A Discovery of Witches – A Novel

I always love when a book with a tantalizing title also has “A Novel” in tiny text on the cover. This is important to note as it means there’s truth between the pages, and the potential for emotional journeys and entertainment for the reader.

My sister recently read A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and handed it to me as a “must read” with the qualification that Ms. Harkness is a historian with a variety of scholarly credentials and an award winning Wine Blog! That’s a triple score for me. I promised a friend she could read it after me so I started reading on Sunday morning, without even a glance at the blurb, and by the time I hit page 200 I had to pause and laugh because:

1. Nothing had really happened yet in the story

2. I was reading a vampire romance (I don’t!)

3. There’s all kinds of history and science references discussed – in a library (No Action!)

4. I was having the most enjoyable reading experience!

I finished this book on Tuesday afternoon, an hour before leaving for grandson activities. I’m a fast reader but I closed the book for a leisurely excursion with Ed on Sunday, and took care of all kinds of home/work tasks while in the flow of the story. This is a book that does not grab-you-by-the-throat-to-keep-turning-pages-in-nail-biting-need-to-find-out-what-happens-while-you-burn-dinner-can’t-sleep-  BUT it does tantalize in the opening paragraph and continues to do so, with every word.

It’s a book to savor, and I will many times, because as a writer I reread and review. Stories that improve with each reread – remain. And this is one I will reread soon, when I get it back from my friend, and before I lend it to my daughter.

The final chapters revealed that this stage of the story is over, in only 579 pages and with no surprise tornado, and all the characters wandered away to rest and regroup for when the next stage of the story will begin. Fortunately book 2 is already available, but it’s a trilogy and according to the author’s website the final part is still in process.  I’m content with book one.

Here’s what the story is about that makes it timely/or timeless:  forbidden love. Two species may not mingle. Witches and Vampires cannot be friends – or marry. This basic plot has been part of the human social order during my life whether it was illegal for blacks and whites to marry, or Jew-gentile, same sex partners, or even those forbidden marriages between Catholics & Christians! What makes A Discovery of Witches unique is it includes the forbidden marriage between science and magic.

I love characters who know their stuff when they discuss technology, philosophy, science, history, magic, and moon phases. I’m a really picky reader with lots of go-to authors so I will pass by many books unless someone I trust says, “You’ve gotta read this.”

I’m glad I did.

This story includes libraries, a family homestead, herbal teas, cookies, and a variety of great wines – all my comforts. I’d add most of the characters to my Christmas Card mailing list even though their addresses exist in the 4th dimension. Sigh.

A Novel can take decades to create and be read in a few hours or days by a reader. Yet when a classic plot is transformed to explore a social truth in a new way, the reader benefits from that point of view.

The story begins with an old book and I have a collection of old books from my dad. Now I’m fighting a sudden urge to go inhale their dusty scent and feel the energy of the covers. Now I also have this truth repeating in my head:

A Novel is only created in a Write Mind when Time has no hold on the story.

Not the cover – it’s about the back

It’s fascinating to now be accomplishing preliminary tasks to publish a novel, like filling out a W-9 tax form. Then there’s the dedication, acknowledgements, back cover blurb, and the form to fill out for an artist to design the cover.

The cover is THE primary part of marketing a novel. It’s got to do a lot at first glance. This picture of our daughter, on the bow of our boat, was the one I chose years ago to use when mocking up a cover image of my story.

Yes, the most common reaction from those who hear I signed a contract to publish a novel is – it’s about time.

Creating a cover while still writing the novel is a visualization exercise, or law of attraction principle, to making dreams tangible. Having that fun cover image, with title and author name, was a good thing because this novel spent a lot of years as a forgotten file, or a pile of pages in a binder tucked into a cabinet.

But that cover image would pop up, like a bad penny, and I’d be reminded of the characters, the story, and I’d pause to give the pages some attention. This was always with an – I wonder how I can apply what I’ve learned, about writing, to this story? The characters wouldn’t die yet the story lacked conflict and drama, which was abundant in my life.

The above picture was taken in July of 2005, the boat was for sale so it was our last time on the river. It was between my mom’s funeral in May and my dad’s funeral in August. Ed was still in chronic pain, and taking toxic drugs, then.

Now, looking at that cover image I created with that picture all I can say is, “What was I thinking?” The story takes place in March, in Oregon, and the cold and windy Columbia River is a primary setting. There are no bathing suits on display in March, on the Columbia.

