Where do you find your stories from?

This is a question I get all the time from young writers and even non-writers. I’m not sure how to answer this question because I’m an Irish girl who lives with stories in me head. Where they come from … only the Gods know.

But for starting authors who need a little help, there are many ways to find a story. Look at this photo



The mind can see so many story just by this one picture…when I first looked at it I saw a pirate ship that had discovered this woman aboard – it’s very bad luck to have a woman on a ship – so they toss her overboard and she dies only to return as a ghost to haunt each and every one of them.

The second story I saw was a woman attempting to seduce a man she knows belongs to another…he belongs to her life long nemesis (a girl who use to taunt her in school) revenge!

The third tale to come to mind was a mermaid attempting to mate with a human to save her father’s kingdom of the sea. She’s been watching this human man for some time and has fallen in love with him from afar. When troubles stir below the sea she realizes if she can join the human’s with the mermaid kingdom her people can survive.

Now what tale do you see when you look at this picture?

Alright, let the fantasy of it draw you in and tell you its story…then tell us….

What stories were you told to write when you looked at it?

Now I don’t want to hear any excuses…I can hear you saying “Oh, you picked the easy picture…this one’s hard,” not so….Just look at it and add all those little gossip tidbits or articles you’ve read in the paper or in a mag...all those odd “things” you’ve heard throughout your life, put them to the picture.

When I saw this picture I instantly put the rumors of the 2012 into play. Supposedly in the month of December of that year (2 years from now) the planets are suppose to align and when they do the world will tilt causing major plate shifting …and we all die….It’s supposedly happened to the Earth before and is what killed the dinosaurs.

But I have to ask -- WHAT IF???

So, when I look at this photo I see a story…the alignment happens but what the human’s didn’t expect is that their planet remains whole and instead of crashing into the planets next to them, the Earth floats down to settle on a passing gigantic meteor that’s really a planet in its forming stages. Now, the challenge…how do they survive?

Now look at this picture again. Let your mind travel into a fantasy land and tell me what you see. Are there alien’s living on this forming meteor? Do they look human or are they flesh eaters? What kind of air do they breath? How are the human's breathing? What will be the travel between these two planets now sitting on one another? How are the humans affected by their world floating in the waters of this strange planet? Is that water drinkable or does it burn like acid? What kind of creatures live in those surrounding waters…can the humans survive?

So, I guess my answer to this question is this. When trying to come up with a story…start with a picture and then just allow the mind to fly free and create.

But I am wondering...when asked, how do you answer this question?

Hawk

Book Review - Dark Fever by Karen Marie Moning

I know my dear friend Eliza already gave a review of this series, but I'm so pleasantly surprised, I thought they were worth mentioning again.
After the Twilight incident, where I was found reading under blankets with a flashlight at 3 AM, I SWORE to all my friends and family that I would never get hooked on another series.  I've always been a vamp girl, so I figured I was safe with the Fae Fever book. Just one taste and I could walk away, no problem.
Sure. Right.
As soon as I met Jericho Barrens and V'Lane, the death by sex fae, I knew I'd been reeled in like a dumb fish. So all I can say is, if you like vulnerable kick ass heroines and sexy sexy bad maybe good and good maybe bad guys and plots that move fives miles a minute, with more twists and turns than an Irish back road, then you have to give this book a try. And see if you're any luckier than me - I'm already on book three and I just started last week - listening to the audio books on my way to and from work. And now you'll find me at my desk at work with a bud in one ear, anxious to find out what's happening next. These guys are so hot, I'm surprised my Ipod hasn't melted.
So I guess you could say, I'm as addicted to the fae as any silly mortal. Check out Dark Fever, and we'll see you under the blankets at 3 AM!
Don't forget extra batteries for your flashlight - or whatever else you might need batteries for under those blankets with two of the hottest guys between any pages. Did I say that? I'm blushing...

Jayne Ann Krentz and Christina Dodd's writing tips

All writers are constantly looking to improve on their writing knowledge, whether they are unpublished and greener than Kermit the frog or New York Times Best selling authors. Today I have two well known authors sharing their tips for writers.

First I have Jayne Ann Krentz:

JAYNE’S FIVE WRITING TIPS:

1) VOICE: Your writing voice is what sets you apart from every other writer out there. Give the same plot to ten different writers and you will get ten different stories. Why? The reason is that each writer has a unique story-telling voice and this voice is part of who you are. Discover your voice and hone it.

2) CORE STORY: Analyze your core story – every writer has one. Identify the themes and conflicts that compel you. It is the first step toward finding your place in today’s market.

3) KNOW THE MARKET: The only way to do this is by reading widely in the genre that compels you as a writer. Each genre is divided into a number of sub-genres. Find out where your core story fits. There is probably more than a single sub-genre for you.

4) PROPOSAL: The only thing that matters in a proposal package is your story. Keep all other materials brief. The cover letter should be no more than a couple of lines. It should tell the editor very clearly where your book fits into the market. The synopsis should be only one page and should read like back-cover copy, not like a traditional outline. Add the first 30 – 40 pages of your book to the package and send it out to specific editors and agents (i.e. put their names on the envelopes! Don’t just send the package to: Dear Editor. Get names!)

5) ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA: I highly recommend that you join this organization, even if your novel is not a romance. It is the best genre writers’ organization on the planet. You will learn more in six months -- thanks to the journal, local chapter meetings and the annual conference -- than you will learn on your own in six years in this business. You can check out RWA online at www.rwanational.org

Next we have Christina Dodd:



Christina Dodd's Five Tips:

Write the book you want to read.

Motivate your hero/heroine with big things from the past (torture, murder, betrayal, abandonment) and give him/her a big goal, one that means the difference between life and death, honor or dishonor.

If your heroine starts the book being a timid, bookish librarian in glasses, she had better become a wild, passionate, smart adventurer by THE END.

Torture your hero early & often; it develops his character, sort of like roasting nuts brings out the flavor.

Promo is not writing. Blogging is not writing. Tweeting and Facebook are not writing. Writing is producing pages on your book with the (self-imposed) deadline. Turn off the internet!

Thank you ladies for the insightful and informative tips for us writers. Now writers, you know who you are, get to it! :)

Pixie

Eliza asks an Editor...

(E) I'm going to ask Frances Sevilla, Faery Rose Editor with The Wild Rose Press to elaborate on "Showing vs Telling."
~~~~~~~~~~~
(F) ...Thanks, Eliza. I recently went into great detail with an author friend of mine, on the subject of 'showing' action in a story rather than 'telling' action. I've read three books lately by well-known authors who got lazy with their writing and fell into the 'telling' trap.

What do I mean by 'lazy'?  Well, you can TELL me, he was scared. But it's more exciting and satisfying for you to SHOW me how he felt. He trembled, the chill ran up his spine, and his heart pounded in his chest so loud he could hear it in his head. 

The one word 'scared' says it all. But as a reader, I want to know what scared felt like. I want to experience the action as if I was the one in the story feeling the fear.

Every time I see a single word describing an action or a feeling, I wonder if there's a more definitive way of getting the reader to experience it for him/herself.

Show me the pan is hot, show me the ice is cold, show me the sun is bright, the hero is bold, the heroine is angry.

The water dripped into the pan and sizzled to steam. That ice should be sharp, hard, and crystalline. The sun has to blind the reader, force his/her hand to shade his/her eyes. The hero should walk into the room and sit down without invitation. The heroine should glare at him and walk out.

That's showing...

That's a simplistic example, but I hope it helps define the difference between SHOWING and TELLING a story.
~~~~~~~~~~~
(E) Frances, great examples. Thanks for sharing that. Maybe you can return and discuss another writing topic for our readers.
~~~~~~~~~~~
(F) I'd love to. Thanks for inviting me today.

Show Don't Tell

Yes, that's a very familiar saying among writers. So, if this is true and we should be showing not telling then why do so many of us let our BLOGS "tell" our viewers, instead of "show" our viewers just how professional we are?

I've an Interview today on my blog at
Hawk
with JennJ from
Sapphire Designs.

Come see just how affordable looking like a Pro can be.

Hawk

Christmas passion

Anybody who knows me well, knows I am not the biggest fan of Christmas. Well maybe that is a bit harsh. Let's just say it is not my favorite holiday. Maybe because my birthday falls the day before Christmas so I have been beaten over the head with it since birth. Who knows.

But I have found an anthology of Christmas stories with a paranormal twist guaranteed to make the biggest Grinch cry and swell their heart to bursting. It's called the Magical Christmas Cat. Four remarkably talented writers from paranormal romance come together with short stories sharing the wonder and magic of the season

First there is Nalini Singh with Stroke of Enchantment. I admit that although I am a big paranormal reader I had never heard of her or her Psi-Changeling series. But I will tell you after reading this I will be looking her up and devouring her world. Set in a pretty distant future, chagelings (shapeshifters) and Psi openly mingle with the humans- and each other.

This particular story is about a human teacher with a physical imperfection finding love and security with a dominant Leopard changeling. Their own insecurities come close to ruining what they have found. Yet when they finally give the ultimate gift- trust to each other they find a love that will last an eternity.

It was a very sweet story with a very good message for everyone.

Next time I will talk about Erin McCarthy's contribution called Christmas Bree.

>

Before the Ink Tattooes

Eliza here: I'm going to review the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. In case anyone noticed, I've been threatening to write this review for quite some time. Instead I go back and reread the books. That should say it all. I started on this series, already a fan of the author. By the time I finished the first book, I was furious! Absolutely, insane!
The book had NO conclusion, and neither does the second, or third.
To understand my dismay, you'd have to know my habits. Let me tell you, I'm an instant gratification type of person. (Read my books -there's usually sex in the first chapter, sometimes on the first page.) I don't watch soap operas EVER! I avoid TV series that have an ongoing theme, like 24 or Lost, or Heroes.
I want a conclusion and I want it NOW.
So why am I hooked on the Fever series?
Because I have become MacKayla Lane, Sidhe-seer and vengenance will be mine.
It's that good. I finished the second book at 11:30 pm and bought the third so I could read it online that very night.
I'm addicted, I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm weak willed, and need my next fix. I'm not sure what to do until the next book comes out...and I'm sick to death because I hear there IS a conclusion. Then what will I do? No 'Death by Sex Seeley Princes' to drool over, no Jericho Barrons to wonder over and secretly desire, no Kelters to think about. And that's just the minor sex stuff. There are battles being waged, and Unseely Death by Sex Fae ready to turn me into a sex slave again while my so-called Sidhe seer cohorts leave me out on my own hunting the Sinsar Dubh.
The ink tattooes are for protection against...who knows...everything. I've got to find out what happened to my sister and find her murderer...Oh, and save the world from the invasion of the Unseeley Fae. Or that's what I think my mission is, anyway. I went from southern belle to Unseeley assassin overnight. I wonder what tomorrow has in store for me.
Eliza, I think...

Warm-up for Review - Male Eye Candy

David Wolfman Williams, rugged athlete.


I'm going to review Karen Marie Moning's FAEFEVER this week...He's the inspiration to motivate me.

I'm a visual person. Karen's "death-by-sex" Fae princes are both Seely and Unseely in her series... Either way they are so brilliant, so beautiful, a mere mortal can't truly comprehend what they look like. Some men have that effect on me.

David could be one...? Seely or Unseely? Visit my blog for a more close up personal picture of The Wolfman.

Have a great day ~~ Eliza (Sexy Tart)

From the Romantic Heart

To help you enjoy the Christmas Spirit early take a peek at my newly released Anthology--Return to Christmas. It's available for download at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3794.

Read a short summary of each of the four short stories at the above link. They should peak your interest further and touch your heart.

You can also visit my website at www.loreleiconfer.com and learn more about me and read excerpts of other books that will be coming soon.

Thanks!

Lorelei Confer

Here's a little chocolate to tide you over ... until the end of the month. Mmmm !

Eliza March says . . . Thanks Helen Hardt . . . check out Montego Bay at The Wild Rose Press The Wilder Roses SCARLET ROSE