Finding Your Voice
What’s Jack up to? The wild boy is just being Jack and running around like crazy this morning. Jack you have to calm down. I’ve got lots of work to to today.
So it was a busy weekend with my DD’s dance recital which was wonderful BTW. Thanks for all the kind comments and well wishes. She was beautiful and oh so sharp and professional. I was proud.
We decided to sleep in on Sunday since Saturday was such a late night, but come Sunday morning, bright and early, I was tossing and turning, my mind racing with anxiety. I was so tired and all I wanted to do was rest, but rest wouldn’t come. Something was bothering me and it was my current work in progress.
Right now I’m trying hard to write something that will be a kind of break out piece for me so I’m playing with lots of different ideas. And for the most recent one, I just keep getting stuck. Stuck, stuck, STUCK. I keep seeing things unfold so clearly in my head, but not being able to put words to the images.
So with rest not happening, I got up left my DH and went to my other love, my lap top.
Bleary eyed (and out of coffee, yikes) I opened my document, yet again, and started to re-read the same old lines. I was in the scenes, but they just didn’t have that oomph that they had in my head. I was detached.
Then suddenly after days and days of struggling I knew exactly what the problem was. I wasn’t writing from my natural point of view. Although I knew the characters and saw them clearly, I didn’t know the narrator of the story. It didn’t have my VOICE.
I was like some of the poor kids on American Idol when they pick the wrong songs. They know the lyrics, but the voice doesn’t match. Only when they can make it their own does it really work and they get the votes they need to make it to the next week.
So, I renamed the document and started rewriting, changing the POV entirely. And once I did that a lot of my fears and anxiety started to melt away. A little. I’m a writer. Fear never really goes away.
I was smiling and feeling good. Suddenly I was there with my characters, confident that what I was saying was exactly what they would want me to be saying. That odd knot I had was starting to unravel and I could sing again!For all you writers, artists or for whatever your field is, how do you or did you find your voice or are you still struggling to find that illusive thing called “VOICE”?
Best,
KwanaThank God it’s Friday?
What’s Jack up to? I suspect he’s still miffed at me for sneaking him off to the vet yesterday. Sorry, Jack, but it the shots are required by law, I think?
I can’t belive Friday has come so fast. For me it was too fast.
One of the things on my to-do list this week was to carve out a more concrete space for myself. I have no real office space in my house. I tried the basement, but it felt like a dungeon to me and I ended up right back upstairs on my bed with piles upon piles by my bedside and the DH telling me it was a fire hazard.But this week I got these two slim shelves and hung my dry-erase idea board in the breakfast nook off the kitchen claiming it for myself. Cute huh?
How soon before there are piles and piles all around? Gee, I hope not too soon.
For other cool looks at work spaces head on over to my friend pve design’s blog. All week she’s been showing desk vignettes giving us peeks into other’s worlds. It’s fun.
In honor of my new/old space and for some inspiration here’s one of my favorite clips from Pride and Prejudice. Oh, Mr. Darcy how I love thee!
I hope you have a lovely weekend.Best,
KwanaFriday Fussings
What’s Jack up to? That little devil has pulled down my coat and is searching my pocket for treats. Stop thief!
Well, the blog party’s almost over. I hope it doesn’t stop my new friends from coming on back. It’s been fun getting to know you all.
So, I’ve been trying to wrap my head around a new book idea and it’s right on the tip of my brain. So close, I can almost taste it. I know it’s there with action and excitement, but for some reason it’s just not coming. So being visual (have you noticed all the pictures on this blog) I took a clue from another blogger, thanks WriteBrained, and tried playing around yesterday with a dry ease board. Of course, I had to get multiple colored markers:) But in about an hour I went from this:
To this:
.JPG)
Yay! Now I feel like there may be something I can get my fingers around. Wish me luck.On another note. It’s been a pretty trying time in the Kwana world and yesterday I received the most wonderful surprise in the mail. My DH aka Mr. Silent aka Are We Still Talking About That? aka Mr. When Did You Tell Me That? Well, the UPS man drops off a package and when I opened it it was my favorite soaps! The Claus Porto Soaps from Lafco New York in the delicious Honeysuckle scent. These are the same soaps that were featured on Oprah’s Favorite things. I fell in love with them last year on a trip to Vegas with the DH. Who can now add to his list of alias’ aka Mr. Big. How sweet is that?
Best,
Kwana
P.S.
Finally it’s Goodbye to Chet on Survivor. Man, I think the poor guy even voted for himself! Cirie had better watch out though. Amy’s coming for her. Good stuff.
Tuesday Thoughts
What’s Jack up to? He’s having a grand time making the DH walk around the block numerous times for nothing. Oh, the joys of having a dog.
