You all know that I had a big book-signing venture on 11.11.11.  Despite the rainy weather, my golf friends and neighbors came to my Writing and Art event…and I sold 40 books.  I was pleased with the event and want to recreate it (without the rain) next year.

Book signing is more difficult than I thought.  I’m trying to make conversation with the book buyer and attempting to write something special on the title page at the same time.  What’s more, I’m hoping I spell all the words (especially the name of the buyer!) correctly and use fairly legible handwriting.  Most important, I want to personalize my comment.  Is this all too much to attempt at a book signing?  Should I write a boilerplate comment?

I’m dying to know how you all handle book signings.  To start off the conversation, I’ll give you one ‘signature’ I’ve been using in hopes you’ll share one of yours. 

____________(name goes here)

I hope this thriller keeps you up all night…in a good way!  Happy reading, Rolynn

Writers Helping Writers

I must start off by apologizing, as I missed posting my blog last month. We had a bit of an upheaval late September with my husband having a stroke. He is just about fully recovered, but needless to say my writing was put on a hold for a bit.


With that said, I am excited about CRASHING HEARTS coming out in January. As I have been looking into different ways of promoting this, it come up time and time again how writers help writers.

I have recently just started putting together a blog tour to promote CRASHING HEARTS. In the process I have opened up my blog for guest bloggers to promote their own works. It’s an exciting process to reach out to other writers and invite them to guest on my blog. It’s open a whole new way to meet new authors.

So starting December 30th, my blog tour kicks off as a guest of Cynthia Woolf. Keep posted for other dates as they are filling in.

NaNoWriMo - Status report

And so once more my friends I have delved headfirst into the writing insanity known as NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. In thirty days I intend to write 50K words of a new novel, starting November 1st and ending on November 30. This includes the four days usually devoted to Thanksgiving, also known as the great black hole of not writing. In short, I am a complete loon for dedicating myself to this task but I have a good reason.

This is the one month when I actually get a lot of writing done and it is all because it is expected of me to write this month. I say "I'm doing NaNo" and my friends and family tend to stay out of the way of my getting to my keyboard.

It is marvelous.

So anyway here is my current progress:


As you can see there were some good days, some okay days, and one very bad RED day where I went whale watching without taking Dramamine first and spent the rest of the day feeling really, really sick.

However I see some whales before I threw up so it wasn't all bad.

So I'm going to be brief in this update because I have very nearly made up for that red Sunday and I hope by the time you all see this I will be very, very close if not over the 25K words I need to have by the 15th of the month to stay on target.

Happy writing everyone, particularly those also doing NaNo.

Cheers,
Janet

Why Writing A Novel Is Like Thanksgiving Dinner

Have you ever thought about the similarities between writing a novel and Thanksgiving dinner?  No? Well, stop and think for a moment. I think we can draw a lot of correlations between the two.

Let's start with our hero – the one who perfectly carves a turkey without tearing a single piece apart. Right. Who likes a perfect hero? Let's give him a few flaws. He can carve the turkey, but he routinely forgets to charge the electric knife. 

Our heroine can set a perfect table but she is usually too busy yelling at the game to remember to get everything out on time so you have to wait for halftime to eat.

Conflict is what happens when your hero's family and heroine's family meet for the first time. In your book, this is the reason they want to stay apart. The holiday is the reason they can't. Great conflict occurs when you put them into a pushmi/pullyu situation.

You can add external conflict as well. What family gathering is complete without at least one uninvited relative who is always cheering on the wrong team?

The whole family relates to your cast of secondary characters. Uncle Joe who eats the last piece of pie while his wife criticizes the use of new china instead of Great Aunt Nonnie's best. 

There’s the big black moment when you realize that nothing you do will ever be enough for some family members while others wouldn't have noticed if you'd bought a rotisserie chicken at the market. Your story comes crashing down around your hero and heroine at this point.

 

Then, just like at Thanksgiving, you realize that the whole reason for writing the book and making the dinner was to feed yourself. Your dreams of writing are what are important and not the criticisms of others. As with every good story, or meal, there’s triumph and tears and everything in-between.

Yep, writing a novel is a lot like Thanksgiving dinner. When it goes well, there’s a happy ending. Your team wins, your pie crust doesn’t burn and your turkey is a gorgeous golden brown. All of your side dishes are perfect, made from old family recipes. Everyone gets along for the duration of the meal and a little while afterwards. There’s a happy ending for dinner and for your novel.

So, at this time of year, let’s give thanks for novels and for our traditions. Even if your family isn’t perfect or your turkey gets burned or if you forget the cranberry sauce in the fridge. There’s always room for a happy ending.

From our families to yours, happy holidays! Cai and Arwen aka Marilu Mann.

