Or I could've titled this Staring At A Blank Page. That's
how it all starts, no matter who you are. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The
first thing that happens is the glimmer of an idea. The 'what if'.
Right now, I'm staring out the window at another RV. I
rarely see the man next door, and I've never seen him with a companion.
What if (note: now we're playing the 'what if' game) he
killed her (a little horror and suspense)?
Or what if his wife passed and they loved RVing so he set
the RV up and comes out on the weekends to relive those moments? Now we're
going into drama.
Or what if he's staring at our RV right this very minute. If
that's the case, he's probably a comedy writer.
Step two, or is this step three: Procrastination. I have a
great story. I can see it playing out inside my head as if I'm watching a
movie. I'm staring at my laptop...
I probably should wash a load of clothes. Oh darn, I forgot
to put bread on my grocery list. I want to go to the Farmers Market this
weekend. They have the best homemade jelly.
NO! I'm going to
write! Think about characters, think about storyline. Deep breath...
Actually, that's pretty much the way I start a new book. I
think that's why it was easy to write Dangling...Participle? The first book in
my Hayes Brothers series. Katie is a wannabe romance author. She has all the
doubts and fears that go along with wanting something, but being uncertain
about her ability to actually write a book. It doesn't help that her sisters
and mother want her to get a 'real' job.
Then she meets Jaxson. He'll help her in ways she never
expects.
Dangling...Participle is a steamy romantic comedy and shares
some of the insights into a writing career. I hope you enjoy the story, and the
series.
And don't forget about entering for the chance to win free
books or a Kindle Fire:
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greater your chance of winning.
Best Wishes,
Karen Kelley
HI Karen,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your blog. Your story brought back a memory of a man who always went out and sat in his car in front of his house every morning and read the paper. I'd look for him when I drove by. Still not sure why he sat out there every day even in the freezing cold. I started giving directions to a mall by using him as a landmark. Guess that's another story waiting to be told.
Lol. That’s too funny!
ReplyDeleteYou nailed the process, Karen.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately lol
DeleteYou've hit the nail on the head for nearly every writer I know. I started working on something this morning and then had the sudden urge to run the vacuum. Writer and procrastinator mean the same thing.
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteYes, RVs are certainly fodder for new story ideas. Every time we drive someplace new, I get ideas. It could be the miles and miles of cattle ranches or the strip club that's right off the highway (yep, definitely got an idea for that one), or the guy/gal at the ticket counter for the trolley tour. The problem I usually have is finding time to write all the stories that fill my head.
ReplyDeleteI know! I have a ton of ideas from our travels!
DeleteAdmit it. You've been peering through my windows, haven't you? I completely resemble this post. Great job, Karen! (Now, to stop procrastinating and get back to writing.)
ReplyDeleteLol and I just got back from the grocery store!
DeleteSo I'm not the only one who stares out my window and imagines plotlines of mystery, romance and suspense where my neighbours play the leading roles? Whew! Really loved your post and will definitely check out your books, Karen. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks NN Light! We’re in an RV Park so our neighbors are forever changing lol lots of ideas! Lol
ReplyDeleteHi Karen I enjoy your books and blog so much!
ReplyDeletecrossnstitch2 at aol dot com
Karen, I love your romantic comedies, especially the titles. *LOL* I remember reading an article in THE WRITER, long since defunct, about a woman who quit to write full time. The first day she noticed that there were paint spatters on her brass door knob. Then she went through the house and counted 23 brass door knobs, all with paint spatters. Did she spend the next month writing? She did not! She spent it cleaning paint spatters and polishing brass door knobs. That's the worst case of writer procrastination ever which comforts me. I don't even come close to that level. *LOL*
ReplyDeleteAnd the funny thing is that once I start writing, I go into my characters world and get lost there.
ReplyDeleteLol Most days. Some days they just don’t want me hanging out with them.
LOL that sounds like most of my work-from-home days. :)
ReplyDeleteAFNovice at yahoo dot com
I’m thinking about yelling, I’m here, just to prepare my characters lol
DeleteThe "what ifs" must come thick and fast for a writer.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
And sometimes very unwelcome! Like when my kids got their drivers license, started dating, went to the movies...
DeleteI do admire how the authors (especially independent authors) manage to create stories from scratch, while juggling with motherhood (and sometimes a "real world job" - of course being an author is a job, but it's hard to make money out of it in the beginning).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm rambling. Congrats on your books, you did an excellent job! :-)
My contact info: adissidente [at] gmail.com
Thanks, Iris! Being Indie is more time consuming because the author has to manage everything, but I love the control. When I wrote for publishers, I had very little control. For me, Indie is a lot less stress.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your process! I've always written poetry or a something that's a quick sexy something. I've wanted to write much more but that blank page is so intimidating!
ReplyDeleteMsRedK at aol dot com
Try just writing whatever comes to mind and see what happens. Don’t worry if it’s good or not. You can always edit.
ReplyDeleteMy first draft is sometimes like pulling teeth to get it down on paper. When I start to edit, I realize it’s not as bad as I thought.
I also write in layers. Every time I go through it, I add another layer—think description, or action/reaction etc. it gives the work a little more dimension.
I love this. I do the same thing, only the only life out my window is of the semi-wild kind (deer, squirrels, etc.) and my cats wondering WHERE THEIR BREAKFAST IS!!
ReplyDeleteLOVE how your writer's mind works! I'd read any one of those stories. You'll have to keep us posted. As I catch up on these wonderful Gem's posts I SHOULD be writing. Humm...I wonder if our farmer's market sells homemade jelly? hahaha
ReplyDelete