Writing

Writing: Another Reason I Write Romance

July 1, 2020 by Elizabeth Drake

I don’t consume horror in any form. I don’t read it, watch it, game it. The scariest thing I’ve probably watched in this past year is a few episodes of My Little Pony or maybe Frozen 2. There will come a day, probably soon, that my kids will be able to endure scarier things than I will.

ScaryBook — Okay, so my oldest child probably already does.

Even when it comes to the news, I try to stay abreast of events, but I stick to getting most of my news from the Economist. It informs without sensationalizing. Even if I don’t always agree with everything they print, I find their articles well-researched and thoughtful.

And the other night was why I live in this vacuum.

Even in this void, I had a dream that scared me so badly it stole a night of sleep and haunted me for days. What could I possibly be dreaming about when the scariest thing I have consumed is a dying snowman and a girl getting chased by a rock monster?

The dream started with a serial killer’s first kill. He hunted down three people, tortured them to get their faces in the right expression, murdered them, then dismembered them. He then reassembled them at a Ferris wheel at a small-town carnival. One was riding the Ferris wheel, one was standing by to collect tickets, and one was watching. The way they were reassembled was horrific, and purposely so. The one watching was particularly gruesome, having been completely cut in half to create the pose.

The Ferris wheel was on a grassy hill, and the entire reassembly process happened under this strange orange glow from bare incandescent bulbs like Christmas lights.

ferris-wheel-2575709_640 — I will never look at Ferris wheels the same.

The dream then progressed to the serial killer graduating from some sort of police academy and his first assignment being to investigate these bizarre homicides. He is delighted, seeing it as a test of his skill and ingenuity to create the most memorable scenes.

I was not entirely certain what he was recreating. Some macabre scenes from his childhood. Something he’d witnessed. I hope I never know. But what was almost as terrifying as the killings themselves was the response. The fear gripping the people. The way places like home improvement stores handled the sudden influx of traffic as everyone was trying to lock down their homes. The police checkpoints. The fear that came with being stuck in traffic should the killer appear.

world-war-ii-checkpoint — Not quite like this, but the fear level was similar.

Yes, I know whole swaths of this are unrealistic and not grounded in truth. I don’t know much about any of it for my subconscious to draw from because I don’t like horror, and I have never researched any of it much less read enough to know common tropes.

Not sure what the whole dream says about me. I suppose we all have nightmares. I wish I didn’t. I especially wish I didn’t when they are so disturbing, and I did nothing to court them.

I can’t imagine what my dreams would be like if I did consume horror, but now you know why I like to write, read and research romance.

Writer’s Life: When You Can’t Shut Your Brain Off

March 4, 2020 by Elizabeth Drake

One of the things about being a writer that some people often overlook is how much time goes into revisions.

For me, I spend less than 25% of my writing time on the first draft. It’s probably closer to 10%.

Part of it is because I am a pantser. That means I do not do extensive plotting before I start writing. I do spend a lot of time thinking about my characters, their relationship, and their romance. But the actual progression of the story happens as I write. My characters tell it to me, and if I try to be an author-god, it gets bad quickly.

Because I am a pantser, I spend a lot of time revising. I have to go through and make sure the plot works. That characters are consistent throughout. That what happens in act three has the groundwork laid in act one.

Yes, this is a lot of work. But even though I tried again last year to plot out a novel, I made it less than ten thousand words in and was done. The story died. I did write three other first drafts during the year though. Without an outline. *sigh*

Yeah, I don’t like how my brain works either. But I have learned to accept it.

But this does make it difficult to sit back and simply enjoy other works of fiction. Whether an RPG, a movie, or a novel, that editor brain doesn’t seem to shut up.

Interestingly, I have different levels of editor brain depending on the medium.

For example, with video games, I am far more lenient. Yeah, the story is poorly written, the characters inconsistent, and the plot is hanging by a thread, but a lot of the game is the battle mechanics. If it’s a strategy game with cool characters, even inconsistent characters, I am pretty forgiving.

For books and movies, though, I am more merciless.

For example, Frozen II. if you have not watched it and are planning to, and don’t want spoilers, don’t read ahead. But I figure it’s out on DVD now, so it’s safe to talk about.

Yes, Frozen II was a visual spectacle. I give it that. The animation was amazing. The songs are still being sung in my house *grumble*. But the plot? The characters? *shakes head*

I really struggled with Elsa simply “freeing” the unknown magic simply because it called to her and might be as confused about its identity and where it belonged as she was. Throughout the story, she is a cautious character very concerned with ruling her people well.
Later, we have the trolls tell Anna to protect Elsa from the magic. It is alluring but dangerous. However, then the crux of the story is Elsa literally pushing Anna away and embracing this same magic?
Elsa literally dies at one point in the movie, and is magically resurrected. Not sure how…They did establish Olaf coming back with the water has memory, but that doesn’t explain Elsa

All in, while my family loved the movie, I had to suspend a lot of disbelief. Too much.

I am even worse with books because then there are no pretty visuals to distract me.

I try hard to turn off my brain and enjoy entertainment, but I think this difficulty is just what it’s like for a writer sometimes.

However, it also means when something is well, really well, you get that, too.

And then you try to figure out how they did it so you can do it, too.

Map!!

February 19, 2020 by Elizabeth Drake

I have had more than a few requests to include a map of Tamryn in my books so readers have a better idea of what the world looks like. This is the main kingdom where many books in the Knights of Valor series are set.

