Megan Morgan's Blog, page 47

Show vs. Tell

If you’ve been a writer for any length of time, or even if you’re just thinking about writing, you’ve probably heard the most sacred, steadfast, fanfare-inducing holy rule of writing, probably over and over again:

Show, don’t tell.

You metaphorically (or perhaps literally) had this adage engraved in your forehead on the day you decided to become a writer. Everyone from creative writing teachers to bestselling authors parrot this bit of advice like it’s some ancient knowledge passed down from the very first human to ever put marks on paper symbolizing language. You’ve had it hammered into your brain so deeply that if anyone asked you for writing guidance, you regurgitate ‘show, don’t tell’ immediately without even thinking about it, like a pre-programmed, dubious advice-spewing automaton.

But what does it mean? It’s easy for something to lose substance if you repeat it enough times, and doling out advice without giving practical examples is like someone handing you a baby and saying “here, don’t let this die.” It’s great advice, and absolutely necessary, but how do you accomplish it? Especially if you’re new to writing, it’s confusing to have these ‘writing rules’ yelled at you by a wild-eyed person who has clearly had too much caffeine from behind a typewriter. Show, don’t tell, is a good bit of writing advice, but how do you do that?

Here’s how I simplify show, don’t tell: showing is like watching a TV show, telling is like recounting the episode to a friend the next day.

You want to feel like you’re watching the TV show, not like someone else who watched it is telling you what happened. How do you accomplish that? Ironically, by being a storyteller who doesn’t tell stories. Instead, you’re more like a painter who makes pictures.

I’ll give you an example of this, from my novel The Bloody City (because I’m vain like that):

Sam and Muse took one of the beds. Muse had already fallen asleep on it after taking the painkillers Sam brought her. She twitched and shuddered in her sleep. Trina refused to get in the other bed with June, and June didn’t blame her. June gave her a pillow and blanket, and she curled up in the chair. June got in bed but didn’t expect to sleep.

She lay there, staring at the light from the bathroom stretched across the ceiling, the soft breathing around her a small comfort. Muse’s breath hitched with each shudder in her sleep. The occasional car passed on the street. Once, footsteps passed by the door, and June held her breath until they were gone.

Eventually, she checked the clock. Ten after midnight. So many hours before dawn.

She pushed the covers back and quietly got up. She padded to the bathroom and closed the door to a crack.

She leaned, both hands on the sink, and stared into the mirror. The overhead light was harsh, picking out lines on her face she didn’t know she had. Her eyes shone vivid green. Sam’s words from months ago came back, when he’d told her vividly colored eyes betrayed strong powers. She couldn’t hide them. They gave her away at every turn.

She sifted her fingers through her hair. Her light roots were a couple inches long, the black dye job on the rest faded. She placed her hand back on the sink and tilted her head. She looked old and tired. Her thirtieth birthday was coming up in a few months, though she had no reason to care. Where would she celebrate it, if she celebrated at all?

Would she even be alive to celebrate?

I could have shortened this whole passage up by merely saying, “June couldn’t sleep, she was nervous and restless, she had a lot on her mind. Eventually she got up and went to the bathroom, where she pondered her fate.” That, however, is telling. In this example, I’m showing how June feels–you can tell by her restlessness, the way she’s hyper-vigilant of the other people in the room and the sounds outside, the way she checks the clock. You know she’s got heavy thoughts on her mind, when she goes to the bathroom and critically examines herself and wonders morbidly about her future. I don’t have to tell you how weighty and tense this moment is, because you can tell by June’s actions. If you were watching this on TV, you would know this person was bothered and tense, and that things were not going well in their life.

Showing doesn’t always mean non-stop action. It can also be conveying a character’s state of mind by showing the way they behave. Instead of telling that someone is sad, happy, or angry, show how they react, interact, and behave. If your friend is sad, can you tell without them saying it? Of course you can. You should be able to do the same with characters.

