Tag: #Writing

It’s a Life-Long Trip #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

December 21, 2020

What is one thing that you would like to learn?

You want me to narrow this down to only one thing? You don’t ask for much, do you?

I’m one of those people who wants to learn new things constantly. I was in my early 30s when I learned to needlepoint. Computers didn’t enter my life until my late 30s. I got my AS degree in Computer Networking when I was in my 40s. It wasn’t until my late 50s when I decided to start writing fiction and learn how to self-publish.

None of these were plotted far in advance. Like so much of my life, they just happened. So, as I edge closer to retirement, what’s next?

I don’t have any grand plans. The idea of having time to sit back, spend time with my hubby, read, relax, and concentrate on improving my writing sounds good. All those courses that I’ve never had the time to do will become a possibility.

Now, if I could snap my fingers and suddenly have a new skill without needing any practice, that’s a different story. I’ve tried, without much luck, to learn two different languages. (French and Russian.) I learned enough to pass the classes, but not enough to feel proficient in either. If I had choose only one, I’d pick Russian, just for the joy of being different.

If languages are out of the question, I’d like to pick up archery again. That’s another skill I started to learn and never become proficient in. I’d have to start from scratch because it’s been so long since I’ve held a bow.

How about you? What’s one thing you would like to learn? Tell me in the comments.

Now, I’m off to find out what the other authors are talking about.

In the meantime, hope your holidays are happy, and stay safe!

December 21, 2020

What is one thing that you would like to learn?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Living and Loving the Dream #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

December 7, 2020

If you had unlimited money to start and maintain a business, what would it be?

Nobody says the business has to be conventionally successful, correct? Because I have all the money to maintain it? Including a salary for me?

Then this question is too easy. I want a combination bookstore (new and used)  and needlepoint supplies business. The best of my addictions in one spot.

I loved when I used to shop for needlepoint yarn at this  shop that had drawer after drawer of yarn in various colors and textures. Then there was more draped from hooks on the walls. How much fun could I have recreating that feeling and sharing it with others?

And the books? I could open up the shop to the many authors I’ve met. Not only the locals or the big names, but everyone like me who is struggling to find a place in the literary community. I propose readings once a week, with a small donation requested to help cover the cost of refreshments. Maybe I could mix the middle list and big name authors with the lesser known ones. Two authors at each reading. The readers would get a favorite and a new favorite.

The shelves would also have lots of books on the art of needlepoint, along with patterns for my crafters. Big, soft chairs for the readers to enjoy as they browsed through books.  I’d love to have some shop cats, too, but that might be a problem with all the yarn. 

What else? Music playing in the background and a few CDs for sale. Native American, Celtic folk songs, local musicians, whatever struck my fancy. And I’d be open to my customers suggesting new styles to add to the mix.

I’d better not forget a small play area for the kiddos, so mamas can have a little extra time to browse books.

I think that will do it! Got any suggestions to add to my shop? I’m open to ideas! And tell me about your dream business in the comments. I’m waiting!

Don’t forget to check out the other authors on this hop by following the links below,

And, until next time, please be safe!

December 7, 2020

If you had unlimited money to start and maintain a business, what would it be?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Writing By the Calendar #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
December 2 question – Are there months or times of the year that you are more productive with your writing than other months, and why?
 
The awesome co-hosts for the December 2 posting of the IWSG are Pat Garcia, Sylvia Ney, Liesbet @ Roaming About Cathrina Constantine, and Natalie Aguirre!
 
I don’t think my productivity is tied to certain months. Well, except maybe December when there’s so much to do that isn’t writing. I can forgive myself for that.
 
But there are times when I don’t do as much writing as others. That’s because I have a day job that can bleed into evenings or nights. That will kill productivity not just for a day, but for several days or more, because it messes with my sleep cycle.
 

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

 
I don’t know how to measure my productivity when I’m editing. Does editing one chapter equal writing one chapter? Editing engages a different part of my brain and I find it hard to do both at the same time. I have to concentrate on one or the other.
 
