Fingernails on The Blackboard

There are two words that writers often use that make me cringe like fingernails on a blackboard: Muse and Polish.

"Muse" is just one of those words I don't like. I'm not really sure why. I only know that there isn't a little person sitting on my shoulder or in my subconscious that tells me when it's in the mood to write. I choose to write or not to write. I'm either in the mood or not.

"Polish" elicits more of a personal reaction. I think New York Times Bestselling Author Lori Foster said it best, and I hope she doesn't mind me quoting her:

"My feeling is that if you polish a book too much, it'll be flat and shiny and smooth--and not too interesting. It's the little pits and bumps and whatnot that show voice and make a book unique from all the other super shiny, flat surfaces."

Back when I was starting to write for publication, I would edit my books until there was no life left in them. They'd be technically correct but boring. Finally, Lucy Monroe, a member of my local RWA chapter, pointed out to me that I was one of those people that should only do a few edits. The more I edited, the more I wrote my voice out of my story. Then I received further proof that "polish" is not a good thing for me to do. On a whim (something I do a lot), I had sent three chapters of a WIP to 3 agents. Those chapters had not been edited at all. I had 2 requests for fulls. If you're not a writer, believe me when I say that requests for fulls from good agents are a big deal. Unfortunately and the moral of the story, I didn't have the rest of the book written. ;) I won't do that again, and that's the subject for another blog.

What are your "blackboard" words?

Time--A Four-Letter Word

Time.

Now there's a 4-letter word and something I wish I had more of. Unfortunately, there is nothing in my life that I want to give up in order to buy time for other things. So this is my life: I work full-time (sometimes more than that). I ride and show my horse in dressage. I am a writer. Lately, I am spending more time on promotion than I am on writing.

I need to write more and spend less time on the Internet. So what am I doing here? Good question. Other than rambling off some meaningless stuff that I hope a few people read. I have committed myself to posting here at least once a week. I'd like to post more. The problem is that 4-letter word again.

Time.

So I'm trying to come up with time-savers, but truthfully I'm doing a better job at time waster. The number one time waster of all? Wanna guess? The Internet.

I've cut myself back to just a few loops, My Space, and my personal email. Even so, I can still waste several hours a day.

What are your bigggest time wasters and time savers?

The Adventures of Cabana Boy

Over the years, my infamous older brother, aka Cabana Boy, has been entertaining friends and family alike with his Cabana Boy stories. Ever since he moved to Hawaii from the rainy Pacific Northwest, I've been trying to get him to chronicle his adventures, or would that be misadventures, on a blog or a website.

Finally, Cabbie has posted one of his recent adventures on the Internet for all to enjoy. While the names have been changed to protect the guilty, yours truly and my husband are named in this tale.

To check it out, go to this link:

Cabana Boy

Then choose the link on the left for "Hula Cruise."

My First Cover

I received my first cover today, and I love it. The heroine looks like I pictured Harlee to look. The background looks like the San Juan Islands. The overall look of the cover gives you a hint that there might be a bit of comedy in the story. All in all, I'm really happy with it.

Superbowl Sunday

So are you ready?

I am.

I love football. I think I mentioned that before.

I'm just crawling out from under the covers after a cold that for a week has kept me from my real job, my horse, my writing, and even reading, even--believe it or not--off the computer. Now that's a bad cold.

But I'm ready for the Super Bowl. Hubby and I are going to a SB party at a veteran's club that he belongs to. As far as who wins, I don't have much interest or any personal stake in either team after my Seahawks and Packers lost, but it'll still be fun. You'll find me rooting for the underdogs. It has inspired me to get The Gift Horse done so I can finish writing my football hero romance. One nice thing about writing for a small press is that you have a lot more freedom in the length of your book and what you put in it. It's somewhat liberating to not be writing with all those restrictions--imagined or real--that you have when writing for publication in NY.

Well, now I'm rambling, so I'm off to finishing a chapter before the Super Bowl.

Are there any other football fans out there?