Category Archives: Writing

Posts about my writing process.

If anybody out there gives a whoop…

04 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by in NaNoWriMo, Writing

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998584-195…my word count came to 17, 562 words during NaNoWriMo. But some of that was rewriting, and I moved some chunks around among different chapters. So, it’s only a best guess. I just wish I were happier about it.

I truly admire the folks who can run with NaNoWriMo and accomplish their goals. Not for the first time, I wish I were one of you. I’m stuck with a brain that hops around among ideas and notions. A little tweak here, and, oh, this part can go back in Chapter 12. Not linear in the slightest. So, kudos, sincerely, and I hope you keep up the pace.

As for me, I’ll keep plugging in my own odd way. As Popeye famously said, “I yam what I yam.” Baked or candied, I write to my own drummer.

Happy holidays.

And here I thought I knew everything…

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in NaNoWriMo, Writing

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Well, it’s been an interesting November so far. I’ve learned several things by trying NaNoWriMo for the first time. Biggest one is that it doesn’t work for me. I do have thousands of words written but I discovered a basic truth about the way I write: I go nuts if I don’t start each session with a brief edit of what I wrote the day before.

That may seem a small thing, but when I finally gave in to the desire to go back, take another look–rewrite, for God’s sake–my forward momentum died an ugly death. I was becalmed in my little sailboat of a writing routine and couldn’t catch any wind to return to the race. My focus had become fixed on piling up words, not discovering the heart of them. I kept finding half-thoughts tripping over each other, the kind of plot issues that don’t become a problem if you find them and deal with them every day. (Well, sometimes they sure as hell do, we all know that, but if your ears are filled with the ticking of the clock, it’s harder to deal with.) I floundered around for a while, fell into a pit of despair over an unsolvable plot snarl, and threw up my hands…and nearly my lunch. Ugly, my friends, ugly.

And then came the dawn. I would do what I always do (no, not try to take over the world, Pinky and the Brain fans.) I’d continue writing, I’d try to speed up a bit, but not at the expense of the incremental editing that appears to jump-start my brain. At the end of November I will add up all the words (and post them on Twitter and/or here, since I never actually signed up for NaNoWriMo.) And I’ll keep going until I’ve finished the book. And then I’ll go through the manuscript again and again until I’m ready to show it to readers.

I was really hoping the pressure of NaNoWriMo would bulldoze me through the slow patches. Came to find out the slow patches are where my writing happens.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Hair-tearing insanity in NaNoWriMo

10 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by in e-books, NaNoWriMo, Wisdom Court

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Okay, remember how I tweeted that you should never look back at the earlier pages? I have a very mother of a plot snarl & my tired brain is scurrying around like a trapped badger trying to figure a way out. I’ve got words written on three different chapters but the totals don’t mean anything until I get a coherent narrative strung together. I think I’ve found a way, but I’m going to sleep on it to be sure.

The biggest difficulty is that what I’m working on is the third book of the series–three dimensional chess in fiction form. The details come from all three books and I’m struggling to braid everything together. The first two books are published so I can’t change anything in them. So I’m eyeball to eyeball with a couple of plot points that must be manicured a bit. And I’m mixing metaphors like a Fiction 101 Cuisinart.

I will sleep, perchance to dream up some answers to these highly irritating questions. And then I’ll preen at my genius. Right? (Cricket chirping.) RIGHT?

Bye-bye for now…

09 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by in Bestseller, e-books, Wisdom Court, Writing

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to my short-lived bestseller status on Amazon’s Kindle Ghost Fiction list. Edge of the Shadow slid off the list sometime last night. Fame is fleeting, friends, and I was lucky enough to get a taste of it now. Had to share it fast before it faded. Here’s to next time and here I am turning back to the NaNoWriMo task before me. Thanks for the nice comments & “likes.”

Cheers!

Breaking news…

08 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by in Bestseller, Ghosts, Wisdom Court

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9781614176459We interrupt the NaNoWriMo madness to report that Edge of the Shadow is at #98 on the Amazon bestselling Ghost Fiction list. Woo-hoo! Do you think I’m excited? You’re right. And since they report hourly, I’m telling everyone I know while the telling’s good.

Cheers!

You know those words I was talking about…?

