Get Fit! No, Really...

I've been going back and forth recently about how to best live a healthy lifestyle. I definitely swallowed the blue pill when it comes to not dieting (in the sense that I've realized dieting doesn't solve any problems, and deprivation only makes you gain more weight back eventually). And I won't deny that it's been a struggle to figure out how to "not diet" but still "live healthy." Life is complicated. But that doesn't mean we stop trying, right? Of course, right.

One of the things I'm doing now, with a group of friends, is using something called a FitBit. It's something I heard about on Twitter, and it's been amazing. I have several friends now who've swallowed the Fitbit pill with me, and they love it as well.

Fitbit is basically a little device you wear on your clothing that tells you how fit you are (or aren't) based on your lifestyle choices. Of course, it's not going to say, "don't eat that brownie, idiot" or "get off your butt and walk", but the kind of data it gathers will say that in its own way.

My Fitbit tells me about my sleep patterns, my activity levels, my metabolism, how much I challenge myself, etc. And then in addition, it puts all the data into charts, lets me track lots of other things manually, and has a neat community aspect.

What I've discovered about my life shouldn't surprise anyone. I am mostly sedentary, most of the time. I work in a job (and a second job) where I sit down a lot. Where I really need to sit down a lot. I'm in front of the computer. So I have to challenge myself to be as active as I can and still get the work done I need to get done.

This is where, for me, the Fitbit helps tremendously.

For some reason, I can be mostly sedentary and not realize it, and it doesn't bother me. But when you put it in a graph and show me how it's affecting my activity level over time, it bugs me. I see the grey line (for sitting still) and it really drives me crazy when it gets going for too long. I want to get up and make it blue, yellow, or (even better) red.

I'm not saying I'm running marathons or anything. Just trying to be healthier than I was. Maybe I'll talk about this more, maybe I won't. But I do want to put a mark in the sand and say, hey. This is important to me. And I hope it's still important to me in a year. But at least for now, I'm making changes.

The Title Hunt

I've been working on edits for my book this month. Been having one of those moments where I feel way too close to the text. Like I need to take a vacation from it in order to see it more clearly.

And my editor(s) and I have been on a title hunt. Not a hunt for #1, like Kansas or Duke. But a title for my book. What was once called New Nineveh and then called Once a Smokejumper is now called His Wounded Heart. So it looks like we've finally settled!

Next stop, COVER!

*fingers crossed*

Not Enough Love In the World

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for adoption. I think some of it is theological--our adoption into God's family--and some of it is not having my own kids. But I support adoption charities, and I'm always on the lookout for ways to promote adoption.

I just watched another show about foster care, and I'm all teared up as I'm writing this. I think it's easy for us to take for granted when we are capable of producing our own children, that we should just have as many kids as we can. But there are kids out there who are just as deserving of love and care as kids who haven't been born yet, and they don't have anyone responsible for them yet.

In this show, a couple of kids had been abused in their foster care home, and whenever someone would come into the home to check up, the foster parents would pretend that everything was fine, and they'd forced the kids to lie about how great they were as parents. But at the end of the show, one of the police came in and said, "I'm going to walk you out of this place and you never have to come back," and the poor kid just crumbled. It was like all he'd wanted was for someone to take his side. Stand up for him.

Kids need that. They need someone who will advocate for them. Especially kids who don't have parents who feel responsible for them and love them. I just hope to make a difference in this area someday. Adopt kids of my own. Share the love. It's important.

Good Friends and Research

I love writing in the winter... :)

I started writing a book last year that I just fell in love with. As with a lot of my projects, I didn't really know where it was going when I wrote the first words, but I was a goner right away. The hero and heroine felt like friends already, and I loved the setting.

But I had a big problem.

I was writing in the wrong genre. I would never have known it (mostly because I don't read this genre, really at all) except that it won a contest and the editor who read the final entries said she had no idea where she would sell this book, because it wasn't quite one genre or the other. That was news to me and, honestly, it was a little daunting.

I happened to have a good friend who wrote in this genre, and she offered to look at my book and try to help me make the transition. The notes she gave me essentially called for a rewrite, and a major redesign of the plot. Characters could stay the same, which is very nice. But the rewrite would be a lot of work.

When Alexa initially gave me the notes, I got a little overwhelmed with the rewrite and worked on other projects. But after going through all the words I need to write this year, I went back to some of my projects and looked through them again. When I started reading this particular book, I almost teared up. I love these people. I want to start writing this again.

Of course, in order to get it to where it needs to be, I have to rewrite. I sort of have to go back to the drawing board. It might not be super fun at first. And it's definitely not going to be easy. But I miss this book, and I want to get back to it. I'll keep you updated about the progress. For now, suffice to say, it's going to take some research and some planning. Guess I'd better get to work...

Six Sentence Sunday (1)

The unnamed book...
about smokejumpers. :)

Since I'm finally through edits for my as-yet-to-be-named book (to be released this year from Pelican Books), I figured I'd give you a little taste of what's to come. While I can't promise these are the final edits, I hope these six sentences do end up in the book. :) And I hope to be able to announce my title and my cover soon. Stay tuned.

Sean gestured at his immobile legs, each bracketed, ankle to thigh, in locked rehab braces. “I can’t exactly run a marathon, here.”

     “But you can probably hobble to the window.” Eric stepped back to the door, avoiding the scattered piles of clothing and assorted garbage. “Or get your nurse to help you out.” He pushed the crutches to the end of the bed, then turned away with a long, frustrated sigh. “Wait, you can’t, you just fired her.”


There we go. Time to hop around and read everyone else's six sentences. You can follow me if you want, and go here. 

Join Celtic Hearts and Win a Kindle Fire

Visit us at http://celtichearts.org!

Celtic Hearts Romance Writers is my family. It's the first chapter I joined when I came to RWA, and I have the pleasure and honor of being the current President of this lovely chapter.

And I want more people to get to enjoy the incredible community we have at CHRW.

So this year, we're having a membership drive. It will have two parts. One in March and one in July. There will be a big thrust in July as well, since we'll all be at Nationals in L.A., but for now, here's what you can do.

If you are an RWA member, and you join Celtic Hearts Romance Writers in March, you will be eligible to win a Kindle Fire. We're going to surprise one of our new members with this great prize on August 1st, and we hope it will be you! Also, for current members of CHRW, if you refer or recruit new members in March and July, we have prizes for you as well. To join Celtic Hearts, visit our website.

We offer a variety of great services to our members, but by far, the best is the support. We have a very familial feeling, which is perfect for people new to RWA or new to writing, or even just new to Celtic Hearts. Writing Celtic Romance isn't necessary (although you may get bored with our Celtic Chats if you don't at least have some interest), but if you do like Celtic Romance, this is the place for you. Member benefits are great. Check us out today!

Home Sweet Home

Not too long ago, I blogged about the amazing and intense process of revisions and edits. Well, I'm happy to say, that process is over for me, at least for the time being. But rather than celebrate, I've decided to look back in anguish.

I can already tell that there are things about the book I wish I could change. Even though I performed some pretty major surgery when it comes to this particular book, I wish I could perform deeper, more invasive surgery, but I just don't know where to begin. And honestly, even if I did, I'm not sure I have the time to make it happen.

I remember when I first got my rejection letter from Harlequin on this book. It was devastating, because I really felt like (conceptually) this was a book they would love. And while the editor liked my writing, she couldn't ignore the construction errors.

We've talked about this many times.

But I'm realizing in sort of a new way today that my construction errors are still not fixed. I've been doing what I can to learn new techniques, but most of those can only be executed on a new book.

Do I love the book I finished? Yes. I adore the characters, I think the love story is sweet and interesting. Everyone who reads it enjoys it. But there's just something about first books. I always want it to be better than it is. Maybe that feeling will never go away. Maybe it will. Either way, I know I can be proud of the story I'm telling, and how it's being told.

