Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category

The funny thing about writing

Posted in Paranormal romance writing, Sales, Writing, Writing advice on October 31, 2013| 2 Comments »

I first tried to write a novel when I was 19 or 20. I’d thought up a Star Wars story and as I sat down to write, with pencil and paper. Then I thought I’m not smart enough. I had no idea what it was to be a writer and my love for reading was only a few years old. I had a young son and I think I was pregnant with my second. So I put down the pencil and chucked the paper away.

When I turned 40, I had just changed jobs and my youngest daughter was 18. My life was at a turning point. I was locked in traffic and I asked myself, what do you want to do with your life? My answer was I want to write. My first attempt then was a Scottish Historical Romance, which I loved reading. I wrote probably 700 words and thought -this is crap. Again i gave up. I didn’t have what it takes. That was in May 2000. Around November, I had an idea, a character appeared in my head and wouldn’t let me go. It was a science fiction story, with some alien sex (lol).  I started writing, and writing. About 20,000 words in, I bought a book called ‘How to write a novel’ and it was basic. It talked about length, about number of chapters and I sat down and worked out I had enough plot for a novel. I wrote about 100,000 words in 6 weeks. It was shit though. A download from my brain. But I’d written something with a beginning, middle and an end. The next 13 years have been about learning the craft, about exploring writing, building up skills etc.

I sent Relic (the name of the first novel) out for a manuscript appraisal and I started a fantasy novel, which was really hard work. Somehow fantasy was harder. I wrote that while waiting for the feedback. I wrote short stories. The first of which Trent Jamieson published in Redsine. Short stories were my thing for many reasons. I had lots of ideas. The genie had been let out of the bottle. Short stories were a good way to improve my writing, learn writing and being edited and getting feedback.

I kept writing. Revising Relic was a huge task a first, seeming much bigger than actually writing it. I mean there were incomplete sentences, wrong words and it was very first novelish. What do I mean about that? Well the character was in a room and the pacing was so slow, too detailed, that’s very first novelish. There was also info dumping etc. I probably revised it 50 times over the years. (more on Relic and its future journey in a later post).

In my early years, I had romance novel ideas. I never wrote them. I didn’t research romance writing, markets, conventions nothing. Because Relic was supposedly SF and feminist SF at that, my career seemed to be in the speculative fiction vein. Argenterra, which is the second novel I wrote was a fantasy with romance, rather than a fantasy romance. You see, I did enter it in a competition in the US, Rowena Cory Daniels back then used to feed information into the spec fic networks so I entered. Again I thought I’m not good at this. I kept writing. I had more stories in the back of my mind. Category romances. SF romances. I kept telling myself that one day when I’m a full time writer I’ll be able to try romance too. I even joked with myself as another novel remain unsold, that wouldn’t it be funny if I was actually a good paranormal romance writer. I dabbled in some paranormal shorts in spec fic markets. They were published but it was just something that I might do in the future.

In November 2011, for NanoWriMo I start writing a contemporary romance (again encouraged by good friend) . I think the MS stinks. I didn’t finish it as I got RSI. It was hard. I kept wanting to put a ghost in there or a vampire. I’d been working on a paranormal romance for a couple of years, mostly not working on it. I thought it was too hot for publication. (it was before 50 Shades of Gray)  That MS is completed now though.

Fast forward. No novels in spec fic published. Publishing going through major upheavals and structural changes. My friend, Nicole Murphy encourages me to go to the Romance Writers of Australia conference in 2012. Enter Harlequin’s Escape Publishing and I have Rayessa and the Space Pirates published. Wham. Bam.

Flood gates open. I am writing whatever I like. I still have a dark epic fantasy there looking for a home, but I just write. I’ve written a paranormal romance coming out 1 February with Escape ( http://danikristof.wordpress.com ).

I have another sexy paranormal novel out there looking for a home. I’ve got an agent representing my young adult/steampunkish/Victorian gothic horror/romance. I’ve had to publish the paranormal under another name, but OMG!!!  I’m writing romance, paranormal romance, science fiction, whatever. I’m writing.

That’s the funny thing about writing. Just write. Don’t hold yourself back for silly reasons– like I only write this genre.  Do it now. Don’t wait. It’s like saying I’ll paint landscapes when I retire. Why wait? Just go for it?

Do I regret not pursuing the romance writing earlier? Maybe, I’m not sure. Regardless I had to learn how to write. I cut my teeth on speculative fiction. But maybe, just maybe, I’ll earn an income from writing romance. Watch this space.

Read Full Post »

Oh wow…long break I had no idea

Posted in Genrecon, Masters of Creative Writing studies, Paranormal romance, Rayessa, Science fiction conventions, Writing on October 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

It’s amazing how absorbed you can be in stuff and you lift your head up and realise you’ve been absent (smack, smack) from your blog for an unforgivable time. The main culprit has been the activity and effort involved in preparing my house for sale. Long nights after days at work. Weekends spent painting, packing, cleaning. Then when it’s ready there’s house hunting. My partner, Matthew Farrer, and I are moving into together. It’s a big commitment and a lot of work. Finding a house is difficult. We were gazumped on the first house, just a day or two before were were to exchange contracts. Right now we are biting nails to see if the current deal goes through. I was so active during the last couple of months that I lost 5 kilos (without the gym).  Go me. Mind you now that I’m not so active I have to watch the weight. I’m also addicted to a clean and tidy house. Imagine that. (it’s tidy because half my possessions are in storage and my study is naked of books).

I’m in the last four weeks of my Masters so I’m pretty flat out there and also in the last and important stages of my work project. At least my masters involves some writing and that story is coming along nicely. We have an intensive class tomorrow. I need to work on my presentation tonight and I have to go to work in the morning after all, beforehand.

Due to illness in the family, we’ve had to call off our trip to World Fantasy Convention in Brighton. I’m sad about that as I had been planning it for two years, but it also didn’t go well with buying and selling houses. So early Saturday morning I’m heading off to Genrecon in Brisbane. I’m looking forward to showing off my under bust corset at the Cutlass and Kimonos banquet. We hope to rebook our trip next year. There is a World SF convention on in London in late August 2014.

In writing news, I sent off the sequel to Rayessa and the Space Pirates to the editor. I guess I’ll hear in due course. This weekend I’ll be signing a contract with Alex Adsett Publishing Services. Alex is very lovely and is going to represent a few of my manuscripts. I also signed a contract with Escape for one of the paranormal romances I’ve been working on. That will be coming out under another name next year. I’ll keep you posted. It’s going under another name because my young adult stuff is under my name and the sexy paranormal has, you know, sex in it.
All in all everything is busy but positive.

Read Full Post »

A long writing weekend

Posted in Rayessa, Writing, tagged on June 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

It’s a long weekend here in Australia, I think in most states. One way to make sure I got some writing done was to invite my retreat buddies over for a mini retreat or Donnacon as it is affectionately known. It also kept my  mind off not being at Continuum 9, listening to N J Jemisin, who was guesting there over the weekend. Here is a link to her GOH speech.

Starting Saturday morning, the gang came over and some just visited for an afternoon. The first trick for me when I have a stretch of days to write is to decide what I’m working on. I find drafting is most productive so usually don’t revise something I’ve written unless I have a deadline. At our retreat after Conflux 9, I had to work on my uni fiction so I didn’t even try for word count. I did add to the story but I was focusing on polish.

I had a few projects to choose from. Write more of Into the Dark Glass, write a short story etc. I chose in the end to start of the sequel to Rayessa and the Space Pirates. It turned out to be a good choice. I started writing and then I discovered I’d written an outline earlier in the year so I had a map of where to go with it. Due to RSI I can’t go for massive word counts. I have to pace and I have to take breaks. So far I’ve written 12,500 words and while I haven’t finished the story arc, I’m a fair way in.

The hard part for me was the voice. I’m not using Rae’s voice and she’s funny and quirky. Also, the way I wrote Rayessa is a bit stylised. It has cliff hanger chapter endings. Although, those were put in later. Today instead of finishing the story arc, I went back to the beginning to work on Essa’s character and to make it more interesting and fun for me to read. I noticed in the last chapter I was working on I had finally found her so I went back to the beginning to expand it a bit more and to get a feel for her self-centred and armored heart. Word count wise, Rae and Essa’s adventures in space is half way there.

Lucky me, I have a writing day on Wednesday so I may push it forward a bit more.

Overall a productive weekend writing wise. My waistline has expanded in line with my word count. We’ve stuffed ourselves with food. Today, Kaaron Warren brought over homemade mint slice. And she left a stack behind.

The writing weekend was tough on my family. I’m very grateful they bore with me. They probably don’t understand about devoting yourself to writing for a number of days, but they stand back and grit their teeth.

There won’t be anymore long weekends until October. I hope to have a bit more under my belt by then.

Read Full Post »

Nearing the end-or at the beginning

Posted in Paranormal romance writing, Steampunk, Writing, Young adult on May 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

After Conflux9, after the retreat, I’ve been busy working on the stuff I need to do for my Masters in Creative Writing. This year I am doing a manuscript writing workshop component and this semester Cultural Research. I’m almost there. Friday is D day.

The reason I’m blogging is that I’m really excited about my fiction component, the manuscript I am doing for my Masters. The goal is to write 20,000 words across the year. Last year it was 50,000 words but it changed this year. So this sounds easy right? Actually the word count doesn’t bother me so much. With Conflux9 I’d only been writing uni stuff anyhow-just.

So writing is not a big deal. I can do word count and I had a number of ideas to work from. Note ideas, not outlines. I chose a story called Into the Dark Glass. It was an idea I got when an editor and I were discussing Argenterra, a fantasy with romance that I had submitted. To make it a romance fantasy I would have needed to gut the story and have it focus on just one couple, with less world building. I’ve almost finished that trilogy and thought I may as well write a new story than gutting the old one. That’s when the idea for Into the Dark Glass came. Just the idea about the girl, the mirror and the guy and the world being steampunk.

I started the course and had to hand in the first 500 words and a 250 word pitch. Easy peasy. You think? I still didn’t have an outline of the plot. I couldn’t find the girl’s voice and kept changing her name and his name. His voice was easy. A month later we had to hand in 2000 words and do a presentation. I managed that, but I still had issues with the girl’s voice and I had enough plot for three chapters. However, the way we were doing this manuscript was completely against what I’d normally do. I don’t stop and polish and submit, I keep writing.

The next big challenge for me was that I wanted to lift the bar, push myself higher in the writing game. I’d chosen a young adult/romance/fantasy in an alternative steampunk world. I wanted it to rock. I was nearly pulling my hair out with the girl’s voice. I usually get it eventually but I hadn’t written enough of the story to get to know her. I had to keep going back. After the presentation, where I confessed I was having a tough time of the voice, I got it. The whole thing fitted into place. I rewrote the first chapter. At the retreat I did the next two. I wrote another 15,000 words of the story. I finally figured out what the Lady of the Dark did and then near the end of the retreat the rest of the plot came to me on waking so I jotted the notes down on the Ipad.

I had reached a point where I could relax. I got Matthew to read it and he said it was the best he’d seen from me. (He’s not read everything of mine but it was a huge compliment). He said there were a few little things. My spirits soared after that because my revisions had aced it (to my mind).

Today I read it through and  it does rock. (I know I’m not supposed to say that but it really does). I leaped the bar I’d set myself. I got her voice, pace, action and a bit of attraction going. I’ve uploaded the bugger now!

