The Public Life of Writing... In My Dreams?

Do you ever dream about celebrities?

I've heard it's pretty common for some people to dream about movie and TV stars. Certainly, I've had that one about Brad Pitt (which actually included his brother Doug... have you ever seen a picture of Doug Pitt? He's actually a fairly good looking guy, but his brother is Brad Pitt, so standing next to Brad he looks like a schlub.) I've also dreamed that I was a pilot on Battlestar Galactica, complete with SciFi Channel CGI effects.

That all seems pretty normal to me.

Lately -- okay, really since becoming a science fiction professional in '01-- I've also started dreaming about, well, SF/F celebrities. Neil Gaiman visits my subconscious a lot. If you've ever been to a convention party where I'm in that sort of mood, you may have heard me tell the first rather embarrassing dream I had that involved Gaiman. It's not really repeatable here mostly because this is a public forum and I would absolutely DIE if it got back to him. But, you know, ask me if you see me and I'll happily tell you all the gory details (unless of course you happen to BE Neil Gaiman, in which case I will deny all knowledge of this).

Anyway, Gaiman has mutated over the years to represent fame -- particularly the fame I have yet to achieve. This association has been fueled by my son's strange attachment to Gaiman. When Mason was quite little, perhaps a year and a half, he imprinted on a picture of Neil that appeared on the cover of LOCUS. He actually carried it around with him and wanted us to play peek-a-boo with Gaiman's face. It was very odd, and, perhaps not surprisingly, Gaiman became a feature in my own mind as well.

My alternate personality wrote over on my LiveJournal about a dream she had last night which involved another local writing celebrity -- actually several, and that made me wonder how *I* would feel if I stumbled across a post like this where someone dreamed about ME. And it made me think about the public life of a writer in general, because, as I confess in the other post, I have created in my own mind rather complicated relationships with people I really don't know at all. But because they've achieved a certain amount of fame in our community, I react to them in ways that are fraught with meaning -- both in my real life (tm) and in dream-time.

Weird, huh?

Astro Alert: Pluto Enters Capricorn

Here's the latest, breaking planetary news from Astrology.com:

Are you ready to climb the ladder of success? How about accomplishing a long sought after goal? With transforming Pluto entering ambitious Capricorn on January 25, you will have the opportunity to achieve something valuable for yourself -- as well as for the world.In the past 13 years, while Pluto transited through Sagittarius, it was important to explore and evaluate your beliefs, morals and ethics. Now, responsibility and self-reliance should be your focus. Certainly those who know the value of hard work will be rewarded during this time. So, figure out which obstacles you're ready to face -- and overcome. There’s a big world out there with plenty of peaks to scale, just waiting for you to make your mark!

Over at SF Novelists Again

I have a very short ramble about my writing process called "Process, Oh Process" over at SF Novelists today.

Deleted Scenes

Do you ever write a scene you KNOW you're going to end up deleting for the final draft?

I did last night. Due to a bunch of circumstances I won't get into because it would reveal spoilers for the fourth book, Garnet and Sebastian end up talking about where Sebastian was during World War II. Sebastian, remember, is Austrian. As someone else in the scene points out, so was Hitler.

After a great deal of consideration about this, I decided that history is a complicated thing when you're living through it. There are, for instance, atrocities going on today that I know about. Things that history may judge to be as evil as things that went on during the Third Reich. Yet, there's only so much a human being can do, and, you don't REALLY know the extent of all that stuff until it's over and you have perspective. So, I decided that, though he wasn't expressly a NAZI, Sebastian had fought on what we would now consider "the wrong side" during WWII.

Lots of people did, after all.

And, my sketchy college courses on WWII taught me that Hitler was very attractive during the time he was alive. He was charismatic, and his policies improved Germany's crumbling economy. He also inspired a great deal of nationalistic pride. Things that are hard to resist. When the economy is good, a lot of the rest of the evils in the world, no matter how truly horrific, are easier to ignore. It's true that most of us don't give a damn until our own lives are personally affected.

