I Love Stephen King's Advice to Writers

WORDS OF WISDOM FOR BEGINNING WRITERS
FROM STEPHEN KING

I love this advice because it encourages the one thing I love even more than writing...reading. I've written often about my obsessions with books. I buy new ones with and without authors' signatures, buy and trade used books (yes, even though the author doesn't get a royalty that way), win books in drawings and giveaways, and then borrow a few more from the library.

Reading entertains me, it educates me, and it transports me to new worlds. The worst moment of my life (I was about nine years old) was the day I realized I would not be able to read all the books in the world. I've since decided that Heaven (assuming there is one and that I get invited in) will come in the form of a huge library of ideas and interpretations that I'll be able to absorb without effort--without the need to see or turn pages or make judgements.

I'm not too eager for the Heavenly Library to take me in just yet. For now, I dream of getting locked up in a real library for the weekend. I always include the presence of a water fountain, a couple of snack machines and a coffee machine in my fantasy. Most libraries have cozy reading chairs so that's no problem. I'll roam the stacks, sample a little of this and a little of that, hold real books and turn paper pages. I will not turn my cell phone on and call for help. I'll read.

Stephen King told me to.

Changing Horses by Leslee Breene, Guest Blogger

I am so pleased to present Leslee Breene, one of my writerly Colorado friends. We first met because we had the same publisher, Five Star/Cengage, back in the days when they still had the Expressions line for romance and women's fiction. Since Five Star no longer produces novels in that genre, Leslee has moved on. Today Leslee is talking about changing horses, but she's not referring to publishers.

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Changing Horses by Leslee Breene, Guest Blogger


“Don’t be afraid to change horses midstream,” a college professor told me one day in Advertising class. The art project I’d been working on wasn’t going in a desirable direction.

What, I thought, does that mean?

“Don’t be afraid to jump on another horse if your project’s not going where you want it to,” he emphasized.

His timely advice came to mind with the idea for my (August 2011) release, Starlight Rescue, when I decided to stop writing historical romance and change over to contemporary. After all, I could still take those road trips that produce fascinating research, only for a present viewpoint instead of one in the past. Let me keep the western setting, though. Don’t ask me to leave it behind. The magic is there whether in the past or present.

What is it about the West that excites you as a writer? I’ve been asked. My response: All those sexy cowboys! Other reasons too. The magnificent mountain sentinels, the vastness of the place, the open, endless sky, the heart and the guts it took for those women and men to stake their lives here.

I’ve been privileged to have published two well-received hardcover historical novels through Five Star Expressions: Leadville Lady in 2006 and Hearts on the Wind in 2008. Colorado Five Star authors, including Pat Stoltey, shared with me many a fun author open house as the “Five Stars.” The Tattered Cover (Highlands Ranch, CO) remembers us, I’m sure!

My love of animals must have influenced the storyline of my upcoming fourth novel, Starlight Rescue. Wyoming veterinarian Kimberly Dorn must fight to keep her rescue ranch from persistent land developers. She harbors a lingering guilt from a childhood tragedy that can only be eased by rescuing abused and abandoned animals. Horses, llamas, emus, goats and puppies among them.

Gabe Trent, an adventurous wildlife filmmaker, offers her a profitable opportunity to save her ranch. But can Kimberly trust him with her four-legged critters…and her heart?

“Starlight Rescue will make you smile, sigh, and fall in love—not only with the heroine who has a heart as big as the mountains she calls home, but also with the animals she rescues. Don’t miss this keeper!” ~ Deb Stover, Award-winning author of The Gift.

“Kimberly’s stubbornness is matched by Gabe’s patience in this story of saving the family ranch from greedy developers. Starlight Rescue is a wonderful story of determination, love and forgiveness.” ~ Linda Wommack, contributing editor and writer, True West Magazine, Wild West Magazine.

I’m a strong believer in writers joining writers’ groups. My memberships include Colorado Romance Writers, the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Women Writing the West. I love to speak at Colorado and Wyoming events such as book clubs, social and business groups, libraries and fundraisers. Please visit me on Facebook for my latest activities.

