Monday, September 6, 2010
The Pantser's Lament with Barbara Monajem
Lately I’ve been babysitting my daughter’s dog. He’s a great dog, but it hasn’t taken him long to size me up. I’m a pushover, and he knows it. I feed him when he begs. I scratch his belly when he asks me to. I let him wander where he wants on our walks. The truth is, I’m too lazy to argue. I was the same way with my kids, but kids can be reasoned with. They understand what you’re saying. They can learn the value of mutual consideration. (Don’t laugh. I’m serious! My kids turned out amazingly well, considering.) Dogs, on the other hand, only understand who’s in charge, and given the option, they’d rather be it. Lately, I’ve had to fight back, because the alternative was rolling over and giving in to his every doggy demand.By nature, I’m a seat-of-the-pants kind of writer. I love starting with an idea or a character and just jumping into the story to see where it takes me. This is what happened with Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil. I’d just read Dracula, after which I was gung-ho to write a vampire romance – but not about someone who was sort of dead. (Undead, to me, equals bad breath. Not romantic!) So I chucked all the aspects of vampirism I didn’t like and found myself writing about a female vampire whose fangs, irresistible sexuality, and taste for blood were all genetic. The story practically wrote itself, and Ophelia’s added characteristics, such as healing saliva and enhanced senses, came to me as the story progressed.
Unfortunately, most stories don’t come that easily. The flying into the wind part does, but more often than not, it gets me into big trouble. Sure, lots of cool stuff shows up en route, but unfortunately, much of it takes the form of complications and plot twists. On the other hand, if I try to plan a story ahead of time – make lists of characteristics, draw up an outline of what will happen and why – it feels awfully uninspired. I need to learn how to soar by the seat of my imagination while remaining at least somewhat tethered to practicality. I realized this last week after a brief, enlightening conversation with an editor in London, who pinpointed exactly what was wrong with the plot-heavy historical short story I’d sent her and told me (in the form of a polite suggestion) precisely what I should do to fix it. Her idea was both brilliant and simple. Duh. Thank God for editors. They make all the difference.
I had a similar problem with Tastes of Love and Evil, my recent paranormal release. It’s about another female vampire, but the first version had so many loose ends that I had to make the wrong character (neither the hero nor the heroine) save the day in order to drag all the ends together. No way was I handing that mess to an editor, so I rewrote the dang thing, but it still needed a lot of editorial input and several rewrites of the ending before it was finally finished. What was I doing wrong?Well. My daughter’s dog taught me the answer, so our struggle for domination, although exhausting for me, wasn’t entirely useless. I hadn’t realized the nature of my muse, so I was treating her all wrong. Quite frankly, my muse is a bitch. Treat her with consideration and reverence, and she’ll roll all over me. She has fun ideas, such as a different take on vampires, and sometimes she’ll hand me a story ready-made – but she’ll also use every trick in her repertoire to make sure things go her way. If the plot takes a wrong turn, she solves it by adding another twist. She’ll turn a short story premise into a full length plot, and a full-length into a multi-volume saga. She doesn’t let up until it’s past deadline, everything has gone to hell, and I’m finally focused on the simplest way to get the damned job done. Then she goes on vacation until the next project begins.
It’s hard to believe, but I have to learn to CONTROL my muse. “Down muse, down! NOT NOW!”
Not only that, I have to know WHEN to restrain her and when to let her off the leash. This isn’t going to be easy, so I’m asking you all – how do you manage your muse?
PS: Bo'sun here. To learn more about Barbara and her books, check out her website here. Her's is the only vampire book I've ever read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Click on either cover above to go straight to Amazon.
PPS: I totally forgot to mention that Barbara has been gracious enough to offer up a signed copy of Sunrise In A Garden of Love & Evil to one lucky commenter!
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76 comments:
I lie to my muse. I mislead him, I trick him with flattery and seduction. I convince him it's all about chatting and of course we're not plotting! Perish the thought! No, we're just sitting around shotting the breeze...sharing the rum, roasting marshmallows on the beach...
Nope, no plotting going on at all!