Except, my art skills are…well, I am at the stick figure level.

So, I got myself a late Christmas present, and I paid an artist to create a map. Here is is!

I still need to figure out how to get it into the actual books, both print and e-books. That is much easier to type than it will be to actually do.

But I was too excited not to share this.

I hope it helps to put the world into perspective.

I am not sure how I will add new places. Or how to create a city map of Aerius itself. Or how to create maps of other places like Qumaref and lands still in the rough draft phase of writing, but right now, I am really happy to have a map of Tamryn.

Writing: When My Muse Writes a Check I Can’t Cash

January 29, 2020 by Elizabeth Drake

I am contemplating writing a trilogy. Okay, my muse is contemplating it. My brain is saying this is just silly. My muse wants not just three books set in the same world, as most of my work is, but three books that build on each other with an overarching story.

ChallengeAccepted2 — Yeah, I think this is bigger than I can chew, too.

But I am hesitant.

I hate it when authors don’t wrap up a story in a single book. I want a beginning, middle, and end. Not that each book I’m planning wouldn’t be stand alone, but there would be something bigger than wouldn’t be resolved until the end of the three stories.

More than that, though, this is a much larger and more ambitious project than any single book. It means crafting six characters, three romances, and having it all work together in a cohesive whole.

It means stretching myself to something I might not be able to do well.

The doubt isn’t helping the creative process.

Every time I throw these characters into the sandbox of my imagination, they fizzle. While the romances have been working out well, the plot feels weak. The characters roll their eyes at their author-god.

I am in the middle of revising two other novels, so my brain is very much in analytical mode. That doesn’t help, either.

Perhaps I am trying too hard on this. Maybe there is a way to write their stories without so much complication.

Or maybe I should stop worrying, write the series, and let myself fail. Give myself permission to create something terrible, then give myself permission to try to make it better later.

Writing: Finished!

November 6, 2019 by Elizabeth Drake

I finished Siegfried and Sarah.

fireworks-574739_640 — Let me celebrate a little!

Yes, the story is only forty-thousand words, but this is how stories work for me.

My first draft are skeletal. I will not be killing my darlings, as frankly, I don’t have many darlings to kill.

bedtime2 — He has some really good advice, but I would NEVER let him read me a bedtime story. Ever. I like sleep too much.

But I will later. I will layer on all the things that make the story come to life. Character motivation. What they are thinking and feeling. Maybe even a description of where they are and what they are wearing.
Yes, my first drafts are pretty bare, but they have a beginning, middle and end. They are a complete story, even if they are a very hurried, very incomplete story.

I have come to terms with my methodology of writing. I have learned to trust my inner muse, to let her have free reign on the first draft.

There is only one way to account for stock comp expense, but I believe there is a myriad of ways to write a book. I sometimes think the writing community’s obsession with outlining stems more from our society’s obsession to control things, to understand the process, and then sell that process.

If it works for Stephen King, it must be the correct way!

Except I am not certain this works with creative endeavors the same way it works for accounting. I also think it’s a lot harder to sell the pantsing methodology. You can’t really put together a class on trusting your muse and letting her see you through. And most writers have seen more than our share of classes on how to plot a novel.

I am rambling a bit about process here to hide the sense of loss I am feeling right now.

Siegfried and Sarah’s story is done. After the hours and hours we have spent together, I have their first draft complete.

It is with great sadness, and more than small feeling of loss, that I say goodbye to them.
I always feel such loss when I finish a first draft. I feel a certain sadness as I complete later drafts, but never as much as I do on this first one.

As I bid them farewell and allow them to enjoy their happily-ever-after, it’s time to turn my focus to revisions.

I can’t wait to introduce you to Sarah and Siegfried, but first, Sir Matthias needs his happily-ever-after…

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Wunderlist, Where Have Thou Gone?

October 16, 2019 by Elizabeth Drake

BabyCrying — ***Me, trying to learn something new when I don’t want to.***

Microsoft bought Wunderlist. Of course they did. Wunderlist was awesome, and Microsoft’s offerings…were not. Wunderlist was voted best product, Microsoft wasn’t. So, as is the case these days, the giant consumed the little guy.

I have been using Wunderlist for almost two years to help keep me on track with writing goals, and this year especially, I have used it as a motivating tool. I have even shared progress reports to help keep myself accountable.

Of course, I have no idea what Microsoft will do with it. For the moment, I can still access my stuff. Not sure how long.

But I can see the changes coming.

One of the things I loved about Wunderlist was that it was platform neutral because it was all on the web. I could access it from my android phone, my iPad, my laptop, or my MacBook. It was always the same exact screen.

The very first thing the new Microsoft platform wanted was for me to download the app for my specific device.

Uh, yeah, no.

Looks like it still has a web component. For now.

Maybe it will be as easy to use, maybe not.

I get progress, I really do, but I am not sure this is progress. The original program was terrific, met all my needs, and was easy to use. I don’t really want to spend brain power re-learning how to use something I understood before. I just want the darn thing to work.

Of course, I can’t tell you how well the new program works. Because I have to go back and figure out all of the passwords I had simply saved as part of my keychain.

Yeah, I know.

I am the weakest link. But I figured if someone really wanted to steal my To Do list, they could have it. Maybe they’ll even do it for me.

Writing

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