Tag Archives: melinda leigh

Stumped for Story Ideas?

Posted on April 25, 2013 by | 6 Comments

newspapers

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

This by far the most common question I’m asked by readers and other writers.  I’m going to share my little secret. Some of my plot ideas come from news headlines. Here’s my trick:  I don’t click through to the article. Instead, I let my imagination fill in all the details.

Obviously, not all headlines are created equal. Take the following:

First of all, we skim right through celebrity news.

  • “Surprise Proposals Shock Bachelorette”
  • “Octomom Dons Tacky Wedding Gown”
  • “Jennifer Hudson’s White-Hot Ensemble”

 Sorry, even I can’t do anything with these. Moving on to politics:

  • Senate Narrowly Passes First Budget in Four Years
  • Health Insurers Warn that Premiums could Spike

 Yawn. I got nothing.

 Next up:

  • “Crude Joke Costs Two People their Jobs”
  • “Fighter Apparently Tried to Fake Own Death”
  • “Shootout in Texas may be Linked to Colo. Deaths”
  • “Manhunt Begins in Coney Island Shootings”
  • “Congolese Warlord Arrives at War Crimes Court Jail”

Jackpot! This is what I’m talking about. Reading any one of these headlines gets my imagination rolling. My brain is already making connections and naming characters.

In fact, there are many occasions when I have a plot hole and I need an event and I go perusing headlines to find just the right one.  Using headlines and actual events to spur my fiction gives my story lines realism. The only caveat: sometimes real events are truly stranger than fiction and critics will call your “real” event “unbelievable.”

→ 6 Comments

Posted in General blog, Writing Tips

Tagged , ,

Pitch Writing: An Important Career Skill

Posted on February 25, 2013 by | Leave a comment

???????I’m doing a pitch workshop at the Liberty States Fiction Writers Create Something Magical conference next month.  Nothing makes a conference goer sweat like the prospect of pitching her book. But the process isn’t something to fear. A 10 minute speed date with an agent or editor is hardly a bear sniffing your camping tent.  You’ll be fine, and the whole pitch process is a good exercise for your future career.

I haven’t pitched to an editor or agent in a few years, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t written pitches. If you think you’re done with pitching once you’ve snagged an agent or editor, think again.  Authors have to write pitches, too, except now they’re called proposals or short blurbs. Every time a new contract comes up, my editor doesn’t say, “If you send us books, we will pay you money.” No, she needs a proposal to take to her acquisitions meeting. Guess what the first sentence of  my proposal is?  A pitch.

Pitch writing doesn’t stop after a book is acquired either.  After the book is finished, cover and promotional copy has to be written.  Promo copy is pitches of different lengths, this time aimed at potential readers/buyers.

There might be slight differences in the wording or focus of the pitch depending upon the intended audience. But just like an action scene, a pitch has to grab the attention of the editor, agent, or in the case of promo copy, potential buyer.

The reader of the pitch must be hooked. In one or two sentences, you have to make them want to acquire/read your book.

I have one more use for a good pitch.  I like to pin my proposal to the bottom of my storyboard while I’m writing the book. During the actual plotting and writing process, rereading that initial pitch helps me stay focused on the core of the story.

Now that I’ve expounded on the importance of being able to pull the hook for your book from the rubble of a manuscript, I’m looking for some successful pitches from well-known movies or books to use in my workshop.  I have a few, but in my opinion, nothing explains a good pitch better than fabulous examples, and what makes that light bulb shine for one person might not work for another.

Does anyone have a killer pitch for a well-known book or movie?

→ Leave a comment

Posted in General blog, Writer's Life, Writing Tips

Tagged , , ,

Keeping it Real

Posted on February 1, 2013 by | Leave a comment

What I love about teaching the occasional karate class , particularly working with newbies, is explaining and instructing basics. Good basic form and technique are the keys to strong skills later on. They are the foundation to a house of cards or the stock to a good soup. Form and technique also enable a small student able to generate more power and hit harder than someone twice her size.  So, if you want your smaller heroine to land a strong blow to your big, bad villain, it’s possible. But writers have to keep it real. This isn’t TV.

Martial arts employs the use of physics. Here are three ways to generate more power when striking.  Good use of one of these natural forces allows a small person to hit very hard. (Bruce Lee was not a big man, but he could deliver incredibly fast and powerful blows!)