;-)
Welcome to the Revenge! Can I fix you a drink? I'm the resident bartender...a bloody Mary?
Dang! You may have hit the the issue right smack dab on the head. The last time I blogged about my muse, which was probably in the spring, he was male, like yours. We got on very well back then, as I recall. Sometime over the course of the summer, he changed sex and became an energy-sucking bitch goddess who just muscled in and said SHE wants that bloody Mary.
I'd like a hot buttered rum, please and thank you very much. :) I've always wanted to try one of those. It sounds so jolly and pirate-ish. And warm and soothing. I need soothing just now.
It's not even six a.m., so I'm going back to bed to fret over my plot until the rum puts me to sleep. Growr.
Good morning and welcome to The Revenge, Barbara. Thanks so much for joining us today. I'm not sure my muse and I are completely in touch with each other, and right now I'm too distracted to figure it out. LOL!
I have to go play HR lady, but I'll be back shortly. I'll have coffee by then so maybe I can't taunt the muse out to play along.
Welcome, Barbara, and my sympathies on your muse woes. I wish I had a suggestion on how to manage your muse, but my muse is being very uncooperative. So any advice I give would be like me giving parenting advice (I have no kids) -- all theory! LOL
My muse is like Endora (of Bewitched), and I generally have to ignore her in order to get her attention. She handed me a great idea of how to rewrite a book I've got, and then she flew off, leaving me to bang my head against my laptop all weekend -- the only one who seems to be happy is Endora. Sigh. The rewrite SEEMS like a good idea. It just doesn't want to work for some reason.
Okay, I'll take a coffee drink. With coffee liquor. And coffee. And a shot of espresso. LOL
ETA: This is my Capt Cha code (I swear!): FKUC
FKUC?
Is this a code? Like... like ... umm one of those BOB things?
Julie, it's the mother of all typos. LOL (Which proves that Capt Cha code has a wicked sense of humor I guess!)
Sorry … focus … focus …. Where was I? Oh yes, I was off on an exploratory tour of your web page, Barbara. What an intriguing voice you have. It is lush and descriptive with out being overly flowerily.
Your Quite frankly, my muse is a bitch. had me laughing out loud. Your bytch muse sounds exactly like our old bitch. Our old English Springer Spaniel she dog. The creature thought that she ran the house. And often times? It seemed like she did!
Hi Barbara! I don't know how to control my muse. I need a Muse Whisperer. My muse is much like the gremlins who are allowed to eat after midnight and had water dropped on them...in fact, I think I'm going to start calling my muse Spike. He'd like that.
I'm not able to lie to my muse because, well, he knows when I'm lying and he just laughs. Mostly I try to distract him with TV so he's no longer paying attention, except the problem with this is I frequently also get distracted by the TV. :)
Julie, it’s the mother of all typos.
OoohhhMygawd! now i'm afraid to ask what it is you meant to type! Considering what the heck it sounds like ...
Gosh
I got so caught up in snooping around her site I forgot to say …
“ Welcome aboard, Barbara!
And speaking of OMGs, thank you for not making your vampires Dead. I’m sorry people, but I’ve seen dead people. And they are about as sexy as an uncooked Slab of Halibut.
Ick.
Okay, new employees checked in and I see we're off to a running start in here.
Julie - Isn't her site cool? You should really try her books. The undead thing bothers me too, so I loved Barbara's take on the vampire thing being hereditery. And I can totally see you having the allure thing. LOL! Read them and you'll see that's a compliment. :)
I wish my muse would stay around more. She's like a distant cousin who flies in for a quick visit, hints of wonderful tales she could tell, and flies back to her more exotic life, leaving me to struggle with my Inner Critic, a near-permanent resident who looks a lot like my 7th grade English teacher--all frowning eyes and tight-mouthed disapproval.
Yep, Ophelia was doing this post today. I hear her, see her.
Controlling my muse? Isn't that like herding cats?
As a fellow panster, boy do I hear you about the little short that goes to a full-blown 100k word novel. And the plots that journey to the center of the earth and I can't get them back, so just plough through to the other side. And then cut, cut, cut, whack, trim, then slash, burn and cut. Then cauterize my ego. Just think of the books I could write if I could learn to really control that darned girl! Maybe changing sexes would be better. Then I could dance...
