive your story forward. This is what makes your reader turn the page. If you fail to tie all of the plumbing together you turn on a faucet and nothing happens. Or you run all of the electrical lines, but forget to tie them into the junction box, so when you flip the light switch, no lights come on. This can also happen in a story when an author has lots of great story elements but forgets to tie them together so the reader knows what is going on and why it’s important.

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Next comes walls. Just as you have to watch out for bows and seams when hanging and taping drywall, you have to be careful as you layer one event on top of another in building your plot. If you aren’t, you could wind up with a story full of inconsistencies, elements that don’t make sense or a sagging middle that doesn’t encourage a reader to keep turning pages.

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Once your structure is complete, it’s time to add the finishing touches like paint, tile and carpet to tie the space together and make it inviting. In much the same way, rewrites and edits tie your scenes together and give your story seamless flow. This is the place I’m at now, both in the manuscript I’m working on and my basement. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Why We Write Romance

Alethea Kontis, Dana Rodgers, Denny S. Bryce, Diana Belchase, Kerri Carpenter, Kimberly MacCarron, Masha Levinson, mermaids, Pintip Dunn, Susan Jeffery, , , ,

Valentines-day-valentines-day-22236757-2560-1600-300x187Happy Valentine’s Day from the Waterworld Mermaids!!!

We love Valentine’s Day so much that we are celebrating all week long. Ever curious about why the Mermaids write romance novels? Today we decided to share our answers to the question: What made you start writing romance?

Come back tomorrow when we turn the tables on industry professionals with their very own question. Our celebration will wrap on Thursday with a gift card giveaway. Leave a comment today and tomorrow for extra chances to be entered in the giveaway on Thursday.

Enjoy and smoochies!

What made you start writing romance?

Alethea

This should come as no surprise to anyone: Fairy Tales are the reason I started writing romance. Fairy tales are full of fantasy, adventure, magic, mystery, blood, and death…but the tales I always found most interesting were the ones that involved true love. This love might end tragically (The Little Mermaid) or wonderfully (Rapunzel) or coincidentally (Briar Rose) or with a heaping spoonful of vengeance (Snow White/The Goose Girl), but the meeting of two soul mates in these unlikely settings gave me hope that I was not destined to be alone in this lonely world.

Carlene

So the story goes that it was 2008 and I was knee deep into my brand new fascination with Sherrilyn Kenyon and the romance genre. I think it was around her thirteenth or fourteenth Dark Hunter book I’d read when I realized no matter how horrifying or dark the stories became, the couples always clawed their way back out to a happy ending. The stories were so compelling that it honestly took me that many reads to finally figure out that they would all end on a happy note. It also struck a deep chord with me that many of her characters needed redemption and how their path to that came by way of new-found responsibilities toward the person they now loved. I thought about several real-life people I knew and cared about, people with good hearts but who had missed out on that perfect happy ending. I figured out that I could give them that through my stories. I love reading and writing romance! Wishing you all the best on this Valentine’s Day! Fishy Kisses, Carlene Mermaid

Dana

Once upon a time, I was on a preschool board and I became friends with another board member, Anita Clenney. Anita is one of the nicest people on the planet and we kept in contact for years after our preschool days were over. One day we were talking and she said something along the lines of, “Oh I have so much to do. I really need to get back to my manuscript.” Intrigued, I asked loads of questions about her manuscript and discovered that Anita was an up and coming romance writer. As an avid reader with an eye for detail, I was thrilled when she asked me to be a beta reader. What she got back was way more than what I think she was expecting – actually closer to line edits than your typical overall impressions.

I have been working with Anita ever since. I can’t express how excited and proud I was when Anita signed a three book contract later that year. And I couldn’t have been more thrilled for my friend when her first book made the USA Today and New York Times bestseller’s lists.

Being a good friend, it didn’t take long until Anita suggested I put some of my great ideas into a manuscript of my very own. It took several months of her prodding, but now I’m so happy she did. I love the outlet writing gives me and I now understand why I’ve had this constantly running loop of ideas and images floating through my brain all of these years… Writing was what I was meant to do.

