Do you know where you're going to?

I don't begin a novel or a screenplay until I know the ending. And I don't mean only that I have to know what happens. I mean that I have to hear the actual sentences. I have to know what atmosphere the words convey.  —JOHN IRVING

This astounds me. While Irving incorporates recurring themes, his characters and plots are so unique, his stories so serpentine, he inevitably delivers an ending I never anticipated. How could he possibly know where his stories will lead when he begins to write?

Unlike John Irving, I never know the direction my writing will take. Even when I think I know, I often find myself somewhere completely unexpected: a linchpin romance self-destructs, a simple tale of change becomes an allegory of life's journey, characters turn out to be flawed in unexpected ways.

If I were forced to write to an ending "to hear the actual sentences ... to know what atmosphere the words convey," I would be so intimidated, I doubt I could manage to write at all.

Do you, or do you think you could, write to an ending? And to those of you who've read John Irving, are you surprised he's so structured in his process?

Location, Location, Location

Whew. Moving across country is no easy task, don't let anyone tell you different. But I'm in Atlanta, my belongings are in Atlanta, even my pets are in Atlanta—although I considered excising both dog and cat several times during the drive.

So I've left my backs-up-to the bay California Cape Cod

for an equally charming but altogether different backs-up-to the woods/Chattahoochee Georgia Traditional.

Why show pix of my former home/new home? Because getting the location right is *so* important. I initially set my first novel in a fictional New England university town. The pages fell flat.  When I rewrote using real locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, the story came alive.

Creating characters comes easy to me. Settings? Not so much. I need to experience a place, see the sights, hear the sounds, smell the smells, visit in-person. Now I'm faced with a quandary.  Do I continue to write my series characters in California or do I move them to Atlanta?

How do you chose your settings? Do you prefer writing about real places or creating your own environs? When you use real locations, do you feel pressure to get it right? Does it bother you to read a story and it's clear the author has never been in the location they're writing about?

Gosh, it's great to be back!

Thanksgiving Adieu

To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.                            —Albert Schweitzer

Because of my upcoming move and the final days of NaNo, this will likely be my last post for a couple of weeks. If all goes as planned, I should pop up in early December, writing from 2500 miles southeast of my current location. Atlanta or bust!

Wishing you peace, happiness and a magnificent holiday! 

When Writing Hurts

Yesterday, I took a running first attempt at historical. Through letters, we learn about a man named Max who’s lost his wife in childbirth. It is during WWII, after the fall of France. Max is a German Jew left alone in Paris with an infant son, Samuel, and no escape. Max eventually heads to the South of France where it’s rumored the Vichy government is less anti-Semitic than the German invaders up north.

A member of the Resistance and armed with phony identity papers, Max works with the OSE, Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants, an organization focused on saving Jewish children from the death camps. Through Max’s letters we learn of his fight, his flight and of his deep love for his infant son. In the end Max realizes he must give up Samuel, and he passes the child to a nurse at an orphanage so the baby can be smuggled out of France to safety.

As one of the contemporary characters said after reading Max’s letters: as brave as the OSE Resisters were, the risks they took to get Jewish children to safety could not touch the courage of the parents who gave up their children in order to save them. I wept for Max.

Have you ever wept, laughed or become angry at one of your characters? How important is it to you to be emotionally involved with your characters? Does this involvement translate to more emotion on the page?

Research Tips

If you haven’t yet added Academic Earth to your list of research go-tos, run don't walk. Academic Earth provides high quality video lectures by educators from top universities around the country on subjects as diverse as architecture, religious studies, chemistry and philosophy. I discovered hour long lectures on both Vichy France and the Resistance during WWII, a great addition to the knee high pile of historical tomes I’ve been wading through for my current WIP. Another benefit? If I tire of staring at my computer monitor, I can just close my eyes and listen.

Speaking of research, don’t forget to check out the Blog of the Week Jeannie Campbell’s The Character Therapist. Need a character assessment for your BPD or PTSD protagonist? Is your antagonist a sociopath, a narcissist or a womanizer? Jeannie tackles it all. The therapist is in Tuesdays and Thursdays. Make sure to pay her a visit.