However, this is the perfect example of how things change in just a few years, because that daughter has an entirely different back. This daughter is now married, pregnant, and buying her first home. She “gets” that the tree of life is all about the seasons.

the business of story

I watched the premier of Once Upon A Time tonight and enjoyed it. I plan to study all the techniques of storytelling woven into this new show. It’s got fantasy, time  travel, the potential for some kick-assitude and more. It’s heartening there’s something new and creative on TV.

I’ve read all kinds of books and watched a variety of movies these past few months with the flavor of preparing for final exams. The intimate conference I attended in April was packed full of advice and processes for a career as an author. Agents and editors agreed an author today should embrace all venues of publishing available (print, electronic & self) and create marketing processes through social networking.

In my network of writers we all consider November as the month to begin a new project because of the NaNoWriMo focus. Last year Larry Brooks was vocal about how this is a waste of time for writers as it only produces text, not story. This year he’s taken a different route and has blogged daily at Storyfix.com through October to present ways to prepare for National Writing Month so all that words-on-the-page effort will be beneficial. It’s because of his posts that I’ve been creating a story template for my use in the upcoming weeks.

On the 23rd the new moon will be in Scorpio. It will also be my lunar return in my 4th house, so I could be in a bit of a daze that day. I’m ready for new routines and projects and have been considering a variety of options while saturating myself with books and movies. Since my sis is an astrologer I was forewarned of this stellar aspect and have been conscientious to choose carefully where I focus my energy on the story of my life.

On the 28^th,  Jupiter (expansion) and Pluto(permanent transformation) get together in a beneficial way and suddenly, you get it.  Sydney Omarr’s Astro Insights

This is an awesome prediction for the 28th as that day begins the Emerald City Writer’s Conference. A lot of my writer friends and favorite authors will be there and it will have the flavor of an annual reunion. As Rachelle Gardner posted today, there’s a steep learning curve between aspiring novelist and published author but the conferences are one the perks.

My mermaid tail for the masquerade on Saturday is almost done…

setting the stage

I’m creating a novel template for myself. I’m combing through my craft binders and books to get an organized structure for my future stories since I’ve always gone forth on a new project with barely a clue. It was tons of fun finding the story along the way. The only rule was to begin -

in medias res,( Latin: “in the midst of things”) in narrative technique, the recommended practice of beginning an epic or other fictional form by plunging into a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events; the situation is an extension of previous events and will be developed in later action. The narrative then goes directly forward, and exposition of earlier events is supplied by flashbacks. The principle is based on the practice of Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad,for example, begins dramatically with the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon during theTrojan War.

The Trojan War ended a few years ago but its lesson of a gift horse being a prelude to disaster is still current. A romance reader knows from the first pages that the hero and heroine are going to get their happily ever after, after a few disasters. What separates a good story from a mediocre one is how those disasters are staged.

In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind the story is staged as beginning when it really has ended and the movie is halfway over before the audience has a clue that this whole story is “in medius res”. The movie also didn’t get funny or fascinating until it was half over when the real story was suddenly revealed as a twisting mire through time and memories.

What I learned from this movie (and all the library books and movies I’ve been randomly selecting) is – there’s really no reason for me to write anything. Every theme and story is already written. I certainly have opinions on them all but that whole angst and months of aggravation to write a new story? Not needed.

So I can approach my whole process of writing romantic fiction as a joy, a passion, and not as a paycheck or because I’m so desperately tortured by the brilliance of my muse. Instead, I can sit for hours writing stories because I love it and have the skills to do so well enough to entertain readers. I’m pretty sure the text only book will be around for a few more decades even if it is on an electronic reader. The whole ebook thing is a a Trojan Horse to some…

So while I can’t promote  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as delightful entertainment, if you’re a writer and want to get a clue about the concept of “in medius res” this is a movie to watch, and learn.

the most memorable

Dancing with the Stars tonight was about the story the stars wanted to tell as being the most memorable in their life. The stories were all good though some were more powerful than others. Then they all danced.

The movie Footloose became a cult hit in 1984 but the theme of dancing in celebration is timeless. I hope a remake of this movie will have the same impact in 2011 because I applaud anything that inspires us to get up and dance.

What makes a story memorable is the transformation it inspires and the journey taken afterwards. No matter how tragic or joyful an event may be to become the most memorable, it is the the journey then taken after the turning point that makes a story powerful. Then, it is time to learn to dance.

While watching DWTS tonight, I found myself weighing all the turning points in my life to decide which was the most memorable. There are so many! They are all interconnected to my personal life story! One would not have mattered without others. But eventually I did settle on one specific event that put me on a path I would never have chosen to travel.