Denny

My journey to writing romance started because of a television show. Yep. I fell in love with an old show named Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and no, not Buffy), but the character Spike—but not because of what he was on screen as much as what was missing from Spike’s tortured existence—romance. At the time, I read horror, mostly, and lots of paranormal, but not necessarily romance, except maybe gothic romance and tragic love stories (always liked to sob with my heroines:). But then I discovered fan fiction (which since 50 Shades of Grey, I no longer need to explain:). Fanfiction writers in the Buffy fandom wore obsessive romantics. I read thousands of pages of fan fiction, and wrote 500,000 words of fan fiction myself (and no it wasn’t all one book:). And through fan fiction, I met a writer named Alicia Rasley (I won’t share her Live Journal name here though:), and she introduced me to RWA, and the idea of writing original romantic fiction. That was quite a few years ago, and I had SO much to learn (which I’m still learning), but that’s who and what started my journey in romance. Buffy, Spike, and Alicia Rasley (http://www.aliciarasley.com/).

Diana

I write what I love, and I also write the books I cannot find and would like to see on shelves. The inspiration of strong women who find more than love — they find love with the right guy — proves such men are out there. When they find their happily ever after, it makes me happy. I guess I write because I’d like to spread the happiness around.

Kerri

The summer before my senior year of college, my mom handed me Nora Roberts’ Sea Swept to read. A couple pages in, I was hooked. That summer I read all about the Quinn’s, the Calhoun sisters and the MacGregor’s, and I haven’t stopped reading romance since. I’d always been a writer but I guess I had never found my niche. What really struck me about romance novels was that everyone got a happy ending. For a twenty-one year old about to enter the very scary and unsure “real world,” nothing sounded better than escaping to a place where dreams come true.

Kim

I write young adult romances because I want girls to read about boys who treat them with respect.  I want them to EXPECT that.  To have those high expectations of boys who will grow into men of good character.  To hold out for love.

It’s not that I ever expected my relationships in high school to pan out into a golden anniversary, but those innocent romances helped me discover what I expected from an adult relationship.  And really, when you come to think of it, they’re the same.  I think the only difference is that we become more jaded and insecure as adults, so teen romances are probably the most pure and real ones out there.  When everything is fresh and new and even heartbreakingly real.  I write teen romances because I still remember those feelings quite vividly.  It’s the promise of something special…something magical…something unforgettable.

Pintip

I cannot imagine writing a young adult novel without including some element of romance. I believe first love is integral to the teenage experience. An essential part of understanding who we are is discovering who we can be as a result of another person — a person who brings out the best in us, a person who inspires us to be the best version of ourselves. That, to me, is the definition of true love.

Susan

I’ve loved reading romance since my early teens, when my family made its annual trek to Georgia and visited family. My grandmother lived with two sisters and me-oh-my, they had half a garage PACKED with grocery bags full of Harlequin books from their shared subscription. Unlimited access to these tiny miracles not only kept me quiet, it gave me my early training. Since I never really stopped reading them, I’ve also never stopped wanting to tell my own stories.

 

Your turn. Tell us in the comments why you *read* romance novels?

Romanceable Me

Carlene Love Flores, , , , ,

Mermaid CarleneYellow loveHello Fishy Friends!

Today you’ve caught me in one of those hopelessly romantic moods. My 20th wedding anniversary just passed and now Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. I’ve got heart shaped boxes of candy stashed around the house to surprise my boys with on the big day. Cold Mountain is loaded on the DVR for my daily viewing pleasure. I’m reading the most romance I’ve ever read at once with contest entries to judge, fabulous friends with new releases out and Sherrilyn Kenyon’s latest to devour. I’m telling you, if someone stuck a pin in me right now, I’d probably ooze tiny little heart-shaped bits of confetti!

In all seriousness, I love being surrounded by romance. The community is a wonderful blend of people with big hearts and even bigger imaginations. We’re totally down with love at first sight, lust at first sight, all kinds of crazy mating rituals, sweet fantasies and wild ones alike. We celebrate history, suspense, zombies and goody two-shoes. And yes, we LOVE our princesses and our mermaids.

