Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 226

Writer's Block

There are, from what I've seen and heard before, two types of writer's block.

There's the "I don't want to sit down and work on that book right now!" type of block. This is basically procrastination and just not wanting to make time for a difficult activity.

There's also the second type…and I know they do exist because I received an email from one of them recently…of people who are staring at a blank screen with panic. And I think the problem is that they don't know why their block is happening or what to try to do to fix it.

I've heard it said that there isn't any such thing as writer's block. That handymen don't get handyman's block and doctors don't get doctor's block. That's true, but they're not building worlds in their heads. I'll admit that I don't get writer's block—but there are some days when I do hesitate a lot while writing. I know it's all coming out wrong. I know it's going to have to be fixed. I know it's bad writing.

But I just keep on spewing out crappy writing because I know I'll fix it later.

I think, though, that people who genuinely see a blank screen and freeze up for long periods of time are really just afraid. They're afraid of failure. They want so badly to write something well that they just choke up.

I think the best way to deal with those feelings is to continue writing. To give myself permission to completely fail while expressing my ideas on paper, with the knowledge that I will make it all better with revisions.

These are some helpful posts on writer's block that I've come across in the past:

21 Tips for Overcoming Writer's Block
Writer's Block—the Pros and Cons of just writing through it
A resource roundup to solving writer's block
Overcoming Writer's Block
The underlying cause of writer's block—fear of failure

If you've gotten blocked before, how did you work through it. If you don't get blocked, what advice can you offer folks who do?

Start your Mystery With a Bang! by Kathleen Ernst

I'm grateful to Elizabeth for allowing me to be a guest here on Mystery Writing is Murder. And I'm grateful to readers! I love my work, and I'd be nowhere without you. Leave a comment here, and your name will go into a daily drawing for one free book. The winner can choose any of my sixteen titles. Old World Murder, one of my American Girl mysteries, a Civil War novel—the choice will be yours!

Start Your Mystery With A Bang!

By Kathleen Ernst

There's been a lot of talk over the past few years about the importance of having the actual murder show up quickly in a mystery novel. I recently heard a speaker say that having a body in the first chapter is good; in the first paragraph is better; in the first sentence is best of all.

This advice may, or may not, make sense for your novel. I've seen some mysteries turned inside-out in order to present a dead body quickly, with leaps back and forth in time. Sometimes this works wonderfully. Sometimes…well, not so much.

It is important to grab agents, editors, and readers quickly. But there are lots of ways to do that! Want to hook readers with your first sentence or two? Let's look at a variety of techniques:

1. Grab readers' attention.

"It was one hell of a night to throw away a baby." (In The Bleak Midwinter, by Julia Spencer-Fleming)

"With the exception of a nine-week-old Australian shepherd puppy, sniffing and whining as if he'd discovered a treasure chest and sought a way inside, everyone was politely pretending Anna didn't stink." (Blood Lure, by Nevada Barr)

2. Drop readers into the action…

"January, as usual, was meat locker cold, and the girl had already been missing for nearly two days." (Blood Hollow, by William Kent Krueger)

"In his last conscious moment, the burning man spoke three words." (Wild Inferno, by Sandi Ault)

"I flinched as a rifle shot fractured the air." (Mint Juleps, Mayhem, and Murder, by Sara Rosett)

3. …or into a revealing conversation.

"'He was healthy yesterday,' said Maude." (Three Bags Full, by Leonie Swann)

"All of them? Even the children?" The fireplace sputtered and crackled and swallowed his gasp. "Slaughtered?" (The Brutal Telling, by Louise Penny)

4. Set the stage.

"The tale I am about to tell begins on a bright, clear, April-sweet morning in the Lake District village of Sawrey. (The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood, by Susan Wittig Albert)

"When Rachel Goddard turned onto Ben Hern's property, she couldn't see the other car barreling toward hers down the long, curving driveway. All she saw up ahead were the massive rhododendrons and trees in summer leaf that formed a screen on both sides." (Broken Places, by Sandra Parshall)

5. Set the tone.

"The desert surrounds the moving bus like an earthly vision of hell." (Panic! by Bill Pronzini)

6. Create a beginning that mirrors the ending.

Return characters to the first scene's setting to emphasize their emotional growth. I did this in my children's mystery, Midnight in Lonesome Hollow. I hoped that using the same setting would emphasize how the characters have grown and changed.

7. Simply state the crime….

"The bodies were discovered by Mrs. Trepol, widow, occupation housekeeper and cook to the deceased." (Wings of Fire, by Charles Todd)

"Lyell Overton Minskoff-Hardy, literary light and cultural personage, perished a few days before Christmas beneath a stainless steel toilet on the Upper West Side of Manhattan." (A Dog About Town, by J. F. Englert)

8. …or the protagonist's take on it.

"I got there too late to save Jerome Santana." (Wild Indigo, by Sandi Ault)

9. Set a protagonist up for a fall.

"Officer Bernadette Manuelito had been having a busy day, enjoying most of it, and no longer feeling like the greenest rookie of the Navajo Tribal Police." (The Wailing Wind, by Tony Hillerman.)

10. Intrigue readers with introspection.

"At the end, there was so much blame to spread around that we could all have taken a few shovelfuls home and rolled around in it like pigs in stink." (The Fault Tree, by Louise Ure)

"Till the night when the habit of killing returned to him, he had almost forgotten the quickening joy of it, how it scourged the smear of shame from the heart and made it live." (The Burning Bride, by Margaret Lawrence)

**

I recently dug out the earliest version of my new novel, Old World Murder. Here's the first line of my first draft: "Evenings, when the hordes of visitors had straggled to the parking lot, and the thirsty interpreters stampeded after them, were my favorite times on the historic site."

Ho-hum.

