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#amwriting

Magical Morphing Words

September 22, 2014 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

What I love most about being a writer is that ideas can come from anywhere. Innocent phrases or even titles of magazine articles can bloom into story ideas and what was once one idea suddenly is another — magical morphing words are discovered.

Recently, I caught a magazine title, “Chasing Sleep,” and it was like being a racehorse and hearing that bell…I was off! The title created such a visual impression that I imagined a story far from what the article intended.

Because I love young adult and paranormal romance I thought of scenarios in which a damsel in distress is locked away in her dreams, running either to or from some unseen hero…chasing sleep and the beauty of the dream that she sought. In reality, the article was about a wellness retreat called Kamalaya on the Thai island of Koh Samui.

Of course, the knowledge of what the article was really about only sparked more ideas. It was written by an insomniac who traveled to this wellness facility to seek the advice of a naturopath. This article in the hands of a writer, sparked my imagination and now the insomniac was a heroine taking an exhaustive trek through wilderness and perils. She wasn’t trying to find answers for sleepless nights, she was there to seek out a prophet who would tell her that she is destined for greatness and along the way will be tempted by a sexy, but potentially dangerous man.

In reality, the article’s author was told his sleepless nights would be solved if he stopped eating and drinking late at night. Not nearly as intriguing as the scenario painted by my imagination, but then again, I would never have come up with the idea if it wasn’t for the original article.

Imagination is like the air we breathe. It’s always there, but we take it for granted. Inhale it regularly and fill yourself with it.

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Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: #amwriting, imagination, insomniac, Kamalaya, Koh Samui

Change It Up

August 11, 2014 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

This post originally appeared on the blog, “Writing on the Sunny Side,” when I was asked to guest post. I’m a regular blogger, but writing for someone else’s site…that was new to me. I realized that it’s good to change it up every once in awhile. As writers, we are always in danger of taking the comfortable route, following a format that we know, even letting our characters mirror each other from one book to the next.

It’s easy for me to create a blog for my own site. I can talk about my characters, upcoming projects, or include a recipe in my regular, “What’s Mia Making” column. But when I guest posted, I had to put extra thought into how to write for an entirely different audience. It felt scary and liberating all at once as I realized that I’m quite a creature of habit.

My writing place is my office with my dogs lying under my desk. Today, I ditched my computer and my office for an old-fashioned pen and writing pad. I said goodbye to my wi-fi and left to get my car brakes fixed. (I know, I lead an exciting life!)

I could’ve returned home, but I decided to hang out and try to write in their waiting room. Let me tell you something, in the forty-five minutes that I was there, I got more accomplished than I have in a long time. There was no incoming email to distract me, no temptation from Facebook or Twitter. Just me and a writing pad.

Was it comfortable there? Not at all. The coffee was warm at best and bland. The chairs were worn with suspicious stains. But, this waiting room also came with a new perspective and new faces. Seeing the people come and go, hearing tidbits of conversation…it sparked my imagination and I wrote in a way that I hadn’t in long time. I let the writing flow from me. I gave myself permission to break away from my outline as well as my habits.

You may relish your routine, but dare yourself to try something different. Changing it up is work and often scary, but it makes us better.

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Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: #amwriting, change it up, writing inspiration

Why are You a Writer?

August 4, 2014 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

Why are you a writer? One time, my daughter asked that question and it didn’t take me but a second to come up with the answer…because I love it!

I knew what she was getting at. She has seen me suffer for my art. With no particular order or value, here are some of the less glamorous things that she notices about my writing life:

* Sometimes a good writing roll takes the place of a shower.
* I admit to worrying about bad reviews.
* I occasionally pound my hands against the desk when my characters decide to say the stupidest thing ever.
* Even more often, I pound my head against the desk when my characters refuse to talk to me.
* I’ve come to accept that some of my books have found a loyal and devoted audience of three.

I don’t write for the money because let’s face it, I’m not Nora Roberts. I don’t write because it’s an easy job. In addition to writing, there are countless hours spent on social media, promotions, editing, and proofreading.

I write because I love to read and I love taking my readers (and myself) away to another world. I love planning my next book. I’ve even taken to becoming a location scout. When I have an idea for a book, I’ll visit some place close to my home where my characters might hang out and snap some photos for inspiration. This and planning the covers is what I call mind candy. It’s fun and it makes me say, “I’ve got the best job ever!”

That’s why I write.

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Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: #amwriting, #reading, writing inspiration

Warning: Ideas Being Hatched

June 23, 2014 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

Where do ideas come from? If you’re a writer, they grow in the delightful and maybe even deranged recesses of our minds. When I first started writing in college I always worried, “What if my mother sees this?” I’ve gotten over that.

It’s not that I don’t care what my mother thinks. On the contrary, even as an adult I still strive to make her happy. But, now that I’m a mother too, I know that she probably feels happiest when she knows that I’m enjoying my life. And what makes me happy? Writing like a demon, letting the words pour out, and not worrying if the material isn’t appealing to everyone out there. After all, would we really want to live in such a vanilla world? (Apologies to vanilla lovers out there.)

That’s what makes the book world so amazing. There’s something for everyone. And what makes my job so rewarding is that I can find an audience for some of my more liberal titles such as “Ready for the Yeti,” “Going Steady with the Yeti,” and “Ethel and the Merman.”

Granted, these light erotica titles aren’t for everyone, which is why I also write paranormal romance and romantic chick-lit. But I love writing these novelettes. They’re fun, light, and not meant to be taken too seriously. I’m currently at work on “The Scent of the Centaur” and I just might let my mother read it.

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Filed Under: My Books Tagged With: #amwriting, brainstorm, ideas

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