Congratulations to Sharon Ashwood for her 2011 RWA RITA: UNCHAINED, the third book in her Dark Forgotten series, won for Best Paranormal Romance. Yay, Sharon!
Currently working on: Expanding a story Mood: Widening
Last weekend, I went to the Oregon Coast with some writer friends for a beach retreat. (I accidentally typed “treat” and it WAS a treat.) Writing retreats are enormous fun, of course, but I also want the time to be productive. So here are some of my suggestions for a productive writing retreat:
Go to the beach at a yucky time of year.
At the Oregon Coast, you can be guaranteed gusting rain November through July (and prohibitive prices August through September). So usually the horizontal “moisturizing and exfoliating” is enough to keep us inside at our computers.
Here’s a picture of me, measuring how many words I have yet to add. See, this is why you go to the beach in bad weather. Sunshine DEMANDS a walk on the beach.
Bring the right friends.
It’s best to surround yourself with writers who share similar productivity goals. Friends who constantly tempt you to walk on the beach as the sun sets are counterproductive.
Sadly, it turns out I am that friend. So don’t bring me. Except you have to bring me because I always bring the mint brownies.
Find an inspiring spot.
Not only is the right physical spot important — like this lovely little beach house surrounded by chirping frogs — but the right spot in your mindset and your work in progress.
I try to prepare for a writing retreat by making sure I have the right sort of project and that I clear my “real life” of distractions that might creep into the weekend. Actually, this last weekend, I did a bad job of choosing the project. I’m working on revising, and I found that I did not do as well as when I bring a hot draft to a retreat. I’ll know that for next time.
Never mind the inspiration, just focus!
Part of my problem with choosing a revision project instead of a hot draft, is that when I’m revising, I tend to stare off into space while I think. When I’m at home, in my little office, there’s not much to look at and I quickly go back to work. But at the beach… I just stared at the waves for hours! I needed to bring my focus closer.
A good writing retreat has a clear focus, whether it’s writing, brainstorming or just refilling the well. Be sure you know what purpose your retreat will serve.
Track progress on the retreat days.
Like tracking the sun across the sky… It’s easier for me to stay accountable if I track my progress in three chunks during a retreat day: morning session, afternoon session, evening session. If I only review my progress once at the end of the day, I might find I didn’t do enough, but now it’s too late. If I track in chunks, then a slacker morning session (sun on the beach!) can be rectified in the afternoon, or a slow afternoon (afternoon nap on the sunny beach!) can be made up in the evening (no sun).
Indulge.
As much as I want a writing retreat to be productive, well, it is a retreat. I try to capture some of that glory — and some of that sun — and take it back with me to rainy Portland.
Do you have a favorite getaway that never fails to rejuvenate you? Do you bring back souvenirs? I love to find good rocks.
Currently working on: Hot draft of new story Mood: Borne & buffeted
Sometime in January, I like to pull my Tarot cards for a start-of-the-year spread, to see where I’m at. This year, so far, I’ve been too busy to take a quiet night to get into the right space to think about things. But with the month almost over (and how did THAT happen?!) I figured I better get at least ONE card done so I’d have something to contemplate on my dog walks.
I pulled the Page of Swords. I use the Mythic Tarot deck by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene, illustrated by Tricia Newell. This deck features Greek mythology which I loved as a kid, so I relate to the stories.
The Page of the Swords is represented by Zephyrus, the Greek god of the West Wind. His card is ambivalent — as the Swords tend to be cards that poke at your complacency — since he and his brother the North Wind started out as malicious little shits, prone to starting storms just to knock things over. Eventually Zephyrus married Isis of the rainbow, which mellowed him out. But still, having him start my year gives me lots to think about.
The positive aspects of Zephyrus as the Page of Swords are curiosity, enthusiasm and the emergency of new ideas. The downsides are irritability and petty quarrels that blow up into battles. As I move forward with some new story ideas, I guess I better practice my patience. That’s usually on my list of New Years Resolutions, so I suppose that’s okay. Sigh.
