Category Archives: Authors
Diary of a Power Outage
The recent Halloween storm left many of us in New England without power. Being writers, we recorded the event for posterity.
Day One. Power mysteriously goes out early Sunday morning, the day after the storm. WTF? The storm is over. We thought we were home free. Oh, well, we have a fireplace and some wood left over from last winter. We’ll just build a fire and spend the day relaxing and writing. After all, how long can it last?
Day Two. Took turns staying up all night keeping the fire going. The temperature dropped to 21 degrees overnight. Most of the state is without power. We have plenty of food in the fridge and a little hot water left in the tank. Do a little more writing. Speculate that that the power will probably come on sometime today. We’re not really worried about the dwindling wood supply. After all, how long can a power outage last?
Day Three. Took turns staying up all night keeping the fire going. Hot water gone. Husband goes forth and manages to score the last half-cord of wood from a local supplier. Haul pots of water out to grill to heat water for washing. Husband banned from kitchen while the womenfolk bathe. Starting to feel like Little House on the Prairie around here. But we laugh and joke. After all, how much longer can it last?
Day Four. Another night sitting up with the fire. Kittens have learned the art of hibernation and refuse to come out of their basket next to the fireplace. Had to throw out all the food in our refrigerator. We have bread, peanut butter, Cherrios, raisins, and ice cold tap water. No local grocery stores are open and many roads are still blocked by fallen trees and downed lines. Nevertheless, husband braves the wilderness and finds a deli running on a generator. He brings back warm hamburgers, and we marvel at his hunting skills while wondering, how much longer is this #@$!&! outage going to last?
Day Five. Becoming psychotic from lack of sleep. Fantasize about hunting down executives from the electric company. Wife has gone to happy place and is writing about idyllic lands with never-ending energy supplies and abundant hot water. Husband is writing about blowing things up. The next book is going to be interesting! As daylight fades, we sit staring at each other, unwashed, unshaven and contemplating another night of keeping the bleeping fire going.
And then we hear a distant rumble. We stare at each other, recognition of the sound hitting us both at the same instant. We leap to our feet. “The furnace!” we scream. We hug. We kiss. We dance.
Yes, the furnace is rumbling to life. Power has been restored. We are born again. (But keep an eye out in our next book for electric company-like executives. We have some interesting things planned for them.)
We’re Blogging When We Should Be Writing
We saw an interesting post on Twitter last week. An author wrote that he was spending more time promoting his books than writing them.
We know the feeling.
Facebook. Twitter. Blogs. Etc., etc., etc. Get the word out. Plug that book. Get another follower. Create some book trailers. Speak at a library, school, town fair, supermarket, doctor’s waiting room. (Yes, we did.) In short, SPREAD THE WORD.
Why do we spend all this time on promotion? We were asked that question by a student in a school where we recently spoke. Sigh. There are several reasons.
1. The book promotion elves are not taking any new clients.
2. The reading public, amazingly, had never heard of us before our first book came out.
3. Do you know how many books are published each year? (Um, we didn’t either. A quick check produced a figure of over 955,900 according to worldometers. The scary thing was the counter that was recording the number of published books changed every few minutes. Goodness knows what it will be when you are reading this.)
4. The cost of hiring someone to do it for us made us hyperventilate.
Seriously, book promotion is a necessary evil. Evil? Well, perhaps, time-suck would be a better term. Yes, yes, we have read the blogs from authors who tell us we should glory in promotion, look it in the eye, wrestle it into submission. We’ve also seen the posts about making book promotion our friend, lavishing it, loving it for all the good it does for us.
We admire the authors who are gung-ho about promoting their books. We marvel at them, wondering how they do it all, where they get the time. We are secretly convinced some of them have a time machine, or perhaps a Time-Turner just like Hermione in the Harry Potter series. Write a few chapters, turn back time, do some book promotion. Write a few more chapters, turn back time, do some more book promotion.
However, the small, rebellious writer in each of us resents the time spent promoting books. Time spent on promotion is time spent not writing. And writing is what we love to do. Does this mean we are going to stop blogging, tweeting, posting on facebook? No. We’re committed to our writing careers and therefore committed to promoting our books.
But if anyone has a spare Time-Turner they aren’t using, please let us know.
Why First Drafts Are Fun
We can already hear the screaming. Writers everywhere, who are pulling their hair out trying to finish the first drafts of their books, will take one look at the title of this blog, shake their bald heads and shriek out, “Are they crazy? Writing a first draft is like being in labor for a year without the benefit of painkillers!”
It can seem that way sometimes, especially when you can’t think of anything to write and even banging your head on the table doesn’t help. However, we try to look at our first drafts with a no-holds-barred approach. In short, anything goes.
First drafts are about creation. Nothing will get in the way more than worrying about punctuation, spelling, and grammar. And nothing stifles creativity faster than limits. Limits on how you think your plot is going to unfold. Limits on what you think your characters are going to do. Even limits on who you think might one day read the story.
