Writing for Fun

Writing for fun has been on my mind a lot lately, because real life has taken one of those turns that can best be described as "aaaahhhhhhh." The robot uprising has begun within my own personal electronics as multiple devices decided to go belly up or seriously wonky at the same time (Linda, Kara, E and la, you have saved my patoot as well as my sanity) and at least one is one replacement part away from having more than I'd like in common with Frankenstein's monster.

Which goes a long way to explain my recent absence here. A beloved uncle passed, our family is looking at a long anticipated interstate move that may happen in quick fashion, a heat wave and summer cold do not cancel each other out, and I am using the Not at Nationals tag here, as, despite my best intentions, blogging about not being at Nationals did not happen during the course of the actual gathering. Nope, did not go this year, but I will make it at least once. :shakes fist at monitor:

So, writing for fun relates to this how? I will admit that it's easy to get distracted and off on bunny trails. I will admit that those of us pursuing a career in commercial fiction do need to pay some attention to market trends, the state of the industry, the state of the genre, and nobody but me is going to write my book, same as nobody but you is going to write yours. A page a day is a book in a year and butt in chair, fingers in keyboard, yes, all of that is true. Writing is a business and those of us who are in it have to do the work.

At the same time, where is the love? I've thought back recently to those afternoons of cobbling together a desk out of tv trays and letting the story spill out of me because I knew it, I lived it, and the characters had to get out of my head and onto the page. (Though in full disclosure, do they really leave?) Right now, I'm overhauling a ms I've already written...and rewritten. It's natural in such endeavors to get bogged down with the "do I have to go over this again?" refrain. Who cares? I know how it turns out, so good enough and on to the next? Well, no. If it were, I wouldn't be writing.

While I'm doing the grownup writer thing by putting butt in chair and fingers on keyboard/pen in hand/chalk on cave wall (refer to robot uprising mentioned above)there's still a need for fun to keep the spark alive. Sort of a dating your spouse thing. In real life, DH knows that ordering takeout and suggesting trips to Barnes and Noble keep him in my good graces, especially when in full on writer crank. It's the same in writing. I've found a need to play in the mist, let characters have their way with me, perhaps toss around with a few like-minded souls. Not sure what track this will take, but knowing the need is halfway to fulfilling it, right?

Have you ever written only for fun? What's your favorite creative playground?

Writing Advice from Louis de Pointe du Lac

"There's a simple answer to that. I don't believe I want to give simple answers," said the vampire. "I think I want to tell the real story." -- Anne Rice, Interview With The Vampire

This is not my book vs movie post for Interview With The Vampire (that's later) but the above quote is going in my inspiration notebook. I knew I would love this book right there, because those words, spoken by Louis, the book's narrator, neatly sum up my attitude toward writing. Louis begins as he means to go on, telling the real story of his life, death and undeath as opposed to the one the boy who interviews him might wish to hear.

We follow Louis from his human origins, along the complicated path he walks for nearly two centuries, until he informs the boy in matter of fact fashion, "And that's the end of it. There's nothing else. " The boy doesn't like this, but Louis returns " I tell you, and I have told you, that it could not have ended any other way."

I think Louis was on to something there. While Louis is fictional, Anne Rice still managed to make him real, and I say that qualifies him to give advice. What makes Louis real for me is the amount of detail we get about his life, seeing through his eyes, not only what is around him, but what Louis as an individual notices. Another character going through exactly the same events would notice different things, and we would have a different story.

Author Barbara Samuel O'Neal has this to say on the importance of detail, or as she phrases it, "layering in lusciousness." http://awriterafoot.typepad.com/a_writer_afoot/2007/10/layering-in-lus.html

Louis would have approved. While his story is one I want to let sit in my mind and ruminate for a while, I can tell Louis himself is going to stick around in my head (and my inspiration notebook) for quite some time. Even though the bulk of Louis' story deals with the particular concerns of his life as a vampire, he's intimately human throughout. If he'd like to come give lessons to the characters in my imagination's waiting room, he's welcome...but I'll make sure he's eaten first. One never can be too careful.

Some Days Are Like That

Issue with battery may be manageable if I replace the power cord, so will be looking to take care of that in the near future. Tomorrow is back to work on book stuff, and as one must mention at this time of year, not preparing to go to RWA Nationals, this year in NYC, my favorite city anywhere. Still good, though, as there will likely be other NYC conferences and I'll have plenty of time to prepare for those.