I like this picture of Zephyrus because he is puffing up all these great clouds leading into a blue sky… but the way he is holding the sword makes me think he is about to burst his own bubble. He had better be careful which bubbles he bursts, since some of them are holding him aloft. I better make sure I’m puffing up the right dreams. Not there’s anything wrong with walking sometimes. Ask my dog.
If you play with tarot cards, did you get any thoughtful readings for the new year? Or if you want me to pull a card for you, just let me know in comments and I’ll see which Greek myth might be right for you.
[Note from Jessa: Today we have Genie Gabriel with us. Her new Rock'n'Romance series isn't technically paranormal (although there a reference to angels if you visit her website) she explores some of the dark places where shadows AND silk are found.]
Domestic violence, abusive childhoods, the murder of a spouse, the loss of a child–all these experiences can cast long shadows on the soul. Toss emotional demons into this mix–of guilt, of shame, of thinking you didn’t do enough or should have been able to somehow stop this from happening–and you come up with characters as tortured as those who come toenail to talon with fantasy beasts.
I blame twenty years of exposure to social workers for the trauma, drama, and hope in my stories. I worked at a social services agency when the shrouds of secrecy around the ugly realities of humanity were being torn down. Then came the process of guiding damaged young souls to become successful, healthy adults.
Yes, I know there are people who shouldn’t be social workers, and I’ve seen cases where the rebuilding stage didn’t work out so well. However, I’ve also seen incredibly committed, caring and courageous social workers who have the patience and intestinal fortitude to bring together a team to shape miracles from the muck of the worst of abuse.
I was amazed, a bit disbelieving, and fascinated. And I had an endless supply of ideas for my stories, starting with my Rock’n'Romance trilogy–just re-issued from Rogue Phoenix Press.
THE ROCK STAR grew up without much direction or love. In his own words, “My old man took off when I was five or six, and not long after that my mother had a nervous breakdown. Then I bounced in and out of foster homes. In my teens, I discovered music…” and the heady adoration of fans. Then came the crash of discovering a daughter with a terminal illness, whose death plunged him into a dark abyss of grief.
The second book of the series begins with a child psychiatrist helping kids heal from abuse, who becomes caught in the viciously ironic situation of domestic violence. A terrified flight to save her children lands her under the protection of THE BODYGUARD, ripping open Mitch’s emotional wounds… “[Julia] turned to say something to the child, revealing the jagged purple bruise smeared across the ivory skin of her cheek. Memories plowed into Mitch so hard his knees almost buckled. The sound of shots. A scream. A frantic ride in the ambulance and a flat line on the heart monitor. Squeezing his eyes closed, Mitch gulped a deep draught of air, battling the memories as valiantly as [his wife] had once fought to save women battered by those who claimed to love them…”
Zach started out as the antagonist in the first book of the Rock’n'Romance series, but partially redeemed himself. In the third book of the trilogy, THE LEADER OF THE BAND, he faces the rest of his journey to redemption and to winning the woman he has loved since they were both teenagers. However, they have been dancing around each other for so long with excuses why their lives won’t mesh, it takes a life-or-death situation to help them see the truth…”Time ceased to exist as Zach helplessly watched Lauren crumple on the porch. Gravity sucked at his feet, trying to hold him in place while he ran as fast as he could. Ka-thump, ka-thump, ka-thump. His heart thundered in his ears, terror oozing through his body like the blood seeping down Lauren’s face.”
Lest you think my stories sound totally sadistic, please know I sprinkle touches of humor and hope among the angst while my characters struggle toward happily-ever-after endings.
The heroine in THE ROCK STAR has a dog who makes her coffee in the morning, and a cadre of young music therapy patients who fill the walls of her house with drawings of their dreams. The twins in THE BODYGUARD firmly believe in angels–in fact, they think Mitch is the answer to their wish for an angel for their mom. And THE LEADER OF THE BAND, Zach, has outfitted a “Chamber of Love” in his house to exude a playboy image, complete with heart-shaped, vibrating bed.