Here's how the published novel opens:

"As Chloe Ellefson walked from 1982 into 1870s Wisconsin, a white frame church emerged from the trees, prettily framed against a cloud-studded blue sky. The view alone was enough to make most visitors pause, appreciate the simple elegance of the restored church, perhaps even wonder about the lives of those women and men and children who had first worshiped within its walls. For Chloe, the historic site's newest employee, the scene represented a fresh start."

There's no body. But I did manage to raise a question (why does Chloe need to make a fresh start?) and to squeeze some important bits of information (she has started work at a lovely and thought-provoking historic site, and her story takes place in 1982) into those three sentences.

There is, of course, no "best" way to open a novel. Only the author can decide what works for any particular story. I suggest that the very last step of the editing process is one final, thoughtful, and assessing eye at the mystery's first sentences. Are they as strong as they can be?

If so, you'll have readers eager for more.

Kathleen Ernst is celebrating the publication of her first adult mystery, Old World Murder (Midnight Ink). She has also written eight mysteries for young readers. Several have been finalists for Edgar or Agatha awards. For more information see her website, http://www.kathleenernst.com , or her blog, http://sitesandstories.wordpress.com.

Thanks so much for blogging on Mystery Writing is Murder today, Kathleen! Kathleen is a fellow Midnight Ink author who I was fortunate enough to spend some time with at the Malice Domestic mystery conference in April. Congratulations on your release!

Twitterific

Here are writing links that I've posted to Twitter for the past week.

If you're looking for a particular topic, just plug in your keyword into the search box at the top left-hand corner of the blog (on the black header right above my blog name…next to the Blogger symbol…the small search window is next to the magnifying glass) and the roundup with your subject will come up. To narrow your search down on the page, do a CTRL+F, type your subject, and hit enter.

In Praise of Unlikable Characters: http://dld.bz/ySxk

Best Articles This Week for Writers 10/8/2010: http://dld.bz/ySxj

Self-publishing--baby steps: http://dld.bz/ySxa

Dialogue tags: http://dld.bz/ySwX

10 of the best wolves in literature (Guardian): http://dld.bz/ySwV

How can one afford to be a writer? http://dld.bz/ySwS

The Top 25 Underrated Creative Writing MFA Programs (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/ySwH

Why you should read debut authors: http://dld.bz/ySwB

How Linguistics Can Help You Part 4: Semantics: http://dld.bz/ySwA

For the traveling writer--international travel tips: http://dld.bz/ySw7

Writing our book's climax: http://dld.bz/yBvW

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Sweet Tooth Chicken Breast http://bit.ly/9ZcIwY @CleoCoyle

How to Pick an Agent if You Write for Many Audiences: http://dld.bz/yBvA

The importance of knowing your intent: http://dld.bz/yBvk

7 Ways to Promote Your Book With Video: http://dld.bz/yBuX

How to Attract Influencers to Your Blog: http://dld.bz/yNRT

Taking Your Writing Off the Back Burner: Writing in the Moment: http://dld.bz/yBuD

Should you start a blog? Yes! Blogging benefits for writers: http://dld.bz/yNRz @HartJohnson

How to Get a Foot in the Door With Agents: http://dld.bz/yBu9

Planning for a Writing Push: http://dld.bz/yBu5

7 Tips to Mastering Facebook Advertising: http://dld.bz/yBuz

6 Tweets To Promote Your Online Fiction: http://dld.bz/yBuu

Creating Characters Using the Dialectical Method: http://dld.bz/yBue

What do Amazon rankings mean to authors? http://dld.bz/yBtW

Using smell to improve your fiction: http://dld.bz/y3G7

A Stranger in a Strange Place: Migrant Writing: http://dld.bz/yzcm

I Want to Publish My Book. Now What? (Writer's Digest): http://dld.bz/yubm

Who Does What? A Breakdown of Each Job in Publishing and Marketing a Book: http://dld.bz/yuaU

National Book Foundation Announces 5 Under 35 Honorees (GalleyCat): http://dld.bz/yuaR

National Graphic Novel Writing Month (part 1): http://dld.bz/yuaH

Being a writer vs being a blogger: http://dld.bz/yuaE

The 4 Golden Rules of Being a Writer: http://dld.bz/yuap

Writing, social media, emails--how do you stay on top of it all? http://dld.bz/yHkY

Writing Dreams in the Age of Twitter: http://dld.bz/ytZU @PauloCamposInk

London Police Catch Prankster Who Stole Writer Jonathan Franzen's Eyeglasses (NPR): http://dld.bz/yuax

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: A Dinner to Die For (Literally) and My Answer to the $40 Lamb Chop by Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/cFnDI0 @CleoCoyle

Demystifying industry terms: http://dld.bz/yBvG

The Doldrums – Latitude and Longitude: http://dld.bz/ytgA

Your Old Job in Publishing Doesn't Exist: http://dld.bz/ytg7

Freelancers--5 Tips to Getting Out of an Assignment Rut: http://dld.bz/ytgv

War, Peace, and Fantasy: http://dld.bz/ytgu

Revision tip--be specific: http://dld.bz/ytgk

How to write a novel in 30 years or less: http://dld.bz/ytgd

Upstart Publishing, Staying Human in a Digital World: http://dld.bz/ytfU

'It Was A Big, Big Surprise,' New Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa Tells NPR: http://dld.bz/yDC5

10 ways writing is like renovating: http://dld.bz/yDGA @elspethwrites

On the character therapist--from anger to amore: http://dld.bz/ytfS

E.B. White on the tricky valuation of a writer's time: http://dld.bz/yD9K @maudnewton