Now, don’t misunderstand. All the above-mentioned things are important. Eventually. But not during the creative process. We find the words flow mostly freely when we don’t worry about a rigid outline or the fact that a scene seems to be going in a direction we hadn’t anticipated. We just go with it. If a fantastic idea pops into our heads, we write about it. Nine time out of ten, the unexpected scene will fit in somewhere in the story. After all, we know our characters, who they are, how they think. If what we are writing about isn’t in the original scope of the plot, so what? This is how ideas are born.
When we begin a story, we know where we want our characters to end up. During a first draft, we explore how they might get there. And, yes, that exploration is fun because it takes us in new directions, along paths we hadn’t planned on. Kind of like life.
First drafts are a dream landscape where anything is possible. It’s exciting to stretch our imaginations and write without boundaries for the pure fun of writing. Every writer knows the high of being so into a scene that you can’t type fast enough. There is nothing like it.
When our inner critics rear their negative heads, we banish them. Why spoil the fun? No criticism, no nay-saying allowed during first drafts. Those things are for editing, a truly painful process. But that’s another blog.
5 Good Blogs About Writing
Over the past few years we’ve read some great blogs that offer excellent advice for writers. Here are some that are worth checking out:
1. Creativity? Train Your Brain to Be an Idea-Generating Machine. by Cheryl Craigie
2. Why You Shouldn’t Follow Trends by Nathan Bransford
3. George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing by Erin Falconer
4. Writing Exercise: Switching Points of View by Jodi Cleghorn
5. Want Some Advice? Ignore Any Advice by Russell Smith
The Usual Chaos
Last winter, as a blizzard approached, we planned to stay inside, all nice and cozy, and write. (See How to Write a Book During a Blizzard for details of that fiasco.) Now, as Hurricane Irene nears, we have once again resolved to spend our time writing. This time, we had plenty of warning. We have already gone shopping, the lawn furniture is safely inside, batteries have been purchased, cell phones and laptops charged. Nothing left to do but plot, edit and write. Right?
Well, first we have to check our email because we won’t be able to do that once we lose power. And we’d better take a look at our Facebook page, too. Oh, look a new friend! And a few people have liked our new book trailer. Wait! That’s not the new one. Yes, it is. No, it’s not! Hmm. Maybe you’re right. We’d better upload the new one. (Upload, upload, upload, why is it taking so long?!)
Now Twitter. A bunch of new followers. Better follow back. Some mentions. (TY, TY, TY). A retweet! (TY!). Need to tweet about the new trailer. Hey, that’s a good one! Retweet! And some hurricane info. Retweet that, too. Start scrolling. Interesting… Yada, yada, yada, Hey, that one’s cool! Hmmm, let’s click on that link… Look, some new tweets have come in! Oops! Have we really been on for an hour?
Enough! We’re supposed to be writing. But wait! We haven’t written a blog this week! Can’t we just skip one week? Just once? No! (Horrified look.) Think of something. (Silence.) Well? (More silence.) Well… Umm… (Extended silence.) Are you sure we couldn’t just skip… NO!!
So here we sit writing a blog about how hard it is to find time to write. (Or how easy it is to be distracted from writing. Take your pick.) And now that we’ve finished, we are going to work on our next book.
Right after we take a nap.
Connecticut Authors Trail
We are very excited to have been invited to participate in the 3rd annual Connecticut Authors Trail. We will be appearing at the Sprague Public Library in Baltic, Connecticut on July 21st at 6:30pm.
The Connecticut Authors Trail consists of a consortium of Libraries in Eastern Connecticut who are constantly amazed at the variety of genres and diverse styles of writing among the authors who live in or are associated with the Nutmeg State. Beginning July 12th, 2011 in Franklin and ending September 22, 2011 at the Mohegan Sun, local authors will showcase their books and share their stories. Please join us on the 3rd Annual CAT.
Passports are available free at participating libraries throughout the summer as a guide to the author events. Have your passport stamped at each author event for a chance to qualify for an exclusive pre-program Meet & Greet in the Cabaret Theatre at the Mohegan Sun on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 6:00 pm. If you can’t make the Trail during the summer you are invited to meet many of the authors from the Trail on Thursday, September when the doors to The Cabaret Theatre open at 6:30 pm. Then stay and join us for a fun-filled evening starting 7:00 pm.
Criticism, Lampposts and Dogs
“Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost what it feels about dogs.” (John Osborne, British Playwright)
We saw this quote recently and it made us wonder; how do others handle the flood of comments and critiques that our social-networked world now makes possible? So we went hunting for answers. Turns out everyone from the Ancient Greeks to Shania Twain has an opinion about criticism:
1. Criticism comes easier than craftsmanship. ~ Zeuxis (400 BC), from Pliny the Elder, Natural History
2. Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing ~ Aristotle (384BC -322BC)
3. Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do. ~ Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
4. Court not the critic’s smile nor dread his frown ~ Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
5. It is easier to be critical than correct. ~ Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)
6. After all, one knows one’s weak points so well, that it’s rather bewildering to have the critics overlook them and invent others. ~ Edith Wharton (1862 -1937)
7. Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic. Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
8. People ask for criticism, but they only want praise. ~ W. Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1965)
9. Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots. ~ Frank Howard Clark (1888-1962)
10. We are not trying to entertain the critics. I’ll take my chances with the public. ~ Walt Disney (1901-1966)
11. Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger. ~ Franklin P. Jones (1908-1980)
12. Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae. ~ Kurt Vonnegut (1922 – 2007)
13. If you have no critics you’ll likely have no success. ~ Malcolm X (1925-1965)
14. Don’t criticize what you can’t understand. ~ Bob Dylan (1941-)
15. I find that the very things that I get criticized for, which is usually being different and just doing my own thing and just being original, is the very thing that’s making me successful. ~ Shania Twain (1965-)
Genre Busting
Every book has a genre, right? Or perhaps not. Trying to describe the particular genre of a book these days is not as cut and dried as some may think or even want it to be. When is a mystery not a mystery? When it’s suspense. But aren’t mysteries by definition, full of suspense? And what if a mystery novel also has a romance? Then it’s romantic suspense. Throw in something supernatural? Paranormal fiction. Add some magic and set it in the present day. Urban fantasy. But what do you call a book that has mystery, romance, and a little magic? A paranormal urban fantasy suspense novel? Sheesh! Labeling can be taken too far!
Many folks want books to fit neatly into one major category, and we understand readers’ desires to find books in genres that they love. But good stories often have details that fall outside “the genre”. We love tales that include a little mystery, a little romance, a little adventure. Unexpected elements add interest and depth to a story. And if that means the book doesn’t fit neatly into one genre, so what? Most things that happen in life don’t fit neatly under one subject heading. Why should our books?
Of course, we know books must be classified in some way or searching for something to read could become very much like Indiana Jones searching for the Lost Ark. What we are applauding are writers who stretch the boundaries and take their particular genres for rides down new roads. Sure this may befuddle the people who love tidy labels, but the rest of us get the fun of enjoying stories that challenge our expectations.
Our book, Time’s Edge, is basically labeled sci-fi/fantasy. One review claimed it was pure fantasy, while someone else praised the book for being great science fiction. One called it a sci-fi romance, another a sci-fi/fantasy adventure. But several readers realized the book didn’t fit neatly into one particular genre. A recent review on Amazon said “I enjoy reading mystery books, science fiction books, fantasy books, and good ol’ fashioned shoot ’em ups. This book literally had all of these in there somewhere, plus a healthy dose of romance and, dare I say, lust thrown in for good measure.” Now this is our kind of reviewer. He understands that the line between genres has become blurred and what’s even better, he doesn’t seem to mind.
Just Call Her Mrs. Hubble
When we were originally searching for the perfect picture for our sci-fi/fantasy novel, we began by looking for images from the Hubble space telescope. We found one we loved. The gold and blue colors symbolized our two main characters. The composition was breathtaking, and the sci-fi feel was exactly what we were seeking. When we clicked on the beloved image for more information, we got a big surprise. It wasn’t a Hubble picture at all. It was a work of art created by Ali Ries whose tag line on her website says “Just call me Mrs. Hubble”.
Once on Ali’s website, we were like kids in a sci-fi candy store. There were so many vibrant works! We were hooked. We picked out several that we loved and even began plotting books to match the glorious images that danced before us. Talk about inspiration!
Our second novel, Time’s Secret, will be coming out in early Fall. We had the cover image picked out before we had even finished writing the story. We will be debuting the cover next week, when the book trailer is posted, but couldn’t resist giving everyone a chance to see all of Ali’s work. Check out her website: http://casperium.deviantart.com/gallery/
By the way, does anyone have any guesses about which picture we selected for the cover of Time’s Secret? (Hint: Try Space and Sci-fi Wallpapers.)
Don’t Panic! And Other Great Quotes from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
We often get asked who our favorite authors are. And we can name many, many wonderful writers whose books we love. However, we are both are huge fans of author Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame. So, although towel day has passed, we have decided to pay our own tribute to Adams and The Guide. Here are our ten favorite quotes from The Hitchhiker’s series.
1. I’d rather be happy than right any day.
2. I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don’t know the answer.
3. I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
4. Right planet, wrong universe.
5. Distance is incomprehensible and therefore meaningless.
6. The Guide is definitive. Reality is frequently inaccurate.
7. “My doctor says I have a malformed public duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fibre,” Ford muttered to himself, “and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes.”
8. She was mostly immensely relieved to think that virtually everything that anybody had told ever told her was wrong.
9. A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
10. It is known that there is an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the product of a deranged imagination.
Any other Hitchhiker fans out there? What are your favorites quotes from the Guide?
J.M. Dattilo 