Write what you know. Research what you don't.

I had the perfect blog topic as I was falling off to sleep last night. It was brilliant, witty and even funny. This morning it was gone. Not even wispy shadows of it remain. Don't you hate when that happens?

It also annoys me when I'm loving a story, reading along, drinking it all in and then, SLAP. A bit of faulty information. Blech!   Cliche doesn't mean correct. And artistic license has its limits, unless you've prepared your readers for the change.

If you were reading a story which included a location, hobby or past time you know well, wouldn't ignorance or improper artistic license annoy you?

My favorite example is in the film, 'The Fabulous Baker Boys.' Jeff Bridges character enters Pike Street market and comes out the front of 'Ivar's on the Pier'.  Okay, this restaurant is situated with the back overlooking Puget Sound. The entrance is south, west and down the hill from the market.  It was a major annoyance to the residence of the Seattle area. A piece of masterful editing to the rest of the population.

Why do I bring this up?  Readers are more sophisticated. They have fewer dollars to spend and more authors to chose from. Under estimating your readers is a costly mistake. If they buy one of your titles and are disappointed, they won't be telling their friends to pick up a copy, nor will they be looking for new titles. Or worse? They may not buy your book at all.

The internet is at our fingertips. Even if you've never clapped eyes on a live horse, there is a plethora of websites dedicated to educating people about horses.  Never been to Seattle? Go to Google maps and view the city from street level. This resource is a major advantage, which shouldn't be ignored.

Every writer should find other writers to interact with, on a regular basis. The improvement in my writing was off the charts when I met up with the Writing Wombats, my most beloved writers group.

A writer's group also affords first hand experiences which can enrich your stories and make them more believable.

Good is in construction. Great is in the details. I don't know about you, but when I pick up a book filled with rich, pertinent details in well crafted sentences it's a thrill. Making a believable neighborhood or area is good use of artistic license. It says to the reader, this author cares enough to get it right.

I've had the privilege to be part of a submissions screening process. If the piece is well written, I'm excited. If there is no clear start, but I can find it, we're still okay. A senseless oversight in research will give me pause, two, I'm done.

Sending out queries is a laborious, nerve fraying, process. All of us do it. All of us hate it.

Give the editor reason to keep reading. Write well. Write what you know, and if you don't, do the research to make it what you know.  Nothing excites me more than finding a submission I can get behind and say, "Hey, look at this little beauty!"

What pulls you from a story? What makes you want more? And as authors how do we do a better job?

Adding 'Author' to Resume'

Okay, so I'm redoing my ancient resume'.  The kids are grown. The economy sucks and we still need to retire sometime before the next century.

Can I just say Hooray for Google maps! They made finding addresses a snap. I remember 'where' I worked, but not the address. I'm address impaired, what can I say?

I listed my past employers and realized,  'I'm a published author.'
Well, duh you may say. The truth of the matter is I don't think about it in the context of work and marketable skills. Or I didn't until refreshing the resume'.

Authors and aspiring authors are proficient in Word. Some of us use other programs, but most of us know Word inside and out. Excel? Why yes, many of us use Excel to chart Goals, Motivation and Conflict. Familial interactions with our characters and so forth.

Written language skills? If an author has been actively seeking to improve their craft, this is a no brainer.
Communication skills? We tear it up. Thank you very much.

Disciplined? Okay, so not all of us have this in abundance, but having 'Author' on your resume' sure makes it look as if we are disciplined.

Dedicated/Determined? We finished a novel length manuscript. Shopped it. Sold it. YIP!
I will admit, those who have never tried to be published can't, in any way, appreciate what kind of dedication this takes, but we do.

Dependable? Can you say deadlines up the wazoo? I thought you could.

Team-player? Not something generally thought about with a writer, but think about it. We all learn to listen and interact with editors, beta readers and see 'our' story as it fits into the publishers vision. Could there be anything more team than that?

Creative? Goes without saying.

Able to think outside of the box? Oh yeah.

Able to work independently without much supervision. Duh! smile

I got a bit of thrill and surge of pride as I added, 'Author' to my resume'.  It is a sense of accomplishment each of us should experience in this lifetime.

So the next time someone suggests you are wasting time on the writing gig, smile and tell them you are building job skills.

Now we'll have to wait and see if it impresses prospective employers as much as it does me.

What other skills translate to the office, job, resume'?

If Fantasy is hard to sell, why are fantasy character's talking to me?

A few days ago I read a post from a friend. Her agent told her Fantasy was a hard sell right now.

Well, great. I've got three of them jockeying for finger time. And they aren't being nice about it.

The first manuscript I finished is a fantasy. In an age before a plethora of internet research tools, no it wasn't that long ago - sheesh, I didn't have the time to spend hours at the library. My kids would have thought it was great at first and then forcibly rebelled after a couple of weeks.

