Writing Pains – The Act of Balancing Writing with a Busy Life

As I sit in my Long Beach, CA hotel room on a business trip for my ‘day’ job, I’m struggling with reality. As a writer – a writer with two children, a full time job, a significant other (make that three kids) and a multitude of responsibilities – there may be obstacles in your path that don’t allow you to write on a full time, consistent basis.

At times, it can take me up to three or four days to finish a chapter because I was waiting for the opportune moment. Not to mention things that absolutely must be completed, like taking your asthmatic son to the ER because he is having an episode.
Mine is not an uncommon story and as fellow writers, I’m sure that I am preaching to the choir. A personal writing goal may go on neglected for days, weeks, even months.

So, what is there to keep us going with the great number of barriers working to prevent us from being productive as an author? I think it’s the sheer need to write in order to maintain our happiness. If I can manage at least a half hour a day to dedicate to my art, then I should be happy. It’s not much, but surely, it will get me to my goal of completing my outstanding project.

Maybe you’re wondering how, with so much going on, I can manage to write a half hour a day. Or maybe you’re wondering how I only find that much time. Whichever the case may be, I’ll share with you the things that I pledge to my craft.
The first is suffocating procrastination. When I have a thought or idea about my WIP (work in progress), I always write it down. The momentary sparks of inspiration, whether they stay in your story or not, help to keep you excited about your story. It also contributes your daily word count or time commitment.

The next is ensuring that I ‘create’ a space in my day for writing. I’m not a morning person, so that isn’t the best time of day for me. I prefer to wait until evening and start a half hour before I plan on going to bed. Some days, I write more than that, some a few less, but the important thing is to continue striving to meet your goal. Even if you don’t meet your goal, the act contributes to forming a habit. I can think of a lot worse habits to have than writing.

Finally, I treat my writing job as seriously, if not more, than my day job. One of the greatest failures of small business is the inability to remain focused on the end result. In the case of a writer, we must remember that there is a product which we must create for the customer. As hard as it may be, writers must come up with a writing plan and stick with it
Just like anything that we desire, most are accompanied by hard work, and at times some minor discomfort that we must battle. Remember that as long as you are moving forward towards your goal, one day, the end will be in sight.
Until next time, stay focused.

Confessions of a Sex-Scenes-Challenged Author

Recently, a dear friend asked me to read and provide feedback on her novella. In her email containing the file, she hemmed and hawed a bit before admitting something to the effect of, “It has some sex scenes. Feel free to skip as needed. And wow, are those hard to write.”

I slouched in my computer seat, shocked and immeasurably grateful. Sex scenes, hard to write? Darn tootin’! For the most part, they’re an exercise in pain and embarrassment. And after years of sucking it up, I could finally rest a little easier, knowing I’m not the only one.

My name is Elle, and I hate writing sex scenes.

Truth told, come time to pen sex scenes, I wish I could put brackets in the story that say “And sex ensued, and it was good.” Okay, well, maybe I’d add something like, “And it was mutually satisfying sex that involved orgasms for all involved partners but without involving overdone literary devices like simultaneous orgasms and overly colorful and euphemistic descriptions of orgasms as kaleidoscopes. Oh, and not just missionary. With lots of foreplay. And emotional validation. Use your imagination.” Somehow, though, I think Romance Writers of America would revoke my membership – provided I had one.

I’m not sure why it’s so painful. Perhaps it’s the tension that comes from trying to realistically portray mutually satisfying sex without turning it into a sexual blueprint (“Item A should connect with a snap into item B. Then, holding it at a 24-degree angle, place item C alongside item D until item E comes into play.”). Add in our sexually repressive culture that leads to the fetishization of, well, everything, and even talking about sex means shouldering a heavy cultural burden. Just within the story, sex is supposed to move my protagonists’ relationship to a new romantic level, provide a space for exploring the dynamics of their interactions, straddle the line between tenderness and empowerment, and introduce my characters to tons of pleasure, or at least meaning. No pressure!