The event was in September of 2002 and I was suddenly making choices I never would have made, and embarking on a journey I would never have chosen. I swam in dark and turbulent waters but also found myself perched on the occasional tropical beach to bask in the sun. It’s always good to determine when and why we took the path less traveled. It is often tempting to stagnate at the edge of the pond.

As I listened to the stories that were most memorable for this seasons dancers I felt a connection to all of them. Each story had a before, during, and after message. We become nostalgic for the before story, the during story is full of conflict and choices. The after story is where the transition becomes the new journey. It’s scary.

And then, we learn to dance.

New Resolutions

We are not New Years resolution people in my family but it’s not because we don’t honor the tradition.  Instead we have always considered February as being a much better time of the year to assess when whole life improvements need to be made.

There’s really nothing else going on in February and it has the bonus of being the last gasp of winter while the days are getting longer.  Resolutions will benefit from being mulled over and tested prior to the first day of spring.  It feels right to begin a new cycle with the spring equinox.

Of course there’s a lot of astrology and historical traditions that support this spring time frame for initiating a new story for your life.  So our New Years resolutions in my family, if made at all, can be as powerful as  “I will wear socks tomorrow.”

Even so, I did intend to rise this morn and put my energy into story projects that matter to me and need my attention.  Instead we had an early morning chimney fire that was high drama for over an hour but only impacted our life with a really clean chimney and a prayer of thanks we have a metal roof.   There was no need to call in the fire fighters, or even turn on the hose, but the potential was there.

When the chimney fire story was over, and we were in the resting stage of that drama, the phone rang.  I’ve become sensitive to phone calls in this age of email, sound-bites, and tweets.   Phone calls can seem nice and chatty but also herald huge transitions in the story of our lives.  I’ve had a few where the phone call didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but …  and I’ve had many others where the phone call was huge.

Today’s phone call was one of those- maybe this news will matter in the future- maybe not.  But I was distracted enough so I couldn’t quite get focused on my fictional stories and projects and instead chose to help someone else with their story project.  This is always good work for a writer because it engages the reader perspective brain cells.

I’m also fighting the current crud condition of stuffy, dry, dripping, coughing – and had the high drama bathroom experience of no fresh TP rolls in the cabinet.  At times like these it’s good when there’s someone else in the house to hear you yell.

In many ways I could look at today as being a total bust before lunch.  I had more dramas in a few hours than you’ll get in a week on a soap opera.  Yet this is common for me as some days are rather wild, other days are productive.

In February our oldest daughter will be in her own home. She’ll wake on March 1st, her 30th birthday, living a dream she’s dreamed for a decade.  Her life story will begin a new phase and I’ll smile that day knowing she’s going to learn one of the greatest lessons of life.

She’s going to learn the beauty of contentment.

In story-world, this essence of contentment is what’s labeled as the HEA – happily every after.  Many consider it a fantasy.  I know its attainable.

Contentment is something that needs to be recognized and embraced with both hands.  See it.  Feel it.  Know it.

Life is a whole different story.

bring in the new

Well, my NaNoWriMo goals got sidetracked with a new job for me and finding a new home for our daughter’s family.  These events happening in the same two week span disrupted my creative flow with details, discussions, and time-clock requirements.  The potential for future sassy, domestic dramas on the page is awesome.

Not only did I survive my Black Friday weekend experience in retail, I thrived and had fun.  The energy was super high and the noise deafening but I knew the secret was good shoes.  Years ago, I bought a pair of great clog shoes just like the ones my girls wore during their jobs as servers in restaurants.   My clogs looked worn, dirty and brown, but I pulled them out of the bottom of the bin, dusted them off and polished them black.  Voila!

In my experience items of quality that are forgotten in storage but for some reason not discarded, will return to a new purpose.  These old shoes were the foundation of my new adventure in the world of retail.  This is mirrored in the new home search for our daughters family, the foundation of their home matters as much as a good roof and appliances.

So while my word count this month has fizzled mid-stream, the potentials and layers of future stories is a delight.  I also know my process well enough to foresee events on the calendar where my job will be routine, and my grandsons content in their new home.   I may have failed at the NaNoWriMo challenge this year but what is on the page has the potential of being a good book during the long winter nights ahead.

getting to know you

It’s an old song from The King and I and it was the theme of my day.  I’ve been working on the exercise for Secret # 18 to get to know my characters prior to diving into the plot and scenes of the story I will create.   Today’s character was the romantic hero and I learned a lot about him.

