Lost in the Backstory

I have been flipping back and forth between projects that are in various stages of not-done-ness, and was getting bored and frustrated, so I did the logical thing:  closed the files and opened a new one. 

I decided that rather than trying to plot in outline form, or any of the other sixteen hundred ways I've seen plotting suggested, or to try pantsing from chapter one, I would start with some back story. I just started writing narrative, and am not worrying about how much time I am spending on it...I tend to feel like I am supposed to jump into things and WRITE SCENES, and that since back story isn't in the real story, that it's not that important.  Huh?  I'm pretty sure it's even MORE important than the "real" story, in a way. Back Story should be capitalized!  It's what gives our hero a fragile ego and the will to overcome his fears, and makes our heroine so skittish about relationships when she's so courageous everywhere else.  If I don't have all of this figured out in advance, I'll be going back and forth changing things constantly as I figure out who everyone is and why they are doing things.

I am finding myself actually writing the story in reverse now.  It's kind of like this: (note:  this is not my real story...I'm a little too superstitious to put that out here just yet)

What if guy who is afraid of water  falls in love with a lifeguard and has to get over his fear of water to rescue her and prove his love? 
Well, why is he afraid of water?
Umm....his twin brother drowned on a boy scout campout when they were 12, and the hero thinks he should have been able to save him, and now he has to much PTSD over the whole thing that he avoids water like the plague, except to take showers (never baths). 
So how does he meet the lifeguard? 
His son has to pass a swimming test to be allowed to go to summer camp.
Wait, he's got a son?  Where is the kid's mom? 
They are divorced and she's in rehab for meth addiction, but she's going to come back and her dealer/pimp/boyfriend is going to  kidnap the kid and the lifeguard .
How did our great dad/hottie/all around good guy hero get messed up with a skanky ho meth addict in the first place?
well, he had low self esteem because of the thing with his brother.

Okay, you get the picture.  So I am basically just kind of writing back and forth, but mostly back.  I am actually writing this stuff down this time, before I get to the actual point of writing more than notes about what might make a good scene later on.   Do other people do it this way? 

Things I HAVE finished

I was wallowing around in "I suck, I can't finish writing anything" last weekend.  I am done with that, however, and on to "I may have alot of unfinished stuff, but I have alot of damned fine things I've finished, too!"

Okay, none of those damned fine finished things are manuscripts.  But here's the thing.  I am very creative.  I am crafty.  I like to make stuff.  I quilt, I knit, I spin.  I like to get to the bare bones of a craft project and start with the raw materials.  A friend turned me on to scrap booking about 15 years ago, and as I started buying fancy papers and rubber stamps, I got interested in making my own papers and rubber stamps.  I started quilting, and while I did't go as far as growing my own cotton, I have done some fabric painting and printing and stuff like that.  I knit, and I love the fancy yarns, and taught myself how to spin.  We know someone who raises sheep, so I got some raw fleeces from him and cleaned them, and dyed them, and...can I just say that sheep are some nasty-ass creatures?  Phew. 

I dyed and spun the wool for this before I knit it!

I spent a few hours in my craft room Saturday sorting and pitching and rearranging things and realize that, while I have enough raw materials to stock a new Hobby Lobby store, I have alot of UFO's (unfinished objects) in various stages between "done" and "not started".   I have lots of stuff I've finished and not shown anyone, too.  And that's okay!

A few years ago I worked with a woman who competes in women's figure competitions (it's body building, but not as bulky), and she said to me, "You sew, will you make me a suit?"  Ummm.  Okay.  And I did. I went throught miles and miles of spandex and elastic before I got something that sort of worked.  I have a huge pile of bikini bits in my basement, but I finally finished a suit.  God love her, Abbie wore it in competition.  And I learned what I needed to do to make a better suit.  I started making suits for other women, some of whom won their competitions.   Business has trickled off because the requirements for the posing suits have changed, but I learned alot from jumping into that project.  I learned that I need a lot of trial an error and that I will have many, many false starts before I get something right. 

So instead of beating myself up for not having a finished manuscript (less than a year after I decided to get serious about learning to write), I am going to focus on appreciating the things that I HAVE finished.  Maybe I'll get out some new words and toss them together to see how they look on the old design board.

Comfort TV Shows

I would like to say I've been fighting a cold the past few days, but really, I've just been letting it roll over on me.  And letting it kick me.  And spit on me.  I surrender to you, Respiratory Virus!  You win!  Go away now. 

I found myself wishing I could stay home on the couch with my Grandma and eat chicken noodle soup and watch The Price Is Right.  That is one of the best memories of my childhood. My mom's mom lived with us, and she was always home with us when we were sick.  She loved game shows and Days of Our Lives.  I'm sure that it was a major disappointment to her when I grew up to watch ABC soaps.  Sorry, Mamaw, peer pressure won out.  My boyfriend's mom watched General Hospital.  What can I say?  But we bonded over those game shows.  My kids watch Price Is Right with my mother-in-law when they are with her during the day. 

