A Matter of Character

I figured out what my problem is with this book.  My characters.  When Jo Davis was at chapter the other day, we talked about how her books are character driven as opposed to plot, and I agreed saying so were mine.  We both agreed that if you know your characters well enough, then the book practically writes itself as you know how your characters will react in any given situation.  Think about it.  Think about the person that you know best in your life.  Then say this person is in a traffic accident, the other person approaches the car with a menacing look on their face .. how would this person react?  How about if someone told you that they were planning a surprise party for this person – how would they react to that?  If you know someone well enough, you can pretty much figure out how they will react to anything.  And that’s the problem. I don’t know my characters that well.  Normally when I write a book, I have the characters “picked out” (i.e. magazine photos, etc.), their names and all of that chit.  This one hit me without all of that and I just started typing.  Do you know that I’m really not sure what Casey, my heroine, even looks like?  I think she’s a blue-eyed blond, but I’m not sure.  Nick, my hero, is Hugh Jackman .. that’s a given. 

The only other character I’m sure about is a secondary character named Jit, who is portrayed by Michael Jeter.

  Recently I decided on my H/H for the next book – Deacon and Halley – and I know that he’s Josh Holloway.  

But that’s pretty much it.  

I need to sit down and sketch them out.  I need to find Casey.  I need to .. yeah, I got work to do.

Reading for TaTas ....

Eleven authors have banded together to support breast cancer research with their writing. Authors4theCure, which includes award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors, as well as two breast cancer survivors, is donating proceeds from the sale of their paranormal anthology, Entangled, to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).




Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal stories from authors Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, Michelle Miles, and Edie Ramer, plus a novella by Allison Brennan. Stacia Kane contributed the foreword and the book’s formatting and cover art were also donated to the project.



The anthology has already received it's first five start review from Coffle Table Reviews

Available September 12, you can get it on Smashwords, B&N and Amazon through October for $2.99.

An old man walks into a bar ...

Did you know that 3 billion devices run Java*? Yeah, didn’t think so .. I’m just a load of information. Trouble is none of it applies to blog posts. And least of all this blog post. I have blog block.. from now on referred to as BB. There’s really no cure for BB except to type. Does it have to make sense? Only if you want anyone to read beyond the Java line. (psssst, am I still making sense?) Wednesday’s post is supposed to be about the craft of writing. I did do some writing on Monday – almost 2k worth. But it was a struggle. This is one area that I didn’t think about cigarettes and their role in my life. I’ve come up with some of my most creative pieces of writing while puffing on a cig. Whenever I can’t think of what comes next, I’d pull one out of a pack, take a few puffs & think. Couldn’t do that on Monday. I had nothing to use as my creative, well “crutch” for lack of a better word. Tried M&M’s, but, while satisfying in many ways, it’s hard to put a piece of candy in my mouth and contemplate while it slowly melts, the way I could while watching a stream of smoke whiff through the air. Ohh, maybe I should try Skittles and watch the rainbow? On second thought, that would distract me too much. Hey look! A blog post!!!

My question to you writers out there … when you need to stop and think, what do you do while thinking?

*actual words that popped up while loading update of Java ... Bailey's mind isn't that sharp ....

The Voice

Like many, I am of the opinion that you can’t teach “voice”. You either have it or you don’t. What I do believe, however, is that you can teach a person how to 1) find their voice; and 2) how to enhance it.

Voice, as I’ve said before, is that part of your writing that separates you from other writers. The turn of a phrase, choice of words or witty schizophrenic story twists that are uniquely your own. It’s the part of your writing that identifies you to the reader. I struggled for the longest time with my voice. First, I wanted to write John Jakes/Roberta Gellis multigenerational family sagas. Yeah, I wanted Betsy Sue to marry the grandson of Bobby Joe, you know, the hero from the first book? But alas, that wasn’t me. So who was I? What voice was mine? I love action adventure type books and movies. I’d pick “Transformers” over “While You Were Sleeping” just about any day. So of course – I’ll write romantic suspense. Simple really, don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Ergo, I launched my second career as the author of romantic suspense novels … NOT! Put on the brakes, hold back those horses, we ain’t going no where on this one. I’m not a romantic suspense writer. But I have stories to tell! The voices in my head tell me this nearly every day. But what? I have a voice (yes, other than the ones in my head), but I didn’t know what it was, and I didn’t have a clue as to how to find it. So I wrote blogs. I commented on blogs. And slowly, something began to emerge, something that was quite unexpected to me. No, not that … but rather that I’m a comedian. I write romantic comedies. I have a voice and it’s funny, just ask me. Writing this blog helped me discover what my voice is, and your feedback through these years, dear readers, has helped it to evolve. Whenever I couldn’t think of a topic to blog about, when I would just go off on some weird tangent, you were there with me. And you laughed.

So it’s simple. To discover what your voice is, write. Even if it’s little doodle type writing, or mindless scribbling. You’ll discover as time goes on that a certain style will begin to emerge …. that is your voice. Not the one in your head .. which we’ll discuss at some other time.

Speaking of that .. Friday is humor day so you get to pick. Bud and Ernie (for new comers, they are the voices in my head); things my customers say or Spam. Top vote gets it.

Connections

I've come to the decision that everything in my life is connected in one way or another. Now don't just sit there and say .. "well duh". Let me explain. But then again, short of leaving this page how can you stop me from explaining ..?? When mom died a lot of things inside me began to shut down. It wasn't an immediate reaction, but more like the beginning of a dam with the water slowly trickling to nothing. A couple of years later, I'd virtually stopped reading. Writing was sporadic but I still kept up appearances. Bailey Stewart was everywhere ... but inside, Bailey Stewart was running. Then I cut off the last of the .. connections. What am I talking about? The things that keep a writer going, the stuff that feeds the imagination. Reading, writing, blogging, talking to other authors. Those were the things that fed me ... and they were the things I had stopped doing.

So what to do about it? I'm slowly mending those connections. I'm reading again. I'm talking/participating/networking or whatever term you want to give it. And I'm here, talking to you. It's all about connections, keeping those intact so that the muses can play.

You are a fundamental connection .. and I've missed you.

So you wanna know about my writing

Well guess what? So do I. Not writing much lately, in fact I haven't done a lot of writing in months. I'm having a problem getting into the characters, into their heads; can't seem to grab the rhythm, the beat or pulse of the story that is an important part of my voice. In other words ... I can't find my voice. That's the other reason I needed to get this blog up and going again. This is where I found that part of me that is uniquely me .. my writing voice. So, in the meantime, you can ogle Nick, my hero ... no touching ... and please, wipe up the drool when you leave.

My Playlist

I know, blogging on a Wednesday, what is the world coming too?

I'm actually here to ask you for a few prayers. My brother David had 2 heart attacks yesterday, and is having a cathertization (spelling?) this morning. For those of you that remember, David had quadruple bypass in 2003, so his heart is definitely a big issue.

Okay, and here is the playlist for the current WIP Casey at Bat. Normally I pick only instrumental music, and music that has never had lyrics - like the soundtrack to Lord of the Rings or something. The words tend to distract me. But this time I felt the need for actual music to set the mood.

Oh, and I've written 2,156 words since Monday. WhooHoo!!!

You betrayed me so I'm going to have your baby in a flash back

I watched this new series tonight – “Defying Gravity”, the entire 2 hours. I won’t be doing it again next week. The episode was boring (why did I sit through the entire thing???) and confusing. It kept going back and forth in back flashes – to the point where I was saying “Get on with it already!!” It reminded me of my old WIP “The Devil You Know” which was full of back flashes and made me realize just how confusing that can be. It’s a plot device that is used often, but the author must be careful to not over use it to the point that the reader says “Get on with it already”, or worse yet, just put the book down. If I hadn’t been so lazy, that’s what I would have done with this series. A back flash starting a story off, for example, can be effective. Or little snatches here and there as a character comes to turn with something, like amnesia brought on by the shock of a crime, can work too – as long as they are short snippets and kept to a small number. In this TV series the flash backs were entire scenes, or worse yet, interspersed within one scene so often that you lost track of where you were, who was who – especially with the men. The women were easy to keep track of in this back and forth storytelling as their hairstyles changed, but the men were more difficult to follow.

Anyway, that’s one plot device that can be annoying. Others that I’m not fond of?

Lovers that break up because of a misunderstanding or lack of communication and then get back together, with one seeking revenge and the other not really knowing what is going on, or endlessly apologizing, etc. etc. etc. You know what I mean. You’re sitting there reading it and going “you idiot, if you had just asked him in the first place instead of listening to the ex-girlfriend …..” Why don’t characters talk????

Secret babies. ‘Nuff said

Leaving the group of people to explore the house alone after 15 gadzillion people have been slashed to death …. Yeah, I had to throw that one in.

The ex-girl/boyfriend betrayed me so ALL men/women are the same …..

There’s more, but now it’s your turn. What plot device, whether in movies/TV/books, really annoys you?

Dreams

I’ve been having a variation of the same dream on and off for the last couple of weeks and I think I’ve finally figured it out. But first, the dream. I’m not going to go into details, but I’m in the hallway of my old high school, trying desperately to get my locker open but I can’t. There’s something in there that I really need and I can’t get to it. Now, there could be a couple of explanations for this, but I think I know exactly what it is. I haven’t been able to write for about 3 weeks, and I think my story is in that locker – that or my muse. Either way I’ve been struggling to get to it but it’s beyond my reach right now. I’m not going to go into specifics, but Bailey hasn’t exactly been in a funny mood lately. I’ve got to do something about that because I really think the current WIP, Casey at Bat, is THE one.

I’m sure that you’ve noticed the lack of Wednesday posts. Sorry, but I keep forgetting – really. I’ll try to do better about it, I promise.

So, is there something that you really need to do that is eluding you for some reason or another?

We're having a cold front .... it is all relative you know. I don't think it hit 90 yesterday and is supposed to stay below 100 today. For Texas in July, that's a cold front. Rain would have made it perfect, and we did have rain .... I counted 5 drops!

I fell off the no-smoking wagon, but I'll climb back on it. I went 3 weeks - which is the longest that I've gone before. I'm aiming for a month this time .... maybe I'll go beyond that, but I'd love to go a month. Maybe that would be enough for me to finally make it. Keep your fingers crossed. I can tell you that the toughest part has been trying to write - I always took smoking breaks as "thinking" breaks, it's when I came up with my best ideas - like the opening line of the current WIP. I've got to find something else to use for those breaks. But, I haven't written a word in the last three weeks. Won't get that charm this Saturday at the Yellow Rose meeting. *sigh*

Reading a great book - Instant Gratification by Jill Shalvis. I am loving it!!!!!

Oh, and before I forget - for those of you interested - Jason Evans is having another Flash Fiction contest on his blog. Here is the information if you are interested in participating.

I'm writing to announce a very special Clarity of Night Contest short fiction contest beginning July 8th! Jaye Wells, the debut author of the cool and successful novel RED-HEADED STEPCHILD, is joining me as co-host! The contest is in her honor.

Compete for a signed copy of RED-HEADED STEPHCHILD. Compete for eternal bragging rights. Compete for cold, hard cash!! (Well, Amazon gift certificates...as good as cash.) $170 dollars in prizes will be awarded.
The contest will open on Wednesday, July 8th and will be open for one week. As with past contests, the limit is 250 words. Any genre or form is welcome so long as it is inspired by the "In Vino Veritas (Truth in Wine)" photo. Rules have been posted here: http://clarityofnight.blogspot.com/2009/07/in-vino-veritas-truth-in-wine-short.html

What are you reading, and how are you liking it so far?

If it's Wednesday this must be May

Well, here it is Wednesday again. Aren't we thrilled. And folks, I have an announcement to make - yes, we will get into the 90s this week. I am sooooo happy I could puke. We all know how Bailey feels about heat. Say it all together "Bailey hates heat!!!". There, I feel better now that everyone is in agreement.

Once again, I'm scrambling for things to blog about. The last time we talked about words we get mixed up - and you had some good ones. Another that I want to throw in is effect/affect. I don't think I will ever understand those two words. Don't even try to explain it to me, I'll just rely on the grammar check, thank you so much. I have, on the other hand, finally conquered the me/I ordeal. I finally learned the "formula". Okay, it all depends on how the sentence would be without the other person involved. Wiped that confused look off of your face. For example:

"Bebo and I will go to the store." Now, I know it's "I" because if you take Bebo out of the equation, the sentence "Me will go to the store" makes absolutely no sense. But "I will go to the store", does. Me? "The truck bore down on Jeanne and me." You see, the sentence "The truck bore down on I" is obviously wrong. That's how I learned it - take the other person out of the sentence and see if it makes sense. Of course, this has led to big pauses in my conversations.

And that's your Wednesday blog of the week. Next Wednesday we will dissect the old question "Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?"

Now lets discuss Friday. I think we'll have it this week, in case you were wondering. But what will we have? I've decided to let you decide, but you must answer by 9:00 pm cst Thursday night. Here are your choices:

Bud and Ernie
Spam
Things my customers say/do

Have a great hump day.

Yada Yada

I think Mother Nature has PMS. Shorts Monday, leggings Tuesday, shorts Wednesday, leggings Thursday - up and down temps all over the place. Sheesh. And the pollen - I generally like the temps in Spring, but I always get hit with the pollen.

Nick? Come on y'all, didn't you recognize the reference? It's Nick from Casablanca. I know Bebo recognized it, 'cuz it's one of her favorite movies.

And as for your weekend, most of you had just about as much fun as I did! What gives? Jeanne is the only one that did something interesting. I've got to get my jollies somewhere.

Not a whole lot going on. I haven't written or read, and I have deadlines looming on both. The book I'm supposed to read is for a contest, and it's due by April 18. And the writing? Well, at the writer's group, we get charms for writing - and I want one!!!! The next meeting is the 11th, so I got to get a move on. I'm also taking an on-line workshop through the group - it's called "Sizzle 101" and is being taught by Blaze author Jennifer LaBrecque, one of my favorite writers.

Here's the description:

The two-week course will cover sensuality vs. sexuality, creating sexual tension, awareness, steps to intimacy, the emotional component, engaging all five senses, and moving beyond tab a into slot b.

I'm really looking forward to it. It's my first on-line workshop, so I'm still not quite sure what is expected of me.

Anyway, that's just about it for now. Hope you are having a great hump day!!

So, we're back to Wednesday again ....

We’re on a rollercoaster ride again. Today the temperature didn’t get above 55, and tomorrow it will be around 75, then we’re back down again. Weirdness ….

I really don’t have anything to blog about today. It’s the middle of the week, a rather routine week, and things are going on as usual.

Oh, those of you that asked to read my entry, um, could you maybe give me some feedback? Thanks Jeanne and Dru! And Cheryl, could you email me at baileystewart at baileystewart dot net and I will send it to you.

I don’t know where this story is going, honestly. I am a panster by trade (for those of you who don’t know the technology, it means someone “flies by the seat of their pants” and don’t do outlines or really plot), but I generally do know where the story is going. Just not this time; this scene came out of no where – so I’ve got to get a handle on the characters, what’s going on, what’s going to happen, etc. Especially since this is the opening scene!! And no, it’s not a dream – although I did consider that, but pictures of Bobby Ewing coming out of the shower flashed through my head. If you don’t get the cultural reference, well, you’re just too young. LOL

Lately though, this is how I've been feeling while writing ... I'm so tired. LOL


more animals


And I do have the first kissing scene out of the way, so I can breathe easier.


more animals

So we'll see what happens next, okay? LOL

I Won, I Won - or They Really Like Me!!!!

Well, I didn’t really win, but I came in second in the “First Kiss” contest at the Yellow Rose Valentine meeting. But for me, it was winning, because I wrote!! Yes folks, I stayed up until almost 3:00 Friday night/Saturday morning and wrote around 1,300 words!! That was the most I’ve written in almost 2 years and I’ll tell you right now, it felt good. And it’s a new story, not a re-working of old stuff that wasn’t really working for me. I got the reaction that I wanted – they laughed when they were supposed to, so everything was fantastic.

Sooo, how was your weekend? Both of you, or are there three of you out there now? By the way, at the bottom of the page you’ll find something about followers. This is some blogger application where you can sign up as a “follower” of my blog. Not that I’m some cult leader or anything. LOL Anyway, it would be nice to know who is reading this stuff – ‘cuz from what I understand, there are a few lurkers out there.

Anyway, my second place entry is too long to put here, so if you’re interested in reading it, let me know and I’ll send it to you. As long as I know who “you” are. Not really kidding there …..

Focus

When I first began taking care of mom, well make that mom and dad, I was reading a lot and writing was great. Then dad died and I had to spend more time with mother. Still, I was reading and maybe not writing as much, but writing. As things progressed with mom, I still read, but the writing began to fall to the wayside. I always thought “when this thing with mom is over, I’ll have all the time in the world to write”. Yeah. Mom passed and everything stopped; reading, writing, creativity, etc. Oh, there were moments of creativity – it wasn’t all gone, but it became a chore, not a love. Suddenly I had all of the time, but nothing was really there. I kind of expected that, I was grieving after all. But as time went on, it didn’t change. At first I thought it was my eyes, and part of it turned out to be – bifocals. Still, didn’t change much. Then the bipolar diagnosis and the medication; some things changed, but the flow of creativity, the focus for reading – still MIA. It reminds me a little of the classic Twilight Zone episode called Time Enough at Last. I’ll stop for a few minutes to let you follow the link and read the synopsis. Ready? Okay, that’s me, I have time enough at last, but my “glasses” are broken, or something is broken and I don’t know exactly what. I do know that I need to start reading – that reading feeds my creativity. I know that I need to start writing – even if it is just this blog, because any form of writing is an improvement right now. I also know that I have to find Bailey Stewart again. That’s what I meant about getting back to MySpace, diving into what made her work. Because Bailey Stewart is my key, my way back to the creativity. Everything is there, waiting. And I’ll find it again.

The Image

See this picture? This is the picture I use for my MySpace page. It reflects what I write, laughter and love. I absolutely love those boots she’s wearing. Anyway, it’s all about the image. When I am on MySpace (and that’s a big WHEN), I am Bailey. I fill out surveys as Bailey, funny, quirky answers to stupid questions. When I do that, my readers get a sense of who Bailey Stewart really is. I’ve gotten a few positive responses, with people asking me when my book will be out, where can they find them, etc. I’m building a following without having actually written a book – not exactly a good thing, ya know? Delivering on the goods is what it’s all about. So that’s what I’m going to do this year, I’m going to deliver on the goods. Wish me luck, okay?

Anyway, that's the plan Stan, got the idea Rhea? I've just got to get back into the swing of "selling" Bailey Stewart, of getting her back out there, gather her following back around her. so that when that book is published, it'll sell. I'll have already "sold it". Then I have to live up to those expectations - and that's the scary part.

The Voice

I’m not talking about the voices in my head; this isn’t another Bud and Ernie blog post. I’m talking about the voice of an author, the voice that makes one writer’s work different from another. It’s what makes King different from Koontz, Roberts from Krentz, Shalvis from Crusie; the voice is what makes it possible for a reader to pick of a page, read it and know immediately who wrote it. The distinctive voice of the narrator, the haunting turn of a beautiful phrase – all of this contributes to the voice of a writer. When I began my journey on this long and winding road, I had so many mixed voices in my head. I wanted to be John Jakes, Janet Dailey, Stephen King – I wanted to be all of the wonderful books that I had read. I’ve tried many different voices throughout the years, some fit, and others didn’t. But in writing this blog, I’ve discovered that voice which is mine alone. I am a romantic comedy writer. It’s not that I’m unable to write serious material, no, it’s that I’m more comfortable with the lighter tone, the giggle instead of the tear. That’s okay. I’m never going to write that great multi-generational John Jake historical epic. My horror stories may resemble Charlaine Harris more than Stephen King, Sci-fi writer Jim Butcher instead of Isaac Asimov. Deep, intense subjects may be the form I read, but not that which I write. But that’s the kind of writer I am, I write comedy. I came to this conclusion a few years ago when I was attempting to write a blog post – a rambling bit about nothing, except aimless snickers and the occasional toss out – the laugh. That’s where my mind goes. Well, that and the gutter, but that’s okay too – who doesn’t like a little dirty joke every once in a while, huh? And I have you my readers to thank for this. You have laughed when I needed you to, responded to what I meant for you to, and encouraged that which is a vital part of who I am. Comedy and love.

Thank you.

Oh, and btw - I have a new blog to remember not to go to, or is that to forget to go to? Either way, there's a new blog in town and it's over in my blog list to the right. Just Taking Dictation is the new blog of a good friend of ours and my co-hort in whatever trouble I get in to. Yeah, Bebo, aka Beverly. Go and take a look, I dare you.

New Year?

New years, new years resolutions, goals, hopes, dreams – whatever you want to call them. Did you make one this year? I kinda did. I resolved to be better. Just better. Well, maybe more organized. I want to read again. Write. Create worlds for the characters that are clamoring to live outside of my head. At least, I hope they want out of my head. I hope they’re not just yelling for the heck of it, you know? ‘Cuz that would make me a nut case, or something. Hush Bebo!!! Answer emails – now that would be nice. I’m getting really terrible at that. Send out thank you notes for the Christmas surprises – you know who you are, and yes, I’ll thank you, personally, in an email. Honest. Blog again – visit my old friends. Find my old friends. LOL

But mostly, read. I miss that. I really miss getting immersed in a good book, losing myself in the story, whether it be romance or mystery, fantasy, history – I don’t care, just read.

So, what do you want out of this new year?

And yeah, that's my baileyboo!!!

A little map will do ya

So I did something different on Saturday. I went to a book signing! I’d never been to one. Susie and I went – it was Michelle Miles, and she was at the Barnes & Noble at North East Mall in Hurst. I’d never been to Hurst either, at least not on purpose. LOL I got off of work at 1:00 and met Susie at my apartment and then we were off! I had printed out one of those Google driving directions things to help us, as neither one of us really knew where we were going. Have you ever used one of those? They are useless and awfully vague with their directions. But I guess we did okay since we only got lost 3 times. Hmmmm. Anyway, Michelle’s new book is A Break in Time, the second in the Ransom and Fortune Adventure series. (I have got to find a copy of the first one, oops.) So we saw Michelle, Susie bought a copy of her book and I bought two. Why? ‘Cuz I’m going to give an autographed copy of the book away. Not right now, probably Wednesday when I decide how to do it. But I digress … after getting our books, Susie and I had lunch with Ames and Lynn at someplace called Logan’s Roadhouse. Interesting place and the food was good. So was the company. I had forgotten how great it was to hang out with Ames, and how invigorating talking about writing can be. That’s what I’m hoping for with Yellow Rose – the stimulus that I get from being around other writers. It could be just the thing to kick my writing ass into gear.

So, that was my Saturday. Sunday was spent doing nothing and watching the Cowboys whip some Cleveland Browns butt! Altogether a great weekend.

How was yours?

I Won't Read, don't make me ....

Yep, got that right, for some reason I just can’t make myself read. It’s not like I don’t have anything on the shelves TO read. Far from it. I have two of Jill’s books – the last two Blazes Flashpoint and Flashback, plus Saskia Walker’s newest one that she so graciously sent me, Reckless (waving at Saskia). We won’t even mention the LOAD of books I bought a couple of months ago. Did you read that right? Two Jill Shalvis books sitting unread! I know, scary. I just can’t get into the mood, or whatever is required to read. No writing either (hey JJ, I know I owe you something, I promise its coming!!). I don’t know if it’s the summer blues, my birth sign isn’t in align with the moon, my underwear’s too tight? I don’t know, and I don’t like it. There was a time that it was hard to find me without a book in my hands. I miss reading. I miss writing. I don’t miss rithmetic though …

So, be that as it may (does anyone really know what that means?), I’ve got to get reading. What do you do to help yourself do something that you aren’t in the mood to do? Is there some trick that you have, some special incantation that you throw to the universe? Help me out folks!!

In the meantime, I received this really heartfelt email from Lis. It seems that there are these twins that really need foster care. They need TLC and a lot of attention. Can’t you find it in your hearts to help them out? I’ve signed up for Wednesday’s, I figure it’s the least I could do. And once you look into their sad faces, you too will be unable to turn them away. Please, won't you help foster them?