Writing Updates: My Mind is Never Idle #amwriting

This has been a hectic week. The people renting our house moved out and we're getting to ready for sale. I have been spackling holes and dings, wiping down doors and baseboards. Peeling off stickers they had left on the walls. I ache everywhere. This sedentary body isn't used to all this manual labor.

The one good thing about this busy work it allows my mind to have the freedom to do what it wants. I've written ten books in the Vespian Way with each book pushing at me to write it before I was finished with the one before it. There were times when I was working on three different books in different stages of writing or editing at the same time. This last book though started out of necessity. I knew I needed to write to keep me sane. As I've been working on it I thought maybe I was done with the series for a while and I would have time to work on something else.

Nope.

While I've been working on getting my old house ready for sale I was slapped with an idea.

Now understand I'm one of those authors that doesn't care for a series where the hero and heroine are constantly pulled apart. I don't want to do that with Heather and Storm, but I need to keep it interesting which is why there is always something for them to fight.

We, as authors are told to do the worst thing to our characters. The worst thing I can think of is killing one of them off, but I don't want to do that so what can I do? That's when it hit me. What if I create an environment where it looks like I've killed them off - I know I did that in Stolen Desire but this is different - what if I use one of the computers Heather is searching for to cause her and Storm to fall into a coma? What if I have Heather's mind jump into another person's body? What if Storm wakes up from his coma but Heather doesn't because her mind is in another body and he has to deal with the fact that his mate is not there for him or this war they're fighting?

One little thought will grow into a book. I just need a little more time.

Writing Down the Bones: Story Construction and Evaluation The Romance Novel Pt 3 - Supportive Characters

A day late again but it's that time for me to work on the next section of the hand out created by Janice Bennett. This session we're dealing with those wonderful supporting characters.

So...

1.)What secondary character(s) do you think you need to create for your manuscript to help your hero and heroine with their overall goal? What character(s) do you need to make that goal harder to reach?

2.) You must ask yourself if the secondary characters and their sub-plot necessary for the book? Is it strong enough to last the length of the book and not overpower your main plot? Does this subplot work well with your main plot?

3.) Are your secondary characters developed and believable? Will your readers remember them? Can you control them so they don't take over?

4.) Are these characters unique? Do they help move the plot along? Do they compliment or contrast each other and the main characters to make the story strong?

next week will be on story structure....

Writing Down the Bones: Interview Questions - In Relation to Others

Here's another segment of the flyer I've been working on. How your character deals with others. Again I don't know who the author is. but felt this was a good one to share so enjoy.

1.) How is your character(s) different with their family(s) than with their friends? How?

2.) How are they different with their lover(s) than anyone else? Do they like being this way?

3.) What scares them about their lover?

4.) What does their lover do for them that no one else does?

5.) Did they have a happy childhood? Has that affected their adulthood?

6.) When they ask for advice, do they normally take it? Why or why not?

7.) What is their initial perception if a stranger? Potential friend? Potential enemy? Someone to be charmed? To be deceived?

Writing Down the Bones: Interview Questions For Your Characters - The Secret Self

I found another great handout. This one is going to be hard to put in my own words because they are interview questions for your characters. The worst part is there is no author listed. I know it is from the 80-90's. So lets dive in. This is another one I'm going to break up into sessions so I don't overpower with too much info.

The Secret Self:

1.) What is your character keeping secret?

2.) What is your character lying about , ven if it only to themselves?

3.) How well does the character know themselves? Do they like themselves?

4.) What does your character secretly love?

5.) A casual acquaintance describes your character's personality? How would that discription be wrong? Why?

6.) In what situation is your character's self-esteem most at risk?

7.) In what sort of situation is your character scared?

8.) In what sort of situation is your character brave?

9.) How well do your character's friends know your character? Are they easy to know?

10.) What does your character's lover know about the character that no one else does? What kind of power does this give your character's lover?

I'm Back and Recharged!

OMG, I love my brother-in-law! I rarely talk about my personal life here but I've been the caregiver for my mother-in-law for several years. Then this last year my mother decided to get into the act by falling a bit more than she should. The last fall cost her 16 stitches and a stay in the hospital. Between the two of them I have been a very busy girl.

My view from the hotel

My B-I-L saw what I was going through and decided I needed a vacation so he sent me on vacation! To Aruba! He paid my way to join my sister and her friends for about a week. It gave me a chance to relax and not worry about anything.

We spent our days at the beach and talking about so many things. Mostly the goofy things everyone had said or done over the years. I started to get an idea. We went out to eat and more stories were told. I heard crazy comments, and found unique ways at looking at things and that idea started to bloom.

the person who looks like he's floating on air is standing 

on a board that is attached to the jetski that is sending 

water through a tube that lifts him up in the air.

By the time we were on our way back home and I eavesdropped on a few conversations I had a full blown story. This one will be way off what I normally write. No romance, no futuristic or SF, and no erotic. This one will be a humor book. A family going on vacation and all these crazy things will happen to them. Kind of like the Vacation movies, but my spin will be these are real things that happened to real people.  My characters will be based off of a blend of people I know too. I've already started it.

I wonder if my brother-in-law can take it off on his taxes since I'm using what I saw and heard as research for this book.

* both images came from my cell