My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #paranormal #PCers

This week was Easter and all the wonderful things it brings. Not. Well, that isn’t true. We heard some lovely bells on Easter as every church in Vienna rung the religious joy throughout the land. And I mean no disrespect as that religion is basically the same as my own. I just don’t go to church any more for a variety of reasons. Here, there’s also the added angst of a language barrier. Then there is the fact that lots of them still use the traditional language of Latin.

The week was filled with writing, learning and dealing with family. It was also filled with weird weather, thunderstorms with snow, good food and lots of walking. I’m sure that many of you think that I’m walking to get rid of that good food and you’re partially correct. I walk a lot of times because we don’t have a car here in Europe.

Yup, you heard that one right. I have no car…makes the limos seem plausible right…kinda. LOL! If we get a taxi here, chances are it will be a Mercedes and that’s a major step up from the Jeep I have at home. Still, I would love to have my Jeep to drive around here. Parking is a bear but with the right permit, one can park anywhere close to their house or in one of the many, and I mean many, parking garages located throughout the area. There is literally one on every street near me, I swear. But that goes back to all living in flats with no place to park. I could go on and on about this one.

Promise, I won’t. I need to talk about writing. After all, it is what I do. Or what I’m supposed to do. And I did to a lot last week but not enough in my book. Technically, I should be producing around 25,000 words a week. That’s 5k per day at least 5 days a week or some combination thereof that produces the desired 25K. Uh…nope…not last week. And the fact is that I don’t really have a darned excuse. Regardless of what I do during the day, research or classes or walking Pup Harry, I need to put in the writing time. Otherwise, no limos or tiaras. Not that I want them anyway.

The job of writing has only one requirement and that is to firmly plant my butt in the chair. Not just any chair but my chair in front of my computer working on my stories. Sure, I do a lot of other things besides working on my stories. Things like this column, writing promo, emails and the like. However, the majority of my time needs to be working on one of my latest works-in-progress.

Some would say that’s rather unfocused of me and I’d have to agree. Writers must be self-motivated to accomplish all they do. Last week, I’ll be honest, I have been mainly working on getting a story from my backlist out. This story was published quite a few years ago and though it needed little work, it is a series with 3 other people, all of who are learning the self-publishing ropes to some degree. Having done a lot of that previously, I understand the system pretty well. Therefore, I’ve vetted lots of questions and helped on all other fronts.

The only thing bad, in my opinion, about self-publishing from the author’s perspective is that it is a time suck until you get the steps down to an art. Like anything, that can take a while but once accomplished, it should start becoming second nature. I am of the opinion that being a hybrid author, one that has traditional contracts as well as doing the self-publishing thing, is the only way to go in today’s publishing climate.

Some of you might see my column this week as a bunch of disjointed things. The fact is that everything is connected, from my week to my writing and all points in between. Life is connected and those who can’t see it are missing out on some of the most joyous things in the world. Writing is telling those things, be they fiction or non-fiction, and relating to people and places around you.

I hope I’ve related just a bit of what it means to be a full time writer. Until next week…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #MSSAuthors

Why is that problems always present themselves right before I’m supposed to start writing? This is one of the many banes of a writer’s existence and one of the things that others may not realize.

We put our pants on the exact same way everyone else does. We have problems like everyone else does. We live our lives like everyone else does. Maybe because we have a dramatic flair, do these things seem bigger than life. But they don’t. Except to the person they are happening too.

Prime example is my youngest. Love him to death without question. However, he’s still a student, an acting student, and tends to do things on a big scale. He sells items on eBay that he’s been collecting since he was a kid. He uses them for the expenses his monthly stipend won’t cover and for his grad school savings account. Smart kid except when it comes to returns or disputes over items. Those he calls me for and being the good mom, I try and help. Ah, heck, let’s face it…I enable…and this is bad.

If you’re wondering just what this has to do with my writing life, let’s think about it. Kid gets into dispute, parent drawn in, kid’s dispute becomes parent’s dispute. Writing goes out the door and writer parent rubs their head in frustration. I could have just said no but I didn’t because I’m a good mom. Kinda…I really should learn to just let him work it out himself…he will be twenty-three in four days.

But I didn’t and am once again wondering why I allowed myself to be pulled into his drama. Now, there is a difference between offering advice on a problem and just dealing with that problem. This kid, like most in his generation, is more pig-headed and needs to learn things on his own. My instinct is that I can do it faster and better and with the time difference, I nearly have things completed and taken care of before he even gets up. Sigh. Again not good.

Right now, I am looking at a loss of four writing hours and it’s all my fault. Not his. Some would say it is his fault but again, let’s look at this…I could have and should have said no…without a doubt. Unfortunately, there is one reason I didn’t with this transaction. It was tied to my PayPal account and instead of doing a return the right way, this customer pissed me off and went right for the money. Now, I have to jump through the hoops with said kid because the customer didn’t do their part correctly.

And yes, this is part of a writer’s life. Not much different than yours probably yet maybe in one big way. I will take this very negative experience and write about it. It might be a flash fiction, which is what I think about this whole incident. It might be a longer story where I torture the kid, the customer or the entity holding me back from my money, directly or indirectly. I could use the whole thing to write about the injustice of the system, the stupidity of the customer, the charm of the kid or anything my little mind can think about.

That’s what it really means to be a writer. A famous quote is to ‘just open a vein’ each and every time you write. Here’s a place you can look at how many times that was said and by whom. http://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/09/14/writing-bleed/ Frankly, I like the one who said ‘drop by drop’ and that was in the 1800s. And sometimes it is like this. Sometimes you have to dig deep to get the meaning for each and every writer. Other times, you only have to just squeeze a little.

We’re all different and each of our writing experiences will be different. Get two writers together give them the same prompt and we’ll come up with two totally different things. If it’s something one of us knows intimately, we might not need to open a vein at all. The drop by drop method just might work.

Many people who deal with authors on a daily basis have been heard to liken it to herding cats. Ever tried to herd cats. Here’s a classic video on the phenomena and believe me, it’s exactly like that. 

But by the same token, it’s fun, enjoyable and I love working with authors and I love to write. This is the life that I’ve yearned for since I was twelve years old. Heck, for all the complaining I do, I wouldn’t live my life any other way. Now I’m truly off to write.

Until next week…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #PCers

Surgery went well even though there were a few hiccoughs. Most of those again were mainly because of the language barrier and the differences in how the American medical system works versus the Austrian. Here they wanted to keep me a full three days for a surgery that was 20 minutes tops. At home, it would have been in 6 hours at the most for the whole thing. I felt lucky I got out in 36 hours and that was because I convinced my doctor it was for the best.

So finally, we’re back to my writing life but in case people don’t realize it, everything in my life is related to writing. When I take a walk, like I did this past week at Schönbrunn, I look at the people and scenery to see how I can use it. When I’m at a restaurant or the airport, people watching and listening in on loud conversations is the norm. I am discrete and don’t butt in at all unless of course I should.

You’re probably wondering about that last statement. I feel that most things are private but if you decide to bring your dirty laundry out into the open, don’t be surprised if I step on your parade or smack you up the side of your head. And there are only three things where I’d even do that: beating a woman, beating a child, or beating an animal. Those things I would be jumping on someone immediately. And there is a difference between beating a child and disciplining a child. I got spankings and today, some kids deserve a few just to get into line BUT this is just my opinion and I’m allowed to have it.

And opinion forms a lot of my or anyone’s writing. It’s all a matter of perspective and I only have mine. I can try to put myself in my character’s shoes but face it, most of it’s conjecture on what I think they are feeling. I can’t know because I’m not there but I can imagine it. We’ve always been told as writers ‘write what you know’ but I was gently corrected once by a well-known mystery writer who told me ‘write what you can imagine.’ Believe me my imagination is huge.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t be open to learning more. Since the beginning of the year, I have signed up for a host of classes. I’ve signed up for a Scrivener class, a Book Ninja class, how to write a series class and a how to develop my own language class. Each of those are designed to help me with some upcoming projects and because I feel that a writer is also a life-long learner. You can’t have one without the other.

So where’s the writing in all of this? Yes, life happens and writing sometimes gets shoved aside. However, the day before the surgery I wrote a short story of about 2300 words and some in a journal I’m developing for a series. Therefore, the day before I managed to eek out some 3800 words by hand. Since then, I’ve pumped out eight blog posts and a variety of things averaging about 2k a day. And that’s on a surgery week. Think what I could do if I really put my mind to it.

That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’ve decided that the only days I’ll be writing blog posts, playing on the net and research, which includes classes, will be on Sunday and Mondays. The rest of the week will be for writing my fiction and putting together my series on self-publishing and helping other writers.

Until next week…

Lynn 

My Writing Process - #MyWritingProcess @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain

Hi everyone!

Today I’m participating in the blog tour called My Writing Process where I answer just four simple questions. This is definitely a great way for me to get back into my writing life as many of you know I’ve had some ups and downs recently. But let’s get right to it.

First I need to let you know just what wonderful person asked me to be a part of this lovely blog hop. The person who talked me into divulging my secrets is the lovely historical author, Sydney Jane Baily.  You can find her at her website, www.SydneyJaneBaily.com, and please do go look her up as she has a lovely website with tons of great information.

My Writing Process is all about how I write and to give you some insight into my style of writing. There are four questions for me to answer…so here goes…

What am I working on?

Hmm…this is a tough…I normally work on a few different things at a time. See, I get easily bored and if I don’t work on more than one story, nothing would ever get finished. Right now, I’m working on a short called Worth the Wait that is all about taking a gamble on a relationship and seeing if everything works out. The other project is a more adventurous, episodic work called Born and Bitten, about a group of young paranormals who have to fight to save the world as we know it.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Worth the Wait is pretty normal for its genre, so no surprises there. However, Born and Bitten is really different and I’m not just saying that. I went on a reading spree when my father was ill and I read tons and tons of the current Young Adult fiction that is out there and never once did I see what I’m doing. It’s all about how everything is connected no matter the differences. Episode One will be unveiled later this summer but there will be sneak peeks sooner than that at the series blog of the same name starting June 1st. Hopefully, some of you will drop by.

Why do I write what I do?

Another hard one. I write stories I love to read. I read everything from autobiographies to health-non-fiction to hard core science fiction. However, I write very few genres overall and each story has to call to me. There have been many stories which call to me and won’t leave me alone until I at least put the idea down on paper. Some of those stories talk to me louder than others, so I get to them first. After all, we don’t want people saying that I’m the daffy old lady or anything. LOL! And that’s what happened recently with Born and Bitten. That story just kept giving me more and more tidbits until my only defense was to get typing.

How does your writing process work?

I have typical and non-typical days and I’ll give you a little insight to both. On a typical day, I get up somewhere around 6:30 and immediately go to my computer where I’ll start working on email and social media first. I only give myself an hour or so at the most because as we all know, social media can be a time hog no matter how much we love it. I will then start writing at about 8 am and write an hour before going to get breakfast for me and Pup Harry. After breakfast, I play with the pup as he’ll never leave me along if I don’t then I go back to my work and work until I’m hungry. Normally that’s sometime around 2. I go have lunch then try to go back to writing. Sometimes I take a nap. And on most days, I will have written somewhere between 2500-5000 words.

Non-typical days are really skewed and different. These are the days that I want to do research. Sometimes that’s in the form of watching shows or reading or internet research. It can also mean talking to my writing buds or friends to see what’s going on in their lives. I try not to have more than one of these days a week. Unfortunately, with the passing of my Dad, I’ve had a few more than normal but I’m getting back on track.

Now, I’m supposed to have three other writers for you to visit next week May 19, 2014. At the moment, only one has answered the call and I appreciate her very much. I’ll just add some updates and get the word out when I get my other two writers.

First up on May 19, I have the marvelous Debora Dennis, friend and critique partner extrodinaire. She is a firm believer in second chances and that time should never be an obstacle to finding love, Debora writes time travels with modern snark and spice! When she's not writing, she's spending time with her family, reading, or trying to figure out a way to get chocolate into every dish she serves. You can find her at http://deboradennis.blogspot.com.

My second author is a dear friend whom I've know for many years. We met through a wonderful writing group called EPIC and have remained friends. We've also been part of the Blue Moon Magic world with two other very close friends. You can look for those books in the near future at its own blog. I'd like to introduce, Honey Jans, erotic romance author. She's a natural born romantic with a very vivid imagination. It's her fervent hope that readers will enjoy her books. You can find her at http://atasteofhoneyjans.blogspot.com.

Thanks for dropping by and checking out My Writing Process.

Lynn

The Lure of Twitter

As many of you know, I haven’t been around her much recently, if at all. Some of you might have asked, what happened to Lynn or even wondered why I had abandoned you and my blog.

I can tell you there were many reasons with the biggest being the time investment versus the return on that investment. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate each and every one of you, I did and I still do. You have to admit posting daily, even when I schedule those posts, can be a tedious thing to do. I was tired of tedium as well as writing.

Don’t get me wrong. I still wrote. I made attempts to move my career forward but I just wasn’t motivated to do so. Again, the reasons are many. I had new grandsons and needed to spend time with them. I was finishing a really big novel. I’d had personal upheaval in my critique group. You name it, I had it all in a six month span.

And I was tired, so tired of just doing things day after day for a career, which seemed to be giving me little in return. I know I’d gone through writing funks before but this one was different. Life was different.

In August, my husband came home from his Vienna trip to announce they had invited him to apply for a job. No big news there as my husband is good at his job. Then I discovered where the posting would be...Vienna, Austria...we’d known a long time it would be coming. Now, I was angry as I felt comfortable in my position: comfortable in writing, comfortable in family, comfortable in life.

Too comfortable. So much so, I made a run for it. I pulled back from a lot of my online social things. I didn’t want to blog, I didn’t want to post in my yahoogroups. I didn’t want to try any more because it would all change if I moved. A lot. Sigh.

Then I decided to go back to the account I’d started on Twitter earlier in the year. Here was something I could do. It didn’t require much effort at all. I mean, how difficult was it to type in 140 characters of good stuff?

Suddenly, I was hooked. I tweeted and tweeted and tweeted. Sometimes hundreds of messages a day. I started to follow other authors, editors, publishers. I got to know some of them. A lot of them. If truth be told, I was spending more time on Twitter but was it quality time.

Then I got my first royalties after I really put my all into the program. Wow. Sales are up. This is good very good. But now, how to make them better. I started attending Twitter classes at places like the Indie Book Collective on how to get more followers, how to turn those followers to buyers and so on. I even do Twitter giveaways. The point is, those 140 characters gave me my writing mojo back. There is just something about 140 characters that pulled me in and makes me stay.

So, I haven’t abandoned any of you. I’ve just shifted to a new medium, Twitter. You can find me there every day at @oddlynn. Come visit me and I’ll answer you. My blogs will be sporadic but I tweet daily.

Now, I just have to find the off button so I can get some real work done. LOL!

See you all next time...actually...send me a tweet!

Lynn

Sunday Blues

My DH has been gone for a week and every time he leaves, life goes in the crapper. I don't have time to do my work and the rest of my family sucks the life out of me because they can't seem to do anything while he's gone. I always realize just what a good buffer he is but this time I'm really going to suffer. I have a book due that may or may not get done by the end of the month. I have an 18 yo I have to drive to college because he and DH didn't get his driver's license before he left and it takes almost a month to get an appointment.

The oldest is only working part time because he's a surveyor and we live in the worst place in the world right now for construction, Las Vegas. I don't mind helping but they always come to me when my DH is gone. And yes, that is his Dad we're talking about. The DH told me I was much too much of a soft touch. Maybe so but I can't allow anyone to starve. Right now, I'm thinking about going back to school to get a skill in the medical field as it is the only one hiring in this area.

Then I just got a notice from a contest I entered. Close but no cigar. Sigh. It makes me wonder just what I'm doing and if what I've wanted to be all my life is worth it. I started writing when I was 11 years old and sold my first piece at 12. Didn't sell again for many, many years but the fact I did had me jumping for joy. I can understand wondering just why one sits in front of the computer writing as there are days when nothing goes right. Recently, I had someone tell me that everything I wrote was awful and it's almost made me stop writing altogether for a while. I write dirty when I write fast then I clean it up afterwards. I've always been that way as I just have to get it down then rework it. I never thought it was something to worry about until this person made me feel awful.

Add the pirates to this and it makes life horrible in a lot of cases. I don't get as many pirates as most but the ones I do get are totally annoying and without scruples. It makes me wonder just why these people think they are entitled to have things for free. People aren't entitled to anything for free, as someone will have to pay for it somewhere. Life just isn't free at all, in any way, shape or form. I do believe we need to help people when we can but there are just some times we can't. I know most of the very rich don't think about this at all. There are weeks I pray for the lottery and I don't even live in a lottery state.

I read an interview once about Kate Winslet and its stuck in my mind. She had said in this interview that she woke up every day thinking that someone would find out she was a fake, that she couldn't act and didn't deserve the accolades or lucky breaks she'd been given in her life. When I get this low, I think about that often because it makes me realize no matter who you are or what you have, self-doubt is part of life when you're in a creative field. Luckily for me, it doesn't come often but when it does, it's hard and bad. I just stop writing and a part of me dies.

Then something happens. I see a movie or read a book or play on line and I remember I have a story similar to what I've seen or read or done. Maybe, just maybe, someone along the way will like what I wrote and read it. Maybe they won't but surely someone will love the hunky hero or sexy heroine which is out to save the world or kickass or whatever they do in the story. Maybe my story isn't so bad and it will get out there. Just maybe. Yes, I flip-flop through the emotions of the whole thing and slowly but surely, I'll land back on top.

But the journey is incredibly bumpy and long sometimes and sad. But I always get back to where I need to be somehow and it certainly helps to know I am not alone.

Thank you all for being with me on this journey. I do appreciate your support.

Lynn

A Day in the Life

When trying to think about what I wanted to talk on today, I have to admit, my mind was blank. As I’m writing this, I realize my mind is mush because I’ve been writing so much. See, today alone, I’ve written on two shorts I’m doing, started the awesome letter to an agent, tweeted a few times as well as answered friend who are at various places as well as figured out I’ve lost over ten pounds on the current diet I’m using. Add this to the fact I had to take my youngest to his class because he doesn’t have his driver’s license yet and a visit to the grandsons who cried because I wasn’t Mommy today.

If those things all together weren’t enough to make one’s head spin, I don’t know what is. So in light of that, I thought I would actually write down how it is for me. Here’s what I usually do in a typical day...or not so typical...you decide.

7:30 am – My puppy Jasper has decided it is time for me to get up. Sometimes he barks at me, sometimes he licks my face but he just loves sitting on the couch watching TV with me. Today I just want to sleep.

7:35 am – Start coffee and turn on TV for mutt. Cut my breakfast apple. The dog is sleeping soundly on the couch with the TV on. Darn mutt.

7:40 am – Open email and start reading one of the nearly a thousand emails I’ve received over the day. I belong to 167 yahoogroups, a few Google groups, Twitter and Facebook as well as MySpace and a few other things.

9:00 am – Another round of coffee because now the work begins. Start writing.

10:00 am – Dog wants out so this is a good time to get up and walk around for a stretch fest. More coffee.

10:15 am – Back at desk. Have to put out one fire before I continue on my new story.

12:00 noon – Geez, didn’t realize I hadn’t moved in almost two hours. Another fire to put out and only about 1K so far as I’m tired and groggy for some reason today.

12:05 pm – Get youngest up to take shower for his chiropractic appointment. Realize I haven’t showered either and do so once he’s out.

1:00 pm – Shuttle him to Dr. while I stay and write in the car with the dog. Get quite a bit done considering Jasper wants to be in my lap.

1:30 pm – Done with Dr. so head home with minor stop for food for Kyle. Oh, yeah, I am hungry. Have to cook when I get home.

1:45 pm – Whip up a fantastic Asian inspired style soup that I let cool to room temp. Lots of broccoli, egg and chicken. This is great!

2:00 pm – Back to writing. Youngest keeps interrupting me and I just want to find him his own place.

4:15 pm – Another long writing stretch broken by Kyle needing me to take him to class. Thank goodness, it’s at a place only ten miles away.

4:45 pm – Traffic horrible. Drop Kyle off, watch him a little then head to my oldest’s to see the babies.

5:00 pm – Grandsons smile at me since they recognize me but it’s short lived as they want Mommy more.

6:00 pm – Leave older son’s place, head to pharmacy to get youngest one’s diabetic test strips. Need moisturizer so look for new brand since this one is breaking me out. Yeah, such a crappy thing at 52 too.

7:00 pm – Pull into driveway to hear the chorus, ‘what’s for dinner?’ more than once. I want stir-fry, they want sandwiches. I fix my own then watch the DH burn the pan I’m planning to do stir-fry in. He says it’s an accident but I think he put too much oil in it myself.

8:00 pm – Have to watch the DVR of Warehouse 13 premiere since I missed it for critique. Fantastic! Watch a couple of House Hunters as well then ready for my walk.

9:50 pm – Walk with DH and dog. Don’t know which is worse, the one who walks to fast or the one who wants to smell everything including the evil cat from next door’s butt.

10:20 pm – Back at my desk and realized I missed placing a call today. Yuck, have to kiss some ass tomorrow. Check email once again then start writing.

11:48 pm – Finishing this blog so I can post it before I go to bed. Wow...I’ve been up sixteen hours...no wonder I’m ready to drop. Sigh. I did manage to get 2K done today. Hope tomorrow is even better.

How does your day shape up? Anything special you all do besides work? How do you fit it all in?

See you tomorrow! Have a great day!

Lynn

Overboard on Writing

Thanks to everyone who commented yesterday on my blog. I really do appreciate it and glad you all stopped by. It’s good to know I’m on the right track with what I’m putting up here. You never know if something is going to touch a nerve of some sort with a person. Just knowing that I seem to be having a good balance is great to here.

These past three days I’ve been on a whirlwind writing tour. If you follow me on Twitter, you will see that I have written 9935 words in three days and I’m not even done for the night. I have about another 4K to go before I call it quits. That will be almost a 5K average a day. What’s interesting about this number is that on most days, I’ve started late in the day.

The house gets quiet and suddenly, my mind is alight with ideas and words and they all want to come out at once. I can’t type enough to keep them flowing. And I’m a slow typist...LOL...as I only do about 35 words a minute. But when the creative juices flow and I am dead on with a story, I go fast.

If I were having a race, I would say that the best I’ve ever done in an hour was about a thousand words. Yeah, you read the number correctly. While that may seem like a huge number, all it means to me is that I was in the groove and my mind was flowing exactly with the story. It doesn’t happen very often but when it does, I go with the flow until I drop.

You never know when you’ll get on another writing streak and you have to take them as they come. Creative creatures are fickle and I’ll be the first to admit it. When I saw this quote, I knew I had found something worth repeating.

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

When I get on a writing jag my family and many of my friends tell me I act as if I have schizophrenia. I frequently have insomnia. I hear the voices of my characters and they won’t shut up until I’ve written at least one chapter a day. Then there’s the fact I will get forgetful due to the lack of sleep and even talk funny as part of the whole system. Probably the worst part is that it all seems normal to me.

Part of my problem is the middle of the night is the only time where the house is one-hundred percent quite. In most rooms I can hear a pin drop. There’s no sound of the DH and the teenager having an argument or a discussion. They like to call them negotiations which, drive me nuts. LOL! The animals are asleep and all TVs are either off or at a bare minimum as far as sound goes. The only part I don’t like is that my office shade becomes translucent at night and I appear as a floating head to those outside.

Yup, it’s fun to see people stop and stare because all they can see is the light from the monitor reflecting off my face. I explain my concern to the DH and didn’t believe him when he told me that at all. He had to take a picture to show me and I must admit it is weird. Probably weirder for those who shouldn’t be out wandering late at night. LOL!

As much as I love chatting with you all, I really must get back to those pesky characters. They screamed at me all through dinner and are doing it again because I’m putting together this blog. They’re probably up to something I don’t want them to do...hey, wait...I tell them what to do.

See you all tomorrow! Have a great day!

Lynn

Writers and Their Lives

You all have probably been wondering why I’ve been talking so much about my family and my home life this week. The answer is simple. I want you to know me, how I write and just what my influences are in my writing world. As you can tell so far, some days are great while others are less than stellar.

The reasons are many and I could go on all day about the importance of why. But for those curious few, I know I need to connect with my readers, be they other authors or fans. Being a writer is just so exotic to some people and it’s taken me a while to figure out why. They think the lifestyle is always rosy with wonderful things happening all the time. Those same people also think if they were rich or maybe a movie star, things would be different.

They have one part correct...life would be different...but certainly not like they thought. LOL!

My point is that I am just like every other person. I have wants and needs and desires. I have hopes and dreams, which need to be met or fulfilled. I take showers and put my pants on the same way as everyone else. I am extremely approachable and if something is going on where I don’t want to be around people, I will remove myself from the situation.

I have foibles and get things wrong. Most of the time I am lucky and get it right. When I do get it wrong, I’ll admit it and try to fix it. Sometimes, things can’t be fixed and I’m grown-up enough to know and understand this fact. Yes, there are those in this world who don’t like me and while I don’t understand this, I can accept it.

I am not a mysterious person but if there is something, I don’t want you to know, I won’t tell you. There are some aspects of my life meant to be private and I’ll be the first to let you know if you overstep. Scary fans creep most people out and I have my share of scary fan stories to share should the subject ever come up.

Why am I doing all this? True, I want you to purchase and read my books but I’m also a human being to needs to connect with people. I love connecting with my readers and fans and fellow authors. So now, I’m asking for a little help from you.

Let me know if it’s too much or too little. Let me know if you want more about writing and less about me or suggest a better balance. Most days, I just write about the first thing that pops into my head unless I’m going on vacation and need to plan it out a little better. Most of those days, I will have a blog column related to a certain aspect of writing as I always have those articles ready for inclusion. I will more than likely be including more in the realm of science articles since I’ve been trending toward more science fiction romance here in the future.

I’m anxiously waiting to hear from you all just, what you expect to see in this blog from me.

See you all tomorrow!


Lynn

The Editor

In all the time, I’ve written this blog, there has been little said about the editor who will actually work with you to complete your dream of becoming published.

I’ll be honest with you, I’ve heard horror stories. The one bestseller who told me her editor dumped sixty percent of her work wasn’t thrilled but she loved her editor. The editor really only wants the best for you and your work. After all, your success is their success.

When it happens and you have a horrible editor which you can’t work with, you need to let someone know at the publishing company if at all possible. Sometimes, it isn’t so you must do your best to continue to work with someone who wants to change everything about you and your story.

My pet peeve has always been when they want to change your voice or how you write. There are certain things which distinctly make a writer who they are. Normally, there is a certain process a writer takes from start to finish. When those things happen, it’s hard to work with that person.

