Day Nine: Thursday

Wow, already day nine. I'm reading through the printout today. Just finished reading the edits for HFF and emailed the changes back to the editor. I do love email.

I'm also blogging at Riding today about the Winchester Boyz. Gratuitous beefcake pics, ladies. Go drool. I love the show because of the character relationships. The writing is just awesome.

And looking forward to both Supernatural and LOST tonight. It's been a long time since I've seen Sawyer. I wonder if the show was able to tape all this seasons episodes before the strike? I hope so!

So back to my werewolf and familiar.

M

Day Eight: Wednesday

I just got edits for HIS FORGOTTEN FOREVER, so am setting aside the short story today to read through those. Though...I do have the printed copy of RACING, so may look through that as well.

In the mean time, I have to point you all toward the coolest pictures of faery houses. I just picked up FAERY Magazine and there was a two-page spread about this artist. I've added her blog, Green Spirit Arts to my links at the right. Isn't this the coolest thing? What a fabulous faery palace for my Jack Frost!

M

Day Seven: Tuesday

I started this project with the working title "Like Cats and Dogs" knowing it would never be the official title. But it conveyed a mood for me. Well, today the real title popped out from the text, or one I hope editorial will ultimately keep: RACING THE MOON.

I'm printing up the first copy right now. I've got over 10K words and 58 pages. Enough room yet to add lots of text. I like where I am right now. In fact, I'm going to set this aside for the day and ruminate on another short piece I'd like to write. And I just got notice I should be getting edits for my July Nocturne tomorrow, and have less than a week to do those. So lots o' stuff going on.

Rest of the day will be spent on the phone with the dental and medical insurance trying to straighten out a claim for The Boy's wisdom teeth. Sigh... I hate calling customer service, but it's gotta be done. Balancing the checkbook is next. A day of more business than writing, and then there's income tax to look forward to as well. Oy.

M

Day Six: Monday

If you're just stopping by this blog, I'm detailing my month-long quest to write a novella. Page down a few entries to the first blog, if you want to read from the beginning.

It's interesting to look at the header and realize I've only worked on this story six days. And yet, it already feels longer than that. Yesterday I didn't work on it at all. Now, normally, when I'm writing a full length story, I'll get that first draft out of my head furiously and fast. Two weeks max. I just put one out of my head a few weeks ago, and that took six days to get 220 pages down. That done, the characters leave, just take off. They're done telling me what they have to say. And I usually step back and don't even touch the thing. Sometimes it's weeks, could be months, or even longer depending on whether or not it's sold.

So to look at this story, and know it's due in a month, I know I can't do that. Yesterday was my 'stepping away' day. Back to the story today. I'm on chapter four and I'm reading through slowly, adding more flesh to the characters, more details to the background, and trying to insert sensory words and really give it color. After this draft, I'll probably print it up to work on, so I like it to be close to finished before that stage.

I've realized already I have a few problems. My heroine picks up the hero and tows his truck. Great. His truck doesn't work; he can't get away from her. But her truck works fine. She could give him a ride somewhere else. I don't want her to though. So what to do about that? It would be weird to have two faulty trucks in so little of a story. So something to think about. Also, I've got to fine-tune my werewolf lore. Where did he come from? What has he experienced? Was he born a werewolf, or created? It's not stuff I even need to mention in the story, but it is important to understanding the character. I know he's in were form (man), then can be a wolf, and then there's the huge, beastly man-wolf form that only comes out during the full moon. What to call all those forms? I can use were and wolf for the extremes, but then what do you call the wolf? Hmm...

I'll probably get through another chapter or two before the end of the day. To start the day I went on a field trip to a Borders store in Minneapolis that's closing at the end of this week. Everything was 40% off. How could I resist? I came home with a pile of books and a neat one on magical creatures of lore that I look forward to paging through tonight.

M

Day Five: Sunday — What is Romance?

No writing today! Not a single word to page, unless you count this blog entry, which I suppose you can. Instead went to see There Will Be Blood. I'm always inspired by Daniel Day Lewis's performances. The movie left me at odds, though. Hmm...

