The Writer and The Muse

"I need you to inspire me to write today, Muse."

"What you need is to put your hands on the keyboard and write. The inspiration will come once you remember that writing is an action word!"

"Yeah, easy for you to say. You don't have to stare at the blank screen."

"Neither would you if you would stop procrastinating and start writing."

"How can I write when I can't get the villain's motivation worked out?"

"Interview him."

"Funny."

"See, there you go. Every time I try to help you, there's an excuse. Why is that funny?"

"He's not real."

"That's your problem right there. If you don't think he's real, how will your reader believe in his motivation?"

Score one for the muse!

Sweet Words to an Author's Ear

Words heard while attending a Valentine's Day concert for U.S. Veterans last night: "I started reading one of your books and I can't put it down!"

Shortly after finding seats, hubby and I were pleasantly surprised when his pulmonary therapist and the oxygen coordinator from the Chalmers P. Wylie VA came and sat behind us. My hubby is one of my biggest promoters. He tells everyone I'm an author and raves about my books. He has read every one of them. Word of mouth continues to be one of the best marketing tools and one that doesn't cost a penny.

While participating in a six-week therapy exercise program, he "ratted me out" as an author...bless his heart! His therapist bought two of my books for her Nook, but hadn't yet begun to read them before the program ended. Her words last night gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling and motivated me to continue writing.

"I started reading and I couldn't put it down."
"I stayed up until two in the morning because I had to find out what would happen next."
"Once I started reading, I had to keep going. It was so good!"

These are words I'm hearing from people who have read my Inspirational novels. Seems whenever I get a bit down and question the time I spend writing, God speaks to me through readers.

I may never be a New York Times Best-selling author, but that has never been my goal. My goal is to write stories that touch reader emotions and show how faith can move mountains without "preaching." I've been asked who my audience is and that makes me smile. Who? Everyone! Male, female, Christian, non-Christian...anyone who can read!

TRAPPED is my latest book and the one the Pulmonary Therapist was speaking about last night. I'm currently writing the second book in the series...one I'm enjoying writing and hope will continue to bring the same heartwarming feedback.

I'm Like a Trained Rat...

I'm a creature of habit. For the past five weeks, I've been carrying my iPad to the VA Clinic to write while my hubby is doing his exercise program. This gives me two and a half hours to do nothing but write. No distractions. I can't get up and head to the refrigerator, fix a cup of tea, check emails, read, play with the cats, or talk on the phone. I can't even check Facebook or Twitter. Horrors!

But I'm having a very productive two and a half hours to write. The time passes quickly and the words and pages flow. I'm energized and so immersed in the process of writing that I am sad when the time is up. I used to walk on the treadmill every day and write, but since I began using my iPad at the VA, the treadmill isn't working.

Is it the laptop? Could be. I cannot write at my desk on my desktop computer. That's for blogging, checking emails, twitter, facebook, research. The laptop used to be for writing. Now it's the iPad. Problem is...it doesn't work on my treadmill desk.

I'm like a trained rat who runs through the maze for the food when the bell rings. Once trained, I'm in a rut. Sigh. I must condition myself back to the laptop and the treadmill.

Writers are such weird creatures. Or at least, I am. Sigh.

Characters Can Appear Anywhere!

Yesterday I met a woman in the veterinarian's office who had a bulky English bulldog on the bench beside her. He was so ugly he was cute. Had the typical scrunched face, was snorting and doing his best to get off the bench and get to me. So, I petted him. Adorable dog. The only problem...according to this lovely woman who was in one of my Bible Study groups, is that he's always horny! She says he humps everybody's leg consistently and she doesn't know what to do with him. Even the vet had no idea how to break him.  All I know is I'm sure glad she was able to keep that huge dog under control!

On the way home, I got a great idea to use this to my advantage and include it in one of my books. I'm thinking it would make a great novella story...maybe something for Easter. Wouldn't it be great if the dog belonged to a Pastor's family?

Everyone Likes "Free"

Free seems to be the magic word today, especially when it comes to ebooks. I hear comments like "there are so many free books, you don't have to buy anything." It's a great enticement to grab as many free books as you can. Some of my friends have hundreds of books on their device and they haven't paid a penny for any of them.