Me, get lost in research? I have no idea what you're talking about.

So anyway, I decided to do fantasy. I set up the social structure, climate, terrain, abodes and everything else that goes with creating a world. I have glossaries, maps and calendars to keep it all straight.

I knew there would be sequels at some point, even knew which character it would be. That was my Nano last year. And then in true writer fashion another idea had me chasing a completely different stick.

All the while the third book in the series was swirling on the edges, so I started that to shut it up.

Okay, so now I'm in it.  I've got a contemporary, I want to finish, not to mention it has a better chance of selling in this market.

My bully warriors won't be quiet. T'nok isn't a bully, but his stupid brother, Keegan is.  Their ladies are more polite, but still chatty And the secondary characters? Oh heaven help me.

The original is mocking me. 'You created us. Deal with it.'  Hang my head.

So I need to round this unruly lot up and corral them somehow so I can finish the one that has a chance of sale, or do I give in and work on them in turns?

No wonder I don't discuss my writing with the general populous. I'd be stuck in a looney bin.

How do you handle more than one story at a time?

I'm them

When I was young I marveled at the aunts. They were living libraries. Ask them any family related question from medical conditions to birthdays and one, if not all, of them would know. Mom didn't know?  No problem, one of the aunts would, or vice versa.

Today it hit me. I'm one of the family walking libraries.

I should have seen it last year. My mother-in-law died and my sisters-in-law and I were fielding questions ranging from, 'When did grandma get this?' to 'Who's this picture of?'  In my defense I was in shock.

Today as I sat in a doctor's office with my son for the first time in over two years it came around and slammed me in the back of the head.  I know and, more amazing still, remember all of his asthma medications, what years he took them and which ones don't work anymore. My son was seeing this doctor for the first time for his asthma and wanted back up. That and instructions on how the doctor should write the scripts for our insurance made his eyes cross.

I know basic medical information on every family member of this generation, and my friend's kids. Privacy? What's that when mom's get to talking.  I remember how old they were when they started driving, dating, their first heartbreak and greatest personal achievements.  I've become one of the aunts.  I'm the keeper of what came from where and who got what, when and how.

And then I wonder why my short-term memory isn't what it used to be? LOL

As a writer this data base serves to deepen and strengthen my stories.  There is a bottomless reservoir of emotion, facial expressions and silly, wonderful laughter.  I'm pretty sure none of them would see themselves in any of my books. My characters are an amalgam, not featuring any one person in my life too pointedly.  Still they are there and it makes my heart smile.

Write, read, edit, repeat. When the cycle ends.

I've been doing the write, read, edit, repeat waltz for so long I never thought to see the end of a project, let alone two.

But here I stand. Safe Harbor was first to launch and I must admit to feeling a little ill at first. My baby, out in the cold, cruel world. Hey, there's a bit I should fix. Can a manuscript ever be clean enough? Pried from my fingers it's in print.

Now Escape to Love is in the chute on its way to print. The editing witch has pin pointed half a dozen things that maybe would be better this way or that. She's talking to the wind. Until the proof copy comes there is little to be done.

So here I find myself standing on the ledge of, gasp, promotion. Have I mentioned I'm afraid of heights?
Believe it or not, I'm something of a recluse, perfectly content to type away and let someone else deal with promotion. Scared? Who me? You bet your life I am.

Is it that I don't believe my work is solid? I know that it is.

Don't want the world to see it?
Nothing could be further from the truth. If I had the money I'd hand my books out for people to read and enjoy. I love them so much, I want you to love them too.

Afraid of criticism? Not really. I don't like every well-written book I pick up. So it stands to reason, as improbable as it seems, not everyone is going to get or like my work.  Having run the gauntlet of on line contests and reveiw by my most wonderful writing group (The Writin' Wombats) I've developed a pretty thick skin.

When it comes to blowing my own horn, selling myself as the next great up and comer, a voice nags at me.  I was raised with Midwest values and work ethic. Do your job. Do it well. Don't brag. Doing a good job is reward enough. Okay, that's leaves me hanging in a precarious position.

I wish I had a touch of my friend, Judi Fennell's enthusiasm. She's gone all out with her Mer-series beginning with In Over Her Head.  She's a real people person and it shows. The woman glows and then she smiles and everyone in the room is happier just for being there.

Pat Bertram has been an example of sheer force of will. More Deaths Than One launched her and I don't  think she's slowed down enough to notice a door might have been closed.

I mention and envy these two, because I'm shy. Not painfully so, but in new situations it's close. This is a new situation.  I'm inherently not a joiner, which in this business is a liability.  My watch and see M.O. won't serve me in this model.  So here I stand, wondering if I should take a leap of faith, or slide off the ledge from a seated position?

How do you go about breaking through into new situations?  How do you face your fears?