Julie Lence's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"

It's often said that writing a novel is a long and lonely process. Sometimes that's true, especially when you're sitting at the computer trying to convey the thoughts in your brain to the screen. It's hard, time-consuming and requires a great deal of dedication. And I find every minute of it completely worthwhile.

I'm in control. I'm in charge, and when my characters and story connect, when my muse flows and I accomplish a scene, my satisfaction level within myself rises to new heights. Unfortunately, there's usually no one around to share this with, until I email Stacey, my critique partner who I can't survive without, and share the news with her.

But, there are times when writing is not so lonely, when suddenly you're connecting with real people and not a keyboard. The friendships you make, like the one I've found with Stacey, can be everlasting. And if you're real lucky, you find youself immersed in a whole new family.

I have that with the wonderful people at Asylett Press. Though a relatively new company, Asylett is home to many different talents and inspiring minds. At the helm is our publisher. She's a wonderful lady who cares about all of us as individuals and as authors. She works hard to meet deadlines and to keep the company rising to greater levels. She does this with class, a sense of pride and a loving heart. It is because of her belief in people that I have found myself blessed and fortunate these past few years.

Along with my publisher, I've gained many new 'brothers and sisters'. My co-authors are some of the most kind, caring and considerate people I know, not to mention they are highly talented, and not just within the world of writing. We have history buffs, a connoisseur of airplanes, a painter, soap maker, teacher, journalist and everyday moms and dads.

We've developed a closeness of sharing, from everything related to writing, to family, to the weather in different regions, as we're all scattered across the globe. I don't know if other publishing houses have this type of connection, but within Asylett's walls, a real family exists. Each day, I look forward to reading their emails and staying that much more connected to them.

I invite all of you to visit Asylett.com and get to know 'my family'. On the catalogue page, you'll find current interviews and photos, and well-written stories in several different genres. And if you know any of them and like their work, let them know. I'm betting they'll be happy to hear from you.

Until next week, I hope Lady Luck shines down upon all of you.

Juls

The mad dash of the holiday season has come to an end. Presents have been unwrapped, greetings have been exchanged, the tree has been put away until December and the kids are back in school. For me, this is the best time of the year. Not that I make New Year's resolutions. I never stick to them. But I do make writing goals; realistic ones based on my abilities and my time.

From January thru March, my home and family life usually slow down. The yard doesn't need weeding and watering. I have only one school activity to fulfill, and my son isn't coming in one door and out the other with his friends. This is my time to concentrate and really get something worthwhile scrawled across the computer screen.

I start out slow when contemplating my writing goals. The first is to finish the story I'm currently working on by the end of the school year. And by finish, I mean have it written, edited and ready to submit to my publisher by June. That is a must, because once summer vacation begins, my time is not my own. It's hard paying close attention to wrapping up a story while keeping one eye and one ear on the kids splashing in the backyard swimming pool.

Then there's that terrible 'p' word--promotion. I try to spread out interviews, contests and covers throughout the year. I use a variety of romance sites to keep my name and titles fresh in the reader's mind and enjoy working with the fabulous ladies who run these sites.

After I set up my schedule to accomplish my June goal and make the arrangements for promo ops, I start thinking ahead to the next story. Character names and backgrounds, scenes, the setting, problems and struggles, villians; ideas begin moving though the back of my mind. By July, I'm itching to begin work on a new project. But if you've got an idea running through your mind now, why wait? Get started today.

How? By giving yourself your own challenging goal. Beginning today, write for the next four weeks. Turn off those red and green lines on your computer screen, put your bottom in the chair and write. Don't look back on what you wrote yesterday. Keep going. Every day, and by the end of the month, you'll be amazed at how many pages you've written. I did that once for a contest and won. It was fun, challenging and rewarding; not just the prize, but the amount of work I'd accomplished when I wasn't worrying about spelling. Or sentence structure. Or POV. Or obsessing over what came next, as I normally do.

At the end of four weeks, give yourself a prize for your hard efforts. An evening at the movies. Dinner out. Have your nails done. Or indulge in a quiet night of reading. And then get back to work; writing and not editing what you've already written. Within a few months, depending on the length of your story, you'll have the first draft written and be ready for the first round of editing.

Be creative in your endeavors. Take your characters where they normally wouldn't go. And have fun. That's what the voices in our heads are all about--having fun and challenging our skills each and every day.

We all love to eat, and some of us love to cook. Those who do probably have their own specialty; a crock of soup, chicken on the grill, a hearty stew. My husband is one these people and usually prepares supper every night. Me, I only like to cook two things, Thanksgiving Day turkey and lasagna.

