tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post6192521514923547019..comments2023-05-24T08:06:43.882-04:00Comments on Romance Writer's Revenge: Leigh Michaels and The Mistress' HouseTerri Osburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17176989488447450585noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-30615426647428914702011-02-09T10:42:26.000-05:002011-02-09T10:42:26.000-05:00Oh, apps like that are so evil and addictive! Don&...Oh, apps like that are so evil and addictive! Don't get hooked on it, Bo'sun!2nd Chancehttp://www.maureenobetita.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-27491903711935078772011-02-08T19:51:18.000-05:002011-02-08T19:51:18.000-05:00Aye, the virtual rum is wonderful and puts the vir...Aye, the virtual rum is wonderful and puts the virtual tea to shame!<br><br>I'm pleased to hear that my writing routine - shut up, Donna! - is similiar to yours. (Well, it would be if I actually followed the guidelines I set for myself and got off the internet more.)<br><br>How do you manage to not spend hours with the demon internet?<br><br>And feel free to toss all innder critiques and editors to the kraken! He loves 'em!2nd Chancehttp://www.maureenobetita.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-3688561485631012192011-02-09T03:01:51.000-05:002011-02-09T03:01:51.000-05:00Donna and Leigh, thank you for a great interview.L...Donna and Leigh, thank you for a great interview.<br>Leigh, it sounds like your day is very busy and quite filled. Do you set aside a certain amount of time per day to focus on your writing and how long does it usually take to write one of your books?Chris Stacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-25100903943489695502011-02-09T03:38:14.000-05:002011-02-09T03:38:14.000-05:00Good morning, Ms. Michaels and thanks so much for ...Good morning, Ms. Michaels and thanks so much for joining us today. I knew you'd been writing for some time but 80 books. Wow, that's amazing. And thanks for giving back and teacher those of us still learning the ropes. The generosity of writers like you is one of the best aspects of the Romance genre.<br><br>How much of a book do you know before going in? Which I guess is my way of asking if you're a plotter.<br><br>Will you be offering any workshops at Nationals? I see you're going to be part of the M&M conference, but I'm not sure I'll make that one. I am trying.Bosunhttp://www.romancewritersrevenge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-74440226268503386662011-02-09T03:52:17.000-05:002011-02-09T03:52:17.000-05:00LOL, Chance -- what? I didn't say anything! I ...LOL, Chance -- what? I didn't say anything! I think my writing routine is similar to yours right now, so I'll be happy to hear someone else's productivity techniques. :)Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-46404140438546244492011-02-09T03:53:50.000-05:002011-02-09T03:53:50.000-05:00Terri, you're right about the generosity of ro...Terri, you're right about the generosity of romance writers. I'm still in awe of that.Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-86401369701237229842011-02-09T04:18:16.000-05:002011-02-09T04:18:16.000-05:00Welcome aboard, Ms. Michaels! 80 books is amazing...Welcome aboard, Ms. Michaels! <br><br>80 books is amazing. And 6 Rita finalists? Even in my wildest dreams I can't picture that kind of success. And how many hours at the keyboard that represents. :)<br><br>I'm working on a historical right now. Were there any challenges to writing a historical you didn't expect? Any things you enjoyed?Marneenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-32196784080527099092011-02-09T04:49:47.000-05:002011-02-09T04:49:47.000-05:00*refills tankards for everyone*I forgot to ask Lei...*refills tankards for everyone*<br><br>I forgot to ask Leigh which time zone she lives in. LOL So we can finish getting the hotties spiffed up before she gets here. :)Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-78900834832630183332011-02-09T04:53:44.000-05:002011-02-09T04:53:44.000-05:00This is a GREAT interview. Thank you, Leigh; and t...This is a GREAT interview. Thank you, Leigh; and thank you, Donna, for luring her to the ship and keeping Jack locked up--he wouldn't have asked any of these insightful questions.<br><br>Do you have a particular romance trope you enjoy writing more than others? And frequently, writers often say they have a "Core Story" that is the theme for their books, no matter how different the books are--do you have a core story, and if so, what is it? And most importantly--though it seems you have the tricks down for making sure you can stay in your story to write: brief read, slight edit, writing a brief outline of the scenes for the next day--you say there are days when this doesn't work. What do you do to bring yourself back to the keyboard? How do you recharge?Hellionnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-41861474226531462272011-02-09T05:00:11.000-05:002011-02-09T05:00:11.000-05:00You guys have some kick-ass awesome questions toda...You guys have some kick-ass awesome questions today! <br><br>*scribbles* I'm stealing, er, LIBERATING these for future interviews.Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-51962441424639533452011-02-09T06:06:05.000-05:002011-02-09T06:06:05.000-05:00Leigh and Donna- great interview. I confess I'...Leigh and Donna- great interview. I confess I'm tired though just reading it. I look at my meager seven books sitting in my file drawers and can't imagine having written as many as Leigh. This is inspiring! Thanks for sharing.Cassy Pickardhttp://www.cassypickard.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-10068686283960947052011-02-09T06:17:22.000-05:002011-02-09T06:17:22.000-05:00Thanks for the warm welcome, pirates! I will be a ...Thanks for the warm welcome, pirates! I will be a few minutes getting you all answered, from my cozy chair here in the sub-zero Central time zone... Brr! (Another hot rum, please?)<br><br>2nd Chance – I keep a timer beside my computer – a mechanical one that makes a soft-pitched but annoying little tick as it counts down the minutes. I don’t always use it, but the constant reminder of time passing helps to keep me focused. And I find that Dr. Wicked’s Write or Die website – http://writeordie.com – is a wonder for getting me started when I don’t want to write. Set the time, choose the consequences, and dump the internal editor long enough to get 500 words on paper. It’s always a bad first draft, but no worse than when I spend all day crafting those same 500 words.<br><br>Hugs,<br>LeighLeigh Michaelshttp://www.leighmichaels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-83420032081262341762011-02-09T06:18:23.000-05:002011-02-09T06:18:23.000-05:00Bo’sun – aren’t romance writers amazing? They’re b...Bo’sun – aren’t romance writers amazing? They’re by far the warmest, most supportive, most helpful group of people I’ve ever met. <br><br>I’m more a pantser than a plotter. When I start a book I know who the main characters are and what the initial external conflict is. I usually know if someone’s got a big secret, and I have the general outlines of the happy ending figured out. The rest pretty much happens along the way. Now that I’m writing triple stories, with three heroines and three heroes, three conflicts, and three happy endings, I’m doing a lot more plotting up front!<br><br>At the moment I’m not planning on going to Nationals this year. I will be in San Francisco in April to do a program for the SFA-RWA chapter, and I’ll be in Springfield Missouri in July for the Ozark Romance Authors conference, as well as at Moonlight & Magnolias in October.Leigh Michaelshttp://www.leighmichaels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-8370410957937190892011-02-09T06:19:59.000-05:002011-02-09T06:19:59.000-05:00Leigh, welcome! I'm sure we can pop some more ...Leigh, welcome! I'm sure we can pop some more rum into the microwave. (We have ALL the conveniences here on the good ship Revenge!)<br><br>I've heard of Dr. Wicked's Write or Die, but never tried it. Now I'm thinking I should give it a try.Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-23921750473347930802011-02-09T06:24:14.000-05:002011-02-09T06:24:14.000-05:00Hi, Marnee – Thanks for stopping by!Yes, six RITA ...Hi, Marnee – Thanks for stopping by!<br><br>Yes, six RITA finalists – but no gold statue. For a while there I was the Susan Lucci of the RITAs, always nominated but never a winner. :-) You know what, though? I’ve always thought that being named a finalist is the real win. It’s a big honor, and which of the five or six good books wins in the end is a matter of the judges’ personal tastes.<br><br>Out of curiosity, I just did the math – 80 sweet traditional romances is almost four and a half million words, without even figuring in the historicals or the non-fiction. I think I feel a nap coming on...<br><br>As for the challenges of historicals – there was a snag on every page, something I didn’t know and had to stop to figure out. I mean, how did they manage to sneak off alone, when a lady had friends and family and servants watching all the time? That’s how The Mistress’ House came to be – what’s the point of being a wealthy earl if you can’t have a private spot to indulge yourself, right?<br><br>Hugs,<br>LeighLeigh Michaelshttp://www.leighmichaels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-7070012633167654972011-02-09T06:36:36.000-05:002011-02-09T06:36:36.000-05:00And Cassy has seven books. Wow, I'm feeling li...And Cassy has seven books. Wow, I'm feeling like quite the underachiever today. LOL!<br><br>Leigh - Does this mean the three stories in one is something you're going to do more of? And all that research and finagling (sp?) of society rules are two of the many reasons I couldn't take on writing historicals. So many tricky hoops to jump through. I commend all who do it.