Thank you, Pat, for introducing me and my work to your faithful followers!

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Leslee, it was my pleasure. We did have a lot of fun at those "Five Star" signings, didn't we? Do you remember the event at Barnes & Noble Centerra with Beth's birthday cake? I still get a chuckle every time I think of the young fellow who scooped up a handful of cake and frosting as he moved past.

Starlight Rescue is an upcoming release from Treble Heart Books and will also be available at Leslee's website. Softcover ISBNS: 978-1-936127074-0, 1-936127-74-1. Ebook listing is forthcoming at Smashwords.com in worldwide, all format distribution (including Kindle).

Foxfire, Leslee's first award-winning historical romance is discounted and still available as a POD at Author House.

Wednesday Scramble

Thursday's Guest

Colorado author of historical and contemporary Western romance Leslee Breene is my guest tomorrow. Can you change horses in the middle of the (writing) stream? See what Leslee says about that.


Die Buying

Coloradoan Laura DiSilverio's upcoming new mystery release, Die Buying, features a female mall cop as the protagonist. You can read the first chapter here. Laura will be my guest blogger on August 4th.


Something Beautiful and Clever

Writerly friend Jean (also Colorado) blogs at Two Old Horses and Me. Take at look at her post, Mosaic Bird Houses, and be amazed at the beautiful and clever creations Jean's sister is designing and building. There's a sweet birdie story too.


Advising Baby Deer

Another Colorado writer friend is Kathleen who blogs at Retired in the Rockies. She gets to see a lot of wildlife where she lives. Here's her advice to the baby deer she recently spotted in her yard.


What I'm Working On

My novel revisions turned into a rewrite, but I'm working every day now.

My muse finally showed up. She's a lazy one and often takes weeks off at a time, but when she's here, she's very good at solving problems and coming up with new ideas. I've enticed her to stay awhile by promising her all the coffee and chocolate she wants. I had to cut off her wine consumption...nothing worse than a tipsy muse.


Summer Treat

I have one of these Cuisinart ice cream makers (sort of like the $59.95 model shown here) and it makes the most outstanding frozen yogurt. You just need enough room in your freezer to freeze the container in which the mixture churns.

One of my favorite versions uses plain nonfat yogurt, a little milk (or soy or almond milk, whatever), a little sugar, and those big dark sweet cherries that are so delicious right now. I squish some of them up in blender with the rest of the ingredients, but add about a half cup of cherry halves (minus the pits of course) right at the end of the churning time. Incredibly delicious.

Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: Getting the Most from a Writers Conference

It's Tuesday again. My post at Chiseled in Rock blog tells you how to get the most from a writers' conference. If you'll be attending the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference in September, it's time to prepare.

The Camera as a Writer's Tool (for Procrastination)

There are many things a writer can do to avoid writing. Today's tools for procrastination are the camera and scanner.

1. Take your camera outside and photograph the weather. Here's a shot from winter 2009 (just to cool you off since it's hot in so many parts of the country). It was early in the morning, the air was frosty, the snow fluffy, and the whole neighborhood was white.




2. Pull out your old picture albums, and scan and organize your best prints. I turned up this picture of me as a kid. That's kinda the way I look today when I discover a great new book to read. Some things never change.




3. If you've forced yourself to sit at the computer, open your photo editing software and play around with graphics. I took this photo in Norway in 1998.




Here's the altered version.




4. Follow your pet around and try to get the perfect shot.




5. Figure out silly games to play on your blog, such as: Whose Eye is This?

Hint: A Northern Colorado mystery author.

Okay. I know I'm not the only writer who procrastinates. It you write, what are some of your favorite ways to avoid working on your current project and what tools do you find most helpful?

I Wish I Could...

1. Do the Argentine Tango

2. Sing and move like Tina Turner

3. Play flamenco guitar

4. Speak Italian

5. Read my kitten's mind

6. For that matter, read my husband's mind...or maybe not.

7. Invent something useful

8. Meet the Dalai Lama

9. Grow orchids

10. Drive an Indy Race Car around the track


What about you? What do you wish you could do?