So I tried to watch the Oprah and Eckhart Tolle webcast class for A NEW EARTH, really, I did. What a time I had. My laptop kept freezing so I went downstairs to my desktop and was never able to get a picture there. All I ended up getting were broken sound bytes. I’ll try today to see if I can watch the replay on Oprah.com. Did anyone get to watch?I did get to watch The Royals special on abc last night. I thought it was pretty go
od. I love all that inner workings stuff. A really liked the coverage of Queen Elizabeth. It was great to see her feisty nature at her age. The woman is a powerful force.So it’s happened again. Another book is being pulled from the shelves because of charges that the supposed memoir is false. I’ve got some Deja Frey going on here.
The New York Times said, “In “Love and Consequences,” a critically acclaimed memoir published last week, Margaret B. Jones wrote about her life as a half-white, half-Native American girl growing up in South-Central Los Angeles as a foster child among gang-bangers, running drugs for the Bloods. “FYI. Margaret B Jones’ real name is Margaret Seltzer. Seltzer now admits that it was all made up. What? How uncool is that? And I have to admit I’m a little mad that she choose to exploit what is largely a minority problem in this country. No, I wouldn’t be as mad if she just called the book what it was, fiction. But mad I am.
Ms. Seltzer said, “For whatever reason, I was really torn and I thought it was my opportunity to put a voice to people who people don’t listen to,” Ms. Seltzer said. “I was in a position where at one point people said you should speak for us because nobody else is going to let us in to talk. Maybe it’s an ego thing — I don’t know. I just felt that there was good that I could do and there was no other way that someone would listen to it.” Really? I’m not buying it.
What a shame that in order to get a book deal authors feel they have to make-up life stories. Part of me feels like it’s just awful that someone would lie like that and I wonder how come they couldn’t write the same book, call it fiction and have it published. Well, I think the answer to that is that it would probably never be published. Everything nowadays needs a ‘hook’ and often times it’s not just about the story, but about the personality behind the story. People (I guess myself included) want to gawk into other’s lives.
Was this always the way? There is plenty of great fiction that reads like memoirs and have stood up over the years. Books like: Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and one of my favorites Terry McMillan’s Mama are examples.
What are your thoughts?
Best,
KwanaQuotes thanks to NYT Photos thanks to MSN search
Opinions are a lot like…
What’s Jack up to? Today I’ll be calling him Stinky because he’s in desperate need of a bath. Jack, I’ll be washing you and Febreze-ing everything in sight so there no escaping, dude.This was a weekend full of highs and lows. The low being my migraine getting so bad that I ended up in the ER. There must some budding scientist out there that can cure this thing once and for all. Where are you? After years of this mess I am so over it.The highs of the weekend, singing Happy Birthday to Nana and going to my local RWA/NYC chapter meeting and hearing
my most excellent PIC, Megan give a talk about Plotting By The Seat Of Your Pants. Megan, whose Regency, A Singular Lady, is out with Signet, will be giving this talk at the New England conference in April so if you’re attending definitely go see her. You won’t be disappointed. I’ve already tapped Megan for an interview on the subject here which will be coming soon. She had lots of great things to say and one thing that really jumped out at me was when she said, you really have to analyze if you are true pantser and not just a plotter looking to get out of the work. Ah-ha. Something to think about.
On another note I’m really looking forward to watching Barbara Walters’ special on The Royals tonight. I just love all things British. Don’t ask me why. I guess beneath this tough exterior I’m a girl who longed to be a princess.That said, this all may be interrupted by Oprah’s online class on Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. You
know I love all things Oprah (my motto:all roads lead to Oprah) so of course I picked up Tolle’s book. Sadly I’m only up to page 75. It’s one of the hardest books I’ve ever read. Is my brain not on the same plain as his. I read a sentence and am like, huh? Oh well. From what I can understand, Tolle gives really good points on ego and it does have me thinking. That brings me back to my subject line. I really can’t stand it when people state their opinions like they are actual facts. Maybe because of Tolle’s book that I noticed it jumping out at me all weekend and it really bugged me. It seemed that everyone had something that they thought was really “important” to say. Ugh. Sometimes I feel like no one is listening, but just waiting for the moment that they can jump in and give their opinions. Which goes back to the old saying, Opinions are like butt-holes (clean blog here), everybody has one.Now, I know that having this blog is the ultimate in ego, but I hope I’m going about it the correct way and never forget that the things written here are just my opinions, not facts. Hmm…Oprah may be on the right track with all this new earth stuff.Best,KwanaAudio Box
What’s Jack up to? Right now he’s hunkered under my bed like he’s in for the night. Sorry, Jack you’ve gotta go to your own bed. You know I don’t go for critters sleeping under me. Ahem, no jokes please!
Today I just finished listening to Janet Evanovich’s Lean Mean Thirteen on my ipod. So much fun! For years I never thought of myself as an audio book girl. I mean honestly, is there anything better than a new book? The feel of cool crisp paper beneath your fingers is just delicious.But thanks to Jack I’m now doing lots more walking and I’m totally in favor of a good audio book. And thanks to the library I can get the book on cd and download it to my ipod quick and easy. Fantastic.
My favo
rite audio books have been all the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum books. I often find myself laughing out loud as I walk down the street. The reader is wonderful at instantly pulling you into the story and every character has a distinct voice that fits them perfectly.Besides that, I’m just in awe of how Janet Evanovich has made this world with these amazing characters that feel like they could be friends that you can hop in you car and go to visit. It’s something I strive for as a writer. The book’s over, but I can still picture them going on and living their lives. Now that’s what I call a good series!
Another plus with the JE audio books in at the end of most of them is this cool question and answer session with Janet. So you get to hear in her own words how she makes up this world and what her life is like. So much fun for us newbies in the writing game. Check them out and let me know what you think.
So tell me are you an audio book person, strictly paper only or are you one of those cutting edge modern-nistas with an e-reader?
Best,
KwanaLife Support
What’s Jack up to? Chillin’ and just being Jack, which pretty much means I have to watch him every minute or else who knows what I’ll find later.Check out this cute little birdie that came to visit the other day in the dead of winter. I can’t believe he stayed long enough for me to get the shot. Could it be a sign that spring’s on the way? I sure hope so. I’m a tired of the cold right about now.
The other day I went into the city and met up with some good friends that happen to be my core critique group. Meeting them always gives me a much needed boost of writing energy.There’s something about coffee and more coffee and talking things out with folks who really know what you’re going through that just puts it all in perspective. Having people that I can go to for that extra push, well shove, I need to continue moving forward is something I’m truly grateful for.Writing is a solitary and often times thankless job (at least until that mega-deal!) and having the support of my crit partners has been an integral part in my process of growing as a writer. Lord knows, I’m so much better than that first book. Besides who else can you really talk to about POV? You know your DH or boyfriend is really just nodding, but doesn’t have a clue what you’re talking about.
Thanks for all the support ladies; you’re all better than a pair of Spanx any day!So, what are some of the support systems you have in place to keep you on the road to fulfilling your dreams? Please share.
Best,
Kwana
Gena Showalter- Interview with a star
What’s Jack up to? Why he’s resting up for the holiday weekend. Don’t party too hard, Jack. I don’t think I can keep up.
.jpg)
Today I’m honored to be interviewing New York Times bestselling author (and fellow agency sistah) Gena Showalter!
Gena’s newest book in her Alien Huntress series Savor Me Slowly is out now and her contemporary women’s fiction novel Catch A Mate has been released in mass market as well as audio book form. To top things off her teen alien huntress story Red Handed has been optioned for TV. Wow!
Hi, Gena thanks for being here. It’s a real honor.Thank you so much for having me!! I’m thrilled to be here.
1. First off a traditional question. What made you want to be a writer? It is something you always knew you’d do?I began playing around with my own stories in junior high, but soon learned that crafting them was a little too much work for my fourteen year old self. It wasn’t until I began bouncing around from one major to another in college (all in the medical field, strangely enough) that I realized writing was my true love and it was the only thing I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.
2. Tell us about your road to the New York Times Bestseller List. Were you an ‘overnight’ success?I wish I could claim to be an overnight success, but it took me about ten years. First, I had to write seven books before I sold one (most of those books will never see the light of day). And I did not make a single list until my. . . eleventh release, I think it was. The Nymph King turned out to be my breakout novel. And to think, when the hero of that book first appeared in one of my books, he wasn’t meant to have his own story. He had other ideas, though, and I’m so glad he did!
3. I’m amazed at the amount of books you have published and the amount of books to come. Your upcoming release link on your website take us to May 2010, when we’ll all have a spaceship of our very own! What’s your typical work day like? What’s your discipline? Do you write 24/7 to get it all done?My writing schedule seems to change with every book. Used to, I wrote the rough drafts long hand in about 3 weeks, writing seven days a week until it was done. Now, I write a chapter a day, five days a week, until the rough draft is done. That usually takes me a month and a half. Then, I read over the book, adding everything I missed the first go round. Then, I read over it again to make sure everything flows smoothly. The entire process takes about 3 months.
4. You write in many different genres: paranormal, contemporary women’s fiction, urban fantasy and young adult. How do you change genres in such a seemingly effortless way? Come on tell us, do you love all your babies equally or are some more of a challenge to raise than others?
Changing genres keeps me from burn out because each genre taps into different emotions. My contemporaries tend to be lighter, funnier. My paranormals have become darker, more sensual, more emotional. The young adults bring out the kid in me.
Of all those genres, though, the paranormals are my favorite. Especially the ones I’m writing now. The possibilities are endless. Anything I can think up, I can write.**Bonus question from a fan (my daughter). Growing up were you anything like your character, Jade in Oh My Goth? What inspired you to write her?
My junior high years, I was indeed a bit like Jade. Wore black, dressed punk, rocked out. (I feel so weird saying that now LOL) So when I sat down to write Oh My Goth, I wanted to show the struggles of someone who is considered a freak but wants so badly to be happy with who and what they are. (I was often called Casper, Ghost, Mustache Girl) Though don’t get me wrong. In high school, I became more like Mercedes: captain of the cheerleading team, rude to others.
Now, when I think back to the girl I used to be, I can only shake my head in wonder. I’m so different, almost as if my personality was cut up into little pieces and put back together out of order.5. What’s one piece of writing advice you’d like to give aspiring authors?
Write the book of your heart. Never write to trend. Because, by the time you finish, the trend will be over.
6. What can we look for next from you?
I am so excited to launch my new Lords of the Underworld series (May, June, July 08) They features immortal warriors who opened Pandora’s box, releasing a horde of evil demons upon the earth. Now, as punishment, each warrior carries a demon inside himself.Maddox, the hero of The Darkest Night (May 08) is the keeper of Violence. He’s been cursed to die every night, only to awaken the next morning knowing he has to die again. Lucien, the hero of The Darkest Kiss (June 08). Reyes, the hero of The Darkest Pleasure (July 08), is the keeper of Pain and is forbidden to know pleasure.
Once again, WOW! Thanks so much for being here and I can’t wait to pick up the next book(s)!
Thank you for having me!!
For a laugh Check out this fun video of Gena being interviewed by fellow author (and comedian), Jill Monroe below. Enjoy!Best,
KwanaDreams of the heart
What’s Jack up to? Today he’s being and sweetheart and doing his best to be a model lap dog. Sitting by my side and not even messing with the keyboard while I type. Good dog, Jack! Now, are you feeling ok?
What is it about Romantic comedies that we girls love so much? I mean honestly, you walk into the theater knowing the ending before your first bite of popcorn. But still, we gush and smile and get all melty inside as some girl goes through all the emotions we daydream about in ninety minutes.I know I’m little late to the reception, but this weekend I saw the movie 27 Dresses with my daughter. I’m not going to give a movie review because, really, do you care what I think? Me, more than anyone else, knows that art is subjective. That said, it was just what the doctor ordered. A cute romantic comedy to make you walk out hoping for happily ever after. A perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
But it sort of made me think, is this the feminist way? Should I be taking my daughter to see these stereotypical views of what a woman should want? Of what love could be? Make her think that she can find happiness in the arms of a man? My answer is, sure. Why not? As long as I school her about self respect and not being blind when it comes to love, then it’s all good.
If not for the great romance story, she may grow up thinking that relationships should be all blinged and sexed out like a rap video. No long walks, no late night conversations, no long gazes and definitely no hand holding.
I say let her dream that love is real, because it is. Sometimes you just have to suspend cynicism for a moment and let your heart show you the truth.
All this is to say, that I’m starting a new book and it’s shaping up to be a romantic comedy. Me, a comedy? Hopefully I can keep my own cynicism in check!
I actually dreamed of the concept in my sleep, woke up and immediately pulled out my notebook because I was so excited. It’s something different from anything I’ve ever tried. But right about now, my heart and mind really wants to believe in the happily ever after. We’ll see how it goes..
Best,KwanaRock your vote
What’s Jack up to? So far he’s just chillin’ but it’s still early.I want to thank all you who were kind enough to give comments yesterday on being a plotter or a pantser. It was wonderful to hear about everyone writing process. What I got from the discussion is there really is no right or wrong way to write. All that matters is that you do whatever works for you to get YOUR story done.On one of the other group boards that I read there was a pretty heated discussion on writers who read or not read. One brave soul admitted to not reading novels (through no fault of her own) and when she did the opinions flew. It’s amazing how firm folks can be in their opinions.That got me thinking and what I wrote to the group is maybe we should stop and think what truly makes a good book. Is it the credentials behind the book or is it the story? I think it’s the story and how the story is told. If you have a natural talent for telling a story than you are truly blessed.
Today is Super Tuesday and in 24 states primaries are going on for the presidential nominees. It is a historic vote on the democratic side as democrats choose between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. To me it’s not a bad dilemma to be in. Whatever your choice please me sure to get out and vote today.If you’d like a laugh check out this new Obama Girl video. I have to admit when the first Obama Girl video came out, I thought she’d hurt more than help. But now with the way Barack has been going in this race, heck, maybe she is super?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4HU_l5u0h4Best,Kwana
