Stage One - The Set Up
Chapter One -This sucks. First chapters are the worst. Hook? Hook? Gah! I hate hooks. I'm clearly hook-illiterate.
Chapter Two - Okay, maybe this isn't quite so bad. New POV, the setting works, I'm getting into the story. And wow, I sorta like my characters.
Chapter Three - What was I thinking??? This is the most contrived piece of crap ever. And melodramatic? Argh. Sounds like a bad version of Days Of Our Lives. I'll probably get sued.
Chapter Four - Push through, push through, just keep pushing.
Chapter Five - Getting into the groove. I actually like this. Okay, not so bad. This story might just work.
Chapter Six - I am the best writer on the planet! This is going to be a NY Times Best Seller! Maybe I should take a break and think about writing my RITA speech.

Stage Two - The Middle
Chapter Seven - (Right around the 125 pg mark). OMG. What was I thinking?! This is the biggest piece of drivel that was ever written! My CPs are going to laugh at me! No one's ever going to want to buy this! I'll have to PAY people to read it. Might as well take a break and go back to rework that sucky hook. I hate hooks. I suck at hooks. Argh. This book is so not going to sell.
Chapter Eight - I'm too far in to give up. I will not give up. I will NOT! Keep going. Just keep going.
Chapters Nine through Eleven - Okay, if nothing else, I like my characters. I don't have a clue where the plot is going, but the characters are strong. That's something at least.
Chapter Twelve - The hero's getting on my nerves. He needs sex. Going to have to think about where that big ol' scene fits in so he quits pestering me.
Chapter Thirteen - Oh, crap. I've passed the halfway mark and I STILL have all these plot points to get through. I'm going over my target word count, there's no way I'll get all this in here in 100K words. No way. I'm doomed.
Chapter Fourteen - Need chocolate. Must. Have. Chocolate. These two are driving me nuts. No editor's going to care if they get together or not. And the plot? How will I ever tie this all together?
Chapter Fifteen - Building to the climax. And still so much to get through. *big sigh* Okay, refocus. Time to get serious. I can do this. Really, I can. I might lose all my eyebrows in the process, but I can do this.

Part Three - The Beginning of the End
Chapter Sixteen - Tension, angst, black moment foreshadowing (and that's mostly for me, not the book)
Chapter Seventeen - Here it comes. Climax build up. Black Moment. Yes, hero, I know you hate me. Hang on with me. I won't leave you out to dry, I promise.
Chapter Eighteen - BAM. Black Moment. UGH. I'm emotionally drained. I need coffee. Or chocolate. Or coconut cream pie. Mmm...wonder if Shari's is still open...
Chapter Nineteen - Climax. My shoulders are tight. I feel like crawling out of my skin. Maybe I should kill someone just for the fun of it to ease all this stress?
Chapter Twenty - Resolution. Wrap up all the loose ends. Surprisingly, I did it! Kissy-face moment. Slobber, slobber, pant, drool all over each other. Man, I write pure sap. But it's not half-bad sap. ;)

Type T-H-E E-N-D. I should get a medal or something. Too bad no one in the house will care that I finally finished. *sigh* On to the next book...

Has it really been a week since I last posted? Wow. I am a huge slacker. Enormous apologies. I'll try to be better.

What have I been up to? Writing, what else? I suppose that's a good enough excuse. ;)

Specifically, I've been putting together proposals for two different books. I have the chapters finally finished (hooray!), and about ready to go out to the CPs (be on the lookout CPs...your break has passed). Now I'm working on the dreaded suckopses.

Dreaded. Yes. Definitely. I hate them. With a passion. Since I'm a pantster, I generally write my synopses after I write a book. Teaching myself to write it before is a lesson in patience and hair pulling.

The biggest question I have is how long should it be? This is something I always struggle with. It seems everyone has different requirements. Agents want something different from editors. Editors want something different from each other. I've heard three pages, five pages, ten pages and, (my personal fav, the one that makes my eyes cross and my heart rate jack up into the triple digits), one synopsis page per 20 manuscript pages.

Holy cow. I could bleed all over the synopsis and still never get twenty pages out.

So I throw myself at the mercy of those who know. Gimme your synopsis writing tips. How long? If you're a pantster, how close to the synopsis do you expect to be after you write the book? If you're published and selling on proposal, what does your editor look for in a synopsis?

Yeah, I know. You're tired of hearing me talk about this one. Well, bear with me. I'm in a minor-crisis.

My agent sent my book out. It's making the rounds. I'll spare you the neurosis I've developed because of this and move on to the topic at hand: Connected Books.

I love connected books. I love series, but as an unpublished writer, I see nothing positive about pouring my heart and soul into a series that might never sell. I mean, if the first book doesn't sell, you're basically screwed, so why waste your time and effort writing subsequent books?

