Phlox

Gearing up for a busy holiday weekend

I’m off from the day job for this long, holiday weekend (thank goodness), but I plan to use my time wisely and get lots of writing-related things accomplished.

On my to-do list (after updating the blog, of course):

Finish my current WIP, tentatively titled “Diva in the Dugout.” It’s the companion to my GH finalist, “Beauty and the Ballplayer” — the one I started in March, after getting the GH call … the one I figured “If that’s the story that’s going to succeed, I’d better write another one in the same series.”
Get back into the swing of writing “Trouble in Paradise?” — the one I put on hold to write Dave & Melinda’s story … and the one I plan to enter in the 2012 GH. I’d like to write at least 5K new words.
Re-edit “My Fair Fiancee” so I can get it out to my volunteer beta reader. (I lost the edits somehow — probably the same way I lost the edits on Meg & Matt’s story — and have to re-enter them. Thank goodness I have a hard copy to work from.) I’m planning to put that one in the GH this year, too (different category).
Judge at least 2 of the 5 Golden Pen entries I received. I don’t want that deadline to creep up on me with 5 left.
Write a synopsis and query for “My Fair Fiancee” so it’s ready to go.

There you have it: My weekend plans. Wonder if I can squeeze it all in before the Boyfriend gets back from his tennis tournament and wants to play? I sure hope so!

If I do, I’ll be able to curl up with Anne Marie Becker’s “Only Fear” when it’s delivered to my Nook on Monday. Right now I’m reading Jaci Burton’s “Changing the Game.”

What’s my (first) line?

“There are a lot of good first lines. Line 1,157? Not so much.”

I saw this tweet — or something like it — recently, and it got me thinking. (I believe it came from Don Maas, but don’t hold me to it. My Twitter feed is large and growing bigger everyday.)

No doubt about it, first lines are important. People with a lot more expertise than I have will tell you how that first sentence hooks readers, sets the tone and imparts just enough detail to make everyone want more.

A few great first lines from pubbed authors (interspersed with some faves from my own writing):

— “At precisely one o’clock on a sunny September Saturday afternoon, Megan McGuire spied the pirate.” (“Dreaming of Home,” Glynna Kaye)

— “Meg Malone’s day began a slow, downward slide at 7:42 a.m., the precise moment she squinted down at the pregnancy test stick in her hand, hoping like hell she’d misread it.” (My 2011 Golden Heart finaling MS, “Beauty and the Ballplayer”)

— “Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.” (“Gone with the Wind,” Margaret Mitchell)

— “There was no way around it. Catching Mr. right was damn hard work.” (“On the Fence,” Keri Ford)

— “Bethany Lincoln scowled at the now-dark cell phone in her hand, missing the good old days when she could slam the receiver down in disgust.” (My WIP “Trouble in Paradise?”)

— “‘Here in Porcupine, some folks have sex just to keep warm.'” (“Nerd Gone Wild, Vicki Lewis Thompson)

— “Heaven — in the form of a cozy birthday dinner for two, followed by some dancing and a little naughty sex — would just have to wait.” (My first finished MS, “Operation Snag ~~Mike~~ Brad”)

— “The best thing about being a werewolf was that you never needed a sports bra.” (“The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf, Molly Harper)

Great stuff, right?

The trick, of course, is making our prose sparkle all the way through. Line 1,157 is seldom as catchy, punchy and witty as line one.

But why is that?

I suspect familiarity breeds … maybe not contempt, but boredom. As the story unfolds beyond the first pages, the rosy blush is gone. We’ve seen the hero and heroine at their worst … caught them with their pants down (both figuratively and literally, most likely.)

Don’t ask me how to overcome the phenomenon. I’ve noticed in my current WIP that, while I love the first several chapters, I’m beginning to feel like I’m slogging along. I must be in the dreaded sagging middle.

Any of you with advice, feel free to leave it in the comments. I’ll take all the tips I can get.

