Magical Musings

Last week I had two ideas for new books. Just the kernels, but they gave me shivers. I scribbled them on a scrap of paper. For one I wrote “Something like [actor] in [movie title]. Then I have an eleven-word sentence describing it. (Amazingly, it’s grammatically correct.) For the other idea I wrote “The song where [something happens].” This summary is ten words of a song with a title I couldn’t remember.

It’s been about six days since I wrote this, but because of the movie and song reference I still understand what I meant and what excited me. By the time I develop whichever idea I decide to go with, it won’t be like the movie or the book. For the idea based on the movie, the movie had a man as the main character. Mine will have a woman. The book will be women’s fiction. For the other one, the characters will be completely different too.

I started this blog, then took a snack break and turned on the TV in our kitchen. “Law & Order” was on. A middle-aged man and woman were in an interrogation room with two district attorneys. About three seconds after I turned it on, the wife broke down and, impassioned, said they took money to keep silent about a criminal because their son had a bad heart and needed an operation they couldn’t afford. They needed to take the money or he would have died. The mother said, “What would any parent have done?”

Wow! What a great idea to hang a plot around. As I listened to the show a bit longer, I realized the person they took money from was a pedophile who had molested their other son. No hero or heroine of mine would pay off a child molester, but I can see other ways to use the “What would a parent do for her child?” question.

What if the single mother heroine had a dying child, and a cloaked man offered her money to have his child and give the child to him? Later she finds out the cloaked man is a demon. I just thought of this but I’m already developing a story in my head. I might actually use it. I’m sure you can imagine an entirely different story around the question.

In the Carrie Underwood video above, she’s singing “Temporary Home,” which has three scenarios of people in temporary homes. A foster kid, a young mother, a dying man. Maybe I’ll incorporate a character from this song into one of my other ideas.

Some people get ideas all the time and have more than they’ll ever have time to write. Me, I struggle to get the idea that clicks. But that’s crazy. They’re all around me. I just need to pay attention.

Off the top of your head, can you think of a song, movie or TV show that might have plot or character possibilities?

Well, its that time of year again. WRITER’S CONFERENCES. (Note the capital letters.) This is the beginning of the year when a lot of writers turn their attention from their solitary existence and make plans to socialize with like minded people. Doesn’t matter if you’re a newbie, midlist or a best seller, there’s something about attending a writer’s conference that’s exciting.

I generally manage to attend perhaps four conferences per year. Two of them are local weekenders … the WisRWA conference being held in Brookfield, Wisconsin, and the North Chicago Spring Fling. Both are excellent. Then there’s the Romantic Times Conference being held in Columbus, Ohio at the end of April and RWA’s National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee in July. I’ve gone to both of those (with the exception of having to skip last year’s RWA Conference in D.C.) for a number of years and still enjoy them thoroughly.

We all get something different out of the experience. Whether it’s the actual classes and/or workshops, networking or just plain catching up on old friends … friends you never see otherwise. Don’t know ‘bout you, but I’ve met countless people via the internet that I’ve never seen face to face. Many times this is my only opportunity to do so.

For me it’s a combination of all three of the above listed advantages. There are still workshops that I find fascinating. The networking with other authors, editors and agents is helpful. However … catching up with old friends? … priceless.

This year will be a bit more exciting. Our own Michelle Diener will be traveling from Perth, Australia to attend RWA Nationals in Nashville. That is going to be a good time.

So … are there any particular conferences that you make a point of attending? If it weren’t for lack of finances and vacation time, I know I’d be attending far more than just the four I listed above. If I were to squeeze in one more long weekend event … which would you recommend?

Our guest this Thursday is Adrienne Giordano, co-founder of Romance University, a blog designed to empower writers as they pursue their publishing dreams. Adrienne writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance. She has spent seventeen years working in and around the newspaper and advertising industry. After starting a family, Adrienne chose to work part-time as a marketing consultant to enable her more writing time. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, a former board member of Windy City RWA, a member of Kiss of Death, and RWA’s PRO chapter.

The first time I saw the Romance University site, I thought “Why didn’t we (the Magical Musings writers) think of that?” RU guests include agents, editors and writers who share information on the business and the craft of writing. They also have Wednesday posts that delves into the male mind. This is a fabulous platform for Adrienne and her two co-founders. I’m looking forward to her blog on Thursday and hope to see you there.

Roses is an epic spanning three generations, and the memory of it lingers still. I blogged once about my love of sagas, and Roses is definitely one!

This story takes place in Howbutker, Texas spanning the twentieth century. At the helm of this story is the ever matriarch, Mary Toliver, a cotton tycoon with a passion for the land. Dedicated and resilient, she continues her family empire and carves a dynasty that only Mary can.

Percy Warwick hails from the timber dynasty, and his passion for Mary runs parallel to any love she might have for the land. Despite their shared passion, secrets and tragedy follow them as they navigate their way through family loyalties and honor. Choices made are not always for the best, and whatever price is owed will have to be paid in the end. And the Toliver curse will have to be faced, if the next generation is to have a chance at all…in love, and on the land that will hold them.

I truly loved this story! Richly woven, these characters are ones you won’t forget. I love the author’s poignant telling of Mary’s story during the early 1900’s, and she shared Percy’s beginnings with equal passion. I can see a movie made of this one, and I’ll be there!

Music is the shorthand of emotion
~Leo Tolstoy~

The question Michelle asked in her blog this week is one that, no matter how many times you hear, there’s always multiple answers. Why do you write? Simple question, but oh so layered with emotions. My blog isn’t about the why, Michelle did a great job on that one. I want to talk about the emotions.

As a child, my neighborhood pals and I raced outside in the fresh air, and played till the lightning bugs came out. We captured them in glass jars and put them by our nightstands; letting them loose the next day so we could do it all over again. Hopefully, to catch different lightning bugs! The books and movies that crossed my path during those early years, left an imprint on my heart. On any given day, I can catch an old black and white movie and the stirrings of those childhood memories rise to the top. If I want to hear my dad’s laughter again, I watch Andy Griffith, if I want to hear my mom sing again, I reach for a musical that she did in theater. Emotions are gifts that can turn a day into whatever we want it to be. Being creative and everyone is, allows us to explore the world through emotion. Great books and movies will spark those.

Writing is like hearing an internal song for me. The arrangements vary, and the songs are original. My stories are my songbook, I guess you could say. I love that writing and reading provide stories through such intimate perceptions; those of the author and the reader. The song will never sound the same for any two people.

And sharing our work is the ultimate satisfaction. Writers are very lucky, in that most of us are voracious readers and we know how lovely it is so find a jewel. We know what that experience feels like, and the possibility of sharing that with someone else is a privilege. No matter what a person is drawn to do in this world, there’s a reason for it I believe. And the better the fit, the greater the reward. That’s why I think it’s so important to find your heartsong; whatever that may be.

As to emotions…gotta love ‘em! Some are quite beautiful and splendid, while others are painful. What they all do is allow us to experience life. And that’s priceless. I’m curious, when it comes to emotions do you prefer books or movies?

A Writer’s Life: Hurry up and wait

A talented unpublished author and I have recently had several discussions while she prepared her first book to go out on requested submission to a number of literary agents. We talked about things like formatting, cover letters and whether to send an SASE. But when she was finished, and got that puppy out the door, she asked, “What do I do now?”

My automatic answer was, “Write something else.”

I realized afterwards that I should have explained why the answer was to write more.

I learned fairly early on in my writing career that, no matter where you are on the writing ladder; published with a mega publishing house, writing for a small press, or still waiting for that first golden contract, it’s a business of “hurry up and wait.”

Whenever an agent or editor requests something, or you have a deadline, you work as quickly as you can to get the material to her/him. Often this means late nights or even all-nighters as you write as fast as you can.

Then comes the wait.

It generally doesn’t matter how talented you are or how successful you are, you still have to wait for answers from editors, agents, publicists, marketing departments, and so on. And I think authors are some of the people with the worst patience karma I’ve ever come across – so perhaps we do this because we must learn patience.

When it comes to waiting to hear back from agents and editors, they aren’t deliberately slow. They are totally swamped and this is most especially true now. With cutbacks at the various publishing houses, fewer people are expected to do the same amount of work. Personal lives? Quite often they don’t have any! And as authors we are blessed that people love the world of writing so much they are willing to give up so much of their time in pursuit of making our books the best they can be. I’m extremely grateful.

That said, I do have a formula for guessing how long the wait may actually be. It’s sort of a joke between me and my writing friends, but it has served me well. If an editor says she will be back with me within 2 months, I internally multiply this by 7 (editor = dog years). As I have progressed in my writing career, this timing has decreased, but it worked wonderfully well when I was unpublished. With agents I multiply their expected response by 2 (agent = parrot years).

Now, are you going to sit and wait on your duff for 4-14 months? Heck no!

When the agent or editor does get back with you, whether it’s with a yes or no, they often want to know what else you have. If you spend the intervening time simply waiting, then you don’t have something else to offer (and you do want that two or three book contract, don’t you?).

