2. Fiction writing realities - the uphill climb

Michael W. Davis

(a.k.a Big Mike)

Davisstories.com

Author of: Tainted Hero (Champagne books, 1/08), The Treasure (Golden Acorn Publishing, 12/07), Forgotten Children (Champagne books, 7/08)

Thanksgiving day, a good friend I’ve known since I was a teenager (centuries ago) ask me, “What does it take to write fiction stories?” Being the wise cracker that I am, I replied, “It depends.” She was silent for a moment then pushed, “Depends on what?” Again I responded, “On what your purpose is for writing fiction.” Truth is, the answer to “What does it take” depends on whether your goal is to write “good” fiction and enjoy the writing process, or to get what you write published. Just because you create a story that people love does not equate to getting it out on the selves. Because of the saturation that publishers and Lit agents deal with every day, each submission is but a grain of sand on their beach. I remember one reply that provided the encouraging words, “we receive 23000 submissions a year and accept 12 to 15”. I used my hand to force closed my jaw and thought, “Holy crap!” Honestly, when I started writing, I was very naive. I had no idea how flooded the pipelines were. How can any agent or publisher deal with such volume? Fact is, they can’t. That’s why many close their doors to submissions and stick with existing authors, social buddies, referrals, etc. I’ve read several articles, blogs, and rejection letters that affirm the general rejection rate usually exceeds 99% (one actually stated 99.98%). Those are some hard obstacles to over come. With that many competing drops of water in the fire hose of submissions, just being good, or even great, is not enough. I know, it’s a hard lesson for something you’ve dreamed of, or always planned to do when the time was right. Most that eventually succeed accept this slap in the face and push on. In coming posts, I’ll offer some lessons I learned of things that “might” help your chances, and things that don’t mean squat. In summary, at least for me, it boiled down to recognizing six things: a willingness to learn, an open ear to feedback, developing a really thick skin, focusing energy into the right avenues, not wasting silver bullets, and fortitude. That last one is essential. If you don't have persistence , you won't last the course. Each day, after you visit the mail box and receive your share of "no thank you" letters, repeat the words, "I think I can, I know I can", until you believe it. I remember reading stories of well known authors that struggled for five to eight years before their first story hit the street. Come to think about it, my two years climbing that mountain doesn't sound so bad anymore. Till next time.

Big Mike

Davisstories.com

Technology Hell

I bought a new printer this week. My old one has been contrary for the last year so I decided it was time. My husband and I visited several stores and finally found a young man who seemed knowledgeable and he helped us select a printer that could be hooked up wirelessly to both our desktop and two laptops. It is also a model that allows you to buy a larger cartridge and save money. Yippee!! I'm always ready to save money.

My question was, "Will I be able to hook this up by myself?"

"Oh yes. You just hook this cord to your printer and the other end to your router and install the software."

All right. I could do that. Three days later after an online chat with the maker's tech department and two phone chats with them I finally figured out it wouldn't work because the cord that came with my printer is a phone cord and I need an ethernet cord. Now, I guess if I was tech savvy, I'd have known that, but I'm not. I thought everything I needed came in the box.

Fortunately we had one on hand and now all three printers are humming along.

Now I have to program it for fax. I dread discovering what I'm going to be in for. Hopefully it will be much easier.

Happy printing!
Linda

Words With International Flare

The hubby and I have the travel bug bad. When we bought our house ten years ago, we looked in a price range not hampering our travel habit. All our houseplants can last three weeks without watering (or they died long time past). We obviously don’t have pets as travel is our top priority.

Travel is good and bad for writing. The good includes exposure to many different cultures and people. The bad is that… well… I get so exposed that I absorb these different cultures into my life, part of that culture including regional specific words.

I refer to construction as road works. Some of my favorite expressions include Crikey! and Oi! A gutter is an eavestrough. Taxi is transport (picked that one up in Thailand). Giving someone THAT look is called giving cut eye.

I didn’t realize how much lingo I absorbed until a freelance editor looked at my work. She skimmed through the first chapter, and promptly emailed me, asking what country I was targeting. Yep, it was that bad.