"I Think I'm Writing a Book" by Betsy Dornbusch, Guest Blogger

I'm pleased to introduce Betsy Dornbusch, fantasy and sci fi author as well as an editor at Electric Spec, a not-for-profit speculative fiction magazine published four times per year. There's also an Electric Spec Blog.

Betsy's personal blog is Sex Scenes at Starbucks. Each day she's posting where she'll be on her virtual book tour. There's an interview, a post about writing erotica, another about being mean to our characters. Something for everyone. Today Betsy is talking about her path to publication.

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"I Think I'm Writing a Book" by Betsy Dornbusch, Guest Blogger

First of all, thanks, Patricia, for hosting me today!

I wanted to talk a little bit about how I came back to writing after taking a number of years off and how I came to find a home for my current books.

When my daughter was about six months old, my husband went away on a business trip. He came home to find his house a disaster and his entire family unkempt. He asked me what was going on, no doubt expecting some tale of depression or sadness.

“I think I’m writing a book,” I said.

Poor guy. He just nodded and sighed. (And he’s still nodding and sighing. I truly do have the most tolerant husband in the world.)

I was a writer when we met, and I’d even been invited as a sophomore to take graduate level creative writing classes with a particular teacher. Talk about intimidating! I got some surly looks from my classmates, for sure. I mean some of them were old! Like twenty-five, even! Who was this young uppity underclassman? But my professor liked my work enough to write on the top of one story: Polish this and send it to the New Yorker right away! I took the risk and found some success in my craft, if not in sales.

After college, life intervened, and for a number of years I lived the life of a muggle (my term for non-writers, since we ARE the magical ones). But then, after my last baby was born (we knew she was our last) I felt the need for a new “baby.” Aidan and Kaelin and a race of demi-demons were spawned. I was writing urban fantasy before I even had heard of the genre.

I wrote those boys on and off for 8 years before selling the first book in the series to Whiskey Creek Press in January (Sentinel: Archive of Fire comes out January 2012). In the meantime I wrote a number of other books, which was a great way to break past bad habits (I’m a firm believer of putting your early efforts aside and starting fresh) and achieved a number of short story sales. None of my books, though, attracted enough interest from agents. Though Aidan and Kaelin’s story did make a couple of editing rounds with two agents and also saw some interest at DAW books, I had no takers.

I took on a contract for Quencher and Quenched for the creative challenge, again stepping well outside my comfort zone, and realized that writing sex and romance is not only fun, the genre is wide open to books of all stripes. I had always wanted to write a space opera, for instance, but I knew the mainstream SF world wasn’t taking any at the moment. I could risk putting the effort in and selling it on spec, but it never felt quite right. And lo, my publisher actually put out a call for erotic SF.

I had so much fun writing Lost Prince (dog fights in space! rebellion! torturous aliens! an evil overlording junta! unlikely lovers!) that when my editor asked me what the series name was--implying, of course, that they wanted a series--I got busy and brainstormed the series. I can’t wait to bring more of Katriel and Aric’s story to my readers, with hopefully another installment appearing later in the year.

I also make an effort to get around and talk to people in my industry. Funny story. A muggle friend of mine went to Mile Hi Con in Denver with me last year and we sat around with my writer posse and chatted. When we were alone, later, my friend said, “Wow. You know a lot of famous authors.”

I guess I do, though to me they’re more my friends than anything else. But I wouldn’t have any of them in my life unless I’d made the effort to approach people, to network online and in person.

I don’t know that my story is all that inspiring, but the lesson I take from it is that I tend to succeed when I step outside my comfort zone. I think it’s a lesson well worth applying to the craft of writing, as well. I try more now than ever before to push myself and my characters to be the best they all can be. And so far, everything I’m writing lately is selling. And I’ve realized how important it is to push myself in writing, even when it came to attending that first graduate level class as a measly sophomore.

