I am always amazed when people say they are experiencing a "writer's block." Not that I can't sympathize; I definitely can. Although I do a lot of writing both in SL and in real life, I have often experienced times when I just couldn't find the right words or the right ideas to put on paper (or on computer, as the case may be). I am actually experiencing that right now almost halfway through my second novel (and I also experienced it at about the same point in my first novel). There are some "tricks' that can help, one of which is definitely not thinking too hard. The other is to keep writing no matter how terrible or silly you think it sounds and then worry about going back to edit later.
But there is something I thought of recently that I wanted to share on this blog -- the difference between "writer's block" and "writer's blocks." Everyone knows that writer's block is when an author is stuck and unable to continue writing a certain piece or even unable to begin writing anything. But the term writer's blocks is a totally different thing. In fact, writer's blocks can actually help a writer get over or through a writer's block. Writer's blocks are those tools a writer uses to build a story. Jenaia Morane, a Second Life friend, author, and writing instructor recently hosted a Story Quest that allowed participants to "search" for clues that were actually story prompts or blocks that they could use to create a story.
The common blocks that writers use are dialogue, setting, characterization, etc., but they can use more specific ones, too. When I was writing "Cloudy Rainbow," I used many of my own personal experiences at college working on the student newspaper as well as almost all of my experiences with my cat whose death was the impetus for my writing the book. I truly believe that fiction writing is more authentic when it is based on fact which, of course, is fictionalized but still has a stronger impact on the reader than if it is based on purely imagined characters and plots. As a block for writers, true experiences are important along with interests and feelings. If you like what you write about, if you believe in it, if it evokes emotion in you, it will do the same for the reader. Maybe not as personally, but you know, we all do try to relate to the characters we read about. And most of our experiences are similar. Don't we all experience the loss of a loved one? Don't most of us fall in love at some point in our lives? Don't we all grow in so many ways through our lives as the main characters grow in each chapter of a book?
So if when you experience a writer's block, try to think of how you can use writer's blocks for inspiration. Your writing will start to flow again before you know it.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Change is hard but necessary
I just turned 2. That may seem a little strange considering I am writing this blog and have a daughter who is 4. But the explanation is simple. My real birthday is in May, but I also celebrate a birthday or what is termed a "rez" day in Second Life which I joined two years ago. It's nice having a second birthday, and this one has the added benefit of not making you feel older because you can look as young as you want depending on how you dress and design your avatar or character.
For my second year in Second Life, I decided to change my appearance slightly. Most people probably haven't noticed, but I have a new skin and shape. I didn't yet make any drastic changes like wearing a new hairstyle, but I may consider that. It's really much easier and less expensive to do a makeover in Second Life than in real life, but it's strange that one can feel so reluctant and fearful to do so. Just like in real life, change isn't easy but it can be beneficial.
In some parts of the world, the seasons don't change. In some places, the clocks don't either, or they change on different dates. But little changes happen to everyone every day. We may still get up on the same side of the bed and take the same route to work, but some days we may feel more tired than on others (especially when we are adjusting to the mini jetlag of changing the clocks as some of us did this weekend), some days we may be happier or sadder, and some days we just would rather stick our head in the sand like some camel and not bother getting out of bed. But all of us need a change. If we don't actually get away on vacation, we still need a break from routine whether it's escaping through a good book or visiting a virtual world.
What changes have you made lately or would like to make in your life? Even the little ones count. If you're afraid, just remember that change is hard but necessary. There are many things we have little or no control over, but, for those we can change, the power requires choice. We have to want to make the change and be prepared to face the result. It need not be drastic. It can be subtle like my Second Life makeover. The main thing is that it makes you feel better just trying something new, and you don't need to do it to please anyone but yourself.
So don't wait until a birthday or other special day. Celebrate yourself today and make some changes now.
For my second year in Second Life, I decided to change my appearance slightly. Most people probably haven't noticed, but I have a new skin and shape. I didn't yet make any drastic changes like wearing a new hairstyle, but I may consider that. It's really much easier and less expensive to do a makeover in Second Life than in real life, but it's strange that one can feel so reluctant and fearful to do so. Just like in real life, change isn't easy but it can be beneficial.
In some parts of the world, the seasons don't change. In some places, the clocks don't either, or they change on different dates. But little changes happen to everyone every day. We may still get up on the same side of the bed and take the same route to work, but some days we may feel more tired than on others (especially when we are adjusting to the mini jetlag of changing the clocks as some of us did this weekend), some days we may be happier or sadder, and some days we just would rather stick our head in the sand like some camel and not bother getting out of bed. But all of us need a change. If we don't actually get away on vacation, we still need a break from routine whether it's escaping through a good book or visiting a virtual world.
What changes have you made lately or would like to make in your life? Even the little ones count. If you're afraid, just remember that change is hard but necessary. There are many things we have little or no control over, but, for those we can change, the power requires choice. We have to want to make the change and be prepared to face the result. It need not be drastic. It can be subtle like my Second Life makeover. The main thing is that it makes you feel better just trying something new, and you don't need to do it to please anyone but yourself.
So don't wait until a birthday or other special day. Celebrate yourself today and make some changes now.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
What picks you up?
I find this time of year always hard -- the holidays are over, it's still cold most of the time (at least if you live in an area that has winter), and colds, flus, and other viruses are still knocking people out. Yet the promise of spring is starting to appear. Daylight is lengthening, trees are starting to bud, early spring flowers are preparing for growth.
The sun is a very powerful force. That's why people tend to feel gloomy on cloudy days and brighten up when it's sunny. There are other things that can pick you up, too. Reading a good book; a smile; a hug; an honest compliment; a nice cup of tea; a piece of rich chocolate; a relaxing walk; visiting a new place whether it's in real life or a virtual world like Second Life; petting a kitten, puppy, or other animal; a bubble bath; watching the sky, and writing. All of these can take you away for a few minutes to a few hours and give you a much needed break from the stresses of everyday routines.
So when you're feeling low and the skies are gray, do something that picks you up. You'll feel better and more hopeful that brighter days are coming.
The sun is a very powerful force. That's why people tend to feel gloomy on cloudy days and brighten up when it's sunny. There are other things that can pick you up, too. Reading a good book; a smile; a hug; an honest compliment; a nice cup of tea; a piece of rich chocolate; a relaxing walk; visiting a new place whether it's in real life or a virtual world like Second Life; petting a kitten, puppy, or other animal; a bubble bath; watching the sky, and writing. All of these can take you away for a few minutes to a few hours and give you a much needed break from the stresses of everyday routines.
So when you're feeling low and the skies are gray, do something that picks you up. You'll feel better and more hopeful that brighter days are coming.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
What makes a romance romantic?
Valentine's Day is symbolized by hearts, flowers, and chocolates, but there's a lot of romance in literature, too. In fact, most books, whether they are classified as romances or not, tend to feature at least one love story. People like to read about romance, not only young people. It's an ageless topic, so writers have a variety of ways to approach it. By changing the setting or time period, characters or themes, a romance can be historical, suspenseful, heartwarming, erotic, or paranormal. Romances compete with mysteries in the large number of subgenres they can occupy.
But what makes a romance romantic? You can ask a dozen people the same question and get different replies based on their experiences, ages, education, etc. As a librarian for a public library, part of my job is ordering the books for the fiction collection which include romances. I have also recently written my own romance, "Cloudy Rainbow." For me, the best romances and the ones that patrons at my library ask for most, are the ones that tell a good story and don't necessarily have a happy ending but make you feel special and touched along with the main character. Authors such as Nicholas Sparks, Debbie Macomber, Luanne Rice, and others including myself, convey romance without racy dialogue but the use of words that invoke images and feelings, a setting that enchants more than seduces, and characters that are realistic and not based on super heroes, vampires, or Scottish Highlanders. No need to kiss the frog to turn him into a prince. In the best romances, the prince doesn't change into anything but himself and that's more than enough for the princess.
What makes a romance romantic most of all is what makes people fall in love in the first place. It isn't easy to define, but you know it when it happens. When you read that scene, peruse that page, close the book and wish it hadn't ended, you've experienced the magic. Whether you're 90 or 19, you never get enough of romance, and luckily, romances continue to be written and published every day. Find one that touches your heart and don't settle for a cheap date. The one you take to bed should be special and, of course, romantic.
But what makes a romance romantic? You can ask a dozen people the same question and get different replies based on their experiences, ages, education, etc. As a librarian for a public library, part of my job is ordering the books for the fiction collection which include romances. I have also recently written my own romance, "Cloudy Rainbow." For me, the best romances and the ones that patrons at my library ask for most, are the ones that tell a good story and don't necessarily have a happy ending but make you feel special and touched along with the main character. Authors such as Nicholas Sparks, Debbie Macomber, Luanne Rice, and others including myself, convey romance without racy dialogue but the use of words that invoke images and feelings, a setting that enchants more than seduces, and characters that are realistic and not based on super heroes, vampires, or Scottish Highlanders. No need to kiss the frog to turn him into a prince. In the best romances, the prince doesn't change into anything but himself and that's more than enough for the princess.
What makes a romance romantic most of all is what makes people fall in love in the first place. It isn't easy to define, but you know it when it happens. When you read that scene, peruse that page, close the book and wish it hadn't ended, you've experienced the magic. Whether you're 90 or 19, you never get enough of romance, and luckily, romances continue to be written and published every day. Find one that touches your heart and don't settle for a cheap date. The one you take to bed should be special and, of course, romantic.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Old News is Good News
I'm going to a reunion tomorrow of some people at my college alma mater who worked with me on the student newspaper. It's actually a publications reunion of those who were involved in the newspaper, yearbook, and magazine. I'm excited but nervous, of course. I won't say how many years it's been, but I'm sure I won't be able to recognize some people and vice versa. What will be most interesting are not the changes in the faces, though, but what people have done with their lives. Most of my fellow editors were journalism majors, but some were not. I was an English major and then went on to library school. Although I did find a job in my chosen career and have been working at a public library for many years, I have also been able to fulfill my interest in writing in a variety of ways, most recently self publishing my romance novel, "Cloudy Rainbow."
When I first found out about the reunion and considered attending, I wondered who would be there and what everyone was doing now. I prepared a short speech in my head to reintroduce myself to the group. One thing worried me. Should I stick to talking about my library job, as mundane yet traditional as it is, or should I reveal my writing endeavors in a virtual world? For the past two years, I've been writing for a newspaper that covers Second Life news, making $4 a story which is even lower than most starving journalists make. In addition, this past year, I've been volunteering as the Associate Editor of a Second Life library magazine called RezLibris. All this is done in my spare time, of which I don't have a lot with a 4-year daughter at home. But I do it for the same reason I joined the student newspaper all those years ago -- for the experience, the fun, and the challenge.
Would my old colleagues, no pun intended, find it interesting or strange that I have become involved in virtual writing? And would they consider my self-published book, also featuring a virtual world, a literary achievement or a waste of paper (since it's POD, that may not be such a factor). I'd love their feedback, their reactions, especially since one part of the book is taken from my recollected experiences on the student paper. There was no Internet back then, no social networking, no 3-D worlds like Second Life. But there was still the need for communication, the need for news that could be provided and reported whether to a local community, a college campus, or the world. That need remains, although the media has changed in many ways.
So as I prepare to share my own personal news, I decide that my virtual writing just may interest some of the college publications gang and my book is a tribute to them as much as it is to the cat who I wrote it in memory of. For what I learned and what I gained from my experience with them surely shaped what I am today and the writing that I do.
When I first found out about the reunion and considered attending, I wondered who would be there and what everyone was doing now. I prepared a short speech in my head to reintroduce myself to the group. One thing worried me. Should I stick to talking about my library job, as mundane yet traditional as it is, or should I reveal my writing endeavors in a virtual world? For the past two years, I've been writing for a newspaper that covers Second Life news, making $4 a story which is even lower than most starving journalists make. In addition, this past year, I've been volunteering as the Associate Editor of a Second Life library magazine called RezLibris. All this is done in my spare time, of which I don't have a lot with a 4-year daughter at home. But I do it for the same reason I joined the student newspaper all those years ago -- for the experience, the fun, and the challenge.
Would my old colleagues, no pun intended, find it interesting or strange that I have become involved in virtual writing? And would they consider my self-published book, also featuring a virtual world, a literary achievement or a waste of paper (since it's POD, that may not be such a factor). I'd love their feedback, their reactions, especially since one part of the book is taken from my recollected experiences on the student paper. There was no Internet back then, no social networking, no 3-D worlds like Second Life. But there was still the need for communication, the need for news that could be provided and reported whether to a local community, a college campus, or the world. That need remains, although the media has changed in many ways.
So as I prepare to share my own personal news, I decide that my virtual writing just may interest some of the college publications gang and my book is a tribute to them as much as it is to the cat who I wrote it in memory of. For what I learned and what I gained from my experience with them surely shaped what I am today and the writing that I do.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
A New Year, a New Book
Besides going back on my diet, my main resolution for 2009 is to promote my book, "Cloudy Rainbow" and get back to writing the other book I started right after I finished it. This book has a working title already, "Tales from a Virtual Life," and continues my theme of fiction with a virtual twist.
As a followup to what I consider my virtual romance, "Cloudy Rainbow" (although some may consider it romantic suspense or paranormal romance), "Tales from a Virtual Life" will be a virtual mystery of the cozy kind. It will include different characters, even a toddler based not so loosely on my four-year old daughter; no cat this time but a dog that plays a minor role; and a murder. As for similarities, my new novel will feature a virtual world (not a fictional one but Second Life itself) and another main character with a computer-related job (this one is a housewife with a website design business on the side). My hopes for this mystery include a possible series as the heroine or lead character, Louise, acts as amateur sleuth solving murders tied to virtual as well as real life crimes.
Another resolution for 2009 is to set up my website where I will post excerpts and news about all my books and works in progress. Santa already purchased some domains for me, and the elves are working hard helping me design websites for them. As soon as they are ready, I will include the URL's here and link this blog to them.
So I hope everyone who reads this has a very Happy New Year and that you all take time to consider your own personal and professional resolutions or goals for the upcoming year. Here's to 2009 -- good health, good books, good friends, and good goals!
As a followup to what I consider my virtual romance, "Cloudy Rainbow" (although some may consider it romantic suspense or paranormal romance), "Tales from a Virtual Life" will be a virtual mystery of the cozy kind. It will include different characters, even a toddler based not so loosely on my four-year old daughter; no cat this time but a dog that plays a minor role; and a murder. As for similarities, my new novel will feature a virtual world (not a fictional one but Second Life itself) and another main character with a computer-related job (this one is a housewife with a website design business on the side). My hopes for this mystery include a possible series as the heroine or lead character, Louise, acts as amateur sleuth solving murders tied to virtual as well as real life crimes.
Another resolution for 2009 is to set up my website where I will post excerpts and news about all my books and works in progress. Santa already purchased some domains for me, and the elves are working hard helping me design websites for them. As soon as they are ready, I will include the URL's here and link this blog to them.
So I hope everyone who reads this has a very Happy New Year and that you all take time to consider your own personal and professional resolutions or goals for the upcoming year. Here's to 2009 -- good health, good books, good friends, and good goals!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Reviving this Blog with Book News
I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've added anything to this blog. I've been wanting to revive it for awhile but now have a good reason to do so. I have self-published my first novel, "Cloudy Rainbow" available for purchase as an ebook or softcover copy at: http://www.booklocker.com/books/3754.html
I started writing the book after my beloved cat, Floppy. passed away at 15. We had wonderful years together, and I feel as though he inspired me to get back to writing (I had published some articles previously but had stopped writing for awhile partly due to lack of time but mostly due to discouragement).
After I lost Floppy, I sat down and wrote a few pages each night. The story began to unfold like a puzzle, piece by piece. The characters, except for Floppy who is represented under his own name, are imaginary, but many parts are based on fictionalized facts. I combined elements from my past as well my current experiences, to create a very heartfelt and personal story about a woman who loses the man she loves and is facing the loss of her beloved pet when she receives a message that sends her on a hunt through a virtual world to find answers about life after death. Sixteen years in the main character's life is shown in alternating flashbacks and fast forwards. I consider it a paranormal romance because there is a hint of the supernatural (one of the characters is a clairvoyant). The main theme, though, is communication after death. Do the ones we love who have died reach us in ways we may not be aware of and, if so, how can we discover what they are trying to tell us?
I don't expect to make much money off this book and may not even recoup what I am spending to have it printed, but I don't really mind. If one person reads it and is consoled after the loss of a dear pet, a friend, or relative, then I have contributed something important by sharing this story.
I started writing the book after my beloved cat, Floppy. passed away at 15. We had wonderful years together, and I feel as though he inspired me to get back to writing (I had published some articles previously but had stopped writing for awhile partly due to lack of time but mostly due to discouragement).
After I lost Floppy, I sat down and wrote a few pages each night. The story began to unfold like a puzzle, piece by piece. The characters, except for Floppy who is represented under his own name, are imaginary, but many parts are based on fictionalized facts. I combined elements from my past as well my current experiences, to create a very heartfelt and personal story about a woman who loses the man she loves and is facing the loss of her beloved pet when she receives a message that sends her on a hunt through a virtual world to find answers about life after death. Sixteen years in the main character's life is shown in alternating flashbacks and fast forwards. I consider it a paranormal romance because there is a hint of the supernatural (one of the characters is a clairvoyant). The main theme, though, is communication after death. Do the ones we love who have died reach us in ways we may not be aware of and, if so, how can we discover what they are trying to tell us?
I don't expect to make much money off this book and may not even recoup what I am spending to have it printed, but I don't really mind. If one person reads it and is consoled after the loss of a dear pet, a friend, or relative, then I have contributed something important by sharing this story.
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