BEING A WRITER: The Idea Place

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a special place where a writer (or anyone!) could go for ideas? Someplace quiet, like a library, with rows of shelves labeled with topics, conflicts, types of characters, and all the other things needed to create a story from start to finish. Everywhere you look you’d see Tortured Heroes, Moms on the Run, Sheiks, Firemen, Cops, Cowboys, Pregnant CEOs, Small Towns, Big Cities, Villains… The list would go on and on, with nothing left out, nothing forgotten. Getting an idea would require nothing more than walking down those long aisles and grabbing whatever caught your attention, then filling in with all the other required information for a blockbuster book.

Instead of an idea store, we have imaginations that provide us with all the things possible—and impossible—that make up a story. Having to work for it makes it more worthwhile. Frustrating sometimes, yes, but definitely worth it.

“Where do you get your ideas?” is probably the most asked question of writers. The answer is as varied as there are people who write. But whether your idea came from a news article that started the creative juices flowing or a character or setting wandering into your head, it’s only the beginning of what could be a story.

The first step of the journey has been taken with nothing more than a glimmer of an idea. Being a writer means taking that idea and building on it, and then putting it on paper to shape and twist, until the idea is complete.

Be a writer today. Visit your own Idea Place and start the journey.

The Organized Writer

I'd planned to blog about how being organized can make your writing life easier.  And then I looked at my desk.  It would be hypocritical of me to write about it, when, with a quick look at my own desk, it's obvious that organization isn't one of my better skills.  Right?  Well, maybe not, since experience, both good and bad, is the best teacher.  And my desk isn't really as bad as it might be.  The pic on the right is probably as bad as any desk could be.  Luckily I've never been there, but I sure have felt like that poor woman looks.

We've all seen the sign that reads, 'a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind', quickly rebutted with 'a cluttered desk is the sign of genius'.  Or even better:

If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, Of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?

-- Albert Einstein

But, really, the condition of the top of the desk shouldn't matter to anyone but the user of the desk. For some people, having anything out of place is the sign of needing an all-day cleaning.  Others work better surrounded by the things they need or at least within reaching distance.  For a few, it's a visual thing.  An 'I know it isn't lost if I can see it' thing.  However, if you begin to feel overwhelmed, can't find what you just put down five minutes ago,  and/or have to move your keyboard to your lap to be able to use it, you might want to think about doing a quick clearing.  Put it all in a box, basket, or whatever will hold the absolute non-essentials (computer, keyboard, mouse, phone, etc.), then schedule a time to sort it all and put it where it belongs, whether the trash, a file cabinet, a drawer or the bathroom medicine cabinet.  Just make sure you do go through it and put things away, otherwise you'll be adding more boxes/baskets and soon be overwhelmed by the amount of things that must be sorted and in need of a new home. 

For a quick read that doesn't require running out to buy a how-to book on organizing, check out About.com's take on organizing: What's Wrong with a Messy Desk?  It includes suggestions on how to make being less messy a little easier.

Where do you fit in when it comes to organizing?

• Your desk
• Your office
• Your home
• Your life

What do you think would make it easier?  As a disorganized organized person, I'm always open for suggestions!

Happy May Day!

No, you didn't take a wrong turn.  This is still Diary of a Mad Romance Writer, but there's been some remodeling.  I've thrown away some furniture and scrubbed everything until is shines, both here and at my website.  It may only be a transitional thing, but for now it's my blog home.

Along with the change in design, there'll be a few more new things going on.  I'll be adding a new author page on Facebook in the next few days and will be giving away some copies of The Maverick's Reward, which will be available in stores in June. 

I'll also be blogging about new things, including writing tips for new writers, the latest book news and discussion on books, life as a writer and other topics.  So check back often and don't be shy about saying hi or sharing your thoughts.

Until later, have a wonderful rest-of-the-day!

Cloudy with a Chance of...

No, not rain, though it might. No, not meatballs, whatever that means.

The answer is...Ducks!

