Guardian Cats

2011-09-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

My active blog is called Mystic Coffee

Lots of new writerly type posts. Check it out!

http://www.rahmakrambo.com/

2011-07-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

Yoda is a Reader Cat, one of a rare breed, like the Guardian Cats. Here you see him after he just finished reading one of the proof copies. The eyes tell you everything. Yoda totally relates to the hero, Marco. They are both tabby cats, so he feels a special kinship to Marco.

When I asked him if he liked the book...he purred a 10 (on a scale of 1-10) and asked me to leave a copy on his bed. He's a cat of few words, but I think he wanted to make sure I didn't give away his book.

~ ~ ~

The print edition went through three proofings before final approval on the 15th. It then takes Amazon 5-7 days before it appears on the main site, but authors get their own store to sell their books. So, until they're up & running with the big boys, you can BUY THE REAL BOOK here.

To help kickstart the book launch, I'm offering some promotionals.

For 3 days only, a 20% coupon for the print edition. Use this code upon checkout:SF6HYFVZ

For the next two weeks, help promote my book and be eligible to win:

a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card

1. To be eligible for the gift card, enter your email where it says 'Sign up for emails' in the sidebar. Don't worry I'm not selling you out and won't spam you. Just share, tweet and email your friends and tell them about the book.

2. Then let me know how you'd shared it. Either

drop me a note at globalcats [@] gmail [dot] com (remove spaces & brackets)
use my regular email if you have it
leave a comment here on my blog

Thanks! Contest ends on July 31st.

Coming tomorrow: I'll post book sightings with real people.

~ ~ ~

Where to get your copy of Guardian Cats in all formats.

print edition on on Amazon.
Guardian Cats for your Kindle
Guardian Cats for your Nook.
free pdf of Guardian Cats.

Guardian Cats getting ready to launch!

2011-07-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

In case you landed here because of my Google profile, I should let you know that I'm launching the GUARDIAN CATS on July 18th (2011). For more in depth coverage, visit my writer's blog, Mystic Coffee.

Hope to see you there!

Monthly Book Giveaway!

2011-06-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

I have to phase out this blog because I have two of them and can barely keep up with one. Especially being in the throws of pre-publishing book launch for the print version of Guardian Cats.

So I'd love to have you follow me over to Mystic Coffee, my authors/writer's blog which just got a new makeover. Take a look. I'll make it worth your while because I'm featuring a Monthly Book Giveaway and focusing on Middle Grade fiction which is my favorite genre.

MONTHLY BOOK GIVEAWAY? Yes, I'll be giving away a brand new copy (your choice of print or e-book) of some of your favorite MG writers. My first giveaway will be Gennifer Choldenko's latest book, No Passengers Beyond This Point which just came out in February. I've ordered a copy and it's in the mail. Gennifer's other books are Al Capone Does My Shirts, Notes from a Liar and Her Dog, and If a Tree Falls at Lunchbreak.

The next giveaway will most likely be my book, Guardian Cats and the Lost Book of Alexandria.

See you there!

Rahma | Mystic Coffee

Free a free copy of my book!

2011-06-18T00:11:00.000-07:00

I'm giving away a free copy of GUARDIAN CATS at Freado.com

Just click on the 'Win my Book' widget in the right hand column, which will take you to Freado.com where you can enter to win all kinds of free books besides mine. Simple games like Hangman and Book Cover Memory Match, help you win the points you need to win free copies of books authors are promoting. Did I mention that you can enter to win Kindles and iPad too!

Pretty cool tool.

Give away date is June 30th so go have some and fun be sure to bid on my book. You only need 1,000 points to win. Thanks!

To bid on my book at Freado, click on the Prizes tab, then scroll down to categories, choose either Sci-Fi or Children’s Books, then scroll down until it you see it, then you can bid when you’ve earned 1,000 points. Good luck!

Of course, if you don't want to wait that long, you can get it on Amazon, now only 2.99 for Kindle.
Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Alexandria

What are your favorites when it comes to picture books?

2011-06-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Since I reviewed The Rice Bag Hammock yesterday, I've been caught up looking a picture books, both classics and new releases.

I usually think of bedtime-type stories when I think of picture books, but running across this one reminded me of all the 'how things work' type of books my kids read.

I'm really excited about the new picture books I see coming out. If a book looks like one I'd read to my grand kids, I'll be adding it to my Amazon store so check it out. (There's a bookstore tab at the top of my blog in case you lose this post.) This new release really fits the bill. I can tell my kids would have loved it.

"Award-winning author and illustrator Lisa Campbell Ernst takes a closer look at the great outdoors as she celebrates young children's inquisitiveness about the world around them. Ernst describes the inner workings of acorns, bubbles, puddles, ants, wagons, clouds, and birds in detailed, yet easy-to-understand language. Her meticulous and cleverly labeled drawings inventively illustrate the functioning of everyday objects."

Let me know... what are your favorites when it comes to picture books? Include anything from what you remember as a kid to what you're reading to your kids now.

Thanks to my readers who shared their favorites yesterday. New additions to my bookstore include: Miss Rumphius, The Giving Tree, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Guess How Much I Love You, and Love You Forever.

Review of The Rice Bag Hammock | a picture book

2011-06-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

While waiting for the proof of my book, I've been restocking my bookstore. Today I'm featuring a picture book to kick off my new Picture Book section.

Here's my Goodreads review of The Rice Bag Hammock by Shaeeza Haniff, illustrated by Swafeha Khan

"Picture books portray an illusion of simplicity and are usually underrated in the book world. The Rice Bag Hammock is simple, but as a writer I know how much goes on behind the scenes to make simple look effortless which this book achieves.
Like the threads of the rice bags woven into a hammock, this story is woven from memories of the author's warm home life. Its lyrical, repeated text is reminiscent of 'this is the house that Jack built' with a tropical flavor. Its vivid, yet soft pastel illustrations are the kind to draw your young ones to pick up the book on their own.

The Rice Bag Hammock feels like one we would have had in our picture book collection when my kids were little. It's the perfect bedtime story—short, with a calming affirmation of the rhythm of life.

One of the quotes this Goodreads author has on her profile is from Gandhi, "In a gentle way you can shake the world." Her book reflects that gentleness while transporting you to her tropical homeland. Few of us will have a chance to visit this wonderful place...except in Shaeeza's book."

What are your favorite picture books? Do you have some old favorites that you enjoyed (or still enjoy) with your children? Do you know of some new ones you'd recommend?

Read an excerpt from Guardian Cats with a cool widget

2011-06-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

Tool Review: I like widget-y things, so I was happy to find this one from BookBuzzr.
Try it out and let me know what you think.

If you love cats and books about magical cats...

2011-05-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

My book is out!

~~~~~

If you love cats.....you'll love Marco, a tabby cat who dreams of being a hero, like ones in the books he reads. Life's harsh realities strike, however, when he finds he is not able to rescue his own humans from tragedy. He is left homeless—with no street skills.
Things begin to look up when he discovers the public library where he takes refuge and settles in with a good book. But the elder library cat is also Guardian of a powerful mystical book and challenges Marco to leave his safe adventure stories and follow him on a true journey.

The Book of Motion, hidden deep within the library, remains safe from all who would misuse its power. But one man, a professor who discovers the legend of the Lost Books contains hints at their possible existence, imagines the Book is his 'spear of destiny'. He will stop at nothing in his quest to find the book, the tool he believes he must have to fulfill his vision of ruling his own perfect society.

When he tracks down the extraordinary Book at an ordinary public library, he finds the last obstacle to achieving his dark dream is an unlikely opponent in the form of a young tabby cat.

GUARDIAN CATS AND THE LOST BOOKS OF ALEXANDRIA is now available in formats for all e-readers, including .mobi for Kindle, ePub for Nook & Stanza, Sony and Palm readers, as well as pdf for printing.

Follow Marco on his incredible adventure. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.

Writers and their cats

2011-04-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

ALL WRITERS SHOULD HAVE A CAT

Here are five short, sweet reasons why I make this bold statement and chose a cat to be today's awesome tool:

1. Muses love cats. What did you think your cat was staring at when you saw nothing but thin air?

2. Many famous authors have cats, so you know 1. is true. (see author photos below)

3. You'll look cooler in a bio photo with your cat and people instantly love you for it (well, maybe not dog people).

4. With proper training, your cat will read your WIP, offering valuable feedback before presenting it to your human critique partners.

5. Cats are there for you when you're feeling blue or sick. They soothe your soul and help heal your body, offering inspiration, comfort and companionship.

"I put down my book, The Meaning of Zen, and see the cat smiling into her fur as she delicately combs it with her rough pink tongue. Cat, I would lend you this book to study but it appears you have already read it. She looks up and gives me her full gaze. Don't be ridiculous, she purrs, I wrote it."~ from "Miao" by Dilys Laing

Have a great weekend!
Join me at my new author site.

If you like my post, please share. Thanks!

Character building tools for writers | Astrological signs

2011-04-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

How do you create a character out of thin air? Whether it's a Protagonist, Antagonist or sidekick, here's a method I've used for putting some 'meat on the bones' of my characters. I'll be reviewing two awesome tools, both astrological sites.

The first, Star Signs Explained, is generously laden with character traits for each sign. It's strictly an astrological site, but it is rich with detail to spark a writer's imagination. Here's a small example for Aries, who seems just built for the protagonist's role.

Aries are fire signs and those born under this element are regarded in astrology as adventurous, active and outgoing. It won't matter where you go or how remote or unusual it is - from the Outback to the Antarctic - you can be sure that an Aries has been there before you (or at the very least you will meet one along the way!) Aries is a uniquely naive sign. Although they are independent, outgoing and assertive they are also surprisingly trusting, often innocently walking into the lion's den at times. No matter what upheaval, challenge or triumph they confront - an Aries has a wonderful ability to bounce back.

But what if your Protag is a Pisces? There are a lot of possibilities with a character like this as well.

Mysterious and alluring individuals, most Pisces are extremely talented, but even though they are gifted in many ways, they still manage to spend most of their lives battling "confusing" conditions. Pisces is the sign symbolized by the image of two fish. Their symbol depicts one fish heading upward, the other pulling downward. This mirrors how Pisceans are frequently torn between two pathways in life, or actually do live two very different existences at the same time.

Star Signs Explained also includes each sign's ruling planet, earth element, stones, energy vibrations, secret life desires which give additional fodder for your story. Beware. This site is run by someone named Athena Starwoman and there's flashing signs next to Jenni and Lily who would dearly love to give you a psychic reading.

Just so you know, I've never called. Heck, I don't even believe in checking out my astrology for the day. But as a writer, I love this as a tool for character building.