Astrology: When East meets West

It's my birthday!!!! How cool a date is it today: 11-11-11. There's got to be something special on the astral plane that goes with this. Just sayin'. Hope somebody out there in the universe is listening. :-D

I'm a Scorpio. I have to admit I'm not into insects and technically speaking, a scorpion is an arachnid (7th grade biology to the rescue), but I've always loved the fact that by it's very image, Scorpio screams "Don't mess with me unless you want to get stung." Found this awesome site that tells me what it means to be born on November 11th and it's pretty spot on as it applies to me. This in particular resonated:

November 11 Scorpios are the world's true mystics. Unable to live life on a strictly material level, they depend upon knowledge and experience to take them where they wish to go. They have marvelous creative powers. They are natural storytellers. An interest in all facets of human experience is an illuminating influence in their lives.

In Japan, though, I discovered a new facet to astrology: the Chinese calendar or zodiac. Every year, post cards are sent out at New Year's with an image of the zodiac sign for that year. Already cards with images of a dragon are popping up in the stores. Every zodiac sign has a meaning to it just as our astrological signs do. There are twelve signs in total. Mine happens to be a snake.

Think about that for a minute. I'm a Scorpio and a snake. Doesn't that strike you as rather deadly? I'm such a gentle creature, truly!

People born in the year of the Snake often have a good temper and a skill at communicating...They are determined to accomplished their goals [and] hate to fail. Women under the sign of the snake do well in housework but are irritable.

Okay, the last is so not true, except the irritable part, which is how I feel whenever I have to do housework. This came from www.travelchinaguide.com. Have to say reading through the strengths and weaknesses I didn't connect with a lot of it. Maybe I'm just a poor snake. Now there's a thought!

But interestingly enough, what Japanese really consider is a person's blood type. Yup, you heard me right--Blood Type. As in A, B, O or AB. And no, we're not talking closet vampires. Japanese people are very likely to know little about their astrological sign, slightly more about their zodiac sign and quite a bit about their blood type. I've lived here long enough that I don't find it odd anymore. I'm type O and my husband is type B. So what does this mean?

Well an O type is pretty much interested in the big picture, details just don't matter all that much. That is soooo me. Os are very "about" in what they do, which is something else I excel at. Drives my husband crazy.

This is from askville.amazon.com

Type O:
Type O's are outgoing, and very social. They are initiators, although they don't always finish what they start. Creative and popular, they love to be the center of attention and appear very self confident.

Oh, yes, I'm all those things...well maybe not popular, but I'm working on it. :-D

So what's your sign or your blood type? Let me know and I'll see if I can tell you what it means.

Joanne--Dave Barry and Barbie and Ken

Hi Everyone,
It's the 8th of the month, and I'm sharing a Dave Barry post about Barbie and Ken.

Enjoy and have a chuckle!


"I'm not sure how I feel about the Barbie and Ken split. On the one hand, I can see why Barbie would not be satisfied with Ken. I have a young daughter, so our house has a thriving, teeming Barbie colony. This colony is serviced by one lone Ken, and frankly he is not up to the task."

Me again: Is Ken really up to the task of servicing all those Barbie dolls? :)

Dancing in the Mist

Mist dissipating over the Potomac River at McCoy's Ferry

Several weekends ago, I went camping along the Potomac River in western Maryland with my husband. Each morning we woke to a heavy mist. I loved it.

Well, that's sort of what I experience when I get into a writing groove. My muse takes the form of mist. I feel as if my mind is surrounded with a swirling haze filled with creative thoughts that come as fast as my fingers fly over the keyboard.

At other times, the mist lingers in the back of my mind where a seed of an idea takes shape and grows at a slower pace, often popping to the forefront just as I'm laying down for the night. Thus the need for a notebook beside the bed.

How do you describe the flow of ideas when you write, paint, compose music?

Thanks for stopping by. I expect to be off-grid for a few days and will respond to comments when I have access to the internet again.

-----------

Dawn Marie Hamilton writes Scottish inspired time travel romance with fantasy and paranormal elements. DawnMarieHamilton.com You can also visit Dawn Marie at Castles & Guns on Tuesday November 8 & 22. Twitter: @DawnM_Hamilton

Cliches

Clichés can be a real kick in the pants, huh?  They seem to pop up as easy as pie.  Proliferate our writing and we never think twice about it.  When I realized I used them way too much, I had to go back and try to get rid of those nasty little buggers.  That's when I realized I had to start working my brain muscles a bit harder to get the same idea across. 

When I went to check out some files I needed to download for a class I'm taking, I found this little gem in the files section and thought I'd share it with you.  http://www.suspense.net/whitefish/cliche.htm  I don't think the list is complete, not by a long shot but it's a good start.  Then I went to Google and found this one.  http://www.clichesite.com/ 

If you have a word and want to find a cliché that uses that word, try this site.  http://www.westegg.com/cliche/

Have you ever noticed that commercials tend to use quite a few clichés.  For example, the commercial for Binder & Binder comes to mind.  They use "not by a long shot" for their social security disability commercial.

