I'm getting toward the end of my revisions on a novel I've been working on for over two years. I'm exhausted with this project, and frankly, am sick of revisions. And like the whispers of a kid wanting me to come out and play, I hear the rumblings of a new story.



She's a cop from a city on the East Coast. She's running from something. I'm not sure yet. But she started driving, and she drove until her car broke down, which happened in some dinky little spot-on-the-map town.

 

He runs a sports tournament/camp type thing. He's the son of a small town doctor, with two brothers. One's a doctor too, the other is a fancy-schmancy lawyer. The reminder he's not "living up to his potential" is constant.

Somehow they hook up. I think she needs a job and he gives her one. And then maybe her past catches up.  I have a feeling it'll get dark because that's what happens to most of my stuff. Maybe it was a serial killer she was chasing that drove her to run.



I love this stage. I love all the "maybes" that are floating around in my  head. I'm trying to capture all the emotions, and seize all the fragments I'm seeing. And every idea I get leads to new ideas.

When I was reading Jenny Crusie's blogs about making collages, it seemed she bought most of her items/pictures for her collages during this stage. She looked for items that represented an emotion, or pictures that evoked a tone, while the story developed in her mind.

I tend to free write during this stage, to develop the ideas and emotions I'm seeing. I've heard other people draw pictures, and others start making outlines.

Do you do anything creative to capture ideas in the new-story-idea phase? Do you focus more on the characters, the emotions, the tone, etc? What do you love about this stage? Anybody have any ideas for the scenario above?

I'm in a training session all day today, but I'll respond as often as I can!

Whoohoo! Today the new Sherlock Holmes opens and I’m so looking forward to this second movie. Hoping for lots of explosions, smart-ass comments, some fisticuffs…and phenomenal costumes. And music.

Now, I do think of Sherlock Holmes as an archetype. The second fictional consulting detective. (Yes, the second…the first was written by Edgar Allen Poe. But Arthur Conan Doyle caught fire with Holmes.) Homes, the man who has no use for women, understands body language like no one else, reads clues and extrapolates details that seem invisible to the normal eye, until explained. Well-mannered when needed, rude when not. (House really is remarkably like him, but with much less charm IMHO.)

There have been how many cinematic adaptations of the character? Wikipedia lists 75 actors having played the character in 211 films. And I bet that is out of date. I have to agree with Wiki that Jeremy Brett played the best of any I’ve ever seen. The most true to the books and Gods, that man can act. I even liked the two different actors who played his Watson.



I can’t tell you how many novels/short stories I’ve read. All the original Doyle’s and probably several dozen written by others. From putting Holmes in space to modern settings…writers love to toy with this character.

So do actors. Robert Downey, Jr. and Guy Ritchie are doing something bizarre and captivating…and borrowing heavily from suppositions about Holmes. And darn it, the movies are just plain old fun!

Archetypes…literary characters that are reinvented by the adaptors. Holmes is one of my favorites. (I also enjoy how Tarzan has been revisioned over and over again. And the Three Musketeers…another of my fav. Oh, and Robin Hood!)

Now, I’m not a massive Darcy fan. Though sheer ignorance…please, stop throwing rum bottles at me! I haven’t read the book or seen enough of the movies to have an opinion, but I’m sure you all do… If not…what of Holmes, Tarzan, Darcy…what of Dracula, Frankenstein? Ebenezer Scrooge? Have you a favorite? Have you characters where the changes have infuriated you? (I have always felt that way about several of the Holmes…btw.)

Have you a character you can imagine redone? That you would like to see redone? Can anyone think of a female archetype redone? (Other than Miss Marple?) (Agatha Christie if you aren’t familiar… Interesting how it’s often mystery characters that are redone again and again…) Though there are several adaptions of Emma.

Okay, there is Peter Pan… And gods, how often has Johnny done this? Willy Wonka, Sweeny Todd, Ichabod Crane and soon…Barnabas Collins, (who could be said to be Dracula…) And who is Jack Sparrow a recreation of? Errol Flynn’s Captain Blood?

Okay, he’s probably an original!

You see, it isn’t just a new actor…it’s the new story, the new vision of the character… It’s fan fiction, taken to the professional level!

Even the Kraken has been imagined in many ways. From the stop motion photography of the great Ray Harryhausen, to the latest Clash of the Immortals, to Pirates of the Caribbean, to my fine fella… And wow, how zombies have changed!

Can you think of any other archetype characters I’ve missed?

 

Hi Crew! Raises tankard of rum in salute. This is my first post for the Revenge so I hope you’ll show me a little mercy and not make me walk the plank just yet.

For a little background on me, I’m in the process of writing my first draft of that first book. And it’s been hard. Really hard. Three years worth of hard so far and I’m getting so close to the end I can smell it. Um…well maybe I should shower more often…

Bo’Sun recently talked about setting big goals and Hellion followed up with a post about breaking that down into smaller 5% size goals. But what I want to talk about is how many goals do you have? I'm not just talking about just writing goals because although we pirates are writers one and all, our lives are filled with other areas we have dreams for.

