Thanks to Terry McMillan

Terry McMillan is one of the reasons I've stuck with writing. I've "dabbled" for many years. Science Fiction was my first love, although I didn't (and still don't) know a lot about the "science" of science fiction. I've always been a voracious reader, but oddly enough, haven't read very many of the "classics". I'm a big fan of Zora Neale Hurston, and Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of my ALL-time favorite novels. So here it is, 1993, and I pick up Waiting to Exhale from the library. I remember it was Friday evening when I started the book, and the sun was rising Saturday morning when I finished the book. Not a literary masterpiece, but it was a book I could totally relate to. African American writers like Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and others--these were writers who were on such a pedestal, and rightly so. BUT..they did not write about characters I knew. This was new to me--Terry McMillan wrote of characters that I knew intimately. I had friends I could recognize in Savannah, Bernie, Gloria and Robin. And that simple connection turned it all around for me. Write what you know finally made sense. That was a big hurdle for me, and I owe it to Terry McMillan

library vs. bookstore

Something that just came to me.

I wonder, how do authors feel about readers who read their books via library loan vs. purchase? I mean everyone wants to be read...does it matter if the reader purchased their book, or borrowed it from the library? I will admit, I cannot afford to buy all the books I want to read. Although there are some authors whose books I'll purchase simply because I've read everything they've written, and have enjoyed each one [Holly Lisle, S. L. Viehl]. Does it really matter? I purchased 1/2 of the Vampire Huntress books, but read the last 4 as library copies. I will buy them eventually...but I didn't want to wait until my wallet was feeling cooperative.


Just curious...what are your thoughts on this?

just another day

I didn’t write at all this weekend. But I did get some brainstorming done last night. At this point I need to take a minute and get organized. To that end, I plan on printing out all my current files, and put them in a binder, separated by character / plot / scenes, etc. I now that if I don’t do this now, the lack of organization will only get worse.

It’s crazy busy at work, and I am slightly burnt out. And I, like a fool, volunteered to work Monday. Yes, because I have no life. No matter, the overtime will come in handy. I don’t expect that I will be very busy, so I will definitely get a lot of writing done in the meantime.

My Theme/Premise came to me: Be True to Yourself. This is the crux of Erika’s conflict. She cannot be true to herself and indulge her need to please everyone in her life. It’s just not possible. Something’s gotta give, and this is something she needs to realize for herself before she falls apart. Theme is something I never really thought about before, but I am beginning to understand how it can help pull everything together. I know what scenes I need, which ones I don’t. And I expect it will keep me focused so I am not going off on a tangent as I am known for doing.

Been doing some brainstorming at Romance Divas. I've got conflict up the waa-zoo now! Erika is exciting me now. She is going to go through it, but it really works well for me. I'm hoping to get all these random ideas on paper this weekend. Next week I'll start working on scenes, and put together a tentative outline after that. Then comes the writing.

This will be the first time that I've actually planned before writing. I still have an unfinished NaNoWriMo novel that I'd like to finish, if only to tear it apart later. That book is a SF space opera, and I really like the world I've created. I plan to go back to that world again and again--maybe in a series, maybe not. Either way, it is a world I am not finished with yet.

Lately I find myself drawn to YA fiction. Perhaps because I have a tween at home, and anything that will encourage her to read is ok by me. My son has inherited the book gene times two from me. The girl...not so much. She is not a fast reader, and she starts books but doesn't finish them. We're going to work on that this summer. And both of them have inherited the bookstore gene. A simple trip to Barnes & Noble can easily become a 2-3 hour excursion. And if I don't give them a limit beforehand, each will come find me, with a stack of books they're carrying. LOL There are worse things I can spend money on!! And my kids are smart. They can get money from me much, much easier if we're in a bookstore, as opposed to Best Buy or in Game Stop.

a breakthrough

Just last night, I was contemplating putting aside my current stalled project. Not that I'd gotten far, I was still trying to figure out what is motivating this character and what does she want. I even started a character sketch for someone new.

Well, as I was on my way to work this morning, while I parking the car and making the long trek across the huge parking lot it came to me. THAT IS IT. My character has been grieving, and this is the catalyst that makes her ask herself some strong questions. It will also add another pretty major character...but drama will ensue!! I was so excited, when I got to work I sent an email to myself with my notes.

It seems that all it took was me telling my muse that I don't have time to wait to figure Erika out, and I'm moving on. Apparently she didn't like that. And I won the battle. Yay me!

Tracking my progress...or lack thereof

I will admit, I'm all about the numbers. If I can tally word count, and see those numbers go up daily, it's like pure adrenaline, and I'm moving. To that end, I've been tracking word counts. I've been using the NaNo Report Card, which is all over the internet. Good spreadsheet, but not exactly what I want. And I am not excel-savvy enough to create what I want. I'd like a spreadsheet that tallies my wordcount, but also lets me see what I've been working on at a glance. I'd also like it to be a monthly spreadsheet, that will end up with a yearly total. Has anyone in blogland have such a spreadsheet, or seen one around?

The Vampire Huntress legend

I have been sucked deep into The Vampire Huntress series of books by L.A. Banks. There is romance, there are vampires, there is the classic battle between good and evil, and there is the pending Armageddon…what more can a girl ask for? I am currently reading The Forbidden, Book 5 of 9 (so far). The characters are all people I want to know, and would hang out with, of course sans flesh eating were-demons, and killer harpies. This is the type of book I aspire to writing. A storyline and characters that leave you thinking about them days after you’ve finished the book. As for my own writing, it seems like I’ve been sucked down so far into this other world, I’m feeling both intimidated, and excited. There are not enough hours in the day for me to read these books, and continue to write…and right now, guess which one is winning?

looking back

This evening I've been doing some long overdue purging of stuff. Various outdated emails, and such, and of course old projects that I started (and never finished). I found a dear friend's email to me, back at the end of 2001. He said, "You write clean ... reads like you've been publishing for a while....I'm impressed...and you're handling 1st person very well." I don't even remember what I sent him, but damn, what a boost to my confidence. Perhaps my fears are simply my own, and I just need to get over myself and write.

As even further proof that I at least have some talent, I read a small scene snippet that I wrote off the cuff. It was pretty good. Comparable to published work I've read, if I say so myself. LOL This was a pump up that I needed. I need to stop worrying so much about the mechanics and "get 'er done!'