~~~~~

Now that you've got your characters, how about the relationship between them? Check out Compatibility of the signs of the Zodiac to see how people with different habits and characters affect each other? Who will be the leader? Which parts of their personalities will help to develop relationship and which will resist it?

How great is this? I mean, what more could you ask for in a character building tool? It's fun and it's free-- that is, if you can resist calling Jenni. :-)

~~~~~

Tool rating for Star Signs explained: 4 stars (the flashing psychic hotline is a little distracting which keeps it from getting a 5)

Tool rating for Compatibility of Zodiac signs: 4.5 stars (I like how you can choose compatibilities of either love interest or business relationships; flashing psychic hotline stuff not quite as obtrusive)

~~~~~

Have you ever used astrological signs for character building? Do you have any character building tools or methods you'd like to share?

If you like this post, please consider sharing. Thanks! Come join me on my author website.

My author website is up & running

2011-04-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

Here's what I've been doing. The aftermath of Jane Friedman's website webinar.

http://www.rahmakrambo.com/

Let me know what you think.

How I got a Nook for free!

2011-04-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

Last week I got a notice from my business credit card telling me that I'd needed to use my rewards points before they expired. I'd planned to use them to purchase airplane tickets but you waste a lot of points that way since they can only be used in 20,000 point increments. So they never got used and I basically forgot about this hidden stash of credit.

So I hopped onto my account to see what in the heck I might want from their catalogue of 10,000 things and a light went off in my head. Synapses flashed and I thought, I'll get a Nook!

I got two $100 B&N gift cards from my 'rewards' and moseyed over to the B&N site where I already had an account. I purchased the regular, not the color, Nook for reasons I'll go into later.

I also got a cool Nook cover which makes it feel like almost like a book; and I love the wallpaper which are beautifully detailed line drawings of famous authors, like Kurt Vonnegut and the Bronte Sisters.

It was almost too easy and I kept having to remind myself I wasn't using my credit card in the usual way.

What was my first e-book purchase, you might be wondering? It was 'A Killing Tide' by P.J. Alderman. Her stories of 'mystery, suspense, and romance set in small port towns of the Pacific Northwest' intrigued me. It also helped that she provided the first three chapters for free. Once I read the sample though, I was hooked and purchased the rest of the book with part of the credit balance I still had at B&N.

I'm planning to purchase another B&N card (with my rewards points) just for buying books. This is so exciting, finding free money! It's like I found this magical genie in the bottom drawer of my desk or something.

My second e-book download was free. It's Mark Coker's Smashwords Style Guide, so I too can learn how to create my own e-book.

If you like my post, please share it with your friends. Thanks!
Rahma

Blogging friends near and far

2011-04-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about blogging is making friends. One of my blogger friends is part of my writer's group here in town and one of them is halfway around the world. There are no time and space limitations for bloggers. Especially writers. We are everywhere. At all times of the day and night.

Rachna, a gifted blogger, was passing out bloggerly love today from Bangalore, India. I feel honored to have received two awards from her, the Sunshine and Sisterhood Award, both of which traveled all the way from New Zealand to India to California.

Check out Rachna's blog, where you'll find food for thought and plenty of information and inspiration for other writers.

Thank you Rachna! Now I'd like to pass them on to three friends I've made during this journey.

Old Kitty, who faithfully leaves me a comment on almost every post--kind of like getting 'purred'.
Sytiva Sheehan who is one of the most gifted artists and children's illustrators I know. Her blog is currently down and out but you can see her work here.
And last, but not least, Kathryn who is both my online and offline writer friend.

Would you sign my e-book?

2011-04-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

When a fan of T. J. Waters, author of Secret Signs, asked if he would sign their Kindle at his book signing, Mr. Waters took the question to heart and invented a very cool technology service called Autography.

So what is Autography? According to the website:

"It's a digital method for inserting an autograph or other salutation into an e-book. This personalization can take place at the time of purchase or any time afterwards, including after secondary (used) sales. Authors can give away signed sample chapters to introduce themselves to new readers who later purchase the full volume at their convenience. The now full copy ebook retains the author's salutation (replacing the sample chapters) without the need for Digital Rights Management (DRM) software.

Autography provides a permanent archive of these salutations. In the event a consumer's e-Reader device is lost, stolen, or switched with another brand the autograph is quickly retrieved and replaced at no cost."

Mr. Waters, along with Robert Barret, an information technology executive, plan to debut Autography at the BookExpo in New York in May.

Pretty cool solution, I think. What do you think?

What famous author do you write like?

2011-04-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

I write like

J. D. Salinger

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Here's a fun tool that only takes five seconds. I cut and pasted the first three chapters of Guardian Cats in for analysis.

If only it were true... but it sure made me feel cool.
Who do you write like? Let me know.

Review of Jane Friedman's webinar: 5 Essential Components of a Strong Author Website

2011-04-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

I attended Jane Friedman's Webinar this morning: 5 Essential Components of a Strong Author Website.

Now I've been to webinars before. Most of them were so boring, I was forced to multitask just to stay awake. But I expected more from a Writer's Digest webinar especially with a price tag of $79. It was my first and it took me 3 days to decide whether I should pop the credit card out. After all, I could probably find this stuff on the Internet for free, right?

But I took the plunge. I was not disappointed. Or bored. And no, you won't get the same stuff browsing the Internet.

I won't give away any of her secrets because you can go to her writer's blog, website, and twitter where she generously shares her knowledge of writing and publishing. But you won't get a bag full of tools all packed up and ready to go like you will on her webinar.

Jane’s presentation was chock full of professional advice: the do’s and don’ts of what to put on a website, how to develop ‘social currency’ and analyzing your traffic. I actually understand Google Analytics a bit better now.

I took notes the whole time just because I'm a note taker and it helps me focus. But the webinar is available to me for a full year if I need to go back and review it. It was worth the price.

I already have a so-so website, but I knew it needed therapy. Now I feel like I have the medicine bag full of remedies and can’t wait to get to work.

Two thumbs up for today’s Writer's Tool! With some encouragement, maybe she'll host it again.

Cheap Thrills: Where to find 25 cent books

2011-04-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

While I plan to offer my readers an e-book, it's only one of the choices on the new smorgasbord of reading options these days. I love print books too much to deprive myself, if not my readers, the tactile experience of real, as well as virtual books.

I track news stories about libraries and when I see another one going bookless, I'm horrified. But I'm not all doom and gloom about the future of the print book. Too many people love them as much as I do which brings me to the gist of my post.

Our local Friends of the Library had our Spring Book Sale over the weekend. As a member I put in some volunteer time. I sorted and displayed and bagged books. As people dug through the the bottom of their pockets and purses for quarters, some of them told me about their love of books and libraries. There was a quiet passion in their admission, sort of like a confession. Guilty pleasures. Cheap thrills.

While I was enjoying my alter persona as a bookseller, I thought about how in a world of diminishing print books, we might lose the opportunity to offer 25 cent book bargains to the community.

Not everyone can afford or even wants a Kindle. There will never be the same passion for an e-reader as there is for real books and a bookless library would never have a used e-book sale.

I'm sure most writers would consider having their book end up at a used book sale some kind of sad fate. But I don't think so. We had plenty of best selling authors, Harry Potter included, and it just means more people are getting to read them. So I'm hoping that writers who are in the throws of publishing will not stop at e-booking and work to get it into print. You never know where that book will end up.

