Blog Chain: My own worst enemy

Michelle started this blog chain round. She wants us to:

Be positive! Name some of the positive aspects of your writing — be it a compliment from a mentor, friend or crit partner to anything special you learned concerning your writing skills.

I thought I'd feel pretty good the first time I stepped in front of a crowd with a microphone. For years, my friends and family had told me I had some pretty good vocal chops.

Much to my surprise, I felt pretty bad about my performance when the night ended.

I came in too early on the first verse of "Barracuda." I missed my cue after the solo in "Blue on Black." I sang the wrong words on my band's first original tune.

Despite falling flat on my face (not literally, of course, that would have been the one thing that kept me from ever stepping on stage again), I had total strangers approach me after the show with words of praise. They hadn't noticed my flaws.

That night I learned how true the old axiom was.

"You are your own worst critic."

Sometimes it's really hard to keep that in mind when my writing is in question.

So it's always exciting (and appreciated) when friends and writing peers offer compliments.

I've been told that the emotional elements in my writing is off the charts.

I loved it when one friend told me she couldn't stop crying when she read one of my stories. (I'm a little sadistic like that.)

I loved it when the guy that owns the convenience store down the street asked if he could read one of my attempts at women's fiction and then called me a few days later to tell me, "You can write, girl!"

I love it when I share my story ideas with my cousin and she gets excited for me.

It almost made me cry when another writer told me Long Road had a level of meaning of her that I would never fully know.

Wow. That was pretty cool.

Perhaps the most satisfying comment -- the one that taught me a good lesson on subjectivity -- came when I entered a Secret Agent contest on a popular blog for aspiring writers. The agent slammed my entry, didn't say one positive thing about it.

Later that evening, though, another writer left her thoughts on the entry. She said she felt the agent was way off base. I emailed her to thank her for her kind words, and she replied with more encouragement. Since then, that newbie writer has made it to the NYT bestseller list.

It is oftentimes uncomfortable to accept a compliment. It's even more discomforting to repeat them in a setting such as this.

But gosh, think about this: Would you still be writing without receiving some sort of positive encouragement?

Check out what Abby said yesterday. Sandra weighs in with her compliments tomorrow.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

Blog Chain: Keep on keepin' on

Laura started the blog chain this round. She asks: What keeps you going (either trying to get an agent or to get published or finish that WIP that's kicking your butt) when you know the odds are stacked way against you?

Last night, my husband and I sat in the entrance of the garage watching the sunset. (Hey, they don't call it Sunset Street for nothin'.)

As the rich scent of fresh-cut grass rose into the air, we shared stories about our day.

I told him about the phony story about the 1,200-pound aligator in a nearby river onto which someone had slapped my byline and sent floating around cyberia via email.

He told me about the request his boss had received the day before. Apparently, someone had stolen the garage door on the truck bay of an abandoned business. The owner of the building wanted the hole boarded up. (Really? What kind of person steals a garage door?)

We laughed together as we recalled the events of Mother's Day, when he -- on a dare -- stuck his head in a room of blue hairs playing Bingo at the local Legion Club and called out, "BINGO!"

We drank big cups of ice water, petted the dog, watched one kid play across the street and waited for the other to come home from a school function.

It was, by mine and my husband's standards, a perfect night.

And that's the problem.

I often become complacent with my life, which I've discovered is a dangerous thing when you still have dreams that are unfulfilled.

More and more, I find myself asking the questions Laura asked, "Why should I put myself through the torture that comes with rejection? Why should I bother putting so much effort into something that might never see the light of day?"

But the answer to those questions always come to me in the hush of twilight, as I teeter on the brink of a dreamless sleep: "Because you love the words."

It's not much, but I guess that's what keeps pulling me back to those lofty goals.

What about you?

Check out what Abby said yesterday. Sandra is up next.

Blog Chain: Out of my mind

This is my dog, Bruizer. If anything, he drives me out of my
mind, but I thought it was a funny picture so I added it.

Margie started this round with the question: How do you get in the mindset of your genre? Do you research people or facts? Do you just reach into the recesses of your mind for events that would make a good story? Something else?”


The answer, for me, is simple really. I write women's fiction. Since I'm a woman, I'm already deeply entrenched in that particular mindset.

The characters and stories come fairly easily for me. They're kind of a mutation and exaggeration of personal experiences, dreams and nightmares.

I've found the hardest part about writing in the genre of women's fiction is developing a voice that is interesting enough to be appreciated without becoming too flowery.

It's a fine line, one I wasn't able to toe until I started reading lots and lots (and lots and lots and lots) of works by writers within that genre.