An example of my inexplicable obsession.

Gender inequalities, increasing questions about the boundaries of heterosexuality, living in a culture only a few generations from the Victorian era’s guilty, conflicted prurience: writing about sex lands me smack dab in the middle of a cultural quagmire.

I know many authors don’t share my shyness of sex scenes. For the few out there who do, though, I wanted to offer a literary fist bump. Authors who tremble at the thought of writing sex scenes, unite!

Doing the Linky Link

I teach Mass Communications at my local community college, so I regularly try out new developments in social media. Students are wonderful about showing me things even after they realize that no, I don’t always know what I’m talking about!

So when another instructor asked for my help because her agent told her she needed a social media presence, I gave her my standard disclaimer and the following tips:

Social media is still developing, so it doesn’t have standard practices like advertising and PR. Even in advertising and PR, success isn’t a formula, but a unique combination of message, medium, and audience, derived at through careful trial and error. Experimenting is the order of the day! Try it and see what works, and yes, I’m say this in full acknowledgement of the screaming meltdown I had over the recent changes in Google+.

As writers, our messages are our books and our audience is our readers. Simple, right? Well no, because everyone else has a book and wants readers too. What makes you special? How will you explain that? Here’s a great article on determining your positioning.

There are dozens of social media sites. Which ones are best for you? – The ones you’re comfortable with! Here’s a great video on some of the more popular. Getting your message out is more about saying something on a regular basis than being in the right place at the right time.

Terms like ‘authentic content‘ or ‘value-added content’ imply that you need to talk. Actually, social media is more like conversation than speech. Just like at a cocktail party, the best guest isn’t the one in the lampshade, but the person who checks in with everyone else in the room. Check out this backlash against posting and retweet, reply, post comments, like pages, and interact as much as you post. Just make sure you limit your time online. It’s easy to get distracted from your writing.

The most important thing to share? – The link! Look for the share buttons to easily post that great article or review to your Twitter, Facebook, or whatever. If you can’t find a share button, cut and paste the URL into the post. Readers love it when you hand them the story instead of directions. And, according to the computer professor who guest lectures at this point in class, Google algorithms will love you too!

Now, I don’t have bestseller numbers yet, but I have a decent Twitter following. So I know you can build an audience if you’re persistent and patient. What I’d like to know is what is everyone else is doing? What have you seen that you really like and want to try?

Collaborative Writing … How, And Why, It Works For Us

Lots of people we know look at us as collaborative writers and say, “I don’t know how you two do it. I’d kill my spouse if I had to work with him/her.”

Well, we’re both still alive and well and loving working together.

So what’s our secret? For the inquisitive minds who want to know, here are a few reasons why our writing partnership works.

• We like each other and respect each other—a lot. Respect is paramount in any working relationship.
• We’ve been together more years that we’ve been apart. As a result, we know each other very well.
• We have complimentary talents and we recognize that. Donald is a great idea and plotting person, and Catherine is good at the technical part of writing, the grammar, spelling, punctuation, and etcetera.
• We give in to each other when one of us says, “A man/woman would never think/do/say that. Donald has the last say on male POV and Catherine on the female POV.
• We laugh a lot when we’re working together, even if it’s a serious scene. Nothing brings people together like laughter.
• We plot our stories in detail, but still allow room for the characters to take us to unexpected places. When they do what we haven’t planned, both of us have to sign off on what has happened before it makes it into the book.
• We’re willing to throw ideas, scenes and whole sections of our own and each other’s writing out. There are no sacred cows in our partnership.
• Our methods of collaborative writing are fluid. Sometimes we create using a totally collaborative effort, literally writing together line-by-line (we’ve created a number of our plays using this method). We might revamp something one of us has created as a solo writer, or we might work with one of us functioning as the major writer and the other as editor. Changing things keeps our interests up and our egos in check.
• And last, but certainly not least, we keep the lines of communication open. Writing is usually a solo job, but when you’re working with someone else, you have to let them know how you feel about what’s being plotted, written, and critiqued. If you don’t, then you can stifle the creative flow as well as the collaborative relationship. When we plot and one of us throws out a hasty, “I hate that idea!” (and we’ve done that) there are no hurt feelings on the part of the other person. We will ask for clarification as to why, and the protesting party must come up with a reasonable excuse, but we never get upset, want to quit working together, or get a divorce over it.

