Tag Archives: writing

I Get Knocked Down…

Posted on January 26, 2012 by | 17 Comments

Daruma doll

Have you ever worked months, maybe years, toward a goal you really, truly wanted? I’m talking blood-sweat-and-tear-shedding, sleep-depriving work for this goal in which the pain never bothered you because your excitement and hope blunted it, especially when success was within reach; so close you could stretch out your fingertips and brush the goal’s smooth, pristine surface. Only to have your heart’s desire tip over, fall off the pedestal and shatter on the tile floor into a million teeny tiny pieces?  Along with your heart.

If you’re a writer who has received a rejection letter, you understand exactly how I feel.

I really believed this manuscript was the one. The manuscript that would bring my first contract, start my career, drop me on the path toward New York Times bestsellerdom, and keynote speaker at RWA’s national conference. (What, your dreams don’t include being a future keynote speaker?) Anyway…the editor had good things to say about my writing, but thought my twist was a little too different. Argh! (Side rant: I’m beginning to think the NY publishers don’t want “a new twist on an old story” they want “slight curvatures”.) Granted she was only the first editor we’ve heard back from on the new project, and my agent and I still love it and wholeheartedly believe in it, but the rejection knocked me down anyway. What can I say? I’m a sensitive girl. So as I was sinking into the quicksand of self-pity and crushed dreams, I thought about the Daruma I gave my husband for Christmas.

A Daruma is a traditional Japanese wishing doll that helps us achieve our dreams. When you get a Daruma, you set a special goal and then color in one of the doll’s eyes signifying the start of your commitment to work toward achieving it. Then you place Daruma where you can see him everyday – either at home or at work. He motivates you to stay focused on your goal. Once your goal has been achieved, you signify your accomplishment by coloring in his other eye.

Daruma’s are made from papier-mâché, are rounded, hollow, and weighted on the bottom so they will return to their original upright position if tilted or knocked on their side (like a Weeble Wobble – remember those?). Because of this unique ability to right itself, Daruma is associated with the Japanese proverb, nana korobi yaoki, which states, “Fall down seven times, get up eight”.  In other words, the proverb and the doll represent persistence and perseverance.  Not only is that a good writing motto, it’s a good life motto.

Daruma reminds us to never, ever give up on our dreams. No matter how many rejections we may receive.

~K.M. Fawcett

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Fight Scene Questions?

Posted on January 23, 2012 by | 11 Comments

Do you have questions about your fight scenes? Or about writing action? Or how to create believable martial arts characters? Maybe you’re wondering what your heroine would do if the villain grabbed her from behind.

I’d like to dedicate today’s blog post to answering any questions YOU may have about your fight scenes. Leave your questions in the comments section.

~ K.M. Fawcett

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World’s Slowest Writer

Posted on January 5, 2012 by | 5 Comments

Happy New Year!

Is it me or is time speeding up? Here we are five days into the new year, and I haven’t figured out my goals yet. Heck, I haven’t even reflected on last year’s goals. Maybe it’s better that way. Last year I had three goals and fell short of them all.

Time to try again…

My goal for 2012 is to start and finish writing a new novel. Since I’m a contender for World’s Slowest Writer, handing my agent a new book before year-end will not be easy. But I think I can speed up productivity if I plot more precisely than I have done in the past. If I spend more time on the story arc, the characters’ goals, motivation and conflict, and the turning points upfront, I should have less fixing and rewriting later on. It can’t hurt, right?

So I download a free trial of the writing program Scrivener. This program seems like a great way to organize my story and keep everything, including research, in one file. I’m still going through the tutorial, but so far it seems pretty good, as long as I can remember how to use all the functions. Perhaps I should sign up for Gwen’s Scrivener class in February.

Well, at least I have one goal to work toward. I still need to determine my karate goals and personal goals (Note to self: include get more sleep on personal goals list). What about you? Do you make goals or resolutions for the New Year? If you’re a writer, do you use writing software? Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants?

~KM Fawcett

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The Best Piece of Advice

Posted on December 29, 2011 by | 15 Comments

anyone ever gave me came from the wise and experienced authors at Liberty States Fiction Writers. I’ve filed this advice in my brain right next to wear clean underwear in case I’m in an accident.

