A Round of Words in 80 Days-- What Is It?

Well, it's time for the writing challenge I like: A Round of Words in 80 Days. You set your own reasonable goal, and for 80 days you do your best without obsessing or being unable to function for your home and family. The link below provides more info. I especially like the part where I just post my goal-setting and reports in my own blog. Not only will I have the factor of reporting to the ROW participants, but my blog also connects with my Facebook Notes. Therefore, I'll be accountable to all my fans. Yeah, I know how to make myself responsible, don't I? LOL!

Here's a link to their Wordpress site:

http://aroundofwordsin80days.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/a-round-of-words-in-80-days-what-is-it/

Anyone joining me?

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

A Writing Challenge for the Rest of Us-- A Round of Words in 80 Days

WOW!! THIS is the kind of writing challenge I can do! I'm so excited, I'm beside myself. Finally, a writing challenge that doesn't ask me to give up my life for a specified period of time. Really, NaNoWriMo is, for me, a setup for failure. I can't write that much, nor do I want to. Not to mention that November is a special month here in my home with two birthdays, one holiday, and I'm organized enough to be wrapping up my holiday shopping.

So, I'm in. I'll be linking my blog and starting on Round One in January through March. (Yes, that reasonable a time frame.)

http://aroundofwordsin80days.wordpress.com/

Here's a copy of what she proposes:

Here's what I propose:

• A challenge that happens 4 times a year with a break between sessions.
• Round 1 starts January 3, 2011 (because I like starting things on Monday and this way everyone can recover from New Year's excesses) and runs through March 24th.  (Round 2 would start April 4, Round 3 July 4–okay maybe rethink that–, Round 4 Oct 3–you get the idea).
• You have 80 days for your Round of Words
• Your goal can be anything you like as long as it is MEASURABLE. If you're already in the middle of a WIP, that's fine.  Tailor your goal to suit that.  You may even want to set mini goals (I want to finish the last 40k of this novel.  Then I want to spend the last 20 days revising it at x pages a day.).  There are a lot of elements to writing a book other than the writing itself.  Plotting.  Outlining.  Character Interviews.  Whatever.  Set your goal to match wherever you are right now on your WIP.  If you want to use your Round for editing a novel, that's fine too.  Just know that this is, at heart, a writing challenge, so all the weekly inspirational posts will be geared in that direction.
• There's no mandatory daily word count. Every writer is different, everyone has different schedules.  You set a goal that works for you.  Find a way to make writing a priority in your life in a way that FITS.  But set SOME kind of schedule and be CONSISTENT.
• Once Sign-Ups are open, you'll make a blog post stating your measurable goal and swing by here to link to it in the Linky Tools list. If your goal changes because you've met it before the 80 days is up, just write a new one and link to it on a check in day.
• There will be twice a week check-ins on Sunday and Wednesday where you'll update us via the same method. The idea here is that folks can travel around to everybody's blogs and drop a supportive comment.  We're contemplating dividing into teams under each of the sponsors so that everyone has a manageable list of folks to visit once a week.
• On Twitter we'll use a hashtag of #ROW80 so everyone can follow discussions (though if you're not on Twitter, that's totally fine too).

I don't know about Linky, but I'm trying it.

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

TMI, or How to Write A Real Hero

My Boss M wrote this, and then was forced to take it down because one gay male got offended. Sorry, dude. I live with a gay male hairdresser who is my crit partner. His name is Dante. He tells me often that my heroes sound like him, giving TMI. So, nuts to you. This is the truth, and I'm sorry you don't like it.

**Re-posted with Permission** 

TMI...Or: Have you written a flaming gay hairdresser/ fashion consultant instead of the hero you wanted?

Whilst editing, I ran into a common problem, and decided it was time to try to explain why your straight hero reads like he’s gay. So I asked my Darling Husband (DH), who produces our Encounters, in addition to his many other endearing qualities, “If there was one thing you could point to about our heroes that makes them unbelievable, what would it be?” 

I expected some down time on that, and a studied response. Nope. 

“No one’s ever average.” 

OK, so that needed some prompting to get a better explanation. 

“These guys are all ‘Heroes’ and ‘Hunks’ with great faces and weight lifter bodies. Any guy I’ve ever met who looks like that knows it, and he’s a real asshole.” 

True, but not where I was trying to go. 

However I was as intrigued by what it took to get the explanation as the explanation itself. Having pondered this conversation, I’ve come to one general conclusion.  Men written by women tend to talk too much, too fast, about the wrong things. 

**Note from Lena: I checked with my DH and Dante. They agreed with this statement. Often a romance hero sounds like a girl in guy's clothing. 

1) Clothing -- men don't notice clothing details -- this one’s where I started, and I couldn't pry a word about clothing out of the DH no matter how I tried. If your explanation of clothing from a Male POV goes beyond “Red Dress” it’s TMI. 

2) Bodies -- yup. Women have ‘em. Usually with curves. The curves make ‘em “not men,” which is good (If he’s straight). He knows by looking what size she wears? TMI. He’s just met her and he remembers what size she wears and goes shopping for her? Oh, yeah, he’s gay. 

3) Hair -- yup. Women have that too. Apparently it comes in colors -- red, blonde, and brown -- and two lengths. Long and short. Waves Vs Curls? Auburn? Sable? TMI. 

4) “I love the way that burgundy dress brings out the color in your perfect oval face and your hazel eyes. Great lines.” Oh, yeah. Gay fashion designer TMI. 

5) Three pages of spoken dialogue about -- anything other than battlegrounds (Sports are condensed battlegrounds) -- especially before, during, or after sex -- TMI. In fact, full sentences during sex -- TMI (I'm way guilty of this one). 

6) Explanations of anything involving past, present, or future emotions as they relate to one another outside a shrink’s office? Way TMI. 

Yes, we've got to compromise. Our men need to talk. In full sentences, even, upon occasion. But sometimes our heroines need to work a little harder to get information out of them, and really big things -- like “I love you” -- ARE really big, and probably need to be valued a lot more. Don't throw that line away. For a guy, it’s a major, major deal. And it doesn't come with becauses, or in spite ofs. 

If a guys sees a gorgeous woman in a red dress with real curves, he doesn't give a shit about the dress size or the size of her boobs or the span of her waist or the length of her perfectly coiffed hair. He sees “Blond, Red dress.” Whatever it is that makes her gorgeous to him, he probably can't tell you. Or her. But the most important thing he sees, we often overlook completely -- the thing men see that makes a woman most attractive to them? 

She’s looking back at him.

When the Muse Won't Shut Up

It was three AM. My dreams weren't the sweet release of the subconscious, but a worried rehash and argument with my characters of my latest book. Like a critique partner had said in an email, they agreed I'd ended the book too abruptly and "too soon."

Like so many authors, I hate a book by the time I'm done with it. Really. I loved the characters through most of the story, but as I slogged through the process of writing, the tedious details of making sure the reader could see what I saw slowly ate away at my joy until I loathed the whole thing and longed to toss the whole manuscript out the window and delete the files. Only long experience kept me in my chair, grinding my teeth and slogging through.

My editor, bless her, knows me well. She knows a few of the right words at the right time keep me going. She also knows how much I despise a book when I finally turn it in. She wisely takes her time and never gives me a book back in less than a week, no matter how quickly she finishes a first round of edits. In one week, I've had enough time to rest where I realize that I did rush things, or forgot to include a scene, or whatever. Then she hands the edits back to me with more encouraging words.

This time has proven no different. I finished the first draft yesterday, and typically, I want to torch it. I want to do evil things to the characters that have nothing to do with the story. Despite a sleeping pill, the bastards woke me up with nagging comments about how my crit partner was right.

1. They agreed with her that, while the fight scene worked, there's no adequate bridge that makes the peaceful scene that follows work. It's jarring. However, they also agree that nothing much happened other than their wedding.

2. Then they remind me that they don't like tuxes, and neither of them are a drag queen, so now my mind burns with the question of what do gay men wear for a wedding when they hate tuxes, aren't transvestites, and don't get into "weird costume dramas disguised as weddings"?

(I hate those bastards.)

3. Then the Dire Wolf points out that I've established certain shifter species were around as far back as the Pleistocene era of history. The armchair paleontologist in me goes nuts, saying I have to now return with these characters to discover other Pleistocene creatures and explain why the shifters evolved and who went extinct or evolved into creatures we know today. ::Headdesk::

4. Then those bastards point out that I've now established a precedent for a paranormal detective agency with paranormal PI's solving crimes and mysteries. Don't I want to go play with the chupacabre detective, the banshee receptionist, and (who the hell is this??) the "reformed" succubus detective who falls for a defrocked priest? ::scream::

Sadly, they're right. (I'm trying not to shudder and reach for my DH's lighter.) Even more sadly, I'm over my word count and way past my deadline. Likely, my editor and I will have to attack what I've written with a machete, not a scalpel. That's fine. That's what my editor is for. She keeps me from looking like a chump. She and my crit partners keep alternately pounding on my back encouragingly or bopping me upside the head for being a moron. I love them for it.

Yeah, being a writer means I live inside a masochistic sort of insane asylum with people actually encouraging the inmates to commit maximum mayhem. I am not in charge. There's a bipolar sadistic muse in charge. Who let her in?? Oh. Yeah. Me.

My Birthday Tomorrow

I hate surprises. Really. It probably stems back from some long ago incident where I was traumatized by a "surprise." Doesn't matter. What matters is the now, and the future.

Thanks to the generosity of family and friends, I have a new sewing machine. My Brother SE-400 (See it HERE) is one of the coolest machines in the "inexpensive" range for sewing/embroidery combo machines. Right now, I'm still at the stage of getting comfortable with the "normal" stitches, like basting, running, and blanket. Later, I'll play with the embroidery feature. Step by step is the plan.

Speaking of plans, I hope my readers will forgive a small delay in the release of Dire Wolves: Silence. Bloody characters won't shut up. I'm over 20K in words! This is insane. KK's going to kill me. I will finish. This story is too fun, but I won't just kill off the villain before the conclusion to give myself a shortcut. Please, forgive me?

Lena the Birthday Girl

A Day of Frustration

Today is one of those days where you have to force yourself into a professional attitude, no matter what your personal feelings. I have two big tasks today that must be completed, and there's no time for slacking or doing much more pleasant tasks.

The first and most pressing is that I must prepare the promotional materials for Changeling Press. Tomorrow is the TRSBlue Promotion (Yay!) and another is the choosing of which series books will be offered to ARE for their promotion. This must be completed by Friday. (Can you say PRESSURE? A little more warning would be nice...)

The next task also has a deadline, but is a personal deadline. I'd like to complete my edits on The God's Wife by the end of this week because the book releases in April. My editor isn't sparing my feelings on this massive rewrite of my first ever sale, and I expect nothing less. I wrote it as a complete amateur and it needed an overhaul for a lot of reasons besides just putting the sex back. AMP hasn't given me the new cover art yet, or I'd share.

Then I can begin a week's holiday to recharge before plunging back into my beloved series, The Coyotes of Yellowstone and the latest title, "Man vs. Wild." I really need to recharge, so I'm going down to St. Augustine with my cousin, mom, and maybe some of our daughters will tag along. If not, we'll rampage unchecked through Saks, Talbots, Le Crueset, and gosh knows what else before we collapse. Should be one hella good time.

The characters of Man vs. Wild are plaguing me half to death, and well they should. I had to put them on hold while I worked on the edits. Leaving the host of a survival reality show and his shifter lover en flagrante delicato for more than two weeks is cruel. This is a fun story to write, and I can't wait to return to Reno and Foxxe. (Yeah, I'm stealing a little from Bear Gryls. He's so sexy!)

I won't take much of a vacation, because the next two stories aren't leaving me a lone. "Bunnicula" and "Don't Need Another Hero" have very strong characters and plots pressing into my brain! ARRGH!! By the way, don't take those titles for gospel. I haven't had them approved yet. They're just working titles.

Well, that catches you up on what's going on in Lena's Weird Worlds. I hope.

The Artful Critique Partner

THE ARTFUL CRITIQUE PARTNER

I will assume that there are two people in this partnership, though more may apply. One is the Author (A) and one is the crit partner (C).

When A sends a chapter to C, the document should have already been run through a spell/grammar check. (F-7 in Word). Word is imperfect. It will not catch all spelling and grammar mistakes, and sometimes it's just dead wrong. However, it is the first line of defense against unprofessional work. Use it.