I find myself stressing out a lot more over the right word or turn of a phrase than I do with character or scene development. Putting my writing aside for awhile and letting the influence of accomplished authors helps keep me in the right mindset.

Don't forget to check out what Abby had to say yesterday. Sandra is up tomorrow.

Blog Chain: Quiet! I can't hear my muse

Eric started this blog chain with: When was the last time you just sat down and started writing, with nothing but a whisper of an idea to guide you? Did you find it easy to do or did you find yourself struggling for a more organized story?


The first time I participated in NaNoWriMo I meant to sit down and write this nice little story I'd been plotting for quite some time in my head.

When I sat down at the computer, however, something else came out. I've written about it in past blogs, the story about Penny Solomon and her quest for revenge.

I had to admit I was surprised by the ease with which the story came together. I think the story flowed very well. The plot points were there, and when I started sharing the basic premise with some of my coworkers and friends, they were excited.

But I recently deleted the entire file.

Yep. 62,000 words. Poof. Gone. Dissolving someplace in binary limbo.

Why?

I believe that, as writers, our main characters are reflections of little pieces of ourselves. And, if that's the case, Penny was a really dark and ugly part of myself I didn't want to reflect upon.

I'm sure I'll rewrite the story with a main character that's a little more filtered. I'm sure the plot points will remain similar. It's still a story I get excited about.

I think writing from just a whisper of an idea has the potential to create some really good stories, but I've learned from that experience that, for me, it creates more work in the long run.

The bad news is I'm late posting this round, so check out what Abby had to say on Saturday. The good news is, you can go to to Sandra's blog and see what she has to say about it right now!

Blog Chain: How Kat gets her groove back

It's time for the blog chain again. Cole started this round. She wants to know what hobbies, tips, or techniques do you have for keeping your writerly battery charged?

I just left me writing goals up in the air for about a year, so I know a little bit about burnout.

There are several distractions I turn to when I need a break from the writerly world. Each of them are season-oriented.

Right now, my distractions are here:

I inherited a green thumb from my grandmother. This is one of the nine flower/rock gardens that live in my front and back yards. Each requires a lot of mulch, a lot of water, a lot of weeding and a lot of time.

The peace I find in willing seeds from the earth and playing in the dirt somehow centers me, helps me fall deep into thought about characters, their lives and their world.

I love it.

When the temperature and humidity gets to be too much during the summer months, I start working on things like this:

I'm sure you've all seen this before. It's the music video for the song I wrote and recorded with my husband, Dana.

I've always had a passion for music, and it's a great tool for digging up inspiration.

In the fall, it's this:

College football.

I'm a junkie. Seriously.

It's not just Cornhusker football either. To other college football fans it might seem odd, but I've been known to cheer my butt off for the Oklahoma Sooners and whoever is beating Kansas State and Missouri. (Sorry Purple Kitty and Tiger fans.)

I'm not sure if watching college football rejuvenates or drains my creative juices. It certainly forces me to take a break from the writing process, which sometimes writers don't allow themselves enough time to do.

In the winter, I can usually be found on one of these:

Nasty pieces of...wait. I love my elliptical.

I love it.

Love it.

Love it.
(Whatever you gotta tell yourself, right?)

In all honesty, hooking up with some good tunes and getting back on a hardcore exercise program has probably done more to get my creative juices flowing than anything else. The first seven minutes is the hardest, but by the time I'm 20 minutes into a 60-minute elliptical run, I'm so immersed in a make believe world that I forget how much I hate exercise. (I mean I love exercise.)

So that's about it for me.

Don't forget to check out what Abby says about her pastimes. Tomorrow, Sandra will tell us about hers.

What about you?

Blog Chain: Brown Chicken, Brown Cow

I’m not much of a basketball fan. I’m even less of a country music fan.

But I love following the sports teams from my alma mater, and the boys’ team from my old high school had a shot to win its first-ever state title last week. I figured I could endure 20 minutes of pickin’ and grinnin’ while waiting for the game to come on the radio.

I had a job to do anyway. It was my turn to pick a topic for the blog chain, and I wanted to come up with something good.

That’s when inspiration hit in the form of a Trace Adkins’ song: “Brown Chicken, Brown Cow.”

Now, if you don’t know the song, the phrase might seem like gibberish. So let me explain: According to the online urban dictionary, Brown Chicken, Brown Cow is the onomatopoeic (Look, my favorite word!) imitation of the guitar riff commonly heard in the naughty movies of the 1970s.

Brown Chicken, Brown Cow (Trust me, you’ll be singing that all day now.)

While it was not the most intelligent little ditty I’d ever heard, I had to admit it gave me an idea for a topic that will take the blog chain into virgin territory. (Yeah, that was a pun.)