However, there's a difference between series and connected books. A series builds, one book to the next. I think of Nora Roberts's trilogies as a series. Sure, you could read book one and never read the other two, but the big plot question isn't answered until the end of book three - defeating a warlock, finding a murderer, laying a ghost to rest. Each book "technically" could stand alone because each one has its own unique romantic plot, but if you read book two without reading book one, you'd be a little lost as to the over-arcing plot.

On the other side of the spectrum, you have connected books. I think of Cindy Gerard's Bodyguard Series as connected books rather than a series. Each book IS stand alone. You don't have to read book one to love book two or three. They're connected by characters (siblings) and profession (they all work together). But (so far) there's no overriding main plot question hanging that will all the sudden be answered in the last book.

As I sit here contemplating what I work on next, I'm more than a little stuck. I've started four books since August. (Which really isn't like me at all. I've never started something and not finished it.) Two are connected to the book my agent is circulating, which is, at this very moment, probably collecting dust on some editor's desk. However, they are connected books, not series. They're connected by characters and one minor thread that will run through all three, but nothing like the over-arcing plot say, in JR Ward's series. So my dilemma becomes, what do I work on next? I'm getting proposals ready for both connected books, just in case, but then what? Do I continue working on book two, thinking if the first doesn't sell there's still a chance with two and three? Or do I shelve both connected books until book one sells and go work on something else? The indecision is enough to make a person looney.

How do you feel about connected books vs. series books? Which do you prefer and why? And while you're at it, what the hell would you do if you were me?

And I'm not complaining.

I've got the writing bug. All the sudden. 15 pgs. Saturday, 10 pgs Sunday, 17 pgs Monday.

Of course, it would help if they were all in the same book, but since the two books are connected, I can deal with it.

Hmmm....Maybe that cyber whipping I gave Edie really worked.

I've been reading some paranormals lately and something's really suprised me. Almost every author I've read who writes paranormals makes reference to God in some form or another in their books. It's never an in-your-face religious statement, but rather a passing comment. This doesn't happen in RS's. Not to say there's never mention of God or religion in RS books, but generally, if God comes in to play, it's usually because a character is ticked at God because someone they loved died or something bad happened to them in their past. But this isn't true in paranormals.

Why? I'm guessing it's because a paranormal author has to set up an entire world, and the easiest way to explain the push-pull of good and evil in a paranormal universe is to make reference to something everyone understands - the concept of God and the Devil in our world. In all the paranormals I've read, there's always a realm similar to Heaven and Hell, always characters who are creators and enslavers. And through it all, good triumphing over evil.

So how come we don't see it in RS books? Are people really that sensitive to religion in books? I have a friend who writes for Harlequin and she said she could never use the term "Oh, God" in a sex scene, that the editor of that specific line freaked out and edited such comments right away. She couldn't mix God into her books like that. In ST that doesn't seem to be an issue, but I can't really remember one book where a character's religion or religious beliefs came into play in the book unless it was directly related to the plot (or was an RS Inpirational).

I'm a spiritual person. I go to church. I believe in Heaven and Hell, God and the Devil, demons and angels. I believe in creation and evolution. I believe there are a lot of things in this world that can't be explained and never will be. And I believe all religions are fundamentally the same at the roots - good versus evil, learning to be the best person you can, a higher power and a purpose to our lives. I don't want to read about individual religions in my fiction, and I avoid religious debates like the plague, but a mention here or there about a character going to church (any church), or saying a prayer in an RS would never offend me. (After all, it happens all the time in paranormals. In every paranormal I've recently read there's been chanting and prayer saying, calling on the "creator" and discussions about what happens after life.)

How do you feel about religious comments or references to God in fiction?

It's Monday, and as such, it's blog day. In case you didn't know, Mondays are my day to post at Romance Worth Killing For, so head over and take a look. Also, The Mid-Willamette Valley RWA group blog is now up and going, and I had the pleasure of posting first. Who knew I had so much to say in one single day! (Not me, that's for sure).

Because my topic ideas are drained at this point, I wanted to point out a few other blogs you definitely shouldn't miss. Among them...

Be sure to hit Murder She Writes and read Karin Tabke's rant from last Friday about writers who write about cops. If you have a cop in any of your books, don't miss this one.

The girls at Magical Musings had Justin Knupp guest blog last Saturday about demystifying the web-designers roll. An interesting read, esp. if you're looking to set-up or upgrade your website.

And finally, in case you live in a hole (like me sometimes) and missed it, The Knight Agency has updated their blogging schedule, bringing a wealth of information to their site every week. Of particular interest is Q&A Thursdays where they answer questions about agents and publishing. Definitely worth wasting a few minutes perusing their comments.

That's all from me. Anyone have any great blogs I missed?

You know, I really don't get this writing thing. I have small children, so my writing time is limited. I've got basically a two hour window in the early afternoon when one is in preschool and one is taking a nap where I can write during the day. The rest of the time my life is too crazy and noisy for me to concentrate. Most of my writing happens at night when the kids are in bed and the house is quiet, but some days I'm just too tired to think straight by then. I'm not complaining. We all do what we have to do and I've made this schedule work for a long time, but no matter how much planning I do - scheduling writing time and making page goals in my head for that writing time - it's never a guarantee I'm going to get anything done.