Do I need to mention that marketing sucks the creativity from my soul? Factor how much time is spent trying to sell my books into the equation and see how my productivity drops.
 
So, there are lots of influences that affect the amount of writing I do, but the time of year isn’t one of them.
 
Find out what other authors have to say about this topic by following the links below.

And, until next time, please stay safe!
 
 

There’s a Stranger in Town #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

November 30, 2020

Every story starts with a stranger in town or a journey. “Pa, we’re takin’ the wagon to Virginia City,” every story ends with “Golly gee, Wally. I thought we were goners.” True or False?

I really wanted to say, ‘nope, that’s not the way it works.’ And if I dig hard enough, I can probably find examples to contradict it. But there’s lots of truth to the premise.

Let’s start with my Free Wolves series. It’s backwards from the theory because each of my main characters is the stranger that came to town. Dot, Tasha, and Lori are the outsiders trying to fit in and find their place. Here’s Tasha’s (from Wolves’ Knight)  beginning:

Her tactical knife slid easily from its ankle sheath. With a curse, Tasha leaped out of the leather chair and slid across the wooden conference table, praying she’d make it in time.

Although the stories are from the same ‘world’ they feature different characters and each story can be read as a stand-alone. Each story introduces a new stranger and a new situation.

The Harmony Duprie Mysteries are different. The Marquesa’s Necklace, the first one, opens with the stranger in town.

I first noticed him at the other end of the row when I glanced up to find another book. I recognize most of the regular patrons, and he wasn’t one of them.

But because each story is told in the same world, the little city of Oak Grove, the villain may not be a stranger but someone from Harmony’s town. Perhaps someone she didn’t know well, or doesn’t know at all. Or perhaps it’s someone she thought was a friend. (I’m trying not to give too many clues!) The Samurai’s Inro is a good example of this. (Yes, a minor character is from out of town, but the book doesn’t begin with him.)

In the sixth and final book of the series, the Ranger’s Dogtags,  Harmony becomes the stranger in town after going on a journey. I got both tropes covered there! 

How about those endings? “Golly gee, Wally. I thought we were goners.”  There’s lots of books that this doesn’t hold true for—I’m thinking mostly of women’s fiction and romances. For my own books, I’ll argue that one a technicality. My stories combine romantic elements with action and adventure. Yes, my characters are placed in life-threatening situations, but I wrap every story up with the romance. Because I believe in happily ever after. 

The next thing I knew, he’d pulled me into his arms and his lips were devouring mine.

I may have been a wee bit distracted with kissing him back, but I swear my toes curled, birds sang, and fireworks exploded in the background.

And magic happened.

Let’s find out what our other authors have to say by following the links below.

And, until next time, please stay safe,

November 30, 2020

Every story starts with a stranger in town or a journey. “Pa, we’re takin’ the wagon to Virginia City,” every story ends with “Golly gee, Wally. I thought we were goners.” True or False?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Writing in the Time of Covid #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

November 16, 2020

Has the pandemic affected your writing? If so, how? Have your writing habits changed in reaction to the ‘different’ world we are faced with?

I started working from home way long ago (back in March, but it seems like forever).  My first thought was it would be ‘interesting,’ but was happy to think of all the extra time I’d get to write because I didn’t have to travel back and forth to work. All I had to do was walk downstairs to my computer.

At first, it was true. Sure, I missed the face-to face-interactions with my coworkers, but we got our work done, despite all the extra things thrown our way.  What I didn’t count on was the pandemic lasting this long.

But here we are, nine months later, with things getting worse and no end in sight. Although I’m still writing, I’m finding myself become more reflective about the words I’m putting on paper. That might be because I’m working on the last book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries and I want to make it the best of the series. Or maybe because I don’t foresee having the opportunity to participate in book signings, so I’m not in a rush to meet a deadline.

