Amber Lehman's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
Here are some little known facts about my approach to writing and my quirks:
1. I can't read any books--not anything while I'm writing because I'm afraid I'll pick up the last author's voice I've read.
2. I'm an insomniac and write best between midnight and 4 am.
3. When I have an emotional scene in a book I'll often listen to music repeatedly. For instance, when writing the love scene in TORN I had Mandy Moore's "17" playing in the background for two straight days--even though the lyrics have nothing in common with the scene, the tune moved me emotionally.
4. I print everything I write. I never use handwriting.
5. I carry a pencil and paper with me EVERYWHERE I go when I'm in the middle of a book--even to the movie theater or a restaurant. I'll scribble notes in the dark if I have to and then decode them later.
6. I have to write everything out in pencil first (I never use pens) before I type the text into the computer.
7. I write in Hello Kitty notebooks.
8. My writing is usually character driven, meaning when a character starts talking to me I write out that scene--I have no idea at the time of where or if it will actually appear in the book. Hence cutting back my novel TORN from 1100 pages to 404!
9. I have a friend who is my first reader and everything--each scene or chapter--passes through him first for approval or changes.
10. I mostly write in bed.
11. I keep my computer printed writing drafts in schoolbook binders with numbered tabs separating chapters.
12. I never have an outline; the story just comes together in pieces.
13. I prefer to have a lot of scented candles on when I write. I'm probably Partylite's biggest customer!
Amber :)
2. I'm an insomniac and write best between midnight and 4 am.
3. When I have an emotional scene in a book I'll often listen to music repeatedly. For instance, when writing the love scene in TORN I had Mandy Moore's "17" playing in the background for two straight days--even though the lyrics have nothing in common with the scene, the tune moved me emotionally.
4. I print everything I write. I never use handwriting.
5. I carry a pencil and paper with me EVERYWHERE I go when I'm in the middle of a book--even to the movie theater or a restaurant. I'll scribble notes in the dark if I have to and then decode them later.
6. I have to write everything out in pencil first (I never use pens) before I type the text into the computer.
7. I write in Hello Kitty notebooks.
8. My writing is usually character driven, meaning when a character starts talking to me I write out that scene--I have no idea at the time of where or if it will actually appear in the book. Hence cutting back my novel TORN from 1100 pages to 404!
9. I have a friend who is my first reader and everything--each scene or chapter--passes through him first for approval or changes.
10. I mostly write in bed.
11. I keep my computer printed writing drafts in schoolbook binders with numbered tabs separating chapters.
12. I never have an outline; the story just comes together in pieces.
13. I prefer to have a lot of scented candles on when I write. I'm probably Partylite's biggest customer!
Amber :)
Authors Den
Hey there everyone,
Well, I was never able to recover my lost manuscript . . . so I’ve begun again with what little I had saved on my computer. Disheartening to say the least, but it will get done. In the meantime, I’ve been working on updating my website a bit. I changed some of the pictures and added information on some of the pages. For those of you who haven’t visited my site yet, I invite you to do so. The first three chapters of TORN are available there for you to check out to give you a sample of how the story starts out. My official website is at: http://www.closetcasepress.com . Oh, and you won’t want to miss out on all the latest news, so be sure to sign up for updates on the homepage! And if you want a peek into later in the book, chapter thirteen is available to preview on Authors Den. You can find me there at: http://www.authorsden.com/amberlehman . I hope that life is treating you well, whatever you’re doing, and to all the writers out there . . . keep up the hard work! It’s all worthwhile in the end!
Amber :)
Well, I was never able to recover my lost manuscript . . . so I’ve begun again with what little I had saved on my computer. Disheartening to say the least, but it will get done. In the meantime, I’ve been working on updating my website a bit. I changed some of the pictures and added information on some of the pages. For those of you who haven’t visited my site yet, I invite you to do so. The first three chapters of TORN are available there for you to check out to give you a sample of how the story starts out. My official website is at: http://www.closetcasepress.com . Oh, and you won’t want to miss out on all the latest news, so be sure to sign up for updates on the homepage! And if you want a peek into later in the book, chapter thirteen is available to preview on Authors Den. You can find me there at: http://www.authorsden.com/amberlehman . I hope that life is treating you well, whatever you’re doing, and to all the writers out there . . . keep up the hard work! It’s all worthwhile in the end!
Amber :)
Second Interview
So my friend came over the other day with all of his technology skills that I lack, and was able to somewhat salvage the interview that had been taped earlier in the week. It’s still grainy and dark, and a little blurry, but at least you can distinguish me from the chair now. Before his handiwork, the screen looked like one giant grey blob! So I guess this is an improvement even if it’s nothing close to what the original looks like. So, if you’d actually like to see what became of the video—and see my second interview—you can view it on Youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIT0JL... . It takes a while to load, just so you know. It’s a little longer than my last interview. I hope you’ll stop by to check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading my blog!
Amber :)
Amber :)
Reviews: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
A positive review is enough to get me dancing around my bedroom like a fool! But as everyone knows, not all reviews are positive. I was once asked in a radio interview regarding my novel, “What do you do when you get a negative review?” My immediate response was: “I brush it off and keep writing.” I knew going into this that not everyone was going to like my book. TORN is not for everyone—it’s extremely controversial to begin with. That said, I do take the time to read every review that is written. I also take into consideration the reviewer’s points, concerns, or complaints. But it’s never something that discourages me from writing. It’s the price you pay for being an author. I love what I do. And those who can enjoy it with me, I am happy to share. Those who don’t like it, I hope they find a book that they do enjoy. If you are a writer or aspiring author, I hope you are encouraged to take that leap—no matter how scary— to get published and continue to do what you love to do—write—regardless of reviews. Remember . . . you can’t please everyone all the time.
