Business nuts and bolts

There are several excellent blogs devoted to the business side of writing (you can read three of the best here, here and here) but few talk about the nuts and bolts of keeping track of your sales. Everyone seems to assume you just know how to do that.

Well, I didn't.

Not when I first started, anyway. My first book was published in September 2003 (ten-year anniversary's coming up - I think we should have a party!). I used a pen name because my husband was concerned about dragging his family name through the erotic romance mud. When I sold 173 books in two weeks and made a royalty check of $430, he changed his mind. There's money to be had in sex! Who knew?

(I did, but that was beside the point {g}).

But I was too new at the whole thing to really understand that being a writer means being self-employed. I happily wrote books, sent them off to my publisher and deposited the royalty checks with the bliss that belongs to the ignorant.

Then I went to my first Romantic Times conference and my eyes were opened. Promo alley? What was that? Who supplied all those goodies the readers eagerly gobbled up? The writers did? Where did they get the money to buy all that stuff? Did it work? Advertise my book? I was supposed to do that?

I'm a fast learner. Went home and got myself a DBA (Doing Business As), went to my credit union and started an account that would be solely dedicated to my Diana Hunter earnings - and went into business. Designed and bought some promotional items from a friend who runs The Copy Shop and started to keep track of money in and money out.

I like Excel. It's a good program and I'd used it in my day job for a number of years, so it was the database program I turned to. I still use it (the 2003 version - hate that Microsoft "improved" something that wasn't broken. But that's a blog post for a different time). You can use the program of your choice, but if you haven't started keeping track of your writing, it's time.

I've spoken of file management before; that was more about how to keep track of your stories on your computer. What I'm talking about now is how to keep track of what you've written and whether or not it's making you money.

First things first

If you don't yet have a DBA and a financial account dedicated to ONLY your writing career, go make it so. Your accounting will be so much easier on all fronts when you can do business, not from your family account, not from the same account with which you pay all other bills, but from an account specifically dedicated to your royalty checks and your expenditures as a writer.

Please note: That doesn't mean you can't use that account to pay for other things. I paid my kid's tuitions, I currently pay the VISA bill out of my Diana Hunter account. I have a line-item called "salary" for when I absolutely have to have that new blouse at JC Penney's. It just makes everything easier when it comes to tax time.

Second things second -- setting up your database (if you haven't already done so)

I set mine up (using Excel) with the entire year on one workbook page. I like to see the entire year in a single scroll (see below). The little red triangles in the cells means there's a comment there (I opened one so you could see it). The one in "expenditures" simply reads "all expenditures come out of the checking account". I leave notes like this so whoever takes over after I'm dead will have a clue (Kristine Katherine Rusch has a great series of posts about dealing with your writing after death. Read them later. Get your financial records in order first).

If you don't know how to use Excel, take a class at your local high school or a workshop at the local library. It's really a very, very valuable tool that you won't stop using. Being able to use a good database program is as important to your writing career as being able to use a good word processor. I can't emphasize that enough. I can show you a good set-up, one that works for me. I can't teach you how to enter the formulas or do the math.

I can, however, give you an example. Take it, tweak it to your needs and then - be faithful to it. At the end of the year, it makes pulling together the information you need to itemize for your taxes a breeze! I created a template (the above screenshot shows only a small piece -- all twelve months are on the same page) and then each year I simply change the year in Row 1 and fill in the balance forward cells and the sheet now will make all the calculations for me.

(sorry the picture bleeds off the side of the page. It doesn't in my editor. When I make it smaller, however, you can't read it)

Activity

If you haven't done so already, this week's activity revolves around the business side of writing and consists of three things to do:

1) File for your DBA if you haven't already done so (see your local county clerk for the forms). You are a self-employed business person now and need the paperwork to prove it.

2) Set up a financial account for your money. When I started, I put $400 of "seed money" into my account out of the family savings since I hadn't been keeping track of those early royalty checks. They'd been simply deposited into the regular checking account and I had no record of what happened to that money. Put in what you can afford -- it will grow as you get royalties from your work.

3) Set up a database that will allow you to see where your money is going. For some of you, this will mean taking a class in Excel first (Microsoft actually has several excellent modules if you want to self-teach yourself the program). If you already know how to do use a database (Excel or any other), then set it up in a fashion that works for you.

That's enough for this week! I'm planning a series of these Nuts and Bolts and will use that tag along with the writing workshop tag to help you find them. :)

Play safe, and drop a tip in the jar on the way out!
Diana

Under His Spell near a record!

Although Under His Spell is available in several places, the book is nearing the next level of sales at A1AdultEbooks - and I am so psyched! If it goes over, this will be my biggest seller there (Over My Enslaved Body also reached Gold Level several years ago).

In order to reach ANY of the levels, the book has to sell a certain number of titles in the first 28 days of sale. Under His Spell's countdown started when it was released a week ago. In that seven days, it easily slid past silver and into gold. A few more sales (ten at last count) and it will make platinum!

So if you don't have your copy yet, go to A1AdultEbooks -- they have all formats for all ebook readers. Let's push this puppy up the Bestseller list (it's currently holding at #7) and get it to platinum!

Diana

Reading!

When my two adult children asked me what I wanted for Christmas this past season, I told them I wanted something new to read. That wasn't specific enough, they told me. What titles did I want? Was there any particular author?

My response? Go browse. I like fantasy, which usually means series of books, but I'm eclectic in my reading tastes, so...I finally told them that, if they were going to buy me a book, to find one they think I should read. Any genre except horror or suspense (they give me nightmares. What can I say? I have a vivid imagination!). Any author, any anything. Just something they thought I might enjoy.

Of course, what that forced them to do was think. Consider. Ponder. To actually LOOK at the books and weigh it against the books I already have on my shelves. Which meant they had to go look to see what I had on my shelves. My answer required them to do a little work in picking out a book for me -- which was my present to them.

Because, you see, I spend time choosing presents for people. I hate money in a card. I'll only put it in the bank or trifle it away on the cups of hot chocolate I get too many mornings from McDonald's on my way to work. No, I want to know people actually THOUGHT about me as they made their choice. That they considered me and what I might like.

Mostly, when I'm asked what I want for Christmas, I say, "Surprise me" because that's exactly what I want. A surprise. If I know what's in the box before I open it, where's the fun? The mystery? And if my great-aunt Mabel thinks I need a purple and orange and teal afghan that she crocheted with left over yarn, then I think I need it, too. It's a gift of her love and what do I care about the colors?

So my kids really should've known better before asking me such a silly question. But they try every year and this year I took pity on them and gave them a "real" answer: Buy me a book you think I'd like.

And they did.

My daughter bought me not one, but three books -- the first in the series by three different authors. Three books, three series starters. When I opened them, she told me, "I figured this way, you could start them and then, whichever one you liked, you could buy the rest." I hugged her and told her that was smart thinking.

My son bought me a boxed set trilogy -- the first of six books in one series. He said that he read the back cover and liked it himself, so he thought I might like them as well. I hugged him and told him it looked like a great series. He didn't realize it, but the author he bought me (Brandon Sanderson) went on to finish the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series, so they guy has some chops.

The only problem is that I can't read while I'm writing a book. I said above that I have a vivid imagination and I meant it. When I open the cover a book and start reading, I am transported. My mom used to say she could set a bomb off next to me and I'd not notice. You can't imagine the number of times my husband, daughter or son have to call my name to get my attention when my nose is in a book.

So I can't read and write at the same time because I do the same thing when I'm writing. I'm totally immersed in the world of my own creation and don't want anyone else's creation getting in my head. As a result, I didn't  even pick up any of the books they got me until after Under His Spell was done. Then I gave myself a treat and opened Mistborn, Sanderson's first book in the Mistborn series.

It's a good thing I wasn't writing...because I got pulled into this world hook, line and sinker. One of the traits of a good book is the way it stays with you after you read the last page. It should stay in your head, the characters' speech patterns or comments should continue to echo in your brain. 

This series has done that. I find myself continually returning to the events, replaying them in my head, wondering what would have happened if.... I'm looking forward to purchasing the next two books in the series and continuing the journey. I do hope he's kept some of the same characters (in fact, I even know which character I'd like to be the protagonist of the next set of books!).

The upshot of my telling my kids to find me something they think I should read? I can now recommend Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series to everyone who likes fantasy!

Now off to read my daughter's choices for me...

Play safe!

Diana

On grief and writing

Different people handle grief in different ways. The seven stages of grief can be helpful to writers whose characters are undergoing a great change or loss in their lives.

But real-life grief in a writer's life can often derail the best of intentions and dampen creativity. I used to rail about this, force myself to work through the loss as if there were a wall between my writing and my real life.

And then I'd have to throw out most of what I wrote because it was terrible. Maudlin, rambling...I just couldn't concentrate on any aspect of writing, not even editing or writing non-fiction. I'd sit and stare at the computer screen, oftentimes re-reading the same paragraph over and over again, unable to move forward.

I find myself in just such a position now. It's been a distressing several days. Without going into too many details, let's just say we're glad the lake gave back its dead within a few days. Dealing with the loss of a teaching colleague has been...stressful. When you're a teacher you deal with not only your own grief, but that of the kids' as well. For some of them, this is their first time through death. For others, they're far too familiar with the Grim Reaper for comfort.

So what do you do when Death comes to visit? Me? I make feeble attempts at writing before I realize I'm going nowhere and need to do something else. Anything else other than stare at that screen while scenario after scenario plays through my mind, each one worse than the last. Heart attack? Slipping in the snow? Hypothermia? Drowning?

And then I give it up. Forget trying to be a writer and just be a human for a few days. Watch a movie to get some relief from the images my over-active imagination conjures up, read a book and get lost in someone else's world for a while.

And it's okay. My characters will wait for me. They squeeze my shoulder and tell me to take care of myself and that they'll come out again when I'm ready. They bow before Death and leave the stage--and me--to my grief.

So this week's workshop isn't really a workshop, but a bit of advice. Don't feel guilty if sometimes life throws something at you that knocks your creativity off its block for a while. Write if you must, but let your true emotions bleed out onto the page, words that are for you alone. Take time to heal, to work through those stages. You'll know when its time to pick up the pen or sit before the keyboard again.

Play safe - and give a loved one a hug.

Diana

UNDER HIS SPELL typo

For a short amount of time, Under His Spell, the new Mystic Shade title, might not be available on the site of your choice. Four different people edited or proofread this manuscript (myself included) and we all missed the fact that I mis-numbered the chapters in Part II. Corrected copies have been uploaded to all the sites, but it usually takes between 24 and 48 hours for some of them to go live again.

My apologies for the inconvenience -- and I'm adding "check chapter headings" to my checklist!

Diana
PS. The corrected copy IS available on some of the sites already...but there is one that rhymes with "brindle" that often takes longer than the rest, hence this message. :(

Ironman review

Yes, you read that right. I mentioned before that, when I'm between stories, I tend to go the non-fiction route. This post is part of that. Look for a similar treatment of Here Come the Brides in the near future, too!
This is a long post, but one I had a whole bunch of fun with! Love taking odd arguments and playing around with them.

Recently I had occasion to view Ironman, the first movie in the Avengers’ series. Starring Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role and with a supporting cast of many Hollywood A-listers (Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges among them), the film’s summer-movie, blockbuster format sits squarely in the “fluff” category of movie-making. It’s an action-adventure with several chases, some suspense and, supposedly stock characters where good always triumphs over evil and the hero always gets the girl.

But can a movie popular with audiences (it took in over 100 million dollars in its opening weekend alone), also have literary merit? Is there anything of the “art film” in a movie that starts, ends and fills its middle with blowing stuff up?

By definition, art films are “serious artistic works” made “primarily for aesthetic reasons,…of an experimental nature and have highly symbolic content” and are aimed at a “niche market.” It’s also safe to say that most art films hold layers of symbolism, contain artistic juxtapositions, and nestle deeper meanings below the surface level of plot and character. There are nuances in foreshadowing, motivations and relationships. Action-adventure movies generally do not belong in this category.

And yet, Ironman fits all the criteria for an art film.

“Niche market”

Let’s take the last of that formal definition first. Art films are aimed at niche markets – those usually small audiences made up of the smaller fish in the bigger movie-going pond. The producers and directors of such films do not expect to make a lot of money since the range of topic or genre is so narrow. They wouldn’t say no, however, if their art film found a wider audience and hence, made money for all involved. Art films such as The Artist and Life is Beautiful both made money and garnered awards for their makers. In spite of the filthy lucre they took in, however, they are still art films.

Ironman is a movie taken from the pages of comic books. Few people know the worlds of Stan Lee, fewer still care anything about them. We’ve built stereotypes around this type of audience and given them labels: geeks and nerds who are male, live in their parents’ basements, don’t date and spend most of their time either reading said comic books or playing video games. If that’s not a niche market, I don’t know what is.

And yet, like the other two art films mentioned, Ironman hit a chord with popular audiences, bringing in people who knew nothing of the Marvel universe, wouldn’t know Stan Lee if he walked up and said hello, and who wouldn’t be caught dead playing a video game. Just because it made money, however, doesn’t change the fact that the original audience for this movie was a small one, a niche market.

“Made primarily for aesthetic reasons.”

Really, this one is a no-brainer. What director/producer purposefully makes a movie that isn’t aesthetic? Aesthetic means beautiful and there are moments in Ironman that are breathtaking. We form an attachment to the red and gold Ironman suit when the filmmakers give us time to admire the shiny curves and smart features the first time Tony Stark suits up. This admiration turns to despair when the suit is dented and dinged and the helmet crushed by Obadiah Stane later on. We care about the art and beauty of the suit and feel a twinge of anguish at its destruction.

(Sidenote: Apparently Obadiah and his larger suit is called “Iron Monger”, but he is never referred to that way in the movie. I only learned that when trolling for details on IMDB. Because the name isn’t used in the movie, I will refrain from using that moniker in this review.)

JARVIS’ 3D computer displays are another aesthetic moment that audiences appreciate. Watching Tony Stark call up and then pick apart his original design for the suit on a 3D surface was not only fun to watch, but visually striking as well. We might not yet have such technology, but we know it isn’t far away and seeing an artist’s view of what it might look like is stunning.

But the definition reads “made primarily for aesthetic reasons” (emphasis mine), not just that it contains moments of beauty. That’s okay, because Ironman fits that reading as well.

Comic book aficionados have very clear images of their favorite characters. They have translated, in their heads, the voices, the mannerisms, the nuances of each and every fictional person. They’ve discussed, debated, argued over minute points of plot and character development. They are a hard audience to please and if you miss this niche market’s approval, chances are you have a flop on your hands.

Ironman hit the target not only with the casting of Robert Downy, Jr. as the superhero, but with the design and execution of the suit and all that goes with it. This movie had to keep the comic book in mind at all times in order to stay true to the artwork already in place. It was made with aesthetic reasons in mind and the very fact that it grossed so highly at the box office tells us the makers hit their mark.

“Serious artistic work” and “highly symbolic content”

Ah, yes. Here we get to the meat of it. Is Ironman a serious movie that uses symbolism as a means of making deeper meaning?

I say “yes” to both.

A serious artistic work is one that makes observations or provides a commentary for contemporary audiences. It is one that explores questions about our relationships with others, with our government, and with ourselves. Oftentimes those questions are left unanswered by the end of the serious film, leaving us to make our own choices, our own decisions regarding those deeper concepts.

Ironman makes use of several literary elements in making its observations. Using the devices of juxtaposition, literary allusion and symbolism, the filmmakers elevate this seeming action-adventure movie into the realm of the art film.

Artistic Juxtapositions

Authors often use contrasts to make statements about character and theme. This is true of Ironman’s screenwriters – in spades. There are six juxtapositions in the movie’s five-minute hook alone, each serving as set up to the deeper levels of the movie to come.

The opening shot of the movie starts in silence as a single-line convoy comes into view across the desert. The shot shifts and the viewer sees they are US Army vehicles, modern, up-to-date machines of warfare, passing a solitary Afghan herder with his crook in hand standing by the side of the road. It’s hard for the viewer to tell who are the good guys, especially when loud, raucous rock music breaks the silence. Are we to pity the poor herder, shoved off to the side of the road by the military convoy? Or root for the American rock music? This confusion of roles will play out later in the movie between Tony Stark (Ironman) and his long-time mentor, Obadiah Stane.

A second juxtaposition comes hard on the heels of the first, followed by several in a row. First, we are introduced to Tony Stark by what he is not. From the askance gazes of the soldiers in the vehicle with him, we can tell his business suit, shades and casual attitude (complete with drink in hand) are not what they are used to. Then Tony’s (and our own) stereotypes are played with when one of the soldiers turns out to be female. This further sets up Tony’s character as a ladies’ man, especially when he says, “I’m having a hard time not looking at you now. Is that weird?” He can’t (or won’t) turn off the playboy side of him, even under such circumstances. A moment later, the soldier sitting beside Tony flashes a peace sign to the camera in the midst of war. While Tony’s calling it a gang sign is an attempt at a joke, the reality is much more gruesome. This young soldier wants only peace yet carries a weapon to make sure the people of Afghanistan get it, whether they want it or not. This theme of using warfare to promote peace will return as a major theme of the movie.

The formality of the soldiers breaks down under Tony’s informal attempts to engage them in conversation, only to slam back into place when they are attacked. This leads to yet a fifth juxtaposition: they understand what a roadside ambush means; Tony’s completely clueless. His world is rocked, literally. He disobeys an order, abandons his vehicle and ends up beside the largest juxtaposition of all: the irony of the attackers using weapons purchased from Stark Industries. He’s about to be killed by a bomb made by his own company.

None of these pairings are by accident. The writers and directors made conscious choices to include them to make specific statements about the movie’s broader themes: What is the role of a superpower in keeping the peace throughout the world? How can having a bigger weapon promote peace? How do our attitudes about gender roles shape our expectations? What responsibility does an individual have over decisions made by others in his company?

A more personal theme is set up as well: Tony Stark’s journey from a womanizing playboy who cares only for his own pleasures into a responsible adult willing to take care of the whole world. While the hook gives us a hint, the playboy in Tony is formally set up in the movie’s first full scene, a scene appropriately set in the casinos of Las Vegas. Not only does Tony not show up for an award he was being honored with, when we find him, he’s surrounded by beautiful women and letting thousands of dollars ride on a bad throw at the craps table. Later he is late for his own plane, much to the frustration of Pepper Potts, his assistant. Tony Stark is free to do what he wants, when he wants and with whom he wants.

This contrasts with his wounding and captivity. The metal plate Jinsen, his fellow captive, sets him up with tethers him to a car battery. True to form, the first activity Tony embarks on upon recovery is making himself an arc reactor and getting his body free from the wires and weight of the large battery. Remember, what he wants when he wants it.

But Tony, in many ways, becomes captive to his heart for the rest of his life. Although he builds a better device once back in the States, he has a special concoction he must drink at regular intervals to keep his system in balance and must constantly monitor the reactor’s power levels. If they drop too low, the shrapnel moves to his heart and he dies. Again, the movie’s early scenes set up the larger themes to come, in this case, where is the line between captivity and freedom?

Literary allusions

The contrasts continue well into the first half of the movie. A pretty reporter calls Stark both the “daVinci of our time” and the “Merchant of Death” and asks which he is, not realizing he’s both. Leonardo daVinci not only created great art works in several different media, he also created weapons of mass destruction, including a robot-like defensive weapon, a “mechanical knight” that could deflect incoming missiles. Tony Stark does not create art, he does, however, purchase it (buying and storing the Jackson Pollock Pepper Potts tells him is overpriced) and, like daVinci, he designs and builds weapons of mass destruction, including his own "mechanical knight" - the Ironrman suit.

The “Merchant of Death” moniker goes deeper, all the way back to a book written in 1934 by H.C. Englebrecht and F.C. Hanighan. Their treatise, Merchants of Death, discusses the history of war profiteering and the relationship between the arms-makers and the arms-buyers (governments). At the start of the film, this title fits Tony Stark, especially when he demonstrates the destructive power of the Jericho missile. In his sales speech to the military brass he states, “They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I disagree, the best weapon is one you only have to fire once.”

Later, the true villain of the movie takes over this epithet in a darker manner than Tony ever held it. Obadiah Stane, the man who ran Stark Industries while Tony was growing up and into his inheritance, is revealed as a man who wants to keep his powerful position. Even the ersatz villain, Raza, understands this, making the statement that brings us all into the secret: “You dream of Stark’s throne.” The true “Merchant of Death” is the one who hides his identity, staying in the shadows and selling weapons to both sides of the battle. The allusion is apt, but applies more to Stane than Stark.

Tony Stark, if he is to remain our protagonist, must be remade, changed, turned into a hero. The catalyst for that change is his captivity. The use of the cave shows us the depths needed for that change to take place. He goes from the sunshine of California to the dark bowels of Afghanistan, from bright lights and cities to a world lit primarily by fire. He’s forced to use ancient arts (blacksmithing) to create modern weaponry.

When he emerges, he comes from the darkness into the light, an obvious symbolism denoting the success of his journey out of ignorance and into knowledge. He burns his past away with fire, literally. In his new creation, flamethrowers take the place of hands and he annihilates the weapons his company made and sold to the rebel army.

But life must be paid for with death. His mentor, Yinsin, gives his life so that Tony may live. Another juxtaposition that forces Stark into maturity.

And what art film would be complete without Biblical symbolism? Once he’s escaped and landed in the desert, the filmmakers show a shot of him emerging from the desert, a new man. Like Jesus of Nazareth, Tony Stark has been to his own private hell and has been reborn.

It is also important to note that his “jaunt” to Afghanistan took place on his own private jet complete with dancing girls and booze. He returns to America on a military cargo plane, stripped of all luxuries. The new Tony Stark takes those luxuries for what they were—trivial and unimportant in the greater scheme of life.

A final note regarding the literary devices used by the filmmakers: the symbolism of the protagonist’s and antagonist’s names. “Stark” is what Tony must become, his excessive lifestyle burned away, leaving the raw need to right the wrong he has unwittingly helped to create. He is a loner, even to the point where robots help him dress in the Ironman suit. He must make his journey alone.

Obadiah Stane, Tony’s nemesis, begins as the mentor figure, having guided Tony and Stark Industries while Tony comes of age. Both names are apt here, the first, Obadiah, referring to a Biblical figure who is bent on vengeance. But his surname, Stane, gives away the secret he hides. This man is stained with ambition and greed that will lead to his downfall, his reputation discredited and blemished.

So, despite the fact that this film raked money in hand over fist, despite the fact that it became highly popular with the general movie-going public, despite the fact that many slap the action-adventure label on it, Ironman actually fits all the criteria for an art film and should be viewed as such.

(edited to fix a typo and correct an analogy)

Do Clothes Make the Writer?

Today’s workshop is really just a discussion of comfort. I got to thinking about this the other day when I changed my clothes to sit down at my computer and finish the final edits on Under His Spell.

It was the fact that I changed out of my jeans and sweater and into sweatpants and a sweatshirt that made me realize, I wear a sort of uniform when I write. Always loose, always comfortable, always not-dressy. Often I start the day still in my nightgown, write several hundred or a thousand words, then take a break and have a shower, make my toilette, eat breakfast, then come back—in sweats—for another go-round.

It’s not that I can’t write in jeans, or a skirt, or all dressed up in stockings and heels. It’s that I write better when dressed like a slob. I have a day job that I dress up for (skirt and top with flats, usually). And I have a writing job I dress down for (the aforementioned sweats).

When I make public appearances as a writer, I used to have an outfit I wore all the time. Black pants and a Mandarin silk top that was actually quite elegant. Then I put on a few pounds (sigh!) and the top didn’t fit quite as nicely, so I stopped wearing it. But every book signing, every TV appearance, that’s what I wore. I called it my “author look”. Like an actor’s costume, it helped give me a frame of reference, a state of mind for the appearance.

Lately, however, I haven’t appeared in public much. Partly because there aren’t many bookstores left in which to do booksignings and partly because I’ve been home, in my comfy clothes, writing books instead.

So my question is this—and I really am trying to get a discussion going here for all you writers. Do the clothes you wear when you write make a difference in a) what you write or b) how well you write? When you appear in public, is there a particular persona you want to project?

Please use the comments below and make your thoughts known!

Diana

UNDER HIS SPELL now available!

That's right! Mystic Shade has a new title out. UNDER HIS SPELL -- the newest story from the world of slave-trainers and auction houses. This is a full-length novel and I just love the noir cover, don't you?

I have two blurbs for this one (I can't decide which I like better, so vote in the comments or send an email with "BLURB" in the subject line).

Here's the first:
Davidson Advertising Agency has a secret. So does its owner. Handed down to him through two generations, Alex Davidson runs not one, but two separate companies in the building his grandfather bought.

The top two floors hold the advertising agency known world-wide for their award winning designs and beautiful artistry.

The bottom two floors hold a secret. A secret that would ruin him were it to get out...

And here's the second:

Susan Bristol loves her sessions with her hypnotist. For the first time in her life, she understands her dreams and desires are nothing to be ashamed of. Now if only she could get her boss to notice her...

Alex Davidson knows what he wants...and isn't afraid to use a little hypnotism to get it. He’s not only noticed the new graphic artist hired by his company, he’s decided she would make an excellent sale at the Davidson Auction House. Once she’s received training as a sex slave, of course. 

Remember, Mystic Shade writes books that are "for the shadier sides of our desires". This book contains scenes of hypnotism, bondage, whipping and other BDSM-related actvities. Be warned!

Use this link to find all of Mystic Shade's titles in every ebook format.

Play safe and happy reading!

Diana

Ten years!

It’s hard to believe, but it was ten years ago that I started writing what would eventually become Secret Submission, my first published novel.

I had long been interested in bondage but really, it was the invention of the Internet that allowed me to explore this expression of sexuality through the safe confines of my own house. I learned about safe-words, about Doms and Dommes, about flying and relaxation and munches. I met people with similar interests, experienced people, who were willing to answer my questions and allow me my explorations.

One Dom, to whom I had complained about the dearth of good stories on the web, challenged me to write one of my own. I created the characters of Sarah and Phillip and gave them their weekends together as he introduced her to the lifestyle. Writing it allowed me to explore the dichotomies inherent in a modern woman who has a submissive nature and is having trouble reconciling the two.

Secret Submission has become my best-selling novel (although Tablefor Four is catching up!). It was begun with a deep-seated need to understand my own feelings, feelings that have been explored in all my novels. I’ve likened BDSM to a candy store before (will try to find the reference) and each one of my books tries out a different piece of candy. Don’t worry—the store is fully stocked and there are several pieces I haven’t tried yet!

Like my readers, I’ve found some candies I don’t care for. StressRelief has proven to be too harsh for many of my readers. I explored the concept of humiliation in that one. Some love it...some don’t. It’s okay. I don’t like licorice.

I created the persona of Mystic Shade to write books that go even further, dealing with titillation of a different sort since StressRelief proved to me that my readers have lines they don’t like Diana Hunter books to cross (shameless plug: Under His Spell, a new Mystic Shade title, is coming before the end of the month! Sign up for my newsletter for a sneak peek.).

But it all began ten years ago this month. Now, ten short stories, nine novellas, and eight novels later, I’m still writing, still enjoying myself—and am looking forward to retirement from my day job so I can do this ALL the time!

To all my readers: Thank you! You give me encouragement to keep going. Here’s to another ten years...and lots more books!

