Cara Brookins's Blog, page 10

A Writer’s Diary – Page 1

(Click image to View Video)

There is no recipe.

Writing a novel isn’t like baking a cake. It doesn’t matter if you do it once or a dozen times, you can be absolutely certain the next novel will be nothing like the others. Some novels require more technical research and others more world building. Of course everything gets easier with practice, so writers learn new ways to bribe themselves into long hours and bribe others into interviews, taste testers, or research helpers.

I am a problem solver and go into every novel determined that I will be fully prepared before I start writing. Still, every novel brings new challenges and rewards that send me searching for new tools to reach my goal.

Writers help writers.

The most valuable resource I’ve found for off-the-wall writing processes is other writers. It doesn’t matter how insane an idea sounds–I take notes! In the middle of a troublesome novel I might be willing to try singing my first chapter to the tune of “Getting Jiggy With It”.

In the spirit of idea sharing, I am experimenting with a video diary detailing my process through a new novel. This is not a how to video. It’s just a peek at how one author works her way through one particular novel from start to finish. Some of the methods I use are standard for every novel I write, and others are new for this work. Some should have never been tried in the first place and should never be tried again.

All of these videos are likely to be filmed after midnight, so don’t expect anything glamorous. I’ve had little experience with video editing. . . well, honestly this is my first experience with video editing. Don’t be surprised if a stray hiccup, dog bark, or washing machine end-cycle beep makes it into the take. Sit back and pretend we’re chatting over tea in my library because that’s what I am imagining.

I hope A Writer’s Diary offers something valuable to the pool of writer ideas. Check out Page 1: A Writer’s Diary – Cara Brookins.

How to Fall

I tend to jump into a project quickly. I have this idea that a creative endeavor is like a wave, and you have to leap at the right moment while the momentum is powerful enough to carry you along. The details are less important to me than the concept, and if too much time is spent working out those details, then the wave of momentum will pass and I’ll leap only to land flat on my belly in the sand with the bucket of carefully planned details spilling out around my toes.

I’m not saying any of this is in fact how life works; I’m saying it’s always been my idea of how things work. While some projects lend themselves well to this ‘look 5 seconds then leap’ philosophy, I also find myself under a lot of pressure at times. And often—I fail.

When my kids and I built our house and came up against a difficult task, say framing a diagonal wall with a doorway and plumbing to consider, I tended to say, “just bring me ten pieces of lumber, I’ll work it out.” The worst thing that could happen would be to build it wrong, and we’d become pros at disassembling walls. I would rather fail at building that wall than never grab the hammer and try.

A few years ago my kids and I started an art sales business. We spent months planning the overall concept, and then before we’d fully worked out the details we leapt in and incorporated. Over about five years we spent a good deal of cash and time laying the foundation of a business that ultimately failed before riding the wave out deep enough to even encounter sharks.

When I filed the dissolution paperwork and finally got the secretary of state’s certificate in the mail to dissolve our business, I couldn’t stop smiling. I sent a copy of it to the kids and said we should each frame it on our office walls. Because here was this huge, complex thing, a real incorporated business that no matter the results, we had the nerve to try.

Next time you have an idea that keeps you up at night smiling and wondering, “what if?” leap in and try.

The weight of regret is 1000x the weight of failure.

Celebrate Success!

I’ve noticed a shift in attitude lately—or maybe I’ve just surrounded myself with the most awesome people on the planet—it’s possible. People are celebrating success. Not only their own success, because that’s just a given, but we’re celebrating the success of others. I can’t think of any greater step toward world peace than this.

For too long, the trend has been to smile and congratulate in person and then later discuss the reasons a winner didn’t deserve what they got in private whispers (or, *gasp*, social media platforms).

My theory on the new positive trend is that we’ve grown enough as humans to realize we rarely deserve many of the wonderful things we get, and rarely get many of the wonderful things we deserve. We’ve learned that when anything good happens to anyone, it is essential to celebrate the wonderful moment… because as sure as the sun rises, bad moments will come for the winner—and for you.

We are all on this ride together, and we set the tone as a collective unit.

Whether your sister or a Kardashian had a new baby, or a young pop star made a million, or your co-worker was promoted to the corner office, the only way to keep positive energy flowing in your life is to celebrate the good happening to humanity and hold tight to one another when it swings the other way.

Bravo to everyone around me for celebrating success. I’m humbled and impressed by the future we’re building.

The Goal Isn’t Coming Down To You!

I’m driven.

People see me as an extremely motivated person. I have a curious drive to do, well, a huge random assortment of things—most of them creative. And while determination comes naturally some days, many times my drive is purely artificial.

When I’m 200 pages into a novel, I am not driven to finish writing it. Well, unless you call the gnawing feeling of ‘I’m going to jump off a tall building if I don’t get this #$%&@ thing off my to-do list’ something akin to drive. What I’m actually compelled to do at that point is burn the manuscript and work on the next shiny new idea. But I don’t.

I finish what I start.

What people see as my drive in these cases is really a complex system of self-bribery. I forbid myself to put the project aside, and then I appease my psyche with small gifts for enduring the torture. I say things like, If you write 10 pages today, you can go out on that girl’s night. If you finish this editing, you can spend 43 minutes working on a quilt and listening to a Stephen King book. (Round numbers don’t feel spontaneous, so I always plan in odd bits of time. My alarm rings at 5:36. I heat my cocoa for 2:23.)

Many of my household chores are accomplished through these bribes. I’m so thrilled to reach the end of a project that even allowing myself time for a couple loads of laundry or to sweep the kitchen feels like a treat. But you must make sure the ultimate goal is larger than the tease.

My goals are big.

The carrot of an afternoon hiking or a robotic vacuum cleaner won’t pull you through unless you keep sight of the larger goal. In my case, it isn’t the end of the ten pages, or even this novel. My goal is to support myself as a fulltime writer. Keep your eyes on the larger goal with every stepping stone you place.

Now, other than admitting round numbers make me restless and I am much too easily entertained, the point I’m trying to make is that no matter how you’ve convinced yourself dedication is just easier for some people than for others, you are wrong. Some have simply learned the trick of teasing themselves along the way.

All excuses are wiped away. You see that big shiny goal up there?

Go get it!

The Goal Isn’t Coming Down To You!

Mark of the Centipede – Giveaway

Mark of the Centipede – Cara Brookins

Buzz Books USA is celebrating their third anniversary, and Timeshifters, Mark of the Centipede is FREE today! We’re at number two on Amazon’s Teen Action Adventure list. Download and help bump it up to number one!

Timeshifters, Mark of the Centipede by Cara Brookins

Kiss and Tell – Sandy Green

Kiss and Tell by Sandy Green

Cara: Tell me about your most recent title, Sandy.

Sandy: In Kiss and Tell, two stories alternate between JENNA, a contemporary teen, and VERITY, a former ancient water spirit paying penance as Jenna’s truth-telling magical lip gloss.

After a life of lies and deception, Verity has been transformed into a Sibbecoss – a mythological Kiss of Peace – and only permitted to tell the truth. When Verity reveals Jenna’s painful and deadly past to her, Jenna forgives those responsible and forsakes those who would control her. But that isn’t quite enough to save Jenna from harm.

Verity has one last chance to ultimately atone for the horrors she caused in her past and repair the link between herself and Jenna.

Cara: A kiss of peace! We could all use a bit of that now and then. Tell me something about yourself that most people don’t know.

Sandy: I lived in Holm, Germany with my husband and infant daughter right after the fall of the Berlin Wall and was able to travel extensively in a united Germany and in several countries in Europe.

Cara: What does your family think of your writing? Do you include them in the process?

