Mom, my first teacher and audience: an open book blog hop post

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

Who was the first person who believed in you?  

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I have been lucky to have support for me as a person and me as a creative from the get-go. My first cheerleader was (and still is) my mother. 

From the very beginning, she fostered my interest in reading and writing, taking me to the library, running to catch the book mobile, taking me to the used book store on the avenue and letting me spend some of her precious and limited monthly book budget, sharing her own love of story. 

It takes a special person to support the writing of a child--to understand the balance of praise and pushing to do something better. My mom really *got* me as a creative and exercised such patience as I told her my stories and wrote those early poems. She has been my first audience and teacher wrapped up in one. 

My mom, in the magic light, on our trip to Ireland in 2022.

One could definitely argue that I wouldn't have become a writer if I hadn't had my mother, or at least that it would have been less likely. 

My family has been very supportive in general--my dad, my sister, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my grandparents and then my husband and our children, too. When I see how hard some of my writing friends have had to fight for their writing lives, I know I am lucky beyond the pale. 

How about you? Did you have to fight for your creative self? Or did you find support when you needed it? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. 

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Counting the words, an Open Book blog hop post

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

Do you keep track of your word count on a daily basis? What's your record for most and least words? (Not including those days when you don't write anything)  

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I am a word count gal, but I change that up a little depending on my needs--trying not to get so hung up on meeting a particular word count that I ignore real progress that consisted of deleting words or revising them, for example. 

More important than the number of words is just the habit of writing every day, for my practice. I know some folks can write on a more variable schedule, but for me, it's every day. 

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After lots of floundering around with systems that didn't work for me, I started fresh with a gamification tool called The Magic Spreadsheet in 2013 (I think). 

It was literally a group-edited spreadsheet with complex formulas that awarded you points based on making your goal (the lowest goal you could set was 250 words a day), and number of days in a row written. There was a vibrant and supportive community surrounding the document and the Facebook group, and it really helped me build a daily writing habit. I'm still in touch with some writing friends I made through that group. 

I'm coming up on nine years of writing every day on September 28 this year, and that daily writing habit has been key to my ability to move forward with a writing life alongside a busy day job and family life. Developing discipline to finish things and see them out into the world was my biggest hurdle in early days, but now I can't imagine breaking that chain for anything less than a complete disaster. 

These days, I track using Jamie Raintree's Writing & Revision tracker. I love it because it lets me set goals in different categories, and track both revision and the writing of new words. In September, I have writing goals for the novel WIP, short stories, blogs, book reviews, social media, and business (by business I mean organizational stuff and emails and the like). 

As to today's question, I don't know offhand what my largest word count ever was, but I can tell you that it happened when was hurrying to prepare a submission when I got one of my first requests for "a full" from a potential publisher. I scrambled to clean up what was then a rather messy manuscript, cursing myself for having submitted without having the full completely ready. 

That day about broke my brain, and made it hard to do any writing work for several days afterward, so I now try to plan ahead better than that and not force myself into a corner where I have to scramble to meet a deadline. It wasn't fun, and I don't really want to do that again. A good writing day for me at this stage is 800 words on a day where I worked the day job and 2,000 words on a day that I didn't. 

My lowest word count was 250 words, because I never go to bed without having written at least that much. I'm just glad that writing 250 words isn't the strain it was back in 2013. Even on a bad day, I can do that in pretty short order now, another benefit of practice. 

How about you? Do you track your creative work in numbers? In time? Or not at all? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. 

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Picking favorites: an open book blog hop post

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

What's your favorite book (not your own)? Has it changed in the last few years?  

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Oooh, boy. I hate trying to pick a favorite. In almost any category! I'm too changeable in my tastes--and what feels like a favorite today may not please me that much tomorrow. So, anytime I answer "What's your favorite?" I feel like it needs a caveat of "This is my favorite, today." You may get an entirely different answer if you check back tomorrow. 