Writers: remember to back up your WIP!

2011-04-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

What is the sound of one computer crashing? A friend of mine answered: Expensive. But the cost of replacing a hard drive is minimal to the cost of losing your work.

My hard drive crashed this week. There was no warning, except a weird fading out of my browser. Then my computer got really spastic and a simple restore point wasn't even possible.

Amazingly, thankfully, I had backed up my WIP the day before. In fact I had backed up all my files to a flash drive recently. I'm up and running again with only three days of computer withdrawal.

So today's tool is a simple, but important reminder: Back up your files, especially your beloved book in progress. Keep a flash drive handy or simply email it to yourself as an attachment.

You never know what you're computer is up to when you're not there! Even though this is April Fool's Day, losing your work is no joke!

Happy Friday. Please share this with a friend.

Traditional vs. e-publishing: War or peace?

2011-03-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

I love the feel of a print book in my hand and I haven't gotten an e-reader. Yet. But that's me as a reader. As a writer, though, I have to look at the whole e-publishing thing through different eyes.

I'm not technologically challenged. I love my laptop and my iPhone, but I've been viewing e-publishing and traditional publishing as an either/or thing. My passion for books and libraries sways me towards print and I have this nagging feeling of betrayal if I choose to e-publish. After all, a core theme in GUARDIAN CATS is the saving of books and libraries. But my arguments against e-publishing are diminishing as I've discovered Overdrive, supplier of digital content to libraries and schools. Seems like a smart thing to include in an e-publish marketing plan.

If you're following the buzz, the whole publishing world seems to be up for grabs. If you've been buried in your WIP (good for you!) and haven't been paying attention, here's what happening in a nutshell. Established writers are going 'indie' while new authors, using the 'e-book first' strategy, are getting noticed and offered contracts by traditional publishers. (See the link to Jane Friedman's post below.)

I haven't seen any statistics on this. But I'm following a lot of authors, agents and bookish friends on my Twitter and blog feeds and watching the trends closely.

For instance:

Barry Eisler, former CIA op turned thriller writer, turned down a half-million dollar deal to e-publish.
Bob Mayer, NY Times best seller, is e-publishing his new book, Duty, Honor, Country. Read why in his very enlightening blog post, Going Indie.
Other the other hand Amanda Hocking, after her wildly successful million e-book venture is accepting an offer from St. Martin's Press. With a lot of business savvy, she explains why.

If, like me, you are pondering publishing options, it's pretty crazy out there and things are changing quickly. If you haven't gone 'Twitter', I would highly recommend it. My Tweeps are 90% writers, agents, publishers, and what I call 'bookish' friends who keep up with the publishing world on a minute by minute basis.

It's mind blowing, but a really exciting time to be at this juncture in the publishing industry. For sane and respected advice you are probably already aware of, read the Pros blogs, many listed on my side bar.

Nathan Bransford does the math in his series of posts: Self-publishing vs. Traditional publishing: which way will you make more money.
Janet Friedman's myth busting post: Self-Publishing & Online Publishing Will Not Ruin Your Chances at a Traditional Deal.

Now I'm thinking that there's room for it all. Why would more options for reading be a bad thing? Upon closer examination, it doesn't appear to be the tug-of-war as I first thought. But then I'm a child of the 60's who still believes that somehow it's possible that we can 'work it out'.

I'm still researching e-readers, waiting until one of them jumps out at me and screams 'Take me! I'm yours!'

Follow my 'bookish' Tweets. I'll follow you back. It'll be fun.

Are kids reading eBooks?

2011-03-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

While I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel for completion of GUARDIAN CATS, I'm considering all my publishing options. Between Twitter, Google news feeds and industrial strength writer's blogs, a picture of what's happening in the publishing business comes to mind, resembling the wild west.

E-publishing was not at the top of my marketing plan priorities for Guardian Cats, but Amanda Hocking and Barry Eisler have tipped the scale in its favor for many writers, myself included. But I still have reservations.

I don't write paranormal romance like Hocking. I write for kids. So I need to know--are 9-12 year olds reading ebooks? Research, feedback from my favorite librarian and intuition all say 'yes.'

Cats love ebooks too!

The article, More children now reading ebooks agrees and the NY Times recent post, E-Readers catch younger eyes and go in backpacks supports my hunch as well.

With children's fondness for gadgets, e-readers could very well become gateway devices for an upsurge in reading. I sought the opinion of a friend of mine, a long time librarian who specializes in children's literacy and she thinks e-books are a definite trend for kids--that they are starting to get mom and dad's hand-me-down readers as newer, shinier ones keep coming out.

I also see where a parent's e-reader with kid's books on it could easily become a staple for car rides. I can see where my granddaughter, a voracious reader in a town whose library has been closed down, would take to an e-reader like a duck to water.

I'm still pondering my route to publishing, excited about all the possibilites and I believe there's room for it all--paper and digital, indie and traditional publishing. I believe that writers will help carve out this new world as we have more possibilites. I also believe that as we publish more quality writing to the digital world that there is an audience waiting to gobble it up.

My hope is that as writers, we can help each other use and understand this new bookish digital world by sharing our experiences and thoughts.

As a writer, what do you think about publishing your work digitally?
As a reader, how are you responding to e-books and e-readers?

How to win a free copy of The Story Book by David Baboulene

2011-03-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

Win a free copy of The Story Book over at my friends blog: Rachna's Scriptorium. Rachna teaches creative writing in Bangalore, India and her blog is loaded with good writing tips.

David's book looks like an awesome resource for story development so I'm adding it to my Tools for Writers.

One good reason for Persistence | Tools for writers

2011-03-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

Learning to write is like learning to play the violin.

The first tentative scratches on a violin rend the atmosphere like a love-sick cat. The violinist must learn to survive the caterwauling and not succumb to jeers and taunts from her inner critic.

After a jillion hours of practice, the violinist is no longer separate from the violin and her very pores are filled with the vibration of sound. In her waking hours, when she is not playing, she feels the curve of her wrist around the instrument, and her head inclines toward her shoulder. Waking or sleeping, music haunts her with the bittersweet longing of a lover. She has lost all perspective. Is she the musician or the instrument? She seeks every opportunity to slip free from the ties of normal life and rejoin her soul mate.

Going too long without her instrument leaves her gasping for air. The violin, the music and the violinist breathe as one.

Tools for Writers | How to organize notes from your 'napkin moments'

2011-03-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for ways to organize your writing projects? Does your creative ~~write~~ right brain strike at all hours of the day and night. Do you have sticky notes, scraps of yellow pads and pages ripped from spirals produced from what I call 'napkin moments'.

Writing is a messy business. Ideas often come when you're not sitting conveniently at your computer. You could be on your way to the dentist when you suddenly discover your Antagonist's mother was a gypsy. Or you're making spaghetti and you realize your Protagonist, unbeknownst to you, has befriended someone most people would consider a scoundrel. You must write these things on the closest piece of paper available or take the risk of having them float forever off into the aethers.

So I was cleaning up all those paper bits of flotsam and jetsam, trying to figure out what to salvage and how in the world I could avoid the time-sucking job of entering them on my computer. TaDa! A brilliant flash of light appeared, proving that my right and left brain occasionally cooperate.

The answer? Clear poly folders. They're wonderfully low tech and the method involves absolutely no organizational skills, other than deciding what color tab to use for which project. I've been using these in my non-writing life, so I don't know why I hadn't thought to use them like this. It was one of those, I hate to say it, 'duh' moments.

Here's what I'm talking about. This particular design has color strips extending on the side with a writing strip for labeling. They're sealed on two sides only, easily accessible and feel nice in a heavy duty, but see-through kind of way.

They're only $5.99 for a 10 pack from Staples. I think Office Depot carries them too, but they like to hide them at the stores so I'm ordering the next batch online.

How about you? Do you have 'napkin moments' and a lot of messy scraps of paper that are just too good to throw away? What do you do with them?

Tools for writers: Choosing your book title

2011-03-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

After careful consideration and a short consultation with my advisory board, I've decided to alter the title of my book. Nothing too drastic, but I thought I would make it official here and use this chance to share a useful Google tool.

Advisory board

For the last year, the title of my book has been Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Iskandriyah. The story is based on a mystical book saved from the burning of Alexandria's legendary library.

'Iskandriyah' is Arabic for Alexandria and I had originally decided to use that version, because I liked the exotic-ness of the word and it fit well with the fantasy genre. But for a long time, something has bothered me about it, so I stopped to analyze it.

First of all, although I love the word 'Iskandriyah', it's really hard to spell. More importantly, Alexandria is a real city and the Library is a real place. The burning of the library was a famous historic event, so although my book is fantasy, it has a reality base.
There's also city in Iraq named Iskandariyah and I thought that would add to the confusion.
This next part has to do with very practical considerations, that of searchability. There is a cool Google Insights Tool that lets you enter keywords and compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties. You can tweak this or use the simple results for a quick check. Here's what I found for my search terms:

'Alexandria' yielded 87 out of a possible 100.
'Library of Alexandria' yielded 51 out of a possible 100.
'Iskandariyah' yielded 20, but they all had to do with Iraq
'Iskandriyah' yielded 0

If I was still had any attachment to the exotic name, this pretty much decided it for me. Besides, if I could never quite get the spelling of ~~Iskandria~~ Iskandriyah down, I certainly didn't want to burden my readers with such a cumbersome name.