How do you feel about love scenes? As a reader, are you put off by the gratuitous? As a writer, do you shy away from spelling out the down-and-dirty? Or do you write until your computer lights a cigarette?

My opinion on writing love scenes has evolved over the years. In my earliest (read: most embarrassing) fiction, I avoided scenes of intimacy because I didn’t feel comfortable putting such thoughts down on paper. Of course, I was in high school and probably worried my mom would happen upon one of them. (No, Mom, it wasn’t written from experience.)

As I matured and began viewing sex for the natural act it is, I developed the ability to write the word “penis” without blushing. I also started to realize how that natural act can be the source of huge trouble for characters that can’t control their urges.

But that doesn’t mean I’m writing the type of fiction found in Penthouse Forum. (Wait, that’s not fiction? Whaaaat?)

I have an immense appreciation for authors who can write efficient, yet passionate, scenes of intimacy that are relevant to the story without being raunchy. I think the writers who do that best are the ones whose characters are well-developed; their needs, goals and the purpose of the scene is clearly established.

That’s what I look for as a reader. That’s what I strive for as a writer.

There’s probably a place for tawdry scenes that go into detail about every lustful moan, but I’d never feel comfortable submitting something like that to an agent or editor.

After all, my Mom might read this stuff someday.

What are your thoughts?

Find out what other writers on the chain have to say, starting with Sandra tomorrow.



*** Congrats to the 2011 NCHS boys basketball team for winning the first state title in school history. Go Knights!***

Blog Chain: In spite of myself

Sarah started this blog chain by asking: What has been the most unexpected part of your writing journey up to this point? What has happened that you could never have predicted? Has it been a help or a hindrance?

I wrote my first novella-length story when I was about 12-years old.

I'd never share it with anyone now because it would be a lesson in embarrassment I don't think I need (especially after my last post about Richard Chamberlain). But at the time, I was pretty proud of it. I shared it with some of my classmates who one day blurted to our English teacher, "Kathy wrote a book."

Yeah, thanks guys.

Apparently, my English teacher, Mrs. Stewart, was intrigued. She asked if she could see it. Like I said, at the time I was proud of it and wanted to show it off. So I gave it to her.

When Mrs. Stewart returned it, she said something like, This is really good, Kathy. I think if you continue to work at it and polish your skills, you could be a published writer someday.

Wow! What ultra-nerdy junior high girl doesn't want to hear that? Mrs. Stewart's encouragement rocketed me into the upper atmosphere for days. I went around telling people that one day I'd be a great novelist.

My friends believed it. My family believed it. (Or at least it appeared as if they did.)

Then I went to my cousin, God bless her, to get a haircut and told her of my newfound goal in life: "I've written a story, and my teacher says she thinks I could be published someday."

My cousin, God bless her, quickly brought me back down to earth with a laugh and a, "Published? Yeah, right. Do you know how hard it is to get a book published? I don't think so."

I interpretted her response as a lack of faith in me. But I didn't let it discourage me.

In fact, it set me on this ambitious pursuit to write The Great American Novel . . . and get it published. The funny thing about it is I think, as time went on, I pursued that goal simply out of spite.

Then last year, my husband had to be hospitalized, which ended up with me getting treated for an anxiety disorder. (BTW: How is that fair?) My doctor prescribed medicine that stripped me of the desire to string words together much less the ability to dip myself into a world of fictional characters.

Oh it sucked. Big time.

But while I was on that medication, I had a lot of time to search my soul and fine tune the goals I truly wanted to achieve in life.

For the first time since I was 12, I found myself asking the question: Do I really want to be a published writer? Does my heart really desire publication or is it something I've pursued all of these years because someone -- who probably has no recollection of that seemingly trivial conversation -- doubted I could do it?

I never could have predicted the answer I found: I don't know.

I don't know because the road to publication is fraught with heartache and fright and unexpected twists and turns. It's not that I can't endure such a road. I have little doubt in myself; I know I write "good enough" stories.

But the knowledge of such a rough journey has taken away the peace I find while escaping into those fictional worlds. That knowledge has become a hindrance when I sit down to write.

Is it worth it? I'm sure the published writers out there are screaming, "Hell yeah, Kat, do it!"

But I still don't know. Thankfully, I'm holding onto that spite. It just might get me onto the bookshelf someday.

What about your journey?

Check out what Abby said yesterday. Sandra is up next.

Blog Chain: Nothin' says lovin' like somethin' from the oven

Shaun dragged us into the Valentine's Day trap when he asked the blog chain gang: Who is your favorite literary couple and why?

