Merry Christmas from myself and everyone at the Fang Marked Office! Hopefully, we'll be reopening after the new year.

Since no one really reads this blog anymore, I'm going to take a hiatus to get some things straightened out in my personal life. Hopefully, I'll be able to be back soon with new inspiration and writing help. Thank you for your patience and respect.

I didn't tell anyone this because I didn't want to answer the H1N1 question. I had the flu all week this week. It was seasonal and nothing to be concerned with. I'm better now, or on my way to better anyway.

I don't know if this is happening to anyone else, but I haven't been able to really write since Nano ended on Monday. I try to get into the spirit of the story I've been writing for over a year now and I just can't do it. I want to go back to my Nano story (even though it's done and I'm not going to edit it until much later), or I have no inspiration to put my fingers to the keyboard and type. It's frustrating.

Now that it's over, here's what kept me going when it seemed like I didn't have the steam to keep going:

I did it. For a little while there it seemed elusive. About two weeks ago, I was certain that I'd crash and burn. But look at me now. I'm not just a winner this year. I'm a two time champ. That's heady stuff.

I don't know why I'm having such a hard time this year with Nano. Last year there was a lot more going on in life than this year, and last year I made it without much trouble at all. This year, if it can go wrong, it has. If it can possibly delay me at all, it will. If it messes up my schedule and delays my success, it will and it has.

The office is closed today for the worst day of the year. My birthday. No one send any cards or well wishes because I'm going to hide in bed all day to try to avert the apocalypse. I know that no one will listen to me and I'll probably receive emails anyway. Thank you for reminding me that I should have a good day today. But after mono on your 20th birthday, you give up trying to have a happy birthday. Yay. Rah. Going back to bed now.

Well guys, this was the first full week for Nano. How did you do? I didn't do horrible, unless you count that almost half of my word count was done today. What can you do when you're sick you know?

The office is closed for today for Nathan's birthday!! He's 28 today, even if he really thinks he's 29. Happy Birthday sweetheart!

I would write more here, but I'm nanoing. You should be too.

Time to get cracking! Whip out your laptops or your notebooks and pens and get down to business. If you want to hit your word count, you need to start strong. Write. Win!

Today is my last day of sabbatical before jumping into Nanowrimo. On this last day of my journey to find my inspiration again, I want to give you some insight on what can actually be gained from taking some much needed time off:

-when you aren't supposed to be writing three pages a day, you find yourself wanting to write three pages a day.
-there are other books out there besides vampire novels and books about infertility and depression.
-Bejeweled blitz on Facebook is addictive. So are Pieces of Flair and The Mood Weather Report.
-AOL radio has an all Nickelback channel which is very cool.
-dreaming turns into moments when your characters are talking to you again.
-suddenly, I have three more novels to add to the series I'm currently writing. I cultivated the plot lines for the last three novels while watching Heroes Season 3, Prince Caspian, and Dune.
-I'm also thinking about writing a fantasy series about five or six years from now.
-I've had great conversations with friends and family about my writing and found fantastic inspiration and encouragement in those conversations.
-friends who have been very understanding about my devotion to my work and the little bits of time I get to spend out with them. This break has been wonderful for them, but as of this past week, they are all telling me to go back to work. Except Karrie, who wants to play more DDR.

Ultimately, even though I haven't always enjoyed the time off from my work, I'm finding myself refreshed and ready to get back to business as usual. I'm excited to see Forbidden released in the middle of November and I'm pumped up for my Nano novel this year. There comes a time when we all need to recharge our batteries. I'm glad I took the time off to recharge mine.

It's hard to rewrite something that you've already finished. Especially when you've written it so long ago that you can't honestly remember what it was you had written before.

I finished Legacy in April. It had been hard to write, bogged down with historic fact, with a plot that twisted so much I could hardly keep it straight. My villain wasn't bad enough, my hero was not heroic enough, and the human girl stuck in the middle of the story had too much information for the time period. Did I mention that Ulrich makes his first appearance in the story line in this novel? It's a lot to take in.

I hated every single page of Legacy's first draft. Well, not every single page, but at least the majority of them. So the ability to rewrite the story is a wonderful opportunity for me. I can remake the plot so it actually makes sense and rewrite my villain so he's the horrible bad guy I see in my head. I can make my hero an actual heroic figure. So many things to fix, so little time to do it.

As it stands right now, I won't get to Legacy again until December 1st because of Nanowrimo. I'm currently sitting on page 27 of the draft. It has to be completed and edited by May 21st, 2010 because that's when it's being published. Which means that I have about six months after Nano is over to finish it up. I've never been under that kind of a crunch before. Prophecy was done in January of this year and published in June. Forbidden was finished in July and will be published in about two weeks. That's how I've liked it to be done. But Legacy has thrown a wrench in my works.

We'll have to see if I make my deadline or if it blows up in my face.

There isn't much time left. I have exactly six days left on my sabbatical, then I jump headfirst into the craziest month of my existence. I have figured out that if I want to hit my 53000 words this year, I have to write 2500 words a day five days a week. If I stretch that out to six days a week, that count goes to 2120 words a day. If I write every single day of the week for the entire month of November, I would have to write 1767 words a day. It's not as intimidating as it sounds.

53000 words is roughly 102 single spaced pages in Arial 11 point font. I wrote 129 pages in just over two weeks last year in October before jumping into Nano. So this shouldn't be horrible. I might even be able to have a social life while participating in Nano this year.

The whole point of Nanowrimo is to prove to yourself that yes, you can do this. There's no excuse to keep putting off the chance to write that book you've been dreaming about. It's tons of fun and I'm excited to be a part of it again this year. The prize is just too cool.

So I'm going to enjoy my last six days of sabbatical (I might even cut it short and work on Legacy before the Nano craziness begins) and make plans for November that are far enough away that I can plan my writing around them. Then I'm going to wait for my proof copy of Forbidden to arrive so I can again hold the work my mind in the palm of my hand.

Here it is! The new cover is finally available. The proof is on the way, so very soon I'll be holding this book in my hands. I just couldn't wait to share the new cover with everyone since it was approved by createspace.

I have also found out what the prize is going to be for winning Nanowrimo this year. It is the same as last year, but getting a free proof copy of your novel is a big deal. I'm excited to participate in Nano again this year for that prize alone.

See you next week!

There wasn't much writing this week unfortunately. So, I didn't really listen to anything special. But I'm gearing up for Nano in a week, so here's a peek at what's coming up for music in November:

I had a very enlightening conversation with my brother-in-law Nic last night. He's very much into fantasy novels and isn't too keen on the whole vampire thing because it's mainstream right now. So we started talking about fantasy novels and he asked me if I had ever thought about writing a fantasy novel myself. To be completely honest, I have pondered the possibility. There's just so much work involved in it that I haven't put a lot of work into it yet.

Then I started laying out the Prophecy universe for Nic and hooked him. That made me feel good. But what really gave me the high of major accomplishment was when he told me two things: one, that I'm a master storyteller to have all this backstory and history for my own characters, and two, that I need to write a fantasy novel because it would be huge.

So what makes a good story? This was the question I asked myself this morning when I got up. Sure, you may have the best idea in the world, but what would actually make that a good story to tell? I have the answer: history.

You can have the coolest group of characters in the world, you can have the greatest setting in the world, and the best plotline ever created. But if you don't have a history, a backstory, for those characters, then you don't have anything at all. History gives your characters a purpose. It also enables you to show the reader the story instead of tell them.

Why is drinking from humans forbidden for vampires? Because that's the law. Well, why is that the law? Aha, that's the reason behind the book. Why do you have to kill all of your competition to become the vampire king? Again, that's why you need to read the book. See what I mean?

The richer and more varied the history, you'll either have a great novel or a confused one. So don't go so deep in the history that things are contradicting other things or it's impossible to keep up. Start with something simple and expand on that. Make it rich and varied, but keep in mind that you want the reader to get it.

I had a great time last night talking to my bro in law about the plot for Prophecy. He was surprised at the complexity and depth of it. That's a compliment to any writer. Strive for it.

I had a very interesting conversation with a friend of mine yesterday. He just finished reading Prophecy for the first time. Then, he started dreaming about the movie.

What movie? The one that hasn't been made yet. Prophecy isn't in the mass market yet, but Tyler was already dreaming about the movie. It was very inspiring and ego boosting for me.

Has that ever happened to you? You're reading a good book and you can see it being made into a movie?

I got that way with the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and Ransom by Julie Garwood to name only two. The only disappointing thing is that when they actually do make those books into movies, they just aren't as good. It's definitely something to think about.

So it took me a little longer to get the shot I wanted for the cover of Forbidden. It's still not done completely yet, but now I'm happy. I apologize for my extended absence, but if it's not done right, then it's not done yet.

As I've been transcribing most of the week, it's not really music to write by so much as it's music to help me forget how tedious it is to type someone else's words.

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be out of the office until Monday. It's time to start scouting locations for the Forbidden cover photo. So I really will be gone until then, but I'll try to post a Music To Write By for Saturday. Have a good weekend!!

I apologize for the tardiness of this post. I was...otherwise occupied over the weekend. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Since there wasn't a whole lot of writing last week (for reasons that you are probably more than aware of and sick of hearing about), there isn't a lot of music to write by. Here's the short list:

It's Friday! That means it's time to have fun for the first time in a long time. With this in mind, I thought I'd go through the contents of my bag with you to make you laugh. You might not believe me right now, but it's funny. Or maybe that really is just funny to me.

I love the friends I have that loved Prophecy enough that they want to beta read (or cold read as I will sometimes call it) for me. Even the ones that are upfront enough to tell me that they want to read the finished product, but really don't want to read the novels until they're finished. It's all helpful. As I stare at the second "first" draft of Legacy, I'm starting to wonder if my beta readers know what they're really getting into.

I've been on sabbatical almost a full week now and while I'm happy for the time off because of all the stuff I've had in my personal life, I'm starting to itch.

No I don't have a rash. My mind is itching to go back to creating.

I'm so ready to get back to work, but I know that I can't yet. Why can't I just end my own sabbatical? I mean, I'm the one in charge of my career, how am I not in charge of my time off? It's a bit more complicated than that.

Back in July (I think it was July) I took a week off, intending to take more, but I cut my time short because I wanted to get back to work. I thought I was inspired and ready to finish. Then two months later, I'm wondering why I didn't take more time off. This sabbatical now wouldn't be necessary if I'd taken all the time off I should've taken back then. Besides, the edits for Forbidden aren't done yet, and Coco's pups aren't very old. It's better to have this kind of time on my hands instead of wondering how I'm going to cram my writing into the schedule I have right now.

I'm actually thinking about staying on sabbatical until November 1st. Then I'm ready to go for Nano and I'll have another month before I start worrying about what I'm going to do with Legacy. A whole month without creating any kind of story line. It's scary and exhillarating at the same time. I want to write, I've got all these ideas bouncing around my head. But what happens when I work through them all and have nothing new?

Sometimes in life we all need to take some time away, time to step back and evaluate our lives. While I hate having to do that with my writing, it's necessary to make the writing the very best it can be. I don't want to look at a manuscript later on and realize that I have to start from page one all over again because I wasn't writing well.

Don't be afraid to step back and let your mind breathe.

NP over at Coffee Stained Writer (www.coffee-stainedwriter.blogspot.com) posted about stealing other people's ideas last week (I think it was Saturday? I read the post on Saturday) and I wanted to clear the air a little bit because I felt the post was inadvertently directed over here to me. Consider this the only time I'm going to rant on this blog. Most of my rants are saved for my personal blog, but I digress.

Even in my chaos this week, I did get some work done. Here's what I've been listening to this week:

With such an eventful week, I feel like I have accomplished absolutely nothing. While I know that's not true, it's hard to look back at my time this week and feel like anything good came from it. In case you've missed it, here's the contents of my week:

I've been harping on Nanowrimo for how long now? And you still haven't signed up? I don't want to hear any more excuses. If I can do it, you can do it.

Tomorrow is the official beginning of my sabbatical. Honestly, I'm not sure that I want to take my sabbatical now, but it couldn't come at a better time. Coco just had her puppies and I won't feel pressured to write while I'm being a dog grandma. I also have a novel coming out in November and I can spend this time getting ready for that so it's done before Nano starts. Sabbatical would be great.

So why am I taking sabbatical when I'm not sure I want to?

It's all about mental health. I've not really had a break of longer than a week in over a year. That's a lot of writing. If my computer hadn't been fried a few months ago, I would have more to show for it, but that's beside the point. I've been pushing myself and my creativity to the breaking point and I need to get away for a little while to get some perspective on my life.

Here's the plan for my sabbatical:
-Get Forbidden ready for publication. Yes, this does constitute working. However, the edits won't take much longer to finish and then it's all about the cover.
-Take care of Coco and my new grandpuppies.
-Read something other than vampire novels. (Breaking Dawn notwithstanding because I'm almost done with it)
-Finish my plot mapping and character mapping for Nano
-Go out with my husband to see some movies, drink coffee at Fireworks, and add to my winter wardrobe.

I think I can get that done in about two weeks. Then it's back to work on the complete rewrite of Legacy. Argh.

I don't like to post a lot on here about my personal life. I have another blog for that (kellisoutsidethebox.blogspot.com in case you're interested), but this part of my personal life effects my writing life as well.

I'm concerned about how my Nanowrimo novel this year is going to be received by my friends and family. One of the cardinal rules of writing to write what you know. I want to make sure that no one is concerned for my welfare because of the novel I'm writing.

My nano novel this year is about infertility and suicide. Since my husband and I have been struggling with infertility for awhile now, you can see where my concern is warranted.

This year, I'm taking on the story of a woman who attempts suicide after struggling to have a baby with her husband for almost twenty years. I'm throwing in her husband (I would be remiss to keep him out of the story right?), her psychiatrist, and her post partum best friend. Since one of my very good friends just welcomed her first son in August, my concern is increased.

For the record, I'm not suicidal or depressed. Well, maybe a little depressed, but nothing to be concerned for. I'm merely writing what I know this year.

When you have a difficulty in your life, there's nothing wrong with focusing a story around it. Most people won't lose a parent in a tragic accident at eleven years of age, struggle through an abusive boyfriend at 14, start doing drugs and drinking by 15, and attempt suicide three times in their lives. Most people won't have to endure the pain of rape and sexual abuse for five months of their lives or survive two miscarriages with most of their sanity still intact. By the way, that's my life story. See what I mean?

When you're blocked, when you question your muse or your calling, this is what you can look at. Everyone has something unique in their life that other people may have never experienced. Even if you don't think you do, your perspective on your life is unique to you. Start there. Sometimes it's the cathartic writing experiences that kick us off to something beyond ourselves.

With the edits for Forbidden wrapping up this week, I've been able to work on the rewrite of Legacy (you don't want to read the original manuscript. I thought Prophecy's first draft was bad...), so I've had more time to enjoy my music. Here's some of this week's contributors to my sanity:

Desperately Wanting by Better Than Ezra
Criminal by Fiona Apple
Pushing Me Away by Linkin Park
I'd Come For You by Nickelback
Starlight by Muse
New Divide by Linkin Park
Photograph by Def Leppard
Cry Little Sister (from the Lost Boys soundtrack) by Gerald McMann
Meet Me On The Equinox (only available online for listening) by Death Cab For Cutie (From the New Moon Soundtrack, which will be released on October 20th)
Sing For Absolution by Muse
If Everyone Cared by Nickelback
Hot and Cold by Katy Perry
Freak On A Leash by Korn
Hero by Skillet
Life After Death by KJ52
The Last Night by Skillet
Closer by Nine Inch Nails (be advised that there is a significant amount of f bombs in this song)

Have a good weekend! Nano starts in just over a month. I'm ready. Are you?

Here's a fun little exercise to try. Go to a local hang out (the mall, the coffeeshop, McDonalds, whatever) and just sit there and watch people. That's what I'm doing right now (since the hours at the part time job changed and I'm now off on Thursday and Friday). I'm sitting in Fireworks, listening to Skillet and watching the cars go by. The music just changed to Fiona Apple. Cool.

There are people staring at me as I sit here typing this. I guess traffic is really boring today. They just want my coffee. I know, those people in the grey Dodge Intrepid are secretly plotting to take over the world by stealing the world's supply of coffee. Wouldn't that be a funny story to tell? Maybe they're really aliens and the only way to control the mass population is to take away our coffee. Those people in the huge Ford F150 are thinking the same thing. Aliens.

See that? Sometimes it's fun to just watch people and build a story around what they could be doing. If you're getting bored being stuck inside with your computer, take a notebook with you to a place with a lot of people, or a place like Fireworks where you can watch traffic, and build something around it. You never know, it could actually be good.

Now I'm going to take notes on the aliens trying to steal my coffee. That could be really funny for November next year. Remember, writing is the only profession in the world where crazy ideas are allowed.

I'm guilty of this, so I'm sure you are too. Have you ever read something and as you're reading it, you think to yourself "I don't need to know this much"? It happens to me all the time, even with my own stuff.

Before, I've said that you need to remember the details. I'm not changing my mind, I'm clarifying myself. You do need to remember the details. Just not every single one.

Recently, I was standing in the library, scanning a new novel that I was thinking about taking home with me, and I found myself bogged down in the minute details of the room the characters were in. Right down to the pattern of the wallpaper and the thickness of the carpet. It was very annoying, distracting, and hard to keep track of later.

Here's what I learned that I wanted to pass along to you: There's information and then there's too much information. Don't give it all away.

By putting too much detail in your scene, your reader no longer has the ability to imagine it for themselves. Color of the paint on the wall and the furnishings of the room is great. The exact pattern of the wallpaper or the size of the print on the window of the coffeeshop is not really necessary unless it furthers the plot. Is the print on the window part of a murder mystery? Then put it in. If your lovers are realizing that they want to get married while sitting in front of that window, we don't need the detail.

Another way to think of it is when someone is talking to you, and they tell you more about something than you want to know. I don't care what caused the funny smell in your bodily excrement, that's too much information (this happens to me more often than you think, I'm sorry to say). If the detail isn't important, cut it later on.

Today is all about style. Some people have it, some people don't. But whatever it is, normally it's unique.

With the help of my adorable husband, who never gets sick of editing, I was able to determine what my actual writing style is. It's good to know how you write so you can adapt it to what you write about.

I'm a very sarcastic writer. I like a lot of dry humor. I also tend to drag conversations on and on without saying anything about what a character is doing while talking (because seriously, who talks to someone else standing perfectly still?) and I have issues with facial expressions. I also tend to focus on a character's eyes entirely too much. But I have been told by my readers that I have an eye for details (like the Daitenshi Club in Prophecy. Everyone has loved that one) and endings that mess with your head. I never said writing styles were summed up in two or three words. We're writers, like that's going to happen.

Once you finish a first draft, you'll be able to tell what your writing style is. Some people focus on humor and tension to help move their plot along. I do sometimes. Others focus on historical accuracy and realism to bring a reader right into the story (Diana Gabaldon with the Outlander Series). There's a different writing style out there for every single writer.

The point is that you need to find your own unique voice. Maybe you like to tell stories from first person perspective with biting humor and wit intermingled in the story. Good for you, go with it. Maybe the thought of doing something like that scares the crap out of you. That's fine too. Just find it. Once you do, you'll be able to cultivate it into something real, something huge. Once you find your voice, you'll be able to find a character's true voice and that is what we're all here for isn't it?

I mentioned last week that I'm feeling the burnout and that is still true. It's not as bad as it was because I've been experimenting with new things, but I can feel it coming. November is going to be a welcome break from the world of vampires and werewolves, I can tell you that much.

I think I'm starting to exhaust my muse. What does that mean? You're lucky because I'm going to tell you.

I'm a vampire writer, first and foremost. I'll never stop writing about vampires and werewolves and mystical supernatural creatures. That is my passion, my muse, and I'll never fully stop doing that. I love being unrestrained by the laws of science when it comes to what my vampires can do. Between Seven and Roan and Ulrich, I'm like a protective mom with her children. I want to let them go into the world, but I want to keep them close to me so they are safe from criticism and scorn. So far, everyone has loved Seven and Ulrich. Roan is getting his introduction next year.

While I love writing about vampires and the supernatural, I'm exhausting myself. I'm running out of steam. It's time to write about something else. That's where Nanowrimo comes in.

I'm going to have the chance to write something different, something completely foreign to me. I've never written in first person perspective, and that's part of what I'm doing this year. I've never written a story where none of the characters can run faster than a speeding bullet or snap an oak in half with their bare hands. I'm doing that this year. It's scary and exhillarating at the same time.

No matter how good you are, eventually writing the same old thing is going to catch up to you. I told myself a year ago that I would never feel burnout. I love what I do too much. But here I am, on the verge. Granted, I haven't had a real break this whole time and I desperately need one. The point is, someday down the road, maybe not tomorrow and maybe not next year, but someday, you'll feel like your muse is exhausted.

So what do you do? Stop writing? No. Never stop writing. NP told me that last year and I haven't really. Even while I've been blocked this week, I've had my finger in one book or the other that I've already written. Dream about something different. Let your mind wander over what it would be like to write something completely different from what you've been doing. Read a new book. Watch a new movie. Sample something different in your life and let it inspire you. Or go out on the back porch with a glass of Captain Morgan and a cigarette and stare at the sky.

But don't stop. You'll find it again. Talk to other people, bounce ideas off of those you trust. Put whatever you do, don't stop.

Would-be writers talk about the novel they wish they could write. True writers talk about the one they're writing. Don't be a would-be.

Right now I'm getting ready for Nano and one of the things I have to do, now that I know who I'm writing about, is to find names for my new characters. It's important because it's part of their character (check out 8/13's post talking about the Name Game for more info).

Where do I go for a name? The writer's best friend is the baby name finder. No it's not just for parents to be anymore. I love the baby name finder. I've gone to the library for baby name books, but after getting so many strange looks from the librarians and finding that most baby name books are following current trends instead of simply listing names, their origins, and meanings. The baby name finder websites give you all of that and make the searching process a lot easier.

I have a love affair with Celtic, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish names and looking through a baby name book made finding those specific names almost impossible. Rhoswen's name comes from the Gaelic for white rose (yes that was intentional). It also means rose in Welsh. I found it on a baby name finder.

My advice to you would be to find a baby name finder that you're comfortable with. You find it easy to use, easy to understand, and the meanings of the names are more universal. Meanings can change from finder to finder sometimes, so make sure you try to use one that has meanings that are commonly accepted. Bookmark it, put it in your favorites, whatever. Just make sure you don't lose it.

When it's time to create a new character, the name is sometimes the hardest part. But if you know where to look, at least that's part of the battle that's been won.

As I didn't get much new writing done this week, these songs have been instrumental in the revisions on Forbidden and Legacy that I managed to finish this week.

Gerald McMann-Cry Little Sister (From the Lost Boys Soundtrack)
Muse-Sing For Absolution
Linkin Park-Pushing Me Away
Nickelback-Gotta Be Somebody
Korn-Freak On A Leash
Nine Inch Nails-Closer
Def Leppard-Photograph
Guns and Roses-November Rain
Linkin Park-Leave Out All The Rest
Nickelback-Burn It To The Ground
Sevendust-Waffle
Metallica-Enter Sandman
Marilyn Manson-The Dope Show
Sevendust-Failure
Skillet-Falling Inside The Black

I've been in a very dark place this week and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Maybe I'm getting into the mind of my nastiest villain ever? We can always hope so. Have a good weekend!!

*sigh* My husband is at home while he looks for a job. He's been home about a month now and to be completely and bluntly honest, he's driving me up the wall. It's interfering with my creative process and I just about can't stand it anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I love him dearly and wouldn't trade him for the world. Without him in my life, I wouldn't be the well balanced and perky person that I am now. Well...maybe I would, but I doubt it.

The problem is the fact that when he's home, I feel like I have to entertain him or something. I'll be bent over my little netbook, typing up a storm with my earbuds in, and I can feel his eyes burning into me. I look up and I see his mouth moving but I can't hear him because I have Muse blaring in my ears and my train of thought is derailed with lots of fatalities. It's very frustrating, especially when I'm mid sentence and then come back to finish it and can't remember where I was going with it.

So how do you manage to work through distractions? What I've done recently is institute work time. When my computer is on, the earbuds are in, and my fingers are flying over those keys, do not interrupt me for anything short of a fire or other natural disaster. When I come up for air, then you can tell me whatever you were thinking about an hour ago that wasn't important enough to stop me mid sentence. My husband also knows now that I try to work between the hours of 9AM and 12 Noon. During that time, unless otherwise stated, I'm working. When I'm taking my break in the middle, then bother me.

The other thing I decided to do was stop noticing him sitting there, looking at me with those bored eyes. I pretend he's not there and he's agreed to forget anything strange that I do while listening to music and letting my muse inspire me.

Just like when you're working a lot of hours outside the home and aren't sure when you'll find the time to write, you have to decide what's the most important to you. Is the distraction worth it? If it's a child (or a pregnant Shih Tzu two weeks away from delivering), it probably is. If it's a bored husband who should be out doing something else with his time? That's not worth derailing your writing over. If you have the passion to write, you'll be able to work through it.

I'm so wiped out. I hate to admit this, but I haven't written a word since Saturday, blog notwithstanding. Sure, I've done revisions on Forbidden (it's being edited for formatting purposes and I'm finding revisions that were lost in the Great Computer Crash of July), but that's not really writing in my eyes, at least not for me. It's fixing problems. It's not creating. And I don't have the gumption to create right now.

Between my husband being laid off, extra hours at my part time job, and stress over other things in my personal life, my writing has suffered hard core. Also, I've been imersing myself in vampire culture to the point that I hardly expose myself to anything else. Does that mean I'm putting New Moon down and reading something else? No. It does mean that I need to do something different though.

My music is burning me out, my reading is burning me out (Again, Twilight stuff notwithstanding because I haven't read it in a year), my life is burning me out. I think I know the solution and I'm scared to do it because it couldn't come at a worse time. It just can't be avoided anymore.

I'm taking another sabbatical. This one for at least two weeks starting October 1st. Maybe I'll be away from my writing career for the month. I don't know yet. But I'm taking time off to do other things.

I'll still be here because the Fang Marked office is one of my favorite things. But there will be no new creations while I'm on sabbatical.

During my time off, I'm going to take notes. Legacy is being ripped apart because of the catastrophe that befell it in the Great Computer Crash of July. I wasn't happy with it when it was finished. Now that it's not finished again, maybe I can change that.

Burnout happens people. It's just the way things are. You plug away at something for so long that you have no choice but to step away and have fun for a little while. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to step away and have fun for a little while. I'm going to sit in the park and enjoy the fall. I'm going to take long walks and let my mind wander. I'm going to go to the movies and sit at Fireworks for long periods of time, just hanging out. I'm going to do more than just research and vampires.

But I'll still be here. I'm pretty sure after two weeks, I'll be back in the mindset to get back to work.

Yes I know. I said the Fang Marked office would be closed yesterday and today. I still am closed, but it's for a different reason altogether. I thought maybe it was a practical joke on Sunday, but it wasn't.

Legacy isn't finished anymore. The last forty pages crashed and burned with my other computer.

Just when I think I'm not going to be reminded of that horrific mistake, it just keeps coming back to bite me in the butt. All this time I've spent rewriting Awakening, and now the book preceding it isn't done. Fabulous.

When my old computer died, that was bad. This is worse in my mind because I haven't worked on Legacy since April. That was five months ago. I can't for the life of me remember how it ended before. I can't remember anything about it except the relief I felt when it was finished. Now I almost have to start over again on a book due out in seven months because I'm going to have to edit what I have first before I can finish it. Argh.

So, to make a long story short, back your stuff up, always! And back it up in multiple locations. Or you could find yourself in my situation. Trust me, it's not a fun place to be right now either.

I'm closed for the day, yes I know. I always say I'm closed and then here I am. It's pathetic that I can't stay away isn't it?

Recently I discovered something truly cool and I want to share. Coming soon to krwnovels.com is the Prophecy playlist!! Isn't that something?

Everyone knows I have an addiction to music and vampires. Ever since Prophecy came out, I've wanted to share some of the music I was listening to when I wrote it and hopefully get people in the mood to read it (or read it again if you prefer). I've been working on the playlist all day today and it should be coming up soon. Once Forbidden comes out, I'll make one for that too.

At least this way you won't be bombarded with music on my blog anymore. That's not bad right?

The Fang Marked office will be closed today and tomorrow. Why? Because I need a break! Seriously though, I'm going to be in the middle of real time edits for the next two days and I don't want to leave anyone feeling neglected. See ya on Thursday!

I'm putting Awakening away for this week. I'm almost done and I can't hardly look at it right now. The pace is moving too fast because I want to be done already. I've been writing this thing, at least part of the time, since April. I'm ready for the finish line but I don't have the stamina to make it. It's time to fall over on the side of the race track and wait for the medic to come get me before my heart explodes in my chest.

This is why I personally hate deadlines and wish that the person who coined the term would be shot in sensitive places with rubber bullets.

When you're pushing yourself to get a project done in a short amount of time, you'll catch yourself doing this very thing. I'm calling it stifling myself. Music has lost it's meaning to me. I've tried to right brain with it and now I'm bogged down. There's too much music, so I recreated my playlist (hence the absent Music To Write By post this weekend). That helped a little bit, but not enough. I need to take a step back.

This week is going to be devoted to Forbidden. It's coming out in about two months and I want to make sure it's perfect. When I worked on it Thursday morning, two hours had passed before I realized what was going on. That tells me that Awakening is being forced on me and it's time to step back.

Make sure that when you're working on a project for a long time that you aren't pushing yourself so hard you can't think anymore. The worst thing in the world is to be your own worst enemy. You're going to be your worst critic anyway right?

I was talking about theme songs yesterday. Let's continue on shall we? Again, there are going to be spoilers, so read at your own risk.






Ulrich-Desperately Wanting by Better Than Ezra. Ulrich and Cassie have a history that spans over two hundred years. She's been part of his life for such a long time, he doesn't really know life without her. This song made me think of him, desperately wanting that time back again.

Cassie-Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park. Imagine that your life is defined by your position, then that position is taken away and you have the chance to do whatever you want to do. Would you take it? Cassie did, at the expense of her relationship with Ulrich.

Their relationship-Battlefield by Jordin Sparks. If there were ever two people who have to fight to keep it together, it's Ulrich and Cassie. He feels betrayed by her actions, she feels like she'll never be able to compete with his sense of duty. Love is truly a battlefield and they are both getting their armor.

Roan-Blurry by Puddle of Mudd. I can't wait for you all to meet Roan. He's my favorite new character because he is tortured. He doesn't know where he comes from, he just knows he's here. For someone so lost, he's got a protective side. He doesn't want to lose anything else. It doesn't hurt that he also can sing and play guitar.

Sephanie-Hysteria by Muse. Sephanie is another one of those characters that I'm excited to introduce. She's amazingly smart and sure of herself. Hysteria defines her loosely. She has no control over what happens to her in the beginning of the first OWR (Order of the White Rose) and she's thrown into a world she didn't even know existed. Regardless, she wants to break out.

Their relationship-I'd Come For You by Nickelback. Roan and Sephanie share a true, pure, passionate love. When it's tested, Roan will stop at nothing to save Sephanie's life.

It's nice to have theme songs for characters. It helps me get in their heads and make them real. In your own life, don't you have a song that you feel defines moments of your life? It's no different for characters in your novels.

When I wrote yesterday's post, I forgot about this date. There will be no post today in rembrance of those who lost their lives eight years ago. May we never forget history so we never repeat history.

Thank you to those who risk their lives to keep us safe: Police, Firefighters, Paramedics, and of course, our troops overseas.

I posted this on krwnovels.com in the forum, but I thought I'd put it in here too. Last week I read an article on www.team-twilight.com about Edward and Bella having theme songs (you might have to search a little bit on the site because I'm just not good with links. I'm a writer, not a computer programmer). Since I'm hoping to someday be bigger than Twilight, I thought about Seven and Rhoswen and their theme songs from Prophecy. I also thought of some for Lincoln and Guin, who will be coming up in Forbidden, as well as Roan and Sephanie from the first Order of the White Rose, and Ulrich and Cassie from Awakening. There are some spoilers ahead, so just be aware.







Seven-What I've Done by Linkin Park. For someone with so much power and money, he's haunted by one mistake that he can't take back. When I was writing the first draft of Prophecy, I listened to this song a lot because it brought me to Seven's frame of mind.

Rhoswen-She Runs Away by Duncan Sheik. Once you know the true story of Rhoswen's past, with her bad relationships and both of her parents being dead and the suicide attempt, you'll understand why she is the way she is. In her relationship with Seven though, she really does bring him back to reality.

Their relationship together-Halo by Beyonce. Even though this song came out after I was done with Prophecy, it describes them perfectly.

Lincoln-Leave Out All The Rest from Linkin Park. He sings this song in Forbidden, and once he's gone, it symbolizes what his family feels in his absence.

Guin-Poker Face by Lady Gaga. Believe it or not, I heard this song after I was done with Forbidden and it's Guin to a tee. She hides it all and won't let anyone see what she's like underneath. You can't read her poker face. Lincoln sure couldn't.

Their relationship-Forever from Chris Brown. Wait until you read the book, you'll get it then. To give that away now would be too much of a spoiler.

I'll save Ulrich and Cassie and Roan and Sephanie for tomorrow.

If you're writing a novel with supernatural characters, you have the hardest job in fiction in my mind. No, I'm not just saying that because I'm writing novels with supernatural characters either. It truly is hard to do.

When writing a romance novel or a sci fi novel or an adventure novel, you have somewhere to go. There are source books for romance, science texts for sci fi, and do you really need help on an adventure novel? There's books out there for the Chick Lit writer, for the contemporary fiction author, the mystery writer. But for the supernatural writer? Nothing.

When deciding to write about vampires, I had to turn to other books about vampires to find out what the traditional myths were. Thank goodness for the folklore section of my library. When researching werewolves, there was little to nothing serious out there. How about shapeshifters? Forget it.

If you're looking for help in creating the powers or special abilities of your supernatural character, you need to go on what you already know. To explain those abilities, try to be as real as you can.

My vampires have special abilities based on their DNA. Werewolves can only be men (but I'm going to be messing with that one later on). Shapeshifters come in two classes. What's the difference between a werewolf and a shapeshifter? You'll have to wait and see.

If you're interested in writing a book with supernatural characters, it doesn't hurt to read what other people have written with similar characters to your own. I've read the Twilight saga (many, many times), the Dark Hunter series, the Vampire Diaries, the Sookie Stackhouse Novels, and I've watched just about every vampire movie ever made. I also read a lot of manga like Millenium Snow and Vampire Knight. You have to do what you have to do.

Don't get discouraged when using characters that aren't human. Remember one powerful thing: If you can't find research material on it, then it probably doesn't exist yet. What's better than an original idea?

This post is entirely for the romantic writer in you. If you write gory war novels, you might not like this post. But ultimately, just about every genre has a love story of some kind.

I didn't set out to write a love story. I mean, sure I did, but that wasn't the main point. Prophecy wasn't supposed to be a love story. It was supposed to be a hero's story. Most of my research at the beginning was in the hero myth (if you're looking into heroes, check out The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Thanks NP for that recommendation last year). I read classic mythology and Norse mythology, chasing down the classic hero myth. Then I realized that no one would care about Seven like I did if he didn't have someone to fight for.

John Eldredge, in Wild At Heart, says that a man has to have a beauty to fight for. Think about Romeo and Juliet. Romeo literally died for Juliet. Think about King Arthur and Guinevere. Or how about Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton or Acheron Parthenopaeus (yes that's spelled right) and Soteria Kafieri from Acheron. A lot of heroes are redeemed by the love of a woman.

A love story doesn't have to be a book filled with ripping clothes and graphic sex scenes. It's not always filled with the most beautiful people (unless you're dealing with vampires, then it almost always is because of the nature of the vampire) or the most ideal circumstances. A hero has a beauty to fight for. That's it. She doesn't even have to be the classic beauty. As long as he finds her beautiful, that's all it requires.

I don't want you to believe that a romance is always the trashy purple prose monstrosities in the historical romance section (some are actually pretty good though). A truly wonderful romance draws you in because you want to see these two characters redeem each other. It's truly amazing.

For good romance, check out Ransom by Julie Garwood (the best sarcasm is present in this novel) or A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux (the best example of what happens when the ending isn't what you think it should be). Is there sex? Yes. Is it necessary? I've already said before that it isn't.

Don't be afraid to let a hero fall in love. Sometimes it's the best characteristic he has.

I'm very blessed to have the coolest little netbook on the planet (yes I'm biased and I don't care). Sure, I had to fry the hard drive on one to find out just how cool this little thing really is, but I'm fully able to appreciate what I have now. (Once I figure out how to shrink a photo to upload on here, I'll put up a picture of the new computer and the nice little external hard drive that I have hooked up to it constantly)

However, I do remember the days of being restricted to my desktop with my rear end going numb in my desk chair as I wrote for hours a day. Those days were good and bad, just like having a laptop is good and bad now.

Do you work exclusively on a desktop or do you use a laptop? Are you carrying around a laptop that's got a 19 inch screen or do you use one of these handy little netbooks?

Surprisingly, this little Acer netbook that I have is more powerful than my desktop ever was. Now they have dropped below $300 at Walmart, so it's definitely more affordable. And it has Windows XP. I refuse to change over to Vista. Plus I have the portability factor, which is great when I'm sitting at Fireworks and feel the itch to write.

The good thing about the desktop was that I was chained to it. I had no choice but to sit there and work. I had more room too, to lay out notebooks full of character or plot notes or research. But the bad part was that I was chained to it. I couldn't go to a new place to sit down and write. However, the desktop was more durable than my laptop is now.

If you need a change of pace, I hope you're writing on a laptop. If you need consistancy, stay at home on the desktop. It depends on your schedule as well.

But if you're in the market for a new laptop, don't discount the netbook. It's a powerful little machine and it fits in the inside pocket of my messenger bag. And it's pink. That's always fun.

There isn't as much music this week due to my hours at the cab company. However, I wanted to share the music that helped me make it through the week, whether I was writing or not:

Muse-Starlight
Better Than Ezra-Desperately Wanting
Goo Goo Dolls-Black Balloon
Muse-Sing For Absolution
The Airborne Toxic Event-Sometime Around Midnight
Tonic-If You Could Only See
Muse-Hysteria
Def Leppard-Two Steps Behind
Skillet-Hero
Rob Thomas-Her Diamonds

Next week will lead to more writing time, so hopefully the list will be longer next weekend. I know, I have a lot of repeat songs every week, but that's just because I can't stop listening to them. Muse is addictive.

Have a great weekend!

This has been a very hard week for me. It might not seem like that through the posts I've put up, but I put those up in advance sometimes because that's easier for me. This week has been exhausting and frustrating for me.

I work a part time job outside of my writing so that my husband and I would have a place to get our car fixed and some extra money in our pocket (I work for a cab company). But with all the drama here in the last week, I've been at the office for my part time job than at Fang Marked for my full time job. With deadlines hanging over my head and a lot of research still left to do, this hasn't been a good time for this to happen.

Some of you might be asking me "So how do you write a novel when you have to work outside the home at a full time job to make ends meet?". Here's the only solution I could come up with.

