tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post6555397814857204020..comments2023-05-24T08:06:43.882-04:00Comments on Romance Writer's Revenge: The TreesTerri Osburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17176989488447450585noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-52167753820473020962011-04-21T12:52:39.000-04:002011-04-21T12:52:39.000-04:00George and I attempted to lay laminate flooring a ...George and I attempted to lay laminate flooring a couple years ago. It's horrendous and we just haven't had a chance to replace it yet. <br><br>After that debacle, we've decided we are in fact, un-handy. We won't be attempting another home improvement project beyond painting again. :)Marneenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-30451334606365460792011-04-20T20:26:34.000-04:002011-04-20T20:26:34.000-04:00I try to just stay focused on what I can get done ...I try to just stay focused on what I can get done day by day once that butt is in the chair. But getting to the butt in chair and hands on keyboard is the hard thing! To set all that blasted marketing down, etc and get down!<br><br>I don't know how that would relate to parenthood... Maybe you give up on the 'clean your plate' and stick to 'don't rob the grocery store'?<br><br>Nah, that doesn't really work... I had a mini discussion with my agent today. Her blog talked about not thinking about the market or marketing and just be authentic. Not even the best idea will work with the readers if they sense you're not authentic. I'm trying to keep that in mind!<br><br>And get the butt in the chair!2nd Chancehttp://www.maureenobetital.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-24014273136818373282011-04-21T00:15:23.000-04:002011-04-21T00:15:23.000-04:00I can empathize with this.The WIP is just another ...I can empathize with this.<br>The WIP is just another baby to be nurtured and brought to maturity.<br><br>The trouble with focusing on trees is that you can easily get lost in the forest. If you can't keep the bigger picture in mind while writing (or with any other large project!) then you must have maps.<br><br>As a would be explorer, I love scouring maps for interesting routes. Start with the small scale to get the overall landscape and identify features of interest. Then move to larger scale to bring up the footpaths which you will need. Having identified your proposed route get the largest scale available to show up all the detail that you won't want to miss.<br><br>So when you focus on the largest scale picture, be sure to have the next smaller scale nearby so that you can easily keep your bearings. <br><br>Its so easy in the excitement of starting out for a distant mountain to forget the map and compass, and then get lost in the wilderness. I've been there! :wink:Quantumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-71086682977598679892011-04-21T04:31:19.000-04:002011-04-21T04:31:19.000-04:00To piggy back off Q, since I'm pretty sure you...To piggy back off Q, since I'm pretty sure you have a good map, I say keep your eye on the compass. Check it early and often to make sure you're standing where you need to be standing, and facing the direction you need to be facing, at that moment. <br><br>The moment is the only thing you need to focus on.<br><br>And that's all the philosophy I have this early in the morning. I'll be back with something less froo-froo.Bosunhttp://www.romancewritersrevenge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-59929869566661598482011-04-21T04:37:16.000-04:002011-04-21T04:37:16.000-04:00Chance - her blog talked about not thinking about...Chance - <i> her blog talked about not thinking about the market or marketing and just be authentic. Not even the best idea will work with the readers if they sense you’re not authentic. </i><br><br>I sometimes think about this. I've been all over the park as far as trying out different genres. My first MS, Regency Paranormal. Second? Dark Paranormal. This one, a historical with a suspense kind of vibe. I don't think I've bounced around chasing the market, but I do worry that I haven't find my niche yet. <br><br>But I think authenticity is that thing that happens when we really "marry" our characters. If we're really into the story, I think it's ok to jump around in genres. Teresa Medeiros does it all the time. But because it's so clear that she loves her stories every time and her characters are so developed, no one ever seems to care that she's all over the genre map. Her books are so good, I'd as easily read a space opera from her as I would a contemporary.<br><br>Q - <i> The trouble with focusing on trees is that you can easily get lost in the forest. </i> SOooo true. <br><br>Perhaps then, as you point out, it's important to see where you are on the map in general. At acknowledge there's a bigger picture and yet keep trudging forward.Marneenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-83693620466302116602011-04-21T04:41:54.000-04:002011-04-21T04:41:54.000-04:00Bo'sun - The moment is the only thing you ne...Bo'sun - <i> The moment is the only thing you need to focus on. </i><br><br>Stop living in the future, huh? I can totally relate to that. <br><br>But it's so tempting. I hear another call story and I think, "ahh... some day that's going to be me and when it is.... "<br><br>And on the tails of that comes the doubts. I won't enumerate them here. I'm sure everyone's doubts sound similar to mine. :)<br><br>All that thinking gets in my way every time. LOL! Damn you, brain. Stop!Marneenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-14694669555164429432011-04-21T04:45:53.000-04:002011-04-21T04:45:53.000-04:00I've been falling for that lately, Marn. But w...I've been falling for that lately, Marn. But while I'd love to be the one happy dancing about a contract, I'm also petrified of the two things that would invade my life should that miracle occur.<br><br>Deadlines and promo. Scared. Shitless.<br><br>Right now I'm standing at the edge of the forest. I can smell the dirt and see the branches swaying overhead, but I can't make myself step in. *sigh*<br><br>But that's another blog. LOL!Bosunhttp://www.romancewritersrevenge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-6490587711662114282011-04-21T04:58:46.000-04:002011-04-21T04:58:46.000-04:00I am not sure what's paralyzing me. I thought...I am not sure what's paralyzing me. I thought I had a handle on my characters but when I sit down to write the story, something's not jiving with me and my mindset.<br><br>I *think* that part of the reason is that I was in a different place when I started this story almost two years ago. It's darker than I feel right now. The last few years I've worked through some tough things that have been out of my control and I wonder if it didn't come out in a bit of an edge in my stories. So, now I'm not feeling like that anymore, I'm wondering if maybe my heroine's a bit too raw for me right now.<br><br>Total tangent, but I need to figure it out because I need to get myself writing again. Not being able to write-when added to the mental monotone of talking to small people day in and out-has been making me feel a little nuts. I need an outlet for my brain! LOL!Marneenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-35263091526812553782011-04-21T05:01:16.000-04:002011-04-21T05:01:16.000-04:00This is a great blog, Marn, and clearly you're...This is a great blog, Marn, and clearly you're tapping into the zeitgeist since I've read a couple blogs on this topic the past few days. I wrote tomorrow's blog about a similar thing, and I wrote it on Tuessday (I know--I can't believe I did it that early!)<br><br>The example about Teresa Medeiros is an interesting one -- it used to be the philosophy that you wrote as many different kinds of things, so that you could figure out what you liked, and you'd have lots of different things to offer editors. <br><br>That philosophy has changed, and only in the past few years. You have to figure out, practically with your first book, what you're going to write, and then stick with it, forever. It's kind of a literary arranged marriage, with no possibility of divorce. :)<br><br>Keep writing books, the ones that you feel passionate about. The market will either love it or it won't. If it doesn't, you have spent your time with something you enjoy. Otherwise, it will be a homework assignment that you dread, and you'll find ways to avoid it.<br><br>Also, I loved the description of "nagging" children. I hadn't thought about it like that, but it must be annoying to kids to always be told a zillion different rules constantly. LOL I know it would annoy me NOW if I had to go through that!Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-29229957495731764572011-04-21T05:09:50.000-04:002011-04-21T05:09:50.000-04:00The nagging never ends, but it changes. Every morn...The nagging never ends, but it changes. Every morning we do the "Do you have your phone?" "Yes, mother." "Do you have your key?" "YES!" In the evenings it's "Do you have homework?" "Yes, mother." "Did you unload the dishwasher?" "I did." "Did you put your clothes away?" "Leave me alone!"<br><br>Great house to live in.<br><br>How much do you have written at this point, Marn? Do you still see the story going where you did before?<br><br>Donna - Publishing seems to be like the weather. Give it a minute, it'll change.Bosunhttp://www.romancewritersrevenge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-48603561173543222292011-04-21T05:15:49.001-04:002011-04-21T05:15:49.001-04:00Publishing seems to be like the weather. Give it a...<i>Publishing seems to be like the weather. Give it a minute, it’ll change.</i><br><br>Exactly! Which is why it's so hard (impossible) to try to write to the market. Things change with each new wave of editors, and writers, and readers.<br><br>Marn, you may have to set this story aside, so you can work on something else. It sounds like it fit where you were, and who you were, at the time, and now you've grown and changed. You can come back to this story at some point and you'll be ready for it then.Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-31322046624598901302011-04-21T05:15:49.000-04:002011-04-21T05:15:49.000-04:00Donna - It’s kind of a literary arranged marriag...Donna - <i> It’s kind of a literary arranged marriage, with no possibility of divorce. </i> hahahaha!!<br><br>I was wondering if it's always been like that, the writing one thing and becoming a master of it. There are plenty of more seasoned authors who've written all over the genre spectrum. Now, it's almost as if you have to establish somewhere and then jump around to other stuff. <br><br>There are "newer" authors who write two. Pamela Clare. Carolyn Jewel. But it definitely doesn't seem as done nowadays.<br><br>I think-as to finding a genre that "fits"-that it's important for me to find a place my voice fits. I feel like right now I fit better with the historical voice. And I find a lot of the historical conflicts work better for my writing brain. <br><br>Will it always be like that? *shrugs*Marneenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-12651382024038394972011-04-21T05:23:03.000-04:002011-04-21T05:23:03.000-04:00Ter - I'd written 35K last year, before Ry was...Ter - I'd written 35K last year, before Ry was born. But it doesn't work. I don't like it and I don't like the way the characters were relating. They were really angry. <br><br>So, I stopped and restarted. I got to the 11K mark (so not too far) and now I'm thinking it's my heroine, who still has remnants of the angry older version about her.<br><br>The basic plot is something I think I can work with. I think it's my characters. <br><br>I actually think I might axe the whole courtesan aspect of it. I'm not writing a "happy" courtesan. She'd had nasty things happen, she's hard to get my brain around. I was just thinking the last day or so of a different approach to use the same basic plot--the treason aspect. But I think if I do it that way, I can lighten up the characters a little. Have it be a romp, even suspenseful, but without the darker undertones of the characters.<br><br>Sorry for the ramble.<br><br>As to the nagging---- the snippets you posted are coming my way. I can see shades of them in my oldest. "I don't want to!" is a new response in the house as well as "I don't like you right now!" Which, when he says it with his little scowl and crossed arms, makes me want to laugh. He looks so cute disgruntled. I have to remember to keep my stern face as I think to myself, "You ain't seen nothing yet, kid. Wait til you're in high school and we have these rows." LOL!!Marneenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-25110658817497401242011-04-21T05:24:36.000-04:002011-04-21T05:24:36.000-04:00I see a lot of authors dabbling in different genre...I see a lot of authors dabbling in different genres, they just usually change their names. What seems to be consistent about the authors successful at it is that they're passionate about all the stories, no matter the genre. So we're back to authentic.<br><br>I write mainstream contemporary stories. I have no desire to write anything else, mostly because no other kinds of stories have come to me. I did have the one chick-lit paranormal type thing and it's still under consideration, but not until the stories in the front of the line are done. <br><br>I don't think you have to decide right now what you'll write for the rest of your life. Heck, there are more publishing options now than ever. More formats and opportunities and when a simple change of a name will open new doors, there's no need to feel locked down.Bosunhttp://www.romancewritersrevenge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-55264618921416080622011-04-21T05:27:20.001-04:002011-04-21T05:27:20.001-04:00Donna - Marn, you may have to set this story asid...Donna - <i> Marn, you may have to set this story aside, so you can work on something else. It sounds like it fit where you were, and who you were, at the time, and now you’ve grown and changed. </i><br><br>This is what I'm afraid of.<br><br>LOL!<br><br>Not that I'm afraid of it, but I've been suspecting this for a few weeks. <br><br>Like I said, I think the basic elements of the plot, even the idea of mistaken treason, is one I can reuse. But I'm afraid that the characters aren't working for me. Especially the heroine. <br><br>Maybe later I can come back to her. But right now.... She's not working for me.Marneenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-53580054148747602962011-04-21T05:27:20.000-04:002011-04-21T05:27:20.000-04:00Oh, Marn, the cuteness goes away. Wish I could tel...Oh, Marn, the cuteness goes away. Wish I could tell you different. The little heathens that invade their bodies are just scary. And annoying.<br><br>Ramble all you want, it's your blog. LOL! Think of this as a giant pirate therapy session for your book. Put your characters on the pirate chaise, if you will.<br><br>Do you want the book to be lighter, or are you running from the fear of not wanting to travel with the heroine into some dark places?Bosunhttp://www.romancewritersrevenge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-37840479596352046192011-04-21T05:37:07.000-04:002011-04-21T05:37:07.000-04:00Marn, I'm actually revising a book that I wrot...Marn, I'm actually revising a book that I wrote a long time ago, and I have to rewrite the second half of the book. I didn't know as much about plotting as I do now, but I love the characters, so I figured out what should happen with their story. But I wrote a lot of different things in the meantime, as part of the learning curve. :)<br><br>I think the most important part is loving the characters. If you don't, it's hard to make readers love them. It sounds like yours just might need a little R&R. Once you fall in love with some other characters, you'll figure out what these two need. :)Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-67930555449679579392011-04-21T05:42:00.000-04:002011-04-21T05:42:00.000-04:00I love Donna's approach to this. It's hard...I love Donna's approach to this. It's hard to remember, but if you've learned something about writing or plotting or even yourself along the way, then no writing is wasted writing. That's a very hard thing for me to remember, but it really is true.<br><br>Character R&R. I can I get some of that? LOL!Bosunhttp://www.romancewritersrevenge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-7692512687743256122011-04-21T05:43:24.000-04:002011-04-21T05:43:24.000-04:00I don’t like it and I don’t like the way the chara...<i>I don’t like it and I don’t like the way the characters were relating. They were really angry.</i><br><br>Marn, your heroine is a prostitute (essentially)--OF COURSE she's angry. Wouldn't you be? The story is what it is. The idea isn't a fluffy bunny. It's a lion with teeth--you gotta be careful about trying to rework him into a fluffy bunny because...well...he's never going to be a fluffy bunny. <br><br>And to piggy back on Bo'sun's questions, Are you wanting a lighter book because that "feels" more publishable (since a lot of Regencies are fluffy bunnies) or is it as Bo'sun's second question, do you not want to tackle the heroine's dark places? <br><br>I understand the latter. But eventually on one or two of them I've completed, I came out okay. *LOL* You'd be all right. :)Hellionnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-4787327969046804692011-04-21T05:45:40.000-04:002011-04-21T05:45:40.000-04:00Character R&R. I can I get some of that? LOL!I...<i>Character R&R. I can I get some of that? LOL!</i><br><br>I just KNOW they'll go someplace fun and exciting. And they better take us when they do! I could use some R&R&R&R&R. . .oops. I just proved my point.Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-14005683373057758362011-04-21T05:51:05.000-04:002011-04-21T05:51:05.000-04:00Donna - I'm actually taking tomorrow off the d...Donna - I'm actually taking tomorrow off the day job for....wait for it.....no reason. Huzzah! And it feels good. That's as close to R&R as I can get. Though, since I live at the beach, I could take a short trip down to the oceanfront and do nothing but watch the waves. Wonder if there's anywhere I could write down there. <br><br>Hmmmmm......Bosunhttp://www.romancewritersrevenge.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-73544997051513498522011-04-21T05:55:00.000-04:002011-04-21T05:55:00.000-04:00Terri, you've just described the perfect day! ...Terri, you've just described the perfect day! I love watching waves--so soothing. And probably inspiring.<br><br>I think you need to take a day off from work to do nothing. Otherwise, it's just another work day, in another venue.<br><br>I need to go work on this WIP. The sun is finally shining today, so I plan to soak up some of it this afternoon. :)Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-11433930664971582922011-04-21T05:57:56.000-04:002011-04-21T05:57:56.000-04:00Here's a funny post about a Regency rake at RT...Here's a funny post about a Regency rake at RT. Maybe it'll inspire someone:<br><br>http://haveyourcakeandreadittoo.blogspot.com/2011/04/regency-rake-version-20.htmlDonnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-41272334430743437862011-04-21T06:03:28.000-04:002011-04-21T06:03:28.000-04:00Her blog talked about not thinking about the marke...<i>Her blog talked about not thinking about the market or marketing and just be authentic.</i><br><br>Absolutely correct. Because the truth is “trends” change. So if you are writing something modeled upon the latest trend then by the time you are finished then there is a good chance that trend will be over with. Don’t write A trend, write Your trend. In other words do what you do best. Then come up with a marketing strategy to support that your trend is both valid (why would a reader want to read your book) and valuable (to your publisher). <br>You worry to much Marnee. Seriously. You are a great writer with a unique voice. Concentrate on what you have going for you.<br><br>Marketing, though there are those who would like you to think otherwise, is easy. When you have a quality product submarket. Like the book You will write.Julienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416913236621309814.post-80102440935227513632011-04-21T06:33:01.000-04:002011-04-21T06:33:01.000-04:00submarket? Okay ... as far as I know I didn't ...submarket? Okay ... as far as I know I didn't type that word there. Which means my headset is at it again. Only problem is ... the damn thing isn't plugged in! SCARY computer paranormal mummble mummble ......<br><br>When you have a quality product. Period.Julienoreply@blogger.com