Continued From Yesterday...

I do not like to write - I like to have written. ~ Gloria Steinem

So... yesterday, I got to meet Allie!



It was fun, it was far too short, and I can't wait to do it again (don't know if we will, but one would hope). But her husband and my DD (along with Grandma, who watched her) were quite patient as it was, so I don't suppose we could have made them wait for three or four more hours!

She brought me the only book I was given for Christmas:


The 3 A.M. Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises That Transform Your Fiction

I was ready to read it all right then and there. I've heard good things about this book and it appears as though they were all true. I thrive on writing prompts and exercises, they stimulate my creativity and my writing juices, and this book is full of them! It was a wonderful gift.

I didn't do much writing yesterday, but I did do a lot of thinking. My original idea of how to "hide" the killer isn't going to work, but I might be able to tone down my heroine's reaction to him and ramp up her reaction to others... I'm also trying to make her look like a possible suspect as well -- though the reader will know otherwise, the hero won't and will also not like the fact that he's attracted to a potential murderer. Also, if I throw some other folks in there who may have committed the crime (the victim wasn't well liked), maybe I can make it a little less obvious. We'll see how it works out.

Allie and I talked about our writing goals for 2007, and they were close to the same: get the books submitted. She has several completed drafts of novels that just need some tweaks and polish to be ready to go. I have half a dozen first drafts that need a lot of editing and polish, but getting them ready to head out the door would be less onerous than writing a new draft and then having to tweak and polish... Hopefully we'll both be subbing manuscripts this year.

We also discussed the fact that our writing groups and partners are probably far more picky and tough than many editors about specific things like conflict and character motivation. Based on books that I've read lately, logical character motivation isn't necessary for a book to make it into print. I've gone through five different category romances, and specific inconsistencies drove me batty.

In one series, one book paints a character as quiet, shy, retiring and in the next (the one in which she is the heroine) the first thing she does is go alone into a bar and pick up a guy --with a minimum on conversation -- then bring him back to her hotel room and get it on. THEN throughout the book she's an in-your-face, confrontational, independent woman.

What?

Or the one I read where the heroine is married to her job, a job that requires so much travel that she doesn't own or rent a home. She falls for the hero, but breaks up with him because she refuses to compromise her work. Period. So the hero sells his house, gives away his dog and figures out a way to bring his job on the road and then proposes marriage. This really ticked me off because the heroine had to sacrifice NOTHING. She wasn't even willing to sacrifice anything. What kind of hero worth admiring would be such a pathetic sap to love a woman who loved her job more than him? Is it just me?

In any case, enough complaining. I did manage to find a category book that I sincerely enjoyed. It wasn't something I'd read again and again, but I smiled through it and it left a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Awww... so that was nice. I'm not sure it was worth going through the other ones, but hopefully it's the start of a trend.

Time to go write. Have a good day!