Warning: I am to Valentine's Day what Ebenezer Scrooge was to Christmas before the spirits visited the miserable ol' tight wad.

That doesn't mean a good love story won't make me swoon and sigh.

And no story makes me sigh more than (careful, I'm showing my age here) the 1977 Aussie tale of forbidden love between Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph in "The Thorn Birds" by Colleen McCullough.

To be honest, I saw the mini series on TV long before I read the book. My cousin, Jill, could tell you a really embarrassing story about my fascination with Richard Chamberlain (She better not, but I bet my blog post title made her laugh until she cried). My co-worker, Sheryl, could probably tell you how I fell into a deep depression when Richard Chamberlain broke my heart by coming out of the closet.

Thankfully, I'd read the book and managed to create my own mental image of Meggie and Father Ralph before the man who portrayed him on screen announced his loyalty to the all-male team. (I'm not bitter. Really.)

I can't really explain why Meggie and Father Ralph are my favorite literary couple. I mean, when you really think about it, the story is very twisted and wrong.

After all, Father Ralph is a priest, so he's already "married to God." Very few writers can pull off making a married man a worthy hero.

There's also the fact that Father Ralph watches Meggie grow up. Considering the somewhat recent scandals in the Catholic church, the story has the potential to conjure some pretty heebie-jeebie images.

But I'm a sucker for stories of forbidden love. I'm a sucker for strong, stubborn heroines. And I'm a sucker for stories that leave me with an unsettled, unfinished feeling.

That's what Father Ralph and Meggie give me.

So who is your favorite literary couple?

Find out what Abby said yesterday. Come back tomorrow to see what Sandra has to say.

Blog Chain: An empty box of soap

iThis round was started by Amanda, who asked: Are you a good social networker? What aspect of platform building do you focus on the most? Which aspects freak you out?

Go ahead. Call me jaded.

A couple of years ago, I jumped on the social-networking, platform-building bandwagon. I'd do a yippee-skippy happy dance when my blog or Twitter account gained a new follower. I'd giggle with delight when I acquired a new friend on Facebook.

At least, I did this until my family threatened to have me committed me for dancing and giggling in front of my computer at random moments.

Just kidding. (It was my co-workers who threatened me.)

Ever since then. . .OK my co-workers didn't threaten me either. But, for some unexplained reason, my interest in social networking has waned over the past year.

I rarely blog. (I can make up a lot of excuses, but the truth is I just haven't had anything important to say.)

I never Tweet. (You don't care that I ate M&Ms for breakfast.)

I haven't even posted a non-work related YouTube video for months.

About the only thing I still do is Facebook. I often update my status, add new friends and keep up with others there. Facebook offers a more direct interaction between people. It helps form stronger relationships that may be more beneficial if I should ever need that coveted word-of-mouth boost about my book's release day.

(No news here. I'm not even in the market for an agent at the moment.)

I try not to think about the countless strangers who have the ability to peak into my life through the magic of cyberia. That would be my biggest freak-out-out aspect about platform building.

Part of my jadedness about the publishing world started with the whole idea of fiction writers building a platform. Unfortunately, I just took a bath and my empty soapbox probably wouldn't sustain the weight of a lengthy rant. So all I will say is a good writer with a good story, a good amount of ambition and the right amount of luck or faith will eventually be read.

What's your take on social networking and platforms?

Check out what Abby said yesterday. Then come back tomorrow to see what Sandra has to say.

Blog Chain: Tiny Titans and Turtle Shells

This blog chain was started by Sandra who wants to know: What do you think your strengths and weaknesses as a writer are? Did you have to develop your strengths, or did they come naturally to you? How are you trying to overcome your weaknesses?

I'm the last one to post. And I'm a couple of days late. (Yeah, I'm on the ball. Thanks.) Abby posted before me.

If someone had asked me this question last year, my answers would be totally different than the ones I'm writing today.

At that time, I was unsure of my abilities as a writer. I thought my biggest weakness was my ability to start something new, to come up with fresh ideas.

I would have said my strengths as a writer are those that aid a person in all facets of life: self confidence, ambition, tenacity, and a desire to reach my goals. Those are definitely qualities a successful writer needs to possess, right?

Pardon me while I digress a little with this story. My daughter got her wisdom teeth removed on Friday. Her mouth is small, and the teeth were impacted. It was quite an extensive surgery she had to endure to have them removed.

I have spent the last three weeks dreading this surgery. When I had my wisdom teeth removed at 19, I ended up with dry sockets. Since then, I've maintained that I'd rather go through childbirth again -- without drugs -- before I'd choose to endure something like that again.

