Holiday Writing

How much did you actually write this past week between shopping and family time?

Me? I managed to squeeze in a one lousy chapter...not that the chapter was lousy. :-) As a matter of fact, my father, who is my first round editor, didn't even make any changes to the chapter so it couldn't have been terrible. (Right, Dad??)

I also managed to write a brief article on hooks; what they are and how to write one.

So I did get some writing done but if I'm going to meet my first New Year's resolution of completing my current WIP by February then I better get a move on.

New Year's Resolution and Writing

With the New Year just around the corner, I think it is time to start think about a New Year's Resolution related to writing.

Last year, I had written down (yes, you must write your resolution down) that I wanted to get published. Wow! I did!

I also listed that I wanted to finish my second book. Whew! Did that with one month to spare. Bonus! I actually had it accepted to be published.

Plus, let's not forget that my one and only poem was published. That never even entered my mind when I wrote up my 2008 resolutions.

In 2009 readers will be looking for 2 books by me. It Happens In Threes and Killer Bunny Hill

Now for my writer's New Year's Resolution for 2009. You'll notice I am sharing this with all of you so my feet get held to the fire.

1. Finish my current WIP by February for submission. (And of course, hopefully published.)
2. Finish the teen novel I started. (No date on this one...just do it.)
3. Get one of my articles related to writing published in a magazine by September.
4. Get a DRAFT of a new novel to the end, but not necessarily polished by December.

Whew! That's a lot to accomplish but between you and me, if I want it bad enough I will get it.

Share some of your New Year's Resolution related to writing here. Remember to write the list down and if possible give everything dates, even if just the month as this will give you added incentive to do it.

Next article idea?

I need a break from my current WIP and want to write an article.



Does anyone have any suggestions on articles related to writing? Anything you're frustrated with and need help on?

Desperate Salem, New Hampshire Residents Get Creative

This is what I wrote yesterday to make myself feel better about the lack of power!!


Desperate Salem Residents Add a Little Humor to Their Plea for Power

After five days without electricity, one of Santa's little helpers gets creative. One resident who lives down West Duston Road in Salem, NH decided to take the initiative and leave a note for National Grid and ask for electrical poles.

How was the note delivered?

With Christmas-colored spray paints and two pieces of plywood tied to a street sign, one West Duston resident wrote a note.

"National Grid, we need poles ? Forgotten :-( ."

In the holiday spirit, the note also contained an artistic rendition of a holiday wreath.

Did this letter to National Grid help?

Uncertain that the creative communication did the trick, the many phone calls from the residents of West Duston, or time and patience, but as of Tuesday, National Grid was finally present and working to address the issue.

Even though the residents do not have power yet, the desperate, displaced, and stinky residents want to thank the unnamed author of the note and National Grid for paying attention.

Ice Storm and Writing

Good morning everyone!

So I have been without power due to an ice storm for 5 days now. The only reason I can even write this blog is because I am sitting in Panera where several other people are trying to get a break from the bleak cold and darkness of our powerless homes. Yesterday I had to throw all food out of my refrigerator and freezer before the smell killed me. Ugh!

Beyond the obvious, this storm and the after effects has put a hurting on my creativity. Even though I have lots of time, I don't have any desire to write due to the simple fact that all I want is my power back and the situation is all encompassing.

And since I tend to write better with my computer this has been an even bigger challenge when you have no power and the battery life on a computer is minimal. Not to mention that without power there is also no internet access...ergo Panera.

The worst part of all this is the rudeness of the poer folks when you call to ask if they have a clue when my street will be set. The kicker came for me the other day when I saw that all streets around me had power including the dang amusement park next door (that's not even open for business) and my lonely street is just waiting.

Last night someone even painted a sign and set it on the very well lit street corner that asked, "National Grid, did you forget about us?" That sign actually lifted my spirits because I was glad to see I was not the only one upset by their lack of response. :-)

Anyway, my third novel was on quite a roll but now I'm trying just to hit 50000 words by end of year instead of completing the novel. Oh, and impossible to research when you have no internet access.

I'll try to write again soon and hopefully with good news of power having been restored.

Wahoo! Good News for Book 2

Ha ha!! I am doing the happy dance. Know why? Come on, guess.

Nope, too late – I’ll tell you. Cuz my editor just signed Killer Bunny Hill.

February Speaker Ideas

In February I'll be giving a talk on some subject for the NHRWA monthly meeting. Let me know if anyone has some suggestions on a topic that should be discussed.

I'm already considering passive voice or maybe planning your next story idea, or maybe even some basics on how to use Microsoft Word.

Is there anything else people would like to hear about? Feel free to send me suggestions!

And again, if you've never attended a NHRWA meeting, check it out http://nhrwa.tripod.com/

Articles - Passive Voice

One person from my writer's group suggested a couple of writing articles for my next effort. Thanks, Jennifer!

Last week before I took the 5 hour drive to NJ, I did manage to get an article written on Passive Voice. I'll post that soon on my website. This may be an option for me when I do my speaker bit in February for the NHRWA.

If you've never been to a NHRWA meeting you should check it out. http://nhrwa.tripod.com/

Anyway, one thing you should know about passive voice that I found very interesting is that it is the number 1 thing new fiction writer's do wrong. Can you believe that?

But you know why? Because passive voice is how we speak.

There's some trivia for you.

Writing and Family Visits

Sorry for taking so long to write. Last week had to drive to NJ to visit some family. And of course that means that writing is next to an impossibility and getting on the web is a real treat.

What do you do when you take a vacation or visit with family? How do you keep up with your writing schedule??

New Website is up!!

Wahoo! My new, suspenseful website is live!!

Check it out at www.deniserobbins.com

Let me know what you think.

Thank you, Jeannie for being such a great designer. Now we're on to the book trailer.

Magazine/Newsletter Article

I want to write another magazine article on writing but haven't come up with any great topics so I'm opening this up for discussion.

What would you want to read about in regards to writing?

It could be something you struggle with as a writer, or maybe something that drives you crazy as a reader, or the topic could be something you can't find any information on.

I'm open to suggestions and I'll do the research. Let me know. Thanks!

Happy THanksgiving!

Quick tip for Thanksgiving. . .Do all your writing before you eat the turkey.

Otherwise, you'll be dozing while you write or writing something that will make absolutely no sense.

On my publisher's site

My publisher, L& L Dreamspell is updating their website and I'm now listed. Sorta. No book cover art yet. . .but there is a placeholder. Check it out!

http://www.lldreamspell.com/ItHappensinThrees.htm

Last days of NaNoWriMo

Okay, so I haven't been the best at paying attention to NaNoWriMo. Shame on Me. My friend Nora is cruising though and her story is excellent.

Me, because I focused on finishing my WIP I didn't get too much done. BUT after I came up with my next story idea and in between research (a lot of research), I did manage to write 8300 words on my new novel. And I still have 4 more days to go. Not that I will have the novel done in 4 days, but I will be into a very good start. So far I'm averaging about 2000 words (give or take) a day or 2 chapters a day. That's not bad considering the research I've had to do on human intelligence gathering and the reading of body language.

My next blog I'll post some of the body language traits I've learned. Maybe you can use them in your next book. . .or in your interactions with people. Very interesting stuff.

Okay, off to write.

Next Story Idea

After two days of frustration I finally figured out, at least at a high level, my next story. Sometimes it's best to just step away from the computer and everything else and go with old-fashioned paper and pen. I found a quiet place to sit and just let thoughts, questions, and ideas drift around in my head, writing all of them down as I went.

As I did this the story started to unfold. Not in any detail, but enough to keep me motivated on this next story and actually do some research into it. The sad part is, that there isn't much readily available on HUMINT (human intelligence) or the Intelligence Community as a whole. And, oh my gosh, if you read some of the information that is listed on sites it is so convoluted and indirect you can't even figure out what they are actually saying.

No fear. This morning I woke up and had the storyline more clearly outlined in my head. So today my job will be do try and write a rough outline and more than likely write chapter 2. I'm one of those writers who really can't outline more than a couple of steps ahead. Believe me, I've tried.

I think someone should come up with a good outline template for a romantic-suspense novel. Not just the Beginning, Middle, and End stuff you see all over the place.

Anyway, I'm to plan, outline, write, and do more research. If anyone has suggestions on good sites on HUMINT collection, feel free to post a comment here.

First Review of IT HAPPENS IN THREES

I'm working on the content for my website, so the other day I contacted my editor and asked if she had received any reviews back yet. What Lisa sent me was the review that will be on the book cover. See below:

Denise Robbins' delicious debut novel, It Happens in Threes, begins with a bang and doesn't let up. Fueled by a heady mix of action, suspense, humor, and romance--and a couple of thoroughly engaging protagonists--the book kept me turning pages (and hoping that the wild, sexy ride wouldn't end!). IHT marks the launch of a career to watch.

--David Daniel, author of Reunion and The Marble Kite


Thank you David! http://www.daviddanielbooks.com/

New Story Idea

Hello everyone!

As you know, as of yesterday I finished my second manuscript. Yippee for me, right?

Yes, well, now I need to write the next story. And when I say need, I mean "lookout honey, where's the chocolate before I shoot you" kind of need. It's an addiction!

That doesn't mean I didn't get up this morning and write. As a matter of fact, I wrote 1200 words this morning, the start to my new manuscript. The problem is, I don't have a clue where I want to go with this story.

I have 2 great characters and they just met, but what is going to happen? Here's the other thing, I write romantic-suspense. I really like to read and write romantic-suspense so it needs to be one of those kind of ideas. Plus, my hero has already been seen in my two previous books and he works for a secret government agency.

Now, I did just skim through a bunch of gosh-darn (midwest accent showing through) articles on the net about how to sit down and come up with several ideas. HA! Are they kidding or what? I can't force an idea. Kinda isn't the definition of "idea" if I can PLAN it. Sheesh!

So what I need is inspiration and brainstorming. Any suggestions?

My Manuscript is complete!

Yeehaw! Yes, this is me doing the happy dance!! I officially finished my second manuscript this morning and it feels EXCELLENT! Okay, it felt so good I actually teared up because I DID IT!

Now, I'm waiting hear back from my critique friends as to what they think and then send to my editor. YES! Throw my hand in the air in a sign of triumph.

What do you do after you complete a manuscript?? Go to Disney World?! NOT!
You edit. Yes, you've been doing that all along, but now you do the nasty search for those passive voice sentences, and as my father like to point out (too many contractions).

And yup, already did that today. Let me tell you, 318 pages takes a long time to go through to make certain you caught all the bad stuff. Hours and hours. And even after I went through once, I had MSFT Word do the grammar check on it and of course it still found some leftovers.

Anyway, big sigh. I feel good, no great, no flippin' fantastic! I did it, I did it!! Be jealous.
Now I gotta come up with the next in the series. :-) My hero Jake is going to take center stage. Stay tuned.

What do writer's drink?

I'm sitting at Panera waiting for Nora so we can critique our work and hopefully brainstorm me through the ending of my WIP. As I sit here drinking my Mountain Dew, I started to wonder what do other writers drink when they're in the creative spirit. For me, there are only two things that boost me along. Mountain Dew during the day or a lesser caffeine soda if MD is not available, and a Corona Light when I'm writing at night.

Occasionally I'll drink a Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks when I can get it, but that's not as often.

What do the rest of you drink when you lock yourself away to write?

The Home Stretch

Had an amazing day of writing yesterday. Wrote several chapters and in the last one kind of peterd out so this morning I had to revise it. I do believe it is much better.

But now, I'm literally on the last or second to last chapter and I haven't a clue of how it should go. Every time I start an idea I end up not liking it. I think I've started this chapter at least 3 times.

I even tried going for a drive, thinking that would clear my mind enough to get past my writer's block and get it done.

Is this happening because the end is near, I'm in the home stretch, or because I should have planned this?

With my last book I didn't have this big of a problem, although I did write it twice. I had an original idea but during the actual writing of it, the chapter took on a life of its own. The girls in my writers group straightened me out on that one so of course I fixed it.

But this one is killing me. I need the hero and heroine to catch the bad guy and the heroine to tell the bad guy she loves him. I mean come on! How hard can it be?

OK - enough ranting. Any suggestions on how to get past this would be greatly appreciated.