And the beauty of writing while you wait is it makes the wait seem shorter, no matter how long it takes. If you bury your nose in another wonderful story and it comes alive for you, time seems to telescope and even better, you have another wonderful story to hurry up and finish, then wait for a response on!

I hope each of you have successful responses to all of your submissions!

And in the meantime, keep writing!

Thank you so much to Edie Ramer and the wonderful Magical Musings authors for inviting me to be with you today. I’m offering a copy of my newest release, Diary of a Confessions Queen, to one of the people who comment on my blog post! I’m really excited about seeing Amy’s story in print. I finished the book on deadline, then had to wait a year and 6 months for its release – another case of hurry up and wait!

The marketing department at my publishing house did something a little different for Diary of a Confessions Queen. Rather than a typical author interview, they did a radio play/action interview on Medallion Press/Blog Talk Radio.

Here’s what they said about it: Listen to our one-of-a-kind ACTION INTERVIEW with author Kathy Carmichael as we use locations, sound effects, and characters from her book Diary of a Confessions Queen to completely transform your listening experience. It’s MORE than just an interview; it’s an exciting experience that will draw you into the fictional world of Kathy’s newest release. We’re not just going to TELL you what the book is about. Instead, you’ll EXPERIENCE what the book is about and get a greater feel for the comedy and suspense you can expect when you read Diary of a Confessions Queen.

Here’s the link. Many Medallion Press staff members and I had a blast acting out the various characters’ parts and I hope you have as much fun listening to it!

If you’d like to read an excerpt of Diary of a Confessions Queen, or some of my many articles on writing, please visit my website.
Happy writing!

Kathy Carmichael

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.
Cyril Connolly (1903 – 1974)

The above was quoted on the news this evening (I’m in Australia, it’s night time as I write), and the friend who is staying with us at the moment asked me why I write. And my answer was, if I had just wanted to write for myself, I wouldn’t have submitted my work for publication.

Submitting your work for publication is hard. It involves rejection. Disappointment. Heart ache.

If I was happy just writing my stories for myself, why would I have gone that route?

The answer is I wouldn’t, so clearly I don’t just write for myself. I write for an audience. And I write for that audience because ever since I could read, I’ve wanted to have the same power the writers I love have, to make the reader laugh, cry, believe in the world on the page. To create an alternative reality where readers can escape, safe and yet adventurous, wild and free.

Why do you write?

I’m a member of Amy Atwell’s first GIAM group, along with 50 or so other writers. Last week a member asked for advice on the revision process. The first writer who replied talked using active verbs and avoiding adverbs. Another writer shared a spreadsheet she uses for revisions. Another said she used macros. Another posted a long list of words she searches for to make sure she doesn’t overuses them. Another said her pet peeve is the word “felt.” As in “I felt my heart pound,” instead of “My heart pounded.”

These posts disturbed me, because I used to be like that — until I realized that I was squeezing the life out of my books. I was going to comment, but it was late and I decided to wait until the next morning. But when I opened my email, the lovely Anna Louise Lucia had already responded. She’s given me permission to quote her:

Can I just add a note of caution for everyone to remember that the writing process is individual? There’s no ‘right way’ to tackle it and no one size fits all approach. J

And that includes approaches to POV, length, scene and sequel, three acts, ‘overused’ words, passive and active words… pretty much everything!

I just know that for every person who reads about people’s techniques and finds something useful, there’s someone who reads it and goes, “oh no! I can’t do that! Maybe I’m not a ‘proper’ writer!” and it’s to that person I’m talking.

I commented next, and typed in the first paragraph from Janet Evanovich’s THREE TO GET DEADLY, which has quite a few “was” words. I also opened a Dean Koontz book at a random page and found adverbs, passive sentences, the word “seemed” (one of the words listed to watch out for.)

Then Anna shared more brilliant observations:

Yes, and sometimes it’s right for the character, and sometimes you need to use it as a writer to make a point, sometimes you need it to distance the reader (and yes, sometimes this is a good thing to do)… endless reasons.

I’m not saying break all the rules. I’m certainly not saying don’t bother learning them.

I’m just saying don’t follow them slavishly. Be wise, be brave, be bold. They’re a tool, not a lord and master.

Wise and witty Susan Wilbanks commented next, and she also gave me permission to quote her:

To paraphrase Pirates of the Caribbean, the rules of writing are more like *suggestions*.