  1. Gravity – Your heroine can stomp on your villain’s instep, ankle, or knee. If she does it properly, gravity and body weight will add considerable force to the kick.
  2. Momentum – She can shift her body weight forward while striking, using her forward motion on the horizontal plane to increase her power.
  3. Torque – A roundhouse kick is  one example of using torque to increase power. The kicker uses the turning motion of the body like a golfer or baseball player.

There are forces karate students learn to maximize their strengths. Size, strength, and conditioning are factors as well. But every student can use correct form to increase his or her personal power.

I leave you with a clip of Bruce Lee. Yes, it’s a choreographed scene, but he is still amazing to watch. Notice the tight efficiency of his body. No wild swings. No unnecessary motions. Incredible speed, power, and grace. He is economy of motion in action. Enjoy!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in General blog, Writing Tips

Tagged , , ,

Revisions and the Value of a Fresh Perspective

Posted on January 28, 2013 by | 2 Comments

Woman reading bookI’ve learned an important lesson recently:  I am not always the best judge of my own work.

My deadline for SHE CAN SCREAM was tight. This was my doing. I wanted to push myself and my career, but the compressed time frame didn’t for much “thinking” time, those days when I stare at my plot board and let my imagination go. Writing the first draft in 10 weeks was a huge challenge for me. Yes, I know plenty of people who can crank out a draft in half that time, but not me. I am not a fast writer.

Anyway, I finished the draft and 2 rounds of revisions. Even after my agent read and approved the manuscript, I still had concerns. (I always doubt my own writing) But the deadline had arrived. So, holding my breath, I pressed SEND.

After a glorious 10 days of not having to work on this book, my developmental editor returned it. Yay! Only one of my concerns turned out to be valid, and fairly easy to correct once she pointed it out in the document. But in reading through her comments, there were a number of remarks that surprised me, places in the book where she felt my heroine sounded cold or mean. I reread the text over and over and couldn’t see it.  As a writer, my first instinct is to reject criticism that doesn’t seem logical. But the emotional impact of words isn’t something that can be predicted with an algorithm.  If my editor was put off by these sections, some readers will surely have the exact same reaction to the text that she did.

Different people can read the same words and have completely different reactions to them. 

When people open a book, they don’t do it alone. They bring their own history and personality with them, and their reactions can be as different as the lives they’ve led.

So, I’m off to rewrite these sections of text to make sure the emotions I intended to convey are clear to as many readers as possible. And I’m thankful that this book still has two more layers of editing, with two more entirely fresh perspectives, before it goes to print.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in General blog, Writing Tips

Tagged , , ,

Fun with Unusual Weapons

Posted on January 3, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Today, I went to karate class looking for the usual, an awesome workout that forces me to pay 100% attention to what I’m doing and therefore clears my head. But I got more, so much more.

Just like any other class, we started with a thirty minute kick-my-butt workout.  Sensei thinks of the most interesting ways to make my muscles hurt for days.  After the conditioning part of class was over, sensei brought out some weapons.  I know! Fun!

He made a pile of wooden sticks, knifes, and holy smokes – a machete.

The beautiful thing about kenpo karate is that everything a student learns builds and is used in other ways.  I’ve never trained with a machete before, but we train in Modern Arnis (stick fighting) in our curriculum.  The reason? Techniques and movements that work in stick fighting transfer to other weapons, such as knife and machete. So, even though this was my first time training with machete, I did much better than I expected.  Here is a short video of Modern Arnis. Pay attention to the weapons. You’ll see single stick, double stick, stick & knife, plus machete used with similar movements.

Now one question remains. How in the world do I work a machete fight scene into a book? Any suggestions?

→ Leave a comment

Posted in General blog, Writing and Martial Arts

Tagged , , , ,

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Posted on December 26, 2012 by | 2 Comments

What is The Next Big Thing blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover new authors. Bookstores are closing and publishers aren’t promoting new authors as much. The Next Big Thing is a way to introduce readers to authors they may not see in their local bookstore.

I’d like to thank fellow author Eyre Price for tagging me to participate. Click the link below to find out about Eyre’s latest book, BLUES HIGHWAY BLUES winner of the Jimi for Best Blues Book of the Year. “Mr. Price has given us a thriller full of blues, rock and roll and music history complete with rapscallions, thugs, and bad people too!”  Find out more about Eyre at his website: Eyreprice.net

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

1: What is the working title of your book?  SHE CAN TELL

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?  I’ve loved horses all my life. I taught riding lessons in college, and even own my own horse for almost 20 years. Setting a book at a horse farm felt natural.

