Skipping ahead

I judged contest entries last week. The first scene in one entry was backstory and info dumping. In another, the prologue was backstory and info dumping. Nothing that couldn’t be sprinkled into the rest of the book. I advised both of them to cut the scene and prologue. In neither case would it have been missed.

Friday night, about 10:30, I picked up a thick book I’d gotten from the library by a bestselling, RITA winning writer. I won’t name her, but she started in another genre, was a huge hit in historicals and now writes women’s fiction. Her historicals were auto buys for me, but I haven’t been excited about her women’s fiction, even though it’s a genre I enjoy. The recent judging helped me figure out why.

She started with with action … but as soon as the beginning problems played out, she switched to backstory and long scenes that showed character. I love character! I’m a character girl. But show me the character mixed with something happening and you have me. Show me the character with nothing happening and you’ve lost me.

Because the author is such a good writer — and I wasn’t ready to go to bed yet — I skipped whole chapters to a point where something happened. I thought I’d read a bit and go to bed. I ended up going to bed after one.

I finished the book the next day, and I never went back to read the chapters I skipped. I get the feeling in those chapters she told about her relationships with her parents and her brother, etc. But in the later chapters, I saw her interact with her father and brother, and that’s all I needed.

Though I ended up enjoying the book, I probably won’t pick up her next one. So whether you’re a bestseller or a newbie, it’s wise to follow Elmore Leonard’s most important rule of writing:

“Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.”

What about you? Do you have formerly favorite writers you’re no longer reading because they’re putting in the “skipping” parts? Have you stopped reading a book lately because of this?

Procrastination Continued

By Barbara Longley

I wracked my brain all day for a subject to blog about . . . a riveting subject that hasn’t already been covered.  The only thing I could come up with was a continuation of Jessica’s great list of procrastination tactics . . . which I really enjoyed. You got me thinking, Jessica. I’d like to add to that list:

* Seeing if dryer lint works as well as old newspaper for papier mâché (It doesn’t.)

* Cleaning. I’m not talking the vacuum/dust kind of cleaning. I’m talking emptying the refrigerator kind of cleaning, the upstairs never-go-there closet kind of cleaning, the nastiest corner of the basement kind of cleaning.

* Paying bills and balancing the checkbook. This is the checkbook that gets balanced maybe once a year.

* Chasing your dog around the house with a pair of nail clippers. That little sausage may have short legs, but let me tell you, she can move! Or better yet, mention the words “anal glands,” get out the latex gloves and see what happens . . .

* Create your own dictionary of naughty words to be used in your novels.

* Finally getting that root canal.

* Hot waxing yourself . . . anywhere on your body.

What kinds of things do we do to procrastinate writing on our WIPs when we’re stuck? My favorite procrastination technique is rereading my manuscript from the beginning to as far as I’ve gotten. I rationalize that I’m checking the pacing, the flow, continuity. The truth is . . . I’m really looking for inspiration, direction, my muse. I also take the pup for walks, and I read. How about you?

*

Virtual Networking

Twitter. Facebook. Myspace. These are just a few of the virtual networking tools available to writers. As more readers start shopping online and connecting with their favorite authors via websites and blogs, virtual networking continues to expand.

With so many options, which should you choose?

Well, that all depends on your needs. Some of these tools are geared towards networking between writers; some are mainly for social purposes; and others are geared towards connecting with other readers.

Here are my favorites

This is a wonderful place for readers and authors to connect. For authors, Goodreads offers a Giveaway section where writers can host contests and give away ARCs of their books. For readers, this tool has some really great features, including book reviews, virtual bookshelves, updates on what your friends are reading and — my favorite thing — book trivia! Members can create their own quizzes based on books and share with the world. After taking these, I was amazed at how much I didn’t know about my favorite books. You can find me under my user name, “Michelle Lauren.”

This site was originally geared toward just social networking, but it has features that come in handy for writers. My favorites? Bulletins and Event Invitations. The first is seen by everyone on your friend list, while the second is invitation only (for when you’re promoting special events, virtual or otherwise). Every account also comes with an Inbox and a blog. You can friend me here.

This one is similar to Goodreads, except it seems to be geared more toward writers connecting with each other. Shelfari offers a cool widget that allows you to put a “virtual” bookshelf on your site, whether you use Blogger, WordPress or something else. Want to friend me? Go here.

One I haven’t tried yet but will soon…

Do you tweet?

I admit it. I’m so curious about Twitter. It’s the shiny new toy in the bucket of virtual networking tools. Eventually, I’m sure I will jump on the bandwagon; however, right now I fear my updates will be so boring no one will follow me (and I don’t think I can stand the internet shunning).

Do’s & Don’ts of Virtual Networking

DO investigate your options. Find a virtual networking tool that fits your needs.

DON’T forget to read user agreements/terms of service to ensure you aren’t giving away the rights to material posted via these sites. Why is this important? You might be giving someone else the right to permanently store and use information (including pictures, emails, messages and contact information) you post online. This issue came up recently when Facebook changed its Terms of Service (TOS). The outcry caused them to temporarily revert to their old TOS, but it’s something to keep in mind. Read about it here.

DO be wary of groups that spam your contacts/address book. Many of you have heard of this happening with Grouply. However, it could potentially happen with any networking tool. Some tools have the option to  “Find Friends” by logging into your email account and letting the tool search your contacts; I caution against this.

Most of these tools offer the option to search for friends by user name, direct invitation or by compatibility (i.e. if you see someone who has similar tastes in books, you can friend them).

What about you? Do you have a favorite virtual network?

You can’t teach a dog new tricks…but maybe he could learn not to pee on my leg

By Tamara Hughes

When it comes to romance story premises, they say there are no new ideas…And indeed, some themes have been recycled more than their fair share.  After all how many times have you read romance novels about mail order brides, forced marriages, women dressing as men, amnesia, pirates…need I say more.  Yet, who can go wrong with a pirate?  I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of them.

But are there really no new ideas out there?  I suppose when you think about it, even paranormal romances, which only came onto the market a handful of years ago, could be considered a carryover from Dracula.  Although who knew Dracula was such a handsome, tortured soul?  Still, these types of stories were new to the romance shelves.

I recently attended a local writers meeting, and the person sitting next to me said she was writing a horror romance…a mix between a horror movie with all its gore and blood and a romance.  Interesting.  And how would it be received?  Is there a niche out there for a novel so different?

And what else can our writer brains come up with?  How about a political romance, a war drama, a sports-based story?  Then again, have these already been done?  Think Dave or The American President, Gone With The Wind, and I’ve seen countless Nascar books on the shelves these days.

What are your thoughts?  Are there new stories out there?  Or is the best we can hope for new twists on old stories?

Food for thought.

Have a great day!

Tami

Top Five Ways to Procrastinate When You Can’t Think of a Topic for a Blog Post

By Jessica Darago

5. Frantically instant message your friends and loved ones about how you’ve been trying and trying but just can’t come up with a topic for a blog post.

4. Use your mad proofreading skills to correct typos on some wiki or other.

3. Learn to supreme a grapefruit. Mmm…grapefruit.

2. Invent an elaborate personality and system of gestural communication for a small stuffed animal. Have a conversation with it.

1. Give up and go read a romance novel.

Judging a book without a cover – yet!

Well it’s finally here – the last round of the last American Title. If you haven’t done it yet, don’t forget to go over to the Romantic Times site, see who made the final and read the love scenes. Remember your vote counts.

One of the scariest things about being in American Title is waiting each month to see the judges’ comments on your entry – but it’s really funny, because as soon as you’re out, you are immediately curious about what they would have said about your other entries.  Each contestant has to submit copy for each stage of the contest, right at the beginning, which is then sent to the judges for consideration and for them to make their pronouncements. So you know that those comments are out there, but you’ll never see them.  Once the pressure is off the curiosity begins – what did they think, would they have hated my dialogue scene or loved it? It’s now one of life’s eternal mysteries.

Two contestants have gone all the way – they know what the judges thought about everything they submitted. Now the voters get their choice.  

Don’t forget – your vote counts.

