You may be one of those lucky people who can sit down and just start writing and the words just flow – but there’s no adhesion. It’s just a bunch of words that have nothing behind them. Your characters don’t interact with each other, your timeline is all over the place, you have no clue what you’re writing about. You are stymied.

You can keep writing and hope something eventually comes out of all this, or you can come at it from a journalist’s perspective. Ask the questions that start with: who, what, where, when, how:

•  WHO is my story about?
• WHAT is my story about?
• WHERE does my story take place?
• WHEN does the story take place?
• WHY should readers (i.e. editors and agents) read this story?
• HOW is this story different from, and the same as, others in ‘my’ genre?

Let’s look at these a little more in depth. The first, WHO, refers to the characters. The people who populate your story. For right now, since we are at the very beginning of the story, just make notes on your main characters. There should be no more than two (three for a romance) – the protagonist(s), also known as the hero and/or heroine, and the antagonist or villain. Keep in mind that in some stories, the villain may not necessarily be a person. In some stories, the setting becomes the villain. These are usually ones where the hero is fighting something fierce like a storm or his/her environment. You can also jot down ideas for secondary characters. We’ll go into more depth on creating characters next week. For now, just write down some ideas.

WHAT is my story about? I’m going to throw out a scary word here – theme. Before you run screaming into a dark corner, let me explain. Theme is nothing more than what your story is about. Most themes are very basic – love, security, happiness, and so on. There are three main types of theme out of which all the minor ones grow: physical, mental, spiritual.

Physical themes include things like money, health, home, warmth…anything that gives physical comfort. Survival stories often revolve around this. Mental themes are emotional – happiness, love, companionship. Most romances are in this category. Vengeance also lies in this theme. The last one is spiritual – this is a little more esoteric, answering the questions like “what is the purpose of life?” “Why are we here?” and so on. These are often more literary stories, where the main character is trying to figure out a deeper meaning for his or her life.

So, when someone asks you what your story is about…Do you mumble something like: Well, it’s about this girl who runs away from home and gets caught in a storm and ends up in a strange place with weird people and…

“The Wizard of Oz” is about security, home, love, and acceptance. “There’s no place like home” is the perfect line to explain the theme of the story.

Think about what you want your story to be about and jot that down.

Before I go any further here, let me advise you to have a file folder or notebook or something useful that you can use to make notes and keep them all in one place (remember in the first lesson when I talked about organization?). You’re going to be glad you had this all set up.

Okay, back to our journalistic questions. WHERE and WHEN are similar in concept in that they both deal with setting. Whether you set the story in a real place or made up one, you’re going to need to make notes on where it takes place. What is unique about this place? What does it look like? We’ll do a lesson about world building later, but for now, just make notes on the location of your story. This can be as broad as just the name of a city or state, or as specific as an address. The “when” of the story is not just about year, but also season and time of day. You’ll need notes on these later for your timeline.

WHY should readers read your story? What makes your story unique? Different? Why should someone shell out their hard earned money for your book as opposed to someone else’s? Why are you the perfect person to write this story? Though you don’t really need this to write your story, it will become helpful later on when you do submissions or promos. HOW is similar to this and something you need to think about. HOW is your story similar to others in the genre and how is it different? These are important questions to answer, again for the purpose of submission and/or promos.

So here is your homework for the week:

Read a book.

1. Look at the journalist’s questions and answer them as well as you can. This will be the basis of your story.
2. Go for a walk, or if it’s too cold, go to a mall and study your surroundings and the people. Make notes of anything unusual or interesting that you might be able to use to enhance your story.