So watching my child go through it has really brought out the mother hen in me. I've spent almost every waking hour of the past four days with my teen. Most of that time, we've spent playing MarioKart. It's a great game, but I hate getting bombed by the spiny, winged turtle shells. They flip my Tiny Titan kart up in the air and my Mii's arms and head flail and wobble. It always take awhile to reorient myself and get back in the race.

That's kind of the way I've felt the past few months. Life bombed me with one of those spiny, winged turtle shells, and my world became discombobulated. (I love that word.) I started doubting the facets I thought had been my strengths, and I keep telling myself, "At least when I regain those strengths, I'll have the other part mastered."

That's true. In the time that I've spent trying to regain some of my ambition, self-confidence, motivation and desire to write -- my current weaknesses -- I've put together a notebook full of story and character outlines. No more fear of the blank page for me.

But if anyone has any tips on how to regain the strengths I lost, I'm all ears.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Blog Chain: Going Postal

Michelle started the December blog chain with this challenge:

In 100 words or less, write a story using the words ride, post, soulless, local, dehydrator, girdle. Your story may take on any form you wish. The only two rules are 1. you can't simply list the 6 words; you must actually craft them into something creative, and 2. you must use ALL six of them.

Here's what I came up with:

It's true, what grandma said, Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed. I should've climbed back under the covers when the only clean undergarments I could find this morning were polka-dotted panties that ride up my rear and a girdle that cuts off circulation to my legs.

It's just a trip to the local post office, I told myself.

But now here I stand in line while little cherry-nosed Santas wink at me from the gift wrap covering my sister’s food dehydrator and some soulless creep with a gun demands justice.

* * * * * *

What did you come up with?

Check out what "the other Michelle" posted before me, and the come back tomorrow to see what kind of magic Margie works.

Blog Chain: Not even gonna think about it

Kate started the blog chain this time around with an assignment that makes me feel kind of bad as a writer.



She would like us to finish this sentence: Books are...



I feel bad because with Thanksgiving coming up

with Christmas on my mind

with my oldest daughter in one-act

with my youngest daughter building a volcano for her science class

with my husband working more hours in a week than he has in a long time

with Sarah Palin visiting my hometown on Saturday

with college football season nearing bowl season



and my daughter's high school team in the state championship game

with videos to edit and stories to write for the paper....

BOOKS ARE....the furthest thing from my mind right now.

And the guilt is killing me.

But someday I'll get back to those characters.



I promise.


Now visit Michelle and see what "Books are..." to her and don't forget to visit the awesome Christine (whose book news just keeps getting better and better) to see what "Books are..." to her.

What about you? What are books to you?

Blog Chain: A matter of priority

It's blog chain time again. Laura asked: Regarding your writing career, what’s the best mistake you’ve ever made and why?

Several months ago, I probably would have said my best mistake involved querying my first ms too soon. Not only did it lead to the realization that my first drafts aren't bricks of gold, it lead me to a great group of writing peers that would provide valuable knowledge and feedback.

But many changes have occurred in the past several months. Those changes have made me re-evaulate the priorities in my life. In that re-evaluation I discovered the worst mistake in my writing career has been focusing so heavily on the fictional characters that in my head that I've missed some great moments with the main characters in my life -- my daughters.

I hear you. You're saying, "But the question was what has been the best mistake -- regarding your writing career -- you've ever made and why?"

Well, the best mistake could not be happening without having made the worst mistake.

In case you haven't noticed, my blog posts have been few and far between lately. It's not just my blog that has been neglected. I've turned my computer on in the past few weeks only to access my music collection (and there were those two interviews I did for work). I haven't typed or sent a query or a synopsis. I haven't built a world. I haven't even cracked into the mind of a character in months. The only writing I've managed to squeeze in has been done with a ballpoint pen in my journal at the end of the day.

Sometimes it feels wrong. Sometimes I hear that voice in the back of my mind nagging me to get back to my computer. Sometimes it feels like a big mistake to put writing on the back burner. Some people might even call my recent acts of neglect a form of writerly career suicide.

Then I think about how rewarding it has been to live my life for real instead of vicariously through characters, and I realize it's been the best mistake so far.

I mean, fictional characters will be there forever, but my daughters will only be young once.

Michelle posted before me. Find out what Christine has to say about her mistakes tomorrow.

Blog Chain: Tell me where it hurts (so I can make it hurt more)

Shannon brought up this blog chain topic:

Imagine this: when you are gone, readers will remember your writing most for just one of these things: your characters, your plots, your settings, or your style. Which (only one!) would you prefer over the rest? Why?

