Rain Trueax's Blog, page 53

Creativity, Chaos and Me

 Currently I think I am scattered too many ways and my dreams are telling me the same thing.

In one dream, I was watching a play where the audience felt the author had missed the boat. The lead character had made too abrupt a change and they didn't buy it. I argued the playwright had been right for how it is with creative people, who that hero was, as in they can change direction more quickly than those with less of that creative bent. The very nature of creativity is seeing new ways to do things and going with them.

Well in the dream I walked out of the theater and began trying to drive home... missing one road after another, having to back up, the night getting darker, and me feeling more concerned I couldn't get where I needed to go. I woke up feeling highly stressed and thinking-- my days don't have enough stress that I need to create dreams with more?

I took it, along with some similar dreams, to say I am simply too divided right now. Not only did I get this new idea for a book, which I began, but that means I now have two to finish at some point. There is critical family time, the blogs to write, a farm with certain obligations, my desire to eat healthier, the political situation in this country and frankly the end result is I am feeling emotionally and even physically totally scattered. My choices aren't helping as in the midst of this, what did I do-- come up with the cover for a book I don't plan to submit to Kindle until January. That helped a LOT-- not!

So this morning I went back to finishing up a cover and trailer for the historical western romance that will come out the end of September. I thought I already knew the image I'd use but I played around with it a bit more. That book is edited, got a new title as I was feared the other one would end up confusing the readers as to its content.

I hate it when I have to change the title of a book that for years has been its title. That has happened to me with the one set up for January 2013 also. I love its title but just not sure it won't confuse readers for what it's about.

There is a lot more to writing once you get into marketing. And the dream was right-- there is a downside to creativity...

The photo on the top is at a nearby farm where they now have a restaurant sometimes-- Gathering Together. That's what I need more of right now where it come to myself-- gathering me together.

Along the trail

When I was at Klamath Lake, I got to thinking how much starting a new book is like walking a trail you have never walked before. If you've been on the trail many times, or are doing it only to make fast times, it doesn't apply; but a new trail, one you are seeing for the first time is like writing a new story.

You take your time. You look around. You keep moving forward but also watch the trail to avoid tripping over rocks or roots. You must always look around to be sure you are on the right trail. Are the markers clear? Did that last Y have you taking a wrong turn?


And then what is that over there? Beautiful colors. Was that a butterfly you hadn't seen before? You stop to analyze and try to remember its name if you ever knew it. Beyond, up a tall tree, you hear a sound, a bird you cannot see but can only hear.


What made those tracks along the bank of a small stream? Each step along that trail is savored and considered. You can't go too fast, or you miss the little things that make a hiking experience so rich. You know where you are going when you start out on such a trail, maybe even have a map, but what will be along the way, that's the fun of the hike.

In writing a new story, all that applies to hiking applies to the book. It's important to not rush, to look for what might be alongside your characters, what is impacting their lives in subtle and less subtle ways.

The temptation is to barge forward, set up one of those schedules some encourage of writing say 1000 words a day. I don't think that's a good way. Take some time in between writing to think about who these people are, what hidden aspect to their personality did you miss before but see now.

When I am writing, I particularly try to remember my dreams. They often give me insights into what is happening that my daily thinking isn't delivering. I will write sometimes 5000 words in a day but then might go a week as I mull it all over, go back through and look at what was alongside the trail that I missed.

Finding inspiration from audio books

Although this week-end was family time down on Klamath Lake in Southern Oregon, I did get some inspiration for the new book from two audio Louis L'Amour short story collections. A few years back I found traveling with audio books as a way to pass the time. It turns out my grandchildren (ages from 8 to 14) are very into these kind of western short stories.

These were dramatizations which I like best but don't always find. For anyone who is looking for inspiration for putting atmosphere into their stories, I recommend these kind of CDs. This particular set had the stories-- Law of the Desert Born, The Trigernometry Tenderfoot, and Horse Heaven on one of the CDs and Four Card Draw, Get Out of Town, and One for the Pot on the other.

They really helped pass the miles for the kids but us too. It reminded me how important atmosphere is to the kind of writing that carries you into the story. It doesn't take a LOT of words. In fact a lot of words would have lost the children. It takes the right words.

India now part of the Kindle networking system

In my email was notice that India has been added by Amazon to the Kindle network. Welcome to my readers from India. Although I have backed off from actively pushing my contemporary romances because of working on the new ones, they are still available; and I hope new readers will still find them now and then.

Anyone who makes it to this site can see the ten contemporary stories of romance and American life alongside this blog where clicking on their icon takes the reader to more information and how to purchase-- or occasionally gotten for free when I have posted that here.

I realize there is resistance to eBooks. I hear the talk regularly from those who fear they will do away with paper versions, even threaten libraries. In reality it just gives readers more options while it has let a lot more writers get in the door without having to compromise their stories to what a publishing house expects.


A good example are two of my eBooks both set in Portland, Oregon. The first, Moon Dust , deals with some painful subjects, divorce, militia groups, education today, and most importantly adult repercussions of abuse.

It is followed by Second Chance , with some of the same characters, set in the world of wildlife rehabilitation, as it continues to look at how healing comes to those who have experienced abusive childhoods.


Admittedly these are tough topics, but they are placed into stories with adventure. relationship, and the search for love (some healthy sexuality but not erotica) which I think mitigates some as they also inform. Who says we can't enjoy while we learn?   

Moon Dust, however, was just too tough a topic for a publishing house to want to put out as a romance-- at least that is what they wrote back when they rejected it after suggesting possible changes that might change their minds-- like gut the story.  I never tried with Second Chance which although it stands alone, I think is more meaningful when having read Moon Dust first.

I let these stories go until along came a new opportunity where the books can be there for those who find tough topics a challenge and not a turnoff or who benefit from considering how healing might come to their own lives.

Anyway, welcome to readers from India to the Kindle world and whether my books prove to be a temptation, I am sure others will. We don't have to stop buying paper. I still do; but with eBooks we have two ways to read.