Being 1/4 Italian and from New York, the sauce for the lasagna is important to me. I can't stand restaurants that open a can of Hunts, dump it in a pan, heat it and then call it done. I'm the same with chopped tomatoes warmed over a flame. That isn't sauce. It's disgusting. And it's raw. When I make sauce for lasagna, I cook it for a week. Why? Because I learned from my father and grandfather that sauce needs to be rich, thick and flavorful for the meal to taste good.

So, what does making sauce have to do with writing? Plenty. As with any Italian meal prepared right, you want to savor the flavors of basil, oregano, parsley and a hint of parmesan cheese. You want your taste buds to zing and be fulfilled, especially after the aroma of lasagna baking for an hour has teased and tormented your sense of smell. You anticipate a good meal, expect one and are disappointed when you're served a plate of lasagna made from sauce poured out of a jar. The same hold true for the stories you write and your readers.

I write historical westerns and know my readers do not want my hero and heroine chatting away on cell phones. Nor do they expect them to travel around in heated/air conditioned train cars and pick-up trucks. High-heeled shoes, mini skirts and shorts and sneakers are a no-no, too. Readers of historical westerns want to be taken back to a time and place when none of that existed, to an era that was fresh, exciting and hard, where the land was wide-open, untamed and in some cases, untraveled. And they want to experience that through the flavor of the words.

Just like adding too much oregano will kill the taste of sauce, too many western terms will kill the story. I sprinkle in words and phrases here and there. 'Give me a call if you need help' translates to 'send someone from the ranch to get me'. 'Oh my God' becomes 'Mercy'. 'Being sent to the slammer' is now 'sent to the calaboose'.

I have a handbook for everyday western life and slang. Accompanied with my own knowledge, I pay close attention to detail in my writing, just like I do when adding the ingredients to my sauce. I don't overdo it, but I want the flavor of my story to reflect the era I write, and keep the reader in that era. A simple term is sufficient, especially if it doesn't pull the reader from the story and make him ponder the meaning.

And flavoring doesn't only hold true to westerns. Many eras have their own expressions and meanings. So if you're setting reflects 1950's Germany, London in the 1700's or space travel, flavor it with the right terms and the reader's anticipation for a good book will be fulfilled.

See. Smell. Hear. Taste. Touch. We all know the five senses, experience them in our everyday lives. But do you have them layered throughout your story? If so, do you have too many? Not enough? And did you know that one sense can trigger another?

Imagine walking into the grocery store and the first thing that hits you is the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. What happens next? Your mouth begins to water in anticipation of the sweet taste. Your hands can feel the texture of the cookie, the warm, gooey chocolate sticking to your fingers.

What about when you look at a painting? I have one of three American Indians riding their ponies through the snow-packed woods. When I look at them, I can hear the quiet plodding of their horses hooves, feel the dampness of a bleak day and taste the cold on my lips.

When writing, the five senses are all necessary to your story. You want your readers to relate to your charcters, see what they see, hear what they hear and feel what they feel. You want to draw out your readers' sympathy in an emotional scene, make them tense and fearful in a scary scene and stand up and cheer when something good happens. In other words, you want the reader to feel as though he/she is standing right alongside your characters.

Sight is perhaps the easiest to put into words; bright blue eyes, hair the color of straw, over-sized furniture crowded into a dark room. Smell is also easy; chicken roasting in the oven, digging holes in fresh dirt, riding through a cow pasture. Each of these allows your reader to see what your characters see and get a whiff of their surroundings. And when you add in sound, the shrill whistle of a train, the whiny of a horse, the murmur of voices inside a crowded saloon, the reader is even more implanted into the scene.

Taste and touch are even better ways for your readers to relate to your characters. I just finished a scene where my hero uncovers a plate of ham and grimaces. With those few words, it's clear he can't stomach the taste of ham. How about something he does like? The aroma of apple pie wafting through the restaurant made his mouth water. And what about things he touches? Soft hair, corse fibers of a rope, the prickly husk of a pineapple; the right adjective will conjure a reponse in the reader's mind, maybe even in his/her fingertips.

There is another aspect to touch, and that is how a person's feelings touch him inwardly, be it matters of the heart or a shock to his system. It's always best to show how the charcter feels than to say it. Sometimes, I'll put a word, or a group of words, in italics to emphasize their impact. Or, I'll use body parts to convey feeling; a widened gaze, a flutter in her heart, coldness slithering down her spine, knees wobbling. All of these invoke an emotional response from the reader and endear him/her that much more to your characters and the scene.