Anyway, I started the day remembering that I need romance in the story. So, what is romance?

Can we agree that love is not necessary to have romance? And yet, romance is necessary to have love?

I mean, you can romance a person without loving them. You may have intentions to fall in love, or you may simply want to share a moment. We can romance someone, be romanced, partake in the romantic, all for various reasons. But love, can we get there without romance?

Depends on how you define it. I think romance is slightly ineffable. It is the little things. The small moments. Shared discoveries. The spaces between. The commonalities between two people and the extravagant differences.

So we have our books, our romances. Those do come with the basic rules: a couple meets, falls in love, lives happily ever after. The HEA doesn't necessarily mean marriage, though, and that's fine, as long as the ending satisfies. Those romances involve love. So how then do you define love? How do you know when you've hit that marker: love?

I certainly don't have the answers. Does anyone? Perhaps we all have our own versions of the definitions. We might know for a fact that we fell in love at first sight with the man we've been married to for twenty years. (Er, I did.) Or we might claim love came hard and sneaky, after many years of friendship.

However it happens, it must involve joy, whether an explosion that the entire world can read on your face, or that minute inner knowing that only you can gauge. Yes?

Just some things to think about for today.
M

Day Four: Saturday

It's almost 3 and I haven't begun to write today. Well, I did some writing in my head earlier when I ran to the store. Actually, it was an hour in the car drive to St. Paul and back, and that was great. I always get good ideas while I'm driving and listening to music. I decided my heroine and hero both like 80s rock, and have a soundtrack already started with Honeymoon Suite's I Got A New Girl Now and Slaughter, and then Nickelback worked its way in there somehow, too.

Today I'm focusing on location. Where is the story set? I know my hero lives in Minnesota, and is on his way home. After reading the wolf almanac I decided he's a lone wolf probably once was with a pack. I feel like he lives in western MN, but the really good wooded areas are up north. Not important to the story really, since I'm stranding him before he gets home. And I immediately knew where the story was going to take place. All I had to do was think of the worst place I've ever been stranded. Steele, ND. (No offense to Steel-ites, but this was a tramatic experience.) Over a decade ago I packed up my family and headed to ND to visit The Hubby's family for Xmas. It was Xmas eve actually, and there was a nasty blizzard. The highway through ND isn't surrounded by trees, it's all flat plain. So when the wind and snow blow, it quickly becomes a deadly whiteout. One minute I was on the highway, the next I hit ice and we were spinning into the ditch. Must have been a dozen cars in the ditch along with us. Good thing we didn't hit anyone. The tow trucks were out in full force, and once we were out, all the cars and trucks formed a convoy (visibility was zero; you could barely make out red taillights ten feet in front of you) and we slowly made way to the first exit. Steele. It's one of those rest-stop sort of towns with a dinner, a gas station and a motel. We stayed at the motel that night. The room had matted shag carpet, peeling wallpaper and a thick wad of pink bubblegum stuck to the toilet tank. Sigh.... Not my favorite Xmas memory. But I gained an intense appreciation for the killing power of winter weather. Even with the heater in the car cranked, as the wind whipped along the highway, we were freezing. It just cut right through the car. Made us thankful the drive was only a few miles to the motel. Had we been stranded I'm not sure we would have made it to the morning without at least getting some severe frostbite.

So it's a no-brainer to set the story near this town (though it's summer). The heroine has a mechanic shop maybe five miles out of town, and she roams the freeway looking for mishaps to snag a few bucks.

And who are my hero and heroine exactly? I'm getting to know them a little better now. The heroine, Sunday, is a mechanic. She's got a big ole garage and likes working on classic cars. She doesn't get a lot of work from the townspeople, even though they know she's the best. Rumors tell there's something strange about that chick. And the few men she's dated never come back. Poor girl. Is it because when she has sex, the familiar inside her calls forth demons? :-)

The hero is still elusive to me. I know he's a werewolf. But does he have a job? I think he should, though again, it's not necessary to the story. But it'll give him more depth. I've thought about some kind of real estate person who buys forested land to preserve it. (But in ND? I don't think so.) Maybe some kind of environmentalist. It would make sense for a wolf. I can think about it for a while. What kind of job do you think a werewolf would have?