I have been lucky enough to work with some fantastic editors in my time. Some have bled all over the page and I’ve cried my heart out only to have a better book at the end. Some have very little changes but allow me to explore what’s needed to make the work better. All in all, I can truthfully say each and every one of them had in mind to produce the best product ever.

Today’s quote is from an editor. When I saw it, I knew it told me their side of the story.

You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke. ~Arthur Polotnik

Have a great day writing and reading! See you all tomorrow!

Lynn

Writing Struggles

It’s amazing that so many writers see writing as a struggle. Don’t get me wrong, there are days when it is a struggle and I don’t want to see my computer. However, the question remains if so many people find it torture then why do they do it.

Today’s quote is a perfect example in my mind of a tortured writer. Here’s today’s quote:

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. ~George Orwell, "Why I Write," 1947

I look at this and in one way I am sad while in another, I understand perfectly. For me, there are more happy days than sad days writing. Frankly, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t get up every day and write. It is part of my very being. I know this and most of the time do it well.

Sure, my first drafts are ugly but if there wasn’t something there, people would read my books, stop by my blogs or support me in general. I thank everyone for my support as I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them. The fact remains, I would write if no one ever saw my work because it’s what I do. It’s what I must do regardless of everything else.

I am a writer therefore I write.

Hope your reading and writing day is wonderful! See you tomorrow!

Lynn

Writing Isn’t Easy

Today I’m going to explore the myth that writing is easy. If I could have a dollar for every time someone has told me writing is easy, I’d probably be a millionaire by now.

I kid you not.

People have this strange illusion you just sit down at the computer and the words flow. Now, I have to be honest, there are some days the words do flow but there are others where no matter what I do, nothing happens. The key is to make the days where nothing happens few and far between.

Now, there are many ways to do this and one I utilize quite often is to read industry books. Recently I found a new to me book called How To Write A Best Seller by Rob Parnell. Here’s one of the best quotes I have ever seen regarding rejects:

"The entire publishing industry is set up to say ‘no’ as a reflex. Have you noticed this? Of course. It’s self evident. Plus, it makes sense. If only one in a thousand published books ever sells more than 60 copies (did you know this was the shocking reality?) then saying ‘no’ does them little harm. In fact it saves them a lot of hard work, paper and money. The majority of publishers survive on re-printing books that have proved themselves first anyway – whether that be in the small presses or on other publisher’s lists. No-one, it seems, is prepared to stick their neck out anymore – if they ever were – and say ‘this is it’ – this is a potential bestseller. For good reason – it’s impossible to predict these things."

This is the hard, cold reality of writing and getting published.

In my mind, it all goes back to the fact that writing isn’t easy. You have to have a great product right out of the gate or it will languish and never sell a thing. This means to me every word on the written page must count. Every word must belong to the overall product. That’s hard in anyone’s book and it doesn’t matter whether you write scientific papers, white papers or the great American novel. Writing is hard work. Period.

Recently, I heard the lamenting of ebook writers who were saying they haven’t sold very many books over the short course of their career. One of things I have noticed in today’s world is the fact one must promote themselves daily. Matter of fact, I set aside a whole day to promoting and it’s usually Wednesday. So you all know if you see more of me on the loops on this day, you know why.

There’s also the fact, I belong to an unsightly number of looks. At last count, it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 175 of them. That’s right, 175 and it so explains the nearly 3000 emails a day. I’m sure you’re all wondering how I keep them all straight. Well, I can thank Outlook for this as I have tons of folders and archive weekly what I don’t delete. Then there is also the fact that on a yahoogroup, your messages are always there. So if you’ve missed something, you can just go back into the group and see what you’ve missed.

I’ve had to do that a lot with the number of times I’ve killed a computer. But that’s a story for a different day.

Today’s quote definitely goes along with the subject. Hope you agree:

Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

I couldn’t have said it better. Hope you all have a great writing or reading day!

Lynn

An Interview with Erin Sinclair

Help me in welcoming our second interview of the day, Erin Sinclair. I met Erin through a mutual friend and we started emailing in regards to her writing. I enticed her to come to a writing group and we’ve been friends ever since. Here’s her answers to some very interesting questions.

At what age did you realize you wanted to be a writer? I was very young, eight years old to be exact.

What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer? Storytellers in general. Those incredibly entertaining, imaginative souls that transport us from the reality we live, to adventures we can scarce imagine.

How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract? My brain went into overload, excitement doesn’t begin to describe what I felt. There was a rush of sensation so energizing, so powerful I was in high revolution for weeks afterward.

