Music Influence: Waterhaul/Waterhaul II by 36 Crazyfists

(Waterhaul, A Snow Capped Romance, 2004)


(Waterhaul II, Collisions and Castaways, 2011)

 



 

Today is the last day of National November Writing Month. There are thousands of people out there right now pounding their fingers over the worn out plastic keys of their keyboard furiously trying to hit to fifty thousand by 11:59 PM tonight.

 

I won't be one of them.

 

Over the weekend, I completed my NaNo journey limping across the finish line at just over 51,000 words. By no means is this novel complete. Only my NaNo journey of 2011 is complete. For another year I am one of the many who warred with themselves to write 50k in 30 days. For another year I am a NaNo winner.

 

It wasn't easy. I have about six different beginnings. I have a bunch of stuff I just wrote to be sitting at the computer, putting words down about something- anything- in order to keep on track with the daily word count. On the weekends I spent countless hours staring at the blinking cursor on my blank page trying to come up with anything to keep going.

 

I was plagued by doubts, mistrusting of my writing instinct, confused by my lack of direction.

 

But NaNo is not the time to second guess yourself. You just have to push through it. Work through the problems at a later date. Write whatever comes to mind, regardless of how it actually fits into the story. When you get stuck, move to a different scene. These are my mantras. Keep moving. In this instances, it is one finger after another. Keeping pounding away at the keyboard. Stop doubting yourself. Put all of your mixed emotions into the writing. Pour everything out on the page. Just don't stop whatever you're doing.

 

Hellie talked about goals on Monday. Goals are great. NaNo is a monthly goal. Every November I pledge to write 50k in 30 days. I aspire to write 20k every month outside of November. That's 5k a week. Doable for someone like me who does most of their writing on Saturday night/Sunday morning. What keeps you going when everything seems to be heading down the drain? Do you give yourself incentives to achieve your goals? What gets you sitting in front of your monitor with your fingers on the keyboard?

At least it does for the month of November.

My Influence: “I will wander until the end of time... torn away from you.” My Heart is Broken, Evanescence, 2011

 

National November Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) started YESTERDAY! I've been solely focused on preparing for the onslaught of the word war for the past month.

 

I didn't say I got anywhere with it. I just said I was prepping for it.

 

In my haste to get a blog prepared (I temporarily forgot even after I told Hellion this weekend that it was my week to blog) I've come up with my top 5.5 ways to procrastinate during the month of November.

 

Yes, totally different from my top 5 ways to prepare for a successful NaNoWriMo.

 

 5.   Washing Dishes: Have you ever discovered the one thing you hate to do, you find yourself loving to do when you have something more important to accomplish. I absolutely can't stand washing dishes. I loathe it with a passion. I find myself standing at the sink, gazing out the window into the backyard while daydreaming of a half naked Ranger right after I get home from work. Why, you might ask? Because right after I get home from work I should be AIS (Butt In Seat) with my fingers flying over my newly purchased external keyboard working on covering a blank document page.

 

But I'm not.

 

 4.  Working Late: Sometimes I have no choice in the matter. Usually I'm flying out the door the instant I can get out of there. I work late hours anyway. But during the month that I know I have a goal to work towards, my mind and body rebel. I find myself slothing through my usual end of day routines at the office to procrastinate leaving my desk. Hell, I could even take my down time and actually write at work. What would be the fun in that? I mean, c'mon.

 

3.  Errand Running: Ever leave the last thing you have to do for the day/night and realize you need to run somewhere else? I hate stores after work. I hate them during lunch. And I really hate them on the weekend. Find me during NaNo and you're more than likely to run into me at the grocery store during the peak times I hate.

 

2.  Spending Quality Time with the Significant Other: I'm not quite sure I have to follow up on this reason. Though, I think my reasoning and yours probably varies quite a bit.

 

 1.5.  Music Playlists: Because this is really important to my well being. I must have music. And I can use this as a stall tactic simply because I NEED music to spur on my creative muse. And obviously, my music playlists are more important to my sanity than spending several hours listening to my DH make up new words to clever songs he's heard on the radio. (See Procrastination number 2.)

 

And my number one top and favorite way to procrastinate:

 

1.  Kindle: This tiny little electronic device that allows me to read books and fan fiction with just a click of a button. The Kindle is the ultimate procrastination DEMON.

 

Now, I want to know the top way you procrastinate. Tell me how you do it and how you get around it.

 

P.S. Good luck to you all participating in NaNo or your own personal version of NaNo!

It is that time again! National November Writing Month is just around the corner. Can you feel my budding excitement?

 

No. Seriously. I'm excited.

 

So I decided to do a list of my top five things you must have to finish the race by 11:59pm on November 30. I'm hoping this will motivate you writers out there to join me on November 01 at 12:01am to start your own epic race towards the finish line.

 

1. Must have all your ducks in a row: This means if you don't plot, outline, grow characters, live and breathe conflict, at least try to do some leg work ahead of time. This will allow you to write freely when you start at 12:01am on November first. I'm not what you'd call a plotter- I'm more of a pantser- but I've learned over the course of a few years doing NaNo that prep works helps you get a couple of restful hours of sleep a night during NaNo.


2. Calm work environment: We all have our writing quirks. Movies playing epic scores in the background. Children screaming outside in the yard. Heavy metal screamer bands blaring through your headphones (Okay, that might just be me) but we need a place where we can drop our computers, pull out the keyboards and just pound the keys. If there is a stack of bills sitting beside you, you're going to be focusing on that. Not writing your story. So you need to clean up your designated computer space before the clock starts ticking away at the month of November.


3. Chocolate- or whatever your snack of choice is- and massive quantities of caffeine: This is probably the most important. When I get stressed out or I put myself (and my characters) in a delicate and difficult situation, I need to think. I do this by sitting back in my chaise lounge, head back, eyes closed, and munching on a Blow Pop. This is my assumed thinking position. And you must have your stress relievers on hand.


4. Procrastination is not your friend: Usually procrastination and I are hand in hand dancing through flower fields and blowing up mole hills together. We're like this *crossing fingers*. I tell my BFF Procrastination to take a hike during November and you can too. Be determined. Be prepared to fight. And believe in yourself. Procrastination is usually stimmed from when we lack confidence in our abilities to put the right words on the page. During NaNo there is no such thing. The beauty of NaNo is the free spirit of writing for the word count, not the overall quality. Worry about that in December.


5. Remember you're human: And that means don't pressure yourself. Fifty K in 30 days is a helluva push for the most seasoned of typers. Sometimes we get swept up in the thought of writing, and we no longer enjoy the process. I think why I enjoy NaNo so much is that it allows me to enjoy myself. My random tangents. My quirks of writing out of order, or no order at all. NaNo is meant to be fun. Allow yourself to have that fun and enjoy it for what it is- a reason to gather your friends and see who's the fastest BSer while writing that great American novel.