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Betsy, thanks so much for being here today and sharing your story. "Step outside your comfort zone" sounds like very sound advice for writers (and maybe for adventurous muggles as well).

To learn more about Betsy and her new release, Lost Prince, visit her blog Sex Scenes at Starbucks.

Buy Lost Prince at Whiskey Creek Press or for your Kindle.

The only thing that’s kept Alaric, the so-called Lost Prince of Calixte, from giving into his grief over his beloved homeworld is the thought of revenge against the man who betrayed his people. But he couldn’t be more wrong about Haydn, who actually saved two thousand Calixten soldiers from certain death and secreted them on an inhospitable planet. There, they’ve launched a fledgling rebellion against the Coalition that rules six galaxies, including the lucrative Salt Road. They only need their prince to lead them.

Alaric needs a pilot to get him to his soldiers, someone too desperate to betray him. Katriel, a hotshot deserter pilot enslaved to Haydn by debt, is perfect for the job. But neither Katriel nor Alaric realize how the battle over Calixte binds them closer than blood, and when they find out, their collision will send shockwaves through the universe.

Wednesday Scramble

Thursday's Guest

Our guest blogger this week is Betsy Dornbusch, author of fantasy and science-fiction and editor at Electric Spec. Her blog is called Sex Scenes at Starbucks, so you know she has a wonderful imagination (and sense of humor).


More on Productivity

Elizabeth Spann Craig aka Riley Adams has a good post on this topic at her blog, Mystery Writing is Murder. The post is called (strangely enough) Productivity.


Rachelle Gardner's blog

Rachelle's blog always has something good for writers. Her two recent posts on pitching should be of interest: one is Pitching Your Novel and the other is Your Verbal Pitch. This is good stuff, straight from the keyboard of a literary agent.


"Never Trust a Dog to Watch Your Food"

Chuck has a fun post about his dog at his Quoting Quotes to Quote Quotes blog. I laughed out loud, but then I don't have to deal with his dog (thank goodness).


It's HOT Outside

Is it hot where you live? Here in Northern Colorado we're experiencing a spell of dry heat--the kind that makes my skin dry up and my hair crackle.

I wandered outside yesterday thinking I'd pull a few weeds. Came right back inside. The weeds will have to stay another few days...or until fall if that's what it takes.

My sun tea is good, though. When I brought the jug inside after a few hours, the tea was so hot I couldn't put my fingers in to lift out the bags. Had to use a slotted spoon. It definitely has more flavor than usual.


A Final Word

Write!

Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: Writing is fun, mysterious and a little creepy

Please join me at Chiseled in Rock blog today where I'm mulling over the weird things that happen to our stories while we're writing.

Revising, Revising -- the Neverending Story

I revise every story or draft every time I read it.

Even though the plan was to spend the weekend revising Dead Wrong, I came across an agent's name that seemed perfect for Wishing Caswell Dead, a "completed" manuscript. The guidelines require a very short synopsis, shorter than the ones I had already prepared, and the first ten pages of the novel.

Cut, cut, delete, delete, then rewrite. The mini-synopsis was done in about an hour.

I read over the first ten pages and decided they needed a bit more revising. Add a word here, delete one there, rewrite a sentence, then one more. That took another hour.

The query and submission were ready, but I hesitated before sending the e-mail. Should I take one more look?

Stop, I thought. I clicked on Send. It's gone. Why is this so hard to do?

Writing a first draft is easy for me. Declaring a novel finished and ready for submission is difficult. Will I write the life out of a manuscript if I keep going? Or is every revision an improvement? I wish I knew. I keep a copy of each draft, just in case.

What about you? Do you revise your work each time you read it? Have you ever ditched a new and improved draft and gone back to an older version?

So Long to Blogger Bliss

Spammers on My Blog

After two years of blogger bliss, the spammers have found me. At first, most of them hit old posts. My settings require moderation for comments that old. But now the creeps are popping up on more current posts, blatantly offering links that are probably dangerous, trying to lure my visitors to their website or blog or monster virus. Most are posted as Anonymous which I've always allowed, but some actually use Names (most likely fictitious) to comment.

