I'm having one of those Homer Simpson head slapping moments. A child of the 60's and please don't calculate age, just know that AARP sends me notices once a week, I grew up on Television. So I view things as either a situation comedy or a drama. I've been writing as these wonderful screen writers taught me.. duh it doesn't work for romance.
So after so much debacle here is my insight. Ok, when writing romance, I shouldn't do anything from secondary characters POV. I think that's where I'm making my mistakes. I need to stay in the head of my hero or my heroine. However, (didn't you always hate that about rules in English) actions of secondary can move Hero or Heroine toward their realization of love and toward that pivotal moment where they fish or cut bait.
Keep that on a posty next to your computer!
That is all now back to the woman's writer cave for more gnashing of words and breaking of fingernails.
Nan
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Are you writing?
If you haven't already started your writing, now is the time. The year is fresh, editors have cleaned off their desks, and they are diligently awaiting the arrival of YOUR manuscript. If you check out Cascade Literary's blog or many others, you have been given lots of tips on how to start, how to managed, and how to edit your wonderful stories. Now, comes the hard part. Its called sit your arse in the chair and write.
The world of block buster novels and award winning authors are littered with the bones of those who can not carry through. This is as the old slogan for tires goes "where the rubber meets the road" . You have to manage the time you spend pitted against the time life gets in the way. You can write all the management plans, jot down the lofty ideas, however if you don't sit and focus at the computer, you still only have blank pages.
So, get your date planner and look down. Find the day to begin. Think about the time you write best. I'm either an early morning person or after dinner writer. From noon to suppertime is when my phone rings, husband comes for lunch, tutoring students arrive - not to mention my job as chief bottle washer, cowboy, cat wrangler, dog catcher, and chef. All of which pull me out of the moment and away from my manuscript.
But, that morning time is golden. I've got the dishes done. I can stand at my counter or sit at the computer desk and hand write my next chapter. The afternoon, I can tweak, add to, note where to change passages, do all but grammar check . Then, after the chaos stops at night between 9 and 12, I can type in and embellish. I'm still the nervous writer that puts in capital letters "WRITE SEX SCENE HERE" and make sure no child is going to look over my shoulder or no husband will say, let's experiment with this. ( Lots of eye rolling goes with that statement considering my youngest is the ripe age of 23).
How much do I consider a worth while daily progress. I like to write about 1500 words a day give or take a hundred. I love the days my husband works late and I can hit 3000k. Those are golden days and now saved til Fridays when I have no tutoring students. Remember to treat this as a job. If you must, let the answering machine pick up the calls. I have a friend who even employs her mp3 player with ear phones so she doesn't hear the phone. I'm not sure I wouldn't be singing along and typing in the lyrics, but it works well for her. DO what you must to REACH your GOAL. Because in the end, that award winning novel won't write itself.
The world of block buster novels and award winning authors are littered with the bones of those who can not carry through. This is as the old slogan for tires goes "where the rubber meets the road" . You have to manage the time you spend pitted against the time life gets in the way. You can write all the management plans, jot down the lofty ideas, however if you don't sit and focus at the computer, you still only have blank pages.
So, get your date planner and look down. Find the day to begin. Think about the time you write best. I'm either an early morning person or after dinner writer. From noon to suppertime is when my phone rings, husband comes for lunch, tutoring students arrive - not to mention my job as chief bottle washer, cowboy, cat wrangler, dog catcher, and chef. All of which pull me out of the moment and away from my manuscript.
But, that morning time is golden. I've got the dishes done. I can stand at my counter or sit at the computer desk and hand write my next chapter. The afternoon, I can tweak, add to, note where to change passages, do all but grammar check . Then, after the chaos stops at night between 9 and 12, I can type in and embellish. I'm still the nervous writer that puts in capital letters "WRITE SEX SCENE HERE" and make sure no child is going to look over my shoulder or no husband will say, let's experiment with this. ( Lots of eye rolling goes with that statement considering my youngest is the ripe age of 23).
How much do I consider a worth while daily progress. I like to write about 1500 words a day give or take a hundred. I love the days my husband works late and I can hit 3000k. Those are golden days and now saved til Fridays when I have no tutoring students. Remember to treat this as a job. If you must, let the answering machine pick up the calls. I have a friend who even employs her mp3 player with ear phones so she doesn't hear the phone. I'm not sure I wouldn't be singing along and typing in the lyrics, but it works well for her. DO what you must to REACH your GOAL. Because in the end, that award winning novel won't write itself.
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