And I’ve given myself the month of November to ‘play.’ If you’ve never heard of it, November is NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. The idea is to try to write 50,00 words in one month. It’s tougher than you might think, especially for someone with a full-time job. I’m writing a story from Jake’s point of view (Jake in the anti-hero in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries) and he’s full of surprises. I don’t foresee there being a market for the story, but I’m writing it anyway.

The biggest difference I see in myself is that I’m finding it harder to keep my focus, in my writing, in my work, and in my personal life. And  I miss interacting with potential readers at events. I should have been in Estes Park last weekend, at the Deadly Realities book show. And next weekend, I should have been at the Steampunk event in Loveland. Hey y’all, how are you?

What does all this mean for me when we get to the other side of this crisis? I don’t know. I hate making predictions. No promises, but I should have a new book ready for you.

And because I’m having fun with it, here’s a totally unedited snippet from Jake’s story, with an early interaction between him and Harmony. Please excuse any and all typos and mistakes.

“Can I at least get a goodnight kiss?”
He hoped she’d step off that final stair so they’d be on solid ground, but she stayed where she was. Instead, she took his face between her hands and stared into his eyes. At the moment when he couldn’t take it anymore and was ready to pull her into his arms, she brought her mouth down to meet his. It was a soft kiss, lips only, but it set his senses on fire. Her flowery scent enveloped him, the softness of her hands soothed him, the sweetness of her lips made him hungry for more. He wasn’t ready for the moment when she pulled away. 
“Good night, Jake,” she said as she turned and ran up the stairs. 

Any other woman he would have followed, but not her, Jake thought, as he swirled his bottom-shelf whiskey in the chipped glass.

Let’s find out how everyone else is doing by following the links below.

And, until next time, stay safe!

November 16, 2020

Has the pandemic affected your writing? If so, how? Have your writing habits changed in reaction to the ‘different’ world we are faced with?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

The Reason I Write #IWSG

  By IWSG

November 4 question – Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?

The awesome co-hosts for the November 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria!

I don’t believe I’ll ever keep civilization from destroying itself with my writing. Saving the world is way beyond my paygrade. That won’t stop me from writing.

So, why do I write? I hope to distract my readers for a short time. Give them something to else to think about. Maybe give them a giggle or make them say “aha!”

Besides, I have all these characters in my head that want to get out. The only way to do that is write their stories. Take Tasha in Wolves’ Knight, for example. That was a book I didn’t plan. Tasha came to me while I was writing a different book, and said: “Here’s my story!” I acknowledged her, and tried to get back to my project. But she wouldn’t let me, and Wolves Knight (originally called Tasha’s Tale) got moved to the front of the list.

And take the book I’ve recently started. I don’t know if it will ever get past first draft, but the main character started talking to me after six years of being a secondary character in a series. I’m writing it from my anti-hero’s point-of-view, and he’s turning out to be more of a villain than I’d planned. I’m not fighting him about it, either. I think he’s got a hero complex and he’s hiding it from me. We’ll see.

So, maybe my writing as as much about entertaining me as it is entertaining the readers. I can live with that.

Don’t forget to check out what other insecure writers are writing about by following the links below.

And, until next time, stay safe! 

Laughing At Myself #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

November 2, 2020

Is humor an important element is your stories? Do you ever laugh at something you’ve written?

Once upon a time, I attempted to portray myself as a comedian in a school talent show. It didn’t go well.  I’m much older now, and my sense of humor has changed and warped. I’ve learned well from some masters of sexual innuendo and dark humor.

But neither of those work for my Harmony Duprie mysteries. I have to rely on humor of a more subtle persuasion. For example, this selection from The Baron’s Cufflinks:

I take pride in being able to finish every book I start but this one tested my limits. I’d picked it up on a whim, but I couldn’t take the idea of a billionaire vampire dinosaur shifter as a hero seriously. That may have been the point, but I wasn’t in the mood for a romantic farce disguised as a cozy mystery.

Even drunk, I wouldn’t be able to read it, and I couldn’t foist it off on any of my friends with a clear conscience. I wondered if there was time to ditch it in the camper, buried in the bottom cabinet behind the pots and pans. If my friends ever found it, they’d never connect it to me.

Come on, tell me that’s a little funny. But thank heavens, I don’t have to support myself as a stand-up comedian.

The Harmony stories are the perfect tool for a touch of lightheartedness. Her friends believe she takes herself too seriously and try to get her to loosen up. It doesn’t always go well, but they try. 

Here’s a quick example of Harmony overthinking life from The Marquesa’s Necklace:

The bus ride home seemed longer than the morning’s trip as I studied each person getting on for a potential threat. Was the little gray-haired lady with the oversize purse and shopping bag packing a handgun? Did the teenage boy wearing a long black coat keep ninja stars in his pockets? And the woman in her mid-twenties holding a little girl’s hand? Was the child was just a prop, borrowed for the afternoon, solely to throw off suspicion? In reality, was the woman a super spy waiting for a chance to drug me and cart me off to her remote hideaway?

The Free Wolves stories are different. There may be moments of humor, but I don’t try to include it as a major part of the books. Like Harmony, the characters in the books take themselves seriously. And for good reason. They’re trying to save their piece of the world.

So, back to Harmony. In The Ranger’s Dogtags, the book in progress, opportunities for humor are slim. I didn’t even try to be funny, and rely on secondary characters to supply breaks from the action. Harmony is in over her head in this story, (more than usual!) and I’ve tried to make the writing reflect that. I’m hoping my readers will forgive me for the change.

About the second half of the question. Do I ever make myself laugh? Truth is, it takes a lot to make me laugh, but next to nothing to make me smile. And yes, Harmony and her friends make me smile. I hope they make the reader smile, too.

I’m hoping Phil is going to throw some outrageous piece of prose at us and make me grin. It’ll be interesting to see what everyone else on this hop shares this week. You can find out by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

November 2, 2020

Is humor an important element is your stories? Do you ever laugh at something you’ve written?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

He Said, She Said: Embracing Dialogue #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

October 19, 2020

Do you embrace dialog or narrate your way around it? Why?

“Evening, Ms. Duprie,” he said, as he took the brim of his hat between his thumb and index finger for the briefest of moments. “Welcome back.”  from The Marquesa’s Necklace

And welcome (or welcome back) to all of you! 

I couldn’t resist. Despite recently coming across a “rule” that you should never start a book with dialogue (does that count for blog posts, too?) I had to do it. Open with dialogue, that is. 

Because yes, I’ve fully embraced dialogue in my stories. Because no matter how well-written, it’s hard to read page after page of prose with long paragraphs and few breaks. For me, anyway. I used to be able to do it, but my mind doesn’t work that way anymore. And if I can’t read it, I certainly don’t want to write it.

That doesn’t mean I ignore narrative prose. I also don’t want to read page after page of dialogue, like reading a script for a play.  The trick is in finding a balance between the two. And using that balance to move the story along. 

The first thing I noticed when walking into my apartment was the afghan I kept on the back of the recliner. It was on the floor and hadn’t been like that when I left. “So who’s been sitting in my chair?” I asked. “Eli?” I called hopefully to no response.

Then I noticed the dirty dishes in my kitchen sink. “So who’s been eating my porridge?” I whispered to myself. Surely a thief wouldn’t have stopped to make himself a sandwich.

I tip-toed down the hallway, holding my breath. The bathroom was empty, but my bedroom door was partially closed. I carefully pushed it open and peeked inside. A familiar head nestled on my pillow. “So that’s who’s been sleeping in my bed.”  from Her Ladyship’s Ring

That was a fun scene to write. Even though the dialogue was one-sided, it moved the plot forward.

It can be tough to write dialogue for more than two people in the scene. The standard “he said” or “she said” dialogue tags don’t work when there’s more than one he or she.  That’s when the use of actions and descriptions come into play. 

