Madness to the Method, Part 1: The Brainstorm

In a previous post, I shared the random freewriting that planted the seed of a story several years ago. At the time, though, I had no clue what sort of plot I could shape around that and never believed that I'd ever have enough ideas (or time) to seriously write a novel-length fiction. Freely written vignettes were more my thing back then and are still what greatly help dislodge ideas from my scattered brain so I can find some cohesion among them on paper if I can't in my mind.

My brainstorming process isn't pretty. I admit it. But the only way I can write is to write everything down that swarms inside my fool head. I wrote my two manuscripts on the computer, but they both started out as pen-to-paper scraps of ideas, which I wrote on literal scraps as well.

The photo above is where my novel Seven for a Secret was born: character profiles jotted on the back of my husband's resume at Cafe Nero in London, popular 1920s names listed on hotel stationary in Singapore, the catalyst and its ripple effect on different characters scratched onto a torn piece of paper who knows where, and the draft plot outline, key questions, and possible scenarios scribbled into a notebook at a cafe in the French Alps.

Yeah, it probably all sounds very Hemingway and romantic, the expat writer crafting her stories in foreign cafes and hotels when she's not at her typewriter up in a garret, smoking and sipping absinthe all the while, but the reality isn't all that quaint (or substance-abusing). My creative process is messy and mental and just plain mean to me sometimes.

And the lame reason why I ended up alone and able to outline my entire tale in the Alpine village of Val d'Isere is because I don't ski. While everyone else went frolicking into the majestic mountains to flaunt their athletic awesomeness, I needed something to do at loser--I mean, lower elevation. Hot toddies were certainly in order, but my mind was too restless to even read. So, pictured here is the pretty (cheap) lil' journal I bought in a small shop that day, documenting that I outlined my story in early 2011.

And over three years later...huh. Let's just say I've never been so happy that I don't partake in winter sports. :)

It All Started with a Purse

Whenever I'm asked for advice on how to get started writing a novel, my response is pretty simple: "Start writing." The only way to do it is to, you know, actually do it. You can't sculpt anything without the clay. There is no novel to polish and perfect without the first draft. A really rough, rambling, rookie first draft. That's what you cut your teeth on.

Easier said than done, perhaps, when you don't have any idea what you want to write about. My answer is still the same: Write. Write about everything; write about nothing. Writing a novel isn't about facing a blank computer screen and starting at Chapter One, Page One. Before there's a first draft, there should be an outline. But even before the outline, there are usually chicken scratchings jotted down on any surface you can get your hands on: notebook paper, a journal, an envelope, a napkin... You need to brainstorm ideas and simply stretch and flex your creative muscles by writing about anything whatsoever. Writing prompts work for me when I find myself in a rut, whether from an actual book of them or based on a random thought I might have while out walking or in the shower. Watch people and things; observe behavior and sensory detail. And when you write something down about it, don't put the pressure on yourself to make it perfect. That all comes in due time. For now, just let go.

Reflecting on my own path to publication, I'd like to look way, way back--before I ever attempted writing a novel, before I was remotely close to having an idea for the first manuscript I wrote, let alone the second one that was actually my first to get published ("debut" novels are so rarely the first that a person writes!). As you might have seen in my website's Thrift Shop, there's a little black purse that I purchased several years ago at a vintage sale. I was busy full-time teaching back then; my time was too filled with lesson-planning and grading and barely grasping my sanity to even fathom carving out more for writing novel-length fiction. But I liked to dapple in short stories and vignettes, just to give my imagination somewhere to wander aimlessly. And for whatever reason, that little black beaded bag sparked my fancies enough for me to sit and dash off this freewriting:

She heard the drain from above release from some lucky gal’s late-night bath. Flipping through the pages, she paused for a moment’s thought, and her eyes unconsciously drifted to the evening bag still setting on the floor where she had left it several nights prior, nesting in the original brown bag of its purchase. She found even when she became conscious of the object of her line of sight and was plucked from her pensive pause, as her eyes focused they still did not seem to do so...enrapt were they in the celestial body of the beading, as though staring into the milky heavens, a private observatory of unrestricted skies, free of constellation form and twinkling the more for it. With a zoom-in motion, her eyes and mind were lured, and it was only then that she became aware of the increasing volume and intensity of the water trickling through the piping above, though it did not seem of the direction of the general vicinity of the bathroom, but encompassing her, about her, around her, within her, deafening her, the drops streaming then beading on her skin, the blood trickling through her veins with a new coolness. The zoom-in was no longer a stationary movement as she found she had risen from the sofa and approached the dazzling hexagon, swept open its glittering lid and stared into the reflective remnants of the former mirror’s backing, seeking out that which sought, until, in a flicker irretrievable, she saw them. A pair of fogged green eyes glaring back.