 

So there you have it. My Five things. What's your one thing you have to have while writing? What's the one thing you want to do differently this year during NaNo that you didn't accomplish last year? And to those of you who haven't joined us for NaNo, what are you waiting for?! Come have some fun with us!

 

If you'd like to friend me for NaNo here I am: christietaylor

 

Music Choice of the Week: Oblivion (Lacuna Coil, Shallow Life, 2009)

 

 

Effective communication just isn't your day to day conversations. You need effective communication conveyed through your characters to reach your readers.

 

About a month ago I attended a state conference for what I do as a day job. I needed to get some credit hours to make it seem like I keep up on the business. You could choose through a few different courses. I try to take something different every year depending on what's offered. This year I picked two courses that really interest me as a person, not to mention I wanted to see how one could effectively help me run an office. Personality Profiling was extremely interesting. I like to dig into what makes people tick, what traits are associated with certain personalities and how to deal and defuse situations based off those traits. The course was four hours. Best four hours I've ever spent in a conference room. I knew my type before I went in but the course instructor had a different test than the one I've taken before so I enthusiastically paid attention and honestly filled out the questions.

 

Still the same personality.

 

But you can really tell what type of personalty people have by the way they assert themselves with others, by the way they take a test, by the way they interact with the rest of the class and with the instructor. You could tell the course instructor was really paying attention to this detail. Fabulous information.

 

Next was my course on effective listening and communication. I took this course because I thought it would be a no-brainer for me. It's no secret I'm not much of a talker in life. But I like to listen. Listening gives me the chance to learn how to communicate with others on the off chance I have to do it. Listening allows me to learn how to make my characters interact with one another. Listening is the chance to just quiet observe others. Because let's face it, lots of people like to talk about themselves. They want to brag to anyone who will lend them an ear. And I might lend you that ear, and I might listen but that whole profiling thing from above? Yeah, I'm doing that while you're talking so I can give you exactly what you want to hear when you finish.

 

So I walk into the conference room with a few other gents and ladies and take my seat at the front. I learned this a long time ago. There are certain parts of the room where you can effectively listen from and take part in a conversation. The reverse triangle effect. I need direct eye contact to effectively listen and I sure as hell was going to pass this class. So to the front I went. Effective listening is just what you think it'd be. Making eye contact, being interested and invested into the conversation. Asking questions, taking mental notes so you can relate to the conversation.

 

Listening is an active exercise. If you're being lazy you aren't listening. How many times have you said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm listening,” then two seconds later after the person walked away you think, “Now if only I could remember what they said.”

 

I can effectively listen all day. Then we get to a little exercise I'd like to call Hell. There are all types of listening. When dealing with people who have issues you need to dial in a little empathy to let them know you understand what the person is dealing with and want to help. I can relate to people. Some times. So it's no surprise the instructor calls upon me for a little exercise.

Instructor: Can you help me with something?

Me: Sure.

Instructor: Pretend I'm a teenage boy who just graduated high school. For my graduation present, my parents were supposed to buy me the brand new pick-up truck I wanted. Instead, they gifted me with a rusty old truck. How would you deal with that?

Me: Be glad they bought you anything. Thank them for being great parents to you. Stop being ungrateful for their generosity. Don't be a brat.

 

The Instructor waved that off. Several people in the course agreed and added a few more comments onto mine.

 

Instructor: Okay, let's try another one.

Me: Sure.

Instructor: Pretend I'm your best friend. I've applied for this job that I really want and I've interviewed twice for it. The interview process couldn't have gone better. I was made for this job. But I've just found out they gave it to another girl in my office.

Me: Obvious the girl was a better fit. Better luck next time.

Instructor: Flabbergasted.

Class: Stunned silent.

 

I shrug and go back to my seat. Obviously, this is why I don't have many girlfriends. Apparently, I'm lacking a whole bunch of empathy. Go figure. Remarks from instructor, “Great listener. Excellent memory. You need to work on your empathetic communication skills. Good luck.”

 

Bite me. I know a whole bunch of hand gestures. Do those count as empathetic communication?

 

So how does this work into writing? Easy. Your characters have to listen. Have to be able to communicate with one another to make the plot work. You have to weave personalities together and those people have to listen to one another. Breakdowns in communication happen all the time and everyone knows the consequences. Black moments, misunderstandings, the silent treatment. By learning how to effectively convey those abilities into our characters it gives the reader a sense of reality.

 

What kind of personality traits do your hero/heroine display? Do you know what type of personality you have?  And how does your personality play into the characters you write (or read)?

Thank you kindly for visiting yesterday! It was great having Jill Shalvis aboard. I had random.org pick me a number from 1-43 and the generator drew lucky number:

 

17!

 

JV, please email me at: magnificentsin @ aol . com  (without the spaces of course!) and I'll get you hooked up with Jill Shalvis  for your free book!

Hey Pirates, Wenches, Crew and Lurkers! It's Sin and today I have the extreme honor and pleasure of welcoming aboard New York Times Bestseller and recent RITA award  winning author Jill Shalvis. She was gracious enough to take time out of her busy schedule to tell us a bit about how her daily life really goes. (Seriously, the woman has bionic fingers- three books are coming out before December. Animal Attraction (Book 2 to Animal Magnetism), Head over Heels (Book 3 in her Lucky Harbor series) and Christmas in Lucky Harbor (which is the 2-1 of Simply Irresistible and The Sweetest Thing.) So please raise your rum tankards high in the air and welcome aboard Jill Shavis!

People ALWAYS ask me about my research. I’ll get: how do you write those scenes (with a wink, wink). The truth is, it’s the other parts that are the hardest (no pun intended). Creating the tension in daily situations, the character building …


But the other day I had a new and exciting experience in research. I’m currently writing a story with a hero who rides a motorcycle. A Harley to be exact. And since I knew NOTHING about this, I decided I needed to ride a Harley …

Hmm, riding a Harley . . . For some reason I didn’t think this would be a big deal. But first I had to find someone who was willing to be subjected to all sorts of stupid questions (doesn’t that leather chafe?) and then get him to give me a ride.

So I found a guy, through a friend of a friend of a friend. I called home and got Alpha Man on the line and said “don’t worry but I’m going on a date this afternoon with a leather-wearing, badass Harley driving dude. Okay?"

Now Alpha Man, well used to my occupation, didn’t bat an eye. “Wear a helmet” was his only comment. “And don’t forget to get milk on the way home.”

Fine. So I’d forgotten to pick up milk three days running and the kids were whining about not being able to eat cereal. That seemed insignificant in the light of this exciting adventure. So I said “I’m not kidding, you know. I’m really going riding on a Harley.”

“Is the life insurance paid up?” he asked.

Men.

I did get my ride, and wow, there is something about the power of the beast between your legs and the roar of the engine and the danger and the wind in your hair . . . And the bugs in your teeth.

Afterwards I found myself grateful to get back into my car, thinking maybe I’m not quite as adventurous as I’d thought.