10 Android Apps for Improving Productivity: http://dld.bz/yD3K

Don't Let "The Rules" Stifle Your Creativity: http://dld.bz/ytfG

Internalization, Silence and Avoidance: http://dld.bz/ytfp

Stop! Before You Try to Get an Agent, Some Questions to Ask Yourself: http://dld.bz/yCyM

For writing prompts and practice, try http://dld.bz/yCyb and http://dld.bz/yCyd @andymeisen @PauloCamposInk

Serial Characters and the Book Deal: http://dld.bz/ytfj

How Deliberate Practice Can Make You an Excellent Writer: http://dld.bz/yteY

Follett's Fall of Giants E-Book Outsells Print in Spain: http://dld.bz/yteV

A Lesson in Bad Writing – Why it's Good to Read Books that Disappoint: http://dld.bz/yteG

Writing inspiration and some links to help you prepare for NaNoWriMo: http://dld.bz/yAfC

Writing For Grownups, Writing For Kids: http://dld.bz/yteF

Book Packagers 101: http://dld.bz/ytem

The Editing Hour: Creative vs Academic Writing: http://dld.bz/yte7

Query letter samples: http://dld.bz/yteq

Editor & Agent Advice: Follows, Tweets, and Posts: http://dld.bz/ytef

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Something Warm and Toasty—Easy Veggie Soup…in the Slow Cooker http://bit.ly/aMwLLW @CleoCoyle

The future of publishing takes shape (Guardian): http://dld.bz/ytdh

Empathize With Your Main Character: http://dld.bz/yk7y

Outlining: The Best and Hardest Planning Tool: http://dld.bz/yk7h

When is e-royalty not a royalty? When 9th Circuit Court says it's not: http://dld.bz/yk7f

30 Ways to Save 30 Minutes a Day (and use it for writing?) : http://dld.bz/yk6z

Could Someone Be Plagiarizing Your Writing? http://dld.bz/yk5R

Writing is like...working out? http://dld.bz/yk5P

How to Overcome Fear & Let Your Creativity Flourish: http://dld.bz/yk5E

5 Ways Facebook Can Boost Your Freelance Biz: http://dld.bz/yk5C

The Artist's Responsibility: http://dld.bz/yk5v

Defeating Your Inner Critic Part I - Track the Problem: http://dld.bz/yjNV

Six Tips for Selling Your Book: http://dld.bz/yjNN

Behind the scenes--"The Call": http://dld.bz/yjM2

5 Ways to Make Your Novel Helplessly Addictive: http://dld.bz/yjEv @victoriamixon

Public speaking--when your speech goes wrong: http://dld.bz/yjDY

Writing the devil into your bad guy: http://dld.bz/yxQk

How to create sound bites that resonate: http://dld.bz/yjDG

Does paid advertising work for small-time novelists? http://dld.bz/yjD2

Tips for writing query letters from someone in the industry: http://dld.bz/yjDz

Barnes & Noble gets into the self-pub biz with PubIt!: http://dld.bz/yjDm

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Road trips rock! http://bit.ly/bwPRvD @CleoCoyle

Thoughts on Changing Agents: http://dld.bz/yjDg

Write your book & make it as good as it can be. Let that be its own reward. http://dld.bz/yhug

Learning about writing through the golden rules of medicine: http://dld.bz/yhtS

5 Productivity Myths That Need to Be Busted: http://dld.bz/yhtq

Tweeting Interns: Helpful or Hurtful? http://dld.bz/yhte

What to do while you wait for your book's launch date: http://dld.bz/yhsZ

3 Reasons to Start Blogging Before a Book Contract: http://dld.bz/yhsT

The art of introducing your heroes: http://dld.bz/yhsB

Are You Rewarding Yourself through Procrastination? http://dld.bz/yhsz

9 Ways to Prepare for the National Novel Writing Month: http://dld.bz/yhsf

Self Publishing on the Kindle: http://dld.bz/yhsd

How to keep writing when your inner critic screams: http://dld.bz/ycdJ

7 Reasons Why You Should Read Your Book Out Loud: http://dld.bz/ycd7

A group challenge to submit work to 10 markets by the first of each month: http://trunc.it/bjq96 @mercedesmy

Series writing--thoughts and resources: http://dld.bz/yqYc

NaNoWriMo starts right here, right now: http://dld.bz/ycd4

Why writing is like riding a bike: http://dld.bz/yq4R @SimonCLarter

5 reasons writers should be on YouTube: http://dld.bz/ycdu @clarissadraper

A Word to Children's Writers: Spend Time at Schools: http://dld.bz/ycdh

Enjoy the Luxury of the Unpublished Life: http://dld.bz/ycde

The Writer Himself: http://dld.bz/yccT

Quick writing tips--on permission: http://dld.bz/yccM

Spiderpunk: http://dld.bz/yccC

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: PHILADELPHIA FOOD http://bit.ly/bYBtZR @CleoCoyle

The Worst Writing Advice: http://dld.bz/yccz

Books on Writing... Lyrics, Screenplays, and Science Fiction: http://dld.bz/yccf

Surviving the cheap seats of the writing journey: http://dld.bz/yccd

What's the Career Path for Ambitious Freelancers? http://dld.bz/ycbX

As one writer sees it--why writers don't make money: http://dld.bz/yjN5 @KarenGowen

Tips For Writing Effective Dialogue: http://dld.bz/ycbT

Twitter and Facebook cannot change the real world, says Malcolm Gladwell: http://dld.bz/ycbF

