Technology, Romance and Life
October 6, 2008 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as Berkley Prime Crime, Linda O. Johnston, Silhouette Nocturne
We live in an amazing era! I’m definitely a technology dunce, but the stuff I’ve been able to learn is still incredible. For one thing, I’m proficient in using at least part of my computer–for word processing for my writing, and e-mail. I’ve communicated several times with my son via e-mail, learning about where they are and the wonderful sightseeing they¢re doing, as well as getting questions answered about some holiday-related matters for later this year. A few of our return message got through almost instantaneously, even though we weren’t using instant messenger. He also called me on my cell phone–another technological wonder–while I was out for breakfast and he was enjoying the sunset. We talked for quite a while, since he had bought an inexpensive phone card there.
Our younger son is also traveling in Europe, although in different places from the honeymooners. Fred has communicated with him, too, via text messages.
Years ago, if we didn’t hear from a loved one who was traveling, we might be concerned about them but didn’t worry, since we didn’t expect to be in contact. Today, though, our expectations, or at least our hopes, are different. Not hearing back for a while can cause more consternation.
Hmmm. I may use that in a suspense story one of these days…
Linda O. Johnston
www.LindaOJohnston.com
www.KillerHobbies.blogspot.com
Linda O. Johnston is the author of 14 romance novels as well as the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime–and has 2 Silhouette Nocturnes and a Nocturne Bites upcoming!
Writer-Person Digs Deep
October 3, 2008 by Marianne H. Donley in category Archives tagged as Cait London, Craft, writing
We all have life-lint, memories/incidents/visual scenes that attach to us while we travel through our lives. Bits of our lives remain quietly attached to the writer, waiting to be tapped and used in a unique story.
Question: Are there really unique stories?
Answer: While certain underlying elements can be common, each writer’s style and life experiences create a unique story. Repeat: We are each unique with our own stories.
IMHO, the best stories are built from scratch, from digging around within our collection of life experiences. To start from a pre-made story line (i.e. Secret Baby) is not digging deep, not exploring the who/what/why layers, though the final story may fall within that pre-made category. For instance, in developing my psychic triplet trilogy, (FOR HER EYES ONLY* is an Oct 2008 release) I basically understood how a mother relates to her daughters, and how those daughters relate to each other (well, not in the psychic sense J). Or as Kathleen Eagle says, “I’m selling them off in pieces.â€
Sponge-like, the writer absorbs everything around him. My best story lines came while sitting in waiting rooms. Or traveling. The feel of the story locations came from actually visiting Montana, Lake Michigan, and Lexington, KY, the psychic triplets’ homes. Since I am basically artistic (a trait common to many writers), the handbags, sculptures, and jewelry designs were fun to fictionally create. I love Celtic jewelry and an ancient brooch is spotlighted in the psychic triplets’ story arc. Runes and Vikings have long intrigued me, as have psychic-seer elements. In short, much of Me is chocked within my novels.
Our own life experiences can be fictionalized. Just for fun, let’s bump them up, taking them to another dimension. Here’s mine (these can make a fun bio):
Landscape Designer (I’ve planted a few roses in my day.)
Interior Decorator (I’ve painted walls, shoved furniture around.)
CEO (I run my household.)
Technical Engineer (I can use a television remote.)
Chef (Pots and pans manager.)
Lighting Engineer (I change light bulbs.)
Director of Security (I lock the house doors.)
Director of Finances (I pay bills and budget.)
While that’s fun, it’s also a serious examination. When you actually make a list of what you do throughout the day, it’s quite long and filled with great story-fodder. Tap into yourself. Use You.
Cait London’s OCC writer series began last month. Visit CaitLondon.com for more on craft. FOR HER EYES ONLY, the conclusion of her psychic trilogy is an October 2008 release.