I like free, too. Who doesn't? But the truth of the matter is someone spent countless hours writing, revising, and formatting that book so others could have it for free. Interesting. As an author, I have made some of my books free for a brief period of time hoping to get name exposure; and sometimes my book would appear free weeks after I had changed the price to normal. Thousands of copies of my book were downloaded onto reader devices at no cost whatsoever to them. While I would like to build up a readership of loyal fans, I didn't plan my writing career to be an unpaid volunteer position.

When I made a decision to be a writer and not hold a day job, my goal wasn't to continue making the same amount of money I had in the corporate world. I wanted to pursue my passion for storytelling and share it with others who enjoy escaping into a good book. I want to entertain, to touch a heart, to bring a smile, a tear, enjoyment to those who read my words.

Writing isn't easy work. It takes months of writing, researching, editing, and rewriting to get my book ready for the public. I spend money on ink, software, paper, computers...all to put out a quality product. I send my work off to editors and then take their input to make the book even better. My story and characters are in the forefront of my mind while I'm driving, cleaning, gardening, cooking, and even in my sleep. It takes me six months from the idea stage to the finished product. That's a lot of hours. I don't know anyone who would go to work for six months for no pay, do you?

Readers might think writing is easy and perhaps that's why they don't think twice about that book they snagged for free. What do authors want from readers they have "given" their book to? Maybe an honest review from the place where they downloaded the book. Maybe a quick note to say "Thank you!" Maybe a recommendation to a friend.

As for me, I plan to "value" my hard work by putting a price tag on it. My books are currently priced at $2.99. What does that make the hourly wage? Less than two cents an hour. None of my friends or family would work for that kind of money. I'm happy to do so, and I hope readers will understand when I don't offer my services for free.

Everyone Wants a Magic Pill

To be successful as a writer, forget the lure of a magic pill. There is no magic, except the magic within you.

When the idea of writing first draws us to tell a story, we get lost in the creation process. It's such a freeing and fun activity. Words follow words, paragraphs follow paragraphs, and before we know we have completed our first novel. How exciting! We dream of seeing our book in our favorite store, bright and shining, sitting on a shelf where people are scrambling to grab the last copy. Ah, the dream...

Then come rejections. What? Pain rips a hole in our confidence. Despair, depression, and self-doubt replace the excitement. If we're lucky, we join a writer's group seeking guidance and a magic pill to turn us into an "author."

We bury ourselves in craft books, attend seminars, workshops, and take online classes. We become addicted to learning, following the "rules," being perfect, editing, re-writing...and by doing so we lose the spontaneity of telling a story. We try to follow the "market," write what's hot, all the time stumbling around and seeking what we want to be when we grow up.

Maybe that's not you. Maybe not. Maybe pieces of what I've said apply to you. It happened to me. I became addicted to learning and in the process I found out...gasp...there is no magic pill! No magic formula! The writing process is unique to each of us.

We are individuals, each with our own thought process, ideas, idiosyncrasies. That's how God created us. Knowing that, how can we expect to follow in someone else's footsteps and achieve the same success? We can't. All we can do is be true to ourselves. Write the stories we want to write, not what we think will sell.

The process? Whatever works for you! But the most important thing to remember is that you have a writing voice. Yours is different from mine and from any other writer. If you seek critiques, read them and take what makes sense for your writing. Don't change your story because of what someone else says. That's their opinion, their "voice" speaking.

The best advice I can give? Read, read, read in the genre yow want to write. You'll know what that is. Then just write your story. Don't look for a magic pill to help you succeed. Just write.

Motivation for Success

Motivation is required for all successes in life. That includes writing. Today I'm working hard on getting in touch with my villain. I need to understand his motivation in order to write the best book I can.

I also need motivation to keep on my weight loss journey. How easy to fall off the good practices and forget about the good lifestyle changes required. I need motivation to get on the treadmill or do do other aerobic exercise.

So, not only do I need to focus on what makes my villain such a villain, but also on what can motivate me to reach my weight loss goals. It takes more than just a will. It takes perseverance and drive.

What about you? Are you motivated to achieve your goals? Have you reached deep inside to get in touch with that motivation?

Breaking Through Zombi-itis!

More rain forecast through Thursday. Storms and flooding.

While I love rainy days for writing, I'm already getting a bit of cabin fever. These days zap my energy. Another thing that zaps my energy is not having my house in order. When things are dusty and cluttered, I begin to feel depressed and lethargic.