Too many books? Far too few, more like (Guardian): http://dld.bz/ycb8

8 Steps to Hiring the Agent You Need: http://dld.bz/xXxk

The White Noise That Is Twitter: http://dld.bz/xXxj

Non-Stop Writing: the Index Card Trick: http://dld.bz/xXxh

The rules of contemporary romance novels: http://dld.bz/xXxd

Adding Sensory Details to Your Writing (Part 2): http://dld.bz/xXxb

Should You Self-Publish, Then Get a Literary Agent? http://dld.bz/xXwX

Is paranormal romance hijacking urban fantasy? http://dld.bz/xXwR

A quick tip for keeping our writing momentum: http://dld.bz/yfrB

A Writer's Diary: http://dld.bz/xXwK

For crime writers--information on medical examiners: http://dld.bz/yfdD @authorterryo

Surviving the MFA: http://dld.bz/xXw9

Who should rescue Barnes and Noble? Maybe a publisher: http://dld.bz/xXw8

One writer's evolving novel opener: http://dld.bz/xXrA

When plotting goes wrong: http://dld.bz/xXrb @jillkemerer

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Veal Delicious http://bit.ly/9TBeRS @CleoCoyle

Does a writer need talent? http://dld.bz/xXqV

Tips for writing in restaurants, etc.: http://dld.bz/xXn2

Ten of the best vendettas in literature (Guardian): http://dld.bz/xXnP

Three Traits of Compelling Characters: http://dld.bz/xXnH

How to Use Vivid Descriptions to Capture Attention: http://dld.bz/xXnG

10 great science fiction novels that have been banned: http://dld.bz/xXn9

New Twitter, New Rant: http://dld.bz/xXnf

Advice for aspiring writers from a freelance editor: http://dld.bz/xXnb

8 Things We Can Learn About Freelance Writing From The Movie Making Business: http://dld.bz/xXmH

One writer tells the problems she's experienced with author events: http://dld.bz/xXmG

Best Articles This Week for Writers 10/1/2010: http://dld.bz/xXmw

Midlist and backlist authors are losing out with the agency model: http://dld.bz/xUk3

Earning A Reader's Time: http://dld.bz/xUjQ

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: What's Your Favorite Cookbook? http://bit.ly/96N1hW @CleoCoyle

There Is More to Reading Than Digital: http://dld.bz/xUjd

The Magic of Rituals: http://dld.bz/xUjb

How to be a writer in 15 easy steps: http://dld.bz/xUhQ

To make it as a writer, outwit, outplay, and outlast: http://dld.bz/xUhH

The privatization of libraries (NY Times): http://dld.bz/xUhD

Writing 100 facts about your characters: http://dld.bz/xUhy

Agatha Christie--5 of her best books: (Guardian): http://dld.bz/xUhq

Children's publishers: focus on content, not platform: http://dld.bz/xUa6

Skimming

My 4th grade daughter is reading the Chronicles of Narnia.  She started out with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and really enjoyed it.  Then she decided to read Prince Caspian.

One night last week, I told her that her reading time was up and it was time to turn in.  "But Mama!" she said.  "I've only read four pages!"

Usually in that length of time she's read at least a chapter, so I decided to take a look.  I'd forgotten that C.S. Lewis had such long descriptive passages.  And I love Lewis.

But he'd very carefully written out a description of a ridge the group was crossing and the valley beneath.  The description of the journey over the treacherous ridge took several pages of description.

My daughter doesn't really know how to skim yet, and she'd gotten bogged down in all the details.  It wasn't that she was savoring every word—it was that she was trying to work through the heavy imagery.

Which made me think.  Yes, if anyone could write a beautiful descriptive passage, it was C.S. Lewis.  And I know my nine year old isn't the speediest reader in the world, but it did slow her down and trip her up…which isn't what we want for our readers.

When it was time for her to write her synopsis of the chapter for school, she didn't have much material to write about.  The plot hadn't actually progressed during the description…it could be summed up with: "The group made a harrowing journey toward the enemy's campsite."

It made me realize how frequently I skim descriptive passages.  I think it's a shame—but I honestly don't have as much time as a reader anymore.

As a writer, I don't write much description.  In fact, my editors usually ask me to put more in.  I'm more likely to try to give a picture of a character through their actions, instead.

How much is too much description?  How much is too little?  As a writer, does the amount you put in reflect how you view descriptive passages as a reader?

Staying on Top of it All

I was volunteering Wednesday night for a church program my daughter is involved in. I was supposed to help a couple other ladies cook dinner for about sixty kids and ten adults.

This meant my working in an industrial kitchen at the church…with an industrial dishwasher, huge gas oven and massive cookware, etc. I was flummoxed just looking at the equipment.

The lady in charge of the kitchen came in. She was in a tremendous hurry and giving quick instructions before she rushed off to help with another part of the program.

She started giving me instructions: "So it's nacho night. The chips can go in the plastic green bowls there. Shredded cheese in eight Styrofoam bowls—one for each table. Same with the salsa. The shredded lettuce is in the fridge…you'll want it to sit out for a little while to thaw out a bit—the fridge runs cold. The meat is pre-cooked and pre-seasoned…you'll just need to put it in boiling water at 6:10 to warm. I'd put the pot on that burner there. Scissors to open the bags are in that drawer over there. The middle school kids should set the tables, but you'll want to check in thirty minutes to see if they have. Tongs for the lettuce are on the opposite wall in drawers. And please make sure you're serving the food in the dining hall at 6:45 for the kids to sing a thank you song to you…."

There was much more that she was saying, but I was already looking at her with panic. "I'm sorry," I said. "I know you need to leave, but I'm going to have to ask you to repeat all that—I need to write it down." This absolutely stopped her cold, then she laughed. "Wow! I don't think I've seen anyone have to do that before."

But—I know the memory that I'm dealing with. It's NOT good. I've gotten to the point where I'm juggling so much that I don't even have room in my head for it all anymore. If I don't write it down, then it's gone for good.

How do writers navigate through their days with all they have to juggle? I really don't know. I have to do the same thing every day in order to keep it straight—and write myself reminders, too.