Writers have to be especially careful with characters and their dialogue. Although a real life non-Aussie might use crikey (too much), a fictional character can’t. Not without an explanation as to why and how she picked up that expression (and who needs that sort of unnecessary backstory?). The reader will otherwise assume the character is from Australia. Using crikey is a short cut, a cheat, a way to show rather than tell.

I’ve listed some of my faves. What words do you read or use that scream “I’m from another country” to you?
$
Kimber Chin's first novel Breach Of Trust will be released May 2008 from Champagne Books. She wasn't able to purge all the international flare from Breach Of Trust. The hero, Philippe Lamont, is from France.

Romancing The Romance Reader

The most common question people ask me, particularly those of the male persuasion, is: “Tell me, (wink, wink), do you draw your love scenes from personal experience?” My response is generally, “I write what I know.” Faces, not mine, flush with crimson. Words from the inquirer are at a premium as the receiver of such information inevitably looks at my husband with admiration.

I’m tempted to advise that what I know is based on what I’ve seen on movie and TV screens, read in books, or indeed experienced. Why deflate the moment’s pleasure? Would that I was the hot ticket I might be perceived to be. Love scenes require a great deal of work to put them before the reader in a sensual way, so that emotions are not stuck in a quagmire mapping the route.

It is the author who determines the level of sensuality she is comfortable enough to write; and her description can run the gamut from ‘sweet’ to ‘torrid’. But the author can also, through the magic of words, jack up the heat without being overly graphic and risqué. For me, this is my greatest challenge. I have read love scenes that were vibrant and curled my toes without a single intimate word written. My admiration for these writers is limitless.
I would be interested in comments suggesting your preferences and how authors might use their descriptive talents to best accommodate your interest and enjoyment.
Carol McPhee

Latest release: Something About That Lady available in ebook format at www.champagnebooks.com

Other releases:
Undercover Trouble: www.champagnebooks.com and www.fictionwise.com
Alaskan Magic from www.champagnebooks.com and www.fictionwise.com

Strong, smart, sensuous heroines, heroes to die for.
Carol McPhee: http://www.geocities.com/carolmcphee2003

A Tim Hortons Story That Won't Make the Commercials

My first Champagne Books release will be Bad Ice, a romance with a hockey theme. So I thought I'd offer you a little story about our first sojourn into the world of Hockey Tournaments.

We gathered in the blue light of pre-dawn at – you guessed it – Tim Horton's. Parents cradled mugs of coffee and consulted maps while the boys and girls gathered around a Formica table with their inevitable stash of hot chocolate and sticky doughnuts.

After everyone agreed on a route to the tournament, we ushered the kids out to the parking lot. "Everyone who has to pee, pee now. Anyone who doesn't, pee anyway."

"Who's going to follow us?" Mr. Todd was my former Grade Seven teacher, now on his second marriage. He beckoned his son toward his gigantic four-by-four with its chrome roll bars and license plate that said, "Da Bears." His taste in vehicles hadn't changed since I was the same age as his youngest son.

His boy stopped short of the open door. "Hang on a sec, Dad." He doubled over and puked on the concrete.

"Eww!" My son sidestepped the mess and climbed into our ancient Escort wagon.

"You okay?" Mr. Todd bent down and peered at his son through the dim light.

"Yeah, no problem. Let's ride!"

We rode at the tail end of the convoy – not a wise decision since we didn't have a cell phone and had no idea where we were going. We had to make sure we didn't lose sight of our guides. A thin sheen of salty, dirty water coated the roads and our wipers worked overtime.

An hour into the trip, Mark said, "Shoot!" (It was a stronger word, but I don't know if it's allowed on this blog.)

"What?"

"We're out of washer fluid."

"So we stop and refill it."

"We can't. We'll lose them." Mark squinted at the windshield. "We'd better do something quick or I'll be driving by Braille."

We tried waving but no one seemed to notice. I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed to the back seat and reached for the jug of windshield washer fluid.

Scrambling to the front, I grabbed an empty cardboard Timmy's coffee cup. "Good thing you ordered a large double-double." I poured washer fluid into the cup and rolled down the window as we came to a stop sign. Cold air blasted inside.

As I flung the liquid at the windshield, Mark flipped on the wipers. It worked! For about thirty seconds. Every time we came to a reduced speed zone or a stop sign, we fired another cupful of fluid on the windshield.

As we pulled into Lakefield Arena, the last drops of blue gold trickled from the cardboard cup, which had become rather tattered from the hard grip of my frozen fingers.

In some bizarre way, Tim Horton's saved the day.

--Sandra Cormier
Sandra's first novel The Space Between is now available in paperback.
Her second novel Bad Ice will be released by Champagne Books in July '08.
www.sandracormier.com
www.chumpletwrites.blogspot.com

Goals

This is the first year I’ve ever made goals. Oh sure, every New Years I make them in my head. You now, the usual I’m-going-to-exercise-everyday and the I’m-going-to-lose-50-lbs-in-two-weeks goals. Those crazy, unattainable goals for which we set ourselves up for obvious failure.

This year I set writing goals.

Setting writing goals is nothing new either. I’d always set them in my head, which was one problem because they’re easily forgotten up there. (Hey, it’s a crowded place up there, in my head.) And because they’re easily forgotten, they aren’t measurable. You can’t really go back six months from now and evaluate your progress if you don’t remember exactly what you’d set out to do six months or a year ago.

Another problem was that my goals were always beyond my control. For example, one of my goals was to be on the New York Times bestseller list. Attainable? Well…maybe one day. Who knows? Within my power to attain? Not a chance. I have no control over this. I can work hard, submit, promote like crazy, but what I cannot control is my sales. So being on the NYT bestseller list is unattainable. A goal that sets myself up for failure.

Do you follow where I’m going with this? Goals have to be something you can control.

One of my goals which I wrote down this year is to increase my readership. Well, this isn’t a goal either. Why? Because I don’t have control over it. If I tweak this a big and instead write down the ways I can increase my readership, such as going to RT this year, writing a newsletter, writing more books, blogging more, advertising more, these things become my goals. I can control all these things. Increasing my readership becomes the product of my goals.

Goals can be made to wrk for you. Write them down so you can revisit and revise them as needed. Make them attainable by making them within your control.

And don’t forget to eat lots of chocolate for inspiration.

Thanks for reading.

~ Nancy

http://www.nancyhenderson.com/

http://www.nancyhenderson.blogspot.com/

The Long Journey

Mine has been to find my way here, Now that I have and also got to read some of the interesting posts on this site, I find I have nothing to say. That being so, I'll post my article "Or Is It Procrastination:

Writers all do need down time. But what if you've had down time and still can't bring yourself to sit down and write?
You've thought over any possible problem in your WIP and came up with nothing in particular. You've tried scrubbing the floor, taking a walk, or gardening--whatever has worked before. You've even taken a nap. But have you brain-stormed with a writing friend, either by email, phone or face to face? If you have a critique group have you discussed the WIP with them and asked for idea input?
Often a discussion with others writers will snap you out of the idle syndrome. Even if you don't take a single idea of theirs, the discussion sometimes triggers your own creativity into the AHA! mode.
Well, you've tried all of this and you still haven't gotten your butt in the chair and the keyboard under your fingers. Could you be suffering from mere procrastination instead of the more complex writers' block? If you don't gather up what you need to have near at hand, sit down and actually ready the computer for action, hey, you've got one of the major symptoms.
Warning! Booting up and then accessing your email doesn't count. Maybe you need to start thinking about using the reading of your email as a reward for having written your daily allotment of words for your WIP.
You've taken all this to heart, bit the bullet, booted up and are staring at that cursed curser blinking on the blank screen. If you can't get your fingers to punch out word one, go back and give a quick read to your last chapter--no editing allowed. Now you can't say you haven't even a clue what happens next. So start off writing the next scene from the hero's POV. Go on for at least two pages even if it feels wrong. Not happy? Don't delete this. Just start from wherever you left off and rewrite the same scene from the heroine's POV. Still sucks? If you have a villain, try his or her POV, not deleting anything you've written so far. Read all of it over. If nothing clicks, drop down a few spaces and begin the scene in a different place. Does it work? No? Try introducing a new character--not necessarily in his or her POV, but seeing this character from one of the main character's POV. Write that out. . Try a new situation and write that. Keep writing for at least an hour, with no editing.
So you've done all that and you think every bit of it stinks. Don't delete. Save. Exit the program. Let what you've written sit overnight. Go back the next day and reread what you believed was dreck. Sometimes you'll be surprised that some of it isn't. Sometimes you'll still find it’s dreck, but that reading it over has given you a new idea. Sometimes you'll boot up, not having to read any of it over, because you've come to realize exactly how that scene should be written.
The point of all this is you've stopped procrastinating, and are actually sitting down--not to write, but actually writing. There's a lot of difference in these two sentences, and not just the pronouns: He sat down to write. She sat down and wrote. I'm not suggesting you become like the character Jack Nicholson played in The Shining, merely doing typing exercises. You must make an attempt to go on with your story, even multiple attempts.
If you have tried every one of these suggestions, from the beginning of this article to this point, then perhaps you need a longer break from writing. Or maybe the fault is in how you conceived the plot. If you’re a pantser, it's difficult to let other writers see your plot, because it's probably not down on paper or on a disk or CD, but in your head. Is your problem because you really don't know at this point what you want to happen? If you haven't tried brainstorming, now is the time.
If you're a plotter, try letting other writers look at your plot line. I can't stress enough how much a writer can benefit by brainstorming. For most of us, the hearing of other solutions to problems often triggers an answer within us that may have nothing to do with what we've heard. Other times, someone does come up with an excellent solution. If all else fails, do try this--but with writers, not just friends or relatives.
Whatever you do, don't blame yourself. If you've tried everything here and anything else you can think of, a possible solution might be to put that WIP on hold for a time. If you have a deadline, sometimes you may have to ask for an extension. But not writing on that work doesn't mean you shouldn't start writing something else. Even if it's just an article discussing procrastination.
And with that--I've got to get back to the first book in the series I've been trying to write for six months now. Get thee behind me, procrastination. Jane Toombs

Romance and Relationships

Over 25% of all books sold are romance. Why? I imagine there are a ton of reasons, but mostly, the reader knows up front that the book will end on a happy note.

Real life is often wrought with stressful situations, and relations between friends and lovers can prove difficult on the best of days. Romance books allow an escape from real-life trauma where the tension is only as real as the words on the paper, and any fighting is quickly solved by turning a page. And no matter what happens, true love triumphs over all odds.

So what makes the romance in a story work? There are a ton of great articles on the web that discuss what attracts men to women and vice versa. I read one just last night on the "scent of desire," that women are attracted to men whose MHC genes differ from theirs. Very interesting.

Information like this and other studies on the attraction between men and women provide the writer with tools that help make their stories more believable. Consider the eight stages of intimacy. If a writer has their characters jumping in bed without a good reason, then will the relationship be as believable as one in which the hero and heroine slowly evolve into a couple? Isn't that what romance is all about? The slow building of trust between two people destined to fulfill their heart's desires.

I read romance for the relationship that develops between the heroine and hero. Sex adds a bit of spice and is part of this budding connection, but should not overpower the true crux of the story. At least, that's true for me. I can't speak for others. I write romance for the same reason, to explore the many facets of the characters and their emerging love for each other.

To strengthen and layer, a good writer uses all the senses. Smell often triggers memories and a smell associated with a pleasant memory can make the hero or heroine take notice of each other. Touch provides a great timeline in the evolving relationship. It might begin with a very subtle touch of finger to skin that sends a tingle of awareness along nerve endings. As the couple becomes more comfortable with each other they hold hands and later hug and kiss. Sound can trigger many emotions. I'm very taken by the sound of my husband's deep voice, though I'm not sure why. Some people are more sensitive to sound than others. As for taste, many claim to be "turned on" by aphrodisiacs such as oysters or chocolate. Though scientific evidence doesn't support these claims, a well placed mention of some of these foods in a scene can trigger images in a reader's mind that allows the tension of the scene to mount. And last, but not least, the visual a writer creates enhances the reader's own imagination.

So, this Valentine's Day, I wish you the most romantic day. Surround yourself with lavendar and pumpkin pie, play soft, erotic music, prepare succulant dishes and curl on the couch with your love for an intimate and relaxing evening. But if your honey is miles away, curl up with your favorite romance. Imagination is the next best thing.

Curing Writer's Block

HOW I CURE WRITER’S BLOCK
(or working on more than one book at a time)

There comes a thing in every writer’s life when the words slow or - Heaven help us! - they stop completely. It’s happened to me, but I think I’ve found the cure.

When it happens with my work in progress I start work on another book.

Another book, you say. How on earth do you do that?

Easy. I have a bunch of three hole binders and I’ve developed several forms which allow me to quickly review a different book when the words stop flowing on the novel I’m currently undertaking. One of those forms is an interview with the hero, heroine, and a shorter version for secondary characters, including the villain or villainess which I filled out when I first started the book. I have a list of characters’ names, so they don’t all start with the same letter of the alphabet and I have a plot outline. (By the way, that often ends up changing a whole lot – but, it’s a beginning.)

However, by quickly refreshing character descriptions and the situation, I can go to work on a completely different book.

It works for me. I find I can go from one story to another after a quick review, then, when words slow or stop with that novel, I can go back to the original book and continue where I left my characters.

There is one amazing thing that frequently happens when I jump around. As I work on another novel, I’ll discover a plot problem with the original idea the stopped or slowed the words. Or sometimes, in researching one book, a solution to a problem I didn’t recognize with the original work surfaces and I can return to my first work in progress with a fresh approach.

Now, I suppose this might not work for someone who doesn’t plot, or work from an outline, no matter how limited. But I do plot and I do outline, so it works for me.

However, if all else fails, and I can't write, I leave the computer and go read a book.

Well, not everything is one hundred percent perfect!

Allison Knight

Are you a closet romance reader?

When I was growing up, reading romance novels was something one did in private. For me, it entailed sneaking into the bookstore when no one I knew was shopping, lurking until the coast was clear, and then sneaking into the aisle filled with colorful, bodice-ripper covers. I had to make my selections quickly by skimming the descriptions on the back covers and then, preferably, finding a mainstream novel or book to place on top of my stack so no one could see what I was buying. The tension would continue to mount until I got to the cash register. Since I knew the bookstore owner, I hoped he wouldn’t make a comment as to my choice of reading material. I could hardly wait until he shoved my books into a brown paper bag and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief as I hurried home to pore over my new romances. The same modus operandi was used even at the public library, because, of course, in my small home town everybody knew me there, too.

Things, thankfully, have changed - romance novels don't carry quite the same stigma any more. Either that, or I’ve changed and I just don’t give a darn what people think about my taste in books. Plus, being an author of romance books means I have to believe in the product I produce. And I do. Valid romance novels (not erotica or porn) aren’t just trashy bodice-rippers, nor have they ever been. Historicals are rich with history and facts that are carefully checked while contemporaries often educate the reader about exotic locales and unusual professions. Successful authors take great care and do extensive research to create believable, sympathetic characters, detailed plots and an interesting story. While romantic interludes are key to the genre, there's much more than just love scenes in a romance novel.

Rest assured that readers of romance are continuing to grow steadily in number. According to Simba, a 2006 report indicated that romance fiction accounted for more than 26% of the book market of all genres and types. That's all genres including nonfiction, mystery, and that generic category of "novel". Pretty impressive. That means there are literally millions of romance readers out there.

There is a plethora of online options for those romance readers looking for others of like mind. There are also numerous sites which include forums, review books and give recommendations for reading based on your preferences. Clubs for readers of paranormal, historical, Westerns, contemporary and every other category you can imagine abound. Romance Novel TV (www.romancenoveltv.com) includes video interviews with authors, excerpts of new books, contests and updates on the latest conferences and events. To find a site that caters to your specific desires, just Google “romance readers websites”. While there are too many to mention specifically, Romancing the Blog (www.romancingtheblog.com), Love Western Romances (www.lovewesternromances.com) and The Romance Reader (www.theromancereader.com) are some of my favorites.

And, of course, for the best in romance books, visit www.champagnebooks.com to check out the newest releases for 2008 and some of the best from previous years.

Cheers!

P.S. After posting, I found this article on Yahoo! News on Harlequin, Mills & Boon regarding the same subject.

Rose Lerma

An Unexpected Boon

Boon? Now there’s a word you might not be familiar with, unless you read historical romances. It means a good thing, a blessing.

Last year in June, I had a book signing in the little foothill community where I live. A man came in and bought my book, Seducing Annie, for his wife who was unable to attend. Little did I know the woman was also an author, well known in her field of biographies. Nor did I know she had founded a local group of writers and their 3rd annual conference was coming up in the spring of 2008.