Overcoming shadows on the soul with courage, determination, foot-dragging, humor–there are many paths to a brighter future. I love exploring these paths in my stories and, beginning in March 2012, my new LEGACY series will introduce a family of eight adopted siblings who make their own journeys. As they uncover secrets that lead to the truth that killed their adoptive father, the action, romance and family drama heat up.
Thank you so much to the ladies of Silk and Shadows for giving me a chance to talk about the stories I love to write!
Who is your favorite rock star? Leave a comment
for a chance to win a free ebook from Rogue Phoenix Press!
To learn more about Genie Gabriel, visit her website or the Rock and Romance page: For years I’ve been fascinated by the puzzle of why some people collapse under life’s traumas and others emerge triumphantly stronger. These triumphs of the human spirit over the ugliest of adversities became the basis for my stories. Yet my dramatic stories have always contained touches of humor, and sometimes I have great fun writing romantic comedy novellas. However, in all my stories, my passion for writing romance is an outlet for the powerful messages that people can overcome great difficulties, and true love can turn life’s heartaches into happily ever after.
Currently working on: Burning off dessert Mood: Sweet
I had an early Thanksgiving party yesterday, so I made butter cookies. Then, since this holiday is about giving thanks, I decided to dip the cookies in chocolate. Nothing says thanks like chocolate.
But even when I’m surrounded by chocolate (as I often am) it’s so easy to forget to be grateful. Yes, the solution might be to eat more chocolate, or maybe I just need to remind myself more than once a year. Studies have shown that people who take the time to keep a gratitude journal listing their reasons to be thankful report fewer illness symptoms, a greater sense of optimism about the future, and a brighter feeling about life overall.
I’m thankful I live in a country that has issues but always seems to be trying to better itself even when the definition of better is contentious and changeable.
I’m thankful I have family and friends who are always around when I need them and are supportive of my dreams. I hope I’m that to them!
I’m thankful that I’m in a sustainable place financially, physically, emotionally, creatively and whatnot.
I’m thankful it was sunny for part of the day Sunday, long enough anyway to go to the dog park where there’s a huge old maple that is just turning bright yellow.
What are you thankful for? And if you have any recipes for chocolate desserts suitable for Thanksgiving (which is so often dominated by earthier spices) please share or link!
Currently working on: Enjoying being done (again) with revisions on sci fi rom novella Mood: Self-congratulatory
Every once and awhile I get contemplative. It usually happens when I’m between deadlines, which is yet another reason why deadlines are good things. I also have a mean self-help streak which I try not to indulge too often because I don’t think it’s helpful, to myself or anybody else. I’m sorry to say these two bad habits have come together in a brutal session of navel gazing lately.
Why do I write?
I’ve been asking myself this ever since I attended a writing workshop years ago where the presenter told us to answer this question and I had to cheat off the writers next to me. And then, only a few days later, I read a writing craft book that demanded an answer to the question too, and I decided the universe was making fun of me and even the answers I stole weren’t good enough.
When forced into a corner, my usual answers to the “Why do I write?” question are:
Money and fame
Casual dress code
Free books (cuz I write ‘em myself)
You see why I’m not exactly winning self-help prizes with these answers.
But recently, in the midst of wrestling with this question once again (I don’t even know why it’s important! I just remember that the workshop and the book both talked about it so it must be important) I was listening to some self-help podcasts (somebody stop me!) and heard the question posited a slightly different way. Instead of asking “Why do you _____?” the question was this:
“What do you get out of doing ______ that reinforces the desire to continue?”
Yes, yes, I realize this is just a slightly warmer, fuzzier wording of operant conditioning, but I’m going with it for a moment.
What do I get out of writing? What is it about writing that fulfills something in me?
And after mulling it over on a few dog walks, I decided that, for me, it’s about creating something out of nothing. There’s something amazing about taking words that have no measurable atomic density, no visible wavelength, no smell even, and creating…whatever — and by amaze, I mean “a maze” where there is a sense of mystery and discovery and adventure and even the danger of getting lost. Storytelling requires nothing but an idea, really, and from there you build a world that goes on to live in other people’s minds.