Oh, and I remembered to get milk on the way home. The glamorous, sexy lifestyle of a writer …

Oh and P.S. … I’m going to be doing a giveaway VERY soon so make sure to stop by my site (http://www.jillshalvis.com) and sign up for my newsletter, and if you have Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/jillshalvis) , come “like” me to be entered.

Grab a drink and pull up to the bar! Jill will be here to answer questions today! One lucky commenter will receive a copy of Simply Irresistible! (Paper or e-format. Winner's choice.)

Musical Influence(s) this week:  Ephemeral by Gemiinii Riisiing

 

 

Wow. Long time no blog pirates. Thanks to the new line-up I've enjoyed a nice long break from over thinking.

 

Since I've not been blogging, I've been writing. Somewhat. I struggle from week to week on which story to work on. My adventure/suspense heroine, Kiki and her “hero” Dex have been quite talkative lately. So has the heroine's BFF, Tory. So I've been working on that story. While in the midst of writing, I started to think about how my writing processes have changed since I started writing 5 years ago.

 

I've always just winged it. If I didn't know something, I did research right then and there on the spot to incorporate it into what I was working on. If I didn't know the proper terminology, I made it up. If I was unsure on a characterization portrayal, I worked with what I could do and edited it later. I've always written from chapter to chapter. Edited from chapter to chapter. Writing continuously feels...

 

Strange.

 

But I also feel like I've lost my enthusiasm and spirit for writing. Don't get me wrong. There are days I stand on top of my desk with my fist clenched in the air swearing I will writing until my fingers fall off. But I get caught up in all these rules floating around in my head when I sit down. The rules beat down my spirit and my lackluster attempts to sparkle fall short. So I decided I'd do something I never do. Reread some of my old writing to recapture the feeling I had in the beginning when writing was still shiny and new. Let me tell you, it was quite the eye-opener.

 

While I've always known my beginning attempts at writing fiction were a bit jumbled and plagued with mistakes, even reading just a couple of paragraphs made the writer I am now sad. I'm a different person now. I'm a different writer. What I really mourn is my ability to write descriptions. Write the scene detail by detail until you feel like you're standing in the middle of it all. I miss that. I need to recapture that. So I want to do an exercise today. Take one of the pictures below and describe it to me as if I'm unable to see it. Write a short paragraph about it. 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been doing this on my own and it's helped me get some of the missing link back into my writing. Good description is work, but it's good work and it gives our readers a sense of belonging in the story. (Or at least for me, as the reader, it does.)

 

And if you don't want to describe the picture, tell us what's changed about your writing style since you got started- the good and bad. Good luck everyone! And have some fun.

Influences this week: MattxMello (Death Note) fan fics, lollipops and Parabelle's new acoustic CD.

Song of the week: "Us (Walk Away)"  by Parabelle (These Electric Pages Have Been Unplugged, 2011)

A/N: If the title seems familiar, I couldn't help it. I had to use the name of a popular song used in "Night at the Roxbury" What is Love (Baby Don't Hurt Me) by Haddaway. It was too appropriate to pass up. This by no means means I liked or advocate watching this movie is you want any shred of sanity left afterwards.

 

 

So I had a blog. All thought out and written and even had photos for it. (I know. *stiff arming Hells* Don't take my temperature. I'm not sick.)

 

Then Jane Eyre happened. More consequently, Hells and I started emailing back and forth about it. For anyone who's been under a rock for the past couple of centuries, Jane Eyre was the second novel written by Charlotte Brontë, recently turned into a wonderful BBC film adaptation. Hells and I took our respective BFF's and met up at Ragtag (Cinema) Monday night. I've been feigning to see this movie since I caught a glimpse of a trailer preview at the last movie I saw at Ragtag. (Consequently, I can't remember what that movie was. It was some months ago.)

 

I'll give you the short of the story. Jane Eyre was a governess who fell in love with her employer.

 

*narrowing eyes* I told you I was giving you the short. Wiki or read the book if you want more. My blog is not about Jane Eyre as much as the sentiment Hells and I found behind the story.

 

I'm a sap for unrequited love. I don't know why. The longing. The feeling of desperate hopelessness. Of the world ending as you know it. It all inspires me in a dark twisted way. But that's not what this is about either.

 

I've been researching how men speak to one another. Actual nitty gritty speak. Not the cleaned up version they present to us women when we're in the vicinity. And as crude and rude as I can be, I can't hold a candle to the Undead Monkey's man speak. The phrasing and delivery is different when uttered from a woman's lips. Currently, I'm reading a fan fiction on a manga I really enjoy (a Shonen- more focused towards a male audience) about death gods. It is a male dominated manga and the man speak is very hardcore. So when I went looking for fan fiction in this genre, I went looking with the intent of finding a fic where the author obviously understood “man” speak. I find a few female authors understand this speech pattern. Pamela Clare and JR Ward usually come to mind. Lara Adrian does a great job. But it's done to a certain extent. When our audiences are predominantly females, you lose the appreciation of male dominated crude speech. We soften it up a bit. We soften what we think they actually think about. Even I do it. I'm not going to deny that.

 

Banter between two characters is what makes a reader fall in love with the their story. The sly looks, the one liners, even in anger, these lines delivered between your hero and heroine keep your reader on the edge of their seat waiting for what will happen next. It's the passion between them that sparks enough to keep them coming back to one another. Passion makes you feel alive and wanting. Except emotion has no boundaries. Emotion doesn't care if you have morals or ideals. Once emotion starts to burn hot inside your chest it only kindles, gathering steam until it has you so twisted you no longer know what is right or wrong. You only know how to feel in the moment. Trying to back out of that is nothing short of an emotional death. In the matters of emotions, conflicts have always been the same. Emotion is embedded in our souls from the first time we experience it. Whether the emotion be good or bad, once we learn of it, we can't step away from it. No matter how cynical and jaded you become.

 

Dare you run away with your heart's desire or cling to your ideas, beliefs and take a gamble at never having what you truly want?

 

As men and women we deal with emotions differently. (Or maybe we're the same and outwardly deal in a different ways.) How do you write your characters to deal with love? As a female writer, do you soften down your man's inclination towards crude statements? Make him more direct when facing deeper emotion? Make him show it easier? Make him softer in his outward showing of love? (And for our male audience, just reverse the “him” to “her”.) Has anyone else seen Jane Eyre? What did you think?

 

PS. Sorry. This blog got away from me and my original intent. Original intent was to discuss the difference between forbidden love centuries ago and how that's changed over the years. Maybe next time.

Influence this week: The caramel macchiato I'm drinking is doing wonders for my brain.

Music: I'm almost ashamed to say this aloud. “E.T” by Katy Perry (Please put me out of my misery now.)

 

 

One of my favorite ongoing manga series is about a teenager who's a method actress. She is always evolving into a completely different character from her true nature. She changes like a chameleon. While it works great for her jobs, it's hard for her to get her name out into the spotlight because she never looks the same. While writing and acting are two separate jobs, I think they have the same mindsets. This got me to thinking about how I write and wondering how everyone else writes.

