The Writing Process

The Writing Process. It sounds so…ominous. And important. And honestly, I have no idea what exactly it means. What IS a writing “process,” anyway? Is it like…processing cheese, or what?

The obvious answer is, of course, that nope. Writing is nothing like making cheese. At least I assume so, since I’ve never actually made cheese, at least not on purpose. There were a few times when the milk got left out in strange places and we ended up with SOMETHING in the bottom of the cup that looked a lot like cottage cheese…Hmmm. Come to think of it, maybe the writing process is a lot like that, after all.

You put a bunch of stuff in the cup, and you let it sit in a strange place until it curdles and becomes something else.

Like magic!

For me, all books or stories start with a big WHAT IF. Sometimes these are random and meaningless and never turn into anything good. Sometimes I think they’re the best ideas, ever, but they turn out not to sustain a full plot. Other times, these WHAT IF moments are tiny sparks that seem like nothing and turn out to be some of my all-time favorites. TEMPTED started out that way. Just the kernel of an idea — a man in love with his best friend…AND the best friend’s wife. How would that work out? To this day, Tempted is the book I wrote the fastest. It was like a roller coaster. I got on it every morning and I wrote and wrote and wrote, and by the end of the day I was still interested in the ride.

Other times, it’s not so easy. ALL FALL DOWN came about with an idea about what happens to the people who are left behind when  a cult implodes. I had a lot of ideas about how the story would go. Who’d be important in it. Subplots. Introspection. As I wrote it, though, the core of the story became more apparent and more important. The ideas I’d had about what being in a cult would mean became streamlined, and I’ll confess, I found a place in which I understood why someone would want to go back to a life most people would consider horrifying and strange, how our “normal” could be terrifying to someone without the ability to process it.

So, I guess that’s my writing process. Start with an idea and stir it up with a bunch of other stuff. See what sticks. Watch what comes out of it. Add different ingredients and let them ferment. Sometimes, boy, do they ever stink. But sometimes what comes out is ambrosia!

If I wanted to explore the idea of a writing process further, I’d have to admit that I do have a technical process. I sit at my computer (or less often, some other location) and I write. I write some more. I break for Twitter and email and instant message and Facebook. I write more. Then some more. When I’m done with that part, I print it out and go over it a few times, making changes. I enter them into my computer document. I read it again. Then again. I tweak and polish and change until I’m satisfied. I listen to music while I write. I drink Coke Zero and coffee and hot tea and pink lemonade. I don’t often switch things up like some writers I know who write in longhand or change their location or work on different projects. My technical process is pretty simple. I sit down. I write. I edit. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Somehow, it seems like it should be more magical than that. Something with elves or something. Fairy dust. Billowing white curtains and ivory candles, my muse trilling gently in my ear while the words trip one by one from my fingertips onto the page…

Now THAT would be a process!

Writers — do you have a process?

Readers — do you have an idea of what a writer’s process is like, or has the internet and posts like this ruined the idea of us slaving away in our garrets by candelight, swilling wine and whiskey and dancing to the tune of invisible voices?

To learn more about me and my work, please visit www.meganhart.com.

Remember: The Believe Fairy Contest is ongoing! Post a comment to win!

Just keepin’ it simple today. The little ones are out of my hair. It’s time to get back to work—nose to the grindstone, fingers ground to the nub—

Okay, I’m typing more than I wanted to already! It’s like diarrhea of the mind!!!! Let’s go to the question…

What was your best excuse when you were pulled over for speeding?
Or what do you wish you’d said instead?

I’ve guested on the great Delilah’s blog several times now, but this is the first time I haven’t had a specific book to promote. Oh sure, I have upcoming releases, but no release dates, blurbs, or excerpts. So I thought this might be a good opportunity to “introduce” myself to you all. Instead of just blabbing about my books, I can blab about myself. Just the fun stuff, though.

For instance:

* I didn’t lose my virginity until I was 19. Does that sound strange for an erotic romance writer? Does it help that …

* I read my first erotica at age 10. That gave me years to fantasize before actually doing the deed.

So back to the virginity thing: I was in college, and totally in love with my boyfriend. We consummated our all-consuming passion, and I assumed we’d get married. Or at least move off-campus together. Later, when he dumped me and broke my heart, I had bitter regrets about making him my first. But I finally had something to write about in my journal, so it was all good.

* About that journal … I have stacks of them, but when I read them over, I notice one strange thing. I seem to have only written in my diary when sobbing over a boy. There are huge, years-long gaps during which, I assume, I was perfectly happy and had no need to vent to a sympathetic notebook. But anyone, reading them, would assume I was an angst-ridden drama queen who fell in love at the drop of a hat.

* I got my first pair of glasses at the age of 9. As I got older, I wanted contact lenses more than I wanted to live, but my parents refused to “encourage vanity.” Guess what my first purchase was when I went off to college? Yep. After the contacts came the guy, the virginity loss, the heartbreak … hm, maybe my parents had a point.