3: What genre does your book come under? SHE CAN TELL doesn’t exactly fit into any one genre.  It’s a romantic suspense with thriller and mystery elements.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Mike isn’t a pretty boy, so David Boreanaz (Bones) would play him nicely, and I like Rachel Bilson, ironically, as Rachel, mostly because of her spunk.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  A vicious stalker, a cold murder, and a hot cop turn a horse trainer’s homecoming deadly.

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? SHE CAN TELL is published by Montlake Romance,  and I’m repped by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? SHE CAN TELL book took 9-10 months to write, mainly because my daughter was very ill halfway through my draft and I had to set writing completely aside for 3 months.  I guess that makes a net of 6 months actively writing the book. The first draft was actually the only draft. I’m not sure if karma decided to give me a break buy the manuscript needed no real revisions. (That has never happened again, BTW My current work-in-process is a total disaster.)

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? There are numerous terrific romantic suspense authors I would love to be compared to, Allison Brennan, Kendra Elliiot, and Laura Griffin are just a few of my favorites.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? I wanted to continue the series that began with SHE CAN RUN. So, I combined my love of horses and murder mysteries into a new story.  A few of the characters from SHE CAN RUN have cameo appearances in the SHE CAN TELL.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?  I’ll let one a recent Amazon reviewer do it for me. “This book has it all, hot cop, steamy romance, suspense. I could not put it down and stayed up until 2 a.m. Enjoy!”

I love enthusiastic readers!

Below you will find authors who will be joining me by blog, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on WIPs and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!

  1. Robin Perini was awarded the Golden Heart by the Romance Writers of America.  She is the author of the Montgomery Justice Series and an ever-growing list of Harlequin Intrigues.  I’m particularly looking forward to Behind the Lies, releasing in April 2013. RobinPerini.com
  2. J. T. Geissinger is the fabulous paranormal romance author of the Night Prowler Series. Her latest release, Edge of Oblivion, is “”Exquisite…A sublime example of paranormal romance…full of perfect pacing [with] almost Shakespearian intensity.” —Books, Bones & Buffy. Find out more at jtgeissinger.com.
  3. L. L. Hammer is the author of fast-paced stories filled with suspense, romance, and gripping action. Her latest release, Outmaneuvered, is available from Secret Cravings Publishing and her debut novel, Blue Horizon will be re-released in April 2013. Get all the details at jl-hammer.com
  4. National bestselling author Anna DeStefano has garnered numerous awards including twice winning the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion, the Golden Heart, and the Maggie Award for Excellence. Her latest release, Christmas on Mimosa Lane is “A deeply emotional story that furls around your heart like a Christmas ribbon.” —Lori Wilde, New York Times best-selling author. Find out more at annawrites.com,
  5. Award-winning author Rita Heron writes thrilling romantic suspense. She is the author of more than 50 books.  Look for her next release, Dying to Tell, on December 24!  I can’t wait to read it. Check out all her amazing titles at ritaherron.com/content/

→ 2 Comments

Posted in General blog

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Getting the Details Right

Posted on October 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Everyone knows a writer is supposed to do research for each project.  Is your character a fireman?  A policewoman? An arson investigator?  Whatever bits of the real world find their way into your novel better be accurate or someone will call you on it.

But what about the nitty gritty things that apply to everyday life?  How much research do you do on stuff that doesn’t necessarily impact the plot?

I’m particular about every aspect of a book, which is why the materials I’m consulting on a daily basis as I get my new story off the ground include various  calendars of 2013.  Setting doesn’t just apply to descriptions of the physical location and the weather. It also includes things like days of the week, times of sunrise and sunset, phases of the moon, moonrise/set, and upcoming holidays (think decorations).

I have a file with all of those dates, times, and calendars at my fingertips while I’m writing.  I can’t have a full moon in the sky on November 5th, 2013 if the correct moon phase of that day is waxing crescent.

How much attention to those nitty gritty details do you put in your novel? For those of you as obsessive as me, are there any other ordinary facets of daily life that you verify before writing a scene?

→ Leave a comment

Posted in General blog, Writing Tips

Tagged , ,

Trying a New Writing Software: WriteWay Pro

Posted on October 8, 2012 by | 5 Comments

I’ve recently turned in a book. (YAY!)  Since the manuscript was finished in a serious crunch, there’s no time for a break before getting my next project underway.  Time to plot!