So the next time ‘show, don’t tell’ is yammered at you as writing advice, you’ll have a better idea of how to implement this practically. Think of it instead as ‘watch, don’t recount.’

Filed under: The Bloody City Tagged: advice, creativity, writing

Stop by and win some prizes!

I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day. Today is an even better day–the day after Valentine’s Day, when all the candy goes on clearance!

It can also be a great day to win prizes! I’m taking part in The Romance Reviews’ Mega Anniversary and Valentine’s party which is going on all month long. There’s LOTS of prizes to be won, including gift cards and certificates, swag, tons of books, and other awesome prize packages, which will be given away each and every week. Today I’m taking part by giving away an e-book copy of The Wicked City, so stop on over and play some fun games and enter to win some awesome prizes!

I’m also going to be sending out the second edition of my newsletter very soon. Each issue includes a prize and last time I gave away a $10 Amazon gift card. Sign up today!

Do you have any news, contests, or promotions to share today? Tell us in the comments!

Filed under: Giveaways, Monday Funday, Newsletter, The Wicked City Tagged: romance

Happy (early) Valentine’s Day!

I know, I know, I’m two days early. But for those of you who will be too busy with your sweetie this weekend to check blog posts (and I’ll be having a hot date with my job) I figured I’d get the love in early. How will you be spending your Valentine’s Day? Candlelight dinner? Chocolate and Netflix? Wine with your cat? Whether you’re in love or not, remember today to love yourself!

Today is also the one year anniversary of when I broke my wrist. I’m going to celebrate this year by…not breaking any bones!

I also got myself a little Valentine’s Day gift. I had posters made of my Siren Song book covers and framed them. They’re so lovely hanging on my wall! Thank you VistaPrint (which was wonderfully cheap to have them made)! I have my own little ‘wall of fame’ now.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Filed under: Behind The Scenes, Holidays, Siren Song Tagged: book covers, me, pictures, romance

Sophie’s Voice by Helen Hardt

Today I’m hosting Helen Hardt and her historical erotic novel Sophie’s Voice. Helen is giving away a blanket and some awesome swag, so be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway at the bottom of the post!

Book: Sophie’s Voice
Author: Helen Hardt
Genre: Victorian era, erotic, historical
Release Date – 9th February 2016
Blog Tour 9th -12th February


Goodreads Book Link

Synopsis

Lady Sophie MacIntyre has the voice of an angel, but due to her timid nature, no one ever hears it. After losing a bet to her conniving sister, Sophie auditions for the new musicale at the Regal Theatre run by handsome actor Zachary Newland. Though distracted by Zach’s elegant masculinity and her own nerves, she sings well and earns a role in the production.

Zach is a confirmed bachelor, and his taste in women leans toward the glamorous and uninhibited…until he meets the demure Sophie. Her delicate soprano and understated beauty captivate him. She responds to his inappropriate kiss, but quickly dismisses the heat between them. She’s a lady of the peerage, after all, and not one to associate with a rake like him.

Zach, however, is not so easily dissuaded. He gets what he wants, and he intends to help Sophie find her true voice…in more ways than one.