Which I guess is a slightly warmer, fuzzier way of saying: “Why do I write?”
Delusions of godlinghood
Still, I like the idea of the question “What do I get out of doing ______?” I’ve been applying it to my characters, my unsuspecting friends with questionable love lives, my snack choices, my moments of procrastination, vacuuming.
Is this helping my writing in any way? Not that I’ve noticed, to be honest. Although I have discovered I’m not particularly fulfilled by a clean house and I don’t even need a deadline to justify the impromptu dog-hair carpet under my desk.
I knew this contemplative self-helping wasn’t good for me. Do you have a force you know motivates you, for good or ill? Do you try to encourage or fight it? Have you had any luck?
My parents were in town this weekend and the weather was that gorgeous secret of the Pacific Northwest: the sunny week in October. See, right before the rains close in, nature gives us one more week of glorious blue skies and balmy temps. A cruel taunt? A promise? Whichever.
So we headed up to the Olympic Peninsula for a bit of walking, then back down Hwy 101 to the Oregon Coast.
While we walked, I thought about the new story I’m working on, and it seems to me, that our hiking and my story have a lot in common.
1. The stuff
When I start a new idea, I am excited and overwhelmed by all the stuff I might stuff in the story. Secondary love triangle! BB guns! String theory!
Much like my car has five doors for stuffing, I figure my story has many, many openings to be filled. But as you can see, Monster Girl is concerned about where she will fit. So it goes with my story; I have to ask myself — fun though it might be — whether I really need a talking, one-armed octopus.
2. First steps
I love the beginnings of hikes and the beginning chapters of a story. Both are so filled with promise. I feel strong and confident, with plenty of chocolate in my backpack.
The way ahead doesn’t necessarily look easy. There are barriers to be surmounted, but the adventure calls.
3. Lost
This part is less fun, but it seems to be true of hikes and stories, at least for me. Okay, I’m not EXACTLY lost, but there comes the moment where I definitely want to sit down, where the way seems a little more hazy and bleak than just a few steps or chapters ago.
This is where hikers and writers are made, I think. To quit? To continue? Walking out into the waves isn’t really an option (not on a Pacific Northwest beach, at least, not without a dry suit!) but I could parallel the shore on a new path.
Or build a boat of driftwood and dreams.
4. The view
I must continue — somehow — because I know — somewhere — I will come to the point where I can SEE the point. THIS is why I am here.
5. Panting fun
I’ve said before, I love love love The End. Whether writing or hiking, coming to the end (in mostly one piece with relatively few debilitating blisters) is a great feeling of satisfaction. But the satisfaction does seem relative to the exertion. Some of our best hikes (and by best, I mean make the best stories, of course) have been the worst technical hikes. Too long, too wet, too ridiculous, waaaay too much panting. But in The End, totally worth the reliving.
Especially if there’s a little chocolate left.
Do you find a certain pleasure in some kinds of hard work? Got any favorite hikes I should try someday?
Currently working on: Shiny new idea! Mood: Squawky
October here is the darkening month, heading toward Halloween when spooks and specters and Pixy Stix come out to play. I find Halloween very interesting because on the one hand, it is so child-oriented, with Disney princess costumes and reminders to trick-or-treat with a flashlight so cars don’t squish you on the street — emphasizing safe and fun — while on the other hand, ghastly monster masks hang next to fake blood in capsule size, spray can “for covering larger areas”, and gallon o’ blood, presumably for the buffet table.
Researchers suspect people like to be scared because of the emotional thrill of “surviving” a dangerous encounter. The mingled “happy plus horror” experience is on wild display at Nightmares Fear Factory photo stream.
This haunted house takes pictures of people at the heights (depths?) of their fear. And a surprising number of times, they are smiling. And you get the feeling that all of them are giggling wildly when they finally escape.
Fun and fake fear seem to go together like… um, Halloween candy and running around wildly. Maybe that’s why blood and gore and belly guffaws appeal to me. One of the most fun mixes I’ve seen lately is the new movie Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. The movie takes a classic horror scenario — murderous hillbillies stalking innocent college students — and flips it all around.