 

I've always been absorbed into my own little world. Since I dislike socializing, I tend to people watch more than participate. The way you lean against the wall. The one arm braced against the wallpaper as you casually sip your coffee. The way your eyes are locked onto the couple across the room. I watch you watch their conversation. The way they interact with one another. The way your eyes seem to catch every little detail.

 

Characteristics and human expressions are my favorite things to catch in action. The way you wave your hand. The way your face twists up when you taste something sour. The crinkles around your eyes while you laugh. The way your face turns six shades of red when someone whispers in your ear. The intimate smile playing on your lips when you see your significant other across the room. All these nuances play into how I write. I visualize exactly how the character looks in that moment. I write down in detail how it plays out.

 

Some actors fall into what is described as “method” acting. When they read a part in a script, they become that character. In this actor's world, this character is living and breathing. They are no longer the actor playing the part. They are the part. Certainly, knowing how to do the things described within the script helps make the movie seem authentic and real to the viewer. But the amount of power and emotion you bring to the scenes completely depends on the grasp you have over your character. Even if you've not experienced the same emotional mindset as your character, you still need to draw from deep within yourself to play the part.

 

As a writer, I need to draw deep within myself to pull out every little emotion from the reader. My job is to make you, the reader, feel you can see this scene as if it played out right in front of you. I need you to believe this story is true. That my characters are real people you could meet on the street, pass, and never know they were anything more than a person you passed on the street. There is a magnetism that draws your eyes to them, but they are oblivious to your attention.

 

So how does one fall into method writing? I feel that all of us writers fall somewhat into that category. We do our research. We draw from deep within ourselves and pull out buried emotions and feelings. I know I've spent hours with my characters learning them, becoming them. We become so absorbed into our worlds we've created, whether its the world we live in or created by our own brain power, until we see nothing else. Time passes us by in just the blink of an eye. Your fingers fly over the keys as you pound out every move. You see the production in front of you with such clarity it's hard to believe with just a few words mumbled no one else knows what the hell you're talking about.

 

As a reader do you often find yourself imagining the characters as if they were standing in front of you acting out the book you're reading? Of the authors you read, who do you think makes you visualize the characters the most? Writers do you envision yourself as the characters and become one with your story while you're writing it? If you don't know something you're writing, what's your first course of action to rectify that?

 

PS. How is everyone's writing going this month?

Influence this week: I'd say mass quantities of alcohol, but I haven't drank a lick.

Music: In anticipation of getting Parabelle's acoustic CD early- “Saturnalia” by Evans Blue (w/ Kevin Matisyn) I've got my fingers crossed that the secret song on the CD is this one.

 

 

It's the first week of May, which means Mayawrapawrimo is in full swing. (Is that how we're spelling it? *dismissive gesture* Meh, it's close enough that you get the point.) We're all brimming full with promise of massive quantities of pages about to be written. Positive energy is practically oozing from your pores like pheromones calling out to other writers. This will be a great month for all of us. I'm sure of it.

 

I love writing. Ever since I decided to go for it, I've found joy with creating situations for characters and using the characters to do my evil bidding- I mean, goody two-shoeing- for fun. It's fun to see characters and stories come to life from your imagination. It's easy to remember as a kid having a grand imagination and using it for all sorts of childish endeavors. I spent my entire childhood outside chasing after one story to the next. It was only after I became an adult (I use that term loosely) and was inspired that I decided it was time to put my imagination to work.

 

Fat lot of good that's done me.

 

So as I struggle along trying to finish one manuscript after the next, I go back to those days when my imagination ran wild amongst the black-eyed susans and honeysuckle and purple clover. When I could climb a tree and pretend I was almost touching the sky. Imagination is meant to be fun. I sometimes lose sight of that when I'm struggling to bring my characters to life.

 

I know most of you do some sort of story boarding and character interviewing to understand your story better. Especially when you're first starting out. Those questions we ask all have a point that steers the story towards the end. It helps you know your characters reactions and thought processes. It's all rational. How about some silly stuff? I want to chill out with my character today. Not that any interaction with your character won't help you know them better. But how about today we have some fun?

 

I decided over the weekend while I could rally the pirates and friends for the Mayawrapawrimo, we really don't need a firm boot planting this early on. So let's have some exercise. I'll ask some questions and write your first response from your character's perspective.

 

I'm going to use my heroine for my YA whom I'm working with right now. We don't need to know the age or name or situation the character is in. The point of the exercise is fun and just finish the sentence with the first character thought that comes to mind.

 

Example:

 

Question 1. My alarm goes off in the morning and I...?

 

Answer: I beat it with my fist until it shuts the hell up.

 

 

 

 

Question 2: What's the first thought in your mind when you wake up?

 

 

Question 3. All you have is rotten eggs and ketchup in the fridge and you're starved... what happens next?

 

 

Question 4: Someone is calling you by a nickname. What is it?

 

 

Question 5: You hear a noise in the middle of the night. It wakes you from a dead sleep. What's your first move?

 

Answer: It would have to be one helluva noise to wake me from a dead sleep.

 

Me: *eye roll* Just go with it.

 

Answer: Well, there's all kinds of noise in the shelter. Are we talking like mass chaos, broken glass and screaming or atomic bombs and tanks rolling through the living room?

 

Me: *giving the look* The kind that means trouble, smart ass.

 

Question 6: You can go anywhere and do anything. What's first?

 

Question 7: It's a quiet night and you're home with nothing to do. What's your game plan?

 

Question 8: A person is interested in you and you've taken notice. What happens next?

 

 

You don't have to answer all of them. The question might not pertain to your character's situation. Ry's in a world where there's not much of an option to go anywhere and do anything. Or have a quiet night at “home”. Just answer the ones that jump out at you and your character.

 

PS. Pamela Clare's newest I-Team book, Breaking Point, released yesterday. Don't forget to pick it up if you're an I-Team fan!

I shoved a hand through my hair as I made my way into the office. Or as I liked to call it, my imagination room. Except this month, I lacked all the imagination I usually found within the room's four walls.

 

April was a rough month.

 

I sighed as I flipped the floor lamp on in the corner behind the chaise lounge. The calendar behind my desk reminded me April was almost over, X's covered all the days passed. With just a few days left and several thousand words left to cover, this month felt impossible. May wouldn't be any different. I'd pledged in a slight drunken stupor to do the same goal next month.

 

I flopped into my computer chair. Mina sat up with a squawk. She flicked her tail in my direction, smacking me hard on the hip. Her eyes shot me the death stare as she climbed up on top of my desk and stomped with extra enthusiasm on my keyboard as if she showed her displeasure with each little step.

 

I pinched the bridge of my nose and mentally counted to ten. I couldn't do anything right this month. I couldn't wait until April was over and done. Bring on May and another 50k challenge. Maybe May would bring me better luck.