Buy Links

Amazon Print: http://amzn.to/1YOzQOZ

B&N Print: http://bit.ly/1JB7u4w

iBooks: http://apple.co/1N10cd9

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1WK1DfF

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1iLKo0h

Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/1Ms1gW6

Excerpt


Zach rushed out of the theatre and into the lobby. No sign of Lady Sophie. Looking out the door, he spied her getting into a hansom cab. The cabbie had taken her hand and was helping her into the coach.
He pushed the heavy glass door open and ran forward. “My lady, wait!”
Lady Sophie turned around, her face flushing a lovely raspberry color. She arched her eyebrows.
“If I may have a moment?” he said.
“I’m sorry. I am getting ready to leave for the Brighton estate, as you can see.”
“Yes, yes.” He turned to the cabbie. “You may go on. I’ll arrange for Lady Sophie’s transport in a few moments.”
“Yes, sir.” The cabbie tipped his hat.
“Mr. Newland”—Sophie cleared her throat gently—“what is this about? This is highly irregular, not to mention improper.”
“Yes, my lady, and I offer you my apologies. However, I could not let you leave without telling you how thoroughly I enjoyed your audition. I would like to offer you a leading role in the new musicale.”
“How are you able to offer me anything? You haven’t heard the other auditions yet.”
“I am familiar with all of the other actors and actresses who will be auditioning today. I know their voices. None of them can come close to you, my lady.”
Sophie fidgeted with her reticule. “I’m afraid, Mr. Newland, that I will be unable to accept a role in the production.”
What? Not able to accept? Did this woman have any idea of the talent she possessed?
Her pink lips trembled ever so slightly, and her cheeks deepened from raspberry to aubergine. Zach gulped, his pulse quickening. Had anyone kissed those lips? How they beckoned him. Sophie was of average height, coming up to his chest. He again eyed her dazzling blond hair swept up tight with only a few wispy curls free. How might it look flowing freely over her milky-white shoulders? Over her pert breasts?
“If you would be so kind, Mr. Newland…”
Zach stood, mouth agape. She had said something after his name, but he had heard no words. Only that voice, that voice from an angel, swirled around his head. He could not get enough of it. Still those rosy lips trembled, calling to him.

He couldn’t help himself. He gripped her shoulders, lowered his head, and pressed his lips to hers.

Author Bio
Helen Hardt’s passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to being an award winning author of contemporary and historical romance and erotica, she’s a mother, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado where she lives with her family. Helen loves to hear from readers.
Social Links
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads Author


Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Filed under: Giveaways, Guest Posts Tagged: erotica, guests, romance

Scammers (and how to avoid them)

Today I’m going to talk about a rather sensitive topic, but one that needs to be talked about often and shared widely. The more I try to navigate the tricky waters of publishing, the more I read, learn, and educate myself on, I sadly find there’s a dark truth everybody needs to be aware of: there are predators out there in the publishing world, they will jump on you given the chance, and so you have to learn how to avoid them.

I think every faction of the entertainment industry has wolves in sheep’s clothing who try to lure you in, who want to prey on your desperate need to validate your art and latch onto that as an opportunity to suck money out of you. With the upsurge in self-publishing, these scammers and con artists have found new niches to dwell in and new techniques to get you to open your wallet for them. Despite the fact we live in a digital age with tons of information right at our fingertips, they manage to flourish and they can still smell who is ripe for the picking. Education is important for every writer.

Here are some hard truths you need to know. And if you already know these things, make sure other writers do too:

Real, legitimate publishers/agents do not charge you a single dime to edit, produce, and publish your work. There are no ‘buts’ or ‘howevers’ to this, it’s not in any way arguable. The Association of Author’s Representatives forbids agents to charge any type of fee to their clients, or even people just in the querying stage. For publishing houses to belong to writer’s organizations such as the RWA, they cannot charge their authors for publication. Publishers are supposed to pay you. They foot the bill for your editing, cover art, book production, to put your book up at retailers, and any publicity they want to do on their part. Then they send you a check for the books that were sold. That’s it. That’s how real publishing works. Unfortunately, there are many so-called ‘publishers’ out there who are literally charging people tens of thousands of dollars to ‘publish’ their book. Yes, this is a real thing that happens. It is a scam. They’re called vanity presses. These people regularly get in trouble, go away, and then pop back up as another ‘publisher.’ For the money they charge, you can self-publish for far cheaper (and keep all your profits).
Speaking of self-publishing, be careful who you pay to get your book sale-ready for you. If you pay for professional editing, cover art, and distribution, make sure the people you use are legitimate. Do your research. Talk to other authors they’ve worked with. Ask for credentials and look up previous books they’ve worked on to see how they’re presented and how well they sell. Also make sure you do research on the current average rates for these services, so you don’t get overcharged.
Contests are a hotbed of scams. There are quite a few legitimate writing contests out there that will help you along in your career, but there’s also quite a few that are designed to take your entry fee money and you’ll never hear from them again, let alone ever see your story in print (this also compromises your rights to the story so you can’t publish it elsewhere). Before you enter a contest you’ve never heard of, do your research on it. Don’t hand over your money and your hard work and get nothing in return.