I don’t know what my biggest fear is. I mean, I’d be scared if I was audited, and I wouldn’t want to be chased by a grizzly, but I don’t think those are unnatural fears. I like spiders well enough, pitch darkness doesn’t frighten me, and I can speak in public without throwing up (although I do sweat a little). But even though it might be useful to have a personal experience with terror to apply to my writing, I don’t think I want any real fears. I’d rather stick with the fun fear where I can giggle afterward.
Do you have any truly terrible fears? And if you’ve ever experienced anything horrifying, did that change your tolerance for fun fear?
Currently working on: Missing all my friends in New York Mood: Wistful
As you read this, about 2,000 romance writers are converging on New York City for the annual Romance Writers of America conference. Con attendees will take workshop, “network” at the bar, giggle too much, and get blisters in the miles of hotel corridors.
In the weeks leading up to a major conference, the blogging world, Facebook and Twitter are full of advice for newbies old war horses trying to be more efficient with their conference time and money. The advice runs the gamut from the eminently practical (“stay hydrated” and “bring a sweater; some rooms are cold!”) to the sublime (“RWA is not a popularity conference. Which makes it easier to win”) to the ridiculous (“Remember, editors and agents are human too”; no they aren’t, if they hold the life of your work in their hands, that makes them demi-gods at least).
But I haven’t seen as much on post-conference advice. To rectify that…
1. Don’t lose momentum.
Conferences are exhausting. With the prep time before you leave, the travel stress, and the forced extroversion (not to mention the laundry and dirty dishes that mysteriously piled up at home while you were gone) it’s easy to come back from conference utterly drained. Take some time to recover, but don’t let it derail you for more days than the conference itself, which can easily happen.
2. SUBMIT your requested work.
The anecdotal number varies, but editors and agents all say that they get surprisingly few of the manuscripts they request at conferences. Don’t be that writer. Or if you want to be that writer, don’t take away the ed/ag appointment from a writer who WILL follow up. After conferences, there’s always a flurry of emails on writing loops asking “How long do I have to send in my story? Cuz, uh, actually, it’s not done. Really, it’s not even started.”
My answer (and not everyone agrees) is: Send it fast. It has to be good too. Not fast OR good; fast AND good. An editor or agent isn’t going to ding you on points if you take too long, but if she asked for it, it’s because she thinks she has a place for it.* Later, that maybe not be the case.
* Or because she’s just being nice. Which is a waste of everyone’s time. But don’t waste more time by NOT sending your work.
3. Do something with those business cards you collected.
If you followed the pre-conference advice and networked like crazy, you probably have lots of cards. Hopefully you followed good pre-con advice and jotted down a note on the card to remind you who this person was. Now to figure out what use you can make of those cards. Rather than keep scraps of paper around, you can data enter names, email addresses and the identifying feature you noted earlier into a word doc or spreadsheet for later retrieval. Send a quick email to people you want to remember so you have their addresses handy in your contact system.
4. Distribute all that swag.
You probably came home with more bookmarks, pens and plastic whatnots than you thought possible. Contact your local romance book club or indie bookstore to see if they’d like to paw through it for the vicarious thrill. Your local RWA chapter might be interested in deconstructing the swag to see what marketing efforts seemed effective.
5. Put your favorite workshop advice to use.
Handouts and jotted notes seem to accrue more easily than mastery. Actually TRY some of the craft, business or inspiration ideas that you learned. Also, share them with writing friends to reinforce them in your own mind. Keep a folder of only the very best (for you) of what you learned. That’s a great folder to take with you to writing retreats when you need a boost of remembered excitement.
6. Stay hydrated.
Hey, can’t hurt.
What’s your best post-conference advice? Anybody going anywhere else fun this summer? I’ll be at RomCon in Denver the first weekend of August and Authors After Dark in Philadelphia the second weekend of August. I’ll let you know if I follow my own advice!
The first season of HBO’s new series Game of Thrones (based on the books by George R.R. Martin) came to an exhilarating end on Sunday night.