Thanks, I feel better now.

Have book titles been an issue for you?

Need help visualizing your story? 8 tips to kickstart your imagination

2011-02-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

Searching for the right words?

Writers have good imaginations, but sometimes we need help visualizing details if we've never been there or done that. Here's a few tips which can help you take it up a notch as a writer creating fictionalized reality.

Give your stories interesting settings. Think outside the box. Take your readers places they'd probably never get a chance to see. Imagine for a moment that your Protagonist and Antagonist meet unexpectedly at the World Egg Throwing Contest. Who knows where that could lead? Need a whole slew of odd events? Try odditycentral.com
Is your antagonist a car thief? You don't have to go out and steal a car anymore to make it real. Most of you know you can learn how to steal one on YouTube, but maybe not like this.
A great boost for describing places you haven't been to can be found on Virtual Tourist. Photos and user reviews give you first person descriptions of their experience. No one will know you haven't been there.
My favorite site for settings is Panoramic Earth which is an amazing tool that gives you 360 degree up-close views of thousands of places, including people who happen to be present at the time. I have a character who works at the British Museum and I was able to get a real sense of his daily environment by using this tool. It is highly searchable and maneuverable, as opposed to Google streets views can be good, but often seem to have a mind of their own.
How do you visualize your characters? There are lots of lists that help you create their personality, but can you see them? Here's a site that lets you choose facial profiles in a drawing format. Nicer than it sounds, http://www.pimptheface.com/create/ you don't end up with a Zwinky cartoon. There's another site which allows you to make alterations to facial photos called Face of the Future.
Have you thought about what your Protagonist wears? Is there one item you can dress them in that helps create an instant impression in your readers mind? Something distinctive that identifies him. Most of my characters wear cat fur, but one of my human characters is a natty dresser, who spends his entire paycheck just to make a good impression. He always wears a full length Harris Tweed coat, but I actually like this sporty one better.
Don't forget the audio aspect of your story? Give your writing an extra boost by including more auditory senses. Is it the 4th of July and you need to describe fireworks? Need a barn owl sound? Got a scene that could use a little extra drama with some thunder and lightning? Listen to these and more at: FindSounds.com
But my favorite place for great images is Flickr. Your search on Flickr will yield high quality photos that beat a Google image search all to pieces. I always link back to the image if I use it in my blog or FB page. But another way to use it is by creating a collection of pictures that evoke the people, places and moods in your book. For an example, here's my Flickr folder I created for Guardian Cats.

What tools do you use to boost your writing?

Sometimes life isn't all that pretty

2011-01-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

This is a response to the newly issued, sanitized version of Huckleberry Finn. People who find Huckleberry Finn (along with To Kill a Mockingbird and even Shakespeare) offensive do not understand the intent of authors who write to gain a deeper understanding of human nature. Books offer us very personal glimpses into the nitty gritty of other people's lives and sometimes life just isn’t all that pretty.

Derogatory racial epithets should make us squirm. But Mark Twain was not using the N-word for shock value, or implying that it was an ok word. Huck Finn takes us on a journey to another era not so very long ago. Maybe the reality of his story jars us briefly out of our small self-absorbed universe. Maybe not. Maybe we discover things that rub our hygienic self image the wrong way. If we're lucky we might get an inkling of the idea that someone who is not like us is actually not all that different.

If we leave this world unchanged and untouched by its harsher realities, pretending they don't exist, then we've missed the whole point of being here. Purging the unsavory parts out of books seems a little like eating pre-digested food. No chewing required.

Real life is not for the faint of heart.

My antagonist is giving me fits!

2010-12-06T22:20:00.000-08:00

I've spent all week searching the right name for her. She is an evil other-worldly creature and her name must be unique, yet pronounceable. I also want to make sure it's not associated with anyone else, real or imagined.

I usually love naming my characters and take great care in coming up with just the right one. It not only has to fit, but must enhance their personality. I think of name choice something like a costume designer choosing the right look for film characters.

But this character is not letting me off easy. She's going to be trouble.

After hours of noodling, I settled on two likely possibilites, then did a Google check. Name #1, Helvetia, turned out to be an obscure, creepy looking spider which worked well for my villain. However, it also turned out that Helvetia is the name of an ancient romanticized personification of Switzerland. After that it just didn't feel right anymore to dress my character in this name; plus it was too close to sounding like a typeface.

So, I moved on to the next name, an obscure slightly altered German word. I liked it for its edginess. It was appropriate for the character and I thought should quickly settle for Name #2 and get back to character and plot development.

In my haste, I almost skipped my usual research which would have turned out to be a disaster. A quick Google search of Name #2 presented me with a page of porn site links, complete with Google's graphic image feature.

Eeek! I am writing a children's book, not an X-rated adult romance. Imagine the embarrassment of having to explain to innocent young readers, or their parents (who might happen to look it up) why I chose [blank] name.

If I want to be even more thorough than a perfunctory Google search, I often check out the Urban Dictionary which fills me in on the down and dirty particulars of every word that gets genetically altered in the streets. I was definitely right not to choose Name #2. Kids not only know these words! They define them!

Do your characters ever give you fits like this?

NaNo Award

2010-12-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this custom designed award I received from a friend. Thank you Cynthia!

Crossing the NaNoWriMo finish line!

2010-12-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

TaDa! I crossed the finish line on Monday at midnight with 48 hours to spare.

What a month! I started NaNo on a cross country airplane trip. I wrote my first 1,666 words flying high until my laptop battery died. It's been a wild ride ever since.

This was my first writing marathon, so I was pretty innocent as to what I might expect. This was probably a good thing and I dove in head first. What did I have to loose, but a little sleep? I was desperate to get my mojo back after several months of laziness and doubt about whether I could even write a second book.

So what's NaNo really all about? Have I actually written an entire novel? No, but I'm a lot closer to one than I was 30 days ago. What took me a year the first time around was condensed into one month.

What did I accomplish in 30 NaNo days?

I set a goal and actually did it! I finished! (I'm still amazed.)
I had fun writing because the goal wasn't a finished story; the goal was to liberate my imagination.
I do have the makings of a really fun story, albeit one that needs a boat load of editing.
I have my mojo back!
My writer's demons (all those self-defeating behaviors) are at bay . . . at least for today.

Things I learned which I was told were helpful and true, but now I know them for myself:

Trust the process; don't think too much. Just write. Keep the fingers moving and surpising things do happen!
I'm glad I started my journey with a road map and companions, i.e. plot points and a cast of characters.
I don't think I could have done it without designating a special NaNoWriMo time to write until I got my word count in for the day. For me, this meant setting the alarm clock to 5 a.m. and starting the coffee pot.
To keep the flow going, sometimes I simply had to start talking to myself or my characters. I found peace with this process. Blathering through the barriers, I call it.
I forced myself not to spend time Googling 'the seven stages of grief' or 'how to steal a car'.
I had to drastically scale back posting blogs, Twitters, and FaceBook updates.
I had to spend non-NaNo time re-evaluating my plot and characters. A few characters were dropped off on the side of the road, but further on my Antagonist appeared, lurking in vapors of her shadow world, just waiting to tell me her story.

My first book, Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Iskandriyah, is finished, and currently getting a professional edit.

What I've learned from NaNoWriMo so far

2010-11-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

I've learned if it's possible to get up at 5 a.m. and write, anything is possible! I've learned that my best friend right now is an afternoon nap. I've learned that 1,666 words in one stretch are not all that intimidating.

Because of NaNo, I’m more verbose, less intimidated by the white page. I blather freely knowing it all adds to the word count. More is better with NaNo. Rather than looking for the perfect words and self-editing as I go, I’m learning to be less self-conscious. I feel like I’m following the Ray Bradbury model. “Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things.”

This blathering, this 'talkng it out on paper' is kind of a silent movie version of talking to myself. If I was speaking my NaNo text aloud, someone, my husband mostly likely, would shuffle me off to the back room when friends arrive at the door.

The day before I started NaNoWriMo, I read Nathan Branford's NaNo Bootcamp postings which helped me realize a road map was crucial to this kamikaze style of writing. I only had a general plot idea, so at the last minute, I worked out about 35 plot points, one sentence each. I had a variety characters I loved, all with a purpose to assist or challenge the Protagonist. Each plot point has become my NaNo assignment for the day, working itself nicely into a scene/chapter. Each day, I re-evaluate the journey, making adjustments for the ways my characters don't always like to stay on the predetermined route.

I've learned that I can write on airplanes, noisy coffee shops and empty houses. (Don't ask.)

I've learned how much the challenge of NaNoWriMo is motivating me when I needed a good kick in the butt!