I have career goals, relationship goals, health goals, etc and I realized that although it’s not bad to have set goals in each of the areas of your life, the key is to find a way to be moving toward your goals in tandem. I’d been treating each area of my life as a separate entity and that made it impossible for me to give any one of those things enough attention. Something always had to take a backseat and for me it was easy for that to be writing when I was doubting myself. Plus, writing really is a time hog!

My health goals, while also a major time suck, are really important to me so I’ve tried to test out ways to make my workout time do double duty. The power of technology allows me to read blog posts, tweet and read books while I’m on the treadmill. Which is great, but none of those things are writing. What to do?

A Treadmill Desk. Yep, you heard me right. After reading some blogs and hearing other writers rave about them, I decided I could make my own cheap (read: $12 total for supplies) treadmill desk that would allow me to write on my laptop while walking slowly on the treadmill.

Now this won’t replace my regular workouts completely, but I will be able to do long slow walks for cardio now and be writing the entire time! Check out the photos to see my lovely DIY skills. I have plans to do some upgrades as I use it more and see what I’d like to add. Attaching a notepad and velcro for a pen are on the list.

The best thing, and what I'm so excited about, is that I was able to take two separate goals and find a way to make them work together. I’m moving forward with both without feeling like I’m sacrificing one part of my life for the other.

What goals are highest on your priority list? How do you set those priorities? Does writing seem to be the one goal that always takes a back seat? Take a look at your life goals/dreams and see if you can come up with some creative ideas on how to merge your time to knock out two goals at the same time.

Have a happy, crappy First Draft—

It’s the most fun when you write.

You can bet my word count’s met

And I’ve set my Hero right.

 

Have a happy, crappy First Draft—

And when you get set to revise,

Say “Hell Yes” to your writer’s stress

And kiss every typo goodbye!

 

Oh, ho, the plot does blow,

Holes as wide as you can see,

But CPs help fix your book,

Kiss them once for me!

 

Have a happy, crappy First Draft,

And in case it wasn’t clear—

Oh my chappie, have a happy,

Crappy First Draft this year!

 

 

Okay, so what do you like best about finishing a First Draft? And how do you keep yourself motivated to the end? What's your favorite reward for meeting your daily word count: glass of wine, cup of cocoa, backrub? And what is your favorite Christmas Carol?

I really do love television, especially the quirky little series. I’m a fan of characters, in general, that is what I watch for. A good role and actor will totally suck me in. But it’s the twisty little ways my mind absorbs and then juggles plots about that inspires me. Until I begin to wonder…how many hidden agendas are out in TVLand? Not to mention LitLand.

For one thing, scifi/fantasy has always been accused of planting hidden agendas in their stories. Whether they end up on video or in books. One case in point? Avatar. The pope himself raised objections to the propaganda underneath the film…that a living planet bound the natives together without a ‘big guy in the sky’ premise.

I laughed. (Not at the notion, I thought Mr. Pope had it pretty spot on, but at the objection.)

 



Now, I’m watching Terra Nova. It’s on Fox, so I figured it would have all sorts of ‘global warming is nonsense’ at the most and at the least, make the colony, sent to a prehistoric past to give mankind a second chance, terribly earnest and religious.

Surprise!

Nope. The future air is nearly unbreathable, it’s a totalitarian world and those who first started the colony, though bound by a military sense of honor, are not wound up in God stuff. And the big bad in this series, other than the occasional ravaging dinosaur, is the merchants in the future, who want to mine the past, strip it of resources to bring to the dying future.

Okay, I can see wanting to save the world simply because they want to save the world, but from the hints dropped, it isn’t for saving the world…it’s for profit and power. And the way they manipulate the agents they sneak into the past…by holding their children hostage? Ugly.

I’m a huge fan of the guy in charge, Colonel Taylor. Who, surprise! Was the really evil guy in Avatar. In fact, I think Stephen Lang would be a fabulous Captain Silvestri when the movie version of The Kraken’s Mirror comes out…

But I digress as I drool…

I’m watching this show and finding myself looking for the agenda and the propaganda. I do the same with Fringe and Haven and a handful of other scifi/techy shows. I find the hidden messages do seem more prevalent in these type of shows. I suppose because the hidden message of something like The Big Bang Theory is more obvious, brainy guys can be sexy. (Except Sheldon.)

A series like Revenge, who my friend Jane got me hooked on, is a nice little exercise in vengeance and so it’s fun. But I’m not sure there is any major social message embedded in the very rich reaping what they sew.

Books have often been accused of preaching philosophies. I admit it, mine are full of the things that I believe in. But I hope it’s simply part of the plot and not seen as an attempt to proselytize. I don’t think we can help it, it’s human nature to ‘speak’ of what moves you to tears or makes you want to take up arms.

And sometimes that is simply the idea of a second chance at love and life.

And sometimes it’s about fleeing to past to escape the consequences of what a species has done to the present…

The season finale is coming up on Terra Nova and I have a bad feeling about it. The bad guys are gonna take over the colony and from hints dropped, more kids are going back to the future to keep their parents in line. I hate things like that, just makes me feel sick. I may tape it and watch it later. I know it’s a plot development that makes it all more personal, but still…

I’d rather watch them fight dinos. Especially Stephen Lang.



And if they kill him off I’m not going to watch the show anymore.

Now, back to agendas…do you have any hidden messages in your writing? Come on, fess up! You sneaking in some life lessons into your books? Ever read a book that you felt pounded a viewpoint on you? Or seen a movie that you left wondering why they bothered with a story?

My confession? Oh, big on the environmental stuff. Down on organized religion. Liberal viewpoints of my characters, I’m all over my books!

 

 

 

It’s no secret I’m revising.  I sent off my Golden Heart entry and when “whew.”  Like that was the end of it.  Um, yeah.  That’s just the first fifty pages.

Face. Palm.

So, I’m revising.  More.  What feels like endlessly.

Granted, it’s the holidays.  I’m ho-ho-hoing all about, preparing and hiding things in exhaustive, I-have-small-children-who-are-too-smart fashion.  Therefore, I’m not doing as much revising as I’d like.

To break things up (or add to the chaos), I’m enrolled (read: silently lurking) in Louise Edwards’ RWA University class on the myRWA forum.  (If you belong to RWA, get thee to sign up for myRWA.  Lots of good stuff on their new forum set-up and more to come, I hear.)

Anyway, Louise Edwards is a lovely lady who writes contemporary romance about hunky chefs.  Yum.

But before that, she was an editor at Berkley.  She’s talking about what she learned about writing from being an editor.

Her first lesson was about how we must be true to our voice.  She suggested writing in multiple genres to try to find your voice.  She said that editors and agents are first and foremost readers.  They might not always be able to define what’s wrong with a work but they can feel it when they read it, that something’s missing or rings false.

In fact, I’ve heard this twice since I’ve started writing.  My second manuscript, the only one I shopped as my first one is embarrassing to me, garnered a few full requests.  I didn’t get much feedback on one, but the other two said the same thing: I write well but the story didn’t pop. Contact me again when you have something new.

I had no idea what that meant.  Hal and I discussed and I think we ended up thinking it was something to do with the characters or plot holes.

But now, I think it has something to do with voice and truth.

When I read, I can tell if a story has that “thing.”  I can tell if the writer is pulling punches, shying away from emotion or going too far for drama’s sake.  I can tell if it’s authentic or not.  I don’t know if I’ve ever revised with that in mind before.  In fact, I’m not sure if I’ve ever thought about it before.  I’ve never revised as a reader before.

We all hear the clichés.  Write what you love.  Be true to your story.

I’ll add, "Revise like a Reader" to my stash.

How about you?  What advice can you give about being true to your voice?  Have you tried writing in different genres to find your voice?  Any ideas about making a story “pop?”

Kraken Friday Yup, today, I pay tribute to the kraken.

Not just the kraken that lingers near the Revenge, feasting on our many inner critics, though that be a worthy mission and I know we all appreciate it a great deal. And he’s been working overtime lately, in fact, I’m a little worried he’s gonna get a bit fat and slow. I must remember to invite Nessie over to help him burn off some calories…

Yes, the stress of holidays and dealing with people I want to gently call idiots. (Yes, gently, because the other words I want to use are much more vulgar, so idiot is the gentle term.) I’ve been dangling at the edge of my rope lately and eyeing Sin’s ice picks…and of course, the bar.

Ah, the bar.

How much would I have to drink to put it all behind me and relax? Not a riddle. I mean, really. How much?

Anyway, the kraken has been by my side, or dangling above my head and settling his great slimy tentacles upon my shoulders in comfort.

(Anyone have any more slime removal solvent? I ran out partway through November…)

But the kraken has been good to me and in his own eight brained way, has offered up some words of advice…

When in doubt, toss the irritant overboard. He’s right, my life belongs to me and I’m in charge of who boards. The sea is full of challenges and let the irritant deal with them, not me. Or me deal with them.

It is possible to partition the brain and set things aside, even without eight tentacles. Yup, distraction can be my friend. One of my best distractions from the idiots of life is writing. Especially writing diabolical endings for said idiots.

Camouflage is your friend. (Not just the sexy underwear store downtown in Santa Cruz.) Yes, my ability to blend in and just slip under the radar is my friend. Not sure it’s the best advice for my current situation, but in the months to come it may very well become a paramount talent to work.

Now, to honor his greatness, I’m giving away a kraken ornament.



Showing his primary place in my world, atop it. Clutching it…one could say he’s riding it, others could say he’s holding it safe in an uncertain universe. Your choice. All the details are on my blog, but strangers may be boarding the Revenge today for a chance to enter. So be nice, crew!

And tell me, what lessons do you think the kraken has to teach you? Or me!