Sadie, Bernice and I have instituted a walking program. The dogs love it! I had to overcome a lot of fear--one of my friends lost a dog in an unexpected attack--but I finally decided my fear was costing them too much. So I bought a can of spray repellent--the humane kind that does no lasting damage--bit the bullet, and hooked up the leashes. There are lots of perks--this morning I met one of my neighbors, B.J. And of course the area around the lake is a beautiful place to walk--the lilacs are starting to come on. Heaven must smell like lilacs! (Spokane, you know, is called the Lilac City.)
Best get back in the house. Lots to do, and I can hear the girls barking their brains out.
Have a wonderful Monday.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Friday, May 04, 2007
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
That is one of the most common questions I get, along with, "Will there be more vampire books?" (Probably not) and "When are you going to write the third book in the My Lady series?" (Probably never. They didn't sell and publishing is, after all, a business.)
Where do I get my ideas? Well, a lot of them seem to come out of the ether, but I think it's really a subconscious process. I read a LOT, mostly history, biographies and memoires, and all those words and images get into my deeper mind, and some kind of synthesis thing happens that seems magical. Or I may be playing with the dogs, or fiddling with polymer clay, and a snatch of dialogue or a scene comes to me, or even a mere flash. I scribble it down, and always regret it if I don't. Ideas are fleeting--you think you won't forget them, but you do.
When I'm planning a particular book, or just a chapter of that book, I use my very favorite all-time brainstorming tool. I make lists of twenty. Full credit for this idea goes to Brian Tracy, the motivational speaker. I ask myself, "What are 20 things I know about this character?" (It always surprises me how much I know about a character who has been hanging around on the fringes of my mind.) Or "What are 20 things that could happen in this book?" The technique can be applied to virtually anything you want to do; the possibilities are quite literally endless. Here's the important (VERY important) part. You have to let yourself go. No matter how ridiculous the ideas seem at first, put them on your list. Absolutely no judging! The first five or six or nineteen will probably be really stupid. (Once, when I was creating a character, the first item on the list was: "She could jump off a cliff") Keep digging, keep practicing. This technique is an acquired skill. If you persist, you will discover things you never would have come up with in any other way.
How to get started? Well, how about, "What are 20 ways I could use this list of 20 idea?"
Where do I get my ideas? Well, a lot of them seem to come out of the ether, but I think it's really a subconscious process. I read a LOT, mostly history, biographies and memoires, and all those words and images get into my deeper mind, and some kind of synthesis thing happens that seems magical. Or I may be playing with the dogs, or fiddling with polymer clay, and a snatch of dialogue or a scene comes to me, or even a mere flash. I scribble it down, and always regret it if I don't. Ideas are fleeting--you think you won't forget them, but you do.
When I'm planning a particular book, or just a chapter of that book, I use my very favorite all-time brainstorming tool. I make lists of twenty. Full credit for this idea goes to Brian Tracy, the motivational speaker. I ask myself, "What are 20 things I know about this character?" (It always surprises me how much I know about a character who has been hanging around on the fringes of my mind.) Or "What are 20 things that could happen in this book?" The technique can be applied to virtually anything you want to do; the possibilities are quite literally endless. Here's the important (VERY important) part. You have to let yourself go. No matter how ridiculous the ideas seem at first, put them on your list. Absolutely no judging! The first five or six or nineteen will probably be really stupid. (Once, when I was creating a character, the first item on the list was: "She could jump off a cliff") Keep digging, keep practicing. This technique is an acquired skill. If you persist, you will discover things you never would have come up with in any other way.
How to get started? Well, how about, "What are 20 ways I could use this list of 20 idea?"
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Rainbows and Confederate Generals
Yesterday, as I was returning from a brief visit to the casino--one of my favorite ways to relax, if you're new to the blog, is playing slot machines--an enormous rainbow arced across the sky, ending in the lake in front of my house. I'm taking it as a good omen! (The frog didn't morph into a prince, but at least I held my own.)
The dogs are with me in the lakehouse office as I write this. Sadie is snoring away on the dog bed, and Bernice is cuddled up next to her.
I'm writing a new westrn, and doing research for a monumental series set during the Civil War. Since the actual writing of these books is four years out, I'm just doing the preliminary reading at the moment. I've ordered stacks of DVDs, and every night, I go to bed with a Confederate general. :) He's in my iPod. I'm listening to Shelby Foote's ground-breaking series and must admit, although I have both Confederates and Yankees in my lineage, I feel a pang every time the Union suffers a setback. Although I have Confederate sympathies (the Laels are from North Carolina and many still live in Virginia and Georgia), I cannot, of course, condone slavery.