He’s an Aries, he was born in the year of The Rabbit, and he was involved in local rodeo events during his teens.  I’m not sure who his best buddy is yet, but I know his dreams and life goals, which means I know his identity, and why the heroine wants to avoid him. 

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be attending the Emerald City Writers Conference and know it will be fabulous.   I’ll spend the whole weekend refilling my storyteller soul,  surrounded by writers who understand the best thing we can do for our characters is make their lives miserable.  We give them a glimpse of bliss, then burden them with conflicts and choices to clear all the crap away and make them worthy to achieve bliss.

Michael Hauge states this brilliantly.  When we first meet our characters what we see is their identity.  Only by breaking through their identity do we get to their true essence, and it is that journey that is the story.

This is mirrored in life.  When we first meet someone, we are seeing their identity and we are only showing our identity.  When we see others within conflict, that is when we see their essence, and it may not be pretty.   When we are in conflict, we may not be pretty either.  What’s inspiring is when we see how conflicts can form bonds.  Conflicts shake us out of complacency, and bring our true essence forth.

Like stories in a novel, we are transformed by conflict.  Which means we’ve changed and we begin again, getting to know ourselves and others.  “getting to know you” is always a new story.

characters

This past weekend was wild with conflicts; melodrama, secrets revealed, sudden storms, people in peril, slander, laws broken, legal actions taken, and a whole lot more.  I also went kayaking on a pristine inland lake and floated with large fish in the shallows.

My fiction brainstorming exercises went well too.  The dozen pages I drafted this weekend are revealing characters I’m excited to get to know.  I will dig deeper into the essence of these characters as I contemplate, and create, the struggles they will face as their story evolves in the weeks and months ahead.

But I’m also distracted at the variety of conversations and actions I’ve observed within a small community of neighbors.  Whew!  What research!

I have to ruminate about these true-life events, and the people who took the time to write an extensive letter full of words which was distributed to many.   It’s a story that is comparable to a very personal event I endured in 2006, while we were settling our parents estate.  Months of letters were exchanged where one aggressive agenda was being shoved onto myself and siblings.  There was no regard for us, our lives, our goals, our families. The needs and intent of the one were deemed more important than what would benefit others.

Today’s events are not so personal to me.  In the buffer of time and distance I’m appreciating my role as an objective observer.

I’m also learning about villains.   They truly see themselves as heroes of their own story.

Exercizing the Muscle

“I’ve got this great idea for a book.  Let me tell you about it and you can write it…”  I’ve heard this more than once and I smile and answer,  “I’ve got too many of my own ideas.  Ideas are the flash, it takes about a year of daily dedication, and about six drafts, to write a completed novel.”  Today I began exercising my flabby idea muscles.  I found they weren’t as out of shape as I thought. 

I have so many awesome books and workshop notes on writing commercial fiction that I decided to begin with one and do the exercises all the way through.  No More Rejections, 50 secrets to writing a manuscript that sells by Alice Orr is my choice.  Secret #2:  Keep the Idea Muscle in Shape.  It was fun and the inspirations really began after I pushed myself past her 10-15 minute time frame.  I’m in better shape than I thought and wasn’t satisfied with a short workout, instead I wanted to feel the burn.

In the blogs I follow, one message was repeated today.  Here’s Sarah’s story and it represents how writers are doomed with creative minds that can often send us off on life tangents with wild enthusiasm.  But alas, writers are happiest when writing and when we realize we hate biology it’s time to stop cutting up frogs.

I’m a sassy domestic drama storyteller.  I don’t do pirates, or thrillers, or murders.  Well, the murder potential has appeal but not in this book, that I know of, at this stage in the brainstorming.  We’ll see, I’m off to begin contemplating Secret #3: Get Into Trouble.

The process

At a Powell’s Books author event on Friday, I confessed to my friends how nervous I am about starting a fresh, new, fiction project.   Fortunately these writers  have watched the roller coaster ride my life has taken since 2003.  They understand my trepidation, my concern about having ruined my storytelling skills, after these years of nonfiction.  We all agreed it was time I begin a new story.

My writer toolbox of skills and style has expanded during these years,  and today I was contemplating my process.  Which I don’t have.