06 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by in Ghosts, Gothic, Hauntings, Mysteries, Wisdom Court, Writing

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Gentle readers, today I’ve been in a swirl of words, not all of them having to do with NaNoWriMo. Not only am I writing Wisdom Court Book 3, All In Bad Time, but I’m also marketing and publicizing the first two Wisdom Court Books: Edge of the Shadow, and A Signal Shown. (This while falling short in the promotion of my two mysteries, Scavenger Hunt, and Obstacle Course. My bad.)

This is the day Edge of the Shadow has been featured on EReader News Today, and I’ve been sharing that fact through Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin. Once again I’ve noted that my Wisdom Court books carry a lot of labels. There are a lot of different elements in my books and they come from different genres.

All of the books I’ve written have been categorized as cross-genre. That means several things, some complimentary, some not. Historically books have been sold by genre, meaning bookshelf space given to them is ideally in a specific bookstore location. Mysteries with mysteries, romances with romances, paranormal with paranormal, etc. It gets murkier with mainstream novels, which get away with including various aspects under the umbrella of mainstream. Whatever that means.

The stories I like to tell myself involve more than one template. In the case of the Wisdom Court books the two things that intrigued me in the initial phases were first, the idea of a woman getting what she’d always wanted most, the chance to be totally supported for a year while she worked to make her biggest dream come true. Second, to observe the relationship among the five or six women living at Wisdom Court while they all got to be stars. The protagonist meets a lovely man. So, women’s fiction with an element of romance.

But then I began to wonder about paranormal events getting in the way of such an idyllic set-up. A problem that must be solved. Mystery, right? My belief that our memories and regrets are like ghosts haunting us as we age had me wanting those women forced to deal with scary supernatural stuff while they were supposed to be setting the world on fire during their year at Wisdom Court. Paranormal, supernatural, Gothic, horror, ghost story.

Thanks to the rise of independent publishing, I’ve been able to get the Wisdom Court books into print (POD) and on-line as ebooks. But as for promoting them, the old rules apply, because readers want to read what they like. So here’s my challenge to those of you who’ve read Edge of the Shadow and/or A Signal Shown. How would you describe them? How many genres would you have to mention to let readers know what they’re getting? I’d really be interested in having you weigh in. Thanks.

 

My first NaNoWriMo Adventure, and an Announcement

04 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in e-books, Gothic, Writing

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9781614176459First the announcement: Nook has my two creepy/Gothic novels on sale Nov. 3 – Nov. 6 !!

http://bit.ly/1tUB5Ns  Edge of the Shadow

 

9781614176473

http://bit.ly/1x2KoyA   A Signal Shown

 

 

 

I’m on the fourth day of NaNoWriMo  (National Novel Writing Month).

I’ve never done it before, but I’m behind on my work in progress (All In Bad Time, Wisdom Court Book 3).

Do you want me to tell you the word totals so far? Sure you do.

Day 1, 2288 words   Day 2, 1621 words   Day 3, 2633 words.

Now, off to write the words for today. Send me some energy & inspiration, please.

Halloween is coming…

25 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by in Ghosts, Hallowe'en, Haunted Denver, Wisdom Court, Writing

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and I’m working on Book Three of the Wisdom Court chronicles, All In Bad Time. At times I get jittery while listening to the creaks and sighs of our old house as I tap away on my keyboard, sitting in my third floor garret. The weather has been summer-hot the last few days, and the deep blue sky heightens the yellows and reds of the autumn leaves. But when the sun goes down, and that’s early these days, the air changes as the shadows venture out from the corners. The bustle of the day gives way to the uneasy quiet of the dark. DCIM100SPORT

Not far away from my garret is a former graveyard. This time of year people again recount the tales of how the bodies were dug out of the cemetery to allow for the park it became. How the contractors grew impatient, not bothering to find all of the remains, moving out headstones but leaving body parts behind. Just a couple of years ago, a sprinkler repair project turned up bones buried beneath the grassy area.

Is it any wonder that some people–those sensitive to the emanations of the past in this old neighborhood–sometimes see things from the corners of their eyes? Feel a chill brush by them as they head home when the light falls behind the mountains?

Alone in my garret, it’s not hard to imagine ghostly figures behind me, intent upon catching the attention of my wandering mind, wanting their stories to be told. I like to think that what I write is the product of only my imaginings, but there’s no way to know whose wispy thoughts break through to shape the narrative. And I see things, too, from the corners of my eyes, sometimes feel a breath of cold air move past my cheek.  And I wonder.