 We went to my parents' last friday night for a while to sit with my dad while my mom went to dinner with a friend.  He's doing much better now, getting himself up and down and pretty much doing for himself after his heart surgery.  His fluid balance is off, he seems to either be retaining water or dehydrated, but hopefully that will settle down soon.  Oh yeah, game shows:  So what do you think we watched with my dad when we were visiting?  Yup. WHEEL.  OF.  FORTUNE!  and Jeopardy. 

I still kick everyone's butt at Wheel of Fortune.

I go to game shows when I am feeling crappy.  My husband chooses bad talk shows and judge shows.  Jerry Springer and Judge Judy make him feel better.  Whatever!

What about you?  What do you do to entertain yourself when you feel crummy?

In which I rant and rave a little bit and try not to offend any future employers.

Editing: What’s in a term?

I have read a lot of stuff lately, some of which had some pretty significant grammar errors. This got me wondering about editors.  Everyone who is in the process of being published, or who is trying to be published, already knows this, but there are two kinds of editors:  Acquisition Editors and Copy Editors.

Acquisition Editors are the ones you need to suck up to impress with your work, the ones who buy your book and work with you to polish the story.  They are the “big picture” editors. 

Copy Editors are the proofreaders.  They are the ones who go through your manuscript and find the grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and inconsistencies that we, as writers, probably miss because we get too close to our stories and stop seeing mistakes that are glaring to someone who has never read the book.

 For example:  I thnik taht yuo cna ese the eorrs hree.  But you can also read what I said.  Our minds tend to fix things, especially familiar things.  A writer might overlook a mistake like this, but a copy editor should not.  Especially in this day and age of spell check and grammar check.  Alas, stuff gets through.  What is up with that? 

And then, the way I understand it, once your work has been through the copy editor wringer, it comes back to you for final line edits.  Where there is yet another chance to find mistakes. 

We all know how competitive the publishing business is.  Are publishing companies stretched so thin that they aren’t able to do sufficient copy editing? 

I am a little worried about this, especially in this day and age of e-publishing.  Material goes back and forth between parties awfully quickly, and I can see how a less polished version of a manuscript could accidentally replace the final version (I am trying to rationalize how these mistakes escape).  I can only hope that if when I have something on its way to market that my crit peeps will be looking over my shoulder to watch for those msiplelings. 

Genre Exploration: Steampunk

I like to read lots of different kinds of romances:  contemporary, with and without suspense, historical, and paranormal.  My first choice is generally suspense, as I am a huge fan of Suzanne Brockmann, Linda Howard,and  Sandra Brown.  The more time I spend learning about writing, the more interested I've become in other genres.  I think that the reason I am working on contemporary stuff right now is because I am just too darned lazy to do alot of research or world building required for historical or paranormal romance. 

I've heard alot about Steampunk lately, and I was like, "eeeuww". I was never into Jules Verne or HG Wells, and this is kind of what Steampunk is like.  If you are not sure what I am talking about,  here is the

Wikipedia  link to the definition of Steampunk.  It's basically a sci/fi alternate reality fueled by steam instead of petroleum.  Kind of. 

I recently won a copy of The Iron Duke, by Meljean Brook, so I thought I'd just dip my toes in the water and see what's up with the whole Steampunk phenomenon.

I haven't finished the book, but I am really enjoying it.  The first chapter was a little hard because there are a couple of different terms for the significant groups of people in the duke's world.  But after I got through that, I was good to go.  I like the external plot, and the romance is great.  The hero and heroine both have some major issues, and we all know how I love a damaged protagonist. 

When I decided to talk about Steampunk, and went to Wikipedia, I learned that this is not a new genre, that the movie Wild Wild West with Will Smith and Kevin Kline is steampunk.  Well,yeah, now that I look at it.  I just had never heard the term.  Maybe I need to get out more.

I'd love to hear what the rest of you think of Steampunk.  Have you read The Iron Duke?  Can you recommend any other Steampunk Romances?  What other genres should I explore and which writers do you recommend? 

Assignment: Compare and Contrast Exercise with Writing

I started the "I Really Mean It This Time Healthy Food and Exercise Plan" yesterday.  Again.  The good news is that I have been doing great (if you'll forgive the rest of my daughter's french fries yesterday afternoon).  I even went to the gym today. 

Here's the deal with me and exercise:  I KNOW I feel better if I exercise regularly.  But the gym is ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE STREET. I mean, it's like half a block away on the other side of the street.  So I drank enough Diet Coke to get a Nike gift card with my rewards points, and I ordered new sneakers.  Then our department business manager and I decided that we would be exercise buddies and go to Tone and Torture class on Mondays.  I have to say, I think I deserve another round of french fries today because
1) I remembered my stuff, and
2) I went, even though Teresa bailed on me. 

The class was taught by a 22 year old Exercise Physiology major.  I am used to taking classes from 30-something  yoga ladies, who appreciate that jogging in place is NOT a good idea for the majority of women over forty.  I had on a decent bra, so that wasn't an issue, but there were other things doing the wave, and it wasn't pretty.  The instructor kept looking at me.  I suspect she is suitably horrified and will now refuse to grow older or have children. 

