secret 17 of 100 . . . and updates

I'm a sneak. 

(That's the secret.)  

(But there's a little more to it.)

When I really want to write a lot, I have to get out of my house. My favorite haunt is the back-right corner of the local library beside the YA section where the chairs are soft and the windows have a picturesque view. Seriously, it's perfect. Just writing this makes me want to head for the stacks. But no worries, I'm a finisher. So let's get this thing done.

So the thing is when I'm writing, there's something else I have to have--and not just want, but really, truly, honest-to-Betsy need! 

A Coke Zero. (I'm a huge DC fan, but when it comes to writing there's something in the ZERO that get's my writing juices flowing. And when I say flowing I mean like 11K words a day.)

So the problem? 

No food or drink is allowed in the library. 

Thus the secret: I'm a sneak. 

UPDATE: I took last week off to gorge my body on food. Yeah, yeah, you probably already figured that out. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving too . . . that is, if you celebrate the holiday. But if you're like Iain from England, I hope you just had another great week of regular week stuff. 

QUESTIONS: I'm curious, where do you write best? Also, we're all sneaks sometimes, right? When are you super sneaky? And if you're really not sneaky, what did you do last week

 

secret 16 of 100.

My secret is all about my friend today.
I have this unbelievable, amazing friend who's funny and caring and smart and determined. And I can't imagine how my life would be without her. Three years ago we decided to start out on a trek together in writing. We took a class together, we started a writer's group, we attended conferences . . . and we wrote and wrote and wrote . . .

And I knew this day was coming. She trusted me not to say a thing even though it was bursting out of me in every way. But I did it, I kept my lips sealed until the day I could finally say:

My secret is: my FRIEND is going to be published. 

(Click the link to find out who I'm talking about!)

friday five.

There once was a writer who forgot how to laugh--

Too many hours by the computer and none in the bath.

While she edited on her own her heart felt pierced,

for she missed times with friends because she stank something fierce.

Of course, this poem isn't about me--I smell just fine, 

It's just I got to thinking, how I write all the time,

And days by my laptop mean there are five things I miss,

Just like the other lonely-girl-writer with the terrible pits.

Friday Five: Things Writers (or Hermits) Miss

When you think of old friends, does your throat form a lump?

It's probably 'cause you've gone too long without a chest bump.

Or maybe like "Putty" from Seinfeld you crave,

A high-five from something other than your cat, Dave.

Stuck in a scene can make you feel down on writing luck,

It's time to call a friend and see a movie that may or may not suck,

If that's not your thing, then a night out to dinner is what you need,  

There's no place like the Olive Garden because there you're like family.

If you're lonely, maybe stinky, and feeling at your wit's end,

What you're probably missing most is a game of Words With Friends!

My question to you is what do you miss?

If you had three extra hours a day what would be on your list?

Famous. Or something like it.

He he! Today is the coolest day in the world. Chantele Sedgwick interviewed me on her very cool blog. Please head over and check it out:

MY WRITING BUG by Chantele Sedgwick

writing inspiration - quotes

I was reading a blog the other day where the author mentioned she liked to find quotes that summarized her main character. (Please forgive me for forgetting which one. Nano has taken my brain and mashed it and then thrown it in the garbage disposal.) Ingenious, right? 

So I set out to find one for mine, Costa. She's strong. She's a spy. So I thought this worked perfectly:

Then I started thinking, what quote would describe me best. Considering this month, and the writing frustrations I keep slamming into, this quote seemed perfect:

It seems the more I write and stress, the more problems I create. Do you do that too? Are you an over writer or an under writer?
So when I was about to pull out my hair, I came across this quote:

Frankly 50K words in one month is practically impossible. But maybe not. 

Are you doing nano? If so, how's that going for you?

If not, what type of writer are you? 

secret 15 of 100

My secret is when I was fifteen I acquired the nickname "Whiskers" for about a year.

Back then, I sometimes felt like this applied to me:

One particular morning, after a late night hanging with friends, I had the hardest time waking up. Shocking, I know. When I managed to get up and walk into the bathroom, I looked like DEATH. Kind of like my example pic.
No time to shower, I hurried and washed my face, put on some makeup . . . and when that didn't help the look much, I curled my hair.

While curling my bangs, the iron slipped from tired fingers and landed on my cheek. Basically, curling iron plus tired me, meant complete and total humiliation. I went to school that day with a 1 inch curling iron barrel roll across my right cheek. Nothing I did with my hair hid that hideous purple-brown mark.

My snarky history teacher had to say something. "Erin, whoever you've been making out with needs to shave, because that's a nasty whisker burn."

People laughed. I wanted to die.

Hence, the nickname whiskers.

11-11-11

In light of 11-11-11, I'll not be entertaining you with Friday's five fantastically fabulous poems.

Instead, I'm aiming to write 11,1111 words today. So in respect of 11-11-11, here's a different type of post for the day.

11 things I'm grateful for:

1. Mark. He's a wonderfully, kind and loving hubby and friend.
2. Kiddos. Mostly when they're not wrecking the house. But regardless, I love them.
3. Ma and Pa. The best parents ever. Even when I'm not the best daughter.
4. Friends. Walls that I lean on probably too much.
5. Music. I-tunes junkie. Anyone check out Kaskade's new album yet? Seriously addicted.
6. Movies. Preferably at the dollar theater in PG.
7. Books. They are my crack and the PG Library is my supplier.
8. Shoes. Imelda ain't got nothing on me.
9. Cameras. I hope to one day capture a scene so inspiring it leaves me breathless.
10. Jesus. Because he's everything.

11. You...(Yes, if you came to my blog earlier, you can see I just added this. I guess that would mean I'm grateful that I have friends that let me know of my mistakes. And I'm grateful that my brain works 10 out of 11 times).

What are you grateful for today?

Opinions needed: first impressions

At first, I was like, that's a weird looking loaf of raisin bread.
I'll come back to the freaky bread in a minute. It ties in to my point for the day.

For me, one of the greatest payoffs for investing time in a novel or series is when there's a discovery in character. Like when you find out Mr. Rogers isn't just a nice old man in a cardigan (Ok, maybe he is . . .bad example). But, think of Snape. Not such a bad guy. Or Noah (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. If you haven't read this yet, drop what you're doing and get to it.)
Of course this isn't something new. Writers have been doing it for ages, creating red herrings to lead the MC (and the reader) astray.

Now back to the bread. If you haven't stared at the picture long enough to figure out why it looks freaky, try again. What do you see now?

It's not a loaf of raisin bread at all. It's a pug (dog).

The point is, first impressions can and sometimes should give false impressions. (Like the bread dog).
As a writer, I do this often. I lead my main character astray by allowing her to believe other characters follow hard and fast rules. When really they don't.

Question of the Day: How often do you use red-herrings. Or characters that are like the bread-dog? When do you reveal their true identity?

Writing Inspiration - quotes

I love a good quote. Sometimes it's just the inspiration I need to push myself forward, or it gives me something to think about concerning the character I'm writing. Inspiration towards writing can come from many forms. Whenever I'm out stalking blogs or spending hours on fb, I make a point of writing down any quote that stands out to me. 

So for Tuesday's inspiration I thought I'd share one of my favorites:

My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.

-Michael Jordan
(Taken from: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/attitude.html#ixzz1d7tdfQXV)

I love his endurance and drive to be more. To fight whatever is holding him back and turn the tables on whoever is bringing him down. My main character has this same sort of determination, and today this quote is exactly what I needed.


Do you have any favorite quotes? Please share! Or at least tell me what inspires you this week?

secret 14 of 100

Sometimes the crap hits the fan. (Not the secret, just fact of life.)

For me, this happened last week. My awesome hubby got laid off. (Also not the secret, at least not mine.)

That's part of why I was MIA for days. Frankly, that stress plus a few of my own insecurities led me into a bit of a downward spiral. It took quite a few nudges from some great writing buddies to see the bright side of things.
It was during a conversation with Jessie from B-Word that I remembered an old motto of mine.
When I was eleven, I was pudgy, kids made fun of me, and I lived on an Air Force Base in California. Back then, each home had a plaque with the resident's name and rank posted on an exterior wall.
After a bad day at school, I needed some escape. I went on a bike ride with my sister and friend. I loved to read last names. Two blocks from my home, a name plaque made me stop in my tracks.

Crap.

