Thank you Karri Turner! Oh, and you're welcome!

Good afternoon!

I've spent THE MOST BLISSFUL afternoon writing.  It's been far too long since the last time I sat down and just WROTE. 

Today I was working on "Fresh Ice".  The hero, Quinn Murray, is a former NHL "enforcer" with a very dark past.  For me, it was a no brainer as to what the man looked like, or sounded like:

Most of you recognize this as David James Elliott of "JAG" fame.  Ladies, the man has "HERO" written all over him, right?  But picture him all angsty in a sort of heroic way...and on hockey skates.  Nice, right?




The heroine, Izzy Marks, is a former figure skater who was forced out of skating in shame.  While writing her story was easy for me, because I know SO MUCH about shamed figure skaters....pause for loud laughter...picturing her was a bit more difficult.  Heroes I see clearly.  Heroines, well, okay, in my first novel, let's face it, that was me.  And in my second novel...also me...but younger. 

This time around I set out to write a woman who was NOT ME.  But casting about for a good mental image of Izzy was tough.

Until I was watching DVD of JAG.  It was one where Karri Turner and Patrick Laborteaux did the commentary.  Normally I don't watch DVD's with the commentary on, but since I adore their characters  (I always wanted to live next door to Bud And Harriet.)  I thought I'd give it a try.

Boy, am I glad I did!

See, they were commenting on an episode...oh I won't bore Non-JAG fans out there with the details.  Let me just say this:  Karri Turner was sort of bemoaning the fact that her character was the only one in the main cast that DIDN'T wind up in bed with DJE's character.  (Yes, Patrick had some uncomfortable retort to that.)

That got me to thinking:  The woman deserves to be in bed with DJE, in some way.  And that's when I came across this picture of Karri Turner;

How perfect is she for my Izzy?

Well, you haven't read the book, so you don't know, but trust me...she's PERFECT!

And in my head, the movie is casted and filming.  LOL!

So...Karri Turner, thank you for the inspiration...and, YOU'RE WELCOME!

Now, I must go forth and WRITE!

If a picture is worth 1000 words...

One of the best exercises EVER came from a writer's group I used to work with.  (Hey, Tuesday night Park and REC!  WHOOT!)

Anyway, the leader put up a picture and had us write pages.  For me, it wound up being the chapter around which I built "Lies in Chance."  So it was a big deal.

Tonight, I wanted to share a picture I got from a friend.  It's hilarious, it involves Kittens, and if Brian from Bob and Brian show is reading this, he will love it.

Now, let the picture inspire you!

Or just make you laugh!

Watching TV can be research. Really!

Good afternoon!

I know I don't have to tell you fellow writers out there that sometimes the sheer act of sitting down and writing is hard to to.  Sometimes just sitting down is hard to do.  Real life doesn't always accomadate the writer's whims, does it?

So often I find myself telling people, "I just don't have time to write."

That's not completely true.

There are times in the day when I can, and I do write.  The hour before work starts when I'm sitting in my office because hubby and I car pool and I get there early.  I often crank out a couple hundred words in that hour.  My lunch hour is another time of the day when I either write more into my notebook or I'm reading, which is also a vital skill writers must have.

While nothing replaces the actual act of sitting down and putting words to paper...or flash drive...I have found something that, while it seems pointless and time wasting, is actually a solid basis of research for writers.

Watching TV can be a very helpful tool in avoiding cliched writing, and an even better tool in spotting good writing.

Case in point:  Recently I've started rewatching the early 90's sitcom "Wings."  for those of you not familiar, this was a show about two brothers who ran a tiny airplane business out of a tiny airport in Nantucket.  Surrounded by a goofy cast of characters, brothers Brian and Joe Hackett managed to just avoid bankruptcy and killing each other each week.  Back in the day, I really liked the show.  So, when I found it available on streaming through Netflix, I started watching.

The thing about watching reruns in the streaming mode is that there's really no break and one runs the risk of losing whole days to a "marathon."  Not that I've done that....no of course not!

The first couple episodes, my daughter sat with me and watched.  I asked her what she thought of the show.  She said, "I'm wondering why it sucks so much."  A few more episodes in, she was hooked.

That might seem like a waste of time, watching this TV show that was on the air 20 years ago.  But it's not.  Getting lost in a marathon of episodes, I can watch episode to episode how the characters grew, what made them better, what made the show better.  I can pinpoint the good writing, and note the cheesy cliches, and if those cliches worked or not.  And, as I draw closer to the final episodes, I can see what, if any, mistakes were made that crushed the series and sent it to its demise.  (Some TV series, it's obvious.  "Moonlighting" was horrible the minute Maddie and Dave slept together.  The infamous "jump the shark" concept of TV shows going into that murky water of cheesy writing was spawned by the "Happy Days" episode where Fonzie and the whole gang went on vacation and Fonzie had to "jump the shark" on his motorcycle.)

