Never Give Up

As a writer I encounter all kinds of people, often very well-meaning, who do or say things that I find discouraging. It might be a critique partner. It might be a contest judge. It might be a rejection letter. Writing for other people, rather than just for oneself, opens up a writer to all kinds of opportunity for heartache.

A friend of mine, after critiquing someone else’s writing, got back the complaint, “I feel like you just told me my baby is ugly.”

Whose fault is that? The critique partner? Maybe. She might have been un-diplomatic or un-gentle about her criticism. More likely it’s the fault of the writer for taking offense and worse, lashing out at her critique partner. If you can’t take criticism, you don’t have any business trying to get published. Sure it hurts. Sometimes, after years of writing, entering contests, and submitting, I still get my feelings hurt. I cry. I pout. I rage. I eat chocolate. Then I roll up my sleeves, take a second, and hopefully objective, look at the criticism, and ask myself if there’s any truth in their words. Sometimes no. Sometimes yes.

The point is to not give up. If, at some point in the race, you fall down and skin your knees, get up, dust yourself off, put on a Band-Aid, get a kiss from your Mommy (or whoever is in your corner cheering you on), and get back into the race.

Persistence will eventually pay off. And sweet victory will follow.

And the fun begins

I'm new to The Wild Roses Press and extremely new to blogging. I had to ask my teenage daughter all about it and she's like "Mum! You do this and this and then that ..." Hmmm. I think of myself as pretty up to date with technology but blogging just stumps me.

I'm currently up to day three of 50k's in 30 days, the Australian version of NaNoRiMo where I've challenged myself to write 50 000 words in 30 days. It's no mean feat! My hero won't behave ... he keeps sneaking in unauthorised touches and kisses and the heroine is aghast! He's also meant to be dead but you try telling him that. Plus my cat makes covert dashes across my keyboard trying to attack my fingers as I type. If he's not doing that, he's sitting in front of the screen and I can't see a thing ... or pressing the tab key ... He's a naughty boy!

I'm very excited about being signed to The Wild Roses Press and I can't wait to see my book cover and all those other good things. Keep an eye out for it - Illusions of Destiny.

K

Reading romance novels aid weight loss?

~ Lynette Rees~

I don't know where I read this, but I wonder if it's true. Can reading romance novels help keep you slim? And if so, how does this concept work?

The only thing I can think of that makes any sense, is that reading romance novels can give the reader a sense of well being. The Happy Ever After ending is the normal prerequisite in this type of novel, so consequently, this might make the reader feel more content with life which in turn stops them dipping into the biscuit barrel.

On the other hand, I suppose the reverse could happen. What if a woman is married to a couch potato who belches, scratches his balls and refuses to get off his backside as she serves him hand, foot and finger. What if the lady in question reads of this fantastic, have-a-go hero with rippling muscles and a well toned torso who f***s like a dynamo. She glances at the couch potato realising that she's spent her best years with a man who cares very little for her.





Does she do a * Shirley Valentine and go searching for her own hero or settle for what she's got, pull out a packet or two of potato chips, a box of chocolates, a bottle of Strongbow cider and join her Mr. Couch Potato [ala Wayne and Waynetta]?





I plan to give the * Romance Reader Diet a go. I intend to read as many romances as I can lay my sticky little fingers on over the next couple of weeks and I'll let you know if I end up like Waynetta Slob or Winona Riding.

Watch this space...

Tears on My Keyboard

Okay, I admit it. I'm a hopeless romantic.

I've been working on my latest manuscript, Joshua's Hope, and just knew that tonight I'd be able to write that final scene. I have to admit that the last few scenes I wrote were so emotional that I could only write one at a time. Tonight I actually cried as I wrote the ending scene.

Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever gotten so wrapped up in your characters and your story that you were sucked in so deeply that you felt every single emotion?

I'm elated that it's finished, and I'm praying that it really is as good as it felt.

Carol Ann Erhardt

Hit and Run, romantic suspense - Crimson Rose Line
Foxfire, romantic suspense - Crimson Rose Line

Inspiration

Sometimes I'm inspired by the weirdest things. Scenes play out in my mind when I see a person that interests me, or see people doing something that makes me wonder what their lives might be like. I believe most writers do the same thing. It's that creative piece of our brain that tells us we have to write a specific story.

Well, today, coming home from church, I saw this beautiful cardinal in our neighbor's yard. I've seen him, and you can't convince me it isn't the same bird, in our yard and in various places nearby over the past few weeks. I began to imagine looking closely at a bird's spread wing...at all the little bones and soft and vivid coloring, the incredible softness of the feathers and I feel inspired to write something. I'm not sure what it will be, but I'm being called.

Being a pantster is so much fun, because not only do I have the pleasure of doing something I love (write), but also to be surprised at what is going to come from placing fingers on keyboard.

Carol Ann

Ideas

I’m sure every writer has been asked where they get their ideas. And how those ideas turn into a story. I know I have. Interestingly enough, I find that a rather difficult question to answer. Probably because, for me, there isn’t any distinct process.

I've given it some thought, and decided to share. Lucky you. :o)

The basis for my ideas is an imaginative, creative mind. I’ll see something, or experience something, and all of a sudden, thoughts start tumbling. It’s like a snowball rolling down the hill. Pretty soon, one tiny germ of a thought has coalesced into a mini movie in my head. Without even trying, a scene is complete.

Well, any writer knows it doesn’t stop there. Because even though the snowball grew, all we’ve got is the head of our snowman—a scene—so our creation is nowhere near complete. We need a torso—arms, legs, and facial features. And for anyone that’s ever built a snowman, you know that generally the torso is made up of more snow, but we can get really creative with the arms, legs, and features. So, let’s assume those elements are our voice. We can take an idea—and it may be something that’s already been done—and make it uniquely ours.

You see? We take our idea, then we have to start adding elements. If you’re writing romance, you need to decide on a conflict between your main characters; you need to know their goals and motivation. What will be their black moment? The situation that could tear them apart. What will ultimately bring them back together?

Let me give you an example. A teaser, if you will.

Recently, while eating a hotdog, I dropped mustard. I work at home, and was pacing while eating. Naturally, this couldn’t happen downstairs on the hardwood, it had to happen upstairs on the off-white carpet. (No kids!) As I’m scrubbing the carpet, cursing that the one time I drop food and it makes it past my bust, it has to land on my carpet, and it has to be mustard! Was I thinking about a story idea at that moment? Nope. But one popped into my head. Suddenly I have a heroine eating a hotdog, and she gets mustard on her chest. Hmm, where would she be? Where would one walk around eating a hotdog? My brain starts filling in the blanks. A few days later, I sit down, write a short story, and eventually sell it. You’ll have to buy it to learn how my snowman turned out!

So, while my example may sound simplistic, that’s the way it happens for me. What about you? Where do your ideas come from?

Also posted at www.ellefredrix.blogspot.com