The first thing a writer needs is something to write, and something to write with. The second part of this is easy – pen or pencil, paper, or a computer or word processor. If nothing else, a crayon and napkin. Or a stick and dirt. Seriously, though, I suggest something a little more permanent (like the pen/pencil/paper or computer). The main thing is to use something that works for you. I tend to waffle between handwriting and computer writing. Yes, computer writing is much faster (at least for me), but I tend to be more focused when I hand write. Then I’m not distracted by the internet (I’ll just check my email before I start) or games (just one more game of solitaire), or anything else. It’s just me and the paper. Find what works for you. Also, keep a small notebook and pen with you at all times (or your iPad/iPhone/etc.) on which to jot notes when the idea strikes. Do not rely on your memory. Memory can be fallible. And keep one by your bedside at night (along with a tiny flashlight) in case you get an idea in the middle of the night.

So you have your writing implements, the next question is where do you write? The answer is, anywhere that works for you. I know writers who have fancy offices with all the trappings who spend eight hours a day there. They have desks, computers, printers, shelves for books, reference works…. I also know writers who have a comfortable chair in a corner of the living room where they write while surrounded by kids, television, and the chaos of daily life. Others sit in the midst of a coffee shop, library, or other spot. Like choosing what to write with, you need to find the place that works for you. A spot that says “Here is where I’m going to write.” It doesn’t matter if it’s a corner of the dining room table that you have to clear off for meals. When you are there, you are writing.

Which brings me to the next topic – storage. I can see the raised eyebrows now. What does storage have to do with writing? Actually, a lot. And better to get it set up and organized at the beginning than try to figure it all out later. No matter what you are writing, you are probably going to have to do some research. Or just need a place to put all those pages you write out or print out. There are any number of handy types of storage available. However, I don’t recommend shoe boxes (unless you have extremely large feet!). You want something that will hold your pages flat. An expandable file will work for this, or a plastic bin of some sort. Make sure it is large enough to hold your pages as well as any research you do. While you’re at it, get another file for notes and ideas – things on weather, settings, people, anything that will spark an idea. Set it up with sections for setting, characters, plot ideas, and any other categories you think appropriate.You can also keep these in separate files on the computer. For things you find in other places, scan and save, or download similar pictures/pieces (do so legally!) and store in your online files. One advantage of this is that it takes up a lot less space, but be sure to always back up!!!

Your homework for the first week is to get yourself organized and ready to write. You will need:

1. Something to write with

2. A place to write

3. Organization files

I’ve also found myself becoming more known for my skills as a reviewer and now have authors writing me to ask for personal reviews. While I love this and love to promote authors I enjoy, it does cut into my own writing time. Plus my backlog continues to grow at an alarming rate. But I will not refuse a book – it just may take me a while to get to it! This past year alone, I did nearly 70 reviews. That’s more than a book a week, though admittedly, some of them were short.   I hope to at least match that in the coming year if not top it.

Though I, and several of my friends, continue to wonder why we put ourselves through this angst of submission/rejection/acceptance/edits and so on, we all can agree on one thing – we can’t stop writing. There’s always a story to be told, a tale to be written. And if it never gets picked up, at least we have the satisfaction of knowing we accomplished something that many people never will.

So here’s to the new year to come and new stories to be told. May it be the best one yet.

   BLURB FROM ALL FALL DOWN:

In the midst of a chaotic midnight assembly, Sunshine is forced out into the darkness. Holding a scrap of paper scrawled with a stranger’s name and address, Sunny grasps the hands of her three small children and begins her escape.

Liesel Albright has dreamed of starting a family. She never bargained on inheriting one already in progress…or one so deeply damaged. When nineteen-year-old Sunshine appears on the Albright’s doorstep claiming Liesel’s husband Chris is her father, all they can think to offer is temporary shelter. The next day, they’re stunned by the news that the Family of Superior Bliss, led by a charismatic zealot, has committed mass suicide. Sunny and her children haven’t just left the compound–they’ve been left behind.

Now, instead of a baby of her own, Liesel must play mother to the four survivors while Chris retreats into guilt and denial. For Sunny, however, a lifetime of teachings is not easily unlearned. No matter how hard she tries to forget, an ominous catechism echoes in her mind, urging her to finish what the Family started.

INTERVIEW WITH MEGAN HART:

  1. What genre do you write in? Why?

    I write in many different genres, including spicy romance, historical fantasy, young adult horror and           mainstream literary fiction. Why? Because…I…can? Or because I am an overflowing cauldron of ideas? Or because I’m crazy! Your choice.

 2. Please tell us about your latest book.

 All Fall Down is the story of a young woman raised in a cult by her mother, who forces her to leave and seek shelter with her biological father. Sunshine takes her three kids and flees to her father’s house, where he and his wife take them in — but are they all really ready to become a family?

 3. What can we expect from you in the future?

 More mainstream fiction. More horror. More romance. More of everything I’m doing and maybe some new stuff, too!

 4. How do we find out about you and your books (URLs, blog, etc.)

 www.meganhart.com

www.readinbed.net

www.twitter.com/Megan_Hart

www.facebook.com/megan.hart

 5. What motivated you to start writing?

 I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can, which is since kindergarten. I decided when I was twelve it was what I wanted to be when I grew up.

 6. What kind of research do you do?

 It depends on the story. For All Fall Down, I read a lot about cults and their methods. For the short horror serial I’m writing, I researched natural disasters. If I don’t know something and can’t reasonably make it up, I try to make sure I’m accurate.

 7. Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?

 I mostly write Monday – Friday from about 9 am to 3 or 4 pm. I work on other things in the evenings, editing or research or promotion. If I’m in between writing drafts, I’ll edit during the day, etc. So I do have a set schedule, but the content of what I’m doing is fluid.

 8. Who, if anyone, has influenced your writing?

 Stephen King, absolutely, as a kid.

 9. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

 YES.

 10. What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?

 The letters  that say “I loved your book.” The ones that say “you’re my favorite author” are amazing. But the ones that say “your book taught me something about myself” — those are precious.

 11. Among your own books, have you a favorite book?  Favorite hero or heroine?

 Tempted. Alex Kennedy. He’s also a fan favorite. But I love and hate all my books. Love all the characters.

 12. Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?

 Keep working. Learn your craft. Pay attention. Don’t try to skip ahead of the line — put in the time. Make sure you’re really putting your absolute best work out there.

 13. Where can we buy your books?

 Everywhere books are sold, I hope!

 14. Now for something fun (Please pick a few of the questions below to answer – do not feel that you have to answer all.):

Chocolate or vanilla? chocolate

Favorite color? purple

Favorite TV show?  Supernatural

All time favorite actor?  Keanu Reeves

 Actress?    Kate Winslet

All time favorite book?   Hmm. That’s a tough one. I usually say The Stand, but I also love Imajica by Clive Barker, Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey, Swan Song and A Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon…so many favorites…

Favorite Movie? The Matrix, The Wizard of Oz

What makes you laugh out loud? I’m blessed in that many things make me laugh out loud.

If you could go anywhere in the universe where would that be? To sleep.

 What do you like to do in your “down” time?  Play the Sims 3. Watch movies. Read. Sleep.

These are just a few of the ways you can jumpstart your writing. What do you do when the words just won’t come?

Fifty words a day doesn’t sound like much, does it? Especially with this being NaNoWriMo where everyone is trying to do over a thousand words a day. Even that little paragraph above has over fifty words. And yet, there are days when getting down even fifty words is a struggle. Days when you get home from work and your brain is fried and the kids are clamoring for dinner and, oh yeah, you have to make those three dozen cupcakes for school for tomorrow and… you get the idea. But still, fifty words… you can do that, right?

The idea is not to make writing one more thing to add to an already overloaded to-do list, but to make writing something you think about – and/or do – every day, even if it’s only one small paragraph. And you’d be surprised how many words you actually do get out when you sit down to write.

You may start out with the idea of only writing fifty words. One small paragraph. But those fifty often lead to fifty more. And soon you have a couple of pages. And it doesn’t matter if you write on the computer, or bathroom toilet paper – all that matters is that you get your fifty words down.

So…have you written your fifty yet today?

