The air is crisper, the scent of woodsmoke is on the breeze, and soon frost will coat the front lawns of the neighborhood. Halloween seems to be the first holiday of the end of year festivities. A reminder that the days grow shorter and so does the year.
Tomorrow is the beginning of Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) 30 days of frenzy and anxiety as writers try to stop procrastinating, stop self-editing, stop self-doubt, and just write. If you learn nothing else by the end of November, realize that you can write more than you are writing now. That you can find time to write every day.
Last year I accumulated 33,000 words to finish a manuscript so I could enter it in the Golden Heart contest. I finished that manuscript, another one, and I'm starting a new one for this year's Nano.
Lesson learned: I can write much more than I was before and so can you.
Happy Halloween and Happy Nano!!
Showing posts with label Jill's Post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jill's Post. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Slow and Steady
Almost everyone knows the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. The moral of the fable is that slow and steady wins the race.
This month we added a new member to our chapter. Looking back I realized the Diamonds have grown slow, but steady as well. We may never be a large chapter, but we are a tightknit group. Someone is always ready with an answer to a question or help to a problem. That is much more important than a large group.
Slow and steady wins the publishing race as well. You can dash off a story, but will it be any good, or you can build up slowly, write more and more each day, and develop the writing skills you will need in the long run.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes a deadline must be met and the story MUST be done, but for the long haul of having a career, you need to build up those skills of writing every day, honing your skills of writing better, and know that slow and steady wins the race in the end.
Jill James, president, Black Diamond Chapter
This month we added a new member to our chapter. Looking back I realized the Diamonds have grown slow, but steady as well. We may never be a large chapter, but we are a tightknit group. Someone is always ready with an answer to a question or help to a problem. That is much more important than a large group.
Slow and steady wins the publishing race as well. You can dash off a story, but will it be any good, or you can build up slowly, write more and more each day, and develop the writing skills you will need in the long run.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes a deadline must be met and the story MUST be done, but for the long haul of having a career, you need to build up those skills of writing every day, honing your skills of writing better, and know that slow and steady wins the race in the end.
Jill James, president, Black Diamond Chapter
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Fear of Flying
Recently, RWA had their National Conference...in Dallas. Since I live in Northern California, that meant getting on an airplane and flying halfway across the country. For several years, flying has not been a pleasant experience for me. After 9/11 it has become a true phobia.
Actually, I don’t have a fear of flying; I have a fear of crashing, burning, dying; in that order. Once I’m airborne I’m fine. It is takeoffs and landings I fear. I grip the armrests in the handhold of death. My mantra is: I’m going to die; I’m going to die.
A friend told me the joys of Xanax. I took one just before my flight to Dallas. It was like being a child again, and experiencing the joy of being in a plane, of seeing the ground far below, and having the exhilaration of a roller coaster ride during the turbulence portion of the trip.
I believe all our phobias are the same. I also have a phobia of the new and unknown. I’ve had several agent appointments at conferences now, so I can do them no problem. This conference I had not only an editor appointment, but also a group appointment. Oh no, a double whammy, and my stomach let me know it that morning. I was thisclose to canceling my appointment, blowing it off. The only thing stopping me was the disappointment I would have felt in myself and from my friends. Okay, mostly my friends. Looking good to those you respect is a very good motivator. So, I deep breathed, I threw back my shoulders, chin up and determined, and sailed through the appointment with a request for a full manuscript.
Lesson learned: I don’t have a fear of flying; I have a fear of falling, of failing. Sometimes we have to fail, to fall down, so we can learn to pick ourselves up, dust off our sore bottoms, and try again.
Actually, I don’t have a fear of flying; I have a fear of crashing, burning, dying; in that order. Once I’m airborne I’m fine. It is takeoffs and landings I fear. I grip the armrests in the handhold of death. My mantra is: I’m going to die; I’m going to die.
A friend told me the joys of Xanax. I took one just before my flight to Dallas. It was like being a child again, and experiencing the joy of being in a plane, of seeing the ground far below, and having the exhilaration of a roller coaster ride during the turbulence portion of the trip.
I believe all our phobias are the same. I also have a phobia of the new and unknown. I’ve had several agent appointments at conferences now, so I can do them no problem. This conference I had not only an editor appointment, but also a group appointment. Oh no, a double whammy, and my stomach let me know it that morning. I was thisclose to canceling my appointment, blowing it off. The only thing stopping me was the disappointment I would have felt in myself and from my friends. Okay, mostly my friends. Looking good to those you respect is a very good motivator. So, I deep breathed, I threw back my shoulders, chin up and determined, and sailed through the appointment with a request for a full manuscript.
Lesson learned: I don’t have a fear of flying; I have a fear of falling, of failing. Sometimes we have to fail, to fall down, so we can learn to pick ourselves up, dust off our sore bottoms, and try again.
(Jill James, chapter president)
Monday, July 9, 2007
Off To RWA National
In 24 hours I'll be getting on a plane headed to Dallas. At our chapter meeting we discussed the cost of this trip. Give or take a few things, those of us flying from the west coast to Texas are probably putting out $2,000. I sat back a moment. Wow, can I afford this money? Am I worth it? But, stop!! Those are the old me thoughts. Yes, I had to put away money here and there to save that amount, but it is all saved and ready to go. Yes, I'm worth it. This is an opportunity you can't put a price tag on. The friendships made, lessons learned, and networking done are priceless.
As writers we spend so much time alone with just the characters in our heads and putting them on paper. We need time to recharge, to replenish the well of inspiration, to form bands of comraderie to get us through the writers block, dry spells, and frustration of thinking we aren't writing good enough. We are too close to our work. We need to build bridges to other writers with fresh eyes to tell us if we are going in the right direction, if we have a plot hole, or we are good to go, just keep writing.
So, I go to refresh, to be rejuvenated, to see old friends, and make new. I go because I need to be a part of the writing world. I write; therefore, I go.
Jill James, president
In 24 hours I'll be getting on a plane headed to Dallas. At our chapter meeting we discussed the cost of this trip. Give or take a few things, those of us flying from the west coast to Texas are probably putting out $2,000. I sat back a moment. Wow, can I afford this money? Am I worth it? But, stop!! Those are the old me thoughts. Yes, I had to put away money here and there to save that amount, but it is all saved and ready to go. Yes, I'm worth it. This is an opportunity you can't put a price tag on. The friendships made, lessons learned, and networking done are priceless.
As writers we spend so much time alone with just the characters in our heads and putting them on paper. We need time to recharge, to replenish the well of inspiration, to form bands of comraderie to get us through the writers block, dry spells, and frustration of thinking we aren't writing good enough. We are too close to our work. We need to build bridges to other writers with fresh eyes to tell us if we are going in the right direction, if we have a plot hole, or we are good to go, just keep writing.
So, I go to refresh, to be rejuvenated, to see old friends, and make new. I go because I need to be a part of the writing world. I write; therefore, I go.
Jill James, president
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The Faithful Sidekick
The Lone Ranger had Tonto, Superman had holograms of his parents, and Luke Skywalker had Obi Wan talking in his mind. Every hero, or heroine for that matter, needs a friend, confidante, or mentor to bounce ideas off, discuss romantic problems, or just hang with to show personality.
As romantic as our hero/heroine become, their world can’t exist in a bubble. The excitement of that first kiss has to be shared with your best friend. The misunderstanding leading to your first fight has to be shared with a buddy who will commiserate with you about “those women, who can understand them.”
In action/adventure stories the sidekick is there to be seriously hurt or to die. His death galvanizes our hero to put honor and fair play aside, and to avenge his friend. In romances, the friend/buddy is to look deeper into themselves. A friend who tells them, you are being stupid, go after the girl, don’t ever let her go. Your hero wants to go, but he needs the extra push from his friend.
The sidekick/friend can serve another purpose as well. To be a roadblock on the path of true love. He is the friend telling our hero the woman isn’t good enough for him. Who warms him not to let himself get shackled for life, yet. It is the girlfriend who lies to the heroine that she saw the hero with another woman. They are the unspoken voices within our hero and heroine, the last worries before total commitment.
Friends can be a help or a hindrance to the relationship, but mostly they add depth to our hero’s and heroine’s characteristics. Friendship will add dimension to our characters.
The sidekick can be an added tool in your writers toolbox to kick you story up a notch, to add flesh and blood to your storyline.
As romantic as our hero/heroine become, their world can’t exist in a bubble. The excitement of that first kiss has to be shared with your best friend. The misunderstanding leading to your first fight has to be shared with a buddy who will commiserate with you about “those women, who can understand them.”
In action/adventure stories the sidekick is there to be seriously hurt or to die. His death galvanizes our hero to put honor and fair play aside, and to avenge his friend. In romances, the friend/buddy is to look deeper into themselves. A friend who tells them, you are being stupid, go after the girl, don’t ever let her go. Your hero wants to go, but he needs the extra push from his friend.
The sidekick/friend can serve another purpose as well. To be a roadblock on the path of true love. He is the friend telling our hero the woman isn’t good enough for him. Who warms him not to let himself get shackled for life, yet. It is the girlfriend who lies to the heroine that she saw the hero with another woman. They are the unspoken voices within our hero and heroine, the last worries before total commitment.
Friends can be a help or a hindrance to the relationship, but mostly they add depth to our hero’s and heroine’s characteristics. Friendship will add dimension to our characters.
The sidekick can be an added tool in your writers toolbox to kick you story up a notch, to add flesh and blood to your storyline.
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Jill James, president
Monday, March 19, 2007
You Learn Something New Every Day
As a writer the phrase ‘you learn something new every day’ is a given. As much as we love writing and reading, learning is an important part of this career we’ve chosen. After writing and reading, we love to do research. Okay, part of research is obviously reading to get the info and of course, writing to take notes. But, learning something new is the real draw to research. I love knowing something today I didn’t yesterday, or even this morning.
Most romance writers will be the first to admit their significant other doesn’t “get” what they write. But, with suspense thrillers, action-adventure, and police procedurals added with the romance genre, we have a bigger chance for our husbands or boyfriends to understand where our stories are coming from.
I learned something new today. All fingerprints are different. Okay, most of you are saying, “Of course all fingerprints are different, that is how they catch the bad guys. Duh!” But, all of your fingerprints are different; each of your ten fingers are unique and different from each other. This I did not know.
I would not have thought to ask my policeman husband but I’m working on a romantic suspense manuscript right now and now I have questions he can answer. It was kinda interesting to have a conversation about fingerprints. I love learning new things and learning new things about my husband!
What new thing did you learn today?
Jill James, President
Most romance writers will be the first to admit their significant other doesn’t “get” what they write. But, with suspense thrillers, action-adventure, and police procedurals added with the romance genre, we have a bigger chance for our husbands or boyfriends to understand where our stories are coming from.
I learned something new today. All fingerprints are different. Okay, most of you are saying, “Of course all fingerprints are different, that is how they catch the bad guys. Duh!” But, all of your fingerprints are different; each of your ten fingers are unique and different from each other. This I did not know.
I would not have thought to ask my policeman husband but I’m working on a romantic suspense manuscript right now and now I have questions he can answer. It was kinda interesting to have a conversation about fingerprints. I love learning new things and learning new things about my husband!
What new thing did you learn today?
Jill James, President
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