But you sow some seeds not knowing what—if anything—will pop up.

At the end of December 2007, I had a message from the author asking if I’d participate in the conference by putting on a romance workshop. I was honored, believe me I was, but I’m not a public speaker. I returned the woman’s call fully intending to politely refuse. Next thing I know, she has me convinced that not only can I do it, but others would be grateful for the knowledge I share. Well heck, put that way, how could I refuse.

Besides, count the boons!
1. I get paid for it.
2. Free exposure, my bio and my books will be featured on their website and in their bookstore at the conference.
3. I just might pick up a fan or two.

Rose Lerma
roselerma.com
goldrushwriters.com

1. The dark side of fiction writing

Michael W. Davis

(a.k.a Big Mike)

Davisstories.com

Author of: Tainted Hero (Champagne books, 12/07), The Treasure (Golden Acorn Publishing, 12/07), Forgotten Children (Champagne books, 6/08)

In upcoming months I will share thoughts on the wonder of fiction writing, the pleasures, the do’s and don’t; but how about the pain? Sometimes its best to start with a reality check about the dark side to offer a glimpse into the deep corners, the fact that the mirror can sometimes be cracked. Before you read this, be warned, I’m in a dark closet right now, so read on in that context.

I entered fiction writing to add a new dimension to my life. Something to fill in the empty zones, provide an outlet for the stories that constantly float around in my head (no, not voices, just stories.) Over time, writing took on a new form, an all-encompassing mistress that consumes you, devours ever moment, ever thought. This powerful hunger she has, it sometimes pushes the fun out of the equation. The writing itself is a release, a thing of beauty, a form to share thoughts and visions from your mind’s eye, but there is a dark side to this mistress. With all her loveliness, it’s easy to be blinded by those curves, that soft skin, her scent. She can take a toll on your spirit. Forget for the moment the chance to see your name in print (wasn’t my reason cause I’d been their before), or everyone wanting to talk to you about your stories (that is a great thing, you interact with so many new people), just for the moment consider the down side, before you dive in:

1. Rejection – If you are sensitive to rejection, or having people toss arrows at you about your work; don’t walk, run away. Search the web for “submission rejection experiences.” The “want a bee” writer’s posts abound with the flood of "no thank you" letters with no explanation, or even worst, sometimes they contain a harsh or senseless non-constructive tone. Before I got my first story accepted, it would not be an overstatement that I received hundreds of rejection letters, some helpful, but most harshly written. There’s a website called “The water cooler.” Read some of the horror stories they reveal.

2. Self promotion – If you’re lucky enough to get published, chances are it will be by one of the independent small publishing houses. Unless you have a relative that has contacts or a really “close” friend that’s an agent, the big houses no longer accept self-submissions (have to go thought a second party.) What does this mean? If you want to be successful (and who doesn’t) you will have to do a ton of self-promotion activities. Read again the word TON. The big boys can afford to spend 100 grand, quarter million, etc to promote a book. The small pub houses cannot. It’s just a reality, a harsh fact of the fiction writing business. If you don’t self-market, things are really weighted against you. I consider myself to be good at projecting ahead, forecasting how hard I have to work, but frankly, I was totally blindsided by the hours that must be spent to promote ones self. I do it, it’s a necessity, but it was one heck of a surprise. In a future post I’ll share in detail some of the self-promotion methods, techniques, suggestions, but not here.

3. Absence of the muse – I didn’t delve into fiction writing to make money. I had done enough research to know massive amounts of financial return were unlikely. I started because I enjoy articulating the stories, the visions in my mind. I really get off when someone says, “man, that story moved me, I couldn’t put it down.” Unfortunately, as you become published (unless you’re a King or Clancy with shadow writers and a promotion staff) you will be drawn away from your passion, the thing you loved in the first place. It becomes harder and harder to lock yourself away to just do what you like to do.

Ok, now that I’ve been mister dark cloud, if you can deal with all that, my take is that it’s still worth the ride. The chance to reach for your dream, and see it materialize, will never come if you don’t take that leap into the abyss filled with gators and vipers. Enough said. My follow on post will be more up beat, I promise.

Big Mike

Davisstories.com