Barbara,
Caught your blog announcement on FFP loop. I think we need to start a group called the PLS- Pantser Lamenting Society, because I am right there with you, as are many others with the same condition.
I have to say after taking a plotting class, it forced me to think ahead and plot out a few ideas to write towards, but I usually blow them out of the water when my subconscious takes a course correction on its own. I'm not sure there is a cure for our condition, just a reality check here and there for sanity sake. :-)
I've long said that my muse is like a teenage girl. This weekend's argument....
Me: My heroine has to kill someone.
Muse: OMG what if she killed the bad guy!
Me: No no, hon. Well, maybe, but not until later. I need her to kill someone before the book starts.
Muse: (rolls eyes) Well that's no fun. I mean, geez....
Me: (sternly) Focus now.
Muse: Whatever. You've got this all figured out, huh? (huffy and proceeds to pick at ratty nailpolish on thumbnail.)
Me: (cajoling) Come on... How about a husband or fiance.... Maybe someone threatening a family member? I'm sure there are plenty of people who needed to be killed....
Muse: See, obviously you don't need me. (smug)
Me: Muse? Muse?
***Silence***
Me: Little bitch.
PS, Barbara, welcome to the boat. I love vampire books. I'll definitely seek yours out. And your daughter's dog sounds adorable. :)
Marn - This chick needs to be grounded.
Welcome to our new guests!
Sharon - You make writing sound like a safari into the bush. LOL! I'm a plotter so the sound of that scares me to pieces.
Jean - We have pantsers around this ship that would rather die than take a plotting class. Any tips on how we could get them to venture into that realm?
OMG. So many comments. I just finished having a nervous breakdown doing a last-minute quote for my other job. Having a cup of tea now to calm down, although I don't suppose that's what the tea does now, is it? Where's my hot buttered rum gone...
Julie, thank you for looking at my web page. I have no idea who goes there unless they tell me, at which point I do a happy little dance.
I am not babysitting the dog (Henry, who is a dog and probably hates being compared to a bitch) this week, and the house seems strangely empty.
Janga - You need to switch out the muse and IC. I bet the IC would love an exotic trip abroad.
My muse is quiet and moody and she likes to know everything ahead of time. Though she really wars with the characters who try telling her what to do. It makes for interesting arguments in my head, but not a lot of progress on the page.
Hellie - LOL. I have a Shoulder Whisperer, but he's actually quite helpful. He's the one who sits on my shoulder and zaps me when I've made a historical blooper, or when the heroine took off her shoes twice on the same page. So far I don't have a sex scene where the hero has four hands yet. Not sure whether he'll want to correct that one when it happens. :)
Julie - Dead doesn't work for me, either, in too many ways. Not just the bad breath and the faint but unavoidable smell of rot, but I have a really hard time dealing with immortality in characters, too. Don't want anyone to have to give up either mortality or immortality, so I cravenly avoid the issue.
Janga - Your inner critic needs some hot buttered rum and a long vacation in the soothing forests of the Pacific Northwest. Maybe some hugs, as well. Why not get yourself a shoulder-whisperer instead? One of the great things about shoulder-whisperers is that while they're making you check things out for possible errors, you learn all kinds of cool stuff by accident.
Sharon, I spent all day yesterday ignoring my muse, despite her repeated instructions to INSERT PLOT TWIST HERE. Argh. So exhausting.
Jean! - Thank you for stopping by. Nice to know my announcement didn't go to waste. :) I've tried mapping out major turning points, but I've never succeeded much past the midpoint of the book, alas. Something MUCH more fun shows up en route. I can't play chess, either, so I think it may have something to do with not being able to think more than two steps ahead, if that.
No cure! You're probably right. But at least we have a sisterhood and plenty of shoulders to cry on.
Marnee - LOL. So, who got killed in the end? Uh, I mean before the beginning?
Maybe you could compromise (gasp) with your muse and have the heroine kill a bad guy before the beginning and then another at the end. Better still, the person she kills before the beginning could be someone the muse THINKS is the bad guy but who really isn't.