Does that ever happen to you?

So, today is my "cleaning" day. I'm sure once I have a clean and uncluttered house, I'll find lots of energy and also give myself permission to take an afternoon off to read. Easter will be a day of rest and then Monday I'll be back in the office writing.

Wishing each of you a blessed Easter weekend!

Just a Morning Brain Dump

Woke up at 2:45am with thunder rolling, flashing lightning, wind, and tornado sirens. The storm was intense, but moving very rapidly. No damage in our area, but I hear many areas around us did not fare as well.

Today was weigh-in day for Weight Watchers. While I didn't lose anything this week, I did drop more inches. I'm so thrilled that since I began 3 months ago, I've lost 4.75" in my waist, 5.5" in my hips, 4" in my bust, 1.5" in my arms, and 4" in my thighs. Woo hoo!!

On the agenda for today is typing the new first chapter of my WIP. Yesterday I sketched out the scene. Now I'm really excited to begin typing and fleshing it out.

Romance Writers' Sisterhood - Guest Blogger LoRee Peery

Today, I'm so pleased to welcome author, LoRee Peery, as my guest blogger. A lifelong Nebraskan, LoRee is the oldest of seven and grew up on a Nebraska farm. She feels grounded in her sense of place and considers it a blessing to have lived most of her life in the country. She has five children and values one-on-one time with her eleven grandchildren.


She grew up singing and feels closest to the Lord when she worships through song. One of her fondest memories is ascending the basement stairs of Grace Lutheran Church in Neligh, NE singing “Oh, Come All Ye Faithful” preceding the Christmas Eve program.

Romance Writers' Sisterhood

When I hear the word “writer,” an immediate picture comes to mind. Always, a person is sequestered and hunched over in his or her writing place. For me it’s not the writer, but the workplace I focus on. I used to imagine a manual typewriter on a bare topped desk except for multitudinous wadded up papers. That evolved into an electric typewriter surrounded by scads of reference books. Then the tiny computer monitors with the huge backs and a keyboard close to the edge of the desk. Finally, laptops, anywhere. The writer is no longer sequestered.

Writers need a social life, balanced with the time spent in the chair while spewing out words. (Notice, I didn’t say playing on the Internet.) We need other people: family, church involvement, frolicking with friends, and fun away from words. We also need what I’ll talk about today, the sisterhood of romance writers groups.

Years ago, a friend and I created Lincoln Word Weavers, a Christian group that crossed all genres. I think it lasted a couple years. To my knowledge, no one published. I joined Romance Writers of America in 2002 and learned more about writing and publishing in six months than I had in the ten years prior. I realized immediately that I had a bond with anyone I came in contact with. The local chapter I'm part of now is Prairieland Romance Writers. We writers have a common passion (or compulsion), a synergy, that binds us together. From local chapters to the online chapter I’m part of Faith, Hope & Love, I can still be amazed at the camaraderie and generosity of individuals. Whether those writers are unpublished or have a hundred best sellers under their belt, they share whatever they can for the common good.

It’s a unique sisterhood that recognizes individual voice as one that cannot be duplicated. Romance writers tell the happily-ever-afters with familiar themes; but always with unique qualities of that writer’s distinctive voice. And now I’m so pleased to be part of another sisterhood, the White Rose Publishing family.

Do you belong to a group where you have a like-minded bond?

As a final note, I doff my hat to the few brave men who don’t mind being part of this “sisterhood.” You know them, they read and write romance too.

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LoRee's novel, Moselle's Insurance, the first in the Frivolities series, was released on July 30th. The cover is just stunning, and the blurb sounds exciting! The book has been receiving rave reviews. You can purchase it through publisher, White Rose Publishing. Link for more info: click here

Blurb

Creative artist Moselle Carson gives new life to old items, but she can't seem to renew her shattered ideal of love. When she returns to her hometown to help with a new family business, memories of a broken heart and small-town gossip chip away the tough exterior she's erected over the years. Now she's forced to decide whether she'll rebuild the wall or trust that true love never dies when it is ordained by God.

Generous insurance agent and vulnerable firefighter, Eric Todd, remembers too well how he mistreated Moselle and then set her aside. Now he longs for true love and the second chance to become a husband and father. Can he learn to forgive himself and still keep the secret that may redeem him in her eyes?