Here are some ways I juggle to-do tasks:

Twitter—I skim my Google Reader (now I'm up to 1450 blogs…how did this happen?) once or twice a day when I have a minute. If I don't have a minute, I make a few minutes in the early afternoon. I click on all the posts that look especially helpful. Later in the day, before supper, I load the posts into SocialOomph to post over a 14-16 hour period. First thing in the morning each morning, I make sure Twitter is set to load. At lunch, I check for @ messages and DMs to respond to. There are usually plenty.

Facebook—I check it usually once or twice a day. I'm usually more interested in seeing what everyone else is doing than in posting status updates, but I'm trying to do better.

Unfortunately, I have three Facebook accounts—my professional one under my own name (Elizabeth Spann Craig Author), Riley has one (Riley Adams is my alter-ego/pen name), and then I have a personal one….because I'd rather not have pictures of me at age 12 or old sorority photos end up on my professional Facebook account.

Emails—I skim them in the morning when I first get up to make sure there's nothing I really need to act on. Then I check them again at lunch to respond. I'll check again in the late afternoon. Other than that, I try not to check.

Calendar—I write everything on it. It looks like a crazy person's calendar—various appointments, story ideas, fragments of grocery lists, reminders about the kids' school picture days…but the important thing is that I check the calendar every night before I go to bed and again when I get up in the morning. Bad things happen if I don't.

Writing—I've changed my schedule a little so that I write directly after I come back from driving the carpools to school. I write until I've reached my goal.

If I don't reach my goal because something comes up, I go on to Plan B—I assign another time during the day to write. And I write on the go whenever I see I'll have some dead time while waiting on something.

If that doesn't work? I move on to Plan C—writing at night. I'm never wild about writing at night, but I can do it if I need to.

Stuff that tends to stress me out that I've learned not to do:

I've learned not to try to squeeze too much stuff in right before I need to leave the house to go somewhere. I'm Type A so I mistakenly think that I'll be SO much more on top of things if I use that 15 minutes before I need to leave the house to schedule Twitter or to write my blog post for the next day, etc. But no—it usually just serves to make me lose track of time or to hurry too much as I'm leaving.

I've also learned that I can multi-task some things…but I can't multi-task others. Some tasks I juggle better than others and some need my undivided attention and focus.

I've learned not to prematurely cross something off my list as completed. This is something I've been doing more and more of lately—take the laundry, for instance. I've been absentminded enough to cross the laundry off my to-do list after I stick it in the washer. No, Elizabeth. The laundry is actually not done until it's hanging back up where it's supposed to be after coming out of the dryer. I do the same thing sometimes with emails that require action—yes, I did email the person back. But I can't cross that off my to-do list until the action they need me to do is completed.

How do you keep everything straight and juggle it all? Tips are welcomed! :)

Inspiration

Every year I'm amazed and inspired by the productivity and creativity surrounding National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.) If you're not familiar with it, the goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a novel in a month. You can log your progress online, participate in forums for different genres, and receive motivation, support, and encouragement from other writers.

Unfortunately, I never seem able to participate because I'm in the middle of a manuscript (to technically follow the rules, you're supposed to start a new project), but I feed off of the creativity and excitement of the participants and lurk in the forums pretty frequently, too.

Interested in participating in NaNoWriMo next month? Here are some posts that have run recently to help you get prepared:

9 Ways to Prepare for the National Novel Writing Month
NaNoWriMo starts right here, right now
Planning for a Writing Push
NaNoWriMo (main site)

Actually, I find inspiration in a lot of other ways too:

Bad books as inspiration. (Because I don't want to write that poorly.)

Good books as inspiration. (I'm amazed at the author's skill.)

Watching plays or going to a concert for inspiration.

Music as inspiration.

Housework for inspiration. (I don't want to do it and I'll have to start vacuuming if I stop writing.) :)

Taking a walk for inspiration.

Virtual interaction with other writers for inspiration.

In-person interaction with other writers for inspiration.

How do you find inspiration? And are you interested in participating in NaNoWriMo?

Writing the Devil into Your Bad Guy

Every novel needs to have at least one major bad guy (or gal), an antagonist with flaws and desires that lead to chaos, crime and even murder. This bad guy must provide a certain amount of tension, even when he isn't in a scene. Readers must feel him (or her) lurking, plotting and planning, creeping closer to his goal. To do this, writers must often "write the devil into a bad guy".

By this I mean that writers must delve into the psyche and personality of their antagonist to find out what makes them tick and what they want. And they'd better want something they shouldn't have. Money, power, control, sex or someone. What makes this character bad? Or evil? Whatever it is, amp it to a high level of devil-may-care, devil-made-me-do-it attitude.

In Lancelot's Lady, I started with a private investigator. Winston Chambers seemed nice enough at first. He did a good deed; he helped a character locate someone. But then we learn a bit more about Winston. We learn he has a fondness for gambling, and he's not very good. This presents a great time to add a bit of the Devil to his personality.

Desperate people do desperate things, but desperation isn't the only reason Winston does what he does. He's a survivalist who lusts after power, money and one particular woman―Rhianna McLeod. Lust is the Devil's playmate.

We later learn something else about Winston, and here's where the Devil really comes out. He routinely enjoys the pleasures of prostitutes. Now if that doesn't make you wrinkle your nose in displeasure, this next part will. He doesn't treat his women very well. In fact, he's sadistically evil.

We learn all of this as the romance between Rhianna and Jonathan progresses. Winston lurks in the background, appearing now and then to add tension to Lancelot's Lady. You just know something is going to happen. And it does. In the end, Winston makes a bold move that jeopardizes everything for Rhianna, including her own life.