Do not turn on Track Changes until I tell you to. Many publishers dislike the use of Track Changes, and this layered system of critiquing will cause Track Changes to go wild. Turn it off when I tell you to, as well. You'll be doing this a lot.

A full list of words to look for is available in a separate document upon request.
(This is what a macro does for you)

I will recommend the use of Edit/Replace with highlighting a lot. Here's how to use it:

1. Choose a Highlight Color. On my toolbar, the Highlight command looks like a pen with a colored line beneath it. When I click on the arrow beside that button, I get a choice of colors. Choose one.

2. To begin checking your ms, hit Cntrl-H. This puts you in the Edit/Replace window. Type in the word you wish to find.

Let's use the word "that" for an example. In the Find What box, type: that

3. In the Replace with box, type the same. Now it gets tricky. Using your mouse, highlight the "that" in the second box. Click on the More button. Click on the Format button. Click on the Highlight button. Check to make sure the lower box (Replace with) now has the word "highlight" beneath it. This is important.

4. Now, click Replace All. If you've done this correctly, all instances of the word "that" will now be highlighted.

5. Repeat with all words you wish to check for.

6. To remove a highlight that is not needed, click on the Highlight key arrow for the dropdown menu and choose "None." Now go to the incident you don't need highlight and use your mouse to erase.

Step One: Check for Content

The first thing any C should do is read through the chapter to get an overall "feel" for the work. I encourage the use of smiley faces, smart comments, and "kill that SOB!" comments. Let A know your gut reactions. Change your font color to red and let her know how you feel.

For true effectiveness, read the chapter aloud. This forces you, the reader, to slow down and read every word. Look for places where you stutter because of awkward phrasing, have to take a breath because the sentence is too long, and spelling errors the spell check did not catch. Note them in red font.

Step Two: Mechanics- keep your font red, and comment in the text.

1. Hooks- Look at the first paragraph. Were you immediately caught up in the action/emotions of the POV character? Look at the last paragraph. Were you intrigued and left wanting to go to the next chapter?

2. Senses- did A use the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste) in a well-balanced manner to create a vivid picture?

3. Passive/Active- check for conjugation of "be" combined with a helping verb. (Examples: was willing, be herded.) You may use the Edit/Replace command to easily find the words: is, am, was, were, be. Then use the same Edit/Replace to find all words ending with -ing and -ed. I use yellow highlight for this. Anywhere you see yellow with yellow, you have a possible use of passive voice. Turn your font red, and type in (Passive?) when you are sure you've spotted an incident of passive voice. You are welcome to suggest an alternative phrasing, also in red font.

4. Adverbs- While adverbs can sometimes be the only answer, they are often over-used. Again, use Edit/Replace, changing the highlight to pale pink. Look for all instances of -ly. (Quietly, softly, exceptionally, entirely are some examples.) Look for the over-use of adverbs. Use the red font to suggest alternatives, especially in cases where A is "telling" instead of "showing."

5. "Wussy phrases"- Turn the highlight to light blue. Look for phrases like sometimes, sort of, kind of, almost, something. (Example: "She felt something when he kissed her. " Something? What? What did she feel? Shivers? Revulsion? Uncontrollable lust? Nausea?) Ask for clarification.

6. It and That- This is tricky. Use Edit/Replace and highlight in pink. (Example: "She felt that." What? A breeze? A cold hand?) Use red font when you see a need for more clarification or description and ask.

7. Lazy dialogue tags- Use the light green highlight and find all instances of commonly over-used and unemotional dialogue tags. (Examples: said, murmured, asked, answered.) Use red font to suggest a more emotive word like shouted, hissed, chortled, or demanded. Better still, suggest the tag be removed and a more emotive way used.

Wrong:

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Better:

"Are you sure?" she gasped.

Best:

She sucked in her breath, her eyes wide. "Are you sure?"

8. Now erase all highlighting. Control-A, highlight "none".

Step Three: POV

Go through the chapter again. Start with the first paragraph. Whose POV is it? Hero? Heroine? Other? If it is the hero, manually highlight in any color you choose. Continue through the scene until the POV changes. When you feel you are no longer in the original POV, change the highlight color code.

Example:

The pounding on the door forced her out of her bed. Since it was worse than the drumbeat in her skull, she vowed to murder whoever was beating on the wood like a jackhammer. She eased the door open an inch.

He lounged in the doorway, looking obscenely sexy for this hour of the morning. "You look like hell."

Cassie rubbed her aching head. "Thanks a lot. I vow never to drink tequila again."

She looked like temptation to him. He wanted to carry her back to bed and just hold her, but that wasn't the way to her heart. "I bring a peace offering." He hefted a styrofoam cup from her favorite coffee shop. POV change! Head-hopping alert.

"Leave me alone and let me die in peace." She slammed the door in his face and crawled back to bed.


Step Four: Conflict/Motivation

1. Is it clear why the characters are acting the way they are? Does this follow the previously established goals or is this a side trip into Never-Never Land? Does A give good, clear reasons for their behavior? Are they believable? Example: Hey! Why is she suddenly ready to jump his bones when she's a virgin?

2. Are the characters displaying flaws and virtues, or at least clear character traits? Are they interacting realistically? Example: Why is he acting like a certified jackass?

Step Five: Overall Comment

Give an overall comment at the bottom. Say something nice, if you must say something bad. Example: Loved the interaction between this supernatural being and the human. Made them both seem so realistic. Good job!

You'll note I did not use Track Changes. You may substitute every time I said, "change the font to red" and turn on and off Track Changes throughout, but turn it off every time you use the Edit/Replace/Highlight command. I did it the simplistic way this time. This is confusing enough.

As a final note, I suggest you discuss with your editor her personal "pet peeves" in the editing process. Some editors have a special dislike such as using conjunctions at the beginning of sentences, or passive voice. Find out what your editor's peeves are. Many editors will work with you to correct your personal bad habits. "Okay, in this book you had a problem with X. I want you to be more diligent about that habit in your next book."

Lena

WIP Report-- Ruffled Feathers is Stalled

Occasionally, even an anal-retentive plotter like me gets stalled. It's my fault. I was seduced into writing the first chapter without having the plot fully mapped out like I normally do. These characters are so fun, they lure you into --dare I say it?-- writing by the seat of your pants. (sob) Yes, I've been seduced by the pantsers!! Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

But no more, I say! Today, I will shut down my MSWord, pull out my plot grid, and do what I should have done in the beginning. I will plot this puppy out and get some semblance of order. Can't have too much order, IMHO, even when --in theory-- writing with my ADHD eldest, Tuesday Richards, who is a pantser/plotter hybrid who couldn't keep her mind on one subject long enough to plot if her life depended on it right now. (Her DH is home this week, so she's getting all the testosterone injections she can stand, if you get my drift.)

More, because my fingers are itching to do it, I think I'll return to Coyote Non Grata and see if I can wrap that Hot Flash up and ship it off to my poor, infinitely patient editor before she flys out here to wring my neck.

Well, that's the plan for this week anyway. (whimper) I need to brainstorm. I need more coffee. I need...CYNNARA!!! (Hope she's awake...)

A short note on Self-Discipline

Discipline, discipline, discipline! I had a sticker on my old monitor: BICHOK. It means Butt In Chair Hands On Keyboard. See, it works like this: You can't make money without a book to sell, you can't sell the book without a publisher, you can't get a contract without a manuscript, and you can't have a manuscript until you put fingers to keyboard and type it in.

I have a 3" ring binder so stuffed with ideas it looks like my 6-year-old grandson's school backpack at the end of the week. I see a movie, and I get an idea. I read a book and think, "I'd do that differently." And worst of all, I watch documentaries and come up with entire series. (moan!) Ideas from the Muse are not the problem. I need an intelligent octopus to help me type them all into the computer!

I've given myself carpal tunnel and tendonitis when a story wouldn't let me go. My hands swell up, and I can't even hold a coffee cup without whimpering. So, I'm limited to between 1000 and 2000 words a day. To accomplish this, I have a Power Hour. I shut the door of my office, on which there is a sign: "If you knock, I'd better hear sirens!" and I type what I've already plotted out. Right now, the entire plot for my WIP is up on my bulletin board in the form of plot cards. Each row of cards is a chapter, with the bottom row being the one I'm working on. Yes, I have to move them down to do the next chapter. A nefarious plot on my part (okay, pardon the pun) to refresh my memory on the whole story as I write.

Sometimes I have appropriate music in the background. When I write a Native American tale, I have NA music. When I write magic and mayhem, I play Celtic. When I write about demons, devils, and naughties, I play the CD, "Infernal Violins." You've never heard Danse Macabre until you've heard a violin master do his best to burn his violin with friction! No words. All instrumental. Lyrics interfere with the words in my brain, unless they're in a foreign language like Gregorian chants or opera like "Carmina Burana." Right now I have nature sounds in the CD player, specifically "Rain and Thunder." Finally, I use Christmas CD's to get me in the mood to write holiday stories in July and August. It's nearly impossible to get "in the holiday spirit" otherwise.

THE MANUSCRIPT BINDER

I’m going to assume you read the section on motivation and color coding. If not, go back and read it. I’m not going to repeat myself, and you don’t want to be saying “Huh?” a lot.
Your color-coded binder’s dividers are labeled as follows, and I’ll now go into what each category is for.
1. Premise/Research- Everyone starts with an idea. Often it is nothing more than, “Hey, what would happen if…” Write it down. Your notes on where you want to go could keep you on track later. Also, unless you are an expert on a given setting, time period, occupation, whatever, you will need to do a bit of research. I’m a fairly good scuba diver, but I did make a few notes on the latest equipment and a few other things like how to calculate how long you could stay underwater at a certain depth. Sure as you breathe, some authenticity maven will hammer you if you aren’t sure of your data.
2. Characters- I’ll deal with this more in depth during the Character section of my lessons. Suffice it to say you will need a place to record all the obscure things about your characters. It’s best to name their dog, their favorite food, and all other data as you think of it.
3. Plot- I'll be teaching a compromise between the anal-retentive plotting I personally do, and having no plan at all. There will be at least two worksheets in here.
4. Chapters- As I mentioned, this is where you can put the chapters. I used extra dividers, labeled for each chapter number for easy reference.
5. Synopsis- If you've done what I suggest, The Dreaded Synopsis is a thing of the past. It practically writes itself! One worksheet, plus room for your copies of the three most common synopses.
6. Promotions- Chats, Contests, and all your notes on promotions go here. It's not nice to forget you promised to participate with another author in a recipe promo on her website, or forget where you promised to give away that cool prize. Keep track! When you have a long lead time before release, ideas come and go. Write them down.
7. Submissions- I will provide you with a submissions tracker, so you never forget that you sent a query to 8 agents and 4 editors, no matter how long it takes them to respond. You are going to want to get published, right? You'll need to learn to create the Hook and the Query. Two worksheets.
8. Feedback- This is the section for your fan mail specific to that book, your reviews, and any other clippings or memorabilia.


Now, I don't care if you use a hanging file folder with manila folders inside, or any other sort of paper-holding device as long as you use one and it is color-coded. This is important! Even hanging file folders and manila files can be bought in colors or labeled with a red dot.

Let's assume that you've decided that, since this is a vampire story, you wish to use red as the color code because red makes you think of blood. Go buy a red binder, red smiley and star stickers, red diskettes, or CDs, a red permanent marker such as Sharpie, and red dots to color code files as well as anything else you can't buy as red.

Use the label maker and label everything. I do mean everything. Even the CD's/diskettes. There's nothing worse than finding a piece of paper or diskette buried under your papers and not know what all those notes are for! It wastes time, and possibly means lost data. Each worksheet can even have a red dot to make sure you know where it goes.

Now you are set to write, and you won't lose anything. You are now ready.

ORGANIZED WRITING FOR THE TERMINALLY DISORGANIZED

Okay, let’s get a few things straight, right in the beginning. First and foremost, I’m assuming you are looking at this page because you want to be published and professional. You’ve probably had ideas for stories or articles since adolescence you’ve kept hidden from the public like a secret vice. Go dig them out. You’ll be needing them shortly.
I’m also assuming a certain skill with MS Word and other word processing programs. If you are not a touch typist, don’t go and get a hair shirt, okay? Just go buy one of the Dummies or Idiot’s books for your particular software program and actually read it. My Idiot’s Guide of MS Office is still my best friend. While you are at the bookstore, go get a good dictionary and a thesaurus. (You knew that was coming, didn’t you?)
I’m also assuming you are willing to clean up and get organized. Yes, I’ll be asking you to spend some money. Your wallet won’t do more than squeak, unless you decide to spend more than I recommend is necessary. Think cheap, for now. You can get fancy later. Here’s a short shopping list. I’ll explain some of the weirder items later.

1. A shoe organizer. The kind that hangs on the back of the door, with pockets for shoes. Go as cheap as possible, but make sure it has at least ten pockets. This is for your tax deduction receipts. Ask your tax consultant for a list of the deductions you may claim.
2. At least one 3” ring binder, and eight dividers for each story you want to tell, plus one set for your educational materials.
3. Stickers- I myself use iridescent colored happy faces and stars. Use what trips your trigger, but keep the sizes reasonable. These must fit on your calendar.
4. Calendar. I use the large wipe-off wall calendars made by At-A-Glance. My schedule is flexible, so wipe-off is necessary. Just be aware that you will be writing on your calendar, and you must be able to read it in a hurry.
5. Bell timer
6. Printout of the plot cards
7. Binder clips in small, medium, and large. Optional for now, but you will need them when your manuscript is done.
8. Small labeling machine. I use the Brother P-Touch, but you can even go with the hand-held labeling gun if your budget won’t allow for more. A labeling machine will save you a lot of frustration. Don’t skip this.
9. Colored diskettes/CD’s or at least colored labels for same. If you own a read/write CD drive, you are ahead of the game, but plain old diskettes and colored labels will do in a pinch if your wallet is whimpering.
10. A pack of colored sharpies and a pack of colored wipe-off markers. Try to use the primary and secondary colors, no matter how tempted you are to get all those cool colors. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, and Black will do. Don't go overboard, here.

Motivation is perhaps the most difficult things a writer must do. Whether you’ve quit your day job and write full-time, or pound keyboard after a hard day at the office, it takes motivation to put your butt in the chair and type. BICHOK, some authors call it. Butt In Chair, Hands on Keyboard. It’s true. There are several methods, including gunpoint, to get you in the chair. Simply, it comes down to finding out what time of day you write best in, setting that bell timer, and typing for at least one hour a day, even if what comes out of your fingertips is the worst drivel you’ve ever seen. You got the idea down, and saved it from being lost in the ether of your dreams that never came true. You can turn it into pretty words later.
Congratulate yourself, and take one of the stickers. It may seem terribly childish, but giving yourself a sticker to put on today’s date on the calendar gives you a visual reminder of what you have accomplished. You’ll soon see you have a pattern develop of what days you work best on. For me, it is weekday mornings. The family has gone off on their own pursuits by 9 AM, and I’ve luxurious hours alone with my keyboard. Oh, and stick that calendar right where you can see it every day. When you see that calendar festooned with bright stickers, you can’t help but be cheered and motivated. I took it a step further, but you don’t have to do this. I mark The Black X’s of Shame on the days where I accomplish nothing. Weekends don’t count. For me, Guilt Works.
And now for that binder. Let me state up front that I’m one of those anal-retentive types with AADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder). If I don’t keep things this organized, I’ll go off on tangents. My favorite tangent is another story than the one I’m supposed to be working on! Therefore, I have my binders (and everything associated with one story) color coded. The binder, diskettes, stickers, -literally everything!- must match. That way, if I find a red diskette on my desk, I don’t have to stop and open the files within to find out what story it goes to. The red color lets me know exactly where it goes; in the red binder, of course. You can find diskette holders that fit in binders in any of the chain office supply stores. But that’s purely optional.
What’s not optional is good labeling. Unless your handwriting would impress the Queen, use a labeling machine. These handy devices are worth their weight in gold. Label everything! Every disk, every binder, and every binder divider. Here are the divider labels I use, however you are welcome to come up with your own.
1. Premise/Research
2. Characters
3. Plot
4. Chapters (these may be subdivided with more divider inserts, numbered according to chapters, but this is optional)
5. Synopsis
6. Promotions- Ideas come and go, but some will be specific to the story. Write down where you found those cool Egyptian pens, seven for $20. Another author wants to share a recipe promo with you, and there's a contest coming up you'd like to play in. Someone remind me to upload the promo sheet, okay?
7. Submissions- I'll give you a one page submissions tracker later
8. Feedback- Reviews, fan mail, and even what the proofer said can go here.

I’ll go into each one of the categories in another document, and what they are for.

How to Write: How do you eat an Elephant?

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The Inter-racial Genre Controversy

I do not intend to start a hate-filled debate. I'm hoping to mend fences. I saw on another blog that some --not all, by any means-- writers of interracial romance resent white authors who write interracial. Was I shocked? Not really.

I do disagree that all white authors who write interracial get a "break" somehow. I don't. I've only written two interracials, and both were by accident. The first, "Sex World 1: Guardian" had a m/m plus menage theme. It did well in its day, but I'd say that was because it was m/m and had nothing to do with one of the heroes being dark-skinned. Frankly, since it was never intended to be I/R, I was content to let that slip under the radar.

My second I/R was deliberately written with a black female and her white husband. Set in the future, I wished to convey that in the time of "Bonds of Matrimony" race issues were deader than moon dust. I wanted to show how beauty comes in many colors and forms. Millicent Devereaux was successful because of her own hard work, but she'd gotten lost in her stressful job. She recognized her failing and wanted to save her marriage. Did all this have to do with her skin color? No. Perhaps that's why no one cared it was I/R. Sales have been okay, but I don't think I got special privileges because I am white. In fact, I think it hurt me.

So what's my point? I/R sells because of its specific cultural framework. The heroines are products of today's present black culture. I don't think the color of the skin of the author matters so much as correctly portraying the characters and their situation. Black authors who live the culture probably have a leg up on white authors like me who have to be taught the culture. I bow to their expertise.

To me, this is just another real life example of "write what you know." It's no different than the huge amount of research I did on Ancient Egypt to write "The God's Wife." If I put forth the effort to learn, I should be able to write based on my research. Again, I think this has to do more with expertise than skin color. I'll have to work twice as hard to get half the credit. Challenge accepted.

Kidnapped by My Characters

Help! I've been kidnapped by my characters!

I'm supposed to be writing "Bad Fur Day" for Changeling Press. I love the Night Critters Series. I really do! Writing with my adopted daughter Tuesday has been both a pleasure and a pain, but that's to be expected. After all, she's as nutty as I am and just as obsessive-compulsive. We're bound to clash now and then.

However, I did not expect my Muse to be a rude interrupting brat. Twice in one week she has interrupted my writing by deciding that I needed to write Hot Flashes. The first, tentatively titled "A Peck of Pickles" is a male-to-male menage a trois. Can we say ambitious? I knew you could. I never expected those characters to run away with me in tow for 11 bloody pages in one day. Which is why I'm now using Dragon NaturallySpeaking for the next week while my hands recover. No problem. That's why I have Dragon NaturallySpeaking, isn't it?

But then, just when it was safe to return to what I was supposed to be doing, my Muse made another left turn last night. I can blame my husband and his best friend for this one. "Sea Stories" was their suggestion, based on my gales of laughter at the many stories they tell me of their days in the Navy. How could I not write these hilarious misadventures? I hope they know I do have to turn the characters gay...

Somehow, I remain grateful that my Muse has reactivated after my long illness. She may drive me crazy, but I love every minute of it.

ADULTS ONLY: What's Your Kink?

***ADULT CONTENT***
What’s your favorite kink to read about? I’ve a loooong list of kinks, but readers have their own preferences. What are yours? Here’s some to get you thinking:

Bondage, Exhibitionism, Food Play (as in eating off someone’s body or using food in sex), Mild genital torture, Capture fantasies, Chemical play (use of peppermint oil, tiger balm, or other non-edible substances to stimulate flesh), toys (please name your faves), collars, cuffs, multiple partners, lingerie and other clothing like corsets, spanking, hot wax, ice cubes, nipple clamps and other devices, slave bells/chains, spreaders, and swings/furnishings.