Three Things Thursday

Carol

😦

Today is a sad day for me. For the last three months or so, the girls and I have loved a doggie for another family until they left for Oregon.

Her name is Phoebe and she left today. I miss her.

It wasn’t until the hit and run murder of my other favorite dog that I realized I could use animals as characters in books.

Thelma, in Signed, Skye Harper, is based on Violet, out doggie who died several years ago.

Now I will need a little pup like Phoebe to be a character in a novel. And I’m gonna flesh out a dog in the book I’m writing with Ann Dee and fashion her after this dog I miss terribly.

What about you? How do you make animal characters lovable and human?

 

Brenda

May is National Short Story Month.  Who knew? Brian Klems, of The Writer’s Dig for The Writers Market online, was saying that while we’re all learning to write more well-defined characters  with more “layers”, more complex plots, scenes with heightened tension, and so on, today’s readers are drawn to writing which takes less space, less time, yet still offers great entertainment.  Short stories, novellas, short installments of longer works, flash fiction all are celebrating what readers really seem to want.

This made me feel like I should drag out a short story I wrote some time ago, polish it up and send it off.  This very act in and of itself might inspire me to write a follow up — I’ve always believed there was more to Tristan’s story than met the eye.

How about you?  Have you a short something that might be publishable in today’s fast-paced world?  Would it fit easily on someone’s eReader?  Telephone?  In someone’s pocket on one of these smaller devices?

Give yourself a break, and the idea a shot . . . why not?

Cheryl

For some reason, my subplots never make it into the first draft. My first drafts are about as simplistic as it’s possible to be without being an outline. They often weigh in at about 20,000 words. Almost no description, heavy on dialogue, more telling than I’d ever want to admit to. 

So while everyone else is scrambling to cut scenes and words and characters, I’m working on First Draft Part 2: The Other Half of the Story. It’s not a second draft, because I’m not correcting anything I’ve written. Instead, I’m trying to weave in a second and third storyline, matching up all the arcs, and making sure I’m not just combining two completely different novels.

What are some of your strange writing habits?

Kyra Leigh, Queen Bee

I have a spring time cold. It won’t go away. It’s been hanging out in my lungs since my birthday.

Come to The King’s English for Ann Dee‘s book release party (May 15, 2014 7 pm). Then I can give all ya’ll my cold.

On Saturday, come back to The King’s English for my cute mom’s release party (May 17, 2014 7 pm). I will also be there to get you sick.

One day I want a party.
One day we will.
One day.

For Yesterday

Some days you just can’t Write Like  a Writer.

It’s impossible.

Like this past weekend.

A 4-day migraine.

No Mother’s Day on Mother’s Day.

And I still feel like crap.

 

Today is the release date for my book Signed, Skye Harper.

And my head feels like a sponge filled with water.

A sponge with bulging eyes.

 

NEWS!

Ann Dee has a book launch at The King’s English.

May 15, 2014.

7 pm.

For THE END OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

 

I have a book launch at The King’s English, too.

May 17, 2014.

7 pm.

for THE HAVEN and for SIGNED, SKYE HARPER

 

Next time we’re signing together. Maybe for the book we’re working on. 🙂

Monday. Monday!

Today summer starts for me! Yes! I know! It’s spring.

There are tulips in my yard.

And bluebells.

And tons of cottonwood cotton.

But summer starts for me because tomorrow is my last day of school until fall (maybe even longer).

 

So I will write even harder in my Writing Like a Writer campaign.

 

I heard news on Friday that both my editors want happy novels from me.

Love.

Kissing.

Joy.

Happy.

Happy?

 

I’m not happy.

My novels are rarely happy.

Every once in a while a happy book sneaks through (Signed, Skye Harper–released next month) but anyone who has read my books knows.

😦 😦 😦

 

At first I balked.

I was scared. Still am.

Then I wondered–if I’m writing like a writer, can’t I write my dark, depressed, horrible life novels AND happier things, too?

 

Well, that’s a good question. I don’t know.

But I know I can try.

So that’s what I’m going to do.

 

What does Writing Like a Writer mean to you?