I wrote a scene in which Sebastian talks about hindsight, and wishing he could change the choices he made in the past with the information gained over time. I think it's a great scene, but I don't think it'll survive the draft process.

Why?

Well, for one, I think my readers, perhaps rightly so, would rebel against the idea of a ROMANTIC hero who fought in Hitler's army, regardless of his current level of regret or the fact he never joined the NAZI party. (The scene, as written, actually has Garnet react similarly. She spends the night on the couch after Sebastian confesses this trying to deal with the loadedness of his revelation.) I think, if I left it, my editor would ask me to change or get rid of it, with the marketability of the book in mind.

Secondly, even though I think the scene is great for understanding and deepening Sebastian's character, it's not 100% necessary for the advancement of the plot.

It'll probably end up in the file I keep with all the scenes that don't make the final cut. So why not cut it now, or not write it at all? Well, that's the question isn't it? I guess for me, writing scenes like this one are part of my creative process. I need to write through it in order to get to the next moment. As I was telling Sean the other night, one of the reasons I rarely feel like I have a lot of ideas to spare (writers like to talk about having more story ideas than they have time to write, but I never have felt that way), is because I make stuff up on the fly every night. I have an outline for my Garnet Lacey books, but they don't go on a page by page level, so a lot of the interactions are, in point of fact, spontaneous. And they change the nature/feel of the novel as I write them.

Cool Octopus

My partner forwarded me this article about an octopus who loves to play with Mr. Potato Head. It's worth it for the photo alone.

F,F&F's Top Ten

Over at Fangs, Fur & Fey someone started a meme about the top ten ways you can tell this novel was written by me. I like this question because I think it gets to some of the subconscious things that crop up repeatedly in authors' fiction. I didn't go terribly deep with this list, because I think there are also usually some issues with family that come up in my books as well as moral questions, but here's what I posted to F,F&F:

1. Sex happens early. In fact, in my first novel my editor kept asking me to slow down the romance. (I guess this just means I fall into bed easily and often. Oops.)

2. People drink a lot of coffee, and a lot of the action happens in coffeeshops. (Hmmm, I wonder what I'm doing right now?)

3. A character's religion is often central to the plotline. Also, someone in the novel practices an off-beat religion/spirituality. There is also often a reference (usually a joke) regarding my religion of origin -- Unitarian Universalism.

4. There is a hidden GLBT character in every novel, usually in the background.

5. There is a character who isn't white -- usually a secondary, but important, character.

6. At some point someone speaks a language that isn't English.

7. My geek roots show. Someone (usually my resident geek boy, William,) will make a reference to gaming, comicbooks, Monty Python, Star Trek, Star Wars, or other things that demonstrate his (and consequentally my) geek cred.

8. A character listens to country western music.

9. A Wisconsin/Minnesota joke/reference is made at some point. There is a lot of talk about the weather, fish fries, beer, the movie Fargo, and other things specfic to these two states. Someone sees a cow in a field at least once a novel.

10. I describe Madison, Wisconsin as "strange and liberal," and someone takes a stroll down State Street.

So, that's me. What about you? Do you have any hidden themes in your writing you care to share? It doesn't have to be ten... name just one!

Love Scene Workshop

-------Permission to Forward------------

http://fthrw.com/workshops/

ANATOMY OF A LOVE SCENE
DATES: February 4th-17th, 2008
INSTRUCTOR: Jenna Petersen aka Jess Michaels
COST: FREE for FTHRW members, $15 for all others
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: January 30th, 2008

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Hot is well, hot, right now. But not every author is comfortable with the intricacies of sensual love scenes. In this three part presentation, sensual and erotic romance writer Jenna Petersen (Jess Michaels) breaks down the key elements a powerful love scene should contain.