When it comes to books though, the first one to spring to mind when someone asks this one is usually We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. 

book cover variations

Like many of my lasting favorites, I found this book when I was young, around age twelve or thirteen. My middle school librarian suggested it to me when I showed an appetite for the eerie and strange in my reading. There's something about loves I discovered at that age that imprints them deeply, at a soul level, and they became a part of me in a way that other things I've loved have not. 

I've read this one several times since that first time, and it delights me every time, sending shivers down my spine in whole new ways. 

If you've not read Shirley Jackson's work before, she is best known for this book and another work of psychological horror: The Haunting of Hill House (another favorite for me). Jackson had a way of making ordinary, domestic moments into something tense and fraught with possibilities. A lot of the time, the narrators are not completely reliable and the reader doesn't know what it is true and what is interpretation. 

Merricat, the main character and narrator of Castle fascinated me because she was such an atypical girl-in-a-book. She didn't care about the same things as other female characters I'd been presented with. She felt more real to me, edgy and judgmental, and fierce. 

One of my own works-in-progress (back burnered until I meet my current deadline on the final Menopausal Superhero novel) is a Gothic romance/family drama (working title: The Architect and the Heir) and I think my taste for that kind of story can be traced back to Shirley Jackson and Daphne DuMaurier, both of whom I read around the same time. 

I've loved a lot of books since. I still read as voraciously as my life allows, somewhere between fifty and one hundred books a year. But there's something special about this one. 

How about you? What's one of the books of your heart? I'd love to hear about in the comments. 

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Happy birthday, IWSG!

Welcome to the first Wednesday of the month. You know what that means! It's time to let our insecurities hang out. Yep, it's the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog hop. If you're a writer at any stage of career, I highly recommend this blog hop as a way to connect with other writers for support, sympathy, ideas, and networking. If you're a reader, it's a great way to peek behind the curtain of a writing life.

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. This month's co-hosts are:

• J Lenni Dorner https://jlennidorner.blogspot.com/
• Sonia Dogra https://soniadogra.com/
• Pat Garcia http://www.patgarciaandeverythingmustchange.com/
• Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen http://thefauxfountainpen.blogspot.com/
• Meka James https://authormekajames.wordpress.com/

And the question-of-the-day: 

The IWSG celebrates 12 years today! When did you discover the IWSG, how do you connect, and how has it helped you?

Writing Problems, an Open Book blog hop post

  Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

What's the biggest problem you have in your writing right now?  

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I'm taking on a first in my writing life right now: writing a series-ender. I've been writing the Menopausal Superheroes since 2013, with the first book, Going Through the Change, coming onto the scene in 2015, and the other books following in 2016, 2017 (with a re-release with a new publisher for the first three in 2019), and 2020 for the novellas and short stories, and 2021 for the fourth novel. 

The Menopausal Superhero series, as of 2021

It's the first time I've written a series, but I didn't struggle that much book-to-book. Each one took me roughly a year to write. Even the third one, which required a revise-and-resbumit to the publisher only took 14 months. I feel good about that rate of progress, especially alongside a full time day job, kids to raise, and a household to take care of. 

But writing the fifth and final novel in the series is a different beast altogether. I'm two years in on this one already and I'm not done yet. And I'm so lucky I have a patient publisher. 

My publisher (John Hartness of Falstaff Books), looking patient by his truck

I really want to stick the landing and leave readers feeling satisfied with how it all wraps up. I need to make sure I tie up the most important loose ends without getting wrapped up in trying to settle every story gambit that I ever through out in previous four novels, two novellas, and collection of shorts. 

Did I mention I'm a pantser? (For those unfamiliar with the term: this means I make it up as a I go. I don't sit down with an outline or a fully fleshed out plan, but just start writing and see where it goes). That doesn't make this easier, but it's a process that works for me. That feeling of exploration and discovery while I'm writing often serves the story and characters well. 

So, yeah, that's my writing problem of the moment: finishing it right. 

I've had a good couple of months of steady progress, so right now it feels possible that I'll finish soon. Send all your good vibes my way! I'll need them. 

In the meantime, check out the other posts in this week's blog hop and see what's giving everyone else trouble and, as always, leave me a comment letting me know what you think!