When writing, you'll find you can use one or two sentences to invoke a variety of senses. 'Jack walked into the crowded restaurant, inhaled the delicious aroma of pumpkin pie wafting from the kitchen and felt his heart nearly skid to a stop when his gaze settled on a familiar face seated at the back table.' Or, 'Beneath a hot sun, Jack crested the hill and reined in his mustang, dragged a gloved hand across his brow and stared long and hard at the neat farm house below. His pulse punded between his ears when a woman stepped out onto the porch.' Your reader is there alongside Jack and intruding on his innermost thoughts.

Be creative when layering the senses. Don't use the same descriptions over and over. And don't overkill with them. Sometimes, the less you say the more you convey. You don't want to spoon-feed every detail to your reader; they like to use their imaginations, too, but you do want them to have a feel for your characters and your characters' worlds.

As always, have fun with your writing and take your characters on a journey they wouldn't normally travel, and let your readers expereince the excitement and pain as your characters do.

Last month, I wrote about matters related to writing; goals, self editing, the five senses. Today, I thought I'd write about something fun; Nova, my German Shepherd.

Nova came to us almost 4 years ago when I desperately needed a dog and she desperately needed a home. Our other Shepherd, Rippy, had recently passed and the house was quiet, too quiet. I'm home all day, and I like it quiet when I write, but this absolute stillness was more than I could stand. It grated on my nerves. I missed Rippy so much and how he'd follow me around, or lie down in his spot at the top of the stairs and wait for some to walk by the house so he could bark. But he was gone, and I was miserable. Until about a month later when the phone rang.

My veterinarian of many years called and said he had a German Shepherd for me. Here, you should know I am partial to Shepherds. I get that from Dad and Grandpa, and Dr. Graf knew I wanted another purebred. Actually, at the time, he found two Shepherds, but one was going to be more than he thought I could handle. But Nova was a charm, and he told me to come by his office and see her.

So my son and I made the drive, and the first thing that hit me about Nova was her coloring--she is tan and Rippy was black; a strange contrast to my eyes and a big jolt to my senses. I was uncertain, since she wasn't what I'd pictured. What I didn't realize was I wasn't searching for another dog. I was searching for Rippy. But Dr. Graf let Nova out of the kennel he had her in and she came bounding straight at me, all friendly and happy, licking my hands and jumping up to lick my face. My son loved her, and Dr. Graf was explaining all he knew about this dog who had been shuffled from one place to another, who had been in the pound and was in danger of going back if he couldn't find a home for her, which was really sad because someone had spent a lot of time with Nova and trained her well.

Though still unsure, and that was due to her coloring, Nova's sweetness won me over in less than 2 minutes. I called the hubby at work and told him I'd found a dog and that she was coming home with us. He was skeptical, and I couldn't blame him. He wasn't there to see Nova, but he agreed, trusted Dr. Graf as much as I did. So my son and I loaded Nova into the truck and took her home; one of the best decisions I've ever made.

That first day, Nova loved the backyard and playing with my son. She was excitmenet, energy and just what I needed. She welcomed the hubby that evening with an exuberance of joy. And as the days passed, her coloring grew on me, and she forgave me the times I called her Rippy. I think because she was happy to have a home and thrived on attention and safety. Now, she is as much a part of me as my writing.

I can't tell you how or when this happened. I still missed Rippy so much that first year. I depended on him for everything, but Nova gradually took over the empty space in my heart. I didn't even know until she'd taken sick and Dr. Hines, an Internal Medicine Specialist, suspected she might have cancer that would consume her very quickly. A I waited for the test results to come back, I prayed every day she didn't have cancer. The thought of losing her, too, tore me apart, and that's when I knew how much she'd come to mean to me.

Thankfully, she had an infection and not cancer. I can't begin to tell you how much of a relief that news was, and how, after trial and error, Nova is now on medication to keep her from getting another of these infections. She'll be on this medicine the rest f her life, visit Dr. Hines a few times each year, and I'm not complaining. She is a very important part of my day. She knows my routine, has taken over Rippy's spot at the top of the stairs and is lieing next to me while I write this. She's loyal, fun and loves rolling around in the snow and catching snowballs. And she likes sharing lunch with me.

Four years ago, unbeknownst to me, she was good meicine for my soul, and now I can't imagine life without her. She's my companion, and I'm more than grateful to Dr. Graf for bringing her into my life. He's not only our vet, he's a dear friend, as is Dr. Hines. Together, these two doctors work hard to maintain not only Nova's health but my peace of mind.

Thank you Dr. Graf and Dr. Hines for all that you do. While I can't speak for all doctors, I can say these two care deeply for their patients and the patient's owners. Nova is proof to that.