Writing the Devil into a character is a great way to show conflict, terror and suspense. It keeps readers on the edge of their seats, waiting, wondering, chewing their nails. Even a character's physical description can add to his or her evil persona. Winston is obese, balding, wheezing, huffing and sweaty. Slimy...

Don't you want to meet him now? Well, you can. Just pick up an ebook copy of Lancelot's Lady.

Lancelot's Lady ~ A Bahamas holiday from dying billionaire JT Lance, a man with a dark secret, leads palliative nurse Rhianna McLeod to Jonathan, a man with his own troubled past, and Rhianna finds herself drawn to the handsome recluse, while unbeknownst to her, someone with a horrific plan is hunting her down.

Lancelot's Lady is available in ebook edition at KoboBooks, Amazon's Kindle Store, Smashwords and other ebook retailers. Help me celebrate by picking up a copy today and "Cherish the romance..."

You can learn more about Lancelot's Lady and Cherish D'Angelo (aka Cheryl Kaye Tardif) at http://www.cherishdangelo.com and http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com. Follow Cherish from September 27 to October 10 on her Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour and win prizes.

Who is your favourite "bad guy" in film or a novel, and why?

Leave a comment here, with email address, to be entered into the prize draws. You're guaranteed to receive at least 1 free ebook just for doing so. Plus you'll be entered to win a Kobo ereader. Winners will be announced after October 10th.

Writing Series—Thoughts and Resources

When my son gets hooked on a new series, it's very exciting for me—I don't have to research YA books for a little while! I'm so relieved to have something he's thrilled to read that I'll find the books however it takes—library, bookstore, or online retailer. He's an avid reader, and a fast one, and he flies through books. I spend a lot of time online reading reviews and finding him books that I think he'll like.

He read through the first book in about a day so I quickly requested the next two books from the library as soon as I saw that the series was a hit.

The second book? He got halfway through in a couple of hours…then I noticed the book was lying around the house a lot. He read it in the car on the way to middle school one morning, but when it was time for him to jump out of the car and head into the school, he left it on the seat. "Hey!" I said, rolling down the car window and waving the novel at him. "You forgot your book!"

"It's okay," he said, with a dismissive wave. Uh oh. Something wasn't right with the book.

I always like to ask him what went wrong—for a few reasons. I like for him to think about what the writer did wrong…and improve his own writing skills. I also like to know if it sounds like the series is redeemable at all or if it's hopeless (can I interest him in the next book, or do I need to go series shopping again?) And—I want to know what he thinks went wrong so I don't make the same kind of mistake in my own series.

It turned out the series was a trilogy and the second book acted as sort of the saggy middle for the series. He said it was too long, repetitive, and had small periods of excitement, followed by long stretches of boredom.

My books don't extend storylines from book to book in a major way—character development, obviously, is on a particular path. And there are subplots that carry from one book to the next. But the story itself is basically a stand-alone. My concern is usually just not boring old readers of the series with backstory while making sure that any new readers will know what's going on.At some point, though, I might want to write a trilogy or a series with a continuing storyline.

I thought I'd share some great resources on series writing that I've collected. Hope they help:

Character life arcs in series

Time flies—or crawls—in a series

Tips for writing a series

How to write a series synopsis

Sex in a series

Why you should write a series and some lessons from successful series writer Patricia Cornwell

Things to consider about writing series (especially if you don't have an agent or publisher yet)

The importance of magic and wonder in a fantasy—and why series can ruin it.

What makes for a good series that lasts? (Margot Kinberg)

Series separation anxiety

What do you look for in a series as a reader? How do you handle them as a writer?

Quick Way to Keep Momentum

In each of my manuscripts, I have probably five rough spots to write through on a first draft.

These scenes usually have difficult transitions or lots of characters to keep straight (like a party scene), or different elements to include—suspense, humor, etc.

Frequently, when it was time to write these scenes next, I'd reached my writing goal for the day. So I made plans to tackle the scene the next morning.

Guess what I didn't want to do the next day?

I did write the scene. I always do because I have to in order to stay on track. But it took most of the morning to get around to it. My word count ended up being smaller because my procrastination ate into my writing time. It was just harder to get going.

So now I do a couple of things to make sure that I don't stall.

First of all, I do more outlining than I ordinarily do. I'll map out exactly what I want to accomplish and ideas for doing it. Basically, I do all the brainstorming for the scene.

Next, I don't stop writing for the day when I come up on these scenes. I'll at least write the transition into the scene. If I've got a little extra time, I'll do even more than that. If I've already written the segue into the trouble spot, then it's much easier for me to hop into writing.

Any other tips for dealing with procrastination and keeping your momentum going?

Twitterific

Here are writing links that I've posted to Twitter for the past week.

If you're looking for a particular topic, just plug in your keyword into the search box at the top left-hand corner of the blog (on the black header right above my blog name…next to the Blogger symbol…the small search window is next to the magnifying glass) and the roundup with your subject will come up. To narrow your search down on the page, do a CTRL+F, type your subject, and hit enter.

How to Raise Boys Who Read (Wall St. Journal): http://dld.bz/xUaE

Berlin's International Literary Fest Provides a Showcase for World Lit, Politics of Publishing: http://dld.bz/xUaA

The #1Thing You Must do Before You Write a Book: http://dld.bz/xUau

Don't make the mistake of treating writing like a hobby if you're trying to get published: http://dld.bz/xUam

The Business of Writing – Series Outline: http://dld.bz/xUad

The Importance of Breaking Goals into Manageable Steps: http://dld.bz/xTZY

Revision Alchemy: Part 3: http://dld.bz/xGHu

Ruthless revision: http://dld.bz/xGHs

Tips for writing chapter books for young readers: http://dld.bz/xGEN

10 tip-filled articles for authors writing nonfiction books: http://dld.bz/xGED

Reinvigorating Your Writing Routine: http://dld.bz/xGEu

Developing the Craft & Art of Writing - a guest blog: http://dld.bz/xGEp

10 Ways to Find the Agent You Need: http://dld.bz/xGEk

How Cookbook Authors Can Do a Great Cooking Segment on TV: http://dld.bz/xGDZ

Online Safety and Presence for Writers: http://t.co/Or4AUj8

Tips for author bios, headshots, and About Me pages: http://dld.bz/xGDS

Oh Writers They Do Get Weary: http://dld.bz/xGDs

3 Ways Twitter Analysis Can Enhance Your Marketing: http://dld.bz/xGDh

How to Keep Track of Book Series: http://dld.bz/xGDd

Unhappy Client Suing B.K. Nelson Inc. Literary Agency (Writer Beware): http://dld.bz/xGDa

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Rainy Day Split Pea Soup http://bit.ly/ctY4fj @CleoCoyle

Knowing When to Ask for Help: http://dld.bz/x8KC

The benefit of putting your manuscript in a drawer for a while: http://dld.bz/x8MM

Organizing your Queries and Submissions: http://dld.bz/x8MC

Don't be afraid of bad first drafts: http://dld.bz/x8M5

Con your way out of Negative Thinking with a Pros & Cons List: http://dld.bz/x8K8

Feng Shui for Writers--Creating a Writing Space You'll Love: http://dld.bz/x8Ke

Why you're a real writer (even if you don't think so): http://dld.bz/x8JK

10 commandments for book launch day: http://dld.bz/x8MW

The Subjectivity of Readers ... or ... Talk Me Down Off the Ledge: http://dld.bz/x8E4

Are Bloggers the New Gatekeepers in Publishing? http://dld.bz/x8En

Emma Thompson's attack on slang: the pedants' battle may be lost (Telegraph): http://dld.bz/x8Ef

Writing Books: Scene by Scene, Chapter by Chapter, Book by Book: http://dld.bz/x8DT

Talking to Agents and Editors at Conferences: http://dld.bz/x8DM

9 Must-Follow Manuscript Rules (Writer's Digest): http://dld.bz/x8Dq

Self-Editing Revisited: http://dld.bz/x8Db

Where did the decadent novel go? (Guardian): http://dld.bz/x8Da

The problem with sharing our work: http://dld.bz/xKR4

With working link: directory of book industry tweeps: http://dld.bz/xKRg

7 Things That Blogging Does: http://dld.bz/x8CV

E-Book Promo Ideas: http://dld.bz/x8C2

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Easy Chicken Parmesan Casserole from Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/dp46rK @CleoCoyle

Mystery writer's guide to forensics--rigor mortis: http://dld.bz/x8Ck

Should a writer submit illustrations with their book query? http://dld.bz/x8B2

5 Ways to Stay Safe on Social Media: http://dld.bz/x8Ax

The 9 Worst Ways to Use Twitter for Promo: http://dld.bz/x87k

The essence of plotting: http://dld.bz/x8Ag

Write what excites you: http://dld.bz/x89B

Character arcs - how characters change: http://dld.bz/x878

8 Bad Habits that Crush Your Creativity And Stifle Your Success: http://dld.bz/x87v

Writing Lessons – Practical Tips for Improving Writing Skills: http://dld.bz/x87s

The Making of a Novel: Chapter Endings (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/x86V

Should you write a real or a fictional setting? Some thoughts: http://dld.bz/x8f2

Blogging with Windows Live Writer: http://dld.bz/x45f

How Do Authors Make Money?—Thinking Beyond the Book: http://dld.bz/x44Z

What mystery has taught one mystery editor: http://dld.bz/xsHw

Mystery Writer's Guide to Reading People--the Body Language and Behavior of Liars: http://dld.bz/xE5f @mkinberg @clarissadraper

"Despite" or "In Spite of"? http://dld.bz/xsHn

How to Read and Why: http://dld.bz/xsG4

Tips for guest blogging: http://dld.bz/xsEV

Authors Feel Pinch in Age of E-Books (Wall St. Journal): http://dld.bz/xDcR

Blog tours--why you should have one and tips and resources for setting one up: http://dld.bz/xDcC

11 tips for blogging well: http://dld.bz/xsEQ

How To Be Creative: Incubating Inspiration: http://dld.bz/xsE7

Writing Nowadays–Why the Pen Name? http://dld.bz/xsEv

What Are They Saying About You Online? http://dld.bz/xsEq

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Sweet Potato Casserole—Side Dish—or Dessert? http://bit.ly/9Wzk3y @CleoCoyle

Personal Branding Basics for 2011: http://dld.bz/xs95

How to Find Time to Write Your Book: http://dld.bz/xs9z

Not Even Mein Kampf: Why Hateful Books Should Not Be Banned: http://dld.bz/xs9d

4 Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing: http://dld.bz/xs8C

How to Plan a Successful Debut Book Party: http://dld.bz/xs87

3 More Free and Cheap Marketing Ideas for Books and eBooks: http://dld.bz/xs8q

Coordinating a book blog tour: Dotting your Rs and Crossing your… Rs: http://dld.bz/xs8k

Revise in Haste; Repent in Leisure: http://dld.bz/x8Ng

What We Talk About When We Talk About Men Not Reading (The New Yorker): http://dld.bz/xs8g

For short story writers--should you submit to online or print journals? http://dld.bz/x8fj

What's it like at a writer's colony? http://dld.bz/xs7P

How fiction writers (& other creatives) can develop into badass bloggers:http://dld.bz/xs73

Agents & Editors are people too… Some you like, some you don't. http://dld.bz/xs7k

Resubmitting a Query: http://dld.bz/xs7c

The Importance of a Polished Manuscript: http://dld.bz/xs6M

Apps and eBooks: Readers Have Great Expectations, But How Do You Deliver? http://dld.bz/xs5H