My manuscript, even after my ruthless paring of the past few days, still has its fair share of “was,” “had,” and even the dreaded *adverbs* (shocking, I know!), because I’m going to use the word that suits the scene, the character, and my voice rather than go to awkward lengths to avoid breaking a so-called rule. I’m writing in the present, but my setting and my POV characters are ~200 years ago, and IMHO that often *requires* a certain amount of rule-breaking to keep my characters from sounding more 2010 than 1810.

And I’ve judged any number of contest entries where it’s clear the entrant has resorted to awkward, convoluted phrasing when a simple
“was” statement would’ve been smooth and transparent, or when they’ve violated grammar and logic because someone has told them they must never, ever say “had.” (Too much past perfect tense and your writing lacks immediacy. None at all, even when your character briefly reflects on something that happened last week or last year, is awkward and confusing. IMHO.)

Both Anna and Susan nailed the way I felt. I’m a tweaker, and I can’t stop myself from tweaking sentences. But what I look for when I revise is whether I missed a chance to show or deepen emotion, whether there was a character arc, if the scene is even necessary, if it’s too slow, if it started and ended on a compelling sentence (though I try to get that when I first write the scene), and as Debbie Ridpath Ohi says in her cartoon, the dreaded plot holes.

I’m sure I do more, but I don’t have a list. I read and pay attention. And I leave myself open to “niggles.” The feeling that it’s not right. Last week I rewrote 2 1/2 chapters to make them more compelling. To make them matter.

What do you look for in revisions? Do you use lists?

Well, it appears that the RWA board has come to a decision with regard to the whole Harlequin/Del Arte debacle. A meeting was held last week and the Hot Sheet was released to all members. This involved the “findings and recommendations of a task force that was charged with reviewing the publisher evaluation system and recommending changes to RWA’s policy.”

In other words … should a major publisher who is offering a subsidiary service of vanity publication be allowed to attend RWA’s National conference? This is a difficult situation and one I don’t envy this board to make. However, personally speaking, I think they came up with a doable solution.

RWA has decided to expand their definition from “RWA Eligible” to “Qualifying Markets”. This will allow a major publisher to attend RWA’s National conference and participate in spotlights and workshops as long as any subsidy/vanity portion of it is not present. This definition of subsidy/vanity is to read: “… the production of books in which the author participates in the costs of production or distribution in any manner, including assessment of fees or other costs for editing and/or distribution.”

I applaud this new definition. In the past RWA was fairly stringent when it came to what they considered RWA Eligible. Despite the changing market, this disqualified most e-publishers, or it made it difficult for authors who are e-published to be “RWA Eligible”. I’m hoping this will open a few of those doors.

In response to requests for clarification, RWA has qualified their decision with additional information, in that “… if Harlequin does not use its rejection letters to refer authors to its subsidy/vanity publishing program, the company can apply for consideration to participate in RWA’s National Conference.”

According to a number of loops that I’m on, not everyone agrees with this compromise, but most see it as a doable solution. There are many Harlequin authors who attend the National conference and use this time as an opportunity to meet with their editors and to make new contacts.

Personally, I think this offers a graceful compromise for all parties involved. Anyone want to weigh in with an opinion? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

It’s a treat to have Medallion author Kathy Carmichael as our guest this Thursday. Kathy and I met online last year when she won a RomanceWiki entry from me on Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research. She was a joy to work with, and I’m not surprised to see that her 2009 Medallion book, HOT FLASH, was named as one of the Top 10 Romance Fiction titles for 2009 by the American Library Association’s BOOKLIST magazine. She’s already getting accolades for Diary of a Confessions Queen, which has a release date of Feb. 1, including a review from Publishers Weekly, which said, “Sprightly humor and eccentric characters invigorate this chick lit cozy from romance writer Carmichael.”

You can read an excerpt on her website. Here’s the blurb:

Confessions writer Amy Crosby has put her life on hold for the last seven years after the disappearance of her husband, Dan. In writing for “True Lies Magazine,” guilt-ridden Amy takes on the abilities her fictional characters confess to, such as the time she thought she was psychic after researching clairvoyants. With fatalistic acceptance of the craziness in her life, she uses humor to cope; but when the home Dan bought for them is about to be foreclosed, her only answer is his having him declared legally dead and using his life insurance policy. Her home is safe–that is, until she receives a blackmail note. Equal parts mystery and humor, this novel is sure to keep readers guessing–and laughing–until the end.

Kathy will be giving an autographed copy of DIARY OF A CONFESSIONS QUEEN to a lucky commenter on her Thursday blog, so be sure to come on Thursday and comment.