Is writing a lonely career for you? Not at all. I lose myself in writing and enjoy every moment of it. It gives me a peace that sometimes is hard to find elsewhere.

How many novellas/novels have you published to date? When did you have your first sale? I have published one novel and two novellas to date, with a third novella coming out on Halloween via Devine Destinies Publishing, a division of eXtasy Books. My first sale occurred with my first batch of printed novels of Twilight’s Son, Book 1 of the Fallen Angel trilogy. When I received my first order of printed novels and my friend Dani bought the first one, I thought “Good Lord, this has been thirty-seven years in the making.” I couldn’t take the smile from my face for weeks.

How do you get your ideas for your stories? Do they come all at one or in bits and pieces over a period of time? My ideas are a total inspired moment. They hit me fast and hard. I have to write them down or I will forget them. I have a ton of stories in their first stages, now to write them.

If you could take the place with one character in your books, who would it be and why? I would take the place of Lt. Detective Brianna Carter in Twilight’s Son. She’s brilliant, beautiful, strong, independent and has the eternal love of an angel who has given up his angelic existence because he can’t be without her. It doesn’t hurt that he’s all man, all hers and gorgeous inside and out.

Tell me about your upcoming release. Please include if it is part of a series or a stand alone book. My next release is a novella entitled Witch One? scheduled for sale on October 31, 2009. It is about a beautiful witch living a perfect life in New England whose fiancé has just proposed. She joyfully accepts but she’s forgotten one small item, her first fiancé, a man to whom she’s been engaged since a child and, inconveniently, still is betrothed. It is a stand-alone novella.

What was your inspiration for this book? Several sources actually not the least of which Bewitched, Fantasy Island, my spiritual belief system and my passion for romantic comedy.

How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter? Basic plotter, but allow my characters to tell me their story. When that happens, pantser all the way.

How do you handle the editing/revision process? Methodical and one sentence at a time. I tend toward perfectionism, but fall short more often than not. A wise woman I know who is also a writer has subsequently advised me to devote more time to writing than to obsessing over every paragraph. I’ve taken her advice and have attempted to become less paranoid.

You’ve received some fantastic reviews...how do you feel about them and why? I’m flattered to say the least. My goal is to entertain, transport, maybe even teach my reader something along the way. When I receive a good review, I appreciate that reviewer’s opinion because knowing what they liked about the story means I’ve reached them in the way I wanted to, what they may have had issue with, I utilize to improve my style. What I truly enjoy is when several reviewers have the same positive reaction to something I’ve written because that means they understood what I was trying to convey in my story.

Did anything odd happen while you were researching this story? Not odd, more like intriguing. Witch One flowed so smoothly from my imagination to computer, I wrote it in a minimal amount of time. I felt like I was literally watching a Hallmark movie in my head. That’s my hope one day, that Witch One is translated to a film as a charming romantic comedy. Well, a girl can dream can’t she?

What is your favorite literary quote of all time? This is the last stanza of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, one of my favorite poets and definitely in my top five favorite literary quotes of all time. “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.” It has told me life is choice and your will is free. Life is done when you are and not before.

Where do you see your career in five years? Ten years? I see my writing career expanded and unlimited. I see myself exploring every artistic bone in my body. I see myself pursuing my first love writing via several different aspects of fiction and even a non-fiction book or two. I see myself illustrating young adult/children’s books. I see myself pursuing photography, finishing my Master’s Degree in Creative Fiction and in Art. Quite frankly I see myself pursuing whatever sings to me and calls me to explore its possibilities.

Erin Sinclair can be found all around the web and is looking forward to hearing from readers at:

erin_sinclair_writer@yahoo.com
http://www.erinsinclairauthor.com/
http://www.devinedestinies.com/
http://themanyshades.blogspot.com/

She posts here every Friday:

www.myspace.com/erin_sinclair_author
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/devinedestinies/

Erin is also on Facebook, Twitter (ESinclairWriter), Writers and Readers of Distinctive Fiction, Romance Book Junction and many more!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to chat with you today Lynn, this has been so enjoyable!

Erin's Bio:

I have been writing since I was eight years old. Writing is everything to me. It is my dream, my hope and now my reality. I am a daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend. As each role ebbs and flows in my life, the one that is constant is that of a writer. To me, storytelling is the original art form. I am thrilled and honored to be a part of such an ancient, noble tradition. My goal is to transport the reader to the worlds of my imagination. The greatest compliment I receive as an author is when a reader tells me I’ve “taken them there”. When I hear that, I know I’ve done what I am supposed to do with my career.


Thanks for taking part in my 2 for Thursday promotion, Erin.

Lynn