One day in WWII, I was working with an infantry outfit in a little village outside of Orleans and the Germans were acting up a little bit. We were walking down a narrow street and the Germans opened up with machine guns. Most of the section troops ducked into a doorway on the opposite side of the street and I ducked into one on the other side. The door was locked and I couldn’t get in and all I was doing was standing pressed up against the door and the bullets were nicking pretty close. I decided that maybe I could get across the street to where the other guys were hiding. The street wasn’t that wide, probably no more than an alley, but it was still open. I got jammed up against the door as hard as I could; took my helmet off so it wouldn’t fall off; got my rifle clutched tight, put my head down and took off across the street. I wasn’t planning to stand there and open the door, I was planning on going right through the door. Just as I got to the door, it opened and I ran through the room and into the wall on the other side of the room. Seems that my buddies had seen me through the window and knew what I was doing. They stood there looking at me on the floor and laughing and asked me “What’s the matter? Didn’t you think we’d open the door?”

Close to the end of the war, we were staying in an old chateau. Rumor had it that it had belonged to Napoleon’s daughter at one time. The Germans had been in there and when they got kicked out, we moved in. Written on the one wall was something in German that took my eye. I couldn’t read German so I wrote it down and got someone to translate it later. It was from a German soldier and said: “To the American soldier who reads this: May we never meet on the battlefield and may you return to your home victorious and I to mine alive.”
This is from his book “Memories Along the Tuscarora” (c1991)

“I was thinking of all the parades we have every year and I got to thinking about those forgotten men who sit in a dark corner in some nursing home and, yes, some memories can bring tears. I wrote this about WWI soldiers in 1988.”

“The Old Veteran”
Seventy years ago, he was young and proud,
Now he lives in the home, just one of the crowd.
Does anyone remember what happened this day?
Does anyone care as they go on their way?
Yes, he remembers the uniform he wore
As he fought in a battle on a distant shore.
His country’s flag he remembers with pride.
He remembers the men who fought by his side.
Ah, it is all past now, and many forgot
That he was a hero, believe it or not.
He carried that flag in Balleau Wood
And on November the eleventh, with it he stood
One of the proud victors of that war.
He remembers this and so much more.
He remembers his friends who died over there,
No wonder he weeps for someone to care.
So give him a smile as you pass him by.
If you have the time, hold his hand and try
to imagine him when he was there.
Try at least to show that you really care.
True, other wars were fought since then
And other heroes there have been,
But that does not lessen his duty there
Of keeping American so free and fair.

************************
‘nuf said.

I am definitely looking forward to the conference. It’s been too long since I’ve been to one and I always come away energized and ready to get back to my own writing (after a several day recuperation period!). This year, I will be pitching to agents, again something I’ve done multiple times. I hope to come away with at least a request (or two) for a partial submission, if not a whole. But even if I don’t, I am still looking forward to a weekend with people who, like me, love to write. To create characters and settings and stories. To put our imaginations to work and hope someone else enjoys what we put forth.

In the meantime, I’ve got several stories I need to finish polishing and then figure out which one(s) to pitch. And only a week to do it in. Yikes! Guess I’d better get to work.

The Evolution of a Book

By Michelle Miles

Hi, everyone! I want to thank Vicky for having here at her blog today. I’m excited to talk about my latest release, One Knight Only.

Here’s the blurb for the book:

A snarky Faery princess, a Scottish knight with a gambling problem, and a murderous earl all add up to one thing: Trouble. Maggie’s medieval education never prepared her for life in the Middle Ages!

Do-gooder Maggie Chase throws her thesis out the window when she wakes up in the arms of a hot Scottish knight. When she realizes she’s somehow ended up back in time, she embraces the persona of Lady Margaret. But she may be in over her head when she realizes she has to keep the sexy knight alive during a jousting tournament in order to get back to her own time.

 Sir Finian “Finn” McCullough is a gambling man and owes a very large debt to an evil earl who is after his family estate. When the beautiful and outgoing Maggie arrives in his bed, he can’t remember tupping her the night before and thinks she’s a spy for one of his neighboring clans. He intends to find her kinsman and return her safely but he can’t resist her charms, her smart mouth or her sex appeal. Instead he keeps her close, taking her with him to an important jousting tournament—one he has to win or lose his castle forever.

This book was actually very different when I first started writing it way back in 2005 before I was published. My heroine’s name was Grace, she had brother named Lars, Elyne was nothing more than a handmaiden, and the hero was Sir Drake. The evil Earl of Litonshire was still evil, though, in that draft. *grin* Originally, the story was going to be a straight historical. But I had a problem – my heroine tended to sound modern. And I had problems with the historical set up. It just didn’t work. So I stopped writing. I moved on to some other projects that landed me a couple of contracts with Samhain and then Cobblestone Press. But I never forgot about this book. It had always been in the back of my mind.

I fiddled with it in 2008. I rewrote the beginning. My heroine became Maggie Grace from present day, the hero became a hot Scottish knight, Finian “Finn” McCullough and Elyne became a snotty faery princess.

And then I got sidetracked with finishing some other projects. I didn’t get back to it again until late 2010/early 2011. I read through the beginning and decided it was pretty darn good. I tweaked the first chapter (which was originally a prologue). And read the first 90 pages I’d written. Yeah, 90 pages. You’d think I could finish something getting that far into it. I liked the way it was going, though. My heroine had gone back in time to the Middle Ages, waking up in bed with Sir Finian. Who wouldn’t want to wake up next to a Scottish knight?

The story remained mostly the same. It still had the historical elements I wanted, which was a setting during a jousting tournament. Sir Drake became a minor character, I added another a fae character, Sir Derron, plus some other minor characters. But that evil earl remained the same.

I pushed myself to finish the story by late January, got it out to critique partners and then had a final draft ready for submitting by March. Then I waited. And waited. And waited for responses from my submissions that were out. It was ultimately rejected and then my friend suggested I send it to her editor at Ellora’s Cave. I figured it couldn’t hurt and submitted. I had a contract within a week. So it was really exciting to sign that contract, do the edits and get it back to the editor.

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did writing it.

One Knight Only is available from Ellora’s Cave Blush line and released September 29.

 Michelle Miles writes contemporary, fantasy and paranormal romance. She believes in knights in shining armor and HEAs. For more information about her and her books, visit her website at http://www.michellemiles.net where you can also sign up for her monthly newsletter, The Monthly Grind. You can also follower her at Twitter, @MichelleMiles, and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MichelleMilesRomance.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I live with my husband, three cats, and one spoiled dog in Central Oregon. I run a freelance graphic design business, however lately I’ve been writing more than designing, which I prefer anyway. J

You have a new book out, what’s the lowdown on Knight’s Curse?

KNIGHT’S CURSE is an urban fantasy starring a heroine named Chalice, who is half angel and half human, with superhuman senses. She’s enslaved by a group of sorcerers who use her special skills to steal cursed artifacts. To keep her in line they bond her to a homicidal gargoyle and the only way to break the curse is to kill the beast. Problem is, gargoyles are immortal. Her fallen angel father gives her the secret for killing the beast, but freedom is expensive. Chalice must pay for hers with either love or death, or both. Publisher’s Weekly has listed Knight’s Curse as a Top 10 Pick for Fall 2011.

What is your process from “Hmm, that’s an interesting idea” to “Done!”

I think about the idea for a few weeks before I actually write anything down. And the idea usually begins with a character, so I create a backstory for her and other players to offer me an idea of where they from and what motivates them. I sketch out a general summary with a beginning, middle and an end, then I write the first couple of chapters to get a feel for the story. After that, it’s kind of like adding pieces to a quilt, designing and fitting it all together. After the first draft of the manuscript is done, I go back through it to make revisions. However, I also do a fair amount of revising as the story progresses.

Do you belong to any writer’s groups? Which one(s)?

I belong to Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, a professional organization for writers of commercial novel-length fiction. I also belong to Romance Writers of America and Horror Writers of America.

Do you have a crit partner or pre-readers? What do they help you with?

I belong to a great online critique group through Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. We’ve been together for years. They help with everything from characters and scene structure to grammar. They’re an invaluable resource.

Do you edit as you go or write first, then edit?

I do both. I edit as I go because it helps cement me into the story. But I always have to go back to fix things about the story that may have changed towards the end, or things I just missed.

Do you write anything other than this genre?

Everything I write has some fantasy or magical aspect. I’ve written a supernatural thriller, a paranormal mystery, and a romantic suspense with mild paranormal elements. I also wrote a steampunk alternate history novel that’s my current favorite, but it hasn’t found a home. I have an idea for a paranormal romance series being considered by my publisher so I can’t talk about it yet.

How much research do you do before you start to write?

It depends on the story, but since I pull a lot of my ideas from real life, I do a fair amount of research for everything. My supernatural thriller had aspects of futuristic medicine, so I did a crazy amount of research for that one. I enjoy research. Even KNIGHT’S CURSE required some research as I explored a variety of curses and charms that I put my own spin on. I write the way I cook: I never follow a recipe to the letter. I have to make it my own.

How do you feel about this race to self-publish backlists?

It’s probably a good idea. I have only 2 books on my backlist, and I’m only thinking about self-publishing those at this point. The issue I have is that I’m a writer, not a publisher, and I don’t want to get caught up in that end of things because I know it will take energy away from current writing projects. But that’s just me. I know a lot of authors are experiencing success with it and I think that’s awesome.

How important do you feel having an online presence is to an author?

I think it’s extremely important. I’m still building my online presence so it’s thanks to blogs like this one that help introduce me to new readers. I’m a very social person, but I’m far better at face-to-face meet and greets than connecting through the Internet. I really enjoy interacting with people and though Twitter and Facebook kind of offer that, it’s not the same as shaking hands and giving hugs. I confess I’m a hugger. Hugging my computer screen is a cold replacement for the real deal. J

What’s a typical writing day for you?

I switch on my computer as soon as I get up in the morning, check email, check Twitter, and then check a site related to my design work. I open whatever writing project I have in progress and read through what I’ve written the day before. I check my notes to see what my plans were for continuing where I left off and start writing. I’ll write for hour-long stretches, sometimes less, then move to research, email, blog, design work, then back to writing again. I realize it’s kind of an A.D.D. approach, but it works for me. The flipping back and forth refreshes (or resets) my story-brain. I try to stick to a goal of writing 1000 words a day, but I’ll go over if the mood strikes, or under if it doesn’t.

Who/what do you like to read?

I go through phases and read a variety of genres, but it’s usually either Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance. I’m a slow reader and rarely read while I’m writing. I’m in between projects right now and am at the tail end of judging some paranormal romance contest entries for my local RWA chapter. It’s been exhausting. I’m thorough when I judge and probably spend way too much time providing comments on entries, but I know how important feedback is to an unpublished writer. I want to help as much as I can.

What are the links where readers can find your books?

Wow, KNIGHT’S CURSE (trade paperback & ebook) is literally available everywhere. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Booksamillion, etc. Harlequin’s channels of distribution are amazing.

What are the links where readers can find you?

I’m everywhere, too. Ha! J I’d love more followers on Twitter @KarenDuvall and I can always use more friends on Facebook http://facebook.com/karenduvall2 and at GoodReads. Find me on my blog http://www.karenduvall.blogspot.com and I have a website http://www.wix.com/jkduvall/knights-curse

What’s next?

Look for book two of my Knight’s Curse series, DARKEST KNIGHT, on store shelves in spring 2012. The third book has a working title of KNIGHT TO REMEMBER, but that might change. It isn’t finished yet. Then I have additional surprises I can’t talk about, so please follow my blog for future updates. J