<br><br>I really want to make M&M this year. Several of my friends are going and one of our honorary pirates is an officer in that chapter. Must work this out.<br><br>Do you have any tips or tricks for revisions? And what's up next?Bosunhttp://www.romancewritersrevenge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-78784710697420216172011-02-09T06:43:47.000-05:002011-02-09T06:43:47.000-05:00Hi, Hellion – I think we all have core stories we ...Hi, Hellion – I think we all have core stories we like more than others. One of mine is marriage of convenience, and the Regency period is such a good time for that, since there were so few choices for women. <br><br>I’ve just realized, however, that my heroines actually battle against the MOC convention instead of giving in to it. So I guess I’d have to say that my core story involves a group of strong women who deal with reality and make it work for them, even when Society has other ideas for how their lives should turn out.<br><br>Usually when I have trouble getting back into a story it’s because I’ve taken a wrong turn – let a character say or do something that pulls us out of the story – or because I just don’t know what comes next. So the first move is to back up and see where the glow went away, checking each action and line of dialogue for something that violates character or hurries the story along. The second move is to brainstorm – the good old What If...? and backwards plotting devices to see where the story is going.<br><br>Sometimes I take the whole manuscript onto the treadmill with me, because when I’m walking I can’t stop to make notes, and read the whole thing. That often reminds me of threads I’ve let drop and gets me started again.<br><br>And that Dr. Wicked thing – it’s radical, but it really does work. :-)<br><br>LeighLeigh Michaelshttp://www.leighmichaels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-84665396345287494612011-02-09T06:48:46.000-05:002011-02-09T06:48:46.000-05:00Cassie – NEVER let yourself think that seven books...Cassie – NEVER let yourself think that seven books is meager! Good heavens, girl... that’s something to be very proud of. Not everyone has more than one story to tell – or the willingness to keep on going, finding new stories and telling them over and over until they’re the best they can be.<br><br>Sometimes I have students who can’t seem to understand that writing is like tennis. You don’t get to be a good tennis player by reading Sports Illustrated, or watching coaching tapes, or buying tickets to Wimbledon. And you don’t get to be a good writer by reading books about writing, or by listening to how other writers do it, or by reading good books – though of course all those things help. You learn to play tennis by taking the racquet in your hand and getting out on the court, day after day. And you learn to write by writing. <br><br>Seven books is special. Take a bow, Cassie!<br><br>Hugs,<br>LeighLeigh Michaelshttp://www.leighmichaels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-22641892095961277082011-02-09T07:07:09.000-05:002011-02-09T07:07:09.000-05:00I really like the format of three heroes, three he...I really like the format of three heroes, three heroines, three stories in one. It’s a technique that’s used a lot in TV shows and movies – several separate threads going on at once, with the camera shifting from one to the next in rapid succession. The threads always have something in common, a theme or lesson that we may not see till the end of the episode.<br><br>So I’ve adopted that model for books – three stories with a connecting theme. In my second historical, Just One Season in London, the theme is family – the young Viscount Ryecroft has a gorgeous sister, but he can’t afford a Season for her. He’s looking to marry for money so his sister Sophie won’t have to. Sophie is willing to do whatever it takes to save the family estate, but if she can’t even get to London, she may not have the option of wedding a rich gentleman. And their mother will do anything to secure the happiness of her children – and I do mean anything!<br><br>Then in the third book, the three heroines are all caught in difficult circumstances, but instead of drinking tea and weeping they seize the opportunity presented by a country-house wedding to make their lives better.<br><br>In the two books coming up later this year, the three stories are going on all at the same time, and there’s sometimes a question of who will end up with whom... which is fun, too. <br><br>Revision suggestions: I always have to give myself time and distance before I can see the story clearly, and then I do the treadmill trick – reading the whole thing through without stopping – before I do anything at all. I have a tendency to want to do major surgery when all that’s really needed is a hot compress in just the right place, so I’ve learned to stop and think before revising. Something else that works is highlighting the different parts of the story – dialog in one color, introspection in another, narrative in a third, and so on – so I can look at whether the flow has changed. If a story gets heavy into introspection, it slows down, but this technique shows that and then I can shift thoughts into actions.Leigh Michaelshttp://www.leighmichaels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-67960559262955810982011-02-09T07:11:48.000-05:002011-02-09T07:11:48.000-05:00Leigh, you've got so many great suggestions he...Leigh, you've got so many great suggestions here. I'm trying to pick them out so I can use them on my own WIP right now. I like the idea of highlighting the different parts of the story in color.<br><br>And I am trying to remind myself about "learning to write by writing". Are you sure I can't learn to write by whining? LOL (I seem to be doing a lot of that the last couple days.)<br><br>I have a few manuscripts that I love, but are probably going to be part of my writing apprenticeship, rather than my backlist. LOL Some days I feel like I'm the person in charge at the Island of Misfit Manuscripts. But I'll try to think of them as "Not A Good Fit Manuscripts" instead. :)Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-33384022329144425112011-02-09T07:14:26.000-05:002011-02-09T07:14:26.000-05:00Thanks for a terrific interview, Donna and Leigh.O...Thanks for a terrific interview, Donna and Leigh.<br><br>One of the reasons I shy away from every idea that surfaces for a historical is that the world building seems overwhelming. Leigh, how did you find the world building for your historical stories as compared to what you needed to do for your contemporary romances?Janganoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-8998941283907277732011-02-09T07:34:39.000-05:002011-02-09T07:34:39.000-05:00Well, Donna, whining can be very therapeutic. :-) ...Well, Donna, whining can be very therapeutic. :-) But it doesn't get the words on the page, so definitely whine for five minutes and then go back to writing!<br><br>I'm often asked if I regret burning those first six manuscripts. I don't, because letting go of the paper set me free from the notion of trying to revise those words. The good stuff in those early efforts -- and there was some good stuff -- stayed in my head and I used it later, in other books. But I wasn't stuck in trying to fix the things that would never have worked.<br><br>Hope this helps you!Leigh Michaelshttp://www.leighmichaels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-69990078011436434562011-02-09T07:39:57.001-05:002011-02-09T07:39:57.001-05:00So the first move is to back up and see where the ...<i>So the first move is to back up and see where the glow went away, checking each action and line of dialogue for something that violates character or hurries the story along. The second move is to brainstorm – the good old What If…? and backwards plotting devices to see where the story is going.</i><br><br>I feel like we got Obi Wan on the ship. I totally get this; I do this (and usually feel bad about it because I typically let it go on too long and have to back up a ways before I am out of the hole.)<br><br>Leigh, please promise to visit us at least once a year and dazzle us with your brilliance. We need you, Obi Wan!Hellionnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-87855720689098744042011-02-09T07:39:57.000-05:002011-02-09T07:39:57.000-05:00LOL, Leigh -- I am a firm believe in "whine t...LOL, Leigh -- I am a firm believe in "whine therapy". And "wine therapy". . .<br><br>I think the question from Chris up there may have gotten stuck in the spam filter for a bit -- so I'll re-ask it -- how long does it take you to write a book? And do you write a certain amount every day?Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-30445245950759681282011-02-09T07:42:13.001-05:002011-02-09T07:42:13.001-05:00The first MS I tried to write was never finished a...The first MS I tried to write was never finished and never would have worked. After three years, I had to let it go. (Oddly enough, it was titled Letting Go.) But that MS attempt taught me a ton about plotting and what worked for me and what didn't work in a book, period. I haven't burned it and I still feel kind of bad for the characters left in limbo, but it served its purpose.<br><br>I've heard of the highlighting many times but not tried it. And I can't do the Write Or Die thing because I'd be furious with the consequences. The laptop would go out the window and then where would I be? LOL!<br><br>Janga - You and me both. I can't make my brain step back in time to create those great historical settings.Bosunhttp://www.romancewritersrevenge.comnoreply@blogger.com