I wrote by the seat-of-my-pants in the past, full of passion for the characters and potential adventures, without a theme in my head.  Writing memoir and nonfiction these past years demanded I organize, shape, and bring purpose to each page.  I’m determined to bring what I’ve learned to this new story and plot my conflicts, and plan the heroic journey, before I write a word, or, at least until Friday.   That’s when the new computer arrives.  A desk is on back order and is another ten days out.

This weekend I’m planning a flurry of mind-dump writing in hope I’ll get a clue who my characters may be.  I’ll probably read a book or two.  The writing process can be 90% perspiration to get that 10% of inspiration.  So it’s time to perspire.  The timing is good, I’ll be full of fresh ideas and potentials while attending the Emerald City Conference next weekend.  I’ll also be renewed with camaraderie which is the lifeblood of a creative spirit.   Story doesn’t come to life in a vacuum.

A new story begins

Yesterday I woke at 6 am with the thought I needed magazine pictures for my storyboarding process. While the coffee perked I was out in the driveway in my robe, digging in the recycle bin.  Fortunately the bag full of magazines was within reach, barely.  I didn’t have to climb in.  A neighbor was walking his dog on the street.  I’m sure he’ll be too polite to mention if he saw me, at least to me.

As I settled on the couch, with a cup of coffee and scissors, I despaired.  They were writer magazines, full of text and a few years old so mainly black and white.  My fiction style is light contemporary romance with a touch of adventure in boats & aircraft.  My characters have esoteric or mythological interests that flavor their speech.  What pictures could I find to inspire me from writer mags?  Oh well, couldn’t hurt to look.

I hit pay dirt in  The Writer, I was in a flurry of cutting faces and graphics.  Author pictures are great because authors have a certain flair to their persona, intelligent expressions, and often a smirk.  Oh yeah, I could populate books with these faces.  Suddenly a few pictures shouted, “Here I am!”  OMG!  I know these characters – from the story yet to be written – can’t remember all the names – I’ll check my notes.  Maybe I’ll change names.  In the beginning, everything is only the spark of an idea!

Enthusiasm has bloomed, creativity sparked!  It feels good.

real characters

I’ve been reading a lot of beginning chapters of potential novels, as a contest judge.  I found myself duplicating comments I got in the past from editors, as to why they passed on publishing my story.   Everyone is too nice, the characters make efforts to get along.  None of my fictional characters had a reason to grow or transform.  No ego issues, ergo, no story.

Even stellar writers who have mastered craft; style, voice, tension, pacing, etc. failed to engage me because of the characters on the page.  I didn’t care about the story because the character goals lacked depth, motivations were not believable, and there was no substantial conflict to overcome.

Yesterday I chatted with a former neighbor, Nancy.  Nancy sold her house on our street after becoming a widow.  The current owner bought this house when she became a widow.   I told Nancy I haven’t made an effort to befriend this younger woman because the widow stories are bit big for me.   Nancy and another friend of mine became widows in 2005 the same year my parents died.  Both of these women were four years older than me.  Both of their husbands were named, Dave.

I’ve dedicated a lot of energy learning to write nonfiction and feel this awareness of real life will enhance the conflicts I bring to my fiction.  Death creates a transformation for those of us still alive and this is why I don’t care about characters who “could die,” unless they have a dream to live.

While disappointed with the fictional characters I met this past week, I enjoyed these stories about real people:  Magnetic Personalities – Sport Fanatics – Courageous Moms – Road Warriors and the review of a “Lactating Detective”.  Real people are interesting!

Here’s the motto of a friend who is thriving years after breast cancer – if you’re a writer, please bring this motto to your fictional world:

Get busy living, or get busy dying.

new story different view

Yesterday I drafted a story to work on with my 7-yr-old grandson about when his Aunt Lyndsay was 7-yrs-old.

It was a time when Lyndsay didn’t know what it meant to move to a new home, a new state.  Her older sisters and parents talked about “Moving to Oregon” but maps are boring pictures to a 7-yr-old.  The house went on the market in September of 1996 but it didn’t sell fast because the NJ home market had imploded.  The delay increased tensions with two teenage girls in the house and drama spiraled high in the spring of ’97.

Lyndsay noticed the adults were always talking, with few smiles, using big words about topics she didn’t understand.  Her older sisters were very emotional and lots of stuff happened.  Now, at 21, Lyndsay knows the events those weeks before her First Communion were a big deal, but she’s still not sure what actually happened.

It was her turn to wear that special white dress her sisters had all worn when they made their First Communion.  In May of ’97 Lyndsay was glad then that the house hadn’t sold so she could celebrate with her classmates.