Now, I'm not saying we should all go and spend endless hours on the couch watching a rerun marathon of our favorite shows.  It might sound like I'm saying that, but I'm not.  What I'm saying is that if you find yourself spending quality time away from the computer, and sitting in front of the TV, use that time to study your craft.  TV, especially sitcom TV, is writing.  Not the sets, which generally don't change in a sitcom.  Probably not the acting, though some people are funnier and better at sitcom acting than others.  Many sitcom actors, however, do well in one part written for them, and then cannot move to another part.  As much as I love Matthew Perry...and I do love him....his Chandler Bing years will never be matched. How many shows has he been given that have flopped since "Friends" ended?  No, TV is generally about the writing. 

So it's okay if you take some time to watch TV.  But it's like with anything, don't say you're working on your writing career if all you're doing is snoozing in front of the tube.  Stay awake and take notes.  Not the hardest homework you've ever been given.

Now, go forth and WRITE!

Your world may take your writing places you didn't know existed.

Hello all!

Well, I've got nearly a month in at my new job and I have to say I do enjoy the work I'm doing.  I don't love the fact that I can't just whip out my blog and write when the mood moves me, but it's a decent paycheck, great benefits, and a wealth of writing inspiration.

I knew I could write comedy, but I would go long gaps without thinking of anything funny.  So I thought my calling as a writer was to look at the darker side of human nature.  Hence, a lot of what you find in my latest, Lies in Chance is quite a bit darker than in Dream in Color.  However, this job has opened up a wide, and wildly unlimited, source of humor for me to stock pile as topics for a writing project.

Sure, workplace humor is a great writing topic.  But I never thought of myself as a workplace humor writer.  Mom humor, you bet.  Kid humor, humor about my parents, sure.  But workplace humor, the kind that makes me howl when I watch "The Office" or shows like that, I never thought of as being something I could write.

I'm finding that out now, though.  I've been having fun over at my other blog It Can Only Happen to Sarah writing about the wacky world I work in, perfecting my anecdotes so that they fit nicely into a creative non fiction humor book.

What I'm trying to tell you all is that your every day world might be the stuff someone else's escape is made of.  Does that make sense?  What you might think of as the boring details of your every day life, that might be just the thing a reader needs to leave his or her reality and fall into something else.  And isn't that why we read books and watch TV and movies?  To escape our own lives?  I love gritty court room dramas.  No, they aren't fluffy or funny, but it's an escape for me from my own little life into something I'll never experience first hand. 

I know, I know...I always say, "You don't have to write what you know."  But there is a certain skill that a writer has to bring his or her own world to life.  Would the pioneer world of the late 1800's be as vivid to us today if Laura Ingalls hadn't put pencil to pad?  Would there even be a market for humor books based on real life if Erma Bombeck hadn't spent pages and pages discussing how reading an interview with Sophia Loren made her fat? 

So today my friends, I think you should take a look around and see where your real life takes your writing life. 

It might surprise you.

Now go forth and WRITE!

And just like that...inspiration hits!

Good morning! 

Sorry I've been absent of late.  At some point a couple weeks ago, I got my muse back and I've been joyfully spewing words onto pages endlessly.

Usually I can't point to any one thing that gets me going after a long writing hiatus.  This time around, however, I can.  Two things happened that got my creative juices flowing.  1)  I found this picture

Most of you will recognize this as the very talented actor, David James Elliott.  But to me...he's Quinn, the hero of my book "7/8ths Time."    I've found other pictures in the past that depict the mental image I have of Quinn, but this one is special.   There's something about DJE's eyes (and I've love been a fan of his "eye acting.") that says to me, "WRITE THE DARN BOOK ALREADY!

The other thing that happened was a bit less intangible.  I met with a personal trainer.  One of the things I'm doing this year, come heck or high water  (I know, but my kids read this blog sometimes...) is I'm going to lose a significant amount of weight.  By significant I mean the equivalent of a sturdy third grader.  So I met with a personal trainer.  I've met with this guy before.  (If you'd like to read about that, check out It Can Only Happen to Sarah!)

Sitting there admitting to him that I was a compulsive liar when it came to my weight and that I needed help with my Cheetos addiction, I said something that hit me like lightning. 

"I wish I would just start writing again.  I don't eat when I write."

WELL DUH!

So, my friends, I'm thrilled to announce that in the past week I've written 10,000 words and lost somewhere between 2 and 3 pounds.  A drop in the bucket on both fronts, but definitely a great start!

So if I'm missing from the blogging business for a while, please forgive me.  I'm really hoping to have a completed  AND PUBLISHED novel by year's end...and when I announce it I'm hoping to wear the Rick Springfield T-shirt I bought at the last concert that I knew I hadn't a prayer of wearing until I lost some weight.  It's hanging in my closet right now, mocking me, but I will prevail!

Meanwhile, the rest of you...go forth and WRITE!