Bwa-ha-ha.
Barbara - I still haven't figured out who she kills yet. :( Decisions decisions....
I think the person she kills could be a bad guy that everyone thinks is a good guy. That's my gut instinct. But my muse started complicating the works again last night. She's a snot.
Bo'sun, she does need to be grounded. I'll have to take away her ipod.... Maybe then she'll pay attention to me.
Speaking of chess and planning, I taught a second grader boy to play chess. He's now in third grade and he can whip my butt at it. He beat me in 4 moves last month. He learned how to go from aggressive take as many men as possible to planning his moves.
Guess you guessed I'm not a plotter. I have an idea where I want to go and let my characters lead me there.
Better still, the person she kills before the beginning could be someone the muse THINKS is the bad guy but who really isn’t..
That's it, she's an honorary pirate!
So tricksy! I like that!
I do hope my muse doesn't do the sex change thing, it would be very distressing. And he can do bitchy even without the boobs... Generally, it's all bout keeping him drunk enough to be congenial and flirtatous.
Have another buttered rum! ;-)
Oooo! My code is 7LSD...time for me to go tripping?
And he can do bitchy even without the boobs…
Hey! I saw that, Chance!
And my Cap'Cha code is UULA. About which I say ...
I have no comment.
Okay, first panic attack of the week over with. Whew! (Don't ever let your VP go to Europe. Just sayin'...)
I've never thought of chess as a plotters game, but that makes sense. I'm a plotter, but I still don't have the mind for high level chess. I'd have to remember what I plotted and without my storyboard, I'd be toast. LOL!
Muses getting sex changes? This is an interesting voyage today.
Barbara, sometimes you have to get a whip and chair to your muse! That first vampire romance was great and I know the second is also. Tony-Paul de Vissage, also not a plotter, agrees or he wouldn't have given her such a great review. Can't wait to get his opinion of the new one!
Barbara - I can't believe we didn't include a blurb for the new book. I really should have included that. Can you give us a rundown of the story here in the comments?
Fortunately for muses, their sex changes seem to be swift and painless. No surgery, no angst, just presto change-o, look at meeee!
One of the great things about writing romance is getting to do virtual sex changes with each POV shift. I have no idea whether my men are the least bit realistic, but I sure do enjoying being a guy for well nigh half of each book. :)
You guys get all the good CAPTCHA codes. MHSV? Blech.
Toni - Um... I'm way too much of a wimp. Besides, I think the muse would rather do the cracking, but who knows, Tony-Paul might be able to convince her to play bottom.
You want a blurb. Argh. I'm almost as bad at blurbs as at synopses, but here's the concept:
An irresistible vampire saves the life of the one man determined to resist her. Forced to work together to rescue a runaway, they combine her allure and his talent for vanishing into thin air to tackle a vamp-gone-bad and unearth the secrets of the most dangerous club in Bayou Gavotte.
And here's the virtual back cover copy:
Rose Fairburn is on the run. Her vampire nature can’t protect her from everything, especially not herself. Now, when she should be worried about escaping her past, she can only think about one thing. Her kind can’t live without blood or sex. Love they must forego.
Jack Tallis can slake her thirst. Tall. Handsome. Trustworthy. And not a man alive can resist a vamp’s allure. But…Jack can. And he has other secrets, like why underworld hit men are on his trail. How he can vanish into thin air. Love suddenly seems possible, but the shadows hide mysteries darker than Rose can even dream, and all will be revealed in the fetish clubs of one strange Louisiana town….
Part two of my lament, which will include a short excerpt, will be on the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog tomorrow.
Okay, I want to know more about this vanishing into thin air. When I first read the excerpt for this one, I couldn't figure out exactly what Jack is. I need to charge my eReader so I can find out once and for all.
Will there be another in this series? I was hoping Ophelia's neice would get her own story.
LOL. I had a hard time figuring Jack out while I was writing him. He's a sort of human chameleon in that he can fade into the background, but it helps if the background is good for camouflage.