So I'm off to the story. Going to read through it and add and edit now that I've got the draft down. Took some notes during the drive today, and will try to incorporate a new scene idea toward the end, but not sure how far I'll get today, cause I'm feeling like a slacker. The laundry, it calls to me. Now how twisted is that?

:-)
M

ps - Spike lovers go watch the gratuitous video of the day at Vampire Wire (link to right). Oh yeah!

End of Day Update: Read through the whole thing. I'm now at 10K words. Cool. I love this story! But I realize it is sexy and there's lots of interaction, but the romance still isn't in there. Must think romantic thoughts...

Book In A Month (Really)

I'm setting forth on writing a book in a month. It's not a full-length book that would normally be 70K words. It's short, only 10-15K, so a month is very do-able. Besides, the due date is March 1st, so I don't have much choice. So I thought I'd document the process for the next month here at Dusted. I figure it's a good way to waste a month of blogs without having to worry about a topic. Heh.

So it started on Tuesday. My editor called and told me she's starting something new and wants me to write a story for it. I got details, word count, and due date and we discussed what it should be about. Remarkably, I had an idea! About a year ago I had an idea for a story between a werewolf and a familiar, but realized it was more a snippet than a whole book, so I didn't do anything with it at the time. Well. Now's the time. Basically the story is going to be dialogue and sex. Admittedly, neither are my strong points. We'll see how that works out.

So I hung up and started to review the story in my head, searching my memory for the details, and yes, it is do-able. Then I had to figure if it really was do-able in a month. I've a Nocturne novella due April 1st. I would have to set that aside now and then only have March to work on it. That works. It only requires a month or less of work anyway. I did also want to get a proposal for a story idea I have worked up. Not a romance. It's important to get it done sooner rather than later, but I think I can let it slide for a few weeks. I'm doing research for the idea at night anyway, and that'll require a few weeks (it involves watching TV; heh). Also, I'm waiting for edits on the SMP novella, but haven't heard a thing about them, so I'll deal with that if and when they arrive.

Tuesday night I go out for dinner with friends. I'm ruminating on names for my heroine. I ask my friend if she prefers Tuesday or Sunday for a heroine's name. She prefaces her answer by stating that I usually do opposite of whatever she suggests, and then says Tuesday works for her. I'm just thrilled she didn't scoff at either name. A day of the week? I don't know why, but I feel compelled to use it as a name. As predicted, I choose Sunday. :-)

Wednesday : official Day One of Writing The Book I wake with the complete story in my head. Mostly. Okay, I know how it begins and ends, and basically how they'll get there. Just two characters and one setting. Keep it simple stupid, I tell myself. Instead of sitting down and starting to write though, I decide I have to be more organized. I wrote In The Event Of My Death as a Bombshell short a few years ago, and the word count is the same. When I did that story, I planned it out in advance. A smart process to consider with a short word count. If I just start writing, as I usually do, I'll only have the characters introduced and already be half out of word count. So planning is imperative.

I write up a quick outline, hoping to get a few sentences for each of the ten chapters my editor suggested. At chapter six, I write the end. Huh. Captain Barbosa's words ring in my ear; this is just a guideline. Surely when I get to writing, I'll have more to say, yes?

I need a name for the hero, so pull out my A World Of Baby Names book. This massive volume is tattered and torn and riddled with highlighted entries. It is my name bible. It's divided by country. I page through American, English and Scandinavian names, and decide DEAN is an appropriate werewolf name. (I maybe have images of Dean from Supernatural in the back of my head, too. More on that later.) Dean Maverick is the name, because I want it to sound rugged. And the heroine remains simply Sunday. No need for a last name.

