Cynthia Hamilton's Blog: Reading and Writing - Posts Tagged "writing-b-i"
Finding Writers in Twitterville
Anyone who’s tried their hand at writing knows that time designated for that purpose often seeps away without fulfilling its promise. This is especially true if you write at home. Distractions are numerous and constant. When I look back at when I started my first book, I marvel at how I managed to complete it in one year, despite running a mortgage company and battling a ruthless illness. So, why am I not producing books faster now that I no longer work outside the home and have beat the Lyme monster back into its hole?
I think part of my angst comes from taking more time to enjoy life now. If I were to lay out the hours spent on writing before I quit the mortgage biz to the amount of time I now spend bashing my brains against the keyboard, they might be pretty much equal. Which enforces the notion that I've become a slacker.
But today’s author wears several hats. Unless you are one of the literary biggies, time must be devoted to reaching and growing your audience. This means blogging, posting interesting material on social media, and connecting with the public. And before you know it, the day…week…month is gone.
I’ll admit it: social media used to intimidate me. Until a few months ago, I had never even been on Twitter, and I had no plans to change that. Facebook was challenging enough for me. But then I was contacted by a fellow writer who had also written a book about her mom and Alzheimer’s. Jean Lee explained how she and three other writers had united to create an Alzheimer’s blog that showcased books of various genres relating to the disease. She graciously invited me to join their group, AlzAuthors, and I accepted.
Once I became part of this courageous, empathetic group of writers, Jean strongly suggested I get on Twitter. She held my hand and walked me through the basics. Weirdly for me, I didn’t hate it. In fact, I actually got how interacting with others in that forum could be a benefit. I dove in and found that I really enjoy the fast-paced exchange of thoughts and images. And the best part has been connecting with other authors.
Before I was a writer, I was an enthusiastic reader. I still am, and being on Twitter has opened me up to a vast new world of writers. In the four months since I joined, I have read books by authors I’ve connected with on Twitter. I’ve been exposed to an array of genres I wouldn’t have found on my own.
Below is the list to the 11 books I’ve read or am currently reading. They cover a lot of different categories. That’s the beauty of Twitter: you can find almost anything. It’s all out there, just waiting to be discovered.
Happy Summer and Happy Reading to all!
Until next time…
Cynthia
The Twitter-Trove of literary gems I’ve discovered:
Have read and recommend
“Alzheimer’s Daughter” by Jean Lee
“Murder on the Mind” by L.L. Bartlett
“The Accidental Detective” by Michael R.N. Jones
“The Good Spy Dies Twice” by Mark Hosack
“Each Day I Wake” by Seb Kirby
“The Yuba Trouble” by John Rose Putnam
“The 20’s girl, the ghost, and all that jazz” by June Kearns
“Unclaimed Baggage” by Marcee Corn
Currently reading:
“Odyssey in a Teacup” by Paula Houseman
“The Dragons of Alsace Farm” by Laurie L.C. Lewis
“Innocence Taken: Prey He Kills You Quickly” by Victoria M. Patton
I think part of my angst comes from taking more time to enjoy life now. If I were to lay out the hours spent on writing before I quit the mortgage biz to the amount of time I now spend bashing my brains against the keyboard, they might be pretty much equal. Which enforces the notion that I've become a slacker.
But today’s author wears several hats. Unless you are one of the literary biggies, time must be devoted to reaching and growing your audience. This means blogging, posting interesting material on social media, and connecting with the public. And before you know it, the day…week…month is gone.
I’ll admit it: social media used to intimidate me. Until a few months ago, I had never even been on Twitter, and I had no plans to change that. Facebook was challenging enough for me. But then I was contacted by a fellow writer who had also written a book about her mom and Alzheimer’s. Jean Lee explained how she and three other writers had united to create an Alzheimer’s blog that showcased books of various genres relating to the disease. She graciously invited me to join their group, AlzAuthors, and I accepted.
Once I became part of this courageous, empathetic group of writers, Jean strongly suggested I get on Twitter. She held my hand and walked me through the basics. Weirdly for me, I didn’t hate it. In fact, I actually got how interacting with others in that forum could be a benefit. I dove in and found that I really enjoy the fast-paced exchange of thoughts and images. And the best part has been connecting with other authors.
Before I was a writer, I was an enthusiastic reader. I still am, and being on Twitter has opened me up to a vast new world of writers. In the four months since I joined, I have read books by authors I’ve connected with on Twitter. I’ve been exposed to an array of genres I wouldn’t have found on my own.
Below is the list to the 11 books I’ve read or am currently reading. They cover a lot of different categories. That’s the beauty of Twitter: you can find almost anything. It’s all out there, just waiting to be discovered.
Happy Summer and Happy Reading to all!