Everything is up in the air for this series because of the ongoing changes at Dorchester Publishing. We shall see what lands where.
I'd love to write Zelda's story! So far I keep imagining her in some kind of time travel situation, but... I dunno. :)
Bo'sun -- What kind of e-reader do you have? Do you like it? This prospective e-reader purchaser wants to know.
Ha! My captcha code capture is Swen, the Svedish masseur. ;)
Swen! This woman really is a pirate at heart! Don't let Donna know, she'll snatch the boy away and into her cabin for some private time...
I love the idea of a human chameleon...
Bo'sun! You broke out your e-reader and are using it? Good for you! I love my Sony, ready six books this weekend on the drive up and back from me Mums...
We could use a good masseuse on this ship!
I have a Sony eReader I received as a present and admit I don't use it much. But I'm starting to use it more lately. I do like it, but it takes some getting used to. If I was looking to get one right now, I think I'd have to go with the Nook.
Re: The series - This is such a great world to play in, I'd hate to see you have to put the town on ice, so to speak. I'll keep my fingers crossed it all works out for you!
Greetings Barbara and Revenge crew!
Gotta tell ya I am NOT a vamp fan, but this book sounds sooo intriguing! Huzzah for you Barbara for making your vamps UNdead.
As for muses, they are an endless source of frustration, or at least mine is. She's cranky, uncooperative, and... well, *I* can't imagine where she came by such traits. Managing her is really not gonna happen so I find the most effective thing is to send her off to dream land. LITERALLY! I've dreamed some of my best story ideas. I highly recommend it.
AC
Hey, Aunty Cindy! I would love to send my muse to Dreamland, but unfortunately all those great ideas that show up during the night vanish with the light of day. And they are always the BEST IDEAS EVER!
Snarl. Dang muse! She needs to SAVE her work.
I wake up with a lot of my story ideas dancing in my head. I somehow hang onto them...but it helps to not wake to an alarm of any sort. I can wander about in a half-dream daze for a few hours and let the idea settle into a place I'll remember before I really wake up.
Barbara, you and I are birds of a feather. I have exactly the same challenge both with my writing and my dogs. :)
My muse doesn't generally change sex. He's content to be a man. A rather patronizing one, like one of those bad car mechanics who can tell you don't know one end of your car from the other. "Now listen, honey, this is what you need to do...and it will only cost you $8000."
My muse must be a night owl because she starts getting all sorts of story ideas when I'm just about to nod off. She starts playing full scenes in my head. But like Barbara, I'm lucky if I can remember any of it in the morning. These muses need to get on a damn schedule.
Hellion - Does he play the old 'you need to rotate the air in your tires' line?
Great post, Barbara. My muse is easier to tame. I like to draw an outline and know where I am going. Unfortunately, my muses often changes directions and urges me to follow just as I finish writing a synopsis.
He tried to tell me I need to change the gerbils in my engine, but I was wise to him.
You ought to replace the gerbils with chipmunks, they work cheaper...
Yes, I hear they work for nuts, which goodness knows we have plenty of around here.
Welcome, Mona. You've managed to tame your muse? Wow, do you off a course in how to do that? LOL!
Taming the Muse...sounds like a good book title! I picture a writer holding a chair and a whip on the cover...
Mona, maybe Beth and I should hire you to draw up our outlines. Are you firm with dogs, too?
Uh, Chance... I dunno. Maybe we should be a weeee bit more subtle.
Not that *I* can think of anything. Titles like Muse Undaunted keep running through my idea. No idea where that came from. Just saying.
ETA: This is my Capt Cha code (I swear!): FKUC
DRD I feel like that might be directed at me. LOL
PS. I'm sorry that I'm late wenches. I suppose I shouldn't be allowed time off of work. I come back to a bucket load of stuff to do and a bad attitude.
Barbara! Bo'Sun has said SO many great things about your book, Sunrise in the Garden of Love and Evil and it is on the TBR pile (I curse the pile and wish I could read at work). Have you always been gung-ho about writing or was it one of those things that sprung up on you with the presence of a muse? My muse is a horrible little fiend, blood sucking little bitch. Not to mention her voice is a lot like fingernails screeching down a chalkboard. How do you block out the bad influence that your muse may have?