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Nibbles while I noodle…or not: an Open Book blog hop post

 

 Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

What snack do you like with your cuppa (coffee/tea)?  

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Most of my tea or coffee is a morning affair, enjoyed alongside breakfast. My writing time usually comes at the end of the day, after the job, supper, and family responsibilities have settled. Much too late in the day for me to have caffeine if I'm going to sleep at night! 

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In the winter, I might have some Tension Tamer or another herbal tea for the warmth and comfort while I write, but here in the height of summer, it's ice water. I'm too hot all the time--which is part of why I can't wait for Fall to come and rescue me.  

I don't eat while I write, so no snacks for me with that second cuppa. Eating-while-distracted is a recipe for disaster for me: either I'm clumsy and make a mess, or I eat too much because I wasn't paying attention, or I forget the snack altogether because I got focused. 

How about you? Can you snack and get creative at the same time? What's your snacking pleasure? 

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Beta Readers and the Role of Feedback: An Open Book blog hop post

 

 Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

Do you use beta readers? Have they been useful in improving your writing?  

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Beta readers can be really useful…and not so useful. The tricky bit, I think, is finding folks who are available on your timetable and can provide the right kind of feedback. 

For any folks reading this who don't know, beta readers are people who read an author's work after it is complete, but before it is published, when there's still room to take feedback and improve the work.

 

Sometimes, these can be other authors, but ideally, they are readers who enjoy the genre you're writing in and can be articulate about what they like and don't like, but who aren't necessarily going to respond the same way another writer would. 

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I have used beta readers, but I rely more heavily on my alpha readers--writing friends who serve as critique partners, reading work in its more raw state and through their feedback helping me refine the story while I'm still writing it. 

I've been in the same critique group for 15 years now (though the membership has shifted over the years, with folks leaving and coming in) and we discuss excerpts of our work-in-progress and will also serve as beta readers for one another when the book gets to that stage. 

It's a process that works well for me and helps me maintain momentum, but I know it wouldn't work for everyone. Knowing when in your process to seek feedback can be quite challenging and might even differ from project to project. 

I've also participated in beta-exchange groups, where authors read one another's complete books and give feedback. 

A few times, I've been able to get readers who are not also writers, but that's tricky since I've been working within a series for almost eight years now and I'd really need people who've already read the rest of the series before giving feedback on the latest volume. That's a lot to ask of people giving their time and energy for free (which most of them are). 

I've gotten great feedback in all these scenarios…and I've gotten vague, contradictory, and not-that-helpful feedback, too. As in most things, your mileage will vary. 

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It can take a lot of time to process all the feedback, too, looking for patterns and evaluating whether a critique necessitates changing your work (because most readers seem to agree that something is a problem) or if it's just one person's point of view (and other readers disagree). In the end, the story is still yours to tell, so you don't have to incorporate any of the feedback at all if it doesn't fit your vision.

But feedback is so useful! And the finished story is often tremendously improved by the process. 

Since I've been working with a traditional publisher, I've spent less time seeking formal beta readers, choosing instead to lean on critique partners and alpha readers, then rely on the editorial process to find anything that isn't working in my completed book. 

How and when do you seek out feedback in your creative endeavors? If you're a writer, what's your experience with beta readers? If you're a reader, do you want to be a beta reader for me? I'm hoping to have a draft of the final Menopausal Superhero novel ready for feedback by early November. Let me hear your thoughts in the comments!

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Breaking the Ice: An Open Book Blog hop post

 

 Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

What's your favorite ice-breaker (meetings, parties, dates, socials)?  

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Like many writers, I run towards introverted. I've developed a healthy collection of social skills and coping mechanisms over the years, but "peopling" still wears me out. 

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I detest most so-called ice-breakers, those weird little (extrovert created) games that force people into unnatural interactions with strangers should be illegal under the Geneva conventions as torture. As a teacher, I was subjected to so many of them over the years in the name of team-building and collegiality. 

No, I don't want to build something out of marshmallows and toothpicks with a table full of strangers or compete to see who can find someone who has been to France the fastest. This does not make me feel good or result in a human connection that matters in any way. 