When I wrote this story yesterday I tried to imagine being 7-yrs old.  I printed it with only a few sentences on each page, leaving big blank spaces for my grandson to write or draw anything he wanted.  I told him the story shows the lack of control Lyndsay had over the unknown.  I know there were times she was sad and scared.  Even after the the house sold, and we moved to Oregon from New Jersey, she was displaced for months before she again had her own room, her stuff.

I told my grandson to write or draw whatever he felt about Lyndsay’s story because I know kids his age really like stories where the character can do something to make things better.  Maybe he’ll write about what makes him feel better.  I’m not sure he’ll do anything with the pages, or even read them, since it is summer and the weather is awesome.  I doubt he’ll relate to the desire to wear a white dress.

My grandson currently hears the adults around him using big words, talking about things he doesn’t understand, and we’re not smiling enough.  He’s feeling out of control, displaced, maybe even sad and scared.  So I wrote Lyndsay’s story for him and it made ME feel better.   Lyndsay loves the name she adopted when her nephew was learning to talk, she will now always be, “Aunt Z Z.”

I’m reminded of the resiliency of children.  When the adults are focused on the well-being of the child, the child will not only survive but thrive.  Someday my grandson will have his own story to read and he and his Aunt Z Z will share their memories of when they were 7.

Maybe neither will have a clue what happened, when they were 7, but trusted the adults knew and fought well for the well-being of the child.

the point is…

We watched Invictus this weekend.  The power of this movie is in the understatement since the story is true.  Movies like this should be used to teach history in schools.  During 1994-95 I personally gave passing attention to global events because I had a demanding job and four daughters in school.  It’s awesome now to see history presented so well.

Globally, history is happening now.  May was a big month for turmoil from the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico through Thailand, Jamaica and Greece.

I savored the sunshine and nature beauty this weekend, unplugged from the news and web.  Yet, at one point I was told I should get my head out of the clouds because there will be no future past 2012.  I don’t argue with this concept since Armageddon hung over my life since grade school.  I’m confident I will see my grandsons create a future worth living.  My personal history has shown it’s best not to empower the doom machine of the moment, no matter how many decades that moment may last.  Madiba is a good example since he held true for almost three decades in prison.

Another day, I was considered silly to have voted for Prez. Obama.  While I am not political, I am fascinated by history and the politics of the day is always a major player in the story.  I am hopeful there will be an uplifting future, no matter how dire events may seem at the moment.  I believe there is a more dynamic story in process than many see at the moment.  A few of my author friends admit they write the story to see how it ends while I’m one who can’t write a story until I know how it ends. 

The past two days I’ve been plugged back into the world of news and webbits, there is so much!  But I’m inspired that the children are the human searchlights of our future while I’m a lighthouse in these rocky times.  I even caught the enthusiasm of my Ohio based friends and family that the demise of Touchdown Jesus could be a sign of hope The Browns will someday win the Superbowl.

The point is – horrors, trials and doom are part of our history but so is courage, innovation and success.

The next project – dads

I’ve been trying to decide on my next writing project.  Fiction or nonfiction, that is the question.  I love writing fiction but there is a lot of noise through book world about BRAND, VOICE and having three books that are consistent in theme and tone so you build reader loyalty.  Since I’m marketing a nonfiction project, the logical step for my career is to write two more.

I do have two more book-length nonfiction projects, one has been on the shelf for eight years, the other is a collection of ideas in a chaos of files.  The issue is, these are true stories from my life, full of conflict and wild characters within a family in trauma.  The one on the shelf was a scary time for me as a mom of teens.  Gee, who wants to revisit those memories?   Not me, and I’m thrilled to have 60+ novels here to read instead.  But a writer writes.  It’s not a choice.  It’s a voice.  It’s a passion.  With a reason.  It’s a lifestyle.

Today I was reminded (again!) that there are a lot of young dad’s out there who don’t have a good example of how to be a dad.  There are dad’s out there who’ve been abandoned or abused and they are trying not to continue this pattern on their young children.

The Will to Love shows my dad as a man who met a challenge and excelled, which is why the love story between my parents is the main theme, with my voice as the daughter.

In this shelved project, it’s my voice as the mom, about events that spanned about six months (years!) which could have destroyed my family if it wasn’t for the dad.  Yes, my daughters have a good dad, with a reputation as the fun parent, a dad with no desire to be in charge of anything (outside of his career) other than adventures with his girls.  But when his teen imploded, he tucked his fears and emotions into a corner for a few weeks and brought his business skills and flight training forth.  He rose above the trauma and saved the day, bringing our family into a better life.