Ignorance IS bliss
September 28, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category ArchivesBy Laura Drake
Many writers I know began writing at an early age. They’ll tell you about a story they wrote about their dog in the third grade. I’m not one of them. I came into writing “butt firstâ€(as I’ve found I do a lot of things in life.) I’ve always been an avid reader, but have only begun writing in the last few years. It’s given me a different perspective on the whole experience.
When I started writing my first novel (no short story practice for me, I jumped into the deep end – something else I’m known for) I’d never read a book on craft – plot, characterization, POV, or any of the millions of details you need to know. Funny though – because I’ve read so much, I knew a lot of this inherently, but didn’t know that I knew it. I was following rules that I wasn’t even aware of, because I know what works in a good story, and what doesn’t.
My method has been a negative in several ways:
Trust me – the “blind squirrel finds an acorn†is not the fastest way to write a novel. I started on page one with only a vague idea of where I was headed with the plot. Working my way through was like being in a pipe clogged with mud…I’d move forward a bit, then have to wait for everything to settle before I could move again.
And don’t even get me started on editing! Luckily I’m a good speller, but I could only edit with the rules I knew; I kept discovering new ones as I went along, and would have to start over – like fifteen times! Can you imagine, not knowing rules for POV? What “telling†is? Passive voice? Looking back, I laugh (as I’m sure I’ll laugh at my current writing in a few years.)
But this perspective has also been good in several ways:
I was too ignorant to be afraid.
I also didn’t know how long the road I’d started on was going to be.
Or how much editing lie ahead.
How many rejections
Since I didn’t know how to go about writing a novel, I had no expectations…of my writing or myself.
I guess ignorance can be bliss, because I have never felt so fulfilled or proud as when I typed the last word.
A Fantasy Life
September 28, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category A Fantasy Life by Janet Cornelow tagged as Janet Cornelow, Janet Quinnby Janet Quinn Cornelow
Yesterday I went to plot group and we were discussing where ideas for stories come from. I mentioned that Rayna in “Revenge of the Lady’s Guard†had been sitting on that porch with the old lady for four or five years waiting for me to write her story. I always thought it was a western historical. I knew she wasn’t a contemporary character. Then Whiskey Creek Press started their Whiskey Shots short stories. Rayna was yelling from the porch, “That’s me. That’s me.†And it was her. She was a warrior taking care of an aging Ancient One ready to die.
Today and Tomorrow
September 25, 2008 by Marianne H. Donley in category Archives tagged as Musings At Midnightby Lori Pyne
Today started with emails by the hundreds. Most demanded action, attention and accuracy.
Incessant ringing phones constantly interrupted. Any call a potential crisis. Humor defused one client. Results delighted another.
Brain clipped along faster, smoother. Adrenaline hit the bloodstream. No second could be wasted. New work piled atop unfinished projects.
Weekend’s relaxation long forgotten.
Urgency filled the air. Tension stalked the halls. Perfection expected. Mistakes abhorred. Focus on priorities. Efficiency a must.
Stomach churned. Headache squeezed. Meds taken. Next task tackled.
End of day deadlines loomed. Urgent packages dispatched. Promised answers posted.
Much completed. Desk filled yet more work to finish tomorrow.
Race home to spend precious moments reviewing homework, supervising teeth brushing, and cuddling for a bedtime story or three.
After dinner with hubby, steal time from bill paying, house projects, and volunteer obligations to try to pry story from brain.
Once again, midnight has long past. Time for bed with the knowledge that tomorrow will be much the same.
How was your day? What do you think tomorrow will bring?
Featured Books
IN TWILIGHT’S HUSH (A GABRIEL MCRAY NOVEL BOOK 4)
Detective Gabriel McRay investigates a cold case from 1988 involving a missing teenager named Nancy Lewicki.
More info →
SHADOWS AT DAWN
Jax and Mindy have to put aside their overwhelming attraction, but if they live through this, all bets are off…
More info →
THE SHORT & SWEET OF IT: When the Right Word Is a Short Word
How do we say more with less? Can short, simple words make what we write so clear that the reader gets it? Or will it remind them of reading a child’s board book?
More info → 
