Susan Gable's Blog, page 2

Old Friends - Favorite books from the Past

The other day someone posted a photo on my Facebook wall. The photo immediately took me back to my childhood. It was the yellow boxed set of the Little House on the Prairie books. I had that boxed set and read those books repeatedly throughout my childhood.Interesting enough only about a week before I had gone to Amazon to search for that boxed set and added it to my wishlist. I am seriously thinking about buying it myself as a present to me for Christmas.My love for books goes back well into my childhood. I started reading when I was 4. Books came into my house on a regular basis in many different ways. My mom bought us books probably like other parents brought their kids candy bars. We went to the library at least once a week. There were the school libraries that I borrowed books from. I was an early member of The Weekly Reader book club which sent books to my house every month. And let's not forget the Weekly Reader and Scholastic book papers that were handed out at school probably once a month.How I loved browsing through those little sheets of paper and marking the books that I'd like to get, then taking it home and showing it to my mom. Bless her, there were very few times that I was not allowed to get a book. Of course back then I think a lot of the books were less than a dollar apiece.Along with that there were the school Book Fairs when they actually brought in tons of books that we could look at and purchase. Paradise!It should come as no surprise that the one piece of furniture I still own that was mine as a child is a bookcase.I always had a book with me when I was at school. I'd scurry to get my work completed and then read. Books transported me to other times and places. Books introduced me to fascinating people. But more than that, books were my friends.There's nothing more wonderful than climbing into a book and shutting the world out. It's not that I had to escape. Overall I had a damn good childhood. But books took me elsewhere.I solved mysteries with all kinds of sleuths, from Trixie Belden and the Hardy Boys (some Nancy Drew, but I much preferred Frank and Joe) to Encyclopedia Brown and Sherlock Holmes. I wept over Charlotte fromCharlotte’s Web, and the dogs fromOld YellerandWhere the Red Fern Grows. I laughed overPippi Longstocking, with her horse and monkey. I lived on an island withThe Swiss Family Robinson.I read inspiring biographies of Florence Nightingale, Harriet Tubman, and the surgeon who performed the first open heart surgery. In another series, I traveled to Africa with missionary doctors.I learned American history through John Jakes and James Michener. (Yes, as a kid. I read Jake’sThe Bastardin seventh grade over 2 school days. My parents had read it, let me read it, and not a single teacher batted an eye at me reading it. Let's hear it for adults around me giving me the freedom to read as I wished!)Then I discovered science fiction and traveled the universe with Robert Heinlein, among others.My childhood was incredibly rich because of books. Someone on Facebook posted that comfort reads are like comfort foods. Things we return to like old fuzzy blankets when life is hard.I say it's more than that. It's a visit with an old friend.Who are your favorite old book friends?

You Gotta Have a Plan

Plans come in all shapes and sizes, from what do I intend to be doing five years from now, to what am I going to write when I hit the pages tomorrow morning.I love plans. I'm sure it's no mistake that two of my books ended up with the word plan in the title because many of my characters end up having plans as well. When I was in 7th grade,I started working my plan for what I would do to ensure I would get into college. (I was the first person in my family to go to college.)Goal setting is one of the best ways to increase your productivity. It allows you to hold yourself accountable and gives you something specific to work towards. The way you go about this and the level to which you take it will depend entirely on you. You have to do what works for you.One size does not fit all for any of this.My friend authorHolly Jacobsis one of the most productive people I know. She has goals and plans, but I'd be willing to bet (I'm going to go ask her!) that she doesn't write them down. She doesn't have to. That doesn't work for her.It works for me. From a 5 year plan, to a3 Act Structure chart outlining the basics of my novel, I like the act of planning in advance, of charting a course and writing it down.Holly keeps her plans in her head.Of course I'm all getting to the stage in life where writing things down helps prevent forgetting. And now that we can take notes that are searchable on our technology, make notes on a smartphone whenever and wherever, it's even better. (That prevents the frantic search of the desk, kitchen table, etc., while muttering, “I know I wrote that down. Where the hell did I put that piece of paper?”  It also prevents a computer monitor covered in Post It notes that become an invisible forest.)There are even free tools now like Asana where you can break plans down into small, manageable tasks and check them off as you complete them. You can set deadlines and due dates as well.“I'm going to write and sell a book” is a big goal. First you have to write the book. That means the subtask of writing every day. Depending on your personal preference, it may mean meeting with a critique partner or group on a regular basis. There are things to learn and prepare for as to what you're going to do with the book when it's finished. Is it just for you? Do you want to traditionally publish it? If so, who publishes the type of book you're writing? How do you approach them? Do you need an agent? If so how do you get one of those? Who are the reputable players in the field?I'm always boggled at the number of writers who don't do any homework at all. The internet is your friend. You can find all sorts of information out here. Life is much easier for writers now than ever before. There are writing groups out there of all shapes and sizes and genres, filled with writers who are willing to share their knowledge. Conferences abound.But you gotta have a plan. And working your plan requires...well, work. A plan is not a wish, or a dream. A plan is how you make a dream reality.So what's your dream? (I want to visit Montana.) Change that dream into a goal and start taking steps to make it reality. Write it down. Put a deadline on it. (By summer of 2018.)Now get to work.

The 100 Day Challenge

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.How do you create a new habit? Write a book? One day at a time and one small segment at a time. One word at a time.Today begins the 100 (consecutive!) Day Challenge for me, for my critique partner, and for anyone else who wants to jump on the bandwagon with us. 100 days in a row, and death (our own) is the only excuse.For the writing, we're starting out very reasonably.  500 words a day.500 words a day! That's nothing! That's easy. But think about the power of math!  (I know,  we're writers, and most of us prefer words to numbers.  But numbers can be fun, too. I promise!) 500 words per day for 100 days gets you 50,000 words. That's a short novel, or half a “standard” sized novel. For me, it's close to a full novel. Well more than half.And 500 is just the minimum. Once you get on a roll, odds are you can produce more than that each day.My true goal, once I get past the warm up phase, is 1,000 words per day.  Let's do that math.  That's 100,000 words in 100 days. That's a full novel. A big novel. I don't even write novels that big! (Not to this point, anyway. I've learned to never say never.)There are 365 days a year. That means you (we!) can do 3 of these challenges per year.That's 3 big, full novels a year with some spare change. Days for plotting, planning, editing. (You can do those things and still write fresh material every day,  too. Write a blog, an article, a short story.)It's about BICHOK - butt in chair, hands on keyboard. Though with technological advancements, you might not even have your butt in chair nor your hands on a keyboard as we traditionally have done it.  I'm writing this article in bed,  on my cellphone, and I'm using Swype, so I've got one finger on my keyboard. I can write fast this way,  too.100 Days. Starting today.What happens if you miss a day? You have to start over again. It's about achieving 100 CONSECUTIVE days. You can fall...you just have to go back to the starting line. (Consider it extra motivation to not miss a day!) Again, it doesn't have to all  be on a novel/book. If you're stuck on that, write a blog post. Write a short story. Write "I'm stuck" over and over again, 250 times, giving you 500 words. Just write!I'm getting on board for 100 Day Challenge for steps, too. I've been slacking off on my physical fitness needs as well, and that needs to change. So starting today, I'm going for 100 consecutive days of 10k steps per day.I need routine. I need solid, established habits. Writing muscles are like any other muscles. If you don't use them, they get flabby. Weak. It takes training to build them back up again.So this is my training regimen. (Cue the Rocky theme music.)This is the perfect month to start because writing is in the air with NanoWriMo starting today. There's something to be said for tapping into something that big. The creative energy will be flowing all over. Dip into it, take a big gulp.It doesn't even matter when you read this, when you start.  Pick a day and start your own journey.It all begins with a single step. Or a single word.Let's go together.