I am a native of New York, but now live in the west. I love it here; the food, the people, and every morning when the clouds aren't down, I wake up to a spectacular view of the mountains. Snow-capped peaks, jagged edges, the sun reflecting off someone's windows; I never get tired of looking at the Front Range. Not only are the mountains beautiful, they also tell the weather better than the news.

From my front porch, I have a clear view to the west, where the Front Range cuts a path from the Mexican boarder to the Canadian boarder. Fluffy white clouds will sometimes sit on the top of the peak, obscuring the tip as though someone took a knife and sliced it off. Other times, clouds will lay in the nooks and crannies. But when those big, grey clouds appear behind the peak and start moving in my direction, I know I have about 30 minutes before the rain hits--or not. Many times, while I can see the rain hitting the ground, the storm decides to take a different path and misses my neighborhood completely. And for this time of year, that isn't so great. We need rain. Not snow. Not wind. But rain. Welcome to Springtime in the Rockies.

Spring is thought of as each day warmer than the last, buds sprouting on trees, birds singing, the grass turning green and planting flowers. Here, Spring is a combination of Spring, Summer and Winter. We have warm days. We have cold days, and sometimes we have a hot day. Birds do chirp outside my window, but the grass in the yard is so dry, it looks like I'm growing hay for horses. And to plant flowers right now is a waste of time and money, because it does snow and the night temperatures do dip down below freezing.

Two days ago, the sun was shining, the afternoon was warm, and then the storm rolled in. The temperatures dropped fast, and one big, gust of wind brought a combination of rain and sleet, which rapidly changed to snow. Within a few short hours, we had four inches covering the ground. Right now, the front yard is white and pristine. Today and tomorrow, we'll have a meltdown, as the temperature rises, but come this weekend, we have a cooling period and then back into the 60's. All of this makes for some interesting days, and frustration.

I'm ready for the days to stay warm, for the rain to wash away the winter dust, for opening the windows and putting away the winter coats and boots. I want to see flowers grow--not weeds, like I've already seen--and I want the grass to turn green. I also want buds to appear on the trees, though why I don't know with my allergies, and I want my trees to flower this year. Two years ago, a cold spell shocked the trees so much that they haven't sprouted flowers since then. But overall, I welcome a true Spring because I thrive on the new growth and the energy it brings to my writing. There's something about the sun poking through the window, with a slight breeze floating on the air that keeps my muse flowing and my fingers typing so I can reach the end of the story. Or maybe I reach the end because I know in 2 short months, school is out and my writing schedule heads south. Mmm… I think it's a combination of both; warm days and the need to complete the story before my days are no longer my own.

The other morning I had the privilege of speaking with a representative from the Copyright Alliance. While it was great fun talking about my writing career and how I balance that with home life, I also came away with a feeling of helplessness. The representative asked what I thought the government could do better to enforce copyright laws and I didn't have a very good answer.

Whether you're a painter, a musician or an author, copyright is important to all artists. We work hard creating our products. Sometimes it takes years before we feel we have perfected a piece, and for someone to come along and take a portion of that piece and use it in their own work is just plain wrong. It's stealing; the same as if you went into the store and took a candy bar without paying for it.

I'm not against borrowing a phrase, or a term, or even reworking or expanding on an existing idea. Expanding on ideas happens all the time. Televisions, computers, cell phones and automobiles are modified and made better each year. It's progress, but it's not progress when your work, line for line, music note for music note and color for color, is taken and inserted into someone else's work and they receive payment for it. Or worse, when your work is given away for free without your knowledge or consent.

As an author, I do submit my work to the copyright office in Washington, D.C so that it is registered and protected under law from theft. I've spent years developing plots and characters and have paid money to promote them. I would be crushed if someone used my work without my consent, or made it available for free. And then I'd be angry. But as the questions were asked, "What do you do if this happens?" and "How do you prevent it from happening?" I don't know, except to ask the person to stop, or to seek legal advice.

Being on this side of the creative industry, I try to be as honest as I can when it comes to another person's work. I don't download copyrighted material from internet to use for my own benefit without permission or giving payment, and I don't insert someone else's work into my stories. I teach my family the same, because the artist who took the time to create the product deserves payment and recognition for his work.

The only real answer I could muster to the Copyright Alliance was to make the laws stricter and raise the amount of the penalties. As for the government enforcing those laws, it will take time, dedication and patience and won't happen overnight. As a citizen and an author, I can continue to do what I do now, only on a broader scope; educate people and make them aware of the time it took someone to create a product and the loss the artist sustains when their work, or a portion of it, is stolen.

