What is Your Writing Inspiration?

A well of inspiration.
Grotto Canyon, Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada

Love and Nature

At the ARWA For the Love of Romance panel at When Words Collide a woman in the audience asked us what our writing inspiration was. It was a wonderful straight forward question and one that made me take a mental pause. 

What inspires me to write?

What inspires me is twinned with why I write. As I sat at that panel table, microphone in front of me, the audience looking expectant to hear our answers, I felt what inspires me rush in; love and nature. 

I felt with great clarity the (for me) blaring parallel of Love and Nature. The two create the same storm of feelings, rush of passion, swell of emotions, excited senses. The Natural World is a potent well of energy and feeling, just like Love.

In a few seconds, that question brought my whole writing career into focus. Writing is a way I can share Love and Nature with the world. 

Grotto Canyon, Kananaskis Country
Alberta, Canada

Feeling that Energy Feels Good

I walked in a canyon last weekend and the sound and feel of the wind enveloped me in an absolute heady energy that made me stop in my tracks. I just wanted to savor it, let myself experience the sensation. The smell of the sun-warmed trees delighted me every time I caught their fragrance. Each place I looked was as magical as the next. 

Love is like that, too. Just being near your beloved, feeling his/her energy, savoring that energy, that feeling, makes you feel good. For me, being in love and being loved parallels the experience of nature. I feel more in both.

How I Hug the World

I like to share Love and Nature with the world. For those who have met me, I'm a hugger. Writing about Love and Nature is a way I can wrap the reader in an embrace of words and feeling. A hug from me to the world.

The next time someone asks you what inspires you, think about. You might have a cool "feeling storm" right there in front of them as you try to keep a straight face and answer within a normal amount of time, meanwhile inside you are absolutely delighted 

and ah-ha moments are pinging throughout you. 

It's pretty cool. 

Thank You to the woman who asked the question. 

It is a great question.

What Inspires You?

Happy Reading! Happy Writing!

CBC Calgary's the Homestretch Interview Today!

Outside CBC studio in Calgary.

Happy Monday indeed! Today was an awesome day, I was interviewed by Chris dela Torre on CBC Calgary's radio program the Homestretch at 4:22pm! Do you know how excited I am about this?! CBC is one of my "happy places!"

I am team-teaching a pre-festival workshop at When Words Collide on how to write sexual tension with Lorraine Paton. Lorraine and I are members of the Alberta Romance Writers' Association, who is the affiliate writing group for the pre-festival workshop. The workshop is $10 and no conference pass is required! Although, When Words Collide is a fantastic fiction festival/conference and a steal at $65 for the three days! Join us August 9-11 at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary.

I was excited...and maybe a tad nervous for the interview, but I had a great time! Seriously, the team at CBC Calgary is fantastic! Thank you all for making me feel so at home and comfortable! You guys are awesome!

For more information on how to write sexual tension, join us at the workshop!

You can listen to the interview here:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Alberta/The+Homestretch/ID/2398743581/?page=2,

and sign up for the workshop here: http://www.whenwordscollide.org/affiliates.php.

Happy Reading, Happy Writing!

Cooking and Writing

Ever write and cook at the same time? Sometimes when I am cooking I have my laptop handy so when I am waiting in between cooking tasks, I can get a few minutes writing time in. And it is way more fun to be writing in those little breaks instead of doing dishes.

Blocks of solid writing time are lovely, but sometimes schedules make that a no-go for several days, and if I haven't written in a few days, I need to reread and plug back into the story, so to speak, which cuts into actual writing time. So, I harness whatever time I can, whether that is a five minute snippet, or a five hour one. The wee time slots also keep the story fresh in my mind and rolling until the next marathon writing session.

Happy writing, and reading!

The power of the synopsis as a writing tool

I consider myself a pretty organic writer, but I am learning the benefit of using the synopsis as a writing tool. I suppose it is part of the writing journey and finding your own groove, but when I first heard of this it sounded very different than how my brain does the creative process and I shook my head in oh-no, not a chance. I want to flow.

The more I write, though, the more my brain and my creative process wants that organized synopsis. It sounds almost counter-intuitive to me and my vision of flow (I'm still in my writing style transition), but I am realizing now that scenes are freer to flow when I know what I want them to do ahead of time. I can sit down and write the scene fully, not with my attention split between the scene and wondering how the story is going to unfold. It is less stressful, too. People are masters at creating unnecessary stress. Why do we do that?

It also saves a lot of time rewriting scenes. And as characters develop and take on a life of their own, stay flexible and fluid to roll with your authentic character. Seriously, sometimes those characters feel so real in their persistence on how a story is going to go. You know what I'm talking about.

An older colleague of mine always says make a choice. If you find it doesn't work for you, make another choice. Don't stall yourself in indecision, though, that in itself is a choice, too. Make a choice, you can always make another one later if you need to, but don't have your life stall in indecision.

Works for stories, too. Make a choice. Decide your story, you are always free to change your mind, but in the meantime, you have a conscious game plan.

Happy Monday!

Happy Solstice, and getting creative with time

Happy Solstice a day early! Writing has taken a back burner to getting ready for the holidays, but a bit of reading here and there has helped kept me grounded, though.

Now is a good time to remind myself - and anyone else it could help- to take advantage of the 'thinking airtime' when doing the more mindless household and holiday (you know, dishes, wrapping, baking, cleaning, etc.) tasks to keep your head wrapped around your manuscript so when you do get back to it you can rock and roll!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Comedy in our writing, what is the perfect amount?

I've noticed something in the current fiction book I am reading, there is a threshold for comedy.

Who knew, right? This author is brilliantly funny . . . which I love, but because there is so much of it, the jokes have less punch than they would if there was more space in between punch lines. The zingers are getting lost among joke after joke after joke after joke. Each one of these jokes, independently, would have me on the floor in hoots laughing, nearly peeing my pants. But the sheer volume has made me numb to them. Shoot!

How can this be? I love to laugh when I'm reading. I had no idea you could have too many snappy lines. Dang!

So, how much is too much? How much comedy is just right? What amount for each story is at that perfect equilibrium, that perfect harmony that makes each zinger have zam!

Good question. Hmm, how about trust the handy tips of reading your work out loud and asking your trusted writing partners for a read-through. There is also the completely tangible you'll just know.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

Writing Conflict in Scenes

A writer friend of mine laments her ability to write conflict in scenes. First off, she is way too hard on herself! She writes scenes with fantastic, unexpected conflict. But the topic raises an interesting question - how do we put more conflict in our scenes, and not just any conflict, fresh conflict? As a writer you want your work to be new and fresh. That includes the conflict.

I love the idea of conflict that makes you laugh, too. I want to laugh when I'm reading novels and writing conflict can give you an opportunity for that, a comedy of errors sort of thing.

So, have fun with your conflict! I know I am!

Happy Writing, Happy Reading!