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But I do recognize that there is a need to meet people. I appreciate being left to do this in a low-key way, at my own pace and volume. Honestly, meeting people works best for me if I can meet one or two people at a time, and there's a mutual acquaintance there to connect us. 

In in-person, writer-centered activities, it's easy to meet people though. I just ask, "What do you write?" and sit and listen. 

Online, there are plenty of people posting little games, surveys, or questions, and I can just join in that conversation. I can participate in things like this blog hop, where a group of people are all in their own space, but thinking and talking about the same things. 

I don't want anyone to break the ice, honestly. I'm happy to let it thaw more naturally, a little bit at a time. 

How about you? Do you like ice-breakers? What works for you when you're meeting people? 

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My Author Origin Story: An Open Book Blog Hop post

 

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

What's your author origin story?  

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In some ways, I've always been a writer, at least since I could actually hold a pen or pencil and physically write. My first poems were written when I was only six, in first grade. "Beauty is in the great, tall trees/bending over in the breeze" and stuff like that. 

In other ways, I've only been an author for a decade or so, starting when I panicked a little over the idea that I was turning 42 and still hadn't written a book, then committed to a daily writing habit, and started finishing things, submitting them, and getting published. 

But the important part of my author origin story isn't in the exact details. This heroine's journey begins with reading. 

The first book I can remember loving was a collection of Mother Goose nursery rhymes. It was a tall, slender volume with a blue cover. I had to lay it down on the floor and stretch out my arm to turn the pages. By the time I was three years old, I had it memorized, down to what words went with what page turns, and convinced my grandmother that I could already read (I couldn't--I just knew that book by heart). 

I had a pretty healthy collection of Little Golden Books as well, since that was my bribe for being a good girl at the grocery store. I'd put up with a lot for the promise of a new Little Golden Book. 

When I got a little older, Mom and I (and little sister, when she came along) became regulars at the library. I was such an enthusiastic little reader that the book mobile ladies would hide books under the seat for me so they'd still be available when they got to my house even though we were one of the last stops. To this day, I am grateful to my library and librarians for all the worlds they opened to me through their shelves. 

But yes, reading was definitely my conduit into writing. I'd make up other endings or additional adventures for stories I loved, and over time I started writing them down. Really, it's no surprise to anyone who knew me in childhood that I grew up to be a writer. 

Writing sometimes feels to me like reading notched up to eleven. If reading lets me walk in someone else's shoes, writing lets me wear their skin and look out through their eyes, imagining all the details of a life very different than my own. It's one of the great joys of my life and I hope to enjoy it for many years yet to come. 

How about you? Do you have an origin story for your heart's endeavors? I'd love to hear about it in the comments! 

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Inner Conflict and the Writing Process: An IWSG post

  

Welcome to the first Wednesday of the month. You know what that means! It's time to let our insecurities hang out. Yep, it's the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog hop. If you're a writer at any stage of career, I highly recommend this blog hop as a way to connect with other writers for support, sympathy, ideas, and networking. If you're a reader, it's a great way to peek behind the curtain of a writing life.

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. The awesome co-hosts for the August 2 posting of the IWSG are Kate Larkinsdale, Diane Burton, Janet Alcorn, and Shannon Lawrence!

August 2 question: Have you ever written something that afterwards you felt conflicted about? If so, did you let it stay how it was, take it out, or rewrite it?

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By the time I actually finish a piece of writing, as in "this is ready to submit for publication," I've worked my way through all my angst and anxiety about it and I believe in it and want to get it in front of readers. 

So, I'd have to say "sort of" in answering today's question: I've felt that way while the piece was still in-process, but I made my peace with it before I called it done. 

I've definitely written some things that surprised me--that were very different from my usual in theme or style or content. I've spent a little time worrying that the change won't go over well with my readers now that I've established a small following, but in the end, my writing life belongs to me and is about expression of what's going on inside my mind and heart, so I don't hold myself back for long worrying about reception. 

Me with my "half hero/half horror" banner at Ret-Con

I do warn people though. People who know me for my Menopausal Superhero series are sometimes really surprised to find out that I write dark fiction and horror stories, too. And both groups have been surprised by a few pieces that took a more literary bent and weren't really speculative fiction at all. 