Barbara,
I'm a pantser like you, and I'm starting to think your muse and my muse have been hanging out together after dark. Pretty much the only thing I know about her is that she wears a trench coat--sometimes flashing me with brilliant ideas and sometimes keeping it buttoned up so tight nary a plot point can get by (that's when I distract her with shoes and start a new chapter).
Great post!
My muse is a horrible little fiend, blood sucking little bitch. Not to mention her voice is a lot like fingernails screeching down a chalkboard.
HEY! My screeching-err-voice sounds nothing like that. Its subtle. Warm. Homey. Evocative of nature … like … like a cccuuu-cat in heat.
Sin - I started writing when I was a kid, but having kids got in the way of writing. I had to make a conscious decision to let the muse have her way again. I have no problems with her voice as such, but all too often it's garbled, although she would probably call it muse code. I'm not so sure I want to block out the bad influence as much as filter and organize it. Wish me luck...
I might have muse. Muses? Or should that be Amuses, since they just hang around to keep me amused? Though truth be told , I’m not really sure why they hang with me … its not like I write anything. Unless one can count annoying emails!
There is:
Cool Hand Luke: He is constantly telling me that what we have here is a failure to communicate.
Genghis Khan: he keeps telling me that I can’t do/write that because I’m a Christian. Nothing worse than a religious pagan nagging at you.
This Little Person who looks like a Brownie Scout. She keeps poking me in the chest while she whines “You have a responsibility to tell the story.”
I keep telling her to “Back off sister.” but does she listen? No. Maybe because she’s not a Real Muse. She’s my older sister … groan. One of these daze I’m gonna sic Genghis Khan on her.
Good Luck, Barbara. From what I have heard about your books, your muse-code-filter is working just fine!
And I got UUMU?
Isn't that a sonny 7 Cher song? I got UUMU ...I got UUMU
That should be "Isn’t that a Sonny & Cher ..."
CAPTCHA Code: LHZ8
Short hand for LaHzee, as in Julie is too Lazy to type right.
Isn't LaHzee 8s a card game?
PPfffff!
I think that's Crazy 8's. LOL! But I could be wrong!
You-all are a hoot. Thank you for all the kind words about Sunrise and for having me here today. :~))
Our pleasure! You played along quite well, we'll have to have you back and see if we can seduce you into even more lusty chatter...
Thank you for being here, Barbara. Thankfully, the pirates were on their best behavior and managed to stay on topic today. LOL! That doesn't happen very often. If you can run herd on these wenches, you can kick that muse's butt!
Diane - I love the image of the muse as a flasher. I can totally see my muse being like that. And her trench is buttoned up like Fort Knox tonight!
Diane - I totally missed your flasher comment. My bad. Yeah, it's a great image. My muse hasn't flashed me yet in either gender. :(
Isn’t LaHzee 8s a card game?
We played LaHzee 8s the other day, Chance.
I was to LaHzee to cook, so everyone 8s whatever they could find in the fridge.
*snicker*
(that’s when I distract her with shoes and start a new chapter).
Brilliant, Diane!
How come nobody ever distracts meee with shoes-eeewwwwsss?!
Hey! I said distracts, not attacks! Jeez .....
And finally, but not least
Thank you Barbara for stopping by. Your vampires definitely are intriguing. And Bayou Gavotte sounds like my kind of town. Can’t wait to get my hands on one of your books so I can pay the place a visit!
My muse leaves when there is trouble. She doesn't want to hear it.
Very cute blog Barbara. I find myself shaking my head, yes, as I read it.
Hi Barbara! Like you, I'm a pantser, but unlike you, I'm a total agnostic on the question of the existence of a muse. If I believed in her, I suspect she'd derail me more often than not. If I felt I had to wait to solve a plot problem till I was inspired to do so, I'd never get anything done. My motto is BICHOK--"Butt in chair, hands on keyboard."
If I run into trouble, it's usually because I don't know my characters well enough. Then it's time to fold the laundry and have a chat with them.
Happy writing, my friend!
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