Now I just have to finish the story, which I think might be 80,000 to 100,000 words and submit it somewhere. I plan to submit the final chapters for second semester. That’s if the excitement wears off. I’m finding it hard to settle down. (too much or too little stimulation)

I must return to the research project now.  I will be disseminating my research paper here at a later date. Like when I get my marks and feel that it’s good enough.

Read Full Post »

The year is hotting up

Posted in Beta reading, RSI, Writing on January 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The first month of 2013 is almost over. Wow! That went quickly.

University starts next week. I’m doing two of the subjects that are the compulsory core subjects of my masters in creative writing. One is a manuscript writing unit and the other is cultural research. Looks like both are going to be online so easier on the petrol but intensive as far as time goes. I need to start planning and committing to the novel I will write for the course. I had two ideas and then I had another. It’s a toss up whether I should do the literary SF post-apocalyptic novel, set in Australia and examining feminist issues (Bearded Women), or the dark, SF novel featuring future societies take on incarceration (Prison Ship) or the new idea for a slip fantasy, darkish steampunk/romance ( Into the Dark Glass). I’ve got till next week to make up my mind, write a pitch and cough up some wordage. (votes here will be cool)

I’m back at work. I’ve whinged on Twitter/Facebook about being sick on 2 writing days in a row. Today I’m not sick. I had some errands to run but I did get up early and write (ooh over 2500 words-just checked) on new chapter. This new chapter was as a result of beta reader feedback. When I didn’t write it before I was in half a mind to, but thought I’ll leave in some suspense. My beta reader felt cheated!

Today, I went down to Queanbeyan and spent money. I came upon a hat themed calendar and bought it. When my eyes alighted on it, it jolted me a bit. I’ve enrolled in a millinery course but I haven’t had any correspondence from the technical college. So I had to add that into the mix, along with Conflux 9 and work! I really must put up the scheduler and fill it out.

I had an episode of aching hands over the new year period. It was intense and weird. I went to the physio late last week and she said my RSI is controlled and I don’t have to keep coming. However, we discussed my hands and I had to go to the doctor for further assessment. Blood tests and xrays. I’ve been a bit worried that it’s rheumatoid arthritis and then I tell myself it can’t be. That can’t happen to me!  I know I have osteoarthritis but apparently it doesn’t have flare ups. I had aching hands about 6 weeks before that and I thought then it was the lack of vitamin D. However, I have been taking supplements religiously for 3 months now. So that’s two flares up in 3 months. I tell myself when I’m not obsessing that it might be a virus. I guess I’ll just have to wait for the results and then deal.

I am desperately trying to polish at least one of my MSs before next week and life starts dishing it up. I am looking forward to the second half of the year when I don’t have so much on. I might have World Fantasy Convention in my sights. I have tickets. I have the will. I might even have the time off. It’s the $$ that is preventing me at the moment.

Read Full Post »

When you’re trying to pull it together

Posted in Beta reading, Outlining novels, Paranormal romance writing, Rayessa, Writing on January 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday was a bit of a loss in the writing or doing anything stakes. A quick trip to the mall for coffee ended up taking 4 hours and when I finally got back  it was so hot I completely flaked the whole day. I was meeting a new friend for coffee and she had a turn and is now in hospital. I went without a car and caught the bus home (a new experience). That’s why it took so long. In the evening, I watched Vampire sucks and read JR Ward’s Lover Revealed and finished off an MS I was beta reading. Come to think of it, maybe I’m being hysterical. The day doesn’t seem that wasted does it?

Thanks to the teenager, I had a 2.00 am trip to the cop shop and so today is not looking too crash hot either. Well I thought it wasn’t but I wrote an outline for the next Rayessa story and that’s an excellent thing! I wrote Rayessa in 2003 originally and back then I did have an idea about the next story and the opening scene. Things moved on. I wrote other things and Rayessa was having a snooze in my hard drive. Like a backpacker, she changed nesting places as computers were replaced or died. Now with Rayessa coming out into the world, I need to think about putting more words to paper. The first step was to do an outline. It’s not a careful outline. It’s rough and meant to get the ideas that have come to me recently meshed with the ideas of old. It also means I can now swill it around my head (something like mouthwash) and then when I’m ready I’m going to spit it out, possibly into a word document. Writing the outline also stops me from carrying the ideas around in my head, relieves me of the guilt that I just don’t sit down and do it and allows me some freedom to play with my other projects.