6 things you can stick in your ears to improve your writing: http://dld.bz/xs5A

How Tucker Max Got Rejected by Publishing and Still Hit #1 New York Times: http://dld.bz/xs57

10 phases of rejection: http://dld.bz/xs5y

Role Play to Better Writing: http://dld.bz/xs5r

Sexual Force and Reader Consent in Romance: http://dld.bz/xs2z

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Cupcake Swag Winner! http://bit.ly/afsDBb @CleoCoyle

An agent explains why he doesn't use form letters: http://dld.bz/xsaq

3 Keys to Handling Criticism: http://dld.bz/xsaj

4 Big Reasons to be Grateful for Independent Editors: http://dld.bz/xsaf

Separating the sin from the sinner in fiction: http://dld.bz/xsac

Goal, Motivation, Conflict, Tension: http://dld.bz/xrZX @4KidLit

Brainstorming? Or just have 10 minutes to write? Try making lists: http://dld.bz/xrZ3

One great thing about going to writer's conferences--people who understand you: http://dld.bz/xn24

Does your main character have a double life? What characters hide: http://dld.bz/xuE7 @dirtywhitecandy

Writing for radio: http://dld.bz/xnuG @nicholebernier

50 Can't-Fail Techniques for Finding Great Blog Topics: http://dld.bz/xnwK

An agent on the curse of the trade paperback: http://dld.bz/xnw7

Writers: How Do You Cope with Give Up Moments? http://dld.bz/xnvn

Somebody Loves You: What To Do When An Agent Says Yes: http://dld.bz/xt8j @nicholebernier

7 Secrets of Spectacular Bloggers: http://dld.bz/xnvm

Memoir is the new Novel: http://dld.bz/xnuz @nicholebernier

Top 10 Ways to Become a Writer: http://dld.bz/xngT

Vistual Storytelling, Part 1: http://dld.bz/xng3

Important qualities for successful series: http://dld.bz/xsbt @mkinberg

Picture Book Queries: http://dld.bz/xngt

HarperCollins Launches Conservative Imprint Broadside Books: http://dld.bz/xngh

11 Ways to Convince Readers to Buy Your eBook: http://dld.bz/xmUa

Sapphires and steel: The glittering life of global bestseller Barbara Taylor Bradford (Independent): http://dld.bz/xmTU

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: DIRTY BOOKS http://bit.ly/9myvDc @CleoCoyle

Writing when you're uninspired: http://dld.bz/xmTK

Magic Explained. Definitively. http://dld.bz/xmTD

Top 10 reasons one writer "bans" books: http://dld.bz/xmTx @Kerrie_Flanagan

7 Deadly Sins of Prologues–Great Novel Beginnings Part 2: http://dld.bz/xmTe @KristenLambTX

Revisions: What Every Writer Should Know: http://dld.bz/xgZU

Writing an action scene? Think like a director: http://dld.bz/xnwh @ianthealy

An Author's Personal Library Lost And Found (NPR): http://dld.bz/xgZN

Top Tips For Booksellers From Gothenburg Book Fair: http://dld.bz/xgZH

What to do when you freeze up while writing: http://dld.bz/xgZA

Diverting the reader's attention to plant a surprise: http://dld.bz/xgZy

In defense of backstory: http://dld.bz/xdXv

The key element that every good scene needs (or: how to change the game in your novel): http://dld.bz/xdXe

In defense of description: http://dld.bz/xdWN

How small steps can make you a published writer and social media ninja: http://dld.bz/xdWB

An agent on whether it's advisable to write gun use into your YA novel: http://dld.bz/xd2Q

5 Things One Writer Learned After Publication: http://dld.bz/xcpC

How Authors And Writers Can Build An Email List For Marketing: http://dld.bz/xcpw @thecreativepenn

Setting Goals to Succeed: Lessons from a Freelance Classical Musician: http://dld.bz/xcp9

Ebook Pricing: http://dld.bz/xcpx

A working life: The romantic novelist (Guardian): http://dld.bz/xcp5

Overly Critical Readers: http://dld.bz/xcjP

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: The Cat's Meow http://bit.ly/9bjjxW @CleoCoyle

Top writing advice from other writers: http://dld.bz/xcjG

Handling Rejection: http://dld.bz/xcjF

10 Excellent Tools for Testing Your Site on Mobile Devices: http://dld.bz/xcj6

The YA Graphic Novel: http://dld.bz/xcj2

Literary agents open the door to self-published writers: http://dld.bz/xcjw

How to read a publishing contract (26): http://dld.bz/xcjt

What's Coming Next for eBooks? http://dld.bz/xcjq

How to Fix Writer's Block and Make Your Writing Sparkle: http://dld.bz/wYsP

The #1 Talent You Need to be a Good Writer: http://dld.bz/wYsD

Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 9/24/10--Writer's Digest): http://dld.bz/xdUF

To multi-book or not to multi-book: http://dld.bz/wYrP

Twitter for Authors--Twitter Dangers: http://dld.bz/wYrG

Twitterific--the week in tweets: http://dld.bz/xd2E

12 Dos and Don'ts for Introducing your Protagonist: http://dld.bz/wYr4

Don't let rituals kill your creativity: http://dld.bz/wYrs

5 of the meanest book reviews ever (Huff Post--photo essay): http://dld.bz/wYqs

The Making of a Novel: Writing Into a Void vs. Writing Into a Universe (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/wYpT

Freelancers: 4 Ways to Bridge Gaps in Your Writer Resume: http://dld.bz/wYpM

Fun with hyphens: http://dld.bz/wYpF

Tips for Writers from the Movie: "The Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio": http://dld.bz/wYp8