 

At the beginning of the month, I felt such promise pulsing through my veins. The creative juice that fills me on my off months motivates me right off the bat. But I struggled to find my voice. Struggled to find my point-of-view. Struggled to find my starting point. So I worked hard on notes. I used up a new notebook and two new ink pens. I added new music into my playlist. But all that successfully did was get my booty out of the chair and down onto the trail for my other monthly goal.

 

That's right. Not only did I foolishly say I would write 50k this month. I also pledged to run on the trail 5 days a week. I did better with one than the other. I've been on the trail Monday through Friday since the beginning of the month (except for the days I was in Florida). I've managed about 2 to 3 miles a night. It helped clear my head of work. Helped me focus on my story. However, it did not help me put my fingers on the keyboard and type it out.

 

I reached for the pink Peeps and tossed one into my mouth. The Word cursor blinked back at me with no sympathy whatsoever. I slouched in my chair, put one foot up on the corner of the desk and propped the wireless keyboard in my lap.

 

Where do I go from here? What do I see?

 

Tank eyed me from his position on the back of the chaise lounge. Mina stared me down from the top of a stack of shoujo manga. The desk lamp beats down on me, giving me the third degree.

 

I take a deep breath to calm down. I close my eyes and imagine my world. This dark insidious world where nothing is truly what it seems. Where night is always around the corner. Where you can find me lurking the shadows.

 

All is right in my world. I just need to write it.

 

Now, Hellie and I had a drunken writing meeting last week with the GPS; and it was decided by Hellie and I that we'd do another 50k month for May (and June too). So will you join us on our writing crusade? Do you ever think of your own life as a story you're narrating as you move along? Anyone want to share their word count this month? Or pledge a word/page count for the month of May?

First Edition. Fourth Volume.

 

The month is finally coming to an end. Those of us who've participated in Awrapawrimo are weary, achy, have forgotten what quality sleep feels like (unless you're used to it), have permanent keyboard finger where they are stuck in position to type, and have consumed a bag of chocolates a day for almost 30 days.

 

Those of us who didn't participate in Awrapawrimo, you'll get another opportunity in August when I start my August push of 50k. I've yet to name it. We can come up with something clever later. Something to do with not being able to stand the heat and need to stay inside with air conditioning will probably fit in the title.

 

Since this is my last Sunday Fantasy Land blog I figured we could talk about anything we'd love to have yet don't. This could be napping during the day. This could be a personal trainer named Tristan who's so hot you have to fan yourself every time he comes over to give you your personal yoga lesson. It could be that you lounge beach side with a mojito in your hand while a trove of men cater to your every whelm. It's a Fantasy Land, take advantage of it.



In my Fantasy Land I have an unending supply of Shojo manga with disgustingly nice HEAs and wonderful love stories and heartbreaking black moments. And maybe some really good Shonen manga as well but they have to have a light romance background or I won't be interested. And I can read Kanji so I have no need to get the subbed manga. Also, in my Fantasy land, I have my own private room with a lock and a thumb pad and five different codes to get into. In this room I have my own TV and DVD player. Also, all my walls are lined with book shelves filled with my favorite manga. The room is the color of a dark cloudy day and I have a chaise lounge in the corner for reading. I have two oversized recliners for kicking back with a friend in my private room and watching anime all day. In my room there is a secret door that leads you down a secret hallway so you don't have to pass through the rest of the house to leave. And while snacking and food is usually not my top priority, I have to think of others. (GPS said so.) So in my secret hallway, you can veer off to my own private stash of goodies.

 

And Chanceroo, you'll have to deal. It is a manga man, but he's naked and in the shower. Compromise a bit please. And yes please. I will jump in. And  you.

 

You may think I have lame wants in my Fantasy Land, but I don't need much to make me happy. I'm easy. (I hear it a lot.) What will you have?

First Edition. Third Volume.

 

So we've done toys and vacations. Fantasy Land is a great place to imagine your busy life is being managed quite well. You're never stressed out. You move from one thing to the next almost effortlessly. There is a reason behind this- assistants.

 

We've all seen the movies where the successful person has someone who is tailing behind them managing their life. I don't need an ego booster (GPS calls me the Ego Crusher 5000 and swears I shouldn't be anyone's personal assistant unless I want them to jump in a pothole and concrete themselves in to get away from me.)  I don't need some to micromanage me. However, I need someone to help me. I'm not a machine. I can't add additional memory into my brain like an external hard drive can help you when you're about to crash. My phone can only hold and do so much. I need a faithful, trustworthy assistant to trail behind me and gently remind me that today is the day I have to go to the gyno. (What? Even famous people have to go. It's not like once you become famous your DR looks at you and says, “Yup, you're famous now. I'm done with this.”)

 

TMI. But it's true. I need help. Even now. My life in my Fantasy Best Seller life is hectic. I have two series that are Best Sellers. I have an image to maintain since I'm two different people in the same writer body. I've been to some Best Seller book signings. I've seen the people working behind the scenes. The people who go up to the Best Selling author and whisper in their ear and the author nods. The interviews, the awards, the signings. Recognition for hard work and time spent working into a frenzy over the next story.

 

I'm not delusional. I know a writing career is extremely hard work. Once you become published you spend your time tirelessly promoting yourself and your books. You live with just a few scraps of sleep a night, smile until your cheeks hurt, make people feel like you've known them forever with just a few sentences exchanged between you. Your gracious and welcoming to everyone you meet. You think of the early days before you were signed and working your fingers to the bones. Every night you stay up crying over a rejection letter and frustration built up inside of you until you almost gave up on your dream. Everything in the past brings you to this day.

 

Fantasy Land life: My writing career.



(You might find this an odd picture but GPS and I fell in love with Sailormoon together and have always pretended we're Jupiter (me) and Mars (GPS).)

In my Fantasy Land, the GPS is going to take over as my personal assistant. She's been doing it for years but as my life grows steadily busier than the year before, GPS becomes my main support. She schedules everything, makes sure everything runs smooth. She makes sure I get from one place to the next. She makes sure I sleep at least 2 hours a night. She makes sure my new Chucks are on my feet, my bedhead is covered by my hoodie and my faded jeans are not too ripped up when we walk out of the hotel room to go to my signing as Christie Taylor. She makes sure every hair on my head is perfect, my make up is flawless, my outfit is stylish, sunglasses in place as Nika Riley. GPS is my rock. GPS is the reason I function as a Best Seller. She runs my team. My batbabes are running the tour. And I'm out on a massive tour with all my pirates.

 

 

So in this volume of Fantasy Land, let's pretend our careers. You have nannies and cabana boys and a pool boy and the praise of your awesomeness can be heard across the world. How would you have it?

 

Influences this week: The look in Fallon's eyes as I'm writing him, the feel of fingers without fingernails as they wrap around your neck and fresh air. And a song called, “Simple Lies” by Endo.