Until next time…
Cynthia
The Twitter-Trove of literary gems I’ve discovered:
Have read and recommend
“Alzheimer’s Daughter” by Jean Lee
“Murder on the Mind” by L.L. Bartlett
“The Accidental Detective” by Michael R.N. Jones
“The Good Spy Dies Twice” by Mark Hosack
“Each Day I Wake” by Seb Kirby
“The Yuba Trouble” by John Rose Putnam
“The 20’s girl, the ghost, and all that jazz” by June Kearns
“Unclaimed Baggage” by Marcee Corn
Currently reading:
“Odyssey in a Teacup” by Paula Houseman
“The Dragons of Alsace Farm” by Laurie L.C. Lewis
“Innocence Taken: Prey He Kills You Quickly” by Victoria M. Patton
The Story Behind the Story
The ideas for books usually come when you least expect them. It’s when the mind is free to wander that inspiration drops in and starts tinkering with random thoughts. I can say that most of the ten books I’ve written came about that way. They started out as odd musings and continued to expand to the point it was hard to deny there just might be a story there.
Spouse Trap is a good example of this. I was two months into the research of a sequel to Alligators in the Trees when I was gripped by self-doubt. (I don’t think this is an uncommon occurrence among writers.) My lament about the futility of knocking myself out to write books that relatively few people would ever read branched off into a silent tirade about the unfairness of the writing universe. I concluded my rant with the realization that “if I wrote some piece of garbage called The Slutty Detective, I’d be a gazillionaire.”
After recoiling in disgust at the idea, another thought hit me. “The protagonist isn’t really slutty; she’s gotten a bad rep as the result of…her rotten ex-husband.” Yeah. I could see that. Divorces often bring out the worst in people. Off my imagination went, keen on the prospect of taking a perfectly respectable woman and destroying her reputation as a means of getting back at her. But for what? And what did that revenge look like?
My mind was at a full gallop before I could even get back to my computer. But instead of serving as backstory to a detective series, I realized this woman would need to undergo a complete transformation, a metamorphosis—too much to allude to in flashbacks. The first book would tell the whole, grizzly story.
And so began the saga of Madeline Ridley, née Dawkins, as we find her in a plush hotel room just before dawn, naked, with a blinding headache and no idea how she got there. And then things really get bad.
By the end of the book, poor Madeline has been to hell and back. She’s a completely different person than the socialite fundraiser we meet in the first few chapters. She’s been galvanized, stripped of everything she had held dear, tested by fire and remade into a resilient woman capable of handling just about anything thrown her way. In fact, she’s become so shrewd, she manages to get revenge and a new career out of what she’s been through. And off she went to the next book, A High Price to Pay, and the third, Girl Trap, which will be out soon. And more to come.
For any would-be writers reading this, I hope you take away the importance of listening to your creative side. Every book or artistic endeavor starts with the imagination. Everyone’s thoughts and voice are different, and therefore unique and worthy of being examined and nurtured.
I will be asking some of my favorite writers to share the story behind their stories here on Goodreads. Please check back soon to learn about other simple reveries that have launched inspired works of fiction.
Until next time, happy musings!
Very warmest regards,
Cynthia
Spouse Trap is a good example of this. I was two months into the research of a sequel to Alligators in the Trees when I was gripped by self-doubt. (I don’t think this is an uncommon occurrence among writers.) My lament about the futility of knocking myself out to write books that relatively few people would ever read branched off into a silent tirade about the unfairness of the writing universe. I concluded my rant with the realization that “if I wrote some piece of garbage called The Slutty Detective, I’d be a gazillionaire.”
After recoiling in disgust at the idea, another thought hit me. “The protagonist isn’t really slutty; she’s gotten a bad rep as the result of…her rotten ex-husband.” Yeah. I could see that. Divorces often bring out the worst in people. Off my imagination went, keen on the prospect of taking a perfectly respectable woman and destroying her reputation as a means of getting back at her. But for what? And what did that revenge look like?
My mind was at a full gallop before I could even get back to my computer. But instead of serving as backstory to a detective series, I realized this woman would need to undergo a complete transformation, a metamorphosis—too much to allude to in flashbacks. The first book would tell the whole, grizzly story.
And so began the saga of Madeline Ridley, née Dawkins, as we find her in a plush hotel room just before dawn, naked, with a blinding headache and no idea how she got there. And then things really get bad.
By the end of the book, poor Madeline has been to hell and back. She’s a completely different person than the socialite fundraiser we meet in the first few chapters. She’s been galvanized, stripped of everything she had held dear, tested by fire and remade into a resilient woman capable of handling just about anything thrown her way. In fact, she’s become so shrewd, she manages to get revenge and a new career out of what she’s been through. And off she went to the next book, A High Price to Pay, and the third, Girl Trap, which will be out soon. And more to come.
For any would-be writers reading this, I hope you take away the importance of listening to your creative side. Every book or artistic endeavor starts with the imagination. Everyone’s thoughts and voice are different, and therefore unique and worthy of being examined and nurtured.
I will be asking some of my favorite writers to share the story behind their stories here on Goodreads. Please check back soon to learn about other simple reveries that have launched inspired works of fiction.
Until next time, happy musings!
Very warmest regards,
Cynthia