Fascinating question.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about it. I've gone so far as to examine my favorite aspects of the authors I believe I will remember most when they are gone.

But I hit a dead end because I like different authors for different reasons, and I don't read and write for the same reasons.

So I started thinking about why I started writing in the first place.

I accomplished the initial goal I'd set for my writing -- to have my words touch someone so deeply they'd cry -- by creating a character whose emotional pain was so great readers felt it in their gut.

I got a kick out of having that control over people's emotions. (Yeah. Go ahead. Call me a bully.)

So I figure if I can't get out of life alive it would be cool if my characters could stick around in people's heads for awhile after I'm gone to do my bidding. (Insert evil laugh here.)

What would you choose and why?

Find out what Michelle said yesterday. Tune in at Christine's place tomorrow to see if her plan is as diabolical as mine.

Blog Chain: Where did that come from?

Margie started this blog chain with a two-part question: How did you come to write your YA genre (e.g. contemp, fantasy, etc.)? AND (yep, it’s a 2 parter), if you weren’t writing that, what genre would you be interested in exploring?

I write women's fiction. I think it's because I've never been the kind of girl to live in the moment. In fact, up until about two years ago, I lived about 20 years ahead of my age.

When my cousins and I were very young, we'd get together at my grandparents house, where the daily routine included a healthy dose of Days of Our Lives and Another World. (Grandma calls them "her stories.") We probably weren't supposed to watch, but as young girls, it's very easy to get sucked into such drama.

When the parents or grandparents finally shooed us outside to play, my cousins and I would come up with an elaborate make believe soap-opera type story to play out. My grandparents lived on a farm with huge orchards, pastures and gardens, so we'd lose ourselves in whatever make believe world we had created.

It was awesome, and the stories we came up with evolved with our ages and crushes.

During my grade school and early junior high years, I'd visit my twin cousin (that's a cousin with whom you're so close you might as well be twin siblings) in Kansas, and we'd set up a make believe lounge called "Knights" in the basement.

In our pretend world there, Duran Duran would stop in for a guest appearance. She'd fall in love with one band member; I'd fall for another. Then they'd whisk us off to happily-ever-after land. (After seeing this in black and white, my twin cousin may never talk to me again.)

Unfortunately, I came to a fork in the road of life. One direction allowed me to continue playing out such elaborate fantasies but included funny looks from strangers and a padded cell at the local asylum. The other direction allowed me to continue thinking about elaborate soap opera-type stories and living them out on paper.

That choice was easy.

Voila! A writer of women's fiction was born.

As for Part II of Margie's question, if I wasn't writing women's fiction, I'd be writing paranormal stories. Oddly enough, a good ghost story was one of the only things that could distract me and my cousins from playing make-believe. (Well, that and our parents.)

Don't miss the response Michelle H. answered yesterday.

Check out Christine's response tomorrow.

Blog Chain: Why does this have to be so hard?

Eric started the blog chain this time with the awesome topic: What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of being a writer? What is your greatest reward from writing?

My mom always told me, "Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it."

It's true. I'm living proof that a wish can come back to bite you in the butt. (I'll spare you the teethmarks.)

When I was younger, I only wanted to write.

That's it.

I loved writing so much as a pastime that I wanted a day job that involved writing, too.

So that's what I yearned for, prayed for, wished for.

And that's what I got.

I'm a news writer by day, fiction writer by night.

I don't mean to be a Negative Nelly, but sometimes it sucks.

Don't get me wrong. I love my job and I love my hobby. And I'd be lying if I said one doesn't compliment the other.

But it's really easy to burn out.

In fact, I've been struggling with that issue for almost a year now, and sometimes the temptation to give up the fiction aspect of writing nearly overwhelms me.

Thankfully, the voice of reason has always stepped in to remind me how much I like daydreaming about characters and exploring what-ifs. I love the feeling of finding just the right word. I especially love it when a phrase turns in a such a way that I have to catch my breath.

So far, those rewards have made the struggle with burnout worthwhile.

What are your biggest struggles and rewards?

Check out what Michelle said before me. Don't forget to visit Christine's blog tomorrow to see what she says about challenges and rewards.

Blog Chain: Do over

I feel rested after my time away, but it's so great to be back on the blog chain again.. This time around, Sarah asked:

How do you handle revisions? Do you revise as you're writing, or do you wait until you've gone through beta readers and crit partners to revise? How soon after you finish do you begin your revisions?
I don't know why, but this question kind of reminds me of one of the choices you have to make when buying a Powerball ticket.

Would you like your winnings in one lump sum or parceled out over a period of 30 years? I don't buy lottery tickets very often, but when I do, I choose the lump sum. (It's an instant gratification thing. Well, it would be if I ever won.)