We also celebrate each other as writers and readers of the genre. And, we take it a step further and come together to recognize the people in our real lives who support us. By chance, I happened to be included in a new anthology that is out this month called Scribbling Women and the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them. Twenty-eight romance authors (one for each day in February) including Hope Tarr, Lisa Renee Jones, Elisabeth Staab and Leanna Renee Hieber (And me!), shared personal essays about their real love lives and all net proceeds are being donated to the organization Win (Women in Need) which assists homeless women and their children. I knew I wanted to be a part of it because my hubby goes way beyond in his love and support of me and always has. The man has read all four Twilight books at my request AND attended about 5,000 Casey James concerts with me last year alone. All because it has to do with the writing I love so dearly.

I don’t think it’s possible for me to feel any more romantic than I already do. But let’s see if we can squeeze at my heart strings just a little more. I’d love to hear about your romantic notions. Whether you’re in love with a real hero or a fictional one at the moment. Did someone do something extra sweet for you lately? How many heart shaped boxes of chocolate have you already bought and consumed? For the record, my number on that last one falls somewhere between 2 and 4.

 

Fishy Kisses!

Carlene Mermaid

And Happy Almost Valentine’s Day xoxoxoxo

 

 

Snow Day!

mermaids, Pintip, Writing,

Since Masha shared with us what she was not in yesterday’s post, I thought I’d tell you what I am. I am the type of person who watches a pot of water boil. No, seriously. (And it actually does boil, believe it or not.)

When we first got fish, I could sit and observe them frolic and swim around for hours. And don’t get me started on babies. Endless. Entertainment. Of course, this is from the mother who still loves to watch her son fall asleep. (Hey, he’s still in nursery school. That statement would be a lot more strange if he were, say, thirty.)

Where I draw the line, though, is watching grass grow. Too damn boring, too damn long. Yesterday, however, I found a similar, albeit more interesting and prettier, pastime: watching snow fall.

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As the snow fell and fell and fell, I was thinking that the accumulation of these fluffy white flakes is a lot like writing a book. You start with these fragile, insubstantial things — words — that by themselves don’t amount to much. You throw a bunch of them together, and you might get the slightest, barest hint of a story.

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You keep at it, and pretty soon, you might have a chapter or two or three.

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If the words continue to fall steadily enough, and for a long enough period of time…

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…then sooner or later, you will have something substantial, something pristine, something you would be proud to share with the world.

To all of our friends in the mermaid lagoon, whether or not the weather is balmy or frigid, I wish you all a very merry Snow Day!!

Xxxx

My Dog Doesn’t Feel Like It

Kerri Carpenter, , ,

Three weeks ago, I got a dog!!!

Now that the initial excitement has subsided (well, somewhat), Harry and I are settling into our routine and getting to know each other. While he’s the most perfect, adorable dog ever, there have been some trying moments.

My name is Harry & I'm the cutest!

My name is Harry & I’m the cutest!

One thing in particular is a real challenge. Sometimes Harry doesn’t always want to walk. We’re outside with all the other dogs, he’s on his leash and I have treats. Doesn’t seem to matter. Harry plops himself down on the ground and just sits. Unmovable. Not budging for anything – even the bacon treats I bought and know he likes. Continue reading →

Back to Work

Dana Rodgers, mermaids, Writing, ,

598931_442334515849916_239845262_nAs you read this I’m embarking on an exciting journey… I’m returning to the workforce. Today is my first day at my new day job.

After years of staying at home with my children, volunteering at school or helping out with a field trip at the drop of a dime, and writing, always writing, today I’m returning to the land of the gainfully employed. It was a tough decision but one that’s been in the works for a long time. Now that my oldest is driving, my youngest is in high school and all those fun college bills are a heartbeat away—it seemed like the right time.