I have some writer friends who establish pen names for their work in different genres, and that seems like a great technique to me and a good cue for readers, but I get tired just thinking about managing more than one of me, so it's all just under my real name. 

For other writers coming to my site today, how does this play out for you? For readers, how do you feel about it when an author you enjoy puts out a different sort of work than what you already know and love? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Pick a setting: an Open Book blog hop post

 

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

A field full of sunflowers on a bright morning? Or, rolling hills on a clear full moon night?  

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Those both sound pretty nice, in different ways. I guess it depends on what I'll be up to in this setting, and how hot it is outside. I wilt like a cabbage leaf in the bright, hot sun, but I also don't have great night vision. Are there mosquitos? 

I know, I'm overthinking it. 

I can imagine myself walking in the field of sunflowers with my youngest kid, who loves flowers as much as I do. There's a field like this near us, next to Maple View Farms, a favorite ice cream shop, so we could wander in the sunflowers until we got too hot, then cool off with sundaes or smoothies. 

Those rolling hills on a clear, full moon night sound pretty romantic, so I think I'll head over there with my husband, a citronella candle, and a blanket and lay there listening to frog song for a while. 

Maybe this is a more poetic way of asking whether I'm a night owl or a day lark, and like I am with both things, I'm both!

How about you? Does one of these settings please your heart more than the other? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

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Anne? Pippi? Nancy? Madeline? Ferdinand? An open book blog hop post

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

If you were a beloved children's character, which ones would you be? 

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Now that's an interesting question. Am I meant to say which character I think is the most like me? Or more like which character would I like to be? Both, you say? Sure! Why not both!

As a child, I was very much like Anne of Green Gables fame. I was always getting in trouble for daydreaming, a little quick to take offense, and very much following my heart. 

I even had freckles, reddish hair often worn in braids, and a propensity for books and straw hats. 

Honestly, I haven't changed that much. I've just figured out a way to channel my daydreaming into writing, and to go a little slower before I fly off the handle. (Probably much like Anne herself did as she grew up, come to think of it). 

So that's who I am like, but then who would I like to be, given the chance? 

Should I be content to be who I am, no matter what others seems to think, like Ferdinand the bull? Smart, brave, and helpful like Nancy Drew? Self-sufficient, independent, and unable to be cowed like Pippi Longstocking? Loyal and fierce like Madeline? 

I don't think I can pick. How about you? Is there a children's book character you especially identify with? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

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My Favorite Cover, an Open Book Blog Hop post

 Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

Post your favorite cover from your books and explain why it's your favorite. 

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When my Menopausal Superhero novels moved from their first publisher to their second, they got a new look. 

The books are dramedy in tone (part drama, part comedy), and my first publisher (now defunct: you can read about that saga here) played up the comedy aspect with bright colors and focused on the torsos of the heroes. 

I liked those, but in the marketplace, they proved a little misleading, making readers think the books would be funnier than they are--comedy primarily instead of secondarily.

So I was really pleased when the team at Falstaff Books came up with the new branding. The novels would all use silhouettes and city scapes, beginning in pastels and adding darker/brighter colors and more detail to the silhouettes as the series progressed: 

Top row: the novels; Bottom row: the shorts

When we decided to release some shorter work in the universe, novellas and short stories, Falstaff wanted to do something that set those apart, but still made them feel connected to the longer works, so they came up with the rays of light/stripes and brighter color palette, while still using the silhouettes. I love that! Those rays are so old-school comic book feeling!

So my favorite of the bunch is the cover for Agents of Change. 

Since this volume contains all the short work collected, the cover designer worked to meld the look we were using for the novels with the look we were using for the short work, and we ended up with these lovely sunset colors, a subtler version of the rays, and the silhouettes and cityscape. 

I really admire the work of a good cover artist, and I'm so happy to have worked with a great team to get covers that capture the vibe of my work. The cover is the best advertisement for the book, giving the reader a feel for the tone and genre as well as the content. So the right cover makes all the difference!

What works for you when it comes to book covers? Are there tropes you find off-putting? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

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Why settle for egg drop soup when you can have Massaman Curry? An Open Book post.

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

What do you order from your local Chinese restaurant? Do you order it every time or mix things up? 

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The truth is I'm a bit of a food snob, and my local Chinese restaurant is nothing special. It's not bad. It's fine, completely adequate, but ordinary. 

So, if it's up to me alone, I don't bother. I feel that way about most of the restaurants in my adopted hometown of Hillsborough, North Carolina--they're fine, but not special (though that's changing! there are a couple of newer and more interesting places I'm hoping will take root). 

If I'm going out to eat, I want something more interesting, preferably something I've never tried, and there are a LOT of much more interesting restaurants near me. It's one of the cool things about living between two university towns--lots of culinary possibilities.

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My current favorites for eating out are a local Mexican restaurant (Tacos Los Altos), a Thai restaurant in downtown Durham (Thai at Main Street), an Indian restaurant in another part of Durham (Tandoori Bites), a Turkish place in downtown Chapel Hill (Talulla's) and a Himalayan place in downtown Chapel Hill (Momo's Master).  

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But, still, the kiddo gets a hankering for egg drop soup from time to time, especially if they don't feel well. 

And if I'm getting egg drop soup for the kid, then I get an egg roll for me while I'm there, and if I'm trying to avoid multiple stops, I might pick up some garlic chicken, or cashew chicken, or orange chicken for my own dinner and chicken and vegetables for Sweetman. 

So, I'm not completely averse to patronizing our local Chinese restaurant if the circumstances are right. And I do like to keep up the Jewish tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas. 

How about you? Do you favor a Chinese restaurant near you? What do you like to eat from there? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. 

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Where do your stories come from? An IWSG post

 

Welcome to the first Wednesday of the month. You know what that means! It's time to let our insecurities hang out. Yep, it's the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog hop. If you're a writer at any stage of career, I highly recommend this blog hop as a way to connect with other writers for support, sympathy, ideas, and networking. If you're a reader, it's a great way to peek behind the curtain of a writing life.

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. This month's co-hosts are:  PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, Gwen Gardner, Pat Garcia, and Natalie Aguirre!

June 5 question - 99% of my story ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from?

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I don't think I've ever written anything that came directly from a dream, at least not that I knew I was doing. 

My dreams don't usually make enough sense to be of any service in fiction, other than perhaps for imagery. 

But, it's an intriguing question all the same. Ideas are an essential part of a writing life. My problem is not usually coming up with them, but finding time to develop them all into finished pieces! 

But still, where do they come from?

I think most of my ideas come from juxtaposition.

By this I mean: there are lots of little thoughts and bits of information and observations bouncing around in my brain all the time, some pingponging around like high bounce balls dropped from a great height, others floating gently by on some unseen current. 

Sometimes a couple of them bump off each other and there's a spark, like one was flint and the other tinder. And boom! There's a story idea. 

For example, the idea of the Menopausal Superheroes was probably a combination of my apprehension about getting older and having just watched an X-Men movie where the characters were just so-very-teenagery that I found them frustrating. I thought something like: 

What is it with teenagers and superhero stories? If hormones cause superpowers, then menopausal women should have these pubescent kids beat!

When I'm not working on a particular project already under contract, I also really love to play with writing prompts. A fair amount of my short horror fiction got its start as a noodle from writing prompts in Bliss Morgan's Nightmare Fuel challenge held each October. I've written more than one piece after reading the call for a themed anthology and thinking the idea sounded like a fun one to explore. 

Other times, it's as simple as thinking, "What if?" and following that question where it takes me. A recently finished horror story (not yet published) came about because I'd gotten a new car with all kinds of fancy sensors and warnings and my brain asked some weird questions about that. 

Getting from idea to story sometimes comes from noodling on my own, but a lot of times, it comes from conversation. I've hashed out many a plot line in conversation with my husband or with one of the members of my critique group. 

How about the other storytellers out there? Where do your ideas come from? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

To AI or not to AI? An open book blog post

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

Have you played with AI in your writing? Tell us what you think about it. 

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As much as I enjoy reading stories about AI, I haven't really had much interest in trying it out in my writing life in the real world. I've got a process that's working for me right now, and it doesn't involve using AI. 

For starters, in these early days, the ethics are unclear. Is this really just a form of plagiarism? Can people really take credit for work co-written this way? Is it just another way exploitative method of undercutting and devaluing writing and art? 

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Obviously technology evolves and it changes the way art is produced. I'm not against that. I'm grateful to be typing this blogpost on my laptop rather than turning over my longhand notes to a literal typesetter who lays it out in trays and presses copies. I enjoy eBooks and audiobooks and am happy about some of the ways new technologies increase access. 

But, something about AI tools in writing, at least so far, stinks of exploitation and laziness. 

When ChatGPT was all everyone was talking about earlier this year, several well-respected magazine were deluged with submissions that had been AI-created. 

More people looking for a shortcut and thinking they can make some moolah without investing any effort, let alone a slice of their soul. (I haven't read anything about this actually working for anyone so far, by the way--a story written by AI, copied and pasted and submitted has yet to find fame or fortune in a news-making way). 

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I do have a couple of writing friends who say they find it helpful in the brainstorming phases of things, that they use it to get unstuck. I can see that. I can respect using a tool in support of your creativity, but in place of it?

But I don't have anyone in my writing life using it in the place of their creative impetus. But then again, I don't hang with a mercenary literary crowd. While we'd all love to make money from our work, we do the work because we love it and it expresses an essential part of our selves. Why would you hand the best part over to a computer mind? 

So, yeah, I'll stick to reading about AI and talking to the one in my kitchen. 

Some stories about AI I've enjoyed recently: 

How about you? Any AI in your real life? Any AI you've loved in fiction? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. 

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My Dream Writing Space, An Open Book Blog Hop post

 

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

Describe what your dream writing space would look like. 

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For most of my adult life, I didn't have a designated writing space at all. But when my eldest left for college, we played "room-capades" at la casa Bryant and I scored a room of my own! 

I put a LOT of work into making it just the way I wanted and did nearly all the work for it myself, from peeling the old wallpaper and painting the walls to hanging the curtains. So, in a way, I feel like I *have* my dream writing space. 

The best part is my plant window. Instead of curtains, I just have shelves across the windows and they are lined with plants and pretty stones and little knick-knacks from my life. 

Now that I'm settled into my Writing Oasis, I mostly wish it was just a bit bigger. It's only a ten by ten room and I have a LOT of books, decorative items, houseplants, and memorabilia, not to mention "writing business" stuff like my inventory of books for events, bookmarks, swag, etc. It feels a little cramped sometimes, and getting rid of some of these belongings would be heartbreaking. 

Since this is an absolute fantasy, maybe I can transport my room to a turret in a clifftop mansion with a secret passageway through the closet and a dramatic, rocky seascape vista. Or some kind of magic door so that I can walk through it into any setting I want and take my writing break on a beach or in the mountains or in Paris on a whim. 

But really, I'm just so grateful to have my own space, designed to support my writing life and not shared with any other purpose. I'm truly spoiled. 

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What else do you do (besides write)? An Open Book blog hop post

 

Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.

Besides writing, what other "subjects" are you good at?

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Well, I do have a few skills besides writing. 

• I'm a good home cook and baker. My banana bread is pretty famous among friends and family, and my husband swoons over my curries. I'm not afraid to tackle complicated recipes and love a chance to use an ingredient or kitchen tool that I've never used before. 
• I can speak, read, write, and understand Spanish. That has come in handy in MANY situations, not just in travel, but here in Hillsborough, North Carolina, too. 
• I'm an excellent organizer/planner (I have to keep to keep the chaos we call family life flowing). You should see my color coordinated google calendar.
• I'm comfortable with public speaking and presenting, something that served me well in and out of my writing life. 
• and I'm getting better at plant care. Only killed one plant so far this year. 

How about you? Do you have hidden talents or knowledge that serve you well? I'd love to hear about them in the comments.  

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