I’m at the Samhain Publishing blog today, talking about writing with a collaborator. I hope you’ll join me!
Vacation This Week
Greetings from Philadelphia! I’m on vacation this week and Rachel’s got the stomach flu, so today we bring you our favorite vacation photo.
What do you like to do on vacation? Do you have a favorite vacation-related writing prompt? Tell me in the comments and we’ll write a flash-fiction piece for you for our next post.
Happy summer vacation!
Underwater Basketweaving – or, “It’s Research!”
One of our newer stories, which will be part of the forthcoming Bound series, features a character who owns a pleasure boat. He used to be a sailor and worked on a fishing trawler, and the group of people he’s part of used to run a trawling company.
The only problem is, Rachel and I don’t know much about boats.
I mean, they float, right? And they’re pretty. Seagulls like them. They have masts with sails. Pirates used to steal them. I saw Pirates of the Carribean and, aside from not being able to spell Caribeane to save my life, that means I know about boats, right?
Wrong.
Off to research we went. I work near a marina with a lot of boats, so the first step was to wander around and poach. Boats, not fish. I’d send pictures to Rachel for boats that I liked, and we found a couple brand names. Then the real work began. Rachel looked up the brands on the internet and we ran smack into our first problem.
Apparently, “boat” isn’t a very precise moniker.
Jeez.
We had to learn the right definition for the size of boat our character owns. Does he fish with it? Is it a sailboat?
Does it have a shower? (You’d be surprised; this is an important question; not all boats have them.)
We finally settled on a boat we both like. We’ve been working on the scenes with this particular boat so when you read it, you’ll have to see if you can tell whether we did our research well or sound like land-lubbers.
And next time someone gives you a hard time for internet surfing because you got curious about the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? Tell ’em, “It’s Research!” with a capital “R”.
Working and Writing – Creating Sane, Grounded Practices
Many of us who write, do so while working for a living doing something other than writing. While on the one hand, this seems like we might rather write full time, on the other we can see it for the opportunity it is while we’re waiting for our ship to come in.
Structure
When we work outside the home, we have to be somewhere at a set time. This teaches us structure. This also gives us the idea of working hours.
Why not set working hours for your writing, as though it were a second job?
Discipline
When we work at a job, we must do things on time and according to standards that are already set for us. This can give us the starting-point to set our own standards and procedures.
Why not set a word count goal for each day? One thousand words a day, or about 3 or 4 pages, is enough to write a novel in 2 or 3 months.
Networking
When we work outside the home, we have a resume and a network of professionals that we know in our field. This helps us stay employed and, if necessary, get a new job.
Why not write a writing resume for yourself? Include all the different kinds of writing that you do. Are you an active blogger or Facebook user? Proficient in social media. Are you active in an online forum? Member of thus-and-such group. Use your imagination – just don’t make up things out of whole cloth. But not everything on your resume must be related to a job-for-pay.
With a little thought, we can leverage our working experience together with our writing experience and re-craft our lives into something we’ve always dreamed.
Write on!
Emerald Fire and Teeka’s Hair Tea
In writing Emerald Fire, Rachel and I got to use what we know. One of the skills we gave the Keepers is the skill of making tea and tea blends, both for beverages and for cosmetic or medicinal use.
Today, I’m over at the Torquere Press blog talking about hair tea – not the beverage, but to put on your hair. I hope you’ll stop by!
“Research and World Building – Teeka’s Special Hair Tea Blend“
Worldbuilding and Emerald Fire
Join me at the Writer’s Retreat Blog today where I discuss some of the techniques that helped Rachel and I in the writing of our new book, Emerald Fire. Enjoy!
Win an Ebook!
Two Articles For Today
I have two new articles for your enjoyment today. The first, Who To Write About (When You Can’t Write About Your Friends and Family), shares some of Rachel and my secrets about how we come up with characters to write about. The second, Why Big Goals Don’t Work – Baby Step Your Way To Success, discusses some thoughts about how to go about setting goals that lead to accomplishment and not disappointment.
Enjoy!
Collaboration
No writer is an island, and there are many places writers can go for support and fellowship. One of the best communities on the internet for such community is Romance Divas, an award-winning site and forum. We are pleased to report they are hosting an article Noony wrote on Collaboration. We hope you’ll stop by and leave a comment!
Thanks for reading!
Emerald Fire Is Out Today!
I’m so excited! Emerald Fire is out today from Torquere Press.
The harsh desert world of Persis has developed its own customs far from Old Earth. Keepers are cherished as caregivers and helpmeets to Hunters. During Emerald Keeper Teeka’s first Contract with Senior Hunter Brant, disaster strikes. Brant is killed and Teeka is stranded, surrounded by strangers, and unsure of who to trust. A dark and moody Hunter steps forward with an offer of partnership and protection. Teeka wonders what motivates the scarred and solitary Senior Hunter Quill.
Both have hidden motives for agreeing, and both are suspicious of each other. But the Great Valley will force them to work together and build a trust born out of necessity and survival. Between the dangers of the harsh desert and the malice of a hidden enemy, Teeka and Quill must learn to believe in each other to find the truth.
Pick up your copy today! Emerald Fire by A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder