Twelve Days of Writing

Day Four: The Highs

Yesterday, I hit briefly on the lows of writing–namely, those dang rejections. Today, I want to talk about the good parts of writing–and there sure are a lot of ’em.

Here are some of my writing highs:

1. Getting to forget about the problems in my daily life–and getting to create a brand new world

2. Getting to finish a scene. Then a chapter. Then the end of the book–oh, jeez, but there is nothing like finishing the draft of a book. When you type out all of those pages and you see the physical proof of your work, well, to quote one of those credit card commercials, “Priceless.”

3. Getting an acceptance from a publisher. Wow–time to take out the chocolate. (Oh, who am I kidding? I’ve always got chocolate out and ready.)

4. One of the biggest highs for me: Walking into a bookstore and seeing my book on the shelf. I will never get over the thrill of seeing one of my books on a bookstore shelf. Oh, and speaking of the store shelves…guess what I saw recently?

5. Getting a letter/email from someone who enjoyed my work.   I am so excited when I get a note from someone who enjoyed my work. And, actually, here is a little trivia note about me:  I’ve gotten the most mail regarding The Vampire’s Kiss.

6. Getting a great review. I try not to let negative reviews bother me (different strokes for different folks, after all),  but I have to confess that a good review always makes me smile.

7. Finding a reference to my book that I didn’t expect…let me tell you what I mean. I discovered last night that A RED HOT NEW YEAR is listed as one of the “Hot Reads for Chilly Nights” on the myLifetime blog site, Michelle Buonfiglio’s Romance b(u)y the book. 

There are really so many writing highs…the thrill of a scene that really works. The joy of a happy ending. The satisfaction of a good plot twist. So many highs…and that’s why I write.

For the writers out there…do you have any writing highs that you’d like to share?

(By the way, since it’s Tuesday, I’m blogging over at The Bradford Bunch today, too.)

(What can I say? It’s the holidays–I like to travel!)  I’m going to be hanging out at Ali’s place this week–if you’ve never visited Ali’s home on the web, well, you’re missing out!

Twelve Days of Writing

Day 3:  Persistence

If you want to publish a novel, odds are high that you’re going to face some rejections along your publishing path. But if you want to see your name (er, pseudonym) on the cover of a book one day, you can’t give up–no matter what. Yes, rejections come. They make you feel like hell. So what? Keep writing. Yes, life interrupts–the kids need you, your job leaves you drained–but let your writing be your release. Take time for yourself–even if it is only half an hour a day, and write.

Persistence pays off in this business.

So many famous writers were rejected when they first entered this business–Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Meg Cabot, and Judy Blume (just a few examples). If they’d given up when they got their first rejection letter, well, heck–what would the world be like without Harry Potter?

I found a few interesting sites about rejections:

Writers and Rejection 

Famous Rejections 

Still wanna give up? I hope not!

First, I’ve got a new cover! Yay!!! Here’s the cover for EVERLASTING BAD BOYS (Kensington Brava, 09/08), a paranormal anthology that includes my story, Spellbound:

And here’s the back cover blurb for Spellbound:

No witch in her right mind would summon an immortal soul-hunter to her aid, but Serena Tyme needs Luis D’Amil’s help to destroy the warlock who’s stalking her coven. And she’s willing to pay any price he names…especially when the tall, dark, sexy-as-hell assassin shows her he can work some sensual magic of his own…

 * * *

I love that cover.

In other news…I’m guest blogging today at  Star-Crossed Romance–I’m talking about the Holiday Hustle, and, no, I’m not just referring to the frantic gift-grabbing expeditions. I’m talking about the hustle that so many writers do this time of year.

I’m also happy to say that I am one of the featured authors this month at The Romance Studio. If you get a chance, hop over and check out my interview.

I’ll be back later to post the third entry in my Twelve Days of Writing schedule.

Have a great day!

Twelve Days of Writing

Day Two: Those Pesky Characters

When some writers create characters for their stories, they do complete character sketches. They create pages of detailed information about the hero, heroine, secondary characters, etc. They include physical descriptions, family histories, likes, dislikes…well, I think you get the idea. Many writers swear by these sketches–they say they are able to get completely into the minds of their characters using this technique.

For me, the character sketch falls under the category of “Different Strokes for Different Folks.” Yes, I do see where the sketches would help writers. No, I don’t use a “traditional” sketch when I write–but I do use a modified version. I start with my hero, my heroine–then I write down their physical traits (the better to keep seeing them as I write). I get some general data at the start of my story–the characters’ jobs, fears. I don’t write too many details because I actually like the particular traits of the characters’ personalities to emerge over the course of the story–in other words, I like to wait and see where I’m taken by my hero and heroine. I don’t plot out everything in advance b/c I like to be surprised a bit–the surprise, well, that’s part of the writing fun.

There is one thing that I always like to do with my characters…I like to take the biggest fear that my heroine (or hero) has and toss it right at her (or his) doorstep. Fear…such a powerful character motivator.

I also like to give my characters particular phrases or even curse words that they like to use. Sometimes, my own lingo will work its way into a character’s mouth (“jeez…”  That snuck into a story during my “Jeez” phase, just like “so”…as in “you are so not going to do that” or “you had so better not be staring at me.”)  I like to give personal dialect to liven up characters a bit.

Another thing I do to the ol’ characters…I give them nervous traits or habits. Example: A woman who pushes up her glasses when she feels threatened. A man who rubs the bridge of his nose when he thinks those deep thoughts. A lady who eats chocolate when she’s stressed…I believe all of these actions humanize the characters a bit more.

What about you? For the writers…what techniques do you employ to make your characters come alive?