Steps of a Dancewriter

 

Yikes. Can it really be that long since I was a Palos Verdes Sea King? I look in the mirror and, yes, I can see that it HAS been 30 years...but MAN-OH-MAN...

I have...ISSUES with high school. I wanted to be something I never was while I was there. When my priorities were easily influenced by what I thought was exciting and glamorous, I wanted to be the P word. ( popular ) I was liked well enough, but FAME was not in the cards for me during my tenure at Palos Verdes High School.  http://www.palosverdeshigh.net/

And then there are those PEOPLE. The ones I thought had everything going for them while I suffered with fitting in. They fit. Perfectly. Oh, they'll be at the reunion. Most of them are running it. Yeah. Fingers inevery pie then, fingers in every pie now. But then, I wouldn't want to organize a reunion, so I say, "You go for it!" And they should. They created our class of 1978 -- the reunions are, in a way, a social product of their making.

I just want to go WATCH. That's always been the fun, right? Checking out the heavy, bald guys who were soooo hot back then. The ones  you don't recognize now with the years, pounds and pressure. The tanned, blonde girls who -- may still be tan, for all I know -- ruled the school with what they wore, said and did. I want to see them now. Where are they? What are they doing? I don't want to ask, though. I just want to SEE.

It's all so silly. 

I'm in my place. Happily married 24 years this Dec. Six lovely children who have taught me more about life, committment, honesty, integrity, long suffering and charity than any job I could have landed. And then there's my writing.

And I write about lovely Palos Verdes. Ohh, yes, I've immortalized my life growing up on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in two books so far: An Open Vein and A Season of Eden. ( not autobiographical) And I know it's not over. Too much happened there for me not to glorify the place. Palos Verdes deserves it.

Oh, and so do my parents.

Some of my old teachers and classmates have made it into my stories. Ficitionalized, of course. Mwahaha.

 I'm always amazed at the creative process. In the beginning, 7 years ago, I freaked if I stalled. Obsessed, I wrote through,  and dealt with the aftermath. Sometimes I liked it. Sometimes I didn't. But I never let a block stay in my path.

Now, I never freak. Even if the direction I'm going is vague at seven a.m. I force my way. Keep going. I have faith in my characters and they don't let me down. When they're done with a scene, I know it. Then I begin another.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm wonderfully comfortable in my author shoes now. I don't worry about the process, I've seen it to completion too many times. I simply enjoy. That's the beauty of the growth. 

By their fruits you shall know them. Right.

 It's 11:33 here and I'm working on book 2 of my next YA series. Lots of dialog, so I'm tapping out pages fast. I was sooooo happy to hear from my old crit friend, Beccajoy that she signed with Catherine Drayton! I love Becca's stories! I loved them way back when, and now she's taken a huge step. I  hope the best happens for her -- the best for her.

I've queried Ms. Drayton a time or four before. I queried her because Markus Z still reigns as my fav YA author. You can't beat FIGHTING REUBEN WOLFE and GETTING THE GIRL. 

As I still wait to hear back from the many queries I sent out 2 months ago...sheesh, you read that right...I am getting out review copies for NAILED and  A Season of Eden. Boxes of books are stacked four feet high in the entery of our house.

Everyone ignores them now. LOL. "Another book? Oh, that's nice."

A writer isn't a writer in his own house, much like a prophet isn't a prophet in his own land.

 

Last week, Jennifer and I drove to Las Vegas to meet with Kimmie, a reader I became aquainted with via My Space. Kimmie is from New Zealand and had traveled with her dad to Vegas for a gaming convention, so we arranged to meet. She loves my books and it was a treat hanging out with her

We shopped, got lost in the maze of shops, had dinner with her delightful father and hung out until waaay late for this mother/author!! Kimmie and Jennifer hit it off wonderfully -- the two managed to fend off encroaching weirdos as we all walked along the Strip back to Bally's after dinner.

My, has Las Vegas changed.

They say it's family friendly??? What family??? Pornographic images are everywhere. Not my family, thank you very much. I had to resist the inclination to cover Jennifer and Kimmie's eyes with my hands!! ( Leaving my own uncovered YIKES )

That said, seeing Kimmie - MEETING HER - is something I will never forget and was the memorable part of the trip.

If distance makes the heart grow fonder, our hearts are VERY fond of Kimmie in New Zealand!
 

 "I can't control what my characters do! They just do it!" 

I hear this all the time. I've said it. As a writer I understand this predicament. I can't control what my children do, but do I let them do whatever they want? No. They live within the boundaries I create. Boundaries I feel responsible for and committed to.

Anyone who creates something others will see has a responsibility to consider the domino effect of their work. Ever seen a movie that was so disgusting and gory the images are with you to this day? Ever read a book so disturbing you couldn't stop thinking about it and the essence left you feeling mucky and dark inside?

Contrast this with something unforgettable and uplifting-something with absolutely nothing objectionable in it. ( like The Sound of Music for instance )  When was the last time that kind of entertainment was in your life? 

It seems so much of what we're presented in the way of entertainment be it books, film or music, is getting bolder, louder, sexier, harsher,grosser --  you get my drift. Our senses are becoming dull.

I find that I can watch an old film or read an old "classic" and actually be bored. A sad thing to say.

Where will bold, loud, sexy, violent, gross creating end? Take a look at what you create from the core of where it comes --  you -- and consider guiding your characters and their situations from birth. Maybe we'll start a new trend, something we aren't ashamed or embarrassed about handing to our children.

"Mommy wrote this. But you can't read it, it's too violent, has too much swearing and there's sex in it."

 ?

 

This coming from me...a person who spends every free second writing. Parenthood demands I take a temporary break right now: readying our home for DS's return in 4 weeks. Changing things around. Breaking down 'triggers'. Though I wake up with purpose, the computers are like magnets and I find myself drawn to them. Then I stand staring at them, yearning. But yearning with an empty mind in that, creative juices simply are not flowing. It's as if, on a cellular level, creativity has shut off. And creativity has been replaced by necessity to do what I have to do.

Weird.

But I'm going with it.

DH and DS on our last visit.

My latest WIP involves a character whose brother suffers from addictions. I didn't set out for this character to be born, anymore than I set out--when I had my son--to have a child with an addiction problem. As I wrote, the character simply was born on the page.

Ninety pages into the story he's a vague reflection of my son. This didn't initially bother me, as I've learned to adore writing because I can control the outcome to a certain extent. However, as our lives become more deeply involved with our son's struggles, coming to the computer and writing my character has become more difficult.
I never thought anything in my personal life would disable me from continuing to write. In fact, I've been blessed that writing has been the life preserver that has saved me in perilous times more than once. Yet as I face this piece, this family of characters, this one young man in particular, I ache when he is in the proverbial room.

To do any creative work justice, you cannot force your characters to DO anything. They do what they please, like children. Yes, I can creatively guide characters but my process is based on an organic formula.

I don't know how either situation is going to work out. One, will have an end I can live with because it's fictional. The other...I can only hope for an ending much like the happy one I would love for him to write for himself.

I'm sooooo enjoying my WIP... my last YA WIP was fun in a romantic way. This WIP is fun because I'm doing something I've never done: I'm approaching this piece like Columbus, i.e. I know where I want it to go but how it's going to GET there is anyone's guess.

Usually, I know the beginning and end of each story. I let the characters drive most of the plot. 

This time around, because of the nature of some of the characters and the plot, I have no idea where it's headed, and that requires faith on my part. Faith in my abilities. I love this kind of challenge, it's like tackling a particularly difficult role ( for an actor ) and stretching to great possibilities.

It's going to be a fun "ride."

When I first ordered "Noon", you asked me to let you know what I
thought of it, once I read it. Well, I finally had the time to finish
it last night, and I have to tell you, I loved it. What an incredible
story of love, loss and redemption! I have to admit though that there
were parts that were difficult for me to read. The utter brutality
and inhumanity of Rob Noon towards his son broke my heart and I nearly
didn't finish the book after reading the scene in which he so
maliciously injured Breck's foot. But, feeling as if I personally knew
your characters, I knew I had to press on.

Breck was not one to give up the fight! And I was pleased to find that despite all of the
inhumane acts he had endured in his life, he found the beauty of
humanity both in the unconditional love of the Dubois family and the
art of dance.

I can totally relate to Breck and Nicole's own
individual feelings for dance. The way that Breck found his confidence
and true strength through the artform is something I've realized
myself. I remember a line that you wrote in which you explained that
dance was a safe space where a person can express their thoughts and
emotions through movement. For me, that line perfectly describes the
reason why I dance. By trade I'm a writer, but there are definitely
days when I feel as if I have no words left and the only way for me to
break through the frustration of not being able to communicate what
I'm feeling is to dance it out. So, as a writer and a dancer, I thank
you for telling this beautiful story that celebrates the true power
and beauty of dance.

I may eat my words about loops. I was on one today as a guest author in a chat and actually had a woman read my excerpts and say they sounded interesting. Now, the book is on her TBR pile. What do you know!

But here's the most interesting part: as I reread my own material, choosing which sections to post, I realized I could post with pride. If you let enough time go in between reading/writing your work you forget A) why you do B) that you do it well.

If you've been rejected lately, if your editor's handed you back a huge stack of edits/changes, if you just read the most magnificent book since Fighting Reuben Wolfe and think you can't write one more word without it sounding like crudola...open your latest WIP or pubbed book and read a few pages. Be reminded of what you have to offer. There's nobody like you.

Not really.

But I am the featured author at the Book Club Forum. http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/

Here's the interview:

http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/katherine-warwick-interview.php

The Book Club Forum is a wonderful, interesting site -- probably the most extensive I've come across for readers.

I started out writing because one author inspired me to the degree that a latent talent I had not indulged in since childhood once again blossomed. I wanted to bring the kind of joy this author had brought to me to others.

4 years and 12 completed manuscripts later, I remind myself of what I've accomplished because it's important TO ME. Not to anyone else because, by some narrow standards, if you're not publishing traditionally, you're not validated.

The longer I write, the more I read and study the business side of this business, the more I have to remind myself because there are more forces of negativity out there than those that are positive. The never-ending stream of bullets can shoot you down before you've had a chance to DO anything. So you must dodge and do for yourself.

Sitting down at nine AM every day and writing until five or six PM every night has taught me tremendous discipline. I know how long it takes me to produce, to edit, to rewrite. Hiring an editor has opened my eyes to corrections and changes I couldn't see. Finding a book designer has taught me that there are other people out there ( and they don't have to be in New York ) that can catch my vision and create a marvelous, perfect extension of my creation. Finding a cover artist that envisions what I envision to a tee but even better than that, can create something I want with just a few key words is a phenominal experience.

It's been a fabulous, educational year.

Many thanks to:
Jennifer Johnson
Julia Lloyd
Melissa Mayntz
Denise Brown
Dawn
Mercy
Bella
Teresa

Though I haven't begun to send this YA book out for reviews yet, I have sent it out to a few online sites. One is www.bookforum.com in the UK. Owner Michelle Moore just finished An Open Vein. I am very enthused because she reads literally hundreds of books of every genre each year.



Imagine being locked in a room alone. You have no food, and the only water to drink comes from a nearby tap. You’ve been told this will help you to bond and you believe it, because your father has told you this. He’s a doctor.

You find out everything you once thought was real and true, is a lie.

I will say from the outset that I think this book is rather outstanding. It's dark and powerful, keeps you reading, and stays with you long after you put it down.

The story starts with John, a rather intelligent, yet protected sixteen year old, going to stay with his 'uncle' in New York for the summer. Kane is a close family friend, who John has looked up to all his life.

First Kane informs John that he is in fact his father, then he tells him that there have been threats against him, and he must stay in the apartment. From here, things spiral out of control, and take a very dark turn.

The author takes us through the confusion and fear that the teenage John is feeling, and slowly unwraps the true Kane - she makes you feel that you're there with John, experiencing all that he does.

I was also impressed with the ending.. instead of the 'Hollywood ending' that would have been so easy, the darkness and confusion continues.