Play safe,

Diana

Capturing the scene

photo by Diana Hunter Feb. 9, 2013

The most recent snowstorm here in the Finger Lakes, gave us an absolutely beautiful, fairy-tale world. My husband and I stood in the bay window, both of us enjoying the other-worldliness Mother Nature had created for us. Snow silences. To stand on the street and gaze is to muffle the real world. Even that car coming up the freshly-plowed street seemed to respect the quiet, gliding to a stop at the intersection, the driver giving me a friendly wave as I snapped picture after picture.

Most of you know, my husband is a painter (to see his newest work, find him on Facebook as Steve Duprey). As we stood in the window, he spoke of how to capture this beauty in paint. In his head, he was already at his canvas, figuring out which brush, which technique would express not only the scene, but the feeling of awe we both shared.

And of course, as a writer, I paint with words. My mind brimmed with half-formed phrases, the old saying "a picture's worth a thousand words" constantly nagging in the back of my mind.

It's true though, isn't it? Any picture worth describing IS worth a thousand words. While the adage was spoken with the intent to dismiss writing over painting/photography, there is another side to that saying. Any scene worth describing is worth spending a lot of words on. Specially chosen words. Words that capture not only what is seen, but what is felt as well.

The photo above, out of context, can be cold. It's just another snowstorm on some street you've never seen. With what I've written, however, it is my hope that it means something to you now. Pictures (of any sort) and writing can go hand-in-hand or they can exist as separate entities. Some of those phrases and half-thoughts I will save for future stories (snow captivates me as much as I don't like driving in it. Need proof? Click here). Some of what I pondered is already here in this post.

So what does all this have to do with being a writing workshop? Read on!

Activity

Find a scene that would be much easier to take a picture of than describe. It could be right out your window or down the street at the local park. It might be the place you are right now.

Using words, capture the physical description of the scene infused with the emotions you want to express. Don't make me just see the scene, make me feel something as well.

(This workshop pairs nicely with this activity)

Stay safe, enjoy your surroundings...and use them to write!

Diana

PS. Thanks for the tips, they are always welcome!

Snowed in?

I live in snow country (you can't live south of Lake Ontario and not understand the term "lake effect") so I empathize with all of you stuck under the blizzard heading your way - or already there! You may be wondering what you should do, now that you can't go anywhere. The answer to that is easy!

Read!

Since I know snow (having had more than my share of it dropped down my back as a kid), snowstorms figure prominently in several of my books. Check 'em out!

DIAMOND IN THE SNOW

When a sudden snowstorm unexpectedly gives her the afternoon off from school, all Carolyn Brooks intends is a night at home grading papers. But when her car slides off the road and Paul Anderson, the disliked head of the English department takes her to his home, Carolyn finds herself drawn to the rescuing knight.

But Paul Anderson has a secret…and determines the petite elementary teacher is too delicate a flower for his dark tastes. He knows what she does not. That he is not the White Knight, but the Black.

CABIN FEVER

Unmarried…alone…a spinster. The words of Isabel’s mother words haunt her. Will she forever be lonely?

Images of a woman’s bloodied body haunt Daniel’s memory. Only living a solitary life in his mountain retreat will help him deal with his guilt.

A winter storm…two damaged souls…and a history that binds them together. Do Daniel and Isabel have the courage to mend the past and forge a life together? 

 A DEVIL IN WINTER

Kevin Devlin lives and works in Rochester, NY, although his heart belongs in the Lone Star State. He finds himself at loose ends when his older brother calls and tells him their parents have decided to take a second honeymoon over Christmas, so he’s on his own for the holiday.

His thoughts turn to Pam Montgomery…a woman he loved and lost for being too slow to take her to the altar. But Pam has found another and Kevin becomes obsessed with showing her the mistake she’s making. Unfortunately, Pam’s younger sister Anna, gets in the way and Kevin is forced to kidnap her to keep her quiet.

Meanwhile, Anna has a secret of her own…and as a prisoner of Kevin’s, she has to decide whether the secret is hers to share...or not. 

Three books, three snowstorms. Why go out in one when you can sit in your cozy chair, stay warm and read about it -- with some hot sex to boot! All ebook formats available, all instantly downloadable. Get your copies today!

Play safe,

Diana

Prompting

Quick prompt today to get you unstuck (if you are) and get you writing (if you haven't been):

Situation: A woman comes home from work to find a dozen roses on the table. The note says, "I love you, honey" and is signed with her husband's name.

Write the scene the two of them have when he gets home.

Play safe!
Diana

PS. The above happened to me this week, but that's MY story to write. What's yours?

word count update

I set 250,000 words as my goal for this year. That's new words written in either fiction or non-fiction genres, so yes, what I write for the blog counts. Most of those words, however, will come from the creation of new stories/novels for your reading enjoyment. :)

So, 250,000 divided by 12 = 20,833 words per month. Can I do it?

I did in January, plus some - 22,931! Most of that was on Under His Spell, a new Mystic Shade title that will be out before the end of the month. Watch this space for news about specific release dates, or sign up for my newsletter to be the first to see the cover and hear the news!

February is a short month, so I'm glad I've got a little leeway. I'm working on a fun, research-based blog post at the moment and will primarily write non-fiction for this month. When I'm in edits for one book, I find it hard to work on another fiction piece. Non-fiction doesn't get in my head as much and allows me to keep writing while the creative side of my brain is still in the world of the current work-in-progress.

Funny how that works. I can write two fiction stories at the same time up to a certain part of the story. Then I have to set one aside and concentrate on just one work all the way to completion. No other "world" can invade when I'm working on a story...not even one I'm reading. That's why I don't read fiction as much as I'd like - it takes me out of my world and puts me into the world created by the author, just like it's supposed to.

But if that happens, I lose MY world and it takes time to get it back. Time I often don't have. It's far easier to just not read fiction and stay in my world than it is to leave, come back, leave, come back.

You can tell by looking at my record of blog posts, by the way, when I'm heavily involved in creating a novel and when I'm in edits or between stories. When I'm working hard at writing a novel, I don't post much more than the writing workshops (see tab at the top of the page to view them all). All my energies are taken up with world-building and characters who are (or aren't) cooperating.

But when I'm between stories, or when I've reached the editing stage so that I need to keep the world in mind but it's no longer occupying my every waking moment, I post. A lot.

And that's the stage I'm in right now. Having exceeded my goal for January, I find my words this month will mostly be non-fiction. Here's hoping I can make the goal again!

Play safe,
Diana

A reflection

I hope you've spent some time working on your newest piece of writing, getting the story down and playing with characters! The best way to become a writer is to write. There really are no shortcuts. You just have to put your rear end in the chair, your fingers on the keyboard (or take the pencil in hand) and write. Lots.

Yes, some of it will be garbage. But some of it will be gold. We all write a little of each. The trick is finding those nuggets in and among the dross.

Yet on occasion we forget the joy of writing, of creating whole stories out of nothing but our own imaginations. When writing becomes work, we wonder why we do it, what ill-conceived stupidity put in our heads that writing would be a great way to make a living.

I have a cure for just such occasions.