How I’m gearing up for NaNoWriMo

2010-10-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

For the last several years, I've noticed that odd acronym NaNoWriMo pop up in blogs this time of year, so I had some idea what it was. I knew you had to write 50,000 words in one month, but why? Why would you write for the sake of quantity. I shoot for quality, so why would I blather on knowing it would probably be a lot of garbage. Maybe a toss-away novel.

Now I understand. I’ve been in a creative slump for several months. My writing muscles have atrophied and I’m facing my demons wondering if I’ll be able to come up an idea exciting enough that it will pull me and push me along. My plot ideas are still a little fuzzy, but I do have a great cast of characters waiting in the wings.

Then this week, the NaNoWriMo Boot Camp appeared in Nathan Bransford’s blog and I had to see what the fuss was all about. I found the NaNo website and I liked the tone right off. It throws down the gauntlet in a light-hearted way, and knowing that there’s a skazillion other writers wired up on coffee and chocolate creates just the right cyber group dynamic that appeals to me. NaNoWriMo already has over 95,000 people signed up.

As NaNoWriMo purports, “The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly," and for writer's facing a month long hermitage, NaNo promises, ‘Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.”

I’ve never been a prolific writer. I labor too long over the right word, stopping the check the thesaurus, googling ideas and images. Getting distracted, going off on tangents. NaNo will not let me follow those diversions. I’ll have to stick to the ‘paper’. Writing 50,000 words in one month means 1,666.666 words every day.

So how am I gearing up? I'm staying tuned to Nathan's NaNo Boot Camp. He is chock full of good advice, including Day Two's post on how to get ready. Starting with characters and plot points are essential. Knowing what your Protagonist wants, or think he wants and what obstacles stand in his way is what drives the story. Maybe the Protagonist has conflicting goals? And don't forget the Antagonist, who has his or her own goals, a hero in their own story, although it will obviously be at odds with the MC.

I'm going to go sign up today. Wish me luck, especially since on Monday, November 1, the kick off day, I will be on an airplane for 7 ½ hours. Writing 1,666.666 in long hand? Geesh.

Have you NaNo-ed in the past? Are you planning to this year? Never heard of it, or hate the idea? Let me know!

Want to know more about it? NaNoWriMo - What the heck is it?

Living life as a song

2010-10-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

“Not only is your story worth telling, but it can be told in words so painstakingly eloquent that it becomes a song.” Gloria Naylor

*image is cover on The Spirit of Flight Journal by fantasy artist Josephine Wall.

Banned Books Week in the U.S.

2010-10-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

It's the end of Banned Books Week here in the U.S. and I made the intention to participate in the recognition of this cultural phenomenon of ours. I think it's more curious than dangerous why some books make the list. It always sparks great interest in the book, so I think most authors would rather treasure being banned and join the ranks of notables which includes some (but not all?) of the Harry Potter books, The Adventures of Hucklberry Finn, the American Heritage Dictionary, Judy Blume books, Willie Wonka, and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. The reasons that many books get blacklisted are almost uncomprehensible. Little Women? Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic? I think most indicate the narrowmindedness of people afraid to look at reality. Others showcase the lack of a healthy appreciation of the absurd.

Have you read any banned books? You probably have without even knowing it. Here's a few of my favorites: A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle, James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl, To Kill A Mockingbird, and the ultimate book on censorship, Farenheit 451.

One of our local libraries showcased Banned Book Week and I would like to pay a tribute to my favorite intrepid librarian, Kathleen Stewart, Programs Director at the Yuba County Library, who showcased banned books by prominently displaying library copies, labling each with the reason the book was banned. I checked out The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, a YA book about troubled teens. The reason it was banned from some schools was because "virtually all of the characters are from broken homes." Another case of the fear of looking at reality.

I know some of you are from other parts of the world. Do you have these kinds of issues with banning books and censorship where you live? I'd love to hear from you.

For more on this subject, see The eleven most surpring banned books, a literary agent's list, and The American Library Association's extensive site on Banned Books Week

Take care and happy reading! Check out a banned book today!

Homer's Oddyssey: traveling with a cat

2010-09-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Flying west through 3 time zones, I am happy to be gaining back the hours I lost a week ago. My carry-on is laden with books for the journey, but during our layover in Denver I cruise into Starbucks, then Borders. (I have my priorities!) and browse through mysteries and new best sellers looking for something that might grab me. Well, anyone who knows me will understand why it was Homer's Odyssey, the story of a Blind Wonder Cat. I didn't even think twice before it was swiped on my credit card. The cover and the blurb on the back sold me, re-emphasizing the importance of these two crucial marketing elements.

The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken heart. Then Gwen’s veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who’d been abandoned. It was love at first sight. Everyone warned that Homer would always be an “underachiever.” But the kitten nobody believed in quickly grew into a three-pound dynamo with a giant heart who eagerly made friends with every human who crossed his path.

It had everything a traveler could want in a book, intrigue and adventure, a soulful but spunky kitten, love at first sight, heartbreak and humor. Before I was halfway through the book, I seriously considered adopting a blind cat when I got home. The author's reflections on life with her cat makes Homer's Odyssey one of the ultimate animal lover's book. Her description of rescuing Homer from her apartment after 9/11 is nothing short of heroic.

I had brought books along that needed some different part of my brain, more serious reads, but somehow compressed inside a metal capsule whizzing 30,000 feet above the earth, required a book that took me effortlessly out of my 'real' world. A journey with Homer was perfect.

What about you? What do you read on a plane? Do you use the time to finish books that have piled up on your night stand? Do you browse airport bookstores and 'impulse buy' things you might otherwise wait to check out at the library?

When you travel, do you stick with old favorites or do you explore other genres that you might not normally read on the ground?

What makes a real writer?

2010-09-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

"A real writer has heart. A real writer looks at his or her page with a distinct approach - light in eyes, smile upon lips, glow upon features. A real writer writes because when that person goes to press a pen against paper or stroke a key to type, something pulls on his or her heartstrings and that person is pulled into a different world. "
(Courtney).

Journaling: tips for getting started

2010-09-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

For anyone who has given some thought to writing, but wonders how to start, this is for you. One easy way is to keep a journal because with journaling there are no expectations. Like other kinds of writing, there's none of the angst that goes along with trying to get it published. And unless you're Lewis or Clark, or Anne Frank, no one will most likely ever see it.

You may think you don't have anything to write about, but once you discover there's a whole land of uncharted territory waiting to be discovered, you'll have plenty to say. The uncharted territory is your inner self, a life long journey of discovery, enough to fill hundreds of journals.

All you truly need to get started is a spiral notebook, a pen and a lot of thoughts swirling inside your head. To loosen up, start by writing, 'I don't know what to write' and keep going. Don't judge what comes out even if it sounds a little crazy. Most writers are a little crazy so you'll be in good company. Don't worry about making it sound or look good on paper. No one's going to grade it.

If you're prone to dark thoughts, depression and confusion, the act of writing them can be a great release. Writing helps clear the mind by untangling the brain. When I was young, I used to think my thoughts were like spaghetti, or knotted string. When I wrote, thoughts came through my fingers, streaming out onto the paper, thus untangling themselves and freeing my mind.

I kept a journal through high school, then again through several turbulent times in my life. I still have them and sometimes they unearth themselves while rummaging through old boxes and trunks. Some of it is painful or embarrasing to read now, but I wouldn't dare toss them out. They are a window into who I was so long ago.

Keep your journal in your backpack or purse. Write anywhere and everywhere. Here's a few suggestions for getting started.

Write letters that you wouldn't dare, and shouldn't, send to people, but the act of writing can help sort out troubled thoughts and feelings.
Write a poem. Or write song lyrics, then sing your heart out.
Write about something you're grateful for, especially if you are feeling ungrateful.
If you are too hard on yourself, write about at least one way that you can be more gentle.
Write down some goals. Short and long term.

In case you need more help, here's a few suggestions for some guided journals.Life's Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest full of enlightening quotations, exercises, questions, and techniques to nurture the writer and seeker within. Another is Writing Down Your Soul. How to Activate and Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within. One especially for teens is Through My Eyes: A Journal for Teens.

There are some cool blank journals that make great gifts and keepsakes, like I Hope You Dance, The Spirit of Flight and Wreck this Journal.

Although there are a number of online journaling sites, my suggestion is to write by hand. There's something special about the connection between your hand, the pen and paper that doesn't happen with a computer. Besides, on real paper you can draw and doodle and write in circles if you like!

For more journals, visit the Guardian Cats Bookstore's Journaling store. If you like this post, please share with a friend. Thanks and Happy Journaling!

Announcing the Guardian Cats Bookstore

2010-08-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

This is a project I've been working on for some time. In the beginning I thought I'd just carry my favorite writing reference books. However, once I started browsing through Amazon's vast network, reading reviews and making selections, I got carried away and it kept growing.

Besides The Writer's Store, I wanted a Cat Lovers Store and that one grew like stray cats having kittens. I've included many incredibly beautiful cat books and calendars, and I've scouted out all the fiction books with and about cats I can find. Plus, there's a special e-Cats section for Kindle lovers.