DO NOT ENGAGE

No, they weren’t talking about the thrusters on the Enterprise. They were referring to people who review your books. Goodreads, Amazon, professional bloggers, whatever. I was reminded of this for two reasons. One, my debut book, She Can Run, has garnered enough reviews now to have a few unfavorable ones. Two, I read a post on a loop recently from an author who contacted a reviewer to complain about a review. An ugly back-and-forth ensured. Which was exactly what I’d been warned would happen by those wise and experienced authors.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Liberty States Fiction Writers for saving ME this embarrassment.

This was the precious advice I received. It doesn’t matter if the reviewer has valid points about your book, is just being mean, wants to prove to the world he’s smarter than you, says things that aren’t true, or is flat-out insulting. None of that matters. No good can come of a writer complaining about a review. You will look like you can’t take criticism. You will look unprofessional. You will will look like a whiny bitch. Worst of all, you will draw even more attention to the review.

I’d tell you not to read reviews, but we all know that’s harder to do than it sounds. Writers are insecure. We MUST know what everyone thinks of our babies- er -books. Plus, reviews are as addictive as potato chips. You can’t stop after just one. But the next time someone posts a terrible review about your book, call a good friend and get all the complaining out of your system (sorry, Rayna!) Shut off the computer, go to the gym, and work off your frustration there. Not everyone will like your book. Just get over that now and move on. But above all,

DO NOT ENGAGE.

Does anyone else have a priceless piece of advice from a fellow writer that you’d like to share?

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Is Editing Important?

Posted on December 26, 2011 by | 54 Comments

My husband and I had a disturbing (to me) conversation. The subject was self-published books and the failure of some authors to edit their work.

Don’t freak. I’m not against self-publishing.

I’ve downloaded self-published books and found some excellent reads. But I’ve also paid $0.99 and felt like I’ve been totally ripped off. Some authors take care to have their work professionally edited or at least proofread by someone competent in grammar, spelling, and punctuation before asking people to pay money to read it. Others don’t even seem to know how to use spell check.

As an OCD-ish writer, I’m appalled at the latter type. I’m not talking about a couple of typos or some formatting issues, but numerous grammatical issues on every page.

Had they never heard of the Chicago Manual of Style? The dictionary?

With the ease of self-publishing, it feels like the slush pile has moved from the agent or editor’s desk to the internet. It’s now the consumer’s job to determine which books are worth of their time and money. Before I download a self-pubbed ebook (even a free one), I check out the sample pages to see what’s what. But I don’t do this very often for the same reason I don’t shop at Nordstrom Rack. I don’t have the time to sort through the rubble to find the gems.

I can read through the occasional typo. This blog post may have a typo or two. Typos even find their way into fully edited, traditionally published books, but I find a plethora of errors distracting and annoying. Most word processing programs do a decent job of proofreading automatically. Not bothering to use these functions is plain lazy.

But let me get to the part that disturbed me, my husband’s assertion that most people don’t care about any of these errors. I’m picky because I’m a writer. The average reader just wants to know what happens in the story and routinely skims through sentences, paragraphs, sometimes whole pages.

Anyone else feeling nauseous at this point? I’m agonizing over every word that goes onto the page and readers really just want an outline of what happens? Is this true?

Help me out here. Readers, do you care about spelling, grammar, etc.? Does it affect your enjoyment of the book? Writers, what do you think? I’d really love to hear from some self-published authors on this, too.

Does grammar matter or has it gone the way of hand-written letters and perfect penmanship? Are spelling and punctuation irrelevant?

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Show Up Naked: Writing the Male POV by Guest Author, Chris Redding

Posted on November 14, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids, one dog and three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn’t writing, she works part time for her local hospital. Her latest release in print is A View to a Kilt. Welcome, Chris!

Thanks, ladies!  This is an excerpt from a workshop I do called Show Up Naked: Writing the Male POV. This lecture talks about the basics of men…

Aggression as Part of the Game

In our culture aggression in some form is expected of men, whether in business or on the playing field. Think about a stock broker. He needs to win the game to win for his clients and make money.

Ask to be part of the team you want to be on. Men to do it all the time. They ask for things that women are loathe to do. I used to work a job at night. I’m not a night person. When my boss came to me for a solution to the problems I was having, I asked to work during the day. Problem solved. He saw nothing wrong with me asking for something. It was part of his psyche to ask for what he needed so it made perfect sense that I would ask for what I needed. (Little did he know how much I agonized over the that request.)

Most men lobby for the attention to get on a team.

