I Write with Cats.

{Ah. The beginning.}

§67 · July 27, 2009 · Ups n Downs · 12 comments

I’m so excited about my next project! I am doing yet another read through to look for anything I can improve in my last book, tidying up the synopsis and creating outlines for next two that follow, but I can’t wait to get going on the new book!

Granted, I have already been working on the current project but had to take a pause and get the other stuff ready to send off. (As requested) Yes!!!

The character in the next book is just so cool. She’s the best friend from She Who is Hidden, and her story is going to be so much fun.

I’m all out of adjectives tonight, because my brain is fried from a weekend of re-writes, but I can’t contain the thrill of knowing that I’m almost ready to jump back off the ledge and into that wonderful abyss that is writing a book.

So…that’s where I am.

With love and murder in mind,

Suza

{Character Arc}

§65 · July 22, 2009 · Tips · (No comments)

Hello, all you fellow writers and friends. I am taking a quick break from editing to share a little of what I learned last week at the RWA.

Now, if you’re like me, you’ve gleaned a lot from years of reading. You’re familiar with the way things often unfold in novels. You know all about the conflicts between the hero and heroine, if you read romance, that is. Well, there are definitely a few more patterns that need to be ironed out. And, like other things, if done correctly, it’s supposed to look seamless and easy!

Character arc is something we’re all familiar with, but let me put it into more concrete terms.

1) A character has some personal desire/problem and they avoid the change that is necessary to bring them the fulfillment that the end of the story should bring

2) In a decision of some sort, the character shows that they are resisting the change that has been presented to them, either by another character or their own personal growth

3)The character then struggles to change, usually involving another decision that must be made on their part

4)Finally, the character changes and that change is permanent, thus the happy(hopefully)ending

This is definitely the abbreviated version, but in a romance particularly, if the characters don’t change in some way, the romance won’t develop. In other words, they would run to each other in the first scene and that would be that. No fun.

Well, I just thought of some insight that one of my characters needs to have, so I’d better get back to work.

Happy writing!

Suza

{And the Light Did Shine}

§63 · July 19, 2009 · Tips, Ups n Downs · (No comments)

Well, I’m back home from my trip to Washington D. C. and my first conference. Other than all the blisters on my feet from walking to and from the subway, I’m still feeling the warm and fuzzies from my experiences, the great people I met, and all that I learned.

“What’s this light?” you ask? Okay, here’s an analogy for any of you who have a newly completed or almost completed manuscript. (If it’s your first or second)

Imagine that you’re preparing for a very important party, and lots of V.I.P.s will be in attendance. You’ve swept, mopped, cleaned, re-arranged, and put all the final touches into place. THEN! You find out that the biggest V.I.P. of all is coming , too. Great. That’s exactly what you wanted. Right?

Except, someone has rolled in an enormous spotlight and shined it onto your perfect party scene. There are cracks in the floor, cobwebs in the corner, and those colors don’t really match! You have VERY little time to fix the problems and get it back to perfect!

Can you feel the panic? Because that’s where I am at this very moment. Elated,excited, and scurrying to put my best foot forward. (Have to save the details for now)

So in short, if you’re a new to semi-new writer that has never done the “workshop thing,” because you don’t think you need it…I bet you’ve got a few stains on the carpet. Do yourself a HUGE favor, and get some training. It only makes your good stuff better.

So many new blog topics to come, thanks to the RWA!

As always…with love and murder in mind,

Suza

{Ms. Kates Goes to Washington}

§61 · July 12, 2009 · Ups n Downs · 2 comments

Okay, the highly anticipated trip is almost here! I’m off to my very first writer’s conference, and it happens to be the big one. The RWA, Romance Writers of America, is having its yearly meeting in Washington D.C.

I wish I could have gone to a couple of smaller ones to learn more about what to expect, but the timing was all wrong. Conferences seem to fall in January-March, then again in the fall. Oh well, nothing like jumping into the deep end to get your chops. I’m working on my pitch (the verbal equivlent of a query letter) with the hope that I’ll be able to snag a last minute spot with an agent. Pray for cancellations!

I’ve just guessed at what to wear and what to bring, but have sent out a last-minute plea to fellow writers on Facebook. It basically asked, “What am I about to forget that I don’t even know I should remember?”

I plan to do my best to meet people, make contacts, and learn, learn, learn. I plan to get my books out there one way or the other, but want to do so with the biggest guns possible. At the very least, thee will be some great pics on my return!

So, probably no blog until after the 19th. After that, I’ll be back with the juicy details!

With love and murder in mind,

Suza

{One Extra Tonight}

§59 · July 6, 2009 · Cats, Tips · (No comments)

I am currently writing in a house with 6 cats in it tonight. Therein lies the “extra.” A little girl calico, one eye missing, was huddled in the rain with my neighbor’s yappy white dogs barking at her. Honestly, how could I not take her in?

So after some food and cream, she’s now sleeping in my cat carrier. (She loves fat free half-n-half. A cat after my own heart) Tomorrow she’ll go to the shelter and hopefully a new home.

Now, as to writing. I recently received a Myspace message from a young man, a new grad, who asked for some advice on getting published. (Can you sense my smile?) Alas, I have only been at this myself for several months. Well, the trying to get published part.

So I suggested to him what I will suggest to any others out there who might be greener than me. And how happy it makes me that I have ripened just a bit!

Start with Writer’s Market. Both the dotcom and the guide to literary agents. Read it and other books like it. Arm yourself with info, because if it is one thing this industry detests, it is an obvious newbie who hasn’t “paid their dues” or “learned the standards.” Prepare to enjoy the hard lessons, for these are in fact “the dues” that we must all evidently pay. Make failures work for you. In other words, learn what not to do, or what to do better.

Don’t be afraid to ask other writers. They seem to be a supportive community as a whole. And do the research. Know who wants what and what you’ve got to give them.

So now, with my slightly wisened self, I am going to decide what to work on tonight. Probably the pitch, since that might be needed at the RWA next week. The pitch? What is that?

Ahh…I feel a blog coming on.

Suza

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I Write with Cats.

Unique writer’s trivia with some humor thrown in the mix.

{Ah. The beginning.}

{Character Arc}

{And the Light Did Shine}

{Ms. Kates Goes to Washington}

{One Extra Tonight}

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