Rediscovering My Tribe - Writing Conferences & Plotting Weekends

It was something I'd forgotten: sometimes you just need to hang with your tribe.In this case, it wasn't just readers and other folks who love books, though that's one of my major "tribes." My preferred community. No, the last 2 weeks have been about rediscovering and hanging with my writer peeps, about rediscovering my writer self.I can't say this enough -- sometimes we writers need to get out of our comfortable, private offices, and get out there around other writers! I know I don't do it nearly enough.It's awesome to be around other people who understand why you ask them to repeat a certain thing they said...and then scribble it down somewhere. To be around other folks who "hear voices in their heads" and it's okay. They know you're talking about the characters in your head, and don't recommend you seek mental health help.We write about life. And it's harder to do that if we don't get enough exposure to it outside our writing caves. I was able to hear all sorts of stories from people that sparked my imagination.If you're a writer, and you've never been to a writing conference, I strongly urge you to attend one. There's something magical about the swirling creativity that's in the air. If you're one of us introverted writers, choose something on the smaller side. I was at theNew Jersey Romance Writersconference last weekend. It's small enough to have an intimate feel to it, but large enough that they offer multiple tracks of workshops, including for those who are already published. It's close to New York City, so they do get industry guests.I attended incredibly helpful workshops on things like cover design, author branding and effective social media, and a piece of software I've been toying around:Scrivener.The trade-off with this trip was that I wasn't able to attend a local conference (Erie, PA) that I generally attend, and I highly recommend to writers,A Writer's Road Trip, put on my localPennwritersgroup.  I think Holly and I will be at the local one next year, likely offering workshops, so if you're not too far from Erie, PA, consider that one. Especially if you're looking for something more cozy, less overwhelming. (That one is multi-genre, for all types of writing.)The weekend before that conference I'd been able to combine a day-job trip to Austin, Texas, with the chance to get together with my critique partner, Jennifer August. We worked on plotting Jen's first cozy mystery, and that was a lot of fun -- something new for both of us. I'm a visual person, so I started us with a graphic organizer, also known as a web. I wrote "Dead Guy" in the middle, in a circle, and we worked our way out from there. I can't wait to see how this ends up.If you look at the picture here, you'll also see what's still one of my favorite plotting tools -- index cards. Especially colored index cards. You can do all sorts of things with colored index cards. Make one color represent scenes with one character, give another character a difference color. Make one color represent characters, another scene ideas. Your own imagination is your only limit.While I'm talking about this, let me share something VERY important -- there is no one right way to do this! Hell, there's no ten right ways to do this. If someone tells you otherwise, don't listen to them. Every writer has their own process. That process isn't even the same for different books written by one writer. It changes. So while I highly recommend that you learn things about the craft, like POV and show vs tell, and that you learn things about the business, like the very important difference between indie pubbing and vanity pubbing (there is a difference these days!) and which publishers will accept anything as long as the writer can write...a check...I want you to know that you have to pick and choose who and what you listen to. In the end, this is your book. Your writing. Your process.Holly and I have VERY different processes, which is why it's great when we talk and give workshops together. We approach things very differently.So hey...don't forget to take the time to hang out with your tribe! Soak up some creativity from other creative folks, whether you're into writing or knitting or carving or sculpting, painting, photography...well...you get the idea.You just may rediscover your own passion as well.

Why do we love romance novels?

Today I got thinking about why we love romance novels.Actually, life had been challenging and I was thinking about Happily Ever Afters. And that led me to realize that the Happily Ever After is probably one of the biggest reasons we love romance novels - we're promised a Happily Ever After.It's the one non-negotiable "rule" of writing a romance novel. Break all the other rules you want, but don't mess with the Happily Ever After. Readers expect it.If you don't have a Happily Ever After (or at least a Happily at the End of the Book), what you have is more likely a love story. Or something else. But it's not a romance novel.Life is hard. The road is often bumpy. Sometimes we're lonely. Sometimes what we thought would be a Happily Ever After turns out...not so much the way we expected.Books have always been one of my favorite places to seek refuge when life gets painful. I can do that by reading...or writing. And that may be the best way to make lemonade (or, you know, books) out of lemons.Why do you love romance novels?