So men decide what they want and then work towards getting it. Not that women don’t, we just do it differently or wait for it to come to us.

Men make themselves visible. Remember when I talked about how men toot their own horns? How they talk up their own accomplishments? If you aren’t visible, someone else can take credit and they win the game. Not you.

Risks are a part of the game. Men are willing to take them. By acting as if they know how to do it, men get to try something new and sometimes it works out. They win!

I Coulda Been a Contender

Fighting is part of the game. I think as women we are socialized to avoid conflict. Back to that “make everyone happy”. Men have no such socialization and are taught to look out for themselves. I think we’ll see this changing soon.

For men fighting can bring the team together. And being that most men won’t walk away from a fight, it works. Not all men choose to engage in the fight. I know lots of men who can talk their way out of a fight.

And since there are rules to the fight, just as there are rules in any game, each man knows when to quit. Think about a duel. Two people choose their weapons. They walk ten paces, turn and shoot. It couldn’t be more civilized if you discount the killing part.

No one intervenes. It’s between the two men and they both follow the rules.

Ever seen two women fight? There are no rules.

That said, there is nothing wrong to a man if you find your opponent’s weakness and go for it. That is considered fair.

Because they know the rules of the fight, men also know when to stop. They stop fighting when it is clear they won’t win or that the cost of winning is too high. This is ripe for conflict in a novel. Remember this when your hero is fighting for something. This is the quintessential dark moment when he must give up the fight. Most likely in a romance novel, if he wins, he loses the girl. I’m tingling at the thoughts of what you can do with this information. How strong you can make that dark moment.

Thanks for having me today.

cmr

A View to A Kilt:

Waking up next to a dead guy can ruin your whole day.

When a wise-cracking interior decorator wants to put her past behind her, the dead body of the mayor’s son makes it pretty clear that won’t happen too easily.

A conservative former computer geek for the FBI is holding on too tightly to his past. His wife died under suspicious circumstances and he believes the decorator has the information to solve the case. Unfortunately for him, she isn’t talking… until a series of events convinces her she needs protection especially when her biggest secret threatens to destroy both their lives.

You can buy A View to a Kilt at:

Omnilit 

Smashwords

Amazon

Nook Store

 

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VooDoo, I Do by Sayde Grace

Posted on November 10, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Hello everyone!! Thanks so much for letting me stop by today. The last two weeks have been insane around my house. My family and I have been sick, well, and sick again, plus I just started a new job. Totally crazy.

Today before I move to my post I would like to give a huge thank you to all men and women who have served in some way to protect our country. Men and women have been protecting us for years and sometimes I don’t think they get enough thanks for it. I also want to thank the families and friends of those men and women. I always think about my grandmother who after just getting married and having a baby was left in Owassa, Alabama with all the other women in the family to raise babies and farm while all the men went off to the Navy. My Aunts and grandmother held down the farm and homes during one of the worst financial times in our nation. Not only that but they raised happy families who went on to respect and understand the sacrifices that we make for our freedom. Strong people behind the scenes are just as important as the men and women on the front lines, so today I thank you all for your service.

While we are on the subject of strong women I would like to introduce to you all my heroine from my book, Voodoo, I Do. Don’t let the name scare you. It’s not all about voodoo. You see Josephine Doucet-Wade is a vampire, but not just any vampire, she’s also half werewolf. She’s the most powerful, badass, and most hated creature ever created. Both species love her and hate her, making her everyday life a fight for survival. Not only does she have to worry about what other werewolves and vampires are up to, she has her best friend who’s having a relationship melt down live with her, who just so happens to be a voodoo priestess. And of course when the going gets rough everyone wants to rain on her parade.

When her ex werewolf husband who’s not really so ex hears of all the trouble heading Josephine’s way he heads to River Road, Louisiana to help her in the fight of their life. But Braxton isn’t the only alpha looking to get back into Josephine’s good graces, her ex vampire lover and first love Etienne is also headed her way.

For the battle of a century Josephine will attack the page in ways that mere mortals have only dreamed of. And while doing so she will be forced to choose between a future with Braxton or Etienne, both Alpha’s who desperately need her power in their worlds.

Here are the official details of Voodoo, I Do. Today in honor of Veterans Day I will be giving away four books. Readers can choose between any of my backlist which includes, Voodoo, I Do, Untamable, The Harder They Buck, and Riding Double. If one commenter is all we have then that person gets all four.