At this point I need pictures. Visual images of the characters so I can get this story on the fast track. I know that I want the heroine to have the look Angelina Jolie had in Gone In 60 Seconds. Long bleached, tangled hair, blue eyes and lithe and lean. The female version of the cocksure, yet sexy male. I find a picture online. Yep, that'll work. The hero is more challenging. I know I want him to be dark, scruffy, but not looking like some long-haired hippie with a beard. I almost decide on Gerard Butler, but my mind keeps going back to Supernatural. Later, I start watching the first season on DVD, and it's settled. Jenson Ackles it is for the image of my hero. I'm going to scruff him up a bit, but the face is perfect. I'll give him an attitude of his own and fully wolf him out as the story progresses.

Still on Day One, I give a friend a call because I know she just wrote a short and had used Blake Snyder's Save The Cat to help pre-plot out her book. She gives me good suggestions, and we agree with so few words allowed the story should rely heavily on dialogue, not a lot of description, and lots of sensory words. After the call I 'beat out' the outline I've written using Blake's 15 beats to a story. Amazingly, I've got most of the beats in there, though some shuffling is required to move important things up sooner. I've established that my premise is: opposites attract. It's cats and dogs. Can they get beyond their differences and learn to love? It's a simple premise, but I don't have the word space for anything too elaborate. I remind myself not to add secondary plots, as I so love to do. Restraint is always hard when writing short. But the challenge is the best part.

The new outline now looks awesome. I've only expanded it to 8 chapters, but who knows how the finished version will really work out. Now I write up a few paragraphs to create a sort of back cover blurb. Something I can send my editor so she has an idea of what I'm doing. She requested I send two chapters as soon as possible, but this I email to her right away so she can get back to me with feedback sooner rather than later.

Later, I start writing. I get about ten pages written. It's a good start.

Day Two: Thursday. I need a research book. Werewolves are new to me. Even though I've decided I'm going to eventually write a full-length Nocturne with a werewolf hero, featuring Severo, the wolf who had a bit part in Kiss Me Deadly, I had thought I'd have more time for research. Now, there is no time. So I search Amazon and find what looks like the ultimate book of wolves, The Wolf Almanac by Robert Busch. I don't want to pay Amazon $17 for overnight shipping so I call a few Barnes & Nobles and find one about half an hour drive from me. I vacillate driving out, but I do need groceries, and Trader Joes is close to the bookstore, so I venture out in the below zero weather.

Meanwhile, somewhere in two different states in the US my agent and editor are hashing out the deal in the background. Why do I start stuff before a deal is even settled? Because of the time! I know I want to do this, and I have great faith in my agent. So the agent emails all day with updates.

The wolf book is perfect! I'll read it at night after my assigned two episodes of Supernatural. On the drive home I decide I should blog about this book-in-a-month adventure. Might be fun, maybe even interesting. Hmm, okay. A few miles later I wonder if I shouldn't blog about it. Way to protect the magic, Michele. It's never wise to spill all unless a project is close to completion. I know this, but since it is so short, I think it'll be okay, and yeah, fun. So blogging it is. And heck, that saves me from coming up with blog topics for a whole month. Yay!

It's noon and I haven't even begun to write. Time to get busy. I'll finish this entry later....

Three hours later and I'm stopping. Got a little over 5000 words. That's a good start. According to my outline I'm almost three-fourths of the way through. Which is good, because that means I've got room to grow after it's all drafted out. I'm off to start reading my wolf book!

Day Three: Friday. I woke realizing I had to get the sensuality of this story right. And I realize I'm not exactly sure if it should be super erotic or maybe lots of steaminess with more romance. I fire off an email to my editor, and also ask her what kind of words I can use. Real sex words or euphemisms? I'm not even sure, and honestly, I'd like to fall somewhere in the middle.

Watch an episode of Supernatural and it's a great one. The premise of this show is not that each week the brothers Winchester fight a different monsters, it is their relationship. The show would not work if it didn't focus on that. Love it.

So I'm putting down some more words for the story. Almost at 8000. Get through the sex scene. Well, it's not a scene, it's an extended play sort of thing.

An email from my editor answers my questions. Focus on romance, but make it steamy. So I do have to alter my original plan just slightly. How to make two people fall in love in the period of a day? Rather, an evening. I've got the story taking place over about a six or seven hour period. Hmm, this will be challenging. And the words? Middleground, as I'd hoped. Okay, lots to think about. But back to getting the draft on paper and the story out of my head. Then, I'll have time to sit back and see what sort of monster I'm creating.