I choose to handle my revisions in the same way -- one lump sum. But it has nothing to do with instant gratification. For me, it's about seeing the bigger picture as quickly and clearly as possible.

It also has a lot to do with the way my first drafts are born. I don't write consecutive chapters. I write whatever scene is most vivid in my head at the time, and then piece them together like a puzzle as I go.

It's not really as complicated as it might seem because I do frame the story before I begin writing. (So it's more like a kids puzzle than one of those 150,000,000-piece pains in the butt that my husband and kids leave scattered across the living room floor every once in awhile.)

As I'm writing, I'll let myself mull over other scenes that I've written. Most of the time, the scenes or characters need to be tweaked so they fit with the story. Once the tweakage (teehee I just made a word) has been completed, I'll put the hard copy aside for a few weeks while I think of ways to tighten the scenes, ramp up the tension and give the characters depth.

I usually don't let beta readers see my writing until I'm confident about the pacing and characterization. After it has been shredded by betas, I'll go back to the drawing board for another round of revisions.

How do you handle revisions?

Check out what the mah-velous Michelle Hickman said before me. The ever-cool Eric is up next.

Blog Chain: You're a bad, bad girl, Kat Harris

Sandra gaves us a choice of blog topics this time around. I chose this one:

Have you ever created a character different from yourself in some significant way, such as (but not limited to) different gender, race, ethnic group, religion, or sexual orientation? If so, what, if any, research did you do to portray these differences? Was this character a main character, secondary character, or walk-on? Did these differences have an impact on the story?

It was a tradition at my high school. Every year, during prom, a couple of students would read the list of wills and prophecies the junior class had created for the seniors.

I dreaded thinking about what they had written for me. It was a small school. I was a bit of a wallflower. And even wallflowers stand out at small schools. At the time, the last thing I wanted to do was stand out.

So there I sat with my date, who was also my best friend's boyfriend (figure that one out), suppressing a panic attack as they read my will: "I, Kathryn Harris, bestow my lengthy criminal record to Ryan M."

It was brilliant. I didn't have a criminal record. I'd never had a detention. I probably hadn't even had a late assignment. On the other hand, Ryan M. had already had multiple run-ins with figures of authority.

As everyone laughed -- including myself -- I realized that the thing that stood out most about me was the fact that I did nothing to stand out.



Although this wallflower has blossomed a little bit over the years, not much has changed. I tend to live within the parameters established by my standards, my faith, my vows and my mom's guilt. (And that last one is like a brick wall.)

I'm pretty sure the everyday life of a suburban-dwelling, career-minded mother of two is not the stuff good books are made of. So, yes, my characters are significantly different from me.

One of my heroines comes from a trainwreck of a home, doesn't think twice about dropping the "F-bomb" and snorts coke like a celebrity at an after-party party. The other explodes out of her goody-two-shoes mold, has an affair that leads to attempted murder that leads to something much, much crazier. (But so much fun.)

There was not a lot of research involved in the creation of these characters. After living with an alcoholic for so many years, it wasn't difficult to get into the mindset of an addict. It was, however, uncomfortable the first time I realized that character's drug of choice was coke.

I'm also still trying to establish a comfort zone with the other heroine's promiscuity and to find a way of tactfully conveying that aspect of her life. I'm confident that eventually will happen.

I think, deep down, these two characters are the result of the years and years I've spent suppressing my bad-girl side. (Really? Did I just write that?) It's a way to get into trouble without actually breaking the law. It's a form of escapism and vicarious living.

And I suppose the differences between myself and my characters do have an impact on the story. But that's what makes the stories mine.

How are your characters different from you?

Check out what Michelle H. had to say about this topic before me. Also, don't miss what Christine has to say tomorrow.

Blog Chain: Suffering from comparison

Michelle McLean brought us this month's blog-chain topic.

Do you write for the market or for yourself? Why? Are there times you do both? Or times when you've written something specifically because it was "hot" at the moment? If so, how did it turn out?

I thought of poor Maggie Stiefvater when I read Michelle's question.

Several weeks ago, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton made the film adaptation of Stiefvater's book "Shiver" the topic of a blog post.
Insinuating the story/author/movie adaptation was riding the coattails of "Twilight" fame, Hilton -- who obviously hadn't read the book -- said "...(Shiver) sounds like it might be even stoopider than a sparkling vampire."

While many of Stiefvater's fans ripped him a new one for making the unqualified comparison, several more accepted Hilton's classification and dismissed "Shiver" as a Johnny-Come-Lately.

Not cool, Perez. Not.Cool.At.All.

