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Goal Setting — When you don’t make a goal

May 3, 2013 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , ,

What happens when you don’t make your goals? At the April meeting, I had two goals I had set. One was to finish and submit a contemporary novella, and the other was to log an additional 2,500 words on my Book-in-a-Year project. Only one of those happened.
For someone who can regularly sit down and do a #1K1HR – that’s Twitter-speak for 1,000 words in an hour, you would think a mere 2,500 words in 30 days would be a piece of cake. Nope. Failed. The story haunted me, literally, so what happened?
Well, I can officially place blame on two occurrences. 1) I became distracted by a Call for Submissions by editor Salome Wilde for an erotic anthology featuring Shakespeare stories. It’s Shakespearotica. With my master’s degree in English, I’m a bit of a word-geek. I’ve admitted to that in the past. When the original April 1 deadline was extended to May 15, inspiration struck. Within 24 hours, I wrote the complete story, about 5,000 words (see where I’m going with the word count potential?). So when I could have been slaving away on my YA, another story stole my attention altogether.
Good news? That story was finished, edited and submitted, and now I play the waiting game.
The second setback came in the form of life: A child with the stomach flu. Sometimes, as a parent, you really can’t prepare for lack of sleep and worry, and what it’ll do to your psyche. In my case, with my husband out of town, it killed my desire to write. (Coupled with spring break, and there went my productivity.)
Anyway, why the excuses? Well, I know I’m not the only one who may not be making goals each month, and I’m here to say: It’s all right. You don’t need to beat yourself up. As long as you know you’re doing your best. You are pushing forward, and making progress.
Now to get a little more serious. I noticed someone had crossed their name off the Book-in-a-Year sign-up sheet. I’m not outing anyone. It’s “public” knowledge. Anyone who wants to pick up the sheet and look at it, can. I didn’t even look that close to try to see who the individual was. My question, though, is why? We still have more than five months to complete the book. PLENTY of time.
I know to some the task may seem impossible. But, many people do it. I have a book deadline of August 15 for a 50,000-word manuscript, and it really hasn’t been started yet. Oh, I have the idea and a synopsis, maybe even an opening chapter, but all that accounts to less than 2,000 words. That one will definitely have to be finished before October rolls around.
Maybe it’s time to reevaluate the goals you’ve been setting. Are they reasonable? Do you mix maybe one tougher goal, and one that’s a bit easier to accomplish? Right now, we have four months down out of the year. Where do you want to be by the end of the year?
Here’s a look at my goals:
  • Submit requested contemporary
  • Revise and submit paranormal novella
  • Book 7 in The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf series
  • YA Book-in-a-Year
  • Third 1Night Stand for Decadent Publishing
  • Preppers Romance for Decadent Publishing
  • Complete second paranormal novella in new series
  • Holiday novella

Looking at that list makes me a bit tired. Some big goals there … and I’m on my way to completing them. Not finishing a goal may put me one step back, but have to keep pushing forward.
— Louisa Bacio
http://louisabacio.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio
http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio

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OCC RWA May Online Class

April 26, 2013 by in category Archives

OCCRWA Proudly Presents: header

May 13 – June 9, 2013

Writing the Inspirational Romance

with Nancy J. Farrier
Nancy Farrier
About the Class:

What is the definition of Inspirational romance? A sweet story? An element of faith? A character type? What about S-E-X in Inspirational romance? In this class we’ll take a look at the qualities found in Inspirational stories. We’ll delve into what comprises the various genres within the Inspirational market: contemporary, historical, romantic suspense, etc. 

We’ll look at the element of faith to see what that means and if there is a standard amount expected in your story. We’ll look at examples, and you will be able to share some of your work, if you choose, to see if your manuscript fits the market.

About the Instructor:

Nancy J. Farrier has published thirteen books in the Inspirational market since her first novel released in 2001. She has also written numerous articles and short stories that have been published in various magazines and books such as Today’s Christian Woman and Focus on the Family Clubhouse. She has also been the coordinator for the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award for thirteen years and is the secretary of the Faith, Hope and Love chapter of RWA, an online chapter for Inspirational authors.

Enrollment Information

This is a 4-week online course that uses email and Yahoo Groups.  The class is open to anyone wishing to participate.  The cost is $30.00 per person or, if you are a member of OCCRWA, $20.00 per person.


To join the class, please follow this link.



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So Much of What I’ve Needed to Know, I’ve Learned From Books

April 19, 2013 by in category Archives tagged as , , , ,

And comic books.  Seriously. Long before I ever had a science class Superman explained water came from two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen and a lot of energy. Come to think of it, that’s about all I ever did understand about chemistry.
Albert Payson Terhune taught me about the love between dog and person, and the superhuman qualities of his Collies. Later years took a lot of the polish off his halo for me but brought an overwhelming appreciation for the value of hard work when writing. Good, bad, indifferent, that man put out the words. From Jack London I learned about the quest to do more and be greater, in dog or human. Walter Farley filled my head with misinformation about horse racing and stimulated the imagination of a horse crazy girl (and isn’t that a rare condition!)
Thanks to Bruce Catton and Elswyth Thane I understood more about the Civil War, the battles and the people involved. As well as the continued involvement of a patriotic family (Thane) and how involved some families with each other. From Laurie King I learned the not to be forgotten phrase “Cream of Man Soup” about trench warfare in France.  All of these writers stimulated me to more research as I tried to understand the reasons for war. Yeah, good luck on that.
Andre Norton showed endless future possibilities and also the value of one small person staying the course in spite of all odds. A most valuable contribution to the growth of an insecure girl. Betty Cavanna and other writers of that ilk spoke to that insecurity and helped ease me into growing past.
All of these writers fed my love of words, with Rudyard Kipling bloating me on their power “We’re foot slog slog slog slogging over Africa…” and “The great gray green greasy Limpopo river.”
Then one day I read: “Nothing ever happens to me.” and was transported into the world of Romantic Suspense as penned by Mary Stewart, the master of subtle romance. Sure I read books about pillage and kidnapping and Alpha heroes. But I kept coming back to magnificently worded books with people simply doing their best.  Add in Helen MacInnes and another dose of Andre Norton and I guess I could say a writer was born.
How is it for you?  What writers kicked over your rock and sent the creative ants to work?

Monica Stoner, member at Large. Writing as Mona Karel, and working now on a sequel to My Killer My Love…hoping I can come up with an even better title

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emaginings: Nobility in Romance

April 16, 2013 by in category Archives tagged as , , , ,

What a wonderful meeting we had this last Saturday!

In the morning, we had a guest in PAW, Dawn Vaeoso of All Romance eBooks. I was already familiar with ARe, but mostly as a reader. Dawn and Debra led a lively discussion and I think we all learned something. I missed the morning workshop by Jackie Barbosa, but heard it was excellent.

But I want to riff a little on something our afternoon speaker, James Scott Bell said in his fabulous talk. When talking about creating unforgettable characters, he listed several characteristics that will make your characters jump off the page:

  • Unpredictable
  • Passionate
  • Resourceful
  • Complex
  • Gutsy
  • Wounded
  • Noble

In passing, he noted that the last quality, nobility, is underused, but also discussed characters who are willing to sacrifice to attain their goals or to save someone else. I was busy listening and taking notes, but still thought at the time that nobility isn’t so rare in romance. I’ve been in critique and plot groups for years and can’t begin to count the number of times we’ve been plotting, usually toward the end of the book, only to have someone ask: What is he/she going to sacrifice? Or at least be willing to sacrifice?

Of course, the classic example of character sacrifice is The Gift of the Magi. Such a beautiful, romantic story. But that kind of sacrifice isn’t at all uncommon in romance. We’ve all read romances where the hero or heroine jumps in the path of a bullet to save the other. But it needn’t be a life or death matter. Is one willing to give up a job opportunity to be with the other? Or willing to uproot his/her life and move far away? There are lots of possibilities.

Here’s how the mutual sacrifice works in Rogue’s Hostage, my captive story set during the French & Indian War. Toward the end of the book, Jacques and Mara are trapped in the besieged city of Quebec. Mara’s brother, Gideon, is with the besieging British Army. Jacques knows the situation is dire and tries to have Mara ransomed to the British. He is willing to give up the woman he loves in order to keep her safe. When things go wrong, Mara risks her relationship with her brother, her only living relative, to save the man she loves. I could say more, but that would be giving away a spoiler, so I’ll refrain. 

What do you think? Are romance characters more noble than most?

Linda McLaughlin

Website: http://www.lindamclaughlin.com/
Blog: http://flightsafancy.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont

Rogue’s Hostage buy links:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00BJO26OY
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1005663623
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/291719

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WHAT A DOG!

April 15, 2013 by in category Archives tagged as , , ,

My grand-dog Tucker
Recently, a fan wrote to tell me she loved my book Hostile Witness* because I hadn’t killed Max as she expected. I’ve been traveling a lot in the last few weeks and it took me a minute to figure out who Max was and why it was so important to her that he was alive. Max is Josie Bates’ dog; Josie is the heroine of the witness series. I was touched by the reader’s concern for the fictional canine, Max, and that made me wonder: Why is a book that includes an animal richer, more entertaining, and more engaging than one without?
The answer was simple: Animals bring out the best and the worst in a human character. This makes for great drama and provides an emotional touch point that is critical for an exciting read.

Max-the-Dog (his legal name) was originally created as a reflection of Josie, his mistress. Both had been abandoned, both had to fight for their lives, both were protective of others. But Max became so much more than Josie’s mirror as the series unfolded.

 Here are four ways Max made a difference in the witness series:


MAX ENHANCED HUMAN CHARACTERIZATION: Those who attack him were inherently more evil than a bad guy who ignored him. Those who love Max were more admirable because they cared for and protect him.


MAX WAS AN ANIMATED SOUNDING BOARD: Internal dialogue can be tedious. If an author allows a character to speculate to an animal, the rhetorical questions or monologues sound natural.

MAX’S PRESENCE SET A TONE: A scene tone can be set by the way a human character speaks to or interacts with an animal counterpart. A whispered warning creates a much different tone than a screaming command; a languid pet conjures up different visions than a playful ruffling of fur.

MAX HELPED MOVE THE PLOT FORWARD: An animal’s needs can put a human in a place they might not have been in. For instance, in Privileged Witness (book #3), Josie takes Max out for his evening constitutional and alerts her to her fugitive client who was hiding outside. Without Max, Josie would have no reason to go outside and never would have discovered her client. An animal’s heightened senses can also assist a human to warn of danger or alert a human to a change in their surroundings.

From The Hound of the Baskervilles to Lassie and Blue Dog, My Friend Flicka and The Black Stallion, The Cheshire Cat and Puss-in-Boots, animals have frolicked as humans, served to reflect human frailties and strengths, and just plain worked their way into reader’s hearts because of their own character. 

So, to the kind lady who was concerned about Max, have no fear. He will never come to a violent end. No matter what happens to him, his presence or lack thereof, will be a decision motivated by story and plot and, of course, love, because Max is as real to me as if he sat at my feet while I wrote my stories.

*Hostile Witnessis free for all e-readers and is available in print and audio. It was recently released in France.  

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