Your turn! What are some of your favorite research sources?

Tension from Nothing

Report from the NaNo Universe. Feeling out of touch. I’m days behind in my blog reading and struggling to keep up my NaNo word count in the midst of packing up a 2000 square foot house furnished in early, late, and middle bibliophile. The good news: I’m presently at 20,100 words, 40%! The only sacrifice, so far, has been sleep and a social life. Having no words left of my own, today I will share a few of Donald Maass’s from his excellent book The Fire in Fiction.

On creating Tension from Nothing, Mr. Maass writes:

Some experience is intangible, yet that which is not outwardly active can still be dynamic. Every minute has a mood. Every moment has meaning. Mood is built from environmental details, and meaning proceeds from emotions. Tension springs from the weaving of these elements into a passage that precisely captures small visual details and surgically dissects the enormous feelings that fill a silence.

Do you prefer writing scenes with overt conflict, or do you enjoy the challenge of creating tension from nothing as I do?

Igniting the Passion

A short post today, NaNo has left me with few words, tired fingers and blurry vision. I’m loving every minute of it! Can you say masochist?

It is probable I will be moving most of the way across the country in the next few weeks, to a state I’ve never even had the pleasure of visiting. Over the past fifteen years I’ve moved seven times. Some people hate to move. I’m not one of them. No, I don’t like to pack, nor do I look forward to five days trapped in a moving vehicle with a rather spoiled dog and cat (photos bottom right of blog). But moving itself fills me with anticipation. There’s something energizing about a new place, new people, new realms to explore. I don’t mind moving because the world is full of plots and characters just waiting for me to find them, and if I stay in one place, I never will.

Tell me, what ignites your passion to write?

When What's Old is New Again

Up until yesterday, NaNo was a blast. Then I hit a roadblock. It took me four hours to generate fewer than 400 words. But I kept running at the wall until it finally cracked, and today NaNo was fun again, joyous, in fact. Yay!

So what was the problem? It was existing characters with existing problems and existing relationships. Unlike many mystery writers who write series books, I write series characters, but the books are stand-alones.

What I discovered with NaNo is that when exploring new territory, allowing the story to carry me places I’ve never been, my fingers fly across the keyboard and my internal editor remains in check. But the minute I’m forced to revisit an old relationship, my pace slows to a crawl. I know and understand my characters, their thoughts and how they feel. When they interact, I can't just write, because I've already moved beyond that stage with them. I have to ponder who they are and give my IE free reign. This was a huge surprise—the exact opposite of what I expected.

What have you learned about your writing that has surprised you? What comes easiest to you, creating new stories, characters and relationships, or diving deeper into existing ones? What part of The Process do you enjoy the most?

Kreativ Blogger!

Sending out a big thank you to fellow WriMo Stephanie Damore for this absolutely ravishing blog award. Steph writes about books, writing and THE process. Her Blog is a don’t miss, and while you're there, make sure to wish her well on her entry in the St. Martin/Minotaur First Crime Novel Competition!

Now comes the fun part. I get to nominate seven other worthy bloggers (who must nominate seven other... and so on and so forth). Here are the rules:
1) Copy the pretty picture and post it on your blog.
2) Thank the person that gave it to you and link to their blog. (Thanks so much Steph! Have I told y’all how stellar Steph’s blog is?)
3) Write 7 things about yourself we don't know.
4) Choose 7 other bloggers to pass the award to.
5) Link to those 7 other bloggers.
6) Notify your 7 bloggers.

Seven things you've always wanted to know about yours truly (okay, maybe not, but they were the only things I could think of):
1. Writing makes me happy.
2. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't. Why look back when I can look forward? 
3. I am a dog AND a cat person - and see no reason to be one or the other.
4. I collect pottery and art glass.
5. Although a native Californian, my heart and soul live in New Orleans.
6. When I’m not a writer, I’m a Francophile. Sometimes I’m both.
7. I’ve visited 15 foreign countries but only 8 US states.

Now for my Nominees:
Misfit Salon - StephanieD is salonnière over at the Misfit Salon. Stephanie enthralls with her intriguing questions and entertains with ferosh book reviews, music, vid clips and giveaways. She Even provides Cal Bear scores - Go Bears! Welcome to the Misfit Salon, your new home away from home. 

Natalie Bahm - Wife-Mother-Writer: Natalie writes childrens fiction and YA. Her brilliant posts on writing make her blog shine, but she also blogs on life. Her ‘Things I learned from my Kids’ posts are outstanding. And truth be told, I have a slight crush on her dog, a Brittany Spaniel/Border Collie mix who’s adorable with or without fur.

Kathryn Jankowski - Kathryn is a fantasy writer, journalist, former teacher and winner of the 2009 Children’s Fiction Award from the San Francisco Writers Conference. Kathryn’s blog is fresh, informative and a whole lot of fun. She blogs on everything writing from storyboards to steampunk. Stop by and enjoy!

Norwood Springs - Lyn Washington, fellow mystery writer, WriMo, and Guppy (that's a member of the Great Unpublished chapter of Sisters-in-Crime) holds court over at Norwood Springs—“A quiet little place full of nice people, nice houses, nice lawns and the occasional murder.” Apart from an all around great blog, what stands out about Norwood are Lyn's instructional posts. Want to learn about Scrivener, or the ins and outs of WordPress blogs? Go visit Lyn at Norwood Springs. 

My Thoughts Exactly - Jessica Brooks is one of those writers with a super-busy life: wife, mother, office manager and “self-proclaimed coffee and internet addict.” At work on her first novel, Jessica shares her life and literary journey with grace and aplomb. Join her on her odyssey.

Writing, etc. - Annette Dashofy is a mystery author, freelance writer and yoga instructor who blogs on writing and life. Annette is also a Guppy and a fellow member of the Mystery Writers' Critique Group. Lest you think my choice resides in nepotism, check out her blog and learn the truth: it’s terrific. Annette also grogs over on the very fine Working Stiffs - a don’t-miss crime writing blog.

Karen Amanda Hooper - coincidentally one of Natalie’s (see above) critique muses, is the author of The Kindrily series. Karen provides extraordinary insights on writing and the writing life. But what I love most about Karen's blog is that she gives her readers a glimpse into her heart as well as her world. Don’t believe me? Check out her October 14 post: This is not for you.

There you have it! Seven terrific blogs, seven superlative hosts. So run, don't walk to these blogs. Don't worry, you can thank me later.

NANO: DAY 4 - Everyone still in there fighting?

NaNo, Titles & Inspiration

First day NaNo report: 3032 words! Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? A nice cushion? Yes, indeed, until you consider I have only another 3000 words in my head, and for the remaining 28 days I’ll be flying by the seat of my you know what, trying to avoid a head on with my internal editor.

My IE is much wilier than I suspected. She got loose several times during the day, forcing me to re-read passages. I finally wrangled her back into the closet, placed an extra padlock on the door and expect no more trouble.

After Ms. Editor was under control, another distraction surfaced. For no reason in particular, I began to worry about my WIP title, ART AND ASHES. Why worry about a working title that is likely going to be changed? Beats me. But it did get me wondering about titles.

How do you title your WIPs? Do you always have a title before you begin to write? Do you wait until the MS is complete? Are you married to your chosen title, or does it evolve as your book evolves?

And Finally, before I start to ratchet up the word count, I want to mention an outstanding post over on the Pens Fatales grog by the über-fantastic Sophie Littlefield** titled, NaNo, I Owe Ya. Sophie discusses the lessons she’s learned from NaNo, and why she credits NaNo not only with teaching her dedication, but with showing her what she is truly capable of. The post is an inspiration, and I suggest we all print it out and reread it during the darker days of Nano.

**BTW: Do NOT miss Sophie’s stellar debut novel, A BAD DAY FOR SORRY