Anyway. Afterwards, with endorphins singing through my bloodstream, I had a lovely sugar-free Muscle Milk for lunch and came back to work, refreshed and feeling pretty darn good about myself.  I thought, gee, this is kind of like writing.  I have a hard time getting started sometimes, and sometimes in the middle, I hurt and wonder what the hell I am doing, but when I am finished, I feel a sense of accomplishment. 

So.  What do you compare writing with?  Is it something like exercise, that you know is good for you, but you kind of don't want to do, or is it like a bubble bath, something that you GET to do?

Smile, Feel Good, Pass the Blog

Hi, Kids!  It's Time for a brand new Episode of Trading Blogs, where two writers go to each other's blog and, with the help of an embarrassingly sterotypical gay web designer, rearrange the widgets and change the background, pretending to cater to the host blogger's tastes, but really just taking passive-aggressive shots at one another. 

Not really.  But wouldn't that be fun?  No?  Well, okay. The lovely and talented Jessica Lemmon decided she didn't feel like writing her blog for today, and frankly, I have been in a bit of a slump myself.  We decided to write each other's posts, instead.  I love Jessica's Blog, it makes me smile.  With a title like Smile, Feel Good, Pass It On how could you not come away with a positive attitude?  So I'm over there, talking about Critique Partnering. 

Oh, wait.  I'm not supposed to be writing here today.  Shutting up now.  And heeeeere's Jessica!

I come to you today as a humble guest of Teri Anne’s.  Thank you for having me Teri!  And hello to  all of you regular readers! *waves*
I couldn’t think of a blog for my OWN blog today so I asked who wanted to write it. Teri Anne offered. Which meant I should reciprocate, which oddly enough, I was happy to do.  I guess you could say I am “cleaning her room” today (Go HERE to see my intro to her blog today if you want to know what I mean…)

But, I needed a topic.  She suggested: My Writing Routine.  So I thought  - okay, I can do this.  Routine, let’s see.  Timeline!  People with routines have timelines. I can have a timeline…

5 a.m. – get up for p/t job (not every day – just 2x a week)
7 a.m. – get up (hmm… sometimes I sleep in until 8)
8:30 a.m. – Coffee (unless it’s a workday then, earlier)
9:00 a.m. – Blog (if it’s Monday or Thursday… or Wednesday)
9:30 a.m. – Read a novel. Or blogs. Or a magazine. But mostly novels I haven’t read by authors I often read.
10:00 a.m. – eat breakfast of eggs and toast.  Or oatmeal.  Or more coffee.  Or – I’ll own it – cookies.
11:00 a.m. – write (although sometimes I do this at 1 p.m., unless I’m at work all day, then not at all)

Then I realized. CRAP.  I don’t HAVE a routine. 
That’s okay, I consoled myself, I’ll find a common denominator – the one thing I do every day? 
READ!
Reading is my one constant throughout my life as a (yet-to-be-published) author.  I read a lot. I believe it was Stephen King that said, “If you don’t like to read, you will never be a writer.” (Forgive my bad paraphrasing.)
When I decided to become a romance writer I ravaged Harlequin’s website *snicker* … so to speak. Guess what they suggest? That you (writer) read the category that you want to write.  VORACIOUSLY.  They actually used that word. Voraciously. That means, like, RAVENOUSLY.  Or, you know. A LOT.

Why, you ask?  I have a few theories…

1.       When you read the genre you are writing, your crafty subconscious latches onto words and phrases and tucks them away for use later. This is important.  Just as romance has its cliché phrases (heaving bosoms, anyone?), it also has phraseology the reader EXPECTS in a romance. Like the slanting of lips, the arching of eyebrows and the tilting of heads.  Stubborn chins, proud noses, pouting lips… you get the idea.
2.       You can learn from a good author because they have crafted a book out of various parts, just  as you are trying to do.  If you are interested in improving your own skill, pay attention to the where the plot shifts, the way the characters interact and how to SHOW rather than TELL what’s going on.

Often after reading a particularly wonderful book, I feel compelled to get off the couch and tackle my own manuscript with renewed vigor.  Especially after reading my favorite part of every Harlequin novel… wanna know what it is?
Come on guess…
If you said… 
The Letter to the Reader
You’re correct!

I love the letter from the author. On occasion the author will share where their idea originated, others clue you into their own process – like how they had NO IDEA that the story would wind up being the one that you hold in your hands.
But my favorite type of letter?  The letter from the debut author. No matter how divinely crafted that letter is, one message rings loud and clear.  Underneath the eloquent grammar, they really all say the same thing: “OMG!  I finally got PUBLISHED! I LOVE you! I LOVE my editor!  I LOVE everybody!”
If that doesn’t jet propel to your keyboard then I don’t know what will.
For today,
Smile, Feel Good, READ!!!