There are thankfully plenty of resources online you can turn to that will give you information about who and what to watch out for:

Writer Beware (they also have a regularly updated blog)
Predators and Editors
The Bewares, Recommendations & Background Checks discussion forum at Absolute Write. This is a good place to find out which legitimate publishers are behaving badly, too.
Google is your friend. If a name, company, publisher, editor, agent, or anything else is unfamiliar/smells fishy to you, do your research.

There’s a lot of really good people out there in the publishing world, people who believe in your work and want you to make money, who want to help you share your art and vision with the world. There’s also people out there who only care about them making money, even if it means robbing you of your trust and creative energy. If we can’t effectively shut these people down, we have to learn how to dodge them. Arm yourself with education.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: advice, information, publishers, writing

The Paramours Series by Christine Rains

Today I’m hosting Christine Rains and her erotic paranormal series The Paramours available from Ellora’s Cave. Christine is giving away a $20 Amazon or B&N gift card, so make sure to comment, follow the tour, and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

Enter to win a $20 Amazon/B&N Gift Card

Leave a comment and follow the tour for more chances to win!

Christine is also here today to talk about sex in the spirit world–one of my favorite subjects as an author who also writes some sexy paranormal stuff. Take it away, Christine!

SPIRITED SEX

by Christine Rains

When I first started working on The Paramours, the biggest question that plagued me was how would the living interact on an intimate level with spirits. It’s difficult enough for ghosts to communicate on the best of nights, but to take that one step further? Good thing my team of investigators had better ideas than I did.

Nina Azure is a Lakota Ghost Dancer. She’s the only psychically gifted one in The Paramours. Not only can she feel spirits and speak with them, but if they’re strong enough, she can see them. The handsome ghost she meets is even more powerful than that. The two of them make a lusty connection and they’re able to touch one another. Imagine being dead for decades with no human contact and finally being able to touch another person? That person being a beautiful psychic too. That’s a lot of pent-up sexual energy!

But what does someone do when they don’t have any powers to connect to the spirits? This is when you have to get inventive.

Claire McKinney has a theory about poltergeists. They’re attracted to sexual energy and not just boring old sex, either. She utilizes various ghost hunting tools to make contact and revs up the sizzling tension to draw the entity to her. Once she charges up the energy, she amplifies it with her equipment. Her theory turns out to be right. Poltergeists are more than simple phantoms. When the gorgeous being she meets ramps up the passion, she’s able to give him a hand. And so much more!

Vivian Ray has all the equipment and a big brain full of scientific facts. Her investigations are by the book, but those don’t always churn out positive results. So she enlists the help of a hunky medium named Miles Walker. He doesn’t take what The Paramours do seriously, but when he and Vivian are possessed by a pair of ardent spirits, he realizes there is a mighty energy in sex.

Whether it be through psychic abilities, the right equipment, or possession, when the spirit world meets the physical, it is explosive. Desire is a powerful thing even for the dead.

Ghost Dancer (The Paramours #1)

When Nina Azure’s talent as a ghost dancer doesn’t persuade a handsome phantom to talk, she entices him with sizzling sexual energy. Ben Moore’s spirit is tied to this world with guilt, but he breaks his self-imposed silence for the beautiful Nina. Lust makes him fully physical and she loses herself to desire. She must help him carry on to the afterlife, but her attraction to him is immensely powerful. She must push aside her own feelings and let him go—and perhaps find romance among the living.

