Category: Random

I’ve recuperated from my bad experiences with window blinds and bathing the cat.

Life Lesson 382: When on a massive cleaning mission to avoid panic, some things just aren’t worth the battle.

Been busy all week preparing for a writer’s conference in San Francisco. Getting business cards ready, printing out necessary papers, packing, and let’s not forget laundry and dry cleaning for extra outfits just in case something from the formal luncheon decides to take up residence on the front of my shirt.

There’s also the interesting concept of preparing the ‘elevator speech’. I’m not quite sure how this phenomenon originated; I think it was Hollywood. “Tell me what your book or movie is about in 30 seconds or less.” In other words, time enough to tell someone while riding on an elevator with them.

With a 350-page book, this is not as easy as it sounds. You want to give enough flavor of the story so your idea makes sense, along with adding in enough of the conflict so they know your work of art is not akin to watching grass grow. Even in a query letter, the standard is one to two paragraphs which hint at what your story is about. Reading it in print is one thing. Memorizing it to be able to say it in an elevator (while, of course, looking and sounding completely natural) is another challenge all in itself.

But networking at conferences and seeing old friends is one of those rewarding experiences which are worth all the hubbub. Plus, I’ve never seen San Francisco before and I hear it’s incredible. We’ll have a few days to sightsee before the conference begins.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer; I’ll blog about SFO when I return!

Sorry for the hiatus on the blog. I’ve had many irons in the fire recently!

Book 3 (ghost story set in Savannah) is now complete. YIPEE! While the first draft was done in April, it took two months to revise and layer in all those things which weren’t as visible during the first go-round. I finished the manuscript over July 4th weekend, making my own independence day a bit sweeter!

Finishing a book entices an array of emotions. Joy and relief are the first to appear, and I celebrated for days. But then, slowly, surely, the panic arrived. Will people respond to it? Will it be accepted? Rejected? These questions and more began to creep in, especially since I’m actively sending out queries/requested material to agents and editors.

Panic is a strange emotion. Some days, it mimics PMS in all its irritable glory. Other days, it sends a rushing need to DO something, anything, to feel in control. While all writers have control over their word choices, their story, and their book–once it’s sent out into the world, we can’t control others’ reactions. So we try controlling anything else. One of my writer friends bakes bread for days. Another shifts gears and does cross-stitch for three days. Me? I go into massive house cleaning mode, which brings about its own challenges.

My window blinds tried to eat me. Since I was not in the mood to become an appetizer, I struggled long and hard to battle these evil creatures. Current score: window blinds=1, Elaine=0. A rematch has been scheduled.

Life Lesson 205: Attempting to bathe the cat as part of massive cleaning frenzy isn’t a wise option, for the person involved or for the cat. Especially for the cat.

What DOES help alleviate these surging emotions, pouring through my mind at all hours?

Ironically, it’s jumping headfirst into the next book. This leap brings a new form of panic, but it’s somehow easier to cope with than the original panic. When I thought about it, it’s similar to starting a fire in order to extinguish another fire. Although, I confess that I never understood how this process worked. Start a fire to put out a fire? Huh? Start another huge project in order to alleviate panic on a completed project? I can’t explain the reasoning, but it works.

So, while prepping for San Francisco in the coming weeks, I’m happily starting Book 4. This one remains in the ghost story genre, but the plot and characters face different decisions and life challenges.

Next time you’re in a panic, try jumping into something which will help you feel creative and fill you with the pleasing emotions again! It works! And anyone out there who can successfully bathe a cat, feel free to contact me with tips!

Whenever anyone mentions ‘the muse’ – that creative force which whispers in my ear at the strangest and most unpredictable times, I’ve envisioned her as mystical, a pewter fairy with intricate wings, dispelling her wisdom in brief, fleeting moments.

Apparently this delicate appearance is only when I happen to listen to her. When I don’t, she pulls out the bizarre outfits. The other night, I watched a documentary which reminded me of and helped me gain insight into various, shall we say, dysfunctional parts of my youth.

The muse appeared, wearing pink bunny slippers. “Your next book should tell this story.”

Me: “Uh, no. That requires me to face my demons, to fall down into the rabbit hole which I long ago scraped myself out of. Besides, this documentary has already covered a similar story.”