Sometimes those clichés say it best.  So, do we use them when they fit the scene?  I think occasionally a character can use them in dialogue.  Clichés can be that character's identifying trait but even so, you don't want to beat your reader over the head with them.  Using them in narrative?  I don't think that is a good idea at all.  What do you think?

I've seen them used in blurbs and synopses.  When I see them in the blurb for a book, I won't buy the book.  Really, I won't.  It tells me that author threw out the book with very little thought.  Do I want to read a book full of clichés?  No, I want something new, something different.  Sure, it can tell me the same thing as a tried and true cliché but it will be told to me in a new, different way.  

Now, I've read books that twist the clichés.  Futuristic books that don't use them correctly.  Or time travel books where the person is from out time and uses a cliché.  The person hearing it will say something that makes the cliché seem like an odd statement.  For example, "you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar."  The reply is "why would you want to catch flies?"  I've read that particular scene in a book.  Can't remember which one but I think it may have been one by Sandra Hill.  Or you have a character who is trying to use clichés but can't quite get them right.  NCIS uses this technique with Ziva's character.

I think using clichés is a form of plagiarism.  Afterall, they are someone else's words, even if we don't know exactly whose words they are.

Anyone notice how many clichés I used in this post?  <g>  Any other uses of clichés in any way that you can tell us about?  Are they one of your weaknesses when you write?  Do you use them often in your every day speech?  Are there any that are regional?

NaNo Nudges

National Novel Writing Month, known to us all as NaNoWriMo, began yesterday. Many are participating, hoping this will inspire them to write
that novel that's been rattling around in their minds. Some are hoping to create something different. A few, like me, are using it as a kick in the bum to finish a lagging project.

Whatever the reason, the month-long challenge involves a strong degree of sacrifice--and determination.

But isn't that what writing entails year long? We sacrifice time with family and friends to devote time to writing about the inhabitants of our minds. For those with outside jobs and children, you sacrifice sleep to dole out an hour of daily writing time--and oh how I respect those who do. I didn't begin writing fulltime until I retired. Writers must also be determined year long, too. Determined to write their best. Determined to finish the project we love, no matter what comments we hear about our efforts.

So, what is so special about NaNo? Why all the hype? The low rumble of excitement and the flurry of encouraging emails? Could it be the collective community of writers worldwide, striving to achieve the same thing? A collective energy force, as it were?

To those of you participating in NaNo this year: Yay, you! Keep at it. On days you fail to reach your quota--and let's face it, life happens--don't give up. Strive to make up your word count on better days. Keep the vision and write forward. You'll be amazed at what you achieve. I'm working on a romantic suspense, the second in a series. This one is entitled "Rain is a Love Song" and is set in Paris and Budapest. I was a shade over 35,000 words when NaNo started, so I'm hoping to finish the rough draft this month. Wish me luck. My agent has it on her reading calendar for the second week of December, so...I have to finish this puppy. To all of you--WRITE ON!

Falling Skies vs. The Walking Dead

Falling Skies vs. The Walking Dead

Why The Walking Dead is so much better than Falling Skies? I have 3 words for you: The Hero's Journey. I watch both of these shows but until I rewatched The Walking Dead Season 1 I couldn't figure out what was wrong with Falling Skies. Looking over my craft of writing books, I discovered it. There is an excellent book for writers, The Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell. It uses the 12 stages of the hero's journey. The first stage when using the Hero's Journey for writing a novel is The Ordinary World.

This stage is vivid in The Walking Dead. We see Rick Grimes as a deputy sheriff, doing his job. Talking to his buddy, we can see his love for his wife, his child, and his duty. When he is shot pursuing a bad guy his first action is to tell his buddy to not tell his wife about his injury. His first thought is to not worry her. This tells us all we need to know about Rick Grimes and his relationships around him.

The loss of this stage in Falling Skies is glaringly clear. The action opens with an older man and a young man on the run. We learn later that one is the dad. They are running from aliens. The aliens kill grown-ups and capture and enslave young kids. All this is great action but we don't know these people. We don't care they are in danger.

Later we learn Noah Wylie's character was a college professor before the aliens arrived and now he is with the army. The show missed an opportunity to show me this character as a professor. What was the character arc of the nerdy, bookish professor becoming a rebel, resistance fighter? Show me the loss of his middle son to show me his love for his youngest and his oldest. Show me losing his wife. What did that do to him? Was that the moment that drove him to the army to fight the invaders? We don't know. There has been no flashbacks, no dreams of what was, how life used to be.

Falling Skies dropped the ball. The Walking Dead grabbed it and scored a touchdown.

Jill James