School's Out - Please Write Carefully

No, you may not put the baby in the desk drawer while you write, even though it seems pretty safe and you're keeping it open! For better tips on how to write with the kids around, keep reading.This is an updated rerun of a piece I wrote a number of years ago, but the points are still good. The teenager I speak of is now fully grown and capable of occupying his own time. The points about electronic "babysitters" are even more valid since our kids now have even more "screens" to capture their attention.Summer vacation.  How you respond to those two words depends on your perspective, your point of view.If you're a kid, you're thrilled.If you're a writer whose day-job is teacher, you're thrilled.  (Even if you're a non-writing teacher, you're thrilled.  I know.  I used to be a teacher.)If you're a stay-at-home writer whose other day-job is mom (or dad), you might be less than thrilled.  Because it means your daytime peace and solitude when you normally knock out those pages is disrupted.  Gone.  And you're counting the days until school starts again in the fall.So, how do you handle summer vacation with the kids home?  You'll have to come up with a new schedule and some rules.  I know a number of writer-moms who get up earlier in the summer than they do during the school year.  That way they can get some work done before the kids even get out of bed.  Then, once they're up, you can give them your complete attention, which will cover the mommy-guilt angle.  Writing at night after they've gone to bed is another option.If you're fortunate enough to have a separate office in the house, and the kids are old enough to entertain themselves for a while, make rules about when they may interrupt.  "Can I have a popsicle?" doesn't cut it as a reason for invading the writer's sanctuary.  Blood and fire do.As a teacher, I was introduced to the 3 B Questions we used to ask, especially when approached during recess.  They work equally well for writers, especially those on deadline.  "Are you breathing?" (The correct answer is yes.)  "Are you bleeding?" (Hope for no.)  "Are you barfing?" (Again, hope for no.)  If you get the "correct" answers to these questions, then the proper response is somewhere along the lines of, "Okay, then go play."  You then return your attention to the flashing cursor on the page in front of you.  Of course, "incorrect" answers to the B questions do demand your immediate attention.  The story will have to wait in that case.These rules apply even more when Mommy/Writer is on the phone, just in case she's talking to her editor or agent.  A friend of mine one summer appalled her editor when her daughter interrupted for the umpteenth time, and the writer said, "There better be blood!"  There was no blood, but the (young, childless) editor was floored.  Hmmm…I wonder how editors would deal with kids running into their offices while trying to make business phone calls?Other tips:If you need your child in view, keep a supply of coloring books, paper, crayons, picture books, puzzles, in your office.  The kid(s) can play quietly (hey, I'm optimistic!) nearby while you work.Consider hiring a neighborhood teen to babysit while you work.  This way, you have some quiet, the kids have someone to watch and play with them, and you can keep an eye on the whole situation.  Another option is to switch off with a friend.  Take her kids one day, and have her keep yours another.Summer day camps are loads of fun for kids.  I have very fond memories of summer day camp.An option that works with my teenage son is taking him to the local indoor skate park.  That's usually good for several hours of uninterrupted quiet time at home.Don't forget to stop and have some fun yourself.  On a hot, sticky day, there's nothing better than a water-gun fight out in the backyard.  Muses love these kinds of activities, too.  She just may reward you with an extra burst of creativity.Alphasmarts/laptops/tablets/electronic-device-or-your-choice are great for using poolside while you keep both ears and one eye on the kids.  Be sure to give a frequent look at them with both eyes, though!Libraries often offer story-hour for kids.  While they listen to the story, you can sit in eye-range and work on your own story.  As a plus, most libraries are air-conditioned, which you'll be glad for during any heat waves.Videos and other electronic entertainment, while not recommended in heavy doses or as a steady diet, can also help buy you some writing time.  There are loads of great educational software out there, too.  You can keep their school skills sharp while you work.  (Of course, if you only have one computer, that could be a problem.)If it's too quiet, you'd better go and see what they're up to. More than once I poked my head out my office window and found things like, my son on the roof of the garage, or stuck up in a tree. Boys can be challenging.If they are absolutely driving you nuts, remember that this, too, shall pass.  And the kids grow up too quickly anyway.  Enjoy them when you can.  Before you know it, the fall will be here, and you'll be sending them off to another grade, wondering where the time has gone.

My Latest Creative Venture - a coloring book for grownups!

My latest creative venture is now available!

This is my first adult coloring book, Delightful Designs. 

I needed something different, something new, and this was a lot of fun!

Research has shown that coloring is almost as effective as meditation in reducing stress -- that's why you're seeing so many of these coloring books all over the stores!





Here's a video to let you see all the different designs. Grab your crayons or colored pencils, or whatever you like to color with (markers, gel pens...I even know some colorists who are using eye shadow as part of their work!) and have some fun!

My latest release!No, it's not a romance novel. This book...

My latest release!

No, it's not a romance novel.

This book is based on one of the workshops I've given at RWA National.

Character Motto: A Writer's Tool for Creating 3-D Characters & Enhancing Plot, Setting & Conflict will help writers dig deeper into their characters as well as use this knowledge to enhance many aspects of their novel.

My very first heroine, Harley, had a motto. She believed Success is the Best Revenge.

Later on in my writing, I learned how to pit my hero and heroine against one another with opposing mottos.

I can show you how to do it, too! It works with all sorts of writing, not just romance.

So if you're a writer, looking for a slightly different take on creating characters, or just want to learn how to pump up all aspects of your story, check it out!