I kind of remember what it was like to collect a steady paycheck and receive a W-2 at the end of the year, but it’s been awhile, and I’ll be honest, I’m a little terrified. I’m not sure if that is fear for myself, or for the unsuspecting folks I’ll be working with. After all, these are relatively normal straight-laced business suit wearing people who probably don’t have strangers stopping mid-chew to stare when they realize you and your lunch date are casually discussing how to kill someone and dispose of the body over enchiladas. And yes, I have had this happen. Hahahahaha… you should have seen the looks we got.

I know it’s overly optimistic, but my goal is to get through the first week without doing anything too embarrassing. I wore slacks today so I think I’m safe from the old tucking your dress into the back of your pantyhose thing, but who knows if I’ll make it through the day without referring to any fictional characters as if they were real people. I just hope I can hide my fictional addiction long enough for my colleagues to get to know me… then maybe they won’t feel the need to whip out a straight jacket when some of my more creative personality traits surface. 🙂

If you have any suggestions as to how I can blend in to the workplace with normal, non-writerly type people this week please share. I’m looking for all the help I can get!

Unwind…

Dana Rodgers, mermaids, Motivation, Writing, , ,

Image How can it possibly be August already? Vacations are winding down, and before we know it the kidlets will be back in school. Orientations, school supply shopping, and Back to School nights are right around the corner. As well as soccer/ football/ cheerleading/ field hockey practice/ symphony rehearsals/ robotics and homework. But this year my children aren’t the only ones preparing for a change in schedule and workload… Due to furloughs and the skyrocketing costs of college (I have two teenage daughters) I will be returning to work full time in the very near future. In addition to writing, this summer I have been taking online classes to increase my marketablility in preparation for this eventuality. I don’t mind returning to the workforce. In fact, most writers have a “day job.” But this summer, between the kids, the online classes and certifications, preparing and shopping my resume and trying to fit in writing time… I’ll be honest—my brain is full.

Image 3Every year we take a few days to get away, relax and chill out. This year I’ve been looking forward to this family time for weeks. As a last hurrah, we are living it up at Massanutten Resort this week. I’ve enjoyed spending time with family, long walks, movies. I’m even reading “Shanna” by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Again. What can I say? It’s a beloved classic, and one of the many books that cemented my love of romance.  But the thing that I loved the most about this week was canoeing down the Shenandoah River with my family. That may not be everyone’s idea of relaxing, but for me, a peaceful day on the river soaking up some rays sounds about perfect.

photoIt doesn’t matter whether I’m overwhelmed with kid stuff, job stuff, or the WIP that I loved three weeks ago that has now come to a screeching halt. Taking a time out from real life helps me clear my mind and regain my sanity. And often, my inspiration.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a weeklong vacation in the islands (okay, it really does matter if I’m not invited!), or hanging out with friends for a few hours and enjoying a bottle of wine. It’s amazing how taking a step back helps me see the bigger picture and hear what my characters are telling me. I find when I step away for a short time and contemplate my story—because let’s face it, a creative person’s brain never sleeps. In fact, most days mine is Image 2set to turbo juggling two thousand ideas at once—that I figure out the best way to refine my character’s motivation, how to up the conflict, or decide who’s POV is going to give the most punch to a particular scene. And that is when the magic happens… when I go back to the computer and my fingers fly over the keyboard.

 

What about you? What do you do to unwind, de-stress, and get yourself back on track?

Writing the Synopsis with Diana Cosby

Dana Rodgers, Guest Post, mermaids, Writing, , , ,

Dana MermaidNot so long ago, I was certain that no one on the planet despised writing a synopsis as much as me. I would rather have put my beautiful, complete manuscript in a drawer, and moved on to write another entire book than to condense a 100k story into the 3-5 pages necessary to submit my work to an editor or agent. I always found it difficult to know what to put in and what to leave out, or how to convey the ever-important backstory that makes the hero and heroine who they are, without overshadowing the story actually being told. And then, I was fortunate enough to win a synopsis and three chapter review from the fabulous Diana Cosby, an international bestselling author who also happens to teach a class on writing the synopsis. Besides being one of the nicest people on the planet, she did such a wonderful job of helping me to understand and conquer my fear of the synopsis that I begged her to swim over to the mermaid pond and share some of her secrets with us..