Can’t get enough great first lines? Hop on over to the Starcatchers’ blog, where I asked my Starcatcher sistren to share some of their favorites.

Make my day

It’s my day off and I’m in Sedona. While the Boyfriend was playing tennis this morning, I hit Starbucks to sneak in some writing time.

I ended up doing more blogging than writing, but I still appreciated what the barista wrote on my cup. At least I’m not the only one who calls me a writer!

Yes, it pays to be a semi-regular.

About that blogging: I have a very cool post planned for Wednesday — one that coincides with a related post on the new Starcatchers blog. Be sure to stop back by.

Reading habits exposed

Today, we’re going to delve into all your dirty little secrets — reading secrets, that is.

When Gwen Hernandez, one of my Starcatcher sisters, posted about sometimes not finishing a book she’s started, it got me thinking.

Her argument against slogging through something she’s not into:

Why waste valuable hours reading a book I don’t enjoy?

It makes complete sense. As we all know, there are only so many hours in the day. When we’re trying to write, work out, cook, tend to the day job — and families if we have them — it leaves precious little leisure time for reading.

Yet I’m one of those people who slogs through every book I start. It may take me a while to pull it off my TBR pile, but once I have a book in my hand, I finish the darn thing. Even if it takes me a month … or I’d rather be visiting the dentist than reading it …

I’m not sure where this attitude comes from. Maybe it’s a remnant from my college days, when reading was my job. As a journalism major who took a lot of English lit and creative writing classes, I read tons. Even the semester I spent in England, when I probably should have been focused on exploring a foreign country, I took a full course load that included French lit, Literature and Politics, and Shakespeare. (I couldn’t pass up the chance to take a class on Shakespeare in England, from a British prof, now could I?)

Maybe it’s just what I refer to as my good, old-fashioned Midwestern work ethic. I also can’t call in sick when I’m not really sick. Heck, I work even when I’m sick … I have to be in bed, unable to move, before I throw in the towel and take a sick day.

Whatever the reason, I finish the books I start. It’s a good thing, then, that I tend to only start books I know I’ll enjoy. I usually stick with contemporary and historical romances, with the occasional weighty book club pick.

Hmm. Now that I think about it, I can’t say I always finish the books I start. Sometimes I don’t finish my book club selections. Case in point: “Edgar Sawtelle.” I don’t care if it was one of Oprah’s picks, I didn’t like it. Too lyrical— and it was obviously heading toward a bad end, seeing as it was a modern retelling of “Hamlet” (one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, by the way.) Trudy and Claude? Please.

How about you? Do you finish the books you start? Or do you refuse to waste time on books that don’t hold your interest?

I want to know!

Much-needed retreat

Sometimes you just need to retreat.

No, I’m not talking about the kind of retreat where you curl up in a ball and hide from the world because rejection number three thousand five hundred and ninety-nine has just found its way to your inbox.

I’m talking about the “lock yourself away and write until your fingers fall off” variety.

That’s the kind of retreat I’ve been blessed to undertake for the last several days while on vacation from the day job.

Okay, I still have all ten fingers … nine of my toes, too. The tenth is numb after its run-in with my exercise bike. Being the klutz I am, I kicked the dumb thing while I was walking around.

Having been at my office for 10-plus years, I get a ridiculous amount of vacation to burn off every year (four weeks) — and this summer, I have to take it before our staff goes down in number. (One of my fellow page designers is leaving at the end of the month.)

So I’m off work for two whole weeks and the Boyfriend is out of town. He took his kids to California to see where he grew up.

What’s a pre-published author to do with all that free time? Write, of course.

One day, I poured out 3,500 words of my WIP (the one connected to “Beauty and the Ballplayer.”) Another day saw a word count of 2,ooo. The other two days were 800 and 1,100 — and that’s with breaks for movies. (Being a comedy fan, I went to see “Bad Teacher” one night and “Friends with Benefits” another afternoon.)