Yep, that's right. The last name of the unfortunate family was Crap. Right then and there I adopted a new motto. Life could be worse, I could be a Crap.
That motto got me through a particularly sucky year of middle school. My sister and I came up with lots of Crap jokes, and just passing by the house left me gasping in laughter. Now that I think about it, it's kind of horrible for me to make fun of people as unfortunate as the Craps.
So I suppose you could say my secret is: I sometimes lift myself by poking fun of others.
Or on a more positive note, my secret could be: I'm doing great this week because at least I'm not a Crap!

friday five - distractions

I had one of those weeks that passed in a flash,

not much accomplished but I'm bent that won't last

Distractions, good and bad, snagged me everyday,

And my poor NANO goals slipped far away

First, I shot my girl because she turned three.

What an extravaganza that turned out to be.

One hour stretched into many to draw out her smile,

No NANO that day because I was shooting for awhile.

When I had a chance to sit down and write,

blasted halloween candy called with all it's might.

The devil chocolate calls, rendering me a useless hack.

It's a relentless draw until I snack, snack, snack. 

And when I'm not shoving my face full of candy,

I've twiddled hours away doing nothing dandy. 

(That's a lame-butt rhyme, lamer than lame,

But so is hours on facebook stalking random names.)

Serenity Now! I need a break from facebook.

Instead of writing, I read Colleen Hueck's latest book. 

I should've been typing but I couldn't resist,

a story of two hottie boys and girl like a princess.

It all boils down to a load of stress.

Little distractions that kept me doing so much less.

Less than I wanted, but I now vow that will end,

NANO if it kills me, 50,000 words will be my friend.

How was your first week of Nano? Good or Bad?

Are you taking part in all the insanity to be had?

If not, how was your week and what did you do?

Please tell me you ate candy, so I don't feel like a big poo.

Secret 13 of 100

There's something creepy about the number 13, so I figure why not creep y'all out. It is, after all, Halloween. No better time for creeping and stalking, is what I always say.

My secret is I was a stalker. 

No, not in the funny I read your blog and look at all your pictures on fb ten times a day. (Although I do that too.)
When I say stalker I'm talking I-wore-black-and-followed-a-boy-around-town kind of way.

Yeah, I get that the following stalking techniques may come across a little creepy:

1. I watched said boy from behind cracked blinds to see when he was coming and going from his home. (A good stalker knows when and where her Stalkee will be at all times. Stalking Tip #12, from Erin's Book of Stalking).

2. After taking note of his schedule, I mysteriously popped up in same places he was, and when confronted about it, I blinked at him and said, "You're kind of creeping me out. Are you following me?" (Always turn the tables on the Stalkee. Stalking Tip #29, from Erin's Book of Stalking).

3. I may or may not have followed said boy three cars behind while he took another (might I add hussy) girl on a date. This charge I can't confirm or deny. (Stalking is creepy when it's illegal. So try to make your stalking look like innocent interest instead of law-breaking activity. Stalking Tip #29, from Erin's Book of Stalking)

The point is, I was a stalker. I admit it, and I'm not afraid to say it. Because without my suave stalking techniques I wouldn't be married to that boy now.

All those out there that stalk, say aye!

friday five - killer characters

I was thinking to myself how neat it would be

if five lethal characters could hang out with me

five deadly acts that have drawn my attention

five killers that can't go without mention. 

First, I'd invite Sydney Bristow the spy

When she wore the red wig, she first caught my eye

There isn't a foe she can't fight and kill.

She'll kick your A if you're up in her grill.

Second, I'd call on my main man Ash

And not just because he'd be just as handsome in a stache'

He's the ice-prince, he's deadly, he'll kill you on sight

But for a girl, he'll go to the end of the earth, and put up a fight. 

Third, there's Chuck. If I'm being honest he's no threat,

If he was fighting one of the other characters he wouldn't get my bet.

But he's lovable, and funny, and sometimes he kick's A.

So he makes my list because meeting him would make my day.

Fourth, I was tempted to talk about Noah and not Mara

He's surprisingly alluring despite his girl drama

But she's the real killer in this haunting tale

She's vulnerable, curious, and holding a secret as big as a whale.

Fifth should've been first, because Michael is the man, 

Except when he's dancing around like a killer without a tan. 

(Ok, so I get that probably applies to the last half of his life,

but the man's Thriller is a genius and it made me want to be his wife)

There you have it, five characters I want to meet.

Killers, well, most of them, but still they'd be cool to greet!

What Lethal persona is the top of your list?

