Don't know much, but wait, yes I do.

The first time I read those words, I about panicked. What I know, I can hold in the palm of my hand. I'm a literal person. Abstract ideas are doable, but they're not the easiest things to eek out for me. So when I read, "Write what you know" you can imagine.

Here's what I know: Sunsets; how they make me feel. Burlap; how it feels next to my skin, the way the fibers overlap, it's thickness, the color. Talcum powder; deja vu, Johnson and Johnson, babies. The smell of popcorn, the sound of a train whistle in the distance. Where haven't I lived where I couldn't hear one somewhere. Rain; how it makes my hair go straight.

You get the picture. I know so, so much. Things you know have to do with your five senses and the images and feelings you get from them. Write those things, look into your heart, your memory, re-experience them, then put them on paper. So many times I forget and have to go back and add imagery. In fact, the first draft is usually void of such things. Just get the story on paper, right? But there are those things we know that come so natural that, even on the first draft, they flow onto the paper from memory. I'm talking like this is a new revelation. I know we all know this stuff, but we forget--I forget.

Sometimes I have to stop and close my eyes. When I'm writing a scene, I try and imagine the things around me. Getting out of an old, worn out car, for instance. The door probably sticks and squeaks--now that's a really old car. The musky, old smell that mingles with the fresh air for a single instant. The difference in attmosphere, like stepping from air conditioning to stifling, breath-eating swelter. Easy, right?
Not so much. How does it look, feel, smell, even taste? Of course, one can get carried away with this, I suppose.

That's my words of wisdom for the week. Hope you all have wonderful weekends. I'll shout at you again real soon. God bless.

I need an expert on teens

I get so inspired by some of your guys' blogs. It makes me want to drop everything and write. But when I go to write, I'm stumped, not writer's block, writer's ignorance.

I'm on my second novel. It's going to be a YA book with the teen character from my first novel. If I can't sell the first one, I'll have to change some things, but it will still work.

I'm not on fire about it yet. I think one of the reasons is because I've been away from that age group for so long. I've got a book of teenage slang coming from Amazon, but that's just part of my problem. The whole mentality of teenagers has changed. It was so easy being a teenager back in the dark ages. These days it's like a war out there--teen bullies, teens with guns, teens who have no respect, and those are the nice ones. Now that I think about it, I've just described a lot of adults, especially the ones in politics. I don't want to open that can of snakes.

Regardless, I'm out of touch. I know most teens are decent kids, but even the decent ones are still teens. It comes with a certain amount of giving and getting pain, at least the mental kind. So I'm reading a lot of YA books, or would be if I'd get my hiney in gear. If anyone can recommend any good high school YA books with mean girls, I'd be most thankful for the titles and authors. I need some inspiration I can get my wrap my mind around.

Thank you so much and God bless.

Under the Radar

Ive noticed in my reading that some literary agents want a book proposal in which you describe things like how you plan to promote your book. One even suggested starting in advance to the finished manuscript. Websites, interviews, even TV appearances. They suggest going to writing conferences and online social networks. One or two of them suggested including a website or blog address on the query letter. The agent then goes out and looks at how many comments you get to your posts.

It looks like I'm a bit behind on my promotional work. The other thing that interests me is the previous experience garnered throughout one's writing experience. I have none. I've never written a short story or entered a contest, so I'll be leaving that blank. I encourage everyone who thinks they may want to write a book, to start at a young age so they have time to incorporate this in their time spent away from work. Well, live and learn. It's an interesting road we travel as writiers.

Workin' Hard

It's about time I posted something, huh. Did you miss me?

I've been updating and updating and editing and editing. Do you suppose it's done? You know what? I think authors, like actors or athletes, though with the reputations these two professions garner, do I want to compare myself to them? Sorry, Anyway, I think we earn our bucks big time. It's all perfection and to the individual whose work it is, perfection is never, ever achieved. I mean, I can get obsessed on stupid space that's not in alignment. You know how when your word processor keeps fighting back?

I finally learned how to master Microsoft Word, and I learned it the hard way--after everything was done and it ALL had to be fixed. I had to go through over 3,000 paragraphs and take out the little dots before and after. Good news is, I learned how to use styles and it is slick. Will they ever come up with one that can correctly correct punctuation and spelling?

Well, that's all I have for today. My hubby is taking me out to dinner. I'm going to make an effort to post more, just as soon as I get the query letter, cover letter, and synopsis completed. You may never see my smiling face again.

Have a great week everyone. Maybe I'll be back before it's over.

When you're done, you're not

Ugh, I just got my MS back from my proofing friend and I'm having to make thousands of corrections, mostly missing commas. I went out on the internet and looked up comma rules. I'm incapable of learning them. What made me think my brain would change the way I think, or, rather, learn. All in all, I didn't do a horrible job, and there aren't really thousands of corrections, though it seems like it. Wading through them one-by-one is painful.

Writing a novel is a process that involves a lot of work. The writing is bad enough, but when you're done, you're not. When I get rich and famous, I can afford to have someone else do this work, but until then, it's all me.

Going into a four day weekend, but have no plans. It takes a bomb to get me out of the house anymore, but I may force myself out because I'm running out of clothes. What I mean is, I have extra hangers.

Have fun and be safe on this July fourth, everyone, and God Bless