“You waiting for someone?” a gruff voice asked to my right.
“My ride,” I answered blandly, without looking up. I didn’t want to show any interest.
“The night is young,” came a second voice from my left.
I was in trouble. The voices held no hint of helpfulness. “And I have an early morning. So it’s time for me to go home.”
“Don’t you want to party with us?” The smell of alcohol lingered heavily on the first man’s breath.
“No thanks.”
The man on the left reached out and grabbed my arm. “Sure you do.” from The Baron’s Cufflinks

The rules are different for non-fiction and screenwriting, of course. We have at least one screenwriter in this group and I’m looking forward reading to her post. (You can follow the links below to find the other posts)

One more thing before I go. I checked twice, and either dialog or dialogue are acceptable spellings according to the grammar police. So, let’s not start that argument! 

Until next time, stay safe!

October 19, 2020

Do you embrace dialog or narrate your way around it? Why?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Am I a Working Writer? #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
 
 
October 7 question – When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if latter two, what does that look like?

If you followed the link from the Insecure Writer’s Group blog post to get here, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of me. And you haven’t read any of the eight books I’ve published so far. But that doesn’t make me any less of a working writer.

I’m not making a living off my writing. Heck, I’m lucky if I break even when it comes to the end of the year. The number of people following me on any of the social media is low. But none of that diminishes the fact that I sit down at my computer on a regular basis and work to put words on paper.

And that’s what it takes for me to consider myself a working writer. I’m trying. Well, I’m more than trying. I’m doing. I wrote four books before I wrote one I considered good enough to publish. And I didn’t feel any less of a writer while I was writing them.

Maybe you don’t write books. Maybe you write short stories or poems or blog posts. You’re still a writer. A working writer.

Not all of us will ever be traditionally published. Some of us don’t want to be. And that’s okay. That’s no longer the definition of a writer. The world is a lot bigger now. (And, at the same time, a lot smaller.) 

So, I go back to my previous statement. Are you putting words on paper? (Or the computer equivalent?) Congratulations. You’re a working writer.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

The awesome co-hosts for the October 7 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner!
 
 
 

Creating Business Goals for Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

September 21, 2020

Do you set business goals as a writer? What are they for the How to write 4th quarter, and have you started planning 2021?

I learned all about the fine art of setting goals years ago.  How to write them in such a way they looked good for the bosses and yet meant the raises they promised were in the bag. About stretch goals versus SMART goals versus whatever  the powers that be decided to use that year.

I understood the process. And I’ve never bought into it. 

I know it’s supposed to be motivation. It didn’t work for me. What it felt like was a tool for bad managers who didn’t know how hard their employees worked. Or lazy ones who didn’t try to find out.

Oh, not all of them. There are exceptions. My current boss being one of them.

But we’re here to talk about writing. And I set goals for my writing the same way I plot out my books. I don’t.

Here’s the deal. Life has thrown me under the bus too darned many times. I choose to no longer live with the guilt of not meeting some artificial goal. I just do the best I can every day. Sometimes that means I write 1500 words in a day. Some days it means I only write 200.

That doesn’t mean I don’t have general goals. I wanted to get the first draft of The Ranger’s Dogtags done two months ago. I finished it last week and finished typing it today. And I don’t feel any guilt. The book turned out to be 20,000 words longer than any of my previous stories. Those extra words deserved the extra time they needed to come to life.

My next general goal is to get through a couple of rounds of editing. i haven’t set a target date for publication yet. Life could get interesting in the next few months, and I don’t want to rush things. I want to give this book the attention it deserves.

And that’s my goal. To make each book as good as possible and just keep writing. It’s not SMART but I don’t care.

But that’s just me. I’m sure we’re going to get a variety of opinions from the other writers on this hop. Follow the links below to find out.

Until next time, stay safe!

September 21, 2020

Do you set business goals as a writer? What are they for the 4th quarter, and have you started planning 2021?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter