It's Monday again and the start of a work week for me. Well, it's the start of my day job work week.
It's also the end of my writing work week. I should say the end of my large amount of time to write.
I did a telephone interview Saturday and one of the questions was, "What is your writing schedule? When do you write?"
Unfortunately, at the moment I don't have a precise schedule. Not even close.
This weekend was a good weekend for writing. I wrote 9,000 words in two days. I took my Alpha Smart to my daughter's ball games, snuck away to Border's a couple times inbetween games and also wrote during her games.
Sometimes I write on week nights, if I'm not too exhausted or stressed out from the day job and appointments. But I don't write as much on weeknights as I used to. I used to be a night owl and stay up till midnight, one or even two am writing. But I can't do that anymore. I'm falling asleep by 9 or 10 pm.
I've never been a morning person and thought I'd never get up early to write. But I'm considering giving morning writing a try.
Of course, I long for the day I can say I write full time, Monday - Friday 9 - 5 and take weekends off.
For now, I write when I can.
When is your best time to write? Do you have a set schedule?
I just read an interesting article on Dear Author: For Whom Should The Author Write.
Years ago one of my publishers sent a long note to her authors telling us that we need to think about our market. We need to look at trends and if writing romance, especially erotic romance, to make sure we have a sexy premise.
I took that to heart and studied the trends. Then vampire romance was big. She also wanted me to try my hand at writing African-American romance even though I'm not African-American.
I tried to do both.
Although I often read African-American this was my first venture writing it. I read even more in the genre and tried to get the characters right. I still got a big complaint from a reader about this book.
I didn't get any complaints about my vampire romances. However, my sells weren't as high as I'd been led to believe they'd be. They were much lower than sells for my contemporary comedy romances.
Do I do that anymore?
Now I try to do a mixture like most of the commenters on the Dear Author blog.
I started writing MMF and MM romance which is writing for the market. I still write a vampire romance here and there. But I make the story interesting to me.
It only makes sense (to me anyway) but if the author isn't passionate about the story it will show. It will be lacklustre, boring.
“Officers in trouble at
Commercial and 44th!” Cole’s voice barked from the scanner.
Gunshots ricocheted in the background. “Need immediate assistance! Send
backup! Sniper on roof!”
Haley almost fell off her chair. Oh,
God. Her stomach flip-flopped as she stared at the little black box
crackling with static. Why did Cole have to keep getting into these dangerous
situations? Did he have a death wish? Or maybe she just worried about him more
than the others, and so it seemed that way?
She could help him again. A thrill
shot through her as she recalled the previous evening’s escapades. She’d
enjoyed thwarting the bad guy and saving a handsome man.
But she didn’t have the authority
to interfere. She didn’t have a badge, and she never would. Neither Superman
nor Batman had ever had a badge, nor any of a host of other superheroes. Not
that she was a superhero—just a concerned citizen. When she got right down to
it, Superman and Batman were just glorified concerned citizens, right? No one
had ever denied their help. Why should they deny hers? Cole had seemed grateful
the night before. Surely he’d be grateful again.
She studied herself critically in
her bedroom mirror, turning this way and that, pulling faces. She stuck her
tongue out at herself. Would he recognize her in this get-up? Could she get
away with it again? Should she change back into her Catwoman suit?
“Car 85 is on the way. Estimated
arrival is ten minutes.” Sheila’s voice vibrated over the radio. Haley
would recognize her nasal voice anywhere.
Cole swore. She knew that he knew he couldn’t swear over
the police airwaves, but his voice was distant as if he’d covered the radio. “We’ll
be mincemeat in ten minutes! Get someone here sooner!”
“Will try.” An edge sliced
through Sheila’s professional tones.
Haley lived right around the corner. She could make it
sooner if she went as she was. She’d pray he wouldn’t recognize her wearing the
wig in the dark. She’d stick to the shadows. Stopping only to grab her keys,
not even her purse or identification, she ran to her car. But the stupid thing
coughed and spluttered. “Don’t you dare throw a hissy-fit now, Missy,” she
ordered, slamming the flat of her hand on the steering wheel. She cranked the
engine again, encouraging it to work. “Cole’s depending on us! You can do it.”
But Missy either wasn’t listening
or didn’t care. Or maybe she was afraid of doing a little police work. Missy
backfired and died. A plume of smoke curled up from the grill that smelled
oily, gagging Haley.
“What now?” Cole needed her.
She spied Sher’s motorcycle. Did
she dare borrow it? Would her friend let her use it? Haley had learned how to
ride one in her academy training. She ran back to Sher’s apartment and banged
on the door.
Haley cut Sher off when she opened
her mouth. “”Keys now! I need your wheels. It’s life and death.” She held her
hand out, palm up under her friend’s nose. “I know how to ride a cycle. I
promise I won’t put a scratch on her.” She crossed her toes, hoping neither she
nor the bike got caught in crossfire. “I’ll owe you big time.”
Sher cleared her throat. “You
already owe me big time. So who’s dying?”
“No time. I’ll fill you in later. Thanks!” She snatched
the keys and raced away, praying her impulsive friend wouldn’t follow her.
That’s all she needed was for her to get in the way or stop her. She jumped on
the cycle, and it purred to life as soon as she turned the key in the ignition,
thank God.
A few revs of the engine later, and she closed in on Cole
and Brad. It was another moonless night, so she could barely make out their
shapes huddled behind their unmarked brown sedan. At least she presumed it was
the cops and not the robbers. She stopped and hid the bike in a grove of palm
trees, and then slunk along the sides of the buildings so as not to be seen, so
she could scope out the situation.
Someone had barbecued in one of the
nearby apartments and the scent lingered on the muggy air. It mingled with the
odor of several fast food restaurants dotting Commercial Boulevard, almost
nauseating her. The oil from the burger joints almost clogged her pores it was
so thick. She covered her nose and breathed through her mouth.
Gunfire rang out, and she stopped
dead, not daring to breathe. The flash of flame had burst forth from the roof
of the mall. It was only a one-story structure, and she had a good view of the
man from her position. His focus was on the cops, and he hadn’t glanced her way
even once. She could sneak up on his rear and startle him long enough for Cole
and his partner to get the drop on him. Then she could sneak away, and Cole
wouldn’t even know she’d been there.
Crouching low, she wound her way
through the maze of buildings until she came up on the sniper’s rear in the
alley sandwiched between the strip mall and a dark, eerie canal. Moonlight
glinted off a hubcap, beckoning to her. Even though it lay in a circle of
light, she chanced retrieving it. It could serve many useful purposes—a shield,
a weapon, or a noisemaker to distract the gunman.
“Throw down your guns and come out
with your hands up,” a strange voice commanded, followed by an evil laugh that
cut straight through Haley. It wasn’t a voice she recognized, so it had to
belong to the shooter. “Do it now, or I’ll shoot! I have you in my sights.”
Heavy metal clanged on the asphalt.
Then the sound repeated.
Oh, no. Both Cole and Brad
must have followed orders and were now at the criminal’s mercy. She didn’t trust
the man not to shoot now that he had the men at his mercy. Time was up. She had
to do something.
An idea popped into her head. She
banged the hubcap on the ground so that it sounded like a cymbal, and then
shouted, “Drop your weapon! We have you surrounded!” When she got him in her
sights, she flung the hubcap like a Frisbee with all her might. It knocked the
gun out of his hand as the bullet exploded in her direction.
She ducked and felt the bullet whiz
by her temple. Seconds later, she heard the gun clatter to the pavement,
followed by pounding footsteps and men’s urgent voices.
“Get him!” Cole shouted as
footsteps hammered the ground closer and closer to her. He rounded the corner,
and she knew how a deer trapped in headlights felt. She froze for a split
second before panic propelled her to run.
“Hey, you! Stop!”
She’d sooner be kidnapped by aliens
than have him capture her. Adrenaline burst through her, catapulting her
forward.
