Random Thoughts From A Tired Mind

I've been having trouble sleeping lately.  Some of the time, it's genuinely me.  Either I can't relax or I can't stop thinking about something that happened during the day.  (I love to kick myself for things I said.  Anybody with me on that?)  And then some of time, it's truly not my fault.

The weather woke me up two nights ago about an hour and a half after I went to bed.  When rain and thunder wake me, I have to check out the weather radar to see how severe the storm really is.  I find it hard to go back to sleep worrying that a real weather event is on it's way (read: tornado).

So I checked my favorite website for weather, weather.com, and as expected, it wasn't anything serious, just ridiculously heavy rain and lightning.  I'd have hoped that I would be able to get back to sleep after that, but the rain was really that loud, it sounded like hail.

After that and a few other nights of inadequate sleep, I find myself asking a lot of weird questions.

Why, if it's supposed to be high efficiency, doesn't my washing machine allow me to use the same water I used to soak my clothes in bleach, to then wash them by just adding detergent and starting a wash cycle, instead of forcing me to drain the basin and start from scratch?

How can there be such a thing as color-safe bleach?  Bleach takes the color out of things...

Why do clocks run to the right (clock-wise), instead of the left (counter clock-wise)?  And why do I even care if most of the clocks in my life are digital anyway?

When did I become so old that I don't see a single movie trailer that appeals to me?  No plot is even hinted at in these things, they're either just a series of jokes or explosions, maybe both.  Seriously?  What about that is supposed to make me want to see this movie?

Does anyone else find the remakes of old movies, or the reboots of old series, as irritating as I do?  (I'm guessing at least some of time it's yes, since they don't always do very well.)  New movies in a series are at least different, if not terrific.  (I'm crossing my fingers for the new Star Wars movie.)

Why are violets blue?  Shouldn't they be... oh, I don't know... violet?  On a related note, not all roses are red...  although that's just an observation.

Who decided on red, yellow, and green for traffic lights?  (I'm sure there is a real answer to this question.)   There are people with red/green color blindness...

Anyone out there have a good suggestion on how silence the mind and get some sleep?  I could use it.

How do I think this "stuff" up? - Part 3

This is part three of a series attempting to answer the question: Where do your ideas come from?

This blog post may be a bit abstract.  I'm hoping to share how I create characters for a story.  As shown in post 2, character creation is really the final planning step for me.  By this time, I already have a general plot line and an idea about the setting.  I've even loosely defined the background of some of the characters so that they belong in that plot line and in that setting.

Now is the time to flesh out those characters.  Here it becomes a little difficult to talk about process.  In some cases, I've started with names based on what I think the character maybe like.  For example, if I have a character that I anticipate we'll be happy most of the time, I might choose a name like Joy.  By the end of the writing process, and may decide to change that name, but for the time being it's an excellent place holder.

Or, I may start with a physical description.  For example, height, hair color, eye color, and clothing choices.  I am attempting to actually visualize this character.  I don't picture people I know or celebrities.  These characters really are characters in and of themselves.

I find the background of my characters makes the most difference in who they are.  How they relate to their family, their education, and other life experiences determine what they think and what they do; just like "real" people, so I also flesh that out.

How do I flesh out the backgrounds for my characters?  One technique is much like an interview process for a magazine article or newspaper.  I have conversations in my head with my character.  Sometimes, I imagine two of the characters talking to each other, not necessarily in line with the story, and see what they say to each other.  Another fun way to get to know a character is to envision two other characters talking about them.  While there is only surface information, I can get a feel for how they deal with others, whether or not they're patient, kind, prompt, fair, and so on.  How deep into their backgrounds I go, depends on how well I feel I've started to get to know the characters.

When the characters begin to come to life, I can start to envision them in the setting and in the plot and allow them to interact in scenes that would fit in with the story.  This is all in my head, without writing a word on paper.  I allow the characters to interact in ways they may never interact in the story, as well, in order to get to know them better.

At this point, real plotline development will begin.  In fact, I don't really have a choice.  I will start to see and hear the characters interacting with each other in scenes that demand to go into the first draft.  So my character development and my more detailed plot development begin to go hand in hand.  As I work out which individual scenes must go into the first draft in order to take my reader from beginning to conclusion, the individual characters will shape how that will be done.