FInal report for Friday...finished the first draft at 8900 words. This is great. Now I'm going to read my wolf book for a while.
Have a great weekend! And keep coming back if you want to track the progress of this story.
M

Slapped upside

There are days you wonder why you got out of bed. And then the only answer is because you had no choice.

I like to sleep. I know there are those of you out there that get up at the crack and kiss the morning joyfully. Yeah, whatever. My kids have always gotten up, made their own breakfast, and toddled off to school perfectly fine without me standing there to cheer them on. Think of me what you will, but they are very independent, and I'm proud of that. They pop their heads into the bedroom and say goodbye before leaving and I mutter something back, and give the requisite clothing check in case I have to identify the bodies later. (Oh, now don't cringe and shake your head at me. It's something all mothers do. We send our kids off to the park to play with friends? We tally: red shirt, plaid pants, tennis shoes.)

Anyway, lazy-mother-idness aside, this morning The Boy informed me he needed a ride or a jump because his car wouldn't start. I told him to use my car for a jump. And then a few minutes later, as I was lazing in the warmth of my sheets, I remembered the Mini only has the positive charge, and you have to ground the negative somewhere else on the engine, but I didn't exactly remember where to do that, nor did I think The Boy could figure it out. So, I dragged myself up and gave him a ride. It's currently thirteen degrees below zero. That'll wake a person up right quick. While I'm slow to wake and cursing the cold, I never regret having to do things like this, because heck, I gotta do the official mom thing once in a while, don't I?

An hour later I return home to discover the cat mid-puke on my bed. The day just gets better. And could it have just hit the bedspread? No, it made sure to cover every single sheet as well.

That's what you call a slap upside the head. Everyone needs one now and then. And some higher power delivered mine today. And yeah, I can segue this into writing-related stuff. Because I realized as I was driving home (thanking that same higher power for heated car seats) that I have a tendency to follow my characters through the story a lot. I'm a very organic writer, and tend to sit down with no idea of where a scene is going to go. Basically I follow my characters.

I just finished reading Donald Maass's Writing The Breakthrough Novel. The dude has a tendency to put down romance writers often, but he has some great tips, and one comment about how authors get lazy ran true. He said he could pick out a category romance writer because their characters always drink tea. The requisite tea-drinking and thinking scene. The author pours their character a cup of tea and has them sitting, pondering events or wondering how to move forth. It's a very static scene, and doesn't move the story ahead. I read that, and nodded effusively. Lately, all my characters seem to be drinking tea! Or, as with my current project, I've got not one, but two hot chocolate scenes. Oy.

My characters could use a slap upside the head. No more tea for them! From now on they starve, and stay active and if they want to think about something then it better happen during a useful, interesting scene. Either that, or I'll sic my cat on them. :-)

What about you? Do you have a tendency to fall into ruts? Does your writing do the same?
M

A Real Boy

I have a novella due April 1st. (Oh, how I loathe that due date. I've had it before. Is that supposed to be some kind of a joke on the editor's behalf?) Anyway, I finished the novella before Xmas. It's at 30K words, which is where it should be. But I can't actually call it 'finished' yet. You see, it desires to become A Real Boy. Right now, it's just sitting there, fully worded, plotted and written. But it lacks some flesh, sparkle and the very meat that makes it an interesting and cohesive read. So, like Gheppetto, I must now transform the wood and strings to flesh and blood. What does that require? Lots of hard work, and...magic.

I'm sure everyone can understand the hard work part. But the magic? That just sort of happens. I hope. It's not something I can wave my pen and produce. It emerges from between the lines and in the shadows of the page, I believe. I'll know it when it's happened, but until it does, I won't be able to guess at its arrival.

How vague, eh? Yep, it is. But it isn't vague on that printed page. If a story holds magic, when you are reading it, you will know. You will tell friends about it, you will go to review sites and post about it, you will re-read it. It will claim a spot on your keeper shelf.

Magic. I gotta get me some of that.