Yes, it's obviously mating season for ducks. Mr. and Ms. Mallard Duck visited this morning and feasted on bread, since that's all I had in a pinch, and were wandering the yard when I left to go visit the school that three of my g-kids attend. This isn't the first year we've had a pair of ducks visiting. Last year they stayed around the neighborhood for at least a week, wading in the then-full gutters of water. But this year has been extremely dry, and there's very little wading water--or any other, for that matter--to be found. Still, they've returned, and it's always a joy when they visit.

But that isn't the end of today's duck story. When I was at the elementary school earlier this morning. There's a small courtyard with stone tables and benches in the center of the school, and as we passed by it, my two granddaughters pointed out the newest addition to the school: A Mallard hen and her tiny ducklings. Scarlett said that eleven ducklings had hatched, but it was hard to see much more than a ball of shades of brown from where I stood. They did all get up to move around, but the photo I took with my phone didn't do them justice, so I returned to the school later on another errand--and took my camera!

 

Mama Duck and Ducklings

The green wading pool and another, complete with steps and a ramp, were added by the school librarian.  The library is located to the left of the photos.




I guess it would be fair to say that it's been a ducky day! ☺



Green, Green, It's Green They Say

Okay, it's part of an old, old song, but it popped into my mind as I drove down our street on an errand run and saw all the green grass in the yards. The Bradford Pear trees that have been blooming for the past couple of weeks are now half and half--half white flowers, half green leaves. It's as if the world is waking up all at once. Too bad that also includes the dandelions. There was way too much yellow in the green yards already. The greening of spring is one of the good things about the season.

Add the weather to the spring list, except it's more on the maybe good and maybe bad list. A week ago, we set new records with 80 degree temps that changed to 40 degrees the next day. Then a warming trend, of course, which again went south. And by south, I don't mean the direction. I mean the temps. The temp is slowly climbing into the 70s again, but with spring, it's a toss up as to how to dress in the morning, and usually means a change by midday.

And then there are the storms. My heart goes out to those in the southeast part of the country who dealt with tornadoes early this week. Having grown up keeping an eye to the sky and a clear path to the basement, I know the devastation they wreak. L. Frank Baum knew what he was doing when he chose Kansas for the setting of the beginning of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. But it seems the big baddies are spreading their badness around more. I think Tornado Alley has grown over the years and encompasses an even broader area than it did back then.

With the violent weather getting in full swing this spring, let's hope it's only the grass that's getting green, and not the sky. Be careful out there. And that means everyone!

Spring Break

This year the one-week break for kids and teachers has netted me a driver's side window that won't roll up, a driver's seat that won't move back, and laryngitis. It could be worse, and because it isn't over yet, I'm not holding my breath that it won't get worse. I believe in the old saying, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

We've had some beautiful days this year to kick off spring, but it's Kansas, so the weathermen are predicting a little snow to greet those kids and teachers as they go back to school on Monday. If nothing else, the weather here isn't boring, and it's that time of year to have winter clothes for cold days, while dragging out some of the more summery things for other days. It keeps life interesting. ☺

I wish I could say I've accomplished something over this past week, but so far that hasn't happened. The book proposal I should be working on is sitting silently next to the keyboard on which I'm typing, still not done, but beginning to call very loudly. (Yes, it's true. Inanimate objects do have a voice!) I'm ignoring it, but will have to do something about it later. There's always the weekend, I tell myself, but I know that's nothing more than a procrastination tool. I am so-o-o-o-o good at those. Too bad I'm not good at doing the things that need to be done.

So Happy Spring Break to those who are lucky enough to be able to enjoy it! And for the rest of us? Life will get back to normal in just a few days, so hang in there!

New Cover

THE MAVERICK'S REWARD
Men of the West

Harlequin American Romance®

June 2011

It's been almost twenty years since Tucker O'Brien left the Rocking O Ranch at the age of fifteen, and the only reason he's returned, physically and emotionally scarred, is to get to know the son he never knew he had. But once Shawn graduates from high school, Tucker plans to leave...until he meets Paige Miles, Desperation's new doctor, who forces him to take an honest look at himself and makes him want to risk becoming the man he's always wanted to be.