 

Poltergeist’s Pleasure (The Paramours #2):

Claire McKinney has a theory that poltergeists aren’t evil spirits or negative energy. When she locates a powerful vortex at the center of a haunting, she discovers a gorgeous man trapped inside. Zendal cannot escape on his own, but if Claire can create enough sexual energy with him, he will be able to break free. Intense as their passion is, it does not release him from the vortex. Claire finds herself caught not only by the ominous portal, but by Zendal’s carnal zeal as well. Can she extricate them from the trap or will they forever be its prisoners?

 

Lovelorn Spirits (The Paramours #3):

Vivian Ray does not like working with the suave Miles Walker, but he’s the best medium in the paranormal business. When they are possessed by a pair of passionate ghosts, Vivian and Miles realize they might have feelings for one another. But it’s difficult to separate their own emotions apart from the spirits’, and Vivian doesn’t want to believe she’s in anything more than lust with Miles. There’s something much more dangerous after them, though, and if they can’t help the ghosts work through their past, the investigators could lose their own lives.

BUY LINKS:

Ghost Dancer:

Ellora’s Cave * Amazon * Kobo * Goodreads

Poltergeist’s Pleasure:

Ellora’s Cave * Amazon * Kobo * Goodreads

Lovelorn Spirits:

Ellora’s Cave * Amazon * Kobo * Goodreads

EXCERPT:

POLTERGEIST’S PLEASURE (THE PARAMOURS #2)

There was one thing that always got a poltergeist’s attention: sex. Not the boring old vanilla kind either. It had to be down and dirty, raunchy and passionate. Like the way newlyweds behaved. And the sort Claire was about to provide.

The Paramours had set up their ghost hunting equipment earlier in the day. A video camera stood at either end of the conservatively decorated house. Its open concept allowed for a complete view of all the activity.

Vivian fiddled with the thermal imaging camera, setting it on the kitchen counter and bending over to slide the cords out of the way. Her cute ass pointed upward and wiggled as she wedged the cords in between the shelves to where they could not be moved.

Claire patted her friend’s behind and let her hand linger. “Those new jeans look good on you. Are we ready to go yet?”

With the electronics in place, Vivian batted at Claire’s hand. She straightened and raised her brows with a silent question.

Yes, they were starting the test already. While Vivian could be cool and methodical about their investigations, Claire preferred to wing it. She loved surprising the spooks to get a reaction—and her friends, too.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She’s married to her best friend and fellow geek, and they have one brilliant son. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. She’s a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. (South Central Indiana Fiction Interface). She has one novel and several short stories and novellas published. The Paramours is her second erotic series with Ellora’s Cave. Be on the lookout for more in the near future.

Please visit her website and blog.

You can also find Christine on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Enter to win a $20 Amazon/B&N Gift Card

Leave a comment and follow the tour for more chances to win!

Filed under: Giveaways, Guest Posts Tagged: erotica, guests, paranormal, romance

So, um….I’m a writer. Okay, thanks. Bye!

This post is part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog hop. The first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. The awesome co-hosts for the February 3 posting of the IWSG will be Allison Gammons, Tamara Narayan, Eva E. Solar, Rachel Pattison, and Ann V. Friend!

I’m really shy about mentioning my books to people.

Sure, I talk about them here on my blog, and my website, and my Facebook and Twitter, but those are all places designated for talking about my books and meant to be resources for people looking for/discovering them.

My close friends and family all know I’m a published author, and my coworkers, and all know to varying degrees what I write, but to just tell random strangers that I’m a published author? Gah!

One of my coworkers could be my one-woman street team. She tells EVERYONE I’m a published author, and makes copies of my promotional material and hangs it up at her laundromat, and talks me up to everyone she meets. She’s one of those super-personable people who talks to everybody and makes a million friends, and since we work in the service industry, she comes in contact with a lot of people daily. I am endlessly grateful to her and for what she does–I never asked her to, she just does it. But when she mentions to someone right in front of me that I’m a published author, my face goes red.

I don’t know why. The few times I have told strangers (when it comes up organically in conversation) they’ve always been delighted, curious, and a few have even gone right to Amazon and immediately purchased my books! One guy even asked if he could take a picture with me and put it on Facebook. I’m always blushing profusely through these exchanges though, and trying not to sound stupid.

I guess the reasons I have for being so shy are:

I don’t want to seem like I’m bragging. Even though I’ve never had anyone roll their eyes at me, quite the opposite. I’m still afraid they’ll be like “well lah-dee-dah, aren’t you special?”
I’m not good enough. I’m not a bestselling well-known author. Ironically, if I was, I wouldn’t have to tell anyone about my books. While most people seem impressed, I still feel like a schlub.
Maybe they won’t like the kind of things I write. Even though my aim is never to sell books in these exchanges, but just to tell people what I do, the way you’d tell someone you’re a veterinarian.

I envy those authors who are powerhouses of self-promotion and tell anyone who will listen what they do and what they write. Maybe one day I’ll be a little more confident and a little less shy.

What about you? Do you talk to people about your work?

Filed under: IWSG, Promotion Tagged: blog hop, insecure writer's support group, me, personal life, writing

Lost & Found blog hop

Today I’m taking part in the Lost & Found blog hop!  This special blogging event was inspired by a collaboration between Arlee Bird and Guilie Castillo-Oriard. Joining in will be Elizabeth Seckman, Yolanda Renee, Denise Covey, and Alex J Cavanaugh. This Valentine’s blog hop focuses, of course, on love lost and found. Participants are invited to contribute true stories, fiction, essays, poetry, song lyrics, anything having to do with love lost and found! The full list of participants can be found here.

My favorite love lost and found movies.

I’m a big fan of romantic movies, or movies with a romantic sub-plot. Chick flicks, romcoms, sweeping love stories–maybe that’s why I’m a romance author, or maybe I just love a good story about love. I tend to like romantic stories with a ‘tragic’ twist the most, so the theme of this blog hop–love lost, and love found–is the perfect subject for me.

Listed below are my top five (in no particular order) movies that explore the theme of love lost and found. I’ve linked each one to the trailer for it on YouTube and I’ll try to keep it as spoiler-free as possible!

Cold Mountain – Based on the book by the same name, this movie stars Nicole Kidman as Ada, a minister’s daughter, and Jude Law as W.P., a young man eager, like the rest of the men in his small North Carolina town, to go off and fight in the Civil War. I have a fascination with the Civil War era as well, so of course the elements of tragic love coupled with the time period makes it one of my favorite movies. Ada and W.P. have a very brief romance that never goes beyond longing looks and a single kiss before he’s whisked off to war, but their fantasy of romance with each other is what pulls them through the many long, hard years that follow for both of them. Ada imagines that he’ll return and rescue her from the despair and poverty her life falls into, and W.P. imagines that she’ll give him love and stability after the horrors of war. When they’re reunited after a long, torturous time apart the results are less than glamourous, and of course their love affair doesn’t have a happy ending because it’s a movie about war. However, the theme of love being the foundation of hope in trying times is a powerful one.

Legends of the Fall – Originally a novella by the same name. Despite this movie having a complex cast of characters, the real story is about Tristan (Brad Pitt), the raw, restless, eccentric, (and absolute romantic hero archetype) middle child of a retired Colonel in the wilds of pre-World War I Montana–and of course, the women who love Tristan.  One of these women is his youngest brother’s fiancée Susannah (Julia Ormond), who ends up abandoned with this volatile family when her husband-to-be is killed in World War I. She falls in love with Tristan, who is flighty, tortured, and never fully loves her in return. She ends up marrying their oldest brother Alfred, but never lets go of her lost love with Tristan, to an ultimate tragic ending. There is also a great side story about lost love–the Colonel’s wife cannot bear life in Montana, and though they still love each other, she continues living on the east coast and they write to each other.

The Bridges of Madison County – Based on the uber-bestselling book of the same name and starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, this is the story of a four-day passionate, engulfing, and ultimately heartbreaking affair between an Italian immigrant woman and a photographer in 1960’s rural Iowa. Francesca and Robert meet while he’s taking pictures of bridges near her house and embark on a short, but very heated, affair in her home while her husband and children are away. In the end, though she has the chance to run away with him, she opts to stay with her husband and children. If you’ve ever seen this movie, the heart-rending stop light scene probably comes to mind. A story of love found…and ultimately, wholly lost.

The Bodyguard – I get a lot of good-natured teasing when I tell anyone this is one of my favorite movies of all time. I fully admit the plot is contrived and silly but I can’t help it, I love it! Whitney Houston plays Rachel, an internationally-famous singer (a stretch for her, I know), who finds herself menaced by an obsessed fan and eventually, a jealous relative. Kevin Costner plays Frank, a no-nonsense former secret service agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect her. Despite Frank’s surliness and resistance, they end up falling passionately in love (and lust) despite their different lifestyles and professional relationship. It’s wholly the plot of a romance novel, I accept this. The ending is ambiguous, as it’s very hard for them to be together given their lives, but it’s obvious they love each other. Love was found…but was it lost?

Brokeback Mountain – Based on a short story and probably one of the most well-known and obvious inclusions to the love lost and found list of movies. The story explores the subject of sexuality through two young men living in a homophobic culture in 1960’s Wyoming, and the way hiding their true selves tears both of them apart. Ennis (Heath Ledger) is determined to never have his sexuality exposed, marrying and having children and trying to live a ‘normal’ life, while the man he loves, Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a little less graceful about going through the motions of pretending to be straight. Their love is lost and found over and over again, to a horrendously painful ending.

Those are my favorite love ‘lost and found’ movies. There’s tons of others out there of course, even ones I adore, but I wanted to try to keep this list a reasonable length. What are your favorite love lost and found movies?

Check out the other participants in the blog hop. Click the button below!

Filed under: Lost & Found Tagged: blog hop, romance

Writers are weird, man.

Have you ever thought about how weird it is to be a writer? Obviously I have, and recently, or I wouldn’t be making this post. Having too much time on my hands is clearly a problem–I should be writing instead!

Seriously, though: writers make up imaginary stuff and then write all that imaginary stuff down, and then share it with other people, who enjoy that imaginary stuff (we hope) and even keep a copy of the stuff you made up in their house to read again at some point (we really, really hope). My bizarre fever dreams have been read and enjoyed by others, if my reviews are to be believed. Somehow my wild imaginings became someone else’s entertainment.

Apart from the weird process of writing itself, there’s a lot of other weird things that come with being published–from other people. I find the way people react to me and what they expect of me can be really weird too. Here’s a few things people seem to think, or things they ask of me:

I make a lot of money. This is probably because most people know well-known authors and those authors do make a lot of money. I try to explain it like this: in the music business there’s bands like U2 and bands like the guys who play at the corner bar on Friday night and do drywall during the day. They’re both technically part of the music business but they’re worlds apart.
I must be famous. I guess a few people might be impressed to meet me, but kinda in the way you’d be impressed to meet a cool-looking dog on a walk in the park, and I’m far less cuddly.
I’m super intelligent about everything. People often ask me questions about things because ‘you’re a writer, you’re smart.’ Sure, I can tell you a lot about show vs. tell and plotting, not so much about asteroids or stem cells.
How to spell things. Okay, I am pretty good at spelling.
To write things for them (both fictional and non). Pay me. (I am nice enough to help close friends out a little, though.)
Why I use a pen name. I still have one coworker who absolutely cannot grasp why anyone would use a pen name. A lot of other people have asked me why on earth I use a pen name too (my real name is absolutely absurd and often misspelled, my God).
I can show them how to write a book too. On like, their lunch break.
Ebooks aren’t ‘real’ books. You’re right. I just write long lists of profanity, put them up on Amazon, and people download it on their evil black magic fancy book machine, and by the way, I swear no one talks to each other anymore, always lookin’ at their phones, what happened to the art of conversation? Back in my day we spent all day reading paper books and talking about the weather…
You write EVERY SINGLE DAY?! Writing is a second job for me, so I have to work on it like it is one. I think people who don’t write can’t imagine giving that much of their free time to something that doesn’t ‘look’ like a job from the outside (and sure doesn’t pay like one).
The sheer amount of people who expect me to give them a copy of my book (usually a paperback) for free. No one sends me a free load of my books. I have to buy them too if I want them. This is true for a LOT of authors. On the flip side, there are some awesome people who absolutely understand this and I can’t tell you how humbled I am when someone I know comes up to me with my book that they purchased in their hands and asks if I’ll sign it for them.