On the other hand, there was that journaling thing … Even though I wasn’t at all consistent in my journal entries, they served a purpose. They got me in the habit of writing to work things out. Whether it was sex or heartbreak, it all went into that journal. Today, it goes into my writing.

* I still get a charge out of seeing the word “cock.” Why is that? I don’t know! As many times as I’ve read it and written it, it still carries that thrilling tingle of the forbidden. Is it just me?

* I had strict parents who cared about my academic performance much more than my social life. Despite that, for me college was a chance to break free, to flirt, to fall in love, to have sex, to experience heartbreak, to really live for the first time. And when it all got too much, I had my journal. (Though I don’t think I wrote the word “cock” until much later.)

So there you have it, me in a nutshell. Journal + sex + heartbreak – glasses + cock – parental control = Juniper Bell, erotic romance author. Nice to meet you!

Juniper Bell’s next release, Beautiful Obsession, takes place at a college, includes diary entries, and features many, many instances of the word “cock.” It’s coming soon from Ellora’s Cave. You can connect with her at her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter as AuthorJuniper.

Do you keep a journal? What sorts of things do you write about?

We’ll get to the contest. Swear. Indulge me for a minute…

LONE HEART needs you!

Thanks to everyone who purchased Lone Heart this week! The sequel to True Heart is Lone’s story where he finally finds his “one-and-only”!

If you haven’t read the book, there’s still a way to do something to help get the word out. Please consider taking one minute to head to Amazon and “like” and “tag” the book. Here’s the link:
Post likes and tags at Amazon

If you read it, and feel so disposed, there’s something else you can do to help an author out…review it! Here are the links to the book. Choose your poison. Thanks so much!
Post a review at Samhain
Post a review at Amazon

Sunday Report Card

This week was a dismal one so far as getting new words on the page. I’ve been babysitting all week, and who knew a 7-year-old and a 3-year-old would be so unreasonable when asked to let Nina have some time alone at the computer. “Shhhh. Nina’s working.”(from the 7-year-old) “Nina? Whatcha doin’?” (from the 3-year-old) “I’ll be quiet!” (7-year-old says as she pulls down pens, paper, notebooks, to create her next masterpiece.)

1) I did manage to complete edits, polish, and ship “Marmalade” to an editor.

2) I recieved, but have not read, two more submissions for the anthology project, Wild at Heart! All you writers out there, be sure to check out the details. Stories must be submitted by April 1st! Find details here

3) In those rare moments when I did have quiet, I brainstormed some new ideas. I have tons of disconnected notes for new stories. Can’t wait for a stretch of time alone to think them all through!

This week, the kids go home and I get my life back. Then it’s head down, because I have a ton of work to get done! But enough dreamin’ about quiet time. I’m not there yet, and the 7-year-old just reminded me that we have to watch the new show “How to Rock” on Disney. So movin’ on…

Winner of the Three Signed Books Contest

Drumroll…ta-ta-ta-ta-thrummmm… The winner of the Three Signed Books Contest is…jennifer[jenniferhan….@msn.com] (email disguised for privacy)! You posted comment #13 on January 26th! Congrats, and email me to arrange delivery of your prize!

New Contest! The Believe Fairy Contest

What can you win?
I took two pictures because the glare obscured the pretty picture. This is an Amy Brown fairy picture on a ceramic tile. You can use it in your kitchen or there’s a pretty ribbon that can be used to hang it. I have a woodland fairy hanging in my bathroom, just like this one. They are gorgeous and a large 8×10 inches.

How can you win?
Post a comment every day this contest runs. Each post is another chance to win!

This contest ends on February 16th!

What hotter place could a werewolf princess find herself than in Hell, the Land of the Dead? Enjoy this peek inside Darkness Captured!

“Delilah Devlin delivers an erotic tale of good and evil elevated to a higher level… The erotic scenes in this book are hotter than Hades and ten times more tempting. I dare you to resist!”
5 Cups, Coffee Time Romance

“Darkness Captured is…another steamy sensation!… Delilah Devlin is definitely the mistress of erotic romance!”
Reader to Reader Reviews

“Another hot read of dark sensuality, riveting situations and jaw-dropping desire.”
Fresh Pick!, Fresh Fiction

“Devlin creates memorable characters with exceptional emotional depth. Her magical worldbuilding sets as atmospheric scene for a fast-paced story. The sexual tension runs high and the encounters are smokin’ hot.”
4 Stars, RT Book Reviews

Driven by insatiable desire, a werewolf will enter hell to rescue a princess captured by the Master of Demons…

Headstrong and proud—a royal creature of sinuous grace, all primal instinct and lethal beauty—the shapeshifter Gabriella has agreed to serve as emissary to the vampires who rule in the shadows of the New Orleans night. But she cannot resist the pull of the demon she glimpses on the other side of a mirror, and she is drawn to him hungrily, through a magical portal into the Land of the Dead. Now an eternal nightmare awaits Gabriella at the hands of a mesmerizing dark lord who satisfies her every erotic need…while slowly devouring her soul.