How do you know a story you've written is complete? A Real Boy? And if you're a reader, have you ever read a book and knew it was magic?
M

Pretty in pink

Right then. Finally got around to updating my web site home page. I was using a blog page for it for a few months, because I was lazy. But I like things pretty, and I found this great pic of a moon, so...
Take a look. Tell me what you think.
M

ps - here's a big smile for you. Vampire Wire has a video clip today of that one scene I will always remember fondly from ANGEL. It's Angel dancing like a major dork. I love this one!

No chemicals please

I'm discussing the attempt to live chemical-free today over at Riding. Swing on by and leave a comment. I'd like to know what you think of reducing chemicals in one's life, and what you've done to make some changes.

KISS ME DEADLY is recognized again! With a Reviewer's Choice Award from CataNetwork. See the complete list of winners here.

This rocks!

Movies to watch for and a RA review

About once a week I stop by Apple to watch the latest movie trailers. They're viewable if you have QuickTime. Anyway, here's some I'm really looking forward to:

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT - Batman is my all-time favorite comic book hero. And the movie poster for this one is so awesome. It's the one with the faded image of the Joker, and the words 'Why so serious' scrawled across the top. Genius. I think Heath Ledger is really going to rock the part of the Joker, too.

HELLBOY 2 - Yes!

WANTED - This one stars James McAvoy and Angelina. Kick-ass action, cool weapons and much adrenaline. I can't wait. Does anyone know if this one has a slight paranormal bent to it? Seems it might from watching the trailer. Love the scene where Angelina skids up in the sexy red sports car to grab McAvoy, reminds me of the witch scene in DayWatch where she drove the car along the side of a skyscraper.

MAMA MIA - I don't know why, but this one looks fun. I'm not into ABBA, though, but I loved Muriel's Wedding.

FOOL'S GOLD - I love Matthew McConaghy as a treasure hunter. He was great in Sahara, so I have high hopes for this one. You know, I still want to pick up Sahara, the book, and read that. Anyone read Clive Cussler?

NIM'S ISLAND - Jodie Foster as a writer of adventure novels using a male pseudonym. This one looks hilarious, and fun and another can't miss story.

UNDERWORLD 3: RISE OF THE LYCANS - (trailer not available yet) I think this one is slated for 2009, but I'm just thrilled they're going to do Lucian's story He was the best part of the first movie, and I will be counting the days until Michael Sheen hits the big screen with that werewolf character again.


Non-movie note: I mentioned the RA comic book in my previous post, and what a neat surprise to get the entire comic as a pdf file that same day! So here's my sort of mini-review, but with the caveat that I'm not a regular comic book reader. Sure, I've done the Sandman stories (who hasn't?) and I did have a crush on the Fathom series years back, but I think that was more because the artist Michael Tucker kicked graphite ass. That is what usually attracts me to comic books-the art.

So Rogue Angel: Teller of Tall Tales meets the awesome artwork requirement. And the story begins perfectly. It introduces Annja. The backstory is a bit much for such a short read, but it was interesting and there was plenty action. The author and illustrator portrayed Annja perfectly, adventurous, kick ass, deft and skilled with the sword, and yet, fallible and even a little goofy as she can be. This is the first of five, so I'll be looking for the next in March.
Here's a great clip from the comic. I love the power and grace.

Rogue Angel goes graphic

This rocks in so many ways, I can't even name them all. In February a five-volume Rogue Angel mini-series debuts as a comic book from IDW.

How long before it hits the silver screen? I wouldn't rule it out!

M

I do not enjoy watching others suffer, but I must admit, I can take comfort that it's not me doing the suffering. I think one of the strange perks of being a mom is that you've "been there, done that". So when your children go through it, you can nod knowingly, and if it's an uncomfortable experience, you can secretly be thankful you don't have to do that again.

The Boy had three wisdom teeth popped out on Friday. Been there, done that. Don't recall a lot, although after the surgery I was told I cried through the whole thing. Imagine that? But to stand back and watch someone else go through it is harrowing, and yet, a relief. Ever been in that position? Where you had to stand beside while someone else experienced? It's an interesting struggle with wanting to comfort, and knowing that you are fine.