Take yesterday as an example. I sat for two hours during that precious early-afternoon writing time and couldn't bleed out a single word. So I shelved it, went back to work after the kidlets were in bed and ended up staring at the blinking cursor until I was dog tired. And then, THEN, five minutes before I was ready to call it quits, what happens? For some insane reason the muse kicked in and I wrote furiously for almost two hours.

I just don't get it. I really don't.

The Word Is Out

It's official. My secret is out and, consequently, my anonymity is shot.

It's no great surprise I've kept my writing quiet the past few years as I've sought publication. Like many of you, I've told close friends and family, but in general I didn't want to deal with the plethora of questions from acquaintances and neighbors regarding my status. Have you published yet? Have you sold? What's taking so long? Why are you continuing to write when you still haven't made it? Writing is a very personal business, and it's slow, and most people (I'd say 98% of the population) doesn't understand any of this. I'm very proud of what I do, but I haven't been ready to share that yet with the world.

It seems my days of silence are over, though. In part because my family - who, in their excitement - have mentioned it in passing to neighbors and other friends. I went to pick my daughter up from school a few weeks ago and was chatting with another mom. She looked at me and said, "So I hear you've been writing. What's happening with your book?" I was taken aback for a minute, and finally found the voice to ask, "How did you know I was writing?" She responded with, "Well, when you were in Atlanta at your writer's conference, we took your daughter to the pool and she told us all about it." Not only did said daughter tell them about my conference, but she told them about my book - the fact that it was a romantic suspense and what the main character did for a living. Obviously the seven-year-old is more canny than I thought, and she's got radar ears when I've mentioned things in passing to the DH.

But I wish I could say it was just her. No, the DH has been telling people, too. For awhile I made it clear to him I didn't want to spread the word, but ever since I signed with my agent (or maybe since he read part of my book), he's been telling people all about it - neighbors, friends, guys on his softball team, people he works with. I understand he's proud of me, but I don't think he realizes it could still be a looooong time before anything happens.

So it's out there. And it's strange to have to field questions about my career, especially when those questions come from people who know zilch about the publishing industry. Case in point, last weekend I went to a friend's get-together. Women only, chatting, drinking wine, hanging out. It was fun, and after two glasses of merlot I was pretty relaxed after a stressful week. And then the questions started. I swear they came out of nowhere, and they sobered me up really fast. The mom who'd talked to me at school a few weeks back started asking about my book, and suddenly I was surrounded by women wanting to know all about it. Did it have sex in it? Was it a Harlequin romance (as if that were a bad thing), and the question I still cringe at hearing, When can we read it? I fielded questions as best I could, but I know I did a lousy job. Up until that point, I didn't realize word of my writing had spread through the neighborhood like wildfire. Now, I know some of you may be thinking, no big deal, right? It's just your neighbors. But let me give you a clear picture of my neighborhood. We are the real-life version of Desperate Housewives. My cul-de-sac - all of 20 houses or so - has a newsletter, and a website. There are activities happening ever week - whether it's poker parties or bunko or ladies-night-out or a rip-roaring party just for the heck of it. People all around the city know our neighborhood. We're legendary. And while I happen to be one of the more quiet ones on our street (locked up in my house writing), you can kind of picture why I didn't want my writing news to spread just yet. I've already had a roomful of women tell me I need to write a book about our street.

But the clincher of the night was when another woman started asking me questions about my book. She, also, has been writing. A non-fiction book, apparently, which she's trying to sell right now. Now, granted, I know very little about selling non-fiction because it's not my area of interest, but when she asked me if I'd had my book edited yet, I was a little bewildered. I said, no, that I haven't sold it yet, but that I had critique partners and that my agent had gone through and made a few comments on minor things to edit. She said, "Oh, well, yeah, okay. Then you haven't had it edited yet. I have a professional editor who's been working on my book. She's so great, she takes my words and changes them and makes them simply shine. And now that she's done with it, it's this really great book. If it doesn't sell right away, I'm going to self-publish it because it's such a great book, it needs to be out there. " I was shocked. Because in my world of fiction, that sounds like someone else is doing the writing for you. Maybe I'm naive, but I didn't know what to say.

It occurred to me later that no matter how I answer questions from people outside the publishing industry, they're never going to understand the steps it takes to get published. My DH does, simply because he watches me and listens to everything I tell him, but friends, neighbors, acquaintances, even family to some degree will never really get it. It's in my nature to try to explain things to people, to justify why it takes so long to get things done in this biz, but I'm slowly learning that's not to my advantage. Smile, say "thanks," and "No, I haven't heard anything yet." I'd prefer to not even field the questions in the first place, but it seems that's not going to happen now that my news has spread, and I guess I'm just going to have to get used to it.

So, how do you answer the questions when thrown at you? What's your best response? I'd love to hear how you deal with this issue - published or unpublished.