An impressive book, leaving me wanting more. 



Once again I have to thank Jenn at Sapphire Designs for the most incredible cover and perfect website: www.anopenvein.com/

Well the rejections are trickling in...in spite of killer query letters and strong writing. Yes, I'm confident enough to say that now. We shouldn't hide how we feel about our work just because a few select ( think about the percentage of agent/editors there are in comparison to the general population ) want to say, "I'm afraid the story/voice/whatever just wasn't enough to grab me." ?

Not this girl. I haven't spent the years and countless hours at this not to know what I have and be fine with it. Whether or not some name-in-a-book likes it or not is there problem of the day.

Seriously. I'm writing to report that the rejections don't hurt when you're at that point. Being happy with what you write and how you write is like being happy with the fact that you're a giving, compassionate person with brown hair and blue eyes or whatever. The key is being happy first. Then this other garbage flung at you -- well, you can dodge it and plug your nose.

And if I sound alarmingly frank, isn't that the tone of most rejection letters? That's the way I'd rather have it -- let's not mince words here or waste your time or mine. Just tell it like it is and I'm off to the next guy.

If you're submitting, gird up. Put on your best armor. Get ready to dodge and for heaven's sake, plug your nose!

I do it -- purposefully -- and what happens??? Readers wonder why this and that didn't happen. Romance readers are so accustomed to plots winding up a certain way, when it doesn't happen, they feel slighted.

Interesting.

I didn't have a big knock down,drag out fight between Alex and Damian in "Dancing With His Heart" because A) Alex has worked hard to control his anger. B) Alex and Damian aren't teenagers, they're men. How many men do you know that REALLY get in fights??? C) A fight, tho toasty/expected/etc. would have been cliche.

Alex and Lauren don't have sex because A) they have plenty of satisfying intimacy on the dance floor B) Alex doesn't want to until he has Lauren all to himself -- for the very reason that it's taken him forever to finally have her.
C) ( and this is my personal taste ) I don't read explicit sex, so I don't write explicit sex.

I often say. "You'll never miss the sex" because I believe it's true. There's enough heat and passion on the dance floor to satisfy that need to see hero and heroine come together without taking them into bed.

I look for ways to make my stories and endings unexpectedly fresh. When was the last time you heard of two guys fisting it out over a woman? Though this is a VERY common occurance in the world of romance, it's also so overused it's like, yawn, turn the page, read on...

Sex is another matter. It's everywhere. So much so, that many comments I've gotten have been to the effect, "It was so refreshing not to read any swearing or see any graphic sex in your book. I like the sexual tension best anyway." In todays romance market flush with erotica, being a writer without harsh language and sex scenes is about as different as it gets.

Subtle, real situations can be satisfying if created with dialogue, environmental factors and the emotional tension of real life situations instead of falling into the ease of push-button cliche.

No matter what you're writing, go around the manhole of cliche and experiment with other paths creating what will single you out as a writer.

3:45 am found me here, in front of the PC because I woke up with RLS.

But it gave me three hours to search for images. I must explain the FUN of creating a cover. Last night ( pre 3am ) Jennifer and I created a YA cover for the website. I had a few basics in mind: nail polish, nail polish bottle, girl image, boy image...I wanted to make sure the idea of the story came across SOMEHOW in the cover. I mean, that IS the idea. And with YA, it's got to have some zing. This is the raw version, so it's not as sharp as HR. If you can't read the hot pink writing on the front: What happens when a jock takes a job at the local nail salon?

Check it out. Tell me what you think. Any suggs are welcome.

This should be an interesting week. I'm awaiting some news. If I don't HEAR anything, I'll know my decision was correct. If I do, well...that will be an awkward, telling moment.

Beyond that, I feel relieved. I've become so ensnared in all things writing and publishing, the whole thing was beginning to seep into my days like a nasty disease causing me to snap at everyone around me. That can't be good. So you look at it and say, "Writer, heal thyself. Write your new chapter and close that last one, FAST."

It IS everywhere...catch the article on Yahoo's homepage today: Be warned, tha page changes every few hours!!!!!

http://www.yahoo.com/