Happy Dance Friday and Saturday at the Movies posts will come either during the week or next weekend, but I will say the double SYTYCD eliminations had me making noises of disgruntlement. More on that later. Also planning a book vs movie review of Interview With The Vampire. Here's a hint; neither Brad Pitt nor Tom Cruise rank among my favorite actors and if someone who hasn't read the book can tell where big chunks of things were skipped over and/or changed, that doesn't give any points to the adaptation. Still thought provoking, though.

New-ish venture in the works. I'm reviving the Lion and Thistle Yahoo group for discussion of all things historical romance, for readers and writers alike. Interesting conversations are in the works, so jump on in.

Taking the day for that all-important creative well filling and looking forward to the work week to come.

What I am doing today –

First, not unpacking from Nationals, because I didn’t go. I have never gone, always wanted to go, and next year, if all goes according to plan, I should be able to go. I am already in talks with friends who will also be attending, so that we can get potential rooming arrangements worked out, and since some of us are married, the husbands or no husbands question arises. If so, the happy couples will want to be together and the single gal likes alone time, so that should work out as well.

Being an extrovert, getting plunked down in the middle of a teeming mass of romance writers, editors and agents, especially in my favorite city in the world, sounds like nothing short of heaven. Which could also be a great title. :makes note to self: Pitching sessions? Let me at them! Come on, getting to talk about my books to a captive audience who not only might be interested in eventually giving me money for making stuff up, but is contractually obligated to listen to me blather for eight minutes? Again, sheer bliss.

Thanks to a very wise aunt, I know to count on bringing home one more bag than I arrived with, luggage-wise. This is achievable by packing two bags each half-full, and the collapsible bag is a lifesaver. For most conferences I’ve been to (never a Nationals yet, but I have not missed NEC since I first started going) there’s a welcome bag, but that can hold only so much. I imagine the freebie room to be something akin to the Christmas windows of the big department stores from my childhood, only grabbing everything in sight would be allowed. I know how to find comfy and fabulous shoes, and though I have so far been unsuccessful in convincing my husband to leave a free book on my plate at each meal, I do like to think I keep the conference spirit all year long.

So, one could count it that I’m already preparing for next year. Already successful in finding a nail polish that will withstand being on my fingers for a twenty four hour period, and in the color I want, so I’m good there. As I’ve said often to other writer buddies, the best thing one can have to succeed in writing is a great manuscript. Since I have four titles in electronic release now, another under consideration, and am getting things in order to send in a requested novel and a novella that has had some interest, I can safely say I’m on the way there.

Other than that, I have writing-related stuff. There’s the chapter sister’s ms I have the pleasure of critiquing, giving support via cell phone to another with computer problems (mostly consisting of barking an order to call the Geek Squad and tell them it’s an emergency, but seriously, those guys rock.) and moderating our chapter’s online course of the month. With occasional moments to emit small “eeps” at the fact that I am teaching a course next month at Savvy Authors (From Fanfiction to Fantastic Fiction.) I love teaching this course, and one of my dear critique partners and I are putting together another course on the ups and downs of partnership. Plus a fun indie project, so I’m not at a loss for things to fill my time and earn myself a good evening’s session of Sims3.

Also waiting for a yea or nay on a potential novella title from aforementioned dear critique partner on a potential novella title, because I trust her gut on this sort of thing. Fingers crossed, writing on.

Happy Dance Friday Lucky Thirteen - Everybody Samba!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I may be missing the big party (okay, they have lots of parties) at Nationals this week, but that doesn't mean we can't feature the party dance.

First, let's take a look at the basics...if you can call this basic:

I'd like to credit the dancers, but what I thought was their names translates to "ballroom dancing" in Polish.

I will resist the urge to make some pun about a spicy samba - Mel B and Maksim Chmerkovskiy's performance speaks for itself:


Alec Mazo & Edyta Sliwinska do this at home all the time. You know they do. Party at their house.


Send the kids out of the room. It's time to burn the floor:


Better keep the kids out, as we finish with Lacey Schwimmer and Danny Tidwell. I saw this live on tour, and I would not be surprised if meteorologists scratched their heads at a sudden increase in electrical activity in the air. MrsJMunch, this one's for you.