Writing is weird. The writing world is weird. How people react to writers is weird. What weirdness do you encounter because of your writing?

Filed under: About Me, Behind The Scenes Tagged: creativity, funny, me, personal life, writing

Editing is fun(ny)

Right now I’m doing a bunch of editing on a paranormal romance series I have in the works. I used to despise editing and rewriting, it was my most hated part of the process. I would much rather be writing! Over the years I somehow came to like it, (almost) as much as the writing stage. There’s something satisfying about plucking and cutting and rearranging, a bit like cleaning your house and watching everything get nice and orderly and tidy. Maybe you hate cleaning. Maybe you hate editing. I like the results of both though, so I suppose I have to do the work.

Editing can be hilarious too, if you’re willing to poke fun at yourself. When I read through my rough drafts I do a lot of head-shaking and chuckling at the things I’ve slapped down. Here’s a list of some funny things I’ve encountered when I come face to face with–myself.

I shware I kan spel, I promus! I’m amazed at some of the words I manage to spell incorrectly, and then fail to correct, despite Word putting that red squiggly line underneath them. Usually I’m clipping along, getting words out in a rush, and don’t want to harsh my vibe, so I just throw down a few letters that resemble the word I want and move on. I’ve also hilariously mixed up homonyms or used a completely different word than what I meant altogether, much to my own amusement.
What the hell was I thinking? I’ve come across passages that made no sense in the context of the story. Some of these were things I meant to develop but fell by the wayside, which is understandable, but some completely baffle me as to why I put them in there to begin with. Did I actually write this? Did someone sneak in during the night and add it to my story? Was I sleep-writing? It’s a mystery!
Pronoun confusion. – Writing a scene between two people of the same gender is easy, but when you have two (or more) ‘hers’ or ‘hims’ you have to be careful to differentiate (without being hamfisted and distracting). I’ve had to untangle scenes where even I couldn’t figure out who was doing what. It would be much easier if I just decided that two people of the same gender will never speak to each other again in any of my stories. EVER!
Who the hell are you? I once wrote a book where a minor character showed up early in the story, then popped back up much later. However, when I was writing the later part I couldn’t remember his name and didn’t want to break my writing flow, so I gave him a placeholder name instead of going back to look. When I was editing and got to the later part, I was so confused who this character was supposed to be and why he seemed to already know everyone. I felt super stupid when I figured it out.
We don’t need no grammar! The cringeworthy grammar mistakes I’ve made while dashing out my story would make a professional editor drink themselves into a coma. Thankfully I clean it all up before I send it to mine, or she’d probably show up at my house and punch me in the face.

I have to laugh at myself and not take the editing process too seriously when I realize I’ve done really dumb things in my rough draft. That’s what the editing and rewriting is for, after all. It’s kind of like looking at yourself in the mirror before you leave the house to go out to dinner, and discovering you’ve put your dress on backwards and your shoes on your hands.

Have you ever had a laugh-at-yourself moment while editing?

Filed under: Behind The Scenes Tagged: editing, funny, me, writing