Alpha female of both the werewolf and vampire species Josephine Wade has a problem–two, actually. The first is Etienne Bordeaux, her former vampire lover she hopes to seduce again. The second is her estranged Alpha werewolf mate, Braxton Wade, who wants to show her that she may be dominant, but he’s even more so, especially with her under him and his teeth marking her. Both powerful males want her back, but only one can have her heart, body and soul.

As Josephine tries to control the situation between her former lover and her husband, her world begins to unravel. What was once the truth is now fiction, and what was fiction is now truth. Only she can be the one to unite both truth and fiction to save those closest to her and take her place beside her true mate in both the werewolf and vampire worlds.

Book Cover INsert

STORY EXCERPT

Once upstairs, I lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Braxton went to the car to get the rest of my father’s things. The smell of sugarcane drifted across the room to me, and a lazy tingle of awareness told me Etienne was coming up the hidden passageway to my room. I looked over at the hidden door then shut my eyes, hoping he’d go away. Of course he didn’t. Instead he eased toward the bed.

“Ma chère, so many nights have I remembered the way you look stretched out in our bed. I’ll never forget the way your body moves,” he said huskily.

I sat up, rolled my eyes, and looked over at him. “What do you want, Etienne?”

He smiled, causing my heart to beat faster. An instant later he knelt in front of me.

“I want to be able to bury my cock into the woman I love. I want to taste the delicious flavor of her pussy, and hear her screaming in ecstasy from me, not some fucking dog. I want to taste you in all ways and have you taste me. I want that bastard out of your life and only me touching you.” His eyes glowed crimson and cinnamon closed around us.

“Etienne, you left me, haven’t contacted me in any way, shape, or form over the years, and now you’re married to the bitch who tried to steal my husband.”

As if a lightbulb went off, it all began to make sense. “You sent her after him—didn’t you? You got her to try to split us up?” My voice was about ten octaves higher than normal.

He shook his head vehemently. “Ma chère, as much as I want him out of your life I wouldn’t hurt you that way. I want you to choose me over him. Not force you into making the decision.” He spoke softly, staring into my eyes.

“If you want me so badly, why’d you leave? Why’d you marry Elizabeth?” I asked as the anger began to boil within.

“I left because I couldn’t stand not being able to hold you. I went after Melanie’s relatives and found none, so I gave up on any future with you. That’s when I met Elizabeth. I care for her, but no one will ever hold a candle to you, chère.”

He reached up as if he were going to caress my cheek the way he had done years ago after we’d made love, but the invisible line from the curse caused him to stop. His deep longing to be with me touched the little soul I had left. I fought my instinct to lean toward him.

“You need to leave. Go back to the garçonnière, to your wife. Forget everything about me. When the deal with this property is over, I’m cutting you from my line. You can stay under Grayson if you wish, but we need to be free of each other for good.”

Braxton’s heavy footsteps marching toward me as well as the harsh scent of sulfur were clear signs he was pissed and just outside the door.

Braxton busted through the door, seething.

I silently begged Etienne to go away. He looked into my eyes, letting me see the hurt, longing, and love he held for me.

“I love you, chère. Always have and always will.” He made no move to get up when Braxton rushed toward us from the doorway.

Braxton raced across the room in a fit of rage. His scent smelled so sulfuric it turned my stomach sour.

“Brax, easy. You’re suffocating me with the smell.” Under normal circumstances I may not have tried his patience, but the smell was just too much.

He growled at me and I shut up.

He dropped the boxes onto the floor and rounded on Etienne, shoving him across the room. When Etienne hit the wall, Braxton grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the floor. “If it wasn’t for the trouble it would bring on her, I’d kill you. I’d rip you apart here and now for talking to my mate like that. I don’t give a damn whether you think you love her or not. She is my mate. Mine!” Braxton launched Etienne out one of the windows. Glass shattered and cascaded throughout the room.

A muffled thump on the earth and a cuss from Etienne said he’d made it to the ground.

About Sayde:

A native of South Alabama, Sayde Grace was raised among the cotton fields and dirt roads of the south. She has a deep love and appreciation for the rural communities and uses her experiences of small town life in her books. A lifelong story teller, Sayde began writing full time three years ago and has written several full length manuscripts which range from romantic suspense to erotica.

