Tangled Tuesday: And now for something completely different #writer #artist #motivation

Photo courtesy of april-mo via flickr

Stuck in a rut? It happens. In most cases, the best solution is to take a break. Walk away from what you're doing. That doesn't mean walk to your bed and flop across it like a dead fish. Walk away. Try something different, rattle your brain. Whatever it takes to climb out of your rut and get your creative-self flowing again.
Here are some things to try. And don't just read through them and say, "Yeah...I should try one of these," and then not do it.
Because I'll hunt you down.

1) Do something physical. Your brain can't be creative if you're catatonic in your chair. Muscles need to move. If you're stuck in an office, buy a mini-trampoline and keep it in the corner for jumping breaks.

2) Play. Jump rope, do cartwheels, build a fort, blow bubbles. You know, all those fun things you used to do as a kid but don't anymore because you're a boring grown-up.

3) Visit a factory. See how something is made. Candy factories are awesome.

4) Learn something new. Take a tap-dancing class if you like noise, a fencing class if you like swords, or a trapeze class if you want to run away and join the circus. It always makes me sad when I hear people say, "I've always wanted to (insert cool thingy here), but I haven't because (insert lame-o excuse here)".

5) Stomp grapes at a vineyard. While you're there, take a winery tour and see how wine is made. Next time you buy a bottle, you'll truly appreciate the crafting that goes into it.

6) Build a bird or bat house. Hang it in your backyard or donate it to a local recreation center or garden.

7) Rent a paddle boat or kayak and take off for the day. Find a secluded spot and go skinny dipping.

8) Try something completely new and out of your career-comfort zone. Are you a photographer? Paint a picture instead. Do you write romance? Try writing science fiction. Work with numbers all day long? I'm very sorry, I have no advice for you, your life must be a nightmare. Haha. I do have advice, actually. Fingerpaint. On the wall.

9) Plan and cook a meal using a one color palette. For example; a cheddar-cheese omelet, butternut squash soup, and saffron toast. End the meal with a lemon tart and apricot screwdriver.

10) Juggle. It's okay if you drop them all unless they're glass bottles.

11) Fly a kite. If you don't have one, now's the time to go shopping OR you can make one

12) Take public transportation to a random destination. Get lost and wander. It's okay, you will find your way home again.


What are you waiting for? I see you still sitting there. Don't make me come get you.

Thoughtful Thursday-Useless Writing Advice

You've all read it, heard it...maybe even given it.

Forgive me. I'm feeling quite snarky today.







1) If you want to be a writer, just write.
Really? I have no idea why I didn't think of that.

2) Read. A lot.
If you write, I assume you read. Heck, you may even like reading. A lot.

3) Become a Social Media Junkie.
Yes...and no. Yes, it's nice to have a webpage and a place for readers to buy your books. No, you don't need to OD on social media to become a best-selling author. You need to write. And sometimes you don't even need to write well. Let's face it, 99% of having a best-seller is timing and luck. Sad but true.

4) Go Buy a Fancy Software and Editing Program 
I know authors who still write by hand and use a dictionary and thesaurus (gasp!). When they're done, they type it into Word and voila! A book is born. It happens.

5) Pay for (insert a plethora of services here)
There are tons of companies looking to make money off authors. They offer services, promotion opportunities and will even publish your work for you. They will also rip you off if you don't do your homework. Rule of thumb: money should flow into the author, not away.

6) Sign Up for a $$$ Workshop or Writer's Retreat
Sigh. See #5. Yes, it would be lovely to take a vacation and learn to become a better author.  Most of these workshops and retreats are given by other authors, which means you're funding their careers. Hmm...

Now that you've wasted your valuable time on this post--go write something. 

Abusive Boyfriends, Prostitutes and Dead Bodies...Write What You Know

I think it's funny when people say, "I've always wanted to be an author, but I don't know what to write about." My answer to that is this; everyone has experiences. Write about those, and you have a story. I'll bet you can pull some interesting characters out of those experiences too. Use them. It's okay, I won't tell.

Last night, I was chatting with a friend of mine, reminiscing about an apartment I used to live in many years ago while attending university. Anybody that's been a student knows that sometimes, in order to pay tuition, you end up living in the most...interesting places. And this particular building was interesting, to say the least.
One tenant I became friends with had a boyfriend I wasn't too fond of. He was abusive and used to hit her. I tried repeatedly to help, but sometimes, nothing you say or do will fix these situations. One day, her boyfriend went ballistic and threatened her with a gun, telling her he was going to blow her head off. She took refuge in my apartment and when he came to the door looking for her, I lied and told him she had moved back to San Francisco.
Another tenant would kick out her six-year-old child so she could be free to "entertain" guests. And yes, by that, I mean mom was a prostitute. The child would wander the halls, entertaining herself in god knows how many different ways, until I got home from class. I would ask her if she wanted to hang out with me while I did my homework, and she always did. We'd watch cartoons until her mother was finished with business and come to fetch her. There was never an exchange of many words between us, and I have no idea what her mother thought of me, but I always felt sad when the little girl left. Knowing what I know now, I probably would have called Child Protective Services, but at 23-years-old, I hadn't a clue about that stuff. It's one of those things that will always haunt me.
And then, there was the tenant who died. I used to see him every morning as I would leave for class. He'd be ducking out his door to grab his morning paper and always wore a straw hat. I thought this was odd since most people don't wear hats inside, but hey, different strokes. We'd exchange some sort of greeting, he didn't speak English, and then go about our respective days. One morning, I didn't see him. I didn't think much about it until his newspapers began to pile up. You know that little voice inside that tells you something is very wrong? It spoke up then.  I alerted the manager of the building and we both went to check up on newspaper guy. After a few knocks and my assertion that, seriously, something was wrong, the manager decided to use his key. As soon as the door was opened, we saw that the man had been dead for days. He was still wearing his hat, and it's an image I won't ever forget. The smell too...I won't ever forget it. Ever. Unfortunately, that was the third dead body I'd seen in my lifetime. It's no wonder I write what I do.

And these are the experiences that you draw from, as a writer. I know you have them. Everyone does. So...start writing. You have no excuse.

Falling for the Antagonist

Am I the only writer that does this? Invariably, I will fall in love with my antagonist and have the WORST time sending them on their way, back to the Otherworld, or wherever they need to go. It's not that I like evil people or think they’re charming, I don't. It's just from a creative point of view, the complexities that make up an antagonist are the most fun to write. You have to get people on their side somehow--and therein lies the challenge.

Many years ago, I graduated from a high school of the performing arts before I went onto university. I loved acting as much as I loved dance, and always chose to audition for the evil characters. It’s not that I liked being “mean” to my fellow actors. I didn’t. It was the challenge of getting the audience to side with the flawed and/or evil character. That was the fun part. 

And, so it goes with writing antagonists. I take great joy in making them as complex as they come. I fall in love with them. I cross my fingers my readers will love them as much as I do. Without them, there would be no conflict, no story. And when it comes to the point where they must be overcome by my protagonists, it takes me weeks to write my final good-byes, and I’ll be depressed for just as long.

One of these days, my antagonist will win. I’m not sure how readers will feel about that, but we’ll see how it goes.

So, here's a list for you to ponder--My Top 10 Best Antagonist Characters in Literary Fiction. 

I cheered them on, regardless of the fact that I knew they’d lose in the end, as they should. And no, I don’t cheer people on that do bad things. I'm a writer. A well-written character makes me happier than lollipops.

1. Satan from Paradise Lost, by John Milton
Yep, he would be the biggie. A self-indulgent, fallen angel, embarking on a vendetta against his creator. Can’t get any better than that.
2. Peter Pan from Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
“He would thin the Lost Boys out when they got too old or when there were too many of them.” Peter is a very complex character. I’m not so sure that Captain Hook was the true villain in Peter Pan. Go back and read between the lines.
3. Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling.
And not just because Alan Rickman played him in the movie. No really.
4. Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier.
The character only seems to “come alive” when she talks about Rebecca, a character that is dead. That, coupled with the possibility that Rebecca may be acting through Mrs. Danvers, a possession of sorts, makes for an interesting villain, all around.
5. Lady Macbeth from William Shakespeare’s, Macbeth.
Ambitious and a definite opportunist. Qualities that would be…um, praised in today’s business world.
6. Clyde Griffiths from An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser.
A true work of art. Dreiser shows Clyde’s decline into committing murder and oddly enough, a sad victim of circumstance. The beauty of this character is the way Dreiser writes of Clyde’s rationalization of the act.And you feel badly for him.
7. Jack Torrance from The Shining, by Stephen King
Jack's rant when Wendy disturbs him during his writing? Writers everywhere cheered--we totally felt his pain. The meltdown afterwards? Well...a bit over the top, but Jack was being possessed by ghosts, after all.
8. Marquise de Merteuil from Les Liaisons Dangereuses, by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Ahhh, what a tangled web we weave.
9. Mr. Hyde from Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
There was so much strife during the writing of this book by Stevenson. Allegories are always fun, especially when the author is writing on the verge of drug-induced madness.
10. Count Dracula from Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Cold and calculating. Once he was done feeding off humans, Dracula had no use for them anymore. Definitely no sparkles or romance here, folks.

There are many others and I’m sure you have some of your own. What’s your favorite?

The Holidays Are Coming...

Yes, they are. In six more days,Yule will be here and everyone can calm down and enjoy it.

I caught myself this week spending far too much time promoting BETWEEN and missing out on all the pre-holiday fun. I've been blogging my fingers off, setting up book tours, sending out press releases, and making sure all my free and review ecopies of BETWEEN are sent off to whomever they were promised.

This morning, however, I didn't feel like doing any of these things...and I didn't feel very festive.
Most of my shopping was done, the tree was up and decorated, the fireplace lights were twinkling, the stockings (all 14 of them, which included the dogs, cats, gerbils, rats, turtles and fish) were hung on the stairwell banister. Everything that screamed "Yule is coming!!" had been done.
But, I still woke feeling kind of burned out and empty.

So today, I took a day off from what it takes to make a book successful--the promoting craziness.
And you know what?
I had fun.
I'm starting to feel the growing excitement that Yule is only six...days...away!

Tomorrow, I shall take off another day. I'm going to do some baking, stop by World Market for last minute stocking stuffers, and then, I'm picking my daughters up from school and taking them out for a Starbucks. It's their last day before they track-out for the holidays. They both have a penchant for Peppermint Mochas and I have every intention of leading them down a tawdry path of caffeinated, chocolate bliss.

To all my friends who take the time to stop by and read this post, enjoy your holidays.

Unless I have something really exciting to share, I'll see you on 1/04/13 on Laura Hardgrave's blog; Stars Dive Into Sunlight

BETWEEN
Available from Amazon.com
and Musa Publishing