The Big Block

Carolyn and I have both been struggling with the big B recently, you know ... the dreaded writer's block. And I saw on Facebook our friend Cheryl also has the big B.

I know that my blocks usually are life related. The more I might stress in real life, the less my juices for any creativity run. So as I plan on buying a home, adjust to a new boss at work ... I cook less, clean less and write less.

Carolyn is free to correct me but hers seem to run concurrent with her tiredness. she yawns, she doesn't write. She's perky and feeling good: big words come flowing.

I've read some people argue that writer's block isn't real. "Just write through it, you lazy so and so" they claim. I imagine that they don't understand the inability to write a word that pleases you or to create anything that works in any way.

Writing takes place on a lot of levels. The best writing is when the story uses you as nothing but a typing machine. When you don't have to play with the words or think about what comes next: you just type and it writes itself. It's not mystical, it isn't pulling the words out of the air; it's just that sometimes the story is already complete in your head (whether or not you realize it) and so it flows out easily.

Many times it isn't quite as easy and you fight for the proper words, struggle to get it right. That's much more common and is so rewarding. Knowing your story and working to make it right.

And then sometimes words refuse to come. Everything is wooden or leaden and has no flow. No interest. Then you fight the dreaded block or give into it hoping it'll pass and you can write again.

The Travails of a New Computer Owner (a continuing story)

The battle - the epic battle - with the computer continues. I'm not quite sure what the score is ...

Finally managed to get the Resurrection file into the new computer, started working on the last unfinished chapter, saved it and ... it was gone! As in disappeared. Couldn't find it anywhere. And don't you know it was probably the best writing I'd ever done in my entire life! Heh.

Anyway, for those with Microsoft Word Starter 2010 - don't use the save button under file on the left side of the page. It may be saved, but you'll have a hell of a time finding it. As in nevah!

My Favorite Crusie

Carolyn:

I think - no, I know, that Agnes and the Hitman has to be my favorite.

I absolutely loved Agnes. I liked that the hero and all his macho shit was written by a man (but thank God it wasn't John Ringo!)

The plot got a little convoluted, but the vibes between Agnes and her hitman were right on. She captured him with food, lol. Loved it!

I could reread this book forever, because Agnes not only had a relatively unused name (which I don't care for and never did), but her peronality (ever so slightly paranoid) had me laughing out loud.

I might could be persuaded to another Crusie book as favorite (thinking Charlie at Night here), but it will be a hard sell. *grin*



Lori:

I have reread Crazy For You a million times and I'll read it a million tmes more. I learn more about writing from that book as it moves the characters through growth arcs that hang together, make sense and just rock the house down.

However, I'm going to say Welcome to Temptation is my favorite because it was my first. In Welcome I discovered Crusie magic: how she weaves food and music, strong heroines, sex and humor into a wonderful stew of character foibles and ultimate growth.

Welcome to Temptation had one of the first literary charactors I wanted to boink (on the edge of a dock, on a pool table ... c'mon Phin, let's do it!) and a heroine who skated on the edge of bad. Sophie and her scamming, sex movie filming ways.

Oh goodness, if you haven't read it, do. It's just that damned good.

So what is your favorite Cruisie?

Here I Is

Man, this has been rejection month! Not only was our piece of crap rejected, but my damn computer got into the act too.

I was sooo miserable! I was lost, I was isolated, I was mute! No Word. No writing because I no longer do pen and paper, mainly because it's unreadable and who wants to be frustrated like that? I mean, you know you wrote the most wonderful,witty thing, you can't remember it, and you can't read it.

I decided to take a hiatus.

So then, the new computer comes. Yes, y'all, it's here. And it is most definitely IN CHARGE!

Perhaps one day, I'll be writing in Word again. Geez, it took me a whole evening getting the damn program open and that was only because I called the vendor! (I do apologize for all the exclamation points, but I mean, really - it's just one of those weeks). It's Word 2010, might as well be 2050.:p

Anyway, I kept thinking of Jane Austen. Not that I'm Jane Austen or even one of them there bodice ripper famous authors, but - what would Jane do? If she broke her quill or something. Perservere, that's what. And so I shall.

Now, after having broken God knows how many writing rules, I shall leave you with this question: when the hell did Word become a separate computer program costing $119.00????

I shall make do, because I'm trey cheap. But really!!!

The Final Rejection

After 17 weeks and 4 days, Carina Press has rejected Bodice Rippers.

In summation: we received 2 revise and resubmits, one request to add more sex, one editor who said that marketing something as bizarre as our story would be a major challenge and a few straight out rejections.

We're disappointed because we want you to read our story. We really do. We don't want to charge you, we want to make you laugh.

We also don't want to post it here on this site because it's freaking impossible to edit other pages here. So we're wondering if any one of you knows how we can either make a file available to download or is there a place we can just throw our work out there for an audience.

Please let us know. We dream of universal domination via absurd, tongue in cheek romance writing.

When Life Hands You Farts, It's a Little Disgusting

These old farts are currently finding themselves a little bewildered by life recently.

Carolyn has had a complete and total computer melt-down. she's waiting for her new computer and her old one is getting ready to become target practice.

Lori (me) is house-hunting and starting edits on a second book. Since the first one isn't completely finished with edits, it's a little overwhelming.

We're trying to catch up. Wish us luck.

Social Media + Authors= Marketplace Glut?

I Love Facebook and I adore Twitter. I don't do My Space and Linked In and all those other sites ... I just love what I love and that's what I love. On Twitter I follow maybe 100 authors or more. On Facebook I have a friends list of well, mostly the same authors.

I will admit here only, because we're all such good friends, that I don't know who some of these people are. I'm ashamed. Right there on Facebook snuggled up to my favorite coworker is some author whose work I don't know posting about her vacation to sunny somewhere and her word count for the day. She's not as fascinating as my favorite coworker who is going to her great-grandmother's 90th birthday party but still I follow.

And follow and follow and follow..

Some authors I'm hot and heavy for (Victoria Dahl, I be heavy breathing your name!!). But some are writers of esoteric Amish bicentennial erotica with an epress that I'll never read. Yet still I follow.

As a soon to be esoteric author myself I'm told that I need to be on all these social media sites and promoting myself without appearing to promote myself to people who might not be interested in reading my chain-smoking, trangendered alien from the Planet 69. In other words, I should add to the glut of authors trying to get your money via social networking while looking like a fun and interesting person who really doesn't want your sale (soft marketing, I'm softly panting in your ear).

Anyway, are you like me? Do you follow everyone who puts pen to paper despite their stories published only by Invisible Press? Do you follow authors at all? Are you on Facebook or Twitter or My Space or Whatever Else There Is?