Sayde is currently enjoying and loving life in beautiful South Alabama with her husband and two young children. Sayde’s first urban fantasy in her Moonlight Cravings Series was released in April of 2011 through Siren Publishing followed by her first paranormal suspense, Voodoo I Do.

To find Sayde on the web please go to http://saydegrace.com

 

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Writing by the Sea

Posted on October 17, 2011 by | 7 Comments

This weekend I got to have another cool adventure. No there wasn’t a really awesome toilet with a remote control and heated seat, but an awesome time was had without it. This weekend I got together at the beach for writers retreat with friends. It was nice to get away, enjoy the beautiful weather, and focus on our manuscripts.

With all of the responsibilities and distractions of day to day life it’s nice to have some time to recharge the creative batteries with other writers. Conferences are a terrific way to do this, but conferences can be exhausting. However, this weekend Kiersten Krum, Caridad Pineiro, Nisha Sharma gave each other a creative boost in a relaxing environment.   It was a lovely change of pace.  Who else could you lounge around having  conversations about demons eating entrails and ways to increase the gore factor without getting looked at as though you were insane? We also had some great brainstorming sessions It’s fun playing what if with other creative people and seeing what kind of story ideas come up. I know I got some nice feedback which helped me plug some holes in my plot for the third story in my series. I appreciated getting the prospective of people who weren’t as familiar with my stories they can come up with something better then you’d come up with alone or that wouldn’t have even occurred to you. In between writing sessions we took breaks to walk along the boardwalk, to get dinner at a wonderful Cuban restaurant in Asbury Park, and stop for dessert.

It was a wonderful weekend with great friends. We critiqued, we laughed, we got all manner of writing /writing related projects accomplished. Thanks for a lovely weekend, ladies!  I had a great time.

~Rayna

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Calling All Readers!

Posted on September 29, 2011 by | Leave a comment

I love conferences. There is nothing more energizing and inspiring then getting together with other authors and talking books. As a writer you always need to learn, grow, and perfect your skills. At certain point in time, however, you have to step out from behind the desk and start interacting with your end user, your readers.  This year Liberty States Fiction Writers has given me the opportunity to create a forum for authors and readers to come together to hang out, have a little fun, and talk books at our Create Something Magical Conference. The conference will be held on March 17, 2012, so with registration starting very soon, I thought I’d give a sneak peak of what we have in store for the readers and writers that join us for our inaugural reader’s event.

Have you always wanted to attend Lady Jane’s Salon, but never had the opportunity? Well, here’s your chance. We will be starting things off with drinks, dessert and readings.  From there you’ll have the opportunity to hang out with some of you r favorite authors such as Larissa Ione, Katharine Ashe, Virginia Kantra, Jonathan Maberry, Ally Blue, Sarah MacLean and many more. Of course, there will be a book signing so you’ll have the chance to check a few items off of your to buy list. Finally, we’ll end the day with a little dinner and a lot of dancing.

That’s just the tip of the ice berg. We’ll have games and prizes as well as a few other surprises in store. So I hope we’ll see some of you on March 17, 2012 at the Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel.

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Advice for New Writers

Posted on September 15, 2011 by | 12 Comments

I’m tackling interview questions for my November/December blog tour.  Yes, I know its 2 months away, but I’ve told you before that I’m a geek.  I always had my homework and term papers done way ahead of time.  Otherwise I can’t think because I feel like Wile E. Coyote with an anvil poised over his head.

Anyway, the best piece of advice I can give any beginning writer is to join a writers’ organtization.   Yesterday I attended the Liberty States Fiction Writers meeting.   I can’t describe how good it felt to mingle with other writers, to have them cheer when I held up the gorgeous ARC (advanced reader copy) of my debut novel, She Can Run, to pick the brains of the experienced authors in the group. (Thank you, Caridad Pineiro, yet again.)

Writing is a solitary life, but writers need to leave their writing caves and mingle with other humans occasionally.  But books are about people and relationships and the outside world.  How do we write about these things if we’re holed up in our PJs guzzling coffee and muttering to the dogs for months on end?  Professional organizations also provide important resources to help writers in all states improve their craft, learn to promote, and talk about what happening in the business. Liberty States Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America have both been instrumental in helping me with my career.

So, that’s my big piece of advice: join a professional organization.  For those of you with experience in the writing world, what advice can you give to beginning writers?  For the newbies out there, what’s your biggest obstacle?

If anyone has other writing organizations they’d like to list here, go for it!

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