Tag: The Lone Writer

Well now I feel better

Do you ever wonder if you made the correct career choice? I certainly never planned on writing romance novels. Heck, I never even planned to “become” a writer. If anything it never occured to me that you could “become” a writer, I figured you either were or you weren’t.

Every once in awhile, though, I find a topic when researching a story and think, ohhh I could have done that! I couldn’t have, of course. For example, it’s almost impossible to become a hot surgeon if just staring at a half-dissected fetal pig makes you almost black out.

I was also an unlikely candidate for the U.S. Astronaut Training Program given my total fear of advanced math and all things requiring a graphing calculator or finding “x.” (Did anyone else ever wonder why x couldn’t just pick a number and stick with it?)

My third career killer can be blamed, in part, on Stephen King. I have both a healthy fear of clowns and am horribly suspicious of all individuals who can bend themselves into human pretzels and stuff their bodies into a small box. That pretty much cancels out Cirque du Soleil.

So that leaves me with a skill I have been developing all my life. Fueled by a love for happily ever afters, of course.

Still, I wonder sometimes, did I pick the right genre? And sometimes it’s nice to get confirmation…

You Should Be a Romance Novelist

You see the world as it should be, and this goes double for all matters of the heart. You can find the romance in any situation, and you would make a talented romance story writer… And while you may be a traditional romantic, you’re just as likely to be drawn to quirky or dark love stories. As long as it deals with infatuation, heartbreak, and soulmates – you could write it.

And just in the nick of time, too. I was getting ready to try and fold my body like a human pretzel.

Thursday Thirteen

There is a movement in the blogging community called Thursday Thirteen (google it). Many writers blog these days, and we often run out of things to say. Well Thursday Thirteen celebrates this kind of blog fear. Pick a topic from apples to zebras and write 13 things. That’s it. And it turns out the process is strangely revealing. I recently did this for my blog on Valentine’s Day as a Singleton it was fun! So in the spirit of learning more about ourselves here’s my OCCRWA

13. I joined OCC in 2005.
12. At my first meeting there was a sign that said OCC members had published something like 1700 books cumulatively. I remember thinking Holy COW!
11. It turns out that four of our members have published over 100 books. One has published over 200. We call them the 100+ club.
10. Although I love their books and am very proud of them I don’t have the intense need to wrap myself around any of these four women like a vine and cling.
9. I think this might be because none of them look like David Beckham.
8. Yes, I was quite delighted to hear that David and his family were moving to Los Angeles.
7. Unfortunately, despite my interest (and his wife’s diminutive size) I’m pretty sure I won’t be wrapping myself around David either.
6. You can tell Mrs. Becks is scrappy and her spike heels freak me out. (I’m a flip flops kind of gal).
5. So after nearly 3 years at OCC what have I learned?
4. Writers often go off on tangents
3. We love research particularly in the form of man candy. (You always need to keep the next story in mind, right? *innocent face*)
2. Never separate a writer from her chocolate.
1. Or her caffeine.

The Lone Writer: Rides the Information Superhighway

I decided to blog an introduction to the newly overhauled OCCRWA website. Think of it as a mini-map to your chapter website. What’s new? you ask. Oh grasshopper, you have no idea…

First there is the new look. Whether you loved the black background or not, sometimes you have to shake things up a bit. We decided to stick with the OCC roots of orange and green. There may not be very many orange groves in the OC anymore but we’re sticking with it. Plus, our webdesigner managed to create an amazing fruit crate label for our logo. For more of her work check out www.AmberwingDesign.com

So what have I learned about webdesign? In the future I will make it a point not to ask three Type “A” personality individuals to agree on a site map. (The site map is the layout of the site, it organizes what drop down menu items go with each button). You would have thought we were planning a siege instead of a website. LOL.

Initially I was going to post a page by page summary here, of what is available on the site. Instead, I think it makes more sense for people to click around and see what they discover. The site is a work in progress and we’re still tweaking it but there is no substitute for individual exploration!

Have a lovely day and Happy Birthday to my dear friend Sabrina and (of course) Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Lone Writer: How I’m Spending My Winter Vacation

I’m feeling quite proud of myself at the moment. My family is supposed to leave for the ski slopes any second now and I’m sitting here typing away. That’s commitment people!

As a Southern Californian living in the land of eternal drought there is something so magical about snow. I guess snow is kind of like Las Vegas at night, with all those fun noises and the lights shining bright you don’t sit there and think about how sad everything looks during the day. Snow is an amazing white blanket that hides the dirty stuff. It’s fantastic.

I know what you’d all like to ask…do I ski? Yes, and I love it! Last year I spent several days on skis zooming down the slopes (Dana zooming, not this-should-be-on-tv zooming). This year I hope to at least manage a snowboard lesson.

I always see pictures like this and it looks fun. How about you, dear reader. Do you ski or snowboard? do you have any advice?

Life’s a beach at OCC. Even in November.

by: Dana Belfry

Today is the day before Thanksgiving, the last day of sanity for 2007. Before you know it, diets will be buried under turkey, stuffing and promises of New Year’s resolutions. Retailers will step up their ad campaigns. And, as with any major event, today is your last day of reasonable commute time on freeways. Ack!

Every year I sit and wonder what it is about this season that makes Americans lose their minds. Is it the promise of glittering wrapping as a beacon of hope for good things to come? Is it the twinkle lights? (Religious affiliations aside I think we’re all suckers for twinkle-lights.)

As I type this blog, I am sitting at my desk wearing shorts and a t-shirt. One thing I know for sure, I feel really silly singing “It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas” while wearing beach attire.

One thing about Southern Californians though, we adjust. I may not be wearing a ski parka, but I know somewhere down the street a 15 year old is optimistic enough to suffer through wearing UGG boots. She’s probably wearing a Gap scarf too. After all, it’s November and therefore “winter.”

I raise my egg nog latte to you, dear reader, and hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Full of joy, happiness, and (of course) twinkle lights.