Silk & Shadows

Few things are more daunting or more exciting than a cunning plan. Daunting, because I’m a bit short of cleverness, not to mention cunning, when faced with the world of internet technology. It outwits me on a regular basis.

That doesn’t mean I get away with ignoring it. And, unfortunately, there is only so much I can designate to other people. The sad truth is that while I can ask a technician to build a web site for me, I still have to tell them what I want to include. Now there’s a good question.

Web site? Yes, I have one already, but it was made before my Dark Forgotten series came out. With the advent of a new string of books, heroes, adventures, and the rest, I thought it was time for a makeover. What I want to know first, though, is what parts of a web page readers actually want to see. Do you care about what writing courses I can teach? Whether the text is white on black or black on white? Where do you click to first?

Answer this survey in a comment and you will be automatically entered into a prize draw for one of my books—your choice of title. If you answer all five questions, you will double your entries—yes, two chances as a reward for being thorough!

1. When you visit an author’s web site, do you look at their blog?
2. What are the first two pages you look for?
3. What pages do you ignore?
4. What turns you off about a website?
5. What features do you like so much that you bookmark a site that has them?

I’ll draw the winner in one week, so get your answers in!

This contest is also open to my newsletter group.

Currently working on: Retyping notes from Larry Brooks workshop
Mood: Studious

Way back in college, I learned that if I read the course materials before the lectures, listened to the lectures and took notes, transcribed the notes from my notebook into my computer, and then re-read the notes, I was usually good for the test. This is why I like to attend workshops in person; even if I’ve read the speaker’s book, it forces me to take notes and then I remember more.

So when I found out Larry Brooks (storyfix.com) was coming to speak to my local Romance Writers of America chapter, I was psyched. I’d read his STORY ENGINEERING writing book and loved it. It is my kind of writing book; very analytical and no-nonsense, but fun too. (Nonsense and fun being not the same thing, necessarily.) But as much as I love reading craft books, I also like to hear the information presented.

Sometimes speakers have found new ways to present their information and it’s always interesting to hear what they emphasize. Writer friend Terri Reed says hearing previously learned information again is like looking at a diamond from another angle: from the top you see mostly the flat surface, while from the sides you see the angles, and from the bottom you see the point.

I highly recommend the STORY ENGINEERING book to fellow writers, because there is a lot of content best absorbed from the original source, but I thought I’d share some nuggets of thought from the weekend too:

• To stand out from the slush pile, a story has to be better than good. It has to be better than what is out there already. What makes your story stand out, not from the slush pile, but from the second cut?
• What is your central dramatic question? Can you make the question more provocative, more emotionally engaging? The more compelling the “what if” question, the more compelling the answer. And the answer is why the reader keeps reading.
• What is the burning ember of your story? Pass that burning ember to the editor and to the reader.
• Don’t settle; make it bigger.

Having spent a couple weekends ago in New York on the business side of writing, it was a joy to spending a weekend on the art and craft of writing. Next weekend, I go to Chicago for the RT Book Reviews Reader Convention. That will be the party side of writing!

Got a little extra time on your hands now that the kids are back in school? Let me help you out with that.

Need a book to read?
Last year, several of my auto-buy paranormal authors teamed up to do a blog together, called The Oddshots. The contributing authors are Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brooks, Patrice Michelle, and Jill Myles…a bunch of very talented authors. If you like hot heroes and smart heroines, check out their books.

Need a laugh?
Then I recommend dropping by Debbie Ohi’s very cool site. She does some hilarious comics about writers…and other stuff. I found Debbie (also known as InkyGirl) via Twitter and now regularly stop by for a chuckle.

Need a change of pace?
Try a visit to the Writer’s Forensics Blog. As you might guess from the title, the topics lean toward the grisly, but I promise it’s fascinating stuff. Or maybe it’s only fascinating if you’re a writer. Or a twisted writer. What can I say? I like it. And if you need cheering up afterward, just stop by Debbie’s site again.

Currently working on: Breaking Book 2 of The Marked Souls
Mood: Remember Stitch from Lilo & Stitch? Yeah, that

Who has free time anymore?  Not me.  And yet somehow I manage to eke out a few minutes every so often to visit a few websites that amuse or inspire me.  This is for my mental health, you understand.

The Onion

I was introduced to The Onion — which bills itself as America’s Finest News Source — when I picked up a huge bound version of their fake newspapers.  Several hundred pages of fake (and yet strangely true) news later, I was numb from laughter.  Their online edition is much gentler.  Not because they water down their stinging, biting, bitterly absurd view of the world, but at least you have a chance to recover from your aching belly (from laughing) and your watering eyes (hey, it’s an onion, after all.)

One of their videos went viral recently.  Perhaps you saw it:

Video »
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As ‘Fun, Watchable’
Long time fans of the Star Trek franchise say JJ Abrams’ enjoyable, engaging prequel betrays what Star Trek is all about….more»

Some of their other recent headlines:
Paranoid Optimist Just Knows Someone Is Out To Get Him A Present
Misbuttoned Coat Makes Perfectly Sane Woman Look Like Raving Lunatic

What I love most about The Onion is their ability to fill 18-36 column inches of ridiculousness and keep a straight face the entire time.  I feel that way somedays; who doesn’t?

Etsy Dark Side

I busted a co-worker guiltily blanking her monitor one day.  When I forced her to confess, she introduced me to Etsy, the small designer arts and crafts site.  Thus, she got her revenge.  From Etsy, I discovered Etsy Dark Side, which showcases works dark and dreamy.

Even when I’m not in a position to buy (this thrice-blasted economy) I enjoy looking at the twisted brilliance that goes into some of these efforts.  Consider this gorgeous necklace, perfect for a steampunk heroine, or this… ?!:

The freaky little head is a pirate treasure box from The Pink Pirate shop, made of Fimo clay and glass eyeballs (only where needed, of course). 

I dabble in beading, painting, sculpting, etc. myself, so I am constantly amazed by the imagination and craftsmanship I find on Etsy Dark Side.  Plus, it pleases me to know that for every porcelain Lladro of a slender shepherdess with her adorable flock, on Etsy Dark Side there is a riotgrrl statuette with a battle axe.

Lastly, although I am not a huge fan of reality television (because I have my own dramas, thank you very much) I am drawn to PostSecret.  There’s a series of books based on the premise of anonymously sending a postcard of your deepest secret to a stranger who, priest-like, collects them without judgment and — not priest-like — posts them for other strangers to read. 

Since Frank, the creator, gets 1000 postcards a week, obviously a lot of people have secrets to share.  Every Sunday, a few more secrets appear on the blog.  Most of them would make suitably tortured characters in a romance novel.  Some of the secrets are funny, and some have lessons, including one that made a reader wake up and leave her abusvie boyfriend:

Those 3×5 postcards — like the scraps of information that float around the interwebs — might just be time wasters — or life savers.

Have you ever discovered something on the internet that changed your life, or just tweaked it a bit?  And remember, lives change in small ways too.