Heaven or hell?

by Edie Ramer

Saturday morning I was in revision heaven. I tweaked and polished a scene until it shone. I felt good about it. Too good to revise another scene, so I took my dog for a walk. It was one of those perfect days, the sun out, the weather crisp but warm enough so I could wear my sweatshirt jacket for the first time since fall.

After we came home, I did laundry, then my husband and I went to a remodeling show. I didn’t get back to my computer until later in the evening. I was looking forward to putting a shine on another scene.

My good mood didn’t last long. This was only a-five page scene, and I wrestled with almost every sentence. I ended up cutting two pages, and every cut drew blood. It took me hours to do this, much longer than it took to write the original scene. I went from revision heaven to revision hell.

The scene started with my heroine and her friends being happy. It ended with them horrified and fearful. Pretty much the way I felt during the revisions.

I’m pleased now. Pleased that I didn’t let it go until I was satisfied with every sentence, pleased that the scene has everything I needed in there, and all the superfluous garbage cut. Most of all I’m pleased that it’s done, and I hope to hell the next scene is better.

So how do you feel about revisions? Heaven or hell?

Tools of the Trade: Old School v. New School

Over the course of my writing career, the tools of my trade have evolved in leaps and bounds thanks to technology.  Handheld computers replaced the notebook; the pc relegated typewriters to the status of “antique”; online dictionaries replaced print ones; and Wikipedia and Google replaced encyclopedias.

Most of these advances were due to convenience, and I’m all for that. However, I have found that there are still some “old school” tools of the trade that I can’t let go. Here is my list of Old School Must Haves for Writers:

Sticky Notes

(Above: Actual snapshot of my wall at home. Kidding! My monitor at work is almost this bad, though.)

I’m sure there are any number of gadgets that pop up reminders to tell you not to forget your keys, or that the deadline for your book is approaching, but I’m a visual person. The same way I hit the snooze button on my alarm, I tend to hit “Snooze” when reminders pop up on my Outlook calendar. But I can’t ignore a sticky note.

There is just something about it that screams “You really need to do this now!” The fun part is that they come in a variety of colors, are relatively cheap and readily available. And, as shown in the picture above, they make an economic alternative to wall paper.

Print Dictionary

While I frequently use the online version of Merriam Webster, the print version has many features lacking in its electronic sibling, such as:

* A Style Guide (A must have for any writer)

* Pronunciation Symbols and Guide

* Explanatory chart for all the notations next to the definitions (As many times as I’ve consulted my dictionary at home, sometimes when I’m at work looking up terms via the online Webster’s, I find myself looking at the symbols and thinking “What in the world does vb mean?”)

Typewriter

I totally appreciate the beauty of having a personal computer. I’m addicted to mine. It’s saved my butt on many occasions and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. However, on those rare rainy days when I’m home from work and curled up with a cup of coffee, there is just something about a typewriter that makes me feel…writerly. I’m all for mood writing, and on these types of days, I like to use a type writer to pound out amateur screenplays, or pulp fiction-esque short stories. It also comes in handy filling in forms that do not come in an electronic version.

What about you? What “old school” tools of the writer trade do you hang on to?

Everyday it’s the same thing – Variety

By Tamara Hughes

There’s no denying it; people are creatures of habit.  Most of us enjoy the comfort of our daily routines, our favorite foods, our usual hangouts.  That got me wondering…when it comes to reading, do we also stay in the comfort zone?

I think it’s a well established fact that readers who find an author they enjoy will most likely read more books written by that author.  So what if the author writes in a variety of genres?  Do fans of Nora Roberts automatically gravitate toward JD Robb books because they’re Nora’s stories?  Or has she found a new fanbase to eat up her books?

Personally, I love historical romances, and have for many years.  My favorite author for the longest time was Johanna Lindsey.  I devoured everything she wrote.  When her futuristic stories came out, I didn’t hesitate.  I read them just because of her, and I loved them.

Four years ago, after considerable thought about the explosion of paranormal books, I gave a one a try, and became hooked.  Now I find myself reading lots of paranormals and urban fantasies.  Sadly, it seems I’m fairly slow on the draw when it comes to trying new types of romance.

