Vlog #24: How Jewelry Inspires Writing

Ideas, Where?

I'm still steadfastly working on THESE WICKED WATERS.

In the meantime, I'm prepping SECOND-HAND SCAVENGERS for Ink & Insights 2016. As I've edited the first 10,000 words, I've been reminiscing.
For my almost all of my books, I can't tell you the exact moment the "idea" came to mind. With SHS, I can.
In fact, I have evidence of it. I was sitting at the library, using the Internet on my laptop. When the idea popped into my head, I grabbed my phone and saved it as a note--the bare skeleton of an idea. Inspiration that I had no idea how I would use. Yet.

That's right. I got the idea on July 10, 2014. If you followed my Idea to Pages series, you'd realize I didn't start planning SHS until July 9, 2015. A year later--almost to the day! This shows how important it is to write your ideas down! You never know what stories can come from them. 

Every book has a humble beginning. It all starts with one idea.

The Little Things

This past weekend I went with my mom to buy flowers for her front yard planters. 
While we were exploring the Amish greenhouse, we noticed a pot that had been knocked over, a seedling abandoned on the ground. I was going to walk by it, but my mom stopped. She proceeded to right the pot, scoop soil back inside, and ease the seedling back in place. 
I was in awe (though, I'm usually in awe of my mom so this was no freak occurrence). That simple act of stopping to rescue something as menial as a plant speaks volumes about her caring nature. A nature I long to replicate.
The same principle can be tied into writing. Is there a character that's horrendous, but you need the audience to sympathize with her? Have her do a small act of kindness. It doesn't matter what it is. Readers will be won over. I can say that from experience!
And just a quick shout out, because she reads all these posts and works so hard...
Thanks, Mom, for all you do. I love you!

Hot Spots

No, I'm not talking about wifi. Instead of Internet, think Inspiration hot spots.
In other words, places where you get inspired most often.
I like to imagine that these "hot spots" teem with a special kind of energy. The leftover sparks of our inspiration flit about, just waiting to burst into a story the next time we visit.
Of course, my hot spots are the most amazing places. Bet you're picturing some kind of magical garden where buds are always in bloom, the temperature is perfect, and I stroll through barefoot in a pretty dress...
Or maybe I'm imagining that. Ahem.
My hot spots are as bland as they get. Where do I get most inspired? Usually in my car. More specifically, the driver's seat. There's something about cruising along (windows up or down, depending on the fickle weather) and listening to music that tickles my thoughts. It's wonderful! 

I know. It's not very exciting. It's either that or while I'm asleep. Which, unless you count my crazy dreams, isn't very exciting either. There are times when I'm somewhere new that I do get inspired. But this post is about "hot spots," not happen-chance adventures.
What about you? Is there a particular spot that inspires you more than others?

A Twist in Routine

Confession time. Ready?
I struggle with acne. Not horrible, full blown, all-over-my-face acne. But it's not just the occasional pimple either (and it really affects my self-esteem, if I were honest). I've gone through dermatologist after dermatologist, cream after cream with no real relief. After some research on the glorious thing we call The Internet, I found one final option: A Naturopath.
A week or so ago, I took an hour drive to see A Naturopath. Long story short, she gave me a regimen to follow for a while to first see if the dreaded acne is stemming from any food allergies (even though I strongly doubt this, I'm willing to give anything a go).
Enter in the liver detox. The last week I've been gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, and egg free.
If you know me at all, this is a huge challenge. Just check out my bio. See that "food loving" bit? Well, you can translate that into "junk food."
This week-long detox has been difficult, but it's also subtly inspired me.
While I stood over the stove yesterday afternoon, jealous of half my family sitting by the firepit cooking hotdogs, simultaneously sauteeing onions and celery that would go into my quinoa concoction...

Prickling began in my fingertips. An idea was forming.
What is it, you ask? I'm not entirely sure. I know two things:
1. I really need to write this down.
and 2. The main character in my next book is going to be a really quirky girl who loves to cook.
What's the plot? The conflict? The side characters?
Yeah, I've got no idea.
But if you guys followed my blog series Idea to Pages, you should know...
This is just the beginning.

Escape & A Cold Dish

Ever have one of those days?

Work stunk; your boss could care less about your ideas. Traffic jammed, and you had somewhere important to be. Maybe you didn't do so well on that test, though you knew an "A" was in your future...

                                           

Yep, those moments that are oh-so-often a part of life. And sometimes?

Well, sometimes, you need to ditch reality for awhile, N'Sync style.

                              

Everyone has different methods of escaping. My personal favorite is ice cream and a movie. Or a bag a of chips and a good book. Okay, okay. Just junk food in general.

But as writers, we have one of the awesome, "suck it, you jerk!" escapes.

                            

Annoying people in your life? That one event from high school you can't get over? Weave it into your story! This is where writers get to use the following disclaimer:

"This is a work of fiction. All characters in this novel are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental."

Read that? Entirely coincidental. Run with it.

                             

Just don't choke on your maniacal laughter. ;)

Woops... I Forgot

While I was getting ready for work this morning, my sister, clad in PJs and sporting adorable bed head, whipped out her phone and declared, "You were talking in your sleep last night, and I wrote it down."

 
Apparently (though I will always deny it), I am a notorious sleep-talker. After sharing a room with me for seven months, my sister has finally caught on to this. And now, whenever I make the slightest mumble, she jots it down as a note in her iPhone.

Last night I said the following, "Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness! They really wrote on the basement walls, didn't they!?"

Cinderella sure got her song wrong. I don't want anyone writing on any walls. Especially not basement ones with who-knows-what. Yes, my mind immediately went to blood. I'm a pessimist with a dark imagination, so what?

                              

Dreams are crazy things. Scientists still aren't quite sure why or how we dream. But we do. And dreams hold excellent ideas for writing a book.

In fact, my current WIP? You know, the twist on "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"?

It all started from a dream. Not that the dream necessarily had anything to do with Wonderland. But it did have to do with crossing worlds and a debonair young man. Vampires and soul-stealers were also involved. Thankfully the idea went through quite a metamorphosis during plotting!

This isn't the only dream I've had that I thought would make a good book. Only, with most dreams, I forgot what they were about. Or, while daydreaming, I've thought up a great dialog line. But then started doing actual thinking and lost it. Even after I swore I was going to remember it. Five minutes later? Nothing.

Ever happen to you?

There is one cure: a journal. Whether it be a physical journal or an app on a smart phone... INVEST! Keep it close to you at nighttime to write dreams down. Carry it in your purse (or guys... a pocket, maybe?) to pull out when inspiration strikes.

So invest the $1.99 (or if you're feeling fancy, a bit more). It's immeasurably worth it.

To NaNo or Not NaNo

July was Camp NaNoWriMo. Writers set a goal and fight to accomplish it before the end of the month.

I spent July pushing toward a goal of 40,000 words in my current WIP. And did I meet it? You bet! Though I went through some serious ups and downs, illustrated by my handy chart below.

During the 31 days of literary abandon, I went through a plethora of emotions:

Determination. July 1st. 40,000 words. Psh, I could totally do this.

                                     

Pride. I'm ahead by 2,000 words. Say whaaat?

                             

Laziness. Yeah, I'm so not writing today. Or... for, you know, four days in a row...

                             

Panic. Needing to catch up ASAP!

                                        

Awesomeness. Keeping a steady pace. You know that's right.

                                           

And, at the end. Pure and utter accomplishment. I couldn't believe I actually wrote 40,000 words!

                               

So, would I recommend Camp NaNoWriMo (or just NaNoWriMo) to writers? Absolutely! Before July, I'd been struggling for months to get myself to write. Camp NaNo gave me the push I needed. I also got to connect with some really supportive writers.

And, okay, getting this certificate at the end was pretty awesome.

Also celebrating with a round of mini golf was great too.

The next time NaNo comes around, I'd heartily suggest that you hop on the writing wagon. It's an awesome experience. The only thing you'll regret is looking back and not participating.

Congratulations to everyone who entered and persevered!

Getting The Right Paint

Writers know exactly how locations should appear in their books. There's a beautiful setting in their minds. Maybe castle, a forest, a bedroom. They just have to "paint the scene."

Easy, right?

                                                      

Where are you right now? Maybe you're in your car. The soft rumbling of the engine is your soundtrack as you read my blog. The heavy scent of bananas serve as a reminder that you really need to clean out your car. Air conditioning whisks out between the vents, slightly too cold. Hello, goosebumps. Through the window, cars of all makes and models are parked. The grocery store beckons, but you're not quite ready to brave the aisle yet. You pull out your gum, tired of the taste of stale mint, and put it in a napkin.

Not the best scene ever, but it shows my point. Now let me tell you (blog post on the lovely war between showing and telling to come).

We have five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. And they all need to be used in writing. Taste is tricky and isn't used as abundantly, but the other four are a must. No, you don't need to jam them all into one paragraph like I did above. Talk about a sensory overload!

They should be interspersed throughout your writing as you set a scene.

So, as you're picture that beautiful bedroom your character is given at her aunt's country estate, consciously think to yourself. What does it smell like? What does your character hear?

 My advice would be to wait to add the sensory bits until you're going back to edit. But do whatever is best for you and your writing.

...On a side note! THREE DAYS until Camp NaNoWriMo is over! I'll give you full update on Thursday and the pros/cons of sprinting it. But where things stand right now?

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna win.

                                      

All For Naught

I'm behind on my CampNaNoWriMo word count. That's what happens when you take a three day break.

Woops.

I planned to do some serious catching up last night to the tune of 2k. Did I write that much? Totally. Does it sound good? For a rough draft, yeah. Am I going to keep it? No.

The direction I was trying to take the plot in made no sense. I had my characters trying to get off a train without being seen. They decided to wait until it was moving to crawl out an escape hatch. I got them on top of the train (after a heart-pounding almost fall, of course). Then what? They were stuck! I literally wrote myself into a corner.

                                   

Hello, delete button. Cue throwing self on floor, chucking laptop at wall, and stuffing chocolate in my face. Okay, not really. I wouldn't have minded the chocolate though.

Deleting those 2,000 words wouldn't have been a big deal during a normal month. But July isn't a normal month. It's Camp NaNoWriMo. I have to earn my t-shirt!

At first I wanted to do this:

                                    

But then I realized writing my characters on top of that train had some positives.

  1. I learned where I did not want the plot to go.
  2. I leaned action movies that have characters leaping off moving trains made no sense. (When did they ever?)
  3. Finally, I learned the best direction to take the plot. No daring stunt acts involved.

Sometimes writing in the wrong direction is exactly the thing writers need to get themselves going in the right one. Even if it's totally aggravating and sucks up three hours of your life.

                                  

Trust me.

So worth it.

On a super exciting side-note, my gift card giveaway ended today. The lucky winner is Michelle. Michelle, keep an eye on your email. You'll be getting the gift card shortly.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who participated. Consider connecting with me on other social media. I'll be having more contests in the upcoming months!