Even today, with grocery shopping and softball practice, I’ve written about 700 words — and reached a turning point. In fact, I’m going to get back to it now. See you on the other side … hopefully with a fully finished first draft.

Great CP search is on

The gals at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood posted a form to look for a critique partner. When I tried to post my response in the comments, it didn’t show up. So here it is, in all its glory:

NAME: Arlene Hittle

Please E-MAIL me directly at ahittle90@gmail.com

I write: humorous contemporary series and single title

My favorite authors are Christina Dodd, Kristan Higgins, Cherry Adair, Susan Elizabeth Phillips

My work would be enjoyed by the audience of ??? (If I knew that, wouldn’t I already have sold?)

I prefer to give and receive critiques that include:

Story & characterization analysis only _N__ With occasional line-edits Y__ With in-depth line-edits _S____

I prefer a no-punches-pulled, straightforward critique focusing mostly on problems _N_

To avoid feeling discouraged, I prefer frequent praise to surround negative comments __Y__

I’d like help brainstorming problems _Y_ I just need the problems pointed out _S__

I’m highly self-motivated__S__ I need someone to help me set goals (kick my butt) _S__

I have completed ___6___manuscripts

I usually write_______1,000 to 5,000 words a week.

I finish and polish a 90,000-word book in _8__ months.

I have been seriously writing / pursuing publication for ___2+___years.

My strengths are: dialogue

My weaknesses are: agents say they’re not in love with the characters

My writing credentials are: 2010 Beacon winner, 2011 GH finalist, BS in journalism. My nonGH-finalists have fallen into the bottom and half percentiles. Have a weight-loss blog and a writing blog.

Moving ahead

Since RWA Nationals ended, much talk has been going on amongst my Starcatcher Sisters about fear … of submission, rejection, inadequacy — you name it and we’ve probably felt it.

Aislinn, who recently sold not one but two books, wrote an excellent post on writers’ fears just the other day. Her conclusion?

I must sit down, and I must write. I must give myself permission to suck. Because I’ll suck even more if I let the fear stop me from writing this second book.

I am so there … well, on everything except writing my second book. I’m still trying to sell my first. 😉

However, I am of a similar mind: It’s time to move ahead.

Of course I’m still tweaking my GH finalist and sending it out on submission. But if I don’t do anything else — something new — I’m going to go stark-raving mad.

So while I continue to submit “Beauty and the Ballplayer,” I’m also going to start doing other things.

— I’m making some serious progress on the story related to it, Dave and Melinda’s tale.

— And I’m going to figure out which of my other, finished stories I want to enter in this year’s Golden Pen — even though that means tackling another dreaded synopsis. Yikes. (The early bird deadline is Friday.)

— I also have my NARWA meeting coming up this Saturday. We’re doing a “first three pages” workshop, where we read the first three pages of submitted WIPs aloud and give feedback. I need to decide which one of mine I want to have read.

I have to keep moving ahead. Each new manuscript is better than the last, because we’re continually learning and growing — or we should be. So I can’t just sit back and rest on the laurels of being a Golden Heart finalist.

Who knows? My next submitted MS may well be the one that finally secures me the agent and publication contract I’ve been chasing.

An honor just to be nominated

We’ve all heard someone say it, usually in connection with the Oscars … And if you’re like me, you probably snicker.

“It’s an honor just to be nominated?” Yeah. R-i-i-ght.

Well, I’m here to tell you, in the case of the RWA Golden Heart® award, it really is true.

I’m not just saying that because I didn’t come home with the little golden necklace around my neck. (I didn’t. The GH in my category, contemporary series, went to Jo Anne Banker. Click here for a full list of Golden Heart and Rita winners.)

But I started saying it long before the awards ceremony. It hit me while I sat at the Golden Network retreat on Tuesday. The conference hadn’t officially started yet, but as a GH finalist, I had the chance to attend a day of panel discussions with agents and editors — a chance offered only to current and former finalists.