So today I’ve opened up The Sorcerer’s Spell and I’m revising, polishing, tweaking etc. You know, I’m really enjoying it. I’m putting no pressure on myself to get word count. I’m happy if I get through chapter one and really happy if I make it through chapter two. I want to savour this, enjoy the process of taking something a bit rough looking (maybe a cake that doesn’t look pretty) and smoothing it out, embellishing and making it beautiful (like putting fondant on a cake and decorating it).

It was probably very therapeutic to read a bit between finishing Bespelled and diving into revisions of another novel. Reading something like JR Ward’s Lover Revealed, makes me appreciate the complexity and the thought that is going into that book and that series. It is also very cool so it’s great fun to read it. Beta reading Nicole’s MS was a good experience too. She does her characters so well. They have depth, darkness, a past and that’s a good thing for me to be thinking about when I work on all my work. I want to make my characters as real on paper as they are in my head.

Anyhow, time to saunter off and pretend I’m working and not having a fun time. I must keep the image up.

Read Full Post »

Day one of the Romance Writers’ Conference-Diamonds are Forever

Posted in Romance, Romance Writers Australia Conference, Writing, tagged on August 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Today was the official start of the program, although things have been going since we arrived. Nicole attended the published author day, which is focused on professional development targeted at published writers.

Friday we did our pitch sessions, after spending the morning drafting pitches. Carole George couldn’t make the sessions so we pitched to the lovely Sarah Fairhall. It was a bit nerve-wracking because the appointments were running behind and waiting there felt like I was waiting to see the school principal. It was that sort of thing. I think the pitch session went very well, though I think my pitch needs more work. You see the novel I’m pitching I hadn’t really thought of as romance, even though I know quite well that that is the main thrust of it. The traditional romance tropes are there, but because it is a meld of steampunk and gothic horror, I had been targeting it to spec fic  genre rather than romance.

Also, I’m not across how to market the romance side, or I wasn’t until I came here to the conference. Now it is a matter of rethinking how I think about this work. Even with the paranormal romance I’m writing, I have to think about the core elements so I can work out a pitch. I saw a woman today recite her pitch perfectly. I was thinking, my goodness they really mean you have to learn it off by heart and be ready. So they’re not kidding. I have to take this writing gig more seriously than I do now.

So I sent my ms off. Apparently, people don’t always send their ms off when requested so Nicole said we had to make sure we did.

Last night was the Harlequin sponsored cocktail party. I wore an excellent dress. Nicole to a photo so hopefully it is here. (maybe later) I was more like Doris Day than Marilyn Monroe. However, I do like retro- either vintage or reproduction. My dress is reproduction. The cocktail party was fantastic and packed. I wondered about a chatted to a couple of people and also listened to Harlequin talk about their digital first imprint, called Harlequin Escape.

Now that I’ve had my head rearranged, I have some other things that are also romance in my dusty hard drive that I will be reviewing and perhaps submitting.

Today, Nicole invited me to have breakfast at 7.00am with a number of paranormal romance writers and that was cool. I sat down opposite Rowena Cory Daniels and Keri Arthur and got to chat a bit. Nicole and I were a bit queasy from the night before. It could have been the excellent room service we had- bbq beef rib that was a whole chunk of meat in yummy bbq sauce or the canapés or just too much of everything. Then it was the start of the professional development part of the day. Eloisa James did a wonderful and inspiring key note address, then the breakout sessions commenced. I did one on finetuning your suspense delivered by JJ Cooper, author of The Interrogator and Deadly Trust. He had been a military intelligence interrogator so he knew what he was writing about and his presentation was very interesting. He didn’t get through all the presentation because we asked so many questions. It was a very worthwhile session and he has emailed us the presentation.

Next excellent session was Alexandra Sololoff’s Screenwriting Tricks for Authors part one and two. Now there was a workshop on the Friday, which I couldn’t afford to do, so it was great to be able to have these sessions presented as part of the program. Basicall,y what she taught is a plotting/analysis tool, where you divide your story up like a movie is broken up into sequences. She had some terrific tips and I can’t wait to use the tool to analyse what I have done. I think Ruby Heart pretty much meets the analysis, but we’ll see.

Also, while in that session, I had a few epiphanies about myself and how I’m approaching this writing gig. When I first started out I was very enthusiastic and I never wasted a moment on anything else and just wrote. Then after a few years, I think I lost confidence and went into the whole I am not very good etc mode, which I rode as best I could and I never gave up, but nor was I very focussed. I came out of that stage and into the mature stage. Now I see that I have to have a more business-like approach to writing, perhaps something like a business plan. I also need to sit down and do a drafting schedule and plan out what I’m going to be working on during the year. I probably need a spreadsheet to monitor submissions (short and long). I am probably being a little hard on myself as I am just recovering from RSI but I think I need this focus if I’m going to reach my goals. Yes I have goals but I need to acknowledge them more to myself instead of hiding them away. I’ll need this schedule thing because of the Masters in Creative Writing too.

Tonight is the awards dinner. I didn’t buy a ticket as money has been tight this year. So while Nicole frolics with the others, I’m going to write in some capacity. I’m going to order room service first.

Nicole sent me a shot of me in my dress.

Me looking like Doris Day.

There is lots of red.

A close up of me taken by Nicole

 

 

Read Full Post »

The outline questions are working

Posted in Cake decorating, Masters of Creative Writing studies, Paranormal romance writing, Writing, Writing for young people on August 15, 2012| 2 Comments »

Last post I talked about how I hadn’t completed an outline but that I used key questions to work out aspects of the plot for this paranormal romance I’m working on. This seems to be working. I have revised the first part to add additional characters and I find that the questions give me greater clarity with the broader story and world-building, something that I had been a bit sloppy on. Perhaps I never took this story seriously before, even though I think it is a cool idea. Although I like reading paranormal novels, this is my first attempt at one. I have managed a couple of short stories, which were published. I find them an interesting flex of the writing muscles, a chance to dance in the moonlight and let my hair down.

I read the first Dark Brotherhood book, Dark Lover by JR Ward. It was a pretty cool book for a number of reasons. Nowhere near as hot as I expected, but I’m told the series gets hotter. I was a bit taken about by the glossary up front. However, I could see why Ward wanted to differentiate her vampires from the common tropes. She has an interesting world setting, which sets it apart. I thought her approach was clever too. I’m on the second Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson book, Blood Bound. I’m still trying to figure out how she does it. If there is romance then at this stage it is very low key, just a kind of attraction with a very slow build. With two potential lovers, I’m not sure who I’m backing at this stage. I think it is because Briggs’ world-building is so interesting and immersive and the story is also very pacy. I find this book unputdownable.

Speaking of flexing my writing muscles, I’ve had the first lecture in Writing for Young People yesterday. I’m scared witless. It is an intensive writing course so basically I have to produce product, a kiddie book, a poem based story etc every week. I’m excited by learning something new and exploring new things and I’m also anxious about it. I guess I want to be good at it. I didn’t realise that I had this competitive streak, that I really want to do things well, when I choose to do them. Perhaps that will rub off on my generally because I have been a lazy writer in the past, accepting what I had written without really seeing that I could improve it (not always but I had/have bad habits).

Along with work (I’m writing issues papers again), gym, cake decorating classes (actually I’d call it an expensive addiction), organising Conflux 9 (2013) Natcon with Nicole and life generally, I’m pretty full up. However, I find that being busy makes me productive. Somewhere I have to fit in making a Victorian costume in the next month.

Tomorrow, I explore yet another frontier by heading to the Australian Romance Writers Conference in the Gold Coast. The link to Diamonds are Forever is here. I’m quite excited about going. I don’t know much about the industry but I know I have a number of romance novels in me so yet again I’m flexing those writing muscles by exploring new territory.

Also, it is a bit of a holiday for me.  I’m staying an extra day to hang with Matthew in Brisbane. It is so much warmer there than here.
Below is a picture of my first cake. This one has butter cream. The next one will be covered in fondant.

My first cake decorating attempt. The green icing was lime flavoured.

Read Full Post »

Outlining- the issues

Posted in Paranormal romance, Writing, Writing advice on August 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I wrote this post last weekend and it has taken me until now to put it up. I’ve started a cake decorating course, which I’m a bit obsessed with. I’ve been creating fondant bugs and flowers. Today was all about baking and the baking day has been a big fail. Not sure what caused it. Oven settings. Me. So I thought I’d throw this blog up while the second batch of cupcakes are in the oven.

So to outlining…

I think I alluded to the issue in my previous post that I had not written down things about the paranormal romance I’m writing. I’m trying to do remedial outlining lessons and encourage my partner, Matthew Farrer, do a post here or on his blog about how he outlines. As he writes tie-in novels (mostly), they require quite specific outlines to be submitted before the novel is commissioned. Another writer friend also outlines for the novels she is paid to write and I remember her saying to me on one writers’ retreat we were on together: Haven’t you written an outline? I had written something like a short synopsis, which usually has a great introduction and then the ending and nothing in the middle. Not really useful for outlining as it was barely more than an elevator pitch. This probably mirrors the ideas that I have when I write a novel as a pantser—I know where to start and where it ends and the rest just comes.

I’ve been thinking about this lately. This has worked for me in the past where I’ve written the bulk of a novel at a writers’ retreat, two solid weeks of immersion and writing, which allow me to experience a creative ‘zen zone’ that carries me through with the draft. The draft gets revised and tweaked until it works. However, I don’t always have the luxury of going on writers’ retreats for two weeks and what about when I’m writing during the other 50 weeks of the year? Sometimes the impetus from the retreat carries me through, particularly if I’m continuing on with the story. Where it hasn’t seemed to have worked for me is this paranormal fantasy, which I have picked up, started, stopped, put away and pulled out again. The momentum is lost. I know the beginning and the end but what about the in-between bits? I need to write down an outline. I need to decide on the key plot points—like who is the baddy? Why are they the baddy? Why does X choose to do Y? etc.

There was always going to be a point where I hit a wall, where I had to get with the program and do some thinking, do some plotting. So I haven’t quite got an outline written but I have instead written down a series of questions to help me think things through. These questions are things like: Why does X do that? Did the person that killed person b also kill person c? Is the threat internal or coming from outside? (I had to do a serious think here because another novel has a magical society and I had to make sure I’m not doing the same old, same old). Also, I want to make sure that the mystery/thriller aspects of the story are robust. Paranormal romance readers need a good story to hang the romance off. I want to do a good job, of course. This takes serious thinking and hard work—that is the reality of the situation.

So right now I’m having a writing afternoon with Nicole Murphy (link) and I’ve cataloged all my questions and I’ve answered them. By answering them I mean I’ve developed the characters and the plot that will carry my story. I’ve also worked out who the baddies are and what motivates them and that then gives me ideas to fill up some backstory, which I have to go back to the beginning put in. Also this exercise has given me heaps of ideas and structure to go forward with because I have mapped out the essential plot points. Now, I have a worthwhile story to put between the sex scenes. Although, Nicole tells me that I don’t need too much plot between those.

Read Full Post »

An adventure in writing paranormal fantasy

Posted in Annoying advice, Paranormal romance, Writing, Writing advice on July 24, 2012| 2 Comments »

So I’m back to working on my paranormal romance, which I call a paranormal sexmance. It is really pushing the boundaries of erotica, I think, which is okay because that’s all the rage right? It sort of hugs the boundaries, I’m told, because of the bit of kinky sex in it. You see the baddy uses sex to power her magic, or to make it very strong. This causes me problems because there is a lot of sex as a result. (I’m trying to think of a character who hasn’t had sex yet. Oh him…).  My older son (33) said but that was your idea wasn’t it, mum, to make that the baddy’s power? I’m like ,yeah I guess, but really it was a cool idea in the beginning that is causing me problems, or may cause me problems in future. However, I’m not going to worry too much about it now, because the point is to draft the thing and then craft the thing. Sex scenes can be deleted, tension can be created, plot twists can be enhanced etc.  I need the whole thing to balance that and probably about 50 beta readers (lol) to give me hints.
The annoying thing for me is that I don’t think I did an outline. This has caused me problems because I know I worked through the story in my head, and in my head it was pretty brilliant but mmm that was two years ago maybe and I can’t remember key details (if I thought of them). Doh! So biggest lesson write down your ideas, do an outline (you don’t have to stick to it but it helps). So now I’ve edited the bits of what I’ve written so farand I have to write the bit of the story from there until the end. Guess what I haven’t figured out what word length I am aiming for.

Did you know that romance writers are generally clued up to what market they are writing for (category, historical, paranormal etc) and also know what word length etc? Well Ms Casual me is swimming in the mire here. This calls for serious planning, outline, estimated word count and probably an idea of what market I’m aiming for and possible strategies on how to sell it or get an agent. Lucky for me I’m heading the romance writers’ association conference in less than a month so I’m pretty sure I’m going to pick up tips. I need to get more professionally minded about writing and publishing instead of lingering in my imagination dreaming of being published and floating around in stories. This takes effort, of course, and as I’m co-chairing (running) a science fiction convention in April, 2013, my effort will be diffuse until then.

So the other day, I had a bright idea. I will read a paranormal romance that I haven’t read to keep me in the loop about the expectations. I picked up Moon Called by Patricia Briggs and well maybe it wasn’t a paranormal romance after all. I mean no one had sex. So I thought this must be an urban fantasy then. However, there was a lot of sexual tension and all unresolved at the end of the novel. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in two evenings. Needless to say, I’ve ordered the other two books and then I noticed that there is now a whole series of Mercy Thompson stories.

Lesson one-tension. Thanks Patricia.

Briggs used a very clear style and filled in nice, realistic details. I found that rather interesting because my story has some detail but not as much as Briggs. However, the effect was that the detail gave it an air of realism, without affecting the tension.

Lesson two-world building (research). These were things like getting on the freeway, the type of grass that grew in that part of the country, the details of being a mechanic for specific types of cars and nice details of face, clothes and other mannerisms. These I tend to underdo these, I think.

Also, Briggs had a vast array of characters, the main ones very defined, even if told in the first person. She described them from the Mercy’s point of view, but she also let them show themselves through their dialogue and action. Even walk in characters had a distinctive air.

Lesson three-character portrayal, find the little things that make a character stand out, whether its red hair, a slouch or a nasty demeanour.

 

And still keep the pace going and not get bogged down for paragraphs describing someone etc.

Lesson four-pace. Keep it going. Briggs knows when to dwell on something, and which scenes to milk for effect. Like the alpha using the moonlight and calling the wolves. That was a groovy scene and it was grown for effect. The pace of her story kept me hooked and reading way past my bedtime.

Reading Moon Called did not help me assess the level of sex in my story or the degree of detail when describing sex scenes, but I felt there were valuable lessons in the book for me, which are useful for all forms of writing and it is good to be reminded of them.

I suppose I’ll just have to reread Keri Arthur and hope that some nice readers can recommend some very hot and steamy paranormal romances for me to read for research (cough) purposes.

 

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »