Satisfy Me by Johanna Harness

I just plunked down $17 for your book.

I’ve suspended disbelief.

I’m hanging on your every word.

I’ve committed time and energy to your work.

I want to like you.

No—you know what?

I want to love you.

I want to love your story.

I want to believe in you.

I want things to work out between us.

*

Don’t destroy all we have with a cliffhanger ending.

*

*

I adore a good series.

I love revisiting

favorite characters.

I love knowing

I can trust an author

to deliver

one satisfying story

after another.

*

Provide that for me and I will order everything from your backlist.

I will pre-order your next book, no matter how long it takes you to write it.

I will be devoted to you.

I will tell my friends about you.

I will gush and embarrass myself with how much I love you.

*

Play games with me?

*

*

Toy with me?

*

Withhold until. . .

I feed your publisher another $17. . .

or maybe another $17 after that?

*

Forget it.

*

Not only have you lost the sale, you’ve lost the fan.

*

*

I have a great deal of sympathy for beginning authors who don’t quite nail the ending.

Some of my favorites wobbled a bit with their first books.

I savored the improvement of their writing

from one novel to the next

until finally

they wrapped their stories

around me

so completely

I reread the ending over and over

and cheered for them.

*

*

I’m not talking about the new author who may be a bit clumsy, but endearing.

*

*

I’m talking about the skilled professional

who could write a satisfying ending,

but chooses to court the dollar

and frustrate the reader.

*

I’d rather have the earnest, awkward fumbling

of someone who wants to please me

over and over again.

*

Now that’s a series.

*

 

Eight Ways to Rev Up Your Energy

There is nothing more exhausting than sitting all day torturing people, er, writing. So when your backside is numb and your brain feels like cotton, here are a few ways to get the blood flowing.

1. Steps—it takes 10,000 steps a day to lose weight. My friend gave me a pedometer for Christmas. It’s a great way to keep track of your goal and give you a reason to get up and move. I pace when I’m on the phone. This is good and bad. If the other person on the line wants some information, it’s usually at the other end of the house. Good—get up and do a few laps up and down the hall or pace while you’re on the phone. Better—go outside and walk around the yard. Best—take a few turns around the block.
2. Take a drink. No, not that kind. Cold water. If you think about it, what’s more refreshing than a drink of cold water? Keep a glass or insulated container handy.
3. Change something. It can be anything that varies your routine. Do a few of those brain teaser puzzles. It will jar some of those dormant brain cells loose. Spend a minute and clean off the top of your desk. A neat environment is like a fresh start. Take your computer outside or to another room.
4. Enjoy a few minutes of silence. Turn off the lights, the radio, music or TV. Now lean back or lie down and close your eyes. Starting with your toes, concentrate on relaxing and making your toes feel heavy. Imagine them melting into the ground. Work your way up to your head and shoulders. Keep your breathing steady and your mind focused on relaxation. It doesn’t take long and you’ll be ready to get back to work.
5. Sit up straight. Your mother was right all those years ago when she used to yell at you to sit up. When you sit up straight, you increase your oxygen intake by as much as 30%. More oxygen in means more oxygen to your brain and that’s always helpful.
6. Have a snack and get that blood sugar up. Some good choices are: blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, mango, citrus fruit, tomatoes, avocado, a dried fruit and nut mixture (never hurts to throw a little chocolate in the assortment), peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers, or low-fat yogurt. Don’t forget to stay hydrated.
7. Light a eucalyptus, spearmint, or peppermint candle or rub on one of these essential oils. These are the scents that stimulate your brain. You might keep some other scents around to alter your mood to suit what you’re writing. After all, smell is the sense most closely linked to memory.
8. Open a window and let in some fresh air. Take a few deep breaths and stretch. It will get the blood flowing and loosen those tight muscles.

It’s important to rev up your energy level if you want to stay fresh and keep those brilliant phrases spilling out on to the page.

What do you do to stay energized?

 

RIGHT-ing

Non-writers might assume we are struck with an epiphany one dark and stormy night and just KNOW what type of writing is for us. That’s so cute. The fact is, writers often don’t find their writing genre immediately. Even multi-published writers change genres for many reasons, some of which are career-driven, the need for new challenges, or by a publisher’s request.

I won’t speak for the published authors, but I can share my writing genesis. Natasha Tate wrote a guest blog and also referred to her writing development in http://bit.ly/wNC91W.

A writer’s journey does not stop at fiction. Poetry comes in many formats. It’s not all rhyming couplets. Starting with the “A’s,” there is the Acrostic. Pick a subject and make it the title of your poem.  Write this title in a vertical row downward.  Then write the lines of your poem, starting with the letters you have written.  Each line can be a word, a phrase, or a sentence.

WRITE

When the creative flow

Rolls off the pen,

It seems impossibly slow

To ever find the end.

Eureka!

That was a quick one I made up, but you get the picture. Other forms of poetry include cinquain, free form, haiku (my personal favorite. I love the depth in simplicity), limerick, and sonnet. Rapping is poetry, although more some of us would disagree.

Genre fiction includes action-adventure, crime, detective, fantasy, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction, western, young adult, children’s, and inspirational. Within each of these, there are sub-genres. For example, mysteries have too many to list, but some are cozy, woman in peril, procedural, noir, and caper, to name a few.

How do you know if your initial passion is actually your strength? Just write it. Try it on. Live in it a bit. I won’t tell you any of it will come easy. Easy is not a word we use in this profession.

But how will you know if you don’t try? In romance, I’ve written historical, category, paranormal, and single title. Each story brought new skills and insight into my strengths (and weaknesses) as a writer. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Well, that’s not exactly true. With insight came the painful realization of not quite getting it down on paper the way I wanted.

I’m writing a single title with a partner now and it’s a warm, extended family story with romance, humor, and friendship. The first of a planned series of books. I’m having the time of my life. Is it my niche? I have no idea. But, I’m learning and growing.

What is your RIGHT-ING? Where has your writing road traveled? Where is it going? Did you find your place in writing with the first book you wrote? I’d love to hear about your journey.

 

Invest in Yourself

Speaking of investing in yourself as a writer (were we? Indeed.), here is a conference that is well worth your investment. It’s called Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers and it’s held in the Salt Lake City area each June.

The conference is a week long, so it is definitely an investment, but the cost is really reasonable for a full week of instruction.

The basic structure is an intensive class in the mornings and then breakout sessions in the afternoons.

Evenings are free, and you will want to use them to work on assignments for the next day’s sessions.

The faculty is first rate, including Carol Lynch Williams, Ann Dee Ellis, Ann Cannon, Matthew Kirby, Mette Ivie Harrison, and more. You can take an intensive in picture book writing, science fiction, young adult novels, etc.

I have been to this conference twice, at different points in my writing career. The first time, I learned valuable lessons about imbuing my writing with emotional tension. The last time, with such fabulous authors as Kathleen Duey, Holly Black, and Ally Condie, I learned not to rush through scenes, but to fully explore details; to leave out the mundane and boring; and to further develop my playfulness as a writer.

As with any conference, I made connections to others who will probably help my career move forward, and even if they don’t or can’t, then I have great new friends who share my passion. I bolstered my skills and my confidence, and I spent concentrated time writing.

In addition to the authors, faculty includes agents, editors, illustrators, and other industry professionals.

You will benefit whether you’re a beginner or a published pro. Never stop growing.

 

2012 Resolutions, Part 3

My resolutions for 2012

1. Work on improving my health.
2. Spend more time with my husband.
3. Spend more time with my children.
4. Spend more time with my friends and extended family.
5. Spend more time taking joy from each and every day.

In my previous blogs, I’ve written about my number one, two, and four resolutions.  This week, I’m writing about my third 2012 resolution.

 

Soar

You are you, yet still a part of me

I watch you with a sense of wonder

Your twinkling eyes look down upon me

remembering the times you looked up in awe

a man-child at the threshold

Your eyes look out at the world

with an eager yearning

a fight is waged

with me both victor and vanquished

You must be allowed to take

the path you seek

The baby once cradled is still within

but your needs have grown and changed

as the years slipped past

You have been nurtured and cherished

scolded and sorely disciplined

to lead you to this passage

Take my gifts in the spirit intended

Soar to great heights

as I watch with pride

 

Can you tell I had a teenager in my home when I wrote Soar?  I believe the teen years are a challenge for both the teenager and the parent.  One of the hardest parts of parenting is letting them go.  It feels like you are in a battle.  The beauty of letting them go, is getting them back.  The new relationship takes some adjustments.  That child is now an adult.

I love my sons.  I also really like them, and enjoy spending time in their company.  They are kind, intelligent, handsome, and just plain fun to be with.  In the grind of daily living it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of the parent/child relationship.  I plan to continue to make my children starring players in my life and take joy in the moments we are able to share.