 

 

So I bought an independent keyboard for my laptop. Well, actually, I bought the independent keyboard and mouse at Christmas as a present to myself. This probably seems weird and silly to you since I bought the laptop to be flexible. But my hands have a mind of their own. I can't seem to type over the mouse sensor pad without deleting half of what I just wrote. So I had a brilliant idea (really, all my ideas are brilliant- whether they are half crazy or just plain crazy simply because I'm a pirate) and I hatched this ambitious plan to write three books this year.

 

Once I have a regular keyboard, I can rule the world!

 

I spend about a month gearing up to do massive write downs (sort of like a beat down, except in writing form). So in March, I pulled out my fancy, handy-dandy keyboard and mouse combo and plugged the little flash drive into my side port. It's gleaming black and has all these neat little toggle buttons along the top of it. It's nifty.

 

Having an independent keyboard is the bees knees of writing expeditions. I type so much faster without having to worry about where the evil cursor might start eating my words. I can put my feet up on the desk and put the keyboard in my lap and type away. It's like faeries fashioned up this keyboard just for my writing pleasure.

 

Until, I hit a tense wall.

 

Saturday, utterly dejected and feeling like the world's biggest idiot, I slumped into my office. I stared down at my fabulous keyboard and picked it up. “Why, oh why did you do this to me, keyboard? I thought we were a team. You've betrayed me.”

 

And the keyboard, knowing it had done the ultimate of all betrayals stayed silent and cold. The keyboard let me write in both first person POV and third person POV.

 

I flopped over in my chaise lounge with marshmallow Peeps until my tongue and fingers were hot pink and sugar coated.

 

I'm torn. GPS and I have discussed the YA being written in third person POV. We both think more of the story could be told. You would have the chance to hear the backgrounds and learn more of the world. But there is so much of the world that's different from our own, I think there would be a chance of overload and things being lost in transition in third person POV. And let's face it, third person POV is my weakest writing skill.

 

I've been working on my third person knowing that someday I might need it. In fact, the last two weeks of March I wrote a one shot in third person and re-worked a previous one shot from first person to third. I wrote my first third person sex scene two weeks ago. It was horrible. I never want to do it again. I felt weird and discombobulated and confuzzled. How does one stick with one third person POV when writing sex scenes. I felt like I was head hopping and spying on someone's intimate moment. It really just felt like reading a really bad porn script. My beta swears while it was different than my usual writing, it was still good. I think she's crazy. (Well, she is crazy because she's friends with me, but that's besides the point.)

 

Telling this story, in a different world, is an entirely new process to me. I'm always unsure of my writing. I constantly read back to myself and cringe. I'm having tense issues further on in the story when one person in charge of babysitting my main character is challenged by another for rights to babysit. With my main character not an intricate part of the fight, nor really able to see enhanced movements, she's pretty much a worthless POV. The best POV at this point would be her babysitter. The only way to achieve that is to write the whole damn story (and series) in third person. I'm not quite to this scene, I'm only thinking ahead. But it's a problem.

 

And the problem of Friday night where I wrote 3,000 words in Fallon's POV without noticing what I'd done. It was almost a seemless write into his mind at the time. It wasn't even really third person. More of a first person, but felt like third. I dunno how to describe it other than Fallon possessed me.

 

Don't get me started on writing the beginning. If only I was good at them. I think I'd write more often. I'm currently sitting at a little over 15k and knowing about half of it will be dumped in revision, I'm feeling a little more desperate to get going into the story. I'd like to be at 25k by Friday which would put me half way through the month and my word goal. But with all my back pedaling and stalling, I'll be lucky to see 20k by the end of the week.

 

So, how do you decide on what POV to stick with? I know I can always go back and edit later, but to write a whole book in one POV only to realize I have to shift it all? I shudder at the thought. And where are you at with your story goals? Having any luck with the muse?

First Edition. Volume Two.


 

Well, last Sunday I introduced you to my little private Fantasy Land where I have a fabulous Best Seller career. All my practicalities are taken care of so all that's left is for me to have some fun while I write. Toys was our hot topic last time. What kind of impractical stuff we'd have if it didn't come down to the need to worry about the numbers and “Will I really use this” parts of life.

 

Next on my agenda is vacation. I like to travel. I like to get away from home and give myself a breather. I can't imagine that would change once I have my Fantasy Best Seller career so this gives me the opportunity to think where I'd want to have a vacation home. I'd stay in the states. I know exactly where I'd go.

 

Fantasy Vacation home:

 

Tybee Island, Georgia, USA



This may sound really boring to some of you in my Fantasy Land I can go anywhere and stay anywhere, and I choose to stick in the states. I've never been OUT of the states. I could take a guess where I'd want to go but then I'd have to list the whole damn world. And I'd really love to say I'd have a vacation home in Alaska (so beautiful) but I want a beach and sand, and fishy ocean water and quaint little town. I like peace and quiet. Tybee Island is so beautiful and peaceful and QUIET. Even though it's more of a tourist attraction than it used to be, it still looked exactly the same when the GPS and I went back 10 years after the first time we'd been. I'd buy a little house right off the beach on a dead end road. Just a cottage. Windows on every wall but floor to ceiling on the wall facing out on the beach. French doors so I could open them and just leave them open. The curtains could flutter in the breeze, sunlight could stream in.

 

In my little cottage, I'd have two bedrooms. Neutral colors. My desk would be in the living room, facing out towards the ocean. I'd have no TV. No land lines. No Internet. I'd keep my cell phone on silent. I could walk into town if I wanted interaction. I'd stay in the comfort of the cottage and cook if I wanted solitude away from everyone.

 

In other words, it's perfect.

 

So this week in our second edition of Fantasy Land think about where you'd want to be for a vacation. What would be your ideal spot? Somewhere to go and be alone with your family, friends, significant other? Or somewhere where you could be yourself and write without distractions and just relax?

And lucky enough for you, Chanceroo, I didn't post manga men. *grin*

 

First Edition. First Volume.

 

There are days I need to get away into my fantasy world. Like most people, I'm a daydreamer. I'm also a procrastinator. These two things mesh really well together when I'm struggling to put my fingers on the keyboard. So the GPS play a game with each other to keep ourselves motivated. (She says it's to keep me motivated so she can quit her day job. But I'll get to that more later.) We play Fantasy Land. If you were on the EJ BB years ago, you know of CandiLand. This is similar. Except this world is filled with things I'll have once I dethrone the Stephenie Meyers and PC & Kristen Casts of the Best Seller YA world. While I'm skeptical on the best of days, I have no need to be disillusioned in my Fantasy World. There anything is possible.

 

I want the usual stuff. I want to be stable. (My mind won't be but my finances could use some bracing.) I want to be confident and have readers who love what I write. I want everything paid off so nothing is hanging over my head. But in Fantasy Land, all that practical crap is taken care of. Fantasy Land is the place where I have things I want.

 

And what I want is not too extravagant. This month, I'll set the category and I'll invite you all to have your own Fantasy Land where you have the funds to get what you want.