We can’t speak to the writing methods of other co-authors, although we have read that some write opposing chapters or each write a point of view, which is something we haven’t tried yet. However, as a married couple and co-authors, we do feel we bring something unique to the table—a spark we hope will take us a long way on our writing journey. A spark that enriches our personal relationship. For us, that’s enough reason to work together as C.D. Hersh.

Have you ever co-authored something? What worked for you in that relationship?

The Five Best Days of My Life, by Lauren Linwood

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Mitch Albom released a book about the five people you meet in heaven, which became a best seller that was also turned into a TV movie. Because today is a special day for me, I’ve turned that thought into the five best days of my life.

My first best day occurred when I was five years old and got to start elementary school. I had my brown paper sack (the go-to before backpacks) full of school supplies. I’d smelled the manila paper and practiced holding the gigantic blue pencils for weeks. I was proud of my shiny new lunchbox. I couldn’t wait for the adventure of school to begin. That first day was scary yet so exciting. It taught me to look forward to every first day of school, from those as a student to all the ones I experienced as a teacher. The first day of school still remains close to my heart today. 

A second best day would be when I graduated from college. I was the first in my family to accomplish this, and I combined my love of history with my love of learning and earned a bachelors degree in secondary education. I remember wearing that gown and mortarboard with pride, knowing that day culminated my college years and my degree enabled me to pursue my dream of becoming a history teacher.

For my third best day, I would choose my wedding day. I wasn’t one of those little girls who planned out every detail of her wedding, from the dresses to the flowers to the napkin colors. I just knew that one day a special man would come into my life-and he did. That wedding day when we pledged our love to each other, through good and bad times, in front of God and family and friends still remains dear to my heart. 

No question what the fourth best day is. Hands down it’s the day I gave birth to my daughter. My doctor told me my due date was March 20, and it thrilled me because that was my dad’s birthday, and this would be his first grandchild. Dr. J warned me that first babies were either notoriously early or late, rarely born on their due date. I gave him a smile and just knew she would come right on schedule. Maybe I willed my water to break, but after seventeen hours in labor on March 20, she made her appearance. There’s nothing like that first glimpse of your child. A fierce, protective love washes over a mother, making this a landmark day.

All these days remain etched in my memory, and I have the pleasure of adding May 15 as my fifth best day ever. Today I start a new chapter in my life as a published author. MUSIC FOR MY SOUL is my debut historical romance. What a thrill it’s been to see this story come alive, first in my head, then through my fingers as I typed away, to a cover that is tender and sensual, and finally seeing it available for purchase on Amazon. Today I join the rank of authors-men and women who had a vision and saw it through.

 

Today others beyond my critique group will have the chance to get to know Garrett Montayne, an unhappy lord in medieval England, who has a chance meeting with a beautiful stranger one night on the road to London. He rescues her and agrees to help her safely reach her destination, only to be shocked when she reveals she is Lady Montayne. Garrett is intrigued why she would claim to be his wife and can’t wait for what happens when they arrive in London. 

Madeleine Bouchard is resilient and resourceful, and she gives Garrett the slip before he can call her out on her deception. She discovers his true identity and hopes she never meets Lord Montayne again. Naturally, these two do come together, falling in love under the honey moon of summer solstice, but complications abound.