Below is a piece for your reflective writing journal. Copy the first four words and continue the sentence as you see fit. For many, a single sentence won't contain your thoughts and you'll need a paragraph. I encourage longer writings. Take your time and truly think about your answer.

When you've exhausted your thoughts on the first four words, move to the second set and do the same. Explore your own feelings about what you wrote in response to the first statement. Continue with the third and the fourth sections in the same manner.

I write because I....

            and that makes me feel....

                         so then I....

                                   which brings me to....

With any luck, by the time you have finished, you will have remembered your joy.

Play safe,
Diana

PS. Don't forget the tip!

The man I fell in love with...

For Christmas, my husband got me season two of Here Come the Brides. Now, those of you who have been long-time readers of the blog know Bobby Sherman was my first crush. Not only because he's cute, but he also embodies the qualities of a gentleman...and those of a gentle man. I fell for him hard. I've been watching the episodes and falling in love all over again. You can blame this post on my husband for giving me the DVDs and on Mr. Sherman for being, well, gorgeous.

My next major crush on a person I couldn't have had a similar appearance and a similar personality. Dark hair, dimples, kind hands, a gentle spirit and a love of music. And long hair. God, I love a man with long hair. And I'm not talking touch-the-collar long, but at least shoulder-length. Beautiful!

And then I met the man I fell truly in love with. Black hair, blue eyes, dimples...and he played the guitar! He was thoughtful, a ladies' man who loved to flirt. Like my second crush, he had curly long hair and like Mr. Sherman, had a gentle heart.

I'm not stupid. I married him.

And then I made him the basis for nearly all the male protagonists in my novels. Granted, some of my heroes have other real-life inspirations, but I always come back to the same general look: Tall, dark hair, blue eyes, dimples, and hair "long enough to run your fingers through."

Am I predictable? I suppose so. But as a famous person once said, "I know what I like," and another said, "Write what you know."

And I know a cute guy when I see him. Thanks, honey! I love ya much.

Although if you happen to see Mr. Sherman...you could send him my way... :)

Play safe,
Diana

Are you here for the blog-hop from The Romance Reviews? Be sure to use the Purchasing Info tab at the top of the page to find your answer!

And if you're not here to answer Question #78, head on over to the Romance Reviews site and join in the fun! Lots of prizes to win - so what are you waiting for? Let's do the hop!

Hop safe!
Diana :)

TIED TO HOME on sale

TIED TO HOME is now available at a1adultebooks - an online bookstore that caters to erotica. It's on sale there for $2.54 for the rest of the week, so if you don't have your copy yet, hurry over and get it while the price is low!

Play safe,
Diana

Location, location, location?

When I am home during the day (which is mostly only on weekends) and I sit down to write, this time of year I tend to sit stretched out on a small loveseat in front of our gas fireplace. It's warm, the blanket over my lap and the cat snuggled in on my feet (which he deigns to do only occasionally), makes for a very comfortable writing spot.

Unfortunately, this spot is also in the center of our house. The stairs from the upper floor come down one side of the fireplace and the entrance to the kitchen is on the other. As everyone rises for the day, they pass by and, of course, speak to me. They've gotten pretty good at not saying anything until I finish a sentence, but they still wish to say things like, "good morning" and "are you doing laundry today?"

Still, it's the warmest spot in the house and I can generally get in a few hours there before everyone else gets up (to be fair, my husband and I are usually out of bed at the same time, but his studio is on the second floor, so every time he comes down to grab a piece of toast, clean a brush, head to class...he does so past the the loveseat. At least I get a kiss from him most passes.)

Two quotes:
"I don't wait to be struck by lightning and I don't need certain slants of light to write." ~Toni Morrison

"A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper." ~ E.B. White

Ideal writing conditions don't exist. Most of my early work I wrote in the car as I waited for my daughter to finish a dance class or my son to get out of his basketball practices. In the winter I froze, in the summer I sweltered. Didn't matter. 

Me, the laptop and the story in my head. That's all I need. And all you need. 

So no more excuses about it being too noisy where you are, or that you only have a half an hour before the next shift in your running around. Location doesn't matter. The lighting doesn't matter. Noise doesn't matter. Go get yourself lost in your writing and WRITE!

...and leave a tip in the jar on your way out. :)

Diana

My birthday

Today is my birthday and the best present anyone could buy me...would be to buy one of my books (hint, hint!).

Take care everyone. Play safe and have a wonderful day!

Diana

Who is your audience? Part One: determination

Bears are big. Bears are brown. Bears live in the woods.

The big, brown bear lived in the woods.

The ursine animal made his habitat in the flora of the forest.

Audience matters. The three sentences above all say the same thing yet the vocabulary for each is audience-specific. You can imagine a group of three-and-four-year olds sitting around a storyteller in the first example, a primary reader in the second -- and a freshman in high school trying to impress his teacher in the third. :)

We could also change our audience by changing the sentence structure. Try rewriting the above putting the prepositional phrase first, or starting with the verb. Our traditional grammatical structure (noun, verb, everything else) has infinite varieties.

Caveat: not all changes in sentence structure are good, but that's next week's blog post. My point this week is only that it can be done, not that it should be!

(Sidenote: In preparation for this workshop, I used an online dictionary to find synonyms for the word "bear" - as in the animal. What I found surprised me. There are only a few instances of the word being used as a noun: the animal is one, a grouch is another and a police officer is a third. Yet there are several dozen verb uses and half again as many adjective choices. English apparently latches onto the sound of a particular word and likes it so much, it reuses it over and over instead of making up new ones. No wonder non-native speakers get confused!)

So who is your audience? Are your readers young? Middle-aged? Old? Male? Female? Who is reading your books? Where are they located? Do they live in your country or do you have an international audience?

Some of that information you can get from your website stats (location, at least). But often, we never know who is actually picking up our books and reading them. I have about a 75-25 split female-to-male ratio if you look at those who have signed up for my newsletter, another set of data that can be used to gain information about my readership.

If you publish with a publisher, they can often tell you, in general terms, the type of person buying your books from the feedback they get and the information they take at the point of sale.

And of course, you might also have an idea in your head - a stereotypical reader you're telling your story to. As you write, who are you gearing your story towards? Those writing young adult novels have a very different picture in their heads than someone writing suspense or an author writing erotic romance.

That's not to say the audiences don't cross over -- they do! Readers are often eclectic in their tastes. However, we each have a target audience in our heads - and they're the ones we're writing the story for.

Activity

So, who is your audience? Today's activity has three parts:

Part One - write a brief description of your target reader. Who do you see buying your books? How do they purchase them (ebook or print?). Be as thorough as you can.

Part Two - collect the demographic information available. Put a data collector on your website (I use Stat Counter in addition to the stats Blogger gives me; each gives me valuable information). If you have a newsletter, go through your list of subscribers. That's your core audience right there. And last, ask your publisher who buys your books. They may be only able to give you a general idea, but it'll add to your picture.

Part Three - Remember, you are a reflective writer. Once you have all that information, review it. Does the info you gathered in Part Two of this activity match with your mental picture in Part One? Take some time and write about it as you reconcile the two.

Play safe!
Diana

Don't forget the tip :)

Blogging at the Scribes!

I'm over at the Scribes today and I'm looking for some reading suggestions! Head on over and give me a few!

And if you're in the Northeast of North America...enjoy the beautiful January thaw. :)

Play safe,
Diana

Writing resolutions

Happy New Year to you all! It's a good year for writing and I have a few resolutions for you to consider as you start a new year of writing. In no particular order...

...keep a word-count diary. Each day, write down somewhere the total number of words you write on either a manuscript, a blog...something creative. Grocery lists and emails don't count! :) You can either use a spreadsheet program like Excel to keep track or simply write the number on the calendar next to your desk. I have a friend who does the former and I do the latter - both work. Set a yearly goal for yourself and keep the big picture in mind. Most of us can't write every day, or choose not to. My goal this year (based on a non-calendar yearly count) is 250,000 words. In that number I include not only what I write and publish, but what I write and set aside, what I write for this blog and what I write for the Scribes' blog.

...publish something. Short story, novella, that full-length novel you've been working on for the past year? Whatever it is, get it out to the public. Whether you choose a traditional publisher, a small press or self-publishing...publish! Make this the year!

...take time to "sharpen the saw". Learn something new, go somewhere you've never been, take time to walk through the park. Do SOMETHING to get away from whatever you're working on and keep your mind fresh.

...read. Read lots. Read everything. Newspapers, political cartoons, other books in your genre, books NOT in your genre. By reading other's work we learn more about language and how it works (or doesn't work - the bad books sometimes teach us better than the best ones). Even if you only have a few minutes to read a quick article from a magazine in a doctor's office - read!

...above all else, hug your family and friends and tell them how much you enjoy their company. This holiday season has reinforced that in a very gruesome way. They put up with you going off into your own little world as you write, be sure to thank them for understanding that you often listen with only half an ear and you love them for loving you anyway. :)

Have a great year this year!
Play safe,
Diana

PS. And thanks for the tips... :)

I'm reading...

I have been very remiss in keeping track of what I read. The best year I did was the year I made myself accountable to you, my readers.

As a result, I'm using you again this year in an effort to keep track of all the books I read throughout the calendar year. What I post are not reviews, per se, but rather just some gut reactions to the book. All posts will be tagged "book thoughts." You can also use that tag in the list in the sidebar to find past postings on what I've read.

Feel free to add your comments about the books if you desire!

Now, I'm not a vampire lover (barely made it through the Twilight series and only because a friend insisted) and I definitely do not do zombies. But I am a Shakespeare lover and put him at the top of my all-time favorite authors. How could I resist a book called Shakespeare Undead? It's written by Lori Handeland and I found it to be a cute story. Like Shakespeare in Love there are some historical errors, but I was willing to overlook them since, in this book, Will Shakespeare is a vampire. Historical inaccuracies pale in comparison.

General impression? Cute story, kept me interested even if it didn't take but an afternoon to read. More for the teen-lit crowd, but hey, when has that ever stopped me?

So, two days into the new year, one book already read. For Christmas this year, I told my children (I have two and they're both in their early 20's) that they should get me something they think I should read. Gave them no more direction than that, curious as to what they'd come up with.

My son bought me a boxed set of the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, knowing I like fantasy. My daughter bought me two first books of two different series, figuring I could start both series and then continue with the one I liked best (knowing me, I'll probably like them both). So I'm looking forward to starting Mystic Warrior by Tracy and Laura Hickman and Shadowmarch by Tad Williams.

My husband, not to be outdone, bought me Star Trek: Destiny by David Mack. It's a collection of three ST novels in one volume. I told you I'm an eclectic reader! You can look forward to my thoughts on all these books in the next few months.

(I'm trying not to start any of them now because I really want to finish writing Under His Spell, a new novel coming out under my Mystic Shade nom de plume. I only have about another 10,000 words to write and it's done!)

Play safe - and remember, the writing workshops start up again on January 8th.

Diana
(edited to add Shakespeare in Love link)

And yet another record!

We've hit over 2000 visits this month, and that's an all-time high. Yippeee!

Just a reminder to use the tabs at the top to view the books available (click on any of the links to get the blurb and, in some instances, a sample of the first chapter). Ellora's Cave has updated their site, so be sure to update your links to those books.

Play safe!
Diana

Holiday shopping?

If you're looking for a perfect gift for a reader in your life, don't forget nearly all my titles come in print and all ebook formats. Whether you're looking for historical fiction, slice of life short stories, erotic romance or something a tad bit more naughty, there are titles for everyone!

Note that Ellora's Cave has had a site upgrade, so former links to my books there no longer work. Try this one to get to the EC titles (there are two pages of titles there!). Of course, you can still find my erotic romance self-published works here.

Remember, there is no writing workshop this Tuesday. Workshops will resume in the new year with a whole new slate of tips and ideas. You can see the complete listing of all the workshops given over the past fifteen months here (I cleaned up the spacing some on the page and subdivided into "chapter" headings. Yes, at some point - probably after I retire, now - I will get my act together and put these all into a book!).

Play safe - and buy books!

;)
Diana

Taking two weeks off

No special workshop today or next Tuesday. Every once in a while, you need to take time and enjoy the people in your life. Give them a hug if they'll let you, a kiss if you can get away with it. But laugh, relax, renew -- and we'll pick up the writing workshops again in the new year.

Till then,
Play safe!
Diana

PS. If you've found these workshops useful this year, please leave a tip in the jar. Tips encourage me to keep adding new material (and to revise the old).

Have a blessed two weeks!
:)

On teaching and shooters

I am a teacher.

Most of you know that’s my day job.

I’ve been in the classroom as a teacher since 1979, taking only one year off after I got married to try other jobs.

But I came back to teaching. The reasons aren’t important anymore – haven’t been for a while. I see myself as a professional at getting kids excited about literature, helping them find their writer’s voice, and gettimg them to learn the skills they’ll need to express themselves no matter what life throws at them.

And then life throws a wicked curve ball.

Wicked. Evil. Deranged. There are a lot of adjectives being tossed about by people right now concerning the recent events in Connecticut. All true, all wrong. It’s horrible, it’s shocking, it’s inevitable.

It will be a while (if ever) before we understand the shooter’s motive. As the confusion over the timeline becomes clearer, as the victims are identified and the world grieves, one fact will become startlingly clear: this isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.

Is that cynical? Yes, I suppose so. No one place can accept all the blame people will want to assign it. Violent video games (before this happened I was preparing a post on the fact that I recently picked up Doom again and how I enjoyed it’s simple premise: shoot anything that moves. Think I’ll hold off on that for a while now...), loose gun control laws (which, admittedly, need to be tightened, but should not be the sole holder of blame), lack of mental health care (again, a component, not an end-run). All these and more will find themselves in defensive mode over the next few weeks.

Rightfully so. If you cannot defend your beliefs, you probably should change them. But to single out any one activity out and lay all the blame on that one doorstep is simplistic at best, harmful at worst. The issue is bigger than that.

You probably expect me to lay out the issue – but I can’t. Being in the classroom, I’ve seen the level of violence cycle from pacific to tsunami levels depending on the year. Even within the year there are cycles. Learning to recognize and head them off is part of our job as educators. We succeed a lot. You have no idea how many fights we diffuse, prevent or don’t even let get to that stage.

But sometimes there’s that one kid. Every teacher has had one, or two (or, if you’ve been at this as long as I have, several). It’s the kid in the class who makes you think, “That’s one to watch. That one is scary.” But then the kid grows up and go on to become a thoughtful, respectable, responsible member of the community. Sometimes still odd, but not violent. Believe me, it happens that way almost all the time.

Almost.

I am a teacher.

Tomorrow I’ll be in the classroom teaching my students survival skills. We have fire drills twelve times a year by state law. No kid, teacher or staff member has died as a result of a fire in decades. The alarm goes off and everyone goes into automatic mode, leaving the building in an orderly fashion, often glad for the interruption. We’ve got fires down.

Bullets? Not so much. In the Oregon mall shooting, police are crediting store personnel and customers alike in knowing what to do and doing it in order to get out of harm’s way and keep the body count low.

In schools, we’re teaching that. Along with grammar, literary terms and parts of speech, what to do if a shooter comes into the building is part of my curriculum. We talk about it on the first day of school, tomorrow we’ll drill it. I’ll make the kids get out of their seats and get to the place in the room where they can’t be seen.

In a week I’ll do it again. And in a month.

Does it take time from my teaching? Yes. Does it piss me off that I have to teach such a thing? More than you can imagine. Will I do it? Over and over again until they don’t have to think. Hearing the word “lockdown” will trigger the same automatic response the fire alarm does. It’s how I’ll keep them alive to teach them another day.

I’m a firm believer that, if a person wants to kill, they will kill. Nothing will stop him/her. No amount of locked doors or security drills will keep out a determined person.

But we can teach survival skills that will lessen the opportunities for the shooter.

And that’s my lesson for Monday.

Diana

My heart grieves for the parents and first responders of Newtown, Connecticut. If you would like to help, please consider giving.

Why do you write?

Time for a little reflection today.

Some people write because the stories well up inside and have to be told. They can't imagine NOT writing. Others write because it's expedient. People make money telling stories, why shouldn't they? Luigi Pirandello wrote because the characters pestered him until he told their stories.

Why do you write?

Is it to sell books? Or to tell stories? If you never sold a single book, would you write anyway? SHOULD you write anyway? If a writer writes a story and nobody reads it, does it exist?

Existential questions keep our minds active and our dreams alive. Spend some time truly thinking about your answers. Be a reflective writer and write out your thoughts.

Just why do you write, anyway?

Diana, the kettle-stirrer :)

grammar and editors

Warned you! The workshop on grammar is here :)

Presenting as clean a copy as you can to an editor makes a good impression on your level of professionalism. Using the correct forms of the verbs, properly distinguishing between "to", "two", and "too" is important as is figuring out where to put the commas. Spelling, especially in this day of spell-checking software, shouldn't even be an issue.

That said, I remember the first time, many years ago, when I read the first-draft manuscript of a book that had just sold to a major publisher. I was appalled at the mechanical errors. When I (gently) pointed one out, the author flipped her hand at me and said, "That's what editors are for."

Since the mss had sold, I had to believe she was right. 

Yet my spirit rebelled. How could someone who took writing seriously as a profession not care about the tools we use?

I've since spoken with many editors and, while there are some who are focused more on story and are willing to ignore bad mechanics, many of them were far more willing to roll their eyes and complain about them. In fact, more than one told me poor spelling and bad grammar were automatic rejects, in their opinion. That, if an author couldn't bother to take the time to learn how to purposefully use the language, then he/she as an editor didn't want to take the time to read the manuscript.

The key in there is "purposely use the language". Yes, characters exist that don't use proper English (Huckleberry Finn, anyone?). But Mark Twain made choices about his word usage. He didn't write out of ignorance.

Today, we're going to take a look at your choices.

Activity

Open your current work in progress or a finished work that isn't yet published.

First step is to use the editor that's in your wordprocessor program. I'm a fan of Microsoft Word 2003 (sidenote: I HATE the ribbons that have "improved" the newer versions. Microsoft dropped the ball on this one. They took something that wasn't broke and tried to fix it!).

Okay, off soapbox. I like Word 2003 because I can put all my tools on the top of the page and I can set the style editor to check my grammar and style as I go (Tools - Options - you can set most everything in the menu box that pops up). While I've always been conscious of my grammar, I'm not a style maven, so I'm grateful for the little green and red lines it puts under my words as I write. 

When I'm ready for a break from the creative side of writing, I go back and made conscious determinations about each of those lines. Remember, everything you write should be purposeful. If something doesn't fit with  what Word wants, it's because I want it that way.

Second step: Word doesn't catch everything. It won't look for comma splices or dangled modifiers. You need a different program for that.

I use AutoCrit, an online program that's VERY thorough. This is a site I pay for although the free tools are pretty good, especially if you're just starting out. I like the extra tools I get with the subscription (and the longer length to the manuscript checked). It will help me find not only my overused words but will helpfully point out cliches, frequently used phrases -- all sorts of style problems. 

AutoCrit is good because it makes no changes. It simply points out and I make the decisions about what stays and what goes. Purposeful writing!

Wordle is wonderful for those of us who are visually stimulated. It takes our most-often used words and makes a collage out of them, presenting our manuscript as an artwork. 

This can help a writer quickly see the overused words (when "back" is the largest word on the page, you know you have a problem!). You can also right-click on words to remove them from the image. Since character names are usually my largest words, I remove those so I can see what's left.

Once I have my Wordle, I find a black & white, easily read version (use the "random" button at the bottom to change the image) and print it out. It goes on my wall next to me and I use Word's "find" function to highlight and edit my overused words.

*****

Grammar is important. It's one of your tools. Use Word. Use AutoCrit and Wordle and you'll find, after a while, you begin to learn grammar you never knew. 

Have fun and leave a tip in the jar :)

Diana

PS. Here's a guy who won't even look at hiring you if you have poor grammar. Good article!

An homage to puttering

I have spent the whole day doing nothing.

Well, not nothing. I wrapped four Christmas presents before my family could find them, I cleaned the kitchen and scrubbed the stovetop. Four loads of laundry got done and I played two full levels of Doom. Talked to my mom on the phone, made myself breakfast and lunch (and ate them) and read through the last four days of the local newspaper. Oh! And I washed up the pans from last night's dinner.

In other words, I puttered.

I love days like this. Awakening with lots of energy to get "stuff" done but without a clear agenda in mind. Moving from job to job as the mood takes me. Not having an agenda to accomplish or expectations about what needed to be done.

Perhaps that's what the world needs...fewer agendas and more puttering.

Play safe!
Diana
PS. Yes, it's the old, original Doom. I bought it on the Steam sale and have been having fun blowing away the bad guys. No plot, just shoot at anything that moves. What a great way to relieve the last vestiges of stress!