Sandy: My family is very supportive of my writing, but whenever I start talking about it they run screaming from the room…

Cara: I hear this so often. It’s a good thing authors can feel family support across great distances!

Sandy: However, they provide a lot of inspiration! My daughter inspired me to write Kiss and Tell when she applied lipstick and jokingly blotted her lips on a piece of paper. The image was so lifelike, I said, “Wouldn’t it be funny if they started talking?”

Her experiences in high school and college as a track and field athlete guided the characters that trained and competed in the same events.

Also, my son was spending a semester studying in Spain when I wrote Verity’s story, which influenced where the water spirit first lived and where the aunt resided as a student and returned as an adult. He also helped with the Spanish phrases and words.

Cara: Most authors seem to hide family members in their books. What is your favorite thing you’ve hidden in a book?

Sandy: I really like choosing meaningful character names. In Kiss and Tell, the mythological character is first called Amélie (am a lie) when she is the lying naiad. Later, she’s called Verity, meaning truth. I know there’s a Kiss of Death, but is there a Kiss of Peace? I looked it up and found the word to describe it, transforming her into a new mythological being.

Cara: What is the first book you remember reading or wanting to read?

Sandy: When learning to read, the first book I ever read by myself was a Little Golden Book version of Little Red Riding Hood. I remember the letters coming together and making words. I was so excited, I ran into my sister’s room to tell her!

Cara: Who is the first author you remember being aware of?

Sandy: Caroline Keene was the first author I was aware of as I read about forty-four of the Nancy Drew books. Now I realize the name is a pseudonym for all the authors who wrote the series, but I loved the strong, main character and interesting mysteries.

Cara: Do you have an interesting writing quirk?

Sandy: I like writing after midnight! The house is quiet, the cats are sleeping, weird animal noises emanate from the woods, and I feel like it’s a secret time.

Follow Sandy Green on her Website, Facebook, @SandyDGreen on Twitter, and at Goodreads. Pick up your copy of Kiss and Tell on Amazon or Barnes and Noble!

Author Sandy Green – Kiss and Tell

Sandy is a choreographer and former ballet dancer, chapbook author and YA/MG author, whose work has appeared in such places as Bitter Oleander, Chicken Soup for the Child’s Soul, Highlights for Children, and U.S. 1 Worksheets.

Prior to writing fiction, she lived in the village of Holm in northern Germany for a short time. Little farms were integrated in the village, and she enjoyed hearing the cows mooing, walking to the bakery, and riding bikes by the Elbe River!

She has a BFA in dance from Florida State University and currently leads the liturgical dancers at her church in Virginia where she lives with her husband and two children.

A Good Fit?

A Good Fit? Cara Brookins

“Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.”

I’ve been talking and thinking a lot about dreams and goals lately. People often comment how clear my goal is and how dedicated I am to getting there. But let’s be honest, things on the inside aren’t always as clear as they look to everyone else. Okay, they almost never are.

It’s important to reaffirm your goal frequently, and to make sure it’s a good fit for you. Too much of my life was spent working to fit into society’s expected roles and dutifully pursuing dreams I was supposed to have rather than discovering my true self.

When you strike on the thing that is your true passion, it should NOT feel like you are squeezing into a soft place three sizes too small. It should feel like you are finally free. Like your arms are stretched so high your fingertips are chilled by breaching the atmosphere. Like your lungs have fully inflated for the first time in your life.

Enjoy that moment, because you’ll fall flat on your face shortly after thinking, “Now, I’m invincible!” The first few knock downs are relatively easy to brush off. But if you are years into pursuing your dream, pause every single month to count the milestones you’ve achieved, not only the times you’ve had to bounce.

Constantly revisit and celebrate the amazing moment you first discovered, “I know who I am!”

Now go out and celebrate YOU.

