Sheila's Guests and Reviews

It's that time of year. My youngest son is back at college, and the middle one deep in his books for his next exam. Black looks all round. Inspiration flounders under the darkening gray of shortening days, so now I'm digging round all my old manuscripts to clean them up. Maybe they'll gleam and the word-counts might put a spark back into my dreams. My internet wanderings have led to a few surprising finds this year, including publishers looking for short novellas, novelettes and minis. So I dug out a favorite short story to see if I could make it grow. Reading in search of missing scenes led to writing and now it's reached 8,000 words - almost publishable, though a lot will depend on whether the extra words count for anything worthwhile. My completed novels weigh in at 65,000 and 80,000 words. I take them out and polish them every fall, but my latest rejection included the injunction to aim for 90,000 or more so there's still a way to go. Meanwhile the "work in...

I wanted my characters to talk to me. I wanted the end to be more than just six letters on a page. But perhaps I should be more careful what I wish for. There I was, imagining my book was almost done. But now the wedding seems as distant as it was at the beginning, and my characters keep talking, everyone at once. David wants me to know he's not giving up on Emily. But he has to have some time to think, so he can work out what's best for her. Emily wishes I'd tell her what's on David's mind, because Elsie's not really so bad, and he really shouldn't worry. Meanwhile, I know he's glad he gave her the ring. I know they'll get married in the end. But wasn't that meant to be soon... I guess it can't happen now until I get some more free time for writing. But never mind. I'm quite enjoying their conversation.

My textnovel 's up to 60,000 words, and the characters are ready to move on. They know what happened. I know what happened. "So just write it down for us," they say, "and let us get on with our lives." But it's not that simple. I've spent so much time on these characters now. David took me to work with him, introduced me to his mates in their cubicles. I really felt like I finally understood why he's so organized. Then there's Emily. It wasn't hard to see why David liked her, but she took quite a lot longer for me to get to know. She's wary, but nice. David's mother, Jessica, seemed happy to have me round. I've sat in her living room drinking coffee, nibbling on cookies - gluten free. She's had a really tough life. And the other one? The character that hides behind emails and word docs and all that. I simply quoted his stuff at first because I still didn't know him. And then I found out... They make me feel like a reporter...

I went to Rose City Romance Writers this morning as a guest of Minnette Meador , but everyone made me so welcome I felt like everybody's guest. They're a wonderful group - so encouraging, so fun, and with such a vast range of experience. Of course, the bit Minnette hadn't warned me of was that I'd have to stand up and introduce myself. So who am I, I wondered? I've been calling myself a wannabe writer for so long but I suddenly couldn't find the words. After all, I'll soon have three short stories in print. Doesn't that mean I sort of am a writer? They applauded my successes and I felt great, then they asked me what I write. There's a mystery story , a science fiction tale , and a trio of historical pieces ; and there's the two women's literary novels (unpublished), the middle-grade/young adult series (likewise), and the Christian books (self-published, with more coming soon.) I've not done a very good job of branding myself there, so ...

I’m typing words on a page, and letters fly from keyboard to screen. My muse is hitting the high notes, laughing today, as fingers perform a percussion of clattering dreams. And coffee’s bitter brew steeps sensuously, its scented veil trailing across my eyes. But when I look at the wide white screen the notes of the muse have gone flat. Did I mean to write that? “Obituaries” will soon be telling its own. Textnovel’s page is gray, the keyboard stone, and finger-ends are wearied skin and bone. “Save chapter, start another?” Hit okay. The author and the muse together groan. (100 words) Written for Wednesday Writing Essentials : • include three senses in your article • mention a book by title, either a real book or one you've made up • use the word "page" • make sure someone shows a noisy reaction such as cry or scream or roar with laughter, etc. “Obituaries” is the romantic mystery I’m writing for a competition on textnovel.com . You have to join the site to read, but if any...

I think the temperature reached a hundred and seven. My textnovel story reached its hundred seventh entry. My hundred seventh ice cube's melting in the water. And my brain's turning to warm and gooey mush. Still, many thanks Minnette for an enjoyable, cool! , afternoon at Powell's, with coffee and books and good company, wise advice and air conditioning. What more could I want? (AC at home? A hundred and seven fans? Another ice cube please. And what's that dripping noise...)

I just started writing Part 3 of my textnovel entry. You can read it if you go to http://www.textnovel.com/ . You just have to type the title, Obituaries, into the search bar. But then you have to log in or create an account. I joined textnovel to read Minnette Meador's new novel, The Bell Stalker--a really fun exercise since she's still writing it. If you go to Minnette's blog you'll see how she's planning on interviewing the head of the Homicide Division of the Portland Police Bureau. So you can tell she's going to get the details right in her mystery. It's certainly shaping up to be quite intriguing, with a fascinating cast of characters. It's interesting to read the works in progress on textnovel, hot off the keyboard so to speak. But the strangest thing for me is trying to write there, creating a novel-length story that starts at the beginning and runs to an end. I'm one of those people who usually start near the middle, or else begin with a sh...

Minnette Meador writes the Starsight and Centurion books, among others, and is a really fun author, as well as a fellow inhabitant of Portland Oregon. She invited me to join textnovel.com to read her new thriller, the Bell Stalker, so hot off the press it’s not even written yet, and I’m certainly enjoying the experience. But you have to be a member to read, and the first thing they asked when I joined was did I want to join their competition too. They said their stories have to start with a synopsis, and I thought it might be good practice. But I couldn’t think of anything to write so, with kind permission of Pat Bertram and Second Wind Publishing , I’ve reused my entry from Pat’s More Deaths than One contest, and am now trying to turn it into a novel. If you’ve not read More Deaths than One you really should. It has the most amazing premise—a man finding an obituary for his mother when she can’t possibly just have died. In Pat’s novel, the man’s mother died twenty years ago, and ag...