Writing MUSIC FOR MY SOUL was as much about the journey as arriving at the destination of publication. It’s been fun and challenging creating a website, starting a blog, tweeting, and getting to know future readers through Facebook. I’m fortunate that Soul Mate Publishing has already purchased OUTLAW MUSE, a Western historical romance that will come out near the end of 2013. I hope that I have many more release dates to come in my future as an author. 

But today, this first release day, is a sweet one for me. It’s definitely the fifth best day of my life!

Stay in touch: 

www.laurenlinwood.com

www.facebook.com/laurenlinwood 

https://laurenlinwood.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/LaurenLinwood 

laurenlinwood@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hooked on Poetry

This blog was originally scheduled for April 23, but the release of my book The Nun and the Narc, on April 24, caused me to push this blog back. After all, you only have one debut book and you have to celebrate it!  Although National Poetry Month is now over, I think we can celebrate a poem any time, so I’ve decided to post the blog now.

I’ve been a poet since I was a teenager. Granted, some of my early stuff was pretty messy and not very good, but, hey, that’s the way most of us start out in anything we do, including learning how to eat.

Every April, to celebrate National Poetry Month, I write at least one new poem. It’s a way to ensure that my poetry notebook grows, even if I’m not inspired to write a poem.  This year, I’ve written a new poem using my favorite form, the acrostic. The poem ends with the title, instead of beginning with the title.

An acrostic poem is a poem where the first letter of each line of the poem, read downward, forms a word.  A double acrostic poem would have words running down the left-hand side of the poem and the right-hand side.  Acrostics are easy to write.  First you vertically write the word or phrase on the page, then go back and fill in the lines.  Acrostics can be rhymed or unrhymed, follow a meter or not. The choice is all up to you and your Muse.

I’ve not done many poems this year, as most of my time has been consumed with editing The Nun and the Narc, and the book I’m coauthoring with my husband, learning the marketing curve, and trying to jumpstart my next Catherine Castle book .

So, without any further ado, here’s this year’s contribution to National Poetry Month, albeit a bit late. Hope you enjoy it!

Words flow from my fingertips,

Rolling over the keyboard … fast.

Incredibly, when I look back at

The page, they make little sense. I

Thought I had caught the magic, but

Evidently I’ve missed the mark. I

Rip the page out, electronically, and

Start over, but the fulfillment from

Balling the paper up is missing. There’s

Little satisfaction in hitting delete. I can’t

Overshoot the waste can with a wad of words. I

Can’t waste time picking up the paper. It’s a

Killjoy. But then what should I expect from

Writer’s Block

By

Catherine Castle

Have you ever written a poem for National Poetry Month? Why not try the acrostic? It’s fun, easy and has very few rules. Try it. You might just get Hooked on Poetry.

OMG another BLOG!

Has anyone else noticed how many abbreviations we have now-a-days? I work as a Radiation Therapist so I know the medical field has a ton of them. The publishing industry has a ton of their own. I’m sure that every field of endeavor has their share of specific abbreviations.

I’m talking about in every day talk–I mean text. No one who’s anyone talks anymore. You have to know how to text. And to text you have to know the lingo. And don’t use all caps because you’ll be yelling.

So in case you’re wondering, here are a few you’ll need to text-talk: your and you’re can both be abbreviated with ur, lol is laugh out loud, LOL is a real belly laugh, ROFL is rolling on the floor laughing, ROFLMBO is rolling on the floor laughing my but off, ROFLMFBO is…ok, well the F stands for fat.

And then their’s PHAT which sounds like fat but really means ‘pretty hot and tempting.’ And then there are the usuals: bc means because, ppl means people, msgs for messages, pls means please, thx for thanks, prob for probably… You get the idea.

So u’ll frgv me if this is a short post, but I need to rsrch some more abbrev. so I know what I’m saying when I text-talk. Tmorrow I’ll ask my kids what some of these things mean. But I’m not going to pick up the phone and call, if I’m to be understood, I’ll have to text.

My brain hurts. (insert cute emoticon here)(subject of another blog–hmmm)

Raven