Blog Chain: Creating New Worlds

Blog Chain time again! This round's topic was chosen by the ever awesome Cole, who wanted to know:

How do you get inside your character's world?

You know, to be honest, I read this question and my first thought was "I don't know! I just do!"

So I had to take a second and think about what I do when I start writing and building that world. I think at first, I just sort of have an idea of how things are. A character, a storyline pop into my head and they are a part of a world. I explore that world as I write. With each scene, the world gets a little more detailed as my character's go different places and experience different things.

I'll get to spots where I need to research something, details about what could or would be in the world in which my character lives (were there toilets in 1855? Does it snow in Nevada? What would a 200 year old tombstone look like?)

I love researching the details. It makes my worlds come alive and helps me create something real and fantastic.

I do find pictures that are similar to my character's world. I'll often use these as my desktop picture, just to keep me in the right mood. For example, my latest book has a pyramid of rocks as one of the key locations - there is an actual Pyramid Rock in Nevada that I use in my book. I did change things about it...exactly where it is set, etc. But my storyline revolves more around things Egyptian. So I have a picture of the Giza Pyramids as my desktop background....because they get me in the right mind frame.

I will often see locations and think "ooooo that would make such a cool location for a story!" Like the Pyramid Rock. Or the cemetery next door to my house. When I find locations like that, I do try to take or find pictures of them because they often will trigger storylines and scenes. I don't describe them exactly as they are in real life. They are more like the starting point for my storyworld. So it's never exact.

And I never do this for my actual characters. I might see someone in real life that has the same features as one of my characters. And I might see someone that I think might be a cool character in a book. But I don't think I've ever seen someone and thought "Ooo, that is my character!" It's more often going to be something like "Ooo, that guy has the same hair and eyes as Bryant" or something along those lines. I'm not sure why, but I think trying to describe something I'm looking at is harder for me than describing something I'm seeing in my own mind.

As I do revisions and rewrites, my characters and their world become more detailed, more vivid, more real to me. I learn more about them and their surroundings. It's sort of like in the first draft is our first meeting. I had a vague idea of who and where they were, but the more we meet, the more I get to know them and their world. And that helps to make revisions a little more fun and exciting...knowing that I'm going to come across something new and interesting about my storyworld. :)

How about you? How do you get into your characters' worlds? Do you find pictures of people and places or go by that fun movie playing in your head?

If you haven't read it yet, head over to Sandra's blog for her take on the subject and be sure to visit Kat tomorrow to see how she gets inside her characters' worlds :)

Friday Funnies.....And A Little Announcement

Okay, first off, my fun news.....Career Press will be publishing my book, HOMEWORK HELPERS: Essays and Term Papers in Dec 2010/Jan 2011. The sale was announced in Publisher's Marketplace on Wednesday.

I am absolutely beyond thrilled :) And I want to send a huge THANK YOU to my wonderful agent, Krista Goering. She has been an absolute dream - keeping me involved and informed throughout everything, being encouraging, supportive, available no matter what I might need, and a delight to work with. She's an amazing agent and this never would have happened without her. :)

Now, I think we are in need of a little celebration :D How about a nice little contest with some fun prizes? Gift cards and free books, anyone? :D

Come back on Monday for all the details!!!!

And now back to our regularly schedule Friday Funnies :D

Q. How many writers does it take to change a light bulb?

A. But why do we have to CHANGE it?








Q. How many editors does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A. Only one; but first they have to rewire the entire building.





Q. How many copyeditors does it take to change a light bulb?


A. The last time this question was asked, it involved art
directors. Is the difference intentional? Should one or the other instance be changed? It seems inconsistent.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

(Jokes were found HERE)

Unplugged for a Bit

Okay all...I think I am going to do an Unplugged Week....or at least an Unplugged Couple of Days :D I am having a Monday and it seems to have started somewhere over the weekend and will probably extend for the next several days due to a few creative upsets (though these aren't necessarily bad, just time consuming) and some real life stuff going on this week that is a bit on the stressful/anxious side. So. I am going to take a few days and focus on some stuff :D and I'll be back next week hopefully chipper and smiling :D

I will be posting Friday Funnies though, cause, well...I like 'em :D

Also, I promised to have my 12 picks for the Sunshine Award up today, and you know, I really can't pick. Every time I get a new follower, every time someone posts a wonderful comment, and every time I find an awesome new blog or read one of the hundreds I already follow, a bright ray of sunshine lights up my day.

So if you are reading this, the award is yours. (The song You Are My Sunshine is now floating through my head) :D Thanks so much to all my followers, readers, commenters, and authors of all the awesome blogs I enjoy. Happy Monday everyone!!! I'll be back in a few :)

Friday Funnies

First off, I wanted to say a huge thanks to the very sweet Cher Green, who presented me with the Sunshine Award a few days ago. Thank you so much, Cher! Be sure to check out Cher's Tarot Guidance blog and her writing blog, Footsteps of a Writer. I am supposed to pass the award on to 12 bloggers, which I will do first thing on Monday, but I didn't want to let another day go by without acknowledging Cher's very kind gift :) Thanks again!!!

And now for our Friday Funnies! Happy Weekend everyone!!!

“Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: You find the present tense and the past perfect”

“Grammar is the grave of letters” ~ Elbert Hubbard

“When a thought takes one's breath away, a grammar lesson seems an impertinence.” ~Thomas W. Higginson

Blog Chain: My Favorite Mistake

This round's topic was chosen by the lovely Rebecca who wanted to know:

What is the best mistake you've made so far in your journey as a writer? How has that mistake helped you grow :)? 

Well, as most of the other awesome people in our chain have mentioned, I've made them all, some of them repeatedly. One of my biggest mistakes, one I still struggle not to make again, is jumping the gun. I get a project finished and I want to send it off the same day. It is torture for me to wait until it is really ready to send out. Fortunately, I have wonderful crit partners who slap my hand away from the Send button :) But I have definitely blown more than a few awesome opportunities by sending out something that wasn't ready.

However, despite the sometimes spectacular mistakes I make, I think the worst one (or the best) was when I quit. Now, in my defense, life had thrown me a huge curve ball. My daughter was born two months early and spent the first seven weeks of her life in the hospital - which was 45 minutes away from where we lived (if there was no traffic). My husband was working 90 + hours a week at the time and we also had a two year old that needed my attention.

So, I definitely had cause to take a nice long break. But I let that break drag on for two years. I had a novel that I was a few chapters from finishing. It was my first book, and when I started it, I was totally in love with it. I couldn't wait for my son's nap time every day so I could dive back in. 

Over those two years, I thought about it often, wanted to get back to it, and then found an excuse not to. Eventually, I sat down and finished it...in just a few weeks. And I was hooked again. Have been ever since. And I'll never make that mistake again. Writing gives me something I just can't get from any other aspect of my life. It lets me escape into another world. I can exercise my brain, challenge my abilities, indulge in my love of learning and creating and reading and so many other things.

I've met incredible people, some of whom are now my closest friends. And I've become ME. Before, I was my husband's wife, my children's mother, my parents' daughter. I had degrees, I had jobs, and hobbies and friends. But I didn't know who I was yet. I was still searching for what I wanted to be when I grew up :)

When I started that first book, I got a taste of it. I got a glimpse of the person I could be, of the life I could have. And then I let other things get in the way. Important things, yes. Unavoidable things, of course. But I let it go on too long. I talked myself into believing that everything and everyone else was more important. And you know, sometimes they are. And that's okay.

But I will never make the mistake of letting YEARS go by without writing again. It's too much a part of me now. I am glad I made the mistake of giving up - because now I know what's at stake and I'll never do it again :)

What about you? What is your best mistake?

Be sure to check out the fabulous Bonny's answer before mine and stop by Shaun's blog tomorrow to find out what his best mistake is. 

Over Exaggerate? Moi?

This morning, my husband had an epiphany. I had made some comment about how he hadn't taken the garbage out once the whole time we've lived in this house (not entirely true, but close - though it's not his fault...he just hasn't been home on trash day in a while...though of course I left that bit out ;-D ) and then a short while later made some other comment about how in 10 years of marriage, I'd never seen him not put salt on something he was eating.

He sat there for a second and I could literally see the light bulb go on over his head. He grinned at me and said, "I just figured it out. Writers exaggerate."

I just broke down laughing.

Do writers exaggerate? Um yeah...it's sort of in our job description, at least if you write fiction (exaggerating is sort of a major no-no in non-fiction).

However, I do try not to exaggerate too much in my real life. But you know what? That is sooo much easier said than done. After I sat and thought about it for a minute, I realized I really do exaggerate, a lot. I'm not just cold, I'm freezing to death. The bookcase I put together wasn't difficult, putting it together required a degree in rocket science. My kids aren't irritating me a little, they are driving me insane :D I didn't wake up three times with my daughter in the middle of the night, I was up ALL NIGHT LONG.

For a second, I felt a little bad about this. I'm an honest person. I mean, I have a really hard time lying. In fact, I tend to giggle a bit when I try to do it and my face turns red. But after a bit more reflection, I decided that exaggerating the regular occurrences in my life isn't a bad thing. Like I said, I'm honest. I don't exaggerate on my taxes or in any serious aspects of life.

But when it comes to describing my mood or the more routine things going on, yeah, I like to spice it up a little :) Why not? It makes things more fun, more interesting. There might be 8 inches of snow in my front yard, but darn it, if I'm going to bother mentioning it, then we are BURIED. Are there a few toys on the floor? Nope. The house is DESTROYED. Am I having a bit of a bad hair day? Not at all. My hair is so horrible I'm just going to shave my head :D

So how about you, my fine writer friends? Do you tend to exaggerate? Or do you just call it exactly as you see it?

A Little Monday Surprise

Happy Monday!

First up, my wonderful friend and crit partner, Christine, awarded me with the Prolific Blogger Award. I am beyond thrilled, thanks so much, Christine!

The award originally comes from this blog.  And it comes with rules:
1. Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love!
2. Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award.  (Check out Christine's Blog Here!!)
3. Every Prolific Blogger must link back to This Post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.
4. Every Prolific Blogger must visit this post and add his/her name in the Mr. Linky, so that we all can get to know the other winners.

And now the hard (I'm a terrible commenter but I lurk on a LOT of blogs) :D though fun part, my seven picks, in no particular order:

1. Lisa Amowitz over at Why A?
2. Jenni James
3. Steph Bowe at Hey! Teenager of the Year
4. Elle Strauss
5. Rebecca Sutton at Sometimes Nonsense
6. Kiersten White at Kiersten Writes
7. Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now

And here is the awesome award: