Texas Writing Trip

I'm here and attending a Margie Lawson Immersion class that lasts four days. I'm in deep edits and having a great time. Writers are always seeking to improve their books and the best way to do that is to attend workshops and classes as often as they can. I hope to always write my best book every time I set down and start one.

I've met some great new friends here and learning a lot from them as well. It's fun to find out about your fellow writers since writing tends to be a very solitary business. We sit at a computer for hours on end and never see or talk to another person if we don't have family living with us. It makes for some long days and strange actions.

I talk to my cats and listen when they talk back. I've always said they are my greatest muses. When something isn't working well, I turn to the cat and watch it sleep or play and suddenly, it all works out in my head and I start back to creating the story.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Marla
www..com

Texas Here I Come

How many of you live in Texas? I'm on my way there for a workshop and would love to hear from you. I'll be in Allen, Texas just north east of Dallas this weekend through Wednesday. Looking forward to some cowboy time and lots of writing. What are you doing this weekend?

Be sure to keep up with my newsletter for another chance to win free books and other neat prizes. I'll have another newsletter out in two weeks and will be choosing one lucky winner for it. You can sign up Here.  (http://bit.ly/1KKySeY)

On a fun note. I attended a Journey concert on Wednesday night and had a ball. Does this date me? LOL I grew up listening to those guys. They did not disappoint. Now I'm wanting to go to another concert. Have to see who is playing close by.

Working on a Ghost Riders book now. Hope to have it finished by the end of June. Anyone looking forward to that one? After that it's a Shifting Desires book. I'm looking forward to that one as well. I love writing bear shifters.

Hope to hear form you soon,

Marla
www.marlamonroe.com

The Importance of Feeding Your Human

Sometimes we get all caught up with research, plotting, and writing to the point that we forget that the human side of us needs a break sometimes. No matter how much we eat, live, and breathe writing, there comes a time that we all need something different for a change. For some of us, we naturally take periodic breaks to relax, read something fun, watch a fun movie, or take a family vacation without the computer. Yeah, right. Not happening here either.

My poor human side gets very little time away from writing. The time I do take usually still has something to do with writing in some form or fashion. For example, I’m going on a long weekend out of town where I will meet up with my writers group that I’m a member of and discuss writing as well as catch up on how everyone is doing. I’ll also take some time to visit a couple of friends that don’t write but always in the back of my mind is that part of me that is cataloguing everything in case I can use it later in a book.

 

Even after I’ve visited with my friends, I’ll be going back to my hotel room to write. I’d never get any sleep if I didn’t write some before going to bed. It’s a habit so engrained in me now that if I try to break it, I fear I’d go insane. What will happen when I’m too old to see well enough to write or have such bad arthritis that I can’t hold a pen or use a keyboard? My mind will slowly implode. Then again, maybe I’ll just go happily into that amazing world inside my brain and live out the remainder of my days there.

The point is that if I didn’t do something to relieve some of the constant pressure to write, write, write, I would go stale and my writing would ultimately suffer. Just feeding my muse all the new things I find for it isn’t enough. The human side of us has to be, well, human at times. Remember, we might drive the obsessions, the passions, and the finance side of things, but our human is only human and if he or she gets sick, we all suffer.

 

So remember to feed your human different ideas, experiences, and other human interaction. Becoming a monk or, in my case, a hermit at times, isn’t a good thing. As much as I would love to bury myself in a little cabin in the woods with damn good satellite Internet but not much else, just so I could write uninterrupted, it would eventually lead to my demise as an author and ultimately as a human.

Find something that gets you out of your little hidey-hole at least two or three times a year and take advantage of it. Keep your muse looking and smelling fresh so that your writing remains exciting and unique to you.

Marla Monroe

www.marlamonroe.com

http://bit.ly/1fGPpzR

http://bit.ly/MzcA6I

@MarlaMonroe1

 

 

Decisions, Decisions

How do you choose where you will go each year? There are so many conventions, conferences, and workshops out there to choose from. I’m totally overwhelmed! I want to go to them all. If I went to even half of them, I’d get nothing written though.

How do you decide where to go? Here is what I do.

·       I put them all on one calendar with where they are located

·       I put the cost of the convention on it

·       I put the general cost of travel/hotel on it.

·       I cross out anything that is just too expensive for me to handle.

·       I highlight all of the ones I’ve gone to in the past that seemed to show me a good return on my investment. (# of books sold during that week and the week after, number of hits and friends on my website and Facebook during that week and the week after, and compare it to the cost to see what my ratio of cost to potential sells is.)

·       I highlight in another color those that I’ve been to where I didn’t see quite the same results.

·       I put an * by those I’ve never, ever been to that are in a place I’ve never been, like, say Seattle, Washington or Idaho.

·       I choose the three main ones that I plan to go to based on if I can be a featured author and/or give a workshop/sit on a panel.

·       Then I cross off all the others in that month. I can’t go to more than one in a month. Tried that and have the nervous breakdown report to prove it.

·       Next, I check with all the rest to see if I can present or give a workshop or panel and go from there. If I can, I pick out those in areas I’ve not been to for a new experience and chance at reaching new readers. I cross out all of the rest in that month.

·       I don’t go to workshops or conventions in November or December unless they are one day affairs near me.

·       If I get a personal request from a reader, I try to accommodate them since they rock! And they took the time to contact me. If it is possible, I will come. If not for the entire thing, then maybe for a day to visit with that reader.

·       If I get a request from a convention/workshop coordinator to be a featured author or workshop presenter, I will try to work those in as well. That is always an honor to be asked out of thousands and thousands of other authors out there.

So, I now have about five maybe six workshops/conventions I’m planning to attend. That’s six weeks out of every year that I get very little writing down which means I have to double up the rest of the year! Yikes!  How do I do that?

Well, I cut out things that a lot of people do without even thinking about it most every day.

·       I don’t watch TV—at all! End of story. I plow through the news on my computer for top stories that I need to know about. I listen to other people talk about news when I’m commuting, eating, or otherwise occupied but hear them chattering.

·       I buy/rent/stream movies and TV series that are of interest to me for writing such as Sons of Anarchy and Dexter and Gigolos and True Blood to watch short takes when I’m writing that particular genre for inspiration, to get in the mindset, and for entertainment. But only short bits, like one episode at a time.

·       I listen to books on tape in my genres whenever I’m in my car when I’m alone or exercising, using my MP3 player.

·       I read at doctor’s offices, waiting on appointments, on planes, at railroad tracks, red lights, stop signs…well you understand. I don’t normally take a few hours every day to read. I need to write. Sometimes I will have an excellent weekend of writing and reward myself with half a day of reading. Those days are rare and very, very special!

·       I shop on line and have everything except perishables delivered to the house so I don’t waste time browsing at the store for things I don’t need and can’t afford anyway only to waste even more time waiting in long annoying checkout lines.

·       I make the most out of any non-writing time I take. For example, if I’m going to have to get up to go to the bathroom, I also get a refill on my water, drop off dirty clothes, and pick up any mail, and folded clothes to be put away.  If I have to leave to go somewhere, I plan my trip so that I don’t waste time doubling back for other errands, like going to the bank, post office, pharmacy, etc.

·       I have a unique work schedule since I work at the EDJ Monday through Wednesday from 6:30am till 6:30pm. Then I’m off Thursday through Sunday’s to write. I do edits, promo, and the business side of things after work on Mondays thru Wednesdays until 10pm. Then I’m off to bed. On Thursday’s through Sundays, I write, write, write. Yes, things interrupt me that have to be handled, but everyone has that. Plus, it keeps me from getting stiff sitting in my chair for 12 hours a day non-stop!

So, that’s how I make up for going to conventions and workshops five or six times a year. I do one other thing that helps make up my word counts. I schedule a week’s “vacation” where I go to my writing retreat where there’s nothing to interrupt me (for the most part) and I’m alone and can write non-stop. I also schedule one or two long weekends at my writing retreat for the same thing.

Is this the best way to do it? I highly doubt it. No two authors are the same. All of us are unique, which is why we have so many different writing styles and ideas. What works for me won’t work for someone else. What works for them, wouldn’t work for me.

Some of you are going to read this and think one of two things.

1) I don’t really do this. I’m just making it up. Many of my colleagues will tell you, that yes, I really do live like this. I’m different from others. I don’t have children. (I do have my parents living with me) I don’t have a big social live, but I do have writer friends who I talk with and visit occasionally. It’s not for everyone or even a few others. If I’m not writing, I feel guilty and get nervous and the voices in my head start talking about ways to torture me. Believe me. You don’t want my voices discussing the merits of one technique of torture over another!

2) You’re going to say I’m crazy and probably an introvert. Well, you’re right. I am crazy and an introverted hermit except when I’m at conventions and workshops. Then I will talk your ear off because I haven’t had anyone to talk to for about the last forty-five weeks!!!

Okay, I got off on a tangent. Choosing what conventions and workshops to attend isn’t easy and more than likely, something will come up to throw you off just when you thought you had it all worked out. That’s okay. Another opportunity will come up.  I’m posting my planned 2014 schedule on my website www.marlamonroe.com and here. Just be for-warned.

Sh*t Happens!

For a complete list of all Conventions/Conferences/ Workshops that I’ve got information on, check back later and I’ll post a link to my spreadsheet.

For all of you wonderful readers out there, have a great week and hope to hear from you sometime. Maybe I will even meet you at a con.

For all of you busy writers, don’t change your process if it works. If you see something you like that someone else does, try tweaking your process and if it doesn’t work, go back to your original method. You don’t lose anything by trying something new, but you might miss out on something if you don’t.

 

 

 March 21-22, 2014

MidSouth Con

Memphis, TN at Hilton Memphis

939 Ridgelake Blvd. Memphis, TN  38120

http://www.midsouthcon.org/

April 9-13, 2014

Las Vegas, Nevada

Details Coming Soon

 

June 19-22, 2014

RomCon Denver, CO

Crowne Plaza, Denver Airport

http://www.romcon.com/index.html

 

July 23-26, 2014

Romance Writers of American Convention

34^th Annual Conference

San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter & Marriott Riverwalk

In San Antonio, TX

http://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=538

 

August 21-26, 2014

BDSM Writers Conference

New York, NY Manhattan

Hotel TBA Later

http://bdsmwriterscon.com/

Check out my BDSM Author Page

 

September 18-21, 2014

RAW

Lora Leigh’s Reader Appreciation Weekend

Hagerstown, Maryland

Website to follow soon

 

October 9-12, 2014

Destiny Blaine’s Writing Workshop & Reader Rally

LaQuinta Inn and Suites

10150 Airport Parkway

Kingsport, TN  37663

http://destinyblaineworkshop.blogspot.com/

 

Hard Stories

Sometimes the books that jump at me to write are hard to write. Something about them is either personal to me or to something I believe in. My new series, Wounded Warriors, is that type of series that burns in my soul. Its been on my mind for a long time, but this is the first book in the series to finally be finished.

Today I'll be writing those last two words that hits every writer in the heart. The End. The funny thing, is that it isn't the end really, but the beginning.

With this first book, a group of lives that are often ignored will come alive for us to hear their stories and learn about their hopes and dreams and how they were temporarily squashed. Temporarily because you can't keep a good man or woman down and because everyone deserves a happy ending. In these books, at least, they will have their HEA.

Sometimes being a writer means delving into the harder subjects and this is one of those that some great authors have addressed. Beth Williamson and Lorelei James are two that I think about here with their books that touched my heart. I hope that I can do half as well as they did with their stories.

Remember when you read one of these books that even though all my books will have a happy ending, not all lives get that HEA. It's one of the reasons I became a writer, to be able to always have a book I can disappear in for a few hours in order to live a HEA. Because as everyone knows, life can be hard and often is.

Marla Monroe

Where Is My Sunshine?

I'm desperate here. Tired of cloudy nasty days. I need the sun to come out and fill me up with energy. Its hard to think and plan when all you see is doom and gloom on the horizon. Spring, where is your brightly colored rainbow with all of its new life? Hurry up and explode across the sky to chase away the dreary world I'm stuck in.

Ever feel like this? I'm a solar powered kinda woman. I need the sunshine. Love a roaring thunderstorm to blow through a lazy afternoon or wake me in the middle of the night, but they are volatile and only last a short time. These long drawn out dull cloudy days stretch on and on until I'm ready to crawl under the covers and hide.

So here I sit, arguing with myself to just get over it already and write. I've got all the lights on around me to make it feel sunny and my manly inspiration pictures posted on my hunk board. I have no excuses, yet even closing the blinds so I can't see the depressing landscape before me, I know it is there.

Perhaps it is a fitting backdrop for the deeply emotional book I'm writing anyway. It is my challenge to bring them out of the place they've fallen in to one where happiness is found and dreams come true.

My ode to Edgar Allen Poe in a feeble attempt to mimic his depressing writings that always gave me the shivers when I read them. His birthday was the other day. I'm late as usual.

Marla Monroe