It still doesn't have a title, but that's another blog post for another day. Today, I'm celebrating being done with edits and revisions for awhile, and trying to take a little time to pat myself on the back for finishing.

And now, on to the next project. Eh?

Edits, Revisions, and Rewrites, Oh My!

If you've ever finished a book, you know that it's only step one. It always feels like a big accomplishment, and it is. Supposedly, less than 30% of people who claim to be writers actually finish novels. So finishing is great. But it's just step one.

The real hard part is what comes afterward.

I know a lot of writers claim to be "clean drafters" and a lot of us are. I'm a pretty clean drafter. If you're not, then editing (copyediting, mostly) is something you should learn to do. But still, finding mistakes and line edits are only one piece of the drafting process.

Not all editors are going to require this, but many books need revisions. Major or minor. There's a scene missing somewhere, a character isn't fully developed, there's a plot hole, an incomplete plot thread, dialogue isn't consistent, what-have-you. All books need some form of revision. Some more than others. And, yes, all authors should expect revisions. If you're not getting revision requests, your editor isn't doing their job.

And then, there's the dreaded re-writing. Not all books need rewriting. But some do. I know I've turned in at least one book that needs minor if not major rewrites. This is the most difficult part of drafting. Why?

Most of us have an image in our head about how our book flows. It might be a timeline, it might be a complexity of relationships. It just depends. But somehow, you know how it goes. Rewriting means you have to change how you feel about the book. How you remember it. 

When you rewrite, you have to pull apart your baby, remold it, and toss things that might not fit. It's like major surgery. It's painful, it takes a long time, and you might not always survive. I'm looking at heading into some major rewrites on a book. I think I'm steeling myself against it. I know it will be hard, and take a long time. I just hope I come out unscathed on the other side.

SOLD!

Okay, I've been waiting to announce this for SO long. I have finally been offered a contract for my Genesis-finaling manuscript, New Nineveh that was also titled Once a Smokejumper at one point. Well, it's still TO BE TITLED, really, because we're going to change it again. But I don't care. I'm just thrilled to have found an editor who likes it the way it is and isn't going to make me change the ending. :)

This was the book I dreamt about for months and it's been one of those book-of-my-heart books for so long, I can't believe I've finally sold it, especially after nearly everyone who saw it said they loved it but still weren't going to buy it. I came to expect that answer.

But I'm very happy to announce that I've been offered a contract with White Rose/Pelican books, and I couldn't be happier right now. Watch for dates and such to come soon. Thank you all for your support!

Eating the Past

Last night, I watched The Pioneer Woman beat Bobby Flay on a Thanksgiving Throwdown. Ree prepared the perfect (and one might say "quintessential") Thanksgiving meal. The consistent comments from the judges were "this is exactly what I/my mom would make".

However, when they tasted Bobby Flay's meal, they were blown away by his creativity. The man didn't serve mashed potatoes. Instead, he prepared this brussel sprout dish that everyone raved about. And he made a pumpkin bread pudding that even Ree's own children preferred to her pie.

Yet, Ree won. And while I will admit, I wasn't there and didn't taste the food, I wasn't surprised that she won. Because when it comes to foods with nostalgic associations, most people prefer taste memory to taste ingenuity. Even if the new dish actually tastes better.

Food has a powerful hold over our memories and emotions, and anyone who doesn't believe this should have been at this Throwdown last night. I'm pretty sure that most people would have voted with the judges, to preserve the nostalgia over the new experience. Sure, we might be up for the occasional new food, or the occasional reinvention, but most of us would rather have the food we associate with positive mental pictures than have good food just for the sake of good food.

This is important when thinking about using food in writing, because of a little thing we call motivation. The deeper a person's motivation and the more compelling, the better the reader experience (assuming solid writing). The more connected a person is to his/her GMC, the easier it is to tease it out. And one of the most powerful ways we connect to our past, as humans, is through sense memory. Using sense memory as a way to deepen GMC is probably more difficult than I'm making it sound, but it can be very useful.