It's a sad state of affairs and an inconvenience to my visitors, but if it gets any worse and takes up any more time than it already does, I'll need to require word verification. My apologies in advance.

Facebook Chat Sidebar Thingie

To add to my list of minor social media annoyances, Facebook has plunked this shaded sidebar on their site that demands I sign up for the new and improved way to Chat with my Facebook friends. I'm telling you, Facebook, if that darned sidebar doesn't stay hidden and if you continue to show me as available when I already chose the offline and hide sidebar options twice, you and me will no longer have a thing going on. I don't Chat. I don't want to be interrupted by demands to Chat. And I hate a shaded sidebar that I can see out of the corner of my eye demanding I do something I don't want to do.

The Grouch has left the building.

Feel free to add your own social media complaints in the comment section. And if you've checked out Google + as an alternative to Facebook, let us know what you learned.

What Makes a Good Writing Workshop? by Cricket McRae, Guest Blogger

It is my pleasure to present Cricket McRae, a Northern Colorado mystery writer who's not only experiencing great success with her Home Crafting Mystery Series from Midnight Ink but now has a contract from Penguin for a brand new series.

In addition to her own website and blog linked below, Cricket also blogs at Inkspot with other Midnight Ink authors.

Welcome back, Cricket.

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What Makes a Good Writing Workshop? by Cricket McRae, Guest Blogger


Thank you so much for hosting me, Pat!

As my fifth Home Crafting Mystery, Wined and Died, hits the shelves (and Kindles and Nooks), I’ve just finished the first Bewitching Bakery Mystery for Penguin and have begun work on Sophie Mae’s sixth adventure, Digging Up Darla. It’s a busy time, but I’m immensely grateful to be able to do this work.

I worked for a long time to get published, the standard ten years plus a bit, and during that time I spent a lot of time writing and a lot of time learning. Much of what I learned came from workshops and classes. Some were very helpful. Others, not so much. Here are a few tips for what I think makes a writing workshop useful and worthwhile.

Make sure the instructor knows that they’re talking about – and how to talk about it. This is perhaps the most important element of a good workshop. Not every writer knows how to teach well. And not all know exactly how they go about creating, but that may not stop them from trying to tell you. One of my favorite workshops ever was taught by Stewart Stern, who wrote the screenplay for Rebel Without a Cause and the teleplay for Sybil among a whole slew of other things. In three weekend intensives that lovely, eighty-something man pushed us so far into our stories and characters that I broke down and wept. Yes, that’s a good thing.

Good instructors couch criticism in a useful way, never put you down, make all the participants behave nicely, and encourage creativity. They answer questions, can handle writers of various skill levels, will examine your work and provide useful feedback.

Attend workshops and classes that are on your writing level and about your interests. If you are a beginner and take advanced classes you will learn – but not as much as you would if you were ready for those lessons. If you’ve written for years, taking a beginning class will be boring and you’ll feel like you’re wasting your time.

Regarding interests, one time I took a workshop from a highly lauded literary writer, and he wouldn’t even read my “genre submission” (said as if the phrase tasted like sour milk). I reported him to the writing organization who sponsored him and got my money back. On the other hand, I loved and learned from the Advanced Fiction Certificate classes at the University of Washington, and am still in contact with some of my fellow class members. Everyone there was serious about writing commercial, genre fiction.

Having said that, be willing to go outside your comfort level. Sometimes that means going outside your usual medium. If you write books, try taking a screen writing class. If you write fiction, try a class on narrative nonfiction. Some of the most beneficial things I learned about language, sensory detail, and atmosphere in writing came from a nature writing workshop that involved camping for three days in a yurt.

Be ready – and willing – to take criticism. It can be hard to hear, but criticism can be very, very helpful, and you can learn a lot from it. First, make sure you fully understand what the other person is saying so you can properly weigh its worth. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions to clarify what they mean. Then if you don’t like it, smile, nod and wait. Sometimes it’s taken me a full twenty-four hours of dwelling on someone’s feedback before I slap my forehead and mutter, “Dang it. She’s right.”

On the flip side of that, make your own decisions. Don’t take everything you’re told – by the instructor/leader or your fellow participants – as gospel. Only you can decide what is truly useful. Sometimes you’ll receive completely contradictory feedback! Again, clarify, wait, and then decide whether any of it is worth paying attention to.

And finally, participate. You’re paying money to learn, so jump in and share, give feedback, and take part in discussions. We all have different experiences and abilities. You can learn a lot from other workshop attendees – and they can learn a lot from you.

Care to share any of your writing workshop experiences? Any particularly fabulous ones? Any horror stories?

In honor of the recent release of Wined and Died, you can enter to win a free Author Website ($900 value!) from the creative folks at Bizango Websites for Writers until July 29, 2011. For more details and information on how to enter, please visit my blog, Hearth Cricket. For more information about me or the Home Crafting Mystery Series, check out my website.

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Cricket, thanks so much for being here today. I'm looking forward to another good Sophie Mae read in Wined and Died.

This blog stop is part of Cricket's virtual tour for the new release. To find the posts at other stops and to see Cricket's list of appearances and book signings, visit the News and Events page at her website.

Wednesday Scramble

Thursday's Guest

Colorado mystery author Cricket McRae will be our guest tomorrow as she celebrates the release of her latest home crafting mystery, Wined and Died.

If you're an author and need a new website, check out Cricket's celebration giveaway. You can find out how to enter at Hearth Cricket blog.


Northern Colorado Writers Blog Carnival

The carnival was held by The Writing Bug last Saturday for bloggers who are members of NCW. If you haven't visited this blog before and are interested in meeting some of the those who participated, visit the carnival post.


Recommended Blog Posts

One of my favorite bloggers, Elspeth Antonelli of It's a Mystery, has some great (and fun) advice for writers. Read 10 Ways to Reach Your Word Count Goals.

Hungry for something that sounds tasty like Chocolate Almond Butter Cups with Dried Blueberries or Pupusas with Mushrooms and Chiles? Check out more incredible recipes with plenty of how-to photographs at Foodie Road Show. Angela and her husband win prizes for their creations at cooking shows, too.


New Blog for Spunky Seniors

Oddly enough, it's called Spunky Seniors. This new blog is the brainchild of Morgan Mandel, author, blogger, editor. Check out the July 7th post, Spunky Maggie Toussaint Kayaks in a Rice Plantation Canal to get an idea what you'll find there. Spunky Seniors is also on Facebook.

According to the blog and Facebook, this is who Spunky Seniors are:

"We're Forever Young at heart.
We're not afraid of computers.
We offer compassion and guidance to members in need.
We like to offer tips on senior survival.
We like to share heartwarming and fun stories.
We respect differing opinions, and enjoy discussing them.
We speak our minds without being crude or offensive.
We're Old Enough To Get AARP cards if we want."

My First 30-Day Challenge

As of Sunday, July 10th, I gave up scones for 30 days. This will be very hard. I like the pumpkin scones at Starbucks, the orange scones and the cinnamon chip scones at Panera Bread, and the cranberry-orange scones at Whole Foods. When I visited the Farmers Market in San Francisco, I found more scones to die for: cornmeal cherry, oatmeal nut, and incredible blueberry.

Why am I giving up scones for 30 days? I figure that's 1,000 to 1,500 calories cut from my diet per week. And doing anything for 30 days establishes a new habit or (hopefully) breaks an old one.

Learn more about the process:

How to break a habit at Self Improvement Mentor
How to Achieve Your Goals with Healthy Habits by Leo Babauta at Grow Yourself

Have you ever tried to break or establish a habit using the 30 day challenge? Did it work?

Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: Writing (and Deleting) the Memory Dump

I'm over at Chiseled in Rock today with a post about one of the difficulties I experienced with the writing of The Prairie Grass Murders. If your book is set in your home town, you'll need to watch out for the memory dump.

While you're there, you might want to check out yesterday's interview with Grand Central Publishing Assistant Editor, Latoya Smith. Smith will be one of the editors taking pitches at the RMFW Colorado Gold Conference in Denver in September.

More About My Addiction to Books

My husband looked around the living room Sunday morning and said, "It looks like you've once again accumulated more books than you have room for in the bookcases."

What? Just because I have books stacked on top of the bookcases and on the coffee table? Just because I brought home five more books last week from the sale at one of the local bookstores? Just because I picked up five additional books at the library on Friday and received another e-mail notice Saturday to pick up a book on hold? Just because I've loaded 15 novels onto my Kindle?

You'd think after being married to me more than 25 years, he'd understand my addiction. I need books, lots of books. That will never change.

A Thursday in the Life of Me

Yesterday I...

Drank a lot of coffee.

Cleaned part of the house before the cleaning lady arrived to do her assigned chores.

Emptied the kitten's litterbox, washed it out, and added fresh, clean litter.

Set out a jug of sun tea to brew before the storms moved in.

Spent around three hours doing writing organization tasks.

Thought about going to the gym but didn't go.

Drank more coffee.

Thought about working on my novel revisions but didn't.

Cleared out my e-mail and checked Facebook and Twitter.

Played with the kitten and kept her in my office while the cleaning lady was working. Kitty is terrified of the vacuum sweeper.

Thought about working on a query letter for one of my manuscripts but didn't.

Shut down my computer when the storms rolled in and made chicken fajitas and sliced tomatoes for dinner.

Cleaned litterbox again because kitten developed diarrhea after dinner.

Watched So You Think You Can Dance and Big Brother on television. Zoomed through the Day 2 two-hour recording of the Tour de France in five minutes, looking for interesting scenery.

Cleaned up the litterbox two more times.

Worried about whether kitten would need to visit the vet today.

Finally got around to writing this post just before midnight.

I know, I know. My life is like a walk on the wild side.

Writing to Cope With Life Changes by Ann Carbine Best, Guest Blogger

It is my great pleasure to host Ann Carbine Best as she celebrates the release of her memoir, In the Mirror: A Memoir of Shattered Secrets. I'm a great fan of Ann's blog so you might want to pay her a visit whenever you can. You'll find links to reviews of her memoir, learn what's going on in Ann's world, and read her book reviews and author features.

Ann grew up in Salt Lake City and now lives in Virginia with her daughter. A grandmother of seven, Ann sets a great example for those of us who have reached a certain age but still strive to learn more, do more, and keep moving forward no matter what happens.

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Writing to Cope With Life Changes by Ann Carbine Best, Guest Blogger


Thanks, Pat, for hosting me today. I like the topic you suggested: How I coped in the face of disaster and how writing helped me work through the emotions.

By now, many of our followers, especially those who have read my memoir, know that my first husband left me to live with a man (first disaster); that I remarried a man who committed suicide (second disaster); and that two of my three daughters were in a catastrophic accident (third disaster).

This sounds like a major soap opera, but when I wrote the memoir, I did it from a calm place in my mind. It was emotion recollected in tranquility, a tranquility achieved partly through my faith in a personal God and partly from my lifelong love of creative writing. I did keep a sporadic journal, but mostly there were stretches of relative calm when I wrote scenes I would later use in my autobiographical thesis for my M.F.A. degree from George Mason University, and ultimately in my recently published memoir.

There’s something about “seeing” a scene on paper. It’s as if you have taken the experience that the words symbolize from deep within yourself and put it “out there” to create a kind of distance that helps you deal with the psychic pain. It’s difficult to explain, but if you’ve ever been in a dark place, you can probably sense what I mean.

One of the most awful emotions from the first husband years--the first part of the memoir--was fear. In fact, I titled one of the earlier memoir drafts From Fear to Faith. The nadir occurred one afternoon when I plunged into a debilitating fear of eternity and of the God I had believed in all my life. I dramatized that low point in a scene that one of my followers, Clarissa Draper, quoted in her review of my book.

Larry came naked into the room. He opened a drawer, pulled out his underwear, put it on, and looked at me.

“What’s wrong?” he said.

“I don’t know. I’m terrified.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and touched my leg. “Why?”

“Years ago, a long time ago, I was with my parents and brother and sister, and we were going around the Point of the Mountain, and I suddenly had this fear. There was all that space with no beginning and no end. I was frightened and pulled back and the fear went away. But today I was staring at the sky through the window, and I thought how I can’t comprehend God. I can’t comprehend anything. I can’t comprehend living forever.”

“Can you comprehend dying forever?”

“No.” That was worse. I pulled my knees to my chest and cried out, “Do you understand? Do you know what I’m talking about? Have you ever thought about this?”

“Well, I’ve thought about it,” he said, “but it doesn’t frighten me. I know I can’t comprehend infinity with my finite mind.”

“What will we do forever? What if we get so far and there’s nothing left to do? Eternal boredom.” I moaned and leaned back against the pillows.

The fear was so acute that one day I began taking some of Larry’s valium, and some more, and some more. I think I didn’t really want to die. I just wanted to float away for a while. I wanted Larry’s attention. I wanted him to be with me and not with his gay lovers, whoever they were. I know now that I suffered from severe anxiety through weeks that were psychically dark and painful.

However, as writer Annie Dillard says, “If you want to live you have to die.” Paraphrasing Ms. Dillard I say, “If you want to have joy, you have to suffer.” I suffered but then took the steps that would bring me back to the light; back to my faith in God and myself.

I wasn’t alone through all of the disasters. There were always people to help me. They were God’s hands. And there were words, my words and the words of others, that helped me put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.

-------------------------

Ann, thanks so much for sharing your story with us. While journaling tends to be a private form of writing as therapy, memoir is a huge undertaking because it's intended for others to read. I have a lot of respect for those who can open up their lives as you have.

For readers of memoir, In the Mirror is available in trade paperback from the publisher, and is also available in ebook form for Kindle and Nook.

Wednesday Scramble

Tomorrow's Guest

I'm pleased to announce blogging friend Ann Carbine Best will be my guest blogger tomorrow. Ann is the author of the newly released memoir, In the Mirror: A Memoir of Shattered Secrets.


Getting Back in the Groove After Vacation

This is always hard for me, especially if I've made a grand effort to escape my computer and all writing activities while I just chill. This time our "chilling" took the form of playing grandma and grandpa daycare for our two-year-old granddaughter. This was our first chance to spend so much time alone with her and get to know each other better. We had a great time.

It's always good to get home, though. Yesterday I did the laundry and bought groceries. Now I need to turn my attention back to the novel. I need to do more rewriting than I originally thought because of a couple of pesky plot problems. Note to self: Stop talking about it and writing about it and get to work.


Monthly Book Giveaways

Check out Reader Views, a review/interview/author publicity site for their monthly book giveaways.

Rebecca Reads holds a monthly book sweepstake.

Mystery Writers of America holds a monthly mystery/suspense/thriller giveaway for a whole box of books.


In My Flower Garden

My poor garden is so neglected that it's always a surprise to see a determined and hardy specimen worthy of a photo. This iris is from one of two deteriorating beds that desperately need to be divided and replanted.


I've let myself drift away from planting and tending my garden while I tend to blogging and other writing-related activities. A better balance between the two would make my yard more attractive, that's for sure.


Filling Out My Guest Blogger Lineup for 2011

I still have three more dates open in December for guest bloggers. If you have a book scheduled for December release, especially if you write mystery, suspense, or thrillers, contact me for more information. There's an e-mail contact link in my About Me profile (top right sidebar).

Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: Writing is About...

I'm officially still on blog vacation through today, but I did publish a mini-post over at Chiseled in Rock called "Writing is About..." It's a very mini-post with photos. Just take you a second.