 

 

Blog Hop!

08 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by in Writing

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Thanks to the wonderful C.R. Richards at crrichards.com I am participating in the fun and fanciful Blog Hop. Many authors on the internet have lined up to comment upon their writing processes because many inquiring readers/writers want to know. So here goes: The Four Questions.

What are you working on?

I am currently writing the Wisdom Court Book Three, All In Bad Time, due out in the Spring of 2015. Wisdom Court is a renowned institute set in Boulder, and the women invited there get a fully supported year to work on any project they choose. The first two books have just come out online and in print on demand formats. Edge of the Shadow, Book One, introduces forensic artist Andrea Bellamy, who yearns to be a painter. When she starts sketching and trance-painting a man she’s never met nor seen, she must struggle to determine the source of her terrifying predicament. A Signal Shown, Book Two, has filmmaker Brenna Payne facing her worst fears in the nightmares that torture her each night. both are available at Amazon.com and B & N

Nook. See my pretty covers:97816141764599781614176473

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Paranormal thrillers allow a lot of possible avenues, from vampires and werewolves to ghosts and monsters. Since I’ve always crossed genres, I like my characters to contend with everyday life while they’re encountering never-dreamed-of dangers from otherworldly sources.

Why do I write what I do?

I want to tell myself the stories I can’t find on book shelves. Since I write by the seat of my pants, I’m always wondering what happens next as I type the details. I enjoy having the mundane come up against the possibilities of the supernatural. I watched The Twilight Zone as a kid and have never fully recovered from that.

How does my writing process work?

I start with an idea or an image that captures my fancy and I play with it until I can see how to use it as a pivotal point for the plot. Then I imagine what kind of character would be tormented and ultimately changed by encountering that plot point. I start writing and the elements of the story surface from my subconscious as I get further along. I know I’ve hit gold when I begin dreaming about the book. Then I alternate among slogging–just getting words onto the page, then editing and fighting off the terror that I’m going to write myself into a corner.

Who’s Up Next?

Denver author Doug Hawk has been writing horror novels since the mid-’80s and has no desire to stop. His books can keep you looking over your shoulder in terror for a good long while. Two of his ebooks now available at Amazon.com are Mark of the Black Claw and Moonslasher.

Doug’s blog is at http://dwellerbythedarkstream.wordpress.com/

 

Karen Duvall lives in Bend, Oregon, and writes wonderful fantasy novels. She is the author of Knight’s Curse and Darkest Knight, as well as Desert Guardian, a compelling story of a sister’s efforts to save her brother from a cult. When she’s not writing she freelances as a graphic designer. Karen’s blog is at http://www.karenduvallauthor.com

 

 

Writers, writers…

04 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Uncategorized, Writing

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…will be gathered starting tomorrow at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers annual Colorado Gold conference. They’ll come from all over the country to meet, greet, and share information about the maddening, wonderful profession of putting words together to express ideas, create characters, connect with the world. And I’ll be one of them.

Those of you scribblers who have never attended a writing conference might well consider doing so. I hid myself in my garret for years, swearing I’d not show any of  my writing to anyone until I made a sale. I learned how much I’d missed when I attended a Bouchercon mystery convention and discovered my tribe. I’d always thought I had several screws loose, and then I met other writers. We could hardly hear each other speak for the sound of all those rattling fasteners clanking in the room. I met authors who shared what they’d learned and were more than generous to unknowns like me.

The members of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers continue in that tradition. I look forward to each September when I know I’ll be spending time with people who are as passionate as I am about getting those words on the page. We’ll share rueful stories about how hard writing is, and how crazy the publishing business is, and how much we still love what we do.

This year’s conference has sold out, which is a testament to its informative panels and opportunities to talk with editors, agents, and other writers. Start thinking about attending next year’s conference. (http://rmfw.org/) Regardless of where you are in the many stages of becoming a writer, you’ll be investing in a glorious celebration of the joy and the pain of writing.

I can’t wait for tomorrow.

 

P.S. Edge of the Shadow, Wisdom Court Book One and  A Signal Shown, Wisdom Court Book Two are available in paperback form at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1waXExa and http://amzn.to/1rOCuXj

And as paperbacks at B & N: Book One, http://bit.ly/1ouI35u and Book Two, http://bit.ly/1lBUn9v

The links for the ebooks are in the previous post.