I am teaching my Romancing the Palate workshop on writing food in fiction next month at Celtic Hearts Romance Writers, where we'll talk about this exact thing. Join me if you're interested. When it gets closer to Thanksgiving, I'll give away a couple of seats in the class, so please check back if you think you might be interested in learning how to romance the palate of your readers.

PS. Later in the week, I will be posting on the Outlander Kitchen blog, so check back for my thoughts.

NaNo Update

I wrote over 4K last night and no TV until after writing. So I at least made it that far. We'll see how things go today. How did you do?

NaNoooooooooooooooooo...

I told a friend last night that I was going to write 100K words during November. After I performed CPR on her and assured her I wasn't crazy, she asked me a very important question.

What are you giving up in order to write?

My life is full. Some would say it's overfull. I probably wouldn't disagree with that. I can't stop working my day job, and I can't stop sleeping, so something else has got to give. Here's what I decided to give up for NaNoWriMo.

Television.

Those of you who know me know this is a huge deal for me. I have the TV on while I do everything. While I write, while I work, while I sleep. I need the noise. The stories inspire me. I like to have a lot going on, and TV is one of those things going on.

But I know that part of my focus is always on that TV, which means that even if it's only costing me 10 minutes of every hour in concentration time, that's ten minutes I'm going to need every hour. On a Friday or Saturday, when I write all day long, that's 1 1/2 hours that I'm not writing because I'm watching TV randomly.

So I cancelled my Netflix subscription, hid all my remotes, and am closing up my television. When I'm going to watch shows that are new (like the Top Chef and Next Iron Chef America respectively on Wednesdays and Sundays), I'm going to go watch them with other people, and I'm going to maximize my socializing time.

This will be a good experiment for me. Is writing relaxing enough that it's going to be able to replace my random TV watching? How much will I really miss my Netflix? Will I still have the inspiration I need to write 3,400 words a day? We shall see.

I'll put up my word count for half of my 100K on this blog.

But I'm definitely going to try to make this work. I'll tweak some little things in my life and see what kind of difference it makes (not drinking sugar--just had my last sugary drink at lunch--not eating high glucose foods, sleeping 8 hours). Since there are constants in my world that can't change, I'll have to tweak what I can. We'll see how this works out. If I make it to December 1st, I might be a shadow of who I am today, or I might have found exactly what I was looking for.

Only November will tell...

Business As Usual

I'm taking an RWA class right now on GMC. For those of you who aren't familiar with GMC, that's not an acronym for a car company. :) It's a writing term for the crux of your book's plot. A lot of writers believe that your whole plot revolves around three things.

Goal
Motivation
Conflict

Simplified: GMC boils down to (Character) needs to (Goal) because (Motivation) but (Conflict).

I always hated talking about GMC prior to this class because I'm so bad at it. And I can never narrow down my characters' motivations well enough to make them shine through.

While I'm definitely learning about how to do GMC better (and my CPs will hear me asking for a lot more GMC-clarification brainstorming before I start writing... beware!), I think one of the things that has been the most telling about this workshop is what it's made me realize about the way I tend to write right now.

I do a lot of "business as usual" writing. One character who wants to change something and one character who wants to keep something the same. So I only ever really have one character who has a definable GMC. And I've noticed that trend in almost everything I've ever written.

The interesting part is that when I submitted my GMC homework, my heroine's goal was pretty much "business as usual" and I didn't hear it in my writing. But the instructor made one tiny tweak to her GMC and made her want to do something to change where she was. And it made all the difference. Where I had been stuck in the narrative, I was suddenly unstuck, because I knew exactly what she wanted. It's amazing how that one little tweak didn't really change anything about her (as I feared it might), or about the core of the story (as I was certain it would). But by giving her a definable external motivation, I suddenly was able to find a new depth to the story.

The best part: it makes me more excited to write the story now. That's excellent news for me. I always want to be more invested in my writing. I think this will help.

I'll keep you updated about what I'm learning. So far, I've realized that I really need to keep learning. This is never a bad thing.