Part 1: Character -- Remaining true to your characters when they take off their clothes. Virgins versus concubines and other ways to throw your hero and heroine out of character.
Part 2: Plot -- Don't lose the thread just cause they're in bed. Why the story can't stop for six pages. How to fold plot elements into your love scenes and keep the conflict and tension high. Why consummation doesn't mean the end to conflict.
Part 3: Emotion -- It's not just slots and tabs. Trust me. Exploring the love scene beyond lust to anger, fear, love and more. How tension can build to and from love scenes.
In addition, Petersen will give tips and hints on how authors can be more comfortable writing their characters in bed. Petersen will conduct Q&A and provide examples.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:Jenna Petersen started writing full-time in 1999 when her husband said, "You're only happy when you're writing, why don't you do that?" In 2004, her dream came true when her literary agent called to say she'd just sold two books to Avon. Her releases include: Scandalous (October 2005), From London With Love (August 2006) and Desire Never Dies (January 2007), Seduction is Forever (October 2007) and the upcoming Lessons from a Courtesan (August 2008). She also writes erotic romance as Jess Michaels, and helped launch the Avon Red line with her novella in Parlor Games. Her next Jess Michaels release is Something Reckless (May 2008). She's been a Bookscan and Waldenbooks Mass Market bestseller. In addition, she has run The Passionate Pen since 1999. This popular site for aspiring authors gets nearly 200,000 hits per month and contains information on literary agents, publishing houses, articles about writing and the industry, links and Jenna's Diary toward and beyond publication. You can find her at http://www.passionatepen.com/ and at http://www.jennapetersen.com/ .

Maria V. Snyder on "Mary Sue" and Armchair Adventures

Here's an interesting post from SF Novelists, in which Maria V. Snyder is "Accused of Mary Sue" and her response to it.

St. Paul is Third Most Literate City (MPLS #1)

Reported by Michele Hauf to MFW

In the fifth annual Readers' Bowl, Minneapolis, Minn., reclaimed thetitle America's Most Literate City for 2007 while Seattle, Wash., fellto the number two spot, according to<http://news.shelf-awareness.com/ct.jsp?uz3618491Biz5864704> USA Today.And in what might be seen as a Twin Cities bid for national readingdominance, St. Paul, Minn., sustained its long-term momentum, having"climbed steadily, from 11th place in 2003 to third place this year."

The top 10 overall, as compiled by "researcher Jack Miller, who for fiveyears has been ranking the nation's largest cities based on theirsupport for and commitment to reading":

1. Minneapolis
2. Seattle
3. St. Paul
4. Denver
5. Washington, D.C.
6. St. Louis
7. San Francisco
8. Atlanta
9. Pittsburgh
10. Boston

The top 10 cities in the bookseller category, which ranks for every10,000 people the number of retail bookstores, number of rare and usedbookstores and number of ABA members, are:

1. Seattle
2. San Francisco
3. Minneapolis
4. Cincinnati
5. St. Louis
6. Portland, Ore.
7. Pittsburgh
8. St. Paul
9. Cleveland
10. Washington, D.C.

A complete list of the rankings is available at America's Most Literate Cities <http://news.shelf-awareness.com/ct.jsp?uz3618491Biz5864714> .http://www.ccsu.edu/amlc07/Overall_Rankings/Top10.htm Books-A-Million is opening its first store in Pennsylvania, in theFoundry at 439 Washington Road in Washington, Pa. The company said ithad decided on opening a store in the southwestern Pennsylvania town"based on its knowledge of this growing market," gained from its newstore in nearby Wheeling, W.Va.

Happy New Year

Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of days, but my internet connection has dried up (the nieghbors are on to my wifi stealing ways.) So, I only have a few minutes in the mornings to catch up on the news, etc. Even so, I wanted to take the time to wish y'all a Happy New Year!

Archangel LOL'ed

My dear friend and alternate personality had her book, Archangel Protocol, LOL'ed by Jim Hines: http://jimhines.livejournal.com/333357.html. Cool, huh?

Romance Contest -- Windy City

**permission to forward**

The Windy City Romance Writers Present the 2008 Four Seasons Awards

What to Enter: Up to the first 25 pages of your manuscript. No synopsis required.

Built-in discrepancy judging—all entries will be judged by three judges, and the lowest score will be dropped to determine final rankings

Save on paper, ink, and postage—only send three copies of your entry (only those guaranteed to be judged) and an electronic version of your entry on CD (in the event you final, we will print a copy of your entry to go to the final judges)

First-round judges: Experienced critiquers and published authors of the Windy City Romance Writers. (Only Windy City members judge this contest, and Windy City members are not eligible to enter.) Final-round judges: One editor and one agent for each category. Scores from both judges are averaged to determine the winners:

Single Title Contemporary: Lindsay Nouis, NAL
Danielle Egan-Miller, Brown & Miller Agency

Short/Long Contemporary: Diana Ventimiglia, Harlequin
Jennifer Schober, Spencerhill Associates

Historical: TBD
Kristen Nelson, Nelson Agency LLC

Fantasy/Futuristic/Paranormal: Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester Publishing Co.
Kelly Harms, Jane Rotrosen Agency

Winners in each category will receive an engraved plaque. All finalists will receive certificates and will be mentioned in the RWR. All contestants will receive a score sheet from each judge. In addition, judges are encouraged (but not required) to write comments on the manuscript.

Entry Deadline: March 1, 2008 (postmark date)

Questions? Visit our Website: www.windycityrwa.com or Contact Wendy Byrne, Four Seasons Contest Chairperson, WTByrne@sbcglobal.net

Erotica News

Even though this may not have a lot of cross-over appeal, I thought I should announce that Other Me got this piece of good news regarding the orphaned anthology: Periphery: Erotic Lesbian Futures. Her editor, Lynne Jamneck wrote:

"Steve Berman has just emailed me to say that Lethe Press would very much like to publish Periphery. He wants to have the anthology ready end of February, in time for WisCon 2008."

So, if you're a fan of other me's AngeLINK novels, the story she will have published there, "ishtartu," takes place in that universe, though not with any of the main characters.

Speaking of WisCON, other me just registered yesterday, so she'll be there with bells on! I, Tate, may or may not make an appearance. Depends on if I can find a good dress for the ocassion (and how this whole turning myself into Captian America thing is going.)

Astrology Alert Saturn Retrograde

It has been rightly pointed out that the below needs an atribution. It comes to me via astology.com. My deepest apologies. I almost always put this in quotes:

Saturn turns retrograde in Virgo on December 19. This is also the beginning of the end of 2007, and an ideal time for reviewing the past year’s accomplishments. Hopefully you’ve made strides toward success, or achieved your goals and have a clear sense of what’s next on your agenda for 2008!

This phase will last through May 2. Saturn's sway is even stronger in retrograde, and with the planetary ruler of discipline and responsibility peddling backward in fastidious in Virgo, you'll want to obsess over whether the plans you've laid can succeed. Don't sweat the small stuff! Do, however, take action to improve your chances for happiness and success in all your endeavors.

Saturn’s position in Virgo has been urging you to be more efficient. Can you sense the possibilities that will open up once you are more organized? Use the influence of this Saturn retrograde transit to inspire a list of prioritized goals. Then don’t be afraid to charge forward, full speed ahead!

Winter Rose Contest Published/Unpublished

***PERMISSION TO FORWARD***

Winter Rose Award for Excellence 2008: Published
Sponsor: Yellow Rose Romance Writers.
Fee: $20
Postmark Deadline: January 25, 2008
Eligibility: PAN or PAN Eligible.
Enter: romance novels published in 2007.

Categories: RS, paranormal, ST contemporary, historical, series contemporary, inspirational. Final judges: booksellers, readers groups, & librarians. Top Prize: silver rose pendant. FMI, entry form, and rules {www.yellowroserwa.com}

Winter Rose Award for Excellence 2008: Unpublished
Sponsor: Yellow Rose Romance Writers.
Fee: $30
Postmark Deadline: January 25, 2008
Eligibility: not published in book-length fiction.
Enter: prologue/first chapter (25 pages max).

Categories: RS, paranormal, ST contemporary, historical, series contemporary. Final judges: editors. Top prize: partial read by agent, cash prize and silver rose pendant. FMI, entry form, and rules {www.yellowroserwa.com}

****

Get Outta That Slump! An On-Line Course

***Permission to Forward***

Celtic Hearts Romance Writers Academy announces an upcoming online workshop for January.

Workshop Title: Guerilla Tactics for Writers in a Slump
Presenter: Lori Wilde
Date: Jan. 2 - Jan. 16, 2008

Description: Have you been writing a long time and while you've received some recognition for your work you're just not getting the attention you deserve? Or, were you published once, then found yourself without a publisher and now you can't get break back in? Or are you currently published but your career seems to be barely bumping along?

This workshop is designed provide answers to those questions and catapult you onto the publishing fast track. Guerilla Tactics for Writers in a Slump will illustrate exactly what's holding you back and keeping you from being the writer you're truly meant to be.

Topics covered include
1. Identifying What's Holding You Back
3. Shifting Your Writing into High Gear
4. Toughing the Mind of the Writer Warrior
5. Toughing the Body of the Writer Warrior
6. Honing Your Battle Plan

About the presenter: Lori Wilde has written forty-one novels for three major New York Publishing houses. She holds a bachelors degree in nursing from Texas Christian University and a certificate in forensics. She volunteers as a sexual assault first responder for Freedom House, a shelter for battered women.

Recently, she received a two book contract from Warner books based solely on a 25 word 'high concept' pitch. When the sale-along with the pitch-was announced on Publisher's Marketplace, she was approached by eight film production companies-including Paramount and Warner Brothers-interested in optioning her completed novel for a movie. She is an instructor for a company who provides online community education to over 1500 colleges and universities.

Lori is a past RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award. She's won the Colorado Award of Excellence, the Wisconsin Write Touch Award, The Golden Quill, the Lories, and The More than Magic. Her books have been translated into 22 languages and excerpted in Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Complete Woman, and Quick and Simple magazines. She lives in Texas with her husband, Bill.

Her website: http://www.loriwilde.com/

Deadline to sign up: Dec. 29, 2007
Fee: $10 CHRW members; $15 non-members.
RWA Membership isn't required; anyone can take our courses. Celtic Hearts members receive 2 free workshops a year.
Where to sign up: http://www.celtichearts.org/chwksp.html
Please fill out the online form.

Still Learning

Perhaps obviously from all the posts here, I send stuff in to any romance contest that accepts published writers. It's always a very strange experience when I get the score sheets back when my novel didn't make the cut (which is, btw, ninety percent of the time.)

A couple of days ago, I got one that fascinated me. One of the judges heaped on praise, including making a point of noting that she felt that I'd handled, of all things, dialogue tags effectively -- specifically not over doing the adverbs describing how people are talking, i.e, "he said angrily." She said that she was impressed that I allowed the dialogue to imply how things were said.

The other judge also made an issue of my dialogue. She, however, had problems with it. She thought that I had a tendency to over do my dialogue tags. I'd have people using the other conversant's name in dialogue and then also use the speaker's name, i.e, "You're being stupid, Garnet," Sebastian said -- even when there's only two speakers in the room.

Yeah, I do that. I'm going to be willful and say that even though I think I'm going to start paying attention to how MUCH I do it, I'll probably continue to do it at times. The reason I do it is simple: people talk like that. Or, at least, *I* do. I use a person's name in coversation, even when there's just two of us, for emphasis. Particularly when we're talking about something sensitive, I'll use the other person's name: "You know I'm right, Shawn." (To which, in real life, she'd reply, "Like hell, Tate.")

I use it also because I'm writing in first person. It's a very quick way to introduce the main character's name -- full name, when it's otherwise quite awkward to try to work in, as most people don't think to themselves, "I, Garnet Lacey, considered kissing my vampire lover, Sebastian Von Traum, on the lips!"

But if you're mad at someone, you might do a parent thing -- using someone's full name to show the level of trouble they're in -- and say, "Stop singing that annoying song, Garnet Lynn Lacey."

Even though I'm a bit defensive about my use of names in dialogue between two people, I'm now paying attention. I think that the worst thing that can happen to an author is when they think they've learned everything there is to know about writing and stop paying attention.

