You Had an Average Year |
 While you had some setbacks, your year also brought some good things. All in all, things mostly evened out. That’s just how life works. Focus on what went well for you – and what you can improve. A new year is a perfect reason to give yourself a fresh start! |
I did…with the exception of my neck. Today is the first day in two weeks that I woke up without so much as twinge . I almost afraid to say so in case I jinx myself. I’m going to try to take easy this time. No moving furniture, or vacuuming for a few days I think. 
Anyway, Christmas was very nice. Spent time with family, ate delicious foods and enjoyed myself immensely. DH bought me the Sony E-reader, which I was very excited about. Not only was I hoping to find one under the tree, but, as an e-published writer, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see E-readers on the shelves of Canadian stores. Every time the add played on T.V. I’d do a little happy dance.
Though I have to admit, I wasn’t entirely sure I would enjoy reading on an e-reader. I’m a big fan of books. I enjoy browsing bookstores, like the feel of a book in my hand and the look of a book on the shelf.
To be honest, I haven’t noticed huge difference as far as reading goes. The e-reader is lightweight, and once I start reading, I don’t even think about the difference between the page versus the screen. The only minor downfall is I can’t use it if I want to read in the bath. And as I read a lot, I’ve had to become very selective about the books that make it my keeper shelf. I think the e-reader will help to cut back on the number of books that land on my will-never-read-again-and-don’t-know-what-to-do-with-now shelf. Which is a good thing, really.
Anyway, I hope you all enoyed your holidays. After avoiding the computer for so long, I have a lot to get caught up on. Wish me luck.
Music: Tangerine – Led Zeppelin
Mood: Good.
Did you miss me? I threw my neck out last week, and couldn’t sit in front of the computer long periods of time. It was feeling realy good this weekend, then I moved some furniture around my office yesterday, and when I woke up this morning it was stiff again. I’m a little concerned that being on the computer will aggravate it and make the situation worse, but I’m determined to squeeze in some work before Christmas.
As for Christmas, I’m not even close to being ready. I still have shopping to do, which I’m hoping to get done either to today or tomorrow. I did manage to get some baking in before my neck got too bad, and hopefully I’ll manage to get a little more done either today or tomorrow. I must love rushing around at the the last minute because I wind up doing it every year. 
Mood: Up
Music: So Sorry, Feist
So, earlier this week, after we’d finished dinner, one of those old Christmas specials that DH and I watched as children came on. I think it was Santa Clause is Coming to Town. Anyway, we called the kid down to watch it, but he really had no interest and went back upstairs to play. I was surprised. When I was a kid, I could hardly wait to watch all the Christmas specials that came on during the season. This sparked a conversation between DH and I over which specials were our favorites, and which one’s had been an absolute must for us to see every year. In the end, I came up with three that if I missed, well, Christmas just didn’t quite feel the same.
Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer. Watching this is as an adult, I can’t help but cringe at the blatant sexism, and Santa is kind of a jerk but what would Christmas be without Rudolph rescuing all those misfit toys.
A Charlie Brown Christmas. Maybe it’s because there was a Peanuts special for every holiday from Valentine’s Day to Arbor Day,(and here’s the link lest you think I exagerate) but this one always seemed to mark the beginning of the holiday for me.
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I still love this one. Oh, and I absolutely loathe the motion picture version, but I will spare you my rant. Dr. Suess’ classic story narrated by Boris Karloff, it just doesn’t get any better. Though, when I was young I always felt a little sorry for Max the dog.
So those are my top three. What Christmas specials did you have to see growing up?
My interview is up at Fiction Groupie. Check it out when you can.
I actually read that term awhile back in an article used to describe people who write without plotting. It sounds so much nicer than pantser, (someone who writes by the seat of their pants) don’t you think?
There seems to be two camps for writers; the plotters who work from outlines of varying detail, and the pantser (or organic writers ) who just sits down and writes, letting the story unfold as they go. There is, of course, a wide range in between the two camps. Some plotters work from an outline so detailed it winds up the size of a mini-novel, others from note cards detailing each scene, and still others from just a list of the major plot points. While in turn, some pantsers work from characters sketches or a list of the major turning points.
While neither group can really understand how the other can write the way they do–the idea of detailed outline makes me claustrophobic–I believe that we all have healthy respect for how the other works. When it comes to process, witers can be a superstitious lot. I believe it’s because we all live with the deep-seeded fear that the muse will abandon us permanently, our idea s will dry up, and we’ll be left sitting in front of our computers playing spider solitaire no longer as a means of procrastination, but because our imagination has become a dark, empty void. Or…er…maybe that’s just me.
There are pros and cons to both methods, and there are many blogs and websites out there that can tell you what they are better than I can. But I can tell you what works for me.
Organic writing for romantic suspense can be a bit tricky. The reason for this is you really have two different types of story happening simultaneously. The mystery element which is plot driven, and the romance element which is character driven. And while in the midst of writing your novel it can be difficult to make sure both elements are getting the attention needed to forward the story along.
When I begin a story, I usually have the hook and a good understanding of the characters, especially their GMC (Goal, motivation, conflict). Knowing who my characters are is essential for me as they’re the ones telling the story. The scenes play out in my head like movie, and I try to type what I see as quickly as possible. I do not reread, and I don’t let anyone else read my story at this stage. Becuase the story is not fully formed it’s very easy to begin to doubt yourself. Maybe the opening would be better if I did this… Maybe that character should do that… Don’t do it!
Second draft is when I read through my work. This is where I fix those plot holes, delete scenes and characters that serve no purpose and make sure all the loose ends are tied up. This is also the stage where I get feed back from crit partners to make sure that I’ve done all those things. It’s amazing what a fresh pair of eyes can find.
You might be wondering how I can write a mystery without knowing who the villain is going to be. That’s easy. With the exception of the hero and heroine, everyone is a potential suspect. In my head every secondary character has a reason to have committed the crime. This way even I can be surprised by how it all turns out.
Thanks to everyone who participated in my release day contest onFriday, and to those who just stopped in to wish me well. I really appreciated all your wonderful comments. Now, after the very scientific process of writing names on scrap paper and tossing them into a hat, the winner is…Conda!
Congratulations, Conda!! Please email me at dawn@dawnbrown.org so I can make arrangements to get the book to you.
I’ve recently set up a fan page on Facebook. I do realize that setting up one’s own fan page may imply a certain conceit, but actually I think this is a great to keep you all informed about future contests and releases. So if this is something you’d be interested in, please become a fan.
Writing went very well last week. Especially with Blood and Bone. Fingers crossed that I have it finished by the 18th, then I can concentrate fully on the WIP. I’m hoping this week is as productive last, but both DH and the kid are home with bad chest colds so we’ll see.
We put up our Christmas tree this past weekend, and it looks lovely. As I type this, the snow is falling softly outside the window behind the tree. So pretty and Christmasy.
Mood: Festive.
Release Day is finally here! The Curse of Culcraig is out. And to celebrate I’m giving away a copy. Just leave a comment and I’ll draw a name. Easy, right? Since today is Friday, I’ll announce the winner on Monday.
In the meantime here is a new excerpt. I hope you’ll enjoy.
He rose and stood next to her while adding
cream and sugar to his coffee. She ignored his
suggestion to sit down—not that he was
surprised—returned the cream to the fridge
instead and brushed against his back as she did. A
shimmer of unseen energy tingled over his skin. He
turned and caught her hand to stop her from
moving away.
Her eyes went wide and dark like a forest lake.
He could have drowned in them. Her soft, powdery
scent with the barest hint of floral wrapped around
him, teasing his senses. He wanted to kiss her. To
press his mouth to her full, parted lips. To taste
her. She’d intrigued him from the start, and
wanting her had gnawed dully at the back of his
brain for days.
But having her this close, so that he could feel
her body’s heat mingling with his own…
The thud of the cream hitting the floor jarred
him from him his thoughts. He glanced down as
thick, white liquid glugged out over the stone slab.
“Damn it,” Hillary muttered, squatting and
righting the carton. “I’m not usually so clumsy.”
He snatched a dishtowel from the counter,
hunkered down beside her and started mopping
up the mess. “It doesnae matter.”
“The stone is porous.” She stood and soaked a
cloth at the sink, then returned to his side. “If the
cream soaks in, it’ll stink.”
He snorted. “What’s a wee bit of soured cream
compared to the usual dank, musty stink of the
place?”
She smiled, but didn’t look up from mess she
was wiping. Her hair fell across the delicate lines of
her jaw and cheekbone. His fingers itched to push
the silky strands away. Despite the benign
conversation, the tension from a few minutes ago
thickened rather than abated. He forced his gaze
back to the mess on the floor.
“That should be good enough,” she said, sitting
back on her haunches and eyeing the dark spot on
the stone. The faint jagged line of the scar on her
hand peeked out from the cloth, drawing his
attention. He’d noticed it before, and noticed the
way she shut down when he drew attention to the
mark.
As she stood, he did likewise, gripping her
hand once more. He took the wet towels from her
and tossed them into the sink, but didn’t release
her. Instead, he ran his thumb over the hardened
flesh marring her palm. Her hand fisted instantly.
“What happened?” he asked, lifting his gaze to
her wide, dark eyes. They looked huge against the
paleness of her skin.
“I cut it. Not a big deal.” A soft rasp edged her
voice.
“How? It looks like it was bad.”
She didn’t answer, but tried to tug free of his
grip. Instead of letting her go, he pulled her closer,
then, as though it were the most natural thing in
the world, he lowered his head and brushed his
lips over hers.
The first book I ever wrote was terrible. I mean cringe-worthy, all-the-rewrites-in-the-world-couldn’t-save-it bad. After all, what kind of romance only has the hero and heroine interacting in the last three chapters? Goal, motivation, conflict, what’s that? I could go on, but I’ll spare you the long list of everything that was wrong with that story. The one good thing that came out of that horrible book was that I finished it. It was a little over 50K, not as long as what I write now (though to be fair, it’s hard to come up with 80-90K with no internal conflict *snort*) but I had written something from chapter one to the end. And if I managed to do it once, well then I could do it again. The next book I wrote was Living Lies.
Sitting down to write that first book, or second, or tenth, or thirtieth, (I should be so lucky) the blank page can seeming very intimidating. How will you ever be able to come up with all the words to fill one page let alone three hundred? You sit down and you write them.
I know, easier said than done, right? So this is what works for me. Schedule your writing time and set a word count goal. Writing time for my WIP is 10 a.m until noon. (The afternoons are for rewrites, blogs, promo, critiques, etc.) My daily goal 1k. If I hit 1,000 words before noon (those days are few, sadly), then I keep writing until it hits twelve. If I haven’t reached my goal, I stick with the WIP until I do. Notice how late my blog is going up today? That’s because I was still working on the WIP at two o’clock.
Over the years, I’ve had to adjust my writing time to work around day jobs and family. It’s tough, but it can be done. And I’m not going to lie to you, there are times when I do not stick to my own schedule, but I’m the most productive when I do.
Anyway, that’s what works for me.