The Road To Success is Always Under Construction

Cara Brookins Motivating Hot Springs Village Writers Club

When someone is feeling down and can’t pull themselves out if it, I often tell them to listen to motivational videos on YouTube. I’m shocked how often people tell me they don’t work, they feel great for a few minutes but then they get down again. Zig Ziglar had a great reply. “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”

The truth is, life is tough and its’ hard to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps without falling on your butt. Sometimes you need someone else to remind you that you can do it. You can be great. Anything is possible.

Sometimes I find that strength in great music, a long car ride through beautiful country, or a jog through the park. Other times I need to hear real stories about how someone else hit a bad time and found a unique way out.

Make sure you recognize when you are not giving everything you have in order to reach your dream. Pay attention to how much honest effort you are exerting toward your goal. And if you aren’t giving it everything you’ve got and then giving 100x more, seek out the things that motivate you. Don’t let another day pass without being at the top of your game.

One of my goals for the New Year is to spend more time presenting motivational lectures. I began this month by presenting a story about how my kids and I built our own home with our own hands to the Hot Springs Village Writers’ Club. In addition to being an energetic and supportive group, they are filled with motivational members who tossed a good deal of motivation right back at me.

I can’t think of a better way to take on the New Year!

Remember, life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.

Share the things that motivate you!

Cara Brookins at the Village Writers’ Club

Cara Brookins – VilliageWriters

On Monday, January 27th, I’m thrilled to be speaking with the Village Writers’ Club in Hot Springs!

We’ve had a pile of early reservations, and you still have time to join us for a read around, lunch, a discussion of young adult literature, and especially a whole lot of MOTIVATION to make this your best writing year ever.

How big is your goal? How bad do you want it? What will you do every day to get there?

For more information or to make reservations contact Jerry Davis, President at JDavisCPA@aol.com

After the Work — Prove You Can Play!

Author Cara Brookins and classical guitarist Jean-Paul Francoeur at Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

Releasing more than one book in a year is a marketing challenge. How many times can you expect people to come by a bookstore and stand in line? And honestly, at a signing it’s easy to be jealous of everyone chatting in the stacks while you are chained to a desk with a pen… as if we don’t spend enough time doing that while writing the book!

Authors George Jensen, Cara Brookins, Sarah Beth Estes and Trenton Lee Stewart at the Mark of the Serpent launch party

Author Cara Brookins with friends at the Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

When Timeshifters, Mark of the Serpent released this December, I opted against the bookstore launch I’d done in May with Mark of the Centipede and turned the event into a cocktail party.

Despite a few setbacks—like the first party date being canceled for an ice storm and the second falling days before Christmas and during a torrential rain storm—it was a fabulous time for everyone! Photos on the red carpet were a big hit with the crowd, as were the wine, cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres. When a party-goer sunk his car in the mud and a gathering of well-dressed men pulled it out, we quickly turned the mud photos into fun red carpet pics with an Indiana Jones flare.

Cara Brookins – Mark of the Serpent

Cara Brookins’ Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

Neil and Elizabeth Outar at Cara Brookins’ Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

Whether you are marketing books, art, or a new sandwich line, don’t forget that people should have as much fun at the launch party for your product as they should using or eating it later on. Social media advertisements generally make my eyes glaze over, but if people are obviously enjoying a product, I pause and look a little longer, maybe I’ll even click through and see what all the fuss is about.

Go a step further than claiming you love what you do and show the world you mean it!

Photographers Spencer Wyatt and Jada Brookins at Cara Brookins’ Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

A young fan at Cara Brookins’ Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

One of the dessert tables at Cara Brookins’ Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

An hors d’oeuvre table at Cara Brookins’ One of the dessert tables at Cara Brookins’ Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

A serpent cake at Cara Brookins’ Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

Author Cara Brookins with Event Stylist Hope Brookins and Photographer Jada Brookins at the Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

Musician Buddy Case and Karen Case at Cara Brookins’ Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

Metal artist Marc Menefee and Author Cara Brookins at the Mark of the Serpent Launch Party

Alex Reed and Doorman Roman Isaac at Cara Brookins’ Mark of the Serpent Launch Party