This makes me think about the suffering we put our characters through. Of course, the majority of writers probably haven't suffered some of the travesties we put our characters through. I've never been chased down by vampires, had a brain tumor, fallen into a freezing well in the middle of January, been insane, shot, knifed or beat upon. And yet, I can find some compassion for these fictional beings' suffering, and have the power to make it better. But not too quickly. ;-)

In moments of pain or weakness a person exhibits sometimes very opposite mannerisms than what they've been known to display. I think we've all got those opposites within us, and it is my job as a writer to find them and dredge them to view for the readers to see all sides of character.

No matter how much I have to torture them. :-)

M

Turn off the noise

We all know how the different senses can tune us into memories. Most especially smells and tastes, but sights too. Not sure how much touch plays in memory, but it can. Sound does too. And this afternoon I was whisked back to a great memory.

I was surfing iTunes and came across LADY JANE, a song by Queensryche. Haven't listened to it for ages, but as soon as I read the title, I downloaded it. This song completely inspired the first historical I published, MY LADY MADNESS. And it reminded me of writing that story, and how easy it was. The story flowed onto the page. I didn't have to wonder what happened in the middle or how to end it. I was literally dictating something directly from brain to fingers. I love that story; it's still one of my favorites. Maybe one of the reasons is, it was written just after my first sale, and I still was new to the 'world of romance'. Meaning conferences, and local chapter meetings, and rules and editor meetings and people telling me what I can't do and what I can do. That story was very organic.

I wonder sometimes if I've lost the organic-ness of the writing process. No, probably not completely, but there are times I can feel those noisy little voices whispering as I'm writing. "But you can't do that. That's a rule! Don't break it. Who do you think you are?"

I think it can be difficult, at times, to shut off that noise, but I manage to do it for the majority of my writing time. Do others turn off the noise as easily? I suspect some really struggle with it. If you're someone who has been polishing, polishing, polishing those first three chapters for years? Turn off the noise. If you don't know what genre to write in because you're not sure what is hot, or what will sell? Turn off the noise. What about sweating the details, like too many commas, or line spacing or even border spacing? Turn off the noise.

That's all I can suggest. Despite the fact that writing is a very solitary profession, it can get very noisy. I didn't have a lot of noise when writing MY LADY MADNESS. The heroine was slightly touched (insane), the hero was suicidal, and the villain was the heroine's twin brother (a famous castrato) who wanted to kill her because their 'shared emotions' gave him horrible migraines. Not your classic romance plot. But a story that came from a noiseless part of me.

M

I'm getting the time period for my story nailed down, or maybe just tacked, as opposed to nailed. Somewhere between 1410 and 1425, this is going to happen. But during that time there were two kings, Henry IV and his son Henry the V. They were very different, and thus, the world was quite different from reign to reign, so I must do more research.

So I have a few resolutions. The usuals. But I intend to be more focused on acheiving this year, so we'll see.

The Iowa caucuses are tomorrow (I'm sure I spelled that SO wrong). This is the first time I've been very interested in tuning in and following this. I might be glued to the TV tomorrow; I might not. I have a great need, though, to assess the candidates, to really listen to what they mean, as opposed to what they say. This is going to be a very long election year.

So what do you all think about the influx of reality shows on TV lately? Not like there's much else with the writer's strike. I can't handle them. My TV watching has been reduced to nearly zilch. Though now is probably a good time to dig out the DVD sets. In order to get my daily walk in (on the glider) I've decided to watch an episode of SEX AND THE CITY every day, while gliding. I want to have the entire series watched before the movie comes out in May. (And here's hoping all that gliding will pay off too.) I bought THE TUDORS yesterday. Didn't get to watch this one because I don't have Showtime, so am looking forward to that. Also have FIREFLY, SUPERNATURAL, THE GILMOUR GIRLS, REBA, and MI-5 to get watched. So plenty of choices. Just that I feel like such a slacker just sitting watching TV, so the glider it is.

What are your favorite TV series, and should I check them out?