The powerful warrior wolf Guntram Brandt is responsible for the safety of the vanished princess he swore allegiance to years before. Yet it is more than a soldier’s loyalty that pulls Guntram down into the depths of nightmare—for Gabriella ignites within him a burning animal passion that must be satisfied.

But when offered an escape, will she follow her rescuer to safety—torn between her lustful obsession with the dark lord who has enslaved her and her fierce sensual attraction to the only wolf who could ever master her?

 

I’m horribly behind, but wanted to stop in and say that Maria D. is the winner of the free copy of CAPTIVE HEART by Phoebe Conn! I’ll post new contest news tonight!
Maria, email me to arrange delivery of your prize! ~DD

Be Like a Groundhog
or “What To Do After the Resolution”

I’m sure by now, the grim reality of the year has set in. The blush of New Year’s Day and its resolutions has worn off and we settle down to the drudgery of the daily round.

But should we?

Ground Hog Day tells us that if the ground hog sees its shadow when it’s sunny, another six weeks of winter are here; if he doesn’t, Spring will come early. But if you look at the calendar, there are six more weeks of winter anyway. So what does this mean for us and our resolutions?

First, if there is more than one resolution, get rid of them. Pick one. Make it your favorite, or the most important, or pick a random number out of a bag. That is your focus for the next six weeks.

Then, like the ground hog, go back to sleep.

No, I’m serious. Well, okay, don’t go right to sleep if it’s the middle of the day, but relax. Six weeks is a long time in which to accomplish a goal, and you need all the energy you can. We still have to pay the bills, go to work, do the laundry, etc.

Then, like the ground hog, just focus on your daily round. If your goal is exercise, incorporate that into your daily round. Write it in your planner, and decide when you’re going to the gym or for a walk. If your resolution is eating differently, then write a menu plan and do your grocery shopping. If it’s to write more, set your word count goal. A steady thousand words a day is achievable and can fit into a busy life, so do that: fit it in. Get up a half hour early. Use your lunch break. Write while the kids are in school or down for a nap.

And remember to rest. I think a large part of why resolutions fail is not because people are lazy, or don’t want them, but because we try too hard and can’t sustain the effort long-term. So throw all that out and do it like a ground hog.

Happy Ground Hog Day (After)

A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder
Blog Website
Check out BURNING BRIGHT, available from Samhain Publishing.

I’ve been a little overwhelmed on the home front, but didn’t want you to think I’d
forgotten about the Three Signed Books Contest. I’ll post the winner and a new contest on my blog tomorrow! ~DD

IDEAS

When I meet people and mention I’m a novelist, their first question is often, “Where do you get your ideas?” I’m absolutely shameless and will scavenge for inspiration everywhere. Sometimes I happen to overhear an enticing chance remark. Other times, I’m doing research for one book and find ideas for another. I love going to movies, and a minor character might spark my imagination in a completely new direction. A poet friend and I liked to sit in outdoor cafes to watch for people who’d make intriguing characters. When we’d spot one, he’d make notes for a poem, and I’d find a way to use him/her in a book.

One night we were in a restaurant and our waiter had a thick accent we couldn’t understand. We didn’t want to insult him and did the best we could, but he made a terrific space pirate who shouted orders his crew couldn’t understand and follow. I also like to observe the way people move. Some have a distinctive walk, and whether it’s a proud posture, or a lazy slump, I use it. Colin Firth leads with his shoulders, as an example. For fun, note how your favorite actors walk.

My February Retro Romance from Samhain, CAPTIVE HEART, is a Viking adventure I wrote after traveling through Scandinavia. There are wonderful museums there with beautiful thousand-year-old artifacts that provide excellent detail for a story. There is a museum in Oslo with the Oseberg ship found in a burial mound. It’s complete down to the intricate carvings and it’s a marvelous thing to see. There’s another Viking ship museum in Roskilde, Denmark. In approximately 1070, the five ships were sunk in the harbor to protect the city from invasion. They were excavated in 1962 and are displayed in a wonderful building right on the coast. Standing beside them, I felt an eerie sensation, as though the ships were haunted by the men who’d sailed them. I couldn’t wait to get home and begin a book where my hero and heroine sailed in a proud Viking ship bound for adventure and best of all, romance.

I’ll give a print or ebook copy of CAPTIVE HEART to someone who comments. It’s one of my most popular books, and a New York Times bestseller. I love to hear from fans, please send me an email:phoebeconn@earthlink.net or visit my website.