An Epiphany of sorts or why Julee hasn't blogged this week

 

Definitions of epiphany (n)

e·piph·a·ny [ i píffənee ]   

1. sudden realization: a sudden intuitive leap of understanding, especially through an ordinary but striking occurrence
2. appearance of god: the supposed manifestation of a divine being 

• Encarta World English Dictionary
• See full definition 

No, it is not the rapture. I'm not that important. Really. It's nothing that difficult or earth shattering.

First, I've not been feeling well, but there is a potential solution in the works. I had a CAT scan earlier in the week that showed I'm not a hypochondriac, there really was an infection in an upper sinus that kept reinfecting me. If this round of antibiotics doesn't work, surgery may be involved. It would be a relief to have a solution.

Second, I had two bad reviews. Now, I won't rail against the contest judges, because I've revised my work since I entered it. Also, because they were right. They brought up two points I hadn't thought about. We live with our characters, sometimes 24/7. I know my hero is a dick, his nickname at the Naval Academy was Will the Dick. He's trying to do better to win the heroine, he's trying to live up to his potential, BUT those people reading it cold didn't get that. One freaked when from his POV, I mentioned he looked at the heroine's sister's boobs. She said twice, did this mean he was looking for a little action with both sisters. My first reaction was to get upset--that wasn't what I intended at all! But, I wasn't upset at the reviewer, I was upset that I hadn't made it clear. When I settled down, I mentioned it to my husband and he laughed, saying, "Honey, after 23 years of marriage, I admit I look at other women's breasts. If you had a sister, I would look at hers. Sorry."

My response was, "I know! That was what I was trying to say. If I'm writing from a guy's point of view...." Then, a very sensible friend reminded me that the reader was looking at it from a romance reader's side and not everyone likes that their husband/character/brother/etc. is a perv. So, this morning, I added a couple of sentences where Will realizes he will have to be more discrete than in the past, will have to convince Lizzy she will be his last and moved that forward.

The second criticism involved the opening, which I'd totally changed from the contest entry. The judge asked why my heroine didn't just call the ambulance and police herself, when she thought her sister's drink was drugged? I realized I started the scene a little too late, in my effort to start it as close to the action as possible. So, yesterday, I put in a few lines casting doubt the drink had been drugged and about the argument with this sister on the way down to the bar. Again, moving some of the information forward for the reader.

I did write a brief thank you email and sent it to the contest coordinator. I also worked on another story I've got plotted and I'd say 75% written. I hadn't looked at it for a few months, so I could see it with fresh eyes. I'll work on it a little more and submit it to another contest to see what else we can find that I didn't see, having known these characters for so long.

So, my lesson here, folks, is not to blog your immediate reaction. Chillax, think it through. Realize they may have something you need to know. Set it aside and think. Make your writing better by seeing it through someone else's eyes.

Follow Friday and It just keeps getting better and better...

Happy Follow Friday!  Let's take care of business, then I have some other helpful stuff I'd like to share.

The question this week is:


Who has been the most supportive of your writing?

My husband.  I started writing Seven Days and my other stories in August of 2006.  I was doing a lot of traveling for work and for Christmas (and 2007's birthday), he bought me a HP laptop.  It was a total thrill that he believed in me, because at the time, it was quite an investment.  I still use it, writing in the living room on MS Works, then Save it in Word and put it on flash drives and the new desktop in the office.  He gives me great lines for my characters, humors me when I'm "in writing mode" and says he looks forward to "being a kept man" when I make it big.  We'll talk some more about editing and writing Seven Days down below.

Your rules for Follow Friday (join the fun!)

1)      Follow this blog.

2)      Follow Elizabeth Sharp, the originator of this hop 9http://somesharpwords.blogspot.com/

3)      Follow the featured author of the week, MD Christie. http://writingafternine.blogspot.com/2011/04/follow-me-friday-blog-hop-and-little.html

4)      Go to Sharp words and copy the image code found there and paste it in your blog. Add your name to the link at the bottom of the post while you are there.

5)      Copy and paste the rules in your blog, as well as this week’s question.

6)      Answer the question

7)      Follow, follow, follow. This is about networking, people, making connections with people in your community. So talk to us. We don't bite!

8)      If someone stops by, says hi and follows you, the polite thing to do is follow back.

9)      Comment here and introduce yourself and you just might find a new follower or two
So, the most current Jane Friedman blog link (http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/) had a reference to the blog from Robert J. Sawyer, the science fiction writer (http://www.sfwriter.com/owindex.htm).  I haven't read his work yet, but my husband and I were fans of ABC's "Flashforward," which was based on his novel.  Anyway, he has some lovely essays in the "On Writing" section of that link that would be helpful to any writer in any genre.  While they were written in the '90s, most everything still applies today.  BTW, I wrote him a "thank you" email and he wrote one back!

One in particular I printed out and did tonight, "Word processing Tricks."  I used the "Search" feature for words like "just" and "very" a few months ago and was horrified at how many times they showed up in my mss.  Mr. Sawyer suggests doing the search for "ly " (with the space after), to seek out some adjectives and adverbs.  He says, "If you needed an adjective or adverb to modify another word, perhaps you didn't choose the right word to begin with."  He suggests "huge" rather than "really large" and "thundering" rather than "pounding loudly." 

You may remember my dilemma of having to cut over a hundred pages, so I'm all over this.  You know what I found in just the first two sections of my mss.?  Enough single words on the following list to cut another page.  Let me repeat:  ANOTHER PAGE.  I didn't cut all of them, but there were enough that I was embarrassed. 

How many of these do you not need? 
honestly
really
originally
certainly
gently (I never realized how often I used this)
quietly
quickly
probably (probably 3rd on the list, LOL)
only
exactly
incredibly
hopefully
actually
briefly
calmly
slowly

Do I have your attention now?  Seriously, I used "immediately" and "quickly" in the same sentence!  He also suggested:  utilize (UGH!) => use, in order to => to and the fact that => that.  I still need to go back over the flipping thing to lose some more dashes and exclamation points.  *sigh* 

I've already used the Search to remove The F Bomb, which was unfortunately one of my character's favorite cuss word.  My aunt said she would love to read my work someday, but really hated when it was used.  You know, we don't want to do anything that would limit your market. 

There were other helpful hints in this one and in "Heinlein Rules."  So, I (started to use "just" dang it!) wanted to share another resource to thank you for giving me all these informative links.  Read:  Time sucks I putter around, rather than writing my own stuff.  Seriously, I'm a better writer for it.

We are all writers in one way or another

A long time ago, I was asked to speak on writing before a small group of women.  I tried to make the talk entertaining and humorous, but my point was that many people say they want to be a writer and you can be.  It depends upon what degree you want to be.  I found something that backs me up.  I found a $1 page-a-day calendar called "For Women Who Do Too Much" and for Jan. 17th, they have, "There are more secret writers among us than we realize."  It mentions journaling, making notes or lists and ends with, "Women are writers." 

When I suggested at the talk that they could start keeping a journal as a beginning to a writing career, I got some terrified looks.  The basic response was, "Who has that much time?"  Granted, many of the women were young mothers or had careers, but even jotting down a few lines about your day will help clear your head.  Maybe, you overheard a smart quip or read a wonderfully inspiring quotation?  Maybe, your kid had a good report card or said, "Mommy, I love you!"  At the end of the week, month or year, you'll be able to look back on your little notebook and relive that moment with joy.

Michael's had some pretty blank books in their $1 bin, 100 pages for you to start.  Do you keep a list of your books or your movies?  I do.  It helps when you're trying to remember that title to tell your friend or to make sure you don't pick up a second copy at the used book store (guilty...).  The Good Reads website has a place where you can do a few lines for review and share with your friends or even join a book club.  A friend's daughter blogs and shares pictures with her, almost half-way across the country.  I've seen gorgeous scrapbook pages with brief stories printed out to go along with the pictures to preserve the memory.  That is all writing. 

I just take all those experiences, even the ones I experience vicariously, mix them with a vivid imagination and turn it into fiction.  The calendar page also has, "When we speak our truth in our writing, even if it's only for our own eyes, we are cleaned and healed."  Indeed.  It's cheaper than therapy for me.  If it will bring happiness or entertainment to others, I'm truly blessed.