I didn't worry about grammar or if what I was saying even made sense; I just wrote without stopping. And now six to seven years later, an adapted version of this rough sketch appears in the third chapter of Seven for a Secret--not because I was feeling unoriginal and wanted to lamely rehash whatever I'd already written, but because that very last sentence (that spewed out off the top of my head without thinking about it very hard) ultimately gave me the idea for this book.

Just goes to show how those random observations are worth the time you give them. And those scraps of paper you scribble on are worth holding on to as pieces of an as-yet unknown puzzle. You never know if or when their time will come to develop into something much more. So what miscellaneous little whimsy might you pen some words about in the next few minutes? On your mark...get set...GO WRITE!  

SEVEN FOR A SECRET Blog Tour!

Well, folks, so far all is running according to sheh-jule...
(*fingers crossed*)

SEVEN FOR A SECRET is through its copy edit and pending the proofread, but the ARC is ready, the cover reveal is August 5th, and, if all goes to plan, the release date should be August 12th.

In the meantime, my publicist has put the call out for book bloggers to participate in the BLOG TOUR!

(click above for sign-up)

I know I keep saying it, but, man, things are gettin' real, yo. I am so grateful for all the support I've already received on this novel and thank everyone who's given a lil' unknown schmo like me the time of day. I do hope you enjoy the book if you read it. :) 

Ladies and Gents, a Toast...

...to Omnific Publishing's new agreement with Simon & Schuster and its Gallery Books imprint:

Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books division has entered into a co-publishing agreement with Omnific Publishing in a deal that will see Gallery and Pocket Books co-publish a “select” number of titles with Omnific, while S&S will also take over all distribution.

Founded in 2009 in Los Angeles, Omnific is a romance publisher whose titles are aimed at the “modern sensibilities of today’s readers.” Areas it publishes in include contemporary, historical, paranormal, suspense, and erotic romance.

“Omnific have been innovators in both their editorial approach to romantic fiction, and in their publishing and business philosophy,” said Gallery president and publisher Louise Burke. “We have been greatly impressed with the high-quality and market success of many of their books, and look forward to a partnership that can take readership for their authors to new levels.”

-- Publisher's Weekly (7/7/2014)

Judging a Book by its Cover

Image from www.andrewkeir.com

I now officially understand why most publishers do not include authors in the cover art decision. Even the most chill of us will become divas in the end, trying to dictate every detail when the simple fact is, we are not the marketers. We might fancy a pretty picture and think we know what is best for representing the story, but though we all think we have good taste, the basic truth is that we ALL cannot possibly. That doesn't stop me from assuming that I do, of course, and to be fair, my marketing team did like the input I provided; it's in keeping with house style, so they did everything to give this lil' Veruca Salt what she wanted.

But in the end, I was still torn between what I'd handpicked myself and what they'd originally offered me. My publicist said, "they are both striking. [...] I think you can't go wrong with either one." My editor likewise said, "I honestly don't know which I'd pick. :-/" And in a small poll among friends and family, the opinions were divided evenly.

Long story short: This was a bitch of a decision. Truly spoiled for choice. But as of this week, I did give Regis my final answer.

In the spirit of the book's title, I shall keep the cover a secret until its reveal. ;)

I've learned this from the process, though: In these modern days of Amazon and e-readers, how a cover looks as a thumbnail is critical to its marketing. Regardless of how gorgeous it may look on a full-sized book in your hands, even those buying print copies online will first view it as a thumbnail image. So as I tried to make up my mind between two stellar options, I was not only enlarging the images to appreciate their details but shrinking them as well to see what they'd look like online.

In the meantime, am just trying to process that this chosen cover will be appearing on Amazon.com, BN.com, and Omnific Publishing's website soon. I really don't think I know what I'm getting into here. But it's awfully exciting, and I'm just going to try to enjoy the wild ride.

I have to ask you all out of curiosity, though:  

When it comes to book covers, do you think less is more--i.e., a design that's catchy but simple and leaves you guessing what the story is about? Or do you prefer more detailed imagery that sets specific expectations? 

Cheers!

~ Rumer

What I Do and Why I Do It

Nicki-n-Me :)

The witty and wonderful Nicki Elson has tagged me to answer the following four questions about writing. Nicki herself has recently contracted her third novel (the first in a new series, it seems!) to follow her provoking paranormal romance, DIVINE TEMPTATION, and her comedic collegiate romance debut, THREE DAVES.