I tried Scrivener last year for help with this process but found the software too cumbersome for my taste, but I really wanted software that would help pull together some of my plotting steps, especially since I’m writing 2 series simultaneously.

A friend recently told me about WriteWay Pro.  I downloaded the trial and was hooked.  It’s a simple program that allows me to keep my outline, characters, research, synopsis, and many other aspects of my new project in one file.  I had no trouble figuring out how to work anything without consulting the help button even once.  My absolute favorite function is the ability to import character profiles from previous books into new files. This will be a big help when I jump from one series to the other.

Here’s a YouTube tutorial if you want to check out WriteWay.

If I was going to give the folks at WriteWay any advice, it would be to add audio to their tutorial clips.  But you’ll get an idea of how the software functions.

Has anyone tried WriteWay?  What do you think?

→ 5 Comments

Posted in General blog, Writer's Life, Writing Tips

Tagged , ,

On Reviews

Posted on September 13, 2012 by | 4 Comments

When I had my first book published in 2011, I was prepared for bad reviews.  Books are like anything else, everyone has different tastes. On Goodreads, there are over 21,000 1-star reviews posted for To Kill A Mockingbird, one of my all-time favorites. (I admit to reading some just to make myself feel better.) There are even people out there in the world who don’t like chocolate, so I can’t expect everyone to like my book. I’m fine with that. I have faith that over time the right readers will find me and people who don’t enjoy my work will find authors they do like.

A well-written critical review can give readers as much or more valuable information about a book than a glowing, best-thing-since-sliced-bread review.  But there were many things about reviews I didn’t expect. For one, the pleasure and vehemence some people express when trashing a book is one of those things.  Another is the fact that people will buy a book without reading the book description and then blame the author when it isn’t exactly what they wanted. I can’t even comment on those that post reviews with so many incorrect details it’s clear they haven’t read it. Lastly, if you feel a book is wasting your time, why would you continue to read it? There are zillions of published books out there, truly something for everyone. Time is valuable. Read something else. Personally, I try to give a book 3 chapters. If it hasn’t hooked me by then, I move on. No harm, no foul.

All of these things perplex me, but the bottom line is that I’m trying to swear off reading bad reviews. Negativity bogs down my creativity and productivity. It’s hard, though. Reviews are like crack for writers. They’re scabs that beg to be picked. We MUST KNOW what every single person on the face of the earth thinks of our work.

The good reviews, the people who truly love what we’ve written, the readers who email us asking when our next book is coming out because they can’t wait to read it, those are the moments that make writers swoon. But how does an author resist reading negative reviews?

Readers, do reviews influence your buying decisions? Writers, do you read the reviews of you books? If not, how do you resist?

→ 4 Comments

Posted in General blog, Writer's Life

Tagged , ,

Writing and Rhythm

Posted on July 9, 2012 by | 4 Comments

I’ve just passed the halfway point in my work-in-process.  From here on out I expect to gather steam.  For me, the beginning of a book is always the hardest part.  My last project, SHE CAN TELL, came out nearly perfect in one draft. I call it my gift book. That will never happen again.

So far, writing MIDNIGHT SACRIFICE had a painful start, which I blogged about here. I tried a book-in-a-week with no success and ended up floundering around for about 8 weeks with few pages to show for my effort.  The fix ended up being the simplest thing of all: just writing. I gave myself a daily word count.  It didn’t matter what I wrote, I had to meet my goal for the day before I went to bed. The first week or so was painful. There were a few very long days and late nights. But, the more I wrote, the easier it got.The story developed flow and rhythm.

I’m happy to report the book is cruising along quite nicely at the moment. <knocking on wood> In the last few week, I’ve upped my daily goal from 1,000 words to 2,000, with my sights set on finishing the draft before the family vacation.  Discipline is a foundation of martial arts, so I thank my studies there for the sheer determination that got me over the hump. When you’re knocked to the ground in the sparring ring, doing nothing isn’t an option. If you want to earn your black belt, you have to get up and defend yourself. Writing takes the same amount of commitment. Deadlines don’t allow the professional writer the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike.

So, my cure for difficulty with writing is writing, even if it what I’m throwing down on the page feels like monkey poo. Does anyone else have a go-to method to get their book off the ground?

→ 4 Comments

Posted in General blog, Writer's Life, Writing Tips

Tagged , , , , , ,