Now the muse became more detailed. Pink bunny slippers, a polka-dotted outfit, and an enormous purple hat. “The documentary told one story, something which happened to different people, in a different location, in a different time. Your story could be different.”

I ignored her again, terrified at the thought of even going near any of these ideas which I’d so successfully avoided over the years. Then I looked over. There was now a big green feather sticking out of that gigantic purple hat.

I turned back to the documentary, determined to focus all my energy on it. Then she temptingly whispered, “But you already have a manuscript which is 50% complete, which began telling a similar story. But you stopped because of fear.”

Me: “Yeah, so? It’s not like I need to write this story now.”

As I continued watching this documentary, a story so similar to dysfunctional moments of my own life, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if I made a fiction story about these themes.

The muse and I argued. We finally came to a truce, where I will consider writing this after my current work is done. In return, she will allow me to wear the gigantic purple hat to costume parties.

I think I got the better end of the bargain, but only time will tell…

Last weekend, “Sex and the City” was #1 at the box office. Interviews and online commentaries seemed to reflect surprise; the almighty powers that be were unaware a female audience existed. Are studios and producers so blinded by needing to cater to the teen boy idiocy demographic that they’ve completely forgotten other audiences exist?

According to Media by Numbers LLC, it’s women ages 20 to 55 who were the most interested in this film. There’s even talk of a sequel. On Monday morning, Atlanta radio stations made the movie their prime discussion topic.

My point? Whether I like the hardcore truth or not, Hollywood and TV affect what agents/editors want to see in terms of new books coming out.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Charmed” thrust the paranormal genre into a whirlwind. It’s still kicking ass and taking names.

“Sideways” escalated Pinot Noir sales. “Cocktail” spurred hundreds of people to call travel agents (I was one at the time), all wanting to go to “Cocomo.” They were saddened to learn “Cocomo” didn’t exist; that movie was filmed in Port Antonio, Jamaica.

No, I don’t ‘write to the market’ only to sell a book. Note to beginning writers: never write to the market just to sell a book. Write the stories you want to write. Publishing is such a slow process, by the time you get that book ‘written for what’s hot now’ published, it won’t be hot anymore.

Back to Hollywood working for me…my first 2 manuscripts (which are neatly sitting on my shelf gathering dust) are women’s fiction, focusing on the friendship of four women and the conflicts they are going through. While they’re more like ‘Steel Magnolias’ or ‘Joy Luck Club’ than ‘Sex in the City’ – the publishing world sees ‘a story about 4 friends’ and lumps it together.

Many in the publishing world have said ‘Sex and the City’ had come and gone. One agent specified on her blog that she didn’t want any more stories with 4 female friends. Didn’t matter what the plot was. ‘Sex and the City’ had come and gone, everyone said.

Based on the buzz talk and the film’s popularity, maybe the women’s fiction genre can revive a bit. It would be great if that could happen. Hollywood, work for me, baby!

Happy June 1, everybody! Hard to believe it’s here already! It also means my to-do-list now needs major focus, since I’m attending a national writer’s conference in late July.

Most seminars I’ve attended have agreed on this one thing: Writing and Rewriting/Editing use 2 different sides of the brain, and you have to approach each one differently.

I agree it’s important not to censor yourself while writing a first draft. Often that’s when serendipity occurs, and subsconscious thoughts float to the surface. Many times, I’ll be typing a first draft of a book or story, and am surprised when I look up to see how much time has passed. On the best days, I reread what I’ve written and wonder, “Where did THAT come from?” One can’t plan these moments; they simply happen, often when we least expect it.

Those are the joyful days, and we can’t have our ‘editing’ hats on during those first drafts. This made me put writing and rewriting into 2 different piles, and I always approached editing with a giant red pen and a harsh stick.

What I’m learning on book 3 is that a gentler touch is needed, but I still have to be objective. I write fast, yes, but I also use 30 words when 10 will do. So sharpening those scenes is key for me, yet I can’t beat the manuscript up with a bloody red pen so much that I lose all enthusiasm. (During my first round of edits, I had nightmares where I’d transformed into an enormous red pen…)

It’s a fine line, but I think the gentle touch is working better, as long as I’m objective and agree changes need to be made. So I’m focused on doing as many pages per day as I can, without shifting into a mood where I’m hating the process.

Try the gentler touch when polishing the art…see where it takes you!