A Month of Focus

I've decided to try something I've never done before: take a month to focus on one story. Eat, sleep and write characters for one story only. It's always about the characters, so I'm wondering how a story will develop if I just focus.

Feb 19th-Mar 20th. 30 days. One story.

Let's see what happens when my characters have nothing to do but hang around in my brain. Scary thought, huh?

Abbi :-)

Not My Baby, No Way -- Part Four

Continuing with my ongoing efforts to put my work out there, I have two posts up this week. The first was a 250 word challenge by author Janet Tronstad on the e-harlequin blog. The short short is titled Dr. Millam's Valentine.

The second should be posted on Valentine's Day as part of a competition to win a mentor for a month. I will post an exact link when it is up.

My next Not My Baby event: subbing.

I hope everyone is healthy and happy.

Abbi :-) 191 days

Decisions . . .

It's decision time again for me. And it's not something as simple as which line do I want to write for.

If you haven't seen it, there's been some exciting news in my household this week. My husband has been selected to be a Vice President with Michigan State University.

It was an easy decision. Mark's worked hard to get to this point. But, in life, love and marriage, something's gotta give, right?

Do you give up time with your two beautiful boys? Do you give up time with your husband when he's hardly ever home?

This isn't about the craft of writing but writing is a balancing game. Your first book isn't going to let you leave the day job. Maybe not even the second, third or fourth.

When I'm moving around on the floors of the ICU, the choices are hard, what's less important gets moved to the bottom. Sometimes, that's your meal for the shift.

My question is: Are your dreams worth putting at the bottom of the list? What if you aren't sure you know what direction you want to take that dream?

No answers. Just alot of hope and faith on this end.

No, I'm not going to quit writing, but I may have to cut down on eating for awhile. :-)

Abbi

How SHORT Can You Go?

I think synopses are one of the single most hated entities in writing. I’m not a fan of them even though I tend to write better short. It's hard for me to decide what to keep in a synopsis – especially when a publisher asks for a 1-2 page synopsis. *Gulp!*

This time as I work on two stories, I decided to up the challenge. I decided to summarize each story in ONE SENTENCE. Yes, I’m crazy.

But, you really need to have that sentence if you want to have the question in to story up front right? You have to create your story so that the reader will be asking themselves this question within the first couple of chapters.

I'm hoping this will also help me craft pitches to keep them focused on the romance of the story.



Here’s my question for Ty and Ainsley:

Can Winston Memorial’s most eligible bachelor who’s lost at love find HEA with his best friend’s spunky little sister who doesn’t believe in HEA?

Now I could’ve excluded the character descriptions but those are to help me.
Whittling the story down to one sentence is also an attempt to help me focus. Focus on the story and the characters.

Can you whittle your story down to one sentence?

Abbi :-)

Another Sale!

Well, I had another post ready to go, but I'm going to use today to congratulate another on-line friend who has sold to the M&B Medical Line.

Pop on over and congratulate Susan Wilson!

Congratulations, Susan!

What I Learned in 2010

Can you believe how fast 2010 zoomed by? And now we're over a week into 2011. Before June hits, I thought I'd share a few things I learned from ole' 2010.

Openings Aren't Really Meant to Be Melodramatic

Yes, it's good to have a dramatic opening. But, mine tend to be melodramatic or over-dramatic. Time to tone it down.

Have Faith

Faith in yourself and what you're doing is important, bottom line. If you don't have it, you can't get to where you want to be.

Choose a Path and Stick With It

This is a hard one for me because I am an idea person. I have ideas for everything. But, they all can't be done at once. Truth be told, I'll probably only accomplish one or two of my original ideas in my lifetime. Writing is about branding yourself and you can't brand in seven different directions.

Be Positive No Matter What

I tend to be an upbeat person. I'm happy with life. I'm happy no matter who wins. And many times people don't appreciate or they question my perkiness. It used to bother me. I felt like an outcast. No more.

We Need Another Star Trek or Stargate spin-off

I hesitate to say this because I really didn't like Stargate: Universe. But, there is nothing on TV and I'm starting to become amused by some of the shows on Nickelodeon. Yes, that scares me.

Which leads to my next lesson . . .

June 29, 2012 is Still TOO FAR AWAY

Don't know what happens on this day? I'll give you a hint. A certain sequel hits the theaters.



I Have an Awesome Critique Group

I don't know where I'd be if I wasn't with the Sassy Sisters.



What did you learn in 2010?

Perfect? Or Charlie?

There are many hard things about creating a story. The characters. The world they live in. But, I think one of the hardest for me is naming the hero and heroine. When I write a draft, I usually just slap names to the characters.

But, I find not using a permanent name really hurts the story. How can I imagine what the hero is going to say next when I've tagged him as Abe Vigoda? (Those of you who grew up in the era of Barney Miller and Fish will know what I'm talking about.)



Instead of the sweet talking 28-year-old he's supposed to be, my character becomes a grumbling 75-year-old.

So, I have to name my characters in advance. The problem here is I really like to think about the names. To me, it's like naming your own child. It can be a long process.

Any thoughts on how to shorten it and still be happy w/ the name?

Abbi :-)