Although, at times I have attempted to develop an absolute outline of the plot, thus far I have failed to complete a draft of the story that has followed a rigid guide.  The characters will from time to time do what they wish because of who they are, and I had no choice but to follow along, hoping that I will be able to bring them back on track for the ending I intend.

I know this may be a little hard to understand.  I see my characters in my head much like you would see on TV screen or in the movies.  I can't always tell them what to say like a script writer, though.  It can be a big shock when a character suddenly reveals something about themselves that I didn't know.  Then I have to decide whether to let them be themselves or to cut the dialog and attempt to rein them in.  So far, I've found that characters will not cooperate if I try to rein them in.  They may be part of my imagination, but in my imagination they are real, and I can't control them anymore than I can control other people around me.

In order to allow my characters to breathe on the page, I have to allow them the freedom and space to live in my own mind.  So I allow them to be true to themselves as best I can, even when it means a detour in the plot, or perhaps an entirely different ending.  Thankfully, I haven't ever lost an ending to a character surprise, but I'm accepting of the fact that one day I might not have a happy ending because the characters won't allow it, or vice-versa.

If you have thoughts on this subject or questions you'd like to ask, please add a comment and I'll address it.

Thank you for reading this series of posts.

How do I think this "stuff" up? - Part 2

This is part two of a series attempting to answer the question: Where do your ideas come from?

In this entry I'd like to address the shaping of a story.  When I speak about shaping, I'm not talking about plot elements, I'm referring to the move from a cloudy haze (or perhaps a complete blank) into a solid, though probably simple, idea.

I begin nearly all of my stories with a search for a plot.  (I say nearly because I have started with a character before and worked to fit the story to him, but that isn't my usual process.)  When the plot is crafted it will contain at least two elements, the main character(s) and the conflict.  In many cases, I'll also have a setting.

For my current project, I started with the question, "What would I most like to read right now?"  The answer, at that time, was "A workplace romance."

A brief point: Yes, the beginning of my writing process is about reading and my own opinion.  Although I desperately want everyone to read and enjoy what I write, the person I most want to please is myself.  I'm not interested in "catering" to an audience.  If everyone else hates it, I can still say that one person loved it.  For me, the most important thing is to be able say that I'm proud of my writing.

I liked the idea.  A workplace romance offers all manner of choices for conflict, as sexual harassment, equality issues, and even the rumor mill make a real life workplace romance very challenging.  The possibilities for conflict were wide open!

Having settled quickly on a general concept, it was time to get specific by answering more questions:

1. What does the company do?
2. What size is it?  (small business/large corporation/etc)
3. What is the work environment like?

The more of these questions and others like them that I could answer, the easier it was to begin shaping characters.

1. Who would work here?
2. Which department is the setting?
3. What kind of background (education/experience) would the employees have?

As you can see, I actually developed the setting first, and then began imagining the people that would fit in this setting.

The main characters and the conflict between them is the next step.  Because this story is a romance, I didn't feel I had much to decide.  I like romances that are told from the third person focusing on the two people who are involved in the romance.  If I wanted to write a love triangle, I might have a third.  In my case, I didn't want to inject another person into the mix in that manner, so I was able to settle on two.

Continuing to stay very general, I thought about what jobs my two main characters would have at the company I'd already created.  Because I'd decided on a software company, I chose to give both my characters programming backgrounds who had moved into management.  Why?  Because it easily established a natural conflict, they would both be competing for a promotion.  This seemed a perfect conflict for a workplace romance because there is not only the competition between the characters and therefore an obstacle for them to overcome to become a couple, but also the question of staying together when one receives the promotion.

At this point, I had a pretty rough story idea.  Two competing managers in a software company finding love against the odds.

As I actually began to develop my characters, I created more intricate backgrounds and some inner conflict as well.  I'll address this in part 3 of this series.

If you have questions or thoughts to share about this post, please leave a comment.

How do I think this "stuff" up? - Part 1

I expect every author gets asked one question more than any other: Where do your ideas come from?

I wanted to post about the creative process for that very reason, everyone wants to know about it.  The problem is, naturally, that to encapsulate the entire process into a single blog post seems an impossible task.  But since I never shirk from the impossible, I'm going to change the rules and make it happen.  As the title of this post implies, this won't be a single blog post, but a short series of posts, in which I attempt to explain my creative process.

Today's post is not so much about the overall process, as it is about a very important piece of the process that occurs over and over while shaping a character, a plot, a setting... any part of the story.  It's a technique and the rules around it's application come straight out the business world: Brainstorming

Yes, storytellers were probably using this method to craft their fireside entertainment since the beginning of spoken language, many millennia before it found its way to a conference room, but that's where many of us have heard this term.  The lucky ones were taught to use it in school.

What do I mean by brainstorming?  It means simply letting ideas flow without judgment.  Notice the words without judgment.  If after every idea popped into my head, the next thought was that's stupid, I'd never get anywhere.  Are some ideas stupid... well, sort of.  Maybe stupid isn't the right word.  Let's say that not all ideas are usable.  That's more like it.  But might the next idea that was actually a twist off of the original idea be usable?  The only way to know, is to let it flow!

Example: When I was crafting a particular character for the book I'm currently writing, I already knew a lot about him but not all of it made sense at the beginning.  I already knew that he'd left home for school and then stayed away to work and that it was, at least in part, to get away from his family.  But I didn't know why.  I also knew that he didn't own a car; he used public transportation.  Nothing wrong with any of it, but why?

Then, I had this unexplained idea about him in my head, he talks to trees.  Stupid idea, right?  Well, let's see.  As I thought about it, I realized that he doesn't talk to them all the time while walking down the street with people around, and he certainly isn't expecting an answer.  He just likes to get some of his stress out by talking to the trees in his backyard.

After I heard the monologue in my head, this guy to his tree, he suddenly started to round out a little and gain some depth.  His family background started to take shape.  The family is in the lumber business and that explains why he left home to work, he doesn't agree with what they do for a living.  He's an environmentalist, although that's not his profession.  Now I know why he doesn't own a car!  If I had shut down this idea of talking to trees, I don't know that he'd ever have made any sense.  I might have even scrapped him and tried to start over.

That one idea, unusable at the beginning, became a definition for this character and his past.  (I promise he doesn't spend the entire book talking to trees in his backyard.)

All because I didn't say no to the idea immediately.

If you're a writer and having problems with any pieces of your story, I can't recommend brainstorming enough.  Do it by yourself... on paper... into a recording device... with a trusted friend (who will play by the no judgment rule)... in a group... on a walk... listening to music... in silence...

So, where do I start my brainstorming?  I'll write about that in part 2.  

For now, give yourself the gift of judgment free brainstorming and tell me how it's working for you.

It's been a long day...

I have, well, the word addiction isn't appropriate.  Nor is obsession  So let's call it a fascination,  I have a fascination with musical movies, song and dance musicals.  Like Singin' In The Rain and Oklahoma and Silk Stockings and so on and on and on.

I love them so much that I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite.  In fact, I probably couldn't make a list of favorites that spoke about my taste, because it would just be too long to analyze.  But certain moments from musicals spring to my mind all the time, and for those, I can compile a list that's short enough to have some symbolic meaning.

For example, I just adore the song It's Been A Long Day from How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.  Although the main idea of the song is two people hemming and hawing about whether or not to go out on a date, the line that's repeated over and over by the characters to cover up the awkwardness is "Well, it's been a long day.  Well, it's been a long, been a long, been a long day."  I'm not Ally McBeal.  I don't have a cast of characters appearing around me to sing all the time.  But I do have a bit of a soundtrack in my head and that chorus comes up all the time.  And boy, has it been a long day...

Today's post started to be another about not making much progress.  I could blame it on the full-time job and a number of other things that pop up in life from time to time, but as I look at what I'm doing, it occurs to me that I've been passively avoiding querying by writing on my new project.  I'm probably far from objective, but I do think the book I'm working on now is coming together better than the one that is currently complete.  (This may be a faulty impression taken from the rejections, but then, it might not be...)  So, I'm going to take a step back from worrying about querying and any guilt associated with not doing it.  Instead, I'm accepting that what I want to do is finish this second book, where I so much more of my hope and pleasure currently lies.

The new plan is to finish the first draft of current book by the end of July.  I'll then be able to step back from it and focus all my efforts on queries.  Depending on the results from the queries, I may find myself re-writing the first book.  If that's the case, then I'll do it actively, rather than passively avoid it.  And then, perhaps in September, I'll revisit this second book and begin editing.

Whatever happens, at least I can say I wrote a book, published or not.  I may yet have a second.  And They Can't Take That Away From Me...

Slipped the Hook

My bite didn't pan out.  I still take it as the good sign that I was able to sell the idea enough for someone to express some interest.  I was also lucky to have received some feedback.  I guess it's back to the queries.

Wish me luck.

A bite!

originally posted Feb 16, 2015, 5:15 PM by Kelly Lopushansky

I feel completely nauseated.  Why?  Because I've actually had a bite.  An actual agent is interested in reading the first three chapters of my novel and a synopsis!  I'm having my synopsis read by one more person before I send it in, just to be sure.  But it'll go tomorrow. Even if this agent isn't the one, I'm so happy to say that I'm finally doing something right.  Or at least, right enough that someone is taking a second look.  (I like this one, he deals exclusively with romance and women's fiction.  I also spent a lot of time checking out his blog and I based on that, he's someone with whom I could work.) So what did I do differently?  I'm not entirely sure.  I did mention in my query how I happened to find him (a post on Writer's Digest about the difference between romance and women's fiction) and that I have read some of his blog.  I did attempt to connect to other agents in a somewhat similar manner, but maybe this one was just more natural.  After all, I really did enjoy his posts. I also rewrote my pitch on Saturday, shrinking it down to 250 words.  I think it's a little tighter and makes more out of each word.  So it could be that. As always, it's a little hard to say what this one liked as opposed to the others, because the ones who didn't like it didn't say why.  But once I have an agent, I'll post my query here for viewing.  I’m saving the queries I used in individual files named for the agent to whom I submitted it, so it’ll be easy to post.  Until I sign with an agent, I may continue to evolve my query, so I'm not posting it now. Thank you for your positive thoughts.  This is continuing to be a journey of ups and downs.

Loss of Focus? Never! Maybe. Hmm.

originally posted Feb 14, 2015, 4:11 PM by Kelly Lopushansky                                            

I have been distracted from my current goal of finding an agent (gasp!) because I've been completely engrossed in writing Truce Or Consequences and my real life.  With a teenager heading to High School next year, all sorts of things have been coming up.  On the plus-side, my teenager is showing responsibility by looking into admissions requirements for the colleges of his choice already and on his own.  I don't remember worrying about admissions requirements until later on, perhaps my junior year.  Of course, the graduation requirements met the admissions requirements back then, so all a student need worry about is getting a good score on the SAT or ACT and whatever they could do to distinguish themselves from other applicants.  Meeting the requirements just wasn't an issue.  So I'm proud to say that my husband and I are raising independent kids! But I can't drop my drive to get my book published, so yesterday I took part in a webinar for getting a book published and learned a lot!  Today I revamped my pitch (partly to shrink it down to 250 words and partly to just make it stronger) and submitted it to a pitch contest.  If I'm one of the lucky randomly chosen entrants, my pitch will be reviewed by experts and I'll actually get feedback!  Here's hoping. I'm also working on an entry for Pitch Madness.  On February 20th I'll get to submit a 35 word pitch and 250 from my novel.  If I'm chosen as a favorite, I may receive a request for more of the manuscript from an agent in March.  If you're interested in Pitch Madness see Brenda Drake's website for more information. I'm also prepping for #PitMad which is coming up in March on Twitter.  If the idea of pitching a book in 35 words is scary, try 140 characters, and include the #PitMad hashtag and a hashtag for the genre in that 140!  I think the hardest part for me is that HM:MTB really has three main characters and not two, and since the third is going to be in the next six books of the series, I feel like she has to be included in the pitch.  Clearly, in 140 characters I just can't squeeze it all in, so I may have to let her fade into the background on this one. Wish me luck!

Just a few hours without Electronics

originally posted Jan 10, 2015, 7:16 PM by Kelly Lopushansky

The process of querying my 'A' list of agents continues as I'm taking my time to put together each query.  I really do think I've found a nice group of excellent people and I'd be lucky to work with any of them.  Once my process is complete, I'll add a list of the agencies that I queried, but for now I'll be sharing my thoughts on a very different subject: family fun. My daughter started playing a trivia game on her tablet and she was asking me for help with some of the questions.  We continued with that for a while, until I decided to download the game myself.  From then on we played together, helping each other as we took our turns.  I learned that my daughter has an uncanny ability to guess the right answers in certain categories.  We'd had such a good time, I suggested my husband and son also join us.  From there...well, things went down hill. All of us attempting to play in one room, several asking for help at once, made for a great deal of overlapping and finally yelling.  At the point that neither my husband nor I could take it anymore and there was a great deal of upset, we decided that it was time to put it away. I don't recall exactly how the topic turned, but since we all were still interested in playing together, we found ourselves enjoying charades.  I was the only one who'd ever played and sadly, my memory is a bit foggy, so there was a bit of a challenge getting some of conventions right.  (I didn't even know there was a sign for a tv show.)  But we laughed and played for over an hour and had to quit when it was time to start getting prepared for the next day and bed. I think my favorite charade was How the Grinch Stole Christmas which my daughter acted out by getting the How and Christmas.  I am now more in support of putting down the electronics then I've ever been before.  And it has occurred to me that perhaps parents need to be digging into some of the old games for inspiration.  We've had board game and card game night before, but this one, where the actor came up with their own idea, was more fun than I've had in long time. If you have a thought about family fun and electronics, please be sure to share it.  I'm especially interested in anecdotes.

A Short List (or The Stress from Finding a Good Match)

originally posted Dec 23, 2014, 8:00 PM by Kelly Lopushansky

When I created this website, I planned it as a log of events as I jump into the deep waters of publishing.  I’d also hoped, secretly, that it would maintain a positive attitude.  I suspect that many of my postings are going to be full of less than positive emotion, for at least a little while.  Why?  Because this is inordinately stressful! I’ve now spent several weeks going through listings of agents and agencies, looking for those unique people that might appreciate my particular style of writing and my story.  The good news is that I have a reasonable sized list of likely candidates with one particular stand out. How could this be anything but positive?  I really like this agent.  I really like this agency.  They represent authors that I love and whose style is similar to mine.  This is the RIGHT ONE. What do I do when I find such a wonderful match…panic!  I have one brief email to convince this agent that we are a wonderful match in literary Heaven.  So, I need to sell her with this query letter.  I have read so many different opinions/posts/essays on what a query letter should contain and how to put one together, that I’m half blind.  This much I’ve determined, the letter needs to be both professional and have a strong hook at the beginning. What makes a good hook for a romance novel written by an Electrical Engineer?  I wish I could come up with something pithy to do with sparks, but it just isn’t happening at the moment.  Currently, I’m toying around with “What could an electrical engineer possibly have to say on the subject of romance?” as my opening.  It isn’t doing it for me, in part because I hope that most people realize that understanding romance isn’t restricted to certain job titles, and in part because while it probably isn’t something she’s seen before, it isn’t exactly positive. And there’s the kicker, I want this letter to really reflect me.  I may be feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed, but I’m a positive person.  I have a real expectation that if I do the work, I’ll get my novel published. I’ll let you know how my hook turns out once I’ve finished this letter.  Wish me luck!

Opportunities and Disappointments

originally posted Dec 7, 2014, 5:20 PM by Kelly Lopushansky

This week provided a bit of a disappointment to me.  Last Sunday, I read about an opportunity called #PitMad.  #PitMad is a pitch party on Twitter where authors can use their 140 character tweets to pitch their books to agents and publishers.  If a tweet is favorited by an agent or publisher, the author is invited to submit.  For more information, see the website of the brilliant creator of #PitMad, Brenda Drake.

I thought this sounded amazing and made a note to look it up later.  When I was on Twitter for a few minutes just a few days later, I discovered that #PitMad had been that day and had ended two hours earlier.

Although I am hugely disappointed at this missed opportunity, I’m trying to take it in stride and plan to be ready for #PitMad in March, if I haven’t as yet secured an agent.  I’m also looking at this disappointment as a good lesson to investigate all opportunities immediately in the future.

So what have I done to move myself toward my goal of finding an agent?  I’ve been working on my query letter, taking advice from many agent websites.  I’ve also been compiling my list of agents to query.  I’ve been working out of the Novel And Short Story Writer’s Market by Rachel Randall and identified 51 agencies that seem appropriate.  Now I’m going through that list and visiting every website to see if there really is a fit, reading about individual agents and their interests.

While I hope to find an agent that really jumps out as a perfect match, I’m focusing on finding a top 10 to 15 to query first.  I’ll still query every agent/agency that accepts manuscripts in the appropriate genre, but I’ll start with my most likely candidates.

My goal had been to start querying this week, but that turned out to be unrealistic.  I need at least another week to polish my template query letter and to continue to work on my list.  I want to be sure that each query will be personalized based on a true picture of how I think my work will appeal to each individual agent.  My new goal is to be ready and start sending out queries on December 20^th.  Wish me luck!

Baby Steps

originally posted Nov 30, 2014, 2:36 PM by Kelly Lopushansky

I've taken what I think is a logical step.  I looked at all the books I've read that I think fall into a similar category as Heavenly Match Making: Meant To Be to find their publishers.  If I'm right, then those are the publishers I should be targeting.  There is one in particular that is calling to me, but they only accept manuscripts from agents, so (decision made) it looks like I'm definitely starting off looking for an agent.  Not to fear, that's why I picked up the second book yesterday, agent listings and lots of advice.

I've been trying to find the proper format for submitting a manuscript to an agent.  So far, I've found a few things that seem to be constant across books and the internet.  For example, double spacing the body.  Check!  1" margins.  Check!  Font choice...that seems to depend on who you ask, so I'm definitely going old school with Times New Roman 12pt.  I don't think I'll be rejected for that.  (Though, Courier...)

The cover page seems to be a bit of head scratcher.  I've found plenty of agreement on what needs to be on it: Title, author, contact information, word count... but not a lot of agreement on where some of these things should be placed.  I've taken a google survey (looked at the top 20 results on google) and I'm going to follow the most frequently used.  It's my sincere hope that I won't be rejected because my contact information is in the wrong corner of the cover page.  Of course, as I send queries to agents, if they have submission guidelines, I'll be following those.

As I sit at the computer right now, I've tweaked my manuscript to meet the general submission guidelines.  It's ready to go somewhere.  So I guess the next step is to keep reading and figure out where my novel needs to go.  I know there will be more before it can go, at the very least query letters will need to be written.  I believe I also saw something about a synopsis.

I'm only a few days into the process and I'm beginning to see why more books don't make it to the shelves!  It was truly ignorant bliss when I believed the hard part was actually writing the book.

So, my next goal is to have query letters and whatever else is needed ready to go by the end of next weekend.  Again, I may be biting off too much, but I'm going to keep setting those impossible goals so I have a shot at a miracle!

Not so much a big bang...

originally posted Nov 29, 2014, 1:03 PM by Kelly Lopushansky

This is the beginning, or is it the middle?  I certainly hope it isn't the end.  I started Heavenly Matchmaking: Meant to Be in November of 2013 for NaNoWriMo.  The 50,000+ words I wrote during that madcap month have held up to my own criticism far better than the 100,000+ I wrote after.  But I kept on and finally completed my first novel in September 2014.

My intent with this website/blog is to track my journey to get HM published, and that will be the end.  Well, not the end.  The end for HM.  By the time I see HM on a bookstore shelf, I expect to have at least two more books in the series ready to follow it (See On the Stove for my works in progress).  

As the journey begins, I'm pretty keenly set on going the traditional publishing route.  While I can't guarantee where I'll end up, I'll share the searches, the decisions, my decision making process, the highs and lows, and the adventure.

I hope that anyone with insights and thoughts to share will comment.  I look forward to reading those as much as I look forward to the day I can say "I'm a published author!"