 

First Edition is toys. Toys are toys. They aren't practical. They are for fun. We all have our toys. The modest, practical versions of what we truly want. Electronics, vehicles, paper shredders (Whatever, I'm not here to judge.)

 

My toy of choice:

 

1968 Camaro SS



I'm a fan of automotive grease. I like the smell of oil and rubber and gasoline and power. The rumble of the engine at idle, the surge of power as you hit the gas. I'd find one that needed some love, and while I couldn't do the work (duh, too busy with my fabulous writing career), I'd pay someone to put in some serious love time on the Camaro. My monster is pure black, dark tinted windows, sound proof, a sound system that would blow your eardrums if cranked up. Instead of the small block, I want the Corvette motor- 427 cubic inches of blowing your mind fastness.

 

And while I'm at it in my Fantasy Land. I want my new Camaro too. But I want the 2012 Camaro Z28. Glossy black, dark windows. And in this land, I will have an extra gear so when I street race a suped up Mustang who thinks they are gonna get the better of me, I'll blow the doors right off his pony car.



 

 

Now the category is Fantasy toys. Think about what you'd to toy around with (exclude men. Be patient.) and have some fun. I know we're all doing Awrapawrimo (I swear, I spell it different every time) this month and we need to enjoy ourselves as well.

Influence this week: I found my missing Kiki flash drive!! And a new playlist for next month.

 

 

 

I've been working up a storm this month.

 

Yeah, the day job is chaos. No joke. When is it not? But also at home. Just like I prepared for National November Writing Month last November, I decided to embark on a similar journey for the month of April. It's affectionately being called, Awrapawrimo. The GPS made it up. I'm sure there is some April, Writing and Month in there. Much like the bruising pace of November, April will test the wills of even the hardest writers. I've set quite the goal for myself this year. One that won't be easily obtained and I will only get close if I manage to stick on track with my writing. I need to complete two books this year (the first and second book of my YA series) and by NaNo 2011, I will be ready to start my second book of Kiki's series. That gives me three months for each of the YA series, with a month in between to defrag my brain and breathe before November.

 

So just like how I prepare for November, I prepared myself for April. While I love and consume a number of paranormal and urban fantasy novels, I've never actually worked on one myself. I've never built a world or generated otherworldly beings. I live in my own little fantasy world where these creatures live and inhabit but never make their way to the light of day. My YA series is a paranormal, urban fantasy based series of a seventeen year old girl. At first, I wasn't convinced to write a YA book. I like YA books. I've read some pretty far out there YA books with lots of adult situations and language. But me? Write one? Um, on my best day my language is rated R and on my worst, I can make construction workers blush bright red.

 

But honestly, I'm tired of writing sex scenes. I truly am. Maybe when I find a set of characters that deserve it after they've earned the right in my story to have sex I'll start enjoying it again. I never thought I'd say this but I'm giving up the sex writing for the time being. YA is a good genre for me to get into and I think a good learning opportunity for me. To grow my own relationships, to watch my own characters grow and come to life. I'm looking forward to seeing through the eyes of a new character set even if the task at hand is a little daunting.

 

So is anyone willing to take on the crusade of Awrapawrimo with me? I made GPS pledge to do it. I made Hellie swear under penalty of walking the plank. But let's make it fun. While NaNo is stressful, how about we all set a lofty goal of words for next month and see how far we can get? You don't need to do 50k (I am. I've sworn a glittery blood oath with GPS) but something you want to aspire to next month. This is not the time to be stressed out. The whole fun of NaNo is quantity over quality. Use next month to edit. Or the next one after that, but let's get fired up. RWR and loyal friends, let's kick ass!

 

How many of you have participating in a writing challenge? What's the most words you've written in a single month?

Influence this week: “Ticking Bomb” by Eyes Set to Kill (Broken Frames, 2010)

I started a new manga series. Yeah, I know I said I was gonna give up my guilty pleasure. So shoot me, I didn’t. Reading manga is somewhat of an addiction to me. I don’t feel high, or feel euphoric every time I pick up a new volume or find a new scanned chapter straight from Japan. I smile secretly to myself and consume it. It’s like picking up that fifth of vodka and knocking it back or opening a new pack of cigarettes and smoking them all until they’re gone. There is no satisfaction in the addiction, only the feeding. Then you’re left with the guilt and the want of more.

I’m in awe of the fast past of manga. Picture and dialog based stories. I’ve struggled to write realistic conversations between my characters since I started. I’m sarcastic. Nothing I say comes out the way that I want it to, even when I’m being sincere. I’m constantly stating in emails when I try to be serious, or sincere that I’m not being sarcastic or mean. I can’t get my voice to express that type of emotion. Apathy (it amuses me that apathy can be construed as emotional laziness) doesn’t translate well into conversations. And while that’s all fine and dandy for some of my characters (Tory, for one. Ry, for another) I need to grow as a writer.

When I come to a dialog heavy portion in my writing, I ponder it for hours. Days. Weeks. I write it, read it and cringe. It’s stilted. Full of sarcasm on my part as the writer. I don’t find my characters lacking the emotion for the scene or even myself lacking the emotional state to pour it out, it’s wording and placement. It’s clues to be given, advancement of the storyline. I’ve tried just pouring it out and moving forward. Rushing it makes it worse. Stalling brings on bouts of doubt and self loathing for my lack of creativity. I fall into a pit of despair every time I run into dialog. And that’s often.

I don’t read many self help blogs and books about writing. (Maybe I should. I need a therapist for all the characters and personalities inside of my mind while I work on my two separate series’.) I once read that agents and publishers flip through manuscripts to see how many breaks in a line per page. If there were lots of short sentences, they knew the book would read fast, keep the reader interested and engaged on the storyline. But if the paragraphs continued on and on without many breaks, the manuscript tended to be put to the side.

I find dialog to be incredibly boring. Sorry. For me, writing description, filling in the blanks for the reader is what keeps me interested. While dialog may move the characters forward with the reader, for me, description is what allows me to show you the world and the situation the characters are placed in. It allows me to interact with my reader, allowing them inside my mind, what the scenery looks like as it played out. Dialog is incredibly telling. While dialog allows you to see how my characters connect to others, the way they interact within the situations is showing you more of their personality.

I’m torn. My number one goal of a writer is to learn, to grow and mature. I want to be the best. I’m too proud to ask for help. Too shy to take an improv class. (I read Janet Evanovich did this before she started the Plum series.) And too poor to start taking classes. So I come to you, oh wonderful blog readers (and also fellow writers). What are your suggestions for learning to write more creative and showing dialog? Tips are welcome too. Do you like to write dialog or description more? And what is your least favorite part of working on a novel?

Influences this week: New Music! Eyes Set to Kill

 

It’s no big secret that I travel a lot between my current hometown and Phoenix. I spend a lot of the time between cities reading and people watching and eavesdropping on conversations between loved ones separated by the distance between them. I like to travel. I like being on my own, in my own little world and constantly surrounded by the unknown that comes to me each time I leave.

I do not like things out of my control.