I have to say, they have me hooked. It’s grim, violent, and full of graphic sexual content … and I’ll be waiting with bated breath for next season, which won’t happen until Spring 2012.
For those of you who haven’t seen the show, I’ll avoid spoilers as much as I can, but I’m going to list some of the reasons why I think this is a great series:
1. Conflict. There are masses and masses of it. Yes, there are also masses of characters, but after the first show, I had a pretty good handle on who was who. The conflict exists on a number of different levels: between ousted royalty and their replacements, between houses (or clans), between members of families, between duty and family, between societal dictates and individual preferences, between old beliefs and new beliefs, and so on. Very deep, very interesting.
2. Characters. The characters are revealed through their actions, both good and bad. They make choices we like, we hate, and we wince over. Bad things happen (see item #1) and the characters are forced into situations they’d really rather avoid. People scheme, lie, and make promises they don’t keep. What does all this mean? It means the characters that are vivid and complex. You want to spend time with them, week after week.
3. Mystery. The world unfolds slowly, with each show providing more and more detail. The people change as events influence their lives. The political landscape shifts, creating turmoil for all. And through it all, you’re left wondering. Not in a frustrating way, but in a curious way. What will happen to the characters? How will the characters react to events? How will the political intrigues play out? Who is trustworthy, and who is not? What better way to engage the audience than to have them wonder and hope and question?
As a storyteller, I’m filled with admiration for George R.R. Martin. As a viewer, I’m just plain enthralled.
Currently working on: Scouring dirt from my fingernails Mood: Soiled
The garden is finally in. Took a couple extra weekends because the ground was so wet and cold that nobody — not me, not XY, certainly not tomatoes — wanted to be in the dirt. But as of today, all the chicken poop is scattered, all the starts are started, all the stakes are stuck through the hearts of vampires are ready to bear the weight of future produce.
Which means it’s time for this spring’s edition of “All the Ways Writing is Like Gardening.”
I’ve noted before, in past editions of ATWWILG, when I read authors’ bios, a lot of them comment about their gardens. I’ve hypothesized that writing is such a head-bound pursuit, writers need an excuse to get outside and connect with life. Gardening fulfills that need to immerse ourselves in the real world — while still letting our minds wander in our storyworlds. Sneaky, I know.
1. Gardens and stories don’t look like much at the start.
As the picture above demonstrates. Baby plants and blank pages aren’t very impressive. They are vulnerable to the late-night predation of slugs and self-doubt. But they are also so fun and exciting at this point; just think what they could become! Their potential is limitless (especially in the case of cherry tomatoes) and they are still easy to weed around. But just wait for high summer when plants and pages have exponentially run amok.
2. Gardens and writing will bug you sometimes.
We do have some terrifying spiders that may or may not be black widows, brown recluses and hobo spiders, but these yellow cuties are infant common garden spiders (sometimes called diadem spiders, which sounds so pretty). In the spring, they are as numerous as the words in a very good writing session. (Although after a few weeks, they will eat each other down to just a few; much like the words after a very good revision session.)
For me, walking face-first through a spider web and getting stuck in my story engender very similar responses: lots of swatting, swearing and skin-crawling. (Ack, it’s on me, get it off, get it off!) Nothing for it but to brush away the sticky strands holding you up and continue onward.
3. Don’t forget to play.
It’s possible — likely? inevitable? — that not everything you find in the garden and in the story will be what you expected. Take, for example, the vast variety of spherical throwing objects the garden apparently sprouted over the winter. Who knew spherical throwing objects could breed and bear offspring? There’s no other explanation for why there are so many in my backyard. Digging them out of their various nooks and crannies was super entertaining. (And part of the reason I have so much dirt under my nails; Monster Girl wasn’t going to have ALL the fun…at least not when the fun came at the expense of my strawberry bed.) Take some time to enjoy the weirdness and see what might work better than what you planned.
So what’s growing in your garden — or your word garden — these days?
Go to the beach at a yucky time of year.
Never mind the inspiration, just focus!
Track progress on the retreat days.
Indulge.
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