Diana Cosby

Diana Cosby

A retired Navy Chief, AGC(AW), Diana Cosby is an international bestselling author of Scottish medieval romantic suspense.  Her award-winning MacGruder Brother books are available in five languages. Diana has appeared at Lady Jane’s Salon, in NYC, in Woman’s Day, on USA Today’s romance blog, “Happily Ever After,” MSN.com, and in Texoma Living Magazine.

After her career in the Navy, Diana dove into her passion – writing romance novels. With 34 moves behind her, she was anxious to create characters who reflected the amazing cultures and people she’s met throughout the world. In August 2012, Diana released her story in the anthology, “Born To Bite,” with Hannah Howell and Erica Ridley.  Continue reading →

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Draft, Health, mermaids, Motivation, Susan Andrews, Writing, , ,


Susan MermaidThe joy of being a school librarian:  I’ve made it all the way to summer!  Yippee!  Twelve weeks of nothing!  No commute, no kids, no bells, no bag lunches!  Nothing! What could be better?

What could be worse?  I have twelve weeks of nothing, and I know exactly what can go wrong:

  • Summer  can be wasted.  On Twitter, Facebook, shopping (especially shopping!), lazing by the pool, etc. Friends call it “the time to relax that you need/want/yearn for.”  I call it “time wasted.”
  • Time can be stolen, even though I agreed to the theft.  I will fly to Saint Louis next week and listen to several days of educational conference material.  But I want to learn something, so that’s good.  And I am happy for the bridal showers, baby showers, weddings, and other celebrations.  Still, it is theft.
  • I will need additional time, once I return, to recover my writing mojo.  So far, I’ve started well, but I’m aware that all interruptions have an additional price.
  • I work better wclutterith deadlines.  In fact, I’m missing two at this moment:  getting my Mermaid post up in a timely manner, when I should have drafted it last night, or even last week. And sending my WRW retreat prize submission to Gail Barrett, who kindly agreed to look at my synopsis and chapter today.
  • A house filled with clutter is a time thief.  I spend precious time looking at and worrying about the clutter on my dining room table.  Why don’t I just clear it off, you ask?  Because I might need that!  (Case in point:  I suddenly feel compelled to take a particular basket and stow it in another room, so I don’t have to look at it.).

Clutter = Thief!

Aware of these pitfalls, I also know that I write more efficiently when I am sequestered.  I’ve posted before about how I enjoy working on my writing when riding to work on the train.  Peter and I drove to Philadelphia over the weekend to a niece’s bridal shower.

notebook

I brought writing tools with me and spent the time – three hours back and forth – planning the synopsis that is now late.  But I used the six hours (well, four of them, probably)!  I thought, wrote, planned, talked and told my story to my captive audience as we rode along the New Jersey Turnpike.  It was productive in very much the same way as my train rides to the Bronx.

 

I’m also reminded of sister Mermaid Pintip’s recent post on making her own home-based retreat.  I need to find that RWR article, and Pin’s Mermaid follow-up, and craft my own ongoing retreat.  The public library is only a mile from home, and it does NOT have books and papers and outdated statements littering a dining room table.

Once upon a time, I got up and dressed and sat down at my computer (an Osborne!) at 9 a.m. every weekday.   This was in the early 1980s, when Peter and I planned our lives so we could afford my career as a full-time writer.  I worked three hours, broke for lunch, then allowed myself to do housework, groceries, whatever was needed to keep the house and our married life comfortable.

Those were good years… can I find that discipline again?  Or have the years of child-rearing, illness, graduate school and career stolen that urge?  Can I get it back?  And can I forgive myself if the quest proves impossible?

Reflecting on all of these ideas, I want to do certain things this summer in order to hit my own expectations for a successful vacation:

  • Schedule my writing sessions as I used to, once upon a time
  • Claim my space
  • Celebrate the milestones
  • Forgive the rough patches that slow or stop me.

What rough patches do you anticipate this summer?  Will you celebrate when September comes?

SusanMermaid