I'm working before I leave for my regular job. Granted, I work second shift. But if I had a first shift job, I'd work for an hour when I got home. You may not make three pages a day doing that, but you have a good excuse don't you? It's harder to write when you have other demands on your time. But if you want it bad enough, or if your characters won't leave you alone, you'll find a way. Some people work better at night. I'm more of a morning person and like to be done by 11 AM. I'll write later than that, but the bulk of it is done. And it helps that I have a netbook and can write on the fly.

How would you try to balance a full time job with writing a novel?

I loved a recent post on Coffee Stained Writer (http://coffee-stainedwriter.blogspot.com/) about when a work is finished. Since my internet connection is not allowing me to put what I really think as a comment on her blog, I'm throwing it on here.

How do you really know when a work is finished? It's a long process.

Since I've only published the one novel, I'll talk about my experience with that one. Prophecy was hard to let go of. It was my first novel ever and I felt there was so much more to add. I even wrote 10 pages of useless scene at the end because I couldn't let it go. But finally, I'd told the story and it felt done. Then the edits began.

Before I did my first edit, I finished Forbidden and participated in Nano for the first time. I didn't go back to Prophecy until late December/early January. I couldn't believe the disaster that was my first novel. I pulled about 30 pages out, wrote another 30-40 to replace what was cut, moved scenes around, added new characters, and rewrote the ending. Twice. It was finally done with the first round of edits when my husband said to me "is there anything of the original novel left?". That's when I knew it was time to stop and take a step back.

The last round of edits before publication were done in late April/early May. That was a lot quicker because I just had to make sure it was flowing and the new stuff went with the old stuff. But even when I was sure it was the novel it is today, I didn't want to let it go. The only way I stopped picking at it was the deadline I was under. But I'm glad I didn't pick it apart again because so far, the feedback has been fantastic.

So how do you know when it's really done? I can't describe it academically, but I can tell you that Prophecy was done because it felt done. It was ready. It's like cooking or what I imagine pregnancy would be. When it's done, it's done. The turkey comes out of the oven, the baby is born. There's no more you can do to it.

Forbidden has been editted three times because of computer malfunction. It's getting one more combing out before it's completely ready to go. It just hasn't required as much in the way of revision. Now the prequel, Legacy, I'm scared I'm going to have to rewrite that book from the beginning all over again.

But when it's done, it's done.

Imagine this: You walk into a place you frequent often, whether that's a coffee house or the library or a bar, it's not a big deal. Put yourself there and think about what's going on around you. Do you see it? There's one thing I'm sure you're forgetting and it's not your fault that you don't notice it. More often than not, you aren't supposed to notice it.

I'm talking about the background noise. The music playing in the coffee house or the sound of people typing on computers in the library. If you're in a bar, well that changes from night to night and hopefully you aren't too drunk to notice it. Why don't you notice it? Because it's there to influence your mood.

When writing a scene like this in a novel, you have to remember that background noise is there and use it to your advantage. I put a couple bar and club scenes in Prophecy and I actually name the song I'm thinking of playing in the background. When Seven walks into the bar the first time he sees Rhoswen, he enters to Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole". All of a sudden, you get a picture of what is really going on. When Seven and Rhoswen go out for their first date, I describe the song playing on the dance floor of the club (because it's in Japanese and I honestly didn't have the title with me, but you understand where I'm coming from here).

This adds realism to your writing. No one walks around in a bubble of silence. We all have our favorite bands and we all sing along in the car (well, most of us). If you have a character driving around without music playing in the background, he's probably talking to the other character sitting right next to him or reflecting on the aliens that just abducted his dog.

Make sure you remember what should be there and take the opportunity to show off some of your own personality if you want to. Lincoln listens to Linkin Park in Forbidden because it's A: Funny (you'll get it in a minute. If you don't, leave a comment and I'll explain), B: A personal favorite of mine, and C: He's an angry teenage boy. But if he's driving around listening to the sounds of silence (that isn't really a band is it?), then it's no longer believable.

Here's how crazy this month is already. And it's only the first.

-I need to finish research for nanowrimo. That means many trips to the library and a lot of time on the internet at Fireworks.
-It's time to finish transcribing a novel for a friend of mine. He wants to be able to release it to family and friends by Christmas and if I don't finish it this month, it won't be ready.
-I have to get ready for the book club meeting October 3rd. I need to go through Prophecy and be prepared to hit various parts of the novel and I have to go through Forbidden and pick out what part is going to be previewed at the meeting.
-I need to finish the revisions on Forbidden and do one more real time edit of it to make sure that the new stuff flows with the rest of the story and clear up any formatting mistakes.
-Hubby and I have to go out and take the pictures for the cover of Forbidden. I want a lot to choose from.
-Awakening needs to start winding down. Deadline to finish it is November 1st so it isn't hanging over my head for nanowrimo.
-Shipping out books to family and friends who wanted copies of Prophecy. I'm so behind!
-I have to get with Hubby and design the logo for Fank Marked since we're using that as my office now and we want to make t-shirts. Yeah, we're weird.

Whatever doesn't get done this month will get crammed into next month. Argh.

When I found myself falling into the career that I now love more than anything else I've ever done, I didn't realize how much stuff I'd be dragging along with me. That was before the laptop came along.

Now I carry around a messenger bag with the laptop, my external hard drive, two large notebooks, one mini notebook, a novel, four blue pens, two red sharpies, my tiny mouse, the ever present set of pink earphones, my power cord, and my wallet. It's like carrying around a diaper bag without any kids. You just can't be too prepared.

Granted, the novel changes from day to day (yes that's correct. I can finish an 800 page novel in about two days if I'm determined. But I love to savor) and some days I don't even bring it with me. Today I don't have the novel with me because I'm at Fireworks. It's an official work day, no time for pleasure reading until later.

Yesterday, the novel was my favorite, Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon. No matter how many times I read that book, I find something new every single time. A few days ago it was Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris because I have a thing for Eric Northman. If he actually existed, I might have problems. Next month, I'll be carrying the Twilight series around again in preparation for the New Moon movie in November.

Don't forget to bring what you need with you. That's all the time if you can help it. Inspiration is a funny thing and you might find yourself sitting alone in the food court of the mall and suddenly a scene for your own novel strikes you. I carry my mini notebook around and collect funny quotes I hear or read (where did you think the quote of the week came from?). It is also a scientific fact that you'll need a pen the one time you don't have one. It happens to me all the time.

Now do I truck the laptop out with me everywhere? No. That's not reality. But I take it most places with me. You just never know.

So, what's in your bag?

This week's scenes of Awakening and revisions on Forbidden were created with the help of some strong coffee at Fireworks and the following musical selections:

Skillet-Hero (their new album dropped last Tuesday)
Vertical Horizon-Everything You Want
The Black Ghosts-Full Moon
Muse-Starlight (I can't get it out of my head)
Linkin Park-A Place For My Head
Taylor Swift-You Belong With Me
Nickelback-Someday
Linkin Park-New Divide
Love Spit Love-How Soon Is Now?
Skillet-Rebirthing
Beyonce-Halo
Muse-Supermassive Black Hole
Katy Perry-Hot and Cold
Lenny Kravitz-Again
Nickelback-I'd Come For You
And finally, Jojo-Too Little Too Late

Have a great weekend!

After a much needed day off to breathe, I was thinking about the differences between writing a book that stands alone and writing a book that will have more story following after it. There are differences you know.

When I wrote Prophecy about a year ago, I planned on it standing alone. There was no more story to tell. I believed that Seven and Rhoswen were finished. Let the reader imagine what happened to them after that. I had no reason to keep going. Then I started writing Forbidden and I found myself bringing those characters back again. I just couldn't let them go.

With all the plans I have for Seven and Rhoswen and everyone in that universe, I don't think I'll be letting them go for a long time. But that doesn't mean that everything I write is going to involve them.

It's different to think that I'm going to have to finish a story in one volume instead of being able to stretch it out. I'm getting into the last half of Awakening and I'm thankful that I don't have to cram everything I'm thinking about into these last seventy or so pages. With a stand alone novel, you're done when you hit that last page. That means you have to have enough story to get to that last page.

My advice to anyone writing the first novel is to not plan for a series right from the get go unless you have so much going on in your plot mapping that it would require more than one book. I didn't plan on a series, and now I'm in the middle of one. But at least Prophecy can stand on it's own two feet. Now I can surprise readers with cliffhanger endings and driving plot lines that make you wish I'd written the whole thing before I released the first one.

But even a stand alone novel can make readers want more from you. That's not such a bad thing either. You just get to create new characters every single time. In reality, that's probably harder.

Right now, I'm sitting at the best coffeehouse in the world watching people paint pottery (you can do that here while you're drinking your coffee. Isn't that just cool?). If I had the time today to paint, believe me I would be. Sometimes words on a page can't express how I'm feeling as well as paint on a ceramic plate can.

Do you find that sometimes you need to break away from your computer and do something else that's just as creative as writing?

Sometimes, I just have to take a break from my computer and paint a piece of pottery. They make great gifts and I get to branch out a bit. For other people I know, it's photography that calls them from other pursuits. One of my brothers-in-law works as a waiter full time, but he paints in his spare time. He takes pictures to get his mind away from a canvas. My other brother-in-law is a musician. I'm not sure what he does when he's not playing music, but I think it has something to do with drawing. Or beating my husband at metroid prime.

It's okay to branch out from one medium to another to make your brain more effective at your primary pursuit. After I paint, all of a sudden the scenes in my head that I'm writing down are clearer and more vibrant. All of a sudden I can explain what I mean so much better.

If you're getting bogged down in everything else going on in your life and your writing is suffering, go do something else that's creative. You'd be surprised how rejuvenating that is.

I wanted to point out at the upper right hand of your screen right now, there's a music player. I'm sure you've seen it. Sometimes it starts automatically, most of the time it doesn't. I'd love some feedback on that player.

You see, it's up there so that you can get a taste of what I'm listening to every week and to make your reading experience more enjoyable. Now if I had internet access at home, I'd update it daily, but since I don't, it's done every week.

Do you like it? Hate it? Have suggestions for songs?

I know, I know. It's not November yet Kell. It's not even September yet and here you are, harping about three pages a day and now you're talking about nanowrimo. What's up with that? Here's what's up with that.

I did nanowrimo last year and I've never regretted a moment of it. Nanowrimo has made me a little bit of money by giving me the chance to publish my first novel successfully. If a very good friend of mine hadn't pushed me to do it (thanks NP. You'll never know how much) I would still be where I was last year, questioning my talent and wondering if I should just hang up my pen and go out into the real world again.

Here's why you need to do nanowrimo if you've never done it before. You'll be pushed creatively, you'll find you can write those 50,000 words (don't freak out at the number. It's not as hard as you think), and you'll be richly rewarded afterward when you do finish it. Plus, once you see that you can make the word count for the month, you'll never say three pages a day is so hard again. Trust me on that one.

So why am I bringing it up now? Come on, it's August still. Well, you can't work on an unfinished work for nanowrimo. It has to be brand new. That means you better get your research done right now. That means your character mapping needs to be finished next month or in October. It means you need to prepare for it right now.

"But I'm still working on a project. I don't have time." Stop whining. You think you're busy? So is everyone else. Believe me, I have too many irons in the fire right now. I'm releasing a book in November, as well as finishing up a first draft before November 1st, transcribing a novel for a friend that needs to be done by November 1st, and I'm doing my research for nano right now. If I can do it, so can you.

At least give it a shot. You'll get tips and advice along the way that will be very helpful for you. It's worth every sleepless night and stressful day. It's worth it to be able to say that you completed something. That's the first step in cultivating a successful writing career isn't it? You have to finish something.

So sign up and get ready. Once November gets here, you'll be shocked how fast it flies by.

Do you ever read a book and you can tell it's been sanitized? It's like the author was censored. Maybe you haven't since we live in the US, but I've read that there are authors who want to do something with a character and they are overruled because the publisher is concerned about what kind of image that will portray. You're probably asking why I'm bringing this up. I'm about to tell you.

In Forbidden, I have an underaged smoker. He's seventeen and he's smoking through about the first half of the novel. Not only does he rarely get caught, but the punishment when he is caught is never carried out. Why did I do this? Because you're supposed to write what you know and I've been a smoker since I was fourteen (I'm twenty eight now. If you do the math, that means I've smoked for half of my lifetime. It's time to quit) and I thought it wouldn't hurt to throw that image out there. Then I throw into the mix a friend of this character who also smokes and is underage. One underaged smoker I think a publisher could overlook. But two? It might pose a problem.

I don't like the thought of making my smoking characters eighteen just because of propriety. Teenagers smoke. How on earth do you think you have adult smokers? You think adults just start smoking all of a sudden? Not very often, no. I can't exactly make the vampires smokers. I mean I could, but we all know vampires don't need to breathe, so why would they need to smoke?

My point here is this: if you feel it doesn't take anything away from the story, be prepared to edit out a characteristic that might not be PC with an editor or a publisher. If it takes away from the story or the character, fight for it. At least that's what I'm going to do. If you don't want to deal with it, don't put it in the story.

I just don't see what the big deal is though. We have erotica that's published and available in mainstream bookstores. Sex scenes show up in romance novels and mysteries and various other novels. We even have scenes with characters doing drugs in some instances. But you throw in some underage smoking or drinking or whatever, and people freak out. But that's just my opinion.