How about you?  Do you stick to reading one genre, or perhaps like me, you very  slowly explore what else is out there?  If a favorite author expanded into another style of book, would you automatically read it or have to think about it a while?

Just curious.

Have a great day!

Tami

Three Books: Inspiration

By Jessica Darago

On the way home from work the other night, I happened to catch the NPR segment called Three Books, where a reviewer talks about three of his or her favorite books on one theme–topic, genre, character type, what have you. My first thought (okay, my first thought was probably, “Ooo, books!”, but my second thought) was “I’m totally stealing this idea for the blog!”

As I mentioned in my official bio on the Romantic Times website, It was M. M. Kaye’s The Shadow of the Moon that first inspired me to write gothic historical fiction. The story is set primarily in India in the 1850s, in the buildup to and amid the horrors of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 (which is also addressed in Meredith Duran’s stunning debut novel, The Duke of Shadows–are the titles mere coincidence?). Winter de Ballestros, trapped in a nightmare marriage to a commissioner of the British East India Company, uncovers hints of a native conspiracy to overthrow the British occupying forces. She turns to the only British officer she can trust–Alex Randall, her husband’s assistant and the man she secretly loves. Alex has long been aware of the coming storm, but he cannot convince the Company’s leaders of the danger. When the Company’s callous treatment of the Indian people drives the native soldiers to mutiny, Alex cannot stop the tide of violence and horror, and he and Winter must run to survive.

I’ve often called Shadow my Ur-romance novel, an example of everything I think historical romance should be: full of lush detail, a cast of authentic, original characters, and the fate of a nation at stake. For historical drama, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Though I usually list Shadow as my favorite, it was far from the only book of its kind to make an impression on my adolescent psyche. In fact, the first romance novel I ever read was by the prolific and beloved Victoria Holt. She (under her various pseudonyms, but especially as Holt or as Jean Plaidy) was my grandmother’s favorite author. I think my mother still has a shelf full of her hardbacks. One lazy summer day when I was 13, hot and bored and looking for something to read, I pulled The Judas Kiss off that shelf. I read it in one gigantic gulp, then immediately gave it to my best friend Robyn to read. She devoured it too, and thus two obsessions with all novels gothic were born.

The Judas Kiss tells the story of Pippa Ewell, a woman on a quest to find her sister’s killer and recover her sister’s son, whom no one else believes exists. Along the way, she meets Conrad, a mysterious stranger (all good gothic novels have a mysterious stranger!) who sweeps her off her feet (and into bed). But when she learns Conrad’s true identity, she realizes he may be the man behind her sister’s murder. This novel follows my number one rule for creating conflict in a romance: The main character falls for the last person in the world she should love. The book is also remarkable by recent standards for not being set Germany, not Britain, a lovely and dramatic change of scenery.

Finally, I come to a novel that by current standards many would hesitate to call a romance. But I would call it one, and in fact I believe Anya Seton practically invented the paranormal romance genre in her dark tale of love, politics, and reincarnation, Green Darkness. Celia Marsden is a woman literally haunted by her past–her past life, that is. As Celia de Bohun, her forbidden romance with Brother Stephen during the turbulent days of the Tudor Reformation brought her to a horrific end. Now a 20th-century American woman, her marriage to English nobleman Sir Richard Marsden is being torn apart by Richard’s strange moods and Celia’s terrifying visions of her former life. Enter Dr. Akananda, a Hindu psychologist who recognizes the cause of Celia’s growing madness and helps her through a past life regression in the hopes of setting her free.

Green Darkness is not an easy book to read. It is full of the brutality of life in the Tudor era and the cruelties of madness and a crumbling marriage. But it is a sprawling, dense, engrossing, thought-provoking, and satisfying novel for fans of history and fantasy alike.

Pretty clear, isn’t it, why I write dark gothic historicals. I can see elements of The Serpent’s Tooth in all of these books: Winter’s loneliness and searching for a home; the tragic conflict between Pippa’s love of her family and love of the hero; the sometimes un-romantic honesty about the political realities of Britain’s past shown in Seton’s novel. It’s been 20 years or more since I first read these three novels, but I know all three will always be a part of me as a writer.