Who would scare your pants off if he came at you out of the mist?

writing inspiration - coolness

As you can see from my Secrets, I wasn't very cool growing up. In fact, I went through a pudgy phase where I was down-right the nerdiest thing north of the equator. I was the most un-cool girl around.

(Picture borrowed from www.sodahead.com)

So now as I try to write characters that are the essence of all things cool, I sometimes find myself doubting aspects to their design. From clothing, to vehicles, to their speech.

So to deal with my shortcomings, I googled coolness.


This is what Wiki How has to say: 
"Have you always wanted to be the cool guy, who always seems to do the right thing? Or are you dying to be the cool girl, who flows through life with ease and grace? If you think about all the people who you think of as cool . . . they have several characteristics in common: they're all confident, unique, and on friendly terms with everyone . . . Everyone has their own definition of cool; there is really no true universal definition on how to be cool, but here are some guidelines to get you started."

I like that. Confident. Unique. 

But really, is that enough? I want to know how you create a cool character. What's your recipe for cool success? 

If you read my last secret, it's clear I ain't got one. 

writing inspiration - queries

Last year I queried a book.

And it didn't go so well. Why? Because I made all the rookie mistakes. ALL of them.

• The query was confusing.
• My book wasn't polished.
• I gushed. A lot. I like to gush at people.
• Basically I sounded like a twit.
• And so on, and so forth . . .

So this year when I'm ready, I'm not going to do that again. Not by a long shot.

But in the mean time, Suzie Townsend of the Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation is offering a review of your query. She'll tell you why she'd really reject it. And it's for free! To enter her Query contest, go to: 

 

Confessions of a Wandering Heart

secret 12 of 100

Last night Mark and I returned from visiting my sis in Washington at midnight. (No, that's not the secret).
This morning when I woke up I felt like a giant piece of crap--sore throat, achy, fever. (Again, not the secret).
Because my brain's a little fuzzy the only secret to come to mind is so mortifying I cringe even now as I'm on the verge of sharing it. But I can't sit in front of the computer any longer to think of another good secret. So don't say I didn't warn you. This is a mother of a secret.

Secret 12 of 100:

I played violin in the school orchestra. I wasn't very good. But the summer between sophomore and junior year, when all my friends were dating, I spent my lonely hours practicing.

Junior year, my marked improvement earned me a spot at second stand. And my partner became Illusive hot boy--a guy that wore a leather coat and reminded me of James Dean.

The day of our first concert of the year I felt like a giant piece of crap. (Much like I do now). But I went anyway, taking my place beside Illusive hot boy.
The concert started. I played well. In between songs Illusive complimented me. He was flirting with me! I giggled, managed something witty back . . . and then I sneezed.

And then time seemed to freeze. The seconds of post-sneeze silence spanned an eternity. Illusive looked at me with widened eyes. What was wrong? It took my foggy brain another second to follow the path his eyes took. I looked from I-hot boy to the spot on my violin that had trapped his attention.

Oh. Dear. Mother!

There on the curved, honey wood of my violin sat the most vile, slimy, loogie I'd ever seen. And judging from the timing, I'm guessing it flew out of my mouth mid-sneeze.
In that moment I wanted to die. Especially because the conductor tapped the stand, lifted his arms and started a new song .
I didn't have time to wipe it off. Oh the horror. I had to play an entire new song before I had a chance to free myself of that forsaken excrement.

And after I did, using my sleeve with as much pride as I could muster, Illusive never quite looked at me the same. Then again, I couldn't bring myself to look at him. So I guess that makes me even.
But there you have it. My secret is I'm a loogie sneezer when I'm sick. 

friday five - goodbyes and one hello

This summer my husband came home from work and said, "Hey, so I know my job as a Treasury Manager is pretty freaking awesome, but I think I want to try my hand at being a dentist."
Say what?
Mark wants to return to school for the next year to take the prerequisite classes for dental school, then apply to dental school, and then after getting in . . . he wants to actually go!
Hyperventilate much? You better believe it.

After much thought and discussion and prayer, I agreed. It took a little faith because Mark and I were just about to close on a lot of land. And if Mark hadn't had his dental ephiphany we would now be living in our dream home. This post is to say goodbye to those dreams and hello to new ones.

1.  Goodbye dream house and your craftsman style charm. 

I think of you fondly and then want to do Mark harm.