The Middle Grade Fiction store is very fun and growing. Then there's a Journaling Corner, as well as a Book Lover's Nook. Be sure and check out the nifty Booklights which includes one with my personal recommendation.

I hope I haven't made my blog too commercial. I know I risk that by becoming an Amazon affiliate, but I don't expect to be able to quite my day job. I just hope to gain enough credits to buy more books! When you enter Amazon through my Guardian Cats portal, any purchase you make there applies. Pretty cool.

Take a look and pass this on if you like what you see! Share it with your friends. Thanks and let me know what you think.

The Writer's Journey

2010-08-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Is your story lacking pizzazz? Is it boring even for you? The best remedy for a ho-hum story is to get your heroine out of her comfort zone. Throw something at her that makes you both recoil and scream 'No! Anything but that!'

Make her squirm. Lie awake at night worrying what will happen to her. Don't make it easy for her to escape. In fact, make it impossible.

At the beginning of her story, bring in the Herald who calls her into adventure. She will refuse. It's human nature to resist change. But something will draw her out. Some small thing will get her attention in a way she cannot resist and will take her to a place where she cannot return to her ordinary existence. Once she has crossed the point of no return, she's fully engaged in that special world which is her own unique story.

You must follow her, gently prod her and see where she goes. If she goes out on a limb, stay with her. Feel the limb break. Feel yourself falling.

Dive into the depths of her world, feel your lungs bursting for air. Feel yourself die. And then feel the exhileration of being released back into the world, popping up and gulping air back into your body.

A story worth telling takes the reader on a journey. But it's the writer's journey first and it's one that requires courage and stamina. Fortunately there are guides and charts and maps to assist us. Without a guide, the writer is in danger of wandering off into the forest of words, never finding their way out.

The Writer's Journey, by Christopher Vogler, is the classic roadmap for storytelling. This is the book that makes Joseph Campbell's Hero of a Thousand Faces user friendly. From his lifelong study of stories from all ages and cultures, Campbell discovered the structural elements that made them classics, and the infinite variation of archetypes who populate them and made their journeys unforgettable. Vogler's book makes Campbell's research accessible in a way that is so entertaining you might forget how much you're learning.

If I had only known....

2010-08-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

"The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."
Albert Einstein

The interconnectedness of all things

2010-08-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

It was at The Brick, while eating Southwestern fajita wraps, we were discussing The Forgetting Room which lead to a discussion of the interconnectedness of all things. We were down to the level of molecules. Not just any molecules, but really old particles. The ancient ones that never go away and hang out in old buildings, bookstores and libraries.

Sparks flew in my brain, synapses synapsed. A plot I'd scribbled down last year emerged out of the recesses of my brain and fused with my new being, the one who looked like she was just eating a fajita, but was a year older and thousands of words wiser.

It was time to dig out that notebook and pay a visit to the character I'd left in the drawer, a sleeping beauty. The prince had arrived. The kiss had been placed.

Cowboys herding cats

2010-08-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

I'm developing an exciting new story and I've been too busy

researching, reading and writing to post this week.

But I wanted to share this very funny cat video.

Keep on writing!

A writer's workspace is all in the mind

2010-08-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

There's writing and then . . . there's 'writing it down'. So much of our work is more than the actual crafting of words. Plot ideas, character development, research -- it doesn't all need to take place in front of a computer. A writer's true workspace is all in the mind. I proved this to myself yesterday at the dentist office.

There I was, pinned to a dentist's chair. I knew if I didn't find something to focus on, my brain would flip through a thousand frivolous ideas worth about as much as used dental floss and I hate wasting a good hour like that.

So I thought about my new MC, a young woman in her early twenties. I needed to know what events in her childhood were significant, what she is passionate about, what are her inner conflicts? While the dental hygenist did her work, I was happily engaged character development and my MC revealed a lot of new details about her life.

The longer I write, the more amazed at how portable my workspace has become.

What about you? Do you need to write in a specific environment? Or can you write 'on the fly'? Do you have any odd places or moments where you've worked on some aspect of your writing?

How to tame your lion

2010-08-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

I'm reading Annie Dillard's book about writing and I wanted to share these passages without comment, because I cannot add a single word without diluting her words.

"The line of words is a miner's pick, a woodcarver's gouge, a surgeon's probe. You wield it, and it digs a path you follow. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow . . . or this time next year.

"You make the path boldly and follow it fearfully. You go where the path leads. At the end of the path, you find a box canyon. You hammer out reports, dispatch bulletins.

"The writing has changed, in your hands, and in a twinkling, from an expression of your notions to an epistemological tool. The new place interests you because it is not clear. You attend. In your humility, you lay down the words carefully, watching all angles. Now the earlier writing looks soft and careless. Process is nothing; erase your tracks. The path is not the work. I hope your tracks have grown over; I hope birds ate the crumbs; I hope you will toss it all and not look back . . . .

"Putting a book together is interesting and exhilarating. It is sufficiently difficult and complex that it engages all your intelligence. It is life at its most free, if you are fortunate enough to be able to try it, because you select your materials, invent your task, and pace yourself . . . .

"A work in progress quickly becomes feral. It reverts to a wild state overnight. It is barely domesticated, a mustang on which you one day fasten a halter, but which now you can't catch. It is a lion you cage in your study. As the work grows, it gets harder to control; it is a lion growing in strength. You must visit it every day and reassert your mastery over it. If you skip a day, you are, quite rightly, afraid to open the door to its room. You enter its room with bravura, holding a chair at the thing and shouting, 'Simba!'

Annie Dillard is the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, a non-fiction narrative. Her observations on life resist classification. This is her husband's description of her writing: "Her distinctive, and distinctively American, prose style has been widely recognized and openly imitated. She is, like Thoreau, a close observer; she is, like Emerson, a rocket- maker; her works’ prose structures and aims, however, are all her own."

How Ray Bradbury and Albert Einstein taught me to avoid writer's block

2010-08-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

I love quotes.
One of my favorites evokes such a powerful image it never fails to inspire and invigorate me. It's from Zen in the Art of Writing, where Ray Bradbury describes his creative process. "Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces together." As if a volcanic explosion wasn't enough to shake things up for me I throw in this subtle kicker from Albert Einstein. "Life like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
I love these two mental images, Bradbury jumping out of bed straight into his writing chair, and Einstein, on a bike, eyes twinkling and white hair flying. What Bradbury says to me is just let it all come out in full force. Don't let your mind stop you before you even get started. Don't self-critique in the first draft! After the explosion of words in the a.m., Bradbury spends the afternoon picking out the gems, dusting them off (oh, to pick through such a brilliant slush pile!) and arranging them into interesting shapes. At the end of the day, he's crafted another tale. He wrote over a dozen novels, over 400 short stories, plays and screenplays, children's fiction and non-fiction. His philosophy worked. He's pushing 90 this year and he's still moving.

While I still have to slap myself to keep from editing as I write the first draft, this image has done wonders to give my words the freedom to explode. If I don't get my own way, if I don't question or judge the ridiculous, awkward or alien words that spew forth, eventually something interesting happens. The magic appears. Some gossamer silk thread of a notion floats above the rubbish and if I'm paying attention, I'll follow. "You must keep moving!" shout Bradbury and Einstein at me, in jovial moods.

I don't believe in writer's block. I believe that what happens when I'm stuck, is me standing in the way. Or letting myself get bogged down by life, self-doubt, overcrowding in the cerebral cortex. Wisdom from writing giants like Bradbury and the genius of Einstein help me keep my balance and keep the flow going.

Do you have quotes that help motivate you in your writing? How do you keep track of them? Click here to view my QuotesDaddy favorites.

Are we too attached to our words?

2010-07-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

We're writers.
We love words.
We fall in love with our words.
This romance will have consequences because we have to let some of them go.
It's a complicated relationship.

Books as friends

2010-07-28T00:34:00.000-07:00

Evenings at home - Deborah DeWit Marchant

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”

A Field Guide to the Internet Archives

2010-07-16T01:23:00.000-07:00

On the steps of the Internet Archives.

If you love browsing through used book stores, you're gonna love the Internet Archives. My previous visits to IA online were interesting but not very productive as I'm too google and wiki-spoiled for their 30 second search results.

But I've recently rediscovered the Archives as a result of a trip to San Francisco. A friend asked if, while I was in the city, I could 'pop in' and request a hard copy of some texts they had online. With the aid of a GPS and two iPhone aps we found the Greek-columned building with its copper stamped doors which made, I thought, a lovely backdrop for a photo op with my daughter and grandkids.

Inside was a soft-spoken young man, just the sort you'd expect to find in a library. He wasn't able to fulfill our friend's request but told us we could get everything they had ...well, online. Of course we knew that, but there were rumors they had one of those Espresso instant book machines and I wanted to see one in action. Not all was lost though. It was kind of a kick to see the actual physical location of this gigantic digital library that scans over 1,000 books a day. And it inspired me to delve further into the Archives when I got home.

So here's my report. The Internet Archives, which provides free access to books and information that might otherwise be lost, has almost 300,000 video and moving images, 579,000 audio recordings and over 2 million books. They've even archived 80,000 live concerts. No wonder I had little luck trying for quick searches before.

Their home page has a Curator's choice in each category, in addition to its famous web page archive known as the Wayback Machine, currently sporting 150 billion pages. The non-profit IA is very much into preserving as much information as possible to prevent its loss or destruction, even referencing the Library of Alexandria, a place that's near and dear my heart, since it is the jumping off point in my upcoming book, Guardian Cats.

I've spent a good deal of time rummaging through the Archives now and have made some pretty interesting discoveries. If you're an Abe Lincoln fan, there's an autographed copy (1917) of "Latest Light on Abraham Lincoln" "including many heretofore unpublished incidents and historical facts concerning his ancestry, boyhood, family, religion, public life, trials and triumphs; illustrated with many reproductions from original paintings, photographs, etc."

But don't think the Archives are just about obscure old books though. Take a look at this offbeat but intriguing machinima animation, a strange love story called Cuckoo Clock, the first in the Cirque du Machinima series.

Maybe you're searching for actual radio signals from celestials objects? You can find them in the Star Journal, which features ambient music composed around a series of field recordings made from a radio telescope. The Archives has lots of ambient music, but if you want to experience a live Grateful Dead concert instead, there's no shortage of those either.

I've barely scratched the surface of this vast digital library but it's making me rethink any biases I may have had. Although I'm adamantly opposed to transforming our public and college libraries into 'bookless' libraries, these digital archives with their high quality scans are an invaluable resource towards preserving many books which would be otherwise lost. Anyone can upload texts, audio and video images to the library, if they have the rights to share.

Before you take your own journey through the Archives, here's some suggestions to make your online 'field trip' more enjoyable:

First, get a cup of coffee and be prepared to stay awhile so you can enjoy all the cool things you will discover.
Create a user name and password so you can bookmark your findings. You'll lose stuff, the same as if you set a book down and went wandering down another row of stacks. It labyrinthian.
If you see something interesting in the Curator's Choices, you'd better click it right away because the links change each time the page is refreshed. I learned that the hard way.
Everything is viewable and downloadable in a variety of formats including Kindle and something called Daisy, which is an audio book format for people with print disabilities," including blindness, impaired vision, dyslexia or other issues.
Do try reading the 'online' book formats with their clean, clear images and clickable pages that include every page, even the old book covers and bookplates.
Be aware of the large variety of searching and sorting options to help you find what you're looking for.

Some more of my discoveries I wanted to share:

From the audio files: crime classics, horror and Old Time Radio
From the video files: Here's one of those 'fun' education films some of us will remember from the 50's. This one's from 1949 called Dating Do's and Don'ts
Also from the videos files: Stock video footage which might be useful for book trailers, available for use under the Creative Commons license
Something from the Children's Library: A Subject Tag Cloud which is a pretty cool way to search.
From the text files: an example of the quality of a beautifully scanned book with rich color and superb illustrations from the Victorian era, Abroad (1882) is about 2 children on a voyage from England to France and Europe.

And last but not least, I couldn't resist including this little gem called 'The Private Lives of Cats'. The Guardian Cats rated it five star.

Librarian uses Kickstarter to fund video books reviews

2010-07-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a nifty follow up to my last blog post. In the Stacks is a site that features 60 second video book reviews hosted by librarian-in-training Michelle Zaffino. In the Stacks features episodes of Michelle’s and other guest librarians’ take on new books currently out there in the stacks. All genres are covered, from adult to teen fiction, non-fiction, fantasy and mystery.
The short episodes are meant to run like ads. Longer episodes are in the works, with multiple reviews, author interviews, library visits and special guests."

I'm loving Kickstarter more all the time. Michelle is using this grass roots fundraising format to raise $5,000 develop her site. To view her progress and maybe kick in a couple of bucks, see 'In the Stacks' Kickstarter fundraising project.

What would you do with $5,000 towards your writing/book related projects?

Need funds to promote your artistic project? A Kickstarter review

2010-07-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

Kickstarter is a unique funding platform for writers, artists, filmmakers, musicians, illustrators and others to bring their projects and ambitions to life. It's based on two premises: 1- the idea that a good idea, communicated well, can spread fast and wide and 2-a large group of people pledging small amounts of money (pledges can start at $1) can create the capital needed to get your project off the ground. Projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands.

Kickstarter.com is the grassroots version of a patron of the arts. With a wide definition of 'creative', there are 18 categories of projects ranging from silly to sublime. If you have a project you can present well, you will not only get patrons, but people who will be excited to promote your project. It's easy interface for sharing is awesome. I 'shared' "Vuvuzelas for BP" on Twitter and FB, a project in the Event category, which needed funds to purchase 100 vuvuzelas to play in front of BP's International Headquarters in London for a one-day flash mob. The project was an overwhelming success, receiving more than double the $2,000 goal.

On the more sublime side there is A Field Guide To Now: An Illustrated Collection of Essays and Prose, an illustrated collection of essays and prose exploring the present tense. The creator, Christina Rosalie, set her project cost at $10,663 which was successfully raised in the 90 day framework.

Here's an example of a self-promoting video from an author.

Another interesting project by a Brazilian student re-creating Little Red Riding Hood onto storyboards for an animation project.

I spent several fun hours browsing through Kickstarter, amazed at the creativity of the projects as well as the enthusiasm of people who want to support the arts. You can simply 'follow' a project without pledging or you can pledge anywhere from $1 to $1,000. Kickstarter seems to be a well constructed, easy to understand format that could help you get your project, well...kickstarted!

Would you read this book?

2010-07-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

This is my current version of a jacket blurb. I would love to know what you think. Would this entice you to read this book?

--------

Not even the librarians are aware of its existence. Only the cats know about the secret chamber under the library, hiding a mystical book with power to change the world.

But a professor who suspects the book survived the fires which destroyed the Library of Iskandriyah, is driven by his blind desire for power to possess it and losing the book once to the same creature who stole his sight has only fueled his vengeful quest.

Will the Guardian Cats be able to save this ancient treasure placed in their care over two thousand years ago? Will the young apprentice tabby, left on his own, be able to keep it out of the hands of the dangerous professor. If he fails, what will happen when a man with that much craving for power has the ability to use it. If he wins, what on earth will he do with the creatures unleashed from the darkest corners of the library who wish to destroy far more than one book.

Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Iskandriyah,
by Rahma Krambo

Would you read this book? Would love to hear your comments?

KitLit Writers Conference you can attend in your jammies

2010-07-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Karsten who I met Twittering, I discovered a writer's conference especially for kidlit writers. The only price of admission is having your MC be under 18 years of age.

WriteOnCon is a project that was started by seven writers who wanted to 'pay it forward' for other writers. Just like a 'real' conference, there will be keynote speakers, agent panels and lectures but they will presented in the form of blogs, vlogs, moderated chats, webinars, podcasts and livestreaming.

What's really awesome about this conference is their growing list of industrial strength professionals who will be the presenters. There are also critique forums which will allow writers to receive feedback and exposure for their work, and the entire program has been designed to be both informative and entertaining.

From what I've seen of their vlogs, this looks to be a very fun and interesting event. Did I mention this is a 3-day conference?
And if you haven't seen Karsten dance, you don't know what you missing.

When: Tuesday – Thursday, August 10 – 12, 2010
Where: http://www.writeoncon.com/
Cost: Free!
Who: it’s for EVERYONE!

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you...

2010-06-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

My all time favorite poet is the famous 13th century Persian poet, Jalāl ad-Dīn Rūmī. I have a Coleman Barks translation with sticky tabs sprouting from all the edges in lime green and yellow. But even with my favorite poems marked I usually let Rumi surprise me with something new.
He never fails to take my breath away. After my post about writing at dawn, I opened the book to this poem:

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.
I would love to kiss you.
The price of kissing is your life.
Now my loving is running toward my life shouting,
What a bargain,
Let's buy it!

The best time of day to write

2010-06-24T23:43:00.000-07:00

Miranda, my cat, is the first to know I'm up at the crack of dawn. Little does she care I have reasons to be padding around the house other than feeding her. There are prayers and coffee to make which I perform to the tune of an orchard full of songbirds announcing the new day like it's going to be something crazy special.

Two days after the summer soltice, dawn begins at 4:07 a.m. where I live in California, but I give myself another hour of sleep and set the alarm for 5:00. That leaves me 45 minutes until the official daystart, but if I'm lucky I can keep writing until 7 or 8.

What's so special about writing at dawn? I could be sleeping like most normal people, but I love this 'in-between time' emerging gradually from the darkness of night. It hasn't opened into the full light of day. More like a rose bud, that's dawn. It feels like wonder and promise and hope.