Nation against nation, brother against brother. The whole pyschology fascinates me. The West I write about in books like "The Man from Stone Creek", (paperback coming out the last Tuesday of this month) and "A Wanted Man", (hardcover, June 26, absolutely fabulous cover) would not have happened without the Civil War. In fact, the escapades of men like Jesse James, as I'm learning now, were simply continuations. The Confederate cause died hard indeed.
You're probably going to hear more than you want to about the Civil War, over the next few years. :) I'm keeping a special journal about the process of planning the books--we're talking geneology charts, the whole works.
In the meantime, expect more Mojo books (a LOT more), and another western contemporary trilogy, starring the Creeds of Montana--distant cousins of the McKettricks.
God, I love this job!
The dogs are with me in the lakehouse office as I write this. Sadie is snoring away on the dog bed, and Bernice is cuddled up next to her.
I'm writing a new westrn, and doing research for a monumental series set during the Civil War. Since the actual writing of these books is four years out, I'm just doing the preliminary reading at the moment. I've ordered stacks of DVDs, and every night, I go to bed with a Confederate general. :) He's in my iPod. I'm listening to Shelby Foote's ground-breaking series and must admit, although I have both Confederates and Yankees in my lineage, I feel a pang every time the Union suffers a setback. Although I have Confederate sympathies (the Laels are from North Carolina and many still live in Virginia and Georgia), I cannot, of course, condone slavery.
Nation against nation, brother against brother. The whole pyschology fascinates me. The West I write about in books like "The Man from Stone Creek", (paperback coming out the last Tuesday of this month) and "A Wanted Man", (hardcover, June 26, absolutely fabulous cover) would not have happened without the Civil War. In fact, the escapades of men like Jesse James, as I'm learning now, were simply continuations. The Confederate cause died hard indeed.
You're probably going to hear more than you want to about the Civil War, over the next few years. :) I'm keeping a special journal about the process of planning the books--we're talking geneology charts, the whole works.
In the meantime, expect more Mojo books (a LOT more), and another western contemporary trilogy, starring the Creeds of Montana--distant cousins of the McKettricks.
God, I love this job!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Rain
It's raining today, and even that is lovely. A day for a crackling fire and hot tea.
Back to the house, though. The dogs are inside, barking. Sadie has a touch of arthritis this a.m., so I gave her half a dog aspirin.
Longer blog tomorrow, I promise.
Back to the house, though. The dogs are inside, barking. Sadie has a touch of arthritis this a.m., so I gave her half a dog aspirin.
Longer blog tomorrow, I promise.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Invasion of the Maid Brigade
Sadie, Bernice and I are hiding out in the lakehouse office, while the cleaning crew whizzes through the main house. Now that they each have a bed out here, the dogs are calmer.
Last night, family and crew came out for dinner. I made a pork roast, and a good time was had by all. Guest of honor was baby Lucas, who will be two months old on the 8th. Bernice was especially fascinated, and couldn't resist jumping up onto the couch to peer into his infant seat. He really has her mystified. When his mother took him to the living room to rock and have a bottle. Bernice discovered that he was missng from the seat and got frantic, relaxing only when I showed her he was safe with Mommy. Bernice has always been our own private police dog--she rides herd over both cats and always has to know what's going on. We've never figured out what she means to do about it once she finds out. :) Sadie, always sweet-spirited and calm, loves having a lot of people at the house.
My room at home is being redone--new paint, new floor, and eventually new furniture, now waiting in the bedroom across the hall. There is a lot going on, so I'm enjoying the peace out here. At night, the moon shimmers on the lake, and it takes my breath away. It's still too cold to swim, but we're all awaiting the day--even Sadie, who loves to paddle along with her beagle ears floating.
Now, wouldn't you know it. I go to all the trouble to find 2 dog beds, and both of them are on the same one as I write this.
Last night, family and crew came out for dinner. I made a pork roast, and a good time was had by all. Guest of honor was baby Lucas, who will be two months old on the 8th. Bernice was especially fascinated, and couldn't resist jumping up onto the couch to peer into his infant seat. He really has her mystified. When his mother took him to the living room to rock and have a bottle. Bernice discovered that he was missng from the seat and got frantic, relaxing only when I showed her he was safe with Mommy. Bernice has always been our own private police dog--she rides herd over both cats and always has to know what's going on. We've never figured out what she means to do about it once she finds out. :) Sadie, always sweet-spirited and calm, loves having a lot of people at the house.
My room at home is being redone--new paint, new floor, and eventually new furniture, now waiting in the bedroom across the hall. There is a lot going on, so I'm enjoying the peace out here. At night, the moon shimmers on the lake, and it takes my breath away. It's still too cold to swim, but we're all awaiting the day--even Sadie, who loves to paddle along with her beagle ears floating.
Now, wouldn't you know it. I go to all the trouble to find 2 dog beds, and both of them are on the same one as I write this.
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