Inner Workings Part 2

Happy Thursday All,

Wow the first whole work week in the year 2011 is almost over. Time loves to fly (I think it uses Continental or American Airlines--my experience with these airlines has been good, by the way, just in case someone's wondering). Bad joke, I know--goofy sense of humor jumps up again.

Over the years I'd ask this one friend "What if?" Questions. Now, these "What if?" Questions are entirely fine for fiction writers--in fact, they're pretty much a must. Like asking "What if I set this story in the future?" "What if vampires were real?" "What if the heroine was a short, stout elderly woman who bashed people over the head with a cane?" (Okay that last one, I don't know of any author who actually asked themselves that one, and I haven't, but I thought it was funny).

Someone I know once told me (years ago, this might have changed by now) they didn't deal with "What if?" questions. Now, we weren't talking in terms of writing--we were talking about impossible things actually happening in the real world--but not for a story--for reality.

However, if fiction writers quit asking themselves "What if?" they and their readers would be in for a real jam.

Part of writing is asking "What if?" For example, when I was writing SURREAL I asked myself: "What if the hero and heroine meet in the heroine's dreams?" and "What if they thought the rift would close separating them forever?"

We have to ask those impossible questions as if they're possible because fiction isn't always about what's reality--it's about what makes a good story.

I don't know of any witch who lives in the woods in a Gingerbread House and eats little children, but for Hansel And Gretal it works.

We don't know what the year 3020 will be like, but if Sci-Fi writers quit asking "What if in the year 3020 they had these types of space ships?" Their stories wouldn't get written. Shoot, Gene Roddenberry might not have come up with Star Trek if he didn't explore the possibilities of what was currently impossible.

If you're an accountant and you're working on bookkeeping you obviously can't contemplate "What if?" if the "if" isn't a part of the equation. It wouldn't be realistic and it wouldn't make the bookkeeping accurate.

Or Doctors can't contemplate when they're in the middle of an emergency "What if I could duplicate myself 90 times?" Because they have to focus on the task at hand (and nobody wants an unfocused doctor working on them).

However, for writing and careers like that, the "What if?" question is incredibly important. We must ask ourselves "What if?" every story we write. In fact, nearly every scene and word. Because the minute we quit asking "What if?" and quit looking for possibilities in the impossible, that's the minute our stories quit being open to what could happen.

So...what "What if?" questions do you ask when writing your novels?

Have A Thoughtful Thursday!

It's Worth A Fortune

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Does anyone remember the song If I Had A Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies ? I can't remember when or how I was first introduced to this song, but it's a fun song. So, how about if you had a million dollars? What would you do with it? Of course there's the responsible things to do with a million dollars--pay off debts, and such like that. Then there's the question of whether or not you give to charities, and how much. But, suppose you answered all those questions and you still had quite a lot left; what would you do with it? Maybe I'd go to Disney World. I've wanted to go, and I've never been able to. Or, perhaps I'd go to Germany and England, and Belgium (three of the countries my ancestors are from). Travel around seeing family and friends I don't see often. There's all kinds of possibilities. So, what about you? What would you do with a million dollars? Have A Tremendous Tuesday!

Spotlight On Author: Loretta Wheeler

Happy Tuesday Everyone, There's a gem of an author I've had the privilege of coming across...I'm talking about my friend, Loretta Wheeler. She's a sweetheart and very talented author. I enjoyed her YA Paranormal novella, The Pan Man immensely. And, she also writes Romance. So without further ado, come into my parlor and meet Loretta Wheeler: Me: In your YA novelette, The Pan Man , you mention Pan's looking for his long lost soul mate. What made you choose Pan out of all the Greek/Roman gods and goddesses? Loretta: I chose the Greek god Pan, because of the connection with the music. I found later on in the story, (my stories take over and write themselves usually) it applied even more than I realized because of the band's name. I won't mention the name of the band in here, because it's part of the surprise ending. Me: You're mostly known for your Romance stories. How would you describe your writing style? Hot, suspenseful, sensual, sw...

Myths About Writers

Afternoon Folks, I thought we'd do a post to dispel some of the myths people seem to have about writers. I'll put the ones that first come to mind then y'all can chime in. Myth: Writing is a great way to make a lot of money. I'm not sure exactly how this one matriculated. Probably in the wake of some of the big best sellers (i.e. Stephen King, Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, JK Rowling, and the like) but most of the time writers put in more money for their writing than they do get out of it. Generally a writer doesn't make a ton of money unless somehow his/her book is a blockbuster hit and blasts through what the author owes in the advance (which is paid back to publishers through royalties). Most writers I've met and talked to are not millionaires. I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm saying it's not one of those things that's automatic. Myth: Writing Is Easy Anybody Can Do It. Okay, granted this isn't entirely a myth, but it's not ent...

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