Ms. Pickles gave a defiant lift of her head and step-hopped over to rub against Tillie’s shin.

“Damnable feline,” Regina said. “I still can’t believe I let you talk me into keeping that filthy flea bag.”

“She’s a sweet kitty.” Tillie gave the cat an affectionate scratch. “The only one with sand in her knickers around here is you.”

“Quit avoiding the question. Since Annabelle’s been here you’ve been sleeping more and more, and your skin is the color of oatmeal. And if you get sick, I’ll be stuck with my useless cousin and that idiotic fur ball for companionship.”

“Tillie’s right. I’m a Morgan, too,” she said aloud. Exiting the room, Annabelle passed the farm painting over the stairs. She sighed. Regina got the house, the paintings, the car, and the diamond earrings, while all she’d gotten were Grandma’s string of pearls and bruises. Proof again just how low on the food chain she lived.

Meanwhile I was working on a couple of novels, one of which is Feisty Family Values, which comes out in February 2010.  I started it in 2000 while I was finishing up my Bachelor of Arts degree at WSU.  One of my instructors, Carol Konek, had encouraged me to write and was the physical inspiration for Regina in FFV.

I had trouble in 1999 calling myself a writer. I felt more like an obsessed dabbler.  But I attended a writer’s retreat at Ghost Ranch with Emily Hanlon and realized that’s exactly what I had become.  Some of us wrote fiction, some non-fiction, memoirs, children’s stories, poetry, journaling and essays.  The key here is we were all “writers”.

So, if you doubt you are what you are, think about it in terms of what you do with your time. It doesn’t matter if you’re published or not, what matters is that you write.

BD

Writing is a passionate, emotional, visceral experience, at least it can be.  Tap into that. Use it to create depth in your characters, life in your dialog, and tension in your story.  Let it fuel the scene.  Make it work and let the words flow from the gut.  It’ll make the story real.

Go for it, my writing friends.
BD

I picked up a copy of Janet’s book on “How I Write” and enjoyed it as well. For the beginning writer she has good insights and encouragement.  She has tips for writers who are “emerging” into the publishing world.  And gives excerpts from her books as examples.  She talks about the creative process, her writing process, the publishing industry, marketing and promotion and gives good resource references.

Her recommended resource list is similar to mine in that it contains Stephen King’s “On Writing” and Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird”, so it makes me feel like I’m on the right track as a writer. I’m adding this one to my list of “writers should read” as well. I suggest you writer buddies of mine check it out.

Oh, and she throws a little humor in, which is a trademark of Evanovich in my opinion. She not only cares about her readers, but she cares about us writers, too.

See you along the road,

BD

Maybe the check out girl at the grocer who constants chews gum and blows bubbles comes to mind. Or perhaps the dentist that hums old show tunes while he works sticks in your memory. The check out girl inspired a gum popping receptionist for the doctors office (in my case). There are no humming dentists in the story yet, but perhaps you’ll write about a serial killer that hums or sings while he does his thing.

You can never tell who will inspire you to write, so be aware and watchful for that someone memorable.

BD

I have subscribed off and on to Writer’s Digest, the Writer, Poets & Writers, and occasionally pick up a Writer’s Journal.  They are all great resources.  I’ve marked my old copies with post-it notes and put a one or two word comment, basically indexing the articles and information I want to be able to refer back to.  Have I gone back to them?  YES.  Many times.  The basics don’t really change that much.  But the industry does, so I’ll continue to subscribe to one of the above mentioned pubs so I can get the latest author interviews and publishing business scoop.

I always feel like I make better decisions if I have good information.  How about you?

Write on, my friends.

BD