Simplest Writing Trick Ever!

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?

Sounds like a procrastinator's mantra, don't you think? Actually, it's my key to making my writing career a reality. At every crossroads in my stay-at-home-mom daily life, I ask myself a question. "Laundry or writing?" Writing wins. "Sweep or write?" Writing wins again. "Clean toilets or revise?" Um, hello!

Of course the needs of my children come first, and I am proud to say that they are all well fed and their hair is (ahem) usually combed. But every day it comes down to a choice, and I choose to write.

One of the best ways to make writing a reality is create an Ideal Schedule. Mine looks like this:

MONDAY-THURSDAY

Write 8-4

Kidstuff 4-8

Read, critique, or movie w/hubby 8-11

FRIDAY

Volunteer 9-12

Errands 12-4

Kidstuff 4-8

Read, critique, or movie w/hubby 8-11

SATURDAY

Chores

Home Improvement projects on house

SUNDAY

Relax and read

This schedule is highly idealized, but most days I manage to at least follow it loosely. The past few weeks have been an exception because I've been going like gang-busters on revisions. (Yep, the house is in a near-constant state of disarray.) But now that my revisions are done, I'll be settling into my old routine.

What about you? What mental tricks help you turn to writing? What kind of schedule (or lack thereof!) do you follow?

A Treat for You from Us!

Some very exciting news - our blog has reached 300 followers!

Bethany and I feel so lucky to have all of you in our lives. We talk every day about our followers, what you are saying in your blogs, the little ways we've gotten to know you better.

Today we want to say THANK YOU! We've baked up a delectable cake so please choose a slice. There is also a warm cup of tea, which happens to be the Heartfelt Award, which we want to give you for your own blog. Just leave us a comment so we can link to you at the end of the post.

Thanks to Diana Paz of the Writing Roller Coasters blog for giving us this award. She is an amazing blogger and an incredible friend.

I want to shout out a very loud CONGRATULATIONS to Elana Johnson who has signed with her dream agent. We are so happy for you!

One last thing, I've posted an interview with a contest-winning author over on the QTblog and would love to share it with you! Be sure to let me know you stopped over there by leaving a comment.

Suzy

All Because Erin Dyed Her Hair.

My friend Erin (see photo--yep, that's the beautiful Erin) dyed her hair black. So what, right? Well, when her hair was black, her eyes looked gold. And all I could think as I stared at her, and probably freaked her out with my scrutiny, was, "Her eyes look like cat eyes." What does this story have to do with a blog that centers around writing? Everything. When I saw those gold eyes, a character was born. An entire trilogy was inspired. All because Erin dyed her hair (thanks, Erin!).

And then the other day, I supervised youth dodge ball. And this boy, this teenager, walked into the gym. My jaw dropped. My eyes grew round. I stared at the poor teenage boy the whole evening. And I'm sure he got totally creeped out--I am slightly beyond my teenage years, way too old to be staring at him like that. But it was as if the character from my work-in-progress peeled himself off the page and came to that gym to haunt me. If I'd had my notebook, I would have been scribbling furiously. If I'd had a camera, I would have been snapping pictures until the battery died. If I had been brave, I would have talked to him. Instead I studied him from afar and memorized the way he moved, how his t-shirt hung on him, the angle of his cheekbones, how he smiled when he pegged someone with the ball. I went home and wrote him onto paper. And finally fell in love with my character. Sigh.

So where does it come from, your character inspiration? And do you love your characters like I do? Even the bad ones?

--Bethany aka Wiggy

P.S. Check out the Querytracker blog for the latest in agent news.

Agent-Judged Contest on the QueryTracker Blog!

Fantastic news - the QTblog is hosting another agent-judged contest! I'm honored to be working again with literary agent Anna Webman of Curtis Brown Ltd. This contest is for Young Adult Novels only. Come check out all the details on the QueryTracker blog!

An Offer I Can't Refuse

Two short months ago Bethany announced "I Have an Agent" and today I'm beyond thrilled to share the same news.

I have accepted an offer of representation from Brendan Deneen of Fineprint Literary Management. I've worked with Brendan in the past over at the QueryTracker blog, so I already know what a terrific guy he is, and I'm honored to be working with him in this capacity. For more info about which project of mine caught his eye, check out Mary's post on the QTblog.

What makes my journey and Bethany's unique is that we set out together when we made a pact to write. Seven years and many novels later, we have reached agenthood within six weeks of each other. I love ya, sis, and have enjoyed sharing this journey with you!

Thanks to each and every one of you who follow this blog and who have offered your unfailing support. You have helped me grow as a writer and as a friend.

Warmest wishes,

Suzy

The Moments that Make Us

There are things in life that we have no control over that leave their mark - death of a loved one comes to mind - and then there are those subtle things that make just as big an impression.



Take opera. My exposure to it consisted of Pretty Woman, when Edward Lewis (played by Richard Gere) said, "People's reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic; they either love it or they hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they don't, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become part of their soul." I made a point of listening to a smattering of opera after that - nothing happened. I figured I was one of those who would never have it in my soul. Many years later I bought a collection of classical music, and tacked on at the end, almost as an afterthought, was a very short opera piece by Puccini. I was so stunned by its beauty I found myself crying. That one piece unlocked a window in my soul, and I have loved opera ever since.


Another involves Flaming June, a painting I think you all know I love, as I use it as my Google icon. (Sweet Cynde even sent me Flaming June emery boards!) On a recent trip to the museum I found myself face-to-face with an original 4x4 inch oil study that was part of the planning stage for Flaming June. To see the actual brushstrokes of Lord Fredrick Leighton ... I stood riveted to the spot as a long line of patrons accumulated behind me. When one of them finally cleared his throat, I gave up my place and moved to the back of the line to await another turn.

Other life-altering moments that come to mind include a recent camping trip I took with my children, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and sunsets in general, which never fail to spur spiritual growth. This past weekend I swam in a million-year-old crater pool. Once I got used to the fact that I was floating atop 65 feet of water, the experience was profound.


I want to know about those subtle, life-shaping moments that make you who you are.

Suzy

P.S. Be sure to check out these incredible paintings by Connie Tom (she painted Aspens Aglow, above.)

P.P.S. My good friend Lisa Amowitz is now blogging, so be sure to check out her blog.

P.P.P.S. Blog reader K. M. Weiland's book has just come out. Congratulations, Katie!

One last post script. In these wee morning hours as I write this, I've stumbled across a very sweet lullaby by Vienna Teng. I think you'll like it.

The Fact in the Fiction

Much of one of my manuscripts takes place around an abandoned silver mine. Giant, gnawing holes so deep you can't see the bottom, stipple the ground where the earth has collapsed in on the mine shafts. Fact: I played at this mine as a teenager, snooping through the brush and ponderosa pines to find these sunken-in mine shafts. My cousin used to write stories about what came out of those shafts. I write about what's been dumped inside.

I have a neighbor. He's in his mid-twenties, braids his goatee, is as rough and hard as asphalt--the type of guy you make sure not to make eye-contact with if you see him on the street. He heard I wrote books and asked what they were about. I told him I had written a book called "The Hunted," about Skinwalkers. His lips thinned. He told me a story. A story that made his voice shake. A story he could not tell while looking at my eyes. He stared at his hands all the while, probably clasping them to keep them from trembling.

"I was chased by a Skinwalker. I was driving along a dirt road in the middle of the night. When I saw it, I pushed on the gas as hard as I could. It ran as fast as my car. It looked mostly human, but not quite. I have never been more scared of anything in my life. I've never told anyone." Fact: "The Hunted" part two is about Skinwalkers that look mostly human... but not quite.

An old family friend of mine worked as a security guard at a youth mental hospital. While doing rounds one night, he witnessed a teenage girl committing suicide--she had tied a shoelace around her neck and was twisting it tighter and tighter with the pencil she'd looped through it. He turned to the hallway and screamed for help. When he turned back, she was gone. While searching the records of the hospital, he found the report of a teenage girl who had committed suicide by shoelace and pencil--more than half a century before. Now there's the premise for a story. Fact: I don't write ghost stories. I don't dare.

So, tell me, how much of the fiction you write is based on fact?