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Friday, August 11, 2006
Having a Plotting Party
I'm just not a great plotter. It's true that I need major help developing the story. I usually have a great idea, but then making it come to life, thinking up names, (yes, that's hard too, the name HAS to fit the character or I'm doomed), locations, and most importantly the conflict, always frazzles my brain.
I'm lucky in that I have a very supportive husband who is a great chess player, meaning he's good at seeing three moves ahead, whereas, I'm not. So, sometimes, I give him my idea, and he comes up with some great, "what ifs" that tend to help a whole lot.
And if I'm really lucky, I can get a few of my writer friends together and do a plot party. Sometimes, it's a full day, a luncheon with yummy foods necessary for inspiration and sometimes, it's just a quick hour or two at a restaurant where we can hash out our ideas to hopefully nail down the story.
The great thing about this, is that you get to be involved with people you like, doing what you love to do, much as it's a pain to try to develop a story, it's also a fun way to remove yourself from the computer that day and still know you're working on your story! I love to be invited to plot parties, have also done them online. They can tax your brain, challenge you to think hard and many times, give you the impetus you need to keep that wonderful story you so truly want to write alive.
This has been a fun week on the Desire Blog.
Come visit my website at www.charlenesands.com
Thanks!
posted by Charlene Sands at 8:11 AM
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
The Spirit of Romance
Are we all just romantics at heart? Is that why we write and read romance? This is one genre where you can't fool anybody. The stories that come through aren't manufactured by any such formula or direction. These are stories of the heart. I've gotten to know many of my fellow romance writers over the years, and all of us seem to have one important thing in common, we are sentimental creatures who believe in the all-consuming power of love. Love heals. Love conquers. Love demands. I once heard an actor comment that the relationships between a man and woman are the strongest ones on the planet.
I happen to agree. When you think about it, most movies, plays and especially songs, exhibit the power, the pain and the passion of love.
I was reminded of this last night when my husband Don was helping me clean out our daughter's old room, now converted into our exercise/cat room! I was happily engaging in conversation on the Writerspace Desire chat online, taking a break from the cleaning, when I heard music being played in the background. I recognized the song. My husband had found a carton of old videos, and as soon as I heard the tune, I remembered. "Keep that one out, honey. I want to see it again." And so, after my chat was over, he inserted the video into our last remaining and soon-to-be discared video recorder and played the tape.
Tears welled up in my eyes. The song "You are so beautiful to me," came on the video and there, as a Valentine gift to me some 10 years ago, before all this new age electronics made it easy, was my husband's gift to me. He'd spliced together photos of me growing up, from childhood to the first days of our marriage, somehow getting the music in the background. Those three minutes were enough to remind me how powerful our love is, how much romance means to me and how very much my sweet loving husband remembers that.
Those are the reasons, I believe we write romance. At least, it is for me.
posted by Charlene Sands at 9:42 AM
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
EBOOK - A NEW FORMAT FOR MANY
When my sweet editor called me to say that my Desire, Bunking Down with the Boss was chosen to be on the Eharlequin site as an EBOOK, she also congratulated me. I thought that was nice, but I didn't have clue as to what was really happening. I guess, I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to EBOOK's and how they work. But I have to say that I'm thrilled. Of all the books Harlequin puts out each month, only 30-40 are chosen for this new format. Seems that you can buy the book as a download and either read it at the computer, or it goes into your EBook and other various kinds of handheld readers.
It's kinda fun seeing Bunking Down with the Boss displayed and offered as an Ebook. I'm still learning about this new format, and I even resold one of my original Kensington books to Cobblestone Press, The Way to a Man's Heart, as a digital download. There, they have four formats to chose from. (? Clueless)
I just blogged today on my own website about "Keeping Up with the Jones's" and how exhausting that could be. This is only one new thing on the horizon that I'm still learning about. The electronics are getting more and more sophisticated. I still use my cell phone AS a cell phone, but soon, not only will they be cameras, but little mini computers, where you can also download a book!
Check out all the Desire EBOOKs when you get a chance on Eharlequin.com.
posted by Charlene Sands at 7:40 AM
Monday, August 07, 2006
Why I Wrote Bunking Down with the Boss
There are so many reasons why a writer choses to write a certain story. For me, I wanted the challenge of writing a story where both the hero and heroine had known something of loss and disappointment within themselves.
I also love horses and my fascination with them had me developing a story set on a woman's ranch where she boards horses for a living, Belle Star Stables. This wasn't a far stretch for me. My cousin whom I visited just this month in Las Vegas owns a stable where they board horses. I had to best time getting to know these sweet well-cared for animals, feeding them, petting them and if not for the 115 degree day, I would have had the chance to ride. There, I always get the best kind of hands on research.
Caroline and Sam's story is one of love and loss and it's my most emotional story to date. It's about a hidden identity, but more so, it's about hiding within yourself, protecting and holding onto the pain as a shield to ever "feel" good things again. For Caroline, she finally decides to let go, a widow-gone-wild revelation, that allows her to approach Sam. And for Sam, holding back had never been harder. But both know that their paths won't cross again, except for this one month of time, that they have together, so they take the plunge and enter into a short term relationship that draws them closer than they'd ever expected.
Bunking Down will always stay close to my heart. It's a story that reminds us how precious life is and that we must sieze the moment, Carpe Diem, as they say, because second chances don't come every day.
I hope you enjoy!
posted by Charlene Sands at 8:11 AM
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