So I'm awake now. And that's a good thing.

Romance Contest: Between the Sheets

***permission to forward***

WHERE DOES THE HEART OF A BOOK LIE? IN THE FIRST CHAPTER? OR BETWEEN THE SHEETS?

Announcing the Greater Detroit RWA annual Between the Sheets contest. Enter your best love scene, up to 10 pages - anything from sweet to erotic.

Final judges: Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester; Diana Ventimiglia, Harlequin/Silhouette; Elaine English, Elaine P. English Literary Agency

1st Place: $100; 2nd Place: $50; 3rd Place: $25

Open to all RWA members unpublished in book-length fiction, $20 entry fee, multiple submissions allowed. Deadline: February 14, 2008. Entry includes one page unjudged setup. For more information, entry form, and guidelines,go to www.gdrwa.org or email eheiter@hotmail.com.

On-Line Class: Taxes for Writers (Hobbist, Semi-Pro, & Pro)

The Online Campus of Hearts through History Romance Writers Present

Class: Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Taxes
Instructor: Diane O'Brien, CPA/Attorney At Law/Writer
Dates: January 6, 2008-January 31, 2008
Registration Deadline: January 6, 2008
Fee: $10/HHRW Members, $20/others
Registration: www.heartsthroughhiRegistrat (click on HHRW Mall, then CampusFMI: _classes@heartsthrouclasses@hecla_(mailto:classes@heartsthroughhistory.com)

Class Description: Do the letters I-R-S strike fear in your heart? Are you confused about how to report your income and deductions? Have no ideas what records to keep? This class is for you! This informative yet surprisingly entertaining class will address critical tax issues for both the beginning and experienced writer, including: (1) the myth of the "Hobby Loss" rule; (2) federal income tax forms relating to your writing business and how to properly prepare the forms; (3) business expense deductions, including the options available and the pros and cons of each option; (4) self-employment taxes - what they are, how to compute them, and when they are due; (5) red flags to be aware of; (6) record keeping for your writing business; (7) whether incorporating is right for you; (8) state sales tax issues; (9) setting up a retirement for your writing business. You'll learn more than you ever wanted to know about taxes in this useful online seminar. What's more, you'll get to pick the brain of an experienced CPA/tax attorney without incurring outrageous fees! And, don't forget, the class fee is tax deductible!

BIO: Diane O'Brien Kelly is a CPA and tax attorney with almost two decades experience in federal and state taxation. She spent several years with international accounting firm KPMG Peat Marwick, and has also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas. Diane currently works asa tax attorney in Fort Worth. Diane writes humor and romantic comedies, as well as an occasional article on taxation when she's feeling exceptionally boring. Her work has been published in Writer's Digest Yearbook, the Romance Writers Report, Byline magazine, True Love magazine, the Fort Worth Business Press, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and Northwest Family News. She is a tax columnist for Nink,the newsletter of the writers'group Novelists, Inc. Diane publishes a new short humor piece each month on the "Blarney" page ofher page of her website, , www.dianeobrien taxtips on her "Tax Tidbits" page. She distributes a quarterly newsletter, "The Blarney Blub," which is chock full of great tax advice. Diane speaks on taxation for writers and teaches a Writer's Workshop at her local rec center. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Dallas Area Romance Authors. Diane lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with her husband, two children, and enough cats and dogs to violate several city ordinances.

Format: Course is conducted via Yahoo Groups email with lessons and Q & A. FMI:mailto:classes@heartsthroughhistory.com), http://www.dianeobrienkellwebsite

OMG! My Life List Has Expanded!

Do I need to say more???

Mason and I, who have been playing the license plate game for nearly a year now, have finally seen all 50 states (as well as several Canadian provences.) Mason and I spotted the elusive WV license plate at the Mall of America in the "Florida" level parking lot on the east side. It was a truly momentous moment. We parked as soon as we could, and then ran out to see it up close and touch it. It was on a silver mustang. Then, we did the happy dance of joy.

My life is, in one small way, more complete.