This week I'm in editing mode. I finished the first draft of Zanna's Outlaw, the first book in a new series set in Texas, and gave myself last week to let the story sit, give my mind a chance to refresh and take care of home and family stuff. That was one week I should have wrote, as my muse was flowing and I found myself writing notes and leaving them on my desk. This week, I was pumped and ready to go, but the muse wasn't. It finally kicked in yesterday, and I got more accomplished in one day than I did in two.

Editing can be a blessing and a hassle, at the same time. Spelling and punctuation are easy. Your eyes are fresh and reading material you haven't in a while, so those mistakes leap out at you. Tightening your scenes and chapters and polishing your characters and plot can sometimes make you crazy. Or, at least they do for me.

It's the little things I obsess over; a paragraph that doesn't flow the way I'd like, a point I'm trying to make, not repeating something that I've written in a previous chapter, clearly expressing my character's thoughts and feelings. But I don't give up. I keep at it, and eventually what I'm trying to express works its way out of my mind and onto the computer screen.

Sometimes, I have a good day and breeze thru chapters. Some may require a slight bit of tweaking, and others require nothing at all. I wish I had more days like that, but in my heart, I want the story to be the best it can be. This is my chance to correct what I think is wrong. I'll grumble and get agitated, but in the end, I'll be satisfied.

I don't have a list of do's and don't's for editing and the order to do them. I think for everyone the process differs. I usually jump right in at page one and go. I have my notes and a good of idea of my weak spots. I put my notes in order so that when I get to that part in the story, I can see what I wanted to add or delete. As for the weak spots, I look for ways to make them better; word choice, adding something to the scene or strengthening my character's actions. I do a lot of flipping back and forth between the pages, paying attention to setting and plot details and points that move the story forward. I also look for things that don't work or could be better explained.

Obsess over minor things. Get frustrated. Change a whole scene. Add one or delete one. But whatever you do, keep going and enjoy this time of the creative process. Once you reach the end, your story will be better and your writing stronger. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment and know in that moment that the sweat and the laboring were well worth it. I know I do.

Monday the week ahead looks great. No major problems to tackle. No long list of errands to run. And then by Monday night, for some reason that clear schedule takes a turn. Not that I've been driving all over town. I've been home editing. Steadily. Faithfully. And now that I've reached the end of the first round, it's time for a few days rest. I'll be back next week. And for those of you writing, give yourself a break this weekend, too. Get out there and enjoy spring. Take a walk. Plant a garden. Or just hang out in front of the tv. Monday will be here before you know it, and your muse will be flowing and ready to get back to work. Enjoy!

For me, summer is a short season, because I base it on the school year. There are about two and a half months of vacation, depending on when the current year ends in May and the next one begins in August. Usually, at the beginning of May, I'm counting the weeks until school ends and scrambling for time to finish my current story. Between the endless school trips, field days and assemblies, I worry I won't finish the story and settle into a comfort zone for the summer months. This year is different. I'm ready for the school year to end.

I've finished the story. I've done the first round of editing and will complete the second round next week. I'm fulfilling promotion opportunities, and unlike the past few years, I'm not chaperoning school trips this year; the hubby is. (Signed him up early for that.) I find myself with some spare time on my hands, which translates to a bit of restless anxiety. It's time for me to set summer goals.

We all want summer to be fun. Days at the park, children playing in the back yard, picnics at the lake, the family vacation; but what about your summer writing? I usually take the month of June to work on other aspects of writing; planning promotional events for the remainder of the year, updating my website, discovering another internet outlet to connect with readers and writers. By July, I'm ready to begin work on a new story. I tell myself to wait until August when the kids are back at school, but this never happens. My muse is ready to get back to work, and when the muse calls, I don't ignore it. I take my laptop out onto the deck, and while the kids are in the pool, I get started on the first chapter. Sometimes, depending on where we go on vacation, I'll write then, too.

So what about you? Have you thought about summer goals? They don't have to be big ones. They don't have to take up too much of your time. Writing a paragraph a day, networking with old and new friends, outlining chapters or fleshing out characters over the course of a few weeks will keep your muse alive and reduce your risk of falling out of a writing routine. So will prowling around the library. Discover a new author, re-read an old favorite, find out the current trends; reading can and will keep you connected to your craft. Reading broadens your vocabulary and imagination and is a great learning tool. I've learned many techniques from my favorite authors, not to mention they inspire and motivate me.

Set your goals. Accomplish them as best you can, and enjoy the summer and your kids. Before you know it, we'll be hitting the malls and shopping for Christmas gifts.