Win or lose, we were part of an elite group. Not everyone gets to put the words Golden Heart Finalist beside the title of one of their works. Heck, very few do. And I’m one of them.

As my conference roommate, Karla Doyle, pointed out while I was lamenting the fact that I didn’t hand out all of my business cards with the “2011 GH finalist” notation on the back, I can still use them next year.

She’s right. Come what may, I’ll always be a 2011 Golden Heart finalist.

Doors are beginning to open, golden necklace or not. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

P.S. Look for updates on what I learned from the conference (including a few photos), in the next several days. I’m still catching up on sleep and trying to digest it all.

Getting ready for Nationals

In four days, I’ll be leaving for New York City.

Not only is this my first trip to NYC, it’ll be my first RWA National conference. Needless to say, I’m nervous — and seeing all the chatter online isn’t easing my jitters.

In an attempt to stay sane while I get ready to go, I’ve been spending too much time online, looking for hints and tricks on how to make the most of the conference experience.

Lucky for me, there’s plenty of advice out there to be had.

First off, packing — of which I’ve done none yet. (Procrastinating at its finest.) Yes, I’ve purchased my Golden Heart® awards ceremony dress, and clothes to wear during the conference. But the thought of packing it all in one suitcase — or worse, one small carry-on bag — terrifies me.

One of the Starcatchers (the name the 2011 Golden Heart class picked), Erin Kelly, shared these great packing tips. While I doubt I’ll be able to stuff a full-length, full-skirted gown into a carry-on with enough clothes, shoes and underwear for the rest of the week, I plan to use as many of her hints as I can.

When I get to NYC (hopefully with my luggage), what do I do? Who do I see? How can I survive pitching to an agent and editor? Bestselling author Elizabeth Boyle posted a collection of tried and true conference advice.

At Once Written, Twice Shy, another Starcatcher, Kimberly Kincaid, posted The Sassy Girl’s Guide to Success at RWA Nationals. Helpful even though I don’t consider myself shy. Quiet, yes (although my coworkers might disagree) … shy, no.

Of course, the Rubies have been posting helpful info, too. They’re always full of good advice. Check out Tamara Hogan’s Introverts Guide to RWA Nationals and the indispensable guide for those not lucky enough to be going to conference: My Ruby Sisters Went to New York and All I Got Was aT-Shirt.

Story ADD

I have a confession to make: I have story ADD.

Raise your hand if, like me, you have trouble concentrating on one story at a time. … If characters start talking to you, demanding you tell their story now — even when you’re in the middle of another one. … If you have a bunch of half- or two-thirds-finished manuscripts moldering under your bed.

They all get finished eventually, but I’ve always had a little trouble focusing on one story from start to finish.

Since March’s call notifying me that I’d finaled in the RWA Golden Heart®, the affliction has intensified. Reasoning that if “Beauty and the Ballplayer” was going to be the successful MS, I ought to have a companion, I decided to start a new story related to it. So I started working on Dave & Melinda’s story while actively writing Beth & Cody’s and trying to edit Kenny & Kristi’s.

That left poor Drew & Lainy waiting waiting in the wings. I’d planned to finish writing their story after I started querying with Kenny & Kristi.

Nearly three months later and I still haven’t even written the query/synopsis on Kenny & Kristi. I’ve written only a handful of pages on Beth & Cody’s story and am just five chapters into Dave & Melinda’s.

Every time I get any momentum, I end up coming to a dead stop to do something else entirely. “Beauty and the Ballplayer” needs revising … or I need to shop for stuff to wear at Nationals … or I need to do other conference prep (business cards, pitches, schedule planning). The list goes on and on.

I’m not complaining, mind you. As far as problems go, this is one a lot people would love to have — me included. I’m thrilled to be a GH finalist — and going to Nationals in NYC is a fantastic opportunity that I hadn’t counted on getting.

I’m just saying all this planning/panic does nothing to help my story-related ADD.

Please tell me I’m not the only one with this problem.

How do you cope with conference prep while still managing to get any writing done?