I'm not going to mince words: Unqualified comparisons piss me off. But in this case it provided valuable lessons on how easily things can be labeled as a trend and how risky it could be if someone chose to follow one.

Don't get me wrong. It definitely pays for authors to be mindful of what's hot. Two of Jodi Picoult's books -- "19 Minutes" and "Perfect Match" -- gave a fictional face to a hot-button (read: trendy) political or social issue and put her on the best-seller list.

But authors need to be aware that it doesn't take much to saturate (and flood) the market with comparable stories.

Personally, I like Picoult's approach, putting characters in unique situations using popular (read: trendy) issues. I don't, however, consciously try to follow a literary market trend. That's too scary...scarier than vampires, werewolves and celebrity bloggers combined.

The Blog Chain has some new voices. Links to all of the Blog Chain members' blogs can be found beneath "The Chain Gang" heading on this page.

Be sure to check out what the marvelous Michelle Hickman had to say before me. And don't miss what the awesome Abby Annis has to say tomorrow.

Blog Chain: Say what?

It’s blog chain time again. Kate brought up the topic of dialogue.

What is dialogue? Do you enjoy writing dialogue? Do you use a lot of dialogue in your writing (for our purposes "a lot" will be defined as more than a smidge and yet not so much that the quotes key on your computer is completely worn out.)? Do you have example(s) of dialogue you especially enjoyed from something you've read? Do you have example(s) of dialogue from your own writing? What about these examples makes them special?


I love reading and writing dialogue. I think dialogue helps to propel a story forward -- if it's done effectively. Effective dialogue has a nice balance between the words characters speak, the body language they use and the way it grounds the reader in the setting.

The tricky thing about dialogue, however, is what may be effective to some may be distracting to others.

Using Mildred Taylor’s 1977 award-winning novel, “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry," I'm going to expand on the tag issues some of the other chain gang members talked about.

“Well, ole Little Man done got his Sunday clothes dirty,” T.J. laughed as we jumped down from the bank. Angry tears welled in Little Man’s eyes but he quickly brushed them away before T.J. could see them.

“Ah, shut up, T.J.,” Stacey snapped.

“Yeah, shut up, T.J.,” I echoed.

“Come on, Man,” Stacey said, “and next time do like I tell ya.”

Little Man hopped down from the bank. “How’s come they did that, Stacey, huh?” he asked, dusting himself off. “How’s come they didn’t even stop for us?”

“’Cause they like to see us run and it ain’t our bus,” Stacey said, balling his fists and jamming them tightly into his pockets.

“Well, where’s our bus?” demanded Little Man.

“We ain’t got one.”

“Well, why not?”

“Ask Mama.”

Through body language (balling fists, brushing away tears) and dialogue, Taylor gets her readers to see and feel so much about the story -- setting, age, emotion -- in less than 150 words.

It’s brilliant. I’ve adored this book since I was a little girl.

But there are things I don’t like about Taylor’s dialogue. For me, her tags – especially the word “demanded” – interrupt the flow of the scene.

A former UNL journalism professor used to tell the students in his classes that using anything other than “said” and “asked” to tag dialogue is the sign of a hack writer. That's pretty harsh. I’m not sure I’d be bold enough to call anyone a hack, especially a splendid writer like Taylor who has a Newbery Award to her credit.

But I know using generic tags like "asked" and "said" makes the dialogue smooth because readers’ eyes skim right over the top of them. Those words are so common, they don't need to be read and processed.

Tags like stated, exclaimed, squeaked and declared should be used sparingly. Personally, I like to avoid them as often as I can, like this snippet from the current WIP.

“You just seem, I don’t know,” I stammered, treading careful into volatile territory. “You’ve always struck me as kind of a loner type. Either that or you’ve been very deliberate in keeping your friends away from me.”

“I have not.” His tone bit.

“Well, I’ve never met…”

“What about T.J.? We played pool with him that night at the bar. Or were you too drunk to remember?”

I pursed my lips. Maybe the isolation had been my imagination.

Doug scowled at me until the gas pump clicked off. “If anyone has been deliberately guarded about us, it’s been you. I haven’t met anyone you know.”

“I don’t know anyone.”

“Really? What about the people you work with? Have you told them about us?”

I lowered my eyes. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a small town. Because Tam’s husband is a paramedic, and I know you know him.”

“Barely.”

“But we never go anywhere together.”

“Damn, Penny, we’re going somewhere right now. Quit being so dim.”

Doug sounds like a nice guy, huh? Not so much.

Now that this is officially the longest post on this blog, I’m going to turn things over to Christine. Don’t forget to check out what Eric had to say about dialogue yesterday.