I open my laptop and bring up my WordDoc and suddenly I'm in my Special World that Christopher Vogler describes in The Writer's Journey. When I'm writing I must leave the Ordinary World just as my protagonist must after he responds to his 'call to adventure'. I slip into it so easily at dawn, it seems like a gift bestowed from Beyond. I always try to prolong my visit as long as possible and I feel a sense of loss when I must leave. Sunrise ushers in the 'ordinary world' and demands my attention, my body demands to be fed, and I remember my journey like it was some kind of dream.

What the bleep is a writer's platform?

2010-06-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

Greetings friends, both old and new. I'm kicking this blog into gear again and the first thing I want to address is this thing called a writer's platform. You can't go anywhere without reading about it. Type it into Google and you have over 4 million pieces of advice on this matter. But first, I have to get this off my chest. The name 'platform' just bugs the heck out of me. Who came up with this generic, dull term for authors online 'presence'?

'Platform' evokes all the visual imagery of a piece of plywood. Come on, we're writers. We can come up with something better than this! Bandstand, auction block, podium, launching pad. A thesaurus is a wonderful thing.

The other thing that's bugging me is that everyone seems to be regurgitating pretty much the same advice, although I confess I haven't read all four million postings. Get a blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Ok. Got it.

But hey, I'm not making these complaining noises for nothing. I did listen and obey. My Guardian Cats are on Facebook, I have a couple of blogs and just recently started tweeting and guess what? What sounded like a lot of work is pretty fun. Too much, if you know what I mean. If I'm blogging, FBing, twittering, then I'm not really working on my book. But I'm connecting with people and that's got to be a good thing for a hermit. Right?

I'd just like to add a couple of things to the platform, and that is GoodReads and Google Friend Connect, which allows you to turn your website or blog into a social hall, which is why I'm back here at my Blogger blog rather than WordPress.

What are you doing to build a platform? Do you have a Facebook page strictly for your writing or a particular book? Do you Twitter? What part of the platform do you enjoy the most?

Interview with my Main character

2009-12-30T00:58:00.000-08:00

I'm taking Holly Lisle's 'Create a Character Clinic". One technique she uses in getting to know your character is to interview them. After I had created my Main Character and given him a background, I was wondering if I'd picked one who was going to be too difficult. He's a shy 13 year old boy and I had to have a serious talk with him if he was going to be my MC.

“You’ll have to let me get to know you if I’m going to write a story about you.”

”I know.”

He stands quietly in front of me about 10’ away. I can’t tell what he looks like yet. He appears smudged, like a person on TV when they don't want to be identified. I am peeling garlic for tonight’s soup. Multi-tasking.

Now what? It’s so awkward when you get two shy people together.

“Can I call you Maxx? That’s the most recent name I picked out.”

“But it’s not my name.”

“O.K.” I was at tad bit disappointed. I liked that name. “You want to tell me your name?”

He bit his lower lip. He hasn’t look at me yet. We've moved into the living room where we can sit. I’m waiting, pen poised in my hand. I’m going to have to be patient. Why did I pick such an unassuming character? Is he going to cooperate? I know more than he does about his future, and he has an interesting story, but he's not making it easy.

“O.K. You can tell me later,” I suggest. I’ll try another route. Something simple. “How old are you?”

“Thirteen. And a half.”

I remember when those half-years carried such weight. That age when one is still charging full speed ahead towards adulthood.

“Have you thought about what you want to be when you grow up?” I could kick myself for asking such an ‘adult-type’ question.

“Be? I just want to be me. Only bigger. And smarter.”

It was a better answer than the question deserved and I was intrigued.

“Do you think you are smart now?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know, maybe.”

“Why wouldn’t you think you are smart?”

“I don’t feel smart.”

“When?”

“What do you mean?”

“When don’t you feel smart? Or where?” I take a wild guess. “At school?”

“Yeah, mostly.”

“What are your grades like?”

“B’s. Some A’s.”

“Really? That seems pretty smart.”

“He gives me a look like ‘the grades don’t really mean much if you still feel ‘dumb’ look.

“What about at home? Do you feel smart there?”

“No.”

Unequivocally ‘no’. I was clearly treading on sensitive ground. I took a step forward to see how far I could go. "Can you tell me a little about your family?"

“What do you want to know?” He seemed like he was squirming inside his skin and I could see him chewing on his lip. Oh God, help me understand this kid without scaring him half to death.

He shot me a look I couldn’t interpret and he is saved by the ringing of the phone. When I return he is fiddling with his cell phone.

“Sorry about that. Where were we?” I see his hands manipulating the buttons on his phone. They struck me as being extremely clean and I found myself oddly wondering if other 13 year old boys had such clean hands. His fingers were long and thin, but not delicate.

“Oh yes.” I was answering my own question, wondering if I’d lost him. “I was asking you about your family.
He closed his phone and slipped it in his pocket. He seemed to be thinking about how to answer this, even more than the other questions. “I have a mother,” he said with a slight edge of defensiveness. His answer was filled with worlds of unspoken heartbreak.

I took a deep breath. “You live with her?”

“Of course.”

“Can I ask where your father is?” I don’t make any assumptions in our ‘broken-family’ society.

“Don’t know. He died. I mean, he left when I was little. I don’t remember him much.”

I don’t know if his slip and instant correction showed a slight edge towards wanting to tell the truth, or just opening up.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. I really meant it, but it sounded like such a canned, insincere response.

The kid looked hard at me, evaluating whether I was sincere or not. Now who was interviewing who, I wondered.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“No.”

“How does that feel? I mean, do you think you’d like to have a brother or sister?”

“Sure.” There was the slightest hint of a spark in him.

I decided it was time to open myself up now, rather than just prying into his life like a school counselor or CPS worker. “I always wanted a big family,” I told him. “I have a sister and that’s pretty cool, but I think big families look like a lot of fun. Messy, but fun.”

His face is coming into a little more into focus. He’s wearing glasses and his eyes popped open in a funny way that changed the configuration of his whole face. He pushed his glasses, too big, back up on his nose. There was something charmingly innocent about this boy. Refreshing.

“Let’s play a game,” I said impulsively. I already knew that this kid’s reality was troublesome to say the least. After all, I made him up. Maybe I could get to know him by entering his fantasy world. His face transformed into a big funny question mark.

I said, “Let’s pretend we could pick our ideal family.”

“Yeah?” It was like I had opened a door that he’d been standing outside of and I just gave him permission to go through.

“Sure. You want to go first?”

“Hmm. No, you go.” Hesitant, but clearly looking forward the game.

“O.K. Let’s see. I’d definitely have a brother. An older brother who would tease me terribly, but who would defend me from anyone who might want to hurt me.”

The kid’s face relaxed and changed again.

“I like that. I think I’d have a brother too, but he’d be a twin. I would always have someone to hang out with.” There was a definite twinkle in his eye.

"You’d always have someone to blame for the broken window too,” I teased. He got my joke right away.

“Course it works both ways, but twins do seem to have a lot of fun. Playing pranks and stuff," I said.

“What about sisters?” He’s asking me questions now. This is turning out better than I anticipated. “Do you want more sisters?”

“Well, I have an older sister, but I think I’d like two younger ones. And a baby brother. A chubby little boy who everyone would spoil, but he’d still be loveable.”

We’re interrupted by the phone again and I have to finish making the soup. When I return to the living room, he’s gone. I think I’ll be able to coax him back again pretty easily though and I'm encouraged, but I’ll have to keep our sessions short.

Passing the table where I keep my hodgepodge collection of rocks, I notice they have been neatly arranged and grouped by their basic compositions. Pretty interesting way of communicating.

Maybe next time I'll learn his name.

Give them their voice

2009-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Since writing is a solitary affair, only a few of my family and friends are aware my addiction, but they are less amazed than me that I actually finished writing my book. It took 2 1/2 years but I never gave up.

I remember the moment I decided to get serious. It was just before my birthday. The one that sounds officially 'old' and notifies junk mail marketers I might be a candidate for a mobility scooters. Scary stuff, but this new decade of my life has mobilized me. I am spurred on by the ticking clock but inspired at the same time. So I picked up the pen and forged ahead with all the naive bluster of a young soldier into battle.

For a long time I didn't want to let anyone know what I did ~~with all of my spare time~~ in the wee hours of the morning (or was it late night?) because if I didn't finish it, then... What? I don't know because now it doesn't matter. I'm writing now because I love it, not to prove I can do it. And, here's the best part. I still like my story. It's not bad for a first book. Maybe I'll find a few others who think so too.

Writing is relaxing for me, which seems like a funny thing to say, but when I'm all done with my day job where I'm in my left brain for hours, I go play with my characters and plots and I feel rested after writing for two hours.

With stacks of books scattered around me, sticky pads, spiral and binder notebooks, and a host of pens and highlighters, I am poised over my laptop with five open Word Doc files and six search engine tabs. Doing what I love.

If you like to write, don't wait. Don't think about it too much or you'll never start. Just do it.

After all, there's some interesting character just waiting for you to give them their voice.

2009-12-25T15:01:00.001-08:00

In case you wandered in...I'm still getting things set up. Stop by again.