So tomorrow I’ll suck it up and unearth this eight year old project from its resting phase.  I have a reason to revisit those memories and trauma.  Not only do I know young dad’s who have no example how to be good dads, I also now have five grandsons who deserve to see how the grandpa, who mixes up their names, is also a hero who didn’t crumble and run when times were tough.   Not a war hero, a family hero, when the stakes were as high as life and death.

A dad who became a stellar man for a time when it mattered.

writing my memoir

I began the journey of writing my memoir in 2006.  I thought I was prepared.  Writing novels was the focus of my life for years.  A memoir is shorter than a novel.  The pause to write it would only be a year of my life – tops…  What’s the big deal?  It’s not like I didn’t know the story.

I was so wrong.

I was confident, in 2006.  Earlier in my life I had worked through writing courses, worked with critique groups, and attended conferences, to learn the craft of story.  I also had a successful track record as a technical writer.  I’d dash off the memoir and be back on track with my novel writing.  Memoir is a one shot deal.

The following is the process I took.  I don’t recommend this process.

Step 1 to writing my memoir:  Open a vein to my heart and memories, and bleed all over the keyboard, daily, for months.  I had hundreds of pages that went in a thousand directions and even my sisters couldn’t help.  Their memories are so different and unique – of the same incident!

Step 2 to writing my memoir:  Hire an independent editor. I met Erin Brown when she was the interested acquiring editor for the publisher of my choice.  Erin left that job and moved into her new career a few months later.  Her insights in 2008 were very encouraging!)  Rewrite, shift, read. read.read. etc.

Step 3 to writing my memoir:  I returned to college to relearn how to write, speak, and appreciate live theater.  This taught me what to write, and how to embrace story in all it’s forms.  I also attended conferences, workshops, and read tons of books.  (The reading part was the easiest for me!)

Step 4 to writing my memoir:  Figure out my target audience.  Who may care to read it?  And why?  How can my story benefit a reader?  This list of potential readers is a bit odd and disjointed.  Hmmm…  LOL!

Step 5 to writing my memoir:  Draft family.  I learned my sister-in-law Carla, is a grammar maven and was willing to be absolutely brutal to every page.  She sliced and diced through all 300+ pages and I cut and rearranged the story into 250 pages.  I sent it back to Carla for another slice and dice.  It was a thrill to see pages untouched by her red pen.

Step 6 to writing my memoir:  Draft friends.  I returned to my comfort zone, my exceptional group of romance writers.  These are friends who speak my language, understand a lot of my quirks, and have heard monthly announcements of my life for many years.

Later this week I’ll brainstorm with a published novelist (and awesome friend) who will help me figure out the story I’ve written in my memoir, and how to explain it in a few short sentences.

This is the greatest lesson I’ve learned by writing a memoir.  My life can be defined by a few sparkling sentences.  I just need to figure out what they are…

Rogues and Bad Boys

I’m anticipating full-time childcare days through April, part-time in May and being done in June.   One friend asked if I had lost a bet.  Another friend marvels that I have paused my life for granny time.  Some days I feel both are true!  Yet, a writer’s greatest truths come from living the challenges of life.

Another friend has pointed out that I jump into challenges others would avoid like the plague.   I’ll explore this aspect of my psyche with my sisters at the end of June.

Until then, I’m researching all kinds of new developments in this new publishing paradigm that no one really has a clue what will be…  5 out of the big 6 publishers has attempted to be proactive and make new policies.   If you’re looking to publish – check out the odd one. Wisdom requires patience and maybe Random House and all it’s affiliates will benefit from that patience.  It’s possible Mike Shatzkin posted his insights before the Ingram announcement of not doing business with the other 5, as of April 1st…  There’s big drama and conflict in the world of publishing and not just inside the covers of a book. 

Now – to the title of this post – it has nothing to do with any political game.  It’s specific to my NEW FAVE research book!  Bullies, Bastards & Bitches – how to write the bad guys of fiction by Jessica Page Morrell.  (I got my copy from Wonder Book. Awesome price, service & green packaging!)   That was a plug for the bookseller – authors need to understand it is the bookseller (and the librarian) that has the direct connection with the reader.

What I am learning, in Ms. Morrell’s book, is about the DARK personalities that create compelling characters and amazing stories that matter to readers.  I truly haven’t had time, in my current life, to study psychosis, neurosis, predators and sociopaths.   While a rogue character can still have a spark of redemption in their profile -they are still an anti-hero in dire need of transformation.  Hmm, OK, I am a bit amused that a recent political figure is proud of “going rogue”.

I am not done reading this well-written and engaging book by Ms. Morrell.  There’s tons of cools stuff in the pages about bad boys, villains and creators of mayhem.  I still have pages to go yet, including Chapter 9;  “Sympathy for the Devil” and Chapter 10; “Bitches: Dangerous Women”.   Hee Hee!

Along the same lines, one cool TED talk on The Myth of Violence by Steven Pinker is fascinating for it’s historical data in comparison to current horrors.  I watched this talk today and my friend Linda Mercury also posted about historical relevancy.

It’s really hard to accept that we’re living in awesome times where beauty abounds and the majority of humanity is well fed and watered under a solid roof.  Fortunately, Hans Rosling is happy to share this information, and he can swallow a sword.

Hidden talents, secrets and shadows.  That’s what fiction reveals.  I love it!

Love vs Romance

There is a huge difference between Love Stories and Romance Novels though they are both under the umbrella of fiction.  Kristina McMorris learned this difference when marketing her novel, “there was a market for “WWII love stories” but not “WWII romances.”  Letters from Home will be on bookshelves in early 2011.

Nickolas Sparks is adamant he writes love stories, he doesn’t write romance.  His specific differentiation is:  “No, the themes in love stories are different. In mine, you never know if it’s going to be a happy ending, sad ending, bittersweet or tragic. You read a romance because you know what to expect. You read a love story because you don’t know what to expect.”  (Does he protest too much at the end of the interview/article?)

I’m surprised that Mr. Sparks doesn’t know the difference between theme (redemption/revenge/forgiveness/etc) and plot (series of events to achieve The End).  What’s expected at the end of a romance novel is the main characters – involved in the relationship plot of the story – will be happy to be alive and in love.

I just read the award winning ebook:  Flaherty’s Crossing by Kaylin McFarren.  You can read my review here.  This is a book I want on my KEEPER shelf, in print too.  I will reread it more than once, even though I know the ending is uplifting, and even though I will shed a few tears.  All proceeds are to be donated to Cancer Research Center at Providence Medical Center so it’s a win for readers and cancer patients.  This is not a romance novel or a love story, it’s considered Contemporary Womens Fiction because it’s  focused on a woman’s emotional journey with her estranged (now dead) father.  There’s a romantic subplot with her almost estranged husband, and at the end, the romantic characters are happy to be alive and in love.  The ending of the tragic story thread was bittersweet but also uplifting.

What I find fascinating is – in the technologically developing world of ebook/ereaders – all three of these authors are considered “mainstream” on Fictionwise amid 6,381 items in that category.  This means a reader has no more luck finding an interesting ebook than walking through a physical bookstore where fiction is filed alphabetically, row after row, by author name.  A fiction reader has to come to both venues knowing either title or author, then search.  For now.

Soon these mainstream books will be sorted through a database with specific search labels because readers will want to know what they are buying.

Personally, I will probably never search through and choose books labeled as tragic/sad/bittersweet love stories.  Would you?

here comes the sun

When the sun returns with the dawn, the dark night of the soul is done.  Most of us sleep through this huge and daily transition.  But – this is why we come to STORY.  We want to connect with characters that live through the night and are transformed to appreciate the dawn.

This concept could explain the latest vampire phenomenon. 

We’ve had glorious weather in Oregon the past few days.  At one point, I was inspired to run out in a field and throw my arms wide, while I slowly circled and sang, like Julie Andrews does in The Sound of Music.  My voice isn’t horrible so I can burst into song, with confidence, on a remote field in the wilds of Oregon.

I’ve also seen STORY happening around me.  Events are moving so fast right now.  It’s utterly delightful but a bit exhausting!  Huge stories, spanning years, spiraling into their happy endings.  And new beginnings.

I do want to sit and write it all down.  But it’s too awesome, I’ll enjoy it instead.

The weather is changing today.  The rains and clouds are returning.  Months to write and focus on STORY spread before me again.

But, I’ve gained a new insight from this amazing weather, days of warmth and sunlight, buds and early spring flowers adding color and vibrancy to my environment.  I discussed it with my brother who was in Pennsylvania this past weekend.  ( He lives in Ohio.)  He said, “Spring is still two weeks away, for you.  We may see it in two months or more.”

I can write about dark night of the soul, when the sun is shining.  STORY lives through sun and rain.

Every dawn is a new story.