You can read Nicki's responses to these same questions over at her Not-So-Deep Thoughts blog, and without further ado, here are mine:

* What am I working on? *

As mentioned in my last post, I'm on the cusp of receiving SEVEN FOR A SECRET back from my editor for first-round revisions. The novel is scheduled for an August release, so I'm expecting to spend the next month in my cave curled up with that. But although this is my "debut" novel, it's the second manuscript I've written, so as I wait on edits for manuscript #2 (a ghostly romance set in modern/1920s Chicago), I've been channeling nervous energy into revising manuscript #1 for querying (a "ghost" story with a twist set in modern/Victorian London). And manuscript #3 is slowly but surely unfolding as chicken-scratchings on notebook paper. I've got the setting, characters, and general premise in mind for a romantic mystery of sorts (with a 1940s flair), but I'm attempting a rather complicated structure, so there's a whole lotta' planning necessary before I can actually start writing it.

* How does my writing differ from others of its genre? *

I like to think every story I write bears my personal stamp of weirdness, and I suppose my concept of romance might also vary from the norm. My stories have their saucy bits, but only to the extent that it moves the story forward in a meaningful and realistic way (well, that's the goal, anyway; whether I achieve it remains to be seen). You could say I prefer the slow burn of love to an explosion of lust. I've never been in a heated argument with my husband one second then thrown myself into his arms for a passionate make-out session the next, so it's hard for me to convince my characters to do it. But when my fella' wants to hug me in apology first thing in the morning, when I'm an unshowered, untoothbrushed hag? Swoon! So maybe I'm not so much about the romance as the love. At least in my contemporary tales. Somehow romance comes to me more naturally when writing against a historical backdrop; I tend to be very self-deprecating and pragmatic about the present because it's the reality I know, but outside of that frame of reference, I enjoy more escapism.

* Why do I write what I do? *

I write what I like to read, and my entire life I've loved curling up to a good Gothic/ghost story. And having lived in historic buildings, I can't help but think of all the lives that occupy the same spaces over the decades and centuries. So the nature of time and the soul just fascinates me and can be explored through so many dimensions; I don't know if I could ever exhaust (or be exhausted by) all the different ways to approach it.

* How does my writing process work? *

As a previous blog post ("Madness to the Method") relates, I start with literal pen and paper. I don't even try to be organized about it--as soon as I have the bud of an idea, I just go balls-out brainstorming any and every thought that comes to mind so I can eventually look at it from a birds-eye view and begin connecting the dots. This evolves into a rough back-of-the-envelope outline, which I abide by as I officially begin writing at the computer, but I allow the pathway between points A and B to emerge organically as well. I know it's different for everyone, but I personally wouldn't enjoy the writing process as much if I plotted everything meticulously in advance. I like the freedom of the yet-unknown and letting my characters whisper the next scenes in my ear. But I've also tried writing with no outline, and that's just a disaster. And so, following the happy medium of structure-vs-spontaneity, I write a first draft, step away, revise, step away, revise, and continue to lather, rinse, repeat as necessary. I wish I could say I write every day, but I don't. I don't just sit and wait around for inspiration either, but the process does ebb and flow depending on other obligations and whether the story's talking to me or not. At those times when I'm feeling too tapped out to create, then I read. I perceive every book I read as an investment in my own writing, so that pleasure could never be a guilty one for me. :)

Okay, so now for the task of tagging four more people to ask these questions. I'm going to run with a few Omnific-riffic authors:

* Beck Anderson *

FIX YOU (2014 RITA Award finalist)

* Shani Struthers *

THE RUNAWAY YEAR

THE HAUNTING OF HIGHDOWN HALL 

* Eleanor Gwyn-Jones *

THEATRICKS

* Carol Oates * 

SHADES OF ATLANTIS

SHADES OF AVALON

EMBER

IRIDESCENT

No worries, tagged Authoresses--you all have new books coming out soon and are feverishly writin' s'more, so I know time is scarce. There shall be no slap on the wrist if you don't accept this challenge. I encourage everyone else to still check out their sites and books, though (linked above), and lose yourself in some crazy good imagination and writing. Read-&-Write on!

And So It Begins...

Kicked some #amediting butt today, but I'm already up to 99 comments. @RumerHaven is going to kill me...
— Sarah Allan (@Sarah_Allan) May 7, 2014

LLLet's get ready to RUMMBLLLLLE!!!

This is it, folks. Edits on SEVEN FOR A SECRET are officially underway, and I'm bouncing in my corner of the ring, prepping for my turn to duke it out with my raw manuscript once my editor is done doling the first punches.

While our writerly insecurities hate to admit it, no can write in a vacuum. No other eyes but mine saw my manuscript until I queried it--no crit group, no trusted beta reader, family member, friend, or spouse (though I'd like to think a ghost peeked at it, the nosy thang)--so I'd be seriously deluded to think that just because it got accepted, it was perfect in its original form. Could it ever be "perfect"? Hell no. And what was its "original" form anyway? It already evolved through so many drafts at my hands and will continue to do so under my editing team's multiple pairs of eyes that see what I can't. It's humbling yet thrilling that others are willing to work so hard alongside me to shape this story into a real contender.

So no, I won't be killing my editor. With her in my corner, we'll knock out the weaknesses in my story instead. And now, as time and anticipation squirt water into my mouth and towel off my face, I await my share of Round One and pray for no sucker punches...DING!

A to Z: The Indiscreet Elite

Condescending to join me again for the A to Z Challenge? Thank you, daaahhlings, for not turning your sophisticated noses up at my vulgar language.

The spirit of this month's theme stems from my debut novel, SEVEN FOR A SECRET, due for release by Omnific Publishing this summer. It's a half-contemporary, half-historical romance in which a Jazz Age tragedy haunts a modern woman's love life. So to shape you into the right attitude for the haughty high hats and floozy flappers of Al Capone's Chicago, let's recommence our elocution lessons with some new 1920s vocabulary, dears...

~*~  UPSTAGE  ~*~

Meaning: Snobby, arrogant.

"Everything jake? Wanna come back inside?"
"Aw, those women are so upstage, I'll never live down this run in my stocking."

A to Z: Tipsy from Your Tipple?

Why, hello, hellooo! Fancy meeting you here! If you've stumbled in here after-hours and are curious what this is all about, my explanation is at this link, if you can still read it through your beer goggles:  A-Z, and all that jA-Zz

And now, let us raise our drinks in toast to my next A to Z Challenge 1920s slang term, as well as the intoxicating debut novel that inspired this theme. Cheers!

~*~  EDGE  ~*~

Meaning: Intoxication, a buzz 

"Woo! I've got an edge from that gin fizz."

Reading, 'Riting, and...Research

Season's greetings, my lovelies! How does the day find you?

Me, I just finished pottering about in an online forum of women's fiction writers where a question was waiting for me in my inbox. This particular writer is working on her first novel-length manuscript and finding the necessary research she needs to do in advance a bit daunting. So she asked me:

"How did you get your information and – especially – your feeling for the period your book is playing in? From books, movies? I learned, to get in touch with the ‘right people’ is a tricky business. So it seems."

To which I've responded:

"I agree with you that researching for a story is so challenging. The two novel manuscripts I’ve written so far both have historical story lines woven within a modern-day plot, so I luckily didn’t have to research time periods for either book in its entirety. But for the amount that takes place in Victorian times or the 1920s, I first read several nonfiction books about those eras to get an authentic feel for the way of life back then, really immersing in the atmosphere of that time and sticking with the facts versus someone else’s fictional interpretation of it--unless it’s literature from the actual time period, which also helps for “hearing” an authentic voice and understanding a contemporary’s perspectives. And as I wrote, the internet was of course so useful for verifying little details as they came up in the story--slang, fashion, etc.--or that certain locations existed back then and served a particular function that might be different from now. For my 1920s story, I also listened to a lot of jazz from the period just to feel in the zone as I wrote. 

I admittedly didn’t consult with many people directly for information, but there were a couple of sources that provided useful archives--one being a local museum and another a connection through a personal friend who had a fascinating relative that inspired one of my characters. He was able to provide comprehensive photos of her home (on which I modeled one of my settings) and a eulogy detailing this amazing woman’s life. So it’s surprising where even simple conversations with friends and family can take you and how pleasantly forthcoming some people can be when they know their information might end up in a book! I find that stuff comes up when I least expect it, when I’m not even looking for it but end up drawing spontaneous inspiration from it. For as much as I might plan in advance, I love leaving stories open to that kind of organic development, too.

While research can often feel like a necessary evil, sometimes I’m grateful for it--first of all, because it’s always fun to learn something new, but also because when my creativity is in a rut, it’s nice to have to research so that when I’m not writing, I can still move the story forward in another way. It helps me feel productive while also allowing a moment for pause, if that makes sense.

I hope your research starts to come more easily and is very fruitful! Your story will certainly be richer for it."

 
I send the same sentiments your way, darlings, if you're grappling with that quest for historical authenticity. Even modern-day tales require a good amount of fact-checking if you don't have first-hand experience with your settings and situations. Where locations go, I say when in doubt--or simply when feeling too lazy to put the research effort in--fictionalize them. Then you can loosely base them on real places you know but won't have readers calling you out on inaccuracies if you haven't done the legwork to verify your claims. Can you set your story in London if you've never been there? Sure! But don't reference a specific park/hotel/museum/etc. if it actually exists but you're making its details up as you go along. Either make up the place itself or go the distance to learn about it. And never underestimate how far the Internet alone can take you, as long as you vet the credibility of your online sources!

Research is an ongoing discipline to master, and I can't stress enough how important it is for diving ever deeper into your writing--not only in ensuring accuracy but simply adding flavor and substance to the story at hand.
 
Cheers,
Rumer