Laura Stapleton's Blog, page 9

Controversy!

Totally missed #MondayBlogs and am so not happy. The only thing consistent in my life is inconsistency, something I dislike.

I seriously need to stop with the controversy in social media. It’s tough not having an opinion about current events. Or rather, hiding myopinion about current events. I’ve spent 45 years of my life finding out what everyone else’s opinion was before voicing my own. If mine didn’t agree with anyone else’s, I didn’t voice it at all. Anyone who heard what I really thought...

The Book Trailer for The Oregon Trail Series

I gave a few ideas to a new filmmaker after seeing some of her work, and this is what she did for me. She wasn’t cheap, but she is very talented. Let me know what you think.

Maps

I have a ton of them in paper form and several more bookmarked on my web browsers. Some were hand drawn and now available via Google, while others are the latest in tourist roadmaps. Still more are from National Geographic with infinite detail of every mountain and valley in our country. I have more maps than those of just the United States, of course. I’m trying to ignore them in favor of finishing the Oregon Trail series. After this project and all its intensive research, I’m totally in fav...

“You guys are being too noisy for me to hear the voices in my head.”

Yeah, I said it. Voices in the head.

It’s an occupational hazard for a writer to hear others’ conversations in your mind. Hearing these people created by an imagination, overactive or not, is something a lot of fiction writers will only admit to in closed circles. Creating a true three dimensional character is something like creating a child. After a certain point, you have no control over anything they do.

Some writers start with character. Others start with a setting or conflict and see what...

Boredom and Writer’s Block.

First of all, I could do links in all this to substantiate my words. But I’m not. I’ve had migraines off an on for the past six days and am not up to it mentally. So, google for yourself and if I’m wrong, please comment. Otherwise, come along and read something fun.

We live in a world of constant mental stimulation. Or maybe it’s just me. With internet, TV, books, video games, being outside, work, gym, kid, cats, husband, friends, and crafts, I am only bored in one place, bed. I was, anyway, u...

What the?!

I missed yet another Monday Blogging? For crap’s sake! This does not speak well of my consistency. Maybe the only thing consistent about me is my inconsistency.

So what have I been doing? A lot of NOT writing. American Legion Auxiliary, changing over to AT&T U-verse, teaching knitting, spring cleaning, spring training (way out of shape!), getting my tiny child ready to graduate high school, and all those tasks that needed doing before the list above could be done.

Sounds like a lot of excuses d...

Slacker!

I know, I know! I’d devoted myself to Monday blogging. Tuesday happened, then Wednesday, and at last today. I have a lot of great reasons, but no decent excuses.

So how can I make this a value added post, one that will benefit your life? No idea, except that whole don’t mix colors with your towels is a lie. Unless there’s bleach involved. Then yeah, it’s a bad idea.

What else? I’ve written about showing versus telling when writing a story, so that’d be old news. New news? How about a cool story...

Author Interview: Laura Stapleton for #MondayBlogs

lauralstapleton:

Hey everyone! You must run over to Book Bliss and read my interview over there. I had such fun answering Lexi’s questions! She’s one of those women who do more in an hour than most people do all day and I so admire that. After you read my interview, stay a while and show her some love. Her blog is wonderful.

Originally posted on Book Bliss:

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I Need More Sex

I’m halfway through with writing a book, Undesirable. The plan? To have it chock full of hot, romantic, adulterous pioneer sex.

The result so far? Not even a kiss between the two main characters. This is a romance, they’re supposed to at least kiss.

Not until chapter six, I guess.

So, the question on most non-writer’s minds is most likely why can’t I just force the issue? Aren’t I, as the author, the one in control?

To which I answer, I was in control, but now I’m not. I created the setting and c...

Being Accurate is Exhausting!

My biggest fear in writing anything historical is someone coming up to me and saying, “That was wrong.” Checking and rechecking everything takes a lot of time. Enough that, at the moment, I’d like to write anything that’s in the present day and familiar. Not the future, because that would take tons of research, too, into today’s technology extrapolated by X number of years.

Don’t get me wrong, I do LOVE research. It’s my favorite part of writing. But sometimes? I just want the words to flow an...