“Halt! By order of the police!”
Haley’s heart was about to burst, but she kept
going. She dragged the bike out of the bushes, hopped on, kick started it, and
sped off, kicking dust and rocks behind her.
1. Plans and schedules are making me crazy!!! I'd love to have open time to kick back and just go with the flow.
2. I'm happy when things go smoothly, without arguments or any crisis.
3. The last thing I drank was a diet coke.
4. One of the most valuable things in my life is my kids.
5. I like lots of cheese on my pizza. I used to like my pizza with Canadian Bacon, mushrooms, and onions, or pepperoni, but plain cheese and thin crust is the best.
6. Dear November, you are the best month of the year. You rock! You hold my birthday and Thanksgiving. We Scorpios love you. Everybody have a very happy weekend. I will be at a softball tournament all day and night Sunday. Maybe I can squeeze in a cheap movie at the dollar theater tonight or tomorrow. Of course I always have edits and writing. What about you?
I just joined a new meme that will happen every Thursday. I was very choosy and picked one that talks about books and reading to keep within my niche.
Today's topic is "Favorite Bookstores".
This topic makes me very sad. You see, I lost my favorite bookstore, our local Borders, last May. It was a victim of the recession. I used to go several days a week and spend several hours at a time. I hunkered down with my laptop, MP3 player and a big soda to write. Lots of times my daughters went with me. It was home away from home. We had a lot of good times there.
Now, alas, the building is being torn down.The site is pathetic. All that remains are a lot of concrete chunks and a sign announcing the coming of another Walgreens. There's already a Walgreens or a CVS on every other block in my city. How many drugstores do we need?
I've tried other bookstores but they're not the same. Not other Borders. Not Barnes and Nobles. Not only are they a lot further away, they don't have the same feel or the same community. Our local Barnes and Nobles covered up their electrical outlets and took out most of the seating so its impossible to work there.
Sometimes I go to the local library. But it closes at 8 pm. I don't get home from the day job until 6 pm or after. That's not much time to work so its not worth the bother of packing up my laptop and trekking over.
I was impressed with Nova University's library when I was there last week for the Nanowrimo kickoff party. It was beautiful and has great hours (i.e. until 11:30 pm on Sundays). Unfortunately, it looks as if public parking is for a fee plus it's more than an hour round trip from my house. I can't afford to go often.
Alas, I'm like a woman without a country - a writer without a bookstore home. Hopefully something new will open close with good hours and electrical outlets. Until then, I am adrift, working from home, getting overly distracted by the internet.
Do you have a favorite bookstore? What is it? Tell us about it.
I know people who go out of their way to never conform. Some are downright ornery. My friends "J" and "S" are often loners and do what they want no matter how weird or unpopular. Sometimes they go overboard to intentionally piss off people just for the fun of it.
I know others who want to be part of the crowd so badly they'd sell their soul. In junior high my friend "C" wanted to be part of the in crowd so badly she schemed and worked to get befriended by the cool kids. She even started smoking pot with them.
Blech! Both are pretty annoying.
Do you read popular books or watch popular movies just because everyone else is? So you can join the conversation? Or so you can say "I read that, too?" Or just so you have a frame of reference?
I've done it. Not always, but sometimes. There are some very popular authors I have yet to read.
A few years ago it seemed everybody at work was reading the "Left Behind" series. They talked about it a lot. They even read it on breaks at work so had the books sitting on their desks.
Curious, I asked about them. They sounded interesting. Honestly, I wanted to know what everybody was talking about. Ditto with "The Da Vinci Code". I really enjoyed the first several books of the "Left Behind" series and the first movie (not the second or third movie, however.) "The Da Vince Code" was pretty good.
I also picked up "Harry Potter" because of all the buzz. I'm not sure I would have bought it for myself but since my daughter had it in the house, I read it, too. I enjoyed it.
However, I haven't read "Twilight". My daughter-in-law loves the story and has it memorized. I only saw the movie because my daughter-in-law played it at her birthday party. It was...okay. Frankly, I was disappointed. After all the hoopla, I thought it would be at least pretty good. I thought Edward's and Bella's romance would be as classic as Rhett and Scarlett's. My son and daughter-in-law have already purchased tickets to see "New Moon" on the first showing at midnight. They've already booked my daughters to babysit my grandchildren.
I like vampire romances well enough. I've written at least four. But this time, I feel obstinate. I don't feel like being part of the crowd. I'll get around to it in my own sweet time - if I get around to it. There are other books, other movies, other things I'd rather do first. Or maybe I don't care what the rest of the crowd is doing any more. If they go my way, fine. If they don't, fine.
I’m having trouble turning off my internal editor.
I know that I’m supposed to write without editing during NaNoWriMo. I’m not supposed to worry about being perfect and string one word after another.
It’s not that different than any other first draft except that it’s a first draft on steroids.
And yet, I keep going back, erasing words, moving them around. I keep adding a paragraph here and there.
Yesterday, I wrote twice as much as I needed to be on track. Today, my editor’s getting in the way and I’ve written a whopping 197 words so far. Of course, I’m also at the ball field watching my daughter catch. I’m just a little distracted. But it’s this or wait to write until we get home which will be late. By then I may be too exhausted.
Unfortunately, my day job boss won’t understand my need to write a lot of words any more than my doctor who insists I walk and work out daily. I don’t think my boss would be too happy if I were to fall asleep at my desk tomorrow.
Of course, I didn’t have to stop in the middle of writing my NaNo book to write this blog. But I also don’t want to leave my blog blank for even a day if I can help it.
But my posts will be short and sweet this month so I can concentrate on my project.
How’s your internal editor behaving, all you Nano’ers? Are you able to keep your off switch off?
This isn’t the first time my editor has changed. I have some experience in this.
Sometimes a new editor is great. Sometimes they like my work, they accept most of my submissions, and they’re pleasant to work with.
Sometimes not.
New editors are like wild cards. You never know what you’ll draw.
I had a great editor at this house. She liked my work. She was supportive. She was friendly. She was easy to work with. She taught me a lot. I hate to lose her. But I understand she’s moving onto new pursuits that are better for her and thus I’m happy for her.
But I’m still nervous. I’ve had a couple editors hate my work and haven’t been afraid to tell me. My career’s been going good at a house then suddenly a new editor is assigned to me and then…nothing.
I just submitted my first book to my new editor so now it’s nail biting time. Wish me luck – good luck.
I know it’s part of the businesses. I doubt any authors who have been writing for long have stayed with the same editor(s) forever. People leave. People die. People get promoted. Like any other business. It’s always tough when a new boss comes on board.
Desperate, Jamie will do almost anything to save her house, her dogs, and her life but will she sell her soul?
Jamie's desperate. If her 401K emergency distribution isn't disbursed in time, she'll be a victim of the Florida foreclosures. If that's not bad enough, she's also in danger of losing her job and her beloved dogs.
Worse yet she hits Max with her car. Luckily, Max is better than fine and ready to jump into her life and her bed. Unluckily, he's afraid to tell her that he buys distressed properties and he was in her yard to check out her house. Available Monday October 5, 2009 at Total-E-Bound
Charlie's dad wants to make up after a 17-year family feud...
He's overjoyed, excited, and nervous as hell that his father is finally accepting his sexual orientation and speaking to him after a 17-year family feud but Charlie can't understand why his long-term partner Jonathan is acting jealous and clingy, when he should be happy for him or at least supportive.
Jon's afraid Charlie's family will hurt him again and he doesn't know if he can mend Charlie's heart if it shatters a second time or stand by and watch while Charlie sets himself up for more heartbreak.
What detective agency boss Simon Says, ex-lovers Rafael and Marco do whether they like it or not, including tracking a murderer in a transvestite beauty contest in Ft. Lauderdale - and sharing a hotel room.
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