Heart Pounding Romance

writing advice

Goodbye Daylight Savings

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mistress of the darkness

As a writer, this is my favorite time of year. Not because of the abundance of chocolate lurking and ripe for the taking thanks to my kids’ trick or treating efforts. Not because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. But because I say goodbye daylight savings and cheer that it coincides with #NaNoWriMo — national novel writing month.

The house is dark and my internal clock hasn’t yet adjusted to the new time change. So, rather than force the issue, I’m up at 5:30 — an hour before the rest of the house — and this time is mine to write! Halloween may be over, but I’m still Mistress of the Darkness.

For one hour, I won’t be making school lunches, feeding the dogs, catching up on laundry, locating homework, or any of the other what seems like 250 million chores that occur between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. when the mad dash to three different schools takes place.

Writing. That’s all I’m doing. NaNoWriMo kicking off is a bonus. Sure, it would be nice to have 50,000 words under my belt in a month, but my real goal is to just keep with the schedule of devoting this extra hour a day to my novel.

So, if it you haven’t adjusted to the time difference, embrace the darkness! Get your write on.

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An Excuse to Eavesdrop

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An Excuse to EavesdropWriter’s block happens to the best of us. You shouldn’t berate yourself that it happens, unless your response to it is to wallow in self-pity. Let’s get to the bottom of this with a snappy quiz.

When writer’s block occurs do you?

  1. Drown in sadness, perhaps with a bag of marshmallows by your side?
  2. Retreat under the covers. Maybe the answer will come to you in a dream.
  3. Eavesdrop!

If you answered “C,” you already know that listening and more importantly, observing those around you can be great inspiration for your writing. But if you’re not convinced that eavesdropping is an acceptable social habit, allow me to present you with your excuse to eavesdrop. Here are the benefits of eavesdropping on your writing:

  • Read reactions. Can you guess in advance what a person will say/do?
  • Authentic dialogue. Listen and you’ll be more aware of how people naturally speak.
  • Become a keen observer. Pay attention to body language and expressions.
  • Social behavior. Become an authority on how people engage with each other.

So where do you go for prime eavesdropping? Here are my favorite spots:

– grocery store check out

– coffee shops

– schools

Now go test it out. Here’s your homework assignment:

Watch a couple and decide how well they know each other. Is this a date? Is it a first date? Was it a set up or a blind date? Or, is it something completely different? Is the man trying to pick up the woman and she hasn’t yet figured out how to get rid of him?

You might not get it right the first time, but if you watch enough people, you get a feel for social behavior. Furthermore, these telltale signs will work their way into your writing to make your scenes more realistic and authentic.

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Not So Great First Drafts

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mondayblog
One of my favorite author-written books on the writing process is by Anne Lamott. Her book, “Bird by Bird,” not only gives wonderful advice about characters, plot, and the rest, it offers one very real chapter on our not so great first drafts.

Lamott refers to her writing process as “shitty first drafts” and let’s writers know that this is to be expected. When I first started writing, I wanted it to be great…right from the get-go. But I later learned to welcome every awkward, boring, mundane phrase that comes out of my mind. Do you know why? Because at least something is getting onto the page.

I know that if I can plot out the basic elements of the story, I can later make it great. I’ll add character development, dialogue that embodies those characters, and setting descriptions that take the reader away.

Because I like to bake, I equate the writing process to making a cake. Taking out the ingredients from the cupboard is the boring part. Even assembling the cake is rather mundane as there’s no room for experimentation. Add the wrong proportions of baking soda to flour and you’re doomed. But when it’s finished, you get to frost it and decorate. Forgive the pun, but this is the icing on the cake.

The same applies to your writing. Just get those first drafts down. Then, you can rework them, make them into a piece of art, and send them off into the world where they will find their home.

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Where Do I Get My Ideas by Kassandra Lamb

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I’m honored that author Kassandra Lamb has agreed to guest post on my blog today. Here, she discusses, “Where Do I Get My Ideas.” This guest post is a continuation of a blog tour by My Family’s Heart for Kassandra’s latest novel, “Fatal Forty-Eight.”

Fatal Fourty-Eight - Tour Banner

I hear that question a lot. For me, getting the idea has never been a problem. I’ve always had an overactive imagination. This is probably true for fiction writers in general.

In my case, that lively imagination is coupled with a slightly paranoid streak. This morbid tendency may not be all that healthy, but it does come in handy when one writes mysteries.

Writers start with a “what if” scenario. What if this happened, or that happened? After my first book was published, my paranoia kicked in and I was inordinately concerned about others plagiarizing my ideas. That got me wondering how one would prove that they had not plagiarized another person’s ideas. How do you prove a negative?

This led to the idea for my second book, ILL-TIMED ENTANGLEMENTS, which is a romantic suspense story.

This newest release, FATAL FORTY-EIGHT, started with “What if a therapist were kidnapped from his/her office?” Therapists trust that new clients coming into their offices for the first time are on the up-and-up. It’s one of those areas where people still operate on faith in their fellow human beings, kind of like when women assume no one will mess with their purse when they get up to take communion in church or to dance at a social gathering.

Hmm… *rubs chin* What if a thief stole from womens’ purses at a dance and one happened to have a secret letter in her wallet?

Uh, where was I? Oh yeah, that kidnapping scenario was the beginning of the idea for this new thriller. Then I decided to make the kidnapper a serial killer, and I was off and running.

Um, stay tuned. I may just write that one about the secret letter. *files idea in mental file drawer marked “Paranoid Scenarios”* 😀

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