I'm letting you go, for now that is,

And when Mark graduates, repayment will be his! 

Muah ha ha

2. Goodbye 50's styled basement kitchen adjoined to my writing room

Really, you were just a dream because your cost would be my doom.

But since I'm bemoaning my loss, I added you in

Maybe in the future the expense of you won't be a sin.

3. Goodbye reading settee, so cozy by my bed

When I think of you I feel sad in my head.

Where will I sit and read in style?

Not in my dream house . . . at least not for awhile.

4. Goodbye days of lounging around like a cat

Now life's super busy because my hubby's wearing the student hat

I know this poem sounds a little lame

But I love the picture all the same

5. Hello future! Whatever you may hold

I hope the out look is good before I get too old

While Mark's studying and learning at dental school

I'll be writing away like a YA writing fool!

reading update - dragons and hot guys.

Slayers by C. J. Hill 


My Take: 
It's kind of like Rampant, but with dragons instead of unicorns. And by the end of the first book I don't loathe the main character and think she's a complete and total whore. That being said, I loved that CJ Hill crafted such a heart tugging romantic plot line without the smut.
Along with the romance, the action and adventure plotting is excellent. Each chapter brought new twists and turns that kept the book moving forward. Never a dull moment.
CJ hill excels in writing true to life characters that pop off the page.
This is a book you'll want on your Do Not Touch shelf.


What they say about it:
Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.

The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?

You Shouldn't read this if:
All you like is poorly crafted smut. Go for Rampant. 
You're opposed to cruelty to fire-breathing, people-eating dragons.
You're illiterate. For obvious reasons.

writing inspiration - dialogue

Two nights ago I stayed up till 3:23 in the wee morning reading the new book, Slayers by CJ Hill (aka Janette Rallison). I've been a big fan of her writing for quite some time. Usually it sort of falls under the chick lit category, so I was curious to how well Janette would pull off a fast-paced adventure. Of course, I can't share that now. I gotta keep all of my five blog readers coming back. So I'll post my opinion on Slayers tomorrow. You won't want to miss that.

But I walked away feeling newly inspired to write better dialogue. Janette's dialogue is witty, funny, true to character personality, and never forced. It makes her characters and the story come to life.

Dialogue is often my own challenge, but I've seen a lot of awkward talk in published books. I'm always surprised when I find a little "maid and butler" in something I pull off the new releases at B&N.

In order to write better dialogue, I've developed a system.

Erin's Method to Writing Dialogue

1. I write the conversation as fast as I can as it pops in my head. I don't worry about punctuation, or blocking, or tags.

2. Then later, after a trip to Harts for my Diet Coke, I read through the scene out loud. (Ask Jessie Humphries. She said I'm a mumbler when I'm writing. It's mainly because I'm getting a feel for my dialogue). When I'm reading, I omit anything that sounds awkward or fake to the characters in the scene.

3. Last I add blocking. I have them move, or show expression.

4. Then I read it once more out loud, and adjust anything that feels awkward.

My process is somewhat layered, but it's helped me create better dialogue. Maybe one day I'll be a master like Janette.

What do you do to create witty and natural dialogue? I'm quite curious. 

writing inspiration - faces

I used to be a people watcher. In order to make my characters feel more real, I'd go to the mall and shop a little for shoes, but mostly I'd check people out. I'd listen to their conversations and study they way they move, and look at their features. But honestly speaking, I kind of felt like creeper. Especially when people noticed me watching them.

Now I stay home. Thanks to Pinterest, I find my interesting character faces online without creeping anyone out besides my hubby. Here are the faces of my current WIP that's a contemporary spy novel:

Milla - Kick-A protagonist. Lethal agent that too often listens to her bleeding heart.

Mag - Milla's bestie, just as lethal but not as confident 

Crow - their beloved trainer that looks tough but really has a soft side

Kane - the new trainer who is as mean as he looks . . . most of the time

And the boy. Sigh. 

Of course a lot of my characters are dream cast, but I tried to find pictures that set the scene for me. When I'm finding my character's voice, I'll pull their image onto the screen and start writing scenes. Sometimes those scenes don't end up in the novel, but they help me figure out who the character really is.

Now, the questions of the day:
How do you find your character's voices?
Are you a picture finder? If yes, who is in your dream cast?
Or are you a people watcher? If so, where do you go?