I have a righteous sense of control. Willpower of steel. A temper kept under lock and key that could ice over the seventh level of hell when unleashed. But like all people, I can only be kept in check for so long before I completely lose all my senses and go ape shit.

I’ve gotten better over the years with flying. The ability to let someone else take the reins over my life and get me from point A to point B was slow going. I have no desire to fly myself anywhere, and seeing as how I lack the funds to purchase my own plane right this moment, would have no use for said license. But, I keenly keep my eyes peeled for suspicious activity. Suspicious flying methods. Suspicious people. Everyone is the enemy. I’m aware this is a character flaw in my personality. I like character flaws. It makes a person, ie: character, unique. It helps people relate to one another. I take this opportunity to learn about other people’s flaws in times of panic. Times of struggle. Times of weakness. Because really, who likes to allow others to control their destiny? No one. And you rarely see flaws and weaknesses in one’s character until pivotal points in a character’s life. You see the image they’d like to project into society. As writers, we write the characters we’d like to see in society. The bad guys we’d like to see dead and brought to justice. New worlds created and expanded upon. And love stories that beg for extra attention. That’s what we do. It’s what we enjoy. My writer’s sense of mind comes alive when I hear one side of a conversation. Or I see a crystal rainbow reflect and dance around inside my car. Imagination is what keeps writers typing.

Imagination is what gets my mind into trouble.

I spent a miserable night traveling back from Phoenix last Saturday night. I’m used to layovers and delayed flights and late planes and DB’s who bring nasty smelling food onto the plane and sit right in front of me. It’s a part of the whole travel experience. What I don’t enjoy is circling an airport until the plane nearly runs out of fuel. Planes that nearly land on top of one another. Planes that go to airports that are closed and leave us out on the runway while we refuel and try to de-ice enough to get back in the air. And airlines who are pricks and treat you with no respect, nor care that they are the cause you missed your flight 3 hours ago. Not to mention lost your luggage that they made you gate check and try to tell you it’s already at your final destination when you were in Milwaukee when the flight you missed was headed to St. Louis.

I’m here to tell you that in those instances, even people with little to no imagination can start dreaming up some pretty crude scenarios on how the night is going to end. You can see it in their eyes. You can read it in their body language. You can hear it in their voices when they get on their cell phones after the Captain has addressed the whole cabin. I imagined my whole world ending in a field of flames, set in the backdrop of windblown snow. People jumping out of the plane, on fire, as their skin melted right from the bones, fingers reaching for me as I stood in the middle of the carnage with Death shadowing over me.

So, with that said, I’d like to have an Evil Twin moment with American Airlines.

Dear American Airlines,

I put up with your attitude with smile, because normally I’d ice pick you and leave you bleeding out where you fell.

I put up with the extra two hour plane ride going out to Phoenix because I can understand wanting to hover over Tijuana for hookers and blow before you end your night.

I put up with you telling me you have to gate check my carry on suitcase because our flight was 30 minutes late getting into the gate. Most like the pilot was getting air head and lost track of time when he couldn’t keep it up.

And I put up with the creepy flight attendant hitting on me because I sat in the aisle seat and look like I might be a good time.

But. When you circle around an airport for 3 hours until you almost run out of fuel, try to land me on top of other aircraft landing on the runway, take me to an airport in the middle of nowhere frozen tundra land, take three more tries to get us landed, berate me at the gate counter, try to convince me this is all my fault, lose my luggage, give me dead baby chick fetuses in my nasty Mickey D’s and cause my best friend to microwave her panties in an attempt to feel clean again, I say enough is enough. May you rot in hell with your miserable customer service, your self-serving attitudes and piss poor flights and broken seats that have been screwed in one too many times.

I have a special ice pick for you in my own special version of hell I’m saving for you.

Sincerely,

Evil Twin

Do your characters travel and how well do they do in situations where they are forced into something that is completely out of character for them? How do they deal with stress? How do you as the writer and reader deal with stress, either when you’re writing your characters and they won’t cooperate or as a reader when a character does something completely unlike them?

Influences this Week- VACATION! Music: Memories Broken- Shelflyfe

I've gotta tell you, it's really hard to focus on a creative blog when I've been obsessed with numbers the past couple of months. I even had a nightmare the other night that I'd forgotten to write a blog for my day. (It's been a while since I've posted, since Hellie was so gracious to post for me during our hellacious snow storm a couple weeks ago.) The snow we've had this year is really messing with my schedule. I have a precise schedule I follow every year to get everything finished and on time. But when you spend weeks at home snowed in, that tends to mess with routines. And I'm a creature of habit. It's the only way my OCDs will allow me to function in the real world.

But despite every interruption from mother nature, I'm still going on my yearly escapade to Phoenix. I should be caught up with my responsibilities enough to get out of the office for a week. So starting Friday I won't be looking over tax forms, or 1099s from multiple insurance companies, or worrying about budgeting, or monthly finances. I'm going to enjoy the sunshine and absorb myself into another world.

I decided at the beginning of the year that this would be my year of firsts. I would finish Kiki's first book. I would work on my urban fantasy novel and start the process of building a new world within our dimension and beyond. (Also a first for me.) And I would start work on the second book in Kiki's series for NaNo 2011.

I'm in the process of overhauling Kiki's first book. NaNo books tend to have issues since it's all about pushing to get the words and not worrying about the quality. I knew it would have issues and I went into NaNo knowing the amount of work it would take to make the book start to finish. So with Kiki's first book “finished” (meaning a beginning and an end) I've made my new notes and will start adding in the scenes needed to make it flow and then I'll have to work on some flow in editing. I've got a full notebook in written notes, extra scenes and ideas to make it cohesive. The book plays out like a movie in my head. As the director, the characters allow me some creative licensing, but not a lot of wiggle room. Dex and Kiki really want in each other's pants. Tory says in no way, shape or form am I allowed to let Kiki and Dex get down and dirty. Or she will revolt and turn the second book into a free for all killing spree. Dex says I'm cruel mistress who has no sympathy for blue balls. *grin* Maybe some fan service to myself might be in order. Though, I might have to write a threesome. Which would be a first for me.

So getting back to my original thought. I'm going to world build for the first time in my writer life. We all know that Chanceroo is a pro at it. The drink slinger aboard the RWR has one helluva imagination. Her world building knows no bounds. She's my inspiration. I'm not creatively as free spirited as Chanceroo but I'm going to let my mind float around with some possibilities and go for it. Because in the words of Chanceroo once told me, it's my world. Anything and everything is possible and no one can tell me other wise because it's of my creation.

So I have a new notebook ready for notes and a brain ready to creative on my vacation. I'm looking forward to fleshing out my new dimension. Sort of like going on a new adventure with my new characters. Usually this is my least favorite part about writing. New places and faces always give me anxiety but I'm flush with excitement.

Are you adventuresome? What new thing are you going to try this year? New author, new genre? What do you like to see in your “new” world fiction? Anything that steers you away from a book right away?